Frostbite & bruises

Morgan almost had a heart attack when Nox stormed into the living room a few minutes later with an angry face. But he stormed past her into the bedroom, ignoring her completely, then stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

All she could do was watch the whole scene with her mouth hanging open.

“Don’t worry, this is Nox all over...”

Startled by the unexpected voice, Morgan looked in the direction of the sound. She had not noticed anyone else in the living room when she had entered, but now that she looked closer, she saw Shane sitting at his usual place by the table.

Relieved, she shook her head and began to laugh softly. “Yeah, I’ve noticed he has a bit of a short fuse... Tea?”

Questioningly, she looked at the man as she hung her coat on the coat rack next to the door.

“Yes, please.”

Morgan watched out of the corner of her eye as the tall man put his tools back into a wooden box that stood on the table next to him.

“Can I ask you something? Maybe it’s none of my business, but... is Nox autistic?”

To her surprise, the white-haired man began to laugh. “You’re the first to notice it so quickly! But yes, he is. And before you think he was just angry with you, he wasn’t. That old friend of yours has been on him quite a bit, and Nox doesn’t do well with people taunting him, something Steve has already figured out quite well.”

Surprised, Morgan looked at the man sitting at the table. “Ohh? I’d already noticed that Steve wasn’t a fan of Nox, but not that he mocked him, although that shouldn’t surprise me... Steve also had a tendency in our old community to pick on younger men, especially the cockerels.”

Shane began to chuckle softly. “That doesn’t surprise me at all...”

After putting the tea down for Shane, she joined him at the table. She was actually curious about the second brother. She’d had several conversations with Nox by now, but very few with Shane, even though he was the more approachable of the two men.

A smile formed around his mouth as Shane felt the woman sitting in front of him with a bunch of questions. “What do you want to ask me?”

His infectious smile and the gleam of fun in his blind eyes made Morgan relax.

“I’m actually just curious about the two of you. You look a lot alike, but in your actions you are completely different. I mean, you, I think, are quite easy-going, while... how can I put it nicely... Even if you have a whole book on Nox, the man is incomprehensible!”

Snickering softly, Shane set the cup down on the table. “And yet you talk to him more than you talk to me...”

Morgan started to blush at his words. “I... sorry, that was never my intention, I...”

Shane made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Don’t worry Morgan, I’m used to it, most people turn to Nox first. Despite his boorish behaviour, he has a certain charisma... call it a natural superiority. It’s been like that since we were kids. I may be the oldest, but there is something about Nox....

When I joined the police after the academy, my boss came to pick me up one day and since I wasn’t ready yet... the man was always too early, you know... my mother kindly offered him a coffee. At that moment Nox, who had just turned eighteen, came into the kitchen. Well, to cut a long story short... once we were in the car, I was kindly but firmly asked to persuade Nox to join the police...“.

Shane picked up his mug to take a quick sip.

But Morgan’s curiosity was piqued and she couldn’t resist asking...” And?”

“Of course not... ” Shane grinned. “Can you imagine Nox walking down the street in a blue uniform? No. Nox had already decided to join the army. He had already passed almost all the tests and only had to pass the physical test and that would have been a breeze for him, Nox was in top shape at that time. But what always amazed me was that he passed the cognitive test.... With anyone else, I would have thought they were somehow affecting the test, but since that’s not in his nature, he must have done something right....

That’s about it, really. Nox spent most of his life in the Marine Corps and I spent most of mine in the police force, well until I had this accident that left me blind off course.

Fascinated by his story, Morgan couldn’t resist asking more. “May I ask what happened?”

“Sure...” Deep in his heart, Shane was glad that she did, it had been a long time since anyone but Nox had taken notice of him.

As she talked to Shane, the hours flew by and deep down, Morgan was glad that Nox had decided to set new traps with her son and Elise while the weather was still good, it had given her the opportunity get learn more about the two men.

“Morgan! Can you please come over here, dear?” Mads’ voice had started to sound stronger again and Morgan grinned. This meant that Steve was going to have a hard time keeping his beloved in bed.

Although she didn’t usually leave the table during dinner, in the old days, before everything had turned to ice and snow, it had been considered impolite, but Mads wouldn’t just call her off the table.

“So, Sleeping Beauty! What can I do for you?” A lot of sleep had caused many more wrinkles to appear in Mads’ already wrinkled face, but her eyes were bright, there was a mischievous twinkle in them.

“Don’t you think Steve looks unkempt too? That long, dirty beard and those flaxen straws on his head... He looks like a bum!” The double entendre was not lost on Morgan and she secretly laughed at the old woman’s cleverness.

Mads had deliberately spoken so loudly that not only Steve but also Nox and Shane could hear. The old woman was probably hoping that the two brothers would take the hint and do something about their appearance, after all, both men looked like bums as well, there was no arguing about that.

Chuckling, Morgan went back to the table.

“Hmm... it’s pretty obvious she’s on the mend... again.” Steve grumbled quietly.

“I heard you old man!!!” Despite the fact that Steve had mumbled it softly, Mads had obviously heard his grumbling.

“Yeah, yeah! Hold your panties! I’ll ask Reah to touch up my beard and shave my head!”

Before Mads could shout back, Reah was ahead of her. “Hey Mads? Do you want the beard super short or a bit longer?” She asked. And grinned at the sight of Steve’s upturned nose.

“Not too short darling, you know how I like my man!”

Even though her eyes were on Reah, Morgan could see out of the corner of her eye that Nox’s jaws were clenching, but he did not say anything.

“So you can cut well, Reah?”

Surprised, Morgan looked at Shane.

The girl nodded enthusiastically, but suddenly realised that Shane was blind again. “Yes, I can! I’d almost finished training in our previous group! Well, training... Demi, who was a hairdresser before the world turned upside down, taught me everything.”

“Well, sweetheart, if you want, you can also cut my hair and beard...”

An enthusiastic squeal was his answer, but when she turned to Nox

“Don’t even think about it...”

The conversation at the table fell silent until...

“Don’t worry, girl! You can’t turn a frog into a prince anyway!”

The deadly look Nox shot at Steve was met with a wide grin from the old man.

Morgan heard Shane chuckle at Steve’s snappy remark and couldn’t hold back any longer, bursting out laughing like Shane, much to the irritation of Nox, who just continued to eat his food with a heavy sigh.