Matt
MATT
After dealing with so many fires throughout the city, welcomed the relative peace they had for a few days. As Cade pointed out, it had been three days since Keith had arrived with his brother and three days since they’d had any major calls.
“Our good luck charm,” Cade had proclaimed, immediately frowning. “Never thought I’d say that about someone related to Keith. These are weird times.”
“You know he can probably hear you, right?” asked as they cleared the back storage room together. Free time meant extra chores.
“Yeah, and Dude’s a dick,” Cade grunted.
hummed thoughtfully, not bothering to reply. It was true that Keith had never been a fan of his and had been outright mean at times. Yet, he had to admit Keith had found something in the past couple of years that made him more tolerable. Whether that was fear of the beating Elias had laid down or something else, didn’t know. Keith could still barely make eye contact with him, but at least he wasn’t sneering constantly.
“His brother’s kind of alright, though,” Cade added.
reached to take a box from the highest shelf, grunting. “He does seem to have a different temperament, that’s for sure.”
“Which is a weird way of saying he’s not a dick.”
“Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it.”
“You think he just hides it better?”
“Anything is possible, Cade, but I don’t believe so.”
Cade snorted. “Out of everyone here who deserves to look at anyone who shares genes with Keith with suspicion, you would be the right guy.”
yelped as the box tumbled down and he found himself covered in what appeared to be flour as bags flew down around him, breaking open. “Who in their right mind put flour in the back storage?”
Cade had retreated as far as possible, covering his mouth to muffle his snickering. “Oh god, I didn’t think you could get any paler.”
shot him a look, wiping himself off even as he knew it was impossible. “The sins of the father are not those of the son. So it is with brothers. I’m not going to hold what Keith has done against Ethan.”
If only because the man could actually hold a conversation with him. Over the past few days, Ethan had appeared at some point each day. Usually, he busied himself with something in the station despite everyone telling him he didn’t need to. He was certainly more personable than Keith and a great deal more reserved.
“Bit quiet though,” Cade added, as though reading ’s thoughts.
“Not everyone is as good at small talk as you,” pointed out, stepping out of the storage closet.
In truth, he thought Ethan was more shy than he let on. He seemed particularly reserved when it came to , which, considering he was related to Keith, might have been a warning sign. What kept from being suspicious was that Ethan attempted to talk to him. While he wasn’t sure what to say to , he at least tried, which counted for a great deal.
“I’ll have to rinse off, there’s no way around it,” groaned.
“Keith is showering right now,” Cade pointed out.
“Shit,” grumped. There was no way he was bathing with Keith around. “I’ll just hose myself off then. It’ll be fine. It’s not like I’ll freeze to death.”
Cade chuckled. “We can use the bay’s hose. C’mon.”
Sighing heavily, led the way down the hallway to the bay. “I suppose that works. We were supposed to clean the trucks today too. Two birds with one stone.”
They stopped as they reached the bay where the trucks were parked. The concrete was soaked, and spraying water could be heard from the far end. and Cade exchanged glances before walking around the front of the nearest truck.
Cade was the first to spot the source. “God, the man is bound and determined to do just about anything around here, isn’t he?”
“Who?” asked, trying to see.
The answer came around the truck, still holding onto the hose as Ethan sprayed down the windshield of the furthest truck. He’d come dressed for the occasion in a shirt and jeans, though he’d at least had the sense to take his shoes off, leaving him barefoot. didn’t miss the fact that the man had also chosen to wear a white shirt, which was now very wet.
“Ethan, we told you not to worry about shit,” Cade called out.
turned, eyes widening, and as he watched, he saw the muscles of the man’s torso move under the tight grip of the soaking-wet shirt. He could see the man’s entire upper body had seen a great deal of sun with dark patches of hair on his chest and stomach. But the shift of muscles caught his attention, and forgot what he was doing and where he was going.
Before he could correct himself, his foot caught on one of the hoses, sending him sprawling. Instinct alone caused him to throw his arms out and catch himself before he slammed his face into the ground.
“Jesus,” Cade said, looking down at . “You good?”
“Fine, lost my footing,” muttered.
And a piece of dignity.
When he pushed himself up, he saw, to his dismay, that Ethan was hurrying toward him, a frown creasing his brow. hurriedly pushed himself upright before the man could bend down and help him. The last thing he needed was Ethan to touch him.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked.
felt his face warm. “You’re…I’m fine. Fine, I’m fine. I’m okay.”
Cade was staring at him, brow slowly creeping up his forehead. “You know, I think he might be okay.”
“I tripped,” said emphatically.
“We saw that.”
“And I’m fine.”
“Apparently.” Ethan chuckled. “Didn’t think I’d see you trip like that. You’re normally quite light on your feet.”
“Our little ninja,” Cade added, being as helpful as ever.
“Yes, thank you, Cade,” hissed at him.
In a way, he was glad Cade was being so difficult. It gave something to focus on that wasn’t the wet and very muscular man standing a foot away. resisted the urge to close his eyes and swear under his breath.
He was not going to get the hots for Keith’s brother, even if he was hot.
Ethan cocked his head, drawing ’s attention. “Why are you...white?”
“I’m always white,” muttered, looking down at his flour-covered clothes.
“He dumped flour on himself,” Cade informed Ethan, sounding far too pleased.
“Tall shelf,” said by way of explanation.
“And we came out here to hose him down,” Cade added.
“Why not just take a shower?” Ethan asked.
shot Cade a warning look as he answered, “Because it’s occupied, and a hose works just as well.”
Ethan frowned. “Occupied.”
“By your brother,” Cade said, ignoring ’s continued attempts to shut him up.
The frown returned, throwing a shadow over Ethan’s features. “Oh.”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait till you’re done,” said hurriedly, trying to change the subject.
Ethan watched for a moment longer before shrugging. “If you want to, you can sit out here and wait for him to get out.”
shot Cade another look, this one more annoyance than warning. “Fine, then Cade can continue cleaning out the closet.”
Ethan smiled. “Sure, make yourself comfortable.”
In the five seconds it took Ethan to walk off, Cade shot him a knowing look. “Nice.”
stared back at him. “What? You’re the one who had to remind him that Keith is...Keith.”
“He deserves to know,” Cade said, unapologetic as he shrugged. “And I meant the fact that you couldn’t be any more obvious in your drooling if you tried.”
“I am not ,” said vehemently.
Cade snorted. “Right. Because you always fall flat on your face.”
“Do not make the joke. I can see it brewing in that head of yours,” warned him.
Cade hesitated. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Liar.”
Cade sighed. “Fine. Stare and drool all you want, but just remember who his brother is.”
huffed, looking away. “Thank you, Mom. I wasn’t staring at anything.”
“Whatever you say. Just remember.”
As if could forget. He might not be willing to hold Keith’s behavior over Ethan’s head, but that didn’t mean he was blind. Ethan clearly didn’t hold to his brother’s bigotry, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something worth worrying about.
It didn’t stop him from sitting near the truck Ethan was washing. And it didn’t stop him from watching the man as he made the last trips around the truck to rinse it off. Which meant he had more than enough time to admire the strength of the muscles in Ethan’s shoulders or the damp denim curving around an ass that was pretty sure he could bounce a whole roll of quarters off.
“There we go,” Ethan proclaimed, looking pleased as he turned the water off. “Sparkling clean.”
“Until the next time,” said.
“Eh. The fun of cleaning something is watching the dirt and grime come off. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
smiled at that. “I remember you telling me you were just a stupid jarhead.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Doesn’t sound like something a stupid person would say. I think you sell yourself short.”
Ethan shrugged, crossing his arms over his middle and leaning against the front of the truck to face . “Sounds like you got it all figured out.”
“I hope not. Having everything figured out sounds boring,” told him.
Ethan smirked. “Sounds like a thinking man’s motto.”
God save him, the man was good-looking normally, but that smirk threatened to undo right there.
He managed a smile. “It was something my father was fond of saying.”
“Fond? Past tense?” Ethan asked.
“He’s still around, don’t worry,” assured him. “He just doesn’t say it as much as he used to, is all.”
Relief flashed over Ethan’s face. “Oh. Well, that’s good.”
It was neither the time nor the place to go into what state his father was in, and kept the information to himself. Another deciding factor was that it was difficult to talk about, especially to someone he barely knew. Yet, even as silence fell between them, could see no fault in Ethan that would keep from telling him the truth one day. Despite his genetic connection to Keith, got a sense of understanding and kindness from Ethan that was at odds with his quiet, stoic Marine persona.
Ethan glanced toward the nearby hallway, face going pink. “Would you be interested in getting coffee or something with me soon?”
’s head jerked up. “What?”
“You know, a drink, coffee, cocktail, something,” Ethan spat out in a hurry.
Of all the things he had expected to break the silence, an offer of a drink ranked exceptionally low on ’s list. He couldn’t help but stare at him, at a complete loss for words.
Ethan bowed his head. “I know it’s probably weird, having me, of all people, ask you out.”
“Ask me out,” repeated. The full effect of what was happening struck him. “You’re asking me out on...a date ?”
“I know,” Ethan said, bowing his head to look at his feet. “Pretty much out of nowhere and...well, I probably shouldn’t be asking someone at my brother’s work for a date.”
“Oh God,” said faintly. For a moment, he’d almost forgotten Ethan was related to Keith.
“It’s okay,” Ethan added in a hurry.
“You’re,” began, suddenly having difficulty finding the word. “Like. You , you’re...but...and you’re…”
Ethan frowned. “I’m what?”
“Gay?” blurted out, finally finding the word in the barrage of thoughts racing through his head.
The corner of Ethan’s mouth quirked. “I am. Yeah.”
“And asking me out on?—”
“A date. Yeah.”
That was about as much as could summon before he slumped back into his chair in sheer wonder. That he was attracted to Ethan was not in question. The other man was good-looking, seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and something in his hazel eyes drew in.
Yet, he never dreamed anyone connected by blood to Keith would ever be standing before him, looking impossibly good in a wet shirt, asking him out on a date.
“When?” asked faintly.
Ethan’s eyes widened. “You will?”
“When?” repeated.
“When’s your next day off?”
“Thursday.”
“Thursday night, then. I don’t know where to go, though, not exactly familiar with the area.”
“I…” began, clearing his throat to speak clearly. “Can probably find something for us.”
To his continued disbelief, Ethan looked positively overjoyed. barely paid attention to the man as he bent over, grabbing something from a nearby table. He reappeared with a phone in his hand, thrusting it at .
“Gonna need your number if that’s the case,” Ethan told him.
stared up at him in wonder as he took the device, nodding. He punched in his number, not able to think of what he should probably say, as he handed it back. He was caught by the bright shine of Ethan’s eyes, full of happiness and eagerness as he took it.
“I get off at four that day,” heard himself say. “I’ll need time to get ready.”
“That’s fine by me,” Ethan said. “My sleep schedule has been so out of whack lately anyway. Six work?”
“Yeah,” said faintly.
“Hey, Ethan, where the fuck you at?” Keith’s voice boomed from the hallway.
Ethan’s expression dimmed as he shouted back, “Be right there.”
“You should probably go to him before he finds…us,” said, looking over Ethan’s wet torso.
“Text me when you’ve figured something out?” Ethan asked, taking a step away.
“Yeah, of course,” assured him.
Ethan shot him a grin as he hurried toward where Keith was waiting. was left behind, sitting on one of the foldout chairs in the bay. It marked the first time he’d ever been asked out while covered in flour.
stared at where he’d last seen Ethan, still trying to figure out precisely what had happened. That he had just been asked out by a man he had found attractive from the first look was obvious. That it had been a surprise was also obvious.
Just how had someone like Ethan, a gay man, grown up with Keith? How had someone Keith should dislike grown up loving someone like him, as Ethan had?
Footsteps brought his head around to look between the two trucks. Elias stood, a bag of what looked like food in his hand and a frown on his face.
“What happened to you?” Elias asked.
“I have no idea,” answered honestly.