The Debt of Guilt [BxB]

24: before

July
1989

It was seven AM and Peter was sitting on a deck chair outside his family's trailer, sipping from a mug of coffee. He was sleepy and grumpy and itching for his bed - though it was a little cramped these days with Jenifer and her growing pregnant belly. But he knew he needed to be out here. He needed to see this for himself. He already knew he was right. He had to be. This was just his way of confirming something he already knew.

He looked up when Scott's bedroom window creaked open, then watched as Danny crawled out, and hopped down onto the grass below.

"Morning, Danny." Peter smiled at him sweetly.

Danny's head whipped around, his eyes widening in horror, "Uh, hi, Peter." His cheeks reddened and his fingers knotted into his curls nervously, "I was just-uh-borrowing a...another CD. From Scott. Didn't wanna wake you and your Mum, so thought I'd slip out the-uh-What are you doing out here?"

Peter laughed in amusement, placing his coffee mug on the floor and standing up, "Borrowing a CD at seven AM?" He rose his brows.

Danny shrugged, "Early riser."

"Bullshit." Peter couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. "Go on, Danny, give me another excuse. I love hearing the bollocks you come up with sometimes."

Danny's blush only deepened, "Peter-I don't-"

"You're fucking my brother."

Danny laughed nervously, the noise coming out strangled and nervous. Panic flashed in his eyes and he had to look away; at the ground, his hands, anything. "I don't...that's not..."

"How long has this been going on?" Peter cocked his head to the side curiously.

"It's not...that's not what I'm doing-"

"How long, Danny?"

"April." He blurred out carelessly, internally cringing. Why had he said that? Why hadn't he lied?

"April?" Peter rose his brows. Any smugness he had felt about working out Danny's secret quickly evaporated. April. His best friend had been sleeping with his brother since April and he was only now finding out. It stung, a little. "It's...It's July, Danny."

"Yeah." He sighed.

"It's July. And you've been fucking each other since April?"

"I'm sorry."

"April?"

"Jesus, Pete, yes, April. It started the night before my birthday. Fucking hell."

"And you're... I mean... Why? How? Are you...? Are you gay?"

Danny winced, still refusing to make eye contact, "I don't wanna talk about this-"

"Well too fucking bad, Danny. We're talking about it. All of it."

"I don't want to!"

"You have to! God, you're so...you're so fucking obnoxious sometimes. You don't get to fuck people's brothers and then shut down when you have to talk about it!"