hey brother, do you still believe in one another?

[infamousdelsin]

". . . Wow," Reggie says.

He's sitting on Delsin's couch, in Delsin's apartment, and Delsin's just broken the news that Reggie's dead. He'd been standing at the door when Delsin had brought Spark back from his morning walk, and the dog couldn't stop barking at him so Delsin had tucked him into the bathroom to get some quiet and privacy. He's exhausted and his head hurts, and he's got Reggie.

"Yeah," he says softly. "I tried so hard to save you."

"I . . . I know," Reggie assures. He grips Delsin's shoulder. "I remember, Del. You did your best, okay? I know you did." He leans back, arms out to the side. "But, hey. Here I am, right?" He smiles, chin lifting in that achingly familiar way.

"Here you are," he agrees. His eyes are soft and maybe still a little surprised. "God, it— it blows my mind, Reg. You're right here." He reaches and touches his shoulder, and for a second, Delsin almost believes his hand will pass right through him. But it doesn't. It lands firmly on Reggie's shoulder and stays there, and he clutches tightly before yanking him into a hug.

"That's right, Brother," Reggie whispers. "I'm right here. And I'm never gonna leave you again."

It's exactly what Delsin needs to hear, and he grips tighter with a soft, broken sound. He ignores the weird, worried knot in his belly. This is Reggie. Reggie is real, and here, and safe.

---

Later, Delsin is feeling tired. He's always cold, now, which seems to make the fatigue even worse. He hasn't been cold in so long, not since he'd gotten his smoke powers. But now he is, and it's . . . weird. He takes a deep breath: he's ready to tell Reggie he's going to go lay down and rest for awhile. Reggie pops out of his seat like there's a tack under him.

"Hey, Brother, why don't we go for a walk?" he suggests. "You look like you could use some fresh air."

Delsin looks up, and he's about to protest, say that he just wants to take a nap, or something. Then Reggie's hands are under his arms and hauling him up.

"Yeah, come on!" he assures. "It'll be great! You can show me around, introduce me to your friends; I can help you find a job to keep this respectable apartment."

"Creepy apartment," Delsin corrects with a little mumble. Well, it is! It's just kind of here for him, with no precursor, right? Did I just use 'precursor' right? he asks himself.

"Ah, it's not so bad," Reggie says, looking around. "Come on, let's go!"

"Hang on, lemme get Spark." Delsin doesn't like to leave him alone anymore, not since he's been forgetting to lock him in the bathroom. Reggie sighs heavily, but he lets Delsin hook the dog up. Delsin gives him a look, but brushes it off to typical brother annoyance at the barky beast.

Delsin's feet hit the sidewalk heavily, and he has to continually tug at Spark's leash to quiet his barking at Reggie. He leans into Reggie occasionally as they walk, just listening to his voice. It's nice. The cadence is familiar. He has no idea what Reggie is talking about, but that part doesn't matter. It's just for the sake of hearing his brother again.

They're just outside the park when Delsin has another dizzy spell. He clutches to Reggie with a gasp. No, no, no. He can do this. He can breathe through this. Reggie's arms are around him, holding him up carefully. Delsin's sure he'll come out of it. Only he doesn't. This time, the world spins black.

The last thing he hears as his body slumps to the sidewalk is Spark barking.

[ Timed to August 10th, 2014, around two PM. Find Delsin sprawled just outside the park, or have Spark find your character and drag you to him! Either way, he'll be unconscious when you find him and you'll have to shake him awake. Open for forever! ]

Comments

[likethedawn]

Aurora is taking one of her strolls through the park, enjoying the day around her, experimenting by wearing pants, for a change. She finds she actually quite likes them; they may lack the grace of a skirt or dress, but they prove much easier to walk in. She's considering pausing to get something to eat, perhaps a pretzel, when she notices a familiar figure laying prone on the ground, Spark barking rapidly next to him.

"Delsin?" She runs right over to him, kneeling down beside him. "Delsin, can you hear me?" She cradles his head in her hands, looking him over for signs of injury. "Delsin!"

[infamousdelsin]

His skin is hot under her hands — it's always been warm but this is like a fever — and smoke sort of swirls around his skin in loose curls when he stirs. Spark whines and paws at his shoulder, then licks Aurora's cheek nervously. Delsin's eyelids flutter.

"What happened?" he breathes out. He feels foggy and distant. And so cold. Then he remembers. "Where's Reggie?"

[likethedawn]

Aurora frowns as she feels the slick of his skin against her palms, watches the smoke rising from him as though he were on fire. "Delsin, I think you must have a fever," she tells him. "You're warm, and there seems to be smoke coming from you?"

"Who's Reggie?" She asks, gently. She has a feeling she knows the answer, but she waits for him to answer.

[infamousdelsin]

"He's my brother," he says. He grits his teeth and shifts up to his knees. He lets out a breath. "Shit," he breathes. Spark is pacing around them, and when Delsin reaches his hand out, Spark pushes his head into Delsin's palm. He feels so weak. "Can't believe I passed out like that." Reggie must have gone to get help, he realizes. He shivers and hugs himself tightly. "God, it's cold."

[likethedawn]

"Your brother is here in Darrow?" She asks, concerned, because she thinks he's told her that his brother passed on. She watches as Spark nuzzles into his owner's hand, clearly as worried as Aurora feels. "Are you certain you saw him?" She unwraps the shawl she'd worn that day, wraps it around him. "I know it's not much, but does that help at all? We should probably get you to a doctor."

[cagedlamb]

The day had been nice enough that Elizabeth had chosen to sit outside to read. She was engrossed enough that the sudden feeling of paws on her leg startled her. She looked over to find an extremely familiar dog, and the lack of his owner immediately alarmed her.

"Spark?" she frowned, putting her book in her bag. "Where's Delsin?"

She hadn't expected an actual response, but the dog actually seemed to do just that, running toward a direction and barking. Curious and a little worried, she went over and grabbed his leash just in time for him to start pulling her in the direction.

She followed. It all inevitably led to finding Delsin where he'd fallen. Her stomach dropped and she quickly made her way to his side. Though there was no visible injuries to explain what was happening, something was clearly wrong.

"Delsin? Delsin!" she exclaimed. When that didn't work, she moved to shake him gently to see if that helped, feeling a rise of panic welling up.

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin stirs only briefly at first. Even through his clothes he's warm to the touch. Smoke lifts when she touches him. Spark dances around, barking nervously in a high tone. Delsin shifts and groans at the barrage of noise. He frowns a little. "Reg?" he asks, voice raspy. He blinks his eyes open. "Liz . . . what happened?"

[cagedlamb]

Elizabeth had understood he was always a little warmer to the touch than most people. She'd never seen smoke appear just by touching him, however, but wondering why that might be was cut short by him waking up. She looked relieved, but only barely.

"Easy, easy, I'm here. I just found you collapsed," she said, instinctively putting her hand against his cheek to calm him. Without the barrier of his clothes, he feels even hotter to the touch than she'd thought. Her eyebrows creased in worry. "Delsin, you're burning up. What's the last thing you remember?"

[infamousdelsin]

He makes a thoughtful sound and considers it. "I, um. I remember me and Reg talking on my couch, then we came out here for a walk." He shrugs. "Then I guess I passed out, or something," he adds, frowning. He looks around. "And Reggie's gone, again."

[cagedlamb]

Elizabeth had been hearing about his brother a lot lately. Each time, she was happy to know he was around, yet - something seemed off about it all, though she had never really voiced it. Hearing he had been around before he collapsed, though -

"Your brother was with you? Where is he?" she asked, looking around. It certainly didn't look like anyone had gone to call for help. "He didn't leave you here, did he?"

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma still didn't know exactly what these things were, but they were nothing good. Without knowing the source of it all she didn't know how to make anyone at the station listen to the underqualified rookie that refused to wear a proper uniform.

She hadn't realized just how much everyone in Storybrooke listened to her, and to her parents, until she found herself somewhere that she wasn't the former king and queen's daughter and the almighty Savior.

The barking startled her out of her thoughts, because it was kind of familiar. She jogged towards it and crouched down as the sandy colored mutt came into view, all floppy eared and quivering, leash trailing behind him...

"I remember you," she murmured as the dog whined and yipped and sank needle-like teeth into her sleeve and tugged. Only it looked a lot smaller now, or rather, she was a lot taller.

Emma reared up suddenly and looked around in a panic, swallowing a yell when she spotted a pair of legs about twenty feet away. "Son of a bitch," she swore, taking off running with the dog hot on her heels. "Delsin!"

She skidded to a stop at his side and crouched down in an ungainly slide, rolling him over and shaking his shoulders vigorously. It was the worst kind of deja vu; how many timse were men she cared about gonna nearly die on her?! "Delsin!" she said again, voice cracking with panic. "Delsin wake up! Come on, come on, don't do this, dammit!"

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin startles awake, and he bursts into smoke before reforming right in the same spot and position. Spark bites at the little particles in the air, like he's trying to make sure Delsin doesn't get far no matter what shape he's in. Delsin groans a little and reaches up to grab his head. "Ohh, what happened?" he asks, voice a little on the rough side. He feels hungover, weak and tired and weirdly sore.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma had to clench her teeth together tight to avoid screaming because she was probably never going to get used to him doing that (there was also always that thought in the back of her mind, the one that wondered what would happen if anyone ever accidentally inhaled Delsin-smoke; she was pretty sure she'd rather not know). Weak with relief, she gripped the front of his shirt and laid her head briefly against his shoulder before she straightened and swiped angrily at the tears she hadn't realized had gathered in her eyes.

"Never ever ever do that again," she half-snapped with a watery sniffle. "I thought you were dead, you idiot. You tell me what the hell happened, you're the one passed out in the park."

[infamousdelsin]

Any other time, and Delsin would've snapped right back at her, he knows it. But as soon as he realizes those are tears, he frowns and grabs her in a hug. "Hey, I'm okay," he whispers. "Totally not dead. Feel me in my not-deadness. Right here." His heart is still pounding from being startled, hard enough that she can probably feel it through his hoodie.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma immediately felt like an ass, but seeing him laying there like that, it touched a nerve. She'd just lost so many people already.

"Delsin what happened?" she asked, hugging him back hard for a moment before pulling back to look at him with obvious fear and concern. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like shit."

She blinked, and suddenly her expression cleared and shifted to one of horror. "You've seen your brother again, haven't you." It wasn't really a question. "Delsin listen to me, you need to keep your distance from him. I don't think that's your brother. I know it looks just like him, sounds like him, but it's all a lie."

[myonlydefense]

When Stiles realizes that it's Delsin on the ground, he rushes over. God, he has to stop finding people passed out in the park - this is becoming way too much of a routine for him. He hasn't seen his friend in a couple days, so finding him like this only sparks more fear in him. What if he's been here the whole time, what if he's dead --

Oh. He's still breathing. That's good. Stiles leans over him and shakes his shoulder gently, saying his name just a bit louder than normal. He doesn't know what happened; maybe whoever knocked him out is still around.

"Delsin? Hey, Del. Wake up. Delsin? C'mon, buddy. Not naptime."

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin's face scrunches and he shakes his head. Spark is tugging at Stiles's pant leg, like this'll help him wake Delsin up faster. Delsin groans softly. "Oh, shit," he breathes. "What happened?" He grabs Stiles's shoulder — his hand is surprisingly hot through Stiles's shirt — and he tries to pull himself up. "Where's Reg?"

[myonlydefense]

"You were just like this when I found you, man, I didn't see anyone with you. Just saw you here. What's the last thing you remember? We oughta get you to a hospital," he mutters, lips pursed while he absently pushes Spark away from his jeans.

[infamousdelsin]

The dog shoves his head into Stiles's hand, seeking comfort, but the moment Delsin manages to sit up, the dog is all over him, licking his chin and jaw nervously.

"Ugh, easy, Spark," he mutters. He pushes him back, then looks around with a sort of sleepy confusion. "Stiles, hey. You— didn't see anyone else?" Where the hell is Reggie?

[myonlydefense]

"No, man, I told you. It was just you." He frowns, patting Spark on the head and rubbing his ears as he watches Delsin, visibly concerned. Delsin's passed out in the middle of the park, and he's worried about finding someone?

[breakthroughs]

Even though Shikamaru's never spent more than a few hours' time with a dog, he's had enough experience with Kakashi's mutts all over the village that he knows what a bark of distress sounds like. Having been patrolling around the train station, Shikamaru quickly darts between the buildings, keeping to the shadowed walls before breezing into the park.

A few passerby glance over warily, but Shikamaru's the first one to step forward and crouch by Delsin's side.

"Is he... dead?" a young girl asks, pointing with a light sniffle.

Shikamaru holds up a hand to quiet her, leaning forward and listening for a breath, even as Spark continues to bark. There's a faint brush against his cheek.

"Delsin," he says curtly, pulling back slightly. "Delsin, can you hear me?"

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin groans, but he doesn't wake at first. Spark darts in to nudge his cheek and jaw with his muzzle. Smoke rises up where the dog touches him, and Spark whines again, then looks up at Shikamaru imploringly.

Then Delsin sucks in a breath and shudders it out. His face scrunches as he wakes. "Reg? Wh'happened?"

[breakthroughs]

Shikamaru exhales thoughtfully when Spark gives him a look, communicating back with his eyes. He has suspicions about what drove Delsin to this state — but it'll take Delsin himself to confirm whether or not those suspicions hold true.

His lips pull into a thin line when Delsin calls out for his brother.

"Sorry, it's Shikamaru," he says, reaching out for Delsin's wrist to feel for his pulse. "Haven't seen your brother around. But I also came around when you were already passed out on the ground."

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin frowns. "Passed out," he echoes. Right. Of course. He'd gotten dizzy and then everything had gone black. He looks around for Reggie, and part of him isn't surprised to see him gone: but most of him is disappointed. He sighs and grabs Shikamaru's shoulder with his free hand to pull himself up until he's sitting.

[breakthroughs]

The way that Delsin looks around makes Shikamaru raise a brow, immediately suspicious about what might be responsible for Delsin's fainting spell. He easily wraps a hand around Delsin's upper arm to help him up, then crouches to keep an eye on the guy.

"Let me guess. Looking for your brother?"

Delsin isn't the only person who's been spotting folks around the city, judging by some requests that have come by the police department, all of them searching for missing people who never seem to turn up.

What type of entity might have that skill in Darrow, Shikamaru isn't sure, but he wants nothing more than to track it down.