Scars [Dusk/Hoshi/Open]

Terry sat, idle in his living room. With his DarkWatch funds, he was able to afford a small condo. It was a nice thing to come home to after that fiasco in Italy. The whole thing made him guilty however. Graves felt he hadn't earned an ounce of what he had recieved. As a result, he had donated what ever was beyond bare minimum for this place to various charities.

He sat in his ugly, mustard yellow couch, staring aimlessly at the wall. His right hand held his routine glass bottle of Crush orange soda, the other tidiously tapping the arm of the sofa. That hand came up and became a pillow for his scruffy chin. His eyelids lowered in deep thought.

None of the facts added up.

Graves chugged the last of his soda and stood. The bottle quickly found the trash bin as the young man stomped through the hallway. The bathroom door bounced off the nearby wall as he entered. Terry nearly tore off his shirt when he flung it off. His bare skin was revealed and the shirt hit the cold tile of the room.

The nails of the secret hero caressed his xyphoid process on his sternum. There lay a dark red mark about the size of a penny. It was delicate unlike the rest of his skin. Almost as soft as a feather was the scar in the dead center of his chest.

He used his forearm to lean on the forearm as he glared intensly at the mark on his chest.

"Who shot me...?" was all the young man could mutter.

Terry's mind snapped back from deep thought with the sudden knock. He was so surprised that he jolted back; his arm taking out his cup of toothbrushes. They fell into the sink with a crash. He looked around, regaining his senses with the real world. Graves scratched his head, realzing he must have been really far gone to be that startled.

The young man brushed his hair back as he stumbled through his small living situation. With a black hair tie, he restrained his wild hair to make it look like he'd recently guzzied up for the world. His father had always beaten the idea into his mind that he was a fag if he put his hair up or even wore it long at all. That was the exact reason he did it for years. By then, it'd just become the norm for him.

He sighed, passing a mirror and realizing he hadn't shaved in awhile. His scruff which usually lined his chin line had began to crawl up his face and thicken. Terry scowled slightly, looking unkempt as ever. The young man stumbled over to the door, hesistating for a second. This was the first time he was going to see Hoshi after saving her from that Hotel. And honestly, the boy had no idea how to act around her. A cold sweat encased his palms. They even shook ever so slightly. What was he so worried about?

With a deep breath, the doorknob turned in his hand and clicked open. He looked upon a vibrant beauty that really put his looks in a bad limelight. Terry tried to hold back the slight curl in his smile as she found her starring at him with thoughts mucking up her mind. Hoshi had this look that he had with Amy. His fiance used to do this thing where when she was troubled, she would look at him. Not at him really, just... into him. Despite a strong exterior, her look would scream to him that he needed to step in and save her from her stress. Hoshi would often give him that look. The hesitant, yet begging eyes. He wondered what they meant.

Once again, he caught himself staring at the beauty and a flush paved his face.

"Oh, come in come in... Excuse my bad manners, it's been a rough few days for us," He let out a tired yet nervous laugh.

Terry sighed, staring at her flustered state. He found himself too in a flustered state within his mind that is.

Disappointment. It was festering beneath his heart. Despite all the terrifyingly horrible sins she'd performed, it wasn't hate or disgust that drained him in her presence. It was watching her innocent teary sapphires and realizing how dark it was behind them. It was the faith and trust he'd put in her from the moment Hoshi had saved him; just to find that it was possible she could have just as easily left him to die considering her track record.

The horrid actions he had read in that book made Terry's throat heavy every time he thought about it. How could someone who put her life on the line to save his have such a dark side? How could someone so graceful with her beauty turn into a malevolent mastermind by night? How could she be a stunning hero then devolve into a wicked villain?

It made no damn sense. Graves wanted no part of it. He didn't even want to acknowledge the information he'd seen. However, he knew all too well that hiding from the truth was just kicking the can down the road. He had to face the music and wake up from this idolized persona he had made up in his mind. Hoshi had been high up on a pedestal in his heart, some angel who had taken him and repaired the thread of life as it ran thin.

The worst part was that he was wrong. Terry shouldn't have idolized her so. Reality showed its true colors, and they were dark and blackening. This rose was stunning and had thorns. But the thorns were poisoned and wicked. It was exhausting just knowing the wretched past of the beauty that stood at his doorway. Graves almost felt betrayed for believing the innocence of the lovely woman. Had he endangered more lives by saving Hoshi from Lance?

Terry leaned his forearm on the doorway, sighing heavily.

The young man stood before her, studying her salty tears. Seeing nothing but true sorrow in her glowing eyes. He could not determine whether the woman felt guilty for her actions, or for the fact that the person who regarded her so highly had found out.
There was a difference you know. He looked to her, getting lost in her sapphires. Graves seemed to be rooting through her soul, trying to find any validity to either side. The young man couldn't find an ounce of evidence, just her heart wrenching weeping.

He was never good with crying. A tear off the most evil dictator's face would still draw him into guilt. Weeping was just something that triggered a sorrow in him. It made him want to reach out to Hoshi and take her into his arms. He wanted to hold her tight, whisper lightly how it was okay and everything would be alright. The young man wanted to caress her enticing long hair and breathe in her wonderful, alluring scent. Terry wanted to take her into his household, let her rest on his couch; keep her safe from any intruder, good guy or bad. He wanted to surprise her in the morning with homemade breakfast and let her get to her feet. He wanted her to weep on his shoulder, just let it out and talk about why she was obviously hurting so bad.

But alas, Graves barely knew the woman, and what he did know, wasn't good.

Terry audibly chuckled.

"I just about died on you and forced you to save my ass, I don't think you're the burden here. Don't think you'll ever be." He smiled slightly, trying not to hint at the combating thoughts in his heart, soul, and mind. Terry took a half step back into his living room and stretched. A pop from his spine echoed as he groaned from satisfaction. The young man then crossed his arms and quenched the urge to itch his shoulder.

His eyebrow raised oddly at her when she expressed her excessive apologies.

"If I didn't wanna talk to you, I wouldn't have offered you inside. I like my privacy too much!" Terry beamed with a laugh.

"I'm serious, come in. Sit, I'll make you something even if you want. I'm not gonna kidnap you like that other asshole." He extended his arm in the direction of his ugly colored couch.

Terry smiled, taking his warm tea he had been warming at taking gentle sips. He eyed the majestic model level woman sitting on the couch. Graves felt kind of embarrassed at his living setting. At least he had recently moved in so it wasn't that messy yet. He stretched, leaning against a wall across from the couch.

"It was nothing, really. Who else was I supposed to call? The police? I hardly think they'd understand... They never do," The young man weakly chuckled, finding more interest in the warm colors of his tea than the woman. It wasn't that he didn't want to look at her. He just didn't want to be flustered in front of her. It would have been terribly awkward if she caught a flush in his cheeks. Not to mention the hate he'd receive from his own mind if he'd done so.

Hoshi politely brought up the shooting. Terry's skin froze when he heard her mention it. A deep sigh escaped him as he stared down at his chest. He tucked his left hand into his jeans pocket, hoping to look as normal as possible despite his chills. The wound still hurt a little even with it cleaned up. The wild winds of confusion were sure to tear down his composure if he couldn't find an outing quickly. The shot echoed through his head for days within that moment. A sudden sting, like that of a thousand bees, stabbed his heart. His eyes cringed from the sharp, realistic memory.

Terrance was broken from his violent flashes by the maiden approaching him. He stumbled to look normal as she approached him. Wild fantasies flew through his head over her kissing him on the cheek and telling him it was alright. Immediate cursing followed that wicked thought. It did sound nice though, even if it were just for a half second before he realized the guilt in the betraying thought.

She muttered something about glad that he was still happy that he was talking to her.

"Uh, yeah of course. Why wouldn't I?" Terry stumbled over himself trying to maneuver into a sentence that made sense. He then looked down to see a small card being fired his direction. Graves looked down at it quizzically and opened the strange message.

A grimace formed over his heart.

"Who's this Lance guy?"

Terry's eyes perked up, traveling around the room hearing the disdain in her harsh tone. He realized that the woman must have made a pass at him and he'd clearly missed it in his moment of violent re-occurrence. Graves scratched his head swiftly, as was the standard tendency when he felt extremely nervous. The young man felt backed into a wall and wanted to panic.

The infectious swarm of conflicting thoughts took over her mind.

First, his heart told him to apologize quickly before the moment ceased. Regain her trust and accept her kind offer. Terry had punished himself far too long. Amy once told him to "Live" again. This could be the very opportunity she was referring to. Certainly happiness made him feel alive. And the only time he felt truly happy was when he loved her... maybe she wants him to try opening up again?

Second, his mind his beating him into the floor mercilessly. How dare he think of opening up to anyone other than Amy! What was wrong with him? Besides, she had this Lance guy. Terry was just a second option, a slaughtered and abused rebound. The young man strayed away from relationships for that very relation. Terry knew deep down that no woman could ever hold a love as pure and devoted as Amy Elizabeth Brock's. So all ventures or attempts to even open up to another woman was utterly pointless.

Yet... Part of him saw her teary eyes, saw her frustration, and needed to see them stop. Graves was never good with crying. It was the one response you needed to give him that way you could get what you wanted. Once you cry, Terrance cannot help but console and nurture you. It was a natural instinct within him to love and care; and he never felt the urge to do so more than when someone had tears streaming down their face.

"No no.. you are completely worth it." He spoke quietly. A paved grimace corrupted his face as he turned and walked off. His bare feet shuffled across the fuzzy yellow carpet towards his room. The young man swung his door open and navigated through the numerous useless items cluttering his desk. He was quickly able to find it as it was humongous compared to anything he owned. Terry took up the hefty journal into his hands.

He looked down at it, being reminded of the dark sinister deeds of the wicked beauty that now stood in his living room. A deep frown carved into his face as he looked down the hall to her. Hoshi seemed so innocent... the way she observed his living space like a kitten being brought home for the first time. However, Graves knew that that kitten was a ferocious tiger that only enjoyed the hunt for the prey. There was nothing adorable or enticing about the trade of murder she was involved in. Matter of fact, Terry might as well have been suiting up at that moment and taking her down. By his standards, this woman, no matter how elegant, was very much evil. Not just her either, she had an entire legion of servants under her that would do her dirty work.

"Thou shall not kill"... He vaguely remembers a commandment he read in the Bible once while he was in high school. Morals like that took precedent where his father had solely taught him to steal and take as long as it benefited yourself. He sometimes imagined what he'd be like if he'd continued to follow his father's path of thievery and blood. The thoughts were treacherous and frightening to the reformed hero.

But now there he stood, bowing down and simply ignored dark deeds just as he had let his own dad get away with. It sickened him to the core that he did so. It made him want to turn to Dusk and fly through the wall. Surprise the young maiden and capture her. Take her at the feet of the families of all the people she's killed. Terry wanted the beast and harlot in one to cry as she apologized to the ones she's truly hurt. A bullet is quick; one shot and it's all over.

But a dead loved one, that's forever.




Terry strode back into the living room, his head buried in the journals cover. He held his hand out, awaiting Hoshi to take the slimy literacy from him. His eyes peered up through his long bangs, barely even looking up at the assassin.

"Take it... It's not that you aren't worth it. Its that I'm not, get your boyfriend to do it." Graves's voice sternly murmured.

Terry was left speechless. He soaked in every cutting, gutting word the beauty carved. He sliced him up like some piece of meat, bloody and cold. All he could do was stand with his eyes as wide as glaciers as he just listened... listened to her harmful words. Her serene oceans turned to wild tsunamis. Graves tried turning his face away from her from time to time, hoping that it'd somehow deflect some of the ache. It didn't do even a slightly good job of doing so. If anything, it made him feel even more shameful.

Terry clutched his chest right over his bullet wound, feeling his heart begin to physically wench. Each breath he drew became shorter and shorter. His gray eyes began to well, but he hid them cleverly beneath his bangs. Thought it was hard, he kept them in check. Like a hurricane, she wracked him and threw him about; tossing, turning, uprooting him despite every last love he had for the previous way he lived. No mercy could be found in these few frightening moments.

Just like a hurricane, he reached the eye for a brief moment to hear of her embrace of him during his period where he saw the light. He wasn't surprised, but it did place a woefully pitiful bandage on the barrage of wounds he'd just received. His tear ducts began to calm and the young man nearly looked up to Hoshi. Terry wanted to look to her and just ask...

"Why she'd do something like that...," His mind murmured.

Following the path of destruction, the hurricane's eye ceased and Terry was plunged back into the horrors of the storm. It was on a quick path to the exit, tearing him just with the gesture that he wasn't good enough to be in the same room. He barely picked up the message the violent storm left for him, as he finally sought out his perfect timing to unleash his tears.

Terry sobbed, extending his suit over his hands. He shot an ectoplasm shot that slammed the door shut abruptly. The young man smacked hard against the blue wall behind him, weeping uncontrollably. He slowly slid down until he was sitting in a defeated heap on the easter bunny yellow floor.

"I BARELY EVEN FUCKING KNOW YOU!!!" Graves shouted to no one in particular. His cheeks began to drown in salty tears. Terry clasped his forehead and squeezed as if he wanted to crush his own head. He bellowed out a sorrowful cry before sniffling.

"God...God ...I cant do this... God please make it stop... Please TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" he wailed. The room itself seemed to fall pale, just like his eyes had long ago. The ugly mustard of the couch drained to nearly white, mirrored by the carpet. The blue wall behind him faded to an eerie grey. The world around him was begging and begging for the young man to cheer up. But all the bent up rage and torment of his life had built up so far. A man can take only so much ache before he goes mad.

Terry shot up from his crumpled state and tossed his coffee table. Papers and pens flew across the room. The table landed upside down as Graves was forced to the floor by his intense sobbing. He held his head tightly, as if squeezing would end the overflow of his sadness that he'd locked away for so long. It had built up behind the dam he had built since the last woman he'd tried to date. But Hoshi created a hurricane that burst through the dam and was now flooding him. He was gushing with terrifying despair. The young man shook like he was having a seizure, reliving all the memories of his horrid life in seemingly one moment.

"God!! What do I do?! God please... God... I can't love again! I wont!! Amy!!! Amy God I wont love another... Not as long as I know we will be together again someday! But god shes right... Im so miserable.... So so miserable... I cant make it out of bed some days because I miss you. It hurts honey... It really does... I feel it in my veins... I feel it burn like a raging fire whenever I see happy couples and I remember that WE used to be them..," Terry cried, begging and pleading. The young man was drenched in tears as he lifted the turned over coffee table. He reached down and retrieved the broken picture of his late fiance, burying it against his pectorals as if it was the real person.

"She has your cherry red hair... Your dainty little blush you get... God, she's so much like you Amy...Even your wild temper... You'd find it laughable...," He whimpered, shaking violently as he held the image of his lost love.

"...Amy... God Amy... What do I do...?" He looked up to the Heavens and spoke softly. He faltered from his episode of depression release. He faithfully awaited some sort of sign that he wasn't doom to die by the hand of his wicked emotions. Graves held his arms out, as if wanting to ascend at that moment.

He closed his dampened eyes.

"You were bad once Terry...," A harmonic voice echoed. Terry smiled out of embarrassment.

"Yeah...," He responded in a shameful, defeated tone. His legs receded to Indian style, as if awaiting some lovely story time. Or timeout, he wasn't really sure. It felt like a little of both.

"You hurt a lot of people... Not necessarily by harm, but you robbed them blind and didn't care...," The heavenly voice whispered.

Terry frowned, recalling his grim past with his Father and the mob.

"Yeah.....," He uttered with further shame hanging painfully in his weak voice.



"You were hardly my type... And you were SO difficult!" The angel playfully teased him. Terry audibly laughed through his tears, forcing them to cease.

"I'd never have seen myself dating some freak who ENJOYS Calculus!" Terry teased back, smiling through his sadness. A giggle came from seemingly nowhere. That perfect sound evaporated all the sorrow within him.

"Terrance...," She spoke, suddenly becoming serious with her angelic tone.

Terry's ears perked up and he listened closely, knowing she was about to talk.

"... It seemed like every night you'd leave me to go out with that maniac of a father of yours and completely ruin someone's life... It sickened me Terry it really did... But I loved you so much that I put it aside... You were more important than what your dad forced you to do..." The angel began.

"...But when you proposed to me on that hill we always sat on and talked about why life sucked... I knew you wanted a life with me... And I wanted Terrance Christopher Graves to be my husband... not the slave of Harold Graves. I tried many times to get you to stop your midnight escapades but you never listened...,"

Terry hung his head shamefully, knowing full well he would have done differently if he could have foresaw his father's shooting that ended her existence.

"Did I ever give up on you?" She cooed.

"Never." He replied without thought. The young man could feel the angel's beaming smile warming him, obviously greatly joyful that his love was truly just as strong as it was when they first met, if not more.


"Then why give up on Hoshi...?" The angel asked. Terry's eyes bolted open, frightened by her gesture.

"No Amy I can't... You know that... It's me and you, I'll wait til I die to be with you!" Terry proclaimed, horrified that she may be pushing him into love. He could feel her stern face taking over.

"Terry, you were more important to me than anything on the whole entire planet. The whole Universe. And you still are. And I watch you every day sobbing and crying and wanting to die. Do you know how that feels Terrance?! Having died for you and yet you want nothing more than to throw away your gifted life!? Darn it love, I weep everyday I see you playing with your revolver cause I know what you're thinking. I hate watching you lay in bed weeping for hours in the pillow, pretending that its my shoulder. God, Terrance Christopher I just Can't Stand to watch you do this to yourself anymore. You are more important to me than this, I cannot stand aside and just let you destroy yourself just to get to me!!"

Terry was speechless. He had broken down into waterfalls of tears that flooded the floor below him. He clutched the rug hard, burning his fingernails.

"Im sorry Amy... God I'm so sorry...!" He wept. Right then, Terry felt a warm embrace engulf him. It smothered him in love and care. The softest cheek brushed against his scruffy one. A dainty, delicate hand took his large, blistered one. A bright glow blinded the room, not even Terry could rightfully see.

But he knew exactly who was there with him.

His tears immediately ceased.

His lips were ceased by the lips of the Heaven's. They tingled and sparked with each other, like gentle waves flowing evenly. It was like every good moment in Terry's life was reoccurring, replaying in that moment. The angel was in love with a mere human boy, but that was the best love the Universe had ever seen.

Suddenly, the kiss broke. Terry looked longingly at her.

"I cant stay much longer...," Amy looked down at her flowing white gown with a frown. Terry looked down to the floor as well, knowing this grave truth as well.

"I know...," He grimaced. The angel quickly snatched the young man's chin, pulling him to face her. She cupped his cheeks in her two flawless hands as she looked into him with her glistening emeralds. Her cherry red hair danced around his face as she pulled in close.

"I'll always love you, you know that...," She whispers kindly. Amy brushed aside his bangs, taking a sweet kiss onto his forehead.

"Now for God's sakes, go make a fool of yourself with someone that way you can be happy again...Okay?" Amy weakly smiled. Terry knew how weak the smile was, but it made him feel like he'd lived a thousand treasured lifetimes just seeing her smirk again. He had no choice but to return the smile. The young man nodded slowly, accepting half halfheartedly, but only accepting for her.

"Pinky Promise?" The angel cooed, shooting up her pinky finger. Terry laughed and extended his pinky up to hers. The two intertwined with each other and made a shaking motion, but did not dare break the contact.

"Pinky Promise." He warmly smiled and closed his eyes. A warm wind buffeted through his balcony windows. He lofted over the two swiftly. Terry slowly felt the contact with his pinky become dramatically hot then fade slowly. He opened his eyes just in time to see golden glowing butterflies passing up and out into the sky outside his balcony.

He couldn't help but smile.



Truth be told, there would be no call that night. There would be no apology. There would be no talking things out.

But what there would be,

Is a man in the same suit he's had since the tenth grade, sitting in a reserved seat across from the beautiful woman that many call, "Hoshi."

Terry beamed at the site of the luxuriously dressed woman. Her bright green dress glistened, even in this dim lightning. It complimented the color of her luscious red hair that hung at her breasts. It was odd to him. He hadn't seen a woman with such a perfect composure in a long time. In an odd way, Hoshi slightly reminded him of the beautiful Mary Jane from his old Spider-man comics. It made him chuckle slightly.

The smell of pure Italian cuisines made his stomach rumble with rage as to why it was taking so damn long to get some of the food. He calmed his tummy though, finding his main interest to be the wonderfully dressed woman who was approaching his table. He eyed her gorgeous sapphires as they widened in surprise.

The poor girl must have not guessed that Terry would show up after her verbal assault on him earlier. The man sipped his tea and smiled, thinking of how silly and embarrassed she must be at this moment. The thought of her flustered, panicked brain was a amusing thought.

Terry felt under-dressed as she sat down at the table. This angelic woman looked perfect, while he had barely scraped together his looks for the night. His suit that barely fit him, his long hair tied back as neatly as long hair could be, etc. None of it really made him look that presentable. That was especially true as this goddess sat down in front of him looking like she'd just come out of a model magazine.

She silently cooed his name as a menu veiled her face. He laughed in response.

"Happy to see me?"

Terry found himself simply... gazing at her. She had this blissfully dazed look on her face. But it didn't take away from the sheer beauty that she held. Her lovely red hair was beginning to stray away from her bun, hanging cutely beside her head. There was an odd urge in him to tell her how beautiful it looked, but he wasn't done taking in her perfect looks.

Speaking of her looks, the young man smiled wider discover that the woman had a flush in her cheeks. Was she embarrassed of him? Probably. He was woefully out of place in this extravagant restaurant. He sighed, worrying that his mere existence was beginning to ruin the wonderful night for her.

Graves wasn't about to give up though. She OBVIOUSLY had shown interest in him. Hoshi straight came out and screamed it at him when she barely knew him. There HAD to be something there, something for him. Amy had told him it was time to leave his life of suffering behind. He would become happy again.

The waiter was now looking at him.

"May I have some water please? I don't drink alcohol." Terry asked politely. The waiter seemed to take a snobbish mood onto his composure. He nodded, but seemed quite displeased that the young man had opted out of spending more money that night. Terry didn't care though. The stuck up waiter could kiss his ass. Nothing would ruin tonight.

"What's so funny?" Terry chuckled, taking notice of the maiden's quaint giggling.

Terry chuckled.

"You look beautiful, don't feed me lies about that nice dress. Fits you well." The polite young man smiled. It was rather odd to hear someone so nice calling themselves so ugly. It was nothing new to Graves. It was as such in the current culture to infer that you were drop dead ugly before you accepted your true beauty first. The young man had had the same fights with his late fiance when they first were getting to know each other.

Terry really could ever get her to admit it. Although, he often grinned knowing that how he treated her, did make her feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet.

Suddenly, Hoshi reverted to her savage ways, taking it to the butler like no other. It was hilarious to the young man how fierce she was. Yet, it was oddly adorable to him in a way. The way she selflessly defended him time and time again made him wild inside his heart. The image of him, gliding through the air with her as Dusk, buffeted through his mind over and over. He recalled her beautiful red locks flowing free in the wind. It was a sight to see, romantic in every sense.

Yet Terry and Dusk were different people, as far as the whole world excluding Omega knew.

He laughed hard, watching the prick of a waiter loose his composure in the face of a woman's scorn. Her shouts caused a huge scene, probably making the snotty waiter wet himself a little. However, Hoshi was taking it too far by physically getting violent with the poor man. Not even a stuck up like him deserved the rage of Hoshi.

"Its okay Hoshi! Really its fine!" He politely grinned, flashing his white teeth with pride. He stood up and got between the viscous altercation. The young man took the cherry red flower and gently aided her back into her seat, smiling the whole way.

A cold chill shot through Terry's spine. His first thoughts came to that moment on the rooftop when he was Dusk, defending Hoshi from enduring a marriage she truly did not desire. His mind traveled to what he said as Dusk, encouraging that he as Terry had sent Dusk.

"Dammit... I knew that was too much info to give!" Terry cursed himself on the inide. He stumbled for something...anything to say. Many thoughts onslaughted the young man's mind, but none seemed to fit the siutation right. He had no real idea what do.

What was he supposed to say?

"Oh yeah, I'm a super hero. Saved you once. You're welcome doll!"

That certainly was off the table for sure. Couldn't say that one. Terry scolded himself mentally. First time truly out on a real date in years, and he acts like a completely awkward bafoon. Hell, he just then noticed that she'd cupped his hand. How long had they been like that? A cold chill encased Graves's withered heart as he looked at the show of affection.

Quickly, he lifted his hand from hers, and began to use them as hand gestures as he began to speak,

"Funny you mention that, I am actually taking college classes in Criminology. Odd... No one ever really pegs me for the detective type... Then again, you're not really everyone." Terry smiled, letting out a bluffed chuckle.

One thing was certain, when he was insecure, he sure did think fast.

Terrance's eyes widened with concern.

Why was she leaving?

Sure, it had been years since the young man had been around a real woman, but he sure did know that "getting fresh air" meant "I need to get away from you for a few." It dug a hole in the pit of his heart. It made him visibly grimace at the thought of her leaving him. He lifted his hand in protest to her departure.

But before he could call out to her with something like, "Are you okay?", she had left him in the dust. His grimace turned to a heartbreaking smear of despair. Had Graves screwed up? He didn't know. Was it his extremely blatant answer to her joke? I mean, it was true that he was involved with the crime business besides his life as Dusk. Ever since he was witness to his father's crimes, he had always wanted to become a detective to ensure that people like him didn't walk free.

Maybe it'd been too long since he's really truly interacted with a woman. If he had, Terry probably would have keenly picked up on the humor she intended. But instead of that scenario, his heart now crawled amongst his toes in shame. He let out a million ton sigh. The most secluded pockets of the planet caught the exhale of pure despair. The young man used his palm as a rest for his cheek. Terry used his index finger to idly twirl the straw to his drink, spinning the ice. A slight clanging noise was made as the ice bounced off the edges of the glass.

The college student's ears perked as he caught the slightest noise. Sounded like talking. His shroud of guilt was making his senses blurred. His pale grey eyes leveled with a man standing not too far away from him.

This man.. offset Terry. There was a bloody essence in his eyes. Sure he'd seen contacts that change a person's eye color to unnatural colors like blood red. But this was odd.. It sent chills down his spine. Chills down the spine of a man who'd seen death and the spirits of the damned. A creepy man's eyes shouldn't have been a problem for the experience he'd attained as Dusk. However, it made him shiver just looking upon them. The young man did his best not to make eye contact with the piercing bloody orbs. He instead returned to twirling the straw of his drink.

"Excuse me... Is this table the one Madam Hoshi is sitting at?"

Terry seemed to chuckle painfully at the question.

"Not anymore I guess...," He scoffed, feeling an ache in the pit of his soul for being such a boring date.

Terry let out a fake smile, just to courteous to a new person, and not to disrespect Hoshi as this man obviously knew her. He cupped his hands together, placing his elbows on the table. The young man rested his chin on his knuckles and spoke softly,

"Well, she DID say she was going out for air. I am just worried about her, maybe I'm not her type ya know? Maybe this is a sign I should just stop!" Terry chuckled on the outside, but gritted his heart on the inside. It was too be expected, but that didn't mean the Graves didn't want it to happen. Hell, he was still judging his morals as to why he was out on a date with someone he'd call a supervillian. His mind drifted through a barrage of thoughts. Maybe it really wasn't meant to be. A man who dresses up and fights crime and a woman who dresses up and kills people. The two SHOULD be on opposite sides. But there the young man was, out on a fancy date with the woman who leads the UAA. Was he letting his morals slip just so he could have a chance to love again?

That thought made the most sense, but it didn't make the situation any better.

Terry at that point phased out the rest of the world, getting lost in a blank stare towards the bathroom. Sure, the young man had fought his heart before. It wasn't easy living with your true love deceased... trying day after day to find another. Even though his fiance directly told him to love again; there was still a pit of guilt deep in his soul for even being out on the date. It was a situation few understood, which is why whenever he tried to love, he was usually rejected. No one ever understands that it takes time... He's already lost two people that he's fallen in love with due to his inadequacy. This makes him not only dangerous and useless, but extremely frightened to get close to anyone romantically. Terry often thought of himself as a curse. Every life he tread on, he blackened in some way. Hell, imagine what Hoshi is going through right now. She's over in the bathroom probably embarrassed as ever to even be on a date with him. The fair maiden was probably sick and tired of him missing the social ques and realized that Graves was just an inexperienced whelp.
The poor woman was probably trying to find out how to slip out of the restaurant without Terry noticing. Nothing he wasn't used to, but it still hurt regardless.

His mind suddenly snapped back into reality when he caught the man's name.

"Lance? Oh, you're the boyfriend! Erm, butler!" Terry grinned, but wanted to grit his teeth and leave. The accident was purely intentional, a dig to see if the accusation was really true. Something he often did when there were two men in a girl's life. His insecurity could speak louder than any words he could ever say, but that doesn't mean his insecurity wouldn't take over and talk for him from time to time. He secretly hoped that Fisher would just say 'yes, I am her boyfriend I guess you could say. Now please leave my fair maiden alone and proceed with your life'. Only for the fact that Hoshi clearly wasn't having fun or happy with him. Without that, what else was he good for? Terry thought of nothing. She was probably much better off with her butler.

Or anyone for that matter.