Shadow stumbled toward him and pulled Gray into a tight embrace, fighting the sobs building in his throat. Gray’s nostrils were sticky from fresh blood, but he put one arm around Shadow’s waist and held him reassuringly.
“I have dedicated my life to this club,” Gray said, his lips trembling slightly, as if they were only now regaining normal blood flow. “My brother gave his life to this club. I was always ready to be the first one to fight for us, because this is my life.”
Knight stepped forward, dressed in pajama pants and with his hair untidily tied back. “Clearly, not anymore. You love him, I get it, but everyone here loves other people, and you just don’t care. You just decided to risk everyone to keep him with you for a bit longer.”
Gray rubbed Shadow’s side, wordlessly calming him down even in this moment of confrontation. He had no soft words for the others. “It’s a numbers game then? If the rubies are really this crucial, then where is Beast’s engagement ring? Did anyone consider that maybe it could be of use to us? Why is it only me who’s always expected to give everything up?” With one last squeeze, he let go of Shadow and made a shaky step forward.
Knight stalled, looking at Beast. "Err… what? Where is your ring? What's this about?"
Beast crossed his arms over his chest. "It's complicated, I'll explain it later. Gray, you’re a brother to us all. We all try to understand you, but tonight you’ve made it fucking hard. I only used the ring because I was sure the Pigeon Heart was secured. What you did was betrayal. You didn’t bring this topic to the table, you just did whatever you felt like in the moment. We’re brothers, and that’s not how we operate!”
Shadow hugged himself, utterly miserable despite the life force pleasantly pulsing inside him. He promised himself that if Beast chose to punch Gray one more time, he wouldn’t hold back, regardless of consequences. “I will do everything I can to track more rubies to the club.”
“You have no voice here,” Rev hissed. “Son, what have you done?”
Gray shook his head with a little flinch of pain. “As if this ever had a chance at the table. Stop bullshitting me. Not a single one of you would have voted in my favor.”
Joker scowled and spread his arms in exasperation. “Of course we wouldn't have! This is nuts. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices.”
Gray snorted. “Oh, yeah? Who are they hard for exactly? I don’t see anyone rallying on my side. Come next new moon, you’d have patted me on the back and helped me get blackout drunk, just like you had when Mike died.”
The silence in the room lasted unbearably long, so Shadow took a step forward and hugged Gray from the side once more. Maybe it didn’t matter, but if someone attacked, he would be there to take the blow.
When Beast spoke, even his voice was softer. “There was nothing else that could have been done back then.”
Gray’s whole body tensed. “And there was something that could be done now. So I did it.”
Knight shook his head, but Beast was the only one talking. “Are you still committed to the club?”
Gray snorted. “Are you for real? I’m a club brat. My entire remaining family is here. Of course I am committed.”
Beast took a deep breath. “You will help un-fuck this then. But first, all the members will vote on how you should be punished. And you,” he surprised Shadow by pointing at him, “if you ever want to be a part of this family, you better never follow Gray’s example. I expect you two waiting next to the meetings room. If you’re not there by the time we’re done, you better be the fuck out of this state.”
Gray swallowed hard, but he didn’t argue and just briefly hung his head, not even trying to put forward any more arguments in his favor. The men slowly trickled out of the room in silence, until only Rev stayed, pinning Gray to the wall with an intense gaze.
“This was a mistake, and we will all pay the price,” he said.
Gray inhaled loudly and finally faced him. “Maybe it wasn’t Mike who was the reckless one after all.”
Rev opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then just hissed and waved his hand at Gray before walking out.
Shadow squeezed Gray tightly once they were alone, but waited until the sound of footsteps dispersed downstairs to speak. “Thank you. For everything. For seeing that I deserve to live even if I’m not human.”
Gray looked back at him, revealing red-stained teeth when he smiled. His nose was swelling, as were his lips, but his gaze and posture radiated contentment and peace. “You are a person and you deserve to live. Didn’t you say so yourself?” he asked and pressed a feather light kiss to Shadow’s mouth. Only now, with everyone else gone, did he let his guard down and hiss in pain on the way to the bed.