Born To Be Your's

Chapter 14

Blake and Liv walked back across the yard. The snow had started to fall again, soft and steady, dusting Liv’s dark hair. They entered the Copper house through the side door into the dining room. The room was bustling and warm, the air thick with the delicious, overwhelming scent of roasted turkey, stuffing, and baking pies—a rare, successful illusion of domestic stability.

The family was just about to sit down. Maddie, spotting Liv, immediately abandoned her chair.

“Liv!” Maddie shouted, running over and wrapping her arms around Liv’s waist.

Liv chuckled softly—a quiet, musical sound Blake had never heard before—and gently patted the little girl’s head, allowing the touch.

Francis, perched on a chair and already helping herself to a handful of potato chips, looked up. “Well, look what the cat dragged in! Nice of you to grace us with your presence, little bitch.”

Liv scoffed, but instead of retreating, she met Francis’s glare and gave her a casual, practiced middle finger.

Francis laughed, a hearty, genuine sound. “I’m gonna break that finger off and shove it up your ass, you know that, right?”

Liv smirked, a small victory achieved.

Blake walked up to the counter, grabbed two plates, and started piling them high with food—thick slices of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. He looked over at Travis, who was already seated at the table, and gave him a quick, meaningful nod toward the stairs.

Without question, Travis grabbed his own plate and headed up. Blake knew he didn't need to explain the code: this was a containment breach for comfort.

Blake grabbed a buttered roll and turned to Laura, who was juggling a platter of green bean casserole. “We’re going to eat in my room. We’ll be down for dessert.”

Before Laura could process the command, Blake and Liv were running up the stairs. They scrambled into Blake’s tiny, crowded room, where he quickly shut the door behind them, muffling the chaotic sounds of the Copper Thanksgiving.

Travis was already at the window, which he had cracked open an inch for air, lighting a joint. He took a long, hacking hit, coughing deeply, and then passed the joint to Liv.

Liv took it, her movements familiar and smooth. She inhaled deeply, held the smoke, and let out a light cough. “It’s not bad,” she admitted, handing it to Blake.

Blake took a drag, letting the familiar, calming burn settle his nerves. He sat on the floor, leaning back against his bed. Liv settled beside him, and Travis sat cross-legged near the dresser. They listened to the aggressive, driving beat of Post Malone and The Weeknd’s "One Right Now", the perfect soundtrack for their chaotic peace.

They passed the joint and ate their heavy, delicious food, the rich taste of gravy and smoke mingling in the small room. Liv, now completely relaxed, laughed openly at one of Travis’s terrible stories about a customer at the convenience store.

As the joint made its second rotation, Liv subtly shifted closer to Blake, their shoulders and thighs gently touching. She scooped a bit of mashed potatoes onto her finger, leaned in, and quickly dabbed it onto the end of Blake’s nose, making Travis howl with laughter.

Blake chuckled, his deep voice rich with amusement, and retaliated by throwing his buttered roll at Travis’s head.

Liv giggled, the high, sweet sound completely shattering her hostile image. She settled her head onto Blake’s shoulder, sighing contentedly, and began eating her food, softly singing the lyrics to the song: "You say you love me, but I don't care..."

Blake smiled softly, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the new heater. He gently rested his head on top of hers, the contact natural and easy.

Travis, watching the scene from across the room, felt a sudden, profound swelling in his chest. He saw his older brother—the tough, sarcastic, fiercely responsible shell of a man—content. Truly, deeply happy. It had been years since Travis had seen Blake simply exist without the grinding pressure of their survival, and he knew it was entirely because of the beautiful, dark-haired girl now resting on his shoulder.

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The slow, intoxicating warmth of Thanksgiving break finally gave way to the sharp, cold reality of a Monday morning back at Northwood High.

The day started normally: the rushed, tense walk to school, with Liv and Blake trading predictable, sarcastic barbs, a few more stolen glances in the classroom, and the usual boredom of Chemistry.

But things went sideways just before lunch.

Blake and Liv rounded the corner of the hallway leading to the gymnasium. The crowd of students immediately parted, drawn by a commotion near the trophy case.

They saw Travis, his backpack slumped around his shoulders, standing rigid and pale against the lockers. Looming over him was Xander, his football buddies circling like vultures. Xander's nose, miraculously, was still taped but appeared functional, and his eyes were full of venom.

“Look at the little Copper,” Xander sneered, loud enough for the whole hallway to hear. “What, you checking out the new gym teacher, faggot? Saw you eye-balling that dude at the convenience store Friday, Travis. You’re a freak, man. You’re disgusting.”

The cruel words hit Travis hard. He tightened his jaw, trying to bury his shame and fear, but the public exposure of his private confusion was devastating.

Blake’s own jaw clenched, the rage immediately rising, cold and clean, overriding the confusion of his feelings. Nobody touched his siblings. He took one determined step forward, ready to initiate a brutal fight, but Liv was faster.

She moved with the same sudden, controlled energy she used when headbutting Xander. She slipped past Blake and walked right up to the captain, her 5'5" frame utterly fearless against his bulk.

“Is there a problem, Xander?” Liv asked, her voice low and dangerously smooth.

Xander chuckled, wiping a stray trickle of snot from his nose. “Yeah, I got a problem with this little fag. He’s checking out guys. He’s a weirdo. Just like the rest of the Copper trash.”

The football buddies roared with forced laughter.

Liv smirked, her gray-green eyes glittering with wicked intelligence. “Just because you look at the same s*x doesn’t mean you’re gay. I look at girls all the time, and I’m not a lesbian.”

She tilted her head, giving Xander a slow, calculating look that dissected him completely. “In fact, I could say the same about you. You play football. You spend all your time in locker rooms, touching men, showering naked next to them. You sure you’re not the faggot, Xander? Seems like you’re trying a little too hard to convince the crowd.”

Xander's face instantly turned dark crimson. “I f**k girls! A lot of them!” he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. He shifted his attention back to Travis, poking the younger boy hard in the chest. “I've never even seen him kiss a girl. He probably never has, the little piece of trash!”

The cronies laughed again, but the moment was faltering; Liv's attack had landed.

Blake was ready to step in, his hands balled into fists, ready to end the confrontation violently. But then, Liv moved.

She didn't look at Blake. She turned sharply toward Travis, and before the younger boy could even register the movement, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled his face down to hers.

Liv crashed her lips onto Travis’s.

Blake froze instantly, his jaw dropping slightly in shock, his planned intervention halted mid-motion. He raised an eyebrow, a complex mix of surprise and a sharp, unexpected pinch of jealousy cutting through his control.

Travis was completely mortified, his entire body rigid with surprise, his eyes wide and shocked. He was too stunned to pull away or move, completely submitting to Liv’s control. She deepened the kiss instantly, slipping her tongue into his mouth with deliberate, aggressive intimacy.

The gathered crowd erupted. Students began whooping and cheering for Travis, the unexpected public display of affection completely hijacking Xander’s bullying narrative. Xander’s face twisted with impotent, humiliated rage.

Liv held the kiss for a long, theatrical moment, ensuring everyone saw the show. Then, she pulled back, her lips wet, her eyes sparkling with malicious victory. Travis was left staring at her, wide-eyed and stunned.

Liv smiled, chewing on a piece of gum she had somehow acquired. She looked straight at Xander, her eyes narrowed. “He doesn’t seem very gay to me, Xander. Maybe you should try taking good hard look in the mirror.”

She gave Xander one last look of absolute contempt and walked calmly away, blending into the crowd, leaving Xander and his buddies furious and defeated.

Blake walked up to his little brother, who was still standing there, completely frozen in shock, blinking rapidly.

Blake chuckled, patting Travis hard on the back. “You all right, Trav? I think she broke you.”

Travis blinked rapidly again, breaking out of the spell. He stammered, his voice cracked and breathless. “I… I think she stole my gum from my mouth.”

Blake’s smirk widened. He shook his head at the sheer audacity of the girl who had just defended his brother, insulted his enemy, and stolen his heart's focus—all with a single, spectacular kiss.

“Come on,” Blake muttered, grabbing Travis’s arm and steering him toward their next class. “She’s definitely a keeper, Trav. She fights dirty, like a Copper.”