WARNING: Some drug use

I'M GETTING IMPATIENT 8U Also, sorry for updating all the other ones, I had to get the title in there...

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The room seemed overcrowded. It was a church, a small one. Scores of people were seated in the pews, all of them sharing the same emotion. Some women were crying, others kept themselves calm. They were all sad on the inside. In the front pews were two men. They were ridiculously tall, hard to miss in a crowded room. It was a wonder they were able to find suits for this occasion. Their identical teal eyes were downcast, listening to the eulogy. In the front of the church was a casket.

The sign read in Russian: “In memory of Aksinya Grimmwall”

After a while, the service ended. The two tall men stood together in front of the casket while the rest of the crowd went in the back to talk amongst each other. There was a long silence. They just stared at it.

“She's... gone.” The taller one said.

“Yeah...”

Another silence passed. The younger, gray haired man started to shake.

“Sh-She's really g-gone...”

The older one put an arm around his shoulders as he began to choke on his own tears. Their mother was dead. It all happened too soon. It was almost obvious which one loved her more. The taller man kept an absolute straight face during the service, but seeing his brother weep like this finally made him show an emotion.

“Hey... At least she's with Dad now.” He said.

The shorter one sniffed, “Yeah...”

Another silence passed, letting the younger brother calm down enough to join the crowd and talk with them. A few crowded around the younger brother, but no one seemed to recognize the older. He stood there in the corner, watching everyone else talk and reminisce. He almost felt jealous. But then again, he didn't really have any fond memories of the woman. He never really liked her. It's why he took so long when he said his final goodbye to her. But one thing he said was the truth. He promised to take care of his little brother.

She had no idea what he actually meant.

He decided to join his brother before being stopped by the man who gave the eulogy. He was curious looking. He was considerably shorter than most of the others, with graying hair all around. The man strained to look up at the taller one as he started to talk with him.

“I'm sorry for your loss.” He started.

“Uh... yeah...”

“I uh... I didn't know Aksinya had two children. Are you older or younger than Skelter?”

The man shrugged, “Older. Nobody really talks about me much. I wasn't too... influential, I guess.”

“I see... Well, I wish you the best.”

“Yeah... you too.”

He watched the short man walk away. He was right, Skelter did steal a lot of attention. It's not like he was a social joy or anything. Literally nobody knew Yurick. He left home when he was seventeen. He figured his family would never mention him. He hated his parents back then. They kept telling him to get a girlfriend. To fall in love. He was already in love. That wasn't the entire issue, there were other things. But the love subject seemed to bother him most. It hurt to move out because of it.

But things seemed to look up for Yurick now. His parents were gone for good, they couldn't keep him from the person he loved anymore. It was time to leave.

***

They walked through the park, Skelter and Yurick. The months seemed to warm up oddly. It was enough to wear only jackets on a nice sunny day. It was rare in northern Russia for this, but they enjoyed the beautiful weather.

They had been talking for some time, but Skelter didn't seem to cheer up after the funeral. Mum was gone forever. It would take some time to get used to it. Yurick couldn't stand seeing him so down. They stopped walking along the trail, Yurick walking to the front of his little brother.

He smiled, “Come on, Skelty, cheer up. You can't mope like this forever.”

Skelter sighed, “I can for a little while, can't I?...”

Yurick shook his head, “No way. Come on, I'll treat you. What do you think?”

Skelter thought to himself. Stop talking like that, Yurick. This better not be what I think it is.

“A nice restaurant, with some fancy atmosphere.”

Stop talking now, just stop.

“Come on, it'll be fun, just the two of us.”

I don't want to be alone with you anymore.

“Or maybe a movie? I dunno, just something to have fun, get your mind off Mum.”

… It seems harmless enough...

“Uh... I dunno, I guess eating out would be okay...” Skelter replied sheepishly. “But nothing too expensive.”

“Of course, if that's what you want.” Yurick shrugged. “Then maybe after that we can... go to your place?”

Great, Skelter thought. “For what?”

“I dunno, just... have a good time. Maybe some wine, a little candlelight--”

“W-Wait...” Skelter stopped him short. “What?”

Yurick tilted his head innocently at Skelter. “What, too cheesy? Okay okay, I get it, that's fine.”

“Yurick...”

“You know, maybe we can have beer instead of wine.”

“Yurick.”

“You sure we can't have candlelight?--”

“Yurick!”

Yurick looked at him, waiting for whatever Skelter wanted to say. Skelter stared at his brother for a moment. He was going to do it. After a lifetime of this madness, he was going to stop him. There was no need for this anymore. Skelter built up his confidence quickly.

But when he looked into Yurick's eyes, something inside told him to shut up and lie. It wasn't fear, he wasn't sure what it was. His confidence shattered.

“It's just... I don't have time, you know? I mean the dinner, yeah, but... I gotta take care of some stuff for a few days.” Skelter cursed at himself, looking down and away from the other's eyes.

Yurick paused, then smiled and shrugged. “Alright, that's fine. I can wait, yeah.”

Skelter looked at a nearby clock tower. “Oh.. I gotta go to Mum's house and uh... take care of things.”

Yurick nodded, “Yeah, okay.” He wrapped his hands around Skelter's, touching their foreheads together. He smiled, his voice dropping. “I'll see you tonight...”

Before Skelter could react, Yurick left him. Skelter stood there embarrassed, a blush shading his cheeks. He walked all the way to the parking lot where his car was. The blush never left his face the entire time. He opened the car door and slipped inside, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

“I did it again.” He whispered to himself. “Why can't I stand up to him?... Do I really...--” He stood bolt upright. “No! That's sick! Why would I even think that way?!”

He furiously started the car and drove to his mother's old house. There was work to be done, he couldn't dwell on anything like that now. His brother would have to wait. This would only take a few days. Maybe by then he could build up his courage again.

***

The house was about one third of the way clean. Everything had to be sold, the house, the furniture, anything Skelter wasn't keeping for himself. He knew Yurick wouldn't want anything. Surprisingly, Skelter didn't want to keep that much. Just some old family photos and a few art pieces his mother made. Other than that, it could all be sold. Skelter knew exactly what to do with some of that money.

He looked at a clock on the wall. It was almost 6:30. He sighed. It was time to go out.

Skelter drove over to the shambling house and stepped out of the car. He didn't even bring his jacket this time, there was absolutely no need for it. The melting frost and snow seemed to make the house look even worse. He shook his head and went to the door, doing something new for once and knocking before entering.

There was no answer.

Skelter knocked again. Still no answer.

Well, he is my brother, he thought. I guess I don't really have to knock.

He carefully opened the door and stepped inside, looking around. There seemed to be nobody within sight.

“Yurick?” He called. He got no answer.

Skelter quietly walked up the stairs into the main room. The place was still disgusting. He called a few more times, looking around the kitchen and the bathroom before finally coming to his brother's bedroom. He peeked inside. Yurick was on his bed, motionless.

“Yurick?” He stepped inside, looking over his brother. “Good lord, Yurick.” It was said in a tone of distaste rather than shock.

There Yurick lay, almost unconscious, with a syringe sticking out of his right arm. Skelter growled at the scene. Yurick was expecting a date and he gets high instead? He didn't understand this person at all. Needless to say, Skelter did help him out.

He repositioned Yurick on the bed and pulled the needle out. I've had enough of this, he thought. He went out into the garage, and returned with a length of rope. The rope was cut in two pieces. He used each piece to tie his brother's hands to the bed posts. Skelter was going to force his brother off heroine.

***

Yurick awoke in a daze, looking around his bedroom. He couldn't place the pain he was feeling, somewhere around his arms maybe. The whole place was a blur. He saw someone sitting by his bed, but he couldn't recognize who it was. Yurick lifted his head slightly, squinting. “Wh-Who are you?...”

Skelter looked unenthusiastically at his brother. “Yurick, you're awake.”

“... Skelter?” His speech was slurred. He dropped his head back onto his pillow. “What happened?...”

“You got high, that's what happened.”

“Why do my arms hurt?...”

“Because I'm gonna help you.”

“Eh?...”

Yurick tried to move his arms, but failed. He looked up to see that they were tied down to his bed. He struggled, giving Skelter a panicked look. “What is this?”

“I said I'm helping you.” Skelter repeated, almost annoyed.

“But... what... What?...”

Skelter stood up, then bent over to get closer to Yurick's face, looking him in the eye. “I'm done with this. You're kicking this whether you like it or not.”

“What? No, no, you can't do that to me now...”

“Then you'll die!”

The words seemed to echo in the dirty room. Yurick stared up at his brother, letting those three words soak in. He slowly moved his head and looked forward, staring into space. A long pause went by. Skelter waited for whatever his brother had to say next.

“...I know...” Yurick spilled. “You're absolutely right, I'll... I'll die...” He seemed to laugh, but it was more than likely a sob. “I don't wanna die...”

Skelter's face softened. “You can do this, trust me.” He put a hand on his brother's forehead. “I said I would help you pull through it.”

“I-I... Thank you... G-God, thank you, Skelter...” Yurick continued to voice his pain. “What would I do without you...”

Skelter sighed, sitting down again. “Well... Be ready. You're gonna hit the brunt of it soon.”

“W-What?...”

“You're gonna feel so sick, you'll want to die. Or at least bury yourself alive. But if you make it through the first day, the rest will be easier.” Skelter smirked. “Trust me.”

Yurick sniffed. “I do... I know you went to rehab yourself, right? Why didn't I go with you...”

“Shh.” Skelter looked down at his brother, who started to openly cry. It was weird. Skelter had never seen his brother cry before. It took a long while before he calmed down. The whole time, Skelter was holding one of his hands. It made him feel a bit odd, but he couldn't just let the man cry all alone. Yurick finally calmed down to the point where his breathing was only a little heavy.

“I love you, Skelter...” Yurick said, breaking the silence. “D-Do you... do you love me? I w-want to know... I just... I love you so much...”

I don't know... what to say, Skelter thought. But he wasn't asked to define love. Skelter let out a breath. “Yes, Yurick. I do love you.” I love you like a brother, he thought. That's as far as I'll go... Or maybe...

Yurick smiled, opting to sob some more, but it never happened. “Come here...”

Skelter came to the bed. Yurick waved his hand, motioning for him to come closer. Skelter's face was only inches away from his. He knew where it was going, and he was right. Yurick lifted his head and touched lips with his brother's for a few seconds. He seemed to pass out after that.

Skelter straightened up, touching his lips for a moment. A furious blush came to his cheeks as he wiped the kiss away. He sighed. I'm cleaning up this dump, he thought. I'll make him talk too. I'll find out where his stash is. He'll be rid of it for good. But first...

He left the room and found the phone. He called someone, telling them that he couldn't help clean his mother's house anymore. He lied. He told them that Yurick was sick and needed his help. After a few more minutes, he hung up.

He loves me... And I love him back, but... In what way?...

The doubt lingered with him all day.