That isn’t home Who: Will & Tal What: Talking When: April 14, evening Where: Hotel in Vegas Rating: Mid Status: Complete
Maybe after another beer
Will frowned.
He hated the pinched look of his mother’s face as soon as she realized who the man her son had brought to the hospital was; Sally had been inviting and a bit curious at first considering her son rarely brought anyone around. But as soon as he introduced Tal, he could’ve heard a pin drop in the room. The beeping from the heart monitor seemed deafening.
The question in Shelby’s eyes was a look he wouldn’t forget. Dad was in a coma and plainly, Will couldn’t be prompted to care. Everything about the tension had felt wrong. Will went with it, cool as a cucumber and stoic. Almost dared Sally to protest.
Breathing was easier here. Blue eyes stared out through a window of a semi-luxurious hotel room. Burgundy carpet was soft beneath his bare feet. He could see the outline of his own reflection in the window and for a split second Will wondered what it would be like to fall out of the sky.
On one of the double beds his sparse, stolen duffel bag sat with the flap open. Between that and his backpack, the rest of his life could stay in Colorado. He didn’t want it anymore.
Tal had been the real hero. He commended his brother for keeping his cool and not being intimidated. Will knew he would’ve reacted differently, colder than his brother had. It was clear which of them was the better man.
Maybe the older brother had come to terms with facets of what a reunion with his parents could be. It was true. But Tal had thought about it many times, envisioned what would happen and what he’d do. He wanted to scream at their mother and their father, wanted to rattle the room or throw things. But he didn’t.
Tal had felt like the air around had been vibrating as he stood with Will in that hospital room. It was so hard to not show the pain and anger.
Now they were free - both of them. In a t-shirt and pajama pants, Tal pushed in a room service cart with covered dishes and bottled beverages. He stopped as he saw Will standing there at the window.
He kept silent as resumed moving the cart to the foot of Will’s bed. Then he began to speak probably for the first time in an hour. “What are you going to do now?
Those eyes caught the sight of Tal’s reflection in the window. Will turned to look over a shoulder before pivoting, twisting to face his brother. “You offered to let me move in,” he replied, lips twitching into a grin. “So I guess you’re stuck with me.” He was only teasing, of course. Tal could kick him out any time and he’d go.
His stomach growled. Will didn’t realize how famished he was until he caught the gleam of the lights on the metal dome of one of the food covers. A quick few paces and he closed the distance on the cart bearing food. “I haven’t been this hungry in a long time.”
Lifting up a cover, Will took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of the food. “You first. You’ve earned it.” The plate would be nudged toward Tal and Will waited.
Tal let himself grin and nod. “Likewise on being stuck,” he teased back. It was so easy to switch to a lighter mood with his baby brother. That was one of the many reasons why he wanted him to move into the house in Searchlight he was going to buy soon.
“Then I was lucky ordering a lot of food.” Tal set out a couple of plates for each of them and some paper napkins. There was a glass vase of utensils if they felt like being civilized. “‘Earned it’?” he asked as he wrinkled his nose as he offered Will a plate.
“For being so cool. I think I would’ve freaked.” Will picked up one of the plates, then one of the forks from the holder. Within five seconds he’d flung a bit of mashed potato at Tal. Innocently, those blue eyes turned on his brother and he took a bite from the plate. “Real good food.”
They both had earned a reprieve from the stress. And lost a lot of years growing up together as brothers.
“I wanted to freak out,” Tal confessed. His voice was tinged with a darker tone as he spoke truthfully. Then he let the darkness lift a little at the playfulness of the mini food fight. “Good,” he smiled and piled on some potatoes, fried chicken breasts, and green beans on his plate.
He needed this time. It was an oasis for him and a unbelievable gift to have his brother back.
“I wouldn’t have blamed you,” Will admitted. He helped himself to more of the food on the platters and then went to sit down on the edge of the bed he claimed earlier. “Any time I brought you up, mom got like that.” He remembered that time in the kitchen when Sally had pointed the end of the knife at him.
He took a bite from the food on the plate and reflected back on a few more memories.
With his food, utensils, and bottle of beer, Tal settled on the floor near the foot of Will’s bed. “Really?” He frowned and shook his head as he cut into the chicken on his plate. “...Dad was the one that I saw and gave me things.” Then he shook his head again, getting the feeling that it was really ever so true that their parents didn’t tell Will the truth.
“Really,” he assured the man on the floor.
“She brandished a knife at me once,” he murmured between bites. “I think I was fourteen? Fifteen?” It hadn’t been on purpose, or at least he hoped, but it was startling. He didn’t know anything about Tal. He wanted to.
“I’m glad one of them stepped up to try to make amends. Mom always got defensive. It was like you didn’t exist. I found a box of pictures once, of all of us. I think she burned them when she found out I knew you. Remembered you.”
Tal’s brow furlowed at Will’s words. How could that woman really be their mother. He really loathed her. Both of their parents had been so horrible - to both of them.
“I can’t say it was amending,” he frowned and ate a few more bites, needing the food. “I’m sorry, Will.” The older brother spoke as he looked up at his baby brother. “I wish I could have...would have realized I could have gotten out of the basement anytime I wanted...no matter what Mom and Dad said or did.”
Will shook his head at Tal, “You never have to apologize. We should be the ones apologizing to you. I could’ve let you out of there but I was scared.” At six you didn’t understand why things happened, the depths of them, you only understood what occurred when you upset your parents. That’s why they’d come up with the code.
He ate silently, thoughtfully. “Our brother should’ve stepped up, too,” he muttered.
Tal took a long pull from his beer and shook his head. “No. I should have been brave enough to get out, to protect you.” He wrinkled his nose. But the telekinetic was scared, placated, wanted to placate his parents, hoped in vain for those years in captivity.
“Our brother is an asshole like Mom and Dad.” Tal frowned and stabbed at each bite of his food before eating it. Maybe he’d feel good enough to tell Will what he needed to know.
Will blew a raspberry, then he smiled a little and tucked back into his food. “Damn right. What an asshole.” He finished chewing the chicken strip in his mouth. “You’re an asshole too,” he added, teasingly.
He knew he was no better than anyone else but light banter between siblings felt good. It felt right.
Tal breathed a smiling sigh and shook his head at Will as he chewed through a mouthful of chicken and potatoes. The banter was good to break up the tension and emotion, the memories welling up in him. The memories were vivid even now.
He ate silently, sipping the beer and soon uncovered the pan of cherry cobbler. “I will tell you more about me and perhaps later what I did to make our parents do what they did.”
Will had to admit he had always been curious. How did anyone turn on their own child if there wasn’t something going on? It wasn’t plausible. He didn’t have kids of his own - thank goodness - but he knew better than to shun them in that regard. Perhaps it was because of this fact he turned out the way he did.
“Whenever you’re comfortable,” he replied.
“Maybe after this and another beer,” Tal nodded and scooped some cobbler on his plate and grabbed another beer. He didn’t know how to deal with the uneasiness he felt with the memories rising up. Will needed to know what happened. Maybe tonight was as good as any.
Sitting back down, the older brother sighed before finishing off the first beer. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to loosen the tension there.
Will laughed a bit. “Sure. As many as you need.” He didn’t care if it cost extra to raid the mini bar, if it helped keep his brother calm then it was worth every penny. The rest of the food on his plate would be consumed in a companionable silence.
The dish would be set down. He got up, opting to grab a beer for himself. The taste was refreshing, the bubbles tickled at his tongue and throat.
Tal gave his brother a grin and went about devouring the dessert and popped open the second beer. His was a meditative silence as he sat there with his brother in this larger than El Rey’s hotel room. There was breathing space. But in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel the closeness of the four walls of those memories.
Wiping his mouth on a napkin, the older brother breathed. “Mom and Dad became afraid of me that year.”
“Afraid,” Will repeated. He had his suspicions. Over the years he had come to learn that some humans had quirks, things that set them apart from others that weren’t limited to race or gender. Abilities. But he didn’t immediately associate that with Tal.
“Why?” That was the million dollar question, he supposed. Two grown adults afraid of a teenager.
Tal nodded as his fingers gripped the neck of his beer bottle. Fear could lead to so many things. He had felt the brotherhood, the protection, and support from Will. Telling him about his ability was a fearful step that he hoped would be taken on stable ground.
Focusing his sight on the floor, he spoke, “I made a baseball fly through the air and nearly hit someone.” Then Tal slowly lifted his head to look at his little brother. “...with my mind.”
Will had taken a sip from his own drink and nearly spat it out at the admission. “With your mind?” When he could manage words, anyway. He looked at Tal, impressed. There would never be fear, this was his brother. He looked up to Tal. Tal had a steady relationship, was buying a home. Will had fallen down a rabbit hole that had turned into a career cum hell on earth.
“I’m not afraid.” He set down the drink and tapped out their code.
There was an air of cowering to Tal. He hadn’t even told a handful of people about what he could do. James knew and now Will. It had taken many years - those between his freeing himself from the basement til the last year - to get where he was now. He still had a distance to go.
Sniffing at his brother’s words and the tapping out their code, Tal sat his drink aside and shakily tapped it back on the floor. “I..am.”
“You don’t have to be,” Will replied, shaking his head. “I won’t isolate you. I’ve worshiped you my whole life. This doesn’t change anything.” He wasn’t afraid. Whatever Tal figured out he would also figure out.
“I haven’t told many people.” Tal spoke softly, the fear making tears form in his eyes. “I could have broken out of the basement at any time, but I didn’t. And when I asked for a birthday party. I was left behind.” The large man was shaking.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Will promised. He had a lot of his own skeletons. “What they did to you was wrong. But that’s over now, Tal. You get to decide what you do with your life, who gets to be in it, and who doesn’t.” It sounded easier than it was, he knew that.
A soft sigh. “I don’t have any abilities like that. I’ve always been really good with computers.” Too good with computers.
“Thank you,” Tal nodded. “I know, I know,” he whispered. “That is what I have done since I busted the door open and climbed out of the basement.” It had been a long process - building himself up from that point. Trusting people was difficult at times.
Blinking as he looked up at Will, he sighed. “It’s good you were able to have as ‘normal’ a life as possible. But...they didn’t treat you well either.”
Will shook his head. “I’ve spent my adult life, and some of the years before that, looking for you. Every resource I could get my hands on I used, it didn’t matter how much it cost or what I had to do. I’m no better than anyone else, but it paid out for me.”
“I spent mine pulling myself up - finishing school, learning as much as I can about mechanics, and just moved on. Kept people at a distance.” Tal shook his head and took another sip of his beer. “But I am glad you found me, Will.”
“Me too,” Will replied. It was one thing in his life he didn’t regret. He would’ve gone to jail again knowing that step would bring him closer to finding Tal and getting answers to the questions he had. There were still many, many he knew would never get resolved.
Things could only get better from here out. Tal had been able to achieve a sliver of closure by seeing their parents again. He faced them, showing that they did not win. Deeply breathing, he nodded. “You have questions.”