Only Death Will Have Me

Capacities Extremis

Neil gave Andrew half the cigarette back, almost dying without a breath to keep it alive, he looked out the window, the lake shining with the sun setting.

"We are leaving tomorrow morning." Andrew said, minutes must have passed, Neil didn't notice.

"Leaving?"

"Holidays, Christmas, we used to spend it here," Andrew said, turning the metal case in his hands, never looking at Neil. "Aaron and I didn't want to go back to that house, and Nick can't go back to his parents anyway." Neil let it sink, Aaron resented Andrew for his mother's death, that's why they exchanged the least amount of words as possible. "That was a truth." Andrew said, lifting his eyes.

He expected one in return, Neil didn't know what to say, he didn't remember any happy Christmas, he knew he had some as an infant, but the memories were so distant they could be fake. He searched for something.

"I don't have anything to share."

"That's a lie, I asked for a truth." Andrew replied with the flames in his eyes, Neil was unexpectedly fond of them by now.

"Ask something then," Neil got up and went to the bathroom, Andrew followed him. "You are insufferable sometimes, that's a truth."

Andrew stopped by the door, giving Neil the choice to slam it in his face. Neil would have done so, if the angry purple bruises on his neck didn't catch his attention when he glanced at the mirror.  Bruises could take up to three days to look like this, but Andrew has had such a hard grip on him that it took hours. Neil touched them with light fingers, it hurted. Andrew entered the small space, his fingers lifting to touch Neil's nape. Neil expected to flinch away, but he didn't. Andrew's stern gaze met him in the mirror.

"Ask." Said Neil, and Andrew lifted his wand with the other hand.

"What's the spell for it?" Andrew asked.

Andrew had seen Neil healing Kevin, and he knew Neil was used to healing his own bruises, since the first time they ever spoke, but he wanted to do it now.

"Episkey." Neil replied and waited.

"Say it again." Andrew ordered pointing his wand to Neil's nape.

"Episkey." He repeated, Andrew mouthed the word.

Andrew took a deep breath before casting the spell, it hurted, Neil bent over the sink, holding it's sides, his knuckles turning white. He huffed and straightened himself when it was over, the bruises were gone. Neil was only twelve when he had to learn this spell, he didn't get it right at first try.

"Your mother…" Andrew started, but didn't finish his thoughts. "I know you hate being trapped," he said instead. "But you can't go out of the castle alone anymore, not even as a fox."

Of course he knew about Neil's escapades, Neil smiled at Andrew and nodded, it was probably for the best. He looked at himself in the mirror again, his father's eyes looking back at him, for once he  tried to think they were his, not his father's.

"Not even his name." Neil mumbled to himself, he chose this, he chose to live for once, he chose to be Neil. He looked at Andrew. "I have my own name, not his, mine."

"You don't look like Nathan." Andrew commented.

"I'm not," Neil refuted. "I'm Nathaniel."

Neil went back to sleep when Andrew left, the boys arrived an hour or so later, whispering while they arranged their luggage, they'd all be going back home four days earlier than they should. Neil could imagine each one of them going back to loving parents, brothers and sisters.