101: Epilogue Part 5: Stephen's Brother

Inho didn’t know what to expect as they meandered up Connor’s driveway in an untidy group.  Connor lived in a squat rectangle house, neatly painted a soft yellow with a well kept garden out front, full of blooming flowers in straight rows. It spoke neither of wealth nor struggle, it was perfectly average. Somehow Inho had expected something else. Stephen was rich, and Connor acted so spoiled… He’d heard about Stephen’s family, but he’d still sort of pictured them all as wealthy elites.

But this was so… normal. Connor unlocked the door, and stepped back with a dramatic flourish, indicating they should enter ahead of him. Inho went in first. Would Connor’s dad be home? He was painfully curious about Stephen’s older brother. All he really knew about him was that he’d not accepted Stephen’s coming out, and it had been a major breaking point for them. Stephen didn’t hide things anymore, but he was so visibly unhappy when inho brought up his family history, that Inho didn’t often get the chance to hear about them.

Inho kicked off his sneakers and walked slowly up the staircase entryway. With wide eyes he studied the framed family photos that lined the wall on the way up. He couldn’t pause with the others behind him, but he immediately noted that Connor’s father looked extremely similar to Stephen. It was like seeing an alternate reality of his lover, where Stephen was raising a small son and married to a delicate waif of a woman. Connor looked just like his mother. They shared the same fine features, pale skin, and sleek straight hair.

Judging by the photos, Connor had had a very loving childhood– the only son of doting parents. Why’d he turn out like such a brat then? Inho mused. At the top of the stairs, he found himself in the kitchen with the very man he was so curious about.

Stephen’s brother stood at the counter in dark blue work pants, a belt heavy with gear, socks, and no shirt. He was drinking a glass of water, and raised inquisitive eyebrows at the strangers invading his kitchen before grabbing a white undershirt from where it hung over the back of a dining chair. Inho always wondered how Stephen would look if he didn’t trim his body hair, and here it was… He shook off the thought, and automatically bobbed a polite bow of greeting at the man.

“Hello, I’m Inho Kim, we’re friends of Connors, here to work on a group project. I hope we’re not intruding.”

“You’re not my friends.” Connor added, and the man ignored him.

“Hello, I’m Lucas, just a moment.” He pulled on the shirt, and Inho let out a breath of relief. Lucas reached out to shake his hand with a firm grip, “Sorry about that, I just got off work.” He turned to Connor, “Tell me next time you’re having friends over, hm?”

“Not my friends,” Connor chirped, and began unpacking his laptop on the dining table.

Lucas rolled his eyes to the sky, exasperated, ‘Sorry about him. Hey Josh, how’s your mum doing?” He turned away from Inho, who to him was just a random stranger, to make neighbourly small talk with Josh.

Inho took a seat on the far side of the table next to Connor so he could keep observing Lucas. His hair was much darker than Stephen’s and it had grey threaded at the temples. He was a little taller, and slightly less muscular. He had the build of a man with a physical job rather than a weightlifter, but he shared the same light blue eyes as Stephen and Connor both. He had smile lines that Stephen didn’t have, and he looked serious but friendly– distinguished. He looked–

“Quit staring, you creep, that’s my dad,” Connor said under his breath, and Inho jumped, his cheeks heating. Connor giggled and Inho frowned at him, but at least Connor’s teasing was less obnoxious than his usual venomous insults. Inho gave Lucas a final glance before doing a startled double take. Josh was staring at him with obvious aggression. What the fuck?

Josh’s hostility didn’t abate when he and Sanjay joined them at the table. Instead, he sat across from Inho and glared for the entirety of the time they talked through the project. If Connor noticed that Josh was trying to burn a hole through Inho’s face with his stare, he didn’t acknowledge it.

When at last they were organizing to leave, Inho took the chance to size Josh up. He wasn’t that big, Inho could probably take him. He’d fought with worse odds in middle school. As long as Sanjay stayed out of it… Inho gave himself a little shake. He wasn’t a teenager, and he didn’t need to fight anyone. What would Stephen say if he found out Inho was scrapping with a child? Inho grinned at his own absurdity.

Josh, however, did not share the sentiment, and took the opportunity to shove his backpack into the vase of flowers that was on the edge of the table. It tipped and sprayed stale flower water across Inho's shirt, then streamed off the table into his lap before he could stand up. Worse, it was tinted with dye from the flowers.

“Ugh, what the hell?!” Inho jumped up, enraged.

“Did something break?” Lucas called from the living room.

“Nope!” Josh called back, then said, “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry,” in a totally monotone voice, paired with a smirk.

“So annoying!” Connor snapped, grabbing a kitchen towel. “Josh go home, you loser. You too Sanjay.” He shooed them out before Inho could say anything else, and they left with just a sneering backwards look.

“I can’t get in Stephen’s car like this… It’ll stain.” Inho muttered, dabbing helplessly at his soaked jeans.

“Literally, you’re all so annoying, kill me.” Connor pressed his hand to his forehead and considered, “Okay give me your pants before it soaks through, and I’ll put them in the dryer. I probably have something you can wear til they’re done.”

“My pants? Take them off...? Here?”

“Yes, on my god, why d’you have so many stupid questions? Give them to me already.”

Feeling more than a little embarrassed, Inho stripped off his jeans. Fortunately his boxers weren’t very wet. Connor handed him another kitchen towel and directed him to finish wiping the spilled water, before sauntering off to find him something to wear.

While he was gone, Lucas came back to see what had happened. His eyes skimmed Inho with bland curiosity. “You’re really making yourself at home, huh?”

Inho flushed deeply, “Sorry, my pants got wet… Connor’s putting them in the dryer. I’m really sorry.”

Lucas chuckled, and passed by him on the way to the fridge, “It’s fine, just bad luck. Do you want a beer?”

Inho’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected to really get to talk to Lucas. “Uh, sure thanks.”

Lucas passed him a can, and gestured for him to sit, before joining him at the table.