𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 , 𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍

back to december ♪ alex mercer

alex's brother oc
1202 words

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆ ♥ ♫ ♥ ♫ ♥ ☆ﾟ. ───

alex knew it was time. after watching luke go through it, the worst of it, he knew it was his turn to brave his way through seeing his own family.

not even his parents, his sister.

the one who had been there for him when his parents werent, loved him when his parents didnt. he needed to see you, but the thought put an ache in his stomach.

he sighed as he poofed in front of his childhood home, reminiscing on the memories it brought.

| december, 1995 |

alex bursted into your room, and you jumped on your bed. you were ready to yell, hours into studying you had finally found yourself in a good rhythm. and you valued your privacy, thats why your door was closed.

but you looked up to meet the boys gaze, and found his cheeks damp with tears and his eyes blood shot. you heard the after effects of a fight with your parents out in the hallway.

you chucked the notebooks off of your lap and ran to your brother, holding him in your arms as he weeped.

you hated this, but this was the first of many.

that's when it started. the hatred to your brother from your parents, just because of who he was. they would constantly fight with your brother, and you would be punished as well for stepping in to them. no one was ever happy at home anymore.

that was the start of many nights, nights that were filled with fights and tears and hugs and pain from your brother passed over to you. it was never ok, after that, your house.

"i promise you, alex," you would say, one night, looking into his eyes full of tears, "it will get better soon. they still love you."

but soon enough, even you would doubt your words.

you wanted it better now. but you felt as if you had no power at all, not being able to get a word about it in with your parents, and alex had refused to come home some nights. you were lonely, in a house with parents you were fighting with as well, but you knew it was only some of what your brother had been feeling, so you let him spend the night at lukes, or reggies, or sometimes even joining him in the garage. when he came home some mornings, you'd meet him outside with a hug as drive him to school.

you were determined, to make that change happen for him at home. you'd do anything.

one day.

but you had felt guilty now, constantly racking your brain for what you could've done then, wishing you hadn't kept saying later.

you wished you could just go back, and fix it all. maybe your brother would've died happier, or maybe not at all.

| current day |

alex stepped up to his old house, which now belonged to you.

his parents had left, after his death, but you had persisted on staying, not being able to leave the memories that lived there.

alex knew as soon as he stepped in, your colors and style radiating through out the house. he whispered your name, knowing full well that the house was now yours.

he didnt see a car parked in the drive way, and no sign of anyone home, so he walked around freely.

the kitchen had been repainted, but the same pans hung above the stove and the same flower pots sat on the window sill, different plants sat inside. pictures of you and him lined every wall, he even noticed some duplicates, just to fill up empty space. but they were really youre favorites.

his eyebrows lifted as he remembered his drum set, down in the basement. he would always practice down there, and soon you had grown an interest in the guitar, and you would play together all the time. writing songs even, you had a knack for such a thing. he never did get the chance to show luke youre work though, dying kinda got in the way.

he walked down the basement stairs, taking in the scent that was his old bedroom. his bed was still there, sheets messily laying on top of it, and his sisters pajamas sat on top of the pillow. the way she always left her own bed.

she had been sleeping down here most nights.

the drum set was still there, and her guitar leaned on the wall next to it.

his head tilted, though, as he noticed a white object stuck between the strings. he walked over, picking it up with his fingers. it was a piece of paper.

slowly, he unfolded it.

and read the words you had written not two months ago.

his eyes filled with tears.

so this is me swallowing my pride
standing here in front of you saying im sorry for that night
and i go back to december all the time

immediately, alex knew it wasnt just one night you were talking about. it was every night. december was just the start.

it turns out freedom aint nothing but missing you
wishing id realize what i had when you were here
id go back to december, turn around and make it alright
i go back to december all the time

the tears in his eyes spilled over his cheeks. alex knew all you ever wanted was for everything to be okay, to fix everything for him, but he knew it wasnt in your hands to fix. his freedom wasn't going to be given by you, but by the acceptance of his parents. now, living on her own, it was the wrong sibling who felt free from their judgement.

those rough nights, he had just been happy you were there for him when he needed you, he didnt need anything else. he wished he could tell you that now.

a thud upstairs startled him, and he knew it was time to go. he stuffed the paper back where he had found it, and took one last look around his- your, room.

he saw his blue comforter, his dresser, his drums. it all looked the same, smelt the same, felt the same. it felt like home, and it felt like you.

before he knew it, he was pulling back his sheets, fluffing your pillow, fixing up your room a bit. he leaned your guitar on the bed, seat the drums straight and opened up your curtains.

and then he got an idea. quickly, he searched your room for the stuffed bear he had given you when you were just kids. it was pink and had a blue bow, you had named it alexandria, similar to your brothers.

he took the bear and leaned it on your pillow, kissing it's floppy ears. he smiled down, and a tear fell down to wet the bears nose.

he heard you humming upstairs, and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. he knew he had to leave now.

whispering a last 'i love you', he poofed out of your house. with a smile on his face.

this was all he needed.