Imagine If....

You met Your Brother's Best Friend... {Pt 1}

I wanted to make sure this idea was original enough for me because you guys know I like to keep things interesting :D It took me awhile, but we're finally here! Enjoy!

You made your way up the patio steps, sweat already making its way down your face. You had only been in the state of California for a few hours and you were already hating yourself! There was no way you were going to be able to adjust to this heat, no matter how long you stayed here. The saltiness of your sweat began to make your eyes burn as it dripped its way down your face.

You one day, on a whim, decided to visit your brother Seth in California for a few weeks. The two of you hadn't seen each other since he moved out of Montana, where the two of you are from. Ever since Seth was a little kid, he's been insanely talented with drawing. It's spectacular to see him create a full-fledged portrait in a matter of minutes. He got a call from a local comic book writer one day, asking him if he wanted to draw the art for his comics. Let's just say it didn't take much convincing for your brother to go. 

There were many times your brother Seth had begged and pleaded for you to stay with him for a week, but you were so caught up in your work as an Investigative Reporter that you never had the time to visit, until now. Let's just say that there was a 'disagreement' between you and your boss which lead to you getting fired.

After that happened, you figured, why not go see your brother. You wanted to keep a surprise that you were coming because you knew that Seth would start to freak out once he knew that you had no way of supporting yourself back home. Besides, you've always believed that life needs to hold a little bit of mystery to it.

Which is why you were currently standing outside Seth's front door, your hand resting against the wooden door. You raised an eyebrow when you heard loud shouting coming from inside the house. Ok, what the hell was going on in there? Never mind, you weren't sure that you wanted to know.

After a few seconds, you let your hand knock on the door. You heard the distinct sound of Seth's voice as he called out, "I'll be there in a second!" Then, with the sound of shuffling footsteps and mumbled voices, your brother Seth opened the door.

"Look, I don't want you or your insurance bullsh- Y/N?!" A smile broke out on his face, making it hard for you not to smile. 

"The one, the only." Seth pulled you in a bear hug. He held onto you for a few seconds, before letting go and dragging you into the house. As Seth stood in front of you, you could see the striking similarities the two of you shared. You both had the same set of hazel eyes, sparkled with flecks of gold. Not to mention the same chestnut colored hair the two of you inherited from your mother. His though had more bounce to it, whereas your's just hugged the sides of your face, lifelessly framing your face.

"What are you doing here? I thought the great investigative reporter could NEVER make the time for her little ol' brother." You chuckled to yourself as you stood near the front door, watching Seth as he made dramatic motions with his arms. And to think you were always the drama queen growing up.

"Well, I made the time to see you, deal with it." He began leading you towards his living room, where another man sat in a chair, in front of where a camera placed on a tripod stood. This man brushed his hair out of his eyes as he sat there, looking down at his phone. The lighting in the room brought out the red in the man's hair. 

"Uh Seth, whose the strange man sitting in your living room?" At the sound of your voice, the man finally picked his head up, setting his eyes on you. Within a matter of seconds, the man's eyes fell back to his phone.

"That sis is my best friend Mark-"

"The camera's not on Seth. You can stop the fucking act." Looking back at your brother's face, you saw the look in his eyes change when Mark mentioned the camera's not on. An almost sinister look appeared as he turned his body away from Mark.

"Good, now you can pack up your shit and go." Your eyes widened as you heard this exchange between Mark and Seth. Never, in a million years, would you have thought that Seth would say something like that to someone else! He was always the perfect guy that never wanted to hurt a fly, much less another person!

In a flash, Mark had packed up the camera and tripod and was making his way towards the front door. On his way past you, he bumped his shoulder into Seth's, knocking him out of the way slightly.

"I don't know how you've managed to put up with Seth for this long Y/N, cause I sure as hell can't." With that, Mark opened the door and walked out, slamming it closed behind him.

You almost instantly snapped towards Seth, your eyes still wide open. "What the HELL was all that about Seth? Who does this Mark guy think he is, bumping into you and shit like we're all in high school? Why did you tell me your best friends!? Cause it's clear to me that the two of you are anything BUT best friends." All while you were on this rant, you smacked Seth's arm more than a few times. Even though he was your older brother, you were always the more protective one.

"Alright Y/N, would you stop hitting me?! Jesus-" Seth took a moment to rub the spot where you continuously hit him. "You're right though, him and I are the farthest thing from being best friends." He turned his back on you to start walking towards the kitchen.

"Then why did you tell me you were? And what does a camera being on have to do with all of this." Seth stopped in his tracks in the middle of the kitchen, almost as if his feet were now rooted to the ground. You watched as his eyes glanced down at the ground, before sighing and moving towards the fridge.

"It's hard to explain Y/N, but I want you to promise me that you won't have anything to do with Mark while you're here, ok? He's only going to hurt you in the end."

"Why would I have anything to do with him? Does that mean he'll be around here more-"

"Just promise me Y/N!" You jumped back at the harshness of Seth's voice, something you weren't used to hearing. Honestly? This version of your brother was scaring the shit out of you.

"I promise, I promise!" You shouted slightly, raising your hands in defense. "The way that guy shoulder checked you on the way out was grounds enough for me never to speak to him again. No one does that to my big brother and gets away with it!" That statement seemed to ease the tension in the room as Seth now smiled, exiting the kitchen with a bottle of water in hand.

When he reached you, he rested his arm on your shoulders and began guiding you towards the living room.

"Now, tell me the reason behind this surprise visit."