Chapter Text
William Silverstone would rather be anywhere else in the world that day. He sulked as his so-called social worker yapped away on her phone as she drove on the seemingly never-ending road. The rain battered against the windows, making it hard for him to see beyond the thick haze of rain fog. He half wanted to tell her how smart she was, trying to get him killed to get rid of him, but he already got a shit from that bitch already, and he didn't want to deal with more of her nonsense. The boy rubbed the side of his face, wincing at the sting from the earlier slap.
At least when Auntie Tessa slapped him, it wasn't for stupid shit like that. The woman loved it when he talked back. The two were peas in a pod, could go hours debating and arguing about god knows what before laughing it off. William found himself smiling at the memory before a dull ache pinched at his heart. Damn it, he should stop thinking about that crap; it's over. He squinted at the road, getting more frustrated by how little he was seeing, not a sign of his supposed older brother's home. Just rocks, trees, and grass for kilometers. Why did that guy pick the middle of nowhere instead of the city like a normal person?
William hadn’t even met him, and he already hated that guy. William knew nothing about Coal; his auntie mentioned him in passing but would never elaborate. No matter how much he prodded her, the woman always changed the topic or got him to do chores instead of answering. He had only vague memories of the guy, mostly of a very skinny, sad 11-year-old boy with dark eyes and messy black hair, but that was it. His aunt wouldn't even tell him anything about his mother or father, as far as William knew, he had only his aunt, and he was fine with that. Only for the last few months, he was not being sent into foster care, and instead, he will have to live with his so-called brother, who now has custody of him. Why now? After so many years? A flare of annoyance flicked inside William. His brother was probably the same as every dipshit adult in life, looking at him with their sick pity. Trashy boy living with his trashy aunt in a trashy flat in the worst part of town needs saving. That’s what it all comes down to at the end of the day.
"Finally, thank Christ, we’re here!" His social worker exclaimed as if she had finished some agonizing task, "Glad you kept your yap shut this whole ride, boy. Take your stuff out already. I have other priorities to deal with tonight."
Why did she even have this job? She hated children, and he hated her in turn. He flipped her off before leaving the car, slamming the door shut. He was surprised he didn't hear her snap at him again. That was until he rushed to the trunk of the car and grabbed his suitcase. Just as he lifted the baggage, the car immediately rushed down the road, leaving the 13-year-old in the pouring rain. "He what the fuck!, You're just gonna leave me here?" William shouted after her, not that it made a difference. He was then scrambling as the rain soaked his oversized hoodie and socks. He rushed to his brother's doorstep, dragging his luggage partially up the steps before giving up and rushing to the door itself. William paused, taken aback by what he stood before. This wasn't just home, it was a straight-up mansion, with doors that were carved from expensive wood, a garden peeking just around the back, and tall metal gates surrounding the property, which made William wonder how he even missed it. He had difficulties even knocking now, uncomfortable being surrounded by so much extravagance. But he was getting so cold, and he didn’t want his phone and PSP to get water damage. So with hesitation, he lifted his small fist to knock, only for the door to swing open before he even had a chance to hit the wood. Before him was a 6-foot-tall skyscraper of a man in his early 20s. His short, jet black hair was combed neatly on his head with only a few strands out of place, unlike William's long and messy crown. He wore a collared button-up shirt and tie with well-pressed dress pants, making William wonder if he had just come back from work. Whatever his job was, Wolf definitely wanted in if it meant he could afford all this.
He must have been gawking because the man let out a short cough to get his attention and said, "My my now what brought you here, young man?"
"Um... I..." William suddenly forgot his words from the sudden surprise before he picked himself up and said, "I'm your brother, William Silverstone. I um. You were given custody of me, I guess."
The man let out a light airy laugh as if what he said was very silly, "Oh no, I knew that already. I just wanted to tease for a bit."
William glared at him, already disliking the condescending prick. He said nothing as he ran back down the stairs to drag his luggage inside. Coal, however, rushed out into the pouring rain and said, "Please allow me to help. It is absolutely horrible that your social worker didn't even help you with your luggage." He tried to grab William's suitcase by the handle, thunder crashed above them, "The rain is really coming down this evening. I hope, despite this, you would settle wonderfully for the night. You can call me Coal."
William, irked, snatched his luggage out of Coal's hands and said, "Don't bother, I'm fine," as he dragged it up the rest of the steps and into his older brother's home. Once inside, he let out a sigh of relief to finally be out of such a storm and in a place with nice heating for once. He looked down and noticed how much water had already soaked into his sneaker. The boy shook himself off, leaving the excess rainwater as a puddle on Coal's pristine wooden floors. He glanced as coal entered, closing the door behind them, and said, "I don't want to talk or unpack yet; I'm thirsty." He kicked off his shoes carelessly, not caring for the grimace on Coal's face. He knew nothing about his brother other than the bare basics his social worker told him. I.e., well-respected and well-off, a snide remark aimed at him and his aunt, not that William cared what the bitch thought of Aunt Tessa. His auntie would call her a cunt if she were still here. He would rather stay in her flat on his own, but apparently that wasn't 'legal'; he was either going to live with his brother or in foster care, and didn't have a choice on which he could go to.
Coal's smile remained fixed as he watched William track rainwater across the polished floor. He said, attempting some form of small talk, "Well, it seems we have quite the storm brewing both inside and out." He gestured vaguely at the window where rain lashed against the glass. "As for your thirst, I do keep a small selection of spirits for... special occasions."
William's eyes flashed with excitement. Is this guy serious? "Wait, you're gonna give me alcohol?" Maybe Coal wasn't as bad as he thought. Aunt Tessa only really allowed him one sip, but Coal was offering an actual drink.
The man laughed, "My, aren't you enthused?" He winked at William, "Let's keep this between us, alright? I must warn you, I'm quite particular about who I share them with."
"My lips are sealed." William gestured the act of zipping for emphasis, eliciting another laugh from the man. Despite the mood somewhat lightening up, something about the man's eyes felt off to the young boy. He was not sure exactly what it was, just a strange intensity that he couldn't quite put a finger on.
As he took his seat on one of Coal's expensive black leather couches, the man went to his cabinet to get out the drinks. Suddenly, in the middle of the mutual silence, Coal asked, "Tell me, William, have you ever been described as pure?"
What?
William turned to his brother, confused, his brow raised, "What? Why?"
Coal shook his head and retrieved a particular bottle with a language on it William couldn't make out, "I mean, the world is getting more and more tainted nowadays, so I was concerned." He took out two glasses, "I wouldn't mind providing you with the right guidance in this kind of sinful world we are living in. Drink?"
William cocked his head in confusion, "...What? I have no idea what you're talking about." He would hate it if his brother were some religious nut job. That was his biggest fear, and now that looks like very much a reality; no wonder the man walks like he has a stick up his ass. William bounced on his seat impatiently as he watched Coal pour out a clear liquid into both glasses, putting a lime on the rim, and said, "I guess I took first communion once, but never poked my head in a church again after that.” Hoping that gave Coal the hint of how little he was interested in any sort of church, he then said, “Come on, hurry up, I want to taste that already!" He grinned as he observed his brother's home. The rug beneath his damp socks felt so soft, and the walls were lined end to end with shelves that either contained thick books or weird sculptures. The walls had many paintings depicting male Roman soldiers in different states of battle; the overall place felt so alien to the young boy. He was the only thing that didn't belong. William tried to ignore that discomfort as he took off his socks, leaving them scattered on the floor. He pulled up his feet onto his seat and gave his older brother a wide grin, "So, whatcha hiding in the liquor cabinet, whiskey? Vodka? Or you're into that fruity wine shit?"
His brother's smile notiably tightened, and he said, "Ah, you'll find no fruity wines here, dear."
"Don't call me dear!"
“My apologies.” Coal approached and offered an expensive-looking glass of alcohol to him, "I prefer things straightforward in tastes... And also, please take your feet off my furniture. It's rather rude."
"I do what I want," William huffed before grabbing his glass. He still took his feet off the seat just to get his brother off his back. He was already tired from dealing with one lecture from his busy-body social worker, much less another one from his stuffy ass sibling. He wouldn't be able to bare it. He took his glass and immediately brought it to his lips. Coal chuckled and sipped at his drink in turn.
"William, I do wish to get to know you better, you know?" Coal said, "I've only read your file when your social worker contacted me. I couldn't help but notice, despite my knowing so little, I could see you had a rare quality I deeply admired the more I read. Do you know what that is?"
William spat out his drink, "Ew, what the fuck. It's so bitter and gross." he groaned and continued, "Oh yeah, you asked a question. Nope, I have no idea what that is, nor do I care."
Coal didn't seem to be bothered by William's response or his dumping the rest of his drink into the pots of one of his many exotic house plants. Or he did care, and he just didn't show it. William was already growing weary of this small talk, already guessing where this was going, and said, "Look, I know what you're trying to do." He looked at his brother with nothing but tired disdain, "You just see a poor little boy to make into your stupid project to fix and play savior. You tell me that I would be so pure and sweet if it wasn't for living with Auntie, who was so 'trashy.'" He spat those words out. "At least Auntie.... At least auntie..." Why the hell was he fucking crying for no reason? William couldn't hold those tears back anymore. "At least Auntie actually cared about me before she died. At least she... didn't treat me like an idiot to fix." He looked away from Coal and turned to the window to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. It's been 3 months since the funeral, and every time he thought of her, he couldn't stop crying. She wasn't perfect, far from it. Her alcohol addiction, although she was able to hide how bad it was, finally got to her. Now, William was left with no one. He supposedly had his brother, but who the hell was he? Other than some rich stranger who hadn't even seen him until today. A brother who had been living it up for years, while he and his aunt were stuck in a shitty flat without a word of help from him. The man then had the audacity to act better than him.
"I'm... I'm truly sorry for your loss." William looked to his brother; his expression was soft for the first time, genuine sympathy rather than the usual fake platitudes graced an adult's face. "I know I was not raised by her like you were, so I don't know her as well, but Auntie was a remarkable woman. She took you in when no one else would, and she loved you, William. She loved you as if you were her own son. That love she had was the purest form of love a person could give to a child." His voice was soft, almost reverent
"Funny for once not a fucking insult towards her," William said as he wiped his eyes, hoping his brother didn't notice the redness, "Everyone I knew kept calling her all sorts of shit when she died." He balled his tiny hands into fists, "But they don't know jack about her. I chose to drop out of school; she's the one who insisted I go back, but I chose it. But... thanks for not calling her names and shit. Just... Just call me Will, no one calls me William except my ex-teachers."
"Of course, Will, I wouldn’t want to remind you of school so late in the evening after all?" Coal got up from his chair and seemed to give what Will said some thought and said, "I have no intention of replacing our aunt, nor will I try to be a father figure. Trust me, our relationship is different and may even be special in its own way. I have no intention to fix you. You are perfect the way you are, a unique innocence I admire in people." He was a bit too close in Will's personal space. His hand reached out and tucked a messy strand of Will's hair behind his ear. "That's better."
"Our relationship is special?" Will rolled his eyes, "Yeah, my brother, I only met in person today. Real special." Will felt strangely on edge. He pulled back from Coal's touch and said, "Hey, don't touch the hair!" He scoffed, picking up his backpack and sitting on the other end of the settee, "I don't know what this innocence you speak of. I watch and play M-rated games, so I have no idea how 'pure' I really am. Can you just show me my bedroom so I can change out of these wet clothes already?" Something felt off here; it was only once, but it annoyed him that his brother had only met him today and was already touchy-feely. Just because he's rich doesn't mean Coal could just touch his hair like that.
Coal's hand thankfully pulled back. Will swore his eyes flashed a brief spark of anger before being swiftly squashed as he said, "Of course, shouldn't delay that, wouldn't want to get you sick after all."
He got up and led Will down the long halls, stopping now and then to make sure his little brother was still following him. The young boy couldn't stop gawking at everything he saw. From statues to weird plants he had only ever seen on boring documentaries, his auntie watched until they came to a single nondescript door.
"Sorry, this used to be the guest bedroom, but it will be modified later to make it more your permanent home," Coals said as he unlocked the door, gesturing Will into it. He then bent down to wolf's eye level, invading his personal space once more, "After you, I'll be waiting right here until you're finished dressing."
Will pushed past his older brother, trying to ignore the bad feeling in his gut as he entered his new bedroom, closing the door behind him. For a guest bedroom, Coal must love his guests. The room had a plush queen-sized bed with a mountain of pillows at the headrest. A whole room was his new closet, and a desk full of books, and a large chair as if for a writer. Regardless of Coal's eccentricities, Will didn't mind if he spent the next few years here; the place was nice, if not a bit boring compared to his old bedroom. He remembered the many posters he collected and slapped onto the walls, the junk food stored at every corner, the broken window that his aunt sealed with duct tape. Now all of that was gone...
Will once again tried not to think too much about it as he pulled his hoodie over his head, leaving him in just a white undershirt and shorts. As he pulled off his shorts, the feeling of unease increased. It was a feeling of being watched, but of course, he was. Coal probably was watching because he's a nosy asshole. But for some reason, that thought just made him even more nervous. He rummaged through his suitcase to find dry night clothes, finally pulling off his undershirt, and he swore he felt a strange feeling intensified, piercing into him. That only went away once he finally fully dressed in his night clothes. He tossed the wet clothes into the hamper and thought about his brother. The man was a stranger and an annoying one at that, but where else could Will go? He just had to make the best of a terrible situation. Just like his auntie did.
With new strength, Will made a promise to live the best life he could. Little did he know, a wolf was watching, enjoying every inch of his pure angel before him.
______
Art of the two,
