All the talking seemed to come to a stop the second the two brunettes entered the family room. Michael’s breathing started to pick up again as his gaze remained on the floor. He felt a wave of calmness pace over him, causing his gaze to snap up to meet Jasper's topaz eyes. The blue-eyed male sent him a harsh glare as a warning.

As the taller male flinched under his heated glare, Michael let out a breath of relief when he felt Jasper’s influence on his emotions vanish. The panic had dulled on its own accord. The dull feeling seemed to settle under his breastbone as he gripped tightly onto Bella’s hand. She briefly squeezed his hand once more before letting go and moving across the room to sit with her husband.

Michael took a deep breath before the panic could return to him, allowing his emotionless facade to take its place throughout his body and his mind. He remained standing in the doorway, no longer comfortable with being so relaxed and casual amongst the Cullen family.

Renesmee got up from her spot to go to Michael, but she was quickly stopped by Jacob as he pulled her into his lap with a quiet growl. No one missed the flash of hurt that covered the brunet’s features. Michael turned and walked out of the room before anyone could process his reaction. He climbed up the different flights of stairs, taking them two stairs at a time.

He walked into the room he had been given for his stay, packing up all of his items back into his duffel bag before making sure everything was as it had been when he had first arrived there. By the time he was finished, he had caught a glimpse of himself in the windows many times. His eyes were faintly red and his irises were black, tears dried onto his tan face. He didn’t even have it in him to remain stoic like he usually did, his emotions ruling over his every thought.

He sniffled quietly as he tried to gather himself, but he knew it was no use as the signs of his distress were obvious. Letting out a shaky breath, Mykie threw on one of his leather jackets to hide the bareness of his torso before opening the bedroom door and walking out. He headed back all the way down the stairs, not bothering to look back in the family room as he passed it.

He heard someone get up and follow after him, but Michael didn’t care enough to figure out who it was. He picked up his pace as he got outside, Opening the door to the backseat of his car, he tossed his bag in. He ignored Bella as she asked why he was suddenly leaving, though he tensed as he heard someone call out his full name. He knew who it was instantly, the southern tang in the male’s voice quite easy to recognize.

Much to Bella’s surprise, the brunet actually stopped what he was doing as Jasper addressed him. The second Jasper reached the bottom of the stairs, he was in front of Michael. He shoved the shorter male up against the side of his car, keeping him pinned there. Alice came over to Bella, her bubbly personality nowhere to be detected. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, nor how the two men seemed to know each other.

Sensing that this was a private matter, Isabella headed back inside, pulling Alice along with her. Before Jasper could utter another word, Michael shoved him back harshly as he glared at him heatedly. He growled low enough to make Jasper freeze in his tracks, the unhuman sound chilling him to his bones.

“Don’t you dare touch me, Whitlock. You lost that right a long time ago.”

Jasper flinched back at the heat that filled Michael’s words. The anger and distress that rolled off the younger male were strong enough to make Jasper take an involuntary step back. Inhaling slowly, Michael willed back his emotions before making them go away. He once more became stoic as he gazed silently at Jasper. Jasper stared right back at the man before him, shock underlining his features as he felt the sudden lack of emotions from Michael.

Without uttering a word, Michael slammed the car door shut before walking into the woods. He wanted to create some distance between the two of them and the occupants within the house. Jasper followed along without hesitation, though he knew his heart would be racing if it still worked. The two men walked silently through the forest until they reached a clearing. As Jasper walked, he suddenly realized that the male brunet was no longer next to him. He turned around to be met with the sight of Michael lighting a cigarette.

Jasper’s gaze drifted down, catching sight of scars littering Michael’s torso as his jacket moved. His view was blocked as Michael exhaled a puff of smoke, the movement causing his leather jacket to shift and cover his bare torso again. His topaz gaze drifted back up to Michael’s face, staring at the dried trail of tears as the brunet spoke.

“I thought you were dead, you know. Now, though, I kind of wish you stayed dead. It…it honestly hurts more now that I know you still exist. Mourning for you seemed to be for nothing. Not to mention how you never came back to me as you promised. You promised, and you never did.” The brunet exhaled heavily, his chest moving with the action. He seemed to be biding his time in thought, figuring out what he wanted to say next.

“That’s not what upsets me, though. That wasn’t the first time you broke one of your promises to me. You left me long before you were killed. You broke your promise to Nikki, though. That is something I can never forgive you for.”

Jasper remained quiet as Michael spoke, not wanting to piss the shorter male off more. It had been a long time since Jasper had last seen Michael truly upset about something. That had been when Jasper had gone to tell the Lane siblings goodbye; that he was leaving to join in on the Confederate’s fight. Eight-year-old Nikki had to leave the room as Michael -sixteen at the time- had cursed Jasper out for it. By the time Jasper had walked out, Michael’s hands had been bloodied, and there had been several new holes in the walls. That was the last time they had ever seen each other. Jasper had been turned by Maria before he could return home.

“How is she?” Jasper finally asked as Michael had gone quiet. “How is Nicole doing? Is she still staying with you?

As he spoke, Jasper felt a spark of sorrow come from Michael, but it was gone before he could feel more. Michael remained silent for a couple of moments, flicking his cigarette to make the ashes drop from the lit end of it. When he finally answered, his voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“Nikki is dead.” With one last exhale of smoke, Michael put out his cigarette. He leaned back against the tree, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. His nails were digging into his palms, cutting them open. He wasn’t bothered by the stinging pain, quite used to the bad habit of his that scarred his hands.

“Your mother, your poor damn mother, cornered me to join the fight after the news of your death reached us. She was devastated, Jazz. She didn’t believe that you were dead, so she wanted me to go out and look for you. I couldn't bring myself to say no to her. I didn’t like the idea of killing someone, so I became a medic. Your mother promised she’d watch after Nikki for me. For the record, she did an amazing job. But my time away from them became much longer than expected. Our camp was attacked in the middle of the night.

“They killed everyone else, but they kept me alive because I was a medic and I could be of assistance to them as medics weren’t common in the area. I don’t know how long I was there; at least a year and a half. That’s where about half of my scars come from, maybe a little less. I would have been okay with dying there now that I think about it. You and Nikki were my only will to live at that time. Can you honestly believe that even though I thought you to be dead, I still didn’t want to disappoint you by giving in to them? I guess I no longer began to care what you think of me, even now.”

He exhaled slowly while leaning his head back against the tree, his eyes now closed as he subconsciously became aware of the bark digging into his back.

“Anyway, when I finally got out of there and got back to our home, your mother was still caring for Nicole. She was ten, almost eleven at that point. She was bedridden when I returned. She got Pneumonia while I was away and I didn’t have any supplies with me so I couldn’t treat her properly, if at all. I couldn’t help her.”

He let out a shaky breath as he raked his dominant hand through his hair. As his hand dropped back to his side, his gaze fell on the golden-blond male. He stared at him for a moment, his expression open and vulnerable to Jasper. He looked away again, his expression becoming guarded once more.

“I lied to her. I didn’t know it at the time; I still didn’t know until you showed up on that damn field. I promised her, on her deathbed, that she would get to see our brother and you again after she went. Mason’s death was still fresh on my mind. Adding both you and her; I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore.”

Jasper stood there for a moment, shocked into silence. Michael’s gaze had dropped back to the ground, staring at the white snow that covered the clearing. He was already deep in his thoughts, not noticing as Jasper approached him. He inhaled sharply as he was suddenly pulled into a hug, his body tense and shockingly still. The younger male exhaled slowly, his body relaxing as he started to breathe again. He wrapped his arms back around the blond male, falling into his chest as he finally caved in to his emotions. He buried his face into the crook of Jasper’s neck, deeply inhaling his citrus scent. The smell of worn parchment was mixed with the citrus; both scents were subtle enough to not be overwhelming.

They stayed like that for a while longer, hugging the other as they silently stood. Hugging Jasper was a feeling Michael had missed, and he didn’t plan on letting go any time soon.