Thread: Brotherly Greetings WHO: The Riley Bros - Matt, Callum, and Teddy WHEN: Friday Afternoon WHERE: Starting in front of the main building, then probably headed towards Pegasus House?
Callum Riley approached the school on his own, with nothing but a backpack and a duffle-bag - anything else he might have needed had been sent on ahead or was still on it’s way. His parents would have seen him all the way to his room, but he’d wanted to get acclimated on his own first. So he’d said goodbye at the gate, given them each a hug and a kiss for his mom, and told them he’d see them for dinner along with his brothers. He suggested they get some rest before. After all, he knew how exhausted they were: it was his ‘gift’. They let him go reluctantly, only giving in when he teased them about having empty nest syndrome, letting them know he’d be okay by himself. His brothers were around somewhere anyway, so he wasn’t completely alone.
Still, he felt a little removed from the world as he walked up to the great stone building. He could see people milling about the campus, but they were far off and he still felt like he was looking at them from behind a veil, as though he wasn’t really there. It was like stepping out of a dream. Or into one. He still wasn’t sure yet where he stood on that. Part of him still expected to wake up and find himself back at home, with everything back to normal. But he knew better than that. Matt and Teddy had been at the school for a few months now, there was no ignoring that.
Taking a deep breath, Callum adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder and headed for the main building. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered to himself.
Truthfully Matt wasn’t as thrilled as he should have been that Callum was coming to the school. Not because he wasn’t happy to see his brother, but because he hadn’t wanted this for Callum. He was the one that might have escaped the weird and wonderful. Life it would seem was full of surprises, not always good ones, especially as there was something to be said for normal and regular.
Though from what he’d been told Callum hadn’t been bitten by anything large and furry so maybe there was still hope for him the same way there was for Teddy. Neither of them had to be at the whim of an animal they couldn’t yet fathom. Maybe it was his overprotective big brother stance, but he wanted the best for his brothers and still wasn’t sure if the supernatural world was that place, especially with everything that had happened in recent months.
Not that you’d be able to sense his trepidation as he and Teddy rounded on the main building, his younger brother a few excited steps ahead. “Hey, hey, slow down,” he murmured affectionately as he rubbed a hand over Teddy’s hair. “Don’t wanna be so excited that you run right past him.”
Teddy stopped at the hand that rested on top of his head, turning his head upward to look at his brother. Unlike Matt, Teddy was pretty much psyched that Callum was coming to the school. It didn't matter that it was at the end of the semester and that they'd be here over the summer because they'd be here together and maybe that would mean that everyone was going to be okay because if Callum was here too, then the three of them could fix all of the problems. And maybe things would be back to normal.
"I wouldn't run right past him," he grumbled, slipping underneath Matt's arm and settling at his side as they rounded the final corner, but then he let out a sound of pretty much sheer delight when his eyes fell on Callum on the path, bags in his hands and on his back and he broke away from Matt with a grin at his eldest brother.
He started running again, yelling Callum's name at the top of his lungs and skidding to a stop just past his brother, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Callum to put his stuff down before he hugged him, after all, he didn't want to hug him with his hands full. The sound of his name being shouted out snapped Callum out of his thoughts and he looked over to see his little brother speeding over to him, grinning immediately. He dropped his duffle bag just as Teddy stopped in front of him and shrugged off his backpack before he wrapped his arms around his baby brother, giving him a bear hug, picking him up and spinning him around.
“Hey there, squirt,” he greeted warmly, kissing the top of Teddy’s head as he put him back gently on the ground. “You’re not happy to see me, are you,” he asked teasingly as he reached up and ruffled his little brother’s hair. Honestly, seeing his brothers come out to greet him made him feel a whole lot better. It settled something that had been all knotted up inside his chest. They were there, and that meant he was going to be fine. It wasn’t ideal, but things would be okay.
He looked up as Matt caught up to them, giving his older brother another big grin. “Do all the new students get such an enthusiastic welcome, or am I just that special?” He reached out and pulled Matt in for a fierce hug. If it was a little tighter than usual, well, it was understandable. Callum always prefered to convey his own feelings through touch and non-verbal cues. He was just grateful for their presence, and maybe still a little overwhelmed.
Matt watched his brothers with a small smile before he just hung back a little, letting the pair get their greeting out of the way before he chuckled softly. “I dunno, I think you’re getting the brother special.” He was a little taken aback by the sudden fierce hug he now found himself in, brow knitting together as he could almost feel the sheer relief that Callum felt at seeing them both.
“Hey,” he murmured as he wrapped his own arms around Callum, being careful with how tightly he hugged the other teenager, especially now that he was stronger than he knew what to do with at times. “It’s good to see you too.” He patted Callum’s back and waited for his brother to break the hug as he got the distinct feeling that maybe just maybe this hug was more about what Callum needed than anything else.
Matt wasn’t as stupid as he looked.
Teddy waved a hand, as if he was trying to play off just how happy he was to see Callum, his over-excited greeting seemingly way out of proportion compared to how calmly Matt and Callum had greeted each other and he rocked back and forth on his heels as he looked between the two of them, sharp eyes that had always watched for non-verbal cues his entire life noticing how tightly Callum almost clung to Matt and it was on the tip of his tongue to ask about it but he decided against it.
"Mom and dad still taking us out for dinner?" he asked, looking down the path and feeling almost a little disappointed that they weren't there as well to see Callum in- Teddy had been really looking forward to seeing them too. He supposed it would be okay to wait, though. A glance up at Matt had Teddy then blurting out the question that was playing on his mind since they'd received the message that Callum would be joining them. "Is it your headaches?"
Callum didn’t linger too long, just long enough for him to get himself back together. When he pulled back, he gave his brother another grin, this one slightly apologetic though still just as warm. “Yeah, I kinda missed seeing your ugly mug around,” he replied, giving Matt’s shoulder a light punch. His way of trying to distract from the previous moment, letting his brothers know he was okay, really.
“They’ll be back, don’t worry,” he assured Teddy. “I told them to go get a nap in or something. They’ve been kind of exhausted recently.” Maybe he should have let them see him in, get to spend more time with the whole family. Seeing his little brother’s reaction, he wished he hadn’t been so selfish. Their worry was only natural, it wasn’t their fault he couldn’t help picking up on it.
Teddy’s question caught him a little by surprise, though that too was understandable. It made sense that his brothers would be curious about why he was suddenly joining them at the school. He gave Teddy a little half smile, running a hand through his own hair before rubbing his neck. “Yeah, actually,” he started, chuckling a little. “Turns out I’m psychic or something. Weird, huh?”
“Look whose talking,” Matt answered with a smirk as he ruffled Callum’s hair. “Wow, way to play question time, Teddy.” He hooked his arm around their younger brother’s neck and tugged him against his side. “Gotta pace yourself, one question at a time.” His tone was warm and clearly affectionate before his attention turned to Callum as he revealed the exact cause for why he was at the school.
Well, fuck.
“Psychic?” He asked, waiting for a beat. “In what way?”
Teddy grinned, beaming at his brothers and only complaining a little bit - and half-heartedly - as he was tugged against Matt's side. He fiddled with the hem of Matt's shirt nervously as he looked between the two, watching the interactions carefully.
Psychic? Teddy was suddenly worried that Callum could hear his thoughts, but no, that wouldn't be the type, would it? That would seriously suck if it was. He felt worried then that maybe the bracelet he'd given Callum hadn't helped at all. He was glad to see it sitting on his brother's wrist, as Matt's was on his, but that wasn't the point. He'd need to try and find another spell that he could use to help Callum once he knew what was going on.
"There's a lot of people who can help, though," he tried to offer helpfully, "I have a friend who can see the dead. You can't see the dead, right? 'Cause that really bugs Felix. Well, the dead bug him like all the time."
The obvious concern from his brothers made Callum’s stomach twist. He hated that he was the cause, and that he could feel it on top of his own anxiety. He wondered if he’d ever be able to shut it off, even for a little while each day. It’d be nice to know that he’d be able to have a little bit of time to deal with his own issues without having to get away from everyone and everything in order to do so.
“Um, I can kind of sense emotion,” he began, fiddling with the bracelet Teddy had given him. “And… absorb it, or something.”
He gave Teddy a small smile at the little verbal explosion. “I’m really glad I can’t see the dead, but I don’t know if I’m any better off than he is. But the help is exactly why I’m here,” he went on, giving a bigger smile, though it still didn’t fully reach his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re both here, too.”