Jason's apartment, 10am

Felix banged on Jason's door. Should he shout? No, because then Jason probably wouldn't answer. Maybe if he just banged long and hard enough, his older brother would answer eventually. What on earth had possessed him to cheat on his wife? And more than that, if he was starting a relationship with someone else, why had he not told the truth? All of this was unfathomable to Felix who believed in always telling the truth.

But the thing that bugged Felix more than anything was the fact that Jason hadn't felt he could confide in him. They had always been close friends, best friends. Felix had always told Jason everything, no matter how dark he thought something was he always felt comfortable enough knowing that Jason wouldn't judge him. Tease him, maybe. But not judge him. Whatever Jason was thinking, Felix wanted to know. He wanted to know what had been going on in his 'role model's' life.

When Jason had gotten back from Madagascar empty handed, and with his heart broken, he’d gone into a sort of daze. When he’d been called in to work, or when they asked if he could come in because someone had called out, he’d said sure and took a nap first. After his shift, and some paperwork, Jason had stumbled home, showered, and passed out on the couch with his coffee forgotten in the kitchen. And he’d just started to enter the darkness he’d been hoping for when the pounding awoke him with a start.

After his heart slowed down, he closed his eyes again but pushed himself lazily up. Sitting up on the edge of the sofa, he put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. The banging came again and he growled under his breath. Really? Sighing, gritting his teeth, Jason let out a weak “Hold on,” unsure if it made it to the door or not. Running his fingers through his dried hair, sure it looked a right mess after laying down on it still wet, Jason unsteadily pushed himself up from the couch.

Another round of banging ensued and he frowned hard at the door; now he was irritated “Merlin’s beard!” Fixing his sweats, Jason yawned against his hand and finally gripped the door handle. He opened his mouth to start going off on the person on the other side of the door, having obviously been thrown awake on the wrong side of the bed.

“Do you know how to wait patiently?” Then he opened it the entire way and saw who it was. And his anger evaporated momentarily. “Oh.” He’d been avoiding his little brother for a while. Things had been busy… he really hadn’t felt good enough to share everything that had transpired. Putting a hand to his mouth, rubbing either side and finally holding on to his chin a moment, he sighed and stepped aside, leaning slightly on the door.

“Hey Felix… Come on in?” Once his brother was in, Jason closed the door. He’d forgotten to send a spare key to his brother as well… he’d been avoiding home in general for a while, feeling a bit out of sorts. “How’s work?”

“Oh.”

Felix just stood and watched as Jason rubbed his mouth. He looked like he needed a good night sleep, though it was evident he had just woken up. As Jason held the door open for him, Felix stared a moment into the apartment, then decided on making his way in. Things needed to be cleared, namely the air.

“Hey Felix… Come on in?”

"Yes. It's me. Felix Marren. Remember? Your brother?" Felix rolled his eyes and shook his head as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and sighed. The apartment didn't look too bad. A couple of dirty dishes on the table, the couch looked a little worse for wear, but Felix assumed that was where Jason had been roused from his slumbers. He could see a mug of tepid coffee sitting on the bench in the kitchen.

“How’s work?”

"Less of the pleasantries." he said blandly, turning to face his brother square-on. "What's going on? I just got back from Ireland, with mum in a state of panic over what she read in the Prophet. Dad's trying to calm her down about it, but even he's having a hard jjob of it."

“Yes. It’s me. Felix Marren. Remember? Your brother?”

Jason glanced up to the ceiling before his eyes went back to his brother, letting out a sigh, pushing the door closed. That was where Derek had learned his feminine side from. Pouty Felix… He almost asked him if it was that time of the month for him, but decided that it wasn’t time for sarcasm and normal banter. Instead, he merely bit his lower lip and waited for the next attack.

“Less of the pleasantries.”

So he wasn’t even going to bore Jason with the formalities of how work was, what he was up to, who he was seeing, and how often their mum had done his laundry? That just seemed rude… Frowning slightly, he finally crossed his arms over his chest, one hand resting against his cheek. Again he rubbed his hand over his mouth, shaking his head a little and rubbing his eyes.

“What’s going on? I just got back from Ireland, with mum in a state of panic over what she read in the Prophet. Dad’s trying to calm her down about it, but even he’s having a hard job of it.”

What’s going on? Where did they start? Sighing out against his hand, he finally moved past Felix; he was going to need a fresh cup of coffee for this conversation. “Coffee? Tea? Juice?” Into the kitchen he went, dumping the mug of coffee down the sink before setting it beside the kettle, turning the burner on. He leaned against the counter and stared down into what was left at the bottom of his coffee mug, frowning.

Drumming his fingers against the counter top, he shook his head. “The reason Fiona and I separated… why we got the divorce, was because I was unfaithful. And Skeeter…” He grit his teeth at the name. “There has just been… It felt like a lot to explain.” So it was just easier to shovel everything somewhere else to deal with later. And now? It was obviously later. “Too much, until… well, until now, I guess.”

His mum couldn’t deal with all the nitty gritty details though. His dad probably wouldn’t be able to either, come to think of it. Turning around, leaning against the counter, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at his brother. “I didn’t mean to keep you out, Felix. It just piled up so quick… I didn’t know how to start.” He shrugged half heartedly, finally glancing down at his feet that he crossed over one another at the ankles.

“Coffee? Tea? Juice?”

Felix rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever." he breathed out. He had a habit of being very childish at times. "Coffee." He added. He just couldn't help himself. He started back at work the next night, so he was allowed to have a coffee now. "Please." he added, in a slightly immature tone of voice, lowering his eyes to the floor. He hated having to be polite to Jason when he'd been such a tool lately.

“The reason Fiona and I separated… why we got the divorce, was because I was unfaithful. And Skeeter…”

Felix let out a short laugh and rolled his eyes again, folding his arms across his chest. That much was obvious. The article had said it all.

“Too much, until… well, until now, I guess.”

Felix narrowed his eyes at his brother, though his expression softened somewhat when he saw just how much all this had cut him up. He looked to the side, shifting from one foot to the other slightly to save himself from a dead leg. He took a deep breath in as Jason carried on.

“I didn’t mean to keep you out, Felix. It just piled up so quick… I didn’t know how to start.”

He exhaled heavily, his shoulders relaxing slightly. He blinked a couple of times, trying to rid himself of the tiredness that had consumed him after travelling back from Ireland that morning on the train. He moved over towards Jason a little and spoke slowly. "You know...you know you can tell me anything...right?" he asked, surveying his brother's expression carefully. He nudged him in the shoulder slightly. "Just don't keep everything bottled up, okay? It's not healthy." He smirked at his brother. Much as though he had the urge to hug his brother, he wasn't sure that Jason would appreciate that right now, being the 'real man' that he was.

"Have you- have you spoke to Sam?" he asked, his brows furrowed slightly in frustration with himself, for having brought what was bound to be a sore subject up.

Jason merely  nodded at his request for coffee, adding a clean mug next to his on the counter. It just meant a little more water to the kettle. He was so tired… all he wanted to do was climb into bed, cover his head with the sheets and pillow, and sleep through the nightmare that was his life right then. However… he wasn’t a child anymore, and he had to deal with other things besides his humiliation. So here he was, toughing it out. Pesky family members or not.

“You know…you know you can tell me anything…right?”

Shrugging slightly, Jason blinked lazily as he gazed down at his feet, a frown set on his face. He knew he would expect Felix to tell him anything. But to lay his problems on his little brother… it just seemed harder. Felix, the one he’d been a role model for, having to help sort Jason’s problems? No… that wasn’t how things were supposed to work. Jason was supposed to do everything right so his siblings could go through life hoping they did as well as he did. No matter how skewed and incorrect that thought was.

“Just don’t keep everything bottled up, okay? It’s not healthy.”

Jason wanted to smirk back. He wanted to laugh or roll his eyes or something. But all he could do was nod mutely, rocking with the nudge. Lifting one of his hands, Jason gently scratched the side of his cheek, yawning before letting the hand cross back over his chest. He knew it wasn’t healthy to let all the bad feelings fill you up. But it was easiest, sometimes.

“Have you- have you spoke to Sam?”

And her name made it suddenly harder to breathe. A lump formed and he tried to swallow past it; suddenly unable, he was glad that the kettle started to whistle. Turning to it, he started to fuss with the coffees, glad for something to do. After a few moments, he finally nodded, setting the kettle back down. After adding milk and sugar to each, he pushed over the one for Felix, picking his own up. Motioning to the door, he moved back through to the living room. Sitting down on the couch, he put his feet up on the table, staring down at the coffee.

“She left town before I could talk to her about it. So… I went over to Charlotte’s as a last resort.” He frowned. Maybe he should explain from the beginning. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed and just kept going. “S-Sam was in Madagascar.” Frowning, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “So I went after her.” Shaking his head, he let the coffee mug rest in his lap. “Mistake.”

Jason's shrug at his suggestion that he could tell Felix anything caused the younger man to frown. Did Jason not want to tell him things? Did he feel like he couldn't trust Felix? Because that was far from the truth. But it dawned on Felix that maybe it was some sort of older-brother obligation that Jason was sticking to. In the same way that Felix wouldn't want to pass on his problems to Derek, Jason probably felt the same about Felix. There was nothing he could do except reiterate that Jason could tell him anything, and hope that in time Jason came to realise that himself. Even if they were eighty and their biggest problem was how to get out of their chair to go to the loo. Felix would still be their to lend Jason a helping hand in unbuckling his belt, since he was younger and naturally, fitter.

Jason's muted response to Felix's joking around made him a little nervous. Jason always took an opportunity to taunt, tease or poke fun at his brother. Always. He blinked slightly, his mouth opening a little and then closing again dumbly. Were things really that bad? Sure, Sam was nice and all - Felix had always got on well with her, being good friends in school and staying friends when they left. But really? She and Jason hadn't been together for very long. It wasn't like he was married to her. He'd seemed less cut up over the end of his marriage, than over the end of this short-lived relationship.

So he had spoke to her. Felix frowned as he waited patiently for Jason to talk about it. Taking his coffee, he followed Jason into the living room and stood, nursing his hot mug in his hand as Jason sat on the sofa and rested his feet on the table.

“She left town before I could talk to her about it. So… I went over to Charlotte’s as a last resort.”

Ah. Something Charlotte had conveniently not mentioned on the train. Very sneaky of her. But Felix knew that much as though he liked to flirt with her every now and then (who didn't?), Jason wasn't all that fond of her, so having to drag himself off to see Charlotte and ask her where Sam was must have taken a lot of courage.

“S-Sam was in Madagascar...So I went after her.”

"Madagascar?!" Felix exclaimed. Bloody hell. No wonder Jason hadn't been answering his owls, since he was half way across the globe. He refrained from saying that she must have been royally pissed off to want to go that far away from Jason, realising that at this moment in time it sounded very insensitive. Yet another thing Charlotte had failed to fill him in on, in between her falling into his lap and wanting to eat off of it.

“Mistake.”

Felix let out a long breath into his mug, watching the steam rise. What could he say to that? Clearly it had been a mistake, since she wasn't here and Jason didn't seem very happy about it. "You should have given her some more time." he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yet another of the many reasons you should consult me first. Making rash decisions when you're upset isn't a good idea."

His younger brother’s reaction to where Sam had gone was absolutely normal. And that was part of the reason he’d ignored his mother’s insistent owl’s. He didn’t want to explain it all; it was still too fresh. Why continue to open up the pain and sorrow if he didn’t have to? Drown it with alcohol; that was going to be his choice of dealing with it. Or at least it seemed like a decent choice. He had his bottle of firewhiskey waiting in the kitchen cupboard.

“You should have given her some more time.”

He let out a dark, hollow laugh. Obviously. Then again, Jason wondered if time would have done anything for her and how she suddenly felt about him. He almost felt the sting against his cheek. Opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling, Jason tried to keep his mind blank, and not think about how he wasn’t going to be able to bury himself between Sam’s delicious thighs anymore. And then there was the memory, and he felt like slapping himself.

Instead, he made himself as content as possible with a sip of the hot coffee, grimacing slightly as it burned his tongue.

“Yet another of the many reasons you should consult me first. Making rash decisions when you’re upset isn’t a good thing.”

Leaning forward, Jason set his coffee down after his feet made contact with the flooring, resting his elbows on his knees. Frowning a little, he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, the other hanging limply between his knees. “Fiona was always working. Always had something to do. And Miranda… lost her brother. And I was there to comfort her.” He just stared, half dazed at the floor as he spoke softly.

“One thing led to another. And then…” Shrugging a little, he sighed and closed his eyes, his head hanging down as well. “I told Fiona. She kicked me out. We’ve been in the process of a divorce because… I think we were both unhappy. This just gave us a way out?” Another half hearted shrug came over him before he sat up a little, turning his head to look at his brother. “Rita Skeeter became interested in me. She…” He grimaced. No. He didn’t want to go there.

“I just… I went on that first date with Sam. And I was hooked…” Biting his lower lip, he shook his head and closed his eyes, leaning back on the sofa once again. An irritated noise left his throat. “And now it doesn’t matter. I did make a mistake. But I am learning from it. That Merlin cursed reporter…” A few more explicative’s were said his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up a little more. Maybe Felix would have an idea how to get her back.

Felix listened intently as Jason ran over what had happened in the last few weeks. He migrated from one foot to another every so often, and though Jason's eyes weren't on him, he nodded sympathetically from time to time to show he was listening...to show he cared. Because he did. And though he was still royally pissed off that Jason hadn't told him what had been going on, he could sort of understand why he had kept it to himself. Felix lifted his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relax the tense muscles.

“I just… I went on that first date with Sam. And I was hooked…”

Felix frowned. He knew how it felt to be hooked on someone, and feel like there's no way on earth that it'll be reciprocated. Felix sighed and hung his head momentarily before moving over and sitting himself on the arm of the sofa. If his mum could see him doing that, he'd get a right bollocking! But this was Jason, and much as though he acted like a woman a lot, Felix was sure that he wouldn't berate him for sitting on the arm of the sofa.

“And now it doesn’t matter. I did make a mistake. But I am learning from it. That Merlin cursed reporter…”

Felix lifted his right hand and put it on Jason's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "What do you want me to do?" Felix asked, though he realised it was a very open-ended question. The answer could be anything from look after Aidan for a few hours, help him get Sam back or help formulate a plan of revenge for Rita Skeeter. And Felix wasn't sure he'd be comfortable with any but the first.

Jason noticed Felix sat down on the sofa, but didn’t even think to give him a hard time about it. In all honesty, they had been sneaking sofa arm sitting time for years. Sometimes they were caught and their mum had a good go at them. Sometimes they could get away with it, and when they were younger it always felt like the best game to win at. But Merlin forbid mum caught one boy and not another; then it was ‘Mum, did you see Derek jumping on the bed’ or some other sort of tattle tale.

He wasn’t worried about the sofa; worst case, he could get a new one. This wasn’t the best one anyway, just something he was able to get when he moved in. If he was feeling more like himself, he’d probably push Felix off at the most inopportune time. He wasn’t feeling normal, though, and he certainly didn’t feel funny enough to attempt a stunt like that.

Jason wasn’t sure how he felt about the physical contact. On one hand, he appreciated the support. On the other, he didn’t like knowing he was getting emotional support… from his younger brother. On an issue that he could have figured out something for, he was sure. So instead of saying anything, he felt a slight blush creep on his cheeks, showing his slight embarrassment, shifting slightly.

“What do you want me to do?”

There were enough things he could think of. Destroy Rita Skeeter’s career… Think of ways to convince Sam he wasn’t a complete scumbag… Make breakfast… However, he merely shrugged and scratched the back of his head. Sighing, he finally glanced at his brother. “I’m just tired, Felix.” Rubbing his eyes, he finally leaned forward, yawning. Picking up his coffee, Jason took a sip. “Is mum taking it hard?” Jason didn’t want her blaming herself for his actions. She raised him right, he’d just let other things think for themselves.

He recalled the time his mum found his Playwizard. Or, rather, his older cousin’s copy that Jason had conveniently borrowed. The articles were interesting, honest! He had sworn then that he’d never seen her so angry. Or disappointed. But perhaps it was just the awkward position with which she’d found it… Lessons learned all around. When it came time for Jason to pass down the information to his little brother, he’d worked out the best hiding places. Oddly, under your mattress was one of the worst, and just stuffing it in with a bunch of other magazines made finding it again somewhat difficult.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t quite as harmless as teenage boys being teenage boys.

It was clear, from the moment Felix's hand touched the material covering his brother's shoulder, that it was making Jason uncomfortable. Felix pulled his hand away rather quickly, and the blush in Jason's cheeks was mirrored in his own as he looked towards the kitchen and took a sip of his coffee. If anything, he could blame the hot liquid for causing the rise in colour of his cheeks.

“I’m just tired, Felix.”

Felix nodded grimly. "Me too." he agreed, blowing into the coffee to try and cool it down to an agreeable drinking temperature. After the last couple of days he'd had, he would no doubt be able to sleep for hours and hours on end. Then Jason asked the question Felix knew would come up sooner or later; how had mum taken it. Felix winced and sighed, placing his coffee on the table, but immediately regretting it when his hands had nothing to do. So, as all the Marren men did, he ran a hand through his hair and ended by rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"You know mum." He started softly. "She overreacts about everything." He tried to grin, but knew he really had to just cut the crap. He sighed again and shook his head. "Honestly? She's cut up. And I know, this isn't the best thing for you to be hearing, but I'm not going to lie to you. She's driving dad round the bend...but then she always did a good job of that." He chuckled slightly - now that was true. "She just...doesn't want to think of you being unhappy. That's all."

“Me too.”

“Well, you never sleep anyway.” A small smile came up before it disappeared, a sigh escaping Jason as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. Come to think of it, Jason hadn’t really slept much lately. Ever since that article came out… he’d lost a good sleeping partner. Resting his chin in his hand, he stared down at the coffee table.

“You know mum… She overreacts about everything.”

Jason made a face and closed his eyes, nodding slightly. So she was probably taking it badly. Pursing his lips slightly, he moved his head down to rest fully in his hand, sighing into his palm. After a moment, he put his head up and rested his elbows on his knees, allowing his hands to rest between the empty space.

“Honestly? She’s cut up. And I know, this isn’t the best thing for you to be hearing, but I’m not going to lie to you. She’s driving dad round the bend…but then she always did a good job of that.”

Of course she would be cut up. This was one of her boys, one of her babies, being an idiot and getting thrown in the papers. Not only that, but he hadn’t confided in her any of the reasons for his divorce. Just that Fiona and he weren’t working well, and it seemed best for Aidan to try and be happy than stay together and be miserable. Which was true! He just… left out the rest of it. He didn’t want his mum knowing about his mistakes.

“She just…doesn’t want to think of you being unhappy. That’s all.”

Jason finally glanced to Felix, clasping his hands between his knees. “I wasn’t unhappy, though.” Shaking his head, he sighed, glancing away briefly. A brief laugh escaped him. “I mean, I guess I was. I wasn’t happy with my relationship with Fiona. And instead of talking to her, I let a night of passion get away with me. Then…” Shaking his head, he let out a groan and leaned back on the couch, feeling like a moody teenager again. “But I was happy, first time in a while, while with Sam. And… now she wants nothing to do with me.”

Biting his lower lip, he finally shrugged and glanced to Felix. “I also have to watch myself at work; they don’t like drama coming into the environment there, and with this splashed across the front page…” He winced. “Just wish I could go back and start over.” But he couldn’t. “I am sorry I haven’t… gotten hold of you. I haven’t even… Eddie hasn’t been around either.” Felix hadn’t heard that bit of gossip yet either. At least not from Jason.

“Well, you never sleep anyway.”

Felix cast a sidelong glance at his brother and saw a hint of the old Jason seeping into that small smile. "Touché." he offered Jason, just as the smile melted away once more. Felix's own smile faltered slightly. And there he had thought that there was the slightest chance Jason may have been getting over it all. That was the difference between the two brothers; where Jason lingered over his problems and wallowed in self-pity, Felix would have already been out having a good time with people who mattered to him. Probably Jason, coincidentally.

“But I was happy, first time in a while, while with Sam. And… now she wants nothing to do with me.”

Felix drained off the last of his still steaming coffee - he hadn't been given the nickname 'asbestos mouth' for nothing - and sighed, still cradling the mug in his hands as Jason stated he hadn't even spoken to Eddie. Felix's features twisted slightly. "Oh, yeah...ah...I spoke to Eddie a couple of days ago." he grimaced as he looked at Jason. "He told me about what happened with...you and Quincy." He winced a little. "As your brother, I have to say that was pretty low." He couldn't help but let a grin spread across his face. "But as a bloke? Well done! She's a fox!" Perhaps not the thing Jason would be wanting to hear right now, but it was the truth.

"Listen. You need a distraction." Felix stated brightly. "And I shall be just that distraction." He grinned. "What shall we do?" he asked, placing his mug on the table and scratching his head as he thought of ideas.

“Oh, yeah…ah…I spoke to Eddie a couple of days ago.”

Jason grimaced as well, leaning forward as he rested his head in his palms, sighing. He nodded slowly as Felix said that Eddie had filled him in. That was, thankfully, not part of the article. He didn’t know what he would have done had that much gone into it. Privacy was a big thing, and he suddenly felt like he had none. Finally he rubbed his hand over his face and sat up slightly, shaking his head.

“As your brother, I have to say that was pretty low.”

He knew that all ready. Jason didn’t know what had come over him, other than… Quincy, obviously.

“But as a bloke? Well done! She’s a fox!”

A surprised chuckle escaped him and he rolled his eyes, glancing to Felix. Quincy was very attractive, Eddie was a lucky man. And an idiot for letting her get away. But they seemed… to be doing something right then, working it out? Whatever the case, Jason thought that Sam was more of a fox than her cousin. He might have been biased, though…

“Listen. You need a distraction… And I shall be just that distraction.”

A groan escaped him as he leaned back on the couch. He hadn’t slept yet! It was still the morning! Why had he not drank his coffee?! Jason sighed and rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand, acting like a child as he moved around, a little moody from the lack of sleep and all he’d been dealing with. Maybe he could take time off from work, find a new hobby, or even find a new job… Something he enjoyed with people who didn’t know him.

“What shall we do?”

With his head in a pillow, he grumbled. “Sleep?” Finally, though, he sat himself up slightly, pulling his coffee to him and taking a hearty gulp. Felix had been kind enough to come over and see how his brother was. ‘Kind enough’ was perhaps being a little too nice, but still. He could force himself to try and have a decent time. And the worst? He’d get some drinking out of the way. “I don’t know. We could…” Strip club? Bar hopping? Visit a museum? “I don’t know. Go out tonight?”

Felix was glad to see Jason finally crack a genuine smile, even if it only lasted momentarily. He grinned at himself triumphantly. Yes, he was good. He could turn that frown upside down! He was The Man! Then the groan came after Felix said he would be a distraction, and he gave a momentarily huffy look before brightening his expression once more. Jason was less likely to agree to spend time with him if he acted like a petulant child. He needed a good distraction. After all, he already had one kid to look after.

“Sleep?”

Felix raised an eyebrow and made a noise like a buzzer on a game show. "Wrong answer." He stated, folding his arms across his chest. He knew what would make him feel better if the tables were turned, but felt a bit insensitive suggesting it. Maybe he would just let Jason figure this one out.

“I don’t know. Go out tonight?”

Felix's face lit up and he sat up straighter. "Great!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together and rubbing the palms against each other. "There's a new strip club opened in the East End." He grinned. Well, Jason had got half way there, and Felix just couldn't help himself.