long d a y {levi}

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Isaiah hung up his apron, the store was back in order, and it was finally time to head home. He had opened the morning, and while the managers almost never had him, or anyone else for that matter, work from open until close, Isaiah had jumped at the chance to stay late, he needed the money, especially since Levi was home for the summer, thus he needed to buy enough groceries for two people, plus another term was coming up, and his brother would need school supplies. It made Isaiah feel guilty about buying cigarettes, when there were more important things that needed his money, though he wasn't sure if him quitting was even possible.

He didn't necessarily get mean without his fix, but he wasn't the best guy to be around when he was going though withdrawal. Isaiah would get anxious and jittery, as well as get the sudden urge to chew on things, and if he let it get too bad, he'd get agitated and short-tempered when he was normally a calm, level-headed kind of guy. Lightly shaking his head, Isaiah apparated to the hallway outside his flat, digging around in his pocket to find his key. He fitted it into the lock, though still needed to thrust his shoulder into the door to get it to open. It got stuck a lot, and no matter how many times he wrote or phoned, management wouldn't fix it.

Then again, they still hadn't fixed the lift, which had been inoperable for about six months, so he honestly wasn't surprised. Isaiah locked up the door again, tugging a hand through his hair before heading into the kitchen. Hopefully Levi had fed himself earlier instead of waiting for him to come home... "Levi, I'm back," Isaiah called out, loudly enough to be heard from the bedroom down the hall. Of course, his brother might not necessarily be home, though Isaiah hoped that he was given the hour of the day...

Shaking his head at himself as he pulled open the fridge, Isaiah told himself not to worry so much. The kid was fifteen years old, he knew how to take care of himself, he didn't need to act like a parent- though Isaiah did still feel the need to be more than just an older brother, fifteen was still a kid. Hell, he felt like a kid himself still...

[levichaplin]

Levi was in his room, laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about life, wondering how he should go about things. Biting his lip, he groaned, throwing his arms over his face and blocking out the world. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He had been a burden to Isaiah long enough, it had been a full year, almost to the day. With every passing day, Levi was becoming more and more anxious and ridden with guilt. Isaiah was under the wrong impression about him, and he wanted to right the severe wrong that was happening.

Levi was considering coming out to Isaiah. That was the real reason he'd been kicked out of his parents' house, but Isaiah didn't know that. His older brother only knew that he had been disrespectful, which wasn't a complete lie. Levi knew it was risky, telling Isaiah the truth. He was afraid that his brother would react in much the same way that his parents had. It terrified him. All Levi wanted was to be accepted, and he was afraid that his brother wouldn't give him even that.

"Levi, I'm back."

Levi opened his eyes, sitting up in bed. Biting his lip, he pulled on a gray t-shirt and shuffled out of his room, sticking his hands in the pockets of his plaid pajama pants. He walked into the kitchen, seeing Isaiah rummaging around in the fridge. "How was work?" he asked. It wasn't unlike his brother to take such ungodly shifts. It made Levi that much more guilty about their current situation.

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Isaiah fished out a carton of leftover fried rice from the fridge, turning as his younger brother entered the room. He managed a tired smile, he had, after all, been at work all day. How much actual work he had done however, was yet to be determined. Sure, he'd unloaded boxes upon boxes of books- but the Hogwarts supply letters had yet to be delivered this summer, so customers weren't coming in droves, there was just the random person here and there looking for a new book. He had done a good amount of writing, however, having gone through a good seven chapters, he was about halfway through the plot at this point.

"All right, can't really complain about it," said Isaiah, pulling open the carton of fried rice and sniffing it carefully, as if he were trying to detect if it was poisoned. In reality, he had no idea how old it was. The contents looked a little dry, but it didn't smell off, so it should, in theory, still be edible. "Did you eat already?" asked Isaiah, there really was only enough rice for one, but there probably wasn't much food left in the house, he hadn't had the opportunity to go shopping for groceries in a while.

Setting the carton on the counter, Isaiah reached into the cupboard for a plate before unceremoniously dumping the contents onto the plate, prodding them with the tip of his wand to heat them. He dug in his pocket, pulling out a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes, it was about half gone, and it needed to last until Friday... It was not going to be the most pleasant week for him...

[levichaplin]

Levi watched, leaning against the doorframe, as Isaiah fished out a carton of fried rice. His stomach grumbled and he resisted the urge to lick his lips. He'd been too busy worrying about how to tell his brother that he hadn't eaten all day. Still, he wasn't about to intrude on his brother. He felt bad enough that he gave Isaiah less room to live during the summer, but he gave him another mouth to feed as well. On his shopkeeper's salary, Levi knew that Isaiah wasn't exactly living large. Smiling softly, he hid his hunger and watched his brother.

"All right, can't really complain about it. Did you eat already?"

Levi flinched slightly at the question, but quickly recovered. "Here and there," he replied. It wasn't a complete lie... Levi shrugged it off, though his mind was justifying the lie as he went along. He couldn't take food from his brother. He'd seen the contents of the fridge, which was to say a few cartons of leftovers and a carton of milk. Levi couldn't possibly take food from his brother. The guilt about everything was eating him away.

Still, he didn't know how to tell Isaiah the truth. It should have been easy, given their sibling adoration for one another. However, he couldn't bear the idea that Isaiah might treat him the same way his parents had. If Isaiah kicked him out like Mum and Dad did, he wasn't sure what he would do. In fact, without the necessary funds, he wasn't even sure if he would be able to continue his education at Hogwarts, should Isaiah react the way his parents did. Levi wondered why his parents hadn't told Isaiah in the first place.

Unless they did. Levi's stomach knotted at the thought. They couldn't have. They wouldn't have made their humiliation public like that. They had one rebellious son already, but to have a homosexual under their roof... that would be like condemning them to the Hell of their social circle. Levi knew that Isaiah didn't know. He couldn't know. But, as the days went by without Isaiah being aware of the truth, the guilt continued to eat him away.

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Isaiah indifferently hoisted himself onto the counter, crossing his legs and picking up the plate as Levi gave him a vague response that he had eaten "here and there," whatever that meant. His stomach squirmed a little with guilt, some sort of guardian he was, not having any food in the house. Isaiah nodded before picking up his fork and beginning to eat, half-wishing that he had a nice lager or a few shots of firewhiskey to wash it down with. It hadn't necessarily been a bad day, it had simply droned on for ages it seemed, working from seven in the morning until ten at night.

At least it would pay off in the form of a more substantial bump in his paycheck, he'd done those fifteen hour days at least three times a week the past month or so. They'd need the money when it came time to get Levi's school supplies. At least he'd get a good discount on the books his half-brother would need. "I know there's not much in the fridge," Isaiah said a little guiltily after swallowing an overlarge bite, "I've got a little bit of cash though, if you don't mind going to the store we can have a proper dinner tomorrow."

Since having to actually take up a real job and pay for an apartment and things- rather than crashing on the couches of his more fortunate, and academically gifted, friends- Isaiah had been learning how to cook. While he was no five-star chef, he felt that he was at least decent at cooking, enough so to make things that actually tasted all right and not burn the complex down in the process. Looking up from his meager dinner, Isaiah instead fixed his gaze on Levi.

Ever since summer had begun he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with his younger half-brother, like something was bothering him. Isaiah had been patient for a while, figuring that Levi would fess up if something really was on his mind, but the teenager had yet to say anything, and he was beginning to worry a little. "You've been looking like there's something on your mind," said Isaiah, trying to be casual, "anything you want to talk about?" He prodded at his rice with his fork, no longer eating, but rather watching Levi carefully.

[levichaplin]

Levi watched as Isaiah hoisted himself onto the counter. He could tell that his brother didn't believe him. He didn't blame him. There wasn't a lot he could do about that, other than tell him the truth about everything. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he crossed his arms across his chest and watched Isaiah, focusing in on the bright tattoo over his half-brother's Adam's Apple. It was easy to get mesmerized in the patterns of his brother's tattoos. Once he was old enough, Levi was considering getting a few himself. It only seemed proper, continuing the legacy his brother was leaving.

"I know there's not much in the fridge. I've got a little bit of cash though, if you don't mind going to the store we can have a proper dinner tomorrow."

Levi flinched a bit. That was the exact thing that made the guilt eat away at him. Isaiah openly confessed the lack of money and supplies in the house. It only made Levi feel worse. He was just as much of a burden on his brother as he had been on his parents. Levi shook his head as Isaiah took a rather unceremonious bite of his rice. "No, it's fine. You do whatever you want," he replied, shifting slightly. Isaiah wasn't dumb, he'd notice that Levi was acting peculiarly. It was only a matter of time. Levi watched Isaiah. Even though both had been kicked out of their parents house, Levi was jealous of Isaiah. He had talents, he could make a living for himself, even if the living was meager. It didn't matter to him what he was doing, so long as he was providing for himself. That was one of the many admirable traits that Isaiah possessed.

"You've been looking like there's something on your mind. Anything you want to talk about?"

Levi flinched. "What?" he asked harshly, glaring at Isaiah before sighing. His posture fell and he ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry," he mumbled, biting his lip. He suddenly wanted to scream, burst into hysterics, or hide, or all three. "Sorry," he repeated. "You're right. I'm sorry." Levi bit his lip, shifting from one foot to the other. He had never been good at lying, especially to Isaiah. "I... why do you think Mum and Dad kicked me out?" he asked, not sure how to simply go ahead and come out to his brother, bluntly.

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In the silence, Isaiah scooped down a few more fork-fulls of rice, giving an absent "okay, whatever" sort of shrug in response to Levi's reaction to his suggestion of a real dinner. He honestly didn't have a problem with not having any extra cash, before his brother too had gotten thrown out, he hadn't had any money whatsoever. Isaiah had simply done whatever odd job he could find in exchange for a place to stay and something to eat. Like a vagabond of the Depression era, only he was a lot more tattooed and pierced, and a lot less drunken. Honestly, he was probably much better off now than a few years ago.

Isaiah figured that he'd just go shopping himself if Levi honestly didn't care, he would make dinner, though. It probably wasn't the best thing for them to be sustained on a steady diet of takeout. Isaiah knitted his eyebrows together, slightly narrowing his gaze when Levi practically snarled at him, well now it was more than blatantly obvious that there was something up with the kid. He might have guessed at it before... It wasn't anything that he had done, was it? He hoped not, he was trying his best at this whole guardian thing, Isaiah didn't exactly know what he was doing yet.

Though as quickly as the outburst had come, his brother had a change of heart, asking Isaiah why he thought that he'd been kicked out. He honestly hadn't bothered to think of a reason, though he did think it a little odd, Levi wasn't rebellious like he had been. "I dunno, you're a good kid, they might've had good reason for me since I was such a shit," said Isaiah, "but Henry's always had a stick up his arse for one reason or another, you just push all the right buttons at the wrong time?" He hadn't referred to his stepfather as "dad" since he was about twelve, some rebellious traits never died.

[levichaplin]

Levi felt his stomach knot as Isaiah considered his question. There wasn't any turning back now that he had so blatantly given himself away. The guilt could finally be laid to rest, but now Levi was worried about his brother's reaction. What if he reacted the way Mum and Dad had? Levi didn't even want to think about that. Isaiah was a kind soul, and Levi knew that he was much more accepting than his parents, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that his brother would be angry. Biting his lip, Levi found himself deep in thought.

There was the chance that Isaiah would be angry and disappointed that Levi was the way that he was. In that case, he would be out on the streets. Then there was the chance that Isaiah would be angry and disappointed that Levi hadn't told him immediately. If that were true, then Levi would either end up on the streets due to his brother's anger, or he would be forgiven. Then, there was the chance that Isaiah would do the brotherly thing, embrace him, and tell him that everything was going to be alright...

""I dunno, you're a good kid, they might've had good reason for me since I was such a shit, but Henry's always had a stick up his arse for one reason or another, you just push all the right buttons at the wrong time?"

Levi resisted the urge to laugh at that comment. It was true, Dad had never been the easiest to get along with. "Something like that," Levi replied. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, wondering just how he was supposed to do this. Coming out to his parents had been a complete accident, they had found his journals and his small stash of pictures of male models underneath his bed. Isaiah didn't have a clue. Taking a deep breath, Levi squeezed his eyes shut. "Isaiah, I'm gay."

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Isaiah took one last bite of the fried rice, though after that he put the plate on the counter, getting the feeling that this conversation was going to be a bit more of a serious one. Levi had never been much a liar, and it was very thinly veiled in his eyes that whatever the reason he had gotten thrown out by Mumsy and Father Dearest seemed to be troubling him. He might not be the best at this whole substitute-parent thing, but he wanted his younger brother to be able to talk to him if he needed to, as far as he knew, the kid didn't really have anyone else to talk to.

Isaiah waited as Levi grappled with his words, lightly clasping his hands over where his ankles crossed, not looking away from his brother. Whatever this was, it was important. Finally, the kid spit out what he had been carrying around for almost an entire year, admitting that he was gay. Really? That was it? Why hadn't he just said that in the first place? Granted, it might be hard to admit given the reception he'd gotten from their closed-minded parents, but he was more than willing to be supportive.

"Ah, I get it now, you didn't fit their box," said Isaiah, picking up his plate of fried rice again, "well, you've always got a place here no matter which side you play for." Isaiah wasn't sure if there was much else he could say other than that, and he simply returned to his rice, willing to listen if Levi wanted to talk some more. Sure, it was a little unexpected, but his brother was his brother, and it didn't really matter to him. So what if Levi liked guys?