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 6

Tuesday 27 December 2022

Rob awoke as he felt movement at his side. He opened his eyes and made out the shape of Josh lying beside him. The previous night, still shaken by what had happened to Josh and Mark, they had all ended up going to sleep in one dorm. Josh had cuddled up to Rob on Mikey's bed while Mikey was sharing with Nicky. Chris and Danny had been joined on their shared double bunk by Mark and David. Taking a moment to double check Josh was just moving in his sleep, Rob rolled over to try and nod off again, but quickly felt the need to pee and let out a gentle groan.

Slipping out of bed, he shivered slightly at the feel of the cold floor beneath his feet but stood to head to the door. As he started walking, he heard more movement and looked round to see one of the figures from the shared bunk climbing off. Without knowing who it was, and not wanting to disturb anyone still asleep, Rob just opened the door quietly and stepped out as the other person followed him. As they got out into the living area, the low light coming in from the hallway revealed it was Mark, who quietly closed the door behind them.

"Oh hey, sorry if I woke you," Rob said apologetically.

"You didn't," Mark replied, following Rob out into the hall. "I..." he started, but stopped, lowering his head as he walked beside Rob. He let out a gentle sigh and said, "I needed to pee, but..."

"Scared to go alone?" Rob suggested. He watched as Mark nodded shyly without making eye contact.

"Please don't tell anyone," Mark requested softly, "It's so stupid!"

Rob let out a gentle sympathetic sigh as he said, "It's not! Not after what you guys went through today!"

"Yeah, I guess," Mark sighed shyly.

"It's really not," Rob insisted, "I'm freaked out just hearing about it. And you heard Josh. He's not shy about saying how much it's messed with him. I'm actually kinda glad to see this. I was starting to get worried cos it seemed like you were handling it TOO well!"

"I'm... I'm handling it... just fine," Mark said a little defensively.

"It was concern, not criticism," Rob said with a meek smile, then hummed thoughtfully as his brow furrowed and he added, "You're not at King Edwards anymore. It's okay to not be okay!"

"Really, I'm good," Mark said, not particularly convincingly. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Rob. "The bit that... keeps running through my head is the sound!"

Rob remained silent but looked at Mark questioningly.

"From when I hit him. The... the sound it made, it was... it's... it's hard to shake off," Mark said weakly, "But I'm okay, I have to be!"

"And why's that?" Rob asked curiously.

"For him!" Mark said, gesturing back towards the dorm. He didn't even need to clarify which `him' he was talking about, they both knew. "He's dealing with enough and after things calmed down, Josh actually apologised to me, like, a lot! I swear he thinks it was HIS fault his fucked-up brother showed up. I don't want him to feel bad from seeing me... not being okay!"

Rob nodded gently as he paused, just outside the door to the bathroom. He looked round a few times and shrugged as he said, "I don't see Josh with us here!" He stared at Mark and said softly, "You can be not okay now!"

"Really, it's fine," Mark said shakily. As Rob continued to stare silently, Mark frowned and said quietly, "I... I'm sorry, I think I broke your laptop!" Finally reaching his limit at the mention of the weapon he had used to protect Josh, he burst into heavy sobs as he buried his face in his hands. As he felt Rob hold him, he leaned against the other boy and cried.

Chris looked round the slightly sleepy dorm. It was still really early, but it had been a fairly restless night all round. Keen to brighten things up a little, he called out, "Hey, as we're all together and everyone's awake..."

"I'm not awake!" Mikey interjected, cuddling up against Nicky's side with his eyes tightly closed.

"Close enough," Chris smirked, "But as we're all mostly conscious, I thought... we could have another part of my story... if you're all interested!"

Rob and Mark exchanged quick glances. They were the only two remaining who hadn't been subject of one of Chris' short stories. Both a little fragile from the previous day's events, they exchanged a timid smile as Rob asked, "Who's today then?"

"Today's Mark's turn, and this time we're moving into the future" Chris said, shooting Mark a cheesy grin. He waited a moment until he seemed to have the room's attention, then went on, "So if you're all comfortable, it's my pleasure to present..."

A Chris-mas Carol Part 6 – A True Family Christmas

Saturday 24 December 2033

"Thanks for coming with me," Mark said as he approached the door to the Reid family home, carrying a small stack of gifts.

"No problem, nothing says Christmas quite like a fight!" Chris replied with a grin.

"Please, don't," Mark said, shaking his head at the sniggering man beside him. "Just... keep your cool, okay!" he said optimistically. He had known Chris since they were thirteen, literally half his life ago now. After so long as friends, he knew Chris was very unlikely to actually keep his cool, but it was still worth a try to ask.

"Hey, you knew what you were getting into when you invited me along!" Chris said with a shrug.

"Invited!?" Mark scoffed. "That's not quite the way I remember it. I believe your exact words were `this gets me out of all the Christmas work'. Hardly magnanimous. Our poor other halves, stuck there slaving away! You know Danny's been dragged into playing Pretty Pretty Princess by now, and we left all the dinner prep to..."

"Oh! I thought I heard voices!" a man interrupted with a sneer, pulling open the front door.

"Oh, Lurch is here. Great. Hey Lurch!" Chris said with a grin, knowing it would antagonise Mark's parents' assistant.

"I wasn't aware YOU were coming!" the assistant stated coldly.

"Hey, what can I say, I love being a welcome surprise!" Chris said with a broad grin. He disliked the assistant almost as much as he hated the people he worked for.

"Can we come in?" Mark jumped in before the two could bitch at each other anymore.

"Very well," the assistant said, stepping aside to let them in. He looked Chris up and down with an obvious expression of disgust as they passed, then closed the door behind them.

"If you could let mother and father know I'm here please," Mark requested politely.

The man just gave a non-committal grunt, gestured to one of the many rooms adjoining the large entryway then headed off to advise his masters their son had arrived.

"I don't know why you bother being polite to him!" Chris scoffed.

Mark huffed and shook his head as he said, "You know I don't do drama. I just wanna get this done and out of the way!"

"Why?" Chris asked bluntly.

"Why what?" Mark asked, shaking his head as he placed down the stack of gifts and took a seat on a sofa.

"Why bother doing any of this at all? You hate them!" Chris said, not bothering to lower his voice at all as he sat down next to Mark.

"They're family!" Mark stated, "And Christmas is all about family!"

Chris wanted to say more but held off. He had always known Mark's relationship with his parents was a complex one, especially by comparison to his own large, overly-affectionate family.

"Oh, we didn't know you'd be bringing... him!" Mrs Reid said as she entered and saw Chris sitting next to Mark.

"HIM has a name!" Chris said coldly. "And lovely to see you too, Mrs Reid!" he said with a smile that he didn't even attempt to make look sincere.

"Ugh, he's here too!" Mr Reid added as he followed his wife in. As he looked Chris up and down, he added, "Sorry, should it be he' or perhaps it', or `they' or... whatever ridiculous woke term you're spouting this year!"

"It's he," Mark said a little timidly.

"Yes, as in `he' is a guest in your home," Chris said coldly, "So he..." he pointed to Mr Reid, "And she..." he pointed to Mrs Reid, "Should remember that and use some basic freakin' manners!"

"Anyway," Mark quickly jumped in, "It's nice to see you both!" He watched as his parents moved across the room and took a seat. "Are you... all ready for Christmas?" he asked, looking round at the room which had absolutely no sign of Christmas décor.

"Our festivities will be starting later tonight. We shall be celebrating with the Minchins!" Mr Reid said flatly.

"Oh, that'll be nice," Mark said, nodding gently. When silence lingered between them for a moment, Mark's eyes fell on the small stack of gifts. "We got you a few bits. Dorothy made this for you!" he said as he grabbed a homemade Christmas card and stood up to hand it over.

"Oh," Mrs Reid said, holding it gingerly by one corner with her thumb and forefinger. Turning her nose up, she showed it to her husband and said, "Oh, I thought she'd be more... advanced by now!"

Mark's hand shot out to the side to still Chris as he saw him go to react.

"Well she IS only five, but I'm sure you knew that as she's your ONLY grandchild!" Mark said coldly, "She was very proud of it! As were her father and I!"

"Her OTHER father," Mr Reid sneered.

"Didn't he feel like joining us? We haven't seen..." Mrs Reid paused, shrugging a little as she went on, "Whatever his name is again in SO long!"

"You know what his name is!" Chris growled. This was exactly why he had volunteered to come with Mark in his husband's place.

"Well, isn't it so VERY progressive," Mr Reid scoffed derisively at the card, which bore a Christmas tree and figures to represent Dorothy, her dads and her grandparents. "I'm guessing this is us, we're the normal couple, y'know... a man and a woman!" he said airily.

Mark was squeezing Chris' arm now, seemingly holding himself back as much as his friend.

"And this must be Dorothy with you and... whatshisface!" Mr Reid sneered. "At least it's still the same one. I know you people can... get around a bit!"

"Right, you listen..." Chris snapped as he jumped up.

Mark stepped forward and held a hand back to silence Chris. "No, don't!" he said, then looked towards the door. "Could you... go and wait in the car!" he requested softly.

"Will you..." Chris started, but the look he got from Mark made it clear he would be okay. Chris gave the older couple a glare as he left.

Mr Reid sighed and shook his head at his son and said, "Come on then, let's hear it. Let's have your tantrum. Are you going to punch someone again? Do I need to call the police?"

"I haven't punched anyone since I was fourteen, and by the way, he abused me, not that you ever even cared to ask!" Mark said coldly. "And no. No tantrum. In fact nothing at all. I'm done. I tried inviting you to my wedding. I tried introducing you to my daughter..."

"Adopted!" Mr Reid sneered.

"MY DAUGHTER!" Mark said, his rage growing even more, though it died off quickly as he finished, "I've spent too many years trying to make this work, making excuses for you and I'm just done. You're not even worth getting angry at. You're a pair of judgmental, petty, hateful, small-minded bigots."

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER AND I THAT WAY!" Mr Reid bellowed, "You don't come into my house..."

"Save it!" Mark snapped. "And don't worry, I won't come here ever again. You made it clear you never wanted a son, so... Merry Christmas I guess, you never have to see me or your grandchild ever again. Have a nice life! Or don't, I really don't care!" Mark walked out to the sound of yelling behind him as both of his parents spouted a string of obscenities at him, but he ignored them all and left the house.

He got into the car and before Chris could say anything, he barked, "Drive!"

Chris frowned and started, "Are you..."

"Just... drive. Please!" Mark requested, visibly furious.

Chris started the drive back to Mark's place. After a couple of minutes, Chris pulled over, turned to Mark and held out his arms.

Mark let out a whimper as he let his friend hold him. "I'm never going back there!" he sighed as they hugged.

"I remember you saying similar a couple of years ago on your mam's birthday!" Chris said with an awkward chuckle.

"I mean it this time. I just... I'm done," Mark explained with a sigh.

"Good, it's about time!" Chris said gently as he pulled away and started driving again.

Half an hour and very little conversation later, they pulled up at Mark's house. As they headed for the door, Mark said wearily, "Y'know, I only did this because all I've ever really wanted was what you guys had. That Christmas back at Kingswood when we were fifteen. I just wanted a family Christmas of my own." He sighed wistfully.

"And here I was thinking you were the smart one in your relationship!" Chris scoffed.

"Wow, kick a guy when he's down, why don't ya!" Mark said grumpily as he got out of the car.

"Wait, who's going down? You have my interest!" Chris joked with a cheesy grin, then suppressed it and said, "Sorry, being serious!" He sniggered at the ongoing look of bemusement he was getting from his friend as they headed to the house. "What I mean is, you don't seem to realise what's right in front of you! You say you just wanted a big family Christmas..." he said as he opened the door.

"IGNORE THE SMOKE! IT'S NOT A FIRE... PROBABLY!" a shout came through from the kitchen.

"DADDY!" Dorothy called out excitedly, running at her father with her arms held out.

"Hey there, Princess!" Mark said cheerfully as he picked the charging girl up and cuddled her. "Oh, not you!" he added as he looked over to where his daughter had just been playing, with Danny.

Danny stared back at Mark, scowling a little. "I'm a pretty... pretty... princess," he said dejectedly, his face smeared with terrible make-up as he wore a pink crown and brandished a glittery wand.

"Oh, totally the prettiest Princess ever!" Chris sniggered at Danny, then gestured to Dorothy as she glared at her Uncle Chris and added, "After Princess Dot, of course!"

"OKAY, IT MAY BE A FIRE, BUT IT'S ONLY A SMALL ONE, I PROMISE!" another shout came from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go make sure dinner survives and your house doesn't burn down," Danny said as he stood up and removed the crown before heading off for the kitchen.

"Y'see what I mean," Chris said with a smile. "Blood might mean you're related, but it doesn't mean you're family! Family's what you make it, and you..." he paused to take Dorothy from Mark, which she looked more than happy about, "You made a great one. This is what a TRUE family Christmas is! You and Dot and..." he paused as he heard a loud clatter from the kitchen. He sniggered at what would likely be another disastrous story Mark could use to embarrass his husband and finished, "And ol' Master Chef in there. They're your family Christmas, not those old... you-know-whats we just saw!" He got an appreciative smirk from Mark for minding his language around Dorothy.

"It's also the people we love! They're family too!" Mark said with a smile before he leaned in to kiss Chris on the cheek.

"PAPA, DADDY KISSED UNCLE CHRIS!" Dorothy yelled out.

"GREAT, DOES HE HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER?" they heard shouted back.

As had become tradition, the group fell silent awaiting the verdict of the story's intended recipient. Mark stared over at Chris, caught somewhere between happy and tearful. "That was... really sweet," he said, avoiding saying anymore. He had already cried in front of Rob today and that was already one person too many. "I really liked it," he added happily, "It... sounds like a happy future!"

"I like the guy in the kitchen. He sounds like a fuckin' idiot!" Josh sniggered.

Several of the others exchanged knowing smirks, fully aware of the reason for Chris' ambiguity of not naming Mark's imagined future husband.

"Yeah, a complete moron," Rob said, holding back a snigger, "Like... the biggest idiot any of us would ever know!"

"Totally!" Josh replied obliviously.

"It's not just Christmas," Mark suddenly blurted out. As everyone looked at him curiously, he sighed and said, "It's not just this Christmas my family have left me here. It's what they always do. I don't... go home on breaks, only over the summer when they don't have any say in it!"

Josh was the only one who knew about the arrangement, though most of them were aware of Mark's issues at home, even without Chris' story to make it all the more obvious.

"But why?" David eventually asked when nobody else spoke up.

"They just never wanted kids," Mark explained. He looked like he was trying to remain factual and a little detached, but the pain on his face was unmissable as he went on, "I was unplanned and by the time they knew about me, it was too late to abort, and giving me up was apparently `unseemly' in their social circles, so they kept me!"

"How d'you even know all that?" Josh asked, pouting slightly. Mark had never shared that much before.

"They literally sat me down and told me," Mark explained, shaking his head as he remembered the day. He scoffed as he said, "My mum even had the nerve to say `it's not personal', although if feels pretty fucking personal!"

"Well... fuck them!" Chris said, clearly annoyed at the two strangers, although the story had already made clear his disdain for the two adults. "And I know I'm probably speaking for everyone else when I say you're not staying at school for breaks anymore. You come home with one of us!" he offered sincerely.

"Totally!" "Yeah!" "Always welcome!" the other boys chorused.

Mark smiled at the offer, slightly choked up for a moment.

Chris grinned back and started, "Hey, how about we..."

"Shut up!" Mikey suddenly interrupted as he got up from Nicky's bed. "Sorry, ruder than I meant it to be," he said apologetically to Chris before looking back to Mark to explain, "I just didn't wanna get into anything else cos I wanna talk to you first!"

Mark looked visibly anxious about the sudden request, having still not spoken to Mikey since the incident on the hike the previous day.

"Ooh, this'll be good," Chris said in a deliberately loud whisper.

"Because of the whole argument yesterday?" Danny whispered back at equal volume, deliberately amping up the situation to mess with their two friends.

"Yeah, totally awkward!" Chris answered.

"If we stay quiet, they might let us watch!" Danny said with a smirk.

"You two really are perfect for each other," Mikey said as he headed for the door and gestured for Mark to follow. He paused to look back at the couple and added a very pointed, "And I didn't mean that as a compliment!" It got laughs from the other four boys as he and Mark left the room.

Shutting the door behind them, Mikey scowled as he heard people moving on the other side, apparently attempting to eavesdrop. "Come on," he said, gesturing next door to Mark's usual dorm.

"Look, about what I said yesterday," Mark started as soon as the next door was shut behind them, "I'm sorry if I..."

"Shut up!" Mikey said bluntly once again, raising a hand to silence Mark. "You don't need to apologise. Even if you hadn't just earned yourself a free pass to get away with literally anything by taking out that cunt yesterday, you don't have anything to be sorry about. You said what you said, and you meant it and I don't think you were wrong, so... you shouldn't apologise for it!"

"Oh," Mark replied, slightly backfooted by the comments. Mikey's abruptness and painfully direct language was still something he wasn't completely used to. "Umm... okay then," he mumbled, unsure what they had to talk about if an apology wasn't expected of him.

"I actually wanted to say sorry," Mikey said a little sheepishly, "Whatever issues I have with my family, it's not been fair to get other people stuck in the middle, especially when you have issues with your own family. It wasn't fair and it wasn't nice and I'm sorry!" Mikey said, his tone still forceful but his expression showing obvious sincerity.

"Oh, well... umm... I forgive you then I suppose," Mark said, glad to have the air cleared. Unsure whether it was something he should pick up on or not, curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "What... exactly IS your issue with your family? I've spoken to your parents quite a bit and they... seem to really care about you!"

Mikey sighed as he sat down onto one David's bed. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "My head isn't always right," he said slightly clumsily, "I don't really know how to describe it!"

"You don't have to talk about it if you won't want," Mark said sympathetically, taking a seat on his own bed, facing Mikey.

"No, I... I want to. I need to!" Mikey said with a gentle nod. "I think..." he started, pausing to try and figure out how to explain it. "Yeah, think of it like this. So you KNOW the sky is blue, right?" he asked, getting an immediate nod back from Mark. "Okay, so imagine someone you know... someone you trust... comes along and says, `actually, the sky is red!' Now... you're stuck KNOWING one thing is true, but being told something that goes against it is also true, and you can't be sure which one really is true. You trust what you know, but you trust this other person and what they're saying, even though both can't be right!"

Mark frowned at the description and said softly, "That sounds really confusing!"

"It can be!" Mikey replied. "That's... kind of how it is with my family. It's... not fun! But... I'm gonna do my best not to get like that anymore. We don't all have long left before we go home and I don't wanna make anyone else sad."

Mark nodded his understanding as silence crept in briefly. He suddenly smiled wryly as he asked, "You wanna mess with the others? You know they're trying to listen in!"

Mikey's eyes widened as he grinned mischievously and hissed, "Yusss! Best idea ever! You start!" They didn't even need to confer, their minds had gone straight to the same place.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE PRICK!" Mark yelled furiously.

"Ha, nice," Mikey sniggered quietly, then shouted back, "NOT IF I TAKE YOU DOWN FIRST, YOU FREAKY GIANT!"

"Wow. Mean! True, but mean!" Mark chuckled before continuing, "TAKE THAT, YOU LITTLE GINGER CUNT!" He picked up a shoe from beside his bed and threw it over at the door.

Mikey was barely containing his laughter as he called out, "OH MY GOD, I THINK YOU BROKE MY NOSE!"

The door suddenly flew open and a group of panicked looking boys rushed in, only to stop dead in their tracks as they saw Mark and Mikey laughing at them all hysterically.

"I hate them both!" Nicky grumbled as he realised they had been pranked.

"Y'know, after all the fuss you made about getting back here, I thought you'd be a lot happier," Mr Rudd said, casually bench-pressing a weight Danny couldn't even dream of moving.

"Oh, sorry, I am," Danny said, smiling gently as he glanced round the gym, "I was just wondering... about what happened yesterday..."

Mr Rudd stopped pressing and span round to sit up on the bench as he asked, "What about it?"

"Well... theoretically..." Danny started, already sounding painfully guilty, "If someone was... to blame for Mark... umm... Tate, I mean... getting into the building. How much trouble would they be in?"

"I guess it depends really," Mr Rudd said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a small towel.

"On what?" Danny asked anxiously.

"On whether the person to blame let him in willingly, or if they just accidentally forgot to unjam the front door lock after sneaking out for a midnight wank!" Mr Rudd said, smirking slightly.

"You... I... you..." Danny stuttered. He huffed and asked, "You knew about that?"

"Danny, come on," Mr Rudd said as he stood and began removing plates, "You really think I was gonna let you walk out of my room, half pissed, and NOT keep an eye on you? I know it doesn't SEEM like we're around most of the time, but we do actually look out for you lads, y'know!"

Danny smiled as he nodded, then frowned and said, "Wait, so if you knew, does that mean..."

"It wasn't you, Danny! He broke a window round the back of the building to get in," Mr Rudd explained.

"Oh my god, seriously?" Danny replied happily, "Thank fuck for that. I thought..." He stopped himself mid-sentence and scowled as he said, "No, this is a sign. I was about to say I thought I fucked up again, but... well, I didn't, and even if I had... moping about it wouldn't help!"

Mr Rudd cocked his head at Danny for a moment, smiled a little and asked, "Oh, where's this new attitude coming from?"

"My friends!" Danny stated confidently. "We sat there last night and, y'know we were just chatting shit and joking about stuff, but then we talked about how this is our best Christmas ever, even with all the shitty things going on and all the drama and everything. It kinda made me realise that the bad stuff doesn't cancel out the good stuff, so... maybe I'm focusing on the wrong things!"

"Wow, most people require a few months of therapy or a bottle of Jack Daniels to have that kinda breakthrough," Mr Rudd smirked, but quickly added, "And no, I'm not letting you drink a bottle of Jack Daniels!"

"That's okay, I've got more of a taste for Maxwell Rudds!" Danny replied with a smirk.

"Smooth," Mr Rudd replied with a gentle headshake.

"I am!" Danny said, lifting the front of his tank top to reveal his abs, "Wanna touch?"

Mr Rudd reached out and patted Danny's stomach, playfully but hard enough to stagger him slightly as he said, "I think I'll pass for now. That's not the kind of workout I'm here for!"

"Maybe you would be if Edward was here!" Danny replied cheekily as he covered his stomach back up, rubbing it gently.

"Cheeky! Someone's angling for a spanking!" Mr Rudd said with a lop-sided grin.

Danny winked playfully as he replied, "Yeah, but only if I'm good."

Mr Rudd let out a hearty laugh and said, "I like this Danny!" He cocked his head a little and said, "I like every Danny, to be fair, but... it's nice seeing you happier." He suddenly let out a gentle gasp and asked, "Wait, is this some kind of ploy to get your reward?"

Danny's smile dropped, though it faded into something contemplative rather than sad. "No," he said, shaking his head slowly as his brow furrowed. "A brief good mood one time doesn't count as `doing better'. It's a good start, but... I don't want that until I've really earned it!"

Mr Rudd reached out and threw an arm around Danny, pulling him into something crossed between a hug and a headlock as he said, "You really know how to make an old teacher proud!"

"I'd say `get off' but I quite like it here!" Danny joked as his head was caught between the man's pectoral, bicep and armpit.

"God, you little perv," Mr Rudd said as he released the boy, clearly amused. "Now, you got much more to do before you finish in here?"

"I wouldn't mind doing a bit of..." Danny stopped mid-sentence. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the teacher, he asked, "That was a test, wasn't it? To see if I'm gonna overdo it again!"

Mr Rudd threw his towel over his shoulder as he replied, "Maybe!"

"Well then I think I'm done in here, but just gonna get in a quick swim. Finn said he might be coming over!" Danny said as he headed for the door. He did feel like he could keep going in the gym, but he was keen to show himself at his best to the teacher. It also helped knowing a scantily-clad seventeen-year-old was probably waiting for him in the pool too!

"Good lad, I'll catch up with ya later then!" Mr Rudd said, casually waving Danny off.

Danny didn't bother stopping by the locker room. Considering he was mostly planning on swimming just to get time alone with Finn, it didn't seem worth getting changed if he wasn't even there. Thankfully, as he walked through into the pool area, he could hear the gentle splash of swimming, accompanied by the sight of jet-black hair floating along. "Been here long?" he called out, sniggering as he saw Finn jump slightly.

"Nah, ten minutes or so," Finn replied, doing his best to look unsurprised by the shout. "You coming in dressed like that?" he asked, nodding to Danny in his gym attire.

"Nah," Danny said as he peeled off his tank top. As he started pulling his shorts down to reveal his Kingswood uniform speedo beneath, he added, "I always come prepared!"

"That sentence also works if you take off the last word," Finn said with a snigger as he swam closer to Danny.

Danny gasped dramatically as he pulled his trainers off and replied, "I'd be offended... if that wasn't entirely accurate!"

Finn was still laughing when Danny took a running jump and splashed down heavily into the pool. As his head popped back up above the surface, Finn smirked and ducked him back under again.

Danny squirmed free and popped back up, coughing and spluttering as he snapped, "That was... attempted... murder!" then coughed a couple more times.

"Aww, I'd never murder my future brother-in-law!" Finn said with a grin. "Does widdle Danny need a hug?"

"Need? No! Want? Yes!" Danny replied and promptly reached out to grab Finn and pull him into a hug. Their chests touched as Danny gripped tightly onto the older teen, burying his face into Finn's neck. As he felt Finn cautiously hold him back, his hips floated closer and the rest their bodies connected. Danny let out a gentle sigh of contentment at the feeling of the near naked cuddle.

Finn hadn't held on tight at first, unsure if this was just a fleeting touch, but as he felt Danny holding more firmly in place, Finn tightened his grip too. After standing motionless together for almost a minute, Finn squirmed slightly as he felt his dick begin to thicken just a little. As he pulled his crotch back just enough to avoid making the beginnings of his arousal obvious, Danny matched the movement and pressed his own fully erect bulge back against him. "Danny!" Finn whispered slightly disapprovingly.

"It's just a hug," Danny whispered back as he lowered his arms slightly to Finn's lower back to pull the older boy's hips closer to him.

"Come on Danny, you know with us it's never just a hug!" Finn said back, though he made no further attempt to pull away.

"You can't tell me you're not enjoying it," Danny said, feeling Finn's dick now most of the way to full firmness.

"That's really not the point," Finn said as he released Danny and tried to pull back a little.

"No, THIS is the point!" Danny smirked as he mashed his erection against Finn's then lifted his legs to wrap around him, clamping on tightly.

Finn winced at the gesture and tried gently to push Danny away as he said, "Danny, please. Don't make this weird. I'm saying no, okay?"

Danny immediately let go, floating back a little as he stood back down. "Sorry, I thought... never mind."

"Hey, I wish we COULD do that stuff," Finn said honestly. He glanced around the pool area, making sure nobody had snuck in before he continued, "I love doing that stuff with you. I don't fully understand why that is, but I do!"

"Then... do it!" Danny said with a hopeful smile.

"I really like Molly and... and a quick peck from a game of spin the bottle is one thing, but... I don't wanna cheat on her!" Finn explained.

Danny nodded, pouting a little. "Monogamy really is the biggest cock blocker," he said grumpily.

Finn burst into laughter at the comment. "You are just something else, Danny. You really are!" he said, still grinning.

Danny pushed off from the floor of the pool and started floating around on his back, paddling gently to start circling Finn. With his crotch near the surface, the bulge of his erection was plainly visible. "As we still have these," Danny said, reaching down to stroke the front of his speedo, "I'm guessing wanking doesn't count as cheating, even if it happens to be... in the same room as someone else, right?"

"No, well... umm... well..." Finn stuttered, trying to rationalise it in his mind. He felt his cock throb a little as he watched the younger boy floating around, the water lapping gently at the pale, muscular torso. "I guess... if there's no touching then... there's no cheating!"

"Awesome!" Danny said as he released his dick.

"Jeebus, you meant right here?" Finn yelped out in surprise.

"Sure. What's life without a bit of risk?" Danny sniggered.

Finn frowned as he shook his head and replied, "Not embarrassing, that's what it is!"

"Oh come on, live a little!" Danny encouraged him. "Over here. It's the last spot anyone who comes in would be able to see, so we'll hear anyone coming in long before they spot us!" he said as he led Finn further down the pool.

"Definitely the voice of experience there!" Finn sniggered.

As Danny rested his head on the side of the pool, he let his body float, his dick completely free. As Finn moved to his side, close enough for it to be considered `together' but not directly touching, Danny sniggered and said, "That spot over there, that's where I stood and wanked Chris off into the pool the time we got caught by Mr Beecham!"

"Oh my god," Finn said, shaking his head. Hearing some of Danny's embarrassing stories had been one of the first things they bonded over, so being at the place where most of them had happened was already a little surreal. Actually seeing the specific places was strangely arousing, even if it did involve his own little brother. "I woulda died!" he said, blushing a little as he shook his head.

Danny shrugged as he floated, tugging at his dick, "It wasn't so bad. It helps that Mr Beecham's hot! I guess a lot of our teachers are hot, right?"

"I dunno," Finn shrugged, clearly masturbating under the water without putting himself on show like Danny. "One of the three I've seen is my big brother and another is virtually family, so eww, and the other one's... okay!"

"You don't think Levi and Mr Rudd are hot?" Danny asked, scandalised.

"I don't really find any guys hot," Finn replied with a shrug, "Well, except you!" He immediately blushed as he realised what he had said and before Danny could respond, added, "And don't make a big thing of that or I stop this now!"

"Not making a thing!" Danny insisted, though his hand did speed up a little. "I think it's kinda cool, actually. Makes me feel... special!"

Finn shrugged again as he said, "I guess you are. I..." He stopped and sighed slightly, slowing his hand a little but mostly because it felt strange enough to consider sharing his feelings without making it sexual at the same time. "I like you, Danny. Not in a... like... `I love you' kinda way, I just... it's hard!"

"That's kinda the idea," Danny sniggered, releasing his erection to waggle it playfully for a moment.

"Very funny," Finn said, shaking his head. "Look, I know you'll laugh when I say this but... I'm straight!" he said, pausing to allow Danny to laugh, though the younger boy somehow managed to contain it as a gentle smirk. "I'm straight, but sex stuff with you is fun. I don't look at other guys and imagine doing that stuff, but... when I'm... doing this alone," he said, gesturing down to his hand that had started moving faster again, "Sometimes I DO think about you and... and the stuff we've done!"

"Hot!" Danny grunted, still masturbating eagerly.

"But it's not just the sex stuff. When I'm feeling, y'know, crappy or sad, sometimes I think about you or I text you and it makes me happy," Finn went on. He sighed softly once again as he looked Danny up and down, "I want you, but I don't want to be with you and I'm SO happy with Molly but... yeah, that's... that's kinda how I feel, okay?"

Danny nodded gently as he said, "Thank you. I know... you don't share easy!"

"I'd hug you but I'm kinda wanking here," Finn smirked.

"Hug after. Wank now!" Danny said with a nod. His eyes suddenly widened as Finn copied his position, allowing his body to float to the surface.

Danny was pale, but Finn was positively ghostly in his whiteness, especially contrasted to his dark hair which nestled above his rigid cock, going upwards in a trail to his navel. His torso was slender, muscular without it showing, while his flat chest barely even showed the shape of his pectorals, his pert nipples accentuated by a few sparse black hairs.

Now unashamedly watching each other masturbate, it didn't take long for Danny to let out a groan and spray his own face and body with a hefty load. Several seconds later, Finn moaned happily and aimed his dick to the side, rewarding Danny's persistence with a shot of spunk that landed on his cheek and another on his chest before the rest splashed down in the small expanse of water between them.

"That was fun," Danny said, shamelessly scooping spunk from his face to lick up as Finn frowned in amused disgust at the gesture.

"Yeah, it was," Finn replied, "I still feel kinda guilty so... maybe let's not do it again!"

"Fair," Danny nodded as he let his body sink and stood, turning to face Finn. "And thank you... for... everything you said. I know that probably wasn't easy!"

Finn blushed as he faced the younger boy. "It wasn't," he admitted, "But... I was hoping if I shared a bit more... maybe you would too!"

"Oh," Danny replied, averting his gaze.

"But don't worry if you can't, or don't want to," Finn said, reaching out to hold Danny's shoulder. "I didn't say it expecting anything back, I just... want you to know you can talk to me about what you got going on!"

"Can I have that hug now?" Danny requested a little awkwardly.

Finn stepped forward and wrapped himself around the boy as he whispered, "It's never just a hug!"

"So come on, admit it, you totally rewrote my story because of my whole tantrum yesterday!" Mark said, shaking his head a little at Chris.

Chris laughed openly at the statement. He glanced round at the room which was a hive of activity. The twins were, as always, sticking amusingly close to Nicky. Clare and Melanie were engaging in their new shared favourite hobby of terrorising Melanie's twin brother, Gareth. Rob and Milo were caught up in a brothers vs brothers game of pool against Dom and Bobby, with several of the adults spectating and not-very-subtly placing bets on the outcome. Chris was used to a busy house, having such a large family of his own, so this didn't feel like that much of a stretch compared to his usual Christmases, but he knew most of his friends were used to having things a little more low-key, none more than Mark.

"Actually, yours was the first one I wrote!" Chris explained. "The entire thing is... well I guess it's more than a story!"

"Yeah, I kinda got that impression," Mark smiled.

Chris chuckled as he nodded. Though he hadn't been friends with Mark as long as most of the others, he always appreciated just how much Mark seemed to understand him. Not that Chris ever really felt misunderstood by his friends. By his own admission, he was a very simple person, but certain people just GOT him more than others. Mark was one of them. "The story wasn't really the gift for each of you, it was just my way of GIVING you the gift!" he explained a little cryptically.

"How so?" Mark asked curiously. He found himself intrigued by the passion Chris was showing. It was something he had only seen in the other boy before when talking about his love of plants or when talking about music. Seeing it developing for a new interest was quite delightful to behold.

"Well for you I think you've probably figured it out. I wanted you to have a family, a proper one, so I gave you a more traditional family in the future, but also... kinda gave the message that family isn't just the people you're related to. You have us now! We're your family!" Chris explained.

Mark smiled as he nodded and discreetly placed his hand on Chris'. "Yeah, that... definitely came across!" he admitted.

"For Josh, I wanted to... to give him hope, because after all he's been through and all he's going through, I imagine it'd be easy to lose it," Chris explained. "For Mikey, I guess it was about giving him acceptance, y'know, making him believe we're friends and we're here for him, no matter what's going on his head!"

"That's really sweet!" Mark said happily. "What about the others?"

"I think Nicky's was obvious. I wanted to give him more time with his brother, but... also... I guess a sense of closure. I always got the feeling that was something he found hard to get when the loss was so... sudden!" Chris said, getting slightly tearful as he thought about the tale he had written for Nicky. "David's one... I know I didn't share it, but it was all about... how things don't always go the way you plan, but even when that happens it can all turn out okay anyway!"

"And... Danny?" Mark asked a little cautiously.

Chris pursed his lips slightly as he contemplated his boyfriend. "I dunno. Being with him has been everything I hoped it would and so much more, but... I know he's dealing with stuff he's not sharing," he explained wistfully.

"Slight understatement," Mark said with a nod. While Chris and Josh had become Mark's closest friends in the group, he had still grown close to Danny and couldn't miss the change in his mood lately.

"I suppose his story was my way of saying... I'm there for him! Like, even in a world where we didn't just happen to end up in bunks next to each other, we still found each other cos... I honestly believe we always would!" Chris said, smiling sweetly at the sentiment.

"That's adorable," Mark said, giving Chris' hand a gentle squeeze. "So... without spoilers, Rob's the only one left, what's his gift?"

Chris looked round, smiling as he saw Rob excitedly celebrating his win with Milo as some disgruntled parents handed over their bets. "Rob's one is a bit... different from the others in that it's not necessarily a story in the same sense, but... well I don't know how well you know him..."

Mark smiled a little as he thought about how the other boy had comforted him earlier. They really weren't very close, and it wasn't like crying in front of him would suddenly change that, but what he knew of Rob, he liked.

"But he's a bit of a loon sometimes. He's really his own worst enemy, cos he kinda builds up little things in his head until they're big things and then totally freaks himself out over them, plus he can be jealous as fuck!" Chris explained.

"Wow, Merry Christmas Rob, Chris clearly hates you!" Mark sniggered.

"Ha ha. It's not hate, it's observation and I don't judge him for any of it, but... he's full of doubt about so many things, so... his story is my way of saying to him `I don't doubt you, I know you can go the distance!' Or something like that I suppose," Chris said with a shrug.

"You know, they really are SO lucky to have you!" Mark said fondly.

"We, not they!" Chris insisted, squeezing Mark's hand back. "You got me too, babe!" he added with a playful wink.

Mark snorted with laughter as he gave Chris a brief playful hug.

"So... come on, I already got one sexy, sexy guy in my life not sharing with me. Not letting you go down the same path. Talk to me!" Chris urged unsubtly.

"About what?" Mark said evasively, knowing Chris wouldn't buy it. He rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, fine, it was fucked up but I'm okay!"

"Mmmmm-huh," Chris hummed incredulously.

"Did Rob say something?" Mark pouted.

"No," Chris replied, shaking his head emphatically before he gave a wicked grin and said, "So there's something to tell!"

"Dammit," Mark muttered. He huffed a little and said, "Fine, okay... early this morning... I needed the loo but... I... didn't wanna go... alone!" His cheeks flushed bright red at the admission.

"Oh, is that all?" Chris replied with a casual shrug. "Oh, sorry, not making light of it, I just mean... that sounds pretty fucking reasonable!"

"Why? I knew nobody was gonna be there. I was literally scared of nothing!" Mark said derisively.

"Okay, let's think about this," Chris said, casting his mind back. "I spent most of year seven scared to sleep alone, David spent the end of year seven scared to go outside, I spent a couple of months scared of the dark after the accident, Danny got shit-scared of being restrained after the whole paralysis thing, Nicky used to literally RUN away from fighting. So, y'know... take your pick. We're all scared of something. Fuck, did you know James is literally scared of balloons, and you ever wanna see Josh completely lose it, just mention the word `spider' to him!" Chris ranted, but smirked a little as he saw Mark also shudder at the mention of arachnids.

"Seriously?" Mark replied, eyebrows raising, "Balloons!?

"Mmm-huh," Chris hummed. "So being scared after a psychopath holds you hostage with a knife... kinda reasonable. People get scared of things, there's no shame in any of them... except maybe the balloon thing!" he said with a snigger.

"Y'know... when it was happening, I wasn't scared, not for my own safety!" Mark said, glancing round to look across the room.

"The only thing you could think was about getting Josh out and making sure he was okay and literally nothing else mattered, not even your own survival?" Chris suggested.

"Yeah... exactly that!" Mark said, a little surprised to have his own thoughts expressed so succinctly.

Smirking slightly at Mark's confusion, Chris nodded and said, "Yeah, the accident... I knew I might die down there but I didn't care about that. I just needed Danny to be okay!"

Mark nodded his agreement, then blushed as he realised what it potentially revealed about his feelings for Josh.

Not wanting to embarrass the other boy, Chris quickly moved things on as he said, "It sounds like you're handling yesterday about as well as you can, so... I guess keep doing what you're doing and remember we're here for ya!"

Mark sighed contentedly as he nodded. "I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again... I love Kingswood!"

"Good," Chris said happily, "So whadda you wanna do now? Could see if we can get a turn on the pool table!"

"How about we play with some different balls?" Mark said, blushing heavily as he said it.

Chris stared for a moment, unsure whether Mark's question was intentionally or unintentionally filthy. Mark's sexual exploits since coming to Kingswood had not been rapid. Left with issues about being touched by his time with his abusive ex, his relationship with Chris had been mostly non-sexual, while Danny had helped him to explore touching a little more. "D'you mean... umm... well... what DO you mean?" he asked unsurely.

"I... I hadn't... thought that far ahead," Mark said shyly, "But you were poking me in the back most of the night and, well... that kinda does something to a guy after a while!" He giggled awkwardly, then gave a coy smile as he said, "Plus I know how much you like that stuff, so... consider it a Christmas present!"

"Come on," Chris said as he stood, pulling Mark by his hand to follow. Discretion really wasn't needed, nobody was paying them much attention anyway.

Returning to the dorm, they were happy to find the room empty. As Chris shut the door, Mark blushed and chuckled awkwardly as he said, "Wow, sex with my ex. So cliché!"

"I never really think of you as an ex, just a friend," Chris said, shaking his head, "But... well... sex is it, then?"

"Umm, maybe... sex-adjacent!" Mark blushed, not wanting to over-promise.

Chris laughed as he walked over to Mark, looking up at the taller boy as he said, "Well what we do is totally up to you. We only do what you're comfortable with!"

Mark nodded as he stepped back and peeled off his t-shirt. "I've kinda been working with Peyton," he said, referring to the Year 7 boy he had been mentoring since the start of the school year. "It's been building his confidence but also... kinda getting me used to being touched."

"That's really cool," Chris said with a sincere smile, eyeing Mark's chest indiscreetly.

"And now I'm thinking I'd... maybe like someone who... knows a bit more about what they're doing to... to... umm..." Mark trailed off awkwardly.

"To touch you?" Chris asked softly as he stepped forward and placed his hand on Mark's chest.

Mark gasped gently as he nodded, looking anxious but willing. "Is... is that okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Absolutely fine by me!" Chris said as he slid his hand across to gently cup one of Mark's bulging pectorals. He raised his other hand to grasp the other. "I'll just... do stuff and you say stop if it's too much!"

"I won't!" Mark insisted, then blushed a little as he said, "I mean, I will if it gets too much, but... it won't be. I know it! I trust you!"

Chris leaned in to kiss Mark delicately, just for a few seconds. It felt familiar and comfortable. Without saying anything else, he slid his hands down a little to allow his fingers to gently tweak at both nipples simultaneously. "Fuck, you're just... SO hot!" Chris said in genuine admiration of the beautiful teen.

Mark nodded, then cocked his head and asked, "Is that... all I am, though? That's all I hear people say. Mark's hot... and yeah, I know, hardly the worst problem in the world to have, I just..." He was silenced by a finger pressed to his lips.

"Shh," Chris hushed him, "It's okay to worry about stuff like that, but... you don't need to. People don't just think you're hot. They also know you're... kind and gentle and sweet. They also know you have literally the most stupid sense of humour around!"

A broad grin spread across Mark's face.

"Anyone..." Chris started, smirking knowingly, "... would be lucky to have you!"

Mark blushed but didn't respond. Instead he just looked down as he watched Chris' hands move lower, letting his fingertips delicately trace the lines of his abs. He let out a ticklish giggle as Chris' finger crossed his belly button.

"Oh my god, that's too cute!" Chris gasped, biting his lip as he tickled Mark again and heard the delicate sound.

"I didn't know about that!" Mark said, in awe of the new discovery.

"Oh, we are DEFINITELY finding out where else you're ticklish!" Chris said eagerly. He suddenly grabbed at the waistband of Mark's jeans and added, "Well, eventually. Right now, I have... other things in mind!"

Mark gulped expectantly as he watched Chris undressing him. As his jeans were pulled down, the bulge of his semi-hard cock became even more prominent as it stretched against the front of his boxers. He gasped gently as he felt Chris' hand grasp at it and felt it throb its way towards full firmness.

Chris gave the thickening prick a few gentle strokes through the underwear before grabbing the sides to pull it down, watching as the thin wispy trail of hair down Mark's navel spread into a full bush. The root of his cock appeared next, meaty and thick. While Mark didn't come close to Nicky's length, he certainly had him beaten on girth. It had often led to discussion over which of them was technically `bigger' but it always ended in the agreement that it didn't matter either way.

As the dick slowly revealed and finally sprang free as the boxers dropped to the floor, Chris let out a content sigh and said, "God, your dick is beautiful!" He gave a coy smile as he looked up and made eye contact with Mark and said, "Oh, it's also kind and gentle and sweet!"

"Fucker!" Mark chuckled at the gentle teasing. He thrust his hips forward as he turned to the side and back again, slapping Chris' cheek with his hefty tool.

"Oof, careful. You give me a black eye with that thing, and I will take the greatest pleasure in telling people honestly how I got it!" Chris sniggered, getting an immediate laugh from Mark. "I'm gonna touch it now. Is that okay?" he asked, stroking Mark's hip as he spoke.

"Very, very okay!" Mark said with an eager nod. He let his eyes flutter closed and let out a shuddery breath as he felt Chris' hand grasp his dick. It wasn't his first touch, but it was the first one that hadn't felt like therapy. His activity with Danny had been nice and it had been helpful, but it had served a purpose. The only purpose this served was enjoyment. The fact it was with someone he cared for so deeply just made it feel all the more exciting and special.

Chris gave the meaty cock a few gentle strokes, watching happily as the foreskin slid back and forth over the bulbous head. Raising his other hand, he gently cupped Mark's scrotum. It felt clammy, though not unpleasantly so. He caressed his balls gently as he continued his slow stroke of the tremendous tool.

As Mark felt Chris' tongue press against the underside of his shaft, he let out a gasp as his eyes shot open. He stared down at the other boy who was looking up questioningly. He nodded emphatically, unable to hold back a grin that was reciprocated by the boy kneeling before him.

Grasping the girthy cock with one hand, Chris pressed his tongue against the underside again, then slowly slid it up and over the foreskin covered ridge of his glans. Pulling away for a moment, he peeled the skin back to reveal the head and swirled his tongue around it.

"Fuck!" Mark gasped at the pleasurable sensation.

Pleased that Mark was enjoying it, Chris continued to pleasure him gently with his tongue for a few more minutes, swiping it in various places, mixed amongst strokes of the shaft and gentle kneading of his hefty balls. When he noticed a bead of precum oozing from the tip, he looked up once again. Mark's eyes were closed, though the look on his face was sheer ecstasy. Chris poked out his tongue to touch the tip and pulled back.

"Oh fuck!" Mark repeated as he opened his eyes and looked down to see the string of precum connecting the head of his cock to the tip of Chris' tongue. "Suck it, please!" he requested shakily.

"First time?" Chris asked curiously.

Mark shook his head, then blushed a little as he said, "No... second!" As Chris looked up at him, he added a quiet, "Danny!"

Chris nodded happily before leaning forward again, taking the thick tool between his lips. He had never pried into the things Danny and Mark had done. It wasn't that it was secret, and he didn't feel like Danny had hidden it, it was simply none of huis business. It did make him happy to know Danny had been his first though. He gripped his lips tightly around Mark's shaft, right below the head as he swirled his tongue to tease the other boy and lick the tip clean of any remnants of precum.

Mark was panting with pleasure as he felt Chris' lips slowly squeeze their way further down his shaft. Feeling the warmth around his dick was incredible, as well as the warm tightness of the lips. Excited as he was, he didn't feel close to release yet. He was worried that his newness, his lack of experience and his excitement might make things slightly premature, but Chris seemed wonderfully adept at drawing out the blow job in the most perfectly pleasurable way.

Chris happily worked away on the hefty penis for several minutes, doing his best to make the other boy's second time as enjoyable as possible, which he seemed to be doing, based on Mark's gasps, moans, panting and slightly wobbly legs.

"That's... really good," Mark gasped, more an exclamation of his enjoyment than any kind of warning that he was close.

"Okay if I thwallow?" Chris asked, his words slightly muffled by the fact he had his tongue out with Mark's dick pressed down against it.

"Fine by me," Mark chuckled. "I'm not there yet, but soon!" he added happily.

Chris continued pleasuring the hefty cock for a couple more minutes before he heard Mark's gasps grow higher-pitched and felt a hand grasp at his shoulder. As he felt the first shot hit the back of his throat, he heard a shocked, "Oh my fucking god!" from above. Continuing to suck as the girthy tool tensed and pulsed out its ample load, Chris lapped away at it, eagerly gulping down every drop.

When the cumming finally stopped, Chris pulled away and stood up, slipping his arms around Mark casually. "How was that?" he asked playfully.

"Meh, okay I suppose," Mark replied with a shrug before laughing along with Chris. Letting out a content sigh, he looked to the door and asked, "Should we go back?"

"Hmm," Chris hummed for a moment, then shook his head and jumped onto a bed. Patting the space beside him, he said, "I dunno, maybe we could stay here a bit and I could touch you more, y'know, just help you REALLY get used to it!"

Just as Mark was about to reply, there was a loud bang in the distance. He jumped, threw himself on the bed and grasped desperately at Chris.

"Hey," Chris said softly, stroking Mark's hair, "It was just a door slamming, it's okay!"

"I'm such a wimp!" Mark sighed sadly.

"Fuck off. You're no fucking wimp. Now shut up and cuddle me!" Chris insisted, slipping an arm around him.

"Good plan," Mark chuckled, though his heart was still pounding.

"Mikeeeeee," Gareth whined, pulling at Mikey's t-shirt. Looking up sadly at his big brother, he complained, "Come and play. The girls are being horrible!"

Mikey smiled a little as he looked over at Melanie and Clare, who did look decidedly menacing. "I'll be over to save you in a minute," he said a little awkwardly. Being a big brother still felt a little alien to him. He glanced at Nicky who he had just been talking to, then back to the little boy and said, "I gotta talk to mum and dad first, but I'll come play as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay!" Gareth said, then shot the girls a disgruntled look and scurried back over to them.

<<You shouldn't do this!>>

"Are you okay doing this?" Nicky asked softly, glancing from Mikey over to his parents and back.

"No!" Mikey said pointedly, "But... I think I have to!"

<<No you don't. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Except school!>>

<<This is a bad idea, which is very on-brand for you!>>

Though things had been relatively peaceful between Mikey and his parents since the big blow-up the previous day, they both knew there were issues needing to be addressed. "Do you even know what you're going to say?" Nicky asked thoughtfully.

<<Something stupid, probably!>>

<<Something dangerous!>>

<<You'll just give them more reasons to hate you, because they hate you. They hate you so much!>>

"Not really," Mikey said, wincing a little.

<<And then he walked over to them and made a complete arse of himself!>>

"And then he walked over to his parents and made a total idiot of himself," Mikey narrated as he looked over at his parents.

"Was that... on purpose?" Nicky asked curiously. As Mikey looked at him, he added, "Narrating. You... kinda haven't done it for a while!"

<<See, he thinks you're acting weird. So will they!>>

"Oh, umm... I... I don't know," Mikey said evasively, not really even sure what he had just said.

<<Someone call the loony bin. They got a new arrival coming soon!>>

Nicky frowned a little as he asked, "Are you... struggling to think straight?"

<<He's thinking fine you giant fucking freak! Back off!>>

<<See, he's trying to undermine you! He wants you to fail. He's making you think this stuff so you tell your parents and then they lock you up!>>

"A bit," Mikey nodded, his face screwing up from a mixture of confusion and discomfort.

<< Giant freak. Tall... loser. Big moron. Huge. Giant. Gigantic. Monstrous. Large. Sizeable.>>

Mikey's brow furrowed heavily as he looked down and nodded more emphatically.

"Come on," Nicky said as he stood. Rather than leading Mikey towards his parents, he took him the other way, out of the room.

<<Colossal. Ample. Big. I already said big didn't I? Big. Big. Big big big! Big!>>

"Where are we going?" Mikey asked shakily.

"Look, we know what clears your head," Nicky said matter-of-factly, "But I'm not fighting you and I can't see a long hug really cutting it for this, so we're doing the other thing!" They didn't make it as far as their own dorm and instead stopped in at the nearest one. As soon as they were inside, Nicky grabbed Mikey by both cheeks and pulled him into a kiss.

<<NOOOOOO! I'M MELTING! I'LL GET YOU NICKOTHY, AND YOUR LITTLE COCK TOO!>>

Mikey sighed gently into Nicky's mouth as they kissed, his shoulders relaxing. He hadn't even noticed they were so tense until he felt them drooping. He reached out and blindly grasped at Nicky's body, sliding his hands up and down the taller boy's slender sides.

"I'm sorry," Mikey whispered as Nicky pulled back from the embrace. As he saw Nicky look back curiously, he sighed a little and said, "I know... I make things difficult sometimes!"

"You don't make things difficult, Mikey," Nicky said, planting a gentle kiss on the pale, freckled cheek. "You just... have some issues to deal with!" he said diplomatically.

"That's putting it a bit mildly," Mikey chuckled, though his smile dropped as quickly as it started.

"Hey, for now, let's just do this and then... see if we can talk to your parents, okay?" Nicky suggested. He got an eager nod in return. "What can I do for you today?" he asked with a broad smile.

"How about... fucking me while I suck myself!" Mikey suggested, never shy about straight-up asking for what he wanted.

Nicky nodded happily at the suggestion. Mikey's bluntness could rub people the wrong way sometimes, but it was always useful for making quick decisions. He grabbed Mikey's t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it aside as he leaned down to plant a series of delicate kisses across the firm expanse of pale skin and freckles.

"Mmmm," Mikey moaned happily, then requested, "Kiss my neck!"

"Gladly," Nicky chuckled, lifting his head to bury into Mikey's neck, getting a mix of moans and giggles in response. He continued stripping the smaller boy before undressing himself, happily complying with the frequent requests Mikey made. By the time they were both naked, Mikey was raging hard and Nicky was sporting a semi. "Can you even suck yourself anymore? It's been a while, right?" he asked curiously.

"Pfft," Mikey scoffed, "Just cos it's been a while with you doesn't mean it's been a while for me. I still do it sometimes!"

"Mmmm, just taking a moment to enjoy that thought," Nicky sniggered, letting his gaze wander off into the middle-distance for comedic effect.

"Why enjoy the thought when you can enjoy the sight?" Mikey asked as he rolled back onto his shoulders, pulling his dick down to take it between his lips.

"Ahh, fuck yes," Nicky groaned, stroking his now-rigid cock as he watched, lubing himself slightly as he leaked precum.

"Well," Mikey said, only releasing his own dick enough to allow speech, "It's waiting!" He waggled his hips to indicate his butthole, now on show to Nicky as he remained curled up in his self-suck.

Nicky smirked as he stood, then aimed his dick down at Mikey's cute, tight little hole. Squatting down, he began to slide inside, feeling the tight ring clenching around his dick as he pushed into it. He heard a groan from below as the extra push shoved Mikey's own dick further into his mouth.

Despite being in great physical shape, by the time Nicky started to get close to climax, his legs were positively throbbing from the repeated up and down squatting from fucking Mikey at that angle. He was getting close to asking to stop when he heard a low, pleasured grunt and watched as Mikey's balls tightened and throbbed. As much as he wished he could see his best friend cumming, it was still exciting knowing he was doing it straight down his own throat.

The pulsing and clenching of Mikey's butt as he ejaculated pushed Nicky to the brink of release and it took barely more than a dozen more thrusts before he felt himself begin to cum. He shot the first two spurts inside Mikey, then pulled out and continued stroking himself as he let the rest rain down over the backs of Mikey's legs and his balls, a few drops making their way down onto his face.

Taking a step back as he started to catch his breath, Nicky smirked as Mikey unrolled and flopped down heavily, clearly spent. Nicky smiled fondly for a moment, then leaned down to pull Mikey up into a hug. Holding him for a while as they recovered, he whispered, "Sex AND a long hug, that's gotta REALLY clear your head, right?"

Mikey giggled contentedly as he replied, "It really does. Thank you!"

They held together for a little longer before both standing to start dressing.

"Thought what you're gonna say yet?" Nicky asked curiously.

"I was hoping I'd figure it out when I got there," Mikey admitted.

"You will," Nicky nodded, patting Mikey on the back as they finished pulling their clothes back on.

A short walk later, they were back in the lively room and anxiously approaching Mr and Mrs Corbyn. "Hi boys," Mr Corbyn said with a smile as he saw the pair walk over.

Mikey went to speak, but nothing came out.

Nicky rubbed Mikey's back gently and took his cue from Mikey's usual bluntness as he said, "Mikey wanted to talk to you. It's about... how he's been acting, isn't that right?"

Mikey froze for a moment, then nodded.

"Oh, okay," Mrs Corbyn said with a nod. Mr Corbyn reached out and pulled up a couple of chairs to allow the two boys to sit side-by-side in front of them. "It's okay, honey, go ahead in your own time!" Mrs Corbyn urged Mikey cautiously.

Mikey really didn't know what to say. He didn't know what it was safe to say. A sudden thought – one particular memory – suddenly came to him. Looking from his mum to his dad and back again, he said, "On my fifth birthday, I... heard you two talking!"

The two adults looked at each other curiously, a little backfooted by the comment. "What... what were we talking about?" Mr Corbyn asked curiously.

"I... you... I..." Mikey stuttered before looking down at his hands, unable to say more.

"Can I?" Nicky asked softly, grasping at Mikey's upper arm, rubbing it gently with his thumb. As he got a nod, he looked to the two adults and said, "He told me about it once. He said he... heard you saying that, umm... I don't remember the wording exactly, but basically that the reason he wasn't having a party or a celebration was because you felt like him being born was the day your lives got... fucked up!"

Mr and Mrs Corbyn both looked horrified, recoiling slightly at the explanation. "Mikey, you... you told people that?" Mrs Corbyn asked shakily.

Mikey scowled a little, feeling the anger bubbling up as he replied, "Yeah, not so nice for other people to know what you said, is it?"

"What? No. Mikey, we... we've NEVER said that. We never would!" Mrs Corbyn insisted, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"I heard you say it!" Mikey snapped accusingly, "No... no celebration, no cake, no party... because I didn't deserve it! YOU two said that!"

"Mikey," Mr Corbyn said sadly, shaking his head as he reached out to comfort his wife. He took a breath and said to the angry boy, "That just... isn't true!" He looked every bit as hurt as his wife, who had pulled out her phone and was already tapping away at it before scrolling for a few moments. Mr Corbyn glanced round at her, but then back to Mikey and said, "We'd never even dream of even THINKING anything like that and we've certainly never said it!"

"Here," Mrs Corbyn said as she handed Mikey her phone.

Nicky leaned in close, putting an arm around Mikey to try and keep him calm as he could already see the telltale signs of growing aggravation. As they looked down at the phone together, they saw an album on Facebook, titled Mikey's Fifth Birthday'. There he was, a decade younger but still unmistakable Mikey, sitting at a table behind a massive cake wearing a party hat and a giant 5 today' badge. They scrolled down, looking at every picture, all depicting what looked to be a wonderfully enjoyable fifth birthday.

Mikey stared at the phone, trying to comprehend what he was seeing, trying to reconcile what was right in front of him with what he remembered. "Then... then maybe..." he said shakily, "Maybe it was... my sixth birthday then!" Mikey stuttered, shaking his head.

The two adults exchanged looks of concern as Mrs Corbyn offered, "I can show you the album for that too if you like! I have them for every year!"

Mikey's eyes darted from his mum, to the phone, to his dad, back to the phone, to Nicky and then down at the ground as he let his head slowly shake, utterly confused. "I... I... remember it. You... you... said those things," Mikey stuttered, "I know you did. I heard it. I remember it!"

"Mikey, I swear, on my life... on your mother's life, we would never say those things because they're simply not true!" Mr Corbyn insisted. "Look at me," he said as he reached out and held Mikey's hand, waiting for the boy to make eye contact. "Me and your mum, we met at school and... it was love at first sight. We grew up knowing EXACTLY what our life was going to be like. We're both planners! We planned EVERYTHING, virtually down to the day, or so we thought! Because then we found out your mother was pregnant with you and while we'd never planned for it, we were SO very happy. It was WONDERFUL!"

"It really was," Mrs Corbyn added, reaching out to place her hand on Mikey's too. "You came along and out plans changed and we couldn't have been happier about it, Mikey. You were our wonderful little surprise!"

"And we don't just mean because you ended up ginger!" Mr Corbyn laughed, reaching out to muss Mikey's hair a little tearfully. It got a tearful chuckle from Mikey. "Seriously though. We could NEVER say anything like that about you Mikey. We love you so, so very much and to think that you... that this is... why you've been so distant for so very long! I don't know how this happened Mikey, but we'll figure it out and we'll put it right. I promise!"

Mikey's jaw was quivering as tears rolled down his cheeks. To say it was confusing was understating it massively. He KNEW his parents hated him. He KNEW they didn't want him. He KNEW he had been ignored and upset on his fifth birthday, and every one of them since. Yet here they were, with proof he had been loved and celebrated and cared for. Their words were so sincere but... they went against what he knew. "You promise you're not lying?" he asked tearfully.

"With all of our hearts!" Mr Corbyn said, leaning forward to pull Mikey into a hug between himself and his wife.

Mikey cried gently as they held him, sobbing for a few minutes before starting to calm. "I think there's something wrong with my head!" he said quietly as he pulled back a little

"If there is, it'll be okay," Mrs Corbyn said back gently.

"Yeah, we've got you. We'll sort out whatever it is, I promise!" Mr Corbyn added, reaching up to wipe a tear from his son's cheek. As they pulled him back into another hug, Mr Corbyn reached out to pat Nicky on the leg and mouthed, "Thank you!"

Josh sighed contentedly as he felt the firm warmth of the muscular chest beneath his cheek. "Afternoon naps are always better with you!" he said happily to Mr Rudd, who had remained with him while he snoozed.

"I'm glad," Mr Rudd said with a gentle sigh. "How you feeling?" he asked, stroking a hand up and down the boy's back.

Josh let out a hearty yawn then sniggered and said, "Less tired, although it probably doesn't show!" It got a gentle chuckle from the man he was cuddled up to. "And a bit sad. It was nice seeing the others, I wish this could have gone longer, especially as we lost most of yesterday!" he added, having said goodbye to Vic and the other Sons of Kingswood when they left earlier that afternoon.

Mr Rudd nodded, not keen on the reminder of the events from the previous day. He had been out of his mind when he found out what had happened, running back to the school faster than he even thought was possible. When he arrived, he found Josh and Mark being well looked after and as much as he wanted to stay and comfort both boys, he instead stood guard over Tate until the police arrived. Knowing what had happened, it had taken every bit of willpower he could muster not to beat the unconscious body to death. Thankfully he didn't have to fight the urge for long before the emergency services arrived and he was able to return to Josh and Mark.

Both boys had been a concern for him for different reasons, but they seemed to be handling it as well as could be expected. Realistically, he knew it might take a while for the effects of the trauma to really show themselves, but he was prepared to handle that whenever it came up. Today, he was simply happy to have Josh alive and safe in his arms.

"I'm sure you'll get to see them all again soon enough," Mr Rudd said supportively.

"Yeah," Josh said with a nod and a meek smile. "D'you know what everyone else is up to?" he asked curiously.

As Mr Rudd glanced at the clock, he replied, "Probably getting ready for dinner. You feeling hungry?"

"Starving!" Josh declared, then grinned as he said, "Wow, been a while since I actually felt this hungry. That's probably a good sign, right?"

"A very good sign," Mr Rudd said happily, giving Josh a gentle squeeze before planting a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

As Josh went to sit up, he found the arm clamped around him was just a little too tight, pulling against it for a moment before giving up. "Umm, you kinda need to let go at some point!" he giggled.

"I know," Mr Rudd replied, "Just... gimme a minute, okay?"

Josh felt a sudden swell of sorrow. He let out a gentle whimper and said, "I'm okay, you know! I'm here and I'm safe and I'm okay!"

"I know!" Mr Rudd said, almost tearful. "Sorry, I just..." he paused to sigh. "Josh. I've never loved someone the way I love you and..." he paused again, chuckling a little awkwardly as he said, "You seem absolutely determined to give me a damn heart attack!"

"Hey, gotta keep you interested somehow!" Josh joked. His smile slowly faded as he grabbed tightly onto the teacher and whispered, "You're the best dad I could ask for. I'll try not to scare you anymore!"

"That would be very much appreciated," Mr Rudd replied, planting another kiss on Josh's said before finally letting go, "Now let's go eat!"

"I like this plan!" Josh replied, pecking the man on the cheek before getting up. "Dad," he said cautiously after a few moments.

"Yeah?" Mr Rudd enquired curiously, sensing the boy's anxious tone.

"It's my fault my brother came here!" Josh said shakily. He sniffed slightly and said, "I... well... one of the days when I was feeling bad, like... `wanted to die' kind of bad I got... I thought about mum and I sent her an email and I mentioned the donor thing. I don't know why. I just... I did, and she must've told Ryan and Mark... ugh... Tate, whatever, but... that's what made him come here!"

Mr Rudd moved close and held Josh gently as he said, "Josh, you didn't MAKE him do anything. Everything HE did, was HIS choice, so don't go blaming yourself for any of this!"

"Okay," Josh nodded, willing to trust the man's advice, though he took another deep breath and added, "It's just... well, if Tate knew, then... so does Ryan. What if he..."

"He won't!" Mr Rudd said firmly, "Nobody's gonna hurt you again, Josh. I promise!"

Josh actually managed a meek smile as he hugged the man and whispered, "I believe you!"

After dinner and the evening's entertainment all passed without major incident, big drama or any serious arguments, the huge group began to separate. It ended up much like it had on Christmas Eve, with the teenage boys all heading off to hang out in one of the dorms. Most of them would be heading home tomorrow, so they were keen to have a final night together.

Dom and Bobby were both in exceptionally high spirits, as news had come through that afternoon of their dad waking up. Though it appeared he may have some long-term health issues from the accident, he was alive, and so was their mum. That was really all that mattered to them and everyone had revelled in sharing their joy. Eoin was every bit as cheerful, having received an email from his mother that morning advising that her work was almost complete, and she would actually be coming home sooner than expected.

Despite being barely 24 hours after such a horrible incident had occurred, it really didn't show. Josh and Mark were continuing to handle the aftermath as healthily as they could. Danny's mood had continued on its new high. Mikey's frank conversation with his parents seemed to have unburdened him slightly. Everyone else just seemed to be still enjoying the holiday spirit.

"We should play a game!" Bobby suggested when there was a lull in the various conversations going around the room.

"Let me guess," Chris said, gesturing to Finn. "Mr Straightie over there doesn't want another game of spin the bottle! `Ooh no, I have a girlfriend', right?" he impersonated his big brother badly. It got laughs from all around the group.

Finn raised his eyebrows at his little brother. "Actually," he said, folding his arms when the noise died down, "I told my girlfriend about that and she dumped, me so I can kiss who I like!"

"What!?" Danny exclaimed, looking panicked as everyone fell into shocked silence.

Finn grinned and burst into laughter. "Kidding, totally kidding!" he called out as the rest of the boys started to laugh again. "I did tell her though, and she thought it was hilarious!" he explained.

Danny shot Finn an angry glare, but got a teasing kiss blown back at him.

"I wonder how hilarious she'd find it if you played Strip Spin the Bottle!" Dom called out, getting a collective gasp from the group, followed by a massive "Oooooooh!" as everyone looked to the straight boy once again.

Finn blushed a little and, with his bravado suddenly gone, asked awkwardly, "We're... we're not ACTUALLY playing that, right?"

They were, in fact, playing that!

After a brief discussion, the rules' were quickly decided. Choose either strip' or kiss', then spin the bottle. If they chose strip', whoever it landed on had to take something off. If they chose `kiss' then whoever it landed on had to spin the bottle and kiss whoever it landed on.

With fourteen boys present, and `kiss' chosen about half the time, the bottle span dozens of times before anyone even started to show any skin. Despite the obvious intimacy of both the stripping and kissing, it never really crossed the line from silly fun into anything overtly sexual. If anything, it ended up just a more drawn-out way of letting most of them get ready for bed.

Fortunately, none of the more risqué potential kisses came up, with Rob, Chris and Dom all spared the embarrassment of kissing a sibling.

When the bottle, designated as a strip' spin came to a stop on Eoin, who was already down to his underwear, he rather optimistically declared that the game was over. Needless to say, the rest of the group did not agree. Within moments, a chant of take them off, take them off, take them off' had kicked in as the boys demanded Eoin pay up.

"Ugh, I hate you all," Eoin pouted as he stood up and scowled across the entire group. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up!" he called out as the chant continued loudly. Grabbing his underwear, he yanked it down immediately and stood up to expose his small penis as he snapped, "There, happy now?"

"Oh, ecstatic!" Mr Rudd called out from the doorway.

"Sir!" Eoin yelped as he span at the sound of the teacher's voice, then tripped on his own underwear and fell to the ground, fully on display to Mr Rudd as the other boys broke down in absolute hysterics.

With the game actually over now that Mr Rudd had come to urge the boys to consider sleeping, the group opted not to remain in a single dorm. Nice as it had been on Christmas Eve to all stay together, most of them complained about the discomfort and opted to head to their actual beds. Gradually splitting off, they all headed back to their designated dorms.

Still laughing about Eoin's exposure, and on a general high from a mostly relaxed and calm day, the boy's settled in for the night. All in their usual beds for once, it was only about ten minutes after shutting off the lights that Mark rolled over, feeling a little uneasy about being alone. Just as he was about to get up and see if anyone was willing to share, he noticed movement across the room.

"Hey," Josh whispered as he stood beside Mark's bed, "Is it... okay if I join you?"

Mark smiled into the darkness. He wasn't sure whether Josh was seeking company, or just trying to be supportive, but really it didn't matter either way. Yeah," he said softly as he threw back the covers to invite Josh in, "I'd like that!"

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/