Chapter Text
The Gentry family was a strange one, the town often whispered about them behind their hands. The mother had left long ago, never to return while the father drowned his sorrows in alcohol, unable to function without a bottle in hand.
Then there were the 3 sons, Courtland, Ryland and Colt. Courtland was 15 years old, while the twins were 10 years old. Their home was located on the outskirts of the town, but the boys were all known by most people at their school.
Courtland played rugby, Colt hung around with his friends at skateparks and did parkour while Ryland was seen as the town prodigy.
Ryland was walking out of the school after chess club, bitter about his most recent loss because of a bishop he had failed to notice, a bishop that had managed to swiftly eat his queen and then trap him in a checkmate. His teeth grit together, small hands gripping the straps of his backpack as he waited by the gym for Court to finish training so they could go get Colt at the nearby skate park.
Court walked out of the school a few minutes later, his training bag slung lazily over his shoulder and skin still wet from the brief shower he had probably taken.
“Hey, Ry,” Court greeted, ruffling Ryland’s hair with a warm palm, soothing some of Ryland’s simmering frustration. “Have a good day at school today?”
Ryland nodded quietly. Ryland didn’t talk much at all, mostly Colt spoke for him, which Courtland couldn’t help but find concerning. But he knew Ryland was a little genius, and was confident with consistent reassurance Ryland would have no problems with speaking his mind aloud, with time.
“Let’s go pick up Colt then.”
The skatepark was crawling with children of all ages, some exhausted parents fighting the closing of their eyes while rocking their strollers to and fro, the babies within them sleeping peacefully. Or occasionally waking up to everyone’s dismay.
Ryland could barely spot Colt in the chaos, but a familiar head of blond hair peeked out from the crowd, way higher than everyone else. Colt loved doing all sorts of dangerous tricks after all.
“COLT! Get over here!” Courtland yelled, waving his arm for Colt to see. Colt pouted for a few seconds but with a strict, unrelenting glare from Courtland, he reluctantly waved goodbye to his friends and strolled over to them.
“Bus,” Ryland said quietly, earning him an eye roll and a nod from his twin.
“Yeah, yeah, we have to go catch the last bus,” Colt grumbled, getting on his skateboard and zipping away. Courtland sighed, walking after the more energetic twin. Something had happened between his 2 little brothers, and he didn’t know what. He was certain it had nothing to do with their father, he never left them all alone with him. Courtland would’ve heard if that horrible man said something nasty to them, but no, nothing.
The change had happened around the start of the school year, 7 months ago considering it was March now. They all shared a room and the twins shared a bed. 4 months ago Ryland started sleeping with Court in his bed on the opposite end of the bedroom.
Court didn’t want to aggravate the twins even more, especially when he knew they all had to focus for the upcoming exams before the much awaited summer holidays. They seemed incredibly far away.
“How was school today, Colt?” Court asked, standing between the 2 twins.
“Fine, I think learning about cells is kinda of stupid,” Colt sighed, remembering being scolded by the teacher for doodling in his notebook instead of actually drawing and labeling the cell. “I mean, who even cares about cells?”
“I do.”
Colt and Court both turned to Ryland who was staring right back, adjusting his glasses a bit nervously at the newfound attention.
“You just like being a teacher’s pet,” Colt stuck his tongue out, making Ryland frown. Court sighed at the tension.
“Colt, stop being mean to Ryland.”
Colt crossed his arms over his chest and refused to say anything else to either of them. The bus screeched to a stop and they all clambered inside. The musty smell of aged seats and the tired glower of the bus driver was a familiar scene. Ryland settled quickly beside Court, relishing in the comforting warmth of his older brother. Colt quickly took his usual seat by the window, rummaging in his backpack before taking out a wad of gum, which he pointedly offered to Court only.
“Don’t forget to throw that gum away before we enter the house,” Court warned, Colt simply nodding in acknowledgement before staring out the window. Thankfully, the house was dark when the bus driver dropped them off. No matter how bitter the bus driver looked, he always dropped them off near their house, further than the last bus station.
“Thank you, George,” Court smiled softly, earning a jerk of George’s head in response.
“Take care now, streets are dangerous at night for kids like you.”
Ryland watched as the light of the bus shrank until the darkness of their neighborhood enveloped them. Only old people lived around these parts, grandmas who smelled sickly sweet and grandpas who got scolded for drinking too much beer. Ryland liked to peek over the bushes of their yard to watch the lovely couple who lived beside their house, who gently they acted with one another, until their other neighbour, a bitter old man, caught him and threatened to tell the lovely couple about Ryland’s spying. He didn’t want the couple to feel afraid he was always watching them and stop acting so sweet with each other, so he stopped peeking at them from behind the bushes.
The house was seemingly empty and Court could breathe a sigh of relief. Their father was probably getting wasted in a bar somewhere, so they had ample time to all get clean and slip into their beds, asleep before they managed to aggravate their volatile father.
He ushered the twins into the shower, scrubbing them clean and treating Colt’s newest injuries from his falls at the skatepark.
“Adrenaline junkie,” he scolded affectionately.
“Selfless idiot,” Colt grinned back.
“Hey, you want to try sleeping beside Ryland tonight?” Court offered, sighing at receiving a scowl in return. “He’s still your twin brother, when everyone else in the world is against you, me and Ry will always be there, you know that right?”
Colt seemed to think for a second, looking at the ground by his feet intently before nodding. “But if I kick him out, you have to take him into your bed.”
“Deal.”
Ryland awkwardly slipped under the covers of his own bed for the first time in months, Colt quite obviously facing away from him, the soft blue colour of his pajamas illuminated by the moon from behind their old and slightly ripped curtains. Ryland picked at his nails, listening to the sound of Court’s breathing evening out as he fell into a deep sleep.
Only when he was sure their older brother was fast asleep did Colt turn abruptly around to face Ryland, searchingly gazing at Ryland’s wide, blue eyes which blinked at him in a flustered stupor.
“So…are you going to actually talk or just stare at me?” Colt snarked, hating himself just a little bit more at the sight of Ryland flinching away, flinching away from his own twin.
Ryland took a few deep breaths, rubbing his eyes fiercely before surprising Colt with the sound of his own voice. “Fine, I’ll talk. Why…why are you being so mean to me?”
Colt swallowed thickly, watching the way Ryland twisted his already sweaty palms together, occasionally picked at his nail beds which had just healed from last time.
“You know why.”
“I don’t.”
“Nobody wants to be friends with me because of you!” Colt finally snapped, burying his face into his pillow, shame making his face heat and heart race in his chest. Saying it aloud just made it feel that much stupider.
“W-why? I don’t even talk to most of them,” Ryland stuttered, confused and feeling like the most horrible person on earth. Ryland didn’t have many friends, he wouldn’t try and lie about that. People could just be so stupid sometimes and when he obviously tried to correct them, they usually just left.
“You’re mean, Ry, and the fact you don’t talk is creepy to the people at our school. It doesn’t help that you’re freakishly smart and moved up a grade without me,” Colt’s voice replied, muffled by the pillow.
“...I’m sorry, Colt. Does ignoring me at school help you keep your friends?” Ryland asked softly, scratching at his nose nervously. He just kept feeling worse and worse, especially after his chess game loss. He squirmed under the blanket, finally pressing against Colt in a tight hug. “I won’t ever speak to you again, I-I can pretend not to know you…but can you still play with me at home?”
Colt’s heart broke. He wrenched Ryland as close as possible, kissing away his tears angrily while crying his own ones. “I-Idiot! You should be telling me to shut up, say I’m stupid, that I’m not making any sense. I’m sorry, Ry, I just realised how horribly I’ve been treating you!”
“I’ll tell my friends to piss off if they ever say anything bad about you,” Colt promised, sticking out his pinky.
Ryland sniffled, offering his own pinky and smiling through his tears. He had missed Colt. “I’ll try to be nicer too. I guess I always sorta knew being a smartass wasn’t the most likeable thing in the world.”
Colt blinked. When and where did Ryland learn how to swear? “Don’t say that word.”
“I will!”
Court was grinning to himself like a maniac, his back turned towards the twins. This had been the twins’ longest fight, but Court often forgot they were just kids, and they made up like kids too. It was cute to hear and his affection for both of his brothers just grew.
They were both naturally kind, he liked to think they had inherited that from their mother. He yearned for the feeling of her cool palms against his cheeks, the way her soft voice would sing him lullabies before bed. Her valiant yet failed attempts at cooking that still tasted amazing because it was made by her.
Court missed her. But he was content to see glimpses of her in his brothers, to see them grow into individually amazing people. It just made him happier that he had been born first, that he knew the ways of getting under their father’s skin, irritate him so much that all of his attention was focused on him.
Court would be strong for his 2 precious brothers.
Speaking of that vermin, Court’s nose was already twitching slightly at the stench of alcohol. He could hear both twins freeze at the thumping of heavy footsteps against creaky floorboards, both of them shuffling under the covers, probably hugging each other while keeping their muscles loose, pretending to be asleep.
Court quickly followed suit, closing his eyes and evening out his breathing. The door creaked open, a sliver of light from the living room sneaking in.
“...”
Then the door shut. Court couldn’t help but clench the blanket over him just a bit tighter, unable to fall asleep until the sounds of their father smoking, drinking and shouting at the television ceased, replaced by heavy snoring instead.
That sound somehow managed to lull him into a fitful sleep, often waking and checking over Colt and Ryland before falling asleep again. Colt actually woke sometimes when Court checked they were still in the room, breathing and safe.
“Don’t worry, idiot, we’re fine,” Colt had mumbled sleepily, his small hand rubbing Court’s cheek. He didn’t wake this time, but both twins were cradling one another, Ryland having an adorably pinched expression, as if he had eaten something sour, while Colt was happily drooling away.
Court already had a summer job lined up, full-time because it paid more, and he would figure out where to keep the twins safe while he was gone.
Everything was going to work out.