A Kingswood Family Christmas

Author's Note – This is a mini-series set between chapters 20 and 21 of book 4 of the Kingswood Saga – The Kingswood Complication. See my profile or the section at the end for links to earlier stories.

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A Kingswood Family Christmas

Chapter 5

Monday 26 December 2022

"A Chris-mas Carol part five..." Chris started as the other seven boys looked on expectantly, pausing for dramatic effect before he finished, "...will not be shared today. Sorry. Enjoy your day!"

"Boo!" "You suck!" "I demand to speak to your manager!" the other boys jeered jokingly.

"Look, I have my reasons," Chris insisted, "But the story will continue tomorrow with part six!"

"Well in that case," Mark said, getting up from his seat beside Josh, "Why don't we go get your morning check-up out of the way early?" He held a hand out to Josh, who happily accepted it.

Rob smiled a little as he watched them. There was a time he would have flipped out about anyone else taking care of Josh instead of him, but his over-protectiveness and penchant for jealousy were both things he was working on reducing. Plus he couldn't deny how cute Mark and Josh were together. "Hold up, I'll walk out with ya. I'm gonna go wake Milo!" he said with a grin.

"Oh, got plans?" Josh asked curiously.

"No," Rob shrugged as he followed, "Just being annoying!" It got laughs from everyone else as the three of them headed out.

"I'm gonna head out too," Nicky said, mostly just keen to get out from under the black cloud looming heavily over Mikey, whose terrible mood was obvious from the moment he awoke. "My twins want me to go to breakfast with them so I can surprise them by showing up early!" he said jovially.

"YOUR twins," Chris giggled about his little brothers, who had `adopted' Nicky as their twin after learning of his deceased brother, "That's so cute!" As he waved Nicky off, he looked down at his tablet where part five of his Christmas story was still on-screen. He thought for a moment, then glanced over at David and said, "You got a minute?"

"Several of them, if you like!" David grinned as he followed Chris to the door. As Chris gestured to the coat hooks, they both grabbed their coats.

Chris paused briefly before he left. Both Danny and Mikey had crawled back into bed as soon as he announced there would be no story today, without either of them saying a word. He was worried about them both, but he was cautious of pushing Danny to talk and a little scared of Mikey's mood, so he figured it was best to just leave them both to it.

"Whassup?" David asked as they headed for the stairs.

"I dunno, just... thought a walk before breakfast could be nice!" Chris said, lying slightly.

"Hnnh, sure," David nodded as they made their way quietly to the exit. "Any chance this is... related to that?" he asked, nodding to the tablet Chris was carrying with him.

Chris pursed his lips slightly and nodded.

"Today was mine, wasn't it?" David asked, getting another nod back from Chris. "I thought so. Is it... something bad? What happens?" he enquired, unsure why Chris might have been reluctant to share the tale.

"No, it's nothing bad, not really," Chris said as they strolled along the path aimlessly. He could feel David looking at him, even without glancing round. Thinking of the best way to put it, he finally explained, "Look, when I wrote it I thought... I dunno... I thought some of the stuff in it, some of the... the words I use, that it was my way of being supportive and understanding and considerate."

David cocked his head curiously.

"But when I thought about reading it out in front of everyone, it actually felt more like I'd just be... outing you!" Chris explained.

David turned a little pale as he asked, "Outing... what?"

Chris didn't answer, he just gave the other boy a slightly timid smile.

"You know?" David asked in surprise. "Does... does everyone?"

Chris shrugged and replied, "I don't KNOW anything, cos you haven't told me and I'll never ask. With the others, they might be the same but... it's not something we've sat and had a discussion about, so I don't know!" As he saw David looking a little intimidated, he added, "And this isn't my way of asking or pressuring you or anything like that. I just..." He paused to let out a gentle sigh, then nodded to an approaching bench and took a seat. "Here, you can read it if you like!" he said, offering the tablet.

David accepted the device and glanced down at it, then round at Chris and back down. Sitting back, he started to read.

Chris watched in anxious silence, occasionally glancing at the screen to see where he was up to, particularly when he saw a smile or a frown. As he saw the end of the story on screen, he sat back and waited silently.

David turned off the tablet and placed it aside, then looked down at his hands a moment before casting his gaze out across the school grounds. He smiled a little as he said, "Y'know, a couple of years back, sitting out here like this woulda been impossible for me, back when the agoraphobia was at its worst, but... I got through it. D'you know how?" He looked round at Chris questioningly.

"Drugs and bribery?" Chris asked with a slight smirk.

David chuckled and slapped Chris' arm playfully. "No, through hard work and determination, but... I could only do that because I had the best friends in the world watching my back. This..." he paused as he touched the tablet, "...is just a great reminder that I still do!"

"So you... liked it?" Chris asked nervously.

"Chris, I loved it. The story itself was so sweet, but... yeah, the bit you mentioned..." David paused, cautious of actually verbalising it for the first time. Seeing Chris smiling sweetly back at him, he said, "The... the pronouns. Using the right ones, even without me... telling you. That means a lot to me, Chris!" David said gratefully.

"Is it... something you wanna talk about?" Chris asked softly, placing a hand on David's back.

David's brow furrowed as he considered it, then shook his head and said, "This feels like something I should talk to James about before anyone else!"

"Makes sense," Chris said as he pulled David into a gentle hug. It was nice to know his story had been appreciated, and sweet to see David thinking of his boyfriend. Chris let out a gentle sigh as he found himself thinking about his own!

Back in the dorm, silence had filled the room since Chris and David left. Danny was staying hidden under the covers, playing over the events of the previous night in his head. He fully expected someone to storm in at any moment to punish him for spying on David's dads, or for the alcohol consumption Mr Rudd had caught him out for. So far though, his solitude remained uninterrupted aside from the occasional muffled mumble from across the room. Throwing back the covers, he glanced across to Mikey's bunk and tried to listen. Mikey was definitely saying something, but he couldn't make it out.

"You talking to me?" Danny called across.

Mikey threw back the covers, looking slightly spooked for a moment before he scowled at Danny and disappeared back into the bed.

"Oh my god, whatever," Danny huffed. He pulled the covers back over his head too. He had to resist the urge to try again. While he knew a bit of his usual `tough love' might snap Mikey out of it, he couldn't help thinking something would just go wrong again. Perhaps he would make Mikey's mood worse. Maybe even hurt him a bit too much and get in more trouble. Whatever it was, the only thing he knew for certain was that trying would inevitably lead to failing, so he remained staunchly in place.

Mikey remained still for a couple of minutes, listening carefully for Danny's approach.

<<He's not coming!>>

Silence continued to linger in the dorm.

<<You've finally done it!>>

Mikey pulled the covers back enough to glance over. Danny wasn't looking back.

<<Even Danny's given up on you! Told you it wouldn't last!>>

Mikey sat up, staring over at the concealed mass on the other bed.

<<The guy who helps literally EVERYONE doesn't want to help YOU. That must make you NOBODY. No-one. Insignificant. Unimportant. Not worth bothering with. Not a friend. Barely even human. Absolutely nobody!>>

"SHUT UP!" Mikey snapped angrily.

"I literally didn't say anything," Danny snapped back as he sat up, "Or am I just EXISTING too loud for you or something?"

"No, I didn't... I mean..." Mikey stuttered.

<<Oh my god, he hates you! Oh, your parents got to him, didn't they. They got here and suddenly everyone hates you! It's always them!>>

"You're on their side, aren't you!" Mikey scowled.

"Oh my god," Danny said, shaking his head as he climbed out of bed. "I am SO not in the mood for this!" he said as he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

<<Told ya! He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you. He hates you.>>

"Stop it, I don't wanna do this anymore!" Mikey sniffled as he buried his face in his hands.

"Make sure you take your medicine!"

Josh chuckled slightly as he replied, "Yes doctor!" It got a happy chuckle from Mark, as well as Mr and Mrs Corbyn who were sat close by.

While Josh actually had daily check-ups with his real doctor, he had been subjected to a daily routine of pretend examinations too. When Mikey's twin siblings Gareth and Melanie, along with Chris' little sister Clare, all of whom were six, had learned of Josh's illness, they had insisted their medical expertise was needed. The first day, Gareth had tried to be the doctor, but both Melanie and Clare had told him off, insisted that girls could be doctors too and taken over the role together, making Gareth their nurse. Since then, they had run through a series of increasingly bizarre checks on Josh whenever they saw him each morning.

"Those two are so sweet," Mark commented to the twins' parents.

"Only when they're not arguing," Mrs Corbyn chuckled.

"Oh you think they're bad now? Imagine them as teenagers!" Mr Corbyn smirked at his wife, then glanced at Mark and added, "No offence intended!"

"Oh, none taken. I live with teenagers... we're awful!" Mark said back with a grin.

"I'm sure they have their moments," Mrs Corbyn said diplomatically. "Were you the one who joined the dormitory after the rest?" she asked curiously.

Mark nodded, giving a lop-sided grin as he said, "Yeah, a year-and-a-half in and I still feel like the new guy!"

"Well, you certainly don't seem like it," Mr Corbyn disagreed with a polite nod and smile.

"You seem... very close," Mrs Corbyn said, nodding over at Josh.

"We are," Mark said, blushing a little. "He's so... unstoppable!" he added with an undeniable tone of sheer admiration.

The two adults chuckled as they nodded. "That... is a very appropriate description," Mr Corbyn said, smiling broadly. His face dropped slightly as he said, "Mikey seems very fond of him too!"

Mark nodded, cautious of talking about Mikey behind his back, especially to his parents. He didn't know much about their relationship, except how bad Mikey claimed it was and the many arguments he had seen since they arrived. "Yeah, they're good friends," he said, confident that was okay to say.

"I'm really glad to hear that," Mrs Corbyn said with a sincere smile. "He doesn't tell us very much, so... I'm glad he has his friends."

After chatting quietly to Mikey's parents for a few minutes, with the subject frequently coming back to Mikey and how he was doing, Mark excused himself with, "I should go save Josh before they actually try to do surgery on him!" It earned hearty laughs from the two adults as he wandered off to free Josh from the juvenile medical team.

"Good morning," Finn called out happily as he approached Danny.

"Shhh!" Danny hissed, shaking his head.

"Oh, is it... a secret?" Finn asked a little sarcastically.

No, just..." Danny started, trying to think of an excuse. He likely would have struggled to come up with one even if his head wasn't pounding, so he simply admitted, "Hangover!"

"A literal hangover?" Finn aske din surprise as he took a seat beside Danny.

Danny, who was already wincing from the daylight, looked round slowly at Finn and narrowed his eyes even more as he snapped, "As opposed to what? A metaphorical hangover? Yes, a fucking literal one!"

"Wow, with an attitude like that, I hope it hurts!" Finn said back moodily, then smirked a little and said, "I don't mean that. It sucks. First one?"

Danny nodded, then groaned as the head movement made his head spin a little and leaned to the side. As he felt Finn slip an arm around him, he grabbed hold of the older teen and cuddled up to him. "I'd ask if this is okay but I don't care if it's not!" he said frankly.

"Anywhere else I might be a bit self-conscious, but I get a feeling this wouldn't even raise an eyebrow here!" Finn stated, giving Danny a gentle squeeze. "So, important question... how come you have a hangover, Danny?" As he heard the boy huff, he quickly added, "And don't say `because I drank alcohol', ya smart-ass langer, you know what I'm asking!"

Danny let out a low groan and said, "I hate being predictable!" He sighed softly as he considered the question and answered candidly, "I didn't wanna be a downer yesterday so... I drank!"

"Oh, well... umm..." Finn mumbled. He wasn't quite used to talking about things as openly as most of the Kingswood boys seemed to be, and the obvious implications of Danny's confession all felt like tricky things to address. Rather than getting into specifics, he asked a much broader, "Danny, what's wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Danny sighed.

"Kinda seems like you should," Finn urged him.

"Kinda seems like you should keep your nose out," Danny said moodily as he pulled away and sat up. Seeing the older boy stare back at him with a raised eyebrow, he whined slightly and said, "Sorry, I'm being a bitch, but... I really don't wanna talk about it!"

"Okay," Finn nodded.

"But we can talk about you," Danny offered, finally managing a slight smile, "Tell me about Molly then!"

Finn's face lit up at the mention of her name. "She's great," he said excitedly. "She's fun to be around, actually likes doing things with me, ISN'T obsessed with social media, she's pretty, like... REALLY pretty and just... nice!" Finn gushed.

"Awesome," Danny said with a broad smile. Knowing how unlucky Finn had been with girls in the past, both in struggling to find a girlfriend and then having one who was truly awful, seeing him so happy about Molly was truly heartening.

"And I know I always had that whole... worried they were with me for my family's money' issue before, but... I dunno, I can't say for certain that ISN'T part of why she's with me, but... it doesn't seem like it," Finn explained.

"I'm really pleased for you, Finn," Danny said honestly, then gave a wry grin and said sarcastically, "But I can't believe you're with a girl! I mean... I'd never have even guessed you're straight! You've never mentioned it!"

"Oh, oh you're a funny guy," Finn said back with an annoyed (but amused) headshake. He leaned close and said loudly, "SO FUNNY!"

"Ugh," Danny winced at the raised voice. "You bitch. You horrible, straight bitch!"

Finn laughed at the comment. "Let's hope Molly agrees, at least on the straight bit," he said a little nervously. As Danny frowned at him, he said, "I haven't told her yet that I kissed someone else!"

"What? That was spin the bottle, it doesn't count, and one of them was your own brother!" Danny exclaimed. "You're really gonna tell her?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Finn said with a nod. "I mean, maybe I leave out that one of `em was Chris, but of course I'm telling her. I'm not messing things up with her by keeping secrets!"

"Huh, monogamy is SO weird," Danny said, shaking his head a little. It got a chuckle from Finn, so Danny added, "And kind of annoying too. Here I was hoping I'd get a Christmas hook-up with my favourite Smith brother!"

"Totally telling Blane and the twins you called me that," Finn smirked, "But yeah, no hook-ups I'm afraid. Besides, did you know... I'm straight!"

Danny laughed at the running gag, leaning heavily against the older boy as they continued chatting.

The Kingswood obstacle course was always a popular attraction for visitors to the school. The boys of Kingswood knew it all too well, with it featuring at least a few times a year in their PE classes, to the point where they eventually took it for granted. Seeing new people tackling it was always a reminder of how fun it actually was. That fun had been pushed to an entirely new level that morning when two little words cropped up – parental competitiveness!

Getting their families together had been a slight worry for the boys as they headed into their Christmas plans. Would they get on? Would they clash? Would it be awkward? Their concerns had quickly been assuaged as their parents seemed to bond almost as quickly as the boys had, though the free-flowing alcohol, good food and provision of childcare facilities had likely played a big part in that. The Christmas festivities had let them get to know each other and the karaoke night had built friendships further, so the Boxing Day obstacle course race had allowed friendly rivalries to fully bloom.

As keen as the boys themselves had been to take part, they were all surprised by their parents' willingness to throw themselves into it (literally, in some cases). Mrs Smith had quickly proven to be a force to be reckoned with, never shy when it came to a challenge nor scared of standing up to the testosteronal bravado of the dads. She had riled the other mums into a frenzy and it didn't take long before the `mum team' was absolutely dominating the event.

After the teams had all taken place, a few other races kicked off, including one just for the younger kids and a dad race' that was clearly intended simply to allow the men to regain some dignity after being soundly thrashed by their wives. Next followed the Smith race' which had seen Mr and Mrs Smith, Aisling, Blane, Finn and Chris all squaring off, much to the amusement of the younger siblings.

As the races continued, Josh found himself increasingly the centre of attention. While outdoor heaters had been set up in the spectators area for the comfort of those not racing, many of the others continued to worry over Josh being out for so long, much to his annoyance. Despite his constant insistence he was fine, it gradually became apparent that the cold was getting to him and he was starting to feel a bit iffy.

There was a brief squabble over who would take Josh back over to the Guest Building, which Mark had eventually won with a slightly uncomfortable declaration of, "It's not like I'm gonna be needed for a race against my family, is it!" It had won the argument and he wandered back across the grounds alongside a blanket-wrapped Josh.

"That was fun," Josh said, disappointed to be leaving before it was finished, but still glad to have been able to be part of the merriment.

"Yeah, Chris' mum's a bad-ass!" Mark chuckled.

"David's dads make a good team too!" Josh agreed happily. "It's nice, isn't it," he said thoughtfully. As Mark looked at him while they walked, he continued, "Like... seeing a gay couple, like... a proper grown-up one who've done the whole, like, family thing and are good parents and... well... normal!"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Mark said slightly wistfully. Not wanting to let himself get too melancholy, he quickly moved the conversation on and said, "It's so weird seeing Mikey as a big brother. I swear I thought he was an only child for the first year I knew him!"

"Yeah, he... it's complicated," Josh nodded, pursing his lips contemplatively.

"But then I can't even imagine what it's like having brothers or sisters anyway, and definitely not as many as Chris has!" Mark added.

"Technically I have more than he does!" Josh stated, almost proudly as they reached the door to the Guest Building and headed inside. As he got a frown from Mark, he said, "Legally, every other Son of Kingswood' is my brother, which means I have hundreds! Did you know the first Son of Kingswood' was made a ward of the school back in 1945?"

"Huh, I did not," Mark commented, surprised by the fact and glad to hear Josh talking so cheerfully about brothers, considering the awful ones he had been born with.

Josh nodded proudly. "Jack likes to teach us about our history," he explained. "It's weird that he's my legal guardian but legally also my brother," he said with a slight chuckle as they started slowly up the stairs, "But yeah, the school closed down for a while during World War Two and when it reopened, there were boys who'd lost their whole family, so they were adopted by the school and it started the whole Sons of Kingswood thing."

"Hnnh, cool," Mark nodded, thinking back to his old school as he replied, "I can't even imagine King Edwards doing that. They'd probably see some orphans and be, like, `get over it, you little pussies' rather than giving them a home!"

Josh sighed as he nodded, then smiled at Mark and said, "I'm really glad you got out of there!"

"Me too," Mark agreed as he held the door to the dorm open for Josh, "It's getting better there, but... I'm still so much happier here!"

"I'm happier having you here too," Josh said as he tossed aside the blanket and took off his coat.

Mark smiled at the comment then watched as Josh got into bed. "You want me to stay with you for a bit?" he asked softly.

"No need," Josh sighed as he pulled the covers up, "I think I'm already asleep, but thanks!"

"Okay, sleep tight, see ya later," Mark said quietly as he headed back out. He stopped the door just before it closed and looked through, smiling contentedly at the peaceful-looking boy before heading off.

Danny had spent the morning so far avoiding anyone involved in the previous night's activities. Things weren't particularly weird with Dom and the others from his dorm, but considering how often he got slut-shamed for the slightest thing, it felt almost inevitable that comments were coming. Peter and Xavier Brown, David's dads, seemed to be giving Danny a wide berth, presumably either embarrassed or annoyed about Danny's intrusion. It was Mr Rudd that Danny was most keen to avoid and he managed it fairly successfully... until he didn't!

Emerging from the locker room after cleaning off from the obstacle course, Danny had found the teacher waiting for him. He simply gestured to his old office and stood by the door as Danny timidly wandered in.

"You're going to say things now, aren't you!" Danny said glumly without making eye contact.

"I would imagine so," Mr Rudd said as he shut the door and perched against his desk as he looked the boy up and down. "What exactly do you think I'm going to say?" he asked leadingly.

"That it was Christmas, it's good to be jolly and in the spirit of the season you're letting it slide?" Danny suggested, venturing a cautious smile. As he saw the man's unimpressed expression, he cringed a little and said, "I'm guessing that's not it, then?"

"No, not quite," Mr Rudd said with a disapproving headshake. He let out a sigh and said, "Danny!" Waiting for the boy to look at him, once eye contact was made he asked simply, "What were you thinking?"

Danny scowled slightly. "I was thinking of the forty other people out there and not wanting to ruin any of their Christmases by being all... me!" Danny said bitterly.

"And you think alcohol is the way to do that?" Mr Rudd asked flatly.

"I think alcohol is A way to do that," Danny replied flippantly, "Maybe it wasn't the best one, but hey, I can't be held accountable for what I do when I'm drunk!"

"Danny, this isn't funny!" Mr Rudd said angrily, "Can you understand why I'm so concerned about this?"

"Ugh, god, you're so annoying!" Danny huffed. Scowling at the man, he ranted, "I scratched my hand a bit and you nag me to stop, so I stop. I work out a lot and you tell me to stop, so I stop. I drink just ONE day to avoid fucking up everyone's day and guess what... shocker... you tell me to stop! That's ALL you do... except when it comes to fucking, I don't hear you telling me to stop that because YOU get to enjoy that too, but anything that helps me and you're all `no, stop that, bad Danny, stop being the world's biggest screw-up'. It's annoying and unfair and... and... mean!"

Mr Rudd stared at Danny for a moment, then turned to walk around the desk and sat down. He rested his elbow on the desk, his hand rubbing his jaw for a moment as he thought to himself. Looking at Danny once more, he nodded and said, "You're right. I have... not been fair to you!"

Danny deflated slightly. He was almost shaking with rage after he ranted at the teacher, fully expecting the man's fury to rain down upon him, so the quiet admission knocked his expectations slightly.

"And I know you're aware of... similar mistakes I made with Josh," Mr Rudd said, frowning thoughtfully as he contemplated the inappropriate beginnings of the relationship with his surrogate son. "I..." Mr Rudd started, but shook his head, unable – or unwilling – to articulate what he was thinking.

"No!" Danny said feebly, only holding back tears through sheer bloody-mindedness, "Please... please don't let this... us... be something else I've fucked up, please! I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, I was just angry!" He was panting heavily, desperate not to let the floodgates open and sob, as he felt like if he started, he may never stop. "I didn't mean it!" he said mournfully.

"Oh, Danny, no," Mr Rudd said, rushing back round his desk to place both hands on the distressed boy's shoulders. "Don't apologise for saying what you feel. That's probably the most honest you've been with me since all of this started!"

Danny sniffled slightly and nodded up at the man. "You haven't been unfair to me! Please... please don't get upset about the stuff we've done," he pleaded. "Cos if you get upset about it, then... you might stop it and I don't want that!"

"What DO you want, Danny?" Mr Rudd asked frankly.

"I want to..." Danny started, but paused for a moment until he looked up at the man and received a gentle nod back. "I want to stop feeling angry all the time. I want to stop messing everything up. I want to have sex. Lots and lots of sex and I want people to shut the fuck up about it when I do!"

Mr Rudd chuckled slightly at the painful honesty, but shook his head and said, "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, Danny."

"It's okay, I get it, but... sir... Mister..." Danny tried to address the man. His brow furrowed briefly as he nodded confidently to himself then said, "Max!"

Mr Rudd smiled at the confident use of his name.

"I want all of those things, but I also want you to be okay, because... you're important to Josh and to me and... and if doing stuff with me makes you feel... NOT okay, then yeah, you should stop, but I hope you don't!" Danny explained. "I'm getting help and I'm GOING to start talking to the people that matter to me about what's going on and I WILL get better, but... I want your help to get there and sometimes that help will be stopping me from doing stupid things like drinking and sometimes that help will be fucking me til I scream!"

Mr Rudd stared at the boy for a moment, bewildered and amused in equal measure. "You are a VERY unusual... but very special young man, Danny," Mr Rudd said, pausing to sigh heartily. "But okay, let's... keep working towards both of us feeling better!"

"And I promise, no more drinking, but..." Danny paused, unsure if he was actually in a position to make demands. Determined to be honest, he steeled himself and said, "You're going to unlock the gym!"

"Oh I am, am I?" Mr Rudd asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I hope so," Danny said slightly timidly, flashing a cautious smile. "I know you're worried I'm overdoing it, but... it's a safe place for me and... one of the few places I actually feel in control of anything. Not being able to go..." he trailed off awkwardly.

Mr Rudd inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as he nodded. "It drove you to drink," he nodded, realising his mistake, "Okay, I get it, I'm sorry. Cutting you off cold turkey was clearly not the right move, but I NEED you to promise me..."

"I won't over do it!" Danny interjected before the teacher even needed to ask.

"Good lad," Mr Rudd said, smiling proudly before pulling Danny into a hug.

"So... did you finish up with Edward last night?" Danny asked with a grin as he pulled back.

Mr Rudd laughed at the quick return to form. "No. Funnily enough, we weren't QUITE in the mood anymore!" doing his best to look annoyed.

"That's a shame. I think Edward probably needed it. He's wound WAY too tight!" Danny said thoughtfully. His eyes suddenly flashed mischievously as he said, "Wait, so you didn't get to finish and I never found anyone else to fuck me. I'm no genius, but even I can see an easy solution to both problems!"

"Abstinence?" Mr Rudd said with a coy smirk.

"Ugh, you keep that filthy word away from me," Danny scoffed, then grinned and said, "But you don't need to keep anything else away!"

"Wow, you weren't kidding, you really do wants lots of sex!" Mr Rudd smirked, then cocked his head briefly and said, "Not exactly shocking news, I'll admit!"

Danny giggled dirtily at the comment, then asked, "So whadda you say? Wanna take me for a ride? Or maybe it's time for me to take YOU for a ride!"

Mr Rudd smiled briefly, then cocked his head as a thought occurred to him. "You... you've said before you want to top me, right?" he enquired gently.

Danny nodded eagerly.

"Safe to assume you still want to, so... how about this?" Mr Rudd mused, taking a few steps back to lean on his desk as he looked Danny up and down. "You say you're working to... to... tackle your issues and improve your mental health, so why don't we give you a goal... with a reward when you hit it!" he suggested with a gentle head bob.

A grin spread across Danny's face as he nodded and said, "That's the sort of thing Blane used to say to get me working through my physio after the accident!"

"And it worked?" Mr Rudd asked curiously.

Danny nodded.

"Great, then... hmm..." Mr Rudd paused, humming thoughtfully. "Improving your mental health as a goal is slightly... nebulous!" As Danny's brow furrowed in confusion at the word, Mr Rudd smirked and said, "A bit vague and undefined!"

"I knew that," Danny lied poorly with a shy chuckle.

"So how about this?" Mr Rudd said, stepping forward again. He placed his hands on both of Danny's shoulders and stroked his hands down the boy's arms gently and back up, keeping eye contact with him. "You start talking to the people in your life and engaging with Doc Arkwright and doing what you need to do. I know that if you do that, you'll start feeling better about things, mostly because I genuinely believe there isn't anything you can't do if you put your mind to it!"

Danny tried to hold back a proud grin but it easily broke through.

"So when the day comes that you can sit there and think, honestly, that you feel good, about yourself and about your issues and everything," Mr Rudd explained, "On that day, when you can honestly think that, you come to me and... we will celebrate it!"

"With me railing you!" Danny said with a wide cheesy grin.

"You have such a delicate way with words," Mr Rudd smirked, then nodded and continued, "But yes, with that!"

"Wow, you really know how to make a guy want to work, don't you!" Danny said before leaning forward to rest his cheek on the man's chest, his arms casually gripping around him.

"Hey, know your audience, it's important," Mr Rudd chuckled. "So for now, why don't I, how did you put it... rail you?"

"Ooooh, you REALLY know your audience!" Danny cooed as he pulled back, staring happily at the man.

"And then... after lunch... why don't we go for a workout together?" Mr Rudd suggested.

Danny had looked excited at the prospect of sex, but looked almost tearful at the further suggestion. Nodding emphatically, he replied, "I'd really like that!" They shared a prolonged stare for a moment before Danny unceremoniously yanked down his sweatpants and underwear in a single gesture, turned and declared, "Ready to go! Get it in me, big boy!"

Mr Rudd burst into laughter as he reached out, threw an arm back around Danny and pulled him tight, playfully kissing at his neck for a moment. "You should write poetry!" he giggled as he pulled away to begin undressing.

Less than two minutes later, the teacher was sat naked on the sofa with Danny slowly easing himself down onto a thick meaty erection. Both let out happy moans as the cock slowly worked its way in. Mr Rudd kissed delicately at Danny's smooth back, pecking gentle trails up and down his spine as his hands reached round to caress the boy's muscular torso.

As Danny felt the full meaty girth of the teacher's dick inside him, he relaxed a little and leaned back against the beefy chest and stomach, letting his head loll back onto the man's shoulder.

Mr Rudd nibbled at Danny's neck for a moment, arms tightly wrapped around him as he bucked his hips slightly to bounce the boy on his cock. He heard a sound from Danny that was somewhere between content groan and wistful sigh. "You're gonna be okay, buddy," he whispered gently.

"You promise?" Danny whispered back.

"I promise!" Mr Rudd replied softly. He delivered another kiss on the boy's neck and heard a happy chuckle in response, then reached out to grasp Danny's legs, just above his knees, allowing him to lift the boy fully. Raising him several centimetres, he dropped him back down as he thrust his hips upwards again, impaling the tight bubble butt once more. He quickly repeated the gesture, bouncing Danny on his throbbing tool.

Danny let out pleasured gasps as the burly man fucked him, while his hand found its way to his own dick. It was raging hard with the tip wet and slippery from a gentle oozing of precum. He happily slicked the rest of his erection with the slippery goo and began stroking in time with the bounces. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to forget everything else. All that existed was his hand and his cock, his butt and Mr Rudd's meaty rod, his body and the beefy torso it pressed against.

Danny felt the girthy tool spurting out a sizeable load inside him, but it didn't really register in his mind, he was too caught up in his trancelike enjoyment of the moment. It was only when his own dick spurted up a load over himself that he felt reality creeping back in. Letting his arms flop to his sides, he felt the teacher release his legs. The chunky arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly as they caught their collective breaths.

"You're gonna be okay, buddy!" Mr Rudd whispered once again.

Danny just mewed happily. While it genuinely didn't feel possible to stop feeling the way he had been feeling lately, he trusted the man beneath him. If he said it was all going to be okay... then Danny believed him.

Lunch had been as lively as all the other mealtimes so far during the mass gathering, spurred on by some lingering rivalries and camaraderie from the morning's activities. The afternoon had been planned to continue making the most of the unusually pleasant weather. Mr Rudd had offered to lead a hike through the woodlands surrounding the school and Kingswood Lake.

As the afternoon was so intensively physical, Josh had opted out, intending to take the time to catch up on a bit of his schoolwork to help him be as ready as possible for a potential return to actual classes in the new term. Despite offers of support from virtually everyone, he had insisted he was happier working alone and at his own pace, intending to flit between schoolwork and naps as required. He had the on-site nursing staff available if he needed assistance, available at just the push of his emergency alert button, so everyone else had piled out for the hike.

The large group had barely made its way across the main school grounds, the children and teens already playing around and rough housing, before things started kicking off in the Corbyn family. "Hey go easy there," Mrs Corbyn had called out as she saw Gareth playing a little roughly with his twin sister.

<<There they go, protecting their REAL children!>>

"I literally just got punched," Mikey huffed, having just received a playful nudge from Danny, "But no, we gotta protect PRECIOUS little Mel. Fuck Mikey, right!"

"Don't put words in your mother's mouth!" Mr Corbyn said back firmly but quietly, keen to avoid making a scene.

<<More like your prison warden!>>

"Mother? Yeah, right!" Mikey scoffed.

"Michael!" Mr Corbyn snapped sharply, not even needing to look at his wife to know the comment had hit hard.

<<Call him something nasty!>>

"Yes, Eddy?" Mikey sneered back, using the nickname the other adults knew him by.

<<Not nasty but still effective. Good job. I'd have gone with Eddison, keep it formal, but good job anyway!>>

"Hey, Mikey, come on," Nicky tried to urge his friend as he walked closer to him, worried this was going to escalate.

<<God, he's so annoying. He doesn't know what it's like having these cunts for parents!>>

"Piss off," Mikey huffed. "Run back to mummy and daddy!" he said angrily to Nicky, glancing over at Mr and Mrs Jones.

"Mikey, you're being very rude!" Mrs Corbyn said angrily, "Stop it right now and behave or we're going back!"

<<Wow, she's got a nerve trying to fucking parent you!>>

<<Kick her in the tits!>>

<<Call her Karen. Women hate that I think!>>

Mikey snorted with laughter as he glared at his mother. "Look at you. It's so cute when you try and PRETEND to be my mum!" he sneered venomously.

"STOP IT!"

While the growing argument had already drawn most of the group's attention, the yell firmly drew everyone's eye. Surprisingly, it hadn't come from any of the Corbyns. Instead, it was Mark who stood towering over Mikey, looking utterly furious.

"I'm so SICK of this!" he snapped at Mikey. "You're acting like an absolute brat. I don't know what your issue is with your mum and dad, but they haven't done ANYTHING to deserve you talking to them like that. You always go on and on about how awful they are, but guess what... they're HERE. They're here for YOU. They actually showed up and they're showing an actual fucking interest. That's more than some parents do and they actually seem to care about you which makes NO sense because you're a hateful, angry little twat and you don't deserve them. Do you have ANY idea what it's like to have a family who actually DOESN'T care about you, cos I don't think you have a clue so shut up, stop being a little bitch and enjoy the fact you even HAVE a family!"

"Hey, hey, easy," Mr Corbyn said, stepping forward to place a hand on both Mark and Mikey's shoulders before anything more physical could kick off between.

Mark looked furious while Mikey had gradually shrunk inwards with every word shouted at him.

The rest of the group was already doing their best to move on, urged by the other parents mostly to shield the younger kids from it.

Mikey shook his head a looked round, almost like he had woken up from a trance. He looked to his dad, then over at his mum and Nicky who had remained close by, then to Mark. "I... I'm... I'm sorry," he said, barely above a whisper, almost in tears.

"Maybe we should go back and have a talk," Mr Corbyn said, rubbing Mikey's shoulder.

"No," Mikey said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I was just... I... I can't explain it, but... can we just carry on. It won't happen again, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

Mrs Corbyn moved close and rubbed Mikey's back gently, offering the boy a meek smile as she said, "Let's enjoy our afternoon and talk more later, okay!"

Mikey nodded as he said again, "I'm sorry!"

Mark backed away gently. "I'm sorry," he said too, though it was mostly to Mikey's parents. "I... I was..." he trailed off, not sure what to say, the outburst seemingly having caught him by surprise as much as it had everyone else. "I think... I think I'm gonna head back," he said shakily.

"No, don't, I'm sorry Mark!" Mikey pleaded.

"It's okay," Mark said back with a nod. He took a breath and said, "I'm okay, I just... think I need some time to think. Maybe... maybe there's some stuff I need to say to my own parents!"

"You sure you're okay on your own?" Nicky asked cautiously, weary of leaving Mikey but equally worried about Mark.

Mark nodded, then finally smiled as he said, "I'll probably hang out with Josh!"

"Oh, say no more," Nicky chuckled a little awkwardly.

With a brief goodbye, and a few words of support from Mr and Mrs Corbyn to Mark, offering to talk later too, Mark headed back off across the grounds as the others followed Mr Rudd and the rest of the families into the woods. Reaching into his pocket, Mark briefly considered calling his parents. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he looked at the message that he had sent them the previous day, to wish them a Happy Christmas. It wasn't just unanswered, it hadn't even been read! Letting out a grunt of sheer frustration, he angrily threw his phone at the ground.

Stopping immediately, he let out a dejected moan at his own anger, staring down at the phone. "Well, that was fucking stupid!" he huffed as he reached down to pick it up. He tapped the shattered screen in hopes it somehow still worked, but it appeared he had completely broken it. "Fuck my life," he sighed as he dropped it back into his pocket.

As he neared the Guest Building, he considered heading straight for Josh, but decided against it. While he knew seeing the other boy would cheer him up, he didn't want to burden Josh with his bad mood, so instead he headed for one of the recreation rooms to sit and chill out for a while. His solitude didn't last long. Without a phone for entertainment or anyone to talk to, he got bored quickly and started wandering up towards the dorms.

Already worrying over the inevitable conversations he would have with his friends when they got back, particularly Mikey, he wandered into his room fairly absent-mindedly. He was shutting the door already before he even realised Josh was staring at him. "Hey," he said with a smile, but it dropped quickly as he saw Josh's expression. As he saw Josh's gaze dart across the room, he looked across and saw a young man standing in the corner.

He looked to be in his early twenties, sporting jet black hair and, despite his hefty build, fairly delicate features. His eyes were wide, flitting anxiously between Josh and Mark.

"Oh, I... umm..." Mark started, confused by the stranger's presence. He looked back to the other side of the room and asked, "Josh?"

"Umm, this is... my brother... Mark. I mean, he's... he's also called Mark, I wasn't just, like... saying your name!" Josh stuttered shakily, giving a very visibly forced smile.

"Oh, hi," Mark said with a smile as he looked back. "I didn't know any more Sons of Kingswood were visiting today!" he said cheerily.

"They're not!" the other Mark said with a slight scowl.

"No, Mark," Josh called out, gulping a little. As Mark looked back round at him, he shook his head and said, "He's not... a Son of Kingswood, he's... my birth brother!"

"Oh!" Mark exclaimed in surprise, though it only took a split second for the implications of it to really strike as his eyes widened. "Oh!" he said more harshly as he stared at the new arrival. Keeping eye contact, he took a slight step towards the door.

Josh's brother surged forward, brandishing a knife as he snarled, "Don't!"

"He's gonna kill him!" Chris said, shaking his head as they stood on the grassy bank of Kingswood Lake.

"Hmm, I don't think he will," Danny replied quietly, shaking his head as he glanced round at Mikey who was currently standing watch over his younger siblings as they played around near the lakeside. Things with the Corbyn family seemed positively peaceful now, though they had remained a constant talking point amongst everyone else.

"Come on, for what Mark said? I've seen Mikey kill a man for less!" Chris scoffed.

"You haven't seen him kill anyone, stop exaggerating!" Danny said with a bemused headshake.

"Tell that to Fred Johnson!" Chris said, shaking his head. As he got a confused headshake from Danny, he went on, "No, you don't remember him, do you? That's cos Mikey killed him and now he's not even a memory. Poor little Fred!"

"You are SO stupid sometimes," Danny sniggered at Chris' playfulness.

"I know," Chris said with a cheesy grin, "It's why you love me!"

"Aww, babe," Danny said, holding tightly onto Chris' arm, "I don't love you FOR your stupidity, I love you DESPITE it!"

"Hey, all I heard was you saying you love me twice! I'll take it!" Chris chuckled before leaning over to peck his boyfriend on the cheek.

"Oh, puke!" a voice suddenly intruded from behind them. They looked round to see both of their big sisters, Beth and Aisling, standing there shaking their heads.

"Ignore their jealousy. It's not pretty," Chris said with a smirk.

"Jealous of you two lil gobshites?!" Aisling scoffed, "I hardly think so!" It got a chuckle from Beth.

Danny rolled his eyes at the two young women who had been chatting together a lot over the last few days. "I always had a feeling you two'd get on well, you both suffer from the same afflictions!"

"Ooh, afflictions, good word!" Chris muttered happily.

"Oh yeah, and what `afflictions' would they be?" Beth asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at her little brother.

"Well the first one is thinking you're funnier you are," Danny started, raising one finger.

"So true!" Chris agreed, smirking.

"And the second one, being female!" Danny said, raising a second finger. As it got a snort of laughter from Chris, he shook his head and added, "Sadly neither of which are curable!"

"Daniel," Beth said, stepping forward to place an arm around Danny's neck, which tightened quickly into more of a headlock, "Need I remind you that I know VERY embarrassing things about you that I am VERY willing to share with literally anyone who will listen!"

"Yeah, that's what I said," Danny said, quickly backtracking as he choked a little, "You're both so funny and very pretty and generally wonderful young ladies!"

Aisling and Chris both laughed as Beth squeezed momentarily tighter, making Danny's eyes bulge playfully before letting him go.

"Aww, so kind," Beth said with a lop-sided smile.

"So... are things always so... lively around here?" Aisling asked, nodding in the general direction of the Corbyn family.

"You kidding? Today's been a quiet one!" Chris said with a dismissive headshake. "Normally by now we'd have had a life-threatening injury, a life-changing revelation of a long-lost relative, three secret affairs and a dramatic declaration of love!" Chris continued jokingly, much to the amusement of their sisters, then added, "And that's just from me and Danny!"

"Heyyy!" Danny whined. "In my defence, I haven't been involved in anything like that for AGES," Danny said with a dismissive shrug.

"Oh, I reckon you've had your moments," Beth said coyly. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at her little brother, pausing a moment to see if he would catch on. When he seemed not to, she asked pointedly, "How's your head today?"

It got an immediate flinch from Danny.

"No complaints from me," Chris quickly chimed on, grinning.

"Eww, eww, eww," Aisling said, shaking her head, "Not what I need to hear, bro!" She got a look from Beth and nodded, knowing she had been wanting to get her little brother alone. "Come on. You need to come help me save Nicky from the twins!" she said, leading Chris away as she grabbed him in a headlock much like the one Danny had just received.

Not wanting to give his sister the pleasure of knowing it was bothering him, Chris didn't respond to the hold and just replied as casually as he could, "Okay, see ya later guys!"

Once he was alone with Beth, Danny sighed and asked, "Who told you?"

"Nobody," Beth said, shaking her head, "The only smell I recognise more than alcohol breath is alcohol breath poorly disguised by mints! It's NOT as subtle as you seemed to think it was!"

"Okay, it was one time, well technically I tasted vodka once a while back but literally just a taste and I ended up staying off it to be the sober friend while everyone else was drinking, and yesterday was the only time I've EVER drunk enough for it to affect me and it was a one-time thing and a teacher's already had a go at me for it and it won't be happening again and please don't tell mum and dad!" Danny ranted desperately, getting almost the entire thing out in one breath.

"Hmmm," Beth hummed thoughtfully, eyeing her little brother suspiciously.

"Beth, please, I mean it. Yesterday was... not a good day for me!" Danny said, annoyed at feeling forced to reveal anything at all, but desperate to avoid the admonishment of his parents. "I REALLY don't need mum on my back too!" Danny pleaded.

"It was really a one-off?" Beth asked, getting an immediate nod back. "Which teacher? The big muscley one?" she asked.

Danny tried to suppress a smile, but it slipped through briefly as he nodded again.

"Okay, putting aside the mental trauma of realising I may have the same taste in men as my little brother," Beth said, getting an even bigger smirk from Danny, "If you PROMISE me it's not part of some... bigger problem, then... fine, secret stays with me! For now!"

Danny went to nod again, but stopped to think about the `big muscley one' and their conversation earlier. Mr Rudd put so much faith in Danny, he trusted him to actually start handling the problems. Danny didn't want to let the man down, so he took a deep breath in and back out. "It... it actually is part of a bigger problem!" he admitted shakily.

The hint of a smile dropped from Beth's face as she cocked her head sympathetically.

"But... it's a problem I'm... I'm dealing with," Danny said awkwardly. Seeing Beth look unconvinced, he added, "With adult help. The school doctor's already working with me and so's the sexy, sexy muscle man!"

They both tried to hold back for a moment but ended up bursting into laughter.

Beth was first to stop laughing. Shaking her head slightly, she said, "You know I'm always here if you need anything!"

"I do," Danny nodded. "In fact..." he paused to look around at the various students, teachers and family members, "... I know I've got a LOT of that on offer and I've promised to start using it, but... thanks!"

"No problem, and... not that I'm advocating it," Beth said with a smirk, "But try lemon water or peanut butter next time. Hides the smell much better!"

"Thanks," Danny laughed, "But there won't be a next time. I've tried the alcohol thing and... terrible idea. Never again!" As he got a grin from his sister, he frowned as a question came to him. As Beth started to walk away, he called after her, "Wait, how do you know those things work?" She just grinned back at him. "Beth, come on!" Danny called out, running after her.

Mark had taken a seat on Josh's bed instinctively moving closer to the other boy after seeing the knife. The two boys were now sitting side-by-side as they leaned on the wall. The medical alarm button Josh carried was long gone, seemingly taken by his older brother to stop him alerting anyone. Mark's phone had also been handed over, even though it was basically useless now that it was smashed anyway.

Between the two terrified teens, Josh's hand was gripped tightly in Mark's. Mark had tried to speak a couple of times, but each time he did, Josh's brother told him to stop, growing increasingly and visibly irate. Mark had not made any further attempts for fear of agitating him further and now sat as silently as Josh. Since then, the knife-wielding man had been pacing back and forth in front of them, shooting occasional glances at Josh.

After several minutes, Josh finally tried to speak as he started, "Mark, what are you..."

"SHUT UP!" the furious man yelled. "My name isn't Mark. That... that was..." He stopped, shaking his head as his face screwed up. "They named me after dad and... and... and I don't deserve to be called that! I don't get to be Mark, not anymore! Not after what I did!"

"Then... what's your name now?" Josh asked with surprising calmness.

"Tate. Call me Tate!" the brother-formerly-known-as-Mark insisted.

Mark stared at Josh wide-eyed, unsure what their next move was. Once again it was Josh who spoke up to ask, "Okay, then... Tate... what do you want?"

Mark gulped slightly at the question, his hand gripping a little tighter. At first, he had been unsure how long Josh had been alone with his brother, but it was becoming increasingly obvious he had arrived only shortly before Mark.

"I want to help you!" Tate said, staring wide-eyed at his little brother as he stopped his pacing in front of him.

"With a knife?" Josh asked slightly flippantly. He felt Mark's hand squeeze his own again and realised he probably needed to dial back a bit, but it was too late as Tate's eyes virtually flashed with rage.

Tate's face screwed up angrily. "No. Not with a knife!" he barked aggressively, waving it a little. "This... this was... this was just in case they tried to stop me!" he said, pointing the large blade at Mark. It looked like it had most likely just been retrieved from the kitchen, very clearly a cooking implement rather than an intentionally offensive weapon. "I... I waited. I waited until I could get you alone. I hoped I wouldn't need it," he explained to his brother, then scowled at Mark and added bitterly, "But then... then YOU had to come along!" He waved the knife sinisterly.

Mark recoiled at the gesture, but despite the obvious fear for his own safety, turned his body slightly to shield Josh.

Josh stroked Mark's arm gently as he said to Tate, "You could let him leave, then it'd be just the two of us and we can talk alone."

Tate scoffed and stated, "Oh, what, so he can go and call the police and tell them there's some... some... crazy person with a knife talking to Joshua!"

"Josh!" Josh snapped, his calmness disappearing for a moment. He quickly composed himself and said, "If you get to be Tate, then I'm Josh. JUST Josh. Not Joshua!"

"Josh!" Tate said with a nod as he stepped back and started pacing again, "Yeah, yeah I heard you'd... you'd changed it... legally. Josh... Josh it is!" he said, nodding to himself.

Silence hung heavily for a few moments, aside from the sound of Tate's pacing and all three breathing a little heavily from the collective anxiousness.

Mark finally dared to speak as he said shakily, "You... said you wanted to help..."

"SHUT UP!" Tate snapped, but didn't gesture with the knife this time. "I'm not here to talk to you, I'm here to talk to my brother!"

"I'm not your brother!" Josh sneered angrily.

Tate stared furiously for a moment, then stepped back and sat down onto David's bunk as he dropped his face into his hands and began to cry.

Mark looked round at Josh then nodded towards the door. Although Josh looked reluctant, he began to shuffle forward.

As soon as he heard movement, Tate raised his head, waved the knife towards the two boys and screamed, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Josh and Mark both pressed back against the wall again.

Tate jumped to his feet, cheeks still streaked with tears as he moved over towards the door without turning away from Josh and Mark. His eyes darted about the room, seemingly looking for something. Reaching out with his free hand, he pulled at the wardrobe next to the door. It didn't move, having been secured to the wall for safety to prevent tipping. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he muttered angrily to himself. "You!" he said, pointing the knife at Mark. "Lift that. Tip it over and block the door!" he said, pointing to Rob's bunk, alongside Josh's.

Mark got up slowly, being careful not to make any sudden moves. It was a strain, but he managed to lift the end of the bed, slowly working it up to stand on its end then pushed it so that it tipped it over. He gave it an extra hard push, hoping the sound of the impact against the door might alert somebody, though he knew the rest of the building was probably still empty. He hadn't heard or seen anyone else since getting back.

"Okay, okay... okay, okay," Tate said, nodding to himself as he paced, looking round again with the knife still raised. He glanced to the large window at the other end of the room and said, "The...desk. Tip it up, block the window!"

Mark complied, moving sideways down the dorm to keep facing the aggressor the whole way. He tipped the desk up and flipped it onto its end, the mess of items on top clattering to the ground loudly. It wasn't enough to fully block the window but was certainly enough to make any escape through it problematic.

"Sit back down!" Tate barked. As Mark took a step back towards Josh, Tate snapped, "Not with him! You... you... sit there!" He pointed to the corner.

Mark shot Josh a nervous look, not wanting to leave him unprotected, but got a gentle nod back. He sat down on the ground where Tate had pointed. As he gave the area a furtive scan, he spotted the medical alarm across the room, where it had seemingly been thrown by Tate after removing it from Josh. Even if he could get to it without being stabbed, it wasn't like any of the nursing staff could get through the barricaded door anyway.

"Tate!" Josh said, turning the young man's attention back to him, "You said you want to help?"

"Yeah, yeah... yeah, my... my blood. I mean, my... umm... stem cells. That's it. You... you need a donor, don't you?" Tate stammered shakily. "You... need someone to..."

"No!" Josh said coldly, "Not from you!"

"I'm your best chance!" Tate said, eyes wide as his brow furrowed angrily.

"No. You're NO chance. You're not an option!" Josh insisted, virtually trembling with rage as he stared down the young man who had made the first eleven years of his life a living hell.

"But... But I could... I could match!" Tate said, taking a step back, confused by the boy's refusal.

"I don't care!" Josh said, shaking his head as his face screwed up petulantly. It was a conversation he had been through with both Rob and Mr Rudd on more than one occasion. He had been angry any time it was mentioned, but actually seeing his brother was truly infuriating. The only thing holding him back from saying or doing more was his fear of what might happen to Mark if he did.

"I could... be a match..." Tate repeated, like the refusal hadn't even registered.

"I don't care!" Josh repeated. "I need you to understand this. I would rather die. I would rather let the cancer come back and have it eat away at me and die slowly and painfully than accept help from you or have ANY part of you inside me. Do you get that?"

Mark's eyes flitted anxiously back and forth between Josh and Tate, readying himself to move if there was any sign of aggression.

"SHUT UP!" Tate snapped furiously. "You're... you're just... being stupid. You don't mean that, you're just... just... pissed."

Josh snorted with laughter for a brief moment. "Pissed?" he scoffed. "You have NO idea what you're talking about! I'm not pissed. I'm not angry. There aren't even words to describe how I feel about you and how much I HATE you!"

Tate glared at the boy for a few moments then stepped back and sat down again. He placed the knife at his side as he shook his head. "You think I don't get that? You think I don't hate MYSELF that much?" he asked with a headshake.

"What, am I supposed to feel SORRY for you?" Josh recoiled, not even attempting to hide his utter disgust at the entire thing.

Mark tensed up, terrified of what Josh was saying and what it might cause Tate to do.

"No," Tate said, looking down at the ground.

After silence had hung between them for several seconds, Josh stated, "I lied! When Ryan came here to give me his shitty apology, I lied to him!"

Tate looked up at the boy, staring blankly.

"I told him I wasn't okay, I told him I was amazing, that I was over it, that him and you... you have no power over me anymore, but that was a lie because you do. You... you infected me with your HATE and it's something I can never be rid of! It's part of me and YOU did it to me!" Josh spat angrily, as if even acknowledging the effect his brothers had on him left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I... I know..." Tate said shakily.

Josh scoffed, shaking his head in disgust. "You know, for a while there I tried to justify it, why you'd done what you did," Josh said, shuffling forward a little. "I told myself that... that you knew him, you KNEW dad so when you lost him it was harder for you than it was for me cos I never did know him, but... that doesn't matter!" Josh explained. "I get that something's wrong with your head and it made you BLAME me for dad, but that's not an excuse for the things you did to me!"

"I'm sorry," Tate said, not even able to look the boy in the eye.

"You... you're... you're sorry?" Josh scoffed. "You can fuck ALL the way off with your `sorry'. What, you're sorry snapped my arm for FUN, are you?" he demanded furiously.

"Stay back!" Tate snapped as Josh shuffled forward again. He reached out to pick the knife back up.

"He did that, y'know," Josh said, glancing round at Mark, "They snapped my arm. Literally broke the bone!" As Mark recoiled and Tate shuddered, Josh looked back to his brother and went on, "And you're sorry you held me under water and laughed as I struggled and panicked and almost drowned... and then made out you'd been trying to help me?" Josh snarled. He heard another gasp from Mark, with whom he had never really shared the finer details of the horrific things he had endured in his childhood. "D'you know how I lost my virginity?" he asked as he looked round at Mark again.

"No, Joshua, please..." Tate whimpered.

"JOSH!" Josh screamed furiously as he stood, "IT'S JOSH!"

The scream seemed to shock Tate from his stupor and he reached out to shove Josh back. As the younger boy fell back onto his bed, Mark jumped to his feet.

"Stay there!" Tate snapped, waving the knife at Mark who dropped back down, looking round at Josh who seemed shaken but unhurt.

"He invited some friends round," Josh said calmly.

"Josh, don't!" Tate said, shaking his head excessively as he paced again.

"He told them I wanted to TRY some things! He told them it was MY idea and that I'd ASKED to do things with them," Josh went on.

"Josh!" Tate repeated, panting as he brandished the knife at the distressed teen who was struggling to sit up.

Josh seemed unbothered by the knife, or maybe just indifferent to the possibility of it being used on him. Although he appeared to be speaking to Mark, he kept his eyes fixed on Tate as he went on, "He told me if I resisted them, or told them it wasn't my idea, or tried to get help from ANYONE that him and Ryan would cut my throat!" Josh's tears were only held back by the blinding rage coursing through him.

"Stop it!" Tate panted angrily, standing over Josh, still holding the knife out.

Josh looked round at Mark who had tears in his eyes, then back to Tate and said, barely above a whisper, "I was seven years old!" He sniffed heavily as a tear rolled down each cheek. "Do you get that?!" he asked his brother, allowing a moment to let him think about it. "I was just seven and I LET your friends do those things to me... because I KNEW that you actually would kill me if I didn't!"

"I... I..." Tate stuttered, returning to his anxious pacing. He suddenly turned as he heard movement and pointed the knife back to Mark, who was on his feet. "Stay there!" he snapped.

"No!" Mark said firmly as he paced across the room, climbed onto the bed and held Josh as he burst into heavy sobs.

"WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HELP YOU?" Tate screamed before he turned and started stabbing at the empty bed in a fit of furious rage. "I JUST WANT TO HELP YOU!" he yelled as he unleashed his aggression on the mattress.

Seeing Tate finally turn his attention away, Mark acted without even thinking. He released Josh, slipped off the bed and grabbed the first thing he could find – a laptop. As Tate heard the movement, he seemed to realise he had turned his back on the two boys and moved to look back, but it was too late. Mark swung the laptop with every bit of strength he could muster.

The crack of the laptop striking the knife-wielding man's head was nauseating. He fell to the ground heavily.

Mark let out a gasp as he stared down at the body in front of him. As he heard a pained groan, he genuine wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed to realise Tate wasn't dead. Grabbing the laptop cable, he pulled Tate's hands behind his back and tied them as securely as he could, then threw himself across the room to hit the alert button. Still squeezing the button tightly, he turned back to Josh who was seemingly frozen in place and grabbed him tightly. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," he repeated shakily as he held him.

Everyone over the age of ten at the lake seemed to realise something was wrong the moment Mr Rudd, Mr Trent and Mr Smith's phones all chimed at the same time. It had to be official business for all of them to receive simultaneous alerts. Even if they hadn't figured it out, seeing the look on Mr Rudd's face followed by him literally sprinting away would have given it away.

Blane and Levi had both looked worried, but didn't react quite as instinctively as their colleague. Levi made a quick call while Blane held back the inevitable questions and, once Levi had the answers, they collectively explained to the parents what was going on. The boys quickly demanded answers and, despite initial reluctance from the adults, they had been filled in too. Rob and Mikey had disappeared in a similar manner to Mr Rudd as soon as they heard Josh was in trouble, despite the attempts by their parents to make them stay.

Everyone else had stayed near the lake for a while, waiting for a message to give the all-clear to return. With the police already on site and the Guest Building a crime scene, everyone had been ushered over to the Home Building where attempts were made to keep things as normal as possible. Danny had briefly left the Common Room to visit the bathroom and was just on his way back to rejoin everyone when he heard a voice in a dorm that he passed.

"Okay, love you too, bye!" Dom said quietly.

Danny paused, unsure if he should go back, but as he heard the sound of gentle crying the decision was made for him. Moving back to the door, he opened it fully and said cautiously, "Dom?"

"Danny!" Dom exclaimed at the sudden appearance, reaching up to wipe his cheek.

Danny looked at Dom's face, then to the phone in his hand and felt his stomach lurch. "Is that... did something... happen?" he asked anxiously.

"Oh, this!" Dom said, reaching up to wipe his cheeks. A smile suddenly spread across his face as he said, "No, these are happy tears. My... my mum's gonna be okay!"

Danny's entire face lit up as he charged the older boy and hugged him excitedly. "That's great news!" he said happily. "Was that her on the phone?" he asked as he pulled back.

"Mmm-huh," Dom hummed happily. "She..." Dom paused, getting a little choked up, through a mixture of laughing and happy tears, "She said she was sorry for missing Christmas and that she'll see us soon, she hopes!"

Danny could barely contain his glee. After hearing what had just happened with Josh, it was amazing to actually hear something positive. "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you!" he smiled sincerely, though it dropped slightly as he asked, "And your dad?"

Dom frowned thoughtfully for a moment then nodded as he replied, "Not doing as well as my mum, but... improving. They think he should be okay, he just needs a bit longer!"

"If that's what they've actually said, then he's doing great. They never like to promise too much," he said knowingly. "So if they're saying stuff THAT hopeful, then it's REALLY good news!" As Dom cocked his head curiously, Danny explained, "I was in hospital for a while. I picked up a few of these things!"

"Oh yeah," Dom nodded. Though not a friend of Danny or the others before this particular break, their exploits were obviously well-known by the rest of the school. He sighed heavily and said, "So I guess this whole Josh thing is just, like, a normal Monday for you guys!"

Danny chuckled, but it only lasted a second before he shook his head and said, "It's so fucked up!"

"I know right," Dom agreed, "Like... how does a guy just... walk in like that?"

"I don't know," Danny sighed. "However he got in, I'm just glad Josh and Mark are both okay!" he said with a gentle head bob.

"Yeah, me too," Dom said thoughtfully. He sat in comfortable silence with Danny for a few moments, both mulling over the good and bad of the day. As Dom looked Danny up and down, he blushed a little and asked, "Hey, umm...are you... busy?"

Danny's mouth curled up into a smile. "I know that look!" he smirked, "And no, I'm never too busy for THAT! What you thinking?"

Dom looked guilty to be thinking anything of that kind when so much other serious stuff was going down, but certain urges seemed to be stronger than his guilt. "I'm thinking... how totally jealous I was last night that Milo got that sexy little butt of yours all to himself and all I got was a blowjob!" Dom purred back at the younger boy.

"Oh, you mean you want this?" Danny asked as he turned and pulled down his trousers and underwear to mid-thigh, then lifted the back of his t-shirt to reveal his pale, plump buttocks.

"Ugh, that's it," Dom groaned hungrily as he eyed it. He smirked briefly and admitted, "You know we actually voted you best butt in year nine last year!"

"What?!" Danny exclaimed, blushing a little as he turned to look at Dom, wide-eyed.

"Mmm-huh," Dom hummed with a nod.

Danny's smiled dropped a little as he said glumly, "Let me guess, I also won in the `biggest slut' category too?"

"Nah," Dom said, waving the comment off dismissively, "We don't use the `s' word in my Year!" He could see the concern on Danny's face but said, "Maybe this is a conversation for later. For now, I need this..." he paused to grasp at his cock through his sweatpants, "... in here!" he finished, turning Danny to deliver a gentle slap to one of his buttocks.

"Well, only on one condition," Danny said coyly. As he got a curious look back from Dom, he smirked and asked, "Will it secure your vote for best butt in Year ten? I'm assuming it's an annual thing!"

Dom laughed as he gripped onto the younger boy's butt with both hands. "No need to buy my vote. You DEFINITELY have it already!" he growled.

"Oh, then come on in," Danny said as he leaned over a nearby bed to present his hole, "The door's unlocked!"

Dom started laughing as he quickly pulled out his cock and reached out to grab some lubricant which he stroked on for just a brief moment before kneeling down to thrust inside the boy.

Danny let out a groan of pleasure as he felt the older boy enter him, letting his head rest down onto his arms on the bed. He knew he probably should have been doing more, but it was nice to just relax for a moment and enjoy the feeling of Dom's dick sliding in and out of him rhythmically. Aside from simply feeling good, it was just a nice distrcation from... everything!

He had fallen into an almost trance-like state as he chilled to the pleasurable sensation when something about his own words echoed through his mind. `The door's unlocked'. With a gentle gasp, he thought back to the night before. In his drunken horniness, he had sought out relief and ended up wandering outside to get the extra thrill of an outdoor wank. Having been wandering naked at the time, he wasn't carrying his ID, so he had jammed the lock on the main entrance... but hadn't unjammed it on his way back in! That had to be how Josh's brother had got into the building.

"Oh fuck!" Danny whimpered at the realisation.

"I know right, you're so tight!" Dom moaned contentedly.

Not wanting to admit his mistake, and the risk he had inflicted on people he cared about, Danny didn't say anything about it and instead played along with Dom as he said, "It feels so good!"

"Can I cum on your face?" Dom requested. As Danny looked round, he blushed a little and said, "I'm not ready yet, just... planning ahead!"

Danny smiled and nodded, then turned to place his head back down on his arms. Trying his best not to think about what he had done, he tried to relax and enjoy the fuck once again. Eventually getting back into the feel of it, Danny was only just starting to clear his mind when he heard from behind, "Turn around!"

Shaking his head, he turned as he Dom pulled out and stood up. Staring up at the older boy, Danny opened his mouth and watched as he stroked himself to climax. It started to rain spunk down over his face, some landing in his mouth, most not.

Dom grunted happily throughout his orgasm, slowly squeezing out the last drops which he smeared across Danny's cheek with the tip of his dick. He let out a gentle chuckle as Danny's lips quickly clamped around it to lick the last remnants off, but he promptly pulled back as his dick had grown sensitive in its post-orgasmic state.

"Still not using the `s' word?" Danny asked, smirking a little as he stared up at the older boy, his face covered in semen.

"Oh you definitely deserve an s' word," Dom said with a nod. As he saw Danny look slightly sad, he grinned and said, "It's sexy', not the other thing. Just very, very sexy!"

"Oh, I bet you say that to all the boys you fuck the day after he blew you while you sucked your little brother!" Danny teased as he stood up.

Dom just laughed as he pulled his sweatpants back up.

Danny forced the merriment to remain on his face as his mind filled with horrifying thoughts about what would happen when anyone found out he had left the way open for Josh's brother.

"And yeah, that was pretty much it," Josh said with a surprisingly casual shrug. "Ambulance took him away, police took our statements and that was it. Da... Mr Rudd..." he blushed a little, hoping nobody had noticed him almost call Mr Rudd `dad'. Nobody said anything, so he continued, "... Mr Rudd was really making such a fuss. Niall checked me out right away and then the ambulance people checked us both out, but then he made Dr Julius examine me too. He's so extra!"

"Which I'm sure you just HATE!" Rob said with a wry grin. Though he was playing it cool, he had barely let go of Josh since finally getting access to him. He was currently sitting beside him on one of the sofas with Mikey squeezed in on Josh's other side.

"Shut up," Josh said with a reluctant smirk.

"I hope it hurt!" Mikey scowled suddenly. As everyone looked round at him, he said, "When Mark knocked him out, I mean. I hope it really fucking hurt!" It got frowns and nods from around the group. Even Nicky, who was as violence-averse as they came, nodded his agreement with his best friend's righteous anger.

"I'm just glad Mark was there," Josh said, smiling across at Mark. He felt like he should be with him, but Mikey and Rob weren't giving him much of a say in it. Mark was being held by Chris almost as tightly anyway.

"Any one of you woulda done the same!" Mark said with a casual shrug. Though both boys insisted they were okay, Josh was clearly putting on a brave face and Mark was very visibly shaken.

"I woulda tried to do the same, but I can't quite see these knocking someone out!" David said, flexing a meagre bicep in an attempt to slip in a hint of levity.

"Aww, so dinky," Nicky chuckled as he reached to the side and gave the small arm a squeeze.

Silence fell as the slight laughter died away. They all clearly wanted to say more, to ask things, to find out more details, but at the same time they were all being extra considerate of Josh and Mark's feelings.

Eventually Rob felt compelled to break the silence. "So whadda we reckon?" he asked, looking round at the other seven boys, "Was this our big Year ten drama? A hostage crisis?"

"Umm, I think we already had that covered," Nicky said, shaking his head a little as he raised an eyebrow.

"We did?" Rob asked, surprised.

"Uhh, yeah," Mikey said, then raised a hand to gently stroke the top of Josh's bald head, making a point but remaining careful not to cause him any pain.

"Right, yes, cancer!" Rob said, nodding. "I mean, sure, if you really think it's THAT big a deal. I personally think Josh is still just faking it for attention!"

"Shaving my head was the move that really convinced them," Josh said with a nod, playing along.

"Oh my god, you two are so twisted," Mark said, smiling over at Josh. He was a little shocked that Josh was handling everything so well, but he couldn't deny it was wonderful to see him smile. He smirked slightly as he joined in and said, "And also, I don't think what happened quite counts as a hostage crisis. I mean, it was over pretty quick. You say hostage situation, you picture SWAT teams and helicopters and hostage negotiators and shit like that!"

"Wait, if we'd carried on a bit longer we might have got helicopters?" Josh asked, looking scandalised, "Now I just feel cheated!" It got more laughs.

"Hmm," Nicky hummed thoughtfully, "So if it's not a hostage crisis then maybe hostage... moment?" He shrugged inquisitively.

"Hostage visit?" Chris suggested, but instantly scowled and said, "No, that one sucks!"

"Hostage shenanigans!" Rob offered, getting a couple of quiet murmurs of agreement.

"Hostage kerfuffle!" Chris called out, then quickly added, "No, forget that, alliteration is cool. Hostage Hijinx!"

There seemed to be a general consensus of agreement around the room. Naming crises had become something of a tradition for the group – The Incident, The Accident, The Explosion and now this too!

"It's funny, isn't it!" David mused, seemingly thinking aloud. As everyone looked at him, he smiled sweetly and said, "I know we've got, like... cancer, and we're still getting over the explosion and now the... Hostage Hijinx," He paused to let Chris grin proudly at the name, "But despite all of that and all of the issues and family drama," He paused to glance at Mikey. "And stuff like that... for me, this has probably been the best Christmas ever!"

"It's certainly memorable," Rob smirked, getting laughs and grunts of agreement.

David smiled but blushed a little as he went on, "I just meant... well, you know I love my dads and I love our family Christmases, but... we don't really have any other family, so it's usually just the three of us, so having other people around was... nice!" David glanced at Josh, then Mark, and said, "Sorry, I know today wasn't exactly... fun for everyone!"

"You fucking kidding?" Josh scoffed. "Last two Christmases with Jack have been fun, but this year... psycho attacks aside... this one's been amazing!"

"Yeah, bar's pretty low for mine too," Mark said with a slightly sad shrug.

"So as usual... David's right about something," Josh said, flashing David a grin, "Best Christmas ever!"

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. New chapters of this story will post weekly, so be back same time next week for more! The Kingswood Complication will resume with Chapter 21 right after.

If you have any questions or comments, my email is always open at matterotica@hotmail.co.uk. Alternatively, I can be found on patreon where I also post my stories, along with bonus content and exclusives, at patreon.com/matterotica

If you wish to read any of my other stories, please see below for links

The Kingswood Saga

Tales from Kingswood (Book 1)– https://new.nifty.org/stories/tales-from-kingswood-05107/

Half-Term at Kingswood (Book 1 bonus story) – https://new.nifty.org/stories/half-term-at-kingswood-02038/

The Kingswood Eight (Book 2) - https://new.nifty.org/stories/the-kingswood-eight-72284/

A Very Kingswood Easter (Book 2 bonus story) - https://new.nifty.org/stories/a-very-kingswood-easter-59761/

The Kingswood Effect (Book 3) - https://new.nifty.org/stories/the-kingswood-effect-64914/

Chris and Danny's Super Sexy Summer (Book 3 bonus story) - https://new.nifty.org/stories/chris-and-dannys-super-sexy-summer-98673/

The Kingswood Complication (Book 4, ongoing) https://new.nifty.org/stories/the-kingswood-complication-63298/

The Benny Saga (in reading order)

Benny Takes Control – https://new.nifty.org/stories/benny-takes-control-42615/

The Dangers of Desire – https://new.nifty.org/stories/the-dangers-of-desire-57149/

Benny's House – https://new.nifty.org/stories/bennys-house-65127/

Other Series

Possession – https://new.nifty.org/stories/possession-25306/

Phil's Naked Adventures – https://new.nifty.org/stories/phils-naked-adventures-02988/

The Humiliation Games - https://new.nifty.org/stories/the-humiliation-games-31885/

One-shots

The Art of Seduction – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/the-art-of-seduction

Jake's Exposure – https://new.nifty.org/stories/jakes-exposure-73714/

Becoming an Internet Master – https://new.nifty.org/stories/becoming-an-internet-master-13630/

Brian's Big Mistake – https://new.nifty.org/stories/brians-big-mistake-31378/

And Then It Got Worse – https://new.nifty.org/stories/and-then-it-got-worse-05003/

Missed Opportunity – https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/young-friends/missed-opportunity

There's a Naked Alfie in the Garden - https://new.nifty.org/stories/theres-a-naked-alfie-in-the-garden-35531/