Baby steps ∽『boy ✮ boy -EDITED

Twenty-ninth 👣-edited

     “What would Jason want from Simon though? I don’t understand why would he do all of that.” Carter said and Eric just looked at his brother, shrugging.
  
       “Simon never told me anything no matter how many times I asked. I believe he didn’t trust me to keep silent after I called the police.”
 
     I nodded in understanding then looked at my brother who stood up and walked towards us.

     “Let’s stop talking about all of this. Simon need to rest.” He said then turned towards me, pulling on my sleeve. “Could you help me bring him to my room, please? He would be more comfortable if he lies in bed.” He added and his voice seemed so small and brittle it almost didn’t sound like himself.

       I nodded and moved to pick Simon up, carrying him to the bedroom. Eric and Ivy followed me but Carter stayed behind, talking with his parents who seemed tensed and worried after finding the truth about the accident. I hoped they wouldn’t say anything to upset Carter again.

      After I placed Simon on the bed, I turned towards my brother.

      “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

      “Can’t we talk later? I want to be next to Simon now.”

       I looked at Eric who was set on the bed, holding Simon’s hand in his smaller one and singing a barely audible lullaby. “I think we should leave him with his brother for a moment.”

      Ivy seemed to be reluctant to leave Simon, but in the end he nodded and followed me out of the room.

      “What did you wanna talk about?”

      “About your relationship with Simon. Is he, by any chance, the person you told me you like?”

      Ivy’s eyes widened. Then he looked at the ground with a nod.

      “Yes, he is.”

      “How did you meet him?”

       “We used to be classmates. I knew him since kindergarten... We’ve been friends since then...”

       I sighed, taking in Ivy’s appearance. He looked so frail, seeming to be on the verge of tears. I couldn’t even imagine what him and Carter felt in this moment. Every truth they knew about Simon turned to be dressed in counterfeit clothes.

      I pulled my brother into a hug, cradling his lean body into my arms. He crossed his arms around my waist, hiding his face into my shirt. And I knew he needed to be comforted, but the wetness staining my shirt and the sniffs rumbling against my chest still caught me unprepared.

      “Ivy...” I cooed and pressed my hand over the back of his head, squeezing him a bit tighter as I plastered a kiss on his forehead. “Please don’t cry! Simon will get better. We’ll help him with everything we can.”

      Ivy shook his head, unable to control the tremble of voice.

      “It’s not about what we’ll do, it’s about what I could have done. He had to suffer through all of that alone.”

      “Because he wanted to. He hid the truth because he wanted to keep you safe. He cares about you.”

      Ivy started to cry harder, holding me tightly and crying until he had no more tears to shed. Then when he calmed down, he pulled away, rubbing his cheeks clean of tears. He was still visibly upset, but with a silent nod he decided to return to the bedroom