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noel took a long, deep breath. his fingers were suddenly tingly and his legs were like jello, near shaking underneath him as he raised his fist to the door.
only to drop it.
then raise it again.
fuck.
he wiped sweaty palms off on his pants (it was only near 10 ° outside). he shouldn't be this nervous. he shouldn't.
but it'd been nearly... god, how many years now? noel had to get his address off his kid, for fucks sake!
okay, noel, he thought to himself. man up, knock on the fucking door, ring the doorbell if you need to!
taking a final breath, noel opted to press the bell, hearing the faint echo inside.
oh, fuck, he shouldn't have done this. he could leave right now! no one would know he was ever even there. just book it down the road and hide in the bushes 'til the coast was clear. duck behind the shrubs out in the yard.
he thought about the possible options for what felt like hours, when it was only a little over a minute or two.
there was no more time to think, because then the door was being pulled open, and the one and only liam gallagher appeared behind it. liam went to open his mouth, but stopped short when he saw who it was.
"h—."
the door slammed shut in noels face.
liam, on the other side, pressed his back against the wood, eyes blown wide with shock and fear.
this couldn't be good.
fucking noel was on his doorstep. noel! his big brother! the one he hadn't seen in fucking years.
why would he be here? about a million possibilities ran through liams head, before he realized: this is what he'd wanted for over a decade, and it was finally here, and he'd slammed the door in noels face.
he pulled it open, just in time to see noels back as the man was halfway down his walkway.
"wait—!" liam called, and noel froze. he turned ever so slowly, eyes flicking up behind dark sunglasses to look his younger brother right in the face. "c– come in fer a cuppa?"
liam sounded so out of breath it sort of shocked noel. why would he be out of breath, surely he'd not been running around in his home? then he realized, he'd turned up on liams fuckin doorstep, without notice, after nearly eleven years of not speaking.
yeah, noel would be out of breath, too.
"course," noel breathed in reply, and a relieved smile immediately broke out in liams face. he stepped aside, opening the door wide, waiting. noel made his way back down the walkway, hopping into liams home, immediately being hit with a wave of... nostalgia. familiarity. it was nearly enough to bring tears in his eyes.
it was so much so quickly, neither men could seem to fathom the reality. there noel stood, in liams living room. liams living room!
"i..." noel trailed off, turning around to face his brother. "i—!"
liams arms were around him in an instant, hugging him tightly and seeming to have no urge to let go. his hair itched noels nose and got in his eyes, but it didn't matter, because then noel was hugging him, too, and they were both crying.
"you fuckin cunt, what're you doing here," liam demanded through a voice thick with tears.
"was in the city," noel replied in much the same tone, fingers grabbing gently at liams hair that had taken to scratching at the skin whispily. it was much longer than noel had seen it before, but it suited the man. "figured i'd stop by," he continued, "knew you missed my guts."
liam laughed at that, and the sound was familiar and gentle and thick with genuine happiness it made noel hug him impossibly tighter.
"i missed you? you're the one talking about me on all them interviews," liam jested back, pure younger brother behaviour. and noel realized just how much he missed it. "i haven't thought a bit about you."
noel shook his head, pulling away from the hug and holding liam out at arms length. "so you do watch me interviews, do you?"
"maybe sometimes," liam replied quietly. he stood almost nervously, and his hand raised up with obvious hesitation. he placed it on noels shoulder, moved it to grab his arm, his shirt, touch his hair. "can't believe you're here," liam said shakily.
"i missed you." noels words were filled with some of the heaviest sincerity liam had ever heard from him.
"missed you, too," liam replied. he added, with a grin, "you old geezer."
noel laughed at that, genuinely, head thrown back and all. liam laughed too, a few stray tears running down his cheeks.
it was near overwhelming, the emotions running through them both.
"want a beer?" liam asked, and noel let him go finally.
"waitin fer you to ask since i got in here," noel replied, and liam socked him in the shoulder with a laugh, leading noel down the hall and in to the kitchen. "nice home you've got here," he commented, genuinely.
liam grinned, popping open the fridge and grabbing two bottles out. tossing one over to his brother, he watched noel just barely catch it, and he lead the man to the dining table.
"where's the kids?" noel asked, twisting open his drink.
"moved out?"
"moved out?"
"yeah!"
"yeah? how old are they now?"
"their twenties, noel!"
"what!?"
after that, the chat was a breeze. they fell into their old, steady rhythm with ease, though obviously more laid back, less immature.
it really began to put in perspective just how long it'd been since they'd last seen each other.
"you've mellowed out," noel mused.
"i have. i'll lob this bottle over at you if it makes you feel better," liam replied, raising the half drunk bottle threateningly. it was his second drink now, they were both a bit loosened out now.
noel laughed. "i'd still win that fight, william, just remember that."
liam raised his eyebrows. "yeah? twiggy as you are now?"
"am not!"
"are too!"
noel placed his arm on the table, hand raised up. liam immediately leaned forewords to grab the hand with his own. if noel wanted to play kiddie games, he'd happily oblige. an arm wrestle contest wasn't excluded.
"best out of three?" liam asked.
"fuck no. one round."
"fine, you ass. on three."
"one."
"two."
"three!"
at first it really did look like noel would win as he always used to. but soon enough, liam snapped his arm back, jumping up in a cheer after noels knuckles hit the wood.
it really did feel like just yesterday they'd seen each other for the last time.
noels smile faded away at that though, and he shifted in his seat nervously.
"liam?"
"huh?"
"..." noel looked to the floor, searching desperately for the right words. liam saw this, and sat back down in his chair immediately, sensing the severity of the next words. eventually, noel looked back up, into his baby brothers awaiting face, and settled. "i'm sorry," he said.
and liam didn't reply for a good long while.
when he did, it was with a cheeky, "never thought i'd hear them words from you, you oaf." but he smiled a bit sadly nonetheless, shaking his head. "i am too."
"guess we've both been idiots, huh?"
"you a bit more than me, but, yeah," liam agreed, and noel cracked a grin. "listen to any of me shit recently?"
"course," noel replied, grinning. "'s not bad. yer voice is spectacular now days, yunno?"
it sent a pant of something liam didn't know he needed down his body. he craved noels approval, always had, but actually, finally getting it was something different.
"you think so?"
"definitely. unique, yunno? ...and i've seen the recordings of you up on stage," noel added. "amazing. absolutely amazing." his voice audibly softened, his smile getting a little more warm. "i'm proud of you, liam."
liam had to fight back the tears. "thanks," he croaked out. "your shits white hot too. some of your songs are me favorites, yunno? i went to a show once. you were... cool. really cool."
noel grinned. liam had gone to a show? it made his chest warm with joy at the news. god, he'd missed his brother.
"thank you."
"of course."
it got quiet after that.
"love you, rkid, yunno," liam said tentatively, giving a toothy smile toward his brother.
"love you too. course i do, you're the best damn little brother i could have ever asked for. you've no idea how happy i am you're here. i'm proud of you. immensely."
you've no idea how happy i am you're here. i'm proud of you. it send liam straight to tears once more, sobbing all over himself in an instant. noel jumped up, unsure of what to do, going over to hug liam.
"s– sorry?"
"no, i am. you've said nothing wrong, i just– i mean." liam wiped his eyes, laughing watery. "i'm proud of you, too. we both made it."
both brothers knew that neither were speaking of their actual location. it sparked back deep memories and long forgotten times, and they both realized something.
neither would change anything they'd gone through. nothing. because, in the end, they still had each other, now didn't they?
"even if you're married to that witch still," liam just had to add.