Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

It was two o’clock in the morning, according to his digital clock. Frank was still awake. For the fourth time, he threw off his covers, and walked through the connecting door, through the shared bathroom into his brother’s room. He just had to make sure that Joe was still there. That everything was not a dream.

For a long while, he stood by the bathroom door, and simply looked at his brother, relishing the comfort he drew from simply being in his presence. It had been five months since he had this particular pleasure. Five long months since his brother ran away from home. But Joe came back, and in time for Frank’s 18^th birthday. Perhaps a part of him always knew that Joe would never let him celebrate his 18^th birthday alone. Perhaps that was why he had been reluctant to have a party. It was because he was waiting for Joe to come home.

Frank moved silently towards Joe’s bed, and looked down at his sleeping brother. His fingers itched to reach out and just touch that lock of wavy blond hair, but paused in midair. Joe needed his sleep.

He wanted badly to ask Joe why he ran away. It could not be a simple case of grades, immaturity, and summer school, as his parents believed. He knew Joe better than anyone, and he refused to believe that Joe could run away for such petty reasons. They had made a promise to be there for each other, always. Suddenly, Frank realized he was actually desperate to know that his trust in his brother was still intact. If Joe had no better reasons for running away than he did, then, his faith in his brother would be shaken. The implicit bond shared between them would be broken. And they might never again regain the old level of closeness. Frank let out an involuntary gasp. That new knowledge shook him to the core.

It was a while before Frank realized that Joe was awake and looking at him.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.” Frank whispered gruffly.

Dark blue eyes looked into bright brown ones. “Frank, I…”

“Hush.” Frank interrupted. “Sleep. We have all the time in the world to talk tomorrow,” Frank promised. For the first time, Frank noticed the shadows in the depths of Joe’s eyes. How he could see that in the dark of the night, Frank had no idea. Perhaps it was his soul doing the seeing. His brother had gone through something…bad…and had gone through it alone.

A need to comfort rose so quickly, before he knew it, he was sitting on Joe’s bed, holding him, and gently stroking his hair. The way he used to when they were kids, when Joe woke up from his nightmares. Big brother was always there to drive away the nightmares.

“Frank?” Joe asked hesitantly. “Stay with me tonight?”

Frank nodded and waited for Joe to move aside before slipping in under the covers. They lay side by side, talking about inconsequential things until they fell asleep. Just like when they were kids bunking in with each other after a particularly bad nightmare. And that was how they were when the sun rose 5 hours later.

OHBHBHBHBO

4 hours earlier, Friday, 10 p.m.:

Frank let himself into the house after sending his girlfriend, Callie, home. It was a good party. He felt a little guilty for not enjoying it as much as he should, especially when all his friends had put in lots of effort to make it a memorable and successful birthday party. He had had lots of presents. His friends had gone way out to get him the gadgets that he wanted. He should be ecstatic, except for the fact that he did not get what he really wanted. He wanted his brother home. And no one could give him that.

Fenton and Laura Hardy looked sadly at a despondent Frank. They missed Joe too, and feared for his safety. But they know it was Frank who was most hurt by Joe’s disappearance. The brothers were close.

‘Too close, maybe.’ Fenton thought to himself.

For some reason Frank kept looking at the clock. Fenton wondered why. He walked over to give Frank a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before turning back to help his wife clean up the aftermath of a party.

“It’s your birthday, Frank. Your mom and I will clear the mess. Why not go and enjoy your new gifts or have an early night?” Fenton told his eldest son.

Frank reluctantly dragged his eyes off the clock and sighed. Walking over to his parents, he gave each of them a hug, saying simply: “Thanks. For everything.”

Then the doorbell rang.

<O>

Joe stood apprehensively outside the kitchen door. He had no idea what his reception would be like. His family believed he ran away from home after all. Which he sort of did. But he had to come home today. He promised Frank that they would celebrate Frank’s transition to legal adult together. And he always kept his promises to his brother.

He had been there, across the road, hidden from view, watching the festivities in his home. He saw all his and Frank’s friends arrive. Watched the light and shadows from the windows, and imagined the fun and laughter going on in there, which he felt he was not a part of. He watched the friends leave. Watched his brother drive Callie home and return. All the while, he was hugging on tightly to his present for Frank. It was a very special gift.

Then the door opened.

<O>

Frank had run for the door the moment he heard the doorbell, even as his parents looked up in surprise, wondering who it was so late at night. He knew it was Joe, even before he opened the door. Soft brown eyes met with sapphire blue ones. The two brothers stood there, staring at each other for a while before Frank finally reached out and pulled Joe in over the threshold into a bear hug. It was a while before he felt Joe tentatively return the hug. He could hear his parents rushing towards them in the doorway. Joe took a step back, looked all three of them in the eye, and said quietly, “I am sorry.”

<O>

Several minutes later, all four Hardys were comfortably seated in the living room. Laura, having noted that Joe looked half frozen, had wrapped him up in a woolen blanket and made him a warm mug of hot chocolate. All four of them sat in companionable silence. None of them wanted to break the somewhat peaceful atmosphere that permeated the room. Frank sat close to Joe, and could not resist reaching out to touch him every now and then, as if to reassure himself Joe was really there.

Suddenly, Joe moved. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a longish package casually wrapped in brown paper and tied with a piece of twine. Holding out the present to Frank, he said, “Happy Birthday.”

It was clear to Frank that Joe expected him to open it. So he unwrapped it, and gasped. It was a longish handcrafted wooden picture frame with some Chinese characters carved on the sides. In it was a series of pencil sketches of exceptional quality. And they were all of him. He had no doubt that Joe had drawn those pictures and made the wooden frame. The heart and efforts invested in this gift spoke volumes.

Joe’s fingers lightly touched the characters, ‘兄弟’, carved onto the wooden frame and told his big brother in a soft voice, “It said ‘Brothers’.”

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.