𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 // 𝑀𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑘

24.

"...I would thank you but I don't know your name."

She smiled as she ran the warm cloth over his toned chest while eyeing his bruises.

"Ahiella."

"Thank you, Ahiella..."

Hearing those words almost put Ahiella to tears, she didn't know why but it just hurt. Maybe because this poor boy looked almost half dead a minute ago, or maybe it's because no ones ever thanked her before. She's always helped people but they never give her credit.

Once she helps them they shut her out, and leave her alone to her thoughts. Which for any young girl isn't good, our thoughts run wild at a young age and even as we get older they're still hard to control.

She felt alone, unwanted, and useless. Since her father passed away when she was only three she doesn't remember much about him. And with no other family around to take her in she was forced to become an orphan. But little did she know there was someone who could've taken her in, they were just at too much of a low point in their life.

But either way, that's no excuse.

But once she was done cleaning Nico she helped him up and dried him off, it wasn't really awkward for her because at the orphanage she'd help some of the younger kids get ready to go with their new families, so she wasn't really fazed by seeing someone naked but c'mon now, she couldn't help but stare a little bit.

She couldn't lie and say this man wasn't attractive, but she had to focus on the task at hand, helping her brother.

"You just gonna stare or are you gonna hand me my clothes?"

Nico said with a chuckle, snapping Ahiella out of her thoughts. She didn't realize she'd been staring at him the whole time, "O-oh shit, I am so sorry." She said as she covered her eyes and looked away, handing Nico his clothes before walking out the bathroom, but not without bumping into the door frame, "ow fuck.." she groaned as she walked out. Nico chuckled and smirked before putting his shirt on.

"Cute."

As Derek put the bags in the car he groaned in agony, "why are these so heavy? Jesus." He said while closer the trunk and getting in the drivers seat. He pulled out his phone and saw texts from Mike, and Kairi. Kairi was pissed, he wanted to know why Mike was limping so much and had bruises all over his body. But Mike just warned him about Kairi going off on him when he got home.

He sighed and threw his phone on the seat next to him.

"I'm a piece of shit."
____________________________________