Trouble With Twins (LukeDeadwood & LustfulSins)

[LukeDeadwood]

It had only been two weeks since the two of them had moved into the penthouse, and yet the giddiness Kaerius felt had yet to disappear. The choice of residence was completely unnecessary, far too flashy of a return even for them. Kae knew that. But it didn't stop him from practically begging his brother for the chance of moving somewhere nice after the time spent hunkered down in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. 'Ask and you shall receive,' he thought as he ran through the grandiose penthouse like a child on Christmas morning. He went about going from being all but plastered to one of the large windows in the living room to hanging out on the balconies. At one point he'd asked Veeios "Hey, if I spat from this height, how much would it hurt if it hit somebody?" The response?

"That's disgusting."

Now, two weeks down the line, the ever so slightly younger of the two was sitting on the couch continuing to buzz. Though it was less about the house, and more about some...other things. There’d been a conversation the two of them had, just a couple days after the two had moved in. Kae had been concerned--as he always was, when it came to his brother. The two had their own problems, that much was a given, and considering the kind of work they were about to leap back into they were bound to get worse. So he’d suggested they get some help for the house. Make it easier for Vee, especially given his physical problem. Ease the stress that was bound to happen. Veeios promptly declined, going through his lecture of “it’s reckless” and “it’s too dangerous” and blah blah blah. Kae understood it. Honest.

He went ahead and sent out the ad looking for a live-in cleaner anyway. He knew the ropes. He knew to be discreet, even if that wasn’t his strong suit in person. He knew better than to go out face-to-face, so he used messages with the one who contacted him and kept them brief, answering the basic and important questions and such of course. It wasn’t his first rodeo. But it didn’t stop Kaerius from being anxious(not to mention Veeios was bound to give him lecture 2.0). He took more smoke breaks than he usually did, kept checking the time --it was currently a little past noon-- and wouldn’t stop shifting in his spot on the chair. He wasn’t being discreet about anything and it didn’t take his twin long at all to catch on that something was up.

Veeios was sitting on the couch that was perpendicular to the chair Kae was on, back facing the windows for the sake of avoiding his acrophobia. His legs were drawn up on the couch with a book on his lap, glasses adorning his face. He was dressed casually and without a stick up his ass--he didn’t have his arm in the sling! So he was in an extra good mood. But that was about to be derailed a tad bit. Kae knew that much even before Vee removed his glasses to set them on the table, looking at him with a sigh. “What did you do?”

Kaerius grinned despite himself. “You remember that conversation we had not too long ago?” Vee nodded. “Yeah, I might’ve gone through with it anyway. The person’s s’posed to be coming over today. Pretty soon, actually.”

Vee’s eyebrows went up. “Come again?” The shock was understandable.

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron Wells

Cameron Wells, a male witch, had been forced to move out of his adoptive parents house two months after celebrating his eighteenth birthday. He had been happy living with them, saving money to buy his own place instead of renting an apartment. But after discovering he's not entirely human, and in fact being told by his mother he's a halfbreed incubus, staying with his adoptive parents became dangerous. For some reason, his mother hadn't been affected by the increase of sexual pheromones that came with the monthly heat cycles of an incubus. His father, however, had become violent in trying to get at him. The first month had been scary, locking himself in his bedroom for the three days of his cycle. The second month, his father had broken down the door, forcing his mother to knock him out. Cameron had been unable to fight back, and afterwards was glad his mother had protected him. But she had also been the one to tell him to leave.

The last two weeks had been spent at a homeless shelter when he wasn't at the cafe he worked at. Then he spotted the ad for a live-in house keeper. Cameron jumped at the chance for somewhere real to live, even if it meant leaving his job at the cafe. After texting the number on the ad, and a couple days of communication, Cameron now finds himself standing in the lobby of a expensive highrise apartment building. All his meager possessions are stowed in an old green canvas pack, and his shoulders are hunched against the wind blowing through his black and red hoodie. Taking a deep breath, Cameron presses the call button for the penthouse, listening to it ring.

What would his new employer be like? Kind? Respectful? Grumpy? He hadn't really gotten much info from the owner of the ad, so Cameron has no idea what to expect. He was of the understanding that his employer has a brother living with him as well. Other questions run through Cameron's mind. How would he hide his nature? Is there a good lock on the bedroom door? Would he be getting any additional pay, or just a room and meals in exchange for his cleaning services? Cameron shakes his head, then jumps when the intercom beeps as it's answered. "Hi, I'm Cameron Wells. I answered the ad for the live in cleaner?"

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Veeios had only just opened his mouth to protest (and no doubt unleash his lecture) when the intercom rang. Kaerius was up faster than his twin could reach out to stop him, answering the call with a shit-eating grin. The voice coming through on the speaker only made it double the shit-eating. “Come on up!” He practically chirped before leaving the call at that. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, grinning all the while like he won something. Veeios glared at him. “What?” Kae shrugged as if his brother wasn’t thinking of beating him half to death with a shoe right about now. “Glare at me all you won’t. I’s not gonna change the fact the dude--Cameron--is already on his way up here, ready to move in. What, you gonna tell the guy ‘no’ and throw him on the streets?” Low blow? Maybe. But did it prove the point that not even Vee was that cold? That it did.

Kae kept his grin as his twin grumbled out a huffy “fine”. With a muttered curse he closed his book, placing it next to his glasses as he took a stand. Then just like that Vee made his way towards the stairs, making his way up and disappearing on the second floor where his room was--he was fetching the sling, without a doubt. Kaerius hummed as he tapped a finger against his bicep.

Well...that turned out a little better than he thought. Aside from the sure-shot ear pulling he was going to get later, Kae thought this was going to be a decent first impression/introduction. There were certainly worse ones. And at least Veeios knew how to play nice, even with his untrusting nature. All they really needed to do now was meet Cameron face-to-face and seal the deal. Besides, it shouldn’t be too hard to work their business around a stranger. ‘Practice makes perfect, after all,’ He mused, shaking his head.

Then after a moment he tilted his head to the side, the real question nudging at his mind: Should he tell Cameron about the private elevator? Eh...maybe later, assuming he doesn’t turn out to be a brat or anything. He’d have to make a note to get another key tomorrow or at some point.

 

[LustfulSins]

Hearing what sounds like a cheerful reply certainly calms Cameron's nerves slightly. The front door to the building now unlocked, the blond boy makes his way inside. There's no way he'd ever be able to afford a place like this, much less find an affordable studio apartment for himself. So this arrangement of live in housekeeper is a sweet deal. And Cameron is no stranger to cleaning and cooking, having done his fair share growing up. That brings up another question; would he be expected to do more than just cleaning? Cooking, errands. He could do it, he's just not sure what to expect.

Cameron knocks on the penthouse door after the public elevator arrives in the small top floor lobby. His nerves have hit again, and he twists his fingers in the hem of his hoodie. No, he shouldn't worry. It can't possibly be that bad. Besides, he's an (almost) grown man. He should know how to take care of himself. Refusing to let his nerves get the better of him, he blurts out another greeting the second the door opens. "Hi again, I'm Cameron Wells, and I want to thank you for the opportunity to-"

Cameron cuts off and stares open mouthed at the man answering the door. This was not what he had expected. The man looks young. Older than himself, sure, but still young. Cameron had fully expected his employer to be an older gentleman with difficulties getting around. Plus, this man is attractive. That's going to be killer on the blond's sexuality. He definitely needs to make sure there's a lock on his bedroom door. Cameron snaps his jaw shut, cheeks coloring pink when he realizes he's been staring. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Kaerius had almost gotten lost in thought when he heard the knock on the door, jumping and almost launching himself right towards it. Almost, being the key word. He managed to scrounge up enough self control to keep himself from running like somebody who’d been waiting on a package for days. He made it to the door in a decent manner, opening it like a sensible person instead of the psychopath he nearly became just then and there, ready to give a polite ‘hello’..

Kae will admit that he hadn’t been expecting to get smacked with another greeting.

For a moment he stood there, watching as that awe crossed Cameron’s face. He looked him over, and nearly smirked. How could he resist? Guy looked cute enough. “Don’t worry about it,” Kae started as he leaned against the door frame, flashing the blond a charming grin. “Stare all you want, it’s free. But if you wanna touch I gotta charge.” He winked at Cameron and snickered. Man, he hoped this guy was teasable. That’d be great. Vee was a bastard who never played along when Kae wanted to practice to make sure he was still on his A game.

With a hum Kaerius glanced over his shoulder before stepping to the side, holding the door open. “Name’s Kaerius but you can call me Kae. Now, d’ya wanna come in or would you rather stand out in the hall all day and gawk?” He wouldn’t mind either way, to be honest. There was nothing like getting one’s pride and ego stroked. But he had a brother whose impatience was a nagging pain in the ass, so that was something he had to take into consideration.

 

[LustfulSins]

The teasing immediately makes Cameron blush darker. He's going to be living with a flirt? How is he going to manage to stay professional if he's blushing all the time? Even when he doesn't want to, Cameron's creamy pale skin can't keep down a blush to save his life. The second tease makes Cameron drop his eyes to the floor to keep from going even more red. He hurries into the penthouse past Kae.

Once the man is behind him, Cameron decides it's safe to look up again. His pale grey eyes travel the main room, taking everything in. It looks relatively clean now, but two men can make quite the mess over time. And since Kae is a young man, Cameron believes it's safe to assume his brother is as well. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves and collect himself, the blond turns back toward Kae. "Is your brother home? I'd like to meet him as well. Then a tour would be good, and I'd like to go over what duties are expected of me, and what amenities my services will get me."

 

[LukeDeadwood]

As Kae closed the door, he could only continue to grin, this time in triumph. Yup, he snagged a good one. By some unseen, god-sent luck, his whim managed to snag somebody who seemed like a good one. Well, so far at least. But if it wound up backfiring it could be dealt with then. For now, Kaerius was just going to enjoy what fun was available to him while it lasted. Especially if he could get Cameron to blush like that so easily.

“Yup, my brother’s home,” He replied as he stepped up next to Cameron, letting his eyes head to the stairs. Sure enough, there was his twin, leaning against the railing and peering down at them. Just as Kae had called it, Vee’s right arm was now “dolled up” in its sling. He motioned towards his brother with a hand. “Speaking of the devil, look right up there and you’ll find my carbon copy, Veeios--though Vee works.” Vee raised a brow at that.

“Your carbon copy?”

Kae let out a laugh at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I can’t lie about that with a straight face. I’m the clone out of the two of us. Don't let me fool you.”

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron lifts his grey eyes in the direction Kae indicates. Twins?! How is he supposed to tell them- Oh. Cameron's thoughts halt when he sees Vee's arm in a sling. What happened? No, not his place to ask. That would be rude. Instead, Cameron smiles and waves lightly. "Hello! I've realized you both have nicknames, so, I guess you can call me Cam if you want. My friends do."

Cameron, still smiling slightly, adjusts his pack on his shoulder. It's not heavy, and it's not like he's trying to hint at anything. He just does it without thinking. "It's very nice here, and the view of the city is amazing. I'm very thankful for this opportunity for somewhere to live in exchange for my services." Cameron leaves his words a bit open ended, not entirely certain of the specifics of what he will be expected to do as a housekeeper.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Veeios didn't verbally reply to Cameron's greeting, returning the sentiments his way in the form of a hum and a nod. His expression was neutral for the most part, aside from the slightest of glares that was given to Kaerius. But he nearly grimaced when the view was mentioned, giving the windows a pointed side glance. It seemed he was the only one here who disagreed with his brother's opinion. Vee himself much preferred staying on the ground. He'll stare down the barrel of a gun any day before he willingly goes to look out over the edge of a balcony that was stories up in the air. In the well-put words of his brother...fuck that.

Holding back his urge to sigh Vee pushed himself from the railing. "We should put your belongings in your room before we walk you around and discuss everything." Was what he said as he waved his hand for Cam and Kae to join him before turning to walk out of sight. Well, more like Kae would be explaining everything and Vee giving his input, since this was Kae's idea after all. His twin could lay most of it out and he could just add or correct anything if he felt it needed it.

Kae snickered at that and patted Cameron's shoulder as he walked past him, making his way up the stairs. "Well what'd'ya know, he does know how to be hospitable when his panties are in a wad!" Of course Kae already knew that, but it was worth the "I heard that" that came from just down the hall.

 

[LustfulSins]

With the simple, mostly silent returned greeting, Cameron can't help but think how different it's going to be, living with one very out going man, and one very reserved one. At least telling the twins apart will be easy. Cameron flinches away from the touch on his shoulder, purely from surprise. He hides a smile at Kae's words, relaxing again. Cameron had never had a necessarily bad life, but the events leading up to his leaving home had left him jumpy about physical touch.

Gripping his pack strap tightly with both hands, Cameron follows Kae up the stairs. Penthouses have the stereotype of being owned by the rich, so he's not surprised it's so nicely furnished. And big. He is still surprised that the rich owners don't even look thirty yet. Cameron shakes his head. He needs to not linger on that. Age doesn't matter that much. Besides, he's eighteen, he's of legal age, technically, and he needs a home and food. This setup will be just fine.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Kae paused for a moment as he looked to the left, glancing towards the window. Part of him still wanted to know the answer to the spit question he’d asked Veeios when they first moved in. Christ, he was so immature. With an amused grin he just shook his head and went to left, joining Vee at the third door--and last door, at least the last before the hallway end a corner that led to a sort of second living room. It was already open, revealing a decently sized room that could be considered a master bedroom in a normal house. It came with the basics: bed, bedside table, dresser, and closet. Anything else, be it furniture or decoration wise would, be up for Cameron to add.

"Home sweet home," Kae said, moving his arm like some show host as he showed off the room to Cameron. "The door over is the bathroom, and the door after that is just a spare room for now." From there he motioned towards the opposite end of the second floor where three mirroring doors were, deciding to go ahead and give a little mini tour of the second floor. "The door directly across from yours is my room, and the last door--of course, selfish ass taking the master bedroom--is Vee's room. Just so you know in case you need anything later." Then from there he motioned to the furniture that sat in the opened space. "That, obviously, is another living room there you can just chill at. But there you can also get to the upper terrace if you wanna chill outside instead." That wasn't mentioning the the upper and lower levels of the terrace were connected for the sake of all-around access to the pool, but Kae could point that out a little bit.

 

[LustfulSins]

Before even bothering to look at the room presented to him, Cameron inspects the door for a lock. He doesn't try to hide the fact, but he sighs in relief nonetheless when he sees it has one. Then he turns to look at the room, eyes widening at the size of it. His room back at his parents place had been a quarter this size. He'd left a lot of things there, and his mother had always said he could go back for them. When his father wasn't home.

Cameron listens and pays attention to the rest of Kae's mini tour, setting his pack against the wall beside the bedroom door. He nods, understanding and memorizing which brother lived in which bedroom. "This is amazing. Thank you so much. I promise to work hard for you." Cameron is smiling again, one hand lifting to push blond hair out of his face.

"I understand I'll be your live-in housekeeper, so I can safely assume cleaning will be a priority. But I feel it's important to go over what else will be expected. I can cook pretty well, and I can follow recipes too. I know my way around the city if you need me to run errands or grocery shop." Cameron pauses, not really accustomed to speaking so much at once. But he feels it necessary. "I'd also like to know what rules you expect me to follow. I may be living here, but it's your home, so I'll follow your rules."

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Vee looked at Kae with a quirked brow and the said long-haired twin crossed his arms, mulling it over. He had to make sure he covered all the bases--or to put it plainly, please Vee. Having a stranger in the house already made him uncomfortable. Kae wasn't about to stomp his feet across those lines more than he had already. He was a dick, but not like that.

"Well, first thing's first, you shouldn't have to worry about cooking unless Vee isn't home on time or if he's hard a rough day." Could be taken as an actual bad day, or if it's a day Veeios wasn't exactly feeling up to par. Kae would clarify that for Cameron when it was time to cross that bridge, but until then he decided to just gloss over that subject. "But as for groceries, yeah. That'd be helpful for sure." Who knew if he and Vee would always have the free—well, maybe peaceful would be a better word, but even that was a stretch—time to do that themselves. As for rules...

“I can’t say there’s a lot of rules, just specific rules.” Kae continued with a light-hearted shrug. “Mainly just stay out of our rooms if we’re not here, and knock on our doors if we are here before walking in.” That last one was just common courtesy more than anything. But still, snooping—accidental or not—could end badly. Shit, Veeios was probably going to keep his room locked whenever he was gone just in case. “If you find any empty prescription bottles, peel the labels off them before throwing them in the trash.” Sadly, yes, that’s been proven to be an issue before. “Beyond that, I don’t think there’s anything else. But I think of anything later, or if Vee has something to add-” The said man shook his head. “-I’ll let you know.” Oh for sure there was going to be things that’ll be added in the future. But for now, just one step at a time. “Any questions?”

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron listens closely, nodding. His nodding makes his hair fall into his face again. The rule about the prescription labels seems odd, but not unreasonable. It makes sense to not want trash sorters to know what meds people are on. Simple enough rules, easy to follow. "Okay, I need a written list of foods you two are allergic to, or don't eat, so I know not to buy them. I won't be able to memorize it right away, so a written list I can take with me would be good."

Cameron rubs the back of his neck, thinking. Okay, easy enough to be normal until his heat cycle hits in.. four days. Less than a week. Should be enough time to get comfortable in a routine, and hopefully it won't be too suspicious for him to say he's sick after only four days.. Focus on other things for now. "Can you show me where you keep cleaning products, linens, and the laundry room? And it would be good for me to have a pin code or key to the building, and to your front door, so I don't have to call you by intercom every time."

 

[LukeDeadwood]

"The cleaners will be in their respective locations," Vee piped up this time. Which was fair, Kae thought. He was prone to not putting stuff back where it belonged, and would've wound up shrugging when asked where this type of cleaner or that one was located. Not to mention Vee had a much better memory out of the two of them, and always knew where something or another was. "As for linens," Vee started, making his way back to the stairs with the silent invitation for Cameron to follow so he could show him. "They're in the closet door in the laundry room, which is back down, just down the hall past the kitchen."

Ah damn, and here Kae was hoping to finally lure Vee out onto the terrace. 'Oh well, maybe later,' He thought with a grin. One of these days.

"Oh and don't worry about the pin code and keys," Kaerius spoke up as he made his way by Cam, following behind his twin. "I've got the house key with the pin code written down in my room. I'll get them to you once we're done and I'll work on getting you a key to the private elevator tomorrow. And Vee will get you the food lists when we're done."

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron is quick to look toward Vee when he starts talking. The man has mostly remained silent up to now, so Cameron gives him his full attention. He follows Vee down stairs again, glancing back at Kae when he answers the request for pin code and key. The mention of a private elevator somehow doesn't surprise the blond.

Downstairs, Cameron explores into the laundry room, and checks out the closet. Pretty standard cleaning equipment. Doesn't look like there's any kind of air freshener diffusers, though. Cameron would have to buy himself an incense burner to try and dampen his scent during his heat cycles. "Okay, that's good. Is there anything else I should know? Rules regarding company? I mean, I won't bring anyone here, that would be rude of me. But what if you have company? Should I make myself scarce at those times?"

 

[LukeDeadwood]

That question even had Kaerius look at his brother, a should he? going unsaid but was obvious for his twin. "That...depends," Vee started carefully, and Kae could get why. There wouldn't be much company. That is, there wouldn't be much variety in company, meaning on the occasions anybody was here it'd be the same faces. But still, some visits would be serious whereas others would be casual. "We'll let you know ahead of time."

"Yeah, don't wanna bore you with business chats," Sometimes literal business chats. The twins had full intentions of coming back into this world and taking back everything they'd had. So yeah, could be literal, legit business over their shady business. But that wouldn't always be the case. "Y'know, semantics and all that."

 

[LustfulSins]

The way the twins answer his question have Cameron confused. But it's not his place to say anything, so he just smiles. "Okay, sounds good! I'd you don't mind, I'd like to take today to just get used to being in a new place. Memorize the layout and location of everything, so to speak."

Cameron really just wants to take another walk around, then escape to his room and sleep. He hasn't been sleeping well since leaving his parents place, and the dark circles under his eyes are currently hidden by a layer of concealer borrowed from a female coworker - now former coworker - from the cafe.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

"Yeah, that's fine," Kaerius started this time, patting Vee's shoulder as he made his way by both him and Cameron. "Take the time you need today, since I doubt we'll be needing much help tonight." Or more like, Vee wouldn't want any help tonight. But whatever. Close enough, right? Tomato, potato--not close at all. "I'll just swing by my room to get you that key and code so I don't forget."

Once Kae had disappeared up the stairs Vee glanced at Cameron, briefly looking him over to sort of analyze him for himself before quietly excusing himself to the kitchen. Might as well work on getting dinner started early so he could have time alone to his thoughts. And maybe contemplate some fratricide along the way. Yeah, that second one didn't sound too bad at the moment.

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron nods yet again. That seems to be his go to response when he's uncertain what to say. He does walk through the penthouse again, though he only glances into the kitchen. He doesn't want to bother Vee. Then he heads upstairs, checking out the bathroom. Quite nice, and the tub is large, so soaking is a viable option.

Cameron retreats to his bedroom, leaving the door open for now so Kae can bring him his key. He starts by unpacking his pack. Four days worth of clothing into the dresser, a small pouch, containing toothpaste, toothbrush, hair brush, and the borrowed concealer, on top of the dresser. A mint green, handmade stuffed bear and a family photo from last Christmas go onto the nightstand, along with his phone cord.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

It took Kae a couple minutes longer to get the key and code, but only due to the fact he went back downstairs to bother Vee for that list Cameron had asked for--might as well go ahead and kill two birds with one stone. Then once that was done he made his way back up the stairs. 'Good thing exercise and innuendos are my shtick,' He thought. 'Otherwise this whole up and down thing would get on my nerves real quick.'

Out of politeness he knocked on the door despite it being open, giving a "hey-oh". Though part of it was out of reflex, having gotten in the habit of doing so to keep from spooking Vee. He only gave a quick once-over to the belongs Cameron had set out--namely just the bear, colors always get his attention--before speaking. "Got you the things you asked for," He held up his hand to show the key and pieces of paper; one of had a set of six numbers, the other a list a groceries with the underlined note "no peanuts" written down at the bottom. Ah Vee, always keeping an eye out on Kae's allergy. "Need anything else, or are you good for now?"

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron turns his head when Kae knocks on the open door. He was in the process of leaning his now empty pack against the side of the dresser. He's quick to walk over to the man, not wanting to keep him waiting. "Thank you." He pauses, eyes skimming the list after taking the items. He lingers on the no peanuts. Too bad, he likes peanut butter. But he won't endanger his employers.

"I think I'm good. I'll go get the rest of my things tomorrow from my - from where I have them stored." Caneron doesn't really want Kae knowing he's never rented before, and that he's lived with his parents only. "Might take me a few trips though, since I can only take so much on the bus.." This sentence is more a thought to himself as he folds the list of forbidden groceries and tucks it into the back of his phone case.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

"You don't want any help with that?" Kaerius asked without giving it much thought. Though he and Vee generally carpooled given their destinations were often the same, they did each have a car. But then again, Kae thought a moment later, Cameron probably didn't want anyone to know where he lived--he could understand that. But considering how you the blond looked, even Kae could guess that it was his parent's house--or whoever his guardians might've been. Or maybe, anyway. Who knows. Hey, he may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but even he could look at the big picture every now and then.

"Only if you want the help, I mean. Using mine or Vee's car might be faster, but you do you man." Kae shrugged. Hey, at least he made the offer. Could've been a dick and not said anything at all, but that would've just been plain mean. "But if that's all you need, then I'll be out on the terrace." Most likely the pool, but he hadn't fully decided on that yet. Hell, he was just happy to have a pool again.

 

[LustfulSins]

Cameron just didn't want Kae or Vee to think he's still a kid. But after some consideration, and after Kae had left, Cameron realizes it would be far easier to get his stuff here in a single trip, in a car, rather than multiple trips by bus. But he would bring it up in the morning. For now, he wants to sleep. Though, he doesn't really expect either man to fetch him for dinner.

Cameron curls up in the center of the bed, pulling the spare pillow to his chest. His mint bear is too worn to cuddle with, and he would be worried about it falling apart. The large round plush he would normally have had to be left at his parents' home. Nonetheless, in seconds, he's fast asleep.

 

[LukeDeadwood]

Kaerius had been in the pool long enough for Vee to finish dinner--and the only reason he knew that was because his brother braved getting close enough to the doors to let him know before hightailing it back. That made him laugh a little. His poor brother, so against heights but living in one of the highest apartments in the city. It must be a miracle in itself that Vee's skin hasn't already crawled off from that anxiety alone. 'Talk about a horror movie idea,' He mused as he dried himself off before making his way back inside, not bothering to put his shirt back on.

He was caught off guard when he rounded the corner and Vee's arm wrapped around his neck, jerking Kae into a sort of chokehold and he gave a startled yelp of "oh sweet Jesus!" He patted at Vee's arm as he was awkwardly led into the kitchen. "I distinctly remember telling you no when you brought this up days ago. Apparently you forgot what the word means." He heard his brother say, ignoring the way he squirmed in attempt to free himself. "I'll just hope that you know what you're doing and that you can take care of any messes that might happen. I'll leave it be for now, but only because of that." With that Kae was released and he immediately stepped out of Vee's reach to rub at his neck.

Really? No spiel? No ear-pulling? Nothing? Huh. Kae would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit surprised. But all he did was sigh instead of question it. "Yeah yeah, I got it all covered. Have a little faith in me, would ya?" It wasn't like Vee's paranoia was unfounded, after all. 'These next couple of days are gonna be kinda awkward, huh?' Kaerius thought to himself. It couldn't be that bad though, right?

To which that was a pinch false, he realized when morning rolled around.

Kaerius woke up early--for him at least, since he was typically a late sleeper--and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to see Vee already there sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee--the guy was the earliest bird he knew. But right off the bat he could tell his twin didn't sleep well; the tired frown and the already half empty coffee pot were the telltale signs Kae had learned to pinpoint. He jinxed it last night, didn't he? Guess he was gonna have to be chipper enough for the both of them, he decided as he gave a "Good morning!" and received a lack-luster mumble in return. Good thing he was the energetic one.