Chapter 3
It is the sound of a baby crying that wakes him up. He curses the neighbours in his head and opens his eyes. And meets Quade's green eyes fixed on him.
It is their second week at their flat.
"Hi" Quade smiles, eyes sparkling in the morning light.
James can't help his heart skipping a beat.
"Hi" he whispers.
"Baby woke you up?" Quade asks, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. James draws closer.
"Yeah" he huffs out a laugh.
Quade touches his face, fingers gentle as they trace over his eyebrows down over his nose and across his lips.
"Beautiful" Quade whispers and James opens his eyes.
"What?"
"You"
James kisses him because he completely disagrees. The best part of James's day is waking up next to Quade, it’s looking in to those green eyes and feeling like he's the luckiest person on the planet.
Quade pulls back with a laugh when the baby squalls again from next door. James buries his face in Quade's shoulder.
"Oh my god!"
"You got school to go to, baby brother" Quade kisses his hair. James mumbles his protest in to Quade's collarbone. Quade laughs.
"What was that?"
"Do I have to?"
"I'm not the one who has an exam today"
James clings on when Quade tries to pull back.
"James, come on…"
James turns suddenly and straddles his brother, pinning his arms above him to the mattress. Quade is smiling at him, fond and a little exasperated. James grins.
"Are you sure you don't wanna stay?" James asks, trailing his fingers down Quade's sternum. Quade's breath hitches and it's the only affirmation James needs. He leans down and kisses Quade, open mouthed and hungry. Quade leans up in to it, freeing a hand and threading it in James's hair to pull him closer.
Then the doorbell rings.
"What the hell?" James swears, barely moving back.
"That'd be Kurtly" Quade answers, hands trailing down James's sides to rest on his hips, "We gotta go"
James sighs and pulls away, fishing around the mattress for his shirt. He stills when Quade comes up behind him and wraps an arm around him. He feels Quade's lips on his shoulder.
"I'll make up for it tonight, okay"
James grins to himself.
"You better"
---
The worst time in James's life come when Quade is 23 and James just hit 21. It is Friday and they go out with Kurtly and a few other boys.
---
It is the look of sheer horror on Quade's face that James will remember the most from that night. The utter panic that freezes his brother on the spot, even just for a moment.
Then he charges and his speed sends one of the men flying and James tries to twist out of the grip he's held in.
Quade is fast, has always been the quickest of them both. But he is so outnumbered now and it's not long before the advantage if surprise gives way to the force of sheer numbers.
James knows things are going south fast and is trying desperately to get free when one of the men slams Quade's head against the wall. James hears the crack of impact and time slows to a trickle as Quade slides down to the floor. James doesn't know, will never know, where the strength comes from but he head-butts one of the men holding him, twisting out of his grip. He needs to get to Quade. At the corner of his eyes he sees the bathroom door open and it must be their friends because the men are occupied now and there must be a lot of shouting because he can see their mouths move but he can't hear anything. He is not aware of anything but the still body of Quade on the floor.
He gets to him, finally. And he is so scared. So incredibly scared when he reaches out a shaking hand to touch his brother. His hands are soon covered in his brother's blood and he's shaking so hard and he can feel the tears on his face. And knows without a doubt that this is the worst thing that has happened to him in his whole life. But he finds a pulse skittering under his fingers and relief is enough to knock him out almost. And then Kurtly is kneeling next to them and he has his phone is his hand and he must be calling an ambulance because he's telling them to hurry, get here fast. James doesn't touch Quade because he doesn't want to make things worse but he grips Quade's hand in both of his' and holds on tight. Kurtly wraps an arm around him and tells him Quade will be fine. He'll be fine and the ambulance is coming and everything will be alright, James, please don't cry. James doesn't say anything, doesn't react and the only thing holding him in place is Quade's hand clutched between his' and he doesn't care that people shouting and bleeding around him. Doesn't care about the stabbing pain on his face that probably means his nose is broken. Nothing matters but Quade.
To be continued.
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