Member
Altered Tundra
Hushed Whispers
Arachnid0
Peter Molyneux
Nallore
Ylrud
Universorum
Lord Wraith
GreenGrenade
Gobbo
Sean Sterling and Brynn Payne ft. special guests Emerson Payne and Felix Payne
@Melissa @Universorum
Location: The Sterling Estate -----> The Payne Residence
Sean didn’t have trouble sleeping. He never did, and truth be told, he probably could have slept the entire day away. Mentally, last night had been rather taxing. It wasn’t Brynn’s fault, but Sean hadn’t exactly had the time of his life watching over her while she was drunk. Very drunk. It only escalated when someone — an ex? Sean didn’t know — got involved. Sean had to knock him down, in front of a crowd. He had planned on not fighting anymore, but when surrounded by people like that, you didn’t really have a choice. Sean did what was necessary, and nothing more.
Then he and Brynn had ran off and done the dirty. Once the boat had redocked, Sean had gotten her in the car, and driven her back to his house. There, he’d put her to bed. Sean originally had every intention of sleeping in well until the start of the late day, but Brynn’s state of mind had changed things, just a bit. Sean was now awake, at eight thirty, and had gotten dressed and showered already.
He had to take Brynn home, so she could get ready for school. That meant meeting her parents, which was ever so slightly worrisome. Did he want to meet them? Were they in a place for that yet? Sean wasn’t sure the answer of either of those questions, but he felt like at this point, he had to meet them. First, though, came the task of waking her up.
Standing over her sleeping form, Sean shook Brynn by the shoulder gently. “Brynn? Come on, it’s time to get up. We have school today.”
Brynn felt like she had been punched in the face, thrown off the side of a cliff, and then ran over with a truck. All she could feel was the throbbing of her head- nothing else. What day was it? Where even was she? Those were questions that she could not answer as she remained curled up in someone’s bed, waiting for death to take her. As she nuzzled her face into a pillow, the evening’s previous events seemed to flood back into her head in snapshots.
One minute she was dancing, the next she was drinking with that pewny Freshman, and all she could remember after that was Sean. Sean- that’s where she was, this was his room. The brunette could hear him moving about the room, but she didn’t want to face him yet. There they were, their first night as a real couple, and she got absolutely wasted. Maybe it was because of her fear of emotion, or maybe it was because of her stress, but either way, it wasn’t exactly the best way to kick off a relationship.
It wasn’t until Sean spoke directly to Brynn that she groaned and pretended to somewhat be alive. “Nooooo,” She pleaded, a hungover whimper following her words. She wasn’t going anywhere, not on her watch she wasn’t.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be a baby.” Sean said, shaking his head as he shook her again. She was awake, and he knew she could drag herself out of the bed. This was her own fault, after all. Sean brushed some of her hair out of her face. “You can get up, get a hot shower. I’ll make coffee if you want. I don’t drink the stuff, but it might be to your liking.” He paused and kneeled down beside her, putting a kiss on her forehead.
“Baby, let’s go. You think you have it bad? I have to deliver my hungover girlfriend to her parents as my first impression as a boyfriend. If you ask me? That’s not a very good first impression…” Sean teased, smiling at the still groggy Brynn.
The brunette grumbled, “Can’t we just stay home instead?” She asked monotonously as she burrowed herself even further in the covers of Sean’s bed. It was warm and cozy, and if Brynn had it her way, she’d stay there for hours. However, the girl needed to remember that the last time she stayed in this bed for too long, Selena had basically murdered her, so this was the better kind wake-up call in her opinion. Emitting another groan for dramatic effect, Brynn propped herself up on her forearms- a slight improvement from fully laying down. “You could never make a bad first impression, babe, besides, I doubt my dad is actually home right now...” She trailed off realizing that even though the head of the household would not be present, her demonic siblings would be. Great. “Screw going to school, stay here and screw me instead?” No matter how hungover Brynn got, sex was always on the brain…. it was a Payne signature.
“We’ve had plenty of sex, I think we’ll be alright if we skip this morning; Besides, I want to meet them, you know? I think it’s important. I can start with your mother, then? Or siblings, if you have them.” Sean paused and shook his head as he stood up to his full height again. Brynn was being difficult, which he didn’t think was particularly unlike her, but honestly? Sean kind of liked it. Kept him on his toes. “Besides, I can’t just skip school. I’m a model student! Something of that sort, anyway.”
“Don’t forget, you’re technically dating a genius. I have standards to uphold… kinda dropped the ball so far, I won’t lie. At the Academy, I was a model student. At BHHS, I’m someone who sleeps in every class.” Sean said, shaking his head. Was he a disappointment? Maybe slightly, but at least Brynn liked him. That was encouraging.
Brynn exhaled audibly, lying back down on the bed and placing one of the pillows on top of her head. “Emerson and Felix are evil, I don’t need them being jackasses to my boyfriend this morning.” She spoke, which sounded muffled as the pillow was covering her face. On second thought… maybe Sean meeting them wouldn’t be half bad? It could possibly show them that she was a normal person who could be in a relationship, but they’d probably still make fun of her anyway. “Yes you can! Skip school with me. Instead of sleeping in class, sleep here.”
“At least one of those is a boy’s name, and you saw what I can do to boys who are jackasses to me.” He reached down and pet her head, shaking his head. “I really, really can’t skip school. My mom would go ballistic if I straight abandoned class, and my mom is crazy. Not interested in that.” He ran his hand down her arm and to her wrist, which he tugged at. “Come onnn, get up.”
He had a point.
With one final groan, Brynn threw the pillow off of her face and pushed herself up, sliding back so that her head rested against the headboard. Looking over to Sean, her lips formed into a small smile, the only evidence of emotion she had given in the last five minutes. “Fine- only for you.” Brynn stated softly and gently, regretting her decision to get out of bed immediately. Why did the Helmsley’s have to throw a badass party on a Tuesday? The world would never know. Throwing off the covers, she swung her legs around to the side of the bed and hesitated, her pounding headache growing ever more present. “Remind me never to drink that much again.”
“You wouldn’t listen if I told you to.” Sean said with a laugh. He held out a hand to help her up to her feet. “I’ll make coffee. I don’t think you have clothes here, do you? That makes it even more important that we go to your house. You can’t go to school in dirty party clothes, especially not when you look like a hungover mess.” Sean let out a long sigh and shook his head. “But, I guess you’re my hungover mess. Ooo, I bet that feels good, huh?” He asked, winking at her.
Taking Sean’s hand, Brynn pulled herself to her feet, a little wobbly at first, but she held onto her boyfriend for stability. She smiled at his comment- it was true, she was his hungover mess, and she liked it that way. Hearing the words coming from him was something she wasn’t used to at all, which made a slight blush prick her cheeks. Before he could notice, the brunette walked quickly towards Sean’s bathroom and shut the door. Once inside, she turned on the shower and let the hot water cleanse her of the events of the evening prior.
As she dipped off to the bathroom, Sean stepped out of the room in his PJs, and headed downstairs, where he took a k-cup and made her a cup of coffee. After it was done, Sean headed back upstairs to his room. He opened the door and saw Brynn standing there, waiting for him. He stepped toward her, and held out the cup of coffee. “Here you go, my love.”
Feeling less like a zombie, Brynn accepted the cup of coffee with a smile. “Thanks, babe.” She replied, kissing him on the cheek before sitting back down on his bed. Taking a sip of the coffee before she spoke next, the brunette wanted to give her boyfriend as much notice about her siblings as she could. They were not easy by any means.
“Now, Emerson and Felix are dicks by nature. Felix thinks he runs the world because he’s attractive, and Emerson knows exactly how to manipulate you to get what she wants… they’re like me, but way, way worse.” She prefaced, drinking more from the warm mug. “They’re like the spawn of satan… but hot.”
“Won’t be any worse than my family. It’ll be fine.” Sean paused, and held up a defensive finger. “Nobody manipulates me. I’m unshakeable. I have a will of iron.” He winked and pulled his shirt off, before heading over to the closet where he could find something more suitable to wear for school. Even Sean, in his apparent laziness, knew he couldn’t show up to school in his pajama bottoms and a grey t-shirt.
Brynn held the towel wrapped around her closely to her chest as she followed Sean towards his closet. She couldn’t exactly go home in the scandalous number that she wore the night before, so the only logical solution was to wear something different- something that didn’t belong to her. “Can I steal a shirt and a pair of boxers or something?” The brunette asked, pressing herself up against her boyfriend’s back as he looked into his wardrobe, placing her head on his shoulder.
Sean turned his head slightly to look at her, “oh yeah, sure. All I have is trashy band tees, though.” Sean warned, opening the closet to reveal the shirts in question. Hanging in his closet were around twenty t-shirts, mostly merchandise stemming from different bands that he enjoyed listening to. “Dealer’s choice.” Sean said, spinning around to kiss Brynn, before he moved out of the way for her to pick her poison.
The brunette gazed into the large closet, the array of options at her full disposal. Leafing through the shirts, some of which with bands she recognized like SlipKnot and Rammstein, and others she didn’t know, she settled on a ‘All That Remains’ shirt, since it seemed dark and mysterious like her mister himself. Letting the towel slip from her fingers and bundle around her feet leaving her bare, Brynn pulled the shirt off of the hanger, nimbly slipping it over her slender frame. It was long enough that it covered her lady parts, but short enough that her rear was still slightly showing when she moved.
With a smirk, she walked back over to the bed, sitting back down. “Are you sure you want to meet them? To be honest, I’ve never introduced any guys to my family, let alone my siblings. I don’t want them to scare you away.” Words that Brynn never expected to leave from her mouth flowed out like a waterfall. God, this was weird for her.
“Dealer made a fine choice,” Sean remarked as he watched Brynn walk away before she sat down on the bed and raised concerns about him meeting her family. Sean didn’t see what the big deal was — maybe it was some kind thing he didn’t get since he’d been removed from the world for so long, but meeting parents seemed easy compared to some of the stuff he’d done. “Look, Brynn. Trust me, I want to meet them. I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere, I’m stuck with you, and you with me. Get used to it.”
The drive to the Payne residence was short and sweet, but the winding roads made Brynn feel even more sick to her stomach than she already was. Sean meeting her parents would have been one thing. Her mom Julianne would have been cordial and kind if she wasn’t already at work, and her father Reynold would have acted as a buffer if he hadn’t taken the graveyard shift at the hospital. But leaving her siblings alone with her man was going to be a sight to see. As Brynn unlocked the front door of her home, she twisted the knob and pushed it open, revealing the large foyer which led into the living room. Leading Sean into the kitchen, she threw her keys carelessly onto the granite countertop, and waited for the sound to echo upstairs for her siblings to hear. Turning to her boyfriend, she sighed. “Well, this is it.” Brynn motioned around, showing off the home. “Welcome to the Payne residence, otherwise known as hell. Can I get you anything? Water? Juice? A sedative?”
Sean looked around the home with a soft smile on his face. It was definitely different than his, but he thought it had a more homey feeling. “It’s a beautiful home, Brynn.” He said simply, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Sean wasn’t worried about meeting Brynn’s family, though the immediate lack of parents was almost disappointing. He’d never met a date’s parents before, and stepping over that line was something he looked forward to. “Wait, a sedative? Now, I bet that’s probably sarcasm, but man… Dark humor from the lady friend. Water will be fine, thank you. It’s hardly morning, no one needs a sedative this early.”
Without another word, the brunette waltzed over to one of the tall cabinets and opened it, grabbing a small water glass which she could fill up in the sink for Sean. She began to open her mouth to speak but before she could say anything else, the thumping of the floorboards above them signaled that they were no longer going to be alone.
“Brynnie? Is that you?”
With a roll of her eyes, Brynn sighed. “I’m going to need a sedative in a second.” The brunette admitted, waiting for hurricane Emerson to strike momentarily. As if on cue, the older Payne sister appeared in the doorway still dressed in her pajamas and a bathrobe, looking excited to make her sister’s life a nightmare. She floated into the kitchen with a knowing smirk plastered onto her face. Brynn was still facing the sink, her back side greeting her sister better than her words would.
“Y’know, Felix and I were terribly worried when you didn’t come home last night, but we figured it out eventually.“ Without even asking, Emerson took the water glass right out of Brynn’s hand, not caring that it wasn’t meant for her. Taking a sip, she looked to Sean with a raised eyebrow. “And you must be lucky number fifty-four! Awfully nice of you to drive her home.” The older Payne sibling smirked, looking back over at her darling younger sister. Brynn turned to face her, and all Emerson could manage was a small chuckle at her younger sister’s choice of dress- the boxers, the band T-shirt, the makeup collecting underneath her eyes. “You look cute.” She mocked, looking her up and down and then taking another gulp of water from the glass.
Sean had to admit, it was impressive how well Brynn was taking it. This must be what it was like to have older siblings, a feeling that Sean simply didn’t know. He made a silent mental note to never treat his siblings like that, before he stepped forward and gave his girlfriend’s sister (Emerson?) a nod, and stepped on the defensive. “Of course she looks cute, she always looks cute,” he said, stepping closer to Brynn before he continued, “Fifty-four must be the luckiest number in the world, because I’m her boyfriend. Not just some random hook up. Now, I’m sure that probably was her original plan, but what can I say?” Sean paused to give Emerson a winning smile, even adding a wink to the end of it.
“I’m very charming.” He took a step towards the older woman, and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Sean, Sean Sterling. It’s nice to meet you, and I’m sure Brynn has said exactly nothing about me so far.”
Emerson gave the kid standing in her kitchen a once over with her eyes, trying to take in as much information as she could from just her gaze. He was quite tall, but not the gangly awkward kind, and clearly was an athlete of some sort which was apparent from his build. He had precise features and prominent cheekbones, all of which complemented his sandy blonde hair and fair complexion.
Since when did her sister have good taste in men?
Although she nearly spit out her water at the mention of the “b” word, she regained her composure to speak. “So it seems…” Emerson drew out her words, a little taken back by Sean’s forceful demeanor, but not thrown off entirely. Boyfriend? Since when did Brynn have one of those? Taking another sip of water to calm the tickle in her throat, she placed the glass down on the countertop, drumming the surface with her talon like fingernails. All the while, Brynn shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to another. This was… well… awkward.
With a raised eyebrow, Emerson was ready to grill him like a steak, but before she had the opportunity to, a familiar face appeared in the kitchen in the form of her brother. “What’d I miss?” Felix strolled into the kitchen, sans shirt, nudging Brynn out of the way of the refrigerator door and grabbing a jug of milk from one of the shelves. He looked over at Sean, who nearly matched him in height and stature, which he already didn’t like. “Who are you?” He blatantly asked, taking a chug straight from the carton.
“Brynn’s new plaything.” Emerson explained teasingly. Brynn groaned, taking a step closer to Sean while Felix nearly had an aneurysm. “He says they’re dating, but my guess is that Skinny Brynnie must have bribed him to say that. Only logical solution.”
“Not likely, I don’t think Brynn has anything she can bribe me with. I just like her.” Sean explained, nodding to Felix. Her siblings were terrible, weren’t they? Sean slid his arm out, and wrapped it around Brynn’s waist, pulling her closer and more snugly into his grasp. “We’re dating. I took her to the party tonight, and then Friday night I’m taking her out again. I think, to Captain Cuddles — for a movie night or something? I don’t know, their website kind of sucks.” Sean kissed Brynn on the cheek, and then looked over at her siblings again.
While Brynn thought the situation was awkward, Sean thought he was handling things alright. The brother looked like he might have a problem with Brynn ‘dating,’ rather than ‘hooking up,’ and that may be a problem in the long run. The sister, however, seemed to just be an asshole. That? That was easy enough to deal with. “Anyway, we just stopped by so that she could get some clothes of her own, then we’re gonna take off. She needs coffee. Like, a lot of coffee.”
For once in her life, Brynn was really at a loss for words. She was afraid that if she said the wrong thing, her siblings would just egg her on, and if she said something right… well her siblings would do the same thing. It was a dead end either way, so she quietly piped in after Sean’s explanation. “Umm… yeah, what he said.”
“Leaving so soon? I didn’t even get the chance to ask him anything!” Felix stated, feigning disappointment. “But, I guess the lovebirds have places to go, people to see, sex to be had-”
“Oh on that note, Sean, dear, make sure you get Brynn’s test results before you do anything. I certainly would.”
And with that, Brynn had experienced more than enough torment for an eternity. Taking Sean by the hand, gripping onto him tightly so he wouldn’t stay back, she dragged him along with her up the stairs and to her bedroom. Slamming the door behind them, she let out a exasperated groan, flopping down onto her bed with her head buried in the pillow. “I HATE THEM.” She nearly screamed into her pillow, speaking loud enough so even through her muffled tone, her boyfriend could still hear her.
Now she was upset, great. Sean sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, and started rubbing her back as he nodded in agreement, though she couldn’t see. “I can see why. It seems to me that your siblings aren’t exactly ‘nice.’” Sean leaned down and kissed the back of her head, “I did my best to help soften the blows, though. I’m booked Saturday afternoon, but what if I just came here for dinner on Saturday night? that way I can meet everyone, and see what I can do about your siblings treating you the way you do. I dunno what it’s like to be the youngest, but I figure that maybe if they see I’m around more than just once… it might make them at least pick on something else?” There, an attempt at an explanation was done, along with inviting himself over for dinner.
Wow, he kinda looked like a dick, didn’t he?
Brynn flipped over so that she was now looking up at Sean, her head resting on the pillow that her face was previously smushed in. “They’ll never stop. It’s as essential as air to them- making my life a living hell.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “But you should come for dinner. You can meet the only two redeeming members of the Payne family. They’ll actually like you, I promise.” With another sigh, she furrowed her eyebrows. “Thanks for at least attempting to put Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in their place.”
“Well, if you want, I can always thrash your brother. Using violence unnecessarily isn’t really my thing, but you’d be worth it. Can’t do a thing about the sister, you’ll have to choke her out yourself,” Sean shrugged, and reached down to move a bit of Brynn’s hair out of her face, and rolled his eyes. “Nothing quite puts someone in their place like being slapped around. And I would be totally honored to meet your parents, really. I’ll be here. I just have plans to spend the afternoon with my younger sister and brother. I’ll do that, shower, and then come here. I’d offer to wear formal clothes, but… I’m not going to do that, so I’m going to risk offering.”
“Dinner it is then, no formal wear necessary.” Brynn stated, the first smile to pop onto her face since she left the Sterling household. Glancing around, she realized that this was the first time Sean had ever been in her room. In fact, Brynn never let guys into her room- she always slept in someone else's bed. In a way, it was a rite of passage that he was here. It showed she trusted him. “What do you think of my room? It’s not as fancy as yours but it gets the job done.”
“My room’s not that fancy, I just my own bathroom, and stuff. I think it’s lovely, Brynn. Maybe it’s just because you’re on it, but I think I could sleep for hours on this bed. It looks very comfy. The colors are calm and soft, very very unlike the room’s occupant, but I like it. It’s a nice contrast,” Sean explained, smiling down at her. Was that a satisfactory answer? He sure hoped so. He had never been asked how he felt about someone’s room before, and now that he’d been thrown on the spot, he wasn’t sure if his answer was anywhere near good enough. Being a boyfriend was harder than it sounded, there were lots of factors that you always had to be thinking about. As an added safety buffer, Sean placed a kiss on Brynn’s lips. “I can say confidently, that I like it more than I like my own.”
Brynn smiled, taking both of her hands and cupping Sean’s face with them. She stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb. “Well now that you’ve entertained the guard dogs, you’re welcome here anytime.” She melted into a devious smirk, “And I mean, any time.”
Then he and Brynn had ran off and done the dirty. Once the boat had redocked, Sean had gotten her in the car, and driven her back to his house. There, he’d put her to bed. Sean originally had every intention of sleeping in well until the start of the late day, but Brynn’s state of mind had changed things, just a bit. Sean was now awake, at eight thirty, and had gotten dressed and showered already.
He had to take Brynn home, so she could get ready for school. That meant meeting her parents, which was ever so slightly worrisome. Did he want to meet them? Were they in a place for that yet? Sean wasn’t sure the answer of either of those questions, but he felt like at this point, he had to meet them. First, though, came the task of waking her up.
Standing over her sleeping form, Sean shook Brynn by the shoulder gently. “Brynn? Come on, it’s time to get up. We have school today.”
Brynn felt like she had been punched in the face, thrown off the side of a cliff, and then ran over with a truck. All she could feel was the throbbing of her head- nothing else. What day was it? Where even was she? Those were questions that she could not answer as she remained curled up in someone’s bed, waiting for death to take her. As she nuzzled her face into a pillow, the evening’s previous events seemed to flood back into her head in snapshots.
One minute she was dancing, the next she was drinking with that pewny Freshman, and all she could remember after that was Sean. Sean- that’s where she was, this was his room. The brunette could hear him moving about the room, but she didn’t want to face him yet. There they were, their first night as a real couple, and she got absolutely wasted. Maybe it was because of her fear of emotion, or maybe it was because of her stress, but either way, it wasn’t exactly the best way to kick off a relationship.
It wasn’t until Sean spoke directly to Brynn that she groaned and pretended to somewhat be alive. “Nooooo,” She pleaded, a hungover whimper following her words. She wasn’t going anywhere, not on her watch she wasn’t.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be a baby.” Sean said, shaking his head as he shook her again. She was awake, and he knew she could drag herself out of the bed. This was her own fault, after all. Sean brushed some of her hair out of her face. “You can get up, get a hot shower. I’ll make coffee if you want. I don’t drink the stuff, but it might be to your liking.” He paused and kneeled down beside her, putting a kiss on her forehead.
“Baby, let’s go. You think you have it bad? I have to deliver my hungover girlfriend to her parents as my first impression as a boyfriend. If you ask me? That’s not a very good first impression…” Sean teased, smiling at the still groggy Brynn.
The brunette grumbled, “Can’t we just stay home instead?” She asked monotonously as she burrowed herself even further in the covers of Sean’s bed. It was warm and cozy, and if Brynn had it her way, she’d stay there for hours. However, the girl needed to remember that the last time she stayed in this bed for too long, Selena had basically murdered her, so this was the better kind wake-up call in her opinion. Emitting another groan for dramatic effect, Brynn propped herself up on her forearms- a slight improvement from fully laying down. “You could never make a bad first impression, babe, besides, I doubt my dad is actually home right now...” She trailed off realizing that even though the head of the household would not be present, her demonic siblings would be. Great. “Screw going to school, stay here and screw me instead?” No matter how hungover Brynn got, sex was always on the brain…. it was a Payne signature.
“We’ve had plenty of sex, I think we’ll be alright if we skip this morning; Besides, I want to meet them, you know? I think it’s important. I can start with your mother, then? Or siblings, if you have them.” Sean paused and shook his head as he stood up to his full height again. Brynn was being difficult, which he didn’t think was particularly unlike her, but honestly? Sean kind of liked it. Kept him on his toes. “Besides, I can’t just skip school. I’m a model student! Something of that sort, anyway.”
“Don’t forget, you’re technically dating a genius. I have standards to uphold… kinda dropped the ball so far, I won’t lie. At the Academy, I was a model student. At BHHS, I’m someone who sleeps in every class.” Sean said, shaking his head. Was he a disappointment? Maybe slightly, but at least Brynn liked him. That was encouraging.
Brynn exhaled audibly, lying back down on the bed and placing one of the pillows on top of her head. “Emerson and Felix are evil, I don’t need them being jackasses to my boyfriend this morning.” She spoke, which sounded muffled as the pillow was covering her face. On second thought… maybe Sean meeting them wouldn’t be half bad? It could possibly show them that she was a normal person who could be in a relationship, but they’d probably still make fun of her anyway. “Yes you can! Skip school with me. Instead of sleeping in class, sleep here.”
“At least one of those is a boy’s name, and you saw what I can do to boys who are jackasses to me.” He reached down and pet her head, shaking his head. “I really, really can’t skip school. My mom would go ballistic if I straight abandoned class, and my mom is crazy. Not interested in that.” He ran his hand down her arm and to her wrist, which he tugged at. “Come onnn, get up.”
He had a point.
With one final groan, Brynn threw the pillow off of her face and pushed herself up, sliding back so that her head rested against the headboard. Looking over to Sean, her lips formed into a small smile, the only evidence of emotion she had given in the last five minutes. “Fine- only for you.” Brynn stated softly and gently, regretting her decision to get out of bed immediately. Why did the Helmsley’s have to throw a badass party on a Tuesday? The world would never know. Throwing off the covers, she swung her legs around to the side of the bed and hesitated, her pounding headache growing ever more present. “Remind me never to drink that much again.”
“You wouldn’t listen if I told you to.” Sean said with a laugh. He held out a hand to help her up to her feet. “I’ll make coffee. I don’t think you have clothes here, do you? That makes it even more important that we go to your house. You can’t go to school in dirty party clothes, especially not when you look like a hungover mess.” Sean let out a long sigh and shook his head. “But, I guess you’re my hungover mess. Ooo, I bet that feels good, huh?” He asked, winking at her.
Taking Sean’s hand, Brynn pulled herself to her feet, a little wobbly at first, but she held onto her boyfriend for stability. She smiled at his comment- it was true, she was his hungover mess, and she liked it that way. Hearing the words coming from him was something she wasn’t used to at all, which made a slight blush prick her cheeks. Before he could notice, the brunette walked quickly towards Sean’s bathroom and shut the door. Once inside, she turned on the shower and let the hot water cleanse her of the events of the evening prior.
As she dipped off to the bathroom, Sean stepped out of the room in his PJs, and headed downstairs, where he took a k-cup and made her a cup of coffee. After it was done, Sean headed back upstairs to his room. He opened the door and saw Brynn standing there, waiting for him. He stepped toward her, and held out the cup of coffee. “Here you go, my love.”
Feeling less like a zombie, Brynn accepted the cup of coffee with a smile. “Thanks, babe.” She replied, kissing him on the cheek before sitting back down on his bed. Taking a sip of the coffee before she spoke next, the brunette wanted to give her boyfriend as much notice about her siblings as she could. They were not easy by any means.
“Now, Emerson and Felix are dicks by nature. Felix thinks he runs the world because he’s attractive, and Emerson knows exactly how to manipulate you to get what she wants… they’re like me, but way, way worse.” She prefaced, drinking more from the warm mug. “They’re like the spawn of satan… but hot.”
“Won’t be any worse than my family. It’ll be fine.” Sean paused, and held up a defensive finger. “Nobody manipulates me. I’m unshakeable. I have a will of iron.” He winked and pulled his shirt off, before heading over to the closet where he could find something more suitable to wear for school. Even Sean, in his apparent laziness, knew he couldn’t show up to school in his pajama bottoms and a grey t-shirt.
Brynn held the towel wrapped around her closely to her chest as she followed Sean towards his closet. She couldn’t exactly go home in the scandalous number that she wore the night before, so the only logical solution was to wear something different- something that didn’t belong to her. “Can I steal a shirt and a pair of boxers or something?” The brunette asked, pressing herself up against her boyfriend’s back as he looked into his wardrobe, placing her head on his shoulder.
Sean turned his head slightly to look at her, “oh yeah, sure. All I have is trashy band tees, though.” Sean warned, opening the closet to reveal the shirts in question. Hanging in his closet were around twenty t-shirts, mostly merchandise stemming from different bands that he enjoyed listening to. “Dealer’s choice.” Sean said, spinning around to kiss Brynn, before he moved out of the way for her to pick her poison.
The brunette gazed into the large closet, the array of options at her full disposal. Leafing through the shirts, some of which with bands she recognized like SlipKnot and Rammstein, and others she didn’t know, she settled on a ‘All That Remains’ shirt, since it seemed dark and mysterious like her mister himself. Letting the towel slip from her fingers and bundle around her feet leaving her bare, Brynn pulled the shirt off of the hanger, nimbly slipping it over her slender frame. It was long enough that it covered her lady parts, but short enough that her rear was still slightly showing when she moved.
With a smirk, she walked back over to the bed, sitting back down. “Are you sure you want to meet them? To be honest, I’ve never introduced any guys to my family, let alone my siblings. I don’t want them to scare you away.” Words that Brynn never expected to leave from her mouth flowed out like a waterfall. God, this was weird for her.
“Dealer made a fine choice,” Sean remarked as he watched Brynn walk away before she sat down on the bed and raised concerns about him meeting her family. Sean didn’t see what the big deal was — maybe it was some kind thing he didn’t get since he’d been removed from the world for so long, but meeting parents seemed easy compared to some of the stuff he’d done. “Look, Brynn. Trust me, I want to meet them. I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere, I’m stuck with you, and you with me. Get used to it.”
~~
The drive to the Payne residence was short and sweet, but the winding roads made Brynn feel even more sick to her stomach than she already was. Sean meeting her parents would have been one thing. Her mom Julianne would have been cordial and kind if she wasn’t already at work, and her father Reynold would have acted as a buffer if he hadn’t taken the graveyard shift at the hospital. But leaving her siblings alone with her man was going to be a sight to see. As Brynn unlocked the front door of her home, she twisted the knob and pushed it open, revealing the large foyer which led into the living room. Leading Sean into the kitchen, she threw her keys carelessly onto the granite countertop, and waited for the sound to echo upstairs for her siblings to hear. Turning to her boyfriend, she sighed. “Well, this is it.” Brynn motioned around, showing off the home. “Welcome to the Payne residence, otherwise known as hell. Can I get you anything? Water? Juice? A sedative?”
Sean looked around the home with a soft smile on his face. It was definitely different than his, but he thought it had a more homey feeling. “It’s a beautiful home, Brynn.” He said simply, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Sean wasn’t worried about meeting Brynn’s family, though the immediate lack of parents was almost disappointing. He’d never met a date’s parents before, and stepping over that line was something he looked forward to. “Wait, a sedative? Now, I bet that’s probably sarcasm, but man… Dark humor from the lady friend. Water will be fine, thank you. It’s hardly morning, no one needs a sedative this early.”
Without another word, the brunette waltzed over to one of the tall cabinets and opened it, grabbing a small water glass which she could fill up in the sink for Sean. She began to open her mouth to speak but before she could say anything else, the thumping of the floorboards above them signaled that they were no longer going to be alone.
“Brynnie? Is that you?”
With a roll of her eyes, Brynn sighed. “I’m going to need a sedative in a second.” The brunette admitted, waiting for hurricane Emerson to strike momentarily. As if on cue, the older Payne sister appeared in the doorway still dressed in her pajamas and a bathrobe, looking excited to make her sister’s life a nightmare. She floated into the kitchen with a knowing smirk plastered onto her face. Brynn was still facing the sink, her back side greeting her sister better than her words would.
“Y’know, Felix and I were terribly worried when you didn’t come home last night, but we figured it out eventually.“ Without even asking, Emerson took the water glass right out of Brynn’s hand, not caring that it wasn’t meant for her. Taking a sip, she looked to Sean with a raised eyebrow. “And you must be lucky number fifty-four! Awfully nice of you to drive her home.” The older Payne sibling smirked, looking back over at her darling younger sister. Brynn turned to face her, and all Emerson could manage was a small chuckle at her younger sister’s choice of dress- the boxers, the band T-shirt, the makeup collecting underneath her eyes. “You look cute.” She mocked, looking her up and down and then taking another gulp of water from the glass.
Sean had to admit, it was impressive how well Brynn was taking it. This must be what it was like to have older siblings, a feeling that Sean simply didn’t know. He made a silent mental note to never treat his siblings like that, before he stepped forward and gave his girlfriend’s sister (Emerson?) a nod, and stepped on the defensive. “Of course she looks cute, she always looks cute,” he said, stepping closer to Brynn before he continued, “Fifty-four must be the luckiest number in the world, because I’m her boyfriend. Not just some random hook up. Now, I’m sure that probably was her original plan, but what can I say?” Sean paused to give Emerson a winning smile, even adding a wink to the end of it.
“I’m very charming.” He took a step towards the older woman, and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Sean, Sean Sterling. It’s nice to meet you, and I’m sure Brynn has said exactly nothing about me so far.”
Emerson gave the kid standing in her kitchen a once over with her eyes, trying to take in as much information as she could from just her gaze. He was quite tall, but not the gangly awkward kind, and clearly was an athlete of some sort which was apparent from his build. He had precise features and prominent cheekbones, all of which complemented his sandy blonde hair and fair complexion.
Since when did her sister have good taste in men?
Although she nearly spit out her water at the mention of the “b” word, she regained her composure to speak. “So it seems…” Emerson drew out her words, a little taken back by Sean’s forceful demeanor, but not thrown off entirely. Boyfriend? Since when did Brynn have one of those? Taking another sip of water to calm the tickle in her throat, she placed the glass down on the countertop, drumming the surface with her talon like fingernails. All the while, Brynn shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to another. This was… well… awkward.
With a raised eyebrow, Emerson was ready to grill him like a steak, but before she had the opportunity to, a familiar face appeared in the kitchen in the form of her brother. “What’d I miss?” Felix strolled into the kitchen, sans shirt, nudging Brynn out of the way of the refrigerator door and grabbing a jug of milk from one of the shelves. He looked over at Sean, who nearly matched him in height and stature, which he already didn’t like. “Who are you?” He blatantly asked, taking a chug straight from the carton.
“Brynn’s new plaything.” Emerson explained teasingly. Brynn groaned, taking a step closer to Sean while Felix nearly had an aneurysm. “He says they’re dating, but my guess is that Skinny Brynnie must have bribed him to say that. Only logical solution.”
“Not likely, I don’t think Brynn has anything she can bribe me with. I just like her.” Sean explained, nodding to Felix. Her siblings were terrible, weren’t they? Sean slid his arm out, and wrapped it around Brynn’s waist, pulling her closer and more snugly into his grasp. “We’re dating. I took her to the party tonight, and then Friday night I’m taking her out again. I think, to Captain Cuddles — for a movie night or something? I don’t know, their website kind of sucks.” Sean kissed Brynn on the cheek, and then looked over at her siblings again.
While Brynn thought the situation was awkward, Sean thought he was handling things alright. The brother looked like he might have a problem with Brynn ‘dating,’ rather than ‘hooking up,’ and that may be a problem in the long run. The sister, however, seemed to just be an asshole. That? That was easy enough to deal with. “Anyway, we just stopped by so that she could get some clothes of her own, then we’re gonna take off. She needs coffee. Like, a lot of coffee.”
For once in her life, Brynn was really at a loss for words. She was afraid that if she said the wrong thing, her siblings would just egg her on, and if she said something right… well her siblings would do the same thing. It was a dead end either way, so she quietly piped in after Sean’s explanation. “Umm… yeah, what he said.”
“Leaving so soon? I didn’t even get the chance to ask him anything!” Felix stated, feigning disappointment. “But, I guess the lovebirds have places to go, people to see, sex to be had-”
“Oh on that note, Sean, dear, make sure you get Brynn’s test results before you do anything. I certainly would.”
And with that, Brynn had experienced more than enough torment for an eternity. Taking Sean by the hand, gripping onto him tightly so he wouldn’t stay back, she dragged him along with her up the stairs and to her bedroom. Slamming the door behind them, she let out a exasperated groan, flopping down onto her bed with her head buried in the pillow. “I HATE THEM.” She nearly screamed into her pillow, speaking loud enough so even through her muffled tone, her boyfriend could still hear her.
Now she was upset, great. Sean sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, and started rubbing her back as he nodded in agreement, though she couldn’t see. “I can see why. It seems to me that your siblings aren’t exactly ‘nice.’” Sean leaned down and kissed the back of her head, “I did my best to help soften the blows, though. I’m booked Saturday afternoon, but what if I just came here for dinner on Saturday night? that way I can meet everyone, and see what I can do about your siblings treating you the way you do. I dunno what it’s like to be the youngest, but I figure that maybe if they see I’m around more than just once… it might make them at least pick on something else?” There, an attempt at an explanation was done, along with inviting himself over for dinner.
Wow, he kinda looked like a dick, didn’t he?
Brynn flipped over so that she was now looking up at Sean, her head resting on the pillow that her face was previously smushed in. “They’ll never stop. It’s as essential as air to them- making my life a living hell.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “But you should come for dinner. You can meet the only two redeeming members of the Payne family. They’ll actually like you, I promise.” With another sigh, she furrowed her eyebrows. “Thanks for at least attempting to put Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in their place.”
“Well, if you want, I can always thrash your brother. Using violence unnecessarily isn’t really my thing, but you’d be worth it. Can’t do a thing about the sister, you’ll have to choke her out yourself,” Sean shrugged, and reached down to move a bit of Brynn’s hair out of her face, and rolled his eyes. “Nothing quite puts someone in their place like being slapped around. And I would be totally honored to meet your parents, really. I’ll be here. I just have plans to spend the afternoon with my younger sister and brother. I’ll do that, shower, and then come here. I’d offer to wear formal clothes, but… I’m not going to do that, so I’m going to risk offering.”
“Dinner it is then, no formal wear necessary.” Brynn stated, the first smile to pop onto her face since she left the Sterling household. Glancing around, she realized that this was the first time Sean had ever been in her room. In fact, Brynn never let guys into her room- she always slept in someone else's bed. In a way, it was a rite of passage that he was here. It showed she trusted him. “What do you think of my room? It’s not as fancy as yours but it gets the job done.”
“My room’s not that fancy, I just my own bathroom, and stuff. I think it’s lovely, Brynn. Maybe it’s just because you’re on it, but I think I could sleep for hours on this bed. It looks very comfy. The colors are calm and soft, very very unlike the room’s occupant, but I like it. It’s a nice contrast,” Sean explained, smiling down at her. Was that a satisfactory answer? He sure hoped so. He had never been asked how he felt about someone’s room before, and now that he’d been thrown on the spot, he wasn’t sure if his answer was anywhere near good enough. Being a boyfriend was harder than it sounded, there were lots of factors that you always had to be thinking about. As an added safety buffer, Sean placed a kiss on Brynn’s lips. “I can say confidently, that I like it more than I like my own.”
Brynn smiled, taking both of her hands and cupping Sean’s face with them. She stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb. “Well now that you’ve entertained the guard dogs, you’re welcome here anytime.” She melted into a devious smirk, “And I mean, any time.”
