The Submissive Assassin (BxB)

Chapter 79 - Funeral

There weren't many people that participated to the ceremony. No surprise though, since only a few members of the base knew who they were, and not many people cared—not even Draco had cared. There had been too many deaths surrounding them that a couple more didn't interest anyone. There was no burial planned, and the showing was done in the training hall of the base as there were not other location that Draco allowed any of them to use for "trivial matters".

Dante helped dress Nate that morning.

He entered the room, helped Nate to his feet before tugging on his dress pants and helping him get his arm through the dress shirt. He was surprised that Nate obeyed without a fight, even titling his head backwards to make it easier for Dante to wrap the tie around his neck and make the knot. Afterwards, Nate leaned in as Dante wrapped the suit over his shoulders.

The ease in Nate's movements, as if he had enough of fighting, made Dante feel relaxed enough to attempt a conversation.

"Did you sleep well?"

Silence followed, Dante swallowing hard as he took a step backwards to examine Nate, making sure there was nothing else to fix before they could leave the room. During that moment, Nate breathed, "Yes." It was quiet and raspy, but an answer was all Dante had been wanting for weeks.

Dante nodded his head, a small smile on his lips. He glanced downwards at their feet, observing the pointed formal shoes he had helped Nate put on; the nervousness he felt whenever he spoke to Nate was no longer a rarity. "How are you feeling today?"

This time, Nate's head turned to meet Dante's gaze. Dante wasn't sure what he was thinking, but it seemed as if Nate was contemplating something in his head, his lips sealed tightly. "I feel amazing, Dante." The sarcasm in his tone made Dante bite his bottom lip; he had been messing up constantly recently when it came to Nate. "How the fuck do you expect me to feel?"

Dante wasn't sure what to respond, hence he didn't. Instead, he stepped forward to push a strand away from Nate's face, but Nate harshly shoved his fingers away, his lip curling in disgust. "I can do it myself. You're lucky I even let you near me."

Dante's head lowered.

Even though he expected this sort of treatment from Nate—and was certain it wouldn't get better any time soon—it still caused a small stabbing sensation in the middle of his chest every time. He tried to help Nate as much as he could, but there wasn't much he could do since he still had two arms and two eyes, and he couldn't give those things to Nate.

But the least he could do was try to get on better terms with him. "Nate, I know you don't want to hear this but..." he sighed, noticing the way Nate's movements halted for a moment, "...I truly am sorry—"

"Shut up." Nate threw himself into his wheelchair, waving his hand towards the back. "I'm ready." Dante obeyed, gripped the handles on Nate's wheelchair and pushing him forward. Nate was still not accustomed to this base, hence he examined every single corridor they passed through, attempting to remember each turn but realizing that it was practically a maze and it was inducing a headache that he simply closed his eye.

Eventually, they reached the lobby of the base and he groaned under his breath when he realized that they were no longer alone. Even worst, from the stares he was receiving, conversations were bound to ensue. And as if that wasn't enough, Jake amongst the unfamiliar faces and the lengthy smile on his lips already bothered him.

"Turn around, I don't want to go anymore."

"None of us want to go." The person that spoke next had short black hair and piercing golden irises that stared in scrutiny at the wheelchair boy. It was clear from his stance—folded arms, broader shoulders and feet separated—that there was some hostility present. "But since we lost our brother saving you, I suggest you clean that attitude a little bit."

"Reno..." Bronsted squeezed a palm onto Reno's shoulder, who scoffed and turned away from Nate.

Although Nate knew better than to piss off another Hercules brother, he no longer cared about any of them or what they claimed they could do to him. Whatever it was, couldn't be worst than the excruciating pain he went through all by himself.

Hence he burst out a few cackles before pointing to himself. "Right, right...and that's as bad as me losing an arm and my eye? Oh and let's not forget that we're also going to my aunt's funeral, all because your stupid family decided to involve themselves in my normal life."

When Reno's eyes sharpened further, Dante stepped in front of  Nate to redirect his focus. "Nate, enough."

But Nate could still hear Reno from around Dante. "And no one feels bad for you so grow up," he spat, to which Bronsted tried to cover his mouth with his palm, but Reno was strong enough to stop shove his hand away. "You lost an arm and an eye, big deal. You're lucky they didn't do worst to you. Besides, stop milking it and get up on your two feet, I don't know why you're not walking. You still got two legs, right?"

Jake, who had been standing by Reno and Bronsted, inhaled a sharp breath as he glanced towards Nate. "M-Maybe...that was a little harsh..." he mumbled under his breath.

Even though Nate wanted to have a better comeback, there wasn't much he could say. Hence he whipped his head the other way and tried to push himself away but he could only push one wheel and not the other. When Reno started chuckling from that, Nate's ears became red as he mumbled, "Let's go Dante."

They all began making their way to the training hall—Dante and Nate a few steps further away from the rest of them—and even though he knew it was going to be hard seeing his aunt lying in the casket, it was harsher when reality hit him again as he stared at the pare flesh, her eyes closed while she laid in a beautiful white caskets and a red dress.

The rest of the brothers had gone to the smaller casket beside it, all of them withholding tears as they stared at their younger brother. He was wearing a suit, which they knew would've been what he wanted.

Then they heard someone quietly repeat, "...it shouldn't have been him...it shouldn't have been him..."

Nate leaned forward, placing his fingers along Aunt Judy's chin, his bottom lip trembling as the memories of his childhood surrounded by Aunt Judy's endeavours flashed in his mind. They had gone through horrendous times as well, stories he had never shared with anyone. There was once that she had ratted him out for having a boyfriend, and they didn't talk for almost a year before she finally admitted that disallowing him from escaping the closet on his own had been awfully wrong, which she had never intended to do.

When she lived around them in his year of high school, anytime he needed to be secretive or sneaky about something, Aunt Judy never questioned him. She was the one who gave him rides to parties, bought him alcohol and helped him sneak out of the home at three a.m. whenever he wanted to meet up with a potential lover. There were way too many memories that he never realized how much they meant until this moment, knowing that there wouldn't be any more. The worst part was that the more he ages, the more he would forget about her, and he didn't want to forget about her.

"It was all my fault..." he whispered under his breath, leaning his forehead against the casket and letting the tears leak along his cheeks without any attempts to stop them. He was blaming himself for the day she passed; he should have known that Eric had been up to no good. He should have at least heard the footsteps, or attempted to save her while she was bleeding on his floor. Those thoughts alone were enough to send him into a spiral of terribly loud cries that he practically howling.

He felt as if the excruciating pain was a rope being pulled from his chest the more he sobbed, but thicker it became the further it was pulled, hence he felt it more and more as he crying continued. He wasn't sure how long he cried for, or when he really stopped since everything somewhat fell into a deep silence.

But he did remember when a hand landed on his shoulder, and a familiar voice whispered, "It wasn't your fault."

When he turned around, he was surprised to see that the others had already left, and it was only Dante and the woman right behind him that leaned in and caressed him terribly hard that he thought his bones would shatter.

"...M...Mom...?"