***
The memories came flooding back as Neil watched the pure black wolf walk closer. They burned into his mind, it made him dizzy having everything return all at once. Neil braced the tree to keep on his feet.
(That was him Blue.) Neil glared at Niklaus. (He killed them.)
Neil clenched his jaw and pushed himself from the tree. He had a black, glowering look on his face. His fists balled as he approached Niklaus. Suddenly Neil lunged forward, pulling Niklaus to the ground. Neil landed blow after blow against Niklaus's side.
"You killed them!" Neil continued landing blows against Niklaus. "You killed ALL of them!"
Harper ran towards Neil pulling him off of Niklaus.
"No." Niklaus spit a glob of blood, wiping what was dripping from the edge of his mouth. "Let him. He deserves this."
"What!?" Harper turned to Niklaus. "What do you mean 'He deserves this.'?"
"I deserve this." Niklaus had a pained look plastered to his face. "Don't stop him. Just.. I deserve this."
Harper sighed and released Neil. "Fine but I'm stepping in if I feel things are getting out of hand."
Neil pushed passed Harper and started laying blows against Niklaus's face.
"I understand now what he meant." Neil stopped hitting Niklaus, he sat back resting his arms on his knees with his head in his hands. "Dolofónos. Murderer!" Neil looked up at Niklaus, whose face had already started to swell and turn purple.
Neil looked at his hands, his knuckles were bloodied with gashes and bruises.
"Did you ever plan on telling me?" Neil looked back to Niklaus.
"No." Niklaus wiped the blood from his lips. "I hoped you'd never know."
"Why? Why Niklaus!?" Neil stood up. "You're supposed to be my brother! We're supposed to tell each other shit!"
"I didn't want you to hate me." Niklaus turned over, trying to stand like a six year old because the blows he'd taken made him dizzy. Olivia rushed to help him but he brushed her off. "You're all I have, I don't want you to hate me."
"Well you see how that turned out." Neil huffed, the anger still written on his face. "I'm done. Niklaus, I'm done. I've been trying to help you, I tried to get you to talk to me, I've tried everything to show you that you can trust me!"
"I'm sorry. Neil, I'm s-"
"You can't fix this with an apology!" Neil threw his hands in the air. "Get out."
"What?" Harper turned to Neil, was he serious?
"GET OUT! Pack your shit and go!" Neil turned to Niklaus. "I'm done trying to help you. Get the fuck out."
Niklaus's face dropped.
"Fine. You're right." Niklaus turned to Olivia. "Mind helping me pack?"
"Yeah, sure.." Olivia's voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.
Neil and Harper watched as the pair walked back to the pack house.
"What is wrong with you?" Harper was expressionless.
"What?" Neil faced Harper. "You're taking his side?"
"Yes! I'm taking his side!" Harper had never raised his voice to Neil before. Harper was the quiet one. The one who found it hard to get his point across. "Look at it from his point. He was trapped, held captive, by some deranged, psycho-lunatic. Whatever happened, what ever he did to make you so pissed off. Whatever you remember now, it's not his fault!"
"He murdered our entire pack!" Neil's eyes were pained. "I watched as he tore our pack into pieces! I was supposed to run, mother told me to run but I went back. I watched him kill everyone I ever cared about!"
Harper was taken aback. His eyes softened but he remained on his stance.
"Even if you can't forgive him, you have to understand that it wasn't his fault." Harper looked sullen. "Go find him. You don't have to apologize, but you do have to tell him that he doesn't need to move."
"Fine." Neil gave a tight-lipped reply. "Let's catch him before he leaves."
***
Niklaus and Olivia entered the pack house. Scarlett walked out of the dining room to greet whomever had come home, only to gasp and raise her hand to her mouth.
"Niklaus, what happened!" Scarlett rushed over, scanning his face.
Niklaus winced as she looked over the wounds.
"I'm fine." Niklaus gently removed her hands from his face and placed them down. "Just a brotherly squabble."
"Neil did this?" Scarlett's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"I- you should ask Neil." Niklaus started walking up the steps. "I have to go pack."
"Niklaus wait.." Scarlett looked at Olivia with a smile. "Who's this?"
"Oh." Niklaus grinned. "My mate."
"Oh. Why do you have to pack?" Scarlett's smile fainted slightly.
"Again, I think you might want to ask Neil."
Olivia and Niklaus had just finished packing, Niklaus didn't own much, when Neil and Harper walked through the door. They could hear Scarlett talking to Neil about what happened.
"Maybe I should go down there?" Niklaus watched Olivia, waiting for some form of answer.
Niklaus sighed and walked over to Olivia.
"I'm sorry I brushed you off of me earlier." Niklaus ran his hands down each of her arms, stopping at her hands.
"It's okay. I don't know why I'm being pouty when all of this just happened." Olivia gestured to Niklaus's face.
"Ouch, I think that gesture hurt more than the actual punches." Niklaus joked, smirking.
"Go." Olivia grinned. "Sounds like Scarlett might kill him."
"Where do you get off telling him he has to move!?" Scarlett's face was red, redder than her hair.
"That's why I'm here right now." Neil noticed Niklaus coming into the living room. "You don't have to move, Niklaus."
"Okay." Niklaus noticed Olivia coming down the steps. "I think I still want to at least visit Olivia's pack."
"I won't apologize Niklaus." Neil folded his arms. "I will however try to forgive you."
"You don't have to forgive me, Neil." Niklaus shook his head. "Especially since I will never be able forgive myself."
Harper and Scarlett started leaving the room. Harper grabbed Olivia's hand pulling her gently.
"Let's let them talk for a bit." Harper shifted his gaze to Niklaus and Neil. "We can gossip about them while we wait." A grin appeared on both Harper and Olivia's faces.
Olivia followed Harper up the steps.
Neil opened a cabinet and reached for what Niklaus realized was a first aid kit.
"Sit." Neil pointed to one of the bar stools.
Niklaus sat and Neil started dabbing the cuts with a hydrogen peroxide dipped cotton swab.
Niklaus winced as the scrapes stung with peroxide.
"How are your ribs?" Neil started to suture the gash on Niklaus's cheek.
"Only bruised, I think." Niklaus reached for his right ribs, making him wince more.
"I don't suppose you'd let me wrap them?" Neil glanced at Niklaus, finishing with the sutures.
"I don't think that's necessary.." Niklaus started chewing his lip. "I've had bruised ribs before."
"Niklaus, let me bandage you up." Neil watched Niklaus's face. "I'm the one who hit you in the ribs."
"Fine." Niklaus chewed his lip again. "You can't freak out."
Neil nodded his head and waited as Niklaus started removing his jacket, he was still in the clothes from the bar.
"I think I should shower before you wrap me." Niklaus finished removing the jacket with another wince.
"Okay, fine." Neil walked out of the living room and started going up the steps. "Let me know if you still need to be wrapped afterwards."
Niklaus finished his shower. He stared at the gashes and bruises on his face. He could see a black eye forming, he knew he'd have one because it hurt when he closed his eye.
He backed away from the mirror so he could see his side. Blue and yellow discoloration had formed around black black, roundish centers.
Niklaus ran his finger along his rib cage, he couldn't feel any broken bones but knew that one was cracked. He remembered how it felt the first time he'd cracked a rib. It hurt when he breathed, he didn't want Neil seeing all of his scars but he wouldn't be able to wrap himself without making the fracture worse. Niklaus groaned. He walked over to Neil and Harper's room, knocking on the door.
Harper answered the door, Niklaus could hear Neil and Olivia laughing in the background.
"I need Neil's help with something." Niklaus looked almost embarrassed to ask.
Neil had been listening and walked over to help Niklaus.
"You need me to wrap your ribs?" Neil cocked an eyebrow.
Niklaus nodded and Neil grabbed the wrappings. They walked back to Niklaus's room in silence. Niklaus opened the door and walked inside, Neil followed. Niklaus winced as he removed his shirt, revealing his scars. Neil's face dropped.
"Oh my g-"
"Don't say it. I don't need you gawking at my scars." Niklaus turned to show Neil his ribs. "Just wrap these.. please."
"Can I ask how old you were when you got these?" Neil stretched out the wrapping, gently placing it around Niklaus's ribs.
"All ages from 11 to 20." Niklaus winced as Neil continued wrapping.
"Right." Neil kicked himself for the stupid question.
Neil finished wrapping and paused on the long scars going down Niklaus's back.
"Knife."
"What?" Neil hadn't meant to stare but he couldn't help it.
"The scars are from a knife. Dade decided he wanted to try his hand at carving." Niklaus reached for his shirt, putting it on as Neil sat on the bed.
"I'm sorry." Neil raised his head. "I'm sorry for everything that you've had to go through and I'm sorry that I hit you.." Neil scratched the back of his head.
"It's fine." Niklaus ran his hand through his hair. "It's gotten pretty late and after today's event I could use the sleep."
"Right, yeah. I'll see if Olivia wants to share with you, if that's okay."
"Yeah, she can sleep wherever she wants to."
Neil started walking out of the door.
"Goodnight, Niklaus."