The Bad Boy Chronicles

Forged in Fire

TW: brief encounter with homophobia and mention of bullying.

***

"Do you have to," Kai asked from the doorway as Skyler applied bright blue eyeliner. The swipes were quick and efficient, an ease that came with muscle memory. He'd felt out of his skin every month he'd gone without it.

"There's nothing wrong with eyeliner," Skyler replied, looking at his brother's reflection in the mirror. It was something he'd had to say to himself over and over again the past week to psych himself up. Since the incident, he needed reminding.

"It just made everything worse at your old school," he said, coming over to stand next to Skyler. They looked between themselves in the mirror and tried to search for the similarities in their features. They'd been doing it since they were kids and they'd always come up blank.

A lot changed in the year after Kai was born. One of those changes brought Skyler. He didn't look like what people expected a mixed kid to look like. In fact, he took so much after his father that people often asked if he was adopted.

"I'm not at my old school anymore, am I," he retorted finally, stepping around his brother to head for the kitchen.

"I'm just saying-"

"I remember how it was but the people were the problem, not the makeup," he insisted, tearing the plastic wrap off the plate their mother had left for him. He did the same to Kai's and placed them both on the table. "Plus we go to the same school now. You wouldn't let me get beat up again," he added taking a seat.

"I wouldn't but Sky..." Kai trailed, scratching the back of his neck.

"I know, I know. Don't talk to you at school." Kai stilled at his brother's words but Skyler kept chomping away not even looking up from his meal. He didn't seem upset at the unspoken request. It was as if he'd already accepted the arrangement as an unchangeable truth.

"That's not what I was going to say," Kai argued. He couldn't quite remember what he had been about to say but he knew that wasn't it.

"That's not how you were going to say it but that is what you were going to say," Skyler said standing briefly to track down the salt. Kai's mouth opened and closed as though he'd protest but nothing came out. "It's cool, I get it," Sky shrugged, plopping back down and stealing a mushroom from Kai's plate.

Kai still hadn't sat down yet and if he wasn't quick about it they were going to be late for school. He had no idea why his brother was accusing him of- well he didn't know exactly what he was being accused of but he could guess.

"I'm not embarrassed by you or anything," Kai said, approaching slowly like how you might with a wild animal.

"Sure." The reply was muffled behind the mouthful of eggs but the eye roll was clear enough. Skyler didn't believe him.

"I'm not," he pushed. He loved his brother. He wouldn't know shit about wings or contour or lip liner if he didn't. Skyler looked up then with a raised brow.

"Why don't your friends ever come over? Why don't they know who I am?" That definitely felt like an accusation though the tone it traveled out on didn't suggest as much. He didn't sound angry about it; he just sounded drained, like talking about it was a waste of time.

It wasn't like embarrassment had been Kai's reason for keeping his worlds apart. They hadn't merged because there was no reason for them to.

"No one hangs out with their siblings at school," he reasoned.

"They don't but they're not hiding them either," Sky said, standing to put his plate in the sink. Kai's brows furrowed. I'm not hiding our relation, it just hasn't come up he thought but even his own face reflected in the toaster stared back at him in disbelief.