Most Hated Brother

[Norman Crystall]

Norman stood at his desk writing in a notebook quietly yet intently. Then finally his door opened hastily and a maid came in and began to make his bed. The poor girl was new you see and her superiors must have forgotten to inform her not to walk in on the young boy. The boy threw his pen unto his desk with a slam and immediately walked over to the girl and backhanded her hard

"HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT ME!!!" He shouted the girl gave a yelp as she collapsed to the floor. Following this Norman grabbed the bottom portion of her face and dragged her into a kneeling position in front of him. Next he pulled out his right pointer and middle fingers and shoved them into the girls right eye. The girl whimpered as he twisted his fingers inward causing blood to ooze over his finger tips. The girl struggled then ran out of the room crying.

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail walked the halls of the palace, he had just finished training and he decided that it was time to change. The prince walked to his room and took his sheathed sword off his belt, he then slipped off his tunic and changed into normal jeans. The teen buttoned up his jeans, then pulled on a black shirt and stepped out of his room. As soon as he stepped out, a servant girl ran into him. The first thing he noticed was the appearance of blood on his shirt. He sighed and looked around. Then to the servant.

"Dear...go find the doctor...tell him Prince Mikhail sent you." He said kindly as he helped her up. As soon as she turned the corner Mikhail's face turned dark. He walked down the hall with anger, he then bursted into Norman's room. The prince pulled off his shirt and threw it at his brother's head.

"Do you think that's funny?!?" He said in a angry tone referring to the blood.

[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

The boy sat still writing until his door bursted open and a shirt was thrown at his head, he simply pinched the shirt with his finger tips and threw it on the floor continuing to write and ignoring the question. There was still blood on his black rug from the maid and long streaks of it on his right hand dropping into the paper as he scribbled writing in its pages in complete silence.

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail stormed towards his little brother, who continued to write in his notebook and disregard the question Mikhail asked. Mikhail started getting frustrated.

"Do you think this is funny?" He repeated himself in a softer tone before grabbing the boy's collar and pulling him off his chair then throwing him towards the blood on his carpet.

"Not only did you hurt a servant..but it caused my shirt to get stained and your carpet too." He said as he looked towards Norman's desk.

"You continued to ignore me brother... you're lucky, if it were up to me, you'd be tending to the horses." He said angrily
[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Norman continued to write in silence until his brother picked him up by his suit's collar which he responded with a terrified gasp. He was thrown to the floor near the blood. He continued to remain quiet as he finally stood up and looked up to his older brother and raised right hand in anger and backhanded him smearing blood across his face. Norman glared in anger for a split second then immediately sat back in his chair and picked up his pen

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail waited for a response, but none came, he grew frustrated until his brother finally stood up, but it was not to speak, he backhanded Mikhail, the elder prince stumbled back as he was hit, he felt his face, and blood had been smeared on it.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth when Norman sat down and began to write in his journal again.

"That's it!" He said finally, he walked over to Norman and attempted to grab the journal from his desk.

[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Norman went back to writing until his brother made an attempt to grab his journal. Norman instinctively slammed his hand to the journal and held it tightly "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" He hissed as the other hand slowly reached for his umbrella hoping it wouldn't be noticed. He clenched his teeth as well and tilted his head in seething anger.

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail wasn't expecting to get such a quick response from his brother, he held his journal tightly. He looked at it, not noticing that Norman was grabbing his umbrella. He couldn't help but wonder his brother's journal was hiding.

"Norman you mutt. Give me the journal." He said with irritation in his voice.
[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

One of the pages ripped out of Norman's journal, it was schematics that their brother Sheldon had helped him design for his umbrella. The schematics were for a hidden blade in his umbrella that when a button was pressed the sharp blade would burst out like a sword for self defense. He slowly grabbed the umbrella, clicked the button and swiped at his brother's face. Though no blade came out much to his disgust and he began rapidly clicking the button then smacking his umbrella on the table thrice with frustration

"Oh damnit Sheldon!! You said this would work!!.... " he hissed as he continued to fiddle with the broken device unknowingly letting up on his grip of the journal as he continued his tantrum

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail watched as a page was ripped out of his brother's journal, it seemed to be a picture of his umbrella. Mikhail cocked his head before watching as his brother's umbrella swiped past his face. The teen kept clicking a button, then out of frustration he hit the umbrella against his desk three times.

The boy had not paid attention to his journal, Mikhail quickly grabbed it.

He began flipping through the pages curiously.

"... I see nothing of a girl....or boy...." Mikhail sighed "I was hoping you had a secret love note brother...but I guess not..." He smiled.

"So what is all this? Punk." Mikhail said
[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

"NO!!!" He screached in anger as he dropped his head on his desk in defeat

"It's... Its..." He struggled to continue "It's a sketchbook.... I-I draw my deepest desires in it..... Honestly brother?.... A love note? I've accepted that I'm a twisted freak.... No one could love me...."

His voice quivered until the book collapsed into hundreds of different pages. Many of the pages were uninteresting... But two of which stuck out. One was of a figure with hair plastered upwards with a few hairs coming down on his forehead like tendrils sitting upon a throne. Above his head was a crown with blood streaming down his face and familiar looking corpses sprawled across the floor. 'IT WILL BE OURS' was scribbled across the top. The second one was the one he was most recently working on. It showed the same figure, plastered hair and all. Except the figure was decrepit and depressing, dark room with horrified ghostly faces on it, melting black walls, and black tears streaming the face, and hanging from a chandelier with nothing but a rope around his neck with the words 'we'll be free' and 'free' scribbled all over the pages.

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail sighed as he heard his little brother's response.

"Brother, you aren't a freak, you're just learning." Mikhail said softly as he looked down at the journal.

There were pages with writing...many pages, but two stuck out, the first was a picture...quite disturbing, it showed a bloody crown with corpses surrounding a figure...the body's of the royal family sprawled out.

Mikhail shivered. The second appeared to have the same figure hanging from a chandelier, melted faces and dark walls, 'we will be free' was written all over the page.

Mikhail choked up.

"B-brother..." Mikhail said softly.

His brother had obviously been conflicted with himself...his inner demons were eating away at him.

"I do care for you... through all those jokes. I really do...are you ok?"
[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Norman glimpsed at the drawings then sighed "No one was supposed to see those" he said softly looking down at his desk. He sat in silence for several seconds until finally he stood up and looked down at the floor. He looked up at his taller brother with emotionless eyes, then he fell forward into tightly grasping a hug. He had refused to hug the older teen for years. He sobbed into him with several tears for a good minute and a half actually somewhat enjoying the embrace... Then pushed the brother away, wiping his own tears, and reverting back to being hateful

"now get out!...." He said coldly

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail watched Norman's face as he spoke, his emotionless eyed were looking at him. Mikhail could only look out the window as Norman stayed silent. The teen watched him get up from his desk and look at him, Norman was about to put his hands up to get ready for a incoming assault, but instead of being attacked, the younger boy had tightly hugged Mikhail.

Mikhail was shocked, it had been years since his brother had hugged him, the boy began to weep into Mikhail, the older teen was speechless, it went on for several seconds.

"It's okay Norman, I am not going anywhere." The teen said, he then felt Norm push away.

His brother had told him to get out, still speechless from the hug, he stood there for a few minutes just staring.

"No." He replied with a grin, the teen then wiped the tears off his shirtless chest.

[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Norman had blacked out for the last several seconds of the hug. The two boys' mother had appeared before them, but only Norman could see and hear her...

"Norman darling.... You know your brother doesn't love you.... He stole your crown!! Remember?!?! Only mother loves you my darling.... You know what you must do!!" He heard the voice, yet no one spoke

That was when he pushed his brother away and he snapped back to normal. His brother replied to him with a grin which caused him to frown. He tilted his head in annoyance and hissed back to his brother

"What are you smirking about?!?... T-that m-m-meant n-noth....." He paused for a moment and teared up once more and was wiping his eyes with his sleeve "Oh.... J-J-Just l-leave me al-a-alone" he said still wiping his eyes as his mother appeared next to him still invisible to his brother once more and whispered in his ear "Norman, honey.... Don't show weakness... You deserve that crown!!... Then the children and everyone else will love you as much as I do....."

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail continued to watch as the boy would just stare, Mikhail was used to that dead stare, it was like Norman was off in his own fantasy world.

The teen watched as the boy would finally speak again.

The whole time his smirk would stay aperant on his face.

"If it meant nothing, then why are you crying? " The teen laughed as Norman said just get out.

He still wouldn't move, Norman's eyes went back into a distressed look. On the Outside, Mikhail was smiling, on the inside, he was lost and helpless when it came to his brother, he didn't know what to do.

[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Norman stared at his brother still in tears

"Why can't y-you just leave?!?! QUIT SM-SMILING AT M-ME YOU FREAK!!!...." He shrieked and sniffled in distress "I don't understand it.... Why is it you get everything?!... I've been given nothing but your sloppy seconds while you will literally live like a king!!! I don't understand it!!! I don't understand it!!!... You're always so happy for some reason!!! And... Well... You've seen the pictures!!!!...... I-I-I try, a-a-a-and I try, a-and-and I try again!!! Yet no matter what I do YOU get everything!!! You know, I used to admire you!!! I-I-I-I used to hire goons to harass you whenever you went out on the streets so you could fight them!!! I told them they had to throw the fight so you could feel as though you were a good warrior!! You were always the one I ran to when one of my pranks went wrong!!! You were the one that I'd pretend to be a supervillain for you to 'slay'!!! You were the only one I spent a-any time with!!! And yet I always got the short end of the stick!!" He fell into sitting upon his bed and put his hands over his face "I don't understand it!!! I don't!! I don't!!! I don't understand!!!......." He whispered "I miss those days.... When I would egg one of the maids.... Or trip one of the butlers with wire.... Then whenever they got angry I'd cower behind you as you tried to speak them out of throttling me....." He said with a wipe of his tear drenched face and a sniffle. His eyeliner and shadow stained his tears black as they rolled down his face leaving a trail of black streaks where the fell

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail listened as his brother spoke through his sniffling and tears. He was speechless by the end, a few tears dropped from his eyes.

He had remembered walking in the streets one day, and a group of bandits had tried to rob him, that was when he had been first learning to use a sword, when he had fought and won it was the best feeling ever, when he got home that night he trained out in the courtyard till early the next morning.

Another memory flashed it was of him and Norman in a field, he had been chasing him for hours that day, not because he was mad, but because he was acting as a villain, this helped Mikhail gain more stamina, he had always enjoyed the games they played. His little brother made him happy.

Norman continued to say how he always got second and left out when it came to getting things. Saying how . Mikhail was like a king. Mikhail had never realised how selfish he had been. He watched as his brother plopped down on his bed and cry into his hands, saying how he had missed the days when he would prank the maids and butlers, then run to him when they threatened to skin him. Mikhail would always take the blame for his pranks.

Tears dropped down fast as he fell on one knee in front of his brother's bed.

He looked down to the ground as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise how selfish I had been...I hope you can forgive me brother..." He paused as he began to sniffle.

"I miss those days too." He said as a servant walked to the door and began to walk in. Mikhail glanced up at her before growling.

"Out...now." He said, she quickly turned tail and ran.

[member="Norman Crystall"]

 

[Norman Crystall]

Mother appeared before Norman once more and hissed in his ear "He steals!! And he steals!!! And pretends to care!!! Only mother cares for you my darling!!! Only your mother loves you!!... No one else!!" Norman then sat confused at the sight of his brother.... He hadn't the slightest idea on what to say so he didn't speak. Nor was there anywhere for him to go so he was forced to stay. He reached into his pocket then put out his hand. He then grasped his brother's hand with his own and pulled him up, in the process giving the brother a small electric shock. He then pulled his hand away to reveal a joy buzzer as he gave a faint smile and an even fainter giggle. 'Mother' saw this then immediately disappeared

[member="Mikhail Crystall"]

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

Mikhail sat there for a few seconds, he continued to stare at the carpet. The teen was snapped out of his trance when his younger brother grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

Soon he would feel an electric shock in his hand, he would wince only for a second as he felt a small sap. He pulled his hand back, then began to laugh. He looked at his brother and wiped his own tears away.

"You are very strange Norm....but you're a good strange." He paused before sitting on his brother's bed.

He patted him on the back.

"Would you want to learn how to spar?" The teen would ask as he looked towards Norman's window.

[member="Norman Crystall"]