Chapter Text
“I know you like sneaking into new places, Kat. But the science labs?”
Durandal Academy was, arguably, the most prestigious of the God Weapon academies. Full of many of the brightest minds teaching the most promising young heroes of the future. It stood as a bastion of education and development. Getting into the school was highly competitive and required passing rigorous review and testing. At least, if you wanted to get in as a student. If you wanted to sneak in you still had to avoid all of the security measures put in place. To someone who knew those intimately like Katarina Du Couteau, that was the easy part. Making sure her boyfriend wasn’t too loud while they crept through the halls was the hard one.
Garen Crownguard entered the research lab of his rival school with a confused frown on his face. He’d been to the academy multiple times, usually next to his girlfriend. They were fun trips that allowed him to see her without prying eyes and gave him a chance to do a little scouting. He had been excited when she asked him to sneak in with her once again, but now he was just uncertain. In the background he could hear the hum of machines and the whine of electricity as he assumed someone had left something going overnight.
He started to turn and ask Kat what was up when he caught sight of another figure and instantly tensed. Out of the shadows Luxanna Crownguard stepped forward with an almost terrified look on her face. Her hands were clenched together to hide any nervous tics she might feel while her eyes looked at her ‘brother’ pleadingly. She didn’t say anything yet and Garen took it as an invitation to spin on his girlfriend.
“What the hell, Kat?” he demanded. She knew what kind of trigger Lux was for him. She’d seen it in action many times and in most cases would be there to help him avoid her. Instead, she stood firmly in front of Garen and looked him in the eyes.
“She asked for my help,” Katarina explained, “And just this one time I decided to do it,” Her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Garen defiantly. The large man frowned and turned his attention back to Lux who looked torn between giving up and pushing on.
“I did!” Her voice came out a bit louder than she wanted, “I…I’m tired of avoiding each other, Garen. And I just wanted to talk,” He gave a snort at her first words and then looked back to Kat who told him with her eyes to listen.
“I’m going to be right outside,” she said firmly. The assassin would not let him out of this one. She reached out with a hand to gently caress Garen’s cheek and looked into his eyes, “Just give her a chance,” She whispered. With a kiss on his other cheek she vanished into the hallway. The Labrys Academy member sighed and looked back to the god-weapon fragment that had been called his sister.
“Your parents would be furious with me for talking to you,” He said flatly. Lux winced at that and then sucked in a deep breath.
“Our parents,” she tried to protest, but he just shook his head.
“Your parents,” He emphasized, “I’m just the delinquent that costs them money until they no longer have to support me,” Lux shot forward and started to reach for him but stopped.
“I…I know they’ve n-never treated you well,” she stammered a bit, “And that I, uhh, I haven’t pushed back as m-much as I should,” Garen shook his head and gave her a brief, sympathetic look.
“It’s not you,” He said quietly, “I mean, it is but…I know you didn’t ask for this,”
“Then why?!” she suddenly asked, unafraid for a moment to be loud, “Why do you push me away? You know I try to be your sister!” He looked towards the desperate Lux and for a moment, he took Kat’s advice. Anger and rage were replaced in his eyes by sheer exhaustion. He turned to face her fully and looked down at the young woman.
“Do you want the truth?” He asked quietly. She nodded emphatically, “Are you ready for the truth?” She hesitated, but then gave another nod.
“There are…two reasons,” He started slowly. His voice was a low rumble as though talking any louder caused him pain, “The first is that every time I see you I’m reminded of what they’ve done to me my entire life. Every time they forgot my birthday, or ignored me when I actually came home with a good grade. When I first brought home a friend and they told me never to let that delinquent back into the house again. Growing up, you weren’t a person. You were a damn symbol of everything that hurt me. Which ties into the second reason,”
Tears flowed freely from Lux’s eyes as she heard this. She knew, she saw how he’d always looked whenever their parents had done all of those things to him and his gaze turned towards her in anger. He’d never hurt her, never physically. And he’d always at least tried to hold his tongue but she knew and now she was confronted with the brutal honesty of that truth.
“The second reason is they told me to leave you alone,” He stated flatly. She blinked away some tears in shock.
“What?” Her voice croaked as she asked, throat tight from emotions that ranged from rage to regret seized her body and controlled every part of it.
“Do you remember how up until you were five we’d actually play together?” She nodded, “And how shortly after that I was first brought back by the police after getting in trouble?” another slow nod, “After that they told me to never play with you again. To never talk to you unless I had to. And to never be left alone with you unless they said it was okay,” A weight found its way to his shoulders as he told her more of the truth. Confession usually unshackles someone from their past. But this was different. This was him sharing something he knew would hurt her terribly. No matter how much he resented Lux, he didn’t want to hurt her.
“That…they…no,” Despite how rough her first year at Durandal had been, Lux tried to see the best in people. To hear that the parents she had loved and had showered her in affection would betray her like that, would betray their own son was such a shock that she couldn’t process it. Her eyes were wide and pain shot through her like poison running its course.
“Yes,” He said quietly and lowered his gaze, “I don’t hate you Lux. I hate what your parents made you become in my eyes. And I’ve never been able to get over that,” He grew quiet as he stood before the trembling, sobbing woman before him. He wouldn’t say she was blameless in all of this, but he knew she did not deserve half of the resentment that Garen felt for Lux. That should have been reserved for his bio-donors.
Tears continued to flow as she pressed her face into her hands. Garen watched her sob and something flickered inside him. The remnants of any brother love he held for her resumed like an oven’s pilot light. It was not strong, but for the first time in a decade it returned to his psyche. Slowly, he brought a hand up to rest on her shoulder and offer some level of comfort. It was not much, but it was more than he had offered in a long time.
Their moment was interrupted as Garen noticed a whine from the back of the labs. It had been there before, but now it had turned into a louder and more persistent sound. Lux hadn’t noticed it yet and he twisted his body to look in its direction. His eyes shot wide as he noticed the machine that had spun up faster than it needed to as it swung volatile looking chemicals at speeds that could not be safe. He reacted as soon as it reached a critical point and the worst case scenario unfolded.
Garen threw himself around Lux to shield her from the fireball that erupted. Flames shot forward as time seemed to slow. The combustion reached out to engulf the two figures inside the lab. They ripped into the man’s clothing and tore apart his flesh as they struck and burned at intense temperatures that would kill a normal human being. The young man cried out in pain, but also in determination as he focused on one thing: Protect Lux.
The young woman blinked in surprise and then horror as she realized what would happen. The scent of seared skin and roasting muscle filled her nostrils as she cried out in fear. Not for herself, but for the person who protected her. She was a god weapon, and would not fall easily. He was not and this could kill him. She had already taken so much from him, even if she hadn’t meant to. To take his life while being too weak to protect herself, that would have broken her completely.
It was then that she realized he glowed with a soft blue aura as if something inside of him awakened. She gazed up in awe to see his eyes closed tightly, but that same blue light snuck out through his lids. His arms, now free of clothing, somehow did not look as charred as they should be. He still stood when a lesser person would have already fallen and kept her safe. She watched in awe as power grew in his body that did not come from being born of a god weapon and was further shaken.
Katarina burst through the door after the initial burst happened and wielded a fire extinguisher. She focused first on stopping any additional fireballs that could happen. Once she felt assured they were safe she turned to look at the pair and looked in stunned terror and surprise. The extinguisher was quickly discarded and she shot forward to help support her massive boyfriend as he lay on the ground unconscious while Lux desperately tried to get him to wake up.
He didn’t stir.
***
“At least he did one good thing in his life,” Pieter Crownguard said. The sound of hospital equipment beeped and chirped around them as Garen lay unconscious in the bed. Monitors and sensors were strapped to his body as a respirator helped ease the burden on his lungs. All signs pointed to him being stable, even if he had not opened his eyes yet. Katarina, Lux, and the two Crownguard guardians hovered around the young man and discussed what had happened earlier.
Lux sat right at his side, one hand on his, and stared into space as though her spirit had left her body.
“Did he have to sneak into Durandal to do it?” Augatha Crownguard complained. She then turned a disdainful look towards Kat, “Bad enough he’s already a delinquent, he doesn't need the likes of you to corrupt him further,”
“Excuse you?” Kat asked as she glared back at the older woman, completely unafraid.
“You heard me,” she gave a sniff, “Encouraging him to sneak around behind everyone’s back like that. Trespassing. He’s already bad enough without more pressure,” Kat had known how bad they were, but was shocked at the depths they would go to blame anyone but themselves.
“We were only there because your precious daughter asked us to be there,” the assassin shot back, “And maybe if you were more supportive they might not have needed to sneak around to talk to one another!”
“How dare you…” Augatha gasped in shock.
“That’s enough,” Pieter said to both, though mostly to Kat who bristled at his command, “Lux is safe, which is what matters most. I suppose Garen showing he’s more than a brute is the best outcome we could hope for with him. About time he showed any kind of potential,”
“You two are incredible,” Kat laughed so her rage wouldn’t come out enough for her to stab them, “He nearly died and you two are more worried about him developing a power?”
“If he’d done it sooner he might not have turned out the way he did,” Pieter stated, “And you had better watch your tone, young lady, or I’ll have you removed from this room,” Kat face turned beet red as she began to argue but it was Lux who spoke up first.
“No,” her voice was just above a whisper, “You two need to leave,”
“What was that, Lux honey?” Augatha asked as though she hadn’t heard.
“You two need to leave,” Her voice gained a firmness to it usually reserved for when she was putting a troublemaker in their place, “Now,”
“Lux, dear, you’re just shocked from the experience and don’t mean that,” Pieter said in a voice that suggested he suppressed his anger at being talked to like that.
“I do mean it,” She stood and turned to look at her ‘parents’ with a firmness she had never gazed at them with, “Because do you know what he told me? He told me that when I was five you told him to stop doing anything with me. Playing, talking, everything,” Her voice grew in volume as she talked, “Did you really tell him to leave me alone?”
“That doesn’t matter right now…” Augatha tried to say but was quickly cut off.
“No! It does matter!” She shouted, “Do you take my brother away from me? Tell me the truth!” The two adults in the room looked to one another with an, ‘Oh, dear,’ look one usually saved for a toddler having a tantrum.
“We did,” Pieter admitted.
“Why?”
“Because you had a future, unlike him,” He continued, “And we’d be damned if we let him ruin that for you,”
“For me?” Lux asked with a disgusted laugh, “Or for you?”
“What do you mean?” Pieter asked cautiously.
“You were so worried about what people would say about your precious little god weapon that you didn’t care about your own flesh and blood son!” she continued to yell at the two, “You cared more about what the neighbors might say about him standing next to me than what he needed! What I needed! I didn’t need to be raised like an experiment. I needed to be raised like a family and that included Garen!”
Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks as years of frustration erupted from her whole body. Pieter and Augatha looked at her in stunned silence as she had never talked to them like this before. Kat wore a grin on her face as she stepped back and let the younger Crownguard do her thing.
“I loved him!” she further protested, “You might not have, but I did! And it was devastating to watch the person I cared for most in my young life suddenly vanish from it! He was my family and I thought it was my fault. That I had done something terrible and was being punished. And I was! But not because of anything he or I did, but because you couldn’t stand the idea of your precious little god weapon being anything but what you considered perfect!”
“That’s quite enough, young lady,” Pieter finally spoke in his dad voice, “You do not talk to your parents like that,”
“You’re not my parents!” she barked out a laugh, “You never loved me like a daughter! You never loved him like a son! You only loved what prestige I could bring to your name!” Augatha stepped forward then and slapped Lux across the face. Silence dropped around the room like a heavy curtain as they all stopped for a moment.
“We will talk about this when we get home,” Augatha finally said. Her hand trembled slightly as if she wasn’t sure what she had just done.
“No,” Lux stated firmly.
“What?”
“I said no,” Lux’s voice was a growl as she looked at the two adults with a dangerous glow to her eyes, “We will not talk about this. You two will leave. I will stay here with Garen. And when he is allowed to leave the hospital we will figure out a way to leave your house so you can have nothing to harm your precious family name,”
“You can’t be serious!” Pieter demanded.
“Deathly,” Lux’s whole body glowed with a fraction of her immense power. The two adults took a step back fearfully.
“You can’t go anywhere without our permission!” Pieter warned her.
“I’ll find a way,” she said again, “We will find a way! Now. Get. Out. Before I make you leave,” The two adults looked at one another for a moment and then left. Augatha gave Kat one final death glare before the door closed behind them.
The assassin quickly moved to Luxanna and hugged her close. The younger woman broke down in sobs for the second time that night as rage left her and was replaced with heartbreak. Kat rubbed her back softly as she held the girl up.
“Shh, you did the right thing,” Katarina reassured her. Lux just cried as her arms drooped at her side. She tried to pull herself together but she couldn’t gather her thoughts. Then, she suddenly stopped as she felt a large, calloused hand take hers weakly. Once again, it was Garen who brought her out of herself.
“Did you mean that?” He asked, his voice rough and weak, “That we’d figure it out together,” Kat and Lux watched him, unsure of what to do now that he had woken up. His sister swallowed back her uncertainty and bile before she gave a firm nod.
“I’m on your side, Garen,” she stated, “And I would rather live with you in some run down dump than stay in that house any longer,” Silence hung for a moment as another question was quietly asked.
“Did you mean it when you said you thought I was family?” Lux pulled herself from Kat’s grasp and threw her arms around him as best she could.
“I still do,” she whispered, “Even if you don’t believe me. I still think of you as family,” He gave a quiet nod and brought an arm to weakly rest across her back in the best hug he could give. They stayed like that for a long moment as he drifted back to sleep. Kat watched it all with a quiet smile, thrilled to see some good come from this night. And that maybe, just maybe, some healing could start.
***
“Woah! Where’d you find this place?” Wukong asked as he hauled in a stack of boxes. It had been a week after Garen had wound up in the hospital. While he had recovered Katarina and Lux had worked quickly. Under the threat of revealing everything the two had done to their children the Crownguard adults had agreed to let them move into a small house midway between Durandal and Labrys Academies. Today was move in day and several of Garen’s teammates in the battle club helped them out.
“Trade secret,” was the answer Kat gave to the brawler. She carried her own things inside as she had decided to live with them, as well. While the sneaking around part was fun, it would make things a lot easier for her to keep an eye on the two younger Crownguards. And to get into Garen’s bedroom.
Garen, fully healed thanks to his newly awakened power, carried in a bed on his own and set it down inside one of the bedrooms. He wiped some sweat from his brow and then looked towards an offered water bottle. The large man smiled at Lux who had handed it to him and took a deep drink.
“I, uhh, want to apologize to you in advance,” He said a little sheepishly.
“For what?” She asked in confusion.
“I’ve still got a lot of demons to work through,” He answered, “And there are going to be times I’ll be a jerk. Just please, have patience with me. I want to try and fix things now,” Lux beamed up at her reacquired brother and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He blinked but returned it gently.
“We’ll get through this,” she assured him, “We both want to fix this and that’s the first step,” The newly minted siblings held their hug for a moment before Katarina suddenly popped up.
“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just kick his ass,” she winked and moved her stuff into her chosen room. Lux and Garen just laughed as they pulled apart and went back to bringing in their stuff. Pizza was delivered and soda handed out in thanks for the assist. The day had been healing for a long of reasons, not the least of which was Garen surrounded by his family. His real family. The one who had chosen him as much as he had chosen them. His friends, his love, and his sister…finally back where she should be. Where they should all be.
“Okay, but I’ve got one question,” Wukong suddenly said. He sat on the ground, legs crossed as Garen sat on a couch with Kat on one side of him, and Lux on the other, “Why is Katrina moving in?” Stunned silence fell as everyone wondered if he asked as a joke or not. When it became clear he hadn’t, Caitlyn smacked him upside the head for being so dense as the others just laughed.
Garen wrapped an arm around the two other women and hugged them close. For the first time in a long time he didn’t feel anger or resentment. He felt content. He hoped he would feel it a whole lot more in the future, but for now he was happy. That’s all that mattered.