Work Text:
Vegard had been stumbling in near darkness for the best part of ten minutes. He was searching for the fuse box inconveniently located in the dark recesses of the utility room of his brother’s house. He had little to aid him but the light from his phone. However, the battery was low and ever dwindling, and so by the time he reached the elusive fuse box the light on the screen cut out and plunged him into darkness. He cursed loudly, frustrated and resentful. If Bård had gone instead he would’ve found the fuse box easily and they would both be back watching television again.
They had been watching a documentary on influenza when the power went out. Well, maybe watching was a bit of a stretch. Vegard had been trying to watch, simultaneously checking facts with his phone. But Bård had been a distracting presence to say the least, with his coquettish charm and playful touches. By the first commercial break Bård wasted no time leaning in to gently kiss Vegard’s neck, delving a hand under his brother’s shirt as the kisses strayed to his jawline. Bård used his free hand to cup Vegard’s face, holding him steady as he leaned in to kiss him on the lips. It was just a peck, sweet and tender. They shared a smile, and Vegard licked his lips as Bård shifted, closing in for another kiss.
The vibration of Vegard’s phone startled the pair before their lips could touch, and he instinctively reached to check the device. He ignored Bård’s sigh as he checked the viber notification and performed the obligatory quick scan of his email inbox. He had an extreme aversion to the little red notification circle, so he was always compelled to open or delete his unread emails. In contrast, Bård had in excess of a thousand unread messages in his inbox. The mere thought of it drove Vegard crazy.
“Can’t you turn that thing off?” Bård mumbled. He had moved to the other side of the couch, leaning back with his eyes shut.
“I might have to soon. The battery is at like 4%” Vegard groaned. “...and you’re sure you don’t have a charger?” He enquired hopefully.
“Like I said, I left it at work”. Bård replied, evidently agitated. “Besides, it really wouldn’t be the worst thing if your battery ran down”
“What do you mean?”
Bård rolled his eyes “Never mind, it’s nothing. Look, the show is back on”
Vegard shifted his focus back to the widescreen in front of them, but not before switching his phone to flight mode to reserve the precious remaining battery life. He tried to put the troubling phone situation to the back of his mind as the pair resumed their default snuggling position on the couch. Despite being the taller brother Bård was always the one to rest his head on Vegard’s chest, long limbs draped across his brother. Vegard absent-mindedly stroked his brother’s back, enjoying the appreciative hum the actions elicited as Bård melted into him. Once they were comfortably settled Vegard couldn’t help but smile. He really enjoyed these rare moments where they could just relax together, whether it meant watching something nerdy on TV, playing computer games or even looking up random facts on wikipedia.
The sudden darkness caught them both unaware, and it took a second or two of blinking rapidly before Vegard’s brain caught up with his senses and assured him that he hadn’t in fact gone blind, or deaf.
“It must be a fuse blow out”. Vegard muttered into the pitch black room. “Bård, where do you keep your torch?”
“In my hardware box”
“Which is..?” Vegard enquired, patience already wearing a little thin.
“In my shed”.
“Well, go get it” Vegard nudged his brother insistently, as there was no way he would be traipsing outside in the cold to rummage around in his brother’s shed. The heavy figure just snuggled in closer.
“Nope, too comfortable” Bård yawned, pressing more of his weight onto Vegard’s chest.
“But you have to go and flick the trip switch. I’m not going to sit here in the dark all night”.
“How do we even know it’s the fuse box that’s caused this? It’s probably a blackout. The power will probably come back on its own”.
“Still, I think you should go and check it out. You can use your phone torch to guide the way”. Vegard prodded the man on top, feeling around for a particularly sensitive spot to coax Bård off the couch. His fingers grazed the hem of Bård’s t-shirt, but before he could find his most ticklish spot Bård squirmed and thrashed, somehow displacing Vegard from the couch in the disorientating darkness.
“Fine. I’ll do it myself” Vegard groaned. “Uh Bård, where is your fuse box?”
Not wanting to risk blindly flipping a switch that could exacerbate the problem, Vegard decided to turn back. He was sure that with insistent prodding he could get Bård to fix the problem himself. He felt along the wall, hoping to grip hold of a landmark to orient himself and aid him in his journey back to the living room. Vegard yelped as his hip collided with some huge appliance, probably the washing machine. His stubborn pride prohibited him from calling out for his brother, who he imagined was napping on the couch or worse, laughing at Vegard's vain struggle. He grimaced, rubbing the tender spot on his hip. Gripping the border of the washing machine, he inched himself towards the door. Just a few steps and a narrow hallway to negotiate through and he could go beat up his lazy brother.
His thoughts were interrupted by an arm snaking around his waist from behind. He hadn't even sensed anyone in the room, so the initial contact sent a nervous jolt through his system. "Shh relax, it's me" Bård soothed. The gentle whisper in his ear caused Vegard's to exhale in relief, though his heart still thudded furiously. The arm around his waist was joined by another, but Vegard wriggled out of his brother’s grip. “What put your panties in a twist?” a voice snorted in the darkness.
“You! You’re infuriating. You refuse to help me flip the fuse switch, then you lie in wait and watch me collide with your washer dryer before pouncing on me in pitch blackness”
“Well I hardly pounced on you. Not my fault you’re so jittery. And about the bloody fusebox…” Vegard felt his brother shift in front of him. “I just spoke to my neighbour. His power is out too. In fact, the entire street has no electricity. They don't know what's caused it yet so it could be a little while"
“Oh”
Bård reached over Vegard, rummaging for something on the shelf behind him. “Let’s go back into the living room and wait it out there” Bård muttered.
Vegard nodded and turned in what he was sure was the direction of the hall. However, he miscalculated and let out a hiss as his foot collided with the doorframe. A cold hand grasped his in the dark. He gave over his initial instinct to bat the hand away, knowing Bård was his best chance to navigate safely into the living room without causing himself further injury.
It turned out the item Bård had retrieved was a box of candles. He set about lighting them one by one, scattering them across every available surface. Vegard would probably have helped, but he still felt sour over being forced to tend to the fusebox by himself. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, before remembering the battery situation with a frown. He placed the dormant piece of technology down on the table and turned his attention back to Bård, who by now had gone a little overboard with the candles. The younger man must have lit at least twenty, but the effect was a pleasing, flickering glow around the room, soothing Vegard’s frayed nerves. His attention was soon diverted to the fair-haired man who was the source of this illumination. Most of the assorted candles were IKEA tea lights, but Bård was now attempting to spark the wick of a huge pillar candle situated in the center of the decorative fireplace. The younger man’s brows were furrowed as he struggled with the lighter, his tongue darting out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated his efforts. Vegard found himself watching intently, transfixed in his brothers actions. Soon Bård was finished, and trilled “ta dah” Vegard smiled, momentarily forgetting his bad mood.
“Okay, so what shall we do now?”Vegard asked. It was only 8pm and there was still a potentially dull evening stretched before them with no tv or internet.
“We sit down” Bård whispered, pushing Vegard in the chest. He let himself be guided backwards until the backs of his calves made contact with the couch. He sat down compliantly. “And we wait this out patiently” Bård continued, joining Vegard on the couch. He placed his right hand on Vegard’s knee, giving a gentle, affectionate squeeze. “Accept there is nothing we can do about the present situation. It’s no big deal, we have each other. We have an empty house. Maybe we should make the most of it”.
“What do you have in mind?” Vegard asked, watching as Bård’s hand ascended up his thigh. His breath hitched in anticipation as the wandering hand moved ever closer to his groin. Yet Bård’s fingers barely grazed the inner seam of the tight denim before he quickly retracted, to Vegard’s disappointment.
“Let’s play a game!” Bård declared enthusiastically. “I think Calle left ‘cards against humanity’ here a few weeks back…”
“Yea but that’s really more of a group game” Vegard replied, still secretly mourning the loss of his brother’s fair hand. “Besides, it’s not the same without Calle and his poor taste jokes”.
“Very true” Bård conceded, reclining back onto the plus cushion. He had the look of a man in deep thought, and Vegard eyed him curiously, expectantly. Suddenly he sprang forward, sitting up animatedly.
“Let’s play task with punishment. I still have that dubious liqueur Magnus brought back from Lithuania. Loser takes a shot in forfeit”
“Not one part of that proposal sounds appealing” Vegard grumbled, crossing his arms in distaste. He had no idea what sort of task Bård would have in mind, but he was fairly sure his younger brother had something devious in mind. He cast his mind back to the strange-looking bottle gathering dust in his brother’s wine rack, and shuddered. Still, Bård ignored him, as he tended to do when struck with inspiration.
Bård had managed to locate a deck of cards on his journey to retrieve the bottle of krupnikas and so task with punishment was mercifully relegated in favour of gin rummy; although the loser’s punishment was still to take a shot. Still, Vegard found himself surprisingly not adverse to the strange beverage, taking little sips from his shot glass as the game progressed. The alcohol spread a pleasing warmth to his extremities, and he found himself enjoying the game, despite losing for the second time in a row.
By the third game Vegard was confident he had a hand that would finally win, but the devilish glint in Bård’s eyes as he peeked over his own hand made Vegard almost contemplate losing and surrendering entirely. Almost. He wasn’t drunk, but he had consumed enough that the world took on a soft focus, the candlelight dancing hypnotically in the irises of his fair companion. Once he realised he had one he revealed his winning hand with a flourish, taking great pleasure in the look of shock on his brother's face.
Vegard cackled with glee as he filled Bård’shot glass to the brim, sloshing some over liquor over the side. He slid the glass across the table to his brother, who wrinkled his nose in distaste as he brought it to his mouth. “I’m not sure I should be doing this next to a naked flame. It’s going to make me extra flammable”.
“Don’t be such a baby. Drink it, loser” Vegard demanded as sternly as he could muster. Bård looked down on his brother with a look that seemed to scream ‘I’ll make you pay’ before downing the shot of alcohol. He gave a comical grimace as the strong taste registered. Vegard couldn’t stifle his laughter. It seemed to him that Bård could execute most things with grace and aplomb; an attribute Vegard envied frequently. However, downing alcohol was a notable exception to the growing list of ‘things Bård looks fucking majestic doing’. Yet Bård looked so damn adorable that Vegard’s heart felt fit to burst. He took the offending shot glass from his brother’s grasp, replacing it with his own hand. Their fingers interlaced and he squeezed affectionately.
“This stuff is fucking disgusting!” Bård muttered, finally finding his composure.”Whose idea was it anyway?”
"Uh.. Yours!" Vegard sputtered, unable to quell the laughter bubbling in his chest. Maybe the alcohol had gone to his head more than he realised. Bård pouted, a look Vegard never failed to find adorable.
“Aww, come here my dearest” He gathered his brother into a gentle embrace, pushing back a silky strand of hair and planting tender kisses along his partner’s jawline. The actions had the desired effect, and Bård reciprocated in kind. What normally followed was a tussle for one brother to assert his dominance over the other, so it surprised Vegard when Bård sank backwards onto the couch, pulling his brother down on top of him. Bård looked up at him, pupils blown like saucers, lips parted and looking so irresistible that Vegard couldn’t resist another kiss, or two.
"I'm sorry I've been such a jerk" Vegard whispered, tenderly stroking the cheek of the man beneath him.
“It’s fine. I know you get cranky when you can’t check your live flight tracker app” Bård teased. Vegard saw no point in contesting that fact, because it was completely true.
“Whatever did we used to do before technology?”
“Apart from this?” Bård asked, placing his hands firmly on Vegard’s buttocks and issuing a small squeeze that caused the older man to moan softly. The hands settled at Vegard’s hips, calloused thumbs running over the exposed skin under his shirt in gentle, rhythmic circles. The older man hummed appreciatively. “Everything. Bård began again. “Everything and anything. We talked. But most importantly, even when we weren’t talking it was okay to just be quiet. We would just… be. We didn’t instinctively grab for our phones”. Vegard contemplated this for a moment, wondering if things really were that bad. He mentally searched to recall a moment when he hadn’t had a phone, a tablet, a laptop or some electronic device within easy reach.
Vegard was interrupted in thought by a hand carding softly through his curls. “Do you remember the thunderstorm?” Bård asked softly, and Vegard nodded to his brother’s enquiry. How could he possibly forget? Although both brothers had seen many storms in their time, that one night in Mozambique stood out in their collective memory as ‘the’ thunderstorm. Bård had been six, his brother barely nine. Dramatic forks of lightning electrified the night sky, and both brothers had been excited to watch from within the safe confines of their bedroom. That is, until the power cut out. The ensuing darkness seemed to amplify the violent cracks of thunder, prompting Bård to ask his brother whether the sky was going to break apart and fall down. A particularly loud bang caused Bård to reach for his brother, and Vegard’s instinct to protect suddenly kicked in. It was only when he felt for his brother’s cheek in the darkness and found it wet that he realised the extent of Bård’s fear. With new-found resolve he retrieved his torch and a book from the shelf and led his brother to his bed. There they ducked under the covers and Vegard read aloud until he was sure his brother was sound asleep.
So much had changed since then, no least the nature of their relationship. Vegard lavished his full, undivided attention on the man he had loved his whole life. Bård no longer needed Vegard to build him a blanket fort and chase the shadows away with a torch. Yet the desire to seek solace in each other and illuminate the darkness with their shared bond was ever present and would remain. Long after the batteries died and the candles burnt down.