FIC: Sunset Ave. (8+9/?)
Title: Sunset Ave. (8+9/?)
Fandom: The Green Mile AU
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Billy/Percy
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don't own either Billy nor Percy, just the plot and everyone else in it.
A/N: Double update! Comments are love! Cross-posted on fanfiction.net.
Sunset Ave.
Chapter Eight
Wet Sand
‘Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.’
Odessa sat in the confession box, hands clasped together on her lap. ‘I saw something I shouldn’t have.’
‘What did you see?’ came the soft voice of her Priest.
‘I saw two boys sinning.’
‘Boys?’
‘On the verge of manhood, Father.’
‘And what were they doing?’
‘They were involved in acts of intercourse.’ There was a pause.
‘With each other?’ the Priest replied. His voice was questioning.
‘Yes. In the room of the family I work for. They have only one son and he has only one friend.’
‘Now, did you see this with your own eyes?’
‘Yes, Father,’ she said, blinking back tears. ‘I went up to put his clothes away and he was knelt on the floor in front of his friend. I saw his… I saw his penis, Father.’
‘And this could have been nothing else?’
‘No, Father. I don’t think so. That’s my sins, Father. Also, I ate a grape from the fruit bowl when my employer wasn’t looking.’
‘Wait, who is this family?’
‘Forgive me, Father,’ she said and hurried out the closet. The Priest pulled open the curtain, watching as she fled the church. A frown creased his brow and he sighed.
--
Patrick had Billy pinned on the bed, their lips in a hard fight for dominance, hands tearing at each other’s clothes. Billy gasped against his throat, before biting down. His fingers dragged through Patrick’s hair, before they turned so Billy was on top.
‘Shut the fuck up,’ Billy hissed, pushing his hand against Patrick’s mouth to silence his groans. Patrick’s fingers dug into his back and Billy pressed back against him. Billy’s hand crept between them and he tugged down his zipper, hissing as his fingers came in contact with his heated dick.
The door of his bedroom opened and Percy stood in the doorway. Billy almost fell over in his hurry to get off Patrick. The older man sat up, flushed and taking a moment to catch on to what was happening. ‘Purty,’ Billy started; his voice was hoarse and he cleared it.
Percy turned and walked out. ‘Fuck,’ Wharton hissed, taking chase. His hands quickly tugged up his zip and he raced out into the yard, grabbing Percy’s arm. ‘Will yer hold on?’
‘Fuck you,’ spat Percy, rounding on him. ‘Was I forgotten that easily?’
‘It ain’t what it looks like,’ Billy replied, trying to keep his cool. Jessie watched from the kitchen, rocking little Ted gently in her arms as she strained to hear the hissed argument outside. She watched as Billy raised his hand, in an attempt to brush Percy’s cheek, but Percy knocked his arm away, glaring.
‘It wasn’t what it looked like?’ she heard Percy snarl. ‘You were practically fucking Patrick, or was I seeing things.’
‘It isn’t like that,’ Billy spat back. Tears pricked Jessie’s eyes and Teddy made a cooing noise. She shushed him, kissing the top of his soft head. The door squeaked behind her and Patrick kissed her cheek.
‘They arguing?’ he asked. Jessie didn’t say anything, but continued to watch.
‘I don’t want to see you ever again,’ Percy said, panting heavily, fists balled at his sides. ‘I should never have become your friend. This is all dirty, sick and wrong and sinful.’
‘Yer know, if this is all so bad, why the fuck are yer still here?’ Billy growled, shoving Percy back. ‘I dun’t want yer here, so fuck off. Go on, get outta here.’ He turned and headed back to the house and Percy turned and stalked off back towards town.
Jessie glanced at Billy as he came in, but he ignored them and moved into the living room. ‘Where’s Rob?’ he yelled. ‘I need to fuck somethin up.’
--
When Percy got home that night, they weren’t alone. There was another car in the driveway and the lights were on in the living room. Percy knew who the car belonged to; his uncle, the Governor and his wife, Rose, who was Henry’s sister.
He entered the house as quietly as he could, shutting the door and bending down to untie the laces of his boots. ‘I’m sorry about Irene not being here,’ he overheard his dad saying to the guests. ‘She had a urgent call with her mother out in West Virginia and had to go immediately.’
He set his boots aside for Odessa to deal with and slowly made his way, as quietly as he could, up the stairs and to his bedroom.
He could deal with them in the morning. But, now, he just wanted to sleep and try to rid the images of Billy and Patrick from his head.
Sunset Ave.
Chapter Nine
Tired of hanging around
Percy and the Governor sat around the breakfast table the next morning, eating cornbread with milk. ‘Now’s the time you’ve got to focus on your education, Percy,’ he was saying. The Governor was a tall man with greying hair that was combed neatly. He was wearing a brown tweed suit with a white shirt beneath it. ‘If you concentrate at school and go to Sunday school, then you will be come great.’
He banged his fist on the table to emphasize each word, before taking a drink of his milk. He set his glass down and wiped his mouth on a napkin. ‘Now, as you know Percy, I’m the Governor. I’m connected to a lot of people,’ he said, with a chuckle. ‘I could get you any job in the county. Hell, I could get you any job in the State!’ Percy listened carefully, eyes gleaming with interest. Any job in the State? He could be great and powerful? The kitchen door squeaked open and Rose and Henry entered. The Governor got to his feet to place a greeting kiss on his wife’s cheek. ‘I was just telling Percy how important education is,’ he told her.
Rose gave a nod of agreement. ‘It is, Percy. You could do a lotta things with a brain like yours,’ she smiled approvingly. Percy flushed with pride. Henry squeezed his son’s shoulder as Percy got to his feet.
‘I have homework,’ he said, ducking his head as he left the room. He heard the Governor chuckle behind him and say, ‘I’m glad to see my words have sunken in!’ Percy climbed the stairs and pushed open the door to his bedroom. He kicked it shut behind him, moving to sit at his desk. There was a pile of work sheets that he needed to complete. Recently, he’d been… distracted.
But, that distraction wasn’t there now, so there was no reason why he should hang about and become a duffer like most of the oafs around here. No, he was goan do his uncle proud and work hard. Any job in the State, Percy grinned. He tugged the first sheet towards him and picked up his pencil.
It was around lunchtime when Percy finished all the sheets. Every now and then Odessa would come in to fill up his glass of juice and they wouldn’t say a word to each other. She’d hurry out the room with a blush in her dark cheeks and each time he smirk, knowing that she’d kept the secret and there was nothing stopping him being what he wanted.
Percy sat back and stretched, looking at the completed pile of work sheets, when he heard voices downstairs. He frowned, leaving his chair and darting out his room and onto the landing. The voice he could clearly hear speaking to his father was that of Irene. Percy hurried downstairs and into the dining room.
Henry had a smug expression on his face as his eyes roamed over his wife and Irene stood, shoulders slumped. She gave a hesitant smile when she saw Percy. ‘I’ve come back,’ she said, stating the obvious. Percy gave a nod, opening his mouth to greet her when there was a knocking at the door. Percy moved through to answer it, feeling his gut squeeze. Who would be knocking?
His father didn’t have a dinner party with his work guests today and he couldn’t think of who would call for his mother. He hoped half-heartedly that it was Darkfield.
Please don’t be Billy a voice in the back of his mind prayed. He couldn’t deal with him right now.
But, when he opened the door, it wasn’t Billy Wharton, but Jessie. She was holding Teddy in her arms and her eyes were red rimmed, but there was a determined expression on her face. ‘Can I talk to yer?’ she asked. ‘In private?’ Percy glanced behind him; his parents were distracted, talking between themselves and he nodded, stepping out the house and shutting the door behind him.
‘What’s this about?’ he asked, but had a sinking feeling that he already knew.
‘I love Patrick,’ she began, herself unsure on what direction the conversation with go. ‘But, I’ve seen what he’s been doing with Billy, all right? I heard yer and Billy argue and Billy told me earlier, but I refused to believe it. Cause, he was my husband and…’ She exhaled heavily. ‘I know what yer’ve been doing with my brother, so dun’t you be denying it.’ Percy flushed.
‘I thought there was something there too,’ he snapped. ‘Between me and him.’
Jessie turned on Percy, an icy expression on her face. ‘You think William loves you?’ she demanded. ‘You think he actually cares? ‘Cause he dun’t, Percy.’ She had a mocking tone to her voice. ‘I’ve known my brother long enough to know that he’d fuck anything if the moment was right. Boy, girl, chicken, goat. It’s all the same to ‘im. You’re nothing, but a new toy and he’ll get bored and move on soon enough.’
Percy just stood there, his brain arguing with his heart; what Jessie was saying was true, though his heart refused to hear of it. Jessie sighed, shaking her head and stepped forward to touch Percy’s hand briefly.
‘I’m not doing this for ‘im,’ she said, voice softer now. ‘I’m doin it for you. William hurts people; it’s what he does and it’s what he enjoys...’ she trailed off, looking sad for a moment. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s the way it always has been.’
And with that, she turned and walked away.
--
By that evening, the Governor and his wife had left. It had just been a quick visit and his uncle had things to be getting on with back home, leaving the Wetmore household before full darkness set. It was dinnertime. Percy sat with his parents at the dinner table, spooning vegetable stew into his mouth. Odessa stood obediently by the table, pouring wine into glasses when needed. That was when their content silence when broken by urgent hammering on the door.
Henry frowned, before giving Odessa a nod. She set the wine bottle on the side and moved through into the hallway. Percy’s spoon stilled over his bowl, ears alert as he listened. Odessa unlocked and opened the front door, stepping back quickly as a boy stumbled in.
It was Billy and he wasn’t looking too good.
Irene jumped to her feet with a cry as Billy all but collapsed on the floor and Percy scraped his chair away from the table, watching wide-eyed. Billy’s face was covered in blood and scratches, his eye bruised and swollen and he coughed, blood dribbling to the floor.
‘Odessa, get a bowl of hot water and a cloth,’ Irene said, in a controlled voice, though she looked fearfully over the boy.
‘Now, woman!’ Henry snapped. Odessa disappeared through into the kitchen. ‘Percy, get a chair.’ Percy moved and picked up one of the chairs from the table, moving to set it beside Billy, who was still coughing. Henry shrugged out his jacket and hung it from the banister, rolling up his sleeves before kneeling to lift Billy to his feet. He sat him on the chair as the boy took big gasps of air, before spitting out some blood.
‘Come on, son, what happened to you?’ Henry asked as Odessa returned with the bowl and cloth. She handed it to Irene, who knelt down, soaking the cloth in the water. She rung it out and began to dab it on Billy’s face.
There was a movement in the doorway and they looked up to see a large, black man shadowing the doorway. Odessa gave a small murmur as she recognized her Priest and took a step back. ‘Can I help you?’ Henry asked, voice hard.
‘Is this a bad time?’ the Priest asked, voice deep and husky. Then, his brown eyes settled on Percy and Billy and he gave a small nod. ‘Actually, I think this is an ideal time.’