Jeff sits at the kitchen table along with Matt, they were going through their father's belongings. Plus Matthew being the oldest, had to decide the tough choice on how they'd go about making the funeral arraignments. Their father never did write a will, so they never did know what his wishes were, if he wanted to be buried or cremated. Matthew thought that he'd want to be buried since that's how their mother's arraignment was handled. And if they went that route, then they'd have to go the cemetery to see if a plot was even available next to their mother's grave, it could be highly unlikely, seeing as how many years it has been since her death and burial.
Matthew took note in Jeff's resistance to go to their mother's grave-site so Matt promised him that he would take care of everything that needed to be taken care of, Jeff didn't need to be anywhere near the cemetery if he didn't want to be, he could stay home. It was fine with Matt. But Jeff didn't want to be excluded from everything, he had opinions on the matter of his father's burial just as much as Matt, even if Jeff couldn't really do anything legally, being that the usual person to take care of things would be the eldest child, and that was Matthew after all, but Jeff could still share his thoughts on what he liked and didn't to Matthew, and Matt could take that in to a advisement.
"Are you really okay with dealing with all this, it's in awful lot to do?." Jeff whispers to his brother from acrossed the table.
Matt looked like he had not slept all night, his hair was in tangles, his eyes were droopy. And his voice sounded like he had strap throat.
"Have you drank anything today?." Jeff asks
Matt who was dozing off, while looking down at one of the many documents that needed to be signed, raises his head at his brother's voice.
"What did you say, I didn't hear you."
"I asked you if you've drank anything today." Jeff repeats.
Matt nods his head "I've had some water earlier, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
Jeff scrunches his eyebrows "You don't look it to me Matt, I think your putting too much stress on yourself. Let someone else handle all this. I'm sure someone could, you don't need this right now."
Matt flips through the pages "Look, I told you I'm fine, will you just get off my back. I need to get this done."
"It doesn't have to be done right away Matthew." Jeff whispers
Matt shakes his head, while standing up from the chair. "Look you just worry about getting back to school tomorrow alright. I've got this all under control."
Jeff sits and stares at Matt "I don't think you do. But if you say you can handle it then I'll leave you be about it. But just promise me your stop this for right now, just so you can get a few hours sleep. You look half dead."
Matt goes to the fridge and grabs himself a soda. "Yes, I promise you, I'll sleep. As soon as I'm done with writing up that document form."
Jeff smiles and walks over to the couch, to watch some T.V.
Matt waits for Jeff to be focused on the television set before he grabs a pill from out of his pants-pocket and gulps it down with one swallow from his Coke drink.
Matt was still suffering from the anxiety after leaving collage, and now that he had to be the one to deal with all of this, his stress level was rising by each day. He hadn't heard any voices as of yet, but he was not able to sleep, he was experiencing nightmares. Terrible nightmares. And the worst thing about it was that he couldn't tell if what he was dreaming was fiction or some sort of lost memory. He would dream of his father, young, their mother was still alive and Matthew must have only been around 6 years of age or so. He never could see himself as a child, it was too dark but he could hear his father and mother's voices, talking to him, calling his name off in the distance. He could recollect the house, it was the house that they had lived in before their mother died, the same house that his father was so proud to own. The house that his father couldn't bare to live in after the death of his beloved wife. He sold it only after two months passed, Matthew could remember that because they stayed with their grandparents for a few months until their father got a suitable apartment. He never could figure out where he was in the dream, it looked like some cellar, that would explain the darkness. He could hear Jeffrey crying in one of the upstairs bedrooms, probably in his nursery. Matthew could even hear his own child-like voice, and he was laughing. He was playing a game of hide and seek but it was not funny, not to his parents who were worried. He knew they were worried because he could hear it in their voices. But he would always wake up before finding out if they found him and want happened when they did. It was confusing, he did have nightmares before, but nothing as strange as this one. And it's a constant dream, one that he has every time he goes to sleep. It's been going on since his return home, since he found out his father was dead.
Mark sits up on his porch steps, watching his dogs run around their inclosure. He had noticed that one of the dogs were showing signs of blindness, the dog kept running into the other dogs, and knocking into their water bowl. Mark looks down towards the porch. He knew he'd have to put the dog to sleep if that was really the problem. And of course Mark hated having to do that, but it was the right thing to do.
Mark walks over to the pen, calling out for the one dog's name. " Zeus. Come here boy. Come here."
Mark twists the dog's collar in his hand. He waits for the the dog to come near enough to him, until he unsnaps the collar and places it around the dog's neck loosely. "Good boy, your a good boy Zeus. We're gonna go for a ride. How would you like that?."
Mark hollers for the other dogs to get back, before opening the pin, and slowly guiding Zeus out of the gate.
He leans down and ruffs Zeus' furry neck. Zeus gently leans into Mark's weight. He always loved being petted.
Mark had to try to stay in control emotionally, he felt like he would just lose it and start bawling. He had known these dogs since his arrival back here, they helped him get through the process of returning to his child hood home, the same place he left after his whole family was lost to him through a fire, the fire that took that same child's child hood away from him. They had helped him, and he in return gave them a place, a home. And he took care of them, gave them love and affection. He thought of them as his family now. It was all he really had to his name, that meant anything. And now he was losing one of them, it was like losing his little brother all over again. It was tough.
Mark gently lifts the dog in the back of his Jeep. He places the dog in a large travel sized cage, he had made sure to place some doggie treats in there aswell, for Zeus to nibble on during the drive up there to the vet. He gave Zeus his favorite dog toy aswell.
Mark pulls up to Jeff's apartment building, he would see if they needed anything, and to be truthful he wasn't ready yet to say goodbye to Zeus. He felt it better to give Zeus a longer ride, after-all this was the last one that he would be getting.
Mark gets out the Jeep, walking up to the back, opening it, he lets Zeus out. "You wanna meet someone boy?." Mark whispers kneeling down, Zeus nuzzles up to Mark. "I think your like meeting this kid. I think he'll be real nice to ya boy."
Jeff who was passed out on the couch, wakes up to the sound of someone knocking on the door, and a dog barking. which was unusual since the apartment building didn't allow pets indoors. Jeff gets up, groggy at first. He looks around the room to see where Matt was, but he wasn't anywhere in the room. Jeff shrugs his shoulders, he hollers to whomever was at the door that he was coming.
"Hold your horses, dang." Jeff yells
Jeff gets to the door, and places his hand on the knob. But before he opens it Matthew walks out of the bathroom, and motions to Jeff
"Aren't you gonna open the door?."
Jeff rolls his eyes "Yes, Matthew. I'm gonna open the door, what do you think I'm getting ready to do. Play with myself." Jeff replies aggravatingly.
Matt smiles "Well, you were just standing there."
Jeff waves off Matt's statement. "Whatever." He mumbles.
Jeff opens the door revealing Mark, standing there with Zeus.
"What on earth is THAT?." Jeff asks
Mark looks around "What is what?."
Jeff points to the Shepard mix.
"Haven't you ever seen a German Shepard before Jeffrey?." Mark replies.
Matt gawks towards the open door. "Are you gonna invite the man in Jeff?." Matt whispers
Jeff turns to look at Matt before turning back around to face Mark. "Yes. Will you come in please."
Mark nods his head "Thanks."
Jeff moves out the way, he was a little weary of the dog.
"Why are you being so shy towards Zeus here. Don't you remember you helped me feed the dogs before. He ain't gonna hurt you none."
Jeff smiles "It is not that, I'm just surprised by your visit."
Mark looks around the room "Well, I did tell you I might stop by didn't I?."
"No." Jeff whispers
Mark raises his eyebrows "Oh yeah, I didn't. Well I'm sorry. Are y'all busy, I can leave if you need me too?."
"NO!, no we're not busy. In-fact I was just sleeping." Jeff says
"Well, I came by to see if you needed anything."
"We have it under control sir, but thank you kindly." Matthew stats while walking over to where the two stood.
"Thanks for coming by though." Jeff whispers.
Mark stands there, petting Zeus.
"I think it would be better if you take the dog outside, I don't want to get in trouble with the landlord. Pets aren't allowed in case you didn't know." Matthew says.
Jeff looks over at Matt "He isn't gonna get us in trouble Matthew, he would not do that."
Mark takes a few steps, while gently tugging on Zeus' collar.
"Well, I really wanted to know if you would like to help me Jeff. See Zeus is starting to get blind I think, and I'm gonna take him to the vet today. And well if it's really true, and he really is going blind. I don't think I get let him live like that. I mean I was brought up that when a dog starts losing his sight or whatever that it was his time. And I really don't think I could do it alone."
Jeff stares at poor Zeus.
"What I'm saying is I could use someone there with me, to keep me company." Mark whispers
Jeff looks up at Mark "And you want me?."
Mark nods "Yeah, I couldn't think of anyone else."
Jeff looks over towards Matt "Is it okay that I go with him?."
Matt looks at Jeff, then to Mark and then back to Jeff. "I don't know, how long do you think you''ll be?"
"Don't ask that Matt, why ask that?. What kind of question is that to ask someone who's gonna have to say goodbye to his pet."
Matt shrugs his shoulders "I would just like to know when your be coming home, and how long your be staying out for? I'm responsible for you now Jeff."
Mark coughs "I'm sure it won't be long, I can give you my cellphone number if you need it."
Matt nods "I'll like that number, thanks."
Jeff hands Mark a piece of paper to write it down on. Mark hands it back to Jeff who hands it over to Matt.
"There, now can I go?."
Matt nods and Jeff smiles "Can I hold on to him?."
Mark smiles back "Sure, I think he'd like to sit in the front-seat with you. If you don't' mind him sitting next to ya?"
"No, I would not mind at all?"
Mark watches Jeff gently guide Zeus out of the door and into the hall-wall.
Mark takes a step or two towards the door but then stops and looks at Matthew, who was now staring down at some documents that were scattered all over the kitchen table.
"You know if you ever need any help with any of that, I have a friend who could help you." says Mark.
Matt looks up towards Mark "I thought you had left."
Mark smiles "No, I was going too. But I can see your under alot of stress. I can understand."
Matt looks at Mark, he couldn't understand why a grown man would be willing to do this for someone he didn't even know, and he wasn't talking about what has just taken place either.
"Why are you hanging around my brother for, what are you trying to do?."
Mark's smile disappears "I'm not trying to do anything to your brother, I just think he could use a friend."
"Yes, I agree with you there, he could use a friend. But not someone who is in his 30's."
"I'm not that old."
"Oh really, well then. How old are you?."
"I'm twenty-eight years old. And I think you've got the wrong idea about me. I'm not looking to hurt your brother in any way. I just see that he doesn't have very many people that care about him. And when I'm around him, I can be sure that he at-least knows that someone does care."
"I care about him, he's my little brother. Are you saying I don't care about him Mister?."
Mark tries to calm the situation down "No, that's not what I'm saying. Look I don't want there to be some rift between us. If you have any questions at all. Then tell them to me. I want all these doubts, wanderings you might have about me out of the way. Because I promise you, I'm not here to hurt Jeffrey."
Matt chews on his bottom lip "Fine, Have you been touching my brother anywhere?. I want to know."
"What, No."
Matt walks up to Mark's face "That is not what I think is true, I think your some sick pervert."
Mark backs up "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way about me. But if you knew me at all, You'd know I would never do something that someone else didn't want to have done."
"What are you saying, If Jeff was willing, you'd do something to him?."
"No, Look I've gotta go. I'm sorry I have to explain why to you. Because I'm just trying to be nice to someone who deserves it."
Mark looks at Matt for a few more seconds, before walking out the door.
Why did I say that, "I would never do something that someone else didn't want to have done". What the hell was that about, why did I say that. I did sound like a pervert there. Man I've gotta stop thinking like that.
TBC
The next chapter, I think I'll finally write something on their feelings for one-another. I'm not sure just yet, it maybe the second chapter from the next. It depends on what comes to me when I get ready to write the next one.
IsidoraAngst: Yes, they do. Thanks for the review
Infection13: Your welcome, I hope that you've liked the explanation that I gave. Thanks for the reviews.
Slashdlite: No problem at all, It helps me to write better. I'm sorry it was bad. I hope this chapter is better with the grammar aswell. Well I think Matt is def gonna need some time to really like Mark's friendship with Jeff but I think he'll come around because if not, I think that'll be a strain on their brother-relationship and I don't think Matt wants any kind of distance coming from his brother because of how he feels for Mark. He loves his brother and he wants to see him happy, just as for right now, he's not too sure on Mark's motives. I'm trying to write them as a pairing but with their age difference I don't want to just rush into it. Thanks for the help and the reviews! :)
CannibalHolocaust: Haha, thanks for the review!. Jeff was being a brat in that last chapter, wasn't he?.