Brothers-ish

Nights Like This

Into another neighborhood unseen to Vik's eyes, Simon drove them. When they stepped out of the car, the jarring barking of someone's dog popped off like a handgun. The sidewalk underneath their feet was uneven. Weeds and grass grew in between the cracks further damaging the already crumbling infrastructure. The tiny homes lining the road were just as crooked as the sidewalk. They were shrouded in complete darkness because of an absence of streetlights. The highway just over the way clouded the air with a thunderous whooshing of noise. These houses even had metal bars blocking the curtain-drawn windows to keep outsiders out. Nothing about this neighborhood felt inviting. Suddenly Vik and Simon's neighborhood back home didn't seem all too shabby.

"You're actually bringing Vik in? Are you sure he shouldn't wait in the car first?" Ethan hesitated. The whole point of coming out here was to have Vik spend time with them. So he hoped that wouldn't change now. Although the sudden hesitation worried Vik. Perhaps being so trusting of Simon was a mistake. There was no way of knowing unless he experienced what was actually contained within those four walls. It was pretty easy to guess the contents wouldn't be kittens and rainbows given the homes are built like miniature prisons.

"He'll be fine." Simon rolled his eyes. "You're not some lil' kid right, Vik?" His eyebrows challenged Vik, and an almost villainous smirk teased him. The younger brother rapidly shook his head. There was no way he would let himself be called a kid by Simon any longer.

It was already past his curfew anyway so he might as well walk into this stranger's house. A slightly surprised, yet satisfied, grin graced Simon's face. What was a perfectly friendly facial expression could only be seen as sinister underneath the backlighting of the moon. Still, Vik tried to see Simon in this new light where a smile can mean something other than an incoming smack. After all, Ethan no longer seemed hesitant about Simon's decision to let Vik see whatever was behind this paint-chipped door. They gave a knock on the door before trying to let themselves in. They were locked out, but it only took a few seconds until the locks being undone could be heard from the other side. The door sat cracked open for a second as a pair of brown eyes analyzed who was trying to get in. Once the trio was identified as the home owner's friends, the door swung open.

"Wassup guys!" A dark skinned man, a few inches shorter than Simon, greeted them with open arms. Vik was caught slightly off guard by the fact this man was casually shirtless. He gave each man a classic hello handshake-hug, and a simple nod to Vik.

Inside was the messiest house Vik had ever seen in his life. He couldn't believe humans and not a pack of raccoons lived here. Not only was the furniture incredibly old and stained like a Jackson Pollock painting, but the dirty plates left around made Vik wonder how the house didn't have an insect infestation. Half of the lights were off which left the house in a melancholic darkness. He feared what repulsive untouchables must be hiding in the shadows of the house. He nearly barfed at the initial smell that punched up into his nostrils. The scent made weed smell like a perfume. On the other hand Simon and Ethan were completely unfazed. As he shuffled his way further into the small living room, a dining table hidden in a dark corner next to the kitchen caught his eye. Small scales, plastic wrap, and undisclosed substances littered the tabletop. Vik averted his eyes from what he knew he shouldn't have seen. It was best to pretend he never saw it so he couldn't incriminate himself. Maybe he shouldn't have come here. It was more than he expected. But he had to shake off the disturbed gut feeling weighing him down. He's not a kid. He can handle these adult themes.

"This is Vik." Simon introduced, finally connecting a face to a name his friends were no strangers to. Vik looked up at the two new faces. The guy who answered the door burst out saying,

"Sup. I'm your brother's plug. And he met Ethan through me so I'm also the reason your brother gets dicked down every night, haha!"

"Oh my God, JJ. Don't be disgusting. Also who said anything about anal? Y'know not every gay person has a chasm for an asshole." Simon frowned. Peering from behind JJ was a pale boy closer to Vik's height. He had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, but unlike Simon's, his were wide and bright like gemstones captured from a sunny summer sky.