Burning Houses

His eyes flushed black and the door opened. He remembered how only weeks before he would have scolded one of his brothers for using so frivolously. The room was empty. He flicked on the lights but the bed was still made, luggage set off to the side. Kicking the door shut, Caleb turned the room over, searching through everything for a scrap of evidence. At first glance he found nothing. Kyle’s things were all normal, all the sort to be expected from a youth visiting his future college town. And then he turned on the bathroom light. He might not have noticed it at all, but there it was, black in the white of the sink. Caleb walked in slowly, dipping fingers into the sink and bringing them up to rub wet ash between his finger and thumb.

-

Kyle came up the sidewalk, eyes going black to let him walk into the house without being noticed. It was the first time he’d been inside. He appraised the living room, as it would be his future home once Reid was gone. This would be his place, and they would be his brothers. The house was quiet. He had watched Caleb leave in the night, and smiled because it created the perfect moment.

He could feel his weak cousin sleeping upstairs, waiting for him to finish what he started, but he could also feel Pogue there too. He smiled grimly with lips so similar to Reid’s and went upstairs. He paused to glance down the hall toward Caleb’s bedroom and the two men that slept there, but he didn’t walk down it. No, instead he continued on, stopping at another door. With eyes as dark as night he pushed it open and slipped inside, staring down at the sleeping body of the youngest brother. Well, youngest now. Tomorrow Kyle would be the youngest and Reid would be dead.

He watched Tyler sleep for another moment, his lean body stretched out on the mattress, chest bare and pajama pants barely clinging to hips. His face was scrunched in tight misery even in sleep, his sheets kicked to the bottom like his covers. Kyle frowned, he hadn’t wanted them to love Reid so much, hadn’t wanted them to care when he faded- but he told himself that it would be alright, that they would have to love him once he was one of them. Though, some sacrifices would have to be made.

A short knife appeared in his hand as he walked silently to the edge of Tyler’s bed. “Sorry, brother.” Kyle whispered, watching the other slowly begin to wake at the unfamiliar voice. Just as eyes were opening he sprang into movement. His knees hit the mattress beside Tyler, one hand clamping down over mouth as the other buried metal into soft toned flesh.

Tyler woke in agony, sudden and afraid. His eyes burst wide as he felt that hand smashing his lips to his teeth, and something awful tore into his gut. The face was familiar, for a second in the dark he almost thought it was Reid, but Reid could never look so terrible. The knife twisted in his belly and his entire body rocked with pain, arching against the bed and the hand that held, groaning against palm.

He tried to Use to throw Kyle away from him, but power slammed back- ready for his attempt. Fear shuddered through him as he stared up at black eyes. ‘No’. His mind reeled as Kyle let go of his mouth, the blade pulled free of his chest.

Tyler mewled and tasted blood, his body shaking as it bled out onto the mattress.

“Scream for me.” Kyle purred before drawing back a curled fist and punching down on those messy open wounds.

Tyler’s vision blurred and before he could stop himself he was howling in pain, curling up against the unstoppable agony.

-

Reid and Pogue woke suddenly to the cry of their brother as it ripped through their sleeping home.

Pogue had jumped up from the bed, but hesitated when he reached the door. He wasn’t supposed to leave Reid alone, that was the rule Caleb had laid down like law over the past days. Reid was never to be alone. He wasn’t sure if it was so that they could try to chase away his nightmares, or so as to insure that he wouldn’t have to be alone when he died.

“Go!” Reid hissed angrily as he rolled out of bed, glad that it didn’t take more than that to convince Pogue to burst from the room and down the hall, shouting Tyler’s name. Reid had stood and hated how much more effort his body took to function. He walked to the door but it snapped shut before he reached it. Standing in the dark room he went still, breathing slowly as he waited for the trap to spring. He had suspected it as soon as he woke to the flush of panic. But nothing came.

Finally he took those few more steps and opened the door. The knob was hot in his hand and when he swung it wide, light burst forward to swallow the dark, first exploding through the small hallway, growling hungrily as it tried to slip into the room. With a sharp breath he leapt back, slamming the door shut and watching the light glow around the edges. “No…” Was he dreaming?

He took another step back and tensed when a body stepped forward to press a chest to his back. An arm snaked around his middle, fingers digging into old burns. “Burn witch.” The voice whispered in his ear before a tongue slipped out to lick down his throat.

Reid grit his teeth and twisted out of the hold, shoving the body away and staggering back himself. He blinked at his cousin, eyes narrowing at the black of his cousin’s. “What have you done?”

Kyle shrugged out of his jacket, fire burning around the edges of the room now. “I did what I had to.”

Reid shivered, fear crawling up his spine as the fire spilled into the room. He could see the blood on his cousin’s hand. “What did you do to Tyler?”

Kyle smiled as he started taking steps closer. “He’ll be fine but he’s not yours to worry about anymore.” He groaned darkly when he saw his cousin shifting uncomfortably where he stood, stubbornly refusing to take steps away. Even weak, Reid was so arrogant. Kyle stood in front of him, reaching out to stroke his fingers along his cousin’s cheek and neck. “They’re my brothers now. I’ll take care of them, better than you ever could.”

Reid closed his eyes to keep from flinching when that hand touched him. So this was the person that had tormented him for weeks? The one that had stolen his powers and with them his life? The one that had hurt his brother with the idea that he could have them now? His eyes opened and they didn’t need power to blacken them with anger. Even weak, he reached out quickly, grabbing Kyle by the shoulders and kneeing him hard in the crotch. The boy howled and doubled over only to get kicked in the side. “You sick little fuck!” Reid shouted, following his cousin to the floor only to straddle him and bring a fist down against his face. “Don’t ever touch them! Don’t go near them!”

Kyle hissed and a burst of power threw Reid off of him, throwing him to the ceiling and then letting him collapse to the floor again, several ribs breaking under his fall, his forehead thumping the floor hard. Kyle crawled on top of him before he could try to get up, straddling his ass and fisting his hand in his hair, lifting his head off of the floor to hiss in his ear. “Stop me.”

-

Pogue rushed into Tyler’s room, sucking a breath as he found the boy on his bed, blood dripping from the mattress to the floor. There was so much red welling up from jagged tears in his stomach. His lips were parted wide to gasp at air and his eyes glazed in pain.
“Baby Boy?” Pogue fell to his knees beside the bed, blood soaking into the knees of his sleeping pants. Pained sounds bubbled up from Tyler’s throat and Pogue carefully ‘shh’ed him. One hand stroked through his brother’s hair while the other hovered nervously over his abdomen. His eyes went black and flesh knit back together. Tyler groaned and coughed as the pain washed away, air coming back to his lungs the way it normally would.

Pogue shivered a breath and laid his hand flat on his lover’s stomach, stroking down to push the blood over smooth skin. Relief washed him at the healed flesh but it was a momentary event. “Ty, who did this?” He hissed, pushing back to his feet again.

Tyler spit the blood that was left in his mouth as he rolled out of bed. “Kyle. His eyes.” He swallowed as he stood, legs still a little wobbly but determined as he started for the hall. “He’s the one that’s taking Reid’s power.” He grabbed the doorknob, ignoring the way it burned his palm and swinging it open. Pogue grabbed him by the waist to pull him back as fire swept into the room with a gust of heat, causing them both to stumble back. They tried to Use to snuff out the flames, but the fire wouldn’t be squelched.

“Reid!” Tyler shouted, but the fire swallowed his words.

-

When Caleb came home the house was burning. He vanished from the yard, forgetting that he stood in the open, not caring if anyone saw, and appeared again in his bedroom. The air was hot, burning his lungs when he inhaled but what he saw hurt more. Reid was on the floor on his back, arms dropped at his sides and knuckles bloody from the fight he’d put up. His lips parted, painted red and split in the corner. His temple was bleeding too, gashed open, and from the look of his thin chest, his ribs had been broken- dark bruises already coloring their malformed sides.

And there was Kyle, on his knees to straddle the other, his hands greedily pulling at the top of Reid’s pants. Reid groaned painfully, eyes blinking as he tried to clear the fog of his head, mouth gaping to drag air into lungs. His hands stilled abruptly as he felt Caleb in the room, his fingers uncurling from Reid’s pants to fan over that bruised and scarred belly. He looked up slowly and found a smile. “Brother.” Kyle spoke.

Caleb felt his jaw twitch, his face scrunching with disgust. “Get off of him.”

Kyle didn’t move, his fingers stroking up Reid’s chest and then down again. “I’m almost done.” He promised, hand coming down past Reid’s waist to press his palm against his crotch. The blond beneath him groaned with a snarl, writhing weakly beneath.

A roar tore up from Caleb, his eyes black as he swept Kyle back with a thrust of power, jolting his body up and then slamming him to the wall, ignoring the way he crashed. He knelt beside Reid, pushing blond hair back from a thin bloody cheek. “Reid?” He whispered through gritted teeth.

The blond coughed and nodded, making no attempt to roll against his broken ribs, but forcing his eyes open to look at up at the oldest. “Cay…” He breathed, a thousand words laced into that one familiarity of his name.

Caleb shushed him gently. “I know. I told you I’d take care of it.”

“You’re wasting your time consoling him.” Kyle’s voice pulled at his nerves, the boy was standing again, his eyes as black as Caleb’s and his lips curled with a smirk that reminded of Reid’s. Close, but not the same. “He’ll burn in this house.” He took a step closer. “But it’s okay, we can build another, the same if you want.”

Caleb shivered as he rose to his feet, turning toward the mad boy and stepping over Reid so as to be between them. Tyler and Pogue appeared in the room, the both smeared in someone’s blood. The walls were burning but they couldn’t leave, couldn’t put the fire out and couldn’t leave the boy on the floor behind. Tyler knelt beside Reid, holding his hand and glaring past Caleb at the other, Pogue towering over his back.

“I’ll be a better brother than he was.” Kyle continued, swaying his hips as he got closer. He gave the other two a smile but turned his attention finally up to the leader he at last stood before. “I won’t Use when you don’t want me to. I’ll go to my classes, I’ll be upstanding.” He smiled brightly, licking his lips and reaching up to stroke his hand down Caleb’s chest. “I’ll do whatever you want, be however you want. I won’t argue, won’t gamble, won’t lie. I’ll be the perfect brother.” He leaned up, his mouth so close to Caleb’s now that he could feel his breath on his lips.

Tyler hissed as he watched Caleb’s hand come up to rest on the vicious boy’s hip, pulling Kyle closer. “Caleb!” He snapped as he shot to his feet, eyes going black and lips curling to snarl.

“Shut up, Baby Boy.” Caleb purred, dark eyes locked with Kyle’s.

Tyler growled, ready to launch himself across the room, but a hand grabbed his shoulder. He glared back at Pogue, but the look that greeted him told him there would be no advancing.

“You understand?” Kyle whispered, lips brushing over Caleb’s in a soft kiss.

Caleb smiled darkly in returned. “I understand. You’re everything he’s not.” He kissed back, pulling the boy hard against his body and shoving his tongue into that treacherous mouth. One hand reached down, grabbing a thigh and pulling until he had Kyle up in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist. The boy was in bliss, his whole scheme finally coming together the way he’d always dreamed. Caleb turned them toward the bed, walking across the small stretch of room. It only took a few steps with those long legs, carrying that lithe body.

But instead of turning toward the mattress he slammed Kyle’s back into the fire soaked wall. The boy gasped, thrust up against his own cursed flames. His eyes burst open, trying to Use to push the eldest back. A cruel smile pulled at Caleb’s lips as he grabbed the boy’s arms, pinning them to the melting wood. His fingers ached but it wasn’t his skin that began to boil. Kyle began to scream, his body writhing against the restraint of Caleb’s, shock and horror spreading across his face as his hair fried.

He obviously didn’t expect Caleb’s power to trump his newly stolen ones, had he not heard about Chase? Caleb held him as he burned, feeling the wrists beneath his palms wither, the jeans that clad the hips his pinned burned away followed by flesh. He could have closed his eyes, could have tried letting go, but he didn’t. He held that gaze until the eyes burned from sockets and when the body he held was finally consumed, he stepped back. His palms and hands were red from the heat, but the fire hadn’t dared to sing him- though it continued to eat freely at the house.

He turned around, ignoring the horror that spread across Tyler’s features and the grimly downcast gaze of his closest friend. “Get out of here.” Caleb ordered. “It’s too late to put out the fire.” They could all hear the fire trucks as they neared.

He knelt beside Reid as the other two vanished, the floors creaking and pieces of wood and peeled paint falling from the ceiling. He was unconscious but already he looked healthier, the burns were gone and with a thought Caleb had fixed distorted ribs and bleeding lips. Grabbing the boy’s shoulder they too disappeared, leaving the house to cave in.

-

As always, feedback inspires. If you've got the time and enjoyed this at all, I'd love to hear what you thought. I'm not finished with the story, though obviously this event is solved. Hope you liked it!