The Real Climax Begins.

Scapegoat

Eleven: Multiple Issues, Actually

"So there's, like, a force field around her house now?" I ask, squinting at the glittery purple, mostly transparent dome around Mrs. Scriggin's farm.

"She and the crystal scapegoats will be protected from the Dark Mages. With my health restored," Seto says, glancing gratefully at us all, "it will be no trouble to subconsciously keep up this enchantment."

"Great," Danielle says, nodding anxiously. "So can we go back to the facility thing now? Please?"

"Of course!" Seto replies, turning away from Mrs. Scriggins' house. "Payten, have you still got the crystal?"

Payten nods, tugging the tiny scapegoat crystal we got from Mrs. Scriggins out of the pocket of their jeans. "Sure do, Dad," Payten says jokingly, and Seto rolls his eyes but gives Payten a loving smile anyways.

"Then, yes, on to the facility we go. Ah-" He furrows his eyebrows. "Why, exactly, are we going there again?"

"So you can wreck everyone and we can get our friends back!" Danielle huffs, crossing her arms. "Can we hurry, please?"

Seto closes his eyes for a moment. "Ah, yes, sorry, my memories from that time period are just very- fuzzy right now. But-" He opens his eyes and grins before glancing at Brice and letting his smile abruptly drop. "The children are not at the 'facility' we visited. Rather, they are in Our City. All we have to do is..." He sighs. "Go home."

"Are you okay?" Brice whispers, leaning in close behind his boyfriend, and Seto bites his lip and nods a little and then spins around and hugs Brice incredibly tightly.

"I love you," Seto mumbles into Brice's shirt, and I can barely hear it.

"I- I mean, I love you, too, Seto!" Brice furrows his eyebrows worriedly. "But- Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just as long as you're here," Seto assures him, stepping back and smiling slightly. "Ah-" He turns back to the rest of us with a tint of purple surrounding his being. "Time to go home?"

"But the facility-" I begin.

Seto signs a spell that I distinctly remember forcing myself to forget, and something very far in the distance simply explodes.

"Yeah." Brice shrugs, giggling slightly and holding tightly to Seto's free hand. "Finally."

Seto casts a quick swiftness spell, and then we're off. The distance is passed incredibly quickly; I guess I forgot exactly how powerful Seto is. But right when we've reached the edge of Seto's forest, he suddenly calls of the spell, and we all skid to a surprised halt.

"Before, ah..." He glows again, though he's clearly trying to control. "Listen, Brice- I understand if, after all that's happened, your feelings have changed in some way- or, if anything else- Ah-" He pinches his arm. "Can't talk today." He forces out a laugh. "And, I- I don't mean to offend you, Brice." The poor, awkward sorcerer pulls on the sleeve of his robe. "But, if- I understand if, ah, magic, and- Whether you have to make a choice, or- I get that I don't have much to offer other than my magic, so-" He groans and throws his head back. "Even I don't know what I'm trying to say."

But Brice has already deciphered Seto's rambling. "Seto, no!" he huffs, and Seto flinches back, surprised. Brice hurries on. "I love you for you! I love you for your smile, and your voice, and your touch! I love you for your sarcasm and your accent, and I love you for how caring you always are. Even back when you thought you were this terrible, evil sorcerer, you still cared more about people than anyone else I knew. I love you, Seto, not- not your magic. Your magic, your talent - that isn't what makes you. Er, I mean- it's what made you, technically, as the Dark Sorcerer, but it isn't, like, what made you? Crap, I'm not making sense-"

Seto slams forward and hugs Brice even more tightly than he did back at Mrs. Scriggins' place (which is actually quite impressive). Brice, being the angel that he is, just smiles softly and hugs him back. Finally, after a long, comfortable moment, Seto backs up and takes a deep breath. "All right. Ah, with that-" he glows wildly, "-in mind, I think I might actually be able to... Ah. Let me just, get my thoughts together." He takes another deep breath and blows it out slowly before speaking again, a bit more quietly this time. "I... know we've had a hard couple of months. And I know it's mostly my fault," he sighs. "But we- we made it through all that, right? And- ah, the day before I realized what was going on with the effects of my past crashes, I was actually planning a... I was planning to..."

"What is it?" Brice asks, tilting his head. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I..." Seto laughs and shakes his head, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "This is... not how I wanted this to go, I'll admit, but-" He swallows hard and looks up at Brice again. "We've been together for a long time, Brice, and I- I want us to be together for an even longer time. So... Dear Notch." Seto lowers himself to one knee and squeezes his eyes shut fearfully. "Summone GIFT."

Nothing appears, and Seto forces himself to open his eyes. "W-What are you..?" Brice begins.

"Give it a minute," Seto chuckles, and, immediately afterward, a small, velvety black box appears in his hand.

"Oh my Jeb," Brice breathes. Danielle shoves her fist in her mouth and screams around it.

"You deserve... a lot better than this," Seto breathes, looking down. He laughs weakly. "A lot better than me. But- But it would make me happy- and, ah, if it would make you happy, then-" Seto takes one final deep breath and then blows it out slowly as he opens the box, revealing a beautiful gold band. "Bloody tea crumpets," he laughs. "Brice, will you marry me?"

"No, he will not," Michael booms, suddenly appearing at the edge of the forest, and Danielle looks ready to kill.

Seto jumps to his feet, automatically landing in a defensive stance. "Michael," he growls. Brice looks highly displeased.

"Seto," Michael answers calmly, distaste clear in his deep voice. "I hope you can explain yourself."

"Excuse you? Sorry, pal, but I have nothing to explain."

"Oh? Explain why you think you have the right to-" Michael spits out his words, "-propose to my brother!"

"Our world is a free one, my friend," Seto hisses, crossing his arms. "I proposed because I'm madly in love with him."

"And what if he says 'no?'"

"Then nothing will change - unless he wants it to."

"He doesn't want anything with you," Michael sneers, and, at this point, he and Seto are right up in each other's faces.

"Uh, actually-" Brice begins, holding up a finger, and Michael glares at him. Brice puts his hands up in defense and takes a step back, leaving the boys to sort themselves out on their own.

"Don't glare at my boyfriend," Seto says calmly, his voice filled with the only warning Michael will get.

"Don't propose to my brother," Michael says back, a challenge in and of itself. "You know you don't deserve him."

"Pal?" Seto begins, his eyes a fiery purple. "Say that one more time, and you won't be around to protest when I kiss him at your funeral."

"Ooh," I whisper. "Dang."

"Shut your worthless mouths," Michael huffs, splaying a hand out towards Payten, my sister, and me, and murder glints in Seto's eyes as we three find ourselves magicked into silence.

"Don't kill him!" Brice squeaks, squeezing in between the two men and pushing Seto backwards. "He- He didn't mean it, I'm sure!"

"Telling me I'm worthless is one thing. Telling my family they're worthless is another entirely," Seto growls, and Brice's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline.

"He- Has he actually..?" Brice's quiet words fade before he can voice his concerns.

"I haven't said a word to him," Michael argues, crossing his arms and glaring past Brice at Seto.

"Bullcrap, but that's not an issue at the moment," Seto replies as magic sparks around his hands.

"Um? That definitely is an issue!" Brice practically shouts, but Seto and Michael ignore him.

"Then what is the issue?" Michael asks.

"For one, the way you treat your brother," Seto begins. "He is independent, and has no trouble making his own decisions. Additionally, the dirty little secret you've been keeping." Seto raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "Care to share?"

"No, tell me about- about the thing!"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does if it's hurting you!"

"No." Seto takes a deep breath. "It doesn't. Everything is fine."

"Everything?"

"Everything except the fact that Michael has been kidnapping children from Our City."

"I- You're-" Brice turns to Michael with wide, innocent eyes. "He's lying, right?"

"Why would I lie?" Seto asks, although he looks guilty. "I'm sorry, Brice."

"S-So you are lying!" Brice says, looking desperate.

"No," Seto sighs, "I'm sorry I'm... not lying."

"Oh, Jeb," Brice breathes, glancing over at Michael and then inching closer to Seto.

The three men stare each other down for too long a while, and then Michael finally sighs and gives in. "Knowing how obnoxiously stubborn you are, you won't be letting up," Michael mutters. "Fine. How'd you know?"

Seto sighs. "I'd love to say I put together a handful of incredibly subtle clues, but the simple reality is that, when you called me a day or so ago, I heard Louis in the background of your side of the call."

Michael pales. "Seriously? Of all the things-"

"You called him while he was imprisoned!?" Brice shrieks.

"Most Mages don't carry phones," Seto says, shrugging. "I wasn't exactly patted down."

"You could have told us where he was!" Brice groans, pulling at his hair.

"You're the one who took Louis!?" Danielle screams, having forcefully removed Michael's magic with her own. She stomps forward, and I have to sprint to catch up to her and pull her back. I have a feeling crap is about to hit the fan.

"Yes," Michael says, shrugging his shoulders as he answers both their questions. Danielle seethes. "I meant to avoid him since you two were so close, but my crash came early and I needed a quick scapegoat. The pipsqueak wasn't even strong enough for me to crash into him. Useless." He shrugs again. "Sorry."

"You- You- Oh, Jeb," Brice moans, leaning against Seto for support. "This can't be happening."

"I am so sorry," Seto says.

"You shouldn't be," Michael says. He steps closer, leaning in toward his brother. "Can't you see, Brice? I did it for you."

Brice chokes on his spit.

"Do not pin your wrongdoings on him," Seto hisses, clenching his hands into fists.

"I'm not! I'm just saying..." Michael smiles warmly. "Brice, I did it to protect you. You've been with this- this addict for six years now. At first, I tolerated it, but now... it's gone too far, Brice. It isn't funny anymore."

"Concept:" Brice says weakly. "Our relationship isn't a joke."

"Sure," Michael says patronizingly, waving him off. "But it's time you finally find yourself some suitable company. You deserve so much better than a worthless Dark mage."

"Mate," begins Payten.

"I will end you," I finish for them.

Michael rolls his eyes and waves his hand, shutting us up again, and Danielle angrily stomps her foot. "So, to get you out of this messy situation, I needed a scapegoat. For maximum power, as cliche as it sounds. I figured that, plus the addict's weakness due to his upcoming death, would be enough for me to overcome him. Then, with him gone, you and I could lead the city. It'd be just like old times," Michael says softly, convincingly. "Just the two of us again. Brother and brother against the world. Wouldn't you like that, little brother?"

"H-How long have you been talking to Seto," Brice asks, holding tightly to the sleeve of Seto's robe.

Michael laughs warmly. "For three years! You know that."

"No, I- how long have you been... telling him he's... did you really... please just tell me how long," Brice begs, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Brice," Seto says quietly.

"No, I want to know!" Brice insists, voice high and shrill.

"Not long," Michael says. I swear to Jeb, his smile could kill.

"Don't lie to your Notchdang brother," Seto growls.

"Then tell him yourself!" Michael says, smirking as he crosses his arms.

Seto chews harshly on his bottom lip and stares nervously down at the ground, and Brice tugs once on Seto's sleeve and looks up at him with pleading eyes.

"One year and three weeks," Seto blurts, shutting his eyes to avoid Brice's horrified expression. "I lie next to you until you fall asleep, but then I get up and stay up quite late working on spells, and- I'm sorry. One night he was just there, in the basement - perhaps he was looking for something he'd lost - and he saw me, and... Is it enough to say that he was just very negative? Then he visited me the night after that. And the night after that. Ah, once you find out someone's weakness, it's... quite hard not to abuse it, I suppose."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Brice asks, sounding small.

"I- It wasn't important," Seto replies helplessly. "All he did was talk. It was simply- simply obnoxious, like a fly buzzing around my ear while I worked. And having him around made you so... happy. I couldn't tell you. I couldn't bring myself to be that selfish." Seto swallows, hard, and looks back down at the ground. "Regardless, I thought I had it under control. If anything truly terrible were to happen, I could easily hold my own against your brother. But then the crashing ordeal began, and-" Seto grits his teeth. "I couldn't shut him up. He always brushed my magic aside, and I was too exhausted to bother to fight back. No more silencing spells for me," he laughs weakly.

"You- Michael," Brice says, his voice low. "Did you know about Seto's... condition?"

"From the moment it began," Michael replies.

Brice's eyes darken.

(I hold Danielle back so her first murder doesn't take place when she's only twelve years old.)

"Did he ever hurt you? Like, um- p-physically?" Brice asks, forcing himself to calm down and look back at his boyfriend.

Seto snorts, and Michael huffs. "Once," Seto answers, and his lips turn up into a prideful smile. "But, worthless as I may be, I can always hold my own in a fight." His smile drops abruptly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Brice asks, his mouth hanging open in confusion. "For what?"

"Hurting your brother," Seto replies, frowning and furrowing his eyebrows. "If it helps at all, I healed him afterward."

"I- You- Seto!" Brice nearly shouts, throwing his hands up, and Seto winces. "Seto, it was self-defense! You should not be sorry!"

"Notch. I am not looking forward to this back and forth," Michael huffs. "You know he won't believe you, right? It's been a year," he laughs. "We might as well just end this now." Michael's hand shoots up into the air, and a foursome of dark orange spikes follows suit, jumping out of the ground below Seto.

Unfortunately for Michael, Brice is still clinging to Seto. And so, after Seto just barely manages to push Brice out of the way in time, our beloved sorcerer grits his teeth, steps away from the spikes, and heals himself.

"That," Seto whispers scarily, "was not okay."

"Forgive me," Michael replies, somehow still acting unafraid. "I didn't mean for Brice to get caught in the crossfire."

"If you want forgiveness, you go to him," Seto growls, pointing a finger at Brice. "If you want retribution..." A smirk slowly materializes on his face. "I'm your guy."

"Now, now," Michael begins, putting up his hands and smiling placatingly. "Let's be civil here."

"Civil?" Seto asks, laughing slightly as light purple magic flares up around his feet, teleporting him about a foot closer to Michael. His magic dances impatiently around him, waiting to be used. "Civility does not normally involve kidnapping small children." His magic flickers dark. He can't still be faking, can he...? "Nor does it involve endangering your brother."

"You're so aggressive," Michael comments, his eyes flitting judgmentally to Seto's hovering magic. "If you want to actually fight, let's at least do it fairly."

"If I want to fight," Seto laughs, crossing his arms. His smile drops abruptly. "Come at me."

"T-This might not be the best way to figure things out," Brice comments nervously, shuffling his feet as he looks on, standing between the two men.

"First things first: this is between you and me," Michael says, snapping his fingers, and Payten, Danielle, and I find ourselves trapped in a murky orange bubble. Luckily, we can still hear and see what's going on - we just can't move. (Also, thank Notch, we can talk again.)

"Fine," Seto shrugs, grinning confidently.

"Maybe we could just talk about this?" Brice tries desperately.

"You can only talk so much," Michael says, not even glancing over at Brice. He narrows his eyes at Seto. "Second: We are not him. This fight will not end in mercy," Michael says calmly.

If Seto is offended by the way Michael spoke of Brice, he's too angry for it to show. "Obviously," Seto replies smoothly.

"Third," Michael begins, suddenly firing a ball of Dark magic right at Seto's face. Our beloved sorcerer calmly steps to the left, his magic flaming up around him protectively.

Michael frowns, and Seto smirks. "Don't fret," Seto says, his voice patronizing and sweet. "'A' for effort!"

And then it has truly begun. Michael fires again, preemptively preparing another magic bolt in his other hand, and Seto dodges once more and smiles wide as wispy purple magic skims across Michael's skin.

"Stop!" Brice shouts, waving his arms to get their attention, but that's all he does. He doesn't step in - if I were him, I wouldn't either. I wouldn't know how. His brother or his boyfriend; he couldn't just attack them, could he? Seto whispers a spell, and Michael summons a shield.

"Come on!" Michael yells, throwing his shield at Seto, who growls when it grazes his arm. "Why are you even trying? You're weak! I've crashed all of my weakness into the kids I took from Your City, and it looks to me like you've just now entered the process of recovery!"

"I didn't become the number one sorcerer in the world by paying attention to my limits," Seto scoffs. His eyes roll up into his head for half a second, and the magic dancing around him throws itself at Michael's chest. He blocks it at the last second.

Michael snarls. "A worthless title. You think that's going to matter when you're dead?" Seto sidesteps two more magical bolts, and Michael ducks down to avoid a spike to the face.

Payten snarls as they throw up a hand to dissipate Michael's barrier around us. Of course, Michael isn't even looking our way, too distracted by Seto to pay us any attention. "No fricking mercy," Payten growls, signing something that looks a whole lot like "death."

Payten's ever-clear silver magic gathers menacingly above their rapidly moving hands, and suddenly I can't breathe. My chest is oddly tight, and I find myself swallowing as if to push down the feeling. Suddenly Danielle is out there at the end of Payten's sights, suddenly I'm letting her down again, and suddenly-

"No!" I gasp out, lurching forward in front of Payten and clasping both my hands around their left arm. My mouth is clamped shut again and I'm pulling Payten backwards before I can even register what I've done.

"What the Nether?" Payten asks, looking over at me with wide, frustrated eyes.

"They're brothers," I whisper.

"Brice's brother is threatening the closest thing to a father I've ever had," Payten hisses, yanking their arm out of my grasp.

I tug harshly on my pony tail, frantically going through every option I can think of (numbers "nada" through "nothing") as Payten turns away from me again. "Please, just- maybe they can figure it out on their own?" I ask desperately. I bite my lip, trying to think of ways to get through to them. "Please? Babe?"

"Sorry, babe, but I don't think it's gonna work out that way," Payten spits.

"Stop, please!" Brice begs, his eyes flitting worriedly between the two sorcerers as their battle continues. Both boys are looking a little tired, each one clearly a capable opponent for the other, and it looks like Seto is just now getting around to sucking in the breath to respond to Michael's earlier taunt. Brice pulls at his hair in distress as he watches them.

Seto lifts his hand, and Michael hovers to avoid the brand new temporary pit of lava. "Yes, I do," Seto puffs as Michael regains his composure. "Regardless of my fate, I am survived by a beautiful story and a beautiful city. And what about you?"

"He's too tired," Danielle worries as she stops to gnaw on her fist, which she has shoved into her mouth again. She looks up at Payten and then flinches as she glances back at me.

My eyes are flitting back and forth between Payten and my sister, and I can't think, I can't think fast enough for this. "They're family," I say desperately, voice tiny and not at all convincing.

"We're family!" Payten shouts back at me, and I could think of a million better reasons for their lips to be this close to my face. "Michael isn't even good family!"

"Love is scary," I say weakly.

"Me?" There's a sudden loud crack of thunder as Michael summons a lightning bolt directly where Seto stands. He smiles smugly as he talks down to Seto. "I'll die years into the future, having defeated the 'number one sorcerer in the world.'"

The space where Seto stood is empty - the grass is singed, the air crackles with electricity. Seto is gone.

Except Seto is not gone. Seto is behind Michael. "Not today," he says, summoning a swirling, barely-contained dark purple windstorm. It carries itself higher into the air and then begins descending upon Michael, who is held in place by Seto's magic.

"Seto!" Brice shouts.

Seto pauses, and his hand wavers. "Dark..?" he whispers, and, yeah, it's definitely dark. The tiny tornado is nothing but black and dirty purple, mashed together violently into something terrifying and final. Seto glances up at Brice, taking in his devastated expression, and lowers his hand.

"S-See?" I ask nervously, turning to focus back on Payten. "No one's dead."

Before Payten can so much as call me out, a loud, ear-ringing roar, like the rush of wind past your ears, brushes around us. Seto cries out as his own Dark magic turns on him, changing its course and coming down on him after being ignored for so long.

The magic doesn't kill him. But it hurts him, and it holds him down, flickering wildly around his feet as he falls to his knees. Danielle screams, throwing her hands up to sign something and then squeaking in horror when her light magic can't get past the swirl of darkness surrounding Seto.

"What was that?" Michael asks quietly, his smile growing eerily wide as he closes the distance between Seto and himself. "'Not today'?"

Our sorcerer groans in pain, holding up a hand and then yelping helplessly when only a few leftover sparks of magic burst forth from it.

"Cover me while I get over to him," Payten whispers, hardly moving at all, barely even moving their lips.

"Don't you freaking dare," I hiss, grabbing their arm again.

They scoff. "Yeah," they say, glaring at me. "Love is scary."

"What does that mean!?" I whisper-shout.

"That night in the burg," Payten begins in monotone, and I swear to Notch I'm about to have a heart attack. Please don't say what I think you're going to say, please don't say what I- "You said you loved me," they finish, pulling away from me again and crossing their arms. "And yet... here we are. Whether that night was platonic or not, I thought it at least meant something. And now you won't even let me save the closest thing to a father I've ever had?" I wrap my arms around myself, rocking back and forth slightly on the balls of my feet. Payten scoffs. "Are you gonna cover me, or not?"

"Not. Today," Michael repeats, humming a little as he circles Seto, so close, too close. "Ha. Silly addict. Funny how wrong you were, huh?"

Seto grits his teeth and looks down, wrapping his arms around himself in desperation.

"I don't want Seto to die, I don't- I don't want anyone to die!" I whimper, clasping my hands together pleadingly and trying to side-step the whole 'I love you' thing. "M-Maybe just, like, a tiny spell? To knock Michael back?"

"You don't even cast!" Payten huffs, throwing up their hands. "What am I gonna do, knock him down so he can get right back up? I'm not as strong as them, Jennifer! This is a one-shot sort of thing, here!"

"That's not even what Jenny stands for," I choke out. Just the thought of my name makes me both sick to my stomach and eternally grateful for Danielle. I don't know what I'd do without her. "Remember your anxiety attack back at the prison? You can't possibly want anyone else to go through that, right? And if Brice's brother dies-"

"Seto is the only reason anxiety attacks like that one aren't regular occurrences for me anymore!" Payten yells. "So you can shut the Nether up about anxiety!"

We've gotten the attention of the others, and suddenly the three fighting boys are staring over at us. Both groups wait for the other to finish their battle first.

"No mercy." Michael eventually shrugs, raising his hand as it flickers with magic.

"Michael, no!" Brice yells, running forward and pushing his brother back, a few feet away from Seto. "Stop, please, you can't- He's my fiancé, you can't do this!"

"Get out of the way," Michael sneers, shoving Brice aside. Brice's expression hardens.

"No," Brice insists. "I will not let you do this."

"Oh, yeah? And how do you plan to stop me?"

"With magic," Brice huffs, splaying out his hands, and his dirty yellow magic pushes Michael even further back.

It's pretty obvious that Michael doesn't want to flat-out fight his brother. He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes, willing the boy to back down instead.

"Well?" Brice asks, clearly not about to back down.

Michael glances between Brice and Seto, who is still on his knees, held down now by a mixture of Michael's magic and his own. Finally, Michael speaks. "It's either me or him."

Brice doesn't seem to get it. Payten and I hold our breaths.

"It's either me or him," Michael clarifies, lifting his hand again. "Forget about him, or I'll leave. You'll lose the one small bit of family you've got left. So... Choose. Who do you love more? Me, or him?"

I grasp Danielle's hand with my own. "Be careful," I mouth to Payten, and they sigh with silent relief before stalking slowly closer to Michael.

Brice is silent for a moment. And then... "Are you kidding me?" he asks quietly. "You're my brother. Mom and Dad were gone, but you weren't. You've been by my side for most of my life.

"Seto? He was a stranger who got me out of a Dark Mage prison just to spite the leaders of the base I was being held in. He was a world-renowned villain, and, at first, he fricking hated me."

Payten moves faster.

"And you're asking me to choose between you two." Brice laughs and shakes his head, looking down. Michael smirks, holds up his hand with the magic brewing above it. And then Brice carries on. "You're asking me to choose between the brother who should have loved me, and the Dark magic-casting boy who loved me more when we were still strangers than anyone else ever has."

Payten pauses, and Michael's eyebrows disappear into his hairline.

"You had, what? Twenty years? Twenty years to figure out how to be nice to your little brother. And instead you spent that time figuring out the best ways to manipulate him. You were all I had, Michael! You were all I had, and I loved you and I looked up to you and you pushed me down and let the rest of the Mages order me around like a servant. I met Seto, and we taught each other to love ourselves.

"I don't think I can stress that enough," Brice huffs, his laughter dark with disappointment as he steps closer. Michael looks completely speechless, his hand hovering weakly above Seto as Seto looks on with speechlessness and wide eyes to match Michael's own. "You were my brother. The only family I had left. He was a stranger - he was the infamous Dark Sorcerer, and he cared more than you did!"

"I'm-" Michael blows air out slowly through his mouth and then looks up at Brice again. "I'm your brother. You're right about that. But what could possibly make you believe I didn't care for you?"

"Oh, come off it," Brice says, and Seto chokes out a laugh at the unusual words. "Don't tell me you ever gave a single crap about me."

"Look, you can't ask me to change my personality," Michael argues, rolling his eyes as though Brice is the one in the wrong here. "Maybe you just don't understand the way I show my love." He looks patronizingly down at Brice as though Brice were still a little kid, just wanting attention. "I love you, Brice, but I won't change for you."

Brice curls his hand into a fist.

"You were manipulative and narcissistic and power-hungry. And you still are. But Seto?" Brice closes his eyes for a moment, and, when they open again, they're harboring a sparkle of fondness. He steps closer still. "Seto was sassy and angry and very secretly kind. And he still is, but it's different! He's still sassy," Brice laughs, and Seto smiles a little, "but he's no longer angry at himself or the world - he's only angry at people like you. And his kindness is no longer a secret to be kept; now it's a gift that he hands out to each and every one of his friends." Brice bites his lip, smiling as he looks down at his feet. "He's still Seto. But he's grown as a person."

Brice looks up at Michael, and his smile drops. "You understand, right? When you came here, I thought- I thought that's what had happened. I thought you'd grown. I never wanted you to be a different person. I just wanted you to be a... a better person." He sighs. "I guess maybe that doesn't really make a ton of sense. But I... really don't care." He looks exhausted - and, Notch, he must be. "Please just let Seto go."

Michael splutters. "I- He's poisoned your mind!" he argues, letting his magic flare up again. Seto squeezes his eyes shut tightly in anticipation.

"Just let him go," Brice repeats, his voice commanding and low. His hand is in the air, and there's a wispy yellow dagger floating just a little too close to Michael's neck.

"You wouldn't," Michael says slowly, squinting slightly as he tries to evaluate his brother's mental state.

"If you hurt him," Brice breathes, "I will kill you. If you kill him, I will make you wish you'd never existed. And when I finally put you out of your misery, I will not mourn your death."

"... Where will I go? Where will I go if I don't kill him?" Michael asks. He's breathing a little too heavily, and his hand is sinking with each terrible breath.

Brice shrugs carelessly. "Where will you go if you do?"

Michael laughs sadly. "When did you get so... so... so confident?"

Brice smiles and shrugs again and looks down at Seto. "I met someone who thought I deserved to be happy."

After a few very tense moments, Michael sighs. Then he snarls out, "An addict can't make anyone happy," and shoves his hand further into the air.

It seems like everything's moving in slow motion; Payten signs a series of spells, but Michael just flicks his wrist a little and sends them flying backwards. Danielle signs "kill" over and over like it's her only hope, but Michael gives a sway of his hand and then she's down on the ground, hands bound in front of her with murky orange magic. Brice winces, squeezes his eyes shut, and waves his hand to the right, but his dirty yellow dagger clatters to the ground as Michael sends Brice to his knees and then lunges forward to finish Seto off.

There's a fizzy kind of feeling in my stomach, in my chest, in my throat, on my tongue. My fingers tingle with something gentle yet pressing, small and yet powerful. My eyes burn and begin to water.

Before I can even try to understand what's happening, my eyes are hyper-focusing in on Michael's raised hand, seemingly frozen in time as my mind works at super speed. Suddenly I've got my own hands in the air, and I'm pressing them forward as though to shock someone alive, as though that would do anything, and I'm calling out at the top of my lungs, "Leave him alone!"

Michael slams back into a humongous tree at the edge of the forest, and then a beautiful sort of pastel purple mist flies lazily around Seto, peacefully settling down on his Dark magic before slowly disintegrating it, blowing the dust-like remains away with the wind.

It's silent for a long, long time.

"Oh thank Jeb," Brice finally breathes, scrambling to get to Seto and then dropping down next to him. Brice wraps his arms around his boyfriend - no, his fiance - and Seto relaxes into his hold, burying his face in Brice's shoulder.

Danielle is next to join the hug, practically jumping on top of Seto, and Payten and I exchange an awe-filled glance of truce and join afterward, gently adding ourselves to the gathering. "Thanks," Seto laughs weakly, and we just hug him harder, not currently willing to deal with whatever the Nether just happened.

"I'm family," Michael mumbles, rubbing his head with his hand as he struggles to sit up.

"They're family," Brice corrects him.

"I love you," Seto says desperately, like he's been waiting his whole life to say it. Payten and I grudgingly pull Danielle off of him so he and Brice can have a little space.

"Notch, Seto, I love you, too!" Brice laughs, hugging him more tightly. A few seconds pass, and Brice finally tries to pull away, but Seto clings to him, refusing to leave more than a few inches between them. Brice doesn't seem to mind; smiling, he helps Seto to his feet.

"Home?" I ask quietly.

"Home," Payten says, and they smile with their eyes as they intertwine their fingers with my own.