Chapter 43

An hour later, Killer was still stressed out. He had tried to trust Penguin when he said he wouldn't let Law tell his father, but it was hard, because he knew there was only so much Penguin could do about it. If Law wanted call his dad, there was really no stopping it.

Killer had made sure the beer bottles were gone from his room, so Kid couldn't find out that way, at least. He had already washed the dishes from their breakfast and lunch when Penguin was still at his house. To get in his father's good graces, Killer had made sure to dust off everything in the living room before Kid got home. He hadn't had time to vacuum yet, but maybe his father wouldn't notice. And if he did, he could just do it later. He didn't want to be downstairs when his father came home, in case he was angry – in case Law had called him.

Killer was on his bed, listening carefully to every sound from the moment he heard Kid's car pull up in the driveway. The car door was shut quite harshly, but that was the way Kid always did it; it didn't have to mean anything. Then the front door was opened, and closed again, quite normally as well.

"I'm home!" Kid yelled. Also quite normal. Nothing yet hinted at a possible bad mood.

Killer let out a deep breath. It seemed like Law hadn't called Kid. At least not yet. Killer stayed in his room for a little longer, trying to ease his mind by listening to some music. He opened Discord and texted Penguin.

'Are u still alive?'

'Were u able to convince your dad?'

It remained quiet on the other side for several minutes, and Killer sighed. Maybe Penguin was not in a position to read his messages yet.

"Killer, can you come downstairs for a moment?" He barely heard his father over the music.

Killer shut his laptop and walked towards the door. Even though he hadn't been able to hear his father very clearly, he hadn't sounded too angry. Putting on his most casual look, Killer walked down the stairs two steps at the time, and skipped the last three. He landed on both his feet before walking into the living room.

"Hey, how was your day?" he asked when he saw his father standing there, seeming to wait for him with his hands behind his back.

Kid narrowed his eyes. "Fine. How was your day?"

Killer shrugged. "Boring."

His father looked inquiringly at him. "Yeah? What did you do?"

Killer shrugged again. "Just some reading, playing guitar, watching Netflix, you know, the usual."

"Hm." For some reason, Kid didn't look convinced, but Killer couldn't tell why. Maybe he was just getting paranoid. "Well, if you were so bored, why didn't you do your chore for today yet?"

Killer let his eyes shift to look around in the living room. It wasn't that dirty… "I did do the dusting off part…"

"But you obviously didn't vacuum yet."

Killer looked at his father unfazed. "I was still going to do that."

Kid looked silently at his son for a moment, before opening his mouth again. "Killer, did you have someone over today?"

Killer stared back at him, trying very hard not to let his panic show. How did his father know? Did Law call him after all? No, why would he be so calm if that happened? Why would he be so calm if he knew Killer had had someone over? He would have to be furious; Killer knew that for sure. So, maybe it was just a guess, and he could still bluff his way out of this? But why did he guess that? Wait, had this something to do with the fact that he 'obviously' didn't vacuum yet? Fuuuck, what could he have missed?

Killer swallowed and shook his head. "No…" He tried to make it sound as if his father was stupid for even suggesting it.

"No?" Kid didn't sound as if he believed him. He moved his hands from behind his back. "Then what's this?"

Killer looked at what his father held between his fingers, and his heart stopped beating. Blind panic was all he felt when he saw the empty condom wrapper in Kid's hand.

Shit.

Fuck.

No.

This wasn't happening. This was not how his father was going to find out.

Maybe Killer could say he had a girl over? No, that wasn't an option either, because he couldn't have anyone over. Besides, he would have to tell him who, and Kid was probably going to ask about the details of their relationship.

When Killer didn't answer, Kid raised his eyebrows. "I'm pretty damn sure I didn't leave this under the dining table."

Oh God, how could Killer have forgotten about the wrapper? Sure, he had been careful to throw the condom itself away, and even put some other trash on top of it, so Kid wouldn't accidentally see it when he'd open the trash bin, but he had completely forgotten about the package.

"I… eh… I just tried it out on myself. I wanted to try what it felt like, using a condom," Killer made up on the spot. His face had become bright red, but that would probably also have been the case if that hadn't been a lie. And he had to admit to himself, it wasn't a half bad lie.

Kid seemed to buy it. He snorted. "And you did this at the dining table? That's kinda gross, Killer."

Killer had to admit he had a point, and if that had really been what happened, he would most likely have done it in the privacy of his own bedroom. But it beat having to tell his father he'd gotten a blowjob right after breakfast. So, Killer shrugged once again.

"But how was it?" Kid asked.

Killer blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, was it comfortable, did it fit?" his father asked without blushing.

Killer, however, wasn't so cool about it, and his face heated up again. "Wha- I guess?"

"You guess? You tried it out, but you didn't pay attention to the fit?"

In Killer's defense, his mind had been at other things when his dick had been inside Penguin's mouth.

"If the size isn't right, there might still be dangers," Kid explained. "And you want to avoid that, when you're using a condom, right?"

"Yeah, well, I guess it was okay… it did what it had to do," Killer mumbled.

Kid smirked. "That's good. But was there a lot of rolled up condom left when you rolled it down? You did roll it down as far as possible, right? Was there a bit of a red ring on the base of your dick afterwards?"

Killer shrugged. "There was a little bit rolled up, yeah, and… I don't think there was a red ring…" He hadn't known he had to pay attention to that, though.

"Not at all?"

"I don't think so… I don't know, I wasn't aware I should check for that." Killer felt a little awkward talking to his dad about condoms.

"Hm," was all Kid said to that, seeming to think about something.

It was quiet for a moment, and Killer didn't want to give his father the opportunity to come to the conclusion he'd been lying about how and why he used that condom. "I'll just go get the vacuum cleaner now."

Kid nodded. "Good idea. But remember you also have to make dinner, and we gotta eat early because of your guitar lessons."

Killer groaned.

It was Friday, and Killer still hadn't heard back from Penguin. That couldn't be a good sign. Killer feared it was part of Penguin's punishment, but whether that was because his father had taken his phone and computer or something, or that he had forbidden Penguin to contact him, he didn't know. He suspected Law wouldn't want Penguin to see him anymore, but he also suspected Penguin wouldn't just accept that. So, it was probably that he physically couldn't text him, not that he just wasn't allowed to.

There was a knock on Killer's bedroom door, and the next moment the door opened. Killer, who had been sitting in his usual place on his bed, with his laptop in his lap, looked up.

"Hey," Kid greeted him from the doorway. Killer had heard him come home a few minutes earlier, but hadn't bothered to come down to greet him. At least this time Killer had already done his chore of the day, so his father couldn't complain about that.

Killer watched his father expectantly. "I've done the laundry already. Last bit is in the dryer, and I folded and put away everything that was already dry."

Kid nodded, but seemed unimpressed. "Good. I'm glad you kept busy." He cleared his throat. "So, ehm, I got you something." He tossed a small box at him, which Killer caught with ease.

Killer looked at it, and raised his eyebrows in surprise when he noticed it was a box of condoms. "Uh… thanks?" Why did his father buy that for him?

"Yeah, I just thought it'd be better if you had your own. You know, so you don't have to take mine again," Kid explained.

Only then Killer realized that that meant Kid would actually miss them. Which meant he was most likely having sex. With whom? He had never heard his father about anyone he was seeing…

"And, you know," Kid continued. "Since you started dating… I just want to make sure you don't have unprotected sex. You don't have to be ashamed to buy them, of course, but I remember how I was at your age, so I decided to buy your first box for you."

Killer's eyes had widened in shock. "What do you mean, I started dating?" How had his father found out? Why was he being so cool about it?

Kid stared at him in silence for a few seconds, but then he shrugged. "You were dating that chick, a little while back, right? I know you broke up, but it's only a matter of time before you find someone else you might want to have sex with. And I feel like you're not gonna tell me before you have sex with them, so I thought I'd buy them now. Better to be safe than sorry."

Killer tried his best not to show how that comment about dating had scared him shitless, as he took a deep breath to calm himself. He meant dating in general, not dating Penguin. "Okay… Thanks."

"These are a little bit smaller than mine, so hopefully they'll fit better."

Killer raised his eyebrows again. "You wanna say you've got a bigger dick than me?"

Kid got a shit eating grin on his face. "That's a given. I'm your father, you've got only half my genes."

Killer snorted. "That's not…" he shook his head. There was no point in talking biology with his dad. "Never mind."

"But based on what you told me yesterday, I think a slightly smaller one would be a better fit," his father continued.

Killer nodded, actually grateful his father had bought him these and had given the size some thought as well. "Thanks." Besides, he could still hear Penguin's voice inside his head. 'You're not small, Kill,' he had said, and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it? As long as Penguin liked what he saw…

"Just as long as you realize I won't keep buying them for you. If you need more, be proud that you're having sex, and just buy them at the store," Kid continued. "So what if someone sees you? They're probably jealous you're getting some, and they don't."

Killer rolled his eyes. He hadn't expected anything else from his dad.

The weekend had been hell. Penguin hadn't been able to say a word to Killer. He hadn't been able to talk to Shachi either. Law had taken his phone with him wherever he went, and he had changed the Wi-Fi password as soon as they had come home on Thursday. Of course, he had seen Shachi at school on Friday, so he had been able to bring him up to speed with his punishment, but that was it. On top of that, his father had to work the weekend, so he hadn't even been there for Penguin to annoy him.

However, this did mean he was allowed to take Bepo for walks, as Law wasn't able to do that during the day. Unfortunately, Penguin realized this too late, and he hadn't been able to set a time and place to meet Shachi anywhere during his walks. Law had even gone as far as to inform Shachi's mother that he wasn't allowed to visit him, just in case his walk would bring him to Shachi's house. It looked like he had thought of everything.

Penguin had, however, made use of his time alone at home to make some pretty sexy drawings of Killer. This time he had made sure to not draw them in his notebook, but just use his sketchbook. The drawings only made him long for Killer more, though, and somehow, he was never able to get his face just right. He would have to ask Killer to pose for him some time, so he would be able to capture every detail of him exactly right.

Out of boredom, he had also cleaned up his room, including his desk and drawers. He threw away every stupid childish thing he still had and wasn't attached to, just to make a point. He was becoming an adult, dammit, he didn't need a toy car or a nice shell he found on the beach when he was ten. However, he did come to the conclusion he had a ridiculous amount of penguin themed things, and it broke his heart to throw away any of them, even though he thought most of them were pretty childish. It was his spirit animal, after all. When he had found a keychain with a little penguin holding a knife, that he had won at a carnival once, he was reminded of Killer instantly again.

Even though it had sounded quite childish, Penguin had to admit he kind of liked it when Killer had called him his little Penguin. And he might not be able to throw the keychain away, but he could give it to someone special. Penguin had never known why the penguin was holding a knife, but he had thought it was funny at the time. And now it seemed to have a double meaning. Smiling, he had put it into his backpack for school on Monday.

On Monday morning at breakfast, he finally got his phone back from his father. At least Law had made sure it was fully charged, and Penguin took the opportunity to text Killer back through Discord immediately.

'I'm alive. My dad took my phone and changed the Wi-Fi password. But I got it back now. U?'

He got a message through WhatsApp back. 'Thank fuck, yes I got my phone back too.'

Penguin smiled. Hopefully everything would go back to normal now, without their fathers being a pain in the ass.

'😃 So your father didn't find out I was there?' Penguin asked. 'My dad said he wouldn't tell, but he wouldn't let me tell you either.'

'He almost found out. We forgot to throw away the condom wrapping 🙈 But I bluffed my way out of it. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know.'

Penguin felt his face heat up. Oh my God, Kid found the condom wrapping? That was so embarrassing. He wondered how Killer had gotten out of that one.

"Are you texting Killer?" his father asked disapprovingly.

"Yeah, of course," Penguin put the last bite of his toast into his mouth.

Law sighed. "I'm really not so sure he's good for you, Penguin."

Penguin glared at him. "Well, I don't care what you think. I love him. And just last week you said I should tell him."

"Yeah, but that was before you skipped school to be with him," Law argued. "I don't want him to pressure you into anything else."

"Why are you assuming he pressured me into anything?! I skipped school of my own free will! It was my idea, not his!" Penguin lied. Even if it had been Killer's idea, he had still agreed to do it on his own. Killer had asked him, not pressured him. But he didn't want to feed Law's ideas about Killer, so slightly bending the truth seemed like the best option. It was a good thing he didn't know about the beer they'd drunk, or he'd literally forbid Penguin from seeing his boyfriend, Penguin was sure of that. "I just really missed him."

"Still, it might be a good idea to distance yourself from him a bit… even if he didn't pressure you… the fact that you did it to be with him, is not a healthy thing. You should be able to go a week without seeing each other in person."

"You've obviously never been in love," Penguin flung back.

Law snorted, and then stared at him, contemplating. "I did not need to be called out like that by a teenager."

Penguin shrugged. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Law narrowed his eyes. "A bit more respect for your father would do you good."

Penguin looked down at his phone again in favor of ignoring his old man. He had five more minutes until he had to get ready for school; just enough time to post a new video on TikTok. He hadn't been able to post anything since he filmed the new songs, as his phone had been taken away almost immediately afterwards. He also had one more ABBA song left from the first time, but decided to keep that one for a later time.

Penguin opened the video of the Natasha Bedingfield song. "This one's for you," he heard Killer say, and it brought a smile to Penguin's face again. Thinking of where to cut the video, as it was still a little long, he decided to keep that intro. If someone was watching, they might feel as special as Penguin did, when Killer said that. Since he was saying it towards the camera, it kind of sounded like he was saying it to the viewer. Only Penguin knew those words were just for him. He cut the video after the first chorus, as a minute was long enough for TikTok – maybe even a little bit too long, but cutting out more would be a shame.

"He played that for you?" Law asked, looking over his shoulder. Penguin hadn't even noticed he had gotten up to stand behind him.

"Yes…" Penguin said, a little tense. He suddenly felt his father's disapproval about everything Killer did. "I'm running a TikTok account for him."

"Huh," Law said. "What's the account called?"

Penguin didn't look at him, wondering with suspicion why his father wanted to know. "Myguitarplayingboyfriend."

Law chuckled, whipped out his own phone, and left the kitchen. After a suspicious glance at his back, Penguin continued posting the video. A few seconds later, he got a notification: 'New follower: TheSurgeonOfDeath.'

Penguin raised an eyebrow and clicked the profile. "Dad?! You're on TikTok?!"

"Sure," it came from the living room. "I'm hip."

"Oh my God," Penguin commented. "Just by saying that you're proving you're not."

TBC~!