No Noël | ✓

18 » bah fucking humbug

18 » bah fucking humbug

❅

"If Mom was here, she'd smack the shit out of you for taking God's name in vain."

My brother's voice came across way too fucking casual as he leant against my doorway, acting as if it was his damn apartment.

I grabbed my bags and shouldered around him, making sure to knock him back a few steps. "Shut the fuck up. And what are you doing here?"

"I'm confused. Am I supposed to shut the fuck up or answer?"

I threw the bags down again, now inside my apartment, and turned to face him. He was standing upright, having moved to pick up the wrapper and chocolate outside. "Taking the Lord's name in vain and littering? I'm disappointed in you, big brother."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a bad influence," I answered with a wave of my hand. "Now, again, how and why are you here?"

"Are you forgetting that I asked you, literally just last night, if it was cool that I came over today?" He tossed my garbage into the trashcan and turned to me with a smirk, eyebrow raised. "I don't know why I'm even asking. You obviously forgot, and probably hadn't even actually heard me last night since you lied and told me you got out of work at two."

I glanced down at my watch, just as our previous conversation came back to me. "Shit, man. I'm sorry. It slipped my mind. I had—Wait a minute. That still doesn't explain how you got in my apartment." I paused, eyeing him and then my door. "Did you pick my locks, asshole? And where the fuck is Jack?"

"Amin is the answer to both of your questions," Angel announced as he threw himself onto my couch. He grabbed a game controller and resumed a video game he had clearly been in the middle of. "He let me in and took your dog. Not sure where."

I knew Amin usually walked Jack at that time for me when I couldn't, but the fact that he actually let Angel in had been a miracle. Amin knew Angel was not an angel. The fact that he left him alone in our apartment had kind of blown my mind.

"Again, I'm sorry," I said once my questioning was over. "I should've remembered and at least shot you a text."

"It's fine," he replied as his eyes stayed firmly on the TV. "I didn't get here till around three-thirty and got stuck waiting alone for, like, an hour."

"Glad you made yourself at home," I said as I took off my coat and hung it up.

Angel sunk further into the couch, smiling. "You know I've always loved your apartment."

I took a moment to realize he hadn't been over much, especially lately. "Is there a reason you wanted to come by today, or you're just chilling?"

He shrugged, fingers moving faster over the controller. "Just chilling, I guess."

I hadn't really believed that. "I'll order pizza. Amin should be back soon."

I went off to do exactly that. I quickly showered, too. It helped push away some of the exhaustion I'd been feeling, but the weight of my new assignment was still there. By the time I was done, Amin and Jack were back. I was tackled by Jack as I rounded the corner, and once I finished hugging him, I glanced up and saw Angel getting the pizza at the door.