Painful Memories-
Julius's POV-
I, the five year old, stood outside the closed door to my dad's workroom. Listening intently I heard the clanging of books, along with the different tools used to fix clocks, hitting the walls. "You selfish b******!" Mother had yelled. There was another 'bang,' probably a book about a thousand pages.
"Who do you think you are to yell at me!" Father had shouted, this time something metal hit the wall.
By this time I was sobbing. Never in my life had I experienced pain that great, that suffocating before. "Make it stop." The shouting continued, my little plea had done nothing. "Make it stop, please… make it stop!"
…
As I woke up I discovered that my sheets were sticking to me. I was covered in disgusting sweat. "Just a dream. It was just a dream." I tried to reassure myself. Deep down I wished it was but knew it never could be. When I was five my father, the old clockmaker, had cheated on my mother. After a huge fight my mother had broken several of the clocks that were in my dad's office.
Breaking clocks was against the rules, and my mother had paid for it. She had been locked up in the old Joker's prison, where she had died a lonely and painful death. My father had become ill, and soon after, died. Having no relatives I was sent to my half-brother's place, where his mother took care of me.
By this time I had forgotten what it was like to feel love, to feel happiness. The only thing I felt was pain, and resentment towards my father. With him not there to blame, I began to torment my little half brother, making him cry everyday. His mother had gone insane and left a simple maid to take care of us.
Now, as a twenty-six year old, I still hate my little half-brother.
I got up and went to the bathroom to get dressed. Today was the 'Gathering,' where everyone in the land of Heart were to come together and celebrate the successful move.
A few of the inhabitants of the land of Clover had moved to Heartland. Along with my stupid brother. I frowned. Today I would have to see him after three years. Not only that, but the party was being held at the Amusement Park. Sighing I grabbed my coat and headed out.
Gray's POV-
My mind began to wander off as Lord Nightmare and I walked to the meeting.
No one, there was no one there for me anymore. My mother had left, run away, leaving me behind to deal with him. He hated me, with a passion. It was plain to see, with the way he was always ignoring me. On the off chance he wasn't ignoring me he was always making fun of me.
I sat there, in the corner of my room, crying. By myself. I would be by myself from this point onwards. I would make him look at me. Make him look at me with eyes full of wanting, a wanting to be just like me. I would be the more successful one, the one everyone admired, not him. No. I would make sure it wouldn't be him.
"Gray. You're thoughts are disturbing me," Lord Nightmare said disgustedly.
His voice knocked me out of my daze. I shot him a look, and the thought of a huge needle piercing into his skin. "Disturbed enough?" I asked him, a smile playing on my lips.
Lord Nightmare shook. "Very." Was all I heard before we reached the Amusement Park.
Regular POV-
As the two from Cloverland entered the park they saw Julius, by himself, on a bench.
Nightmare walked up to the lone man. "Hey, Clockmaker. What are you doing just sitting here?"
Julius looked up to the incubus with bored eyes. "I don't find the amusement in these silly rides." He hissed.
Gray walked over then, standing next to his boss with his arms folded across his chest. "He meant what are you doing here and not at the meeting?" Gray snarled, his hatred flaring.
The man just scoffed before looking back at the lizard with eyes fill with loathing. "I could ask you the same thing."
Heat filled the air. The two men were silently having a go at each other. Testing the other's strength and perseverance. Neither was going to back down anytime soon, that was for sure. Nightmare looked back and forth between the two nervously before saying, "I'm going on my way." The two didn't hear him and he didn't care. All Nightmare wanted was to get as far away from Julius and Gray as he could.
Julius stood up and looked Gray straight in the eyes. "It was nice seeing you again. Brother." Julius turned and began to walk away. You could practically see fire radiating off of him.
Gray wasn't having any of this. Quickly he grabbed Julius's wrist and force his to turn around. "I could say the same, brother. Before you go I would like to thank you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be where I am today."
At this Julius was confused.
Continuing, the lizard explained. "I always wanted to be better than you, to make you notice me. I wanted you to look at me as a brother and not an annoying pest. That doesn't matter anymore. I don't care. I hate you now, just as you hate me. Nothing can change it."
Julius laughed out loud and Gray let go of his wrist. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear it. I wouldn't want my rival to have such strong, positive emotions toward me." With that Julius left, leaving Gray by himself, the way he always had when he had been younger.
When Julius and Gray First Met-
"Hi," The smaller boy had whispered as the older one approached him. "I'm Gray."
The older didn't express any emotion, he just simply took Gray's hand in his and shook it. "Julius."
(*Sniffle* That was sad. I always thought that there was something deeper that made Julius and Gray hate each other, not just Alice. Not only that but there had to be a reason why Julius always kept his emotions locked up. I think this story expresses both.)