The door slammed, knocking toys to the ground, and mashing the silence into a paste. His brothers acknowledged him with matching unease.
Reese threw them annoyance in return. “What?”
Their mother rambled silently in the kitchen. She was letting their guest know that operation “Sorry I Kicked Your Ass” had been a bust. Not that success was ever an option, knowing her son.
“I have to hand it to you, Reese. I really doubted you could make dinner that awkward. You’ll be lucky if she even lets you look at a spatula ever again.” Malcolm closed the statement by flinging his pencil into a textbook on his desk.
“Way to have my back out there, you two! Glad to know I can count on my family to take the side of a total stranger over mine.”
“Hey, you aren’t the one with the bruised face. Plus, it’s kind of hard to root for you when you’re always doing this sort of thing.”
“Yeah, you had this coming, Reese. You can only knock out so many teeth before karma bites back.” Dewey scowled. His fingers danced bitterly on his keyboard, but no sound left the device with its batteries dead.
Thunder made the world shake.
“Hey, I’m the victim in all of this! I had gone two whole days without hitting anyone until he came and screwed it all up. Do you know how close I was to breaking my record?” Reese's voice was whiny, the way it always got when he pleaded for someone to believe him.
Dewey rolled his eyes. “Poor you.”
The hallway door shot open, clipping against the bone of Reese’s ankle as it swung by.
“Well, I’ll be driving Tony home now.” Lois’ face was soft as she spoke. “When I get back, I expect you to-”
“Yeah yeah, I know. I’ll start cleaning the fireplace.” Reese interjected, familiar with their routines. He refused to take a passive role in this discord.
His stride out of the room lasted an entire second, becoming a stumble with her next words. “I expect you to be in bed. Asleep. The same goes for you two.”
Reese's face twitched. Was she serious, or was this some sort of mind game?
He couldn’t see his brothers from outside the room, but heard their obedient shuffling as they assumed their usual sleeping arrangement.
Lois expected no further response. Instead, she brushed past him and pulled on a jacket, keys jangling.
A stack of dirty dishes adorned the dinner table, piled carefully by large, veiny hands. These same hands wiped themselves with a napkin before raking through soft hair. Tony turned to follow after Lois, but hesitated at the sight of Reese looming there.
Neither boy spoke. Instead, they sized each other up, shamelessly. Just two tigers, circling in a cage.
A deep redness dusted Tony's otherwise tan nose, like flour on a bread roll. It made that familiar upset start rising in Reese’s gut.
I really did do a number on him…
Denim-colored eyes searched his own. For what exactly, he didn't know.
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Reese's Complex
FanfictionReese Wilkerson is straight. So when he beats up Tony Moreci for laughing at him, he doesn't expect to finish it off with a kiss on the lips. Now, suspended from school, he faces off against his fed-up mother. She invites his victim over for dinner...
