Chapter Text
“I don’t wanna go.” A voice whined. Young, high, and petulant. Liam Gallagher huffed as he haphazardly tossed a pair of socks into his suitcase. The socks bounced off the rim of the case, and landed somewhere on the floor. He huffed, for the umpteenth time that day, and made no move to retrieve said socks.
The shared room looked as if a hurricane had passed through it. All of the dresser’s drawers were open, with clothes spilling out of each one. If Liam was in a better mood, he’d have made a joke of the dresser vomiting the clothes as that’s what it resembled.
However, Liam was in a foul mood. That was made evidently clear as he huffed again. “You’ve said that already.” Noel Gallagher said plainly as he packed his own suitcase. His suitcase, in comparison to Liam’s, was organised and packed with things Noel knew he would need. Noel side eyed Liam, who was now attempting to stuff his football in there. Noel’s old cassette player was valiantly attempting to finish playing The Gift as it sat proudly on his beside table. Eventually, the player whirred, sputtered, and stopped as the tape finished. Noel scowled, grabbed the player, stuffed it in a sock for protection, and packed it among his shirts.
Bod’s bed was stripped bare days ago. His room cleared of his precious belongings he decided to take with him. He’d left days ago to stay with a friend for the summer, and the house was already feeling off without his presence. Noel’s face further set into a scowl. He’d have liked to go off for summer. A chance to get away from Liam for starters was always something to jump at.
Noel pushed the thought away as he folded a collared shirt with far more force than necessary, and set it among the other shirts and sweatshirts in his suitcase. Liam, meanwhile, had just finished balling up his City jersey and stuffed it alongside his balled up Beatles t-shirt that had once been Noel’s.
Noel side eyed him again, as he arranged his trainers on the other side of the case. “Everything is gonna be wrinkled by the time we get there.” Noel said plainly as Liam scowled, stuffed more clothes in his suitcase, and then became angry when the lid wouldn’t zip shut.
Liam scowled, as he muttered “So?” He yanked the zipper back and forth a few times, then leapt on the case when his previous attempt at zipping it shut proved unfruitful.
“Mam wouldn’t want ya running around lookin’ like a knob and you know it.” Noel said matter of factly as he grabbed a few cassettes he deemed important enough to take, and tossed them in among his kecks.
Liam huffed as he seemed to give up on the sitting on his suitcase and zipping it shut idea, and seemed resigned to it being unzipped. “So? She won’t know.” Liam huffed. Again.
“Kidda, if I hear you huff one more time I swear,” Noel said, his eyebrows knit together as he glared at Liam.
Liam scowled back, “You swear wot?” He challenged, his eyes narrowing as he glared right back at Noel. Noel glared before taking one step forward. Liam registered the step, and he folded, shrinking into himself before looking off, and quietly muttering, almost to himself, “It’s not fair.”
Noel screwed his eyes shut, breathed in, and exhaled heavily. He knew what Liam meant, and had to agree. It wasn’t fair. It absolutely wasn’t fair.
Because a week back, Mam had just finished drying her hands with a flannel, when she very matter of factly announced “You two are spending the summer in Ireland with an uncle. I’ve gone and sorted it already. You’ll leave next week.” Peggy had looked tired when she said it. The only reason Noel didn’t kick up more of a fuss about it was when he noticed the lines around her eyes seemed deeper. She was tired, and Noel wasn’t going to add to it. She definitely didn’t need more stress. Especially not after the shit storm of last year.
Liam however, he had no qualms about that. He was young, and not yet observant of that type of thing. Liam, who choked on his sip of Coke he’d just taken, and sputtered “Uncle? What about Gran and Gramps? Why aren’t we staying with them?”
Peggy sighed, as if she knew that was coming “You’ll stay with them next summer love, swear to it. This summer though, I thought staying with your Uncle would be good. I think you both,” her eyes flickered over to Noel when she said that “have some things in common with him. I rang his brother and he said your uncle would be delighted for you both to come stay. He’s a musician, you know.” Peggy paused, waiting for some kind of reaction, specifically from Noel. When she received none, she continued “I’m sure you’ll both get on just fine.” Peggy concluded.
Noel had only nodded at the time and looked down. He didn’t have high hopes for a musician uncle. A musician uncle could have been someone who brought out their accordion at weddings and fancied himself good enough to play with the Stones. When in reality all he could do were a couple of folk tunes with bum notes sprinkled generously in. He’d much rather stay with their grandparents like they’d done almost every summer before.
Liam however, he scowled and went “Well, I don’t wanna go! I don’t care if he’s a musician or whatever rot he is. I don’t wanna go.” He stated.
Peggy sighed, as she scrubbed at her eyes and then gently pushed the hair away from Liam’s forehead “It’ll be good love, you’ll see.” Liam though, he huffed, jumped up from his seat, and abruptly ran off to Noel’s and his shared room.
A slammed door a second later informed them that Liam wasn’t too happy with this arrangement. “Staying with one of the Sweeneys then?” Noel grumbled as he went to rummage around in the refrigerator for something to drink.
Peggy was quiet at that, and the silence made Noel’s head snap up, his search forgotten about as he shut the refrigerator door to face her. “Mam…it’s a Sweeney, right?” Because this uncle had to be a Sweeney. It had to be if Mam wanted them to spend weeks on end with him.
“It’s a Gallagher.” Peggy said quietly. Noel sucked a breath in and didn’t release it. A Gallagher. Tommy’s side of the family.
“Oh Christ Mam! This…how do we know he’s not gonna be a piece of shit!” Noel barked as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“I only know about these brothers of your da’s ‘cos he’d go on about how they were nothing like ‘im.” Peggy said calmly. That was true, Peggy had heard numerous times, often through complaints, about how Tommy and his two younger half brothers were worlds apart. About how they couldn’t be more different if they tried. Peggy, she started off softly, not wanting to upset Noel into running off like Liam. “The younger one, apparently he’s a real people person. Nice and friendly and all that. The older one, well Tommy said he’s his polar opposite. Quiet. Likes to keep to himself and shy. An’ that was already a point to them in my book. But I called the other day, and talked to one of ‘em. He was a decent man. One bad apple don’t mean the tree’s rotten.”
Noel scowled as he crossed his arms “One bad apple means the whole fuckin’ tree is diseased.” He retorted.
Peggy sighed as she quietly added “You know that’s not true.” Noel could only scowl further as he glanced down. “Noel, you know I only ever want what’s best for you. I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise.” That seemed to shut the conversation down right then and there. Because Peggy was right, and Noel knew that and couldn’t argue otherwise. She had done this for them, and Noel couldn’t act like she hadn’t.
“I don’t wanna go.” Liam’s voice started again. That had brought Noel back to the present. Liam had flopped down on his bed and was cataloguing the cracks in the ceiling paint.
“And you think I do?” Noel shot back as he zipped his suitcase up and pulled it off his bed.
Liam frowned as his nails seemed suddenly interesting. “No.” He said quietly. Liam glanced over at his suitcase, and begin picking at a loose thread by the zipper.
“C’mon Lee, it’s only for the summer.” Noel said, breathing through his nose to tramp the anger down. He wanted to do this as much as Liam. Which to say, was not at all.
Liam had pulled the thread far enough there was now enough to wind around his finger. Liam seemed very interested in how his fingertip was turning red from that action. “Yeah but, we don’t know ‘im. It’s probably gonna be some geezer who smells funny. An’ he’s gonna call me lad and be all weird and shit.” Liam scowled.
Noel screwed his eyes shut as he finally let the frustration take hold. “Don’t you ever shut up r’kid?” He asked plainly. Liam’s scowl deepened at that. Noel spotted the balled up socks Liam threw earlier, grabbed them, and lobbed them across the room.
The socks met their target, and nailed Liam on his forehead. “Ow!” Liam shrieked as he dramatically flopped backwards on his bed. Liam seemed to recover, grab hold of the socks, and threw them back at Noel.
Noel smoothly dodged the throw, poorly aimed as it was. “They probably smell rank ‘cause they’re yours.” Noel said as he eyed the socks with disdain. Mam had gotten them for Liam. Little yellow Woodstocks dotted around on a grey background. Noel kicked the socks away from him.
“Don’t you ever stop being mean to me?” Liam whined as he resumed his earlier position of flopped backwards on his bed.
“Won’t you ever stop giving me a reason to be mean? You’re the one who keeps giving me material to go off on.” Noel retorted as Liam flipped him off.
Noel was about to stomp over there, grab hold of his kecks, and yank Liam to the floor for that. “Boys!” Peggy’s voice echoed, stopping Noel in his tracks. Neither of them answered, though Liam had propped himself up on his elbows to watch the door. “Airport soon!” Noel screwed his eyes shut as reality came back. Again.
Noel grabbed his suitcase handle, and begin wheeling it to the living room “Comin’ Mam!” Noel shouted back.
Liam, he sat up, and stared forlornly at the shirts, kecks, trainers, and everything else scattered about the bed and floor. “I can’t get it to shut.” He stated sadly.
Noel scowled, stomped over, peered inside Liam’s suitcase, and stated very bluntly: “That’s cause you packed it like a berk.”
Liam hugged himself as he stuck his tongue out at Noel, and very quickly went “Did not! And don’t call me a berk! I’m not!”
“You absolutely did. An’ if you don’t want me call you a berk, don’t do things that make me call you a berk.” Noel shot back as he swung the lid back, and unceremoniously dumped the clothes Liam had shoved in there on the floor.
Noel then opened the case on the floor, grabbed the City jersey, folded it properly, and placed it in the suitcase. Liam watched him for a moment, arms crossed over his skinny chest, as he ventured to say “You know Noely,”
Noel finished folding the Beatles shirt, and placed it atop the blue polo Mam insisted Liam take along so he could look “presentable for a couple of days” as she put it. “Wot?” Noel asked shortly as he grabbed Liam’s cassette player he rarely used. The cassette player that had once belonged to Noel before he saved up and bought a new one, giving the old one to Liam. Noel found the other pair of Snoopy socks Mam had bought Liam, wrapped the player up in them so it wouldn’t get broken, and placed the sock cassette in the suitcase.
Liam never used the thing anyhow. But Noel knew that if Liam saw Noel’s player, Liam would kick up a fuss about how his player was left behind. So Noel went ahead and packed it to save himself the headache.
“You’re bossy. And mean. An’ you look like a potato.” Liam stated, as if it was variable fact. Fact Noel resembled a potato.
Noel decided to ignore the last bit of that, and only said “I’m efficient.” As he got to work on packing Liam’s shoes.
“No. You’re bossy. And mean.” Liam huffed as he flopped backwards on his bed again. Content to let Noel pack his suitcase.
Noel could only smirk as he said “Maybe.” Noel eyed the football Liam desperately was trying to shove in his case. Noel grabbed it, found the black stopper, and yanked it out. Air was quick to rush out, and Noel squeezed the football to make the air leave it all the more faster.
“No! What’d you do that for?” Liam cried as he rushed over to grab his deflated football and hugged it close to his chest.
Noel rolled his eyes as he snatched it back and stuffed it into the suitcase, then taking the stopper, slipping it into another sock so it wouldn’t get lost, and placing it next to the football. “Packin’ it you bellend. You wanna take it, don’t you? Can’t pack a whole bleedin’ football.” Noel scowled as he grabbed a couple of Beatles tapes just in case Liam wanted them, slipped them into his shoes, and finally shut the lid. The suitcase zipped shut easily, no surprise as Noel did the packing, and Noel began wheeling it out into the hall to join his case.
“Oh, I guess you’re right.” Liam said before trailing off and glancing off at the corner of his room. Noel smirked. Of course he was right. “Don’t call me a bellend!” Liam snapped, coming back to himself.
“Alright, I won’t call you a bellend.” Noel said placatingly. Liam nodded as he seemed to accept this answer. “Brat.” Noel added, smirking as he saw Liam get ready to whine about it. Noel began wheeling both suitcases down the hall and into the kitchen.
“I am not a brat! An’ don’t call me that, or, I’ll tell Mam!” Liam snapped as he rushed after Noel.
“Whatever you say, brat.” Noel added as he finished rolling the suitcases down the hall and into the kitchen, setting the suitcases against the wall. He let a small grin form. Liam could be so easy to wind up sometimes.
“Mam!” Liam hollered as he ran into the kitchen. Peggy was already at the table, checking tickets and passports, and making sure everything was together before they left.
“Yes love?” Peggy hummed as she placed Liam’s ticket into his passport. She looked up, offering Liam a tired smile as he ran into the kitchen.
“I, uh, when do we gotta leave?” Liam asked, suddenly backtracking on his idea of complaining about Noel. He even must have noticed how Peggy looked tired. She always looked a little tired these days.
”About ten minutes love.” Peggy answered and Liam nodded before plopping down in a seat at the table. Noel had just doubled back for Liam’s and his overnight bags, dropping them by the suitcases, and taking a seat as well.
“Do we have to?” Liam muttered again as Peggy finished up putting Noel’s ticket into his passport. Peggy simply reached across the table and smoothed down the darkening blond of Liam’s hair.
“Just for the summer love.” Peggy said softly as she fixed Liam’s hair, then moved onto the collar of his shirt, straightening it. Liam could only look down.
“But I don’t even know him.” Liam said, as he screwed his eyes shut tight. Noel looked away from the display. He knew what it meant when Liam did that: he was holding back the hot tears that had begun to spring to his eyes in frustration.
“No, not yet. But you’ll have time to get to know him.” Peggy said gently as she got up from her seat. Peggy grabbed the passports, tickets, and her purse from the back of the chair it hung off of. “He’s family.” Peggy added firmly.
“What if he don’t like me? What if he’s mean an’ treats me bad an’,” and Liam seemed to be spiraling before Peggy clasped his hand in hers.
“Then he’d be a bellend. It’s hard not to like you love. An’ if he’s mean, here’s what you do: you call me up, ask to go home, and I’m booking you the first flight we can get. Then you go tell your brother and he’ll take care of it. Isn’t that right Noel?” Peggy asked, looking across the table at Noel.
“Aye.” Noel grunted. Not to mention, Peggy was right. Everyone liked Liam. It was hard not to. The kid was full of boundless energy, mischievous and quick and everything an eleven year old should be and more.
Liam looked up at her, before nodding. Noel grabbed the handle of his suitcase, his grip tight as he felt the plastic dig into his palm. “You really think this’ll be fun?” Noel asked quietly as Liam got up from his seat and grabbed his own suitcase.
Peggy pushed the strap of her purse higher upon her shoulder as she made her way to the front door. “I think,” she began carefully “that you’ve both had a rough year.” She glanced carefully at her boys, Noel with his guarded expression, and Liam with his curious one. “And I think this summer will be good for the both of you.” Peggy finished.
Liam frowned and found his trainers to be suddenly fascinating. Noel meanwhile bit his tongue. He wanted to argue. He wanted to be upset and go slam doors and grip his hair in frustration and yell that no, he didn’t think this summer would do either of them any good. Noel wanted to argue he’d rather stay in Burnage, or stay with his grandparents. That yes, while last year was tough, what with Peggy and Tommy’s separation and everything else, it didn’t mean Noel needed this.
He didn’t need looking after, and he certainly didn’t need to be chasing after Liam all summer long, while staying with some relative he hardly knew. That spending weeks with an uncle he’d never met, over his grandparents, sounded painfully awkward. An uncle that shared blood with Tommy.
Instead, Noel simply nodded. Mam had gone through all this trouble for them, setting it up, reaching out to a side of a family Noel knew she probably would rather forget, because she hoped it would be good for them. Because she was trying her best to give them a good summer.
Peggy led the way to the family car, and Noel silently loaded Liam’s and his suitcase into the boot. Liam, however, was lingering by the front door. Looking back at their council estate, as though hoping Mam would suddenly laugh, say “go on!” And suddenly announce the trip had been cancelled and Liam could go back inside and watch telly.
No luck.
“C’mon Lee!” Noel shouted as he climbed into the passenger seat besides Peggy. Liam gave one last look back, before giving an exaggerated sigh, and trekking down to the car. Liam climbed into the backseat, crossed his arms over his chest, and huffed. Noel could only roll his eyes.
“Right. Seatbelts?” Peggy asked as she started the car. She gave a look to Noel, who rolled his eyes but complied as Liam roughly yanked on the belt and buckled himself in in the backseat.
Peggy eased away from the kerb. Noel leaned his head against the window as he watched the familiar Burnage streets slide away past the windows. Noel didn’t know what was waiting for them across the Irish Sea.
He could only hope this summer wouldn’t turn out to a mistake.