solby | miss missing you

seven.

thanks for sticking with me, here's the update, lovelies <3

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i will sing to you every day if it will take away the pain.

brennen is good at distracting people, colby has to give him that.

it's like the two boys can physically feel the slight tension dissipate from the air the more time that passes and they don't have to old their breaths anymore.

brennen's gotten better at convincing colby to do things, fun stuff like bowling or karting. basic activities to do with friends, so from time to time jake, kat or even amanda tag along, despite her being closer to sam. colby tries to push that thought away, they all used to be a big group of friends and colby didn't do anything to hurt sam so of course, there is no reason why she wouldn't want to spend time with him.

and colby's aware of how lucky he is to have the friends he has, he truly is.

no matter how down he feels and how he sometimes wishes to be alone, they always manage to lift his mood a bit.

a little bit, but it's still something.

slowly but surely, his lips find it easier to curl upwards and the gleamer of his eyes has come back from its vacation. it's small, tired and barely shining, but it's present.

no's have turned into yes's much to his friends' satisfaction, and that's how he finds himself at a bowling alley, exhausted body slouched on the bench of their aisle. a black hoodie nearly swamped his frail limbs, bowling shoes on his feet and sleeves pulled past his fingertips.

his hands are tucked in the pocket of his hoodie as he watches the purple bowling ball knock all the pins down and amanda throws her arms in the air, face lighting up with a victorious smile. in a split second katrina is by her side and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl to lift her up, excitedly yelling out a 'you got a strike' as she spins her around.

the girls' joyful giggle reach colby's heart in the form of a nostalgic melody, but he smiles nonetheless. he smiles because no matter what, seeing his friends happy is what matters.

and perhaps his heart shatters a bit when katrina presses a loving kiss to amanda's lips before letting her go but he pushes the feeling away, brushes it off his mind and focuses on the game instead.

amanda's the first of the list and she's just played her sixth turn already, yet she's the one one who's got a strike yet. the group loves to blame it on the fact that they rarely go bowling, but one look at their scores would prove that they actually just suck at it.

with his arms loosely wrapped his knees, colby remains silent. he only opens his mouth to thank the waiter that brings them their drinks, otherwise he doesn't feel like talking. he never really feels like talking anymore.

luckily his friends don't complain. they understand, they don't push. they actually do the opposite, try their best to communicate with him but never push it.

when brennen sends him a questioning look, colby nods meekly. it's a new habit of brennen's, to check on his best friend, make sure he's doing okay, ask him if he wants to leave. it's become a recurrence for colby to get stuck in his own head, memories tangled with his thoughts and unless someone brings him back to reality, he'll spiral down and that's the thing brennen tries to avoid at all costs.

the older male scoots closer to his friend and throws his arm around his shoulders, gently tugging colby towards him until the boy is securely held against brennen's side. it's platonic, it's friendly but most importantly, it's reassuring. it's what colby needs, the noises surrounding him are beginning to feel overwhelming and he couldn't be more thankful that brennen could feel the tension building in his weak body.

"how are you doing ?" brennen asks in a soft voice, he doesn't remember the last time he's used a loud cheerful tone with colby.

a shrug is the only answer he gets and he sighs, letting his head fall against colby's.

"wanna go home ?"

the response is vocal this time. colby breathes out a small "no" and allows himself to close his eyes for a second. his sleep schedule is still as messy, sleep is almost non-existent for him apart from the naps he accidentally takes in the afternoon while laying on the couch, yet another movie playing on the tv and his body wrapped in a blanket.

"okay." brennen says quietly. "it's your turn."

colby nods and pulls away from brennen's hold, dropping his feet to the ground before standing up. he carefully walks towards the couple, katrina has just finished her turn and she and amanda are smiling warmly at colby. with a pat on his shoulder, amanda walks past him, followed by katrina.

unlike brennen, the pair treats him the same way they always have and he's glad. it's the perfect balance, on one side brennen's sudden gentleness and on the other amanda and katrina's infamous overjoyed energy.

it's with a trembling arm that he manages to throw the ball and his eyes follow it until it hits the middle pin, causing seven others to fall. unfortunately for him, the only two that are still standing are the side ones, which means unless he's blessed with some kind of miracle from his guardian angel - who he's positive doesn't actually exist anymore -, there's no way he'll get both pins.

he plays, hits one, the one on the far right and it's brennen's turn.

it doesn't take long for the four of them to finish the game, amanda winning without much surprise. the group contemplates a second game, but when brennen's eyes land on colby's pale face, he decides it's best if they head home.

he hopes colby will fall asleep on the way home, car rides always make him sleepy. brennen will even drive around with no actual destination if it means colby will get some sleep. he couldn't take any more mornings where he'd wake up and find the smaller brunet wide awake on his couch, dull eyes finding no interest in the screen they're staring at.

as he puts the key in the ignition, he steals a glance at colby. the boy has his body turned towards brennen, his knees pulled to his chest and seatbelt buckled. his eyes are closed but he's not asleep yet.

"thank you for today." he mutters, lips barely moving as the words slip past them. "i know i always say this, but i mean it. i'm so lucky to have you, bren."

brennen smiles softly. "don't thank me. as your best friend, my duty is to make sure your ass doesn't get stuck on my couch from sitting on it for far too long." his smile widens when he hears a quiet, barely audible chuckle come from colby. "get some sleep, yeah ? i'll wake you up when we're home."

colby does get some sleep and brennen does wake him when they get home, and brennen sighs in relief when colby doesn't mention the fact that the ride has taken way longer than it should've.

deep down colby knows, and that's just another reason why he's thankful for brennen.

maybe he does have a guardian angel after all.