Date: Mon, 25 May 2015 23:58:54 +0100
From: Matt Smith <matterotica@hotmail.co.uk>
Subject: The Dangers of Desire - Chapter 14

Author's Note: Well it seems you're all keen to know what happens after
'The argument', so here it is. The chapters in this story don't have
individual titles, but if they did, this one would be called 'Thirty
Days'... for obvious reasons! I like to think of this is the first chapter
of the second phase of Dangers of Desire so I'd love to hear what you
think. Emails welcome at matterotica@hotmail.co.uk

Continuity Note – The events of Chapter 13 took place on Saturday 31st
January 2015, the day after Dale's birthday.


The Dangers of Desire

Chapter 14

by Matt


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."