"if you feel like you need to, count again." Link slowly began to calm down as he counted to 10 three times. It started to get easier to inhale as his breath began to regulate with each passing number. The sounds around him began to come back and the dizziness started to subside. Eventually, he lifted his head again to look at the stranger that had come to his rescue. ”thanks. .” He said, his voice a little scratchy. ”I usually only have those at home, at night. . kinda threw me having one in public.” He admitted, resting his hands on the wall behind him to help ease himself to his feet. He glanced behind the broad guy at some of the shoppers who had paused to look in his direction, some shaking their head, some giving him a sympathetic glance. ”Guess I made a spectacle of myself.” He muttered.

outfit

”Right here?” He shrugged as his brothers own grin crept away. ”Yeah? Can take the rest of the stuff back for the others after.” He said, placing the box in between them both. It may have been weird to eat at a cemetery but as long as they cleared up after themselves it wouldn’t be disrespectful, he hoped. Besides, he wasn’t quite ready to leave his mum’s grave just yet and he was starving. ”Sorry mum,” He smiled and nodded to the headstone as he picked up his own slice. ”Ohh, this is good stuff, He bit into his own with a grin. ”I always nab the good stuff.” He said before savouring his own piece. ”Not as good as mum’s food though, sorry dude” He shrugged ”I know, I didn’t make it anyway, no offence here.” He smiled again. ”don’t eat the leftover pasta in the fridge. God knows what dad put in there but it’s dodgy as hell” He snorted, almost choking on the food in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow before answering. ”Maybe I’ll throw it out and replace it with the leftovers I took then.”

"Now I see why you go by Link. I thought maybe you were good at technology or something." He snorted softly and shook his head. ”I’m alright at technology but I prefer maths.” He grinned slightly. "I sure hope so. Dancing is hard work. I even come up with the choreography myself." He smiled. ”Impressive. . you must have a good imagination.” He said, about the choreography. "Do you like to dance? Or what do you like to do at the Lounge?" He let out a laugh. ”Oh no, I have two left feet. .and this is actually the first time I’ve been here.” He said then took another sip of his beer. "Is getting drunk not cool anymore? Or does it just not taste good?" He shrugged his shoulders. ”Uh. .maybe? My friends don’t really drink so I’m not sure. .I’ve tasted better.” He grinned a little, beer wasn’t the best tasting drink.

Link’s footsteps paused as his voice startled his younger brother. ”Link, mate....” He lifted his hand in a half-hearted wave as his lips turned into an tigh smile in greeting. Why did he suddenly feel awkward, his brother wasn’t a stranger. He shook off the weird feeling he was experiencing and finished the last few steps to the grave, bending his knees to lower his backside down onto the grass to sit next to Nash. ”I was just….yea… I think she would like it?” He gave his brother a sad smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. ”Yeah I think she would too.” He said, resting a hand on Nash’s shoulder for a moment. He looked back to the grave and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them. ”God I miss her so fucking much bro.”

Link had been at the end of his shift when he’d received the message in the family chat from Stephen. Something big must have happened for their father to call a family meeting so suddenly. The last time their father had called a family meeting was after their mother had died. He’d clocked out of work begrudgingly quickly, unable to stick around and chat with his co-workers/steal leftover pizza like he normally did in order to get home on time for the first family dinner they’d had in a long time. Link usually tended to have dinner in his room or just eat after work. During his walk home, he called his younger brother to find out if he knew what was going on and got a brief summary of the shit that had gone down this afternoon. Reaching his house, Link inhaled deeply and headed inside, dumping his backpack on the banister before walking into the dining room where his father was. ”So. .what the fuck happened today then?” He asked.

"Yeah, drink something to excess until even the smell of it makes you feel sick." He grinned and pretended to count on his fingers. ”Well. .i’m almost there with cheap cider. .only about another hundred drinks to try then.” He joked. "Oi, Behave yourself, young one.” He gave a snort in response and broke out into a grin. ”Aren’t you only like 1 or 2 years older than me?” He retorted, already knowing the answer. He disappeared momentarily into the kitchen to see if the staff had done their prep and sauntered out a few minutes later. ”They’re done. . guess we can relax until the customers start piling in?” He said, copying Theia and leaning against the bar with a grin, fully aware the answer would probably be no but he could dream.

Lincoln swung his leg over his bike and pushed his feet down firmly on the peddles, pushing the bike forward as he left his workplace behind. He’d had an early shift at the pizza express which meant he had the rest of the afternoon at his leisure. He’d been trying to stay away from the house as much as he could since his mum had passed, especially with Jace kicking off every five minutes and Derek complaining about the mess. If Link wasn’t there to contribute towards it, it wasn’t his problem. He always got fed at work and late shifts allowed him to take home any leftovers rather than the restaurant throwing it away. Maybe pizza and pasta wasn’t the healthiest diet but he at least tried to garnish some of it with salad and pineapple was a fruit. .he occasionally took home Hawaiian.

With the last of his exams coming up, he’d been spending most of his spare time – when he wasn’t at work or with friends – at the library. He followed his usual route towards it, taking some back roads and cutting through some housing estates until he got to his short cut at the cemetery. He’d convinced himself coming this way was quicker than going along the main road – it wasn’t – but it gave him an excuse to stop by his mum’s grave. It was quiet and peaceful there. He used to think cemeteries were creepy, until his mum passed. Now it was a place he could sit with his own thoughts.

Link rolled his bike to a stop a little ways back from the grave when he noticed someone there. Nash. It had been a while since he’d had a proper conversation with his younger brother, only seeing him in passing at home and briefly in school. He’d taken his mum’s passing hard - as he had, as they all had. Curious as to what he was saying, he stepped off the bike and edged closer to his brother, hearing the sound of music playing, making him smile. ”Mum’s favourite song.” He said softly.