Page 63 of The MC's Little Brother

Bounding back into the room, he gave me a sheepish grin. “Sorry. This is awesome. I was really worried about people making comments. I kind of hoped the doctor wouldn’t approve me to go back until they were gone. The hair is bad enough without adding the bruises.”

I tipped my head, considering him. “You don’t like your hair?”

He shook his head with a frown. “No. Jorge cut a big chunk of it while I was trying to study once. It was done to the skin. I had to shave the rest to get it to be even. He thinks men shouldn’t have longer hair.”

Making an irritated sound, I waved him off. “Well, he’s dumb. We’ll let it grow out and I’ll even up the spots that are longer than others before it becomes too noticeable. I doubt Mattias will care what your hair looks like.”

“Why would I care about his hair?” Mattias asked, appearing in my bedroom doorway. He’d convinced me to stick around even after I went back to work, since he didn't want to separate Xander from the people who made him feel comfortable. We slept in his room for the most part, but all my stuff was still up here. It was only temporary for now. We weren’t moving in together.

“Jorge was an asshole and made him shave it,” I answered for him. “I said you wouldn’t care if he grew it out.”

He shook his head. “It’s your hair. Do what you want with it. Are we ready to go?”

Xander looked a little apprehensive, but I figured that was normal. New school, new kids. He was still on the skinnier side, even though two weeks of regular food had definitely helped. And he was small for his age, which was why I thought he was so much younger when we first met. The pediatrician that Doctor Murphy suggested said he could catch up with time, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Xander didn’t seem too broken up about it, so that was good.

“Go ahead. You’ll be fine,” I encouraged him with a nod.

With shaky fingers, he grabbed his new backpack filled with the supplies the middle school principal said he’d need. I followed him and Mattias downstairs, pausing at the bottom. Xander thought I’d be taking him to school, but Mattias snuck out a few nights ago to pick something up for him. He’d definitely show up feeling pretty cool once Mattias handed it over.

“I got something for you,” he murmured to Xander as they pulled on their shoes.

“It’s not more clothes, is it?” he asked with a smirk at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he returned the gesture in kind. Despite how long it took to get him everything he needed, he was happy with the results. And I loved the playful side of him. He was nowhere near as stoic as his older brother.

Mattias grabbed a helmet from beside the door, offering it to him. Xander looked between the helmet and Mattias, his eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Figured you’d want to ride with me to school. Mel has random shifts and won’t always be able to take you. And this seemed like more fun.”

The huge, giddy grin on Xander’s face was a major improvement from the day he arrived here. He took the offered helmet, giving Mattias a side hug before trying to tug it on. Mattias stopped him with a chuckle.

“Hold on. You need more. You’re not getting on my bike without being fully covered.” He brought out a thick motorcycle jacket and pants that would go over his clothes. There were even boots and gloves. All the guys were serious about kids on bikes. They weren’t allowed on without full coverage. No exceptions.

“Technically, it’s more clothes–” I began, only for Xander to cut me off.

“I don’t even care. These are awesome!”

Mattias looked proud of himself and when I stepped into the circle of his arms, he was smiling. It was rare, a Mattias smile, and I soaked it up, lifting onto my toes to plant a kiss to his lips.

“Have fun. I’ll be here when you get back.”

I was working the night shift again, and I usually slept in, but I didn't want to miss this. I fully intended to go back to sleep once they left.

Mattias checked and double checked that everything was on correctly before bringing Xander outside to his bike. He explained how to mount it behind him and that he had to hang on. Xander wasn’t like the other kids, who only half listened because they were too excited to focus. He was glued to every word that came out of Mattias’s mouth, nodding every once in a while to show he understood. Maybe riding bikes was in their blood because Xander seemed to love it as much as Mattias did.

“Have a good day!” I called over the noise of the engine. Xander beamed at me and waved before flipping the visor closed and latching onto Mattias’s shoulders. I watched them go with a smile before heading back inside. It might be time for me to move back home. They didn’t need my help anymore. They were going to be just fine.

35

Wraith

Dropping off Xander at school on my bike was partially a power play. Mel suggested it when I mentioned wanting to get him some gear. Kids were assholes and Xander was already starting at a disadvantage, showing up so late with bruises and still needing to put on a lot of weight. Bringing him to school on my bike made him look cool, and I saw several kids gaping when he jumped off the back. I got all the information about driving through the loop during normal drop offs, but on his first day I was bringing him inside to meet with the vice principal and find his classroom.

“Do I bring this all inside?” he asked, gesturing to the gear.

I shook my head. “Put it in the saddlebag. You’ll need it whenever you ride with me.”

He grinned, handing me his helmet and stripping out of the gear. I helped him tuck it all away and led him inside with my hand on the back of his neck for support. He was a lot happier after the ride, but he still looked nervous.

The vice principal was waiting for us when we arrived. He was younger than I expected, and he had that kind of personality where he was trying tobe subtle about wanting to appear cool to the kids but was kind of failing at it. He smiled and joked with Xander the entire walk to his classroom, oblivious to the looks Xander was shooting me over his shoulder. I fought back a grin and shook my head. An overly enthusiastic teacher was better than an asshole.

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