Disclaimer: All characters belong to one Sarah Rees Brennan

Pairings: Nick x Allen

Warnings: Heavy angst, bits of fluff, profanity.

Summary: In the end as Jaime went flying off to some uncertain doom, leaving Mae with Sin, Alan and Nick had a chance to ask themselves a few questions: what does it mean to be a brother? What does it mean to be loved and to love?

Author's Notes: Currently a WIP and yes, I really do have Nick/Allen as my current OTP

Unbetaed.

Beyond Bloodties

2010–11–30

By leChardonnay

Chapter 1

The clock's hands had been ticking far past the toll of midnight when Nick Ryves returned to the place he knew as home. He had decided earlier in that day that it was best to finish the latest exorcism and information gathering 'event' without the car. It was far too noticeable and most all, far too ordinary for someone like Nick. People already knew who he was in the Markets and in the 'underworld' of Exeter and London. It didn't help that the damn mechanic thing reeked of Mae and fever fruit anyways.

Nick closed his hand over the door knob to his house's front door. It was cold to the touch but it didn't really matter. What did matter was what he would see when he opened it. Mae was with Sin, learning the ways of being a leader and getting to know others. Alan had no choice but to stay home and translate and plan for the future battle with Gerald. So, what would Nick see? Would it be his brother, still awake and waiting on a couch like a worried parent? Or was Alan already asleep, dreaming of demons and fighting away nightmares from Gerald?

Nick scowled, one hand fisting at his side and the other twitching though it kept itself on the door knob. Gerald, the damn bastard. How dare he even think of putting his mark on Nick's brother? How dare he do it? When he meets him the next time, Nick swore the magician was going down and permanently. Death won't be an issue for Gerald for a very long time. Pain, maybe. Yes, Nick could definitely envision some interesting ways to get his revenge and to prove to the cockroach that perhaps they should start remembering what happens when they mess with Nick's brother.

The hand gripped the knob tightly before twisting the door open in a violent fashion. Damn, Gerald. Damn the world for doing this to Alan. If only Alan would just let him fix the damn issue-

Darkness was all that was there to greet Nick. He scowled, body immediately tensing and hands moving to the sword at his side. It was too quiet, even for Alan. It was also too dark, too cold. There was usually a light or a few candles. Did someone get in?

Had they done something to-

Nick ran first to the kitchen. Nothing. Not even the smell of hour old cooking or a plate covered for him. The closest room to the kitchen was the living room. Once again, nothing. Bathroom, garden, bedroom. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Where the hell was his stupid brother?

Once again, even if it wasn't the stupid battle with Black Arthur or the time in which he had thought Alan had fallen to the ground and never getting up again, Nick felt like he was battling against time and fate itself. Everything always ended up attacking Alan. Always. It was as if the world had a target on his brother's back and wanted to collect now. Damn, did that sound like the magicians.

They would corrupt Fate too if they could. Bastards.

"Alan!" The shout erupted from his lips and he knew, even if his powers were limited by Liannan, he was still definitely strong enough to at least cause a minor earthquake. The storms and lightning may be gone but making a few things shake would be as natural as the formers. As if to answer to the thought in his mind, the house shook slightly. Despite everything shaking or tinkling in its place, Nick could hear that distinct shuffle that was just solely his brother's. It was coming from the attic where the door was open.

Nick burst into the room, eyes unnaturally narrowed but bright and lips twisted into a snarl. His hands were already reaching to unsheathe his sword. Whatever demon was available, they'll be mincemeat in a few seconds. No one hurts his brother!

However, when there was nothing in sight that could or needed to be cut down, Nick calmed down marginally but was still cautious. His body was still tensed but he knew there was not much danger. Nothing seemed to have broke in or shown signs of being broken in. Glancing to the walls, out the window that he often sat on when Mae read to him, and at the floorboards showed that his statement had truth to it. No danger at the moment.

Another shuffle brought his attention toward the center of the attic. Once they had decided to stay and fight with Mae, Sin, and the rest of the useless Market people, Alan had immediately went and decided it would be fine to use the old house they had been living in before all the problems had escalated. In order to fit a pink-haired girl into their two bedrooms, Alan had nobly given up his own room and had taken the attic as his own. Mae had obviously spoken up against it. In fact, her argument quote per quote was "I been to the attic before remember? I'll be fine there!" But Alan with a soft calm smile usually meant for children and a few insistent soft words had broken her defenses. Soon enough, they had taken out most of Alan's things and stuck them all up in the attic.

The books and the bookshelves were all put back up but messily. Alan had found no problem with it and simply waved it off with a simple "we'll do it later, Nick." There was no bed in the attic except for an old cot and plenty of blankets. In the center of the attic was a round table. It was fairly small to Nick but apparently, 'just right' to Alan. At the current moment, his brother was asleep on it, body leaning forward and arms used as self-made pillows. Alan's dark red hair was tousled and some ends tangled. His clothes were wrinkled and it seemed as if he had not moved from the table for a very long time. To see his brother so obviously exhausted made something, an unknown and small thing, twitch inside Nick.

For one, Nick disliked his brother's seemingly naïve need to be in constant pain. It just wasn't fair. His brother shouldn't have to give up his things for others. He shouldn't need to risk his lives for people and their petty wishes. Alan shouldn't have needed to have done a lot of things. It wasn't fair that he had to and Nick hated the fact that there was really nothing he could do to stop his brother from taking risks onto himself for others.

There was a sound of a pained groaned and Nick snarled silently before pursing his lips into straight angry white lines. His feet moved forward and soon enough, he was hovering over his brother's body. Alan's face, usually sweet and endearing, was twisted into an expression of pain and torture. Nick could taste the palpable hopelessness that was coming off his brother in waves. Though disliking the idea, Nick moved to wrap one of his hands over the roundness of his brother's shoulder. Immediately, Nick could feel the small but constant trembles that shook his brother. Though harsh, he shook his brother sharply.

"Alan! It's me, Nick!"

There was another groan, a deeper one but still equally pained. Dark blue eyes, usually brighter but seemingly overshadowed by various shadows now, blinked owlishly at Nick. The tiredness was as visible as a blot of blood on pure white hospital walls. The shadows under his brother's eyes were now darker, more pronounced. The nightmare or whatever Gerald had induced in Alan in his sleep had caused him to have cold sweat. The palish gray tone to his composition spoke more loudly that the wavering pinched smile that was offered to Nick.

"Hi," the dry whisper broke the silence. Nick tensed, jaw clenching strongly.

"It's getting worse."

It was a statement, not a question or an interpretation. It was fact. Alan blinked before looking away, unable to keep eye contact with Nick. Hands, similar but still ultimately weaker and smaller than Nick's own, moved and patted around at the tablet top. When the object he was searching for seemed to fail in appearing, Alan began pushing and putting dusty tomes and yellowed parchment aside.

"You haven't happened to have seen my glasses have you?"

It was an attempt to change the conversation. Too bad for Alan that it was quite obvious the problem was still there. Nick scowled before leaning forward and yanking out his brother's wire thin glasses from underneath a tent of paper with scribbles and written letters that were of his brother's handwriting. It was chucked at Alan who barely caught it. He put it on and sighed again.

"You want to talk about this." The red-haired man looked tired and sounded tired. The line on his forehead that only came up when he was worried was deep and so unfitting to his face that Nick wanted to rip it off and crush it into nonexistence.

"It's killing you! Why did you do it? You should have just left Toby to die!" Nick felt the words explode from his lips, coming from the abyss deep within him. Was it truthful? Was this emotion? Was it just something that was grating on his nerves?

Alan frowned lightly before rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was a new habit that came with the headaches and the various after effects of Gerald's boredom. It was another thing that Nick wanted to destroy. And he will, after he destroys Gerald for doing this– attempting something like this!

"Nick, you know why I-" Alan began to explain it again but like the previous time it came up, Nick jumped right in.

"No I don't. I'm not human remember?" The words were harsh, meant to bring up memories of Olivia's last moments and Alan's own traitorous actions. There was a pause and Alan stilled. Nick glared at him hotly. It was the truth. It wasn't his problem that Alan didn't seem to be able to take it or understand it. What part of 'not human' was so vague? Nick was dangerous and it was time Alan finally understood that.

"Nick. . "

The soft pleading tone that Alan spoke with was nearly enough to distract him from the hand moving forward. The destination, as always, was his head where black locks stayed put. Before Alan could succeed in ruffling his hair -a sign of affection Mae often says-, Nick smacked the hand away. Harshly. Coldly.

Alan sighed softly, hand moving to run through his own red hair only to wince at the parts where tangled ends refused to let his fingers go. Nick trembled lightly before the anger boiled over. Things weren't suppose to be this way. Things were supposed to be normal or as normal as they were when it was just the two of them fighting and living. Surviving. Damn secrets, damn magicians, damn nosy magician brats going into infiltration.

"Nick? What's wrong?"

Nick glared down at Alan who had finally regained some energy to look less like one of the walking dead and more like someone who had just been overworked by chance. He sneered, lips coldly twisting upward into a mocking expression.

"Just thinking about the things you did and hid."

Alan winced before shaking his head slightly.

"It was necessary. Liannan only asked for a kiss or a touch for a favor. It was by far the cheapest thing I had to go thr-"

Liannan. She too was another problem in the whole damn situation. It was because of her and Anzu that things went so far and so quickly. To add a bit of salt to the wound, she had to just seek out Alan privately as well! And Alan let her. He let her do whatever she wanted. Did his brother enjoy having his dark hair grasped by ice cold hands that could easily rip out his heart? Did Alan grin and cause his blue eyes to crinkle from the smile when Liannan leaned in press her lips against his?

"-but nothing happened. . Nick?"

Damn him. Damn him and his pleading questioning looks. Damn him for doing everything, for causing everything, for unleashing Nick so easily, for confusing him.

"I hate you so much sometimes." The whisper was filled with confusion and a slight dose of helplessness despite the brutality of the words. Alan flinched from them anyways, expression completely aghast and hurt. It looked as if he had been hit with a very cold and brutal slap to the face and had been left with a bitter copper taste in his mouth. Alan drooped his head down, eyes over casted by shoulders. There was silence again before he spoke, voice breaking half way as if half afraid Nick would hate him more afterwards.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Nick growled, fingers immediately moving to dig into Alan's simple but well-worn shirt. He had no doubt that despite how physically fit his brother was, Alan would no doubt be finding a few finger-like bruises in the morning. But right now, Nick didn't care. Anger was warring with everything. He bent down, black locks brushing against his brother's still face. He inhaled a sharp breath.

"Why? Why do you just take it? Why don't you hate me back? I made your life hell and made you broken!"

Alan's head snapped up, eyes comically wide and just slightly panicked. He took in a gulp of air, adam's apple bobbing slightly. Shaking hands moved to grasp Nick's shoulder who stiffened up but did not move away from the touch. Slowly, one hand moved to rest Nick's back and the other tangled in his hair. He was pulled down toward Alan and Nick moved with the gentle tug. The warmth that came with the shaking embrace was startling and so very Alan. Slowly, Nick returned the embrace, even leaning fully into it.

"I—I would never hate you Nick. Never. You mean the world to me. No one can take that away."

The silence was comfortable and for a strange reason, Nick felt like he had been reassured of something and the unknown fear of that something had been driven away if only temporarily. He closed his eyes, body relaxing. He could feel Alan combing his fingers through his hair sweetly.

Yes, Alan was his. His human, the one who has his mark and his scent. He'll kill Gerald and that stupid China ice queen and things will go back to normal. This time, he'll make sure that Alan wouldn't get into anymore stupid problems with stupid mundane idiots. He'll go find the magicians if he has to—the doorbell rang, startling Alan and causing Nick to reach down to grab his sword once more— if they don't find him first.

LeC: _; _; Takes after Demon's Covenant. Since there were a lot of ways it could go, decided to go this way and see what happens.

Reviewing does give a lot of motivation. :V please do so.