The Age of The Masrui

“Stay here please...”

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“How come you for such a small dog?”

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“I’m not reconciling with her. I’m not talking to her until she apologises

"Can I drink here?"

"If you don't tell your parents on me, yes. I can join you then too." Dorian chuckled.

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"Small?" Camryn mock gasped, covering the dogs ears with one of his hands. "She has the biggest personality ever, a little diva honestly. She controls my life. I never chose her though, she chose me... a little stray pup in an alleyway."

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"Rhys..."

“Ah... that’s nice.”

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“Not loads though.”

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“What Cleo?!!” Rhys sighed then. “Are you just going to ignore me?”

"What? No.. we're having a conversation, I'm not ignoring you."

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"Not much for her, plenty for me. I need it after that conversation with Serena." He chuckled, heading into the kitchen and grabbing out a bottle and two glasses.

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"Mm, she's my princess."

“What happened?” Caliban frowned.

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“She looks it.”

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“I’ve said I’m done with my mother, stop pushing it please. You sound like Ronan. You were angry at her for not respecting my wishes but you won’t respect them now either.”

"Sorry... sorry." Cleo whispered with a flinch, moving her head off of his chest to rest on the pillow instead.

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"Just another attempt failed attempt of getting Serena back," Dorian shrugged.

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Carwyn grinned, putting the dog on the sofa as he walked through the livingroom and headed into the kitchen. Pulling out the alcohol and two glasses.

“You going to stop trying?”

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Serena watched, taking a small sip of hers when it was poured.

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“Just want people to listen to me... nobody listens.”

"You just said you missed her, I was trying to help. Sorry." Cleo sighed, rolling over to the other side of the bed then.

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"Never." Dorian snorted.

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"Strong enough, or more vodka?"

“Astrid and Reid got married... how you feeling about that?”

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“This is fine, thank you...”

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“Great, now you’re acting like I’m in the wrong. I’ll nap on the couch.” Rhys sighed, pulling himself up and grabbing his crutches.

"Mm, Serena told me." Dorian hummed with a small shrug. "I feel nothing, I have more important things to worry about right now."

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"Keep saying sorry, I don't know what else you want off of me."

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"Good, good. I - I've not done this before, brought someone back so.. if I am doing any of this wrong..."

“For you to not act like I’m horrible for asserting how I feel. You’re allowed to threaten to leave me, to walk out on me if I don’t accept how you feel but I’m not allowed to say how I feel without you acting like I’m horrible for it... it’s not fair.” Rhys muttered before leaving the room.

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“You’re doing fine.” Serena assured with a small laugh, hesitating slightly before putting her drink down and resting her hands on his shoulders as she leaned up to kiss him

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“You really don’t care?”

"I said sorry." She repeated in irritation, forcing herself to her feet to follow him. "I never threatened to leave you, I threatened to not live in that house with her. Or is it okay to be uncomfortable in a house with people if it is your mother making it uncomfortable? That's completely fine, right?"

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Carwyn placed his own drink to the side, resting a hand on her waist as he kissed her back deeply.

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"I just want Seren back, Cal."

“Just leave me be, because we all know in the end I’ll have to concede that I’m wrong. Because I’m wrong about everything aren’t I? I’m not allowed to feel shit about anything.” Rhys muttered as he sat himself down.

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“Do you really though?”

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Serena moved a hand to his hair then, bringing him as close as she could.

"What- no... where..where is all of this coming from?" Cleo frowned, sitting down beside him.

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Dorian nodded.

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Carwyn lifted her up into his arms, holding her against the wall.

“This is how it is, not where is it coming from. I’m not allowed to disagree with you or say what I think because then you just threaten to leave. I can’t say how I’m feeling because then it’s making you feel bad and you’ll leave. I can’t say I miss my mother like I just did because then it turns into something. Just let me be alone so I can sleep please, I’m exhausted.”

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“Oh you’re doing more than fine.” Serena laughed softly, smirking against his lips.

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“And what have you tried so far?”

"Talking to her, but she won't have any of it. She won't even hear me out."

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"If you feel like you can't feel around me, then - then why are we doing this?"

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"Mm, this bit I am phenomenal with." Carwyn promised, moving to kiss down her neck.

“See... I talk about how I’m feeling and you’re going to start with the we should break up speech. Fine. If you don’t want to be with me I won’t force you. Your choice.” Rhys sighed tiredly. “I’m not going to beg you to stay when you don’t want to.”

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“Would you want to hear you out?”

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“That’s - that’s quite the statement.” Serena grinned, breath catching in her throat.

"I do want to! but by the sounds of it you are miserable and don't think you can feel around me so what are we meant to do?"

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"No, but what else am I meant to try?"

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"Mm, and I don't say things unless I mean them." He laughed, moving his hand up to unzip her dress.

“Fine. If you want to end things then fine. I’m exhausted. So fucking exhausted.” Rhys levelled, though his voice finally cracked. “And I can’t keep myself together anymore so... if you don’t want to be here, be with me then fine, I’m done with feeling like I have to constantly fight to keep you, like I’m pinning you where you don’t want to be.”

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“Show her if she won’t listen to you talk, I guess... You’ve made her feel worthless and unimportant Dorian. If she’s not to you then... show her. I don’t know. This isn’t something I’ve had to do before...”

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“I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for me then.” Serena grinned, hair raising on the back of her neck when she was exposed.

"Keep yourself together? Rhys... I... I don't understand where all of this is coming from." Cleo whined in confusion, reaching her hand over to touch his shoulder when his voice broke.

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"How can I show her anything if she won't even talk to me?! It's impossible... doesn't make sense."

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Carwyn laughed quietly, carrying her up to his bedroom and fading to close as the door closed behind them.

"Keep yourself together? Rhys... I... I don't understand where all of this is coming from." Cleo whined in confusion, reaching her hand over to touch his shoulder when his voice broke.

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"How can I show her anything if she won't even talk to me?! It's impossible... doesn't make sense."

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Carwyn laughed quietly, carrying her up to his bedroom and fading to close as the door closed behind them.

“My career is in tatters, I still have night terrors from my mother being kidnapped, the guilt I feel over all of that - I’m in pain constantly. Then I get excited about something and yes it was your choice to make and I still support you but it still hurts but I can’t talk about it because you just cry about how I’m making you feel bad so I can’t talk about it!”

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“I don’t know Dorian... I... I just don’t think you should even be trying. I think you should let it be.”

"I never said you couldn't talk about it, where did you get that from?! So I'm being a bitch because because of reasons you've made up in your head!"

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"Why?" Dorian frowned.

“Yeah everything’s in my head isn’t it Cleo. I’m a psychopath, make it all up.”

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“You cheated because you weren’t happy. Whatever made you unhappy before isn’t going to be magically fixed... you can’t go back out of guilt.”

"Well if you don't communicate with me then how am I supposed to know that your feeling all of this?! You can't just make me out to be some controlling bitch when I thought we were fine - this has come out of no where for me!"

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"I'm not going back out of guilt. Be quiet Cal, this conversation always goes in circles, I don't know why we keep having it."