Fandom Forbidden and Scarred Love { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden swore under his breath as he heard Theo. “Everyone knows now!” He yelled as they ran. He heard shouting from the stairwell as a team was headed their way. “He probably could! Now move it!” Kaiden added as they made it outside. He ran straight for the fence, leaping up and snagging the top of it. “Move it! I know he’s crazy.” Kaiden said as he swung himself over the top of the fence as the team of men followed them out of the stadium. Kai waited long enough for Theo to make it over before he turned to the left and ran. It was dark and that would both hinder and help them. They could get away easier, but they also couldn’t see either. Kaiden didn’t care, he just ran.

Joshua was angry, his insides were raw from the emotions inside. His knuckles were bleeding from the punching bag but he didn’t care. He knew this was over exaggerated, and he knew that Hayden probably blamed him too. He hadn’t been there for years, but he was trying to make up for it now. His attention drew to the voice and he paused, breathing heavily. “Hayden.. has snapped. After this morning, turns out Kai and Theo snuck out when they weren’t supposed to. And so Hayden decided he was going to cut them off completely. No patrols, no runs, nothing. And.. I tried to talk to him, and mention that Kai was like me. And he threw my past back at me. Claiming that if Kai didn’t get killed by scars, he’d become one and then I’d kill him too. He has never let me forget what I’ve done, killing the people I did. And he just threw it in my face.” Josh slipped to the floor and leaned against the wall. He pushed his head back and sighed heavily. “I don’t think anyone can bring him back.”

Jacob had split from Soren, hearing the alarms for the second time that day. He asked around and made his way to where he’d been told Hayden was. “Hayden? Are you.. okay?” Jacob asked as he entered the security room. Concern was written on his face and radiated through his body.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo climbed over the fence and dropped, landing too hard on his hands but not having the time to deal with that. “I’m moving,” he grumbled as he ran as fast as he could. Who cared about being sneaky right now? They just had to go. Their saving grace was that they had a good moment before any of these people came after them, and they were faster than them. That was the good part about being so young. “I’ve got a flashlight we can use as soon as we lose them.” Now it would only draw them closer to them. “We need to get out of the gridded area. Somewhere we can get turned around easily.”

As Soren listened, he looked at those knuckles. So he had been here a good while. He moved slowly closer as the words piled on. One thing after another. Right. Yes, he agreed. Hayden had snapped for sure. Okay. They could deal with that. He moved next to Josh and slid down to the floor as well. “Which one?” He pointed up at the intangible alarm that was now off since the team was running after whoever it was. “That’s him, isn’t it? That’s Kai. Which means what I heard was what I thought it was.” He relaxed his legs out in front of him. “Hayden’s sent people after him. Is it Theo too? Probably. You’re not wrong, by the way. He’s… well he doesn’t sound like his normal self.” He placed a hand on Josh’s leg like he had done plenty of times. “You know how he gets when he’s upset. You know how it is when he gets trapped inside that head of his. It’s an issue we have been dealing with for a long time, and we have always gotten him back.”

Hayden slammed a hand down on the table as he listened to the people who could see his boy running but couldn’t catch him. Try harder. Move faster. Do what you are meant to do. His attention pulled up to see Jacob, and though he should have been a calming presence, nothing was right now. “No.” He pushed past him to leave the room. There was nothing in there that could help him. Where could he go that would actually be of any use? The gates. They were already out. Everyone needed to know.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden looked around as he ran. He could hear the shouting behind them as they ran. “Head toward the flooded section, but don’t run straight. Let’s cut through different alleys and sections. Confuse them.” Kaiden said as he turned to the right and ducked down an alleyway. “If we zigzag enough, we can get away from them.” Kai suggested as he ran.

Josh sighed heavily as he looked beside him at Soren. “Kai and Theo. Because Hayden cut Theo off too.” Josh said as he pressed his head back against the wall. “I know how he gets but still. I’m so afraid that this might be what puts him over the edge. I’ve never seen him love someone like Kaiden and Kai didn’t help. He snapped at Hayden, calling him overprotective and overbearing which didn’t help. Everything is going so wrong Soren.” Josh admitted as he groaned softly. “This isn’t going to end well. At all. And that’s what I fear the most. He’s so afraid of losing Kaiden, that he’s willing to trap him, box him up, and that will only push him away.”

Jacob looked at Hayden, and heard that no. He felt Hayden push past him and followed his brother. “Hayden! Hey! Stop for a moment! What happened?!” Jacob asked, moving fast to keep up with him. “Talk to me!” Jacob said, not letting this go because he knows how Hayden gets. He’d been there through everything after all.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo nodded. Zigzagging for the win. No one could catch them if they were unpredictable. But they had to be unpredictable even to themselves. They could not act like what they would do to trip up the scars, because that was what the people following them would do. He ducked down the same alleyway, hopping over obstacles so that he could get to the next street. He turned left and ran past the first block and then turned into the second block so that hopefully if they saw them disappear quickly, the people on their tails would assume they went down a different direction.

Soren just nodded. Of course he cut off Theo. Theo was the one right there with Kai every time. Not to mention that the only thing keeping Hayden from adopting Theo too was the fact that his parents were still alive. “Well, to be fair, he is both overprotective and overbearing. I am not saying that excuses either of them, but it is true.” Soren had always thought that Hayden needed to find a way to calm down about a lot of things, but he also knew that it came from a place of immense fear. That was a fear they never could take away from him. It apparently only grew when they weren’t looking. “I would say that at this point, he’s already done that. They’re running. And wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you run if everyone wanted to put you in a little box? He was never good at sitting still and neither was Theo. Of course they are running. So what do you want to do about it? They’re big boys now even if Hayden can’t see that.”

“I do not have time to stop and talk about it,” Hayden hissed as he moved through the halls. He wished that he could move faster. He wished that he could run. He missed the days that he was at track meets watching Josh and running around doing everything for the team that he could. The memory slammed into him so hard that he did stop. Well, he faltered. He stopped for a fraction of a second as the overwhelming sadness of what he lost and what he never had in that memory hit him. How could he miss that when he didn’t even have Kai? For a moment, he wished for that reality instead of this one, and in that, he killed his son. Just for that fraction of a second. No. He would not allow some happy memory of a time long since past rip away the best thing he had ever had. He moved faster. He was determined. He would get to the gates. It would not help them now, but it would for when they got his boy back.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai followed Theo’s lead, ducking down the alley and slipping to the left and following. He ran hard, leaping over obstacles before he caught sight of an open door. “Theo!” He hissed, ducking inside before the patrol could see them. If they ducked inside and hid in the shadows, the team could run past them and they could slip out after and run the opposite direction.

Josh flicked his gaze over to Soren. “Yeah, he is. And I’ve let him. I never once told him how to parent, just went with his decisions but this one. I stood against this.” Josh commented as he sighed. He knew this would happen, something like this. Kaiden was so much like Josh. If he had been in the old world, he probably would’ve been a track runner too. But he had no way to do something like run in the stadium. And it hurt that Hayden cut him from patrols because it felt like he didn’t trust Joshua to keep him safe either. “Yeah. I would run. That’s why I was on the track team. I could run and get my frustration out. I was the youngest child and coddled the most. There wasn’t much I could do. My parents loved us, but they kept me so close. It was suffocating. What do I want to do about it? Talk to Hayden but he won’t listen. Talk to Kai on his own, or even just let him go. I’m just so tired of trying to fix my own mistakes and help with Kai. Not that my help matters apparently.”

Jacob groaned, hearing the hissed out words. “Hayden! You need to stop. They’re gone. Listen to the radio.” Jacob said, keeping up with Hayden. Over the radio came the call of ‘lost visual. Trying to track but no success so far.’ And Jacob knew this was going to get so much worse for everyone. And even he didn’t think he’d get Hayden to calm down, at all.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo dove inside the building just as the patrol was moving down the street. He hid in the shadows, as quiet and small as he could make himself. A beam of light swam across the dark, and he scrambled just out of sight before the patrol moved forward. He was breathing so fast and so heavy as they waited. And waited. And he waited for an eternity. “You hear that?” he whispered. “They sent the official lost visual. That means we’re almost in the clear.” For now.

“Don’t say that,” Soren said gruffer to get Josh’s attention. “Your help matters. You matter. You have and will always matter. You do not need to worry about that, but he is going to continue to say horrible things that are going to hurt you as this continues. You and Kai are so similar it is astounding that he wasn’t always yours.” Soren frowned and stared at the wall in this gym. “But he was. He always has been. He doesn’t look at me like the coolest superhero he had to be just like. That’s you. And you know who else looks at you like that? Hayden when he isn’t in a mood. So of course Kai ran. He can’t take this any more than you can. He and Hayden just never figured out how to tell each other why they want the exact opposite of what the other wants.” This was not just a tough situation. This was a rough one. The second they left that gym, it was going to be hell, and they both knew it. If Hayden could not find Kai and Theo, he was not sure what was going to happen.

“I know!” Hayden kept moving. He did not have time to stop. “I know they’re gone. That’s because we are looking for them like the WLF that they are. You don’t think I know how we work? I could run out of there and not be found, because I know how we operate. So they do too.” He was going to find them if he had to go out there himself. Somehow. Nearing the gates, everyone could feel the change in the air. He leaned in too close for anyone’s liking. “I want logs of literally everything. If you have to write everything out a second time, I will know everyone who comes in and out of these gates and every little thing they see or don’t see in vivid detail.” Before anyone could say anything else, he was turning around and moving again. He pointed to the first person he saw. “I need a specialized team of people. People who don’t operate like your average soldier.” His nostrils flared. “I am tired of soldiers.” Then he paused as he made a decision. “Put a bounty on their heads. Kaiden and Theophilus both. Highest priority. Alive, of course.” He sneered at the man he was talking to. “Everyone knows. Everyone searches. I will make it worthwhile to whoever finds them and brings them back to me. Or whoever can keep them somewhere until I can get to them.” That worked just fine too. And he was leaving. Again. He needed a way to keep going, and he knew just what he was going to need to do.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai held his breath as he hid with Theo, curling in on himself as much as he could do. He saw the beam of light but kept himself tucked into the corner. After what felt like an eternity, he heard Theo whisper and he caught it too. "Okay. We need to go to an area we don't patrol, or even one that we do but close to scar territory. Anywhere that would be the worst place to go. So that leaves us with the bank near the checkpoint, they never go there, or the old cruise ship and port near the water." Kai said as he stood up from where he was tucked away.

Josh flicked his gaze to Soren as he heard him. He bit his lip and shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest. Right now it felt like nothing he did mattered. He listened to Soren, knowing that this was one of the ways Hayden worked when he got this way. It was tough sometimes to be the one making decisions, especially back then, and even now he had to be level-headed. If Josh really wanted to snap himself, then he'd be dangerous. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll be of any use right now. It would probably be safer just to stay out of his way." Josh commented as he rested his head on his knees. This was not a good situation, and while he hated that Kaiden felt the need to run, he understood completely.

Jacob pushed a hand through his hair as he groaned heavily. This was not an easy situation. He bit his lip as he kept pace with him. Oh boy. "Hayden, is this not overkill? The boys will come back." Jacob commented as he saw the nostrils flare. "You.. you can't go out in the field! Your body won't be able to take it. Just let Josh go out and find them. Where is Josh anyway?" Jacob asked as he moved with Hayden, matching his pace.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Scar territory. Now that was something that seemed like a horrible idea. Theo almost laughed at the idea of running away from the WLF just to find themselves running from the scars. Where could they even go? What were they even going to do? “They might actually check the bank if your dad sends a search party like last night. We should go to the cruise ship and port. They aren’t likely to think we would go there.” That was because it was a terrible idea. A terrible one that might be the only way they made it out. He wished they could have done this without alerting everyone. That would have made this so much easier.

Soren knew what Josh meant. He never had anything like this happen to him personally, but he had known Josh and Hayden long enough to understand who they were as people and how they worked together. And how they didn’t. This was one of those times that nothing lined up right, and that was okay. That happened. “Why do you think I came here instead of being out there? I had the same thought. Maybe we don’t go out there yet. Maybe we let him do whatever it is that he’s going to do.” Hayden was going to do whatever he thought he had to do whether they liked it or not. There were not a whole lot of things that he could do to stop him. “Unless you want to take him out. We could do that. Vulcan nerve pinch him and lock him in a room until he calms down.” He joked, but it was not the worst plan. He could do a whole lot less damage if he couldn’t get a hold of other people.

Hayden ignored Jacob’s words. He could do what he wanted. He would not have people telling him what he could and could not do. He would not have people telling him if he was doing a good or bad job at anything that he did. “Josh,” he sneered, “is too busy pouting to find his own son.” His words were not kind. “He knows that I am right. He knows that his son is too much like him for his own good. It is not my fault that he has never been as dedicated to this as me.” His words were cruel. “I do not need him and his soldier buddies to find my son. I do not need them to come and clean up this mess. It’s their mess, Jacob, and they will just make it worse like they always do. Every last one of them.” He moved too quickly for his tired body, but it was fine. Where they were going it would be fine. He knew which shot he needed.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden knew that going towards Scar territory wasn't the best idea, but it wasn't the worst. "Yeah, the bank wouldn't be a good idea. Let's head towards the ship." Kaiden agreed as he moved towards the door. "Move quietly and quickly, keep an ear out. We have to skirt this team." Kai said as he slipped out into the alley and looked around. The moon was just strong enough to provide a little bit of light, but not nearly enough.

Josh flicked his eyes over to Soren and heard him, chuckling softly. "If we let him continue on this way, it won't end for anyone. Your idea to take him out isn't the worst idea I've heard. We have those sedatives they give scars to knock them out before they can get them ready to talk to." Josh said as he thought about not just Hayden, but allowing everyone else to not be dragged into this craziness that was his husband right now.

Jacob heard Hayden's words and froze for a moment. He hadn't heard him sound this cruel towards his husband in years. "That's not fair. And you know that. Josh loves Kai and he was as dedicated as you from day one. Sure he changed during his FEDRA days but he still loved both of you." Jacob commented, but he knew his words weren't working. He had to find Josh fast. "You need to stop." Were the last words Jacob said before he turned and headed towards the gym. He knew his brother. He pushed open the door to the gym and found Soren and Josh inside. "What the hell is happening and why is Hayden currently rampaging like a mad dog and why is he mad at you Josh?" Jacob asked. "Either way, we need to stop him otherwise this isn't going to end well at all.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo really needed this team to give up and go home so that they could use their flashlight now. He couldn’t see anything, so he kept running into things and trying hard not to trip over the things he was tripping on. Thankfully, he knew how the patrols worked, which meant that he could guess pretty accurately what they were going to do. They really should stop being so predictable. No wonder the Scars got the jump on them all the time. They ran silently like the criminals that they were now. Eventually, he was pretty sure that the team wasn’t near them. He had not heard or seen them in a while.

See? Soren had good ideas every now and then. “We knock him out and then we carry him to wherever we can keep everyone else safe from him. He can’t fight us when he wakes up. He’s little and crippled.” He looked up to see Jacob and sighed. “Hi, honey. That would be the part where Hayden has officially lost his mind and is for sure back to the him who was enemy number one for FEDRA. Yeah, you remember those times? How could we forget?” He waved a hand. “I’m pretty sure he’s mad at that Josh for disagreeing with the lock up Kai and never let him out of his cell parenting choices. But it’s fine!” He threw up his hands. “How do you feel about our very solid plan of drugging him and locking him up like he wants to do to his son? Because you’re the one who has been out there. How bad is it really?”

Hayden did not stop anywhere. When he passed people, he barked orders. When they found him to tell them that they were working on this elite team of people, he acknowledged them but didn’t stop. If he stopped, his body would work against them and never start back up. Until he made it to his lab. There, he pushed a million things out of his way, pulled open a drawer, and stabbed himself with the adrenaline. Not the stuff to keep a dying person going, but the stuff he synthesized for himself in case there were occasions like this when he could not afford to stop. That never took too long to start working. Good. He was back out, moving far faster and far smoother than he should have been able to. This would last for a while, and then he would see how this went.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden tripped over a few things himself as they moved, and he looked around after a while, and all seemed quiet. "We should be good to use the flashlights now." Kaiden said as he pulled his out. "I'm not entirely sure where we are, but I know we're about halfway to the port." Kaiden said as he moved forward now that he could see better, he could move faster.

Jacob crossed his arms and sighed heavily as he heard Soren's explanation. "I do remember those times, because even I had a hard time keeping up with him." Jacob said as he looked at his brother and his husband. Josh sighed, nodding with a heavy sigh. "Let's drug him up and lock him in one of the smaller rooms that has no way out but the door." Josh agreed before he looked at Jacob who nodded. "Everyone is.. more than a little terrified right now. We should stop him soon, otherwise he's going to use that synthesized adrenaline and end up hurting himself because he won't listen to his body." Jacob said, moving back to the door. "We need to do this smart, lure him into the security room with news of Kai being spotted and dose him there." Josh said as he got to his feet.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Light was so good. So so good. Theo felt so much better with the light around them. This was what they needed this whole time. He looked around the buildings and tried to remember the layout of this crumbling city. “I think it’s that way. Um… I wonder if we can find one of those maps around here somewhere. They are all over the place when I don’t want them.”

Soren joined the other two in the standing now. “You mean the experimental one that he said he would only ever use in emergencies?” He let out a breath. “I’m thinking his addled mind would consider this an emergency. If he’s wanting to keep moving, what is he planning to do? But also, what do we do if he’s already done it? Is that going to mix poorly with the drugs to knock him out? Because he already takes quite a few things.” He groaned and scrunched his face as he thought about this. “Okay, Jacob, that’s on you to figure out. You and Josh figure out how you’re going to knock him out safely. I will lure him into the security room. He’s not going to listen to either of you right now since you’ve already opposed him. Though, he might not trust me either if he’s stuck in his soldier hating mood.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden looked over at Theo and nodded, as he walked that way. "You're right. Let's check these buildings as we go. Perhaps we can find something pointing us in the right direction. But we can start heading that way." Kaiden agreed as he moved, walking faster thanks to the light. He couldn't help but think of the stadium, but then the idea of being trapped flared and he doubled his efforts and walked faster.

Jacob nodded as he sighed as he looked at Soren. "Yeah, that one. The one I warned him that he shouldn't use because it could hinder his own medications too if he were to take it. As for knocking him out, the sedative should counteract the adrenaline and still knock him out, but we'd need a higher dose that I'm uncomfortable giving him. We might just have to do the old fashioned way and cut off his air to knock him out that way." Jacob said as he looked at Soren. "He wasn't in the best mood for soldiers, but he also wasn't listening to me so it's worth a shot if you wanna lure him in. We'll be waiting in the security room. Just talk loudly when he's about to walk in." Jacob said, turning towards the gym doors.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo was only going to do quick searches of buildings so that they did not take up too much time. The more time they spent this close to the stadium meant that they were closer to the people searching for them. He did not want to get caught. He did not want to know what Hayden was planning to do to them if he could drag them back inside. He ran through one building and nearly jumped for joy. A map! It was a beaten up, old thing that looked like it had stains he didn’t want to talk about, but it was a map. He ran back to Kai and practically shoved it in his face. “Hey, look what I found.”

This was certainly a plan. An interesting plan. A plan that could work. “Hm, okay, but love? What do I do if he doesn’t bye it? Because if he doesn’t trust you right now, then I am not only a soldier but also Josh’s soldier. We have been neighbors and partners this entire time. I only left his side when I came to join you guys, and that was not a whole too long before he did too.” He put his arm around Josh’s shoulders. “I am on your side buddy. Just remember that. You are not alone.” He nodded to Jacob. “I can scoop him and shove him somewhere but he will be loud. And I can’t knock him out with everyone around. What’s the backup plan?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai was searching just as quick as Theo since they were still close to the stadium. He absolutely did not want to be found tonight, not after they literally ran from home. He looked back at Theo as a map was practically shoved into his face. "Hey! Great. Now, does it have where we need to go on it?" He asked, snagging it and laying it on a nearby crate. "Okay, so the stadium is here, and we came out here near Martyrs Gate. So we have to go.. that way." Kaiden said, pointing down the street to their left.

Jacob bit his lip as he thought about that for a moment. What if he didn't buy it. Okay. Backup plan. "So we could disguise your voice? Maybe do a call on the radio and change the pitch of your voice? I'm not sure exactly. Um. Josh?" Jacob turned to look at Josh, who had a lost expression on his face. He was stuck in memories of when Hayden was really mad at him before, back when they were fighting against each other. When he was FEDRA and Hayden had been working to get the WLF going with Isaac and the others. "Can we get someone on our side to lure him in?" Josh asked, thinking for a moment. "Oh, maybe Jason. One of the civilians that joined the WLF early on? Hayden liked him." Josh added as he looked at the other two. That could work too.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo was already moving back to the street to check to make sure no one caught up with them yet. He was hoping that they guessed that they would go a different direction which was why he couldn’t hear them. Or maybe they gave up and would pick it back up in the morning. That would be okay too. They could get a lot of places in a night. They would be exhausted, but they could make a lot of ground. “Were clear. Come on. We’re closer than I thought we were.”

Taking stock of what they had right now included a rampaging crazy man who was being entirely ruled by his fear and trauma, a broken husband who was feeling overwhelmed by his past mistakes, a whole stadium full of people who were probably freaking out, and two missing young men who were feeling trapped. Yep this was going well. “Jason? Okay. Where can we find him? Because I have a feeling that he may not be down with me if we’re back to how he was then. I know I was on his side, but I don’t know how he’ll be now.” He patted Josh on the back. “Come on. We have to go save your husband from himself and also the rest of us too.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden nodded as he listened to Theo. They could cover a lot of ground in the night. “Let’s get moving then. I’m right behind you.” Kai said as he moved and kept pace with Theo. He didn’t want to leave forever, but he needed to be away for a while. That stadium felt like a small box, pushing in and trapping him. So this was the only solution he could think of.

Jacob looked at Soren and Josh. Okay. “I can talk to him. I think he’s probably in the library. He always goes there when he’s done dinner. We’ll just reverse the plan. I’ll work with Jason to lure Hayden to the security room and you two meet us there and knock him out.” Jacob proposed looking at the two men. Josh sighed and nodded. “It’s a better plan that might work much better.” Josh admitted as he looked at them as he felt the pat on his back and smiled at Soren appreciatively.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

They moved for a while, Theo trying to find a bit more circuitous routes in case their followers were around. After a while, he just had to ask the question that had been burning him since this plan happened. “So, um, Kai? What are we doing? Are we just hiding out for the night? Are doing something to make a statement? Are we..?” He didn’t want to finish, because he didn’t want the next question to be the answer. He didn’t know what he wanted. He wasn’t prepared for this day to end this way. He wasn’t prepared for yesterday. He just wanted prepared.

Soren nodded and headed to the door. “This is going to work, Josh. We can do this.” He smiled. “You can get through to him. Jacob may be his best friend, but you’re still his husband. He will eventually listen to you. He just can’t right now, because he can’t listen to anyone.” He moved out into the hall and waited for Josh. This was probably going to be difficult for him. There were easy ways to cut off circulation and get him to pass out without too much fuss. That was probably their best bet.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

As they moved, Kaiden was quiet. Thinking. It wasn’t until Theo asked him about what they were doing, that Kaiden spoke again. “I just.. I don’t know. I’m thinking a few days. I can’t.. be trapped in that stadium. It’s like a box to me. Stuck. Can’t move. So I need a few days to.. allow things to cool down there I guess.” Kaiden said, as he rubbed the back of his neck as they walked.

Josh looked at Soren and sighed. He doubted he could get through to Hayden. But if they can get him somewhere alone and allow him to calm down, maybe he could. Jacob had split from them to find Jason and he convinced him to radio Hayden. “Hayden? I think there’s been a spotting of Kai and Theo. Can you meet me in the security office?” Jason called over the radio. Meanwhile Josh walked with Soren to the security office to wait there for Hayden to show. This had to be done. It was necessary. Josh just hoped it was the right thing to do.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

A few days. They were just going to wander around for a few days and then go back. That surely wouldn’t be a problem or anything. Though, to be fair, even if they hadn’t made this decision on a whim, Theo would have gone with Kai anyway. Of course he would. He would hate to be there all by himself. Kai was literally the only thing keeping him going there. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his parents. He did. But they were.. nonentities sort of. It wasn’t their fault. They were busy doing FEDRA and then turned around to do WLF. They were busy. “I get it. We need your dad to not be so.. angry? Would you call that angry?”

The rest of the stadium was in chaos when they left that gym. It was too late in the night for this much activity, and yet they were moving like they were preparing an attack on FEDRA. They were moving like this was war. Maybe it was, but who were they fighting this war against? Soren walked quickly to the security office with Josh, worried both that this was not going to work and also that Josh was not going to be able to do it. Even if he was, he was also worried that Josh doing something was going to cause even more issues in the future when Hayden was awake and realized what his husband did. It was one thing for Soren to do something. It was another for it to be Josh. They entered the security office where there were of course security officers. Soren was having a hell of a time explaining to them why they needed them to vacate. Jacob and Jason got a response back relatively quickly. “I’m on my way.” Over the radio, it was hard to tell anything specific, but a hint of what could have been mania rang in his voice.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden sighed heavily as he walked, glancing at Theo. “I don’t know what I’d call that. But I don’t think angry begins to cover it. I just.. thanks for coming with me. I needed to clear my head and maybe give things a chance to cool down?” Kai said as they walked. Never had he seen his dad this angry and little did he know how much worse it got when he left.

Josh knew what had to be done. As they moved through the chaos and he stood near the door, he bit his lip. This had to be done. Hayden would understand eventually. Maybe. But right now, they didn’t need to get everyone else worked up because he snapped. As Soren talked the officers, he heard through their radio the clear words of his husband. That hint of mania scared him and Jacob and Jason. He waited by the doors, hidden and looked at Soren. “When he comes in, I’ll.. knock him out. And we can bring him to the room.” Josh said, waiting nervously. He knew that Hayden would be furious when he woke up and realized but it had to be done. And this was where Josh made those hard decisions that he was used to making by now.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo got it. He knew what it was like to feel restless. He was restless literally every day of his life. He was a bouncy kind of guy, so the idea of being trapped in that stadium without anywhere else to go or do was the worst idea. “Of course I would come with you, man. You’re my best friend. This is what best friends do together. They crime. They sneak out to explore and write notes to scar- Seraphites, and run off when they are going to be locked up like the criminals that they are. If you hurt, I hurt. Besides, I don’t think I want to be there right now. I feel like it’s got to be crazy.”

And crazy it was. Hayden’s adrenaline was working wonders. It was overriding a lot of the pain in his limbs. It was doing essentially what water could go. He was moving better in that moment than he had in a long time. Of course, what he couldn’t see were all of the negative reactions. The impulsivity that came with the adrenaline meant that he moved all of his limbs a little too much. He had several bruises forming on his arms, but they weren’t that important. He had places to be. The nausea was getting worse, but it would pass. He was sure it would come in waves. He did not even notice the headache with the adrenaline pumping through his system. He felt like he had a clear mind. He felt like he was finally able to do what he needed to do. He still couldn’t move the way he wanted, but this was so much better. He almost had a team assembled. He would send them soon. Everyone told him to wait until morning. They could not get too far in the dark, and the likelihood that they wanted to run totally away seemed low. He agreed, but he also knew that this could be how they were thinking too. He had to save his children from themselves. He had to put them away in their towers so that the outside world could not touch them again. He would go through anyone who tried to stop him. Anyone. So he would send the team when he was ready. He would wait a little longer. Give the boys time to find wherever they wanted to sleep. That was when he would strike. It was easier to move a sleeping boy than one who was still awake.

Soren finally got the other officers to leave, and that was only because he convinced them that Hayden had lost his mind. That was not too hard since they had all been dealing with him this entire time. “Josh, you don’t have to do this. I can do it for you. I am going to be here with you. Let me help you.” He turned his head as he heard heavy footfalls outside the office. Too heavy. He really had taken the adrenaline, hadn’t he? Oh, a lot of footfalls. Did he bring people with him? That was not the plan. He looked at Josh as the door opened, and Hayden’s voice twisted through the air. “Stay here. I want you ready if it’s enough to find them.” It wasn’t right. Anyone should know that it was not right. He sounded like he was on the brink of hysterics. He probably was. “Jason, I need this to be a good something good.” He slowed his too fluid gait as he realized that the officers were not in the room. His eyes narrowed.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai smiled for the first time that evening as he looked at Theo and he felt a chuckle bubble up in his throat. “Yeah. And that’s why you’re my best friend. Let’s get somewhere safe for the night. The port should be just up ahead.” Kai said as he thought about the stadium. He could only imagine what it was like. “Crazy probably doesn’t describe what’s happening.” He commented.

Josh looked at Soren and shook his head. “It’s fine.” He whispered. Josh had been making these decisions for his family and his people for years already. What was one more in his mind. He heard the heavy footfalls, heard the comment from Hayden. He had a team with him. That wasn’t part of the plan but it was too late to back down now. They had to go through with it. As the door opened, and Hayden stepped inside, Josh nodded to Soren. The moment he could, Josh sprang. One arm around the neck the other around his chest. He applied pressure on the airways, cutting off the circulation while having a vice grip on his husband. If this worked, he’d be knocked out. If not, he might need Soren’s help. “Shh. Just sleep baby. Close your eyes.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

“Eh, how bad can it really be?” Theo wondered aloud. “It can’t be too much probably. Probably.” They walked through the streets, getting closer and closer to the port. “Hey I think I can see where we are going. Smells like water and everything. That’s pretty cool.”

Soren had to think fast as Hayden came in the room. There was a team of people outside this room waiting on him. The door was not closed, because Hayden did not expect for this to be a closed door meeting. Which meant he had several options. One, he closed that door and kept it shut while Josh did what he had to do. That could cause them some problems if one, Hayden’s adrenaline shot meant that this didn’t work and two, Hayden’s team of people decided to knock down a door to help out their superior. The second option was that he could slip out of the room, close the door, and find a way to deal with the team himself. Maybe they thought Hayden was equally as crazy as the rest of them did. Both of these options left Josh on his own, and if Hayden were normal, he wouldn’t be worried about that. “Joshua!” He choked out, and Soren whipped around to see that the synthesized adrenaline and the medications were for sure not mixing well, and that also meant that he was flailing a whole lot more than he usually did. So Soren made a decision. He popped his head out, said, “We’re relieving Hayden of duty give us a moment,” slammed the door shut, locked it, and ran to Josh’s side. The banging was a nice soundtrack to their lives right now. He shoved a hand over Hayden’s mouth, because as long as Josh held him there, Hayden was going to fall unconscious, but he was going to say something he regretted before that happened. Plus, Soren could block this airway as well just in case. “Come on, Hayden. We know you mean well, but you can’t do this.” Hayden thrashed, because he wasn’t Hayden. Not really. He was hyped up on too many substances, he was running off of unchecked emotions and trauma, and what he was seeing was not what was really happening. He was violent. He was strong. But he wasn’t enough. Eventually his violent movements slowed, and he collapsed in Josh’s arms. “I’m going to deal with the angry mob out there.” Soren back up and opened the door, slipping out and closing it behind him, still locked.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai sent a sideways glance at Theo and chuckled again. “You’ve met my dad right?” He said as they walked. Kaiden could smell the water and it was a wonderful scent. “I love the smell of the ocean. I remember when I was a baby and mom would walk along the water with me.” The scent was calming and relaxing as they moved closer.

Josh heard the choked out sound of his name and he groaned. He hated this and he also felt Hayden flailing more than normal. He was grateful when Soren told the team outside they were relieving Hayden and locked the door. He was also just as grateful at the help. Josh held onto Hayden until those violent movements stopped and Hayden collapsed in his arms. Josh held onto him, picking him up and looking at him. He could see the bruises on his arms and he sighed heavily. Joshua kissed his head gently and waited for Soren to get the team outside taken care of. Once he did, then they could bring Hayden somewhere he could wake up safely. And Josh would be right there when he did wake up.​