How We Became Us

Chapter 31

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The ride back was silent. Connor had driven Matt and Kelly back to Casey's household, and Matt kept glancing at Kelly from the corner of his eye while Kelly sat there with his jaw clenched tightly. Matt slipped his hand into Kelly's, and Kelly held onto it like a lifeline but kept his gaze out the window. Internally, Matt sighed, and he and Connor made eye contact in the rearview mirror.

When they arrived at the house, Connor drove off, and Matt and Kelly entered the house silently and walked up to Matt's room. Kelly wordlessly went to Matt's balcony and sat down, staring unseeingly out at the forest. Matt quietly went downstairs and made them both a cup of tea before returning and finding Kelly in the same place. He placed their teas on the side table between the two seats, grabbed his sketchbook, and sat down.

Taking a deep breath, Matt started drawing to give Kelly the space he needed to process his thoughts but staying near enough that Kelly knew he wasn't alone.

It wasn't until an hour later, with two empty tea mugs, that Kelly finally turned to Matt, who had, at this point, put his sketchbook aside.

"He wants something," Kelly whispered, looking back at the forest. "He never comes back into my life without a reason. He either left his other family, needed money or wanted someone to warm his bed, hoping it would be my mom. He is just going to leave again, never stays long enough for me to build a relationship with him—not that I want to anyway." Kelly dropped his head in his hand and sighed. "I don't know why he was here this time around, but he was at the apartment when the bond was completed, and I guess I should add homophobic to the list of reasons why I hate him. He also seems to have a strong hatred for your family name." Matt snorted.

"Everyone does, and if they don't, they are just as bad," he said bitterly with an eye roll. The blond stood before his boyfriend, who looked up immediately, and Matt climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

"He doesn't even try to have a relationship with me," Kelly said, linking his hand behind Matt's back. "Comes and goes as he pleases, and once he has a new family, I'm forgotten in his memory." Kelly moved one hand to cup Matt's cheek and absentmindedly rubbed his cheek back and forth as his eyes became distant. "Is it bad that part of me still wants a relationship with him? I'm still hoping that he would man up and become a father to me?"

"No," Matt said silently, and Kelly's eyes focused back on Matt. "He's your father, trust me. I know better than anyone how confusing it is to want a parent's affection when you know deep down that they would never give it to you freely."

"Look at us," Kelly said with a humourless chuckle. "Two people come from broken families, and we are soulmates."

"Hey, we don't fight destiny or whatever higher power put us together," Matt said with a shrug, and Kelly laughed.

"Can't argue that," Kelly said, dropping his head so it rested on Matt's shoulder.

"You can stay the night," Matt whispered. "Gregory and Nancy are still gone."

"Sure," Kelly said gratefully, not wanting to go home and deal with Benny but feeling slightly bad about leaving his mother alone.

"But we must go to Cassie's place to help with the mural and prepare the nursery.

"I can't believe you're getting a pseudo brother/sister," Kelly said, looking up at Matt, who started grinning.

"Me neither," Matt said, then his smile slid off his face. "I know you have questions about what happened and how I've been acting recently. I— Well, it's hard to talk about it, so I drew everything out instead. But it's your birthday in a couple of weeks, and I don't know if you want to see this before your 17th birthday, so it's up to you."