ruinatings | PSL masterpost

[He'd call Rufus out for being childish himself but Rufus is leaving him under tight guard and so he can't even follow to keep the conversation going.

It's like this for a week, strictly watched and frustrated with Rufus being distant. And then Rufus is leaving for a while and it's only by chance that Jusis hears his brother was kidnapped by some group opposing his faction.

He might not have had any real galvanizing reason to liberate himself before but he does now. Even if Rufus left strict instructions on how to guard Jusis even if he's detained, there's some confusion left in the wake of his capture, and Jusis leverages it.

He seizes access to some of his accounts and transfers them out of Rufus's control, and sneaks away with all the money and resources he needs to track down and storm the facility Rufus is being held in. He had to hire outside help, but he planned the rescue perfectly, so he's opening the door to the cell Rufus has been kept in, worried about what he'll find.

it's occurred to him more than once that Rufus wouldn't get captured without planning for it, and yet, he also doesn't care. He doesn't care if this is part of some grand scheme because he simply can't leave his brother in danger, whether or not Rufus wants to be there.

The whole rescue may be a bit of a surprise for Rufus, whether or not he was planning his own liberation, it's come early.]

Brother?

[This is absolutely all planned. Taking a trip to a contested area to "inspect the troops". Being "stupid" enough to drive out to camp instead of staying safe in the base or taking a helocopter. Flaws in the security of his escort. It's all neatly designed to make his enemies feel like they really caught him, and to get information he can use to destroy them.

That doesn't mean he hasn't been roughed up. He's been interrogated himself, so he's bruised and disheveled, but his responses to their questions have been artfully crafted to keep him alive and get his captors to spill details they may think aren't important but that Rufus could use to wipe them out. A few beatings aren't a big deal, in the name of winning.

He's arranged things so he'll be here for another week or two. He has an agent in this base that'll make a few fatal "mistakes", and leave Rufus able to rescue himself without outing his spy. But it's too early, when the door opens, and he absolutely didn't expect to see Jusis. He sits up on the edge of his cot, his eyes stinging as they adjust to the light, and his expression changing from defensive flatness to total shock.

This wasn't anticipated at all, so he fails to hide his reaction. He just stares a moment, before it occurs to him to push his hair out of his face and try to look put together. The "weakness" that got him here was fake but the bad conditions are real and he's looking battered and grimy and not at all the perfectly poised aristocrat he usually is.]

Jusis? What are you doing here?

[It disturbs him to see Rufus so disheveled, so bruised. It bothers him. He frowns at Rufus like that's the most stupid question in the world, while something across the compound blows up.]

What do you think I'm doing? I was worried about you.

[So he busted out of his own prison and hired mercenaries to do a brute force job of what Rufus was trying to do delicately. Not that his own tactical brilliance is bad, for having succeeded.]

Can you walk?

[How badly has he been treated? He's concerned.]

I'm fine.

[See look he can stand up and he's only slightly dizzy!! Which is also fine because he planned for it, and political machinations don't count as being self-destructive.]

Do you realise how much trouble you've just caused?

[He frowns at his brother, watching him sway.]

I frankly don't care. What are you putting yourself through this for...? No, actually I don't care about that either. Come, we should go.

[He's stepping forward to slot himself against Rufus's side.]

[Since when does Jusis talk to him that way? Since when is Jusis that commanding? That driven? He's always had a strong sense of duty, but this... Isn't Rufus trying to create the opposite? And yet Jusis really is getting stronger.

He can't stop looking at him, and he doesn't quite get why. Maybe it's just that Rufus is tired and hungry and sore, but he's feeling a little breathless.

Better deflect it.]

I can walk. You should save your energy for how much trouble you're in when we get back.

[Because he's in so much trouble, and Rufus is probably in trouble, too. He doesn't want to feel weak though so he's not going to complain about that, and he's taking off on his own, unwilling to be supported by the very person he's been trying to destroy. Goddess, this feels petty. He's not used to such strong emotions, and he doesn't know how to act on them without sounding like a brat -- or worse, like their father.]

[Goddess, when did his brother get so petty? He wants to roll his eyes but he trots to keep up, grabbing Rufus by the arm to halt him before he walks too far, steering him back the way he needs them both to exit. Rufus can tug away from his hold but he's staying close, ready to catch him if he falls.]

I'm saving my energy to lecture you, frankly.

[He's angry. He's so angry, that Rufus considers this all worthwhile for goals that aren't even his own. He'll happily mess up all his brother's plans just to keep him from pulling another stunt like this.]

[He does in fact pull away. It's hard to look cool and serene and in control when you're beaten up and, well, not at all in control. He doesn't like that feeling. He's never insecure, so it's a foreign sensation and it's making him bristle. It's making him blush too, out of anger and embarrassment. Relying on Jusis feels shameful somehow. Rufus is supposed to be the strong one. He's supposed to be calm and collected and pleasant and utterly disarming, but right now he feels ruffled and small.

He really hates it, but for the first time in years he's been pushed out of his element, and he doesn't know how to recover from that. He wants to lash out, to put himself back in charge, safely wrapped inside his own delusion, but even doing that is acknowledging that he's off-balance, so he shouldn't. He should always be composed. And yet his face is burning and he can't even take an exit, because Jusis is the one who knows where they're going, and being the one who's clueless is frankly agonizing.]

You'll do no such thing.

[He's keeping half an eye on Rufus to make sure he doesn't fall over, and half on their surroundings to make sure they aren't ambushed. So he doesn't miss the red in his face, the lack of composure.]

You will not dictate how I express myself. At the moment, you will not dictate anything. I'm going to have your wounds seen to before we talk, brother, but you will hear what I have to say.

[Rufus has the childish urge to snap at Jusis. "Don't tell me what to do!" or something along those lines. It's his job to give orders. It's definitely not Jusis' job, so why does Jusis seem so confident in bossing Rufus around?

He doesn't yell. Instead he's taking great pains to walk gracefully without tripping, and to erase the annoyed embarrassment from his face.]

You seem to be under the impression that this foolish behavior will switch our positions.

[Of course to Rufus who's superior matters a lot. He's unfamiliar with equality. Someone always has to be better, so he can't just let Jusis take charge no matter how much he wants to lay down and fall asleep right here on the floor. He's got to maintain his image.]

How naive.

Switch.... I'm not trying to switch our positions Rufus!

[He yells, then reins his voice in, clenching his fists as he turns to his brother. This corridor is safe enough for now, he clearly needs to get something straight with Rufus.]

I don't want to be you. I don't want to wield power over you, or whatever foolish thing you think I'm after.

I was concerned for your safety! Even if I suspected this might all be some plan of yours, I couldn't allow you to just be in danger getting hurt like your well-being meant nothing. I couldn't leave it because in the chance this wasn't your plan, I...

[His voice cuts off, distressed. He didn't want to think about that possibility, but that was also the driving reason for his rescue mission.]

I was worried about you. You're my brother, for Aidios's sake, I don't need to want to lord things over you to want to know you're safe. And I will disrupt any plans of yours that put you in harm's way simply for an advantage.

I hate this side of you.

Edited 2018-07-10 07:07 (UTC)

[He really doesn't get it. Jusis has been saying things he doesn't get for awhile now, and every time Rufus gets a little more freaked out by it. He's been yelled at, of course. By nobles angry he wouldn't take up their cause, by people he'd defeated, even recently by a few of Jusis' friends, before he had them killed. None of that bothered him, but when Jusis yells he feels oddly exposed.

It's that vulnerable feeling that makes him shut the rest of it down. He refuses to feel like a child being scolded. He refuses to feel like some kind of idiot who doesn't understand anything. A part of him wants to shrink under Jusis' anger, so instead he just pulls himself up straighter and endeavors to look disinterested.]

Don't get ahead of yourself because you staged a clumsy rescue. You're welcome to hate whatever you want to, but you'll regret getting in my way.

[He's not addressing the whole worry thing. It's stupid.]

Don't just ignore the parts you don't like because you don't have a response.

[He snaps it, leaning in close as Rufus draws himself up. He's not as tall as his brother, or as broad, but he's not trying to be intimidating, he's just trying to get in his space. To force Rufus to look at him.]

I will not regret coming for you. I will never regret loving you or trying to help you, whether or not it was wanted or welcome. I will never regret dragging you out of a bad situation, even one of your own planning and making that you've willingly stepped into.

If you feel like you're going to fall you can lean on me. I don't think it would damage your pride to open your eyes and notice you aren't alone, you're just shutting me out.

[It would damage his pride a lot, thanks! That's why he's so determined to do exactly what Jusis just said not to and ignore anything that challenges his worldview. Even if he wanted to listen, he can't afford to turn his life around out of the blue, when he's in such a precarious social position. Changing his mind might get them both killed, so--

So he's not going to think about it because he doesn't want to admit to being worried himself, or to not feeling secure. He's just keeping his chin up, looking down at Jusis quite deliberately, as if that cold disdain will dismiss all the confusion and return things to normal.]

This is a pointless discussion. Keep moving, and I'll deal with you when we're home.

It's not pointless, you're just pig-headed.

[He sighs and reaches up to touch the edge of a bruise on Rufus's face, fingers super light, gentle.]

I'm worried about you brother. Going this far... You go too far too much.

I do what I need to.

[Like he totally needs to catch Jusis' hand and squeeze until it hurts. He always does what he needs to, and right now he feels like he needs to assert his dominance.]

You don't want to become an obstacle, Jusis. Move along.

[It hurts but he is just... He's a little tired of this. He tries to turn his hand in Rufus's, to hold his hand, nothing more.]

You do what you think you need to. Because you refuse to look at other options.

[When Jusis tries that he just squeezes harder. No affection! It's stressing him out, so he's funneling all his frustration into that hold. He wants it to hurt as much as he has the strength to make it.

His eyes are icy, arrogant, as he shoves away any hint of softness that Jusis could pry at. To Rufus, it's self-defense.]

I said move.

[It may be a lot less elegant than usual but he's just so worked up and so determined not to be that he's turning himself into a glacier rather than show Jusis even his fakest smile.]

[He's pretty frustrated with his brother right now, so no, he's not going to move, or obey, though he winces a little at the hold that feels like it's squeezing the bones of his hand together.]

Why are you afraid of this? Or what I'm saying? Acting like this doesn't suit you at all.

You wouldn't know.

[Jusis was so oblivious for so long, after all. There are a million things he's never seen about Rufus. Things Rufus hid for his own benefit and things he hid to protect Jusis -- it varies, but there's a lot. How can Jusis say what suits him, when Jusis doesn't even know him? The dissonance between how he's talking and acting now and the idea of protecting Jusis from the ugly world isn't sinking in.]

And I'm not interested in discussing with you any longer.

[Nope he's letting go and walking away. He's smart enough to follow the noises and find the exit if he tries.]

[WHAT A FRUSTRATING PERSON. Maybe he doesn't know Rufus as well as he thought but he knows... this doesn't suit him. He growls and stalks after his brother, flexing his sore fingers as he falls in step with him.]

You're acting like a child.

[Lalalala HE CAN'T HEAR YOU. He doesn't even care if it's childish, he just wants to feel a safe distance, so he's completely ignoring Jusis.]

[He stares at Rufus ignoring him and he's really not sure what to make of it. He almost wants to laugh. He just sighs instead and lets the walk be in silence. He'll lead towards where he has the crew ready to extract them, and he'll fish out the first aid kit in the back of the military vehicle himself, to tend to Rufus's cuts.]

[He is entirely aware he's being ridiculous, but he's tired of talking to Jusis and if Jusis doesn't recognize his authority how else does he escape? He gets as comfortable as he can once they're in the transport, but he's continuing to disengage, instead leaning back with his legs crossed and his hands folded, closing his eyes and trying to just think. When Jusis approaches his doesn't open them and he doesn't move.]

I'll take care of it myself.

[He's being such a baby. He knows that and it's embarrassing, but it's better than opening up to Jusis and he doesn't know what else to do. He's totally out of his element and that's so unusual that he's just spinning wildly in the wind.]

Don't be ridiculous.

[He sets the kit next to Rufus and reaches to cup his cheek.]

Let me see the rest of it.

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