The Dangers of Desire

Chapter 1

“Wakey wakey birthday boy.” Mrs Harrison called out as she knocked on Benny's door. A few seconds later there was no response so she knocked again. “Come on Benny, time to get up.” Still no reply.

“You know what he's been like, he's probably just ignoring you.” Mr Harrison said, walking past and hearing his wife's comments before adding loudly, “Maybe he doesn't want his presents!” He stopped to listen for the response. Still nothing.

“I'm going in.” Mrs Harrison said with a stern face.

“Good luck. Last time I went in without permission, he screamed at me for ten minutes!” Mr Harrison said, remembering the incident with a frown.

“Benny!” Mrs Harrison called out as she opened the door. “What the...” she exclaimed as the room came into her view. It was spotless. Bed made, curtains open, floor clear of the usual debris. More than that though, most of his personal belongings were gone. The desk and shelves were empty. “Tony.” she called out to her husband as she walked in, confused.

Mr Harrison came in and pulled a similar face to his wife. Looking at the bed, he noticed a piece of paper leaning on the pillow. He dashed across, picked it up and read it out.

“Dear Mum and Dad. Sorry to just spring this on you, but I've moved out. I had to wait until I was sixteen to do it and I knew if I told you that you'd try to stop me. Don't worry, I'm not in trouble or anything, but I needed to get out on my own. I know I've not been easy to live with over the last couple of years and I'm really sorry for that, but at least now you can have some peace and quiet.

I'll still go to school, I'm not dropping out or anything so you don't need to be concerned about that. I promise I'll come back and see you soon. All I ask if that you don't try to track me down, I just need some time. Thank you both for everything. Love you loads. Benny. P.S. I bet you never thought you'd see my room this tidy. Dad, maybe you can finally make it into that home gym you've always wanted.”

He lowered the letter and looked at his wife, flabbergasted. “He's gone. Benny's... gone!”

*****

“Ugh!” Dale grunted as he rolled over and fumbled for his phone, attempting to turn off his alarm without opening his eyes. His blind swiping failed to achieve results so he opened a single eye, just enough to see it, turned off the alarm and dropped his face back into his pillow.

A moment later, he turned his head to look at Josh. He already appeared wide awake, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. Dale reached across and ran a finger through his boyfriend's hair, making him jump. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You okay?” he asked, a little concerned.

Josh turned to face him, smiled briefly then turned back and said, “Yeah, I'm fine.” It was clear from his tone that he was far from fine.

“Hey, what's up?” Dale asked, sitting up and turning to look down at the quiet young man, again stroking his fingers through his hair.

Josh just raised his hands and looked briefly at his wrists. They were faint now, almost invisible, but a close enough look revealed thin scars circling all the way around both his wrists. He couldn't bring himself to look at Dale. “Today's his birthday. Sixteen today.” Josh mumbled.

Dale cursed himself for forgetting the date. He had thought about it a week ago, but then lost track of what day it was. He almost hoped that Josh would forget about it too, but knew it was a long shot. Benny had been the best thing that had ever happened to them, his actions bringing the two them together.

At the same time, he was also the worst. Every time he looked at the scars on Josh's wrists, he was taken right back to the day it had happened. The phone call from Josh that was more sobs than words, getting to Benny's house and finding both boys sat crying, distraught, in the bedroom, the blood running down Josh's arms. It still shocked him how much blood could come from such minor wounds.

He did his best to shake the images from his mind. As hard as it was for him, it had been a million times worse for Josh. Despite what the boy had done, Josh had truly loved Benny, trusted him implicitly and it was the shattering of that trust that hurt more than any cut.

It had now been two years since they had last seen the boy... or the man, as he was now! On that day, Josh had forgiven the Benny, accepting that what he had done had been an act of uncontrollable passion rather than anger or hatred. Dale had hoped that it would allow Josh to put it behind him, but forgiving and forgetting are two very different things.

Dale held out his arms, gesturing for Josh to come to him. Josh sat up and the hugged his lover, the warmth of his body felt comforting, while the strong arms wrapped around him made him feel safe. “I love you Dale.” Josh whispered in his ear as his head rested on the man's shoulder.

“I love you too.” Dale whispered back, kissing Josh's shoulder as his hands rubbed up and down his back.

Josh pulled away and smiled at him. A sincere smile this time. Without warning, Josh jumped up, spun Dale round and lay him flat on the bed. Climbing on top, their naked bodies pressed together as their lips met ravenously.

Dale knew it was Josh's attempt to distract himself, but as his cock began swelling he found himself caring less and less why Josh was doing it and just enjoyed it instead. As their passionate embrace continued, they soon found they had two rigid cocks mashed together between their stomachs. Josh pulled away for a moment, just long enough to growl, “Fuck me!”

Still lost in the frantic kissing, Dale reached out to the side and grabbed the bottle of lube that remained on permanent standby. Opening it behind Josh's back, he squeezed some out into his hand then reached down into Josh's crack, quickly finding the hole and slicking it. Josh spread his legs obligingly, bringing his knees onto the bed either side of Dale's waist.

Now it was Dale's turn to pounce, throwing Josh to the side and onto his back. As he moved into position, he spread the remainder of the lube onto his own now-throbbing member. Lifting his lover's legs as he knelt ready in position, Dale exposed Josh's hole and pushed his cock eagerly into it. Josh moaned. Dale moaned. Their eyes fixed on each other as Dale began thrusting.

Josh reached up and put his hands behind Dale's neck, half pulling him down while pulling himself up until their lips met in the middle. The position was hard to maintain and Josh soon dropped back down onto the bed.

Dale took another glob of lube into his hand then wrapped it around Josh's shaft, making him gasp with pleasure. He spread the lube along the whole length until he came to the head, wrapping his entire slippery palm around it. He wiggled his fingers slightly, making his palm shuffle round and round on the sensitive head, knowing exactly how wild it drove Josh.

“You... ah!” Josh gasped, trying to say something, but losing it to the two simultaneous waves of pleasure from prostate and cock.

Dale's thrusts continued with the same sense of urgency as Josh's earlier kiss, speeding him towards a rapid explosion. “Yes, yes, ah, yes!” Dale gasped as his cock began to twitch out a heavy load inside Josh.

The warmth inside him triggered Josh's own release. With Dale's hand covering the whole head, the cum just pooled in his palm and began to dribble down the shaft as the hand movements continued. The added wetness and warmth of his spunk along with the post-orgasm sensitivity made Josh whimper a high-pitched gasp as Dale continued teasing. Finally, smiling widely and gasping for breath Josh called out, “That's enough!”

Josh lay there, panting, sweaty, still convulsing as Dale knelt above him, grinning cheekily as he licked cum from his fingers. “Oh God I love you!” Josh said between breaths.

Dale just smiled his approval, giving Josh's softening cock a teasing squeeze before jumping off the bed. “I've gotta get ready for work, I need a shower.” He started walking away then turned back and added with a wink, “Wanna come wash my back?”

Josh was up out of the bed in less than two seconds.

*****

Josh and Dale were sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen when they heard a key turning in the door. They didn't move as they knew it would be Nick. Their apartment wasn't far from the McKenzie house, so Nick came round every morning to get a lift with Dale. He had left school after his GCSEs and now attended one of the local colleges instead. His college happened to be on the route to Dale's office so it made sense for them to travel together.

“Morning guys.” Nick called out, dropping his keys back in his pocket as he walked in.

“Hey.” They said back in unintentional unison.

Dale looked up as the boy entered. It didn't seem right to think of him as a boy. He was the same height as Josh now and looked more like him every day. The main difference being their haircuts – Josh's short and tidy while Nick's was longer and usually intentionally scruffy – and their build – Josh had continued his work at the gym and maintained his pleasantly muscled physique while Nick remained slim.

Sometimes it was torture for Dale. He loved Josh, more than he ever thought possible, so having another boy who looked so similar was a constant tease. The guy he was most attracted to in the world, but in double. Thankfully, the openness of the relationships between the three of them allowed for his fantasies to be occasionally indulged, but nowhere near as often as he would like.

“Morning!” another voice came from behind Nick, catching Josh and Dale's attention. It was Warren.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Dale asked, with a smile.

Unlike the similarity between Josh and Nick, Dale and Warren couldn't have looked more different. Dale stood at 6'4” and joining Josh at the gym had quickly toned his body into a mountain of solid man, nicely muscled without looking over-the-top. The mop of dark curly hair, the strong jaw line usually coated with neatly trimmed stubble, all centred around stunning hazel eyes. Warren, only a month away from turning sixteen, could still have some growing to do but currently stood at just 5'7” and slim. His black hair was soft, smooth and straight, short on one side and hanging long on the other, covering half of his face and one of his big brown eyes, pools of melted chocolate as Josh had once described them.

“Me and Nick had a... erm... sleepover last night.” Dale replied, eliciting giggles from them both boys. “So I thought I'd come say hi before heading to school.”

As the two boys reached them, Dale greeted both with a hug, holding onto Nick for just a couple of seconds longer than he probably should. Josh just remained seated and smiled at them both, thoughts of Benny gradually creeping back in as his post-sex high waned. 

The two boys joined them for breakfast. They had already eaten before leaving, but growing boys never say no to seconds. They all chatted as they ate, although Josh remained quiet, only speaking when asked something directly. Dale went to finish getting ready as Nick and Warren ate their last few mouthfuls.

“Come on then, trouble.” Dale said, sliding a hand across Nick's shoulders as he walked round to say goodbye to Josh. “You okay?” he asked quietly as he kissed him on the cheek.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Josh replied, a little more convincingly than he had earlier. He kissed Dale on the lips then pushed him away. “See ya later.”

At the same time, Nick was busy kissing warren goodbye... or trying to suck his tongue right out of his head, it was quite difficult to tell the difference from the way they were going at it. “Bye. Love you.” Nick grinned as he finally ended the snog.

“Bye sexy. Love you too.” Warren said back, pinching Nick's bum as he turned away, making them both giggle.

“See ya, squirt.” Dale said as he passed Warren, rubbing the boy's head and intentionally messing up his hair, knowing how much it would annoy him.

“Fuck off!” Warren called after him as he reached up and tidied his hair. As the door closed, he looked round at Josh. The expression on his face made Warren quiver with excitement. Josh was up on his feet, dashing round to Warren's side of the breakfast bar. Without slowing, he picked the boy up, threw him over his shoulder and dashed through to the bedroom.

Slamming the door open, he threw the boy across the room to land on the bed, pulling his clothes off as he approached the still bouncing boy. “Fuck!” Warren gasped in both shock and delight at the eagerness Josh was showing. He held a hand out in front of him, stopping Josh in his tracks. Seeing how keen he was just made Warren want to tease him more. “Wait!” he ordered.

Josh stood, his chest heaving, his eyes wild with desire, cock already pointing straight up to the ceiling. Wondering why he had been ordered to stop, he watched as the boy climbed onto his feet. He started to undress... slowly. He pulled his school jumper off over his head and threw it aside, then teasingly unbuckled his belt, top button open, zip slid down. Biting his lip, he stared down at Josh as he slowly pulled the flaps aside and revealed his underwear-clad bulge. Letting go of the trousers, they dropped to the bed and got kicked aside, along with his shoes and socks.

He reached for the bottom of his shirt, undoing a single button to reveal just a small triangle of skin above his waistband. Then came the second, his navel popped into view, pale, smooth and firm. The third button followed, more skin. The fourth, his chest was almost in view, nipples just hidden. One more button and the two small rigid peaks popped into view. Warren closed his eyes and moaned as he teased one between his fingers. The last buttons opened and he reached for his school tie.

“Leave the tie!” Josh snarled.

Warren bit his lip as he grinned again, never before looking more like the 'naughty schoolboy'. He pulled the collar of the shirt under the tie and threw the shirt aside. Again he closed his eyes, this time one hand on a nipple, the other groping his bulge. The boy turned, bent over and pulled his underwear down low enough to just reveal the pale white mounds of his rear.

Josh was virtually hyperventilating with anticipation. He had already wanted the boy so desperately, but now seeing his favourite part, the boy's perfect arse, he almost disobeyed the order to hold back and jumped on him. He resisted.

The underwear was slid the rest of the way down and kicked aside. He stood back up, looking over his shoulder at Josh with a devilish grin. Finally, he turned, revealing his own erection, matching the upwards direction of Josh's. However, while Josh's cock, like the rest of his body, was covered in fine dark hair, Warren was completely smooth from the neck down, a slight stubble beginning to show behind his rigid cock. Holding his boner with one hand, pulling on the tie with the other he stared Josh in the eye and said confidently, “Come on then!”

That was all the invitation Josh needed. He reached and grabbed the boy's legs, pulling them out from under him and making him fall flat onto his back. Josh climbed on, straddling the boy before reaching down to grab the tie. He used it to pull Warren up into a sitting position. Wrapping the tie around his hand to keep him close, Josh kissed him hungrily, revelling in the feeling of the boy's soft lips against his own, the tongue invading his mouth.

Josh eventually released his grip, allowing Warren to flop back down onto the bed. He lunged forward to nuzzle the boy's neck before starting to kiss a trail down his chest, down his stomach, licking the boy's navel as the head of the solid cock pressed into his chin. He moved a little further down, licking the solid meat like a lollipop.

“Oh, Josh!” Warren gasped as he lay enduring the man's frantic assault on his body.

Josh couldn't be happier as the boy's dick slid between his lips. It had grown substantially in the years he had known him, now almost the same size as his own, perhaps a little shorter but thicker. The sucking was as furious as the rest of the love making so far, making Warren gasp for breath, his fingers clutched at Josh's hair.

“Josh, slow down... Or I'm gonna...” Warren started, then added. “Too late!” His eyes rolled back in his head and his hands moved to his sides, knuckles turning white as he clenched bedding tightly in his fingers. Several shots of cum down Josh's throat later, Warren just called out, “Josh!” It prompted the man to stop sucking.

Josh stood back up, his own cock leaking precum like a dripping tap. He grabbed the tie again, pulling the boy up then flipping him round to kneel on the bed. Josh climbed up behind Warren, the precum oozing from his rigid stiffy providing enough lubrication for both his own erection and Warren's hole.

Thrusting in hard, Warren gasped and bolted upright, his back slamming against Josh's chest. “Shit!” he called out more from surprise than pain.

“Sorry.” Josh whispered in his ear, kissing it gently. He slowed his thrusts as he wrapped his arms around the boy's slender body, kissing his neck. Josh's hands slid up and down the smooth, flawless skin of Warren's torso as his hips pumped away, not slowing until he had filled the boy with his second load of the morning. He stopped humping, but remained inside Warren as he began to soften. His hands slid a bit further down, delighted to feel that the teen was still hard. “I want you to fuck me!” he pleaded in a whisper.

“I don't think I can cum again so soon.” Warren said, reaching up to stroke Josh's cheek behind him. He felt Josh press his face against his hand, enjoying the touch, mewing quietly.

“I don't need you to cum, I just want to feel you inside me.” Josh replied, then kissed the boy's neck again.

Warren had been hoping that Josh's voracious appetite had just been pure and simple horniness, but that request betrayed a lot more than Josh probably realised. He was hurting, bad and was seeking all the comfort he could find. “I've got a better idea.” Warren said, turning his head and tilting it back to kiss Josh quickly on the lips.

He moved down into a laying position, ensuring that Josh followed. He shuffled into a comfortable position, with one of Josh's arms under his neck, while the other draped over his hip. The emotional young man hugged Warren close, spooning up against him, making as much of their bodies touch as he could. In return, Warren pulled Josh's arms together in front of him, holding his hands. “How's that?” he asked quietly, looking down and seeing the scars. He still didn't know how Josh had got them, except that they had been inflicted somehow by Benny.

Josh said nothing in response, just sniffed quietly. Warren felt the wetness of tears on his shoulder.

Several minutes later, the sniffing stopped. “Promise you'll never hurt me!” Josh pleaded.

“I'd die before I'd hurt you!” Warren said back. He turned 180 degrees to face Josh. “I love you so much, Josh.”

“I love you too, Warren.”

*****

The wind blew chillingly cold through the school quad, the occasional bouts of drizzle driving most of the students inside for their lunch break. A few remained outside, mostly playing games of football or stood in small huddles, chatting boisterously.

A small wall, about three foot high, ran along one side of the quad, separating a small path along the side of a building. That was Warren's favourite spot when he wanted to be alone, sitting on the side of it that faced away from the quad, the wall hiding him from the view of the rest of the pupils and students. Today he had sought refuge there, partly from the cold wind, but mostly to think about Josh... and Benny!

The younger boy had been in his class but after the incident, whatever it may have been, he never came back to the school. Various rumours flew around about the reason for Benny's diappearance. Warren may not have known all the facts, but he knew enough to know that none of the whisperings even came close to what had really happened.

The one time Warren had seen Benny since then was his fourteenth birthday party, where the boy had apologised and seemingly made up with everyone, but once the party was over, none of them saw him again, whether that was by chance or design they didn't know.

After Benny's fourteenth, Josh seemingly returned to normal, with only the occasional moment of melancholy. Then Benny's fifteenth birthday had rolled around and Josh's mood plummeted. It only lasted a few days thanks to the support of his friends, but they had all hoped it had been just a one-off, that the next birthday would come and go uneventfully, but alas not. Here was Benny's sixteenth and Josh looked to be slipping again.

“I thought you'd be here.” a voice came from above him. It was Sam, looking down at him with a sweet smile, strands of golden brown hair partly covering one eye. The boy's hair was nowhere near as long, or obstructive, as Warren's own, but it was long enough to occasionally obscure his vision. He hopped over the wall and flopped down beside Warren, brushing the hair aside so he could look at his friend.

“Hey Sam.” Warren said flatly.

“Ugh, I hate when you're miserable. What's wrong? Boyfriend trouble?” Sam asked with a cheeky grin.

Warren couldn't help smiling now. First came the thought of 'which boyfriend?', quickly followed by a surge of joy at the boy's willingness to talk to him about such things. On returning to school after the Summer he met Nick and Josh, he had desperately needed someone outside of their complicated little circle to talk to about it.

That someone had been Sam. He had briefly considered a couple of other friends, namely Greg and Tim who, along with Benny, had made up his best (and only) friends at school. There was something about Sam though, a potential closeness he sensed could sprout into something wonderful. At first he suspected the boy may have been gay too, with his perfect hair, beautiful face and softly-spoken manner. That was what made Warren comfortable enough to come out to him, although his disappointment was quite obvious when Sam revealed that he was straight.

Sexual orientation aside though, the two quickly bonded, sharing (almost) all of their secrets with each other. Sam was the only boy who knew the extent of what Warren had got up to that Summer. He eventually told Greg and Tim parts of it, but far from the whole story. The shared secret seemed to bring them all closer together, but Warren and Sam particularly so.

“Something like that.” Warren replied, his smile fading. “Josh is... having a hard time at the moment and I don't know what I can do about it.”

“Heh. Hard time.” Sam giggled at the double-entendre, making Warren nudge him angrily, despite his smile. “The way you were grinning this morning, I bet you had a VERY hard time.” He winked.

Warren blushed. Sam had an uncanny knack for knowing when Warren had 'done it', although between Josh and Nick, that was most of the time for Warren anyway! “Shut up, I don't mean that sort of thing.”

“I know.” Sam said, his expression turning serious, but still with a hint of a smile. “So what's got him so down?”

“Just... I dunno... stuff from the past. He's quite depressed about it.” Warren replied. It was hard not knowing the full details, and even harder explaining it without disclosing what he did know.

Sam looked straight ahead at the bare wall of the building in front of them, humming quietly to himself as he thought. “Hey.” he said, looking back to the silent boy beside him. “When you're feeling down, being alone sucks. So why not make sure that tonight, he's not alone!”

“Yes!” Warren said, his eyes widening as a smile spread across his face. “We can have a party! You... are the best!” He reached across and kissed Sam excitedly on the cheek.

“Ugh, I'm gonna catch your gayness!” Sam called out, rubbing his face where Warren had just kissed him.

“Fuck off!” Warren chuckled, pushing Sam away. The boy rocked away from Warren, then bounced back, going far enough to bring his head to rest on his friend's shoulder. Warren smiled at the gesture. It was so nice having a friend he could be so close to, physically, without wondering where it was going. He could hug Sam, kiss him, even hold his hands and he knew the straight boy never took it as anything more than friendly affection.

Warren pulled his phone out and started texting. First to Dale. [Hey bro, I guess Josh is feeling a bit down again this year. Was thinking a few of us should come round tonight and keep you guys company to take his mind off of it. Whadda you think?]

Dale's reply came quickly. [Sounds like a good idea. We're going to the gym after work with Ryan and Liam, I'll see if they wanna come round. Could you ask Nick and Corey?]

[No problem bro. Mind if Sam comes too?]

[That's fine. Thanks for this. See you later xx]

Warren put his phone down and tilted his head to the side, resting it against Sam's. “All sorted.” he said happily. “Wanna come?”

“Yeah.” Sam said happily. “You sure Josh won't mind me hanging around?”

“Of course, Josh loves you.” Warren replied quickly.

“Just Josh?” Sam said, pulling his head away and pouting comically.

Warren giggled. “You know I love you too.” He blushed. It wasn't the first time had said that to Sam, but as the first friend he had ever said it to, it still embarrassed him a little to say it aloud.

Sam gave Warren a quick hug then stood up. “Come on then. I skipped lunch to come cheer you up, so you can buy me some chips!”

Warren said nothing, he just laughed and followed Sam, texting Nick and Corey with his evening plans as he walked.

*****

Dale was running on the treadmill, just entering his fourth mile when he saw Josh approaching him in the mirror. He cut his run short, hopping off and stopping the machine. “Hiya.” he said happily, hugging Josh.

“Aargh, you're all sweaty!” Josh said, pushing him away, but letting his fingers hold onto his arm for just long enough to show his affection.

“Yeah, that's kinda the point. Not all of us come here just to hit on guys and play in the showers ya know!” Dale teased him back.

“Hey, that last time we were both playing in the showers!” Josh argued back, making Dale blush a little as he remembered the encounter Josh was referring to.

“You seem... better.” Dale said, happily, immediately wondering whether mentioning the bad mood may have triggered its return. He nervously looked to Josh, preparing himself for both good or bad.

“Yeah... I am.” Josh replied with a broad smile, much to Dale's relief.

“Oh, that's a shame, I'll cancel the plans for tonight then!” Dale said, turning to walk away, knowing that Josh's curiosity would get the better of him.

“Plans?” he asked, running after him.

“Yeah, Warren noticed you seemed down so he thought you might like it if we had a few of the guys over, ya know, to cheer you up. But if you're okay now, I guess I'll just cancel.” Dale teased.

Josh jumped in front of him and put on a fake pout, his eyes big and watery. “No, I'm sad, see!”

Dale laughed and gently punched Josh's arm. “You tit.” He kissed Josh on the cheek then added, “I'm gonna get back to my run. Catch ya later.”

Josh looked round nervously. He was still a little wary of guy-on-guy action in public. He had been out for quite some time now, but it still seemed strange. He had yet to have any hassle for it thankfully. He should have known not to expect any of it at the gym though, the two of them had been going there together for over two years now and had never been secretive about their relationship. It probably helped that they were friends with Ryan and Liam, who nobody dared to mess with!

Speaking of Ryan and Liam, Josh saw the two of them working together across the room, bench-pressing an absurd amount of weight. He walked over to them, greeting Liam with a quick hug and nodding a greeting to Ryan who was laying on the bench, holding onto the bar above him.

“What's the deal?” Ryan said, then took the weight of the bar, lowering it and lifting it, adding a few more words between each lift. “Dale said we're... coming over to.... cheer you up!” He dropped the bar back into place, swivelled round and sat up, facing Josh. “Ya know, since you stopped dating girls, you've started turning into one yourself!” He got up and added some extra weights to the bar.

“Fuck you!” Josh laughed. Anyone listening in might have interpreted the exchange as aggressive, but Josh had long since learned that this was how Ryan communicated. If he bothered to insult you about something, then it was usually because he cared about it. “I was just.. having a bad day. I'm over it now.” Josh said, smiling.

Ryan shrugged dismissively and lay back down onto the bench, but Liam looked a little closer. He could tell Josh's smile was completely superficial. While his lips turned up, his eyes remained unchanged, sad even. He caught Josh's attention and the two shared a silent exchange. Josh's eyes betrayed his sadness while Liam's conveyed his understanding – something was up but he didn't want to talk about it.

Liam sidled next to Josh, the shorter man's head only just reaching above Josh's shoulders. He raised an arm and placed his hand on Josh's back, rubbing gently. Josh mewed involuntarily at the comfort of the other man's touch, making Ryan look round at him questioningly, prompting Liam to pull his hand away. As Ryan shrugged and returned to the weights, Josh and Liam smirked at each other. There wasn't really any need to hide their closeness from Ryan. As much of a stereotypical jock as he appeared, they knew he understood how things were and wouldn't really have an issue with it. It was more about the excitement of having a secret, the danger of getting caught that prompted them to keep it hidden.

The only person who knew they fooled around together was Dale and that was because he was often involved along with them, the three occasionally sharing significantly more than a sneaky rub on the back.

“You look like you could use a shower!” Liam said quietly to Josh as Ryan began another set.

“No I only just got here. I...” Josh started, before seeing the twinkle in Liam's eye. He smiled in return. “Yeah, I should... probably hit the showers! See ya later guys.” Ryan grunted a goodbye while Liam struggled to stifle another smirk.

As Josh headed back to the changing rooms, he caught Dale's eye. He gave him a cheeky smile before gesturing back towards Liam. Dale soon got the idea but waved and shook his head, indicating for Josh to go ahead without him. Josh smiled back and ran in.

A few minutes later, he was stripped naked and stood under the hot stream of the shower. The water felt great, but he was craving slightly more erotic feelings than warm water and eagerly stood waiting for Liam. His cock was already rigid before he heard the quiet knock on the cubicle door, Josh's fairly distinct orange towel hung over the top of it as a signal for Liam.

As he opened the door, Liam took a quick look around and then dashed in to join him. It wasn't the biggest cubicle, especially as neither of them were particularly small guys. Liam closed and locked the door behind him then turned. Josh's earlier look of sadness had now been completely consumed by lust. He lunged forward, knocking Liam back against the door as he buried his mouth into the man's neck. Liam gasped at the ferocity of the manoeuvre before raising his hands onto Josh's sides, sliding them slowly down and round until he cupped his buttocks.

Josh's hands slid between them as he continued kissing and licking Liam's neck, revelling in how different the young man's body felt. While Dale was nicely toned and pleasantly hairy, and Warren was smooth, flat flawlessness from head to toe, Liam was a marvel of muscle with his perfect pecs and clearly defined abs, all of it covered in a light stubble, the body hair starting to grow back from his usual waxing.

Liam finally managed to push Josh back, their eyes meeting as he stepped back. He knew what Josh wanted and for once he decided to let him have it. Liam had lost count of how many times they had been together now, but could probably count on one hand the number of times the two had kissed. Their encounters had always been about physical needs and desires rather than romantic intent. Liam didn't want to date Josh, he just wanted to fuck him, an arrangement that happily suited them both. As such, Liam always avoided kissing. It wasn't something they ever spoke about, it's just the way it was, the way they had gotten used to, but now Josh's eyes were pleading for it and Liam was helpless to resist, so he nodded his head ever-so-slightly.

Josh moved forward again, gentler this time, not knocking Liam back at all as his arms stretched round the shorter man. Tilting his head down, Liam returned the gesture, looking upwards as their lips met. Their hands continued exploring each other as their lips pressed together, gently at first, keeping in tone with the softness of their kiss. As the minutes went by, the intensity of their embrace increased, their hands keeping up with the strength of it, moving from soft strokes to desperate clawing.

Panting loudly and really not caring who might overhear them, Josh pulled out of the kiss and demanded , “Fuck me... hard!”

That was exactly what Liam was waiting to hear. Josh turned, leaning against the wall with the shower head and spreading his legs, partly to expose his hole and partly to lower it for the shorter man to reach. The warm jet of water pummelled his skin, running in heavy rivulets down his back, teasing his hole with its heat.

Liam reached across and pumped some shower gel from the dispenser on the wall into the hand and used to lubricate first himself and then Josh, quickly pushing one finger in, followed by two then three.

Josh's arms were crossed, pressed against the wall with his head resting on them. He moaned quietly but happily as he felt the digits penetrate him, followed soon after by six thick inches of cock. As requested, Liam wasted no time in fucking him hard and fast. His big, low-hanging balls swinging forward against Josh's own with each thrust.

“Harder!” Josh snarled, turning back to look at Liam.

Again Liam complied, ramming against Josh's rear as hard as he could, pushing himself as deep inside as possible with each pump. Josh's entire body jumped every time Liam slammed against him, he moaned into his arms, head pressed firmly against the tiled wall.

He felt the rapidly-moving cock twitch as his insides filled with warmth, but the thrusting continued for several seconds afterwards until Liam could take no more and pulled out, collapsing against Josh's back, gasping for breath. He reached round, holding the taller man in a hug as the water splashed around his head.

Josh remained motionless until he caught his breath, then stood up straight and swivelled, his slippery, wet body allowing him to easily turn with Liam's arms still around him. He returned the hug for a few seconds, tilting his head down to rest on the top of Liam's before they simultaneously let go.

Liam reached up, placed a hand on Josh's cheek the stood on tiptoes to plant a quick peck on his lips. “I'm here if you wanna talk!”

Josh smiled down at him. “Thanks.” he replied quietly.

Liam left the cubicle first, followed ten seconds later by Josh. Their separate leaving was unnecessary really as the changing room was virtually empty. Even if it hadn't been, they had been far from quiet and any prospect of discretion had been completely shattered by their noisy fuck.

They chatted as they dried off and dressed, the conversation completely normal guy stuff. 'What happens in the shower stays in the shower!' Liam thought to himself, holding back a smile. Josh seemed a lot more relaxed after their session, but he wondered how long it would last. He was glad he was spending the evening with him as it would allow him to keep an eye on the troubled young man.

Once they were dressed, they headed out of the changing room, just as Ryan was heading in, shortly followed by Dale. They waited near the exit until the other two finished in the changing room, the two of them joking about the prospect of Ryan and Dale doing what they had just done, but knowing it would never happen.

Liam and Ryan walked together as they left, leaving Dale walking alongside Josh. “So who's actually coming over tonight?” Josh asked as they walked.

“These guys.” Dale said, pointing to Ryan and Liam. “Warren, Nick, Corey.” Josh smiled at the mention of each of the names. “Oh, and James.”

“Oh.” Josh said, his face dropping.

Dale sighed. “I don't see what your problem is with him!”

Josh shook his head. “I haven't got a problem with him, he just doesn't like me!”

“Oh it's all in your head! Dale insisted. “Besides, I haven't seen him since before Christmas so it'll be nice to catch up. So be nice!”

“I'll be nice when he is!” Josh said back moodily.

*****

Warren and Sam were already there when Josh got home. As he walked in, he saw Sam first. The boy was sitting on the sofa while Warren lay on it, his head resting on Sam's lap. They both smiled at Josh as he entered. “Hello people who don't live here!” he said through his smile. “Ya know, we gave you that key for emergencies!”

“This was an emergency.” Warren said, sitting up. “I wanted a blow job and we would have got arrested if we'd done it out on the street!” He sniggered.

“You wish, gay boy!” Sam said, nudging Warren so hard he slipped off the sofa.

Josh couldn't be mad at the boys as he laughed at their antics. There were more greetings as the other three followed Josh inside. They had all met before, although Sam had only met Ryan and Liam a few times, so Dale discretely reminded him of their names and vice versa.

Nick arrived a short time later, with Corey following behind. The youngest McKenzie brother made his usual loud entrance, virtually demanding that all activity stop to acknowledge his presence. Josh watched Corey contemplatively as he made his way round the room, hijacking every conversation.

For some reason, his mind rushed back to that day at Benny’s house, the first day he had got involved in their activities. He had been shocked to see the boy there, laying naked on the floor, impaled on Dale's cock. He had flipped out completely, almost bringing Benny's games to an end. In hindsight, he probably should have, but he had allowed it to continue at Corey's insistence. That was the first day Josh had seen the his youngest brother as a young man, rather than a little boy.

He had still been so small back then though, the 'little' brother in every sense of the word. That was definitely not the case now. At fourteen, and just months away from turning fifteen, he seemed to grow an inch every night. Already closing in on Josh and Nick's height, he was close to six foot tall now. The sports he loved, particularly football, had him bulking up quite quickly too, his build much like Josh's had been at that age. It still surprised Josh how different Corey looked to himself, especially considering Nick's uncanny likeness. His hair was an almost-yellow blonde, cut short mainly to avoid it getting in his eyes while playing football. The tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, overly-confident football payer, he was going to break hearts – a lot of them!

“Hey bro.” Corey finally said, having made his way around everyone else in the room. He gave him a tight hug.

The things they had done with Benny had brought Josh closer to both his brothers but in very different ways. Josh and Nick still messed around together sexually, sometimes alone, sometimes with Warren or Dale, occasionally with both. That sort of thing had stopped with Corey almost as soon as the stuff with Benny had ended, the younger boy happily settling into his heterosexuality. Sometimes Josh felt guilty for letting Corey get involved, especially as he eventually came to find out that the boy had done it mainly be close to him and Nick, rather than any sexual desires.

Without the physical closeness Josh shared with Nick, his closeness with Corey came purely from their openness and sharing. Corey told him everything. Every crush, every problem, every good part of his days. Whenever Josh spent time with his youngest brother, it reassured him that the events of that Summer had, on the balance of things, been beneficial. In a way, that was why having Corey there made him feel better than any of the sexual liaisons he had enjoyed during the day.

“Hey bro, good to see you.” Josh said back as the hug parted.

Corey gave him an inquisitive look, tilting his head to the side and analysing his big brother. The closeness worked both ways, but without the need for Josh to really share that much. The boy was insightful, scarily so at times, almost being able to read Josh's mind. His psychic abilities emerged once again. “Forget him and enjoy this.” he gestured to the room full of friends.

Josh laughed at the boy's comments. In two seconds, with just five words, he had cut through all the crap racing through Josh's mind and gotten straight to the point and, more importantly, the solution. Still laughing, he pulled the boy back into a hug. “Love you, Cor.”

The younger sibling pulled away, flashed him a cheeky smile and replied, “Yeah, I don't blame you!”

*****

James had been last to arrive and had quickly joined in the lively conversations and drinking with the other guys in attendance. Josh had steered clear of him for most of the night, save for a slightly frosty greeting on his arrival.

The evening was starting to wind down now and the others had been right, it was exactly what Josh had needed. Liam and Ryan had been first to leave, having the furthest to travel home. When it neared Corey's curfew time, Nick, Warren and Sam decided it was probably a good idea to leave at as well.

Josh was in the kitchen, pouring himself a drink when he suddenly found himself surrounded by the four boys, all bidding him hurried farewells before he really even had a chance to react. Nick was most entertaining. Being the oldest at seventeen, he was the only one of the four boys who Josh had allowed to have alcohol but he wasn't really used to it yet and was acting a little tipsy after a single drink. Once they had said their goodbyes and filed out, Dale walked in, putting on his coat.

“I'm gonna run them all home.” he explained, kissing Josh on the cheek.

“Okay, is everyone else gone?” Josh asked as Dale started walking away.

“No, James is still here.” Dale said with a slightly cruel grin.

“Ah, why?” Josh complained.

“I haven't had much chance to catch up with him, so he's gonna stay a bit later so we can spend some time together when I get back. Besides, this might give you a chance to get to know him better.” Dale said, then turned and left.

Josh downed his drink as he heard the boys shouting goodbye again before pouring himself another one. Reluctantly he walked out of the kitchen and saw James sat alone on the sofa. He considered sitting on one of the big armchairs opposite, but figured it would be slightly less awkward if they weren't stuck staring at each other and sat at the other end of the sofa instead. James raised his eyebrows and smiled politely as he saw Josh approach, then grabbed his own drink from the coffee table and took a big gulp.

Josh sighed heavily. His day had started so crappy but then gotten so much better but was now sliding downhill once again and he wasn't going to let that happen. “What's your problem?” Josh asked, a lot more bluntly than he had intended it to sound.

James looked round at him, shocked and looking more than a little annoyed. “I don't... have a problem! Do you?” he snapped back.

“Yeah. You.” Josh replied, already regretting his alcohol-fuelled honesty. “Ever since I started dating Dale, you seem to have gone out of your way be a total dick to me!”

James' jaw dropped, his eyes narrowing to angry slits. “I'VE been a dick to YOU? Oh of course, it's about you, it's all about Josh, isn't it!” he shouted back.

“What?” Josh said softly, the response not quite what he expected.

“Oblivious as ever!” James sneered.

“What?” Josh repeated, his expression changing from anger to confusion.

James shook his head. “Dale meets you and suddenly everything's 'Josh this' and 'Josh that', no time for me any more!” he said, voice still raised, probably revealing more of his issue than he realised.

“I didn't...” Josh started to argue back, before realising what he had really said. “Wait... you're jealous?”

“Oh fuck you!” James snapped, standing up with the intention of walking away.

Josh stood and blocked his way. “No, sorry, I don't mean that like a bad thing.” he said, his expression softening. “You think... I took him away from you?”

“I don't think it, I know it. We used to do everything together, then you come along and I see him once a month if I'm lucky!” James said, his voice growing quieter, despite the obvious anger still seething within him. He dropped back down onto the sofa.

“Do you... like Dale?” Josh asked gingerly, sitting down next to him.

“No!” James snapped. “He's just a friend. He was...” his voice trailed off.

“Your best friend?” Josh asked, finally catching on.

James stared him straight in the eye, nodded slightly then turned away as a tear pooled in the corner of his eye. Josh felt a sudden wave of empathy for James. He had spent two years with completely the wrong idea about him.

“We used to do everything together.” he repeated.

“Yeah, I know.” Josh said with a devilish grin, remembering what Warren had once told him about seeing Dale and James messing around together.

James immediately caught on to the intimation in Josh's reply, anger returning to his face, but this time diluted by embarrassment. “He told you?” James asked.

“Nah, he's never said a word.” Josh replied, smiling even more at the young man's obvious embarrassment. “Warren... saw you!”

“That little fucker!” James muttered.

Josh stayed silent for a moment, letting the awkwardness linger intentionally. “So is that one of the main things you miss?”

“No.” James snapped, still angry, but as he looked at Josh's face, the frown faded and he burst into laughter. Josh joined him, the laughter draining the tension between them. “Well, maybe a bit.”

“I didn't know you were one of us.” Josh said, grinning.

James nudged him. “I'm not.” He shrugged, then leaned forward in the seat, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. “It's just... I really enjoyed messing around with him. He was the first person I ever... did things with. Do you have, like, a first guy you fooled around with?”

Josh's mouth flapped as he tried to reply. What could he really say to that without opening a whole can of worms he had spent all day trying to keep tightly closed. Eventually he just managed a sympathetic, “I know what you mean.”

“I'm not even saying I wanna do that stuff, we never planned it, it always just kinda happened. I miss just hanging with him in a way where stuff like that has the option to happen. Oh God, I'm talking total bollocks. I'm not in love with your boyfriend if that's what you're thinking.” James rambled nervously.

“But you wouldn't mind a quick hand job from him?” Josh laughed.

James blushed heavily.

“Let's... try something.” Josh said cryptically. He reached out and took hold of James' shoulder, gently pushing him back so he he relaxed back into the sofa cushions. “Close your eyes.”

James did as he was told, then felt Josh move closer, his lips coming so close to his ear that he could feel the other man's breath.

“Imagine I'm Dale. So, when you fooled around, what would he do?” Josh whispered.

James gulped nervously. “Well, first he'd just stroke my chest through my shirt, I always liked that.” he explained. As he said it, he felt Josh copying the actions he described. He gasped at the realisation of what was happening, but kept his eyes closed, an image of Dale fixed in his mind.

“And then?” Josh asked quietly as he caressed the young man's firm chest.

“Then he'd...” James stuttered, his breath quivering. “He'd kiss my neck.” Josh's lips were there, so gently he barely felt them. James' entire body shuddered as a million butterflies fluttered in his stomach. “Then he'd take off my shirt and... and kiss my chest.”

Josh reached down and James leaned forward a little, allowing Josh to pull his shirt off over his head. He relaxed back again as he felt first fingers and then lips on his chest. Josh marvelled again at another body so different from the rest he had experienced that day. He was as slim and toned as Warren, but with a few more years of maturity. The most distinguishing feature was the smatterring of freckles starting on his shoulders, spreading down his arms and chest. He was whimpering with pleasure at Josh's touch.

“What next?” Josh asked in a whisper, releasing a nipple from between his pursed lips.

“He would... slide his hand... down.” That was all he could manage to say, but Josh got the idea.

Until then, Josh's attention had been focussed above the waist, but with the instruction he looked down. James was very obviously rigid, a massive bulge snaking down his leg. 'Warren wasn't kidding, he's hung!' Josh thought, remembering the other detail Warren had mentioned when revealing Dale and James' history to him.

He slid his hand down over James' stomach, playfully stroking the thin trail of ginger-blond hair beneath his navel. He followed the line of hair down, slipping his fingers under the waistband of his underwear, finding a small soft bush beneath his fingers. His exploring hand continued past the hair, soon sliding down warm, hard flesh.

“Oh God!” James called out as he felt Josh's hand touching his shaft. “And then... and then.” he gasped.

“Shh.” Josh whispered. “I know what's next.” He planted a gentle kiss on the quivering man's stomach before reaching down with his other hand to undo the jeans. Using both hands, he pulled at them along with the underwear. James raised himself off the sofa to allow Josh to slide them down to his knees.

His huge cock swung free, hitting his stomach with an audible slap. Returning to kiss James' neck, he took hold of the monstrous meat with one hand and stroked it slowly. It took no more than a dozen strokes before the smooth heavy balls contracted and the huge dick twitched in excitement. 

“Dale!” James moaned.

He was more of a dribbler than a shooter, but it was one hell of a load. Thick white spurts kept oozing out, pooling first in the navel before overflowing and dribbling down towards his bush as his chest heaved breathlessly.

Josh finally let go, reluctantly, of the huge penis and sat back on the sofa, resting his hands behind his head.

James' eyes were remained closed as he caught his breath. Suddenly coming back to reality, he felt extremely exposed as he sat there mostly naked, wet from his own cum. “Oh God.” he muttered, grabbing for his shirt but Josh stopped him.

“Relax, let me grab you something to clean up first.” Josh said with a smile as he got up and headed to the bathroom.

Once James was cleaned up and fully dressed again, he sat quietly on the sofa again, looking more than a little embarrassed. “So, is that like what you used to do?”

James nodded, then added, “Well almost, sometimes I jerked him off in return.” Any need for secrecy or discretion had long disappeared, so he shared the fact without hesitation. He quickly realised the way Josh might have interpreted it and turned to him. “That's... that's not an offer!”

Josh laughed, rocking forward in his seat. “You're so cute!” Josh said through his laughter, meant as a comment of endearment rather than any kind of flirtation.

“Fuck off.” James said, blushing and avoiding eye contact, but smiling reluctantly.

Josh stopped laughing and sat back again. He stared at James and waited patiently for the young man to look back at him. “I'm sorry.” he said frankly. “I didn't mean to do it, but I guess you're right, I did... kinda steal him away from you.” He paused for a moment, considering the situation. “Look, you mean a lot to him and I can see how much he means to you too. I'm gonna make sure he gets to see a bit more of you from now on. Whadda you say?”

James smiled and almost welled up again. “That'd be great. Thank you.”

“He'll be back soon. I should probably leave you two to catch up.” Josh said, starting to move away until he felt a hand grab his own.

“Don't.” James said quietly. “Don't leave. I think... I need to get to know you a bit better too.” As he smiled, he noticed he was still holding Josh's hand and let go of it, his blushing returning quickly.

Josh laughed again. “I'm gonna hug you now.” he said, leaning towards James.

“Okay.” James said happily, leaning in to meet him.

*****

As Dale lay in bed, he turned over to see Josh laying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, exactly as he had that morning. This time though, his stare was accompanied by a broad smile.

“You okay?” Dale asked.

Josh turned to look at his boyfriend. “I'm... fantastic!” His happiness was so obvious it was almost radiating off of him in waves.

“Good, I like seeing you happy.” Dale replied sincerely. “And you and James seem... better!?”

“Yeah, we.. talked about a few things. He misses you. A lot.” Josh explained.

“He said that?” Dale asked, the affection apparent in his voice. When Josh nodded, he added, “I need to spend more time with him!”

“I'm glad you think that, cos I already told him you would be!” Josh said cheekily.

“You,” Dale said, placing a hand on Josh's chest, rubbing it gently, “are amazing.”

“You're not wrong!” Josh replied smugly, prompting a punch in his arm from Dale.

*****

Benny lay in his bed, the events of the day running through his head. He had spent so long building up to that moment, when he would finally venture out on his own and now it had happened. So many questions ran through his head. Why had he done it? How were his parents taking it? Would everything continue going as well as it had up until then? Had he made the right decision?

Unable to get to sleep with his mind racing, he got up and walked out of his bedroom. There were still several lights on throughout the house. He leaned on the railing overlooking the main reception area.

A man emerged from one of the downstairs doors and headed across the wide marble floor. He looked up as he walked and noticed Benny stood there. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at the boy nervously. “G... good evening, Sir!”

“Good evening.” he replied flatly. “Carry on.” he instructed. 'Did I make the right decision?' he asked himself again.

The man ran off quickly. As he reached a door and opened it, a loud scream came from inside, cutting off as the door was pulled closed. Benny's lips curled up into a smile. “Definitely the right decision.” he said to himself quietly, before returning to bed.
Chapter 2

Benny was woken, as had become the norm, by a quiet tap on the door. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up in bed, cleared his throat and called out, “Come in.”

The door opened and a naked man walked in. He was in his early thirties, short dark hair, heavily-stubbled, probably a day's growth away from being actually bearded. His dark hair continued down his firm, tanned chest and stomach, ending in a thick bush above an average-sized flaccid cock. He looked nervous as he approached, carrying a breakfast tray.

“Your breakfast, Sir.” he said as he cautiously neared the boy's massive bed.

Benny looked at the man and thought to himself. 'He's one of the new ones. What was it? Jack? No, something beginning with P. Was it Peter? No, Philip, that was it.' Aloud he said quietly, “Thank you Philip.” before thinking to himself, 'I really should learn all their names now that I live here!'

Philip nodded politely then placed the tray down on Benny's lap. This was the first time he had seen Benny up close since his first night in the house, and he had been far too distracted to really take in much detail of the boy at the time. His sweet face made him look somewhat younger than his sixteen years. His piercing green eyes were mesmerising. His dark blonde hair was a mess from his night's sleep, sticking up at the front. Philip was surprised at the boy's build too as he sat there exposed down to the waist. He had only seen him clothed, from a distance, and while he knew the boy was no colossus, he had expected more than the slim arms and flat chest he now saw.

He caught himself staring at the boy's chest and realised Benny was staring back at him. He nervously averted his gaze, stepped away and asked, “Will there be anything else, Sir?”

“Go and stand over there.” Benny said, pointing just beyond the foot of the bed. Philip did as instructed, walking over and then turning back to face Benny. “Now jerk off for me.”

The man stared back at Benny for a moment, before reaching down and taking hold of his own cock. It began to grow as he looked down, playing with it. Once it reached full hardness, he looked up at Benny, perhaps hoping for some sign of his approval or encouragement. Instead, the boy wasn't even looking, busying himself with the breakfast in front of him. Philip stopped playing, waiting for Benny to start watching again.

“Did I say stop?” Benny snapped, still not looking up.

Philip resumed, somehow finding it more embarrassing not being watched than when the boy's eyes had been on him. As Benny worked his way through the food and fruit juice, Philip wanked continuously, his face now blushing a similar shade of pink to his engorged cock. He began moaning as he felt his orgasm creeping rapidly closer.

“Don't cum!” Benny snapped, hearing the man's imminence. Philip stopped. “But don't stop either!” he added.

The naked man resumed, now dangerously close to cumming, but knowing there would be serious repercussions if he allowed it to happen. His erection throbbed and twitched, his hand now barely moving, fingers so loose that he was only just touching it. It continued for several minutes until Benny finished eating, moving the tray aside.

His eyes fixed on Philip, who gulped. Benny's covers were thrown aside, revealing that he, too, was naked. The boy's cock was solid, nearly seven inches long and curving upwards, not overly thick but definitely a sufficient handful, topped with a small tidy patch of dark blonde hair. It moved from side to side as he walked towards the aroused man. He paced around Philip like a shark circling its prey, reaching up with one hand and sliding it across various parts of his body as he circled.

Again Philip's hand stopped. Standing a few inches shorter than Philip's 5'11”, Benny stretched up the short distance to bring his lips up to the tense man's ear. “I didn't. Say. Stop!” he hissed in short sharp bursts.

Benny slid his hand up the man's body, through the chest hair until his fingers found the stiffness of a nipple. He squeezed it sharply just as Philip resumed his stroking. “Please Sir, can I... can I cum?”

Benny smiled at his words, but said nothing, instead reaching up to kiss him briefly on the lips, shaking his head as he pulled away. Philip whimpered.

Allowing the man to continue teasing himself for a few more minutes, Benny finally knocked his hand away and took hold of the engorged meat between his own fingers. “Do you want to cum?” he asked, giving it the gentlest of strokes.

“Yes... yes...” Philip stuttered, relief flooding through him at the prospect of release.

“Well.” Benny said, stroking it again. “If you want to cum.” Another stroke. “You should probably have remembered to address me as Sir!” He snapped the last few words and let go of the throbbing meat.

“Sir. I'm sorry. Sir. I meant Yes Sir!” Philip stuttered.

“Too late. Now get out.” Benny shouted, pushing the man away.

The man looked down at his desperate cock, still ready to shoot at a moment's notice, then at Benny in shock. The sweet, sexy boy replaced with a savage sexual predator. Philip took several deep gulps of air, realising he had been holding his breath in response to the boy's anger, then dashed for the door, closing it behind him.

Benny turned back to the bed. 'He forgot the tray.' he thought to himself. 'He'll have to be punished.'

*****

Josh lay in bed, feeling a slight grogginess from his drinks the night before. Not quite a hangover, but verging on it. He normally woke up when Dale got out of bed, but had slept right through it today. His sleeplessness the previous night, the amount of action he had gotten yesterday and the alcohol all probably playing their part in it.

He heard the front door closing as Dale and Nick left. He was alone, aside from Josh junior who was still calling out for his attention from beneath the covers. He found himself wishing he had woken earlier and had some fun with Dale before he left. Instead he was going to have to take care of it himself.

Not wasting a second, he skipped all of his usual build up, the touching and teasing of his own body and instead wrapped his fingers around his morning wood. Images rushed through his mind, starting with what he had done with Dale the previous morning. His fantasising quickly moved on to Warren, imagining the boy's smooth body was pressed up against him again. As he stroked his cock, Warren morphed into Liam, smooth skin stretching out into taut muscle. Surprisingly he found his thoughts lingering for quite some time on James and his giant meat, about the way he writhed under Josh's touch, the sexy freckles all over him. Then came fleeting thoughts of Nick, then Corey and finally Sam. The last one surprised him. The golden-haired boy had never really featured in his fantasies before, but there was something about his closeness to Warren that drew his attraction.

Josh could feel himself getting close, the thoughts in his head now competing for which one would help take him over the edge. Ultimately, none of them won the fight, another thought creeping into his head, a thought that he hated. It had been something that had played on his mind for years, with increasing frequency every month. All of his sexual partners flickered through his thoughts again and they all shared one common thing, or rather, all missed one particular trait... none of them took charge, not properly, not like Benny had.

The tortured young man found his mind going back again, right back to the beginning, back to the very first night Benny had awakened his submissive side. In most ways he still missed Benny, his love of the boy had never really faded, but it conflicted with his fear of what the boy had done, what he had become, the two conflicting feelings duelling for superiority in his head.

Turmoil aside, the thoughts of submitting to the boy did the trick and Josh shot a heavy load over himself. Breathing deeply while absent-mindedly stroking out the last few drops, he attempted to shake his submissive desires from his consciousness, but they refused to subside, unlike his rapidly softening cock.

*****

The weekend came round thankfully quickly. Josh and Dale were enjoying their typically lazy Saturday morning breakfast when they heard a key in the door. It opened and Nick walked in.

Dale just looked at him in confusion. “It's Saturday... you don't need to be here, so fuck off!” Dale said playfully with a wink.

“What, I'm not allowed to come and hang out with my big brothers?” Nick asked innocently.

The question made Dale smile. He had always been amazed at how readily he and Warren had been welcomed into the McKenzie family. Josh, Nick and Corey had always been welcomed at the Spencer household by Dale and Warren's parents too, but the amount of time he and Warren had spent at the McKenzie house had made it feel like their second home. Nick really did feel like his little brother now.

Josh looked at Dale and the two of them raised their eyebrows, considering the boy's question. “You wanna have noisy sex with Warren in our spare room, don't you!” Josh said accusingly.

“No.” Nick exclaimed, annoyed, before his expression cracked, his flimsy excuse quickly crumbling under their scrutiny. “Okay, fine, Warren will be here in quarter of a hour.”

The two men laughed at Nick's quick submission. It was a fairly common occurrence. Both sets of parents had known for some time that Warren and Nick were together, and they would have to be pretty oblivious to not know that the relationship was very sexual, but both boys were still cautious about doing too much at home for fear of getting caught.

“You could... always join us!” Nick said as he approached them, grinning naughtily. 

Josh and Dale both smirked at the boy's advances. It was tempting, but they already had other plans. “Maybe next time.” Josh said happily, gently caressing the boy's arse as he moved closer.

“You sure?” Nick asked, grabbing at Josh's bulge which twitched in response. “It's been a while!”

Josh moved his hands onto Nick's sides and stared into his eyes.

“Hey, put my boyfriend down!” Warren's voice called out from the opening door.

Nick and Josh let go of each other and smiled at Warren. The younger boy blushed as he realised he could very easily be talking to either of them. “Ooh, are they joining us?” He asked excitedly as he ran across the room, a hopeful look in his eye.

“Not this time, squirt.” Dale replied with a sympathetic smile. “We've got things to do.”

Nick and Warren joined in with the breakfast, mostly by taking stuff straight off their elder siblings' plates much to their annoyed amusement. Once the food was all gone, Josh and Dale went to get ready to go out while the younger boys vanished into the spare bedroom.

By the time Josh and Dale were ready to leave, there were loud laughs and moans coming from the two boys. They didn't bother interrupting them to say goodbye, as much as they were curious to see exactly what was happening.

Josh dropped Dale off at James' place before driving back to his parents' house. James and Dale were spending the day together, an arrangement that made James exceptionally happy. Josh noticed that Dale seemed fairly excited about it too, which gave him a buzz of happiness as he realised it was his own actions that had helped the two friends reacquaint. James had asked Josh to join them, fairly insistently, but Josh had refused, citing both his commitment to spend the day with Corey as well as his desire to let James be alone with Dale.

“Hey, it's just me!” Josh called out as he walked into the house.

Josh's dad popped his head out from the kitchen door and said, “Hey Josh.”

He looked at his dad and raised an eyebrow. The man was wearing a pink frilly apron. “Nice outfit.” he smirked.

“Sod off.” The man replied. “It's better than getting covered in flour!”

“Don't listen to him George. I think you look lovely.” Mrs McKenzie said, walking up behind him and kissing him on the cheek.

“Thank you Pippa.” George said very formally, attempting to rub it in Josh's face. He smiled smugly.

“Besides, it's nice to finally know where the kids got the gay gene from!” Pippa added slyly.

George's face dropped as Josh and his Mum both burst into raucous laughter. The man just scowled angrily and returned to his baking. Josh felt a surge of proudness for his parents and their acceptance of his and Nick's orientation.

His mind rushed back to that Summer, just a few weeks after Benny. They had been stood there in the kitchen, George and Pippa sat on one side of the table, Josh and Dale on the other. “Mum, Dad,” he had started nervously. “I've got tell you something, about me and Dale. We're... not just friends... he's my... he's my boyfriend!”

Josh sat, terrified of what the reaction might be. He stared into his parents' faces. They remained flat, emotionless, not reacting at all. Josh's hands trembled, probably more-so when Dale reached across and took hold of them.

Several more tense moments passed. Pippa was first to crack, smirking a little before bursting into full-on laughter. “Yes!” George called out happily, clenching a fist.

Josh and Dale looked a mix of scared and confused.

“I just won twenty quid!” George declared.

“What?” Josh asked, completely lost.

“Sorry, Josh, you can relax.” Pippa said, her laughter subsiding. “We just had a bet about who could keep a straight face the longest after you told us!”

Josh stared open-mouthed at the two supposedly mature adults. “You knew?” he demanded. “How?”

“Come on Josh, we know you.” Pippa said, looking at her son with affection. “You think we don't know when you're in love? And with you spending pretty much every day with Dale, it wasn't hard to figure out.”

“Oh, right.” Josh replied, both relieved and a little annoyed.

“Besides, you're noisier in bed than your Dad!” she smirked.

“MUM!” Josh called out in open-mouthed disgust. Both parents laughed, this time joined by Dale who had just been spectating until then. Reluctantly Josh joined in the shared laughter, letting the tension ease away.

“So you're not bothered then?” Josh finally asked when they quietened down.

“Josh, we love you son, no matter what.” George said kindly.

And that was it. Josh had been sworn to secrecy by his parents about the game they had played as they planned to repeat it when Nick came out. They had, of course, known about him too.

By now it was accepted as such a normal part of their lives that none of them even gave it a second thought. The person who came out of it worst was Corey. Once Nick and Josh were out, every time the mention of grandkids came up, George and Pippa turned their stares on their youngest son, knowing that he was their best (but not only) hope to have them.

Emerging from the surprisingly happy memory of his coming out, Josh looked to his Mum and asked, “Where's Cor?”

“Up in his room. You’d best go give him a nudge or you're going to be late for the game.” she replied before wandering off into the lounge.

Josh headed upstairs and stood outside Corey's door. He considered knocking, but decided to tease his little brother by bursting in unannounced as the younger boy had done to him so often when he still lived there. He swung the door open and yelled, “Surprise!”

Corey was laying naked on the bed, rapidly stroking his cock, eyes closed. As he heard Josh burst in, he opened his eyes, stared in annoyance and yelled, “Fuck! Josh, get out!” He did his best to cover up with one hand while throwing a pillow at his brother with the other.

Josh caught the pillow and threw it back, closing the door behind him.

“Get out!” Corey insisted again, now using the pillow to cover up.

“I've seen it all before.” Josh said causally, with a grin, walking slowly across the room.

“Yeah, well there was a lot less to see back then.” Corey said back with a teasing grin, thinking back to how much smaller he had been the last time Josh had seen him naked.

Josh sat on the foot of the bed and said quietly, “Hey, you remember the first time we... you know!” What was he doing? Was he coming on to Corey? This wasn't right, they didn't do this stuff any more, but as he thought about that day he couldn't help thinking about how the boy had commanded him to suck his little erection. His breath was quickening as his cock began to inflate.

There was that look from Corey again, analysing him, studying him. The initial anger melted from his face, replaced instead with a sympathetic affection. He lay back down on the bed, pulling the pillow aside to reveal his still-hard penis and looking Josh in the eye. “Suck it!”

Josh's heart skipped a beat. That was exactly what they boy had said during their first encounter, but now it was said with so much more confidence and certainty. “Cor, are you...” Josh mumbled.

“Suck it!” Corey repeated, even more firmly.

Josh quivered from head to toe, more from the boy's tone than the prospect of what he was about to do. The boy had been correct when he said that there was 'a lot less to see back then'. His erection had sat at barely over three inches back then, but was now a very proud six, and deliciously thick too. The bush was perfectly trimmed too, his balls, if they had even been hairy before, were now smooth too.

The older brother leaned over and took hold of it with one hand, using it to guide the thick head towards his lips. He sucked quickly as Corey moaned happily while resting a hand on the back of Josh's head. Corey's hips started thrusting as he quickly neared orgasm, having already been close before being interrupted. He took a handful of Josh's hair, using it to pull him away at the last second, just before his cock erupted. Swinging free of Josh's mouth, it squirted a heavy load over his chest and perfect stomach.

Josh just looked up at Corey lustily, obviously not yet sated. Corey of course could see that and ordered, “Lick it up!”

Josh quivered again at the command, happily obliging and sucking the boy's cum from his body before sitting up. Corey sat up beside him and said happily, “Good boy!” as he stroked a hand through his big brother's hair.

The younger boy dressed in silence, Josh at a loss for what to say, Corey intentionally giving him the time to think. They still said very little as they got ready to leave the house, apart from quick goodbyes to their parents. George and Pippa had been excused from attending that day's football match as Josh was available to take him. Corey much preferred having his big brother take him rather than his Mum or Dad. Both parents were attentive and supportive, but only in an 'I'm a parent so I have to do this' kind of way. Josh actually enjoyed it, happily sharing in the boy's excitement for his wins and helping commiserate the losses.

Josh had been driving for a couple of minutes before Corey released him from the silence. “You okay?” he asked. He already knew Josh wasn't.

“No.” Josh said, sorrowfully. “I'm sorry, I know you're not into that stuff any more.” he apologised.

Corey smirked. “Did it really seem to you like I didn't enjoy it?” he asked with a smile.

“I guess not.” Josh replied, fighting a smile of his own.

“Look, it's obvious how much you miss, whadda you call it, subbing, or whatever. So why not just do it?” Corey stated very matter-of-factly.

“Dale's not really into it. I've hinted at it before, but he's just not interested.” Josh replied, staring at the road.

“How about Warren?” Corey asked with a sly grin.

“How d'you know...” Josh started, then looked at Corey and shook his head. 'How does he know this stuff?' he asked himself. “No, not really his thing either, he prefers when I take charge.” Josh blushed a little at sharing such intimate detail.

“Liam?” Corey asked, now laughing out loud at his big brother's reaction to his seeminly endless knowledge.

“Get out of my head, you annoying little fucker!” Josh laughed. “And no, he's more of a quick fuck type.”

Corey stopped laughing, his expression changing to something more serious. “Are you thinking maybe.... Benny?”

Josh just glanced round at the boy briefly before looking back to the road, saying nothing. Corey could read in his brother's face and body language that he had struck on something big. Was Josh really thinking about going back to him? Josh had never disclosed the details of 'the incident', but between his intuition and Josh's scars Corey had a fairly good idea of what had gone down. There was no doubt in his mind that if Josh really was considering it, then it was a terrible idea. He decided the best way to stop it was by telling him the latest news. “Well if that was what you're thinking, you wouldn't be able to find him anyway.”

“What, why?” Josh asked, shaken from his own thoughts by the comment.

“Nobody knows where he is. He moved out of his parents' house on his birthday and now he won't tell them where he's living.” Corey explained.

“So he's just disappeared?” Josh asked, both curious and worried.

“Not quite. He's still going to school. Mr and Mrs Harrison went to see him there but he refused to tell them where he's living.” Corey continued.

The silence returned as they drove the rest of the way to the football field, a million thoughts ploughing through Josh's mind. Once he got there though, he was distracted by other things, a field full of cute boys in shorts mainly! He did his best not to think about them that way, admonishing himself for his explicit thoughts, particularly as he saw Sam. He had thought Warren might come to cheer on his friend, but it seemed the prospect of a day in the bedroom with Nick appealed more than a morning stood out in the cold.

Josh's phone vibrated. Pulling his phone out, he saw a text message from James. [Hey, you ok?]

Josh replied quickly. James was keeping true to his statement earlier in the week that he intended to get to know Josh better too. The young man now text him as often as  he did Dale. [I'm good, you?]

[Great thanks. How's the game?] James replied.

[Going well, Corey's team is up 1-0. What you guys up to?]

[Not much. What you up to tomorrow?]

Josh thought about it, why didn't he just ask Dale? [We don't have any plans yet, why?]

[Thought maybe I could come round again tomorrow, Liam and Ryan too if they're free. The other night was fun ;-)]

Josh must have re-read the message five times. The other night was fun? Did he mean the whole evening, or just their private moment? He decided to deflect slightly, hoping to get a bit more information. [Isn't one day with Dale enough for you? LOL]

[It is, but I hoped I'd get to see you again too.] James answered.

The reply didn't really help clarify much. Again James could either mean his comment in a completely platonic way, or he could be hinting at something else. Josh dismissed the thought. James had made it clear how straight he was. This was obviously about getting to know his best friend's boyfriend a bit better, which actually made it quite a sweet gesture. [Well if the others are up for it, then so am I] As soon as Josh sent the message, he regretted the unintentional double-entendre.

[Good to know ;-) I'll sort it with Dale.]

[Good, now stop texting me and enjoy my boyfriend! ;-)] This time the insinuation was completely intentional. He could imagine James turning bright red as he read it. No further reply came and Josh turned his attention back to the game.

Just as he looked up, Sam ran by. Seeing Josh on the sidelines, he smiled broadly and waved. Josh's breath caught in his throat. The golden-brown hair was slightly messy, forehead moist with sweat, eyes showing how much he was enjoying himself and then there was that adorable smile. He took a breath and waved back, but the boy was already gone. 'What was that?' he asked himself, his heart pounding as he contemplated his reaction.

Thankfully Josh didn't have too long to dwell on it before there was a range of shouts from around the field as another goal was scored. Unfortunately, it was by the opposing team, tying the score. Josh returned to watching the game, doing his best to ignore his many distractions.

The game ended in a loss for Corey's team, the equalising goal soon being followed by another. With the match over, people started to disperse. Josh took a seat on a bench as he waited for Corey to finish up with the coach, probably a supportive pep-talk rather than harsh criticism. Thankfully the team's coach was not as harsh as some Josh had seen.

Looking out blankly across the field, Josh never saw Sam approaching from the side. “Hey Josh.” the boy said cheerfully, making the seated man jump.

“Hey, erm, hey Sam.” Josh stuttered. Involuntarily, he checked the boy out. He was still in the football kit, a bag thrown over his shoulder. His eyes lingered just a moment too long on the boy's crotch, a small bulge protruding, making Josh's own swell just a little. The boy's legs were covered in a layer of fine, fair hair. Looking down, he noticed that the laces on one of his football boots were loose. “Your lace is untied!” he commented without thinking.

“Oh, you managed to look that far down?” Sam teased knowingly, making Josh choke on a breath, coughing and turning bright red. He lifted the foot onto the bench beside Josh and just stood for a moment, watching with a wicked grin as Josh stared at his now exposed thigh and up the leg of the shorts to the boy's underwear.

Josh's swelling continued until he was sporting a full erection. He shuffled in his seat, trying to hide it, but Sam already knew it was there. The boy leaned down to tie his lace, bringing his face just inches away from Josh's. The boy tied the laces without looking down, instead fixing his gaze on Josh who stared back, trembling.

Sam stood back up and looked down at his own crotch. He was now sporting an erection too, but he did nothing to hide it, allowing it to tent his shorts. Josh continued staring, transfixed by the boy's obvious arousal.

Before Josh could do or say anything else, Corey ran up to them, now changed out of his football kit. “Hey Sam.” he said as he approached.

The look of guilt and fear on Josh's face was priceless, making Sam laugh out loud. “Hey Corey. Your brother's a big perv, isn't he!” His tone was playful and sweet, reassuring Josh that the boy was not saying it as an insult, but it still made him squirm uncomfortably.

“Tell me something I don't know!” Corey agreed with the boy. He looked down and saw their matching erections. “Nice!” he said with a grin, the looked to his embarrassed brother. “Now if you're done hitting on my team mate, I wanna get home!”

“See ya guys!” Sam said with another laugh as he ran off, reaching inside his shorts to tuck his erection into the waistband to keep it hidden.

Josh just watched him run off until Corey smacked him in the arm. “Fucking perv!”

*****

After dropping Corey off, Josh headed home. When he got back, Nick and Warren were still there, sitting on the sofa together, cuddling. He couldn't help smiling at how sweet they looked together. It actually confused him a little. He was completely in love with Warren, yet he was happy seeing him with another boy. He wondered if Warren had the same feeling when he saw Josh with Dale.

It still amazed him that he had managed to resist the boy for so long before finally admitting his true feelings. There had an almost instant connection when they met, but when things with Benny fell apart, it was Dale that Josh turned to. Warren had done the same with Nick, the four siblings splitting into the two separate couples.

It wasn't until about a year later when anything serious happened between Josh and Warren. It was on Nick's first day of college, he had come round to get a lift with Dale and Warren had tagged along, much as he had earlier that week. With Josh and Warren alone together for the first time since their week with Benny, the sparks returned, the feelings resurfaced and their secret relationship began. The strange part of it all was that their love had in no way lessened either of their feelings for their respective boyfriends. Josh was very much in love with both of the Spencer boys, just as Warren seemed to be completely in love with both Nick and Josh.

“Afternoon.” Josh said casually as he walked in, slipping off his coat and shoes.

Nick's hand was somewhere behind or underneath Warren where Josh couldn't see it. Warren jumped thanks to some unseen movement by the concealed hand, just as he tried to say hello, the noise coming out as more of an excited squawk. Josh approached the boys, gave each of them a quick kiss then flopped onto the sofa beside them.

“Erm Josh.” Warren started inquisitively, moving off of Nick's lap and picking up his phone from the coffee table. “Any idea why Sam may have text me to tell me that you might 'need a hand with something' when you got home?” He added air quotes round the exact wording from Sam's message.

Both boys chuckled as they saw Josh's embarrassment. “Text him back, and tell him next time I see him, he's dead!” Josh said, his anger only half joking. Josh's reaction just got more laughs.

“What happened?” Nick asked.

“None of your business.” Josh snapped.

Warren put the phone down, then jumped onto Josh's lap and looked over to Nick. “Let's just say that for a straight boy, he really knows how to turn a guy on!”

“That's an understatement!” Josh added, blushing as he put an arm around Warren. He had no qualms about being so affectionate with the boy in front of Nick. Even before the two of them started their affair, they were already very tactile with each other, the same as Nick and Dale. The four boys shared a very close bond, at times actually verging on a four-way relationship rather than two separate couples.

Josh raised a hand and tickled Warren's side, making him giggle and struggle to get away from the man's teasing fingers. Nick watched for a moment before diving on and joining in, attempting to tickle both of them, but ending up the victim instead.

*****

Dale walked into the apartment first. He almost stopped and turned to prevent James from entering, worried that the scene may look a little suspicious. Instead though, James walked straight past him. Josh was laying on the sofa, Warren on top of him, Nick to his side, the three of the cuddled together asleep.

“That's so freaking adorable!” James said with a huge grin, much to Dale's relief.

“Yeah, it is.” Dale said fondly. For a moment he wished James wasn't there. The three people he loved most in the world were right there together and he wished more than anything that he could dive right into the middle of it. 

James smiled as he saw Dale's doe-eyed stare. “Aww, it really is love, isn't it!” he teased.

“Fuck off.” Dale snapped back playfully. “Hey, I've got an idea. Stay here and be quiet!”

Dale quietly down the bags he was carrying, annoyed when some of the bottles clanked together. He dashed off into the bedroom, then ran back holding an air horn, looking devilishly over at the three sleepers. James immediately caught on, pulling out his phone ready to record the prank. The two moved closer, James standing a short distance away to fit them all into frame while Dale crept behind the sofa. Raising the air horn, he pressed the button, unleashing an ear-piercing hoot.

“AAARGH!” Josh, Nick and Warren screamed simultaneously. Josh jumped the most, sending the two smaller boys flying as he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw James and Dale both laughing hysterically.

Warren and Nick both looked terrified, but soon burst into laughter as they realised what had actually happened. It was only Josh who remained straight-faced. Looking first at James and then at Dale, he said calmly, “Oh, there will be revenge!” Another blast of the air horn made him jump again.

Dale moved forward and pulled him into a hug, still laughing. “I fucking hate you sometimes!” Josh whispered to him, his heart pounding.

“I hate you too!” Dale said with a colossal smile before kissing Josh gently on the lips.

“What you doing here anyway?” Josh asked, letting go of Dale and looking to James who finally put down his phone.

“Liam and Ryan were both busy tomorrow afternoon, so we figured we'd all get together tonight instead. Dale text you about it, but I guess you were too busy with your boys to look at your phone!” James said, gesturing to the two boys who were just starting to get back up onto the sofa.

Josh blushed at James' comment. “Cool.” Josh said at the prospect of a fun night with his mates.

Nick and Warren had left shortly after the air horn prank, disappointed to be missing out on what Josh and Dale had planned, but looking forward to their own evening plans anyway. Josh helped James and Dale put their bags in the kitchen, the retrieve a couple of crates of beer from the car too.

Standing and looking at the mountain of snacks and booze, Josh raised his eyebrows and looked to the other two. “Exactly how drunk are we expecting to get tonight?”

*****

“We're ready for you Sir!” a voice called through the door.

“I'll be there shortly!” Benny called back, standing up from a large armchair. He looked at himself in the mirror as he straightened out his clothes. He smiled at what he saw staring back... a normal teenage boy! When he first started all this, he had considered alternative clothing, something more authoritative, but had dismissed the idea. He got a thrill out of the confused looks on peoples' faces when such an innocent looking boy did the things he did. Over time he had dome to find confusion almost as useful as fear.

He walked across the room and opened the door. Roger was stood there patiently waiting for him. Roger had been a supremely lucky find, Benny thought to himself, looking up at the tall 20-year-old. Without him, Benny doubted he would be anywhere near as organised in his latest venture. His size and aggressive personality was also essential in keeping potential troublemakers under control.

“How many this time?” Benny asked as he walked down the hallway to the top of the staircase that spread down into the main atrium.

“Just two.” Roger answered.

Stood at the top of the stairs were three other men, waiting silently for Benny. The red carpet lining the stairs continued across the marble floor to the opposite side of the big open area, ending at the large double doors. Lined up down one side of the narrow strip of carpet were seven naked men, including Philip, his naked breakfast buddy. All seven of them stood looking up at him, hands behind their backs, their faces ranging from fear to outright reverence.

Down the other side stood eight other men, also naked, but quite different to those opposite. All eight of them wore chastity devices and slightly unhappier expressions. At the far end of the carpet, just in front of the door stood two boys in their early teens, with two fully clothed men between them. Finally, the last occupant of the large atrium was a naked young man, his entire head covered in a leather hood, cowering in one of the corners, wide eyes staring out of the hood's eye holes as Benny appeared.

Benny started down the stairs, eyes fixed on the two fully dressed men. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, flanked by Roger and the three others he followed the carpet until he was stood  just a few feet away from the two men. For several tense moments, his eyes flicked between them. One looked back at him with almost palpable disdain, the other barely even dared to return his gaze.

“Names?” Benny asked.

“Oscar.” the nervous man replied timidly.

Benny's eyes turned to the other one, who stared back angrily and silently. Benny's face remained flat as he turned his eye to the boy to the man's left, raising his eyebrows inquisitively.

“He's William.” the boy said, looking up at the man who sighed with annoyance, realising his silence was achieving nothing beyond getting him in more trouble.

“So, William, what do you do for a living?” Benny asked.

The man sighed again. “I work in advertising.” he said through gritted teeth.

Benny nodded his approval before turning to the other man. “Very good, and you, Oscar?”

“I... I don't work... I'm unemployed.” Oscar replied quietly.

Benny smiled as he looked back at the line of naked men in chastity behind him. He turned to two of the men at his side. “Cage him and show him the drill. Sort out the others too!”

They nodded and stepped forward to each grab one of Oscar's arms. They lead the nervous man away, indicating for the other eight naked men in chastity to follow. They filed off qietly into one of the side rooms.

“I guess that just leaves you... Willy!” Benny said, turning his attention back to William. “Strip!”

William stood defiantly still. Roger stepped forward, but Benny held out an arm to stop him. The boy met William's gaze, looked up to Roger, then back. William's eyes followed and the message was quite clear. Reluctantly, the man began to undress. The room remained silent as every eye fixed on him, adding to his discomfort. The man paused when he was down to his underwear, looking angrily at Benny. The boy simply raised his eyebrows and William pulled the boxers down, shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

“Now kneel!” Benny snapped, his voice echoing through the large atrium.

William's breath caught in his throat. Could this boy really be serious? He remained standing, eyes wide with anger and defiance. This time when Roger stepped forward, Benny allowed it. The large man towered over William menacingly.

“He. Said. KNEEL!” Roger bellowed.

William whimpered as he instantly dropped to his knees, scared of what the massive enforcer might do to him if he didn't.

Benny walked forward, placing a hand on William's shoulder as Roger stepped back. He circled the kneeling man, sliding his hand first across his chest, then round his back. “Tell me, William.” he said quietly as he paced slowly around the kneeling man. “How much do you know about what happens here?”

“Nothing!” the man replied quickly.

Benny stood behind him, leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Oh good, then it's time for you to be... educated. Bring him!” He looked to Roger as he stood back up and started walking towards one of the adjoining rooms. As he walked past the line of naked men, he caught Philip's eyes. “Bring Philip too, I think he needs a reminder!” he added before disappearing into the room.
Chapter 3

Josh let out a low, croaky moan. He was awake, but refused to accept it, keeping his eyes tightly closed. 'Oh God, oh God, I'm dying. I'm actually going to die from a hangover.' He flinched, even the sound of his own thoughts sent a wave of pain through his head.

He heard a moan from beside and suddenly became aware of a weight pressing on his arm. Someone was laying next to him and from the sound of it was presumably in the same state. He pulled slightly with his arm, the body rolling over to rest against him. An arm wrapped around him and Josh returned the gesture, the warmth of the body cuddling up to him giving just the slightest hint of relief from his hangover hell.

“You two getting up?” a voice called from somewhere in the room.

The sound shot through him like a nailgun to the skull. Still refusing to open his eyes, Josh croaked back, “I'll get up... when you make the room... stop spinning!” A grunt of agreement came from the body beside him and silence thankfully returned long enough for them both to fall asleep again.

Josh wasn't sure how much later it was when he woke up again, this time realising from the hardness beneath him that he was actually laying on the floor, most likely in the lounge based on the feeling of the rug. He still felt like he was dying, but not quite as much as he had during his last stirring. The body at his side was still pressed up against him, their arms holding each other closely. Josh reached up with one hand and started running his fingers through their hair, settling into a slow stroking. The body stirred a little, purring contentedly in time with the hair stroking.

Josh tentatively allowed a single eye to open just a crack. Before squeezing it closed again in response to the light, he saw a flash of almost-ginger hair. “James?” Josh murmured. Another grunt of agreement. At least he knew who he was suffering with now. Realising his hand was still stroking the young man's hair, he pulled it away and muttered, “Oh, sorry.”

James' arms pulled a little tighter as he spoke. “Carry on, it makes my head feel better!” Josh smiled at the his obvious desire for relief and resumed his caressing.

“We should get up.” Josh whispered, already regretting the suggestion as he considered the prospect of opening his eyes again.

“Why? I've got nowhere else to be.” James answered, his face pressed into Josh's chest. “Have you?”

“I guess not.” Josh said, happily conceding to James' argument.

As they began to settle again, James turned onto his side with his back to Josh, who turned in response, spooning the young man. Their bodies pressed tightly together, Josh's arms around James, their legs tangled. “I'm glad we're friends.” James murmured, half-asleep, not even sure if Josh was already unconscious.

Josh once again had no concept of time as he woke, his face nestled in a mess of strawberry-blonde hair. It felt soft against his cheek as he nuzzled against it, before remembering who it was and stopping himself from getting too physical.

James turned in Josh's arms until he was laying flat on his back. “Morning!” he said. As Josh opened his eyes he saw the young man was smiling.

“How can you smile? Smiling hurts!” Josh muttered roughly. He reached up with his free arm and rubbed his eyes.

“You're such a wimp.” James said teasingly. “It's your own fault anyway.”

“Is it? I don't really remember much after midnight.”

James chuckled. “Yeah, that was around when you made up your game.”

“What game?” Josh queried, still rubbing his head.

“I barely remember either, but pretty anything anyone said or did meant they had to down a shot!” James explained foggily. 

Josh groaned again, then looked down at himself. During his cuddling with James, Josh had appreciated the warmth and comfort of the man's body against him, but had barely noticed that most of it had been skin-on-skin. “Why am I only wearing underwear? The game?” he asked, already dreading the answer. James nodded just as a realisation struck Josh. “Wait, this isn't even my underwear!”

James laughed now, making Josh cringe at the volume. “No, it's mine. And I'm wearing yours!” Josh just turned his head to the side and gave a puzzled look prompting him to continue. “Dale said something about me wanting to get into your pants, so you thought it'd be funny...”

“If we got into each other's pants!” Josh finished the sentence, a partial memory returning to him, laughing at the thought. He shook his head and sat up. “Right, I need water and about a million aspirin!” He struggled to his feet, shaking precariously as James just lay there, watching him.

“It's like Bambi's first steps!” James sniggered, grabbing Josh's ankle to try and make him stumble.

“Fuck off.” Josh shot back at him light-heartedly as he started to walk away. His alcohol-addled brain suddenly caught onto something he had missed before. Turning back to James, he looked down at the near-naked man and said, “So... you wanted to get into my pants?”

James flushed bright red as he stuttered for a response, but breathed a sigh of relief as Josh just laughed and continued walking away.

When Josh reached the kitchen, he saw a note on the little whiteboard stuck to the door. He read it aloud, his brain still too hazy to do it internally. “Liam and Ryan have left, I've gone to get breakfast. Back soon. Dale.” He wondered how long ago Dale had left, unsure of how long he would have to be alone with James. He was beginning to get the feeling that once he was more alert, embarrassment over his night's activities, as well as the morning's cuddles, might make things a little awkward.

He staggered to the sink, poured himself a large glass of water which he immediately gulped down, before refilling it to take some tablets. He poured another glass and left the packet of tablets beside it before staggering back into the hallway. “Hey James, I've left some water and tablets out for you in the kitchen. Thought you might need them. I'm gonna have a shower!”

“Thanks!” James called back from the lounge.

As Josh reached the bathroom, he turned on the shower and stood waiting for it to warm. He reached down for the waistband of the underwear, suddenly remembering it was actually James'. His cock stirred a little at the thought of it, starting to swell a little as he pulled them off. Stepping into the shower felt heavenly. While the water he had drunk was working to alleviate his dehydration, the warm water running down his body was helping to relieve his many aches and wash away his sleepiness. He reached his arms up towards the ceiling, stretching his entire body, eyes closed as the water continued flowing over him.

When he finished stretching and dropped his hands to his sides, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The door was open. That was normal though. Living with Dale, he rarely bothered to close it when showering as there was little need. As such, he had forgotten to close it this time too. But now, stood peaking round the door was a face... it was James.

'The horny little fucker' Josh thought with a sly smile. 'Well, I may as well give him a show!' he reached for the shower gel, squirted a large blob into his hand and then began lathering himself up, starting with his chest then down to his stomach. A mixture of his own touch and knowing James was watching had Josh's cock rigid before he even reached it. He lathered the rigid meat and his balls, which hung low from the heat of the shower.

James was transfixed, his hand was inside his boxers, or Josh's boxers really, a thought which simply added to his excitement. His massive cock soon popped free, the front of the underwear tucked beneath his balls as he stroked. “Oh my God.” he muttered to himself as he saw Josh's sensuous lathering. His stroking grew faster and faster, breathing getting ragged as he neared climax.

“Why don't you join him?” a voice came from behind James. He turned, his cock erupting in his hand, shooting several heavy strings of cum onto Dale's jeans.

“Ah... Dale.” James gasped, the excitement and intensity of his orgasm, along with the shock and fear of seeing his friend stood there had him almost doubled over as his cock twitched frantically. He attempted to stuff his erection back in the boxers, but with his cum now dripping down Dale's legs and the wall, trying to hide now seemed a little pointless. “I was... I was...” James stuttered, but there was literally no explanation in the world to justify his actions beyond the obvious truth.

Dale's serious expression burst into a grin as he watched James' embarrassment unfold in front of him. “Come on, you fucking weirdo!” he said, putting an arm around him and leading him back towards the lounge.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God!” James muttered, his face buried in his hands as he let Dale lead him away.

Dale was still chuckling as the two of them sat on the sofa. “Relax dude, it's no big deal.” he said casually.

“Oh God, don't tell Josh about that. Pleeeeease!” James pleaded. His embarrassment at just being caught by Dale was bad enough. Adding Josh too would be too much!

“Okay.” Dale said, putting his friend at ease. “But you really need to calm down. It's not like you're the first guy in the world to get caught jerking off! Hell, I've even caught you jerking off before, remember?” Dale reminded him with an elbow to his side and a wink.

“Yeah, but nobody's ever caught me jerking off while watching their boyfriend in the shower!” James argued back, almost intentionally heightening his own humiliation.

“Well, that's true I suppose.” Dale conceded. “But it doesn't bother me, and I know it wouldn't bother Josh. Fuck, he'd probably just get turned on by it or ask you to join him!”

James looked down at the floor, shaking his head before turning to Dale with a weak smile. “Thanks.” was all he could manage to say.

“What you thanking him for?” Josh asked, walking into the lounge, naked and rubbing his hair with a towel, prompting a shocked stare from James and a happy smirk from Dale. “I'm the one who gave you the show!”

Dale burst into laughter as James' face dropped in horror as they both realised Josh had been aware of what James was doing.

“Oh, and Dale's right.” Josh said as he neared the two men. “Next time you should definitely join me!” He winked at James who looked like he might literally die of embarrassment.

*****

After breakfast, and a lot more teasing, James had headed home leaving Dale and Josh alone in their apartment. Josh's hangover lingered for most of the day, so Dale happily entertained himself while Josh mostly just napped on the sofa while attempting to watch TV.

The day passed thoroughly uneventfully until there was a knock at the door, shortly before five o'clock. Dale answered it, and was more than a little surprised to see Tony and Julia Harrison stood there, Benny's parents.

“Hi, erm... is Josh at home?” Julia asked politely.

“Yeah, sure, come in.” Dale said, standing aside to let them in. “Josh, you've got visitors.” he called out.

Josh dashed through from the lounge smiling, but his face dropped as he saw who was there. “Oh, hi Mrs Harrison, Mr Harrison.” he greeted them, caught somewhat off guard. “Are you okay? Come and have a seat.”

Josh lead them into the lounge, followed by Dale. The two parents sat on the sofa while Josh took an armchair opposite with Dale perching at his side on the arm. “Is this about Benny?” Josh asked. He knew it was a stupid question, it's not like they were coming round to chat about the latest episode of Game of Thrones, but he figured it was best to get straight to the point.

“Yeah.” Tony said, nodding solemnly.

“I guess you've heard about him then.” Julia added.

“A little bit, from Corey.” Josh replied honestly. Dale looked down at him, confused, so Josh explained, placing a hand gently on his leg. “Corey told me that Benny had moved out, without warning, on his birthday and now nobody knows where he's living.”

“Oh... right.” Dale said flatly. He was already concerned simply by the presence of Benny's parents. He knew the effect the boy had on Josh and he had spent the last few days being thankful that Josh had made it past the boy's birthday without too much emotional turmoil. Now though, actually talking about him, to his parents, he worried that Josh's feelings for him were about to be dredged up once again.

“That's the gist of it.” Tony said, the concern obvious in both his voice and expression. “We have seen him since then, at school, and he seems okay. We were worried for a while that he might be living on the streets or something, but he looked great. Happier than ever.”

“So I know it seems strange to be so worried about him when he seems to be doing so well.” Julia continued. “But we need to know he's really okay.”

Both parents' eyes turned to Josh, who looked round at Dale and then back at them. “I'm... I'm sorry for what you're going through, but I don't know anything. I haven't seen Benny for years!”

“Yeah, we know. But we thought you might be able to help anyway.” Tony replied, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

Josh looked at them inquisitively, his grip on Dale's leg tightening a little. Julia went on. “Since Benny switched schools, we've never met any of his friends. We don't know anyone in his life that we can approach about him. That was when we thought of you. I know you haven't seen him much, but the two of you used to be so close, I thought maybe if you spoke to him...”

Josh's hand tensed, fingers tightening so much on Dale's leg that it made him wince in pain. Josh had to hide it though. While the other boys knew vague details of what had happened between Josh and Benny, the boy's parents knew absolutely nothing at all. As far as they knew, Josh's week with Benny had been fun but ultimately uneventful.

“I don't know... if I can....” Josh stuttered.

Dale could see Josh's struggle and stepped in. “We just don't know if that would do much good. It really has been a long time and you know how people can drift apart.”

Josh's hand released a little, much to Dale's relief. “Yeah, I doubt he'd tell me anything.” Josh added, calming slightly. Had they sidestepped that particular landmine? Had he avoided the request?

“Oh, erm...” Tony mumbled. “I suppose we understand that, but maybe you could think about it. We know we're probably overreacting, he's probably fine, but... he's our boy. Our only son...” his voice cracked a little.

Julia stood, with Tony following the gesture. “Look, if you... if you change your mind, he goes to St Vincents now. If you do happen to find out anything, please, please just let us know.” she pleaded, a tear in her eye.

Josh just nodded. He remained seated as Dale lead the two emotional parents back to the front door. When he returned, he stood in front of Josh. “Are you...” before he could finish the question, Josh leant forward, wrapped his arms around Dale's waist, buried his face in his lover's stomach and sobbed.

Eventually, Dale pulled away and sat on the sofa, gesturing for Josh to join him, the two cuddling together as Josh continued to cry softly. Dale remained silent, just letting the emotional young man take as long as he needed to compose himself.

Josh finally sat up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “I've got to go and see him!” he declared firmly.

“No, Josh... you don't!” Dale replied, matching his tone to Josh's. “You don't owe him anything.”

“Not for him.” Josh said, looking round at Dale. “For his parents. You saw how worried they are. How can I let them live like that, knowing that I could probably get Benny to talk to me.”

Dale nodded. He could understand Josh's reasoning, but couldn't agree with his decision. “I'll go then. I'll find out what I can and let them know.”

“No!” Josh snapped. “It has to be me!”

“What? Why you?” Dale demanded.

Josh wiped his face again. “This is why!” he said, holding up his hand and showing the moisture from his tears. “I need to be able to face him. I need to be able to think about him without turning into an emotional shipwreck. You remember his fourteenth birthday?”

“Yeah, you faced him then, you were okay!” Dale replied, thinking back to the day the two had reconciled.

“I wasn't okay. I spent that entire day feeling like worms were crawling under my skin. I felt like I was going to throw up every time he looked at me. The only reason I held it together, was because everyone else was there. I was so scared of everyone finding out what I'd done, that I just pushed it all down. Ya know,  I spent the entire day after that party in bed, crying, absolutely terrified of a little boy.” Josh was virtually yelling, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Dale listened, horrified to hear the extent of Josh's deception, more upset about not being there for him than being lied to.

“That's why it has to be me.” Josh concluded. “I have to stop being scared of him.”

*****

“That's awesome!” Greg said cheerfully as he listened to Sam's story.

The boy had just recounted the tale of how he had turned on Josh at the football pitch the previous day to Greg, Tim and Warren. The four of them were on the bus, heading out to the cinema for the evening. They were sat, as they always tended to, on the top deck, right at the back, despite the rest of the bus being pretty much empty. The only other passengers were on the bottom deck, which allowed the boy's to be as loud as they wanted without disturbing anyone. It had been Warren who had asked for the full story, having had hints of it from Sam.

“I'm not surprised though. Anything gets that perv hard!” Tim laughed. “Remember that time at the pool.” Warren and Greg joined in the laughter. Sam smiled, but couldn't join in with their laughter having only heard about Josh's embarrassment at the pool second-hand.

“Hey, don't underestimate my skills of seduction.” Sam bragged with a cheeky grin.

“You got an eternally horny gay guy to pop a boner. That's not a challenge.” Tim said back defiantly.

“Bet I could turn all of you on!” Sam said back with a wink.

“Maybe gay boy and the closet case...” Tim answered back, pointing first to Warren then to Greg.

“Hey!” Greg objected.

They all laughed as Warren grabbed Greg's leg and said, “Come on Greg, you're gayer than I am. Just come out already!”

“Fuck off.” Greg said, folding his arms and turning his attention out the window. Warren's hand continued up his leg, the boy's bulge very visibly stretching down to meet it. He turned back to face the others, blushing. “That doesn't mean I'm gay, it just means I'm horny!”

The others all laughed at his weak argument until he shuffled across the back seat to move closer to Tim and placed a hand on his leg. “What are you doing?” Tim snapped, trying to pull away.

“Proving my point!” Greg argued. He slid his hand up Tim's leg, just as Warren had done to him moments before, but Tim's small bulge remained motionless. Tim smiled, Warren and Sam laughed, Greg just looked pissed.

“Come on, that's not how you turn a guy on. This is!” Sam said as Greg shuffled back across the seat to sit next to Warren. He moved closer to Tim, being careful not to actually touch him, then leaned in and whispered in the boy's ear.

Greg and Warren watched as Sam whispered for several seconds. Tim began to squirm in his seat, gulping heavily, then came definite growth in his pants. Sam pulled away, grinned at the other two and said, “THAT is how you turn a guy on!” They couldn't help noticing that Sam had developed a fairly sizeable bulge of his own. Tim just looked mortified that Sam had been able to push his buttons so easily.

All four boys sat in silence, struggling to hide their erections, except for Sam who let it stand proudly. Warren finally broke the silence as he looked across at the other three. “Well I'm horny as fuck now, and I'm not the only one... whadda you say? Last to cum buys the popcorn?” Without waiting for an answer, he undid his jeans and pulled out his cock.

The expressions on the other three ranged from terror (Tim) to outright delight (Greg). Soon enough though, all three had pulled out their own boners and started tugging away frantically. Being on the top deck meant no passing vehicles could see them and the houses that whizzed by were gone too quickly for anyone to spot them.

Warren looked down the line. He had seen the other boys naked over the years in various situations, but this was his first time seeing Greg and Tim hard. Tim's dick was by far the smallest at barely five inches, while Greg seemed to be sporting around six, the same as Sam's. He remained happy knowing his was the biggest of the group. He noticed all the others getting a good look too, even Tim, but both he and Greg avoided eye contact with the others.

Sam was a different matter though, staring straight at Warren and grinning. He nodded down towards Greg's vigorously pumping hand and winked at Warren, who got the idea.

Warren reached down and grabbed Greg's wrist, startling him a little. The blonde boy looked nervously at Warren, who pulled the hand away, and placed it onto his own cock. He moaned quietly as Greg's fingers willingly wrapped around his shaft. Warren returned the favour, taking hold of Greg's solid meat. A moan came from Greg too as they stroked each other.

Greg looked like he would have quite happily sat there for hours, but his body had other ideas. Under Warren's expert touch, it didn't take long until the boy was shooting an excited load all over the back of the seat in front. As he orgasmed, his grip tightened on Warren's dick, triggering a matching explosion of jizz. Both boys moaned loudly as they shot.

Grinning heavily, Sam just watched the two enjoying each other. He was so caught up in the show that he almost missed Greg shooting a small load below him, his cock dripping onto the floor between his feet.

“Sam loses!” Warren called out happily as all eyes turned to the golden-haired boy who seemed happy to continue stroking for his audience. His breath quickened as he grew close. At the last second, he turned, knelt on the seat and pointed his cock at Tim.

“What are you...” Tim started, but before he could even ask the question, Sam shot several squirts of cream over Tim. It settled in thick lines across his coat as he stared in disgust.

Tim was furious, immediately punching Sam in the arm as the boy settled into his seat and put his softening tool away. As the two boys argued, Greg looked round at Warren and smiled. “That was amazing!” he whispered happily. Warren just grinned in reply.

Once they reached their stop, the boys ran off the bus, thanking the driver and sniggering over their shared knowledge of how they had just defiled his vehicle. As they walked the short distance to the cinema, Sam took hold of Warren's hand, the two boys walking happily and smirking at the side-ward glances that their open display of affection still drew. Shortly behind them, Greg and Tim followed silently.

Occasionally as they walked, Warren looked back to ensure the two silent boys were still with them. He couldn't help noticing that Greg's eyes seemed fixed on the hand holding. Realising that Warren could see him, Greg raised his eyes, embarrassed, then smiled and looked away.

Inside the cinema, they headed for the ticket queue, Sam veering away shortly before, saying to the others with a wink, “I'll go get the popcorn.” His idea elicited another snigger from the boys, and an angry glare from Tim as he was reminded of what they had just done, subconsciously wiping at his coat.

“You're getting me a large!” Tim called out. He turned to Warren and Greg and added, “He owes me a big one!” The two boys burst into laughter at Tim's unintentional double meaning, making him look even angrier. “Fuck off, you know what I mean!” he snapped before storming off after Sam.

The queue moved painfully slowly, the two boys gradually edging forward, exchanging occasional glances but no words. Sick of the awkwardness, Warren stared at Greg, waiting for the boy to return his look. “What's wrong?” he asked when Greg finally complied.

Greg just shrugged dismissively. “Nothing.”

“Are you... upset about what happened on the bus?” Warren asked, working through the evening's events in his mind.

“No!” Greg said enthusiastically, a hint of a smile flickering across his face before it dropped again. Tempering his excitement, he added, “No, that was... fun!”

“Is it because we told you to just come out?” Warren asked, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt. Even though he was sure Greg was actually gay, and his joke had been meant as a premature show of support, he considered the pressure it may have put on him.

“No, I'm used to that anyway. I just think you're sick of being the only poof!” Greg sniggered in a blatantly transparent attempt to deflect the line of questioning.

Warren ignored the comment. “I saw you looking at me and Sam holding hands. Did that... bother you?”

“No.” Greg snapped again, but his body language told Warren quite clearly that he was heading in the right direction.

“Oh.” Warren said, considering which way to go next as they shuffled forward slowly. “Wait, do you like Sam?”

“What? No!” Greg said, shocked at the implication.

Warren just looked at him, worried about asking his next question. “Me?”

“You wish!” Greg sniggered.

Warren smiled along with him, but remained determined to get to the bottom of it. A few more minutes passed as they shuffled painfully slowly down the queue, Warren's eyes fixed on the boy, studying him, thinking. Finally he reached out and took hold of the boy's hand.

Greg blushed, looking round and expecting the whole room to be staring in disgust or shock, but saw no response from anyone at all. He closed his fingers around Warren's and looked up into his eyes, then smiled shyly.

“Was this all you wanted?” Warren asked, amazed at the simplicity of the problem. When Greg nodded, he asked, “But why?”

Greg shrugged, debating whether or not he should divulge his train of thoughts. Figuring that Warren had taken the first step and he should probably take the next, he opened up. “Look, when Benny left and you came out, it made this... I dunno, split. You paired off with Sam and seemed to get closer every day and I got stuck with Tim. Well, not stuck with him, he's one of my best friends, but he's not the most... open guy in the world!”

Warren smirked. “Yeah, he's pretty much got the emotional range of a teaspoon!” he joked.

Greg smiled at the comment, his nerves dissipating slightly as Warren nodded along with his explanation. “At first it didn't bother me, I thought being so touchy-feely was pretty gay and I was worried that if I did it, people might find out that I'm...” He froze, realising what he had been about to say. Warren stared with an excited smile. “Shut up!” he said pre-emptively.

“I'm not saying anything. Carry on.” Warren said flatly, not wanting to interrupt Greg's flow.

“Yeah, so like I said, it didn't bother me at first, but I guess I just keep seeing it and sometimes it'd be really nice to... Oh don't make me say it.” Greg said, flustered.

“Sometimes you just want a cuddle?” Warren asked with a grin.

Greg looked round at the other people in the queue, hoping they weren't listening. When he finally dared to look back at Warren's grinning face, he couldn't help smiling too. He just nodded, then looked down at their still held hands.

“You really are gay, aren't you!” Warren teased him, earning himself a punch in the arm as he laughed.

*****

Benny sat back in his chair, looking down at the quiz sheet in front of him. Happy with the answers he had given, he looked at clock, waiting impatiently for the designated time to run out. The last few minutes of school on a Monday seemed to be the slowest of the week! Eventually the designated quiz time ended and the teacher, Mr Trent, called out loudly, “Pen's down, your time's up.”

He walked around the room, collecting the answer sheets from all of the students, the noise gradually increasing as they began to chatter. As he reached Benny, he paused, noticing a small piece of paper on top of his answer sheet. He read it and carried on collecting the sheets of paper.

By the time Mr Trent got back to the front of the class, the chatter had grown quite loud. “Quiet!” he called out sternly. They all knew well enough that when Mr Trent told you to be quiet, you complied immediately, so the the noise ceased. “Okay, homework for tonight, read chapter 16 and answer the questions at the end ready for next class.” He turned to move back to his desk as the students all began packing away, knowing the bell was just seconds away. Without looking back, he called out loudly, “And Mr Harrison, please stay behind after please.”

There was a chorus of 'oohs' and other jibes, the class knowing that nobody ever got kept behind by Mr Trent for anything good. The bell rang and everyone else began running out, some smacking Benny on the back in support of what they expected to be a harsh talking-to. As the last student left, Mr Trent got up and closed the door before turning to Benny.

“I got your note, Sir!” Mr Trent said meekly, his entire demeanour suddenly changing.

“Very good, Quentin.” Benny smiled as he stood from his chair. It gave him a buzz of excitement seeing the strict 35-year-old teacher suddenly shrink under his gaze, even more-so when he referred to the man by his first name.

“What can I do for you Sir?” Quentin asked quietly, remaining still.

Benny walked up to the man. During their first ever encounter, Benny had been six inches shorter than the man. Now though, they were the same height, making it even easier to control him. Benny placed a hand on his chest, squeezing a nipple through the man's shirt. Slowly he slid his fingers down and round to the man's slightly soft sides. “I was thinking about your cock for that entire lesson!” Benny reached down and grabbed his slave's cock through the material of his trousers.

Quentin gasped as he felt his master's fingers around his concealed package. He said nothing, having learned long ago that it was best to only speak when asked a question.

“I want to see it. Take off your trousers.” Benny ordered.

“What... here?” Quentin asked. “But someone could come in...” He could see the anger on Benny's face at being questioned, but the thought of exposing himself at school terrified him. The boy had never asked him to do that before. The repercussions if he was found would be severe!

“If you're so worried about being spotted, then you should probably get on with it so that we're done quicker!” Benny reasoned calmly.

The man trembled, trapped between his fear of getting caught and his compulsion to obey. Benny's firm stare eventually won the internal fight as he reached down, undid the belt and button, slid down the zip and let the trousers drop. His briefs were bulging, the boy's orders arousing him as always. “Them too!” Benny said, looking at the straining fabric. Quickly Quentin pulled them down to his ankles, then stood, his erection poking out from a thick, dark bush between the bottom flaps of his shirt.. He looked at Benny in anticipation.

“Sit down at your desk.” Benny ordered, before turning to return to his own. Before sitting down, he unzipped his school trousers and fished out his own erection, allowing it to poke free from his fly.

Both teacher and student were sat at their desks, Benny took hold of his erection and started stroking, nodding to Quentin to do the same. The teacher happily complied, wrapping his fingers around the shaft as a bead of pre-cum dribbled down it. He had never been so scared in his life, but the fear served only to heighten his enjoyment.

The stroking continued, both of them visibly and audibly getting close to release. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Panic spread across Quentin's face. Knowing it was probably just a courtesy knock and that whoever was there was probably about to walk straight in, he pulled himself against his desk and leant forward, knowing that his desk hid everything from the waist down. Smirking, Benny did the same.

As expected, the person walked straight in. It was Mrs Sumpter, one of the history teachers. “Quentin.” she started, then noticed Benny. “Sorry, Mr Trent. I just wondered if you were coming to the faculty meeting?”

“Erm, yes, I'll be coming soon.” Mr Trent replied nervously, cursing his choice of words as he heard Benny smirking. “I'm just helping Mr Harrison with a personal matter he's having so I'll be along shortly!”

“Okay, I'll see you there.” Mrs Sumpter said, leaving and closing the door behind her, completely unaware of what she had interrupted.

Quentin breathed a heavy sigh of relief that he had not needed to move. There would have been no way to subtly pull up his trousers without her seeing. Worse still was that the adrenaline of almost getting caught had actually made his cock even harder. Now laughing out loud, Benny stood up and approached the terrified teacher, cock in hand.

“That... was so hot!” he said with a devilish grin. “Get on your desk!” he ordered.

Still scared but now too aroused to care, Quentin complied, jumping up onto his desk. Benny pushed him back into a laying position, lifted his legs into the air and pushed his cock against the man's hole. His own natural lubricant was enough to let him slide inside the man and within seconds he was fucking him furiously.

“Oh, oh Sir!” Quentin gasped as the boy fucked him closer and closer to orgasm.

As the boy thrust a last few times, he filled the man's rear with his warm seed before reaching down and with just two strokes made the teacher ejaculate too, a small pool of cum dribbling from his cock onto his tie.

Breathing heavily and grinning, Benny pulled out, slipped his cock away and walked over to his desk. Picking up his bag he headed for the door and said, “You can go now!” He opened the door to leave, making Quentin jump as he realised anyone walking by would be able to see him. Benny left the door open as he walked away, laughing at the man's fear.

The corridors had emptied quickly as students rushed to leave for the day and teachers, apparently, headed for a faculty meeting. Benny made his way through the corridors and out of the building, saying casual goodbyes to the occasional student that he passed. As he walked out of the school gates, his mind was fixed on what he was going to do at the house that night but he was shaken from his fantasising by a familiar voice. “Benny.” it called out.

Benny turned to face him, his eyes widening. “Josh?”
Chapter 4

Both boys stood frozen on the spot, standing several metres apart. Josh stared. Benny stared. The noises of the street seemed to fade away into a vacuum of absolute silence. Josh could feel his heart pounding. He took a deep breath having unintentionally held it for several seconds.

Benny was first to move. He started walking towards Josh, subconsciously raising his hands, intending to hug him without even thinking if he would be allowed. Josh took a few steps backwards in response, stopping Benny in his tracks as he saw the feared expression plastered across his face.

“Josh, I...” Benny started, but with no idea what he intended to say, it he just went silent again.

“I... can't do this!” Josh said, he turned and walked away as quickly as he could without actually running.

“Josh wait!” Benny called out, running after him. He caught up and grabbed Josh's arm in an attempt to stop him.

“Don't touch me!” Josh yelled, pulling his arm away and turning to face the boy. “Don't... touch me.” he repeated more calmly.

“Okay, okay, I won't touch you... but please, can we talk?” Benny pleaded.

Josh stared at him, almost trembling. What disturbed Josh most was his own feelings on seeing the boy up close again. He was the sweet little boy he had babysat all those years, the sexy young man who had opened him up to so many new experiences and feelings, but at the same time he was also the vicious, furious monster whose hands had squeezed around his throat. A breath caught in his throat and he reached up to rub his neck without even thinking.

Benny saw the man's reaction to his presence, a wave of nausea pulsing through him as he saw Josh's hand raise to his throat. “Please, I just... I have to talk to you!” His eyes were watery, jaw quivering as he pleaded.

Josh hated his sudden desire to hold him, to comfort the boy. Was it the lingering remnants of Benny's control over him, or genuine affection? Several times Josh began to move forward, but every time he did the image of the boy's crazed face hanging over him reappeared, shocking him back. Eventually he just nodded his agreement to the boy's request.

“There's... somewhere we can go, back this way.” Benny said, he turned and started walking, hoping that Josh would follow. He did, several paces behind in silence.

There was a small park just past the school. Some students still lingered in the area, people walked their dogs, others just cut through on their way somewhere else. It was expansive enough to give the two young men privacy, but public enough that they weren't completely alone together, something Benny suspected Josh would want to avoid.

Benny sat on one end of a bench at a wooden picnic table, Josh took a seat on the opposite side, opposite end, literally as far as he could sit from the boy. “I owe you an apology.” Benny started, eyes lowered in shame.

“You already apologised, remember!” Josh said, thinking back to the fourteenth birthday party.

“No, I apologised to the whole group, but I couldn't apologise just to you. I never got the chance to speak to you alone...”

“I wonder why!” Josh snapped angrily. “Oh right, because you tried to fucking KILL ME!”

Benny flinched at the man's anger, starting to cry. He held his hands over his face and sobbed heavily, eventually crossing his arms on the table and burying his face into them, muffling his cries.

Josh's face remained twisted with anger as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. The conflict returned. He wanted to hit the boy and hug him, both at the same time. It was actually quite cathartic just sitting there seeing the boy cry, knowing that he was as distressed over the incident as he was. His mind drifted back to the incident, replaying how scared Benny had been at the time, how he had pathetically pleaded for Josh's help. He still couldn't bring himself to move though.

Several minutes later, Benny sat up, wiping his face but still crying gently. “I just...” Josh started, pausing for moment feeling a lump in his throat. “Why? Benny, why did you...?”

“I don't know.” he sniffed. “I had a lot of time to think about it... afterwards. I loved you Josh, and you said you loved me but I had to watch you fall in love with someone else. Then you just... ended it all. I didn't know how to handle it. I honestly loved you so much. Thinking about losing you, it just... snapped something!”

Josh listened to the boy explain. He wanted to hate him, to keep the anger alive, to blame him but hearing his words, seeing the pain in his eyes, he could feel it all draining away.

“I was thirteen Josh. I was just a kid.” he sniffed.

That was it. That was the final button the boy needed to push. The anger dropped from Josh's face completely, replaced with abject sorrow. Now it was his turn to sob. Benny allowed him time to compose himself, just as Josh had done for him.

“You were just a kid.” Josh repeated Benny's words, barely whispering. “You were a child and I... I took advantage of you.”

“What? No!” Benny argued. “That's not what I meant. You remember being thirteen, don't you?” Josh nodded wearily. “I had all these feelings, and I just wasn't ready to deal with them, I couldn't handle them. I was devastated at the thought of losing you and I couldn't handle it and I lashed out at you and it ruined everything!”

“Benny. I think... I think we both did things that were wrong.” Josh said, seeing the boy's sincerity and processing the feelings he had kept suppressed for so long. The extent of his own guilt amazed him. “Admittedly, the things I did wrong didn't almost kill you...” His poor attempt at levity just made Benny look even unhappier. “But we were both wrong, and I think we've both held onto it far far too long. Benny, I'm sorry for the things I did, and... I forgive you!”

A weight lifted from Josh that he had never even known was there. A silent burden he had helped load upon himself falling away with his forgiveness.

“Josh, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry!” Benny said, his expression a mix of sorrow and joy. He watched nervously as Josh got up from his seat, walked round the table and approached him. He leaned away nervously, worried that it was some kind of ruse, that the man was about to strangle him the way he felt he deserved. Instead, Josh pulled him onto his feet and wrapped his arms around him. Even though the boy was taller than he had been last time they embraced, he was still much shorter than Josh, his face pressing against his chest as they hugged.

“I missed you Benny.” Josh whispered, getting a squeeze in response.

They parted when Benny felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket, read the message and quickly replied. “Just one of my boys!” Benny said dismissively as he slipped the phone away and leaned in to hug Josh again.

Josh took a weary step back, looking at the boy with sudden concern. “One of your... what?” Josh asked.

Benny froze, realising what he had just revealed. “Oh, no, it's just, erm...” he stuttered.

“Benny, are you still... doing that sort of stuff?” Josh asked accusingly.

Benny looked at him in awkward silence.

Josh took it as a yes. “Wait, did you.... ever even stop?”

More silence.

“Oh my God.” Josh called out, turning away and rubbing his face with his hands as he considered the implications. He turned back. “I actually believed you were sorry, I thought you'd changed. I'm so stupid!” His anger returned even quicker than it had left.

“Josh, it's not what you think. It's not like it was with me and you. And I really have changed. I don't hurt people any more. Well, not unless that's their thing.” He laughed, but stopped as he realised Josh wasn't.

Josh thought for a moment. 'One of my boys', 'their thing', exactly how many did he have? Then he remembered the reason for his visit. “Benny, where are you living? What have you been doing?”

“Okay.” Benny said calmly. “Honestly, if I told you, I doubt you'd believe me. It's probably easier for me to show you anyway. If you promise not to tell anyone about what you're going to see, I'll take you there. You promise?”

After several seconds of deliberation, Josh silently nodded his agreement.

*****

Greg was a little worried. His invitation from Warren had been more than a little cryptic, just asking him to come round that evening and to come alone. Part of him was hoping that Warren wanted to do a little more of what they had done on the bus the previous night. He couldn't stop thinking about it. When he reached Warren's house, he knocked on the door and was quickly greeted by Mrs Spencer.

“Hi Greg. They're upstairs in Warren's room.” she said, saving the boy the effort of asking.

“Hi Mrs Spencer. Thanks.” he said happily, slipping off his shoes and hanging his coat on one of the wall hooks. He ran up the stairs as Warren's Mum returned to what she had been doing. 'They?' Greg thought as he dashed. 'So it's not just Warren.' He was a little disappointed, but now even more curious.

Knocking at Warren's door, he was invited in and found Warren sat on his bed with Sam. “Hey guys.” he said as he walked in. They both smiled back at him and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What's going on?”

“Warren told me what you two talked about at the cinema last night.” Sam started.

“Warren!” Greg whined as a surge of embarrassment pulsed through him.

“Wait, it's a good thing, you'll see!” Warren defended himself with a grin.

“Yeah, right.” Greg replied dejectedly, his shoulders dropping as he stared down, avoiding eye contact with either boy. “Just tell me why I'm here.”

“For the vow!” Sam said, as if he expected Greg to know what that meant. His puzzled look prompted the boy to continue. “After Warren came out, we started spending a lot more time together, and to make sure we could trust each other, we took a, sort of, vow.”

“Like getting married?” Greg asked, sniggering. “Aww, did you two get married? And I never got you a present!” He teased, glad to finally be on the better side of it.

Warren and Sam both shrugged, not bothered by the attempt at an insult. “If you wanna look at it that way, I suppose yeah, kinda like that.”

Greg thought for a moment. “Wait, you said I'm here for the vow?” He smiled, almost laughing as he realised the implication.

Warren jumped up off the bed and joined the two standing boys. “Yup. Like Sam said, I told him what we'd talked about last night and he thought of, I dunno, how did you word it Sam? Inviting him in?”

Greg's smile was so huge, his delight so sincere that the other boys couldn't help mirroring it. “So what do I have to do?”

Sam put an arm around Warren and the two stood together facing Greg. He cleared his throat as if preparing to give a formal public speech. “Okay. Do you, Greg West, take Warren Spencer and me, Sam Quarton, to be your best friends?”

“We're really doing this?” Greg smirked at the formality of it. Warren and Sam sniggered in response, but nodded, their faces showing their steely determination. “Fine. Yes, I do.”

Sam continued. “Do you promise to keep all secrets between us, to trust us completely and protect our trust in you?”

“I do.” Greg nodded. He felt a bit stupid, but could feel himself getting emotional as the magnitude of the words struck him. They may have been making a show of it, but he could tell they meant every word.

“Do you swear to be honest with your own feelings, to accept our gestures of affection and to freely offer gestures of your own?”

“I do.”

“Then I declare you, our new BFF. We may now kiss the friend!” Sam joked.

“What?!” Greg called out in surprise. Both boys lunged forward, each planted a kiss on his cheek and pulled him into a three-way hug. They lost their balance, falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs, laughing loudly.

*****

Josh drove, following Benny's directions, looking round curiously as they headed into a part of town he had rarely been to. Josh's parents were fairly well off, their comfortable house sitting in one of the nicest, most affluent areas of the town, but this area put even those houses to shame. They were mostly fairly large, walled off from the streets with large gates blocking entry, backed by extensive grounds around the almost mansion-like properties.

“This one here!” Benny said as they approached one. Compared to the other properties, the front entrance looked a little run down, like it had once been carefully cared for, but then left to decline for several years. As Josh pulled up to the gate, Benny pulled a small device from his pocket and pressed a button, making the gate slowly slide open.

Josh looked round at the boy. “This is where you live?” he asked, confused at how it was possible.

With the gate open, Josh drove in, the wheels sinking slightly into a gravelled driveway. The grounds looked somewhat overgrown, but with signs of some recent work towards improving them. As they drove on, a house came into sight. 'Mansion-like' was definitely an apt description, it was huge. It was quite old looking, in a similar state as the front entrance and grounds, but its grandeur was still undeniable.

Benny grinned as Josh stared, open-mouthed. “No, THAT is where I live!”

“What, so it's been, like, split into apartments or something?” Josh asked, failing to comprehend any other possibility.

“No, the whole thing's mine.” Benny said smugly.

“Yours? As in...”

“I own it. The whole thing!” Benny said, almost bouncing in his seat.

“Fuck off.” Josh said, refusing to believe it. “Seriously, fuck all the way off. You're sixteen, there's no chance!”

Benny simply laughed as Josh drove up, the driveway ending in a large circle around an overgrown, disused fountain. He stopped in front of the doors and Benny got out. Josh followed and just stared up at the building. His parents house would fit inside the thing about eight times.

“Okay, now you might be surprised at what you see in there, but you promised not to tell anyone, remember?” Benny reminded him.

Josh simply nodded, lost in a mix of amazement and disbelief. He followed Benny up the wide stone steps to the double door. It creaked open and they stepped inside. It opened up into a large open space with marble floor, large pillars around it supporting a first floor balcony and a grand staircase that started wide and narrowed as it reached up to the balcony.

Josh looked wearily at the large man stood just inside the door. “Josh, this is Roger, my... what would I call you, Roger?”

“Second in command, Sir?” Roger suggested.

The 'Sir' caught Josh by surprise. So this was one of Benny's 'boys' then? It was certainly not a word that would immediately sprint to mind upon beholding the behemoth of a man.

“Yeah, very good Roger, my second in command. Roger, this is Josh. He'll be my guest for a while.” Benny said politely.

“Josh, as in...” Roger started.

“Yes!” Benny said sharply, cutting him off and giving him a stern look. He turned to Josh who looked more confused than ever. “Coffee?”

“Sure.” Josh agreed, still taking in his surroundings.

“We'll have it in the private lounge after I've given Josh a quick tour.” Benny ordered. Roger glared at Josh for a moment, then walked away towards one of the doors on the wall behind the stairs. “Ready for the tour?”

Josh simply nodded and followed as Benny walked away. Benny explained the rooms as they walked round. The kitchen was at the rear, that was where Roger had headed. On the right was the guest lounge, a large room with a TV, a couple of sofas and armchairs and a large fireplace, then the games room, filled with large arcade video games, pool table, air hockey, dartboard and pinball tables. Next to that was a small bathroom. On the opposite side of the atrium, Benny showed him the private lounge, a smaller version of the guest one, a dining room with a long rectangular table flanked by two rows of six chairs and one at each end and finally what Benny had called the 'treatment room', but they didn't go into.

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Benny explained what was up there, saying there wasn't really much need to see it as it simply contained his master bedroom, six other bedrooms and a range of toilet and bathroom facilities. After that, he lead Josh round the back of the staircase. At first Josh had suspected they were heading into the kitchen, but instead he found there was another door, this one in the back of the staircase. Benny opened it to reveal more stairs heading down.

“Mind your head, ceiling's a bit low on the stairs.” Benny warned as Josh followed, still in awe. As they reached the cellar, Josh was surprised. He had expected it to be dark and damp, but it was well-lit and clean, with brick walls painted white a stone-slabbed floor. As with the atrium and upper floor, there were several doors coming off of the central area.

Benny walked into one of them and Josh found a fairly large, but equally clean and tidy room. There were a couple of small wardrobes and sets of drawers on one side, two pairs of bunk beds on the other. “These rooms are where the live-in boys sleep. There's four of these rooms, so I could have up to sixteen. Currently I only have seven. Oh, no, eight, we just got William.”

“Wha...” Josh gasped at the revelation of the number.

“Then there's four games rooms down here.” Benny explained as he ignored the noise from Josh. “Not video games, by the way!” he added with a wink. As he headed for the stairs to go back up, he passed one more door. He looked at it with disgust and added, “Oh, and that's where I keep the trash!”

There was a strange tone to Benny's voice and Josh thought he heard movement inside, but as he listened again there was nothing so he simply followed Benny up. They headed back into the 'private lounge' and sat down, a pot of coffee had been left by Roger. Benny poured some for Josh and handed it to him before pouring one for himself and sitting opposite him.

“So, do you like my house?” he asked with a grin.

Josh's mind was racing, he had so many questions, but where to start. “So where is everyone?” he started with a simple question. Aside from Roger, he had seen nobody else, none of these 'boys' Benny referred to.

“All of the guys who live here work or go to school or college, so during the day it's pretty much empty.” Benny explained. “Except for Roger. I have him stay here at all times.”

“And Roger, he's one of your 'boys', is he?” Josh asked, following the previous comments rather than jumping straight into the hundred other things he wanted to know.

“Yeah, sort of. There's... a hierarchy here. You've got the 'boys', they're the subs, bottom of the ladder. Above that you've got... I'm not sure what I'd call them, maybe my Generals.” Benny explained with a grin. “They're in charge of the boys, I give them commands to carry out, by how they do it is up to them. I don't micro-manage.”

Josh was amazed. Could this really be the same boy he had known just a few years ago. He sounded more like a manager of some business, describing what were essentially his slaves like they were just employees.

“Roger's one of my Generals too, but he has seniority over the others. That's why I keep him here. When I'm not around, he's in charge. All the Generals answer to me though, I like to have them sub for me every now and then, just to keep them in line.” Benny continued.

Josh's mind raced. He couldn't imagine the mountainous man that had greeted them 'subbing' for anyone, especially not this skinny little dictator.

“And then I'm top of the ladder.” Benny finished, shrugging it off like it was nothing.

Open-mouthed, Josh stared. When he found out Benny was still doing this sort of thing, he had expected the occasional dalliance with some poor guy under his control. Instead, the boy had built his own little empire.

“How can you afford this place? Did someone give it to you?” Josh asked, looking round.

“I just saved up. I'm not proud of this part, but I did... sort of... blackmail a few people into giving me money regularly.” Benny confessed, looking genuinely remorseful of his actions. “But, once I got a regular income, I actually tracked them down and gave it back.” He added, looking a little less guilty.

“Regular income?” Josh enquired.

“Yeah, all the live-in guys, their wages get paid directly into my account.”

Josh's face contorted into disappointment again. “So you're still blackmailing them?”

“No.” Benny defended himself, sitting forward in his seat and smiling. “It's done willingly. Nobody gives me a penny until they're happy to do so of their own accord, and only the ones who work, obviously.” Josh's puzzled look prompted him to explain further. “Okay, I do 'make' them come here to start with, but only for what we call 'induction month'. It's like a trial run. We test their limits, let them try things, figure out what they like and then customise their life here to fit both their needs and mine. If by the end of the month they want to leave, they can. If they want to stay, they stay and their money comes to me! I'm not in it for profit, by the way, any money that doesn't go on food or power goes towards fixing up the house or buying new equipment for the boys. The house was a right state when I got it.”

Benny smirked at Josh's face as he continued to stare in disbelief. He could understand why. He struggled to believe it himself at times.

“Wait, what about the ones that don't work? And how do you 'make' them come here?” Josh asked, both questions playing on his mind as he listened to the boy's explanation.

“Well the unemployed ones get slightly rougher treatment. I put them in chastity. They have to come back here once a week when they get some edging, just to keep them really gagging for it. Once they get a job, they get to go through induction month to see if they want to stay. If not, they're free to go like anyone else. As for how we make the boys come here....” Benny looked ashamed again.

It was becoming clear to Josh that Benny had planned all of this so carefully, and by the sounds of it he really didn't want to hurt anyone, but there were clearly areas of it he wasn't comfortable with himself. “Yes?” he prompted Benny to go on.

“I have a couple of younger guys. They go out and hook up with older guys, video it and then use it as leverage.” Benny explained.

“How much younger?” Josh asked, concerned.

“One's thirteen, the other's fourteen.” Benny hung his head, waiting for Josh's reaction.

The young man jumped to his feet. “You're using kids as bait?”

“No, well yes, but... it's not how it sounds.” Benny stuttered, leaning back in his seat defensively. “They came to me, willingly. They want to do what they're doing because they enjoy it, and I make sure they're safe. They never go out alone, there's always one of the other guys close by in case anything happens.”

“That doesn't make it okay.” Josh snapped.

“It's no less than what I did at that age!” Benny argued. “I WAS their age when I started doing that. How do you think I started this? I was going out myself.”

Josh sat back down. “You... you did?” he asked, slightly shocked. He had imagined that Benny had stopped all sexual activity after their incident. Maybe he was being quite small-minded about it, but he just hadn't considered the possibility of Benny continuing without him.

“Yeah, I know I had the anger issues to deal with, and I did deal with it,” he assured Josh, “But the desires never went away. I love being the master and I needed it to continue.”

Josh could understand that. His lingering desires to have a master obviously still played on his mind.

As if reading Josh's thoughts, or perhaps it was obvious from his face, Benny asked, “Do you... still do that stuff?”

Josh shook his head.

“But... you want to?”

A pause. Silence. Staring. Josh nodded.

*****

“Anyone here?” Nick called out as he let himself into the apartment.

“In the bedroom!” A voice called back. It was Dale.

Nick walked down the hallway to the main bedroom and stood at the doorway, leaning on the frame as he looked at the man on the bed. “Hey.” he said casually.

“Hey bud.” Dale replied. He was laying on the bed, reading on his tablet, put he turned it off and set it aside, smiling at the young man.

Nick stared back for a moment, not moving until Dale patted the bed beside him. He leapt across the room and onto the bed, coming to a stop beside Dale. He stared at the ceiling, turned to look at Dale then moved sideways, lifting the man's arm and pulling it around himself as he lay his head on his large chest.

Nick sighed as Dale gently rubbed his back. Something was clearly bothering the boy, but he had long since learned that when questioned directly, Nick tended not to respond. He settled instead for just holding him. He found himself considering their relationship. He was so like Josh in many ways, but his absolute opposite in others. He loved Nick, but not the same way he did Josh. He was like a 'brother with benefits' as he had often termed it to Nick, who happily agreed.

“Where's Josh tonight?” Nick asked, his hand casually stroking Dale's stomach.

“Ah, yeah.” Dale said, immediately indicating to Nick that it was a touchy subject. The boy sat up and looked Dale in the eye. The young man sat up too and said quietly, “He's... gone to see Benny.”

Nick looked confused, sure for a second that he may have misheard or misunderstood. Dale's expression confirmed he hadn't. “What, Benny, as in.... WHAT?” Dale just nodded, eyebrows raised. “On his own?”

“Yup.” Dale replied, his concerned look matching Nick's.

“But... why? How could you let him?” Nick demanded.

“I didn't LET him. I'm his boyfriend, not his keeper!” Dale snapped back with misdirected anger. He paused for a moment, then reached out and stroked Nick's arm. “Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just... worried!”

Nick reached round to place his hand on top of Dale's. “Yeah, I can see why. So, why now?”

“Benny's parents came round to see him. Had you heard about him disappearing?” Dale asked. Nick nodded. “Well they thought he might speak to Josh, because they were so close!”

“That musta been tough for him. And he'd been doing so well.” Nick sympathised.

Dale's face dropped as he shook his head. “Turns out he really wasn't doing so well.” Nick squinted his confusion. “He'd just been putting on a brave face, this entire time. It was eating away at him so he just decided he had to go and face him. All this time he was struggling and I didn't even notice.” Dale punched the bed with a clenched fist. “Fuck, how could I not see, I've gotta be the worst boyfriend ever!”

“I can think of worse!” Nick muttered.

“What?” Dale asked, curiously.

“Nothing. So he's with him now?” Nick asked.

Dale nodded slightly. “Yeah, went to see him when he got out of school. I told him to call me as soon as they were done, just so I'd know he's okay.” Trying to avoid letting their thoughts linger, he asked, “No Warren tonight?”

Nick shook his head. “He had plans with his friends. I'll be seeing him tomorrow.”

“Well his loss is my gain!” Dale said happily, grabbing Nick in a hug and flopping back down into a laying position, pulling the boy with him. “You get to keep me company instead.”

“I can do more than keep you company if you want!” Nick sniggered, rubbing the man's crotch. It swelled a little in response.

“Well you've woken it up now, so I suppose I don't have any choice!” Dale laughed back. He pulled the boy close and their lips met, followed by their tongues.

Nick jumped on top of Dale, straddling his hips. He ran his fingers up his torso, feeling the firm warmth of his skin through his shirt. “Hey Dale, you any good sewing?” he asked with a cheeky smile.

“I don't know, why?” Dale asked, confused at the unexpected question.

Nick grabbed the front of the short and ripped it open, buttons flying off in various directions. “That's why!” he sniggered before diving down to take a nipple between his lips.

Dale laughed at the boy's treatment of his clothing before gasping at the enjoyment of his lips. He pulled Nick's shirt off over his head and threw it aside, hands exploring his smooth skin from waist to neck. They continued touching, caressing, licking and kissing for several minutes, each of them feeling every inch of the other before either of them reached for a waistband.

Nick was first, undoing Dale's jeans and planting a kiss on the skin exposed as he pulled the waistband of his underwear down a little. Dale raised his hips to allow Nick to remove his clothing, smiling as the boy crawled his way up his legs, kissing as he went until his lips touched his balls. Dale moaned as he felt the boy's tongue lapping at his scrotum before slowly, teasingly working up the shaft, culminating a long slow lick of the flared head.

“Oh fuck.” Dale moaned as Nick worked on his cock, his fingers grasping at the boy's hair.

Nick jumped to his feet and pulled down his jeans and underwear, staring down into Dale's expectant eyes. His cock sprang free, already shiny with precum. He knelt back down, straddling Dale's chest this time, then fed his cock into the man's willing mouth. Taking a handful of his dark curly hair with one hand and steadying himself on the headboard with the other, he started fucking his face, thrusting forward in time with pulling Dale's head onto himself. He pulled off when he felt himself getting close, not wanting to finish too soon. He squeezed his cock and a long string of precum dribbled down into Dale's mouth.

“You horny little fucker!” Dale said, licking his lips with a grin.

Nick slid down the man's hairy torso until he felt his stiffness poking into his rear. He lined up his crack with it and started riding it, clenching and releasing his glutes as the erection slid back and forth the length of his crack. As Dale gasped with pleasure, Nick reached down and pinched both nipples tightly, timed to coincide with a squeeze of his ass on the man's meat. The mix of pleasure and pain made him yell out excitedly.

Still close to orgasm and sensing that Dale was getting there too, he reached down and guided the rigid tool into his hole, sitting down on it until his balls came to rest on Dale's stomach. He positioned himself to ensure that the cock inside him provided as much stimulation as possible. He wanted dale to fuck an orgasm out of him. Finally at the perfect angle, he looked Dale in the eye and just said, “Go!”

Dale knew what to do. He started bucking his hips up and down, using the bounce of the mattress to enhance his thrusts. Nick gasped, wide-eyed and open mouthed as the fucking began, his expression of pure euphoria only serving to arouse Dale more. In absolutely perfect synchronisation, Nick felt orgasms both inside and out, Dale filling his rear while his untouched cock bounced excitedly and covered both their bodies with his sticky load.

Nick tried to kneel up to let Dale slide out of him, but even moving sent intense waves of over-sensitive excitement through his rear. He let Dale soften inside him as he flopped forward, his cum feeling warm and wet between their bodies as he lay on top of the exhausted man.

Breathing heavily and enjoying the feel of Dale's hairy chest beneath his cheek, Nick said flatly, “I'm cheating on Warren!”

*****

“Take off your clothes!” Benny ordered.

Josh was frozen. He had been here before. Not in that house, that was beyond anything he could imagine, but the situation was painfully similar. He had heard those words from Benny in so many wank fantasies over the last two years, but then there had been actual nightmares that started with them too.

Benny could sense his trepidation. He didn't want to push it too far and risk losing Josh when he had only just started down the path to reconnecting with him. Benny stood up and sat down next to him. He placed a hand on his knee, smiled up at him and said quietly, “If you're not sure, we won't do this. I'd rather have a friend than another boy.”

Josh looked down at him. His deep green eyes had haunted him since the incident, but now as he looked at them all he could see was kindness. “I want to. I've thought about it a lot. But maybe... not just yet!”

Benny smiled sweetly. “Whenever you're ready, you know where I am!” He hugged Josh quickly then returned to his previous seat. “Speaking of knowing where I am, what are you going to tell my parents?”

“How did you know...” Josh started.

“I figured they'd come to you eventually.” Benny said, knowingly. “How are they doing?”

“How d'you think? They're worried!” Josh replied honestly. “Why don't you just tell them where you are?”

Benny laughed. “Oh yeah, and how would that go? Mum, Dad, welcome to my brothel. Would you like one of the naked men to prepare you a drink?”

Josh laughed but knew he probably shouldn't. “Fair point. But... maybe you could try calling, or visiting them, just so they can see you're okay. Trust me, I know what it's like to lose you, and it sucks!”

Benny felt a sudden pang of guilt, not just over Josh again, but for his parents now. He had been so keen to move into the house full time that he'd actually given them very little consideration. “I'll call them.” he said quietly.

“Good. I'll tell them you're okay, but I won't mention this place. Now, I should be going. Dale's gonna think you've kidnapped me!” Josh joked.

“Don't tempt me!” Benny laughed in reply, but stopped laughing as he saw the nervous expression on Josh's face. “Sorry, I guess we're not quite there yet.”

Josh smiled politely. “Just give it time!” he reassured the boy.

Benny showed him to the door. “Josh... thanks... for everything.” he said as the man headed for his car.

“No problem. Hey, why don't you text me some time. We can... talk some more!” Josh said, slightly wary of the idea. The boy nodded his agreement so Josh smiled back before driving away.
Chapter 5

Dale looked down at Nick, but his gaze wasn't returned. Instead, Nick just lay there, head on his chest, finger casually tracing a circle around his nipple.

“What do you mean, you're cheating on Warren?” Dale asked, both confused and concerned for his young friend. “I thought your relationship was open.”

“It is.” Nick replied flatly. “We can mess around with anyone we want.”

“Then... how can you cheat on him?” Dale asked, his fingers rubbing up and down the boy's back.

“We've never sat down and, like, written a rulebook or anything, but it's just kind of accepted that we can fool around with guys, but that's as far as it goes. It's just sex, nothing more.” Nick explained.

“And you've... done more?”

“Yeah, I think I'm falling in love with someone else, so it's way more than just sex.” Nick said, ending with a sigh.

Dale stared down at the naked boy, considered what they had just done and figured he had to ask the obvious question. “It's not....” he started.

“You?” Nick said, resting his chin on Dale's chest and looking up into his eyes. “No, Dale. Just... no. You know I love you, but only in the same way I love Josh. It's... someone at college.”

Dale raised his eyebrows. He suddenly realised the situation Nick was putting him in. The boy was one of his best friends, he was his lover and he was like his own brother, but Warren, the boyfriend he was cheating on was all the same things to him. Now he was stuck in the middle. He took a deep breath and asked, “What about Warren then?”

Nick dropped his face into Dale's chest and moaned. “That's the sucky thing!” he said, his voice muffled. “I'm still in love with him. I see him and... oh God, it's like the whole world lights up and all I want to do is hold him and love him and... fuck, Dale, what am I gonna do?” He was almost whimpering, his struggle painful to watch.

“Right now, you're not gonna do anything. You're gonna just lay here with me.” Dale said, running a hand through his hair.

*****

Benny enjoyed his daily ritual of watching the boys arrive home. He would stand up on the balcony, watching as each of them entered, to be greeted by one of his Generals, usually Roger. Watching them strip and hand their clothes over got him hard, particularly the newer ones who still found it a little embarrassing. Once naked, they would be issued with their orders for the night – cooking, cleaning, house or garden maintenance, servicing the Generals or Benny.

Quentin Trent was the last to get home today, probably having had other duties to attend to after the faculty meeting. He headed down the stairs as his teacher stripped under the gaze of Roger. He loved how the man squirmed whenever he saw his student, it reminded Benny of the man's first night in the house, when he had found himself under the control of someone he had held so much authority over previously.

“Good evening Sir.” Quentin said nervously.

“Good evening Mr Trent.” Benny said, smirking as the man blushed. Benny headed into his private lounge as Roger dished out Quentin's orders and dismissed him with a harshly barked order.

“Sir!” Roger called out just as Benny was closing the door. When the boy looked back at him, he added, “Can I have a word?”

“Certainly, come in.” the young master said, continuing into the lounge but leaving the door open. Roger soon followed and closed it behind him.

“Sir, I just wanted to...” Roger started before being paused by a raised hand.

“Wait. Take off your clothes.” Benny ordered.

There was no hesitation, Roger immediately began to strip as Benny watched. The large man was a massive mix of muscle and a little fat, making him look terrifyingly large, his chest covered in fairly short dark hair, only recent growing back after Benny had forced him to be waxed on a whim some time ago. His bush was short too, also starting to grow back, allowing an unobstructed view of his already hardening cock. It was a fairly decent six inches, but on a man his size it almost looked small. Naked, he stopped and looked to Benny for more orders.

“Sit there!” he commanded, pointing to an armchair opposite him. “And start wanking.”

Roger obeyed, taking a seat and wrapping his meaty fingers around his straining shaft. He loved putting on a show for his master, something about the way his eyes wandered up and down his whole body made him so unbelievably aroused.

Smiling, Benny reached into a drawer in the end table at his side and pulled out a large dildo and a small tube of lubricant. He threw it silently to Roger who caught it and immediately knew he was being asked to do. Squeezing some lube onto the large tool, he shifted down in the seat then raised his legs into the air, exposing his hole to his young master. Applying a little more of the lube to his hole, he moved the dildo down and plunged it inside him, quickly proceeding to fuck himself with it as Benny watched on with glee.

“Okay, now what were you saying?” Benny asked, grinning as Roger's face contorted, knowing he would struggle to form a coherent sentence while he fucked and stroked himself simultaneously.

“I... Sir... it's about... Josh.” the large man gasped as he pleasured himself.

“What about him?” Benny asked. He hadn't yet taken the time to think through his time with Josh yet. Did he really need to hear someone else's view on it?

“I just wanted... to make sure... you're okay.” Roger said between moans as he continued.

The question surprised Benny. He had been so used to seeing Roger as the strict, uncaring enforcer of the house that sometimes he almost forgot how devoted he was to his master, how much he actually cared. He felt a brief moment of guilt over using the moment to tease his slave, but by the looks of his face and rapid hand movements, he definitely seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

“I'm fine, thanks Roger.” Benny replied, more to put them man's mind at ease than anything else. In truth, he didn't actually know the answer. He definitely felt unburdened by the degree of forgiveness he and Josh had allowed each other, but having him suddenly back in his life definitely brought up difficult feelings.

“Are you... sure, Sir? I know... what he meant... ah, to you.” Roger continued. Before Benny could reply, the man added, “Can I cum?”

“Not yet.” Benny said dismissively as his mind lingered on Josh. His mind started running through scenarios, how things could go with his former lover, how good things could be as well as how bad they could go. He was only shaken from his thoughts when he heard Roger's high-pitched whimpers as his fucking and stroking hovered him right on the edge of release. Benny figured he should allow the man to finish. He stood up, walked around to the back of the armchair and looked down. Roger's pleading eyes bored into him, an intoxicating mix of desire and discomfort.

Benny leant down, whispered, “You can cum!” then planted his lips on Roger's.

Permission granted, the large man sped up his strokes and started to shoot, moaning excitedly into Benny's mouth as their tongues wrestled. His first two shots hit the top of Benny's head, the rest pooling on his crunched up stomach and chest. As the pleasure subsided, he lowered his legs, dropping the dildo to the floor and reached up with his arms, wrapping them around the boy's shoulders. Their kissing continued as his pulse slowed back to normal and his breathing calmed.

“Good boy!” Benny whispered as he pulled away and stood up straight. He threw Roger some tissues from the end table then returned to his seat, watching as the man cleaned up and dressed. “You can go.” he said dismissively.

“Yes Sir.” Roger said, heading to the door.

“And Roger,” Benny said firmly, making Roger stop and look back. His voice softened, “Thanks... for your concern.” The two shared sincere smiles before the man turned and left.

*****

Josh stood at his bedroom door and smiled. He thought how most people would react if they got home and found their boyfriend in bed with their brother. Thankfully, Josh wasn't like 'most people'. The two were asleep, Nick laying on top of Dale. He crept over as quietly as he could and slid onto the bed, pulling out Dale's arm to wrap around him as he cuddled into his side, draping his own arm over Nick.

He lay there for several minutes, listening to them both breathe deeply as they slept before either of them stirred. “Josh?” Nick said sleepily as he opened his eyes and saw his brother beside him.

“Alright, kid.” Josh said with a smile, rubbing the boys head.

“Dale.” Nick said, shaking the man beneath him gently. “Josh is back.”

Dale's eyes shot open as he heard Nick's words, then looked round. “Josh. You okay?” he asked eagerly.

Nick climbed off, kneeling at the foot of the bed as Josh and Dale both sat up. Josh just nodded and smiled in response to Dale's question.

“Did you see him?” Nick asked, starting to dress.

“Yeah.” Josh said with a gentle nod.

“And?” Nick prompted.

“And we talked. Really cleared the air.” Josh explained, watching as Dale started dressing too.

Dale paused as he put on his shirt, partly to question Josh, but partly as he remembered there were now no buttons attached on the garment. He threw it aside and reached into a drawer for a t-shirt. “So you're really okay?”

Josh smiled. The question actually made him feel better as he contemplated the answer. Whilst he remained conflicted on his desire to return to subbing, he could now say with absolute certainty that was, in fact, okay. He expected he would always feel a certain discomfort at the thought of anything round his neck, one of the reasons he avoided necklaces, but his fear of Benny had evaporated and it felt amazing. “Yeah, I really am okay, I swear.”

“Well that's... good I suppose.” Nick said, doing up his jeans. “So... what's going on with Benny then?”

Josh chuckled. “That's... a long story.”

Some time later, the three of them were sat in the lounge, sipping coffee as Josh reached the end of his story. He had explained Benny's house and what seemed to go on there as best as he could as Dale and Nick listened, as surprised as Josh had been himself earlier that evening.

“Oh my God, he's insane!” Nick said, laughing.

“Clearly.” Dale agreed. “But you've gotta admire the kid. Regardless of how he got it, he's built something... scarily impressive there.”

“Seriously guys, you should see it. It's... just... unbelievable.” Josh said, still awed by what he had seen. He had deliberated about sharing the last detail, Benny's order. He figured it was best to be honest. “Before I left though, something... almost happened.... with Benny.”

“What, you mean... as in, YOU and Benny?” Dale asked, shocked.

Josh nodded.  “He asked if I still thought about... subbing, then... ordered me to strip.”

“And?” Nick asked, leaning forward in his seat, eyes fixed on his big brother.

Josh looked over at Dale. He felt ashamed. He hadn't done anything wrong, he hadn't lied to Dale, but in concealing his desires, it felt like lying. “I told him I do... still think about it.” He couldn't tell whether Dale looked annoyed at the revelation, or relieved to just hear the truth. Nick just looked expectant, wanting to know what else he may have done. “But I couldn't do what he asked. I just... wasn't ready.”

“Oh.” Nick said, flopping back in his seat, almost disappointed.

“But you... wanted to?” Dale asked. Josh didn't move, but the look in his eyes answered his boyfriend's question. “Nick, would you mind going home?”

The younger boy looked between the two men, then quickly got up and headed for the door. He pulled on his shoes, grabbed his coat and left as silence still hung heavily in the room.

The quiet continued for a few minutes after Nick left, until Josh finally started, “Dale, I...”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Dale yelled, standing up, breathing heavily.

Josh cowered back in his seat. “I'm sorry, I can't help liking what I like!” he answered.

“You think that's the problem?” Dale snarled. “Our relationship is open, specifically so we can both do 'what we like'.”

Josh just stared up at him nervously. “Then, what's the problem?” he asked timidly.

“Benny. Benny is the problem. Benny is always the fucking problem!” Dale screamed, furious at Josh's question, his absolute obliviousness when it came to dealing with the boy. He grabbed for Josh's arms, pulling them roughly and making the scared young man stand. He raised them and waved Josh's hands in front of his face. “These scars. You remember these? THEY are the problem. Do you get it now?”

Josh snatched his hands back angrily. “They're MY scars.” he snapped. “If I can get past that, if I can find a way to forgive him, then there IS no problem.”

“Oh My God, you... you just.... I've gotta get out of here. I can't talk to you right now!” Dale shouted back, then ran to the door and left.

Josh dropped to the sofa, heart pounding, more annoyed at Dale than he ever knew possible. He grabbed a cushion, held it tightly against his chest and just lay there, contemplating what had just happened.

He was still laying there when he heard someone at the door. As they were letting themselves in, he figured it had to be either Dale or Nick. Sitting up, happy to see either he was surprised to find himself facing Corey. He just stared at his youngest brother.

“I've always wondered exactly how stupid you are. I guess I know now.” Corey said with a frown. As Josh stared back at him, he sniffled then, trying to hold it back and failing, burst into tears. The younger boy dashed across the room and put his arms around Josh. “You big fucking idiot!” Corey said, shaking his head as he held him.

When Josh calmed down, he sat up and looked at Corey. The boy looked him up and down, took a deep breath, glanced again. “I'm guessing you and Dale had argument?”

Josh nodded. “Yeah, he started shouting at me about Benny and my scars and then I shouted back and... he just left. I'm guessing you spoke to Nick then?”

“Yeah.” Corey said flatly, more disappointed than angry. “Please, please tell me you're not thinking about going back to Benny. For once, think with your brain instead of your cock!”

“He's changed. I honestly don't think he'd hurt me again.” Josh explained.

Corey let out a disgusted grunt then put his face in his hands, shaking his head in pure frustration. “Look, when Benny did... whatever he did to you... who did he hurt?”

“Me.” Josh said, shrugging, not seeing the boy's point.

“And there's your problem.” Corey said, sitting back in his seat and raising his eyebrows, hoping Josh would catch on, but it seemed his brother was determined to be as dense as ever. “I seriously don't get how you can be this stupid. Have you ever even considered Dale?”

“What... what about him?” Josh stuttered. He had been so angry at his boyfriend, so sure he was the one in the wrong, but Corey was usually right about this stuff. How could Dale be the injured party here?

“Dale put you back together after you totally fell apart, and he's been doing that continuously ever since. I sometimes think you miss just how much he loves you. He would do anything for you. Literally, anything. And he's spent the last couple of years picking you up every time you fell down. You may have the physical scars, but I promise he feels them just as much as you do.”

Josh stared, open-mouthed, feeling completely disgusted with himself. Had he really been so caught up in his own feelings, his own self-pity that he had so completely missed Dale's feelings. He felt like he could throw up thinking back over every bad day he had endured and how Dale had been there to comfort him. “Oh God.” he muttered. “What if I've ruined this? What if he doesn't come back?”

“Don't worry, he'll be back. Seriously, you really don't get how much he loves you.” Corey reassured him. Josh still looked ready to cry again, so Corey grinned and said, “It's not fair, is it?”

“What's not?” Josh asked, confused.

“How nature blessed me with amazing looks AND brains, while you got stuck with neither. You really never stood a chance in life down at the shallow end of the gene pool, did you!” he smirked.

Josh's eyes narrowed to angry slits as an annoyed smile spread across Josh's face. “Hey, you're not so big that I can't still take you down.” Josh shot him in mock anger.

“Ooh, I'm terrified.” Corey said, waving his hands in the air, putting on an intentionally fake show of fear.

Josh lunged at him, tickling at his hips and reducing the boy to helpless giggles. He struggled to get free, but Josh sat on top of him, pinning the boy's arms at his sides with his knees, then continued tickling. The two brothers continued their wrestling for several minutes until they both collapsed, exhausted.

“I don't know what I'd do without you.” Josh said contentedly, looking down at Corey's whose head rested on his leg.

“Probably be single!” Corey joked with a grin. They both laughed,

“Josh?” a voice called out. He turned to see Dale had returned.

“And that's my cue to leave.” Corey said with a cheeky smile. “Hey bro.” he fist bumped Dale on his way out.

“Dale.” Josh said, getting up as his boyfriend walked closer. “I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.”

“I know.” Dale said, pulling him into a hug. “Me too.”

*****

When Corey got home, he greeted his parents before heading up to Nick's room. He knocked on the door then poked his head in. “Hey, just wanted to let you know I think everything will be alright with Josh.” he said with a smile.

“Great, thanks for letting me know.” Nick smiled back. Corey closed the door, just as Nick called out, “Hey, Cor.”

“Yeah?” the younger sibling asked, looking back in.

“You got a minute?”

“Sure.” Corey replied. He walked in, closed the door and sat on Nick's bed. “Sup?”

“Do you... ever think about the stuff we did with Benny?” Nick asked, almost embarrassed to be mentioning it.

“Sure I do.” Corey replied confidently. “It was fun. Remember when you had to walk to the park naked. That was SO funny!”

Nick blushed at the memory. “Not so much for me!”

“I seem to remember it looking like you were definitely enjoying it!” Corey said, winking and gesturing down to Nick's crotch.

Nick blushed even more profusely. “Yeah, well at least I didn't get scared and start crying like you did!”

Corey's face dropped into a frown as he blushed too, remembering the incident. Nick immediately felt bad. He jumped up and pulled Corey into a hug. “Sorry, that was really mean.” he apologised quickly.

Corey sniggered and said, “It was, but I suppose I deserved it.” Nick started to let go, but the younger boy stopped him, holding tight. Although the two were friends, that kind of physical closeness was still unusual for them, and Corey wanted to enjoy it for just a little longer.

When they parted, Nick remained sat at Corey's side. “Have you been thinking about that stuff a lot then?” the younger sibling enquired.

“Occasionally, but... I dunno, I guess this stuff did kinda bring it all back. Do you ever get the urge to do that stuff again?” Nick asked.

“Me? Nah. I was never really into the cock like you and Josh are. Gimme a nice wet pussy any day!” Corey grinned.

“Ew.” Nick sneered, pushing Corey away. “You straights just aren't normal.” he joked.

“Hey, we have a right to live life the way we were born!” Corey joked back. The two boys laughed. “So, when you think about... that stuff, are you the Benny, or the Josh?”

Nick smiled and shook his head at the boy's way of referencing the roles, but then stopped to think. He knew the answer, but felt a bit embarrassed about verbalising it to his little brother. “I think... probably a Benny.”

“Huh.” Corey said, looking at him inquisitively. “You don't look the type.”

“And Benny does?” Nick joked.

“Good point.” Corey chuckled, then went silent. He looked round at Nick, face suddenly serious. “We need to keep an eye on Josh. I'm... worried.”

Nick reached across and put an arm around the boy and just nodded his agreement.

*****

Greg climbed off the bed, then looked back at Warren and Sam. He sighed and said, “Time to go I suppose. My Mum'll kill me if I'm late.”

“Mine too.” Sam said reluctantly, standing up too.

“But the movie's not over yet.” Warren complained.

Sam looked at the TV screen, smirked then back at Warren. “Dude, we've seen this film like a million times. We know how it ends.”

“It's not the movie I'm bothered about.” Warren pouted, brushing the hair out of his face and tucking it behind his ear. “I hate being alone at night.”

“Hey, you get no sympathy from me.” Greg said back unsympathetically. “One night without Nick or a friend to cuddle, I'm sure you'll manage. I've always slept alone and I survived!”

“Awwwwww.” Warren and Sam mocked him with together, before their eyes met and they simultaneously declared. “Sleepover!”

“We can do it this Friday.” Sam said excitedly.

“Yes, let's do it.” Warren said back just as happily.

“I suppose we have to invite Tim.” Sam added, looking somewhat less happy.

“He's going away for the weekend.” Greg interjected. 

“Even better!” Sam said, happy again.

“Do I get any say in this?” Greg asked, amused by the other two's enthusiasm.

“Nope. You'll be here.” Sam said firmly.

Greg just shrugged his submission to the idea. “Whatever, let's go.”

Warren followed them downstairs and hugged them both quickly as they left before returning to his room.

Sam and Greg walked down the drive and turned onto the street. Fortunately they could walk most of the way home together so they chatted as they walked.

“So do you and Warren have a lot of sleepovers?” Greg asked.

“Yeah, quite a few. Sometimes just us, sometimes Nick comes too. If it's a Friday, he's usually there so I expect he'll be there this week too.” Sam replied casually.

“So just you in a room with three gay guys.” Greg felt a little awkward saying that, but liberating too, being out to his new best friends. “You be okay with that?”

“It's never bothered me before, except when their sex is too noisy and it wakes me up!” Sam chuckled.

“They have sex with you in the room?” Greg asked, shocked at the revelation.

“Sure. Sometimes when I'm asleep, sometimes I just watch them go at it.”

“Are you... serious?” Greg asked, gulping.

“Totally.” Sam said with a grin. “They usually ask if I want to join in.” He laughed.

“And... do you?”

Sam shook his head. “Nah, I like teasing guys, sometimes they're fun to watch but I have absolutely no desire to touch.” He explained, then grabbed hold of Greg's hand. “At least, not in THAT way. This kind of touching is fine.”

Greg blushed, both from the thoughts running through his head and from the surge of pleasure he got from holding Sam's hand.

“Hey, maybe they'll ask you to join in!” Sam said with a chuckle.

Greg stopped, jerking Sam to a halt as he gripped the boy's hand. “You okay?” he asked.

Greg looked strange, his face a mix of dread of excitement, his jeans tented very obviously. “Will they?”

“I dunno.” Sam shrugged, pulling at Greg's hand to get him to resume walking. “But remember the vow. Total honesty. You wanna know, just ask him tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Greg nodded, his mind racing. “Yeah, I'll ask him tomorrow.”

*****

Dale had fallen asleep quickly when he and Josh went to bed. It had been a long and emotional evening as the two had made up. There had been apologies on both sides, Josh explaining how he understood dale's feelings (but omitting the part that he had essentially been spoon-fed the information by Corey), and then, of course, make up sex. So much make up sex.

Dale had taken the lead more than usual, obviously trying at least in some small way to sate Josh's 'sub' desires. It didn't come close, but the gesture alone was enough to make Josh fall in love with Dale all over again. Now he was laying in bed, wide awake and wondering what to do with himself. Normally he would have just wanked himself to sleep, but the vigorous activity with Dale had left the tank decisively empty!

Grabbing his phone, he briefly considered messaging Benny, but it quickly passed. Maybe Warren? That felt wrong too. After his evening with Dale, he felt even more guilty every time he thought about his affair with his boyfriend's little brother. Then another thought occurred to him... James. Since the night they 'became friends', as James termed it, the young man had text Josh every day following his decision to get to know him better. Since he had left the previous morning though, there had been no messages.

[Hey, still awake?] he sent to him quickly.

A few minutes passed and there was no reply so Josh suspected he may have already been asleep, but just as he was about to put his phone down, it vibrated and the reply popped up. [Yeah I am]

[Good. You okay?] Josh asked.

[Yeah, I'm fine. Why?] The message came across a little blunt.

[I just hadn't heard from you today and I wanted to check in, that's all] Josh replied.

[Thanks, but I'm fine]

Josh looked at the replies and for a brief moment considered replying just as bluntly, but the argument with Dale had made him look a little more closely at what people said. If he missed so much with Dale, maybe he missed other things too. He let his annoyance at James' reply fade away and considered how the young man must feel. As much as they had all laughed yesterday, the incident still must have been fairly embarrassing for him.

[You're clearly not fine. Is this about yesterday?]

[NO]

Josh smiled, seeing right through the firm denial. [So that's a yes. Look, it's not a big deal]

The next reply took several minutes. Josh worried he had maybe been wrong, until James' next reply came. [It IS a big deal].

[Okay, so tell me why. I thought we were friends now. You can talk to me.]

[Stop doing that]

[Doing what?] Josh asked, confused about what he might have done wrong now.

[Being nice!]

Josh was completely lost now. [You don't want me to be nice?]

[No, it was easier to not like you when you were dick!]

[Wait, so... you like me?] Josh asked.

No reply.

[James???]

[I do like you, but I don't LIKE you. You've just messed with my head is all.] James eventually replied.

[How? What did I do?]

[Tuesday night!!!!!]

Even without elaboration he knew James was obviously talking about the hand job on the sofa. [But that wasn't me, that was Dale ;-)] Josh replied, hinting at the way they had role played.

[Yeah, I was thinking about Dale then. But not since!]

[So you've been thinking about me? Hehehe] Josh sent.

[STOP ENJOYING THIS!!] James replied, quickly followed by a second message. [Every time I jerk off, I end up thinking about what you did!]

[So? Everyone has naughty wank fantasies. I've thought about you before. It's no big deal!]

[Oh have you? And what exactly did you think about? Hehehe] James asked, turning things round onto Josh.

[Honestly, your cock. I'd heard it was big and I just kept imagining!] Josh replied.

The next message popped up, but with a picture attached this time – a picture of James' erect cock. [Oh, this little thing you mean?]

[Yeah, that's the one. Storing the pic in the wank bank btw] Josh replied, grinning as he felt his cock engorging.

[That was just taken. That's how hard this conversation has made me! Which is what's annoying me, because I'm straight!]

[Is that what your problem is? You're wondering how you can be straight, but like doing things with guys?] Josh asked.

[Well duh!] James replied bluntly.

[You should speak to Liam. He's been there, I bet he'd be able to help]

[Can he help with this?] James asked, now sending a picture of his cock with his hand wrapped around it.

[You've gotta stop with the pics. You're killing me!] Josh said, rubbing his tired but inflating cock with one hand.

[So did you mean what you said yesterday, about me joining you in the shower?]

[Fuck yes!] Josh send back excitedly.

[You going to the gym tomorrow?] James asked.

Josh thought for a moment that he may have taken things too far and that James had decided to change the subject. [Probably, why?]

[Why do you think? They have showers there!]

[You serious?] Josh asked, now stroking his cock under the covers.

[I'm not promising what will happen, but I'd like to try it.]

[I promise I'll be gentle. No pressure though. You change your mind, it's no problem]

A third picture message came – James' body, covered in cum. [Thinking about it made this happen. Doubt I'll change my mind!]

[So fucking hot! See you tomorrow then!] Josh replied happily.

[Night x]

Josh put down his phone then fell asleep, boner in hand.
Chapter 6

“Don't say anything.” Greg pleaded to Sam as he saw Warren and Tim approaching.

Sam sniggered. He had been enjoying winding Greg up about what might happen at Friday night's sleepover, but it was clear the boy had been worrying about it incessantly. “Why not?”

“Just... please.” Greg begged. “I know we're meant to be completely honest with each other, but I don't... I can't...” He started stuttering, his demeanour changing from amusing awkwardness to genuine discomfort.

Sam stopped sniggering as he saw Greg's genuine discomfort. He reached out discretely and grabbed at his hand, just grazing his fingers with his own, then smiled and said, “Okay, not a word.”

“Morning guys.” Warren said happily as he got nearer. He exchanged hugs with both boys while Tim lingered back, looking almost scared that he might be next. He looked quite surprised to see Warren being so physical with Greg, and more surprised to see his friend's comfort with it.

“Fags!” a voice called from behind Warren.

Warren shrugged it off, and Sam just smirked but Greg looked mortified. Tim actually took a step back, almost seeming to want to distance himself from the targets of the abuse.

“Ignore them.” Warren said, seeing Greg's expression. He looked round and saw who it was. “Ah, he's a total closet case anyway. Give it a year and he'll be sucking more cock than I do!”

They burst into laughter as they started heading towards their first class in anticipation of the bell. Tim followed but still seemed to hold back, looking round nervously.

“Wow, he'll be sucking a LOT of cock then!” Greg joked, elbowing Warren in the ribs.

The insult failed to bother Warren who just grinned and said, “I'll have to do some catching up then!” He glanced down at Greg's crotch, then winked at the boy.

Greg turned bright red and looked away, but found himself instead looking at Sam. “Friday.” the boy whispered to him before laughing at his now-even-greater awkwardness.

*****

[Morning. Still going to the gym tonight?]

Josh grinned as he read the message. He couldn't believe how keen James was to experiment.

[Of course. Looking forward to a good hard workout!] He sent back. He chuckled to himself then looked round, suddenly nervous of being spotted. He wasn't supposed to be using his phone at work, so laughing to himself would, at best, alert his manager to what he was doing and at worst, make people think he was a bit crazy.

[You fucking tease] James replied.

[Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a HARD time] It most certainly wasn't subtle, but it made Josh smile again and he knew it would have the desired effect.

[You did this!] James sent back, accompanied by a picture of a substantial bulge snaking down the leg of his trousers. A second message followed. [I'm sat at my desk with the world's biggest boner now. Fuck you!]

[Get it out!] Josh sent back excitedly, shifting a little as he concealed his own erection.

A picture message quickly followed, James' cock was now poking out through the fly and laying heavily down his leg.

[Now who's the tease? That's so fucking hot!] Josh replied, suddenly regretting the conversation as he felt wetness forming at the head of his throbbing dick.

No more messages came for several minutes. Josh was a little disappointed, but at least it allowed his bulge to shrink down to a slightly more concealable size. When another message finally came, he opened it eagerly.

[OH MY GOD! Someone just came in. I was sat there for like ten minutes with my cock out under my desk!]

Josh had to cover his mouth to stop himself laughing. [That's even hotter!]

[It kinda was, I stayed hard the whole time. Got a big wet patch on my leg now. Thanks for that!]

[Dude you're killing me here! I should go though, getting dirty looks from the boss!] Josh said, wishing he could carry on all day.

[Ok, see you later x]

*****

“Hiya.” Josh said happily as he got in the car and leant across to kiss Dale.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked as he pulled away. “Good day?”

“Great thanks.” Josh said with a smirk.

Dale gave him a sly sideward glance and smiled. He knew that look all too well, but knew that he rarely wanted to know the cause.

As they neared the gym, Josh turned to his boyfriend and said, “Dale, you know how we're... open?”

“Yeah.” he said warily, wondering if the question was related to his earlier expression.

“Is there anyone who's... off limits?” Josh asked. He had been thinking about his imminent rendezvous with James. It already felt bad enough that he was seeing Dale's little brother nehind his back, but doing his best friend too just seemed a step too far.

“Wait, is this about Benny?” Dale snapped.

“No!” Josh said, firmly, remembering the drama of the previous night the boy had caused. “No, definitely not. It's about... James.”

Relief spread across Dale's face and quickly turned to amusement. “James? You wanna try it on with James?”

“Actually, he wants to try it on with me!” Josh replied. He explained everything that had happened. The hand job the previous week, the conversation last night with the agreement to shower together and then the text conversation earlier that day.

Dale just listened, amazed to hear what he had missed. “Well him spying on you in the shower makes a LOT more sense now!” Dale sniggered as he remembered the way he had caught his friend on Sunday morning.

“So... what do you say?” Josh asked as they parked near the gym.

“So if I said I wasn't comfortable with it... you wouldn't do it?” Dale asked, getting out and looking over the roof of the car.

Josh looked disappointed, but said, “You come first. I'm not gonna do anything to fuck that up.”

Dale walked round and pulled Josh into a kiss. “Right answer!” he said with a grin as they parted. “But it's fine, go for it. Do you really think I'd get in the way of fun with a cock like his?”

Josh grinned. “It really is an amazing cock, isn't it!”

They went inside and got changed quickly before heading back into the main gym area. “There's James.” Josh said as he spotted the young man's distinct strawberry-blonde hair.

“I'm gonna go find Liam, I said I'd spot him as Ryan's busy. And hey, don't make it too easy for him.” Dale replied with a cheeky smile.

Dale went off and joined Liam on the weights, while Josh jumped onto a treadmill beside James. He said nothing, just stared into the mirrored wall ahead of the treadmills, eyes fixed on James'. He started his run, matching James' speed. Their legs fell into matching rhythms, then their breath, gaze unwavering.

As the run came to an end, James was literally quivering with excitement. As the machine slowed to a gentle walk, he broke the gaze in the mirror and looked directly to his side. “Hey.” he said shakily.

Josh still said nothing, just looking him up and down, eyeing him hungrily.

“I... built up quite a sweat there. Maybe I should... head to the shower?” he asked gingerly.

“Nah, not yet.” Josh said dismissively. “I need a really good workout... before I give you a REALLY good workout!” He winked at James.

Josh continued his workout as normal, with James trailing behind, hoping desperately that every machine Josh used would be the last. Every chance Josh got to touch James, he took. Fleeting grazes of his fingers over the horny young man's shoulders or arms, shoulders bumping together as they walked between machines, anything Josh could think of. By the end of it, James was virtually salivating, his bulge even more pronounced than usual.

James was at one of the machines, doing bicep curls. He tended to prefer it to the free weights that Ryan and Liam favoured. He had just started a set when he felt Josh's hands on his shoulders, then felt his breath on his ear. He froze mid-curl. “Keep going!” Josh whispered and he resumed lifting.

“I'm ready. When you finish your last set on here, you're going to go into the changing rooms, take off your clothes and go into the shower. Leave your towel hanging over the door and leave it unlocked. You're going to stand there and wait for me.” Josh instructed in a barely audible whisper.

James' breath shook as he slowly continued lifting, eyes wide.

Josh could see the affect he was having and continued whispering. “Then I'm going to come in there and I'm going to make you feel things you've only imagined in your naughtiest wank fantasies.”

“Fuck!” James muttered, dropping the weight with a loud clang. His cock was now solid. It had poked its was out the top of his jockstrap and now tented his shorts. Josh reached down and gave it a squeeze, then walked away towards Dale and Liam.

James reached down, picked up his towel and used as a poor attempt to hide his erection as he almost ran into the changing room. Josh, Dale and Liam all laughed. Dale had filled Liam in on what was going on and they had been waiting for Josh to finally let it begin. “You're so fucking mean!” Liam laughed.

“Pfft, you're just jealous it's not you I'm doing today!” Josh said, nudging Liam's shoulder as he sat on a bench.

“Hey, you're not my only option, ya know!” Liam said back, then reached up and grabbed Dale's butt. “Whadda you say, big boy? Wanna 'fill in' for Josh?”

Dale giggled at Liam's choice of words, looked at his boyfriend and then back down. “Why not!”

“Ya know, sometimes I wonder if anyone uses the showers here to actually shower!” Josh joked.

All three looked at each other and said in unison, “Ryan!” They burst into laughter and Josh excused himself, heading in to take care of his impatient buddy.

Josh undressed quickly and threw his clothes in his locker, then slung his towel over his shoulder before walking naked through the changing room towards the showers. He got a few looks from other guys, which always made him smile. A couple of the cubicles were in use, but only one had a towel hanging over the top of the door. He pushed it gently and found James stood there, facing him, water flowing down his body. His hair looked more ginger than usual when it was wet, plastered over his forehead. His freckles seemed to stand out even more against his pale skin. His cock bobbed about in front of him, looking even bigger than he remembered.

Josh stepped inside, closed the door and hung his towel on the hook. While a large number of the more rambunctious members of the gym were well aware of what often happened in the showers, having two towels hanging over one door would just make it a little too obvious!

Josh reached out and took hold of James' hand, smiling. The smile dropped away though when he felt how much the hand was shaking. Concerned, he leant forward and whispered. “Are you okay?”

“I don't know.” James whispered back, trembling.

“It's okay to be nervous. And if you don't wanna do this, we don't have to!” Josh said, rubbing his arm.

“I want to.” James insisted. He attempted a smile as he grabbed his throbbing erection. “I really want to!”

“Okay.” Josh said with a reassuring smile. “But just say stop at any time and I'll stop!” He let go of James' hand and instead wrapped his fingers around the young man's meaty shaft. His moan of joy let Josh know he was okay to continue. He began stroking it.

James stared down at Josh's erection, then looked him in the eye and gulped. Josh knew what he wanted. With his free hand, he took hold of James' and guided it onto his own stiffness. James' mouth opened a little in surprise as he felt the warm flesh pressing into his palm. He started taking his first few strokes with Josh grinning in delight back at him.

Slowly the trembling stopped as the two stood playing with each other, gradually moving closer together until their cocks were side by side. Josh nudged James' hand away, lay his cock on top of the giant one and then wrapped both hands around the two together. The mix of warm flowing water, the rigid tool on top of his own and Josh's hands encircling them made James throw his head back and gasp. Unfortunately that resulted in a mouthful of shower water, making him cough and splutter.

Josh burst into laughter at the sudden choking and fell against James, his hands settling onto the young man's waist, erections pressed between their bodies. James stopped coughing and glared at Josh angrily, but then as he felt the man's body against him, the anger was quickly replaced with desire.

Josh buried his face into the freckly neck, kissing it more gently than he wanted to. In truth, Josh wanted to throw him to the ground and ride his giant cock until he screamed, but he kept thinking of what was best for James. Last week's hand job aside, this was essentially his first time, and aside from not wanting to scare him off, Josh wanted to make it something nicer to remember than a quick fuck in a gym shower. He continued kissing around his shoulders, hands sliding up and down his back, just grazing the top of his arse cheeks on the downward strokes. He took a nipple in his mouth, remembering how much James had liked it before.

Dropping to his knees, Josh kissed a trail down the centre of James' torso, sticking his tongue into the man's navel playfully before licking down the treasure trail, now darkened by the water. Finally he came face-to-face with the monster. It looked scarily large up close. Josh wrapped both hands around the shaft and marvelled as two inches still remained protruding from the top. Keeping his hands in place, he took the exposed head into his mouth. James' legs wobbled and he grabbed onto Josh's head to keep his balance, but in the process managed to push his cock further into the man's mouth, one of the hands dropping away.

“Holy shit!” he stuttered.

As Josh glanced down, he saw someone else kneeling in the next cubicle. He figured it was Dale and Liam. Either that, or he was right about nobody in the gym actually using the cubicles to shower! He turned his attention back to the large cock filling his mouth. He let go with the other hand and allowed it to slide in as far as possible before he gagged. He did well, getting several inches, but there was no chance he would ever be able to swallow the whole thing. He suddenly found himself thinking about Warren. He was the only boy Josh knew who could deep throat like a pro. He imagined James giant cock in Warren's mouth and shuddered with excitement at the thought.

“Josh. I'm close!” James whispered, shaking him from his thoughts.

Josh pulled the cock from his mouth, not wanting him to cum so soon, then stood up. “You wanna try?” he asked, reaching up and stroking James' face.

Wide-eyed, James just nodded before quickly dropping to his knees. He looked up at Josh who just smiled and nodded, then looked forward at the engorged tool begging for attention. Taking hold of the base with one hand, he opened his mouth and leant forward, taking it in. Josh felt a tickling vibration and realised James was happily mewing at the sensation.

His build up to the shower session, probably sped along by his previous thoughts of Warren had Josh dangerously close to cumming much quicker than he would have liked. He pulled his cock from James mouth, getting a disappointed moan from him, then urged him up onto his feet.

“I want you to fuck me!” Josh growled, imagining the giant appendage slipping inside him.

James looked shocked. He hadn't really considered taking it that far, but the idea definitely appealed. Before he could say anything though, they were interrupted by a head popping over the top of the cubicle wall.

“What the fuck...” James gasped, pathetically attempting to cover himself up as he saw Dale grinning at him.

“Why don't we all take this back to our place?” he said eagerly.

James looked shocked, Josh looked delighted and Dale looked.... like a disembodied floating head. Josh guessed Liam was lifting him up and chuckled at the image.

“Whadda you say? It'd definitely be a bit more comfortable.” Josh said, then leant in to whisper to James. “And maybe you can get Dale to relive the good old days!”

James seemed nervous, but smiled and said, “Okay.”

Leaving the showers, dressing and driving back to Dale and Josh's place was all undertaken in a nervous, anticipatory silence, something that continued once they got home. “Come on.” Josh said as they all stood around nervously in the lounge. He took hold of James' hand and lead him into the bedroom, the other two following closely behind. “Now, where were we?” Josh said, as he started to undress James.

The ginger man looked scared as his clothes started coming off, being surrounded by three fully-dressed men. He relaxed a little though as Dale and Liam started to undress each other too. Realising James was probably too nervous to return the favour, Josh pulled his own clothes off. Naked, he pressed himself up against James and repeated his actions from the shower, starting at the neck and working his way down. The beast was definitely awake by the time Josh reached it as he attempted to swallow as much of it as he could.

Suddenly, James found himself the centre of attention. As Josh continued his work downstairs, Dale and Liam moved behind him, a rigid cock pressing into each of his hips as their hands and mouths began to explore him. While their touching felt good, it was Josh's tongue lashing at his sensitive head.

Josh released the beast and looked up. “Swap?” he asked.

James looked nervously at the two men at his sides, then down at Josh and nodded. He knelt as Josh stood. Dale and Liam moved to Josh's side, giving the kneeling man three solid tools to choose from. He chose the obvious configuration, taking Josh's cock into his mouth and wrapping a hand around the other two. As James worked on their cocks, Josh and Dale kissed while Liam played with Josh's nipples.

James must have sensed Josh getting close as he released him, taking Dale's boner in his mouth instead as he continued to stroke Liam's, letting Josh's bob around unencumbered for a few minutes.

Josh eventually broke the formation, pulling at James' arm to make him stand. With Dale and Liam stood either side, Josh stared him in the eye and asked, “D'you wanna fuck me?” James had obviously been considering, even anticipating the question as he immediately nodded and grinned.

Josh climbed onto the bed, kneeling on all fours as he grabbed the bottle of lube and threw it to James. “You know what to do!” he said casually.

Nervously, James squeezed some out and spread it along the length of his manhood, then carefully reached forward and rubbed some onto Josh's hole, making him moan excitedly. “I'll be gentle!” James joked.

“No you won't!” Josh ordered. James' face lit up at the comment and he started to move forward, the head pressing against Josh's rear.

“Hey, chuck us the lube!” Dale called out from the floor. He and Liam were in an almost identical position as the two men on the bed, with Liam positioned behind Josh's boyfriend.

James threw them the bottle then turned his attention back to Josh. He began pushing in, gasping a shuddery breath as he felt Josh's warmth slowly engulfing him. He kept pushing and pushing. James stopped about halfway, worried it may be too much, but Josh looked back and just said, “Keep going!”

Another inch slid in. “Fuck, you're so tight!” James muttered.

“No, you're just fucking huge!” Josh replied, then gasped as another inch pushed in. “Okay, okay, that's far enough.”

James was a little disappointed. He had imagined himself pressed right up against Josh, the bodies mashing together. It was one of the main drawbacks of being so well hung. Not letting his disappointment show, he pulled back most of the way out and thrust forward again. Not even giving Josh a chance to get used to it, he went again, and again. His speed increasing as his fingers dug into Josh's hips for balance.

“Oh God, Oh fuck.” Josh gasped as he felt the huge cock violating him. He looked to the side and saw Dale and Liam doing the same thing, the sight of it just turning him on even more.

James' thrusting continued, fucking as roughly as Josh had demanded. He soon found himself heading towards the inevitable. “I'm gonna cum.” he gasped.

Josh pulled away and flipped onto his back, watching excitedly as James stroked his cock for the last few necessary seconds, making it explode into life. His heavy balls contracted, almost bouncing as the shaft stiffened and the first shots emerged. It got Josh right in the face. He opened his mouth hoping for the second shot to reach it too and wasn't disappointed, finding a thick glob of it landing on his tongue. James was virtually screaming with pleasure as shot after shot covered Josh's body, Dale and Liam froze in place, watching.

Josh reached down and stroked his own cock, quickly cumming too, his prostate pounding having put him right on edge. Seconds later, his gasps matched James' and his own spunk splattered alongside the rest.

“Fuck!” Dale muttered as he watched excitedly.

“Yeah!” Liam agreed happily before resuming his thrusting. Josh reached out to the side and grabbed his underwear, thrown aside during his eager stripping earlier. He used it to wipe himself clean, scooping up the occasional glob and dropping it into his mouth as James just stared. Cleaned off, he turned onto his side and patted the bed in front of him. James took his cue and flopped down. Josh nudged him to roll onto his side too, facing Liam and Dale, then spooned up with him.

“Now we get to watch the rest of the show!” Josh said happily, draping an arm across the exhausted man.

James watched his friends going at it, feeling Josh's body pressed against his. Without a word, he rolled over on the spot, turning his back to the fucking men and buried his face into Josh's chest and reaching an arm around him.

'I guess he doesn't want to watch the show!' Josh thought to himself. “You okay? Did you enjoy that?” he asked, already knowing the answer from the screams of pleasure he had just heard.

James remained silent for a moment, then whispered back, “I'm not really bothered about doing it with other guys... I just like it with you!”

Josh said nothing back, he just lay there enjoying the show and contemplating James' words.

*****

“See ya!” Dale called out, closing the door as Liam left.

James had made a fairly quick exit from the apartment after they had finished. Liam had lingered a little longer for a couple of drinks before going but now he left Dale and Josh alone.

“What's up?” Dale asked, slipping onto the sofa beside Josh, curling an arm around him and resting his chin on Josh's shoulder. “You've been quiet since James left.”

“It's just something he said after we... finished.” Josh said, recalling the moment. “He said, I don't like sex with men... I just like it with you. D'you think he might be falling for me?”

Dale smirked. “It's that old McKenzie charm, all the boys love you.”

“Fuck off.” Josh said with a reluctant smile, pushing Dale away playfully. “I'm serious. I think he likes me.”

“Yeah, and a week ago he hated you.” Dale said with a shrug. “Next week he'll probably hate you again. That's just the way he is, always has been. He fixates on one person, then gets bored and moves onto someone else. It's probably why he's never had a relationship that's lasted more than a month!”

“If you say so.” Josh replied, not convinced.

“Aww, why so worried?” Dale sniggered, jumping onto Josh and pulling him into a bear hug. “Is Joshy falling in love with James too?” he mocked.

“Sometimes you really suck, ya know that!” Josh said, trying to get Dale off of him.

“I do, but I prefer getting sucked, so get on it big boy!” Dale replied with a grin, letting go and laying back on the sofa.

“Again?” Josh asked. It had only been an hour since he had finished up with Liam.

“You saying you don't want to?” Dale asked, pulling out his stiffening cock.

Josh just grinned as he jumped forward and took it in his mouth.

*****

Warren was laying on his bed, watching a video on his phone when the message from Greg arrived.

[Are you awake?]

[Yeah, you okay?] he replied.

[Can we skype?]

[Sure. Gimme a sec, I'll do it on my computer] Warren replied. He wondered why Greg wanted to chat. His first thought was that he may be wanting some naughty fun, so he eagerly dashed to his desk, turned on his computer and logged in to skype. As soon as he was online, a call popped up from Greg.

Grinning, Warren said happily, “Hi.” as soon as the call connected.

“Hi.” Greg said back, looking far from happy.

Warren's face dropped. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Greg lied unconvincingly. “I just... I wanted to see a friendly face is all.” His smile was so forced it virtually broadcast the boy's unhappiness.

“Greg...” Warren started, but stopped when he heard loud voices in the distance from the speakers. “Is that... your parents?”

Greg's façade dropped completely and he burst into tears, burying his face in his hands. Warren wanted to reach right through the computer screen and hold his friend, but all he could do was sit and watch. Still crying but keeping it slightly more under control, Greg wiped his face and stared into the camera.

“How long have they been like that?” Warren asked, not sure what else he could say, his own eyes watering.

“They've always argued and it just got worse when my Dad lost his job.” Greg started, then stopped to wipe his face again. “But since Saturday it's been... really bad.”

Suddenly so much made sense. The boy's sudden desire to be closer to his friends. He was an only child, so he didn't even have anyone else in the house he could turn to. “Greg, you should have said...”

“I know, I know we're meant to be honest, I didn't mean to hide it. Please don't be mad.” Greg pleaded. 

“Calm down. I'm not bothered about that. I just meant, you could have talked to us if you had this going on. You know we woulda been there for you.” Warren said reassuringly.

Greg flinched and cried as there was another round of yells from his parents.

“Hey, try not to listen. Just talk to me instead, okay bud?” Warren said, trying to distract him. “Hey, we've got that sleepover Friday. That should be fun.”

“Yeah, it...” Greg started before he jumped up from his seat and whispered, “Shit!” He turned off the monitor, but the video call remained connected although it was too dark to make anything out.

Warren watched as the door suddenly swung open and the light was turned on. Greg's Dad was stood there, looking furious. “I heard you in here!” he yelled angrily. “When I say go to bed, I mean go to fucking bed you little shit. I swear, I hear a single noise from here for the rest of the night I'll make you regret it!” The light turned off and he slammed the door behind him.

As silence returned, Warren could make out quiet crying coming from the direction of Greg's bed. Warren didn't know what to do. He wanted to call out to him, but didn't want to risk angering the boy's Dad by making any noise. He clicked a button on the screen to mute his microphone, just in case.

Warren's phone buzzed. He virtually jumped across his room in a single leap. It was a message from Greg. [Warren I'm scared.]

[Has your Dad hurt you????] Warren asked, terrified of the answer.

[No. Never. He just shouts a lot. Please, Warren, promise you won't tell anyone]

[Okay, I promise. Your skype is still running btw. If I hang up, it might make a noise at your end]

[No, I turned off the speaker, but would you mind leaving it on, just so I know you're there? I don't want to be alone]

[Sure. I'm right here. If you need anything, just call]

[Thanks Warren. Sorry to get you involved]

Warren could feel tears running down his cheeks as he thought about what his friend was feeling. [It's no problem. It's what friends are for. Love you xxx] He sent back, wishing he could do more.

[Love you too]

Warren eventually fell asleep watching the computer screen.
Chapter 7

The last few days had been torturous for Warren. Greg had returned to his normal self on Wednesday morning after his problems at home had been revealed, not even wanting to talk about it. Warren had begged him to let Sam in on it too, but Greg had refused. 

When Wednesday night rolled round,Warren started getting the messages from Greg again. It was nothing obvious, he never stated that his parents were arguing or that he was upset, but Warren could tell he was seeking company and distraction.

Thursday morning yielded fairly similar results as Wednesday, Warren pleading with Greg to talk to Sam, assuring him of their friend's support and understanding, but again was met with Greg's refusal. Thursday evening though, the truth finally came out. They had been getting ready to part ways after hanging out in the park after school, and Sam could sense Greg's reluctance to return home. A short period of persistent questioning from Sam led to Greg finally talking about it. Warren even managed to convince Greg to let him tell Nick.

Warren found a massive degree of relief in having the problem shared with a third and fourth person, especially as it meant he could stop keeping secrets from Sam. He had felt guilty for the last few days for keeping something so big from him.

Friday morning finally came and Greg walked into the school quad looking happier than his friends had ever seen him. He was carrying a bag of his things for the sleepover. Sam had suggested that they would fit in a lot more activities if they all got together straight after school. Secretly, though, the intention had been to prevent Greg from having to go home, but they never mentioned that part to him.

“Morning guys.” He said excitedly. He hugged Warren and Sam, then held his arms out to Tim who just glared at him angrily and stepped back, arms folded. His reaction got a hearty laugh from the other two.

“Looking forward to tonight?” Sam asked. His teasing from earlier in the week had now completely vanished, asking now simply to try and cheer up his friend after what had probably been another tough night.

“Totally!” Greg replied with a grin.

“I know you planned this for when I wouldn't be here on purpose.” Tim said angrily.

“Aww, don't pout Timmy. It was just coincidence. It's a good thing really though, I don't think you'd enjoy what we have planned!” Sam replied teasingly. He winked at Warren who followed his cue.

“Yeah, that's right. We're just gonna spend all night talking about cute boys and exchanging blow jobs. I mean, we can arrange it for another night if you like...” Warren offered the annoyed-looking boy.

Tim looked mortified at the suggestion, looking round nervously at who may have been listening. He just looked from Warren, to Sam and then to Greg and snapped. “Fuck off... you fags!”

Silence fell across the group as the three boys stared at him.

“Hey!” Sam said, furiously. “We may have taken that a little bit far, but it's no excuse for saying that!”

Tim looked torn. He could see he had crossed a line, but at the same time he wondered if he had made the right call. Every day other boys were calling them names and he was starting to become the target by association. This was it. Cut the ties and save his own reputation, or apologise and keep his friends at the risk of being targeted with them.

“Just... fuck off!” Tim snapped, then turned and started walking away.

The three boys just stood and stared.

“Well that sucked.” Warren said, shocked.

“If that's what he thinks.... then fuck him too!” Greg repliedangrily.

*****

Josh's day was going exceedingly slowly. It wasn't even lunchtime yet and it already felt like he had been there for days. When he felt his phone vibrate, he didn't care who it was, he was just glad to have anything to break up the monotony.

It was from James. [Hey, you okay? Going to the gym today? I really need a shower! ;-)]

Josh smiled briefly before scrolling back up through James' previous messages. Since Tuesday night, the horny man had been pestering him almost constantly about getting together again. He kept considering what Dale had said, about James fixating on one person. He had put off his advances for now, but the desire remained. James' cock quite often lingered fairly centrally in his mind, tempting and teasing him. He wanted it again, that was for sure, but would hooking up with the young man help him get over his infatuation quicker, or just make it worse?

[Not sure yet] Josh replied, undecided on how to proceed.

[Bet I can help make up your mind. Wait a moment] James replied.

Josh stared at his phone, waiting to see what was coming. Five minutes later a picture message popped up. It was James, completely naked and laying on his desk, cock fully engorged and laying across his stomach. Josh's hardness soon matched the cock in the picture. Considering James had been hesitant about even getting his cock out at work on Monday, for him to now have gone as far as risking full nudity in his workplace conveyed exactly how horny he was.

[Holy fucking bollocky shit! That is without a doubt the hottest picture I have ever been sent!] Josh replied quickly, groping his own bulge as discretely as he could.

[Whadda you say then? Gym? ;-)]

[See you at six!] Josh replied, his extreme arousal pushing all other thoughts and doubts out of his head.

*****

Tim avoided his three (former) friends for the rest of the day, sitting as far as possible from them in any shared classes, not even making eye contact. When the final bell of the day rang, he virtually ran out of class and was gone before any of the others could even see him. As the other three chatted throughout the day, their anger over his reaction had changed into pity and remorse. It was decided between them to just leave him for now. Reconciliation could wait until next week. For now, the weekend was here and that meant it was party time.

Greg was virtually bouncing with excitement as the three of them walked to Warren's house. Warren and Sam found his enthusiasm both sweet and amusing. They knew part of it was his desire to get away from his parents' arguing, but there was something much more sincere behind it too. Since they had welcomed him into their inner circle, the boy had blossomed. His initial embarrassment and reluctance to show his affection physically had faded quickly. Now he was as quick to hug or hold hands as the other two. More importantly though, he just seemed so much happier, seeming to genuinely love having such close friends.

Warren looked at a message on his phone then slipped it back into his pocket and said to Sam, “Nick shouldn't be too long. He just got out of college and he said he'll come straight here. He seems almost as excited about tonight as Greg.” They both laughed.

“Well think about what happened the last time had a sleepover with us!” Sam said with a wink. Warren caught on to the trick.

“What happened last time?” Greg asked. Warren faked an embarrassed face. “Ooh, what was it? What was it?” Greg said, grinning at Warren's reaction.

“Nothing!” Warren insisted.

“Sam?” Greg asked, seeing he would get nothing out of Warren.

Warren gave Sam a pleading look. “Hey, if I don't tell him, you know Nick will!” Sam replied with a grin. Warren nodded dejectedly. “We made Warren cum, without even touching him!”

“Shhhh!” Warren hissed. “The whole street doesn't need to hear!”

Greg just stared, picturing what had happened, unaware that he was just being teased.

“Why not? They heard when it happened!” Sam laughed. “You should have heard him, total screaming orgasm!”

Warren lunged at Sam, still playing along and knocked him to the ground. “I'm gonna kill you!” he shouted through Sam's laughter. The two rolled around, wrestling for superiority but coming out fairly equally.

Greg just stood with his arms folded, looking at the two boys on the ground. “Hey, if you two are gonna do that, at least wait until you can take your clothes off and apply plenty of baby oil!”

Warren and Sam both stared at Greg, then burst into laughter. His overtly sexual suggestion shocked them in the best possible way. They were still getting used to him being open about his desires, so hearing his comments offered so freely really caught them by surprise. They climbed up onto their feet and with a couple of slaps on his back (and one on his bum) they all resumed walking.

“That a bit of a fantasy then is it, Greggy? A bit of naked oil wrestling?” Sam teased. He was expecting to embarrass his friend again.

“Hell yeah!” Greg replied eagerly, continuing to surprise the other two.

“What else do you think about then, ya know, when you wank?” Warren asked, wondering how much the boy would be willing to share.

“Hey, I already shared one. It's your turn!” Greg replied, turning the question around.

Warren thought for a moment then blushed.

“Ooh, it's a good one, isn't it?” Greg giggled.

“Bet I can guess.” Sam said happily, prompting the other two to look at him. “McKenzie sandwich?”

“What the fuck's that?” Greg asked, thinking it was some kind of bizarre sex act he had never heard of.

“It's just sex with all three of the McKenzies – Josh, Nick and Corey, all at the same time.” Warren explained, doing his best not to let his embarrassment show.

“Whoa.” Greg said with a broad smile. “Yeah, that'd be pretty hot!”

“Okay, your turn!” Warren said, looking at Sam.

Sam, cool as ever, simply replied. “Having an audience.”

“Like.... how many?” Greg asked, immediately turned on by the thought.

“The more the better.” Sam explained. “I was watching this guy online and by the end he had like a thousand people watching him. So. Fucking. Hot!”

“So would you want guys or girls watching?” Greg continued to question.

“Either really. Guys are better though, it's easier to see when they're turned on than girls!” Sam continued.

Greg looked a little confused.

“Straightie here really gets off on seeing guys get turned on, especially if he's the one causing it!” Warren teased, explaining his friend's particular fetish. Greg looked at him, eyes wide with delight. Sam simply shrugged and grinned, completely unfazed by the sharing of his desires.

“Back to you then.” Sam directed at Greg.

The boy's previous delight gave way to more blushes.”Doctors.” he muttered, almost inaudibly, eyes dropping to the ground.

Sam ran up behind him, squeezed his bum to make him jump and the said, “We're gonna need more details. A LOT more!”

Greg jumped away from Sam's teasing hand then turned to face them, pacing backwards so they could keep walking, then explained excitedly. “Well I saw this video, on the internet... some guy had to strip down to his underwear for a physical and the doctor started examining him, then he had to take the underwear off too and... things happened.”

Warren and Sam grinned at each other. “So, in this scenario, do you imagine you're the doctor... or the patient?”

Greg dropped back into line with the other boys, returning his gaze to the path moving beneath them. “The patient.” he mumbled.

Neither Sam or Warren spoke, but they quickly exchanged knowing glances. Warren pulled out his phone and dialled. “Who are you...” Greg started, but Warren held up a hand to silence him as the phone rang.

“Hey babe. Yeah, I got your message.” Warren said. Greg figured it was Nick. “How do you fancy playing Doctor tonight?”

Greg stopped dead in his tracks, his face horrified at the sudden involvement of the older boy.

“I'll explain later. See you soon. Love you!” Warren said, hanging up the phone. “All sorted! Come on, you've got an appointment to get to!” He added, putting an arm around Greg's shoulder and prompting him to continue walking.

“I fucking hate you guys!” Greg said, his face bright red, his cock swollen.

*****

The gym was busier than usual, most of the regulars attending earlier than usual, intending to get done before their planned Friday night activities. Dale had decided to tag along on Josh's workout as he had started doing once a week. Josh's usual routine was a little more rigorous than Dale's so he was using it as a stepping stone to take his own regime to the next level. Today though, he found himself barely needing to put in any effort as he kept pace with Josh.

“Am I getting better at this, or are you slacking?” Dale asked, pulling an earphone out as he turned to face Josh, who he found staring at the reflection of the entrance in the mirror. He got no response. “Well that answers my question!” He slowed the treadmill to a quick walk.

“Huh? What?” Josh asked, realising he had just been spoken to but having not heard a word. He slowed his treadmill to match Dale's.

“You're clearly not into this today, why did you even come?” he asked, frustrated at Josh's lack of motivation. Just then, James appeared at the entrance. “Oh, I see. You're here for a different kind of workout!”

Josh blushed, totally busted. He stuttered in an attempt to make an excuse, but none came.

Dale sniggered and shook his head. “It's fine. I'm just amazed you've even got the energy after this morning!”

Josh grinned back at his boyfriend. Dale had surprised him in the shower and the two had fucked each other pretty vigorously before getting out. Then again after breakfast, Dale had sucked him off before heading to work. Josh shrugged and just said, “Hey, you said it was just a temporary interest. I should probably get as much of that cock as I can while he's still interested, right?”

Dale shook his head, smirking. “Just go and do it. I'll be with Ryan when you're done!” He stopped the treadmill and started walking away, just as James approached. “Have fun!” He winked, making James blush as he realised the man knew exactly what he was up to.

“Hey.” James said as Josh stopped and turned to face him.

“Hey yourself,” Josh grinned back. “Let's go!”

“What, you don't wanna work out first?” James asked, expecting to be teased around the gym again before going for his 'shower'.

“There's only one weight I need to be lifting,” Josh replied, nodding to James' crotch. “So hurry up and get it out!”

The two quickly, and totally indiscreetly, dashed across the gym to the changing rooms. Josh was quickest getting naked, throwing his gym clothes into his locker and running to the showers. James took a little longer, but not much. He wondered which cubicle Josh might be in, but found him easily... he was stood, water flowing down him, erection in hand in one of the cubicles, door wide open. James' temporarily-towel-covered bulge grew a little more at the sight of Josh's brazenness.

James ran in, slammed the door behind him, hung his towel and turned the lock. “What do you want me to do?” He asked, his cock slowly expanding before him.

Josh looked at him, almost disappointed. “What do you want to do to me?” He asked, hopefully.

James shrugged, a hand casually caressing his own cock. “I... I don't know. I guess I'd... like to suck you.” He looked suddenly nervous, as if he was wrong for making the suggestion.

Josh's jaw clenched. What he wanted was for James to ravage him, to turn him around and fuck him senseless, to press him up against that wall and just go to town. The man's timid suggestion almost made him flaccid.

“Well go on then!” He said, his disappointment barely concealed.

James looked at him nervously, hesitated, but then dropped to his knees. He took Josh's semi-hardness into his mouth and began sucking and licking, his hands caressing Josh's balls and butt. The young man's body responded rapidly, cock re-stiffening, waves of pleasure rippling through him from the warm wetness of James' mouth, but his mind was elsewhere. He barely noticed when James stopped.

“Your turn.” The wet, freckled man grinned as he stood, waving his giant cock excitedly.

Josh leant down and went to work on the engorged meat, doing the best he could to deep throat it. He liked having his lips around it again, but it still felt like something was missing. James was cooing with pleasure at the oral stimulation, but remained motionless, not even making the slightest effort to force his tool further into Josh's mouth, happy to just let him work at his own pace.

“Can I fuck you?” James asked, quietly as his pleasure started hinting at conclusion.

Josh sighed quietly at the request. There was no doubt in his mind. He had wanted James to just turn him round and fuck him, even a comment of 'I'm going to fuck you now!' would have been better than the polite request he had received. He stood and turned, pushing out his rear ready for James.

The polite young man lubed quickly with some shower gel and began pushing in, most of the way again, but not completely. Josh grunted with pleasure as he felt the arousing fullness, but his happy noises fell silent as James' thrusts started, gentle and regular. This was worse than Dale's fuck that morning. That had been sweet and sensuous at first, but at least took a more vigorous turn at the end. James was just... pleasant!

Lost in a haze of disappointment and unquenched desire, Josh barely even responded when he felt James' huge dick spasm inside him and fill him with his seed. James pulled out and leant onto his back before reaching round to take his cock in hand. A couple of minutes stroking and Josh found himself shooting onto the tiled floor, the jizz quickly washing away in the flowing water of the shower.

“That was great!” James said excitedly as Josh turned to face him.

Josh just smiled politely.

“I should go. I did actually want a proper workout tonight.” James said, reaching for his towel.

'So did I!' Josh thought frustratedly as James wrapped the towel around himself. “Hey, could you tell Dale I had to go and do something.” Josh requested.

“Sure.” James replied before opening the door. Josh pushed past him and dressed quickly in silence, running out of the changing room without even saying a word to James.

*****

Warren, Greg and Sam were sat together in the lounge when Nick arrived. He was long past the point of having to knock before entering the Spencer house, so he just let himself in. His first stop was to the kitchen, where Warren's parents were sat at the small table, looking at holiday destinations online. He greeted them warmly, getting similarly cheerful responses from his second set of parents before he went in to see the others.

“Hey guys.” He said happily, walking up behind the sofa they were all sat on.

“Hey sexy!” Warren said happily, pausing the video game they were playing and leaning backwards to look up at Nick. The older boy leant down and kissed him quickly on the lips.

Sam leaned back and teased, “What, no kiss for me?”

Nick laughed then grabbed the boy's head and kissed the top of it before nudging him away. Finally he turned his gaze to Greg. The younger boy blushed, remembering the brief conversation Warren and Nick had had earlier about playing Doctors. Nick stifled a grin as he beheld the boy's embarrassment. He would have loved to tease him about it, but he had other things on his mind. Aside from the boy's difficult situation at home, Nick had something else running through his head.

“Hey Greg.” He said with a sympathetic smile. “Can we go and have a chat?”

Sam grinned. “Oh, a little pre-examination, is it?” He got a swift elbow to his ribs and a stern look from Warren, whose expression told him it was clearly nothing of the sort.

Greg seemed both worried and confused. His thoughts and expectations of the evening were already a mess. Adding to that the 'doctors' issue and Sam's quickly-intercepted teasing just messed with his head more. “Sure.” he said quietly, standing up and heading round the sofa to Nick. The older boy put an arm around his shoulder and the two headed out, Warren and Sam's eyes following them.

They headed out of the house, casually walking nowhere in particular. “So what's up?” Greg asked nervously almost as soon as they were outside.

“Nothing.” Nick replied. “I just wanted to talk about a few things.”

Greg's nervousness only increased, wondering if Nick was about to start questioning him about his fantasy that Warren had so ungraciously shared.

“How are things with your parents?” Nick asked bluntly.

It was not what Greg had been expecting. He knew Warren had mentioned it to the older boy, but he thought that had mainly been to avoid any awkwardness throughout their evening together, he had not expected the 17-year-old to question him on it. “Oh, it's... it's okay.”

Still with an arm draped around the boy's shoulder, Nick just squeezed it gently and raised his eyebrows when Greg looked at him.

“It sucks!” Greg added, more annoyed than upset. “They keep either using me as a weapon, or treat like I'm in the way. They'll sit in the same room, but insist on talking through me. Mum'll just be, like, 'Tell your Father he needs to get a job' and then Dad'll get pissed and tell me to say something back. If I refuse or try to walk away, they both just turn on me instead.” He was starting to get a little teary, so Nick gave him a reassuring squeeze.

“Look, any time you need to get away, or if you ever feel like you're not safe, you know you'd be welcome at Warren's house. Same goes for mine and you've got my number too. I know you probably just see me as 'Warren's boyfriend', but... I care about you and I really hate the thought of what you're going through.”

Greg looked thoughtful for a moment, as if debating whether or not to do something, then just smiled and said. “Thanks, that... really means a lot.” He paused again. “And you're not just Warren's boyfriend to me, we're friends.”

“Thanks.” Nick grinned. “Which is good, because as your friend, I wanna talk to you about something else...”

“What have I done?” Greg asked timidly.

Nick sniggered. “Nothing. Relax. This is about something else you told Warren, about you... liking boys.”

“Oh.” Greg replied flatly. He figured Nick knew this too, but again had not expected it to be brought up so freely. His mind raced through what issues Nick could have with it. He couldn't have an issue with homosexuality, for obvious reasons! Perhaps he was worried about another gay boy hanging round with his boyfriend. Had Warren told him about how they had fooled around together on the bus? Did Nick think he liked Warren? Was he worried that he was going to make a move on his boyfriend? He took a shot. “Don't worry, I'm not gonna hit on Warren.”

Nick laughed once again at the boy's reaction. He had no idea where the random proclamation had come from but it didn't really matter. “Don't be daft. That's not an issue. I just wanted to see how you're doing with it. Look, Warren's always just accepted that he's that way, and I never really struggled with it, but I know we're the lucky ones. Not everyone sees things that clearly and I know it can be tough if you've had doubts.”

Greg's heart felt like it was melting. The surge of affection he had felt for Nick just a few moments before had been incredible, knowing that the older boy was there to support him with his problems. Now though, it was like Nick had flipped through his thoughts, picked out the biggest concerns and was now determined to resolve each of them for him.

The boy smiled again. “It's been great having Warren there for me. Sam too. They've just made it really easy for me. My biggest concern was coming out. I know I've still got a lot of people to tell, but having those guys there for me... it makes it so much easier.” Greg explained.

“That's awesome.” Nick said happily. “I was pretty worried about you with everything you had going on. That kinda stress.... I've seen people make themselves ill worrying about it.”

'He was worried about me?' Greg thought happily. “Nah, I'll be fine. Never felt better!”

“Good,” Nick said with a suddenly mischievous grin. “I'd hate to see you end up at.... the doctors!”

It was the question Greg had been dreading. Hearing it aloud now made him want to just crawl into a hole and die. “I hate Warren sometimes.” he said unhappily.

“Sorry, I couldn't resist.” Nick chuckled. “Although now that we mention it, there was one more little concern I had.” Greg looked at him, still bright red. “Warren's pretty carefree when it comes to... ya know, sex stuff, and Sam... well fuck knows what's going on in his head half the time, so they can both get a bit carried away with that sort of thing. I've heard them talking tonight and they might want things to get... physical!”

“Yeah, I kinda got that impression too.” Greg said, nodding.

“Well if you're only just coming to terms with liking guys, then I'm guessing you haven't actually... done much with them?”

Without looking up, Greg just shook his head silently.

“Sorry, I'm not trying to embarrass you here. I just don't wanna see you ending up doing things that you're not ready for, just because your friends are doing it.” Nick explained reassuringly.

Greg was overwhelmed. Nick's concern had been touching so far, but hearing the genuine compassion in his voice, the gentle touch of his hand on the boy's shoulder, it was too much. He stopped walking, span round and wrapped his arms around Nick. The older boy silently hugged him back.

As quickly as he had hugged Nick, Greg let go just as suddenly. “Thank you.” he said timidly. “Look, I... nobody's ever... looked out for me like this. I don't know what to say.”

“You don't need to say anything.” Nick said, nudging him gently and grinning. “C'mon, we should head back.” They turned and resumed their walking. “So... do you think you're... ready, for... stuff?”

“I...” Greg started, not quite sure how to reply. “I don't really know what I want to do. Sam's teased me about it and honestly, I'm fucking terrified, but at the same time... I can't stop thinking about it. And when I think about it....” He stopped, turning red.

“It's okay, I get it.” Nick giggled, saving the boy from saying any more. “Whatever happens, happens. But just for my own peace of mind, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Maybe we can have some kind of signal. I'll wink at you. If you wanna carry on, you nod, if you wanna stop, shake your head and we'll stop it right away, no questions, I'll even make it look like my idea so the others will never know it was you. How does that sound?”

Greg nodded happily. “Perfect!” Having Nick there and knowing he had his back, Greg already felt some of his nerves about the evening disappearing. He had always liked Warren's boyfriend, but seeing the older boy acting so mature, protective even, he found himself looking at him differently. “Warren's so lucky. You're, like, the perfect boyfriend.” He said, doing his best to express his fondness for the young man, without sounding like he was hitting on him.

Nick smiled back, graciously accepting the compliment, but couldn't help thinking, 'Perfect boyfriends don't cheat.' Nick did his best to out those thoughts out of his head. Tonight was gonna be fun for all of them, those concerns could be put aside for one night. “So what time's your appointment?” Nick joked, winking. Greg lunged at him but he ran off, the younger boy chasing after him angrily.

*****

Josh sat in his car, eyes fixed on the intercom just outside the window. He had been sat there for several minutes, debating whether or not to press the button. He had so many reasons not to. He knew how Dale felt about it, Nick and Corey too. He could almost hear them sat in the back seat, shouting at him to turn around and drive away. Then there were his wrists, the scars around them, he could almost feel them throbbing. The collar of his t-shirt felt tight around his neck. He kept tugging at it, the material stretching easily, but it still felt like it was closing around his throat.

Despite all of that, despite his own common sense, despite every rational argument he could think of, he remained right on the edge of doing it. Closing his eyes, he reached out and buzzed, just for a second.

A few moments later, a deep voice came on. “Who is it?”

Josh tried to speak, but his mouth was dry and only a croak emerged. He coughed and then said as firmly as his shaking voice would let him, “It's Josh.” He heard the intercom click off and then.... nothing. He wondered if that meant he had been refused entry. He almost took it as a sign to leave, but seconds later, the gate began to open.

He could feel his heart pounding, his breaths were ragged. The gate finally stopped moving leaving the path ahead open. He drove in slowly along the gravel driveway and right up to the front of the house. Again he sat for a minute, staring up at the door. He hoped someone would emerge and tell him what to do. Whether it was to go home or go inside didn't matter, he just couldn't make himself do anything.

When nothing happened, he found himself getting out, the rational part of his mind still yelling to stop, protestations filling his head with every step he took towards the door. He knocked.

It opened and Roger appeared, staring silently.

“I need to see him!” Josh croaked. The sentence couldn't have been more accurate. He was there to see Benny, but he truly did need it. Every fibre of his being was crying out for the boy. The fact that he knew it shouldn't only making him desire it more. He jumped suddenly as he heard a yell from the direction of Benny's private lounge. Whether it was a yell of pleasure or pain, he didn't know but it sent a quiver through his entire body, his cock growing slightly.

Roger indicated for Josh to step inside, closed the door and then snapped, “Wait here!” He quickly walked to the door of the private lounge and knocked.

“I'M BUSY!” Benny shouted from inside, quickly followed by another yell from someone else.

“Sir, you have... a visitor!” Roger said insistently.

A pause. The door opened and Josh saw Benny peer out, his eyes widening as he saw who was stood there. He looked to Roger. “Put him away.” he said quietly.

Josh assumed he wasn't supposed to hear, and pretended that he hadn't as Benny approached, allowing Roger to enter the lounge. “Josh!” Benny said happily, approaching his guest. “Great to see you.” His delight seemed completely genuine, but Josh still found his stomach churning as he beheld his former master.

Before he could say anything, Roger emerged with a naked young man in a leather hood. Josh looked in both shock and awe. The young man had his hands cuffed behind his back, and his rear was bright red, obviously the target of some fairly rough treatment. Alarm bells rang in Josh's head, but at the same time, his semi-hard cock began to lengthen in his underwear. He was just beginning to compose himself as the masked boy looked at him. Josh froze. Those eyes, he knew them. It was a vague, distant memory that lingered just out of reach, but he knew them. The way they widened in response to Josh only strengthened the feeling that he knew the young man. He was gone quickly though, led by Roger to the door behind the main staircase.

“What can I...” Benny started, but Josh cut him off.

“Who was that?” Josh asked sternly.

Benny shrugged casually. “Just one of my boys.” he said dismissively with a polite smile. “What can I do for you?” he asked, returning to his original question.

Josh refused to let it go. His concern and curiosity now weighing heavier on his mind than his unquenched desires. “Benny, who was that?”

“Nobody important.” Benny said back sternly. The tone of his voice was strict, something Josh hadn't heard from the boy for years. “Josh, why are you here?”

Josh found his heart pounding again. Why WAS he here? He knew the answer, realistically he knew that Benny knew the answer, but he had to say it. It was what Benny needed to hear. He felt his breathing speeding up, heading rapidly towards hyperventilation. His body was shaking, trying to do two conflicting things at the same time. Benny's stares were only making it worse. 

“Answer me, boy. Tell me why you're here.” Benny said, his tone terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

Finally, breathlessly, almost in tears he just stared into Benny's eyes and said, “Sir!”

*****

“Keep the noise down!” Mr Spencer snapped, half-seriously as the four boys dashed up the stairs. They had just finished more pizza than boys their size should have ever been able to consume, joking loudly together and mucking about the whole time. Now they were headed up to Warren's room, which meant they were likely to get even more out of control. Mr Spencer's warning would no doubt be ignored, but he lived in hope.

On the way up the stairs, Nick had tackled Sam, then picked him up and thrown him over his shoulder. He could have tackled either of the other boys just as happily as he would have no trouble carrying them, but Sam was by far the smallest and seemed the least effort. As they got into Warren's room, Sam struggled, demanding to be put down by the older boy. Nick complied, unceremoniously throwing him down on top of Warren and Greg was had taken a seat on the old 2-seater sofa Warren had inherited from Dale's room after he moved out.

“So, what's the plan?” Nick asked, casually dropping onto Warren's bed.

“Oil wrestling!” Sam called out as he struggled to squeeze in between the other two boys on the sofa. Sam and Warren laughed as Greg blushed. Nick didn't get the reference, but figured it was related to the 'doctors' thing from earlier. He shook his head, smirking at the boys.

“Fuck off!” Greg snapped, then turned to the others and added, “Unless you wanna start talking about your ones too!”

“Your whats?” Nick asked, intrigued at how the comment had cut the laughing short.

“Whatever.” Sam said, “Tell anyone you like, I'm not ashamed.” He turned to Nick. “On the way home we were comparing wank fantasies.”

Nick had stop being surprised several months ago by Sam's total lack in inhibitions. “Oh yeah? Like the doctor thing.” He said casually, stifling a snigger at Greg's cringing. “So whose was the oil wrestling?”

“That was Greg too.” Warren said, teasingly.

“Oh, get a kick out of sharing secrets, do you?” Nick said, looking at his boyfriend. “And what ones did you share?” Warren fell silent, glaring at Nick.

“Guess.” Sam said, as if it was old news.

“Me, Josh and Corey?” Nick asked.

Sam and Greg burst into laughter as Warren scowled. Greg was surprised. He figured it would be something Nick didn't know, forgetting how open they were with each other.

“Any more?” Nick asked.

“No, just that one.” Greg said, loving the spotlight being off of him for a change.

“So he didn't mention vampires?” Nick said with a truly evil grin.

Sam and Greg stared open-mouthed at Warren who looked beyond mortified.

“What, so... how does that even work?” Sam asked, starting to snigger.

“Well Nick thinks about getting kidnapped and being forced to have sex when he jerks off!” Warren snapped back, hoping to embarrass Nick in return.

Nick just shrugged. “Hey, I seem to remember you getting pretty turned on too when we tried that one!” And just like that, it was back on Warren. Sam and Greg were poking him and laughing and while he initially looked ready to kill Nick, he gradually joined in with the laughing.

“Hey, let's just accept that we're all a little bit pervy and move on, okay?” Warren suggested.

Greg and Nick seemed happy to move on, but Sam wasn't going to let it drop. He leant in towards Warren's neck and opened his mouth as if he intended to bite him. “I vant to suck your blood!” he mocked in the worst vampire voice he could manage.

“Oh, you like to tease, do you?” Nick asked, seeing that the boy had crossed the line from amusing to annoying for his boyfriend.

Sam just shrugged. “Hey, it's what I do!”

“Yeah.” Warren agreed, then explained to Nick. “That's what turns him on, turning guys on and having an audience!”

“And that's it? You just imagine them getting all horny and it stops there?” Nick asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Yup.” Sam said casually. He could see he was being targeted by the older boy, but just shrugged it off.

Nick gestured to Warren and Greg. “You two, swap places with me.” They got up and moved onto the bed, while Nick slipped onto the sofa beside Sam. The younger boy started to look a little nervous as Nick sidled closer, his arm along the back of the sofa behind Sam.

“What are you doing?” he asked nervously.

Greg and Warren watched on in delight. Sam had often taken so much pleasure in teasing them, whispering things to them and watching them squirm for his own enjoyment. It looked like he was about to get a taste of his own medicine.

Nick began whispering in his ear, intentionally keeping it so quiet that the other two boys wouldn't be able to hear. “Close your eyes.”

Sam looked at him, gulped nervously and then complied.

“So let's think about this, shall we.” Nick started. “You're sitting there, in front of a small crowd of guys, their eyes fixed on you, waiting to see what you'll do. You slide your hand up your t-shirt, feeling your own body, moaning happily so that they can hear your pleasure. You pull off the t-shirt and they stare, watching your hot little body as your hands slide across it. As you look down at them, the bulges in their pants are obvious and it's all because of you. Your own cock swells in response as you squeeze it through your jeans, the guys do the same. Then you take the jeans off with your underwear. You're sitting there, naked and hard, so many eyes burning into you, staring excitedly.”

Nick paused for a moment and looked over at the other two. Much like the fictional men Nick was describing, the two boys were massaging their own bulges in response to Sam's now-obvious erection. His whispering was clearly working, but now came the gamble. He had a suspicion about Sam and now was the time to check it.

He began to whisper again. “They're all so horny, all because of you. So is that where the fantasy stops?”

“Yes.” Sam whimpered unconvincingly, eyes still closed, fists clenched nervously.

“I don't think I believe you.” Nick hissed, his lips so close to Sam's ear that they grazed it as he went on. “I think you imagine it going a little further, like maybe the men aren't happy to just watch your smooth, naked little body. I think they want to touch you... and I think you want to let them, so you sit and watch as they approach, cocks in hand. You feel them touching you, lips on your neck, a tongue lashing at your nipple, fingers sliding between your thighs caressing the silky soft skin.”

Nick could feel Sam starting to shudder, his breath quickening.

“Then they start to move, mouths working down your body, fingers sliding up your legs. Your stiff little tool desperate for their touch. You don't know what will get there first, the hands or the mouths, it's a slow, painful race, your body aching to know the result but it ends in a draw as you feels fingers stroking your balls as lips settle onto your cock.”

“Oh God.” Sam muttered, his breath ragged as he squirmed beside Nick.

“Do you want them to continue? Do you want to feel the fingers slide down toward your tight little hole? Do you want to feel their mouths surround your rock-hard dick?” Nick whispered.

“Yes, yes. Oh fuck, I think... I think... I might cum soon.” the boy whimpered in a mix of excitement and fear.

Nick stood up. “Well, I guess that's where we'll leave it then!”

Sam's eyes opened and he stared at Nick in dismay. “You... you fucker!” he said angrily as he regained his breath.

Greg and Warren released their own engorged meat as they realised the show was over and burst into applause. “Way to go Nick!” Warren cheered.

“What were you saying to him?” Greg asked.

Nick looked round at Sam who seemed terrified to both hear the answer himself, as well as having it revealed to the others. The older boy had figured out his sordid little fantasy, but having everyone know it would be horrific.

Nick smiled and winked at Sam, then turned back to Greg. “That's... our little secret.” He heard the sigh of relief from Sam. “Now, how about we change the subject. Let's watch a movie!”

Greg and Warren jumped off the and and rejoined Sam on the sofa. “What do you wanna watch?” Warren asked nobody in particular.

Sam sniggered. “How about Twilight?”

“Fuck off.” Warren said, elbowing him in the ribs.

*****

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Benny asked as he walked ahead of Josh down the stairs to the basement.

“Yes.” Josh said back, bluntly. With every step downward, the voices telling him to stop quietened, and the desires to submit to the boy grew.

“Come on then.” Benny said as he reached the bottom, heading towards one of the 'Games rooms', as he had called it previously.

Following the boy, Josh thought he heard something behind one of the doors. “What did you say was in there?” Josh asked. He could remember the dorm rooms and the games rooms, but what was it he had called that final one?

“That's just where I keep the trash.” Benny said, repeating his explanation from Monday almost word-for-word.

Josh looked at it suspiciously, wondering why it would need such a large bolt. He followed Benny anyway. As they entered the room, Josh's eyes widened. Referring to the room as a 'Games' room didn't seem quite apt. It was more like a dungeon. Swings and harnesses hung from the ceiling, wooden stocks stood in one corner and various other stands and devices were dotted around.

Benny stopped and turned to Josh. “Strip!” he ordered.

Josh felt his stomach churn and his heart pound. The order was so forceful, so familiar, so exciting. “Yes Sir.” he immediately replied and quickly started to undress.

“Slowly!” Benny snapped.

Josh immediately slowed, attempting to take his time whilst desperately wanting to get naked.

“Good boy. Now, down on your knees!” Benny commanded. Josh dropped down. “On all fours.” Josh complied again. “Good, now crawl to me!”

Josh was shaking, his cock already engorged as he started to crawl. The hard concrete floor felt cold and rough beneath his hands and knees, but it was the anticipation that was making him shudder.

Benny looked down as Josh reached him. He reached down and pulled at Josh's hair, not aggressively, just enough to get him to look up. “Say my name!”

“B... Benny.” Josh stuttered. He felt Benny's fingers tighten in his hair.

“No. That's not right. Say my name... boy!” Benny snarled.

“B...” Josh stuttered, then realised what he had to say. “Master!”

“Good boy.” Benny said with a smile, releasing his grip. “Now stand up!”

“Just say the word 'Parrot' at any time and I'll stop right away. Do you understand?” Benny asked.

The provision of a safe word had been unexpected and made Josh suddenly trust the boy a little more. If he had now started to think about that sort of thing, then he really had changed. He nodded his understanding.

“Okay, come here.” Benny ordered, moving over to a couple of long chains hanging from the ceiling, each with a rubber restraint hanging from the end. Josh followed and Benny started to secure the bands around his wrists. 

Josh was conflicted. This wasn't the first time he had worn restraints since the incident, he had tried it with Dale, but his boyfriend simply didn't have the kind of personality that went with them. However this was his first time with Benny since the incident, so that made it a little more intimidating. He was determined to get through it though. At least he knew he had the safe word.

Once both wrists were restrained, Benny walked over to the wall and unlooped a chain from a large wall-mounted hook, then started pulling it. The sound of of the chain running through a pulley echoed through the room and Josh felt his arms lifting. Once they were raised above his head, Benny stopped and re-secured the chain to the wall. From a small cabinet beside him, Benny pulled out a long thin strip of fabric, then approached Josh and blindfolded him with it.

Benny looked at the naked young man. He reached up and stroked his chest, sliding his fingers down the man's hairy torso until they reached his cock. He gave it a quick squeeze. “I'll be right back.” he said, then headed for the door.

“Wait, where are you...” Josh started, but the boy was already gone. For a few minutes he just hung there, exposed, restrained and gradually getting more and more turned on. By the time he heard the door go again, his cock felt about twice its normal size.

SMACK! Josh yelled out in surprise as he felt a wooden paddle slap onto his bare arse. Panting from both the surprise and the pain, he felt his cock twitch. He hadn't been spanked for years and he had forgotten how good it felt. SMACK! It fell again. Josh grunted, enjoying it more now that he was expecting it. SMACK! A third strike. His rear felt like it was on fire from the harsh hits, but his cock felt ready to erupt. SMACK! SMACK! The fourth and fifth hits actually had him yelling out in  ecstasy. When he heard the paddle being out down, he felt both relieved and disappointed. A few more and he suspected he might actually cum, but pain was radiating from his doubtlessly-red buttocks.

He felt a hand on his chest again, playing with a nipple, then another hand on his back. He jumped a little as a third hand played with his armpit hair. “Who is that?” he asked, wondering who the second person was, before realising there was no guarantee that either one of them was actually Benny. He felt a rush of fear and almost considered calling out the safety word, but resisted. He was scared, but did not seem to be at risk.

More and more hands began caressing him, finally stopping at eight. There were four people touching his naked body, he was powerless to stop it... and he loved it! They continued teasing him, intentionally staying clear of his cock it seemed, but happily touching everywhere else. Someone grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him into a kiss, their lips and tongue attacking his.

Josh felt feet nudging at his own, pushing them gradually apart. He spread them as far as he could, but eventually had to stop because of the chain holding his hands up. The point was clearly to allow better access to his rear as he immediately felt fingers probing at his hole. Then he felt cold lubricant being applied, worked roughly his hole and inside it.

He knew what had to be coming next and he wasn't disappointed. He felt a rigid cock pushing its way inside. It was nowhere near the size of James', but the forcefulness of it thrilled him immeasurably more than the timid man had earlier. Whoever it was fucking him, they were clearly enjoying it, grunting excitedly as they thrust rapidly. The vigorous assault on his prostate had Josh moaning with pleasure within minutes too. His cock still remained untouched, but he could feel an orgasm building.

With a deep guttural moan, the man behind him shot his load and quickly pulled out. Disappointed at his own lack of release, Josh felt his climax drifting further away, but not for long. The emptiness in his rear was soon replaced by another cock, slightly shorter but much wider than the last. The hands continued exploring him as the fucking went on, his nipples growing more and more sensitive as they were tugged and caressed.

A few minutes of rapid thrusting later, Josh could feel himself right on the verge of a sensational orgasm. Unfortunately, so was the man fucking him. Another grunt and more warm wetness inside him. The man pulled out and Josh could feel cum dribbling down between his thighs. Once again his orgasm began to drift away and despite the aching he was beginning to feel in his rear he found himself hoping for another round.

He soon found his desires being sated as a third cock pushed its way into him, the lubricant mixing with the two heavy loads already inside him to allow the man a smooth entry. Once again his cock twitched excitedly as the prostate-pounding pushed him towards satisfaction. He was so close, just a few more thrusts would do the job. That was when the man behind him spoke.

“Not yet, boy!” It was Benny.

A surge of excitement rippled through him knowing the boy was inside him as he felt his arms reaching around his exposed body.

“Cum when I do.” Benny added, slowing his thrusts.

The other hands let go, presumably ordered away by Benny to slow down Josh's approach. Josh was right on the brink. If he stopped tensing, he would probably cum but he didn't know how long he could hold it back. “Oh fuck.” he moaned excitedly.

“I'm getting close. Not long now.” Benny reassured him as he heard Josh's whimpers.

Benny continued thrusting, then after a loud grunt whispered in Josh's ear, “Let it go, boy!”

“Yes master!” Josh called out excitedly. In unison, the two exploded. Benny’s spunk added to the juices inside Josh while his cock spasmed up and down untouched, flicking long thick streams of jizz in every direction. Benny pulled out, resulting in even more spunk dribbling down Josh's legs, then moved round in front of him, giving his still-twitching cock a playful tug. Josh flinched at the touch, but smiled.

Benny pulled off the blindfold and Josh looked down at him. “I missed you so much!” Josh said happily. The boy said nothing back, he just kissed the restrained young man.

As the kiss ended, Josh looked round. Whoever the other hands had belonged to, they had already left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“Wanna go again?” Benny asked, grinning and squeezing Josh's still semi-hard penis. Suddenly he was the playful boy he had fallen in love with, not the strict master.

Josh shuddered at the touch, the organ still sensitive. “I think that's probably enough for today. I think it might take some time to build back up to the things we used to do!”

Benny chuckled. The thought that Josh wanted to spend more time with him filling him with joy. He walked over to the wall and released the chain, then walked back and undid the restraints. Josh rubbed his wrists, only partly glad to be free of them, then looked down at his legs and the trails of cum.

“You probably want a shower.” Benny laughed. “Grab your clothes.”

Josh did as instructed then followed Benny out into the hallway and into a bathroom. There was a row of shower heads along one wall. “When you're cleaned up and dressed, I'll be up in my lounge.”

“Okay, see you in a minute.” Josh said, smiling as the boy left. He turned on a shower, waited for it to warm and then stepped underneath. His rump stung as the warm water flowed over it, but it filled him with excitement. As he washed, he could feel all of his fears flowing away with the water. This place was exactly what he needed and Benny was so different now, exactly the type of master he craved. All he wanted now was to go upstairs and hear his next order. Once he was dried off and dressed, he headed back out into the hallway.

He was just about at the stairs when he heard a movement in the mysterious room again. He looked round nervously, stepped towards the door and undid the bolt. He pulled the door and just stared in shock. The room was tiny, barely more than a broom closet. Sat in one corner was the hooded young man he had seen earlier. The boy flinched and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light of the hallway, the tiny room itself had been in total darkness.

Just inside the door sat a plate with remnants of a meal and an empty plastic cup. Beside that was a bucket. It was empty, but he could imagine what it was for. Josh stared at the boy, who gradually lowered his hand and looked back. His eyes widened again.

“Josh.” he croaked.

Josh stared into his eyes, those intense, piercing, green eyes. The realisation shot through him like a stake through the heart. He thought he knew who it was... but it couldn't be possible. The last time he had seen the him, the boy had been so strong, so intimidating, but now he sat there cowering in the corner. Josh knelt down and reached up towards the boy's hood, he had to be sure. His hands slid round the back of the boy's head and pulled up the zip, then removed the hood.

It came away and Josh's breath caught in his throat, he had been right. “Alex.” He gasped. “But how?”
Chapter 8

Josh felt sick. It felt like his entire world had just been blown apart. Mere minutes before he had been so overjoyed, his hidden desire had been sated for now, with the promise of plenty more to come. Things were actually good with Benny again, something he never thought possible and the boy actually seemed to have changed, but then... this!

Alex sat cowering in his 'cell' – that was the only thing Josh could think to call it. The boy had been locked in the tiny room, kept in the dark, concealed in a hood. He had only met Alex once, that day on the beach, but the encounter had shaken him to his core. The boy's behaviour and attitude verging on wicked. His treatment of Josh had been one of the triggers for him ending his affair with Benny. Alex had literally scared Josh with his intensity. It was almost impossible to believe that the naked, cowering young man before him was the same person. More shocking than the boy's transformation though was the slow realisation of who had to be responsible for it – Benny!

Trash. That was what Benny had said he kept in that room. The yells when he arrived earlier, it was clear now they were yells of pain, obviously at Alex's expense. Following that day on the beach, Josh had occasionally woken up scared, the boy's piercing green eyes haunting him in his sleep. Seeing him now brought all of that back and his first instinct was to run. He knew he probably should, but Benny had done this and he had to answer for it.

“No, give that back!” Alex called out, reaching for the hood. “I'm not allowed to take it off.”

Josh let the boy take the hood and slide it back on. Hooded once more, he seemed to shrink into the corner.

“Alex. What... what are you doing here?” Josh stuttered.

“Whatever I'm told!” Alex replied, cold and emotionless.

Josh wanted to ask more, but he could see the boy was just getting more and more agitated. “I won't leave you here!” He closed the door and bolted it again then marched up the stairs.

Benny was already in the private lounge when Josh stormed in, the door slamming open. He looked at the angry young man and started, “Josh, what are you...”

“I found Alex!” he snapped furiously. He marched over to Benny, taking every ounce of self control he had not to punch him in the face. “You haven't changed at all, have you? You're still a fucking monster!”

Benny stared in Josh, terrified of the man's rage. He stuttered but couldn't respond.

“What have you done to him? And why is he even here? Didn't you think I might want to know that HE was here, after what he did?” Josh snarled.

The noise had attracted attention, Roger came running in and saw Josh confronting Benny. He grabbed Josh's arm and pulled him away. “Hey, back off.” the large man ordered loudly.

“Get off of me!” Josh snapped, pulling his arm free and turning back to Benny. “You're keeping him prisoner down there!”

“It's not what it looks like.” Benny said, backing away slowly.

“Oh really? Because what it looks like is that you're holding someone against their will and you've.... you've... broken him!” Josh argued. “What is this, some kind of.... revenge for what he did to me? For making things end with us?”

“No, it's not like that at all...” Benny insisted. “You really think I'd do that?”

“I don't know what you're capable of! You're keeping him like an animal. He was... he was...” Josh shook his head as he thought of the state Alex had been in.

“Roger, go and get him.” Benny said to the large man who lingered behind Josh. He gave Benny a questioning look, gesturing to Josh. “I'll be okay, just go and bring him up here.”

Roger did as ordered, leaving Josh and Benny alone.

“Josh, I swear, I don't hurt people any more... at least, not in the way I did, if that makes sense.” Benny reassured him, then his eyes narrowed as he considered Josh's reaction. “You actually think I'd do that?!”

“I don't know.” Josh said, his perceptions of the boy suddenly clouded. “After what you did to me, who knows what you might do!”

“I thought... I thought we were finally starting to move on, but you really think I'm, what... a 'fucking monster', wasn't that what you called me?” Benny exclaimed, his disappointment quickly turning to anger.

“Benny, I just... I don't understand.” Josh mumbled.

Roger returned, pulling Alex along behind him.

“Alex, tell Josh what you're doing here.” Benny ordered.

The boy cowered at the sound of Benny's voice then whimpered, “I'm doing whatever you tell me, Sir.”

Josh turned from Alex to stare back at Benny.

“Roger, close the door!” Benny snapped. “Alex, take off the hood. This isn't part of your training!”

Roger did as ordered as Alex appeared to relax, then reached up and pulled off the hood. “Fuck I hate that thing.” Alex said with a smirk, reaching up to run his fingers through his flattened hair. “Hey Josh!”

“Wait, I thought you....” Josh stuttered, looking back and forth between Alex and Benny.

“He's here of his own accord, Josh.” Benny stated firmly.

“It's all part of my induction.” Alex said.

“I don't understand. What induction?” Josh asked, thoroughly confused. “Wait, you mean he's going to be one of your boys? HE wants to sub for YOU?” Josh found the prospect unthinkable. He could imagine Alex doing a lot of things, but submitting to Benny's total control wasn't one of them!

“Sit down.” Benny said, taking a seat. The others followed his cue, only Roger remained standing. “He's being inducted as one of my... erm, what did I call them the other day? My generals. He's gonna be one of my new ones.”

“And it's gonna be fucking awesome!” Alex said excitedly, smiling wickedly. “Glad to see you here Josh, I was hoping I'd get another turn with you!”

It sent a shudder down Josh's spine. He suddenly found himself filled with the same sense of discomfort he had felt after his first encounter with Alex. Even after all this time, he still couldn't put his finger on what it was about the boy, something just felt... wrong!

“But... why's he... like that?” Josh asked, pointing at the hood.

“It's one of his rules.” Alex replied indignantly, as if the whole thing was beneath him. “He won't let anyone join the house without, and these are his words, fully understanding what the boys go through.”

Benny shot Alex a slightly annoyed look as he appeared to mock the young master's words, the older boy immediately looking remorseful.

“I make them start at the bottom. I'd never let someone just walk on here and start abusing my boys. They start in the role Alex is currently in, the 'Trash'. It's like the lowest of the low. It's sometimes used as punishment for boys who misbehave, it's like a step below them. After Alex has done his time, he'll move up to spend some time as one of my boys.” Benny explained the process to Josh who just stared intently.

“Yeah, and so far it sucks, but at the end of it all, I get to take charge of Benny's boys and that's gonna be some seriously hot shit!” Alex said through a crooked smile.

“That's enough from you.” Benny snapped. “Roger.” He gestured to Roger who stepped forward and lifted Alex up onto his feet.

“Back on it goes. See ya soon Joshy.” Alex said, making Josh shudder again. The hood was replaced and he let himself be lead out of the room, leaving Josh and Benny alone again.

Josh didn't know what to say. His heart was still pounding from how angry he had been mere minutes before. His head was beginning to clear, but with it came all the nagging questions that had come with him to Benny’s house. All the doubts and concerns, the fears and apprehensions. What he had experienced in the Games Room had been so incredible though, the way he had been taken so roughly, it was exactly what he knew he had been craving. Back and forth the argument waged in his mind, until much like earlier, it reluctantly settled on Benny's side. 'I need this.' he thought to himself as he looked over at the boy. 'Even with Alex here, I need this!'

While Josh had been lost in thought, Benny had just sat there, staring at him. Before Josh could say anything, Benny spoke. “I need you to leave.”

“Yeah.” Josh nodded. “Seeing Alex was a bit of a shock. We should... probably pick this up another day.”

“No, Josh.” Benny said, then took a deep breath. “I need you to leave and not come back. Ever!” There a slight wobble in his voice.

“What!” Josh exclaimed, looking back in confusion. “But... I thought... we were...”

“This..... this was a mistake!” Benny interrupted. “Look, I've been thinking about this since Monday. Honestly, it's all I've thought about. I wanted you back, Josh, more than anything and when you came to see me earlier this week, I was so unbelievably happy. I let myself start thinking that suddenly things were gonna be like they were, I just got caught up in that and I didn't see it.”

“I... don't understand.” Josh said, staring blankly. “You didn't see... what?”

“Things AREN'T like they were, Josh, and they never will be. What I did, it destroyed... us. When you saw me on Monday, you were so scared and honestly you were probably right to be. But then suddenly... you just got over it? If things had been the other way round, if you had been the one to assault me... we wouldn't be sat here talking. Yeah, I might forgive you eventually, but to actually come back to it? Then you turn up here today and I let myself get caught up in it again. I was so excited about being able to touch you again that I just did it. I didn't think, I didn't hesitate, I just took you in. It was when I saw how mad you got at me, how you were obviously still thinking I'm the way I was back then... how the hell could you let me chain you up downstairs knowing what happened the last time?” Benny demanded.

Josh stared, his eyes watering as he took in what Benny was saying. “But Benny... I need you.”

“No Josh, you don't. I lost control. I don't know if I even had it in the first place and I... I think I broke you. I know you came to see me at school because my parents asked you to, but they never asked you to come home with me. Why... how could you even do that? Just look at how you reacted today. You thought I was a monster, that I was keeping a slave and abusing him. If you really did trust me, that thought wouldn't have even crossed your mind. We can't rebuild trust that has been so completely broken. I'm not sure what you actually need, Josh, but it's not me. It can't be.” Benny insisted as a tear rolled down his cheek. He sniffed back more tears and anger started spreading across his face in place of the sadness, “You were my first love... and I want you more than you can imagine, but every time I look at you, I see that moment! I see what I did... and it feels like I'm dying inside. You're a walking reminder of the worst moment of my life! Can you tell me that honestly, deep down inside, you don't see it too?”

Josh stood to face him, silent tears streaming. He paused for a moment, then solemnly shook his head. “I do... but we can...” Josh started and was cut off mid-sentence once again by the boy.

“JUST GO!” Benny screamed, sobbing. “If you care about me at all, turn around and go and don't come back!”

Josh turned to the door and walked away. Looking back at the last moment, he whispered, 
“I love you Benny.”

Benny collapsed to the sofa in fits of tears. Moments later, he looked up and called out “I love you too.” but it was too late, Josh was already gone.

*****

The sleepover boys' attempt to watch a movie hadn't lasted long, mostly thanks to Warren. Whether he was just particularly horny that evening, or perhaps having a new boy present played a part, he seemed determined to make things happen. He started with little pokes and prods to the other boys, gradually leading up to outright groping.

When Nick grew tired of Warren's behaviour, he stopped the movie and glared at him. Asking what he wanted to do instead, the boy had insisted it was time for 'the doctor's office to open'. Despite being initially embarrassed by the idea, Greg soon began to play along and it was determined that Nick would be playing the doctor. There had been no plans other than that put in place, no set scenario, no plot, just Nick playing a doctor and Greg playing a patient.

Warren and Sam had remained seated on the sofa while the other two stood at opposite ends of the room. Nick winked at Greg, their pre-arranged signal, to see if he was happy to continue. The boy nodded happily, but continued looking nervous. Nick stepped forward, placing a few items at the foot of the bed. “Greg West.” he called out as if calling him for his appointment.

Greg shuddered but stepped forward silently.

“Ah, come in.” Nick said, holding out an arm to guide him in to his 'office'. He directed for the boy to sit on the bed while he sat opposite in the desk chair, giving the two spectators a decent view of them both. “So I understand you're here today for a routine physical?”

“Y... yes.” Greg nodded.

“Okay, we'll start with some standard questions.” Nick explained. He played his part well, asking a range of almost-believable questions of the boy who seemed to relax a little, until they came onto a more sensitive subject. “Okay, now are you sexually active?”

“What... erm... no.” Greg replied, blushing and shifting uncomfortably.

“And do you masturbate?” Nick continued, not letting the boy's discomfort slow his pace.

Greg looked shyly at the other two boys who were sniggering and whispering, then replied quietly, “Yes.”

“And how often do you do that?”

Greg took a deep breath as he considered his reply. “Three or four times... a day.”

“Whoa!” Sam called out in surprise. Nick shot him a glance that told him very clearly to remain silent.

“Right, well I'll need to examine you now.” Nick continued, smiling kindly at Greg. “If you could strip down to your underwear please.”

Greg looked terrified, but stood and began to undress. Nick watched happily as the boy began to reveal himself, first by removing his t-shirt. He was quite tall for his age. Not quite at Nick's height yet, but getting close. He was slim too, not an ounce of fat on him. His muscles had just a little definition, but being so slim, they seemed emphasised, giving him a deceptively muscular appearance. His deep blue eyes darted back and forth between 'the doctor' and the spectators, knowing every eye was on his body. Being blonde, his skin was quite fair, so as he blushed, the redness appeared even stronger.

Next he pulled off his socks and then slipped down his jeans. His upper body was fairly hairless, even under his arms only a tiny tuft had begun to sprout, but his legs were surprisingly hairy. He stood there now in just a pair of loose boxer shorts, but with his hand covering his bulge. Nick gestured to his hands and cleared his throat. Reluctantly the boy moved them, revealing that his boxers were tented by an erection.

Nick heard more smirks from the sofa and shot them a second warning glare. “Okay, now lay down on the bed please.”

Greg nodded and did as instructed, staring up nervously as Nick stood over him. Without any props to use, Nick got straight to work with his hands, starting up at the boy's neck, feeling and pressing various parts. He could see the boy's chest start rising and falling much more rapidly as he progressed, he really seemed to be enjoying it. When Nick worked his way across the chest, he intentionally brushed his fingers across the boy's nipples a couple of times, smiling happily as he moaned his contentment.

Once Nick had worked down the stomach, skipped the crotch area and checked his legs, he stood back. “And if you could remove your underwear too please.”

Greg stood and made the mistake of looking at Warren and Sam. Both of them stared straight back at him, grinning. The sight of them only increased his nerves, yet also, his enjoyment, which surprised him greatly. He quickly pulled down the boxers and kicked them aside, then lay back down on the bed. His cock was solid, pointing up from his body at forty-five degrees as he lay there.

Nick 'examined' his body again briefly, for no other purpose than to turn the boy on some more. Having someone so aroused and responsive beneath his fingertips was turning him on too. “I'm going to check your testicles now for any abnormalities.” he explained, looking down at the boy.

Greg took a deep breath. It shuddered out of him as he trembled. Nick reached down and took the boy's smooth balls between his fingers. “Oh fuck!” the boy called out and his cock began to twitch as he covered himself in cum.

Nick watched excitedly, but did his best to hide his entertainment. He reached for the tissues at the end of the bed and pulled out a couple. Silently he began to clean up the boy and just said calmly. “Don't worry, that happens more often than you'd expect. We can carry on.”

Greg wasn't sure what to feel. He had just experienced his second ever orgasm at the hands of another boy and he had barely touched him, but it had felt great. Having his fantasy played out felt amazing, but the thought of continuing worried him. How would it end? He had guessed he would cum at some point, but he thought it would be the end of the scenario.

Nick resumed his previous examination of the boy's balls, rolling them gently between his fingers. So soon after cumming, the entire area felt quite sensitive, but Nick's touch was so delicate that Greg found himself loving every second. The ongoing attention stopped his cock from softening even slightly. Nick let go of the boy's calls and instead took hold of the shaft of his cock.

“Fuck!” Greg called out as he felt the new sensations.

Nick's exam was quite thorough, squeezing and stroking every inch of the boy's cock, pulling the foreskin back and forth. That part made Greg's entire body twitch as the skin slid back and forth over the still-sensitive head.

“Oh... Nick.” he whispered  as it continued.

“Right, now if you could stand up and bend over the bed please.” Nick instructed, doing his best to ignore the boy's pleasured moans.

“What?!” Greg said, eyes wide with fear.

“I'm going to check your prostate.” Nick explained calmly.

Greg stood and stared at Nick. Another wink followed by another nod. He leant over, spreading his legs as Nick nudged them apart. The 'doctor' then reached for the bottle of lube he had placed with the tissues and squeezed some out. He reached down to the boy's smooth, virgin hole and applied the gel, watching him shake as he did it.

He leant forward and whispered in Greg's ear, “Just try to relax. If it hurts, just tell me to stop, but if you relax it should be okay.”

He stood back up and began to push gently with one finger, then a little firmer. Greg took a deep breath and attempted to relax his rear. As he did so, Nick's finger popped inside. Just a tiny buit at first, but eventually the entire finger slid inside.

“Oh shit!” Greg yelled out as the mix of pleasure and pain.

“You okay?” Nick asked, cropping out of character.

“Yeah. I'm good.” Greg reassured him. “Carry on!”

Nick was tempted to fingerfuck the boy a little, but he knew it wasn't what the doctor would do. Instead, he moved his finger round just a little until he felt it press against its target.

Greg stood straight up, back arched. “What the fuck is that?” he yelled.

Nick laughed, not bothered this time when Sam and Warren joined in. “That'll be your prostate.”

“Oh my God.” Greg gasped, bending back over onto the bed. 

Nick pressed on it a few more times, marvelling at the way the boy's sphincter tightened around his finger in response, along with his ecstatic groans. Once he finally pulled his finger out, he instructed, “Lay on the bed again please.”

Greg followed the instructions, both relieved and disappointed at the empty feeling in his rear. “Okay, now I just need to take a sperm sample.”

“Didn't I already give you one?” Greg said, looking up at the doctor.

“Unfortunately I was unprepared for your... eagerness. I need to take a new one.” Nick explained. Greg blushed at Nick's choice of words. “Now just lay back and let me take care of business.”

Greg continued to do as he was told. As he lay there, he closed his eyes, allowing him to get lost on the fantasy. He felt Nick's fingers take hold of his cock again, but this time gripping more firmly as he began to stroke.

As the boy lay there, enjoying the doctor's actions, he thought about the prostate exam, imagining how it would feel to experience that at the same time. Without really thinking about it, he parted his legs. The doctor noticed the obvious invitation and reached down again with his other hand, pushing a finger once again inside the boy.

“Ah... yes!” Greg called out excitedly as the finger pressed on his magic button. With the added stimulation, it wasn't long before he felt his second orgasm approach. “I'm gonna cum!” he said loudly.

His cock spasmed, his balls twitched and he found his chest once again warmed by several globs of his own jizz. He opened his eyes and looked up at Nick, then realised Warren and Sam were stood over him too. Naked, panting, covered in his own spunk and having just played out one of his biggest fantasies, he probably should have been embarrassed about the three boys staring at him, but instead he just felt happy.

“You enjoyed that then?” Nick asked with a grin.

“Yes!” Warren said excitedly.

Nick playfully smacked him round the back of his head and said, “I meant Greg, not you!”

Greg laughed at them then replied, “Oh fuck yes!”

Nick looked at the other two. “Who's next then?” he asked with a grin.

*****

Corey sat on the sofa, waiting for Dale to re-emerge from the kitchen. A few moments later, he walked in, carrying a coke for Corey and a beer for himself. He placed them on the coffee table and took a seat in the armchair opposite Corey.

“So, he didn't say where he was going?” Corey asked.

Dale shook his head. “Nope. James said he just had to 'go and do something'. It's just not like him.”

“Have you tried calling him?” Corey asked, knowing that it was probably futile.

“No answer.” Dale answered quickly with a sigh.

“So where do you think he might be?” Corey asked. The boy already knew what Dale was thinking, it had been his first thought too, but he figured it was best to let Dale approach it himself.

“It's gotta be Benny.” Dale said. Corey couldn't tell whether he sounded angry or worried.

“Yeah,” Corey said, nodding gently. “That's what I thought too.”

“I just don't get it. I mean... why?” Dale asked. His question was mostly just an expression of his frustration.

“I wish I knew.” Corey replied. “Just... when he gets back, try and keep your cool.”

“I'm... cool.” Dale insisted. Corey raised his eyebrows and nodded towards Dale's hands. They were clenched into tight fists. Realising what he was doing, Dale loosened them then looked back to Corey. “Okay... maybe I'm not, but I don't think I'm unjustified in being a bit pissed, am I?”

“No, it's understandable, but.... try and see it from Josh's perspective too. I can normally tell what's going on his head better than he can, but the Benny stuff... I'm clueless. So if I can't figure it out, just think how confused he's got to be about it!”

Dale sighed, his fists clenching again. Realising he was doing it this time, Dale willed himself to unclench. “You're right, but confused or not... urrrgh, he's just so frustrating. He could be there right now, getting hurt. I should go and find him.” Dale said, jumping to his feet.

“Do you actually know where Benny is?” Corey asked, not even bothering to try and intercept the agitated man.

Dale glared at the boy, thought for a moment then flopped back down into his seat. “No.” he said angrily.

“So the best thing we can do is sit here and wait. And when Josh comes home, we can do our best not to kill him!” Corey said, his own anger at his brother's actions showing through his poor attempt at humour.

“I guess you're right.” Dale said flatly. “Thanks, by the way, for coming over. I knew Nick and Warren were busy at their sleepover, and nobody outside of us guys really understands all this stuff.”

“No problem.” Corey grinned. “I know none of you fuckers can function without me, so I just kinda roll with it.”

Dale couldn't help laughing at the boy's overconfidence.

*****

“Oh my God, I see why you like that stuff!” Warren gasped, catching his breath after a toe-curling orgasm. Nick had just subjected him to the same treatment he had given Greg earlier, the boy laying on the bed, naked and covered in cum. Unlike Greg he had only cum once, being much more used to Nick's touch, but it had still felt incredible.

Greg looked almost pale as he watched. His tired cock swollen once again. It seemed he enjoyed watching it almost as much as he enjoyed experiencing it.

Warren cleaned himself up and pulled his boxer-briefs back on, not bothering with any other clothing and watched, giggling as Nick homed in on Sam. “Come on Sammy-boy, everyone else has had their appointments, time for yours!”

They had gone back to more 'normal' activities after Greg's appointment, but eventually the conversation had turned to a more sexual nature and Warren had been given his turn. Throughout it, Sam had worried he might be next. He looked terrified when he realised he was right.

“I don't think so.” Sam said, holding his hands up in front of Nick.

“Aww come on, everyone needs a check up now and then.” Warren teased, jumping next to the boy on the sofa and tickling him.

Sam laughed at the tickling then pushed Warren away and said as sternly as he could. “No, I'm not doing it.”

“Go ooooon!” Warren taunted.

“Hey.” Nick interrupted, seeing that Warren was going to keep pushing, seemingly oblivious to Sam's genuine refusal. The boy really didn't want to do it, he wasn't just playing hard to get. “If he says he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to do it!”

Warren looked round at the older boy, his expression conveying he was taking it too far, so he turned back to Sam and just said, “Sorry.”

“Oh I'll make you sorry!” Sam sniggered, jumping onto Warren. The two started rolling around on the floor, wrestling as Nick and Greg just watched in amusement.

“HEY!” a shout came through the door. “IT'S GETTING LATE, GO TO SLEEP!”

Warren froze, then called back, “Yes Mum!”

The all waited silently for a few moments until the woman moved on, then burst into laughter.

“She's right though, it's getting late.” Nick said reluctantly. He couldn't believe how quickly the night had gone. Having Greg there seemed to make such a huge difference to the group and he found himself liking the boy more and more as the evening went on. “So who's sleeping where?”

“Mine!” Sam said, jumping back onto the sofa. It was his usual spot when he stayed over. Despite how much he loved cuddling up with his friends normally, when it came to sleeping he liked his space and he knew the sofa was only big enough for one so he would never have to share.

Greg looked round, not sure what the other options were. As if reading his mind, Nick walked over to the bed, reached down and pulled. The bottom part of the bed pulled out, revealing another single bed. It looked like it could slide all the way out and be positioned separately from the main unit, but Nick left it alongside the main part of the bed.

“I don't mind where I go.” Greg said, smiling politely. As the newest attendee at the sleepover, he didn't feel right making requests.

“Hey.” Warren said, getting Nick's attention. “You mind sleeping apart tonight?” Warren looked at Greg, Nick following his gaze and understanding the boy's intentions.

“Sure, that's fine with me. I'll take this one.” Nick said, sitting on the lower bed.

“That means you get to share with me.” Warren said happily, moving up to his side and nudging him.

It took half an hour and a few more parental nudges to finally get them all to settle down in bed. They continued talking for quite some time after that, with Sam eventually nodding off, closely followed by Nick, leaving just the two boys laying together on the bed.

When Warren realised the other two were asleep, he turned onto his side and whispered to Greg, “I didn't want you to sleep alone tonight.”

Greg turned onto his side too, his face mere inches from Warren's. “Thanks.” he whispered back. “Not just for that, but... for everything this week. I don't think I'd have got through it without you.”

“I just wish I could do more. When I saw how upset you were Tuesday night, I just wanted to pull you through that monitor and cuddle up with you here like this.” Warren explained. “It's been really nice seeing you so happy tonight.”

“Well it's all thanks to you guys. I'm so glad I've got you and Sam. And it's been nice spending more time with Nick too. Your boyfriend's awesome.” Greg whispered happily. “And so are you.”

“Thanks.” Warren beamed. He lay for a moment looking at Greg. There wasn't much light in the room, just enough to make out his face. He reached up and gently placed his hand on his friend's cheek, then leant forward and kissed him on the lips, just for a few seconds.

Greg giggled. “Ya know, technically that's my first kiss.”

“Oh.” Warren replied, worrying slightly. “I'm sorry, I should have asked....”

Greg raised and hand and placed a finger on Warren's lips, silencing him. “A really sweet moment with my best friend is a pretty cool way to remember a first kiss!”

Without another word, Greg turned over and Warren cuddled up behind him, spooning against the taller boy, both of them quickly falling asleep.

*****

Dale could feel himself getting closer and closer to falling asleep. Seeing Corey sound asleep on the sofa in front of him just seemed to be making him more and more drowsy. The boy had chosen to stay with Dale and wait for Josh to come home, even though they had no idea when it would be. Shortly after midnight, Corey had fallen asleep leaving Dale alone to worry. Eventually he felt his eyes getting heavy and he couldn't fight it any more.

He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep when he heard someone at the door. It only felt like a few moments but he suspected it may have been longer. “Josh?” Dale called out, rubbing his eyes.

Corey sat up suddenly. “Is he home?”

“Yeah it's me.” Josh said, walking in the door, surprised to see Dale was still up, and even more surprised to see Corey was with him.

“Where the hell have you been?” Corey demanded angrily.

“I'm sorry.” Josh said flatly, eyes fixed on the floor. It was obvious he had a lot on his mind.

“Josh.” Dale started, his anger barely contained. Corey shot him a look and he took a deep breath before continuing. “Come and sit down.” Inside he was furious at Josh's disappearance and refusal to answer his phone, but his relief at seeing Josh was okay along with Corey's earlier request to keep his cool seemed to be keeping the fury at bay for now. He wanted to hug Josh and punch him at the same time.

Still avoiding making eye contact with either Corey or Dale, Josh walked over to them and took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa to his little brother. He remained silent.

“Where have you been?” Corey demanded again.

“After I left the gym, I went to Benny's house.” Josh said, cowering a little at the thought of the reaction his comment was going to get. He was surprised by the lingering silence that followed. He felt a compulsion to continue, just to break the silence. “I... submitted to him.”

“What the hell's wrong with you?” Corey snapped, picking up a cushion and hitting Josh round the back of his head repeatedly.

“Corey! That's enough!” Dale snapped, halting the boy mid-swing. Dale's fists were clenched tightly, but this time he couldn't find the will to release them. “How long were you there?” he demanded.

“I don't know.” Josh shrugged. “Maybe an hour.”

“Wait... so where have you been all night?” Dale asked, his concern and curiosity suddenly outweighing his anger.

“Just... around. I drove for a while, then I went and sat in the park. I... I had to think.” Josh mumbled.

“About what?” Corey demanded this time, surprised by his own reaction to his brother's return. “What did Benny do to you?”

“Nothing. Well... we did some things... at his house...” Josh stammered, then looked at Dale for a second before continuing, “But you probably don't need the details. But then... we had this argument. I thought he'd done something horrible, I thought it was all an act, the way he'd changed, I was so angry!” He trailed off, his voice wavering.

“Josh, you didn't... hurt him did you?” Dale asked, eyes wide with concern. 

Josh shook his head, still looking down. “It turned out I was wrong... he hadn't done anything. In fact, I think he's changed more than I thought. He explained everything. But then...” Corey and Dale both edged forward in their seats as he paused. “He told me I had to leave... like, forever!” Josh started crying, burying his face in his hands.

Corey and Dale's anger melted away as they saw the young man sob. They both moved closer to him, wrapping him in their arms and just letting him cry it out.

A few minutes later, when Josh had calmed slightly, Corey and Dale released him. Corey remained sat at his brother's side, while Dale knelt in front of him, looking up into his boyfriend's face. “So you and Benny... it's over?” Dale asked. He got a nod in return. “And it was Benny's choice?” Another nod.

“I don't understand.” Corey said, frowning. He was beginning to get more and more annoyed at his own lack of understanding. He could normally read most situations, but when it came to his big brother and his former master, it was like a haze of mystery obscured his view. “Benny wanted you back. Why would he make you leave? Did he just... want to hurt you for ending it in the first place?”

“No.” Josh croaked. He coughed and cleared his throat as he wiped the last remnants of his tears from his cheek. “He said I'm broken. He pretty much said I was crazy for ever going back to him.”

Corey and Dale looked at each other, not quite sure what to say. Eventually Corey shrugged and said, “Well he's not wrong, is he?”

Josh just shook his head. The three sat in silence for several minutes

“So you're never going back there again?” Dale finally asked.

“No.” Josh replied, staring back at his lover. 

“Good.” Dale said firmly. “Because this is it Josh. I'm... seriously pissed at you for putting yourself back in that situation, but this is the last time I'm gonna let it slide. I won't watch you put yourself at risk again. You pull another trick like this and we're done. I don't care how fucked your head is, that'll be it! Understand?”

“Yeah.” Josh said, a little shocked. He had seen Dale angry before, recently in fact, but this was different. The finality of his threat was obvious.

Finally venting some of his frustration, Dale breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up at Josh and smiled weakly. “I love you, you colossal twat.”

“I love you too.” Josh said, smiling as he held back tears.

Dale reached up and kissed Josh briefly, then climbed to his feet and said, “I'm gonna go make us a coffee.” he headed off to kitchen.

Josh looked round nervously at his little brother.

“You're so lucky!” Corey said, shaking his head. “Anyone else would have just dumped you right on the spot.”

“I know.” Josh said meekly. “And I'm sorry if I worried you too.”

“Look, Josh, form once I can't tell you what's going on in your head, but I can tell there's a lot on your mind and whatever it is, you need to start fucking dealing with it or you're just gonna fuck up everything you've got here.” Corey said bluntly. He reached over and knocked gently on Josh's head. “Whatever's going on in there, start dealing with it, okay?”

*****

Greg turned over in his sleep, but woke as his arm flopped off the side of the bed and landed on something soft and warm. Opening one eye, he realised his fingers were resting on Nick's chest as he lay on the lower bed beside him. He looked down at the older boy and smiled.

The past few hours had changed the way he looked at Nick. What he had said earlier hadn't really been true. Until that night, he really had just thought of Nick as 'Warren's boyfriend'. Not now though. Their talk had been wonderful, letting Greg know he had another friend to turn to if things got hard, and the way he had offered to look out for him if things got carried away with Warren and Sam had felt great. Then, on top of all that, Nick had helped him play out one of his most exciting sexual fantasies, resulting in two of the best orgasms he had ever experienced.

Now though, he just looked so peaceful as he lay there, breathing quietly, his exposed chest rising and falling beneath Greg's fingertips. The small patch of hair just starting to sprout in the middle of his chest was only inches from Greg's hand. He edged closer to the side of the bed, almost ready to fall off and looked nervously at the sleeping boy, then slid his nervous digits across the warm, smooth skin until he felt the soft hairs. He let his fingers swirl through it for a moment, imagining that Nick's rhythmic breathing was actually moans of pleasure at his touch.

He moved his fingers once again, sliding them over warm skin until he felt a nipple. As he gently played with it, he felt it hardening, making him shudder with excitement. Grinning to himself at the secret touching he looked up at Nick's face again... and froze. Even in the darkness, he could see a slight glint from the boy's eyes, they were very much open.

Greg gasped and pulled his hand away, but Nick responded just as quickly, grabbing his wrist and pulling the hand back onto his body. He appeared to be allowing it. He continued feeling the boy's body, sliding his fingers back across the chest and nipple, then down the stomach, shuddering as he felt the fine hair leading from his navel downwards. Even laying right on the edge of the bed, that was as far as his hands could reach.

He was about to start moving them back up Nick's body, when he felt the older boy begin to move. He started shuffling up the mattress, stopping only when his underwear-clad cock was beneath Greg's hand. He looked at Nick again and thought he saw a smile in the darkness, but it could have been his imagination. Either way, the intention was clear, particularly when Nick reached down and slipped off his boxers.

Greg found his palm resting on the rigid shaft of Nick's cock. Almost shaking with excitement, he wrapped his fingers around it. He froze, too excited and nervous to do anything else. Nick must have sensed the hesitation as he started thrusting his hips, fucking the boy's hand. Greg once again took his cue from the older boy and started stroking.

It didn't take long until he felt warm wetness spreading over it as Nick started to precum, heavily. At first Greg thought he had cum and considered stopping, but as Nick's thrusting continued, so too did his stroking. The added lubrication of the precum helped his fingers slide up and down the rigid dick and clearly enhanced Nick's enjoyment as he started moaning quietly with each stroke.

A couple of minutes later, the happy moaning turned to excited panting until Greg felt the excited tool pulsating between his fingers. Nick covered himself in his seed as Greg's gentle stroking gradually came to a stop, keeping hold of the softening cock.

Nick grabbed his underwear and wiped himself clean, then shuffled back down the mattress, his penis sliding out of the younger boy's grip. As he looked up, he saw Greg still staring down at him. He sat up then leant towards the boy kissed the boy gently on the forehead, then lay back down on his own mattress as both boys returned to sleep.
Chapter 9

Nick woke quite early, roused by the all-too-familiar noise of hand movements under bed covers. He guessed it was probably Greg, horny from their late night encounter. Instead, as he opened his eyes and looked round discreetly he saw it was Sam, the boy's hand pumping away furiously. A quick look up to his other side told him that Greg and Warren were both still asleep, cuddled up together and looking painfully adorable.

Nick quietly cleared his throat and grinned as Sam jumped, pulled his hand out and looked round nervously. As he saw Nick awake and staring at him, he looked like a small animal caught in car headlights.

The older boy was tempted to let Sam suffer, but the thought of watching the boy won out over his desire to tease him. “Keep going!” he whispered, then winked.

Sam moved his hand back down into place, but the movements didn't resume, the embarrassed boy still looking a little apprehensive. Nick decided to spur him on, remembering how much he enjoyed seeing other people get turned on. He pulled back his covers. He hadn't bothered to put any clothing back on after the hand job from Greg, so his entire body was exposed to the boy, including a rapidly stiffening cock. He winked again and got a grin back from Sam.

Sam threw back the covers too, revealing his erection poking out above the waistband of his underwear. He turned towards Nick, sitting up on the sofa with his legs spread. Nick manoeuvred himself round too so that they were both sat facing each other.

The younger boy resumed stroking and Nick copied, matching his timing exactly. They continued for a couple of minutes before Nick found himself thinking about last night, about how he had turned the boy on by talking his way through his unspoken fantasy. Grinning devilishly, Nick slid off the mattress and onto all fours, starting to crawl slowly across the floor. Sam's stroking stopped as he watched Nick approach.

When Nick reached the sofa, he placed a hand on Sam's foot, then looked up at the boy, looking for any sign that the boy wished to continue. As Nick raised his eyebrows questioningly, Sam understood the gesture and nodded his approval, despite the look of sheer terror on his face.

Nick placed his other hand on Sam's other foot, then started sliding them up the boy's legs, just starting to get hairy as he approached adulthood. Nick's hands continued up past the knees and caressed the boy's thighs before sliding round onto his hips and pulling on his underwear. Sam raised himself slightly to allow them to be removed. Nick put his hands back on the boy, bypassing the throbbing boner which pointed straight at him. He let his fingers explore the boy's smooth stomach, grinning as the boy whimpered with excitement at the older boy's touch. The hands continued upwards, over the boy's nipples. Nick leant forward and placed his lips right in the centre of the firm chest, kissing gently.

“Oh my God.” Sam whispered excitedly as he felt Nick's lips working up the centre of his chest. He threw his head back, allowing the older boy easier access to start kissing and licking around his neck.

As he continued nuzzling into the boy's neck, Nick slid a hand back down the boy's body and gripped his desperate dick between his thumb and forefinger. A single stroke of the solid erection had Sam's entire body convulsing. “I'm gonna cum!” he whimpered breathlessly.

Nick let go of the boy's tool, watching the pained expression on his face as he was deprived of the imminent orgasm. “Not yet you're not.” Nick whispered back right into the boy's ear before nibbling on it.

“Not again.” the boy said frustratedly, remembering how Nick had left him so close to cumming the night before too.

“D'you want to do me?” Nick asked, pressing his erection against the boy's leg.

Sam looked down at it nervously, then back at Nick. “I... I...” he stuttered.

“Hey, it's okay to say no.” Nick whispered, sliding his fingers across the boy's chest. “Just thought I'd offer. You wanna cum then?”

“Fuck yes!” Sam growled.

Nick sat up next to him on the sofa, then pulled the boy up against him, wrapping his arms around the boy from behind. He let one hand continue stroking the smooth skin of his torso while the other took hold of his erection, now slick from a few drops of precum he had started oozing. It only took a few strokes before he started to shoot, covering both of Nick's hands and his own stomach with his spunk. Feeling the boy's naked body writhe against his own as the orgasm rippled through him almost had Nick ready to shoot his own load. Sam lay against him, regaining his breath.

Once the boy's breathing had returned to normal, Nick planted a final kiss on the boy's neck and then stood up. Knowing there was no way he would be getting any more sleep, he pulled on his clothes and returned to the sofa. Sam did the same, at first sitting as far from Nick as he could get, but gradually moving closer as the two boys sat silently playing on their phones, waiting for Greg and Warren to wake up.

*****

Corey found himself being woken very unceremoniously when Josh sat on him. “Ooof.” he grunted as he felt the weight of his older brother crushing him into the sofa. “Get off me, you dick!” he complained, trying to push Josh aside.

“Nope. I gotta do this or you'll just go back to sleep, and you've got a match this morning, remember!” Josh said, poking at Corey in various places to make him squirm.

“I stay up late to help you through some lame mid-life crisis, and then I'm not even allowed to sleep in? How's that fair?” Corey complained, still attempting to get the much bigger man off of him.

“It's not, but life's not fair. Now get over it and get up!” Josh said, finally climbing off.

As soon as he was free of Josh, Corey turned back over and pulled the blanket over his head.

“Corey, get up!” Josh snapped, pulling the blanket away.

“No, you can't make me!” Corey said defiantly, for once sounding very much his age.

“Get up or I'm teabagging you!” Josh said, sniggering.

“Fuck off.” Corey grunted without moving.

“I'm doing it.” Josh said, unzipping his jeans. “The balls are coming out. Get up or they go in your face!”

“Fuck off!” Corey said even more loudly.

Josh climbed onto the sofa. He hadn't bothered to actually get his junk out, he knew just the threat would be enough. Feeling Josh getting closer, Corey jumped off from the sofa. “I hate you sometimes!” he said, peering through heavy eyes.

“Love you too.” Josh said back, knowing his cheerfulness would just annoy Corey even more.

“I'm going for a shower.” Corey said, looking back at Josh with utter disdain.

“Hey, Cor.” Josh said as he started walking away. The younger boy stopped briefly and looked back. “Thanks again... for last night.”

“Whatever, it's too early for any of that crap!” Corey said dismissively, then shrugged and added, “But you're welcome!”

As Corey headed down the corridor towards the bathroom, Dale passed by, coming through from the bedroom. “Morning.” Dale said politely. He just got a grunt back from the boy, before hearing the bathroom door slam. “Wow, he's really not a morning person, is he?” Dale sniggered as he approached Josh.

“He's really not.” Josh said with a grin, then kissed Dale quickly on the lips. “I'm sorry, for worrying you last night.”

“Don't worry about it.” Dale said, resting his hands on his boyfriend's hips. “Just... start talking to me, ya know, when something's up.”

“I'll try.” Josh said, leaning forward into a hug. He pulled away a few moments later and asked, “Any ideas what you want to do for your birthday yet?”

“Ugh.” Dale scoffed, releasing his grip on Josh.

“Hey, none of that. I know you're not bothered about your birthday, but I wanna make this a good one for you. This will be the first one you've had since we got together where I'm not gonna be in a Benny-induced bubble of depression and misery!” Josh said with a smile.  The wound was still raw, but making jokes about it seemed to make it easier, for both of them.

“Hey, there's still time!” Dale sniggered.

“Hey, don't joke.” Josh said, frowning.

“No, really. If I can make you all depressed again, can I skip this birthday too?” Dale asked happily.

“Nope. We're celebrating, whether you like it or not!” Josh insisted. “Whadda you think? Big family dinner, party with the boys, foursome with Warren and Nick – they're gagging for another one by the way! Any preferences?”

“Yeah, death!” Dale said flatly, getting a swift punch in the arm from Josh in response. “I dunno. Big family dinner could be a laugh, it's always funny seeing our Mums ganging up on our Dads!”

Josh laughed at the thought of it. Every time the McKenzies and Spencers got together, it became a battle of the sexes for the two sets of parents. It was always fun to watch. It was nice being able to get together with Corey, Nick, Warren and Dale all at the same time too.

“How about this then?” Josh said. “We have all the guys over for a party Friday night on your actual birthday, then a big family dinner on Saturday night?”

Dale crossed his arms and stared at Josh. “And this idea... just occurred to you, right now did it?”

“Of course!” Josh said, offended by any implication of duplicity.

Dale just continued to glare.

“Fine. Saturday's already arranged. Mum insisted, it was my job to talk you into it.” Josh finally gave in and confessed.

“That woman never changes!” Dale said, reluctantly amused.

“Nope.” Josh said with a grin. “And she's YOUR future mother-in-law too!”

“You... think about that sort of thing?” Dale asked, somewhat surprised. It was subject they had never really discussed.

Josh just shrugged. “Sure. Don't you?”

“I guess so.” Dale replied with a shrug. “I just didn't think you did.”

Josh stepped forward and placed his arms around Dale. “There's not really much to think about. I already know I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with you. Having a ring on my finger doesn't really make much difference!”

Dale just grinned and kissed Josh, then pulled him into a hug. Josh held him tightly. Just a few hours earlier he had been worried that Dale would leave and never come back when he found out about Benny, it filled him with joy that they were dealing with it together. And yet, despite feeling more in love with Dale than ever, his mind kept wandering back to Warren.

“Ugh.” Corey called from the hallway as he saw the two men hugging. “You two are sickening.”

“Piss off!” Dale said back, letting go of Josh and laughing.

*****

Greg opened his eyes and smiled. Warren was cuddled up to him, an arm wrapped snugly around him, while Nick and Sam were sat together on the sofa. He lay for a few moments, just taking in the moment. He had never felt so close to anyone before as he did right then with the other boys in that room. That was when his thoughts took a downward turn. He felt tears forming in his eyes. He buried his face into his pillow, trying to hide his crying from the two boys on the sofa.

“Hey, what's wrong?” he heard Warren whisper from behind him, a hand coming up to stroke through his hair. He turned over and buried his face into Warren's chest.

Warren looked over at Nick and Greg who both looked concerned as they realised what was happening. It looked like they were about to come over, but Warren gestured for them to stay where they were.

Greg just lay there, crying in Warren's arms for several minutes before his sobs stopped. A little embarrassed, he pulled away slightly and looked into his friend's eyes.

“What was that about?” Warren asked in a whisper.

Greg shook his head. “Nothing, it's stupid.” He reached his hand up between their bodies and wiped his face.

“Come on, this is me, you know you can tell me whatever it is.” Warren reassured him, squeezing him gently.

“It's just... I woke up and I could feel you right here with me, and those guys were right there, and... and I was happy. Really, really happy... and then I remembered that I've gotta go home and when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be all on my own again, and...” Greg stuttered his explanation as he started to cry again.

Warren pulled him close and just let him cry. There was nothing he could say that would make the boy feel better. He wished there was. He wished he could just click his fingers and things would just magically be better for him. For now, all he could do was be there for his friend. A few moments later, Nick came and sat at the head of the bed, then reached down and started stroking his fingers through the boy's hair, doing the same to Warren with his other. At the same time, Sam climbed onto the bed, cuddling up against the crying boy.

Nick looked down at the three young friends. He felt like his heart was breaking every time he saw how Greg's home situation was hurting him. He was feeling a little conflicted about what he had done with Sam too. It was clear the boy was a little confused about what he wanted, and he couldn't help thinking his actions were just making it tougher for him.

Then there was Warren. His boyfriend. His best friend. His lover. His first love. He couldn't help thinking back to his conversation with Dale earlier that week. How had he described his feelings for the boy?  'I see him and it's like the whole world lights up and all I want to do is hold him and love him!' Nick thought to himself, replaying his own words in his mind. He had meant it and he felt it now more than ever. Seeing how caring and supportive he had been with Greg made him so proud. As if sensing that he was being thought about, Warren looked up and smiled at him.

*****

Corey was running around the pitch warming up while Josh stood in his usual place on the sidelines. He found himself looking round for Sam, but the boy didn't appear to be there yet. Instead he just looked round the rest of the pitch, smirking to himself about the number of parents, siblings and friends who appeared as unhappy as Corey had been to be up so early on a Saturday morning.

“Hey!” Josh yelled out as he felt someone pinch his bum. He turned to see Warren and Sam giggling, with Greg stood beside them. He didn't know which one of them it had been, but knew they were both just as likely. “Little gits!” he said, shaking his head.

“Morning.” Warren said happily, laughing at Josh's reaction.

“Morning.” Josh said back, hugging Warren and just smiling at Sam. “Hey Greg, you okay?” He had met the boy plenty of times, but the two had never really spoken much.

“Hi, I'm okay thanks.” he said politely.

Josh squinted at the boy's somewhat quieter response than the other two and looked at Warren. The younger boy shot him an 'I'll explain later' expression so Josh said nothing else about it. “Isn't Nick with you?” he asked about his younger sibling.

“No.” Warren replied. “He had some college work he needed to do so he's gonna meet up with us later.”

“Well I'd better go and warm up.” Sam said. He left his coat and bag with Warren then ran out onto the field. Looking back, he winked at Josh and grinned.

“He's such a little tease.” Josh said quietly to himself, shaking his head.

“No Dale?” Warren asked, looking up at Josh.

“Nah, he's spending the day with James again.” Josh said.

“Good, I wanted to talk to you about his birthday anyway.” Warren said. As he spoke, he noticed Greg looking a little bit upset still. He reached out and grabbed the boy's hand, flashing him a quick smile, which was quickly returned. He turned back to Josh “Mum said we'd been invited over to your parents' house on Saturday.”

“Yeah, family dinner.” Josh nodded.

“And he actually agreed to that?” Warren asked incredulously.

“Well, not so much agreed, more like... he was advised it's happening whether he likes it or not!” Josh said with a giggle. “I think I may have actually convinced him to have a party on Friday night too.”

“Awesome.” Warren said happily, then thought for a moment. “Wait, what sort of party?”

“I dunno, just... a party.” Josh said, shrugging. “How different can they get?”

Warren giggled to himself, then raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Josh. “Well it could be a party where everyone sits around, eats and drinks and just hangs out, or it could be the kind of party we used to have... with Benny!”

Josh turned bright red instantly, then looked nervously at Greg.

“Oh relax, he knows everything!” Warren said with a laugh. Greg just looked at Josh and nodded.

“Oh.” Josh said, still embarrassed. “Well I hadn't really thought about that option. Do you think that's what he'd want?”

“I think what he wants is to pretend he's not even having a birthday at all.” Warren replied. “But I dunno. You're his boyfriend, you should know better than anyone.”

'Maybe I should ask Corey.' Josh thought to himself with a smirk. 'He seems to know everything else!'

“I guess I'll have to think about it.” Josh said, deciding it needed some deliberation. “Hey, the match is starting.” Josh was relieved to have a distraction allowing him to end the conversation.

*****

Nick sat on the bench psyching himself up. He was determined, resolved, confident that he knew what he was going to say. He had been here before, talking himself into admitting how he felt but somehow things never seemed to turn out the way he planned. As he saw Callum approaching, he suddenly felt his resolve weakening. The boy was just so sexy. His dark blonde hair was swept to one side, revealing his stunning green eyes. His smile was cute, impish and ever-so inviting. Nick was always intrigued by the boy's piercings too, one in his bottom lip, one in his right eyebrow and a couple in each ear, and they were just the ones above the neck! He was dressed in his usual baggy jeans and hoodie, concealing his sexy, slim body.

Nick couldn't help staring and smiling as he approached.

“Hey sexy!” Callum said happily, leaning in and kissing Nick.

He knew he shouldn't be kissing him, he knew he shouldn't be running his tongue over the metal ring in the boy's lip, he knew he shouldn't be reaching up and running his fingers through the silky-soft hair, but he did it all anyway and loved every moment. Then the kiss ended and he returned to feeling nauseous.

“Hi Cal.” Nick said nervously.

“I'm glad you called.” Callum said, sitting down next to Nick. “I woke up horny as fuck and a wank just ain't gonna cut it!”

Nick felt a shudder of excitement ripple through him, then inwardly cursed himself for the reaction. “Cal, that's not why I called.”

The boy looked round at him and frowned. “What's wrong?”

“I don't think I can see you any more.” Nick said, the words almost feeling like they were cutting their way out of him.

“What? Why not?” Callum demanded, rubbing a hand down Nick's back.

Nick stifled a whimper at the boy's touch. He wanted to give in to it, to lean into the boy's hand and then touch him back, but images of Warren pounded on his consciousness. “Because of Warren.”

“He said you're not allowed to see me?” Callum asked, still rubbing Nick's back, knowing how much it was tempting him.

“No, he doesn't even know about you.” Nick said flatly.

“What then? Your relationship's not open any more?” Callum continued to probe.

“No, it's not that either, it's just... I've been... I can't... Ugh!” Nick rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands as he grunted his frustration.

Callum shuffled closer, the side of his body pressing up against Nick's as he slid an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, you know you can tell me.”

Nick dropped his hands away and looked at Callum tearfully. “I think I'm in love with you!”

Callum stared back at him open-mouthed for a moment, then chuckled.

“Not... the reaction I was expecting.” Nick stammered.

“You think you love me? You wanna stop hooking up because you think you've fallen in love with me?” Callum asked with a grin. Nick nodded. “And because of that, you think that what we're doing counts as cheating on Warren?” Nick nodded again. “You're as stupid as you are sexy.” Callum smirked.

Nick looked almost annoyed as he was confused. “I'm sure you're right, but... why?”

“Because I am so totally, unbelievably and utterly NOT in love with you!” Callum said, grinning. “You're, like, one of my best friends and yeah, the sex is fucking awesome, but that's all this is to me and it's all it ever will be as long as you're with someone else. So this is never gonna be any more than just sex and friendship.... and more sex!”

“But...” Nick stuttered. “But if I have these feelings for someone other than Warren...”

“But do you actually have those feelings?” Callum said with a shrug. “We spend five days a week together, we tell each other everything and we have awesome sex. You're bound to feel stuff for me. That doesn't mean we're gonna run off together and live happily ever after, that's what you've got Warren for!”

Nick smiled at the thought of a 'happily ever after' with Warren and realised Callum was right. “So... I don't have to stop seeing you?”

“That's up to you. If you think you can keep doing it with me without fucking up things with Warren, then that's great. If you can't... I'm happy to just be friends. Believe me, you're a better friend than you are a fuck buddy!” Callum said with a teasing grin.

“Fuck you!” Nick said, pushing him away with a smirk.

“Any time you like.” Callum laughed back. “But seriously, you need to figure this out. Maybe a good first step would be letting Warren know that I actually exist!”

“Oh yeah.” Nick said flatly. “That's gonna be fun!”

“Maybe I could even meet him and see if he's as cute as you say.” Callum said happily. “Now, how about that fuck?” Callum leaned over and kissed Nick quickly on the lips, grinned and added, “Nick.... I DON'T love you!”

Nick chuckled back. “Fuck off!”

*****

The crowd cheered as another goal was scored. Warren missed it though as he was retrieving his phone from his pocket.

It was a message from Nick. [Hey, I'm over near the car park. Can you come over?]

[Sure, I'm on my way] he sent back. “I'll be right back.” he said before walking away, leaving Greg stood alone with Josh.

Josh looked round at the boy. He still felt a twinge of embarrassment every time he saw the boy. The first day they met, he had been repeatedly humiliated by Benny at the swimming pool, and although Greg had never mentioned it, Josh still felt reminded of it. As he looked at the boy now, though, he couldn't help noticing a strange sadness in his eyes.

“Hey, you okay?” Josh asked, nudging the boy's arm gently with his own.

Greg looked back at him, shaken from his own thoughts by the question. He smiled weakly and replied, “Yeah, I'm fine.”

Josh grinned knowingly. “I know that smile. That's an 'I've got a problem but I don't want to talk about it' smile, isn't it?”

“That obvious?” Greg asked, the smile dropping.

“Not really, that's just exactly what I do so I tend to recognise it pretty easily.” Josh explained.

Greg looked at him for a moment, tilted his head to one side and asked, “Hey, you okay?” he smirked as he parroted Josh's own words.

Josh stifled a laugh, forcing himself to match Greg's earlier expression. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

They both laughed at the exchange, both taking just a hint of comfort from knowing they weren't alone in their silent suffering.

“You ever wanna talk, I'm here.” Josh said, casually wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders.

Greg smiled again, but sincerely this time. “Likewise!”

Warren walked over towards the car park and saw Nick sitting on a concrete bollard. He hurried over to him, kissed him quickly on the cheek and hugged him.

“Hey, what's up?” Warren asked, wondering why Nick had needed him away from the others. Nick's expression had the boy worried.

“I just needed to tell you something.” Nick started.

“Are you... breaking up with me?” Warren asked fearfully, taking a step back.

“No!” Nick snapped quickly. “Definitely not that, although you might want to...”

Warren looked even more nervous after that. He stared nervously.

“Look Warren, there's a guy I go to college with. Callum, I've mentioned him before. Well a while ago we started hooking up.” Nick explained.

Warren grinned. “Awesome, is he hot?”

Nick chuckled. “You see, that reaction right there, that's why you're the coolest boyfriend ever!”

“True.” Warren said with a cheeky grin, but it faded quickly. “So what about him?”

“I thought... I was developing feelings for him, beyond just wanting to sleep with him.” Nick explained while Warren just stared blankly, giving nothing away. “It turns out I don't really feel that way, but for a while I thought I did.”

Warren just nodded. “Okay, so... why are you telling me then?”

“Because it was tearing me up thinking I might be doing something that would hurt you. I figured telling you was the right thing to do.” Nick said nervously.

Warren felt like Nick had just stabbed him through the heart unintentionally. Here was this cute, sexy, amazing guy who looked ready to fall to pieces because he just 'thought' he might have been cheating, while Warren had actually been unfaithful with Josh. 'Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him!' a voice repeated over and over in his head. He silenced the voice and reached out to his boyfriend, pulling him into a hug.

“Thanks for telling me.” Warren said, still suppressing his own desire to confess.

“You're not mad then?” Nick asked as he held the boy in his arms.

“Of course not.” Warren replied. 'But you will be!' he thought to himself.

“So... you're still gonna be friends with him?” Warren asked. Nick nodded. “And you're still gonna sleep with him?”

“I want to, but if you don't want me to I'll stop it right away. You're my top priority. Always have been, always will be!” Nick replied.

“I trust you.” Warren said, kissing Nick. “Although if this guy's so important to you, maybe I should actually meet him!”

Nick sniggered. “Cal suggested the same thing!”

Hand-in-hand they started heading back to Josh and Greg. “How's Greg?” Nick asked.

Warren shrugged and frowned, his mind still on Nick and Callum. “Not looking forward to going home.” he explained.

“I wish we could do more.” Nick said, his frown matching Warren's.

“He knows we're here for him. That's really all we can do for now.” Warren said back with a sigh. He looked up as he felt a spot of rain land on his face. “Good thing the match is almost over. Looks like it's going to chuck it down!”

*****

Later that night, Dale and Josh sat together on the sofa, watching TV as heavy rain pelted on the window. Dale felt Josh's head suddenly nudge against him and realised the man was starting to nod off. “Time for bed.” he said, nudging the sleepy man awake.

“Yeah.” Josh replied with a yawn.

Dale turned off the TV as they got up and headed down the hall to their bedroom. Josh flopped onto the bed without even bothering to undress.

“I think you might be right about James.” Dale suddenly said out of nowhere as he undressed.

Josh found himself somewhat more alert after hearing Dale's comment. “What d'you mean?” he asked, propping himself on one elbow and staring at his near-naked boyfriend.

“Last week, when you said you thought he liked you. I think he does.” Dale explained. His expression was one of amusement, rather than concern or anger.

“What? Why?” Josh demanded, sitting up on the bed.

“Well he didn't shut up about you all day. Although he thinks he annoyed you or something at the gym yesterday because of the way you acted.” Dale finished undressing and walked over to Josh. “If you want to end things with me and go out with him instead, at least grant me one last blow job!” He grabbed his cock and waved it at Josh, giggling.

“Fuck off. It's not funny.” Josh said, slapping the hardening penis.

“Ow!” Dale yelped, jumping away. “It's a little bit funny actually!”

Josh got up and started to undress as Dale got into bed. “Is this revenge for me making you do birthday stuff? It'd serve you right if I did dump you now!” he said, pouting. “Actually, speaking of birthday stuff...”

“We're not talking about it any more!” Dale said, pulling the covers over his head.

Josh threw the last of his clothing aside, then pulled the covers down to the bottom of the bed, revealing Dale laying there, arms crossed and looking annoyed. “Yes we are!” Josh said with a teasing grin. He knelt on the foot of the bed, then start crawling up towards Dale slowly, sliding his body over his lover's. “About the party on Friday night, Warren asked if it was going to be a... regular party, or maybe something... naughtier?”

Dale's breath quickened as Josh's body gradually came into more and more contact with his own. As he felt Josh's lips at his neck, he asked, “Naughtier?”

“Yeah, as Warren put it, the kind of party we used to have with Benny.” Josh explained, before continuing to nibble at Dale's neck and ear.

Dale's manhood had quickly stiffened in between their bodies, particularly as he felt Josh's pressing against his leg.

“I like naughty!” Dale mumbled happy, closing his eyes and reaching round to caress Josh's back. “Just... let's not go hardcore. I want a fun party, not a hardcore orgy!”

“Okay.” Josh said, pulling away and kneeling up. He reached over and grabbed some lube, quickly applying it to Dale's erection, making him moan at the cool, wet sensation. Josh positioned himself on top of it and let himself lower on to it, feeling Dale's hardness filling him.

Dale moaned happily, eyes still closed.

“So who shall we have at this... naughty party?” Josh raised himself a little, then lowered himself again as he said, “Nick?”

“Yes!” Dale said excitedly at both the name and Josh's motion.

Josh continued his slow rise and fall, saying a name with each downward movement. “Warren. Liam. James. Ryan. Sam.”

Dale's eyes opened at the last name, staring at Josh. “I... erm... you think that's a good idea?”

Josh grinned and continued riding up and down on Dale's solid tool. “Sure, just imagine him here with us... taking off his clothes... giving us that cheeky smile.... that sexy little body....”

Dale was confused, unable to tell whether his excitement was coming more from Josh's words or his actions. Either way, he felt his cock twitch and just called out, “Yes!” He moaned, getting closer to exploding. “Will Corey come?” he asked.

“If you suck him for long enough!” Josh joked at the unintended double meaning of Dale's question. It seemed that the thought of the boy was enough to finish Dale off as his cock erupted inside Josh.

Josh continued riding until Dale was spent, then pulled off and shuffled further up until his own erection touched on Dale's lips. The panting man poked out his tongue and licked the head, making Josh shudder with excitement.

Dale reached up and grabbed Josh, then threw him aside, rolling him onto his back. Josh grinned happily as Dale suddenly took charge. Now it was Josh's turn to have his neck nuzzled, Dale's stubble tickling his skin as the man licked and nibbled at the sensitive flesh. “You know...” he said between nibbles. “This party sounds like it's more for your enjoyment than mine!”

“Maybe.” Josh said happily as Dale's lips started working down his chest.

“That's what I thought.” Dale said before taking a nipple between his lips. Sucking it at first, he then bit it gently, just enough to send a twinge of pain through it.

Josh's grunt of exhilaration was music to his ears. He moved across and did the same to his other nipple. “So you want Sam here then?” Dale asked, nibbling once again.

“Ah.” Josh groaned happily at the shot of pleasure/pain. “Fuck yes, he's a little tease.”

Dale grinned at Josh's reaction, then slid further down to lick the straining shaft of his cock. Another moan of pleasure. Not saying another word, he took Josh's stiffness into his mouth. The teasing, the fucking and the conversation had obviously turned him on more than Dale realised as it only took a few sucks before the cock filled his mouth with Josh's jizz. He swallowed it happily, then released the softening penis and moved back up to kiss Josh on the lips, the taste of his cum passing back and forth between their lashing tongues.

“Fine.” Dale said, finally stopping to catch his breath. “I guess I'm having a party!”

*****

Nick groaned at the noise coming from beside him. It felt like he had barely slept, but his alarm was already going off. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his phone, but quickly realised it wasn't his alarm, his phone was ringing. Taking a moment to allow his eyes to focus, he looked at the display. Greg.

He answered and said a croaky. “Hello?” He looked round at the clock. It was almost 1 am.

“Nick.” Greg whimpered, but said nothing else, all Nick could hear was crying and what sounded like rain.

“Greg, are you okay? Where are you?” Nick asked, panicking.

“Outside.” Greg managed to say between sobs. Nick dashed to his window, pulled open the curtains and looked down. Greg was standing there, staring up at him, completely soaked by the heavy rain. He ran downstairs as quietly as he could and pulled open the front door and gestured for Greg to come in. The boy started limping towards him. As Nick looked down, he noticed he wasn't even wearing any shoes. As the boy got inside Nick closed the door and turned to face him.

“Greg, what happened?” Nick asked, staring at the soaked, sobbing boy. He reached out to push the wet hair from his forehead. “Oh God you're freezing.”

Greg just stood there, dripping and shivering silently. Nick picked the boy up. Whilst tall, he was extremely slim so Nick managed it without too much effort. Greg put his arms around Nick's neck as he carried him up the stairs and into his room. Nick put him down near the bed, then dashed out of the room, returning a few moments later with a couple of warm, soft towels.

“Get your clothes off before you freeze.” Nick said.

Greg attempted to comply, but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't even grip the bottom of his t-shirt. Nick saw him struggling and gently pushed the hands aside then took hold of the wet material and pulled it up. It clung the boy's body, making a squelching noise as he pulled it off of him. Next he reached down and undid Greg's jeans, then pulled them down. The boy lifted one foot to let Nick take them out from under him, but winced with pain as he put the foot back down to raise the other one.

Nick paused as he reached for the boy's soaked underwear, not wanting to embarrass him, but the boy just looked too cold and upset to even care. He pulled them down, then directed Greg to sit on the edge of the bed. He raised the boy's feet and pulled the underwear free, then slid off the sopping wet socks too, throwing them aside with the rest of the sodden clothing. He took one of the towels and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders, then started using the other one to dry the rest of his body.

Greg just watched Nick work, still shaking from the cold and crying quietly. Nick finished by rubbing the boy's hair as dry as he could before drying both rain and tears from his face. Greg was still freezing so the older teen pushed him back, lifting his legs to make him lay on the bed, then climbed over and pulled the boy close before throwing the duvet over both of them. The boy cuddled up to him as tightly as he could, the crying stopping but the shivering still going.

“Greg, what happened?” Nick whispered to him.

“Dad went out for the evening, but when he got home they just started arguing again. They just kept shouting and shouting and I had to get out, but Dad caught me trying to leave and he dragged me back upstairs and threw me into my room. He just stood there yelling at me and Mum started shouting at him to stop so he started yelling at her too.” As Greg described the scene, his grip on Nick grew tighter and tighter. “But then Mum started screaming at me too and... and I don't know what happened then, I was just on the floor and I was so scared I could barely even understand what they were saying. Eventually they stopped shouting at me and just started on each other again and went out into the hallway. I had to get out before they came back so I climbed out my window. I didn't even stop to put my shoes on. I jumped down but I hurt my foot when I landed and it was raining and... and I didn't know where to go and I thought of you and... and...”

He broke down into heavy sobs again. Nick lay there holding him, rubbing his hand up and down the boy's back, feeling the smooth skin slowly warming. By the time Greg had warmed up, he had stopped crying again and drifted off to sleep. Satisfied that the boy was okay, for now at least, Nick let himself fall asleep too.
Chapter 10

Nick woke almost hourly through the rest of the night. Every time, Greg was still in place, cuddled up to him and holding on tightly. When he woke again shortly before eight, he decided not to try and get back to sleep. Instead he just lay watching the boy sleeping in his arms. He looked so calm and peaceful, the polar opposite of the way he had appeared last night, wet, shivering and scared.

Every time he thought about what had happened he felt a knot in his stomach. Thinking about how scared Greg must have been to jump out of a window, just to get away. Or about how the boy would have had to limp his way there in the rain, cold and alone. As he lay there running through it all in his mind, his sadness slowly festered into anger.

He slipped out of bed, leaving the boy laying there asleep. He quickly dressed then put some shorts and a t-shirt at the end of the bed as he remembered Greg was currently naked. He grabbed the wet clothes from the floor and sneaked out of his room silently. He walked across the hallway and opened the door to Corey's room.

“Hey Corey, wake up.” he said quietly as he approached his sleeping brother.

Corey opened his eyes, saw it was Nick and closed them again. “Fuck off, it's too early!”

“Corey, it's important.” Nick said, his tone stern enough to make Corey open his eyes and sit up.

“What's wrong? Is it Josh?” he asked nervously.

Nick explained what had happened with Greg, everything from Tuesday night with Warren up until his arrival last night. “I need to go and do something. I was hoping that you might be able to keep him company if he wakes up. I don't want him to be alone.”

“Sure, no problem.” Corey said with a nod.

“I left some clothes for him on the bed, but I'm gonna put this stuff in the dryer in case he wonders where it is.” Nick explained.

As Nick left Corey's room, the boy followed him. As Nick headed downstairs, Corey crept into Nick's room and sat down beside the bed.

“Morning.” George said, looking at his son in surprise. Seeing him this early on a Sunday was strange enough, but what he was carrying seemed even stranger. “You're doing laundry?” He chuckled to himself, but stopped when he saw Nick's expression. “What's up?”

Nick walked over to the dryer and put Greg's clothes in, then turned back to his Dad and asked, “Can I borrow the car?”

“What's going on?” George asked, clearly concerned.

Nick recounted the tale again, feeling himself getting more and more angry each time he told it. When he was done explaining, his Dad picked up the car keys from the kitchen worktop and handed them over. “You sure you should be doing this? Will you be okay on your own?” he asked, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder.

“No, I'll be okay, thanks. I need to do this.” Nick said back with a weak smile. He left the house, got in the car and started driving. He kept glancing at the path, imagining Greg's terrifying walk just a few hours earlier. It only took a couple of minutes to reach his destination and he soon found himself standing on the doorstep, pressing the doorbell.

A minute later, nobody had answered so he rang again. He heard shouts from inside, then a thoroughly bedraggled looking woman pulled it open, her hair askew, eyes heavy and dark, smelling quite strongly of alcohol. “What?” she grunted as she saw Nick.

“Mrs West? I'm a friend of Greg's.” Nick said, his anger fading a little under the weight of his nervousness.

“Ugh, whatever, he's in his room.” She said, turning away and gesturing towards the stairs.

“No he's not.” Nick snapped back. Realising that the woman hadn't even noticed her son was gone renewed the fire of his fury. “He's at my house. He has been since one o'clock this morning!”

“Then whadda you want?” she asked gruffly, not even bothering to look round.

“I want to talk to you, and your husband!” Nick said, following her gingerly.

She huffed again. “Fine. VICTOR!” she yelled at the top of her voice.

“WHAT?” a man's voice shouted back from upstairs.

“GET DOWN HERE NOW YOU LAZY CUNT!” she screamed.

Nick was taken aback. He knew how Greg had described the situation, but witnessing it first hand was something else entirely. He had at least expected they would put on a show of decency in the presence of a stranger. Maybe they were. Maybe this was them behaving?

A man came stomping down the stairs, Mr West, looking just as worn out as his wife. “What the fuck did you just call me...” he started, probably intending to end his question with a string of expletives until he saw Nick. “Who are you?”

“My name's Nick, Mr West. I'm a friend of Greg's.” Nick introduced himself, being much more polite than he felt.

“Says he wants to 'talk' to us.” Mrs West said with a smirk, adding air quotes.

She walked into the lounge, followed by Nick, with Mr West shortly behind him. Just inside the door was a small pile of shattered glass. Mrs West kicked it aside with her slippered foot and flopped down into an armchair. Mr West sat in a second armchair, then gestured towards the sofa for Nick to sit.

“He says Greg isn't in his room, he says he's at his house!” Mrs West said dismissively.

“What the fuck's he doing there?” Mr West snapped. “I told him he wasn't allowed to go out.”

Nick felt his fists clenching. The way Greg had told it, the man had done more than just 'tell' him. “He turned up at my house at one am, soaked, freezing cold and completely distraught.” Nick said, barely holding his temper in check. “He left here because he was so afraid of you two that he didn't think he was safe.” He expected some kind of big reaction, maybe some kind of remorse, but got nothing.

“The little pussy can't even handle a bit of shouting.” Mr West sniggered.

“Don't you know what you're doing to him?” Nick snapped.

“What we do in our own house is our own fucking business.” Mr West snarled back. “It's got fuck all to do with you, so keep your fucking nose out of where it doesn't belong!” He stood up, staring angrily down at Nick.

Nick remained seated, glaring back, occasionally glancing round at Mrs West, who had remained silent so far. “With all due respect, Mr West, what happens between you and your wife is none of my business, but when your behaviour starts to affect my friend, your son, the boy you're supposed to protect, that's when it becomes my. Fucking. Business!” Nick stood, staring down the furious-looking man.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? What are doing here?” Mr West demanded, moving round slightly, looking more and more like he was ready to fight.

“I'm here because I thought you might actually give a crap about your son, that if you knew how much you were scaring him you might actually start acting like parents instead of squabbling little fucking children!” Nick shouted at the man.

That was enough to trigger him. He lunged forward. “I'll fucking kill you!” he yelled furiously.

Fortunately, Mrs West was quicker than she appeared, jumping in the stop her husband from actually grabbing Nick. The boy just stared in shock at the man's furious threats, then turned and ran out of the house. Just as he got to the car, he saw Mrs West running after him. “Wait, please. Is he okay?”

Nick shook his head. “No, he's not! And as long as he's afraid of walking into his own home, he never will be!”

“He's... afraid of me?” she stammered, finally starting to show at least a modicum of concern for her child.

“Yeah, he is, and I think he's right to be!” Nick said flatly, then got in the car and drove home.

As soon as he walked in the door, his Dad dashed out into the hallway. All it took was one look from him and Nick burst into tears. His Dad pulled him into a hug. “He can't go back there.” Nick said through his tears. “I'm never letting him go near those people again!”

*****

“HOLY FUCK!” Liam yelled out excitedly as he shot his second load as Ryan continued pounding against him from behind. Much like his first explosion, the second had been caused entirely by Ryan's vigorous fucking, his cock remaining untouched.

A guttural grunt from Ryan signalled he was done too and pulled out, flopping to Liam's side. Without Ryan holding him up by the hips, Liam collapsed onto the bed too, exhausted and still convulsing. “Oh my God.” Liam panted turning his head to look sideways at his best friend. “Seriously... fuck!”

“Get over it.” Ryan said dismissively, staring up at the ceiling.

Liam shuddered and convulsed as the last ripples of pleasure shot through him. He was drenched with sweat, his heart pounding, struggling to catch his breath. “It's a good thing... we don't do that... more often.” he panted. Ryan looked round at him questioningly. “A week of that and I doubt I'd ever be able to walk again.”

“Fuck off.” Ryan said, punching Liam's arm before returning his gaze to the ceiling, a hand absent-mindedly sliding up and down his naked body, following the bumps and lines of his muscles.

“Not that I'm complaining, but is there any reason for the sudden visit?” Liam asked, remembering how Ryan had just turned up at his door an hour before and ripped his clothes off.

“Bad date, total cock tease, just needed some release.” Ryan said with a shrug.

“Remind me to hook you up with more cock teases!” Liam chuckled, finally catching his breath. He attempted to turn over but his limbs still felt weak so he remained in place.

Ryan said nothing but punched Liam again. A couple of minutes later, Liam's attempt to turn over was successful, flopping over onto his back, his arm and leg pressing against Ryan's. The bigger man edged away slightly.

“Hey, when we do it, do you ever want to... kiss?” Liam asked cautiously.

“Kiss you? No fucking way. Never have, never will. There's a reason we do it doggy style, I don't even like to look at you!” Ryan said back sharply.

Liam scoffed. “Well thanks, that's always nice to hear.” Liam said with a disheartened sigh.

“Don't be a girl. You know what I mean.” Ryan said back just as curtly. “It's just sex. I need to cum, you like getting fucked, we both get what we want. Anyway, why? Does Liam want a kiss?” he teased.

“God no.” Liam said back honestly. “It's just... I was doing it with Josh the other day and he wanted to kiss. He doesn't usually. Just made me think. That's all.”

“Yeah, well he's gay, isn't he!” Ryan said, sitting and reaching for his clothes.

“He's bi.” Liam replied defensively.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “He's got a boyfriend. He's gay! That's why he likes all that kissing crap. He actually likes guys, he doesn't just fuck them.”

Liam sat up and watched Ryan starting to dress. “So that's the difference between gay and straight? Kissing?” he asked incredulously.

“Fuck, I don't know. I just came round for a fuck, not to debate the nature of human sexuality.” Ryan huffed as he pulled his shirt back on.

“Miserable git.” Liam muttered, flopping back down on the bed. He reached out and grabbed his phone and after looking at it, sat back up and said, “Hey, looks like Dale's having a birthday party Friday night.”

“Cool.” Ryan said as he pulled on his jeans.

“Oh, you... might not want to come though.” Liam said as he read the rest of the message.

“What? Why not?” Ryan asked, shooting Liam a puzzled look.

Liam smiled and took a deep breath, wondering how best to explain it. “Well... I think most of the entertainment for the night is going to be... pretty gay!”

“Ugh.” Ryan huffed, turning away. “I need more straight friends.”

*****

Greg woke with a start, looking round nervously as he took a few moments to remember where he was. Realising he was alone in bed, he called out, “Nick?”

“He's not here.” Corey replied from the desk chair across the room.

“Corey?” Greg mumbled wearily.

“Hey dude.” he replied with a kind smile.

Greg threw back the covers to get out of bed, but remembered he was naked. Blushing, he pulled them back over and glanced at Corey. The boy pointed to the end of the bed. “Nick left you some stuff to wear there.” As Greg pulled the shorts on under the covers, Corey went on. “He put your stuff in the dryer before he went out.”

Pulling the t-shirt on over his head, Greg paused for a moment, breathing in as the fabric passed over his face. It smelled like Nick. He wondered when he had actually noticed what Nick smelled like, but didn't linger on the thought, instead letting the scent send a ripple of comfort through him. As his head popped through the neck hole, he looked to Corey again and asked, “Where's he gone?”

Corey shrugged. “No idea. Just said he had to do something.” Seeing how sad the older boy looked, Corey got up from his seat and walked across the room, taking a seat on the side of the bed. “How you doing?”

“What did Nick tell you?” Greg asked, wondering how much he might have to explain.

“Pretty much everything. Sounds pretty rough.” Corey said sympathetically.

Greg just nodded, swinging his legs round off the bed to sit alongside Corey.

“It'll be okay, ya know.” Corey said reassuringly. “Nick'll make sure of that.”

Greg nodded again. “Yeah, he's pretty cool.”

“Yeah, I suppose he is.” Corey said, thinking about his brother. “Obviously not as cool as me, but he's not bad.”

“Obviously!” Greg agreed with a chuckle. It felt weird to laugh when he was feeling so low, but the boy just managed to bring it out of him. He looked round at the Corey and said, “You're all pretty cool actually. You, Nick and Josh. You're all lucky, having two great brothers.”

Now it was Corey's turn to chuckle. “Believe me, it's not all good. When we were younger, we hated each other. They were totally annoying. I s'pose I was too.”

“I'd rather be annoyed than lonely.” Greg said, looking down at the ground. Corey's laughing immediately stopped. “Sorry. I don't mean to be such a downer.” Greg added.

“It's okay. I know how to cheer you up. Have a brother. Go on, pick one. Who d'you want, Nick or Josh? No charge! Just take 'em.” Corey joked with a cheeky grin.

Greg looked round at him smiling. “Actually, I think I'll have you. I always wanted a little brother.”

Corey jumped off the bed and stood up. “Little? I'm taller than you!”

Greg jumped up to compare, being careful to avoid putting too much weight on his injured foot. It was close, but the younger boy was clearly taller. Greg pouted and said, “Fine, but you're a year younger than me!”

“Ten months!” Corey said back defensively.

“Geez, do you always have to be right? Can I change my mind? I'll take Nick!” Greg said, faking annoyance.

“Sorry, too late big bro. I'm all yours now!” Corey teased. He grabbed Greg and pulled him onto the bed, the two boys wrestling for a few minutes.

“I said keep him company, not keep him restrained!” Nick called out, seeing Corey gripping onto Greg. The two boys stopped and looked over to see him standing in the doorway.

Corey released his grip, allowing the boy to climb off the bed and stand up. He tried to walk over to Nick, but yelled with pain when he put any weight on his left foot. Nick dashed over to him instead, pulled the boy into a hug and asked, “You okay?”

“I am now.” Greg whispered back. “Where did you go?”

Nick looked at him guiltily. “I went to see your parents.”

“What?!” Greg replied, looking terrified. “Why? Why would you do that?”

“I should go...” Corey said nervously, getting off the bed and dashing out of the room.

“Why? Why do you think? You jumped out of a first floor window in the middle of the night, that's why!” Nick snapped back, sounding harsher than he had intended. He took a breath and added, “Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just... if you had seen the state you were in last night... I was so angry I had to... I had to do something, anything!”

Greg raised his hands to cover his face, his breathing coming out as heavy hisses between his fingers. Dropping them again, he glared at Nick. “All you've done is make it worse. Now they'll have something else to be pissed at me about!”

“What? No.” Nick insisted. He reached up and took hold of the boy's shoulders, amazed that the boy was even thinking about it. “You're not going back there.”

“Of course I am. It's my home.” Greg replied dejectedly.

Nick shook his head. “Greg... you can't.”

“I have to. It's home. It's... they're... they're all I've got.” Greg stammered, eyes filling with tears.

“No they're not.” Nick insisted. “You've got me, you've got Warren and Sam, there's Corey and my parents...”

“You told your parents?” Greg demanded, eyes wide with fear, stepping back and wincing with pain.

Nick nodded. “I had to, Greg.”

“No, I came to you because I thought I could trust you and that you could keep a secret.” Greg snapped angrily.

Nick reached out and attempted to stroke the boy's arm, but he pulled away. “ This isn't something that should even BE a secret. I know it can't be nice having other people know, but you've got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“It's not that.” Greg said frustratedly. He turned from Nick, rubbed his hands through his hair and turned back. “They'll just tell the police or social services that I'm in danger and I know what happens then. I get taken away somewhere and put in some temporary home with strangers who'll just treat me even worse. That's what they do to kids who snitch!”

“Wait, Greg, who told you that?” Nick asked, walking over to the boy looking him in the eye.

“My Dad.” Greg answered, breathing heavily and looking back at Nick. “They're gonna take me away. I'm gonna be all on my own again.”

Nick raised a hand and placed it on the boy's cheek, allowing his thumb to gently stroke his cheek. “Greg, listen to me, your Dad... I think he was just trying to scare you into keeping quiet because that's not how it works at all. Look, when I was younger, my parents used to foster kids who had to be taken out of bad situations. Most of them were never with us for more than a few weeks, but when they were here, they were part of our family. That's what it's like. They don't do it to punish you for telling, they do it to protect you.”

As Nick spoke, Greg closed his eyes, pressing his cheek against the older boy's hand.

“Greg, I can't guarantee you exactly what's going to happen.” Nick continued. “But I can make you a promise you that whatever happens, wherever you go, I will always, always be here for you.”

Greg opened his eyes, smiled through the tears and let Nick pull him into a hug.

*****

“Hey, looks like Liam's on for Friday night.” Josh called out from the lounge, reading a text message from his friend. “And Ryan's definitely not!” Josh laughed as he imagined Ryan's reaction to the invitation.

“Cool, well that currently makes it a threesome. We could call it quits at that and just enjoy Liam for the night.” Dale said, walking in from the kitchen.

“Give it up, you already agreed to the party. It's happening!” Josh said, frustrated at the repeated attempts to get out of it.

“Fine.” Dale said miserably, taking a seat beside Josh who continued looking at his phone. As Josh read a different message, his smile dropped away. “What's up?” Dale asked.

“Corey's on his way over. D'you mind if he spends the day here?” Josh requested.

Dale shrugged. “Yeah, no problem. What's going on?”

“I'm not really sure. Something seems to have happened with Warren's friend, Greg. For some reason, he's at my parents' house. Corey said he'll explain when he gets here.” Josh explained, as confused as he was worried. “Ya know, he wasn't himself yesterday at the match. I wonder if I could have done more.”

Dale reached out and rubbed his boyfriend's leg gently. “Don't start thinking like that, you'll only make yourself feel worse. Besides, you've had plenty of your own problems to think about.”

“Yeah, I s'pose.” Josh nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling he should have been more attentive with the boy the previous day.

“Actually, I was thinking about your... issues this morning and I may have an idea.” Dale said, happy to have something to distract Josh. “I know a big part of what's up is the sex side of it, the whole subbing thing, so.... why don't we find you a new master!”

Josh's mind was blown. He had always loved Dale for his willingness to embrace an open relationship, but this was a whole new level. Was he actually going to help find another guy for Josh to have sex with? To be subservient to? Once again Dale was sitting there proving how wonderful he was. Best boyfriend ever? Josh figured it was a distinct possibility.

After the initial burst of affection from Dale came a whole host of other feelings. Fear of the unknown, anticipation of what a new master might bring, excitement at the thought of getting orders again, nervousness at what new humiliations might await him.

“That... could be awesome!” Josh said, shuddering slightly from the thought of it.

Before they had time to start making any plans, Corey arrived. Once he was settled in, he filled them in on all the details about what had happened.

“Fuck. Poor kid.” Dale said, shaking his head.

“Yeah.” Corey said sadly followed by a heavy sigh.

“So what are they doing now?” Josh asked. Dale could see Josh still felt a little guilty about not probing further into Greg's problems the day before, so he sidled closer and put an arm around him.

“Mum's worried he may have broken a bone or something in his foot, you know what she's like! So they're taking him to the hospital to get him checked out. Dad and Nick are going with them, but Dad says he's gonna contact social services while they're there. They figured there'd be a lot of stuff going on and that maybe it'd be best if I wasn't around.” Corey explained. “So you get the pleasure of my company for the day.” he added, putting on a clearly forced smile.

“You know we're always happy to have you.” Dale said back, squeezing Josh gently.

“Actually it's a good thing you're here. I wanted to talk to you about this guy's birthday party.” Josh said, gesturing at Dale. “We'd like you to come, but I'm not sure you'll want to.”

“Why not?” Corey asked frowning and looking back and forth between the two men.

“Well we were thinking that some of it may get a little bit...” Josh started, then struggled to think how best to describe it.

“Gay?” Dale suggested.

Josh shrugged and nodded. “Not exactly how I'd have put it, but yeah. Lots of that sort of stuff. I know you've done things like that before, but I know it's not really your thing any more. I thought I'd mention it anyway so you can decide for yourself. I didn't want to not invite you and have you feel left out, but at the same time I didn't want you to turn up and feel obliged to do stuff you're not comfortable with.”

Corey nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment, appreciating his big brother's obvious concern for him. “Okay, I'll think about it.” he said with a now-genuine smile.

*****

“I really don't think this is necessary.” Greg insisted as he sat in the waiting room alongside Nick's Mum.

“Don't be silly, you can barely walk.” she insisted, looking round at the boy disapprovingly.

“Fine.” Greg said, pouting a little. He stared at the ground for a moment, then looked round at the woman beside him. “Thanks, by the way, Mrs McKenzie, for all of this.”

She smiled warmly and said, “Call me Pippa. And you're more than welcome.” She reached round and put an arm around the boy's shoulders, then looked across the waiting area to where George and Nick were talking to a couple of members of staff.

“What's going to happen with my parents?” Greg asked quietly.

“It's been a while since we were involved in this sort of thing and I know things have changed, so I can't say for sure. I expect a social worker will have to go and see them, look into what's been happening and determine if it's safe for you to go back there.” Pippa answered honestly.

“So I might be able to go back?” the boy asked, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Do you... want to go back?” Pippa asked.

“Yes... No... I don't know.” Greg mumbled. “It's home. It sucks but it's home. If I don't, what'll happen to me?”

Pippa shook her head. “I'm not completely sure. They'll have to find somewhere else for you to go, but don't worry, they'll make sure it's somewhere you'll be welcome and safe. I know this is all scary, but I promise everything they do is to look after you.”

Greg looked round at her and smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

A few moments later, Nick and his Dad walked over, sitting opposite them. “Everything okay?” Pippa asked, raising her eyebrows at her husband as she spoke.

He nodded back to her knowingly. “Yeah, all sorted.”

It was clear they just didn't want to say too much in front of Greg, they could both see he was barely holding on. Nick was just about to get up and move next to Greg when a man walked over.

“Greg, I'm Simon. Are you okay to come in so I can take a look at your foot?” the man said, smiling warmly. When the boy looked up at him, he added, “Would you like someone to come in with you?”

Nervously Greg looked up at Nick who smiled back and stood up. “Come on bud, let's get you in.” He helped Greg stand.

“Didn't they offer you a wheelchair?” Simon asked, frowning and looking over at the reception.

“They did.” Nick said quickly. “But tough guy here said he could manage!” He gave Greg's arm a gentle nudge

“Sod off.” Greg said, blushing and glaring at Nick.

Simon just smiled at the exchange then started leading the two boys towards the long rows of curtained cubicles. Most of the cubicles were occupied, some with curtains closed and others open with people laying on the beds. Pippa and George followed, but stayed outside the cubicle as the other three went inside and pulled the curtain closed.

“Okay, if you could just slip your shoes and socks off please Greg.” Simon requested as he took a seat on the bed.

Greg kept looking nervously at Nick. The older boy couldn't help smirking at Greg's reaction. It was getting more and more obvious that his nerves were down to his medical fantasy he had confessed a couple of days before. It helped that Simon was quite an attractive young man. He was in his mid-to-late twenties with short blonde hair parted to one side and powder blue eyes behind black-framed glasses. The glasses and general appearance, coupled with the hospital uniform and stethoscope around his neck virtually made him the walking embodiment of the term 'sexy geek'. Nick was actually a little jealous that Greg was the one being examined.

Greg looked distinctly less happy about it as he pulled off his footwear, wincing slightly as he pulled the shoe off of his injured, swollen foot. As Greg dropped his shoes and socks to the floor, Simon pulled on a pair of latex gloves and began examining the boy's foot. He tried to slide the leg of his jeans up a little, but couldn't get them far.

“I'm going to need you to take the jeans off too so I can get a better look at your leg.” Simon said softly. He looked at Greg, then at Nick.

“It's okay, he can stay.” Greg said, understanding the gesture.

Nick was barely containing his smirks as he watched Greg undo his jeans and pull them down. He was surprised to see the boy wasn't hard yet. He had expected a raging boner. Greg dropped the jeans to the floor too and stared up at the ceiling, desperately trying not to look at Simon as the examination resumed.

The young Doctor started moving the foot around while holding onto various parts of Greg's ankle and lower leg. Nick stared in delight as the bulge in Greg's boxers started to swell. He could see Greg's cheeks turning brighter and brighter red as he got more and more aroused.

The younger boy made the mistake of looking down at it. At the exact same moment, Simon looked up, noticed the bulge then made eye contact with Greg. He looked a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. “I... I...”

“He's got a total doctor fetish!” Nick said, laughing.

“Nick!” Greg called out in horror as Simon did his best to hold back his own laughter.

“Relax. It happens way more often than you'd expect. It's nothing to be embarrassed about!” Simon reassured the boy. “Besides, you're not alone!” He gestured over to Nick who was showing significant growth of his own.

Greg looked over as Nick attempted to rearrange himself to hide it and started laughing too, delighted at how easily the man had turned the situation round on Nick.

“Now, can we get on with the exam?” Simon asked, looking round at Nick, who just blushed, then back at Greg and added, “And don't worry, I don't need to examine that far up!”

“Shame!” Greg muttered without thinking, then blushed again as Nick and Simon both laughed. “I'm just gonna lay here and die. Carry on!” Greg insisted, dropping his head back down and closing his eyes.

Simon fought a chuckle thencontinued the exam, feeling various parts, asking where it hurt and how much. By the time he was done, the bulge in Greg's underwear was highlighted by a large wet patch of precum.

“Feel free to lend him a hand!” Nick said, winking at Simon.

The young man blushed, looked round at the boy's bulge then back at Nick. “Tempting, but I don't fancy losing my job!” Nick looked almost as disappointed as Greg. “Why don't we go and wait outside and give Greg a minute to... compose himself?”

“Okay.” Nick said, smirking at the boy who looked ready to die from embarrassment.

They parted the curtain slightly then stepped out, letting it swing closed behind them.

Nick's parents had wandered slightly as they waited, but rushed back over as they saw Nick and Simon emerge. “Well I don't think anything's broken, it's most likely just a very bad sprain, but I'm gonna get it x-rayed just to be sure.”

“That's a relief. What can we do?” Pippa asked, clearly relieved.

Simon stepped away for a moment and grabbed a leaflet out of a holder on the wall. “If it does turn out to be a sprain, we recommend what we call PRICE. It stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. There's some info in the leaflet and lots more on the NHS website.”

George took the leaflet and started looking through it.

“I'll go and arrange someone to take him up to x-ray.” Simon said. Pippa immediately moved towards the curtain, intending to check on Greg. Simon saw her move and tried to intercept, but it was too late.

“Greg...” she started as she pulled back the curtain, then froze.

“Aah.” Greg moaned quietly, as he started to ejaculate over himself. His t-shirt was pulled up round his neck, boxers round his knees, erection in hand. “Fuck!” he called out, seeing Nick, George, Pippa, Simon and the woman in the cubicle opposite all staring at him. He wanted to reach down and cover up, but he was mid-orgasm and the intensity of it had virtually made him lose control of his limbs.

Pippa just pulled the curtain closed.

*****

“Hey guys, it's just me!” Warren called out as he let himself into Josh and Dale's apartment. He wandered into the lounge, pulling off his coat and smiled as he saw Corey sat on the sofa with Dale. He gave them both quick hugs then sat down between them. “Geez, who died?” he asked, seeing their glum expressions.

Corey quickly explained what had happened with Greg and soon Warren's expression matched their own. “I fucking hate his parents!” the boy snapped angrily, face screwed up with rage.

“Hey, calm down.” Dale said, rubbing a hand up and down the boy's back. “It's all gonna get sorted now. No need to get so angry.”

“Sorry.” Warren said, calming down, breathing heavily. “I just... after hearing the way his Dad yelled at him... But yeah, it's gonna be okay now. Anyway, where's Josh?”

“In the kitchen, sorting dinner. I think all this stuff is bothering him. He only cooks when he's upset!” Dale replied.

Warren jumped up off the sofa. “It's okay, I'll go cheer him up.” he said with a grin. Dale and Corey laughed as he dashed out of the room and headed into the kitchen. “Hey sexy.” he said, making Josh jump.

The man turned to look at Warren standing in the doorway. “Hey you.” he said happily. He held his arms out and the boy rushed into them, holding onto him tightly. They pulled apart slightly, still holding on, staring into each other's eyes. They moved together again, this time pressing their lips together, kissing softly at first, gradually getting more and more passionate, tongues sliding together, hands running through each other's hair.

“Hey Josh....” Corey started, walking into the kitchen. He froze as he saw the two of them quickly parting. He glared angrily at them both. “For fuck's sake, what if I'd been Dale?”

“What, we were just saying hello!” Warren said innocently.

Corey shook his head disapprovingly. “I know a hello kiss when I see one and that most definitely wasn't it! If you're gonna keep doing this, at least be a bit more subtle!” he snapped. He walked over to the kettle, filled it up and turned it on. “I only came to ask you put the kettle on, Dale wanted a coffee. You remember him right... your boyfriend, your brother!” Corey glared from one of them to the other as he mentioned their relationship to the man. He gave them a final look of annoyance before heading back out of the kitchen.

The two of them just looked at each other, awkwardly silent.

*****

Greg sat in a wheelchair (at Simon's insistence) alongside Pippa, George and Nick, all four of them silent. Since they arrived in the waiting room for the x-ray department, none of them had said a word while Greg's face remained constantly bright red.

It was Pippa who finally broke the silence. “It could have been worse!” she said casually.

Greg, Nick and George all looked round at her slowly. She just sat there.

“...... How?” Greg asked, starting to look more annoyed than embarrassed.

“Well, three years ago...” she started.

Nick's eyes widened as he realised where she was going. “Mum...” he interrupted, cautiously.

Pippa smirked for a moment at Nick's reaction, then looked back at Greg. “Three years ago, I was doing the laundry. I went up to Nick's room to put his clothes away...”

“Mum, don't!” Nick virtually begged.

“And as I walked into his room,” she continued, ignoring his pleas. “There he was, naked as the day he was born, upside down against the wall, cumming in his own face!”

Nick just stared open-mouthed and red-faced as Greg and George both broke into raucous laughter. The embarrassed boy buried his face into his hands.

When he finally stopped laughing, Greg felt himself starting to blush again, but said, “Yeah, I suppose that is kind of worse!”

“Kind of?” Nick snapped, then buried his face back in his hands.

That got more laughter from Nick's parents and Greg.

“Look, this stuff happens. You boys do that, sometimes you're gonna get spotted. It's happened to Josh and Corey too. I guess this just makes you part of the family!” Pippa said kindly, reaching out and placing her hand on Greg's.

Greg sighed. He still felt like he wanted a hole to open up beneath him and swallow him up, but at least he felt a little better. “Thanks Pippa.” he said with a smile.

*****

Warren and Josh had intentionally sat as far apart as they could when they rejoined Dale and Corey in the lounge. Fortunately Corey seemed to have gotten over his annoyance pretty quickly and the four of them did their best to talk about more cheerful things than Greg's situation.

Eventually the conversation had come back round onto Dale's birthday.

“Any idea what you'd like?” Corey asked, knowing he was unlikely to get any gift ideas directly from the disgruntled man.

Dale just shrugged. “Nothing. You know I'm not bothered about it.”

“Ugh, you're impossible.” Corey said in frustration. “Hey, maybe I'll just get you a gallon of lube. Sounds like you're gonna need it for Friday anyway!”

Warren's face lit up and he looked back and forth between Josh and Dale excitedly. “So he decided to go for it?” he asked excitedly. Josh nodded with a grin.

“Yeah, he mentioned it was YOUR idea!” Dale said, eyes narrowing as he glared at his little brother.

“You're welcome!” Warren laughed back.

“But nothing too extreme. I want an evening of fun, not some hardcore orgy, okay?” Dale insisted.

“Okay.” Warren nodded, still seeming happy with the idea. “So who's coming?”

“So far it's me, you, Dale and Liam.” Josh replied. “Nick's gonna be a yes. Ryan's a definite no. Corey's currently a maybe...”

Corey shot Josh an annoyed look, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

“Maybe?” Warren asked, looking round at the younger boy. “Maybe? Seriously, Cor? Come on, say yes, you gotta say yes, you know you want to, it'll be like the good old days. Go on, go on , go on.”

“Thanks for that!” Corey said with a frustrated sigh as Josh and Dale laughed at the younger boy's sudden burst of excitement.

Warren jumped out of his seat and jumped into Corey's lap. Despite being more than a year older, he was significantly smaller than Corey. As he sat on the younger boy's lap, he leaned back against him, tilted his head back and whispered, “Go ooooon.... you know you want to.”

Corey couldn't help smiling at Warren's insistence. At the same time, he couldn't help a very different physical reaction. Hoping Warren hadn't noticed, he pushed him off of his lap and said, “I already said I'll think about it. So... maybe!”

Warren fell to the floor with a thud. He looked up at Corey, then back over to their older brothers. “His mouth says maybe, but his cock says yes!”

The two men burst into laughter as Corey blushed. It was a rare sight, the boy often seemed impossible to embarrass, but Warren had managed it.

“Hey Warren, do you think Sam might come?” Dale asked. Sneaking a glance at Josh, he saw his boyfriend squirming a little at the mention of the boy's name.

“I dunno. He likes messing around, but it may be a bit more than he's interested in. I mean, he's kinda straight.” Warren said with a shrug.

“Yeah, so's Corey, but... ya know!” Dale said, winking at the embarrassed boy and getting a middle finger in return.

Warren climbed up off the floor and jumped into the empty armchair. “Fair enough. I can ask him, see what he thinks.”

Dale fixed his gaze on Josh. “Good, I know it'd mean a lot to Josh if he could be here!” He watched with delight as Josh looked mortified.

Warren grinned and stared wide-eyed at Josh. “Does Josh like Sam? That's awesome! I gotta tell him!”

“Warren, don't...” Josh pleaded.

“If I tell him... he might come on Friday!” Warren said, smirking.

“I hate you all.” Josh said, sliding down in the seat and covering his face with a cushion.

*****

Pippa was clearly enjoying making a fuss of Greg. With Josh moved out and her other two sons so rarely at home, her maternal side sometimes got a bit neglected. Having someone she could run round after took her back to the old days when the boys required all of her attention. As relieved as she was to be free of that sometimes, it still felt nice to have this brief reminder of it.

She had Greg set up in the lounge with his foot raised up on a footstool with an ice pack on it. Nick had stayed by his side, keeping him company and doing his best to shield the boy from being completely smothered by the woman.

It was late afternoon when there was a knock at the door and the man from social services came in to see them. He talked to all of them about what had happened, spoke to Greg alone for a while, spoke to Pippa and George separately and then brought them all back in together. He said that things were difficult because it was the weekend, but they had contacted the Courts to obtain what he called an 'Emergency Protection Order' which is what would allow them to keep Greg away from his parents legally.

He advised that it would take a couple of days to do all of their safeguarding checks with Greg's parents and that in the meantime he would have to be homed somewhere else. Greg had remained quiet up until then, but made his unhappiness known at the thought of being taken away. That was when he got the good news.

“Actually, we had a chat about that.” Pippa had interrupted. “We used to do some foster caring so our details are still on their record. We'd have some paperwork to complete and they'd need to update some of their checks, but they'd be happy for you to stay here for a few days... if that's what you want?”

“Yes!” he called out excitedly, almost laughing, then calmed himself and said politely. “I mean... yes, I'd like that.”

“I thought you'd say that.” The social worker said with a smile. “I'll get things moving on our end then. Let's go and sort out the paperwork.”

The adults left the room and moved to the dining room where they could take care of business, leaving Nick and Greg alone.

“See, told you it'd all work out. You're gonna fine.” Nick said, putting an arm around the boy.

Greg just stared into his eyes. In that moment, he found himself overcome by an unexpected urge. He moved closer to the older boy and kissed him. Nick's whole body tensed up from the shock of it, but he soon found himself relaxing into it, enjoying the feeling of the boy's lips on his own.
Chapter 11

Greg stared up the the ceiling, wondering why it felt so unsettling. He quickly realised what it was. The ceiling in his bedroom at home had a crack that ran right above his bed. Sometimes he had lay in bed wishing that the crack would expand, the entire ceiling giving way and bringing the whole house down. He didn't want to die, he just wanted anything to happen that would stop the bickering between his parents.

Now though as he lay in his new room, the one that had belonged to Josh before he moved out, there was just smooth plaster, painted white. As he looked up at it, he started to smile as he realised that, for once, he didn't actually need the crack. There was silence throughout the house, nobody yelling, nobody throwing things or smashing glasses, nobody waiting outside his door to tell him how useless he was. Being normal was a strange feeling.

He wasn't completely carefree though. There was still Nick. He had kissed the older boy, his new temporary foster brother, the boyfriend of his best friend and, in Greg's mind, his saviour. Since the kiss earlier in the day, the two had barely spoken. After the social worker left, Mrs McKenzie... or Pippa, as he was still getting used to calling her, had immediately started preparing Josh's old room for his short term stay.

Corey had returned home shortly after that and had been very excited about the news that Greg would be staying with them. He seemed to have taken their conversation about being brothers to heart as he set about treating Greg exactly like he did with Nick and Josh... mainly by antagonising him playfully at every opportunity. It was nice. Greg felt like he fit in right away, but all the commotion got in the way of him talking to Nick to clear the air.

He knew he had to speak to him. If it had to wait until morning he would get no sleep at all. He carefully climbed out of bed, clicking on the lamp to help him find his way in the unfamiliar surroundings and limped his way to the door. He pulled it open cautiously, unsure yet if maybe it squeaked and might give him away. Fortunately it swung open silently and he hobbled out into the hallway. He closed it behind him and approached Nick's door. He looked down and saw no sign of any light shining from underneath, and figured the older boy was probably asleep. He felt guilty at the thought of waking him but pushed ahead anyway.

He opened the door silently then looked inside. There was Nick, laying on his bed with his phone in his hand, the screen lighting up his face. He looked round quickly as he heard the door open, then lowered the phone and squinted into the darkness. “Who's there?” he asked.

“It's me.” Greg replied hesitantly, then realised 'me' didn't really tell him anything so he added, “Greg.”

“Hey, you okay?” Nick asked. He jumped out of bed to help the boy walk over to the bed.

As they sat down, Nick reached over and turned on his lamp. The light made him flinch and shield his eyes with a hand. When he got used to it and lowered the hand, he noticed Greg staring at him. He had forgotten he was naked and was now sitting totally exposed in front of the boy.

“Fuck!” Nick muttered, then pulled the bed covers over to hide his modesty. “Sorry about that.”

Greg just blushed and shrugged, remaining silent, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious himself as he sat in just his underwear.

“What's up bud?” Nick asked, looking at the boy.

“I just...” Greg started, then stopped with a sigh. “I just needed to talk to you.

“Is this about the kiss?” Nick asked. Greg nodded so Nick smiled gently and continued. “Look, I'm sorry I kinda freaked out and ran off...”

“And then avoided me all day!” Greg added.

“Yeah, and then avoided you all day, it's just... you caught me by surprise a little.” Nick explained. “I... I've been dealing with some stuff with Warren.... and another guys... and it kinda messed with my head, but it made me realise how much I love Warren. I like you, Greg, but... we can't do that!”

“Yeah... yeah, I know.” Greg mumbled vaguely. “I was just... really happy to be staying here, I didn't mean to... I mean, I don't...” He dropped his face into his hands. “I don't know what I'm saying.” he added, the sound muffled by his hands, whimpering slightly in confusion and frustration.

“Hey, relax.” Nick said, reaching out to slide a hand down the boy's bare back and and then up again. “No harm done. We're all good.”

Greg peered out from behind his hands. “You promise?”

Nick smiled warmly and rubbed the boy's back again. “Yeah, I do. It was just a one-time thing, in the heat of the moment and it didn't mean anything. No big deal.”

Greg dropped his hands away from his face and grinned at the older boy. “Thanks Nick.”

“You're welcome. Feel a bit better now?” Nick asked cheerfully, adding, “I know I do!”

“Yeah, much!” Greg replied .

“Good. Now, would you like a hand getting back to your room?” Nick offered.

“Erm...” Greg started, looking nervous again. “I was just wondering... if it might be okay... If I maybe... stayed?” Nick gave him a puzzled look. “Like last night.” he added.

Nick reached across and stroked his fingers gently through the boys hair. He was so sweet, almost angelic even, his eyes big and hopeful. But could he do it? Could he let the boy into his bed again, especially after that kiss. He had just made his feelings clear, and Greg seemed okay with it, but would this send mixed messages? Was this going beyond their developing friendship and brotherhood into something more... intimate, or was it simply a desire for comfort?

“Please.” Greg pleaded, his sad eyes now watering a little. “Last night was the first night I ever went to sleep feeling really safe.” Greg explained.

Nick thought he could actually feel his heart melting at the boy's words. There was no way he could say no now. He reached down to the floor to his pile of discarded clothes from earlier and quickly pulled on his underwear, then silently got back into bed, holding an arm out and gesturing for Greg to join him. The boy eagerly shuffled along the bed and lay down, pressing his back against Nick's chest as the older boy's arms encircled him. He reached up and turned off the lamp, then grabbed on tightly to Nick's arms as he felt the covers being spread out across him.

“Night Nick.” he whispered happily.

Nick kissed him quickly on the top of his head and whispered back, “Night bud.”

*****

The next morning, Warren and Sam came by on their way to school to see Greg who had returned to his bed before anyone else had got up. Pippa was making him stay home and rest his ankle. The leaflet they had got from the hospital had recommended at least 48 hours rest before attempting to get back to normal activity and she was virtually timing the boy to the second.

When Warren walked into Josh's old room and saw Greg laying there, he just burst into tears. Greg held out his arms and the boy dashed towards him, cuddling up with him on the bed.

“I don't even know what I'm crying for!” Warren sniffed through the tears.

Sam sat on the other side of Greg, holding his hand. “Probably because you're a big wimp!” Sam teased.

“Fuck off, I'm gay. Being overemotional is virtually in the job description!” Warren snapped back, rubbing the last few tears away and sitting up to stare angrily at Sam.

Greg started laughing at the two, who quickly joined in with him. “I love you guys.” Greg said with a contented smile.

“Love you too, dude.” Sam answered for both of them. “We're just glad you're okay.”

“So what's gonna happen?” Warren asked.

Greg shrugged. “I guess they'll have to talk to my parents, see if they think it's safe for me to go back there. I'm pretty sure they'll think I can. Mum and Dad have always been pretty good at putting on a show when they have to.”

Warren and Sam just looked at him, unsure what to say.

“It'll all be okay though. It's been nice to get away from it, even if it's just for a couple of days.” Greg explained then looked at his friends mornful expressions. “Geez, cheer up you miserable fuckers. I thought you were here to make me feel better, not the other way round.”

“Sorry.” Sam said glumly. “It just... sucks that we can't do anything for you.”

“You're here for me, that's enough.” Greg replied, squeezing the boy's hand gently.

“Why did...” Warren started, then paused as if having second thoughts. When Greg and Sam both stared at him, he figured he couldn't just stop. “Why did you come to Nick, instead of to one of us?” He looked sad, almost disappointed as he asked the question that had been nagging at him.

Greg stared back at him. It was something he hadn't actually considered himself. “I really don't know.” he answered honestly. “I think... maybe.... well, I was scared. And I needed to feel safe. I know you guys are there for me, but I think, in that moment, Nick felt like the strongest person I knew and I felt like... he could keep me safe. I'm sorry. I know I should have come to you guys, but... oh fuck, I don't know. It was all just a mess.”

“Sorry.” Warren said, looking down at his hands, flicking at his fingers with his thumb. “I didn't mean to make you feel bad and I think you made the right call.”

“Okay.” Greg said, forcing a smile. “But next time I'm totally coming to you though!”

“Next time?!” Warren said in shock. “Don't even joke about that. Please.”

“Sorry.” Greg replied apologetically. “Anyway, shouldn't you two be heading to school.”

“Oh yeah. I wish I could get the day off like you, I hate Mondays.” Sam said, scowling.

Greg pointed over at the window. “Feel free to jump out and get a day off too. I wouldn't mind the company!” Greg joked, his gallows humour going largely unappreciated once again.

Sam and Warren both gave Greg a final hug before heading out of his room and heading downstairs. Before they left, Warren looked into the lounge to see if Corey was there. “Hey, Cor, we're heading to school. Wanna walk with us?”

“Sure.” the boy said happily, dashing out into the hallway to slip his shoes on.

The three boys all said goodbye to Corey's Mum, who was just on her way up to check on Greg, and left the house.

“You guys okay?” Corey asked as they walked.

“Yeah.” Warren replied flatly.

“It just sucks knowing what he's dealing with.” Sam added.

“It does, but it'll all work out.” Corey replied, reaching an arm out either side to pat them both on the back. “Now cheer the fuck up! That's an order!”

“Fuck you!” Warren said, defiant of the boy's authority.

“Maybe on Friday!” Corey replied, with a wink.

Sam looked round at them both. “What's happening Friday?”

Corey and Warren looked at each other and grinned, Josh's embarrassment over inviting Sam flashing through both of their minds. “We're having a birthday party for my brother.” Warren explained.

“Oh cool.” Sam said a little dismissively.

Warren grinned. “I don't think you get it, it's not just a party!”

Sam looked puzzled, so Corey added. “Beware, this party may contain scenes of an explicit nature. Parental caution is advised!”

Sam stopped mid-step, stared at his two friends and just said, “It's a sex party? You two are going to a sex party?”

Warren stopped too and turned to look back at the shocked boy. “Well not quite a 'sex party' but I'm gonna be arranging some... adult-themed fun to entertain us. And I'm going but Corey's being a pussy and he's just 'considering it'.” Warren said in a teasing tone as he looked to the younger boy.

“Fuck you. It's a gay party and I'm not gay!” Corey insisted with an annoyed frown.

“Corey, gay or straight, I've seen you enjoying your fair share of cock!” Warren replied frankly, elbowing the young teen teasingly.

“Wait, so who else is going?” Sam asked, his curiosity clearly piqued. 

“Well it's me, maybe Corey, Josh, Dale, Liam. Oh, and Nick of course.” Warren said, thinking if he had missed anyone.

“Nick...” Sam muttered, thinking back to the things he had done with Nick at the weekend, then looked suddenly at Warren and continued, “And all those other guys? That's... that's pretty hot.”

“Come on.” Corey said, gesturing for them to continue walking, then nodded his reluctant agreement to Sam's statement “Yeah, it's... kinda hot.”

“You wanna come?” Warren asked, looking round at the smaller boy.

“Yeah right, I'm sure my invite's in the mail.” Sam sniggered.

“Actually, you really have been invited.” Warren replied.

“By Josh!” Corey added with a smirk.

“Josh... wants me there?” Sam asked, a fiendish grin spreading across his face.

*****

He had only just arrived and Josh was feeling the usual Monday blues as he sat at work staving off the boredom. He found himself thinking about James. Lately whenever he had been bored at work, he had ended up texting James. Dale's assertion that James did indeed have a crush on Josh put him off contacting the confused young man. At the same time though, Dale had also said that James felt like he had done something wrong on Friday and was a little upset about it. He hated the thought of James feeling bad for no reason.

Eventually, the guilt in Josh's mind outweighed his reluctance and he pulled out his phone. [Hey, how doing? How was your weekend?]

It was about ten minutes before he heard anything back, but James finally replied. [Hey, was just thinking about you. I'm good thanks. Weekend was nice, always good to spend time with Dale again. How was yours?]

[A bit stressful at times, but not too bad overall] Josh sent back, really holding back. Stressful was an understatement really, but he didn't want to open it up to too much questioning from James.

[What's the stress? Wanna talk about it?] James offered anyway.

Josh couldn't help wondering if the offer was genuine concern, or just some ploy to get close to him again. He felt bad for even considering there may be any duplicity and dismissed it, sending a quick reply. [Nah, it's all in hand now, but thanks.] 

[You going to the gym tonight? ;-)] James asked.

Josh reluctantly smirked at the obvious offer he was making, but stopped himself before he could reply. He remembered Corey's (slightly harsh) advice from Friday. ' I can tell there's a lot on your mind and whatever it is, you need to start fucking dealing with it or you're just gonna fuck up everything you've got here!' He hated to admit it to himself, but the situation with James was one of those things. It was far from the most prominent, obviously, but he figured that if he started trying to deal with the little things, the big ones might just follow.

[Actually, could we meet somewhere else? Maybe the coffee shop round the corner from the gym, at 6?] he requested.

[Sure. See you then.] James replied.

It suddenly occurred to Josh that he knew he needed to talk to James, but had literally no idea what he was actually going to say. At least he had the rest of the day to prepare.

*****

Nick knocked on the door and stood waiting, hoping there would be an answer. He thought he may have arrived too late and missed Callum, that his friend might have already headed off to college. Thankfully, the door opened a few moments later and the young man appeared, grinning as he saw Nick.

“Hey you.” Callum said happily, surprised at his friend's unexpected appearance. “Everything okay?” The last time he had seen Nick, he had been on the verge of ending their relationship, having convinced himself that he was actually falling in love. Callum had soon set him straight, making it clear that they were just friends, or at more, fuck buddies.

“How would you feel about skipping college this morning and just having lots and lots of sex instead?” Nick asked with a grin.

Callum just stared for a moment, before a grin spread over his face too. “Who could say no to that!” he said happily, leading Nick inside his flat. It was only a small place, but it was close to the college and the guy he shared with was always working so Callum and Nick often ended up there for a quick fuck or two.

The moment they were in Callum's bedroom, Nick started pulling the boy's clothes off. Callum was soon doing the same and the two of them collapsed onto the bed, naked. Nick started, as he usually did, by taking Callum's pierced nipple in his mouth. There was something about the small stud that intrigued him, and the happy cooing noises it elicited from its owner just spurred him on more.

Callum reached down and grabbed Nick's head and lifted it, making the other boy look at him. “Hey, what's up?” he asked, clearly able to tell something was going on.

“After!” Nick insisted, pulling free of Callum's grip and putting his mouth to work on the smooth bare chest beneath him. His hands and lips continued wandering back and forth across the boy's body, marvelling at the smooth flawlessness of it all. Not that Callum was particularly hairy anyway, but what little hair he had was always shaved off. He was a lot like Warren in the way, Nick had noted once, wondering if maybe that was his 'type'.

Callum was happy to lay there, letting his eager friend do all the work and enjoying the eager touches and tickles. Of all the guys he had been with, not that there were many, Nick had always been his most tender sexual partner, always ensuring that his partner's needs were met just as much as his own, his touch always firm enough to feel exciting, but gentle enough to feel loving. Today was no exception. Even though it was clear he had things on his mind, it didn't spoil his technique, something Callum appreciated even more as he felt his cock being engulfed by Nick's eager mouth.

“Oh... oh yeah. Mmm, yeah Nick, that's.... ah yeah.” Callum muttered, bringing his hands up to gently stroke through Nick's hair as he blew him. It didn't take long before Nick's throat was coated with the teen's spunk, Callum whimpering happily as Nick sucked him clean.

They both knew what was next. Callum reached out to his bedside drawers, opened the top one and grabbed a small bottle of lube. He squeezed some into his hand then passed the bottle to Nick who took a blob in his fingers too. Callum reached down and began to prepare himself, first sticking a finger in, pushing it all the way and back out several times before slipping in a second, then a third. This was how they often did it, Callum fingering himself excitedly as Nick stroked the lubricant on his own erection.

Their eyes were fixed on each other as they did it, Nick watching the boy's eager finger-fucking while Callum watched Nick's hand pumping away at his straining dick. When neither of them were able to put it off any longer, Callum removed his fingers and immediately felt Nick's cock pressing against his loosened hole. With just a little pressure, it popped inside, eliciting a much deeper groan from Callum than the gentle blow job had received.

Nick fucked the boy's hole slowly, getting as much pleasure from Callum's delighted face as he was from the fucking itself. He knew exactly the right angle to raise the young man's hips to in order to pound his prostate, so he manoeuvred Callum into position, grinning happily as he saw the extra stimulation pulsating through his lover's body. He worked at it slowly, watching as Callum's post-orgasmic cock began twitching back to life.

“You close?” Callum gasped, staring breathlessly up at Nick.

“Yeah.” Nick replied quickly.

“Me too.” Callum advised.

Nick pulled out and pressed his dick against Callum's, wrapping a hand around them both together and stroked. As they both went to panting to moaning and then to grunting, their cocks erupted simultaneously, the added stimulation of another twitching cock against their own adding to the pleasure as they covered Callum's stomach and chest with their double load.

They had barely finished cumming when Nick leant down and started sucking the jizz into his mouth, holding it there rather than swallowing. Once he had collected it all, he crawled the rest of the way up Callum and lowered his lips against the other boy's, the two kissing as their intermingled seed spread through both their mouths.

A few minutes later, the kiss parted and Nick flopped onto the bed beside Callum, resting his head on his friend's shoulder.

“You gonna tell me what's up now?” Callum asked, his breathing starting to return to normal.

Nick rolled onto his side, curling against Callum's body, sighed and started explaining what had happened with Greg over the weekend before going on to explain the conversation with Warren about his feelings for Callum.

Callum raised his eyebrows in surprise as Nick finished talking. “Wow, and I thought my weekend was bad because my hair wouldn't do what I wanted it to yesterday! Sounds like you've had a hell of a time.” he exclaimed in surprise, getting a definite nod of agreement from Nick. “Sounds like it's all gonna be okay though, sow hat's with the stress? That Greg kid should be fine now he's with you guys and Warren's cool with me and you, right?”

Nick sighed again and said, “Yeah, I guess so, I think it's all just so... complicated that I think I just needed something... less complicated.”

“Are you calling me simple?” Callum asked teasingly with a one-sided smile.

“Hey, you said it, not me!” Nick teased back with a giggle.

Callum reached down and started tickling Nick, the other boy attempting to tickle him in return. They rolled around on the bed, trying to out-tickle each other, eventually dropping onto the floor but continuing anyway. Eventually, laughing and breathless, they called a ceasefire, laying in a tangle of limbs.

Nick tilted his head to the side, feeling Callum's cock against his cheek. It was hard again. “Well, looks like someone's ready to go again!” he laughed.

“Likewise!” Callum said before taking Nick's erection into his mouth.

*****

Josh was sat in a big squishy armchair, sipping on an oversized coffee when James arrived. The young man waved at Josh then went straight to the counter to get a drink. Suddenly, everything Josh had planned to say vanished from his mind. Seconds before he had known every word, but now his mind was completely blank. Panic began to set in as James walked over with a large cup of something topped with whipped cream.

“Hey, you okay?” James asked as he pulled off his coat and sat down in the armchair facing Josh.

“I'm good, you?” Josh replied nervously.

“I'm fine. I was a bit confused about why you wanted to meet here? Bit public for a fuck, isn't it?” James asked with a grin.

Josh choked on a mouthful of coffee, coughing and spluttering as he leaned forward to put the mug back on the table. He coughed again. “Fuck, are you trying to kill me?”

“Sorry.” James said, laughing at Josh's reaction. “What's up Josh, why are we here? Is it because of what I did on Friday?”

Josh looked at him and asked, “Why? What did you do on Friday?”

James scooped some cream off the top of his drink with his finger then licked it off as he shrugged. “I don't really know, but you kinda freaked out after... the shower. I figured I'd done something to piss you off.”

“Oh God, no. You didn't do anything wrong, you were great.” Josh reassured him with a smile. “I've just... had some issues lately and Friday was... a tough day for me.”

“That's a relief.” James said happily, eating some more of the cream. “So what's up then?”

“Do you like me?” Josh asked bluntly, cursing himself for his complete absence of tact.

“Course I do. You're awesome.” James said with another shrug, wondering where he was going.

“No James, do you LIKE me?” Josh asked again, emphasising the 'like'.

“Oh.” James said with a smile, finally catching on. “Oh!” he said again, frowning as he realised what Josh must have been thinking. “No, God... no, of course not. I'm not into guys in that way. You know that.”

Josh was more confused now. The answer seemed completely sincere, but he had been so sure it was going to be a yes.

“Wait, why would you think that? Was it Dale? Did he tell you I do?” James asked, frowning as he licked his finger again.

“No... well yes, but...it's not just that. It's... what about... the showers? And the other day at my place, what you said about not liking other guys... and the texts, and the pictures.” Josh rambled.

James started laughing. “You're as sweet as you are stupid, you lugnut!” 

Josh just sat looking at him, frowning.

“Okay, I can see where you'd get that impression, but I'm... straight. I don't look at guys and think 'yeah, I gotta tap that', but with me and you, there's, like, a connection. You make me really horny, but that's all it is. I wanna fuck you, not marry you! Sure, maybe if I got really stupidly horny I'm not saying it'd never happen, but so far... it's just you!” James explained.

Josh looked round nervously, wondering who might be able to overhear and what they might think. He stared back at James, wondering how he could have misread the situation so completely.

“So you... don't LIKE me?” Josh asked, more reiterating to himself than actually asking.

James shook his head with a muted smile. “Well firstly, you're dating my best friend, so even if I did, do you really think I'd even go near you? Secondly, you don't have boobs. As much fun as you are, I need someone with boobs, I'm really quite fond of them. Finally, and most importantly, you're an ugly fucker, why do you think I always do you from behind!” James grinned at the insult.

While Josh sniggered through a forced angry glare. “At least I'm not ginger!” Josh teased back.

James just shrugged at the insult, licking cream from his finger once again while staring at Josh. He rolled his eyes at the lack of reaction and demanded angrily, “For fuck's sake, how many times do I need to do this before you take the hint?”

Josh laughed, finally catching on to the now-obvious attempt at seduction. “Fine.” Josh said, taking a gulp of his own drink. “But this time I'm gonna be facing you, just so you have to look at my extreme ugliness!”

“Whatever, I usually imagine you're a hot girl anyway! I'll just pretend you're a hot ugly girl this time!” James said with a chuckle.

They finished their drinks and headed round to the gym, with absolutely no intention of having a conventional workout. As they walked out, Josh said, “So if you don't have any interest in other guys.... I'm guessing you wouldn't be interested in Dale's party on Friday?”

James looked at him curiously. “What party?”

*****

Pippa made Greg stay off school again Tuesday, insisting that he still needed to give his ankle more time to rest. Warren and Sam had spent Monday evening supposedly going over the day's school work with him, at least that's what they told her. As soon as they were alone, the school work was quickly forgotten. Greg had filled them in about the progress of his 'case' and about how a woman from social services had come to speak to him earlier in the day.

Warren and Sam had come around again after school an Tuesday and had actually gone through a brief bit of school work this time. As soon as Nick got home, he had joined them, the older boy's attendance giving them excuse to forget school and just muck about. They were sitting and talking about Dale's party when they heard a knock at the front door. They didn't think any more about it until Pippa came up, looking quite solemn.

“Greg, Irene from social services is back.” she said, getting worried looks from all four boys. Hesitantly, she added, “And your parents are with her.”

“They're here? In this house?” Nick snapped, jumping up, fists clenched.

“Nick!” Pippa said sternly, her tone removing the need for any other words.

He looked unhappy, but sat back down. Warren put a hand on his leg and rubbed it gently.

“They'd like to talk to you Greg, if that's okay? You won't be alone. Irene will be there. So will  me and George.” She reassured the boy.

“And so will I!” Nick insisted.

“I don't think that's a good idea.” Pippa said, taking a deep breath as she looked at her clearly-concerned son.

“Please... let him come.” Greg requested.

She looked back and forth between the two then reluctantly agreed. The boys all climbed off the bed, allowing Greg to get out. He managed to stand on his own and walk out to the landing, but leaned on Nick a little as he walked down the stairs.

“I'm here for you, buddy.” Nick whispered as they neared the door to the lounge.

They walked in and Greg froze as he saw his parents standing there looking nervous. “Greg!” his Mum said, eyes wet, stepping towards him. Greg backed away a little but just found himself bumping into Nick. She stopped when she saw his hesitation and returned to her previous spot.

“Greg, why don't you come and have a seat.” Irene said softly, patting the sofa cushion beside her.

Nick followed Greg to the sofa. As the younger boy sat down on it, Nick perched on the arm.

They all started talking. Irene explained that after she had visited on Monday, she had been round to Greg's house and spent a lot of time talking to his parents. She said they had identified some 'concerns', but that they were sure they could help resolve them. Everyone remained silent through most of the explanation, while Nick just sat with his angry gaze fixed on Greg's Dad.

Irene laid out the plan they were considering. Firstly, Greg's parents were to attend counselling for their marital issues, the anger issues and, in Greg's Mum's case, what had been identified as a potential alcohol problem. She said that in cases like this, where the problems were all behavioural rather than physical, and where the problem had been caught relatively early, it was best to try and return to a normal routine as quickly as possible. The idea was to try and get back to a sense of normalcy for both the parents and the child, but with as much support as could be offered to keep Greg safe.

It was suggested that Greg go home for a few hours the next day with supervision and monitoring by a social worker. If that went well, then he would return home for a little longer Thursday, with Irene still in the building, but not directly supervising. From there they would see how things were progressing and plan accordingly.

Nick's disapproval was obvious without him even saying a word but everyone else appeared hopeful that things could actually get better. Greg seemed almost overjoyed at the prospect of being able to go home, but without the problems of the past, leaving Nick worried that the boy's optimism might be clouding both his and Irene's judgement of what he deemed to be a terrible idea. Despite Nick's hesitation, he couldn't help but admit that Greg's parents both appeared to be genuinely remorseful about what had happened. He was quite angry that the threats Mr West had made against him on Sunday morning were being dismissed as just 'an extreme reaction to the situation' and that it was 'manageable with counselling'.

Irene and Greg's parents had left shortly after the plans had been agreed, with a time arranged for her to come and collect Greg the next day for his first visit.

When the time for Wednesday's visit rolled around and Greg left with Irene, nobody in the McKenzie house could really think about anything else. They had all come to care for Greg a great amount in the short time he had been there, so knowing he was potentially in a harmful situation was quite stressful for them. When he returned, however, they were relieved to see he was okay, but more importantly, amazed to see that he actually seemed to be quite happy!

“It was... incredible!” Greg explained. “They're like totally different people. I think maybe all of this was the wakeup call they needed.”

Thursday's visit went just as well, better even. They had all been worried that as soon as the direct supervision stopped, Greg's parents would revert to their old ways, but according to Greg, they hadn't. Irene had brought him home after Thursday's visit and came into the house to discuss the next steps. She said she was happy with the progress and suggested that maybe it was time for Greg to try staying the night.

The idea was met by reluctance from Nick, clearly verbalised this time, but Greg just seemed so happy to finally be able to return home safely and confident that his parents would do better this time that Irene, Pippa and George agreed to let it go ahead. As such, it was agreed that after school Friday, Greg would go home. Irene had arranged to go and visit again Saturday morning to see how it went and see if the return should be permanent.

That night, Nick lay in bed, unable to sleep as he worried about the boy he was becoming so protective of. The two of them had discussed Nick's trepidation privately, but Greg simply kept reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. The boy's optimism was nice to see, but it was certainly not helping Nick sleep.

Shortly before midnight, he heard the door to his room open. He looked over at it and saw Greg standing there. Without saying a word, he lifted his duvet on one side. Greg dashed across the room and jumped in beside him. The two cuddled up together and drifted off to sleep.

*****

Josh stopped in the kitchen doorway on his way to the bed, looking at the mountain of snacks and drinks they had purchased for the party the following night. “You think it's enough?” Josh joked as Dale walked past on his way to the bedroom.

“I dunno!” Dale said grumpily.

“Ah, cheer up you miserable git. You know you're gonna have fun.” Josh said, following him down the hallway.

“Whatever. Who's actually coming anyway?” Dale asked. He had stayed out of it for most of the week. He felt a little conflicted over the fact that the events were being inspired by 'the stuff we did with Benny', as Warren put it. While he had enjoyed most of the stuff they did, even the mention of the boy's name still bothered him.

“Me, you, Liam, James, Warren, Nick, Corey and Sam.” Josh reeled off as the two of them headed into their room.

“What? Seriously? James is coming? Corey too?” Dale asked, somewhat surprised.

“I may have... erm... teased James' curiosity a little.” Josh said with a grin as he started undressing for bed. “As for Corey, Warren told me that's all thanks to Sam. Apparently he said that if Corey came, he'd come too. Honestly, I think Corey just doesn't want to be left out and Sam... I dunno, he's a bit of a mystery really.”

“A mystery you want to solve, I'm guessing!” Dale teased as he jumped into bed.

“Fuck off.” Josh said, blushing and smiling against his will.

“Hey, you didn't mention Greg. I thought he might wanna join in.” Dale said as Josh climbed in beside him.

“He was going to, but I spoke to Nick earlier and apparently things have been going well with getting him home, and tomorrow's gonna be his first night back with his parents.” Josh explained. “Nick's totally freaking out about it.”

“That's good news about Greg. As for Nick, don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to take his mind off of it.” Dale said with a devilish grin. “Speaking of which, you gonna give me any hints about what's actually gonna happen?”

“Nope.” Josh said, sniggering knowingly. “I couldn't if I wanted to anyway, I've left it all to Warren and Corey to plan. I've told them not to get too carried away. I mean, it's not gonna be as extreme as...” he paused, reluctant to finish the sentence with the mention of his former master's name, instead changing to, “... before.”

Dale picked up on the near-slip and stroked Josh's arm approvingly.

Josh continued. “But there's gonna be plenty to enjoy. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what they've come up with.” Josh said, sliding his hands across Dale's body. As they reached his crotch, he realised his boyfriend was already rigid. “Well, I guess you really are looking forward to it after all!”
Chapter 12

Dale awoke to a wonderful sensation, Josh's mouth sliding up and down the length of his cock. He moaned his approval, notifying his boyfriend that he was awake. Josh's head appeared from under the covers, grinning, and said,”Happy Birthday, my sexy, sexy man!”

“Shut up.” Dale said dismissively, then pushed on the top of Josh's head and added, “But don't stop!”

Josh happily went back down, taking the disgruntled man's stiffness back between his lips, lashing at the head with his tongue as he slid a finger down between his crack to play with his hole. Josh's other hand was on Dale's stomach, circling his fingers through the thick trail of hair, tickling the birthday boy slightly.

Either still aroused from some quickly-forgotten dream, or having endured Josh's sleeping for longer than he realised before waking, Dale soon felt his balls tighten as he filled Josh's mouth with his seed. With his erection still twitching the last remnants of his orgasm, Josh reappeared, kissed him quickly on the lips and climbed out of bed.

“Get back here!” Dale demanded, grabbing Josh's arm and pulling him back into bed. “It's my birthday and I demand cuddles!”

Josh happily complied, curling up in Dale's arms, his head resting on the firm, hairy chest, his lips just inches away from a nipple. Dale shuddered every time Josh breathed out, the warm air stimulating the stiff, sensitive peak.

“I should really be getting up.” Josh insisted after a few minutes. “Unless you don't want your presents!”

Dale looked down at him. “You're the only present I need!”

Josh smiled for a moment, then shook his head and said, “That's very sweet, but you're having presents, so deal with it!” He jumped out of bed again, this time intentionally staying out of Dale's reach. He walked over to his wardrobe, opened it and pulled out a big pile of perfectly wrapped gifts.

“Nice wrapping, must have taken quite a bit of time!” Dale said as he looked at them.

“Erm... yeah.” Josh said, nodding gently.

Dale smirked. “Warren did it, didn't he!”

“Yeah.” Josh said, disappointed to have been busted so easily. “He's good at that arty crap. I end up taping my hands together!”

Dale sniggered at the thought of Josh attempting to do it himself, then said, “I'll have to thank him.”

'I already did that!' Josh thought to himself, feeling guilty as he thought back to the way he had 'thanked' Warren for his services. While Warren wrapped the presents, he had entertained the boy by pleasuring himself in front of him, edging himself torturously until the boy was finished wrapping. Warren had taken quite some time to do it so neatly and by the time he was done, Josh was completely desperate to cum.

“You okay?” Dale asked, noticing Josh seemed lost in his thoughts.

“Sorry. Yeah.” Josh said, coming out of his daze and piling the gifts onto Dale.

They sat for a while as Dale opened the presents one by one, thanking Josh for each gift and telling him after every one that he had spent too much. When he opened the new MacBook, he almost threw it at Josh, telling him he should never have spent that much money and that he was going to return it, but at Josh's insistence he reluctantly agreed to keep it.

Dale was just finishing in the shower when he heard Warren arrive. He peered out of the bathroom and shouted, “Hey bro.”

“Happy birthday!” the boy shouted back.

Once Dale was dressed, he headed into the lounge where Josh and Warren were sat talking. “I got you something.” Warren said sheepishly as Dale approached. “I know you normally tell me not to get you anything, but I wanted to break tradition. It's not much...”

Warren watched as Dale smiled, took the small package and tore off the paper, then looked at the unwrapped gift. The look on his big brother's face almost made Warren cry.

Dale was never really one for big shows of emotion, but he looked genuinely moved by what he saw. It was a wooden picture frame with just the word 'Brothers' carved into it. The picture was of Dale, Josh, Warren, Nick and Corey, all wrestling each other on a sofa, not even looking at the camera.

“Dad took that picture a few months back when we were all round there and messing around. When Dad showed it to me, I thought of giving it to you as a gift, so I made a frame for it to go in.” Warren explained. “Do you like it?”

Dale opened his mouth, but felt a wobble in his stomach. It was just the sweetest thing his little brother had ever done and it was all he could do to stop himself from welling up. He just leaned over the back of the sofa and wrapped his arms around the boy. Warren held onto him, delighted that he seemed to like it.

“I love it.” Dale finally managed to say. He handed the frame to Josh who had a very similar reaction.

“You see, this is why birthdays are a good thing!” Josh said, attempting to cover up his own emotion with humour.

A short time later, Nick arrived accompanied by Greg. Nick was there for his usual ride to college with Dale, while Greg had come along to meet Warren so they could walk to school together.

“Happy birthday.” Nick and Greg said in accidental unison.

“Thanks guys.” Dale said happily with a big grin.

“Wait.” Nick said suspiciously. “He's happy... on his birthday? What's going on?”

“I think Warren finally melted his heart of ice. Either that or he's just looking forward to lots of naughty fun tonight!” Josh teased.

Nick looked at Warren, puzzled. “What did you...” he started, but was interrupted by Josh shoving the picture frame into his hands.

Nick smiled at the picture, then at his boyfriend. “You made this?” he asked.

Warren nodded proudly, so excited that his little gift was being so well received.

“You're just the best!” Nick said, kissing Warren slowly, before looking at everyone else and adding, “How amazing is my boyfriend?”

Greg picked up the frame and stood looking at it silently while the others chatted. Josh quietly broke away from the group and approached the boy. “You okay, mister?” he asked as he got closer.

“Yeah, sorry. It's just a really sweet gift.” Greg said, putting the frame down.

“Yeah.” Josh said happily. “Hey, I heard you're going back home tonight then?”

Greg nodded, smiling. “I am. It kinda sucks that I'll have to miss the party, but it's worth it. I finally have a proper family.”

“Just remember you've got family here too!” Josh said, then pulled the boy into a quick hug.

“Thanks... bro.” Greg said with a chuckle as he held tightly.

“Hey, we should be going!” Warren called out, shocking Greg and Josh out of their hug, the two of them smiling awkwardly at each other.

Nick headed towards Greg and requested, “Can we talk for a minute before you go?” Greg nodded his agreement and the two of them headed down the hallway, stepping inside the spare room. As soon as they were out of sight of the others, Nick wrapped his arms around the boy. “I'm gonna miss you!” he whispered.

“I know, I'll miss having you right there across the hall.” Greg agreed.

“Promise you'll call me if anything goes wrong?” Nick demanded, pulling away from the boy slightly. “Anything!”

“Nothing's gonna go wrong. It's all good.” Greg reassured him. Nick's expression told him he wasn't going to drop this, so he added, “But okay, I'll call if I need you!”

“Good. Now hurry up and go before I start crying like Mum did!” Nick sniggered.

Greg left, sighing heartily. He really was going to miss seeing so much of Nick. It seemed strange that it had only been a week since Nick first took him on that walk, talking him through his problems. It seemed so much longer, mainly because so much had changed in that time. It felt like his entire world had fallen apart and then been put back together again, and that was mostly thanks to Nick. Trying not to dwell on how much he would miss Nick, Greg left, accompanied by Warren and headed off to school.

*****

After school finished for the day, Warren and Sam walked Greg home, carrying his bag for him as he was still limping from his injured ankle. When they got there, they wished him good luck and he headed inside while they carried on towards Josh and Dale's place.

“Looking forward to this?” Warren asked as they walked.

“Kinda.” Sam replied, looking more than a little nervous.

“You'll be fine. Nobody's gonna make you do anything you don't want.... well there might be a few things you don't want to do, probably forfeits or punishments, but you don't play the games if you don't wanna risk paying the price!” Warren joked. All it did was make the boy look more nervous. “Hey.” he said, taking his friend's hand.

Sam stopped and looked at Warren.

“You know I'd never let anyone hurt you, right?” Warren asked.

Sam just smiled and gave Warren a quick hug. The two of them walked the rest of the way holding hands. It felt weird for Warren seeing Sam so nervous. The boy had always been so confident, at everything, so it was nice to see at least a tiny chink in his normally-faultless armour. As much as he worried that his friend was stepping into something he wasn't ready for, he had a strong feeling that once things got started, there would be no stopping him!

“Hey, wait for me!” a voice called from behind them. They looked back and saw it was Corey, running to catch up.

“You heading straight to Josh's too?” Warren asked.

“Yeah, figured there's not much point in going home just to come all the way back.” Corey explained, then looked to Sam. “Hey Sammy, looking a little nervous there.”

“Piss off.” Sam said firmly. “What's to be nervous about? I can handle anything!” He grinned, obviously putting on a brave front to shut Corey up.

Warren was annoyed for a second at Corey's teasing, but a quick wink from the boy soon revealed that it had been done purely with the intention of encouraging Sam's usual bravado. With Sam back to normal, at least on the surface, the three of them quickly made their way to Josh and Dale's apartment.

When they arrived, only Josh was at home. “Hey guys.” he greeted them as they walked in. He hugged Warren and Corey, but then stood awkwardly in front of Sam.

“It's okay, hug away!” Sam said with a smirk, holding out his arms.

Warren and Corey sniggered at Josh's blushes as he leaned down to the boy. His arms wrapped easily around the boy's small frame as his face moved in towards the boy's neck, his golden brown hair tickling Josh's ear. Josh breathed in. The boy's scent was intoxicating. Sweet but musky. He had yet to develop the teenage stink most boys went through, instead he was a mix of deodorant and shampoo and something else he couldn't quite place. As he released Sam, he felt the boy's fingers slide down his side, making him quiver with unexpected anticipation.

Doing his best to regain his composure, he stepped back and looked at the three boys. He cleared his throat as he attempted not to stare at Sam and said, “I'm glad you I got your three alone. I'm gonna go over some ground rules for tonight.”

“Ground rules!” Warren scoffed.

“Yeah, come on Grampa, lighten up!” Corey sniggered.

Josh just raised his eyebrows but resisted responding directly. “There's probably gonna be a lot of alcohol getting drunk tonight and the last thing we need is you three getting hammered and ending up in hospital getting your stomachs pumped! So you're going to be allowed one drink, maybe two if you're lucky, but if I catch any of you sneaking booze out of the kitchen without permission from me or Dale, that'll be it, you'll be out. Understand?”

Corey smiled, not at the rule, that was a crap and he was already fairly certain he was going to break it, but at Josh. It always confused him how his big brother could be so completely submissive in the bedroom, but so assertive when he switched into 'big brother' mode.

All three boys moaned but nodded their agreement reluctantly.

“And the other stuff tonight.” Josh continued, pausing to ensure they had all caught on. “As the youngest guys here, I just want to make sure you all stay safe. I don't know what you've got planned, but nobody's gonna be forced to do anything that's gonna hurt them, we just all want to have a good time! But if you need to stop at any time, just let me or Dale know and we'll stop.”

Corey and Warren both nodded their understanding, but knew the talk was mainly for Sam's benefit. The third boy's smugness following his teasing moments before had faded into a genuine smile of gratitude. Josh returned to preparing stuff for the evening while the boys changed out of their school uniforms then headed to the lounge with a bag of what Warren had referred to simply as 'supplies'.

Josh had joined the boys in the lounge by the time Dale returned home, accompanied by Nick. Following some birthday greetings from Corey and Sam, Dale headed into the bedroom, closely followed by Josh.

“How was your day?” Josh asked, sitting on the end of the bed and enjoying the show as Dale changed out of his work clothes.

“Long and dull.” Dale said unhappily. “Although on the bright side, it made me look forward to tonight even more!”

“Good. Just relax and have fun. Tonight's your night.” Josh said with a smile. “Everything's set up and I had a chat with Corey, Sam and Warren about the booze. I told them their limit.”

“And you honestly think they'll stick to it? Would you have done it at their age?” Dale asked, smirking.

“Well no, of course not, but I at least had to try. We should probably still keep an eye on them. I think it could be funny seeing them drunk, but I don't wanna see them get ill. I also said we'd keep an eye on them with the, erm.... other stuff too.” Josh said.

Dale pulled on a t-shirt and then approached Josh, grinning. He stood over him, legs either side of Josh's then reached down and pulled him close. Looking down at his boyfriend he said happily, “It's really sweet how much you care.”

Josh shrugged as he leaned against Dale, his head resting on his stomach. “I just don't wanna see anyone get hurt.” He sounded almost sad.

Dale sighed, realising it was just residual feelings from his recent encounter with Benny. “How you doing... with all that stuff? Anything you wanna talk about?”

Josh pulled away enough to look up into Dale's eyes. “I'm okay, and don't worry about that crap tonight. C'mon, we've got a house full of horny guys to entertain. Let's go.” He stood up, Dale's hands remaining on his shoulders.

“I love you Josh.” Dale said, kissing him for a few seconds.

Josh cocked his head as he looked back. “I love you too. More than anything.” he said with a grin. As he looked away he paused, thinking, 'Do I really love him more than anything? I love Warren. I love Dale's little brother. How can I stand here and say that to him, knowing Warren is just a few rooms away?'

Corey's words floated through his mind again, 'you need to start fucking dealing with it'. He had already taken that advice once, speaking to James and ending up feeling much better for it. But that had been fairly minor thing in the grand scheme of things, a friend with a suspected crush. Being completely in love with both Dale and Warren.... that was infinitely more complicated. Plus he didn't have a solution either. The thought of leaving Dale was just not an option, but he couldn't give up Warren either. 'An impossible problem with no solution. No wonder I'm so fucked up. Ugh. Sometimes I hate you, me!” he thought in frustration as he followed Dale through to the lounge.

Dale immediately noticed an absence. “Where's Nick?” he asked, approaching the back of the sofa and only seeing just the backs of Corey, Warren and Sam.

A hand suddenly shot up behind Corey, accompanied by a muffled, “I'm down here!”

Dale peered over the back of the sofa and saw Nick laying along the length of the seat, with the three boys sat on top of him.

Warren grinned and said, “He thought he could take charge... we convinced him otherwise!” He reached out to his sides and put his arms around Corey and Sam, the three of them laughing evilly.

“Oh God, Josh. I think we've created a monster!” Dale said with a scared laugh.

*****

Liam and James arrived a little later in the evening and as soon as they arrived, the drinking started. The younger boys stayed on soft drinks, saying that they were saving their 'one drink' for later before sniggering at each other, pretty much confirming Josh and Dale's earlier suspicions.

As they all gathered in the lounge, they started taking seats. Josh sat on one end of the sofa with Dale beside him, then Liam in the third seat. James sat in one of the armchairs. Nick sat in the other with Warren jumping onto his lap, the two boys cuddling together. Corey settled on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table to the sofa. Sam was last to come in, having stopped for a quick toilet break. He paused and looked at the lack of seats.

Corey moved along and said, “There's space here.”

“Nah, I'm okay.” Sam said with a cheeky grin. He headed straight for the sofa and jumped onto Josh's lap. As soon as he was seated, he reached down and grabbed Josh's arms, pulling them around him, then leaned back against the man's body and rested his head on Josh's shoulder. He tilted it to the side, staring at the shocked young man.

“Hi.” he said cheekily, watching as Josh blushed to the sound of everyone else's laughter. Sam started to fidget, his slight motions starting somewhat rapid growth in Josh's cock. Worst of all, the boy clearly knew the affect he was having and seemed to be loving every second of it.

“Looks like it Josh's birthday too!” Dale said, causing more laughter from the group as Josh's face burned bright red. “So come on, what are we doing first?” he asked, suddenly feeling a little guilty over Josh's embarrassment and hoping to draw focus away from it.

Corey and Warren looked at each other, gesturing things between them. It was clear the two boys had done plenty of planning. “Okay, I guess I'll go first. Just something simple to break the ice because right now some of you look more like you're at a funeral than a party!” Warren said, shuffling forward off of Nick and sliding down onto the floor. He looked round at Liam and James, hoping they would realise he meant them. Even Corey looked a little apprehensive.

“Oh don't worry. It's simple. I got the idea from Greg actually.” Warren continued. He reached into his bag. The group seemed to take in a collective deep breath wondering what manner of insane sex toy he was about to pull out. There were a few sighs of relief and a few almost unhappy moans as he just pulled out some paper and pens. “We're gonna share. Write down your most embarrassing moments, most embarrassing fantasies, awkward confessions, basically anything that'll make us laugh. Then we'll read them out and try to guess whose is whose.”

The simplicity of the task seemed quite well relieved, some of the tension dissipating from the group as they set about thinking up things to write down,. There were endless naughty sniggers and discrete whispers between the guys as well as plenty of drinking. Warren had worried that the guys might be a little reluctant to open up, but he was happy to see he had underestimated the openness of his friends and brothers.

The pieces of paper were roughly folded and thrown into a big bowl that Warren fetched from the kitchen. He sat back down on Nick's lap, holding the bowl in his own and pulled out the first piece of paper.

“I once got caught jerking off in the gym changing room.” Warren read out.

There was a sudden burst of laughter and chatter as the boys started accusing each other of being the gym-wanker. “I've totally done that.” Josh confessed. “But I never thought to put it in for this, so it's not me!”

“Liam.” James said bluntly. “It's gotta be.”

“Yeah, I'm saying Liam too.” Dale said, patting the man next to him on the leg.

Warren looked at Liam whose expression gave it away. “”Yeah, that's mine!” He said, blushing bright red. “What made it worse was that it was a really creepy guy that caught me and he still stares at me now when I see him!”

They all burst into laughter again until Warren quietened them, pulling out the next one. “Sometimes when I jerk off, I think about what it would be like to get spit-roasted by Dale and Warren!” Warren grinned as he got to the end of it. Before anyone else could talk, he added, “Well it's not us two then, and Josh and Nick both know what that's like already!”

Warren's additional information caused an uproar of laughter and protestations of over-sharing by the ones named.

“Oh, you liked that one, didn't you!” Sam whispered in Josh's ear, feeling the man's cock twitch beneath him. Josh remained speechless.

Finally a voice broke through the cacophony. “Fine, it's me again!” Liam said, now even brighter red and, by the looks of it, wishing he hadn't written it down. “Are you just picking all of mine first?” he demanded angrily as he looked at Warren.

Instead of answering the question, Warren just looked Liam up and down and then very casually asked, “So which end do I get?”

Everyone in the group, aside from Liam, virtually rolled out of their seats laughing. “Fuck off.” Liam said through an unwanted smile.

“Fine. Fine. Everyone calm down.” Warren instructed, picking up another piece of paper. “Okay, the next one says... Josh has had a boner since the second I sat on his lap!”

Sam grinned as he felt Josh's arms tense. He didn't even need to look round to see the mortified look on Josh's face as he found himself subject to a barrage of laughs and teasing comments.

Josh suddenly felt a surge of annoyance at the boy, yet found himself holding him even tighter.

“Okay, well that one was far too easy. I think this one might be a bit tougher.” Warren said loudly, regaining everyone's attention. “I like to get naked outdoors, start walking and leave my clothes behind. I once managed to walk nearly two miles away from where I left my clothes.”

This one was met with a stunned silence rather than the usual laughter and accusations.

“Fuck, that sounds hot!” Sam muttered, reaching down to squeeze his cock without really thinking about it.

“It is!” Corey said, grinning, unable to endure the slightly stunned silence any longer. “Sorry, couldn't hold back, that's mine.”

Nick looked down over Warren's shoulder and asked his little brother, “How often do you do that sort of thing?”

Corey just shrugged casually. “Dunno, at least once a week.”

Nick grinned. “Next time... can I watch?”

Corey laughed and stuck his middle finger up at his older brother as Warren quickly kept things going. “And next... I got caught by my Mum, cumming in my own face!” Warren elbowed Nick. His boyfriend had told him that story previously, but he knew none of the others had heard about. He smirked at Nick as the others set about speculating.

“That's totally Josh!” Corey insisted.

“Not me.” Josh defended himself as he felt Sam leaning back against him and shuffling his slim butt  on his lap.

“I think it's Warren.” Sam said, keeping a completely straight face throughout his subtle stimulation of the man's lap beneath him.

“Nope.” Warren replied, then gestured with his head to the boy sat behind him.

“Nick?” Corey called out. “Awesome! What happened?” He started laughing before his brother could even respond.

“I was... experimenting.” Nick said, blushing. “I was, like, laying there with my legs in the air, jerking off. Just as I started to shoot.... in walks Mum! I could have died!” he explained.

“We've all been there dude.” Liam said with a sympathetic smile, eliciting a new round of laughter over the two's similar experiences.

Warren reached into the bowl, pulled out a piece of paper. By now everyone had started willingly going quiet when they saw him do it, keen to hear the next embarrassing tale. The boy unfolded the paper, read it and then paused, staring at it with a grin.

“What? What is it?” Sam asked eagerly, seeing Warren's reaction.

“Well, it seems someone here can suck their own dick!” Warren said. He held out the piece of paper just showing the words 'I can self-suck'.

Dale and Josh looked at each other then over at James. Dale called out, “I know this one, It's gotta be James.”

“Yeah.” Josh agreed. “I bet he doesn't even have to bend over. He's... pretty hung!”

James turned bright red as every eye fell on him, grinning at Josh's compliment. He raised his hands and shrugged. “Guilty as charged.” he said, attempting to act cool, but failing completely to cover his embarrassment.

“Oh we'll have to remember that!” Warren said with a smirk.

“I'm gonna regret that!” James chuckled.

“Dude.... hot!” Corey said quietly, reaching over and patting him on the leg, making James blush even more.

The game went on, all of their naughty secrets being aired for the entire group's entertainment. Corey revealed how he had once been caught on one of his naked adventures, then on another one stating that he fantasised about getting back from a naked walk and finding his clothes had been stolen. Dale revealed he had once sent a video of himself stripping to his Mum instead of Josh. Much to James' dismay, Dale had also revealed how he had caught James jerking off while watching Josh in the shower. Sam's most embarrassing moment that he shared turned out to be the moment Nick had almost made him cum while whispering in his ear at the previous week's sleepover (although he refused the reveal the contents of Nick's whispers. Sam's biggest fantasy turned out to be quite similar to his embarrassing moment – he wanted to make someone cum without even touching them!

Josh managed to surprise everyone by revealing an embarrassing moment none of the others knew about. It was the moment at the top of the water slide a couple of years ago where the pool attendant had pointed out his obvious erection in the tiny speedos. The fantasy he revealed also managed to surprise the group a little. They had guessed it would just be having a master again. Instead he revealed that what he fantasised about most was being in a chastity device again.

James ended up revealing a story about one day when he was carrying something for his Mum but had started to get an erection for no apparent reason. Unfortunately he had been wearing fairly short shorts at the time and the head of his cock had been protruding from the bottom of the shorts by the time he could put the item down. He was sure his Mum had seen it, but she apparently never said a word.

Warren inadvertently gave away two of his own by blushing as he read them out – a time he lost his shorts in a swimming pool on holiday and the fact he used to secretly jerk off while watching Dale and James fool around together, managing to embarrass James in the process too. Nick also confessed something – when he was younger, he occasionally used to steal Corey or Nick's underwear, wank in it and then return it to their rooms. That got a fairly raucous reaction from the room, particularly from Corey and Josh.

Warren was down to the last three pieces of paper. He pulled one out and read it aloud. “I fantasise about having my own sex slave.”

Josh's eyes darted around the room. Whoever this one belonged to, he wanted to know! Corey grinned as he figured out who it was, but remained silent, enjoying the others all giving each other curious looks.

“Dale?” James asked, looking over at his friend, who just shook his head in response.

Sam leaned back, tilting his head onto Josh's shoulder again. Josh looked round at the boy. Was it him? He was clearly enjoying his not-so-subtle manipulations of Josh, but was he seeking to be a full-on master?

“It's me!” Nick called out, grinning more than blushing. “What can I say, I like to be in charge!”

Warren twisted round and kissed him, giggling, then said, “We need to try that!” The boy turned back round and pulled out the penultimate confession, slightly hesitant, knowing one of his own remained. “Okay, this one says... I want to have sex with all three McKenzie brothers at once!” Warren froze.

Corey, Josh and Nick all grinned as Sam called out. “Too easy. Warren! I already knew you wanted to do that!”

He blushed then shook his head. “Well... I do... but that's not mine!” Warren said, shrugging.

The group burst into conversation again. They quickly realised that with Warren eliminated and the three brothers named, it didn't leave many other options.

“Not me!” James said quickly.

“Me neither.” Liam added.

“Sounds fun.” Sam grinned. “But it's not me.”

All eyes fell on Dale who looked like he wished he could sink even further into the sofa. Corey winked at him and said, “Well it IS your birthday, so you never know!” He got a cushion thrown in his face by the embarrassed young man.

Realising only his own confession remained, Warren reached aside and started to put the bowl down.

“Hey, not so fast!” Sam said to his friend, seeing what the boy was up to.

“What? We've had this one.” Warren said back quietly as the rest of the group continued chatting, hoping not to draw attention.

Sam reached down and grabbed it, then called out, “Hey guys, looks like Warren doesn't want us to see this one. I think it's safe to guess whose it is then.”

“Read it out, read it out!” Corey called out excitedly.

“Sam, don't....” Warren requested, reaching out for it.

Nick held him back and said, “Hey, we had ours, take your turn!”

Warren just stared nervously as Sam unfolded the paper, seeming to do so in slow motion. He cleared his throat and read it out loudly. “Sometimes I imagine I'm jerking off and I get walked in on by my... by my best friend...” he paused and looked round at Warren who looked terrified. Sam read the rest of the paper silently, looked up at Warren then back down at the paper before adding, “And only just manage to cover up in time.”

There was a collective grunt of disapproval at the lack of embarrassment. They had obviously been hoping for something really juicy! Warren just stared at Sam who smiled back, screwing up the piece of paper and putting it in his pocket.

The game ended and it seemed to have achieved what Warren set out to. The group appeared much more relaxed, the guys happily chatting to each other, some heading to the kitchen to refill drinks while others remained in the lounge laughing about some of the revelations.

Warren had quickly run off into the kitchen to avoid Sam's gaze, followed by Nick. Josh tightened his arms around Sam a little and whispered in his ear, “That was really sweet of you.”

“What was?” Sam asked innocently, leaning to the side to look back at Josh.

“I saw what the last one really said.” Josh replied.

“Oh.” Sam said. “Well... I woulda felt bad embarrassing him that much.”

“So you're not completely evil then!” Josh said with a chuckle.

Sam responded by moving his rear around on Josh's erection even more, making the aroused man grunt excitedly, then jumped off and ran out of the lounge.

“Oh that boy is trouble!” Josh said to himself as he shuffled along the sofa to join Liam in his conversation with James.

Sam and Corey were stood in the hallway, waiting for the bathroom. When the door finally opened, Warren walked out. Corey looked back and forth between the two before excusing himself and dashing into the toilet.

Warren pulled Sam into a hug and whispered. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Sam whispered back. When the hug parted, Warren blushed as Sam grinned. He pulled the screwed up piece of paper out of his pocket, opened it out and asked, “So you'd like me to catch you jerking off, have me tell you to continue and watch you do it, then end up having sex with you?”

Warren shrugged, unsure what to say. It was a relief not to have it revealed in front of the whole group, but just hearing Sam say it was fairly mortifying. He had intended to deny any knowledge of it when it came out during the game and hadn't counted on it being the last one left.

“Hey.” Sam said, reaching out and tilting Warren's head up to force him into eye contact. “Don't be too embarrassed, we all have fantasies. Besides, your birthday's next month... you may have just given me an idea about what to get you!” Warren stared in shock, wondering if he was serious.

As Corey emerged from the doorway beside them, Sam winked quickly at his best friend then disappeared into the bathroom.

They all eventually headed back to the lounge, drinks refilled, the younger three now happily sipping on something alcoholic under the watchful eyes of Josh and Dale.

“Okay, who's ready for the main event?” Warren asked excitedly when they all quietened. Everyone watched on, the faces looking up at him showing a range of emotions from nervous to exhilarated. “We're gonna have a contest. Two teams, four events. The loser of each event gets a forfeit.”

“We'll split into teams randomly.” Corey explained, grinning with excitement, knowing what was coming. “Because me and Warren know what's coming up, we'll be on opposite teams and neither of us is allowed to reveal future events or forfeits.”

Warren placed the bowl from the earlier game on the coffee table and put six pieces of folded paper into it. “Okay, I'm team one, Corey is team two. Grab a piece of paper and form your teams.” Warren instructed, moving to one side of the room as Corey moved to the other.

The remaining six eagerly grabbed for the bowl and looked at their own numbers, splitting into two groups. Joining Warren was James, Sam and Josh while Nick, Dale and Liam joined Corey.

“One last thing.” Warren called out through the chatter. “Everyone... get naked.” There were a few murmurs of disapproval at the sudden, blunt instruction so Warren added, “You'll need to do it eventually for the events, so let's just get it out of the way.”

Everyone paused, looking round nervously at each other. None of them were particularly shy, and most of them had already been seen naked by everyone else there, but there was just something about the boy's instruction that made it scary. Corey was first to start undressing. His love of nudity had already been established that evening so he figured it was no big deal. Once he started, everyone else followed.

Most eyes seemed to fall on James once they all stood there undressed. Even flaccid his endowment was quite obvious. Not everyone was drawn to the ample cock though. Josh's eyes were fixed on the boy standing at his side. He realised that out of the whole group, Sam was the only one he had not seen naked and who, in turn, had not seen him undressed.

The boy's body was mesmerising. Smooth, flawless skin from head to toe, a torso far more muscled than he had expected from the boys slight frame, a pale white rear almost as perfect as Warren's and a small two inch cock hanging down from a tiny patch golden brown hair. Looking at the boy, along with the six other naked young men in the room, Josh soon found himself getting hard, much to Sam's delight, the boy looking at Josh and giggling. Having sat on it for so long earlier, he was now happy to see what it actually looked like.

Fortunately for Josh, he wasn't the only one getting aroused. Nick, Warren and Corey were already hard too while both Liam and Dale were sporting semis.

“Okay, round one.” Warren called out, suddenly feeling a little less confident with his clothes discarded. Having everyone look at him earlier for his instructions had made him feel like he had a little power over them, now he felt as if they were all just eyeing up his naked body hungrily. “Long distance shooting! One member from each team has to jerk off and shoot as far as they can. Whoever gets the furthest, wins. Simple as that!”

“Each team gets to pick who'll do it, but each competitor can only take part in one event of the competition, so choose carefully.” Corey added. “Oh yeah, and there's a forfeit for the loser!”

The two teams gathered into separate huddles, discussing their best option. When the chatter died down, the teams moved back out into rows facing each other. Warren stepped forward and announced,  “I'm doing it for our team.”

Nick grinned and stepped forward from his own team's line-up. “And I'm doing it for mine!” he said, grinning back at the boy.

“Ooh, boyfriend rivalry!” Sam called out happily, subconsciously tugging at his cock at the thought of watching his two friends compete.

“You're going down!” Warren taunted.

“I am, but first I'm gonna win this!” Nick replied, winking.

The long stretch of hard wood floor running behind the sofa was chosen as the 'shooting range' and the two boys stood side by side as everyone else scrambled to get a decent view of the contest. “You can start whenever you want. There's no time limit!” Corey instructed.

Nick and Warren, so full of bravado moments before, suddenly became nervous. Being naked in front of their friends was one thing, but they were about to stand there and jerk off. Being seen by Corey, Dale and Josh was no big deal, they had seen it all before. It was Sam, James and Liam that were triggering the nerves.

“Come on then.” Nick said, looking sideways at his boyfriend. He took hold of his cock, which had remained solid since their clothes came off, and started stroking it. Warren copied.

“Woooo!” Sam cheered out as his best friend began pleasuring himself. It triggered a wave of cheers from the others, each guy cheering on their own team mate and taunting the opponent.

Once he got going, Warren quickly found himself enjoying the attention. He looked round at Nick who was smiling too. “Pretty hot, huh?” he asked quietly.

“I think I'm turning into Sam, I'm enjoying having an audience.” Nick replied with a giggle as his hand pumped away.

“Me too. I think we might need to try more of this!” Warren said back with a wink.

“I'm totally gonna win, by the way!” Nick said, moaning slightly as he felt himself edging closer, trying to psych out Warren.

“No way!” Warren insisted, smiling as Sam, Josh and James cheered him on.

“If you're so sure, you wanna make it interesting?” Nick asked.

Warren whimpered as a wave of pleasure rippled through him. He was getting close. “There's already a forfeit ya know!”

“Yeah, but I mean just something between us.” Nick said back.

Warren's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked across at the teen. Then grinned as an idea came to him. “Okay. Whoever wins gets a night in charge of the loser. No restrictions. Whatever the winner wants, no matter what it is!” Warren suggested.

“Deal.” Nick replied. “I'd shake on it, but... ya know, kinda busy!”

Warren laughed. “Awesome. I'm gonna win the competition AND I'm gonna own your ass for a night! I hope you're ready for some embarrassing shit!”

“Not... gonna... happen.” Nick replied, gasping as his cock erupted. Several shots spurted out, the first landing about four feet away, the rest splatting onto the ground gradually closer and closer until the last few dribbles just splatted down in front of his feet.

There was a round of applause from his team, while Warren's compatriots just cheered him on even louder, belittling Nick's attempt and telling Warren he could do better. They didn't have to wait long to see if he could. With a happy moan, Warren shot his load. Everyone watched the first shot fly. Sam, Josh and James started cheering before it even hit the ground. It was very quickly obvious it was going to go a lot further than Nick's longest distance.

Nick stared in dismay as the younger boy's spunk surpassed his own. He shot his boyfriend an unhappy glare then looked back apologetically at his team.

“Warren wins.” Corey said unhappily.

“That means it's forfeit time!” Warren said happily, running back to the coffee table.

Dale quickly cleaned up the mess then rejoined the others as Warren pulled out four envelopes from his bag. “Four envelopes, four forfeits. Three are bad, one's good, just to keep it interesting. Take your pick!” Warren said, teasingly waving them at his unhappy looking boyfriend.

Nick silently reached out and picked one, then quickly tore it open. He pulled out a piece of paper and read it out. “Go and stand on the street naked for ten minutes!” The group started cheering and laughing as he just stared at it. “No chance. No fucking way!” he insisted.

“Well you either do it willingly, or we'll take you down there by force, tie to a tree and leave you there for an hour! Your call.” Corey said with a wicked grin. “Personally I... hope you choose the second option!”

“Fuck you. I hate you all!” Nick said unhappily, walking towards the door, knowing that the threatened retaliation for refusal would be happily inflicted upon him by the others.

“You don't have to go far.” Warren called after him. “Just down here in front of the building so we can all watch. We'll give you a shout when your time's up.”

Without another word, Nick left the apartment, covering up his quickly-softened cock and balls with both hands. The rest of the group dashed to the window. Thankfully, the height of it and the angle down onto the street hid their own nudity from passers-by, meaning they would only be visible from the shoulders up. They all cheered loudly as Nick appeared on the street. He glanced up at them angrily.

It was already dark, but the area was fairly well lit with street lights, giving the naked boy very little cover. He went and stood by the side of the road, facing away from his cheering audience, giving them a great view of his rear. Much to the group's disappointment, the street was fairly quiet. Several cars drove past in the ten minutes Nick was stood there, some beeping their horns while people cheered or whistled from other ones, but nobody actually walked past him, but they still knew he would have hated every second.

“His time's up.” Warren said, reaching to open the window.

“Leave him longer!” Sam said with a cruel grin.

“Nah, he's done what he had to. Call him in.” Dale insisted, a little protective of the boy.

“TIME'S UP!” Warren called through the open window.

As soon as he heard it, Nick sprinted back into the building. He got a renewed round of applause as he came back into the apartment. Warren pulled him into a hug, partly to warm him up, but also so he could whisper, “That was so hot! Maybe I'll make you do it again when you pay up on our bet too!”

Nick found himself reluctantly smiling as he kissed his boyfriend.

“Hey, no fraternising with the enemy!” Josh called out, heading over to the two of them. He put an arm around Warren and dragged him back to their team who had now separated from their opponents once again.

As they prepared for round two, most of them downed a drink in preparation for what might be coming next.

“Okay, round two.” Corey declared happily. “This one's a race. Whichever team can make an opponent cum the quickest will win. Each team gets to pick the contestant from the opposite team this time. Whoever cums first gets the forfeit.”

As soon as Corey finished the explanation, the teams huddled again, whispering among themselves as they plotted the best strategy to win. When both teams had decided, Warren spoke for his team again. “Okay, we pick Corey. He'll take about a minute, the horny little fucker!”

Corey laughed at the comment and called back. “Well we choose James.”

James looked stunned. So far he had remained quiet, enjoying the light hearted fun of the games, but it suddenly got very real. So far, the only guys who had ever touched him were Josh and Dale. It was a little comforting to know that Dale would be one of the opponents pleasuring him, but he looked nervously back and forth between Liam and Nick who remained physically unknown to him.

“Okay.” he said nervously, but trying to sound confident. “But I've got a feeling you might lose. I can't see me really getting turned on by you ugly fuckers!”

Warren smirked. “He's got a good point. He's not really your best bet.” he looked at the opposite team, then back at James and grinned. “Unless you're not playing to win.”

James looked at Warren, a little confused.

“I think they just wanna.... try out the goods!” Warren explained, pointing to James' huge dick, making him blush and try to cover up

“Just come and sit down.” Corey said, patting one of the armchairs before jumping into the other.

James took a seat as directed and looked on nervously as Dale, Liam and Nick gathered round him. Josh, Warren and Sam stood round Corey.

“Get started then!” the youngest boy called out, then put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Josh and Warren quickly got to work on Corey while Dale and Nick started on James. Liam and Sam both remained standing, looking somewhat hesitant, neither of them overly experienced.

Warren was sucking on Corey's nipple while Josh took his little brother's cock into his mouth. As Josh realised Sam was still standing, he released the erection and looked at the boy, smiling sweetly. He reached up and stroked the boy's arm, then gestured for him to kneel. Nervously, Sam did as directed then reached out and placed his hand near Corey's stomach, not touching it yet.

“It's okay.” Josh whispered. “Don't do anything you don't want to.” He ran his hand down Sam's bare back, making him shudder and giggle.

“I want to.” Sam said back, grinning. He placed his hand on Corey's stomach, then slid it slowly upwards as Josh took the erection back between his lips.

Meanwhile, James was a little shocked at how quickly he had gotten hard under the eager touches of Dale and Nick. Seeing James at full length, Liam quickly joined in. 

“Oh fuck!” James moaned as all three of them managed to fit their hands round it at the same time. The three of them quickly got into a pattern, stroking up and down together. James gripped at the arms of the chair, breathing heavily as he enjoyed the triple hand-job.

“Let's win this quick!” Dale said with a grin, worrying James a little. He raised a finger to his lips and wet it. He started lowering it as James stared.

“What are you doing?” the aroused man asked anxiously as the finger disappeared between his legs. “FUUUUCK!” he yelped as he felt Dale's finger pressing into his hole. The other team looked round and stared as they realised what Dale was doing, and more importantly, what James appeared to be enjoying.

Dale wasted no time in his fingering, focusing entirely on his friend's virgin prostate. “Oh fuck.” James whimpered as he found himself speeding towards orgasm thanks to the three hands and one finger.

Josh found himself smiling as he felt Corey's cock stiffening more and twitching slightly as the boy opened his eyes watched what was going on in the other armchair. Sam continued caressing the boy's body, but his attention was clearly on James' giant cock anal stimulation too.

It didn't take long before James yelled out again, this time announcing his ejaculation. With the three hands still pumping away and pointing his enormous tool straight up, the cum shot out in every direction, flying up in the air and splatting down onto his own stomach and the arms of the three young men stroking him.

He whimpered excitedly as Dale gave his prostate a few extra teasing pokes before pulling his finger out. He sat there panting, staring in shock at Dale who just grinned back.

“We win!” Nick said happily.

“Aaah.” Corey moaned as he shot a load into Josh's mouth, sped towards his climax by James' excited ejaculation.

Josh quickly released the boy's cock and called out happily. “Done here too.”

“Too late.” James panted with a grin, still recovering from the intense stimulation. He stared slightly shocked at Dale, still reeling from the unexpected fingering.

Warren jumped onto his feet. “That means it's forfeit time!” He said excitedly, grabbing the envelopes off of the table and holding them out to James.

“Fuck, I forgot that bit.” he muttered unhappily, coming down from his post-orgasm high even quicker. He reached out, hand shaking a little and took an envelope. He opened it and pulled out the paper. “Kiss anyone of your choice for ten minutes!”

“Aww, you got the good one.” Warren said, somewhat disappointed.

“That's the good one?” James asked, staring at Warren in shock.

Warren jumped over the coffee table and flopped onto the sofa. “Yeah, what's the problem?”

James looked round, blushing slightly. “I've never actually kissed another guy.” His revelation was greeted by a chorus of cheers and taunts about first kisses, embarrassing him even more.

“So who's it gonna be?” Corey asked excitedly, joining Warren on the sofa.

“Josh.” James said quickly. Possibly too quickly.

Josh stared at him as Dale looked back and forth between them both. James had made it clear from their conversation earlier in the week that there was no attraction between them, but to have chosen him for this, especially so eagerly, did it mean something? Or was it simply that Josh was the one he felt most comfortable with? James looked back at him.

“Go on then.” Liam said with a laugh, nudging Josh towards the terrified looking young man who stood up nervously.

They stood facing each other as their six spectators gathered on or near the sofa. Josh and James slowly moved closer and closer together. When they were within arm's reach of each other, Josh put his hands on James' hips, making his breath quicken. They stared into each other's eyes, Josh giving questioning looks, trying to figure out the motive for the choice while James just stared back hungrily.

Josh pulled James forward, making their lips meet. They knew they had quite some time to kill, so they took it slowly, taking several seconds before either of them parted their lips. As the seconds ticked by, the kissing grew more and more passionate. James' hands found their way onto Josh's back, sliding down to cup his buttocks. There may have been a cheer from the audience, but he was too lost in Josh to notice. The hands slid up Josh's back all the way until they felt his hair.

Their kissing grew more and more frantic, hands all over each other, bodies pressed together, both of them rock hard again. They stopped suddenly when they each felt a tap on their shoulder. Pulling apart breathlessly, they found themselves staring at Dale.

“We've been telling you to stop for the last minute. Your time's up!” Dale said. He was smiling, but Josh could see something else in his eyes.

“Sorry, got carried away.” Josh said with a laugh, walking away.

James stood frozen on the spot, a little dazed by the experience.

Warren could easily sense the obvious tension and suggested, “Why don't we have a break.” 

James nodded eagerly, running into the kitchen to get another drink.

Some time later, refuelled by more alcohol and snacks, they reconvened in the lounge ready for round three with Warren taking the lead again. “Okay, this round is called Speed Sixty-Nine. Each team chooses a contestant, they sixty-nine and whoever makes their opponent cum first, wins!”

The two teams gathered again. As James and Warren had already competed for their team, it was between Josh and Sam. Josh looked at the younger boy, who appeared terrified. Giving Sam a quick smile and a gentle squeeze of his shoulder, he said, “I'll do it.”

“Thanks.” Sam said quietly, breathing a sigh of relief. He felt momentarily bad for teasing Josh earlier when the man had been nothing but kind to him, but it soon passed as he started to think about seeing him sixty-nine someone.

“You guys ready?” Warren called out to the opposing team.

“Yeah.” Corey said, turning away from his team to face Warren. “We're going with Dale. And you?”

“Ooh, it's another boyfriend showdown... we're going with Josh!” Warren called back excitedly as the two line ups stared each other down. “And the teams are currently tied for points, so whoever wins this one will take the lead.”

“Come on then.” Dale said, grinning at his boyfriend. “Let's get on with it.”

Josh was quietly confident. By now he knew all the best ways to turn Dale on, so getting him to cum quickly would be pretty easy. Conversely, Dale knew him just as well, but he still felt he might have the edge. He suddenly found himself wishing Sam hadn't spent the first part of the night teasing him so much though, it had got him incredibly horny and the feeling of it still lingered.

Dale grabbed a blanket from one of the cupboards and spread it out on the floor in the spot that had been used earlier as Warren and Nick's shooting range, obviously not wanting to lay directly on the cold wooden floor. As he lay down, Josh copied in the opposite direction. They both reached out and casually started playing with the other's cock, feeling themselves stiffen rapidly under the watchful eyes of their guests.

Dale found himself feeling pretty nervous about being watched, but figured that his nerves might actually help in reducing his excitement. He sat up a a little and looked at Josh, then asked, “Ready?”

“Hell yeah!” Josh grinned excitedly, his exhibitionist side enjoying every moment.

That was all the prompting either of them needed. They turned onto their sides, facing each other and each slipped their boyfriend's dick into their mouth. They both got to work quickly, sucking and licking away happily. Josh looked round at the boys and young men watching him, cursing himself for getting more and more turned on by the mix of embarrassment and excitement. He could see Sam attempting to subtly play with his stiff little tool as he watched. Corey was doing the same. Most of the others were very visibly aroused too but refrained from touching themselves.

Josh felt Dale's cock twitching inside his mouth, he wasn't far from cumming. Unfortunately, the mix of Dale's expert stimulation, the gaze of the horny audience and the feeling of Dale's twitching meat pushed Josh over the edge. He grunted as he filled Dale's mouth with his cream, mere seconds before Dale did the same to him.

Sucking each other dry, they released each other at the same time and lay back on the blanket, panting and chuckling to each other, hands casually stroking whatever body part they happened to come to rest on.

“Well, who won?” Warren demanded eagerly.

Without sitting up, Josh pointed to Dale who raised his hands into the air victoriously, getting a cheer from his team. The six spectators headed to the other side of the sofa where the last two envelopes remained on the coffee table. Josh and Dale helped each other climb onto their feet and then joined them.

“Take your pick.” Corey said, holding up the two possible forfeits.

Josh grabbed one, smiling. He ripped it open and read out his punishment. “Suck the dick of every person here for one minute!”

There was a cheer from the rest of the guys as Josh laughed. “I thought this was meant to be a forfeit, not a reward!”

Warren shrugged. “I was hoping one of the straighties would get that one. Would have been a lot more fun!”

Josh shrugged, threw the paper down then returned to the blanket, kneeling down. “Come on then, let's do it!” Everyone dashed around him eagerly, forming a circle around the kneeling man, seven stiff dicks pointing straight at him. “Now, where to start?” he asked with a grin.

Sam stared at him nervously, something that did not go unnoticed by Josh. Finally seeing a chance at a little revenge, he turned to the boy and started moving towards him. Sam's breath caught in his throat. “I think I'll start with...” Josh teased. At the last moment, he turned to his left and took hold of Warren's cock instead. He sniggered to himself as he heard a moan from the boy.

He sucked away on Warren's cock for the minute that was required, enjoying the boy's happy mews. Josh carried on around the circle after that, going the opposite way to Sam so that he would have to wait until last. Next came James, then Nick, Liam, Dale (whose cock still quite sensitive from his orgasm minutes before) and Corey. Finally, Sam was the only one left. His cock was rigid and literally dripping precum, the boy almost hyperventilating in anticipation.

Josh grinned up at his tormentor, revelling in the flipping of their earlier roles and asked, “You ready?” He just got an eager nod back. As much as Josh was enjoying the boy's awkwardness, he found he was fairly nervous himself. All night he had been watching the boy, the beautiful delicate features of his face, the way the light shone off of his golden brown hair, his slim, smooth body. Now the boy's slippery erection was calling him like a siren's song. As he got closer, he poked out his tongue, catching a drop of precum before sliding his lips down the solid shaft.

“Oh fuck!” Sam yelped happily. He had to reach out to the two guys either side of him to keep his balance as he felt his legs wobble. He moaned excitedly as Josh sucked away on him. He didn't care that everyone was looking, sniggering at his extreme arousal, it just felt too good. He could feel himself verging on an explosion. “Oh God, I think I'm gonna...”

“Time's up!” Warren called out, looking at the clock.

Josh released the boy's boner.

“Nooo.” Sam whimpered, his hips still thrusting a little as he felt his orgasm still moments away. He turned to Warren and demanded furiously, “What's the final event?”

Warren laughed at his best friend's sudden eagerness. He was the only left for his team, so he knew that whatever it was, he would be doing it. Presumably he just needed to cum. “It's hands-free cumming.” Warren replied, making sure Liam could hear too as he would be competing for the opposing team. “First person to cum wins, but no hand or mouth can touch your cock.”

“Right.” Sam said, an almost crazed look in his eyes. He grabbed Josh by the shoulders, span him round on the spot then pushed him roughly, making him stumble forward onto all fours. He looked at Liam. “We've started, by the way!”

Liam and everyone else just stared as Sam lowered himself behind Josh, pressing his rigid dick into Josh's crack. He humped the man roughly, his small slippery erection sliding up and down Josh's cleft. He moaned loudly for just a few seconds until he yelled out. “YESSSSS!”

As everyone watched, the boy's cock erupted, shooting several squirts of spunk all over Josh's back. His legs finally give way and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

There was silence as Sam panted, then suddenly, everyone burst into applause. Josh turned and pulled the boy into a brief hug, before lifting his hand in the air to signify his victory. “I think it's safe to say Sam won that one!” he chuckled. The boy was blushing profusely, but couldn't help smiling at the adulation of the others.

Through heavy breaths, Sam just replied, “I need a drink!”

Still laughing at Sam's request, they stopped for another break. Josh attempted to stop Sam, Corey and Warren from sneaking more alcohol, but gave up when he realised it was a fight they were going to win.

Liam had settled back on the sofa, chatting to James about the games they had just played when his vision was obstructed by a white envelope. He looked up to see Warren stood there waving it in front of him.

“Did you forget something, Liam?” Warren called out loudly, getting everyone's attention.

Liam looked a little annoyed. “I was hoping you'd forgotten that!” he grunted.

“Ha, no chance.” Warren insisted as everyone watched on eagerly. He pulled the envelope away as Liam reached out for it. “Although you've gotta do something else first.”

Liam looked at him questioningly.

Warren grinned at Corey who joined in, knowing where Warren was heading. “The games were designed to make everyone cum... but you never actually did, so you've gotta do that first. THEN you can have your forfeit.”

The explanation got a cheer from the other guys and an annoyed frown from Liam.

“That's not fair. It's like I'm getting punished twice, just because the kid can cum so quick!” Liam said, waving dismissively towards the boy sat beside him on the sofa.

“It's not my fault you're so slow off the mark.” Sam teased back. “Now grow a pair and take your turn!”

The boy's retort got a round of laughter from everyone else while Liam just shrugged, figuring he was unlikely to get out of it. “Whatever.” he grunted, then reached down to start stroking his dick. It felt weird having everyone watching him and it took a few minutes to get hard, but once he did he found their stares and jeers actually spurred him on, making him eager to shoot a huge load just to shut them up!

Several minutes later, moaning quietly to himself he turned to the side, aimed his cock at Sam and his cock erupted. The first few shots hit Sam before he had a chance to move, getting an unexpected cum-shower. Cock still twitching in his hand, Liam happily called out, “Now who's slow off the mark?”

“Urrgh, you dick!” Sam scowled back at him, then scooped some of the thick goo off of himself and flicked it back at Liam who flinched away from it.

“Hey, no cum on the sofa!” Dale called out.

Josh sniggered. “Yeah, like that's the first time!” He got a punch in the arm from Dale.

Warren held out the envelope in front of Liam again. “And now this, remember!”

Liam grabbed the envelope and tore it open, then read out the forfeit. “Choose someone to finger you for ten minutes! Aww, come on, that's not fair.”

Now it was Nick's turn to scoff. “What, and mine was?”

Liam knew arguing would do no good, and everyone else had taken their forfeits fairly. “Fine. I'll do it. Although if someone's gonna be sticking fingers in me, I may as well make it the expert. I choose Dale!” he said dejectedly. His decision got some cheers of support, the crowd remembering happily the way Dale had worked James over earlier.

Dale said nothing, he just walked up to Liam, grabbed his legs and pulled them forward, making him slide down into an almost-laying position, then raised the legs over his shoulders.

“Well this is dignified!” Liam joked as he lay there looking round at the spectators.

“Let's pop this cherry!” Dale joked, under the impression that all of Liam's guy-on-guy activity had involved him as the top. His hookups with Ryan had remained a closely guarded secret between the two friends. He licked a finger and pressed gently on Liam's hole, but was amazed to find it slide in so easily, with very little reaction from the young man. He added a second, and while Liam seemed to react a little more, it was still a lot less than he would have expected. He shot Liam a suspicious look and just got a grin and a wink back.

Dale soon got to work finger-fucking Liam, ensuring to give his rear as much of a workout as possible. His cock, still firm from the previous masturbation started twitching after just five minutes of prostate-poking and a second load oozed out. They headed for the ten minute mark and Dale could tell Liam was close to cumming again, so when he was advised the time was up, he kept on going to force out a third.

To the sound of cheers and applause, Dale pulled his fingers out and let Liam's legs drop, leaving him exhausted, sweaty and covered in his own cum.

“Would it be wrong if I said I wanted a turn next!” Nick giggled. Dale shot him a wink.

More drinks were consumed as they gave Liam a few minutes to clean up and recover, the alcohol really starting to kick in for some of them.

When Liam came back to join the others, he asked curiously, “So which team actually won?”

Warren thought for a moment, slightly tipsy from the drinks he had been sneaking. “Two all, I guess it was a draw!”

“So... we all lost?” Sam asked, looking unhappy with it. He had done his part for his team and he wanted a victory.

Warren put an arm around his friend and giggled. “I prefer to think of it as we all won!” The comment got some cheers and raised glasses from the others, who toasted the shared victory.

“So if we all won, do we all get a prize?” Josh joked.

Warren stared at him for a moment, the wicked look on the boy's face worrying him slightly. “I'm sure I can think of something! Gimme a bit of time and I'll figure out our reward!” His speech was very slightly slurred.

The rest of the guys all went back to their conversations and drinking while Dale approached Josh. “Hey, we really need to keep an eye on Warren or he's gonna be wasted.”

Josh sniggered. “I bet he's a fun drunk!” The stern look he got from the boy's big brother told him the humour was unappreciated, so he shrugged and said, “Fine, I'll keep an eye.”

About half an hour later, Warren stood up to make an announcement. “Ladies, gentlemen... and Corey.” he sniggered to himself. “If you would like to follow me, it's time for our prize!”

Warren headed towards Josh and Dale's bedroom, closely followed by everyone else who started guessing what the boy had planned. As they got into the other room, he raised his hands for silence and called out, “Dale, I know it's your birthday, but I don't think you'll mind if I make Josh the star of the show, will you?”

Dale looked round the suddenly-nervous-looking Josh and grinned. “Fine by me!” he called back happily.

“Good, then get on your back!” Warren replied, catching Dale a little by surprise. He would have expected that after a question like that, Josh would be up first.

Dale followed Warren's instructions on where to lay, with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed and then, at Warren's command, stroked his cock hard. Warren grabbed the lube from the cabinet and applied it to his big brother's cock, then looked to Josh and said, “Take a seat!”

Josh looked round nervously, wondering where this was going. Was Warren planning on getting him fucked by everyone in the room? The boy guided him into a very specific position, sitting on the cock and then laying back onto Dale.

“James, you're up, so.... get up!” Warren joked, pointing to the man's huge cock that was already semi-hard.

James looked as nervous as Josh had, but found it easy to get hard as he watched Josh laying on top of Dale, impaled on his boner.

“You'll need this!” Warren said, throwing the lube to James. “Now hurry up and get in there, plenty of room for two!”

There was a shocked silence around the room and an almost-excited grunt from both Josh and Dale as they realised the boy intended for Josh to be double-penetrated. Josh's cock, already semi-firm quickly stretched to full length. 

With James' monster cock at full rigidity, he stepped forward excitedly and started pushing against Josh's hole. It stretched around his cock, getting a whimper of pain and excitement from Josh himself.

Josh had been double-penetrated once before. That was with Dale and Liam, who whole both reasonably well-endowed, couldn't compare to James' girth. Josh was in heaven!

“Nick, Corey, you're up!” Warren instructed Josh's two younger siblings. “Let's see if he can fit two cocks in the other end too!”

“What the fuck!” Josh called out in amazement. He had sucked two cocks at once before too, but not whilst being double-penetrated. It seemed even more shocking that the cocks in his mouth would both belong to his brothers.

Corey and Nick, while both shocked at Warren's instructions, quickly climbed onto the bed and manoeuvred their already-solid dicks into Josh's waiting mouth. It was a squeeze, but they both managed to force the heads in, Josh's mouth stretching as much as his rear.

“Liam, you seemed to enjoy it up the bum so much before that I think you should have it again. Climb up and ride Josh!” Warren ordered.

There was an whimper from Josh, muffled by the cock's in his mouth and a few shocked laughs from everyone else. They had all seen Warren thinking carefully over the last half hour, but none of them could have imagined this would be the result.

Just as everyone else had previously, Liam followed the instructions without question. Liam lubed his rear and then carefully positioned himself over Josh then squatted the short distance to impale himself on the man's tool.

Warren watched excitedly as his plan came together. Now it was just him and Sam left. Sam looked an adorable mix of terrified and amazed. Before tonight, his exposure to sexual activity had been little more than occasional teases and wanks. Suddenly he found himself staring at the insane six-way going on in front of him, both dreading getting involved and hoping to at the same time.

“I'm afraid most of his good bits are taken. All that's left are the hands, so I guess you can pick left or right!” Warren said, grinning at his young friend.

Sam grinned and quickly jumped onto the bed, grabbing Josh's hand and placing it around his little stiffy. Warren jumped up on the other side and did the same.

“And we don't stop until everyone's cum!” Warren called out. 

The bed was groaning under the weight of them all, but so too was Josh. James thrust away in his rear, Dale allowing James' movements to stimulate his cock too as his movements were somewhat limited by the pile of men on top of him. Corey and Nick happily fucked their big brother's mouth, arms around each other to help keep their balance. Liam bounced up and down happily on Josh's cock while playing with his own. Sam and Warren had to keep poking Josh's arms to remind him to stroke. With so much going on he had a tendency to forget to keep his hands moving.

Who actually came first was a bit of a mystery, but whoever it was started a chain reaction, eventually rippling through all eight of them as they shot their second (or in Liam's case, fourth) load of the night. Each one of them was wet and sticky from sweat and cum as the formation began to disassemble. Soon they were no more than a pile of naked guys, arms and legs poking out in every direction, all laying tangled in each other and regaining their composure.

“Warren you're a fucking genius!” Dale called out from the bottom of the pile, getting a mix of weary laughter and cheers from the others.

One by one they started to get up and head out of the bedroom, showering quickly on their way to get more drinks and refill on snacks. They all put their underwear back on, feeling a little uncomfortable sitting round naked, but not feeling any need to cover up fully.

About an hour later, Dale, Corey, Liam, James and Sam were back in the lounge when Warren came walking in. He got another round of applause for the 'entertainment' he had planned. Taking a bow, he staggered, tripped over his own feet and fell on the floor. He lifted his glass, still somehow containing most of its contents and slurred. “Didn't even spill a drop!” He started giggling as dale and Josh looked on in concern.

“And that's enough of that for you!” Dale said, walking over to him and taking the glass.

“Hey, that's mine!” Warren snapped, climbing onto his feet and reaching for the drink.

“Technically it's mine, and I'm cutting you off!” Dale laughed.

“Fuck you!” Warren snarled and punched Dale in the stomach.

Dale flinched a little, but being so much larger than the boy, it wasn't a particularly painful hit. Putting Warren's drink down, he glared down at his younger brother as silence filled the room. “Over the line, Warren. Come with me!” He grabbed the boy by the wrist and dragged him away towards the bedroom.

“What's going on?” Josh asked as he and Nick peered out from the kitchen as they passed.

“Nothing. Carry on.” Dale snapped.

Josh shrugged and pulled Nick back into the kitchen where they had been talking.

Corey watched Dale and Warren disappear, then looked round at Liam, Sam and James. “I always thought he'd be a violent drunk!” he sniggered, breaking the tension that the boy's sudden outburst had caused.

An awkward silence fell between the four, nobody knowing quite what to say next. James looked round at Corey and Liam on the sofa then at Sam on the other armchair. This was the chance he had been waiting for. “Hey, you guys are all.... straight, right?” he asked nervously, emboldened by the alcohol to ask something that had been playing on his mind.

“Erm...” Corey mumbled.

“That's... a difficult question.” Liam said, Corey nodding his agreement.

“I am!” Sam said insistently. “At least I think I am.”

“It's...” Corey started. “Sometimes it's not black and white. Some people are gay, some are bi, some are straight but I think most people fall somewhere in between.”

“That's... yeah, I think that's right.” Liam said, thinking about the boy's explanation. “Why d'you ask?” He looked back to James.

The young man shrugged. “I'm kinda new to this. Apart from messing around with Dale, I'd only ever been with girls til recently.”

“Same here!” Sam sniggered, slightly tipsy.

“But you enjoy doing things with guys?” Liam asked.

James and Sam both nodded.

“So... what? I'm bi?” James asked, looking confused.

“I've got something I think about when I start thinking about these things. Try this.” Corey said, sitting up and leaning forward. “Both of you. Close your eyes.” Sam and James did as instructed. Liam did it too, despite not being the target of Corey's exercise. The boy continued. “Now imagine it's 20 years later. You're getting home from work. You walk in the front door, hang up your coat and call out to say you're home. Now think about who appears when you call. Is it a man, is it a woman or can you imagine either? Don't say which, just think it! Now open your eyes.”

The other three opened their eyes, James and Sam both looking happily at Corey, his exercise having helped them both visualise more clearly what they actually wanted. Corey looked round at Liam and saw him frowning.

“You okay?” Corey asked.

Liam realised he was being looked at and put on a smile. “Yeah, all good.” he said a little too cheerfully.

Corey turned his attention back to the other two. “So there you go. If you wanna put a label on it, you've got a better idea of what the label should say, but why worry about it? Do I imagine a wife and kids, like a million years from now? Yes. Am I going to enjoy the occasional bit of fun with guys? Probably. In the end, the labels really don't matter, do they?”

James and Sam both smiled at the boy. “Josh always says how smart you are. I guess he wasn't exaggerating.”

Corey took a swig of his drink then replied, “Hey, it's Josh, compared to him, anyone's a genius!”

They burst into laughter at the boy's insult, laughing even more as Josh appeared from the kitchen, clueless about what had just been said. Acting innocent, Corey jumped up off the sofa and asked, “Who needs a refill?”

The other three all raised their empty glasses and bottles. “I'll give you a hand.” Liam said, grabbing James' empty bottle as Corey grabbed Sam's glass.

Josh grabbed Corey as he walked past and said quietly, “Soft drinks for you two!”

“Of course!” Corey said back with a smile. As soon as he started walking away, he looked back at Sam, winked and raised his glass.

Josh was about to say something, catching the gesture out of the corner of his eye when he saw Dale reappear. “Hey, you okay? What happened?”

Dale approached him, scowling. “Booze and fifteen-year-olds don't mix. Who knew!” Dale said frustratedly.

“Where's Warren?” Josh asked, trying not to appear too concerned over the boy.

Dale grabbed the drink out of Josh's hand and downed it. “He's in our bedroom, sulking!”

Josh looked round in the direction of their room and said, “Maybe I can talk some sense into him.”

“Whatever. I need another drink!” Dale replied, heading for the kitchen. Josh followed but carried on walking down the corridor after Dale veered off.

Warren was laying on the bed when Josh walked on, arms folded over his chest, glaring angrily at the ceiling.

“Oh stop pouting!” Josh said with a smirk.

“Josh!” Warren said happily, jumping up. “I thought you was gonna be Dale again.” His speech was slightly slurred. Josh was surprised. The boy had either drunk a lot more than he realised, or he just got drunk incredibly easily. Looking at his slender build, it was easy to imagine how little it would actually take. He suddenly felt more guilty about not stepping in to stop Corey on his way to get another round for himself and Sam.

“I think you're a bit drunk.” Josh said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders and pushing him back to sit back on the bed.

Warren jumped back up, threw his arms around Josh and pulled him into a kiss. When he pulled away, he stared into the young man's eyes and said, probably louder than he realised, “I love you so much Josh.”

Josh looked round nervously. It wasn't unusual for Warren to say it. Warren, Josh and all of their brothers were quite comfortable saying they loved each other, but Josh worried that Warren may say something more revealing. Thankfully there was nobody within earshot so he just said back quietly, “Love you too, little man.”

“No, Josh, you don't get it. I love you. I really really love you. I wanna be with you. I hate Dale, he's a dick. Kick him out and I'll live here with you, or we can just run away together. I love you.” Warren said, half giggling.

“Warren. Shh. Someone's gonna hear. And you don't hate Dale.” Josh said in a hushed tone, looking round nervously again.

“I do. He's a bastard. He took my drink. And I've only had...” Warren stopped, tilting his head and obviously trying to count, but losing his train of thought. “I love you. Just you!”

“Warren, stop it!” Josh snapped firmly. The boy stared at him in shock. It was like he was in big brother mode, but even more serious. “You know I love you, but you know I love Dale too. And what about Nick?”

“He's got... some other guy, some older guy... at college. He's probably gonna dump me anyway so you're all I've got. Don't you want me either?” Warren said, sniffing as his eyes watered.

Josh sighed and ran his fingers through Warren's hair. “Of course I want you. You're my amazing little man, but you're a bit drunk and I don't think you're thinking straight. Maybe we should talk about this in the morning. For now, we should go back to the party. Whadda you say?” Josh said, trying to calm the boy.

Warren just nodded, a single tear running down his cheek. Josh reached up and wiped it away, then kissed him gently.

“I don't think I should drink any more.” Warren said sadly as they got up and headed for the door.

“That's probably a good idea.” Josh said, trying not to let Warren see him smile.

They rejoined the others in the lounge. By this point, even the older guys were beginning to feel the first buzz of drunkenness from the copious amounts of alcohol, but it only served to help them relax. Warren apologised to Dale, getting a hug from his big brother in return before retreating to cuddle up to Nick.

The evening continued to fly by. Dale's birthday was toasted several times, normally as an excuse to down some shots (for the older attendees only), conversations went from sensible, to ridiculous, to arguments and back again several times. Warren stuck to his suggestion of not drinking any more and gradually started to sober up a little, looking somewhat embarrassed every time he caught Josh's eye.

Somewhere around midnight, the group had split somewhat. Nick and Warren had vanished into the spare room and, based on the noises coming from it, were very much enjoying the privacy. Meanwhile, Dale, James and Liam were sat together in one corner of the lounge. Josh occasionally glanced at James, thinking of the kiss they had shared as his forfeit. The looks he got back from the young man were a little confusing, but he put that down to the alcohol.

Josh was sat on the sofa with Sam at his side, the boy always seeming to linger close by, while Corey was on an armchair opposite. It seemed Corey's maturity beyond his years also applied to his ability to handle alcohol. From what Josh could tell, the boy had easily consumed as much as Warren and Sam, but showed no signs of inebriation. Thanks to Josh's intervention after his encounter with Warren, all three boys had been cut off so that hopefully meant there shouldn't be any hangovers in the morning, at least not for those three. They had been chatting about nothing in particular when Corey stopped and smiled at him.

“What?” Josh asked, curiously.

Corey said nothing, he just gestured towards Sam. The boy was cuddled up to Josh's side, his arms wrapped tightly around Josh's, fast asleep.

Josh smiled back at his little brother. He hadn't even noticed how Sam had taken hold of him, he had just gotten so used to having the boy close by. As he looked down at the sleeping teen now though, he felt himself stop breathing. Awake, he was a beautiful boy. Asleep he was outright angelic.

“I'm gonna put him in bed.” Josh whispered to Corey. Josh carefully pulled his arm free of the boy's grip, stood up then reached down to scoop Sam up in his arms.

He carried the boy down the hallway and through the door into the bedroom. Reaching down with one hand, he pulled back the covers, carefully placed Sam down, then pulled them back over him. He knelt beside the bed for a moment, just watching the boy sleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Before he could move away, Sam's eyes opened.

“Sorry, didn't mean to wake you.” Josh said with a smile, stroking the boy's hair away from his eyes. “I'll let you sleep.” He stood up.

“Josh.” Sam said, reaching out to grab the young man's hand. “Could you... lay with me, just for a minute?”

Josh looked round nervously again, as if he were doing something wrong, but the boy only seemed to want a cuddle. There was no harm in that so he nodded. Sam shuffled across to make room for Josh to get in beside him. As soon as the covers were pulled across, Josh turned onto his side, slid an arm under the boy's shoulders and pulled him close.

Sam mewed happily as he buried his face into Josh's bare chest, cuddling against the larger man. After a few minutes, Josh attempted to move away, feeling like he had given the boy the 'just for a minute' he had requested. Sam held onto him, and straightened out, moving his head up onto the pillow, his face only inches from Josh's.

They both stared, hands motionless, in silence, just gazing into each other.

“You want to kiss me, don't you?” Sam asked quietly.

Josh could feel his heart pounding, as if it was trying to escape his chest. He could feel the boy's breath on his face, the warmth of his skin as his hand rested on the slender hip. Remaining silent, he just nodded.

“Then why don't you?” Sam asked, inching just a little closer.

Josh opened his mouth to speak, but all that escaped was a ragged breath.

“Josh, why won't you kiss me?” Sam asked, closer again until their noses touched.

“If I kiss you...” Josh stammered breathlessly, “If I cross that line... I don't think... I'll ever want to go back!” He realised he was trembling. He backed away suddenly, sliding out of the bed and dropping to the floor with a thud. He got up and started walking backwards away from the bed, Sam's eyes remained fixed on him until he disappeared through the door, pulling it closed.

“Fuck.” Josh muttered, resting his head on the door with his back to the hallway. He closed his eyes. 'First Warren, then Sam. This night is cursed!' he thought to himself. He turned to head back to the lounge but yelled out in surprise as he found himself face-to-face with James.

Without saying a word, James lunged at him, kissing him as passionately as he had earlier. Josh pushed him away and stared in shock. “What are you...”

“I knew you liked me too!” James said, looking at Josh hungrily.

“What? But I thought... you said...” Josh stuttered. He was dreaming. He had to be. This was some kind of nightmare and he was going to wake up any second now. No such luck. He remained there, James' hands on his hips.

“I lied! I figured why fuck up a friendship if you didn't feel the same way about me, but you do.” James said happily, leaning forward to kiss again.

Josh had to hold him back by force. “James, I don't...” he said shakily.

“But... that kiss. Tell me you didn't feel it too.” James said accusingly.

Josh looked over his shoulder, terrified that Dale would appear and see them.

“You can't, can you?” James said with a grin. “I knew it.” He attempted another kiss.

“James, stop!” Josh said firmly, pushing him hard enough to knock him back a few feet. “I can't... I can't do this now!”

James stared at him with a mix of confusion and annoyance. “Fine, whatever you fucking cock tease!” he snapped then turned and headed back to the lounge.

Josh walked down the hallway but turned off into the kitchen. The way the night was going, he expected to walk in and find Benny or Alex standing there ready to torture him some more! Fortunately though the room was empty. He placed five shot glasses on a tray for himself, James, Liam, Dale and, in case he had emerged from the spare room, Nick. He poured something from one of the bottles. He didn't care what it was or how it tasted, he just knew they needed more shots.

He reached for the tray, but then considered what had already happened that evening. Instead, he downed all five shots himself, one after the other. He felt like he needed them if he was going to have any chance of making it through the rest of the night!
Chapter 13

Josh felt a large splash of water and woke up coughing, half of going into in his mouth and up his nose. Spluttering, he sat up and looked round. He had been asleep on the sofa, which Dale was stood behind, holding a now-empty glass.

“Time to get up.” Dale said flatly. “I'm going out with Liam, I'll see you at your parents house this afternoon!” Before Josh could respond, Dale left, closely followed by Liam.

Josh flopped back down but immediately found himself laying in the wet patch from his wake-up call and shot back up. He couldn't remember much of anything after downing the shots in the kitchen last night. Just vague snippets.

Warren and Nick had emerged from the spare room, all over each other, giggling constantly. Shots. Angry looks from James. Angry looks from Dale. Why from Dale? More shots. More drunken games. Even more shots. Warren and Nick went to bed, offering to join Sam in the main bedroom. Dale and Liam going into the spare room. To sleep?

Josh looked round and saw James asleep in one armchair. The other was occupied by a very-much awake Corey, who just sat looking at him, concerned. Josh groaned and rubbed his head. He had questions, but there was one in particular that stuck in his head as he considered what had just happened. “Is Dale pissed at me?”

Corey shrugged. “Seems to be. No idea why. Wouldn't tell me anything.”

“Did I do anything stupid when I got really drunk?” Josh asked, rubbing his face, almost glad of the water Dale had tipped on him.

“You're you!” Corey replied. “Stupid is ALL you do!”

“Ugh, love you too bro.” Josh grunted back. He wobbled up onto his feet and grunted, “Showering!” at Corey. He headed for the bathroom and quickly hopped in, kicking his underwear aside on the way.

He stood under the warm water, eyes closed, wondering what he might have done while drunk to piss Dale off so much. 'At least he said he'll see me later. If it was that bad, he would've just dumped me on the spot.' He thought to himself. Opening his eyes he reached for the shower gel and started washing, allowing himself to engorge slightly as he slid his hands across his body, eyes closing again as he got lost in the sensations.

Suddenly, he felt hands on his back, quickly sliding round to his chest. He moaned happily, he loved when Dale did that... then he remembered Dale had gone out. He opened his eyes and span round, finding himself looking at freckles and strawberry blonde hair – it was James.

“Hey, you did say next time I should join you!” James said with a devilish grin, his hands caressing the lather on Josh's chest.

Josh stared back at him, watching as the spray of the shower darkened the young man's hair to full-on ginger and flattened it against his head, water trickling down past his dark green eyes, over the freckled cheeks, dripping off of his pale red lips, parted just slightly in anticipation. His mind raced back to last night, the forfeit kiss, the confrontation in the hallway, the confession that James had lied about not having feelings for Josh. He knew what this was now. He knew James truly was attracted to him and that doing anything now would only add fuel to the already raging fire of his friend's desire... and he didn't care!

Josh pulled James into a kiss, tongues lashing furiously, his fingers digging into the pale skin of his back. James pulled away slightly and tried to speak, but Josh just silenced him with his lips. Josh's hands soon found their way down to James' swollen cock, the monstrous meat pressed between their writhing bodies. He gave it a few strokes, then raised one hand to the back of James' head, taking a handful of hair and pulling him out of their embrace.

“I want you to fuck me... and I want to FEEL it!” Josh growled.

James looked a little shocked at first, but then a smile spread across his face. He span Josh round, pushed him against the tiled wall and pushed his cock against the bigger man's hole, using nothing to lubricate other than the warm flowing water. As requested, he wasn't gentle, immediately thrusting every inch of his monster into Josh. He started pumping hard, slamming Josh against the wall more and more until his entire body was pressed on the wet tiles.

“Yes, yes, yes!” James moaned as he felt an orgasm building. James heard Josh groan and felt a wave of pleasure as he realised he had just shot his own load between his body and the wall. Josh's sphincter clenched as he shot. It was enough to push James over the edge. “Fuuuuuck!” he called out as he stopped thrusting and let his cock spurt a thick load inside the man. Josh tilted his head back and allowed James to kiss him again.

“Damn that was hot!” a voice called out from the other side of the bathroom. James and Josh both turned to see Sam stood there, twirling Josh's underwear on his finger and grinning.

James looked like a naughty child who had just been caught smoking by his parents. He jumped out of the shower, threw a towel around himself and dashed out of the bathroom as Josh just watched. He knew he would have to deal with James eventually, but Sam's timely appearance had saved him from it for now.

“So you'll kiss him... but not me?” Sam asked, looking slightly pissed.

“That was... that's not...” Josh stuttered, but he didn't have an answer.

“If I'd got in there, before James did... would you have done that with me?” Sam asked as Josh just stood, feeling more and more exposed.

“I... I...” Josh attempted to speak. The boy had him totally tongue-tied, but was it his questions, or was it the boy himself? His heart was pounding again and despite the ejaculation mere minutes earlier, he could feel himself re-stiffening under the boy's gaze.

“Meh, your loss.” Sam said, throwing Josh's underwear at him and walking out of the bathroom.

*****

“Sounds like someone had fun in the shower!” Nick sniggered at the sounds that had resonated through the wall, pulling Warren closer to him.

“I couldn't really hear over your moaning.” Warren giggled back.

“What can I say? You know all the right buttons to push!” Nick said back happily, kissing his boyfriend gently on the cheek. “Plus it's extra hot having sex in Josh and Dale's bed... without them being here, I mean!”

“Oh good, I was worried it was just me that noticed that.” Warren said back happily. He pulled away from Nick and sat up, twisting round to look down at him. “In fact, I think it's making me horny...” Warren pulled back the covers and revealed his erection.

“Fuck... again!?” Nick exclaimed. Warren's normally healthy sexual appetite seemed truly insatiable for some reason. They had already wanked each other, waking Sam in the process which the boy had really not been happy about. Then after Sam left, Nick had fucked Warren. Now he wanted to go again?

“It's not my fault you're so damn sexy!” Warren said innocently, reaching down to play with his cock, watching excitedly as Nick's eyes followed his hand down. He let go of it and reached over to Nick instead, running his fingers gently across the firm chest, playing with the tiny tuft of hair in the middle. “If I recall correctly, I believe in last night's game you mentioned... a sex slave?” Warren bit his lip playfully as he stared down at his lover.

Nick gasped, the boy had never looked so seductive, sitting there looking at him sweetly and basically offering himself up. “Oh, are you looking for a master?” Nick asked coyly, sitting up to face the playful boy.

“Yes sir!” Warren replied, eyes wide.

“Stand up... boy!” Nick ordered cautiously. He watched excitedly as Warren complied. Nick jumped off the bed and looked round quickly. He found one of Dale's ties hanging on a wardrobe door and grabbed it. “Put your hands behind your back, boy.”

“Yes Sir.” Warren said again, sending a jolt of electricity surging through Nick. As he put his hands behind his back, Nick used the tie to secure them together, then reached down to grab Warren's underwear, hastily discarded during their earlier fuck. He placed it over Warren's head like a blindfold, then span him round so they were face-to-face and pushed, watching as he toppled backwards onto the bed.

Warren's dick was as rigid as Nick's, clearly enjoying the role play just as much as the 'master'. Nick reached down and gave the boy's boner and gentle stroke, savouring every little whimper it caused. He leant over and placed his lips into the boy's neck, kissing it gently. He poked out his tongue and started sliding it slowly around the Warren's neck, down onto his chest, across the smooth flat stomach and stopping just before reaching the straining erection. He gave it another quick stroke, watching excitedly as Warren's body tensed in response.

He continued his licking and stroking alternately until he heard Warren's whimpers accelerate. He was clearly close to shooting. “Do you want to cum, boy?” he asked teasingly.

“Yes Sir.” Warren replied immediately. His response got another few strokes, but that was all. He was right on the verge of release.

“Beg for it!” Nick sneered, giving the solid shaft another quick lick.

“Please, please Sir. I want to cum. Please, please let me cum!” Warren pleaded. Nick couldn't help wondering whether Warren was just playing a part of if he was really begging. Either way it had the same effect... Nick was harder than ever.

Nick gave the boy-cock a few more strokes, seeing Warren's back arch in response. “Not yet, boy.” He grabbed for the lube on the bedside table and pumped some out, applying some directly to Warren's rear, although it still remained fairly slick from last time. He rubbed the rest on his own stiffness.

“Oh Sir.” Warren whimpered as he realised what was about to happen. His words got a few more teasing strokes from Nick before his legs got lifted up.

The older boy pushed his cock against the boy's hole and it slid in easily. “How does it feel, boy?” he demanded.

“Good. Good Sir. I love having you inside me!” Warren replied, his tone making it clear that he wasn't pretending any more. Warren was truly his, more than ever. That thought alone almost made him cum, but he tensed, holding back, wanting to enjoy the moment just a little longer. He began pumping in and out, teasingly slowly, partly to prolong his own enjoyment, but mostly to just keep Warren right on the edge.

Nick continued with his occasional strokes and squeezes of the boy's desperate cock as he slowly fucked him. Warren's occasional moans became a constant mantra of “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.” When it finally changed to “Oh fuck, Sir, oh fuck Sir.” it finished Nick off. He shot his third load of the morning inside the boy.

He thought his own orgasm might trigger Warren's but the boy instead remained painfully close to it, precum virtually pouring from the swollen head. “Beg for it!” Nick said again, licking the precum off.

“I... ugh... I... aaah... Sir...” Warren stuttered. Nick took pity on him and decided to finally allow him release. A few rapid strokes and the boy's cock erupted. Under normal circumstances it would have been an impressive load, but considering it was his second in the space of an hour it was even more-so. The boy was covered in his own spunk.

Nick reached up and pulled away the blindfold then kissed the panting boy. “Fuck!” Warren exclaimed when Nick pulled away. “We are DEFINITELY doing that again!”

Nick laughed at the boy's expression, looking at him with a mix of awe and anticipation.

*****

Corey sat in his armchair, looking from Josh, to James, to Sam and back again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong, the tension was almost tangible. “Oh thank God.” he muttered when Nick and Warren finally emerged from the bedroom.

“Morning guys.” Warren said happily, virtually skipping into the room.

Nick's amusement at the boy's enthusiasm was obvious. Corey couldn't help smiling too. After sitting with the three sour-faced guys for the last fifteen minutes, it was nice to see someone who actually looked positive. “Hey.” Corey said back. He shifted across in the armchair as Warren squeezed in beside him, leaving Nick to take the empty seat on the sofa between Josh and James.

“So...” Nick said, immediately catching on to the atmosphere in the room. He shot Corey a questioning glance and just got a shrug in return. “Who's got plans today?”

“I got nothing until we have til dinner at Mum and Dad's.” Josh replied flatly.

Nick looked round again at all the blank faces. He caught Sam's eye. “No football match today?”

“No.” Sam replied bluntly, then looked away.

“Hey, I got a message from Greg earlier.” Nick said, that at least caught the attention of most of the others. “He said his first night back at home was great, looks like he'll be staying.”

“That's awesome.” Corey said happily. Sam, Warren and Josh all nodded their agreement.

“Where's Dale?” Warren asked, looking a little guilty. Despite his apology to his big brother last night, he still felt like he needed to talk to him.

“He left earlier... with Liam.” Josh replied.  It had been playing on his mind. Why had Dale insisted on sleeping with Liam last night? Why had they left together that morning? Maybe Dale wasn't pissed, maybe he was feeling guilty? Maybe he and Liam were... Josh shook his head, he couldn't even entertain the idea. Josh had a headache. He wanted to believe it was from stress of what had happened last night and that morning, but he knew it was really just down to the alcohol. He had taken a few tablets after his shower which had taken the edge off of it, but his head still throbbed.

“I think I'm gonna head home.” James said, getting up from the sofa.

Josh saw the James stare at him. He looked back for a moment, but then looked away. He just couldn't deal with it yet. James shook his head as Josh looked away, looking a mix of frustrated and disappointed then headed towards the exit.

“Anyone need a ride?” James asked, looking back.

“C'mon Cor.” Nick said, getting up. “You know Mum always goes over the top when she's entertaining, she might need some help.” He looked to James. “You mind dropping us off on the way?”

“Sure, no problem.” James shrugged.

“You wanna come?” Nick asked his boyfriend.

Warren smirked. “No thanks, I've seen your Mum when she's like that. I think I'll stay clear.” Nick laughed at the boy's response and gave him a quick kiss as he and Corey headed over to join James.

“I think I'll go too.” Sam said, jumping up from his seat.

Josh didn't know how to feel as he watched Sam walk away. He hadn't done anything wrong. He had looked out for the boy, avoided taking advantage of him, been nothing but kind but the Sam still seemed annoyed at him. The worst part was, it just made Josh want him more. He wanted to reach out and pull the boy back, make him stay, but he remained motionless.

A few quick goodbyes and the four of them left. As Josh turned his attention back to the lounge, he realised he was now alone with Warren. Normally that would be something that would fill him with excitement, but not today. Something uncomfortable lingered in the air. The things Warren had said last night, the requests he had made, they kept playing over and over in Josh's mind. Then came the revelation that Warren suspected Nick was going to end their relationship. Where had that come from?

The younger boy clearly felt as awkward as Josh, sitting there trying to look in any direction except Josh's.

“Warren.” Josh finally said, almost making the teen jump. “We should... talk.”

“About what?” Warren asked, trying too hard to act casually.

“About last night, about the things you said...” Josh replied.

Warren finally looked at Josh, but instead of looking embarrassed, he laughed. “God, I can't believe I got drunk. I barely remember anything. I didn't say anything stupid did I?” he chuckled. The act was painfully transparent.

“Warren, come here.” Josh said firmly, patting the seat next to him. Warren's face dropped, realising his attempt at deception had failed so quickly. He got up and flopped back down next to Josh, avoiding eye contact again.

“I think you know exactly what you said. We can come back to the stuff about me and you, but what did you mean, Nick's going to dump you?” Josh said, reaching out and placing a hand on the boy's leg.

Warren shrugged. “I dunno.” he replied quietly, eyes fixed on his thumb as he picked at the nail. “He said he met someone and started falling for him, but then he said he wasn't going to let anything happen with him. But still, he's older, probably way hotter than me and he's all new and exciting. Why would Nick ever choose me over that?”

“Because he loves you!” Josh replied instantly, without a moment's hesitation. It wasn't a an attempt at reassurance for the boy, it was simply a statement of fact. “You know how much he loves you.”

Warren just nodded, still looking down at his hands.

“Is that... why you said the other things? About us? And about Dale?” Josh asked. It was clear the boy had been worrying about it a lot. Mixing that with his first proper experience with alcohol, what happened wasn't really that surprising.

Warren nodded again. He sniffed and Josh realised he had started crying. The boy looked round at him, his eyes big and wet. “I thought I was gonna lose Nick and I got scared I was gonna lose you too. I don't hate Dale, I love him, he's the best big brother ever.”

“Yeah, he is.” Josh agreed, pulling the boy into a hug. He sat holding the boy for a few minutes, stroking his fingers through the dark, messy hair, his mind racing.

“Warren.” Josh said, releasing the still-sniffing teen. “I think... we need to stop.”

“Stop what?” Warren asked, frowning up at him.

“Us.” Josh replied bluntly. He could see the look of dismay spreading across Warren's face and quickly explained. “We've both got amazing boyfriends who love us. I know you love Nick and I can't imagine life without Dale. I love you too, so, so much, but if we carry on someone's going to get hurt and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be responsible for that!”

Warren looked up at Josh, listening to his reasoning, then looked away. He noticed the birthday present he had given Dale sat on the coffee table, the picture of them all. He picked it up and stared at it. He remained silent until he felt Josh's hand sliding down his back. The tears stopped. He just turned to Josh and nodded.

Josh pulled the boy into another hug. This decision would not change much logistically. They would always be in each others' lives, but it felt like there was a side of each other they would never see again. As the hug parted, they stared into each other's eyes, just for a moment. That was all it took. Seconds later, Josh's mouth was attacking the boy's, their kissing desperate, hungry, fraught.

*****

“Oh, it's just you.” Pippa said, peeking out of the kitchen and seeing Josh walking through the front door.

“Always nice to feel welcome!” Josh said sarcastically with a smirk.

“Oh, hi Warren.” she replied, ignoring Josh's comment.

“Hi Pippa.” Warren grinned back at the woman.

Pippa turned her attention back to her son. “Sorry, I was expecting Alison and Peter, they should be here any minute.”

Josh nodded his understanding of his mother's reception. “Hey,” he said back, “Is Dale here yet?”

“No, I thought he'd be with you.” Pippa replied before vanishing back into the kitchen.

Josh looked nervously at Warren. He had not been able to contact Dale all day. Even his attempts at contacting Liam had gone unanswered.

“He'll be here.” Warren said confidently before heading into the lounge where Josh's Dad and Nick were sitting. “Hey George, you okay?” he asked cheerfully before sitting alongside his boyfriend.

“I'm fine thanks Warren. You enjoy the party?” the older man asked, looking up from his iPad.

“Erm... yeah.” Warren said, not quite sure how to answer.

Following a quizzical look from his Dad, Nick added, “He really can't handle his booze!”

Josh glared angrily at his younger brother before facing his Dad, looking guilty. “You let them drink!?” George said, looking disappointed.

“Hey, I did everything I could to stop them!” Josh said defensively.

“Them?” George asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Corey too.” Josh confessed.

“And Sam!” Nick added, sniggering.

Josh shot the boy another angry stare. “Thanks Nick, I wouldn't want to miss anyone.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Three underage boys, drinking under your roof? Four if you count Nick, he's not eighteen yet, you know!” George said sternly.

“I... erm... I...” Josh stuttered.

George burst into laughter. “Ha, you're so easy to wind up. Relax, I started drinking pretty young so it's not like I can tell you not to.” he chuckled, getting a death-stare from his eldest son who just flopped down in the other armchair as Nick and Warren joined in the laughter. George turned his attention to Warren and Nick and added, “But it's not big, or clever, so if you're gonna do it, just be careful, okay?”

Warren smiled and nodded his understanding. It was times like this that Warren could really see the similarities between Josh and his father. While Josh could switch back and forth between brainless idiot and stern big brother, George could do the same, joking with the boys one minute and then giving serious fatherly advice the next.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a few moments later, Corey walked in. George immediately looked at him sternly and said, “I understand you think it's okay for a fourteen-year-old to sneak alcoholic drinks?”

Warren, Nick and Josh smirked, seeing exactly what George was up to. Instead of panicking though, Corey just shrugged. “Hey, I'm almost fifteen. Besides, there's a big difference between a few drinks at my brother's house and getting blind drunk and stealing a car!”

George's face dropped as the other three burst into laughter as the man's trick got turned round onto him.

“Dad, you didn't?” Nick asked in shock.

George glared at Corey, then looked at Nick and just said, “Your mother has a very big mouth sometimes!” That just got more laughter from the boys.

A short while later, Warren's parents arrived. Pippa welcomed them, going into full-on psycho-hostess mode as the boys had feared. Anyone without a drink in their hand had one forced upon them, ridiculously tiny canapés were passed around, the only thing missing was Dale. Josh was about to try calling him again when they heard someone coming in the door – it was Dale.

The parents all made a big fuss of him, making him open their cards and gifts, even knowing how much he didn't really enjoy it. When the fuss died down, Josh finally managed to get near him. “Hey.” he said with a tentative smile.

“Hi.” Dale said back.

“Dale, what's...” Josh started, but Dale just turned and walked over to their two Dads, joining in their conversation.

As the evening went on, Josh continued attempting to talk to Dale, but every time he either got interrupted or simply cut off by Dale. Something was clearly very wrong, he had never seen Dale like that. When dinner was ready, they all sat around the table. It could normally seat eight, so having nine was a bit of a squeeze but they managed. Pippa sat at the head of the table, part of the female psychological war she and Alison liked to play against George and Peter. Alison sat next to her on one side, George on the other, with Peter next to him. Corey and Nick were squeezed on the same side as their fathers, while Warren and Josh were opposite them, with Dale at the end of the table opposite Pippa.

The dinner proceeded smoothly, the male/female war waging at one end, general conversation going on at the other, all with Josh still attempting to get Dale's attention. Aside from ignoring Josh, Dale seemed completely normal, happily chatting away to Nick, Corey and both sets of parents.

“Ugh, that was delicious. Wonderful meal, Pippa.” Peter said, leaning back in his chair as he put down his fork.

“You never say my food is delicious!” Alison said sharply.

“Yeah, there's a reason for that!” the man replied, grinning at George, the two sniggering like naughty schoolboys. He saw the look on his wife's face and just muttered loudly to the man beside him, “I'm gonna pay for that one!”

“Well, thank you Peter.” Pippa interjected before any more playful shots could be fired. “Now, who wants dessert?” She asked, starting to pick up plates.

There was a collective groan from the table. The thought of any more food so soon was somewhat distressing after the huge meal they had just eaten.

Pippa took it as a compliment and said, “Well, why don't we have a bit of a break and have dessert later then?”

“Oh, why don't I show you what I've got planned for the garden while we let dinner go down.” George said excitedly.

Pippa rolled her eyes. “God, you and that garden!” she muttered, but she followed George out, closely followed by the other two parents.

“So what did you...” Dale started, looking at Corey.

“What the fuck's wrong with you?” Josh snapped angrily. Nick, Warren and Corey looked at him, shocked by his outburst while Dale still avoided looking at him.

“I don't want to do this here, Josh.” Dale said flatly.

“Yeah, well tough luck because I do. I'm sick of you ignoring me. What's the problem?” he demanded.

“Oh, you want to do this here, do you?” Dale sneered, finally looking at his boyfriend. Josh suddenly regretted his demand, seeing the expression on Dale's face. “Fine, let's do it then.”

“We should leave you...” Warren started, edging away nervously as he looked at Corey and Nick who were doing the same.

“No, you know what, YOU need to stay.” Dale interrupted him angrily, shooting him a withering glare.

Josh looked round at the boy, their eyes widening with fear. It seemed Dale was as pissed at his little brother as he was at Josh.

“Dale, what...” Warren mumbled.

“I love you. I want to be with you. I hate Dale. Kick him out. We can just run away together.” Dale snapped loudly in a mocking tone, standing up, fists clenched. “Sound familiar?”

Warren and Josh both stared at Dale. He had overheard them. He knew!

“Dale, what are you talking about?” Nick asked, staring at the terrified expression on Warren's face.

“Your boyfriend is in love with your brother!” Dale snapped at Nick.

“What?” Nick asked, smirking and looking a little incredulous. “I'm sure it's not like that. You know we all... do things together.”

“Nick, I heard them. The exact words he used – I want you. Just you!” Dale insisted, frowning at the boy beside him

Nick stood up and turned away from the table, shaking his head. He looked round at Warren. “He's... he's wrong. Please Warren,” his eyes were watering, “Please tell me he's wrong.”

“Nick... I...” Warren stuttered. He literally had no words.

“And you!” Dale snarled at Josh. “Benny, Warren, James.... now Sam too? It's... it's just... it's anyone other than me, isn't it! You just... can't control yourself!” His hands were shaking as he spoke.

Josh stood and stepped towards the furious man. “Dale, I'm sorry... I...”

“Oh just save it!” Dale sneered, eyes wide with rage.

Nick had turned away again, standing there shaking his head, refusing to believe it. “It's... it's not... they're just... close.” he mumbled, attempting to convince himself.

Corey reached up and put an arm round his brother's shoulder and said quietly, “Nick, it's true.”

Nick jumped away from Corey's touch and looked at him in disgust. “Wait...you... knew?” He was breathing heavily, running his fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes.

Dale turned his attention to the youngest boy, repeating Nick's question. “You knew about this?”

Corey just stared back, completely stuck in the middle of the argument, unsure which way to look. He wanted to run.

“You knew and you didn't tell us?” Nick yelled at the younger boy.

“You helped them cover it up?” Dale added angrily.

“Don't blame him. He didn't do this.” Josh said, defending his little brother.

“Oh, that makes it okay then!” Dale shouted sarcastically, stepping towards Josh, barely holding himself back from punching him.

Josh backed up, ensuring Warren was behind him. He had never even imagined Dale could look so angry and for just a moment he felt genuinely scared for both his own and Warren's safety. “Dale, please... calm down.”

“Calm down?!” Dale yelled. “Fucking... calm down?” His breath was ragged and laboured, face burning bright red, fists still clenched tightly. He looked suddenly calm as a thought entered his mind. “How long?” he demanded quietly.

“It doesn't matter...” Josh started.

“HOW LONG?” Dale screamed. “How long have you and my brother been doing this behind my back? How long have you both been lying to me and Nick?”

Josh stared round at Nick who looked beyond devastated, then back at the furious man in front of him, gulped and said, “About... a year and a half.” He felt himself trembling.

“I can't...” Dale said, turning away from Josh, hands releasing and clenching over and over. “How could you...”

There was a knock at the door, but none of them moved.

“Dale, I'm sorry, I love you...” Josh pleaded. He stepped towards Dale, reaching out a hand.

Dale just looked down at it, tears forming as anger gave way to sadness. “Don't say that. Don't you say that to me! Not ever again!”

“But... but...” Josh mumbled.

Warren was just stood staring at Nick who refused to look back. He wanted to walk round the table to his boyfriend, to hold him but he was frozen to the spot, terrified by the yelling.

There was another knock at the door. This time Corey used it as the excuse he was looking for and ran out.

“Dale, please...” Josh said, he stepped forward again.

Dale grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders and pushed him back roughly. Josh stumbled backwards against the table, knocking a glass off. As it fell to the floor and shattered, they heard a yell from the hallway.

“SOMEONE! HELP!!” It was Corey.

Panic spread across their faces as they looked at each other in response to the boy's yell. They ran out to see what had happened. Nick was first out the door. He stopped, motionless. Corey was just outside the front door, kneeling over a bloodied body.

“Greg!” Nick gasped.
Chapter 14

Tuesday 3rd February 2015
Three days after the argument
-----------------------------

Greg opened his eyes, panicking momentarily as he realised he had no idea where he was until Nick suddenly appeared over him.

“You're awake!” Nick said excitedly. He disappeared and Greg heard him call out, “He's awake!” before running back in to look down at him.

Greg tried to reach up to him but whimpered with pain. “Everything... hurts.” he croaked, his mouth dry. He started to cry as his senses began returning and every inch of him felt like it was throbbing.

“Hey, try to stay calm.” Nick said, reaching down and stroking his hair.

Nick's hand felt so comforting, so vastly different from the aching the boy felt everywhere else. It didn't last long though as someone came into the room. Nick was told to stand back and disappeared from Greg's line of sight.

“Nick.” Greg whimpered. Someone else appeared, towering over him. It was a face he recognised which reassured him a little.

“Hey, don't worry, he's right here.” the man said. “Do you remember me?”

“Simon!” Greg said, the face coming back to him. It was the same Doctor who had treated him the previous week.

“Good lad.” Simon smiled. “You're in the hospital. I'm just going to need to ask you a few questions. Can you tell me your name?”

Greg did his best to stop crying, but still felt himself sniffing and breathing erratically. “Greg. Greg West.”

“That's great.” Simon said with a warm smile.

Nick stood clear, letting the Doctor do his work, asking a series of questions while carefully checking the boy physically. Nick had spent the last three days at the boy's bedside, refusing to move for anything. The boy's prolonged unconsciousness and the obvious injuries to his head had the Doctors worried about the possibility of brain damage. Seeing Greg awake was a relief, but with every question the boy answered correctly, Nick felt the stress just melting away.

“Okay, that's all great, thanks Greg.” Simon said, finishing up the exam. “Do you remember what happened?”

Nick heard the boy's breath catch in his throat a few moments before he nodded.

The Doctor obviously noticed the boy's nervous reaction to the question and decided not to probe any further. “Hey, it's okay, you don't have to talk about it.” he said, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

The man's touch felt nice, but it just made him want Nick back.

“Okay, you should probably get some more rest.” Simon said, then headed out of the room with Greg's chart, smiling and giving a reassuring nod to Nick as he passed.

“Nick?” Greg called out, the young man immediately stepping into his view in response.

“I'm here.” Nick said, staring down at the boy. He was overjoyed that Greg seemed like he was going to be okay, but every time he looked at him he felt a knot in his stomach. When Greg had appeared on the doorstep, he had been covered in blood, but with the blood cleaned off and he was barely more than a patchwork of bruises, the black and purple patches broken up by seemingly endless cuts and gashes.

They still had no idea what had happened to the boy. The Doctors had speculated on the cause of some of the wounds, but it had all been guesswork.

“You're gonna be okay.” Nick whispered, as much for himself as it was for Greg.

“Just... promise you'll stay with me.” Greg pleaded.

“Always.” Nick said back, taking the seat he had spent the last three days in.

*****

Thursday 5th February 2015
Five days after the argument
----------------------------

Josh lay in bed, looking at the clock. He should have been at work an hour ago but he couldn't even bring himself to move. He rolled over, finding himself looking at Dale's side of the bed. It remained empty. Looking at it was making him feel worse so he rolled back the other way. Moments later, he sat up sharply as he heard keys at the front door.

“Dale?” he called out, running into the hallway.

“Nope!” Corey called back, seeing his brother appear from the bedroom. 

Josh just grunted and turned back, flopping onto the bed and pulling the covers over his head.

Corey ignored his brother for now, walking into the lounge. He was used to seeing the apartment immaculately tidy, Dale always liked to keep it that way. Now though, there were still empty glasses and bottles sitting around from the party almost a week earlier. Other general clutter Josh had left laying around since intermingling with the party remains. Corey headed to the sofa and sat down, moving aside an empty pizza box, then curled up, hugging a large cushion against him.

It felt like his entire world had fallen apart. Josh was becoming some kind of reclusive hermit, Nick would barely leave the hospital, Warren was losing his mind, stuck between wanting to see Greg and not wanting to see Nick and Dale was just... gone. They knew he was staying with Liam, but nobody had heard from him for days. Corey felt like he had gone from having the most amazing group of brothers in the world, to being an only child.

They had all been so caught up in their own drama, they hadn't even noticed the state Corey was in. Five nights he had gone now with hardly a wink of sleep. Every time he managed to drift off, he found himself back on the front doorstep, kneeling over Greg's beaten and bloodied body, screaming for help before waking up in tears.

He could feel himself starting to fall asleep so he sat back up and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room to try and keep himself alert. Something caught his eye on the table. It was the picture frame Warren had made for Dale... shattered into pieces, the group picture that had sat inside it torn apart. He reached out, taking hold of the biggest remaining whole piece of the frame, the word 'brothers' carved into it. Too tired to even cry, he just curled up again with the pillow.

He felt bad for the others, he knew what had happened had hurt them all so badly, but he wished they could just get past it, any one of them, because all he wanted was a big brother to hold him. Deciding that nightmares about Greg would almost be a welcome change from the isolation he was feeling, he let himself drift off to sleep.

*****

Friday 6th February 2015
Six days after the argument
---------------------------

“And how's my favourite little patient doing today?” Simon asked happily as he walked into Greg's room.

As always, Nick was sat at the boy's side, both of them smiling at the cheerful young Doctor.

“Oh never better. I only stay here for the excellent food.” Greg said with a wry grin.

“Glad to hear it.” Simon said back, ignoring the boy's gentle mocking. “Well I've got some good news. We got your scan back and you're looking good.”

“Thanks, you're looking pretty good yourself!” Greg said back, attempting a wink but failing because of the swelling from his black eye. Greg still felt embarrassed every time he saw Simon because of what had happened the first time they met, and Greg found that his terrible flirting with the young Doctor helped relieve some of the tension in the room. Nick seemed constantly on edge too, so it was nice to see him smile at Greg's feeble attempts.

“Thank you.” Simon said, blushing slightly. “But you know that's not what I mean. After your operations, everything seems to be okay. The short version, everything's where it should be and none of it's leaking. That's... really all we want from your insides!” He said, chuckling slightly.

Simon did his regular checks on the boy before heading back out. As he was leaving, Pippa and George appeared at the door, saying happy greetings to Greg. Nick smiled at his parents as they walked in. Once they got through the door, his face dropped as he saw Warren was behind them.

As Nick's ex approached, he got up and looked down at Greg. “I'll... come back later.” He said quietly, then virtually ran out of the room.

“Nick, wait!” Warren called out, following him out of Greg's room. Nick stopped and looked back. Warren just stared for a moment, then added, “Please... can we talk?”

“Fine.” Nick said flatly. He headed to the exit as Warren followed, the two of them standing face-to-face as they got outside.

“Nick, I'm sorry.” Warren said weakly, flinching slightly under Nick's gaze.

“For what?” Nick demanded.

“For... for everything.” Warren stuttered.

Nick shook his head. “No, that's not good enough. What things are you actually sorry for? Are you sorry for spending the last eighteen months lying to me? Are you sorry for falling in love with my brother? Are you sorry for fucking everything so totally up? Or are you just sorry for getting caught?”

“I... I'm...”  Warren stuttered, starting to cry.

“Don't. Don't.... do that!” Nick snarled. “Don't cry, because... when you cry... I just... I just want to hold you!” He could feel himself welling up.

“Then hold me, please.” Warren begged, reaching out to him.

“No!” Nick snapped, swiping his hand to knock Warren's aside. “I can't... I can't. Warren, I just can't.”

“Nick, I love you so much.” Warren whimpered, reaching out again.

He let Warren touch him, fingers gently grazing his arm. All he had to do was reach out and pull the boy against him, hold him, kiss him and that would be it. But as much as he wanted to, the anger was still too much for him. He pulled away, watching Warren's hands drop back down to his side. “I can't.” he repeated.

*****

Saturday 7th February
One week after the argument
---------------------------

Josh woke up to the sound of a text message arriving. He jumped for his phone, desperately hoping to see Dale's name. Instead, it was an unknown number. He wanted to ignore it, to curl back up and just sleep, but his curiosity got the better of him.

[What are you doing?]

No indication who it was from. It probably wasn't even for him so he ignored it and dropped the phone to his side. The message tone bleeped again.

[I asked you a question Josh, don't ignore me!]

He frowned at it. It was definitely for him then, but who was it? [Who is this?] he sent back.

[I'm the one asking questions, fag. Now, what are you doing?] the mystery person replied.

Josh felt a twinge in his stomach. He needed to know who it was, answering it now would be a ridiculous idea. [I'm laying in bed.] he replied, knowing he shouldn't.

[What are you wearing, fag?]

Josh found himself suddenly eager to reply, against his better judgement. [Just underwear.]

[Show me!]

[I don't even know who you are, I'm not going to start sending you pictures.] Josh replied, still retaining a modicum of common sense.

[Yes you are. You're going to take a picture of yourself, fag, and send it to me RIGHT NOW! I know that you want to obey my orders because you are a pathetic little fag. Now do as I tell you!]

Josh stared at the message. Whoever it was, they were right. He had been given an order and he could feel his resistance quickly fading away. He seemed to lose control of his own body. He threw back the covers, raised his phone in the air and took a picture of himself, immediately sending it to the unknown number.

[Good boy. You're off to a good start.]

[Who are you?] Josh asked again.

[You know who I am. That's why you're doing what I tell you. That's why you're going to keep doing what I tell you. Now, say my name!]

Josh stared at the message. He could feel his cock swelling, heart racing, breathing getting heavier. He typed out a single word reply. [Master]

[Good boy. Now it's time to get out of bed!]

*****

Thursday 12th February 2015
Twelve days after the argument
------------------------------

“Morning guys.” Simon said, walking into the room. He stopped as he saw two more occupants in the room than usual. Nick was sat in his usual spot, but two other boys sat on the opposite side of Greg's bed. “I swear you guys are multiplying!”

“Oh, morning Doc.” Greg said happily.

“Hey, this is Warren and Sam.” Nick explained. He flinched ever-so-slightly as he said Warren's name.

When Warren had come to see Greg again at the weekend, he and nick had spoken again. They had reached an agreement now. They both wanted to spend time with Greg and it wasn't fair to put him in the middle of their issues, especially considering the circumstances that led him there. It had been agreed that for Greg's sake, and their own, they would act like friends, putting aside the issues of their broken relationship for now.

Sam and Warren both said hello to the Doctor and explained that they had decided to surprise Greg with a before-school visit for a change.

After exchanging pleasantries with the two boys, Simon quickly turned his attention back to his patient. “Well I've got good news and bad news for you.” Simon said seriously, perusing Greg's chart.

“Start with the bad.” Greg requested nervously, gripping onto Nick's hand.

“I'm afraid you won't be seeing much more of me.” Simon said sadly.

“What? Why?” Greg asked, pouting. He had grown quite fond of his Doctor.

“Well that's the good news.” Simon replied with a grin. “I think you're gonna be ready to go home soon.”

The news got a cheer from the boys, particularly Greg who seemed overjoyed at the thought of 'home'. Greg had already been advised that he would not be going back to his parents' house. His Mum's drinking had just gotten worse and worse since the incident, while his Dad had completely disappeared. He had been overjoyed when Pippa and George had come to tell him that they had agreed for him to stay with them for the foreseeable future.

“There are a few more tests I want to run, just to be on the safe side, but if they all check out then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to be discharged in the next couple of days.” Simon explained.

“That's awesome!” Sam said happily.

As the Doctor continued talking to Greg about the tests, Nick gestured for Warren to follow him out of the room.

As they got out into the corridor, Warren smiled at his former boyfriend and spoke before Nick had the chance. “Look, I just wanted to say thanks... for being cool with me being here. I know it can't be easy, so, just... thanks.”

“Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.” Nick said.

Warren looked nervous. Was Nick about to tell him it wasn't working, that they couldn't both be around Greg at the same time? It had definitely been a challenge, for both of them, but Warren felt it was at least manageable for now.

“I don't want to 'act' like I'm okay around you, Warren, I want to BE okay around you.” Nick explained.

“Wait, do you mean...” Warren asked, looking hopeful for a moment.

“No!” Nick said quickly, realising what Warren was thinking, shaking his head. “No Warren, I don't wanna build up false hope. I'm not saying this to hurt you, but we're done... in that way. I can't trust you any more, so that's just... never going to happen. But... I think rather than just acting like we're friends, maybe we could actually BE friends!”

Warren was visibly upset by the comments, some small part of him still hoping Nick might take him back. He put on a brave smile anyway. “Okay, I understand.” he said, nodding gently before adding, “And yeah... I'd rather have you as a friend than lose you completely.”

Nick forced himself to smile. He could see how much the boy was hurting and his instinct was still to reach out and comfort him but he had to resist.

*****

Friday 13th February 2015
Thirteen days after the argument
--------------------------------

Josh looked nervously around the park. It was locked at that time of night so there was nobody around. It was cold and kept raining too, so that kept away anyone who might normally want to sneak in after dark, but he still felt like there were eyes on him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed out a message.

[I'm in the park Sir.]

A message came back. [Good, now take your clothes off] 

He felt like his heart was about to jump up his throat and burst out of his mouth as he read the response. It was something he expected he might be ordered to do as he had been instructed to only wear minimal clothing, but that didn't make it any less daunting. Despite his nerves, he complied, pulling off his t-shirt, jeans and underwear. The cold breeze seemed to wrap around his body, bringing with it a fine mist of drizzle, moistening his bare skin.

[I'm naked Sir.] he sent back.

[Good, now find a bin and put your clothes in] the next order stated.

The order gave him a twinge of fear amongst a wave of excitement. His cock was already stiff, it had been ever since reading the order to strip. He picked up his clothing and walked a short distance down the path to where a bin stood beside a bench. He shuddered, more from anticipation than cold as he watched his clothing fall in.

[I've done it Sir] he reported in.

[Good, now find somewhere to sit and start wanking]

Josh sat down on the bench beside the bin, the wet wood feeling cold and slimy against his bare arse and back. He took his cock in his hand and started stroking. He knew his master could easily have picked somewhere a lot busier, and he most likely would have obeyed him, so he was glad to have the seclusion of the locked park.

He had been receiving texts from the mystery master for almost a week now and Josh hung on his every word. Aside from being extremely arousing, it had turned out to be quite beneficial. He had actually gone to work this week, getting back to a semi-normal routine. The extra tasks the master set for him were just an added bonus.

[I'm doing it Sir] he sent, moaning quietly as he enjoyed one of the most exciting wanks he had experienced in years.

[Okay, fag. Keep going. Don't stop unless I tell you to, and no cumming either!]

Josh smiled at the message. He certainly had no intentions of stopping any time soon. As for not cumming, that just meant he could enjoy the sensations a little longer.

He remained on the bench, stroking happily, shuddering occasionally whenever there was a strong breeze. The cool air had stiffened his nipples, his spare hand occasionally playing with them and mewing happily at the feel of it.

The minutes ticked by and Josh could feel an orgasm building, so he slowed his strokes a little, looking at his phone, expecting to see a message, but none came. He carried on stroking. Eventually he looked at the phone again. It had been an hour since the last message and by now even his slowest stroke was making him feel like he could shoot.

[Sir, can I cum?] he finally sent, unable to resist any longer.

[I was just about to tell you that you can, but for interrupting me I think I'll make you wait a bit longer!] the master replied.

Josh groaned as he read it, cursing his own impatience. He was barely touching his cock now, every movement making his whole body twitch. He was so close it almost hurt. His legs started shaking as he forced himself to hold back but the shaking just stimulated his straining cock even more. He looked at the phone again. It had been twenty minutes since the last message.

He began to whimper, the noise seeming to echo through the whole park. Anyone else who happened to sneak in would be able to hear him easily, but thankfully nobody appeared. He almost yelled with relief when he felt his phone vibrate.

He opened the message from his master. [You're going to record a video for me. I want to see you, every inch of you, naked and exposed, so find somewhere to put your phone that will give me a good view. Once you start filming, you will wank for ten minutes before you cum. You are not allowed to look at the time on your phone so you will have to guess. If you cum too soon or too late, you will be punished. As soon as you are done you will send the video to me. Do you understand, fag?]

Josh almost ejaculated from just reading the message. He quickly send back [Yes Sir] then got to work. He propped his phone against the leg of the bench, turning on the light and starting it recording, then knelt across the path from it. He resumed stroking. The few seconds it had taken him to reply and set up the camera had given him a little relief, so the first couple of minutes weren't too bad, but he soon felt himself right on edge again.

He had been counting the seconds as he played with himself, but the closer he got to cumming, the more his sense of time warped. He thought he was coming up to ten minutes, so he gave himself a few fast strokes and yelled out excitedly, much louder than he intended, as he shot his load all over the path between him and his phone.

Gasping for breath as he milked out the last few drops, he crawled across the path, stopped the recording and sent it to his master. It took a few minutes to send because of the size, so he had to just sit and wait for instructions. While he waited, he looked at the video to check the time. He had cum after just eight minutes. He knew his master wouldn't be happy about that, but the thought of his punishment just made his cock jump a little.

[Very nice, but a bit premature, fag. I'll have to think about how to punish you. For now, go home. Leave the clothes!]

The order to leave his clothes had not been unexpected. He simultaneously loved and hated his mystery master. Making his way home naked was going to be embarrassing, but he couldn't help admitting to himself that he was looking forward to it too.

[Yes Sir] he replied, then headed for the exit of the park.

*****

Saturday 14th February 2015
Fourteen days after the argument
--------------------------------

Nick helped Greg up the stairs then along the hallway to Josh's old room, where the boy had stayed for a few nights a couple of weeks ago. Pippa and George were right behind them. Greg wondered why they had all insisted on coming up with them, but as he opened the door and went inside, he soon realised. The room had a giant 'Welcome Home' banner and balloons up waiting for him. All of the cards he had received at the hospital had been placed in his room too.

Greg's eyes were drawn to something else though. The desk was covered with his own things and more of his possessions were dotted around the room. His favourite poster, some pictures of Greg with Warren, Sam and Tim, all the stuff that he actually liked. He looked at Nick in shock.

“We went and got some of your stuff. I hope you don't mind, I just thought it might help you feel more at home.” Nick explained.

“It's amazing. Thank you.” he said to Nick, then looked at his friends' parents. “To all of you.”

Greg hugged them all one at a time, visibly in pain but wanting to show his affection anyway.

“Come on, let's get you comfortable.” Nick said, helping the boy over to the bed.

“We'll leave you to settle in. Call if you need anything.” Pippa said, nudging George out of the room and following closely behind him.

Once Greg was on the bed, propped up by plenty of pillows, Nick lay down beside him. “It's great to have you home.” Nick said happily, stroking the boy's arm.

“It's nice to be here.” Greg smiled back. “So, have you got any big plans for tonight?”

Nick looked at him, wondering what the boy meant.

“It's Valentines Day!” Greg said, not really surprised that he hadn't noticed. Nick had been so devoted to looking after Greg that pretty much everything else had been pushed aside.

“I... No, no plans.” Nick said, feeling a twinge of regret as Warren popped into his head.

Greg could tell how much Nick missed Warren. He just wished there was some way to magically fix things, to get Warren and Nick back together somehow. Those few days before everything had gone to hell had been the happiest of his life, hanging out with Warren, Nick and Sam, but it all seemed like a hazy distant memory now.

They heard someone heading back up the stairs. “Hey Casanova.” Nick's Dad said, walking into the room carrying an envelope. “Post arrived. Looks like you've got an admirer!” He passed the card to Nick and then headed back out, knowing there was no way his son would open it with him watching.

Greg looked as nervously as Nick opened the envelope. He hoped it would be from Warren and wondered what it might say and how Nick would react.

Nick pulled out the card and laughed. The front read 'I just wanted to tell you I love you', but someone had written 'DO NOT' above the word 'love'. He knew right away who it was from – Callum. Since Greg went into hospital, Nick had only been back to college a couple of times, mostly to pick up work that he had missed, which meant he had not really seen Callum for a couple of weeks.

He opened the card and read inside. 'To my Not-A-Valentine, Hurry up and come back soon, lots of non-love, Callum. P.S. I don't love you (but I do miss you!)' He laughed aloud, getting a very confused look from Greg. He handed the card to the younger boy who just looked even more confused once he had read it.

“That's... really weird.” Greg said, trying to hide his disappointment that it wasn't from Warren.

“That's Callum for you, always weird!” Nick said with a fond smile.

Later that night, Nick was laying in bed, unable to sleep. His mind seemed to be endlessly cycling through the guys in his life – Greg, Warren, Callum, Josh, Dale. One after another they popped up, bringing with them all sorts of issues and unpleasant feelings. He had been thinking about Dale, wondering if he was okay when he heard his phone vibrate on his night stand.

It was a message from Greg. [I wanted to come over to your room like the last night I stayed here, but it hurts to move.]

Nick didn't reply, instead he got up and headed straight over to the boy's room.

“I was hoping you'd do that.” Greg said happily, smiling at Nick as he walked in.

Nick headed straight for the bed, got in beside Greg and let the boy manoeuvre himself into a comfortable position. He was laying with his back pressed against Nick, while the older boy's arms wrapped around him.

“Better?” Nick asked.

“Much.” Greg replied contentedly, sighing happily.

They had been laying there together for about ten minutes in silence before Greg said, “I dropped a glass.”

“What?” Nick asked. He had thought the boy had fallen asleep, so the random comment surprised him a little.

“At home... that day... it started when I dropped a glass.” Greg explained quietly.

Nick felt Greg's grip on his arm tighten. This was the first time Greg had even mentioned it. After he had been through it with the police and social services, for once asking Nick NOT to be present, he had been a wreck, almost inconsolable. As such, it was unexpected to hear him bring it up now. Nick remained silent, allowing the boy the opportunity to continue without being pressed on it.

“Not long after Irene left, I dropped a glass and it broke and Dad got really annoyed. He yelled at me and then at Mum. I probably should have called you then, like I promised I would, but Dad calmed down and apologised and... and I didn't want to cause any more trouble.” the boy continued quietly. “I went up to my room, just to give them some space but when I went back down a couple of hours later, Mum was drinking and nagging Dad about finding a job and Dad was getting really pissed about it... then it all just started up again.”

Greg paused, taking a deep breath. Nick nuzzled his face into the boy's neck, kissing it gently, just to let him know he was still there, holding him.

“I.... I ran up to my room and I was about to call you, but Dad came in. He knew I was going to call someone, so he took my phone away from me and smashed it, then started yelling at me for causing trouble. I tried... I tried to apologise but he punched me in the stomach and told me to shut up. It hurt so much, I just curled up on the floor and started crying and he kept calling me girls names and saying boys shouldn't cry and that he felt disgusted at having a queer for a son.”

Greg stopped again for a moment, taking several deep breaths, pressing back against Nick, getting comfort from feeling the bigger boy's body against his own. As he spoke, his grip on Nick's arm was growing tighter and tighter. “He went to leave my room and I just looked at my window, I wanted to get out again, but he must have seen me. He came over and grabbed me by my hair and dragged me to the window. He said if I was so keen to leave then he'd happily throw me through the window but then said I should stay and face him like a man. Then he started slapping me, telling me I was too much a wimp to even defend myself.”

By this point, Nick was crying, hearing what the boy had gone through and the cold detachment in his voice as he recounted the events.

“He took me out of my room to the top of the stairs and started slapping me again. He told me if I didn't defend myself like a man, then he'd push me down. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't move, I was too scared so he let go of me, punched me in the face and pushed me down the stairs. I must have hit my head because I blacked out. When I woke up, Dad was standing over me and Mum was yelling at him to stop, but she was so drunk she couldn't even stand up straight. Dad just started kicking me. I curled up and begged him to stop but he just kept yelling and kicking and yelling and kicking. I tried to crawl away into the lounge when he started screaming at Mum again, but he just followed me. He said I had ruined everything, that having me had ruined his life. I begged him to let me go.”

Nick wanted the boy to stop. He didn't want to hear any more but he couldn't say anything. All he could do was lay and hold the boy silently.

“He said I shouldn't have run away last time, that this was only happening because I did, that it was all my fault. Mum staggered in and started screaming at him. As soon as he turned on her, I got up and tried to go for the door, but he caught me and dragged me back. He told me he had already warned me what would happen if I tried to leave again. He... he picked me up... and threw me through the window. It... hurt so much when I felt all the glass cutting me. All I could see was red, and everything hurt but I knew I had to get up. I made myself move and ran out onto the street. He came running after me, but I hid in the neighbour's garden until he went away. It all gets a bit blurry after that. I just remember everything hurting and thinking I had to get to you, that if I did that then I'd be okay.”

The boy went silent, breathing deeply for a few moments before he burst into tears. Nick wanted to say so much to him, but was unable to even form words through his own sympathetic sobbing.

*****

Tuesday 17th February 2015
Seventeen days after the argument
---------------------------------

Corey lay on the sofa in Josh's apartment, sniggering to himself over something he was reading on his phone. He froze when he heard a key at the door. Josh was meant to be at work all day but it was only one o'clock. He sat up and looked over towards the door, just as Dale appeared. He ducked down quickly, just managing to avoid Dale's quick glance round. He lay on the sofa, doing his best to remain silent.

“Fuck, this place is a tip!” he heard Dale mutter, before he walked through to the main bedroom.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Corey muttered, desperately hoping Dale didn't come too far into the lounge. He considered trying to sneak out but there was direct line of sight from the bedroom to the corridor with the front door, so there was too much of a chance he would be spotted.

He could hear Dale moving things around in the bedroom. He expected he was just here to pick up more of his things. Part of him wanted to reveal himself, to talk to the man, to tell him everything, confide what was wrong, but his anger won out instead. He was still angry at Dale for just leaving so he remained silent.

A few minutes later, Dale emerged again but thankfully went straight to the front door and left. With the man gone, Corey sat up, breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out another beer, chugging half of it before staggering back into the lounge.

*****

Wednesday 18th February 2015
Eighteen days after the argument
--------------------------------

[Okay Sir, I'm naked] Josh sent to his master. He was in a public toilet, inside one of the cubicles, his clothes now removed and hung up on the back of the door. That was all he had been instructed to do so far.

[Very good, fag. Are you hard?]

Josh looked down. Hard was an understatement. He had reached the point where just receiving a message from his mystery tormentor gave him a raging erection. [Yes Sir. Very] he sent back.

[Good. Now open the cubicle door, leave it open and start wanking. You're only allowed to cum if someone lends you a hand or if someone is watching you. Understand?]

Josh stared in amazement. This was the first time he had been ordered to deliberately expose himself to other people. He had done several risky things, but they had always allowed him the option to hide. Now though, it was definitely going to happen! [Yes Sir] he sent back, then unlocked the door and let it swing open.

He started stroking, having to go quite slow. His excitement over what was about to happen already made him feel like he could cum quickly. His breath caught in his throat as he heard the main door open. A man walked in and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Josh's reflection in the mirror. He was around his mid-thirties, tall and a bit chunky with quite attractive features. Josh's cock twitched. He wanted the man to come over but didn't feel bold enough to actively gesture to him. The man watched for a few moments, then smiled and walked on to the urinals.

Josh had to stop stroking otherwise he would cum and he didn't want to disobey his master. A minute later, the man reappeared as he headed past to the exit, giving Josh another smile on the way. Josh was back to stroking on his own, waiting for someone to appear. It was nearly ten minutes until he heard the door go again, this time he heard voices too. A few seconds later, two young guys appeared. They looked about Nick's age, both carrying skateboards.

“What the fuck...” one of them, the blonde, exclaimed as he saw Josh. He grabbed his friend's arm and pointed to Josh.

“Fuck!” the darker haired one said with a grin as they looked at the naked man.

They both stared at Josh who just looked back nervously. He was still scared things could go badly, but hoped for the best.

“Want a hand?” the blonde asked with a grin.

“Sure.” Josh said happily, dropping his hand away from his erection and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Have fun!” the other one said as he walked along to the urinals.

The blonde walked towards Josh, put down his skateboard and grabbed the solid shaft, stroking it quickly. 

“Ah fuck.” Josh moaned happily at the young man's touch.

Smiling at Josh's enjoyment, he stopped for a moment, pulled down the front of his jeans and boxers and let his own cock flop out. It was already hard and looked to be about six inches. As he resumed stroking Josh's boner, he pumped away on his own with his other hand.

“See you outside!” the dark-haired boy called out on his way back past.

“Ah yeah.” Josh moaned, getting close to cumming, sped along by the sight of the cute boy wanking in front of him. He wanted to reach out and touch but got the impression it wouldn't be welcome.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck.” the boy moaned as his cock started spurting several globs of cum onto Josh's chest just seconds before Josh shot too.

The boy kept stroking them both until every drop had oozed out, then let go and tucked himself away.

“That was hot.” the boy said, turning to walk away.

“I'm Josh!” Josh called after him.

“I don't care!” the boy called back, leaving Josh to clean himself off and get dressed.

*****

Monday 23rd February 2015
Twenty-three days after the argument
------------------------------------

“I don't believe it, my eyes must be playing tricks on me!” Callum called out as Nick walked into the study room.

“Like you can see anything past that ridiculous hair anyway.” Nick laughed back at him.

The two hugged briefly before Nick greeted the other guys Callum had been sat with as his friend got up from his seat.

“I'll catch ya later guys. We're gonna walk to class” Callum said, picking up his bag from the table and walking away with Josh. “So are you just visiting or are you actually back?”

“I'm back.” Nick said happily.

“About time. What happened anyway? Nobody knew why you just stopped coming.” Callum asked as they walked down the corridor towards their first class.

“A friend... got hurt, badly. He needed me.” Nick explained. It was clear he didn't want to give more detail, so Callum just nodded. Nick looked round at his friend and added, “And I broke up with Warren.”

“What!?” Callum said, stopping dead in his tracks and grabbing Nick's arm. “What happened?”

“He... he was cheating on me. He's in love with someone else.” Nick said with a sigh.

“Wow, and right after you thought you were cheating on him too. Kind of ironic.” Callum said with a slight smirk.

“Gee thanks. I've broken up with the guy I love, but at least I have the irony to comfort me!” Nick said, slightly annoyed.

“Sorry mate, how you doing with it?” Callum asked, putting an arm around Nick's shoulders as they resumed walking.

“Honestly? I could REALLY use a fuck!” Nick said with a grin.

“Oh, so that's why you came back, is it? To just use me for sex?” Callum asked, pulling the arm away.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Nick replied, still grinning.

Callum frowned at him, but just for a moment before smiling too. “Fair enough, just wanted to know where I stood. Wanna blow off class and... blow me instead?”

“Fuck yes!” Nick said happily as they ran off towards the toilets.

*****

Wednesday 25th February 2015
Twenty-five days after the argument
-----------------------------------

“Happy birthday.” Greg called out happily as Warren walked into his room, closely followed by Sam.

“Thanks.” Warren said, smiling weakly.

“Best not to mention that.” Sam said to Greg. “He's... not really in the mood to celebrate.”

“Why not? I thought things were... getting better!” Greg whispered to him.

“They are... but me and Nick, we're just friends.” Warren replied, sitting on the bed beside Greg. “I miss him so much. Josh too.”

“Josh still ignoring you then?” Sam asked, sitting on Greg's other side.

Warren frowned. “Not quite ignoring, but close. I've only seen him once and he said he still loves me, but he wants to be with Dale. He knows that would never happen if I'm around all the time so he just told me to stay away.” Warren explained, eyes watering. “I really miss him.”

Greg reached out and pulled Warren towards him. “Hey, it's all gonna be okay.” he said reassuringly.

Warren just rested against his friend and sighed. “I just want things back the way they were.” Greg nodded his agreement to the sentiment as Warren sighed again. “Worst birthday ever!”

They heard movement out on the landing, followed by quick footsteps down the stairs.

“Hey, was that Corey?” Sam asked, looking over at the door.

“Sounded like it.” Greg said with a shrug.

Warren frowned, thinking about Josh's youngest brother. “Has he actually come to see you yet?” he asked.

“No. Nick's still not talking to him and he always seems to be out doing other things.” Greg explained.

“He's missed our last two matches too.” Sam added quietly.

Warren rubbed his face and muttered, “I really fucked things up, didn't I!”

Greg just pulled him into another hug briefly before Warren and Sam had to leave for school.

That night, Warren's parents had taken the two boys out for dinner to celebrate their son's birthday, even though it was clear he wasn't in the mood. They had also agreed to let Sam stay over for the night.

Once the two boys were alone in Warren's room, Sam grinned at his friend and said, “I've got a present for you!”

Warren scowled. “I told you not to buy me anything!”

“I didn't.” Sam replied, still smiling. “But I've got this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, handing it over to his friend.

Warren immediately recognised it from the night of Dale's birthday party. It was the fantasy Warren had written down, the one about Sam, the one his friend had read out, but omitted the embarrassing parts to save Warren's humiliation. He stared down at it then over at Sam. “You still have this!” he exclaimed.

“Sure. And do you remember what I said about it that night?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, you said that my birthday was next month and that I'd just given you an idea what to...” Warren stopped mid-sentence, staring at Sam as he realised where they were heading.

Sam headed for the door, then turned back to Warren and said, “I'm just gonna go out for a bit, I'll be back soon!” He winked at warren and left, heading for the bathroom. As he got in there and locked the door, he sat down. He was terrified of what he was about to do. Aside from his encounter with Nick and the stuff at Dale's party, he had never really done much with anyone, but he knew this was something Warren really wanted. He cared about Warren so much and it was killing him seeing his friend so down.

A few minutes later, he took a deep breath, opened the door and headed back to Warren's room. If things went the way of Warren's fantasy, then he was about to walk in and catch him wanking. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, attempting unsuccessfully to stifle a grin. “Oh dear, looks like I've...” he started, but then saw Warren still sat there fully dressed, “Not... caught you doing... anything!” he finished flatly.

Warren just stared at him, tears in his eyes. “Could you just... hold me?” he asked quietly, then started crying. Sam was on the boy in seconds, arms around him.

*****

Saturday 28th February 2015
Twenty-eight days after the argument
------------------------------------

Liam headed for the door and opened it. “Hey James.” he said with a smile, seeing his friend standing there waiting to come in.

“Alright, you okay?” James asked, walking inside and slipping off his shoes and coat.

“Not bad, glad it's the weekend!” Liam replied as he closed the door.

“Me too.” James agreed, then in a hushed tone asked, “How's he doing?”

Liam lowered his voice to match James'. “Ugh, ask him yourself!” he said, shaking his head, then asked, “Hey, you seen Josh lately?”

“No.” James said, shaking his head in response. “I figured I should probably keep my distance for now.”

“Same here.” Liam said with a hearty sigh.

They headed into the lounge where Dale was sat on the sofa.

“Hey.” Dale said happily as he saw James.

“Hey bro.” James said, fist bumping and sitting alongside him. “How ya doing?”

“Everything sucks!” Dale pouted, slumping back in his seat.

“Oh for fuck's sake, stop moping. You're not a girl!” Liam snapped from across the room.

“Whoa, go easy!” James said defensively, turning to face his short-tempered friend.

Liam just glared at them both. “Hey, you haven't lived with this for three weeks. I've had enough. All he does is sit around and complain!” Liam said sharply.

“HE is in the room ya know.” Dale said back angrily at being spoken about as if he wasn't there, frowning at his friend.

“Wow, so glad I came.” James said, smirking at the two friends bickering.

“Whatever! Maybe you can talk some sense into him. He clearly wants to get back together with Josh but he's just being a whiny little bitch about it.” Liam said to James frustratedly before storming out.

James watched Liam leave, then turned back to Dale. “He's... pretty harsh, isn't he!” he said, shaking his head

“Yeah.” Dale agreed, then sighed and added. “He's right though.”

“You... wanna get back together?” James asked, surprised at the revelation.

Dale nodded. “I do. I'm really pissed at him, but I really miss him. Erm... have you spoken to him?”

James looked round at the door for Liam again. Seeing he was definitely gone, he turned to Dale and said, “Yeah. Yeah I have.” Seeing Dale staring at him hopefully, he continued, “Sorry mate, he really doesn't want to get back together with you.”

“Oh.” Dale said, then went silent, looking down contemplatively. It was definitely not the news he was hoping for.

*****

Monday 2nd March 2015
Thirty days after the argument
------------------------------

Josh could feel himself getting tired, but his master had demanded he stay in shape, so he continued running on the treadmill, drenched in sweat. He closed his eyes, listening to the music loud playing in his ears, just willing his legs to keep going. When he opened his eyes, he was startled as he saw James standing on the treadmill beside him. He tripped over his own feet, fell onto the treadmill, rolled over and flew off the end, landing in a heap.

He looked up and saw James looking down at him. “That... was fucking hilarious!” James said with a grin.

“Fuck off, I meant to do that. It's how I end all my workouts!” Josh said defiantly, letting James help him up onto his feet, looking round embarrassed at all the amused stares from the other members of the gym.

The two stood looking at each other for a moment. They hadn't even spoken since the morning after Dale's party. “It's nice to see you.” James said with a polite smile.

“You too.” Josh said, still catching his breath from the run and spectacular dismount.

“Maybe you should sit down for a minute.” James suggested. They headed over to a rest area and took a couple of seats by a table.

“How've you been?” Josh asked.

“Fine.” James said back briefly. “You?”

Josh shrugged. “Getting by.” He stared at James for a moment. In all the commotion with Greg, the argument with Dale and the general unpleasantness with everyone else he had almost forgotten about what had happened with James. The kiss they had shared and their encounter in the shower had been all but forgotten. Seeing the young man there now brought it all flooding back to him and he was totally unprepared to deal with it, instead choosing another conversation. “So... how's Dale?”

“Getting by!” James said, using Josh's own words. His expression told Josh everything he needed to know. Dale was obviously suffering and it was all Josh's fault.

“I can't believe I fucked everything up so completely.” Josh said, leaning forward and resting his forehead on the table.

James reached out and rubbed his back.

“Has he... mentioned me?” Josh asked, tilting his head slightly to the side to look up at his friend.

James looked a little uncomfortable.

“What?” Josh demanded, sitting up. James' hand fell away “What did he say?”

“Just... that he never wants to see you again!” James lied. He let his hand find its way back onto Josh, resting on his leg. “I'm sorry dude. I know that's probably not what you want to hear.”

“No... it's really not.” Josh said sadly. “But... at least I know now.”

James slid his hand back and forth a little, getting closer to Josh's crotch. “Hey... maybe a shower will cheer you up!” he suggested with a sly grin.

Josh sighed, looked round at him. So Dale didn't want him back? He knew this was a possibility, but now James had confirmed it. Of all people, why did it have to be James? The kiss, the shower, the giant cock... all suppressed for so long. But now here he was, at his lowest moment, offering himself up. Any strength Josh had left had been sapped by the news about Dale. He stared back at James, smiled weakly and said, “Sure. Why not.”
Chapter 15

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
----------------------

Josh reached out to turn off his alarm then cuddled up to the body next to him. For just a moment, everything felt normal right up until he opened his eyes.

“Morning!” James said, grinning broadly.

Josh smiled. The moment was bitter-sweet. It felt wonderful to wake up with someone beside him again, he just wished it was Dale. That didn't mean he regretted having James there though. After they had met in the gym the evening before, and then 'showered' together, James had asked if Josh wanted to just hang out. They had ended up coming back to Josh's place.

Eventually the subject of their kiss at Dale's party had come up and awkward silence had filled the room until James finally just cut through the tension with a very frank confession of his feelings. He liked Josh, a lot!

Still feeling down about the news that Dale most definitely didn't want him back, Josh had been particularly vulnerable to the young man's advances and soon they had started kissing again. Josh had found it both comforting and exciting and ended up asking James to stay over. Once they had gotten naked to go to bed, other urges had taken over and James had fucked him again, the two eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

Josh looked at him now, hair a mess, a slight hint of ginger stubble and the most sincere smile he had ever seen on his friend's face. Truthfully, Josh really did like him too, but having him there still felt like he was betraying Dale, something that he reminded himself he was already far too good at!

“Morning.” Josh finally replied, kissing James quickly on the lips before rolling over and sliding out of bed.

“Hey Josh.” James called out. As Josh looked back, James threw aside the covers, revealing that his massive cock was fully erect.

Josh sighed. He simply couldn't resist the monstrous tool and found himself drawn back into the bed.

*****

Greg heard movement out in the hallway. After a couple of weeks at the McKenzie house, he had gotten used to all the sounds, knowing exactly which door had been opened or where someone was going. Sometimes he could even tell who was out there by the sound of their footsteps. He listened carefully and realised it was Corey's door.

He climbed out of bed and made his way out of the room. He was still in substantial pain from his injuries and operations, but he was recovering well and could now just about manage get about the house without assistance, although he couldn't really go far. Corey's room was definitely within range.

He knocked on the door and waited. He heard a groan from indoors, followed by a loud, “Go away!”

Greg ignored the barked order and opened the door. Corey was laying face down on his bed, drawn curtains plunging the room into darkness.

“I said go away!” Corey repeated.

“How is it that I've been living in your house for over two weeks, but this is the first time I've seen you?” Greg asked.

Corey looked up and realised it was Greg. “Oh... hi.” he said awkwardly.

“You're avoiding me!” Greg said accusingly.

Corey buried his face into his pillow, unable to look at the boy. “No I'm not.” he argued defiantly.

Greg made his way over to the boy's bed and sat down. “Why are you...” he stopped mid-sentence, sensing something. He sniffed, feeling a sickly sensation in his stomach as the smell jogged a distinctly unpleasant memory. “Corey, look at me please.” he requested, reaching to the curtains and pulling one partially opened.

“No, go away.” Corey snapped, reaching up to try and close the curtain.

Greg grabbed his hand and said, more firmly this time, “Corey, look at me!”

The boy groaned and started to turn over, pulling his wrist free from Greg's grip and shielding his eyes from the light. The older boy stared in shock, Corey looked awful, like he hadn't slept for a week, his face red and blotchy, eyes dark and sunken. All of that, coupled with the smell told Greg everything he needed to know.

“How long have you been drinking?” Greg demanded, barely containing his anger.

“What are you talking about?” Corey said dismissively, burying his face once again.

“Corey, I lived with a drunk for fifteen years. I know it when I see it.” Greg insisted, a slight waver in his voice as he thought about his Mum.

“I'm not a drunk!” Corey snarled, shooting up suddenly. “What the fuck are you even doing in here? This isn't your house and this isn't your fucking business. Get out of my room!”

Greg's first instinct was to run from the angry boy or to lash out at him with matching fury. It took every bit of strength he had to sit there, staring him down. He remained motionless, eyes fixed on Corey's.

Corey stared back, breathing heavily, his anger gradually fading. He slumped back down onto the bed and said timidly, “I'm not a drunk, I've just... had a few drinks.”

“But... why?” Greg asked, willing his pulse to slow. Outwardly he had retained his cool at the boy's outburst, but inside he was totally freaking out and now trying desperately to calm down.

“Because...” Corey started, staring at Greg for a moment before looking away. “Everything's just crap.” He rubbed his head, clearly nursing a very nasty headache.

Greg found himself feeling a little dizzy and nauseous. “I think I need to go and lay down.” he said, standing up. “And I think you need to sleep it off. Just... promise you'll come and see me later, okay?”

Corey just nodded gently before flopping back down onto the bed while Greg headed back to his own room.

*****

Nick looked down at the boy laying at his feet and stroked his cock in anticipation. Callum was already quite slim, but laying there with his hands tied up above his head elongated his body even more, ribs showing through his pale skin. His eyes were covered by a blindfold.

“Come on, what you waiting for?” Callum demanded.

Nick knelt beside the restrained boy then leant forward to suck a finger into his mouth. Callum chuckled happily as Nick finally made contact. Nick sucked the finger for a moment, then started kissing and licking his way slowly down the boy's arm.

“Oh, you tease.” Callum moaned, managing to sound both happy and annoyed. When he had agreed to let Nick tie him up, he had figured it was going to be a quick, playful fuck. Instead Nick had gone the other way, slowing their usual routine to virtually a crawl. He didn't really mind though, he loved the feeling of Nick's tongue and lips working their way along.

Nick reached the end of the arm, finding his mouth pushing into a smooth, shaved armpit. He gave it a quick lick as Callum squirmed, obviously a little ticklish. He made a mental note of that for later as he let his tongue work its way onto the chest. Nick felt cold metal against his lips, the stud through Callum's left nipple. He licked the sensitive nub, then plucked at the piercing with his teeth, pulling it gently, just enough to make the boy shudder.

“Oh, you like that?” Nick asked, doing it again.

“Fuck yeah!” Callum replied happily.

Nick did it a third time, then as he heard Callum's sharp intake of breath, lunged at the boy's face, pressing their lips together. They kissed for a few seconds before Nick started to pull away, but not before gripping the boy's lip ring between his teeth.

“Aaaah.” Callum moaned again feeling the pressure on his lip as Nick gently tugged at the piercing. “Fuck, I don't know what's got into you, but keep doing it!!” he whimpered excitedly.

Nick smiled at the reaction before burying his face into the boy's neck, kissing, licking, nipping with his teeth eliciting more moans of approval. He continued his exploration of the boy's body, worshipping every inch of pale, smooth skin, mixing teasing pleasure with tiny shots of pain until the boy's cock was literally throbbing with desire, bouncing in time with his pulse.

Nick grabbed the solid rod and put it into his mouth being careful not to actually let it touch anything, just letting the warm, moist air surround it for a minute, building the boy's already over-stretched sense of anticipation. Finally he closed his lips around it, getting a low grunt of excitement in response. He didn't start sucking though, instead just holding it there. He swirled his tongue around the head, sniggering slightly as Callum's body twitched in response. Then he quickly closed his teeth together, not enough to hurt, but enough to let the boy know they were there, getting a yelp of shock in response.

“Oh Jesus!” Callum moaned at the gentle but effective teasing.

Nick repeated the moves, a swirl of the tongue, a quick nip, another lick, another nip. Callum found himself flip-flopping between pleasure and pain, both making his body jump for different reasons. Nick went on. Tongue, teeth, tongue, teeth, tongue, teeth, a seemingly endless cycle.

Callum pulled at the restraints, desperate to get free and escape the torment, but at the same time praying for it to never end.

Nick finally slid his mouth off, sucking and keeping his lips tight until it emerged with an audible 'pop', leaving Callum breathlessly motionless.

“Nick, I don't know if I can take much more of this.” Callum said quietly.

Nick lay across him, pressing their bodies together as he moved his lips to the boy's ear. “Do you want to cum?”

“Yes!” Callum whimpered.

Nick ground his hips, pressing his own erection against Callum's, then whispered, “Okay, but me first!” Nick got back up and straddled Callum's chest. Taking a handful of hair, he pulled the boy's head forward and pushed his cock inside his mouth. Callum coughed, choking a little as the sudden face fucking caught him by surprise.

Nick's other hand made its way onto Callum's head, as he pulled the boy onto him over and over as he thrust in opposition. “Ah, ah, ah, yeah, take it!” Nick growled through gritted teeth. Moments later, he shot his load down the boy's throat and finally let go of him.

Callum coughed and spluttered for breath as he was released but it was only a brief reprieve as he soon felt Nick climb off of his chest and wrap his fingers around his cock.

“If you wanna cum, fuck my hand!” Nick ordered.

Still catching his breath, Callum started bucking his hips, making his erection slide up and down in Nick's grip.

“Faster!” Nick snapped.

Callum sped up as much as he could, thrusting as high as he could until he whimpered happily, “I'm gonna cum!”

Nick smirked, then a few moments later pulled his hand away, leaving Callum thrusting into thin air.

“Aaah, fuck.” he moaned. “Just let me cum! Pleeeeease.”

The boy's desperate plea made Nick smile. He wrapped his hand back round the cock and let him resume fucking it. As he started moaning again, clearly close, Nick let go again.

“Niiiick, please.” Callum begged.

“Sorry, this time.” Nick said with an evil grin, replacing his hand once again.

A few thrusts and Callum was right on the edge again. “Yes, yes, yes.” he moaned, seconds away from release.

Nick pulled his hand away, getting another moan, but only for a moment. He placed his hands on the boy's side and started tickling. Callum burst into tortured laughter, squirming to try and get away. Seeing the boy's legs flail, Nick jumped on top of them and resumed tickling.

Callum tried to beg for it to end, but his words were lost in the laughter.

“Okay you can cum.” Nick teased, stroking the wildly-swinging cock a few more times  before letting go and saying, “Or maybe not.” He started tickling again.

Nick continued his teasing, stroking then tickling. Callum didn't know whether to laugh or cry and ended up doing both, gasping for breath between hysterical sobs. Finally getting bored of it, Nick stroked the boy's cock until it finally released a dozen thick strings of goo across the smooth stomach and chest.

Callum lay still for a few minutes, regaining his composure gradually. He heard Nick moving about. When he finally came over and removed the blindfold, Callum saw he was already dressed. Nick undid a restraint on one of the wrists, then casually dropped the key on Callum's chest to let him undo the other, then headed for the door.

“I need to go.” he said flatly, then left without another word.

*****

Josh sat on the sofa, staring nervously at the box on the coffee table. He had picked it up from the post office earlier in the day and had yet to build up the nerve to open it. He had allowed his mystery master to use his credit card to order some 'new toys', as he had put it, and had been ordered to let him know as soon as they arrived.

He knew he was technically disobeying an order by holding onto the box and not telling him, but part of him was terrified of what might be inside. The tasks he was being set were gradually escalating. He had been naked in so many places now and exposed himself to so many people.

The most exciting, and clearly most dangerous, had been a few nights ago when he had been ordered to leave the apartment naked, get in his car and drive to one of the most popular gay cruising areas in the County. Once he was there, he had been told to walk around the area, fully exposed and making it clear to everyone that he was available for their pleasure. He was forbidden from saying no to anything.

During the few hours he spent there, he had been fucked by half a dozen strangers, sucked more cocks than he could count, been forced to rim a couple of guys and even got pissed on once. He had endured several orgasms of his own, too, the guys taking great pleasure in using the hot, naked stud. When he finally returned home, he was sore all over, freezing cold and stinking... and he loved every second of it. He had been humiliated, degraded, called offensive names and been slapped about, treated like a worthless sex slave. Just thinking about it as he showered, despite the pounding he had taken and the many orgasms already forced out of him, he found himself getting hard again, jerking out another load, then another when he finally dropped into bed, exhausted.

He wondered what could be next for him now as he stared at the box. [Your package has arrived Sir.] he finally sent.

[Good boy. Open it] the instruction came back almost instantly.

Josh took a deep breath and grabbed the box, pulling off the strip of tape sealing it. Pulling out some of the packaging, he found himself looking at two smaller boxes. He pulled them both out and looked at them one at a time. The first contained a prostate stimulator. As Josh examined the box, he realised why his master had chosen that particular one – it was remote controllable. Once synced with his phone, someone with the right code and app could take control of it!

Putting the first box aside he stopped and stared as he realised what the other item was – a chastity cage. It was an extremely sturdy design, even stronger than the one he had once worn for a week. As he found himself thinking back to that time, he could feel his cock expanding, a somewhat ironic reaction!

The fact that the two items arrived together made it pretty clear what the mystery master was planning for him. He typed out a message. [I've opened the box Sir. What would you like me to do?]

[Put on the chastity device immediately and send me a picture to show it's done. After that, get the stimulator set up and send me what I need to take control of it.] the master ordered.

Josh sent back a quick [Yes Sir!] before setting about following the instructions. The first problem he had was that his cock was standing at full length, not much chance of getting the device on over that! He opted for the quickest method he could think of to get rid of it, stripping and jumping into a cold shower. By the time it had gone down, he was shivering from the chilly water, but at least he was shrunken enough to do what needed to be done.

Pulling the cage out of its packaging he started putting on, feeling his cock already engorging slightly as he did it. He was close to being hard again by the time he secured the lock in place. It was not like other devices he had seen that included easily-removed serial-numbered plastic locks, this one featured a small but sturdy metal padlock. With the device in place, Josh went to the bathroom and snapped a full length picture of himself in the mirror and sent it before heading back into the lounge.

He set about unpackaging the other toy quickly, looking first at the instructions. He went to the website it mentioned and downloaded the software for his phone before sending a link and access code to his tormentor.

[Put it in, fag!] the reply came a few minutes later.

Josh lubricated the new toy and slid it in, jumping slightly as the tip came into firm contact with his prostate. He sent back, [It's in Sir]

Josh sat waiting for a reply, but jumped as he felt the toy come to life. “Oh shit.” he muttered as it buzzed gently inside him, resulting in a twitch from his now-restrained dick.

[Is it working?]

[Yes Sir! It feels amazing.] Josh sent back eagerly.

[Good. I think I'll call it Buzz. And just cos it fits, and it's a bit ironic, I'll call the cage Woody!] the next message said.

Josh laughed at the names. In amongst the orders and insults, he sometimes picked up on little playful things like that from the mystery man. It was that sort of thing that made him wonder who it really was, but he didn't really want to push for an answer as the mystery simply seemed to add to his arousal.

Another message followed before Josh could reply. [From now on, you will keep Buzz in at all times. I've now locked your access from the app so only I have the power to turn it on or off. Woody is now permanent until I decide I want to let you out. How many keys came with it?]

[Two Sir] Josh quickly replied, his head reeling at the thought of long-term chastity combined with prolonged use of Buzz (he figured he should get used to calling it that too!)

[Put both keys under the doormat outside your front door right away. I will take them at some point and they will remain in my possession for the foreseeable future to ensure you don't get tempted to disobey me.]

[Yes Sir] Josh replied again, getting up to do as instructed. He quickly pulled open the door, put the keys under the mat and shut it, glad none of his neighbours happened to be looking. As he headed back into the lounge, a thought occurred to him. He had given the address to his mysterious stranger (probably not a sensible idea in the first place), so he knew where to come to get the keys, but how did he know about the doormat outside the front door. Was it just a lucky guess? It wasn't an unusual thing to have, but he had said it with such certainty.

Josh had no more messages from his master for the rest of the evening, but occasionally felt Buzz changing settings, turning off or turning back on, knowing that his master was still there.

*****

Corey had been stood in the doorway to Greg's room for several seconds before he cleared his throat to get the boy's attention.

“How you feeling?” They both asked at the same time. They both laughed at the unintended synchronicity and Corey entered the room.

“You go.” They both said at the same time again, getting another laugh.

“You go!” Greg said quickly before Corey could say anything else.

Corey smiled weakly as he took a seat at the foot of the bed. He could barely bring himself to make eye contact with the boy. “I'm feeling much better now, thanks.” he replied quietly, then asked, “How about you?”

“I'm fine.” Greg replied with a gentle nod. “I'm just not used to being up and about yet, they said it'll take some time before I can really do much.”

“Yeah, yeah, that's... understandable.” Corey said, flinching slightly as his mind flashed back to the way Greg had looked laying beaten on the doorstep.

“Corey, what's going on?” Greg asked with a hefty sigh. “Why've you been drinking?”

Corey didn't want to talk about it, any of it. Outright denial was the strategy he had been using to cope, but he figured that wasn't really working out too well for him, so he decided to answer. “I just... I was having trouble sleeping for a while, and a... a drink helped.” he said, with a shrug.

Greg could tell from the look on the boy's face that there was more to that problem than he was saying. “Why... couldn't you sleep?”

Corey just looked up at him with sad puppy-dog eyes, staring at Greg's many visible injuries.

“Oh.” Greg said, beginning to understand. “I... don't really remember getting here, but Nick told me it was you that found me.”

Corey started to shake, desperately trying to stop himself crying, but when Greg held out his arms, he started sobbing and lunged at him, letting the older boy hold him. “I thought... you were dead. There was... so much blood. I was so scared.” Corey wept, finally verbalising his fears for the first time.

When he had calmed down a little, Corey sat back up, wiping his face. “Sorry.” he said weakly. “I'm probably making you feel guilty, you shouldn't have to listen to this.”

“It's okay, I understand. I thought the others'd be looking after you.” Greg said, frowning a little, struggling to understand how Josh, Corey, Warren and Dale could let the boy get into this state unnoticed.

“Yeah right.” Corey snapped, the retort dripping with venom. “Let's see, we've got Josh who's so caught up in his own issues he never has time for mine, Nick who refuses to even talk to me, Dale who's just gone without a word and Warren who's already dangerously close to the edge! Exactly which one of them d'you think has been looking out for me? They don't give a fuck, so if I need to have a few drinks to get me through the day, then that's what I'll do!” Corey realised he was virtually shouting at the boy, his fists clenched. He took a few deep breaths and loosened his grip.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't know things had gotten so bad.” Greg said quietly. He felt a pang of guilt as he also considered the boy's parents. They had been so attentive to Greg's needs since he came to stay with them that he now found himself wondering if it was done at the cost of Corey's care. “Look... I care about you, Corey. Remember back when all this was just kicking off, in Nick's room, me and you... I chose you as my new little bro? Well I meant that! I wanna look out for you.”

“Thanks.” Corey said quietly. It felt nice to hear someone actually paying some attention to him and his problems after feeling ignored for so long.

“And as your big bro, I'm telling you to do something. This isn't a suggestion or a request, it's an order! Stop. Drinking!” Greg said.

The boy looked deathly serious, slightly surprising Corey with a determination he had not seen before. “But... I...” he stuttered.

“No. No excuses. No buts. You just stop. I was too scared to say anything to my Mum and I watched it turn her into something... twisted. I don't wanna see you go the same way. If you need me, I'm here for you. If you think you need professional help, there are places you can go, confidential ones, believe me I've looked at them all, but you HAVE to stop.” Greg insisted. “Promise me, Corey?”

The younger boy just stared at him for a few moments, so many thoughts going round in his head... so many excuses, but he could see the pain in Greg's eyes. Eventually he nodded and said quietly, “I promise.”

“Good, now come here!” Greg instructed, holding out his arms again.

Corey moved forward into the hug, but let go as he heard people coming up the stairs. They turned to see Nick walk in.

Nick just stared at his little brother blankly.

“I was just leaving.” Corey said feebly, staring at the ground as he walked past Nick.

“Corey, wait...” Greg called after him, but the boy's bedroom door slammed, confirming he was gone.

Greg stared at Nick in disgust. “What's wrong with you?” He demanded angrily.

“Me? I didn't do anything!” Nick said defensively.

Greg shook his head. “You're punishing Corey for something that isn't his fault!”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Ugh, I don't need this crap.” He snapped back and walked out, slamming his own bedroom door as he went inside.

Greg shook his head in frustration. He found himself thinking back to the conversation with Corey he had mentioned earlier, when they had talked about what it was like to have brothers. At the time Greg had insisted he would rather have annoying brothers than be an only child. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure about that!

*****

Sam was sitting on his bed, playing around on his phone when he noticed Warren stirring. The two boys had been hanging out in his room, watching a movie when Warren had fallen asleep. In reality, Warren hadn't actually been watching the movie. He had lay down on the bed, resting his head in his friend's lap and did what he seemed to do every night – obsess over Nick and Josh.

Sam knew that was what he was doing but he had long since passed the point of trying to talk Warren through his problems, the boy just seemed stubbornly set on lingering in the past. For now, the best Sam could do was stay close to his friend and offer any support he could. A couple of months ago, if Warren had fallen asleep in his lap like that he would have taken great pleasure in shocking him awake to watch his scared expression. Now though, he knew Warren had been giving himself many sleepless nights so Sam thought it best for him to get some rest while he could. He had turned the movie off to avoid it disturbing him.

Warren began to whimper in his sleep. He was clearly having the same dream Sam had witnessed a few times before, the boy pleading with Josh and Nick to take him back. The younger boy found it hard to sympathise with Warren, he had never been in love so he couldn't understand how it felt to lose that. Warren had been lucky enough to truly love two people, but then had lost them both. His difficulty in coping with it was understandable really.

Warren murmured Nick's name in his sleep, almost crying.

Sam placed a hand on Warren's chest and rubbed gently, whispering, “Shh, it's okay buddy, it's just a dream. You're okay.”

Warren seemed to settle, his face relaxing into peaceful neutrality.

With his friend calm again, Sam typed out a quick text message to Greg. [How you doing?] He wished he could see more of the boy, but it was difficult with Nick being there all the time. Warren and Nick had settled into the new status quo of platonic friendship, at least on the surface. If you looked a little deeper it was easy to see how much it was hurting the younger boy.

[Crappy. Had an argument with Nick!] Greg replied.

[About what?] Sam asked, more than a little surprised. Since Greg's hospitalisation, the two had been inseparable.

[Just McKenzie stuff!! You know what they're like!]

[Yeah I do. Anyway, I meant how are you feeling? I want you to get back to school just so everyone will stop asking about you, they all miss you. So do I btw xx] Sam sent.

[Aww, that's really sweet, thanks xoxox] Greg answered, quickly followed by another message. [If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?]

[Of course, I promise] Sam sent back immediately.

[Especially not Warren!!!!!!]

[Dude, I promise!!!!! What is it?] Sam insisted.

[I think I like Nick.]

Sam smirked and sent back, [No shit!]

[Is it that obvious?] Greg asked.

[Only to people with eyes.... or ears... or a pulse!!] Sam was almost laughing aloud, only resisting to avoid disturbing Warren who continued sleeping peacefully.

[Shit, does Warren know?]

[No, he's still too caught up in doom and gloom to really notice anything.] Sam said, joking a little but feeling bad for his best friend's pain.

[What do I do? Should I tell Nick?] Greg asked, clearly struggling with it.

[Fuck no. You can't do anything with him, he's your friend's ex, that's like illegal or something!] Sam insisted.

[I guess so. What you guys up to anyway?] Greg asked.

[Nothing. Warren fell asleep so I'm just keeping an eye on him.] Sam replied. He snapped a quick picture of his sleeping friend and sent it with the message.

[Aww, adorable. When I'm feeling a bit better, can we have another sleepover?] Greg requested.

[Of course, any time you like]

[Thanks. I'm going to sleep now, Speak soon (miss you too btw)] Greg sent.

[Nighty night bud xxx]

Realising how late it was, he considered waking Warren to send him home. Instead he opted for something else. He typed out another text message. [Hey Mrs Spencer, Warren's fallen asleep and I thought it might be best not to disturb him. Is it okay if he sleeps here? I'll make sure he gets up for school on time.]

Ten minutes later he hadn't received a reply and was starting to consider waking Warren anyway, but a message finally popped up. [That's fine Sam, thanks for looking after him.]

Smiling at the woman's appreciation of him, he slipped out from under Warren and turned the light off, then lay back down beside him. Sam normally liked space when he slept so he didn't cuddle up to Warren, but he still wanted his friend to know he was there so he lay his hand back on Warren's chest and let himself drift off to sleep.

*****

Liam staggered his way down the stairs toward the kitchen and poured a glass of water, downing it immediately before refilling it again and heading back towards the stairs. As he passed the lounge he noticed a dim light glowing under the door. He wondered if he might have left the TV on and opened the door.

He found Dale sat on the sofa, MacBook open on his lap. “Hey, you okay? You're up late!” he said, looking at the dimly-lit clock on the wall and seeing it said almost one am.

“Yeah, I was just looking for places to rent.” Dale replied. “What you doing up?”

“Ate too much Chinese, salt overload, woke up totally dehydrated.” Liam replied, holding up his glass. “And why you looking for places to rent. Is this about what I said at the weekend? I didn't mean to get so pissy, I just hate seeing you like this! You know you're welcome here for as long as you like.”

“No, it's not that. I came here hoping it might be temporary, that things might work out and I could go home. But it looks like me and Josh are done for good so I should probably start looking for a place of my own.” Dale explained.

“You two are done for good? What happened?” Liam asked, walking into the lounge and taking a seat beside Dale.

“Nothing, James just told me Josh doesn't want me back. That's a pretty clear message.” Dale said, trying to sound casual but the light from the MacBook reflecting off of the beginning of tears.

“Oh, right.” Liam said sympathetically, “Well that sucks. You okay?”

Dale nodded, then sighed as Liam continued to look him and changed the nod to a head shake. Liam smirked as he saw Dale's token show of bravado quickly fade. He closed the laptop and moved it aside, then shuffled closer to his friend and put an arm around him.

Dale let his head rest on Liam's shoulder for a moment, enjoying the feel of the warm, bare skin. He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them again as he felt Liam's hand stroking gently stroking his cheek.

He sat up and shifted round to face Liam directly, the other man moving to sit looking straight back at him. The hand, still on Dale's cheek, slipped round to the back of his neck, using it to pull his friend closer.

“Liam, what are you...” Dale started, the question fading into a muffled moan as their lips met. He stared at Liam for a moment, then closed his eyes, enjoying the kiss. He raised a hand, placing it gently on the side of Liam's neck.

They parted slightly, foreheads and noses still touching, eyes fixed on each other. “This is a really bad idea!” Liam whispered.

“Good!” Dale said with a smile, then pulled him back into another kiss.
Chapter 16

Wednesday 4th March 2015

Dale was awake but didn't want to move. The last thirty-two mornings he had woken up alone, instinctively reaching out to cuddle Josh but finding nobody there. Thirty-two times. He had been counting, waiting for his anger to abate enough to actually go back to the man he loved, to talk about their problems instead of simply hiding from them.

Finally, on morning number thirty-three, he had woken up with the warmth of a body beside him, the comfort of strong arms wrapped around him. It wasn't Josh though, it was Liam. Dale's world, already cracked by the revelation of Warren and Josh's duplicity had been shattered completely when he found out Josh didn't want him back. Fortunately, Liam had been there to pick up the pieces, first as a friend and now as maybe something more.

Maybe. That was the question. Maybe something more. Last night he had been upset and Liam had provided comfort, but was that all it was? A temporary expansion of their friendship, one guy helping another through a difficult time or was it something more? The questions raced through his mind as he lay there enjoying the feeling and pretending to still be asleep.

Of course, Liam's motivation aside, then came the other questions. How did Dale himself feel about it? He had been close friends with Liam for quite some time, they had slept together many times, but did this change things? Their love-making the previous night had been just that, love-making, not the casual fuck they usually shared. Liam had been an amazing friend since the split with Josh, offering a place to stay and a shoulder to cry on and his affection for the young man had definitely grown because of it.

He had no answers, only questions. He shifted ever-so-slightly, feeling the muscles of Liam's chest pressing into his back. He had to do something, he couldn't just lay there all morning, but what would he choose? Stay or go? Talk about it or pretend it never happened? Preserve friendship or pursue something more?

Before Dale could reach a decision either way, the choice seemed to be taken out of his hands. He felt Liam move slightly, then there were lips on his neck. He mewed happily as Liam kissed him from behind. He reached up with one hand and his fingers found Liam's hair, running through it gently.

“Morning.” Dale said happily, taking in a deep breath.

Liam kissed his way up to the side of Dale's neck, then kissed his ear lobe before whispering, “Morning.”

All the questions in Dale's mind seemed to melt away as Liam's hands began to slide down his chest, gently pulling at the hair covering him, slowly making their way down to his rapidly-expanding dick. Just before Liam's fingers could grasp the stiffening tool, Dale reached down and grabbed the hand. “Wait.”

Liam shifted away slightly, allowing Dale to roll onto his back, then propped himself up with an elbow, looking down at the other man. “What's wrong?” he asked nervously, thinking he had done something to upset Dale.

Dale realised he was still holding Liam's hand. He blushed a little, feeling a bit silly about getting embarrassed at such a little thing after all the other things they had done to each other last night. He kept hold anyway.

“Nothing.” he replied with a smile. “I just...” He didn't know what to say.

“You feel a bit weird?” Liam guessed.

Dale stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

“And you're freaking out about what this actually means?” Liam continued, gesturing to them both.

Dale continued staring. Was Liam feeling the same thing or were Dale's feelings so painfully obvious to his friend? Another nod.

Liam grinned at his friend's nervous expression. “Stop over-thinking, that's all you've done for the last month. Let's keep it simple. If I kissed you now... would you kiss me back?”

Dale's eyes widened and he felt himself tremble a little. He nodded again.

*****

“Oy, fucktard, wake up!” Sam said, his face inches from Warren's, poking his friend sharply in the ribs with a finger.

Warren flinched from the poke, rolled over and refused to open his eyes. Sam jumped on top of him, bouncing up and down vigorously to try and force him awake.

“Shit!” Warren called out suddenly, sitting up and almost headbutting Sam's face. “It's morning? My Mum's gonna kill me!”

“Relax.” Sam replied, rolling off of his friend and sitting at the foot of the bed. “I messaged your Mum last night to see if it was okay for you to stay. She was cool with it.”

Warren flopped back down, breathing a sigh of relief. “Oh thank fuck for that.” He looked down towards Sam. “Thanks for sorting it. I guess I kinda fell asleep on you again?”

“I'm starting to take it personally!” Sam joked, but stopped laughing when he saw the sad look on Warren's face. “I'm just kidding, bud. You needed a good night's sleep.”

Warren sat up and just nodded his agreement to the comment. “I guess I did. And I slept great. I don't think I actually... had that dream for once.” he said happily.

Sam knew he had, but didn't say anything. It was just nice to see Warren looking a bit more cheerful than he had been lately. “Now hurry up and get up. I promised you Mum I'd get you to school on time and if she finds out you were late she'll never let you stay over again!” Sam said, jumping off the bed.

He stood, stretching for a moment, until he felt Warren's arms wrapping around him. The boy hugged him from behind. Sam rested his head back against Warren's and reached up to grip onto his arms. When Warren let go, he turned round and asked, “What was that for?”

“Just... for being you!” Warren said with a sweet smile. Not wanting to dwell on the gesture for too long, he added, “Hey, if we hurry we'll have time to stop in and see Greg before school.”

*****

Nick stood in the hallway outside the door to Josh's old room. He felt crappy about the way he had snapped and stormed out on Greg the previous night but he felt like his reaction had been justified. What gave Greg to right to tell him he was wrong for his treatment of Corey. His little brother had been complicit in the most hurtful thing that had ever happened to him. Being pissed at him was a perfectly reasonable reaction.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Greg called out from the other side.

Nick very nearly turned and walked away, but decided it was best to just get this out of the way. He opened the door and walked in, smiling awkwardly as he saw Greg sitting up in bed. “Hey.” he said quietly.

“Hey.” Greg replied flatly. When Nick remained silent, he added, “Did you want something?”

“I just.... wanted to say sorry.” Nick said, looking down at his feet. “I shouldn't have spoken to you like that.”

Greg wanted to accept the apology. He hated being angry at Nick as the older boy had been so amazingly supportive since the incident, but he felt his reaction had been justified. Nick was being a total dick when it came to Corey. “It's fine.” he replied.

“Oh yeah.” Nick said sarcastically. “It really seems fine.”

Greg shook his head and sighed. “Okay, it's not fine.” he replied honestly.

“I don't see what your problem is.” Nick snapped.

“My problem's you!” Greg said back angrily. “You're acting like a child!”

“Fuck you!” Nick sneered back furiously. “He lied to me! He knew Warren was cheating on me and he didn't tell me!”

“Exactly, it was Warren that was cheating on you, but you can sit here and act all friendly with him, but Corey gets completely blanked. What kind of sense does that make?” Greg demanded.

Nick's mouth flapped, attempting to argue back, but Greg had a point. Nick's fury refused to abate though, helping him find at least a small argument to throw back at the boy. “Corey's my brother. MY brother, not Warren's. He should be on MY side. He should have told me!”

Greg shook his head incredulously, but smiled a little as Nick had just handed him the perfect foil to his own argument. “Tell me this then, Nick. What exactly was Corey meant to do when he had one brother needing him to keep a secret and another brother needing him to reveal it?”

“He... he...” Nick stuttered. As Greg watched, the anger began to fade from Nick's face, twisting through a range of confused and pained expressions. “He... couldn't do anything.” he finally said quietly.

Greg just looked at the boy and let out a deep breath. “Exactly.”

Nick grunted as he rubbed his face, shaking his head slightly. “I should go talk to him.”

“That's probably a good idea.” Greg said, glad that Nick was finally thinking straight, but almost in tears about their aggressive exchange.

Nick looked at the boy and saw how upset he looked. He dashed across the room to him, pulling him into a hug. “God, I'm so sorry for yelling at you like that. I didn't mean to get like that, I've just... I keep getting... so angry!” he rambled as he held Greg.

“It's okay. I know you're dealing with a lot.” Greg said quietly back to him, holding on tightly. It felt nice sitting there in Nick's arms. He was so close now, it would be so easy to just kiss him, to forget Sam's warning and confess his feelings but he resisted. “Go. Talk to Corey.” He ordered.

Nick kissed him gently on the forehead then got up and headed out of the room. A few steps down the hallway he knocked on Corey's door.

“Who is it?” Corey called back.

Nick paused, struggling to find his voice. He coughed, his mouth suddenly dry. “It's... it's Nick.”

There was a moment's pause before the boy called out, “Fuck off.”

“Cor, I wanted to apologise.” Nick said, trying the door but finding it blocked.

“And I want you to fuck off!” Corey shouted.

“Fine, fuck you too!” Nick snapped back angrily.

“HEY!” George called up the stairs. “What's going on up there?”

“NOTHING!” Nick shouted back, then retreated to his room, slamming the door.

*****

Josh lay in bed, gasping desperately, his entire body convulsing. His master had turned off Buzz relatively early the night before, but he had been woken early when the stimulator suddenly turned back on, this time at full strength.

Since his early awakening he had gone through a range of feelings he had never expected. The slow build of the prostate stimulation started off by just making him wish he could remove Woody, his chastity cage, and stroke his dick which swelled painfully against the metal. Once he finally accepted that simply wasn't going to happen, he just let the stimulation build. His first orgasm had not been accompanied by any form of ejaculation, aside from a new continuous dribble of pre-cum, his entire body convulsing from the pleasure. His second one though, that resulted in a slow dribble of cum. Shortly after that, he had been rocked by another cum-less orgasm.

He wondered how long the device would stay on, wondering if he was going to have to try and face the day with the intensive stimulation ongoing. At one point he had tried to get up and start getting ready for work, but his legs went weak and he found he struggled to walk, even holding onto furniture for support.

Mercifully, after an hour and a quarter the buzzing stopped. He wondered whether the battery had run out or if he was being granted a brief reprieve. When it turned back on fifteen minutes later he got his answer. Fortunately, it was only put onto a low setting, which provided a constant feeling of pleasurable stimulation but without pushing him towards another orgasm.

[Good morning, fag. Did you enjoy your wakeup call?] The first message of the day from his master said.

[Yes Sir. It was intense.] Josh replied as he continued preparing for work.

[Good. On your way to work, stop and pick up a good supply of batteries, you're going to need them. From now on you are to advise me whenever you are about to drive and again when you arrive. I'd hate to have you crash because you can't concentrate and have to go through the hassle of finding another worthless bitch boy.] The master instructed.

The message was somewhat of a relief for Josh. He had been worrying about what might happen if Buzz got turned up to full mid-journey. It was quite comforting to know that even amongst the humiliating and embarrassing tasks and insults, the mystery master actually cared about his well-being.

As he typed out his standard Yes Sir reply, another message arrived. This time from James. [Hey sexy. Wanna meet at the gym after work and then go out for dinner after? We could go back to your place for dessert! ;-)]

'Shit!' Josh thought as he read the message. In the excitement of the master's new toys, he had forgotten about James. They had not really talked much since they parted the previous morning. He now faced two problems. Firstly, the offer sounded very much like a date rather than their usual hookups, so was that something Josh wished to pursue? Secondly, whether they dated or just continued hooking up, how exactly was he going to explain Buzz and Woody?

So far he had not told anyone about his secret master, mainly because he had remained fairly secluded and not actually seen any of his friends aside from the occasional brief glimpse of Corey that he caught. Figuring it was best to actually start socialising again, he sent a message back to James and said, [Sure. See you at the gym.]

He figured that made it pretty clear they wouldn't be chatting during the day which would but him a little breathing room to consider his options. That was if he even made it through the day. With Buzz now his constant companion, it was going to be a challenge!

*****

Dale found himself actually looking forward to going home for a change. Ever since he left Josh, the thought of leaving work at the end of the day and going to Liam's place felt almost like a punishment. Today though, after he found himself looking at it differently. He actually wanted to get there, to see Liam, to hang out with his friend and see where the night would lead them.

Last night had been amazing and after his initial doubts in the morning, Liam's simple approach of 'If it feels good, do it' had eliminated a lot of the concerns from Dale's mind. He parked on the street and headed through the gate, eager to get inside and see if Liam was home yet, but instead he found a visitor sat on his doorstep – Nick!

He stared at the boy, Nick stared back, both of them frozen for just a moment. The hesitation didn't last long though as Nick jumped to his feet and virtually ran towards Dale, who started stepping forward at the same time. As they met, their arms wrapped around each other pulling them into a silent hug.

It must have been about ten minutes before either of them moved, they just stood, enjoying the comfort of a familiar body pressed against their own. They remained silent as they parted. Dale went to unlock the door as Nick followed. Once they got inside, they both sat down in the lounge, silence hanging in the air awkwardly.

Dale finally built up the nerve to say something. “I'm really sorry.”

“Me too.” Nick said quietly.

Dale frowned. “Wait, what are you sorry for? I'm the one who just upped and left!”

“Yeah, I s'pose.” Nick said with a shrug. “But I could have come to see you sooner. I know it's gotta suck being here on your own.”

“I haven't been on my own. I've got Liam.” Dale said, a brief hint of a smile curling up the corners of his mouth.

Nick obviously caught the slight gesture, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You know what I mean though.” Nick said, letting it pass for now. “Being here without Josh or Warren or me or Corey. It's... a bit of a change.”

Dale smirked and shook his head. “That's a bit of an understatement.” He stared at Nick for a moment, realising that while the boy was talking about him, he could just as easily be talking about himself. “How are you doing with it all?”

“I've just been looking after Greg.” Nick replied.

Dale shifted awkwardly in his seat. He felt bad not asking about the injured boy as everyone knew how much he meant to Nick, but the statement had revealed a lot more than Nick had probably intended. “That's... not what I asked.”

Nick scowled. “Yeah, well it's what I'm doing. Is that a problem or something?” His tone was sharp, bitter almost.

It was something Dale had never heard from the boy before and it caught him somewhat off guard. “You don't... need to get like that. Not with me. I only wanted to know how you're doing.”

Nick leant forward in his seat, rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands, taking several deep breaths. After a few moments, Dale stood up and took a seat at the boy's side, putting an arm around him. Nick didn't move, but appreciated the gesture. When he finally dropped his hands away, he looked round at Nick and said, “I'm just... angry!”

Dale gently squeezed the boy's shoulder and nodded. “That's understandable. I've had a few moments where I was pretty pissed too.”

“No. I don't mean every now and then.” Nick said, his voice raising again. “I'm angry, like, ALL the time. I'm angry at Josh for taking Warren from me. I'm angry at Warren for taking Josh from me. I'm angry at Corey for helping them hide it. I'm angry at you for leaving. I'm angry at Greg's parents for what they did to him.” As he ranted, his breathing got heavier and heavier. He started to cry as he continued, sniffing back tears between hissed breaths. “I'm angry at myself letting all of this happen. It's like I've got this... little ball of darkness deep inside me and it just keeps growing. I'm just.... angry at the whole fucking world... because I've got all this inside me... and all I want... is for someone, anyone, to come along... and take it all away!” By the time he finished, the words were almost lost among his sobs. He collapsed into Dale's chest, letting the young man hold him tightly.

Dale sat holding the distraught boy, rocking him gently as he whispered, “Nick, I'm so, so sorry. I should have been there for you. I'm so sorry.”

Nick just let himself cry, every tear he had suppressed for weeks feeling like it was now determined to emerge. It felt so unbelievably good to feel Dale's arms around him again, reminding him exactly how much he had actually missed his surrogate big brother. Sniffing and rubbing away the last few tears he sat up and looked sheepishly at Dale. “Sorry about that.” he muttered, blushing at his mini-breakdown.

“Don't be silly. It's fine.” Dale said with a smile, rubbing a hand on the boy's back.

Still over-emotional and spurred on the Dale's tender touches, Nick jumped at the young man, kissing him.

Dale enjoyed the familiar feeling for just a moment before pulling away, getting a somewhat surprised look from Nick. “What's wrong?” the boy asked, frowning.

“It's just... “ he started, not wanting to answer honestly, but struggling to find any other explanation for his reluctance. “Look, please, please don't hate me for this, but... you're... so much like Josh.”

Nick fell back in his seat, a look of disgust spreading over his face. It wasn't exactly news to him that he looked like Josh, people had been commenting on that for all of his life, it was something he had even used to tease Corey with before, saying that the youngest McKenzie boy was secretly adopted which is why he looked so different! Hearing that the similarity mentioned now though cut like a knife.

“Wait, is that... why you've avoided me too?” Nick asked, Dale's total absence suddenly making sense.

“Nick, I'm sorry. You gotta understand, I love... loved... Josh so much.” Dale stuttered.

Nick took a deep breath and forced a smile. “It's okay. If understand.”

“And it's not just that.” Dale added, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. “I'm... kinda.... seeing someone.”

The younger boy stared open-mouthed. He had not expected that at all.

Dale felt almost as shocked as Nick looked. Why had he said that? He had shared one night (and morning) with Liam. He didn't know if he was 'seeing him', but he had said it now, too late to take it back. He sat dreading Nick's reaction.

“That's.... that's...” Nick stuttered before grinning. “That's awesome!” he said, appearing genuinely happy about it.

Dale couldn't help smiling at the reaction. “You're... okay with it?”

“Fuck yes!” Nick said, still grinning. “Warren and Josh royally fucked us over! If you've found someone else who can make you happy, then good for you. Fuck those two!”

Dale burst into laughter at the boy's fervour. “I... suppose you're right.”

“Who is it? Who is it?” Nick asked eagerly, tapping a hand on Dale's arm excitedly as he almost bounced with excitement.

“HEY SEXY MAN!” Liam called as the front door opened.

Nick stared at Dale, mouth wide-open. “Liam?” he said excitedly.

Dale nudged Nick's arm, eyes wide with fear. “Shhh, don't say a word!” The last thing he needed was Nick pouncing on Liam as soon as he walked in to ask about their 'relationship' when he wasn't even sure they actually had one.

“Oh.” Liam said as he walked in and saw Nick sat next to Dale. He blushed silently thinking back to the greeting he had shouted. “Hey Nick, been a while, how you doing?”

“Hey Liam.” Nick said looking round at him with a grin before looking back at the panic on Dale's face. “I'm okay thanks. How you doing? Anything new?” The last part got him an angry poke in the ribs from Dale.

Liam shrugged. “Ah, you know, some old same old. Hey, how's that Greg kid doing?”

The smile dropped from Nick's face, suddenly slammed back to reality. “Oh, he's... yeah he's getting better.” he replied with a gentle nod.

“Cool. I'll let you guys chat. I'll be upstairs.” Liam said, knowing that the two probably had a lot to talk about.

As soon as Liam was gone, Nick turned back to Dale, grinning once again. “Spill it!”

Dale slouched back in his seat, sighing. “It's... still new. REALLY new! Things just kinda started happening last night!” Dale explained, suddenly quite glad that Nick had found it. It was quite a relief to have someone to talk to about it.

“And nothing before that?” Nick asked. “I mean, you've been here for...”

“Thirty-three days!” Dale completed the sentence for him, then blushed at how much it potentially revealed.

“Yeah, that long!” Nick said, raising his eyebrows. “So why now?”

Dale shrugged. “I guess I'd been thinking I might make up with Josh, but finding out he doesn't want me back just made me realise...” He was cut off mid-sentence by Nick.

“Josh DOESN'T want you back?” Nick asked, shocked. “He said that?” He had deliberately not given much thought to his big brother over the last month, mainly because it just made him angry, but it came as quite a surprise to hear he didn't want Dale back. If anything, he would have suspected it would be the other way around.

“That's what I'm told.” Dale said with a shrug.

“But you want him back?” Nick asked, still finding it hard to believe. In almost every way, Dale's situation perfectly mirrored his own. He couldn't even entertain the idea of getting back together with Warren so it seemed strange that Dale could even be considering it with Josh.

Dale nodded gently and said quietly, “I love him!”

*****

Josh was finding it difficult to keep going. About a mile into his run on the treadmill, Buzz had come to life on a low setting, making his legs wobble just a little. He had considered stopping, but figured if he was going to be stuck with his new toys for a while, then he should try and get used to them. It was definitely a challenge though, the vibrating of the toy coupled with the movements caused by his running had him ridiculously aroused, making him almost glad that Woody was holding his cock at bay!

He saw James approaching him and wondered how to deal with the situation. Should he say something pre-emptively? Should he address the nature of their 'relationship'? Should he explain he had something vibrating up his arse? In the end it was easier to just remain silent and see what the red-haired young man had to say.

“Hey, you ridiculously hot man.” James said with a wink as Josh pulled out an earphone and slowed his run to a gentle jog.

“Hey.” Josh said back, reluctantly smiling. His delight at James' appearance and compliment confused him. Was it James that he liked, or just receiving any kind of attention? After his relative seclusion for the past month, human contact had been minimal and his self-esteem had been in the toilet. Now here was this charming young guy, hungry for his body and complimenting him at every opportunity.

“Had a good day?” James asked as he turned on his treadmill and started walking.

Josh thought for a moment, then without thinking blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “Is tonight a date?”

Amazingly, James seemed completely unfazed by the abrupt question. He just smiled at Josh's reflection in the mirrored wall and shrugged. “Do you want it to be a date?”

Josh hadn't expected the rather simple deflection, suddenly finding himself on the spot. His mind had lingered on that question a lot throughout the day. While he had only just found out things were never going to happen again with Dale, they had been apart for well over a month now, but did that still make it too soon to start dating again? Could he actually date someone other than Dale, and if so, should it be James, Dale's best friend?

That had led him back onto another issue he had been obsessing over. Did he even want to date another guy? That night Benny trapped him, he had been put on a path towards Dale and that was all he had thought about since, but now that it was over, how about girls? His attraction to the opposite sex had never gone away and he found himself looking at girls in the gym just as much as guys. Just because his first serious relationship, his first love, had been a guy, that didn't mean the next one had to be too!

Then there was James. He was an attractive young man, Josh couldn't deny that and he found himself drawn to a lot of his features – the soft strawberry-blonde hair, the cute smattering of freckles across his face and down his shoulders, the enormous cock! And he was right there, offering himself up, virtually begging to be taken.

Josh thought back to the previous morning, waking up beside him, the comfort he had provided. It was, without a doubt, the best morning he had had since Dale. In the end, it was that thought that helped him answer the question.

“Yes, I do.” Josh said, suddenly smiling as he felt a rush of joy he had not expected.

“Then it's a date!” James replied back with a grin.

Josh's smile suddenly dropped away as he remembered Buzz and Woody. He quickly hit the stop button on the treadmill. “James, erm... if this is gonna be a date, there's something I need to tell you about!”

*****

Nick made his way home from Liam's house, his time with Dale having helped clear his head a little. He had a set plan in his head for the rest of his evening – resolve things with Corey, make sure everything was okay with Greg and then get to bed. He needed an early night. A good night's sleep was essential if he was going to start following Dale's advice.

“Being this angry isn't good. You can't keep bottling it up because you'll just explode, and when you do, you could end up hurting more than just yourself.” Dale had said.

Nick knew he was right. So far all that had been keeping him going was distraction and denial. With Greg recovering quickly, the distraction of looking after him was becoming less and less, while the denial was becoming harder to achieve too.

Something else Dale had talked about had stuck in his mind too. Nick's resemblance to Josh had been what had kept him away. Seeing the guy he had loved, the guy who had hurt him was simply too painful to go through every day. It made Nick wonder if he was doing the same thing to himself. When everything broke down and Nick had attempted to be friends with Warren, he had though it the sensible, healthy thing to do, but was it really? Was seeing Warren so often just making him feel worse, was it helping to increase the giant bubbling ball of anger inside him?

As he reached the house, he put the doubts over seeing Warren aside, telling himself to deal with things one at a time, and first up was Corey. After calling a quick greeting to his parents, he headed straight upstairs, resisting the usual routine of going straight into Greg's room and instead knocking quietly on Corey's door.

When he got no answer, he knocked again and called out, “Cor, you in there?” Still getting no reply he gingerly pushed the door open and peered in, but found no sign of his little brother. Nick's shoulders slumped as he realised his plan to deal with his problems had fallen at the first hurdle. No Corey meant no resolution.

Closing the door, he walked down the hall to Greg's room. The boy was laid on the bed in his usual spot. He had been getting up and moving about a lot more over the last few days, but he tired easily and usually ended up back there pretty quickly. He was snoring quietly.

Nick stood leaning on the door frame, watching the boy sleep. The last time he had done that was almost five weeks ago now, when he had sat beside the comatose boy, begging him to wake up. He found his mind wandering back to that first night in the hospital.

George had stayed home with Corey, the boy not wanting to see Greg in the horrifically beaten state he was in. Pippa was speaking to the police, explaining the situation as she understood it, passing on the details of Irene, the social worker who had been dealing with Greg. Nick had insisted on riding in the ambulance with Greg, refusing to leave his side. The argument in the dining room had been put aside due to the situation, but rather unwisely, Dale, Josh and Warren had all followed the ambulance to the hospital and were now stood around in the waiting room with Nick.

Nobody had spoken since they arrived. What could they say? It was actually Josh who finally broke the tense silence. Never the most tactful, he had for some reason decided to poke at the fresh wound of his betrayal by saying, “I don't see how you can be mad at us for having sex when we're all in open relationships!”

“Open relationships are just about sex. We had rules Josh. You remember them, right? There were only two. It's just sex, if it starts becoming something more, you end it. That was the first one. And then second one, always be honest with each other. Do you remember them? Did you even think about them while you LIED about being IN LOVE with someone else?” Dale had argued back.

The argument had picked back up from there. Not quite with the same ferocity as back at the house, but there were angry words thrown around, a lot of them. Nick hadn't really registered them though, all he could think about was Greg. He had been in the ambulance with the boy, he had heard the paramedics talking about his condition, seen the looks on their faces. They had actually seemed genuinely surprised when they had reached the hospital and Greg was still alive!

Every now and then, they had tried to pull Nick into their arguments, but he had simply been unable to engage. Eventually Dale had just left and until today, that was the last time Nick saw him. Josh had left almost as soon as they got the first news from the Doctors, advising that they had at least managed to stabilise Greg. That was the last time Nick had seen his big brother too.

As Nick stood there now, watching the boy's chest rise and fall slowly as he slept, he found himself considering making a noise to wake him. Above anything else, he wanted an excuse to hold him. Greg had been so dependent on Nick over the last month and as that dependence began to wane, he found himself missing it.

Figuring it was best to let the boy sleep, and realising that he was now zero for two on the steps of his plan, Nick headed across the hall and into his room. He could have his early night, so at least one step of his plan would work!

*****

Josh had wanted to tell James about Woody and Buzz right away, but the gym was quite busy and it was embarrassing to consider he might be overheard talking about them. Figuring that wherever they went, there was a chance of being heard, Josh had convince James to cancel their dinner reservation and instead go straight to Josh's place with a takeaway.

As soon as they were home, Josh had explained everything, right from the very first text up until the arrival of Woody and Buzz, both of which James had insisted on seeing.

“So... it's not a problem?” Josh asked cautiously. James had seemed intrigued by the whole story and the concept of Josh's mystery master. He had been worried the young redhead might be repulsed or at least put off, so seeing a mischievous grin on his face was somewhat of a relief.

“So you really don't have any idea who it is?” James asked after the story.

Josh shook his head. “I've had guesses. At one point I thought it might be you, but I've still got no idea. I don't think it really matters though, I'm having fun anyway.”

“Hmm, yeah, I suppose.” James said thoughtfully. “Although if I'm gonna have to share my man, I'd at least like to know WHO I'm sharing you with!”

Josh tried to resist it, but couldn't help smiling at the 'my man' part of James' comment. Although he found himself wondering again whether it was specifically because it was James or if it was just because ANYONE was showing interest in him, he still allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

“Why don't you ask your master if you're allowed to take out Buzz to get fucked?” James said with a grin as they finished off their dinner.

Surprisingly, Josh's master allowed it. Whilst messaging him, Josh had been careful to keep an eye on James, or rather, his phone. Despite mentioning he had ruled James out as a possible suspect, he still had that niggling doubt, but when the master's reply came James had been nowhere near his phone.

Josh excused himself for the bathroom, removed Buzz and 'cleaned up' then stripped. Emerging naked, he just shot James a cheeky grin and headed for the bedroom.

Following quickly and stripping on the way, James climbed up onto be bed. “Well this certainly changes a few things.” He said, sitting astride Josh's stomach as he reached back and poked at Woody.

“What d'you mean?” Josh asked, staring nervously up at his new lover.

“Well, if I can't do anything with that,” James said, shaking the cage gently, “Then you're just gonna have to do twice as much with this!” He reached down and grabbed his erection, swinging the huge tool down onto Josh's chest like a drum.

“Oh!” Josh said, grinning delightedly. “I don't think I'll have any problem with that!” He reached out to grab hold of it, tilted his head up and licked the tip of it.

James shuddered a little before shuffling forward a few inches. As he did so, Josh eagerly took more of the solid meat into his mouth. Forward a little more, Josh's mouth filled more. In his current position, he reached his limit at about half of James' length, so he started eagerly sucking and licking away at it.

After a few minutes, James jumped off, his cock slipping out from between Josh's lips with an audible pop. Wondering what the other man was doing, Josh let himself be manoeuvred around until he found himself laying with his head hanging off the edge of the bed, leaving him looking upside down at the opposite wall.

With a devilish grin, James stood above him and started pushing his cock back into Josh's waiting mouth. In this new position, James had a clear path straight down Josh's throat and intended to make the most of it.

Josh's eyes bulged as he realised what James was intending. He had managed to take all of James' enormous tool when getting fucked, but had never managed it orally. It certainly looked like that was about to change, whether he liked it or not! He felt it going deeper and deeper, focusing on relaxing his throat as much as possible. He heaved a couple of times, thinking he might have to push James off of him, until he suddenly felt the other man's balls pressing against his nose.

“Oh fuck!” James called out. Nobody had ever managed to deep-throat the entire thing and it felt beyond amazing. He pulled back a few inches then back in, fucking Josh's throat. His first thrust made Josh start choking. Quickly pulling out, he dropped to his knees and took hold of Josh's head, stroking fingers through his hair as he coughed and spluttered.

“Sorry.” Josh said quietly, taking deep breaths.

“You kidding? That was awesome. And it just gives us something to work on!” James said, peppering Josh's face with gentle kisses, getting a heartfelt smile in return. “Now... on your knees!”

Josh laughed at the instruction and flipped over, kneeling as instructed as James lubed up and got into position.

*****

Nick sat up like a shot. “Greg?” he called out, hearing his phone ringing. Ever since the night Greg had called him, needing help, Nick had been extremely sensitive to sounds in the night. He automatically thought the phone call was the boy, once again in need as he answered without even looking.

“Greg?” he asked, but nobody spoke back. He moved the phone from his ear and looked at the display. It said Corey. He looked at the time next and saw it said 1.34 am. He put the phone back to his ear. “Cor, are you there?”

All he could hear was giggling and felt a sudden surge of rage at what appeared to be a deliberately annoying prank call. He hung up angrily and lay back down, willing his pulse to slow. As the pounding of his heart died down, he realised he could still hear the giggling. It wasn't coming from the direction of Corey's room though, it was from outside. He dashed to the window, pulled the curtains and looked down. There was his little brother, sitting on the driveway, slumped against the wheel of their Dad's car, laughing away.

Not wanting to call out too loudly and disturb everyone else in the house, Nick quickly threw on a pair of shorts and headed downstairs. He opened the door and stepped out, feeling the chill of the evening air across his body, particularly as he felt the driveway beneath his bare feet.

“Corey, what are you doing?” he hissed angrily.

The boy's head lolled to one side as he heard the sound, then burst into laughter once again as he saw Nick stood there.

As Nick got closer, he could see what a mess the boy was. He appeared to be covered in his own vomit, his head wobbling about as he giggled.

“Ney Hicky.” he slurred, then laughed again. “I mean... hey... Nicky!” he corrected himself with visible effort.

“Corey, you're drunk!” Nick said in shock.

“Yeah... and you're... a... a... a dick!” Corey said with a forced frown before laughing again.

Nick shook his head and reached down to help the boy up.

“Don't!” Corey called out, attempting to swat Nick's hands away but missing completely and ending up tipping over to the side instead.

Despite the boy's ongoing protests, Nick grabbed hold of him and lifted him up onto his feet and started leading him back into the house. He propped Corey against the wall as he closed and locked the front door, and returned to the boy just in time to catch him as he started sliding down the wall, still giggling.

“We need to get you cleaned up!” Nick said, almost carrying him towards the downstairs shower room, worried that he might make too much noise going up the stairs.

“Ffffuck offff.” Corey murmured, but allowed himself to be led.

Nick did his best to ignore both the boy's abuse and the probably reason for his current state, focusing solely on getting him washed down. Aside from the smell of the vomit, the stench of alcohol was unmistakeable.

Once they were in the shower room, Nick pulled off the boy's hoodie and dropped it aside. Corey had obviously thrown up a lot as it had soaked through the hoodie, making the t-shirt underneath cling to his body. He pulled the t-shirt off next and found himself staring into the boy's eyes as his head emerged from the filthy clothing.

Corey had stopped giggling and now just started to look green. Nick didn't have much experience with the effects of alcohol, but he knew what was coming next. He quickly lifted the seat of the toilet and moved Corey over to face down into it.

Corey threw up whatever remained in his stomach, holding onto the porcelain bowl for dear life. It sounded like he was coughing up a little more, but Nick realised he was actually just crying gently. Hick knelt beside his little brother, rubbing his back gently as he heaved once again.

Once Corey stopped, Nick moved him round into a sitting position and started to pull down the boy's joggers and underwear. Corey said nothing, he just sat watching Nick strip him as he wiped the remnants of tears from his eyes.

Nick stood up and turned on the shower, waited for the water to warm and then reached down to help Corey up once again. “C'mon bud.” he said, moving the boy under the jet of water. He quickly realised that he was going to have to continue helping the boy stand and would soon be just as wet as him, so he pulled off his shorts and kicked them aside.

He stood washing the boy, holding him upright as he washed away the dirt, getting particularly annoyed looks as he lathered up the boy's hair which had somehow managed to get dirty too. Once they were both clean and dried off, Corey appeared a little more sober. His eyes still struggled to focus and he was wobbly, but could at least stand if he was holding onto something. Nick left him momentarily to grab a bottle of water then returned to his little brother.

Both remaining silent, Nick helped the boy up the stairs as quietly as he could, then into the boy's room. Corey flopped onto the bed and moaned as Nick turned him over and moved him round, leaving him laying face down with his head hanging off the edge. The older sibling grabbed the bin from beside Corey's desk and placed it under his head.

“Just in case.” he said quietly, stroking a hand through the boy's still-damp hair.

“Don't go.” Corey mumbled as he saw Nick moving.

“I'm not going anywhere.” Nick said back with a smile. He took a seat next to the bed, bringing his head alongside Corey's, leaning on it gently. “What's going on, Cor?” he asked quietly.

The younger boy sniffed, barely holding back tears. “I figured... turning up out there... needing your help... was the only thing that got your attention any more.”

The boy's words felt like a knife stabbing through Nick's chest. He had been more of a brother to Greg than he had been to his own flesh and blood, and all because he had been too stubborn to deal with his anger. He wanted to speak, to apologise to his little brother for the way he had treated him, for driving him to the state he was now in but there were no words, only tears.

Corey sniffed again. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Josh and Warren.” he said through his gentle sobs.

Nick turned and reached up around the boy's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. “Don't apologise.” Nick whispered in the boy's ear. “You didn't do anything wrong. This was all on me!”

Neither of them said another word. Nick just sat holding the boy until they both fell asleep.
Chapter 17

Thursday 5th March 2015


Nick was awoken by the thoroughly unpleasant sound of Corey throwing up next to him. He found himself suddenly glad he had the foresight to provide a receptacle for the inevitable. He reached up and stroked the whimpering boy's hair.

“Hey bud, don't need to ask how you're feeling then?” Nick said, barely louder than a whisper.

“I think I might be dead!” Corey whimpered.

“Ah, you'll be fine. You should drink though.” Nick said, grabbing the bottle of water beside him and passing it to Corey.

Corey took a swig, swirled it around his mouth then spat it into the bin before taking a larger gulp and swallowing it. “Nope, still dead!” he said unhappily.

Nick gave the boy's hair another quick ruffle. “Hey, about what we said last night. I... I really don't blame you, for not telling me. And... I really was a dick for ignoring you for so long.”

“Thanks.” Corey said quietly. “But you're wrong. I should have told you.”

“What? No.” Nick insisted.

“Yeah.” Corey argued back. “Someone was lying to my brother and cheating on him. They were the ones in the wrong, I shoulda been on your side.”

“Maybe.” Nick conceded. “But there shouldn't have even been sides in this.  You know, this really isn't fair. Josh and Warren are the ones who did wrong, but it seems like me, you and Dale are the only ones suffering.”

“I can't think about this now. I'm dead, remember!” Corey groaned, closing his eyes.

Nick leant across and kissed him on the forehead before standing up. Looking down at the boy, he shifted him round in the bed, laying his head on the pillow then pulled the covers over him. “You get some more sleep and you'll feel better. I'll tell Mum and Dad you're not well and you can't go to school.”

Corey mumbled something, probably a thank you, but he was virtually asleep already so the words were lost. Nick ran to his room to get dressed then did as he said and quickly headed downstairs to tell his Mum that Corey was unwell, that he had got sick in the night and was still a little off. He had, of course, left out the part about the alcohol! She had been a little concerned about going out if he was ill, but when Nick said he didn't have to be at college until the afternoon and offered to keep an eye until she got back, she headed out to run some errands.

With the Corey problem covered, and their issues looking to be resolved soon, Nick's mind found its way back onto his plan from last night. After Corey on his list came Greg. He had been a little short with him occasionally over the last few days and wanted to set things right, so he headed upstairs to the boy's room.

Nick was concentrating so much on what he wanted to say that he went straight in without knocking. He quickly wished he had as he saw a naked Greg laying on the bed, cock in hand, pumping away happily.

“Fuck!” Greg called out, quickly pulling the covers over himself. “Don't you knock?” he demanded angrily.

“Sorry.” Nick said quickly, but then smirked and said, “But it's not like I haven't seen it before.”

“That's not funny.” Greg replied angrily, shuffling under the covers to pull his boxers back up from around his ankles.

Nick made a comedic show of looking like he was thinking for a minute then said, “Yeah, yeah it's kinda funny! I mean, it's not as funny as that day in the hospital, but it's still pretty entertaining.”

Greg looked thoroughly unamused. “Did you want something or are you just here to piss me off?” he snapped.

Nick felt a strange twinge in his stomach at being spoken to so sharply by the boy. He wondered if that was how Greg had felt when Nick had been short with him, suddenly feeling extremely guilty about it. His laughing stopped as he said, “Actually, I came to apologise. It... seems I've been bottling things up a bit and might have lashed out at the wrong people.”

Greg's expression softened as he nodded gently. “Took you long enough! Have you spoken to Corey yet.”

“Yeah.” he said, nodding as he considered how much to tell Greg. “Erm... if I tell you something, can you promise to keep it a secret?”

“Sure. What's up?” Greg asked, watching as Nick finally closed the door and walked over to sit on the end of his bed.

“Corey... got drunk last night.” Nick said, looking awkwardly over at the door as if he expected his little brother to appear at the mention of his name.

Greg frowned and sighed. “He promised he'd stop.” he said unhappily, then suddenly looked at Nick as he realised what he had said.

“Wait, he.... this isn't the first time?” Nick demanded, looking round again before staring back at Greg. “And... you knew about it?”

Greg just nodded.

“How... how long has he been drinking?” Nick demanded. “And how long have you known?”

“I only found out Tuesday. I spoke to him about it and he promised he'd stop. And as far as I can tell, he's been doing it for the last month!” Greg explained. “I really thought he'd stop. Something must have happened!”

Nick raised his hands and covered his face, taking a deep breath between his fingers. As he dropped them away he looked to Greg and said, “I think it was me. I... kinda yelled at him yesterday.”

“Yeah I... kinda noticed that.” Greg said reaching behind himself and tapping on the wall. “Thin walls!”

“I'll have another talk with him when he wakes up.” Nick said with a sigh.

Greg smiled sympathetically. “D'you need a hug?” he asked, holding out his arms.

Nick smiled at the sweet gesture and leant forward, laying alongside Greg as the boy put his arms around him. It was a strange feeling. Nick had held the boy many times during his recovery, but this was the first time it had been the other way around. It felt both familiar and different at the same time.

He lay there for a few minutes before looking up at Greg. “Thanks, I needed this.”

The boy didn't say anything, he just stared down into Nick's eyes, transfixed.

Nick suddenly shuffled further up, bringing his lips in contact with Greg's. This was not the first time the two had kissed. Last time, though, Nick had ended it prematurely amid thoughts of Warren, thoughts that no longer filled his head. He shuffled up a little more, keeping his lips in place until he was in a sitting position beside the boy. He raised his hands, one resting on Greg's side, the other cupping the back of his head.

Greg couldn't believe what was happening. Sam's warning kept running through his mind, telling him that this was his best friend's ex but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He had wanted this for longer than even he had realised and now that it was happening, he never wanted it to end.

Nick pulled away, looking guilty. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...” he started, then saw the delighted look on Greg's face.

“Do it again!” he said happily.

“You want... you....” Nick gasped, slightly breathless from the kiss.

“I love you Nick. I love you and.. I... I love you. There's no other way for me to say it. I just... love you!” Greg confessed, his eyes wet with joy.

Nick froze. Just the day before, he had described his anger as a 'ball of darkness'. Making up with Corey had made him feel like it had shrunk, just a little but hearing Greg's words... it was like the ball had been shattered into a million pieces, replaced with a feeling of such utter joy. He stared at the boy, wondering how he could have been right in front of him this whole time without him seeing the truth.

“I love you too, Greg.” Nick said back, his entire body shaking.

They kissed again, but stopped after a few moments as they both started laughing from a mixture of joy and relief.

“So does that mean it was me you was thinking about when I walked in?” Nick joked.

Greg blushed and replied quietly, “Actually... yes!”

Nick backed away slightly, staring open-mouthed. “What... seriously?”

Greg nodded.

“What... exactly... were you thinking about?” Nick asked, reaching across to place a hand on the boy's bare chest, getting a gasp in response.

“I was thinking about... that time in Warren's room... the doctor thing you did.” Greg explained nervously.

Nick chuckled. “I've... knocked out a few loads thinking about that myself! It really gets me going!”

“Really?” Greg asked excitedly.

Nick took the boy's hand and placed it on his bulge, then looked him in the eye and grinned.

“Could we... sorry, this is probably weird, but... could we jerk off together?” Greg asked shyly.

Nick stood up and took a few steps away and turned back to face the nervous-looking boy. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt then lifted it up over his head and removed it. Greg's eyes widened as he watched Nick strip, reaching down under the covers to push his boxers back down.

Nick dropped his joggers, leaving him stood there in just a pair of boxer briefs. He tugged them down just a little, enough to bring his pubes into view. He looked at Greg, grinning cheekily. The boy just nodded back eagerly, silently begging him to drop them. Nick happily complied, letting them drop to his ankles and stepping out of them. As he walked back to the bed, Greg threw back the covers revealing his own naked body. Nick flinched a little as he saw the various wounds and surgical scars, all at various stages of healing but ignored them, instead focussing solely on how sexy the boy looked as he lay there, cock pointing up towards his chest.

“Wow.” Nick whispered with a slight gasp.

“I agree!” Greg chuckled, looking at Nick's bare body.

The older boy lay back down on the bed, deliberately pressing his body against Greg's, taking in the heady feeling of skin-on-skin. The younger boy's hand was soon pumping away at his erection, so Nick did the same. He had secretly been a little disappointed when Greg had just requested to jerk off together, but he had to remind himself that while he had been in a long-term, very sexual relationship and had a lot of experience, this was still mostly new to Greg.

As it turned out, Nick found himself immensely enjoying himself. As he lay there, he had a perfect view of the boy's body, giving him the perfect chance to take in every detail, his cute, stiff little nipples, the tidy patch of pubic hair, the precum oozing from the tip of his rapidly-stroked cock.

Greg's eyes were fixed on Nick too, finally able to openly admire the young man he had wanted for so long.

Eventually their eyes met which inevitable led to more kissing. When Nick heard Greg moaning into his mouth, he pulled away and looked down just in time to see the boy's cock squirting several thick globs of cum over his chest and stomach. It was hearing the boy's delighted whimpers that pushed Nick over the edge, resulting in two shots of cum to his own face, two on his shoulder and several on his own chest and stomach, strings of it sticking to his tiny patch of chest hair and treasure trail.

“Wow.” Greg said happily, looking round at Nick.

“Yeah.” Nick grinned back breathlessly.

They sat together for a while, just holding each other, occasionally kissing, talking and giggling. Eventually Greg shifted uncomfortably, wincing slightly as he moved.

Nick ran his fingers gently down the boys body, skimming of the healing wounds and almost-vanished bruises. “Sorry, sometimes I forget you're still healing.”

“It's okay.” Greg said, grinning through the pain. “I'll be up and about soon enough.”

“Good.” Nick replied, kissing him on the cheek. “Because I want to take you on a proper date.”

“I've never been on a date before.” Greg said happily, cuddling his new lover closely.

“Then I'll happily be your first.” Nick grinned. He squeezed the boy gently for a moment before adding, “I still can't believe this is happening.”

“Me neither.” Greg replied dreamily. “You know, I've been thinking and I reckon maybe... this... is why I came to you, you know, that first night I ran away. I think... I've liked you since then!”

“Than what took you so long?” Nick chuckled.

“Sam told me not to tell you.” Greg replied quietly, squirming slightly at the thought of ignoring his friend's advice. “He said I wasn't allowed, because of...” he paused. He didn't want to say it.

“Because of Warren.” Nick replied with a sigh. “Because... I'm your best friend's ex!”

Greg nodded slightly. “Yeah. And... for a while there I thought you two were actually going to.... get back together.” He paused. Seeing Nick go from so happy to so sad in mere moments was a little upsetting. “Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned him.”

Nick smiled weakly. “It's okay, it's not like we can pretend me and him never happened. But maybe... for now... we shouldn't tell anyone, you know, about us.”

Greg nodded solemnly. He felt a little unhappy about it, mostly because he was so overjoyed at finally being with Nick that he wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but it did make sense to approach the Warren situation carefully.

Nick could see the worry on Greg's face. “Hey, don't worry, it'll all work out, we just have to find the right time. Besides, it'll be kinda fun having our own little secret for a while.”

*****

Dale was pinned to the bed. He had been wrestling playfully with Liam and was starting to get a little frustrated. Liam was easily nine inches shorter than Dale, so he felt he should be able to overpower him, but the shorter man was a veritable mountain of muscle. As Dale felt his face being pressed into the pillow, he marvelled at how someone so small could be so powerful.

“Okay, you win!” he eventually called out, feeling the arm twisted behind his own back being released. He flipped over and pouted playfully.

“Awesome, and what was the deal? Loser bottoms?” Liam taunted happily, casually running his fingers up and down Dale's leg, tugging gently at a few hairs.

“You so knew you was gonna win that!” Dale said unhappily.

“Of course. I'm a top!” Liam insisted.

Dale's mind flashed back to the night of his party. He had finger-fucked his friend as part of a forfeit and, thinking Liam never really did anything like that, he had been quite surprised to find his fingers entered quite easily. “Are you sure about that?” Dale asked with a smirk.

Liam squirmed slightly. He had still never told anyone about the many times he had been fucked by Ryan. The secrecy was more to protect his friend than himself.

Dale could see the awkwardness on Liam's face and laughed. “So you've been fucked then? Who by?” he asked with a grin.

“None of your business!” Liam insisted.

“It's Ryan isn't it!”Dale guessed.

“What? No! I mean...” Liam started, then dropped his head in frustration. “How did you guess?”

“Well I HAVE seen him fuck you, you know!” Dale reminded Liam.

“Oh yeah. I... almost forgot about that!” Liam said, thinking back years to when Dale, along with Josh, Warren and Nick had stumbled across the two friends fucking in the park.

“I didn't!” Dale said, grinning. “That was pretty hot. I always suspected you were still doing it. Wait, so does that mean Ryan's bi too?”

“Ha, no chance!” Liam throwing his head to laugh. “No, he's still 'straight', he just comes to me when he's overly horny and can't find a girl. He pretty much turns up, fucks me and leaves.”

“That's... actually kinda hot!” Dale said, blushing as he smirked.

“You can't tell him you know though, he'll totally freak out!” Liam insisted, suddenly regretting revealing so much.

“Oh I suppose I could be convince to keep quiet... for a price!” Dale teased.

Liam folded his arms and glared at Dale. “Fine, whadda you want?”

Dale rolled aside, patted the bed and said, “On your back, shorty!”

“Shorty?” Liam repeated, giving a very unhappy scowl. He did as Dale asked anyway, visibly fighting back a smile.

Dale grabbed some lube before moving between Liam's legs and lifting them up. He squeezed some gel onto his fingers, then immediately pushed three straight into Liam's hole.

“Hey!” Liam called out in shock, his entire body twitching.

“What, I figured if you could handle a big boy like Ryan, then three fingers wouldn't be a problem!” Dale said innocently. “But I suppose you'd prefer something else in there.”

With the lube sufficiently applied, and a little more spread over his cock, throbbing just a little harder than usual, he pulled out the fingers and pressed his swollen head in.

“Ah, yeah.” Liam moaned as he felt Dale pushing inside him. Despite the initial fierce finger-fuck, Dale was taking his entry pleasantly slowly.

It was a new sensation for Liam. Ryan was always so fast, so hurried. While Liam would normally cum from getting fucked by his friend, it wasn't always an enormously pleasurable experience for him. Plus it always made him feel a little cheap to know that they were only there because Ryan was horny, and that as soon as he had cum, he'd be out of there!

Liam lay there staring up at Dale, feeling him slide slowly in and out. He could tell his new lover was just as concerned about Liam's pleasure as his own, his hands gently caressing him at the same time. He had spent the last couple of days a little conflicted over his new relationship, wondering if he was doing the right thing, wondering if he could actually love a man rather than just hooking up, but then, right there in that moment, he knew – he wanted Dale, in every possible way.

*****

Nick stood in the corridor waiting for Callum to appear. He had gotten to college early, hoping to catch his friend as he left his class. As the bell rang and people started dashing out of the room, he saw Callum and called out to him.

“Hey, Cal.”

“See you in a bit.” Callum said to the girl he had been walking with before heading to Nick. “Alright mate, you okay?”

Nick was pleasantly surprised by the cheerful greeting. The last time he had seen Callum was when he had fucked him, teased him and then just casually walked out. He felt like he had been a complete dick to the boy, so seeing him so unbothered by it all was a bit of a shock.

“Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. Are you?” Nick asked cautiously.

“I'm great.” Callum said happily. “Why... do you look so nervous?”

Nick frowned. “Because I thought you were gonna be pissed at me.” he replied. “For Tuesday.”

“Oh.” Callum said, nodding slightly. “Yeah, you were a bit of a dick, but... look mate, I know you've got some issues, but that's what I'm here for. If talking helps, I'll listen. If a slightly aggressive fuck is what you need, then I'm there!”

“But... I was.... mean.” Nick stuttered.

“Yeah.” Callum nodded before grinning and adding, “But lucky for you, that just turns me on SO much more!”

Nick laughed, partly from relief, partly from amazement. “Seriously?”

“Fuck yeah.” Callum said, playing with his lip piercing with his tongue. “I've probably jerked off, like, sixty times since Tuesday thinking about it. I'm free tonight if you wanna go again!” He reached down and groped his growing bulge.

“Ah.” Nick said, the smile suddenly dropping away. “That was...  something else I needed to mention.”

“What's wrong?” Callum asked, stroking Nick's arm in concern.

“Oh nothing's wrong. It's just... I'm... I've just started seeing someone.” Nick explained.

“So... does that mean no more hooking up? Are you, like, exclusive now?” Callum asked, managing to look both happy for his friend and disappointed at the same time. He started walking down the hallway slowly, gesturing for Nick to follow.

Nick shrugged. “We haven't really discussed that yet.”

“Well do you WANT to be in an open relationship again? And do you think Greg would be okay with it?” Callum asked.

“I don't know what I want.” Nick said with a shrug. “I mean it didn't work out so well last time. And I've no idea what Greg would think. He's seen what can...” Nick stopped and stared at Callum. “I... never even mentioned his name!”

“Oh come on, give me a little credit. Any idiot could see you were totally into him. You talk about him as much as you used to talk about Warren!” Callum smirked.

Nick smiled back, thinking about how obvious he must have been. He carried on walking and chatting with his friend, but his mind lingered on Greg. Nick still cared a a great deal about Callum, and the sex was great, potentially even more-so with their new-found love of aggressive playing, but he loved Greg. He cursed his own luck, as even when things seemed to be going right, they were still never easy!

*****

Corey stood outside the door, trying to build up the nerve to go in. He kept telling himself he had no reason to be afraid, it was only Josh, but something still felt scary. Back after Josh had split from Dale, Corey had been round quite often, trying to cheer his big brother up, to get him motivated, even just to try and get him out of bed. It was his repeated failed attempts that had driven Corey himself into despair.

He remembered how his very first drink had come after a failed attempt to get Josh going. He had walked out of his brother's bedroom, found his way into the kitchen and spotted some left over beer from Dale's birthday party. Maybe that's why he was so nervous, because this was all where it had started. Once he gave up on helping Josh and started drinking, he started to avoid him, not wanting to get 'caught' whilst drunk, so this would be the first time he had seen Josh in weeks.

He had heard from their parents that Josh was 'doing okay' now, but Corey still found himself wondering what sort of state Josh would really be in. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, Josh appeared, laughing as he opened the door, but stopping when he saw Corey. “Hey Cor.” he said, staring in surprise at the boy.

“Hey Josh.” Corey said, suddenly feeling very silly about being so nervous. It was just Josh! “Good to see you out of bed.”

Josh chuckled awkwardly, thinking back to the state he had been in the last time Corey came to visit. “Come in.” he said, stepping aside to let his little brother enter then closing the door behind him.

“Hey, who was it?” James called out as he walked out of the bedroom.

Corey stared at the young redhead, standing there in just a pair of boxers, then looked at Josh and raised his eyebrows!

“Yeah, we should talk.” Josh said guiltily as Corey stared.

Corey headed to the lounge while Josh went to grab some drinks and James put some clothes on. As they both joined the boy, he continued eyeing them suspiciously.

“So, you two are...” Corey started.

“New.” Josh said quickly. “We... are very new!”

“We?” Corey probed.

Josh fidgeted a little and peered round at James who just smirked. “Yeah, I guess... we're a 'we' now.” The elder brother replied with a gentle nod.

Corey didn't really respond, his face remaining free of any indication of approval or disapproval. In truth, it was mainly because he still felt nauseous from his hangover, but it was helping him make Josh squirm so he almost appreciated it. He looked to James. “So I suppose we have you to thank for getting him out of bed. Fuck knows, I couldn't do it!”

James raised his eyebrows and shook his head with a knowing grin. “Nope, I can't take credit for that. That's all his mystery master!”

If looks could kill, James would have been a rotting corpse within seconds under Josh's furious gaze. As James smirked away, Josh turned to face Corey's questioning stare. “It's... there's this guy.”

“At least he thinks it's a guy.” James sniggered.

“It's a guy!” he snapped angrily at James before looking to Corey again. “It's a guy who just started texting me and...he kind of... gives me orders.” His little brother remained silent, eyes fixed on his until Josh couldn't take any more. “Just... say something! Aaaargh!” Josh almost jumped out of his seat.

“What's wrong?” Corey demanded, jumping up.

“My guess... Buzz just got turned on!” James sniggered.

Josh looked round at James, nodding fervently. 

“Who the fuck is Buzz?” Corey demanded angrily, unsure exactly what was happening.

As Josh continued to stare at him angrily, James said, “Buzz is a prostate stimulator controlled by his master. Oh, and he's also wearing a chastity cage called Woody. Just figured that was worth mentioning!”

“Fuck!” Josh muttered, covering his face with his hands as waves of pleasure rippled through him from the newly-activated toy.

“You... you're unbelievable!” Corey said, his disappointment in his big brother written all over his face. He got up and headed for the door.

“Corey, wait.” Josh called out, getting up to follow, but staggering a little as Buzz pressed into his prostate.

Corey had quickly slipped on his trainers and coat and was already out of the front door when Josh managed to catch up. “Corey, please, don't go.” he pleaded.

As the young boy stopped and looked back, his face was streaked with tears. “I was there for you, Josh. Always. No matter what you needed, I was there. For once, I needed you and you're too caught up with... with fuck buddies and... stupid masters. You know what, fuck you, we're done!” He shouted furiously through his tears.

Josh actually took a few steps back. He had never seen Corey like that before. “Wait... Cor.” Josh stuttered.

“No, just... FUCK OFF!” Corey screamed and ran down the stairs as Josh watched, distraught.

*****

Nick stretched as he got off the bus, thinking how much he missed getting a ride with Dale. The only thing that had kept him even remotely cheerful on the uncomfortable ride home was the thought of seeing Greg. The events of that morning still felt like some hazy half-imagined dream. He couldn't stop thinking about it, about how much he cared for the boy.

As he walked in the house, he considered running straight upstairs to see Greg, but figured he should at least say hello to his Mum. “Hey, it's me, I'm home.” he called out, waiting to hear from what direction any response would come from.

“Hi honey. We're in here.” Pippa called back from the lounge.

Nick headed in and was delighted to see Greg sat on the sofa beside Pippa. “Hey.” he said happily. “She let you out?”

Greg sniggered as Pippa shot him an unimpressed frown. “Yeah.” Greg replied. “She even let me use stairs! Mark the day in your diary!”

Pippa turned her scowl at Greg, making Nick laugh. It made him so happy to see Greg really feeling like part of the family. Joking aside, he knew how much Pippa also cared for the boy and how much Greg appreciated it. He knew how easy it would have been for Greg to simply retreat from the world after all he had been through.

“Careful. You know she'll just put you right back up there!” Nick said, forcing himself to put on a stern expression as he sat down in an armchair.

“I really don't know why I put up with you two.” Pippa said, shaking her head as she fought back a smile.

Nick just grinned cheekily at his Mum. “Hey, how's Corey feeling?”

“Better presumably. He went out a little while ago.” Pippa said with a slight shrug. “It's nice to see you're getting on again.”

Nick couldn't meet his Mum's gaze. She had repeatedly nagged him to talk to Corey, to clear the air about whatever the issue was. When it came to the whole situation with the five boys, their parents had been kept somewhat in the dark. They knew something had happened, something serious, but it was like their sons had been sworn to secrecy about the whole thing. Unfortunately, Nick had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

“Now if you could just make up with Josh too.” Pippa said, exactly as Nick had expected.

Nick's eyes narrowed at the mention of his big brother, but he resisted responding, instead asking, “D'you know where Corey went?”

Pippa shook her head. “God knows where that boy is most the time!” She had given up trying to keep track of him some time ago.

“He... went to see Josh.” Greg said hesitantly.

“Well at least one of you is making some effort!” Pippa said as she got up from the sofa, shooting Nick a disapproving look. “Could you do me a favour and find out if Corey's going to be home for dinner. It should be at about half six.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Nick replied as Pippa headed towards the kitchen then turned his attention to Greg. “Did he... say what he was going for?”

Greg shook his head. “I think it might be because of the drinking though. He said that talking to me about it, and then you too made it a bit easier to deal with. Maybe he wanted to talk to someone else!”

Nick nodded. It was a sensible assumption. Before leaving for college, he had gone to see the boy again and they had talked some more about it and it became very quickly obvious that Corey was struggling to deal with things on his own. He pulled out his phone and called the boy, but got no reply. Shaking his head at Greg, he tried again but still no answer.

“I'm sure he's okay.” Greg said, not sounding even remotely convincing.

Nick took a few deep breaths. He had to make sure Corey was alright. His neglect had already contributed to the boy's situation, and now that he knew how bad it was, he couldn't ignore it again. He knew what he had to do, but he really didn't want to. He scrolled down the contacts on his phone until 'Josh' appeared. His finger hovered over the dial button for several seconds. It wasn't until he got a reassuring nod and smile from Greg that he had the nerve to press it.

Josh picked up almost instantly. “Corey?”

“Nope!” Nick replied flatly.

There was a slight pause, presumably as Josh took a moment to actually look at who was calling. “Nick... h... hey. How you doing?”

“I'm not calling to chat. Is Corey there?” he said through gritted teeth.

“He was, but... he got upset and left.” Josh explained. He tried to say something else before getting interrupted.

“When?” Nick demanded

“About an hour ago. Nick, what's...” Josh replied, but Nick ended the call.

“You okay?” Greg asked. Nick was visibly shaking.

He shook his head in response and said, “I need to go and find Corey.” 

“Okay, but come here first.” Greg insisted, holding his arms out.

For the second time that day, Nick found comfort in the boy's arms. “Thank you.” he muttered into the boy's neck as he nuzzled against it.

“No problem. Now go find him.” Greg said, releasing the older boy.

*****

Corey stood outside the shop, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently. As a man emerged, in his mid-forties and looking decidedly shifty, Corey approached him.

“Did you get it?” he asked eagerly.

The man opened the bag he was carrying to reveal a six-pack of cheap beer. The boy reached for it but he pulled it away, closing the bag. “Not so fast. You know my price.”

“Fine. Let's go.” Corey said, staring at the ground. They headed round the back of the shop, looking round nervously as they ducked behind a couple of large dumpsters.

“Take off your clothes.” the man ordered.

“That wasn't the deal, You said just a blow job!” Corey complained, backing away slightly.

The man shrugged. “D'you want it or not?”

Corey stared back for a moment, then looked round quickly before dropping his coat to the floor and pulling off his t-shirt. Next he undid his jeans and pushed them down to his ankles with his underwear. He stood back up, fully exposed and stared at the grinning man. “Happy now?” he asked indignantly.

The man swung his hand round and slapped Corey's face. “Cut the attitude you filthy fag and get on your knees.”

Corey whimpered at the hit and dropped to his knees as the man unzipped his trousers and pulled out his already-erect cock. Without any further prompting, Corey leant forward and started sucking. The man quickly grabbed two handfuls of hair, pulling Corey onto his erection vigorously.

The boy choked, coughing and spluttering as the man continued his brutal face fucking. Fortunately it didn't take too long before the man filled Corey's mouth with his seed. “Swallow it!” he demanded, refusing to remove his cock until the boy had done so.

Looking down at the naked boy in disgust, the man put himself away and zipped up, then threw the bag on the ground. “Enjoy the beer you little faggot.”

Corey watched the man walk away before starting to pull his clothes back on. Once he was dressed, he leant against the wall then slid down it into a sitting position as he started to cry. Just as he was reaching out for the beer, his phone rang again. He had ignored it earlier, but as he saw Nick's name showing on the screen, he answered.

“Nick.” he whimpered.

*****

By the time Nick arrived at the shop, Corey had got himself a little more composed. He was on a low wall nearby, staring at the bag on the ground beneath his feet as his brother arrived.

“Hey, you okay?” Nick asked, taking a seat behind him and rubbing the boy's arm.

“I didn't drink any.” Corey said quietly, still focused on the bag.

“That's great.” Nick said with a smile, nudging the boy gently. “Why did you buy it?”

Corey's breath caught in his throat. He knew that he didn't 'buy' it and for a moment considered telling Nick everything, but was too ashamed to even mention it. “Because Josh is a dick!” Corey mumbled.

“Yeah, I don't think that's news to anyone.” Nick said, tempted to say a lot worse. “What did he do this time?”

“It doesn't matter.” Corey said dismissively. “I've just had enough of him always taking and never giving. He's so selfish.”

Nick's anger at his older brother was rapidly turning into white-hot rage. “Forget him. He's not worth thinking about. Come on, we should head home, Mum's got dinner on.” He stood up and turned back to face Corey.

The younger boy nodded, getting up too. His foot nudged the bag and he stared down at it again. Nick remained silent, watching to see what Corey would do. He picked it up, glanced again at his brother then took a deep breath and ran across the street to the bin, dropping the whole bag in.

*****

Shortly after Corey had left, Josh had told James to leave. He had been furious at the young redhead for revealing so much to the boy. Josh had sat watching his phone after that, desperately hoping that Corey might call, or better yet, come back to the apartment.

When his phone did eventually ring and it turned out to be Nick, Josh had felt momentarily hopeful. All of his attempts to contact his brother since the truth came out had been met with an outright refusal to engage. When the phone call turned out to be only about Corey, Josh had been distraught.

Now he sat alone in his apartment, staring into nothingness and doing his best to ignore the pleasurable feelings coming from Buzz. When his phone finally went off, he jumped at it eagerly but found it was just a message from his master.

[Send me a naked picture. Now!] he demanded.

Josh scowled at the phone. Whoever this guy was, he was partly to blame for Corey being upset. [Not now. I'm not in the mood] he replied angrily.

[Who the fuck do you think you are? You're my fag, I'm your master and you will do as I fucking tell you!] the reply came back instantly.

Josh stared at the message, his entire body tensing. He was so angry, he hated this person... but part of him, a big part was screaming at him to obey. [Fuck off!] he forced himself to reply.

[I'm going to give you one chance to apologise right now. A video of you naked, apologising and begging for my forgiveness. You have five minutes!]

Josh threw his phone down on the seat beside him, staring at his and breathing deeply. He could feel his heart pounding. He waited. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Finally he couldn't take any more. He pulled off his clothes, grabbed the phone, turned on the camera and started recording. “I'm sorry Sir. I've had a bad day but that's no excuse for speaking to you like that. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me, I beg for your mercy Sir.”

He sent the video just within the five minute limit and sat almost in tears. He hated what he had just done. He had upset Corey, Nick was still pissed at him and he was pissed at James. He should be dealing with all of that, he should be trying to put things right, but all he could think about was getting his master's forgiveness.

[Very good boy. You are forgiven, but you still need to be punished for your disobedience] the master replied a minute later.

Josh breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously feeling a twitch of pleasure in his caged cock. He knew he would seen be advised of his punishment, but he found himself craving something more than simple orders.

[Sir, if you want to meet, you can punish me in any way you like. I'll do whatever you tell me!] he sent back eagerly.

[Why would I want to meet you, fag? And you already do whatever I tell you! Now shut up and wait for your punishment.]

Josh sat thinking about Nick, about Corey, about James, about everything else he should be doing, but his body refused to respond. All he could bring himself to do was stare at his phone, waiting for his next command. He knew it was wrong, he knew he was screwed up and broken and useless and all he wanted, more than any command, more than anything else in the entire world, was to feel Dale's arms around him.

Chapter 18

Sunday 15th March 2015


“Come on, you pussy!” Ryan snarled down at Liam.

Liam grunted from the exertion. Two weeks ago lifting that amount of weight would have been manageable, but his muscles had quickly weakened without his daily workouts. Ever since getting together with Dale he had been concentrated on a very different type of workout! He had finally given in to Ryan's pestering to return to the gym and was now really being put through his paces by the larger man.

“I'm done!” Liam groaned, dropping the barbell with a heavy clang.

“Fuck, it's like working out with a total noob!” Ryan said with disgust at Liam's poor effort.

Liam rolled his eyes. He knew Ryan was just frustrated. Their daily workouts had been a permanent fixture on their calendars for years and it can't have been easy adjusting to attending alone over the last couple of weeks. He suspected that Ryan was also taking out a different kind of frustration on him. Now that he was in a relationship, Liam was no longer available to bottom for his friend when he got sexually frustrated.

“Relax, would you. I'll be back up to speed in no time.” Liam insisted as he sat up on the bench.

“Whatever. I'll catch up with you later.” Ryan said dismissively, walking away.

Liam shook his head as he considered what he wanted to do next. He knew Dale was at home so it was tempting to just leave now, but he had barely been there half an hour so he figured he should at least put in a little more time. As he looked round, he spotted James.

James spotted him approaching and stopped rowing, standing up from the machine. “Hey man, how you been?” James asked, giving Liam a quick, friendly hug.

“Good.... I'm good.” Liam said happily.

James grinned and winked. “Better than good from what I hear!”

Liam blushed a little and smiled awkwardly.

“You and Dale, huh?” James said, nudging Liam in the ribs. “You sly dog!”

“Hey, I didn't plan it!” Liam said firmly, before his voice softened to add, “It just kinda happened.”

“I'm only messing with you.” James said with a grin. “Besides, it's not exactly like I can judge....”

Liam looked at his friend questioningly, his brow creased.

“Me and Josh!” James explained, then grinned again.

Liam's eyes widened. “What, seriously?” He asked in shock. “Since when?”

“Remember that day I came over to see Dale? I bumped into Josh the day after and we started talking and.... things just kinda happened!” James explained, using Liam's own words as he sniggered.

Liam looked unimpressed. “You're actually dating your best friend's ex?”

The smirk quickly dropped from James' face in response to Liam's accusatory tone, suddenly looking a little sheepish. “Yeah, I know, it's not cool. That's kinda why I've been avoiding him.”

Liam looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah... he said he's not even spoken to you since you visited....” He looked at James suspiciously. “You.... when you came round... you said you hadn't seen Josh since the break-up.”

“Yeah.” James said with a casual shrug.

“And you've not spoken to Dale since....” Liam continued.

James laughed slightly, a little confused by Liam's questioning. “Yeah.” he replied cautiously.

“So.... if you haven't actually spoken to Dale since the first time you saw Josh... how could you have told him that Josh didn't want to get back together?” Liam asked, frowning.

James went pale, even by his own usual standards. “Erm... err... well...” he stuttered. “Someone.... someone told me that's what he said.” he attempted to explain.

“Who?” Liam demanded, stepping closer, his look of confusion morphing into something a lot more menacing.

“Erm... Nick! It was Nick, he told me!” James explained, stepping back.

“Nick and Josh aren't talking!” Liam snapped, remembering what Dale had told him after the younger boy's visit to the house. He could see the panic in James' eyes and suddenly it all made sense. “You made it up, didn't you! You lied to Dale to keep him and Josh apart just so you could have Josh for yourself!”

James looked terrified for a moment before a grin suddenly spread across his face. He shrugged. “Maybe I did, but are you really going to tell him? From what Ryan tells me, you and Dale are getting pretty cosy. Do you really wanna risk losing that if he goes running back to Josh?”

Liam opened his mouth to reply but there were no words. James was right. It had only been a couple of weeks, but he was completely hooked on Dale. He just stared back at James.

“That's what I thought. Now keep your mouth shut and we can both have what we want, understand?” James said firmly.

Liam sighed... then nodded.

*****

Nick could hear a lot of activity in the lounge as he walked down the stairs. As we went in, he greeted his Mum, Dad, Corey and Greg individually before taking a seat on the sofa. Technically it was his second greeting of the morning for Greg. The two of them had started sleeping together every night, with Nick waking early to go back over to his own room to avoid getting caught in bed together.

The four of them all said casual greetings back, but barely looked up from what they were doing. Corey and Greg were engrossed in a video game while Pippa and George appeared to also be competing against each other on their iPads, based on the child-friendly trash talk they were flinging at each other.

Nick didn't mind being almost ignored. This finally felt like normal. Greg was recovering well and could pretty much do everything normally, Corey had now been ten days without a drink and everything seemed calm in the household. Even when Warren and Sam came over to visit Greg it had been drama-free, Nick finally seeming to have an actual friendship building back up with his ex-lover. He had found time to go visit Dale a couple more times. He had even built up the nerve to speak to Greg about the prospect of a semi-open relationship. Only one thing remained niggling in the back of his mind.... Josh!

Aside from the brief telephone call almost two weeks earlier, it had been six weeks since Nick had seen his older brother. In that time, the younger siblings had slowly started to change from mind-numbing rage to an endless dull ache of anger. He sometimes wondered how he could actually be friends with Warren, while still hating Josh, but thinking about it too much hurt his head so he did his best not to. It hadn't helped knowing that Josh had managed to upset their youngest brother so much, although Corey had not yet revealed how he did it.

“I'm going to go and see Josh!” Nick said abruptly.

The others all stopped what they were doing immediately, turning to stare at Nick in shock.

“Seriously?” Corey asked, eyes wide.

Nick stared back at his little brother for a few moments, then nodded.

“About bloody time!” George said with a frown. He was almost glad he didn't know what had happened between the two brothers, it made it easier not to pick sides, but he would be glad of the hostilities could end. Although he would never say it openly, he loved having all his boys together whenever they had a big family dinner. He had done lots of things in his life he was proud off, but raising his sons was always top of that list.

“You sure about this?” Greg asked quietly. Having spent more time with Nick over the last six weeks than anyone else had, Greg knew far too well the depths of Nick's anger towards Josh. What worried Greg now was knowing that he still retained a lot of it.

“Yeah, I'm sure.” Nick said with a slight nod. “I was thinking of asking him to join us on Tuesday.”

Corey's breath caught in his throat. Tuesday was the youngest brother's birthday. Corey had said he wasn't in the mood for a party, but Pippa had talked him into at least letting them take him out for dinner to his favourite restaurant. He scowled at Nick for a moment before taking a deep breath, then said, “Okay. That's... yeah, that's okay.”

Nick smiled at the boy. He really didn't want to see Josh. Aside from wanting to put aside his own anger, Josh's absence had clearly played a big part on Corey's problems too. Letting Josh back in, bringing him and Corey back together, it was just the right thing to do, for all of them.

*****

Warren was sitting on his bed, eyes closed moaning happily as his hand gently stroked away at his cock. He was taking his time, enjoying every second of it, his free hand running across his body. Just as his hand started to reach down between his legs, poking at his hole, the door swung open.

“Shit! Sam!” Warren called out, quickly grabbing a pillow to cover his crotch.

The other boy smirked at the terrified reaction as he closed the door behind him. “Having fun?” He giggled.

“I... erm... I...” Warren stuttered.

“Oh I know what you were doing.” Sam grinned. “But don't let me stop you.”

Warren stared and gulped.

“Go on. Carry on!” Sam encouraged his friend.

Nervously, breathing heavily, Warren removed the pillow. His cock was still rigid, despite the fright of getting caught. If anything, he was actually harder than he had been before. With his eyes still fixed on Sam, he grabbed it again and started stroking. He couldn't help smiling at the obvious bulge in Sam's shorts.

“You could.... come and join me!” Warren offered tentatively, patting the bed beside him.

Sam approached slowly, pulling off his t-shirt as he walked. He threw the discarded clothing straight at Warren, who raised a hand as it hit his face. By the time he had pulled it away, Sam had jumped onto the bed beside him, his eyes fixed on Warren's.

“Did you want me to join you...” Sam started, placing a hand on Warren's bare chest. “Or lend you hand?”

Warren was virtually hyperventilating with excitement. A quick nod and Sam's hand started sliding downwards until it nudged the boy's own hand out of the way and wrapped around his cock.

“Oh fuck!” Warren moaned, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to rest on the wall. His eyes quickly opened again in shock as he felt Sam's lips on his neck.

Sam took his time. The more he did to his friend with his mouth and other hand, the slower he pumped at Warren's cock. Hearing his friend moan with delight was turning him on more and more by the second.

“Oh God, Sam.... I'm gonna... aaaah.... Sam.... faster.” Warren whimpered, painfully close to cumming. “Fuuuuuuuck!” he called out excitedly as Sam finally took him over the edge.

Sam quickly pulled away, not wanting to get shot in the face when Warren exploded. He continued pumping away as his friend covered his chin, stomach and chest with spunk, only letting go when the last few shots had erupted.

Warren turned to his friend, grinning. “You know.” he said breathlessly. “I never get tired of this!”

“Me neither!” Sam grinned back, grabbing his own cock through his shorts.

Warren looked down at it, then back up at Sam and offered, “I could take care of that for you, if you like!”

“Thanks.” Sam chuckled. “But like I've said before, that's just not my thing!”

Warren looked a little disappointed, but he was getting used to it by now. Every time they had played out that particular fantasy of Warren's, Sam had always refused any kind of reciprocation. He quickly dressed as his friend continued to watch, feeling a slight twinge of pride at the still-obvious erection he was causing.

Sam ignored his own arousal, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tapping away at it. When Warren was fully dressed and jumped back onto the bed to join him, he said, “Hey, Greg wants to know if we wanna do something?”

“Sure, wanna head there now?” Warren said happily.

*****

Josh was laying on the bed when he heard the knock at the the door. Buzz had turned on early that morning and had remained on a constant mid-setting ever since. He found that particular strength of vibration to be the most frustrating. At its lowest strength, it provided a constant sense of arousal for him and at its highest could eventually lead to an orgasm, but set half way in between it kept him tantalisingly close to the edge without making him cum. He could just about manage to get around okay, but for the most-part it remained the only thing he could concentrate on.

As he made his way slowly along the hallway to the front door, he moaned slightly at the increased pressure on his prostate from his movements. He opened the door just after hearing a second knock and froze as he found himself staring at Nick.

“Hi.” Nick said coldly.

“Nick.... hi.” Josh said, eyes wide. “Are you looking for Corey again? He hasn't...”

Nick interrupted his big brother. “I'm not looking for Corey. I came to see you.”

“You did!” Josh said in surprise, a slight smile spreading across his face. All of his attempts at contact over the last six weeks had been outright refused. He was beginning to consider trying again, but to have Nick just turn up on the doorstep was more than a little unexpected.

“Do I have to stay out here?” Nick demanded, looking round.

“Oh... sorry, come on in.” Josh said, stepping aside, flinching a little as Buzz sent a wave of excitement through him.

Nick stepped inside, taking a few steps towards the lounge. He looked around disapprovingly. “I guess Dale was the tidy one then!” Nick said with a slight sneer as he beheld the general untidiness of the place.

“Yeah, I.... guess I kinda took that for granted.” Josh said with a slight shrug as he followed Nick.

Nick looked back for a moment then carried on walking as he said, “Yeah, you do that with a lot of things!”

Josh flinched again, but this time from the boy's barbed words. “I suppose I do.” he conceded.

Nick took a seat and watched as Josh did the same, the young man sitting strangely carefully. “It's Corey's birthday on Tuesday.”

“Yeah. I know.” Josh said, staring down at the ground. “I didn't know if I should come and see him.”

“Actually we're all going out for dinner and... I thought you might want to come.” Nick explained.

Josh looked up, eyes wide again with surprise. “YOU want me to come?”

“Don't read too much into it. I want you to come for Corey.” Nick said defensively, crossing his arms in front of him.

“Is he still pissed at me?” Josh asked quietly, looking more than a little sheepish.

Nick scowled. Corey had told him everything about his previous visit. “Yeah, and quite rightfully too.” he snapped, then added a little more softly, “But he's not been doing well lately and I think he needs you.”

Josh frowned. “He's not been doing well?”

Nick took a deep breath and then exhaled. He had been debating how much, if anything, to tell Josh about their little brother's problems, but as tended to be his default position lately, had decided to just be completely open and honest. “He started drinking. A lot. Like... verging on addicted!”

Josh gasped, staring at Nick in shock and disgust. “He... he... oh my God.” Josh stammered. “Wait, so when he came to see me...”

“I think it was to talk about that.” Nick explained. “Your fourteen-year-old brother came to you for help and support and you were too caught up in your own shit to even notice there was a problem! So yeah, like I said, I think he's quite right to be pissed at you!”

Josh buried his face in his hands, inwardly scolding himself for his negligence. That was when he felt Buzz switch up to full strength. He dropped his hands away, fell back in his seat and gasped.

Nick continued to stare in disgust. “Buzz?”

“He... told you.... then?” Josh stammered between pulses of vibration.

“Yeah, and you know what, you either take that thing out right now and talk to me, or I go!” Nick said, standing up.

“I... I can't... I'm not allowed.” Josh replied pathetically.

“Seriously? That's your answer?” Nick said, more surprised than annoyed. “I'm asking you to choose between your brothers and some... guy you've never even met and you're really choosing him?”

“No, it's not... I can't... please Nick.” Josh pleaded desperately, distraught despite the waves of pleasure.

“I mean it Josh. Take that thing out, right NOW!” Nick snarled.

“Yes Sir!” Josh said instinctively, then stared wide-eyed at Nick.

The younger boy smiled. “I said NOW!”

Josh stood and immediately dropped his shorts and underwear, revealing his caged cock to his little brother. Quickly reaching back, he grabbed Buzz and pulled it out. He breathed a sigh of relief at being free of the device, but suddenly found himself feeling terrified of what his master would say when he found out.

“Put it back in!” Nick said with a smirk.

Josh obeyed, pushing the still-vibrating toy back inside himself.

“And out.” Nick said with a grin as his brother obeyed. “In, out, in, out, in, out.” He ordered, watching in amazement as Josh fucked himself with the toy, whimpering with pleasured pain the whole time but not saying a word to protest.

Nick allowed Josh to stop, with the device out. “Wow, you really will just do whatever you're told, won't you!” Nick smirked wickedly.

“Yes Sir!” Josh replied again, almost in tears. It wasn't the pain of the repeated toy insertion that was upsetting him, it was his own reaction to Nick. He already feely completely helpless, with a total lack of his own willpower from dealing with his master, now he was experiencing more of the same from his own little brother. He simply couldn't understand his own reactions.

“Oh my God, you... really will do whatever you're told.” Nick repeated, this time staring in sympathy at the clearly-distressed young man. He had always thought being submissive was something Josh liked to do for fun, but this... it was more than that. It was like a compulsion, an addiction even... not totally unlike Corey's problem.

Josh could see the realisation spreading across Nick's face, the younger boy beginning to understand the depths of his depravity, of his truly submissive nature. He felt a surge of shame. On top of the humiliation he already felt, it was enough to push him over the edge and he dropped back onto the sofa, sobbing into his hands.

Nick was torn. He couldn't help wanting to go and comfort his brother, but at the same time he was still angry with him over everything that had happened. Virtually against his will, his brotherly instinct took charge and he moved to Josh's side, placing an arm around his shoulder. His brother leaned into him, crying weakly.

“Nick, I'm so sorry.” Josh whimpered.

The younger sibling shook his head. He still wanted to be mad, to make Josh feel bad, to make him understand the pain he had caused with his secret affair, but Josh was so distraught and broken that he couldn't bring himself to add to it. He simply sat there holding his brother as he sobbed and apologised over and over.

It was about quarter of an hour before Josh stopped, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Nick quickly moved away, taking his previous position on the armchair opposite. “Look, Josh, I... what you did... with Warren... it hurt me! I mean... seriously, I trusted you more than anyone and you...”

“I know, I know!” Josh insisted, trying to avoid hearing how much pain he had caused his little brother. “I'm sorry, Nick, I'm so, so sorry!”

“I know you are. But that doesn't undo what you did. But...” Nick paused. Josh looked at him inquisitively, a glint of hope in his eye. “You're my brother. You're part of my family and this thing between us, it affects more than just me and you and I don't want to be responsible for any more pain.”

“So you're... forgiving me?” Josh asked with a frown.

“Ha! No. I'm not forgiving you, Josh. Honestly, I don't know if I ever will, but I'm willing to be around you... for Mum, Dad and Corey's sake.” Nick explained. “Now, are you coming on Tuesday or not?”

Josh nodded eagerly.

“Fine. I guess we'll take it from there. I'll text you the details.” Nick said, getting up and heading for the door. Just before he left, he looked back to his brother and sneered, “You really need to sort yourself out, Josh. You're a fucking mess!”

*****

Callum jumped into action the moment he got the text from Nick. [Get ready, I'm coming over!] That was all it had said. It was all he needed to hear. Nick had come to an agreement with his new boyfriend, he was allowed to sleep with Callum, but that was the extent of the openness allowed in their relationship. That was more than okay with Callum, especially with the recent discovery of the new kinks he had begun to explore with Nick.

The teen quickly leapt from his bed, unlocked his front door then returned to his room and stripped naked. He set about tying his feet to the ropes attached to each corner of the foot of the bed, attached one side of some handcuffs to one wrist, secured the blindfold over his head then blindly reached up to feed the handcuffs through the bars of his headboard before attaching them to his other wrist. He was ready for Nick now, although he had no idea how long he would have to wait, naked and restrained.

With the blindfold on, Callum quickly lost all sense of time, especially as little ripples of excitement kept running through him, his cock twitching in anticipation. It felt like about half an hour before Nick arrived, but that was entirely a guess.

“Good boy!” Nick said as he walked in and saw Callum ready for him.

“Thank you Sir.” Callum said with a grin.

Nick quickly undressed too, then stood at the foot of the bed. “I think I might have you in a different position today, boy.”

“What do you want me to do, Sir?” Callum asked eagerly.

“Nothing, I'll take care of it!” Nick insisted. He knelt down to undo the ropes from the legs of the bed, but left the other ends attached to Callum's ankles. Once they were free, he climbed onto the bed then pulled on them, curling the smaller teen back on himself. He secured the ropes to the headboard then stood back.

Callum was now doubled over, legs in the air, arse exposed, cock pointing straight at his own face. Nick ran his hands down the other boys thighs, then cupped his buttocks. He grinned as an idea occurred to him. He climbed back off the bed then grabbed the belt from his jeans.

“Pick a number between one and twenty, boy.” Nick snapped.

“S... seventeen, Sir.” Callum stuttered.

“Good choice.” Nick sneered. He raised the belt, then brought it down heavily onto Callum's rear.

“YAAARGH!” Callum called out in shock and pain. “Oh shit.” he gasped as he recovered from the shock.

“Count them off after each strike boy. Forget to count and we started from one.” Nick instructed.

“One, Sir!” Callum immediately called out.

“Good boy, you learn fast.” Nick said happily at his friend's compliance. He raised the belt and brought it down hard.

“Aaah, two, Sir.” Callum called out.

SMACK!

“Three Sir!”

It continued, a smack and a count, smack, count, smack count. Nick paused at ten. “You're doing well, boy. Are you having fun?”

“This is really turning me on!” Callum called out happily.

Nick peered round and saw Callum's face was wet from the steady flow of precum dripping onto it.

“Are you actually going to cum from getting spanked?” Nick asked with a chuckle, dropping out of master mode fro a moment.

“I might!” Callum answered honestly.

“You'd best not cum without permission, boy!” Nick snapped, taking on a stern tone once again.

SMACK.

“Eleven, Sir!” Callum called out happily.

Nick continued.

After the fifteenth spank, Callum called out. “Oh God, I think I'm going to cum!”

Nick paused for a moment, watching as Callum's spasming cock oozed another stream of precum, but he managed to hold back an orgasm.

“Oh dear.” Nick said in a mocking tone. “I think you forgot to count.”

“No, no, fifteen Sir!” Callum called out quickly.

Nick sniggered. “Far too late for that, boy. Back to one we go.”

“But... but Sir... I'll cum.” Callum whimpered.

Nick laughed once again. “You'd better not. If you cum without permission, you will be punished.”

“Yes Sir.” Callum said, realising he had no choice.

“Although maybe a little break will help.” Nick said, dropping the belt. He reached round to scoop some precum for Callum's face, stroking a few drops off of his cock at the same time, then used it to lubricate his cock. He stood and started pushing his cock down into Callum's hole, immediately thrusting the whole way inside until his pelvis came into contact with the boy's reddened cheeks.

“Oh god.” Callum moaned happily, his hands gripping onto the bars of the headboard.

Nick wasn't gentle. He kept pulling all the way out then thrusting fully back in, fast and hard, eliciting yells of both pleasure and pain. He reached down and grabbed the belt as he thrust in again. As he pulled out, he moved back a little and swung the belt down with a loud SMACK.

“One Sir!” Callum called out, remembering the earlier order.

Nick pushed in again, pulled out, then swung the belt.

“Two Sir!”

It continued up until nine when Callum finally called out. “Oh God, I'm cumming. I'm sorry Sir, I'm cumming!”

Nick paused long enough to peer down and watch his friend cumming in his own face, then immediately resumed what he was doing before. “You didn't count, boy. Back to one.”

“Oh god, no, please Sir.” Callum pleaded.

Nick ignored the pleas, but added, “And for cumming without permission, you get extra punishment too.”

Nick thrust in again, adding an extra couple of pumps before pulling out completely, then raised the belt and brought it down onto Callum's glowing red arse.

“One Sir!” Callum cried. “AAAAARGH!” he screamed as he felt the belt fall again, this time coming down right between his legs to strike his balls. “Oh god no, that hurts!”

“Yes boy, that's because it's a punishment!” Nick said completely unsympathetically.

He fucked the boy briefly again before pulling out and spanking him.

“Two... Sir.” Callum sobbed, knowing what was next. “AAAARGH!” he screamed out as the belt made contact with his balls again.

After the sixth strike, Nick had to return to just a single thrust into the boy's aching hole as he could feel himself getting close. Callum managed to keep up the count, although by ten he was outright sobbing. Nick continued regardless, a fuck, a spank to the arse, a strike to the balls.

“S.... s.... seventeen.... Sir.” Callum cried just before receiving the final strike to his throbbing testicles.

Nick thrust in one last time, pulled out, stroked his cock twice and started cumming. He aimed his cock between Callum's legs, shooting all over his balls and inexplicably-hard cock. He watched happily as it dripped down onto the boy's face, mixing with his own cum and tears.

The aggressive young man reached down to take hold of Callum's erection and started stroking it. It took no more than a dozen stroked before a second smaller load was added to the mess on his face.

Finally satisfied, Nick released the ankle from the ropes, unlocked the cuffs then pulled off Callum's blindfold. The boy was still sobbing from the pain as Nick lay beside him, wrapping an arm around him.

Callum cuddled into his side, resting his cheek on Nick's bare chest. “That... was... incredible.” He gasped between sobs.

*****

Greg lay in bed, waiting for Nick to come in as he did every night. When he heard his door open, he clicked on his lamp and sat up, grinning.

“Corey!” he said in surprise, shocked to see the younger McKenzie boy stood in his doorway.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.” he said shakily. “I just... I needed to see you were okay.”

Greg tilted his head to the side sympathetically as he saw the slight hint of redness around Corey's eyes. “Bad dream?” he asked quietly. “About me?” he added.

Corey just nodded, remaining in the doorway, not quite sure whether to stay or go.

“Hey, don't worry. I'm fine now.” Greg smiled sweetly.

Corey nodded again, turning slowly to leave.

“But you're welcome to sleep in here if it'll make you feel better.” Greg offered, throwing back the covers and shuffling over to the side.

Corey once again nodded silently, but stepped into the room and closed the door, then walked slowly towards the bed. He paused just as he got to it. “Sorry, I'm just being silly. I'll leave you alone.” He turned to head back to the door but Greg leant across the bed and grabbed his wrist.

“You're not being silly. Just get in.” Greg insisted. As Corey complied, he quickly grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Nick. [Sorry, you can't come over tonight. Corey's in here. He's okay, but he's gonna sleep here.]

Corey lay beside Greg, feeling a little awkward.

Greg looked round and him and smiled sweetly. “Come here.” he said, sliding an arm under the boy's neck.

Corey didn't need any more prompting than that. He rolled onto his side and let Greg pull him closer.

Greg quickly checked his phone and found a reply from Nick. [Okay, see you in the morning, love you!]

Greg sent back a quick [Love you too.] then put the phone down and turned the lamp off. “Tell me about the dream then.”

“Do I have to?” Corey asked weakly.

“It'll help to get it out.” Greg insisted, sounding like he knew what he was talking about.

Corey shifted slightly, pulling himself closer into his foster brother's side. “It was the same as it always is. I opened the door and found you laying there covered in blood and I started screaming for help. I knew I had to do something, to help you, but I just didn't know what to do. That's when the others all appear, but they just look at me and stand there. Then the more I cry out for them to help me, the further they seem to drift away until they're just gone and I realise I'm just sat there on my own in the dark, crying out.”

“That sounds... pretty tough.” Greg said, holding the younger boy tightly. “It's actually a lot like one of mine.”

“You have bad dreams too?” Corey asked quietly.

Greg paused for a moment. It seemed it was time to take his own advice. His dreams had been haunted ever since he got attacked by his Dad, but he had managed to hide it from everyone, even Nick. “Yeah, quite often.” Corey remained silent, so he continued. “In one of them, I've managed to get away from my Dad and I'm coming here, but the street just goes on and on forever. I can see the house, but no matter how much I run it never gets closer and I can feel my Dad catching up to me. Sometimes I can see Nick or you or Warren and I scream for your help but you can't hear me and I keep running and running...”

“That's horrible.” Corey said sympathetically.

“Yeah.” Greg agreed. He sighed and rested his cheek against the top of Corey's head. “I don't know how much it'll help, but when you have that dream again, just do your best to remember that you're not alone. As long as I'm around, you never have to be.”

“Thanks.” Corey said, squeezing Greg. “And if you have that dream again, when you're running toward the house, imagine I'm running to meet you. You're not alone either.”

“Thanks.” Greg said happily.

The two of them slowly drifted off to sleep, feeling more confident than usual of a good night's sleep.
Chapter 19


Wednesday 18th March 2015


Greg groaned as he heard the alarm going off. It was half five and it was time for Nick to head back to his own room to avoid discovery.

“No, not today!” Greg insisted, gripping tightly onto Nick.

Nick chuckled. “And what do we say if someone comes in?”

“Nobody's gonna come in.” Greg replied, refusing to let go.

Nick turned off the alarm and sighed as he looked down at the boy clinging to him. “Fine, but I'm awake now so if I'm staying, you're not sleeping!”

“Can't hear you. Sleeping!” Greg joked, keeping his eyes closed.

Nick grinned. “Oh, well if you're asleep, you won't notice if I leave then...”

Greg's eyes shot open and he sat up. “Oh look at that, I'm awake!”

“Funny how that happened.” Nick said, faking bemusement. He reached across to stroke Greg's cheek. “It still amazes me.”

Greg closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Nick's hand on his face, nuzzling against it a little. “What does?” he asked dreamily.

“How much I love you!” Nick said, grinning through the darkness.

The younger boy couldn't say anything, totally overwhelmed by the comment. Instead he just lay back down at Nick's side and kissed him. The embrace only lasted a few seconds before Greg nestled back down into Nick's side.

“Did you tell Josh about us?” Greg asked casually.

Nick frowned. It was somewhat of a tangent, and not exactly his favourite subject either. “Erm... no, why?”

“I think he knows.” Greg replied. “Last night at Corey's dinner, he kept looking at me.”

“Don't read too much into it. I think he was just doing his best not to look right at me or Cor.” Nick said, thinking back to the meal the night before for their little brother's birthday.

'Awkward' had pretty much been the theme of the night. Pippa and George had done their best to act normally and keep the conversation running smoothly, but the lingering anger towards Josh from both of his younger siblings kept bringing about uncomfortable silences. By the end of the night Corey had at least started talking to Josh again, although their relationship was still far from healed. Nick and Josh had not exchanged more than basic pleasantries though.

“Yeah, that was fun!” Greg said sarcastically.

“Sorry.” Nick said uncomfortably. “Hey, I remember seeing a gift in here Monday night for Cor, but I never saw him open it. Wasn't it for him?”

“It was, I just gave it to him in private.” Greg said, smiling as he thought back to it.

He had wanted to avoid embarrassing Corey, and potentially himself, in front of everyone else so he had gone to Corey's room shortly before they had all gone out for dinner.

“I... got you a present.” Greg had said shyly as he stood in Corey's doorway.

Corey eyed the small box suspiciously, wondering what could be in such a tiny package. He quickly tore off the paper and opened up the box inside. He found himself looking at a silver chain with a thin strip of metal hanging from the centre. The metal was covered in tiny raised bumps. Corey looked at Greg, confused.

“It's braille.” Greg had said sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably as he stood in front of the boy. “It says 'never alone'. I thought that if you had that dream again where you're alone in the darkness, you can... you can just grab that and feel what it says... even if you can't see it and you'll know you're never alone.”

Corey had just stared at it for several moments.

“I... I can take it back if you don't like it.” Greg had said nervously at the boy's lack of a reaction.

When Corey finally looked up, he had tears in his eyes. “It's... it's amazing. Thank you!” He jumped to his feet and pulled Greg into a hug that had lasted until they heard Pippa yelling that it was time to go.

As Greg lay with Nick, he felt a swell of pride that he had managed to find a gift that had clearly meant so much to the boy.

“What was it?” Nick asked curiously.

“It's a secret.” Greg replied. 

“Aww go on, tell me.” Nick pleaded.

Greg shifted a little. “Please don't ask. It's... a personal thing between me and Corey.”

“Okay.” Nick said reluctantly. He paused for several moments, then said, “Hey, as we're up early, d'you wanna...” He never finished the question, instead he just reached down and grabbed Greg's dick. It was already hard. “I guess you do!” Nick chuckled.

“I guess you do too!” Greg giggled returning the gesture and grabbing Nick's erection.

“Should I play Doctor?” Nick asked devilishly.

Greg squeezed Nick's cock firmly, making him jump in response to the teasing.

“I'll take that as a no then.” Nick said, still grinning.

“Sixty nine!” Greg growled seductively.

Nick needed no further prompting. He threw back the covers, straddled Greg's chest then leant down to take the boy's cock into his mouth. Greg reached up to guide Nick's own throbbing meat into his mouth. They both took their time, they were in no hurry so they each seemed determined to pleasure the other for as long as possible.

After several minutes of slow, gentle sucking, they both began to speed up. After already doing that same thing a dozen or so times, they had developed a series of touches and taps to indicate 'faster', 'slower' and 'I'm almost there' in order to synchronise their actions. They found it infinitely more exciting if they could time their orgasms to take place simultaneously.

As they both gave the signal to say they were almost ready to cum, they both sucked firmly, pulling the cocks in and out of their mouths until they erupted in unison. The excited muffled moans added a little more pleasure as the slight vibrations of the grunts tickled their boners. Finally expended, Nick climbed off and took his previous position back at Greg's side.

The two boys kissed, each getting a slight hint of their own cum lingering in the other's mouth.

*****

Josh stirred a little, disturbed from his sleep by a quiet noise, but disregarded it and went back to sleep. It was too early and he was too tired to show any interest. After an exhausting and awkward evening with his family, he had then been forced to endure more of his master's tasks when he got home, which included getting fucked by no less than three guys and sending his master a video of him pleasuring himself for an hour on his largest dildo.

He suddenly woke with a start as he felt movement on the bed and arms reaching around him. Secretly he hoped more than anything it was Dale, but realised it was infinitely more likely to be James, sneaking in early to see him before work.

“Hey.” he said sleepily.

“Shh, go back to sleep. I just thought you might need a cuddle after last night.” James whispered.

Josh smiled as James spooned against him. So far their relationship had been almost entirely sexual, to the point where Josh suspected that it was all James was interested in, but then there were the occasional sweet moments too. This was definitely the sweetest. James had felt particularly guilty about the issues between Josh and Corey because of the part he had played in it, so he had been overjoyed to hear that Josh had been invited to Corey's birthday. He also knew it would be extremely tough on his new boyfriend and been as supportive as possible leading up to it.

James lay holding Josh as he slept, resisting the urge to snooze himself for fear of being late to work.

When Josh's alarm went off, he reached out and turned it off, then twisted round on the spot to bring himself face-to-face with James. “Hey again.” He said quietly, smiling as he stared into the emerald-green eyes.

“Hey.” James smiled back, planting a playful kiss on the tip of Josh's nose. “How was last night?”

Josh thought back to it and made the obvious assumption that James was only referring to the family dinner, not the orders he had been issued on returning home. “It was... difficult.” He pursed his lips as he frowned.

“Are things... better with Corey?” James asked cautiously as his hand slid up and down Josh's arm.

Josh nodded. “I think so. Still a long way to go, but at least he's talking to me.”

“Guessing Nick isn't?” James enquired.

Josh leant forward, burying his face into James' chest. “Is he right?” He asked, his voice slightly muffled.

James frowned, not quite following. “Is who right?”

“Nick.” Josh said, then pulled away and looked back into James' eyes. “What he said on Sunday... about me being a mess. Is he right? Am I?”

James sighed. What could he say? He clearly was, but a large part of that was James' doing. There wasn't a day went by when he didn't think about Josh and Dale, how they could... should be back together, but that would mean losing Josh himself and that simply wasn't an option.

“No.” James lied. “You've just been having a hard time lately. That's not your fault. You're doing fine.” He smiled at Josh, but the smile he got back was clearly forced.

“Thanks.” Josh said quietly.

“Hey, cheer up.” James said positively. “Hey, how about a fuck? That always gets your day off to a good start.” He chuckled slightly at the offer.

Josh forced a smile again but it soon faded as he requested, “Could you just... hold me instead?”

*****

Warren was sat waiting for Greg and Sam when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked round and smiled. “Oh, hey Corey. Happy birthday for yesterday.” The two boys quickly hugged. Since everything had fallen apart between himself, Dale, Josh and Nick, Warren had kind of drifted away from the younger boy a little. Between Corey's regular disappearances and Warren occasionally avoiding Nick, the two boys had barely seen each other over the last six weeks.

“Thanks.” Corey smiled sweetly. “And thanks for the card. You waiting for Greg and Sam?” When Warren nodded, Corey added, “I may as well wait with you, Sam's gonna be coming to football practice with me.”

“Cool.” Warren said slightly awkwardly.

The two stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

“I... erm... I heard Josh came last night.” Warren said tentatively.

“Yeah.” Corey said with a slight nod.

“What did he do to piss you off so much?” Warren asked with a frown. He had heard from Greg that the two had fallen out, but never got any more detail than that.

Corey shook his head. “He's just... he was so selfish, he always is. I went to him because I...” he paused momentarily, almost sharing more than he intended. “Because I had a problem and he was just too caught up in the new boyfriend and some stupid 'master' to even give a crap about me.”

“New... boyfriend?” Warren asked, looking thoroughly distraught.

Corey's eyes widened as he realised what he had said. “I... erm... I...” he stuttered.

“Who?” Warren asked, tears in his eyes.

“Warren, I didn't...” Corey started.

“Corey!” Warren interrupted sharply. “Who is it?”

“He's with James.” Corey said, a little scared by Warren's tone.

“James. He's... he's seeing James!” Warren repeated, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “And... he has a new master too?”

Corey was frozen. Warren would see through any backtracking he attempted now, but revealing more was just bound to make it worse. Warren's gaze was relentless though and eventually Corey cracked. “Yeah, some mysterious guy who gives him commands. He doesn't even know who it is. He's totally under his control.”

Warren buried his face in his hands, several deep breaths hissing in and out between his fingers.

“Warren, you okay?” Corey asked nervously.

When the older boy dropped his hands away, he looked back to normal. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Are you... sure?” Corey asked, worried. Warren really did look okay, but Corey knew he definitely shouldn't, that was what worried him.

“Yeah, doesn't bother me.” Warren said with a casual shrug.

“Hey guys.” Greg called out as he and Sam approached, grinning broadly.

“Hey Greg. Could you do me a favour. I forgot to tell Mum about football practice tonight. My phone battery's dead so I can't text her. Would you mind letting her know I'll be a bit late tonight?” Corey requested.

“Sure, no problem.” Greg said happily.

“Come on.” Sam said, edging away. “We're gonna be late for practice.”

Sam and Corey to headed off. Sam would have headed straight there but Greg hadn't been back at school long so Sam and Warren were ensuring one of them was always with him. He had seemed okay so far, but they were still very protective of their injured friend.

As the younger two boys departed, Corey shot Warren a final questioning look but just got a smile in response.

Warren and Greg walked home, chatting all the way, although Warren avoided mentioning what Corey had told him. When they got home, they headed straight up to Greg's room to get their homework out of the way. By the time they had finished it and piled their books on the desk, Nick got home and came to join them.

“Hey Warren.” Nick said with a genuine smile. “No Sam today?”

“Hey.” Warren said back, “No, he's at football practice with Corey.”

“Cool, what you guys up to?” Nick asked, flopping down in the desk chair. He really wanted to greet Greg with a big kiss, but had to settle for a smile and a sneaky wink.

“Nothing yet.” Greg replied. “We just finished our homework so we were just about to decide. Any suggestions?” He asked with a slight smirk. He knew Nick would catch the expression, knowing exactly what Nick would want to suggest if they had been alone.

The three of them ended up playing video games. They had briefly considered going out as it was a nice evening, but Greg was only just getting used to being out of the house all day and was quite tired. He ended up just letting Nick and Warren play the games, sitting between them, his head resting on Warren's shoulder. He had originally wanted to lean on Nick, but avoided doing so for Warren's benefit.

After about an hour, Warren paused the game and called out, “Sorry, toilet break.” Greg sat up to let him move and he quickly dashed out of the room.

As soon as Warren was gone, Nick and Greg both grinned and virtually pounced on each other, kissing passionately, the pent-up tension from the evening suddenly bursting forth. Their hands were all over each other as their tongues wrestled.

“I'll have to go back...” Warren started as he walked back in, but froze mid-sentence as he saw Nick and Greg kissing.

They stopped as they heard his voice, staring round wide-eyed at the doorway where Warren stood.

“Warren... I...” Nick stuttered.

The boy was staring, shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just seen. “No, not this too...” he mumbled, then turned and ran for the stairs. He had slipped on his shoes, grabbed his coat and bag and run out of the house before Nick had even made it down the stairs.

“What's going on out there?” George called out at the sudden noise.

“Nothing, Dad.” Nick shouted back, pulling the front door open. It was too late though, Warren was gone. He made his way back upstairs into Greg's room, pausing in the doorway much like Warren had moments before.

“Did you catch him?” Greg asked, looking terrified.

Nick shook his head. “Do you think I should go after him?” he asked, catching his breath.

“I expect you're the last person he wants to see right now.” Greg said, burying his face in his hands. “Urrrgh, I knew we should have just told him. He shouldn't have found out like that.”

Nick felt a sudden twinge of guilt as a single thought ran through his mind, 'At least he knows how it feels now!'

*****

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Pippa was half way to the door when she heard Nick dashing down the stairs calling out, “I'll get it!”

“Fair enough.” Pippa said with a shrug, turning to head back to the lounge.

Nick ran to the door, hoping that it would be Warren. As he opened the door, he found it was just Sam. “Oh, hey Sam.” Nick said flatly.

“Is Warren here?” he asked urgently, stepping inside

“No.” Nick replied with a frown. “I was actually hoping you were him.” He started heading upstairs and the boy followed him.

“Why? What's going on?” Sam asked as he walked behind Nick.

“Was it him?” Greg asked as Nick entered his room before he saw Sam.

“It's just me.” Sam said, smiling weakly. “Now, what's happening?”

Greg and Nick sighed in unison as they looked at each other. When Greg nodded, Nick explained, “Me and Greg are... kind of... together! We hadn't told anyone, but Warren... kinda.... found out about it.”

“Tonight? Oh fuck!” Sam moaned, rubbing his face with his hands then running them through his hair until he linked his fingers behind his head. “This is really bad!”

“I know.” Greg said sadly.

“No, not just that.” Sam said dismissively. “Corey accidentally told him about Josh earlier too.”

“Oh fuck!” Nick said, mirroring Sam's own reaction.

Greg didn't say anything, he just pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Don't bother. His phone's turned off.” Sam said. “First thing we tried.”

“Where could he be?” Sam asked, looking almost nauseous with worry.

*****

Despite the depressed start to the day, Josh had ended up in quite a good mood by the time he got home. His master had mostly left him alone, just occasionally switching Buzz up or down at random intervals to remind him he was still there. When he had got home to find James already there waiting for him his mood had gotten even better.

“Thanks again... for this morning.” Josh said as the two snuggled together on the sofa. “It was really sweet of you to come and check on me.”

“Hey, no problem.” James replied with a smile.

Josh looked at him suspiciously, then backed away slightly. “You only did it cos you thought I'd let you fuck me, didn't you!”

James giggled. “Yup, you caught me. Guilty as charged.”

Josh edged closer again and planted a kiss on James' lips. “Well as you didn't get to do it this morning... wanna make up for it now?”

James grinned. “How about in the shower?”

Josh jumped up off the sofa and headed for the bathroom, closely followed by the eager redhead. Minutes later they were both naked in the shower, taking great pleasure in lathering each other up. James was immediately rigid, his huge cock hanging out heavily in front of him, getting as much attention from Josh as the rest of his freckled torso.

Josh's own cock had swollen as much as it could within the constraints of the chastity device. It was at times like that that he really cursed putting the device on. It had now been just over two weeks since he put it on and so far there had been no mention of when it might be coming off. It was only the occasional anally-stimulated orgasms that were keeping him from going completely insane.

The huge cock hanging between them easily accommodated both of Josh's hands, while still allowing room for them to slide back and forth. James was happily moaning his approval as the warm water cascaded down his body. Finally unable to take any more, he turned Josh round, pushed him against the tiled wall and began to thrust his erection into Josh's eager hole.

“Oh fuck!” Josh grunted happily. No matter how many times he took it, the length and girth of James' impressively large tool still took him a little by surprise.

James started fucking him vigorously, thrusting him against the tiles. Josh couldn't help thinking back to the last time he had been there like that, taking James' cock until his own erupted all over the wall. That had been the morning after Dale's party and they had been caught going at it by Sam. It still made Josh laugh to think of the terrified expression on James' face from seeing the boy.

So lost in his reminiscing, he almost didn't feel it when James shot inside him, filling his insides with a large pool of warmth. When James finally pulled out, Josh turned back round and the two kissed for a few minutes under the warm water before finally getting out and drying off.

As they headed back into the lounge, Josh picked up his phone and frowned.

“What's up?” James asked, seeing the expression.

“Five missed calls from Nick!” Josh said, scratching his head. “I should call him back, something's gotta be wrong.”

James sat watching nervously as Josh called his little brother back.

“Hey Nick, it's me, what's.... No, I haven't seen him. Why? What's going on?” Josh said, then paused to listen before replying, “Fuck, all in one night, yeah I can see why you're worried, but he hasn't come here. Have you tried Dale? Okay, keep me informed.”

*****

Dale was sitting on the sofa watching TV when Liam walked in, sat at his side and pulled him into a kiss. When they parted, Dale smiled and asked, “What was that for?”

“Just... cos I can.” Liam smiled innocently.

Dale looked his new boyfriend up and down. “You...” he paused, thinking for a moment. “You've been acting kinda weird the last few days. What's going on?”

'I'm lying to keep you apart from the guy you really love just so I can have you myself!' Liam thought, his agreement with James nagging at his mind, but once again he forced it to remain silent. “Nothing's going on.” he insisted. “All good here.” He grinned broadly.

“Hmm.” Dale hummed suspiciously as his phone started to ring. “Saved by the bell.” He looked at his phone, saw that it was Nick and answered cheerfully, “Hey Nick. Whassup?”

Liam breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know if he could conceal the truth much longer. Aside from that, Dale still didn't know that Josh was seeing James, that was yet another bombshell he needed to drop.

“No, I haven't even spoken to him since... well, you know when! Why, what's going on?” Dale asked, frowning. He listened for a moment. “Shit. Wait, Josh and James? No, that doesn't matter..... So where is he now?.... Fuck..... No, let me know if you find him.” He hung up, looking somewhat distraught.

“Dale?” Liam asked, stroking his arm as he silently thanked Nick for saving him from revealing the truth about Josh and James.

“Gimme a sec.” Dale said as he dialled a different number. A few moments later, the call connected and he said, “Hey Mum, it's me. Are you and Dad at home?.... What time are you due back?.... No, everything's fine, enjoy your evening. Bye, love you too.”

“Dale, what's going on?” Liam demanded, now looking almost as worried as Dale.

“It's Warren, he... something's wrong.” Dale said nervously.

*****

Unable to track Warren down by phone, Nick, Greg and Sam had decided to go looking for him. They had made their way round to his house and were now stood hammering on the door and peering through the windows for any sign of the boy. Nick was still hammering on the door when he heard a car pulling up behind him.

“Hey, Dale's here.” Greg said, looking round.

Dale got out of the car, looking nervously at Nick, Greg and Sam.

“You had the same idea as us then?” Nick said, stepping towards Warren's big brother.

“Yeah.” Dale said, nodding. “No answer then?”

Nick shook his head. “Good thing you're here, I was gonna break a window to get in.”

“No need for that.” Dale said, dashing towards the house, pulling his keys out of his pocket. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he called out, “WARREN!” He headed straight for the stairs.

Nick, Sam and Greg followed him in and started calling for Warren, but stopped as they heard another car pulling up.

Dale dashed back down the stairs having heard the car pulling up too. “Is that him?” Dale asked frantically.

“Is he here?” Josh called out as he ran into the house and saw Nick. He stopped dead in his tracks as he came face-to-face with Dale. “Is... is Warren here?” Josh asked, panicking.

“I don't know, we just got here ourselves.” Dale replied. Whatever was going on, or not going on as the case may be, between himself and Josh, it was forgotten momentarily in their mutual worry.

They all fanned out, searching the house for any sign of Warren. Most of them ended up back in the lounge having found no sign of the upset boy.

“What do we do now?” Nick asked, fiddling nervously with his hands.

“We go out and search.” Dale said firmly. “We've got two cars between us, we can cover quite a lot of ground if we...” He didn't get to finish the instruction as he was interrupted by Sam.

“EVERYONE GET UP HERE!” the boy called out frantically.

In a mad dash, they all ran up the stairs and found Sam in Warren's room.

“Did you find something?” Josh asked quickly.

Sam was stood in front of Warren's desk, shaking.

“Sam? What did you find?” Dale asked firmly, grabbing the boy by his shoulders.

“I... I... noticed his computer was on and it wasn't locked, which was weird because I know he always locks it so that seemed a bit strange.... so I looked and... and it looked like he had recorded something.” Sam rambled nervously.

The whole group exchanged nervous look as they gathered around the monitor. The desktop was empty aside from a single video file. Dale took a deep breath and clicked on it. A video popped up of Warren, sitting in front of the computer in tears.

“I used to be happy.” Warren started. “I had everything I could ever want. Most guys my age don't know what it's like to be in love, but I do. I was lucky enough to actually be in love with two guys, two amazing, sexy, fun, kind, sweet guys who meant the entire world to me. And I had great brothers too, not just Dale, but my cool little bro, Corey, too. Then I had a best friend as well, Sam. I could tell him anything, trust him completely. And Greg too, my other best friend. We were happy. We all were!”

Warren paused in the video, wiping tears from his cheeks. 

“Oh my God, is this...” Greg started, but couldn't say any more. He could tell from everyone's expressions that they had just realised the same thing.

Warren went on. “So yeah, two guys I loved, two awesome brothers and two amazing best friends. Then I went and fucked the whole thing up. I couldn't keep my big mouth shut and because of that it all went to hell. Everything just... fell apart, all because of me and nobody ever said it, but I knew they all blamed me. How could they not? I've been getting by, just... taking each day as it comes and I thought things were getting better, but then today....” Warren covered his face with his hands, sobbing for a moment, then dropped them away again and continued through his tears, “It's just... it's too much. I can't do this any more, any of it. I can't... keep going. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for messing everything up and I'm sorry for being too weak to get through it. I love you all.” With a final tear-soaked stare into the camera, Warren reached forward and stopped the recording.

“We have to find him, NOW!” Dale snapped, shaking.
Chapter 20


Sam was virtually catatonic, continuing to stare at the computer screen long after Warren's video had ended. He could hear yelling, but it felt like it was in the distance even though he knew they were all right behind him. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Warren was... saying goodbye. He could feel tears running down his cheeks as someone grabbed his shoulder. He remained still, not even looking at who it was.

“... got to... Warren... anywhere...” Sam only picked up odd words before he got shaken again, this time stirring him enough to bring him partially out of his daze.

“Come on Sam, snap out of it. We've got to go and look for Warren, he could be anywhere!” Greg yelled at his friend.

“He... he... wouldn't, would he?” Sam mumbled.

“He might, so snap the fuck out of it!” Greg shouted.

Sam looked round and saw Dale, Josh and Nick arguing behind them.

“Forget them, we're going.” Greg insisted, dragging Sam out of the room.

“Where are you going?” Nick called out, seeing the two younger boys leaving.

“You can stand there yelling at each other about who did what to who, but I'm going to find Warren!” Greg shouted back, already half way down the stairs.

By the time he got outside, still pulling Sam along with him, the other three had followed.

“You're right, we need to go.” Dale said. He had turned almost ghostly pale. “Me and Josh can drive round, you three split up, call if you find him!”

Josh jumped in his car and pulled out of the driveway, turning left. Nick ran off down the driveway, with Sam and Greg close behind.

“I know Dale said split up, but... but please... please can I stay with you?” Sam stuttered as they walked.

Greg stopped and looked at the boy. He was shaking, his cheeks still wet with tears. Greg pulled him into a hug and whispered, “We're gonna find him. He's going to be okay!”

*****

Dale just kept on driving, peering down every side street, slowing as he passed every person, hoping desperately to spot Warren. He had no idea where his little brother might actually go. Back before everything had gone to hell, any time the boy was upset he would have gone to Dale, or Nick, or Josh and if not them, then at least Corey or Sam. Now though, every one of them had betrayed, hurt or lied to him.

“Corey!” Dale suddenly exclaimed, cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner. He pressed the button on the steering wheel to activate the voice control on his phone and said as firmly as he could manage, “Call Corey.”

The number dialled a few seconds later and a voice answered instantly. “Hey, you've reached Corey, I'm far too busy being cool and popular to answer my phone right now, so leave a message and I might get back to you!”

“Fuck.” Dale muttered, pressing the button to hang up. “Come on Warren, where are you?”

After driving for a few more minutes, his phone rang. He almost swerved off the road in his rush to answer it. “Warren?” he asked immediately.

“No, it's me.” Liam's voice came over the speaker. “What's going on?”

“It's... it's Warren....” was all he could manage to say.

“What? What about him?” Liam demanded. 

“I can't talk now, he might call.” Dale said and hung up. He felt momentarily bad for leaving Liam with no information, but at that moment Warren was the priority. He should have been the priority all along. He sat there cursing himself for letting some petty grudge come between him and his brother.

*****

Sam looked round nervously as they walked around the lake, straining to try and see across to the opposite side in the twilight. “Come on.” he complained. “He's not going to be here!”

“He might!” Greg snapped back. “I remember him mentioning this place a lot back when things first started with Josh and the others.”

Sam stared at the water as they walked. “You don't think he'd try to...” he started, but couldn't bring himself to actually say it.

Greg looked at him, saw where he was looking and shook his head. “No, stop thinking like that, he's not going to do anything.”

“Wait, do you hear that?” Sam said, stopping and grabbing Greg to make him do the same.

As they stopped and listened, they could just make out faint voices. With the way the sound carried and echoed across the lake, it was hard to tell where it was coming from.

Greg looked around and said, “I think it's round there!” He pointed to the bend ahead of them. The path curved round, disappearing from view behind the trees lining it.

The two boys burst into a sprint, reaching the corner in seconds and stopping dead in their tracks as they saw Corey sitting on a bench... accompanied by Warren!

“Warren!” they called out in unison as they saw him.

Warren and Corey both stared, surprised to see anybody else considering the park was now closed, and even more surprised that it was people they knew.

“What are you doing here?” Corey asked as they ran closer.

“Looking for Warren. We all are.” Sam explained.

“All... who?” Corey asked, frowning. He knew Warren was upset, that was why he had gone to find him after football practice, but he didn't think it justified an all-out search party.

“Josh, Dale and Nick.” Greg replied, suddenly looking a little wobbly.

Corey looked at the two new arrivals, confused by the nervous way they were staring at Warren. “Guys, what's going on?”

“Warren, we found the video!” Greg said accusingly.

Warren stared back, his previous expression of disdain for his two friends quickly replaced by fear.

Corey looked round again, completely lost. “What video? Will someone please tell me what's going on!”

“Warren recorded a video, it was... it was...” Greg stuttered.

“It was a suicide note, okay!” Warren snapped angrily.

Corey stared at him. “Wait, is that... is that what you were doing when I found you?” he asked shakily. After football practice, Corey had confessed to Sam what he had accidentally revealed to Warren. The boy had freaked out and ran straight off to find his friend, leaving Corey more than a little confused.

With his phone battery dead, he had been unable to contact anyone to see what was happening so had instead opted to go straight to Warren's house to find him. When he got there, he had let himself in as had become habit over the years of visiting the Spencer household and went up to Warren's room. When he walked in, Warren had been sat at his computer, in tears.

Warren nodded at Corey's question.

“Wait, so if I hadn't come along right then, you'd....” Corey said, his voice trailing off as he considered what might have happened. “You... you...” His expression cycled through shock, confusion, disbelief and finally settled on anger. “You absolute... fucking IDIOT!” he screamed.

Corey lunged at Warren, punching him. Sam and Greg immediately jumped in to hold him back.

“You fucking idiot.” Corey yelled again. “How the fuck could you even consider something like that!”

Warren was cowering from the boy's attack. Shakily he replied, “I had nothing left! I couldn't... take any more.”

“I don't give a fuck!” Corey screamed, subconsciously reaching up the necklace hanging round his neck. “Did you even consider anyone else? What if I'd come later? What if I'd walked in and found you dead? Did you even think about that?”

“Hey, Corey, calm down.” Greg said, rubbing the boy's back. He understood exactly why Corey was acting that way. The young teen had already been haunted by nightmares from finding one friend near-death, so the thought of potentially finding another must have been particularly difficult.

“I...” Corey started, but stopped himself saying more, squeezing his lips tightly together as he leaned against Greg.

“I'm sorry.” Warren whimpered. “I didn't know what else to do. I know you've been struggling and I didn't want to pile any more on you, and everyone else I care about...” Warren paused, taking a few deep breaths, overtaken by another wave of anger. “Everyone else... betrayed me!” He stared angrily back and forth between Greg and Sam.

Greg looked confused. He knew exactly why Warren was mad at him, but his furious rage at Sam didn't seem to make any sense at all.

“We... we should call the others, let them know we found you.” Sam stuttered nervously.

“I'll do it. I have all their numbers.” Greg said, frowning again as the comment seemed to get Sam more angry glares.

As Greg walked away, he gave Corey a final squeeze on the shoulder, getting a weak smile in response.

“We should go.” Corey said quietly. “If they've all been looking for you, they'll want to see you're okay.”

Warren shook his head. “What, just so they can feel a bit less guilty about fucking me over?”

Corey sighed. His fury at discovering what Warren had been planning was beginning to fade and his rational mind was taking over again. Warren had explained to him everything that the others had done and, honestly, he could understand why the boy was so annoyed and upset, but he knew better than anyone that bottling it up would just hurt in the end, so he had spent the last hour trying to encourage him to talk to the others.

“Come on.” Corey said. “You know they love you, we all do.”

“Doesn't feel like it.” Warren scowled.

Corey sighed again. “Do you realise what you've put them through?” he demanded.

“Yeah well maybe they deserve to suffer!” Warren snapped angrily, folding his arms in front of him.

“You...” Corey started, but had to pause again to keep his temper under control. He took a few deep breaths and continued. “I get... that they've hurt you, but think about how they feel right now. So your ex is with your best friend, so Josh is with someone else, I can get how much that hurts, but they think you're dead! Do you get that? Do you honestly think they deserve that?”

Warren's expression softened a little. “I... I guess not.” He sighed, then stood. “Come on then.”

Greg walked back over to them as Corey stood up too. “I let them all know you're okay. They're gonna meet us back at your place.”

Corey's words were just starting to sink in, making Warren flinch a little at the thought of seeing them. “They don't... they don't have to wait for me.”

Corey could tell exactly what the problem was and called him on it right away. “No. You're gonna face them. This shit's gone on long enough. They hurt you, you hurt them... I've had enough. This stuff is getting sorted!” He marched off ahead of the others, leaving Warren to walk awkwardly alongside his two friends.

*****

By the time the four boys got back to Warren's house, nobody had said a single word. Corey was still leading the group, seething and scowling. As he turned into Warren's driveway, he saw Josh, Dale and Nick waiting for them.

“Is he...” Dale started.

“Behind me!” Corey barked, then marched past the three of them into the house.

Nick and Dale just looked at each other and shrugged at Corey's behaviour, then turned their attention to the three boys who appeared a few moments later.

Warren stopped as he saw them. Aside from anything else he may have been feeling, it was strange just to see the three of them together. The time he had spent with the three of them over the last couple of years had been the happiest of his life. His brother, his boyfriend and his lover. But then Dale had ignored him, Nick had acted like their relationship had never happened and Josh had spurned him for someone else. Right then though, it didn't matter.

The three of them charged at the boy. First Dale wrapped his arms around him, then Josh joined them on one side and Nick on the other, the boy ending up surrounded by the three bodies.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” Warren sobbed, wanting them all to hold him like that forever.

“It's okay Warren, it's okay now.” Dale whispered back to him, gently kissing the top of his head.

Nick and Josh finally let go, but Warren remained holding on tightly to Dale. The elder sibling picked up the boy, carrying him into the house as everyone else followed.

They headed into the lounge, where Corey was already sitting, arms folded, face screwed up in anger.

“What's up with you?” Nick asked his little brother.

Dale sat on the sofa with Warren still refusing to let go while everyone else gingerly took seats around the room.

“He's pissed.” Greg said quietly. “At all of us.”

“What!” Nick said, frowning. “What's he got to be pissed about?”

“Ha!” Corey blurted out in response. “What have I got to be pissed about? That!” He pointed at Warren.

Everyone looked round then back at the angry teen, looking a mixture of confused over his rage and guilty over the state Warren was in.

“The people I love most on the world are all here in this room, and all you seem to want to do is fuck each other over. I mean, seriously, it's just one thing after another with you lot and look where it's lead you all. Brothers ignoring each other, relationships torn apart, friends falling out, suicide... I mean.... fucking suicide! And why? Because none of you can keep it in your pants for more than five minutes!” Corey ranted. His tone was sharp and accusatory, and as annoyed as everyone looked at being yelled at, not one of them could disagree with him.

“Come on Corey, you're being a bit harsh.” Josh said, frowning at his little brother.

“Yeah, and I don't think this is what Warren needs to hear right now.” Dale added, running a hand through Warren's hair, brushing it away from his face.

“No, he's right.” Warren said, finally breaking his silence. He let go of Dale and turned to face the room, wiping his eyes. He looked to Corey, smiled weakly and nodded.

“Okay then. Let's... let's just lay it all out there. Now stop me if I've got any of this wrong.” Corey said. He got up and started pacing around the room. “So Warren was cheating on Nick with Josh, while Josh was cheating on Dale with Warren. That all comes out and because of that, Nick refused to talk to Josh, while Dale pretty much took off and ignored us all.” He looked from person to person as he went through it.

“Okay, so what next? Hey, let's throw me into this too, just so you don't think I'm only picking the bits I want. My brothers, all FOUR of them...” he said, looking first at Josh and Nick, then to Dale and Warren, making it clear that he still felt that same brotherly connection to them. “... were so caught up in all their drama, that they didn't even notice that I needed them, at least, not until I turned up on my own doorstep, blind drunk, calling out Nick. Turns out I have a bit of a drinking problem, so ya know... thanks for that guys!”

“Corey, I didn't...” Dale started, but paused as Corey raised a hand to silence him.

“Oh I'm SO far from done.” Corey snapped. “So while I'm drinking myself into oblivion, Nick and Greg are busy falling in love. Now considering they both know the harm that secret relationships can cause, obviously they wouldn't then go and keep it a secret would they? Oh, what do you know... they do! Then they're stupid enough to go and get caught by the person who the relationship would hurt the most.” Corey stared at Greg and Nick who were sat side-by-side. “Really nice move guys, you're meant to be Warren's friends.”

“Warren, we're so sorry.” Greg said shakily.

“NOT DONE!” Corey yelled. He turned to his oldest brother. “Then there's Josh. Where do I start with you?” He paused, shaking his head as Josh seemed to shrink into his seat. “So you cheated on your boyfriend with his brother, until that went to hell, then you tell Warren that you don't want to be together because you want Dale back and can't do that if you're seeing someone else.... then you go and start sleeping with his BEST FRIEND! Then you go and get yourself some ridiculous, mysterious master because God forbid you actually handle being a sub like a normal person. Then you get so caught up in all of that that you don't even notice when your little brother is coming to you for help! I'm sorry Josh, but there's no other way to put this other than... you're a cunt! A twisted, selfish, inconsiderate cunt!”

“HEY!” Josh yelled back at him.

Nick smirked. “Sounds about right to me!”

“Hey, don't you start!” Corey snapped at Nick, pointing accusingly. “I get that what Josh did to you was wrong, but it was YOUR choice to completely cut him out of your life with absolutely no consideration of what that would do to me, or Mum, or Dad!”

Nick lowered his head in shame.

“Speaking of which... sound familiar?” Corey said, turning his angry gaze on Dale. “How old are you Dale, twenty-two now isn't it? A bit old to be giving someone the silent treatment, especially your own little brother. And I know I've not exactly been round here much, but I can guess that it's not been much fun for your parents either!”

Corey continued pacing, thinking as he looked from person to person. Finally he looked back at Warren. “And you. I know we've never been as close as you were to Josh or Nick, but I thought we were brothers, Warren. How could you? Even if you were mad at everyone here, how could you even consider doing that to me?”

“I... I...” Warren stuttered, feeling Dale's arms tighten slightly around him. It was a great comfort to feel the security of being close to Dale again, but he still couldn't answer the boy.

“Wait a minute...” Corey said as he looked round at the final member of the group, the one person he had yet to pick on – Sam! He looked at the boy, then back to Warren, frowning. “You... you're mad at Sam too, but.... why?”

Warren looked across at his best friend, eyes narrowing angrily. He took a deep breath and began, “It started about a week after the argument...”

*****

Saturday 7th February 2015


Warren stood on the sidelines as Sam ran round the pitch. The match was nearly over and Sam's team was losing. Corey had been playing far from his best and it was having an affect on the rest of the team too, explaining the current score. Warren had hoped that Josh would be there as normal, but he hadn't turned up.

When the match was over, Sam and Corey both made their way over to him. “Good match.” Warren said flatly.

Sam just frowned. It was obvious to everyone it had been far from good.

“Thanks.” Corey sighed, not really paying attention.

“Hey... erm... have you seen Josh?” Warren asked nervously. It had been three days since Warren had spoken to him and it had not exactly been a pleasant conversation.

“Yeah, went to see him, but I needn't have bothered. He won't even get out of bed. Total hermit.” Corey explained. He sighed again. “I'm gonna get going.” Without another word, the boy ran off.

“Fuck, you guys are depressing.” Sam said, half-joking.

Warren shrugged. “Sorry. I just... I wish I could do more to help Josh.”

“Why are you even bothered?” Sam asked with a frown. “I mean... he said he doesn't want to be with you any more, so fuck him!”

“It's not that easy. I still love him. I hate to think of him like that. I just wish I could.... I dunno, snap him out of it.” Warren explained as they started walking home. They remained in silence for a few moments until Warren's eyes widened. He turned to Sam, grinning. “Hey, does Josh have your number?”

“No, why?” Sam asked, confused.

“This is perfect. Gimme your phone!” Warren demanded excitedly.

Sam handed his phone over and watched as Warren typed in Josh's number and sent a quick message. [What are you doing?]

“What are YOU doing?” Sam asked, mirroring the message he had just seen Warren type.

“I'm helping him!” Warren said with a grin. After a couple of minutes he sent another message.

[I asked you a question Josh, don't ignore me!]

Sam's phone beeped and a message popped up. [Who is this?]

[I'm the one asking questions, fag. Now, what are you doing?] Warren sent back, sniggering.

“Fuck, Warren, a bit harsh isn't it!” Sam said as he watched the text conversation proceeding on his phone.

“Not really. He's totally into this sorta thing. Believe me, it'll get his attention.” Warren chuckled.

[I'm laying in bed.] Josh replied.

[What are you wearing, fag?] Warren sent.

[Just underwear.] Josh sent back.

Warren and Sam both laughed as Warren sent back, [Show me!]

Josh's reply was pretty much exactly what they had expected. [I don't even know who you are, I'm not going to start sending you pictures.]

“Time to get harsh!” Warren said with a wicked grin. [Yes you are. You're going to take a picture of yourself, fag, and send it to me RIGHT NOW! I know that you want to obey my orders because you are a pathetic little fag. Now do as I tell you!] The two resumed walking as they awaited the next reply.

“Oh my God, he did it!” Warren said, turning the phone to show Sam the picture. He typed out his reply. [Good boy. You're off to a good start.]

[Who are you?] Josh asked again.

Warren sent his next message. [You know who I am. That's why you're doing what I tell you. That's why you're going to keep doing what I tell you. Now, say my name!]

The phone beeped again as a message came back. “We've got him!” Warren said excitedly. “We've totally got him!” He turned the phone to show Sam again. This time just a single word from Josh. [Master]

[Good boy. Now it's time to get out of bed!] Warren ordered, smiling at the success of his plot.

*****

Wednesday 11th February 2015


Warren and Sam were chatting on Skype. They had spent some time together after school, most of which had involved sending a series of orders to Josh, a mix of both sexual dares and general instructions to try and get him back into a normal routine. It was still Warren's intention to use this fictional 'master' to help Josh. The sexual aspect was simply a cover to avoid arousing his suspicions.

“I can't believe how easily he just started following our orders.” Sam said, still surprised.

“Yeah, he's really a total sub.” Warren sniggered. “But it served its purpose. He's back at work, he's doing his usual daily stuff, I think we can call it a success.”

“Wait, so that's it? We just stop now?” Sam asked, a little disappointed.

“Yeah, I think that's enough.” Warren said.

“Aww, okay.” Sam pouted.

Warren stared at his friend's face on the computer screen for a moment. He knew that look. “I mean it Sam, no more. Promise me!” He demanded.

Sam sighed. “Fine. I promise. I'll leave him alone now.”

“Thanks.” Warren said, smiling. “Hey, you wanna go to the hospital and see Greg before school tomorrow? It'll be a nice surprise for him.”

“Yeah.” Sam said, smiling at the idea. “That'd be good. Although if I've gotta be up early, I should be getting to bed.”

“Yeah, me too I suppose. I'll text you in the morning. Night.” Warren said.

“Night.” Sam replied, then ended the video call.

*****

“As far as I knew, that was the end of it.” Warren concluded his story. “But when Corey mentioned it, I knew straight away it had to be Sam, which means.... you lied to me!” He glared at Sam angrily. “And you've been lying to me all this time. You know I still love him, but you turned him into your... pathetic plaything.”

“Hey!” Josh complained again at the slight insult, before realising his attention shouldn't be on Warren, it should be on Sam. “So... it's you?” He stared at the boy.

Sam looked terrified. Between Warren's anger, Josh's expression and the multitude of dirty looks he was getting from the others, he didn't know what to do. He just sat there, trembling and silent.

After silence had lingered in the air for what felt like hours (although it was just seconds) Corey finally concluded his rant. “So I guess that's it. That's what you've all done, now the question is... what are you going to do about it?” He asked, finally sitting back down.

The room once again filled with silence, supported by a lot of blank looks.

“Nothing!” Dale said. “At least not tonight, anyway.” He slid Warren off his lap and stood up, then looked to Josh. “Would you mind taking everyone else home? I think... I think dealing with this tonight with tempers so high probably isn't the best idea. I'm gonna stay here with Warren. I think we need to talk anyway.”

“Sure, no problem.” Josh said, nodding as he stood. “Let's go guys.” He walked over to the sofa, leaned down and put his arms around Warren. “I'm glad you're alright, we'll talk soon, okay?”

Warren nodded at Josh as he let go. Corey, Nick, Greg and Sam all took it in turns to say goodbye to the boy next as Josh found himself stood in front of Dale.

“Maybe... we can talk too... some time?” Josh asked tentatively.

Dale smiled, pulled Josh into a hug then kissed him on the cheek. “Yeah, that'd be good. Despite the circumstances... it was nice to see you.”

Josh smiled back. “You too.” Still smiling, he lead the four boys out of the house and piled into his car.

Dale closed the front door behind them and headed back into the lounge and sighed as he saw Warren staring back at him.

“Dale...” the boy started weakly.

“No, don't.” Dale said softly, stepping across the room to sit beside him. “What you did, with Josh... it hurt me. I mean, it really, really hurt me.” He could see Warren was close to tears once again so he reached across and brushed the hair out of his face again. “Hey, I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, I'm just trying to explain what's been going on in my head.”

“I know.” Warren sniffed. “I'm just... glad you're talking to me again.”

Dale nodded gently. “Yeah, and that's what I need to apologise for.”

“No.” Warren insisted, shaking his head vigorously. “You don't have to apologise for anything.”

“I really do. Corey may have worded it a little harshly, but he wasn't wrong. I never should have just cut you out entirely. It was.... yeah, he was was right, it was immature and selfish and... it hurt you... and when I thought that you were....” Dale couldn't say any more, he just lowered his head, breathing deeply and doing his best not to cry.

Warren jumped onto him, hugging him once again. “It's okay.” Warren whispered. “I'm alright.”

“I thought I'd lost you.” Dale whispered back, holding him tightly.

“Nope.” Warren said back with a slight smile. “I'm afraid you're stuck with me for life.”

Dale laughed, nudging the boy away who laughed back at him. The laughter was borne more of relief than actual humour, but it made them both feel better as they sat staring at each other.

“You still love him, don't you?” Dale asked, his face turning sullen.

“Yeah, but so do you, don't you?” Warren asked in return.

Dale just nodded.

*****

Josh was almost at Sam's house before anybody spoke. “Josh, I just wanted to...” Sam started.

“Not the time, Sam. Really not the time!” Josh cut him off sternly.

“Okay.” Sam said, shrinking back into his seat. He remained silently for the rest of the journey.

When they reached the boy's house, he got out without a word and Josh pulled straight off. As he looked in the rear-view mirror, he could see that Greg had fallen asleep on Corey's shoulder. He cleared his throat to get Nick's attention, then gestured back to the sleeping boy.

Nick looked round at Greg, smiled, then turned back to Josh. “He's okay, he's probably just exhausted. He's not been up and about for long and today's... not been easy.” Nick said quietly.

Josh nodded gently, remaining silent for a few moments before glancing at Nick then Corey. “Look, I know I've not exactly been the best big brother in the world lately, but... did you really mean those things you called me back at Warren's house?”

Nick and Corey exchanged questioning looks. It had mainly been the youngest brother who had been throwing around the insults, but Nick hadn't disagreed. After exchanging a few more gestures, Corey finally took a deep breath and said, “I... might have been a bit meaner than I should have been, but... I don't think it's wrong to call you selfish and inconsiderate.”

Josh looked heartbroken, but as angry as Nick still was at him, he couldn't just remain silent and watch his big brother suffer. “But it's not too late.” he added. “Just... try to be better.”

Josh smiled and nodded. “Okay, I promise. I'll try.” He went quiet again for a minute, then turned to Nick briefly again before looking back at the road. “Hey, I know this may not be the best time and I know I've said it before, but... I'm so sorry for what I did.”

“I know.” Nick said flatly, his eyes fixed ahead on the road.

“If I could go back and change things...” Josh started.

“Don't do that. You can't change what happened any more than you can...” Nick paused, thinking for just a moment. “... any more than you can choose who you fall in love with.” he said with a slightly confused frown. He sighed, looking back at Greg again. His love for the boy had been unplanned, unwise even, but at least it had helped him understand that maybe the same was true of Josh and Warren.

Josh shot him a sly one-sided grin at the look of realisation on Nick's face.

“Fuck off.” Nick said with a smirk, punching Josh's arm as they turned into the driveway.

As soon as the car stopped, Nick jumped out and opened the back door, sliding in next to Greg. He ran his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair and whispered, “Hey, time to wake up, we're home.”

Greg opened his eyes sleepily and sat up, leaving Corey clear to get out of the car. His eyes suddenly opened wide. “Warren!” he called out.

“Hey, it's okay, you found him, remember.” Nick said quietly, taking the boy's hand.

Greg calmed a little and leaned on Nick for a moment before climbing out of the car with him.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the car, Josh had opened his door and twisted his legs round to sit facing Corey. “Cor... I meant what I said, I'll be better. You...” He hesitated, sighing. “You've helped me so much, so many times and I guess I kinda took you for granted.”

“Yeah! You did!” Corey snapped sharply, scowling, before grinning and chuckling. “But I know you basically can't function without me.”

Josh smiled back at the boy's jibe. He was joking, they both knew that, but there was definitely a hint of truth about it. “Well hopefully I never have to.” Josh replied sheepishly.

Corey looked at the house, then back to Josh and said, “Hey, why don't you come in for dinner. It was Dad's turn to cook tonight and you know he always does way too much!”

“Thanks, that'd be great.” Josh said happily, walking towards the house with an arm around Corey's shoulders.

“What time d'you call this? Dinner was ready half an hour ago.” George called out as he heard the door opening. As he walked into the hallway and saw Josh, he rolled his eyes and said, “I might have known you were to blame!”

“Who's to blame?” Pippa asked emerging from the dining room. She stopped as she saw Josh, grinning broadly, delighted to see all her sons together once again, especially after how awkward the previous night had been. “Come on, I'll set an extra place at the table.”
Chapter 21


Thursday 19th March 2015


Dale left the house quite early. He had stayed at his parents' house overnight. They had been a little worried by his mysterious phone call earlier in the evening, and then more concerned when they got home to find his car there but he had quickly assured them everything was okay. Much to Warren's relief, he had agreed not to tell them everything that had happened. Their parents were mostly just relieved to see that their sons finally seemed to have made up with each other.

It had been weird for Dale being in his old room again. After the split with Josh, returning there had been his first instinct but he wanted to avoid Warren so it wasn't really an option. He didn't end up sleeping in there though. Shortly after they had all gone to bed, he had got up to go and check on his little brother. They had talked a lot and Warren had calmed down massively so he wasn't worried he might actually follow through on his earlier suicidal thoughts, but that still didn't stop him worrying.

When he crept into Warren's room, he found the boy still sitting there awake. He had joined him on the bed and the two had ended up falling asleep together.

“I'll see you soon. Call me any time if you need me.” Dale had whispered to the boy as he left, leaving him sitting there eating his breakfast.

As he backed down the driveway, he stopped as he saw Nick standing on the pavement in front of the house, leaning on a tree. “Morning.” he called out, lowering his window.

“Hey.” Nick said with a smile. “You okay?”

Dale raised his eyebrows and nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, just about. You?”

Nick nodded gently in return. “Yeah, I think so. Didn't sleep much though. How's Warren?”

Dale shrugged. “He seems okay. I think yesterday was kind of rock bottom for him, so it's hopefully all up from here.”

“I think that applies to all of us.” Nick said, his brow furrowing. “I came to see him, but... do you think it's a good idea?”

“Definitely!” Dale said immediately. “He's pretty upset about most of the stuff that's happened, but I think splitting with you is still the toughest thing for him to handle. Last night he said.... well it's probably best if you talk to him yourself. You going in?”

Nick shook his head. “Nah, I was just gonna wait out here and walk with him to school. I figured we could talk on the way.”

“Well he shouldn't be long. I gotta get going, message me later and let me know how it went, okay?” Dale requested. He reached out through the window and squeezed Nick's hand for just a second before driving off.

Dale had been right, it was less than ten minutes before Warren emerged from the house. He smiled shyly as he saw Nick. “Morning.” he said awkwardly.

“Morning.” Nick said back as Warren grew closer.

The two former lovers stood a few feet apart, each staring at the other in silence. Finally, Nick stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the boy. “You little idiot!” Nick whispered as he hugged him.

“I know.” Warren replied. “It was stupid.”

“I love you Warren, you know that, right?” Nick asked, pulling away enough to look into the boy's eyes without releasing him fully from the hug.

“Do you? Doesn't seem like it most of the time.” Warren replied coldly.

Nick's arms dropped away, the words feeling like a shard of ice stabbing his chest. “Of course I do.”

Warren frowned, and started walking, then gestured for Nick to follow. “Come on. I don't wanna be late to school.”

The two walked silently for a couple of minutes, Nick occasionally glancing round at his ex who looked deep in thought. Finally Warren spoke again. “I don't get how you can say you love me, but act like our relationship never even happened.”

The comment caught Nick a little by surprise. He thought that Warren's main complaint would be the new relationship with Greg. “I don't... act like that..... do I?” he asked, thinking back over the past few weeks.

“Yeah, you do. We split up and you just go straight into wanting to be just friends. It would have been nice to see you at least a little bit upset about it.” Warren explained.

Nick stopped walking, his face screwed up in anger. “You're fucking kidding, right?”

Warren simply shrugged.

“A little bit upset? I lost my boyfriend and my brother all at once and all while worrying about a friend who had been beaten half to death. I was so far beyond upset there aren't even words for it.” Nick snapped sharply. “You want to know why I wanted us to be friends? It wasn't so I could 'forget' our relationship, it was because I was falling apart and.... you were my best friend, Warren. I couldn't be with you like we were before, but I needed you as my best friend because... I.... I couldn't...” He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head, unable to say any more.

“Nick, I... I didn't... know.” Warren stuttered nervously.

Nick cleared his throat and shook his head. “I guess it doesn't matter now. Look, I've done things to hurt you, you've done things to hurt me, but... can't we just... put it behind us? I meant what I said before. I still love you Warren. Maybe not in the same way I used to, but I do and I really want us to be okay.”

“I want that too, it's just...” Warren said, hesitating.

“Greg?” Nick asked. When he got a nod from Warren, he added, “We... actually talked about that last night. We want to be together, but not if it costs us our relationships with you, so if us being together is going to cause problems...”

“Do you love him?” Warren asked sharply.

Nick pursed his lips, taking a few seconds before nodding.

“Then... you should be together.” Warren said with a slightly forced smile.

“Are you sure?” Nick asked, tilting his head sympathetically.

“Very.” Warren said with a nod.

“And you promise we can still be friends?” Nick asked hopefully.

“No.” Warren replied. He giggled as he saw the distraught look on Nick's face. “We'll never just be friends. We're brothers.”

Nick laughed at the comment and pulled Warren into another hug.

*****

Josh sat at work staring at his phone. Despite the supreme crappiness of the previous night, it had actually ended up quite well for him. He had pretty much made up with Corey, Nick had spoken to him willingly several times throughout the evening and, best of all, he had seen Dale. He kept smiling whenever he thought about that moment with Dale, when they had said it was nice to see each other. It made his heart flutter.

He was confused though. Dale had seemed genuinely happy to see him, but he had told James he didn't want to get back together with Josh. Perhaps he just wanted to be friends, like Nick and Warren were... although that hadn't really worked out that well so far.

Eventually he just had to send a message. He simply couldn't do anything else with Dale weighing so heavily on his mind. [Hey, I hope I don't seem to keen messaging this quickly, but you said we could talk. When are you free?]

As soon as Josh hit send, he cursed himself for what he had said. By saying he didn't want to appear to keen, he felt he had just emphasised it more. The last thing he wanted was to scare Dale off now.

He need not have worried. Dale's reply came almost instantly. [I could come round tonight if you like. Is 8 okay?]

[Yeah, that's fine. See you then.] Josh sent back, grinning.

His face dropped though as he remembered James. He had been so wonderful since they got together. He had been there when nobody else was and Josh was definitely falling for him. Should he tell James? Was it even necessary? After all, Dale was just coming round to talk. He played the options over and over in his head as he read and re-read Dale's message, smiling at the thought of seeing him.

*****

Warren looked nervously around the quad. So far he had managed to avoid Greg and Sam, but he knew they had to be out there somewhere. He decided to head for his favourite spot, where he could be left in peace and not risk seeing anyone. As he dashed towards it, he noticed Tim standing with a small group of other boys. The two exchanged unpleasant looks. Tim had never bothered to make up with Warren, Sam or Greg after insulting them all those weeks ago and the relationship had just soured more and more over time.

Warren was in no mood for it though, he just carried on straight past them and ducked behind the low wall, disappearing from sight of the quad. He stopped dead in his tracks though as he came face-to-face with his two best friends.

“Told you he'd come here.” Sam said with a nod.

“Hey Warren.” Greg said, smiling weakly.

Warren's jaw flapped a little, trying to talk but no sound came out.

“You've been avoiding us.” Sam said accusingly. “Have we really pissed you off so much you won't even talk to us?” He demanded, standing with his hands on his hips.

Warren frowned, still struggling to speak. He briefly considered turning and running the other way, but willed himself to stay, taking a deep breath. “I haven't been avoiding you because I'm pissed at you. Well I have been avoiding you, but it's not cos I'm pissed at you. I mean... I AM pissed at you, but that's not why I've been avoiding you.” Warren rambled.

The two boys looked back at him, looking as confused as Warren sounded.

Warren rubbed his eyes, growling slightly. “I don't even know what I'm saying any more.”

“Come and sit down.” Greg said, taking a seat with his back against the wall. Sam sat down a short distance away, deliberately leaving enough space between himself and Greg so that Warren would know they wanted him to sit there.

Warren stared for a moment. He considered sitting opposite them rather than where they wanted as a show of his annoyance, but his desire to be close to his friends was stronger, so he sat down as they had intended.

“So why have you been avoiding us?” Sam asked bluntly.

Warren's eyes were fixed on the ground where his hands were mindlessly flicking around loose stones. He shrugged. He knew the answer, but didn't want to say it. Greg placed a hand on his leg and smiled as Warren gingerly peered round at him. “Because I'm embarrassed.” he finally answered.

“About what?” Sam asked, almost laughing. “You've got nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Seriously?” Warren snapped incredulously at the boy. “I went full-on emo and.... just... did stupid things.” 

After a few moments of lingering silence, Sam nodded and said, “Yeah, it WAS pretty stupid.”

Greg leaned forward to look past Warren at the boy, glaring angrily.

“What?” Sam said, shrugging. “It was. No point sugar-coating it. As stupid things go, it's pretty much right at the top!”

Warren raised his knees, folded his arms across them and buried his face.

“You're not helping!” Greg snapped.

“What am I meant to say? No, that was a sensible thing to do?” Sam snapped back.

Greg placed a hand on Warren's back as he saw it start shaking like he was crying.

“Warren, are you...” Greg started, but stopped as he realised Warren wasn't crying, he was laughing.

He raised his head, starting to laugh aloud, looking back and forth between the other two boys. “I fucking love you guys.” he said through the laughter.

Sam started grinning and Greg just looked thoroughly confused. Warren reached an arm out each side and pulled them both into a hug.

“He's lost it. He's actually lost it.” Greg said, his voice slightly muffled by Warren's shoulder.

Warren continued laughing as he held them. When he finally let go, he sat shaking his head. “I can't have another conversation about this. Could we.... do the short version. I'm sorry for scaring you guys and being so stupid. Sam, you're sorry for lying to me about Josh and Greg, you're sorry for seeing Nick without telling me about it. I forgive you, you forgive me..... and we're done. Okay?”

Greg and Sam exchanged confused looks with each other, then looked to Warren and shrugged. “Okay.” They said in unison.

“Erm... Warren, I don't know where this fits in the whole... forgiving each other thing but...” Greg started nervously.

“I saw Nick this morning.” Warren interrupted him. “We've talked and... I'm okay with you and him.”

“You.... y.... you... you...” Greg stuttered until Warren reached up and gently swiped the back of his head. It knocked him out of his stupor and he continued with a smile. “You're really okay with it?”

Warren shrugged. “Well I'm not saying it makes we want to jump for joy, or that I need to see you making out again...” He gave a jokingly unhappy look. “But... yeah. Me and Nick are never going to be more than friends, so if you two are happy together...” He sighed heavily. “Then I suppose I'm happy for you too.”

“And I really am sorry for scaring you both yesterday. It was... I dunno, I look at it now and it all seems a bit stupid, but it just felt like so much piled on me all at once. It won't happen again.” Warren said confidently.

“Good.” Sam said firmly. “So... if you're okay with Greg and Nick... what about me and Josh?”

Warren frowned at the comment. “That's.... a little more complicated!”

*****

Callum kept looking around the store room nervously. His instructions from Nick had been very clear. He was to go to the third floor store room at the beginning of lunch break, strip and wait. He had done as commanded and now stood naked, attempting to hide behind some shelves, but not really managing it. If anyone came in, there was nowhere to hide.

Suddenly the door opened and Callum instinctively covered his cock, which was already solid from the sheer nervous excitement of what was probably about to happen. As the door swung wider, Callum was relieved to see Nick.

“Good boy!” Nick grinned as he saw his friend standing there naked.

“Thanks Sir.” Callum grinned back anxiously.

Without another word, Nick approached the horny teen and placed his bag on the ground. He reached into it and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs, smirking as he saw Callum eyeing them nervously.

“Turn around.” Nick ordered then waited a moment as Callum turned to face away from the door. He quickly attached one set of cuffs to his left wrist, then secured it to the shelf unit on that side. He then did the same on the other side, leaving Callum standing in the middle, unable to move much either way.

Next Nick grabbed a blindfold from his bag and placed it over Callum's eyes.

“Are you going to fuck me Sir?” Callum asked shakily.

“No I'm not.” Nick replied, ducking under one arm to stand in front of his friend before adding, “But you ARE getting fucked.” Nick took a seat on a box at the back of the room, then pulled out his phone and started typing out a message.

“What? So who's going to fuck me?” Callum asked, starting to breathe heavily, hands shaking.

“That really depends on how quick they all are.” Nick replied with a wicked grin.

“All?” Callum asked, now sounding terrified. “All who?”

“Shut up or I'll gag you!” Nick snapped. “Behave and I'll let you see the video after.”

“Video? You're filming it?” Callum asked breathlessly. He pulled at the cuffs, but he was secure. There was no way he was getting out until Nick let him.

“Yes I am. Now not another word until I say you can speak. And keep the screaming to a minimum. We don't want to get caught.” Nick replied, then held up his camera to start filming.

A few moments later, Callum heard the door open. He heard movement behind him for a few moments, quickly followed by hands sliding up and down his sides, followed by a slippery cock head pressing into his rear. Whoever it was, they weren't being gentle. They pushed inside firmly, then started fucking him. The cock was quite large and hurt just a little, but the hands reaching round to caress his stomach and squeeze his nipples were slender and soft. After a few minutes, he heard excited moaning, followed by a shot of warmth inside him, then emptiness as the cock pulled out.

A few moments later, Nick called out, “Okay, send in the next one.”

“Next one?” Callum whimpered as the door opened and closed, the mystery fucker leaving.

Nick didn't bother to reply. Instead he just continued filming as the door opened and the next guy walked in.

Callum soon felt another erection pushing inside. This one was slimmer but a lot longer while the hands grabbing his sides were rougher and much meatier. He took a lot longer to cum than the first, fucking Callum much slower, obviously wanting to enjoy the experience and not just cum. He soon added his load to the first one though.

“Next!” Nick called out happily as number two left.

The stream of fuckers continued up until a few minutes before the end of the lunch hour. The sixth guy had just shot his load when Nick called out, “Okay, that's all for today.”

“Thank fuck.” Callum moaned. Frustratingly, despite the continuous and often-vigorous fucking, the young man had not cum himself and his cock bobbed out expectantly in front of him, wet with pre-cum.

Nick approached the restrained boy and grabbed the rigid tool and started stroking it. It took barely more than a few seconds before Callum was shooting a hefty load onto the floor and moaning happily as he leant heavily against Nick.  Spunk was oozing from his rear too, dripping down his legs.

Nick released the cuff on one side, then the other before heading for the door. As Callum pulled off the blindfold and looked round at him, he threw the keys and said, “Keep hold of the cuffs and blindfold, you'll need them for tomorrow!”

Callum just stopped and stared at the door closing behind his friend.

*****

Liam sat at home, jumping nervously at the sound of every passing car, running to the window every time in case it was Dale. He had messaged the previous night to say that Warren was okay, but that still didn't stop Liam worrying about both Dale and his little brother.

He had something else on his mind though. He couldn't hold it in any more. Ever since he talked to James on Sunday and agreed to keep his secret, it had eaten away at him. He wanted to be with Dale, that much he knew, but not at the cost of lying to him.

As he heard another car, he dashed to the window and saw it was Dale. “Oh god, oh fuck, oh fuck, fuck fuckity fuck fuck!” He said nervously to himself, his fists clenching.

“Hey, I'm home.” Dale called out as he walked in.

“I'm in here.” Liam called out, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

As soon as Dale walked in, he rushed to Liam and put his arms around him.

“Hey, everything okay?” Liam asked quietly as his hands slid up and down Dale's back.

“Ugh, yeah, it's just... it's been tough.” Dale moaned. He pulled away, kissing Liam briefly on the lips as he moved back.

Liam took a seat on the sofa, pulling Dale to sit down beside him. “And Warren's okay?” he asked. As much as he wanted to tell Dale what he needed to say, he knew some things were more important.

Dale smiled weakly, nodding slightly. “Yeah, seems to be.” He looked nervous for a moment.

“I need to tell you something.” They both said at the exact same time. They frowned at each other, smirked for a moment then returned to looking seriously at each other.

“You go.” Dale said.

Liam shook his head. “No, you go first.” He said, desperate for anything that would delay his confession.

Dale took a deep breath and fought back a smile. “I'm going to see Josh tonight. I know he doesn't want to be with me so it'll just be talk, but.... you know, he's my ex, so I thought I should tell you.”

“Oh god.” Liam said, burying his face in his hands.

“Hey, relax, like I said, it's just talking.” Dale said as he reached out to stroke Liam's heavily muscled arm.

“Yeah, actually.... that's what I needed to tell you.” Liam said, dropping his hands and staring Dale in the eye, getting a frown in response. “James lied.”

Dale moved back a little, tilting his head as his eyes narrowed. “About what?”

“About you and Josh.” Liam said quietly. “He told you Josh didn't want to be with you and he told Josh you didn't want to be with him... but it was all lies.”

“What?” Dale asked, sniggering. “Don't be stupid, why would he do that? He's my best friend.”

Dale frowned. “You know they're together, right?”

“Yeah.” Dale replied with a slight shrug, then his eyes widened in realisation. “Wait, he lied... to keep us apart.... so he could date Josh?”

Liam nodded.

Dale shook his head. “He wouldn't do that.”

Liam reached out and placed a hand on Dale's cheek. He nodded and said, “Dale, he did it. He lied to you so he could have Josh to himself.”

Dale stood up and walked away, still shaking his head until he froze and turned back slowly. “How do you... know this?” he asked, brow furrowing.

“I figured it out when I saw him on Sunday.” Liam replied nervously.

“And you waited this long to tell me?” Dale snapped angrily. “How could you keep that from me?” He stood right in front of Liam, staring furiously down at him.

“I'm sorry.” Liam murmured. “It's just... I knew... I knew it would end... this.”

Dale turned away shaking his head again. “It might not have ended this.” Dale said, then turned back again and added, “But lying to me most definitely has! We're done. We're so... incredibly... done!”

“Dale, please...” Liam started, but Dale was already heading for the door.

*****

Usually Josh would have been happy to get home and find James waiting for him, but not today. “Fuck.” he muttered to himself as he saw the smiling young red-head. “Hi.” he called out as he approached, forcing a smile.

“Hey, you okay?” James asked with a sympathetic smile.

Josh suddenly felt bad. James' smile was comforting and he was genuinely glad to see his new boyfriend, so wishing he wasn't there almost felt like a betrayal. “Yeah, I'm okay.” Josh nodded as the two of them headed into the building. “How you doing?” Josh asked.

“Better now.” James said, taking Josh's hand as they walked.

Josh knew he should just ask James to leave, say he had other plans, maybe even tell him the plans were with Dale, but his ex wasn't due round for a couple of hours so he figured there was no harm in letting him stay for a little while.

As they went into the apartment, Josh looked round and frowned. It wasn't massively messy, but compared to the way Dale used to keep it, it was definitely far from perfect. As James settled on the sofa, Josh started dashing round tidying and cleaning up.

“What are you doing?” James asked as he watched.

“Just... tidying.” Josh said, still too nervous to actually mention the real reason.

“Come and sit down, you need to relax.” James insisted, patting the seat beside him.

“Just a minute. I'm almost done.” Josh said, continuing the frantic tidying. A few minutes later, he stopped and smiled at James. “Okay, I'm done.” he said happily.

Just as he was about to sit, he heard a key in the door. He figured it was probably Corey or Nick and found himself smiling at the thought of seeing either of them. He had loved when his little brothers used to stop by unexpectedly. He frowned as he saw Dale walk in.

Before Josh could say anything, Dale's eyes widened as he saw James. “YOU!” He snapped furiously.

Josh stared at Dale, scared by the furious expression, then looked to James and saw him frozen in terror.

James stood up and moved around the sofa, holding his hands up defensively. “D... Dale... it's not... I didn't...” he stuttered.

Dale ran at his best friend and swung his fist, connecting firmly with James' face. The young redhead staggered backwards, grabbing his face and stumbled over his own feet, collapsing to the floor. Dale pounced on him, raising his fist again, but Josh was there in seconds, holding him back.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Josh yelled as Dale struggled against him. “You already knew we were together.”

“He lied!” Dale snapped, letting Josh pull him back up onto his feet.

Josh looked back and forth between the two of them. Dale looked even angrier now while James looked more scared than he had before. “Lied about what?” Josh asked.

“Us!” Dale said furiously. “He told you I didn't want to get back together with you, didn't he?”

“Yeah, what... that was...” Josh replied, thinking about it, then stared blankly at James who was still laying on the ground. “That wasn't true?” he asked, suddenly feeling like he had been punched in the stomach.

“And he told me the same about you!” Dale added.

“But... why?” Josh gasped, shaking his head slightly.

“So he could keep you to himself, obviously!” Dale snapped angrily.

They both stared down at James whose jaw was trembling as he cupped his face in one hand where Dale had hit him. “I... I...”

“Shut. Up!” Josh said, breathing deeply and starting to look as angry as Dale. “And get out.”

“But... but...” James stuttered, starting to get up.

“I don't want to hear it!” Josh yelled. He grabbed James by the front of his t-shirt, dragged him to the door and pushed him out. He turned and grabbed the young man's coat and shoes, threw them at him then slammed the door. He leant on the door, eyes closed.

“Josh...” Dale said cautiously. “Are you okay?”

Josh opened his eyes and stared at Dale. After a few seconds, he just shook his head. Dale rushed to him and pulled him into a hug.

“Me neither.” Dale whispered as he held his former lover.

Josh had just found out he had been betrayed, lied to, deceived by someone he was really beginning to care about. His budding new relationship had been torn to shreds right before his eyes, but all he could think was how amazing it felt to be back in Dale's arms. He did his best to fight it, but tears started streaming.

“Josh?” Dale asked as he felt the wetness on his shoulder.

Josh sniffed and whispered, “I've just missed you so much!”

“Me too.” Dale whispered back, squeezing Josh just a little tighter.

*****

Liam lay on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling and feeling completely numb. After Dale had stormed out, he had felt completely lost. He had fallen for Dale so hard that the sudden loss felt worse than anything he could imagine. Aside from Dale, the only other person he could really speak to when he was feeling down was Ryan. He had sent his best friend a text saying what had happened, but he had got no reply.

As he lay there, he imagined what Ryan would be thinking. 'I'm not getting involved in all that gay shit', or 'You're not a girl, stop acting like one' or maybe even 'It's all your own fault'. Unfortunately imagining was all he could do as Ryan had still failed to reply at all.

When he heard a knock at the door, he curled up and buried his face in the sofa cushions. Whoever it was, Liam was not in the mood to deal with them. The only person he would want to see right then was Dale, and he had a key so he wouldn't be knocking.

They knocked again and after a few moments without reply, Liam heard the door opening. He sat up, alarmed that it may be some intruder.

“Answer your fucking door!” Ryan called out a few moments before walking in to the lounge.

“Ryan, what are you doing here?” Liam asked, both surprised and delighted to see his friend.

“Get upstairs and get your clothes off. I'm horny.” Ryan said flatly.

Liam stared at him in disgust. “I tell you I've broken up with a guy I really care about and your first thought is to take care of your horniness?”

“Just fucking do it.” Ryan snapped, frowning angrily.

“Whatever.” Liam sighed. He got up, pushed past his large friend and headed upstairs, removing his clothes on the way. By the time he got to his bedroom, he was naked. He grabbed the lube, threw it onto the bed and then assumed his normal position on all fours, waiting for his friend to begin.

He heard Ryan walk in, then the sound of clothes hitting the floor before he felt movement on the bed behind him. Moments later, he felt Ryan's solid, slick cock pushing into his hole.

“Aah yeah.” Liam moaned happily. As annoyed as he had been at Ryan's reaction to his breakup, he really loved getting fucked by his best friend. He felt like he should still be upset, brooding about Dale, but all he could feel was pleasure from Ryan's cock, comfort from his touch.

Ryan was grunting away happily, fucking Liam as vigorously as usual. He stopped unexpectedly and growled, “Turn over.”

“What?” Liam asked, turning to look back at his friend. They had never done that before! It was always doggy-style, no talking, no eye contact, just a rough fuck.

“I said turn over!” Ryan said firmly.

Liam pulled away, feeling Ryan's cock sliding out, then flipped over onto his back. As he began to lower his legs either side of Ryan, the larger man grabbed them, lifting them up and spreading them apart to expose Liam's hole.

Ryan shuffled forward, aiming his cock back into his friend.

Liam stared in amazement as Ryan looked down at him. The pleasured look on his face was mesmerising and not at all like Liam had imagined it would be. Ryan always seemed so grumpy and acted like their fucking was simply a necessity to alleviate his horniness. He had never expected him to actually enjoy it so much. 

Ryan continued fucking, as firmly as before, but something just felt different to Liam. Suddenly Ryan started to lean forward. “Ryan, what are you...” Liam asked as the large man lurched closer and closer. He never got to finish the question as he was silenced by Ryan's lips.

Liam reached up, his fingers digging into Ryan's back as they kissed and fucked. It all blurred into a haze of pleasure and confusion. Liam ejaculated, his thick goo making their bellies slick as they pressed together, then Ryan shot inside him.

Ryan pulled out. Instead of rolling to the side and staring blankly at the ceiling as he usually did, he sat back up, staring down at Liam again. His expression was a mixture of fear and confusion, two things Liam had never seen his friend show before.

“Ry, what was that?” Liam asked breathlessly.

“I don't want you to be with Dale.” Ryan answered honestly.

“What?” Liam said in surprise. “So... are you saying.... YOU want me?”

“I... I don't know. I just... I saw you with him and... I didn't like it.” Ryan stuttered.

Liam smiled up at his friend. “Come on, let's get dressed.” he said as he sat up. “We should probably talk.”

*****

Dale and Josh hadn't moved since they embraced. Josh's tears had stopped, but he still seemed determined to hold on for as long as he could, as if letting go of Dale would let him get away again.

“Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.” Dale whispered before pulling away. Despite their separation, Dale still knew him far too well and could sense his reluctance to part.

Josh smiled weakly and nodded as Dale moved away.

“Come on.” Dale said, grabbing Josh's hand to guide him into the lounge.

They sat on the sofa, facing each other. Dale blushed briefly as he looked down and realised he was still holding Josh's hand.

“So....” Dale started, not quite sure what to say next.

“Yeah.” Josh smiled, also lost for words.

“James lied to us both then.” Dale said, his tone not really making it clear whether it was a comment or a question, so Josh just shrugged in reply. Dale continued, “So that means... you DO want me back?”

Josh shook his head, prompting Dale to release his hand, looking thoroughly disheartened. “I don't want you back, Dale, I NEED you back. Please. Please forgive me, I... I love you... I just... I love you Dale.”

Dale smiled as his eyes filled with tears. “I love you too Josh.”

Josh laughed with relief and joy and leaned forward to kiss Dale, but was stopped by a hand raised between them. He sat back, frowning at it.

Dale looked pensive as he slowly lowered his hand. “Josh, I talked to Warren last night... a lot!”

“Oh right.” Josh said sheepishly. The boy was the reason they had parted in the first place, or rather the secret relationship Josh had maintained with him.

“I think... when I found out about you two, I just thought it was... I dunno... just some sleazy affair, some way of sneaking around behind Nick and my backs. I could tell from talking to Warren that it wasn't like that, was it? You loved him. I mean... really loved him, the same way you loved me. Am I right?” Dale asked seriously.

Josh nodded. If he had even known what to say in response, he doubted he would have been able to say a word.

“That's what I thought.” Dale said with a slight nod. “He still loves you and he knows I do too, but.... you can't be with us both. That's why we decided to leave it up to you.”

“What?” Josh asked, staring in shock.

“If you want Warren, then I'll be okay with it. He'll still be my brother and hopefully we could be friends. And if you choose me, Warren said he's happy to do the same.” Dale explained.

“What, just like that, I have to choose?” Josh asked, eyes wide with shock.

Dale nodded. “Yeah, me or Warren. Who's it gonna be?”
Chapter 22


Saturday 18th April 2015


Josh stood on the sidelines of the pitch, cheering along with everyone else as Sam scored a goal. With only a few minutes left, it was likely to be the winning goal too so the energy in the crowd was extremely high.

Josh felt his cock twitch a little too. Sam may not have been his master any more, but the feelings still lingered. After Josh had resumed his relationship, there had been a brief trial period allowing him to continue serving the boy, but it had proven too difficult and as such it had been brought to an end. 

By the time Josh was released from his chastity cage, it had been on for almost a month. As a final farewell, Sam had been allowed to issue a final order that would result in Josh's first post-chastity orgasm. The boy had certainly gone all out with it. Josh had been sent to a popular gay cruising area, ordered to climb on the roof of his car naked and ride a large dildo until he had gathered a sufficient audience of spectators. Only then was he allowed to start stroking his cock.

Josh had virtually screamed the place down when he shot, the relief of finally being able to cum properly was just so intense. The cum shot had been somewhat extreme too – over a dozen massive ropes of thick jizz had coated his car earning him a round of applause from his audience. The thrill of finally being able to touch himself along with the humiliation of being watched by so many men spurred Josh on to continue stroking, soon adding a second load to the first.

When Josh returned to Sam and told him all of the details, the boy had particularly enjoyed hearing about the second, unplanned ejaculation. The thrill of it soon died down though as they both realised that they had reached the end of their relationship.

“Thank you.” Josh had said to the boy. “I know it caused us a few issues, but I don't regret serving you. I had so much fun and you know what, you're really good at it too! I'm gonna miss you... master!” And that had been the end of it, but at least it had ended well. Sam and Josh remained friends and Josh was satisfied that he had, for probably the first time in years, put his boyfriend's needs ahead of his desires to sub!

Josh pushed the sexual thoughts of Sam aside as he continued watching the game, but found them resurfacing as the boy ran down the pitch in celebration of the goal, flashing Josh a cheeky grin and winking. Josh shook his head back, then smiled as he saw Corey running not far behind the other boy.

Josh hadn't realised how much he missed Corey's Saturday morning football matches until he started coming back. The best part by far was seeing Corey so happy. He loved playing the game and seemed to enjoy it even more with his big brother to show off for. Today had him showing off even more though as for once he had both of his big brothers watching.

Nick was stood at Josh's side and to Nick's other side was Greg. The two teens were holding hands. They had come clean about their relationship shortly after Warren had found out, figuring that if so many of their friends already knew, there was really no point hiding it from everyone else. Pippa and George had spoken to them about it very seriously. Their main concern had been Greg's welfare. He was living under their roof because he needed a safe home and they were worried that being in a sexual relationship with someone in the house may have been potentially harmful. After a lot of talking and the creation of a very strict set of ground rules, the concerned parents had reluctantly agreed to let it continue.

“Stop drooling!” Nick said, nudging his brother as he saw him eyeing Sam lustily.

“Hey, I'm still allowed to look, ya know!” Josh grinned, nudging him back.

“Does he still miss domming?” Josh asked, leaning forward to look at Greg.

Greg shrugged. “Well he doesn't talk about it much, but he...” Greg paused, intentionally to tease him. Greg had quickly grown close to Josh after the reconciliation and now the younger boy was as close to him as he was to Corey. That inevitably meant that he had also become comfortable with playfully teasing the young man “Nah, I probably shouldn't say.” Greg grinned devilishly.

“You really should!” Josh insisted, eyes widening.

Greg and Nick exchanged playful smiles before Greg continued. “Well... I think he's got himself another sub.”

“What? Seriously?” Josh asked, looking a strange mix of intrigued and disappointed.

Greg nodded, completely straight-faced. “Although I don't think this one's quite as willing as you were, Josh!”

“Who is it?” Josh demanded.

“No idea, it's a mystery!” Greg replied honestly.

Nick groaned. “Oh for fuck's sake, not again!” he said frustratedly, getting a laugh from the other two.

Before any of them could say anything else, the final whistle blew and a cheer erupted from the supporters of Sam and Corey's team, backed up by a mix of boos and polite clapping from the supporters of the opposition.

Corey ran over to his brothers and said happily, “We won!”

“Really? We never noticed!” Nick said back sarcastically.

Corey shot Nick a disgruntled look then said, “I'm gonna go and get changed then we can head off to the cinema.” He looked from Greg, to Josh and added, “You guys sure you don't wanna come?”

“Nah, not my sorta film.” Josh said, giving Corey a sly wink.

“Yeah, same here.” Greg agreed, suppressing a smile.

“Just us then.” Corey said to Nick with a shrug. “Be right back.” He ran off towards the changing rooms.

*****

“Guess who!” Dale said, covering Liam's eyes from behind.

Liam folded his arms. “Dale, it's a gym, every fucking wall is covered in mirrors. D'you really think you can sneak up on someone?”

Dale dropped his hands and stepped round to Liam's side. “You're no fun.” Dale said, faking annoyance. Ever since they had split up, Dale had been going out of his way to be nice to Liam. After giving it some thought, he quickly realised he had been unfairly harsh on his friend. Liam may have taken a couple of days to do it, but had told the truth. He had also been the one to open up his home and let Dale stay there, so Dale definitely felt like he owed him now.

“You okay then?” Liam asked. He was spotting Ryan and kept glancing down at him. Ryan was focused on the bench pressing, but he managed to occasionally shoot an unhappy glance at Dale.

“Yeah, not bad.” Dale said happily. “You both okay?”

Liam nodded happily and smiled while Ryan just grunted.

“I'm done.” Ryan said, dropping the weight back onto the stand. “I'll catch up with ya later.” He got up from the bench and headed to the opposite side of the gym.

Liam and Ryan looked at each other and exchanged dejected looks. “Things are still great with him then?”

Liam shook his head. “He's fucking impossible. He just... doesn't know what he wants.”

“That's gotta be frustrating.” Dale said sympathetically.

They both looked at the weights and decided not to bother, instead heading to the break area where they sat down side-by-side on a bench.

“It is. Actually, I suppose it's not that he doesn't know what he wants, he knows what he wants, but he can't have it all.” Liam explained. Dale just looked confused so he elaborated. “Well he doesn't want me dating anyone, but doesn't want to date me himself. He wants to have sex with me, but he wants to be straight. He wants to be more than friends, but doesn't want to be my boyfriend.”

“Ah.” Dale said, not really quite sure how else to react.

“Yeah.” Liam said, raising his eyebrows and nodding. “Ah! It's fucking impossible!”

Dale patted his friend on the back. “I can't believe he's still pissed at me just for dating you!”

Liam smiled at Dale's comforting gesture and said, “I think he's more pissed about how you ended it. I've told him we're cool now, and that really it was my fault, but... don't worry about, it's just part of his crazy jealousy thing.”

“It's not, ya know...” Dale said quietly.

“What's not?” Liam asked, frowning.

“Your fault. Us splitting up.” Dale said. “I've told you, you did the right thing. All the crap... that's on James.”

Liam just nodded. They had been over it before. While neither of them regretted their brief time together, they both agreed that it should never really have happened in the first place. It had simply been a case of both being in the same place at the same time and giving in to base desires. It was never a particularly good idea.

“Have you seen him?” Liam asked cautiously.

Dale smirked. “Not since I tried to beat the crap out of him!” He said. He had never really been violent before, but even now, almost a month later, Dale would happily have hit James again. So far Dale's year had been filled with ups and downs, mostly caused by lies and deception, but most of it had been for almost good reasons. He had come to accept that Josh and Warren's deception had been borne of the genuine love the two shared and even Liam's brief deception had been because he cared about Dale, but James was different. His lies had been completely selfish, vindictive even. Regardless of his feelings for Josh, keeping two people apart to sate his own desires, especially considering one was his best friend, that was unforgivable as far as Dale was concerned.

“Yeah, me neither.” Liam said. He looked across the gym and saw Ryan still staring at him and Dale. With a sigh, he said, “Ugh, looks like I'm in for another fun day! What you got planned after this?”

Dale smiled, his angry thoughts about James quickly fading away. “It's Nick's birthday on Tuesday so we're throwing a surprise party for him tonight.”

“Awesome.” Liam grinned. “Let's just hope it goes a bit better than your party!”

Dale shot him an angry glance.

“Too soon?” Liam asked with a nervous grin.

Dale's stare dropped into a smile as he started laughing.

*****

Warren sat breathing heavily. So far he had blown up more than fifty balloons and still had more to do. Everyone was putting a lot of effort into the party, possibly even too much! They felt like they had missed out on both Warren and Corey's because of all the issues that had been going on, so having the chance to actually celebrate Nick's birthday together was a welcome return to normality for them all.

Warren was especially determined to make it a good day. Since clearing the air with his ex-boyfriend, he had spent more and more time with him. The friendship they had shared when they were together, the closeness Nick had sought to keep after they separated, it had returned and Warren loved it. While it occasionally hurt to not be with him romantically, and he sometimes felt the occasional twinge of jealousy seeing Nick with Greg, he loved Nick now as nothing more than an extremely good friend and brother.

He sat looking at the mass of balloons rolling around on the floor and briefly considered giving up on the rest, but willed himself to go on. Thankfully, before he started another one, he was disturbed by a knock at the door. He stood, feeling momentarily dizzy from the excessive balloon-blowing before heading over to the door.

As he opened it, he found someone standing there with arms full of more decorations. “Is there someone under there?” Warren asked playfully.

“It's me, Callum.” a voice called from behind the stuff he was carrying.

“Hey Cal.” Warren said happily, grabbing half of the decorations.

“Hey.” Callum said back happily as he was finally able to see.

Warren stepped aside and let the young man walk in. “Thanks for coming.” Warren said thankfully.

“No problem, you know I'm always happy to help.” Callum replied with a grin.

Greg had requested to meet Callum. He said that if Nick was going to be sleeping with another guy, then he at least wanted to meet him. From there it had been a natural progression to introduce him to the rest of their circle of friends. He had fit in very quickly, much to Nick's relief, seeming to get on particularly well with Warren. Nick occasionally worried that his ex and his fuck buddy might actually be comparing notes on him, but quickly dismissed it when he realised they simply seemed to share a lot of common interests.

“Shame you can't stay for the whole thing.” Warren said with a sigh. He had quickly come to like the new addition to their group and had been looking forward to spending more time with him.

“Yeah, I know. But it's a family thing, my Mum'd kill me if I didn't turn up.” Callum said back with a shrug. He looked round briefly. “Hey, are we alone?” He asked.

Warren looked shocked and blushed a little. Since they had started spending time together, he had occasionally caught the older teen looking at him. He found the attention quite flattering but had never dared to question it. Asking if they were alone... was he planning on taking it further than just looking?

“Erm... yeah... why?” Warren replied nervously.

“It's about Nick.” Callum said.

“Oh.” Warren said, cursing himself for jumping to conclusions. “What about him?” He asked as they headed for the lounge.

Callum threw the things he had been carrying down on a chair. The items in Warren's arms were soon added to the pile.

“It's just... sorry, I hope this isn't too weird.... but when you were with him, was he... dominant?” Callum asked shyly.

Warren sighed. “Towards the end, there were little hints of it, but we kinda broke up before we could really explore it. Why?”

“You sure this isn't too weird?” Callum asked nervously as he sat down.

Warren smiled as he sat down beside the older teen. “Weird is kind of our thing. We're pretty open. You can talk to me about anything.”

Callum sighed. “Well when things... erm... got difficult.... with all of you, he started getting a bit aggressive, but that turned into him just being a dom, which was cool. It was pretty fun actually, but... he's been taking it further and further and now it's....” He paused, already feeling like he had overshared.

“It's okay.” Warren said with a gentle nod.

Another sigh. “I enjoy a bit of pain, but... that seems to be all he's about now. When we finish he just leaves while all I want is... a cuddle.” Callum blushed as he continued. “ Or at least some kind of affection. I enjoy letting him do stuff, but... I dunno... I guess I want more. I don't mean from him, I know he's with Greg, but... urgh, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.” Warren smiled reassuringly. “But I think it's Nick you should really be speaking to about it.”

Callum sighed again. “I guess so. But thanks for listening.” After a few moments of awkward silence he looked round at the decorations and asked, “So, what d'you want me on first?”

Warren looked at the balloons everywhere and then back to Callum. “Balloons!” He said flatly. “Save me from the balloons!”

Callum laughed, grabbing a handful of uninflated balloons. The two teens sat there blowing up more of them for several minutes until they were both breathless. Callum stopped, grinned at Warren and said, “You know, this isn't exactly the kind of blowing I imagined doing with you!”

Warren started laughing, almost inhaling a balloon. As he coughed it up, he threw it at Callum and playfully said, “Fuck off.” He raised another balloon to his mouth.

As soon as Warren started inflating another one, Callum called out, “Yeah, you blow it, WOOO!”

Warren laughed again. “Just fuck off.” he chuckled. As he raised the balloon again, he eyed Callum suspiciously and ended up laughing again without the other boy even saying anything.

“Hey, you can't blame me that time!” Callum said innocently, raising his hands.

“Yes I can!” Warren insisted. “You... looked at me.”

Callum shrugged. “You don't usually mind me looking.”

“I...” Warren started, blushing. “I don't know what you mean.”

“Uh huh.” Callum said with a sly grin. He raised a balloon and inflated it.

Warren took it as a signal to continue and did the same.

“Ooh, I love to watch you blow!” Callum teased.

Warren threw the balloon aside and jumped on Callum, wrestling him to the ground. The two rolled around, sending balloons flying everywhere. Already breathless from the balloons and laughter, they both quickly tired. They ended up with Warren flat on his back, Callum pinning his arms on the ground either side of his head as he lay on top of him.

As the laughing stopped, they stared at each other, their heavy breathing synchronising. With each outward breath, Callum moved just a little lower until his face was almost touching Warren's.

“Cal.... I can't.” Warren whispered weakly.

“Why not?” Callum asked just as quietly.

Warren was trembling, his hands resting on Callum's hips. “You... you know why.”

“Come on, you know he wouldn't mind.” Callum said with a sweet smile.

Warren whimpered as he closed his eyes, feeling Callum's breath on his face. “I can't... risk it. It might screw things up again. I can't do that to him.”

“Are you sure?” Callum asked. He moved even closer, his lips virtually touching Warren's.

“No.” Warren gasped back.

Suddenly the, front door opened loudly. “Hey, we're back!” Josh called out.

“Josh!” Warren said, quickly pushing Callum away and jumping up.

As Warren appeared from the other side of the sofa, Josh frowned. “What you doing down there?” he asked curiously.

Callum jumped up beside him. “We were blowing.” he said devilishly.

Warren blushed, his eyes darting back and forth between Callum and Josh. “Balloons!” he blurted. “Blowing up balloons!”

Josh gave them a suspicious look, then turned and headed to the kitchen, carrying a large box and some bags. Greg came in shortly behind him, carrying more bags.

“Hey guys.” Greg said happily as he followed Josh, giving the somewhat-flustered-looking Warren a strange look.

“You're such a dick!” Warren said to Callum as soon as the other two were out of earshot.

“Really? Then why are you still thinking about kissing me?” Callum asked, then smirked and dashed to the kitchen to see what Josh and Greg had brought in, leaving Warren to just stand and stare.

*****

Pippa was sitting in the lounge watching TV when she heard the front door open. As she looked round, she saw George pop his head out from the kitchen.

“Hey boys.” He said happily.

She heard Corey and Nick both greet their Dad before heading into the lounge.

“Hey Mum.” Nick said happily, copied moments after by Corey.

“Hiya, how was the movie?” she asked. She had to stifle a snigger as she saw Corey roll his eyes. She knew the younger boy had only gone with Nick to keep him out of the way while the others prepared for his birthday party and that the movie was not exactly one he would have chosen normally.

“It was great.” Nick said cheerfully as he flopped onto the sofa.

“Yeah, great.” Corey added. The sarcasm was lost on Nick, but Pippa held back a chuckle.

“Greg upstairs?” Nick asked, looking towards the door.

“No, he's out with Warren.” Pippa answered honestly.

“Any idea where they are? I might go and join them.” Nick said casually.

A look of panic, spread over Corey's face but he needn't have worried, his Mum had it covered. “No you won't. You've got college work to do!” she insisted.

“But it's not due for...” Nick started, but his Mum raised her hand, cutting him off.

“I don't care. We made an agreement. You and Greg could date, but only if you kept on top of your college work, that comes first. So get upstairs now and get working!” she said firmly.

Nick scowled, but did as he was told, heading out of the room as Corey breathed a sigh of relief. The younger boy felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out of his pocket. As he read the message, he said to his Mum, “Good timing, I've got to go. Don't let him leave until we tell you, okay.”

“Sure, no problem.” she said with a wicked grin. She was enjoying deceiving Nick far too much!

Corey headed outside and grabbed his bike. He was glad his Mum hadn't asked where he was going. She presumably expected he had been called to go and help with the birthday prep, but instead the message had been from Sam. It was a request to come and meet him, providing an address Corey hadn't seen before. He rode as quickly as he could and soon came to the place Sam requested. He parked his bike, knocked on the door and waited.

“Hey.” Sam said happily as he opened the door.

“Hey.” Corey replied, walking inside. “What's going on?”

“Well, d'you remember a few weeks ago, we were talking about what you'd do to James if you ever got your hands on him?” Sam asked. A few weeks earlier, after news of James' deception had spread, Corey had been furious with the young man.

There was no doubt in Corey's mind that if Josh and Dale hadn't been driven further apart by his lies, things may not have gotten quite so bad for himself, Warren or any of the people he loved. As such, his fury was almost terrifying to behold. He had spoken to Sam about it one day, but had thought no more about it since. “Erm... yeah, why?” he asked, a little confused.

Sam grinned and lead Corey into another room of the house. “This is why!” Sam said as Corey's eyes fell on a naked James.

“How the fuck did you...” Corey asked, but stopped, shaking his head.

“He's my slave.” Sam said bluntly. “Isn't that right, fag?”

“Yes Sir.” James said, staring at the ground in shame.

“But... how?” Corey asked, completely flabbergasted.

Sam chuckled. “Oh, that's a.... long and painful story. But for now it's between me and fagboy here.” He said derisively.

“Okay, so... why am I here?” Corey asked, confused about why his presence had been requested.

“Because I'm giving him to you for a little while. Do what you want to him.” Sam said casually, as if he were just lending Corey a video game.

“Oh my god! Really? Whatever I want?” Corey asked, staring back and firth between Sam and James.

Sam nodded. “Yup. Anything at all. In fact, the meaner the better, isn't that right, fagboy?”

“Yes Sir, I deserve to be punished.” James said coldly, his eyes vacant.

“Awesome!” Corey said happily. He looked to Sam. “What have you got to spank him with?”

Before Sam could respond, James jumped up and bent over the arm of the sofa, revealing his already-reddened rear.

“This is about the best I've got at the moment.” Sam said, grabbing a small ping-pong paddle.

“That'll do nicely.” Corey said, taking it from Sam. He dashed over to James and slapped it on one cheek without saying a word. The loud slap echoed round the room as James yelled out in pain. Corey slapped the other cheek, even harder.

The young teen never said a word as he continued spanking James, he just let the paddle keep falling over and over, getting firmer and firmer with each strike. Every bit of anger he had seemed to be flowing out of him. Every dark thought, every urge to return to drinking, every day he had lost with his brothers, they all fuelled the paddling. By the time he stopped, James was sobbing but never once begged for it to stop.

Corey felt bad for him, just for a second, but all he had to do was think about how much James had hurt the people he cared about and it soon passed. “I need water. A few pints.” Corey said.

Sam frowned at the instruction, but went into James' kitchen and filled a few glasses, then brought them back in. Corey took one from him, handed it to James and said, “Drink!”

James quickly obeyed, then took the others as Corey handed them to him, downing them too.

“What are you up to?” Sam asked with a devilish grin.

“Wait and see!” Corey grinned back. “Now, got any rope?”

“Oh yes.” Sam said, heading for the door. “We've got plenty of that, haven't we fagboy?”

“Yes Sir.” James said, still sniffing back tears from the spanking Corey had given him.

Sam returned moments later with several long lengths of rope. He handed them to Corey who looked to James and said, “Lay on the floor.”

James quickly complied as Corey got to work with the rope. He lay a length of it underneath the young man's neck, then grabbed his legs and pulled them up. He attached one end of the rope to one knee, then started pulling the legs back more and more until he was fully curled over, then tied the other end of the rope to his other knee.

The way he was tied had his massive cock dangling down onto his own chin. Corey reached for it, pulled his mouth open and then pushed the tip of it inside, making him suck on his own cock.

“Whadda you know, he wasn't lying when he said he could self-suck.” Corey sneered, remembering that he had revealed the fact back at Dale's birthday party. It was actually quite impressive that he could do it before even getting hard. Corey knew that once he was erect, it would force a few more inches into his mouth.

Corey grabbed the young man's hands, which were laying flat on the ground at his sides, then tied them behind his back. With Sam's help, he dragged him over to a wall, resting his back and restrained hands against it so that he couldn't roll forward to escape the position.

“Start sucking then.” Corey ordered.

James murmured his understanding, the sound muffled by his own cock. He started licking and sucking on the tip of his dick. It rapidly hardened, giving him even more to suck on.

Corey and Sam remained silent, watching the pathetic slave sucking on himself, listening to him moan with pleasure as he pushed himself closer and closer to orgasm.

“Cn uh um.” James murmured.

“Sorry, fagboy, I didn't quite catch that!” Corey said angrily.

“Cn uh cm.” he said again.

“I think he's asking to cum. You see, he's not allowed to do it without permission.” Sam explained with a grin. “I've trained him well!” he sniggered.

“Yeah, you can cum, but don't stop sucking, you just keep on going!” Corey said with a cruel smile.

“Uh huh.” James muttered, then resumed his self-suck. A minute later, he started moaning excitedly as his balls twitched and he filled his mouth with his own spunk. He quickly swallowed it down and followed Corey's instruction to keep sucking. He began whimpering as his cock grew more and more sensitive following his orgasm.

Crying again, he eventually stopped sucking, unable to inflict any more stimulation on himself. Corey dropped to his knees behind the exhausted young man and grabbed his nipples. He squeezed and twisted as hard as he could, getting a muffled scream of pain from James.

“Did I say you could stop?” Corey yelled.

James continued to cry, but resumed sucking, whimpering in discomfort between sobs. Satisfied that he was doing as had been ordered, Corey released the nipples.

“Now keep going. I want to see you take a second load.” Corey said coldly as he walked over to the sofa and took a seat.

“Fuck, you're good at this.” Sam whispered to him, sitting at his side. “You should consider doing this some more.”

Corey shook his head. “Nah, not really my thing. I'm not doing this for fun, this is payback for Josh and Dale!” He whispered back.

They sat silently watching James suck on himself, working through the post-orgasm sensitivity and heading for a second release. He choked a couple of times as he shifted and accidentally pushed his cock further down his throat, but managed to compose himself and keep sucking.

It took several minutes before James made himself cum again. After he had swallowed his spunk, he lay there, doubled over, with his softening cock still in his mouth.

Corey pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “As fun as this is, I kinda need to go help with the party prep.” he said unhappily. “But can I leave you with an order for fagboy?” he asked Sam.

“Sure, no problem,” Sam agreed, sniggering at the way Corey had picked up on calling James 'fagboy'.

“Well with all that water he drank, he's gonna need to pee pretty soon. Just make sure he stays in that position until he does.” Corey said as he stood up. There was no joy on his face. He knew what he was ordering, how disgusting and unpleasant it would be for James, but as he had said before, this was payback!

Sam's eyes widened. He had been enjoying inflicting his own punishments on James since forcing him into his service, but they had been nowhere near as cruel or unpleasant as Corey's idea. He was happy to let it proceed though. Sam cared about Josh, a lot, so anything that hurt James was more than welcome.

James whimpered too as he heard the comment, realising what was going to happen to him.

Corey grinned at the sound, then dropped to his knees again beside James. He leant down to whisper in his ear. “This is what happens when you hurt the people I care about. Come near any of us again and I'll do a lot worse, understand?”

James nodded as much as he could while Corey stood up and walked away. He left the room with Sam and stopped at the front door. “I don't know how you did this, but... thanks.”

“No problem.” Sam said with a slight smile. 

“You sure you don't wanna come to the party? I know everyone'd be happy to see you.” Corey said as he gave the boy a quick hug.

Sam shook his head. “Nah. I'm still kinda keeping my distance from Josh for a while, I really miss him. Besides, I've got my own party here to deal with” He grinned devilishly. “And that last order of yours... you're a twisted little man, aren't you!”

Corey grinned just as wickedly as the other boy and shrugged. “It's no less than he deserves. Anyway, gotta go, see ya soon.” He dashed out of the house and retrieved his bike as Sam watched.

Alone again, Sam returned to the lounge and smiled as he heard his new slave whimpering.

*****

“Greg West.” Nick called out as he entered the room.

Greg looked at him and suppressed a smile. “That's me.” He said happily, standing up from his desk chair.

“Okay, come on in.” Nick said, heading for the bed.

Greg was already hard, his erection tenting his shorts extremely obviously. He was doing as well as Nick at staying in character, actually blushing at his arousal and attempting (poorly) to cover it up as he went into Nick's 'office'. Nick really enjoyed playing along with Greg's medical fantasies, although it was often hard to find time for it. He had been quite surprised when Greg came home and suggested it.

In reality, it was yet another way to keep Nick busy until the party. That didn't bother Greg though, he enjoyed any excuse to have an appointment with Doctor Nick.

“So what seems to be the problem?” Nick asked, pulling the chair across to sit opposite his young boyfriend/patient.

“Erm... it's... it's a bit embarrassing.” Greg stuttered, staring at the ground as he continued attempting to hide his erection.

Nick reached across and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Anything you tell me is completely confidential. Besides, I can't help you if you don't tell me.”

Greg looked up, his eyes meeting Nick's. He wanted to kiss him, to forget the role play and just enjoy his lover, but another part of him told it to continue. He nodded and smiled at the 'Doctor's' reassurance and said, “I've... been having trouble ejaculating. Do you think you can help?”

Nick grinned, before forcing himself not to as he nodded solemnly at Greg. “I'll do everything I can. I'm going to have to ask you to remove your clothes please.”

“All of them?” Greg said, faking shock.

Nick just nodded as he sat back in the chair, watching. The younger boy stood nervously and undressed slowly. Nick watched excitedly as more and more of the boy was exposed. He felt himself smiling at the boy's progress as he looked at where the various cuts and wounds had been a couple of months earlier. The bruises had long faded and the cuts had faded into almost-invisible scars, leaving just smooth, pale skin.

The boy had lost weight during the time he was bed-bound, making his already slim frame even more gangly, but since getting back to physical activity, he had started to bulk up again. Now just a month away from turning sixteen, he was developing in other ways too. His fair hair meant he had remained fairly smooth until recently, but he was finally starting to get hairier on his legs and he had even started developing a slight treasure trail from his navel down into his dark blonde bush.

Nick crossed his legs, covering up his own arousal as the last of Greg's clothes finally fell to the floor, leaving the boy standing there completely naked. His hands now hung at his side, no longer covering anything up.

“Well my first question was going to be whether you've had any trouble maintaining an erection, but I guess you've already answered that.” Nick said with a smile.

Greg blushed and chuckled nervously.

“Now if you could lay down on the bed please.” Nick requested as he stood. Unable to hide his erection any longer, he chuckled slightly as Greg stared at it hungrily.

Nick started 'examining' Greg, although it was less a medical exam and more just sensual stroking and caressing. Greg was soon moaning happily under the Nick's touch, his cock bouncing wildly in anticipation.

“I'm just going to test your prostate for responsiveness.” Nick said as he reached for the bottle of lube in one of the bed-side drawers.

“Okay.” Greg said between deep breaths.

Nick lubed up two of his fingers, nudged Greg's knees apart then reached down to probe the boy's hole. With just a little pressure, they slipped inside, getting a whimper of pleasure/pain from the patient in response. Greg shot up into a sitting position as Nick's fingers found their target, but the 'Doctor' just pushed him back down to lay flat.

“Ah, ah, aaaaah.” Greg moaned happily. He absolutely loved being fingered by Nick and he loved any medical scenario, so having 'Doctor Nick' doing it was like double-stimulation and had him rapidly edging towards release.

Nick pulled out his fingers and stared down at Greg. “Hmmm.” he mused quietly.

“What? What's wrong?” Greg asked, faking concern.

“Well, that test was... inconclusive.” Nick said, nodding thoughtfully. “I think I'm going to have to try a different method.”

“Whatever you say, doc.” Greg said with a nervous nod.

Nick started to undress, doing his best to ignore the excited stares of his patient. Moments later, his own clothes were piled with Greg's, his erection reaching skyward. He took the lubricant and squeezed some into his hand, then stroked it onto his dick, moaning happily at the slippery sensation.

He climbed onto the bed between Greg's legs, raising them with his arms to expose the boy's hole. He lined it up with his boner and started pushing inside.

“Ohhhh.... fuck!” Greg moaned as Nick filled him.

Nick started to fuck him, gently sliding in and out, grinning at the way the boy's cock twitched in time with his movements. It was such a different experience fucking Greg. With Callum, his aggression seemed to take over, his dominance, his anger. With Greg though, the thought of doing anything at all that might hurt the boy was the last thing Nick wanted. All he cared about was making his young lover feel good, making him feel loved and cherished.

As he knelt there, sliding in and out of the boy, the nagging thoughts that had plagued him for the past week or two returned – he was hurting Callum. It didn't matter how much his friend seemed to enjoy it, or how satisfied he seemed afterwards, their relationship, or at least the sexual side of it, was now nothing more than a reminder of a darker time in Nick's life. The aggression had crept in when he had been suppressing his feelings and hiding from his problems. That wasn't the case now. He was happily and openly in love with the boy he was fucking, he had his brothers back, all four of them... the anger was gone. Maybe it was time to rid himself of it completely.

He was so lost in thought about his fuck buddy, that he almost didn't notice as Greg started calling out, “Yes, yes, yes, just a bit more!”

Nick grinned, reached down to the boy's straining cock and gave it just a few quick tugs.

“Shiiiiiiit!” Greg moaned excitedly as he started squirting over himself.

Nick wanted to cum inside him, but seeing the thick, heavy load coating the boy's stomach and chest, he felt the sudden urge to add his own. He pulled out, stroked rapidly for several seconds, then called out happily as he shot.

Milking the last few drops and catching his breath, Nick looked down at the boy. The way Greg was staring back at him was mesmerising, a mix of lust and love and pure, simple happiness.

Nick felt a tear form in the corner of his eye. Thinking about how bad things had been before only served to remind him how happy he was now, and the naked, exhausted boy in front of him was responsible for most of it. “I love you, Greg.” he managed to say, choking slightly as he suppressed his tears.

“I love you too.” Greg said back happily, reaching out to take his boyfriend's hand.

*****

Liam and Ryan were sat on opposite ends of the sofa. Awkward silence had hung between them for nearly ten minutes as they both brooded.

“This is stupid!” Liam snapped, standing up. “I can't... I can't have this same argument with you AGAIN!”

“Pfft, what argument?” Ryan scoffed. “There's no argument, there's just you being a total pussy!”

Liam clenched his fists. In a normal situation, Ryan was one of the most wilful, stubborn people he had ever met, but in an actual argument he was simply impossible to deal with. They had rehashed this argument in one form or another nearly a dozen times since Liam and Dale split up.

“For fuck's sake, you're just.... fucking impossible.” Liam snarled. “I can't take this shit any more. I'm done. I'm done with all of it. I can't do it any more.”

“Good, so you'll let it drop.” Ryan said with a dismissive shrug.

Liam shook his head. “No, I mean I'm done with you.”

Ryan's expression dropped into fearful shock. “What? You... you're done with me? Whadda you mean?”

“I love you!” Liam snapped. “Not in a gay way, or romantic way or any shit like that, but as a friend. We've been friends since... fuck, I can't even remember it's been that long, but... I can't do it. I can't... be around you any more. It's impossible.” He shot Ryan a final glance before heading for the door. He had just got into his car when Ryan came running out after him, tapping on the window.

“What do you want from me?” Ryan demanded angrily.

“Nothing any more.” Liam said back in a similar tone.

“Well... just.... fuck you then!” Ryan snapped, turning away. He quickly turned back as he heard the engine start. “Come on Liam, don't go.” He said, frowning.

Liam sat his with hands on the wheel, staring at his friend. He knew he should leave. Talking never got them anywhere and being around him was just causing more and more pain and anger for them both. With a sigh, he turned off the engine and sat back in the seat.

“Come on, just tell me what you want.” Ryan pleaded.

Liam shook his head. “This isn't about what I want. This is about what you want, I thought I'd made that pretty clear by now.” He opened the door and twisted, sitting with his legs hanging out of the car.

“I don't... know what you mean.” Ryan said evasively.

Liam laughed. “Seriously?” He got out of the car and slammed the door. “I went on a date last week and you actually turned up to sabotage it. I hooked up with that guy at the gym and you totally cock blocked me, but when I even suggest the idea of us being together, you tell me I'm being stupid. It's like... you want me, but you don't want to be with me.”

Ryan just stared back, frowning.

Liam sighed frustratedly. “It can't go on. I can't be around you if you're acting like that.”

Ryan growled with frustration, burying his face in his hands. “I can't help it!” he shouted back. “I see you with other people and it just... it bothers me and I don't fucking know why. I don't want you to go. I just... I.... aargh, fuck it. I don't know. I don't know. I just... I don't fucking know!” He was pacing back and forth, fists clenched as he spoke angrily.

Liam walked towards him, grabbed his shoulders and stared into his eyes. “Just relax, okay.” he said firmly. He took a deep breath. “Just answer one question then. Do you want to date me?”

Ryan shook his head, still frowning.

“Well that's that then. So I guess we'll be.... I dunno, friends with benefits, fuck buddies, something like that.” Liam said with a gentle smile. When he got a slight smile in response, he placed a hand on Ryan's back and started leading him back inside. “I guess we'll figure it out eventually.”

*****

Nick sighed as he looked up at Josh's apartment building. “Can't we cancel?” He asked, pouting. “I'd rather go home and fuck you again.” He added, grinning cheekily.

Greg giggled. It was actually quite tempting, but he knew he had to get Nick inside. “Nope. Besides, you know you always have fun with Josh. You can fuck me later.”

“Is that a promise?” Nick asked hopefully.

Greg rolled his eyes. “Sure, why not!”

“Awesome, let's get this night over with then.” Nick said keenly, dashing into the building, closely followed by Greg who was sending a quick text message.

They got up to the door and Greg forced himself to stop smiling as Nick opened the door and stepped inside. The apartment was in total darkness.

“Hello?” Nick called out.

“SURPRISE!” everyone yelled as the lights turned on.

Nick jumped at the sound, staring in amazement. The apartment was decorated with balloons and banners and streamers. Josh, Corey, Dale, Warren and Callum were all stood together, laughing at the look on his face.

“But my birthday's not for three days!” Nick said in surprise.

“Yeah, that's the surprise!” Greg said with a giggle as he closed the door and nudged Nick into the lounge.

“You sneaky bastards.” Nick chuckled as he looked round at them all.

He was greeted with a chorus of 'happy birthdays' and 'congratulations' from everyone. Nick was pleasantly surprised to see Callum amongst his brothers, greeting him with an eager hug. He suddenly found himself thinking back to the decision he had made earlier to call things off with him making the hug feel a little bitter-sweet.

“Sorry, but I can't stay.” Callum said sadly as the hug parted.

“What? Why not?” Nick asked, pouting.

Callum shrugged. “I've got a family thing I've got to go to. But I wanted to be here for the big surprise.”

“Aww, thanks.” Nick said, giving him another hug. As they parted, they looked at each other a little awkwardly.

“I need to talk to you about something.” they said in unison, then burst into laughter.

“You free tomorrow?” Callum asked.

“Yeah.” Nick said with a smile.

“Awesome. We'll talk tomorrow then.” Callum said happily. He looked to the rest of the group who were all chatting with each other. “Hey guys, I gotta go, see ya soon.”

As everyone called out their goodbyes, Callum headed out of the lounge. He looked back briefly and found Warren's eyes were following him. He shot the younger boy a cheeky smile, then left.

“I can't believe you guys did this.” Nick said as he stood amongst his brothers, smiling broadly. 

“Ugh, don't go getting mushy. I wanna have some FUN!” Corey called out, raising his glass.

Everyone stared at the boy for just a moment.

“Relax, it's just coke!” Corey said with a grin. Everyone burst into laughter.

The party got started properly after that. Unlike Dale's party, there was no alcohol. Despite Corey joking about it, nobody wanted to tempt him by drinking around him. As Nick was going to be turning eighteen and was actually legal to drink, Josh had promised to take him out clubbing after his actual birthday, saying that his first legal hangover should be from a night to remember!

The evening ended up being more like a normal night in for them. Over the last few weeks, they had all gotten together like that several times, enjoying the rapidly-strengthening relationships building back up between them all. They all seemed to be enjoying being together again though.

“Hey, can we do presents now?” Nick requested, finally unable to resist the urge to pounce on the pile of gifts on the coffee table.

“Sorry bud, like you said, your birthday's not for another three days. No presents til then!” Josh teased.

“Fuck off!” Corey called out, surprising everyone. “I've been looking at those things all evening, I wanna know what he's got!”

Josh looked at Nick and laughed at their little brother. “Well I guess you don't have to wait after all.” Josh chuckled.

“Someone hand me a present then. Can't keep Corey waiting.” Nick said with a grin.

He sat opening the gifts. He had to keep stifling grins as he opened the seemingly-endless pile. It was pretty obvious that they had all been overly-generous in an attempt to cover up any awkwardness or guilt they felt over the events of the past few months. Josh in particular seemed to have spent an excessive amount. Nick didn't really mind though, everyone's guilt simply meant he was getting the most presents he had ever had!

Nick finally looked at the table and saw just five left, but they all looked identical.

“Erm...” Warren said, getting everyone's attention. “I know it's Nick's birthday, but I... kinda got... something for everyone.” He took the small pile of gifts off the table and handed one each to Josh, Dale, Nick, Corey and Greg.

The five of them eagerly ripped the paper off and stunned silence filled the room.

“Warren...” Dale started, but couldn't say any more as he looked at the boy.

“I know the other one got... erm... damaged...” Warren started.

The five gifts Warren had handed out were identical frames to the one Warren had made for Dale back on his birthday - simple wood with the word 'Brothers' carved into the bottom. The photo in them showed all six of them, even Greg. It had been taken on one of the first nights the six had hung out together.

The frame in Greg's hand was shaking. “You.... I....” he stuttered, a tear running down his cheek. He dashed towards Warren and pulled him into a hug. Seconds later, he was joined by everyone else in a huge group hug.

When they finally parted, Warren was grinning. The last time they had all hugged him like that had been literally the worst day of his life, the day he had considered ending it all. Today was the opposite, it felt like the best day ever!

Taking a breath, Josh said loudly. “I'd... I'd like to say a few words, if I can.” Josh said, getting everyone's attention.

Nick sat on one armchair with Greg beside him while Corey sat on the other. Dale and Warren both took a seat on the sofa.

“This year so far... let's not lie... it's been shit!” Josh said with a slight smile, getting a chuckle from the others. “It seems like all I've done lately is apologise for my mistakes and quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing it. You all know I fucked up....”

“A lot!” Corey called out, getting another laugh.

Shaking his head, Josh continued. “Thanks Cor. Yeah, I fucked up... a lot! I let myself chase the things I wanted instead of the things I needed and as a result I almost lost everyone I care about. But somehow, god knows why, you've all found it in your hearts to forgive me and forgive each other and I just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you. I think Warren's gifts to us really sums us up perfectly. Regardless of how we came into each other's lives, you're all my brothers and that makes me the luckiest guy in the world because I honestly love every single one of you.”

Josh grabbed his drink from the coffee table, prompting everyone else to do the same.

“So I'd like to propose a toast.” He said with a smile. “To the birthday boy, to my brothers,” He looked to the sofa where Dale and Warren were sat. “And to my boyfriend. Cheers!”

“CHEERS!” Everyone called out happily.



THE END – For now :)