Lay Me Down (MxM)

21. Calm Before the Storm

Hey humans, thank you all so much for the recent increase in interest and support for my little novel. It's pretty crazy to see a new reader every day! If you're new here, welcome, and thank you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'd love to hear your predictions, opinions, and thoughts on it, so please share in the comments! Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the mamas out there, and I hope you all can take a moment to do some self-care and relax, even if for just a little bit. <3  

-Quill

Lucas

The lights in the front room were dimmed, and I could hear dad's voice coming from the kitchen. I exhaled and untied my converse, caught off guard by the fact he'd not been lying in wait at the door, or, at the very least stalked in the moment he heard me open it. That was odd.

"You can do this..." I murmured to myself, pausing to peek through the curtained window nearest the door.

Jae's figure was visible; not directly on dad's property, but I could see him standing at the end of the driveway on the sidewalk, waiting. My heart settled a bit when I laid eyes on him again, and with a little more courage on board, I turned on my heel, making a quiet beeline for my bedroom. I'd gotten about halfway down the hall when I heard heavy footsteps headed in my direction. I picked up the pace as quietly as I could, and after what felt like an eternity, slipped into my room.

I'd just shut the door when I heard his footsteps follow down the hall, settling with a creak in front of my room. I dropped my backpack and hovered there on the other side, eyes wide and heart racing, but I put my game face on all the same.

The door swung open, and there dad stood, hands in his pockets, a nondescript expression on his face, and a smoke in his mouth. His eyes gave me a once over and let out a curious, "huh" when he stepped over the threshold into my room. I stood my ground, though, I didn't back up.

"Look, Dad—" I began, hoping I might be able to plead with him, but he interrupted.

"—you're home." He mused flatly, running his grey eyes over me in mild interest.

"Yes, Sir." I stuttered, feeling like a deer in the headlights. He didn't say anything, and instead, walked a slow circle around me, looking over my appearance. I was both terrified and confused, waiting for him to fly off the handle at any moment. That's what I'd prepared for.

Once he'd completed his walk-around, he returned to the door, leaning against the door frame, one hand hooked to the top framing. Tall guy privileges, I guess.

"Looks like you got that hand looked at." He observed, the emotion behind his voice almost teetering on... boredom.

"Uh, y-yeah... I did." I mumbled, dropping my attention briefly to my splint. The oxy was beginning to wear off, and I really needed to take my meds. It hurt, but I wouldn't let it show.

"Broken?" He questioned.

"... fractured." I mumbled, gesturing to it awkwardly.

There was the briefest flash of amusement behind his eyes, but his face remained expressionless.
We just stared at one another then, yet still he showed no signs of aggression, and I couldn't be more perplexed. The silence was as terrifying as it was confusing, but Penny had no problem breaking that.

"Well look who decided to come home, Pete." she purred, slithering up behind him, made-up face twisted with cruel amusement. "Where have you been, Lucas?"

I spun my phone nervously in hand. "... practice ran late."

She smirked and slipped past dad, sashaying her way across the floor until she was right in my face, and I found it odd that his gaze was now trained on her.

Penny reached out, her clawed fingers tugging at the collar of my shirt until it exposed my collarbone. Her mascara-laden eyes met mine, and she grinned. "Late practice, was it?"

I swallowed hard. As much as I loved the evidence of Jae's affection all over my body, I knew it could pose a problem all the same at home. It was obvious I'd been messing around with someone; didn't take a genius to figure that out. I didn't regret any of it though, not a single second.

"So, they giving hickey's out now at practice?" She questioned sarcastically, circling around me to study my appearance. "... didn't think you were into boys."

"I'm not!" I retorted, eyes darting to dad anxiously, but he wasn't even looking at me.

She chuckled and brushed her fingers through my hair. "Just look at that hair; apparently getting laid mattered more than abiding by your father's rules." Penny paused and leaned in even closer, this time smelling me. "... cigarettes too, huh? That's new."

Penny looked at me smugly, calling out to dad. "This is quite the situation, babe. What are you gonna do with this boy? Not only was he late, but he's smoking, too! I'd have thought he learned his lesson this morning."

Dad gave her a blank stare, rolling his cigarette around between his lips, and it felt like time stood still.

What the hell was going on, why was dad so... chill? Penny eyed him expectantly, but he didn't respond, only shrugged as if to indicate how little he cared. I suspected Penny was as confused as me, but she cleared her throat awkwardly and doubled down on her harassment, I thought hoping to goad him on.

"Seriously, who do you think you're fooling?" She hissed, running her fingertips down the front of my shirt discreetly.

Penny was right up in my business, the scent of her cheap perfume stifling, and I thought she was getting off on the idea that dad couldn't see the way she was touching me. My skin crawled, and I felt sick to my stomach the longer it went on.

She smirked, tugging the hem of my shirt up just enough to reveal the lower half of my abdomen, which was again, littered with Jae's love-bites.

Her eyes crawled up my body, meeting my gaze with a nasty smirk. "He's covered in hickeys, Pete. Looks like your son's been whoring around."

"You'd sure know a lot about that, wouldn't you Penny?" I smirked knowingly.

She recoiled and smacked me across the face. "Shut the fuck up, you disrespectful little bastard!"

I took the blow easy enough, it was nothing compared to what dad was capable of. I was preparing myself for him to go off on me now, I'd insulted her after all, and I was afraid to even look at him. But as she backed away, I worked up the courage to peek at him, shocked to find that he wasn't looking at me. No, he was still watching Penny. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that left me rattled. He couldn't seem to care less about me now, which was so abnormal it was terrifying.

Penny pouted over her shoulder to dad. "The nerve of your son! Lying, out messing around with girls, missing his curfew... he's not even sorry, and then that little disrespectful comment to his step mama too! It's simply unacceptable."

"Stepmom? Bitch, you're not even his wife." I spat irritably, chuckling at the immediate embarrassment that flashed across her face.

Penny went beat red. "Y-yet! Not yet, but one of these days soon I will be you little cunt, and maybe then you'll regret being so cruel to me! Mark my words, Lucas!"

I just rolled my eyes. She started ranting and cursing, spittle flying from her ugly mouth while she tattled on me, as if dad hadn't already just watched the whole scene himself. But he just watched her display silently and couldn't have looked more disinterested by every word coming out of that hole in her face. He just continued to smoke, and at that point I wondered if he'd been possessed by a friendly demon or something.

What the fuck?

My phone buzzed, and I knew it had to be Jae. We'd hit the five-minute mark, and I needed to report back, regardless of the consequences. If he showed up at the door things might go from zero to hundred real fast.

Jae, 8:00pm: status

I responded hastily with, "confused but ok" before returning my attention to the perplexing scene unfolding before me.

"Bet that's her!" Penny sneered, snatching my phone away before I had the chance to even lock it.

"Give it back!" I yelled, making a lunge for it. She would see the messages; she'd find out there and then I was a cocksucker if she scrolled far enough up.

"We have every right to check, don't we babe?" Voice mocking as she began to scroll. "After all, dad pays for your phone..." her voice trailed off as she read, then her eyes snapped to mine, lips curling into a smug grin. "... 'Lu', is it?"

My heart stopped, and I felt my face go red. "Give me back my phone." I growled.

Penny cackled and sauntered over to dad, waving it in his face. "See? This slut is messaging him even now..."

She started to scroll further, but before she could get anywhere, dad plucked it out of her hand, tossing it to me without a word. I failed to catch it, watching as it clattered to the floor, phone case taking the brunt of the fall. I scrambled to scoop it up, meanwhile Penny stood there, glancing between dad and I in shock.

"Babe! B-but didn't you see? He was—" she started to complain, tugging at his shirt.

Dad shot her a look and let go of the door frame. "I'm gonna go finish my dinner."

Her jaw dropped, and so did mine.

"Wait, what? That's it? He's late, Pete!" She started again, hovering in my room as if that would change anything.

Dad gave an exasperated grimace. "You never shut up, do you?" and with that, turned on his heel, disappearing down the hallway as if nothing had happened.

I was at a loss for words, and so was Penny apparently. She just stood there in my room, both of us staring at the now empty space at my door. I stumbled backwards and plopped down on my bed, stunned. My phone buzzed again, and I held onto it for dear life, resolving not to open the text until she left this time.

Penny still failing to process the events, turned her attention on me. "Don't think I'm not onto you, you little womanizer."

I smirked, openly wondering what Penny would do if she knew I'd been on my sugar daddy's lap earlier, getting spanked and fingered. Bitch would short circuit.

I gave a tired laugh. "Whatever, Penny."

"Who were you with?" She hissed, snaking her way across the floor until she stood before me, hands on her hips. She was wearing a pair of booty shorts with a worn, see-through tank top, and I could see her tits through it; dad had paid for them.

Gross.

It was almost like Penny was jealous, which was almost as comical as it was nauseating. She was like, forty. I didn't mind a MILF, but Penny didn't even rate that. She was such a cunt, and her ugly heart made her ugly on the outside. I wasn't sure what, if any logic, ran through that brain of hers, but it was almost as if she was hell-bent on fucking both father and son. I hated her.

She cursed and shoved me. "This isn't over."

I smirked. "Whatever you say, kitty. Now get the fuck out of my room before you infect me with an STD."

Her eyes went wide with rage, but she then looked over her shoulder nervously as if she was afraid dad might've heard me.

"I-I'm going to make your life hell, Lucas. Mark my words! HELL!" She sputtered, pausing to knock over a few of my books before storming out of my room. I felt the room shake as the door slammed shut, and I clutched my chest, fighting to calm my racing heart.

I flopped back onto my bed, staring in utter disbelief at the ceiling. Nothing had happened. Dad was cool as a cucumber, and somehow, that was almost more terrifying than the enraged version of him I was expecting. Was it a change of heart, or was he up to something? I just couldn't figure out what it meant, and all the while I had a nagging feeling that this was nothing but a calm before the storm.

Dread formed in the pit of my stomach. When would that storm hit?

I'd not had much time to ponder it before my phone began to come alive with texts. Jae.
I grimaced, sitting up to rifle through my bag and dig out my pain meds first. There was some stale water from who knows when sitting on my dresser, so I used that to chase it down, face wrinkling in distaste.

Shaking the "yuck" off, I opened my messages.

Jae: What do you mean? I wanna see you right now

I shook my head and sighed, brain racing as I responded.

Lucas: I mean it was weird n nothing happened. Penny was like up in my business flaunting my lateness and shit, but dad didn't do anything. He just told her he wanted to finish his dinner and left?

A few moments passed before my phone started buzzing, Jae trying to get me on facetime. I dug into my bag and got my ear buds out, popping them in before picking up. Couldn't afford to have Penny overhear Jae's voice. Finally, I hit accept, and his shadowy frame appeared; he was still outside, and I could only really see the outline of his head against the ambient glow of the streetlights outside.

"Fuck, there you are..." he said, relief evident in his voice. "Show me all of your face, nobody hurt you, right?"

I gave a tired smile and moved the phone around so he could see. "I'm okay, really. Penny smacked me but it was weak. Probably won't even leave a mark."

"She hit you?" He hissed, and I saw him turn his attention past the phone for a few, I thought maybe watching the house.

"Yeah... but really, I'm fine Jae. She was trying to get me in trouble but uh, dad ignored her. He practically told her to shut up before he left." I laid back onto my bed and sighed, grimacing a little at my sore ass.

Jae let out a heavy exhale and shook his head. "That's so fucked up, Lucas... you know that, right? It doesn't matter that it didn't hurt, nobody should ever lay a hand on you like that. Period. That's fucked."

I wanted to feel bad for how she hit me, I wanted to be as upset about it as Jae was, but honestly, I didn't care. There were just things I'd gotten used to over the years, and a smack on the face was one of them. Penny wasn't the first woman to hit me; technically, she was only the most recent. It was bad, sure, but I'd had worse. I was just thankful nothing had escalated.

"Yeah... but I'm fine." I mumbled softly, relaxing into my mattress. I could hear Jae walking on the pavement, and I wished I was by his side. I guess I could've been, I could've been in his car heading to his home by now, but this was the decision I'd made, and I would stick with it until I was ready to leave it behind me.

"Still doesn't make me feel any better." Jae complained, unlocking his car, and sliding in. The door shut with a heavy "thud", and the cabin lights came on, illuminating his face as he started the engine.

"I know... me either." I mumbled. "Seeing dad calm like that was almost scarier than the enraged side of him. I don't get it."

Jae sighed. "Yeah, that sets off alarm bells for sure. Tells me something is brewing, and that worries me."

"Maybe something is, maybe something isn't. I mean, what if he's changed?" My heart ached at my hopefulness, pathetic as it must have sounded. How could I still hope after all this time that dad would change? Stupid.

"... you know it doesn't work like that, Lu." Sadness then in his voice.

Jae was right and I knew it, but wished all the same that he wasn't.

"Yeah, I know." I murmured, feeling a few tears spill down my cheeks. I wiped them away hastily on my sleeve.

There was a silence then between us both, Jae's face, etched with concern and empathy. He gave me time to think though, and I appreciated that.

"... I just wanna talk about something else." I sniffled. "Something funner."

Jae shook his head. "Fine, but before we move on, I'm telling you to pay attention; watch your back. Whatever just happened in there has me very concerned, and every alarm bell in my gut is going off right now. At the first sign of any trouble, you need to get out of that damn house and call the cops, you understand? You don't stay and ride it out, you leave, and then you call me, okay?"

My stomach twisted into knots as I imagined how it could possibly get any uglier—what could possibly go wrong next in this godforsaken house? What would dad do?

"Lucas, I need to hear you acknowledge what I just said." Jae pressed.

I nodded. "Yeah, okay... I promise."

He studied me through the screen for a moment then sighed. "... alright then."

We both stared at one another for a moment, and I wished I could hug him. He appeared to have a big heart, and despite his tougher exterior, still just a big softy of sorts. Jae was just too good. He cared but he really shouldn't have; I was newer than new in his life, yet he still worried about my wellbeing. That wasn't something I was used to—a person who just randomly cared without having any kind of apparent ulterior motive.

He'd asked for nothing this morning except that I go to the doctor as his "fee" for driving me around, and I just had a hard time understanding how he could find a reason to care or find anything good or special about me in the first place. As far as me and my life were concerned, feeling chronically unworthy was what I knew best.

Either way, it brought a thought to mind, random as it was.

"I think I get why you became a Corpsman." I blurted out, brain zipping around from subject to subject like a bowl full of noodles.

He raised his brow and smirked. "Hah, random... but okay, why do you say that?"

I shrugged and cracked a smile. "Dunno, mostly cause taking care of people just seems to come naturally to you."

Jae shook his head and chuckled. "Hey, most I ever gave in the Corps was banana bags, Motrin, and the silver bullet a few times. I wasn't this much of a softie back then."

I rolled my eyes. "Nah, I'm pretty sure you were deep down, you just didn't know it yet."

Jae laughed. "I don't know. I was mostly a sarcastic, chain-smoking motherfucker with a chip on his shoulder, but yeah, I guess I took care of the guys when they needed me."

After that he studied me quietly, almost as if he were expecting more questions. It's not like he would be wrong if he thought that; I was gonna ask another...

"Do you think we'd have gotten along back then?" I mused quietly, the thought a genuine one. I really did wonder if Jae and I would've been friends when he was my age. I wondered what it would've been like to hang out with him, and if we would still have had things in common.

He looked offscreen and popped a cigarette in his mouth, lighting up while he thought.
"... probably. You remind me of my younger self in many ways."

I smirked. "Is that a bad thing or a good thing? Also, you lowkey sound like an old man when you talk that way."

He exhaled some smoke and flipped me off. "Mostly a good thing. But seriously, I am not old, dude. I'm in my late twenties, that's still young!" A smile was tugging at his mouth, and he seemed more relaxed now with this change in subject.

I liked Jae this way. I liked it when he smiled, when he laughed, and when he bantered with me. He could look so serious when he wanted to, but just now, it felt like talking to an old friend in a way, even though he was a new one all the same.

"It's funny seeing you like this, you know." I said, turning onto my stomach with a wince. I needed to get the pressure off my ass.

Jae smirked. "That ass is hurting, isn't?"

I propped my phone up against my pillow and stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes, but that's besides my point!"

He just smiled. "Oh, yeah? Well, what's your point, then?"

"That you're nothing like I thought you'd be." I murmured, heart pounding as I watched him. Jae was so much more interesting than I'd imagined.

He tilted his head in question and chuckled. "Yeah? How so?"

My cheeks warmed. "Well, you were all serious and sexy when you pulled me over. Kind of like this badass, you know? Like, you do have this like hot, dommy-daddy side to you, but I don't know... you're sort of just like really sweet and considerate too, with a good sense of humor, and annoyingly chill at times. I dunno. I guess, I just wasn't expecting you to have ..." I paused, brain fumbling to find the words.

"... a personality?" Jae laughed, tapping his smoke out the window.

"Well, no! That's not what I meant!" I chuckled.

He just laughed. "It's not? Then what did you mean, Lu?"

I waved him off, the look on his face wrought with amusement. "Okay fine, it's not like I didn't think you had a personality, it's just that I didn't expect you'd have one that I vibed with so much. You looked like you were hot and knew how to fuck, but it basically turned out that you're like definitely those things, but also have a nice personality too. Ya know?" I felt awkward trying to explain myself, hoping I didn't sound too shallow.

Jae's smile softened, and he looked maybe like he could've been blushing then, but it was hard to tell. Jae didn't blush easily, at least I didn't think so, I'd only seen his neck get sort of red the once. He seemed to be thinking long and hard, but then finally he spoke.

"You know, you asked me last night what made me call you back?" He said quietly.

I nodded, vaguely remembering that I had indeed asked something along those lines. "Yeah?"

"It was your boldness, honestly." He chuckled, dropping his gaze at something off screen while he thought. "Of course, I initially noticed that you were quite pretty, but hadn't really considered much beyond that until you gave me your number. Something about your confidence, well, more like audacity to hit on me during a traffic stop... it was impressive."

My face went beat red. "Oh, fuck off! I had to take my chances!"

Jae smiled. "You didn't even know if I was into dudes, yet still, you went for it. I don't know. I hadn't planned to call you back. I thought that would be odd, and truthfully it really did feel even weirder to actually call you. But I didn't toss the note, for some reason. Thought about the whole thing here and there throughout the rest of my watch but just kept brushing it off in the end. When I got home later that afternoon, I was going through my pockets and realized I still had it. At that point my curiosity just got the best of me, so after a lot of debating, I just... called."

I hid my face in my blanket, feeling wholly embarrassed, then peeked at him. "... was I worth it?"

Jae gave me a tired smile. "What do you think?"

I blushed. "I think... that means you're glad you called."

He nodded, taking a few more drags off his smoke before putting it out. "... I am. What about you, though? Are you glad I called?"