Work Text:
Taylor is finishing packing his books when there’s a knock on his door. He frowns as he glances at the time on his phone, unsure who would be coming by now. Natalie texted him earlier to tell him that she’d forgotten a box but couldn’t make it back until tomorrow to get it. He runs a hand through his hair as he walks over to the door. He pulls it open, shocked when he sees Zac standing there. He raises an eyebrow.
“Zac, what are you doing here?” he asks.
“I… we… I came to talk,” Zac responds.
Taylor continues to watch his brother as he tries to get a read on him, but he can’t just yet.
“Can I come?”
He’s tempted to tell him no, but he can’t help but wonder what Zac wants to talk about. He nods. “You can come in as long as you promise not to punch me or anything.”
Zac lets out a soft laugh. “I won’t do that again.”
Taylor steps to the side, allowing Zac to step into his apartment. He can see his brother looking around, knowing that he can tell that it’s emptier than it had been. He expects him to question where Natalie is, so when he stays silent, he’s a little surprised. He makes sure the door is closed before he moves through to where Zac is now standing.
“So what do you want to talk about, Zac?” He can see his brother trying to come up with the words to say.
“I had dinner with Avery tonight,” Zac finally answers.
Taylor crosses his arms over his chest. “Oh yeah? How’d that go?”
“Great. It was great.”
Taylor shakes his head, knowing Zac’s lying. “So well that you’re here and not with her?”
Zac rolls his eyes. “How long ago did you start the affair?”
“Zac…”
“How long ago? I think you owe me that much?”
Taylor snorts. “I owe you that much? Fuck you, Zac. This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t fucking my girlfriend. Started a couple months ago.”
“Started?” He sounds genuinely shocked by this. “Is it still happening?”
Taylor sighs. “Not actively. But it’s not not happening.”
“Who started it?”
Okay, now he knows for sure that he’s asking questions he had already asked Avery. He drops his arms, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Guess it depends on how you mean,” Taylor answers. “I pursued her. I kissed her first. She pushed me away. And she should have. Wasn’t my finest moment, considering what I’d promised you.”
Zac frowns at him. “What did you promise me?”
“That I wouldn’t do anything about my feelings for her.” He shrugs. “Guess it kinda went out the door the moment you kissed Nat.”
“She kissed me first, actually.”
“Shocker.” Taylor hopes Zac can hear the disdain in his voice over that.
“You said you guess it depends on how I mean. Meaning what?”
“I initiated it. But when she pulled back, I wasn’t going to force anything. I’m not a fucking monster. I apologized to her. Told her to forget all about it and that was it.”
“But it wasn’t?”
“No. We saw each other the following day and that was when we slept together the first time. How long after Natalie kissed you did you sleep with her? Since we’re being so honest with each other right now.”
“The first time she kissed me. We snuck to the back.”
“Wow, so it was just with me she wasn’t adventurous with. Good to know.” He snorts as he turns and walks to the connected kitchen. “Do you love her? I mean, pretty sure I know the answer, but I want to hear it from you.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Hmm…” Taylor grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge and takes a long drink. “So you fucked up your own relationship as well as mine for a woman you don’t even love.”
“It was stupid, Tay.”
“Yeah, I’d say.”
“She doesn’t want me,” Zac says softly. “Avie, she doesn’t want me.”
Taylor leans against the counter as he watches Zac walk over. “She tell you this?”
“Not flat out, but it was obvious. I told her. I told her what you said.”
Taylor’s stomach drops at that. “What do you mean?”
“I told her that I asked you to step back and let me raise the baby with her. That I could be Daddy. Told her that you told me to go ask her about it.”
He shakes his head. “Oh my god, you can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m serious. I want her back, Taylor. I even went and made the guest bedroom into a nursery for us. More than you can say.”
Taylor glares at his brother. “Because I’m moving, you fucking jackass. Take a look around. I know you’ve already noticed Natalie’s shit is gone. There are boxes all over. I’m moving.”
Zac frowns. “Why?”
“Because why would I want to live here when it was my place with Natalie? Besides, I can’t exactly afford it on my own. Not that she helped much at all. Getting a two-bedroom so we can have a room for the baby.”
Okay, so he leaves out the part that they’re getting a two-bedroom so Avery can have her space.
“If you couldn’t afford it, why’d you move here in the first place?”
“You didn’t come here to talk about my apartment, Zac.”
“You’re right.” Zac runs a hand through his hair. “Do you love her?”
Taylor doesn’t have to ask to know Zac means Avery. So instead, he nods. “I do.”
“Okay. Well…”
They stand in silence for several minutes. Taylor can see Zac once again trying to come up with the words to say. He could easily come up with something, but he’ll wait for his brother.
“I never meant for any of this to happen,” Zac says.
Taylor nods. “I know. Neither did I.”
“Do you believe me when I say I don’t love Natalie?”
“I do.”
“Did you?”
“I thought I did. I think it was more the idea of having someone special.”
“Someone like Avery?”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“She loves you, you know? Avie. Hasn’t admitted it yet, but she does.”
Taylor looks at Zac again. It’s not something he expected to hear from his brother.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you at family dinner.”
Taylor watches as Zac walks toward the door. “Zac…” He waits until Zac looks over at him. “I am sorry.”
“Me too.”
Taylor drops his head forward after Zac walks out of the apartment and groans. He meant everything he said to Zac. Okay, so there’s a little bit of lying considering he’s never actually slept with Avery. Or even kissed her, for that matter. But Zac told her it was him who told him to go talk to her.
Taylor 9:14 pm
You at your sisters? Can I come over? We need to talk?
Avery 9:19 pm
I am. You can come over. Is something wrong though? Just wondering if this will be a good talk or a bad one.
9:23 pm
Just need to explain something and would rather do it face to face. Promise I’ll explain when I get there.
When Taylor pulls into the driveway at Jessica’s house, he sees Avery sitting on the front stoop. He cuts the engine before climbing out, hoping she hasn’t been out here the entire time. He crosses the small patch of grass and sits down beside her.
“Hi,” Taylor says. “You been out here since I texted?”
Avery shakes her head. “Came out five minutes ago. Jessica is in bed. She opens the diner tomorrow.”
Taylor nods. “Zac came to talk.” He watches as she finally looks over at him. “Said he had just been with you.”
“Not the way…”
“No, I know. He said he told you about his previous talk with me.”
She looks down. “You told him to ask me to let him raise the baby with him.”
“Not in the way you think. He came at me, telling me to step back and let him play daddy. I was exhausted and I didn’t really want to deal with him. So I told him to go talk to you about all of that and let me know how it went. I said it sarcastically, not thinking he would actually go to you and I’m sorry.”
“Would you?”
Taylor runs a hand through his hair once again. “Step back? I mean… if you really want to go back to him, who am I to stop you? I told you I’ll be there for both you and the baby. I told you I would be Daddy if you wanted me to. And while it would hurt to see you go back to him, he is…”
“But he isn’t,” Avery interrupts.
He looks at her. “No?”
She shakes her head. “You are. I realized that when he and I were talking earlier. When he was talking about how he could be Daddy and you would still be in the baby’s life as uncle, I realized that’s not what I want. I want it to be you.”
“Ave…” He stops, shocked when she shifts to lay her head on his shoulder. He smiles to himself as he rests his hand on her thigh. “Me too.”