Domino Effect {tag; Dez}

[Desiré Alys]

That was a damn good question, and Desiré couldn't help the somewhat helpless look that crossed his face at that.  He didn't know which was worse, because he didn't want to sleep anymore and worry the hell out of everyone in his general vicinity, but he didn't want to deal with any of this.  It had been 4 hours already, for sure.  How long before Sebastian had woken up?  God, how long had their parents been there, if their mother was asleep?  Had they been around for the full four hours?  Damn, now HE felt guilty.

"What?" he asked, seeing Sebastian's expression change and the boy break their eye contact, and he got worried.  He almost wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but once again, he put it off.  It was almost like he KNEW, but he couldn't have.  Just a feeling.  "Oh, God, Dad.  How's he, and Uncle Dirk?  They mad?"

Those would be the two.  Their mother would be upset and relieved that they were awake, but they HAD wrecked the car, and they HAD been at a party.  Uncle Dirk was kind of crazy, so there was no way to predict that, and their Dad?  He was a good guy, but sometimes...they HAD wrecked the car. 

Ah, to distract himself with simpler worries.

[Martine Liten]

God, he hated seeing his brother in such a state of helplessness.  Desiré was the strong one.  He was supposed to be fearless.  Sebastian knew that it wasn't fair to assume so much of his brother, but it was usually true.  When it wasn't true, Desiré usually put up a brave front to make it seem like he wasn't really worried or afraid.  There had been times when Desiré had even denied being sick when he clearly was.

Sebastian could sympathize.  He hated "the treatment" that people gave in these sorts of situations.  It really did make you feel defenseless and at a complete loss.  Everyone felt bad and made you feel worse by showing sympathy; it was nice of them, but it just added to that whole 'I'm weak and helpless' feeling.

"I don't know," he answered.  "Dad's been in and out since they got here, but he did give me the third degree about what happened.  He didn't really say much about it, though."  He pulled his head up to give their mother a quick glance before looking in Desiré's direction--a little more towards the window than at his brother.  "I'm sure Mom had something to do with that.  But you know how Dad gets.  He's probably pretending to read while having a mental breakdown."  He smiled wryly, not for the first time.  "Poor Dad can't handle the stress."

His smile faded, his head tilting up towards the ceiling.  "But Uncle Dirk didn't come.  I think that's better for both of us though; I'm really not looking forward to what he has to say."  Sebastian was never looking forward to what Uncle Dirk had to say.  He was pretty sure that somehow Dirk would blame Sebastian (even if he felt like it was his fault, which was beside the point) and run on his case for the next month or so.

Inevitably, it was always Sebastian's fault.  It was something that he could predict with one-hundred percent accuracy, like the rising of the sun.  It was just a fact of life.  By this point, though, Sebastian had taken to ignoring the old man, which worked for the most part.  He was just really worried that this time he wouldn't be able to ignore him.  He hated to admit it, but he would agree with Dirk, for once.

[Desiré Alys]

Dirk not coming was definitely for the best, but Desiré had almost been certain that the man would have come.  Their father not being around, probably off doing something to pretend he wasn't stressing out, sounded extremely like him, so he wasn't surprised, but he DID feel bad for Sebastian taking the heat for it all so far.  While he'd been sleeping.  Wow, a lot of use he was.

Sebastian still wasn't looking at him, which naturally made him paranoid.  Was it his face?  His face sure as hell HURT, so was it nasty?  Ew, he hoped not.  He used his less wrapped arm, which happened to be the right and not all that sore other than that bruised feeling, to feel at his face.  Yeah, it hurt, it felt swollen in some places and he had a few stitches that he'd hopefully be able to hide in his eyebrow once they'd healed, but it wasn't THAT bad. 

"Sorry about that.  You probably could have just shoved me to wake me up, and I'd have explained," he offered with an easy smile, like it might really have been an option.  "I'll talk to Dad next time he stops in.  I should have been watching the road."

There.  That was his opinion on the whole situation, and he wasn't changing it.  Regardless of anything Sebastian had said, he'd been driving longer, and he knew better than to look away from the road.  Uncle Dirk wouldn't see it that way, but there were reasons for that.  Like, the fact that Sebastian didn't ever listen to him, and therefore just wasn't his favorite person to be sympathetic to.  As far as Desiré was concerned, it wasn't a good enough reason to blame Sebastian. 

"Don't worry about Uncle Dirk and whatever he says.  You know how he is, so ignore him," he advised, and he hoped that his brother took his advice without argument for once, even if that didn't happen often.

[Martine Liten]

"I wasn't going to wake you, Desiré.  It's really not that big of a deal."  Sebastian shook his head slowly, shrugging half heartedly.  "I don't really know if Dad's mad about it anyway.  Maybe he will be, but he hasn't seen as mad as he has worried."  But their father was hardly the best at showing emotion, so his worried was more distracted than anything, the family could just recognize it as worry.  At least Sebastian had yet to be yelled at.  For as much as he was talking and for aware as he seemed, he was really, really exhausted.

Sebastian purposely avoided the mention of Uncle Dirk.  He didn't want to respond to that.  Sure, Desiré should have been watching the road, but Sebastian should have been less obnoxious.  He knew better than to give someone a hard time when they were driving.  Most people got distracted enough as it was behind the wheel, only adding to the stress really was rude of him.  On top of that, he couldn't help but think of other stupid things that he had done that had horrible outcomes--the guilt was an accumulation of many, many things.

Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes for a moment, easing his mind.  "Are you sure you don't want me to buzz the nurse?"  His eyes parted, just slightly, the sliver of blue faded and pained, his face suddenly appearing worn, like their father.  "You don't have to lay there in pain, you know.  There's no reason to."

He was so worried.  Desiré could potentially lose a limb.  That absolutely wasn't fair and he didn't deserve it.  Not that anyone deserved it, but Sebastian felt that his brother deserved it least of all.  It wasn't fair!

[Desiré Alys]

Great.  It was better for Sebastian that their family was worried, since it meant he hadn't gotten in trouble for nothing just yet, but Desiré hated making people worry.  He'd have preferred having them mad at him.  From there, since he couldn't argue about waking him up, he just didn't say anything, turning his stare to the ceiling instead of his brother, who didn't seem to want to look at him.  Sebastian was being pretty avoidy, moreso than usual, and Desiré didn't like it.  He couldn't fault him for it.

The worst part about not talking, and just staring at the ceiling, was that there was no distraction from the way he felt.  Besides that bone-deep weariness, the fuzz from the medication he was probably already on, and the knowledge that the bomb was eventually going to drop, everything hurt, and he couldn't pretend not to notice.  When Sebastian offered to buzz the nurse again, he nodded slightly.

"Didn't want to wake Mom up, but I guess that's inevitable," he said with a sigh that HURT.  His whole chest ached, but he could only assume that the big damage there was in his ribs, considering the way his left side felt. 

"Yeeeah," he croaked a little hoarsely, wincing and reminding himself to keep his breaths shallow.  "Buzz her."

Normally, it was true that he'd put on a brave face and just pretend he was fine, and that was actually what he was doing here, for the most part.  He wasn't stupid, though.  Sebastian had already said it, so there was no reason to sit there in pain if he wasn't fooling anyone. 

[Martine Liten]

Sebastian, again, only shrugged, leaning towards their mother and nudging her.  "Mom," he muttered, feeling a little bad about having to wake her.  "Mom, Desiré's up."

She blinked herself slowly into awareness, blearily staring at Sebastian through her sleep.  Then she looked to Desiré, seeing his eyes opened, and smiled widely.  "Oh, thank goodness.  We were afraid you would sleep forever."  She laughed lightly, her voice scratchy.  The red ring around her eyes signified her tears, which she had shed during the phone call with the hospital and open arriving.  Then with the news of her sons' conditions, and then at hearing about the possible amputation.  She had done a lot of crying in only several hours.

"I'm buzzing the nurse," Sebastian told her as he stood, pressing the button to the reception's desk.

"Good, good," she whispered, scooting her chair closer to Desiré and grabbing his hand.  "Oh sweetie, I'm so glad your alright."  She used the word 'alright' like Sebastian had.  She meant alive but couldn't say get herself to say that.  She didn't even want to acknowledge that she could have lost her boys.  She was tired of crying.

"Yes?"

"Desiré's up.  Can you send the nurse in?"

"Will do."

"Sebastian, where's your father?"

He paused on his way back to his seat, glancing towards to door uncertainly before sighing and seating himself again.  "I don't know.  He left a while ago to get coffee."

"Oh," she breathed.  "Why don't you call him and see if he'll come back?"

Sebastian snorted lightly.  "Why?  He'll come back when he's ready.  Don't force him."

She must have agreed because she fell silent, turning her attention back onto Desiré, smiling at him in that pleased little way of hers.  As if everything was right with the world.  And to her, it was.  They were both alive.  That was the most important thing right then.

[Desiré Alys]

He'd been dreading his mother waking up, and not because she'd yell, but because of this.  He got to look at her and see that she'd been crying, and know that it was his fault.  From what he could see, he was willing to guess that she'd cried a LOT, and that wasn't good for his conscience.  Making his Mom cry was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Hey, Mom, sorry," he told her first thing, and he was 'sorry' for a lot, including making her worry.  Naturally, he still didn't know what the big deal was, but he was happier not knowing.  "Guess I screwed this one up pretty bad."

As far as he was concerned, that was the case, and as long as he took responsibility, there was no need for anything involving Sebastian to ever come up.  He'd do the same thing when it came to talking to Uncle Dirk. 

"Don't worry, everything's going to be okay," she told him, and he glanced at Sebastian for an instant, wondering if he was the only one who noticed that EVERYONE had been saying that since the ambulance had arrived.  He thought he remembered someone telling him that when they were pulling him out. 

"Yeah, I mean, it could have been worse," he agreed obliviously, smiling for her.  He'd been worried when Sebastian mentioned that he couldn't feel his right side that his brother was going to be in serious trouble, so the fact that the boy was walking around with a cast was definitely good news. 

Having his Mom not respond at first got his attention again, though.  She finally spoke up, but the hesitation was already there, and he'd noticed.  This time, the look he shot Sebastian was worried. 

"It could have been," she agreed, and just in time for the nurse that Desiré actually hadn't seen yet to bustle in.  Did he dare ask?  What would his mother say?  Would the nurse answer instead?

How did you ask this?

[Martine Liten]

Sebastian frowned a little, tucking his head down onto his chest and staring at the floor.  The view was better here.  "Yeah, it could have been worse," he muttered.  "We could be dead."

Is that worse?

"It could always be worse," the nurse answered lightly as she swept into the room.  Again, there was the clipboard, but this time Sebastian didn't feel up to arguing with her.  Desiré was getting news this time around.

The blonde shook her head and walked around Desiré's bed, offering him a sweet little smile.  "I've been given the instruction to give you some pain killers if you'd like."  Webb wouldn't do it without his consent.  After a brief pause, she wondered out loud, "Has anyone told you of your condition?"

Sebastian took the liberty of saying, "No."

She glanced at him.  His head raised so their eyes met momentarily before he dropped his head again, finding more interesting things on the floor.  Or at least seeming to.  She sighed a little.  "Well then, Mr. Alys," she regarded Desiré again.  "I want you to know that you're suffering from several broken bones and internal bleeding.  However, what we're the most concerned about is your leg."  Her bright blue eyes were soft as she spoke calmly, "It's severely damaged.  We're going to have to undergo surgery, although I really want you to know that the likelihood of the surgery being successful is slim.  The surgeons will do everything that they can, I promise, but you may have to lose your leg."

Sebastian fought putting his hands over his ears.  He didn't, in the end, but he wanted to.  He didn't want to hear this.  He already knew.  He already felt terrible about it.  Desiré had to know, but . . .

Couldn't he know later?

He kept his eyes fixed on the white tiles, his hurt hand sitting in its sling limply while his other flexed; open, closed, open, closed, in succession to keep his nerves at ease.  This was proving to be a horrible day and it was really only going to get worse.

[Desiré Alys]

As it turned out, Desiré was going to get an answer whether he wanted it or not, though the way Sebastian and his mother had reacted left him unsure whether he WANTED an answer.  Maybe he was just better off not knowing for the time being.  Ironic that, once he'd thought it, the nurse decided to deal with his issues.  Perfect timing.

Pain killers sounded nice, but he didn't respond in favor of looking at Sebastian again when his brother answered her question.  His condition?  That did NOT sound good.  It wasn't like he would have had a whole lot of time to ask even if he'd wanted to, but he didn't have to.  She shot off into an explanation, and he just stared at her and listened. 

Broken bones and internal bleeding.  Not too bad, all things considered.  He knew there were cuts and all, simply because he'd seen them when he was in the car, and felt them as he was pulled out.  She continued, though.  His leg.  Surgery.  Lose his leg?!

What?!  He couldn't lose his leg!  What was she saying?  If it was a joke, it wasn't at all funny, but nobody was laughing as he glanced from the nurse to his mother and then Sebastian.  Nobody was laughing, and his family didn't want to look at him.  It was true.  Oh, God.

"I'll take those painkillers."

[Martine Liten]

Going home had been an experience.  Without Desiré around, it was almost as if Sebastian had no defenses or even the willpower to try.  Dirk rampaged and snapped and even hit him with his cane once or twice, but amazingly, Sebastian took it without a word of insult.  He could only glare, but even glaring hurt.

"S'your fault your brother's in the damn hospital!  Bet you were fucking distracting him, being a smart ass or something equally as stupid.  And now the boy won't be able to walk right anymore!  What about his sports?  His life that he was gonna have!  Bet you're proud of it, though.  Think you're real cheeky, huh?  I told your parents to straighten you out and now look what happened!"

He really didn't need to hear it out loud.  He already thought it.  It made him feel so ill, so hurt, so tired, and as he trudged up the stairs and into his room, he didn't say anything at all.

And there he remained for quite some time.

What had he done?  He shouldn't have been so. . . obnoxious.  He should have been a good little brother.  He should have listened to Desiré.  He should have known better and he should have acted better.  Why couldn't he just shut the hell up?

Uncle Dirk was absolutely right.  He was a terrible kid.  He was selfish, he was a smart ass, he was stupid and he never listened to anyone.

He sat in his room, eyes to the wall, cold and silent.  Sebastian didn't move at all save for the rise and fall of his chest.  It wasn't until he sucked in a deep breath that his eyes started to water, pricking the whites until they were stained with red as tears threatened to fall.  "Stupid," he told himself.  "So fucking stupid."  He didn't cry though, sitting there in that stony darkness, he only gripped the edge of his bed and stared at that god damned wall.

"Sebastian?" he heard.  His mother, he registered, sounded exhausted on the other side of his door as she knocked lightly.  "Sabby, it's dinnertime.  Please come out and eat."

No.  Even his lips moved to form the word but not a sound escaped him.

"Sebastian?" she tried again, knocking a little harder.  "Sebastian, answer me at least."

He recognized the panic in her voice.  She was afraid.  She was afraid that something bad might have occurred.  And his door was locked.  She noticed as well as she jiggled the handle erratically, harder and harder as she demanded that he open his door.

Slowly he rose, not wanting to make his mother any more upset than she was, and unlocked the door.  The two made eye contact and the whole world stilled.  Silence echoed around them and neither moved for quite some time.

She embraced him.

In the Alys family showing affection wasn't forbidden but it surely wasn't pressed.  They simply didn't do it often.  So when his mother held him tightly, releasing shuddering breaths into his hair, Sebastian could only awkwardly wrap his arms around her and let her cry.  He didn't ask her why she cried nor did he whisper that everything would be okay.  Sebastian didn't lie that way.  Everything wasn't going to be okay.

He did, however, say, "I'm here."

And she held him tighter.

[Libby Belmont]

He hadn't expected anyone today.

Shifting in his chair, Nero tapped his pen off of the desk in a rapid beat.  He was hunched over some papers, each covered in equations and formulas.  Even the Table of Elements was on the unorganized surface of the hardwood, tilted towards the right to face the serpiente as he mulled over his latest and greatest discovery.

There was a knock at the door, pulling him from his thoughts.  His olive eyes slowly shifted in that direction and he pulled his hand to rest under his chin, the top of the pen on his lips.  "Come in," he called.  He watched as a teenager emerged, a sly smile taking form across his face.  "Heeey there, Sebastian.  What can I do you for?"

"Nero," the kid started, stepping into the laboratory until he was in front of the desk.  "I know that you can do some amazing things. . . for people."

He studied the adolescent before him, eyes appraising and thoughtful.  The boy attended the college for several classes outside of high school--he was bright.  He also seemed to want a favor and he wasn't beating around the bush.

"I can," he agreed.

"Then maybe you could help me."

Sebastian looked at him confidently and Nero's smile grew just a little wider.  "Have a seat and let's discuss, shall we?"  He made a large sweeping motion with his arm, looking at Sebastian in a mix of amusement and interest.  "What's on your mind?"

"My brother's not doing so well," Sebastian explained as he sat down.  His posture was perfect and his face was impassive; he seemed so professional.  The only thing that gave him away was his eyes that glittered with a soft, almost faraway look.  Nero, however, was impressed by his strength of mind.  "We were in a car accident and the doctors are saying he'll have to lose his leg.  He could be permanently disabled if the surgery's a failure."

"And it will be."  Sebastian looked momentarily surprised by Nero's certainty but quickly masked it.  "If they're saying that he'll have to lose it, that means they can't fix it.  If you have any false hopes about that, you're in for a rude awakening."  Nero tilted his head as he examined Sebastian, eyes narrowed to slits.  "I'm not a miracle worker, kid.  I'm a scientist."

"I know.  And you're a good one."  Sebastian held his eye contact, searching for something.  "That's why I came to you.  I know you can do something about it because you're always one step ahead of everyone else.  Unless I'm mistaken?"

Nero smirked.  "Oh, you're good, I'll give you that.  You know just where to hit them, don't you?"  He rose to his feet, sending his eyes towards the back of the laboratory.  "Well, maybe today's your lucky day."  He could feel Sebastian's eyes on him as he walked towards his cabinet so he decided to make it a bit more of a show than it really was.  He swung the door open and placed his fingers on his chin thoughtfully, sorting through vials with his other hand.  He hummed thoughtfully in the back of his throat and clinked the tubes together as though he was truly searching.

"Aha," he finally exclaimed, lifting up a vial full of clear liquid.  Turning to face Sebastian, he flicked the glass with his fingers so that the substance inside rippled curiously.  "Looks like I have your solution."

But Sebastian was just a tad bit skeptical of this unidentifiable liquid.  "And what would that be?"

"Can't tell you," he answered, grinning.  "Just consider it regeneration water."

"And you're sure this will work?"

"Sure as protons are positive."

Sebastian frowned.  "What's the catch?"

But Nero remained undeterred.  "No catch, I swear.  All I get out of this is the satisfaction of seeing this baby work."

"You're serious?"

"Don't be such a skeptist.  It isn't like I told you vampires are real or anything."  He grinned.  "So, do you want this or not?"

[Martine Liten]

Luck was on his side.  It was on his fucking side.

Sebastian walked out of the college, much happier than he had been upon entering.  He glanced down the sidewalk towards the hospital and began the walk there.  His stance was low key as he made his way through the throng of people, trying to evade and remain unseen.  He was thanking his lucky stars for giving him the opportunity to meet Nero, to have even thought to go to him.  Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

Alright, so the "regeneration water" didn't sound very legitimate, but this was Nero.  Nero was a genius.  He knew, absolutely, one-hundred and one percent what he was doing.  And sure, his motives were sketchy at best, but Sebastian was hardly going to press that.  Just so long as it worked, Sebastian didn't care why Nero wanted to do it.

He came upon the hospital and pushed through the revolving door, stepping past the receptionist and into the elevator.  Up, up, up to the sixth floor, then down the hallway to the left.  He peaked into the room first, making sure it was clear, then he knocked on the open door to announce himself before entering.

Desiré still looked horrible, but that was to be expected.  He was due for surgery only a day from now, maybe even tonight if they could squeeze him in, so his nerves were probably frazzled as well.  But Sebastian was excited now, and while looking at his brother was absolutely depressing (and sparked that aching guilt inside of him), he was so thrilled that he could help him.

"Desiré, guess what," he prodded, taking a seat beside his bed out of habit.  He didn't seem as ridiculously happy as he was, but he surely seemed happier than usual.  "I talked to Nero Garrah about your. . ." he trailed off.  "He said he could help."

Maybe, just maybe, Sebastian even seemed a little proud of himself.

But he knew Desiré would be just as skeptical as he had been, so he was quick to press on.  "I know it seems far fetched but I really think he can help you."  He looked at him, pleading for him to just believe him, to go with it.  Just trust me, he silently begged.

[Desiré Alys]

Frazzled was an understatement.  Desiré had dropped the subject of his leg while his mother was there, actually falling into something of a daze with the amount of painkillers he was on once Nurse Webb medicated him, and he'd endured the rest of the visit with his parents and brother remarkably well for someone who felt as horrible as he did.  Then, he slept.  It was only the next day, when he'd woken up bored and alone (his parents weren't back yet) that he'd returned his thoughts to his leg.

He woke up late, which wasn't really surprising given his situation, but actually made him feel rather disoriented.  He was used to school and getting up at the asscrack of dawn everyday, so he even woke up fairly early on weekends.  Waking up in the afternoon felt strange, and Nurse Webb was actually back by then.  He'd slept through almost an entire shift of nurses, he assumed.  There was no way she'd just been there the whole time.  He was glad that she was back, though.  It gave him someone to talk to that he didn't have to put a brave face on for, someone who didn't know him and wouldn't judge.  He knew who she was, because he recognized her last name, but wasn't it part of her job to not tell the people he knew that he was upset?  Better that he ask her questions than his parents or brother.  She didn't sugar-coat it all, and she didn't get uncomfortable with the fact that he was hurt.  He didn't feel like he shouldn't be hurt around her.

It was for the best.

By the time Sebastian came in, Desiré was no less pleased with his situation, but he knew that the likelihood of that surgery working wasn't good and that he was pretty much guaranteed to lose his leg.  He'd had all afternoon to think it through, to come to terms with it.  He wasn't happy, he wasn't quite at the point that he'd accepted it, but he was in a good state of mind otherwise.  He didn't feel as foggy, though that was because he was on less medication and therefore in a bit more pain than the last time Sebastian had been in, but he could think, and if he could think, he could put on a good game face.  He smiled, ignoring the ache across his whole face when he did so (does your face hurt? cause it's killing me, har har), and tried to look as comfortable as he could.  It wasn't that hard, since he was trying to BE as comfortable as he could.  Nothing could really compete with the comfort of your own bed, and hospital beds aren't exactly the best of the bunch. 

Of course, any good mood he could have put up as a good front wasn't about to stand up in the face Sebastian's 'news'.  Desiré was more than 'skeptical'.  He downright didn't believe it.  He didn't WANT to believe it, because if this scientist that Sebastian knew could help, why couldn't the doctors do it?  It wasn't fair to expect him to have hope that he'd get to keep his leg, then have those hopes crushed again.  Sebastian seemed happier than usual, maybe even proud of himself, and so Desiré didn't say what he was thinking about it not being funny, but he didn't believe it.  If Sebastian wasn't kidding, which it didn't seem like he was, then Nero was just filling his head up with bullshit.  Desiré didn't appreciate that for his own good, or his brother's.  It wasn't fair, even when life isn't fair, this was worse. 

"Sebastian, if he could help, don't you think the doctors would do it?" he asked, the smile and 'good-mood-face' failing him.  God, did he want to believe it, to trust that Sebastian was totally right and this guy could help, but he was afraid to believe it.  There wasn't a lot he was afraid of, or afraid enough to let Sebastian even know about it, so he was careful, but he didn't want to risk this one.  He didn't want to get crushed again.

[Martine Liten]

He hadn't expected this to be easy, but that really hadn't stopped him from hoping it would be regardless.  Sebastian kept his eyes on his brother, a sudden need to take care of him nearly overwhelming him, but he didn't move a muscle.  Each and every time he sat here, staring at his brother who was clearly in pain (oh yes, he could see through that facade, he just chose not to comment) he wanted to help him.  He wanted to make it better.  The fact of the matter was, though, that he couldn't.  That was why he had sought out help from the outside.  Because if he couldn't be the one to help, he was going to find someone else who could.

But he'd never tell his brother how worried he had been.

"Don't Sebastian me."  He frowned a little, trying to read Desiré to the best of his ability.  He never was the best at empathizing, though.  His brother was much better at that.  "The doctor's can't help you because there's limits to what they can do."  God, just believe me.  He looked desperate, much to his chagrin, as he sat there trying to create a better response than what he had.  Sebastian was amazingly persuasive though, so he knew he could figure something out.  His lips worked around his thoughts, moving only slightly as he tried to create a better argument.  "Nero is an absolute genius, Desiré.  He's made things happen that are impossible.  And you know I don't believe in miracle workers or magic, and I would think he was a fake if it wasn't for the fact that he works for the college."

He conveniently left out the part where he didn't trust Nero farther than he could throw him.  Desiré would never agree to this if he did.  Sebastian wasn't stupid.

"I've seen some of it, you know.  He once brought a mouse back from the dead."  That demonstration hadn't gone according to plan though, and the mouse ended up dead once again after only five minutes.  Nero claimed that he was still perfecting that one.  "I'm not kidding, he really did."  He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, glancing away from Desiré.  "You know I wouldn't tell you any of this if I didn't believe it.  And. . . what do you have to lose?  I don't see why it isn't worth a try.  And if you're worried about getting your hopes up, then keep them down and go in expecting the worst.  Come on, Dez, really," it was all he could do to stop himself from actually begging.

[Desiré Alys]

He didn't believe it, pure and simple.  There might not have been anything Sebastian could have said that would talk him into it, but there was one little fact working on his brother's side.  That fact?

Sebastian was his brother.

That may not have been the most solid of reasons, but it was what mattered.  Desiré was the older brother, and it was his job to take care of Sebastian.  Besides protecting him physically, making sure he was taken care of in the strictest sense of the word, it was Desiré's job to make sure that Sebastian was taken care of mentally.  His brother wasn't the easiest to understand, considering Sebastian didn't even tell Desiré about his doubts and low self-esteem, but the older of the boys did his best.  That was exactly why he was going to agree to what Sebastian wanted.  Even it if hurt, or made things worse, he'd deal with it, and just hope that Sebastian was right.  If his brother said it wouldn't hurt him worse, he trusted him. 

He started to cock an eyebrow up at mention of a zombie mouse, but it hurt, so he refrained.  Instead, he sighed, finally smiled, and nodded.  "Alright, we'll go see your witch doctor friend.  I still don't believe it, but you might be right," he conceded, willing to go only because it meant as much to Sebastian as it did.  He wouldn't refuse if it would make Sebastian feel better, especially knowing how much his brother liked to be able to do things for himself.  They'd go.