The Debt of Guilt [BxB]

22: before

July
1989

It was Peter's sixteenth birthday, and he was surrounded by his small bundle of loved ones. His Mother, his brother, and his two best friends. They were sitting cross legged on the grass outside their trailer, soaking in the heat, sharing stories and laughter. His Mother brought out a cake, and they all sung to him, passing around beers and presents.

Jenifer had her head in Peter's lap, and her legs tangled up with Danny's. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything, Pete." She said apologetically, gazing up into his warm honey eyes, full of joy and happiness.

"Yeah, me neither." Danny sighed, "Find me when I'm rich and famous, and remind me I owe you a sixteenth birthday present, alright?" He echoed Peter's own words; the ones he had said himself on Danny's birthday back in April.

Peter laughed, "Noted."

"Sorry it's not much, sweetheart." Susie smiled sadly, gesturing to the small pile of presents he had unwrapped; there was a watch, a new pair of shoes, and a few CDs.

He gave her a bright genuine smile, "Mum, it's more than I could ask for." He told her honestly, "Thank you, really."

The afternoon was warm and lazy and filled with laughter. Peter's Mother went inside to start cooking dinner for them all, and Scott stood up too, looking between his brother's friends uncertainly, "I-Uh...I'll get out of your way for a little while... To help Mum."

Danny grabbed onto his ankle, looking up at him with kind green eyes, "You're not in anyone's way." He said.

Scott smiled bashfully, "It's okay, I'll-"

"Sit down, Scott." Danny yanked at the hem of his trousers, and Scott hesitantly sat back down. He took his place on the grass a few metres away from the others, trying to create some distance between himself and Danny.

Danny, seemingly, did not care about any assumptions the other two might make, and shifted up to sit beside Scott. Then, he put his head in Scott's lap. Like it was nothing. Like they did this all the time. "What's your Mum cooking, Pete?" He asked Peter casually.

Peter and Jenifer exchanged a look of confusion, "Uh... What...?" Peter frowned, "Do you and my brother have some sort of close friendship I'm not aware of?"

Danny scoffed, "'Cause I'm laying on him?"

"Yeah." Jenifer sounded just as puzzled, "That's not... You've never done that before."

Danny rolled his eyes dramatically, "Scott and I have been neighbours for years. Would be a bit weird if we weren't friends by now."

Scott shifted nervously, fighting the urge to tangle his fingers into Danny's soft hair and trace his cheekbones with his fingertips. Being intimate with Danny was part of his routine now, like a stubborn habit that crawled out of him whenever the other boy was near. He wanted to touch him and kiss him and wrap him up in his limbs and his heart. But only when they were alone. Not with his brother and Jenifer sat opposite them, glaring at them like a complicated maths problem.

"Right..." Peter was still staring between them, wondering if there was something there he needed to figure out, or whether he was reading too deeply into the situation. His best friend had his head on his brother's lap. That wasn't that weird, right? It was just friendly. Right?