IT'S THE HEART OF A GUN / fire

[wormwood.]

In many ways, Roy reminded the guardsman so starkly of himself when he was younger. When Worm had been just a cub, he had been berated and mistreated, isolated from those that might have in another universe been in his friends. And even before then, in his days as an angel, he had been subjected to all of the suffering in the world, a heavy weight upon his nonexistent shoulders as he carried burdens reserved only for the most senior of archangels. Through all of the hardships he had been through, he had been like Roy – unable or unwilling to see that he was worthy of anything. Any love, any respect, any trust, or any other positive thing that was directed towards him was either turned away or treated as a mistake on the part of the one giving it. Hell, when he had first arrived in Tanglewood, he had approached making friends with an air of cautiousness and muted respect, only in the group because of his own brother. However, as time had gone on, he had gradually come to feel more and more comfortable in his own skin, feeling less like the useless monster he had been led to believe he was, and more like the strong and confident tangler he now liked to think he represented. Now that he was presented with a journey much like his own, he only hoped that he could be the same sort of force in Roy's life that other tanglers had been in his own – the one that made him realize that he was so much more than everything he had been led to believe. He wasn't just a monster, or a weapon, or a slave. He was Wormwood's son, and he was just a damn good kid in general.

He noticed the pained and cautious look that came over Roy's face when the tiger took in his father's injured form, and the blood running down his front, but Worm just offered him the most sincere smile he could manage, opening his muzzle to speak. However, he was cut off when Roy pressed into his side, the boy's face disappearing within his halo of a mane. He heard Roy's muffled and frantic words, and his gaze softened further, one of his large wings settling over his son to pull him closer. He waited until Roy was done before he rumbled soothingly, pressing his nose against the child's head affectionately as he spoke, "Roy... son. I know you're hurting right now. I can't imagine how much pain you must be in, but I know that whatever happened to your brother? It wasn't your fault. And I'm sure that now, he's somewhere out there, up among those stars, watching you. And he's so damn proud of how far you've come." It hurt, speaking so candidly about Roy's brother and how proud the other would be, no doubt delighted with the fact that, even in another form, Roy was alive, and he had true family. It hurt because Wormwood knew he would probably never have a similar relationship with his own brother ever again, after what Poet had done to him... but still, Wormwood would ignore the pain, if it meant reassuring Roy, "And I promise you, you don't hurt everybody. Even if it seems like you do... you don't. And even if you do hurt people, you know what you do? You learn from it and get better, and you keep moving on, even when things go wrong. And I know you can do that for me, Roy. I know how strong you are."

[glow=black,2,300]THE FREEDOM OF FALLING[/glow]