Secrets and Things (MxM)

Chapter 74 - What do you want?

POV: Aiden

So much for the one year of nicotine patches. This family is out to kill me through mental torture, burning out my lungs, and deteriorating my liver.

I looked out to the front garden, appreciating the reflection of the moon and the stars against the manmade pond. I puffed out the toxic tobacco and immediately took another swig at the bottle.

Seeing Hugo up close after so long shook me up a lot more than expected. You might be thinking that he beat me or something but that wasn't the case. The only physical violence I got were from my brothers. Hugo's was more emotional manipulation and mental fuckery.

His words, his demeanour and his existence was always hostile against me. It probably wouldn't be as bad if I didn't look like my mother with the blue hair and eyes but alas, that wasn't the case.

His approval always meant the world to me after mother disapproved of me. His acceptance was something I was dying for after my mother's rejection.

I quickly learnt that both things were unachievable.

I snorted out loud. "Talk about trip down nostalgia lane."

The only response I received was the wind brushing by.

Puffing of the cigarette and taking a drink out of the bottle in a repetitive cycle seemed to be the only way to calm myself down, so I went down the path of early death.

It was peaceful and my brain loosened up to the point where I thought about how cool it would be if spiders could fly into people's hair and style it with the accompaniment of their web. It would be absolutely bizarre and something that should be invested upon.

The thought was quickly put to a halt however when there was a large shadow that befell over me and the empty spaces around me. Their aura and scent were enough to identify who they were, so without turning around, I calmly greeted them, while taking another hit of the cigarette. "Fancy seeing you gentlemen again. To what reason do I owe the pleasure of thy presence?"

Thy? Fucking THY? Am I medieval drunk now?

"You smoke?" Alex said, rudely ignoring my question.

I let out a large amused snort before turning around to face my audience, promptly leaning against the barricading with the bottle of alcohol sitting next to me. Sober me would've faced them with a blank expression, giving nothing away, but this was medieval me and medieval me was confident and smiley.

I studied their stance and appearance of my dear brothers, instantly noticing that they were not here with their dates. Furthermore, other than Alex, they all seemed tense and on guard, which nearly got a giggle out of me because I never thought I'd see the day my bullies would be alarmed by me. Luckily, I didn't have a death wish and managed to keep the joy under control.

I looked Alex dead in the eye (sober me would be jumping off the balcony by now) and gave him an entertained smile. "I actually did quit a year backeth, been on nicotine patches and ev'rything. But it turns out yond coming in contact with thy nightmarish family seemeth to undo all thy hard w'rk. Who woulda thought?"

Wait this is more Shakespearean than medieval

Bradley's jaw clenched and his fists curled by his sides but that was about it. Alex seemed to be humoured as I am by this entire confrontation and Marcel's expression didn't change.

I commented on Bradley's change in manner. "Confused and outraged that I'm able to talk back at you guys? Don't worry, I'm just a bit intoxicated. Sober me would very much be shaking in my Gucci shoes. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you haven't answered my question yet. Why the fuck are you guys here?"