Sage and Brandon stood side by side as they watched the boy stuff his face with chips and cookies before drinking a whole juice box in one long sip. He was completely covered in dirt, like he'd rolled around in it.
His stomach seemed to be an endless pit. He just kept eating and eating.
Sage shivered, wondering what had happened to him and why he'd come here of all places. Maybe it was drugs? That wasn't uncommon among his family.
Sage went to move forward but Brandon's hand gripping his wrist stopped him. Looking up at the bigger boy, Sage noticed Brandon's eyes were narrowed as he observed the ravenous boy.
"Um...Maverick?" Sage called, watching as he stopped chewing for all but a second before continuing. Maverick looked up, his eyes going to where Brandon still held Sage's wrist.
Sage stepped away from Brandon, his face warm.
"Mave–"
"It's Ricky." He snapped, cutting Sage off
"Sorry." Sage murmured, fidgeting with his fingers. "M-Maybe you should take a shower. Your old clothes are still upstairs." He suggested, not wanting to be rude but his brother smelled how he imagined death to smell and he was getting dirt on the couch.
Maverick looked up at Sage and then down at himself and seemed genuinely surprised to see how dirty he was. He stood up, taking the bag of chips with him and eyed Brandon as he passed on his way upstairs.
"I take it that's your older brother." Brandon commented once the boy was out of sight.
Sage sighed and nodded. Admittedly, he felt a little embarrassed that Brandon had witnessed that and ashamed by how dysfunctional his family was. But Brandon smiled at him like none of that mattered.
"So..." Brandon inched closer but Sage was already moving to get the broom from the hall closet. His younger siblings would be home soon and he didn't know how they'd react seeing Maverick. It's been months since they had last seen him and he hoped he could trust Elias enough to not follow their older brother's footsteps.
Cleaning up the trash from snacks, Brandon helped and took it from his hands. Sage told him where the trash can was and dusted dirt from the couch before sweeping the floor.
When the others got home, Sage and Brandon were sitting on the couch a respectable distance apart and Maverick still hadn't come back down after the shower turned off.
Before Sage could warn Elias, the boy ran upstairs in search for his laptop and Marlo ran to Brandon. Sage would never admit that he felt a little betrayed when his little brother hugged Brandon before even greeting him like he usually did. At least Aurora was excited to see him and proudly showed him a pop quiz she got a golden sticker on.
Mia rolled her eyes but sat as close as she could to him.
Everyone looked up from the thundering footsteps rushing down the stairs.
"Tell me I'm not seeing things again and there's actually a dead guy in our room." Hearing that, Mia jumped up to go investigate herself.
Sighing, Sage got up and went into the kitchen for the house phone. With the excuse of a family emergency, Bob let him have the day off and David grudgingly accepted. There was no way he was leaving his younger siblings here alone with Maverick. Who knew who he'd have in the house.
Mia was coming back downstairs when Sage returned to the living room, her little arms crossed over her chest as she huffed. "That dead body is Mavie!"
***
Passing out plates of Mac and cheese and chicken tenders, the kids claimed their regular seats at the table.
When everyone was eating and no one was bickering, Sage decided it was probably time for him to go see what Maverick was doing and what was going on.
Brandon had left not long ago and for some reason, he didn't want him to. Everything just seemed...better, when he was around. Sage couldn't understand it himself and would never be able to explain it. But even now, his face warmed with the memory of their almost kiss. Maybe it was for the better that it was interrupted. Sage's life was already busy enough and he didn't think there was any room there for a boyfriend. He'll probably have to tell Brandon that. He just hoped they could still be friends.
Hesitantly pushing open his bedroom door, Sage peeked in to see Maverick asleep on his bed. Or he assumed he was asleep, Elias wasn't kidding when he said there was a dead guy in their room.
His skin looked paler than how Sage remembered and his features just seemed sharper. Walking closer, Sage couldn't even see his chest rising and falling.
"Are you just going to stare?"
Sage jumped but thankfully Maverick's eyes were still closed so he didn't see. Rubbing his arm nervously, Sage sat down on Elias bed.
"A-are you hungry? There's um, Mac n' cheese and chicken tenders downstairs."
Maverick turned his head towards him, his eyes opening to look at him. "I'm starving." He admitted. "But the sound of that makes me want to puke."
Sage didn't know what to say to that. Should he offer to make something else?
"I don't want anything to eat." Maverick told him and Sage nodded absentmindedly.
"What happened exactly?" Sage risked asking. He didn't understand why he felt uncomfortable in his brother's presence. Maybe it's because they hadn't seen each other in so long, much less talked. Or maybe it was because Sage was still hurt by him leaving. They'd never really been all that close and even when Maverick lived with them he was rarely home. But Sage always thought he'd be there for them, he had made sure they had food and were alive but then he was just...gone.
Maverick sitting up brought him out of his thoughts and Sage watched him warily.
"I can't remember." Maverick answered, looking down at his hands that he slowly balled into fist. "I thought I was jumped but that can't be what happened, otherwise I'd be looking like shit right now."
Sage looked over his brother's face again. Yeah, he definitely wasn't jumped, there wasn't a mark on him. "Did you, did you take anything?" Sage asked softly.
"Is that what you think lil' bro? That I'm no better than ma?"
Sage folded his arms over his chest but didn't respond. He didn't really know how to. Did he see his older brother no different than their mom? Maybe. But that was his fault. Maverick was the one that left, just like she did.
"I'm no fucking druggie. Trust me, I sell that shit to enough of them to see what it makes you. And don't give me that look, weed ain't a fucking drug."
Biting his lip nervously, Sage prepared himself with a steadying breath and stood up. "I don't care what you do and don't consider drugs, just don't bring any of it into this house and that includes alcohol too." Sage stated. "And you can always stay here, it's home."
Maverick didn't respond and Sage had nothing else to say for the time being, so he left his older brother to rest and returned to his younger siblings.
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