“One more, you’ve got this,” Skylar coaxed, holding his hands out just under the barbell as his brother pushed through the last repetition of chest presses in the set. He made sure to keep his hands put until his brother re-racked the barbell, smiling widely down at the other man. “That was amazing! You blew your PR out of the water!”
A wide smile came to Tyler’s lips when Skylar complimented him. It was really easy to beat his old records because there wasn’t any pain holding him back these days. He wasn’t afraid that he was going to hurt himself, so he didn’t care about adding the weights on. “Yeah?” he asked, smiling brightly up at his brother as he pushed himself into a seated position. “I can do more. Add another one on there.”
Shaking his head, Skylar argued, “No, I think we’ve pushed it hard enough today.” He reached behind him for the water bottle they’d been sharing, tossing it toward Tyler. “Here, finish this. I don’t want you to dehydrate on me.”
Without hesitation, Tyler twisted the cap off and took a long pull from the water bottle. It was the bomb pop flavor of the liquid IV, which was his personal favorite. “So, what now, then?” he asked, pushing himself into a standing position. He couldn’t help the way his eyes caught on Skylar’s lean muscles and the way his abs clenched when he laughed. Perfect.
Skylar moved toward the dumbbells they had been using, re-racking everything. “Well…I was going to say we could hang out on the deck, but it sounds like it’s pouring down rain, so that’ll have to wait.” Once the weights were all back in their respective spots, Skylar turned his full attention on Tyler. “We could always watch a movie, I guess.”
Although the thought of being outside looking at the wonderfully beautiful scenery with Skylar was a lot more appealing than being stuck inside, Tyler supposed they didn’t really have a choice. Neither of them controlled the weather, unfortunately. “Okay, we can do that,” Tyler agreed, following Skylar to the steps and back upstairs. “Do you have any suggestions?”
Honestly, Skylar didn’t care what they watched. He was tired, so he wasn’t too sure that he would even be able to stay awake for it. “Nah, I don’t care,” he answered, grabbing another bottle of water from the fridge. “Do you want to shower first, or do you care if I grab one?”
“Or we could just save time and get in together.” The words were out of Tyler’s mouth before he could stop them. He saw the way Skylar immediately tensed up, looking like he was about to bolt again. “I’m kidding,” he quickly backtracked. “Sorry, bad joke. You can go first.”
It wasn’t a joke – Skylar knew that much. But he didn’t have the energy to get into that right now. “Yeah, okay,” he answered instead. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave enough hot water for you, too.” With that, Skylar headed toward the bathroom, not looking back at his brother, though he could feel those eyes on the back of his head.
Tyler sighed as he closed the bathroom door behind him. The snick of the door latching behind him nearly made him flinch. It was too loud in the quiet room, separating him from Skylar when all he wanted was to be close to his brother. But he needed to shower. The workout had been grueling – well, it would have been if he could get his heart rate to spike like he used to. But he’d barely broken a sweat.
This whole room smelled like Skylar. There was still steam in the air from the hot shower he’d just taken. The smell of his shampoo and body wash was heavy in the air, making Tyler dizzy. He pulled off his clothes, stepping into the shower and turning on the spray, making sure to keep it cool rather than his usual steaming hot.
As soon as the spray beat down on him, Tyler tried to force his body to relax. But it was no use. The smell of Skylar all around him was too much. Roughly, Tyler grabbed his brother’s loofah, pressing it against his face. His senses were immediately assaulted by the scent of Skylar’s body wash. It was intoxicating. “Sky,” he breathed, pressing his head against the cool tiles of the shower wall.
Before he even registered what he was doing, his hand slid down his abdomen, fingers wrapping around his hard length. His teeth sank into his bottom lip, stifling the moan that wanted to escape him.
Every time he breathed in, Skylar’s scent filled his nostrils, driving him wild. His hand slid over his cock faster, his body begging for release. He needed…he didn’t even know what he needed. He just knew what he wanted – he wanted Skylar. He hadn’t been kidding when he said they should shower together. And he hadn’t been able to get the idea out of his mind since the words left his lips.
His breaths were panting out of him in shaky gasps as his hand continued its ministrations. He was close. The thought of Skylar just outside that door had a small moan escaping him, Tyler not able to stop himself. His head rolled on the tile, pressing his cheek against the cool surface as his eyes squeezed closed. Slowly, his thumb circled over the tip of his cock, collecting the pre-cum that was gathering there to slick his way as he continued to torment himself.
Another moan slipped from his throat as he picked up the pace. Skylar – it was all he could think about. His mind replayed the way his brother’s muscles moved and shifted as they’d trained together. Tyler hadn’t wanted anything more than to touch. But he’d restrained himself – it was getting harder by the day to give Skylar the space he kept trying to put between them.
It was almost too much to bear. Skylar was just delaying the inevitable, and Tyler didn’t understand why. He couldn’t figure out why his brother wouldn’t just dump Jessie and be with him. There was no one stopping them. Everyone thought Tyler was dead! No one would even know it was happening! Why did Skylar have to torture them both like this?!
On the upstroke, Tyler twisted his wrist, moaning once more as he felt his body tightening with the need for release. He needed this. Needed Skylar. “Ungh…yeah, please…Sky,” he whined.
With a few more strokes, he felt his balls draw up tight against his body, hot spurts of cum jetting from his dick and painting the shower wall. His breaths continued to pant out of him as he squeezed his eyes closed, forcing his body to relax. For once, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, making him feel like he was finally alive again.
After a few more moments, Tyler finally pushed himself away from the wall, allowing Skylar’s loofah to fall to the floor beside him. He made quick work of cleaning his body and rinsing off the evidence of his release from the wall before he stepped out of the shower and turned off the water.
“Hey, Jessie, baby, I gotta go,” Skylar muttered as he turned his attention to the stairs. She had been calling all day, and he’d finally gotten a moment to himself, so he’d wanted to call her back. He thought it was going to be a short call, but then she just kept him on the phone talking about plans for the summer, and how much she missed him. And he missed her too. Really, he did. But there was just no time for much of anything right now. “Yeah, I’ll call you later. Love you, too.” Quickly, he hung up the phone, not waiting for Jessie to say bye.
A wide smile came to his lips when Tyler descended down the steps, eyeing him with those bright blue, illuminating orbs. “Hey,” he greeted, trying to gauge whether Tyler had seen that he was on the phone and if he was pissed off about it or not. “How was your shower?”
Skylar was acting weird. Tyler was sure it had something to do with the fact that he had been on the phone with Jessie, but he wasn’t about to bring that up right now. The last thing he wanted to do was start a fight. Not when they were having such a good day. “Relaxing,” Tyler answered, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge before moving to the living room.
He plopped down on the couch beside Skylar, making sure to sit close enough that their knees were bouncing against one another. “Whatcha doing?” he asked, turning his attention to the television that was currently off.
Shrugging, Skylar answered, “Not much. Just waiting for you to get out of the shower before we pick something to watch.” He grabbed the remote then, handing it to his brother. “Whatever you’re in the mood for. I don’t really care.”
When Tyler took the remote, Skylar leaned back in the seat once more, trying to get comfortable. He made sure to keep their legs touching because he knew Tyler hadn’t done that by accident. “I was checking out the fridge earlier,” he explained while Tyler zipped through the movie options. “I’m going to have to run in town and get groceries. We’re gonna starve if I don’t.”
Although it was on the tip of his tongue to argue that he wouldn’t starve, Tyler bit it back. “Well…why don’t we go outside of town, and I can come with you?” he suggested, trying to keep the begging tone from his voice. But he didn’t want Skylar to leave him again. It felt like he’d just left him here alone, though he knew it had been days since either of them left the cabin.
Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy to get away from Tyler. “I don’t know, Ty,” he answered with a shake of his head. “I was just gonna do everything all at once. I have to catch up with the football team, I gotta drop by the dorms and make it look like I’ve been living there in case mom wants to make a surprise appearance–”
“And you have to see Jessie,” Tyler snapped, cutting his brother off. “Right?” He didn’t even need Skylar to confirm to know that it was true. He knew Skylar had been talking to her, and he knew the woman was insufferable. She was like a dog with a bone – she wanted Skylar and she wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.
Unlucky for Jessie, neither was Tyler. He’d had him first. And as far as he was concerned, he’d have him last, too. Because Skylar was his. His brother. His twin. His savior. His everything. And there was no way some woman was going to be able to break the bond they had. And honestly, Tyler was getting more and more annoyed by her pathetic attempts to do so.
And here it was. “Yes, Tyler,” Skylar answered with a sigh. “I haven’t seen her since the night I had to go pick up Adam’s drunk ass from the bar, okay? She’s starting to wonder what the hell is going on.” He could feel the tension in Tyler’s body where their legs were touching, and he needed to de-escalate this situation. “Look, she wants to go talk to Mom, okay? I’ve been telling her that I’m with family to grieve and she feels bad, so she wants to go be with Mom. If that happens, we’re both fucked.”
Anger bubbled up inside of him when Skylar spoke. So, she was threatening him, now? Trying to use his one family against him? That was absolutely unacceptable. “Are you kidding me?” he spat, unable to contain his anger. “She’s trying to go to Mom? Really? You won’t spend time with her, so she’s gonna go cry to our mommy? What the hell is wrong with her? You know if you give in to her threats, she’s just going to escalate this, right?”
Threats? Where the hell was Tyler getting that from? “No, she’s not threatening me,” he tried to explain. “Tyler, she doesn’t know what’s going on. She’s just trying to understand and be supportive. But look at this from her perspective – I just vanished. I lost you, I was grieving, and then I disappeared. I started ignoring her phone calls, ignoring her texts, and just not being there. She thinks something is going on. She’s worried about me.”
Again, he could feel his anger bubbling inside. “No, she isn’t,” he assured his brother. Slowly, Tyler’s glowing eyes landed on Skylar’s, pinning his brother to the spot. “She’s worried about herself. Worried that she’s losing you. And now she’s desperately doing whatever she can to pull you back to her. It’s disgusting.”
“Jesus Christ, Tyler, that’s harsh,” Skylar chastised. “And you know that’s not true. You know Mom and Jessie have always been close. And Mom was gone for months and Jessie didn’t know she was back. That’s all it is. I can’t keep avoiding people just because you don’t want me to leave. We’re stuck in this town until we graduate. I have to stay normal, so no one thinks there’s anything wrong.”
Normal – what even was normal? Spending all of his time with friends? Drinking and partying so they think he’s fine? Tyler wasn’t going to let that happen. “Everyone demands so much from you,” Tyler frowned. Slowly, his fingers curled under Skylar’s chin, forcing him to look into his eyes again. “When are you just going to let them go and be with me? I’m all you need. We’ve always been all each other needed. You can just be free.”
Free? Skylar was never going to be free again. He knew that. He was accepting that. “Ty,” Skylar whispered, gripping his brother’s wrist and pushing his hand away from his face. “Don’t make this more than it is, okay? We just need to hang on for a couple more semesters.”
It was obvious his brother wasn’t listening. He was going to go regardless of what Tyler said, so he figured they might as well not waste time arguing about it. “Fine,” he muttered, turning his attention back to the television. He settled on Dawn of the Dead, knowing that Skylar would probably understand that he was pissed off right now and he didn’t want to talk. But he wasn’t about to walk away – Tyler didn’t have that luxury anymore.
About forty minutes into the movie, Skylar got up to get popcorn. And after another thirty minutes, he’d eaten all of the popcorn. Tyler watched as he tossed the bowl onto the floor beside his feet and settled back down into his chair. He’d been watching Skylar the whole movie, honestly – the way he reacted to the more gory scenes, the way his jaw moved as he chewed each handful of popcorn. The way his throat worked as he swallowed that popcorn. And it was like torture.
Slowly, he pushed himself up in his seat, eyes dragging over Skylar’s body. “Sky,” he mumbled, scooting closer before even asking the question. “Can I just…listen to your heart beating?”
His brows creased in confusion at Tyler’s question. It was an odd request. Then again, they had just argued, and he remembered that his brother always clutched his shirt right over his heart when he was on the verge of a breakdown. So who was he to deny Tyler this little thing? “Yeah, I guess so,” he answered, tossing his arm over the back of the couch to clear Tyler’s path to his chest.
Without hesitation, Tyler crawled closer to Skylar, pressing the left side of his body against Skylar’s right and laying his head on his chest. Immediately, his body relaxed, Tyler allowing his eyes to slip closed as he listened to the sound of Skylar’s heart beating. His hand moved to grip Skylar’s shirt, twisting the fabric in his fingers. “Thank you,” he mumbled, burrowing into his brother’s chest as they continued to watch the movie.
Tyler stared at Skylar from across the room, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. The clock read 3:49am – Skylar would be leaving in less than three hours to go play with his buddies again. Tyler hated it. When school ended, they were supposed to have the summer for themselves, and now Tyler was being forced to continue to share Skylar’s time.
He didn’t want to. He wanted to spend every waking moment with his brother. They had plenty of things to do here at the cabin. He’d already compiled a watch list for nights that they didn’t want to do anything but laze around the cabin. They had cards so they could play card games. There were multiple acres of woods for them to explore. And they had the gym downstairs. There was no need for them to ever leave this place. Well, except for groceries. But even then, those could be delivered.
The phone on the nightstand lit up, indicating Skylar was getting a message. At 3:49am – who the hell was bothering him this late?! Tyler quickly strode to the phone, snatching it off the charger as he glared at the screen.
I can’t wait to see you later today, babe. I’m gonna order take out from that Chinese restaurant you like and we can just cuddle up and watch TV, or something. My roommate went home for the summer, so it’ll be just us.
Fucking Jessie. As if Skylar was going to be spending the evening with her. He wouldn’t allow it. Tyler was going to make sure Jessie ate that stupid little winking face emoji she sent his brother. Skylar would be home by two o’clock – Tyler wouldn’t allow a second later.
Anger was rolling off him in waves as he swiped left on the message and slammed his thumb into the red delete button. He wouldn’t allow Skylar to be manipulated by those pretty brown doe eyes and that tight body. He’d show Skylar why he was the better option for him. Why it was always going to be Tyler.
His next move wasn’t even thought out. He didn’t plan it – his body just moved on its own accord as he walked around to the other side of the giant California King sized bed. Luckily, since he’d been brought back, he had a lot more stealth than he’d had before he died, so he was able to crawl into the bed without waking his brother up. Once he was in the bed, he scootched as close as he possibly could to Skylar and rested his head against the other man’s chest, listening to his heart beat again.
This was fine. Skylar wouldn’t mind. He’d allowed him to snuggle like this on the couch less than six hours ago, so there was no reason he would care about this now. Sure, he was sleeping now, and his shirt was off this time, but the concept was still the same. He just needed this. Skylar would understand.
But this wasn’t the same. Now, he could smell Skylar’s skin – feel the heat just beneath his hand where he laid it against Skylar’s pec. His body responded to Skylar in a way that no brother’s ever should, but Tyler was powerless to stop it.
And when Skylar’s arm came down from the pillow and wrapped around Tyler’s shoulders, he almost lost it. His eyes snapped up to Skylar’s face, watching him to look for any signs that he was waking up. There were none. So, he burrowed a bit deeper, throwing one leg over Skylar’s thigh and pressing his foot between his brother’s calves. He barely resisted the urge to rub up against Skylar like a cat in heat.
Because he’d been so lost in the feel of Skylar against him, Tyler hadn’t heard the small groan escape the other man. But he felt Skylar’s body tense immediately, signaling the other man was awake.
“Ty?” Skylar mumbled, his voice groggy with sleep and his brows knit in confusion. Without thinking, he pushed himself away from Tyler and moved as close to the edge of the bed as he could, sitting up so that his back was pressed against the headboard. “What are you doing? Why are you in bed with me?”
He felt the loss of contact instantly. “Sky,” he breathed, pushing himself onto his knees. “I needed you. I-I didn’t think you would care. You let me lay like this on the couch while we were watching television earlier.”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Skylar nodded. “Yeah, I know I did,” he answered, trying to ignore those glowing eyes boring holes into him. “But I was awake then. You can’t just…do things like this while I’m sleeping.”
Suddenly, it occurred to him that this may not have been the first time Tyler invaded his space while he was asleep. Sure, he’d given Tyler permission to be in bed with him when they’d moved here, but as far as he knew, Tyler hadn’t taken that permission because he doesn’t sleep. “Have you…done this before?”
Tyler shook his head as soon as the words left Skylar’s lips. “No, this is the first time,” he assured him. “I usually stay over there in the corner and just watch you.” He bit his bottom lip, fingers twitching against the sheets. “I just needed to be close. You’re leaving me soon and I needed…to know you’re still here. Please?”
Of course Tyler would think he was leaving him. Sighing, he scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to figure out how to explain this situation. “Tyler, I’m not leaving you,” he explained, keeping his voice low. “I’m just going to football practice. And then I have to go to the dorms really quick and then grab food for the cabin. Okay? I won’t be gone long, I promise.”
“It’s long enough,” Tyler whispered. He could already feel the ache starting in his chest. “Please? I just…need to be close to you. I need to know you’re still here. You’re with me. And you’re not going anywhere.”
Another sigh escaped Skylar at his brother’s words. Damn, he was too tired for this shit. “I am,” he answered, his voice coming out a lot more clipped and annoyed than he had meant it to. And he knew Tyler could hear it, too. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s late. I’m tired. What-What do you need from me? I’ve already told you I’m not going anywhere. What else do you want from me?”
Again, Tyler’s fingers twitched against the sheets. “I just…I want you,” he answered, not really sure how much more clear he could get. “I wanna be close. You’re pulling away again. I don’t…understand why. What happened?”
Shaking his head, Skylar argued, “I’m not pulling away. I’m right here, Ty! I just have to go out for a few hours and run some errands. I’ll be back before you know it.” He hated that every time he left, Tyler felt like he was never coming back. “You know I’m not leaving for good. I already told you, I’m not leaving you. Okay? Not ever.”
Slowly, Tyler nodded. “I know,” he answered. “I know you’re not going to. But I just…being away from you makes me feel like my heart is being ripped out. And I hate it. I just…I wanna be close to you. Please?”
He could do this. It wasn’t like Tyler was asking for anything more than he had in the past. He just wanted closeness. Skylar could handle that. “Okay,” he breathed, nodding. “You can touch me, alright? Just…don’t do it while I’m sleeping. That’s creepy. Ask me first.”
Instead of giving his brother a verbal answer, Tyler instinctively crawled into Skylar’s lap. He’d been holding himself back for hours, scared that he’d wake Skylar if he touched too much. Now, he’d been given explicit permission to do just that – touch Skylar when he was awake.
Tyler gently pressed his forehead against Skylar’s chest, feeling the steady heart beat against his skin. But it wasn’t enough. He needed more. He just needed to feel close to him for as long as he could. Skylar was leaving him in a few hours to go spend time with his friends, and with their parents. And with her.
The thought of Jessie was enough to have his blood boiling again. Why did she get to spend time with Skylar? Why was seeing her more important than coming back to Tyler, who was eagerly waiting for him to return. It made no sense. Since when did she outrank him?!
At first, Skylar was shocked that Tyler would be so bold as to crawl into his lap and spider monkey himself around him, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. Of course Tyler felt comfortable doing this – he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. And Skylar was determined to just sit here and let Tyler take what he needed. Within reason.
However, as the minutes ticked on, Tyler became more handsy. His palms pressed against Skylar’s pecs, sliding upward before his fingers curled around Skylar’s shoulders. The grip was tight – like Tyler was terrified if he let go, Skylar would disappear. Then Tyler scooted impossibly closer, pressing their bodies flush against each other. And Skylar could swear he felt something poking him in the abdomen.
“Ty,” Skylar choked out, not wanting this to get any weirder. “C’mon, relax. Lemme go.” But Tyler didn’t listen. Again. Heat flushed his cheeks as Tyler’s hot breath fanned over his collar bone, lips brushing against Skylar’s skin. “Tyler, stop,” he ground out, his hands moving to grip Tyler’s biceps. “Let me go.”
Still, Tyler didn’t listen. Instead, he pressed his face into the crook of Skylar’s neck and breathed deeply. The way Tyler was acting was different now. This wasn’t panic. This wasn’t a brother asking for reassurance. This was possessive. Tyler wasn’t just afraid of losing him anymore – he was worried that Skylar was being pulled away by other people. By Jessie.
The realization hit him like a punch. “Tyler, get off!” he tried again, using his grip on Tyler’s arms to push him slightly. He didn’t want to hurt the other man, but he wanted Tyler to understand that he needed to listen.
Before Skylar could push him away again, Tyler caught both of his wrists without thinking, pinning them against the headboard. The movement was so fast, Tyler barely registered he’d done it himself.
Skylar’s eyes went wide as he felt his brother’s teeth sink into his neck – hard. He didn’t even think as he hooked his leg around Tyler’s waist and bucked his hips, rolling Tyler onto his back across the mattress with a move they’d both learned in karate growing up.
Not giving Tyler a chance to recover, Skylar scrambled off the bed. His hand immediately shot up to his neck, checking for blood. “What the actual fuck, Tyler?!” Skylar yelled, unable to keep his anger in check. “You fucking bit me!”