Delayed confession [Wren/Open to family]

[merlin]

Seth couldn't stop pacing back and forth as he waited. The sun had gone down barley thirty minutes ago but Seth had come up from the basement as soon as he was able to safely. Nerves made it impossible to sit still and after setting everything up in the kitchen in case anyone wanted tea or something there was nothing left for Seth to do. He had sent Marcus out for the night explaining that it might not be a good idea for him to be at the house at initially at least. He had been dating Marcus for eight months now without telling his family and Seth was not sure how anyone would respond now. He had scent out letters to invite his siblings to his new home and wasn't sure who all would show up. They had no idea that Seth had more planned then just showing his new home. Keeping secrets was not one of Seths strong suits and having been able to keep Marcus a secret for so long was some what impressive.

Hearing a sound outside Seth stopped his pacing and looked out the window only to see that it was Hermes, Marcus' barn owl, flying off to catch some mice in the field behind the house. Seth needed to calm down and be prepared for whatever came next. He was not sure what he would tell who but it had to be the truth. With Wren it would be easier because they had always been close and Wren was just the more accepting type. If Violet was the one to appear Seth was not sure what he would do since their relationship was still a little unstable and she was pregnant and Seth knew that all pregnant women were crazy and unpredictable. If both Violet and Wren showed up perhaps Seth could place Wren between himself and Violet just in case.

Thinking of this Seth couldn't help but laugh out loud. He was not only the older brother of both of them but he was also a vampire yet here he was pacing and scared about admitted that he was gay and in an eight month old relationship. That was bloody brilliant!

[wren]

Wren had kissed her husband and two children goodbye at least three times before apparating to the address that Seth had sent her. She was excited to see his new place, he had been stuck in that city apartment for so long- no doubt her brother could do with being back out in the countryside. She materialized on the doorstep with a quiet pop!, beaming at the house. It was one that she would have liked to have had she and Zach not liked their current neighbourhood so much. She smoothed her ankle-length skirt (which she had paired with a long tunic) before knocking on the door.

It felt strange to be out at night, she usually got everything done during the day so she could relax at home once the sun had set- though she supposed it was good for her to get used to the occasional nighttime outing, Seth was a vampire now and could not be out while the sun was up. Wren normally might have been tired by this time of day, Ruby and Daniel never failed to have her up early in the morning, but found that she was too excited to be fatigued. It really had been too long since the last time she had seen Seth, she missed him.

Wren whistled lightly, only then thinking that she should have brought something over- though as she understood it, it would be either just her and Seth or a couple of their siblings as well, so that made the gesture a little unnecessary. Besides, it wasn't as if any refreshments would be consumed in a house owned by a vampire! Wren stopped whistling when she heard noise by the door, that could only be Seth.

[merlin]

Seth jumped slightly at the door beel even though he had heard Wren approaching. Rushing to the door he opened it to see his sister standing there waiting for him. Seeing her made everything real which was both a good and bad thing. No more secrets but at the same time the fear of rejection was still strong. Seth couldn't go through what Violet had been forced to go through where any part of the family hated and rejected him.

"I've missed you," Were the first words out of Seths mouth as he moved to the side to allow Wren in. Usually he would have rushed to give her a hug but over the past eight months Seth had slowly learned that people generally didn't like touching him. He was to cold and solid, more like a statue and it made people feel uncomfortable. Because of this Seth had slowly made the habit of just avoiding touching people as much as possible. It was hard at first but now it just came naturally to him and Seth didn't think about it much.

"Come in," Seth said as he tried to think of what all he wanted to say first. "The place is still kind of a mess so ignore the boxes. Have you eaten yet? I have some tea and muffins," Seth wasn't sure what all he had in the way of food since he didn't eat any of it. He knew that there was coffee and tea and some fresh fruit but beyond that Seth wasn't quite sure what all was in the house that was edible...

[wren]

Wren beamed back at Seth, it really was wonderful to see him again. They needed to work something out so they could see each other more frequently, but the whole day and night thing was difficult to work around. She was just glad that Zach was home by supper every night, allowing her to be able to come over that evening. "I missed you more," said Wren, beaming although found herself feeling a little strange when Seth didn't greet her with a hug. Deciding that would not deter her, she embraced him instead, ignoring how cold and hard he felt. To Wren there was more to the gesture than a simple hug, she wanted him to know she trusted him completely.

No doubt Seth needed to know that, she imagined the past few months had been difficult on him to say the least. Wren released him after a moment, continuing to smile as she invited him inside. She peered around curiously at the house, it was disorganized owing to the fact that he had just moved in, boxes and such everywhere. Wren didn't mind, however, she found a perfectly picked up house put her on edge- as if she weren't allowed to do or touch anything inside them. Or that could just be her own house and how it could never stay completely clean because of her kids and animals.

"Ignore the boxes, got it," said Wren, smiling, "I had supper already, but that's very courteous of you." She kept in mind that were she to get hungry later that she would be able to find something, but she was content at the moment. She looked around a little bit, seeing that there were almost a curious number of boxes for one person, she hadn't known her brother had so much stuff, nor how it all could have fit into his old flat.

[merlin]

Seth was surprised by the hug to say the least. The feeling of the warm body wrapping around him only reminded him that he had yet to eat that night. A feeling of horror shook Seth to the core and he was grateful when Wren let him go. She may trust him but Seth sometimes wasn't so sure if he could trust himself. These past eight months had been perhaps both the worst and best eight months of his life. Learning to cope around his disease at work had proven to be challenging but manageable since he had changed to the night shift. Trying to keep an active relationship with Marcus had also been challenging but worth it. What made these past months truly horrible was coming to term with being a vampire really. But Seth had managed and gotten along.

"The boxes should be gone in a few more days," Seth said as he nudged one large stack of boxes into a corner with his foot. Seth hated living in such a disorganized house and just wished that Marcus could hurry up and unpack his things. But given a few more nights Seth would manage to do what Marcus hadn't all week and that was to organize and unpack everything. But at least the furniture was set up and so Seth guided Wren into the living room where there was a large couch facing a fireplace. On one wall was a large window that took up most of the wall let in the light of the moon making the room glow. Pictures and a few candles stood on the mantle over the fire while unpacked boxes lay along the walls of the room.

Seth sat sideways on the couch so that he would be able to see Wren as they talked. Seth knew that he needed to put in ether a love seat or a chair in this room to make future conversation easier. For now though he contented himself by sitting in the corner of the couch with himself facing the window so that the large window would not be at his back. "Lets start with the basics, how is life? Ruby should have turned two by now right?" Seth said. Seth knew that both he and Rubies birthdays were close together so her birthday should have already passed.

[wren]

That look in Seth's eyes, Wren wasn't sure what to think of it. The look seemed almost to be filled with horror, not like having a fright, but genuine fear. All she knew was that she did not like it, and now that she had been a mother for two years was quite sensitive to picking up nonverbal cues. Wren was glad when she could no longer notice that look of fear. "No matter," said Wren with a shrug, "Zach and I took months to unpack everything." She recalled the day where they had unpacked the last box and put everything away, the sense of relief it had been in knowing they were finally home.

She smiled at the living room when Seth lead her in, it was a handsome room with a fireplace and a large window that allowed the dazzling moonlight to stream in. Wren supposed it would be brilliant in the room at either sunrise or sunset, depending on which way the window faced. She had never been terribly good at figuring out direction, thankfully she almost never needed them. Wren plopped herself down on the opposite corner of the couch, curling her legs up beside her on the cushion, small smile still gracing her lips.

"On the first," said Wren proudly, now beaming. It was odd to think about, that her little Ruby wasn't a baby anymore, and Daniel wasn't far from toddlerhood himself. He would be eight months old any day now. She half-wondered where the time had gone, and felt the craving to have a tiny infant in her arms again, even though she knew she was nowhere near ready for another child. Two was enough for the moment. "She's running around and talking like no one's business, and Daniel, he's almost crawling now, and he stands up holding onto the couch," said Wren happily, she could gush about her kids all day, "they grow up so darn fast!"

[merlin]

Seth smiled as Wren spoke about her children. He wished he could be a part of their lives but that was next to impossible. He wasn't safe around children really, not yet at least. Seth doubted he'd ever feel like he was 'safe' around children in all honesty. But he wasn't going think much about that at the moment. Instead he'd focus on the good things.

"Not going to be like mother now are you? Two is enough right now right?" Seth said somewhat seriously even though he had a teasing grin on his face. Their own mother had seemed unable to stop having children. Just as one was growing out of the baby stage she'd have another. Wren seemed rather happy with having just two children but Seth wanted to make sure. His younger sister already had a crazy house hold and he doubted that her house could handle another child in it so soon.

Thinking about Violet's own child Seths grin only grew wider. Violet still had a few months left but soon there'd be another baby that needed to be coddled and loved. It seemed like girl in the family had gotten married young and then started having children. Granted Violet had waited a little longer then Wren had but that wasn't the point. Seth was positive that before long he'd need a journal to keep track of his nieces and nephews.

[wren]

Wren couldn't help but grin herself, feeding off of Seth's outward happiness. She had missed him over the past few months, it was good to be able to sit down and catch up. What she would really love would be for Seth, Violet, herself and their younger brother who had just graduated to be able to have a night once a week where they could all sit down and spend some time together. However, that did not seem plausible, it would be more than difficult to coordinate four different schedules to have a few hours open in the evening all at the same time. Wren laughed when Seth asked if she was going to be like their mother.

"You wouldn't believe how often I get that," Wren sighed, though smiled all the same, "two at their ages is enough work, but I miss having a tiny baby." She sighed the last part and pouted her lower lip a bit, but quickly returned to smiling. She likely wouldn't be upset if she were to get pregnant within the month, though she figured her body deserved a bit of a rest after having Ruby and Daniel so close together- but she definitely wanted to have another on the way by the time Daniel was two.

At any rate, Violet would be having her little boy in a couple of months, and little Mr. Cooper deserved to have the attention that her kids had gotten without needing to share with another Foldger. Wren found it to be almost an unspoken rule. "But what about you?" asked Wren, she didn't want to bore Seth as she could easily talk about her kids for half an hour and not think about it.

[merlin]

Seth had wanted to continue talking about Wrens life and children. Being separate from his family for so long left Seth feeling isolated and he knew the best way to catch up on the family was to talk to Wren. Wren had managed to stay in every ones lives in some way or another and still keep some form of peace with every one. She was strangely good at staying on every ones good side even when the family was divided. Hopefully she still would be able to even after Seth admitted his secret. Seth almost wanted to chicken out and not tell her about Marcus but at the same time Seth knew that he had to. Marcus was such a large part of Seths life that he just couldn't keep his lover a secret any more.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Seth looked side ways at the empty fireplace. "Well Wren... there is a reason why I asked you here," Seth said as he stood up, feeling a need to pace but restraining himself. "I should have told you sooner then this, if I'm being honest I should have told everyone about it sooner," Seth said as he took a step towards the fireplace. Perhaps he should start a fire? Something to distract him and keep his hands busy so that they didn't fidget. But no, Seth needed to see how Wren would respond. So, gathering all of his Gryfindor courage Seth turned around to face Wren.

"You see, I've been seeing someone... I've actually been dating them for a while now and most of these boxes aren't mine you see," Seth was tiptoeing around the one detail that was truly making him scared. Shame and guilt made Seth avert his eyes once again. Oh how could he tell her about Marcus? There was a five year age difference between them, Marcus was male and Seth had started dating the other when he was the other supervisor. Everything about the relationship was horrible and made Seth feel like a hypocrite.

"Well the person I've been seeing, well his name is Marcus," There, he'd put the gender out there. He was dating a man. Though Seth found it easier to say that he was dating Marcus instead of saying 'Hello, I'm gay'.

[wren]

Wren furrowed her brow and frowned a bit as she noticed Seth's discomfort, he was typically open and straightforward, well at least with her- it was odd to see him fumble around with his words like that. Perhaps she should have kept the conversation about her kids going? Maybe filled him in on what everyone else was doing that she knew of? But Seth had already gotten started, and Wren knew better than to stop him before he had finished. Obviously he had something to say and it would be better of her to let him say it, rather than hastily changing the topic.

Wren leaned forward a bit, entirely sure that whatever it was that Seth had to say she could handle. After all, she had stuck through receiving the news that he was a vampire- surely there wasn't a topic in the world that could be a greater shock to her than that. She cocked her head to the side when Seth stood up, though listened patiently as he explained that he had been seeing someone for a while, and that some of the boxes didn't belong to him. Wren continued to listen, she would wait to speak until Seth had finished, she owed him that much.

Wren was surprised to say the least, however, when Seth finally came clean and told her he had been dating a man called Marcus. She had had no idea that her brother was gay, surely she would have noticed it before he told her? But in a split second she decided that if her brother was happy there was no reason for her not to be. She smiled genuinely, though felt almost hurt that he hadn't told her sooner. "If you're happy together then I'm happy for you," said Wren supportively, hardly aware that she too had stood up.

She took her brother's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before drawing her own away. She allowed a short pause to lapse before speaking up again. "When do I get to meet him?" asked Wren, reverting back to her typical, bubbly and excitable ways.

[merlin]

At times like these Wren could shock Seth like no other. It was like no matter what happened Wren would be the person to always be happy for you and not be fazed no matter what sort of news you told her. She seemed to just be unable to see any fault in people and could just accept them for who (Or even what) they were. It was a trait that Seth was forever jealous of. Seth had been practically panicking for nothing it seemed. Though in truth she didn't know the whole story. Seth doubted that she would be so accepting if she learned just how much of a hypocrite Seth was.

"You amaze me so much," Seth said with a shy smile as he relaxed. He may still be slightly worried but he was no longer panicky. "Before I let you meet him though there are a few things I want to talk about," Seth spoke as he moved back to his original position on the couch. There was no need to be standing anymore. Seth no longer needed to worry about running away and hiding in shame. Wren would accept everything he said with that same happy smile just like she just had.

"I've been dating him for the past eight months actually. Asked him out right after I left your room after you had Daniel," Seth said somewhat embarrassed. That truly was the best day of his life. Or at least most of it was since shortly after leaving St.Mungo's that same night Seth got turned... "See Wren, he was working as the Welcome Wizard at the time," Now came the complete confession... "He graduated from Hogwarts this last spring and hasn't turned eighteen yet."

[wren]

Wren was faintly surprised that Seth seemed surprised at how accepting she had been right off the bat- surely he had known that no matter who he dated or what he did he would still be her brother. Though she did suppose he had reason to be concerned, especially after the reception that Violet had gotten when she married Jordan who had been her supervisor and ten years her senior. Wren had no idea how the others would react, she just hoped they could be open-minded, she wasn't sure if she could handle another division like the one they had gone through with Violet, her heart still ached over it.

Wren plopped back down on the couch when Seth did, only then becoming aware that she had stood up in the first place. She drew her legs up beneath her skirt, loving that the length of it allowed her to sit cross-legged without being obscene. She absently fluffed her hair as Seth explained that he had been seeing Marcus for the past eight months, actually since the day that Daniel had been born. Though she found herself frowning slightly when he admitted that Marcus was freshly graduated, and only seventeen. Though perhaps this might bring him to better accept Jordan, though she mentally told herself not to get her hopes up.

"All right," said Wren, no longer fazed by it, already in her mind running through her schedule for when they would be able to set something up. She would invite both Seth and Marcus to her house, probably cook up her famous tofu stir-fry and some sort of dessert... "But maybe you might want to think about not viewing Jordan so harshly?" Wren suggested tentatively, she didn't want to make Seth angry.

[merlin]

Seth noticed the slight frown and felt his stomach plummet. He knew that Marcus' age would be a problem. Seth could remember vividly how he had responded when he learned how old Jordan was so why shouldn't Wren show some form of disapproval? Even if she did not care about the age difference Wren would also remember how horrible Seth treated Violet and Jordan. She would realize how much of a hypocrite Seth was now.

Seth averted his eyes in shame at Wrens question. He knew the right answer to her question was that yes he would now treat Jordan with fairness and respect which the man did deserve. But Seth couldn't seem to think any differently of the man. Seth had only known one other person that he had disliked on sight and just wished that Jordan was not one of those people that he just hated. Seth had never given the man a chance and couldn't see himself starting now. No matter how much Seth thought of how much Violet deserved happiness Seth still could seem to manage liking Jordan. Heck if Seth was being honest with himself Seth had a hard time thinking about the other and staying civil. Sometimes late in the morning when Seth couldn't make himself sleep and was feeling some self pity he'd believe that he'd been turned as some sort of karma. He'd abandoned his younger sister when she needed support all because Seth had an irrational dislike of her husband. Seth had acted like a monster and now he was one. Moments like that were rather rare now though and Seth was proud that he was no longer as self centered as that so often now.

With a sigh, Seth pulled his focus away from his thoughts and back to the conversation to realize that he had not answered Wrens question. He was not sure if Wren would be able to understand his hostility to man since she loved everyone but he could try and see if Wren could understand at least part of it. "Wren, I love Violet so much and I want to see her happy but it's so hard. I don't even know the man yet I hate him. Not even the slight dislike that I feel for Zach," Seth added the last part a little sheepishly. He did like Wrens husband for the most part but Seth wasn't sure that he could ever really completely like the other man who claimed his sibling. Guess that was just the overprotective brother instincts kicking in though.

"Well any way the point is Wren that I've already botched any hope I have of creating any sort of bond with the man. I can't explain it but I just don't like him and at this point I doubt he could ever like me. I'm just lucky that Violet is currently willing to talk to me," Seth said with a shrug of his shoulders as if that was all there was to it. Seth was happy with just being able to talk with his sister again, which was why he wasn't going to be telling her about Marcus just yet...

[wren]

Wren pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins. When she had been younger she sat that way all the time, but with the two pregnancies she had had so closely together she had needed to train it out of herself. It was only know that Wren was reminded of how much she had liked to sit that way. It was comforting, almost, like she was giving herself a hug. She kept quiet, watching Seth carefully. Thankfully, he didn't seem to get angry at her mention of not treating Jordan so harshly, but seemed almost ashamed. Perhaps he might see it her way?

But when he explained that he had something of an instinctive hatred toward Jordan, with even something of a milder case toward her own husband, Wren continued to frown slightly as she tried to understand where her brother was coming from. She definitely wasn't the type to dismiss the point-of-view of others, though this one she felt that she had a harder time comprehending it. Perhaps it was just his protective instincts, her had been a big brother for over twenty years, it only made sense that no man- even if they were a Zachariah or a Jordan- would be good enough for his little sisters.

Now that she had something of understanding, her expression relaxed into something that would be considered neutral, though was a ways off from her typical gentle smile. Though inside she was beginning to feel almost like her heart was breaking, she wanted everyone to get along, she missed the way that their family had used to be. It would have made her the happiest person ever for the whole lot of them to be together harmoniously, Jordan included. That was the way that families were supposed to be, loving and together. It hurt her a lot to see them not getting along.

"I suppose that it is naive of me to expect everyone to like everyone," said Wren, smiling weakly though she felt her eyes stinging, threatening to cry, "just as long as you can understand Jordan makes Violet happy, I'll make do." She reached into her pocket for her handkerchief, and used it to dab at the corners of her eyes. Wren mentally told herself to toughed up, she didn't need to start crying, not just then. She sighed quietly before putting her handkerchief away again, for the moment composed again.

[merlin]

Seth watched as Wren pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around herself. It brought back good childhood memories of when she would be sitting on the couch sitting just like that and just watching the world go by. Why couldn't life go back to being like that? Just simple and child like with out any of the problems that life currently had in them. No needing to worry about saying the right thing and the whole family being together and loving each other. Instead the family was broken and falling farther apart by the moment it seemed. Seeing the tears at the corners of Wren's eyes made Seth want to wrap her in his arms and protect her from the world only Seth no longer trusted himself to do that. One wrong move and Seth would hurt Wren, possibly even break bones.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true the muggle Martin Luther King Jr once said and perhaps it was true. What Violet and Jordan had truly was beautiful but because of Seths dislike for the man it was sometimes hard to see. Wren may be naive at times but it was one of her good qualities and one that helped everyone around her see the good in the bad. She just couldn't hate or even dislike anyone it seemed so how could Seth hope for her to understand where he was coming from?

"I like that your naive," Seth said as calmly as he could. He hated that he had made her cry and that he was hurting her. All Seth wanted to do was protect his family, even if it was currently fragmented this was the only time Seth would have with them all. If he shut himself off from them just because he disliked his siblings husbands then before Seth knew it they'd be gone and he'd be all alone in the world.

"It's hard to explain but I don't think I honestly hate Jordan or Zachariah. It is just hard to accept that I am no longer needed to protect you and Violet. It's petty I know but the job of keeping you two safe was one that I held with pride. But things are different now. I promise you that I will try harder because I don't want to wake up one night to remember that you both are gone and I wasted my time with you two arguing over who Violet married." There, Seth had done his best to explain his worries and uncertainties to Wren and hopefully this time it would be in such a way that she could understand. Seth loved his siblings and still wanted to try and be a part of their lives. It would take some time to fix the things he had done but Seth was willing to try and hope for the best because honestly, he was tired of being part of a broken family.