Blind Stitch

Chapter 2

"I told you, I'm fine. Let me walk." Lou huffed, pushing Nolan's arm away once they made it through the threshold of their house. Mandy stepped through prior to getting a glass of water fixed up. The amount of weight Lou was entrusting onto the brunette wasn't evident until Nolan muttered a 'fine' and raised his hands defensively away from the blond. Lou unceremoniously fell to the ground with a yelp.

Mandy set the half-filled glass of water on the kitchen table and rushed over to help Lou stand again. "Nolan! What the heck?"

"He wanted to walk. So, I let him walk." She sent him a look that didn't faze him all that much anymore. After living with Lou for the past few months, he'd learned how to handle the little brat. "It's fine," he eased her away from Lou, holding onto his forearm for support. "Watch. Lou," Nolan bent at the waist a bit like you would a small child, "are you ready to actually accept help now instead of doing everything yourself and failing?" His tone was light and babyish. Aspects that had Lou glaring up at him but relenting and allowing Nolan to carry him toward the stairs.

Lou pouted for a good minute while he was being carried upstairs. The stubbornness quickly faded into humility and Lou rested his head against Nolan's chest. "Thank you."

"When are you gonna learn that I'm always gonna be here for you?"

"'You're welcome' is actually what I was looking for—hey!" Lou was dropped onto the bed and Nolan was no sooner leaning over him, glaring.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking off into the bathroom for the past two weeks now. Every time you come back, your face is paler, and your feet are pigeon-toed. I haven't said anything cause I thought that if something was wrong you would straight up tell me. That's what brothers do, Lou. They tell each other things—"

"I-I don't—"

"You do keep secrets. Don't even start."

"Hypocrite," Lou hissed, sending a pointed glare to Nolan's shoulder where the insignia was.

"For doll's sake, Lou! I wanna help you, but you make it so difficult! You always act like you have to handle these things on your own and you don't. Did our last adventure not teach you that? I'm not just gonna turn my back on you when you need me. So, stop trying to push me away when things get tough."

"I can handle myself just fine—"

"No, you can't! You think you can do these things, but you just can't, Lou! Are you that ashamed to need help? To need me? What, do you want me to just leave? I'll leave right now."

"Nolan, please," Lou grabbed his arm as he began to sit up straight. "I-I'm not...I'm not saying I don't need you. It's just...I'm sick. I'm tired. A-And I'm sick and tired of being the one who always has something going wrong. For once, I want to take care of someone instead of everyone fussing over me. I'm just a burden at this point—baggage is what I am. I'm just a freaking broken prototype that keeps screwing up—"

"Then that makes two of us." Nolan gave a breathless laugh. He sat down beside Lou on the bed, wrapping an arm around his side. "We take care of each other, okay? You always help me when I have anxiety attacks. I help you with—"

"Everything," Lou sighed, looking away.

Nolan just smiled. "You say that as if you don't help me with literally everything." When Lou still didn't look his way, Nolan spoke up again. "Me and you are gonna sit down one day here soon and write a list of everything we did and still do to help each other. And I'm going to hang it up on the fridge so you can see it every day."

Mandy came into the bedroom with a glass of water and a cold compress in her hands. She set the former on the bedside table. "Everything good?" She took note of Lou's quiet demeanor and Nolan leaned up against the blond.