Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

•Hamilton POV•
Being raised as a decent of the great Sir Billiam was always a bit difficult, always will be. Its quite easy for me, just sit up straight and be quiet, only put in input when you can sound smart. And also use words in a sophisticated way. Live up to the name of “Great Sir Billiam”.

It is very difficult for my little brother, George.

I love my little brother very much, but he is not very good at being a part of the Billiam name. I see the way my parents look at him, they just wish he was different. More like me, I suppose.

But he’s just a child. I’m 23 and he’s only 17. He’s only being a kid, as he should.

Maybe my parents are just used to it. I was never rambunctious or loud, I prefer to be by myself (usually reading), or to be with George.

Despite our parents wishes, I often encourage George to be himself, to not worry about what people will think, but it can get hard to keep him oblivious of just how much he is letting our parents down.

Like once, a few years ago, my parents had been trying to subtly tell him to stop talking. He was socializing with a guard, who’s name I cannot remember. Our father took him to a different room and shouted at him. George cried for him to stop, and our father said that this was how he felt when George was talking. That he just wanted George to stop.

George cried in my arms after that, I didn’t know what to do. I have never been good at comforting people, others or myself, George is the only one who can get this love (or even attention) out of me.

I told him that father was having an unpleasant day, and that George shouldn’t take it personally.

That was when George told me that he thought our parents hated him. I frowned and shook my head, but he already knew too much.

That’s when he began changing himself. He was quiet, he sat straighter, but the worst part was that he never smiled anymore. We would still spend time together, and then he’d be himself, but if anyone was near, hed become like me.

And I hated it.

Id began to resent my parents for turning George into me. I never wanted for him to lose the only thing that made him good. To lose himself. I never cared about him “making our family proud”, or “keeping the Billiam name gold”. That wasn’t ever important.

George had stopped talking with me. When he did, I doubted he was being honest. I tried to tell him that he should still be himself, but he had just responded with, “I am being myself.”

Anyways, we spent a few hours of time with each other today, we had a good conversation. I think he’s getting old enough to not let our family taint his personality anymore.

He even made a ridiculous joke, something about a game called Animal Crossing. He also showed me how to play, but I’ve forgotten the mechanics by now.

Closing my eyes, I hope that something will change. Something that will make George happy, and feel free to be himself.

Chapter Text

When I open my eyes, it’s due to George shaking me.

“Yes, George?” I ask.

“Hamilton! Look around! Where are we?”

I sit up at that, looking around as George told me to.

We looked to be in a strange courtyard. And a massive one.

“I don’t know. Stay by me, don’t go wandering.”

I stood up, George following behind me as I walked the whole yard, finding nothing.

Another man popped in, then another and another until there are seven other people here with us. I keep George behind be, I don’t trust these strangers.

The last one who popped in, a guy with brown hair and an odd voice spoke up, “Hello everyone? Since we’re all stuck here, we might as well introduce ourselves! I’m Karl!”

They all said hi, then some guy with a red bandanna spoke up, “Tell us something about yourself Karl.”

The continue introducing themselves, George getting oddly excited when ones name was Toby. Then everyone turns to me and George, who Ive been keeping from them ever since they arrived.

“Who are you?” The Karl guy asked.

“I’m Hamilton Billiam. This is my brother.”

“I’m George.” He said, smiling at them.

Karl then noticed this thing called a TV screen, telling us to all watch it.

Its some guy telling us we’re trapped here, and we need to get out before the sun sets.

I look at the sky to see if the sun had already started to set, but it looked to still be morning.

We eventually get to a weird room that has a bunch of structures in it, each one with a button.

The others mess around with the buttons, trying to figure out what to do.

Im reluctant to let George press one, but after a bit of asking I say yes, “as long as you’re careful.”

He excitedly skips up to the button, barely even hesitating to click it before he goes flying.

He lands on the other side of a fence.

I run to him, my mind flooding with things that could go wrong and I can’t protect him right now.

I stay by him as the others do whatever, telling him not to go too far when he wanders away from the fence, trying to find a way to let us in.

Eventually this guy gets trapped in a box, everyone saying to meet up in the middle.

I leave George, not forgetting to tell him Id be back as soon as I could.

They got the trigger to go off, which started the walls going in. I looked over and the gate was open.

We all ran to the safe place, me immediately grabbing George. Not exactly in a hug, to an outsider I would look angry, but George knows what I’m doing, and that it’s very unusual for me to touch people, even in a harmful way.

“Thank gods George! We are sticking together no matter what now.”

George nodded at me, “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, “No, it’s not your fault, When we get out of here you can do whatever, just promise me you’ll be a lot more careful.”

George nods at me, and I let go.

We continue walking, up until we reach a void, which is filled with little red or blue islands.

Pills walks up and presses one of the buttons, “This does something!”

The red islands disappear while blue ones fill spots that were previously empty.

It looks like we’ll have to run across.

That means someone will have to stay behind.

I will not let it be me or George. Call me selfish, whatever, but I am not letting me or my brother get caught up in helping others to the point where it’s jeopardizing our chances of getting out of here.

The man who we all refer to as “Blondie” gets stuck with staying behind, but I don’t really care.

As long as me and George are safe, nothing matters.

After Mike pushes Toby off, killing him, he dies. I chuckle at that, karmas a bitch.

We’re running across the islands, Blondie giving us a heads up before he changes them so we can get ready to run.

At some point George gets a little spooked, not wanting to jump to the block the rest of us are on.

“George! Come on!”

George takes a slight step back, and I take one towards the edge.

“Come on, you got this, I know you do.”

He still looks hesitant, so I take another step. Now I am on the edge.

I hold my hand out, “I’ll catch you, just come on, George. Run and jump, you got this.”

George nods, closing his eyes.

I can see the island begin to fade away.

“George,” I warn. He opens his eyes, starting to run. Just before he jumps, the island fades away, not letting him get the push off he expected.

My eyes widen as I reach for him as far as I can without falling.

We brush fingers, but it isn’t enough.

Chapter Text

We brush fingers, but it isn’t enough.

“No-!” I shout, still reaching for him as he falls.

“George!” Tears start welling up in my eyes.

I let my hand relax, still laying on the ground with my arm dangling off of a cliff.

“Hamilton, we have to keep going. We’re running out of time.”

I ignore Karl. I just stare into the void, as if George will come flying back out any second.

He doesn’t.

I let the reality sink in as my tears fall into the blackness.

My brother is dead. He’s not coming back. I saw what happened to that Toby guy.

I slowly stand, wiping my tears and ignoring the empathetic look Karl was giving me.

Pills ended up jumping into the void, and we left Blondie behind. We lost three people to that void alone, one of which already was back?.

Wait no, four.

Silly me, forgetting that my brothers dead.

No, no don’t think about that, Hamilton. Pull yourself together.

I continue the maze rather mindlessly. Maybe this is all just a dream. Maybe George will actually shake me awake and he’ll be good and alive and none of this ever happened.

But even so, I feel a tinge of hope when Toby shows up again. Now two people who have died are back.

The weird guy talking above us was weird about it though,(go figure), he said something along the lines of the labyrinth making something that looks like Toby.

My hope is mostly out out when I search and search for, not a way out, but my brother. I find nothing.

My hope is gone when Pills shows back up.

I blankly make my way through the maze, leading the way as the others are idiots. I barely even notice when people die.

Most of the ones who started here are
dead. That’s excluding Karl, me, Mike, Toby and Blondie (?? still not sure how those three are alive again).

We walk down a path which is surrounded by some sort of forest, then Blondie gets locked out of the room we’re in. I’m pretty sure hes dead again. Also Mike immediately pushed Toby into the pit. The endless pit?

My attention is directed upwards as a video starts playing. It’s the strange man again.

I don’t know how to feel when he says we could’ve gotten out the whole time.

Selfish? Angry? Sad? I’m not sure which one overpowers the others.

Mike jumps into the pit, me and Karl eventually following him.

We were back when this all started.

Chapter Text

We were back when this all started.

Everyone was here, including George!

I walked towards the group, not even noticing as Karl disappeared.

Me and Mike look at each other, before I slowly approach George.

“George?”

He didn’t look at me. He didn’t even react.

“Hey. George.” I try to touch his arm, but it just goes through him.

My eyes widen. “George?”

The group from my past continues on, moving to the room George got launched out of.

I slowly follow behind. Is this all my life is? A constant reminder of what I’ve lost? What did I do to deserve being locked in this cage? I cage where if I’d only done better, I would still have my brother. And now I’ll have to watch that over and over again and be powerless to do anything about it?

Is that really all Im going to do until I die? Can I even die? How long will I be stuck here? Is this even real?

I cant get answers to any of those.

This is not what being raised as a Billiam feels like.

When you are a Billiam (if you act the right way), you are respected. You aren’t thrown into a torturous situation and then forced to relive the trauma all over again.

Being raised as a decent of the great Sir Billiam was always easy for me. That’s becuase I was fine with people hurting me just to make themselves happy.

When George was born, I was so happy to have a little brother. I promised I’d protect him.

I failed.

I failed to protect the one thing I wanted to preserve, to keep, to at least let age past 18.

Oh god he wasn’t even 18.

He had such a life to live. He was coming back out of his shell. He was being himself.

God, George. If only you’d had more
time.

“This is what happens when you get caught up in winning. I’m not mad, I did the same thing. I guess I just thought you all were different.”

I hear the voice again.

“Are we going to end up like you?” I said to basically no one.

“Oh, I hope not. I really was rooting for you. All of you. I’m sorry about your brother.”

“Don’t. Don’t talk about him as if you couldn’t have done something.”

“I couldn’t. Maybe someday you’ll understand the predicament i’m in. I hope not, but it’s possible.”

“Shut up.” I tell the air, or whatever he is. He surprisingly listened to me, staying quiet.

I watch from a distance as George slips. I regret not jumping right after him.

Jumping right after him.

What if I just…

“Hey Mike?” I walk towards the edge.

“Call me by my full name.”

I ignore him, “I’m gonna go.”

His eyebrows furrow, “Oh?”

I watch as my past self stretches out his hand for George, Mike follows my gaze.

“Oh.”

I nod, stepping even closer to the void.

I watch as George begins to run, and in sync with him, I jump.

We both fall.

I suppose this is the end of the Billiam legacy.

The only two Billiam children left, both gone, never to be found.

All in one day, I lost everything.