Buzzcut Boys Chapter 3

The sun had nestled below the horizon, a smear of light blue through the tall bathroom windows the only indication it wasn’t fully gone. Travis was soaking in a bathtub, bubbles up to his chin. The bathtub was an old stand-alone, resting on faded gold clawed feet. It was so big and heavy; It was now part of the house. Once it had been deposited to the second floor bathroom, it would be there until the house burned down around it.

Travis sank a little lower, and blew frustrated bubbles with his nose. The memory of the lawyers office was burned into his mind until the end of time. He could see the woman’s face, hear her raspy voice. And then as he comprehended the words she as speaking, her voice seem to fade as the wave of shock rolled over him. The last thing he remembered was a voice telling him he didn’t need to decide today, he had a month to make his final decision, and then he was standing outside the office on the sidewalk.

Why, he asked himself for the millionth time, Why did you pick me Grandma? They had never discussed it, never talked about anything remotely like this, and Travis actually hadn’t seen her for a while since he started school. But there were no other facts, wishes, requests, or anything else in the will. Travis would inherit a huge sum of money if he made this house his home.

Travis pushed himself up in the tub, and reached over to grab a cookie off a plat nearby. He chewed thoughtfully, thankful at the very least he did not need to make a decision tonight. He thought about school, how unsure he felt about what to do now that it had ended.

He thought about Brad…

Pushing that thought away, he grabbed another cookie. A mouth full of sweets brought a different memory from the day. Colt, bending over in front of the oven, his underwear sinking lower. Flopping his belly on top of him, pushing him to the ground. Filling his mouth with cookies and with his-

Travis was surprised at what was happening below the bubbles. He’d always had trouble popping wood in water, but now there was a little submarine added to his bath. He explored it with one hand, his other grabbing another cookie.

He shoved it hard into his mouth until it hit the back of his throat. He moaned through his full mouth as he convulst, the water splashing against the sides of the tub.

travis fell back into the water. It felt warm, too warm. He ran his hand through the water to wash off the crumbs, and then turn the facet on cold. Leaning back, he focused again on the house.

Maybe she wanted him to preserve it. Maybe she wanted it to stay in the family, a reminder of their family legacy. But then why was so much of the house in such bad shape. She literally had the money, she could easily renovate and update the whole place several times over. He reached over and turned the cold a little more. Maybe there was something he was missing. Maybe the lawyer.

The water was hot, almost painfully so. He sat up and turned the water to cold even more. Passing his hand under the water, he yelped in pain as his hand was scalded. Travis turned the handles off, but the water just kept coming. The water was getting hotter around him. With enough sense to knock the stopper out with his toe on his way out, Travis leaped out of the tub. He looked down at himself, his body a bright pink and sore. He looked at the tub, and watched as the water sloshed back and forth at his exit.

No, Travis slowly stepped closer and blinked his eyes. The water in the tub wasn’t moving because he had just gotten out. it was moviing because it was boiling! Tiny bubbles were breaking the surface, and it was getting more intense.

Travis's heart raced as he watched the water in the bathtub begin to bubble furiously, like a cauldron set to boil. Panic gripped him, his mind racing to make sense of the situation. Suddenly, the water was jumping like a geyser. Travis had enough sense to haul his pink, wrinkled ass out of there just as the water exploded out of the bathtub.

“And when you went back in, the tub was empty and the entire bathroom was, as you say, dry as a bone. Is that correct?” Big Flint stood in the entrance way with his arms folded on top of his belly, examining Travis with an amused look. Travis, meanwhile, had thrown on old PJ bottoms and a Spiderman T-shirt that failed to stretch to his belly button.

Travis nodded, still in shock. "Yes, sir. When the water exploded out of the tub, it was like a burst of steam. And then, when I peaked back around the bathroom dooe, the tub was completely dry, and there was no water on the floor."

Big Flint scratched his grizzled chin thoughtfully. A thundering on the steps indicated the return of Gavin. The wooden banister creaked as his boots plopped on the. Despite their attempts to be clones of each other, there were some differences between the buzzcut boys. Gavin’s arms were thicker than Colts, and had a little less double chin. His intense blue eyes took Travis in up and down for the second time that evening.

“Everything looks good, Boss. No signs of water damage.” his right hand reached across and scratched his left pec. “Doesn’t even look like there’s been any water in there all week.”

Travis shook his head adamantly. “I swear it’s true! You have to believe me,” he pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice. Big Flint exchanged a look with Gavin before turning back to Travis.

“I got no reason to not believe ya kid. But fact is that’s quite a story, and we got no flooded bathroom.” Big Flint clapped a heavy hand on Travis shoulder, “I do know you’re going through a rough time-”

“I’m not making it up!” Travis shrugged off Flint and stormed to the kitchen. Big Flint and Gavin followed to find Travis at the table, tearing open a bag of chips.

“As I was sayin’,” Big Flint continued in a professional voice, “You do seem rattled. I’m not sure you should be all alone in this big old house tonight.” He turned to Gavin in an almost dramatic gesture, “Hey Gavin, how about you camp here tonight?”

Gavin smiled wide and nodded, “Sure boss, that’s fine with me.”

Travis coughed out some orange dust, “But-but”

“No buts,” Big Flint raised a finger, “You're not going to be alone tonight. Gavin's going to stay here and you’ll feel a lot better.” Big Flint expression softened. “We just want to make sure you're safe, son. That's all.”

Travis sat there, the reality of the situation sinking in. He was grateful for the company, especially after what had just occurred in the bathroom. “Thank you,” he mumbled, feeling a mix of relief and embarrassment.

Gavin clapped a hand on Travis' back. “No problem, man. I’m either here, or I’m back at the firehouse, and we’ve got some serious log sawers.

“He forgot to mention he’s one of them,” Big Flint called over his shoulder as he walked down the hall. He returned in a minute with a black duffel bag. “Here ya go.”

Travis clipped the chip bag, “You had a bag already?”

Worry flickered over Gavin's features, but Big Flint's voice was calming as he spoke. "It's just a simple overnight bag we keep in the truck. You never know when it might come in handy. Besides," He chuckled, "we're all roughly the same size anyway."

“C’mon,” Gavin turned the oven on and moved to the freezer, “Let’s get some pizza’s going and watch Batman.”