The Chronivac had arrived early on a Sunday evening, with just enough time to play around with it before bed. And now, he thought, he had just enough time to scope out the effects of the changes he'd made. Pulse racing with excitement, he swung open his door and walked out into the rest of the house.
Downstairs, he heard the front door click shut, and a rustle as whoever just came home shrugged off their coat and took off their shoes.
"Kevin, it's about time!" Jeff heard his mother say from somewhere downstairs, "Thank god you got back before dark, your poor father has been waiting half the day."
Curious at what was going on, Jeff padded down the stairs and walked into the living room where Kev, his younger brother, was arguing with their mom.
"But it's Jeff's chore this time, isn't it?" Kev was saying when he rounded the corner, "I was just out at the mall with Owen and-"
"Jeffrey covered for you all last week while you were cramming for that mathematics competition," their mother went on, folding her arms across her chest and giving Kev a disapproving look, "*and* he took out the trash. You're nearly an adult, you need to start carrying your weight around the house!"
Kev sighed dramatically.
"Fine, just let me put my stuff away," he grumbled, but Jeff couldn't help but notice a smile at the edge of his lips. Huh. Weird.
"Yo, Jeff," Kev said as he half jogged up the stairs past where Jeff was still standing, "Chat later, have to help dad for a bit. Unless you wanna come with?"
Wordlessly, Jeff nodded.
"Sweet! Meet you in dad's room in 5, then."
Kevin was only a year younger than him, but the brothers didn't look all that much alike. While Jeff was on the taller side with dark brown hair, Kev was a good few inches shorter, blonde and scrawny. Their dad was an ex-quarterback, and even though neither of the brothers had gone in for sports it was clear Jeff took after him, at least genetically. Despite his lack of muscle definition he still had fairly broad shoulders and sturdy legs, but Kev was all skin and bones, slender and wiry like their mother's side of the family.
With Kevin finally out of sight upstairs in his room, Jeff made his way over to their father's room to wait for him. He still wasn't 100% sure what Kev was about to "help" the man with, but there was no way he was gonna miss out on it.
Curious and impatient, Jeff carefully pressed an ear to the door to try to get a hint about what he was about to see inside. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he could just barely make out the sound of ragged, low breathing, and an occasional soft moan.