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the adventurous nicodemo a. penrose (otets) wrote in valesco,
@ 2008-02-18 20:13:00

Entry tags:

amery wilkes, grayson wilkes, mackenzie goldstein

Grayson
Who: Grayson Wilkes and Amery Wilkes
What: Brother brawl
Where: Ministry
When: Monday eveningish.

"Yes, thank you, I will check up on that," Amery called over his shoulder, anxious to get away from his direct superior. The one thing he could not stand about fronting as a Ministry official was that he was actually expected to do his job. This was something of a problem, seeing as how Amery detested most work, and could not really even name what it was his department did. Which was why he hated meaning anybody he had to answer to.

Speaking of actual work, Amery needed to get to one of the conference rooms on his floor so he could make sure that his notes and materials were in order for his presentation conference tomorrow. Fishing the key out from his pocket, he smiled and waved benignly at some other official he was supposed to know and suck up to, and slipped inside the conference room.

That was funny. He had told his assistant to bring in the materials that morning... why were they not in there?

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 06:08 am UTC (link)

"You always get on my nerves, Amery," he grunted as he felt the blade slip from his fingers. He frowned, irritated when he felt the blade nick through his gloves.

Damn, why did he keep those so sharp. Grayson rounded back so that he could be out of Amery's kicking range for the moment and glared at him. "You've always had very poor judgement."

Which had led to his sister's prolonged pain, and he was periodically reminded of that fact. Today had just happened to be one of those days.

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otets
2008-02-19 06:16 am UTC (link)

"I'm so sorry to have caused you trouble, Grayson," he spat, watching to see whether Grayson was striking back or going for the knife.

"And I am so sorry about my poor judgment, but has it ever occurred to you that words do just as well at solving problems as your fist?"

He wiped away the small bit of blood that the first punch had caused and tightened his fist in preparation.

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 06:19 am UTC (link)

"No," he replied honestly, "I don't think that will work at all." He did go for the knife again, though he had the good sense to keep his head up when he did so. Knowing Amery, he'd probably get an underhanded kick to the jaw.

Grayson licked his lips, palming the knife again. "And it's too late for words, Amery. You already screwed up...and you don't have much room to change things on that account." He'd confronted Amery a few times about this particular situation, so perhaps his repeated speech would ring some bells with the other man.

If not? Well, he wasn't about to go out of the way to explain things to Amery.

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otets
2008-02-19 06:24 am UTC (link)

Amery frowned. This could be something that he had done as child, or this could be in the very recent past. One thing that was always to be sure of Grayson, he was never predictable, and usually never bothered to tell the people he attacked why they were being attacked. Which, really, made for an excellent bond between brothers.

He saw Grayson grab the knife and eye it appreciatively. There were options. Options like stand and let his brother gut him, or be proactive and try to get the first slash in. He didn't like either of those options, but hey. If a man was to run at him with a knife, he certainly wouldn't object to trying to beat him to pulp also.

Even if that was his brother.

"For the last time, Grayson. This is how you want to settle things with me?"

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 06:29 am UTC (link)

No.

That was the immediate thought that popped up into his head, but Grayson pushed it away in favor of simply frowning to himself and then lunging toward Amery with the knife. He needed to get this stress out and as much as he knew that he was angry at Amery, he'd never do anything to harm him ... lethally.

"Not all of us can bullshit our way out of feelings with excuses, Amery. Are you going to ignore Travers if he starts to do to Juliana what Daniella's first husband did to her?" Okay, so there was the reason he was here and angry. He gritted his teeth as he slashed toward Amery's left arm, hoping to at least graze the skin if not puncture it substantially.

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otets
2008-02-19 06:36 am UTC (link)

They crashed into the wall behind Amery and he cried out when the blade sliced him rather deeply in the arm.

"That's what this is about?" he said, panting as he struggled to throw Grayson off of him. "We've gone through this before-- she said she had a handle on it, she didn't want us to know. Are you going to tell me Daniella can't take care of herself?"

Amery shoved at the arm that held the blade and made to shove him, moving to avoid being trapped in a corner by him and his. "I would never let Travers lay a finger on Juliana and you know it."

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 06:40 am UTC (link)

"She obviously couldn't," he hissed again, grunting when he found himself thrown rather harshly off of his brother. He was forced to step back again and Amery assumingly escaped from the corner. Damn.

"And you say that, Amery, but you rarely carry through on your words." Or Grayson seemed to think that he rarely carried through on his words. He was biased and angry at the moment but it seemed a true enough fact anyway. "So we are going to go over this until I get it through your head that we. Protect. Our sisters." No matter what they said about being able to protect themselves.

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otets
2008-02-19 06:51 am UTC (link)

"Well, you stepped in and fixed it, being the family man that you are," Amery hissed. "Did it ever occur to you that I wasn't sure? You didn't think I perhaps wanted proof so there wasn't an unjustifiable murder sitting on her shoulders?"

He was bitter about it in some respects. Truthfully, he hadn't known much longer than Grayson. Daniella had really only confirmed it just a few days before. A few bruises are easily explainable... but what was to happen when the explanation for them turned out to be very ugly?

"I protect my sisters, just like I protect the rest of my family," he spat, narrowing his eyes. "Just like I have always and will always protect them."

The idea, the notion that he might stand idly by with the knowledge that a family member, a sister, to be specific, was being hurt drove him absolutely mad. So, he lunged, his fists and feet moving solidly.

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 06:55 am UTC (link)

Grayson didn't hesitate when he responded next, hoping to have Amery's lunge glance off of him at best. He all but growled out his words. "I wouldn't have had to fix it if you'd done your job in the first place," he muttered, moving forward for another slash at his brother. They were both getting worked up about this.

"So forgive me if I'm inclined," he panted, "Not to believe you're not going to screw up this time." If he wanted to have something done properly he had to do it himself or ask Bellatrix to do it, and he didn't like having her intervene in family matters. Bothering her with that seemed silly when he knew where her priorities were.

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otets
2008-02-19 07:11 am UTC (link)

"Perhaps you have forgotten, Grayson, that I am still your elder! I did not screw up--you have gotten this family into deeper trouble with your inability to reason through things." Grayson's knife hit home and blood spurted out from a slash under his collar bone. Amery tore at him, placing his hands squarely on the chest in order to shove him against the wall, seething, his slashes still gushing fairly freely.

"Your priorities seem to be a bit out of order," he gasped out, "if this is your idea of taking care of family."

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 07:14 am UTC (link)

"Please," he retorted, groaning as he felt his back connect with the wall, "I've gotten this family into deeper trouble? Exactly what have I done to achieve that, then?"

He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the sharp pressure against his chest, gaze sliding instead to the cut on Amery's collarbone. At least he hadn't moved to slash out at him again. Besides, Amery was in no danger of bleeding to death ... so it wasn't as if he was completely out of control, right? Right.

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otets
2008-02-19 07:23 am UTC (link)

"Grayson, if people found out half the deeds you've committed, can you imagine where that would lead us?" He grabbed Grayson's collar and shook him against the wall, purely out of desperation. "Can you see that you need to be more responsible if you don't want to end up devastating this family? I don't care what fear you inspire in people's hearts, I don't care your social standing--you tell me I am an idiot for idly entertaining ideas of leaving the fold, but do you not see what one careless mistake, one wrong person you pissed off, one action that you don't think through will do to you? To your family?"

Amery staggered back a second, surprised. "You son of a bitch," he growled, raising his hand to backhand him.

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 07:33 am UTC (link)

The fact that Amery thought he wouldn't think things through when it came to actual murder was ... well, laughable but entirely infuriating. He gritted his teeth and set his jaw while Amery spoke, bringing his own hand up to curl around his brother's throat, thumb pressed against his windpipe.

"For Merlin's sake, Amery," the slap actually took him by surprise and he flushed red with anger and embarrassment, "You think I don't plan these things?" He pushed forward with his own body weight in hopes of dislodging Amery from his collar, "Do you honestly think that I would be so stupid?" This encounter they were having now ... he was allowing himself to be sloppy because he knew it was his brother, because he knew it wasn't of consequence. He did his best not to put the others in danger when he could help it.

"You say this when you know He is the worst person imaginable to anger, Amery, and that He doesn't tolerate even idle ideas of betrayal." He didn't want to see Amery die.

He didn't.

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otets
2008-02-19 07:40 am UTC (link)

"I'm not afraid of him," he said, not wholly true, but not untrue either. He didn't fear the death he knew would be coming if anyone but Grayson ever found out he had entertained such thoughts. But what scared him more was how others scrambled to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes when he himself only felt lukewarm approval of what he was doing.

"Grayson, you don't think." He allowed himself to be pushed off Grayson and stumbled back. "I don't mean you don't plan. You're all meticulous, cunning, carefully laid plans, but you don't think. You don't bother to understand what is going to happen to this family if I die, or you die, or heaven forbid, a sister. Mother. You just say that it can't ever happen, so it won't."

He wiped at the persistent cut on his lip. "You call me a coward all you like, but at least the prospect that something might happen to this family doesn't terrify so much that I can't rationalize what's going to happen when it does."

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 07:47 am UTC (link)

He hated admitting that there was at least some vein of truth in what Amery said. There was a problem with being fiercely devoted to a point of obsession with ... anything, and this was no exception. It was true that he could hardly think of what might happen if someone in their family were to die. He knew that their mother couldn't last forever, but it rarely occurred to him that the others might be dead before him.

Amery ... well, they both knew what would happen if anyone else found out about his leanings. He shook his head fiercely and gave his brother a harder shove backward, this time simply aiming to push him. He'd already dislodged him. "That's where you're wrong." He might not like to think about what would happen, but ... "People wouldn't dare touch our family, Amery. It does more to protect them than sitting back like passive imbeciles. You treat what we do like a chore, Amery ... but I enjoy It."

He'd seen the way that Amery got when he was torturing muggles - whether he wanted to admit it or not, he enjoyed it too. At least Grayson wasn't in denial about that - it was a big part of his life.

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otets
2008-02-19 07:56 am UTC (link)

He fumbled as he fell backwards, still somewhat in shock. "I know you enjoy it," he said softly, the disgust sounding faraway in his throat as he felt sick for the discrepancies between the things he was saying now and what happened to him when he was anonymous behind the mask.

A man without an identity is a powerful motive to abandon inhibitions. Violence was not a prevailing aspect of Amery's character-- he was much more subdued about his obsession--yes, obsession-- with it. But it was there. It was undeniable.

But it didn't change the fact that nine times out of ten, it was Grayson who was responsible for something, it was Grayson who needed to learn to toe the line, it was Grayson who--

"It doesn't matter whether or not we enjoy it or whether or not it's a chore. I didn't have a choice, Grayson!" he yelled, placing his hands on Grayson's shoulder and shaking. "You had this handed to you on a silver platter and did whatever you pleased with it! I didn't have a choice."

It was different when it was something you were expected to do and something you had no other choice for. Grayson didn't understand that, Grayson didn't understand how precious freewill was.

"You don't understand anything about that choices I make," he whispered, shoving him.

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 08:14 am UTC (link)

He brought his hand up to wrench Amery's from his shoulder, digging his fingers into one of the other man's wrists. He wasn't just going to stand here and listen to Amery say that he didn't understand the choices he made when they were in fact rather similar, when it all came down to it... he tightened his fingers around the man's wrist until he knew it would be physically uncomfortable and then brought his other hand up to shove him again by the wound in his collarbone.

"You really think that I had a choice, Amery? I wanted to say yes, but you know just as well as I do that I wouldn't have been able to reject His offer." Neither their family nor the Dark Lord would have allowed it. It would have been just as disgraceful to say no. He licked his lips - they were suddenly dry - and snorted. "It wasn't as if you were a shining star for Him to be proud of, Amery. Our family is always going to be new money and you know mother would do anything to ingrain us in society." He swallowed thickly, but didn't move forward to lunge at his brother again.

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otets
2008-02-19 08:22 am UTC (link)

"You say that, Grayson, but I don't believe for a second that you honestly feel that you and I aren't that different when it comes down to it."

He batted the hands that clutched at him away, almost in vain. Fingers dug into his wound at the neck that made him hiss and cry out in pain.

"I don't care what you say, it is different when you become of age and your future has already been picked out for you. I don't need to be his shining star, or even half so precious to him as his Grayson Wilkes in order to feel that this is a prison statement. Maybe I do enjoy some of its darker qualities. Maybe putting on that mask does give me a high. But I don't attack it with nearly the same ferocity you do."

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-19 08:31 am UTC (link)

"No," he agreed, albeit reluctantly, "I think we're more alike that you want to admit." Two diverging paths from a similar source, perhaps. He'd embraced the quality in him that made him want to tear into people like menacing darkness and Amery had tried to box that part of himself away and let it out when it was 'appropriate'.

He was perhaps not as ashamed of Amery as he sometimes made people think. Yes, his brother had been all but forced into his position, but ... when it came down to it he didn't shirk off his obligation. That was something, and perhaps that was what stopped him from going farther with this. He kept his hand on Amery's shoulder.

Most of the anger had drained out of him by now and he was left with only a mild irritation and a knowledge that Amery would probably need a mediwizard. "You would say that like it's my fault, wouldn't you? I've got news for you: it isn't." Not really.

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otets
2008-02-20 02:38 am UTC (link)

Amery had stepped back from his brother, still dazed. Words were being spoken by Grayson, but they were mostly going over his head. It registered that there was something about his tone or his meaning that should have made Amery angry, but he was too faraway to give it much thought.

His focus, instead, was the blade in his brother's limp grip. A shiny blade. A blade easily within his reach.

Before Amery himself even had time to realize what he was doing, he grabbed the blade and brought it whistling down from Grayson's shoulder to his rib in one fluid motion, throwing it into a corner with a clatter.

Panting and doubled up with pain and effort, he wiped the sweat and blood from the corner of his mouth and groaned.

"There," he spat. "We're even."

And then staggered into the wall, clutching at the open wound.

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glovesmandatory
2008-02-20 02:47 am UTC (link)

Grayson hadn't been expecting that burst of anger from Amery ... but he wasn't altogether surprised by it no matter how much it irritated him. The sharp pain cut through him and he shuddered, letting out a rasping groan of his own.

"Right," he managed to mutter, pulling himself into one of the conference chairs, "Even. You realize we're going to have to," Okay, he was bleeding a little more than he'd originally thought, "get a mediwizard in here." Because they certainly weren't going to stumble into St. Mungo's like this. That would draw far too much attention to their family and to the fact that they had literally cut each other up.

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