Brothers-ish

Never Before Heard

A rock song Vik had never heard before played quietly from the radio. Meanwhile, Simon drove them into deeper parts of the city Vik had never seen before. There was a certain aura of eeriness as there was no way of anticipating what the night ahead held. Throughout the whole drive, neither brother spoke to the other. Never before had they spent this much time together, or in such an enclosed space, with their only company being each other. No doors in-between them, no Josh forcing them to eat dinner together - just the two of them sitting in a car. By simply being away from the house, Simon was already more comfortable. He even nodded along with the songs that came on. Vik watched the elder's facial expressions in the rearview mirror from the backseat. Somehow his blue eyes appeared brighter. Almost as if the looming stormy clouds had finally passed over. Even when he was talking to Ethan on the phone to let him know they've almost arrived, there was an upbeat inflection riding the end of each sentence. Never would Vik have imagined such a side to exist in Simon's repertoire of emotions.

"Why do you hate dad so much?" Vik innocently wondered.

"In no sense of the word is he a dad. Instead of trying to talk to me, he just yells and bosses me around as if that's an appropriate solution." Simon answered plainly. "If mom were still alive I wouldn't be stuck with this man."

"He can be nice. And it's not like he's my real dad either, but I still see him as 'dad'." Vik was aware that his opinion had no effects on Simon's insistent rebellion. In Vik's mind, the refusal to abide by Josh's requests is what earns Simon the arguments and disrespect. If he simply listened, and understood the rules are to help build better character, there would be no need for conflict between them. It's - as the saying goes - a two way street.

"Of course you do. He's only nice to you because you're his precious little angel. I'm just a freak to him!" Simon shouted through his teeth, trying not to draw attention. He let his frustration out by smacking the steering wheel. "If he's so nice, why didn't you call him to pick you up?" Vik wasn't prepared to have a question thrown back at him. It unexpectedly caught him in a complicated answer. Rather than respond, he decided to accept defeat in silence. The air in the car got stiff. Simon let out a huff to break the tension. "Where's Ethan? We need to get going."

The digital clock in the stereo system ticked to 11:18 PM. For a moment Vik's eyelids collapsed before jolting awake. A cloud of sleep enveloped him.

"Are you seriously tired already? Better shake that off." Simon chuckled as he texted on his phone. They both anticipated for their guest to exit from the townhouse on the right. A lonely porch light flickered. The car became hot and heavy as it sat still in the night's warm air, but Vik didn't dare to ask for the AC to be turned on. At last, a figure appeared beneath the broken light.

As this mysterious never-before-seen boyfriend made his way to the car, Vik pressed up against the window to get a good look. In Vik's head, he always imagined someone as disheveled as Simon's room. Ethan shattered that idea. The man was actually well-kept and fit - not like a bodybuilder, but he had definition to his muscles. It was obvious he had pride in his muscles by the fitted t-shirt he wore. Then Vik started to wonder how Simon found such a put together looking man. However, the personality could change this entire new perception Vik just made up based off of his appearance. Vik studied the next thirty seconds closely. Simon's boyfriend dropped into the passenger seat and without hesitation looked to his partner lovingly like he was expecting something. That something turned out to be a light kiss on the lips. A sick feeling lurched in Vik's stomach. Seeing two people share affection was an odd sight to him. Let alone seeing affection from someone who's always so cold and unbreakable. After their greeting, Ethan caught sight of Vik in the back and looked over his left shoulder to say,

"Hi, Vik. Nice to meet you." He waved with his right hand. A few different rings were worn on his fingers. They were silver but some showed tarnish. A welcoming smile sat on his face. "You never tag along. What's up with this?"