Donovan watched as his target crossed the street, keeping up a steady pace. Waiting a beat, Donovan followed him. At six in the morning on a Saturday the city still slept as did the sun, only a few rays peeked over the horizon. Donovan used the low morning light to hide as he drew closer to the unaware man. He wore headphones, a mistake. Why impair one of your strongest senses?

As the man ran towards the Lincoln memorial steps, Donovan sped up. He closed the distance between himself and his target before the man even registered his presence. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline fueling his blood. With one extra spurt of speed, Donovan collided with the man, tackling him into the grass. They rolled and Donovan used their momentum to gain the upper hand, pinning his target.

But despite the man's appearance of unawareness, he reacted swiftly, nailing Donovan with a hit to his head, disorientating him. In a blink, Donovan was thrown over the man's head and landed on his back. He breathed hard, his head still ringing from the blow. The man peered down at Donovan.

"That," Brock said, "was pathetic."

Donovan swung his leg out, knocking Brock off his feet and onto his back. Scrambling up, Donovan grinned down at him.

"Really?" he asked. "Because I tailed you for five miles without your notice, you old grandma."

Brock shook his head reprovingly. "If grandma Thalia heard you, she'd smack you so hard on the head you'd be dizzy for a week."

The image of his seventy-year-old Greek grandmother hitting him when she could barely reach his head made Donovan snort. Though if she did hit him it would hurt, the woman had a strong arm.

Donovan stretched out his hand, offering it to Brock who accepted it. Donovan heaved his brother up and the two of them set off. They left the Mall behind knowing pretty soon earlier riser runners would invade. They kept a quick rhythm and Donovan could almost imagine they weren't in DC but back in California on the Marine base.

Where Clint and James had hated early mornings, Brock loved them. To get to spend any alone time with his oldest brother, Donovan had forced himself to love them too. Love might be a stretch but at least he got to be with Brock.

Despite being years older than Donovan, Brock had always accepted his little brother's company on the morning runs. Donovan would never admit it, but Saturday morning runs helped keep him going since Brock moved to DC two years ago.

"So," Brock said. "You talk to mom yet."

Donovan shoved Brock and he narrowly avoided running into the corner of a building.

"You know I have, you told her to call," Donovan asked.

"Still doesn't mean you wouldn't find a reason to avoid answering. I'm looking out for you."

Donovan let a heavy breath. "I know you are, man. I still don't like you for it."

"Did she have any insight on how to help you?"

To that, Donovan didn't have an answer. He'd used studying Carter as an excuse to avoid talking about himself. He knew he should have asked for her advice, but what advice was there to give besides lower his head and force himself through that last two years?

"Something else came up," Donovan said.

"You mean you avoided the issue."

Sometimes it was annoying how much of their mother was in each of his brothers and how well they knew him.

"I needed help going over a student's file and she had a client," he said. He smacked Brock's arm. "Speaking of, can you come over at twelve and help read through some files with me."

"Yes, let me do more paperwork, the thing I loath, on my day off. That sounds exactly like how I want to spend my Saturday," Brock mocked.

"Great!" Donovan beamed. "I'll see you later, James and Clint said they would help out."

Donovan broke away, fully aware he was leaving Brock so that he didn't dissect Donovan's life.

"I'm not coming!" Brock shouted at him.

"I'm getting you pizza and beer!"

"You're still avoiding the issue!"

"Technically, I'm running from it!"

With that parting statement, Donovan spun around and ran away.

********

By the time Donovan had finished an intense workout, showered, eaten breakfast, and finished the homework for the weekend it was afternoon, and Link only just woke up. It was one of the ways that Link resembled a normal teenager. Hair a mess and still in pajamas, Link knocked on Donovan's door. When Donovan opened it, Link let out a loud yawn.

"Are we doing anything today?" he asked, stretching.

"I have work, so you're on your own."

Link shrugged and shuffled back to his apartment. Donovan had no doubt that what Link would do was fall onto the couch and stare listlessly at the TV until he got hungry enough to move. Unlike Link, Donovan didn't have the day to waste, he had countless teacher and student files that needed to be reviewed.

Stationed on the couch with his tablet in hand, Donovan picked up where he left off with the senior files. Before he got far, his computer dinged and someone knocked on his door. Accepting the video call, Donovan crossed the living to let Brock in.

"I still don't want to be doing this," Brock said, kicking off his shoes.

"Sucks! You have to," James said from the computer screen.

Brock threw his brother a rude hand gesture as he sank onto the couch cushions.

"I don't talk to you for twenty-four hours and that's how you greet me?" James asked.

Brock dropped his head back on the couch. "Yeah, that's how I greet you."

"Are you two done bickering like little old ladies yet?" Clint asked from one-third of the computer screen. "I believe we have work to do. Donny bring us up to speed."

James looked like he wanted to continue bickering, but Clint glared and James waved his hands like he was really frightened.

"I figure we can each take a section," Donovan said. "I already started with the seniors, so we'll continue there. I'll take A-E, Brock take F-L, Clint M-S, and James T-Z. Sound good?"

The brothers all agreed, pulling up the necessary files on their own devices.

"What are we looking for exactly?" James asked. "Besides who is most likely to win prom King and Queen?"

"Anything that could threaten Link's safety, anyone likely to guess who his father is. Anything that stands out, anything that could be a threat."

"Got it."

For the Keller brothers, it was impressive how quiet the four of them got as they started reading. Their mother would have been astonished. To Donovan, it felt like home. They each made their small noises, Brock getting more comfortable on the couch, Clint clearing his throat, James scratching his unshaven jaw.

"I think I found something," James said.

The brothers all paused and waited. James held up a file with a boy with black hair.

"If this guy isn't a threat to Donovan's title of Most Boring Hair then I don't know what it."

"My hair is not that bad," Donovan said, eying the boy's hair which lay plastered to his head.

"Really, because you do nothing with your hair."

"I brush it, what more do I need to do."

"Give it volume for one thing," James said.

Donovan exchanged looked with Brock and Clint.

"Are you dating a girl in a hair salon again?" Brock asked.

James huffed, marking his guilt.

"Is that why your hair looks like you walked through a wind tunnel?" Clint asked.

Scowling, James fondly ran his hands through his light brown locks.

"I look amazing," James said.

"You look like a cartoon hedgehog," Donovan said.

"Who doesn't like cartoon hedgehogs?"

Shaking his head, Donovan went back to reading his current file. Which Brock and Clint had already done, it seems age did give you wisdom.

"Donovan, I have tips, product names you could lookup. Say the word and we could help you look not so much like a man from the 1920s."

"My hair is fine."

"If you say so."

The time ticked by as they read, the silence saying there was nothing to worry about with each passing file.

"Donovan," Clint said. "There is something we want to talk to you about."

Donovan didn't look up from his tablet. "I'm not changing my hairstyle. It's fine."

Donovan knew that's not what his brothers wanted to talk about, he knew it from the tone in Clint's voice. It's why he made the joke. Reluctantly, he lowered the tablet and found all three brothers regarding him.

"Let me guess," he said. "You've all been talking about me. What is this some intervention?"

"If it is it's ironic that you brought us all together," James said.

Donovan looked to Clint. "You told them, didn't you?"

"You called me at three in the morning, you don't think that made me worry?" Clint asked.

Donovan knew it would, but he didn't think Clint would rat him out to his brothers, that's why he'd called Clint in the first place. But it seemed his unspoken agreement was too unspoken for Clint to follow it.

Donovan raked a hand through his hair, not looking at any of them. So he was lonely, what did it matter? He'd been lonely for years. Even with Brock in the city, it didn't make the impact that Donovan had hoped for. Most of the time Brock was on an assignment somewhere else.

Something had changed and Donovan didn't know what. But what could he do? He had a job and nothing would change that.

"We're worried about you," James said.

It was the sincerity in James' normally joking voice that finally made Donovan look at them. They were all watching him with serious faces.

"If you don't talk to us," Brock said, shaking Donovan's shoulder. "Who are you going to talk to?"

Irritatingly, he had a point. He couldn't talk to Link. Though they were close, there was a lot Donovan kept back from Link. He couldn't tell the boy that he was looking over that he was tired of his job. Couldn't tell Link that he was lonely when Link was scared to get close to people because he knew he'd always be keeping a huge secret. He couldn't admit that his job grew more and more tiring to him as he heard about the interesting situations his brothers were involved in.

"What's going on?" Clint asked.

Donovan dragged a hand down his face and leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't admit what he was going to and look at his brothers at the same time. 

"I miss you," he said.

Even as he said it, he felt stupid and whiny. He talked to them often enough that he shouldn't miss them, shouldn't feel alone, but he did. It was a loneliness of feeling constantly surrounded by people that didn't know who he was.

"I'm bored," Donovan said. "I finished my online college courses and I'm still in high school with no one interesting to talk to."

"Have you thought of picking up a language?" James asked.

"я выучил новый язык ты идиот," Donovan said.

"Okay, so maybe not a new language."

"What you need is a friend," Clint said.

Donovan laughed. "You know, why didn't I think of that. That's why we're actually going through these files so that I might find a new friend." Donovan swore and clenched his fingers together. "Who am I going to talk to? These kids might be smart, but do you understand how completely different I am from all of them. Especially now at Hamilton? They have money, privilege, and status. And I have half a college degree, a Glock 45, and four years on them."

Despite the frustration in his voice, it somehow felt good to voice his thoughts. It took away a little of his mounting annoyance with the world he was trapped in. Not much but a little.

He thought about the conversation with Carter the previous day but that hadn't been a conversation, that had been an interrogation.

"At least you still got us and files to keep you busy," Brock said, gripping Donovan's shoulder. "And we'll figure something out."

"Yeah," Donovan said, but he wasn't sure he believed it.

**********************************************************************

Yellow!

Oooohhh poor Donny boy! He's wone-wee (that's lonely in a weird voice). Thoughts on the chapter? Any thing in general? 🗯💬💭

I liked writing this one because it has nothing to do with the original story. But since we saw Carter's Saturday life I was curious to see what Donovan would do on a Saturday! And now I know, he attacks his older brother.

Also who thinks Donovan getting hit in the head by a little old grandmother hilarious? 😂

Slowly but surely I'm making my way through this book, which is fun cause I get to explore more of Donovan's side of things.

Let me know if there's a chapter you really want. If not I'm just going to keep going through them chronologically.

Vote, comment, follow cause you got some Keller Brother love!

Also this is just adorable!