A/N: I'm working on quite a few projects so I've decided to keep chapters of this story short, at least for now, so I can update more often.

Held Together by Werewolf Hugs

Chapter 2

Nolan stared up at the shadows on his bedroom ceiling. If he squinted they looked like pools of blood seeping out from his overhead fan the way Gabe's blood had seeped from his body. He rolled onto his side and stared at a different set of shadows; one looked like a rifle, another like a werewolf hand with its claws out.

He closed his eyes and Gabe's fist hurtled toward his face. Gabe sneered at him, hateful and angry. Nolan had disappointed him. Nolan had–

The sensation of cold metal in his hands as he knocked out the hunter.

Too slow. Too slow.

Blood on the floor; blood on the ceiling.

Fists, and rifles, and claws.

Pop, pop, pop.

The hospital hallway. Crouching for coverbeside Melissa McCall.

Monsters.

Hunters.

Monsters.

Hunters.

Pop, pop, pop.

Gabe. Terrified eyes. Knowing eyes. Knowing he's going to–

Falling.

Falling.

It hurts!

Blood on tile. Red and white, smudges and wet trails.

It hurts!

Coughing up blood. Agony on his face.

Does it hurt anymore?

No.

Fading. The light in Gabe's eyes fading.

Does it hurt anymore?

No.

So quiet. Almost gone.

Does it hurt anymore?

No.

Blood. So. Much. Blood.

Does it hurt anymore?

Doesn't hurt anymore. Doesn't hurt anymore.

No.

Nolan took a shaky breath and sat up.

It still hurt.

He wiped his eyes. They were sore from crying, but also from Gabe's fists. Nolan's jaw ached too, and a knot throbbed on the back of his head whenever he put pressure on it. He got up and went to the bathroom to examine himself in the mirror. Bruises had formed across his face. Liam hadn't said anything about them. Had he noticed? Did he care? Of course not, why would he?

Nolan sat on the edge of his bed in the darkened room, poking and prodding at his injuries to make the pain flare. In a weird way they were all he had left of Gabe. He took a halting breath as tears trickled down his hot, aching cheeks. He'd gladly let Gabe hit him all he wanted if he could just have him back.

After crying for a few minutes, Nolan crept into the living room. His slippers muted his footsteps enough that he was able to sneak up on the sleeping werewolf without rousing him.

Liam was curled up on the couch with his back to Nolan, his breathing slow and heavy. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Could monsters even have nightmares?

Nolan frowned at the voices in his head: Monroe, Gerard, Aaron...Gabe. They wanted Nolan to believe Liam and his kind were evil...but were they?

Nolan giggled under his breath. It would be so easy to tiptoe to the kitchen and get a knife. He could plunge it into Liam's back before he ever woke up. Nolan knew enough about anatomy to know where to aim to pierce his heart. If Nolan did it right, Liam would never wake up.

He took a deep breath and held it until the impulse passed. A familiar sense of shame settled within Nolan's chest and he relaxed into it. It didn't feel as good as Liam's arms around him, but it was his constant companion, and the niggling itch of self-loathing it evoked was reassuring.

"Li-am," Nolan called in a singsong voice as he stroked Liam's shoulder.

Liam gasped and rolled over, golden eyes blazing in the darkness.

"Are you comfortable?" Nolan whispered, smiling down at his new friend.

Liam blinked at him, his eyes cooling. He groaned and stretched, a grimace on his face. "M'okay." He cocked his head at Nolan and scrunched his forehead. "Why ya up?"

Nolan shrugged and bit his lip. Why was he up? What did he expect Liam to do for him?

Liam's nostrils flared and he frowned. "You've been crying some more."

Nolan shrugged harder and turned away. He should have just stayed in bed.

The couch creaked as Nolan walked toward the hall, and when he looked back he found Liam standing on his toes with his arms over his head, twisting his body and making contented little grunts. Nolan's cheeks heated at the way the front of Liam's sweatpants – actually Nolan's sweatpants – bulged. Was Liam wearing any underwear? Nolan hoped not.

"What are you doing?" Nolan whispered as Liam crossed the room, a soft smile on his sleepy face.

"Being a better person." Liam patted Nolan's shoulder and guided him back up the hallway to his room.

Nolan swallowed and climbed in bed, leaving the covers pulled back for Liam.

Liam slid in beside him and their hips and thighs touched through their pants as he settled in and straightened the blankets.

Nolan lasted all of three seconds before he threw himself on top of the other boy and rubbed his face against the soft cotton covering his chest.

Liam laughed and cupped the back of Nolan's head. That had to be an accident. He must have meant to pat Nolan's back, which was already so much more than Nolan could ask for.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Nolan whispered, trembling as he thought about the things he had almost done to Liam. He hoped Liam would attack him in the night, not to prove him right, just because he deserved it.

"Stop thinking and go to sleep." Liam's voice was stern, but the hand stroking Nolan's shoulder and back was gentle.

Nolan nodded and released the breath he was holding, letting the tension drain from his muscles as he relaxed against Liam. He even let the shame and self-loathing unwind from his chest for the time being. They would be waiting like old friends for Nolan when he woke up.

-000-

End Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to start exploring some of Nolan's issues. I know he seemed creepy in that scene in the living room with Liam asleep, and that's because I think Nolan is creepy. He has a lot of things to work through, but he wants to do the right thing.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!