Title: Brotherhood
Synopsis: Gil was always the brother that Eliot had admired the most; that was why it hurt the most when he left. The morning after Gil's betrayal, Reo tries to find a way to make his master move on with his life.
Rating: T
A/N: I think that Reo is a bit too obnoxious in this, but meh. That's fine. I'm writing this at 12:30 AM, so I guess that it's sort of amazing that I'm able to write at all. For some reason I can't sleep~. But strangely enough, this fic is practically writing itself. Anyways, I love Eliot and Reo and I hope that you love this story that I've written about them. By the way, I can't tell if this is humor or drama or what. It's strange. Yeah.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts, because if I did, Glen and Jack wouldn't have been just 'best friends'.
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Eliot had never understood why his brothers had hated Gil. Vincent, of course, he could understand. But Vincent was a freak of nature; in the food chain of the Nightray family, Vincent was obviously the weakest link. But Gil, however, was not.
Even with his unreasonable fear of cats and a fluctuating disposition, Gil was still someone who Eliot could see himself looking up to. Even with all that had gone on in Gil's life, he was still strong and stood on his own two feet, despite having the luxury of a rich family.
"Eliot, get out of bed; it's time to start the day." Ignoring Reo, Eliot stayed in bed, awake and staring at the ceiling. Getting up would be no good; it would be better to stay in the privacy of his canopy until he too, died. "There are things you have to do, Eliot. Don't hide."
The shadow that represented Reo moved on the other side of the curtain. "No." Short, sweet and to the point, that one word was what Eliot was feeing right now.
"I'll get some cold water to dump on you if you don't wake up, Eliot." The sound of pure, unadulterated evil crept into Reo's usually placid voice. It was apparent that Reo was not pleased with his master at the moment. "So get out of bed."
Irritation crept into Eliot's own voice. "You know that I'm awake, Reo. So the water would do nothing but make me angry." It wasn't like Eliot was already enough of a whirlwind of negative emotions; Reo would not be pleased until he added irritation and wetness to the mix.
"You can't just sit there and sulk. Your father needs you." The curtains surrounding his bed at Eliot's feet split apart for a moment, revealing Reo's face. "So get up."
"Don't you realize that I'm incredibly upset?" Still lying down, Eliot refused to look Reo in the eye. "Why is it that you never give me a break?"
Sighing, Reo closed the curtains and took a seat on a nearby chair. "You know, if you just sit there nothing can begin and nothing can end. I know that you're upset about Gil leaving, but that's no reason to lock yourself up and throw away the key. You didn't do that when your brothers…" Trailing off, both of them understood what the implication was. It was taboo to mention things like that around Eliot; the thoughts were too painful and the wounds too raw. Those were the shards of his memory that continued to dig into his brain and attempt to attack his heart.
"That was different." And it was a different situation; even Reo had to realize that. "And right now, I don't feel like waking up and facing the world, so I suggest that you go get me a book and leave me be."
Eyes still attached to the ceiling, Eliot thought of the betrayal that he had found out about the previous night. Gil had left the Nightray family. It was they who had taken him from servitude and had given him a home. Just like if he were the Nightray's real child, he was given the chance to make a contract with a Chain that gave him great power unlike any other human. And though Eliot's brothers were not the kindest souls to him, Gil was still given the warmth of a family that he had never experienced before.
It made Eliot sick to think that he would just throw away that kindness that the Nightrays had been so kind to offer.
"How is it different? When they died you went on your life after shedding a few tears. Now you act as if the entire universe imploded and there is no hope of survival without Gil by your side."
"Are you implying," Thick venom penetrating each word, Eliot sat up, feeling more full of anger than he had ever been. "That I did not care about the fact that my brothers were all brutally murdered?" Hands shaking, Eliot struggled to keep himself upright.
There was a pause from the other side of the curtain. When Reo spoke it was blasé and uninterested sounding. It was enough to make Eliot want to strangle him. "All that I'm saying is that you were on your feet when they left." Leaning back in his chair, Reo put his hands behind his head. "But when Gil leaves you turn into an inconsolable pile of mush even though he's still alive."
Unable to stand it, Eliot rammed his hand into a pillow of his, causing a few feathers to spill out of it. "You don't… understand… you… idiot." Tears of hot frustration welled up in his eyes and threatened to pour out.
"Don't I?" If Reo was happily drinking a cup of tea as Eliot felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, Eliot wouldn't be surprised. "What about this situation do I not understand, Eliot?" Welling up inside of Eliot was a destructive energy. From the top of his head to every last toe, he felt it surge through him like an electrical charge. Needing to relieve some of that pressure, he grabbed the already half-destroyed pillow and ripped the fabric apart. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do, Eliot. Now someone will have to clean that up."
Though he had tried to get rid of it, that rage still had Eliot in its control. "Shut up!" He screamed, ripping down the curtains that separated him from his servant. When that happened Reo didn't even look up. "My brothers are dead. They're gone and they're never coming back." Pausing, Eliot flopped back down on the bed again, feeling exhausted. "Gil is alive. He's still alive, so he should be here, with us. We need him and he's leaving us behind for some stupid reason."
"Ah." It seemed that Reo really did have a cup of tea with him; Eliot had no noticed that before. Now that the curtain was no longer separating them, Eliot could see Reo's movements and surroundings clearly. "But maybe that's just his way with dealing with the grief; he didn't sit around and sulked all day." Eliot did not like where this lecture was going. "Gil got up and began to do what he needed to be done."
"You're full of crap."
"You always looked up to Gil-"
"Shut up, Reo."
"So follow his example and-"
"I'm not going to listen to you no matter what you say-"
"Get up and begin your day-"
"I'll have you fired-"
"Because if not, Gil would be disappointed-"
"You'll never work again-"
"And so will your brothers-"
"No food, no clothes, no shelter-"
"And all that they taught you would be for naught-"
"Rats biting your ankles as you try to sleep-"
There was a pause. "Did you really have to bring rats into the picture, Eliot? Aren't you listening to a word that I'm saying?" Though it was Reo's job to be Eliot's chief lecturer, the message very rarely got across.
"Honestly, no." With smug satisfaction, Eliot stood up and pointed to himself. "Eliot Nightray is the only person who Eliot Nightray listens to!"
The same smug smile was reciprocated on Reo's face. "Really, then why are you on your feet?" Caught like a deer in the path of a carriage, Eliot's eyes opened wide. Slow, slow, every so slowly he looked down and saw that he was, in fact, on his two feet and standing upright. "Don't deny it; the evidence is all there."
Cold and dark, Eliot narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to kill you." Meaning it with complete and utter seriousness.
Laughing, Reo put a hand on Eliot's shoulder. "You'd need to get dressed before you could do that, Eliot."
Breathing in like a bull ready to charge, Eliot grinned evilly. "Yes, as soon as I'm dressed-"
"And you eat breakfast-"
"And I eat breakfast-"
"And check in with your father-"
"And check in with my father I will kill you!"
A worried look came over Eliot's face for a moment. "I think I'm forgetting something." Eliot raised an eyebrow with a quizzical expression. "Oh yes, you need to brush your teeth."
Rolling his eyes, Eliot put a hand on his hip. "Fine. Then I'll kill-"
"Good. Now that's your morning's agenda. You can't kill me until you complete the afternoon's as well."
With a devilish grin and a sheepish wave, Reo left the room having won the battle… but not the war.
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Fin