Epilogue part 1

Killer got a good grip on the roses in his right hand, and knocked on the door with his left. It took a while before the door was unlocked, and when it was pushed open a young… man – if Killer had to guess – with orange-brown hair stood in the door opening, looking curiously at him. Oh yeah, Penguin had a new roommate since a few weeks, Killer had forgotten about that for a second.

"Eh, hi," Killer greeted them – he now remembered Penguin telling him they were nonbinary. "Is Penguin home?" Only then he noticed the sound of water running, indicating that someone was taking a shower.

The roommate looked him up and down, narrowing their eyes slightly. "Yeah, he's home. Who are you to him?"

Killer raised an eyebrow. This person didn't seem inclined to let just anyone in. Well, that was good, he guessed. It wouldn't be the first time someone had pretended to be someone else to get close to Penguin – to ultimately get close to him. Fortunately, this didn't happen on a regular basis, but one could never be too careful. Killer heard the sound of falling water stop, and a smirk appeared on Killer's lips as he introduced himself. "I'm his stepbrother."

"Stepbrother?" Penguin's roommate repeated, casting a suspicious look at the roses in Killer's hand. "I can't remember Penguin mentioning he had any brothers, step or otherwise."

Killer shrugged. "He might have forgotten to mention it."

They still looked suspiciously at him. "Well, I'm Haruta, Penguin's roommate."

"Nice to meet you, Haruta," Killer replied. "Can I come in or will you let him know I'm here?"

Haruta looked at him again with doubt in their eyes, and then lifted their hand as a gesture to stay where he was. "I'll let him know."

They took a few steps back into the studio apartment, and then yelled in the direction of where Killer knew the bathroom to be, "Penguin, you have a visitor!"

It took a few moments before Penguin's voice was heard. "Who is it?" God, Killer had missed hearing his voice.

Haruta cast one more suspicious look at Killer. "Your stepbrother."

"My step…?" they heard Penguin's confused voice. A second later the bathroom door was opened, and Penguin came walking out, hair still damping, and only a small towel wrapped around his hips.

Oh, Killer could appreciate this view.

There was a huge smile on Penguin's face as he walked towards them. "I thought you couldn't be here until tomorrow!"

Killer smiled back, as he stepped into the apartment. "I wanted to surprise you." He took the liberty of sliding the door close behind him, before Penguin walked past Haruta and crossed the distance towards Killer. Killer immediately wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close the moment Penguin's lips met his.

Haruta let out a surprised sound, and Killer decided to make their confusion worse by sliding his tongue into Penguin's mouth. Fuck, he had missed this. Penguin eagerly answered the kiss.

After several seconds of passionate kissing, they broke apart. Killer smiled at his boyfriend. "Happy anniversary, babe." He held out the roses to him.

"Naww, you're so romantic." Penguin looked at the roses as he took them from Killer's hand. "Eight…" he counted with a smile.

"One for each year we've been together," Killer explained, even though he knew it had been obvious to Penguin.

"Uhm, excuse me, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" Haruta interrupted them.

Penguin looked at his roommate and then at Killer. He elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs. "You're such an asshole. Did you really introduce yourself as my stepbrother?"

Killer smirked, and then looked at Haruta, explaining, "I'm also Penguin's boyfriend of eight years. My name is Killer."

Haruta seemed thoroughly unsatisfied with this explanation. "Yeah, no, Killer the boyfriend, I have heard of. But, uhm, 'also'?"

Killer looked at Penguin, a playful spark in his eyes. "You didn't tell them you're dating your stepbrother?"

Penguin rolled his eyes and turned to Haruta. "We were dating first, then our dads decided to get together."

"Depends on who you ask," Killer commented teasingly. The topic had been discussed many times over the years, and they still hadn't settled on a definite answer.

"We were dating before I considered you my stepbrother," Penguin clarified. Then he corrected himself. "I'm still not considering you my stepbrother, stop that nonsense." He walked towards the kitchen, and both Killer and Haruta followed him. "Are we technically even still stepbrothers? Since they're not on speaking terms right now…" Penguin grabbed a small vase from the cabinet and put it in the sink.

"Oh, they'll get back together soon enough, you know how they are," Killer answered. It wasn't the first time Kid and Law had gotten into a fight, but they had always found their way back to each other. Even if it lasted quite long this time. But Killer wanted to talk to his dad about that soon anyway. Besides, he was planning to talk to Law tomorrow too, so he could try to nudge him into the right direction as well.

Penguin filled the vase with water from the tab. "That's probably true."

"So… you dated, and then your dads started dating?" Haruta tried to clarify.

"Uhu," Penguin confirmed. "Weird, I know. We had to get used to it too."

"So, is everyone in your family gay?" Haruta inquired.

Killer snorted, and Penguin shook his head, amused. The latter took the filled vase out of the sink and put the roses in it. "Only Killer and my dad are gay. His dad is bisexual, and you know I'm pan."

He looked at the roses and then looked apologetic at Killer. "I don't have a gift for you. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. I do have a romantic picnic planned for tomorrow, though."

Killer smiled. "I'm totally okay with that." They never celebrated their anniversary with big gifts anyway. They were usually happy to just spend the day together.

Penguin brought the roses to the living part of the apartment, and bent over to put them on the coffee table. That, however, was too much strain on the towel, and it fell from his hips onto the floor.

Killer, who was standing behind him, bit his lip and smiled amused. "Hmm, that's a nice view we're treated to."

"Kill!" Penguin said embarrassed as he quickly picked up the towel to cover himself up again.

Haruta groaned. "You're not gonna sleep over, are you?" they asked Killer.

Killer looked at them. "Of course I'm gonna. I haven't seen Penguin in weeks, you think I'm going to let him sleep alone?" His schedule had been killing lately, and he hadn't been able to visit Penguin at all while he was touring. He had missed him so much…

Haruta looked unamused. "Okay, but you're not gonna have sex, right?"

Killer shrugged. "Who knows. You'll hear it soon enough if we do."

"Killer!" Penguin exclaimed again in embarrassment.

"What?" Killer smirked. "You know you can't keep quiet."

"Ugh, I guess I've been lucky you weren't around the first three weeks," Haruta commented.

"We're not gonna have sex," Penguin promised his roommate. "Not while you're here."

"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Killer murmured. He was looking forward to sleeping in the same bed as Penguin again, but if he was honest, he was also looking forward to banging the ever-loving shit out of him. It had been too long. And if Killer was in the mood, he almost never failed to get Penguin there too.

"You know what?" Haruta said. "Penguin, why don't you go put on some clothes. Killer, beer?"

Killer nodded. "Thanks."

Penguin retreated to his sleeping corner of the room – there were two beds separated from each other by some room dividers and from the living part by two big curtains to give some privacy. Meanwhile, Haruta walked to the kitchen to get beer, and Killer made himself comfortable on the couch. The studio Penguin had been living in for the past few years was pretty big, and beside the two improvised bedrooms, there was room for a large dinner table, a couch that could easily host three people, two fauteuils, a coffee table between them, and a huge ass TV-screen against the wall. Killer knew Shachi had helped paying for the latter, and he frequently came over to game with Penguin. This was also the reason why Penguin's previous roommate, who also paid part of it, hadn't been able to lay claim on it when he moved out.

After a minute, Haruta returned from the kitchen and handed him a bottle of beer. They placed another one on the table, and sat down on one of the fauteuils with the third beer themselves. "So… you're a famous guitarist, right?"

Killer smirked. "Not famous enough for you to recognize me, apparently."

Haruta chuckled and shrugged. "True, but then again, I know very few musicians by their looks." They sipped from their beer. "You were touring, I heard?" Haruta tried to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, I've been touring with The Hawkins Pirates for the past few weeks," Killer answered. It was true; his guitar career had taken off as soon as he'd left high school. It would have been earlier, but his father had not allowed him to leave school before he'd finished his final exams – which, in hindsight, he was grateful for, to be honest. The TikTok account Penguin had once started had reached over a million followers when he left school, and many established artists had invited him to record with him, or even perform with them at concerts. At the beginning, it had been a little overwhelming, but by now Killer knew what to take on and what to let go. Meanwhile, the local band he'd been fan of since the beginning, had also been gaining fame, and when they went on a nation-wide tour and asked Killer to join them, he hadn't been able to decline.

Of course, the fact that Killer had become somewhat friends with Hawkins, the front man of the band, had played a part in it as well, and for this, he had Bonney to thank. His friend had finally managed to win him over, after years of having a crush on him. The fact Perona joined them, only made it better for all of them. Killer chuckled as he remembered Bonney's face very well, when she found out her best friend was into girls too.

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of The Hawkins Pirates," Haruta said. "They've got some nice songs."

Killer could hear from their voice that Haruta was only trying to be nice. They probably didn't like that kind of music at all, and honestly, they didn't seem like the type either. Though, Killer had learned not to make assumptions about someone's music taste based on the way they looked. A lot of people had surprised him. Still, if Haruta said they thought some songs were nice…

"You think so?" Killer asked. "We've got one more concert to finish the tour, and it's in this city, the day after tomorrow. You should come. It's sold out, but I can get you in, if you want."

At that moment, Penguin launched himself onto the couch, right beside Killer. Unfortunately for Killer, he was fully clothed now, except for his hat, which he had learned to keep off when Killer came to visit. "Yes, Haruta, come! It'll be fun. You can finally see how good Killer is!"

Haruta looked slightly uncomfortable. "I don't know if that's really my scene…"

"It's not really my scene either," Penguin admitted. "But when Killer is playing, it's always good."

Killer smiled at this. God, he loved his boyfriend so much. Penguin didn't hesitate to come to his concerts as long as they were nearby. Of course he would come to this one too, which was in the first big city near to their hometown, and that city was coincidentally where Penguin lived and studied. Well, it was not a complete coincidence. Killer had pulled some strings to end the tour here. But as the Hawkins Pirates were from the same area as him, they liked the idea of finishing close at home.

"I think you should come," Killer tried to convince Haruta. "It'll be a great show, I promise. And we won't only play original songs, but some well-known pop-covers as well."

"You will?" Penguin said, surprised. "Which songs?"

Killer took a long drag from his beer, trying to keep a poker face. "You'll see…"

"Okay, if you really want me to be there, I'll come. I'll give you a chance," Haruta said.

Killer smiled. Even though Haruta and Penguin only lived together for three weeks, he had heard from Penguin that they got along pretty well, so it felt only right that Haruta would be there at the concert. Just like the other people he had invited.

Killer had a huge smile on his face when he parked his bike in the driveway of his father's house, the following day. The day had started with an amazing brunch picnic that Penguin had organized, and they had the incredible luck that it was a sunny day and still pretty warm for a November day. After that, Killer had made his way towards their hometown alone, with the promise to see Penguin again the next day, at his concert. He had visited two more people before he went towards the home he grew up in, and they both had given him a satisfactory answer to the question he'd asked, making it impossible to ruin his good mood.

There was literally only one thing he could think off that could have made his day even better, and that was if Penguin hadn't fulfilled his promise to his roommate, last night. When Penguin had said they wouldn't have sex while Haruta was there, he meant it, apparently. It wasn't like they'd never had sex while his previous roommate was home, but apparently Haruta seemed to have more problems with that. Maybe they should invest in some good ear plugs. Well, that would just have to wait until after the concert then. It wasn't something that could ruin Killer's good mood.

He turned the key in the lock and walked inside. He took off his helmet and stripped out of his biking jacket, when the door to the living room opened.

"Hey, aren't you that famous guitarist?" his father said jokingly.

Killer smirked at him. "Hi dad." He walked towards Kid and hugged him, giving him a short pat on the back.

"Good to see you, son," Kid answered, mimicking his gesture. "Glad you had some time to visit your old man."

Killer snorted as he let go of his father. "You're not an old man, you're 41; you're an ancient man," he joked, and proceeded to take off his protective biking pants.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in, will ya?" Kid said, but he smirked. "What can I get you?"

Killer shrugged. "A beer's fine."

After getting out of all his biking gear and putting it aside neatly, Killer walked into the living room, where Kid was waiting for him on the couch with a beer.

"So, how's the tour going?" Kid asked him.

"It's been great," Killer answered, and sipping from his beer, he told his father about the past few weeks. He'd been away from home for longer than he'd been away from Penguin, so they had a lot to catch up on.

After they had brought each other up to speed about the past month or so, Killer leaned back, looking at his father. There was one thing Kid had avoided talking about, and it hadn't escaped Killer. "Dad, you are coming to the show tomorrow, right?" He decided not to approach the subject too directly.

"Of course," Kid answered. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait, why? Who else did you invite?"

Killer shrugged. "Some people."

Kid's face had soured. "Is Law coming?"

"You're not seriously thinking of staying away if he's there, right?"

Kid crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't really feel like running into him."

"Dad, please," Killer said with a sigh. Sometimes his father could really look like a child. "I want you to be there."

"I'll be there if he isn't," Kid answered.

"I want you both to be there." Killer's heart felt heavy. He needed them both to be there. "It's a big night for me… I… I think it might be my last show for a while."

Kid quirked an eyebrow at that. "Really? I thought you were living your rockstar dream?"

Killer shrugged. "I am, but… there's more to life than that. Being on the road so much made me realize how much I miss the people I care about, who stay behind."

Kid snorted. "Aww, you missed me?"

Shaking his head in a chuckle, Killer answered teasingly, "I was talking about Penguin, but sure, you too." And his friends as well, of course.

His father gave him an inquiring look. "Wait… what are you saying?"

Killer smirked, no longer able to keep a poker face, but he shrugged again, nonetheless, trying to act casual. "That I want you to be at the show tomorrow."

A grin took over Kid's face. "But… Are you sure? Don't you ever want to try something else? Someone else?" He asked. "You know, you're 24, and you've only ever fucked one guy in your life."

Killer shrugged. "So what? I like fucking Penguin."

"Yeah, but you don't really have any material to compare it to," his father argued. "Don't you ever wish you could bang someone else for a change? Just to know what it's like?"

Killer shrugged again. "Not really. I mean, sure, I'm kinda curious, but I can live without that knowledge. I don't want to lose Penguin. Not for all the sexual experience in the world. He's my everything, and he is so much more than just someone to have sex with." Killer looked his father in the eyes, and knew he was getting cheesy again, but he didn't care. "Even if I could never have sex with him ever again, I would still want to spend the rest of my life with him." He'd terribly miss the sex, though, but it was something he would be willing to sacrifice if he'd have to.

Kid chuckled. "Okay, okay, I get it." He pursed his lips together. "So, are you going to talk to Law?"

"Already did," Killer answered him with a smile.

"When?" his father wanted to know.

"Two, three hours ago."

"You went to see him, before you came to see me?" he sounded hurt. When Killer gave him a look that said he shouldn't act like a baby, Kid sighed. "Did he… say anything about me?"

Killer pursed his lips together as he remembered it. "Yeah… Pretty much the same as you said about him. He didn't feel like running into you. However, he does realize it's more important to be at my show, so he'll be there even if you are as well." Killer smiled slightly. "But I could see he misses you. Isn't it about time you got over your differences again?" Killer was getting a little annoyed that he was the one who had to bring them together, but he really preferred them kissing in front of him, than them almost murdering each other in front of him.

"No offense, Killer, but you don't know what you're talking about." Kid huffed.

Killer groaned. "Come on, you know it's just because you both have been hurt in your pride and you are too stubborn to apologize. Just kiss and make up, already," Killer said. "Or fuck and make up, whatever you two do, I don't want to know."

Kid seemed to be thinking about it for a few seconds, and didn't even give a snarky come-back, which was a win in Killer's book. Finally, his father sighed. "I'll be there. But I'll be there for you. If I see him…" He smirked. "I might fuck him, but don't expect us to get back together."

TBC~!

Thanks Cleokitty20 for your review! ❤