Falling out of Order

Chapter 3

Falling out of Order

Chapter 3

After a few more moments, Mako slowly pulled away from the hug. He looked at his brother, searching his face again. He ignored Luka's injuries, clearly Luka wouldn't tell him what happened yet. For now, they needed to just unwind.

Once Mako slowly pulled back, Luka placed a firm hand on his shoulder before moving his hand timidly to caress the side of his brother's face, meeting his eyes with his face stained with not only the blood from earlier, but from his tears.

Mako's eyes widened a fraction when he felt his brother's hand on his cheek. He blinked his green eyes a couple times as he tried hard not to pull away from the touch. When he was younger he wouldn't have minded, in fact, he would have found it very comforting. Mako still did find it faintly comforting, but it was overpowered by his dislike towards being touched. Especially on his face. He told himself that this was his brother, and in order to restore their relationship, he needed to work on the whole 'no contact' thing.

Luka saw how when he had placed his hand on Mako's cheek, that he didn't receive the same reaction as he used to get from him on the past. It was different. Everything was different now between them it seemed. He barely noticed how his touch faintly comforted the other, but not like how it used to so he pulled his hand back, a look in his own eyes that told Mako that he wouldn't do that again. Luka's lips parted, preparing himself to say more as he shifted his head in such a way that showed that he didn't know what to even say, while disagreeing with the others words as his eyes closed for a brief moment, releasing a heavy sigh.

"It is mostly my fault, Mako.... And what's been done....it can't be fixed. I can't be fixed, nor the results of my actions," he cleared his throat once more as he took his hand back from his brother's cheek to use his own sleeve to wipe his nose.

He touched it gingerly as his nose was sore from what had happened earlier, there also being a split on the bridge of it. There was a lot that Mako had no idea about, but how did Luka tell him? Luka decided that he would have to attempt to talk about it later if Mako asked. If he could keep his brother from not knowing though, he would take that route instead. All he knew was that he wouldn't lie to him. He couldn't do that.

Mako waited for what seemed like a lifetime for Luka's reply. Mako could see that his brother was struggling, and it only made Mako want to hear what he had to say, even more. But he wouldn't push him. He already knew what kind of response that would lead to, and Mako couldn't bear to see his brother so weak and timid. It was painful. So Mako just looked away when Luka sighed. He listened to what his brother told him, frowning again in confusion.

"So, you're saying it's your fault you became a prisoner of war?" He looked at Luka. "Do you hear what that sounds like?" He wanted Luka to understand. "I don't remember you being so negative either," he added lowly. Luka had been the one to say that they would escape the Russian mafia, and eventually they had done exactly that.

Luka's teeth nibbled on his split lip, the pain being something that helped keep him from losing it as he heard his brother talk about something that was a touchy subject for him, that Mako knew little to nothing about. His eyes closed, shaking his head as he couldn't help but have his eyes fall to the ground once more before up towards the sky then back to meet with his brothers, though he held a timid, but firm gaze. "Stop.... Just... Stop." He didn't want to hear it from his brother when Mako knew nothing about it. "I-I know what it sounds like.... Alright." That wasn't a question either. "But it is my fault, and I don't regret doing it because that meant you were safe.... There's so much you don't know about, Mako. Now, I said I'll talk about it later." His voice was firmer, almost seeming to be fighting to hold his emotional pain back.