Mᴏʀᴇ Tʜᴀɴ Jᴜsᴛ Fʀɪᴇɴᴅs

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟♧︎︎︎𝐸𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

If possible, everyone would hear Shawn's heart shattering. No way in hell Janette was allergic to flowers and he didn't know. There was nothing he didn't know about the girl. And her lying to him meant only one thing.

She didn't want the flower, she didn't like him in that way. Shawn wished the ground would just open up and swallow him whole, right this moment. He wanted to disappear, he wanted to scream, he wanted to bang Oliver's head against a wall for giving him this stupid idea. But above all, he just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry his heart out.

Did he just lose his only friend?

For the rest of the day, after Shawn awkwardly throwing the flower away and apologizing for being ridiculous and scurrying out of there, he didn't see Janette. Even after the day ended, he only received a text from Janette saying she had some club meeting to attend so he had to leave on his own.

Shawn wanted to scream at himself and Oliver for the mess he had created. His light, his only source of peace, his best friend was now deliberately avoiding him. Not only did he lose any scope on having a romantic relationship with Janette, he'd also lost the comfort and solace their friendship withheld.

"Hey bro, how did it go?!" Oliver asked when he returned home, defeated and sour. "You good?"

"Fuck off, Ollie." Shawn grumbled, moving past him to step into his own room and slamming the door shut.

Oliver stood there dumbfounded. This was so unlike his brother. He barely ever cursed or threw tanturms like this, he was always so gentle and soft, but now this Shawn seemed totally different. It was no rocket science that something had happened and obviously it was about the ice queen ditching his ass. Oliver bit his lip in anticipation and slight guilt, but if this was the case, his brother's bubble was bound to pop sooner or later. He sighed and retreated back to his own room, plotting his next move to soothe his brother's broken heart and how to thaw the ice queen's stoned one.

How could she dump his handsome bro?!

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For the next whole week, Shawn barely talked to any of his family members. Though his parents were wary about his sudden depressed state, they didn't push him too much, letting him deal stuff on his own and offering him the space he needed.

Shawn stopped waiting for Janette after his classes and to sprinkle salt to his wounded heart, Janette had also stopped bothering to check on him after each class. As if she was ignoring him on purpose. She only talked to him whenever they were forced in one frame, which only consisted of tight lipped hellos and how are yous from the red head. If he could, Shawn would dug a hole and bury himself in it. He cried himself to sleep each night for the week, weeping for the loss, for his ill-fate, for being such a pussy.

Destiny and Aaron were really worried, they didn't know who to ask except Janette, and the girl only replied with a shrug of no knowledge, which was unsettling as well since Janette knew Shawn more than his own parents did, and Aaron and Destiny agreed to that too. Ultimately this led them to realize that something must have happened between the best friends.

"May come in, baby?" Destiny knocked on the door to Oliver's room, who was strumming on his guitar. He looked up and shifted a little on his seat, unsure of the reason why his mother came to his room. It was no news that Oliver had a strained relationship with Destiny.

"Yeah." He said.

Destiny walked over and sat by the edge of the bed with legs crossed and a fond softness dancing across her eyes as she gazed at her son humming a tune.

Oliver felt awkward after a while and stopped doing what he was doing and put down the guitar, his focus solely on his mother.

"What is it, mom?" He asked.

Destiny frowned, "Can't I just spend time with my little boy?"

Oliver resisted an eye roll, but his heart tightened a little. He'd always longed for this warmth from his mother and hated his big mouth for being the reason he was always on the other end of her reprimands.

"I dunno what's going on with Shawn, even if I did, it isn't my place to tell his tales. I'm sorry if I'm of no use." He rambled, exhaling deeply.

Destiny's frown deepened as she scooted close and took Oliver's hand in hers. She had never realized her other son was feeling this way, this far away from her. Sure she did caught him several times in chaos and scolded him, grounded him, and she was always drowned in work to look after her children but that never meant she loved them any less. But as Oliver spoke his heart, she realized just how much distance had been put between them that her sweet little boy thought his mother would only come to him if it was about his older brother.

Destiny's heart clenched painfully as she softly stroked Oliver' hand.

"Baby, I didn't come here to ask about your brother. I heard you playing and wanted to come and see for myself how well my son plays. I'm so sorry if you ever felt that you are any less important to me than the others.

Please forgive me, sweetheart. I never meant for this distance to be between us. I love you so much, you're my little angel, just as much as Damy and Odie are. I'm sorry if I ever let you feel otherwise." Her voice softened to a level Oliver wasn't used to hearing, and it brought tears to his eyes as he lunged himself in his mofher's warm embrace, sniffling softly.

He didn't care that he was a teenager boy clinging onto his mama, he couldn't. Because he reallly needed this.

"I'm sorry too, for always coming out bratty." He admitted and found solace as Destiny shushed him and pressed several kisses atop his head.

He let the comfort of his mother engulf him for a while before pulling away and looking in her eyes.

"Damy likes Janette but she dumped him."

Destiny was at a loss for words.

"But please don't intervene or tell him that I told you. I have a plan to help him."

Destiny couldn't help but chuckle, ruffling Oliver's soft brown hair as she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Whatever it is, it's between you brothers, honey. I have no part in this."

Oliver grinned, "I've learned something new. Wanna hear it?" He got back on his chair and picked up his guitar.

"I'd love to."

Destiny leaned her chin on her palm in concentration as her eyes glinted at the excitement in her younger son's face.

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A/N:-

I know the mother-son bonding was out of the picture, but as someone who craves this understanding, I really needed to mend their bond.

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