RP LOG with kissmyhaggis & nothingunderit | No more secrets
[Follows THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS]
Angus figured it must be the season for soaked and broken-hearted Evans brothers when Stuart finally appeared in Iain's livingroom drenched from head-to-toe and looking just plain miserable. Angus had been watching football with Braden when their baby brother showed up. Iain had an emergency call to his restaurant with an apparent flood in the roofing, so he had to rush over there ASAP to try and get someone in to fix it before all the hard work on the premises went down the toilet. Jules and Kenzie had gone to see the girly Sex and the City 2 at the cinema, so it had left Angus and Braden on their lonesome with a six pack and the footy on Sky, anything to try and get their minds of what Angus had seen earlier that day. At least, until they were suddenly invaded by a shadow of their baby bro's former self. As soon as Angus saw him, it felt like his stomach dropped out his arse, of course the first conclusion he jumped to was that he knew about the 'doctors & nurses' in Tom's office.
He shot up out of his seat and was at Stuart's side in a hearbeat. Braden seemed to exit stage-left, probably to get some towels, but Angus rested his hands on Stuart's upper arms and squeezed him softly. "Whatever happens, laddie, we're all gonna be there, okay? Nay matter what. You just have to say the word and we'll be there," he told him with a nod for emphasis. He held Stuart's gaze, which was flat and blank, his eyes bloodshot. Even a couple of slow blinks didn't seem to afford some clarity.
Stuart was aware he was wet and cold. He was aware his stomach was upset from the whirlpool of emotions churning inside him. His mind just wasn't thinking clearly, and at first, he just assumed it was because of the kick in the guts he had with the fight with Tom. But he had no fucking idea what Angus was on about. He didn't think his brother had suddenly become psychic, but even then, it might've been a huge fight - their first huge fight - and Stuart needed to get out of Tom's presence for awhile, but Gus' words sounded so... serious and full of apprehension. Stuart knew he was really fucked if he ended up letting something like Tom's homemade porn split them up. Did his brothers really think he was that shallow? Unless it wasn't even anything to do with Tom, and it was something else. If it was something else, it wasn't something good, by the sounds of Gus' tone and the look on his face. "What are you on aboot?" he asked, his voice rough from the crying. "What is- wait, is it Da'? It's Da' isnae it? He's had another heart attack! Oh my god!" The panic was rapid to set in, his emotions frayed and bubbling at the forefront. They nearly lost their dad after his last heart attack, and at the time, Stuart wasn't sure he would survive an ordeal like that ever again.
"No! No, no, no!" Angus quickly jumped in, shaking his head. "It isnae Da', buddy. He's fine. I've nay long been talking to him and Ma' on the phone. He's going on the pish with Uncle Mark for Cal's game. It isnae Da'," he repeated, trying to reassure Stuart as soon as he saw the fear in his eyes. But that meant Stuart didn't know about what went down earlier, and Angus was suddenly faced with a horrible notion of being the one to tell him. He had been insistent with Iain that Stuart should know, but now his wee brother here, facing him, looking like hell, Angus was suddenly petrified to be the messenger. He didn't want to be the one to hurt his baby brother. "Ach, Stuarty..." he murmured sadly, looking over Stuart's face again.
Braden came back with an armful of towels, hoping that, unlike him, they could prevent Stuart coming down with the flu from being caught in the rain, even if it was summer. He met Angus' eyes briefly over Stuart's shoulders as he draped two towels around his shoulders, rubbing his back to try and dry him off. Of course, Iain and Angus had filled him in on everything, and although he was struggling to believe Tom would cheat on Stuart, what else did they have to go on? There didn't seem to be any sane reason why Sophie's brother would be on his knees in front of Tom in a closed office. Something was wrong with Stuart, though, and it wasn't this knowledge? Nothing was sitting right and the nervous apprehension hung heavily in the air. "Stuey, why are you here soaked to the bone? What's happened?"
Stuart wasn't expecting his questions to be turned back on him, and it threw him at first. All he really wanted to know was what the fuck was going on, but he faltered. "I, uh..." he began, glancing over his shoulder at Braden and then back at Gus. He felt like this was some sort of intervention. If only he was an addict of some sort, and then this would make sense. He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily and then wet his lips. "Um... I... Tom and me had a fight. I found out he was sleeping with someone in the past that I didnae know about. Wouldnae normally give a toss, but it's practically family. I... Kenzie and Jules must've had Tom's homemade porn oot. There was a DVD there, and he was... fucking hill. He was getting it on with Sophie's wee brother. It just pissed me off, you know? After everything, I figured he should tell me something like that. It was bad enough watching him fuck faceless blokes I didnae know, but when I saw Liam, it just screwed with my head and I got angry. Started wondering what else he was keeping from me. It just exploded, I screamed at him, we screamed at each other, then I walked out. Now I'm shattered. I needed to just... nay look at him for a wee while."
Angus really thought he was going to vomit. As soon as the penny dropped with Stuart's words that there had been something between Liam and Tom in the past, the smallest amount of hope that Jess had been mistaken got shattered. Something akin to red-hot anger mixed with devastated sadness crept up inside him. After the initial protectiveness of his baby brother, he had really come to like Tom, really thought he was a perfect match for Stuart when he saw how happy they were together. "Come and sit, buddy," he said quietly, finding Stuart oddly pliant when he led him over to the sofa. "I need to tell you something."
Stuart sat heavily, Angus' words feeling like they were cutting into him. He really wasn't sure he could take much more, and he stayed quiet. What he really wanted was to forget the stupid fight, go back home and crawl into bed with Tom to pass out and just sleep. It wasn't enough to shake his anger at Tom, though. Finding that DVD was a horrible shock and he still didn't know what to make of Tom not telling him he had been with Liam in the past. If their father wasn't sick, or anyone else in their family, which Angus probably would have clarified initially, than anything else would be a piece of piss after his fight with Tom, right? He just nodded, eyes locked on Angus' face when he sat. When Braden took the seat on his other side, Stuart glanced at him too, his eyes a little wide now and a nervousness started to bite in his gut.
Angus took Stuart's hand with a small sigh to brace himself. Ironically, it was Stuart's left hand, and his thick, expensive engagement ring was impossible to miss. Angus felt like it was placed to taunt him, almost daring him to just let this slide as nothing. "I, um... I had my appointment with Tom today. At least, I was supposed to," he began and then held up his hand so Stuart wouldn't jump in and cut him off with more questions. This just needed saying, and there was absolutely no easy way to face it. It just needed to be out there. If Stuart found out later down the track he was kept in the dark, things would take an even worse turn, without a doubt. Secrets weren't something he had a high tolerance for. It didn't help now that he noticed Stuart had to shiver a little, something not lost on Braden who rubbed his back with the towel even more. "I was waiting outside his office for my appointment. He was running a wee bit late, and that was okay. His secretary said he was on an important call. It all happened really quickly. Jessica was there, she seemed to head in the direction of what I assume was his office. Barely a few moments later she ran back, and she really upset about something." He paused and had to press his lips together to try and keep his composure as he played the scene back over in his mind. "Then... Liam ran out, chasing her to the elevators, but he came back a short time later without her, and went back into Tom's office. I had nay idea what the feck was going on, but it just all seemed strange, so I followed her to make sure she was okay. It didnae seem like her brother was going to, like, and Tom certainly didnae come oot to follow her either. I caught up with her doon on the ground floor, and even though she was in a state, she finally admitted that she had seen Tom and Liam... together... in his office. I-It just must've shocked her and she ran. I dinnae know anything after that. I couldnae stick around to swallow anymore..."
The only shock that came for Stuart was that he wasn't hit with any shock. When Angus stopped talking, Stuart stomach turned over and he did fear he was about to throw up, but it didn't come. He felt a little light-headed, like he had been spinning around in circles on an empty stomach, and it was probably a good thing he was sitting down. But there was no forceful blow of shock, and it was almost like after seeing that DVD earlier in the day, this was just like a extension of a nightmare. The expectation was maybe already there, and that was what was making him feel sick. His face had paled and he remained silent, trying to play the scenario out in his head. All he got were more memories of the DVD on the huge TV screen and the how intimate Tom had looked with Liam. But just a few moments later, it was like a wave of emotion hit him and the most prominent sensation he could feel was hurt and loneliness, his heart feeling like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed it into a vice. He couldn't even draw on the energy to be angry. A devastated sob caught in his throat and he put his hands up over his face and just started crying. "Can I please stay here tonight?" he sobbed out, the words barely intelligible.
The two older Evans' brother just shared a devastated look, Angus not missing the fact that Braden now had unshed tears in his eyes, too. Angus wasn't far off sitting there and sobbing right along with his baby brother, just because it hurt like a fucking bitch to witness him so upset. Logistically, there was no fucking way he was going back to stay at Tom's house either, and he wasn't going to let Jules stay there either. That meant, that in one complete about-turn, Iain was about to find himself with not only Stuart as a houseguest that night, but also Angus, Jules, Braden and Kenzie. That was a whole lot of bodies to jam into one small apartment with just one guest room. They might need to call in Gee for back-up, and ask if she minded some guests briefly, or maybe even Iain's other half too. Hopefully the bairn wouldn't mind a couple of extra uncles on hand for a few days. "Aye, buddy... you arenae going anywhere," he assured him without hesitation, wrapping his arms around Stuart in a tight, proctective hug. Braden moved with a mirrored action, the three brothers folding into one big embrace while Stuart just continued to cry. Suddenly, not a single damn thing felt certain... or happy.
Word Count | 2,137
Angus figured it must be the season for soaked and broken-hearted Evans brothers when Stuart finally appeared in Iain's livingroom drenched from head-to-toe and looking just plain miserable. Angus had been watching football with Braden when their baby brother showed up. Iain had an emergency call to his restaurant with an apparent flood in the roofing, so he had to rush over there ASAP to try and get someone in to fix it before all the hard work on the premises went down the toilet. Jules and Kenzie had gone to see the girly Sex and the City 2 at the cinema, so it had left Angus and Braden on their lonesome with a six pack and the footy on Sky, anything to try and get their minds of what Angus had seen earlier that day. At least, until they were suddenly invaded by a shadow of their baby bro's former self. As soon as Angus saw him, it felt like his stomach dropped out his arse, of course the first conclusion he jumped to was that he knew about the 'doctors & nurses' in Tom's office.
He shot up out of his seat and was at Stuart's side in a hearbeat. Braden seemed to exit stage-left, probably to get some towels, but Angus rested his hands on Stuart's upper arms and squeezed him softly. "Whatever happens, laddie, we're all gonna be there, okay? Nay matter what. You just have to say the word and we'll be there," he told him with a nod for emphasis. He held Stuart's gaze, which was flat and blank, his eyes bloodshot. Even a couple of slow blinks didn't seem to afford some clarity.
Stuart was aware he was wet and cold. He was aware his stomach was upset from the whirlpool of emotions churning inside him. His mind just wasn't thinking clearly, and at first, he just assumed it was because of the kick in the guts he had with the fight with Tom. But he had no fucking idea what Angus was on about. He didn't think his brother had suddenly become psychic, but even then, it might've been a huge fight - their first huge fight - and Stuart needed to get out of Tom's presence for awhile, but Gus' words sounded so... serious and full of apprehension. Stuart knew he was really fucked if he ended up letting something like Tom's homemade porn split them up. Did his brothers really think he was that shallow? Unless it wasn't even anything to do with Tom, and it was something else. If it was something else, it wasn't something good, by the sounds of Gus' tone and the look on his face. "What are you on aboot?" he asked, his voice rough from the crying. "What is- wait, is it Da'? It's Da' isnae it? He's had another heart attack! Oh my god!" The panic was rapid to set in, his emotions frayed and bubbling at the forefront. They nearly lost their dad after his last heart attack, and at the time, Stuart wasn't sure he would survive an ordeal like that ever again.
"No! No, no, no!" Angus quickly jumped in, shaking his head. "It isnae Da', buddy. He's fine. I've nay long been talking to him and Ma' on the phone. He's going on the pish with Uncle Mark for Cal's game. It isnae Da'," he repeated, trying to reassure Stuart as soon as he saw the fear in his eyes. But that meant Stuart didn't know about what went down earlier, and Angus was suddenly faced with a horrible notion of being the one to tell him. He had been insistent with Iain that Stuart should know, but now his wee brother here, facing him, looking like hell, Angus was suddenly petrified to be the messenger. He didn't want to be the one to hurt his baby brother. "Ach, Stuarty..." he murmured sadly, looking over Stuart's face again.
Braden came back with an armful of towels, hoping that, unlike him, they could prevent Stuart coming down with the flu from being caught in the rain, even if it was summer. He met Angus' eyes briefly over Stuart's shoulders as he draped two towels around his shoulders, rubbing his back to try and dry him off. Of course, Iain and Angus had filled him in on everything, and although he was struggling to believe Tom would cheat on Stuart, what else did they have to go on? There didn't seem to be any sane reason why Sophie's brother would be on his knees in front of Tom in a closed office. Something was wrong with Stuart, though, and it wasn't this knowledge? Nothing was sitting right and the nervous apprehension hung heavily in the air. "Stuey, why are you here soaked to the bone? What's happened?"
Stuart wasn't expecting his questions to be turned back on him, and it threw him at first. All he really wanted to know was what the fuck was going on, but he faltered. "I, uh..." he began, glancing over his shoulder at Braden and then back at Gus. He felt like this was some sort of intervention. If only he was an addict of some sort, and then this would make sense. He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily and then wet his lips. "Um... I... Tom and me had a fight. I found out he was sleeping with someone in the past that I didnae know about. Wouldnae normally give a toss, but it's practically family. I... Kenzie and Jules must've had Tom's homemade porn oot. There was a DVD there, and he was... fucking hill. He was getting it on with Sophie's wee brother. It just pissed me off, you know? After everything, I figured he should tell me something like that. It was bad enough watching him fuck faceless blokes I didnae know, but when I saw Liam, it just screwed with my head and I got angry. Started wondering what else he was keeping from me. It just exploded, I screamed at him, we screamed at each other, then I walked out. Now I'm shattered. I needed to just... nay look at him for a wee while."
Angus really thought he was going to vomit. As soon as the penny dropped with Stuart's words that there had been something between Liam and Tom in the past, the smallest amount of hope that Jess had been mistaken got shattered. Something akin to red-hot anger mixed with devastated sadness crept up inside him. After the initial protectiveness of his baby brother, he had really come to like Tom, really thought he was a perfect match for Stuart when he saw how happy they were together. "Come and sit, buddy," he said quietly, finding Stuart oddly pliant when he led him over to the sofa. "I need to tell you something."
Stuart sat heavily, Angus' words feeling like they were cutting into him. He really wasn't sure he could take much more, and he stayed quiet. What he really wanted was to forget the stupid fight, go back home and crawl into bed with Tom to pass out and just sleep. It wasn't enough to shake his anger at Tom, though. Finding that DVD was a horrible shock and he still didn't know what to make of Tom not telling him he had been with Liam in the past. If their father wasn't sick, or anyone else in their family, which Angus probably would have clarified initially, than anything else would be a piece of piss after his fight with Tom, right? He just nodded, eyes locked on Angus' face when he sat. When Braden took the seat on his other side, Stuart glanced at him too, his eyes a little wide now and a nervousness started to bite in his gut.
Angus took Stuart's hand with a small sigh to brace himself. Ironically, it was Stuart's left hand, and his thick, expensive engagement ring was impossible to miss. Angus felt like it was placed to taunt him, almost daring him to just let this slide as nothing. "I, um... I had my appointment with Tom today. At least, I was supposed to," he began and then held up his hand so Stuart wouldn't jump in and cut him off with more questions. This just needed saying, and there was absolutely no easy way to face it. It just needed to be out there. If Stuart found out later down the track he was kept in the dark, things would take an even worse turn, without a doubt. Secrets weren't something he had a high tolerance for. It didn't help now that he noticed Stuart had to shiver a little, something not lost on Braden who rubbed his back with the towel even more. "I was waiting outside his office for my appointment. He was running a wee bit late, and that was okay. His secretary said he was on an important call. It all happened really quickly. Jessica was there, she seemed to head in the direction of what I assume was his office. Barely a few moments later she ran back, and she really upset about something." He paused and had to press his lips together to try and keep his composure as he played the scene back over in his mind. "Then... Liam ran out, chasing her to the elevators, but he came back a short time later without her, and went back into Tom's office. I had nay idea what the feck was going on, but it just all seemed strange, so I followed her to make sure she was okay. It didnae seem like her brother was going to, like, and Tom certainly didnae come oot to follow her either. I caught up with her doon on the ground floor, and even though she was in a state, she finally admitted that she had seen Tom and Liam... together... in his office. I-It just must've shocked her and she ran. I dinnae know anything after that. I couldnae stick around to swallow anymore..."
The only shock that came for Stuart was that he wasn't hit with any shock. When Angus stopped talking, Stuart stomach turned over and he did fear he was about to throw up, but it didn't come. He felt a little light-headed, like he had been spinning around in circles on an empty stomach, and it was probably a good thing he was sitting down. But there was no forceful blow of shock, and it was almost like after seeing that DVD earlier in the day, this was just like a extension of a nightmare. The expectation was maybe already there, and that was what was making him feel sick. His face had paled and he remained silent, trying to play the scenario out in his head. All he got were more memories of the DVD on the huge TV screen and the how intimate Tom had looked with Liam. But just a few moments later, it was like a wave of emotion hit him and the most prominent sensation he could feel was hurt and loneliness, his heart feeling like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed it into a vice. He couldn't even draw on the energy to be angry. A devastated sob caught in his throat and he put his hands up over his face and just started crying. "Can I please stay here tonight?" he sobbed out, the words barely intelligible.
The two older Evans' brother just shared a devastated look, Angus not missing the fact that Braden now had unshed tears in his eyes, too. Angus wasn't far off sitting there and sobbing right along with his baby brother, just because it hurt like a fucking bitch to witness him so upset. Logistically, there was no fucking way he was going back to stay at Tom's house either, and he wasn't going to let Jules stay there either. That meant, that in one complete about-turn, Iain was about to find himself with not only Stuart as a houseguest that night, but also Angus, Jules, Braden and Kenzie. That was a whole lot of bodies to jam into one small apartment with just one guest room. They might need to call in Gee for back-up, and ask if she minded some guests briefly, or maybe even Iain's other half too. Hopefully the bairn wouldn't mind a couple of extra uncles on hand for a few days. "Aye, buddy... you arenae going anywhere," he assured him without hesitation, wrapping his arms around Stuart in a tight, proctective hug. Braden moved with a mirrored action, the three brothers folding into one big embrace while Stuart just continued to cry. Suddenly, not a single damn thing felt certain... or happy.
Word Count | 2,137