darker_london | Siblings (Nicholas, Natalia, Niles)

Up until today, Nicholas had always gone to visit Niles himself. No one in the family seemed interested in visiting the wayward gay kid who was supposed to be undergoing re-education at a rehab facility. Until finally Nicholas had convinced their sister Natalia that Niles needed her. In Nicholas' opinion, Nat was useless, but Niles had no one. Nicholas had watched his little brother suffer through Christmas and New Year's with no one, feeling like he has been abandoned by the people who were supposed to love him.

"What is it like?" Nat asked, nervous. She was driving towards the rehab facility at roughly 3 miles an hour while Nicholas sat beside her oozing impatience.

"It's a place where you go and get told you're filthy and then they slowly brain wash you into believing them so that you can re-join society as a 'normal' person, if not a fulfilled one. It's disgusting, Nat."

"But...are there like...shock treatment beds and stuff?" she asked, fearfully.

Nicholas shot his sister a death glare. "No, Natalia. Niles isn't in a mental institution for being gay. That was where you sent me."

"You tried to kill yourself!" Natalia squealed.

"Because life bores me. Much like this conversation." He reached out and flicked on the radio, causing Nat to jump and scream becasue of the sudden noise. "Jesus," Nicholas hissed as Nat recovered and glued her eyes to the road.

When they arrived at the painfully cheerful 'Promise House', Nicholas led Nat up to the front desk so they could sign in. It was much too cold to go walking around the grounds like Nicholas and Niles used to do, so they headed up to Niles room instead. They found their brother sitting on his bed reading. "Hey, Nilesy," Nicholas said with a smile. Poor Niles looked pale and unhappy. His eyes were shadowed, as if he hadn't been sleeping. Still, when Niles saw his siblings standing there, he grinned at them.

"Nick! Nat?" He jumped off his bed to hug them tightly. "I'm so happy to see you! I'm going crazy because we can't go outside and I'm not allowed in the activity room this week."

"Why?" Nat asked, instead of saying hello. "Did you do something wrong, Niles?"

Niles glanced at his sister and then he went to stand closer to Nicholas before sharing a private look with him. "If human nature is considered wrong, then sure," Niles shrugged. "I was going spare. Had to be done."

Nat looked confused for several seconds and then her face twisted with distaste and she swatted Niles' shoulder. "Ew!"

Niles and Nicholas burst out laughing and Nicholas turned to Nat with a grin. "That was so worth bringing you here, thank you!"

"It's nice to see you, Natalia," Niles picked up, wanting her to know he appreciated it. "What made you change your mind about visiting?"

"I just miss you," Nat said with a smile. "And I wanted to see you over Christmas but I was so busy with the shelter I work at. I teach there!" Natalia grinned because she was very proud of herself for giving back to the community. Nicholas thought she did a rather good job of ignoring the problems closer to home to focus on everyone else, but that was what he always expected of Nat.

"That's cool, Nat. I missed you too." Niles sat back down on his bed and Nicholas and Natalia pulled up chairs.

"Did you get many presents?" she asked in an excited voice.

"Er...no," Niles shook his head. "Well, one. But that got taken away," again Niles and Nicholas shared a laugh.

"What is so funny?" Nat demanded.

"I gave him a dildo, but apparently they didn't think that was conducive to re-education..." Nicholas grinned. "I told them it was to get him through the lonely nights. According to 'Sister Thelma' I have a bad attitude."

Niles laughed and he pointed at Nicholas. "Oh my god, her face!"

"You are not taking this seriously!" Nat said loudly, immediately silencing Niles and Nicholas' laughter. "Niles, don't you want to come home?"

Niles nodded. "Sure, but-"

"Then why are you letting Nick mess things up for you? Breaking the rules! Disobedience...those aren't the way so get through this!"

Nicholas felt then that he actually might hit a woman right in her bloody, stupid face. "Nat, the rules are ridiculous..."

"But...maybe it's good you're here, Niles!" Nat continued. "You can...you know...maybe...be normal? Maybe?"

Niles looked horrified and Nicholas turned to his brother, his tone pleading. "I'm so sorry, Niles. I didn't know she would do this." When he turned back to Nat, he was glaring at her. "He is normal, Natalia! He's normal for a gay guy-"

"Maybe he doesn't have to be gay-"

"Are you out of your mind?" Nicholas hissed. "People can't just change who they are! This entire place is bullshit!"

"Nick, be quiet!" Niles said, looking scared. If Nick got barred from visiting, he was on his own. It was pretty clear Nat wasn't on his side.

"Nat, why would you want Niles to be unhappy? He's here because our rich prick parents can't accept having a gay kid because they're worried about how it will make them look. Which is ridiculous, but they're arseholes. Their son is here, isolated...he spent Christmas alone because they don't want to be embarrassed. That's fucked up!"

Niles looked back and forth between his siblings, wishing they would be quiet. "Guys..."

"You're not helping him, Nick," Natalia informed her brother. "Just because you don't care about society doesn't mean-"

"Niether do I," Niles finally growled, breaking his silence on the matter. "Natalia, I was shoved here against my will and I am doing everything in my power not to let it break me. Nicholas has been...so wonderful in all that. Breaking the rules...receiving funny Christmas presents...that keeps me sane. If I didn't have that..." Niles hung his head. "God, I'd end up in the hospital like Nick was."

That seemed to get Natalia's attention. Her mouth fell open and she shook her head. "Niles, no..."

"Then don't push your values on me!" Niles countered. Nicholas beamed at his brother and he looked back at their sister.

"It's alright, Natalia," he said, being the calming one for once. "Niles is just Niles. It's okay to accept him for who he is. You always liked him before. Just because you know he's gay doesn't change anything. Unless you force him to change. And then he wouldn't be Niles. He'd be someone else. I don't know about you, but I'd like our brother to stay our brother. Wouldn't you?"

Nat glanced at both of them and then, slowly, she nodded.

"That's what I thought. Now, Niles. Tell us the horror stories of this week and then I'll tell you the entire plot of Sherlock Holmes so you don't feel like you missed anything."

Niles slowly smiled at both his siblings and he reached out for their hands. "Thank you." And Nicholas actually felt good about something. Niles had one more person onside. One down, the rest of the world to go.