Axel’s POV

Alright, I’ll admit it, maybe Liam wasn’t the worst out of the four of them. Sure he wasn’t Ryder who couldn’t be a threat even if he tried but he wasn’t Carter either so he was a safe bet. Besides he was funny in a sarcastic, self deprecating way. 

I still wouldn’t consider him to be ‘safe’ but he was the one I knew best so far, especially after spending two days straight with him. We hadn’t done much the first day since I was too busy sulking but today he had stopped me before I even had a chance to hide in my room with Weylyn. 

“Wanna play zombies,” I asked with a knowing smile as he held up the x-box controller. I had never played seeing as all of my friends were just as poor as I was but all the kids at school used to talk about how fun it was so I caved. 

The three of us got to play together and for the first few rounds no one said anything other than Liam trying to give us tips as we went along. After a few more rounds he was starting to cuss and laughing at the way Weylyn hid behind the two of us to avoid getting killed. Before long he bought up Callum which I was mad about for a minute, remembering how yesterday went but when he asked about the embarrassing things he used to do I decided it was worth it if it meant bringing shame to my brother. 

We ended up playing for literal hours, just laughing and telling stories about Callum being an absolute dumbass and I decided maybe this person could be someone we could trust. 

“Oh by the way, Callum said we’re having a friend come over for dinner tonight,” he said in between rounds as he checked his phone for about three seconds.

“Is it the cop?”

“No actually. It’s a good friend that we all met back at camp. He’s a really good guy.” I hummed but didn’t really care. I would probably just end up ignoring the guy anyway. 

I did however frown when the door opened and Liam attempted to stop our game to greet the man. 

“Oh no,” the guy said when he saw what Liam was about to do. “Keep playing. I don’t want to intrude. You seem like you’re all having fun. We can talk later.” The man was older than I expected him to be. Clearly in 30-40, dark blonde hair, tall, and lanky. I didn’t think he would be a real threat if it came down to it. 

“That’s Andrew,” Liam said when he saw me staring at him in-between waves of zombies spawning. 

“I thought you said he was a friend from camp. He’s clearly older than all of you.”

“Well back then he was our therapist but now that we’re older we consider him to be a friend. He helped us get through a lot of rough times.” My guard was up instantly at that. 

I had heard the horror stories about therapist and lets just say I wasn’t letting him within 6 feet of either us. Neither of us were going to be felt up by a pedo today thank you. 

“He’s a good guy,” Liam said as if he could see what was going through my head. “We wouldn’t bring anyone into this house if they weren’t.” I only hummed. I would believe it when I saw it.

When we died for the last time Liam called it quits and turned off the game to go talk to the new man in the living room. 

“So you must be Axel and Weylyn,” he said when he noticed I was staring at him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Everything he told you is a lie,” I said with a sickly sweet smile. “I’m an angel sent to earth to bless Callum, Weylyn is the demon on my shoulder that temps me into evil every day.” Weylyn scoffed and shoved my arm rudely at the accusation. “See!”

“Fuck off,” Weylyn whined. 

“Language. Please. I don’t ask for much,” Callum sighed. My twin looked guilty but I still had my eyes set to the therapist. “Also Jax is bringing pizza, come to the table please.” I didn’t argue just because I wanted to find Andrew’s limit.

“Liam says you’re a therapist.”

“I am,” he confirms as I sit down on the chair farthest away from him and closest to Liam, keeping Weylyn between us in case something happened. “I helped all of them when they used to live at camp.” I hummed as I looked him up and down.

“What’s the weirdest person you’ve ever talked to?”

“I can’t answer that,” he said with a small frown. 

“When’s the last time you did electro shock therapy?”

“I’m a cognitive behavioral therapist. I talk out your problems, not shock them out.”

“Have you ever slapped a client?”

“Never,” his frown grew.

“Was Callum your least favorite client?”

“I don’t have favorites.”

“Do you touch people inappropriately behind closed doors?”

“Axel,” Callum said harshly with a mean glare on his face but my attention didn’t leave the man in front of me. 

“I don’t but if someone has ever done that to you I would love to help you work through it.” I glared at his answer as he let a small smile slip through. He was amused. He was supposed to be so pissed off and offended that he would leave but he was merely amused. “Is this part of the angel persona you claim to be?” I scoffed at him as I leaned back in my chair. 

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t a creep,” I defended before sending a cheesy smile to Callum who was shooting me a ‘play nice’ face that I completely ignore. 

“Well I can assure you that I am not a weirdo. Liam has called me ‘the most basic man alive’ on several occasions.” 

“I speak the truth,” Liam said with a shrug just as the door opened to reveal Ryder and Carter carrying boxes in. 

Ryder squealed and handed his boxes to Carter before launching himself into Andrew’s arms which made them do a weird sitting hug thing. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Ryder said when he pulled away. “Things have been so busy with the shop. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a year!”

“I has been far too long. We’ll try to make sure it doesn’t stay that way.”

“Losers,” Carter said as he put the boxes down and went to grab plates for everyone. “I see him twice a month.”

“You go to therapy,” I asked with a side glance. 

“I used to but not anymore. I just like to make Andrew miserable so I make him take me to dinner.” 

“And how do you do that exactly,” I asked as I leaned forward to learn his weakness. Carter surprisingly smiles at me. This whole day had been confusing. I don’t think I’ve been smiled at this much in life. 

“Mostly by existing. You’ll come to learn I can be a deeply annoying person.”

“You can say that again,” Liam teased to which Carter flipped him off. 

“And you must be Weylyn,” Andrew said as he turned his attention off of me. 

“Don’t talk to him,” I said, a new glare on my face. Andrew didn’t seem to care. 

“Stop being mean,” Wey said with a sigh. “But yea I’m Weylyn, that’s Axel.”

“I must say it’s crazy how similar you both look to Callum. He always said you three looked alike but I swear you’re both carbon copies of him. You a bit more so with that personality,” he said as he pointed at me.

“Don’t insult me like that.” Ryder laughed and Liam hid his chuckle behind a cough. Callum glared at both of them.

“It’s not an insult. Callum is a great man.” I glared harder.

I didn’t want to be anything like Callum.

It was becoming more clear by the second I wasn’t going to get him to leave by being an asshole. Plan B.

I turn my attention to Callum. 

“So why did you bring this hobo in here?” Callum took a deep breath and I have to hide my smile. 

“He’s not a hobo, he’s our friend and you aren’t going to insult him. He’s done nothing wrong to you.”

“The question still stands.”

“Ask it in a nicer way.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why is he here?”

“Because we haven’t seen him in a while and we missed him.”

“So you just happened to bring a therapist home a few days after you took in a brat like Weylyn?”

“Dude,” Wey spat. “Lay off of me.”

“Yes I did,” Callum said without missing a beat. “We’ve been meaning to catch up for a while and we all happened to have time tonight.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t use that word in this house.” Callum took another deep breath. I was winning.

“Oh sorry, I meant to say I don’t fucking believe you. Force of habit.”

“That’s not any better.” Another deep breath. 

“Can I ask you a question,” Andrew said before I had a chance to fire something else back. “I mean it’s only fair since you asked me so anything earlier.”

“Go for it,” I said, trying to keep the frown off my face. I didn’t like where this is going.

“Why are you trying to make him angry?”

“I’m not.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said as he mimicked my voice from earlier. I scoffed. 

“Real mature.”

“It’s an honest question. What has Callum done to deserve this?”

“It’s what brothers do.”

“Not to this existent. They might tease but they tend to stop when the boundary is drawn like you did with Weylyn a few minutes ago.” I decided in that moment I hated this man. 

“I’m making up for years I missed out on.”

“Ah,” he said with a smile. “Well in that case do you think you could spread it out throughout the day? All at once is hardly fair.” I scoffed as I leaned back farther into my chair. 

“What? No comeback to that one,” Callum asked knowingly as he started fixing his plate after getting a certain look from Andrew that I couldn’t place. 

“I’m being sweet,” I said a fake smile. “Be grateful for it.”

“Christ on a stick, it’s a miracle. Maybe there is a god,” he teased before setting a plate in front of me. I was a bit surprised to see that it happened to be my favorite kind that he somehow remembered even seven years later. It pissed me off more for some reason that he still remembered something as small as that. 

“I don’t like this kind.” He frowned. 

“I thought you did. I’m sorry. We have other kinds if you want to try those instead. Or I can make you something real quick if you aren’t in the mood for pizza.” Why wasn’t this working anymore? I had him on the ropes not even a minute ago.

“Like I would willingly eat any of your shitty cooking.”

“What happened to being sweet,” Andrew asked with a knowing smile that I hated. This should be working. Everyone should be pissed off to no end right now. Callum should be screaming, Andrew should be on his way out the door, Carter should be ready to throw a punch at someone yet they all just stared at me with smiles that didn’t make any fucking sense. 

My palms started to sweat as I gripped my knees. 

“Decided it wasn’t fucking worth it,” I spat. Wey went to grab my hand but I shook him off. 

“I told you to stop that three time already. That’s more than enough.”

“Right back to goading him,” Andrew noted. 

“What’s wrong with you people,” I couldn’t help but screaming. 

“A lot of things,” Ryder answered without a second thought.

“I think it’s time to settle down,” Andrew said with one his first genuine smiles of the night. “Can you take a deep breath for me?”

“I’m not going to do anything for you!” 

“Why are you getting so upset?”

“Axel let’s just go,” Wey whispered in my ear but I ignored him. I needed to get this to make sense. 

I needed to know how to make these people mad. If I could get them mad at me on command I would know how they react when they were just mad in general and I would know how to act when it happened. Besides if I kept them at a constant state of annoyance with me they would keep me at arms length and it wouldn’t sting as much when they walked out one day. 

“All of you can just go fuck yourselves,” I yelled and I saw the change in Carter as Bram shifted to the front. He wasn’t smiling like he had been every other time I had met him. 

“You need to chill dude. Take it to the punching bag if you need to but start screaming in here.”

“I don’t have to listen to you,” I scoffed. “I don’t have to listen to any of you!” My heart was beating out of my chest and my mind was going a mile a minute. If I just kept pushing someone would break. 

“Axel you need to breathe,” Weylyn said again. “You’re starting to panic. Just take a second alright?”

“I don’t need a second,” I spat. “I need them to act they way they’re supposed to!”

“And how are we supposed to act right now,” Andrew asked as if I was just going to give him information like that willingly.  

“I am not your client. Do not treat me like one.”

“I’m not,” he said gently. “I’m treating you the way I would treat anyone who is mid panic attack.” My heart was going to explode. 

I screamed as I ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door shut behind me. The door didn’t have a lock so I moved the borrowed dresser in front of it so no one would come in before forcing myself to crawl under the bed. Once I was back in the farther corner with the wall against my back I let the tears fall from my face.