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Matt counted off on his fingers. "The break-ins, threatening phone calls, rabid press, vandalism…"
"Personal favorite was when someone told the police we were running a meth lab out of the dorm," Dan said sourly. "Police raids are awesome."
"The death threats were creative, though," Nicky said. "Maybe this time they'll follow through and actually kill one of us. Let's vote. I nominate Seth."
"Fuck you, faggot," Seth said.
"I don't like that word," Andrew said. "Don't use it." Andrew’s eyes looked too wide above his broad smile. Seth rolled his eyes like he wasn’t afraid of Andrew.
Neil was surprised, everybody seemed afraid of Andrew.
"I would say 'fuck you, freak', but then you wouldn't know which one of you I was talking to."
“Seth.” Aaron said looking up. “Are you done?”
Something strange happened, Seth flinched and shut his mouth.
It didn’t go unnoticed, Nicky’s head jerked to examine what Aaron could possibly have done to put Seth in his place. Aaron wasn’t even looking at Seth, he was casually looking at a clock on the wall. He was as disinterested as always.
Seth looked like he was trying to catch Aaron’s eye, but the other man simply didn’t look at him.
“Interesting.” Andrew laughed. “Since when did he get a leash on you?”
“Fuck you.” Seth spat.
“Maybe the balance has shifted, now Aaron’s the scarier twin.” Nicky chuckled.
Andrew slid a knife out of his sleeve.
“My bad!” Nicky raised both his hands in surrender.
“Nobody has me on a leash.” Seth growled, but his eyes were looking around too nervously and took away from how intimidating he wanted it to look.
“Yeah?” Allison hummed.
It was evident to everyone that they were in an off again section of their on-again-off-again relationship, with Allison perching so close to Neil’s lap and Seth being more hostile than usual.
“Say something about Nicky again.” Aaron spoke again.
“What?” Seth’s brows knit together.
“You’re so tough Seth, do it, use your favorite 6 letter word.” Nobody interrupted Aaron, he was using the Minyard ability to be a creepy fuck and leaning closer to Seth while keeping his legs crossed on the couch. They were several feet apart but Seth still shifted backwards.
Andrew’s need to prove he was the scariest sibling was mellowed by how interesting this dynamic was, and how unexpected.
“What, are you shy now? You’ve slung every slur in the book at Nicky, why are you so reserved now?” Aaron stood up, not very imposing at 5 foot even, but Seth still scrambled away, cursing under his breath as he exited. As soon as he was out of the room Aaron’s deranged expression shifted again into one of indifference. He didn’t sit back down though, he pivoted towards the door and turned the opposite direction Seth had. He took the stairs down 2 at a time, he really didn’t want to be prodded by Andrew.
He ended up at the library. He hadn’t brought any of his notes or books, but gathering them in their room with only one exit left him open to being ambushed by Andrew. Which was the whole reason he chose the library in the first place, Andrew hated the library.
He beelined for his usual table, grabbing a random book off of a shelf on his way.
His book was a murder-romance, but he only got 20 minutes to read before a shadow was cast over the pages.
“Hey,” Seth said, keeping his voice low.
“What have you come to say?”
“You remind me of Andrew when you’re like that.” It was the worst possible thing to say, Aaron looked at him like he was stupid.
“Fuck off Seth.” Aaron said. “Apologize to Nicky.”
“You’re serious?”
“Hooking up with you was the largest lapse of judgement I have ever made.” Aaron said mostly to himself. “Yes, I am serious.”
Seth didn’t say anything, opting to wrinkle his nose at Aaron.
“I’m never speaking to you again unless I have confirmation from Nicky that you did.” He closed his book, not bothering to mark the page.
“I am being so serious Seth, I don’t know why I thought hooking up would make you less insufferable, but I have been proven incorrect.”
“Aaron-” Seth started.
“No- you can’t just- god, you’re infuriating. Seth, how are you pursuing a man, actively and still homophobic? Are you smart enough to figure out how insane that is? Or are you actually so smart you are operating on a separate plane of consciousness where that makes sense?”
“You’re hot when you’re angry.” Seth said diplomatically.
“Shut the fuck up,” Aaron returned. “I am actually so finished with this conversation, leave me alone.”
Seth did.
“Fa-” Seth started out strong. “Sorry, Nicky.” He shook his head as if to brute force dislodge the homophobia. Nicky looked up, curiosity filled eyes that were normally filled with malice towards Seth. Maybe it was a good omen.
“I’m sorry.” Seth said.
“What?”
“I’m sorry for calling you slurs.” It looked like Seth was in physical pain.
“Do you, like, need me to grab Abby or something? She probably hasn’t left.” Nicky offered.
“No, listen, just say it’s ok so I can go back to my room.”
“It’s not ok.”
“What?”
“You have been nothing but an ass to me, like the entire time I’ve known you.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Seth gritted his teeth.
“I’m getting that, but A) I don’t believe you and B) I think it would be so much funnier to watch this rift you have with Aaron go unresolved.”
Seth glared.
“I’m gay?” Seth tried.
“What?” Nicky stared at him.
“I have,” Seth coughed. “Been kissing men.”
He became immediately aware of how this could be linked to Aaron and Nicky didn’t have the good will towards him necessary for it to be hidden from Andrew.
“Aaron is blackmailing me.” He said quickly. Nicky just looked at him.
“How does Aaron know you are kissing guys?”
“He was in the library. I didn’t know anybody actually went to the newspaper archive room.”
Nicky looked at him blankly.
“You were making out with a guy in the newspaper archives?”
“Yes, are we good?” Seth really wanted to leave. It was irrelevant that he only knew the library had newspaper archives because he followed Aaron after class one day.
“No- Seth, it’s cool that you’re ‘gay’ now” Nicky made air quotes around the word ‘gay’. “But you’re still an asshole? You nearly started this conversation off by calling me a slur.”
“I am reclaiming it?”
“Shut up.”
“I am jealous of your openness and how comfortable you are with who you are?” He tried again, it wasn’t a lie, but it felt like swallowing acid to say it.
“How many guys have you kissed?” Nicky crossed his arms.
“Uh-”
“You said Aaron is blackmailing you because he saw you kissing men, what numbers are we talking here?” Really thinking about it, it warmed Nicky’s heart that Aaron had seen Seth doing such a thing and thought to blackmail him into apologizing to his cousin. It was probably the nicest thing Aaron had ever done for him.
“One...” Seth felt trapped.
“You’ve kissed one guy and are telling people you’re gay? Must have been one hell of a kiss, how does Allison feel about this?”
“Fuck you.” He said before he could help it.
“Hmm.”
“Allison is an amazing girl, I like men now though. One man, I guess.”
“You are aware you’re probably bisexual right?” Nicky was getting impatient, Seth hoped Nicky getting impatient meant he would forgive him so they could both go their separate ways.
“What’s bisexual?”
“Liking men and women.”
“Oh, do you forgive me?”
“Jesus, Seth no.” Nicky said.
Seth kicked a chair on his way out of the room.
“You’re blackmailing Seth?” Neil asked when Aaron entered the room. He’d be lying if Josten mentioning Seth openly and around Andrew didn’t set off his fight or flight instincts.
“I’m what?”
“Seth came out as gay to Nicky.” Andrew peered over at Aaron from where he was perched smoking in the window. Aaron was about to have an aneurism. He hid it well under a neutral expression.
“Did he?”
“He tried to apologize to me and I didn’t accept it so he came out of the closet.” Nicky laughed.
“That’s insane.” Aaron said because he was unsure of what they knew.
“So you didn’t blackmail him into apologizing?” Andrew raised an eyebrow.
“Technically yes.” Aaron sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
“What were you doing in the newspaper archives?” Neil Josten was about to get choked out, and Seth Gordon was second on Aaron’s hitlist.
“He told you?” Aaron’s eyes were wider than Neil had ever seen them.
“Yeah, I will say the newspaper archives are an insane makeout spot.” Nicky
“I did not make out with Seth in the newspaper archives.”
Four pairs of eyes were on Aaron. Ashes fell from Andrew’s cigarette when he was too stunned to raise it to his lips.
“That’s fucking hilarious.” Andrew cackled. Aaron felt the tips of his ears burn.
“Seth told Nicky you caught Seth making out with somebody in the library and were blackmailing him to apologize to Nicky.” Kevin supplied. Aaron was going to kill himself.
“Uh-”
“I’ll kill him for touching you.” Andrew grinned easily.
“Don’t.” Aaron felt an impending sense of doom.
“You willingly sucked Seth Gordon’s face?” There was an edge to Andrew’s voice. Aaron had no reservations believing Andrew would tear him limb from limb.
Without answering Aaron turned around and left the building. It was an admission of guilt, but he genuinely had no idea how anything just unfolded, and was nervous to reveal more.
Aaron barged into Matt and Seth's room. He knew Neil was gone, and he also knew he was a dead man either way.
"Seth?" He asked a bewildered Matt and Dan.
"In his room?" Matt offered, looking concerned, Aaron didn't know it but he looked like a rabid dog; tense, and with his legs just visibly too far apart, ready to bolt.
Aaron nodded and barged through Seth's door as well.
"Hey-" Seth barely got out before Aaron had tackled him onto his bed, kissing him within an inch of his life. Seth thought maybe he had gone to heaven, so he returned Aaron's efforts with full enthusiasm.
"Andrew knows." Aaron gasped when they separated.
"WHAT?" Seth bolted upright, the force knocking Aaron off the bed and onto the ground where he laid on his back, arms and legs splayed around him. He thought about how he ended up here. He turned his head to look out the door and saw Matt and Dan, jaws on the floor.
"Perverts." He said to them, not bothering to get up.
"Is he angry?" Seth asked, genuinely looking petrified. So much for Aaron being the scarier sibling. He wondered if he'd be scarier as a ghost. He would soon find out.
"He's Andrew." Aaron said grimly.
"Fuck!" Seth punched the bedframe.
From the floor, Aaron saw Andrew enter cheerfully through the front door he'd left open. His eyes narrowed viciously upon seeing Aaron on the floor and Seth rubbing his knuckles.
"What happened here?" Andrew said to Matt conversationally.
"Seth knocked Aaron-" Andrew was jolting forward with a knife before Dan could smack Matt for saying anything.
"ANDREW OH MY GOD STOP-" Aaron flailed, wrapping himself around Andrew's legs. Andrew's momentum, mixed with Aaron's restriction of his legs, lead him to fall face first onto the floor beside Aaron. Seth got up and sprinted out of the room. The coward.