LOVING THEM

He stepped into the pitch-black building and shut the door behind him. The thick curtains at each window successfully blocked the illuminations from the moon, keeping the house in darkness. And for a second, Axel thought of keeping it that way. To just pull his hood over his head, slide his back down the mahogany door and allow the darkness to wash him, and fill him, and become him. But he knew he had to switch on the lights - for them.

He found the switch subconsciously and flicked it up. Yellow lights exploded from ceilings throughout the house, showing off fresh walls and dusty clean tiles, unused carpets and stained counters. But no furniture. Axel sighed. He walked through the living room and pushed off his hood, releasing his thin black hair, as he trudged into the kitchen.

He flipped another switch, revealing the kitchen and its empty sink and cupboards. Axel pulled open the fridge, more light catching his eye, and took out the only thing in it, a bottle of vodka.

"Hey, put that away." Axel turned, meeting the hard eyes of a tall bearded man staring down at him. Then the man smiled. "Seriously Axel, you're going to have to start buying your own and stop stealing mine," he said, a white smile slipping its way between his words as he grabbed the bottle from him and placed it on the counter.

Axel smiled back. "Dad?"

Another voice cut them off. "Boys, I could really use some help in here."

The man just smiled and wrapped his arm around Axel's shoulder. "Let's go help your mother."

He pulled him into the living room, white pepper lights streaming the edge of the ceiling, the fireplace burning brightly with full stockings adorning it and a tall, bare Christmas tree standing beside the couch. "Wow," said Axel's father.

"Thanks, honey. Now grab that box over there for me?" Axel's eyes found her. Sitting on the couch, her black hair wrapped in a bun, her soft skin glowing as it usually did when the season's air hit her. He bit back a smile.

The man shrugged. "I don't know, you're doing such a great job without me, maybe I should just-"

"Alexander, get your ass over here," she demanded. The man let out a sigh. "You don't want to spend Christmas with my mother? This is what you get." He groaned and walked over to her, but not before he turned around and mouthed a quick 'Never get married' to Axel. They both chuckled.

"What did you just say to him?" Axel's mother asked, standing up from the ground, a hand on her hip and a pen in her hair.

Her husband smiled and outstretched his arms, "Nothing, babe." He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll let that slide this time, Mr. Pattinson," she enunciated their shared last name with purpose.

A brief shocked look shadowed Axel's father's face and his eyes widened before he stepped back, straightened his posture and bowed his head respectfully. "Your mercy is much appreciated, your majesty," he said.

She slapped him on the back. "Oh get up, Alex," she said, giggling.

"Mom, you really went all out this year," Axel said, admiring the colour-changing lights decorating the ceiling and door jams.

"Thanks Axel. I really wanted to make this year special for us," she said humbly, watching her handiwork.

"And you did," came her husband, kissing her on the cheek again.

She smiled up at him. "Thank you." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "I still need help with those boxes, though," she said sweetly.

Axel could watch them forever. Smiling, laughing, kissing, joking, because despite what his father said, he was going to get married just like him. To have a wife as nice as he does, and a marriage as golden as theirs with a life as rich and pure.

And as his mother laughed at her husband's begging under the lights of their home, he didn't even remember why he loved the darkness so much; obviously the best things blossomed in the light.

Then his mother turned to him, a smile lighting up her face. "Axel," she said, "Can you get Mikey down here too? I'm sure he'd love to help."

He nodded gladly and tugged his hoodie over his head, throwing it on the couch, before jogging over to the staircase and taking the steps two at a time. He got to the top and practically skipped his way down the corridor decorated with abstract black and white paintings. He passed his room, a sense of belonging coming with the sheer presence of the door, before he stopped in front of another.

He knocked on it gently before pushing it open and flicking on the light switch. "OK, kiddo, let's go." The room was consistent with posters of astronomical fictions and unrealities taped to a bright orange wall. A bed lay in the centre of it all, neat rocket ship sheets draped over it but a somewhat awkward lump in the middle. Axel smirked. "Damn, I wonder where Mikey is," he said.

He moved a black desk. "Nope, not behind there," he looked around suspiciously, then went to look under the bed, "Not there either." He folded his arms and sighed. "Oh well, I guess I'll tell mom to cancel Christmas this year. There's no way we can celebrate it without Mikey." The lump moved.

His smile grew. "But since we already made the cheesecake I guess we'll just have to-"

Instantly the lump jumped up and the sheets scattered everywhere, revealing a little boy with curly brown hair, a small flashlight in one hand and a book in the other. "You're a monster," he spat dramatically.

Axel made a shocked face. "Mikey!? Is that you?! Thank goodness you're here! I was worried I forgot to give you this!" He jumped on the bed and tackled his brother, assaulting him with tickles.

The pair rolled frantically across the sheets. "Get off!" Mikey laughed hysterically, his book and flashlight falling from his hands. "Get off! If you don't get up, I'm gonna pee on you!" he screamed between laughs.

Axel squirmed away quickly, disgusts rolling off his tongue when he realized his brother was still laughing, but this time at him. "Well played," Axel said, clapping Mikey who had a devilish grin on his lips. "Disgusting, but, well played. Now get downstairs, mom wants help with the decorations."

He pouted. "Can't I stay up here longer and read?" he grumbled.

Axel folded his arms. "Let's go, or I'll tell Santa to skip our house this year."

Mikey scoffed. "I don't believe in Santa."

"You're seven," Axel said, leaning over the bed and ruffling his hair, "of course you do." Then he pulled him up and took him downstairs, and for the first time in a long time, Axel's home wasn't the darkness.

As he lifted his brother so he could put the star on the top of the Christmas tree, Axel realized that this was his home. This snug building with his cheerful father hugging his clapping mother, and his little brother rambling about the new information he read in his new book, this was home. Because even in the freezing winter, their smiles were warm, and even in his dreadful darkness, they were a brightly lit candle.

"How's college?" Axel's mother asked him.

"Is this a trick question?" he grinned, "I feel like this is a trick question."

"It's definitely a trick question, don't answer that," his father whispered, and laughs erupted like they have been all night. He wiggled his eyebrows, "How about that girlfriend of yours?" his father asked, but as soon the words left his mouth he regretted them. His wife's mouth dropped and she slapped his shoulder.

Axel raised an eyebrow at both of them. "Christina? She's ok..."And that's when he remembered the bottle of vodka he took out the fridge. He turned around to look where he left it.

"W-why don't we play some, um, monopoly?" his mother fumbled.

"To play monopoly with you guys," he smiled, standing up, "I'm definitely going to need this."

"No need, Axel," his father chuckled, "Just one game. We promise we'll be fun."

Axel turned the corner to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle among the cake and plates. "Calm down, guys. It's just a shot." He took a cup and poured some in before quickly downing it.

Author's Note
This was really long, I know (yikes). But on the bright side, this is where it starts getting interesting! Comment to tell me what you think so far and vote if Axel and Mikey were straight-up sibling goals bc let's be real, they were.