Seamus Reinhardt had groused when he had heard that he needed to isolate himself; until he was told he would get to live in his older brother Logan’s apartment, which was attached to the house. That made it much more palatable. His own place for two weeks. But he was an active guy, and being stuck in the house drove him a little crazy. To make things worse, just when he saw the light at the end of the tunnel of his self-isolation, literally Day 12 of 14, Covid-19 hit him like a truck. Now he was actually sick, and would be isolated from his family until he was pronounced better by Dr. McKinney. He sat on the ground floor level of Logan’s apartment on the small lounge couch and stared out of the window, wishing he could go outside and do … anything.
Owen's bike gears made a rhythmic ticking as he pulled up behind the house. He's still mostly in uniform but his green apron was hung up at the Thrifty Foods grocery shop. He had on a black golf shirt, black cargo pants and generic black runners. He wore a grey hoodie for the evening cool. His red hair pulled back into a low ponytail. As usual he had a black backpack on and as he dismounted and set the bike against the house he slid it to the ground and seemed to be carefully wrestling something out of it, something in the shape of a takeout container. He peered into the window, now revealing it was a 10 alarm chilli container and tapped at the glass with a small grin, seeing Seamus looking out. He had felt sorry for his sick bro and made a special stop on the way home.
Seamus was almost startled when Owen appeared at the single ground floor window. But he forgets all about it when he sees the 10 Alarm chili bucket. His face breaks into the first smile he’s had on his face since he got sick a couple of days ago. “Thanks, bro! Put it by the door and back off.” he yells through the closed window. “WAY off.” there’s enough sick Reinhardts, he believes. He hopes Owen won’t actually leave. It would be nice to talk to someone.
Owen laughs and walks to the doorstep and sets the chili down. He had his own bucket still in his backpack too. He waves and points and does back off. but comes back and sets up a lawn chair about 15 feet from the back door. He takes out his own portion of food, sanitizes his hands with his secret stash pocket sanitizer and unwraps the plastic spoon and sits, waiting for Seamus to notice him.
Seamus waits until Owen is safely in his lawn chair before he opens the door and pulls out one of the two dining chairs from Logan’s dining area in the doorway. He’s probably letting bugs in, but he doesn’t care. Sitting, he takes the plastic spoon, unwraps it and fills it up. The first bite is spicy and like heaven. “Number Six, Tire Fire. Love it!” he begins to cough, covering his mouth with the collar of his t-shirt. Then he recovers. “Just what I need right now.” he takes another bite and looks at Owen. “How you doin, O-man?” he asks.
Owen looks amused as he watches Shay take on the spice. He had learned his limits and digs into his 3 happily "I'm hanging in there.....work is fucking nuts....we got one way aisles now to keep people distanced but half the people don't look at the arrows. I'm thinking some street signs next!" He toasts in the air with a spoon "Glad to help. How are you feeling?"
Seamus loves his spice and takes another two spoonfuls before he replies. “That’s bullshit. How can people not get how this works. At least you don’t have to deliver? Or do you, and you're just not telling Mom?” he asks. Then he coughs again, catching it in his crooked arm. “I still feel like shit, but I feel like restless shit.” he tries to explain. “I can only sleep so much, ya know.” he blows out a breath. “I’m getting as broody as you been lately.” He mock huffs. Their mother and father are working and, as far as he knows Logan and Kurt are upstairs in his room doing who knew what. Suddenly he wishes he was in the living room with Owen playing video games.
Owen looks sheepish about the delivery question "When I have to...yeah...but we're pretty careful. Door drops only. Online payments. It's hard for the old people...we gotta deliver." He looks sympathetic "I'd be going stir crazy if I had to stay put too...." He smirks a bit at the brooding comment. He had gotten over himself a bit with all this pandemic. His problems seemed smaller in comparison "You gotta work on your sulk if you wanna outdo me." He demonstrated "There's a few different options..." He let his head hang down and looked up with a surly glare "I'm Batman...the Batman..." Then he bared his teeth a bit and creased his upper nose "I call this Harry Potter's angst and trauma. Piss off Ron!" He mock barked. Then he wiggles his eyebrows and takes another nice big bite.
Seamus nods about the deliveries. “As long as you’re careful. Giovanni died of this.” he coughs, clears his throat and eats another spoonful. Then he almost chokes at the piss off Ron comment and smiles. “That’s better. I was gonna talk to you at that family dinner but then we all got drunk and I figured you wouldn’t believe I was worried about you if I said anything … and then Mom came back and broke up the party.” He looks at his brother carefully. “What’s up?” granted it had been a few weeks back, but Owen had a gift for holding onto stuff.
Owen nods, solemnly "I'm careful...and I heard about Giovanni." He lets out a big sigh "Poor Vincent....kinda like a Grandpa figure for him." Owen stirs thoughtfully at his chili for a long pause and then says "I wasn't ready to talk about it at that dinner." He pauses again, collecting himself and then begins after swallowing hard "Her name is Slaine. We actually met through Logan and Kurt's UBC friends....but she's a friend of their friend Dan.....she's older..." He blushes a bit "Quite a bit actually. She's 28. Went back to get a degree after working for awhile. Anyhow we ......." He pauses and then clears his throat "Hooked up after a party when I was staying the weekend with Logan....that one long weekend I'm not even sure he knows. She had a boyfriend so I was a secret.....and I thought a one time thing. But I really liked her. It was a perfect night... so fuckin perfect. I gave her my number but didn't expect to hear from her ever again. But she started texting me, like all day everyday. She told me the boyfriend was on again off again so I started thinking I'd wait for the off phase and make my move. It was intense.....it even got kinda...” He laughs nervously “Hot...online...you know...” He doesn't elaborate but he's pretty sure Shay knows. “She has a 5 year old son but her ex has him most weekends. I was willing to wait for her to sort it all out....but then she just...she just fuckin ghosted me....." He stifled a sob and then rubbed at the back of his neck under his ponytail and looked at the ground.
Seamus had gone quiet, thinking of Giovanni’s death and how hard it had been on Vincent, since he was still getting over his own Covid-19 and the doctor had suggested he not attend any funeral. But before he could form those words, Owen continued. Immediately, he realizes it was that first weekend that Alexandra had been reconnected to the mainland. Shay had spoken to Logan, but only Owen had gone to see them. His jaw drops and his brows raise when he hears this woman was 28 and had a kid. A different story may have caused Seamus to tease or poke or prod Owen, but he hears his brothers sob and sets down his bucket of chili. “Kinda like Sam Coffee…” he speaks softly, but surely Owen can hear him. “She was your first, right? Like Sam was for me?” he blows out a breath. He still thought about Sam Coffee from time to time and he still felt that pain and he didn’t tell anyone about how he’d felt except for Owen that day on the ice after their grandfather had died and Sam had left the island with only a note shoved in Seamus’s locker at school breaking up with him.
Owen looks up into his brother's gaze and nods "First complete experience if you will...and I guess first love..because I'm apparently an idiot that way." He does hear him talk softly about Sam "Shit man, I didn't even know the whole Sam story. She just bailed on you?" He sniffs and wipes quickly at his eye "It sucks...."
Seamus nods. “You might not remember.” he chuckles. “You were kinda stunned when I told you Dad and Vincent had caught me having sex with her against that tree.” he shrugs. “Probably drove that note right out of your air head.” he sighs and softens in forgiveness. “But yea. I met her. Maybe I fell in love. I guess I did. They caught me that Saturday and I found out Sam left that note in my locker either the day before or over the weekend.” he sighs and shrugs. “But yea. It sucks. Sam didn’t have a kid, but…” he shrugs again. “Daisy does.” he holds up a hand. “No I’m not in love with Daisy. We’re just friends … that fuck. But, yea … a good kid. Did you meet the kid and bond or … not?”
Owen smacks his own head "Oh Jesus I do remember that. Sorry I've been a bit up my own ass with this Saline stuff. My head's not right...but then based on what you're telling me, yours hasn't been in awhile." He concedes. He had been really hard on Shay over the years. Now he got it. "I'm sorry if I was a clueless ass." He looks highly curious about Daisy and then shakes his head "No I didn't meet this kid. We only had one night in person. Liam's his name. It's stupid...but I was trying to wrap my head around having him in my life. I haven't got a clue about kids...so I really don't know what I was thinking..." He laughs and then swings back to the topic of Daisy "So you say you and Daisy are friends....do you wish it was more?"
Seamus chuckles. “It’s okay. Believe me I know the feeling. And with me and you one of us seems to have to be clueless at all times about the other.” he shrugs. “I went a little crazy I think after that. Having sex with different girls. Not sticking to any of them. Not getting close to any of them.” he stops to cough a little and then to think. “I can’t even wrap my head around you as a father, or step-father.” he laughs and that causes another coughing fit. When it passes, he shakes his head. "Daisy can get weird with guys.” he tells his brother. “Remember when she had that crush on Vincent? I heard about what she did just before she hooked up with Joey. But me and her … from the first time we has sex, we agreed it was a ‘friends fuck too’ thing.” he half grins. “She can still get strange, especially when she’s scared. I try to help and all but…” he shrugs. “I think it sort of helps that she has Olivia now. She was the first and only kid I ever babysat.” he laughs. “But she doesn’t call me ‘Daddy’ or anything. More like Say … I guess cause little kids can’t talk right. I honestly don’t know if I even want kids, to be honest about it. You know me. I never think past my own balls.” that isn’t completely true, but it is part of that bad boy reputation he cultivated for so long.
Owen nods along. taking it all in and starting to get a deeper understanding of who Shay is. A better understanding than he's had for a fair few years. He scoffs a bit at the last comment but not in a dismissive way. "I don't think I could be detached enough for a "Friends fuck". I don't know how you guys compartmentalize that shit. I do want kids someday. I mean it's chaos sometimes, but I love our big family...and the only way to have that later in life is to create it. It's cool that you babysit Olivia. At Thrifty's, my manager, Paul has 3 little girls, the wildest little girls you've ever seen or heard. Sometimes he and his wife get stuck for childcare...or she's sick. She's been battling cancer. Anyhow, not recently, with Covid looming, but Paul sometimes has to bring them to work. Last time he set them up in the staff room with some arts and crafts but somehow the glitter made it all through the store. I overheard them talking about fairy dust.." He laughs. "It's mayhem."His smile falters "Now Paul's living with his brother because he's afraid to bring anything home to Cheryl and the kids. His brother's that radio guy...the Walrus or whatever. I think his name's Walter. It's a weird world right now Shay. I know you know it and have to live with it, I'm just glad it's not putting you in the hospital man..."
Seamus shrugs. “For me I guess it’s easy. I don’t want to feel the way I felt when Sam left ever again, so … a couple of times with a girl and if she starts acting like she wants to be mine .. that’s the end of it.” he makes a slicing motion with his hand, then covers his mouth as he coughs again. “You thrive on the chaos. I don’t. But I have my own issues from being the youngest and moms favorite until I fucked THAT up.” Owen was clearly the ‘baby’ now, or the favorite. Then again Logan was back now, after their mother nearly mourned him, so who knew. He laughs to listen to the story of Paul McLeod’s kids and then sighs hearing he moved in with his brother because of Covid-19 fears. “Yea. Walter. The Walrus and the Carpenter. I love that show.” he coughs again then clears his throat. “Don’t worry about me.” he insists and goes into another coughing fit, pulling up his shirt to cover his mouth and exposing a good solid six pack of abs under it. Once it's over he continues. “I’m sixteen, almost seventeen, in perfect health and strong. Even Dr McKinney said it, so it's not my usual bragging.” he smiles and picks up his abandoned chili bucket and speaks with his usual confidence. “And if you keep bringing me Tire Fires, I’ll burn this fucker out of my lungs by mid-week.” and he takes another nice hot spoonful. The food may be cooling but the spice is not.
Owen smiles wistfully "Maybe I'm a masochist....but I do want to love again. It hurts like hell but the good parts are so worth it...and I don't just mean sex." He doesn't know what to say about Shay feeling like he's not their mom's favourite anymore. He had struggled with jealousy and resentment over Shay getting doted on for years but if there was any truth to what he was saying now it was clearly a hard fall from grace. He grins again at Shay's confident declaration of health and resilience. He knew it was true. "Spice does help. How do you feel about Thai food? I've been looking for someone to test a recipe on..."Owen had both kept up and further cultivated his love of cooking. He would never pit himself against the likes of Vincent at a family potluck but he was now easily equal to his dad and more culturally adventurous in his diversity of culinary explorations. John wasn't a big fan of spice. He had struggled with an ulcer and anything hotter than medium salsa sent him moaning to the bathroom. Owen could take more than that but not as much as Shay.
Seamus snorts. “Maybe I’ll be like Uncle Mikey. Swear off of love only to be blindsided one of these days … but until that day … you have fun being the straight romantic brother, not to be confused with our gay romantic brother … oh fuck I’m just the unromantic Reinhardt. Finding, fucking and forgetting.” He nods. “I like Thai food.” He admits. “Bring it on, big brother.” as much as he teases Owen, he won’t deny that his cooking has vastly improved. He holds his hand to his temple and moves it around with a melodramatic moan. “Oh, that must be the fever talking.” and then he smiles. “Just kidding. I know you won’t kill me anymore.” he bites his lip. “But seriously … I think you’re best suited as mom’s favorite. I was just the youngest, you know. The last one out and her baby forever. Then I grew up way too fast for anyone’s liking.” he shrugs. “I don’t hold the record, I found out. But that’s OK. Uncle Miley was 12, but considering his life, I don’t hold it against him. Tris won’t be like that. He’s so loved, he’ll be more like you. Waiting till it feels right … you know.” he is in his way jealous that Owen felt he was in love. In hindsight Seamus knows he hadn’t been in love and that he’ll never be able to get that back to correct.
Owen laughs awkwardly "I don't know if I'm straight....I mean what was L? And like I said...Slaine was my first.." He makes finger quotes "complete" experience". Then he hesitates shyly "But I had a few experiments I guess leading up to that. That family picnic when I went home sick? I met Jane Norris in her shed behind her Great Aunt's house....she was only here for a week....maybe I'm just doomed to have non permanent encounters. We didn't do it...but we did a lot of things. That was right after L though so maybe I was just lonely. Poor Jane really. And Mrs. Norris doubly hated me after. The first month I worked for Thrifty's one of the guys who trained me hit on me all the time. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first or if I should report him for harassment. Jack Rose. He was in Fi's grade at school. Had a rebel without a cause vibe to him....black rockabilly hair, mutton chop side burns, always tight jeans....skateboarder. You probably remember him. He was always in front of the school. Anyhow somehow I ended up walking home with him one night and we cut through the woods....I don't know if you want to hear all this.....we've opened the gates...now you're like a priest or something hearing all my confessions..." He joked but was clearly embarrassed and then cut off "Tris'll do way better than me I hope....and Jesus 12? I didn't know that one."
Shay listens to his brother, remembering that family picnic. He takes a bite of chili and then half chokes on it as he swallows and has a coughing fit, waving the arm not covering his cough. “Ja…” he tries to speak, but can’t at first. Then the cough resolves into a shocked laugh. “Jane Norris?” he comes up for air. “Fast Lane Jane? Really? And she didn’t fuck you? I mean … I know how you were back then, but Jane … Maybe it was her family, but I know I was with her that week. And…” he decided not to give his brother a list of the guys he knows or suspects Jane had sex or sexual encounters with in just that week on the island. He whistles low and moves on to Jack Rose. “Yea, I know him. A skateboarder like you…” he looks curious. “You cut through the woods and … tell me son. Father Reinhardt will always give you absolution.” he teases. “And yea … but you know Uncle Mikey and Grandad … I’d have fucked anything with its own pulse too just to get away from him.”
Owen is floored by Shay's own admission about Jane and it takes him almost a full minute to recover and find his voice. At first it's just "Huh....hmm...well...shit." Then he laughs and shakes his head "Well she wanted to....but I honestly wasn't ready. That explains a lot....wow...just wow. I wasn't very confident back then...sexually or otherwise. Fast Lane Jane? Maybe my transmission was busted......she only got ahold of the stick shift" He laughs again and puts his head in his hands. Then he emerges and looks up and exhales "OK....but this one was I dunno. He's the worst kind of a slimeball. I felt......" He has a hard time describing it "Pushed into something I didn't want to do." He clenches his jaw and then begins "He suggested the cut through. I feel like he made a habit of it. Then in a really secluded part of the forest he suddenly grabbed me and pushed me up against a tree...kissing me. That part was actually nice. I would love of that to have been the end of it To be honest. His hands started roaming....so I got caught up in it and let mine....he was very aggressive. I didn't really want to undress. We were outside. Not to be that guy but I worried some homophobic freakshow would spot us and beat the living hell out of us. Jack wanted more....he wanted to fuck. He kept trying to turn me around...get behind me...." Owen tensed up and shuddered, clearly reliving it and said the next part quietly "He was really rough about it...." Owen set his chili down, unable to face food as he faced all this again "He managed to get my pants undone and started going down on me......shoving his finger in my ass.....I pushed him off and he tried to pin me from behind again....Finally I wrestled with him and went down on him...just to get him to stop on me. I didn't know what the hell I was doing and he thought it was shit so he shoved me off him and told me I was a fuckin loser and took off. I didn't know who to tell so I didn't. A week later he was fired from Thrifty's and awhile ago I found out he had previously raped 2 of my coworkers, one male and one female. I don't know if he's even still on the island. I'm hoping he left when the ferry was running." Owen looked emotionally drained after this and just slumped in his chair.
Seamus starts out with a chuckle. “Yea well, I had her like the day after she showed up at Mrs Norris’s house and she…” He shrugs. “Wanted to know if all Reinhardt men were big. I told her we were but I never thought she’d try for you.” Then things turn serious and by the time Owen is finished telling his story, Seamus’s face is beet red with anger. “Fucking ass hole.” he growls. “He made some unwanted advances towards Daisy, right after the ferry started running again. Daisy would never have told me … you know how she can get when she is needy. I only knew because I came up on them when I was leaving The Gym. He was on her and she was saying no and he was saying some shit like she knew she wanted it because everyone knew what a slut she was. I pulled him off of her and punched him. Think I broke his nose and was a little scared he’d press charges. But I know he left the island, bro. Good thing cause I’m ready to really hurt him now.” he shakes his head. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Owen. I really am. Too many fuckers like Vincent’s dad and Joey out there.” he blows out a breath and thinks they both need some calming about now. “Speaking of our soon-to-be brother. Could you tell him and Fiona to stop apologizing. I mean, I’d rather have got a hockey jersey but … I'm not mad at them and I’m like the lowest risk of anyone damn near.” He looks at his brother. “I know this is serious shit, and it’s no picnic, but I’ll be fine. Tell them they can make it up to me in lasagna. Not that buffalo stuff but real honest to god artery clogging beef! You could even help and spice it up. Thai Beef Lasagna a’la VinOwen.”
Owen swallowed hard and listened to it all "I don't actually know how Daisy gets when she's needy." He sighs and shakes his head "I should have gone to the cops....I was just ashamed. But I maybe could have saved others he hurt or tried to.....gave me some perspective I guess. I'm glad you punched him though...and I'm glad the motherfucker is off the island." He nods, smiling "I'll tell them. We'll make you spicy beef lasagna anytime bro...just after you all are in the clear..."
Seamus shrugs. “I can see that. I heard in class that men report rape less than women do … and have all that macho bullshit we go through. You did the best you could and since you didn’t tell me, I didn’t wind up in jail for killing that worm for touching my brother.” he grins at the promise of lasagna and points an accusatory finger at Owen. “See. If I was still the Golden Boy I’d go whining to Mom and she’d make you guys get into Hazmat suits and cook for me now, now, now.” he laughs until he coughs and then spends a solid minute or so trying to catch his breath.
Owen shrinks into himself and nods, not saying much. but just knowing it. He laughs at the hazmat comment and then when Seamus starts his coughing fit he winces and after he offers "Do you want me to grab you a big mug of tea man? That sounds rough..."
Seamus struggles to breathe for a minute and, nods as he pants. “Yea. Leave it outside on the picnic table. I … I think I need to lay down.” he admits with a bit of shame in the words. He hates being weak. “The shortness of breath is the worst.” he begins to stand, taking the chair inside and picking up the remains of the chili in its bucket. “Hey Owen .. thanks for the food .. and the talk.” he looks across their 15 feet. “I feel like we … like we’re closer now … so lets not … fuck it up like we usually do, eh?” he will head inside as soon as Owen replies .. if Owen replies.
Owen takes the cue and wants his brother to get better. He feels a weight has been lifted having reconnected with Seamus and confided in him. He hadn't even been able to bring himself to tell Vincent about Jack Rose. He picks up his food trash and replies as he walks "You're welcome...and thank you....Missed you Shay. I'll leave the tea in a thermos so you can drink it whenever. Get some zzs man." He felt himself tearing up and headed to the house with a sniff. He had his little brother back.
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