He'd known for a while now that Ethan wanted to stay and hell, he couldn't blame him. Beacon Hills was by far, the nicest, friendliest, most "home-like" place they'd ever spent time in. None of that seemed to matter though. They'd saved Stiles from the Nogitsune, but the entire pack had taken a beating. They were all physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. Tensions were running high, and tempers were short.

They'd saved Stiles, but the costs were high. Punches were thrown, words where hurled at each other, words that couldn't be taken back, trust was irreparably damaged.

Things in particular, had come to a head between the twins. Ethan had been more accepted by the pack in general, and it didn't seem to matter what Aiden did. It didn't matter that they'd been attacked, shot at, injured while trying to save Stiles, well, it mattered that Ethan had, but nobody else had bothered to see if he was alright.

Ethan spent most of his time with Danny and pack already, and Aiden could feel that he didn't fit in, no matter how much he wanted to, he never would. Then came the day that Ethan was offered a place in Scott's pack, an official place as a beta. Ethan had been so caught up in the excitement of the news, that he'd failed to notice Aiden quietly get up and walk out of the room.

So, it'd come to this, without being accepted into the pack, he'd always be seen as a threat, someone to be on guard around. His presence would only serve as a reminder to his brother of their past. Ethan was moving on, he'd found his mate in Danny, and was finally happy. All Aiden could think of, were the words that Ethan spoke to him at school that one day. It didn't matter if the Nogitsune had any influence or not, because he already knew the truth, even before Ethan spoke it.

"I'd already be a part of Scott's pack if it wasn't for my psychotic brother." Those words were etched in his memory, burned into his mind, every waking moment since that day, he could see it in his brother's eyes, even if Ethan didn't admit it, or tried to say that he didn't mean it. It was hard to fool someone who already knew the truth.

A week after Ethan joined the pack, Aiden couldn't take it any more. He knew when he wasn't wanted, even if nobody would come right out and say it. He'd seen the pain in Ethan's eyes when they glanced at him, so his mind was made up. It was time to leave.

He waited until Ethan was asleep, it would be easier that way, he'd written a note, a brief one, it didn't say much, after all, what more was there to say? It'd been short and to the point, even if a little rough, it was a half of piece of paper, the other half, he'd torn off and stuffed in his back pocket.

Ethan,
I'll be long gone by the time you find this note. Just know, that I only wanted the best for you. I can see now that you'll be happiest here, with the pack. I know it won't mean much anymore, I wish I'd done things differently, but this is for the best.

I hope you and Danny have a happy life, you both deserve the happiness that you bring each other. I'm sorry I couldn't be better, that I couldn't be the brother you deserved.

I love you Ethie, and I'll never stop loving you, but it's time for me to stop holding you back. So this is it, this is goodbye. I left the key under the mat, so you don't have to worry about making a new one.

I love you.

-Aiden

It didn't take long to gather his things, he didn't have many, and after leaving the note on the kitchen table, he was gone. He'd locked the door and left the key under the mat, not even noticing the piece of torn paper that fluttered out of his pocket, landing on the mat, and with a sigh, he got on his bike, started it up, and made his way out of town.

When Ethan woke up the next day, found the note and rushed outside, a torn piece of paper caught his eye, the piece of paper that matched exactly, the half sheet Aiden's note was on. He couldn't stop himself, he had to read it. The words were half blurred with tears, but once he started reading, he couldn't stop.

..It's funny, all that time, back in our old pack, no matter what they did, they never could break me. No matter how hard they tried, no matter what they did, they could never take away my fire. They never realized that there was one thing and one thing only that kept me going, they never realized that you were the only thing that kept me from breaking, from giving in, from killing myself.

They never realized what it would take to break me.

What will it take to break me? You. Ethie, you were the only thing that kept me going for all those years. But they never realized the truth, the only person that could break me, was you. Well, congratulations, you broke me, and this time, there's no going back.

I can't do it anymore, I love you too much to make you choose, and I don't have the strength to get back up when you choose him instead of me. I can't. So, maybe this is me saving you the trouble of even having to choose, I can't pretend that I mean more to you than Danny does. He's your mate, and you've been pulling away ever since we first came to this town. And I get it, I really do, which is why I don't hold it against you, I never would.

I'm sorry for all the times I couldn't protect you, but especially all the times I couldn't protect you from myself. There are no words for how much I wish I could take it all back, how much I wish I could have taken all the beatings, the abuse for you. I'm glad you'll never know about the ones I took for you. Our pack could never tell us apart, and I took as many as I could for you. I just, it wasn't enough, I wasn't enough.

I'm sorry Ethie, I'm so fucking sorry. I fucked things up so badly, and you were right to pull away. You were always right. I'm messed up, and I'm beyond fixing. I just hope, one day, you can remember the good times we did have, even if they were few and far between. I'll never ever stop loving you. And if there was any other way to make you happy, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I think this is the only way.

I doubt you'll ever see me again, but just know, I'll always be watching, making sure you're okay. I'll always try to protect you, even if it has to be from a distance. I know we always used to say our little motto, "brothers, twins, together, forever and always." But everything must come to an end, and this time, you'll be better off for it.

I love you Ethie. Never forget that.

-Aiden

A solitary tear slid down Ethan's face as he read the note he was never meant to find, but it was too late. Aiden was long gone.