The Boy Next Door

Expectations

!TW! Murder, blood, family conflict

Anthony stepped into the room, the excitement having subsided into more pride as to how he finally was able to do this. Setting his bag on the ground and sitting on the bed.

Did Anthony like being around a bunch of mobsters?
Of course not.
But that didn't matter. He was going to make his father proud of him if even he died trying. Was he excited to see old associates? NO.
At least his brother was here, that would be a bit of a comfort to him. He did regret it a little bit. He wanted to be with Alastor.
But that wasn't his family. He couldn't stay there forever. It did bother him to know Elisabeth definitely would disprove of this. But was she his mother? No. No she wasn't. He needed to get his head out of the clouds and stop pretending these people were so close to him.
He loved them.
But if he knew anything about himself, he knew he was just a weight on their shoulders. Probably was best for him to be away for a while, let them go back to their normal lives.

Lucio opened the door and walked in. "Ready?" Anthony took a breath. "If I ain't now, I'll never be." He muttered, standing up and walking out of the room.

Alastor sat at his desk, tapping the pen against the paper. He had been trying to write but he couldn't stop his mind from ultimately going back to the topic at hand. What was he going to do without him? He couldn't help but be upset with him. Why would Anthony want to leave him so badly for a family that couldn't care less about his happiness? Why did he have to be so blind to it all? Anthony's father was anything but loving and yet the blonde talks about him like he's a saint. Anthony was throwing himself into such a dangerous situation, and for what? Approval he so desperately needed? What good was his father's approval?! Why couldn't Anthony just accept the idea that his Henry just wasn't a good person, and that he doesn't need to care?! What was it going to take for Anthony to understand?!
Elisabeth knocked on his door. "Come in..." gently shutting the door behind her she walked around behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "How are you feeling?" She asked quietly. "I'm fine. Just disappointed I guess." He muttered, putting the pen down. Elisabeth nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Angel made his choice. We may not have liked it, but we can't stop him." Alastor groaned, slumping forward against the desk. "What's so great about his father? Is it not obvious he doesn't care about him?" He asked. Elisabeth shook his head. "Now Alastor, we can't go making accusations." She said sternly. "You know I'm right mama." He muttered under his breath. Elisabeth stared at him for a few minutes. "Yes. It's infuriating. I will admit I'm very disappointed in his decision. But family matters are complicated. Angel is doing what he thinks he needs." She said simply, walking over to sit on his bed. "I could have been what he needed...." the brunette mumbled. Sitting up straight to look at his mother. Elisabeth sighed, fidgeting a bit with her skirts fabric. "Angel needs to figure things out for himself. He'll put things together eventually. We can't do this for him." Alastor shook his head, pushing the hair out of his face. "I wish I could. Maybe he would finally get how worth it he is."

The next few weeks were....quiet.
The house was just different when he wasn't there, he was so used to seeing him at least once every day or so. It almost felt like a withdrawal. Wanting to be able to talk to him about everything that was happening in his day to day life. It definitely wasn't helping his worries that he didn't know what was going on with him. Molly didn't give good answers because of 'mafia rules' or something. Pushing through day to day was becoming almost a chore.

Elisabeth surprisingly wasn't much better, she hadn't realized how accustomed she was to having the blonde around until he was gone. Often finding herself accidentally setting out three spots instead of two, or asking about Alastor's day in a way that suggested Anthony was with him. Only for the immediate embarrassment that came with the reminder he wasn't there. She honestly missed having him around. She didn't know what it was he left for, she just knew it was something to do with a job and family. Unfortunately she didn't get much of a word in about the situation. And just like Alastor, found herself worrying about him. Souly because she knew Anthony was with his father all the time now.