Liam

had barely even rung once before Tommy picked up.
"Hello?" His brother's voice sounded so good.
"Tommy," Declan barely got out around the lump in his throat. He needed to get himself together.
"Dec? Oh my God, where the hell are you? No one seems to know where you disappeared to." His younger brother sounded slightly hysterical.
"Hey, kid, I'm okay. Please try and calm down. Are you there by yourself?" He desperately needed to know if the Alpha had tried to contact his brother.
"Chase and Jackson are here with me. Bro, what the hell's going on? Why did you take off like that?" Tommy asked, worry clearly evident in his voice. His brother paused a moment before continuing "And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after not rocking up to work today and no notification, they called earlier and said not to bother coming back."
Declan cringed, although he shouldn't have been surprised. He didn't really like his job anyway. He had been working in a factory-type setting, making large amounts of the same recipes so they could be delivered to various cafés and restaurants. Declan much preferred the smaller, more intimate feeling a bakery offered. Could be why he dreamed of owning and operating his own place.
Now with no job, he'd be hard pressed to earn the money he needed to realise his goal. But first he had to deal with the fact he'd been chased by his deranged, drug-dealing, murderous Alpha and his two Betas for witnessing them kill Nigel.
"Declan?" Tommy sounded concerned again.
Shit. He had to get his head on straight and talk to his brother. He didn't want to cause any further worry.
"Yeah I'm here, sorry. Was just thinking." Declan steadied his nerves before he continued. "Listen, kid, I need you to do something for me, okay?"
"Whatever you need, you know that." No hesitation, even after everything. Declan really loved his brother.
"Yeah, I need you to lay low for a while; please don't ask me why, it's probably best if you don't know. And please promise me if you see Alpha Wallis or either of his Betas you'll run, get out of the house and go somewhere safe." He had to be scaring the crap out of his brother but he didn't know what else to do. He needed Tommy safe.
"What the fuck's going on, Declan?" Apprehension filled Tommy's voice.
He wished he could do more to reassure Tommy.
God, why the hell did he decide to take a run after getting off work? Why couldn't he have just gone home like every other God damned night?
"I'm sorry, Tommy, but I need you to promise me.
Run if you see the Alpha or the Betas. Please." Declan would do anything if it meant keeping his brother safe.
"Okay, Dec. If I see them, I'll hightail it out of here and head over to Chase's place. Now where are you?"
Declan hesitated. He really didn't want to say anything that could cause any problems for his brother. "It's not important" he finally answered. He quickly added, "But in all this shit there is a silver lining, well at least I think there is." Declan thought of Liam and hoped to Christ he was a good thing. He hoped to distract Tommy from the fact he didn't answer his question satisfactorily.
"What do you mean it's not important? And what silver lining? I've been going out of my freaking mind with worry over you."
Declan cringed. Tommy would've been worried when he hadn't made it home last night.
"I know, and I'm sorry it's not entirely safe for me to tell you where I am." Tommy couldn't tell others what he didn't know. "And the good news, I met my mate tonight."
"What?" Tommy screeched over the phone, all traces of fear gone. "Seriously, dude? What's he like? Is he hot? Oh God, please tell me it's a he?"
Declan had sat his kid brother down years ago and told him about his sexuality. They'd had a long talk about being gay and what it meant. Their parents had been accepting of his sexuality and his brother proved no different.
Declan laughed for the first time in days. "Yes, it's a guy. And holy Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, is he hot. All big and strong with muscles that just won't quit and this tattoo I just want to lick. With everything else going on, the timing sucks, but I don't really care."
"Sounds nice, Declan. You know as well as I do that everything happens for a reason. Take a chance, bro.
You've been alone for far too long." Tommy sounded genuinely happy.
Declan sighed. He had some thinking to do but felt too exhausted to focus on anything. His stomach chose that moment to let it be known it wanted food. He felt dead on his feet and really didn't want to move. He needed rest.
"I know. Hey, I have to go. I need some sleep. I'll call you in a couple of days to check on you. Could you have one of your friends head to the pack grounds and check if my car's still there? It should have my wallet, phone, and keys in it." He hoped no one had stolen it.
"Yeah, will do. Get some rest and enjoy your mate.
I'll talk to you soon. Love ya, Dec," Tommy said.
"Thanks. I love you too, Tommy." Declan hung up the phone and sighed.

Liam hoped someday Declan loved him as much as he obviously cared about his brother. Declan lay curled up on his couch, covered from his feet right up to the base of his neck by Liam's favourite blanket. The only parts of Declan peeking from under the blanket were his head and the fingers of his hand, as he held the phone to his ear.
Liam had to bite his tongue when he walked in to hear Declan describe him to his brother. He didn't know whether to laugh or stalk across the room and kiss the man until their lungs burned from lack