[Chapter 7: A New Definition of Hate]

   Only a short chapter today, guys! Just a filler, I suppose. Thanks for all the support! Special thanks to Mr. Egli. I hope you like where my story goes, because I have the whole plot already figured out in my head. Prepare for a long story, because I'm not planning on stopping until I get somewhere between 30 to 40 chapters. ENJOY(:


     I sigh, exhaling like an elephant, I bet. "Okay."

     "C'mon. It's not like you're trying to disarm a bomb," Jaeger nudges me with his elbow.

     "If only it was as easy as that," I mutter under my breath as I unlock the handle and deadbolt in my apartment door.

     Slowly, the door creaks open like the doors do in scary movies, and for a second I think something's wrong. What if Tate is keeping Olivia hostage in a closet? Or what if he has a gun to her head? What if he kidnapped her?

     No, the Tate I know wouldn't do that. He wouldn't dream of it. He wouldn't even think about it.

     Nothing's wrong. The living room looks exactly how it was when I left, but Tate's sitting on the couch reading. He looks up, and when he sees me he's instantly standing. But when his eyes rest on Jaeger, his expression morphs from relieved to pissed off.

     "Get out," Tate snarls.

     "Okay," I turn on my heel and start for the door.

     Suddenly my arm is yanked, and I stumble into Tate's chest.

     "Not you," he hisses. "Him."

     "Look," I push away from him, glaring. "I just forgave you for being a dick, and this is how you're going to act as soon as I get back?"

     He sighs and shakes his head, "I know, and I'm sorry for earlier... But I'm not sorry for now. I want him out."

     "Tate..." I whine.

     He sends a meaningful glare at Jaeger, locking eyes with him.

     "T--" I'm suddenly knocked to the carpet when Jaeger ducks, avoiding Tate's fist.

     Jaeger then drives Tate into the corner next to the couch, knocking over a table and a lamp. Luckily I'm close enough to where I barely roll and catch it before it hits the floor.

     Jaeger's fingers are wrapped around Tate's neck for a few seconds before Tate knees him where the sun don't shine. Jaeger's writhing in pain while Tate's rubbing his neck.

     I safely place the lamp on the floor next to the wall before turning on the guys.

    "Damnit, you two! What's your beef?" I yell.

     Tate lunges for Jaeger, kicking the lamp I'd just set on the floor... Shattering it. I drop my head into my hands, exasperated.

     "Ruddy?" A tiny voice comes from the hallway, making me swing around.

     Olivia stands in her nightgown, clutching a ratty purple blanket to her chest. Her eyes are wide, and within seconds she starts crying.

     Tate and Jaeger, on the other hand, are going all out. Fists are flying in every direction, glass is cracking every time they step on it, and they get closer and closer before to the TV before I usher Livy to her room and rush back out.

     I run and tackle Jaeger, well, shove him into the wall. I turn around, pressing my weight against him so he stays against the wall, and muster up the most terrifying glare I can and lock it on Tate. Blood is gushing from his nose, staining his face and shirt.

     "Tate..." I hiss slowly. "Leave. Now."

     "WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GO?!" He booms, stepping closer to me.

     I feel Jaeger go rigid, but I keep him against the wall. His hand grabs my arm, and I have to elbow him in the gut for him to stay behind me.

     Calmly, I say, "Anywhere away from Olivia."

     "I--Oh no..." He covers his mouth, then accidentally smears blood all over his forehead before sighing and dropping himself onto the couch ten feet away. He covers his face with his hands, now covering every inch of his skin with blood. "Oh no. Ohno, ohno, ohno," he repeats over and over again, shaking his head.

     Suddenly he stands up and walks to the door, but I hustle and somehow get in front of him.

     "No..." I make a mental note to stop with the mood swings, and mentally slap myself, too. "Go sit in the bathroom. I'll be in there to clean you up."

     He stares at me, face hard, before turning on his heel and trudging to the bathroom. I know how much he wants to tell Olivia everything's okay, but I know he knows the blood would make her freak out even more.

     I direct Jaeger to a kitchen chair before going in to check on her.

     "Livy?" I quietly open the door.

     Tears stain her cheeks while she stares at the TV, the movie Wall-E playing. As soon as I turn that movie on, she sits down and shuts up.

     "Hey, Livy," I hold her hand, my arm extended over the top bunk.

     "Why were Tater and JayJay fighting, Rud?" Her tiny voice asks.

     "They were just..." I struggle for a word to say. "Wrestling."

     "They gave each other boo-boos," she points out, concern in her little eyes.

     "It's okay, Olivia. They just got a little rough, that's all. They're okay now, I promise," I try to give a convincing smile.

     "Pinkie promise!"

     I give a genuine smile and lock my pinkie with her tiny one. After giving her a kiss on the forehead, I turn the TV down and shut off the light.

     "Try to get some sleep, Olivia," I whisper and close the door.

     I hear sniffling and a groan from behind the bathroom door, but I leave Tate alone. I'll let him cry for right now. I'd want to be alone, too, if I'd done that in front of a little girl.

     Coughing comes from the kitchen, so I scuttle out to find Jaeger coughing up blood into the sink.

     Hey! I clean dishes in there, man!

     Grit your teeth and clean him up.

     'Kay, Dad, I joke.

     No response from the voice this time. Huh. That's a first.

     "Jaeger," I sigh and pull the chair he'd been sitting in earlier closer to the sink for him to sit in.

     He continues coughing into the sink with the water running, so I put the short chair away and grab a taller one from the breakfast bar. It screeches as I tug it across the floor, so I pick it up and set it next to Jaeger.

     "Sit," I demand and push him down by his shoulders.

     He does as he's told quietly, and down at me (the chairs are pretty tall), giving me a great view of his bloodied face. It looks like his barbell had been ripped out, and a black eye was already forming under the eyebrow. His bottom lip is split on the side, and it's starting to swell up like a balloon.

     A sigh exits my mouth, causing Jaeger to smirk, which causes his lip to bleed even more. I smack his arm.

     "What?" He rubs his arm.

     "Shut up," I shoot halfheartedly, soaking a soft washcloth in warm water. I squeeze most of the excess water out of it before returning to Jaeger's bruised face.

     "Why should I?" He smiles.

     "You're an idiot." I shake my head and carefully scrub blood off his face, avoiding the cuts.

     "We all are," he mutters.

     I put the washcloth on the edge of the metal sink before reaching above the refrigerator to get the First Aid kit. "I'm not the one who got into a brawl."

     My fingers don't find it, and I groan. If only I were a little bit taller.

     Soft hands are suddenly at my sides, and they lift me up. I grab the large white box before I'm set down.

     I clear my throat, "Sit down."

     Jaeger snorts as he sits, "What, no thank you?"

     "Thanks for ruining my living room," I give a fake enthusiastic smile while ripping open cleansing pads.

     I gently wipe the wound on his eyebrow with a disinfectant pad. He flinches and clinches his teeth.

     "Sorry," I murmur. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

     "But, Mommy," Jaeger whines. "It's stings."

     I ignore him as I turn back and open two butterfly bandages. I can't imagine how pissed he is that his barbell was ripped out, not to mention how much it must hurt.

     "Hold still," I mutter, getting close to his face so I can apply the bandages spot on. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I didn't get it right where it's supposed to be, and I had to take it off and try again.

     I place one "paddle" on the side of the wound, and the other "paddle" on the other side. The same thing goes down with the other.

     Jaeger's breath is on my neck, and I feel goosebumps rise on my skin. His green eyes pierce into my blue ones, something distant in them that I can't explain. Like a cliche, I suddenly find myself lost in the dark green abyss of his eyes. My breath is caught in my throat, my body apparently noticing how close we really are. I inhale to take in his wonderful scent, but the gory pang of blood fills my nostrils, snapping me out of whatever trance I was in.

     Immediate a blush settles on my cheeks, and I pull away to get a large bandage.

     "Put this on yourself," I toss the band-aid at him, not really wanting to be close that like again any time soon.

     It was a scary feeling, getting lost in him. I seriously had the feeling that I was lost. You know, the bad butterflies in my stomach that something was wrong? The feeling that nobody could find me is still pitted in my tummy.

     Jaeger quietly acquiesces, stripping the bandage of its wrappings and placing the band-aid to his eyebrow without needing a mirror.

     "Do your lip yourself," I say quickly before awkwardly walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

     I have a feeling Tate won't be any easier to cope with.