The Dangers of Desire

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

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

The Dangers of Desire

Chapter 14

by Matt

Tuesday 3rd February 2015 Three days after the argument -----------------------------

Greg opened his eyes, panicking momentarily as he realised he had no idea where he was until Nick suddenly appeared over him.

"You're awake!" Nick said excitedly. He disappeared and Greg heard him call out, "He's awake!" before running back in to look down at him.

Greg tried to reach up to him but whimpered with pain. "Everything... hurts." he croaked, his mouth dry. He started to cry as his senses began returning and every inch of him felt like it was throbbing.

"Hey, try to stay calm." Nick said, reaching down and stroking his hair.

Nick's hand felt so comforting, so vastly different from the aching the boy felt everywhere else. It didn't last long though as someone came into the room. Nick was told to stand back and disappeared from Greg's line of sight.

"Nick." Greg whimpered. Someone else appeared, towering over him. It was a face he recognised which reassured him a little.

"Hey, don't worry, he's right here." the man said. "Do you remember me?"

"Simon!" Greg said, the face coming back to him. It was the same Doctor who had treated him the previous week.

"Good lad." Simon smiled. "You're in the hospital. I'm just going to need to ask you a few questions. Can you tell me your name?"

Greg did his best to stop crying, but still felt himself sniffing and breathing erratically. "Greg. Greg West."

"That's great." Simon said with a warm smile.

Nick stood clear, letting the Doctor do his work, asking a series of questions while carefully checking the boy physically. Nick had spent the last three days at the boy's bedside, refusing to move for anything. The boy's prolonged unconsciousness and the obvious injuries to his head had the Doctors worried about the possibility of brain damage. Seeing Greg awake was a relief, but with every question the boy answered correctly, Nick felt the stress just melting away.

"Okay, that's all great, thanks Greg." Simon said, finishing up the exam. "Do you remember what happened?"

Nick heard the boy's breath catch in his throat a few moments before he nodded.

The Doctor obviously noticed the boy's nervous reaction to the question and decided not to probe any further. "Hey, it's okay, you don't have to talk about it." he said, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

The man's touch felt nice, but it just made him want Nick back.

"Okay, you should probably get some more rest." Simon said, then headed out of the room with Greg's chart, smiling and giving a reassuring nod to Nick as he passed.

"Nick?" Greg called out, the young man immediately stepping into his view in response.

"I'm here." Nick said, staring down at the boy. He was overjoyed that Greg seemed like he was going to be okay, but every time he looked at him he felt a knot in his stomach. When Greg had appeared on the doorstep, he had been covered in blood, but with the blood cleaned off and he was barely more than a patchwork of bruises, the black and purple patches broken up by seemingly endless cuts and gashes.

They still had no idea what had happened to the boy. The Doctors had speculated on the cause of some of the wounds, but it had all been guesswork.

"You're gonna be okay." Nick whispered, as much for himself as it was for Greg.

"Just... promise you'll stay with me." Greg pleaded.

"Always." Nick said back, taking the seat he had spent the last three days in.

Thursday 5th February 2015 Five days after the argument ----------------------------

Josh lay in bed, looking at the clock. He should have been at work an hour ago but he couldn't even bring himself to move. He rolled over, finding himself looking at Dale's side of the bed. It remained empty. Looking at it was making him feel worse so he rolled back the other way. Moments later, he sat up sharply as he heard keys at the front door.

"Dale?" he called out, running into the hallway.

"Nope!" Corey called back, seeing his brother appear from the bedroom.

Josh just grunted and turned back, flopping onto the bed and pulling the covers over his head.

Corey ignored his brother for now, walking into the lounge. He was used to seeing the apartment immaculately tidy, Dale always liked to keep it that way. Now though, there were still empty glasses and bottles sitting around from the party almost a week earlier. Other general clutter Josh had left laying around since intermingling with the party remains. Corey headed to the sofa and sat down, moving aside an empty pizza box, then curled up, hugging a large cushion against him.

It felt like his entire world had fallen apart. Josh was becoming some kind of reclusive hermit, Nick would barely leave the hospital, Warren was losing his mind, stuck between wanting to see Greg and not wanting to see Nick and Dale was just... gone. They knew he was staying with Liam, but nobody had heard from him for days. Corey felt like he had gone from having the most amazing group of brothers in the world, to being an only child.

They had all been so caught up in their own drama, they hadn't even noticed the state Corey was in. Five nights he had gone now with hardly a wink of sleep. Every time he managed to drift off, he found himself back on the front doorstep, kneeling over Greg's beaten and bloodied body, screaming for help before waking up in tears.

He could feel himself starting to fall asleep so he sat back up and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room to try and keep himself alert. Something caught his eye on the table. It was the picture frame Warren had made for Dale... shattered into pieces, the group picture that had sat inside it torn apart. He reached out, taking hold of the biggest remaining whole piece of the frame, the word 'brothers' carved into it. Too tired to even cry, he just curled up again with the pillow.

He felt bad for the others, he knew what had happened had hurt them all so badly, but he wished they could just get past it, any one of them, because all he wanted was a big brother to hold him. Deciding that nightmares about Greg would almost be a welcome change from the isolation he was feeling, he let himself drift off to sleep.

Friday 6th February 2015 Six days after the argument ---------------------------

"And how's my favourite little patient doing today?" Simon asked happily as he walked into Greg's room.

As always, Nick was sat at the boy's side, both of them smiling at the cheerful young Doctor.

"Oh never better. I only stay here for the excellent food." Greg said with a wry grin.

"Glad to hear it." Simon said back, ignoring the boy's gentle mocking. "Well I've got some good news. We got your scan back and you're looking good."

"Thanks, you're looking pretty good yourself!" Greg said back, attempting a wink but failing because of the swelling from his black eye. Greg still felt embarrassed every time he saw Simon because of what had happened the first time they met, and Greg found that his terrible flirting with the young Doctor helped relieve some of the tension in the room. Nick seemed constantly on edge too, so it was nice to see him smile at Greg's feeble attempts.

"Thank you." Simon said, blushing slightly. "But you know that's not what I mean. After your operations, everything seems to be okay. The short version, everything's where it should be and none of it's leaking. That's... really all we want from your insides!" He said, chuckling slightly.

Simon did his regular checks on the boy before heading back out. As he was leaving, Pippa and George appeared at the door, saying happy greetings to Greg. Nick smiled at his parents as they walked in. Once they got through the door, his face dropped as he saw Warren was behind them.

As Nick's ex approached, he got up and looked down at Greg. "I'll... come back later." He said quietly, then virtually ran out of the room.

"Nick, wait!" Warren called out, following him out of Greg's room. Nick stopped and looked back. Warren just stared for a moment, then added, "Please... can we talk?"

"Fine." Nick said flatly. He headed to the exit as Warren followed, the two of them standing face-to-face as they got outside.

"Nick, I'm sorry." Warren said weakly, flinching slightly under Nick's gaze.

"For what?" Nick demanded.

"For... for everything." Warren stuttered.

Nick shook his head. "No, that's not good enough. What things are you actually sorry for? Are you sorry for spending the last eighteen months lying to me? Are you sorry for falling in love with my brother? Are you sorry for fucking everything so totally up? Or are you just sorry for getting caught?"

"I... I'm..." Warren stuttered, starting to cry.

"Don't. Don't.... do that!" Nick snarled. "Don't cry, because... when you cry... I just... I just want to hold you!" He could feel himself welling up.

"Then hold me, please." Warren begged, reaching out to him.

"No!" Nick snapped, swiping his hand to knock Warren's aside. "I can't... I can't. Warren, I just can't."

"Nick, I love you so much." Warren whimpered, reaching out again.

He let Warren touch him, fingers gently grazing his arm. All he had to do was reach out and pull the boy against him, hold him, kiss him and that would be it. But as much as he wanted to, the anger was still too much for him. He pulled away, watching Warren's hands drop back down to his side. "I can't." he repeated.

Saturday 7th February One week after the argument ---------------------------

Josh woke up to the sound of a text message arriving. He jumped for his phone, desperately hoping to see Dale's name. Instead, it was an unknown number. He wanted to ignore it, to curl back up and just sleep, but his curiosity got the better of him.

[What are you doing?]

No indication who it was from. It probably wasn't even for him so he ignored it and dropped the phone to his side. The message tone bleeped again.

[I asked you a question Josh, don't ignore me!]

He frowned at it. It was definitely for him then, but who was it? [Who is this?] he sent back.

[I'm the one asking questions, fag. Now, what are you doing?] the mystery person replied.

Josh felt a twinge in his stomach. He needed to know who it was, answering it now would be a ridiculous idea. [I'm laying in bed.] he replied, knowing he shouldn't.

[What are you wearing, fag?]

Josh found himself suddenly eager to reply, against his better judgement. [Just underwear.]

[Show me!]

[I don't even know who you are, I'm not going to start sending you pictures.] Josh replied, still retaining a modicum of common sense.

[Yes you are. You're going to take a picture of yourself, fag, and send it to me RIGHT NOW! I know that you want to obey my orders because you are a pathetic little fag. Now do as I tell you!]

Josh stared at the message. Whoever it was, they were right. He had been given an order and he could feel his resistance quickly fading away. He seemed to lose control of his own body. He threw back the covers, raised his phone in the air and took a picture of himself, immediately sending it to the unknown number.

[Good boy. You're off to a good start.]

[Who are you?] Josh asked again.

[You know who I am. That's why you're doing what I tell you. That's why you're going to keep doing what I tell you. Now, say my name!]

Josh stared at the message. He could feel his cock swelling, heart racing, breathing getting heavier. He typed out a single word reply. [Master]

[Good boy. Now it's time to get out of bed!]

Thursday 12th February 2015 Twelve days after the argument ------------------------------

"Morning guys." Simon said, walking into the room. He stopped as he saw two more occupants in the room than usual. Nick was sat in his usual spot, but two other boys sat on the opposite side of Greg's bed. "I swear you guys are multiplying!"

"Oh, morning Doc." Greg said happily.

"Hey, this is Warren and Sam." Nick explained. He flinched ever-so-slightly as he said Warren's name.

When Warren had come to see Greg again at the weekend, he and nick had spoken again. They had reached an agreement now. They both wanted to spend time with Greg and it wasn't fair to put him in the middle of their issues, especially considering the circumstances that led him there. It had been agreed that for Greg's sake, and their own, they would act like friends, putting aside the issues of their broken relationship for now.

Sam and Warren both said hello to the Doctor and explained that they had decided to surprise Greg with a before-school visit for a change.

After exchanging pleasantries with the two boys, Simon quickly turned his attention back to his patient. "Well I've got good news and bad news for you." Simon said seriously, perusing Greg's chart.

"Start with the bad." Greg requested nervously, gripping onto Nick's hand.

"I'm afraid you won't be seeing much more of me." Simon said sadly.

"What? Why?" Greg asked, pouting. He had grown quite fond of his Doctor.

"Well that's the good news." Simon replied with a grin. "I think you're gonna be ready to go home soon."

The news got a cheer from the boys, particularly Greg who seemed overjoyed at the thought of 'home'. Greg had already been advised that he would not be going back to his parents' house. His Mum's drinking had just gotten worse and worse since the incident, while his Dad had completely disappeared. He had been overjoyed when Pippa and George had come to tell him that they had agreed for him to stay with them for the foreseeable future.

"There are a few more tests I want to run, just to be on the safe side, but if they all check out then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to be discharged in the next couple of days." Simon explained.

"That's awesome!" Sam said happily.

As the Doctor continued talking to Greg about the tests, Nick gestured for Warren to follow him out of the room.

As they got out into the corridor, Warren smiled at his former boyfriend and spoke before Nick had the chance. "Look, I just wanted to say thanks... for being cool with me being here. I know it can't be easy, so, just... thanks."

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Nick said.

Warren looked nervous. Was Nick about to tell him it wasn't working, that they couldn't both be around Greg at the same time? It had definitely been a challenge, for both of them, but Warren felt it was at least manageable for now.

"I don't want to 'act' like I'm okay around you, Warren, I want to BE okay around you." Nick explained.

"Wait, do you mean..." Warren asked, looking hopeful for a moment.

"No!" Nick said quickly, realising what Warren was thinking, shaking his head. "No Warren, I don't wanna build up false hope. I'm not saying this to hurt you, but we're done... in that way. I can't trust you any more, so that's just... never going to happen. But... I think rather than just acting like we're friends, maybe we could actually BE friends!"

Warren was visibly upset by the comments, some small part of him still hoping Nick might take him back. He put on a brave smile anyway. "Okay, I understand." he said, nodding gently before adding, "And yeah... I'd rather have you as a friend than lose you completely."

Nick forced himself to smile. He could see how much the boy was hurting and his instinct was still to reach out and comfort him but he had to resist.

Friday 13th February 2015 Thirteen days after the argument --------------------------------

Josh looked nervously around the park. It was locked at that time of night so there was nobody around. It was cold and kept raining too, so that kept away anyone who might normally want to sneak in after dark, but he still felt like there were eyes on him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed out a message.

[I'm in the park Sir.]

A message came back. [Good, now take your clothes off]

He felt like his heart was about to jump up his throat and burst out of his mouth as he read the response. It was something he expected he might be ordered to do as he had been instructed to only wear minimal clothing, but that didn't make it any less daunting. Despite his nerves, he complied, pulling off his t-shirt, jeans and underwear. The cold breeze seemed to wrap around his body, bringing with it a fine mist of drizzle, moistening his bare skin.

[I'm naked Sir.] he sent back.

[Good, now find a bin and put your clothes in] the next order stated.

The order gave him a twinge of fear amongst a wave of excitement. His cock was already stiff, it had been ever since reading the order to strip. He picked up his clothing and walked a short distance down the path to where a bin stood beside a bench. He shuddered, more from anticipation than cold as he watched his clothing fall in.

[I've done it Sir] he reported in.

[Good, now find somewhere to sit and start wanking]

Josh sat down on the bench beside the bin, the wet wood feeling cold and slimy against his bare arse and back. He took his cock in his hand and started stroking. He knew his master could easily have picked somewhere a lot busier, and he most likely would have obeyed him, so he was glad to have the seclusion of the locked park.

He had been receiving texts from the mystery master for almost a week now and Josh hung on his every word. Aside from being extremely arousing, it had turned out to be quite beneficial. He had actually gone to work this week, getting back to a semi-normal routine. The extra tasks the master set for him were just an added bonus.

[I'm doing it Sir] he sent, moaning quietly as he enjoyed one of the most exciting wanks he had experienced in years.

[Okay, fag. Keep going. Don't stop unless I tell you to, and no cumming either!]

Josh smiled at the message. He certainly had no intentions of stopping any time soon. As for not cumming, that just meant he could enjoy the sensations a little longer.

He remained on the bench, stroking happily, shuddering occasionally whenever there was a strong breeze. The cool air had stiffened his nipples, his spare hand occasionally playing with them and mewing happily at the feel of it.

The minutes ticked by and Josh could feel an orgasm building, so he slowed his strokes a little, looking at his phone, expecting to see a message, but none came. He carried on stroking. Eventually he looked at the phone again. It had been an hour since the last message and by now even his slowest stroke was making him feel like he could shoot.

[Sir, can I cum?] he finally sent, unable to resist any longer.

[I was just about to tell you that you can, but for interrupting me I think I'll make you wait a bit longer!] the master replied.

Josh groaned as he read it, cursing his own impatience. He was barely touching his cock now, every movement making his whole body twitch. He was so close it almost hurt. His legs started shaking as he forced himself to hold back but the shaking just stimulated his straining cock even more. He looked at the phone again. It had been twenty minutes since the last message.

He began to whimper, the noise seeming to echo through the whole park. Anyone else who happened to sneak in would be able to hear him easily, but thankfully nobody appeared. He almost yelled with relief when he felt his phone vibrate.

He opened the message from his master. [You're going to record a video for me. I want to see you, every inch of you, naked and exposed, so find somewhere to put your phone that will give me a good view. Once you start filming, you will wank for ten minutes before you cum. You are not allowed to look at the time on your phone so you will have to guess. If you cum too soon or too late, you will be punished. As soon as you are done you will send the video to me. Do you understand, fag?]

Josh almost ejaculated from just reading the message. He quickly send back [Yes Sir] then got to work. He propped his phone against the leg of the bench, turning on the light and starting it recording, then knelt across the path from it. He resumed stroking. The few seconds it had taken him to reply and set up the camera had given him a little relief, so the first couple of minutes weren't too bad, but he soon felt himself right on edge again.

He had been counting the seconds as he played with himself, but the closer he got to cumming, the more his sense of time warped. He thought he was coming up to ten minutes, so he gave himself a few fast strokes and yelled out excitedly, much louder than he intended, as he shot his load all over the path between him and his phone.

Gasping for breath as he milked out the last few drops, he crawled across the path, stopped the recording and sent it to his master. It took a few minutes to send because of the size, so he had to just sit and wait for instructions. While he waited, he looked at the video to check the time. He had cum after just eight minutes. He knew his master wouldn't be happy about that, but the thought of his punishment just made his cock jump a little.

[Very nice, but a bit premature, fag. I'll have to think about how to punish you. For now, go home. Leave the clothes!]

The order to leave his clothes had not been unexpected. He simultaneously loved and hated his mystery master. Making his way home naked was going to be embarrassing, but he couldn't help admitting to himself that he was looking forward to it too.

[Yes Sir] he replied, then headed for the exit of the park.

Saturday 14th February 2015 Fourteen days after the argument --------------------------------

Nick helped Greg up the stairs then along the hallway to Josh's old room, where the boy had stayed for a few nights a couple of weeks ago. Pippa and George were right behind them. Greg wondered why they had all insisted on coming up with them, but as he opened the door and went inside, he soon realised. The room had a giant 'Welcome Home' banner and balloons up waiting for him. All of the cards he had received at the hospital had been placed in his room too.

Greg's eyes were drawn to something else though. The desk was covered with his own things and more of his possessions were dotted around the room. His favourite poster, some pictures of Greg with Warren, Sam and Tim, all the stuff that he actually liked. He looked at Nick in shock.

"We went and got some of your stuff. I hope you don't mind, I just thought it might help you feel more at home." Nick explained.

"It's amazing. Thank you." he said to Nick, then looked at his friends' parents. "To all of you."

Greg hugged them all one at a time, visibly in pain but wanting to show his affection anyway.

"Come on, let's get you comfortable." Nick said, helping the boy over to the bed.

"We'll leave you to settle in. Call if you need anything." Pippa said, nudging George out of the room and following closely behind him.

Once Greg was on the bed, propped up by plenty of pillows, Nick lay down beside him. "It's great to have you home." Nick said happily, stroking the boy's arm.

"It's nice to be here." Greg smiled back. "So, have you got any big plans for tonight?"

Nick looked at him, wondering what the boy meant.

"It's Valentines Day!" Greg said, not really surprised that he hadn't noticed. Nick had been so devoted to looking after Greg that pretty much everything else had been pushed aside.

"I... No, no plans." Nick said, feeling a twinge of regret as Warren popped into his head.

Greg could tell how much Nick missed Warren. He just wished there was some way to magically fix things, to get Warren and Nick back together somehow. Those few days before everything had gone to hell had been the happiest of his life, hanging out with Warren, Nick and Sam, but it all seemed like a hazy distant memory now.

They heard someone heading back up the stairs. "Hey Casanova." Nick's Dad said, walking into the room carrying an envelope. "Post arrived. Looks like you've got an admirer!" He passed the card to Nick and then headed back out, knowing there was no way his son would open it with him watching.

Greg looked as nervously as Nick opened the envelope. He hoped it would be from Warren and wondered what it might say and how Nick would react.

Nick pulled out the card and laughed. The front read 'I just wanted to tell you I love you', but someone had written 'DO NOT' above the word 'love'. He knew right away who it was from – Callum. Since Greg went into hospital, Nick had only been back to college a couple of times, mostly to pick up work that he had missed, which meant he had not really seen Callum for a couple of weeks.

He opened the card and read inside. 'To my Not-A-Valentine, Hurry up and come back soon, lots of non-love, Callum. P.S. I don't love you (but I do miss you!)' He laughed aloud, getting a very confused look from Greg. He handed the card to the younger boy who just looked even more confused once he had read it.

"That's... really weird." Greg said, trying to hide his disappointment that it wasn't from Warren.

"That's Callum for you, always weird!" Nick said with a fond smile.

Later that night, Nick was laying in bed, unable to sleep. His mind seemed to be endlessly cycling through the guys in his life – Greg, Warren, Callum, Josh, Dale. One after another they popped up, bringing with them all sorts of issues and unpleasant feelings. He had been thinking about Dale, wondering if he was okay when he heard his phone vibrate on his night stand.

It was a message from Greg. [I wanted to come over to your room like the last night I stayed here, but it hurts to move.]

Nick didn't reply, instead he got up and headed straight over to the boy's room.

"I was hoping you'd do that." Greg said happily, smiling at Nick as he walked in.

Nick headed straight for the bed, got in beside Greg and let the boy manoeuvre himself into a comfortable position. He was laying with his back pressed against Nick, while the older boy's arms wrapped around him.

"Better?" Nick asked.

"Much." Greg replied contentedly, sighing happily.

They had been laying there together for about ten minutes in silence before Greg said, "I dropped a glass."

"What?" Nick asked. He had thought the boy had fallen asleep, so the random comment surprised him a little.

"At home... that day... it started when I dropped a glass." Greg explained quietly.

Nick felt Greg's grip on his arm tighten. This was the first time Greg had even mentioned it. After he had been through it with the police and social services, for once asking Nick NOT to be present, he had been a wreck, almost inconsolable. As such, it was unexpected to hear him bring it up now. Nick remained silent, allowing the boy the opportunity to continue without being pressed on it.

"Not long after Irene left, I dropped a glass and it broke and Dad got really annoyed. He yelled at me and then at Mum. I probably should have called you then, like I promised I would, but Dad calmed down and apologised and... and I didn't want to cause any more trouble." the boy continued quietly. "I went up to my room, just to give them some space but when I went back down a couple of hours later, Mum was drinking and nagging Dad about finding a job and Dad was getting really pissed about it... then it all just started up again."

Greg paused, taking a deep breath. Nick nuzzled his face into the boy's neck, kissing it gently, just to let him know he was still there, holding him.

"I.... I ran up to my room and I was about to call you, but Dad came in. He knew I was going to call someone, so he took my phone away from me and smashed it, then started yelling at me for causing trouble. I tried... I tried to apologise but he punched me in the stomach and told me to shut up. It hurt so much, I just curled up on the floor and started crying and he kept calling me girls names and saying boys shouldn't cry and that he felt disgusted at having a queer for a son."

Greg stopped again for a moment, taking several deep breaths, pressing back against Nick, getting comfort from feeling the bigger boy's body against his own. As he spoke, his grip on Nick's arm was growing tighter and tighter. "He went to leave my room and I just looked at my window, I wanted to get out again, but he must have seen me. He came over and grabbed me by my hair and dragged me to the window. He said if I was so keen to leave then he'd happily throw me through the window but then said I should stay and face him like a man. Then he started slapping me, telling me I was too much a wimp to even defend myself."

By this point, Nick was crying, hearing what the boy had gone through and the cold detachment in his voice as he recounted the events.

"He took me out of my room to the top of the stairs and started slapping me again. He told me if I didn't defend myself like a man, then he'd push me down. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't move, I was too scared so he let go of me, punched me in the face and pushed me down the stairs. I must have hit my head because I blacked out. When I woke up, Dad was standing over me and Mum was yelling at him to stop, but she was so drunk she couldn't even stand up straight. Dad just started kicking me. I curled up and begged him to stop but he just kept yelling and kicking and yelling and kicking. I tried to crawl away into the lounge when he started screaming at Mum again, but he just followed me. He said I had ruined everything, that having me had ruined his life. I begged him to let me go."

Nick wanted the boy to stop. He didn't want to hear any more but he couldn't say anything. All he could do was lay and hold the boy silently.

"He said I shouldn't have run away last time, that this was only happening because I did, that it was all my fault. Mum staggered in and started screaming at him. As soon as he turned on her, I got up and tried to go for the door, but he caught me and dragged me back. He told me he had already warned me what would happen if I tried to leave again. He... he picked me up... and threw me through the window. It... hurt so much when I felt all the glass cutting me. All I could see was red, and everything hurt but I knew I had to get up. I made myself move and ran out onto the street. He came running after me, but I hid in the neighbour's garden until he went away. It all gets a bit blurry after that. I just remember everything hurting and thinking I had to get to you, that if I did that then I'd be okay."

The boy went silent, breathing deeply for a few moments before he burst into tears. Nick wanted to say so much to him, but was unable to even form words through his own sympathetic sobbing.

Tuesday 17th February 2015 Seventeen days after the argument ---------------------------------

Corey lay on the sofa in Josh's apartment, sniggering to himself over something he was reading on his phone. He froze when he heard a key at the door. Josh was meant to be at work all day but it was only one o'clock. He sat up and looked over towards the door, just as Dale appeared. He ducked down quickly, just managing to avoid Dale's quick glance round. He lay on the sofa, doing his best to remain silent.

"Fuck, this place is a tip!" he heard Dale mutter, before he walked through to the main bedroom.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Corey muttered, desperately hoping Dale didn't come too far into the lounge. He considered trying to sneak out but there was direct line of sight from the bedroom to the corridor with the front door, so there was too much of a chance he would be spotted.

He could hear Dale moving things around in the bedroom. He expected he was just here to pick up more of his things. Part of him wanted to reveal himself, to talk to the man, to tell him everything, confide what was wrong, but his anger won out instead. He was still angry at Dale for just leaving so he remained silent.

A few minutes later, Dale emerged again but thankfully went straight to the front door and left. With the man gone, Corey sat up, breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out another beer, chugging half of it before staggering back into the lounge.

Wednesday 18th February 2015 Eighteen days after the argument --------------------------------

[Okay Sir, I'm naked] Josh sent to his master. He was in a public toilet, inside one of the cubicles, his clothes now removed and hung up on the back of the door. That was all he had been instructed to do so far.

[Very good, fag. Are you hard?]

Josh looked down. Hard was an understatement. He had reached the point where just receiving a message from his mystery tormentor gave him a raging erection. [Yes Sir. Very] he sent back.

[Good. Now open the cubicle door, leave it open and start wanking. You're only allowed to cum if someone lends you a hand or if someone is watching you. Understand?]

Josh stared in amazement. This was the first time he had been ordered to deliberately expose himself to other people. He had done several risky things, but they had always allowed him the option to hide. Now though, it was definitely going to happen! [Yes Sir] he sent back, then unlocked the door and let it swing open.

He started stroking, having to go quite slow. His excitement over what was about to happen already made him feel like he could cum quickly. His breath caught in his throat as he heard the main door open. A man walked in and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Josh's reflection in the mirror. He was around his mid-thirties, tall and a bit chunky with quite attractive features. Josh's cock twitched. He wanted the man to come over but didn't feel bold enough to actively gesture to him. The man watched for a few moments, then smiled and walked on to the urinals.

Josh had to stop stroking otherwise he would cum and he didn't want to disobey his master. A minute later, the man reappeared as he headed past to the exit, giving Josh another smile on the way. Josh was back to stroking on his own, waiting for someone to appear. It was nearly ten minutes until he heard the door go again, this time he heard voices too. A few seconds later, two young guys appeared. They looked about Nick's age, both carrying skateboards.

"What the fuck..." one of them, the blonde, exclaimed as he saw Josh. He grabbed his friend's arm and pointed to Josh.

"Fuck!" the darker haired one said with a grin as they looked at the naked man.

They both stared at Josh who just looked back nervously. He was still scared things could go badly, but hoped for the best.

"Want a hand?" the blonde asked with a grin.

"Sure." Josh said happily, dropping his hand away from his erection and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Have fun!" the other one said as he walked along to the urinals.

The blonde walked towards Josh, put down his skateboard and grabbed the solid shaft, stroking it quickly.

"Ah fuck." Josh moaned happily at the young man's touch.

Smiling at Josh's enjoyment, he stopped for a moment, pulled down the front of his jeans and boxers and let his own cock flop out. It was already hard and looked to be about six inches. As he resumed stroking Josh's boner, he pumped away on his own with his other hand.

"See you outside!" the dark-haired boy called out on his way back past.

"Ah yeah." Josh moaned, getting close to cumming, sped along by the sight of the cute boy wanking in front of him. He wanted to reach out and touch but got the impression it wouldn't be welcome.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck." the boy moaned as his cock started spurting several globs of cum onto Josh's chest just seconds before Josh shot too.

The boy kept stroking them both until every drop had oozed out, then let go and tucked himself away.

"That was hot." the boy said, turning to walk away.

"I'm Josh!" Josh called after him.

"I don't care!" the boy called back, leaving Josh to clean himself off and get dressed.

Monday 23rd February 2015 Twenty-three days after the argument ------------------------------------

"I don't believe it, my eyes must be playing tricks on me!" Callum called out as Nick walked into the study room.

"Like you can see anything past that ridiculous hair anyway." Nick laughed back at him.

The two hugged briefly before Nick greeted the other guys Callum had been sat with as his friend got up from his seat.

"I'll catch ya later guys. We're gonna walk to class" Callum said, picking up his bag from the table and walking away with Josh. "So are you just visiting or are you actually back?"

"I'm back." Nick said happily.

"About time. What happened anyway? Nobody knew why you just stopped coming." Callum asked as they walked down the corridor towards their first class.

"A friend... got hurt, badly. He needed me." Nick explained. It was clear he didn't want to give more detail, so Callum just nodded. Nick looked round at his friend and added, "And I broke up with Warren."

"What!?" Callum said, stopping dead in his tracks and grabbing Nick's arm. "What happened?"

"He... he was cheating on me. He's in love with someone else." Nick said with a sigh.

"Wow, and right after you thought you were cheating on him too. Kind of ironic." Callum said with a slight smirk.

"Gee thanks. I've broken up with the guy I love, but at least I have the irony to comfort me!" Nick said, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry mate, how you doing with it?" Callum asked, putting an arm around Nick's shoulders as they resumed walking.

"Honestly? I could REALLY use a fuck!" Nick said with a grin.

"Oh, so that's why you came back, is it? To just use me for sex?" Callum asked, pulling the arm away.

"Yeah, pretty much." Nick replied, still grinning.

Callum frowned at him, but just for a moment before smiling too. "Fair enough, just wanted to know where I stood. Wanna blow off class and... blow me instead?"

"Fuck yes!" Nick said happily as they ran off towards the toilets.

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Twenty-five days after the argument -----------------------------------

"Happy birthday." Greg called out happily as Warren walked into his room, closely followed by Sam.

"Thanks." Warren said, smiling weakly.

"Best not to mention that." Sam said to Greg. "He's... not really in the mood to celebrate."

"Why not? I thought things were... getting better!" Greg whispered to him.

"They are... but me and Nick, we're just friends." Warren replied, sitting on the bed beside Greg. "I miss him so much. Josh too."

"Josh still ignoring you then?" Sam asked, sitting on Greg's other side.

Warren frowned. "Not quite ignoring, but close. I've only seen him once and he said he still loves me, but he wants to be with Dale. He knows that would never happen if I'm around all the time so he just told me to stay away." Warren explained, eyes watering. "I really miss him."

Greg reached out and pulled Warren towards him. "Hey, it's all gonna be okay." he said reassuringly.

Warren just rested against his friend and sighed. "I just want things back the way they were." Greg nodded his agreement to the sentiment as Warren sighed again. "Worst birthday ever!"

They heard movement out on the landing, followed by quick footsteps down the stairs.

"Hey, was that Corey?" Sam asked, looking over at the door.

"Sounded like it." Greg said with a shrug.

Warren frowned, thinking about Josh's youngest brother. "Has he actually come to see you yet?" he asked.

"No. Nick's still not talking to him and he always seems to be out doing other things." Greg explained.

"He's missed our last two matches too." Sam added quietly.

Warren rubbed his face and muttered, "I really fucked things up, didn't I!"

Greg just pulled him into another hug briefly before Warren and Sam had to leave for school.

That night, Warren's parents had taken the two boys out for dinner to celebrate their son's birthday, even though it was clear he wasn't in the mood. They had also agreed to let Sam stay over for the night.

Once the two boys were alone in Warren's room, Sam grinned at his friend and said, "I've got a present for you!"

Warren scowled. "I told you not to buy me anything!"

"I didn't." Sam replied, still smiling. "But I've got this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, handing it over to his friend.

Warren immediately recognised it from the night of Dale's birthday party. It was the fantasy Warren had written down, the one about Sam, the one his friend had read out, but omitted the embarrassing parts to save Warren's humiliation. He stared down at it then over at Sam. "You still have this!" he exclaimed.

"Sure. And do you remember what I said about it that night?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you said that my birthday was next month and that I'd just given you an idea what to..." Warren stopped mid-sentence, staring at Sam as he realised where they were heading.

Sam headed for the door, then turned back to Warren and said, "I'm just gonna go out for a bit, I'll be back soon!" He winked at warren and left, heading for the bathroom. As he got in there and locked the door, he sat down. He was terrified of what he was about to do. Aside from his encounter with Nick and the stuff at Dale's party, he had never really done much with anyone, but he knew this was something Warren really wanted. He cared about Warren so much and it was killing him seeing his friend so down.

A few minutes later, he took a deep breath, opened the door and headed back to Warren's room. If things went the way of Warren's fantasy, then he was about to walk in and catch him wanking. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, attempting unsuccessfully to stifle a grin. "Oh dear, looks like I've..." he started, but then saw Warren still sat there fully dressed, "Not... caught you doing... anything!" he finished flatly.

Warren just stared at him, tears in his eyes. "Could you just... hold me?" he asked quietly, then started crying. Sam was on the boy in seconds, arms around him.

Saturday 28th February 2015 Twenty-eight days after the argument ------------------------------------

Liam headed for the door and opened it. "Hey James." he said with a smile, seeing his friend standing there waiting to come in.

"Alright, you okay?" James asked, walking inside and slipping off his shoes and coat.

"Not bad, glad it's the weekend!" Liam replied as he closed the door.

"Me too." James agreed, then in a hushed tone asked, "How's he doing?"

Liam lowered his voice to match James'. "Ugh, ask him yourself!" he said, shaking his head, then asked, "Hey, you seen Josh lately?"

"No." James said, shaking his head in response. "I figured I should probably keep my distance for now."

"Same here." Liam said with a hearty sigh.

They headed into the lounge where Dale was sat on the sofa.

"Hey." Dale said happily as he saw James.

"Hey bro." James said, fist bumping and sitting alongside him. "How ya doing?"

"Everything sucks!" Dale pouted, slumping back in his seat.

"Oh for fuck's sake, stop moping. You're not a girl!" Liam snapped from across the room.

"Whoa, go easy!" James said defensively, turning to face his short-tempered friend.

Liam just glared at them both. "Hey, you haven't lived with this for three weeks. I've had enough. All he does is sit around and complain!" Liam said sharply.

"HE is in the room ya know." Dale said back angrily at being spoken about as if he wasn't there, frowning at his friend.

"Wow, so glad I came." James said, smirking at the two friends bickering.

"Whatever! Maybe you can talk some sense into him. He clearly wants to get back together with Josh but he's just being a whiny little bitch about it." Liam said to James frustratedly before storming out.

James watched Liam leave, then turned back to Dale. "He's... pretty harsh, isn't he!" he said, shaking his head

"Yeah." Dale agreed, then sighed and added. "He's right though."

"You... wanna get back together?" James asked, surprised at the revelation.

Dale nodded. "I do. I'm really pissed at him, but I really miss him. Erm... have you spoken to him?"

James looked round at the door for Liam again. Seeing he was definitely gone, he turned to Dale and said, "Yeah. Yeah I have." Seeing Dale staring at him hopefully, he continued, "Sorry mate, he really doesn't want to get back together with you."

"Oh." Dale said, then went silent, looking down contemplatively. It was definitely not the news he was hoping for.

Monday 2nd March 2015 Thirty days after the argument ------------------------------

Josh could feel himself getting tired, but his master had demanded he stay in shape, so he continued running on the treadmill, drenched in sweat. He closed his eyes, listening to the music loud playing in his ears, just willing his legs to keep going. When he opened his eyes, he was startled as he saw James standing on the treadmill beside him. He tripped over his own feet, fell onto the treadmill, rolled over and flew off the end, landing in a heap.

He looked up and saw James looking down at him. "That... was fucking hilarious!" James said with a grin.

"Fuck off, I meant to do that. It's how I end all my workouts!" Josh said defiantly, letting James help him up onto his feet, looking round embarrassed at all the amused stares from the other members of the gym.

The two stood looking at each other for a moment. They hadn't even spoken since the morning after Dale's party. "It's nice to see you." James said with a polite smile.

"You too." Josh said, still catching his breath from the run and spectacular dismount.

"Maybe you should sit down for a minute." James suggested. They headed over to a rest area and took a couple of seats by a table.

"How've you been?" Josh asked.

"Fine." James said back briefly. "You?"

Josh shrugged. "Getting by." He stared at James for a moment. In all the commotion with Greg, the argument with Dale and the general unpleasantness with everyone else he had almost forgotten about what had happened with James. The kiss they had shared and their encounter in the shower had been all but forgotten. Seeing the young man there now brought it all flooding back to him and he was totally unprepared to deal with it, instead choosing another conversation. "So... how's Dale?"

"Getting by!" James said, using Josh's own words. His expression told Josh everything he needed to know. Dale was obviously suffering and it was all Josh's fault.

"I can't believe I fucked everything up so completely." Josh said, leaning forward and resting his forehead on the table.

James reached out and rubbed his back.

"Has he... mentioned me?" Josh asked, tilting his head slightly to the side to look up at his friend.

James looked a little uncomfortable.

"What?" Josh demanded, sitting up. James' hand fell away "What did he say?"

"Just... that he never wants to see you again!" James lied. He let his hand find its way back onto Josh, resting on his leg. "I'm sorry dude. I know that's probably not what you want to hear."

"No... it's really not." Josh said sadly. "But... at least I know now."

James slid his hand back and forth a little, getting closer to Josh's crotch. "Hey... maybe a shower will cheer you up!" he suggested with a sly grin.

Josh sighed, looked round at him. So Dale didn't want him back? He knew this was a possibility, but now James had confirmed it. Of all people, why did it have to be James? The kiss, the shower, the giant cock... all suppressed for so long. But now here he was, at his lowest moment, offering himself up. Any strength Josh had left had been sapped by the news about Dale. He stared back at James, smiled weakly and said, "Sure. Why not."