Authors Note: Thank you so much for all the favorites! and those reviews thank you! I really wasn't expecting anyone to like my stories, and I definitely didn't expect to get good reviews and all the favorites. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! And... I am really sorry for the short chapters. I'm going to try and make them longer, I promise.

"Stóri bróðir!" Emil chased after his friend with a wide grin. "Big brother, wait!" He laughed quietly. They were running through the field on their way to the fort. As he was running, he failed to notice the hole buried beneath layers of snow. He tripped and fell, landing on his hands and knees. Tears formed in his eyes, but he didn't cry.

Lukas glanced back to make sure his lillebror was still following. When he saw Emil on the ground, he turned back to see what was wrong. "Emil? Are you okay?" He crouched down next to him, his expression as close to concern as it would ever be.

"My leg hurts really bad." He tried to get up but Lukas pushed him back down.

"I'm getting my Mom." Lukas said quietly. As he was getting up, however, Emil grabbed onto his leg with one arm and refused to let go.

"Don't leave me alone," he whimpered. True, Emil was in pain, but the last thing he wanted was to be alone. And so Lukas sat. He pulled Emil close in an attempt to comfort him, and scanned the field for any sign of another child or an adult. Only when he saw a familiar face did he call out.

"Arthur!"

-Time Skip-

It was two days after Emil sprained his ankle, and seven since he met Lukas. The older boy was hovering over him any chance he got, determined that he would keep Emil safe. Of course to their parents this was absolutely adorable, but to Lukas it was serious buisness. It was his job as Emil's stóri bróðir to take care of him.

"Oh hello Lukas." Emil's mother Clara greeted him with a smile. "Come on in." She let Lukas and his father inside, closing the door behind them. "Emil is in his room." Clara said to the boy. Lukas nodded and ran down the hallway. He slowly pushed open Emil's door, poking his head inside.

"Emil?"

"Hi Lukas." Emil muttered dejectedly. He was sitting in the floor, staring lifelessly at the television in the corner.

"What's wrong?" Lukas sat next to his friend, looking over at the televison to see what he was watching.

"Mommy and daddy said we're moving back home." Emil replied, his voice almost a whisper. It broke his heart to say it, but he had to. His aunt was killed in a car accident and both grandparents had fallen ill, so his parents had decided to move back to Iceland. Emil didn't think it was fair, but his mother and father weren't going to listen.

"Why?" Lukas whispered. He was more upset than he was letting on. His expression remained its default, but inside he wasn't sure what to feel.

Emil simply shrugged. "We're going in a few days." He looked over at Lukas for the first time that day. It looked like he had been crying. Slowly, he closed the gap between Lukas and himself. They hugged for a while, Emil resting his head on the older boy's shoulder. It was more comfortable that way. For both of them.

"I don't want to leave." Emil cried. His voice was muffled by Lukas's shoulder. "I want to stay with you stóri bróðir." He sniffled softly.

Lukas didn't say anything but he felt the same way. Who was going to protect Emil? Who was going to sit in the snow with him when he hurt his ankle? Surely someone would fill that 'big brother' role right? For Emil's sake? "I'll call," he said after a while of quiet sobbing.

"Really?" Emil lifted his head, wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve. He looked Lukas directly in the eye.

"Yes." Lukas dried Emil's cheek with his thumb, smiling in the faintest as the younger boy struggled to move his head away.

"Lukas." His father opened the door, staring directly at his son. "Your mother called, we need to get back home." He had a sad look in his eye, which was unusual for Lukas's normally upbeat and optimistic father. "Your cat just died." Great. Things just kept getting better and better. Lukas got to his feet, walking over to his father after waving Emil a quick good-bye. "Come on."

Lukas pressed his forehead against the car window, staring out at the street. Emil would be better off in Iceland right? He was born there after all. His family was there. Lukas assumed he would eventually be replaced as a big brother figure. There would be someone to look after his lillebror when he couldn't be there. After a while, he started to calm himself down. He reassured himself that Emil would be happy and well-taken care of.

...

Lukas never called.