Two Brothers

by Rob Warr

Chapter 7

Confrontation

The weekend had been just what Sean needed. Two nights and two days without Patrick's childish taunting, not to mention some fun times in the sheets with Tim. They'd discovered a new pleasure and by the time they'd finally dropped off to sleep Saturday night, they'd refined it to the point that they felt they owned it. Of course this wasn't the kind of thing you could do just anywhere, but it was a welcome addition to their repertoire of sex games.

Sunday afternoon, when Sean returned home, he was surprised to find Patrick nowhere to be found.

"Where's Patrick?" Sean asked once he'd dumped his things in his room and found the upstairs as quiet as the downstairs had been upon his arrival.

"At Johnny's house, he's having dinner with them. I guess they're working on some last minute school project. You know how he is, always waiting till the last minute to do his assignments?"

"Yeah, but at least he gets B's, most of the time," Sean said, always trying to find the good in any situation.

His mother turned soft eyes to him, "Even as much bullshit as he gives you, you still defend him," she said smiling, "you're a good brother. I just wish Patrick could see how good you are."

Sean blushed a bit, uncomfortable to find himself in the spotlight again, and eager to change the subject.

"Uh, what's for dinner?"

"What? Oh, takeout, your father is bringing home Chinese. He's at Home Depot doing his dad thing," she laughed.

"Dad loves that kind of stuff," Sean agreed, "Patrick used to go with him, remember that?"

"Yes, your brother seemed to be as fascinated by home improvement as your father, but you were always the intellectual one. More into books and video games."

"Maybe I should try to learn to like the things dad likes too," Sean said frowning, "he could use a buddy."

"Oh honey, that's so sweet of you, but don't try to be someone or something you're not. However, it never hurts to learn the basics, and I'm sure your father would be happy to teach you."

"Yeah, thanks mom."

"So...did you have a good time at Tim's?"

"Yeah, it was nice getting away for a couple of days, but I'm always glad to get home and back to my own bed," Sean said, realizing he meant every word of it. As much as he liked visiting Tim, he was still happiest at home.

"Do you have any last minute homework to finish?"

"Nah, Tim and I finished it Friday so we wouldn't have to worry about it. There wasn't much, just some math and some reading."

The sound of the garage door going up alerted them to the arrival of Mr. Lewis, and as expected he carried several bags of fragrant Chinese food. Sean's mouth began to water like Pavlov's dogs and he quickly rushed over to relieve his father of one of the bags.

When everything was arranged on the table, drinks were poured, and grace was said, the three dived into the delicious food, saying little until they'd filled a spot in their stomachs.

"How was your sleepover?" Mr. Lewis asked at last.

"Awful," Sean teased, "did you know Tim snores? And his bed is so uncomfortable. It was like sleeping on a bed of spikes."

"Yeah, I'm sure," his father chuckled, "and yet you'd walk through fire in gasoline soaked underwear to get to him."

Mrs. Lewis laughed aloud, "What a frightening analogy."

"Talk about 'hot'," Sean laughed, and before long all three were laughing.

Sean thought about how it used to be, back before Patrick changed. He'd have been right in the middle of the joking and cutting up and laughing the loudest. He'd had a really wonderful sense of humor and irony, and Sean missed that. He missed the quiet time they'd spent together too, like when they watched a movie on the couch, side by side, discussing it and dissecting it as it played out.

"What's wrong?" Sean's mom said, noticing Sean's sudden change of mood.

"Nothing, everything is fine, " Sean lied, "it's really nice to be home, that's all."

"Well, it's good to have you home. Perhaps after dinner we can all watch a movie together."

"Sure, as soon as I finish eating I'll take a shower and get into my movie watching clothes," Sean said grinning.

His movie watching clothes, depending on the season, were cotton shorts and a tee, or in winter, sweat pants and a tee, socks optional. Though his folks kept the house reasonably warm, while sitting around it was easy to get a chill. He remembered something else then, about how he and Patrick had often shared a throw cover while sitting on the couch, their legs touching and often holding hands.

Of course that was when they were much younger, but even after they'd outgrown the hand holding, they'd still cuddle together during movie time and shared a warm throw or blanket.

While Sean showered and dressed for movie time, his mom cleared the mess away and packed up the few leftovers. Dressing in sweats, and hurrying down the stairs, Sean was surprised to see Patrick had returned, looking sullen as usual as he tried to explain something to their parents.

"What do you mean, Johnny's mom sent you home early? Why?" Mr. Lewis asked calmly, though Sean could sense a storm might be brewing.

"No big deal, we just got into a fight, that's all," Patrick said, then quickly added, "not a physical fight, just...an argument, that's all."

"But it was bad enough that his mother had to get involved?" Mrs. Lewis asked.

"I guess we got kinda loud. I don't think she likes me very much anyway. I think she was glad to get rid of me."

"You realize I am going to call her and get her side of the story, right?" Mrs. Lewis said then, "so if there is anything else you need to tell us, now is the time."

"Well...it might have had something to do with Sean," Patrick said softly.

Stepping back a bit to make sure he couldn't be seen, Sean listened with interest as Patrick continued.

"Well?" his father said, growing impatient at last.

"Johnny said..." Patrick blew out air and sighed, "don't make me say it," he whined, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

"Go on, Johnny said what?" his dad insisted.

"He was talking smack about...about, you know, Sean."

"Why would he do that? I thought Johnny was a nice boy," Mrs. Lewis said frowning.

Patrick was silent for a moment, and Sean could imagine him shrugging, even if he couldn't see.

"What did Johnny say exactly?" his mother coaxed.

"You know, the usual, the 'F' word, not that 'F' word, but the other one, that I'm not supposed to use."

"Oh," Mr. Lewis said, "and what prompted him to say that? Were you talking about Sean for some reason and it just suddenly came up, or did Johnny start it?"

"I dunno, I don't remember exactly," Patrick insisted, but neither parent was buying that story.

"I have a feeling you do remember," Mr. Lewis said giving his son a stern look, "now try again, what exactly was said, and by whom?"

"Okay, okay. I might have said something about Sean being over at Tim's house this weekend, and...I might have made some remark about what the two might be doing, and Johnny said, 'It must be hard having a fag for a brother', and I told him to shut his...um, freaking mouth, only I didn't say freaking, and it got worse from there."

"So, let me get this straight: First you were talking bad about your brother, then when Johnny picked up on that and said what he said, you came to your brother's defense and had a heated argument with Johnny?" his dad said shaking his head in dismay.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened. His mom heard us and she said she thought it was best if she took me home early, and here I am. No loss, he's a loser anyway."

"I don't know whether to be happy or sad, disappointed or proud," his mother said also shaking her head.

"Can't we just forget it? No one got hurt or anything. It's not like we started throwing punches or anything."

"Thank God for that," his dad sighed.

"Did they at least feed you?" his mother wondered.

"Yeah, we'd just finished dinner and were in Johnny's room..."

"All right then, go to your room while your father and I talk this out."

"Fine, I like my room. No one bothers me there," Patrick said in a huff as he stomped off.

Fortunately Sean heard him coming and hid in his room till he heard Patrick's bedroom door slam shut. He didn't want to interrupt his folks discussion about what to do about Patrick's latest escapade, so he fell across his bed and did some serious thinking of his own.

So, Patrick actually defended him, but only after starting the crap to begin with. Then it dawned on Sean that maybe what Patrick had reacted so strongly to wasn't the fact that Johnny was putting down his faggot brother, maybe what he was upset about was the stigma of having a faggot brother. Sort of like Johnny was actually putting him down, not Sean. It was so confusing. On one hand he wanted to believe Patrick cared about him, and would defend him as he had when they were younger, but on the other hand, he wondered if this wasn't really about Patrick street cred.

A soft knock on his door brought him up out of his fog and he sat up, "Come in."

His dad stuck his head in then, and despite all that had happened he was smiling, "Movie time, and guess what? Patrick will be joining us this evening."

"Great, I'll be right down," Sean said returning his father's smile, even if he felt a little conflicted, "just gotta slip some socks on so my feet won't get cold."

"All right sport, see ya downstairs."

Patrick was already in the living room when Sean arrived, sitting on the sofa next to their mom, who sat on the far end near her husband's recliner. Sean uttered a 'hey' to his brother, then settled down on the opposite end of the couch.

Mr. Lewis pushed the play button on the remote then, and the opening titles of the movie appeared on the screen. Sean stared at the screen, lost in thought, but when the movie began he found it a welcome relief from reality and quickly became absorbed in it.

About halfway through, his dad paused the movie and Mrs. Lewis made popcorn while Sean passed out cans of soda to everyone. Dividing the popcorn up into four popcorn containers Mrs. Lewis had bought at the dollar store, they settled back into their seats and resumed watching the movie.

Occasionally Sean would glance over at his older brother, but he seemed unaware of anyone or anything, except the action on the TV. This was certainly not like old times, but it was better than recent times, Sean decided. At least he's watching the movie with us and not causing trouble, even if he does seem to be in his own little world.

Sean's heart ached for his brother so profoundly that for a moment he thought he might break down and cry. Sniffing back a few tears that had threatened to erupt, he turned his attention back to the movie and tried to will his thoughts away from the loss of his brother.

When the popcorn was gone, Sean pulled a fluffy leopard print throw off the back of the couch and covered his lap and legs, tucking it in neatly to hold in the heat. He thought back to better times then, times when Patrick would have shared that throw, their legs and thighs touching as they shared their warmth and love.

He chuckled to himself when he thought about the origin of that leopard print throw. It had been a gift for his mother from a distant aunt, and though their mom had thought it a bit loud and garish, the boys had loved it from the moment they'd laid eyes on it. Their mother had graciously re-gifted it to her sons, happy to see they both agreed on something and were willing to share it. She thought it was so cute the way they snuggled up like pups beneath that throw, and her heart swelled with love each time she saw them that way.

"Hey," Patrick suddenly whispered, causing Sean to turn in his direction, unsure at first if he was talking to him or his mom, "Can I have some of that?" he added.

It took Sean a minute to realize his brother was talking about the throw, but when he did, he tried to remain calm and not make too much out of this simple request. After all, maybe he was just cold.

"Sure, here...umm...do you want me to move closer or what?" Sean stuttered.

"Nah, I'll come down there," Patrick said as he scooted closer, but not so close that they were touching.

Sean raised the throw then, and realizing it would be longer turned the other way, he spun it around till the length covered their laps, the excess pooling at their feet.

"How's that?" Sean asked, giving Patrick a sideways glance.

"Fine," Patrick said pulling the throw in a bit and tucking it under his right leg, "thanks."

"Welcome," Sean said, smiling shyly.

Patrick gave him a half-hearted smile in return, but at least it was an improvement over his usual sour disposition. Their parents had noticed this little exchange of words and then the sharing of the throw, both holding their breath the whole time, waiting for this latest episode to play out. Letting out their breath, they were happy to see that, at least for the moment, all was well between the two brothers.

Both parents had come to the same conclusion, that when someone else, in this case Johnny, had come out against his brother, Patrick's protective nature for his little brother had resurfaced. Seeing the hate and intolerance through the eyes of others had perhaps awakened something in Patrick that had gone dormant until now.

Sean could feel the heat coming off of Patrick's body, even if they weren't exactly touching, and it was both comforting and arousing. Suddenly he was replaying in his mind that evening outside of Patrick's bedroom door when he had listened to him pleasure himself and how arousing it had been.

But those kinds of thoughts were dangerous, he concluded, evident by the growing tent in his sweats, and he quickly turned his attention and thoughts back to the movie.

Next to him, Patrick stared at the action on the screen, but his mind was elsewhere. This seemed all too familiar, he thought, sitting here, sharing that stupid leopard print throw with Sean, watching a movie, and well...just enjoying being with his family. He sighed, causing Sean to look his way, but he avoided Sean's eyes, instead pretending to be engrossed in the movie.

So what if Sean is a fa...gay? he thought. What do I care who he sleeps with? Only, my friends think it's a big deal and they judge me by that, and not by who I am. I'm not gay, he thought frowning, but I might as well be, cause everyone is gonna think I am, just cause my brother is. But I won't let anyone say anything bad about him, he thought, automatically balling up his fists, which were thankfully hidden beneath the throw. I'll kick their asses if they mess with him. He gave no thought to the lack of logic this statement made. Basically, it was okay for him to mess with Sean and say mean things about him, but if anyone else did that they would have to answer to him. Well, such is the logic of a hormonal teen.

The movie ended and they split up to go to bed, Sean a little sad that his time with his brother had come to an end, and wishing that they could have been as close as they'd been in the past. After hugging his parents goodnight, the two boys lingered in the upstairs hallway, as if by mutual agreement.

"Well, night," Sean said as soon as his parent's bedroom door closed, "it was a cool movie."

"Yeah, night," Patrick said, looking as if he wanted to say more.

"See ya in the morning," Sean finally said as he headed to the bathroom, "gonna brush my teeth..."

"Oh, yeah, me too. You go first," Patrick said, "just um, let me know when you're done."

Well, that was promising, Sean thought, usually he would have pushed Sean aside and took his turn first. Maybe he really was changing for the better.

Sean drained his bladder, then washed his hands and face, and was brushing his teeth when Patrick walked in, dressed only in boxers, his tanned upper body seeming to ripple with muscles that Sean hadn't been aware resided there.

"Oh, hey..." Patrick said, "needed to piss, really bad."

"Almost done," Sean mumbled around a mouthful of toothpaste foam.

"Go ahead, you ain't bothering me," Patrick said heading toward the toilet.

In the mirror, Sean studied Patrick's backside, again surprised at how buff he looked compared to the boy he'd been when they were still on civil terms. Had Patrick been working out, or was this just part of his growing and maturing?

Rinsing and spitting, Sean washed his toothbrush, dried it on the towel hanging by the vanity, then slipped it back into the rack. He was about to leave the room when sudden movement in the mirror caused his eyes to dart back to the reflection of his brother at the toilet.

He'd apparently finished peeing now, as there was no sound of water hitting the bowl, but he seemed to be fumbling with his penis, perhaps shaking off the last few drops, as most boys do. Then as he watched the action in the mirror, suddenly Patrick turned ever so slightly, bringing his penis into view as he held it in his hand.

At first Sean looked away, then curiosity and arousal caused his eyes to drift back to the scene unfolding before him. Suddenly Patrick turned his head and looked over his shoulder, a wicked look on his face, and Sean quickly looked away.

"Made ya look," Patrick laughed evilly.

That was all it took to bring Sean from lust to anger, and he flipped his older brother off as he stomped out of the bathroom and headed to his own room. He knew better than to slam the door, after all, he didn't want to wake his parents, but he needed some release of some kind. Grabbing up his pillow, he threw it at the wall, retrieved it and threw it again.

"Damn him," he snarled to himself, "he's such a jerkoid."

In the bathroom, Patrick stood beneath the shower spray thinking about what he'd just done. Why he'd done it he couldn't quite explain, not even to himself. Was he showing off, or just giving Sean shit like he always did? He'd been keenly aware of Sean's eyes on his body when he'd entered the bathroom, and he felt sort of proud of the way he looked. He tried not to think about what else Sean might be thinking about his body, but even if he was thinking about sexy things, that was sort of a compliment, right? He knew he'd never do anything with his own brother, that would be incest, but teasing him about it was quite another thing. He smiled when he thought about how mad Sean had become when he'd confronted him about his peeking at his penis. He still felt like he owed the little jerk for listening in on his jerk off session the other day, too.

But his thoughts were conflicted as he soaped up his body, his hand finally finding it's way down to his quickly stiffening penis. Tonight had actually been sort of nice, sitting with the family, sharing that god-awful throw with Sean, eating popcorn and drinking sodas. He remembered a time when he and Sean would have been so close under that throw that they were almost in each other's lap, and he sighed. It had felt nice, warm and comforting to be that close to Sean, and though he'd never had any sexual feelings during those sessions, the intimacy had been wonderful.

His penis was fully engorged now and he stared down at it, proud of that part of his body as well, and allowing it to take control once again, if only for a few minutes of pleasure. Working his soap slick hand up and down the shaft, he leaned against the shower wall and thought about one of the girls at school, Debbie Gleason. She was a cheerleader and wore these really short skirts, and when she did the high jump cheers you could see her panties. He imagined what was beneath those panties, but the only girl parts he'd ever seen were in online porn, and all of it featured older women. He imagined Debbie's to be pink and pretty, and he could almost taste her as in his mind's eye he lowered his face to her crotch and took his cock into his mouth.

Whoa, wait, what the hell! he thought, coming up out of his fantasy. Cock? How the hell did I get there? Debbie doesn't have a cock. Why am I thinking about cock? Shit, shit, shit, is the whole fucking world turning gay, and me with it?

His cock had wilted a bit, but he knew if he didn't jerk off now he'd wind up doing it later, and the cleanup in the shower was so much easier. Concentrating on the task at hand, and forcing his mind to envision only pussies, and tits, and shapely girl butts, he finally managed a massive orgasm, splattering copious amounts of boy batter on the tiled wall.

Quickly cleaning off any evidence of his orgasmic performance, Patrick finished showering, dried off, and with his towel around his waist he headed to his room. He considered stopping by Sean's room and apologizing, but dressed as he was, he didn't think that was such a good idea. Not to mention, he didn't think what he'd done was so bad. Heck, Sean had probably gotten a thrill out of seeing his cock.

In his room, Sean had finally managed to settle down enough to go to bed, but he was sure sleep wouldn't come any time soon. Just when he thought Patrick might be changing back to his old self, he pulled this shit. Then suddenly he had a thought that troubled him a bit. What if Patrick is gay too, and he's so confused that he's taking it out on me? What if he wanted me to see his half naked body and then his cock? What if what he's really looking for is acceptance, and he just doesn't know how to ask for it? It was a lot to think about, maybe a bit of a stretch, but at least it had taken some of the edge off Sean's anger. He'd never really thought of his big brother in a sexual way, not even when he'd realized he liked boys, but he had to admit, he was one sexy mother-humper when you really thought about it. Even Tim had said so. But...he knew it would be wrong to ever do anything sexual with his own brother, not that Patrick would ever want to, and yet...the thought was a little arousing, evidenced by the tent in his boxer briefs.

Well, there was no shame in fantasy, no law against pretending, and so with Patrick's body, and finally his cock as jerk off material, Sean had one of the best orgasms he could remember. In a way he was glad he didn't come wet yet, because this way there was no mess, no cleanup, and he could just roll over and go to sleep. That was a very good thing indeed, for despite his thinking there was no shame in fantasy, he did feel just a smidgen of guilt at using his brother's image as bate material.

Days passed, life went on. Patrick seemed easier to get along with, but he still wasn't the boy that everyone wished he could be, again. Sean and Tim continued to hone their sexual skills every chance they got, but except for sleepovers, their opportunities were rather limited. Which is not to say they didn't find time to at least exchange a kiss or a grope, for the most part their sex life was dealt with by their own hands.

Apparently Patrick's love life was similar to Sean's and Tim's, and since having overheard him that one time, Sean seemed more attuned to Patrick's jerk off sessions. More than once he'd found himself outside Patrick's door, hand in pants, ear to wood, listening to the grunts and groans and wet slapping of Patrick's self abuse.

Sometimes Sean would orgasm as well, other times he would slink off to his room and finish what he'd started at Patrick's door. He reported each incident to Tim, not to brag, but because they had agreed that total honesty was necessary for their relationship to be successful. Sean wondered if that meant he had to reveal each and every thought, but decided only real events were important to their pact, and that they were still free to think, well, freely.

One afternoon as Sean crouched outside Patrick's door, his hand working his hard cock with abandonment, his ear pressed against the smooth hollow core door, he got the surprise of his life.

Suddenly the door flew open and he fell ass over teakettle into Patrick's room, his hand still deep in his sweat pants, his face red as a tomato, and his heart beating as fast as a rabbit about to be slaughtered.

"I thought so," Patrick smirked.

Looking up, Sean could see his brother standing over him, fully dressed, and obviously not jerking off as Sean had imagined.

"Fooled ya," Patrick laughed. Then showing Sean his hands, both of which were coated with lotion, he began to make squishy noises with his hands as he fake moaned and grunted.

"OH...yeah...oh shit, that feels so good, ahhhh."

"I was just..." Sean began, then realizing how stupid any explanation might sound, he fell quiet, ready to accept whatever punishment Patrick might dish out.

"Get up, come inside," Patrick said walking over to the bed and sitting down, "close the door behind you."

Sean finally managed to extract his hand from his sweats and half stumbled, half walked to the side of Patrick's queen-sized bed.

"Sit!" Patrick said indicating the bed.

Sean sighed as he sat down, marveling at how quickly his cock had gone from a log, to hiding inside his body.

"So, you like listening to me jerk it?" Patrick smirked, "I'd call you a pervert, but I guess for a gay boy that kind of stuff is natural. Besides, it's kind of flattering to know you wanna listen to me jerk my big old cock," he added the last with a smirk, and Sean wasn't sure if that was a smile on his face or disgust.

"I..." Sean started again, but the words still wouldn't come.

"What? Are you gonna try to explain?" Patrick said shaking his head, "What's to explain, you think it's hot listening to another guy jerk off and you're out there pulling your pud too. Like I'm some sort of porn, only just the sound and no picture."

"I'm really sorry," Sean finally managed to say, his face so flushed with blood that it appeared his head might explode at any moment, "It was wrong, I knew it and I still did it. Whatever you want to do to me, I deserve it," he finished, lowering his head and looking like a whipped pup.

"Who says I'm gonna do anything to you? You think I'm crazy? If I did anything to you mom and dad would ground me till I'm 30, not to mention they might send me away like they threatened."

"What? They said they might send you away?" Sean said in surprise, "Did they really say that?"

"Well, no, not really, but I know what can happen to kids who don't conform. First the shrink, then if that doesn't work, it's off to Military School or some kid prison where the only thing they teach you is how to be a criminal."

"I don't think mom and dad would ever send you away. I...I wouldn't let them," Sean said sincerely. For despite all their differences, all their petty squabbles, Sean loved his brother and couldn't imagine life without him.

"Thanks, I guess. But...there's still this problem with you listening to me jerk off. I want you to stop it, okay? Right now! This was the last time, okay? Well, almost the last time since it really wasn't real."

Sean nodded, "I promise, but I can't help it if I hear you through the wall," Sean said, then flinched, afraid he was poking the bear again.

"Ha," Patrick said sarcastically, "with your ear against the wall, I guess you couldn't miss the action. I ain't got no control over that, but quit stalking me at my door, got it?"

"Yes, I promise," Sean agreed, "but...aren't you gonna punish me some way, or tell mom and dad I invaded your privacy?"

"What do you want me to do, kick your ass?" Patrick laughed, "And as far as telling on you, get real. I can just hear myself now, 'Mom, Dad, I caught Sean outside my door listening to me jerk off, tell him to stop!'"

"Yeah, I guess that would be kind of lame. But you could just say I came into your room or something...without knocking."

"Do you want to be in trouble?" Patrick asked, looking confused.

"I...no, but it doesn't feel right doing something wrong and not being punished."

"That makes no sense. You should be happy to get away with whatever shit you can. But...if you insist on some kind of punishment, how about you do my chores for a month?"

"Two weeks," Sean bargained.

"Three weeks," Patrick replied, staring his younger brother down.

"Okay, deal, three," Sean said offering his hand to shake.

Grudgingly Patrick accepted his hand, then stood. "Now, get out. I have something I need to take care of, and no listening, got it?"

Sean laughed, "Got it, I'm gonna go downstairs and get started on your chores before mom gets home."

"Fine, just tell her we made a bet and you lost if she asks why you're doing my chores."

"Good idea," Sean said heading for the door, "Well, have fun," Sean laughed, and seconds later a pillow hit him as he turned to open the door. Laughing harder he picked up the pillow and tossed it back to Patrick who was grinning despite himself.

"Holy shit, he caught you and he didn't pound you into the floor?" Tim said in astonishment.

"Yep, and you know what? I think he was turned-on knowing I was there listening. I'm surprised he even confronted me. I think it was a turn-on for him to have me outside the door listening."

"Well, he ruined that. So, what now?"

"Huh, nothing. I mean, I can still hear him sometimes through the wall, but I never know if he's faking it or if it's for real."

"You know, your brother is a very complex guy. First, he's calling you a fag, then he's showing you his dick, then he's letting you off the hook easy for listening to him jerk it. What does all that tell you?"

"I have a theory, but it's just a theory?" Sean said looking thoughtful, "but here and now isn't the place to discuss it. Maybe you could stay over Saturday night."

"You know I can," Tim said enthusiastically, "and we can do more than talk."

"Oh, trust me, I'm counting on that," Sean chuckled.