Love Conquers All
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 28
November 2015
"Mutual interest?" Maggie quickly asks in a curious tone, as she watches her friend walk over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of wine and pour it into a couple of glasses.
"Like I said Maggie, there is a way back in for you, but while I think you will be cooperative, I think it might take some convincing and you aren't going to like the consequences." Nick states in response, as he purposely decides to not answer her question just yet and make sure that she knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as him giving her the names and that being the end of their conversation.
"And if I don't want a way back in?" Maggie asks in response, as she decides to ignore the not so subtle threat and try and gauge what her options were, because she didn't like where this was going and if she knew her friend like she thought she did, then she was in trouble and so was her family.
"Then think of it as a way to assure the safety of your family and yourself, assuming everything goes to plan and you fulfil your role." Nick responds in a slightly amused tone, as he sees a glimpse of his friend, that he hadn't seen since the last time they had actually met in person and couldn't help but smile at some of the memories that it stirred up.
"Okay, I'm listening Nick, but you know that I don't respond well to threats, so choose your words carefully and I still want those names." Maggie then states in a firm and serious tone, after watching her friend walking back over and handing her a glass of wine, which she takes a sip off and relaxes back into the chair, as he does the same.
One Week Later
December 2015
"So, you and Carter are definitely good now?" Ben asks in a hopeful tone, as he looks at his friend and smiles at him, hoping that his friends were getting back on track after what had happened at the church.
"It was a little awkward for a few days and well I know he forgives me, but I still want to make it up to him, although I think he's getting a little tired of me apologising so much." Wesley responds honestly, as they sit opposite each other in the library and wait for their boyfriends to come back from the toilet.
"Yeah, that does get annoying I guess, but you're back together, so that's the most important thing." Ben decides to say in a happy tone, as he takes a couple of glances towards the door and couldn't help but wonder what was taking his fiancé and friend so long.
"Yeah and I'm going to stop trying so hard, because even I can see that I'm being over the top now." Wesley then says with a half smile, before following his friends little glances towards the door. "Matt's okay though right? I mean he's not been quite er... well I don't know Ben, he seems a bit nervous this week, it's been a while since I've seen him like that." He then decides to ask in a curious tone and while he didn't think anything was wrong, he had noticed his friend being nervous and it worried him a little bit.
"Ah, well let's just say, I'm not the only one who makes stupid bets Wesley." Ben quickly responds in an amused tone, as he turns back to his friend and thinks about how much fun he has had over the past week, after winning the little bet he and his fiancé had made and making the most of it.
"Okay, you're going to have to tell me now Ben, you can't just say that and stop talking." Wesley quickly states in an excited and curious tone, as he thinks about the stupid bets his friend had made in the past and what kind of bet his two friends had made this time, that could be as bad or as embarrassing as some of those.
"I'm not telling you any details, but he lost and I've been making all our decisions for the past week and I mean all of them Wesley and well today we're doing something special in Tom's class and it's going to be great, but that's not why Matt's been a little weird and stuff this week, that's because of er... well come on, you must have noticed he's been using the stools instead of the urinals in the toilets this week and when he's changed for gym class, he's been using a towel to cover himself, even when he wasn't completely naked." Ben decides to answer in a slightly playful tone and while he didn't completely answer his friends actual question, he wanted to see if he could figure it out himself and couldn't wait to see his reaction.
"Oh shit, you two are finally going to do another duet?" Wesley quickly asks in an excited tone, before seeing the look on his friends face and getting his confirmation straight away. "But er... shit Ben, he's been a little bit like that ever since, well ever since you know what, so I haven't really..." He then begins to say, as he tries to think about what else his friend had said and what he was trying to hint at and was actually glad to be interrupted and hopefully have it spelled out for him.
"Okay, he is still a little self conscious, especially with his scars, but he's worked hard to get past that and I know he still struggles to change in front of everyone in gym class and we actually shower separately to everyone else, but the toilet thing is definitely new and well he's kind of not wearing his usual underwear, if you get what I mean." Ben decides to say with a cheeky grin and a little wink, after realising that his friend hadn't worked it out for himself and despite being tempted to drag it out a little more, he knew the others would be back soon and he didn't want to miss his chance to have a good laugh.
"His usual underwear?" Wesley then repeats his friends words in a confused tone, before suddenly realising what he must mean. "Holy crap! What are you making him wear?" He then asks in a shocked tone, as he thinks about what his friend had said about winning the bet and making all their decisions and could only imagine how much fun his friend had had at his other friends expense.
"Well, let's just say I had to ask Tobias for a little bit of help." Ben responds with a grin, as he thinks about what his fiancé was wearing right now and also seeing the look on his friends face, as he finally realises what he had told him.
"No fucking way! And he's actually wearing them, like in school and everywhere?" Wesley responds in an amazed and slightly louder than intended tone, but to his relief, no one seemed to be paying them any attention and he quickly focuses back on his friend and what he had just revealed and just couldn't believe it.
"Oh trust me, he's not happy about it and I know he will make me pay the next time I lose a bet, but he's not a wimp and a bets a bet Wesley." Ben answers with a proud smile, as he thinks about the fact that his fiancé actually went along with wearing their brothers underwear, even though he did give him an out, although saying that, he did make it crystal clear, that when the time came for revenge, he wasn't allowed to back out, so he was a little nervous about that, but in a good and excited way, with a little fear mixed in as well.
"Shit, but seriously, we're talking about Tobias's little cartoon briefs right? Just to be completely sure and not getting the wrong idea." Wesley then decides to ask with a grin and while he was pretty much one hundred percent sure he was right, he knew it couldn't hurt to make sure and leave no doubt, especially since he didn't want to tease his other friend and then realise he was wrong and make a complete fool of himself.
"Yeah, he's been wearing those everyday, until today, today I couldn't resist taking it to the next level." Ben then says with a big grin, as he decides to let his friend in on what he had made his fiancé wear today and while their brothers cartoon briefs were embarrassing, he knew this was even worse and he knew he would definitely come to regret it, but that just excited him even more and he knew his fiancé would definitely enjoy that.
"How can you take it to the next level?" Wesley quickly asks in an intrigued and slightly confused tone, as he thinks about what could be worse and while he had thought about girls underwear, that just didn't seem logical and he didn't think his friends would do that to each other anyway, so he was genuinely curious.
"Remember those pair of briefs Mitch made Tobias wear for that bet that time, the white ones with hearts on them?" Matt asks in response, as he smiles at the look on his friends face and just knew he would be impressed and maybe even tease his fiancé a little bit, once he comes back from the toilet with his other friend.
"He has them on right now?" Wesley quickly asks with a big grin and while he wasn't going to tease his friend too much, he knew he was being told this for a reason and he couldn't resist having a little fun and was already thinking of a few jokes to tease his friend.
"Yeah and Tobias is smaller than us anyway and they were small to begin with, so they're really, really small on Matt and it's so funny Wesley." Ben responds with a giggle, as he pictures how his fiancé looked in them and while it was hilarious, it was also sexy and adorable and as he thinks about it, he doesn't even realise his friend is talking to him now.
"Matt?" Carter calls out quietly as he wonders why his friend was taking so long, it wasn't like him and he was starting to get a little worried about him. "Matt, what's wrong?" He then asks in a concerned tone, as he stands closer to the door and hears what he thought was a sniffling noise and was now really worried about him.
"I'm okay." Matt responds meekly and quietly, as he tries to pull himself together and compose himself.
"Let me in Matt, please." Carter then decides to ask, in a soft and caring tone, as he hears how upset his friend sounded and short of running to get Ben, he knew he had to try and find out what had happened, because they were fine when they came in here and while it was odd that his friend hadn't used the urinal, he didn't think too much of it until now.
"Okay." Matt responds, as he leans forward and unlocks the door and then watches as it opens and sees his worried looking friend walk in and shut the door behind him.
"What's going on Matt, you were okay when we came in here, what happened?" Carter decides to ask in a worried tone, as he stands in front of his friend and tries to figure out what could have possibly happened, because no one else had come in or out of the toilet since they came in and it just didn't make any sense.
"It's stupid Carter, so stupid and just stupid." Matt responds in a self pitying tone, after sniffling a couple of times and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"What's stupid? Did you hurt yourself?" Carter quickly asks in a confused tone, as he steps a bit closer to his friend and reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me Matt, you know you can tell me anything, I'm your best friend and I'm here for you." He then says in a sincere tone, after getting no response, other than his friend sniffling again and was getting close to phoning or texting Ben and getting him to come here and help.
"I tried to be strong Carter and play along and it was okay at first, but today, it's too much Carter and I can't tell him, because he's having fun and I don't want to ruin it Carter, I don't want to be the one who keeps ruining things for everyone and getting upset all the time, I just want to me normal and be able to do stuff and not get hurt or cry and get upset, it's not..." Matt begins to answer as best as he could, but as he feels himself shaking and beginning to lose his composure, he feels himself being cuddled tightly and just trails off and lets himself cry, while his friend just holds him tightly.
"It's okay Matt, whatever this is about, Ben will understand, he loves you and you know that." Carter decides to say after a few minutes of listening to his friend crying and then starting to calm down and despite still having no idea what was going on, he knew he had to just do his best to support him and let him explain what was happening when he is ready and able to.
"It's stupid though Carter and I don't mean what he made me wear, which is stupid, but I'm stupid Carter, this is just a laugh and look at me, I can't even handle something small like this, so how am I meant to do anything, how am I meant to be a grown up, if I can't even do things like this, how Carter, how?" Matt then states in a distressed tone, as he tries to pull away from his friend, but being sat down on the toilet and having his friend holding him so tightly, he barely moves, not that he really minded and as he stops trying to move, he starts to just accept his friends embrace and let him comfort him.
"You don't have to tell me Matt, but I think you should and I promise to not tell anyone or make fun of you, you can trust me Matt, you know that." Carter then decides to say again, after almost five minutes of waiting for his friend to calm down again, as he gently rubs his back and pulls him a little tighter into his body, he hated seeing him like this and just wished he could make it better and he knew everyone felt the same way.
"I know and er... well it's easier if I show you and er... well it's okay if you laugh a little, because it's funny Carter and I know it is, but I still can't help being stupid and I feel so useless Carter, I try so hard and then something like this happens and it's like I... I..." Matt then begins to try and explain what is happening to his friend, before again just breaking down and crying into his chest.
"Sshh, it's okay Matt, just take as long as you need and it will be okay, I promise, I'm here for you and you know we all love you and we're always going to be there for you, always." Carter then says in a soothing and comforting tone, as he gently rubs his friends back again with one hand, while pulling his phone out of his pocket with the other and quickly starts to type a message for Ben to come, because he wasn't sure how to handle this and they didn't have that long before break was over and he knew Ben would know what to do.
"They should be here by now, breaks almost over." Ben states in a worried tone and while he knew he was probably just being stupid and paranoid, he couldn't help but wonder why they weren't back yet.
"Maybe, but they probably just bumped into someone Ben, remember Carter did say he wanted to see if Jordan was feeling better." Wesley decides to say in a reassuring tone, as he thinks about what could be keeping his boyfriend and friend, but while his friend was obviously worried, they were at school and he couldn't see any reason to worry, both were fine when they left to go to the toilet earlier.
"Maybe, but I'm still worried Wesley, what if Matt had an..." Ben then begins to say, before giving his friend a surprised look, as he interrupts him.
"Ben, don't do this, we're in school and even if they weren't together, everyone looks out for Matt, so even if some idiot tried to start something with him, then he would be okay and if something happened to either of them, the other would get help or at the very least call one of us or something, so just relax and stop worrying, we're kids, we aren't supposed to worry this much." Wesley states in a firm and serious tone, as he gives his friend a confident smile and hopes that he had at least reassured him enough to relax a little bit.
"Okay, okay, but if they aren't back before the bell rings, I'm calling Matt." Ben states in a serious tone, as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and puts it on the table in front of it and quickly frowns.
"What?" Wesley quickly asks in a curious tone, as he sees his friend frowning and looking down at his phone. "Ben?" He then asks in a concerned tone, after getting no response and instead seeing his friends eyes open wide.
"It's Carter, he said to come to the toilets nearest music class." Ben answers in an almost robotic tone, as he stares at the text message and begins to shake.
"Well come on then." Wesley quickly states, as he gets to his feet and waits for his friend to get up. "Ben?" He then says in a confused tone, as his friend just sits there staring at his phone. "Hey, come on Ben, let's go." He then says in a increasingly worried tone, as his friend just stays where he is and he could see him shaking a little bit now.
"I... I... What if he's..." Ben then begins to try and say, before trailing off as he feels himself being pulled to his feet and then embraced and despite being in the middle of the library, he doesn't try and pull away.
"Sshh, it's okay Ben, if something really bad happened, Carter would have called us directly." Wesley decides to say, as he gently rubs his friends back reassuringly. "Ben, I'm being serious, you know Carter, he would tell you if it was something really bad and you know it." He then adds in a confident tone, as he does his best to calm his friend down and despite getting a few looks from the other kids in the room, he could tell that none of them were going to make a big deal of it and most had already gone back to what they were already doing.
"But something happened, he wouldn't have texted me if something wasn't wrong." Ben responds in an upset tone, as he pulls away from his friend and looks at him sadly.
"Let's just go and find out Ben, it's obvious something happened, but it might be something small and er... well let's just go and see, okay." Wesley states in as confident a tone as he could manage, he knew he had to try and reassure his friend, but he was actually worried himself and he knew at the very least, his other friend must have had one of his freak outs and even if it was a small one, it was still hard to see his friend go through them, he didn't deserve it and it always made him sad to think he might always suffer from them.
"Okay." Ben responds meekly, as he tries to compose himself, while also thinking about his fiancé and what might have happened to him, for his friend to text him like he did.
"So er... well, are you okay?" Alex asks in an awkward and nervous tone, as he looks across the table at his boyfriend, well he wasn't sure if they were boyfriends any more, but he hadn't quite given up hope just yet and the fact they were talking now, gave him extra hope that they would be okay again soon.
"I guess so." Peter responds in a cautious tone, as he stares at the other boy and despite what everyone keeps telling him, he just couldn't accept that they were boyfriends and he was still positive that he wasn't gay, he wasn't even sure about girls either and didn't see why he had to decide now, he was only twelve and he just wanted to be a kid and have fun.
"Oh, well er... when have you got to go back to school then?" Alex then decides to ask, after feeling a little disheartened by his boyfriends response and definitely felt like this was going to be harder than he had expected it to be.
"On Monday, but it's a bit stupid, school shuts the week after for Christmas, but Mum and Dad told me that I have to." Peter responds honestly and while it was still a bit awkward and he would prefer not to be here, there was a part of him that actually felt relaxed and he couldn't help but look at the other boy curiously.
"Oh, that sucks a little bit, my dad doesn't want me to go back until next year, my jaw still hurts a little bit and I also have to go to court next week, so it's not really worth going back this year." Alex then decides to say with a half smile, which falters slightly when he sees the look on his boyfriends face and wasn't quite sure why he looked so annoyed and suspicious.
"Is it true about er... well did you really get a broken jaw?" Peter then decides to ask in a curious tone, he had been told about the other boy being hurt and could see his face was bruised and he had a mark like a cut on his jaw, but he was still feeling unsure of this whole thing and thought it would be something to talk about and maybe help him remember a little bit more about the other boy.
"My dad said it was fractured, so it wasn't really broken, but I don't really think there's much difference, it hurt for ages and sometimes when I talk too much or eat something hard, it can ache a little bit, but it's getting better and Dad told me that it wasn't a bad fracture, so it will heal fully in another week or two." Alex answers honestly and with a smile, as he takes the fact that his boyfriend asked him that, as a sign that he cared and while he knew he had to be patient, that didn't mean he couldn't get his hopes up.
"My wrist was fractured." Peter then says with a small smile and even though he didn't know why he said it, he could see the other boys face light up a little and it actually surprised him a little bit, to realise that gave him a warm feeling inside, although he wasn't sure what that meant and decided to try and ignore it for now.
"Yeah, I remember how you did it, it was so funny." Alex quickly responds with a grin, which just as quickly fades as he sees his boyfriends expression. "You do remember how you did it right?" He then asks in a nervous and worried tone, as he remembers the fact his boyfriend had amnesia and still hadn't recovered fully from it.
"Not really, but my parents told me and I spoke to Carter and a couple of the other boys you told me about and they all told me the same thing." Peter answers with a slight blush, as he thinks about what the other boys had said, well his friends he guessed he should call them and just felt a bit stupid, especially since they generally all thought he was accident prone, which was embarrassing to hear about and the fact that he had walked into a couple of things and even tripped over a few times in the past week, made it quite clear that they weren't making it up.
"You don't have to blush Peter, not with me anyway." Alex decides to say with a sincere smile, as he looks at his boyfriend and finds himself wanting to reach out and hold his hand, but he knew he couldn't do that, his friends had told him so many times that he had to let his boyfriend make all the moves, otherwise he could scare him off and while it would be hard, he couldn't bare losing him, so he just had to stay strong.
"I don't know you though." Peter quickly responds, before seeing the hurt on the other boys face and realising what he had just said. "I mean I know who you are Alex, but er... well I know what people have told me, but I don't remember er... well I think I can remember us being friends, even Jarred told me we were friends, but that other stuff, that's kind of gross and I don't think we really did gay stuff, I would remember stuff like that and I don't." He then says with a half smile, before frowning as he realises that despite trying to make up for what he had said before, he just seemed to have made it worse and he could see it all over the other boys face.
"Jarred is a prick, he's not your friend and he did this Peter, he did it to both of us!" Alex states in an annoyed and hurt tone, as he takes in his boyfriends words and while he knew he shouldn't let it get to him, he had worked out his former best friends reasons for what he had done and seeing his boyfriend and how he was talking to him now, he knew in some way, at least for now, he had succeeded and it just hurt so much.
"That's what people keep saying, but he looked after me and not everything he told me was a lie, even my er... well our friends admitted it, so how am I meant to know what he really lied about?" Peter quickly asks in response, as he frowns at the other boy and while he knew he was safe, he was still a little nervous about him getting angry, even if he knew it was kind of his fault.
"But you know he attacked us right? I mean he did, it was him." Alex states in an almost desperate tone, as he struggles to keep his emotions under control, although as he looks past his boyfriend, he could see his dad standing by the door and it helped him calm down a little bit, even if he suddenly found himself feeling embarrassed that his dad had obviously came to the door because he had shouted a little bit.
"Like you attacked him and got arrested because of it?" Peter quickly retorts, before quickly holding his hands over his mouth and even with his memory issues, he knew that was a mistake and he could tell that the other boy was really hurt this time and he wasn't sure what to do.
"Okay boys, I think that's enough for now." Gordon quickly decides to say, after hearing the boys words and seeing the crestfallen look on his sons face. "Why don't you go to the toilet Peter and then wait in the living room, I just need to have a word with Alex, okay." He then suggests, after walking over to his son and putting a hand on his shoulder, while looking at the other boy and giving him a friendly smile.
"Okay." Peter responds in a distracted tone, as he looks at the other boy and then the man, before standing up and quickly making his way out of the room and feeling like a complete moron for saying what he said and was just thankful that the man had given him a chance to leave and think about at least trying to apologise when they came to the living room.
"Alex, I know it must hurt, but you have to be strong and take this one step at a time." Gordon decides to say, as he gently turns his son on his chair to face him and kneels down. "If you want me to take him home I can, is that what you want?" He then asks in a caring tone, as he takes both his sons hands into his own and gently squeezes them affectionately.
"I want him to love me Dad, why doesn't he love me any more?" Alex asks in a desperate and pleading tone, as he looks at his dad and wonders if he would ever get his boyfriend back again.
"He's here today Alex, that has to mean something, because no one forced him to come here, I spoke with his parents and he wanted to speak with you, so don't give up, it may take time, but if you love him and I mean really love him, then you will wait, you will wait and be strong for as long as it takes." Gordon responds in a firm and sincere tone, as he maintains eye contact and continues to squeeze his sons hands with his own.
"But it hurts Dad, when he looks at me like that and when he says stuff like he just did, it hurts." Alex then says in a hurt tone, as he goes over the things his boyfriend just said and the way he looked at him and he wasn't sure if he could go through that over and over again.
"I know you've talked to Ben, but maybe you should talk to him again Alex, because he's been through something similar with Matthew and believe me Alex, I witnessed some of it at the hospital and I could see how hard it was for your friend, but he found a way to handle it and stay strong, so talk to him again and let your friends help you, you're not alone Alex and you will always have me as well." Gordon decides to suggest, as he weighs up his sons words and what he had just seen for himself and while he wasn't sure if Peter would ever remember the truth about being in a relationship with his son, he chose to be positive and knew that if he was ever to remember, then the boys would need to spend time together and for that to happen, his son needed help and he knew Ben Walker could give him that help.
"I know." Alex responds meekly, as he breaks eye contact on looks down to their hands. "I just fought so hard before Dad, he knew I liked him and we were really good friends and then he started liking me back and it took so long and it was really hard Dad, but he loved me back and... and... and he really did Dad, he loved me and it was real and now he doesn't even remember us being friends and it hurts so much." He then says from the heart, after deciding to just be honest and tell his dad how he was feeling inside, because he was trying to be strong, but it wasn't working and he didn't know what to do.
"I know, I know Son." Gordon responds in a sympathetic tone, as he pulls his son from the chair and embraces him in a comforting hug. "How about you take him to the garage, you two seemed to enjoy working out and training together, maybe if you get him to go through some of the routines you put him through before, it might help him remember some positive memories, instead of the distorted ones he has because of Jarred." He then decides to suggest in a soft tone and while he wasn't completely sure this was a good idea, he felt like it couldn't do any harm and when he feels his son pulling away and smiling at him, he could tell that he had at the very least, given him some self belief and he was hoping it was enough to get him through the rest of the day.
"We will have to keep the door open and you might have to come and watch us for a while." Alex quickly states in an excited tone and while he knew he needed to be careful about getting his hopes up, he liked his dads idea and was already thinking about the best routine to put his boyfriend through, because he knew any physical stuff between them wasn't an option, so he was thinking more about sit ups and stuff like that and if it went well, he might even let him try and skip, which at the very least, should be funny.
"Are you sure?" Gordon decides to ask in a surprised tone, normally his son made it very clear to leave them alone, so he was a little surprised by his sons suggestion and couldn't quite work it out himself.
"Yeah, he's still a little scared of me Dad, the stuff Jarred told him, well I don't think he will want to do it if it's just me and him alone, not until he's comfortable anyway." Alex responds with a slightly forced smile and while he knew this already, it's why he suggested the open door and his dad watched them for a while, but actually saying it out aloud, just made it real and it hurt him a little inside.
"I see, well why don't we give him a few minutes alone in the living room and then you can go and talk to him about it and I will go and stick the air conditioning on in the garage." Gordon decides to suggest in a warm tone, as he stands up and gives his son a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"Okay." Alex responds in a slightly unsure tone, as he looks towards the door and hears his boyfriend coming down the stairs. "Thank you Dad, for everything." He then says with a sincere smile, after looking back at his dad and thinking about all he had done for him and despite how his mum had turned out, he loved his dad and wouldn't change him for anyone.
"You're welcome, now pour a couple of glasses of juice and wait a few minutes, I will be in the garage and will start to get a few things ready for you both." Gordon responds with a proud smile, before walking out of the kitchen and into the garage, leaving his son to have a few minutes to think things over in his mind.
Two Hours Later
"Seriously, if you don't quit it Ben, we aren't having sex for a month." Matt states in a firm tone, as he gives his fiancé a stern look to go with it, just to let him know that he was serious.
"Oh come on, like you could go..." Ben quickly begins to retort, before trailing off and blushing slightly. "Okay, but we're talking about it when we get home and it's going to be a real conversation." He then states in a serious tone, after realising that his fiancé was serious about dropping it and deciding to offer a compromise, because as much as his fiancé was okay now, the way he had been in the toilets was worrying and he definitely wanted to talk about it.
"Fine, but seriously Ben, we're in class and..." Matt then begins to respond, before hearing a couple of coughs and quickly blushes as he looks to the front of the class and sees their teacher looking straight at them and judging from the frown on his face, he knew he wasn't amused right now and was a little worried that they would get detention.
"Do I need to give you both a detention Boys or are you going to pay attention for the rest of the class?" Mr Morgan asks in a stern tone and while he rarely gave detentions, especially to this class in particular, it wasn't the first time the boys had talked too loudly and he didn't want to appear to be playing favourites, so he had to come down hard on them this time.
"Sorry Sir." Matt quickly apologises, before giving his fiancé a quick nudge in the ribs with his elbow, after he doesn't apologise himself.
"Thank you Matthew, apology accepted, but I don't want to hear another word out of you for the rest of the class." Mr Morgan responds in a firm tone, as he looks at the young boy and despite wanting to go easy on him, he knew he couldn't this time. "Is there something on your mind Mr Walker?" He then asks in a slightly surprised tone and while he was expecting the boy to apologise as well, he wasn't going to bring it up, but the way he was staring at him, made him feel like he wanted to say something, but for whatever reason, he was just sitting there in silence.
"I er... sorry Sir, I mean er... I'm sorry too, I was er... sorry." Ben suddenly responds in an awkward and slightly startled tone, as he realises that he was being talked to by his teacher and couldn't help but feel embarrassed as he realises that he had completely zoned out for some reason.
"Okay, okay class, quiet down and if you want to see Mr Walker and Matthews performance at the end of the lesson, then I don't want to hear any more from anyone for the rest of the lesson, do I make myself clear." Mr Morgan states in a firm and authoritative tone, as the class begins to get a little out of control, as they laugh and giggle in amusement at Ben's behaviour, but as they quiet down and look at him, he couldn't help but be proud of how much they respected him and was happy to leave it at that.
"Are you..." Matt then begins to say in a quiet tone, but as he hears another cough, he quickly looks up to his teacher again and this time, he knew he was in trouble. "Sorry Sir." He then says in a guilty tone and while he knew it wasn't going to get him out of trouble, he was genuinely sorry and knew at the very least, his teacher would appreciate it.
"Apology accepted, but I will see you after class for a few minutes to discuss your detention Matthew." Mr Morgan responds with a disappointed expression, as he looks at the boy and again, while he tended to avoid giving detentions, he couldn't let it go this time and he was hoping he wouldn't have to put anyone else in detention as well. "Okay Mr Fisher, but make it quick, I have a lesson to get on with and if we want to hear the performance at the end of the class, then we don't have time for any more interruptions." He then states in a slightly frustrated tone, as he looks at the boy and wonders why he felt the need to put his hand up.
"Sorry Sir, but I er... sorry Sir, it's not important, sorry." Wesley states in an embarrassed tone, as he looks at his teacher and while he wanted to help his friend, he realised too late, that there was no need to do it and he actually had no idea what to say anyway, so he was just feeling like a complete idiot and the fact his other friend was trying his best not to laugh, just made it even more embarrassing.
"Thank you for that Mr Fisher and I think that will be enough interruptions for now, anyone else will be joining Matthew in detention, so I expect you all to be quiet and to pay attention." Mr Morgan then says in an unimpressed tone and after listening to the class respond, he turns around and resumes from where he had left off before.
"Well at least this time you aren't just in your underwear." Gordon states in a somewhat amused tone, as he walks into the kitchen and sees his son pressed up against the other boy and inspecting his nose, which instantly brought back memories of the first time he had seen them in this position and he couldn't help but smile.
"Oh er... well he kind of did it again Dad." Alex responds in a guilty and slightly sheepish tone, as he steps away from his boyfriend and looks over to his dead with a shy smile.
"I see, well I better make sure that it isn't broken I guess." Gordon responds with a grin, as he walks over to his son and the other boy, but quickly stops when he sees his expression and could see that he looked suspicious.
"This happened before?" Peter quickly asks in a confused and slightly suspicious tone, as he looks between them both and wasn't quite sure how to react to knowing that the three of them had been through this before.
"Well er... yeah, I mean, you were never very good with the skipping rope and you kind of always seem to hit yourself with the handles somehow." Alex answers honestly, as he looks at his boyfriend nervously and by the way his dad had stopped walking towards them, he could tell that he wasn't sure how this was going to turn out either.
"Then why did you let me try it just now?" Peter quickly asks in an annoyed tone, as he stares at the other boy and ignores the pain in his nose and instead wonders if he had let him get hurt on purpose and while it seemed unlikely, especially since the other boys dad was here, it did seem like something he would do, at least by what Jarred had told him about him, so he was definitely suspicious and a little bit annoyed.
"What?" Alex responds in a surprised and confused tone, as he stares at his boyfriend and wonders how this had turned from something funny to something serious so quickly and he could tell it was serious by his expression and he wasn't sure what to say or do now.
"If I hurt myself like this before, then why did you let me do it again?" Peter asks in a serious tone, before wincing and holding his nose again as he leans back against the counter to steady himself.
"Because... because it was... Peter, it was like a joke..." Alex begins to answer, before trailing off and looking over to his dad, who was now walking over to his boyfriend again and while he had wanted to go to him himself, he knew that would be a mistake right now.
"A joke?" Peter then asks in an annoyed and angry tone, as he pushes the man away and stares at the other boy, who was doing a very good job of proving that Jarred was right all along.
"No... no, not like that Peter, I promise... I er..." Alex quickly tries to explain, before trailing off as he struggles to find the right words. "Peter, it was like a joke between us and you're really accident prone and stuff and I was hoping it would er... well it was stupid, I know it was stupid now, but I was hoping it would help you remember, remember us and I just..." He then explains in a desperate tone, before trailing off as he sees that his dad was checking his boyfriends nose and that his boyfriend was probably not even listening to him now, which despite his best attempts to stay strong, hurt and he could feel himself getting close to crying.
"Can I go home now?" Peter decides to ask the man, as he tries his best to avoid meeting the other boys eyes, he had heard what he had said and kind of found himself believing him, but that was almost as bad as thinking that he had intentionally hurt him, because it was bringing up feelings that he just didn't want to accept and he just wanted to go home and get away from the other boy.
"Of course you can, I will just clean you up a little bit and then I can take you straight there." Gordon responds with a warm smile and while he felt bad for his son and knew this must be hurting him, he had to ignore that for now and take care of the other boy and make sure that he felt comfortable and safe.
"I'm sorry." Alex then half mumbles in a sad tone, before quickly leaving the room and heading straight to his bedroom, he was devastated by his boyfriend wanting to go home and he didn't want him to see him crying.
"It's not broken Peter, but you should keep some ice or some frozen peas on it when you get home for a little while." Gordon decides to say in a calm tone and despite wanting to comfort his son, he had to look after the other boy first and get him home, before he could take care of him and talk to him about what had happened.
"It doesn't hurt that much, just stings a little bit." Peter responds in a distracted tone, as he looks past the man and towards the kitchen door, where the other boy had quickly disappeared out of. "I didn't mean to upset him." He then says in a quiet tone, as he thinks about what he had said and the look on the other boys face, just before he had practically ran out of the room and despite still being annoyed at getting hurt, he did feel guilty about hurting his feelings.
"It's okay Peter, this is tough for both of you and you didn't do anything wrong." Gordon responds in a reassuring tone, as he looks down at the boy and despite being tempted to try and help his son somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to do it, the boy had been manipulated enough and needed time to figure things out for himself and not have people telling him how he should be feeling.
"Were we really boyfriends?" Peter then decides to ask in a slightly reluctant tone, as he looks up at the man and waiting to hear his response, because while he had been told by others already, he wanted to hear it from him again and he wanted to see if he would be honest and not try to lie to him.
"Honestly? I thought you two were boyfriends before you actually officially became boyfriends Peter and when Alex told me that he was going to ask you, I was genuinely surprised that you weren't already." Gordon answers honestly and while he could have answered differently and just said yes, he was hoping that his answer would help job the boys memory or at least show that he was being completely honest with him.
"I er... what?" Peter quickly asks in response, as he gives the man a confused look and couldn't help but wonder how he should feel about his answer, because it was strange and he didn't really understand what he was saying.
"If you're asking why I thought you were already boyfriends Peter, then it's quite simple, the way you two looked at each other and how touchy feely you both were, I just assumed that you had become a couple and were just enjoying being together before you told anyone about it and the hand holding under the table and the quick kisses on the cheek you had when you thought I wasn't looking, sort of gave that impression as well." Gordon responds honestly and while he had been a little worried about saying too much and either embarrassing the boy or scaring him off, he had decided to just answer him honestly and the fact he seemed more intrigued than anything else, gave him the confidence to carry on.
"But I'm not gay." Peter then quickly protests weakly and even though he believed it, he had to admit that maybe he could be wrong, because there were a lot of people telling him that he was and even though neither of his parents had confirmed or denied it, he got the sense that they knew more than they were letting on and he couldn't help but be confused.
"It is possible that you were experimenting or going through a phase Peter, but if you're asking me about whether you were gay or not, then I have to be honest and say that not only were gay, but you still are Peter and it's something that you're going to have to think about over the next few days and maybe even weeks, because while you've been through a lot, it hasn't changed who you are inside as a person." Gordon states in a slightly hesitant tone, as he tries to think of the best way to handle this conversation, because it was definitely important and the fact the boy had brought it up and was seemingly willing to keep it going, was definitely a good sign and if it helped him figure out something important, than he was more than happy to help as much as he could.
"But I can't be gay, we did a test and it proved I wasn't gay." Peter responds in a confused tone, as he continues to stare at them man and attempt to figure out once and for all the truth about his sexuality, because while he was still convinced he wasn't gay, just like a few moments ago, he couldn't deny that everyone else was adamant that he was gay and they couldn't all be lying, that just didn't seem possible at all.
"A test? What kind of test and who is 'We' Peter?" Gordon then quickly asks in a surprised tone, as he looks at the boy in confusion and wonders if this was something else Jarred did to him and if it was, what did they actually do in this test, because it was definitely a strange thing for the boy to admit to.
"Er... well Jarred and me, we er... well I wasn't er... well er... you can't tell anyone about this, do you promise?" Peter asks in an awkward and shy tone, as he looks at the man and struggles to not look away in embarrassment.
"Whatever you tell me Peter, I promise to keep it between the two of us and I keep my promises." Gordon responds reassuringly, as he quickly weighs up what the boy might reveal and whether he really could keep it a secret or not, especially if it was something that could help with the current investigations into what had happened to him, but he was a man of his word and unless it was something he honestly couldn't keep to himself, he wasn't going to betray his trust.
"Okay." Peter responds in a slightly unsure tone, before taking a deep breath and sighing. "I didn't know if I was gay, I mean after Jarred kept talking about Alex and how he forced me to do gay stuff, I just didn't know what to think and then he told me that we could play a game and it will sort of be a test and it would tell me if I was gay or not..." He then starts to explain in a shy tone, before trailing off and looking down at the floor, as he realises what he was just about to say and who to and while nothing naughty actually happened, it was still embarrassing to admit to playing it.
"It's okay Peter, you can tell me, I'm a doctor and I was your age once, so you can trust me." Gordon decides to say, as he takes a chance and places his hand on the boys shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze and smiles when he doesn't pull away.
"We played strip poker, he said that if we played and got naked, then it would prove that I wasn't gay and er... well it was weird and I didn't like playing it with him, but well I er... well it worked, because he ended up naked and I didn't like er... well I didn't you know er... get er... you know..." Peter then begins to try and explain again, but just like before, he couldn't help but trail off in embarrassment and even if the man was a doctor, it was still weird and embarrassing to tell him this kind of thing.
"Okay, it's okay Peter, I think you've said enough about that." Gordon states in a shocked tone and while he was completely thrown by the revelation, especially about Jarred initiating such a game, but this wasn't the time for that and he wanted to focus on the other part of what the boy had said, because he thought it was more important. "But I would like to say this, just because you didn't find Jarred... attractive and seeing him naked didn't... let's go with excited, it doesn't mean that you aren't gay Peter, being gay doesn't mean that you like every boy and want to be their boyfriend, it doesn't work that way." He then says in a soft tone, as he continues to gently squeeze the boys shoulder reassuringly and even though he could see that he was confused, the fact he had shaken off his hand, was still a good sign.
"It doesn't?" Peter asks in a confused and slightly intrigued tone, as he thinks about the man's words and what that meant, because he had had doubts about it himself and despite his insistence that he wasn't gay, he had to admit that Alex gave him some strange feelings and they were kind of nice feelings, even if the thought of what that meant, scared him a little bit.
"Being gay is no different than being straight Peter and even though you're only twelve, you know that not every boy fancies every girl they see, you know that, don't you." Gordon responds with a warm smile, as he decides to take it a step at a time and not overwhelm the boy too much.
"Well I guess not, I mean on TV and in movies, guys like girls and like kiss them and stuff, but they don't kiss all the girls, only some of them, because they like them more." Peter responds honestly and while he didn't really get what the man was saying completely, he thought he understood what he was trying to say, but it still confused him a little bit.
"It's a good example Peter and I think while you're still a little bit confused, I think you understand that being gay, doesn't mean every boy you meet, will make you excited and make you want to be their boyfriend, so while you didn't find Jarred attractive, even after seeing him naked, it doesn't mean that you won't find any boy attractive and I hope I've helped you a little bit about your own feelings." Gordon responds with a smile and while he wanted to continue to squeeze the boys shoulder, he didn't want to make him start feeling uncomfortable and decided to let go and crouch down a little bit, so that they were now at eye level and while a little uncomfortable, he knew children responded better in conversations, when they were at eye level with someone.
"It's still confusing and I still want to go home, but I think I understand Gordon and er... well thank you for being honest and not making fun of me." Peter then says in a sincere tone, as he looks at the man and for the first time, he actually felt comfortable around him and it also stirred some memories as well, but he still wanted to go home and despite what they had just been talking about, he didn't really want to speak to Alex right now.
"You're welcome Peter and of course you can go home, but why did you think that I might make fun out of you?" Gordon couldn't help but ask in response, as he gives the boy a friendly smile, just to let him know that he wasn't trying to make him feel uncomfortable.
"Because I played strip poker with another boy and he got naked and I was almost naked." Peter responds meekly, as he feels his cheeks burning a little bit and while the man hadn't made fun of him, it still felt embarrassing to tell him, especially since he was an adult.
"Strip poker is kind of a classic game for children your age Peter and it is often played between groups of boys and it's mostly just a bit of fun and has nothing to do with being gay or straight, it's normally just a bunch of friends, just having a bit of fun and I've played it, so while I'm sure you're feeling a little embarrassed about telling me about it, there is no need and like I promised earlier, this is between you and me and no one else will know about it." Gordon states in a reassuring tone, after understanding what the boy was saying and how he felt about the conversation and he was happy to hopefully put him mind at rest.
"Not even Alex?" Peter then decides to ask in a slightly nervous tone and while he was trying to hide it, it wasn't because he was embarrassed about playing strip poker, but who he was playing it with and something in the back of his mind, told him that it would hurt Alex and he surprised himself, when he realised that he didn't want to do that, although it still didn't change his mind about going home.
"I might tell him that we talked and a few details, but nothing personal or anything about the strip poker, just that we talked and that's all Peter, is that okay with you?" Gordon decides to ask in response, as he thinks about it properly and realises that he would talk to his son a little bit and while he wouldn't tell him the details, he thought it would be better to get the boys permission first and hopefully if he could build up the trust between them, that may extend to the boy trusting his son more.
"Okay I guess, but I don't want him to know what I did with Jarred and I er... well I don't want him to think we will be boyfriends, even if I remember stuff and er... well, I have to think about it and I don't want him to hassle me about it." Peter responds honestly and while he wasn't completely sure what to make of being potentially gay, he wanted to at least stop the other boy from pressuring him about it. "But can you tell him that I'm sorry, you know for er... well if I say stuff that makes him sad, it's not my fault and I don't want to hurt him, but it's how I feel and well er... can you tell him I'm sorry please." He then says in a sincere and slightly awkward tone, as he thinks about how upset the other boy looked earlier and he genuinely felt guilty about his part in that.
"I will tell him Peter and I promise not to mention anything about the strip poker and anything personal that you told me." Gordon responds with a genuine smile, before standing up and straightening out his clothing and while he considered trying to get the boy to talk to his son himself, he thought he had mad some progress with him and he didn't want to undo it all, by pushing him to do too much and he had made it crystal clear that he wanted to go home.
"Thanks, but can we er... well go now, I want to go home." Peter then says in a slightly awkward tone and while the talk had gone well and it helped a lot, he really did just want to go home and have a shower and then think about things alone for a few hours.
"Of course, let me just say goodbye to Alex and then I will drop you off." Gordon responds with a friendly smile, as he gives the boys shoulder a quick reassuring squeeze, before walking out of the room and heading towards the front room.
"Wait what?" Matt quickly asks in a stunned tone, as he stares at his fiancé and tries to work out if he was joking or being serious.
"I already asked Tom and he said it's okay and you were singing this in the shower the other day, so I know you know the words." Ben responds with a grin and while he was being a little mean, well little was a bit of an understatement, he couldn't resist having a little bit of fun, even if he was likely to pay for it the next time he lost one of their bets.
"So all this week was to set me up?" Matt quickly asks in an angry tone and while he had worked out that this was his fiancé making the most of their bet to tease him, he wasn't finding it funny at all right now, not even a little bit.
"Set you up?" Ben quickly asks in response, as he looks at his fiancé nervously and starts to worry that he had gone too far this time, because he was definitely not pretending to be angry and he was worried about him freaking out.
"All week you've been going on about duet songs and you had no intention of actually doing a duet, you fucking prick!" Matt responds in a quiet but venomous tone, as he struggles to keep control of himself and while he knew he was overreacting, he just couldn't help it as he glared at his fiancé in anger.
"Matt, calm down, we can..." Ben quickly begins to say in a slightly panicked tone, but before he can finish, he can only look towards their teacher in dismay as he interrupts him.
"Is everything okay Mr Walker?" Mr Morgan asks in a curious tone, after looking over and seeing the two boys having what seemed like a heated discussion and he couldn't help but be a little concerned by the look on Matt's face and was considering whether he needed to do something or not.
"It's fine Sir, we're just talking about our..." Ben starts to respond, as he tries to do some quick damage control, but when he feels his fiancé standing up and tipping his chair over in the process, he couldn't help but trail off in shock for a few seconds. "I was joking Matt, it was a joke, we're still singing together, it was a joke." He then quickly states in a panicked and desperate tone, as he stares at his fiancé pleadingly and reaches out for his hand.
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