veiledndarkness | Four Brothers

Author: veiledndarkness

Title: Seasons 3/4

Rating: PG

Summary: Throughout the summer months...

Warnings: Not mine, never will be.

Winter

Spring

*

Jack throws himself whole-heartedly into the summer, free from the shackles of school, free to enjoy the warm months. Evelyn praises him for his grades, proudly displaying his report card for all to see on the fridge. The casual congratulations from his brothers, and the delight on Evelyn's face makes Jack feel as though he's accomplished something incredible rather than passing the eighth grade with decent marks.

He spends more time with Evelyn in the garden, crowing with joy when his cherry tomatoes grow to ripeness. Bobby plucks a handful from Jack's basket, winking at him as he chews them. Jack stares at the soil, his ears hot. His hormones seemingly run wild over the summer and he finds himself staring longingly at Bobby more and more now.

Angel and Jerry take Jack to the basketball courts and try to teach him how to flirt properly with the girls who gather by the fences. Jack refuses to, insisting that he'd rather focus on his aim with the nets. Evelyn ensures that Jack goes to many places, wanting him to experience things that he missed out on when he was younger.

He spends muggy afternoons at the pool with Bobby and Angel. He squirms despite himself when Bobby picks him up, cradling him in his arms briefly before dropping him into the water repeatedly. Some days are too warm to do anything but rest, half-asleep in the late morning sun. Evelyn takes him to the library and opens an account for him. He brings home stacks of books, ignoring Bobby's comments on how bookworms have a harder time getting laid.

Although he scoffs at first, Bobby sits with Jack when he reads, his lips moving sometimes as he reads along with him. Never the strongest reader and having left school at an early age, Bobby struggles to read occasionally, though he never admits it out loud. Jack reassures him that his street smarts mean just as much while they work through his assigned summer reading list together.

As August draws to an end, Jack mourns the loss of summer. Bobby shrugs and tells him not to be so sad, that falls just as good as summer. Jack looks up at Bobby, gnawing on his lower lip, perched next to him on 'their' part of the roof as he's come to think of it. Bobby glances at him, his hand cupped around his lighter, the very same one that Jack had given to him, and half-smiles, his lips quirking as he lights his cigarette. Jack haltingly mumbles something and then cringes, fearing the worst.

Bobby stares at him, a light slowly filling his eyes. Jack edges away from him, embarrassed and horrified that he spoke the words aloud. Bobby pulls him close and hugs him roughly, brushing his chapped lips over Jack's forehead.

'Love you too, kiddo,' he murmurs affectionately and though Jack is certain that Bobby meant strictly like a brother, rather than how he feels, he smiles and nods because he'll take anything that Bobby's willing to give him.

*
Fall

*