Chapter Text
Stairs creaked under his feet as he carefully descended them one at a time, small hand reaching up to grip the dusty bannister.
He could see light flooding the floor, familiar sounds of tinkering and music filtering through the unfinished basement.
He reached the bottom, sneaking quietly past the sheet stapled to the bare doorframe and stilling by the wall. He watched his brothers back as he hunched over the makeshift worktable, long black hair tied in a messy ponytail and head bobbing slightly to the music.
He felt nervous about disturbing him- mom never seemed to like it when he did. Would his brother shout too?
Something bright white and gleaming caught his eye as it was lifted into the bright fluorescent lighting. It looked like a head of one of the mannequins from the stores they’d go to.
Curious and forgetting his anxiety, he padded up to his brother and gripped the edge of the table, staring at the blank white face. A hand ruffled through his hair, startling him from his study.
“Hey Gav, what ya doing down here bud? Thought you had homework?”
Gavin pouted, furrowing his brows.
“Mom said I was doing it wrong and started yelling. You know mama doesn’t like being bothered so now they’re yelling at each other and I knew you’d be down here. You always are.”
His brother’s touch softened, thumb stroking over his temple a moment before two hands lifted him, setting him on the table.
“Glad you came to see me, Gav. I’ve got something to show you.”
He stared wide-eyed at the assortment of white plastics littering the table- fine wires in coiled piles between them. They all were shaped like limbs, long slender things laying haphazardly together.
“Is it a doll, ‘Lijah?”
Elijah chuckled.
“Kinda? You’re close. I’m trying to make something better than a doll.”
Gavin nodded, not really understanding what he meant but playing along as he scanned the table. He was good at playing along- it meant he didn’t get shouted at so much.
There was a piece of paper next to his leg and he reached for it, taking in the rough drawings of people. His eyes caught on the image of a woman with blonde hair wearing a blue dress with a small circled ‘3’ next to her. She was pretty and looked like she spoke very kindly. Like someone Gavin would like to know.
“I’m making something for you, Gav. I’m going away for college in a few years and I don’t want you to be lonely.”
He nodded, glancing at the other figures on the page in his hand.
His eyes widened at the image of a tall man, dressed in a neat white shirt and black slacks, with grey eyes and a slight smile. There was a scribbled ‘9’ by his feet and he just looked so cool.
“See something you like, Gavin?”
He beamed, shoving the paper in his brother’s face and tapping at the grey-eyed man in the drawing.
“Nine! I like him. He looks like one of the bad guys in those old movies we watch when mom and mama are asleep.”
Elijah laughed, coughing a little.
“You like him because he looks like a bad-guy?”
Gavin nodded with fervor, smiling like an idiot.
Elijah’s hand landed on his head, kneading and shaking his hair, making him laugh.
“Alright big guy. You’ll get the coolest, most badass looking robot ever, alright? I promise.”
Gavin laughed.
“Ooooo, you said a bad word.”
Elijah pushed his shoulder, smiling.
“Fuck off with that shit, Gav. You sound like mom.”
His brother shook his head, leaning over to pull forward a long plastic arm, taking a small tool to the fingertips.
Gavin smirked, leaning back and crossing his arms, puffing his chest out.
“Phck.”
There was a clatter as Elijah dropped his tool, turning wide eyed to face his smaller brother, red faced and holding back laughter.
“Oh my god, what was that? Did you just try to swear? That was adorable. Seriously.”
Gavin pouted, swinging his legs over the table ledge.
“Aw man, don’t do that to me. My weakness.”
He stuck out his tongue, taunting.
Elijah opened his mouth to speak when a crash echoed through the floor over their heads, distant shouting floating through the uninsulated boards.
Gavin shrunk at the table, anxiety filling him once more. He moved to get down- they were probably yelling about him. He needed to go back and finish his work. Maybe he’d do it right this time.
A hand grabbed his shoulder as Elijah stood up, bending down to lift him against his side.
“Gettin’ heavy, Gav. What ya been eating?”
Gavin wasn’t in the mood for play, leaning his head against his brother’s shoulder and holding tight to his dusty shirt. It wasn’t fair. Elijah never got yelled at, why was it always him? What did he do wrong to make everyone hate each other?
He felt Elijah move, the music suddenly getting louder until he couldn’t hear the loud voices anymore.
“C’mon kiddo, stay with me a bit? I could use the help.”
Gavin peeked at the doll parts on the table. It all looked like a puzzle to him. Everything had some way of fitting together but he’s not sure what else they did. Elijah wanted to build robots. He didn’t know how to build robots.
“I don’t think I can, ‘Lijah. I’m not smart like you are.”
His brother set him on the table, handing him a screwdriver.
“That’s a fuckin’ lie, Gav and I never want to hear it again. You’re a goddamn genius. Don’t listen to those jerks upstairs.”
Gavin frowned. Elijah thought he was smart. Elijah probably would think that he did his homework right too- that the formulas they gave him at school just didn’t make sense and he found a way to make it work better. Why didn’t anyone else think like that too?
“Here, can you take this apart for me? I didn’t set it up right and now it won’t move. I’d be very happy if you helped me get it right this time.”
Gavin looked up at his brother, took in his kind eyes and the soft smile on his face- lip piercing glinting in the harsh lighting. Elijah got something wrong? Maybe that meant it was okay for him to get things wrong sometimes too.
Another thud through the ceiling, but he couldn’t hear the yelling this time over the music.
He reached out for the white plastic arm in his brother’s hand, looking it over in his lap before finding the small screws along the fingers and setting to work.
Elijah smiled, turning to a pile of wires connected to his laptop and beginning to type.
“See? We’ll have your awesome mafia-bot in no time.”
Gavin laughed, almost completely lost in the workings of the arm in his hand.
For a moment, he could forget that there was anything other than this moment with his brother. That he’d wake up tomorrow and nothing would change. That one day Elijah was going to leave and he’d be alone.
Just for a night he could have his family again.
In an unfinished basement full of dust and electronics with his brother singing off-key to some lame music he always listened to. It was just them down here and he didn’t have to feel afraid.
“Did I tell you about Chloe? She’s going to be amazing- I plan on making her a beta like me so we can have something in common you know? She’s gonna do amazing things I’m sure of it.”
Elijah paused a moment, looking up at him with a fond smile.
“Wonder what Mr. Nine is gonna do. What do you think, Gav?”
Gavin hummed, placing the arm in his lap again and thinking.
He beamed suddenly.
“Nines' gonna help me catch bad guys!”
Elijah laughed, shaking his head.
“Nines, huh? Thought you said he looked like a villain?”
Gavin shook his head.
“Just ‘cause he looks like a bad-guy doesn’t mean he is one, ‘Lijah.”
Elijah nodded, humming.
“Ahhh, my mistake then.”
Gavin laughed as his brother elbowed him playfully before turning back to his work.
It was quiet, save for the sounds of typing and tinkering while music flowed through the space around them.
And Gavin felt happy.