𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 | Brett Talbot | [𝟑]

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙉𝙀

"I guess it is pretty big."

"You guess?"

"Fine. You win. It's huge," Dax rolled his eyes. Silence coated the room. Dax interlocked his fingers with Brett's and took a deep breath, "Are you alright?"

"No," Brett answered honestly, "I'm terrified of hurting someone again... I hate that I don't care as I should. I should be absolutely torn up about that woman, but it feels like that is a distant memory now, and it doesn't matter."

"That's vampirism for you," Dax sighed as he rubbed Brett's knuckles, "You feel things more intensely, but a death of a person you didn't know just means... less."

"I don't like it," Brett muttered. Dax scooted closer to Brett and put his head on the boy's chest, "I haven't talked to Lori or Satomi."

"I know. Lori called me."

"What?" Brett sat up a bit as he locked eyes with Dax, "What did she say?"

"She told me she misses you and they're trying to figure out a way for you to stay in the pack, but some of the betas aren't happy about it," Dax said knowing good and damn well that if he were Satomi he would have settled it already.

"I'm going to be packless," Brett muttered as he ran a hand down his face. Dax sat up and took Brett's hands in his own.

"You may not have a place with Satomi, but you will always have a place with me," Dax kissed Brett's hands, "And I know Scott, he'll take you in."

Brett stayed silent after that, and Dax didn't push any further as they climbed under the blankets. The two boys cuddled close as they drifted off into sleep.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Brett was on his side next to Dax with his arm wrapped around Dax loosly. He was sound asleep. Dax, on the other hand, was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling while his mind threw out every doubt, fear, and self-hate comment it could come up with. His head was spinning and it wouldn't stop.

Tears were going down his cheeks, but he was silent. He wouldn't dream of waking Brett. Brett needed his rest, and Dax needed a moment to be in his own head. He needed to acknowledge his own thoughts for a minute without blocking them out.

Dax heard his mother coming up the stairs. He wiped his eyes and closed them as he pretended to sleep. His door creaked open. He grimaced when it stayed that way. He cracked his eyes open to see his mother standing in the doorway. She waved him out of the room before walking off.

Dax sighed. He carefully and slowly pulled Brett's arm off of him and untangled their legs. Dax cautiously got up from the bed and checked to see if Brett was still asleep. Thankfully, all the younger boy did was roll onto his stomach. Dax frowned a bit as he stared at Brett for a moment.

Dax tried to remove any sign of tears as he made his way outside of his room. He spotted his mom sitting on the staircase on the end of the hall furthest away from his room. He sat down next to her and rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him and held him in a side hug.

"Are you going to tell me what is wrong, or am I going to have to ask?" Erika asked softly. Her British accent was still just as thick as it was when Dax was born.

"I did this to him," Dax said quietly, "I could have left him alone. I could have let him have a normal life and live it out, but I got involved. Alex fucking killed him. The kid who couldn't stomach cutting down a tree or killing a spider killed my uncle and my boyfriend, and that's my fault too," Dax admitted as tears rolled down his cheeks.