Second Chances [BxB]

twelve

When Sebastian arrived at the construction site, he groaned, clutching his temples to try and soothe the headache that was blossoming beneath the surface of his skull. It was loud; drills hammering, men shouting, machinery whirring. He had spent years learning to tune out the noise; to sink into it, to grow numb to it. But he was too tired, and too reactive today - he hadn't slept much, even with the warm of Declan's body draped over his own.

When Harvey spotted him, he jogged over, his hi-vis jacket draped over his shoulder, and white hard hat slipping down to obscure his dark eyes. He grinned, and nudged Sebastian on the shoulder playfully, "Late night?"

"Shut up." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Declan again?"

He simply nodded.

"I waited up for you, y'know?"

"Sorry." Sebastian recoiled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up.

The humour faded from Harvey's eyes, and he leant in closer, "Listen, Seb, I should warn you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sebastian's Father - Douglas - appeared between them, his cold eyes darting between the pair suspiciously, "Talking about work, I presume?" He placed a hand on the back of each of their necks, and rose his brows expectantly.

"Of course, Mr Steel." Harvey smiled, "What else could we possibly discuss with such enthusiasm?"

Sebastian's Father sighed, "Go and pretend to do your job someplace else, Harvey." He nudged him away dismissively, releasing him from his grip.

"Right away, boss!" Harvey saluted him, then marched off, slipping on his hi-vis jacket as he went.

Douglas watched Harvey leave, then scanned his surroundings to ensure that no one else was in earshot, before finally turning to face his son, "You're late."

"I know." Sebastian replied, "I'm sorry, Dad. It won't happen again-"

"Where were you?"

He hesitated, "I slept through my alarm-"

"Bullshit." Douglas cut him off sharply, "You and Harvey never show up to work separately. The two of you live together for god's sake-"

"I told him to leave without me." Sebastian lied, already knowing that his attempts were futile, "I didn't want to make him late, too, so I-"

"Enough." He snapped, "I am not just your boss, Sebastian, I am your Father, too. Tell me the truth."

Sebastian considered lying again. But his relationship with his parents had been fragile in recent years, and he didn't want to push it to breaking point. With all the grief, and the rehab, and the relapses, they were in a state of constant worry. Whenever he stepped out of line, their first reaction was always fear; fear that he would one day turn back to drugs.

"Sebastian." His Father prompted, "I'm just worried about you. Your Mother, too. You never come by the house anymore-"

"Because you both treat me like I'm a disappointment." He murmured miserably, "Which I am-"

"That's not true-"

"I didn't sleep at home last night." He sighed in defeat, "That's why Harvey and I showed up to work separately."

His Father froze, and his cold glare remained unreadable, "Who were you with?"

"A friend."

"You don't have any friends."

"Harvey's my friend." Sebastian challenged.

"Your only friend."

"You don't know anything about my life outside of work, Dad. I do have one, you know?"