Farkas nervously paced up and down in front of the closed door. The Circle meeting should have begun hours ago, but not all members were accounted for as of yet. So he had been sent by Kodlak to get his brother, because Vilkas handled most of the clients, dealt out assignments and was responsible for the logbooks. The Harbinger had gradually begun to pass on his duties to his brother, but Vilkas must have forgotten about the meeting, something that had not happened before.

And now Farkas was staring at the damned door, debating what he should do. He had tried knocking – twice - , but he had received no answer and was running out of ideas. Usually, he wouldn't think twice about entering his brother's room, but after yesterday's events, he was hesitating to do so. It was one thing to know what was going on behind closed doors and quite another to walk in on it, especially when one of the participants was your twin.

For now things were quiet, unlike on the evening before, when he had heard shouting and stuck his head out of his room to see what was going on, because one of the voices undoubtedly belonged to his brother. So he and Wulf had returned and both seemed unharmed, judging by their eagerness to pick another fight. Farkas had been about to step out and break up the argument, when Vilkas and Wulfryk began to make out quite passionately, right there, in the corridor.

Farkas smiled. Maybe they would figure out things on their own, although it had taken them quite a lot of time so far. He resisted rolling his eyes. And people called him dim-witted.

He almost retreated back into his room, but here was a commotion upstairs and a few seconds later Aela stormed down the stairs, just as the pair disappeared into Vilkas' room. But the door was exactly what the Huntress was making for, muttering darkly under her breath "Who does he think he is, treating Torvar like that?! I've had it with his moods, he's worse than a virgin on her monthlies!"

Farkas jumped into action at once and found himself in front of his brother's room, arms stretched out and blocking Aela's way.

She only cast one scalding glare at Farkas and, fighting to keep her voice level, she said "I have an axe to grind with your brother. Let me through", she demanded.

Farkas swallowed thickly. If she were any angrier, her red hair might just have caught fire. Staring back wide-eyed at the woman that did not even reach his shoulder, he could only shake his head.

"This is not the time for one of your jokes!", Aela scolded. "Let. Me. Through!"

She positively scared him. Farkas just murmured, embarrassed "You don't want to go in there."

From behind the door both could hear the clatter of armour hitting the ground.

"Why? Because they are they fighting?", she snorted. After a split-second of consideration, Aela's look turned from livid to thoughtful. "Vilkas wouldn't fight without his armour." She tilted her head to the side. "What is going on in there?", Aela suddenly asked, sounding intrigued now instead of angry.

Farkas knew his face must be bright red. "They...ermm...", he scratched his head.

"Yes?"

"They need some time alone", the Companion finished. There was another thump and something that sounded like a growl, followed by – the creak of the bed?

"Oh." Aela's eyes grew wide. "Oh." Her irritation seemed forgotten and Farkas thought it was safe for him to lower his arms and step to the side. He had been wrong. As soon as the big warrior was no longer in her way, the Huntress darted for the keyhole, pressing her face against the wood and peeking through.

"That's a nice view", she purred, grinning.

"Hey!" Farkas knew that snooping in on other people wasn't nice; he had heard enough of Tilma's lectures on the matter. So he grabbed his shield-sister by the middle, lifted her up and turning around he put her down on the other side, his body once more a shield between her and the door; ready to defend his brother's dignity. "Do you know how rude that is?"

"Oh, come on!", Aela said with a playful pout. "It's just Wulf, he wouldn't mind."

"No, but Vilkas would", Farkas countered and crossed his arms across his broad chest.

"Spoilsport", she sulked, but did not attempt to get past him again.

After he had stopped Aela from barging in, Farkas had dealt with an annoyed Torvar, an amused Athis and a very confused Ria. What an interesting evening. Farkas could honestly say that Jorrvaskr needed more of those.

Only, he wished he knew what to do in the morning. He paced back and forth once more and, bracing himself, he pushed down the handle, opening the door a crack wide and peeking in cautiously. It was dark inside, and quiet. It wasn't that bad, if one didn't mind the smell. Farkas tiptoed inside, but his effort was for naught when he stumbled across Vilkas' discarded breastplate with a loud clatter. An unhappy groan came from the direction of the bed. Farkas looked around. He really did not want to get too close, he already felt like he was intruding. So the warrior grabbed a booklet from the desk, one with a cover of soft leather and threw it at his brother's sleeping form.

It hit him square in the face and Vilkas shot up with a sharp intake of breath. Farkas did not feel any remorse. Served him right. This was retribution for the chair. "The Circle has called a meeting, remember?", he said in greeting while Vilkas blinked up at him questioningly, rubbing his eyes.

"Why now? Couldn't they wait until a decent hour?", Vilkas complained without showing any sign of getting up.

Next to him Farkas could make out Wulf stirring. "Would you two shut up?", he grumbled in a voice thick with sleep.

Farkas decided to ignore him. "It's past midday, brother", he answered instead and had the satisfaction of watching Vilkas' jaw drop. "You've overslept."

"What?", his brother gasped, and suddenly his eyes went wide and he flailed with his arms in the air as Farkas curiously watched his strange actions. Suddenly, Vilkas landed in a naked heap at Farkas' feet. The Companion saw one of Wulf's feet disappearing under the covers, before the Nord turned around with a huff off annoyance and pulled the blankets closer around himself.

From the floor, Vilkas cast a hurt look at the sleeping warrior and frowned at Farkas. "Give me a few minutes", his brother grunted and Farkas happily returned to his own room to wait. 'Mission accomplished', he thought, feeling proud of himself. Shortly later he heard Vilkas' knock and together the twins went upstairs.

Farkas looked at his brother out of the corner of his eyes. He had not shaved yet and his hair was unkempt, although he had pulled it back with a band of leather. Not his own, though. Vilkas wasn't wearing any shoes and his shirt had a tear at the side that he apparently had not noticed. But the most prominent of all changes was the ghost of a smile that played around his mouth; a small spark in his eyes; the way he held himself: loose and relaxed. This was a man Farkas had not seen in a long time. He had missed him, the brother who had once masterminded their pranks on the other Companions and who had stood guard or distracted the others while Farkas put them into action. There had been glimpses here and there, but Farkas had believed him lost a long time ago to their work, the Circle, the anger. The beastblood. But today, more than ever Vilkas resembled that man.

"Had a good night?", the taller of the twins could not help but ask.

He saw the corner of Vilkas' mouth twitch upwards, before his brother broke into a full smile. "Aye."

Farkas grinned back. It was good to see Vilkas so carefree. He never allowed himself to let go anymore, to lower his guard, even for a little while, always conscious of the consequences his actions might have. Slowly, but undeniably it was wearing him down.

Farkas loved the old man, but Kodlak should never have urged him to take on the responsibility over the Companions. Especially not after burdening him with all the talk about his soul and Sovngarde...

The big warrior was ripped out of his thoughts when they entered the back room where Vignar lived and where the Circle meetings were held. Skjor, Kodlak and Aela were already there and looked to be bored out of their minds.

Vilkas was greeted by Skjor's dark glare. "Slept well?", the elder Companion asked sarcastically, but despite the tone there was little heat behind the words, the warrior knew. He knew Skjor well enough by now to know his friend felt obligated to tease him for his lapse.

"Leave off, Skjor. Poor thing must've been worn out." Aela's grin was entirely too knowing.

Skjor just furrowed his brows, knowing he was missing out on something.

Vilkas fell into a chair and propped his feet up on another one, fully prepared to half-sleep through this meeting. Although they all helped out, the workload always became too much eventually and had to be dealt with. Together, they sorted through assignments both finished and not, assessed the trustworthiness of new clients, collected their letters and compared them to the logbooks. Massagers had to be sent out to inform their clients and payment had to be collected.

Then, there was Jorrvaskr's balance and its account that had to be managed. The Companions, as a whole were wealthy, but they also spent lots of coin on food, drink, weapons, armour, messengers and the occasional repair works that had to be done around the mead hall. Furthermore, all Companions and those who worked for them had to be paid. It meant juggling lots of numbers and random facts.

Farkas was yawning after five minutes and Vilkas found himself drifting off. He still answered any questions directed at him, but his thoughts were occupied by something else entirely. The man sleeping in his bed, mostly. Was Wulf still there? Did he want him to be? Secretly, Vilkas was glad his brother had dragged him off, in afterthought he knew that he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to behave towards the other man.

Would things change now that...that they had been intimate? Or would they go their separate ways, pretending that nothing had happened? It wouldn't be easy, considering how close they were by simply being Companions. Although Wulf wasn't, not yet. Funny, how Vilkas thought of him as he would of any other shield-brother, even though he had not yet been put to the test.

Skjor's voice made him listen up all of a sudden. "Vilkas, do you have the logbook from the first half of the year? I believe the Turgraf family still owes us money."

Vilkas reached for the table, only to remember he had forgotten to bring any of the books. "No", he answered slowly "They're still downstairs."

"Don't you want to go and get them?", Aela prompted eagerly.

"Aye", he responded, absent-mindedly, until he realized that no, he absolutely did not want to go there! Did his shield-sister just wink at him? Wait! Something was underfoot.

Whatever it was, Kodlak was oblivious to it. Instead of sending Vilkas away immediately, the Harbinger said "No need to go now, Vilkas. Let us take care of what we can without them, we'll have a break later and you can go get the books."

Vilkas breathed an inaudible sigh of relief, but his stomach cramped when Kodlak addressed the last thing he wanted to talk about: Wulfryk. Of course the others would be curious. Vilkas was fully aware that his word might decide whether Wulf even got the chance to join the Companions. With a deep breath Vilkas began to accurately recount their latest mission, aware that he was stalling.

Used to their shield-brother's thorough, analyzing nature the other Companions listened, until Kodlak ran out of patience and finally asked "Well, how did he perform?"

Aela suddenly burst out laughing and Farkas had to bite his hand to stifle his chuckles. Vilkas just leaned back, balancing the chair on its back legs and, with his head thrown back, he grinned up at the ceiling. "Quite well", he answered with a straight face when Kodlak looked at him in expectation and quite a bit of curiosity.

"Ah I see..", the Harbinger sighed and rubbed his eyes at Farkas' and Aela's sniggering.

"I feel left out", Skjor complained and Aela leaned over to whisper in his ear and bring him up to date. He listened alertly and nodded, but suddenly his eyes went wide and he stared at Vilkas and burst out "You did WHAT?!"

Vilkas did not deign to answer; Skjor knew full well what. However, the Companion's disbelief quickly turned to suspicion. "About the whelp making a suitable shield-brother; are you sure it's your head talking and not your dick?"

The anger that suddenly coursed through Vilkas' blood was so much more familiar than this state of ease he had found himself in since morning. He let his chair fall back on all four legs with a loud thump to empathise his following words. "The 'whelp' has a name", he growled. "And to keep his fellow Companion from harm he challenged and fought off a dragon!", he added in a low voice. "Can you deny his bravery, Skjor? His loyalty?"

Skjor couldn't and he didn't, which did nothing to change the fact that Vilkas probably didn't have his head screwed on right. He might have laughed at the pun, if the big warrior wasn't staring at him, daring him to speak up against the whelp. Skjor lifted his hands in surrender. The radical change in Vilkas' attitude was unexpected, but then he had had a lot of time to get to know their newblood better. "I trust your judgement, Vilkas and I will respect your choice", he placated the angry Nord. "If you trust Wulfryk and are of opinion he would make a suitable Companion, then he is also a shield-brother of mine and I will not speak ill of him."

Vilkas nodded, appeased. The irritation had abided. How could he blame Skjor when he himself had hated and doubted Wulf for so long?

Farkas let out a breath he did not know he had been holding. It looked like Wulf was a touchy subject for his brother, if he had almost started an argument on behalf of him. When they voted at last, Farkas cast his voice in favour of his friend being allowed to take the test.

They continued for a while, until Farkas heard his stomach growl; it was high time for a meal.

Kodlak must have heard, or maybe he knew them so well he dismissed them with a faint smile and the words "It seems, a break is in order."

Vilkas ate, he talked to the other Companions and when he no longer could find any excuses he slowly went to his room. His heart was pounding by the time he reached the door. He berated himself for being this nervous and quickly, and with more force than necessary, he entered and walked up to the desk. Only, it was occupied.

His room was Vilkas' sanctuary, a place for him to retreat from the rest of the world, but now that he had let someone in, the Nord felt caged. "You're still here?", he asked, surprised. It had been several hours since he had left. He cast a glance to the bed which was messy and unmade.

Wulf looked dishevelled, like he had just gotten up and except for his loincloth he was also naked. He had been leafing through the very book Vilkas had been about to retrieve, but now he looked up, yawned and nodded. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

The good mood Vilkas had felt since he had woken up evaporated within the blink of an eye. "Sorry it was so bad for you", he replied cooly.

"It wasn't nice, but you certainly got it worse", Wulfryk admitted with an apologetic smile.

They weren't making any sense. Carefully, Vilkas enquired "What are you talking about?"

"Me being an idiot on our mission, of course", Wulf replied like it was obvious. "What are you talking about?"

"Erm...nothing", Vilkas muttered. Damn, but this was awkward. Was he supposed to say something more? Instead, Vilkas busied himself rummaging about in a cabinet above the desk and pulled out a bottle of mead that he put in front of Wulf. "Here. Somebody once told me it's supposed to make you feel better." Hopefully it would distract the other man from him.

Wulf raised his eyebrows when he heard Vilkas use his own words. "Clever bastard, that one. You should listen to him more often", he supplied with a smirk and tipped his head back and raised the bottle to his lips.

Vilkas snorted, but his attention was diverted by the way Wulf's throat moved as he drank the mead. He swallowed thickly and had to clasp his hands behind his back to keep from reaching out towards the other man. Gods, how he wanted to! To run his fingers over his bare skin, knowing it would be warm and smooth, dusted with hair at the chest and one or another scar. He wanted to hold him, kiss him maybe. Of all the things they had done yesterday that had been one Vilkas had enjoyed immensely; Wulfryk kissed like he meant it. But there was no sign that today he wanted anything more than a friendly chat.

'Pull yourself together, fool', Vilkas thought and grabbed the logbook he had come for, ready to make his escape. He should warn Wulf ahead, though. "You should get ready", the Companion spoke up. "There's another task that awaits the Companions."

Hearing the words, Wulf smiled up at him. "When do we leave?"

Did he – did he want to journey with Vilkas again? It had been uncomfortable as hell at first and at the end, but admittedly, they had had a good time together most of the time. Vilkas would be happy to have Wulf along on another adventure. Only, it wouldn't be this one. "You're not going with me", the Companion said, trying hard to mask his regret. "The Circle thought my judgement might be biased, because of what has happened between us. Farkas has agreed to be your shield-brother."

"Alright", Wulf replied guardedly and Vilkas was pleased to detect a slight trace of disappointment in his voice.

Ysgramor's hairy jewels, Vilkas needed to get out of here before he lost his mind completely and did something he'd regret later. Like beg the Circle to reconsider their choice and let him go with Wulf. He tried hard not to think what it would be like, just the two of them on the road again and failed miserably. He had to get this over with, and quick.

"Go to Vignar's room, the Circle is waiting for you. And put on some clothes!", he added with a vague hand motion at the other man, before he fled upstairs. Not that he minded Wulf's state of undress; it was most pleasing to the eye, but Aela might like it a bit too much.

He shouldn't have worried, when Wulf joined the meeting some time later, he looked more respectable than Vilkas did. It wasn't the big warrior that greeted him though, but Skjor. "Last week a scholar came to us", he began without preamble. "He said he knew where we could find another piece of Wuuthrad. I trust you know what it is."

"Ysgramor's axe", Wulf replied. Ria had told him all about the Companions and the hero who had started the them, as well as his legendary weapon.

Skjor nodded once, satisfied and continued. "He seemed a fool to me, but if he's right, the honour of the Companions demands that we seek it out. This is a simple errand, but the time is right for it to be your trial. Carry yourself with honour and you'll become a true Companion."

Wulf grinned broadly; Vilkas hadn't mentioned that he was finally being given the chance to join the Companions. At least he got along with Farkas all of the time. The warrior in question waved at him happily. Vilkas wouldn't meet his eyes, but Aela seemed unable to look away and Skjor's and Kodlak's expressions were hard to read.

After a pause for effect, Skjor resumed. "Farkas will be your shield-brother on this venture and he'll answer any questions you have after the meeting is over. Try not to disappoint. Or get him killed", he added with a sideways glance at the man's twin.

"I'll see you later, Wulf", Farkas called after him when Wulf turned to leave, knowing he was being dismissed.

Behind him, Skjor's voice rang out once more "Did you remember to get the logbook, Vilkas?" Through the closed door Wulf heard the smack of something hard and a surprised shout, followed by the sound of a chair toppling over.

oooo

The rest of the meeting was as boring as ever, although at least Vilkas did not have to put up with Skjor's teasing anymore, after he shot him down. After all, he and Aela encouraged him to let out the beast at times and Vilkas did not even feel sorry for the gross abuse of a valuable book.

It was towards the end of the end of the meeting that he became increasingly uneasy. When they finally broke up late at night, Vilkas' feet carried him down and through the corridor of their own accord. It wasn't his own door he ended up in front of, but Farkas'. With a sigh Vilkas raised his hand and knocked.

"Yes?", Farkas' deep voice rang out.

"A word, brother", Vilkas replied.

The door opened at once and Farkas stepped out, looking like he was ready to leave. "I wanted to visit Wulf, tell him about the trial", the warrior explained.

"Before you do that, could I talk to you?", Vilkas insisted.

His brother shrugged and motioned for him to enter his room. Vilkas did and wrinkled his nose immediately. Farkas' room was the picture of what Vilkas imagined Oblivion must be like. All chaos, clothes and weapons strewn around, empty bottles lying in the corner and on a silver tray on the nightstand there was a pile of stale sweetrolls that his brother must have pilfered from the kitchen. Farkas really knew how to let himself go, but in this mess he was as happy as a pig wallowing in mud. It was no wonder this room attracted more spiders then the rest of Jorrvaskr. And it was Vilkas' duty to get rid of them.

He should light a fire under his brother's rear and make him clean up to spare Tilma the horrors of this room, but that was not why Vilkas was here tonight.

"What do you know about Dustman's Cairn?"

"It's just an old tomb", Farkas answered negligently, his attention on the stack of sweets. He took one roll, bit into it and through a mouthful he said "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Listen", Vilkas urged "I want you to be alert; don't do anything stupid or reckless. And for heaven's sake, watch your back!"

"I'll have Wulf to watch my back", Farkas countered.

"Don't rely on it." Vilkas tone was serious, brooking no argument.

Farkas felt himself bristle at the insinuation. "Is this about Wulf again?", he wanted to know, annoyed that his brother would bring up that topic again. "I thought you trusted him after what he did for you."

"It's not about Wulf", Vilkas sighed.

"Good. He's my friend." And Farkas would protect him, although, if he wasn't what had Vilkas upset, then what did? Ah, of course! He was leaving and Vilkas was not going with him. That must be it.

Vilkas continued, unknowing that Farkas had looked through him. "He's not as nice as you believe him to be! Do you even know why he calls you 'Bright'?", his brother prompted.

"Wulf says it's because I'm cheerful", Farkas explained, indulgingly. "That's why you are 'Grumpy'."

Vilkas ran a hand over his face. Sometimes his brother could be so blind. "He calls you 'Bright', because he believes you're too stupid to get the joke", he forced out.

"What joke?" Farkas sounded hurt.

Vilkas had to resist the sudden urge to slam his head against the wall in frustration. Wulf had chosen a fitting nickname, he had to admit. "Never mind", he said, shaking his head. "Just be careful, yes?"

But it seemed Farkas had already forgotten that train of conversation and complained "Why is it always me who has to 'be careful'?" "Why don't I ever get to lecture you?", he whined.

"You know I'm the elder", Vilkas replied calmly.

"Only by minutes, brother", Farkas reminded his twin.

"That still counts", Vilkas responded and ruffled his brother's hair. Farkas was the only family he had. Kodlak was like a father to them and Tilma had practically raised them, but the bond they shared was special. He honestly did not know how he would go on if something happened to his twin.

"Promise me you'll be careful", he once more whispered against Farkas' temple, after he kissed his brother's brow in a rare gesture of affection. It wasn't what he wanted to say, but he knew he could not ask for more.

"I will, you have my word", Farkas whispered, because he knew that in their profession the one thing neither of them could ever promise was to come back.