;;Let There Be Darkness

“It’s okay I know you have to do what you have to do. I love you’re doing it.” He was keeping everyone he cared about safe and how could she say that was a bad thing. She took in Kellen in everyway she could and really she would take every second alone with him if she could. “It’s not going to change? Why would it?”

“Thanks, buttercup,” He murmured lowly, pressing his lips to the hollow beneath her ear. It didn’t take long before he trailed his kisses to her neck, just kissing any bare skin she had accessible to him. He couldn’t help himself. Kellen just wanted to feel her warmth, take in her presence. “Life happens and somehow it tears people apart. I don’t want to be torn apart from you.”

“Working on my bike helps distract me. Especially when you’re at work a lot.” She explained though she held onto him tightly settling perfectly in his arms just listening for his heartbeat.  “Good.”

“I know. I’m sorry... I just want to help find Quinn as much as I can. For the sake of Riley and my brother’s sanity.” And so he knew for sure that Mini was safe. For all he knew, that girl could be after her too. Laying there, he simply breathed her in, loving every second that he got to spend with her. After a pause he sighed. “I don’t want this to change. You and me, what we have, I don’t want it to go away.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He mumbled resting his head against his brother’s shoulder. He could hear how hurt his brother was and no matter how much he was hurting himself the one thing they never did was turn on one another. He would let this turn them against each other now especially when he needed him more than ever. He just wanted to be there and he wanted to do something and he couldn’t which sucked to him. What kind of boyfriend was he if he couldn’t help her at all That he had to wait to even hear she was hurt. When they finally got there Kydenreused to sit when Mini could do nothing but. Her legs were tired and shaky and she was really just done pretending to be strong. She was holding Kellen’s jacket tightly around herself trying to hold herself together while Kyden paced the waiting area. Eventually he settled into standing beside Kellen leaning against the wall as Mini curled into Kellen on his lap needing his comfort as much as he would give him. He just let out a mumble of agreement.

“It’s fine, Kai. I’m fine.” It didn’t feel right for him to be hurt at all by anything his brother said. Kyden was hurting from the fear of losing his girlfriend and that was a feeling he could sadly relate to. He would be fine, it was just getting him to calm down a little more. Kellen set his hand on his brother’s back as his head rested against his shoulder, carefully patting his back to offer a little support. It was all he could do at a time like this. There was nothing he could do and maybe that was what sucked the most. He wasn’t in control of what happened to Riley. No matter how much he wanted to be. As they waited in the infirmary, he wrapped an arm around Mini, gently combing through her hair while he continued to keep a hand on his brother. Everything was so silent and frankly, it scared him. But after the centuries of deafening silence, a doctor appeared in the doorway. He walked toward them and smiled softly, explaining that she had lost a lot of blood but that she was stable and that they could wait for her to wake up in her room.

“And if you didn’t know for a fact then what? You would have lied to me? Hid from me?” It made absolutely no sense but Kyden was in a fighting mood and he knew he could pick a fight with his brother and still be fine so that’s what he did he took his frustrations out on Kellen even though in five minutes he would feel horrible that he had done it. “She better be fucking fine I can’t lose her Kel. I can’t deal with that.” He really cared about her and to have her just snatched from him like that would drive him insane. This is why it was just him and Kel for so long but now their little family had expanded and it had more chances to fall apart. Squeezing both their hands once Kellen had caught up he just kept walking with a determined stare because that’s all he could do and all he could focus on. Mini however struggled just a little bit to keep up. She was trying her best and she wouldn’t say anything about it especially when the boy needed both her and his brother. She already had been given time to freak out and now she had to be the strong one.

“No. You know I wouldn’t fucking lie to you, Kai. Don’t pretend like I wouldn’t straight up tell you what happened to Riley. I would and I did. I just didn’t radio you in because I didn’t need you panicking and freaking her out while she was trying to survive.” He sighed, realizing that Kyden was just freaking out and he wasn’t actually angry but it still hurt quite a bit. He just wanted to fix everything but there was nothing to fix. “You’re not going to lose her. She wouldn’t go out like this. Everyone here knows it.” If there was anything Kellen was sure of, it was that. Riley would pull through because she was Riley. She wouldn’t let them go through the loss of their family when they just built it. He squeezed his brother’s hand right back and led the pack downstairs, pushing through the doors of the waiting room and just-- waiting. Waiting for a sign, waiting for a feeling, waiting for something. Anything. The metallic sound of the clock ticking was the only thing to be heard as Kellen just wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and continued to at least have a hand on his brother’s arm. “They’re gonna have news on her any second, Kai. Just wait.”

Kyden didn’t really fight against his brother when he pushed his hands off him but there was still a part of Kyden that needed stability holding onto his brother’s arm not in desperation but just to hold his head up above the water. “Not freak me out? Kel I’m fucking freaking out right now.” He stated sternly taking deep breathes. “You can’t swear that, we know that’s not how it fucking works.” He stated letting go of his brother slamming his door shut not even bothering with locking it. He just needed to get to his girlfriend and be there even if he couldn’t see her yet. And with amazing timing like that Mini appeared out of Kellen’s room damp hair in a dress she had left but still wrapped up in Kellen’s jacket and she stopped short at seeing Kyden. But she could still remember how he had comforted her when Kellen had been hurt so she stepped forward taking his hand. “She’s going to be fine, Kyden. I know she is.” She mumbled softly looking up at him before turning her attention to Kellen and offering him a smile as Kyden already started to move down the hall though he held onto the smaller girl’s hand because he would take any comfort possible. 

Kellen became the crutch for his brother, sighing as he clung onto him. This was exactly what he didn’t want but knew it was going to happen. There was nothing he could do to ever prevent this. “I said I didn’t want to freak you out until I knew for a fact that she was going to be okay. It’s fine to freak out but listen to me when I say she’s going to be fine.” He tried to speak calmly and rationally but it might not have come out that way. The twins were connected at the hip, if one of them was freaking out, the other sensed it. They knew each other. “I can and I am.” He was going to regret swearing it if Riley wasn’t fine but he was definitely counting on her being fine. As Kai let him go, Kellen stood there motionless, watching him as he slammed the door to his room. It had been a long time since he had seen his brother upset like this when he wasn't the issue. He had hardly even noticed that Mini had joined them and when he did, he smiled at her fondly, missing her presence. For a second he watched how she spoke to his brother and then held his hand, and all Kellen wanted to do was the same. He wanted to be the comfort he needed too. So without another word, he caught up to them and took his brother’s other hand, pulling him forward with Mini.

Kyden only could say he knew something was off about the day but he didn’t know what it was. He had rang in Kellen but heard nothing but he had to figure it was just him being busy or something along those lines. He just wasn’t sure what was sitting wrong in his stomach. Hearing his brother’s door open and close he got up to check on him until his door was knocked on. Seeing Kellen Kyden’s eyes went over his brother seeing specks of blood he couldn’t hide before he slowly looked back up at his brother his stare blank for a moment before he grabbed his brother’s shirt collar slamming him into the door frame. “What the fuck is going on?”

Kellen groaned as he was slammed up against the door frame, instantly setting his hands on his brother’s arms so he would let him go. He wasn’t angry and he understood the desperation but he wanted Kai to let him go. “Riley’s in the infirmary,” He began, trying to shove him off. “Mini found her and she called me first. She was stabbed in the stomach and the shoulder from what I could see but I got her to the infirmary. The doctors are helping her and I didn’t want to freak you out before she was in safe hands.” He wanted to try to explain as quickly as possible so they could all go downstairs and wait for Riley. She was going to be fine. Kel was sure of it. “She’s fine, Kai. I swear.”

“I know.” She just couldn’t say it back right now. She felt bad about saying that but she just couldn’t say it. Following behind him silently Mini didn’t care that Kellen didn’t speak because she didn’t have anything to say at the moment either. She kept thinking about Riley and then how difficult it would be for Kellen to tell Kyden and she had to be gentle about that. Kissing him back at least Mini basically ran in slipping into his shower thankful at least while her clothes were blood soaked his jacket wasn’t.

Kellen didn’t say it but it definitely effected him when she didn’t return the sentiment. It only proved to him what kind of time it was and frankly, it terrified him. He didn’t want to lose anyone in the small family he had made. Riley was a lot of the glue that held them all together. He trusted her even if they teased each other. With Mini dropped off at his room, Kellen knocked carefully on his brother’s door, trying his best to hide any of the blood that might have been on him. As the door opened, his heart already broke for him. “Kai-- I’m sorry. She’s fine, I swear to God she’s fine, but I’m sorry.”