boys //ziam

chapter twenty-five

"hey noah, i'm getting taller than you," oliver says.

"we're the same height," noah deadpans.

"no, i'm like two inches taller than you. you hate to see it," oliver says.

"shut up, we're the same height," noah insists.

"let's compare," oliver says. they stand side by side to each other and much to noah's dismay, oliver was a tiny bit taller. "told you."

"that's not accurate," noah says, too stubborn to admit that oliver was taller. this is something they've always argued about. a few years ago noah was taller, then they were the same height and now apparently oliver is taller.

"you're just salty," oliver gives him the tongue.

when they get to the park, they find some of their classmates there. noah sighs, knowing that oliver is just going to leave him to hang out with them and he'd be left all alone again.

but oliver doesn't leave him, he just says hi to them when they come to him and he rejects when they ask him to come hang out with them.

"why didn't you go with them?" noah asks.

"because i wanted to hang out with you today," oliver says. "i can talk to them later."

"i know mom spoke to you, you don't have to pretend to want to hang out with me. you always say that i shouldn't be sad when you leave me for them because you're always going to talk to me at home," noah says. "so i don't mind."

"i shouldn't have said that noah," oliver says. "it was wrong. you're still my brother no matter where we are."

"mom put you up to this, didn't he?" noah sighs."olly, i understand your popularity is meaningful to you so i don't mind when you leave me anymore."

"ugh noah, you're just making me feel even worse. i'm trying to apologize to you!" oliver says.

"that doesn't sound like an apology," noah says.

"i was getting there," oliver folds his arms. "anyway i'm sorry for being an awful brother and putting my popularity ahead of you. i don't care if i lose all my friends anymore, but i don't want to lose you because of how i've been treating you,"

"ok," noah says.

"is that all you're going to say?" oliver asks.

"am i supposed to say more? you know i don't like it when you put me on the spot like that," noah huffs.

"you don't have to," oliver smiles, showing his dimples. another quick way to differentiate the twins is that oliver has two dimples when he smiles but noah has just one. "so you forgive me?"

"yes, you know i do," noah says.

"sweet," oliver grins.

"hey oliver!" one of oliver's friends come to meet them. "ditch the freak and come hang out with us."

"don't call him that," oliver frowns.

"what's wrong with you all of a sudden?" he asks. "are you about to take his side?"

"yeah, he's my brother so what," oliver retorts.

"if you associate with a freak then you'll become a freak," he says.

"olly, lets go," noah says, feeling uncomfortable. he pulls oliver by his hand but oliver stays still.

"call him a freak one more time," oliver says. noah tries to get oliver to leave but he won't budge.

"f-r-e-a-k, freak," the boy spells out.

"that's it," oliver throws a punch to his face, making the boy stumble. when he gets his balance back, he tries to hit oliver too but noah pulls him back by his hands.

"don't touch my brother," noah warns. the other kids gather around the scene as the fight unfolds, but it doesn't last very long as the park security arrives, and noah and oliver run back home so they wouldn't get in trouble.

"that was amazing," oliver says, breathing hard when they arrive home.

"what?" noah asks, breathing heavy too. "i feel like i'm about to pass out."

"we totally kicked his ass," oliver says, clearly on an adrenaline rush.

"i-i can't breathe," noah gasps, beginning to hyperventilate.

oliver finally realizes the state his brother is in and he begins to panic too. noah is having an asthma attack.

"mom!" oliver screams. zayn arrives in a few seconds, along with jordan as they're the only other people home. "noah's having an asthma attack."

"jordan, go get his inhaler," zayn commands and jordan nods, rushing to go get it. "honey, i need you to breathe, okay? you're going to be fine."

"noah, i'm so sorry," oliver begins to cry, staying at his brothers side. "please don't die."

jordan runs back with the inhaler and throws it over to Zayn. "your brother isn't going to die."

noah inhales a few times from it and begins to calm down. zayn sighs in relief.

"what happened?" zayn asks, referring to oliver as he clutches noah towards him. he tried not to show it in order not to scare his other kids, but he was so scared. noah hardly has asthma attacks but anytime he has one, it leaves a mark on zayn's heart.

"yeah, what happened olly?" jordan asks.

"we g-got into a fight," he admits, still sobbing. "he was fine then but we ran all the way home and i think that might have caused it."

"you got into a fight?" zayn frowns.

"i-i didn't mean to," oliver starts to cry harder.

"it's okay olly, you can tell me later," zayn says, noticing the state of his younger son. oliver was practically shaking. he must be traumatized seeing his brother gasping like that.

"jordan, can you take oliver out for a bit?" zayn asks. "please?" he says, knowing that oliver's current state is just going to make noah feel worse.

"i don't want to leave noah," oliver shakes his head, still crying.

"you're not helping him in this state olly," zayn says, insisting.

...

jordan decides to take his younger brother out to get ice-cream because he can't think of anything else. oliver who's usually the most talkative sibling is surprisingly quiet so jordan decides to bring up convo.

"so who'd you fight?" jordan asks his younger brother.

"some kid that called noah a freak," oliver says.

"did you win?" jordan asks.

"yeah we did. then we got chased down by the park security," oliver says.

"nice," jordan says.

"i know right," oliver smiles. "but noah had an attack so i don't think it was worth it."

"he's going to be fine," jordan reassures. "i'll say defending him was worth it."

"really?"

"uh yeah, i'd have done the same if someone came after any of you guys," jordan says.

"but you always come after us," oliver reminds.

"i get the pass to be mean to you because i'm your brother. a stranger is completely different," jordan explains. "i won't let a stranger attack any one of you."

"i'm such a bad brother," oliver groans. "i let my friends be mean to him."

"you're not, you realized that you were wrong and you changed. that's part of growing up olly," jordan says. "as long as you'd protect him from now on, then you're an amazing brother."

"i will protect him," oliver says.

"good," jordan says.

...