I woke up around the time I usually do. Nothing special, I roll over to give my boyfriend a kiss on the forehead. It never wakes him up, it's just nice to give him a little smooch in the morning and then let him rest.
The faint glow of morning peeked through the curtains, a streak of light gave me the perfectly horrifying view of nothing beside me.
He's never up early, not this early. I listen very closely to the sounds of the house. Quiet footsteps soothe my very core, I audibly sigh in relief. I collapse back into the bed. The door opens, and I smile.
It's just a silly fear, nothing happened to him. He probably just got up to use the bathroom.
"You had me terrified for a minute, baby. It's silly but I thought that-"
"You're the baby one not me."
I felt my stomach plummet, I sat up instantly. "Nate?" My heart was racing in my chest. What did he do with him? How did he find me?
When we were in foster care we got split up. I always considered myself lucky for that. My brother always had teased me senseless and had found himself in the worst possible situations.
I grew to dislike him as we only really saw each other in school and often times I had to clean up after his messes. Relationships, stolen money, dap pens, you name it, it was always me who had to smooth things over. Needless to say I was glad when my adoptive parents and I moved away.
"The one and only" His voice was light and airy, you could practically hear the smile on his face.
"Where's Noir? What did you do with him?!" I got up from bed and walked over to him. I wouldn't challenge him to fight now... that'd be stupid but I was tempted. I was highly tempted to hit him so hard he landed six feet under.
"He went out for some fresh air. You should be asking what he did to me! How do you manage that guy? Sure he's got a pretty face and all but quite a sharp tongue - a little weird too. Good taste in men though, really. I like the bitchy ones too, you take after me."
I was clenching my fist listening to him speak, I was so close to knocking his teeth out. My nails dug into my skin and I could feel my teeth grit together. I couldn't speak to him knowing that I'd start yelling and wake the kids up with a fright.
"What's the matter, kiddo? Don't miss me?"
"Didn't and I'm starting to think I wouldn’t miss you if an unfortunate coincidence happened to you."
"Don't be so possessive, man. Nobody likes a possessive partner."
"It's not possessive I just don't like you rating him like the girls in highschool. Plus it's just weird for you to talk about my boyfriend like that..."
"You get butt hurt too easy." Nate rolled his eyes and flicked on a light switch. "But I'm not here to talk about your boyfriend. I'm here to talk about something way more important."
"Oh go to hell! You know what I mean!" Nate shakes his head.
It was now easy to see how much Nate has physically grown in the past few years. In highschool he was lanky and scrawny, all legs really. But now he was really lean and of course still tall - something I'll never be. His dark brown hair that was at one point shoulder length and usually very unkempt was neatly gelled back and short. There was faint pricklings of facial hair on his cheeks and... was he wearing eyeliner...?
I know Noir would be livid to find out I was thinking this way but I felt the prodding of jealousy in the back of my head. He looked far better than me. Enough to make me a little self conscious. I was suddenly aware that I was visible and I did not enjoy it. Okay, maybe I was more than a little self-conscious.
"I need you to actually listen to me without getting pissed off for once." Nate says, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Depends on if what you say is enough to piss me off." I rub my eyes, waking myself up a little more.
"The sisters- or- isn't it the siblings now?"
I thought for a moment, a little confused. "The Belles?"
"Yeah, they're right about elementalists."
"What are they saying about us now?" I half groan out, those two love spreading conspiracy theory type of non-sense about those with elemental powers or 'elementaists.' As an elementalist myself it makes my job a bit harder.
"It was actually a long time ago that they said this but elementalist abilities in combination hold the power to bend reality as it stands."
"Yeah but there's no proof that's true." I could hear something banging outside. I began to turn to look towards the window but Nate snapped his fingers a few times to regain my attention.
"There is proof it's true and he's right infront of me." Nate's hands gestured towards me and I looked down at myself dumbly and then back up at Nate.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I wasn't gonna let my brother die."
"You were the one who..?"
"Me and a few other elementalists, yeah... We had to do a lot of organ replacement and well.. stealing your body wasn't easy either but I think it's worth it. Minimumal scaring right?"
I pulled up my shirt to show him the long scar all the way down my abdomen, it was especially thick around my stomach. That was where Ivan had stabbed me. "That's as good as it gets, right?"
"That is one hell of a scar... but yeah best we could do little bro."
"How did you guys do it..?"
"Well I know some people, elementalists who don't mind getting their hands dirty. We had someone from fauna, lightning, water, and ice. The fauna elementalist can heal any animal, a rare ability for most fauna elementalists. Knowing about this ability I developed a hypothesis."
"Someone's finally using his brain."
"Shush you asked for the story! Anyways I theorized that if pig organs were the most similar to humans that someone's from fauna may be able to heal a human to full health if they had the organs of pig or any other animal that worked. So I gathered a group of trusted individuals to help me test this idea out. So we replaced your organs with that of animals, apart from your brain of course. The lightning elemental would have to start up your heart, and as soon as that happened the fauna elemental would have to try and heal you. The water elemental was there to replenish your blood and the one from ice was just keeping any organs on ice and your body preserved."
"If there was so many people then why did I wake up alone?"
"We all went home, we thought it was another failed attempt so I was gonna go back to the drawing board." Nate explains calmly before picking up with more enthusiasm. "But just think, if it takes just a few of us to bring humans back from the dead then how much more could we do all together!"
"I'm not getting roped up into this stuff again.. I've got people to take care of now."
Nate frowned, the corner of his lip twitching in mild annoyance. "Just think on it. Light and dark, we could do so much good together! Just- here," He handed me a card with his number and address. "I make a better business partner than brother, sorry. Just think on it a little. I'm heading out and tell your boyfriend I said I'm sorry for being a dick earlier. If you ever need like a night out for just the two of you I have a feeling I'd be a pretty great uncle to hang out with."
Nate gives a half-genuine smile, I nodded taking in what he told me. "I'll think on it, Nate. Thanks for the offer and everything and reviving me and stuff. Life has been pretty great to live."
"It had to be for one of us" Nate jokes, playfully punching me in the shoulder.
He just waved over his shoulder and walked away.
A little bit later a very upset looking Noir walks into the kitchen. I had walked in there to have something small for breakfast but nothing looked particularly appetizing in the cabinets. Noir whined out the word no, stretching it out for so long I could have forgotten what he was saying.
"What's the matter?" I asked, suddenly feeling a bit concerned.
"Get back in the bed." He snapped at me, it was biteless words that made me grin a little.
"Never expected you to come onto me like this-"
"Do you want breakfast or a broken fist?"
"Fine, fine, I'm going, I'm going." I made it seem like I was gonna walk right past him and go to our bedroom but I definitely planned on a little more. As I was walking past him I quickly gave him a peck on the cheek like an impish child before speed walking away.
Noir caught up quickly with his stupid long legs and yanked me towards him by the back of my shirt. I stumbled back into his chest and he gave me a hug. He always gave such warm hugs, they were potent of comfort and unconditional love. I could feel the tension ease from my body, it was as if Nate had never came.
Then he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. "I wanna give you a nice relaxing day so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, alright?" I smiled to myself, how did I end up so lucky?
"Today will be perfect if you just give me a hug whenever you see me."
"Well then, I'm going to make today better than perfect then." He gave me a gentle squeeze before letting go. "Work looks like it's been weighing on you a little too hard and I just wanna make you feel better"
"Oh hun, you always make me feel better you don't have to go out of your way."
"Yeah I do, I want to. Now go lay down in bed I'm making you breakfast."
"Fine, fine." I concede, beginning to walk off again. I pause before I read the door. "By the way my brother said he's sorry for being a dick."
"It's alright I suppose, you can't particularly change your nature."
I laughed a little and shook my head before going back into our room and laying down. Things felt a little heavier now that I was alone. The card weighs on my mind as I debate eventually calling the number.
Calling my brother was something I never considered till now.
But he might have a point...
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