Love Conquers All
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 23
November 2015
"Hey Dad." Alex says as he walks towards his dad, after finally finding him after getting some help from a nurse. "What's wrong?" He then quickly asks in a curious tone, as his dad turns to him and gives him a funny look and while it wasn't a bad look, it wasn't a good one either and he couldn't help but be a little confused by it.
"Come here for a moment Alex." Gordon instructs his son in a slightly distracted tone, as he tries to figure out what to say to him, he had been thinking about it ever since he had called him and he was still struggling to find the right words.
"Okay." Alex responds in a now confused tone, as he walks towards his dad and suddenly finds himself being pulled into his arms and cuddled tightly. "Dad?" He then just about manages to say, as he feels himself being squeezed a little too tightly and he couldn't help but fear that there was something wrong.
"Alex, before I tell you, I need you to promise that you will stay here and let me finish, can you do that?" Gordon then asks in a serious tone, after letting his son go and looking at him with a slightly nervous expression.
"Is something wrong?" Alex then quickly asks in a concerned tone, as he ignores his dads question and looks past him, to see two police officers standing outside one of the rooms down the hallway, that he hadn't noticed until now.
"Alex, it's not bad news, but I need you to promise me and I mean really promise me Alex, because it's important." Gordon responds as honestly as he dared to right now and while there was still a chance his son would try to go straight to the room, he was hoping if he could make him promise, then there was a good chance that he would be able to explain his own concerns about Peter's return to him.
"I promise, I really promise Dad, but you're being weird, what's going on?" Alex asks in response, after taking a few moments to continue looking down the corridor and then thinking about what his dad had said and despite thinking it was ridiculous, he couldn't help but get his hopes up a little bit.
"Alex, I know this is good news and that you will..." Gordon then begins to tell his son about his boyfriend being here, before finding himself being interrupted.
"Isn't that where Jarred was?" Alex asks in a confused and curious tone, as he suddenly realises where they were in the hospital and even though he knew he shouldn't interrupt his dad, he just couldn't help himself and where he was excited a few moments ago, he was now a little worried as well, because if it was his former best friends room and there were police outside it now and his dad had called him to come, then maybe something happened to him and while he hated his former best friend now, he didn't want him to die or anything, although on the other hand, maybe it could be good news and the police wanted to arrest his former best friend, which would mean he was right all along.
"Yes and he is still in there Alex and so is Peter..." Gordon then begins to responds and although he was annoyed at being interrupted before, he was expecting it this time and could only hope that his son wouldn't bolt down the hallway and into the room, because there was definitely something wrong with Peter and he knew Jarred had something to do with it, so he didn't want his son going in there, with out giving him a heads up about what to expect.
"Peter? They found Peter? Really? Really dad, they found Peter?" Alex quickly asks in an excited tone and while he might have let himself think that they had found his boyfriend a few moments ago, to actually hear it was just amazing and he could feel how much he was smiling.
"Yes, well no one found him exactly, he was just here and I walked into the room and he was just standing there, but it is him Alex, I promise." Gordon responds in a calm tone, as he places his hands on his sons shoulders, after kneeling in front of him, just to make sure he didn't run off before he could talk to him properly about what had happened earlier.
"Oh my god! Oh my god Dad!" Alex then states in a happy and excited tone, before seeing the look on his dads face and starting to frown himself. "Wait, what's he doing in Jarred's room? They hate each other." He then asks in a confused tone, as he stares at his dad in surprise, after realising what he had just been told and it just didn't make any sense.
"Alex, I don't know exactly what is going on, but I think Peter has some kind of amnesia and he isn't really himself right now." Gordon then says in a soft and calm tone, after deciding to take this a step at a time, instead of telling his son everything in one go and overwhelming him with information.
"Amnesia?" Alex quickly asks in response and while he knew what it was, he couldn't help but be confused and needed his dad to explain, because right now, his head was spinning with everything he was being told.
"I can't be sure, but he has a cut and a bruise on his head, it's not that prominent now, but given what happened at the house, it looks like someone did hit and knock him out and when I walked into the room, he didn't seem to recognise me Alex and it wasn't until Jarred told him who I was, that he realised, so I think he has had some memory issues, but while I would need to examine him and put him through some tests, I don't think it's serious or permanent." Gordon answers honestly and as clearly as he could, while still just taking it a step at a time, because there was a lot to say and he could see that his son was struggling already, so he knew he had to take his time.
"But why is he with Jarred and why is he listening to him?" Alex then decides to ask in a confused tone and while he had more questions about the amnesia, he knew he couldn't waste time on every single detail, not right now anyway, so he was hoping to just get as much information from his dad as he could, so that he could go and see his boyfriend and figure out what was actually going on for himself.
"I have my suspicions Alex and they fall in line with what you've been telling me about what you think happened at the house and with Peter, but that is for the police to work out Alex and apart from speculating, I can't really give you a solid reason." Gordon again answers honestly, before seeing the look on his sons face. "I know they didn't like each other before Alex, but the impression I got while I tried to talk to Peter, is that they were friends and that Peter trusted Jarred." He then says in a slightly reluctant tone, after pretty much guessing what his son was going to ask him and deciding to just say it first.
"Friends? How can Peter ever think that Jarred is his friend Dad? And why in the hell would Jarred pretend to be his friend, he's never liked Peter, he's always mocked him and thought he was pathetic, it makes no sense Dad." Alex quickly responds in a confused tone, as he tries to work out what was going on and how his boyfriend could ever think Jarred was his friend, because Amnesia or not, Jarred was a prick and there was no way Peter wouldn't figure that out quickly.
"If he has suffered from some kind of amnesia as a result of the attack at the house, then it is possible that as he has regained his memories, he might not have regained them all Alex, so while he might remember Jarred, he might not remember all the things he has done, so if Jarred has been around him as he has regained his memories, it's possible that Jarred could have manipulated Peter and Peter wouldn't know any different, but that's just a theory Alex, because I don't know exactly what has happened or the extent of Peter's head injury, so I could be completely wrong about this." Gordon decides to responds honestly and in a way that he was hoping would get his sons attention and get him to understand what he was actually hinting at, because while he still couldn't be completely sure, he was pretty much convinced that Jarred was behind the attack and that he has known where Peter has been all this time, he just had no proof of that yet.
"But er... well..." Alex then begins to respond, before trailing off as he looks at his dad curiously and processes what he had just told him. "But that would mean Jarred's been with him this whole time or at least a lot of it and that means he knew where he was." He then states in a stunned tone and while he might have suspected it and even tried to convince his dad that his former best friend had something to do with the attack, there was a part of him that wasn't so sure and another part that didn't even want it to be true, but if what his dad was saying was true, then his former best friend really was behind it all and he could feel the anger building inside himself.
"Right now, we have no evidence Alex and trust me, there is a part of me that wants to go in there and force the truth out of him, but we can't do that, we have to let the police get to the bottom of it and leave it to them." Gordon quickly decides to state in a firm and slightly authoritative tone, as he realises that his son was starting to get a little worked up and he knew that he had to be a lot more careful with the answers he gives, because he couldn't risk him running into the room and attacking Jarred, he was already facing having a criminal record, but if he attacked him again, then there would be no chance of avoiding it.
"But if he knew where Peter was this whole time and didn't say anything, then... then... Dad, how could he Dad? How could he know all this time and er... do... do that stuff you said about Peter's memory and er... how could Peter not figure out the truth, Jarred was never nice to him and even when he tried to pretend, it was obvious he was lying, so how can there be any memories that Peter would think he was friends with Jarred, he must know Dad, he has to know." Alex then states in a confused and emotional tone, as he tries to process everything and make sense of it, because right now, he didn't know how to even react, let alone feel about it all.
"Alex, you need to calm down, because I can't let you talk to him, unless you calm down..." Gordon then begins to say, as he tightens his grip on his sons shoulders a little bit, before seeing that he was about to be interrupted. "Alex, the only way we're going to know what happened, is by you talking to him, he won't talk to me or even the police and his parents are still at least a couple of hours away, so you will have..." He then continues in a serious tone, before this time letting his son interrupt him, as he had actually started to go a little off track and was struggling to figure out what to say next.
"Then let me see him Dad, he will believe me Dad, he's my boyfriend and we love each other, so even if Jarred's been trying to er... well er... trick him, as soon as I talk..." Alex then begins to say in a slightly desperate tone, before trailing off as he sees the look on his dads face and while he had been focused on his boyfriend, the look had got his full attention and he knew it wasn't a good look.
"Whatever has happened and whatever he's been through Alex, he appears to not only be afraid of you, but he believes that he hates you as well..." Gordon then begins to say in a reluctant tone, before quickly moving one hand from his sons shoulder and covering his mouth to stop him interrupting him. "Alex, if he has had amnesia and Jarred has been trying to manipulate him, he's had almost an entire week to do so, so while Peter doesn't really feel like he thinks he does, it's not going to just suddenly disappear because he sees you, the mind is complex, so even if he realises who you really are, it will take him a while to accept it, do you understand what I'm trying to say Alex." He then states in a firm tone, before slowly removing his hand from his sons mouth and waits for him to process what he had just said and respond.
"He hates me?" Alex then says in a stunned tone and while he had heard everything his dad has just said, it was those words that stuck with him and he just couldn't process how that could be true, his boyfriend loved him, they may have taken a while to actually become a couple, but he knew Peter had always liked him and wanted to be his friend and that was a fact, so for him to hate him, that just made no sense at all in his mind.
"Alex, I know you're boyfriends, I know that you have been together and while I don't know how far you've er... both er... well, I know it's more than just holding hands and kissing, so believe me when I say this, Peter loves you, it's obvious to anyone who has seen you both together, but right now, he's recovering from a head injury and potentially amnesia as a result and had someone potentially manipulating him for at least five days, so just because he seems to hate you, deep down, those real feelings of love and friendship, they are still there and they will surface eventually." Gordon responds in a caring and sincere tone, while he cups his sons face and looks at him lovingly and while it was still a little bit of a shock for his son to be gay and actually in a relationship, he was genuinely happy for him and proud of the person he was becoming.
"But..." Alex then begins to say after just staring in shock at his dad for a few minutes, but quickly trails off as he tries to make sense of it all, which was proving to just be more and more frustrating and confusing.
"I wish I could explain it better Alex, but right now, that's the best I can do, you just need to remember that he loves you and just because he may not act like it right now, he does love you." Gordon then says in a soft tone, as he does his best to stop his son from getting overwhelmed and breaking down, while at the same time, wondering if he had made a mistake in getting him to come here in the first place, because it could have waited and seeing how much he was struggling right now, made him feel even more nervous about letting him go and speak to Peter, which he knew wouldn't be easy.
"Ben!" Alex then states out of nowhere in a surprised tone, as he looks at his dad and could see that he was confused. "Dad, it's like Ben, you know when he thought Matt was dead, he thought he was dead and instead of accepting it and dealing with it normally, he went into some kind of weird denial and pretended it was all okay and that he was happy." He then states with a smile, as he does his best to explain himself to his dad, because it made perfect sense to him and he was sure that it would help him deal with his boyfriend.
"I'm not quite sure it's the same thing Alex." Gordon then says in a slightly reluctant tone, as he does his best to try and put the two situations together in his head, but he doesn't quite get there, even though he can see how much of a boost it had given his son.
"I know that Dad, they're different, but the stuff about the mind is close enough, because Ben created this whole scenario and er... well you know er... kind of thing and even when he saw Matt was okay, it took ages to get him to accept it and he told me how it felt Dad, he said even though he knew what was happening, it was like that part of his mind was stuck and the other part wouldn't let it free, so even if Peter has been tricked into whatever he's been er... well tricked into, then it's not real and even if it takes a while, he will realize that and he will remember that we're in love, even if it takes a little while." Alex quickly states in an excited tone and couldn't help but smile, as he sees the proud look on his dads face and knew that he must have done a better job of explaining it that time.
"I'm so proud of you Alex, I really am." Gordon then says in a proud tone, before pulling his son forward and giving him a loving and proud kiss on the forehead.
"Can I see him now?" Alex then asks after being pulled into his dads arms again and just enjoying the protective feeling he was getting for a few minutes.
"Just remember that right now, he isn't your boyfriend Alex, so stay back and don't take anything he says personally and just ignore Jarred, because if he really was behind the attack and he took and has had Peter all this time, then it was for a reason and given how he provoked you a few days ago, I think it's very likely that this is about you Alex, so he is probably going to try and get you to get angry and lose control, so you can't let him get to you, do you understand." Gordon then states in response, as he holds his son by his shoulders again and stares into his eyes and waits to see how he reacts.
"Dad, I will try, but er... if he does... well if they both start to you know er... well I promise to just leave the room Dad, I just want to see him and even if he is er... you know weird, I just want to see that he is safe and okay, that's all that matters Dad and he will remember the truth eventually, so er... yeah, yeah I'm ready Dad, I promise." Alex responds in a more confident tone than he was actually feeling inside, it was one thing to say that he understood what was happening and that he could handle it, but he knew that once he stepped inside that room, he could just fall apart.
"The police officers will be right outside and I will be waiting as well, so just go in there and be brave Alex, but also be smart, don't let Jarred manipulate you again, because if he is behind it all, then there is no way he will get away with it, so you don't need to focus on him, just let Peter see you and tell him you love him, even if he doesn't seem to believe you, he will hear it and when his memories sort themselves out, he will remember you saying it." Gordon then says, as he starts to worry about how his son will handle the situation, but while he was having second thoughts, he was sure that he would make him proud and if it did start to go wrong, then he would be just outside.
"I know and I'm ready, I promise." Alex quickly responds in a slightly nervous tone, as he does his best to calm himself down and steel himself for what his boyfriend might say to him.
"I'm proud of you Alex." Gordon then says in a sincere tone, as he stands up straight and leads his son towards the room, where he gives both officers a quick nod of the head, so that they would step aside. "Just remember, no matter what he says in there, the real Peter loves you, so just be yourself and stay calm and don't get angry." He then adds in a reassuring tone, before looking at the officers, who give him a nod to open the door and watches as his son walks into the room.
**********
"Sshh, let's just sneak past and go to the jacuzzi." Ben suggests in a quiet tone, as they stand in the hallway and peak inside the living room to see their parents sitting and watching a film.
"We should let them know we're home." Matt then responds quietly and in a slightly curious tone, as he notices how his mum and his fiancé's dad were snuggled up to each other.
"We can just leave a note in the kitchen or something, just saying we're home and you weren't feeling well, so we're going to get some rest." Ben quickly responds as he follows his fiancé's gaze and suddenly realises why he was looking a little surprised and couldn't help but feel the same way, they had often wondered if their parents were more than just friends and seeing them snuggling up to each other, they did kind of look like a couple.
"Can't we just say hello?" Matt then asks in slightly unsure tone, because while he really wanted to be alone with his fiancé, he also wanted to see his mum and tell her about what had happened to him earlier, because while it wasn't that big of a deal and he had had worse, he had promised to tell her about any problems, although if he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't really sure how he felt about seeing his mum cuddled up to someone like that, even if he did love Mike, he wasn't sure how he felt about him dating his mum.
"Okay, but if they ask us to stay with them, then don't blame me when we don't have time for the jacuzzi." Ben responds in a slightly annoyed tone, although it was more to do with being disappointed, than it was about being angry at what his fiancé wanted to do, because he was there when he had promised his mum to tell him about any problems and he knew his fiancé took his promises very seriously and the chances of them actually having to stay were slim, so he wasn't totally against talking to their parents.
"Fine, we will leave a note." Matt then quickly responds with a grin, which widens when he sees the look on his fiancé's face and knew that he wasn't expecting him to say that.
"I love you Matthew Walker." Ben then quickly says with a grin of his own, before giving his fiancé a quick peck on the lips.
"I love you too Benjamin Walker." Matt responds lovingly, as he looks into his fiancé's beautiful sparkling green eyes and not for the first time, found himself getting lost in them.
"Let's go, before they notice us." Ben then whispers, before taking his fiancé's hand into his own and leading him towards the kitchen.
"Okay." Matt responds with a smile, as he let's his fiancé lead him into the kitchen and watches in amusement as he tries to find a pen and paper and write out the note.
"Shut up!" Ben then states with a grin, after quickly glancing at his fiancé and seeing his expression and knew that he was playfully mocking him.
"Just hurry up, I want to get in the..." Matt then begins to say, before looking past his fiancé and out of the kitchen window, "Oh crap." He then states in a slightly annoyed tone, as he sees their brother in the pool with someone else.
"What's wrong?" Ben then quickly asks in a slightly concerned tone, as he finishes the note and looks up to see that his fiancé was staring out of the window.
"Mitch and I think..." Matt begins to answer, before pausing for a few seconds to make out who the other person was. "Wesley, they're in the pool Ben." He then finishes as he continues to look out at his older brother and friend swimming in the pool and wasn't really sure what to make of it.
"Seriously?" Ben quickly asks in a surprised tone, before walking over to the window and seeing it for himself. "Damn, well there goes our chance of some privacy and just relaxing, I bet the others are in the pool house as well." He then adds in a disappointed and frustrated tone, as he realizes that their brother and other friend must be here as well somewhere and knowing their brother, probably in the jacuzzi with Carter.
"They're our friends and brothers Ben and we will have plenty of time later to be alone." Matt quickly responds in a soft tone, as he turns and sees the look on his fiancé's face. "Ben, I'm disappointed as well, but it was Jim's funeral today and Wesley probably just needs to be around people." He then decides to add in a more serious tone, as he thinks about the fact that they hadn't seen their friend today and this was their chance to at least be there for him.
"I know... seriously I get it Matt and it was annoying that we weren't allowed to go to the funeral, so I guess it's not so bad and at least we get to support Wesley now." Ben then says in response, after seeing the look on his fiancé's face and knew that he was right and he did feel the same way, even if he was still a little disappointed in having to wait to get his fiancé alone and doing what he was planning on doing.
"That's sweet of you both Boys, but before you go out there, we need to have a word with you both." Sarah then states in a serious but caring tone, as she stands in the doorway and looks at them sweetly.
"Mum?" Matt quickly asks in a confused and slightly startled tone, after realising who was talking and turning to see his mum standing in the doorway.
"But..." Ben then begins to say in protest, as he tries to hide the fact that his fiancé's mum had actually half scared him to death, but quickly finds himself being interrupted.
"No buts Ben, this is important and you need to know about it before you go and see your brother and friend." Sarah quickly states in a firmer tone and while she knew that she was probably worrying them both, she didn't want them to argue or try and go outside.
"Did something happen Mum?" Matt then quickly asks in a worried tone, as he feels his fiancé taking his free hand into his own and giving it a loving squeeze.
"Come with me and we will explain everything, but just to put your minds at rest, everyone is okay and no one is hurt, but there are some things that you need to know, before going out and speaking to your brother and friend." Sarah responds in a softer tone, as she gives her son a reassuring smile.
"Wait, what about Tobias and Carter, where are they?" Ben then quickly asks in a confused tone, after picking up on his fiancé's mums actual words and realising that their other brother and friend might not be here, which was very strange in his mind.
"Just come to the front room Boys and we will tell you everything." Sarah states in response, before deciding to turn and walking back to the living room, knowing that they would both follow her.
"This is weird." Matt then says in a concerned tone, as he reaches out for his cane and let's his fiancé lead him towards the living room.
"I know, but it can't be that bad, Mitch and Wesley are in the pool, so er... well it can't be that bad." Ben responds in as reassuring of a tone as he could manage, as he was definitely just as confused and worried as his fiancé was about it all.
"I guess so." Matt then responds in an unconvinced tone, as they both reach the door to the living room and see their parents now sitting down on the chairs and knew they had left the sofa for them to sit on and after a few seconds of hesitation, they both walk over and sit down nervously.
"Okay, so fifty lengths may have been a little bit ambitious Wesley." Mitch states in an amused and slightly tired tone, after swimming back to the end and seeing him holding the side and looking pretty tired himself.
"It's been a long day." Wesley responds as he tries to catch his breath and while fifty lengths wasn't that much, not for him anyway and especially in this size pool, he was tired and was surprised that he had managed to do as many as he actually did in the end.
"It's been a long few weeks Wesley." Mitch then says in a slightly quiet tone, as he thinks about everything and just how much it had taken out of him.
"What's going to happen next Mitch?" Wesley then decides to ask in a apprehensive tone, as he looks at the older boy and wonders whether this was the time or not to talk about it.
"You mean with Conner?" Mitch decides to ask in response, after taking a guess at what the boy was actually asking and while it could have been a lot of things and even about swimming, he couldn't kid himself and knew if the roles were reversed, then he would want to know what will happen now.
"Yeah." Wesley responds in a quiet and slightly meek tone, as he moves a little bit to get a more comfortable grip on the side of the pool.
"They would probably have finished questioning him by now and he will spend some time in a cell on his own, before being questioned again for a few hours and then he will spend the rest of the day and night in his cell, before being questioned again tomorrow throughout the day until they get the truth out of him." Mitch then explains as he tries his best to answer the boys question, without going into too much detail.
"What sort of thing will they ask him though?" Wesley then asks in a curious tone and despite the subject already starting to upset him, he wanted to know and knew he couldn't drop it until he got at least some of the answers he wanted.
"They will mainly focus on Jim and what Conner confessed to us, they will cross reference the statements we gave with what he tells them and look to see whether he is telling the truth or not, then they..." Mitch then begins to answers as honestly as he could, but before he can move on to the next bit, he finds himself being interrupted.
"He confessed though, why would they need to ask him stuff to find out if he was lying, he confessed Mitch, he did it." Wesley quickly states in an angry and confused tone, as he stares at the older boy and waits for him to answer him.
"It's procedure Wesley and while I have no idea why he would lie about doing it and believe me Wesley, I've thought about it a lot, there was no reason for him to bring it up and he wouldn't get anything out of lying to us, not at the moment he brought it up, so while I and I know you know he was telling the truth, the police have to ask and they have to make sure that there is no doubt, because if they make a mistake, then he could walk free and while it sucks and isn't right, it happens Wesley and bad people get let out, so when it comes to situations this serious, they have to go over things again and again, just to make sure that there is no mistake, do you understand what I mean?" Mitch states in a firm, but calm tone, as he reaches out and holds on to the boys shoulder, just so he knows that he is there for him and that he is on his side.
"So they aren't doing it to er... well they aren't saying he didn't do it, they just want to make sure he did?" Wesley then asks in a slightly confused tone, as he tries to process and work out what the older boy had said, because despite the fact this was about his brother, it was also a good insight into being an officer and if he wanted to be one, then he had to know this stuff and work out if it was something he could actually do.
"That's it Wesley, but there is also the chance that he is lying and while I don't believe that for a second Wesley, if he was lying, then they would need to know that, so that they didn't convict the wrong person, because that would mean the real killer would not only still be out there, but they could kill again and that is another reason why they will question him about it over and over again, while cross referencing everything he says and our statements, it's just how the process works." Mitch answers honestly and this time decides to go into more detail and try his best to help the boy understand.
"I get it and it makes sense I guess, but er... well okay, I get it, but er... what else will they be asking him about, will it just be about Jim?" Wesley then asks in an unsure tone, as he tries to decide whether to keep asking about his brother or see what else they would be asking him about, which made him a little nervous, because he was scared Conner would tell them about him just standing there and almost letting Mitch die and if people found out about that, he didn't know how he could ever look into anyone's eye again, especially his friends.
"It won't be all about Jim and I don't know how much you know about what's been going on with Alex and Peter, but after lots of investigating, I do believe that Conner was somehow involved in what happened and while I can't go into details with you Wesley, I do believe that he was involved and while they will ask him a few questions about that today, it will just be to get a rough idea of his whereabouts, so when my team question him tomorrow, we can cross reference what he tells us today while looking into any alibis he has given today." Mitch again explains honestly and while he didn't really want to talk about this, especially after all his efforts to calm the boy down and take his mind of everything, they were talking about it now and he might as well explain it as best as he could.
"Yeah, I think I remember Carter telling me about it, but I didn't really think about it much, but er... if he did, then er... well he... why would he do that and how." Wesley then responds in a very confused tone, as he tries to work out how Conner could be involved with what had happened to his friends and while he hated him and wanted to kill him, he wasn't completely biased and for one person to do so much, it was just hard to believe.
"Again, I can't go into details, but I believe Conner being released from prison was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened and I believe as a result, someone has used it as an opportunity to use someone that would have had no where else to really turn and Conner didn't have anywhere to go Wesley, his family had already disowned him and he has no friends left, so he would have been the perfect target for someone to use." Mitch responds honestly again, but this time in a slightly hesitant tone, as he works hard to answer the boys question, but also not give out anything that could compromise his investigation.
"But er... does that mean you think someone else told Conner to do all of it?" Wesley then can't help but ask in a shocked tone, as he takes in the older boys words and suddenly starts to really think about them. "Do you think someone told him to kill Jim?" He then asks in a stunned tone, as he starts to feel himself shaking, before feeling himself being pulled into the older boys arms.
"I'm sorry Wesley, I didn't mean for this to happen, but now is not the time for us to talk about this, because I can't answer all of these questions, but I promise you, when I can, I will tell you and we can talk about it together, is that okay?" Mitch then says in a soothing and comforting tone, after realising how upset this was making him and knew that he should have known better than to talk about this, especially right now, where the boys emotions were already strained to breaking point.
"Is he okay?" Matt asks in a worried tone, after limping over to the end of the pool with his fiancé and seeing their friend being held by their brother.
"We can go if you want us to." Ben then says in a sympathetic tone, after neither his brother or friend had responded to his fiancé's question, although their brother was looking at them and he could see that he was at least okay.
"I don't want them to go." Wesley then whispers into the older boys ear, after hearing his friends and while a part of him wanted to be alone, he didn't want them to go.
"Why don't you go and get us a couple of towels Ben, while you can move the chairs around so we can sit together Matt." Mitch then instructs his brothers, after thinking of the best way to handle the situation and while he could have told them to strip down and come in the pool, he thought it would be better if they all just sat by the side of the pool and that way it would be easier to talk.
"Sure and I will get Wesley a change of clothes and get some shorts for you Mitch." Ben then says with a smile, after taking a few moments to take his brothers words in and realise that neither he or his fiancé had moved or responded to their brother.
"Yeah and I will get the comfy chairs." Matt then quickly states, after taking his fiancé's lead and quickly turns towards the table across the garden and limps towards it, while his fiancé walks towards their pool house.
"You doing okay Little Man?" Mitch then asks as he gives the boy a comforting squeeze and while it had been a while, he thought that using his little nickname would help him relax, especially since it had been a while since he had called him by it.
"I just don't want to be alone, especially since Carter isn't with me, I miss him so much Mitch." Wesley responds in a quiet tone, as he snuggles up a little tighter to the older boy and while he wasn't his real big brother, he loved him like one and even though he will miss Jim, he was glad he had Mitch, because without him, he wasn't sure he would be coping as well as he was, especially with his boyfriend hating him right now.
"You won't be alone and if you want, I can phone your parents to ask if you can stay here tonight and you can sleep in my room with me." Mitch then decides to suggest and while it was a little unusual, they had done it before and he knew it would help the boy relax and feel safe.
"Why not with Ben and Matt?" Wesley asks in a soft tone, while ignoring the older boys actual question for now and focusing on where he might be sleeping, because while he wasn't against his suggestion, in fact he would prefer it, he would have assumed he would have suggested that he slept with his two friends for the night.
"Honestly, if you want to, then they would say yes, but even more honestly Wesley, they've been through a lot recently too and I know you have as well, but so have they and I think they just need to spend a night alone together, with no interruptions." Mitch answers honestly and while he could see a little disappointment in the boys eyes, he could also tell that he wasn't that bothered and he was already thinking about what to say to his parents, who he wasn't expecting to get too much resistance from.
"Then I will stay with you, well if my parents let me, they're still mad at me and I don't want to make it any worse." Wesley then says in a happier tone, as he pushes away from the older boy just enough to look up and see his face.
"They aren't mad at you Wesley, it's why they let you come here in the first place, you've been through a lot and they know that they haven't handled it very well and while you might still be in a little trouble for what happened at the church, it's not because they hate you or are angry with you." Mitch then quickly states in a serious tone and while he might have been bending the truth slightly, he wasn't lying and both Mary and Colin had told him that they blame themselves and not their son for his behaviour.
"I guess so, I guess I'm just not thinking straight right now." Wesley then says with a small smile and while it was slightly forced, he was starting to feel better and with his two friends here, he was looking forward to the rest of the day, a lot more than he was when he first got here.
"You haven't been thinking 'Straight' ever since you found out that Carter and Jordan had broken up Wesley." Ben calls out in a teasing tone, with a grin to match it as he walks over to his friend and brother with some towels and clothes for them both and hearing what his friend had just said and couldn't resist having a little fun.
"Being a dick, must run in the family." Wesley quickly retorts with a grin, before pushing Mitch backwards and then quickly pulling himself out of the water and giving his friend a mock glare.
"Nice bum Wesley, you should get it out more often." Matt then calls out after moving the last of the chairs in place and while he had actually heard some of his friends and brothers conversation, he had tried to ignore it, as it seemed kind of private, but after hearing his fiancé teasing him and then seeing him lift himself out of the pool naked, he decided it was okay to join in.
"What?" Wesley quickly responds in a confused tone as he looks at his friend and then down at himself. "You fucking dick, how the hell did you even do that?" He then states in a half impressed and half annoyed tone, as he gives the older boy a half hearted glare and pout.
"It's a gift my friend, a gift." Mitch responds proudly, before throwing the boys speedos to him and then moving to the end of the pool without getting out.
"Yeah, great gift Mitch, I hear people love a guy who can strip twelve year old boys out of their speedos." Ben then quickly states with a massive grin, that quickly widens when he sees the look on his brothers face and knew he had got him good.
"I don't know, if they all looked like Wesley with his giant penis and balls, then I don't think too many people would complain." Matt then decides to say in as serious a tone as he could manage, after deciding to play along and keep the mood light hearted for as long as possible, because he and his fiancé knew what had happened at the church and it would only be a matter of time before it got brought up by someone.
"Like it's that much bigger than yours or Ben's." Wesley then decides to retort, before quickly yelping and holding his bum cheeks as a stinging pain spreads across them and quickly turns around in surprise.
"Come on, get those speedos on Little Man." Mitch states casually, after getting out of the pool and giving the boys bum a really good strong slap and despite knowing it was mean, he couldn't help but be proud of the slapping sound it made, because it was pretty epic, even if he did say so himself.
"Holy fuck, that sounded insane." Ben then quickly states with a slight wince as he looks at his friend and sympathises with what he was feeling, because his brother had done it to him plenty of times over the years and he knew how much they stung.
"Oh fucking... fuck... fuck... fuck Mitch, you fucking dick..." Wesley then just about manages to say, as he tries to block out the pain, which was intense and while he had been slapped before and many times quite hard when messing around and stuff, this was definitely the worst ever and he was starting to wonder if the stinging would ever stop.
"Holy shit Wesley, I can see his hand print, fuck, that has to hurt." Ben then states with an awed expression and despite finding it funny, he was starting to feel sorry for his friend, because that had to hurt and there was no way he would be sitting down for a while.
"What? I was just hurrying him along, he can't stand around naked all afternoon." Mitch then casually says with an innocent smile, while inside feeling even more proud of himself for what was looking like the best slap he had ever delivered and he had given a lot to his friends and little brother over the years.
"I'll get you back Mitch, I'm so getting you fucking back." Wesley then states in a serious tone and while he hated to admit it, especially since it hurt like hell, the older boy had got him good and he was sure he wouldn't be able to sit down for the rest of the day.
"What do you reckon Matt, should we get him some ice or..." Ben then begins to say, before trailing off and staring open mouthed at his fiancé, who looked like he was frozen to the spot and quickly felt his heart drop.
"Matt? What's wrong mate?" Mitch then asks in a concerned tone, as he looks at his brother and sees him just standing there. "Oh god er... Ben hold him or something and er... Wesley... Wesley just stay there, I will get a towel." He then states in a shocked tone, as his gaze falls down the his brothers jeans and he notices the wet patch going all the way from the groin to the ankle and forming a little pool around his foot.
"Is he okay?" Wesley asks in an unsure tone, as he is still feeling the effects of the slap across his bum to really think straight and he wasn't sure what he should do.
"Hey Matt, hey it's me, you okay?" Ben asks in a quiet and soft tone, after embracing his fiancé and holding on to him tightly, as he tries to figure out what happened to him, because he was making jokes a few moments ago and he hadn't had a freak out like this for a long time now, well apart from his reaction to recent stuff, but he could understand that, while this seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Flashback." Matt whispers meekly in response, after snapping out of his trance and quickly wraps his arms around his fiancé, after realising that he was being held by him.
"What did he say?" Mitch asks as he walks back over to his brothers and wraps one of the towels around them and while he knew they would both have to change, he thought it might help calm Matt down.
"He said he had a flashback." Ben responds in a sad tone, as he gently sways a little to try and calm his fiancé down after feeling him shaking a little bit and while it was a good sign that he had snapped out of it quite quickly, he was still worried by the fact that he had had a freak out in the first place and that it was caused by a flashback.
"Oh fuck, it's the slap, you fucking moron Mitch, it's your fault." Wesley then states, after quickly putting two and two together and realising what his friend had had a flashback about and half glares at the older boy.
"Oh shit, I didn't even think." Mitch then says in a guilty tone, as he thinks about how he had upset his brother and while he knew he was being hard on himself, he never liked hurting any of the boys and just felt like an idiot for being so careless.
"It's okay Mitch, he's not mad and neither am I." Ben then says in a sincere tone, after hearing his fiancé whispering to him and while he could be angry at his brother, he knew it wasn't his fault and wasn't going to try and make him feel guilty for it. "Oh and you suck and he's going to make you pay for making him wet himself." He then adds in an amused tone, after his fiancé whispers in his ear again and while it was a little concerning that he was whispering and not speaking to everyone, the fact he was making jokes was a good sign and he wasn't going to say anything that might upset him again.
"So I have one kid wanting to get me back for imprinting my hand on his ass and another for making him pee himself, looks like I have a lot to look forward to." Mitch then states sarcastically, as he decides to try and play along with the joke and hoping that they can still spend the rest of the day relaxing and hopefully enjoying themselves.
"Hey the day isn't over yet Mitch, plenty of time for you to do something to piss Ben off enough for him to vow vengeance." Wesley then decides to point out with a smirk, before chuckling as he sees the look on the older boys face.
"He's not wrong Mitch and you don't want three of us coming after you, because we like Erica and it would be a shame if she found some of those pictures of you..." Ben then begins to say, before trailing off and giggling, after his fiancé whispers into his ear again. "Yeah, she would definitely want him to explain himself." He then says loud enough for his brother and friend to hear, while purposely not finishing his previous sentence, because he knew it would annoy his brother and also pique his friends interest and it might be fun to listen to him annoy his brother.
"You better be joking Ben, because I'm not the only one with embarrassing things from not so long ago and you know what I'm talking about." Mitch quickly retorts with a grin, after deciding the best form of defence against his brother, was definitely attack and the look on his brothers face quickly confirmed that.
"Can we just sit down and talk?" Matt then asks in a slightly meek tone, as he tries his best to compose himself and not let having a freak out get him down, because while it was a little devastating, he had had them before and he had excepted a long time ago, that he would likely always be at risk of getting them, even though he was hoping the older he got, the rarer they would be.
"Sure thing Matt, but we need to get you out of those and cleaned up a little first." Mitch responds in a serious tone, after quickly switching to big brother mode and while it was fun to joke around, he needed to make sure the boys were okay now and was more than happy to do it.
"It's okay Mitch, I will help him, but you should give Wesley some help, because he isn't going to be able to sit down properly for a while, so you need to do something." Ben then says in an appreciative tone, after looking at his fiancé and then back at his brother with a smile.
"Yeah Mitch and there's no way I can wear my speedos or anything really, so what should I do, because I'm not staying out here naked." Wesley then says in a firm tone, as he gives the older boy an expectant look and while he could figure something out himself, this was his fault and thought it was only fair that he should think of something.
"Relax Wesley, I will just adjust the chair a little and you can lay on your side and I will put a towel over your waist, so it's no big deal." Mitch responds with a smile, as he easily thinks of a solution and could tell that the boy was more than happy with it. "Ben, just put his clothes in a pile and I will put them in the wash tomorrow." He then tells his little brother, who had already got Matt down to his underwear.
"Nah, we got it Mitch, we can do it ourselves and you have work tomorrow anyway." Ben responds in an appreciative tone, but he and his fiancé liked doing things for themselves and being as independent as possible, even when it came to things like washing and cleaning the bathroom.
"Wet one of the towels Ben, I don't want to smell like pee." Matt then says in a slightly embarrassed tone, as he stands in front of everyone naked and while they had all seen him like this and worse and his friend was also naked, he had just wet himself and it was still embarrassing.
"Sure." Ben quickly responds with a loving smile, before walking over to the edge of the pool and dipping half the towel in the water.
"Guys, there's some things that kind of happened..." Wesley then begins to say in a reluctant and awkward tone, after managing to lie on his side in the chair without making his bum sting any more than it already was, before looking at his friend in surprise as he quickly interrupts him.
"My mum and Mike already talked to us about what happened Wesley, so you don't need to tell us and we don't have to talk about it, unless you want to." Matt decides to say, as he looks at his friend and saw how reluctant he seemed to be and if it was him, he wouldn't want to talk about it over and over again and he wanted him to know that they understood.
"Yeah Wesley, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to, we have the rest of the day and we have plenty of other stuff to talk about." Ben then adds with a friendly smile, after walking back over and seeing his friend looking a little unsure of what to do.
"I just want to relax and have a bit of a break, well for now anyway." Wesley then decides to say in response and while he did want to see how much they actually knew about what happened, he really didn't want to talk about it for at least a few more hours.
"Sounds good to me Wesley and Matt, I think you might as well just put a towel around you like Wesley has, no point in getting dressed, we will probably have a swim at some point anyway." Mitch then decides to say in a caring tone, after sitting down and looking around at all the boys and while it was a little weird seeing his brothers as they were right now, it was still kind of sweet and it showed how much they loved each other.
"Can I sit like that as well?" Ben then decides to quickly ask, after finishing wiping and drying his fiancé's groin and legs, which to his slight amusement and delight, had caused him to get half hard and only just about managed to keep his hands off it because his brother and friend were sitting right next to them.
"If you must, but just keep in mind Ben, if Dad or Sarah come out here, you can explain why you're naked if they notice, so keep your underwear within reach, because none of you are skinny dipping either and yes, that means that you will either have to put your speedos back on Wesley or a pair of shorts, if those are more comfortable." Mitch responds in a firm tone, with a look to go with it, just to make sure that they all knew that he wasn't messing around and while he would have let them skinny dip if they had the house to themselves, they didn't and he didn't want them to forget about Sarah and his dad.
"Okay." Ben responds with a smile, after stripping and sitting down like his friend had done, before shifting a little to allow his fiancé to sit in front of him and quickly puts his arms around his stomach and chest.
"So I guess I have to put the towel over you two." Mitch then states with a shake of the head, after seeing how his brothers had decided to sit and despite thinking about telling them to sit apart, they just looked too comfortable and adorable and he couldn't bring himself to separate them.
"Thanks Mitch." Matt responds in an appreciative tone, after his brother drapes a towel over them and while he knew they could have sat separately, he needed to be close to his fiancé right now and just being in his arms, was making him feel a lot better about what had just happened and also what had happened in the town earlier, which was still quite upsetting and a little scary.
"So as it's obvious we've all been through enough crap, why don't we talk about school, because you should be going back next week right?" Mitch then decides to ask, after a few minutes had passed and realising that they didn't really know what to say and decided that school would be a safe subject and even if it wasn't the best, he knew he could also talk about their music class, because he knew they all enjoyed that and respected their teacher a lot.
"It's really you..." Alex says in a relieved tone, after walking into the room and actually seeing his boyfriend for himself, because while his dad would never lie about something like this, he couldn't quite let himself believe it one hundred percent, until he saw him for himself.
"Don't come any closer, the police are right outside and I will shout." Peter quickly states in a serious tone, as he stares at the other boy and tries to stop himself from shaking.
"I won't, I promise, I just wanted to see you and talk to you Peter, that's all." Alex responds in a calm tone, as he remembers everything he and his dad had talked about and while he was hoping that his dad was wrong, he could see straight away that his boyfriend was at least a little bit scared of him.
"Well I don't want to talk to you, I want you to leave me alone and never speak to me again." Peter quickly responds in a firm and serious tone, with a look to match it as he glares at the other boy as bravely as he dared to.
"But you asked for me, you told them that you wanted to see me." Alex then says in a surprised and slightly hurt tone, as he tries to remain calm and remember what his dad had told him and not to take anything his boyfriend says to heart, which was already proving to be harder than he thought it would be.
"He has a point Peter." Jarred then states in a slightly amused tone, as he gives his former best friend a long stare and could see that he was already struggling a little bit and he couldn't wait until he realised just how much Peter hated him now.
"Don't you dare..." Alex then begins to say in an angry tone, before realising what he was doing and quickly trails off for a few seconds. "Sorry, but I want to talk to my boyfriend Jarred, can you..." He then starts to ask in a more neutral and calmer tone, as he tries to not get angry and lose control, which he knew was what his former best friend would want, but before he can finish, he can't help but look at his boyfriend in surprise as he cuts him off.
"I'm not your boyfriend, we aren't even friends, so stop telling people that." Peter quickly states in an angry tone, although he could feel himself shake a little and as he sees the expression on the other boys face, he could feel that little voice in the back of his mind again, but just like when he was in the shed, he didn't understand it and just did his best to ignore it.
"What are you talking about Peter, we're boyfriends and..." Alex then begins to say in a stunned tone, as he stares at his boyfriend in confusion, before finding himself being cut off again.
"You're a fucking freak Alex, I'm not even gay and I'm going to make sure you tell everyone the truth." Peter almost shouts out, after giving his friend a quick look and seeing him nodding his head in support and while he wouldn't be brave enough to do this normally, he trusted his friend to look out for him and he knew there were police outside his room, so he felt as safe as he could feel in front of the other boy.
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