Embracing His Syn (Nothing Special 2)

“Darlin, I asked you a question.” Patrick’s hard gray eyes glared at him, but his voice was cool and calm. Furi feared that tone more than his yell.

Furi turned from his annoying brother-in-law and faced his husband, seeing immediately that Patrick didn’t like what he saw in the paperwork.

“I mentioned to you before you left last week that I wanted to continue with my degree in automotive mechanics. It’s still my dream to own my own shop.” Furi lowered his voice and tried to speak only to his husband, since his bastard brother-in-law was still smirking at him. “You know I promised my father I’d do that ... have my own shop one day. Just like him.”

Patrick tossed the pamphlet on the table like it had shit on it. “How would you pay for something like that, huh? Those schools cost a fortune.”

Furi ran his hand nervously over the tattoo of his father’s Harley on his forearm and cleared his throat. “I was hoping you’d lend me the money and then when I start working, I’d pay you back … every dollar,” he added for good measure. No one knew, especially his husband, that Furi’s father had named him beneficiary of a life insurance policy, along with a will telling him to ‘live his dream’. Furi had eighty-thousand dollars safely hidden away in an account in his best friend’s name. However, after doing a million different calculations, the money wasn’t enough for his schooling and start-up money to open a shop.

“Yeah that’s not gonna happen, slacker,” Brenden sneered.

“Shut the fuck up and mind your own business, Bren.” Before Furi could put up any kind of guard, Brenden had his hands around his throat and shoved him until his back slammed into the stainless steel refrigerator.

“You think you can talk to me that way, you little shit?” Brenden snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. His hands twisting and burning the skin around Furi’s neck.

“Get off me,” Furi gasped, trying unsuccessfully to pry the thick fingers off. His husband and brother-in-law had both been linebackers in college. Neither minded using their brawn and strength on him, and often.

Brenden brought his knee up fast, kneeing him so hard in the groin Furi thought death would be better than the pain. Brenden stepped back and let Furi drop to the hard granite floor, slapping him hard in the back of the head before strolling off as if he owned the world. Furi couldn’t hear what the hell his husband was saying because his ears were ringing and his eyes were so filled with tears he thought best to just keep them shut.

“Patrick,” Furi groaned, clutching at his balls, knowing nothing would stop the throbbing.

“Don’t talk like a big boy if you don’t have the balls to back it up, darlin,” his husband said nonchalantly.

What the fuck?

“He has no right to put his damn hands on me, Pat. What the hell? He also has no say in our marriage.” Furi’s voice was strained as he made his way up off the floor with no assistance from his husband.

“Blood’s thicker than water, twerp.” Brenden shrugged and pushed Furi out the way so he could get a beer from the fridge.

“So I’m water, Pat?” Furi stared at his husband of two years and realized at that moment he didn’t stand a chance. It was bad enough when Patrick began taking jabs at him a year ago, each time swearing it’d be the last. But now his brother was having a go at him too. Well fuck. He’d die before he spent the rest of his life like this. Furi was twenty-eight years old. He had a lot of years ahead of him. If he got out in time.

Furi opened his eyes, trying to ward off the bad memories and stepped out of the shower, twisting the towel tight around his narrow waist. What the fuck am I going to do? Furi had to admit that the money sounded great. He could really use that cash to pay for his books and tools for the semester. But damnit. “I can’t do a chick,” he whispered, shaking his head sadly. He’d tell them tomorrow that his answer is still no.

Furious woke up a few minutes early to shave his pubic hair. He was told ladies like a full, clear view of the package. All it did for him was make him itchy as fuck two days later. People probably thought he had crabs with the way he scratched sometimes. He dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt covered with black skulls. What he wore really didn’t matter, since he was only going to take it off.

Furi spent an extra five minutes to ensure his school uniform and recent project were safely inside his backpack with the disk for his presentation.