"You should go at least see him, Young Jae. You put him in there so he would never be apart from you and now you've ignored him for how long?"
    His mother's voice sounded tired as the young man continued to stare at the pages of his book as if they were truly so interesting and ignored everything she said.
    They weren't. The dark letters strung together on the yellowing papers of the ancient tome were practically memorized by the dark haired man. He'd read and reread them trying to find some answer to the questions he still had to ask himself every day. There was some inkling of hope that he refused to let go of no matter how bleak the last few months had been.
    "Do you even know how long he's waited for just one sign that you haven't forgotten him? It's been-"
    "Three months, two weeks, five days, nine hours, fifty-two minutes, and nine seconds. Not a single moment goes by that I don't remember what I've done to him, Mother. Now please...," he turned his face towards the elderly woman, noting how her eyes widened at the sight of how her youngest son looked now. He knew he must have been a truly horrible thing to see so he turned his face back down so he could look just over the top of the worn pages he'd been examining before. There would be no reading when she was around. So his gaze just settled for the fabric of khaki pants stretched over his legs instead. "I just...I need time to find a way to fix it."
    The rustling of her long skirt as it dragged over the white titled floors only grew louder despite it being such a thin layer of chiffon, alerting the male to the fact she wasn't leaving but was instead coming closer. His eyes closed on instinct right before he felt the coolness of her long fingers against the revealed skin on the back of his neck. Instantly he regretted having cut it shorter after the incident months ago. There was a shiver of discomfort that ran up his spine as her hands moved lower until she was draped over his back and the back of his chair in some awkward hug that felt more like what a lover should do instead of his own mother. Especially when one took into account the fact that her hands were now splayed out against his stomach and her breath was right against his exposed ear.
    “You look just like him…when you read over his notes like this….”
    “I am not him, Mother.”
    “Hmmm?” There was something almost sinister in how she let her questioning hum carry out for longer than was necessary. Though after she stopped there was puff of a laugh exhaled across the skin of his ear before she pulled away completely, not even dragging her hands back up his chest as she usually did. “Then stop acting like him when it comes to handling your love. Your father was….”
    “I am not that man. Don’t compare me to such a lowly creature," there was a sternness to his voice that even startled Young Jae as he snapped at his mother's words. He heard the inhale that he assumed was supposed to be quiet but instead rang in his ears as if it was a gong being banged directly next to his head. He expected to be reprimanded or a guilt trip but the next sounds were those of her skirt on the tiles as she quickly made for the door in an attempt to leave the now heavy atmosphere of the room.
    There was a silence before the firm tone that she only used when she felt like being a mother came into his ears, the words wedging themselves deep into his mind immediately: "Go to see him or I will release him from there the only way I know how. You have twenty-four hours, Young Jae."
    And with that she was gone.
    The threat loomed in the air like a noose that was waiting for its victim's neck. In this case he wasn't sure if the neck was his own or the man to which his mother referred. It wasn’t too far of a stretch to say that it could have been for both of them trapped in the careless swing of the gallows.
    There was a brief moment of fear, followed by disbelief, and then just the right amount of annoyance to have his fingers gripping into a tight fist around the book’s spine in his hand. How dare that woman threaten him with the correction of his own mistake. Mother or not she had no right to show some sort of twisted interest in his love life or lack thereof. A woman who chose to have two children by two different fathers knowing the consequences would put him in the most unfavorable of positions in the sick little cult she decided to raise them in. An illegitimate son with half the blood of a Fallen One could never be accepted by her family, friends, or the society in which she so blindly lives day to day. And yet she chose her own selfish physical wants over any hopes for a suitable future for her first son. Not that Young Jae cared much for his older half-brother. It was just that her choice to stay in the compound after having him made their whole lives much more difficult. 
    Anger that he was often able to stamp down to meager annoyance flashed through him before his lips parted: “You can’t just choose when to be a good mother, you adulterous hag!” The shout echoed from the open door out into the hallway followed by the fluttering of pages and a flat sound as the book flew down onto the floor. Every ounce of anger at himself and his own mother flowed into the motion and he wasn’t too surprised by the chip in the otherwise pristine white tiles. His strength wasn’t anything to be shocked over anymore especially when it was fueled by his anger.
    Still the little sliver of white stone irked him more than anything else. A little reminder of what his half-Fallen blood could do if he wasn't careful with every emotion he ever felt. With a sharp stomp he had stood from the couch and driven the heel of his dress shoes into the piece. The powder left behind on the bottom of his shoe and the floor made him sigh.
    “Maybe I am more like him than I’d like to see…,” his voice shook with defeat as he slumped back against the small couch again. Short but thin fingers scratched through his hair at his scalp as if to make a move to pull the black strands free in one harsh tug. His elbows dug into his knees as he tried to remind himself to stay calm. Holding his breath for a few seconds he finally exhaled and loosened his grip when he was sure he wouldn’t have another physical outburst.
    “If you keep saying that then you’ll believe it in no time, little brother.”
    Immediately Young Jae felt his face fall into the emotionless façade that always felt the safest when it came to dealing with his half-brother. The other was sarcastic and biting and usually had no qualms pointing out the younger’s short comings or the fact that even if he did succeed in many things it would never gain him the acceptance that he’d want. He didn't turn to look back at the older male, not bothering to give him the satisifacation of seeing his face when he looked so haggard.
    “You’d be so happy if I ended up like him. Heh, you’re as transparent as the glasses you clean, Young Won." 
    The jab to what his brother's usual chore was around the compound when he wasn't having to train with the other soldiers, as they called themselves. It was really just a small and ill-equiped militia that would be used if anyone tried to infiltrate the Neighborhood for violent reasons. There weren't many weapons on the grounds, since the leader of the religious zealots had decided to keep them out. So the men who were chosen to fight had to train hard to use their fists and feet as weapons that were just as lethal. And on their off time they had to help with huge chore projects inside of the Neighborhood's walls. 
    It would be a lie if Young Jae didn't say that he was envious of Young Won being selected for it. He'd wanted to learn how to fight and defend himself. But because of who or, more correctly, what his father was he'd had no hopes of being taught anything inside of the walls of this overly fearful compound.
    “Funny you mention glass,” there was a sneer in the soldier's voice that had the younger stiffening, stretching out along his spine so his posture was more strict and rigid. The sound of Young Won’s heels on the tiles pierced into his eardrums more harshly than any knife ever could as he stepped up to come up behind the couch, much like their mother had. Only this time the steps were more menacing than careful and the hands that came to rest on the plush backing behind his shoulders were slightly more welcome than any physical contact could have been. The hissed words came out too close to his ear for comfort, a habit he’s sure the elder picked up from their mother, as his patience for his brother pushed against the very edges of his thinning limits. “I can see why you liked him enough to keep him as your little pet. He is a fine specimen of what an little gay should be.”
    With no time to censor himself or curb his immediate reaction, Young Jae was up and turning with his fist coming down directly into the other’s jaw backed by the force of his full-body twist. If he’d been more practiced in combat he could have probably aimed a bit better and done more substantial damage but the sound of Young Won’s grunting mix of a gasp and a shout was just as perfect as any other revenge. The body weight and movement behind his blow was just enough to leave him open for a counter-attack as he tried to correct his direction so he could put some distance between them both. 
    Unfortunately his elder brother had been trained in far more martial arts styles than he had been able to and his reflexes were honed by them to the point he was recovered and over the back of the couch before Young Jae could even process what was happening. He wasn't able do much more than stumble back a half step before Young Won was there before him. The sudden grip of a hand wrapped tight around his upper arm, sure to leave bruises just from the strength of his fingers pressing into his skin, had him gasping out before a fist slammed into his nose. There was a shove and finally he ended up on the floor with his hands holding onto his bloody and now crooked nose.
    "Oh man, Jae. You...you really have no idea how satisfying that was," his voice was dark and heavy as the sound of his shoes on the tile had Young Jae look up with a glare that would have caused any other person to tremble. There was a chuckle before the other's legs bent to squat down in front of him. With a startling gentleness he pulled the younger's hands away from his nose to survey the damage with a critical gaze. And after a few seconds of a stare-glare off between siblings he reached up to snap the nose back into it's normal position before wiping the bloody fingers on Young Jae's shirt as he stood up.
    There were tears laying on the lower lids of Young Jae's eyes but he refused to let them fall. He was stronger than that when it came to this.
    "If you're angry, fine. But if mother says your time is up...I'll crack that mirror with my own two hands, Young Jae."
    Once again footsteps retreated from the room, leaving the bloodied and emotionally raw young man to stew in his thoughts. Only this time he knew he'd have to take action.
    And that scared him more than anything.

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A/N: I really didn't know what to title this chapter. ;; I know I already have 2 subscribers and I hope this first chapter doesn't disappoint you! I was really excited about this AU idea when I had it. I'm still so excited to get deeper into it. It was supposed to be short and I promise I'm bringing Jong Up in for the next chapter!