Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Inside Out ❯ Keeping Warm ( Chapter 7 )

 

Several days had passed, and Elias had been released from the hospital.

He was oddly relieved to be home, and didn't even mind the sound of dishes clattering to the floor, or his mothers' nervous mumbling as she hurried about the kitchen to clean up the mess.

 

Apologizing profusely, she looked to Elias and gave him a small smile.

Ever since he had been home, she always seemed eager to please, and practically jumped at the sound of him calling her name. The painkillers for his head were almost gone, and although he found himself able to think straight now with the disorientation fading, he still could not remember what had happened. No matter how hard Lucas pried.

 

Oh, and he had been staying home a lot more, too.

They didn't speak much of his `leave of absence' for those two months after their incident, and although there were times where the awkwardness would claim dominance over their conversations, Elias was almost giddy to say that it was getting better.

 

He was going back to school the next day, and while his mother bustled about near the counter to fix him breakfast, he mulled over his options. He knew that something bad would probably happen if he went back. Would he get beat up again? No.

Lucas and Sheek had come to an agreement. Sheek had nothing better to do, so it was arranged that he would drop the boy off and pick him up to and from school.

 

“Just to be careful,” Lucas had said the night before. “If it happens again, I'll know who did it. And I'll kill them.”

 

The way he had spoken so surely of himself had surprisingly comforted the boy.

But he couldn't avoid his problems, and here he was at ten O'clock in the morning at the kitchen table, alone with his mother.

 

He didn't expect anyone to feel sorry for him, and he was actually very surprised to see Curtis at his doorstep the evening he had arrived home. The boy had held a serious look to his face, and the moment they had stepped inside of his room, he told him that he had taken care of “the problem” and that nothing was going to happen to him.

 

Yeah, right Curtis. You just want to save your own ass.

 

They had talked for a few moments before Elias had claimed to be tired.

Understanding his need for solitude, Curtis had left without question.

And sadly, Elias knew that things wouldn't be the same between them anymore.

 

“Are you sure you want to go back to school?”

 

Elias blinked, and lifting his gaze from the floor, he realized that he had been lost in thought. His mother set a small plate of pancakes down in front of him, and he tried all but not to look at it in disgust. He hadn't been eating properly since he had been home, and the last thing he wanted at the moment was the sickly sweet meal she had prepared for him.

 

“I'm okay, mom.” He re-assured her, despite the churning in his stomach. “I need to go back.”

 

“Yes, yes, I know honey, but I was thinking—perhaps it would be best if you…transferred schools? I mean that way there wouldn't be any worry of this bullying nonsense, and you could start fresh. I know it's difficult in high school…”

 

“Really, mom, I'm okay.”

“Well it's still Sunday, not too late to change your mind—you just tell me, alright?”

 

Patting his shoulder, his mother gave it a gentle squeeze before she excused herself from the kitchen. Elias sat there alone then, eyeing his pancakes with distaste.

She was right about the bullying. To be perfectly honest, his largest fear was that something like whatever had happened would happen again.

 

What would he do then? Would he remember?

He didn't think so.

 

Eyes straying to the window above the sink, Elias let himself get lost momentarily in the blue skies that lay beyond the glass. When a hand fell on top of the crown of his head and gently tousled his hair, he was mildly surprised.

 

Tilting his head back expecting it to be his mother, he was even more shocked to find that it was a rather sleepy-eyed Lucas. His hand fell away, and his brothers' fingers trailed along the smooth surface of the table as he walked passed the boy.

 

“How come you're home?”

 

Lucas didn't answer immediately, and instead, opened the cupboards to retrieve a bowl.

 

“Bad night—my grades are fine. Good enough to miss a day, anyway.”

 

“Really?”

 

Nodding, he dropped the bowl haphazardly onto the counter, and the resounding ring that sounded as ceramic met marble left Elias feeling slightly dizzy.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

Looking over his shoulder, Lucas paid no attention to the milk he was pouring into his bowl, and Elias shrugged, picking up his fork. Using it as distraction, he prodded the soft pancakes halfheartedly, and did not look up when the chair adjacent his scraped back against the linoleum.

Lucas had been a lot nicer since the incident.

He was grateful that he didn't bring anything up—for although things were getting better between them; he was still immensely embarrassed about everything that happened.

 

What was he going to say if he did bring something like that up?

 

They had resumed their lives almost as if they were a normal family. The mother cooking and cleaning (with little complaint, a miracle in his perspective) and their father had even come home for dinner the previous night! Lucas attended his classes, and they all conversed and interacted peacefully.

 

Like an average American family.

 

But the tension was still there, and it reminded him of how he felt when he took his painkillers. The pain was hidden, masked by something, to give him temporary release.

He felt selfish for enjoying the normalcy, because he knew that they were all making an effort for him. And he also knew that that effort would disappear eventually.

And it saddened him, because it was nice.

 

“What are you doing tonight?”

 

Nothing.

 

“I don't know yet.”

 

“Are you busy?”

 

No.

 

“I might be.”

 

“Well if you're not, there's that new movie opening up in theatre later. We could go. You know, to take your mind off of things.”

 

Lucas was watching him intently. For what? To gouge his reaction, maybe?

He continued to pick at his uneaten food, before giving a soft shrug of his shoulders.

 

Should you really be doing this? Be alone with him?

 

“Okay.”

 

-*-

 

It was surprisingly crowded. Lucas hadn't expected it to be so.

Then again, it was the premier showing for the movie.

In all honesty, what could he expect?

Raking a hand through his hair, he ignored the looks he received from half of the female population there—and instead, focused on his brother.

He had actually driven his car to the movie theatre. Frankly, he was getting sick of buses, (not to mention that the theatre was actually about an hour and a half drive from their house) and if he intended on going to his classes for the next week, he needed to save the last of his loose change.

 

His arm was around Elias, and his hand rested casually on his shoulder as they proceeded with the rest of the line, towards the ticket booth.

 

Elias seemed edgy, and Lucas briefly wondered if he was getting one of his headaches.

Squeezing his shoulder, he gently pulled him against his side in an affectionate half-hug, and looked out at the people surrounding them.

 

He didn't really want to see a movie.

He only wanted to get Elias out of the house, and away from himself.

Being alone was a good thing on occasion, but the boy had had too much time over the past few days to himself, and he knew what Elias was probably thinking about.

Well, one of two things anyway.

 

As their turn approached to order tickets, Lucas fished out his wallet and pulled out one of several twenties tucked inside. Elias gave him a worried glance and shrugged out of his embrace.

 

“Are you sure this is okay?”

 

Arching a brow, Lucas requested the tickets and handed over the money.

Receiving the change, he slipped it inside his pocket.

 

More for the bus.

 

“It's fine, why wouldn't it be?”

 

“Well, you've been working a lot, so you're probably saving up for something.”

 

He couldn't help the indignant snort that escaped him, but he quickly masked it over with a smile. He didn't want to explain yet again that he had only been working to pass the time while trying to `give him space'.

 

“I want to spend time with you, is that not allowed?”

 

He was pleased as Elias's cheeks grew red, and averted his gaze to the floor.

Without giving him any real time to answer, he snatched his hand and interlocked their fingers. Proceeding towards the snack booth, he kept a firm hold on his brothers' hand as the boy struggled to release himself from his grip.

 

 

He ignored the odd looks they received, and simply ordered something off of the menu.

As they waited for their order, Lucas drummed his fingers along the countertop.

Sure, he didn't really want to see a movie, but getting out of the house was what his brother needed. And he himself had been pining for some alone time with him since his return from the Hospital.

 

Taking the popcorn in one hand, Lucas motioned for Elias, who gathered the drinks.

He had to let go of his hand to do this however, and Lucas briefly considered swapping loads with him.

 

They found the theatre, and settling into their seats, Lucas decided that he regretted going to the theatre. The room was crowded and he hated crowded places. Almost as much as he hated hospitals.

 

His thoughts drifted to the police, and he wondered just what exactly Morgan had meant by “be seeing you”. It wasn't a pleasant thing to think about, but in all honesty, as the movie started, he admitted to himself that he'd rather think about potential trouble with the police then a happy-go-lucky new release from the box office.

 

Mulling over his thoughts, he was surprised when Elias snatched his hand from the armrest and shifted closer. He didn't protest, and instead, tightened his grip on the boy.

Okay, maybe seeing a movie hadn't been such a bad idea.

 

-

 

Or maybe it had?

 

The movie had been one of the later scheduled, and by the time they got out, not only was it close to Elias's curfew, but it was damn near storming outside.

The snow hadn't been predicted to come for another month. But the `weatherman' wasn't always accurate, and Luke cursed Sheek for his faith in such things.

 

It had been relatively nice when they'd arrived, and so neither of them had worn anything too terribly heavy to the theatre. It was cold now, and it took Lucas almost ten minutes to find his car, which was hidden among others with similar snow-dusted roofs and tires.

 

By the time he managed to get the car started and the heat on, Elias was shivering almost uncontrollably in his seat. Of course, he was practically skin and bones, so there wasn't even any fat on him to keep him warm.

 

Irritation consumed him at such an un-fortuitous event, and he switched the car into reverse before checking the rearview mirror. One of the many reasons he despised driving was because there were always so many distractions. And there just so happened to be a particularly distracting bundle of rather wet clothes and shivering skin beside him.

“Is the heat working yet?”

“I t-think s-s-s-so.”

 

Pulling out of the parking lot, Lucas cursed himself.

The evening had actually gone well, and then something like this had to ruin it.

Of course, his intentions had been selfish, but what could you expect from him?

Nobody was perfect.

 

The highway was nearly empty, and after about twenty minutes of driving, the heat finally began to circulate throughout the car. He was relieved to see that Elias's body had stopped it's mad shaking, and that the boy seemed as if he was asleep.

 

“Are you still cold?”

“No.”

 

Fingers drumming on the wheel of the car, Lucas let his foot fall forward, and the vehicle picked up speed. Fishing his cell phone out, he extended an arm to Elias.

 

“Do you want to call mom and tell her we'll be a little later? This snowstorm doesn't seem like it's going to let up any.”

“Okay.”

 

Sitting up, Elias took the phone, and fumbling with it for several moments, he managed to dial their home number. As he waited, he sat back against the seat and looked out the window. Lucas let his gaze stray to him every moment or so, but when he began talking, he focused on the rode.

 

“Hi, mom… it's Elias. I'm just calling to tell you that we'll be a little late coming home. There's a snowstorm, and Lucas says it doesn't look like it will get any lighter. I'll see you when we get there----”

 

Pausing, he looked to Lucas before back out the window.

 

“Oh, I didn't think you were home. He's driving.”

 

A look of mild irritation danced along his features, and Lucas tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

 

“He's driving, mom! He can't talk on the phone. It isn't safe.”

 

Mumbling in response to something, he turned to Lucas and stretched out his hand.

Without taking his eyes off of the road, Lucas snatched the cell from his palm and pressed it against his ear.

 

“What's up?”

 

“Lucas, the roads are closing. The snow storm has reached the city—they need the evening to plow everything out.”

 

“What?” Looking to Elias, Lucas turned back to the road and frowned. “They have to let us through, I mean, we have no where to go.”

 

“I told you not to take him so far! Why couldn't you have rented a movie instead? Now he's going to freeze to death! Oh God, what is wrong with my children!?”

 

Grimacing, Lucas chanced a glance in the rearview mirror before slowing to a stop and pulling onto gravel that lined both sides of the highway.

 

“Well what do you think we're going to do, spend the night in the car?”

“You don't have much of a choice, Lucas. I've already called the plowing company; like I said before, they're having the authorities close the roads tonight. They said with all of this wet snow around, it's too dangerous to drive anywhere.”

 

There was a pause of silence, and Lucas sighed.

Shit just had to happen.

Why was it that any time he tried to do something with his brother (and this time, his intentions had honestly been good) something had to go and screw it up?

Someone was definitely out for him.

 

No, not him.

 

Their entire family.

 

“Lucas are you still there? Lucas, talk to me, I can hear you breathing!”

“He'll be okay mom, I have a blanket in my trunk.”

 

Of course he wouldn't go into details as to why exactly he had a blanket in his trunk,

(probably from the last time he used his car, for Lucas had a tendency to fool around with his friends when he actually used the damned thing) and merely settled for, “I'll keep him warm.”

 

Hanging up without giving his mother a chance to reply, Lucas was sure to turn off his cell phone before stuffing it into the glove compartment with distaste. Simply put, he couldn't stand their mother. She was the whiny, overprotective, fun spoiling worrywart type that never gave it a rest. It was probably the reason that he, in his teen years, had began experimenting with drugs, stealing, alcohol and all the other stuff kids were warned not to do.

 

“What's going on?”

“We're stuck here,” Lucas bit out, staring out at the road ahead of them. He could see how it was getting worse, though. Fog was beginning to thicken, and pretty soon he figured it was safe to wager that in another hour or so, they wouldn't be able to see ten feet in front of the car.

 

 

“As in—we have to sleep here?”

“That's pretty much it—stay in the car.”

 

Popping the trunk, Lucas kicked open his door and stepped outside.

Despite the fact that it was snowing out, it still wasn't very cold..

The car was warm, and if he got Elias under the blankets before he cut the engine, he was sure that the boy would stay warm too.

 

Snatching the material from the trunk, he slammed it closed and slid back into the car.

Elias was looking out the window, but when he dropped the blanket onto his shoulders, he looked over at him.

 

“I'm sorry,” he sighed, leaning back into his seat. “This sucks.”

“It's okay,” Elias said quietly. “I'd rather be here then at home.”

“Get in the back seat,” Lucas stated, pointing with a thumb to the back of the car (more or less to emphasize that there was no room for argument). “You can lay down there. I'll keep the car running for a while longer.”

 

“But what about you?”

“I'm fine.”

“You'll get cold.”

“I'll be fine.”

“I'm okay up here. We can share the blanket then.”

 

Leaning over, Lucas took hold of the boys' elbows and began to tug him from his seat.

“It isn't that hard to get back there. And you need to get some sleep. Mom will kill me if—”

 

Elias's struggles to free himself from his brothers' grip resulted in entangling himself in the blanket. And somehow in his panicked stated, he ended up losing his balance.

 

 

-*-

 

He had managed to free an arm, and just in time, it had extended. His palm pressed flush against the window beside Lucas, and he could feel the perspiration from outside on his hand—or was he sweating? Exhaling in relief, he gingerly pushed himself back. If he had fallen, he quite literally would have ended up in his brothers' lap.

 

“I told you to just go in the back.”

 

“Sorry, I—”

Lucas cut him off by grabbing his forearm and pulling him forward.

His yelp of surprise was cut off as his mouth descended on his, and there was a moment of silence in the car.

 

 

During that moment, frenzied kissing took place before Elias pulled himself away.

Shaking his head, he scrambled to get away from Lucas, who had taken a firm hold on his wrists.

 

He managed to get himself over the armrest of the front seat, and was nearly in the back when a heavy weight pressed him down. Letting out a soft grunt, he pulled himself forward and collapsed onto the seat. Lucas wasn't far behind, and had him on his back in seconds.

 

They were back to kissing, and the older boys' fingers entangled with Elias's, pinning them above his head. His teeth sank into the soft flesh of the boys' lower lip, and the pain caused him to try and pull his mouth away. He didn't let him however, and their bodies pressing together was somewhat painful for Elias's still-healing wounds.

 

“Lucas,” he hissed, as the other pulled his mouth away to trail hot, breathy kisses down his jaw. “Lucas, stop. We can't do this again.”

“Why not? Don't you want to?”

“You're my brother!” he whimpered as the elder's digits slid down his wrists, arms, torso, to land at the hem of his t-shirt. The boys' own fingers felt oddly numb, but they managed to find Lucas's head, and threading the appendages through his hair, he made a meek attempt to pull him away from his stomach.

 

It was futile however, and Lucas's lips brushed his skin as the shirt inched higher, and Elias shook his head frantically. The car was still going, and Elias's heavy breathing from his struggle to get away from Lucas, and their bodies pressed flush against one another was not only keeping him warm, but making him hot..

 

“Your shirt's still soaked from the snow,” Lucas commented, lifting his head. An amused expression flittered along his features, and his eyes were hooded. But they had that look again. That same look he wore in what seemed like ages ago. The semi-amused, smug expression. “You should take it off or you'll catch a cold.”

 

“I'm fine,” Elias stammered, suddenly sensing some sort of danger. He needed to get out of the car, fast. But it was proving rather difficult, considering his brother was still pinning him down with his own weight.

 

“Hey—what are you doing?!”

“I'm doing you a favor. Lift your arms.”

“I don't need to take it off!”

 

 

 

But the shirt was yanked up anyway, despite the fact that Elias was furtively and persistently trying to tug it downward. His brothers' strength proved once again too much for him however, and his arms were yanked over his head and the shirt was discarded on the cars floor beside them.

 

“That's better, isn't it?”

 

Shivering, Elias tried to turn on his side, but not before Lucas pushed him back, a hand holding a firm grip on his shoulder.

 

“What the hell are all of these?”

 

Elias tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes closed out of embarrassment.

He writhed underneath Lucas as he ran a finger over the soft cuts that marred his upper abdomen.

 

“Did you do these… to yourself?”

“Shut up!” he yelled, the previous silence in the car making his outburst seem all the more violent. “Just shut up.”

 

“Elias, did you do these?”

 

“Go away! Get off of me!”

 

He was really struggling now, pushing with as much strength as he could muster at his brothers' shoulders. Pushing pushing pushing. But he didn't move. Elias knew he wouldn't, anyway. But that didn't mean he couldn't try, did it?

 

Warm tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as lips brushed over the swollen cuts, and Elias began to shake. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

 

He continuously muttered the words under his breath as Lucas shifted over him to work at the buttons on his jeans. When they were pulled off of him, Elias continued to cry and shake his head, pulling his knees up to his chest.

 

“Shhh, it's okay.”

“No! No it's not, don't touch me, I hate you.”

 

He struggled when Lucas pulled his legs down, and his cries escalated into sobs as he leaned over him and began to slip off his boxers. He dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets to keep any more tears from slipping through, and continued to mutter `no no no no' under his breath.

 

 

“Why would you do this, Elias? Doesn't it hurt?”

“Go away, get off me.”

 

Warm lips once more passed over the swollen skin, but it did nothing to quell the dull ache that erupted throughout Elias's lower abdomen and backside as Lucas eased into him. His breath caught, and a soft blubber escaped his mouth before Lucas covered it with his own.

 

The pain wasn't there like it had been the first time, and although the cuts and bruises from the accident still burned, Elias couldn't help the whine that rippled up his throat when Lucas angled his thrusts. His breath was hot on the side of his neck, and it didn't take long for the boys resolve to crumble.

 

“You won't hurt anymore,” Lucas hissed as he rocked into him. “I'll make you forget about it.”

 

Hands grappled for hands, and as their fingers interlocked, Elias could hear his sobs dissipating. Because of what? It couldn't be because of what they were doing—that thought alone caused his eyes to rim with fresh tears—but perhaps it was because of the soft words Lucas was whispering into his ear? Or the spots that were dancing in front of his eyes?

 

Tilting his head back, a groan startled Elias, and it perturbed him further when he realized that it was his own.

 

His head banged against the side of the car door as he tried to sit up, and Lucas pushed him back down. Teeth grazing his shoulder, he bit down with an unexpected savagery that caused him to yelp. The yelp developed into a muffled scream as Lucas rammed against his prostate, and biting down on his lips to keep from crying out once more, Elias twisted under his brother in an attempt to pull himself away. The hands that had been holding his own traveled down to his bare hips at this notion, and instead of allowing him to get away, Lucas pulled him back to meet his thrusts.

 

“Lu—cas,” Elias panted, as he tried to grab onto something solid. His fingers dug into the vinyl on the seat below him, and he shook his head. A thin sheen of sweat adorned his body, and their perspiration had caused every single window in the car to fog up.

 

“Do it, Elias,” he snarled.

 

With one last thrust, Lucas leaned forward once more and caught Elias's mouth with his, as his back arched off of the seat. His scream was muffled by the elders kiss, and their bodies molded together against the fabric.

 

-

 

Chest heaving, Elias stared through sweaty bangs up at the roof of the car. Lucas's weight although semi-suspended above him by the others' arm, was still upon him, and he could feel his heart beating against his skin. His lips felt swollen and he couldn't help the ugly feeling that began building up inside of him. It was similar to the last time, and turning his head, Elias's lips grazed Lucas's hair. His eyes growing heavy, he couldn't muster up the courage to cry any more.

 

Before slipping into what he knew would be a restless sleep, he briefly wondered if the blanket had been put in the trunk on purpose.

 

 

 

 

A/N: OMG FINALLY! I'm done. @.@

I've been suffering from some really bad writers block as of late, and had absolutely no idea on how to go about finishing up this chapter. I was actually a little surprised by some of my friends, who were like “write more smut!”, and with a couple of reviews, I decided `Well, why not?' :P ANYWAY. I hope you enjoyed it, I will have the 8th chapter up soon (yay!).

 

P.S

 

I am also putting up some art of the brothers today or tomorrow. I know I said a while back I was going to do it, but I mean it this time! :p