Look After You

Chapter 5

Xander woke up to Beckett's loud snoring that destroyed the silence in the room. One of the many things that Xander hated most about sharing a room with three other boys, was that it was almost never quiet. "Beckett! Beckett, shut the hell up!" He grumbles angrily. When the snoring only gets louder, he chucks his pillow at his brother's head. He lets out a loud groan as his brother doesn't budge and checks his phone. 5:50 am it read which meant he only had ten minutes anyways until his alarm went off.

He lets out a sigh and stands up to stretch. He tugs on a flannel that was two sizes too big and a pair of jeans that were slightly faded. He hated how early the high school started which was 7:15. The middle school he had gone to started at 8:45 and even that was too early for Xander. "You really annoy the shit outta me," he mutters angrily.

Beckett lets out a groan and slowly opens his eyes. "I'm not a huge fan of you either, asshole," he teases back. He sits up on his bed and rubs his eyes. Beckett was now twenty one and the oldest of the siblings. Xander looked up to him immensely and he was more of a father figure than his own father was. Beckett had always been there for his younger siblings and it was something Xander didn't think he would ever be strong enough to do himself. It was brave and selfless for Beckett to take on the parent role for the rest of them and Xander recognized it. Sure he didn't tell him how much he loved him as much as he should but instead of saying it he did show it often in the little things that he did.

Xander flips him off. "You got work today?"

Beckett nods as he gets dressed. "Yeah, I get paid today though too, so I'll bring home groceries and if there's anything left I'll pick up a pizza."

Eating out or getting fast food was a huge luxury for the Valentine kids. Xander couldn't even remember the last time they had been able to afford something like that.

"Sweet, you finish workin' on your buddy's car yet or is it still a broken piece of metal shit?"

Beckett laughs as the two of them walk out to the kitchen. Xander takes a seat while Beckett sets two bowls out. "Still a piece of metal shit as of late, but it's getting there. He's gotta bring over a few parts today and I'm going to work on it after work. You wanna help?" He grabs the box of cookie crisps and pours it into the bowls along with some milk.

Xander nods immediately. He loved working on cars with his brother. He always found great peace in it and it relaxed him. He loved just sitting out in the garage getting his hands dirty and listening to rock music. He wanted to someday be as skilled as Beckett was currently as a mechanic. He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to do it as a profession, but it was something he had always been passionate about. "Yeah, definitely what time you getting home?"

"Probably around seven if I'm getting groceries too. But once I'm home and I put all the shit away you and me can go out there and get that car up and runnin'. Sound good?"

Xander grins and nods. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Hey," Beckett says. He grabs Xander's hearing aids off of the counter and hand them over to him. "Don't forget these."

Xander groans and tucks the hearing aids behind his hears. "I'm telling you, I don't need them. No one ever believes me when I say it." Xander knew he needed them, but he wasn't always the biggest fan of wearing them. He didn't get picked on much anymore for them since he had proven long before he could hold his own in a fight. But he still forgot to wear them occasionally and other times he didn't care enough to put them on. He could still hear without them on, but not as clearly and not as loudly.

"Yes, you do and you know you do," Beckett says. Xander drops the argument since he knew it wasn't going anywhere anyways.

After Xander finishes his cereal and watches a bit of tv, he grabs his bag and heads down to Nolan's. The boy was already out front of his house on the sidewalk waiting for him.