Notes: all notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter one
-
He awoke in an unfamiliar bed, sunlight streaming through the windows, and someone bouncing ever so slightly at the edge of the mattress. He threw his arm up to shield his eyes from the worst of the light, hissing slightly in the process as a sharp pain shot up his side.
The bouncing stopped and was replaced by the dipping of the bed, as someone was suddenly leaning over him. Squinting, he immediately recognized the familiar concerned expression. "You okay, bro?"
"I'm fine, bro." Hunter grinned at his younger brother. "Don't make that face," he continued, noting the look that still graced his brother's face. "It's gonna freeze like that one day."
Blake allowed himself a smile. "I'm going to ignore that part, dude. Anyway. Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asked again, question this time punctuated by gentle pokes to Hunter's chest and ribs.
His brother batted away prodding fingers with his other arm. "Ow! Quit it, man!"
Laughing now, Blake complied and dropped down onto the bed, using his brother's shoulder as a pillow. Hunter willingly scooted over to make room for his younger brother.
"So where exactly am I right now?" Hunter asked Blake, noting the unfamiliar furnishing and wallpaper of the room.
"Ops." Blake replied. "They took you back here yesterday, after the…you know." He cringed as he continued. "You just fell asleep and they didn't want to wake you up. Oh, and it's eleven in the morning right now." He finished, answering Hunter's unasked question.
"Great."
There was a silence between the two.
"Hunter?" Quietly.
"Yeah?" Sensing the quiet apprehension, Hunter's response was gentle as he turned his head to face his brother.
"I'm sorry."
Hunter was perplexed. "For what?"
Blake was unable to meet his eyes. "For…making you think that I don't need you to take care of me anymore. Or whatever. I do need you, you know."
A sigh. "I know that, Blake. I also know that I really should back off a little with the whole protective-ness thing. I'll work on that."
"No, it's not that. It's just…"
"It's what, bro?"
"You should stop trying to take care of me all the time and forget to take care of yourself!" Blake burst out. "Like yesterday! What the hell was that? If you think that I need you, why the hell would you _do_ something like that?" His voice wavered, threatening to crack at any moment, burying his face into the arm of his brother's jersey.
Hunter swallowed the lump that was suddenly forming in his throat. "Blake, bro, look at me." Blake shook his head, head still buried against his arm. "Okay, okay, fine. Just listen then, all right?
It's not a matter of taking care of myself. I know I need to, and I do" he chuckled. "How else would we still be here if it weren't for my amazing survival skills?"
He heard a muffled laugh (maybe a sniffle?) and took that as a cue to continue.
"The thing is, bro, I'm never going to stop with the need to take care of you. I need you, need to know that you're okay. So even if I do back off a bit, if something like yesterday happens another time, I'd do it all over again. I can't help it: it's almost like an instinct. And you're just going to have to accept that. Okay?"
He suddenly found himself being firmly embraced by Blake, who was looking very young as he offered Hunter a shaky smile. "Okay."
Hunter ruffled his brother's hair. "You know, it's only because I think I need you more than you need me."
There was uncertain laughter on Blake's part. "What?"
"Yeah, seriously bro. Don't you know? You're the one who's been keeping me sane all this time."
Blake couldn't resist a jibe at that one. "You think you're _sane_? I'd hate to see what you would be like without me."
Hunter only good-naturedly rolled his eyes. "So there's your proof. Wise guy."
Another moment of silence, this one more companionable and comfortable.
And then tentatively, slowly, Blake spoke. "So…we're cool?" Understanding reached, but still clutching onto his brother like he was afraid he was going to disappear.
Hunter smiled at him. "Of course."
They always were.
-
He awoke in an unfamiliar bed, sunlight streaming through the windows, and someone bouncing ever so slightly at the edge of the mattress. He threw his arm up to shield his eyes from the worst of the light, hissing slightly in the process as a sharp pain shot up his side.
The bouncing stopped and was replaced by the dipping of the bed, as someone was suddenly leaning over him. Squinting, he immediately recognized the familiar concerned expression. "You okay, bro?"
"I'm fine, bro." Hunter grinned at his younger brother. "Don't make that face," he continued, noting the look that still graced his brother's face. "It's gonna freeze like that one day."
Blake allowed himself a smile. "I'm going to ignore that part, dude. Anyway. Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asked again, question this time punctuated by gentle pokes to Hunter's chest and ribs.
His brother batted away prodding fingers with his other arm. "Ow! Quit it, man!"
Laughing now, Blake complied and dropped down onto the bed, using his brother's shoulder as a pillow. Hunter willingly scooted over to make room for his younger brother.
"So where exactly am I right now?" Hunter asked Blake, noting the unfamiliar furnishing and wallpaper of the room.
"Ops." Blake replied. "They took you back here yesterday, after the…you know." He cringed as he continued. "You just fell asleep and they didn't want to wake you up. Oh, and it's eleven in the morning right now." He finished, answering Hunter's unasked question.
"Great."
There was a silence between the two.
"Hunter?" Quietly.
"Yeah?" Sensing the quiet apprehension, Hunter's response was gentle as he turned his head to face his brother.
"I'm sorry."
Hunter was perplexed. "For what?"
Blake was unable to meet his eyes. "For…making you think that I don't need you to take care of me anymore. Or whatever. I do need you, you know."
A sigh. "I know that, Blake. I also know that I really should back off a little with the whole protective-ness thing. I'll work on that."
"No, it's not that. It's just…"
"It's what, bro?"
"You should stop trying to take care of me all the time and forget to take care of yourself!" Blake burst out. "Like yesterday! What the hell was that? If you think that I need you, why the hell would you _do_ something like that?" His voice wavered, threatening to crack at any moment, burying his face into the arm of his brother's jersey.
Hunter swallowed the lump that was suddenly forming in his throat. "Blake, bro, look at me." Blake shook his head, head still buried against his arm. "Okay, okay, fine. Just listen then, all right?
It's not a matter of taking care of myself. I know I need to, and I do" he chuckled. "How else would we still be here if it weren't for my amazing survival skills?"
He heard a muffled laugh (maybe a sniffle?) and took that as a cue to continue.
"The thing is, bro, I'm never going to stop with the need to take care of you. I need you, need to know that you're okay. So even if I do back off a bit, if something like yesterday happens another time, I'd do it all over again. I can't help it: it's almost like an instinct. And you're just going to have to accept that. Okay?"
He suddenly found himself being firmly embraced by Blake, who was looking very young as he offered Hunter a shaky smile. "Okay."
Hunter ruffled his brother's hair. "You know, it's only because I think I need you more than you need me."
There was uncertain laughter on Blake's part. "What?"
"Yeah, seriously bro. Don't you know? You're the one who's been keeping me sane all this time."
Blake couldn't resist a jibe at that one. "You think you're _sane_? I'd hate to see what you would be like without me."
Hunter only good-naturedly rolled his eyes. "So there's your proof. Wise guy."
Another moment of silence, this one more companionable and comfortable.
And then tentatively, slowly, Blake spoke. "So…we're cool?" Understanding reached, but still clutching onto his brother like he was afraid he was going to disappear.
Hunter smiled at him. "Of course."
They always were.
