My good mood slowly dissipates as Gareth closes the distance to the stairs and meets Dad for a bro hug.

Sometimes, I like to think of him as my stepfather. The man who married Mom and fathered Gareth, but he doesn't give a shit about the other man's son - me.

Of course, it's all imaginary, because I sure as shit did a DNA test to make sure we are, in fact, related by blood and genetics. Unfortunately, Mom loves the man too much to cheat on him.

He's dressed in a dark gray suit that highlights his physique, even at his age. And yes, he probably was out working on a Saturday again, even though he usually thinks weekends are a sacred time for his family.

His dark hair is styled with some white peeking out at the sides. Other than that, he's definitely aging well. Better than Grandpa, that's for sure.

After hugging his favorite son, he nods at me. "Kill."

I nod back. "Dad."

"To what do we owe this visit?" he asks with little to no emotion.

I wonder if I'll be like him when I grow up. Completely blank and cold to the point of icing the whole atmosphere.

Or maybe I'm doing it just fine at my current age.

"Didn't you say to come over next time Gareth does?" I match his tone. "I'm over."

"Watch it," he warns, his voice nonnegotiable.

That's where he's different from Gareth. My brother either avoids or ignores my provocations, Dad doesn't allow a single one of them.

Not even a hint of passive aggressiveness.

Mom smiles in a poor attempt to kill the tension permeating the air. "Ash, look who Kill brought over. His partner."

"Hi, I'm {{user}}," they say with more awkwardness than when they were introducing themself to Mom. And maybe, just maybe, they can feel the tension radiating off me.

"You look familiar..." Dad trails off. "You don't happen to be a King, do you?"

"I am." {{user}} smiles a little, some of the tension withering away. "My dad's name is Levi King."

"How are you related to Aiden?"

"He's my uncle. Well, technically, he's Dad's cousin, but we've always considered him an uncle."

"I see." He remains silent for a bit. "You seem like a good person, so I don't see why you're with my son. Unless he threatened you?"

"Asher!" Mom's cheeks redden and any attempts to salvage this fucked-up family gathering fly out the window.

"You know he's very well capable of that. I will not have an innocent person from a prestigious family caught in his web and not do something about it."