Broken [boyxboy]

Chapter Three

As promised, Lawrence allowed me to spend the weekend saying my goodbyes to my family.

When I walked through the front door, Mum flung her arms around me. "Oh, my baby boy!" she said. "I heard all about what happened - are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, flatly. She touched the puncture marks on my neck. I forced a smile at her. "Don't worry. It didn't hurt."

"S-So they're letting you live here?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No. I'm allowed to stay for the weekend. Then I'm living with him," I told her. "Don't worry. I'll be alright."

"Him?" Mum repeated. "But... you're not gay."

"No. But he is," I shrugged. Then I forced a weak smile. "Anyway - what does my sexuality matter to that lot, eh?"

"Bunch of vicious, filthy, blood-sucking leeches, that's what they are," my older brother Raven's voice grumbled behind me. Our Dad had left when I was still just a baby, and Rae had always been something of a father figure to me. "Where the fuck do they get off, eh? Thinking they can just take my baby brother away from me without any kind of warning..."

"They can, though, Rae," I said, lightly, turning to face him. "It's in The Treaty."

He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know," he said, tears glittering in his eyes. "I just... I'll miss you, buddy."

"I know," I sighed. "I'll miss you too - but Lawrence said I can come and visit you sometimes. And I'm allowed to write you letters."

"Well, then, he's a fucking saint, isn't he?" Rae rolled his eyes. "He shouldn't be keeping you away from us. Bastard."

"He's quite nice," I said, lamely. "He seems it anyway. I'm not supposed to talk bad about him..."

"What, the bastard's threatened you if you slag him off?" Rae sneered.

"No, no. It's just... one of his rules is that I'm not to be ashamed of what's happened," I explained. "He said it's a blessing."

"Well, you might not be allowed to, but I can think what I want about him," Rae shrugged. "And I think he's a wanker."

"Raven, that's enough!" Mum said. "When are you going back to him?"

"He's picking me up tomorrow night," I said. Mum's heart broke, then, I could see it in her eyes. But she forced a smile.

"Well, we'd best make tonight special, then hadn't we?" she said. I smiled back at her, though I wanted to cry. She was being so brave.

                                                                                           ***

Mum made a special dinner that night, with all my favourites from childhood. I'd complained that she was overfeeding me, and she just fixed me with a small, sad smile and said she didn't know whether or not he'd be feeding me properly and she wanted to make sure I got fed before I left. I nearly cried again, then, but I held it back.

That night, Raven came into my room. When we were kids, we used to share a bed when one of us were scared or upset. Wordlessly, he slipped under the covers beside me, and wound his arms around me. After several seconds, I felt a damp patch on my shoulder, where his head was resting. "Rae?" I whispered. "Are you crying?"

"I don't want to loose you, Myth," he whispered.

"You're not," I replied. "Like I said... I'll come and visit you. And write you letters."

"Myth, come on," she said. "You and I both know that things aren't going to be the same now. You see the stories on the news, you've learned about it in school. After people...after what happened to you happens to people, they change."

"I won't," I whispered. "I promise."

"Mm. Well, I hope not," he said. "My baby brother - I don't care what he's told you. But you let him know that if he ever does anything at all to harm you, he's got me to answer to."

"You'd really go up against a vampire?" I said, dubiously. I was worried, then. Rae was a cage fighter, and a very good one at that. But he wasn't good enough to beat one of that lot.

"I'd do absolutely anything if it meant you were keeping safe, Myth," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered.

I don't think either of us slept - but we both lay in silence for the rest of the night.