Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Inside Out ❯ His worry and His Affection ( Chapter 2 )

“You what?”

“I walked into a door.”

“You walked into a door and you got that? How many times did you walk into it, exactly?”

 

The afternoon breeze was cool, refreshing, and Elias gave Curtis a rueful look as they sat in the park, slurpees at hand. He had thought about it all day, and after avoiding Curtis for most of it, except for a quick nod of the head or a wave, he came to the conclusion that he would tell Curtis yet another lie.

 

“Does your dad hit you?”

 

His eyes widened immensely, and the straw that Elias had been chewing on dropped from his lips. Of all the things to ask!

 

“Of course he doesn't!” Elias burst, exasperated. “Why would he ever hit me?”

“Well think about it,” Curtis said, avoiding his gaze. His eyes swept over the leaves that were caught up in the breeze, and he extended a leg to get more comfortable on the bench they sat on.

 

“You're always coming to school with these cuts and bruises. Black eyes, swollen lips. Something is up. You can't use the door as an excuse forever, Eli.”

 

His cheeks grew warm for what seemed to be the hundredth—no, thousandth time that day, and Elias shrugged into the sweater he wore, crossing his arms over his chest. The cold seeping into his hand from the slurpee he held felt good. It kind of hurt but it felt good.

 

A crack in the bench became very interesting, and the moment of silence between them stretched into two and then three. Car horns blared in the background, other kids from different schools ran by them, laughing. Eager to get home. That's what he was sure Curtis wanted to do. Not sit here and listen to some bullshit Elias was trying to feed to him.

 

Maybe he could tell him? Just a little bit. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

He bit his lip, immediately regretting doing so, and turned to Curtis. His decision made, he sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. He was tired if lying. Pretending that it was his clumsiness that got him all of the nicks and cuts and bruises.

Maybe if he told him just a little, they could stay friends? Because at the rate things were going, Elias knew that Curtis was getting tired of this. Tired of him.

 

“It's not my dad,” he said quietly, looking up from the damaged bench. He turned so that he could look Curtis in the eye, and he swallowed. Now or never.

“It's my brother.”

 

Curtis blinked, and his mouth opened as if he had something to say. Closing it again, he frowned. Extending a hand, he brushed his fingers over Elias's lower lip and leaned forward. Grabbing him by the chin, he tilted his head back. Eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the wound, he lifted his eyes.

 

“Your brother hits you?”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“It's a lot more then `sometimes', Eli. You've got some new bruises almost every day!”

“Yeah well, it isn't a big deal, okay? Don't tell anyone.”

 

Curtis looked skeptical and he sat back.

 

“You're not lying again? This is really what's been going on?”

“Yes.”

 

They stared at one another a moment before a look of relief crossed Curtis's features, and his shoulders drooped slightly. Elbows on his knees, his head dangled between them before he lifted it and ran a hand through his hair.

 

“You need to tell someone. Other then me. You need to tell your parents.”

“I can't do that! Curtis d'you know what he'd do if I did? I don't even know what he'd do.”

 

“The Police would arrest him,” Curtis started, sitting up. “He's abusing you, Eli! You can't just let him keep doing that! He could really hurt you one day. Not just bruises and small cuts.”

 

Panic swelled in Elias's chest. Tell someone? He'd never really thought about telling someone. Never really thought that he could stop what went on between them.

Would he have the nerve to do it? Could he do it? Could he tell them what happened after everyone else was asleep? Could he explain the pain that surfaced in his chest every night he lie awake, waiting for that familiar sound, that familiar shadow, to fall across his bed?

 

No, he couldn't do that.

Because that would mean he would never see Lucas again.

He would never be able to explain to anyone why he still loved him, why he wanted to be around him. Or, the sick thought somewhere deep in his mind, that if this was what his brother needed, he wanted to help him.

 

“I can't do it,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “I can't.”

“What do you mean? He hits you! It shouldn't be that har--”

His words were cut off as Elias tackled him without warning, knocking them both off of the bench. The slurpees went flying, and the two tumbled to the ground. Straddling the other boy, Elias was quick to press his palm to the others mouth. The frown that creased his constantly worried brow lacked little conviction, but the anger in his voice gave away his unsettled state.

“I don't want to talk about it,” he whispered, leaning in close. “Don't talk about it. Don't talk about it.”

 

Curtis's eyes were wide, and his lips remained parted as Elias removed his hand, before falling onto the ground beside him. They lay there quietly then, staring up at the grey sky together in silence. People continued to walk by the park, the pair remaining oblivious to them. The wind grew colder the longer they stayed, but they did not move. Their breaths slowed, forming a rhythmic pattern in unison with one another.

 

Elias watched the clouds up above move slowly, leisurely almost, as if saying, “I can go at my own pace. I can do what I want” and he wondered, what would it be like?

What would it be like to be able to go through one day without having to worry about anything? Not just his grades or Lucas. Or the fighting his parents seemed to be doing a lot of lately. Not anything. Just be a normal, happy teenager?

 

“Curt, do you think life is fair?”

“Life is never fair, Eli. That's why it sucks. Wait until we get older, though. It will get better.”

 

Tearing his gaze from the sky, Elias turned his head so that he could watch Curtis's profile. He continued to look heavenwards, and he shifted his position and nodded.

 

“I sure hope so.”

 

-*-

 

“Where were you, young man?”

 

The door slammed behind him as he entered the house, and removing his shoes, he shrugged his backpack more securely onto his shoulders and hurried towards the stairs.

 

“I'm talking to you, come here right now!”

 

Frowning, Elias turned on his heel and padded into the living room.

She sat on the sofa, knitting in hand. A laundry basket filled with clean socks was set beside the sofa, and a ball of yarn lay at her feet. Her hair, which was similar to his own, (a chestnut brown that had an awful tendency to fall in an unruly manner about his face) was pulled up in a messy bun. Dark circles were under her eyes and the apron she wore was baggy on her narrow, bony frame.

 

“What is it, mom?”

“Where were you after school? You're two hours late! Supper is cold.”

 

“I was at the park with Curtis,” Elias said quickly, not wanting to get into anything with his mother at the moment. He was cold from staying outside in such bad weather with nothing but a thin sweater on, and really wanted nothing more then to go have a warm shower and get his homework done.

 

“At the park? And you couldn't call? Why didn't you call? I was worried sick!”

“It's only two blocks from home, and I didn't think it would matter. I go to the park all of the time.”

“Don't get smart with me, Elias Taylor! I've been a bundle of nerves ever since your brother has gone to University. He never calls, your father stays out late at work, and God knows where you are half of the time! This house is falling apart.”

 

Sensing one of his mothers' rants (which had been appearing more frequently as of late) Elias cleared his throat and slowly inched out of the living room.

“I have homework I need to do, mom. I'll eat supper after.”

Without giving her a chance to reply, he was quick to pivot on his heel and dash up the stairs.

 

-

 

Dumping his backpack on the floor, Elias fell onto his bed and buried his face in his pillows. He could still hear his mother carrying on below him, and he curled into a ball to stop himself from shaking. His whole family was unstable. Nothing seemed to go right anymore. He could remember when he was younger, how his mother and father never fought, how when his brother was in junior high and high school, he was always busy with studies, but somehow managed to find time to spend with him.

 

Lucas.

 

Just the thought of his name made his throat tighten, and he let out a groan and rolled onto his back. What was he going to do? What could he do? He regretted telling Curtis. He had a feeling that this would only make things worse. Now not only did he have to worry about hiding his bumps and bruises, but he'd also have to think of a way to keep him quiet! Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply.

 

Relax, relax, Elias told himself. The word soon became a mantra inside of his head, and he found himself repeating it again and again until finally, it had lost it's meaning.

His body had grown heavy and when he opened his eyes once more, he simply could not will himself to move off of the bed. He was too tired to do anything. Too tired to get changed or have the shower he had promised himself. Too tired to get up and turn off the light.

 

He could just close his eyes for a while, and then he would do it. His homework, the shower, have supper. All of those things could wait a while. It wasn't too late.

 

 

-*-

 

By the time he had gotten off of the bus (for he never took his car anywhere), his watch claimed it to be around 9:30 or so. He was home early. Much earlier then usual, by far.

He briefly considered what he would tell his mother about the night class he had dropped.

That was often why he came home later. To make the lie, that he was still attending his classes dutifully, believable. He had grown tired of this all though, and was actually looking forward to being able to just sit down and relax. Not spend hours walking about down town, or riding the bus around the city until the last of the buses stopped running.

 

He smiled to himself as the next thought came to him.

He would also get to see his brother. He didn't think much about how Elias would feel about him being home earlier in the evenings, nor did he care, really. His feet were killing him, he was hungry, and he had the most annoying headache behind his eyes.

Rubbing the side of his temple, something he had picked up from Sheek, he shook his head as he ascended the stairs to the porch and yanked open the patio door.

 

 

“James, is that you?”

 

His headache nearly doubled in size just at the sound of his mother's voice, and Lucas couldn't prevent the scowl that marred his features. And there she came, bounding out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her already dirtied apron. Her hopeful expression vanished upon seeing who it actually as, and she planted her hands on her hips.

Hunching his shoulders, Lucas kicked off his shoes and closed the door. He wasn't in the mood to be scolded, interrogated or any of the other things this woman was so good at.

 

“Why aren't you downtown?” She asked, anger lacing her high-pitched voice.

He could detect the nasally drawl she possessed, which he absolutely hated, and hurried passed her in the hall.

 

“I dropped out of my night course,” he stated bluntly. There. Problem solved. He could and he would leave her alone in the hall, mouth agape, looking like the fool she was as he climbed the stairs hastily to reach his room. The bathroom was to the left, and two doors down and across the hall was his haven. The sound proofed room where he could play his guitar, tear up unwanted university forms and sleep.

 

He stopped almost involuntarily at his brother's door. It was wide open, and the light was on. Elias's things were scattered messily around his room, and he lay in a heap on his bed curled up in the fetal position. He was sleeping.

 

Stepping across the threshold, Lucas made his way to the bed silently. Months of practice avoiding the noisy floorboards hidden beneath the dark carpeting in the room helped him advance without waking the sleeping boy. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he stayed there watching him. His eyes swept over Elias's face, which for once, was not filled with worry. He felt the cruel smile cross his lips as he noted that his brother only looked this peaceful when he was sleeping.

 

`It's not healthy to carry on such a relationship with your brother,' Sheek had once said to him. `Think of what you're doing to him. And yourself.'

 

“What I'm doing to myself,” Lucas mumbled, leaning forward. His hand clasped his brother's shoulder and he gently eased the boy onto his back. No protest was given from him, and that was how he wanted it. This is a new low, his mind called to him as he leaned over Elias. Ignoring the voice, his fingers crept up his brother's sweater, pushing the hem upwards and exposing the narrow expanse of flesh just below his belly button.

 

Elias shivered, and Lucas smirked before pressing his lips to one of the boy's hips.

His skin was soft. Soft and cool. Had he been outside? Surely it couldn't have been too terribly long ago, especially for his skin to still be this temperature. Elias lay still under his touch and he continued to push the boys sweater up. Hands splayed out along his chest, Lucas leaned up wards and kissed his collarbone. The touch was gentle, kind almost, and he became still, his face mere inches away from Elias's.

 

He was breaking him. He knew he was. If he continued this, Elias would grow to be another fuck up like the rest of the people in their family. Their father was an alcoholic, and everyone in the house knew that he wasn't working late every night like he claimed to be. Their mother, a nervous wreck, was constantly worried about Elias and himself, (mind you Lucas did not give her any slack) and was never able to relax. She jumped at the sound of a pin dropping, and if she wasn't cleaning, she was cooking.

 

Elias would have turned out all right if he weren't there. Perhaps over sheltered, but he would have been normal. Now though, he was paranoid of him, worried about what happened between them, worried about the obvious bruises and small cuts that Lucas loved giving him. How would he hide them? How would he explain it to their parents?

Lucas didn't care. He managed to pull through, even though in his opinion, an idiot would be able to see what was going on.

 

But their parents were too wrapped up in their own lives to look closely, and this was a disadvantage for Elias. Lucas had no intentions of leaving the boy alone any time soon, and like the previous night, he planned on going further then he should with his proceedings. It was like a game. Seeing how far he could push it before he lost.

And so far, he was winning. Winning every little `game' they played.

 

Thoughtful, Lucas pressed his lips to Elias's collarbone and began to suck.

From passed experiences, he knew that the boy bruised easily. It was no surprise then that when he lifted is head, there was a swollen, dark purple patch of skin where his lips and just been. Yanking down the boy's sweater, Lucas leaned over to kiss his forehead before standing up. He'd leave him alone for tonight. He could make up for it another time.

And besides, after his incident with Sheek, Lucas had attended his last four classes and was more interested in sleep then torturing his brother. That could wait. He'd always be there so it wasn't a problem. Smiling dryly to himself, Lucas shut the light off as he exited his brothers room, and headed towards his own. Yeah, he'd give it to Sheek the next time they spoke. Boy, would he get it.

 

A/N: Yaay! I updated again! I'm on a roll. :] The second chapter being done, I think I'll be okay for the third. I'm debating between two things happening, though. I need to write more from Elias's point of view. I can't help it though. I really like Lucas's character! So, in this chapter, you kind of get the feeling that Lucas does feel more for his brother then just pure lust. Like I said before, he's not a bad person. Just screwed up. But who doesn't love the sexy bad boy? XD r&r please!!!

 

P.S

 

Regardless of what happens in the next chapter, there will be smut!!