Tyler and Dei will take absolutely any possible excuse to attack each other. Opal is occasionally tempted to start carrying a cattleprod. (And yes, all of my characters are raging alcoholics, now leave me alone.)
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It was snowing; this wasn't entirely surprising, given that it was Massachusetts in late December. He had the house to himself; Jim was out getting drunk with friends from school, Tristan hadn't been seen in weeks (but he did occasionally remember to send postcards), and Carly had left an hour ago, babbling something about Jance and snow and fucking socially awkward demons. (He wasn't sure if the fucking was meant as a verb or an adjective; for her sake, and the sake of his own sanity, he hoped it was the latter.)
The doorbell rang.
Dei sighed; he really had been intending to spend the evening wallowing in misery alone. With any luck, it was just some lost and confused sales person, or a Jehova's Witness. Or maybe someone looking for directions, or a neighbor borrowing a cup of flour. Anyone but-
"Hey, it's snowing out there, did you notice?" Tyler stomped the snow off his boots as he unwrapped his scarf. "You left your door unlocked, you know."
"No, I didn't."
"Sure you did. Move, Tyler. It's cold out here." Opal pushed her husband out of the way. She shut the door behind her and began peeling off layers; by the time she was done, she was two feet thinner and still looked to be wearing at least three layers.
"Why are you here?" He took Opal's coats and hung each of them up in the hall closet until he ran out of spare hangers; he left the rest folded on a shelf.
"Well, we saw Carly up at the office, harassing Jance, and we figured you might want some company tonight. Quit looking so pissed off, we brought drinks." Tyler held up a brown paper bag.
Dei rubbed his eyes wearily. "I'm getting predictable, aren't I?"
"Getting?"
Opal kicked Tyler in the shins and smiled sweetly up at Dei. "Jubal and Len wanted to come, too, but I made them stay home. In fact, everyone at the office was offering to come and cheer you up- there's a cubicle full of alcohol just for you at headquarters."
"Thank you for keeping the masses at bay," he said gravely. He took the paper bag from Tyler. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get very, very drunk."
"Hoy! Share, you bastard!"
Dei glanced over his shoulder at his half brother, one eyebrow raised. "No, Tyler, that's you."
Opal caught the bag and its contents neatly when her husband tackled Dei. She stepped over the two squabbling men on her way to the kitchen, in search of a corkscrew.
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