Inheritance (17/30)
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Kevin thought long and hard about answering the phone. He stared at Scotty’s name on the screen. It had been just over two weeks, and he had managed to spend as little time as possible with him - and no one-on-one time at all. Kevin thought it was working. He barely had any…inappropriate thoughts about him anymore. For a while there, he had been so screwed up, but now he was pretty sure he had Scotty placed squarely in the “brother” box.
Kevin accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Hey!”
Scotty sounded so cheerful that it immediately brought a smile to Kevin’s face. “What’s up?”
“Want to go to a movie tonight?”
“Um…”
“Come on. I haven’t seen you in, I don't know, two weeks or something. I’m starting to take it personally,” Scotty said, laughing.
Kevin wavered, then finally agreed. He couldn’t put this off forever.
“Great! I’m all greasy from the restaurant, so I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll come over to your place.”
Kevin closed his eyes tightly. He couldn’t decide if it was the idea of Scotty wet and naked or the idea of him…greasy…that affected him the most.
“I can’t tonight,” he choked out.
There was a pause. “What? You just said…”
“I know. I - I forgot I have a date tonight.”
Another, longer pause. “Oh. Who with?”
“Um. Friend of a friend.”
“OK. Have fun, I guess.”
“Sorry.”
“No problem,” Scotty said, and Kevin couldn’t tell if the disappointed hesitation he heard in Scotty’s voice was actually just his own wishful thinking. “Maybe Justin will want to go.”
“OK…bye.”
“Later.”
Kevin hung up, quickly tossing his phone aside and burying his face in his palms.
***
Kevin stared into his open fridge. Absolutely no food. Nothing he wanted to eat, anyway. He could go out, he supposed. Or to the store. But all he could really think about was comfort food, namely the leftovers from last night’s dinner in his mom’s fridge. Should he risk it, he wondered.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Justin. What are you doing tonight?
A few minutes later, there was a response. Movie. Enjoy your date!
Kevin sighed in relief. Then he grabbed his keys and left the loft.
Soon after, he was staring into another fridge, trying to decide what to eat. He chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Someone entered the kitchen behind him, and he was just about to greet his mother when an unexpected voice completely startled him.
“Don’t you have a date?”
Kevin spun around, staring at Scotty in shock. Scotty raised a confused eyebrow at his response.
“Ah, yeah. No. He - he had to cancel.”
“That sucks,” Scotty said, leaning on the counter and grabbing an apple out of the bowl.
“I thought you and Justin were going out.”
Scotty shook his head as he took a bite. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “He already had movie plans with Tyler, actually.”
“Oh.”
Scotty took another bite of his apple, watching Kevin curiously. “So, if you’re free after all, you still want to go?"
Kevin turned back to the fridge, staring blankly as he tried to come up with an excuse. He paused too long.
“If you don’t want to go, just say it,” Scotty said, sounding slightly put out.
“No,” Kevin said quickly. “No. Let’s go to the movies.”
“Cool,” Scotty said, and Kevin felt him walk up next to him. Warmth seeped from Scotty’s body to Kevin’s as they stood side-by-side. Scotty’s voice was pleasantly close to Kevin’s ear when he spoke again. Unpleasantly! Unpleasantly close.
“Any leftovers in there?” Scotty asked, oblivious to Kevin’s tenuous grasp on his control.
***
“Are you two together?” the concession stand worker asked innocently.
“Yeah, sure,” Scotty said.
“No!” Kevin answered at the same time.
Scotty looked at him sideways. “It’s cheaper to get the combo to share,” he pointed out.
“Like a dollar,” Kevin said nervously. “Besides I’ve got…this throat tickle thing. You know, you put your hand in the bag, then in your mouth. It’s - it’s like a bucket of germs, so.”
“O…K. Separate, I guess.”
Scotty continued to watch Kevin, trying to figure out his weird behavior. He followed him into the theater, raising an eyebrow as Kevin first paused by the very back row, then shook his head and continued walking.
“I thought you like the back,” Scotty said. “More privacy.”
“Not today.”
“What is with you?” Scotty asked, laughing.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” Kevin said quickly.
Scotty let it go as they settled into their seats. The previews were already showing, and Scotty immediately started eating his popcorn. Although he had the apple and some of the leftovers earlier, that was all he had eaten the entire day, and he was starving.
The movie started, and Scotty stared in shock at the opening scene. He knew it was a drama and rated pretty high, but he wasn’t quite expecting the movie to start with…porn. The guy was cute though. He leaned over to Kevin, whispering softly in his ear.
“Not bad-looking, huh?”
Kevin whimpered, and Scotty snickered at his reaction. He tuned back into the movie then, continuing to eat small handfuls of popcorn. About halfway through the movie, he realized he had finished his small bag. He reached over, grabbing some from the almost-empty bag sitting in Kevin’s lap. Not that he needed any more popcorn. It was just addictively tasty.
There were only a few kernels left in Kevin’s bag, and Scotty moved his hand around, trying to grab them. Kevin had jumped slightly when he first reached over, and now he was holding himself incredibly still.
“What are you doing?” Kevin hissed.
“I’m all out,” Scotty explained.
“Here, take it.” Kevin said, abruptly handing the bag to Scotty.
Scotty stared at the bag now in his hands, then looked at Kevin. “OK, seriously. What is going on with you?”
“Shh!” someone said behind them.
Kevin and Scotty both turned around to look, then faced each other again. Kevin looked at Scotty for a moment, then shook his head.
“I gotta go,” he whispered harshly, standing and climbing over Scotty’s legs.
Scotty stared after him, confused, and then hurried out of the theater himself. He caught up to Kevin in the hallway.
“Hey!”
Kevin stopped moving and turned to face Scotty, clearly upset about something.
“Look, I don’t know what I did, but I’m - I’m sorry.”
“It’s not you,” Kevin said. “It’s really not. It’s my own issue.”
“Is it about your date?”
“What date?”
“The…the one who cancelled.”
Kevin waved a hand. “There was no date. I just didn’t want to hang out with you.”
Scotty paused, hurt. “Oh.” Then he said, “Please talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong, so I can try to fix it.”
Kevin closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. “It’s just - the whole we’re brothers, we’re not brothers, we’re brothers thing. Kind of weirded me out.”
“You’re…what, angry? Sad? Thinking about your dad? Annoyed with me tagging along? What?” Scotty asked, still somewhat nervous and yet now hopeful that he could talk Kevin through whatever had been bothering him the last few weeks.
“No, nothing like that. I, uh…When you were talking about David maybe being your father, something happened. I - I was hoping that we weren’t related. And I started thinking that…I started wondering if maybe I had - you know, feelings for you.”
“Feelings?”
“Feelings.”
“Oh. Oh! Uh…”
Kevin turned away, tilting his head back as he lifted his hands to his face. “I know! I know it’s sick and - and wrong, and I just need a little bit of time to deal with it, and then we can just go back to normal.”
“Kevin, I - ”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just - I gotta go.”
He walked away, with Scotty gaping after him. “Kevin!” Scotty called out, to no avail.
Scotty stood there, confused and surprised. And then something shifted. And he finally realized what had been happening. He realized what had been lurking in the back of his mind for months, what had been unsettling him for so long. And he realized that he may have ruined everything. He had been so worried and upset about what he might lose if he revealed the truth that he never even considered what he could have gained.
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A/N: This week has unexpectedly become very busy for me. I'm going to try to do the one chapter a day thing, but no promises!
Kevin thought long and hard about answering the phone. He stared at Scotty’s name on the screen. It had been just over two weeks, and he had managed to spend as little time as possible with him - and no one-on-one time at all. Kevin thought it was working. He barely had any…inappropriate thoughts about him anymore. For a while there, he had been so screwed up, but now he was pretty sure he had Scotty placed squarely in the “brother” box.
Kevin accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Hey!”
Scotty sounded so cheerful that it immediately brought a smile to Kevin’s face. “What’s up?”
“Want to go to a movie tonight?”
“Um…”
“Come on. I haven’t seen you in, I don't know, two weeks or something. I’m starting to take it personally,” Scotty said, laughing.
Kevin wavered, then finally agreed. He couldn’t put this off forever.
“Great! I’m all greasy from the restaurant, so I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll come over to your place.”
Kevin closed his eyes tightly. He couldn’t decide if it was the idea of Scotty wet and naked or the idea of him…greasy…that affected him the most.
“I can’t tonight,” he choked out.
There was a pause. “What? You just said…”
“I know. I - I forgot I have a date tonight.”
Another, longer pause. “Oh. Who with?”
“Um. Friend of a friend.”
“OK. Have fun, I guess.”
“Sorry.”
“No problem,” Scotty said, and Kevin couldn’t tell if the disappointed hesitation he heard in Scotty’s voice was actually just his own wishful thinking. “Maybe Justin will want to go.”
“OK…bye.”
“Later.”
Kevin hung up, quickly tossing his phone aside and burying his face in his palms.
***
Kevin stared into his open fridge. Absolutely no food. Nothing he wanted to eat, anyway. He could go out, he supposed. Or to the store. But all he could really think about was comfort food, namely the leftovers from last night’s dinner in his mom’s fridge. Should he risk it, he wondered.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Justin. What are you doing tonight?
A few minutes later, there was a response. Movie. Enjoy your date!
Kevin sighed in relief. Then he grabbed his keys and left the loft.
Soon after, he was staring into another fridge, trying to decide what to eat. He chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Someone entered the kitchen behind him, and he was just about to greet his mother when an unexpected voice completely startled him.
“Don’t you have a date?”
Kevin spun around, staring at Scotty in shock. Scotty raised a confused eyebrow at his response.
“Ah, yeah. No. He - he had to cancel.”
“That sucks,” Scotty said, leaning on the counter and grabbing an apple out of the bowl.
“I thought you and Justin were going out.”
Scotty shook his head as he took a bite. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “He already had movie plans with Tyler, actually.”
“Oh.”
Scotty took another bite of his apple, watching Kevin curiously. “So, if you’re free after all, you still want to go?"
Kevin turned back to the fridge, staring blankly as he tried to come up with an excuse. He paused too long.
“If you don’t want to go, just say it,” Scotty said, sounding slightly put out.
“No,” Kevin said quickly. “No. Let’s go to the movies.”
“Cool,” Scotty said, and Kevin felt him walk up next to him. Warmth seeped from Scotty’s body to Kevin’s as they stood side-by-side. Scotty’s voice was pleasantly close to Kevin’s ear when he spoke again. Unpleasantly! Unpleasantly close.
“Any leftovers in there?” Scotty asked, oblivious to Kevin’s tenuous grasp on his control.
***
“Are you two together?” the concession stand worker asked innocently.
“Yeah, sure,” Scotty said.
“No!” Kevin answered at the same time.
Scotty looked at him sideways. “It’s cheaper to get the combo to share,” he pointed out.
“Like a dollar,” Kevin said nervously. “Besides I’ve got…this throat tickle thing. You know, you put your hand in the bag, then in your mouth. It’s - it’s like a bucket of germs, so.”
“O…K. Separate, I guess.”
Scotty continued to watch Kevin, trying to figure out his weird behavior. He followed him into the theater, raising an eyebrow as Kevin first paused by the very back row, then shook his head and continued walking.
“I thought you like the back,” Scotty said. “More privacy.”
“Not today.”
“What is with you?” Scotty asked, laughing.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” Kevin said quickly.
Scotty let it go as they settled into their seats. The previews were already showing, and Scotty immediately started eating his popcorn. Although he had the apple and some of the leftovers earlier, that was all he had eaten the entire day, and he was starving.
The movie started, and Scotty stared in shock at the opening scene. He knew it was a drama and rated pretty high, but he wasn’t quite expecting the movie to start with…porn. The guy was cute though. He leaned over to Kevin, whispering softly in his ear.
“Not bad-looking, huh?”
Kevin whimpered, and Scotty snickered at his reaction. He tuned back into the movie then, continuing to eat small handfuls of popcorn. About halfway through the movie, he realized he had finished his small bag. He reached over, grabbing some from the almost-empty bag sitting in Kevin’s lap. Not that he needed any more popcorn. It was just addictively tasty.
There were only a few kernels left in Kevin’s bag, and Scotty moved his hand around, trying to grab them. Kevin had jumped slightly when he first reached over, and now he was holding himself incredibly still.
“What are you doing?” Kevin hissed.
“I’m all out,” Scotty explained.
“Here, take it.” Kevin said, abruptly handing the bag to Scotty.
Scotty stared at the bag now in his hands, then looked at Kevin. “OK, seriously. What is going on with you?”
“Shh!” someone said behind them.
Kevin and Scotty both turned around to look, then faced each other again. Kevin looked at Scotty for a moment, then shook his head.
“I gotta go,” he whispered harshly, standing and climbing over Scotty’s legs.
Scotty stared after him, confused, and then hurried out of the theater himself. He caught up to Kevin in the hallway.
“Hey!”
Kevin stopped moving and turned to face Scotty, clearly upset about something.
“Look, I don’t know what I did, but I’m - I’m sorry.”
“It’s not you,” Kevin said. “It’s really not. It’s my own issue.”
“Is it about your date?”
“What date?”
“The…the one who cancelled.”
Kevin waved a hand. “There was no date. I just didn’t want to hang out with you.”
Scotty paused, hurt. “Oh.” Then he said, “Please talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong, so I can try to fix it.”
Kevin closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. “It’s just - the whole we’re brothers, we’re not brothers, we’re brothers thing. Kind of weirded me out.”
“You’re…what, angry? Sad? Thinking about your dad? Annoyed with me tagging along? What?” Scotty asked, still somewhat nervous and yet now hopeful that he could talk Kevin through whatever had been bothering him the last few weeks.
“No, nothing like that. I, uh…When you were talking about David maybe being your father, something happened. I - I was hoping that we weren’t related. And I started thinking that…I started wondering if maybe I had - you know, feelings for you.”
“Feelings?”
“Feelings.”
“Oh. Oh! Uh…”
Kevin turned away, tilting his head back as he lifted his hands to his face. “I know! I know it’s sick and - and wrong, and I just need a little bit of time to deal with it, and then we can just go back to normal.”
“Kevin, I - ”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just - I gotta go.”
He walked away, with Scotty gaping after him. “Kevin!” Scotty called out, to no avail.
Scotty stood there, confused and surprised. And then something shifted. And he finally realized what had been happening. He realized what had been lurking in the back of his mind for months, what had been unsettling him for so long. And he realized that he may have ruined everything. He had been so worried and upset about what he might lose if he revealed the truth that he never even considered what he could have gained.
Next Chapter
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A/N: This week has unexpectedly become very busy for me. I'm going to try to do the one chapter a day thing, but no promises!