Love is a Three Letter Word [You]

XXIV

Vincent and Adrian returned to Adrian's place holding hands. Vincent didn't want to be alone and Adrian didn't want Vincent to be alone. So, the two were going to sleep in that coffin bed of his and forget all about the nightmare. That's how it was going to be. But, awaiting them was William with a gun, aimed at Vincent. Adrian let go of Vincent's hand and stepped forward. 

"Where did you get that?" Adrian asked. 

"Does it matter?" William snapped. "Get out of here and don't come back," William glared at Vincent. 

"What is your problem?" Adrian frowned. "Put the gun down." 

"If he killed his previous lover, he could kill you too!" 

"It's okay," Vincent nodded. "It's okay, Adrian," he said. "I'm going to go..." 

"No, you're not!" Adrian grabbed his hand. 

"Not permanently..." Vincent spoke quietly. "He has a gun, Adrian...appease the man with a gun please." 

"Oh..." Adrian got the picture. 

"Stop talking and get out of here!" William snapped. He was wobbling a bit. Was he drunk? Fuck. 

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving," Vincent assured, holding up his hands and walking away slowly. He turned around and William fired. Alan jumped up in front of Vincent. 

"No!" he shouted, bullet hitting him right in the torso. It went straight through him and almost got Vincent too. Adrian watched Alan fall. William dropped the gun. He rushed for Alan, catching him. 

"What the fuck?" he panicked. "Why did you do that?" he held the wound with his hands, trying to keep the blood from flowing out steadily. His body was too small. He was going to die at this rate. "Alan..." 

"Adrian likes Vincent, big brother," Alan coughed, reaching up to pat William's head. "You can't hurt people we love..."

"Alan..." 

"Hey, big brother," Alan smiled softly, "there's this boy I like in school. He reminds me of you...he is very stern and people think he is scary but he is actually very kind. He dyed his hair blonde. He even has a little beard now," Alan chuckled. "I never got to tell him how I felt..."

"Don't talk," William pleaded. "Alan, you have to stay alive please. Alan..." 

"I'm sorry," Alan teared up, "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more...big brot-" Alan's hand fell from William's face and his eyes clouded over. 

"Alan! Alan, please...Alan!" William pleaded with him over and over but the body was getting colder. 

Adrian held his hand over his mouth to try not to cry. Why did this happen like this? Why did this happen at all? It wasn't William's fault, not entirely, Adrian cursed the drinks and the drugs and his lifestyle that had gone downhill. Vincent moved towards him, holding him close, trying not to blame himself for something he didn't do...but was another murder related to him. 

"My family will cover it up..." Adrian muttered. "But I'll remember..." 

"I'm sorry," Vincent said. 

"This wasn't you, you didn't-" 

"It's okay," Vincent cut off his tangent. "You can't change the fact that people die around me but you also can't ignore that it happens either. Maybe one day the course of my fate will alter...and I won't be like this anymore...a center for chaos." 

"Alan..." William continued to hold him, hoping that he would come back, that it was all just a mistake, but it never happened. He stayed like that the entire night. 

...

"William, you need to get cleaned up," Adrian finally was going to force him out of that spot. It was noon now. He needed to move. 

"No," he replied. 

"William," Adrian hugged him from behind and forced him up. "You need to get cleaned up!" he insisted. He dragged William's stubborn body to the bathroom and threw him into the tub, clothes and all. He sat there, limp, staring off into space. 

"Did you call them?" he asked. 

"I called them." 

William's face didn't show a lot of what he was thinking but Adrian saw his body tense. They would arrive at any minute now. The parents that had put far too much pressure on him as a child. The ones that forced him to the brink of sanity, telling him he had to be a perfect son to inherit the company, so he snapped and became the opposite. Now Ludger was experiencing the pressure he experienced. But, unlike William, Ludger had a person to lean on: Sascha. 

"Send me to rehab," he finally said. 

"W-what?" Adrain dropped the soap into the tub. William leaned his head against the shower wall. 

"Send me to rehab." 

"You're really going to go this time?" Adrian tried not to get his hopes up. He'd gotten William to agree before but he always chickened out at the last second. 

"I can't stay like this," he muttered. "For some reason my attempts to get shitfaced and die in a ditch haven't killed me yet and instead..." he choked on his words. "Instead, Alan died. Our baby brother Alan...precious Alan that wanted to be a doctor..." he started crying but his face never changed. They were soulless tears of his brain trying to make sense of everything. 

"You and him...need to leave. Get out of here before they catch you, our parents, they'll catch you and blame you and never let you go. I don't like him. I will never like him...but Alan trusted him and I trust Alan. No," William shook his head. "Alan trusted you." 

"I'll take you to rehab first..." 

"No," William shook his head again. "No time for that, just leave me the address and sign me up." 

"But-" 

"Go," William pointed to the door. "Now." 

Adrian nodded. "Okay..." 

"I'm sorry, for everything," William said as Adrian walked through the door on his way out. 

"Just get better, okay?"