Engineering Love, Part One: Karl/Eric fic
Title: Engineering Love, Part One
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman, several of my own characters representing family and friends of Eric in Australia.
Rating: M
Beta: The always generous siluria
Word Count: 2826 words this part
Disclaimer: I've used real people's names to write this story, but just assume I am giving each of them an acting job using their own name; I have no knowledge of their real lives or family, and this story is a fiction I created for love not money.
Warnings: Use of homophobic language used by less than tolerant characters; this does no reflect my own attitudes.
Summary: This is a follow-up to The Mechanics of Love, set a few years later, when Eric and Karl, now well into their 20's, have been in an established relationship for some time. In this story, they go to Australia to visit Eric's family when his father turns sixty, and unexpectedly run into someone Eric knew years ago, before he was sent to NZ...
Author's Notes: This sequel was begun some years ago, and I have finally managed to finish it this year. For anyone who remembers the original, I hope this slightly less sexy, but hopefully just as heartfelt, story is something you'll enjoy! For those of you who are finding this new, you may want to read the earlier story for context, but I leave that up to you!
Eric blinked and took a step backwards, almost tripping over Karl.
"Ow! Watch your feet, mate!" Karl complained, hopping out of his way and glaring.
"Uh... sorry. I uh..." Eric's heart was hammering. He couldn't even think what to say to Karl, distracted as he was by the person he thought he was seeing across the crowded room.
"Eric? Everything okay?" Karl looked slightly concerned now.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... there's someone I haven't seen in ages over there and..." He swallowed hard, unsure how to proceed. He'd told Karl about Hugh, of course, but he hadn't known the man would be at his father's sixtieth birthday party.
"Who? An old friend? Maybe we should say hello?"
"Umm..." Eric said, intelligently. Just then, Hugh looked up and their eyes met. "Oh, Christ..."
Hugh smiled tightly and began to pick his way across the room towards them. Eric wasn't sure he was ready for this meeting. He looked about for something; what he wasn't sure, but escape wasn't likely now that Hugh knew Eric had spotted him. Eric took a breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as Hugh drew near enough to speak.
"Hey Eric, it's been a long time."
Eric nodded, flicking a glance at Karl before replying. "Hugh. I didn't expect you to be here."
"Our parents have been friends for years and... after you left... things kind of drifted back to how they were before. It would have looked odd if I didn't come."
Hugh shrugged and looked interestedly at Karl, who'd been standing there quietly, a worried expression on his face from the minute he'd heard Hugh's name mentioned. Hugh offered Karl a hand. "Hi. I assume you're a friend of Eric's. I'm Hugh. Eric and I went to school together."
Karl looked at his face and then at his hand before flicking his eyes at Eric's face briefly. Looking back towards Hugh, he finally took the offered hand and shook it briefly. "Karl. Eric's mentioned you," he said, his discomfit obvious.
Hugh's brows drew together. His eyes went back to Eric's face as he answered, "He has? Uh… what did he say?"
"Hey, let's not worry about that right now," Eric put in, his heart still beating double-time. He didn't need this situation getting out of hand. "Looks like Dad's about to cut the cake." He gestured to where his mother was bustling about at a table across the room, and then glanced toward one of his sisters peering out of the community centre kitchen. "Let's catch up later, eh?"
He tipped his head in his mum's direction, indicating to Karl that it was time they got over there, and headed off, leaving Hugh behind. Karl hurried after him, looking slightly put out, like Eric had planned this, but he definitely hadn't.
In fact, he wished someone had warned him beforehand that Hugh would be here.
~//~
Thankfully, Eric managed to avoid Hugh for the rest of the night, keeping an eye on Karl while making sure he was always around someone to talk to that would keep Hugh at bay, like his Uncle Terry, who Hugh was clearly still slightly afraid of even after all these years. Terry was massive - six foot five and almost as wide - and had a way of scaring even blokes built like Hugh, who was tall and wide shouldered, with those narrow hips that Eric really shouldn't even be noticing any more, but couldn't help himself from seeing, especially the rear-view angle with well-fitting jeans hugging his bum as they were.
Even Karl was a little nervous of Terry; maybe it was the thick eyebrows and the almost permanent scowl that suggested he'd knock your block off for the first word out of place. But Terry was a sweetheart, as Eric could attest. Terry had been one of the few people who was against Eric being sent to New Zealand after his indiscretion with Hugh all those years ago, even though he knew exactly why.
He wasn't great with words though, and hadn't been able to convince his brother of any reason good enough for Eric not to be sent away. Eric hadn't forgotten though, so he happily hung around with his uncle for the rest of the night. And Terry seemed to like Karl, though he had to be fully aware of the relationship between them.
His parents, on the other hand, had treated Karl with polite disdain, as if he had something on his shirt or hands, ever since Eric and Karl had arrived from New Zealand. Eric had spoken to them on the phone before he and Karl got on the plane. He'd explained to them how Karl was his boyfriend and that he wasn't coming if he couldn't bring him along. They'd been quietly accepting, but had suggested the two men found accommodation outside of the family home; they weren't having a couple 'like them' staying together at their house while their grandchildren were staying there.
Eric - and Karl - had been relieved about that, and willing to stay in a motel, until Terry had called him a day or so later to suggest he stay with them. Terry had never married, and while Eric had no reason to think anything of that - he wasn't the only one of his father's three brothers to stay single - he did wonder to himself if he had more than just a love of motor-racing and beer in common with his uncle.
~//~
Midway through the party, Eric found himself cornered by his great-aunt Matilda, and there was no getting away. While he could tell that Hugh still wasn't likely to approach him while he was with her, Karl had wandered off to get another drink and Eric could see Hugh heading in Karl's direction. His heart thumped hard at the thought of what he might or might not say to Karl, and he almost missed the question from his aunt.
"So you're poofs, then?"
"Pardon?" Eric was somewhat shocked by the direct question. He had no idea his parents had told anyone in the family besides Terry, who'd been living with the family at the time, although he'd known there would be questions when he brought a man to his father's party. Of course rumours had probably gotten around too.
"Oh, don't worry," Aunt Matilda said, lowering herself onto the nearest chair and pulling Eric down to sit beside her. "No one said anything to me. I figured it out all by myself when your folks were so close-lipped about why they sent you away. Nothing short of murder or sodomy would get your mother to do that, and I knew you weren't a murderer."
Eric was too shocked to say anything; he had no idea Aunt Matilda was so insightful.
"He's a good-looking lad, Eric; you've done well." She beamed at him happily.
"Auntie, are you really… I had no idea… I just thought… even though…" While Eric knew he wasn't making much sense, he was too surprised at her accepting attitude to find proper words.
"Oh Eric," Aunt Matilda laughed, patting his nearest thigh. "Don't think we're all as backward as your parents."
He goggled at her some more. She was at least fifteen years older than his parents; it just seemed incredible that she was so open-minded.
"Look," she went on, "You're clearly smitten with the boy, and he's been following you around like a lost lamb most of the night, which - considering he's almost as big as you are - is incredibly sweet to watch. I just didn't want you to think that no-one would talk to him because he's your…" She paused for a moment, questioning with her eyes as she continued carefully, "…boyfriend? Is that what you call him?"
A warmth was spreading through Eric at her kind words, and he grinned at her, nodding his head. "Yes. I should introduce you. I'm sorry I didn't before now."
She waved a hand. "I wasn't completely sure at first, and no one in your family was racing to say anything about him, so I figured I'd wait a while. Now's good, though." She raised her eyebrows over her glasses expectantly.
"Oh yes, of course!" Eric gave her a sheepish smile and stood up, trying to spot Karl.
Jesus! He was still over by the drinks table, talking to… Hugh.
~//~
Karl, for his part, had been feeling much like the lost lamb that Eric's great-aunt had described him as, not that he'd heard what she said; nor was he about to admit it to anyone. People nodded and occasionally smiled at him, but no-one had attempted to engage him in conversation. Rather, they gave him sideways looks and moved on, especially once Eric started talking to his auntie about people Karl didn't know - he hadn't felt inclined to stand there like an idiot either, so he'd meandered towards the drinks to get himself another beer.
Unexpectedly, he'd come face to face with Hugh, the one person he didn't know if he really wanted to talk to amongst those gathered here.
"Hi." Hugh smiled right at Karl, gesturing towards the man behind the drinks table. "What'll it be; beer?" At Karl's nod, he said, "Thanks, Jim," and reached for the offered bottle, handing it to Karl as he drew nearer.
Clinking his own bottle against Karl's as soon as Karl twisted the top off, Hugh nodded back at him. "Cheers, mate." He took a swig and swallowed slowly as Karl followed suit, his eyes never leaving Karl's face.
"Thanks," Karl said, with some relief. Maybe having Hugh talk to him was better than being ignored the way everyone else was doing.
"So," Hugh managed, like he was weighing his words carefully, "You and Eric, eh?"
Or maybe not, Karl thought. He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss his and Eric's relationship with Eric's ex - if the guy Eric had been caught fumbling around with (on the one occasion it had apparently happened) before he was smartly shipped off to live with relatives in New Zealand could properly be described as an 'ex' officially.
"Yup," he allowed, immediately followed by a gulp of beer as he considered the man Eric had been intimate with all those years before Karl had known him. The fact that Eric had told him about Hugh was something, he supposed, and he probably didn't have anything to worry about, but Karl still found himself concerned that Hugh's appearance at this 'do' was a kind of threat.
Hugh smiled at him, taking a few steps away from the table and out of hearing of 'Jim'. "I wondered if he… would find someone over there."
"Well, he did, and we're pretty happy," Karl said, aware that it sounded very much like he was staking his place and that Hugh wasn't welcome to interfere.
"Good, good; I'm glad."
Karl frowned. "You are?"
Hugh swallowed more beer, raising one eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, of course. I have a… girlfriend, and even though Eric followed a different path, all I ever wanted for him was to be happy."
"He told me about you," Karl said, unsure if Hugh making it very clear that he had a 'girlfriend' now was because he thought Eric wouldn't have told Karl about his past.
"I figured he might," Hugh said, not quite looking at Karl. "What happened with us… was… a mistake. I was never…"
"Yeah, whatever," Karl told him, anger starting to buzz behind his eyes. Hugh's words sounded very much like the guy was lying to himself as well as to Karl, and he couldn't help wondering if it was all about saving face since clearly his folks hadn't thought the 'indiscretion' warranted Hugh getting shipped away from his home. Presumably he'd used the line before - had put the blame squarely on Eric so he wouldn't have to face up to whatever punishment he might have faced.
"Seriously," Hugh said, like Karl had to believe him.
Karl swigged more beer, and then faced him squarely, one eyebrow raised. "Look, I don't care what you told everyone to reduce your own sentence, mate; I only care that you did it at the expense of Eric. Although I should probably thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yeah. After all, if you hadn't screwed him over, he and I probably wouldn't have met."
"I didn't screw him over!"
Karl snorted, and then gulped another mouthful of beer, gazing distrustfully at Hugh.
Hugh repeated, "I didn't screw him over!" and then, as if realising that people around them could hear, he gestured towards the community centre's stage, and took a few steps in that direction. Karl followed him, curious as to what Hugh was going to say.
"Look, you can believe whatever you want, Karl, but I didn't purposely leave him to take the blame. His dad kicked me out when he… walked in on us, and I didn't get to say anything."
"What? Not even when your folks heard?"
Hugh twisted the bottle in his hands, frowning deeply as he studied his own action. "Eric's dad never told them. And I… I couldn't. I thought about it, but I didn't think it meant anything… in the end, and I just thought… I assumed his dad was too embarrassed about it; didn't want anyone else involved, and as long as I didn't see Eric again, like he said, I figured it would be alright."
Karl was shocked; Eric had seemed convinced that his father must have told Hugh's parents. "What do you mean?"
Hugh looked up, confusion in his eyes. "When he kicked me out, Eric's dad told me that I should stay away from Eric or he'd beat the crap out of me. I believed him, Karl. The look in his eyes…" He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I didn't know about Eric getting sent away until after he'd gone."
"You didn't? That's not what Eric said."
"Eric didn't know."
"Jesus, Hugh. So, you didn't… how did you find out?"
"His Uncle Terry told me. Shit, that guy still scares the Bejesus out of me, I tell you." He did a full-body shudder as he glanced over his shoulder like Terry might be close by. "But I ran into him one day a few weeks later, and he cornered me. The guy's got this way… I was freaked out at first - thought Eric's dad had sent him around to bash me, but it turned out he was the only other person who knew, and that's when he told me. Christ, I was bummed out; I felt bad for Eric, but what could I do? He'd gone; I didn't know where to write to him, and even if I got the address, I didn't think Eric would want to hear from me."
Karl frowned and aimed his gaze towards where Eric had been talking to his great aunt just a few minutes earlier. He was no longer sitting with her, but making his way across the room to join Karl and Hugh. Karl's heart stuttered at the look on Eric's face. He looked back at Hugh, feeling a little less angry about his part in Eric's transportation to New Zealand, and hoped Eric would be willing to give the guy a chance.
"Eric, you need to hear this."
Eric's frown deepened as he looked from Karl to Hugh and then back again. "I don't think I need to hear anything Hugh's got to say. It's time we headed off, anyway."
Karl opened his mouth to speak, watching Hugh drop his eyes and shove his hands in his pockets, his shoulders drooping like he had already given up hope of Eric hearing him out. "Hugh didn't-"
"Look, Karl, it doesn't matter," Eric said, "All that was a long time ago now. We're happy, right?"
"Yeah…" Karl started.
"Then there's no point going over all that again, is there?"
"Eric's right," Hugh said, lifting his eyes at last. "Forget it; I have."
But there was something in Hugh's eyes that said something different altogether, and Karl knew he'd have to do something to get Eric and Hugh to be friends again. He wouldn't feel right otherwise, and if Hugh was straight, he couldn't be any kind of threat to what Eric and Karl had together, despite what he'd been thinking earlier.
Eric was striding off now though, having barely managed to grunt out a 'bye' in Hugh's direction, and Karl didn't feel like he could do anything except follow his boyfriend at this point. He nodded at Hugh. "Thanks for telling me, anyway. Seeya."
Trailing Eric, Karl left the sad-eyed Hugh behind as they made their way over to the rest of Eric's family to make their excuses. Along the way, he was introduced to Eric's Aunt Matilda, who seemed almost disappointed they were leaving so soon, but Karl couldn't be worried about that, not when Eric was so worked up over Hugh.
~//~//~
Part Two
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman, several of my own characters representing family and friends of Eric in Australia.
Rating: M
Beta: The always generous siluria
Word Count: 2826 words this part
Disclaimer: I've used real people's names to write this story, but just assume I am giving each of them an acting job using their own name; I have no knowledge of their real lives or family, and this story is a fiction I created for love not money.
Warnings: Use of homophobic language used by less than tolerant characters; this does no reflect my own attitudes.
Summary: This is a follow-up to The Mechanics of Love, set a few years later, when Eric and Karl, now well into their 20's, have been in an established relationship for some time. In this story, they go to Australia to visit Eric's family when his father turns sixty, and unexpectedly run into someone Eric knew years ago, before he was sent to NZ...
Author's Notes: This sequel was begun some years ago, and I have finally managed to finish it this year. For anyone who remembers the original, I hope this slightly less sexy, but hopefully just as heartfelt, story is something you'll enjoy! For those of you who are finding this new, you may want to read the earlier story for context, but I leave that up to you!
Eric blinked and took a step backwards, almost tripping over Karl.
"Ow! Watch your feet, mate!" Karl complained, hopping out of his way and glaring.
"Uh... sorry. I uh..." Eric's heart was hammering. He couldn't even think what to say to Karl, distracted as he was by the person he thought he was seeing across the crowded room.
"Eric? Everything okay?" Karl looked slightly concerned now.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... there's someone I haven't seen in ages over there and..." He swallowed hard, unsure how to proceed. He'd told Karl about Hugh, of course, but he hadn't known the man would be at his father's sixtieth birthday party.
"Who? An old friend? Maybe we should say hello?"
"Umm..." Eric said, intelligently. Just then, Hugh looked up and their eyes met. "Oh, Christ..."
Hugh smiled tightly and began to pick his way across the room towards them. Eric wasn't sure he was ready for this meeting. He looked about for something; what he wasn't sure, but escape wasn't likely now that Hugh knew Eric had spotted him. Eric took a breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as Hugh drew near enough to speak.
"Hey Eric, it's been a long time."
Eric nodded, flicking a glance at Karl before replying. "Hugh. I didn't expect you to be here."
"Our parents have been friends for years and... after you left... things kind of drifted back to how they were before. It would have looked odd if I didn't come."
Hugh shrugged and looked interestedly at Karl, who'd been standing there quietly, a worried expression on his face from the minute he'd heard Hugh's name mentioned. Hugh offered Karl a hand. "Hi. I assume you're a friend of Eric's. I'm Hugh. Eric and I went to school together."
Karl looked at his face and then at his hand before flicking his eyes at Eric's face briefly. Looking back towards Hugh, he finally took the offered hand and shook it briefly. "Karl. Eric's mentioned you," he said, his discomfit obvious.
Hugh's brows drew together. His eyes went back to Eric's face as he answered, "He has? Uh… what did he say?"
"Hey, let's not worry about that right now," Eric put in, his heart still beating double-time. He didn't need this situation getting out of hand. "Looks like Dad's about to cut the cake." He gestured to where his mother was bustling about at a table across the room, and then glanced toward one of his sisters peering out of the community centre kitchen. "Let's catch up later, eh?"
He tipped his head in his mum's direction, indicating to Karl that it was time they got over there, and headed off, leaving Hugh behind. Karl hurried after him, looking slightly put out, like Eric had planned this, but he definitely hadn't.
In fact, he wished someone had warned him beforehand that Hugh would be here.
~//~
Thankfully, Eric managed to avoid Hugh for the rest of the night, keeping an eye on Karl while making sure he was always around someone to talk to that would keep Hugh at bay, like his Uncle Terry, who Hugh was clearly still slightly afraid of even after all these years. Terry was massive - six foot five and almost as wide - and had a way of scaring even blokes built like Hugh, who was tall and wide shouldered, with those narrow hips that Eric really shouldn't even be noticing any more, but couldn't help himself from seeing, especially the rear-view angle with well-fitting jeans hugging his bum as they were.
Even Karl was a little nervous of Terry; maybe it was the thick eyebrows and the almost permanent scowl that suggested he'd knock your block off for the first word out of place. But Terry was a sweetheart, as Eric could attest. Terry had been one of the few people who was against Eric being sent to New Zealand after his indiscretion with Hugh all those years ago, even though he knew exactly why.
He wasn't great with words though, and hadn't been able to convince his brother of any reason good enough for Eric not to be sent away. Eric hadn't forgotten though, so he happily hung around with his uncle for the rest of the night. And Terry seemed to like Karl, though he had to be fully aware of the relationship between them.
His parents, on the other hand, had treated Karl with polite disdain, as if he had something on his shirt or hands, ever since Eric and Karl had arrived from New Zealand. Eric had spoken to them on the phone before he and Karl got on the plane. He'd explained to them how Karl was his boyfriend and that he wasn't coming if he couldn't bring him along. They'd been quietly accepting, but had suggested the two men found accommodation outside of the family home; they weren't having a couple 'like them' staying together at their house while their grandchildren were staying there.
Eric - and Karl - had been relieved about that, and willing to stay in a motel, until Terry had called him a day or so later to suggest he stay with them. Terry had never married, and while Eric had no reason to think anything of that - he wasn't the only one of his father's three brothers to stay single - he did wonder to himself if he had more than just a love of motor-racing and beer in common with his uncle.
~//~
Midway through the party, Eric found himself cornered by his great-aunt Matilda, and there was no getting away. While he could tell that Hugh still wasn't likely to approach him while he was with her, Karl had wandered off to get another drink and Eric could see Hugh heading in Karl's direction. His heart thumped hard at the thought of what he might or might not say to Karl, and he almost missed the question from his aunt.
"So you're poofs, then?"
"Pardon?" Eric was somewhat shocked by the direct question. He had no idea his parents had told anyone in the family besides Terry, who'd been living with the family at the time, although he'd known there would be questions when he brought a man to his father's party. Of course rumours had probably gotten around too.
"Oh, don't worry," Aunt Matilda said, lowering herself onto the nearest chair and pulling Eric down to sit beside her. "No one said anything to me. I figured it out all by myself when your folks were so close-lipped about why they sent you away. Nothing short of murder or sodomy would get your mother to do that, and I knew you weren't a murderer."
Eric was too shocked to say anything; he had no idea Aunt Matilda was so insightful.
"He's a good-looking lad, Eric; you've done well." She beamed at him happily.
"Auntie, are you really… I had no idea… I just thought… even though…" While Eric knew he wasn't making much sense, he was too surprised at her accepting attitude to find proper words.
"Oh Eric," Aunt Matilda laughed, patting his nearest thigh. "Don't think we're all as backward as your parents."
He goggled at her some more. She was at least fifteen years older than his parents; it just seemed incredible that she was so open-minded.
"Look," she went on, "You're clearly smitten with the boy, and he's been following you around like a lost lamb most of the night, which - considering he's almost as big as you are - is incredibly sweet to watch. I just didn't want you to think that no-one would talk to him because he's your…" She paused for a moment, questioning with her eyes as she continued carefully, "…boyfriend? Is that what you call him?"
A warmth was spreading through Eric at her kind words, and he grinned at her, nodding his head. "Yes. I should introduce you. I'm sorry I didn't before now."
She waved a hand. "I wasn't completely sure at first, and no one in your family was racing to say anything about him, so I figured I'd wait a while. Now's good, though." She raised her eyebrows over her glasses expectantly.
"Oh yes, of course!" Eric gave her a sheepish smile and stood up, trying to spot Karl.
Jesus! He was still over by the drinks table, talking to… Hugh.
~//~
Karl, for his part, had been feeling much like the lost lamb that Eric's great-aunt had described him as, not that he'd heard what she said; nor was he about to admit it to anyone. People nodded and occasionally smiled at him, but no-one had attempted to engage him in conversation. Rather, they gave him sideways looks and moved on, especially once Eric started talking to his auntie about people Karl didn't know - he hadn't felt inclined to stand there like an idiot either, so he'd meandered towards the drinks to get himself another beer.
Unexpectedly, he'd come face to face with Hugh, the one person he didn't know if he really wanted to talk to amongst those gathered here.
"Hi." Hugh smiled right at Karl, gesturing towards the man behind the drinks table. "What'll it be; beer?" At Karl's nod, he said, "Thanks, Jim," and reached for the offered bottle, handing it to Karl as he drew nearer.
Clinking his own bottle against Karl's as soon as Karl twisted the top off, Hugh nodded back at him. "Cheers, mate." He took a swig and swallowed slowly as Karl followed suit, his eyes never leaving Karl's face.
"Thanks," Karl said, with some relief. Maybe having Hugh talk to him was better than being ignored the way everyone else was doing.
"So," Hugh managed, like he was weighing his words carefully, "You and Eric, eh?"
Or maybe not, Karl thought. He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss his and Eric's relationship with Eric's ex - if the guy Eric had been caught fumbling around with (on the one occasion it had apparently happened) before he was smartly shipped off to live with relatives in New Zealand could properly be described as an 'ex' officially.
"Yup," he allowed, immediately followed by a gulp of beer as he considered the man Eric had been intimate with all those years before Karl had known him. The fact that Eric had told him about Hugh was something, he supposed, and he probably didn't have anything to worry about, but Karl still found himself concerned that Hugh's appearance at this 'do' was a kind of threat.
Hugh smiled at him, taking a few steps away from the table and out of hearing of 'Jim'. "I wondered if he… would find someone over there."
"Well, he did, and we're pretty happy," Karl said, aware that it sounded very much like he was staking his place and that Hugh wasn't welcome to interfere.
"Good, good; I'm glad."
Karl frowned. "You are?"
Hugh swallowed more beer, raising one eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, of course. I have a… girlfriend, and even though Eric followed a different path, all I ever wanted for him was to be happy."
"He told me about you," Karl said, unsure if Hugh making it very clear that he had a 'girlfriend' now was because he thought Eric wouldn't have told Karl about his past.
"I figured he might," Hugh said, not quite looking at Karl. "What happened with us… was… a mistake. I was never…"
"Yeah, whatever," Karl told him, anger starting to buzz behind his eyes. Hugh's words sounded very much like the guy was lying to himself as well as to Karl, and he couldn't help wondering if it was all about saving face since clearly his folks hadn't thought the 'indiscretion' warranted Hugh getting shipped away from his home. Presumably he'd used the line before - had put the blame squarely on Eric so he wouldn't have to face up to whatever punishment he might have faced.
"Seriously," Hugh said, like Karl had to believe him.
Karl swigged more beer, and then faced him squarely, one eyebrow raised. "Look, I don't care what you told everyone to reduce your own sentence, mate; I only care that you did it at the expense of Eric. Although I should probably thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yeah. After all, if you hadn't screwed him over, he and I probably wouldn't have met."
"I didn't screw him over!"
Karl snorted, and then gulped another mouthful of beer, gazing distrustfully at Hugh.
Hugh repeated, "I didn't screw him over!" and then, as if realising that people around them could hear, he gestured towards the community centre's stage, and took a few steps in that direction. Karl followed him, curious as to what Hugh was going to say.
"Look, you can believe whatever you want, Karl, but I didn't purposely leave him to take the blame. His dad kicked me out when he… walked in on us, and I didn't get to say anything."
"What? Not even when your folks heard?"
Hugh twisted the bottle in his hands, frowning deeply as he studied his own action. "Eric's dad never told them. And I… I couldn't. I thought about it, but I didn't think it meant anything… in the end, and I just thought… I assumed his dad was too embarrassed about it; didn't want anyone else involved, and as long as I didn't see Eric again, like he said, I figured it would be alright."
Karl was shocked; Eric had seemed convinced that his father must have told Hugh's parents. "What do you mean?"
Hugh looked up, confusion in his eyes. "When he kicked me out, Eric's dad told me that I should stay away from Eric or he'd beat the crap out of me. I believed him, Karl. The look in his eyes…" He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I didn't know about Eric getting sent away until after he'd gone."
"You didn't? That's not what Eric said."
"Eric didn't know."
"Jesus, Hugh. So, you didn't… how did you find out?"
"His Uncle Terry told me. Shit, that guy still scares the Bejesus out of me, I tell you." He did a full-body shudder as he glanced over his shoulder like Terry might be close by. "But I ran into him one day a few weeks later, and he cornered me. The guy's got this way… I was freaked out at first - thought Eric's dad had sent him around to bash me, but it turned out he was the only other person who knew, and that's when he told me. Christ, I was bummed out; I felt bad for Eric, but what could I do? He'd gone; I didn't know where to write to him, and even if I got the address, I didn't think Eric would want to hear from me."
Karl frowned and aimed his gaze towards where Eric had been talking to his great aunt just a few minutes earlier. He was no longer sitting with her, but making his way across the room to join Karl and Hugh. Karl's heart stuttered at the look on Eric's face. He looked back at Hugh, feeling a little less angry about his part in Eric's transportation to New Zealand, and hoped Eric would be willing to give the guy a chance.
"Eric, you need to hear this."
Eric's frown deepened as he looked from Karl to Hugh and then back again. "I don't think I need to hear anything Hugh's got to say. It's time we headed off, anyway."
Karl opened his mouth to speak, watching Hugh drop his eyes and shove his hands in his pockets, his shoulders drooping like he had already given up hope of Eric hearing him out. "Hugh didn't-"
"Look, Karl, it doesn't matter," Eric said, "All that was a long time ago now. We're happy, right?"
"Yeah…" Karl started.
"Then there's no point going over all that again, is there?"
"Eric's right," Hugh said, lifting his eyes at last. "Forget it; I have."
But there was something in Hugh's eyes that said something different altogether, and Karl knew he'd have to do something to get Eric and Hugh to be friends again. He wouldn't feel right otherwise, and if Hugh was straight, he couldn't be any kind of threat to what Eric and Karl had together, despite what he'd been thinking earlier.
Eric was striding off now though, having barely managed to grunt out a 'bye' in Hugh's direction, and Karl didn't feel like he could do anything except follow his boyfriend at this point. He nodded at Hugh. "Thanks for telling me, anyway. Seeya."
Trailing Eric, Karl left the sad-eyed Hugh behind as they made their way over to the rest of Eric's family to make their excuses. Along the way, he was introduced to Eric's Aunt Matilda, who seemed almost disappointed they were leaving so soon, but Karl couldn't be worried about that, not when Eric was so worked up over Hugh.
~//~//~
Part Two