Always?

Atlas had been, as he said, “living his best life” for the past year. Without his mother looming over his shoulders, watching his every move, dictating what he could do, eat and wear, he was free to do as he pleased for the first time in ten years. And so, he spent most days on the couch, in his apartment under the main house, watching trashy TV, eating all the food he could manage, working out what he wanted, when he wanted, without the fear of being reprimanded. He had been right to call dibs on the basement. After almost nine months of work, the house had been finished, he had managed to have everything he needed right there, and he had even created access to the apartment from outside. However, he had left the stairs inside so he wouldn’t have to go outside to enter the central part. He was watching an episode of The Vampire Diaries when Max walked down the stairs inside the home and scowled at the large floor-to-ceiling windows beside the stairs. He tugged on the glass door to ensure it was locked and then pulled the curtains close, dampening the little natural light he got. “At least you locked the door this time,” Max muttered as he walked over and sat beside the olive-green couch, staring at the large flat-screen TV on the light wood stand. “Vampire Diaries?” Atlas shrugged as he offered his youngest brother some ice cream, who shook his head. “I haven’t watched it.” “Right.” “And it was one time,” Atlas replied. “And your boyfriend was lucky I forgot to lock it. He would have been locked out otherwise.” “Oliver dragged you a new one,” Max deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. “And you freaked out when you saw Alec coming in.” Atlas waved his brother’s comment off. “Oliver’s always yelling about something. I thought it was a killer.” “Mhm,” Max said, sounding very unimpressed. “Is Helios coming too?” “Yes, he is. Watch this with me. He said he was going to come home for lunch, and then we can talk,” Atlas said, unpausing the show and continuing to watch. He didn’t know what it was about the show he liked, maybe the fantasy element. His mother had never let him work with fantasy, always complaining it was too childish and immature for the Atlas brand. But he had adored fantasy since childhood, and the giddiness of his newfound freedom crept up through his spine. Almost an hour later, and one and a half episodes through, someone knocked on the glass door. Max got up, peeked through the curtains, and opened them before letting Helios in and locking and closing them. “Good, he’s finally listening,” he said. “Nope,” Max said, taking his seat on the couch. “I came down and checked and closed the curtains.” “We never should have agreed to it,” he muttered. “Oh, yeah, definitely a mistake. Always keep the curtains open, and the door unlocked.” “One time, guys. It was one freaking time.” Helios groaned as he took off his black coat, placing it on the back of the armchair. He sat on the chair near the fireplace, shivering as he raised his hands near the fire, sighing. “So,” he said, staring at Atlas with a frown. “why did I have to cancel my lunch date with Matt for a text that simply said ‘come home at lunch’?” Atlas paused the show once more and turned to look at his brothers. Max had recently redyed his hair blue and was dressed in one of Alec’s shirts and black joggers, his hair a mess. Helios, on the other hand, had just come from work, so he was dressed in all black, his hair perfectly styled. He swallowed; as much as he loved spending time with his brothers and with his father, he missed work. He missed the people he got to meet, the cameras on him, acting in roles he would never have a chance to do in real life, and bringing smiles to people’s faces. “I’m thinking of returning to work,” Atlas said softly, staring at them, trying to gauge their reaction. “Max?” Alec yelled as he rushed down the stairs inside the house. All three men looked over at Alec, who was also dressed in all-black attire. While Helios had a long black coat, Alec was wearing a leather jacket. He kissed his boyfriend on the forehead before looking at the other two. “Hey guys, Helios, aren’t you meant to be at work?” “Lunch break.” “Matt?” “Canceled.” “Ah. That’s why he’s whining.” Alec smiled at Max as he leaned over the couch and kissed his forehead again. “The girls are back. Matt and I are going over to check on them.” “They didn’t come here?” Max asked, frowning. “No, they said they wanted to clean up first. We’ll be back soon.” Max nodded and smiled at the man. “Okay, bye. Stay safe. I love you.” “I love you too.” They watched as Alec left and the faint slam of the door opened. They heard the shoes hitting the ground before they saw the man, and Matt appeared in sweats, some joggers, and biker boots. “Helios,” he whined. If you were coming home, you should have said.” “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’ll see you later?” he asked, smiling at the man. “I’m going back to work soon.” Matt nodded, but not before he jogged over and kissed Helios with a smile. “I’ll see you soon.” Matt ran up the stairs, and they heard the door slam closed once again. Then, both younger brothers turned to look up at their older brother, who stared blankly at them. They shrugged. Helios was going to say something, but Max elbowed him in the gut and glared at him. “So, you want to go back to work. What’s the catch?” Helios asked, tilting his head. Atlas grinned as he leaned back, groaning a little. “I want Oliver.” ~*~