I sigh heavily, sinking against the arm of Ledger and Everett's sofa. It's long. Very long. With both of them being so tall, it's sort of a necessity, but it still feels absurd. I'm the shortest of all my brothers, but at 5'10" I've never really been described as short. This sofa was made for giants.

I watch my toes wiggle, smiling to myself faintly.

It's so nice to be away from everything. To just relax, and be myself, and enjoy a cup of coffee without pressure, stress or the confusing, scrutinising gaze of a blue haired barista, whose opinion seems to matter far more to me than I had hoped.

My moment of peace is suspicious, and silence from Ledger is almost certainly a bad sign, but I make the most of it while it lasts. I close my eyes, leaning my head back as I await the inevitable.

An odd clattering sound is what finally draws my attention, and when I open my eyes, it's to a very shirtless Ledger. The scene doesn't phase me, but the disturbingly large tub of vaseline in his hand bothers me a lot.

"What are you doing with that?" I demand.

He glances at me vacantly.

"I'm going to cover myself in it from head to toe and slide around on the floor." He says simply, as though this is a normal activity for a Monday afternoon.

"Slide around on the floor." I repeat.

"Slither. Like a slug." He confirms, nodding absently.

A pained sort of moan escapes my chest as I heave a very heavy sigh.

"What do you want to do instead of doing that?" I ask, knowing he'll have an ulterior motive, and the mischievous shine in his eyes is nothing but confirmation.

"Starbucks." He demands, like some sort of terrorist making negotiations.

"Why?" I ask despairingly.

He has coffee here.

"I need to get out. I need...something else. And lightning. Bean juice. I need..." He trails off, snapping his fingers around his head, as though I'm supposed to know what that means.

"No." I counter, shaking my head.

I have spent far too much of my life in that place, and my head can't take another dizzying moment of Blue's stare. And Ledger does not need caffeinating further.

"Yes." Ledger argues.

"No." I say firmly.

Forty minutes later my non-existent will power is made all too apparent as Ledger sits opposite me, mug in hand and grinning like a naughty child. I sigh, irritated at the sight. Instead, I find my gaze fixated on the blue haired man behind the counter. The image causes an odd, heavy sensation in my heart.

I don't know what's going on with me, but it's not good.

The guy hates me. I know that. In fact, that's putting it mildly. He literally told me that the sight of me makes him feel sick.

So the butterflies in my stomach? Completely inappropriate.

But as I watch him smile half-heartedly at something that Priya says, I can feel my heart flutter. He didn't bring up my impromptu shift here when we were ordering. In fact, he has hardly glanced at me.

I frown dejectedly at that. Even his insults are decidedly better than being ignored.

I want to be on the receiving end of that heart-stopping smile. I purse my lips, shaking my head at the thought. It's completely absurd.

"So he's watching the film, totally engrossed right. He doesn't touch me once."

I tear my gaze away to find Ledger's eyes are wide and gleaming with what I like to affectionately call 'the crazies'. He's leant so far forwards that he's nearly toppled off his chair twice and it's not a surprise. There's a reason Everett has forbidden him from more than one Starbucks trip per week. The guy has coffee running in his veins.

My eyes narrow as I take in the rest of his appearance.

"Your shirt is on backwards." I point out, gesturing to the forest green garment. It's a lovely shirt, I don't think I've ever seen it before. Everett must have gotten it for him, it's not Ledger's usual style.

"Not even once, Grey. No arm around me, no kiss on the head. Nothing."

I purse my lips, internally smiling at how little those words phase me now. I ignore the fact that this is very likely because my thoughts are revolving around someone else, who is also incredibly inappropriate.

"It's a v-neck, so it's really wrong. How did you not notice?" I ask, tilting my head. The collar is almost choking him, and I can see the dip at the back from here. I've only noticed now because he's taken his jacket off.

Ledger frowns, looking as though he wants to shake me.

"What? I don't care, didn't you hear me? Your brother doesn't love me anymore."

"...It must feel really weird, it's backwards. I mean, come on." I muse.

Ledger leans back, throwing his arms up as he physically removes his shirt and tosses it on the table.

"Happy now?" He bites venomously and I suppress a smile.

"Hey! No nudity!" Rex shouts from behind the counter and I laugh. I resist looking over, knowing I'll only be distracted by dark blue eyes.

"Not in the slightest. First it was backwards, now it's off completely." I remark dryly.

Ledger's jaw ticks and I roll my eyes.

The very thought of my eldest brother falling out of love with Ledger is honestly ludicrous. But Ledger doesn't know that, not in this mood. I watch him brood for a moment longer, his talented fingers weaving through his hair at a frightening pace.

I lean forwards, placing a steady hand on his knee. The firmness of my touch seems to settle him and I take advantage of it.

"Everett's more than just in love with you, Heathcliff. He looks at you the same way you look at him. Like art, like you make the world make sense." I say slowly.

I chance a glance at the counter, my breath catching in my throat as I find glaring eyes already on me. All I know is that Everett sure as hell doesn't look at Ledger like that. I look away quickly, biting the corner of my lip as I withdraw my hand, leaning back in my seat.

Ledger processes what I've said for a moment, his dark brown eyes connecting with mine, scrutinising me.

Eventually he sighs and leans forward, grabbing his shirt and shrugging it on.

"Thanks, Grey." He mumbles and I smile brightly.

"What movie did you go and see?" I ask, grabbing my coffee eagerly.

"The new superhero one." He says vaguely and I nod.

"Did you like it?"

Ledger snorts, rolling his eyes.

"No, it was awful. I fell asleep halfway through."

I can feel my expression sink into something akin to exasperation. I want to call him an idiot. Or hit him. But then my eyes fall to his neck line and I sigh instead.

"Your shirt is inside out."

Ledger curses quietly, glancing down at his torso.

"Whatever, I don't care." He mumbles, but he goes about trying to tug it off again anyway.

"Why is it so difficult for you to keep your shirt on?" A voice snaps and I smile, looking up eagerly to find Blue at my side.

"He struggles to put it on right." I chirp, feeling my smile just beam when Blue looks at me.

His eyes hold mine, scanning my face and for a sweet moment, I swear I see his lips twitch up in a ghost of a smile.

"Yes, thank you for that deduction, Grey." Ledger snaps suddenly and I glance at him, surprised by his tone.

But he's watching Blue in a way I've never seen before.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks, glancing at me and I frown. He wants to leave? I glance at his mug, and as I do, he notices, chugging it in a way that makes me purse my lips.

"I'm just going to head to the toilet, I'll only be a minute." I say, departing quickly.

I hurry through the motions, grimacing as I pat my wet hands on my jeans rather than dry them. The weird tension that I left has me concerned and when I come out, I come to a sudden stop, recoiling at the sight of Blue and Ledger in quiet, heated conversation.

Ledger looks furious, his eyes blazing as he jabs a finger at Blue accusingly.

What's even more surprising is that Blue takes it.

He looks visibly distressed, his hand running through his perfect ocean locks as he shakes his head, saying something I can't hear.

A horrible thought passes through me, that perhaps Blue has never hated Ledger at all. Perhaps it had been quite the opposite. I wouldn't be surprised, having been ensnared in that trap myself in the past.

I walk over hesitantly, each of them freezing when I appear beside them.

"Everything ok?" I ask quietly.

Ledger looks at Blue expectantly and he glares right back.

"Fine." Blue says, his teeth gritted together.

"Coward." Ledger hisses.

My brows rise on my face, expecting a violent retaliation, but instead Blue just laughs, a bitter sound that accompanies the shake of his head.

He turns and walks back to the counter, never looking back.

"What was that?" I ask, looking to Ledger urgently.

But he's watching Blue keenly, a calculating look on his face.

"That, Grey, is a man who has seen the sun."

_

Happy Sunday :)

F