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“Right, what the fuck are you doin’ then?” Noel asked sharply.
“Can’t a bloke give his brother a hug?” Liam perched his head on Noel’s shoulder as Noel was tuning his guitar. The older was sitting on a stool in the studio room and Liam had interrupted his songwriting with… whatever this was.
“Piss off, I’m writing songs, Liam.”
“I missed you, though.” Noel could feel Liam’s cheeky grin against his face but he didn’t turn his head to meet Liam’s eyes.
“You’re what, twenty-three now, yeah?” Noel replied with sarcasm.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“You’re too old to be behaving like this, Liam.”
“Am never too old to miss me brother, Noely.” Noel rolled his eyes. He always said he hated the nickname and he really hated the way it sounded coming out of Liam’s mouth–or rather he hated that girls used it to refer to Noel and Noel hated the way it would remind him of Liam.
“Piss off, I said.”
“And I said I missed you,” Liam doubled-down and wrapped his arms around Noel’s middle. Noel inhaled sharply and Liam laughed.
“You just love to be so bloody problematic, is that it?” Noel’s voice sounded colder than before.
“What, you’re uncomfortable?”
“It’s not a comfortable position to tune my guitar in, you twat.”
Liam huffed. “It sounds good as is, any slight tuning problems will just add flavor, yeah?” Noel opened his mouth but Liam continued. “Come on, play me a tune.”
Noel’s mouth opened and closed as he decided against continuing this argument. He was working on the last few B-sides set to release with What’s The Story Morning Glory and he supposed now was as good a time as ever to let the frontman hear what the tunes would sound like.
Carefully, Noel played a few chords until he decided on the chord progression he liked.
“What song is this?” Liam asked.
Noel didn’t answer and continued playing as he repeated the chord progression for a few counts before switching keys and returning to the previous key and so on and so forth. After the third time of the repetition, Liam’s humming shook Noel from his focus. His fingers kept up with the rhythm he set but he was still surprised to hear Liam’s voice matching the notes perfectly and he stopped playing.
“What, don’t like my voice?” Liam asked with a hint of offense.
“No.” Liam’s head was still perched on Noel’s shoulder and Noel still didn’t want to turn his head. “I’ve just decided that what I just played is going to make it into the final version of the song.”
Liam then grinned his cheshire grin. “You haven’t told me what the song is even called yet.”
Noel plucked a few strings to keep his hands busy. “You’ll find out when the band finds out.” Liam then buried his face into Noel’s shoulder and Noel’s lips straightened into a line. “You’re a bit old for this, Liam.”
“Am never too old to miss you, I already said that.” Liam’s voice was muffled in the fabric of Noel’s shirt.
“I’m right here, not going anywhere,” came Noel’s dry response, but his tone betrayed him with a slight crack in his voice. Liam didn’t reply and Noel grew the tiniest bit worried. “What’s got you so pressed?”
“Nothing.”
It was a lie, obviously, but Noel couldn’t force Liam to talk.
“This might be one of the few times I actually want you to open your mouth, Our Kid.” Noel went back to tuning his guitar needlessly just so he didn’t have to face Liam. Liam still didn’t reply. “Spill it or I’m firing you from the band.”
Liam actually laughed and Noel felt a small wave of relief wash over him. “Just sing me to sleep, yeah?”
“To sleep? What are you, bloody five years old?” Noel asked incredulously. Liam lifted his face and rested his cheek on Noel’s shoulder now, his nose tickling Noel’s cheek.
“Yeah, I’m sleepy.”
“Had too much to drink?”
“No, just tired, overworked.”
Noel hummed. Now that he mentioned it, Liam’s voice sounded raspier than normal and he really shouldn't be pushing his little brother too hard. “Then go home and get some rest, Liam, you’ve got to sing tomorrow for a demo track.”
“Mm, I’m too tired to go home, just sing me to sleep here, yeah?” Liam asked and his lips were so close to Noel’s ear that Noel felt Liam’s voice travel into his core. He wanted to shake Liam off but something wasn’t letting him.
“You’re going to sleep here, in the bloody studio?”
“You’ve done it before, haven’t you? Let me sleep here.”
Noel let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. If he tightened the strings on his guitar anymore, they would break, and loosening them would undo his careful tuning. Finally, he turned his head to face Liam. “Alright then, get off me and go lay down on the couch.”
Liam grinned as his eyes finally met Noel’s for the first time that night and they stared at each other a beat too long. Then Liam detached himself from Noel and wandered over to the couch and laid down. “You’ll get me a blankie and cup of tea, Noely?”
Noel rolled his eyes and set his guitar down. “Of course not. No blankets in the studio.” Liam looked around as though confirming Noel’s assertion before his eyes landed on the jacket hung over the sofa. He reached up with a hand and pulled it over himself and Noel sighed.
“That’s my jacket, you wanker.”
“I won’t be doing any wanking with it keeping me warm, Noely.”
Again, Liam used that stupid nickname and he used it in a stupid sentence he didn’t really have any business saying. Noel sighed. “Yeah, you’d better not.”
Liam fluttered his eyelashes open to stare at Noel. “You’re going to sing me a lullaby, right?”
“Christ, you’re too old for this, I keep telling you.” Noel pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Jus’ do it, fucking twat.”
Noel glared at the man sprawled out on the sofa in front of him and his fists balled at his sides. Then Noel exhaled and turned his back to Liam, retrieving his acoustic guitar from its stand. “You’re fucking lucky I’m feeling nice today.” Liam grinned again and Noel looked away. “This one’s called Octopus Garden, because you were hanging all over me like an octopus today.”