![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Tales of the Abyss Drabble
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Rating: G
Characters: Guy Cecil, Van Grants
Summary: Mid Game, after Guy denounced Van.
Guy watched Van walk away and knew it would be the last time they parted peacefully. Despite everything, it hurt. It was a little sad to wonder what stung more, the fact that Van wouldn't see reason--not a surprise--or the fact that it had taken his old friend this long to seek him out and try to get his aid.
Maybe it was just that Van had trusted him to see Van's side of things, but Guy kind of doubted it. Once upon a time he thought he'd understood the man, thought that he and Van had really been friends who shared a goal and a dream. They'd sworn to live their lives together, brothers in arms, both reaching for a goal Guy had thought was the same. Maybe back then it had been. But somewhere along the way their paths diverged, and Guy hadn't seen it until Akzeriuth. Maybe Van had seen it much sooner, Guy could only speculate. Maybe Van hadn't seen it, too caught up in his own deluded dream--whatever that goal was, Guy didn't want any part of it.
Revenge... Guy couldn't even say if he wanted that any more. He wouldn't begrudge Van for wanting it, but the methods Van used, Guy could begrudge those. Sacrificing Akzeriuth intentionally in the same manner Hod had fallen had convinced Guy that he no longer knew who Vandesdelca was any more.
The fact that he would have died in Akzeriuth if not for circumstances beyond Van's reckoning had never escaped Guy. At the time that had kind of hurt too, but not as much as the betrayal of not knowing. Of looking up to expect someone he had seen as a brother and to see in his place only a stranger there. It had felt like being abandoned, but that wasn't the frustrating part. It wasn't that Guy trusted Van unconditionally, not like Luke did, but it had still been unexpected.
Guy had to wonder if maybe Van had been the one to feel abandoned first. Guy had always relied on him. Van was the older, the stronger, the wiser, the mentor and the caretaker. Guy leaned on him and his strength and Van had always supported and encouraged, always been there when Guy needed him. Guy had taken it for granted, that he would always be there. Had things been a little different, had Guy not decided to throw his lot in with Luke, if anything had been different... He'd be there at Van's side, and he knew it. Van had to know it.
So what had changed with Guy? When? It was Luke, of course. Van's replica of the boy Guy so wanted to kill. Guy had to wonder how Van had noticed Guy's own change before Guy even knew it himself. But Van was the older, the smarter, the more canny. Of course he'd seen it long before Guy began to even be aware of it himself.
Part of Guy mourned for his lost friend. Wondered when it was Van had realized Guy was changing, or if Van had tried to warn him and Guy just hadn't caught the hint in time to stop it. He wasn't sad about that--he was glad for who he was, who he'd become. But maybe, if he'd been less self-absorbed he could have seen Van's own suffering for what it was.
Would it have changed anything? Would their friendship have meant anything in the face of a plan Van had been cultivating for years on years?
Probably not.
But the opportunity was long gone regardless. The man Guy had known and grown up with had changed, or maybe Guy himself was the one who was different now, but in either case their paths were no longer the same. Eventually they'd cross paths again, this time as real enemies.
Guy would put his own feelings to rest before then. But for tonight, he would consider it his last night as Van's childhood friend. The last night he could regard Van as a brother. His one concession to self-indulgence.
Turning from the alley, Guy heard Luke's hurried footsteps retreating. He smiled a little, fondly, sadly.
He'd traded being the younger brother for being the older one. He'd traded a mentor and a caretaker and a friend for a dumb, incompetent kid who struggled with everything he did--an honest, idealistic, hard-working idiot who wanted to put right his mistakes.
Guy didn't regret the trade in the slightest.
Rating: G
Characters: Guy Cecil, Van Grants
Summary: Mid Game, after Guy denounced Van.
Guy watched Van walk away and knew it would be the last time they parted peacefully. Despite everything, it hurt. It was a little sad to wonder what stung more, the fact that Van wouldn't see reason--not a surprise--or the fact that it had taken his old friend this long to seek him out and try to get his aid.
Maybe it was just that Van had trusted him to see Van's side of things, but Guy kind of doubted it. Once upon a time he thought he'd understood the man, thought that he and Van had really been friends who shared a goal and a dream. They'd sworn to live their lives together, brothers in arms, both reaching for a goal Guy had thought was the same. Maybe back then it had been. But somewhere along the way their paths diverged, and Guy hadn't seen it until Akzeriuth. Maybe Van had seen it much sooner, Guy could only speculate. Maybe Van hadn't seen it, too caught up in his own deluded dream--whatever that goal was, Guy didn't want any part of it.
Revenge... Guy couldn't even say if he wanted that any more. He wouldn't begrudge Van for wanting it, but the methods Van used, Guy could begrudge those. Sacrificing Akzeriuth intentionally in the same manner Hod had fallen had convinced Guy that he no longer knew who Vandesdelca was any more.
The fact that he would have died in Akzeriuth if not for circumstances beyond Van's reckoning had never escaped Guy. At the time that had kind of hurt too, but not as much as the betrayal of not knowing. Of looking up to expect someone he had seen as a brother and to see in his place only a stranger there. It had felt like being abandoned, but that wasn't the frustrating part. It wasn't that Guy trusted Van unconditionally, not like Luke did, but it had still been unexpected.
Guy had to wonder if maybe Van had been the one to feel abandoned first. Guy had always relied on him. Van was the older, the stronger, the wiser, the mentor and the caretaker. Guy leaned on him and his strength and Van had always supported and encouraged, always been there when Guy needed him. Guy had taken it for granted, that he would always be there. Had things been a little different, had Guy not decided to throw his lot in with Luke, if anything had been different... He'd be there at Van's side, and he knew it. Van had to know it.
So what had changed with Guy? When? It was Luke, of course. Van's replica of the boy Guy so wanted to kill. Guy had to wonder how Van had noticed Guy's own change before Guy even knew it himself. But Van was the older, the smarter, the more canny. Of course he'd seen it long before Guy began to even be aware of it himself.
Part of Guy mourned for his lost friend. Wondered when it was Van had realized Guy was changing, or if Van had tried to warn him and Guy just hadn't caught the hint in time to stop it. He wasn't sad about that--he was glad for who he was, who he'd become. But maybe, if he'd been less self-absorbed he could have seen Van's own suffering for what it was.
Would it have changed anything? Would their friendship have meant anything in the face of a plan Van had been cultivating for years on years?
Probably not.
But the opportunity was long gone regardless. The man Guy had known and grown up with had changed, or maybe Guy himself was the one who was different now, but in either case their paths were no longer the same. Eventually they'd cross paths again, this time as real enemies.
Guy would put his own feelings to rest before then. But for tonight, he would consider it his last night as Van's childhood friend. The last night he could regard Van as a brother. His one concession to self-indulgence.
Turning from the alley, Guy heard Luke's hurried footsteps retreating. He smiled a little, fondly, sadly.
He'd traded being the younger brother for being the older one. He'd traded a mentor and a caretaker and a friend for a dumb, incompetent kid who struggled with everything he did--an honest, idealistic, hard-working idiot who wanted to put right his mistakes.
Guy didn't regret the trade in the slightest.