For nine_ofswords

[the_hermit]

Summary: In which Merritt fails his will save Merritt makes a stupid decision... In which this thread ends badly.

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Merritt goes still, something about him calming, and the smile that crosses his face is humorless. "That little 'stunt' was easy," he begins seriously, his tone becoming carefully measured.

"The Horsemen are my family, and leaving that man a drooling idiot was the very least I would do to protect them."

He's not close enough to actually, physically reach Ben, but he doesn't need to be. He swings, mentally, lashing out with a burst of magic designed to cripple.

Comments

[onebehind]

Without thinking to try and read the truth of that statement, without needing to for, yes, the taste of their combined magics still in the air, Dylan nods, accepting. He turns away briefly, following that, to call for Daniel and Henley as loud as his aching head will allow, and then shifting back in Merritt's direction, offers him his arm again.

"I'm gonna sleep for, like, twelve hours," he tells him, mock-confidentially. There's a note of seriousness behind it, too, however. He doesn't want anyone getting the wrong idea if they try and wake him before then and he shoos them away.

[the_hermit]

Merritt brushes that off, reaching out to put a hand on the balcony railing instead. "That'll get awkward on the stairs," he explains, because neither of them need to trip over each other right now.

"Pretty sure nobody's going anywhere but to sleep for the rest of the day," he returns - but he also really does appreciate the notice.

[onebehind]

"Good point," Dylan allows with the briefest stab of embarrassment. Both parts of that are a response to the idea that things might get awkward, if he tries to help Merritt down the stairs, but it serves as an answer to Merritt in entirety, and so he lapses into tired silence as they move downstairs. A second or two later, Henley and Merritt join them, and another after that and they're all standing in the living room.

Still quiet, Dylan looks to Jack. Can they fall into bed now, please?

[the_hermit]

Jack moves back into the living room from the kitchen, turning that light off as he goes - and passes off the previously promised bottles of water.

Merritt takes one of them, opening it to take a long drink. He feels better for it - but also stops at that, closing it again and setting it on one of the side tables. He doesn't really want to have to climb over everyone.

"Well, I'm laying back down," he tells them all, that done, and moves to do as threatened, letting out an exhausted sigh once he's settled.

[onebehind]

With a noise of agreement, Dylan sits down heavily on the edge of the pull-out and then shifts over, making room. Henley, meanwhile, gestures for the other bottles, not to drink but so Jack can follow Dylan into bed. She sets them off to one side, for later, figuring for as long as they'll all likely sleep, they'll want them then, and, once Jack's settled, climbs onto the pull-out behind him. Daniel slides in behind her, grabbing the edge of the blankets to throw over the group of them.

"Twelve hours," Dylan repeats, this time for the rest of the Horsemen. He already knows he doesn't have to explain what he means by that.

[the_hermit]

There's a hum of acknowledgement from Jack and Merritt, both of them already starting to drift again.

Tomorrow, Merritt will worry about how much of an enemy he actually just made and what to do about it. For now, surrounded by warmth and family, he's just going back to sleep.