Gods and Monsters

Ch. 4 Brandon

Somehow he didn't get in trouble at the Pizzeria he served at and the manager only gave him a stern warning. He stopped at home to check on everyone and change. Without his computer, Elias actually took the kids outside and he found them throwing a ball around. Marlo excitedly told him everything he'd done that day, every single detail. Sage listened and commented when Marlo paused to take a breath. He'd brought a pizza home that he got for free because the new girl messed up an order. They ate on the steps leading into the back yard with cups of kool-aid.

David didn't question where he'd been the day before. Sage suspected a while ago that the man was afraid of him a little. He could ruin his marriage with what he knew about the man and what he does for him. Sage isn't the type of person to hold that against someone though and he needed the job if his wife found out then that was on David. Sage knew he was basically selling himself and he blocked it from his mind as much as he could.

No one but David knew he was gay. That kind of thing isn't tolerated in the kind of neighborhood he lives in. The last kid that was found with another guy got beat up so bad he lost his hearing. He disappeared after that. It wasn't like Sage had time to actually experiment or get into a relationship with anyone anyways. So David was the only action he saw, sometimes getting a blow job in return.

After locking up and switching off the lights, he followed David into the back. The man was already unbuckling his belt and pants, letting them drop around his ankles. When Sage lowered himself to his knees, he liked to close his eyes and imagine that David is actually someone he liked. A guy closer to his age and not in their early thirties. In Sage's mind's eye, this guy was taller than him and muscular, unlike his own lean frame. David calls him a twink, whatever that was. David never lasted long and Sage always used his hand at the end, not wanting the man's seed in his mouth.

David was in a rush tonight so he didn't drop Sage off like he sometimes did. He had to walk all the way home, he didn't mind the walking, it was the dark he didn't like. His mind always played tricks on him. By the time he made it to his street, he was trying to ignore an anxiety attack. He could handle them, it usually just felt like pressure in his chest and he had the feeling to scream and cry. He'd dealt with it enough over the years to know that it'll pass and it did by the time he reached the front door.

The house was silent and he checked on the twins who were sleeping before going into his room. Everyone was asleep so he took his pajamas with him to the bathroom and had a shower, lingering in the warm water. Most of his showers were taken cold and he knew having one the night before would mean they got out the house quicker in the morning.

He looked at himself in the mirror while he brushed his teeth. His eyes were brown like his father's who he doesn't remember much about, he died shortly after Elias was born. His mom clearly took his death harder than most but she didn't really know much else but being a housewife. She had Myla when she was sixteen and got married when she turned eighteen. Then she had Maverick, Sage three years later, and then Elias four years after that. She was high when she got pregnant with the twins and couldn't remember who she'd slept with. Marlo's father is as much a druggie as their mom and disappeared before he was even born. Their mom got her tubes tied after that. It was for the best.

Elias was snoring when he returned to their room. Sage's twin bed was pressed against the wall opposite the bunk bed. He reached under to pull out the crate that held all his art supplies. He grabbed his sketchbook and pencil case before kicking it back under the bed. The streetlight coming in through the window was all the light he had but he used to that. He flipped through the pages, noticing on one page was a sloppy drawing of some kind of animal one of the kids drew. They drew a wobbly line at the bottom right where the signature goes. He couldn't help but smile.