Unexpected (MxM) (Completed)

Chapter Three- Cool Big Brother

Chapter Three-

Frankie

"How was the practice? Did they play anything you like?" Sawyer asks when he comes inside.

I flop down on the couch, and smile at him. "I like a lot of their songs. Moth wrote one about me, but he said the rest of the band won't want him to play it because it's a solo and it's not punk rock enough for them."

"That's sweet." He sits next to me and smiles. "What else have you been up to? I feel like we don't talk anymore."

I blush and sigh softly. "Well, it's just that a lot of my life involves Moth now and you usually look grumpy when I talk about him."

Sawyer's eyes widen, but after a moment he wipes the shock off of his face and shakes his head. "Sorry, I've been a pain in the ass recently. I'm not used to this whole parenting thing and I always figured it was too late to be a parent to Noel, Candace, and Will, but I wanted to be there for you. I guess I came off as a little neurotic."

"Yeah, maybe a little. I know you and Teagan are legally my parents now, but I'll always see you like my brother. I just miss being able to talk to you like a friend." I confess, fiddling with my fingers slightly as Sawyer leans on me and puts his arm over my shoulder.

"Alright. We can get back to that then. What kind of stuff do you talk to your friends about?"

I take a breath and decide to open up more. I hope he's serious about wanting to talk freely. "Mason and his goons don't pick on me as much anymore. I guess Moth got into a fight with some of them and now they don't even speak to me if he's around. Corduroy joined the book club. I haven't been able to read the one we're on yet because Moth always distracts me."

"I thought you had better focus than that. You're used to noise, right?"

I blush. It's not exactly the noise that distracts me. "He's uh... hard to ignore."

Sawyer cringes, but is quick to force a smile. "You guys are using protection, right?"

"No dad talk." I insist, covering my face for a moment before huffing. "But yeah, we do."

"Good. He seems like he cares about you. You don't skip school with him, do you?"

"Of course not. I want to keep my GPA, and Moth stopped skipping as much too. He's a junior now. I've been helping him look at colleges."

Sawyer pulls back a little and meets my eyes. "It isn't his fault I don't like him. That's why I'm trying to be lenient instead of just grounding you until you're 50 like I want to."

I sigh. I know Moth hasn't done anything to deserve the judgment Sawyer gives him. I know that he's trying to be my dad and that he cares about me, but he doesn't act this way toward Theo or Dax. He doesn't even act like this to the girl Julian has been hanging out with and he's only twelve. I'm fifteen now. When will he let me grow up?

"Why are you like this with me and not anyone else? It's not fair."

"You remind me of myself. I love the person you are and I wish I could still be that way. I wish I could've stayed optimistic, pure, and naïve. I know how these things go because it's happened a million times. I think it's sweet that you're starting to like people and fall in love, but I don't want you to get hurt." Sawyer takes a little breath and reaches his hand out to brush my hair behind my ear and stare at me. "You're the first one I saw as mine, you know? Our dad wasn't there when you were born and mom was exhausted so I was the first person to hold you. I hate the thought of you being hurt."

I feel myself start to tear up, but I blink quickly and smile at him. "I know you don't mean any harm, Sawyer. I know that you raised me for most of my life, but I'm not a baby anymore."