Scourged Vein

Chapter 1

"Put it away. Eyes on whoever's talking, and if he speaks to you, don't say more than you have to."

As Theo's family members sat down around the table, his mother's whisper reached his ear under their lively voices.

Though being told to put his phone away like an unruly child wasn't exactly pleasant, Audrey only spoke out of love and concern. He knew that.

"Theodore." A man's voice boomed over the others, quieting the whole room. His hair was slick and short. A deep brown that could easily be mistaken for black if you never got close enough to check. Just like Theo.

Beads of sweat gathered on his skin.

"Why don't you sit next to me?" He spoke again, a thin smile on his lips. It never quite reached his eyes, but their grandparents and aunts were none the wiser. It was no use saying no to the hulking shape that was his brother. Silas.

"Sure..."

Satisfied, his gaze finally left Theo once he sat down

The others were speaking amongst themselves again as they shared the food bowls.

Even though his mother was sitting next to him and he only had to gather food for his plate, there was an uncomfortable stuffiness in the air that he needed to contend with.

"So, Theodore, now that Silas hasn't brought a new girlfriend to our reunion for once, isn't it finally your turn?" One of Theo's aunts raised her glass, her eyes intently on him.

A shiver ran down Theo's spine. But before he could respond, Silas cut him off.

"Hey, now. You didn't have to bring that up. And there's no need to rush him; it'll come eventually."

What Theo would normally have considered a nice gesture couldn't be further from it. He had known Silas his entire life. This was his older brother, after all. There was no reason to distract them from the question other than to get far away from what Silas considered an 'uncomfortable' sexual orientation. Wouldn't want to risk Theo bringing it up.

It took their aunt a second to conjure up her words. That didn't sit well with her. Talking for others wasn't exactly something you'd put past him, though.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. Putting your career first is a very valid choice too."

Theo's knife was slipping from between his fingers. He clutched it with a shaky grip, turning his attention to the candle standing straight ahead on the table when Silas's gaze returned to him.

"A very good point. How's that going, by the way? Still working at that little gas station?"

Oh, how Theo wished he could give him some snarky comeback. But every part of him was fighting against it. Why was it so damn hard?

"Of course. It's a nice, quiet place."

"Uh-huh. Right. Must get pretty lonely out there. I still wonder why you chose to work so far from the city."

"Devin, he—"

"Actually... I don't really care."

Everyone else had gone silent again. Theo's mother shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Silas... Pass the salad bowl, please."

He squinted at her, but eventually obliged. Theo was getting tired of Audrey's few light attempts to deal with his brother. When was she going to decide to actually parent him? It was frustrating, yet he couldn't help but blame himself too. It shouldn't be that hard to stand up for yourself, even just a little bit. Right?