Luc
Luc watched Adam crumple in on himself and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. He stood and moved to sit on the arm of Adam's chair, his hand moving to caress his brother's back. Adam jerked away.
"Not here," he whispered. "Not now."
Adam sounded so desperate and miserable, that it made Luc's heart ache. Tears sprang to his own eyes. He felt utterly naive. He'd truly hoped their parents would be more understanding. At the very least he'd been surehismum would be. But he'd been proved wrong in the worst possible way, and now there was a chance he'd lose his family for good. And so might Adam, which hurt him even more.
"It'll be okay," he heard himself saying.
"No, it won't be." Adam dipped his head further, his fingers turning white where they pressed against his skull. "We should have kept our secret."
Luc held his breath, waiting for Adam to say they shouldn't have started screwing around with each other at all. But he didn't. Whether he was thinking those words or not, Adam didn't say them out loud. Luc exhaled slowly. That was something, wasn't it? No matter how much hurt and anguish Adam was feeling, he still wanted them to be together. Luc hoped that was true, because they both needed to take something good away from this horrible situation.
"Let's just wait and see," he said. "I think they just need a little time to get their heads around the fact their sons are a couple."
Adam looked up, his eyes watery and cheeks damp. "Stop deluding yourself, Luc. Didn't you see the look in Mum's eyes? Or the expression on Dad's face? Theyhateus. They'redisgustedby us." He dropped his hands to between his legs and curled them into loose fists. "What if they're right?"
"They're not." Luc slipped off the arm of the chair, onto his knees beside Adam. "We're not doing anything wrong."
He wanted to lay his hand on Adam's knee to offer some comfort, but he knew his brother wouldn't accept his touch right now. He fought down the urge to suggest they just leave. It wasn't too late to catch the last train if they hurried. Even if they did miss it, they were bound to be able to find a hotel room somewhere in the city centre. He doubted Adam would go, even though waiting felt like they were preparing to face an execution squad.
They lapsed into silence, Luc staying where he was—close, but not touching Adam. He wasn't sure how much time passed before Ken finally returned to the room. Alone. Luc felt like someone had punched him in the gut, but he looked up to meet Ken's gaze anyway, which was more than Adam managed to do.
"I think you should go," Ken said quietly.
"Go?" Adam asked, without lifting his head.
"I think it's best."
The pit of Luc's stomach churned. "We'll give you some time to think and talk," he said, in the most positive voice he could muster. "We'll come back tomorrow so we can all sit down and discuss this rationally." His head span when Ken shook his head.
"That's not a good idea."
Finally, Adam looked up, his eyes wide. "You're throwing me out?" His voice was a mixture of anger and despair.
Luc hoped that wasn't the case. It was too extreme a reaction. But Ken's hard expression didn't waiver. No warmth crept into his narrowed eyes as he met and held Adam's desperate stare.
"You're throwing me out?" Adam repeated, standing. "What about the dance school?"
"That's not your concern anymore," Ken said.
Adam shook his head and looked like he was about to say something. Instead, he hunched his shoulders and clenched his fists so hard his whole body shook. For a second, Luc feared Adam was going to try and punch his dad and that he would have to intervene to stop his brother from doing something reckless that they'd all regret.
"Like hell it's not my concern," Adam yelled.
"Watch your language," Ken said, although his voice sounded weak.
"I gave upeverythingto help you and Mum and now what? You don't need my help anymore because you think I'm a fucking deviant? Somehow you and Mum can teachallthe classes, or afford to pay a dance teacher a full wage when you've been paying me a pittance for the last few years?"
Ken lifted his chin but remained silent. The hard look on his face was answer enough.
"Well that's just fucking great, Dad," Adam hissed. "I love you too."
Luc tried to grab Adam's shoulder, but his stepbrother shrugged him off and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Seconds later, the front door banged shut, rattling the house. Luc was torn between following Adam and staying and giving Ken a piece of his mind. Hell, he wanted to know where his mum was, so he could implore her to see reason. He decided Adam wouldn't go far and turned to face Ken.
"Don't do this to Adam," he said, crossing his arms.
"You both did this to yourselves. You're adopted," Ken said, his voice calm but strained. "Both of you. That means that, in the eyes of the law, you are brothers. So what you're doing..." he jerked his hand. "Carrying on together... it's incest."
