Work Text:
It had only been a few weeks since Maddie had left for college, but when she walked into the house, it felt like forever since she’d last been there. Nothing had changed, and she was excited to be back in the place where so many of her memories lived. She was excited to share everything she’d seen and learned with her family. And even more, she was excited to see how much her teenage brother had grown between summer and Thanksgiving.
As soon as she got home, Maddie went upstairs to say hi to her brother. She’d been surprised by how much she’d missed him while she was away. She found Buck sitting on his bed, reading, wearing a sweater that looked just a little too familiar to her.
“Is that my shirt?”
“You weren’t using it. If you wanted to, you should’ve brought it with you.”
“It’s still my shirt and it’ll be all stretched out now.
“No, it won’t. You have boobs, I don’t.”
“But you have broader shoulders, Buck.”
“Well, it looks better on me anyway.”
“Wear your own clothes.”
It was amazing how quickly Buck could make her feel exasperated. She wondered what she was thinking when she was a little child asking her parents for a little sibling. She shook her head at him and left for her room. She’d expected to find it exactly the way it was when she last saw it, and once again she was up for a surprise. Her bed was unmade, her bookshelf was a mess and her brother’s pyjama bottoms lay askew on the floor. She sighed and walked right back to the bedroom next door.
“Did you move into my room while I was gone?”
“No. I just sleep there sometimes... when I miss you. It just happens to be every night.”
“Don’t think that being cute will give you a pass. You made a mess.”
“I didn’t touch anything except your surprisingly comfortable bed. And I borrowed some of your books.”
“And my clothes.” She pointed at the shirt again. “Stay away from my stuff, Buck.”
“That’s not fair, you have all the best stuff.”
“No, I don’t. You’re the baby, mom and dad give you almost everything you want.”
“In what world? You’re their favourite, everything is always about you.”
“You’re delusional.”
She went back to her room, to maybe clean up the mess her brother had made. She’d barely made it there and started on the bed when she received something on the back of the head. She turned to see her brother leaning against the doorway, shirtless and definitely taller than last summer. Her sweater fell to the floor.
“Here, happy now?” He asked teasingly.
“Maybe if you help me with all this.” She threw her pillow at him.
“Fine.”
They each picked a side of the room and got to work. They kept throwing the pillow back and forth at each other the entire time, trying to hit the other when they were at their most focused. It made the task a lot more enjoyable. Maddie wouldn’t admit it to her brother, but it felt good to be home. It felt good to be back here and find her relationship with Buck hadn’t changed in the slightest. To know that he was this one constant in her life that she could always count on, always there, ready to goof around and have fun.