WILL SOLACE ONE-SHOTS

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

AU where Will and Octavian are brothers, not just related.
WARNING: Abuse and violence. Do not read if this will trigger you!

Will thought that it was natural for a older boy to be rambunctious and wild and reckless. At least, he thought what Octavian did was normal in the beginning.

The memory was this: Octavian playing with a kitten and throwing it on the roof. Will remembered arguing with him, watching the kit's sides heave as it struggled for breath before it rolled off and hit the deck. Days later, Octavian played with the other kitten-- rough enough that it hit the cement and did not stir again.

Octavian was seven, Will was six.

Their parents buried the kittens, and never mentioned It again. And so Will kept his mouth shut.

And so it began.

☀️☀️☀️

Years later, they both had grown, now thirteen. Octavian had no animals to play with, and so turned to his brother.

Octavian made sure the bruises were where they could not be seen in public. During an argument, Octavian had picked Will up and slammed him on the floor. Will remembered the roaring agony in his back, remembered Octavian's sudden laugh over his screams as he asked "Do you remember that time when..."

Will's parents never believed him. When it happened in front of them, they brushed it off.

The event was this: Will was folding laundry when Octavian stormed in, eyes full of fury. He accused Will of stealing something. When Will denied so, Octavian grabbed him by his hair and bashed his head on the wall.

Will remembered waking up on the tile floor, hair full of blood and shards; the light switch had shattered under Will's head, under Octavian's wrath. His parents rushed him to the hospital, where Will was diagnosed with a concussion. They ignored his claims of Octavian hurting him, believing his brother's story of Will slipping and hitting his head.

Over time, they told Will not to talk about it-- that it was the family's business and no one else's.

And so it continued.

☀️☀️☀️

Five years later, Will took comfort in a boy named Nico, with eyes like midnight and lips like sugar.

Betraying his family, Will talked about Octavian, about what he had done. Nico listened, treated his physical wounds, and held him as he cried. Will tried to stay at Nico's house as much as possible.

The conversation was this: Nico and Will curled up on the couch, Will sitting in Nico's lap as he pressed a bag of ice to his face, to the black eye and bruises Octavian had left.

"This has to stop." Nico's eyes gleamed with anger. "You need to get out. You need to run."

"Where would I go?" The question was a trembling whisper.

"You can stay here for a bit."

"Yeah. I-- you're right." The realization sunk in: it would only get worse and worse if he stayed. It was clear his parents had no intention of reigning in Octavian. He had to run.

Reluctantly, Will rose from Nico's lap. "I should go back. My parents will get suspicious. I'll pack my stuff and be back here by midnight."

Standing up, Nico pressed a kiss to Will's split, bloodied lips. "Be careful. Please."

"I love you." The words leapt off Will's tongue, reckless and desperate and afraid.

Compassion gleamed in those dark eyes. "I love you, too."

And so Will went, unknowing of the danger ahead.

☀️☀️☀️

Silent as a ghost, Will flitted through the doorway of his home. His parents weren't home. He would pack his essentials and run for the hills.

Ripping a suitcase from the closet, he tossed in clothes and belongings, hastily zipping it shut. He couldn't take everything, but it didn't matter-- freedom was priceless compared to those things.

The mistake was this: Will slipped downstairs for more things-- and stopped dead. On the floor was a girl, blood oozing from a bullet wound in her head. Octavian stood over her, gun in hand, eyes crazed.

Octavian stared at the girl, at Will. "I-I just wanted to play with her."

Will turned and ran like hell.

And so Octavian pursued his favorite prey.

☀️☀️☀️

Will flew through the halls, terror screaming through him. He could hear Octavian running, calling for Will to come back.

Will skidded to a stop at the bedroom, a dead end. He took a wrong turn. He whipped around to find Octavian in the doorway.

The realization was this: He was a dead man.

"Brother, please." He raised his hands in surrender. "Don't do this."

"You know too much," was the only words Octavian said before aiming at Will's head and pulling the trigger.

And so the world vanished to black.

☀️☀️☀️

He opened his eyes to a white hospital ceiling. He found his head bandaged, the bullet removed. It had hit nothing vital. Sheer luck.

Officers informed him that Octavian was being tried as an adult for murder and attempted murder.

The decision was this: Would Will testify against his brother?

Will couldn't let Octavian win. So he raised his eyes to the officer and said yes.

And so the tables turned.

☀️☀️☀️

Will stared around the courtroom, his heart racing in his chest.

The case was this: Will detailed every thing Octavian had done. He did not waver from his brother's glare, but met it with his own. Octavian would not win. And indeed he did not--he was sentenced to life at the age of nineteen. His plea of insanity fell on deaf ears.

Will's parents, betrayed, abandoned Will. They couldn't accept what he said. They never had.

And so Will walked away, and did not shed a tear.

☀️☀️☀️

Will jolted awake from the nightmare, heart racing, paranoid eyes scanning Nico's living room for an imprisoned man far away. He had been at Nico's house for a month now. Nico's parents were gracious and loved him like their own.

The event was this: Will creeped upstairs, slipping into Nico's room. He tapped his boyfriend's shoulder. Nico stirred awake.

"I know it's silly, but... can I sleep with you?"

Nico didn't hesitate, scooting over and pulling the quilt back. Will slipped in, turning away.

"Can I hug you?" Nico asked. When Will nodded, he gently pulled him close. Will rested his head on Nico's shoulder and closed his eyes, more at home than he had ever been.

And so it ended.

I did a funky writing style for this. That's wierd.
Sorry for not updating!
I think I might be ending this fanfic soon. I cobbled together a Solangelo royalty AU called Crowns and Chains, and I want to focus on that. For now, I'll see if i have any more ideas for this.
Comment and vote!