Basic Instinct [stranger things]

73. Silence

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
SILENCE

The past three days had been extremely difficult for the blond boy. Aaron had been having quite a hard time at home since his last argument with Steve.

His parents had been ignoring him since their return home, there was no change there. And while it bothered him, he couldn't even force himself to care as much about it as he usually did. What was really getting to him was Steve.

His older brother had been ignoring him.

Steve had been ignoring Aaron.

If anything, Aaron believed it should be the other way around - that Aaron should be the one ignoring him.

Yet somehow, the entire conversation had been blown out of proportion and now Aaron felt like a complete asshole for hurting his brothers feelings when all he had done was try tell him how Steve had hurt him.

It felt like the story had been twisted and Steve had managed to make himself the victim in a situation where he was at fault.

The blond knew that siblings argued and that it was a normal thing - he and Steve argued all the time.

However Aaron feared the twos last argument sounded a little too much like an argument the pair would have had a couple years ago rather than recently, and that worried him.

Aaron was going to apologise to smooth things over, simply because he wanted the two to get along. He wished he'd never brought anything up to begin with, but then again he'd only spoken because Steve had pushed him to and then got angry when Aaron had answered him.

Aaron didn't end up apologising, the boy deciding that there was no way he would say sorry when it was really him who should have received the apology rather than Steve.

However because Aaron hadn't apologised, the two brothers hadn't spoken since, it seeming like Steve was determined on not talking to the boy to show his annoyance.

No one in his house was talking to him, not talking to him because of stuff they had done. Because of how they had treated him.

Aaron had only realised later that neither his parents had even sent him a second glance when they'd first seen him, not even flinching at the bruises or cuts on him. Like they didn't even care.

And to add to all his problems with Steve, his parents were furious with him for how he had handled them when they'd came home.

Aaron had somehow managed to ruin everything for himself.

"What do you think?" Aaron asked anxiously, messing around with his watch on his wrist nervously. "Do you think I overreacted?"

"I don't think you did." Kimmy told him honestly in response to his worries about his brother, frowning at him as she spoke. "He's a hundred percent in the wrong for ignoring you. But... if it makes you feel any better, I'm sure Steve will come around soon enough."

"I don't think he will." Aaron stressed instantly, desperately wanting advice on how he could fix the mess he was currently in. "He seemed like he was really mad at me, mom and dad too-"

"Wait, why are your mom and dad mad?" Kimmy asked curiously, leaning forward slightly while tilting her head. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"Well apparently I have done something wrong. Apparently I shouldn't have stormed out their first day home and apparently I shouldn't have caused all this stuff with Steve." Aaron placed his head in his hands as he spoke, glad he at least had Kimmy who wasn't mad at him.