The Kings IV II

49

Jo

"Bro!" I heard Hero laugh out, "you almost had it."

I let out a sigh. This was the best Hero had been in what felt like forever, and I knew that it most certainly was not the best time to confront him.

Lena and I walked into the living room, seeing Hero and Fran sitting on the couch together, playing some game on his phone. I bit down on my lip and shrugged out of my coat, throwing it over the couch.

Hero looked back at us, smiling when he saw us. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," I greeted, "what's up?"

"Fran's trying to play COD," he said, "I'm teaching her, she's getting better."

Fran smiled up at me, averting her attention back down to the phone in her hands.

I walked around the couches and stood in front of them, looking down at Hero. He chuckled and looked over at Fran, but gave me a double take when he noticed I was standing in front of him.

"What's up?" He asked, relaxing into his couch cushion.

"This is the time that I need you to be completely truthful with me, Hero," I said, nodding down at him.

He lifted an eyebrow, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch. "Okay?"

I let out a heavy sigh, raking my fingers through my hair. I took a bit to compose myself- now I knew exactly how Dad had felt when Fred and I were teenagers, and he was having to get on our asses about something new every day.

"Did you get someone pregnant?"

I watched his entire persona shift- his face draining of its color, his entire body stiffening up at five words. He sat in front of me, speechless, his lips parted as if he was ready to speak, but just couldn't get anything out.

Francesca's eyes shifted from the phone screen and over to him, a worried look on her face.

"Wh-what?" He asked, after a few seconds of utter silence.

"You heard me, Hero," I said, clenching my jaw.

He let out a breath, looking away from me.

"You got Amelia Grey pregnant, Hero," I said, my voice slowly but surely raising.

He shifted his eyes back to mine, his tongue in his bottom lip.

"Yeah," he softly said, "yeah, I got her pregnant."

I chuckled, looking over at Lena. "I fucking told you."

He rested his head in his hand, keeping his eyes locked on me. I could see the agitation in his eyes- Hero didn't like being confronted. He had a temper that was easily set off by someone telling him what to do, or trying to regulate his actions.

"You know, Hero," I said, shaking my head, "I, for some reason, thought that maybe you were responsible enough."

"Yeah?" He asked, nodding up at me.

"Yeah," I said, "to at least take some kind of precaution. I don't care if that's you buying her a fucking plan B. I thought that maybe you were man enough to fix your mess."

He chuckled, looking away from me.

"In what world is this funny?" I asked, looking down at him as I shook my head.

He stood up, only a few inches away from me. "I'm just thinking about how good it felt. Fucking her raw."

"Hero!" Mom yelled, and I could see Fran plug her ears from out of the corner of my eye.