The Angel Within

Runa was. . different. There really was no other girl like her, and Philippe had found that out within hours of talking to her. Now they had been living together for almost four days and it was insane how used to her moods and phrasing that he'd become. She was completely honest and didn't hold back any thought that seemed to pop into her head. Well, that wasn't necessarily true, he supposed. Runa did pause once in a while and seem to redirect what she was going to say if and when he asked something she didn't want to talk about. Which seemed to be anything that had to do with her private life. Whatever that seemed to be, it must have been rough. When he'd seen her first in the dim light of her apartment the night Stefan had brought him, he'd thought the lamps were playing tricks on his eyes and creating shadows than their should be on her. Unfortunately, when morning came and the natural light had illuminated her skin at the dining table, he'd realized that his eyes hadn't been playing tricks at all. All those "shadows" he'd seen had been healing bruises that were almost gone. She said nothing about them and she did nothing to hide them, either, though she had taken to wearing pants instead of shorts around the house now that he'd moved in.
That's the way it seemed to be for now. He could ask anything about the main house, the staff, Stefan and even their "parents", but Runa was strictly off-limits. She had mentioned no friends, no one she was close to, no hobbies, no habits and no personal vices. Living with her didn't reveal much of anything, either. Though there were pictures of her and some boy throughout the years in her room, she had only told him his name was "Les" and nothing else. The rest of the house was pretty bare. Things were tidy, but there wasn't really anything to mess up. She also didn't keep much food in the place, so that had been a trip to the grocery store--the one time they had gone outside. The rest of the time had been studying. Studying for him, anyway, teaching for her.
There was an incredible amount that he had to learn. When Runa had told him that her parents had demanded perfection, he thought she'd been using sarcasm. Turned out that that was only an understatement. They had been going over and over everything from table-manners to school work, spending long hours practicing everything. When he got one thing down, Runa moved him directly on to something else, demanding aces in every subject. Fine dining, he had to admit, was the hardest to get down. He'd even come close to crying a few times, but Runa had been an excellent and rather kind teacher even if it was hard.
Now they were relaxing in the living room, his brain fried. It seemed Runa valued relaxation just as much as hard work. He definitely grateful for that.
"You know," he started cautiously. Runa didn't laugh much, nor did she seem to watch TV, but right now she was doing both. To make her stop seemed like a sin, but he wanted to know something. He twirling the soda in his can. "You haven't told me why I'm learning all of this. What will they do if I screw up?"
Runa crossed her legs under her on the couch, sinking down into it. She was completely relaxed and never seemed to tense unless they went outside. Why she seemed to accept his presence so easily was something he couldn't figure out, but he couldn't say he minded. He had gotten completely attached to Runa almost immediately and absolutely loved that he had someone to rely on again.
But sometimes she was a little too honest.
"Well," she mused. "Not sure. It might be different because you're a boy."
Philippe frowned. "You're really hung up on that, aren't you?"
She tilted her head at him, her eyes unblinking. "I'm serious. I get treated the way I do because I'm a girl. There's no other reason they've given me. Linda and Wallace are old-fashioned with a capital 'O'. They want a boy to take over the company, but can't let the girl they have disgrace them."
"And if she does?" he asked quietly.
Runa indicated the healing bruise over her eye and cheek. "You get the picture. And this was just for a 'B' in one class. It's worse if I do something worse."
Philippe was definitely taking out these assholes. "And all of those?" He nodded towards her arms.
Runa turned her attention back to the TV, her expression turning hard. "Those are something different."
Philippe put his hand over hers, giving her pleading eyes when she looked at him. "Did he give those to you?"
Runa's eyes were cold and he couldn't read them. An emptiness always took over their depths whenever he asked about her personal life and he hated seeing it. He wanted to protect her from everything so that she never had to look that way again, but he couldn't do anything where he was now. He wasn't old enough, for one, and for another, he didn't even know where to start. Lastly, it was obvious that, though she was eager to help him take down their parents, she didn't quite trust him enough to rely on him. That hurt. She was family. She was his sister. He wanted her to treat him like family, but he supposed that her family experience wasn't something she could work from.
"In a roundabout way, yes," Runa admitted. She pulled her hand out from under his and patted it. "Don't worry. It's nothing I can't handle. I'm stronger than I look. You just worry about you." She leaned over to set her soda on the coffee table. "Besides, once you get into that house, you won't have time to worry about me."
"Runa, I--"
A knock sounded, cutting him off. Runa wasn't expected anyone. It couldn't be Uniteare. It was a Thursday, sure, but school wouldn't be out for another hour or so. It was impossible that it was Les. He had to get to his job at the auto shop. Whoever it was, she wanted them gone.
Runa grabbed the sweater she kept on the table by the door and swung it on, covering up most of the bruises. She did a quick fix of her hair to cover her eye and opened the door after flipping her locks.
"Sean. Shane." she said, astonished. "What are you guys doing here?"
Shane let go of Kenny's hand and the little boy tackled Runa's legs in a hug. She immediately pushed the pain aside to smile at the boy, patting his head.
"We missed you," Sean told her.
Shane lifted a bag. "We brought food."
Runa grinned. "Bribery, huh?"
They smiled back. "You bet," Shane answered.
"Game!" Kenny shouted.
Runa raised her brows, giving the twins a knowing look. "Ah. I see. Couldn't keep him occupied?" Their cheeks turned red and they shrugged in response. Runa laughed, patting Kenny's head again. She opened the door wider. "Come on in. You guys know you're always welcome."
Kenny let go of her and went to go to the living room, only to stop. He came running back, wailing, and Runa scooped him into her arms. "Stanger," he cried, rubbing his face in her shoulder. "Runa, stanger!"
"Ah," Runa said. "That's right." She walked into the living room, knowing the boys would follow her.
Philippe was standing, obviously unsure of what to do. He looked from the child Runa had in her arms to the twins nervously, and then back to Runa.
"Guys," Runa introduced, indicating Philippe. "This is Philippe. He's my younger brother." She gestured to the twins and Kenny. "Philippe, this is Sean, Shane and Kenny. They're my family."
The twins went red at that, but Runa knew that really was the only explanation she could give for their relationship. "Best friend" just didn't seem to cut it. They were too close and she'd known them for far too long.
The older boys shook hands, mumbling a greeting while Runa bent to explain to the young Kenny who the "stanger" was. When he finally got it, he smiled and hugged Philippe's legs. "Brother," he giggled.
Philippe looked at her with bewilderment.
Runa smiled, shrugging. "Family, bro." She spread her hands. "This is mine."
"I have no idea what's going on," Sean interjected, "but I wanna play games."
"You're gonna lose," Shane teased.
"Shut up," Sean grumbled.
"I bet country boy here could beat you," Runa joined in, pointing her thumb at Philippe.
Sean puffed up with indignation, glaring at Philippe with competitive eyes. "Bring it on, man."
Philippe backed up, his hands coming up in defense. "W-Wait a second."
Shane was helping Kenny untangle the controller cords as they dug out the game console from her entertainment center as Sean waved away Philippe's comment. "Too late now." He grinned, swinging his arm around Philippe's shoulder. "You're stuck with us now. Gotta play by our rules."
"Your rules?" Runa asked skeptically as she situated herself on the couch, ready to watch.
His expression turned sheepish. "Well. . Runa's rules." He shrugged, dropping his arm. "Either way, I'm going to--"
"Lose," Shane interrupted from the floor.
"S-Shut up, man!"
Runa laughed, glad to see the twins and Kenny so lively. Hell, she was even happy that Philippe was smiling from ear to ear at their banter. It wasn't often that the boys came over, but they knew they were always welcome. It always happened on the days when Runa absolutely knew she wouldn't see Les, so she had figured out soon enough that it was his way of making sure that she didn't do anything stupid. That and she figured that if the boys were over at her place, they wouldn't get into trouble, either. She didn't know which fact was more comforting, and she didn't really care, she just loved that her family was around her.

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There had been rumors. Jareth didn't like rumors. He especially didn't like rumors about Runa--and rumors circulating about how Runa was living with a boy were the worst. But the rumors had to stem from somewhere. They didn't just come from someone's ass, so it was time he investigated.
So that's what he was doing at her apartment. Way late at night. If she had a boyfriend, he was going to be pissed. It was obvious from what everyone had said that it wasn't Les she was hanging around lately, so it must be a lover. Right? Right.
God, he hoped it wasn't. That way he wouldn't have to kill the kid.
Jareth knocked on the door, hard. Then he waited. And waited. . .
He knocked again, louder this time and didn't stop until he heard the rattling of locks on the other side of the door. It took a minute to undo all of them and he heard a muffled complaint wondering why someone needed so many, but it wasn't Runa that opened the door. He shouldn't have been so surprised, he supposed, considering the muffled voice had been too low to be Runa's, but shock filled him nonetheless.
"Ye-- Woah!"
The tall boy with the reddish-brown hair who had answered the door ducked, escaping the punch that Jareth had thrown. The boy, agile and with obvious experience, grabbed Jareth's arm and spun him, locking his arm behind his back and wrapping the other one around his throat. The boy dragged Jareth into the apartment and kicked the door shut.
"Who the hell are you?" the boy demanded.
Jareth pulled at the arm around his neck without much success. For a scrawny kid, the boy had a lot of strength. "I could ask you the same thing," he bit out. "What the fuck are you doing in this apartment?"
"I live here," the boy said. "Got a problem with that?"
"Yes," Jareth spat.
"Well, I don't," Jareth heard Runa say. The boy turned them both around to see her standing in the hall in skimpy pajama shorts and a cami, her arms crossed and a pissed expression on her face. "Philippe, let him go. He's my teacher."
Philippe let him go abruptly, and Jareth jerked straight, pulling at his clothes to right them. "Who is he?" he asked with quiet fury, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't a lover.
"None of your business, Uniteare," she said easily.
Jareth punched the wall, making Philippe jump. "Yes, it is!" he shouted. The sound echoed in the quiet room. He glared at Runa and she glared right back, ever defiant.
"I-I'm just going to go put a shirt on," Philippe stammered, pointing down the hall to the bedrooms.
Jareth stalked towards Runa before the boy had a chance to sweep past him and grabbed her by the back of her hair, fisting his hand in it. "It's every bit my fucking business."
With little regard as to what Philippe would think, do, or say or even what Runa would do in response, Jareth pulled her head back and kissed her. It wasn't a nice kiss, or a peck like he'd given her that day in the classroom. No, this was all fire and passion and jealousy. He swept his tongue inside her mouth and did what he'd wanted to since he'd first laid eyes on her. When she tried to shove him away, he grabbed her wrists with his free hand, pinned them between their bodies and backed her into a wall. She was not going to have her way this time.
And she didn't. Jareth kissed her until she kissed him back, and what a kiss it turned into when she finally gave in. It turned sweet and Jareth nearly melted. He let go of her wrists and hair to frame her face with his hands and she clutched at his shirt, leaning into him. When he finally pulled away from lack of air, her eyes were sleepy and her lips were red.
"Do you get it now?" he panted, begging her with his eyes.
She sighed, her expression turning to sad understanding. "He's my brother, okay?" She grabbed his hands and pulled them down, letting them go immediately. "I'm helping him out before he gets sent to my parents."
Jareth saw the boy in a different light, concern for his well-being rushing through him. "Does he--"
"No," Runa interrupted. "And he won't ever if you keep your mouth shut. He's not in that kind of danger." She covered her stomach with her arms.
"How can you be sure?" Jareth asked sarcastically.
Runa glared at him. "He's a boy. Plain and simple. Do the math."
Jareth frowned at her dig, but she had a point. She was probably taken advantage of because of her gender. "So you're helping him what?"
"She's informing me of what assholes her parents are," Philippe answered.
Jareth nodded. "Doesn't take much, does it?"
Philippe crossed his arms. Jareth really wished he'd put a shirt on. "Hated them before I even knew them."
"I still don't know them," Jareth told him, "and I want to kill them."
"We're gonna do something better," Runa said with an evil grin.
Jareth's brows rose with interest. "Do tell."
"Well," Runa smiled, "killing them would be to easy."
Philippe nodded, his smile just as wicked as Runa's. "So we've decided to take everything they care about away."
Jareth's face split into a smile. He'd never thought he would be standing in a students apartment contemplating the hows to taking down a major corporation, but here he was. And he was only happy to help. They would need all the allies they could get. He smacked his hands together and rubbed them up and down. "Count me in."