Between Love and Goodbye [9]
Title: Between Love and Goodbye (sequel of WDSTF)
Author: Jess>>>> bangxbangxdie7
Pairing: See characters down below (link is provided)
Rating: NC-17, mainly for sex and language
POV: Third
Summary: The twins finally seem to be happy and content with their lives. Until everything starts to go wrong.
Disclaimer: Not true, I have a vivid imagination.
Author Note: I know there isn't much original slash on here but there should be! <3 ****Huge thanks to: faux_vive(who made the lovely banner) I love you guys! I hate begging but, please don't be silent readers, I'd love to hear from you! SO SORRY IT'S BEEN FOREVER!
Characters.
We Didn't Start The Fire 1-16
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Trevor lies his head on his girlfriend's belly, which has been growing in size since she passed her fourth month mark. He rubs at the medium sized bump and kisses her bellybutton. He swears he can hear the baby move inside of Grace, even though she claims that there is no way the baby makes noise. She thinks it's cute how Trevor is so loving towards their unborn child. She just hopes that it is their child. If the baby that she's carrying does turn out to be her former love interests...she doesn't know what she'll do. She would be forced to tell Trevor the truth and he would leave her for good. And he would hate her.
"Why don't you sing to the baby, Trev? I'm not sure when she...or he can start to hear but it's sometime soon. Go ahead..." She smiles and scoots up from her slouching position.
"Okay...I'll sing a lullaby. But not a cliché one...one I made up. Well I didn't exactly make one up I'm gonna wing it but she...or he doesn't know that so...here I go."
Grace closes her eyes and listens to Trevor's lovely voice. Their baby will have a nice voice if it's anything like Trevor's. His voice is unique and calming. Almost like Jason Mraz but not quite. A little bit heavier of a tone. Hard to describe.
"I can't wait till you come out of mommy's belly, because I'm very excited to meet you," Trevor says to his baby after he's done singing to it. "...I wonder who you'll look like. Perhaps you'll look like mommy if you're a girl and maybe you'll look like me if you're a boy. Or you can throw us off and look like me if you're a girl and like mommy if you're a boy."
He smiles and hugs Grace softly. "Gracie how beautiful is our baby going to be, huh? With your beautiful smile and my hazel eyes...your perfect skin and hair and teeth. Our kid is gonna do some serious heart-breaking someday let me tell you. Right?"
Grace swallows hard and nods. "Of course. I hope this baby looks like you..." she says trying to coax herself into thinking it has to look like him, because it's his. "At least she'll be on the thin side, we're both skinny. If it even is a girl. We keep saying it is but we really don't know. Do you still want to keep it a surprise? At my next appointment they can tell me if it's a boy or a girl..."
Trevor grins while he shakes his head. "Still want it to be a surprise. You can know if you want but I want to be in the dark about it."
She shakes her head. "No I don't want to know if you don't. We'll be surprised together."
Perhaps more surprised than planned...but surprised nonetheless.
"Well I'm gonna buy greens and yellows and oranges when I go baby-clothes shopping because the baby is gonna need clothes when it's born. And I figure those colors are pretty unisex. And then once we find out the real gender we can buy pinks or blues or whatever," he says happily. "Oh and I was thinking um well uh...if you want, you totally can say no but I thought it would be cool to take one of those classes. Like...to help de-stress you and prepare you for the birth and all. I want to be here for you every step of the way. Well take those mommy/daddy classes. I'll make it fun- I mean...if-"
"Trev aww, that's a great idea! That would be great. Thank you for being such a great boyfriend through all of this. I really...don't know what I would do without you," she says beaming.
"You're never going to lose me, Grace. I love you, and I would never abandon you, especially while you're pregnant with my baby. We're a team, Gracie. The best team there is out there. And this baby is going to have an amazing life...because we're his or her parents. Okay? I want you to tell me that you believe me."
She holds onto her boyfriend super tight. "I believe you, Trevor."
~
Caleb and Corey are two of the happiest people in the world to welcome summer. Their graduation is in less than two weeks, their birthdays are in July, and they get to go on vacations. They are jumping for joy that it's the middle of June and they are counting down the days until their summer officially begins.
"Where's Kevin today Cor? This is the first time I've seen you without him in a while. Is...everything all right with you guys?" Caleb asks his twin, concerned.
Corey throws a balled up shirt at him. "Yes, everything is peachy Cale. Just because he's not humping my leg doesn't mean there's something wrong. His sister has a new boyfriend and he wants to meet him to give her 'permission' to date him. His younger sister. That's the only one who asks for his opinion; the only one that doesn't always try to sleep with me. So yeah. It's not my place to be there you know?"
Caleb sits down on his twins bed and lies down. "What's that like? I mean...not like I'm trying to be a weirdo but...like what do they do? Are they serious?"
Corey shrugs. "I think. They just dress really slutty when they know I'm coming over and they all rush to answer the door. They compliment me and sometimes they get touchy. But I usually ignore what they say and remove their hands from me. It gets weird...and you'd think they'd stop by now but they just won't give up. But what can I say...I'm pretty damn hot."
Caleb makes a face. "Better watch what you say Cor, we're identical...if you think you're hot- yeah you get it and I know you're not incestuous like that so yeah. ANYWAY to not be awkward, that's just wrong. They should have more respect for their brother. That's kinda gross."
"I guess. It doesn't effect the way I feel about Kevin. He can't control them so it doesn't matter. I like Kevin...I spend my time with Kevin, I kiss Kevin and I fuck Kevin so all of his sisters are irrelevant to me."
The younger twin shakes his head in disapproval. "Corey you shouldn't talk like that about your boyfriend. You don't 'fuck' him all the time- do you? I mean...you never go easy on him?"
Corey and Caleb haven't talked about their sex lives with each other much because they've been busy...having sex with their boyfriends. Things have been going really great with the twins' love lives. Caleb is tremendously happy with Ben even though his dad still doesn't know about them. Corey is happy with Kevin even though his sisters want in his pants. Nothing is exactly perfect- but on it's way there.
"I guess, I don't know. I don't 'make love' like you do all the time. It's not like I rape my boyfriend so don't judge the way I have sex. Kevin isn't complaining so until he does you shouldn't either."
Caleb sticks his tongue out at his brother. "I make love sometimes not all the time, so shut up. And don't you think Kevin wants to switch things up at all? You've been together for eternity according to your standards...don't you think you should uh, give it up? I know you think your ass is sacred, which it's not- and even if it was, don't you think Kevin is worthy?"
Corey takes a seat on his bed next to his brother. "My ass is sacred, nobody is going anywhere near it unless I'm 45 years old and I'm getting examined by a doctor."
"It's 35 now, genius, and what's the big deal? Scared that you can't take the pain?"
Corey's mouth hangs open. "I can't believe you just asked that. It's none of your business why I don't...do things like that. I-" he realizes that he's screaming at Caleb. "...sorry. I just...I don't talk about that. I'll talk about anything else but that. You wouldn't understand."
"Corey if anyone would understand- it's me. You don't have to be...I don't know- embarrassed to talk to me about this sort of thing. I've been through it, I understand," he puts a comforting hand on his brothers shoulder. "I'm not going to force you to talk about it, but if you want to, just let me know. Maybe I can help."
Corey breathes out hot air. He knows Caleb is right. He was avoiding this conversation for a while. But he figures now would be a good time to let it all out.
"I'm not scared of the pain...I'm scared of it meaning something," the older twin admits. "I like Kevin, and I care about him. But I don't love him. At least...not yet. I'm not ready to love him; or anyone. I do trust him but...not with that. It's hard to explain."
Caleb turns his body so he can get more comfortable. He feels bad for his brother. He had no idea that his brother felt this way. He thought he had a sexuality problem where he couldn't let anyone penetrate him because he'd be 'less of a man' or something like that but that isn't the case at all. It's a trust issue. It's about love.
"Why? Just think about it before you tell me 'I don't know.' Why don't you want to love Kevin? Why don't you trust him?"
Corey bites down on his lip rings. "It's not that I don't want to. I can't. I mean, I don't know how. You might think I'm stupid or something but...I just can't. When I see Kevin; I see a great guy who I like a lot and I love spending my time with him. But I just can't picture myself telling him that I love him or...or rolling over for him. I just can't and I'm not sure why. And I know that it's not fair to him but I can't help it."
Caleb rubs at his twins' arm. "You are not stupid, Cor. You feel how you feel. And it's okay. You probably just need time. If Kevin hasn't brought it up yet then that means he doesn't mind things the way they are. And if and when he does...just tell him exactly what you told me."
"But what if he gets mad at me? What if he falls in love with me and I can't fall in love with him back? He deserves someone who can love him. I...I don't want to give him up but I'm afraid I might have to...in the future. If I can't return his feelings."
Caleb thinks that Corey already does love Kevin, just by the small conversation that they're having. He thinks it's very clear how Corey feels. But he can't tell him- he's going to have to figure it out on his own. And when he does he'll feel much better.
"If Kevin loves you he won't be mad at you...he'll try to work things out and try to see things from your perspective. Don't worry about the future, Corey. You and Kevin are really happy now, just enjoy it."
Corey gives his twin a half smile and messes up his hair like he always does to lighten up a situation.
"Thanks, Cale. You're like my Yoda. You keep me sane and peaceful. I love you you know. I don't tell you that enough. And I have no problem saying that I love you...but anyone else- just doesn't happen. Mel and Robert are different too. But you know what I mean. You should feel special."
Caleb rolls his eyes playfully. "Oh yes, I feel the specialist of special because the mighty and great Corey Sordino has love in his heart for me," he holds onto his chest dramatically. "...so freakin' special."
Corey pushes him so he flops down on his bed backwards. "Don't get smart with me Cale, or I'll do unspeakable things to your toothbrush," he says quickly before jetting out of their room.
Caleb gasps. "YOU WOULDN'T." He starts to chase after him even though he knows for a fact that his brother is kidding. Or so he hopes.
~
Ben laughs as he reads a text message sent from Caleb that explains he and Corey's fake war and how long it went on for. Ben is jealous that they are so close like that. Ellie is still way too young to understand half the things Ben does, even though she's smart for her age. Ben always wished for a twin; or even a sibling that was closer to his age. 11 years is a big gap for siblings, but he loves Ellie just as much as he would love a brother or sister two years apart from him.
'That's great. Just keep an eye on everything in the house that means something to you or he'll contaminate it. JK. So when am I going to see you next?'
He plays with his hoodie strings as he waits for a reply. The hoodie that Caleb gave to him. He's not cold; the weather is in the 70s but he just likes to wear it.
'How about tomorrow? I would say tonight but I promised my brother I'd hang with him; he's going through withdrawals from not seeing Kevin. He won't admit to these withdrawals. But they exist. Swear.'
Ben loves how Caleb always makes him laugh.
'Sounds good. I'll call you in the morning. Have fun with Corey. Love you <3'
The blond hears a knock at his door and mutters a small 'come in.' It's his dad.
"Hey Ben. Could..I sit down?" Ben doesn't like the look his dad is giving him. He can't read his face.
"Sure...have...have a seat. Am I in trouble?" He asks shyly, feeling as if he's being punished.
His dad clasps his hands together and looks at him straight in the eye. Ben had seen him this serious before...and it never meant anything good. This look used to make him pee his pants when he was a child.
"Your sister told me the strangest thing just now. And I don't know what made her say it, really. I was hoping that you could help me out."
Ben nods, not able to say anything. "I was watching my baby girl play with her Barbie dolls. And she made two of her Ken dolls kiss each other see; they were on a 'date'. And I asked her, I said Ellie why are you doing that? And she told me she saw you do it-"
Ben's blue eyes get wide enough to compare to the size of golf balls. "S-She's confused- she...she doesn't k-know what she saw she, she's 5 dad she-"
He immediately silences when his dad puts up his hand. His heart is pounding out of his chest and he feels like he is about to die. He isn't sure if his dad is going to hit him. He never gave him anything more than a spanking when he was little. But he was never in this kind of predicament before. He's not sure how his dad is going to react. And by the way he's looking at him...he's not excited for the outcome.
"Ben...if you like boys and...liking boys makes you happy? Then I'm okay with it."
The frightened teen looks around his room; towards his door, to his desk, over his shoulder. "Am...I in the right house?"
Mr. Kellers' face softens. "Yes you are in the right house. Ben, I just want you to be happy. I could care less if you're gay. I am so proud of you. You're an excellent student, an amazing big brother to your sister...a great help around the house while I'm away. You are the best son me and your mother could have asked for."
Ben can't stop himself from looking around his room as if something were to come out and grab him.
"But h-how could you b-be okay with me being a q-queer? I thought...I thought it was a sin and and I thought you hated gays and...and I thought- you would hate me and and I thought you would send me away to boot camp and and and-"
Mr. Kellers tries to calm his son by wrapping him in his large arms. "Ben, relax. You thought wrong. Look, you're my son, and I love you. You will always be my son, and I will always love you. No matter what."
"But what about all that army stuff? Don't ask don't tell...what about that?"
Mr. Kellers makes his son look at him. "A very honorable general once said, 'If a man saves my ass...he sure as hell can look at it.' And I agree with him."
"But-"
"Ben, calm down. I've already told you what I needed to. You don't have to feel guilty about hiding anything anymore...it's okay. I love you. Just relax and give me a hug okay? That's all I want from you right now."
The teen blinks several times and grasps onto his father. It feels like a dream.
Author: Jess>>>> bangxbangxdie7
Pairing: See characters down below (link is provided)
Rating: NC-17, mainly for sex and language
POV: Third
Summary: The twins finally seem to be happy and content with their lives. Until everything starts to go wrong.
Disclaimer: Not true, I have a vivid imagination.
Author Note: I know there isn't much original slash on here but there should be! <3 ****Huge thanks to: faux_vive(who made the lovely banner) I love you guys! I hate begging but, please don't be silent readers, I'd love to hear from you! SO SORRY IT'S BEEN FOREVER!
Characters.
We Didn't Start The Fire 1-16
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Trevor lies his head on his girlfriend's belly, which has been growing in size since she passed her fourth month mark. He rubs at the medium sized bump and kisses her bellybutton. He swears he can hear the baby move inside of Grace, even though she claims that there is no way the baby makes noise. She thinks it's cute how Trevor is so loving towards their unborn child. She just hopes that it is their child. If the baby that she's carrying does turn out to be her former love interests...she doesn't know what she'll do. She would be forced to tell Trevor the truth and he would leave her for good. And he would hate her.
"Why don't you sing to the baby, Trev? I'm not sure when she...or he can start to hear but it's sometime soon. Go ahead..." She smiles and scoots up from her slouching position.
"Okay...I'll sing a lullaby. But not a cliché one...one I made up. Well I didn't exactly make one up I'm gonna wing it but she...or he doesn't know that so...here I go."
Grace closes her eyes and listens to Trevor's lovely voice. Their baby will have a nice voice if it's anything like Trevor's. His voice is unique and calming. Almost like Jason Mraz but not quite. A little bit heavier of a tone. Hard to describe.
"I can't wait till you come out of mommy's belly, because I'm very excited to meet you," Trevor says to his baby after he's done singing to it. "...I wonder who you'll look like. Perhaps you'll look like mommy if you're a girl and maybe you'll look like me if you're a boy. Or you can throw us off and look like me if you're a girl and like mommy if you're a boy."
He smiles and hugs Grace softly. "Gracie how beautiful is our baby going to be, huh? With your beautiful smile and my hazel eyes...your perfect skin and hair and teeth. Our kid is gonna do some serious heart-breaking someday let me tell you. Right?"
Grace swallows hard and nods. "Of course. I hope this baby looks like you..." she says trying to coax herself into thinking it has to look like him, because it's his. "At least she'll be on the thin side, we're both skinny. If it even is a girl. We keep saying it is but we really don't know. Do you still want to keep it a surprise? At my next appointment they can tell me if it's a boy or a girl..."
Trevor grins while he shakes his head. "Still want it to be a surprise. You can know if you want but I want to be in the dark about it."
She shakes her head. "No I don't want to know if you don't. We'll be surprised together."
Perhaps more surprised than planned...but surprised nonetheless.
"Well I'm gonna buy greens and yellows and oranges when I go baby-clothes shopping because the baby is gonna need clothes when it's born. And I figure those colors are pretty unisex. And then once we find out the real gender we can buy pinks or blues or whatever," he says happily. "Oh and I was thinking um well uh...if you want, you totally can say no but I thought it would be cool to take one of those classes. Like...to help de-stress you and prepare you for the birth and all. I want to be here for you every step of the way. Well take those mommy/daddy classes. I'll make it fun- I mean...if-"
"Trev aww, that's a great idea! That would be great. Thank you for being such a great boyfriend through all of this. I really...don't know what I would do without you," she says beaming.
"You're never going to lose me, Grace. I love you, and I would never abandon you, especially while you're pregnant with my baby. We're a team, Gracie. The best team there is out there. And this baby is going to have an amazing life...because we're his or her parents. Okay? I want you to tell me that you believe me."
She holds onto her boyfriend super tight. "I believe you, Trevor."
~
Caleb and Corey are two of the happiest people in the world to welcome summer. Their graduation is in less than two weeks, their birthdays are in July, and they get to go on vacations. They are jumping for joy that it's the middle of June and they are counting down the days until their summer officially begins.
"Where's Kevin today Cor? This is the first time I've seen you without him in a while. Is...everything all right with you guys?" Caleb asks his twin, concerned.
Corey throws a balled up shirt at him. "Yes, everything is peachy Cale. Just because he's not humping my leg doesn't mean there's something wrong. His sister has a new boyfriend and he wants to meet him to give her 'permission' to date him. His younger sister. That's the only one who asks for his opinion; the only one that doesn't always try to sleep with me. So yeah. It's not my place to be there you know?"
Caleb sits down on his twins bed and lies down. "What's that like? I mean...not like I'm trying to be a weirdo but...like what do they do? Are they serious?"
Corey shrugs. "I think. They just dress really slutty when they know I'm coming over and they all rush to answer the door. They compliment me and sometimes they get touchy. But I usually ignore what they say and remove their hands from me. It gets weird...and you'd think they'd stop by now but they just won't give up. But what can I say...I'm pretty damn hot."
Caleb makes a face. "Better watch what you say Cor, we're identical...if you think you're hot- yeah you get it and I know you're not incestuous like that so yeah. ANYWAY to not be awkward, that's just wrong. They should have more respect for their brother. That's kinda gross."
"I guess. It doesn't effect the way I feel about Kevin. He can't control them so it doesn't matter. I like Kevin...I spend my time with Kevin, I kiss Kevin and I fuck Kevin so all of his sisters are irrelevant to me."
The younger twin shakes his head in disapproval. "Corey you shouldn't talk like that about your boyfriend. You don't 'fuck' him all the time- do you? I mean...you never go easy on him?"
Corey and Caleb haven't talked about their sex lives with each other much because they've been busy...having sex with their boyfriends. Things have been going really great with the twins' love lives. Caleb is tremendously happy with Ben even though his dad still doesn't know about them. Corey is happy with Kevin even though his sisters want in his pants. Nothing is exactly perfect- but on it's way there.
"I guess, I don't know. I don't 'make love' like you do all the time. It's not like I rape my boyfriend so don't judge the way I have sex. Kevin isn't complaining so until he does you shouldn't either."
Caleb sticks his tongue out at his brother. "I make love sometimes not all the time, so shut up. And don't you think Kevin wants to switch things up at all? You've been together for eternity according to your standards...don't you think you should uh, give it up? I know you think your ass is sacred, which it's not- and even if it was, don't you think Kevin is worthy?"
Corey takes a seat on his bed next to his brother. "My ass is sacred, nobody is going anywhere near it unless I'm 45 years old and I'm getting examined by a doctor."
"It's 35 now, genius, and what's the big deal? Scared that you can't take the pain?"
Corey's mouth hangs open. "I can't believe you just asked that. It's none of your business why I don't...do things like that. I-" he realizes that he's screaming at Caleb. "...sorry. I just...I don't talk about that. I'll talk about anything else but that. You wouldn't understand."
"Corey if anyone would understand- it's me. You don't have to be...I don't know- embarrassed to talk to me about this sort of thing. I've been through it, I understand," he puts a comforting hand on his brothers shoulder. "I'm not going to force you to talk about it, but if you want to, just let me know. Maybe I can help."
Corey breathes out hot air. He knows Caleb is right. He was avoiding this conversation for a while. But he figures now would be a good time to let it all out.
"I'm not scared of the pain...I'm scared of it meaning something," the older twin admits. "I like Kevin, and I care about him. But I don't love him. At least...not yet. I'm not ready to love him; or anyone. I do trust him but...not with that. It's hard to explain."
Caleb turns his body so he can get more comfortable. He feels bad for his brother. He had no idea that his brother felt this way. He thought he had a sexuality problem where he couldn't let anyone penetrate him because he'd be 'less of a man' or something like that but that isn't the case at all. It's a trust issue. It's about love.
"Why? Just think about it before you tell me 'I don't know.' Why don't you want to love Kevin? Why don't you trust him?"
Corey bites down on his lip rings. "It's not that I don't want to. I can't. I mean, I don't know how. You might think I'm stupid or something but...I just can't. When I see Kevin; I see a great guy who I like a lot and I love spending my time with him. But I just can't picture myself telling him that I love him or...or rolling over for him. I just can't and I'm not sure why. And I know that it's not fair to him but I can't help it."
Caleb rubs at his twins' arm. "You are not stupid, Cor. You feel how you feel. And it's okay. You probably just need time. If Kevin hasn't brought it up yet then that means he doesn't mind things the way they are. And if and when he does...just tell him exactly what you told me."
"But what if he gets mad at me? What if he falls in love with me and I can't fall in love with him back? He deserves someone who can love him. I...I don't want to give him up but I'm afraid I might have to...in the future. If I can't return his feelings."
Caleb thinks that Corey already does love Kevin, just by the small conversation that they're having. He thinks it's very clear how Corey feels. But he can't tell him- he's going to have to figure it out on his own. And when he does he'll feel much better.
"If Kevin loves you he won't be mad at you...he'll try to work things out and try to see things from your perspective. Don't worry about the future, Corey. You and Kevin are really happy now, just enjoy it."
Corey gives his twin a half smile and messes up his hair like he always does to lighten up a situation.
"Thanks, Cale. You're like my Yoda. You keep me sane and peaceful. I love you you know. I don't tell you that enough. And I have no problem saying that I love you...but anyone else- just doesn't happen. Mel and Robert are different too. But you know what I mean. You should feel special."
Caleb rolls his eyes playfully. "Oh yes, I feel the specialist of special because the mighty and great Corey Sordino has love in his heart for me," he holds onto his chest dramatically. "...so freakin' special."
Corey pushes him so he flops down on his bed backwards. "Don't get smart with me Cale, or I'll do unspeakable things to your toothbrush," he says quickly before jetting out of their room.
Caleb gasps. "YOU WOULDN'T." He starts to chase after him even though he knows for a fact that his brother is kidding. Or so he hopes.
~
Ben laughs as he reads a text message sent from Caleb that explains he and Corey's fake war and how long it went on for. Ben is jealous that they are so close like that. Ellie is still way too young to understand half the things Ben does, even though she's smart for her age. Ben always wished for a twin; or even a sibling that was closer to his age. 11 years is a big gap for siblings, but he loves Ellie just as much as he would love a brother or sister two years apart from him.
'That's great. Just keep an eye on everything in the house that means something to you or he'll contaminate it. JK. So when am I going to see you next?'
He plays with his hoodie strings as he waits for a reply. The hoodie that Caleb gave to him. He's not cold; the weather is in the 70s but he just likes to wear it.
'How about tomorrow? I would say tonight but I promised my brother I'd hang with him; he's going through withdrawals from not seeing Kevin. He won't admit to these withdrawals. But they exist. Swear.'
Ben loves how Caleb always makes him laugh.
'Sounds good. I'll call you in the morning. Have fun with Corey. Love you <3'
The blond hears a knock at his door and mutters a small 'come in.' It's his dad.
"Hey Ben. Could..I sit down?" Ben doesn't like the look his dad is giving him. He can't read his face.
"Sure...have...have a seat. Am I in trouble?" He asks shyly, feeling as if he's being punished.
His dad clasps his hands together and looks at him straight in the eye. Ben had seen him this serious before...and it never meant anything good. This look used to make him pee his pants when he was a child.
"Your sister told me the strangest thing just now. And I don't know what made her say it, really. I was hoping that you could help me out."
Ben nods, not able to say anything. "I was watching my baby girl play with her Barbie dolls. And she made two of her Ken dolls kiss each other see; they were on a 'date'. And I asked her, I said Ellie why are you doing that? And she told me she saw you do it-"
Ben's blue eyes get wide enough to compare to the size of golf balls. "S-She's confused- she...she doesn't k-know what she saw she, she's 5 dad she-"
He immediately silences when his dad puts up his hand. His heart is pounding out of his chest and he feels like he is about to die. He isn't sure if his dad is going to hit him. He never gave him anything more than a spanking when he was little. But he was never in this kind of predicament before. He's not sure how his dad is going to react. And by the way he's looking at him...he's not excited for the outcome.
"Ben...if you like boys and...liking boys makes you happy? Then I'm okay with it."
The frightened teen looks around his room; towards his door, to his desk, over his shoulder. "Am...I in the right house?"
Mr. Kellers' face softens. "Yes you are in the right house. Ben, I just want you to be happy. I could care less if you're gay. I am so proud of you. You're an excellent student, an amazing big brother to your sister...a great help around the house while I'm away. You are the best son me and your mother could have asked for."
Ben can't stop himself from looking around his room as if something were to come out and grab him.
"But h-how could you b-be okay with me being a q-queer? I thought...I thought it was a sin and and I thought you hated gays and...and I thought- you would hate me and and I thought you would send me away to boot camp and and and-"
Mr. Kellers tries to calm his son by wrapping him in his large arms. "Ben, relax. You thought wrong. Look, you're my son, and I love you. You will always be my son, and I will always love you. No matter what."
"But what about all that army stuff? Don't ask don't tell...what about that?"
Mr. Kellers makes his son look at him. "A very honorable general once said, 'If a man saves my ass...he sure as hell can look at it.' And I agree with him."
"But-"
"Ben, calm down. I've already told you what I needed to. You don't have to feel guilty about hiding anything anymore...it's okay. I love you. Just relax and give me a hug okay? That's all I want from you right now."
The teen blinks several times and grasps onto his father. It feels like a dream.