58: A Drive, A Think, A Nephew

The long drive through the towns surrounding Vancouver always made Stephen sleepy, and he turned up the volume in the car; it was tuned to some pop music of Inho’s with a frantic repetitive beat, and it made him feel a little more alert. He sighed, wishing Inho would have come along for the ride, but lately, it was getting harder and harder to get him out of the house.

Two weeks had passed since Inho’s injury, and he was recovering exceptionally well. His ribs were nearly pain-free, and the doctor said his wrist would only need another few weeks to heal. Despite this, Inho insisted on holing himself up in the apartment at all times.

Inho was basically just lying around moodily watching Netflix all the time, until he’d randomly pull out textbooks and frantically study English for reasons he avoided explaining. Stephen didn’t understand it, and he would have gotten annoyed if it weren’t for the fact that his visits to Inho’s apartment were always made of eating, snuggling, and fucking.

But today, he’d finally managed to tempt Inho out with the promise of meeting his friends at a dinner party. He felt like he was dangling treats for a grumpy cat, then dragging it out from under the couch when it reached for them. He grinned, enjoying the mental image. Halloween was coming up, maybe he should buy Inho a cat costume, that would be...

He took the next exit and his smile faded. Though he lied about it to most people, Stephen was not actually from Vancouver. He had grown up in this shitty small town an hour away, and he’d die before he’d ever move back. Every time he entered city limits, his heart sped up unpleasantly.

Yet, somehow his nephew had convinced him to pick him up here and bring him to dinner as well. Connor was always whining for Stephen to introduce him to the gay scene in Vancouver. Stephen didn’t know what he expected, or why he didn’t just go to Pride or an LGBTQ+ center. At 18, he was still too young to go to bars, anyway. Stephen figured if he introduced him to some of his friends, he’d stop nagging so much.

Stephen had agreed to pick Connor up at a gas station across town from Connor’s house. It would be a lot more than awkward if Connor’s dad caught them together, and while Stephen relished the thought of causing his brother pain, he didn’t want to put the kid through that.

He pulled into the parking lot, but Connor wasn’t there yet, so he went inside to grab an iced coffee while he waited. He was headed back to the car when an angry voice filtered around the corner of the station. There was a parking lot there too, and he supposed he should check for Connor.

He turned the corner, and sure enough, there was Connor’s slim back, facing another taller man. His nephew was speaking in a sharp tone, but his body language screamed tension. Stephen sauntered to them, just as the bigger man grabbed Connor’s wrist.

“Hey kiddo,” Stephen drawled, draping an arm around Connor’s shoulders, “Why are you making me wait?”

“Stephy!” Connor relaxed immediately, and the other man dropped Connor’s wrist to glare at Stephen, sizing him up.

Stephen snickered internally and took a long sip on his straw while he gave Connor’s conversation partner an insolent stare.“Who’s this ugly kid?” he asked, finally.

Connor was confident now and turned away from the man, clearly dismissing him, “Nobody important,” he said, “Let’s go. Did you drive your Tesla here?”

Stephen rolled his eyes, “I only own one car, Connor.” He knew Connor was brand dropping for the other man’s benefit, but it was kinda funny. He guided Connor away, shooting the man a final condescending smirk.

They climbed in the car and Stephen pulled out of the lot, glad to be escaping this town once more. “Was that your boyfriend?” he asked, without looking at Connor. The other man was young, but still probably at least Inho’s age. The thought gave Stephen an odd feeling. That was too old for Connor, he decided.

“No!” Connor glared out the window, then folded his arms, “Ex-boyfriend. And, he was a loser anyway. He followed me there on the bus.”

Stephen grimaced, “Ugh. Stay away from weirdos.” He didn’t know what more advice to give, he’d gotten into worse spots at that age while hiding things from his parents… “Call me if he tries anything again. I’ll help you talk to the police.”

“Nah, he’s not going to try anything else,” Connor replied in a cheery voice, “I just lied and told him I was actually underage. He’s got pics of my dick, so...”

Stephen cringed. Connor was adorable for such a little sociopath, “Don’t do that either, just...use condoms, and stay off apps.”

“I’m an adult,” Connor huffed, “I can handle it.” Quick as lightning, his demeanor changed, “By the way can I sleep at your place tonight?”

“Nope,” Stephen answered, immediately.

“Aw, please? I have a date in the city with a guy tomorrow, and if I don’t go I’ll never get to meet him!”

“Sounds like a you-problem.”

“Uncle Stephen…” Connor's voice broke slightly and Stephen made the mistake of glancing at him. There were tears in his enormous blue eyes. Connor had an extremely delicate face, with fine features, pale pale skin, and a tiny red mouth. He looked very young when he cried, and Stephen suddenly felt guilty, like he was bullying a little kid.

Stephen clicked his tongue in annoyance, “Fine, but you’re on the couch, and if Inho comes over, you better stay out of the way.”

Connor’s attitude changed again immediately, his crocodile tears drying instantaneously, “Who’s Inho?”