Blue

Brothers.

Leo's Perspective
I stare at Kellen while we lie on the ground. His eyes are closed. How did this happen? How did we get to this point?

Dad did drugs when we were kids. Not anything major, but it hurt us financially. He would buy drugs then sell them to his friends, or people at parties. But none of us knew any of that. He was quiet and distant back then. When Mom left, any good in him went with her, I think. She left us in his care, and he ruined us. I mourn for who I could have been. I mourn for who my brothers could have been.

I want to wipe the blood of off Kellen's face to see him better, but it hurts to move. Kellen's the second oldest. He's my older brother, I've known him since I was born. He was a sweet kid. He was a chill teen. Went to art club every Wednesday when he was in school. Mom would put his drawings on the fridge. I wonder, when was the last time he drew anything? When was the last time Percy went to the mall with his friends, or when was Jack last on a soccer field? Goddammit, we were good kids. When Mom left, we were so confused. Percy and Kellen knew it was dad and the drinking and the drugs, but I wonder if he was violent towards her. And I wonder why she didn't take any of us.

I am snapped out of my trance as I hear dad laugh, "What the actual fuck is going on today?"

Then I hear Link's voice. He says he's here for me. Had he considered I don't want to go back? This will all settle down in a few days, and then it'll be back to normal. Kellen opens his eyes and we stare at each other. His eyes make him seem tired.

Link calls Dad by his first name and Dad grabs him. I hear the punches land and I bring myself, very shakily, to my feet. Kellen does too, but it's clear we're on opposing sides. He glares at me and I turn away from him. I grab onto dad's shirt and pull him, but he doesn't budge. I can't do this. I try to push him, but I nearly fall over. He starts kicking Link and instructs Percy to hold him down. Link starts fighting more, so it takes both Percy and Kellen to hold him down. They follow our father's commands like always.

I can't hear very well, my head pounds, but I know a death threat when I hear one. Dad is going to kill Link. And we'll have to dump his body in some dumpster. And forget about him. I think of Adam, Max, and Luther. I could never show my face at the Mansion again if Link dies trying to save me. I couldn't live knowing I couldn't help him. I miss my mom. I miss my brothers. I look at Percy for guidance, as if we were kids again. All of us do. Deep down, none of us grew past the ages we were when mom left. We all miss our mother, and we all ask our brother "what do we do?" silently.

This is it. Do we let our brother die? Percy notices all of our eyes and nods. Everyone knows what he means. Dad is about to get back on top of Link, but Percy and Kellen move faster. They pin Dad against a wall and Jack gets Link to his feet. Should I stay? No, he'll kill me. I guess I'm going back. Link and I run, and our brothers, our brothers, shout after us. They encourage us and Percy even says "We love you."

I wonder if one of them will die today for doing this. I wonder where they were hiding all this bravery. We run for a while, then stop. Link has blood covering his face. I'm sure I do too.

Casper's Perspective
The Lavenders officially hate me. I hate me too. I blink my blue eyes away and go sit on the steps of the Mansion. I can't face my friends, and I can't face my empty room. But I can if Leo comes back. I just need him to come back. The front door opens and I hear footsteps. The figures sit down next to me, in a line. I look to the left and see the Lavenders. "They should be coming back soon, I think." I say.

Luther scoffs. Adam puts a hand on his knee. Max playfully pushes my shoulder. "I'm sure they are."

"You guys should get rid of the lavender. We're outside."

They look at each other, then at the sky and blink a few times. Max speaks. "Casper... Link is a good man. Too good. He'll lay down his life for those he loves, and I'm not exaggerating. I have watched him run towards a loaded gun. And so of course he's running towards his abusers for the sake of saving his brother. That doesn't mean it's a good idea."

"If you know all that, do you really think I could have stopped him?"

Luther sneers. "You put the idea in his head. You could've just not done that, and this wouldn't have happened."

Adam spoke softly. "If they get back and Link is mad, we can be mad. If he's not, there's no reason to be mad. Don't defend Link when he doesn't want to be defended."

"And if Link's dead? Can I be mad then?" Luther retorts.

The electricity creeps up my arms and I shake them to make it go away. I rock back and forth slightly to calm myself down. Max puts a hand on my back. "I'm sorry. We just... we need him to be okay. And I bet that's what you're feeling too."

I nod. We hear a loud laugh from down the road. I recognize it immediately. I start running towards it. The Lavenders see me take off and are close behind me.

Leo and Link stand on the sidewalk, looking like shit. Link immediately sinks into Max's arms, and he picks Link up princess style. I stop in front of Leo.

"Hi."

"Hi." He responds.

"Let's go inside and get you cleaned up. You can't apologize to everyone with a face like that."

He laughs. "I don't know, it might give me sympathy points."

He walks with a limp and he doesn't hold my hand. He must be in a lot of pain.

We get upstairs and I gently wash his face. He winces at every cut. "Can we do this later?" He groans.

"I can't kiss you with blood on your face. Do you want to kiss me or no?"

He shuts up.