Bad Habit

[moros_dot_com]

Moros returned home from Styx’s abode, very very annoyed with himself. Why has he so stupid? No, really? He’d purposely forgotten what he did to Phobos because of the damage it had caused. He’d even watched it from Styx’s point of view. He’d felt her pain and heartache and anguish and why? So that he could fuck up again

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[moirae_dot_com]

Lachesis did not knock on Moros' door.

This was the first sign. Breaches in etiquette were extremely rare for the Mother.

The second sign was when she entered the room into which Moros had wandered and offered no greeting, instead standing there, arms folded, eyes blazing before him.

"What. the bloody fuck. are you doing?"

The third sign was surely the expletive. Violence was not the Measurer's milieu, verbal or otherwise, least of all toward her siblings.

[moros_dot_com]

With a sigh he watched the reptilian river of butterscotch scales slither across the carpet. The snake seemed almost ethereal as it moved around the room, as it was the only real colour he had permitted to enter his home (if you ignored the bright blues and greens of the chemicals he was quite partial to). But the python didn’t care about the dankness of her owner’s living quarters, she was more interested in food, and the finding of it.

Across the other side of the room, a chicken clucked and scratched, completely unawares of the fourteen feet of reptile that was sizing it up where it couldn't see. The albino snake flicked out her tongue, creeping slowly, like the death of a man who knows his fate is sealed. Moros smirked. The chicken was Doomed.

As he watched the slow tango of the flustered poultry and hungry predator, Lachesis made her appearance. He turned to her, his arms folded, a little surprised at her expletive.

"Perhaps you should tell me. You are Fate. You should know."

[moirae_dot_com]

Lachesis narrowed her eyes.

"I am Fate; neither Insanity nor Testosterone Overflow. I can see what you have done, but the reasoning behind it is beyond me."

The Fate took a breath. The irritation she was feeling at both her brother and her lover was quickly trying to push itself into a full-fledged fury. Tamping down the impulse to fly off the handle, she spoke again after a moment.

"One - you are above violence, and this is twice you have perpetrated it against not only the lovers of your sisters, but against sons of the King. Two - and I'm still more interested in this - what madness inspired you to speak on my relationship with my lover?"

[moros_dot_com]

Doom huffed, glancing back for a moment to where his predator lay, winding ever closer to what she was looking for. The bird knew there was something wrong, but what? It was too stupid to understand that.

"You expect reasons? I remember nothing of what I did to Panic. Therefore I have no motive to give to you. As for...him. If you know what I did. Then you will know what he did. Would you be so forgiving if it were anyone else holding down and berating one of our sisters as though she was beneath them

[moirae_dot_com]

"Rest assured, brother, that I am well aware of Anteros' behavior - and it is being addressed. However, Styx is capable of taking care of herself, and your charge into the fray to break bones and take names was both unnecessary and ill-advised

[moros_dot_com]

"Styx would have disagreed."

The name rolled off of his tongue and immediately a feeling of pins sticking into his gut followed it. He really didn't want to talk about Styx right now. Not...right now. Not until he was able to push aside his last visit to her.

"She can take care of herself. I know. But she swore not to hurt him. And Anteros took advantage of that."

The pins became longer and sharper and buried themselves into him like corkscrews, twisting through the insides of his body.

"I cannot protect her if she chooses to mix with them. You are right. But if they touch her. Manhandle her. Like your beloved did when she has agreed to be civil. I am her brother. And I will intervene

[moirae_dot_com]

"Styx's vow did not preclude her taking evasive action. The woman is a river. By nature, she cannot be contained for long

[moros_dot_com]

With folded arms, he stared at the Mother, saying no more about Styx than he already had. Lachesis' words had ever so gently coated the underside of his skin with acid, partly because he knew it was true. He would have intervened if she were just a sister, but he had intervened because she meant more than that.

Clearly what he felt for her wasn't worth much if they could cause him to break her like he had done. Perhaps he should have forgotten it along with what he did to Phobos.

Moros sighed quietly.

"Yes. In future I shall do that. But only because you are my sister and I mean you no harm. I cannot do it out of respect for him. Not even if he is joined to you. Blood as they say. Is thicker than water."

He looked at the wall for a long time, before catching sight of his snake unhinging her jaws and gulping down the chicken whole. Then, although it was not at all like him to ask others opinions on himself, he looked again at his sister.

"What do you suppose is the reason that I am so...out of character?"

[moirae_dot_com]

As Moros acknowledged her statement and acquiesced to at least attempting to maintain some level of peace in the future, the part of Lachesis that was with him relaxed her posture somewhat. Folding her own arms and leaning against the wall of his abode and joined her brother in watching the snake do its work

[moros_dot_com]

He clacked the vertical metal bar running through his tongue against the back of his teeth, listening to what Lachesis had to say. She was right. Though Lachesis was the Fate he saw the least of, she was also the most like him, personally. Atropos was cold, cynical and dealt in endings, which were all things that she and Doom had in common. Clotho really didn't have much in common with him, which, in an odd way, drew them together. But Lachesis...Lachesis knew about control. Moros liked control, so yes, she was right

[moirae_dot_com]

Lachesis nodded seriously, taking Moros' words carefully into account before responding

[moros_dot_com]

Playing with his lip ring, he thought about it. Lachesis’ points were valid, but what interested him more was the shifts that she talked about. Why hadn’t he thought about that before? Things had changed and he his behaviour had changed because of it

[moirae_dot_com]

"Well, of course. I wouldn't suggest that you try to commandeer Styx's heart. Maneuvers like that don't seem to work often at all."

There was a but in Lachesis' voice.

"What I -would- suggest, however, is that you not hide, that you live, that you spend time in the world, doing the things that you enjoy. Of which I happen to know there are at least three."

Another slight smile, which sobered with the next question.

"And how have you pushed yourself out of favor?"

Lachesis was already aware of their mother's visit with Styx... and of course, the kiss. But out of favor? It seemed unlikely...

[moros_dot_com]

Moros internally winced at her advice. Go...out. Socialise. Do things he enjoyed. The words were like harsh screams in his ears...or a really annoying girly laugh that made you just want to reach over and slap the bitch responsible for it.

Outside?! Enjoy the world?!

It wasn't like he didn't have hobbies, he did. He had many interests to keep him occupied when he was free. many. And that was fine. But to actually go out and involve himself with others, or even worse, others who shared his interests?! It didn't sit well with him.

"I can make no promises that I will do that. It would involve...being sociable"

Brushing a hand though his hair, Doom huffed.

"I upset her"

He left it at that. Talking about Styx was not fun. He'd done something so incredibly stupid...no. Not talking about it. Not thinking about it. Not even going to pick her up through his connection to Fate.

He'd blocked her essence out almost completely. It was probably the best thing.

[moirae_dot_com]

Lachesis shook her head.

"Clearly you upset her. I'm aware of what happened - I'm not aware of what either of you are thinking."

She thought for a moment, furrowing her brow.

"Best that I not get involved any further, other than to say that you don't have to be sociable to get out in the world. You can do things outside of here that might not actually make you want to tear your eyelids off and sew them back on as an alternative activity. You know, maybe seek out people who won't make you want to vomit."

[moros_dot_com]

She left the issue of what had happened with Styx there, and he was thankful.

Moros smirked at her suggestion. Ripping his eyelids off? Hmm. He'd never tried that one before. It sounded interesting, especially when he thought of trying to sew them back on, preferably with a blunt needle, just to make it more painful. But what would he cut them off with? Well, that was a difficult one...

"Seeking out those who would not make me vomit is an easy task. Seeking out people I would...get on with is a far more impossible task"

With a glance down to check his fingernail polish, Moros looked up and caught his sister's gaze. Oh. It was that face. Damn.

"Fine. I will...attempt it. But if I find nobody of suitable interest. Then it rests there. But do not push me on the matter. Nagging appears to be our sister brother Death's preoccupation. And I would hate to see you put him out of a job"