A funeral. Out of all the factors that could have made Gavin come here, it had to be a funeral. Elijah had stiffened in his seat when the doorbell rang. Its distinct chime brought about a sense of apprehension, like a clock’s hands striking twelve. He was out of time.
It was a blur. Elijah had barely managed to stand before he was there, dark eyes centered upon him. The reflection of a silent accusation, as his own shadow stretched out over the pool. They were silent, tension flowing in between their bodies. Something stark in the middle of the peaceful villa. A visitor Elijah had always dreaded, a constant presence in the back of his mind. His brother.
How easy it would have been, to simply acknowledge the letter that had been sitting upon his nightstand. It had perched by his shoulder for a few days, by now. Yet Elijah knew the difficulty. He could still remember the way it had caused his stomach to twist, eyes focusing upon the eloquent signature at the bottom of the page. Computer-generated. Impersonal, despite the scene he would have stepped into had he decided this was worth his time. It would not have been easy, in the end. It would not be easy at all. The potential amount of people had made his throat constrict, his palms grow clammy.
Gavin wouldn’t be able to understand. Not those eyes. Not those lips, pulled back into a glower.
Elijah had asked Chloe to step out of the room. A moment of privacy. A moment to simmer within the dread of it all, even as his own eyes were steeled over with a cold resolve. He could keep his composure, even when Gavin’s own was tearing apart at the seams.
His voice was sharp the moment it left his mouth. Gavin hadn’t changed a bit. “You need to go.”
“There is no reason to.” It was so easy to be stoic.
Gavin was quick to step way too close. “There’s no reason...? There’s no reason!? You fucking bastard! That’s your mother you’re talking about!” A jab to his chest, his growl spreading to the fury in his eyes.
Elijah wiped Gavin’s finger off as though it was a mere speck of dirt. “Last I checked, Gavin, the letter gave me an option.”
“Are you fucking-!?” Gavin threw his hands up and stormed away, only to spin back around. It seemed as though he was trying, and failing, to stay calm. His breath had grown ragged, his eyes narrow slits. “This is why I hate you. You were always the golden child. Mom LOVED you. How could you pull this bullshit!?”
“You are trying to make me feel guilty.” Elijah had no reason to stoop to his level.
Gavin looked as though he was ready to tear out his own hair. “Uh, no fucking DUH!! You’re a piece of crap for NOT feeling guilty! This! Is! Your! MOTHER’S FUNERAL!” He had been pacing around the entirety of the room, his footsteps restless upon the tile, until he finally threw the chair Elijah had been sitting on in a fit of rage.
A distinct splash as it sunk into the pool.
Elijah stared at his brother, his cold gaze heating up. “Get out of my house.”
“Fucking make me!” Gavin spread his arms out, daring Elijah to do it himself.
His voice contained an edge this time around. “Get out.”
“Right after you stop being a damn douche!” With that, Gavin was on top of him, the fury in his eyes unrivaled by Elijah’s own mounting anger. It was easy for him to land the first blow, fist angled right towards his nose.
They exchanged places several times. Gavin wasn’t weak, but neither was Elijah. So wrapped up in their screaming fury, that neither noticed when the android entered the room. Stuck on each other, the tension sweeping up into a crescendo of screaming and abuse.
Until the fated moment where Chloe’s hand grasped onto Gavin’s prosthetic. The influx of data that suddenly barraged his system was overwhelming, his own screaming mind drowned out by it until he grew silent.
There were no tears running down his cheeks, yet his soul cried out. The bitter memories of his mother, just how much she loved Elijah... His hatred towards his brother showed barely any bounds. How could he take their mother’s love for granted? How could he do nothing to earn it, while Gavin had groveled for it during most of his teenage years? Until he had stopped, the guilt and neglect too much. Gavin Reed. He wanted to be different. He wanted to stop begging her to love him.
Right up until she had died, and his soul had begun to beg again. As if it had ever stopped.
Gavin had blanked out, only one eye managing to snap open. His hand came in front of his face. Blue. Blue. Blue. “FUCKING STOP!”
They parted, Elijah’s eyes widening in horror. This wasn’t real. The sobbing... How had this happened?
Gavin scrambled up and ran out, bitter tears building up. He wouldn’t give Elijah the satisfaction of seeing him cry.
Elijah went to her, gathering Chloe in his arms. He was shaking, his breathing unsteady as he attempted to catch his breath. “It’s... okay. It’s okay now...” Not that it was true. All he could do was stroke her hair and hold her, until he felt calm enough to pick her up and carry her to the lab. He needed to see just how injured she was.
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