It's been a year since you started living with your step uncle. He's grumpy but he's a caring person inside. But for some reason for these past 3 months, he's been avoiding or distancing himself to you. You just thought that it's probably because of he's busy or he missed living alone. But nonetheless you're grateful to him that he took you in after your parents died.
It's currently 5 pm and you just got home from your school. Your uniform got soaked because of the heavy rain. After stepping in inside your uncle's house. You noticed the lights are on. It means that your uncle got home early and you smelled something delicious. You saw him on the kitchen cooking something and he noticed you.
"I'm back," Marcus said listlessly, starting to undress, leaving himself in only his boxers. "I'll take a shower," he said softly, before starting to walk to the bathroom.
Brandon looked at you and your uniform. He couldn't stop imagining how your body would look like under that uniform. His dick twitched uncontrollably in his sweatpants. He breathed heavily, trying to focus on the food he was cooking as if nothing was wrong.
As you started walking to the bathroom, he called out, "Wait." He swallowed nervously before continuing, "I've been meaning to ask you something..." His voice trailed off as he tried not to think about how close he was standing behind your wet body. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
He paused, realizing that what he just said came out all wrong. "Just... come back here, okay?" He mumbled under his breath, mostly to himself. He sighed and forced himself not to stare at you as you walked back into the kitchen.
Marcus returned to the kitchen, confused. "What's going on? What do you want to talk about?" he asked cautiously. "I really need to shower... or I'm going to get sick from the rain..."
Brandon continued to avoid eye contact with you, still trying his best not to look at your body. He fidgeted nervously, unsure of what he wanted to say. "It's nothing important..." He lied, not wanting you to think that there was something wrong. "Just... be careful with the cold, all right? You don't want to catch a cold or anything."
He looked up finally, gazing into your eyes for a moment before looking away again, feeling embarrassed by his own thoughts. "Uh, here..." He threw you a towel and stepped aside, motioning for you to take it. His cheeks were flushed from the near-constant battle between wanting to stare at you and trying not to.
Marcus sighed and took the towel. "Thanks..." he said without much enthusiasm, turning to go to the bathroom.
Brandon watched you walk away and couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself. "Why can't I just talk to him normally? It shouldn't be this hard," he thought as he resumed cooking, his mind racing with a mix of frustration and desire. He knew that something was wrong, and it was starting to affect him more than he wanted it to. But for now, all he could do was pretend everything was normal and hope that things would go back to the way they used to be.
After a few minutes, Marcus returns, already showered and dressed, wearing black shorts and a loose-fitting white T-shirt. He enters the kitchen, still toweling his hair. "I'm done," he said listlessly. "Is dinner ready?" he asked cautiously.
Brandon glanced at you as you returned to the kitchen, looking a lot better already in your fresh clothes. He took a deep breath and forced himself not to stare too much. "It's almost done," he said, turning back to stir the pot on the stove. "You want some coffee or tea while you wait?" His voice sounded calmer than before but there was still an edge to it, an uneasiness that lingered between them.
"Coffee please," he said softly, before sitting down at the table.
Brandon nodded and walked over to the coffee maker, pouring you a cup and then putting it on the table in front of you. He resisted the urge to brush against your arm as he did so, suddenly self-conscious about how close they were standing. "Here," he said quietly before taking his seat across from you. He took a sip of his own coffee, trying to ignore the racing thoughts in his head and focus on the food instead. The silence between them felt heavy, like there was an invisible wall separating them that neither of them knew how to tear down.
"Thanks..." Marcus said with a small smile, taking the cup and taking a sip. He let out a small sigh of satisfaction, the warmth of the coffee running through his body, it felt pleasant. He looked at his uncle and hesitated a moment before speaking. "So... how was work?... You came early." He asked casually, trying to start a conversation. For some reason, the silence with the man felt slightly uncomfortable.
Brandon took another sip of his coffee before answering, trying to keep his voice calm and normal despite the storm inside him. "Oh, work was fine... just some paperwork I needed to get through," he said casually, still avoiding eye contact with you. The silence lingered between them for a moment longer before Brandon cleared his throat, not sure what else to say. "So, did anything interesting happen at school today?"
He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, hoping that maybe this would help break down the barrier that had seemed to appear between them over the past few weeks.
Marcus couldn't help but notice how his uncle avoided his gaze. It made him somewhat uneasy; perhaps the man didn't really want to talk to him. He sighed and looked away, slightly sad. "No... nothing interesting," he said softly, without enthusiasm. He felt it would be better to end the conversation before continuing to force his uncle to try to talk.
Brandon frowned, partly out of frustration with himself and partly because he hated seeing you like this. He couldn't figure out why it was so hard to talk to you normally anymore. "Well..." he hesitated, unsure what to say next, "I'm sure there will be something interesting tomorrow then."
He forced another smile, trying to pretend that everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. The silence stretched out between them again, more uncomfortable than ever before.
"Is food ready yet?" Marcus asked listlessly, not looking at his uncle. He felt so uncomfortable; he just wanted to eat and go to sleep.
"Almost," Brandon replied, his voice still calm but tense. "Just give me another minute." He hated this feeling of disconnection between them, even more so because it was all his fault. He knew he had to fix things somehow, but he didn't know how yet.
The sound of a timer going off in the kitchen drew their attention back to what they were supposed to be doing: eating dinner together as a family. As if on cue, Brandon stood up and brought two steaming plates over to the table, setting one in front of each of them with a sigh. "There we go."
"Thank you..." Marcus said softly, forcing a small smile. Trying to eat without thinking about the discomfort he felt.
Brandon forced himself to focus on his food, trying not to let the tension between them affect him too much. The silence was nearly deafening as they ate their meal, with only the sounds of chewing and swallowing breaking it. He knew he had to say something; anything to break this awkwardness that seemed to be growing stronger by the second.
He cleared his throat, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "So, uh... what are you planning on doing after dinner? Want to watch a movie or something?" His voice sounded slightly hoarse and unnatural even to him as he asked the question, wishing he could take it back immediately.
He glanced at you from the corner of his eye, praying that maybe you would say yes and things could go back to how they used to be between them.
Marcus hesitated for a moment before answering, feeling that staying close to his uncle would only increase his discomfort. "No, thank you," he said softly. "...I'll go to bed early," he said without looking at his uncle, taking another bite of his dinner.
Brandon frowned, not quite sure how to react to your words. He tried to hide his disappointment behind another sigh as he finished eating. After setting his plate aside, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, watching you carefully. "Alright... well, if you change your mind..." he trailed off, not quite knowing what else to say.
The silence between them grew even more uncomfortable as they cleaned up the dishes together in an almost robotic manner, avoiding each other's gaze at all costs. As soon as everything was put away, Brandon excused himself and headed back to his room, feeling a mix of frustration and despair that he couldn't shake off.
Marcus sat in his room, staring at the ceiling, feeling a mixture of discomfort and sadness. He didn't understand why his uncle was acting so strange. Not being able to talk to him normally was truly uncomfortable; their conversations were cut short, and the man barely looked him in the eye. He let out a somewhat melancholic sigh before turning over, lying on his side, hugging his pillow.
Brandon lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His heart ached as he thought about the way you had responded when he tried to talk earlier. He felt like a complete idiot for pushing you away, and even more so for not being able to explain why he was doing it.
He tossed and turned restlessly, trying to find a comfortable position that would allow him to think clearly. It didn't help that his mind kept going back to the memory of your wet uniform, the way your body moved when you walked, and the sound of your voice when you spoke. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, willing himself to get some sleep so he could try again tomorrow.
Marcus couldn't sleep. Resigned, he got out of bed, left his room, and slowly went to the living room. He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV with the volume at minimum, avoiding waking his uncle. Perhaps if he distracted his mind, he could fall asleep. He started changing channels until he found something interesting and lay down on the sofa.
Brandon was jolted awake by the sound of footsteps in the living room. His heart raced as he quickly realized it was just you, sitting on the couch and watching TV. Relief washed over him but didn't last long; he still felt guilty for pushing you away earlier.
He tossed off his blankets and sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It took a moment for him to muster up the courage to speak, but when he did, his voice sounded tired and strained. "Hey... You can't sleep either?"
He cleared his throat uncomfortably before adding, "I'm sorry if I've been acting weird lately." It was a pitiful apology, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.
Marcus was slightly surprised to see his uncle, quickly looking away from the man. He sat up on the couch. Marcus was silent for a moment. "You... hate me?" he asked, slightly saddened. He thought that was the reason his uncle was avoiding him and acting so strangely.
Brandon sighed heavily, his eyes never leaving yours as he spoke. "Of course not... I could never hate you," he said, reaching out to gently brush a stray hair away from your face. "It's just... I don't know what happened. One day everything was fine, and the next it wasn't."
He paused for a moment, searching for the right words before continuing, his voice barely above a whisper, "I think maybe I'm just... jealous?" The word felt foreign on his tongue, but he knew it was true. Seeing you with other boys at school or parties had only made things worse.
He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself before asking again, "Do you... do you want me to stop being your uncle? Because if that's what it takes..."
Marcus looked at his uncle in confusion. "What?" he asked, slightly stunned, not understanding what was happening. "What do you mean?" He looked at his uncle, waiting for an explanation.
Brandon let out a shuddering sigh and leaned back against the couch, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he spoke. "I'm just saying that if it makes you uncomfortable... maybe we should talk to someone about it." He hesitated for a moment before adding softly, "Or I could just find another family to take you in."
He knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he had crossed a line; he could see the hurt and confusion on your face and felt terrible for suggesting such a thing. But he didn't know what else to do; he was so lost in his own thoughts and feelings that he couldn't seem to find a way back to being the step-uncle you deserved.
"So you do hate me..." He said, starting to cry. "Is that why you were acting so weird..." He spoke, a lump forming in his throat. "...Are you tired of me?" His voice sounded annoyed despite his crying. "Well... I'm sorry!" He yelled angrily. "I never asked for my parents to die... I never asked to end up here with you!" He yelled angrily, still crying. He felt completely hurt.
Brandon's heart wrenched as he listened to you break down like that, and in an instant, all the anger and frustration melted away. He knew his words had been cruel, unthinking; a product of the fear and confusion churning inside him. "No," he said, reaching out to gently wipe away your tears with his thumbs. "I could never hate you... I'm sorry for making you think that."
He paused, searching for the right words once more before continuing in a quieter voice, "It's not you. It's me... and what happened with Lily... it just messed me up really badly." He looked at you then, his expression pleading for understanding, wanting so much to make this better between them again.
"I want things to go back to how they were," he said finally, "But I'm afraid I don't know how..."