I Know You Like I Know Myself...
Title: I know you like I know myself, but who am I?
Author: burningchaos
Fandom: Dresden Files, The (bookverse)
Pairing/Characters: Harry & Thomas
Rating/Category: Teen/Gen
Prompt: Harry is being or has been raised in the White Court.
Spoilers: Nothing other than Harry and Thomas being brothers.
Summary: Harry leaves the White Court after having found out the truth about his heritage.
Notes/Warnings: So here is the thing, I figure Harry and Thomas are slightly OC in this, but they were raised together and in this verse I see them as relying on one another, being each other’s best friend despite the machinations of The White King. I also see Harry as the slightly darker Harry we’ve met in the book through Harry’s sub conscious because of how he was raised.
A Special Thanks to CrevanFox for the beta, and for being so nice when I pmed her out of nowhere to ask for it. *G* I also need to Thank averzierlia and scorpiod1 fort heir thoughts, insight and time.
“Thomas,” Harry stepped into his brother’s room, only to find him once again wrapped around his new doe. She was a silly thing, crazy too, but lately Thomas preferred her to his other…meals. Not that that was unusual, he’d made a habit of getting attached. He waited, watched Thomas stroke the girl’s hair before crawling out of bed and following him into the hall.
“Father’s coming tomorrow.” He didn’t sugar coat it, there was no point, and beside Thomas was the one being in this world he could be himself with. The King hated them both, but Harry always thought there was a particular fire in his passion when it came to hating his youngest son. It wasn’t that Harry even cared that his father hated him anymore, but he was getting very tired of the intricate ways in which dear old dad was trying to get him killed.
“You know it pisses him off when you call him Father.” Thomas laughed, a half smile half smirk gracing his lips, as he held up the mansion wall.
Harry grinned, looking irreverent and maniacal. “Yeah, well he loved me calling him Daddy even less.”
Thomas shrugged, “True, but that has never stopped you.” He glanced down the hallway, and Harry could see him listening to make sure they were alone. “Thanks for the heads up little brother, but how did you find out?” His brother’s tone was injured, and only slightly manufactured. Thomas prided himself on knowing everything thing that went on in the house, he may not have been among their father’s favorite either but their older sister Lara did love him best.
“Lara tried to seduce me again.” Harry waggled his eyebrows. “She let it slip, as if she could ever protect me against him.”
“She’s never going to give up.” Thomas cocked his head, and ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes…sometimes she acts so strangely around you.” He sighed. “She knows why you’re different than us, I know it.” Frustration infused his brother’s words. That difference was the only wedge in their relationship, the only thing he had Thomas wanted and couldn’t get…he was free; there was no demon lurking underneath his skin eager to be let loose, desperate to feed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Harry stepped closer to his brother. He reached in his pocket and fingered the pair pentacle pendants in his pocket. “Something happened today.”
“What?” Thomas straightened up, instantly serious.
“While I was in town, I met a man who called himself Ebenezer McCoy. He was from The White Council and knew our mother.”
“Harry, he could have been lyi-”
“I soul gazed him.” He cut Thomas off mid-word. “He wasn’t lying. He knew her.” He pulled the pendants out of his pocket and handed it to his brother. “Before she died she gave these to him for us.”
Thomas took it slowly, “When?”
“Sometime just before I was born.” He reached out, took the pendant back from his brother, stepped closer and slipped it over Thomas’ head, then did the same with his own. “Ebenezer said she had one like it too.” He knew Thomas had few memories of their mother, but even those few were more than he had.
“Yeah, she did.” His brother lowered his head, “Before she left I would hold onto it while she rocked me at night. I remember Father coming in and yelling she was making me soft, coddling me but she still did it every night.”
“Ebenezer told me something else, something that makes everything Father has done make sense.” Harry hesitated. This could change everything, it would change everything and he prayed to whatever power was listening that he wouldn’t lose his brother over it. “Raith isn’t my Father.”
The words were sour on his lips, but he’d called the man father for so long, thought of him like that for so many years it was a struggle to call him anything else. He wanted to know the reason behind the lie, and he would in time.
Thomas reeled back, his body thumping into the wall loudly. Harry could hear the quick intake of breath and see the denial on his brother’s face and lips. He also saw how quickly it died. Thomas licked his lips, and closed his eyes for a moment.
“That actually explains a lot.” Thomas laughed ruefully and stared at him, there was no fear of a soul gaze they has done it years ago, not long after Thomas changed. He knew his brother inside and out, just as his brother knew him. “Mother left just before my third birthday and didn’t come back until just before my fifth. She was pregnant with you when she returned.” He looked away, “I never really thought about that before.”
He could hear the bitterness creeping in, Thomas loathed what he was.
Harry waited for a moment, “It doesn’t change anything, you’re still my brother.” He watched Thomas closely.
“Harry, you idiot, of course I am.” Thomas reached out and tweaked him on the ear like he’d done when they were children.
He leaned against the other wall, Thomas’s acceptance then casual dismissal of his biggest fear made his next revelation all the harder. Harry wondered how much his brother could handle knowing, if he’d be able to live with the knowledge that their…no his father had murdered their mother or if that would be too much. He weighed the options, and even though he hated the idea he decided to wait just a bit longer before he told Thomas that, especially since he wouldn’t be here any longer.
“There’s more.”
Thomas sighed heavily, “With you there always is. Special needs little brother, special needs.”
“I’m leaving tonight. Ebenezer is waiting for me, he’s offered to train me the rest of the way, and get me into The Council. He’ll help keep Fat…Raith off my trail till I can do it on my own.” Harry stopped, “Come with me. Tonight, get out of here with me.” He knew the answer; he saw it in Thomas’ posture, the subtle shaking of his head. It didn’t negate the desire or need to have his brother at his back, to have his best friend at his side.
“You know I can’t. Inari needs one of us to be here, she needs protection and there is no way she could go with us.” Thomas looked tired, drawn and Harry hated that he’d made his brother look that way but he had to get out. He had to. Inari was too young to protect herself, unlike Thomas she had a chance to be normal someday, if she had someone watching over her. Someone like Thomas.
“Thomas…I…” He hesitated, there were two beings he loved in this world; the first was Thomas, would always be Thomas, the second was their…Thomas’ baby sister Inari and he was leaving them both behind.
“Harry, go…now before you change your mind.” Thomas hugged him, and just like when he was small he instantly felt safe. Thomas had always protected him, been there for him, the only true constant in his life and he was walking away from it. “I’ll explain to Inari.” Thomas murmured against his hair. He nodded, his face buried in his brother’s neck taking in that feel, drawing in the scent to carry him through what he needed to do.
He stepped away and instantly felt alone. “I’ll get a hold of you soon as its safe.”
Thomas laughed, “It’s never safe around here.”
“I know, but maybe that will change too.” Harry looked at his older brother one last time before walking down the stairs and out the front door. He would get Thomas and Inari out of there, he would find a way to kill Raith while following The Council’s rules. He would find out who his real father was, what his true name was no matter the cost.
Author: burningchaos
Fandom: Dresden Files, The (bookverse)
Pairing/Characters: Harry & Thomas
Rating/Category: Teen/Gen
Prompt: Harry is being or has been raised in the White Court.
Spoilers: Nothing other than Harry and Thomas being brothers.
Summary: Harry leaves the White Court after having found out the truth about his heritage.
Notes/Warnings: So here is the thing, I figure Harry and Thomas are slightly OC in this, but they were raised together and in this verse I see them as relying on one another, being each other’s best friend despite the machinations of The White King. I also see Harry as the slightly darker Harry we’ve met in the book through Harry’s sub conscious because of how he was raised.
A Special Thanks to CrevanFox for the beta, and for being so nice when I pmed her out of nowhere to ask for it. *G* I also need to Thank averzierlia and scorpiod1 fort heir thoughts, insight and time.
“Thomas,” Harry stepped into his brother’s room, only to find him once again wrapped around his new doe. She was a silly thing, crazy too, but lately Thomas preferred her to his other…meals. Not that that was unusual, he’d made a habit of getting attached. He waited, watched Thomas stroke the girl’s hair before crawling out of bed and following him into the hall.
“Father’s coming tomorrow.” He didn’t sugar coat it, there was no point, and beside Thomas was the one being in this world he could be himself with. The King hated them both, but Harry always thought there was a particular fire in his passion when it came to hating his youngest son. It wasn’t that Harry even cared that his father hated him anymore, but he was getting very tired of the intricate ways in which dear old dad was trying to get him killed.
“You know it pisses him off when you call him Father.” Thomas laughed, a half smile half smirk gracing his lips, as he held up the mansion wall.
Harry grinned, looking irreverent and maniacal. “Yeah, well he loved me calling him Daddy even less.”
Thomas shrugged, “True, but that has never stopped you.” He glanced down the hallway, and Harry could see him listening to make sure they were alone. “Thanks for the heads up little brother, but how did you find out?” His brother’s tone was injured, and only slightly manufactured. Thomas prided himself on knowing everything thing that went on in the house, he may not have been among their father’s favorite either but their older sister Lara did love him best.
“Lara tried to seduce me again.” Harry waggled his eyebrows. “She let it slip, as if she could ever protect me against him.”
“She’s never going to give up.” Thomas cocked his head, and ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes…sometimes she acts so strangely around you.” He sighed. “She knows why you’re different than us, I know it.” Frustration infused his brother’s words. That difference was the only wedge in their relationship, the only thing he had Thomas wanted and couldn’t get…he was free; there was no demon lurking underneath his skin eager to be let loose, desperate to feed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Harry stepped closer to his brother. He reached in his pocket and fingered the pair pentacle pendants in his pocket. “Something happened today.”
“What?” Thomas straightened up, instantly serious.
“While I was in town, I met a man who called himself Ebenezer McCoy. He was from The White Council and knew our mother.”
“Harry, he could have been lyi-”
“I soul gazed him.” He cut Thomas off mid-word. “He wasn’t lying. He knew her.” He pulled the pendants out of his pocket and handed it to his brother. “Before she died she gave these to him for us.”
Thomas took it slowly, “When?”
“Sometime just before I was born.” He reached out, took the pendant back from his brother, stepped closer and slipped it over Thomas’ head, then did the same with his own. “Ebenezer said she had one like it too.” He knew Thomas had few memories of their mother, but even those few were more than he had.
“Yeah, she did.” His brother lowered his head, “Before she left I would hold onto it while she rocked me at night. I remember Father coming in and yelling she was making me soft, coddling me but she still did it every night.”
“Ebenezer told me something else, something that makes everything Father has done make sense.” Harry hesitated. This could change everything, it would change everything and he prayed to whatever power was listening that he wouldn’t lose his brother over it. “Raith isn’t my Father.”
The words were sour on his lips, but he’d called the man father for so long, thought of him like that for so many years it was a struggle to call him anything else. He wanted to know the reason behind the lie, and he would in time.
Thomas reeled back, his body thumping into the wall loudly. Harry could hear the quick intake of breath and see the denial on his brother’s face and lips. He also saw how quickly it died. Thomas licked his lips, and closed his eyes for a moment.
“That actually explains a lot.” Thomas laughed ruefully and stared at him, there was no fear of a soul gaze they has done it years ago, not long after Thomas changed. He knew his brother inside and out, just as his brother knew him. “Mother left just before my third birthday and didn’t come back until just before my fifth. She was pregnant with you when she returned.” He looked away, “I never really thought about that before.”
He could hear the bitterness creeping in, Thomas loathed what he was.
Harry waited for a moment, “It doesn’t change anything, you’re still my brother.” He watched Thomas closely.
“Harry, you idiot, of course I am.” Thomas reached out and tweaked him on the ear like he’d done when they were children.
He leaned against the other wall, Thomas’s acceptance then casual dismissal of his biggest fear made his next revelation all the harder. Harry wondered how much his brother could handle knowing, if he’d be able to live with the knowledge that their…no his father had murdered their mother or if that would be too much. He weighed the options, and even though he hated the idea he decided to wait just a bit longer before he told Thomas that, especially since he wouldn’t be here any longer.
“There’s more.”
Thomas sighed heavily, “With you there always is. Special needs little brother, special needs.”
“I’m leaving tonight. Ebenezer is waiting for me, he’s offered to train me the rest of the way, and get me into The Council. He’ll help keep Fat…Raith off my trail till I can do it on my own.” Harry stopped, “Come with me. Tonight, get out of here with me.” He knew the answer; he saw it in Thomas’ posture, the subtle shaking of his head. It didn’t negate the desire or need to have his brother at his back, to have his best friend at his side.
“You know I can’t. Inari needs one of us to be here, she needs protection and there is no way she could go with us.” Thomas looked tired, drawn and Harry hated that he’d made his brother look that way but he had to get out. He had to. Inari was too young to protect herself, unlike Thomas she had a chance to be normal someday, if she had someone watching over her. Someone like Thomas.
“Thomas…I…” He hesitated, there were two beings he loved in this world; the first was Thomas, would always be Thomas, the second was their…Thomas’ baby sister Inari and he was leaving them both behind.
“Harry, go…now before you change your mind.” Thomas hugged him, and just like when he was small he instantly felt safe. Thomas had always protected him, been there for him, the only true constant in his life and he was walking away from it. “I’ll explain to Inari.” Thomas murmured against his hair. He nodded, his face buried in his brother’s neck taking in that feel, drawing in the scent to carry him through what he needed to do.
He stepped away and instantly felt alone. “I’ll get a hold of you soon as its safe.”
Thomas laughed, “It’s never safe around here.”
“I know, but maybe that will change too.” Harry looked at his older brother one last time before walking down the stairs and out the front door. He would get Thomas and Inari out of there, he would find a way to kill Raith while following The Council’s rules. He would find out who his real father was, what his true name was no matter the cost.