Heart's Done Time (Aerosmith Fanfiction)

Chapter four

Disclaimer: Band and characters not mine blah blah blah I only claim to own Sesame and (later on) Alison. This is purely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others yada yada yada

AN:

Thanks for all the votes and comments I've gotten this far. Ya'll rock my socks. 

Also, I realize that Steven's parents were wonderful people in real life. There's a reason this is tagged "alternate universe". 

Chapter four

Steven's POV

The walk wasn't so long--only a few blocks, really--but the cold made home feel unbearably far away, even when I quickened my pace in an attempt to get there sooner.

Really, this hadn't been one of my better plans. It wouldn't have been all that hard to go back and grab a coat without waking Sesame, but I think I was just too damn proud to believe that wearing only a light long-sleeved shirt and jeans was enough in 16 degree weather.

By the time I reached my front door, I felt utterly frozen and very ready to climb into bed and sleep the day away.

But my luck was less than stellar, I was learning, for the moment I walked silently through the door (I doubted I needed to use the window. My parents were usually gone by this time) I was greeted by a very frustrated mother and left to pray to whoever was listening that I no longer reeked of pot and/or alcohol.

"And where have you been?" she asked, arms crossed over her ribs and hip cocked to show she meant business. I was still shivering.

"Stayed the night at my friend Joe's house," I said, deciding to go with a half-truth. I'd stayed the night at a friend's house; it just hasn't been Joe's.

I knew she didn't buy it, but I didn't know why not because it was mostly the truth. She asked, “For three days?"

"Yeah," I replied, rubbing my arms to try and get warm. I wished she'd let me at least move further down the hall--away from the draft--to scold me. "I was already over Friday night and it was too late to come home. Saturday we had a show and didn't finish til past 4:00--" that'd only been because we partied so long, but whatever. "--and last night we had practice so I stayed again. I just didn't wanna wake you by coming in so late."

She was obviously livid, but she kept her tone sickeningly even throughout this entire meeting. "Well, maybe you should take note from your sister and just not stay out that long to begin with."

Ouch. That one stung. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Well," she sighed dramatically. "Me too." And then she walked away, leaving me cold and hurt in her wake.

I speed-walked to my room to get away from the stench of disappointment my mother always left with me every time she walked away from a scolding. In my room, there was solitude, and the only thing it smelled of was the incense I had to burn to cover the scent of slightly more illegal things, and this was just how I liked it.

My bedroom was surprisingly messy for someone who was never home, but even though my mother was always bitching about the lack of organization, I liked the look of rock 'n' roll high school dropout it had about it, from the Beatles, Stones, and Dylan posters, to the empty bags of chips and cans of soda on the floor. It was a mess uniquely mine.

Inhaling deeply, I kicked off my chucks and stepped out of my jeans, picking up a pair of discarded pajama pants from the carpet and pulling them on over my boxers.

I kept my shirt on, even though it still felt chilly from prolonged exposure to the November air, and crawled under my layers of thin, ratty blankets, just barely dozing before my phone rang.