by D. C. Hall
“Do I know you?” Martin questioned, gripping the door.
“You don’t recognize me from last time? I’m Nathan's brother.” Martin’s eyes widened, and he tried to slam the door “Wait a minute.” He stuck himself in front of the door to where it couldn’t be closed. “We have some business to attend to here.”
“I haven’t been near your brother. We don’t have anything to talk about.” Martin tried to shove the door anyway.
“No, but you are threatening his friend. See, Williams is important to Nathan. So, he’s important to me. You learned last time that you don’t fuck with the people I care about.” Brad stated, a cold look in his eyes.
“That’s between him and me. You stay out if it.”
“No. Especially not when you’re threatening him with possible prison time just to get his company.” Brad shoved the door back a little, anger flaring up. “Then, you’re stupid enough to text him the threat. Do you not realize you gave him the proof he needed?”
“Well, i-.”
“I bet he didn’t even throw the first punch.” From the look he got, he knew he was right. “I'm going to say this once. You take back your little bullshit attempt at blackmail and stay away from Williams and my brother, and I won’t be back here. Because if I have to come back, it won’t be just an assault charge.”
“Okay! Okay. I'll take it back. Just leave, please.”
“I'll leave as soon as you send him another message saying that you won't try to black mail him.” Brad stated. The other man groaned before pulling out his phone. He typed the message before showing Brad. Once he was content, he turned and left.
He had anticipated Williams at least to be in the doctor’s office by the time he got back. Instead, he found him in the waiting room trying to sign his papers with his left hand. It looked like he was miserable. Williams looked up at Brad when he walked over to him.
“Help.” Williams said meekly. Brad sat down next to him and took the clipboard. What Williams had down already was barely recognizable. He wondered why no one had offered to help the guy with the broken hand.
“Full name?” Brad asked.
“Eugene Timothy Williams.” He looked at Brad when he gave a snort of laughter. “What?”
“You don't look like a Timothy. Anyway, height?”
“Five, four.”
“I should just write down short stack.”
“Can the jokes wait, please?” Williams was in pain right now. If he didn’t get some relief soon, he was going to get snippy.
“Okay, I’ll wait until after the paperwork is done. Weight?”
“Pass.”
“I don’t know if they’ll let you do that.” Brad stated which got a sigh from the other man.
“I’ll write it down before I hand it back in.”
They went through the rest of the paperwork together before Williams took it back up to the counter. Now, he just had to wait. Brad did his best to get comfortable in the seat. That wasn’t easy considering he was a very tall man in a small seat.
“So, what did you do?” Williams questioned, sitting back down.
“What do you mean?”
“What did you do to Martin? I know he didn’t change his mind on his own.”
“I can honestly say that I didn’t DO anything to him. But speaking of Martin, I would like to collect on my favor when we get out of here.”
“What do you want?” Williams asked. That was quick, but he didn’t think he could be too mad. Brad barely knew him and still stood up for him
“I want you to have dinner with us.” Brad said. Williams looked at him in confusion. It seemed like an odd request for a favor.
“Why?”
“Because, I know my brother. If he doesn’t see you, he’s going to spend the night worrying.”
“Won’t me being there make things awkward. I haven’t met anyone besides you.”
“It’ll be fine. Mom might fuss over you because of how banged up you look. Sam will be fine as long as she can do your nails, even if it is just one hand. Dad won’t pay you any mind. He’ll probably be in his head the whole night thinking about some new story.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Now, you want to go or not?”
“I-I'm not sure.”
“It would make Nathan happy.” Brad noticed, but didn’t say anything about the pink tint in Williams’s face after he said that.
“I guess I could.” He said. Brad pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“Great, I’ll tell Nathan to set an extra seat.” He stated. Williams felt his stomach turn. He was tempted to take it back, but he couldn’t get himself to do it. All he could do was hope that things wouldn’t be too weird.
***
Brad led Williams to the front door. He could practically feel the other man's nerves. It seemed odd that he was afraid. Brad knew that most of the attention he was going to get was going to be from Nathan. Especially, since he was hurt.
They went inside which put them in the kitchen first. The only one in there was their mother who was placing plates on the table. She looked up and saw Williams first.
“Hello, dear.” She said. His voice caught in his throat for a second.
“Hi,” he responded as she moved closer to him to shake his hand. “I-I appreciate you having me. Is there anything I can do to help out?” he asked, getting a chuckle from her.
“I wish my sons were that quick to offer help.”
“Thanks, man. You're making me look bad.” Brad teased and gave him a smack on the back. He tried his best not to jar anything on Williams.
“You two just go hang out in the living room. Eugene, make yourself at home.”
“Thank you.” Williams replied softly. He felt Brad put an arm around his shoulder and lead him to the living room. Once they stepped into the other room, they saw Nathan sitting in an arm chair while the father sat at the end of a sofa. A teen girl was sitting on a stool directly in from of him as she painted his nails. Williams thought it looked funny for a moment. He could tell he was where Brad and Nathan got their height.
“We got ourselves a scrapper.” Brad said, drawing their attention. Nathan had jumped up from his seat and was in front of Williams in a second.
“Jesus!” Nathan hadn't thought about what Williams was going to look like.
“Nice to see you too.” Williams responded, voice full of sarcasm.
“I'm sorry. That not what I meant.” He was flustered now. “I just meant that…well, I…”
“You look like you got your ass beat.” The father chimed in while the girl nodded.
“Come on, guys. I know he didn’t come here for that. Besides, you should see the other guy. His face looks like mince meat.” Brad said. Nathan was focused on Williams.
“How are you feeling? Did he break any ribs.”
“They’re just bruised. I’ll be alright. I'm just sore is all.”
“Who’s the guy? I'll kick his ass.” He said as he hugged him as gently as he could. Williams could feel Brad's gaze on him. It was probably best if he didn't say who it was.
“Hey, did you make that sauce for me?” Brad asked. Nathan gave him a tired look
“Yes, I made your stupid sauce. Christmas, you’re making all of it by yourself.” Nathan said. Williams sighed in relief that the distraction had worked.
“Come on. I took your boyfriend to the emergency room. That should get me some credit.” Williams felt a corner of his mouth twitch, but he fought back a smile
“Not my boyfriend. Sure, you get some credit, but you’re still on your own on Christmas.”
“What do you see in this guy?” Brad asked, nudging Williams’s shoulder.
“Leave him out of this!” Brad ignored him and sat down next to his father. Sam looked up at Williams after she finished painting the older man's nails.
“What color do you like?” She asked.
“Sam, he only has one hand. Maybe, you could skip him this time.”
&nb
sp; “Or you could get whatever he needs while his nails are drying.” She responded. Williams couldn't help the smile.
“I like blue.” He said. She looked at him and contemplated for a moment.
“How do you feel about blue and gold?”
“I like it.” She hopped up and left the room for a moment. Williams ended up sitting next to Brad on the sofa. Sam came back with two bottles in her hand. She scooted her stool over in front of him and sat down. It was obvious that she’d done this for a while. Williams tried to focus on what she was doing so he wouldn’t be so aware of the quiet in the room. She finished too soon to suit him. Then, he was left in the room with no one speaking and nothing to focus on.
It was probably five minutes before he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and gave a confused look at it before looking up to Nathan. Why was he texting him. Nathan shifted his eyes back down to his phone to indicate him to read the text. Williams opened the message.
‘You look like you’re going to have a panic attack.’ Williams sighed and started typing.
‘I feel like I shouldn’t be here.’’
‘You’re fine. I promise things will pick up after dinner.’ Nathan wished he had gotten the seat next to Williams instead of Brad. At least then, maybe, he wouldn’t feel so foreign. Then, Williams saw a group chat pop up.
‘What are you guys talking about?’ Brad looked at them expectantly.
‘Mind your own business.’
‘Make me.’’
‘I’m gonna block your number.’ Nathan responded. Williams just watched the messages pop up.
‘I’ll tell mom.’
‘Mom doesn’t care. She blocked you last Christmas.’
‘Did not.’ A few seconds passed before Brad spoke up. “Unblock me, you asshole!”
“I will when you start being nice to me.”
“I’m always nice to you. Remember who got you out of the lake when it was freezing that year?”
“Dad did! You pushed me in!”
“Boys, stop fighting.” Their mother called from the other room. Brad sat back in his seat with his arms crossed. Nathan did the same. Williams looked at him and noticed the pattern his sister had done for his nails. It was red with black dots. Williams thought it suited him. He looked up in time for Nathan to catch his gaze. Nathan gave him a small smile and a wink. Williams couldn’t help it as the corner of his mouth turned up.
It wasn’t too long before they all went into the kitchen to eat. Williams was mildly aware of Nathan staying close to his side as if to make sure he got the seat next to him. Williams was glad for that. At least he wouldn’t feel totally alone. Brad and Sam seemed to make conversation with themselves. The best Williams could get, it was about business plans. It made sense. Brad wanted to start one and Sam had the talent. The parents, who he had learned were Carol and Tony, sat in silence for the most part. Nathan stayed silent by his side, glancing over at him every once in a while.
Williams stayed quiet and focused on the small amount of food on his plate. He had purposely not gotten much. It seemed rude to him to fill his plate when the only ones that would actually want him there were Nathan and Brad.
“So, what’s the newest book about, dad?” Nathan asked. Breaking the silence. Tony’s pensive look shifted. Williams thought he looked a lot less mean when he wasn’t in thought.
“It’s a romance. You wouldn’t care much about this one.” He responded. Nathan glanced at Williams.
“You know, Eugene likes romance novels.” Williams froze when the words came out of Nathan’s mouth. Why was he drawing attention to him? “Maybe, you could bounce some ideas off of him.” Tony seemed to consider it for a moment.
“You know what a hellequin is?” Tony questioned, gaze firmly on Williams.
“Yes, sir.” He answered, looking at Nathan briefly. It was a silent question of why he had done this to him, but Nathan didn’t notice.
“So, tell me if this sounds any good. The premise is that the soul that this hellequin has been sent after is an old friend. So, the conflict is if he should take them back to hell like he’s been ordered or run away with them.” Williams thought about the plot for a second while Nathan looked confused.
“I thought that was the funny guy. Why is he dragging someone to hell?” Nathan questioned.
“You’re thinking of a harlequin.” Williams stated. “I think it sounds like a good idea.” Tony nodded, taking a bite of his food.
“Dad self publishes his stories.” Nathan added. Williams considered asking for some of the titles but froze when he remembered Nathan’s last name.
“Wait. Are you Tony Hodum?” he asked suddenly, getting a nod. “I’ve been reading your books for the past three years. I love your storylines.” Nathan thought that seemed to have broken through Williams’s anxiety about the night.
“Thank you.” He said with a smile. It wasn’t often that he came across anyone who had read his books.
“Where do you get the artwork for your covers?”
“That would be my work.” Carol stated. Williams was all but grinning now.
“You’re both very talented.” Carol looked to Nathan with a smirk.
“I like this one.” She said, and Nathan rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was relieved that Williams could get along with his family.
***
They stayed for another hour after dinner. They would have stayed longer, but the pain medication that Williams had been given was starting to wear off. He laid on his bed, ribs starting to ache again. Nathan sat on the edge next to him with a box in his hands. It was a question game that Brad had given him. He called it an early Christmas present.
“How are you supposed to play?” Williams asked.
“It says you get a point for every question you get right about the other person. And it's the adult version. So, I have no idea what these questions might say.” Nathan said. Brad told him this was meant to be an easy way to get to know each other better.
“This sounds like a couple’s game.” Williams stated. He didn’t notice the panic on Nathan’s face.
“I guess it could be.”
“Your family really doesn’t believe that we’re just casual, do they?”
“…No.” Nathan felt his heart beat a little harder. He was afraid of Williams asking if they really were just casual. He wasn’t even sure how he would respond to that anymore. Luckily, the question didn’t go any farther.
“Can I play laying down? I don’t think sitting up is a good idea for me right now.” He asked, and Nathan nodded as he opened the box. He pulled out a few cards to start with.
“First question is how many tattoos do you have.”
“Do we both guess?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think you have any.” Williams stated. Nathan sat the card to the side.
“Right. You don’t have any either. So, we both get a point.”
“But I do have a tattoo. I have two, actually.” Williams said. Nathan looked at him in confusion. His eyes roamed over his body like he’d be able to see something through his clothes. He’d seen him naked more than once. How would he have not noticed them.
“Where?”
“They’re behind my hairline. I have two little stars on the left side of my head.”
“Why do you have them under your hair? It’s not like you can see them.”
“I got them when I had a mohawk.” He laughed at Nathan’s flabbergasted look. He rubbed a hand over his ribs to soothe the ache that had caused.
“You had a fucking mohawk?” He had a hard time believing that. Williams always seemed so proper.
“It was bright purple.” He added, getting the stunned stare from the other man again.
“I feel like you’re bullshiting me.” Nathan watched as Williams grabbed his phone off of the nightstand and started scrolling. He finally came to what he was looking for.
“Keep in mind I had just turned eighteen. So, this wa
s five years ago.” He turned the screen around for Nathan to look. He wasn’t lying. A younger form of Williams was posed in front of a mirror with bright purple hair. Nathan looked longer than he probably should have. He saw the two little black stars where his hair was shaved back. He looked lower in the photo. Williams had been about as skinny as Nathan was now only with more muscle.
The thing that unsettled him was how much darker his eyes were in the picture. He frowned despite having obviously been posing for the photo. Williams looked miserable. The Williams that was laying in front of him was aware of the sad look on Nathan’s face.
“I like you better now. You seem a lot happier.” Nathan said as Williams laid his phone down on the nightstand again.
“I am.” He responded. He’d been in a dark spot for a while. Now, he felt okay. He knew he wasn’t amazing, but it was a hell of a lot better. “What’s the next question?” Nathan flipped the next card in his hand.
“What’s your best talent? Yours is painting.”
“I'll agree on that one.” Williams stared at the ceiling while he thought. He didn’t think accounting would be a good answer. Fucking might get him a kiss, but that didn’t seem like a good answer. “Um, singing?”
“Oh, god no!” Nathan replied, laughing. “My singing in awful. I can play the piano.” Williams felt a twinge of guilt for not knowing that.
“There's a grand piano in one of the back rooms. Maybe, you could give me a concert, sometime.” His chest warmed at the bright smile he got in return.
“I just might have to do that.” Nathan said, turning another card. His cheeks turned red after reading it. “This is definitely meant for people that have been together for a while. The question is, ‘Who said I love you, first?’.”
“I think you would say it first.” Williams said before he thought better of it. Nathan whipped his head down to look at him.
“What?” He wasn't entirely sure what to ask first. Why did he think it’d be him to say it first? Why was he even thinking of that in the first place? Did he know that Nathan liked him?
“I probably shouldn't have said that.” Williams said, chewing on his lower lip.
“Well, you did.” He wasn't mad, but he was making a little show out of it. “So, tell me. Why do you think I would say it first, mr. Romance novels.”
