Bill biked home alone on that Monday afternoon after school. Georgie had a dentist appointment at 11 in the morning so their mother didn't bother waking him up. Bill had to wake up though, but didn't complain. Not that he was afraid of the dentist or anything, just that it never felt exactly pleasant when a man aggressively picked at his teeth and then criticized his teeth care, or the fact that he's suggested countless ways to fix his stutter, which never worked.
He walked up the driveway and put his bike away in the garage. He waltzed in his house, humming to himself, and marched up the stairs to his room. When he got to his room, his door was already open, but only an inch. He pushed it open cautiously and saw his little brother on his bed with a book in his hand. The cover was a navy blue with no words. It wasn't until Bill saw the silk, red page holder that he realized what book that was. He gasped, his breath somehow void of his lungs. His heart jumped into his throat and his stutter wouldn't let him even start a syllable.
Georgie was scared, too. He nearly jumped off the bed at his brother's surprised sound. He shut the book quickly but sat completely still, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry," the little boy whispered as Bill walked over to him. Bill slowly took the book out of his little brother's hands and put it back on the shelf. He sat down next to him, not saying a word nor looking at him.
"What did you s-see?," he asked quietly after a moment.
"Not much," Georgie muttered. "I only looked through the first few pages..." Bill didn't say anything for long time, his body was completely still but his mind was zooming everywhere. He resisted the urge to force Georgie to get into the specifics. He could have seen anything. Bill tried to think of what even was in the first few pages but his heartbeat was so loud he only focused on breathing. "I don't think it's weird, Billy...," the boy barely whispered.
"Get out," Bill sighed through his teeth as soon as he heard "think."
"Okay," Georgie hopped off the bed and nearly ran out of the room.
Bill tried to forget what had just happened, for Georgie's and his own sake. Despite his efforts, he barely paid attention to his homework, filling in the blanks but not absorbing anything. He finished his last math problem and put his stuff away. He flopped back on his bed and glared at the ceiling, then at his smaller bookshelf next to his bed. He lazily grabbed the book out of its hiding place and really took a look at it since he saw it in his baby brother's hands. The red page marker wasn't where Bill had left off; it was on the second and third pages, where Georgie said he was. He was actually interested enough that he moved it to where he was, or it was because of his boyish curiosity that made him play with any gadget that was in front of him. Maybe he wasn't even reading it... but he was.
"I don't think it's weird, Billy."
Of course he'd be interested in his big brother. Bill was his idol after all. He wanted his secrets of how to be so awesome and how to be so smart and make beautiful pieces of art. Georgie knew his brother had a mind that was one in a million, he knew that from the start. And he was always so kind to Georgie. He had seen other sibling relationships. They were awful. Most siblings didn't like each other at all, the younger purposefully annoying and the older being mean. Bill and Georgie never tried to hurt each other. They had mutual respect, and both knew how lucky they were for that. It was heartbreaking when that trust was questioned, or taken away all together.
Georgie truly felt like crying when he sat at the dinner table. It was the four of them, like always, his father at the "head" of the ovalish table, his mother beside him at the other "end" of the table, and Bill across from him. Bill didn't look at him at all. He ate his food silently but not oddly, their parents didn't think anything of it after a simple, "Tired, Bill?"
"Yes, Sir," he punctuated his words, but was soft. His father looked at Bill.
"You hear that, Sharon?" She looked up from her food. "Our son's speech is improving everyday," he said with manly pride, looking at his oldest. She only smiled since her mouth was full. "I'm sure you'll completely grow out of it soon. You're a lot better than when you were little."
Bill forced a smile, "Y-yeah." He didn't get his hopes. He couldn't. Not again.
For the rest of dinner, their father was talking about his day at the office, mainly at their mother, who nodded along and occasionally hummed a reply. Bill finished his food first, washed his plate quickly, and went up to his room. Georgie had eaten half of his food when Bill left the table. Nothing else was touched after that.
Zack Denbrough noticed his youngest son's distress but froze. 'Oh god. Feelings,' Zack thought to himself. He looked to his wife across the table with subtle-but-pleading eyes. She looked up eventually and was a little surprised, to say it mildly, at her husband's gaze. He gestured to Georgie with his wide eyes then looked back to Sharon. Her face fell from curious to annoyed in a heartbeat. 'What?,' Zack mouthed at his wife defensively.
'You're his dad, you know,' she mouthed back at him dramatically. The grown man across from her slouched down moodily, a pout protruding from his lips. He couldn't care less about what his sons did with their free time, but he knew when to step in if he needed to. He just hated doing it.
He had already felt the tension from those two not saying a word, or doing anything for that matter. He did his best to distract them- that's what Zack thought he was best at- but he was tuned out entirely. Sharon was better with the feelings part of this; she always was. It wasn't like he didn't try but damn. He felt useless. He would never admit that to anyone of course, not even Sharon, but she already knew she was better.
He was the rule enforcer after all. The bad cop, and she was the good one. It worked. Zack was very proud of how his family turned out. His eldest might have a stutter but he was pretty damn smart, smarter than his father, and talented too. He's come up with the most dazzling of crafts and drawings. His youngest had his mother's looks and his father's charm, already a ladies man from a toddler. His kids had won the genetic lottery, and Zack reminded them of that whenever he could.
Although they were a bit of an emotional bunch. What could one expect, from having such a sympathetic and kind mother? He had grown up with a number of sisters, younger and older, different moods and attitudes everyday. He knew when to stay away and when to distract. His sons were just as moody, but he couldn't distract them with chocolate for very long until they were upset about their problem again.
He looked to his wife again for a reassuring sign that she was going to handle this. Nothing. He sighed inwardly, not wanting to upset his youngest any further.
"Georgie?," Zack questioned gently. No response. "You don't like your food?" The little boy sucked in a breath through trembling lips. Zack's eyes widened. Georgie's face crumbled and he choked out a sob. "Do," Zack's voice raised an octave as he panickly looked to his wife and back to his son, "you want something else?" Georgie put his face in his hands to try and stop his sobs, or anyone from seeing them. Zack got up slowly and took his plate to the sink.
Sharon gawked at him the whole way there. She wanted to scream. Won't you be a damn man for once?
AN: A tad more mindful than Ted Wheeler but he still chooses not to get involved with his own children. But yeah here's some feels that are "ow", well for a few paragraphs lmao. See ya later!