Glorybringer AU ☆the fault in our stars☆

[27] Holding On

☆Deathbringer☆

Morrowseer. Do I want him in my life? Does he care about Mother and me?

Ha.

"No." My voice is cold. "I don't want you in my life. I don't want save your butt if that means putting mine in risk. Especially Mother's."

I lean towards him, towards his desperate eyes, and whisper in his ear: "You would stay away from us if you knew what was best for her, too."

Morrowseer shrugs and gets up without another word. "I'll send you money. I just want to ask for one thing, and it's that—"

"SHUT UP." How much have I lost because of this man? Or maybe it's just because he's in the way, because he has always acted like this, like he is more superior than me. "I don't need any of your dirty money. Mother doesn't, either."

Morrowseer stares at me in surprise. After a long moment, when I turn away, he starts gripping his hair with his hands. "Please. Please..."

Well, this is interesting.

The strong Morrowseer, crumbled by a few words. Is this power? It must be. "Maybe on one condition?" The words are too sweet to not say aloud, and they are rolling off my tongue. I'm trying hard to not let my smile slip, but it's too hard. "Tell me why. Obviously it isn't because you care about your sister or me. You never cared. What is it? Another mission?"

He's thinking about it, telling me his secrets. Oh my God. Is this what Battlewinner loved? The taste of watching people you hate fall to their knees at front of you? "Moon."

What? Moon? "What?" My enjoyment crumples into shock. Is this another one of his tricks?

"Moon. Your friend's-- the one with leukemia-- housekeeper's daughter. Moonwatcher. She's my daughter, and I want to see her. Now that I lost all ties with the group, and Battlewinner's gone. I want to see her and Secretkeeper. I don't even ask to talk to them, just see them when I drop you off their house or something. Give some money to them through-- you."

Moonwatcher. Of course-- I thought she resembled some of my features. Turns out we're related. I have known Moon for too long to just brush everything away and make a contract. "But why? Do they know what kind of person you are?"

Morrowseer looks at me, his lips pressed together. His eyes are narrowed, but they are valuable. I can work with this. "No. Secretkeeper thinks I'm a man that dropped out of nowhere to leave her when she got her baby. She doesn't even know my real name. I wanted to stay away forever, because they might get in danger because of my ties with the assassins, but I'm free from them now and I want to see them. Satisfied?"

"You won't talk to them?" I'm frowning. "But-- but why? Don't you want to meet your daughter and have a conversation with her? Tell her you're her father?"

"Who cares if I'm her biological father, I never raised her. If I tell her, it will only cause her pain. I'm taking a big risk to even seeing them, and I'll never show them my face. I just want to know if they're alright. Even you, heartless Deathbringer, should be wanting to tell me by now."

Moonwatcher. That makes her-- my cousin. The calm girl, the girl living in Glory's house because her mother is a housekeeper. This is tangling up too much.

"I'm not really friends with Glory anymore." Dang it. I should have lied to Morrowseer and let him help us and tell him the news then. What am I thinking? But it hurts too much to think about. 

Morrowseer stops gripping his hair, his eyes flaring. The vulnerable look is gone in a second. "God, you stupid idiot. You told her about her father?"