Goodbye My Alpha (BxB)

Chapter 28: Family Ties

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Julian asked while putting the car into gear and setting off.

"Yes I'll be alright, I'm going to a b-birthday party not the KKK headquarters!" Tully replied in exasperation as he fastened his seat belt.

"You know that's not what I meant. I...we just worry about you that's all."

Tully sighed but his voice softened. "I know. Really, I do. So y-you and everyone else in this family need to stop b-being such worrywarts."

"Worrywart?" Julian repeated. "It sounds like an animal, doesn't it? If worrywarts were real animals, what would their collective noun be?" He mused.

Tully levelled a flat look at his brother. But Julian continued. "A herd of worrywarts? Or maybe an aggregation of worrywarts? Look there! Isn't that an aggregation of worrywarts? It works but it could be better."

"A f-family of worrywarts. Or maybe a brotherhood of worrywarts." Tully stated matter-of-factly.

Julian nodded in agreement. "'Family' as in a family of Otters,' right? Which animal group is 'brotherhood' from?"

Tully nodded then smirked but didn't issue a response.

Julian thought about it for a moment, then he chuckled, eyes narrowing in amusement and realisation. "You made the 'brotherhood' up, right? Well, I'll have you know that as your big brother,  worrying is kind of in my job description."

"I think t-that everything has been all about me for so l-long that you guys have forgotten that you have your own lives to live." Tully said as he lowered the car window and immediately a cool chill rushed at his face. It was approaching 8pm and the winter sky was already thickly dark. The clouds on their unceasing voyage  glided past the moon, obscuring it like a palm covering a giant eye.

The car smoothly traversed the narrow country lane that divided the pine forest in half. Tully would occasionally direct Julian on which turn to take next.

"I spoke to dad yesterday". Julian tentatively broached. "He was asking after you. He said he tried to call you but you didn't answer the phone."

With lips clamped shut, Tully lowered his head. Silence settled into the tight confines of the car as neither of them spoke for a while.

"I was going to c-call him back t-tomorrow." Tully responded eventually but his tone failed to convince even himself. 

Julian sighed in a manner akin to a tired old father. "Tul, part of why we worry so much is because you don't tell us anything. I know that it's futile for me to attempt to pry out what happened between you and dad, so I won't even bother. Mum and Claude know it too, that's why we've all been waiting in the hopes that you'll eventually tell us. Dad said you just had an argument but we can all sense that that wasn't all. But it's been almost three years, isn't it past time that you sorted whatever this is out?"

Julian looked at Tully's sheepish expression and his eyes softened. "We are always here for you, you know that, right?"

"I know."  Tully whispered.

"It's good, you know." Julian said as he reached out to ruffle Tully's hair with the expectation that his hand would be promptly swatted away. Instead he felt his palm being gently squeezed in Tully's smaller one.  Then, it was swatted away. Julian chuckled lightly then returned his attention to the road ahead.

Tully leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. It was indeed past time that he sorted things out with his dad. It's just that he didn't know how to go about it.

Whenever Tully thought of his dad; Alexander DeMoor, the first feelings that came to mind were guilt and shame.

When his parents divorced, he had just turned 12. During this time, he was extremely sick, with multiple operations having failed to right his heart condition. He was told that the only option he had left was to wait for a suitable heart donor.