The Dangers of Desire

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The Dangers of Desire

Chapter 13

by Matt

Josh felt a large splash of water and woke up coughing, half of going into in his mouth and up his nose. Spluttering, he sat up and looked round. He had been asleep on the sofa, which Dale was stood behind, holding a now-empty glass.

"Time to get up." Dale said flatly. "I'm going out with Liam, I'll see you at your parents house this afternoon!" Before Josh could respond, Dale left, closely followed by Liam.

Josh flopped back down but immediately found himself laying in the wet patch from his wake-up call and shot back up. He couldn't remember much of anything after downing the shots in the kitchen last night. Just vague snippets.

Warren and Nick had emerged from the spare room, all over each other, giggling constantly. Shots. Angry looks from James. Angry looks from Dale. Why from Dale? More shots. More drunken games. Even more shots. Warren and Nick went to bed, offering to join Sam in the main bedroom. Dale and Liam going into the spare room. To sleep?

Josh looked round and saw James asleep in one armchair. The other was occupied by a very-much awake Corey, who just sat looking at him, concerned. Josh groaned and rubbed his head. He had questions, but there was one in particular that stuck in his head as he considered what had just happened. "Is Dale pissed at me?"

Corey shrugged. "Seems to be. No idea why. Wouldn't tell me anything."

"Did I do anything stupid when I got really drunk?" Josh asked, rubbing his face, almost glad of the water Dale had tipped on him.

"You're you!" Corey replied. "Stupid is ALL you do!"

"Ugh, love you too bro." Josh grunted back. He wobbled up onto his feet and grunted, "Showering!" at Corey. He headed for the bathroom and quickly hopped in, kicking his underwear aside on the way.

He stood under the warm water, eyes closed, wondering what he might have done while drunk to piss Dale off so much. 'At least he said he'll see me later. If it was that bad, he would've just dumped me on the spot.' He thought to himself. Opening his eyes he reached for the shower gel and started washing, allowing himself to engorge slightly as he slid his hands across his body, eyes closing again as he got lost in the sensations.

Suddenly, he felt hands on his back, quickly sliding round to his chest. He moaned happily, he loved when Dale did that... then he remembered Dale had gone out. He opened his eyes and span round, finding himself looking at freckles and strawberry blonde hair – it was James.

"Hey, you did say next time I should join you!" James said with a devilish grin, his hands caressing the lather on Josh's chest.

Josh stared back at him, watching as the spray of the shower darkened the young man's hair to full-on ginger and flattened it against his head, water trickling down past his dark green eyes, over the freckled cheeks, dripping off of his pale red lips, parted just slightly in anticipation. His mind raced back to last night, the forfeit kiss, the confrontation in the hallway, the confession that James had lied about not having feelings for Josh. He knew what this was now. He knew James truly was attracted to him and that doing anything now would only add fuel to the already raging fire of his friend's desire... and he didn't care!

Josh pulled James into a kiss, tongues lashing furiously, his fingers digging into the pale skin of his back. James pulled away slightly and tried to speak, but Josh just silenced him with his lips. Josh's hands soon found their way down to James' swollen cock, the monstrous meat pressed between their writhing bodies. He gave it a few strokes, then raised one hand to the back of James' head, taking a handful of hair and pulling him out of their embrace.

"I want you to fuck me... and I want to FEEL it!" Josh growled.

James looked a little shocked at first, but then a smile spread across his face. He span Josh round, pushed him against the tiled wall and pushed his cock against the bigger man's hole, using nothing to lubricate other than the warm flowing water. As requested, he wasn't gentle, immediately thrusting every inch of his monster into Josh. He started pumping hard, slamming Josh against the wall more and more until his entire body was pressed on the wet tiles.

"Yes, yes, yes!" James moaned as he felt an orgasm building. James heard Josh groan and felt a wave of pleasure as he realised he had just shot his own load between his body and the wall. Josh's sphincter clenched as he shot. It was enough to push James over the edge. "Fuuuuuck!" he called out as he stopped thrusting and let his cock spurt a thick load inside the man. Josh tilted his head back and allowed James to kiss him again.

"Damn that was hot!" a voice called out from the other side of the bathroom. James and Josh both turned to see Sam stood there, twirling Josh's underwear on his finger and grinning.

James looked like a naughty child who had just been caught smoking by his parents. He jumped out of the shower, threw a towel around himself and dashed out of the bathroom as Josh just watched. He knew he would have to deal with James eventually, but Sam's timely appearance had saved him from it for now.

"So you'll kiss him... but not me?" Sam asked, looking slightly pissed.

"That was... that's not..." Josh stuttered, but he didn't have an answer.

"If I'd got in there, before James did... would you have done that with me?" Sam asked as Josh just stood, feeling more and more exposed.

"I... I..." Josh attempted to speak. The boy had him totally tongue-tied, but was it his questions, or was it the boy himself? His heart was pounding again and despite the ejaculation mere minutes earlier, he could feel himself re-stiffening under the boy's gaze.

"Meh, your loss." Sam said, throwing Josh's underwear at him and walking out of the bathroom.

"Sounds like someone had fun in the shower!" Nick sniggered at the sounds that had resonated through the wall, pulling Warren closer to him.

"I couldn't really hear over your moaning." Warren giggled back.

"What can I say? You know all the right buttons to push!" Nick said back happily, kissing his boyfriend gently on the cheek. "Plus it's extra hot having sex in Josh and Dale's bed... without them being here, I mean!"

"Oh good, I was worried it was just me that noticed that." Warren said back happily. He pulled away from Nick and sat up, twisting round to look down at him. "In fact, I think it's making me horny..." Warren pulled back the covers and revealed his erection.

"Fuck... again!?" Nick exclaimed. Warren's normally healthy sexual appetite seemed truly insatiable for some reason. They had already wanked each other, waking Sam in the process which the boy had really not been happy about. Then after Sam left, Nick had fucked Warren. Now he wanted to go again?

"It's not my fault you're so damn sexy!" Warren said innocently, reaching down to play with his cock, watching excitedly as Nick's eyes followed his hand down. He let go of it and reached over to Nick instead, running his fingers gently across the firm chest, playing with the tiny tuft of hair in the middle. "If I recall correctly, I believe in last night's game you mentioned... a sex slave?" Warren bit his lip playfully as he stared down at his lover.

Nick gasped, the boy had never looked so seductive, sitting there looking at him sweetly and basically offering himself up. "Oh, are you looking for a master?" Nick asked coyly, sitting up to face the playful boy.

"Yes sir!" Warren replied, eyes wide.

"Stand up... boy!" Nick ordered cautiously. He watched excitedly as Warren complied. Nick jumped off the bed and looked round quickly. He found one of Dale's ties hanging on a wardrobe door and grabbed it. "Put your hands behind your back, boy."

"Yes Sir." Warren said again, sending a jolt of electricity surging through Nick. As he put his hands behind his back, Nick used the tie to secure them together, then reached down to grab Warren's underwear, hastily discarded during their earlier fuck. He placed it over Warren's head like a blindfold, then span him round so they were face-to-face and pushed, watching as he toppled backwards onto the bed.

Warren's dick was as rigid as Nick's, clearly enjoying the role play just as much as the 'master'. Nick reached down and gave the boy's boner and gentle stroke, savouring every little whimper it caused. He leant over and placed his lips into the boy's neck, kissing it gently. He poked out his tongue and started sliding it slowly around the Warren's neck, down onto his chest, across the smooth flat stomach and stopping just before reaching the straining erection. He gave it another quick stroke, watching excitedly as Warren's body tensed in response.

He continued his licking and stroking alternately until he heard Warren's whimpers accelerate. He was clearly close to shooting. "Do you want to cum, boy?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes Sir." Warren replied immediately. His response got another few strokes, but that was all. He was right on the verge of release.

"Beg for it!" Nick sneered, giving the solid shaft another quick lick.

"Please, please Sir. I want to cum. Please, please let me cum!" Warren pleaded. Nick couldn't help wondering whether Warren was just playing a part of if he was really begging. Either way it had the same effect... Nick was harder than ever.

Nick gave the boy-cock a few more strokes, seeing Warren's back arch in response. "Not yet, boy." He grabbed for the lube on the bedside table and pumped some out, applying some directly to Warren's rear, although it still remained fairly slick from last time. He rubbed the rest on his own stiffness.

"Oh Sir." Warren whimpered as he realised what was about to happen. His words got a few more teasing strokes from Nick before his legs got lifted up.

The older boy pushed his cock against the boy's hole and it slid in easily. "How does it feel, boy?" he demanded.

"Good. Good Sir. I love having you inside me!" Warren replied, his tone making it clear that he wasn't pretending any more. Warren was truly his, more than ever. That thought alone almost made him cum, but he tensed, holding back, wanting to enjoy the moment just a little longer. He began pumping in and out, teasingly slowly, partly to prolong his own enjoyment, but mostly to just keep Warren right on the edge.

Nick continued with his occasional strokes and squeezes of the boy's desperate cock as he slowly fucked him. Warren's occasional moans became a constant mantra of "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck." When it finally changed to "Oh fuck, Sir, oh fuck Sir." it finished Nick off. He shot his third load of the morning inside the boy.

He thought his own orgasm might trigger Warren's but the boy instead remained painfully close to it, precum virtually pouring from the swollen head. "Beg for it!" Nick said again, licking the precum off.

"I... ugh... I... aaah... Sir..." Warren stuttered. Nick took pity on him and decided to finally allow him release. A few rapid strokes and the boy's cock erupted. Under normal circumstances it would have been an impressive load, but considering it was his second in the space of an hour it was even more-so. The boy was covered in his own spunk.

Nick reached up and pulled away the blindfold then kissed the panting boy. "Fuck!" Warren exclaimed when Nick pulled away. "We are DEFINITELY doing that again!"

Nick laughed at the boy's expression, looking at him with a mix of awe and anticipation.

Corey sat in his armchair, looking from Josh, to James, to Sam and back again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong, the tension was almost tangible. "Oh thank God." he muttered when Nick and Warren finally emerged from the bedroom.

"Morning guys." Warren said happily, virtually skipping into the room.

Nick's amusement at the boy's enthusiasm was obvious. Corey couldn't help smiling too. After sitting with the three sour-faced guys for the last fifteen minutes, it was nice to see someone who actually looked positive. "Hey." Corey said back. He shifted across in the armchair as Warren squeezed in beside him, leaving Nick to take the empty seat on the sofa between Josh and James.

"So..." Nick said, immediately catching on to the atmosphere in the room. He shot Corey a questioning glance and just got a shrug in return. "Who's got plans today?"

"I got nothing until we have til dinner at Mum and Dad's." Josh replied flatly.

Nick looked round again at all the blank faces. He caught Sam's eye. "No football match today?"

"No." Sam replied bluntly, then looked away.

"Hey, I got a message from Greg earlier." Nick said, that at least caught the attention of most of the others. "He said his first night back at home was great, looks like he'll be staying."

"That's awesome." Corey said happily. Sam, Warren and Josh all nodded their agreement.

"Where's Dale?" Warren asked, looking a little guilty. Despite his apology to his big brother last night, he still felt like he needed to talk to him.

"He left earlier... with Liam." Josh replied. It had been playing on his mind. Why had Dale insisted on sleeping with Liam last night? Why had they left together that morning? Maybe Dale wasn't pissed, maybe he was feeling guilty? Maybe he and Liam were... Josh shook his head, he couldn't even entertain the idea. Josh had a headache. He wanted to believe it was from stress of what had happened last night and that morning, but he knew it was really just down to the alcohol. He had taken a few tablets after his shower which had taken the edge off of it, but his head still throbbed.

"I think I'm gonna head home." James said, getting up from the sofa.

Josh saw the James stare at him. He looked back for a moment, but then looked away. He just couldn't deal with it yet. James shook his head as Josh looked away, looking a mix of frustrated and disappointed then headed towards the exit.

"Anyone need a ride?" James asked, looking back.

"C'mon Cor." Nick said, getting up. "You know Mum always goes over the top when she's entertaining, she might need some help." He looked to James. "You mind dropping us off on the way?"

"Sure, no problem." James shrugged.

"You wanna come?" Nick asked his boyfriend.

Warren smirked. "No thanks, I've seen your Mum when she's like that. I think I'll stay clear." Nick laughed at the boy's response and gave him a quick kiss as he and Corey headed over to join James.

"I think I'll go too." Sam said, jumping up from his seat.

Josh didn't know how to feel as he watched Sam walk away. He hadn't done anything wrong. He had looked out for the boy, avoided taking advantage of him, been nothing but kind but the Sam still seemed annoyed at him. The worst part was, it just made Josh want him more. He wanted to reach out and pull the boy back, make him stay, but he remained motionless.

A few quick goodbyes and the four of them left. As Josh turned his attention back to the lounge, he realised he was now alone with Warren. Normally that would be something that would fill him with excitement, but not today. Something uncomfortable lingered in the air. The things Warren had said last night, the requests he had made, they kept playing over and over in Josh's mind. Then came the revelation that Warren suspected Nick was going to end their relationship. Where had that come from?

The younger boy clearly felt as awkward as Josh, sitting there trying to look in any direction except Josh's.

"Warren." Josh finally said, almost making the teen jump. "We should... talk."

"About what?" Warren asked, trying too hard to act casually.

"About last night, about the things you said..." Josh replied.

Warren finally looked at Josh, but instead of looking embarrassed, he laughed. "God, I can't believe I got drunk. I barely remember anything. I didn't say anything stupid did I?" he chuckled. The act was painfully transparent.

"Warren, come here." Josh said firmly, patting the seat next to him. Warren's face dropped, realising his attempt at deception had failed so quickly. He got up and flopped back down next to Josh, avoiding eye contact again.

"I think you know exactly what you said. We can come back to the stuff about me and you, but what did you mean, Nick's going to dump you?" Josh said, reaching out and placing a hand on the boy's leg.

Warren shrugged. "I dunno." he replied quietly, eyes fixed on his thumb as he picked at the nail. "He said he met someone and started falling for him, but then he said he wasn't going to let anything happen with him. But still, he's older, probably way hotter than me and he's all new and exciting. Why would Nick ever choose me over that?"

"Because he loves you!" Josh replied instantly, without a moment's hesitation. It wasn't a an attempt at reassurance for the boy, it was simply a statement of fact. "You know how much he loves you."

Warren just nodded, still looking down at his hands.

"Is that... why you said the other things? About us? And about Dale?" Josh asked. It was clear the boy had been worrying about it a lot. Mixing that with his first proper experience with alcohol, what happened wasn't really that surprising.

Warren nodded again. He sniffed and Josh realised he had started crying. The boy looked round at him, his eyes big and wet. "I thought I was gonna lose Nick and I got scared I was gonna lose you too. I don't hate Dale, I love him, he's the best big brother ever."

"Yeah, he is." Josh agreed, pulling the boy into a hug. He sat holding the boy for a few minutes, stroking his fingers through the dark, messy hair, his mind racing.

"Warren." Josh said, releasing the still-sniffing teen. "I think... we need to stop."

"Stop what?" Warren asked, frowning up at him.

"Us." Josh replied bluntly. He could see the look of dismay spreading across Warren's face and quickly explained. "We've both got amazing boyfriends who love us. I know you love Nick and I can't imagine life without Dale. I love you too, so, so much, but if we carry on someone's going to get hurt and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be responsible for that!"

Warren looked up at Josh, listening to his reasoning, then looked away. He noticed the birthday present he had given Dale sat on the coffee table, the picture of them all. He picked it up and stared at it. He remained silent until he felt Josh's hand sliding down his back. The tears stopped. He just turned to Josh and nodded.

Josh pulled the boy into another hug. This decision would not change much logistically. They would always be in each others' lives, but it felt like there was a side of each other they would never see again. As the hug parted, they stared into each other's eyes, just for a moment. That was all it took. Seconds later, Josh's mouth was attacking the boy's, their kissing desperate, hungry, fraught.

"Oh, it's just you." Pippa said, peeking out of the kitchen and seeing Josh walking through the front door.

"Always nice to feel welcome!" Josh said sarcastically with a smirk.

"Oh, hi Warren." she replied, ignoring Josh's comment.

"Hi Pippa." Warren grinned back at the woman.

Pippa turned her attention back to her son. "Sorry, I was expecting Alison and Peter, they should be here any minute."

Josh nodded his understanding of his mother's reception. "Hey," he said back, "Is Dale here yet?"

"No, I thought he'd be with you." Pippa replied before vanishing back into the kitchen.

Josh looked nervously at Warren. He had not been able to contact Dale all day. Even his attempts at contacting Liam had gone unanswered.

"He'll be here." Warren said confidently before heading into the lounge where Josh's Dad and Nick were sitting. "Hey George, you okay?" he asked cheerfully before sitting alongside his boyfriend.

"I'm fine thanks Warren. You enjoy the party?" the older man asked, looking up from his iPad.

"Erm... yeah." Warren said, not quite sure how to answer.

Following a quizzical look from his Dad, Nick added, "He really can't handle his booze!"

Josh glared angrily at his younger brother before facing his Dad, looking guilty. "You let them drink!?" George said, looking disappointed.

"Hey, I did everything I could to stop them!" Josh said defensively.

"Them?" George asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Corey too." Josh confessed.

"And Sam!" Nick added, sniggering.

Josh shot the boy another angry stare. "Thanks Nick, I wouldn't want to miss anyone." He said through gritted teeth.

"Three underage boys, drinking under your roof? Four if you count Nick, he's not eighteen yet, you know!" George said sternly.

"I... erm... I..." Josh stuttered.

George burst into laughter. "Ha, you're so easy to wind up. Relax, I started drinking pretty young so it's not like I can tell you not to." he chuckled, getting a death-stare from his eldest son who just flopped down in the other armchair as Nick and Warren joined in the laughter. George turned his attention to Warren and Nick and added, "But it's not big, or clever, so if you're gonna do it, just be careful, okay?"

Warren smiled and nodded his understanding. It was times like this that Warren could really see the similarities between Josh and his father. While Josh could switch back and forth between brainless idiot and stern big brother, George could do the same, joking with the boys one minute and then giving serious fatherly advice the next.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a few moments later, Corey walked in. George immediately looked at him sternly and said, "I understand you think it's okay for a fourteen-year-old to sneak alcoholic drinks?"

Warren, Nick and Josh smirked, seeing exactly what George was up to. Instead of panicking though, Corey just shrugged. "Hey, I'm almost fifteen. Besides, there's a big difference between a few drinks at my brother's house and getting blind drunk and stealing a car!"

George's face dropped as the other three burst into laughter as the man's trick got turned round onto him.

"Dad, you didn't?" Nick asked in shock.

George glared at Corey, then looked at Nick and just said, "Your mother has a very big mouth sometimes!" That just got more laughter from the boys.

A short while later, Warren's parents arrived. Pippa welcomed them, going into full-on psycho-hostess mode as the boys had feared. Anyone without a drink in their hand had one forced upon them, ridiculously tiny canapés were passed around, the only thing missing was Dale. Josh was about to try calling him again when they heard someone coming in the door – it was Dale.

The parents all made a big fuss of him, making him open their cards and gifts, even knowing how much he didn't really enjoy it. When the fuss died down, Josh finally managed to get near him. "Hey." he said with a tentative smile.

"Hi." Dale said back.

"Dale, what's..." Josh started, but Dale just turned and walked over to their two Dads, joining in their conversation.

As the evening went on, Josh continued attempting to talk to Dale, but every time he either got interrupted or simply cut off by Dale. Something was clearly very wrong, he had never seen Dale like that. When dinner was ready, they all sat around the table. It could normally seat eight, so having nine was a bit of a squeeze but they managed. Pippa sat at the head of the table, part of the female psychological war she and Alison liked to play against George and Peter. Alison sat next to her on one side, George on the other, with Peter next to him. Corey and Nick were squeezed on the same side as their fathers, while Warren and Josh were opposite them, with Dale at the end of the table opposite Pippa.

The dinner proceeded smoothly, the male/female war waging at one end, general conversation going on at the other, all with Josh still attempting to get Dale's attention. Aside from ignoring Josh, Dale seemed completely normal, happily chatting away to Nick, Corey and both sets of parents.

"Ugh, that was delicious. Wonderful meal, Pippa." Peter said, leaning back in his chair as he put down his fork.

"You never say my food is delicious!" Alison said sharply.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that!" the man replied, grinning at George, the two sniggering like naughty schoolboys. He saw the look on his wife's face and just muttered loudly to the man beside him, "I'm gonna pay for that one!"

"Well, thank you Peter." Pippa interjected before any more playful shots could be fired. "Now, who wants dessert?" She asked, starting to pick up plates.

There was a collective groan from the table. The thought of any more food so soon was somewhat distressing after the huge meal they had just eaten.

Pippa took it as a compliment and said, "Well, why don't we have a bit of a break and have dessert later then?"

"Oh, why don't I show you what I've got planned for the garden while we let dinner go down." George said excitedly.

Pippa rolled her eyes. "God, you and that garden!" she muttered, but she followed George out, closely followed by the other two parents.

"So what did you..." Dale started, looking at Corey.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Josh snapped angrily. Nick, Warren and Corey looked at him, shocked by his outburst while Dale still avoided looking at him.

"I don't want to do this here, Josh." Dale said flatly.

"Yeah, well tough luck because I do. I'm sick of you ignoring me. What's the problem?" he demanded.

"Oh, you want to do this here, do you?" Dale sneered, finally looking at his boyfriend. Josh suddenly regretted his demand, seeing the expression on Dale's face. "Fine, let's do it then."

"We should leave you..." Warren started, edging away nervously as he looked at Corey and Nick who were doing the same.

"No, you know what, YOU need to stay." Dale interrupted him angrily, shooting him a withering glare.

Josh looked round at the boy, their eyes widening with fear. It seemed Dale was as pissed at his little brother as he was at Josh.

"Dale, what..." Warren mumbled.

"I love you. I want to be with you. I hate Dale. Kick him out. We can just run away together." Dale snapped loudly in a mocking tone, standing up, fists clenched. "Sound familiar?"

Warren and Josh both stared at Dale. He had overheard them. He knew!

"Dale, what are you talking about?" Nick asked, staring at the terrified expression on Warren's face.

"Your boyfriend is in love with your brother!" Dale snapped at Nick.

"What?" Nick asked, smirking and looking a little incredulous. "I'm sure it's not like that. You know we all... do things together."

"Nick, I heard them. The exact words he used – I want you. Just you!" Dale insisted, frowning at the boy beside him

Nick stood up and turned away from the table, shaking his head. He looked round at Warren. "He's... he's wrong. Please Warren," his eyes were watering, "Please tell me he's wrong."

"Nick... I..." Warren stuttered. He literally had no words.

"And you!" Dale snarled at Josh. "Benny, Warren, James.... now Sam too? It's... it's just... it's anyone other than me, isn't it! You just... can't control yourself!" His hands were shaking as he spoke.

Josh stood and stepped towards the furious man. "Dale, I'm sorry... I..."

"Oh just save it!" Dale sneered, eyes wide with rage.

Nick had turned away again, standing there shaking his head, refusing to believe it. "It's... it's not... they're just... close." he mumbled, attempting to convince himself.

Corey reached up and put an arm round his brother's shoulder and said quietly, "Nick, it's true."

Nick jumped away from Corey's touch and looked at him in disgust. "Wait...you... knew?" He was breathing heavily, running his fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes.

Dale turned his attention to the youngest boy, repeating Nick's question. "You knew about this?"

Corey just stared back, completely stuck in the middle of the argument, unsure which way to look. He wanted to run.

"You knew and you didn't tell us?" Nick yelled at the younger boy.

"You helped them cover it up?" Dale added angrily.

"Don't blame him. He didn't do this." Josh said, defending his little brother.

"Oh, that makes it okay then!" Dale shouted sarcastically, stepping towards Josh, barely holding himself back from punching him.

Josh backed up, ensuring Warren was behind him. He had never even imagined Dale could look so angry and for just a moment he felt genuinely scared for both his own and Warren's safety. "Dale, please... calm down."

"Calm down?!" Dale yelled. "Fucking... calm down?" His breath was ragged and laboured, face burning bright red, fists still clenched tightly. He looked suddenly calm as a thought entered his mind. "How long?" he demanded quietly.

"It doesn't matter..." Josh started.

"HOW LONG?" Dale screamed. "How long have you and my brother been doing this behind my back? How long have you both been lying to me and Nick?"

Josh stared round at Nick who looked beyond devastated, then back at the furious man in front of him, gulped and said, "About... a year and a half." He felt himself trembling.

"I can't..." Dale said, turning away from Josh, hands releasing and clenching over and over. "How could you..."

There was a knock at the door, but none of them moved.

"Dale, I'm sorry, I love you..." Josh pleaded. He stepped towards Dale, reaching out a hand.

Dale just looked down at it, tears forming as anger gave way to sadness. "Don't say that. Don't you say that to me! Not ever again!"

"But... but..." Josh mumbled.

Warren was just stood staring at Nick who refused to look back. He wanted to walk round the table to his boyfriend, to hold him but he was frozen to the spot, terrified by the yelling.

There was another knock at the door. This time Corey used it as the excuse he was looking for and ran out.

"Dale, please..." Josh said, he stepped forward again.

Dale grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders and pushed him back roughly. Josh stumbled backwards against the table, knocking a glass off. As it fell to the floor and shattered, they heard a yell from the hallway.

"SOMEONE! HELP!!" It was Corey.

Panic spread across their faces as they looked at each other in response to the boy's yell. They ran out to see what had happened. Nick was first out the door. He stopped, motionless. Corey was just outside the front door, kneeling over a bloodied body.

"Greg!" Nick gasped.