Inheritance (19/30)
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Almost two weeks later, Scotty and Kevin still weren’t talking. Scotty even went so far as to conveniently be out of the house any time he knew Kevin was coming over. He felt farther away from Kevin than he had been during the Jason months. And it hurt so much more. Scotty knew he only had himself to blame, wished he could go back and change things. But he couldn’t, and he didn’t know how else to fix it.
That evening, Nora had planned a family dinner. She had begged Scotty to stay, to force Kevin into dealing with their argument and moving on together. But Scotty couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting Kevin any more than he already had - or maybe he was just too cowardly - and so he simply kissed Nora on the cheek and escaped the house for the evening.
But his spirit loomed large over the dinner, as his repeated absences were becoming more and more noticeable. Sarah and Nora and even Kitty had tried to convince Kevin to bury the hatchet and make peace with Scotty. Now they were becoming annoyed with his continued refusal, and the tension was starting to seep through the group.
Kevin finally offered to go get more wine, just to get away from the others for a while. Of course, that ploy never worked long, and he was soon joined by Tommy and Justin. The three brothers stood around the counter, uncharacteristically quiet as Tommy and Kevin drank wine and Justin snuck some of the frosting off the cake Nora made for dessert.
“What’s really going on?” Tommy finally asked.
“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tommy sighed. “Well, then please stop being such a baby. You’re pissing off Mom, and when Mom is pissed, we all suffer.”
Justin nodded as he leaned forward on the counter. “I don’t know what your problem is. I would have thought you would have been psyched about it.”
“Justin,” Kevin warned.
Tommy looked back and forth between them. “What does that mean?” he finally asked.
“Nothing,” Kevin jumped in.
“He has the hots for Scotty,” Justin simultaneously and casually informed Tommy.
“Justin!” Kevin nearly shouted, quickly looking at Tommy whose jaw dropped in amused shock.
“How did I miss this one?” he asked incredulously.
“What? It’s fine; you’re not related!” Justin argued.
“I don’t believe you. I swore you to secrecy,” Kevin hissed at Justin.
“I’ve been telling on you since I could talk. You think I’m gonna stop now? It's not a big deal.”
Kevin mumbled quietly to himself, dropping his head onto his arms as he bent over the counter.
“Relax, Kevin,” Tommy said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you two have always…connected. Maybe it’s something worth salvaging.”
Kevin sighed loudly.
***
Scotty got back to Nora’s late that night. He wanted to give everyone - and by everyone, he meant Kevin - more than enough time to clear out. So, he quietly entered the house, softly closing the door and creeping up the stairs so as not to wake Nora. He slipped inside his bedroom, shutting the door before turning on the light. He turned around and stopped suddenly when he saw the piece of paper in the center of the bed. Scotty took a few more steps and reached out for the sheet.
Scotty,
I’d like to talk to you. Please meet me at Griffith Park - that bench where we always used to stop on runs. Mom says you’re off tomorrow, so maybe 9? Coffee’s on me.
Please,
Kevin
Scotty stared at the note in his hands, breathing shallowly and barely allowing himself to hope. He sat slowly down on the edge of the bed, reading over the short note several more times. Then he smiled.
***
Kevin was already sitting on the bench when Scotty arrived. He climbed up the last few steps of the hill, stopping next to Kevin. Kevin seemed lost in thought, holding a coffee cup loosely in his hands as he stared out over the view.
“Hi,” Scotty said, softly announcing his presence.
Kevin jumped, looking up at Scotty and then quickly moving over on the bench to give him room.
“Morning,” he replied, lifting the second coffee cup from the carrier and handing it to Scotty.
Scotty took it gratefully, stepping around the bench and sitting next to Kevin. He hesitated, unsure how to start. Thankfully, Kevin took the initiative.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know I didn’t react well. Mostly I was embarrassed.”
“It’s not your fault,” Scotty pointed out. “I should never have lied. Not to you, of all people.”
Kevin shrugged. “I can certainly understand why you did.”
“Really?” Scotty asked, looking up at Kevin entreatingly.
Kevin nodded. “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the Walker family?” he joked.
Scotty smiled softly.
“So,” Kevin continued. “I’d like to, ah, put this behind us. Be friends again.”
Scotty nodded slowly. And then he risked everything. “I don’t want to be friends.”
Kevin turned away. “Oh. OK.”
Scotty shook his head, sitting up straighter and turning to Kevin quickly. “No, you aren’t understanding me. I don’t want to be friends. I don’t want to be…brothers. I want to be more than that. Maybe all this was just a way to meet you.”
Kevin looked at him, mouth gaping open incredulously. Scotty smiled softly, touching a finger to Kevin's chin and pushing his mouth closed.
“You’re not the only one who has been fighting apparently not-so-inappropriate feelings.”
“Really?” Kevin asked in a whisper.
Scotty nodded.
“Wow,” Kevin breathed out. “So, um…”
“Maybe we should try this.”
“Try wha - ”
Kevin couldn’t finish his question, because Scotty leaned forward, drawing Kevin closer with a hand on the back of his neck. He pressed his lips to Kevin's, and they held the fairly chaste kiss for a few seconds. Scotty could feel happiness and pleasure rushing through his body. But it was warring fairly heavily with concern, confusion, and, above all else, recognition of the ridiculousness of the situation. He started to smirk, breaking the kiss.
Kevin pulled back, fighting an amused smile of his own as he looked at Scotty. “That was kind of weird.”
Scotty chuckled, nodding. He wrinkled his nose and said, “Good weird.”
“Want to try again?”
“Uh-huh,” Scotty said, smiling seductively as he reached out to Kevin again.
This kiss was even shorter, as they both started snickering out of the corners of their mouths.
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Scotty exclaimed as he fell back again.
“No,” Kevin said, shaking his head. “There’s this running family joke that Kitty taught Justin how to kiss, and that’s the only thing I can think about right now.”
Scotty pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to turn serious. “I don’t know if I should be worried about poor, molested Justin, or offended that my kissing you isn’t enough to hold your interest.”
Kevin took a breath, looking out over the scenery again. “I want this to work,” he groaned. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, “Third time’s the charm.”
“Wait,” Scotty said. “I want this to work too, which is why I’m putting the brakes on right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve spent the last, oh, year or two, trying to think of each other as siblings. Trying to bury any other feelings we had for each other. Even now that we know we aren’t related, even though we know we both want this, we can’t just shift gears that fast. Or, at least, I can’t. I think we need some time to…learn to think of each other differently.”
Kevin nodded. “OK, what are you suggesting?”
“I’m saying we woo each other, Kevin Walker.”
Kevin slowly smiled. “Go on dates?”
“Develop a little tension,” Scotty added.
“Trust me; there’s already tension,” Kevin argued.
Scotty bit his lip lightly, smiling at Kevin. Kevin stared at his mouth. He leaned forward ever-so-slightly.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Scotty stopped him. “We’re taking it slow.”
“We’re taking it glacially,” Kevin pointed out.
“Mm-hmm,” Scotty agreed, “but I want it to stick.”
“Me too,” Kevin said honestly.
They paused, sitting quietly and staring at each other. “Let’s keep this to ourselves for a while,” Scotty recommended. “At least until we know what it is.”
Kevin nodded. “OK,” he agreed quietly.
Scotty closed his mouth, giving Kevin a small smile. He turned away then, scooting a little closer to Kevin as he looked out across the park and took a sip of his almost-cold coffee. Kevin took a deep breath, reached over and held Scotty’s hand as they both finished their drinks in peaceful silence.
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Almost two weeks later, Scotty and Kevin still weren’t talking. Scotty even went so far as to conveniently be out of the house any time he knew Kevin was coming over. He felt farther away from Kevin than he had been during the Jason months. And it hurt so much more. Scotty knew he only had himself to blame, wished he could go back and change things. But he couldn’t, and he didn’t know how else to fix it.
That evening, Nora had planned a family dinner. She had begged Scotty to stay, to force Kevin into dealing with their argument and moving on together. But Scotty couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting Kevin any more than he already had - or maybe he was just too cowardly - and so he simply kissed Nora on the cheek and escaped the house for the evening.
But his spirit loomed large over the dinner, as his repeated absences were becoming more and more noticeable. Sarah and Nora and even Kitty had tried to convince Kevin to bury the hatchet and make peace with Scotty. Now they were becoming annoyed with his continued refusal, and the tension was starting to seep through the group.
Kevin finally offered to go get more wine, just to get away from the others for a while. Of course, that ploy never worked long, and he was soon joined by Tommy and Justin. The three brothers stood around the counter, uncharacteristically quiet as Tommy and Kevin drank wine and Justin snuck some of the frosting off the cake Nora made for dessert.
“What’s really going on?” Tommy finally asked.
“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Tommy sighed. “Well, then please stop being such a baby. You’re pissing off Mom, and when Mom is pissed, we all suffer.”
Justin nodded as he leaned forward on the counter. “I don’t know what your problem is. I would have thought you would have been psyched about it.”
“Justin,” Kevin warned.
Tommy looked back and forth between them. “What does that mean?” he finally asked.
“Nothing,” Kevin jumped in.
“He has the hots for Scotty,” Justin simultaneously and casually informed Tommy.
“Justin!” Kevin nearly shouted, quickly looking at Tommy whose jaw dropped in amused shock.
“How did I miss this one?” he asked incredulously.
“What? It’s fine; you’re not related!” Justin argued.
“I don’t believe you. I swore you to secrecy,” Kevin hissed at Justin.
“I’ve been telling on you since I could talk. You think I’m gonna stop now? It's not a big deal.”
Kevin mumbled quietly to himself, dropping his head onto his arms as he bent over the counter.
“Relax, Kevin,” Tommy said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you two have always…connected. Maybe it’s something worth salvaging.”
Kevin sighed loudly.
***
Scotty got back to Nora’s late that night. He wanted to give everyone - and by everyone, he meant Kevin - more than enough time to clear out. So, he quietly entered the house, softly closing the door and creeping up the stairs so as not to wake Nora. He slipped inside his bedroom, shutting the door before turning on the light. He turned around and stopped suddenly when he saw the piece of paper in the center of the bed. Scotty took a few more steps and reached out for the sheet.
Scotty,
I’d like to talk to you. Please meet me at Griffith Park - that bench where we always used to stop on runs. Mom says you’re off tomorrow, so maybe 9? Coffee’s on me.
Please,
Kevin
Scotty stared at the note in his hands, breathing shallowly and barely allowing himself to hope. He sat slowly down on the edge of the bed, reading over the short note several more times. Then he smiled.
***
Kevin was already sitting on the bench when Scotty arrived. He climbed up the last few steps of the hill, stopping next to Kevin. Kevin seemed lost in thought, holding a coffee cup loosely in his hands as he stared out over the view.
“Hi,” Scotty said, softly announcing his presence.
Kevin jumped, looking up at Scotty and then quickly moving over on the bench to give him room.
“Morning,” he replied, lifting the second coffee cup from the carrier and handing it to Scotty.
Scotty took it gratefully, stepping around the bench and sitting next to Kevin. He hesitated, unsure how to start. Thankfully, Kevin took the initiative.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know I didn’t react well. Mostly I was embarrassed.”
“It’s not your fault,” Scotty pointed out. “I should never have lied. Not to you, of all people.”
Kevin shrugged. “I can certainly understand why you did.”
“Really?” Scotty asked, looking up at Kevin entreatingly.
Kevin nodded. “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the Walker family?” he joked.
Scotty smiled softly.
“So,” Kevin continued. “I’d like to, ah, put this behind us. Be friends again.”
Scotty nodded slowly. And then he risked everything. “I don’t want to be friends.”
Kevin turned away. “Oh. OK.”
Scotty shook his head, sitting up straighter and turning to Kevin quickly. “No, you aren’t understanding me. I don’t want to be friends. I don’t want to be…brothers. I want to be more than that. Maybe all this was just a way to meet you.”
Kevin looked at him, mouth gaping open incredulously. Scotty smiled softly, touching a finger to Kevin's chin and pushing his mouth closed.
“You’re not the only one who has been fighting apparently not-so-inappropriate feelings.”
“Really?” Kevin asked in a whisper.
Scotty nodded.
“Wow,” Kevin breathed out. “So, um…”
“Maybe we should try this.”
“Try wha - ”
Kevin couldn’t finish his question, because Scotty leaned forward, drawing Kevin closer with a hand on the back of his neck. He pressed his lips to Kevin's, and they held the fairly chaste kiss for a few seconds. Scotty could feel happiness and pleasure rushing through his body. But it was warring fairly heavily with concern, confusion, and, above all else, recognition of the ridiculousness of the situation. He started to smirk, breaking the kiss.
Kevin pulled back, fighting an amused smile of his own as he looked at Scotty. “That was kind of weird.”
Scotty chuckled, nodding. He wrinkled his nose and said, “Good weird.”
“Want to try again?”
“Uh-huh,” Scotty said, smiling seductively as he reached out to Kevin again.
This kiss was even shorter, as they both started snickering out of the corners of their mouths.
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Scotty exclaimed as he fell back again.
“No,” Kevin said, shaking his head. “There’s this running family joke that Kitty taught Justin how to kiss, and that’s the only thing I can think about right now.”
Scotty pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to turn serious. “I don’t know if I should be worried about poor, molested Justin, or offended that my kissing you isn’t enough to hold your interest.”
Kevin took a breath, looking out over the scenery again. “I want this to work,” he groaned. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, “Third time’s the charm.”
“Wait,” Scotty said. “I want this to work too, which is why I’m putting the brakes on right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve spent the last, oh, year or two, trying to think of each other as siblings. Trying to bury any other feelings we had for each other. Even now that we know we aren’t related, even though we know we both want this, we can’t just shift gears that fast. Or, at least, I can’t. I think we need some time to…learn to think of each other differently.”
Kevin nodded. “OK, what are you suggesting?”
“I’m saying we woo each other, Kevin Walker.”
Kevin slowly smiled. “Go on dates?”
“Develop a little tension,” Scotty added.
“Trust me; there’s already tension,” Kevin argued.
Scotty bit his lip lightly, smiling at Kevin. Kevin stared at his mouth. He leaned forward ever-so-slightly.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Scotty stopped him. “We’re taking it slow.”
“We’re taking it glacially,” Kevin pointed out.
“Mm-hmm,” Scotty agreed, “but I want it to stick.”
“Me too,” Kevin said honestly.
They paused, sitting quietly and staring at each other. “Let’s keep this to ourselves for a while,” Scotty recommended. “At least until we know what it is.”
Kevin nodded. “OK,” he agreed quietly.
Scotty closed his mouth, giving Kevin a small smile. He turned away then, scooting a little closer to Kevin as he looked out across the park and took a sip of his almost-cold coffee. Kevin took a deep breath, reached over and held Scotty’s hand as they both finished their drinks in peaceful silence.
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