After throwing his backpack on the floor, Theodore threw himself on the bed closing his eyes. A sigh had escaped his lips as he realized how tired he felt, and how fast his heart beat.
― Why are you like this today? ― Whispered the boy to caress his chest, where he could feel the strong beats.
It was so vivid the sensations in his body, the embrace in his waist, the badly flattened and the warmth that emanated from him. But what made him tremble in bed was to remember Gabriel's warm breath against his neck. His skin still shivered just remembering how close they were both.
Covering his eyes with his hands, he had tried to put away those memories. It was hard when they looked like tattoos in his memory. His mind wanted to pass on the heat, and the blood pulsed with it. His cheeks soon turned red, and Theodore opened his eyes by focusing on the ceiling of his room trying to keep control.
Reaching up, he had looked at his palm as he realized that his fingers seemed to remember perfectly the softness of Gabriel's dark hair. The intention, at the time, was just to make a treat by showing his classmate that he should not worry about an ancient history.
Now it seemed that he really touched his hair.
Turning on the bed, Theodore pulled his pillow and hugged him sinking his face. He wanted to hide. He wanted to get away from those feelings and memories. That afternoon had never happened, the omega repeated in thought.
Gabriel was a handsome boy, that should admit. His smile was bright, his gaze was kind and he behaved like a knight. That, in and of itself, was a hard thing to realize in boys that age. That should be the reason why Gabriel was so popular and attracted Mckenzie's attention.
And when he was on the court, he was focused. He did his best for the team, trained hard to improve his performance. They could count on Gabriel, because he would dedicate himself.
Raising his head, Theodore sighed low.
― Swallows Theo... swallows.
Sitting on the bed, he pulled the handle of the backpack with his foot dragging it close. Taking a notebook and his pencil, Theodore would settle in bed opening the last pages of his notebook. There he crossed off the title of his short list.
"10 bright spots on it". Tilting his head, the blonde soon began to write the topics.
— Smart, not lazy to study. I liked to have done work with him.... ― He whispered as he slid the graphite on paper, forming a beak on his lips. ― Athletic...
The graffiti had stopped when Theodore remembered the focus on the ball that Gabriel had shown that afternoon. The way his tongue slipped between his lips and sweat ran down his face.
― It's not horny is just admiration. That.. ― Grumbled the blonde by shaking his head, hitting the notebook on his forehead ― I was just impressed, that...
Leaning over the notebook to continue writing, Theodore let out a low sigh giving up altogether.
― What the fuck. Leave me alone...
― Sorry... I just wanted to see big brother.
Raising his head quickly to the child standing at his door, Theodore had thrown the notebook on the bed as he got up and went to the younger sister who looked at him with her rosy cheeks.
― What was Lisa? Brother didn't see you there, sorry.
The short girl shook her head sideways and opened a childish smile while hugging her older brother. A tight and cozy hug, which was able to take away the dark and stormy clouds of Theodore's head.
― You promised to watch a movie with me.
Moving away to see those round blue eyes, Theodore melted with the beauty of his little sister beta. He straightened her long hair back and smiled at the smaller one.
― Can you waiting for your brother to go take a shower? I can't come to our slumber party without my pyjamas on, right?
The little girl nods with a sweet toothless smile, increasing the puerile happiness of her older brother. And then she made a jump to give a kiss on the cheek of Theodore, running out to the room to wait for him.
Hiding his face between his hands, an older brother collapsed.
― Ah Lisa, you'll kill me with your cuteness.
Getting up to go take his bath, Theodore had momentarily forgotten about a certain transfer colleague. A sweet, puerile smile may have been the cause of his sudden calm.
Wearing a blue shorts and a white tank top like pyjamas, Theodore soon went to the living room where he found his younger sister sitting waiting for him. Next to her, the mother whose appearance was identical to the two minors, arranged the sofa with thin blankets preparing the environment for the children to enjoy the night.
When the woman turns her eldest son to the foot of the ladder, she gives him a smile and calls him silently with an outstretched hand. Theodore went out until she held her hand, kissing her sweetly in greeting.
―Thank you for taking care of your sister tonight.
― No need to thank, I like to have those moments. So... Do you know where you're going?
The beta woman had her cheeks red and a shy smile appeared on her lips, highlighting her beauty. Theodore had kept that image in his mind of how happy his mother was at that moment.
― He wants to take me to the restaurant where we had the wedding party. And this weekend we'll take you and Lisa to eat there. Okay?
― Well... Saturday we have game in the afternoon.
― I promise we'll get you to the gym in time. No need to worry.
― Mom, can Lisa make popcorn?
― Popcorn from what, my dear?
― Chocolate.
The woman represses the laughter, looking from the corner to the eldest son who already hid his face between his hands. It was so obvious that the sweet girl wanted to please her big brother by asking him to make his favourite sweet popcorn. But the mother wanted to see more of the two children interacting like that, and so she pretended to disagree by leaning on the upholstery and questioning her youngest daughter.
― I thought Lisa liked caramel...
— But Lisa is going to eat with her big brother, so it has to be chocolate! ― Replied the girl by standing on the upholstery to go to his brother and extend his arms with his angelic smile.
― She'll kill me cute, that big brother is weak of heart.
Theodore went to her sister picking her up, filling her chubby face with kisses, hearing her laugh childishly.
― If her father sees this, he'll be jealous. Oh, before I forget, your father called...
The mere mention of that figure had made Theodore look frightened at his mother. The blonde had come to hug his sister tighter in his arms, swallowing hard when he saw the woman smile gently.
― What kind of reaction is that?
― It's nothing... What did he want?
― He asked you to visit him one of these days, stay to sleep. It seems he has something to talk to you about.
― My father wants me to go sleep at his house without being a weekend?
― That's what it looks like.
― Big Brother won't go! ― Mumbled the little girl making a sullen beak, clinging to Theodore's neck. ― Big Brother stays with Lisa.
― What jealous sister ― Played the woman, stroking the hair of the smallest, who had even more sulking.
― Big brother won't go!
Realizing that the little one was about to start crying when her round eyes filled with tears, Theodore shook her lightly in her lap and stroked her back.
― Big brother will be fine, right? No need to cry, no need to be sad.
― But he's gonna beat up big brother again!
― Lisa!
The little girl soon hid her sullen face on her brother's neck, hugging him tight. Raising his clear eyes to his mother, Theodore smiled sadly as he reached out to hold his mother's hand, lifting it to his lips where he had laid a kiss.
The girl's tantrum was understandable. Theodore still remembered the amazement in her tiny eyes when he arrived home on a stormy night. After that day he had no longer talked to his father, and it had been a year since he thought he had found happiness.
But it looks like trouble would keep chasing him.
The sound of the door opening revealing the tall man with red hair had broken the silence of those three. Noticing the tension, he approached looking at his wife and two brothers, leaning his head subtly to the side.
― Did something happen?
Theodore and her mother exchanged glances, the woman caressing the arm of the new husband shaking her head. Although both wanted to omit the reason for the tension, the little girl had not thought the same. She soon raised her head looking sadly at the beta father.
― That bad man wants to take my big brother away, Dad.
The red-haired man had looked at Theodore with surprise, then stared at the wife who had just nodded. Biting his lower lip, the boy had opened a nervous smile to his stepfather.
— Mom was telling me my dad called, that's all. ― The man's eyes popped out quickly to his wife, who gestured about telling the details later. ― Anyway, have a nice dinner. I'll put Lisa to bed early, no need to worry.
― A-Ah... Right. I brought you hot dogs to eat, but if you want me to bring something else...
— No, it's great. We're going to see a movie, so hot dogs work. Isn't that Lisa? ― Trying to make the little girl smile, Theodore had been embarrassed when he was ignored, even if she did not let go of his neck. ― Hey, princess, don't ignore big brother.
The red-haired man had handed the bag with the snacks to Theodore and then leaned over to look at the little daughter, who still did not face her brother. Smiling gently to the smallest, he stroked his forehead where he had deposited a kiss then.
― Lisa loves big brother very much, doesn't she? That's why she has to smile, otherwise he'll cry.
― I do not want him to cry... ― Grumbled the little girl, squeezing his fingers on his brother's shirt.
— So Dad counts on you to make big brother smile. Take pictures, Dad promises that he will frame for us to make that surprise for his birthday, okay?
Immediately the smile appeared on the girl's lips, she raised her head quickly agreeing with her head.
― Promise?
― Dad promises.
― What surprise is that? ― Theodore asked curious.
Lisa and her father exchanged glances and gave low giggles refusing to answer.
― Well, then... Can we go? ― Asked the man embracing his wife's waist, who gave him a joyful smile ― What was it?
― You are amazing.
― I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. We're going kids, be a good girl, and whatever you need to call.
― Have fun!
The tension was gone thanks to the genius of Peter, Theodore's stepfather. The boy had noted mentally that he should thank him later, for cheering his sister and making her forget what had happened.
As soon as the couple had left the house, Theodore had left his sister on the couch and gone to prepare snacks. Being away from Lisa, the shadow of worry had taken over.
Theodore did not want to meet his father so soon. His body trembled just to remember how painful that night had been. Taking a deep breath, the blonde removed the bitter memories from his mind, trying to pop the popcorn.
The moment he returned to the room, Theodore had abandoned worry to smile. His sweet and beloved sister was waiting for him to watch High School Musical for the millionth time, and something said that that night they would dance and sing until they were tired.