Chapter Text
- You’ve gotta be kidding me…
Balthazar looked again inside the bag and took out the piece of clothing, checking the label, not believing what was in front of his eyes. He called loudly :
- What the hell is wrong with you, Cassie ?
There were some ruffling noises in the kitchen and his brother poked his head through the door, looking suddenly very annoyed.
- Balthazar ! Do not snoop around my stuff !
- Come on ! You go shopping and THIS is what you buy ?!
- It is a quality brand and…
- It’s identical to your current trench coat, for heaven’s sake !
- It is not. First, there is no belt, and the color is slightly darker…
- You’re right. It’s almost identical except it’s uglier.
Cassie angrily folded the trench coat and put it back inside the bag with so much force he tore it up.
- I will not take clothing advice from a man who wears v-neck so low I can almost see his belly button. Leave me alone.
- Ouch, now you’ve hurt my feelings.
Thank God the trench coat didn’t have a belt. His brother was pissed enough to strangle him with it. Cassie opened the door of the closet, threw the bag inside and stormed out of the living room.
Wooow. Ok. Touchy.
There was something fishy in here. It had been going on for weeks and it was driving Balthazar crazy.
First, his brother started to cook and bake stuff, since his weird question about pie baking. He brought some carnitas to a brunch, then a big plate of almost not burnt blueberry pancakes, and even a tray of egg sandwiches once. For a guy who ate microwaved food for most of his adult life, that was unexcepted. Balthazar once walked on him watching a YouTube video of some cooking influencer. When Cassie had realized he was in the room, he had closed his laptop so fast he pinched his own fingers. Balthazar roasted him for a whole week about masturbating while watching recipes on video.
And that schedule’s change ? His volunteering hours at the community center were Tuesday, 18 to 21 and Saturday 10 to 13, for ten fucking years. Balthazar was sure about it. He came at his brother’s house enough, always uninvited, to know very well when his brother was there, or not (depending on what he wanted to do there). And suddenly, just like that, Cassie switched Saturday mornings for Thursday evenings ? He even had the nerves, when Balthazar pointed that out, to answer that it was not that regular and that he already changed a few times before. That little bastard was so full of shit.
Not to mention the weird attitude. Last week, when he came by, he found Cassie in the garden, hanging out the laundry while humming. He annoyed him for at least one hour to know what get him in such a good mood before his brother kicked him out.
And now he was buying clothes ? Cassie was never buying clothes, for fuck’s sake. Someone had to force him to do it every two years, when he had holes in his shirts and looked like an office worker who became homeless after his wife flew away with his boss and the Labrador. Even then, he only bought some random clothes at Costco. And now he went to fucking Banana Republic to buy a three hundred dollars trench coat ?
What. The. Fuck.
Balthazar pinched his nose and tried to compose himself an amenable and innocent face. It took him a good five minutes, during which he heard Cassie washing the dishes with an aggressivity that was not usual for him.
When he joined him in the kitchen, he offered his best fake big brother smile and grabbed a tea towel to help. Or to look like he wanted to help.
- So… ?
- …
- Oh, don’t sulk ! I’m sorry I was mean to your trench coat, I know you and him have been in a very long relationship, but sometimes, when things are getting very boring, I understand it’s better to move on and maybe find a younger trench coa-
A flying fork interrupted him before he could tell his best joke about the firmness of brand-new fabric.
- Don’t you respect anything ?!
- … no ? But you don’t need to throw dishes at me, tho. It’s no news.
- You’re invasive ! You’re asking too much questions, you’re snooping around, and I know you’re eavesdropping at the Church when I talk to people !!
- That’s because I love you, Cassie dearest.
- …
- Next time you have an extra 300 bocks to spend, please call me instead. I know a place wh-
- I didn’t mean to get a new coat.
- What do you mean, you didn’t mean to? You went to Banana Republic, they realized you were the poster boy for ugly ass trench coat so they gave you one ?
- No ! I went to buy other clothes and…and…
- And what ?
- I panicked, okay ?!