Chapter Text
Vegard was on his way home from work. He was angry and tired, frustrated at life. He hadn't slept well during the past week, and the work had piled up like the traffic he had been stuck in for an hour. Calle had been a general ass today, and it had distressed Vegard more than it should have. That was Calle's thing, of course, he couldn't blame the man for that. But sometimes Vegard just wished he would keep shut and do his work and let Vegard immerse in his.
But what disturbed Vegard the most, was Bård's absence from work. He hadn't come in the morning, and when Vegard had called him he had sounded very drunk and angry and refused to give out his location. The clock had been ten in the morning then, and that was the only time he had answered during the day.
Vegard's fuming anger was also fueled by a tiny fear, though he wouldn't admit that to himself or anyone else. God knows what Bård could have done in that state. He could've gotten seriously hurt or passed out somewhere. It was publicly known the Ylvisåker-brothers didn't hold their alcohol very well.
Vegard made his way across the parkingarea with heavy steps on the hard dark asphalt. The rain beat his back furiously like a million whips punishing him even though he hadn't done anything very wrong.
He grabbed the cold doorhandle with his bare hands, throwing an unhappy glance at the sky. The weather had been that for weeks now, always cold, always raining, but temperature never dropping low enough for there to be snow instead of icy spears. He was growing tired of it dangerously swiftly now.
He took the stairs instead of the old elevator, and climbed to the fourth floor. The keys weren't in the first pocket he searched. They never were. He went through the other and grabbed hold of the keys. Violently prodding it into the lock, he twisted the key and the door clicked open silently. There was a dim light coming from the livingroom, Vegard saw as he stepped in. Odd, he didn't remember leaving any lights on. He furrowed his brow and listened carefully. Small grunts and sounds were coming from the livingroom. There was someone in his house.
He tried to move silently, the intruder had apparently not heard him open the door. He left the door open, partly not to cause more noise, and partly to have a clear route to escape through in case one was needed. He sneaked further into the apartment, careful not to trip over or touch anything that would cause a commotion. Suddenly the one in the livingroom fell silent. Vegard stopped abruptly and listened, his heart was beating fast and his breath felt loud as an airplane to him. Seconds passed like hours, and then suddenly a somewhat incoherent voice broke the dense silence.
”Vegard?”
Vegard's first reaction was to breathe out and close his eyes in relief. He would never mistake that voice. Of course he should've known it was Bård, he had given the man his sparekeys!
Then a red numb anger grew in him and he walked back to the door and pulled it shut with a rage the world rarely saw coming from him. He stormed back to the livingroom and found his younger brother sitting on the floor at the foot of the sofa, beercans and a bottle of whiskey around himself. The TV was on but muted, and Vegard's computer sat in front of Bård, opened on what seemed to be a pornsite. Bård looked stupidly at Vegard.
”Hi, Vegard.” He said, evidently tipsy, but not entirely intoxicated. Vegard stared at him with such a judging and cold glare, the younger man shifted uncomfortably.
”Just what the hell do you think you're doing?” Vegard folded his arms across his chest. His face was red with fury. Bård was silent. ”I asked you a question, Bård.” Bård looked like he was thinking furiously, his blue eyes were directed to the floor, blinking every now and then as if trying to clear the view. Then he opened his mouth carefully.
”I know you asked me a question, Vegard.” He slurred slightly. ”But listen-”
”No, you listen to me, you idiot!” Vegard hissed through bared teeth and walked over to Bård. He pointed at the beers. ”I have a hard day at work and then I come home to this! Is this what you've been up to all day? Breaking into my house to drink all my beer and... and watch porn on my computer!” Bård grabbed Vegard's leg and got up clumsily. ”I can't believe your stupidity, Bård! Why didn't you come to work, huh? I can't believe I ever gave you those keys.” Bård stood in front of Vegard, one hand on his older brother's shoulder, slightly pressing him down as Bård leaned on him to keep his balance. The index finger of his other hand pressed clumsily against Vegard's lips.
”Shh.” Bård said silently in an attempt of calming his brother. Vegard lifted one hand angrily and moved away the hand of the other. ”Let me explain to you, Vegard. Shh, don't interrupt.” Bård looked at Vegard with raised eyebrows for a second, as if to confirm the other wouldn't throw another fit. Then he moved away to sit on the couch behind them. ”Lisa dumped me.” He said, and a joyless laughter left his lips. Vegard's features softened just for a second, before hardening again. Bård had been with a woman called Lisa for some time now. Five months maybe? Vegard didn't really like her. She was kind of one of those gold-diggers, hanging around with men only to get fancy jewelry or expensive clothes.
”Why did she leave you, then?” Vegard's voice was still harsh and cutting.
”No, no shh.” Bård said and looked annoyed suddenly. ”That's not the point. That's not the- sit down, Vegard.” He tugged at Vegard's shirt and he sat down unwillingly. ”Look, she left me. Okay? She sent me a text that said 'I'm leaving you' and she left me. Now that was expected, yeah. I didn't really want her anymore. The thing is just that she...” his voice trailed off and he stared into thin air.
”She what?” Vegard asked then, and his voice was now closer to normal. He looked at his brother curiously.
”She left me.” Bård said with a hollow voice. His stare broke and his eyes dropped to the floor. ”I don't know what to do. I'm not used to be alone, and she left me so now I'm alone.”
”It's okay, you'll find another.” Vegard hurried to say. He felt a bit panicked. It had been years since they had shared anything on such an emotional level. He wasn't sure just how he was supposed to react. This wasn't their usual way of communicating, at all, and Vegard felt a bit uneasy. He blamed the alcohol for Bård's behaviour, he usually got miserable when drunk anyway. Maybe Vegard could forgive him for breaking into his house one day, and right now the brother seemed to need someone to talk to. A comforting hand landed carefully on Bård's back, and the younger brother leaned into the touch just a bit. ”You'll find someone nice, Bård. You'll find another.” Bård was still for a second as if he was pondering about the words. Then he suddenly jerked and leaned forward, grabbing the whiskey bottle and downing a gulp.
”No I won't.” He laughed joylessly and shoved the bottle into Vegard's chest passive aggressively. The older brother grabbed the whiskey from the younger one's hand and downed a mouthful. This can't get any better anyway, so why not, he thought. Bård was in the middle of a laughing fit. ”No I won't, no I won't!” He chanted as he swayed back and forth, facial expression conveying both amusement and hurt. There was something unfamiliar with Bård's whole being that Vegard couldn't quite put his finger on. ”I won't, Vegard...” Bård stilled and looked at Vegard for a moment before turning away. Vegard was at a loss of words, and he only looked at his brother whose mouth had curled downward in an ugly pout. He looked like he was going to break any second.
”It's okay, Bård.” Vegard whispered and let his hand make small circles on his brothers narrow back. Bård huffed and leaned into Vegard. His cheek pressed against Vegard's chest, and Vegard could feel his heart beat just a couple beats faster. They were never that close, never gave in to their feelings like that in each other's company. He decided to just let go too, and wrapped both his arms around Bård and closed his eyes. He listened to Bård's uneven breaths, and his hands clutched Bård's shoulder as if he was holding onto something, afraid he'd fall.
”Vegard...?” Bård's voice sounded unexpectedly. It was ten years younger, just a boy's lost words. Barely a whisper in the ongoing world. ”Would you take care of me?”
”What?” Vegard mouthed into Bård's blonde hair.
”If I got really sick. Would you be with me? Take care of me, lets say, until I died?”
”What are you talking about?” Vegard asked and moved Bård a bit away from himself so that he could eye him over. The boy must've been really drunk. ”Where's this coming from? You're not sick are you?”
”No.” Bård said hurriedly and blushed. His words were an incoherent mumbling. ”No, I'm just wondering. You're kind of the only one I have, you know. I don't have a social life.”
”What do you mean 'the only one'? Mom and dad care, and Bjarte. And Calle and Magnus and the team.”
”Please...” Bård said and he looked really tired and drained. ”Just... yes or no? Would you stay with me until the end? Yes or no?”
”Well, of course! Yes!” Vegard answered and chuckled confusedly at the relieved sigh Bård let out. He slumped against Vegard's chest again with a soft thud. ”Could you possibly just enlighten me a bit on this, Bård?” Vegard asked softly.
”They have to care,” Bård said immediately, carelessly. ”they're family, colleagues... While you're...”
”I'm...?”
”Everything.”
”Everything?”
”Stop reciting me, you ass!”
”I'm sorry.” Vegard chuckled and drew a hand through Bård's messy hair. His fingers tangled slightly in the light strands. ”Your words don't really make sense, you know.”
”Neither does my heart.” Bård's voice trailed off and Vegard wasn't sure he had heard right. Before he got a chance to ask, light snoring voices emerged from the figure in Vegard's arms. Vegard smiled and leaned back on the sofa careful not to awake the other. He felt a new calm inside himself, where he lay with Bård tucked up against him. They hadn't been like that for years, not since Bård was a reckless pre-teen, trying to act tough and big, yet sometimes seeing nightmares from their time in Africa. Vegard remembered the panicked face, big blue eyes filled with tears, as Bård had walked into his room in the middle of the night, claiming he could hear the gunfire outside. Vegard had hugged him tight and told him it was only his imagination mixed with the sound of the rain swatting at the window in the stormy night of Bergen, and eventually the younger had settled against his bigbrother's side and dozed off, while Vegard had been left alone in the darkness with the memories of the gunfire ever present in his head. It never left him really. It only faded into that soft sound of rain against a window when things were good. When things were like now.
With a faint smile on his lips he figured now was as good a time as any to take a nap. It was only six o'clock anyway, they'd get sleep later on.