Twilight Big Bang Fic: Sanctuary, Part 5/5 Emmett/Edward, NC-17
Title: Sanctuary
Author: Dysnomia
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Emmett/Edward
Word Count: ~ 47,000
Warnings: angst, language, slight D/s undertones, AU, m/m relationships, some slightly kinky sex.
Summary: Edward can’t control his killer instincts when he’s around Bella. He doesn’t want to have to leave Forks, but sooner or later he’s bound to kill her. Emmett decided it was up to him to help his brother, no matter what it takes to keep Edward with him. Things get even more complicated when James and his coven start feeding around the home the Cullen’s have made in Forks.
Author’s Note: So this fic turned into a monster. I’ve never written anything so long before. And to think at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get past 20,000 words. In the end I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep it under 50,000.
On another note, I’ve made slight modifications to Edward’s mind reading powers. It is now able to be blocked by the members of his family, since they’ve had so many years to practice doing such a thing.
There are also a couple of parts taken from Twilight, and from Midnight Sun. They have been used only because they were so perfect, and no infringement was meant. There are only three different parts borrowed from the books.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
*****
Edward was distracted as he finally finished dressing, and made his way outside. That distraction would cost him, would make him pay. As soon as he’d cleared the front door, a hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing tightly, before picking him up and throwing him away from the house and into the front yard. He had enough time to shout, “Emmett!” before the other vampire was on him again, both hands curling around his slender neck this time, cutting off his voice. Edward focused on cropped blond hair and burning red eyes, hands flying up to try and pry steel like fingers off of his throat. He managed to move them about an inch before they snapped back into place, even tighter now.
The growling voice that muttered into his ear made Edward falter in his attempt to free himself. “You’re alone. That’s very stupid of them, especially after Laurent and Victoria’s betrayal gave you warning.”
Edward managed to find enough air to gasp out, “I don’t need anyone to help me.”
Giving up on removing James’ hands for the moment, Edward managed to bring a knee up into the others stomach, putting all his strength behind it. James gave a surprised grunt at the impact, which sent him flying a couple of feet away, giving Edward enough time to scramble back to his feet. Snarling, James lunged towards him again, but Edward was able to dodge. All he needed to do was waste a bit of time, hoping Emmett would show up shortly, assuming he’d finally put on some pants.
He kept dodging James’ attacks, watching as he grew angrier at his every failed attempt to get his hands on Edward. Although, since Edward was able to read the other vampire's thoughts, he really had an unfair advantage over him, knowing what he was going to do before he did it. Then Edward made his second mistake, delving deeper into his thoughts, to find out exactly what his intentions were. Edward recoiled in horror at the dark plans swirling in his brain, for all the things James had in store for him. For all the ways he was going to torment Emmett before killing him.
It all caused him to lose his concentration, the blond’s thoughts slipping away from him. Edward misjudged his next attack, falling for the feint that the other gave, moving directly into James’ waiting hands. He grabbed Edward, flinging him back to crash against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He pressed against Edward, pinning him to the tree with his body weight. Edward’s eyes widened, actual fear filling him for the first time when the unmistakable feeling of the larger man’s hardened length pressed against his stomach.
One of James’ hands tightened in the spiky hair at the side of Edward’s head, using his grip to crush Edward’s face into the bark, which was crumbling under the pressure. “You might be faster then me,” He snarled, sounding put out by the fact. “But you still don’t stand a chance against me though. You’re faster, but I’m stronger then you. Just give in, I’ll be good to you as long as you behave.”
The growling roar of rage came from right next to them then, as Emmett made his appearance. He tore James away from his brother, the other vampire lucky he let go on his own, or else Emmett would have simply ripped his arms off to make him stop touching what was his. Emmett flung the blond away from them, sending him through several trees which made impressive cracking sounds as they broke apart from the force behind the throw. Ducking into a quick crouch, Emmett sprang after his fallen form, and with one leap, Emmett was kneeling on top of James. This time it was James who had immovable hands wrapped around his neck, his arms held down by Emmett’s bulk.
Emmett’s eyes were blazing with anger; he couldn’t have pulled back and controlled himself at this point no matter what. His words were barely recognizable underneath all the snarling that he was doing, but Edward could make them out anyway, since he was paying such rapt attention to what was happening. “He doesn’t need to be strong. And do you know why?” He accompanied the question with a violent shake of his hands, James’ head whipping back and forth. “Because he has me!”
Emmett pulled James up a bit off the ground, until his upper body was in the air. He twisted his hands then, and Edward winced at the sound of snapping bone as he broke the blonde’s neck, before tossing the body to the ground in disgust, standing up and stepping away from the dead vampire. Emmett turned to look at Edward, who had moved close while Emmett had been dealing with everything. He couldn’t help it, his hands shot out on their own, running carefully over his brother, up his arms and down his chest and ribs, checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
Edward realized what Emmett was doing right away, and while he was touched, he could hear that their family was getting closer, would come through the tree line in seconds, and he wasn’t sure if Emmett wanted to show so much affection around them. He slapped at Emmett’s hands, pushing him away, muttering quietly, “I’m fine, I’m fine, don’t touch me.”
Jasper and Carlisle tore into the yard then, pulling Edward’s attention away from Emmett, so he missed the hurt that flashed over his face before it was ruthlessly squashed down. The girls showed up seconds later, all of them skidding to a stop when they saw that everything was already taken care of. Alice started talking right away. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it properly, I couldn’t tell what he was doing, he kept changing his mind every few minutes.” She sounded contrite, feeling responsible for leaving the two of them to deal with this on their own, and clearly angry at herself for what she deemed a failure.
Emmett forced a smile onto his face, although that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. “It’s fine Alice, we took care of it.”
His sister was chewing on her lip, still upset. “But still, I should have known. I get it now, I was looking at it wrong before.”
“If you feel so bad about it, then you can finish up, burn the body and clean up.” Emmett wondered if she was going to go for it, she had to know that she was being played.
Alice was aware of Emmett’s trick, but cleaning duty was a fitting penance for almost getting her brothers killed. “I know what you’re doing Emmett, but I got this anyways.” Turning to her husband, she batted long black lashes, smiling sweetly. “You’ll help me, won’t you Jazz.”
Jasper rolled his eyes but nodded, cutting her off before she really started in with the begging. He was concerned about both Emmett and Edward, with all the pain that they were exuding. The sooner they finished up here, the sooner he’d be able to confront one of them, probably Edward. He was done standing by and watching them tear themselves apart over feelings that Jasper knew were mutual.
Carlisle looked to his sons, noticing with a frown that things looked even worse between them now then it did earlier. Both of them were concealing their hurt, but he could still see the tinge of it in their eyes. He’d try once more to let them get things worked out between them on their own, before he stepped in and sat them down to talk. “I think you two have things you need to talk about. Why don’t you go take a walk, leave this to us.” The tone of his voice didn’t give them the option of saying no.
They wandered away from the group then, heading past them back towards the clearing they normally used to play baseball. The entire trip was silent, both men lost in their own thoughts. Edward stopped first, tired of skirting the subject that he just couldn’t stay silent about anymore. Emmett broke the quiet first, he was nervous so he let his stupid sense of humor handle things for him. “All we’d need to make this day even better would be to have Bella show up all of a sudden. I actually think I don’t want to have sex again today. That would be the icing on the shitty day that was today.”
The comment stung horribly, worse then any pain James had been able to inflict on him. He couldn’t stop the bitter words that left his mouth. “Is it that bad sleeping with me? If I’m not mistaken, I believe this was all your stupid idea in the first place.”
Emmett was thrown, not quite sure where this was coming from. “What?”
Edward was upset, was starting to lose his temper, the words exploding from him in a rush. “I can’t do this anymore Emmett, I can’t pretend that this doesn’t mean anything to me, that all this is for me is just sex.”
Emmett’s own temper flared, an irrational anger coursing through him at his brother’s apparent stupidity, and he wasn’t afraid to call him on it either. “How stupid are you Edward? Is that all you think this is to me? Just a game? That I’m only playing with you?” He shook his head, hands clenching into fists at his sides. “It’s not like that! Not even close. I don’t know how you could think that I’d do something like that to you.”
Edward wanted desperately to believe him, to trust that what he was saying was the truth. But still, even after everything that they’ve shared, that damnable wall was still blocking Emmett’s thoughts from him. He was certain now that whatever it was Emmett was hiding, it concerned him. And judging by how determined he was to keep it up at all times, it couldn’t be anything good. “I don’t know Emmett. You could be playing with me, it wouldn’t be the first time you toyed with someone.”
Emmett couldn’t deny that, Edward was right, it had happened in the past. There had been humans that he toyed with, manipulated their emotions to get what he wanted from them, before tossing them aside once he was bored. He could however, try and redeem himself a bit. “I didn’t know them, they were strangers to me. They didn’t mean anything to me at all!”
“And you’re saying that I do mean something to you then?”
Emmett stared at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head. “Of course you mean something to me Edward, you’re my brother, my family, I care about you more then anything. I would never want to hurt you, I just can’t play mind games like that with my family.”
Edward’s head shook slowly side to side, still reluctant to cave. He needed to force Emmett here, give him no choice but to let down his guard and let Edward inside his head. He might be saying all the right things, but Edward wasn’t sure that the emotions behind them were genuine. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. What you’re saying, I want to hope that it’s the truth, but I can’t be sure. You’ve been hiding something from me for a while now.” Edward sighed, a sad smile crossing his face. “I don’t think I can trust you, Emmett.”
His anger peaked at those words, even as something inside him curled up and wailed about Edward’s lost faith in him. He snapped, and lunged before Edward had time to react. He hit him hard, knocking them over, Emmett landing heavily on top of his brother. One knee was braced against the ground, the other pressing firmly down on Edward’s abdomen. Edward’s arms came up, to try to push him off or to punch him, Emmett wasn’t sure which, he didn’t give Edward time to follow through. He grabbed thin wrists, one in each hand, and slammed them down, pinning Edward’s hands right next to his head. Edward struggled futilely, he’d always been the weaker of the two. Emmett was able to hold him immobile, ignoring the smaller vampire’s snarl.
“You think I don’t care about you? You’re wrong Edward, so very wrong. I don’t think I could care more.” He leaned down to nuzzle against Edward’s closed lips, which refused to open for him, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Emmett pulled back, the pain building in his chest as Edward remained unresponsive. “You are right about one thing though. I have been hiding something from you.”
Edward’s stomach clenched, a ball of dread forming and sitting there like a rock. “What is it Emmett? Just tell me already!”
Emmett laughed, a self depreciating, bitter ring to it. “Are you sure you really want to know? I don’t know if you’re going to like hearing what I have to say.”
“Yes damn it! I want to know.” Edward spit the words out, his body quivering in anger. He was pissed off at himself as well, not just at Emmett. His traitorous body was reacting to having Emmett so close, to having him on top of him.
Emmett smiled at him, but it was all wrong, he looked miserable and defeated. “Alright, I’ll tell you, but remember you’re the one who wanted to know.”
Edward could honestly say that he never would have been able to guess what was going to happen next, what he was about to see and hear. Although he was finally going to get his wish to see inside Emmett’s head again. Emmett had no idea if he was doing the right thing, but he was absolutely certain about one thing. He needed Edward’s trust back; he needed his brother’s trust to live. If, after his confession, Edward hated him, that was fine. It would hurt like hell, but he’d survive as long as the trust was restored between them. Edward would eventually forgive him, or he hoped he would. Of course all this was absolute worst case scenario. There was always a chance that this would go well. Emmett stood more of a chance now that they’ve been sleeping together, a higher probability for Edward to react positively to his confession.
Emmett was trying to decide what the best way to do this would be. His words now seemed to hold little value in Edward’s eyes, and letting his brother read his thoughts at this point might not help. So really, there was only one option left for him. He had to completely open his mind to Edward, show him, without a doubt, how he felt about him. This was going to be difficult so Emmett took a deep, steadying breath, before crumbling the wall he’d tried so hard to keep up for so long.
He brought up everything he could to show Edward just how deeply he cared about him, and in what way. He hit him with it all, everything he’s kept to himself, covered up, buried deep inside, all the thoughts he’d pushed away. Emmett showed him every fantasy he’s ever had that starred his brother, shared every dirty thought. Every time he’s stared at Edward just a little too long. Every time he’s looked at him and wondered what his hands would feel like on his body, what his mouth would feel like on him, how it would feel to be inside him. Emmett showed him every time he’d slept with someone, male or female, and imagined that it was Edward that he was with, picturing his brother when he was fucking some stranger.
Then he went further, not only concentrating on the sexual aspect of his thoughts. He let Edward know how much he respected him, how much he admired his brother for his strength, his ability to effectively curb the monster inside. He didn’t have moments of weakness, had never not been able to stop himself before ending up with a human as dinner.
More then anything though, Emmett let his love overshadow his every thought. He let Edward know when he’d stopped loving him strictly as a brother, and started to love Edward as a man. Emmett showed him why he started building up the wall between them. How ashamed he was when he realized he wanted to fuck his brother. The brother who, at the time, he believed to be very straight, and could read his mind.
He threw all this at Edward, it didn’t take long either, he forced it all out in about half a minute. He was breathing hard, doing something like that wasn’t easy, it took a lot out of him. Emmett had been avoiding looking his brother in the eyes, not wanting to see his initial reaction, but now he made himself look. Dragging his gaze up from where it had been focused on Edward’s neck, Emmett met a pair of wide, shocked gold eyes. Hope first licked at his chest when he didn’t see any obvious disgust or hatred directed at him. Edward wasn’t saying anything though, he was just frozen, still as a statue beneath him. Emmett couldn’t take the silence any longer, he had to say something, break Edward out of his trance. “Did you get all of that?”
Edward twitched at the sound of his voice, the blank, shocked expression being knocked of his face. “Yeah.” He breathed the word out, blown away by what he’d just found out. “I got all of that.”
There was a change in the way Edward was looking at him, but Emmett wasn’t worried, there was nothing remotely hostile in the look, just the opposite in fact. “Emmett…this is really what…you?”
Edward couldn’t finish a sentence properly, his brain was working overtime trying to digest all that Emmett had shared. It was all there though, laid out right in front of him, everything that Emmett had been hiding from him. He’d been worried for no reason, there hadn’t been anything bad going on between them. Emmett had just been scared, had tried to bury all this from Edward’s view. He felt warm all over, the hard knot of anxiety in his chest loosening and falling away. Emmett’s next words made Edward think he was going to burst with happiness.
Hands that had been pinning Edward down lifted, moving to cup his face instead. Emmett poured all the love he felt into his expression and voice, wanting to prove that all this was real. “I love you Edward. More then anything, more then my own life. Please tell me I haven’t wrecked everything.” Emmett’s voice cracked at his next sentence. “Please tell me you still trust me.”
Now that his arms were free, Edward wrapped them around Emmett’s waist, tugging him down. Emmett was too startled to try and pull away, so Edward had no trouble craning his neck up to press his lips against Emmett’s, the kiss was tender, Edward just barely brushing his lips along his brothers. He didn’t move away when he started talking, Emmett could feel his lips grazing his mouth with every word. “You haven’t wrecked anything Emmett, you couldn’t possibly, you made things better. Of course I trust you, I’m sorry I said otherwise. I love you too, for so long, and now I know that I can tell you that.”
Emmett jerked his head back, needing to see Edward, needing him to repeat what he just said.
Edward nodded, happy smile spreading across his face at finally being free to admit that. “I love you Emmett.”
Edward was enveloped in his brother’s large arms in the next second, the hug tight, the relief and amazement echoing in Emmett’s head. Edward felt a thrill at once again being able to hear Emmett, even if right now all he was thinking was a happy babble that definitely wasn’t coherent, just a jumbled mess. “Thank you.”
Even if he was back inside Emmett’s head, Edward didn’t know where that was coming from. “For what?” He was confused, Emmett had nothing to thank him for.
The brunette buried his face in Edward’s neck, answer muffled, but still clearly audible. “Thank you for not letting me screw this up, for being so forgiving, for trusting me. Thank you for loving me back.”
Edward tugged him back up to meet him, crushing their mouths together. “You’re welcome then.” Edward hesitated, but only for a moment, since he knew for sure now what it was that Emmett wanted, that they both wanted the same thing. Without looking away from Emmett, keeping their eyes locked, Edward slowly, obviously, tilted his head back and to the side, baring his throat. He knew right away from Emmett's quickly indrawn gasp that he understood what Edward was doing, what he was offering. His brother didn't move though, stayed frozen above him, staring wide eyed, so Edward was going to have to say it. “Please Emmett, I want you to do it, I want to prove to everyone that I belong to you and you alone.”
Emmett searched his face, noticing just how serious he was about this, that he really wanted this so badly, and Emmett's heart felt like it was going to explode with the amount of love he held for this man. He wanted nothing more then to do it now, but this wasn't something to be taken lightly, this was permanent, this was forever, he needed to be reassured. “You're absolutely positive about this Edward? This is for sure what you want?”
“Yes Emmett, I'm sure. I want your mark more then anything.” He tilted his head even further at that, urging him to get a move on things.
“God, I love you so much Edward. For all eternity.” He didn't give Edward time to respond before bending down, lips trailing kisses down the side of his throat.
He made his way down to the juncture where neck turned into shoulder, almost the exact same place he had contemplated biting back in the school bathroom. One hand tugged the neck of Edward's t-shirt out of the way, before he placed his teeth carefully into position. He gave the skin beneath his mouth a quick lick, an apology for the pain he was about to cause, before Emmett bit down, sinking his teeth deeply through flesh.
Edward grunted, body going taut at the pain that flared in his neck, but it wasn't all that bad. Emmett was quick, only lingering long enough to ensure that the bite was deep enough for the mark to stay, before he pulled back to look worriedly at Edward's face. Already the pain was fading, turning into a dull throb instead, as the venom etched the mark permanently into his skin. Edward cursed the fact that they were outside, that there was no way for him to see the result, that he was going to have to wait. He pacified his curiosity by bringing a hand up to finger the bite though, tracing over the small dents leftover from Emmett's teeth. Edward couldn't stop the happy smile that spread across his face.
Emmett tried to keep his eyes focused on Edward's face, wanting to see his reaction, but he couldn't help it, his eyes kept drifting back to the shiny, already healed into a scar mark on his brother's neck. He buried his head in Edward's throat, breathing in the mixture of both Edward and himself. It hit him with a jolt then that his scent would always be there, even if they were separated, other vampires would be able to faintly smell him in Edward still. Mine, was all Emmett could process at this point, the mark proved Edward was his to love.
Edward caught the echo of that thought, and smiled again, nudging at Emmett until he pulled back enough to look at him. “Yours. I'm yours Emmett. Always.” Then Edward dove back in for another kiss, eternally grateful that he could do this now, that he knew Emmett would never protest.
Emmett broke away finally, panting, but needing to ask one last question. “So what do we do now?”
Edward’s smile was so wide he could see white teeth. “Nothing. We just keeping living like we did before. The only difference is that we’ll be doing it all together now.”
Emmett couldn’t think of a better way that he could spend his life then with Edward. His love, his life, his light, his mate. They sank back to the ground, oblivious to the world revolving around them, too wrapped up in each other to care.
End
Author: Dysnomia
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Emmett/Edward
Word Count: ~ 47,000
Warnings: angst, language, slight D/s undertones, AU, m/m relationships, some slightly kinky sex.
Summary: Edward can’t control his killer instincts when he’s around Bella. He doesn’t want to have to leave Forks, but sooner or later he’s bound to kill her. Emmett decided it was up to him to help his brother, no matter what it takes to keep Edward with him. Things get even more complicated when James and his coven start feeding around the home the Cullen’s have made in Forks.
Author’s Note: So this fic turned into a monster. I’ve never written anything so long before. And to think at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get past 20,000 words. In the end I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep it under 50,000.
On another note, I’ve made slight modifications to Edward’s mind reading powers. It is now able to be blocked by the members of his family, since they’ve had so many years to practice doing such a thing.
There are also a couple of parts taken from Twilight, and from Midnight Sun. They have been used only because they were so perfect, and no infringement was meant. There are only three different parts borrowed from the books.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
*****
Edward was distracted as he finally finished dressing, and made his way outside. That distraction would cost him, would make him pay. As soon as he’d cleared the front door, a hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing tightly, before picking him up and throwing him away from the house and into the front yard. He had enough time to shout, “Emmett!” before the other vampire was on him again, both hands curling around his slender neck this time, cutting off his voice. Edward focused on cropped blond hair and burning red eyes, hands flying up to try and pry steel like fingers off of his throat. He managed to move them about an inch before they snapped back into place, even tighter now.
The growling voice that muttered into his ear made Edward falter in his attempt to free himself. “You’re alone. That’s very stupid of them, especially after Laurent and Victoria’s betrayal gave you warning.”
Edward managed to find enough air to gasp out, “I don’t need anyone to help me.”
Giving up on removing James’ hands for the moment, Edward managed to bring a knee up into the others stomach, putting all his strength behind it. James gave a surprised grunt at the impact, which sent him flying a couple of feet away, giving Edward enough time to scramble back to his feet. Snarling, James lunged towards him again, but Edward was able to dodge. All he needed to do was waste a bit of time, hoping Emmett would show up shortly, assuming he’d finally put on some pants.
He kept dodging James’ attacks, watching as he grew angrier at his every failed attempt to get his hands on Edward. Although, since Edward was able to read the other vampire's thoughts, he really had an unfair advantage over him, knowing what he was going to do before he did it. Then Edward made his second mistake, delving deeper into his thoughts, to find out exactly what his intentions were. Edward recoiled in horror at the dark plans swirling in his brain, for all the things James had in store for him. For all the ways he was going to torment Emmett before killing him.
It all caused him to lose his concentration, the blond’s thoughts slipping away from him. Edward misjudged his next attack, falling for the feint that the other gave, moving directly into James’ waiting hands. He grabbed Edward, flinging him back to crash against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He pressed against Edward, pinning him to the tree with his body weight. Edward’s eyes widened, actual fear filling him for the first time when the unmistakable feeling of the larger man’s hardened length pressed against his stomach.
One of James’ hands tightened in the spiky hair at the side of Edward’s head, using his grip to crush Edward’s face into the bark, which was crumbling under the pressure. “You might be faster then me,” He snarled, sounding put out by the fact. “But you still don’t stand a chance against me though. You’re faster, but I’m stronger then you. Just give in, I’ll be good to you as long as you behave.”
The growling roar of rage came from right next to them then, as Emmett made his appearance. He tore James away from his brother, the other vampire lucky he let go on his own, or else Emmett would have simply ripped his arms off to make him stop touching what was his. Emmett flung the blond away from them, sending him through several trees which made impressive cracking sounds as they broke apart from the force behind the throw. Ducking into a quick crouch, Emmett sprang after his fallen form, and with one leap, Emmett was kneeling on top of James. This time it was James who had immovable hands wrapped around his neck, his arms held down by Emmett’s bulk.
Emmett’s eyes were blazing with anger; he couldn’t have pulled back and controlled himself at this point no matter what. His words were barely recognizable underneath all the snarling that he was doing, but Edward could make them out anyway, since he was paying such rapt attention to what was happening. “He doesn’t need to be strong. And do you know why?” He accompanied the question with a violent shake of his hands, James’ head whipping back and forth. “Because he has me!”
Emmett pulled James up a bit off the ground, until his upper body was in the air. He twisted his hands then, and Edward winced at the sound of snapping bone as he broke the blonde’s neck, before tossing the body to the ground in disgust, standing up and stepping away from the dead vampire. Emmett turned to look at Edward, who had moved close while Emmett had been dealing with everything. He couldn’t help it, his hands shot out on their own, running carefully over his brother, up his arms and down his chest and ribs, checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
Edward realized what Emmett was doing right away, and while he was touched, he could hear that their family was getting closer, would come through the tree line in seconds, and he wasn’t sure if Emmett wanted to show so much affection around them. He slapped at Emmett’s hands, pushing him away, muttering quietly, “I’m fine, I’m fine, don’t touch me.”
Jasper and Carlisle tore into the yard then, pulling Edward’s attention away from Emmett, so he missed the hurt that flashed over his face before it was ruthlessly squashed down. The girls showed up seconds later, all of them skidding to a stop when they saw that everything was already taken care of. Alice started talking right away. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it properly, I couldn’t tell what he was doing, he kept changing his mind every few minutes.” She sounded contrite, feeling responsible for leaving the two of them to deal with this on their own, and clearly angry at herself for what she deemed a failure.
Emmett forced a smile onto his face, although that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. “It’s fine Alice, we took care of it.”
His sister was chewing on her lip, still upset. “But still, I should have known. I get it now, I was looking at it wrong before.”
“If you feel so bad about it, then you can finish up, burn the body and clean up.” Emmett wondered if she was going to go for it, she had to know that she was being played.
Alice was aware of Emmett’s trick, but cleaning duty was a fitting penance for almost getting her brothers killed. “I know what you’re doing Emmett, but I got this anyways.” Turning to her husband, she batted long black lashes, smiling sweetly. “You’ll help me, won’t you Jazz.”
Jasper rolled his eyes but nodded, cutting her off before she really started in with the begging. He was concerned about both Emmett and Edward, with all the pain that they were exuding. The sooner they finished up here, the sooner he’d be able to confront one of them, probably Edward. He was done standing by and watching them tear themselves apart over feelings that Jasper knew were mutual.
Carlisle looked to his sons, noticing with a frown that things looked even worse between them now then it did earlier. Both of them were concealing their hurt, but he could still see the tinge of it in their eyes. He’d try once more to let them get things worked out between them on their own, before he stepped in and sat them down to talk. “I think you two have things you need to talk about. Why don’t you go take a walk, leave this to us.” The tone of his voice didn’t give them the option of saying no.
They wandered away from the group then, heading past them back towards the clearing they normally used to play baseball. The entire trip was silent, both men lost in their own thoughts. Edward stopped first, tired of skirting the subject that he just couldn’t stay silent about anymore. Emmett broke the quiet first, he was nervous so he let his stupid sense of humor handle things for him. “All we’d need to make this day even better would be to have Bella show up all of a sudden. I actually think I don’t want to have sex again today. That would be the icing on the shitty day that was today.”
The comment stung horribly, worse then any pain James had been able to inflict on him. He couldn’t stop the bitter words that left his mouth. “Is it that bad sleeping with me? If I’m not mistaken, I believe this was all your stupid idea in the first place.”
Emmett was thrown, not quite sure where this was coming from. “What?”
Edward was upset, was starting to lose his temper, the words exploding from him in a rush. “I can’t do this anymore Emmett, I can’t pretend that this doesn’t mean anything to me, that all this is for me is just sex.”
Emmett’s own temper flared, an irrational anger coursing through him at his brother’s apparent stupidity, and he wasn’t afraid to call him on it either. “How stupid are you Edward? Is that all you think this is to me? Just a game? That I’m only playing with you?” He shook his head, hands clenching into fists at his sides. “It’s not like that! Not even close. I don’t know how you could think that I’d do something like that to you.”
Edward wanted desperately to believe him, to trust that what he was saying was the truth. But still, even after everything that they’ve shared, that damnable wall was still blocking Emmett’s thoughts from him. He was certain now that whatever it was Emmett was hiding, it concerned him. And judging by how determined he was to keep it up at all times, it couldn’t be anything good. “I don’t know Emmett. You could be playing with me, it wouldn’t be the first time you toyed with someone.”
Emmett couldn’t deny that, Edward was right, it had happened in the past. There had been humans that he toyed with, manipulated their emotions to get what he wanted from them, before tossing them aside once he was bored. He could however, try and redeem himself a bit. “I didn’t know them, they were strangers to me. They didn’t mean anything to me at all!”
“And you’re saying that I do mean something to you then?”
Emmett stared at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head. “Of course you mean something to me Edward, you’re my brother, my family, I care about you more then anything. I would never want to hurt you, I just can’t play mind games like that with my family.”
Edward’s head shook slowly side to side, still reluctant to cave. He needed to force Emmett here, give him no choice but to let down his guard and let Edward inside his head. He might be saying all the right things, but Edward wasn’t sure that the emotions behind them were genuine. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. What you’re saying, I want to hope that it’s the truth, but I can’t be sure. You’ve been hiding something from me for a while now.” Edward sighed, a sad smile crossing his face. “I don’t think I can trust you, Emmett.”
His anger peaked at those words, even as something inside him curled up and wailed about Edward’s lost faith in him. He snapped, and lunged before Edward had time to react. He hit him hard, knocking them over, Emmett landing heavily on top of his brother. One knee was braced against the ground, the other pressing firmly down on Edward’s abdomen. Edward’s arms came up, to try to push him off or to punch him, Emmett wasn’t sure which, he didn’t give Edward time to follow through. He grabbed thin wrists, one in each hand, and slammed them down, pinning Edward’s hands right next to his head. Edward struggled futilely, he’d always been the weaker of the two. Emmett was able to hold him immobile, ignoring the smaller vampire’s snarl.
“You think I don’t care about you? You’re wrong Edward, so very wrong. I don’t think I could care more.” He leaned down to nuzzle against Edward’s closed lips, which refused to open for him, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Emmett pulled back, the pain building in his chest as Edward remained unresponsive. “You are right about one thing though. I have been hiding something from you.”
Edward’s stomach clenched, a ball of dread forming and sitting there like a rock. “What is it Emmett? Just tell me already!”
Emmett laughed, a self depreciating, bitter ring to it. “Are you sure you really want to know? I don’t know if you’re going to like hearing what I have to say.”
“Yes damn it! I want to know.” Edward spit the words out, his body quivering in anger. He was pissed off at himself as well, not just at Emmett. His traitorous body was reacting to having Emmett so close, to having him on top of him.
Emmett smiled at him, but it was all wrong, he looked miserable and defeated. “Alright, I’ll tell you, but remember you’re the one who wanted to know.”
Edward could honestly say that he never would have been able to guess what was going to happen next, what he was about to see and hear. Although he was finally going to get his wish to see inside Emmett’s head again. Emmett had no idea if he was doing the right thing, but he was absolutely certain about one thing. He needed Edward’s trust back; he needed his brother’s trust to live. If, after his confession, Edward hated him, that was fine. It would hurt like hell, but he’d survive as long as the trust was restored between them. Edward would eventually forgive him, or he hoped he would. Of course all this was absolute worst case scenario. There was always a chance that this would go well. Emmett stood more of a chance now that they’ve been sleeping together, a higher probability for Edward to react positively to his confession.
Emmett was trying to decide what the best way to do this would be. His words now seemed to hold little value in Edward’s eyes, and letting his brother read his thoughts at this point might not help. So really, there was only one option left for him. He had to completely open his mind to Edward, show him, without a doubt, how he felt about him. This was going to be difficult so Emmett took a deep, steadying breath, before crumbling the wall he’d tried so hard to keep up for so long.
He brought up everything he could to show Edward just how deeply he cared about him, and in what way. He hit him with it all, everything he’s kept to himself, covered up, buried deep inside, all the thoughts he’d pushed away. Emmett showed him every fantasy he’s ever had that starred his brother, shared every dirty thought. Every time he’s stared at Edward just a little too long. Every time he’s looked at him and wondered what his hands would feel like on his body, what his mouth would feel like on him, how it would feel to be inside him. Emmett showed him every time he’d slept with someone, male or female, and imagined that it was Edward that he was with, picturing his brother when he was fucking some stranger.
Then he went further, not only concentrating on the sexual aspect of his thoughts. He let Edward know how much he respected him, how much he admired his brother for his strength, his ability to effectively curb the monster inside. He didn’t have moments of weakness, had never not been able to stop himself before ending up with a human as dinner.
More then anything though, Emmett let his love overshadow his every thought. He let Edward know when he’d stopped loving him strictly as a brother, and started to love Edward as a man. Emmett showed him why he started building up the wall between them. How ashamed he was when he realized he wanted to fuck his brother. The brother who, at the time, he believed to be very straight, and could read his mind.
He threw all this at Edward, it didn’t take long either, he forced it all out in about half a minute. He was breathing hard, doing something like that wasn’t easy, it took a lot out of him. Emmett had been avoiding looking his brother in the eyes, not wanting to see his initial reaction, but now he made himself look. Dragging his gaze up from where it had been focused on Edward’s neck, Emmett met a pair of wide, shocked gold eyes. Hope first licked at his chest when he didn’t see any obvious disgust or hatred directed at him. Edward wasn’t saying anything though, he was just frozen, still as a statue beneath him. Emmett couldn’t take the silence any longer, he had to say something, break Edward out of his trance. “Did you get all of that?”
Edward twitched at the sound of his voice, the blank, shocked expression being knocked of his face. “Yeah.” He breathed the word out, blown away by what he’d just found out. “I got all of that.”
There was a change in the way Edward was looking at him, but Emmett wasn’t worried, there was nothing remotely hostile in the look, just the opposite in fact. “Emmett…this is really what…you?”
Edward couldn’t finish a sentence properly, his brain was working overtime trying to digest all that Emmett had shared. It was all there though, laid out right in front of him, everything that Emmett had been hiding from him. He’d been worried for no reason, there hadn’t been anything bad going on between them. Emmett had just been scared, had tried to bury all this from Edward’s view. He felt warm all over, the hard knot of anxiety in his chest loosening and falling away. Emmett’s next words made Edward think he was going to burst with happiness.
Hands that had been pinning Edward down lifted, moving to cup his face instead. Emmett poured all the love he felt into his expression and voice, wanting to prove that all this was real. “I love you Edward. More then anything, more then my own life. Please tell me I haven’t wrecked everything.” Emmett’s voice cracked at his next sentence. “Please tell me you still trust me.”
Now that his arms were free, Edward wrapped them around Emmett’s waist, tugging him down. Emmett was too startled to try and pull away, so Edward had no trouble craning his neck up to press his lips against Emmett’s, the kiss was tender, Edward just barely brushing his lips along his brothers. He didn’t move away when he started talking, Emmett could feel his lips grazing his mouth with every word. “You haven’t wrecked anything Emmett, you couldn’t possibly, you made things better. Of course I trust you, I’m sorry I said otherwise. I love you too, for so long, and now I know that I can tell you that.”
Emmett jerked his head back, needing to see Edward, needing him to repeat what he just said.
Edward nodded, happy smile spreading across his face at finally being free to admit that. “I love you Emmett.”
Edward was enveloped in his brother’s large arms in the next second, the hug tight, the relief and amazement echoing in Emmett’s head. Edward felt a thrill at once again being able to hear Emmett, even if right now all he was thinking was a happy babble that definitely wasn’t coherent, just a jumbled mess. “Thank you.”
Even if he was back inside Emmett’s head, Edward didn’t know where that was coming from. “For what?” He was confused, Emmett had nothing to thank him for.
The brunette buried his face in Edward’s neck, answer muffled, but still clearly audible. “Thank you for not letting me screw this up, for being so forgiving, for trusting me. Thank you for loving me back.”
Edward tugged him back up to meet him, crushing their mouths together. “You’re welcome then.” Edward hesitated, but only for a moment, since he knew for sure now what it was that Emmett wanted, that they both wanted the same thing. Without looking away from Emmett, keeping their eyes locked, Edward slowly, obviously, tilted his head back and to the side, baring his throat. He knew right away from Emmett's quickly indrawn gasp that he understood what Edward was doing, what he was offering. His brother didn't move though, stayed frozen above him, staring wide eyed, so Edward was going to have to say it. “Please Emmett, I want you to do it, I want to prove to everyone that I belong to you and you alone.”
Emmett searched his face, noticing just how serious he was about this, that he really wanted this so badly, and Emmett's heart felt like it was going to explode with the amount of love he held for this man. He wanted nothing more then to do it now, but this wasn't something to be taken lightly, this was permanent, this was forever, he needed to be reassured. “You're absolutely positive about this Edward? This is for sure what you want?”
“Yes Emmett, I'm sure. I want your mark more then anything.” He tilted his head even further at that, urging him to get a move on things.
“God, I love you so much Edward. For all eternity.” He didn't give Edward time to respond before bending down, lips trailing kisses down the side of his throat.
He made his way down to the juncture where neck turned into shoulder, almost the exact same place he had contemplated biting back in the school bathroom. One hand tugged the neck of Edward's t-shirt out of the way, before he placed his teeth carefully into position. He gave the skin beneath his mouth a quick lick, an apology for the pain he was about to cause, before Emmett bit down, sinking his teeth deeply through flesh.
Edward grunted, body going taut at the pain that flared in his neck, but it wasn't all that bad. Emmett was quick, only lingering long enough to ensure that the bite was deep enough for the mark to stay, before he pulled back to look worriedly at Edward's face. Already the pain was fading, turning into a dull throb instead, as the venom etched the mark permanently into his skin. Edward cursed the fact that they were outside, that there was no way for him to see the result, that he was going to have to wait. He pacified his curiosity by bringing a hand up to finger the bite though, tracing over the small dents leftover from Emmett's teeth. Edward couldn't stop the happy smile that spread across his face.
Emmett tried to keep his eyes focused on Edward's face, wanting to see his reaction, but he couldn't help it, his eyes kept drifting back to the shiny, already healed into a scar mark on his brother's neck. He buried his head in Edward's throat, breathing in the mixture of both Edward and himself. It hit him with a jolt then that his scent would always be there, even if they were separated, other vampires would be able to faintly smell him in Edward still. Mine, was all Emmett could process at this point, the mark proved Edward was his to love.
Edward caught the echo of that thought, and smiled again, nudging at Emmett until he pulled back enough to look at him. “Yours. I'm yours Emmett. Always.” Then Edward dove back in for another kiss, eternally grateful that he could do this now, that he knew Emmett would never protest.
Emmett broke away finally, panting, but needing to ask one last question. “So what do we do now?”
Edward’s smile was so wide he could see white teeth. “Nothing. We just keeping living like we did before. The only difference is that we’ll be doing it all together now.”
Emmett couldn’t think of a better way that he could spend his life then with Edward. His love, his life, his light, his mate. They sank back to the ground, oblivious to the world revolving around them, too wrapped up in each other to care.
End