The Bonds that Tie | Alec

Alec fell back on the grass, heaving out an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion. After his little incident with not knowing how long he had holed up in his dorm, he had a heck of a lot of catching up to do. The good thing was he only had homework assignments in History, Chemistry, Physics, and Algebra 1. That wasn't too much, was it? Alec shook his head and rolled his eyes, scoffing at his own poor attempt at convincing himself that it wasn't that bad. Yeah, right. And they're almost all due on one day. The redhead pushed his upper body up from the ground, propping himself up on his elbows. Green eyes looked down at the chemistry book in his lap and the blank piece of notebook paper tucked neatly between the pages. Alec, in all honesty, was a bright kid, especially when it came to science and math. He practically lived with it, having been raised in a mechanical workshop. But Alec's lack of motivation and simple negation of doing work because he had to was his problem.

So, Alec leapt to his feet, stretching out his lanky figure and hearing the satisfying pop as he moved his joints around. He let his hands flop on his head and stay there. He looked across the courtyard, trying to find something to do or someone familiar that he could talk to. A frustrated click of his tongue signified that he found neither. Well, until his eyes caught the sight of a familiar hoodie and a brief flash of stark white hair. Alec then felt a wide grin stretch his lips, energy coming back to life. Alec wasted no time in walking over to the quiet, secluded area that housed his brother, Cody. He raised a hand in greeting and patted his brother's head like a mother would do to a child. He laughed merrily, slinging his arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

"Hey, Cody! What's my sneaky little bro been up to? Met any girls yet? Have you made friends? Do you do your homework? Come on, Cody, talk to me I'm bored!"

Alec was aware that he was most likely one of those annoying older brothers that relentlessly bother their younger siblings. Heck, he just proved it to Cody by badgering him with questions when clearly his brother wasn't quite adjusted to his presence quite yet. Oh well. Alec and Cody have been living with each other ever since Cody was born so Alec was certain that his white-haired sibling was used to him.

The red-haired teen jutted out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout. He was enjoying the closeness between him and Cody just moments ago before he wrenched himself away. "Aw, why won't you hug me? Am I not that important to you anymore? I'm hurt, Cody," he dramatized. Alec couldn't quite put the act forth for long, bursting into a loud fit of laughter seconds after. Despite his playful banter, the half-blood listened attentively to his younger brother.

"Why not?" At first, Alec didn't quite grasp why his brother wasn't comfortable enough to talk to other half-bloods here, but then it hit him. "You're worried still, aren't you?" He avoided the word 'scared'; he knew his brother hated that. "Homework's all fine and dandy, but you have to talk to someone." Alec waved off Cody's over, more concerned over his brother's reluctance to socialize. "Open up a little more, yeah? They're not gonna think you're a freak, because they're like us. And besides, I'm here aren't I?"

Alec assumed convincing his brother that it was completely fine for him to start being himself wasn't going to be easy; he was right. He didn't feel disappointed or irritated by Cody's actions, but rather understood and accepted them. Life in the human world wasn't easy for the both of them, more so for Cody than for Alec. Alec had been fortunate enough to look normal enough, despite the unnatural shade of red-brown hair he possessed and his peculiar attitude. Cody didn't quite have it as good as he did, with his stark white hair and smaller stature. Looking back to their experience with humans, Alec felt the need to strangle every person that ever bullied or ever even thought of bullying Cody.

He placed his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, instantly regretting the upfront words he had said to his brother. Who was he to tell him it was easy? Alec was an outgoing creature, and he didn't know what it was like for Cody. "I know it's hard. All of our lives, we've lived with the worst of luck, but at least try, alright? For me. And if you ever need help, just throw like a rock at me or something." Alec tried for a reassuring smile, and it worked for a moment before Cody mentioned something that made it go away.

It didn't even take Alec a fraction of a moment or even had to have a proper thought process to know who Cody was talking about. The pain and heartache had Alec make a double-take. She had been the light of their lives, and it had only ever been her and the brothers, but now it was down to only two of them. Alec, for the past years of their lives alone and having only each other, had been trying to be okay. He tried to move on, to be happy, but there was always a part of him that couldn't do it. Still, he had to. Cody needed him, just like they both needed their mother.

"I know, bud. I do too."