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“just lay ‘im down on the floor, lay ‘im down!”
“what’s happening?”
“dunno! he just sort of- i dunno- i...”
noel took a few shaky, deep breaths. he needed to stay calm- stay calm for his baby brother, so god better help him do that or fuck off.
all the while, bonehead laid liam down on the floor, guigsy tried to wrap a coherent thought around the situation, and tony stood off to the side, dumbstruck and unsure of what do do.
“what’s happening,” bonehead asked again, and noel balled his hands in to fists.
“i don’t. know.” he repeated, tugging at his hair. “he just sort of snapped, i dunno, i need- we- i need-“ noel shook his head, trailing off.
“well you must know something,” tony emphasized, breaking in to the conversation. he was the one smart enough to drop down and pull liams glasses off, as well as his hat.
noel searched his brain, desperate to find anything. he himself had dealt with his own fair share of anxiety attacks and drug induced panic episodes, but he knew for a fact that liam hadn’t taken nothing but alcohol before the concert. his brother had never experienced a panic attack (that noel knew of) so it didn’t even cross his mind to consider that an option.
and this... whatever this was, was so much different than what noel had experienced with them. to him, panic attacks were a snot and tear filled, shaky mess of screaming and sobbing and begging for any type of help. but liam just lay there. silent besides the shallow breaths he puffed out. and, yes, there was a shake and there were tears, but there was no sound, and liams face wasn’t all twisted up, it was just.... blank. tired looking, even.
“i don’t know,” noel whispered feebly, his own tears burning at his eyes. “say one more thing, tony, and i’ll sock your nose in.”
liams eyes were even blank. as if staticed over, swimming with something and nothing all the same. his head had been moved to boneheads lap to not have it rest on the hard, dirty floor.
“noel, he’s your brother, you have to-“
and noel wasn’t one to make empty threats. he shot up, throwing one good punch right in the center on the drummers face, sending him to the floor.
“noel!” guigsy exclaimed, finally inserting himself into the conflict. he wasn’t shocked nor surprised, of course noel was going to hit him. guigsy stepped forewords to grab noels arm, tugging him away and shoving him down to sit next to liam. “i’m gonna find some water for when he.... wakes.. up. you stay here.” he whispered something to tony, who nodded and followed guigsy away, hand clutched to his bleeding nose.
noel turned his attention to his little brother laying helplessly on the floor. he hiked the sleeve of his shirt over his hand and went to wiping the sweat off poor liams face, more scared than bonehead thinks he’s ever seen him.
“i dunno what happened,” noel forced out, before bonehead could ask. “i’ve never seen him do this, i-..” noel cut himself off.
he had seen liam do this, come to think of it. just once, when liam was six. it was after a... disagreement he’d witnessed between noel, their mother and father. he’d broke down like this then, and noel had...
what had noel done?
...
..
.....
“have you met the man down by the stream,” he sang out softly, and bonehead lifted his head to look at noel. noel had this slight smile on his face, this faraway look in his eyes, and he knew then that this was something private between them, something important. he lifted liams head off his lap, scooted over, and noel immediately took his place. bonehead stood, sensing it was his time to leave, and went to find the others.
noel took a deep breath. “his eyes are green and filled with greed,” he continued. “yet, i’ve heard he calls you still,
yes, the man down by the stream.” noel let out a nervous laugh as liams face twitched in some sort of remembrance. this was working, good. it’d better stay working, noel thought. he stopped to recall the songs words, he hadn’t sung it it years. it was a shitty little shanty he’d made up when he was eleven, specifically for times like these and all other liam freak outs.
“he’s waiting down at twelve o’ clock,
right when the weathers burning hot,
yet still he’s sat right there fer you,
yes the man, down by the stream-“ noel cut himself off with a sob as relieve crashed through him. liams eyebrows furrowed, his eyes blinked a few times, then moved to look up at his older brother.
“have you met the man down by the stream, noel continued, a smile on his face now. a real one.
and liam, near fully lucid now, laid to listen, still, allowing noel to continue wiping his forehead of sweat and his cheeks of tears.
“he’s not at all what we have seen
his eyes are green, so full of love
yes, the man down by the stream,” noel finished, letting out a long, shaky breath. “liam?” he asked tentatively.
liam didn’t reply for a good few seconds. but when he did, “haven’t heard that song for some time now,” he mused.
“haven’t needed to use it,” noel replied, giving a watery laugh. “you scared the shit out of me, cunt.”
“everyone needs a good scare ev’y now and then, you balloon knot,” liam replied. he paused. “thank you.”
“for what?”
liam thought for a moment, eyes flicking down from noels to stare at the wall. he shrugged, best as he could in his position at least. “still taking care of me.”
the words stung some part of noels heart that he couldn’t remember. he smiled, ruffling the bit of hair he could on liams head. “course,” he relied. “you’re still my baby brother, after all. always will be.”
always will be.