Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."
Author's Note: Ooh, this story is fun. :) Maybe it's because I'm a younger sibling...Nevertheless, if the story is fun, it means faster updates. :D Sadly, there aren't as many reviews being submitted for this story, but that's okay. Some people might not like this type of stuff... If it was hard to write, then I'd be saddened. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. :) Let's just see how these brothers work together...
3. Yin and Yang
Liam rolled groggily to his side, only to discover that what he was sleeping on wasn't quite wide enough. He landed on the hard, carpeted floor with a low growl, confused at first of where he was. His eyes shifted under his eyelids while he recalled his most recent memories. Oh, that's right.
He was at Eli's.
Liam pushed himself off the ground, tousling his hair sleepily and wandering to the kitchen counter. A note waited for him on the surface, calling out to him with large print letters.
At work. I'll be home for lunch.
Liam glanced over the note several times, his foggy brain processing the information. Alright, so he had to time to kill. Might as well make himself at home while he waited for his kid brother.
He opened a cupboard and pulled out the cereal.
Eli heaved a heavy sigh as he walked into the parking garage, staring at his cell phone. He was the first to leave for the lunch break, but he hardly cared. He couldn't help that he expected to see his apartment building burned down if he didn't hurry home. Perhaps his brother would try something stupid again and end up obliterating his home or his precious belongings.
What he didn't expect was the pair of hands shoving him against the parking garage wall.
Eli gasped unexpectedly and his eyes landed on a burly man with a chip on his shoulder.
"Your brother tells us you have our money." a smooth voice said, grasping Eli's attention and moving his eyes to find a smaller, though still intimidating man. His young face had a cunning look to it and Eli knew at once that he was in some serious trouble.
"I…I don't have it." Eli croaked, glancing between the two bullies. "Liam told you wrong."
"Well, then I suggest you find some pretty soon, or somebody might push the two of you off of this building." the younger man threatened, his dark eyes hard and cold.
"I-I really don't have the money." Eli stuttered, watching the large man with a certain fear. The cunning one of the two snapped his fingers and Eli watching in slow motion as the massive fist came towards his face, finally colliding with his cheek and sending his head snapping sideways. He heard a crack in his neck and his jaw nearly popped out of its proper place, but he couldn't move his arms to nurse his injuries.
"I'm tired of waiting. I want my money now." the man continued, snapping his fingers again. Eli squeezed his eyes shut as another blow hit him in the eye, banging his head into the wall and sending spots dancing across his vision. The world spun around him as his head ached terribly.
"You tell your brother that he better find what I want soon, or I'll have Tank here hang you with your own shoelaces." the younger man explained, walking away casually while the muscle man abruptly let go of his prey. Eli dropped to the ground like a stone, trying to collect himself and take inventory of his injuries. He curled up as he let the dizziness and pain subside, waiting for the footsteps to disappear. When the echo of their expensive shoes had finally shrunk into silence, he grappled for the rough spots on the wall, using it as he pulled himself up slowly. Using the wall for support, he trudged most of the way to his car and slipped inside the vehicle just as he saw Torres coming into the parking garage. He had to leave before she saw him. The aches on his face were already blossoming into something pretty, and he couldn't think up a lie fast enough to be confronted by her.
Eli just wanted to go home and be safe.
The oldest Loker boy looked at his watch with mild interest, returning his attention to the video game console before him. It looked like his brother hardly played any of the games at hand, and he was more than willing to break them in for Eli. Any minute, he was expecting his baby bro to walk through the front door.
Only a second later, he did.
Actually, it was more like stumbled through the front door, rather than walked. The odd rhythm of feet hitting the floor and the sound of clumsy walking caught Liam's attention. He turned his head to peek over the couch at Eli, stunned when he saw the need for ice on his brother's face and a hand held firmly to the back of his head.
"Woah! What happened to you, E?" Liam inquired loudly as he abandoned his game, leapt over the couch and helped his brother into a kitchen chair. He watched as Eli pulled his hand away from the back of his head, revealing fingers dotted with crimson. Quickly, he replaced the pressure of his palm on the open cut, hoping it wasn't too bad.
"I met a couple of guys who wanted money." Eli groaned as Liam pulled his hand away and examined the head wound. It all reminded him of the time in grade school that his baby brother got in a scuffle with a boy that was only a year younger than Liam. Imagine a first grader throwing a punch at a fifth grader. Of course, he had seen the results of fights Liam had been in and his older brother had always advised him to rebel and knock the lights out of his opponent. Eli came home with half his face bruised up and road rashes from where he'd skidded across the concrete.
"What happened?" Liam asked in alarm while his mother ushered the young boy through the front door.
"The kid wanted my lunch money and I said, 'no.' Then he shoved me around and I popped him right in the mouth." Eli answered proudly. Their mother rolled her eyes and fled to the kitchen so she wouldn't have to hear their conversation.
"How big was he?" Liam inquired with a grin.
"Fifth grader." Eli mumbled, then winced.
"Well, you look bad." Liam chuckled, somewhat pleased with the fire his brother had.
"You should see the other guy." Eli replied, grinning evilly.
That afternoon, Liam confronted the bully, having wrestled his name out of his brother. It turned out that the kid was in his neighborhood: easy access. Eli really had done a number on him for so small a person, but they were just tiny bruises from his tiny fists. Liam gave that bully something else to be ashamed about when he showed up to school the next day with larger bruises. Word went around not to mess with little Eli, or you'd get two rounds of serious pain.
Liam couldn't help but smile about the memory, but the smile soon slid off his face.
This time, Eli didn't fight back.
He knew he didn't, because Eli lost all his scraps in high school. When he gave up the violence, all his old enemies came back for an easy victory. But, by then, Liam knew Eli didn't want his help anymore; he'd much rather be abandoned and beat up.
This time, he'd be killed if he didn't fight for his survival.
"I think you need some medical attention." Liam suggest, combing his hands through Eli's hair to get a better look at the wound. Maybe a few stitches or something. It wasn't bad; it would probably heal on its own once the bleeding stopped.
"I'm not going to the hospital." Eli grumbled, touching his eye tenderly and grimacing.
"Then what do you suggest? I'm no expert." Liam bickered, annoyed by his brother's stubbornness. Then again, he was the one that encouraged that behavior.
"We can go to my office. They've got a first aid kit there; they've fixed me up before." Eli answered, sounding irritated.
"Before? What did you do that they had to 'fix you up before?'" Liam demanded, his older brother feelings kicking in with a pow.
"It was a car bomb, alright? I was just a bystander. Most of the blood wasn't even mine." Eli groused, pulling away from his brother and sending an evil glare in his direction. "I'm going back to work." Liam watched as his little brother swayed and leaned against the wall for balance.
"Yeah…I'll drive." he stated, grabbing the keys on the table and putting his arm around Eli to keep him steady.
Ria walked back into The Lightman Group with half a bagel in her hand. She got a quick lunch, hoping to finish her workload early and go home. Maybe she would even help Eli out a bit, seeing as he looked very worried to leave his brother home alone.
"Look at you, you can't stand straight by yourself!" a familiar voice shouted behind her. She turned to see both the Loker brothers coming through the front door and the one she knew…didn't look good.
"Stop touching me!" Eli protested, trying to pull away from his older brother. Liam looked to be supporting his sibling, holding an around Eli's waist. She watched as they stopped, Eli rubbing at his head with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"See? You need my help. You just get dizzy every time you pull that crap." the older one reprimanded.
"What…What happened?" Ria asked, exasperated by this unusual sight. Eli looked at her, resembling a deer in headlights.
"I…I slipped?" he said, unsure of himself. He was a poor liar; the whole office knew that.
"He doesn't quite remember." Liam told her with a sorry look. "I spilled some milk on the floor and didn't clean it up. He just went wooop!" Liam explained, gesturing how Eli fell. "If that wasn't bad enough, I accidentally dropped my bowl on his face when I went to see what happened. It didn't break, but it sure did a number on him." Ria examined the pair, watching as Eli stared at his brother with a confused look and Liam looked to be telling the truth. But, Eli had said he was a great liar.
"Yeah….right." Eli mumbled slowly.
"He needs a little bit of help. He got a bloody head and he said you guys could help fix it up." Liam explained, giving her a pleasant smile. She pursed her lips, not willing to trust that car salesman charm.
"Follow me." she ordered, walking towards Foster's office. She would know what to do best and Eli was actually starting to look a little green. Even if she was unsure about Liam's story, she saw the genuine concern in his face as he helped his brother stumble along.
"Oh, Eli! What happened?" Gillian asked worriedly, quickly getting up from her desk to help the young researcher into a chair.
"Slipped." Eli said simply, his lie covered by an expression of pain. Gillian looked skeptical.
"Then how did you get the bruises on your face?" she inquired, suspicious. The injury to the back of his head was understandable, but it must've been a strange floor if it gave him a black eye.
"I dropped my bowl on his face." Liam replied with that sly apologetic look in his eyes. His guilt was evident on his face, but only because he was already feeling guilty about bringing Eli into his mess. Foster believed him…mostly. At least she believed him enough not to fully question his story. Ria knew better. She had met Liam before; she had experienced what kind of person he was. Foster hadn't even seen him before this minute.
"Can I have a word with you?" she asked Liam, smiling sweetly. He seemed a little mistrustful, but followed her after a moment's contemplation. They went out into the hall, away from Eli or Gillian's ears.
"I don't know what you got Eli into or what you're doing to him, but you have to know that he isn't as strong as you think." she hissed as soon as the door clicked closed. "He does not deserve anymore problems and as far as I see it, you're only giving him grief!"
"Well, look, honey." Liam began with a smirk. Ria glowered at him. "I've known Eli much longer than you and I think he's a bit tougher than you give him credit for. Those nerdy clothes he wears says nothing about him." Liam chuckled as if he was thinking of something funny.
"Even if he is tougher, he's not superman." Ria protested. "He's not a fighter."
"What are you talking about?" Liam said rhetorically, but before he could further his mocking of her words, Ria continued.
"I don't care if you know Eli longer, but you don't know him better. You haven't been here these past few years and you have no idea what sort of person he is. Eli Loker never gets angry. Stressed, yes; irritated, maybe. But not angry. Then you come in and the poor guy explodes!"
"Wait a second. That doesn't prove anything. The kid can work up a temper, I guarantee it." Liam explained. "Eli can fight when he wants to, he just chooses not to."
"He doesn't want to because he would hate to be anything like you!" Ria spat. Liam was taken aback by this response, left speechless by its bluntness. It struck something in him that hadn't been affected in years, somehow making it more painful. He had always known it to be true in his heart, but to hear a stranger say it and with so much force… "He doesn't want to be a liar like you. Eli just wants to be Eli Loker."
Author's Note: Shmerr...What do you think? Review please?
