Page 2 of Doubling Down

“Maverick. He’s a tan and black Belgian Malinois. He’s two years old and Dane thinks the dog might be smarter than him,” Eric shared.

Brandon giggled.

Fuck! It did Eric’s heart some good to hear that sound. “Dane has another two weeks of training and then he’ll be back full-time with our department.”

“Does that mean that you’ll be working together again?”

He sighed. “No. We’ll still see each other since we work in the same department, but we won’t be on the same team. He is still one of my best friends.” Dane only lived a couple blocks fromthem and was at their house more than his own anyway. “He’ll still be around.”

Eric suspected that Brandon had a small crush on the rough cop. He would have worried about the two of them, but Dane was his best friend for a reason. He might look like an extra from some biker show but he had a heart of gold. Dane also had his own trust issues when it came to dating so Eric wasn’t sure if anything would come from Brandon’s crush anyway.

“He hasn’t been visiting much,” Brandon said. “Is it because of me?”

“No,” Eric rushed to assure his brother. “The K-9 training is intense and he had to stay at the facilities where they train the dogs. He’s come back a few times but not for more than a night. He’ll be back in a couple weeks and then we probably won’t be able to get rid of him.”

Brandon hummed. “I’d like to meet his dog.”

“Now remember,” Eric teased, “Maverick is a highly trained police dog. You’ll need to limit your cuddles to only like a hundred a day.”

This time Brandon’s laugh was heart-filled. “I’ll try.”

“Do you want me to stay here with you or maybe you want to sleep in my bed?” Eric asked.

“I don’t want to be a bother,” Brandon said quietly.

“You are never a bother. It’ll be you that has to deal with my snoring.” Eric wasn’t even kidding. He’d been kicked out of plenty beds by past partners.

“I don’t mind the snoring,” Brandon replied. There was amusement in his voice. “It reminds me that I’m not alone.”

“Good. Because I’m pretty sure you're going to have to help me off this floor. I’m getting old.”

“I don’t think it’s so much your age but your lifestyle,” Brandon told him.

“Hey!” Eric argued. “There is nothing wrong with my lifestyle.”

Luckily, the door opened, giving Eric a good look at his baby brother. Brandon had his dark blue comforter over his head as he crawled out of the closet. He appeared tired but better than Eric had expected after being woken up by screaming.

“Hi.” Eric grinned at his brother.

Brandon shook his head before he rose. He still clutched the stuffed dog in one hand but offered Eric his other. “Hi.”

Eric allowed his brother to pull him up. Okay, Brandon tugged but Eric did get to his feet. He swung his arm around Brandon’s shoulders before drawing Brandon out of his room. “Now what’s this about my lifestyle? I’m a cop. I make good life decisions.”

“You eat fast food every day. Three meals a day if I’m not here to cook for you. The only reason you run in the morning is so you can chase someone down. And you have terrible taste in beer.”

Six months ago, Brandon wouldn’t have teased him like this. Even one month ago Brandon might have tried but would have become nervous that Eric would get mad and run away. Theselittle glimmers of Brandon’s old personality made every moment worth fighting for.

Reaching his own bedroom, Eric gave Brandon a quick squeeze before he moved to the left side of the bed. This wasn’t the first time that Eric had put his brother into his bed to keep the nightmares away.

The trauma of Brandon’s boyfriend slash Daddy nearly killing him would be with both Eric and Brandon for the rest of their lives. Eric pulled down his comforter and waited until Brandon climbed onto the right side of the mattress. Eric climbed in next to him before pulling the covers back up. Eric worried that his brother would get overheated with his own comforter and then Eric’s on top, but Brandon normally shivered after nightmares anyway.

Scooting close enough to be within reaching distance, Eric whispered, “Hold or no hold?” He respected Brandon’s boundaries above all else. After having his choices taken away by that monster, Brandon would never face that again.

“Hold, please.” Brandon even wiggled closer.

Eric smiled as he threw one arm around Brandon’s back and cuddled his brother to his chest.

Brandon sighed, tucking his head under Eric’s chin. He still had the stuffed dog in one hand while his other thumb hovered by his mouth. “Is this weird?”

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