Oh Brother (Completed)

Another One Bites the Buck

Buckley Bennett took absolutely no one and nothing serious. Since the moment he'd stood and walked for the first time, he'd gotten into anything and everything possible, without even a second to spare to consider the repercussions of his actions. My mother had said that he'd always kept her on her toes, that Phil had been the child to make her want more, but Buckley had been the one to make her question that decision. Fortunately, she'd been blessed with Sam three years later, and he was opposite of Buck in every way imaginable.

As I dragged the zombie of myself back through the front door after trying to wrap my head around Damien's words, I felt a wave of relief wash over me when I spotted my blonde headed brother on the couch, his bare feet kicked up on the coffee table. I'd easily be able to sneak passed him without being bombarded with questions.

Or at least I had thought I would, but as soon as I pressed the door gently behind me, Buck's eyes flickered from the UFC lighting up the flatscreen to my hunched figure in the doorway. "How'd your day go? Did you get the job?"

It was so casual, so nonchalant, so Buckley.

"It went okay. I got the job, and also found a female friend to escape to when all the toxic masculinity in this house gets to be too much." I answered.

My brother's entire body shook with laughter. "I take it you met Cady then."

I nodded, but my brother lowered the sound on the TV and patted the vacant spot next to him. "Get over here, Ari. I promise I don't bite."

I leaned forward on the tips of my feet before breaking through my hesitation and crossing the room to him. As soon as I was at his side, he grabbed the lavender fleece blanket to his left and draped it over my lap. Noticing my look, he gestured toward the door with a suggestive look.

"Don't need Damien or Nix getting the wrong idea with you just sitting here in a bikini." He said, then considered his words and added, "Though, I'm pretty sure Nix has been fantasizing about you without them since you got here."

I smiled a little, shoving at bicep playfully. "Stop. It's not like that."

"Oh, it's definitely like that." Buck said, reaching for the remote on the table between his feet. "I promise I'll be the first to make sure that your bedroom doors are open when you're alone together."

I buried my face in my hands, feeling the warmth spread throughout; Buckley just chuckled softly to himself. The words hung in the air for a few minutes before he broke the silence once more.

"So," He smirked. "Is there a special guy back home?"

I could feel my eyebrows draw in confusion, not in regard to the question, but why he was asking. There must have been some sort of ulterior motive behind it.

"No. Nope. Even if I did, I wouldn't be talking to my older brother about it." I replied.

"But I'm the cool older brother." He touched his hand to his chest in mock hurt. "I remember when we were kids, all you little idiots turned to me to try and sweet talk you out of punishment."

His smirk stretched into a full, genuine smile as he reminisced in the memory. Being as close as I was, I could see the lines of exhaustion around his eyes, the dark bags that circled them. To say he looked tired would be an understatement; he look so utterly exhausted it made my heart hurt a little for him. I knew all too well the type of exhaustion he was feeling wasn't fixable by a decent nights sleep, it was so far beyond that, it was close to impossible to obtain.