How To Fall From Grace [MxM]

Step 4: Fall back in line

"How nice."

Unfortunately, Luna's ditziness did not stop her from realising similarities, and it certainly never stopped her from speaking out of line.

"I, uh... Wish you'd gotten the chance to do the same with your father. I think—"

"Well, I didn't." Frey's nails had already pierced his skin. "Let's leave it at that."

Luna opened her mouth again, wrinkled eyebrows suggesting she was going to attempt some misguided, comforting words again, but Frey's subtle yet withering stare made her decide against it. He'd been kind enough to be happy for her, despite the despair and jealousy he'd had to swallow down for it to show, so the least she could do was leave poorly healed wounds alone.

"So, uh... Are you coming to the party next week?" Luna switched subjects, as a surprisingly clever twist for someone like her. "Been a while since I saw you at one."

"I'll show up, I suppose." Frey shrugged in nonchalance. "I cannot guarantee how long I will stay though."

Luna nodded slowly, but didn't look content with the answer.

"It's just that... Those gatherings are pretty boring without you around, you know?"

Frey sighed.

"If this is about your unfortunate fondness of me—"

"Who said anything about that!?" Luna raised her voice unnecessarily high to a squeaky point. "I'm not being fond of things, I'm just trying to get you to go because Father and Damien are worried about you!"

Frey stared at her flustered face, swallowing down curses and rude expressions.

"Worried?" He tried to laugh it off. "Why would they be worried about me?"

"Because you used to be so good at being social, and now no one ever sees you, and they said since your family's reputation is so bad as it is, the wallowing you're doing is making things worse."

Frey wasn't sure which direction to take. Keep up the charm and dismiss their worries as nonsense, or show his true feelings of utter, cold, disdain. The nerve. After everything he'd been through, they had the audacity to 'worry' that he was sabotaging his family's reputation by simply mourning for an extended, indefinite amount of time.

And yet, they were right.

It was hard to acknowledge, but Frey's successful career had taken a heavy blow by the incident a year prior. His family name was still dragged through the mud whenever people thought he couldn't hear them, and the whispers about his disfigured ear and scarred face were no secret to him either.

"Let me ask you this then, young Lady Hargreaves..." Frey's expression remained calm as Luna tensed up at the sudden switch from first name to title. "... If you had been in my position, would you have gone back to your everyday life after a year?"

"Yes," Luna said without a moment of thought. "I would at least get back to my studies and tasks as the town chief's daughter, even if I was still mourning."

Lies.

Luna didn't like studying, and the sudden, proper way she spoke implied the words coming out of her mouth was actually her father and Damien talking.

"That's strange," Frey retorted, going for the devastating blow. "Much like me, you don't have a lot of people to return to, do you?"

Luna winced accordingly, but her stubbornness persisted.

"I have friends."

"Barely."

"And you're one to talk?" Luna's cheeks were reddening, fighting the urge to yell at him like she would at most people who'd disrespect her like that. "Like you say, you don't have a lot of friends either."