This chapter contains an absolute cheese-fest, lol. And also something else that ends with '-est'. You have been warned (no, seriously, it isn't anything quite that bad). You be the judge.
~ Chapter 7 ~
Brothers
There’s no other love like the love for a brother.
There’s no other love like the love from a brother.
— Astrid Alauda
”Aren’t you going in?” asked Todd (or rather, who Kyle
thought was Todd), as they stood outside Kyle’s residence hall.
“Er, actually my roommate sort of kicked me out because he needed private time with his date,” explained Kyle sheepishly.
“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You can always come over to my room.”
“No, I didn’t want to impose. You’ve already lent me your scarf and –”
Todd sighed loudly, interrupting Kyle. “You won’t be imposing. Come on, I’m not taking no for an answer. I can’t leave you out here in the cold.” He reached for Kyle’s hand. Their gloved fingertips brushed and Kyle jerked his hand back at the jolt of electricity, feeling extremely confused. Only this morning he had shaken hands with Todd, and not felt even the smallest spark then.
“I, uh, I can’t. I have to … I have to –” Kyle faltered, unable to think of anything plausible he could claim to have to do, stuck outside his room as he was.
Todd looked hurt. “Kyle, you’re making excuses. Do you” – he took a deep breath – “not like me for some reason?”
Kyle groaned inaudibly. Everything he said only seemed to serve the purpose of digging him further into his own grave. “No, it’s not that. I can’t explain it –”
“Try me.”
“I’m in love with your brother,” Kyle blurted out, and immediately looked away. If he had glanced at Todd’s face, he would have seen that it was the picture of absolute astonishment.
“You … love … Troy?” repeated Todd, still in shock.
Kyle nodded, shamefacedly. “Look, you can’t tell your brother, okay? I know he’s straight, there was no way –”
“You should’ve told me,” interjected Todd.
Kyle stared at him in surprise. “What do you mean? What would be the point of that?”
“The point …” Todd paused, looking torn. “Kyle,” he said finally, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay … I’m listening.”
Todd hesitated, biting his lower lip. “I’ve always thought you were cute,” he said suddenly, in such a nervous rush of words that Kyle had difficulty grasping what he said. It occurred to Kyle that this was not what he had originally intended to say, but he didn’t pay too much attention to it because what Todd did say just about blew his mind.
He stared, speechless, at Todd. His throat was suddenly very dry. “You really think that?” he asked in a whisper.
Todd nodded slowly. “There’s also something else. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but … you’re standing under mistletoe.”
“Huh?” Kyle looked up to find that Todd’s words were indeed true. The first thought that came to mind was, which dumbass hung mistletoe right above the entrance to the building? But that thought was dispelled from his mind before he could voice it when he looked back down, to find himself staring straight into Todd’s green eyes. True, as he’d noted earlier, they were shielded by his black-rimmed glasses, but that did not mean they didn’t hold the same Madsen magic that Troy’s eyes did.
“You know what you’re supposed to do under mistletoe, right?” said Todd softly, as he edged closer.
Kyle gulped. Todd waited for him to move away, stop him … but Kyle did nothing of that sort. And so Todd gently pressed his lips against Kyle’s.
The effect was instantaneous. It was as if fireworks went off inside Kyle’s head. It was the most amazing realization of that moment of his dreams. Only he had never imagined sharing it with someone other than Troy. Little did he know he had indeed shared it with Troy.
In some distant part of his brain (the only part not overcome by the fireworks), he thought how ironic it was that he had gone from never having been kissed by a man before in his life, to having kissed two different men in the space of an hour.
He still had his eyes closed and his lips parted when Todd drew back. Feeling cold air instead of warm flesh against his lips Kyle opened his eyes. “Is it over already?” he asked, his disappointment evident.
Todd chuckled. “I take it you liked it then.”
As Kyle looked at Todd various thoughts flashed through his mind. He had been convinced he loved Troy. And now, all of a sudden, he felt chemistry with Troy’s brother. Troy’s gay brother. He remembered how he had told Allie it was not sensible for him to love a straight guy like Troy. It did, however, make sense for him to love Troy’s gay brother. And it also made sense to make the most out of a moment under the mistletoe.
“Fuck it,” he muttered under his breath, and moved in for his third kiss of the evening.
* * *
A very different scene played out at Allie’s residence hall.
Todd, realizing the game was up, pleaded with Allison. “I know how this looks but –”
Allie cut in angrily, “Do you and your brother think this is funny?”
“Allie, I swear it isn’t like that.” He grasped hold of her hands. “Please believe me,” he begged.
Allie looked down at his hands holding hers. “Let me go,” she said quietly, her tone belying her rage.
Todd shook his head frantically. “Not until you say you believe me.”
“I said let me go!”
Todd didn’t relinquish her hands. “Please, Allie-”
Allie hit out with all her might. If it had really been the more athletic Troy holding her, she wouldn’t have stood a chance of dislodging his grip. But Todd wasn’t even prepared for her to lash out. He stumbled backwards, releasing her hands in the process.
She took the opening and ran. She wanted to get as far away as possible from the lying, cheating scum. Tears of anger blurred her vision. She had actually enjoyed the date. And it turned out to be all some sick joke to get her to fall for the gay guy. She should have known better than to trust Troy. The arrogant jerk was probably having a good laugh. But Todd playing along with it … She could hear him now, panting as he chased after her, further proof he was not his sporty twin. He was yelling pleas for her to stop and listen, which she ignored. She couldn’t believe he was complicit in all this. If he hadn’t been gay, and not pulled a trick like this, she might have actually liked him.
Of course, anger was clouding Allison’s judgment. If she had stopped to think, she would have realized there was no need for the Madsens to go through the trouble and expense of setting up such an elaborate date. But logic held little sway over her mind at the moment; her fury at the deception was paramount.
She spied the lighted windows of Kyle’s residence hall up ahead and heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t much further now to safety. She had no idea what Todd intended to do when he caught up with her, but she was convinced it would be nothing good.
Kyle would be her sanctuary. He couldn’t be mad at her, not once she explained her reasons for agreeing to the date in the first place. In fact, he was going to be furious on her behalf at the Madsen twins’ ruse.
She was almost at the entrance by this point. She could see two people kissing, silhouetted against the light from just inside the entrance. As she drew closer she was able to make them out, and her eyes widened in shock. One of them was Kyle, and the other … the other was –
“Troy!” she yelled out loud. The two guys jumped apart at the sound of her voice.
“Allie?” said Kyle, sounding confused.
Allie ran up the steps to Kyle’s side. “Get away from Troy!”
“Huh?” Kyle’s confusion deepened. “Allie, this is Todd,” he tried to explain, failing to notice the teenager opposite him flinching.
“No, it’s not!” said Allie frantically. “They’re deceiving both of us, look-” She reached out and snatched Todd’s – or rather Troy’s – glasses with one hand. Troy was too stunned to stop her.
Kyle stared. The lack of glasses certainly made a difference. “It can’t be,” he whispered.
“It is!” Allie ruffled Troy’s hair, which he had neatly gelled and combed to mimic Todd’s formal hairstyle. It now looked a lot more like Troy’s unruly locks and he knew it. His shoulders sagged in defeat.
At that precise moment Todd finally caught up and saw the trio already waiting on the steps. “Oh shit,” he uttered.
Kyle looked from the newly-arrived brother to the one he had been kissing moments before. Except for their clothes, and Troy’s hair maintaining some semblance of formality, they were exactly identical. “I kissed
Troy?” whispered Kyle in disbelief. Allie stared at him, having forgotten that she had interrupted them in their steamy clinch.
Todd slowly climbed the steps to be next to his brother. “I’m sorry, Troy. It was my fault. I slipped up.”
Troy looked at his brother and sighed. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I should never have let you go ahead with this.”
Kyle was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact he had kissed the twin he had been attracted to since day one. Allie, who had been standing behind him, started to realize there was more to this than she’d initially assumed.
“Okay, what’s going on here?”
Todd and Troy looked at each other silently.
Kyle found his voice. “Yeah, do you guys care to explain?”
The brothers acted like the onlookers didn’t exist. “We owe them an explanation,” said Troy softly.
“Do you want me to tell them?” asked Todd, in the same soft tone.
Troy nodded.
“Everything?”
“Everything,” confirmed Troy. “They deserve the whole truth.” He glanced at Kyle for the first time since the big reveal. The ghost of a smile hovered briefly on his lips. “He told
me the whole truth.”
Kyle blushed, realizing he would never have had the nerve to admit he loved Troy to Troy himself had he known he was masquerading as Todd.
Todd sighed. “You’d better take a seat, it’s going to be quite a story.” He followed his own instruction and sat down on the steps. His brother followed suit. Kyle and Allie hesitated, Allie still looking mutinous.
“Please?” asked Troy, lifting his head from Todd’s shoulder on which he was resting it to gaze pleadingly at Kyle. Kyle’s heart melted. “C’mon,” he whispered to Allie, pulling her by the hand to sit on the steps.
Todd seemed not to notice their compliance. He put his arm around his brother, gently stroking his hair. Kyle thought they looked remarkably cute and, despite herself, Allie found herself thinking the same. Todd’s protectiveness of his younger brother shone through that simple gesture, which surprised Kyle who had always assumed Troy was the protective one. He was to learn the full story in the next few minutes.
In the consequent silence Todd spoke. “It began ten months ago, on our eighteenth birthday . . .”
Todd, grinning widely, shook his brother awake. Troy stirred in his sleep, grumbling. “Lemme go back to sleep.”
“Not unless you want to sleep through your eighteenth birthday!” said Todd, yelling the words in Troy’s ear for good measure.
His brother quickly sat up, rubbing his ear. “Ow! Are you trying to make me deaf?”
Todd ignored his groans. “Did you hear what I said?”
A smile slowly spread across Troy’s face. “Yeah. I can’t believe it.” He grabbed his brother in a bear hug. “Happy birthday, bro.”
Todd smiled and patted his brother across the back. “Happy birthday to you too. Now get dressed, I’ll be waiting downstairs with your present.”
“Okay, okay,” said Troy. He hurriedly grabbed a t-shirt off the pile on the floor and slipped it on over his boxers. He had almost reached the door before remembering his own gift for Todd. A lengthy rummage in his drawers yielded the untidily-wrapped package.
“You took ages,” said Todd when he finally made it downstairs. “Considering you’re barely dressed, too.”
Troy stuck his tongue out at him. “I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my prezzie.”
Todd laughed and produced a handsomely-wrapped gift with a flourish. Troy looked ruefully from it to the infinitely less tidy package in his hand. “Maybe you’d better open your gift first; get rid of the eyesore it’s packaged in.”
Todd laughed again and acquiesced to his brother’s request. He removed a brown suede jacket from the paper folds.
“Cool,” he exclaimed.
Troy smiled. “You like it?”
“Like it? I love it! It’s going to be the nicest article of clothing in my closet.”
“With your fashion sense, no doubt.”
“Hey!” Todd smacked his brother lightly. “Open your gift now.”
Troy slid a gleaming silver iPod out of its packaging. “Wow!”
“I thought your old one was getting kind of … well, old. Hope you like the color. Or did my crappy fashion sense fail again?” asked Todd, teasingly.
“No, it’s perfect. It couldn’t be more perfect.” His face fell. “Maybe except for one thing …” he said, more to himself than to his brother.
But Todd overheard. “What one thing?”
Troy shook his head. “Nothing. Just forget it.”
Todd moved so that he was facing Troy, gripping his brother’s shoulders. “Oh come on, I’ll get you whatever it is – within reason, of course.”
He looked at his brother. “That’s just it, Todd. It isn’t within reason.”
Todd furrowed his brows. “Are you sure it isn’t something I can buy you?”
“It isn’t something that can be bought,” replied Troy sadly. “It’s something you have to … give.”
Todd was pained to see the sorrowful expression on his twin’s face. “Hey, anything you want … everything I have is yours.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
Troy held Todd’s eyes with his own. “Absolutely sure?”
Todd didn’t flinch. “Of course. You’re my brother and I love you.”
Troy drew his breath in sharply. “Then you won’t mind if I – if I –”
“If you what?”
Troy shut his eyes and closed the gap between their faces. His lips pressed against Todd’s.
At this point in the narrative Kyle and Allie exchanged a look. Troy noticed. His smile was sad. “Yes I know what you’re thinking. But it’s not like that. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me though. Ever since that day, Todd becomes jumpy if he gets too close to me.” He looked at his brother. “I told you I wouldn’t do it again.”
Todd looked down at his hands, embarrassed. “I know. I should have had more faith in you.”
“No, you’d already trusted me too much – with your life, in fact.” He glanced at Kyle and Allie. “I think we’d better get on with the story before they think I’m a total freak.”
Kyle opened his mouth to say he’d never think Troy was a freak, but Allie clamped her hand over it. Kyle glanced over at his best friend when she removed her hand, but by then her eyes were fixed intently on Todd, who was continuing his narrative. He subsided back into silence.
“What was that?” yelled Todd, thoroughly freaked out by the kiss. Whatever he had expected, it was certainly not this.
Troy cowered in fear and shame. Almost at once Todd’s anger abated. He realized he couldn’t be harsh with his brother, who was obviously hiding something dark and painful. He had a good idea what it was, but he wanted to hear it from him.
“Troy, is there something you want to tell me?” he asked gently.
“I think you already know. I – I’m gay.” The tears came unbidden. “I’m gay,” he repeated, sobbing.
“Oh Troy.” It was still a shock to hear that his identical twin’s sexuality was the polar opposite of his own, but that didn’t stop Todd from reacting in older-brother mode. He wrapped Troy in his arms. “Why did you keep it from me?”
“Because I was too embarrassed to admit it. I was supposed to be the strong one, the confident one.”
“Being gay doesn’t make you any less of those things.”
“You don’t understand. I have no future. I can’t be the popular athlete and gay at the same time. You know the attitudes people in this town have towards homosexuality.”
“Some of them accept it,” Todd pointed out.
“Yes, but not in the circles I move in.”
“Then screw them.”
“I can’t,” replied Troy tearfully. “They’re my world. I can’t live without my friends, my sports … That’s why I kissed you. You’re the closest I’ll ever get to kissing another man. I know it was wrong, but I didn’t want to turn 18 without having at least once kissing a guy.”
“Okay, don’t worry about that now. What we need to think about is getting you a real man.”
Troy looked at his brother in awe. “Are you saying you’ll support me?”
“I’m behind you one hundred percent,” his brother replied sincerely.
Troy smiled through his tears. “I knew I could count on you.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “But you can forget about getting me a man. There’s no way that’ll work.”
“Of course there’s a way. All you need is …”
“Anonymity,” supplied Troy. “Which I’ll never have.”
Todd sighed, realizing his brother was right. He added glumly, “And which I have in abundance.”
The idea struck them both at the same time. “That’s it!” shrieked Todd.
Troy stared at his brother in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“We can change places,” Todd said excitedly, “I mean, come on, we are identical. It’s not going to be all the time, only when you need it. No one will guess.”
“Todd, no. No way. I can’t let you throw your life away like that. I mean, it’s fine for me, I can always come out as gay at some point in my life. But you … if you pretend to be gay, people will never again believe that you’re really straight.”
“Troy, look. It’s not without its benefits for me. Right now, no girl looks at me. I might as well be invisible. You, on the other hand … every girl in school is in love with you. I need what you have, you need what I have. It’ll be perfect.”
Troy wasn’t completely convinced. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better about this whole idea.”
“No, it’s true. I’ll actually have my fifteen minutes of fame – albeit as you – while you have your anonymity, or rather mine. It’s a symbiosis.” Todd wasn’t being entirely truthful; he knew Troy had been right when he’d said the damage to Todd’s reputation would be irreparable. But he didn’t really care. It was his brother’s birthday and his own, and the only thing he wanted was for Troy to be happy . . .
“And so we agreed to switch places whenever one of us got the date the other wanted. And that way my brother could get his wish,” finished Todd.
* * *
“Mmm,” mumbled Zach as he went down on his catch of the day, a hunky footballer named Lane. “Sean, come over here.”
No one obeyed his summons. “Sean?” He looked up from Lane’s crotch to find Sean seated on the couch, staring into space.
“Sean!” he said, more loudly this time, startling the subject out of his reverie. “Why aren’t you even undressed?”
“I – I
don’t know.” There was absolute surprise in Sean’s last two words.
Zach sighed and got off his knees. “Lane, why don’t you go into the bedroom and get comfy? I’ll be with you in a sec.” He sneaked a peek at the footballer’s bubble butt as he swaggered off into the bedroom.
“Sean, we need to talk.” He sat down on the couch next to him. “You’re messed up. I don’t know what it is you want, but I have the feeling you aren’t going to get it in here.”
Sean looked stunned. “Are you kicking me out?”
Zach cocked his head to one side. “I didn’t say that. I just said that uou need to figure out what it is you want, and then decide for yourself whether you want to come back. If you do, my door’s always open for you.”
Sean blinked, mulling Zach’s words over in his head. “I guess you’re right. I do need some time to think.” He got up slowly and walked to the door.
Watching him go Zach felt a pang of sympathy. This Sean was so different from the one he was used, who would fuck him hard all night and still have the energy to do it all over again in the morning. No remorse, no regrets.
Zach sighed and turned to the phone. The number he wanted was already on speed dial. The person at the other end picked up on the first ring.
“Yeah, he’s on his way … He’s pretty messed up, you’ve got your work cut out for you … Yeah, good luck.”
He returned the phone to its holder and stared at it for a while. He was going to miss Sean. Then he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he remembered he had a lusty footballer to satisfy.
* * *
Allie was the first to break the silence that greeted the conclusion of the twins’ flashback.
“That’s either the sickest” – both brothers winced – “or the sweetest story I’ve ever heard.”
Kyle spoke up. “It was the sweetest.” He looked at Todd. “That was one hell of a sacrifice you made for your brother.”
A small grin appeared on Todd’s face. “He was worth it.”
“Does that mean you forgive us for deceiving the both of you?” asked Troy.
Allie and Kyle looked at each other. “I don’t know,” said Allie, “it was still pretty cruel of you to make me think that Troy, I mean Todd, liked me.”
“But he does!” said Troy, sounding surprised. “Didn’t you notice how he blushed when you spoke to him? I knew at once he liked you but just didn’t dare to ask you out. Not that you’d have believed him anyway since he was supposed to be gay.”
Allie stared at Todd. “Is that true?” The fact that he started to blush answered her question. “Oh Todd.”
Troy, meanwhile, looked at Kyle. “I don’t think you’re going to find me loveable after hearing what I put my brother through for my own selfish reasons –”
“From what I heard, he was the one who suggested the idea. And convinced you to go through with it.”
“I could’ve stopped him though.”
Kyle nodded slowly. “Yes, you could have. It was a little selfish. But … I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.” Troy’s face, which had fallen when Kyle called him selfish, started to light up. “And what scared me so much, that I didn’t want to tell you that I loved you, was that you were so perfect. So knowing the truth, all it’s done is made you less … godlike, and more human. More loveable.” He reached out and entwined his hand in Troy’s, feeling the familiar jolt of electricity and welcoming it.
Allie started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” asked Kyle. The Madsen twins looked equally perturbed.
“Don’t you realize, Kyle, everything’s worked out for the best? You wanted Troy but thought you couldn’t have him because he was straight, and now it turns out he’s not and he does in fact like you. And Todd here has apparently had a crush on me for a while now and he’s more my type than Troy ever was.”
Kyle started to laugh too. “You’re right, it’s almost kinky.”
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” declared Troy. He looked at Kyle, and for the briefest of moments Kyle saw the vulnerability that was usually only visible to Todd. On an impulse, he kissed Troy. After the initial surprise, Troy responded amorously.
Todd and Allie looked at the kissing pair and then at each other. “Is it our turn yet?” she asked. Todd chose a non-verbal reply.
* * *
Sean walked into his dorm room to find Neil waiting for him.
“Oh hi, Neil,” he said distractedly. “I thought you’d be with Kirsten.”
Neil shook his head. Sean threw himself onto the bed, sighing loudly. Neil debated whether he should start the conversation but, as it turned out, Sean provided the opening.
“Did you know that kid Kyle, Allison’s friend, was gay?”
“Yes.”
Sean sat up, surprised. “You did? Since when?”
“About a month ago.”
“A
month? How …?”
Neil gestured to the window. “You know I have a habit of using the window to get into Kirsten’s room. Which, as it happens, is Allison’s room. At the time the window was open and I was checking to see if Kirsten was in her room. She wasn’t, but Allison and Kyle were. I overheard him coming out to her.” Neil calmly observed the effect of his narration on Sean.
“It didn’t occur to you to tell me? Especially after I told you of my interest in him?” said Sean, sounding more than a little pissed.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew what you would do. It wasn’t going to be good for either you or for him.”
“I met him today and I didn’t
do anything to him,” retorted Sean angrily.
“Yes, that’s because it was today. A month ago it would have been a different story.”
“How the hell would you know what I would have done a month ago or today?”
“Because I watch. I observe. I worry.”
“Worry about my ‘victims’?” asked Sean sarcastically. “Since when did you become so self-righteous?”
“It’s not so much them I worry about.” Neil paused, knowing his next words would throw Sean for a loop. “It’s you. Because – because – I love you.”
To be continued …
I can’t believe I thought I could finish the story in one chapter. I’ve already written this extremely long installment and we still have a few scenes left. I’ve decided they’ll go into the last (this time I promise, lol) chapter, titled “All I Want for Christmas”. I know it’s a bit late, but just allow your mind to go back a couple of weeks and it’ll make seasonably good reading, especially with the soundtrack I’ll be providing. That’s another promise. 
Comments and feedback are always appreciated. Thanks! 