rivaling souls.— [cain/prop]

[Deleted]

I couldn't resist giving my cousin a dirty look as the door to the room we'd be sharing over the next few days shut closed. I had just sat on the bed and set down my crutches. One of my little cousins helped carry in my bag, which I was grateful for. Cain? I would say I'm not grateful for him, but there's nothing to be grateful for when it comes to him. He's a prick.

After my parents found out about my fight with Kassandra, they decided that was the last straw. When they came to get me from the hospital, I didn't have time to hide the flask I had with me or get the smell of booze off my breath. That's when they decided I needed a good influence. Unfortunately for them, this side of the family is full of the worst influences possible.

Let's see there's my Uncle, a drunk peacekeeper on a power trip. My cousin Cain, who's not much better than my Uncle and also plans on being a peacekeeper. His younger brother Abel who can't find an original personality so he just copies Cain. And of course my Aunt, who's nothing but a damn Bible thumper. I'd rather have to get my ass whooped at home than deal with this. Of course, I have my other cousins too. but while I'm here Cain and Abel are the main two I'll be dealing with.

Cain is the "good" influence my parents want me to be more like. Maybe it's because he's a Capitol-loving bootlicker. Maybe it's because he doesn't question the Bible. Or maybe they just know I hate him and think having to spend a few days with him is punishment. My guess is it's a mix of all three.

I hadn't talked to him in a while. Even at Six's funeral, I blatantly ignored him. I didn't want to start shit there - take attention away from Six. Plus, guy has always treated Six like shit. He'd basically bully him until Six snapped and either asked him to stop or started crying. And once that happened, Cain would play it off as a joke. Part of me doubted he even cared that Six died. Luckily, dude still has another year to get reaped. Let's see how he handles it.

When I did finally talk to him after a couple moments of us sitting in silence? My words were dripping with venom. I knew his father probably wasn't far - knowing we'd be at each other's throats. The whole reason his parents agreed to this was obvious. They hoped I'd be convinced to be a peacekeeper. We were less than a year apart in age, we could go to training together. Thing is, I'd never be a fucking pig.

"So, I'm here. You prepping your little speech? Are you going to spew to me about how I can turn my life around? About how I should be a Peacekeeper like generations of O'Malleys before us? Well, newsflash for ya. Not gonna fucking happen. Especially not for a little bitch like you."

I wanted to leave it at that, but I had to get one more snide comment out, broken leg or not, "I'm surprised your little shadow hasn't started bothering us yet. He busy folding your laundry?"

[bailee]

CAIN.

Prop O'Malley was a force to be reckoned with. He had a fire ignited within that could not be extinguished. He and I were cut from the same cloth, a portrait of the drive and ambition that drove the early O'Malley's to their success. Yet, we couldn't be so different. Prop's emotions circled in a hurricane around him, uncontrollable yet fierce, strong yet unpredictable. 

There was nothing I hated more than wasted potential, and Prop was certainly the embodiment of it. He had the potential to be just like me - yet his emotions ran rampant, causing him to blame everyone but himself for failing to protect Six O'Malley.

To say I wasn't surprised in the least to find out he had broken his leg trying to fight Kassandra Nerys was an understatement. Prop was just learning the rules of life that I had known for years now - the world is cruel and unfair and you have no one to blame but yourself for not being strong enough to face it.

Initially, when Cliff had stumbled up to me in a drunken stupour telling me Prop would be staying with us to "teach the bastard a lesson," I wasn't thrilled. Spending the week in the same vicinity as Prop would be a brutal week of listening to him spew his hatred towards me as I tried to "convince him to take the right path as a Peacekeeper" was not my idea of fun.

But then I realized I knew how to push Prop's buttons, and thought maybe, just maybe I could have some fun with him.

Right of the bat, Prop couldn't keep his mouth shut about his disdain towards me. That was fine. You can't please everyone. and there was no point in kissing ass to Prop O'Malley. He was useless to me and my success. 

I took two glasses in my hand and poured sweet whiskey into both, the beautiful smell of stolen malt entering my senses. I chuckled as I handed one to Prop, and took a sip of mine.

"We both know that trying to convince you to become a Peacekeeper would be a waste of time to both of us, so why don't we just have a little fun?" With a sly smile, I continued. "Besides, my dear cousin, you're far from Peacekeeper material anyway. You did brutally lose a fight to a Victor."

[Deleted]

That was surprising. Not Cain not giving me some monologue about how I should be a Peacekeeper. I could see Abel doing it, but Cain O'Malley only ever cared about himself. That's the main difference between the two of us in my mind. If I was selfish or didn't care about my siblings, I might be just like him. Or Hell, maybe even if I never started acting up as a kid I'd be like him. It was a scary thought.

What surprised me was he offered me booze. This was supposed to be a punishment. My parents tired of the alcohol and the cigarettes, the fights and the swearing. Tired of the sins burrowed deep within me. I looked at the liquor and smelled it, it was definitely booze. And damn it smelled good. It was probably some of Uncle Cliff's good shit.

I swirled my glass and took a sip as I heard him speak. He was right about one thing. It would be a waste of our time to try to convince me to be a Peacekeeper. And I probably wasn't cut out for it. Then again, Cliff was a fucking alcoholic and he seemed to do fine. I'd probably be too aggressive towards those in charge to be a Peacekeeper.

But once he said why I wouldn't be a good fit in his mind, I couldn't help but laugh at him. You did brutally lose a fight to a Victor. Really? That was his issue with me? Of all of the reasons why I shouldn't be a Peacekeeper, that fight wasn't one of them. I could feel my anger begin to bubble up, but I tried to keep it subsided for now.

"Really, asshole? We both know I did better than you would have. After all, I could kick your ass with a broken leg. This isn't shit talk, it's just the truth. After all, you're a pussy who can talk big shit but doesn't have much to show for it. A lot like your dad."

Maybe pulling the dad card was a bit too much. I know that my cousin and Uncle didn't have the best relationship. But fuck, if he was going to bring up my fight with Kass, I had my own ammo too. Maybe he tried to sound nice about it. Talking about how I was his dear cousin. But it was all lies. Cain was the type to smile at you as he stabs you in the chest.