When I Lost My Virginity
 

By: Dark Link 2010
(© 2017 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Before I begin, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Joey Silvagni and I'm 18 years old. I like sports, especially basketball and football. I also enjoy playing my Xbox, but most of all, I like hanging out with my friends. At school, I'm an exceptional student, and because of this, I'm often asked by others for help.

My immediate family are great and totally supported me when I came out to them when I was only 12 years old. My parents work fulltime, but they always make sure that they're home at the same time each day. This was okay with me, because even though I had to look after my two younger brothers, my parents would either let me do my own thing or hang out with my friends when they were home.

My friends are a great group of people. The best part is that they totally accepted me when I came out to them. Of all my friends, there is only one that I consider my best friend. Josh Casboult is the best guy. He is also 18 years old and we've known each other for 12 years. Our parents have nicknamed us the "Velcro Boys."

One Friday afternoon, while Josh and I were in the cafeteria finishing our lunch, Josh looked at me and asked, "I was wondering if you'd like to come over tonight and spend the night? The 'rents are going out for dinner with some of their friends and then spending the weekend with them, so I'll have the place to myself for a change."

I looked at Josh with interest, and after thinking about it for a few seconds, I replied, "For sure I'll come and spend the night with you, Josh. We'll even get a start on that assignment for Mr Marks, so we can be a bit ahead of the others."

Josh smiled and said, "Thanks for wanting to spend the night with me, Joey. I'm really looking forward to that and starting the assignment for Mr Marks."

I looked at my best friend in amazement, wondering why he was looking forward to me spending the night, perhaps he would love the company, as he was an only child, or he simply didn't want to spend the night alone, but before I could think about it a bit more, the bell rang, telling us that we had roughly 5 minutes to get to our next class.

"I wonder what Mr Cassar has in store for us today," said Josh.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," I said, as we stood up.

As we headed for the exit and our double PE lesson, my mind turned back to what Josh had said, and I began wondering if there was an ulterior motive for him wanting me to spend the night.

*****

After the intense basketball practice, with Mr Cassar letting his feelings known about some of the slackers, Josh and I were in the locker room, freshly showered, in front of our shared locker, and when Josh removed his towel, grabbed his boxer briefs and bent down, I caught a glimpse of his winking hole and inhaled sharply.

Knowing that I was checking him out, Josh wiggled his gorgeous bubble butt slightly, pulled his briefs up, turned around, looked into my blue eyes with his striking green eyes and said, "I always manage to take your breath away with my hot body."

As I felt my face flame, I said, "You're such a damn tease, Josh."

Josh smiled broadly, winked at me and said, "I gotta keep you on your toes, Joey," and then as his face turned serious, he continued, "I really wish that I have courage like you."

Looking intently at him, I asked, "What are you talking about, Josh?"

Realising that he had said something that he hadn't intended to, Josh shook his head and replied, "I shouldn't have said that just then, Joey. When I want to talk about it, I'll tell you all about it."

"Okay, I'll let you bring it up when you're ready," I said, wondering why he was so afraid to tell me something that was obviously a secret. He probably thought that I would react badly to it, which I would never do.

*****

As I walked into my home through the backdoor, I saw my dad sitting at the dining table, reading his newspaper, so I walked over to him, placed my backpack on the floor, pulled out an empty chair and sat down on it.

After a few seconds of silence, dad lowered his newspaper, looked into my eyes, and when he saw that I had something on my mind, he asked kindly, "What seems to be on your mind, Joey?"

"Well, after Josh and I were finished with basketball practice, we were joking around in the locker room, and when I made the comment that Josh was teasing me with his butt, he jokingly said that he wanted to keep me on my toes. Then all of a sudden, his face turned all serious, and when he said that he wished that he had courage like me, I asked him what he meant and he replied with that he hadn't meant to say that, and that he would tell me when he was ready," I replied.

My dad looked intently at me and asked, "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm a bit upset that he can't tell me what's on his mind at the moment. He knows that he can tell me anything and I won't judge him, maybe I can get him to tell me when I go over to spend the night."

"Hmm, don't push him to tell you what's on his mind, Joey, as that will make feel pressured and then he won't tell you at all. Just give him his space and when he does tell you, make sure you give him the support that he needs, as that is one of your best qualities."

I smiled and said, "Yeah, you're right about that, Dad. I'll give Josh his space and when he finally does tell me, I'll give him all the support and any advice that he needs."

"That's all you can do, Joey," dad said, and as he cracked a smile, he continued, "Another thing, I've spoken to your mother, and we've agreed that you can spend more than one night with Josh if you choose to. All we ask is that you let us know, as we have no plans for this weekend."

"Wow, thanks, Dad! I really appreciate that. I'll talk with Josh when I get there, and once I know exactly what the plan is, I'll either call you or mum and let you know," I said excitedly.

"We thought you'd like that," said dad kindly.

"I suppose I had better go take a shower and get some clothes together, just in case I spend more than one night at Josh's place. I may even take a couple of Xbox games that Josh doesn't have," I said, as I stood up and grabbed my backpack.

As dad looked up at me, he cheekily said, "Don't do anything that I'd do."

"Dad, that's totally uncalled for!" I said, as I felt my face flame.

*****

While I was washing away the soap from my defined body, my mind turned back to when I saw Josh's winking hole as he was bent over, and the more vivid that image became, my cock started to rise, so I dropped one hand down to my 8.5 inches, and as I started stroking my hard cock, my other hand started rubbing up and down my six-pack.

As I started stroking faster, I began thinking what it would be like to have Josh fuck me with his cock, or me fucking him, and the more I thought about either fantasy, I could feel my balls start to draw up, and when the tingling in my balls started, I stroked harder than I had ever done, as I was really turned on.

When I knew that I couldn't hold back any longer, my free hand left my abs, made its way to my bubble butt, and after letting my index finger run up and down my trench a couple of times, I directed it to my hole and applied a little pressure.

Just as my finger entered my arse and made contact with my love nut, I came and spewed a huge load of cum against the shower floor, and as I came down from my intense orgasm, I had to support myself against the shower wall.

"Fuck that was great," I muttered, as I saw my load being washed away.

*****

As I walked up the driveway to the two-storey home that Josh and his parents lived in, I could hear splashing in the pool that could be considered Josh's second home during a heatwave, so I continued up the driveway and when I got to the side gate, I could see Josh skinny dipping in the pool.

I stood by the gate just watching my best friend splash around in the decent sized pool, like he didn't have a care in the world, and it was then that I realised that I had deep feelings for Josh, and that scared me a little bit, because I didn't want to lose him as friend.

"Are you just going to stand there?" asked Josh, breaking my reverie.

When I realised that Josh was standing in front of me, with water running down his tanned muscular body, I cleared my throat, looked into his eyes and replied cheekily, "I was wondering how long it would take you to realise that I was standing here."

"Are you okay, Joey?" asked Josh, as he looked intently at me.

"Yeah, I'm all good, Josh. I was just thinking about something that really isn't important at the moment. If I feel like it'll bother me, I'll bring it up and we'll talk about it," I replied, feeling somewhat guilty that I couldn't tell him what I was thinking.

"I'll definitely get it out of you eventually, Joey," said Josh seriously.

Knowing Josh would never let it go, I said, "I know you will, Josh."

Smiling, Josh said, "Enough of this serious shit. I'm ready to get back into the pool and I hope that you remember the rules of the pool when the 'rents aren't around."

"Of course I remember the rules, I've been looking forward to skinny dipping in the pool since you invited me to come around to spend the night," I said, as I opened the gate, stepped through and stopped next to Josh.

Josh put an arm around me, smiled broadly and said, "I've been looking forward to it as well. It's nice to have some company in this big house when it's just me. I'm so glad that you said you'd come and spend the night."

"I was wondering if I could stay till Sunday afternoon, if that's alright."

"I'd like that very much, Joey. I was dying to ask if you could stay till Sunday, but I wasn't sure if you would go for that. I'm sure that we'll be able to find things to do after we get the assignment for Mr Marks finished."

"Next time just ask me. I'm sure that my parents could have changed any plans they had as they're pretty flexible when my brothers or I have plans that may clash with theirs. You should know that by now," I said kindly.

"For sure I'll ask next time, as I like spending time with my best bud," said Josh, as he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, which made him blush slightly.

I looked into his eyes and said, "I didn't mind that kiss, Josh."

"Are you sure about that, Joey?" asked Josh quietly.

"Yes, I am, so please don't feel uncomfortable about it. It's just your way of showing me that you love me in your own special way, and you don't give a damn what others may think, when they see two guys kiss."

As Josh's eyes began to water, he said, "I appreciate those kind words."

"That's okay. Now I think that we should get into that inviting pool for a bit, after I've had the chance to get out of my clothes and ring dad to let him know that I'm staying till Sunday afternoon."

"That sounds like a damn good idea."

*****

When I walked out the backdoor, I saw Josh sitting next to the pool with his feet in the water, so I walked over to him, sat next to him, put my arm around him and asked, "Dollar for your thoughts?"

Still looking at the pool, Josh replied, "I can't shake the feeling that you're hiding something big from me, Joey. We've been friends for a long time and I don't want us to start keeping secrets from each other now. I know what you're going to say, so if you tell me what's bothering you, I'll tell you what's bothering me."

As my heart started to thump, I said, "Please look at me, Josh."

When Josh turned his head and looked into my eyes, I said, "You're right that I'm hiding something big from you, Josh. I'm afraid that if I tell you what it is, you'll probably want to stop being my friend and tell me where to go."

Shaking his head slightly, Josh said, "There is nothing that you can say that will make me stop being your friend, Joey. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be able to work through it."

I exhaled slightly and said, "Well, there's no sense in beating around the bush. I'll just come out and say that I have the hots for you, Josh. I didn't realise that, until I had turned up before and saw you in the pool."

Instead of scowling like I had expected, a small smile appeared on Josh's lips as he said, "Well, it's not every day that the same thing I wanted to say is said by someone else first. I can't remember the last time that ever happened."

"What are you talking about, Josh?" I asked, as I looked intently at him.

"Remember when I said I wished that I had your courage?" asked Josh.

"Yeah, I remember," I replied, still wondering what he was talking about.

"Well, I'm gay, and I like you too," said Josh, as his eyes began to water.

"Wow, I never would have guessed that about you, Josh. I had always thought that you were straight. With what you've just told me, I can now understand why you went out of your way to tease me with your hot body all those times."

"There were so many times when I wanted to tell you about me and how I felt about you, Joey. I always thought that you'd tell me that we couldn't be together as it would ruin our friendship, or you'd tell me that you had no interest in me sexually," said Josh, as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh, Josh, that's what kept me from telling you how I felt," I said softly.

"Well, I'm glad that we got that out in the open. Now all we can do is move forward and let the love we have for one another develop into something special. The only thing I ask is that we don't say a word of this to the 'rents, because they'd chuck a hissy and probably kick me out, or worse," said Josh, as he brought a hand up and wiped his eyes.

"I'd never dream of outing you to your parents. It's not my place to tell them something that big. I like your idea of moving forward and letting the love that we have for each other, develop into something special," I said, as I brought the hand of the arm around him up and stroked his face gently, all the while looking into his eyes and seeing nothing but love in them.

"There is something that I want to say, so there are no secrets between us, Joey, and I'm not sure how you're going to react to it," said Josh, as he looked worriedly at me.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Um, I had sex with a random guy one night while at Ryan's. It came about when he and a couple of his friends came up to me while I was at the bar. He started to flirt with me and before I knew what was happening, we were in the toilets, with our pants down around our ankles and I was fucking him hard," replied Josh, as he looked away, ashamed to look me in the eyes.

I was a little shocked at that, but then I realised that Josh is one extremely good looking guy, so it didn't surprise me in the least to know that he had been picked up in a bar, and when he looked at me again, with some fear in his eyes, I cleared my throat slightly and said, "As long as it doesn't happen again, I'm okay with it."

"Are you sure? You're not just saying that?"

I nodded and replied, "I admit that I was a little shocked, but when I realised just how hot you are, I understood why the guy was flirting with you and how it lead to sex between the two of you."

"I didn't think that you'd understand," said Josh softly.

"You should have realised by now that I'm an understanding guy," I said, as leaned forward, and as I got closer to his face, I could feel his breath on my lips, and as a surge of courage ran through me, I leaned in closer and pressed my lips against his.

Josh immediately got into the kiss, and as it became more heated, he pivoted us slightly, pushed me down gently to the tiles that surrounded the pool, got on top of me, supporting his body with his muscular arms, and as he pushed his groin against mine, I could feel his hardening cock brush against mine, as he started humping me.

When he broke the kiss, Josh pulled away a little, looked into my eyes and said, "I'd never thought I'd see the day were I would fall for my best friend. It's nothing short of a miracle and I will do my best to make sure that we stay together for the rest of our lives. That's my vow to you."

Overcome with so much emotion, I said shakily, "No one has ever said anything so nice to me before, Josh. I will also do my best to make sure that we are together for the rest of our lives, and to make sure that we don't walk away at the first sign of trouble. That's my vow to you."

As we looked at each other in silence, my stomach let out a little growl and as Josh stifled a chuckle, he said, "It looks like someone is telling me that they're hungry, so I reckon we should go inside and get something to eat, before you start eating me."

"I could always have you for dessert," I said cheekily.

"I could certainly go for that," said Josh, as he waggled his eyebrows.

*****

Sitting naked at the dining table was a new experience for me. As I waited for Josh to bring the dinner that his mother had prepared for us, I thought about how lucky I was that Josh had felt the same as I did, and I was thankful that we could let our relationship develop without anyone around.

As Josh brought the two dinner plates loaded with sliced beef silverside, topped with mustard sauce, surrounded by fresh veggies and mashed potatoes, he said, "Mum really went all out for us tonight."

"It certainly looks and smells delicious," I said, as Josh walked to the table, placed a plate in front of me, then walked to the chair opposite me, placed his plate on the table, pulled the chair out, sat down on it and pulled it closer to the table.

As I picked up my knife and fork, I could feel Josh looking at me, so I looked up at him, looked into his eyes and asked, "What's the matter? Have I got drool running down my chin or something?"

Shaking his head slightly, Josh replied, "No, there's no drool running down your chin. I was just taking the time to check out my cute and sexy looking boyfriend. I never thought that I'd be so lucky."

"Wow. I certainly like how you think I'm cute and sexy. I like the fact that my boyfriend is hunky and has a nice build. I also consider myself to be lucky," I said, as I looked at Josh and smiled broadly.

"I like those compliments," said Josh, as he returned my smile.

"I'm glad that you do and I like your compliments too."

"I think we'd better eat this delicious dinner before it goes cold."

I just nodded as I loaded my fork with some of the mashed potatoes.

*****

When I had placed my knife and fork onto the empty plate, I sat back in my chair, burped a little, looked Josh in the eyes and said, "That was probably one of the better meals that your mum has ever made. I hope that I haven't offended you by saying that."

"Yeah, that is one of the better meals that mum has made in a while and I'm certainly not offended by you saying that. It may have been that she had a bit of time to prepare it properly, instead of rushing to get dinner done after work," said Josh.

"I'm just glad that is was filling," I said.

"There is one way to work off all that food," said Josh cheekily.

"You have a one track mind," I said, as I shook my head slightly.

"As I said before, I gotta keep you on your toes and keep things fresh and  interesting, instead of being dull and boring all the time, like some of our other friends," said Josh.

"Yeah, it is good to keep things fresh and interesting, that way others don't know what you're going to come up with. You're right that some of our other friends are constantly dull and boring, which can be a bit annoying at times."

"I wonder what they'll say when we tell them that we're together. I bet they'll either be okay with it or they won't ever talk to us again. It'll be their loss if they don't want to hang with us anymore."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Josh. I honestly don't see the need in telling anyone about us just yet. I'm sure that some people will be surprised and some may even despise us." I said seriously.

"You're right as usual. If some people don't like it, it's no skin off our noses. As you said, there's no need to tell people just yet. But if someone does ask, they have the right to know," said Josh seriously.

I nodded and said, "If someone has the nerve to ask, I won't deny it."

Josh smiled and said, "I'm glad that we got that serious shit all sorted. How about I clean up this mess and we head to the lounge room and watch some TV? I'm sure that we'll find something to watch."

"We can always watch the AFL and check out the hunks," I said cheekily.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Josh, as he winked at me.

*****

Once we were sitting next to each other on the sofa, Josh picked up the TV and Foxtel remotes, turned both the TV and Foxtel box on, and when he selected the Footy Channel, he placed the remotes next to himself, sat back, snuggled up against me and said, "This feels really good."

I wrapped an arm around his and said, "Yeah, it does feel really good. I'm glad that no one is around this weekend so we can let our relationship develop without any interference."

Josh moved his hand slightly, and as he intertwined his fingers with mine, he said softly, "I'm glad that we told each other how we felt about one another. If the 'rents were around, I may not have been so bold. I'm glad that this opportunity happened."

"We'll have to be extra careful when your parents are home, so they don't suspect a thing. When we tell my parents, they may suggest that we spend more time at my place, to keep your parents from suspecting anything."

Nodding slightly, Josh said, "Yeah, we'll have to be careful when the 'rents are around, because they can be a bit homophobic. They'll probably question why I turned out the way I did. I know that they'll kick me out, and if that happens, I'm sure that your parents will be more than willing to let me live with you."

"I reckon that they'll let you come and live with me," I said confidently.

"We'll just have to play it by ear, but I'm glad that we have some sort of a plan if things turn bad," said Josh, as he leaned over and kissed my cheek slightly.

"I'm glad that we got all that serious shit sorted," I said cheekily.

"Hey, that's my line!" said Josh, as he started to tickle me.

"Stop that or I'll piss all over the sofa," I said, as I started to squirm.

I wish I hadn't said that because Josh let go of my hand and started using both hands to tickle my sides mercilessly. I knew that I had to defend myself against the tickle torture I was receiving, but I decided to let Josh continue his assault, as he seemed to be having a lot of fun.

When Josh lessened his assault on me, he turned my head slightly, looked into my eyes and he said jokingly, "That'll teach you for stealing my line. If you continue to do that, you'll keep receiving the tickle torture until you learn your lesson."

"I think I learned my lesson, Mr Casboult," I said mischievously.

"Cheeky bugger," said Josh, as he leaned in and kissed my lips lightly.

When Josh broke the kiss, he looked at me with love in his eyes, stroked my cheek and said, "I think that we should settle back and watch those hunky AFL players."

I smiled and said, "Especially the ones with the hot arses."

Chuckling slightly, Josh said, "Yeah, we have to keep an eye on them."

As Josh turned his attention back to the TV, I snuggled up to him, placed my head on his chest and just as the first bounce happened to start the game between the Western Bulldogs and the Sydney Swans, Josh wrapped an arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Who do you think will win tonight?" asked Josh.

"I'm really hoping that my Doggies will win it," I replied.

"Yeah, I hope that they do as well, as it will give them a nice boost."

"Yeah, it certainly will give them a nice boost, especially after winning the Grand Final last year against the Swans. I was really on the edge of my seat a few times during that game, hoping that they could pull of a miracle and end their 62 year drought."

"I remember you getting quite a bit vocal a couple of times," said Josh.

When one of the Dogs players kicked a goal from their fifty metre line, I said, "It looks like the Swans are in for a fight tonight, because it looks like the Dogs brought their 'A' game."

"Looks like this game will be an interesting one," said Josh.

*****

As the final siren sounded across Etihad Stadium, Josh said, "I'm very happy that the Doggies were able to hold off the Swans throughout the game, even though it looked like the Swans would win it a couple of times."

"Yeah, I'm glad about that," I said, as I yawned slightly.

"Looks like someone is ready for bed," said Josh, as he chuckled softly.

I nodded and said, "I think that intense basketball practice we had at school really zapped me. Mr Cassar certainly put us through our paces so we'd be ready to take on Traralgon Secondary College."

"Yeah, he seemed to really push us today. I think he's still a bit upset that we got our arses handed to us by our traditional rivals early in the finals last year. I just think he wants us to be ready and handle whatever dirty tactics are thrown our way this year," said Josh, as he turned both the TV and Foxtel box off.

"Yeah, that could explain why he's a bit hard arsed at the moment."

As I yawned again, Josh said, "I think it's time we headed off to bed and get some sleep. Mum made up the bed in your usual room, but I was sort of hoping that you'd consider sleeping with me, in a nice soft bed, instead of one that is old and lumpy."

Without hesitating, I said, "I'll take the nice soft bed that has the hunk."

Josh turned my head slightly, looked into my eyes and said, "I'm glad that you chose the nice soft bed with me in it. The mattress is new and has a pillow top that is really comfortable and it will give you a good night's sleep too."

"Wow, that's awesome, Josh," I said, hoping that we'd go to bed soon.

"I think we should head to bed, Joey," said Josh gently.

My heart skipped a beat when he said my name like that, because to me it meant that he really loved me and he was willing to risk losing the love and respect of his parents just to be with me.

"Are you okay?" asked Josh, as he looked intently at me.

"I couldn't be better, Josh," I replied, as I cracked a smile.

"I'm happy to hear that," said Josh, as he smiled as well.

"Are you ready to head to bed so I can snuggle up to you?"

Josh nodded and replied, "I'm all for snuggling up with you, Joey."

"I'm looking forward to it," I said, as I stood up and then helped Josh up.

*****

When Josh and I were standing in his bedroom, I noticed that he had some background music playing softly from his mini stereo, and as I listened closely, it sounded familiar to me, so I asked, as I looked into his eyes, "Is that Troye Sivan you're playing?"

"Yeah, it is. The track that's playing at the moment is Heaven," replied Josh, as he walked over to me, and when he was standing next to me, he put his arm around me and continued, "I like listening to this song, as well as Youth."

"Those are great songs. I still can't get over the fact that he starred in the first Wolverine movie. As I was watching it, I thought that the young Logan looked familiar and when the credits rolled through, I saw that it was him," I said, as I leant in closer to Josh, listening to the rest of the song.

When the song finished, Josh said, "Let's get into bed and snuggle."

"I like that idea very much," I said, as I kissed Josh's cheek.

Josh relinquished his hold on me, walked over to the left side of the queen bed, pulled the doona and sheet down to the foot of it, sat down on the bed, got onto his side, patted the bed and said, "Join me, Joey."

I walked over to the bed, sat down, pivoted slightly so I was lying on my back, and as I got comfortable, Josh pulled himself closer to me, with his semi-hard cock resting up against my leg, and as he started to kiss my chest gently, I said, "That feels so good, Josh."

When he started to alternate between my left and right nipples with his hand, I could feel my cock start to harden, and Josh must've seen this, because he directed his hand to my cock, wrapped it around my hard cock, and as he started to stroke it, he asked, "Just how big are you?"

"8.5 inches," I replied, as Josh continued to stroke it.

"Wow, you're just a bit bigger than me," said Josh, as he stroked harder.

"Fuck that feels great," I moaned, as Josh's hard cock started poking me.

Before I could stop him, Josh took his hand off my cock, moved down the bed, and when he got into a comfortable position, he wrapped his mouth around my cock and started giving me a hot blow job.

As he continued to suck me off, I started running a hand through his soft brown hair, in an attempt to let him know that I was really enjoying the intense feelings that we was giving me.

When he brought a finger to his mouth and sucked on it for a couple of seconds, I began to wonder why he was doing that, but I soon realised what he was going to do with it, because as soon as he had it wet enough, he directed it to my hole, applied a bit of pressure and entered me.

"Fuck," I moaned loudly, as it brushed over my love nut.

As Josh pulled off my cock, he looked into my eyes and said cheekily, "I'm glad that you're really enjoying this, Joey, because it lets me know that I'm doing a very good job."

"Smarty pants," I said, as Josh resumed his blow job.

When he started to suck more vigorously, the assault on my love nut increased and before I could warn Josh that I was about to come, I exploded into his mouth, and as he started swallowing my load, I felt something wet and warm hit my leg, and I realised that Josh had managed to jerk off while sucking me off.

As I started to come down from my intense orgasm, Josh sucked the remaining cum from my cock, pulled his finger out, moved slightly, licked his cum off my leg, then he moved up the bed, draped his body over mine, leaned in closer to my face, pressed his lips against mine, and as I allowed his tongue to enter my mouth, he shared the remaining cum mixture with me.

While we were kissing passionately, I ran my hands up and down his back, and as he started to bite my lower lip, I moaned slightly and began digging my finger nails into it, which caused him to moan slightly.

When Josh broke the kiss, he looked into my eyes, brushed a sheaf of my dark blond hair away from my face and said gently, "I'm not trying to sound like a broken record here, but I'm glad that we confessed our feelings for each other, Joey. It may be too soon to say this, but I feel like I already have found my soul mate and I love you very much."

"I don't think it's too soon to say that you've found your soul mate or that you love me, Josh, because I feel the same way that you do. Others may think that it isn't possible to fall in love so quickly, but I think that it is possible, and if others don't like it, they can go and fuck themselves," I said, as tears welled up in my eyes.

"We'll get through any fallout that may come up, Joey, no matter the consequences," said Josh reassuringly, as he leaned in and kissed my forehead gently.

"I'm sure that we will," I said.

"I think we should get some sleep now," said Josh, as he rolled off me, leaned over, turned his bedside lamp off, pulled the covers over us, snuggled up to me and draped an arm over me.

"Good night, Josh," I said, as I settled into him.

"Good night, Joey," said Josh, as he kissed my cheek.

*****

The next morning, I awoke to the sun coming in through the partially opened vertical blinds and when I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to me, and when I saw that it was just 7:30 am I groaned.

"It'll be nice to sleep in on a weekend," I muttered to myself.

When I realised that I was lying on my side with Josh spooned up behind me, with an arm draped over my side, I could feel his hard cock nestled between my arse cheeks and I thought to myself that he must be having a good dream.

As I lay there in the arms of the guy that had stolen my heart, I thought to myself that I was extremely lucky that I had found the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, without having to go on countless dates with various guys.

When Josh muttered something incoherently in his sleep, I decided that it was pointless in trying to get back to sleep as I was wide awake, so I gently lifted Josh's arm off me, pulled back the covers that were covering me, moved to the side of the bed, and when I had my feet on the plush carpet, I pushed myself up off the bed.

"He looks so cute," I whispered to myself, as I turned and looked at Josh.

Once I had taken in how good looking my boyfriend was, I turned, headed for the door, opened it, stepped through, closed it softly behind me, then I headed for the Conservatory at the end of the hallway.

When I reached the double glass doors of the Conservatory, I pushed one of the doors open, stepped inside, closed the door behind me, and walked over to the Bechstein grand piano that had belonged to Josh's grandmother, sat down on the stool, lifted the key cover and started playing various pieces of music from The Legend of Zelda series.

As I started to lose myself in the music, I hadn't realised that Josh had walked into the room, until he said, "I haven't heard you play the piano in ages, Joey. I like your choice in music by the way."

As I stopped playing and looked up at Josh, I said, "Yeah, it's been about 5 years since I last played. For some reason I just felt like playing it this morning, just to see if I still could."

"Well after hearing you play the music from Breath of the Wild, I reckon you've still got what it takes, Joey. If you keep at it, you'll be just as good as you were 5 years ago," said Josh, as he walked over and sat next to me on the stool.

"As much as I like playing the piano, I have no desire to be at the level I was when I was playing recitals, Josh. Those days are behind me and all I want to do is just play for my own enjoyment," I said, as I placed a hand on Josh's thigh.

"I can understand that, but I hope that you continue to play just for yourself and occasionally for others that have enjoyed listening to you in the past. I'd hate to see you lose your talent for playing."

"I will continue to play for myself and others that have enjoyed listening to me in the past, and I assure you that I won't lose my talent for playing. In fact, I want to play you something and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," I said, as I brought my hand up to join my other one and started playing the song that I had in mind.

As I reached the end of the song, Josh sniffled a little and said, "I can't believe that you played Heaven without any sheet music. I'm glad that you haven't lost your ability to play music just by listening to a song on the radio or CD."

When I played the final notes, I turned my head, just as Josh turned his, looked into his eyes and said, "Ever since I heard the song last night, I had wanted to play it for you on the piano. I like the song just as much as you do, so it just seemed right that I play it."

"I'm so happy that you played it. I never thought that I'd hear a piano cover of the song played so beautifully and with so much intensity. We should make Heaven our song," said Josh softly, as his eyes began to water.

"Yeah, we should. I'm glad that you liked how I played the song. I never thought that I'd play it so well, but I proved myself wrong and no doubt that when I play it next time, it will be better, especially if you're there."

As a tear rolled down Josh's cheek, he said, "I'm sure it will be."

I brought a hand up to Josh's face, wiped the tear away, leaned in closer to him, kissed his forehead gently and then said, "I'd hate to break up this moment, but before we have breakfast there is something that I would like you to do for me."

"What is it, Joey?" asked Josh, as he looked at me intently.

"I'd like to experience what that random guy felt at Ryan's that night."

Josh's eyes widened as he asked, "Are you sure that you want to?"

As I nodded my head, I replied, "Yeah, I do. Besides, I've found the guy that I've been saving myself for, so I figure that while we're alone, now would be a good time for us to get to know each other intimately."

"Well, I'd be honoured to be your first, Joey," said Josh, as he smiled.

"Thanks, Josh," I said, as I leaned in closer and gently kissed his lips.

*****

As I was standing in Josh's en-suite, drying my hands on a small hand towel in front of the sink, Josh walked into the bathroom, stopped next to me, looked into my eyes and asked cheekily, "All clean back there?"

"Yes, I am, smarty pants," I replied, as I placed the towel on the vanity.

"Cheeky bugger," said Josh, as he moved closer to me, reached out a hand and started running it over my chest, giving my nipples an equal amount of pleasure.

"You certainly know how to get me going," I moaned.

Josh smiled broadly and said, "All part of my master plan to have my way with you, Joey. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be begging me for more."

"Wow, I'm certainly looking forward to you having your way with me, Josh. I've been waiting a long time for this," I said, as I brought a hand up and ran it over his muscular chest and nipples.

"That feels great," said Josh, as his hard cock brushed against mine.

I reached down with my other hand, grabbed his thick 7.5 inch cock and started stroking it gently, which caused him to moan slightly and say, "If you keep that up, you'll most likely end up with cum in your hand and probably all over your abs."

"Well I don't want that to happen, as I'd rather have that load of yours either on my cock and balls or on my well fucked hole," I said, as I stopped stroking him and removed my hand.

Josh smiled and asked, "Shall we move this to the bed?"

"Yeah, I think we should," I replied, as I looked deeply into Josh's eyes.

When we had stopped touching each other's chests, Josh took my hand, gently pulled on it, led me out of the en-suite and when we were in the bedroom, he led me to the bed, let go of my hand, turned me around, gently pushed me onto the bed, and then he got down onto his knees.

Once I had gotten comfortable and pulled my legs up, Josh moved closer to the bed, placed both hands on my butt cheeks, spread them and within a few seconds I felt his warm breath on my hole, and before I knew what was happening, Josh started licking my trench.

"Fuck that feels great," I moaned, as Josh's tongue probed my hole.

Josh stopped his assault on my hole and said, "Fuck you taste great."

"I'm glad you think so," I said, as Josh resumed his assault.

After a couple of minutes of intense tongue fucking, Josh stopped what he was doing, straightened up, looked into my eyes and asked, "Are you ready to be fucked?"

With my heart hammering in my chest, I replied, "Yes, I'm ready."

"Do you want me to use a condom? I used one at Ryan's that night."

By looking into his eyes, I could see that Josh was telling me the truth, and I knew that we would be together for the rest of our lives, so I replied, "I don't see the need for us to use one, Josh."

"I like your way of thinking, Joey," said Josh, as he stood up.

When Josh had moved closer to me, he spat on his hand, lubed up his cock, bent his knees slightly, rubbed his cock up and down my trench to get my motor going, and when he had finished played with my trench, he placed his cock at my hole and said, "Push down as I push in."

I did as he instructed, and as his cock pushed past my sphincter and into my love tunnel, I closed my eyes as a wave of pain washed over me, which caused Josh to stop going further into me.

"Are you okay?" asked Josh worriedly.

"It hurts so much," I said through gritted teeth.

"The pain should disappear soon," said Josh soothingly.

"I hope so," I said, as he started rubbing my abs gently.

As Josh continued rubbing my abs, the pain I was feeling started to lessen gradually, so I opened my eyes, and as soon as I looked up into Josh's eyes, I could see nothing but love in them, so I said, "I should be okay now, Josh."

Josh nodded and resumed his journey into me, going as slowly as he could, and when I felt his pubes brush up against me, he said, "I'm all the way in, Joey. How do you feel?"

"Other than feeling full, I feel fine. I'm not feeling any pain at all."

Josh smiled slightly and said, "I'm glad that you have no more pain."

After a few seconds, Josh started thrusting slowly and as he brushed over my love nut, a wave of pleasure washed over me, which was more intense than I had ever experienced before, so I said, "Damn, I never knew that sex could feel like this."

"I hope it gets better each time," said Josh, as he increased his speed.

When Josh leaned down, supporting his body with his muscular arms, he brought his face closer to mine, and when I brought a hand up and brushed his cheek, I said, "This feels so fucking great, Josh."

"I'm glad that I'm able to give you this experience, Joey," said Josh, as he buried his face into my neck and started to kiss it, occasionally biting it gently, which caused me to moan.

As Josh alternated between kissing and biting my neck, I wrapped my legs around his back and I started rubbing my hands up and down his sweaty back, occasionally digging my fingernails into it, which caused him to moan and fuck me a little harder.

"How does it feel?" asked Josh breathlessly.

"It feels great," I replied breathlessly, as I placed my hands on his butt.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Josh, as he pushed deeper into me.

"Fuck me harder, Josh," I screamed, as I massaged his butt cheeks.

Josh obliged and as his cock brushed over my love nut on the in and out strokes, I could feel my balls start to tingle, and before I could warn him that I was about to come, my cock started spurting cum between us, creating a sticky mess.

As I started to come down from my intense hands free orgasm, Josh started to say, "I'm gonna...I'm gonna..." but before he could finish, he pushed even deeper into me, I felt his cock expand and then he exploded, coating my insides with his huge load, with some of it leaking out of my well fucked arse and onto the sheet.

"Fuck that was great," I said, as my breathing slowly returned to normal.

"It certainly was," said Josh, as he looked into my eyes.

"Thank you for giving me that great experience, Josh. I really enjoyed it."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Joey," said Josh, as I un-wrapped my legs.

"When I feel ready, I'd like to experience making love to you."

"I look forward to that," said Josh, as he pulled his slimy cock out of me with a slight pop, rolled off me, snuggled up next to me, and as his breathing slowed, he brought up a hand and started rubbing my cum into my skin, like it was some sort of lotion.

As Josh and I were lying next to each other, with the excitement of my first sexual encounter slowly evaporating, Josh's mobile on the bedside table started to ring, startling us somewhat, as we hadn't expected it to ring, and as it continued to ring, Josh leaned over me, picked it up, answered it, held it to his ear and said, "Hello, this is Josh speaking."

Whoever Josh was speaking to must've had upsetting news, as his face turned white with tears starting to form in his eyes, and just as a tear rolled down his cheek, he handed me his phone and said shakily, "Joey, there's someone on the phone for you."

As I put the phone to my ear, I said, "Hello, this is Joey speaking."

*****

Walking into the Emergency Department of Latrobe Regional Hospital was one journey that I probably wouldn't have been able to do by myself, so I was very thankful for the support that Josh was giving me, and as we walked hand in hand into the rarely empty waiting room, Josh guided me to the window of the triage nurse.

After waiting for a few seconds, a good looking male nurse, who had a nice defined upper torso, walked up to the window, and when he noticed that Josh and I were holding hands, he smiled slightly, looked into my eyes with his hazel eyes and asked, "How can I help you gentlemen?"

Fighting back tears, I replied, "Well, Blake, my name is Joey Silvagni and my boyfriend's name is Josh Casboult. We're here to see how my parents are. They were brought in earlier this morning from the accident along Whittaker's Road."

The smile on Blake's face disappeared as he said, "I know who you're talking about, Joey, and I'm afraid that it's not good news about your parents. All I can say is that they're in medically induced comas."

"Oh fuck," muttered Josh, as he squeezed my hand tightly.

"Can I see them?" I asked softly, as my eyes filled with tears.

Nodding slightly, Blake replied, "I'll take you to see them, Joey. They're in a room together, and your brothers are with them. Your brothers are fine, except for a few cuts from pulling your parents out of the car."

Once Blake had unlocked the door from the inside, Josh gently pulled me towards it, pushed the door open with his free hand, helped me into the heart of the Emergency Department where we stopped and were met by Blake and he said, "Follow me, please."

"Lead the way, Blake," said Josh.

When Blake turned around and started walking, Josh started to follow with me struggling to keep up with the fast gait that they were setting, and by the time I had managed to match their gait, we walked up to a double cubicle with the curtains drawn, stopped, and Blake poked his head between the curtains and spoke softly to whomever was there.

"Are you ready for this, Joey?" asked Josh softly.

"I think I am, Josh," I replied softly.

"I'll be with you the entire time, Joey. I hate that this happened."

As Blake pulled his head back, he said, "You can go in now."

Josh opened the curtain slightly, helped me into the cubicle and when I saw my parents lying on their individual beds, with dad's right arm in a cast, bandages on their heads and attached to respirators and various monitors, I gasped slightly as my legs turned to jelly, and if it wasn't for Josh, I probably would've ended up on the floor.

Upon hearing the gasp, Evan, one of my younger brothers, turned around and when he saw me with tears in his eyes, he poked his identical twin brother Tyler on the shoulder and pointed at me and Josh.

"Joey!" cried Tyler, as they left dad's side and raced over to me.

I had just enough time to let go of Josh's hand before I was engulfed by my 14 year old brothers, and as I wrapped my arms around them, the dam burst and the three of us started sobbing loudly.

"How are you two holding up?" I asked, as Josh joined the hug.

"We're doing a lot better now that you and Josh are here. It was really hard seeing mum and dad just lying on the side of the road while waiting for the ambulance and police to arrive," replied Evan softly.

"That was really scary," whispered Tyler, as he looked into my eyes.

As I looked into his tear stained blue eyes, I said gently, "I'm so very proud at how you and Evan pulled mum and dad out of the car and directed traffic around the scene, despite what had happened. I hope that the police can catch the coward that ran from the scene."

"As do I," said an unfamiliar voice.

When we all turned our attention to the direction of the voice, we saw a young and extremely good looking male doctor, who looked built, but with a sombre look on his face, standing at the foot of mum's bed, with some papers in his hand.

"Saying good morning would seem rather insensitive on my part at this difficult time, so I'll just introduce myself. My name is Doctor Cameron Harrison, and I'm part of the medical team that is looking after Mr and Mrs Silvagni. I have a little bit of information about their condition, if you'd like to hear it."

"We'd like to hear what you have to say about our parents," I said softly.

As Cameron looked at each of us individually, he took a deep breath, looked down at the papers and began, "According to the CT results, both your parents have some degree of brain swelling, but we won't know the full extent of the damage until we do an MRI scan. They also have some kidney and liver damage, but we're waiting on the results of those tests to know exactly what's going on. Your father has a broken ulna bone in his right arm which has already been set. By some miracle he didn't end up with any broken bones in his legs. As far as we can tell, your mother has no broken bones either. That's all I have at the moment."

"When do you expect the other results?" asked Josh curiously.

"In the next couple of hours," replied Cameron, as he looked at Josh.

"Are we able to stay by their sides, while we wait?" asked Evan softly.

Cameron looked at Evan and replied, "I can't see anything wrong with all of you waiting here while waiting for the test results, as long as you don't get too loud. Also, I'd like to ask that you don't get in the way of the other doctors or nurses that will be coming in and checking on your parents."

"We'll do our best to stay quiet and not be in the way," said Josh.

Before Cameron could say anything, an alarm started coming from one of the monitors above dad's bed, and as we turned our attention to the monitors, Cameron raced over to the bed, dropped the papers onto it, and looking at the monitor in question he said, "I need all of you to step out of the cubicle right now!"

"What's wrong with dad?" asked Tyler, as he hugged me tight.

"I don't know what's wrong, Tyler," I replied, as Cameron glanced at me.

*****

While we were sitting on a sofa in the small Relative's Room, with Josh next to me and Evan and Tyler sitting on either side of us, with all of us sniffling, Josh asked, "How long before someone comes and tells us what the heck is going on?"

"Hopefully Cameron or another doctor will be along soon," I replied.

"I hate this waiting," said Evan, as he snuggled up to me.

Just as I put an arm around Evan to try and comfort him, Cameron walked into the room with a serious look on his face, sat down on the armchair opposite us, looked at us individually and then he looked into my eyes with his azure eyes and said, "Sorry for taking so long to get back to you all, but we found a problem with your dad and that had to be fixed straight away."

"What sort of problem?" asked Evan, as he took my hand.

Looking at Evan, Cameron replied, "There was a small bleed just above your father's liver that needed to be repaired straight away, so his blood pressure could be stabilised and not lead to a heart attack. I don't know how it was missed on the initial examination. Once he recovers enough from the surgery, he'll come back to ED and be put with your mother."

When Cameron had finished telling us what had happened to dad, and as Evan gripped my hand tight and wiped the tears that were falling down his cheeks with his free hand, I asked, while fighting back tears, "How long will it be before dad is able to come back to ED?"

"At most, a couple of hours," replied Cameron, as he looked at me.

"How about we go to my place while we wait and get lunch?" asked Josh.

Before I could object to that, Tyler said, "We should do that, Joey."

Knowing that Evan would back up his brother, I knew that I wouldn't be able to win the argument, so I said, "We should go and get something to eat, while waiting on dad to come back."

"If things change in the meantime, I'll give you a call," said Cameron.

"Do you have my number, Cameron?" I asked, as I looked at him.

"Yes, I have your number, Joey, as well as Evan's and Tyler's."

"I'll give you mine as well, just in case you can't get them," said Josh.

"That's a good idea, Josh," I said, as I rubbed his thigh tenderly.

Seeing that I was rubbing Josh's thigh, Cameron's serious face softened somewhat, broke into a small smile, and as he looked at Josh and me he said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Joey, but I can see just how much you love Josh. My partner and I are the same."

As I felt my face flame, Evan said, "I'm glad you came to your senses."

"We should go," said Josh quietly, as he struggled to get to his feet.

*****

As we walked into Josh's home through the front door, Evan, Tyler and I stopped in the entryway and while waiting for Josh, we could hear his parents talking to themselves in his dad's study, and as Josh closed the door behind him, his mum, Liz asked, "Is that you, Josh?"

"Yeah, it's me, and Joey, Evan and Tyler are with me," replied Josh.

Just as Josh had walked up to me and took my hand, Liz walked out of the study, and when she walked up to us and stopped, she saw that Josh had my hand, and stifling a smile, she looked at Josh and said, "Your father would like to talk to you and Joey about some things, Josh."

"What about Evan and Tyler?" asked Josh fearfully.

"I'll take them into the kitchen and get them something to eat. I'm sure that both of them will want to get something into their bellies after all that's happened," replied Liz cheerfully.

"We certainly do, Mrs Casboult," said Evan and Tyler together.

Turning her attention to Evan and Tyler, Liz said, "I know that your parents raised you to treat your elders with respect, but having you call me 'Mrs' makes me feel old, so please call me Liz, like Joey does."

"Okay, Liz," said Evan and Tyler together.

Smiling, Liz said, "Come on boys, follow me into the kitchen."

When Liz turned and started walking, Evan and Tyler started to follow her, and when they caught up to her, they each took a hand, which made me smile slightly.

"Mum really loves having Evan and Tyler here," said Josh softly.

"Yeah, she certainly does," I said quietly.

"We'd better go and see what dad wants to talk about," said Josh, as he started walking and as he pulled on my hand gently, he led me in the direction of the study.

When we walked into the study, his dad, Larry, was sitting on one of the leather armchairs with a neutral expression on his face, and when Josh led me to the three person sofa, we sat down on it, and as Josh looked at his dad, he said, "Mum said that you wanted to speak to Joey and me about some things."

As Larry's bright grey eyes looked at us individually, he took a deep breath, looked at Josh and began, "Last night your mother and I had dinner with your uncle and his partner to talk about some things. You're probably wondering why we would meet with them, knowing our stance on gays? Well, the short answer is, we've had to do a lot of soul searching over the last couple of months when we realised that you were gay, Josh and had feelings for Joey. I just ask that you give us a chance to fully accept you and Joey as a couple."

"Do you really mean what you just said, Dad?" asked Josh harshly.

Noticing the harshness in Josh's question, Larry cringed slightly as he replied, "Yes, I really mean what I said, Josh. Your mother and I spent the night with your uncle and his partner, and we got to see just how much they love each other, just like a straight couple do. We would've spent more time with them, but when we got the news about what had happened this morning, we cut the visit short and invited Ben and Logan to come here tonight."

"You're letting them come here?" asked Josh excitedly.

Smiling, Larry replied, "Yes, we are. Your mother and I figure that you and Joey need someone to talk to who is already gay and in a committed relationship and to answer any questions that either of you may have."

"Wow, that nice of you and mum to do," said Josh happily.

"I'd like to thank you and Liz for doing that for us, Larry," I said happily.

"We'd do anything for our boys," said Larry, as he looked into my eyes.

Fighting backs tears when Larry said that, I said, "It means a lot to me that you consider me a son, Larry. Josh and I were talking yesterday that we would have to keep our relationship a secret from you and Liz, but we don't have to do that now, and I'm glad that we can live openly, while I'm here with Josh."

"I agree wholeheartedly with Joey," said Josh, as he squeezed my hand.

"I suggest that we run and get something to eat, before Evan and Tyler eat all of whatever your mother has decided to make us for lunch," said Larry, as he chucked slightly.

*****

When Josh and I walked into the dining room, with Larry walking behind us, both Evan and Tyler were sitting next to each other at the dining table, patiently waiting for the sandwiches and fresh cut up fruit that Liz was preparing for us.

"That looks nice, Liz," said Larry, as he walked over to the breakfast bar.

"Thank you," said Liz, as Larry stopped next to the breakfast bar.

"It looks really great, Mum," said Josh.

When Josh and I walked to the chairs that were opposite Evan and Tyler, we pulled them out, sat down on them, and as we pulled them closer to the table, Liz said, "I hope you enjoy what I've made for lunch."

"I'm sure we will, Mum," said Josh, as Liz picked up the plates loaded with the sandwiches and the cut up fruit, walked around the breakfast bar, brought them to the table and placed them in the middle.

"Dig in," said Liz, as she placed a hand on Evan's shoulder.

*****

After Josh and I had had our fill of sandwiches and pieces of apples, oranges and grapes, we went to his bedroom, stripped down to our boxer briefs and laid down on the bed, facing each other.

As Josh looked into my eyes, he asked, "How are you holding up?"

Fighting back tears, I replied, "It may look like I'm holding it together for the sake of Evan and Tyler, but on the inside, I'm a mess, Josh. I don't know what I'm going to do if mum and dad die. I don't think I'm capable of raising them on my own."

"You don't have to raise them on your own, Joey," said Josh softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"I'll be there to help, as will mum and dad. You can count on that."

"Do you mean that?"

Nodding, Josh replied, "Yes I do, Joey. I'd do anything for you."

As a tear rolled down my cheek, I said, "I love you for that, Josh."

Smiling slightly, Josh said, "Anytime, Joey. I know that we still have to finish school, but with the help of mum and dad, I'm sure that we'll be able to keep things on track."

"It's good to have some sort of a plan in place," I said, as I leaned in, kissed Josh's lips softly, and when I broke the kiss, I pulled back slightly, looked into Josh's eyes and continued, "I'm glad that I have you to help me through this, Josh."

"We can only hope that your parents pull through this," said Josh.

"Now that we have that sorted, there is something that I need to apologise for," I said, as I rubbed Josh's bicep slightly, hoping that he wouldn't be angry at me.

"What is it?" asked Josh, as he gently brushed away the tear.

Taking a deep breath, I replied, "For outing us at the hospital before."

Chuckling slightly, Josh said, "That's nothing to apologise for, Joey. I had already pegged Blake and Cameron as being gay, so it didn't really bother me in the slightest that you had let it slip in front of them. But our friends may be a different story, so I ask that we tell them together, when the time is right."

"I can understand that you want us to tell our friends together. It may take them some time to get used to the idea that you're gay and that we're a couple, but then again, they'll probably be okay with it, because they were okay with me. We'll just take it one step at a time and see what happens," I said sincerely.

"We'll just take it as it comes, and go from there," said Josh seriously.

"That sounds like a good idea. If people don't like it, they can fuck off."

"Someone sounds a little bit tough," said Josh cheekily.

I sniggered and said, "I can be, if someone rubs me the wrong way."

Shaking his head slightly, Josh said, "I think we should take a nap, Joey."

"Only if you hold me, Josh," I said, as I gave him a puppy dog look.

Moving closer to me, Josh pulled me into him, so my head was resting on his left pec, and then he moved his left arm, wrapped it around me lovingly and asked, "How's that? Are you comfortable?"

Nodding slightly, I replied, "I'm very comfortable, Josh."

Kissing the top of my head, Josh said, "I'm glad, Joey. I love you."

"I love you too, Josh."

*****

As I started to wake up from the nap that I was having with Josh, I could hear sobbing coming from the guest room that Evan and Tyler where in, and as I started to sit up, Josh woke and asked sleepily, "What's up?"

"It sounds like either Evan or Tyler is crying," I replied, as I sat up.

"You should go to them, Joey," said Josh, as he sat up.

"Yeah, I think I'd better go and see what's going on," I said, as I moved to the side of the bed, and when I had my feet on the plush carpet, I pushed myself up off the bed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Josh.

I turned, looked into his eyes and replied, "I should be fine."

Nodding, Josh said, "If you need me, just holler, Joey."

Nodding, I turned, headed for the door, opened it, stepped through, closed it behind me, so no one could see Josh half naked, and as I headed for the first guest room, which was opposite Josh's room, I could see Liz walking up the stairs, so I stopped and waited for her.

When she reached me, she stopped, looked into my eyes with her striking green eyes and asked, "Is there something wrong with Evan and Tyler? I heard sobbing coming from their room."

"I'm just about to find out, Liz," I replied.

"Do you think that you would need me?" asked Liz.

"How about if I go and see what's wrong with them, and if I need you, I'll call for you, Liz. I hope that you don't find that offensive, as the last thing I want to do is offend you or Larry," I replied softly.

Shaking her head, Liz said, "That doesn't offend me at all, Joey."

"Thanks, Liz," I said, as I leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"I'll leave you to it," said Liz, as she turned and walked away.

When she reached the stairs, I walked to the guest room door, knocked slightly, to give Evan and Tyler a bit of warning, then I opened the door, walked in and as I closed the door slightly behind me, I could see that Tyler had his arms protectively wrapped around a quietly crying Evan.

"Hey guys," I said softly, as I walked over to the double bed, sat down on the foot of it, and looked at my two younger brothers, wondering what was going through their minds at that moment in time.

Tyler turned his head slightly, looked into my eyes, with fear in his and said, "Evan woke up from a very bad dream. He told me that he saw both mum and dad in the hospital with no breathing tubes and looking very peaceful, and when he tried to wake them up to talk to them, they just disappeared into thin air."

My heart nearly broke in two when Tyler told what Evan had dreamt.

"That must've been scary, Evan," I said gently.

Evan turned his head, looked into my eyes and said, "I don't want to experience that ever again, Joey. I'm very glad that Tyler was here to comfort me. I love him very much."

"I love you too, Evan," said Tyler tenderly.

I don't think that Tyler had realised that he had just confirmed the suspicions I had about them, but I think Evan realised it, by the look on my face, so he said, "Tyler and I are in love with each other, Joey. Please don't hate us. We didn't mean to fall in love, it just happened."

Knowing that I had to allay Evan's and Tyler's fears, so they didn't think that I would be angry or upset with them, I looked at them individually, with as much love as I could muster, and as I looked into Evan's eyes, I said, "There is nothing is this world that would make me hate you, Evan and Tyler. I had some suspicions that there was something between you, but I didn't want to say anything, just in case I was wrong."

"You're not just saying that to make us feel better?" asked Tyler softly.

As I looked into Tyler's eyes, I replied, "No, I meant what I said, Tyler. I can see just how much you love each other. I'm the same way with Josh. Now, I don't mean to scare you both, but there are people out there that won't be as accepting as me or Josh. I don't know how Josh's parents or your friends will take this. I remember last year, two students who were brothers, named Ben and Benji were treated very badly by some of their friends when they came out to them. Eventually the dust settled and they patched up their differences."

"I remember who you're talking about," said Tyler.

"I remember them to," said Evan, as he wiped his eyes.

"I don't want to lose my brothers," I said, as I fought back tears.

Evan and Tyler broke their embrace, sat up, crawled over to me, hugged me tightly and as fresh tears hit my chest, Evan said, "There is no one out there that will break us up, Joey. If there is, we'll find a good lawyer to help us through whatever comes up."

I wrapped both arms around them and said huskily, "You're right, Evan. I'd like to see anyone that comes along and tries to break us up if they find out about you two, or my love for Josh. Should something come up, I think I know a lawyer that could help us."

"You three look so cute together," said Josh, as he walked into the room.

"Thanks, Josh," I said, as he walked to the bed and sat down next to us.

"Is everything okay in here?" asked Josh, as he looked into my eyes.

"It's all good know, Josh. Evan just had a very bad dream about our parents. Thankfully Tyler was here with him and was able to comfort and settle him down. There is something else that you should know though."

"What is it?" asked Josh, as he looked at us individually.

Clearing my throat, I replied, "Evan and Tyler are very much in love with each other, Josh. I've already told them to be careful around others, but we don't know how your parents will react to it."

Looking into my eyes with astonishment in his, Josh said, "Wow! I never would've guessed that Evan and Tyler are in love with one another, so congrats. I'm glad that you had a chat with them about being careful, Joey, as there are some nasty people in the world. As for my parents, it may take them some time to get used to that. If they're having difficulty, I'm sure that Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan will be able to talk to them."

"That sounds like a good idea," I said, as I smiled slightly.

"I reckon we should freshen up a bit and head back to the hospital to see how things are going. I'll get Evan's and Tyler's bags out of my car, so they can change into something more comfortable than their footy uniforms," said Josh, as he smiled back.

*****

As Evan, Tyler, Josh and I walked into the cubicle that our parents where in, with Josh's parents waiting in the waiting room, I noticed two police officers, who looked toned, having a quiet word with Cameron and another doctor, who looked older than Cameron and smelled of Vicks.

When we stopped, Cameron turned to us, introduced us to the officers and the older doctor, looked at me and said, "I've got some bad news to tell you. According to your mother's MRI results, at some point she suffered a major stroke. We won't know the extent until she wakes up."

"No, that can't be true!" sobbed Evan, as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"What about dad?" I asked, as I fought back my tears.

"He's holding his own at the moment," replied Cameron softly.

"Have you caught the bastard responsible for this?" asked Josh angrily.

As Senior-Constable Miller looked at Josh, he replied, "At this time, we have been unable to identify the driver of the SUV that crashed into Mr and Mrs Silvagni's car in front of the Recreation Reserve, as it was stolen earlier this morning. Some of our colleagues are still at the scene, talking to eyewitnesses, and we learned about half an hour ago that the driver of the other vehicle was slightly injured in the accident, and he got into a dark coloured sedan, which sped from the scene, heading towards Traralgon Creek Road."

"So he could either be at Traralgon South or Gormandale?" asked Josh.

"He could anywhere, but rest assured, we're doing our best to find him. We've asked for reinforcements from both Moe and Morwell to join in the search for him, as he needs to be held accountable for his actions," replied Bailey seriously.

"I just hope that he's caught," I said, as Josh took my hand.

When Doctor Smith had noticed that Josh and I were holding hands, he smiled slightly, looked at Josh and said, "It's wonderful to see two young men in love. I know of another couple that are just as much in love as you two are. It's not for me, but it does my heart good."

Cameron blushed as he said, "He means me, Joey and Josh."

"I had you pegged when we met for the first time," said Josh.

Looking at Josh, Cameron said, "I got the same vibe from you and Joey when we were introduced earlier. I bet that my partner Cody would very much like to meet you sometime."

Clearing his throat slightly, Bailey said, "Seeing that we're amongst people that are gay or gay friendly, I'd like to say that Senior-Constable Murphy and I are together as well. It's not something that we'd want known to our other colleagues, so I ask that you don't say anything in front of them, if we happen to be there."

Brandon took Bailey's hand and said, "The last gay couple that came out at our station were treated badly by some of our colleagues, so to save ourselves from ridicule and scorn, we decided not to come out, until those homophobes have been transferred."

"We'd never do that, Senior-Constable Murphy," said Josh kindly.

"Thanks for that, Josh," said Brandon, as he looked at Josh and smiled.

"While we're here, please call us by our first names," said Bailey kindly.

As I looked into Bailey's light brown eyes, I said, "I'm glad that you both feel comfortable enough with us to allow us to call you by your first names, Bailey. I'm sure that other officers aren't as friendly."

Nodding, Bailey said, "You're right about that, Joey. There are a couple like that at our station. Our boss has always told us that police work in the country is about the people. Some of our colleagues think that they're still in the city and often treat people without the respect they deserve."

"I've seen a couple of our colleagues be really nasty," said Brandon.

"A couple of doctors and nurses are like that here," said Cameron.

Clearing his throat, Doctor Smith said, "More that once I've had to step in and tell a doctor or nurse to attend to someone else, when I see trouble brewing. I then have to try and calm down the patient or their family members that have been offended by what was said."

"Some people can be really mean," said Tyler, as he took Evan's hand.

I noticed the look on Cameron's face when he saw Tyler take Evan's hand, but thankfully he kept whatever he thought about it to himself, but I saw the small smile on his face, as he put two and two together.

"I think that Brandon and I should make a move and go and see if the rest of our colleagues have made any more progress. We'll let you know if we find out anything new, Joey," said Bailey.

"Thanks for that, Bailey," I said, as I looked into his eyes.

Josh suddenly said, "I'd better let mum and dad know what's going on."

"Shit, yeah," I said, suddenly remembering they were waiting for us.

As Tyler turned his head and looked into my eyes, with tears forming in his, he asked, "Would it be okay if we went back with Liz and Larry to their place? I think Evan is having a hard time with this, and so am I, to be honest."

Nodding, I replied huskily, "That's okay with me, Tyler."

*****

While I was waiting for Josh to come back to the cubicle, I had taken a seat on one of the two plastic chairs that were placed at the foot of dad's bed, thinking about how much had changed in such a short time.

'Who would want to do this to us? I honestly can't think of anyone that would want to hurt mum and dad. I'd like to get my hands on that coward and choke the life out of them,' I thought to myself.

As I put my head in my hands and sighed loudly, I sensed someone had walked into the cubicle through the partially opened curtains, and as they sat in the seat next to me, I lifted my head out of my hands, looked to my left, and when I saw Josh looking worriedly at me, I looked into his eyes as he asked, "How are you holding up with the recent news, Joey?"

Fighting back the tears that were threatening to make an appearance, I replied softly, "I honestly don't know if I can take any more bad news at the moment, Josh. So much has happened to us since yesterday. I know I need to be strong for Evan and Tyler, but I'm struggling to find that strength."

"Have you forgotten that I'd help you?" asked Josh, as he took my hand.

"I can't ask you to give up your life to help me, Josh," I replied softly.

With anger beginning to show on Josh's chiselled face, he said, "Now you listen to me, Joseph Matthew Silvagni. I get to decide if I should or shouldn't give up my life to help you, Evan and Tyler, not you. Second of all, I'm your boyfriend, so it's my duty to help you through whatever comes your way, and I would like to think that you'd help me if something comes my way. Be thankful that I am here, because I doubt that anyone else would stick by you during this difficult time."

Knowing that I had overstepped the boundaries of our relationship and with tears running down my face, I said shakily, "I'm so sorry for saying that, Josh. For some stupid reason I thought that you'd want to have a life that wasn't full of responsibilities. I now know that you'll be by my side, no matter what happens, and just so you know, I'll be by your side, no matter what comes your way."

As the look of anger was slowly replaced by a look of love, Josh said, "I forgive you, Joey. I made a vow that I would be with you for the rest of our lives and I meant it. I'm glad that you'll be by my side if something bad should come my way. I'm sorry for getting angry with you, but you needed that kick in the arse. This probably won't be the last argument or disagreement that we'll have, as that is par for the course in any relationship, but know this; I will always love you, Joey."

"I love you too, Josh," I said, as I saw tears forming in his eyes.

"Is everything okay in here with you two?" asked Cameron, as he walked into the cubicle, stopped at the foot of mum's bed, and looked at us individually with concern written on his face.

"We had a slight disagreement," replied Josh, as he looked at Cameron.

"Cody and I have had our fair share of those. The best part of those is the makeup sex afterwards. I can tell you with a lot of certainty that it's the bomb," said Cameron, as he smiled slightly.

"Is everything okay, Cameron?" I asked curiously, as I wiped my eyes.

As Cameron looked into my eyes, he replied, "Not exactly, Joey. Because we didn't know exactly when your mother had her stroke, we were unable to give her an injection to help reverse the effects of it. I didn't want to say that in front of Evan and Tyler."

"Fuck," mumbled Josh, as he gripped my hand tightly.

"What's the prognosis?" I asked, as more tears filled my eyes.

Shaking his head, Cameron replied, "It's not looking good, Joey. The part of her brain that was affected the most is the part that controls her breathing. If she was to have another stroke, there is a good chance that she'll lose the ability to breathe on her own. Until some improvement is shown from your mother and father, I don't foresee them coming out of their medically induced comas anytime soon."

"This just isn't fair, Cameron. My parents have done nothing to deserve this, nothing at all. I will say this much, if I ever get my hands on the coward responsible for this, I'll choke the life out of them," I said angrily.

"You're not the only one that feels like that," said Josh hotly.

"I'd probably do the same thing," said Cameron, with fire in his eyes.

Shaking my head slightly, I said calmly, "As much as I want to do that to the coward responsible, I need to think about Evan and Tyler. I wouldn't want them to be placed into foster care if I got arrested for causing grievous bodily harm. I couldn't live with myself if that ever happened."

When Cameron heard Evan and Tyler's names, he smiled a knowing grin and said, "I've figured out that Evan and Tyler are more than just brothers, Joey. Personally I don't have any problems with it, because I know of two other brothers that love each other like Evan and Tyler do, but there are people out there that aren't as friendly."

"I have an idea about who you're talking about, Cameron," I said.

"Is it Ben and Benji Williams?" asked Cameron curiously.

Nodding, I replied, "I met them last year. Some of their friends weren't too happy when they announced their love for one another, after coming back to school. Josh and I had to step in a couple of times, when things got nasty. I was glad when they patched up their differences though."

"I had heard that there was some trouble with their friends, but I didn't know it was you and Josh that had stepped in to settle things down, as Ben nor Benji would tell me. I appreciate what you did, because Ben was really upset at what was happening," said Cameron, with astonishment written on his face.

"I didn't like what was going on," I said, as I wiped my eyes and face.

"You're good people, Joey and Josh," said Cameron kindly.

"It's what we do, Cameron," said Josh.

"I'd better get back to work before I get fired," sniggered Cameron.

"I'd like to see the hospital fire a decent and kind doctor like you, Cameron. They'd probably have to get onto their hands and knees and beg you to come back when patients and their families find out that you're gone," I said, as I cracked a smile.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that, Joey. Even Cody would kick up a stink if that ever happened," said Cameron jokingly, as he turned and walked out of the cubicle, leaving Josh and I alone.

After a few seconds of silence, Josh turned his head, and when I had turned my head and looked into his eyes, he said, "It's very rare these days to find a doctor or nurse that actually cares about their patients and family members. I'm very glad that Cameron is one of those doctors." "Yeah, it's very rare, and I'm also glad that Cameron is one of those doctors, Josh. I actually know someone that said that one time his mum had to come into ED because she had a very bad infection in her foot. The doctor that was looking after her took one look at it and suggested that it be amputated, because it looked really bad. Jackson said that his mum went right off and told the doctor that he wasn't to touch it, and she asked for someone else. In the end, she ended up with another doctor, on antibiotics and the infection cleared up after a week."

"That was Jackson Campion's mum right?" asked Josh.

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's him. I haven't seen him in ages."

"Yeah, I haven't seen him in ages either. I think he goes to a different school than us. It would be nice to catch up with him again, because he was such a great friend to us in primary school," said Josh, as he smiled slightly, probably remembering the antics we used to get up to with Jackson.

"We should look him up one of these days," I said.

"I wonder if he's still just as fun," said Josh jokingly.

"I reckon he still is, Josh. Speaking of school, I've just realised that we're on holidays for the next two weeks starting on Monday. We'll have more than enough time to complete that English assignment for Mr Marks. I've even got a topic in mind for it."

"What topic have you got in mind?" asked Josh curiously.

"Why Australia should legalise same sex marriage," I replied.

When Josh didn't comment straight away, I began to worry somewhat, because he may have already thought of another topic we could cover, but those worrying thoughts disappeared when he smiled broadly and said, "That's a damn good idea, Joey. I was having trouble coming up with a good topic. I reckon it'll knock the socks off Mr Marks when he goes to read and assess it."

"For a second I was worried that you wouldn't like that topic. I'm glad that you like it, and I reckon that Mr Marks will be blown away by it. He's always liked our other assignments," I said, as I smiled.

"Yeah, he certainly has, Joey. We make a great team when it comes to doing assignments that require us to pair up. Maybe it's because we're so in tune with each other. Our friends seem to get annoyed when we manage to score higher grades than they do," said Josh.

"Corey and Lachlan got really upset with us when we scored more than them on our last English assignment. I think they're still a little bit upset about that last assignment," I said.

"Well, maybe they'll study a bit harder instead of goofing off. I like to goof off just like everyone else does, but when it comes to studying, I buckle down until it's all done, which is something that I picked up from you, Joey."

"Thanks, Josh," I said, as I leaned in closer and kissed Josh's cheek.

When Josh looked into my eyes, he said, "I couldn't let my best friend down, especially when you took me under your wing when I was struggling to keep up with all of my school work during the first term of Year 1."

"I could see that you needed help," I said gently.

"Both mum and dad were grateful for that as well," said Josh.

"How'd they react to the news that I was gay?" I asked curiously.

"At first they didn't want me to hang with you because they thought that you'd convert me to your side of the fence. But after talking to your parents and with me for hours on end, they didn't want to break up our friendship, and if they had, I'd leave home and move in with you and your family, as I didn't want to lose my best friend," said Josh, as his eyes began to water.

"Wow, I never knew any of this," I said in astonishment.

"Your parents thought it best not to mention any of this to you, because my parents, after both being torn a new one, accepted the idea that you were still the same person that they had known before you came out. It was around that time that I was starting to develop feelings for guys, but I knew I couldn't say anything, because of how mum and dad would react. They were very nasty when Uncle Ben came out to the family."

"Well, I'm just glad that they've finally come around, Josh," I said.

"Me too, Joey," said Josh, as he wiped his eyes.

"What do you think we should do for the holidays?" I asked.

"Hmm, I reckon we should take Evan and Tyler up to Lakes Entrance for a day or two. I'm sure that mum and dad can handle things here while we're away. I can see that you, Evan and Tyler need to get away. I'll talk dad into letting us take the Commodore, which will be more comfortable than my car," replied Josh.

"It'll be good if we can get the SV6. Being a wagon, it'll give us the necessary space for our bags and for the other stuff that we'll need or buy while we're there. I reckon we should go after we've gotten the English assignment finished," I said excitedly.

"I'll have a chat with dad over the next couple of days," said Josh eagerly.

"It sounds like we've got something to look forward to. Hopefully Evan and Tyler are okay with this. I can always use my charm if they're a bit hesitant about going away for a couple of days," I said.

"How can anyone resist your charms?" asked Josh cheekily.

"You certainly didn't," I said, as I sniggered slightly.

*****

As Josh and I walked hand in hand into his home through the front door, he closed it behind him, and as we started heading towards the kitchen, Liz called out and asked, "Is that you, Josh and Joey?"

"Yeah, Mum, it's us," replied Josh, as we approached the study.

"Go into the study, Josh, there's someone here to see you," said Liz.

"Okay," said Josh, as he directed us to the study.

When we stopped at the door, I caught a glimpse of Ben and Logan sitting on the two leather armchairs, talking quietly to each other, and when Ben sensed we were at the door, he looked up and smiled.

"Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan, it's so good to see you again!" said Josh happily, as he pulled on my hand, walked us into the study, and when we reached the three person sofa, we let go of each other's hands, sat down on it and Josh wrapped an arm protectively around me.

"How are things for you, Josh?" asked Ben curiously.

"I couldn't be happier at the moment, Uncle Ben," replied Josh.

"Would it have something to do with the cutie next to you?" asked Ben.

"Yes it does, Uncle Ben. I'm glad that Joey and I told each other that we loved one another. Since then, it's been absolutely great, except for what happened this morning," replied Josh, as he hugged me tighter and kissed the top of my head.

Turning his attention to me, Ben looked into my eyes with his bright grey eyes and said, "I'm sorry about what happened this morning, Joey. When Larry told us what had happened, I couldn't believe it. Just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. No doubt that Larry and I would probably feel the same if something happened to our parents."

As tears started to fill my eyes, I said softly, "Thanks for the support, Ben. I'm glad to know that Evan, Tyler and I have someone other than our parents that give us the support we need to get through the difficult times. I'm also glad that I have Josh by my side to help me through the bad stuff."

"Joey, seeing that your Josh's boyfriend, I have no qualms by having you call Logan and I 'Uncle'. Logan and I discussed this before we came here to talk to you and Josh," said Ben.

"Thanks, Uncle Ben, I appreciate that," I said, as I wiped my eyes.

"That's okay, Joey," said Ben and Logan in unison.

"Thanks for doing that for Joey, Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan," said Josh.

"It's our pleasure, Josh," said Ben kindly, and as his face turned serious, he continued, "Now we need to get down to the nitty-gritty, boys, so if you have any questions, now's the time to bring them up."

"Does the sex get better each time?" asked Josh cheekily.

Turning his attention to Josh, Ben answered, "Yes it gets better, Josh. Each time Logan and I make love, the feelings we experience during sex become more intense each time."

"That's something to look forward to then," said Josh eagerly.

"Do you guys use condoms?" asked Ben seriously.

"I've only used a condom once, and that was when I had random sex with a guy in the toilets at Ryan's one night. When Joey and I made love this morning, we didn't use one," replied Josh.

"Why didn't you use a condom this morning?" asked Ben.

"I can answer that question, Ben," I replied, and as Ben turned his head and looked into my eyes, I continued, "When I saw the look of honesty in Josh's eyes when he said that he had practiced safe sex, I told him that we didn't need to use one, as I was a virgin before this morning."

"Still, that's a little risky, Joey," said Ben, as he sighed loudly.

"Josh and I are well aware of the risks involved with having bareback sex, Uncle Ben. If Josh and I weren't so in love with one another, I would've insisted that we use a condom. If it concerns you that much, Josh and I will get tested. I know a doctor that can help us out."

"I'm glad that you and Josh are in love with one another, Joey. I'm also impressed that you know the risks involved with bareback sex. There is nothing worse than knowing that you infected your partner. Logan and I knew someone that had bareback sex with many guys and without realising that he had caught HIV, he passed it onto his partner and within 6 months of being diagnosed, the disease ravaged their bodies and they both died. If it had been detected earlier, there was a very good chance that both would've lived a lot longer than they had. If either one of you want to have sex with a random guy, my advice is to just use a condom," said Ben seriously.

"Thank you for being honest with us, Uncle Ben. Joey and I will make sure that we get tested regularly. It may be an idea if Joey and I use condoms until we get tested and are given the okay," said Josh softly.

"There is no shame in using condoms, Josh. Until Logan and I were tested and given the okay, we used condoms every time we made love. It may seem tedious, but it'll be worth it in the long run," said Ben, as he turned his attention to Josh.

"We'll make sure we use condoms, Uncle Ben," said Josh seriously.

"I'm glad to hear that, Josh and Joey," said Ben, as he smiled slightly.

As we sat in silence for a few seconds, taking in what Ben had told us, Josh started to rub my shoulder gently, and as he cleared his throat slightly, he said, "There is something else that I'd like to bring up, because it may lead to some unwanted tension."

"Does it have something to do with Evan and Tyler?" asked Ben.

Nodding, Josh replied, "Yes it does, Uncle Ben. I'm afraid that mum and dad will have a problem with them being a couple. I know they're okay with Joey and me, but I don't know how they'd react to Evan and Tyler."

"Hmm, that certainly would cause some tension, but Logan and I have already spoken to your mum and dad about it, Josh. We talked about it after Evan and Tyler had gone to their guest room to get some rest. They had some concerns about how Evan and Tyler would fair if the wrong people found out, but Logan and I told them a couple of things at how best to handle the situation."

"Were they upset that Evan and Tyler are in love with one another?"

"They were a little shocked at first when I told them my suspicions, but after having a frank discussion with them, your parents warmed up to the idea Evan and Tyler could love each other like any other gay couple could, despite being brothers," replied Ben seriously.

"Wow, mum and dad are starting to mellow out," said Josh happily.

"I suspect that it may have something to do with the fact that you're gay and in a relationship with a great guy. They may have realised that you weren't going to change your sexuality no matter how hard they tried to. Also, seeing how Logan and I act as a couple may have made them more accepting of all of you. It can be hard to change your way of thinking when you're older, but I'm glad they've come around," said Ben softly.

"I'm glad they've come around as well," said Josh.

"How about we go and see what's on for dinner?" asked Logan.

As I started to yawn, Josh looked at Logan and replied, "I think Joey and I will pass on dinner, Uncle Logan. We've had a very trying day, and I reckon that Joey and I should get some rest. Please tell mum and dad that we'll find something to eat later on."

"We'll tell them something along those lines," said Logan cheekily.

*****

When Josh had walked naked out of his en-suite, he walked over to the left side of the bed, sat down on it, pivoted slightly so he was on his back, and when he had gotten comfortable, he grabbed my arm and pulled me on top of him.

As I looked deep into Josh's eyes, I said as gently as I could, "You mean the world to me, Joshua Stephen Casboult. If I didn't have you in my life, I doubt that I would be half the person that I am now. What you said to me at the hospital was definitely needed. I'm glad that you're about to let me make it up to you, but I don't want to rush it. I want to savour you and show you just how much you mean to me."

"You mean the world to me as well, Joseph Matthew Silvagni. You needed that foot up the arse to come to your senses. As I said at the hospital, I will be by your side for the rest of our lives, no matter what comes our way," said Josh, as his eyes started to water.

Knowing that I would probably end up crying, I decided that I had better start with the makeup sex, so I pushed his arms up above his head and I started kissing him in every place that I could think of, paying special attention to his ears, eyes and neck.

"Fuck that feels great," moaned Josh, as I began biting his neck.

When I started to move towards his mouth, Josh moved his head slightly and as he looked into my eyes with lust in his, he said in a voice which seemed to betray his desire for me, "Maybe I should've brushed my teeth while I was in the en-suite. I don't want to feel like a cheap whore who just wants to get off."

I took Josh's head into my hands, held it steady, leaned in and kissed him hard with lots of tongue thrown in. The kiss lasted a long time, which ended in me letting go of his head and gasps of breath coming from both of us.

As I looked into Josh's eyes, I said cheekily, "I love you the way you are, Josh. There is no need for you to brush your teeth, not with what I have planned for you."

"Less talking and more action, Joey," said Josh, as he sniggered.

I began licking down Josh's muscular body, starting with his hairy armpits, and when I had both of them wet with my spit, I moved to his nipples, where I spent an equal amount of time on both, giving him a lot of pleasure. His response to that was a lot of moaning, and after a couple of minutes of doing that, he grabbed my head, pulling me closer to his chest.

When Josh let go of my head, I licked my way across his eight-pack, and when I reached his well trimmed pubes, I buried my nose in them, which intensified my desire for him. As his hands were running through my hair, I took his cock into my mouth and slowly moved down the hard shaft. As I got into the blow job, we both started to moan, and then Josh started to raise his arse off the bed, pushing his cock deeper into mouth, which caused me to gag slightly, so I pulled off his cock and started to lick his balls.

As I continued to lick his balls, Josh, without me having to ask him to do so, lifted his legs up and pulled them back with his hands, exposing his pink hole to me. After a few seconds of debate, I moved my attention from licking his balls to licking his crack.

"I want you, Joey. I really, really want you," said Josh softly.

I stopped licking Josh's crack, reached for the lube and the condom that was on the bedside table and brought them to me, placing the condom onto the bed, next to Josh. I opened the lube, squeezed out a large amount of it, and rubbed it on Josh's hole.

After making sure that I had properly lubed my middle finger, I placed the lube tube onto the bed, rubbed my finger around Josh's hole a couple of times before slowly inserting it inside him.

As I felt Josh tense up a little, I said gently, "Relax, Josh. I promise that I won't hurt you. If I do hurt you in any way, please tell me and I'll stop. All I want to do is to give you pleasure, like you gave me."

"Just keep going, Joey. This is what I want, and even if it hurts a little at the beginning, I still want you to give me pleasure. This is a first for me, so I'm glad that it's you and not some random guy," whispered Josh.

While he had been talking, I had begun to move my finger around inside of him. Josh gasped slightly, but he didn't tense up. I knew what I wanted to do next, so I leaned forward and kissed him, pushing my tongue into his mouth, as I shoved another finger inside him.

"Ooh! Shit!" moaned Josh, as he broke the kiss.

"The pain is only temporary, Josh," I said softly, as I kissed his ear.

"Hmm, that feels nice, Joey. I want you in me, please," said Josh softly.

I pulled the two fingers that I had inside him out, and then I placed three of them together and slowly pushed them into him. Josh sighed, but he never tensed up, so I knew he was ready. I realised that I was bigger than the three fingers that were inside him, so somehow, he would have to control just how much and how fast he could take me.

"Josh, I'm pretty big. Do you have any ideas on how to take me?"

"I've got an idea, Joey," replied Josh, as he turned my head, looked into my eyes, and before I knew what was happening, he pushed me onto my back and began kissing me passionately, as he reached back and stroked my cock, getting me harder than I had ever been before.

When he broke the kiss, Josh turned slightly, grabbed the condom from the already opened foil packet, discarded the empty packet onto the bed, placed the condom onto the leaking head of my cock, unrolled it down my shaft, and when it was completely unrolled, Josh turned back to me, looked into my eyes, straddled my cock and lowered himself on it, rubbing his hole against my cock head.

As Josh continued to tease me, the desire that I had for him intensified, and he knew this, because he had a big grin on his face, and as he pushed down, my cock slipped into him, which caused him to moan and stop.

"Maybe we should stop, Josh. I don't want to hurt you," I said worriedly.

"Relax, Joey. I sort of know what I'm doing, as I've read about it on the Net, so please be quiet and enjoy the feeling," said Josh firmly, as he slowly lowered himself down, taking some more of my cock into him.

When Josh had taken all of my cock into him and was sitting on my pubes, we both moaned in ecstasy, and after a few seconds of silence, I looked into Josh's eyes and said, "I never thought that an arse wrapped around my cock could feel so fucking good."

Josh just smiled broadly as he began riding my cock, his body glistening with sweat, and without any warning, he grabbed me, rolled us over so I was on top, and as I looked into his eyes, I knew exactly what he wanted me to do, so I began doing what nature and my intense desire demanded of me.

As I moved my hard cock in and out of Josh, it kept rubbing up against his prostate, causing him to moan, and as I increased my speed, I leaned down closer to my boyfriend and began kissing him with as much love as I could muster, while Josh rubbed his hands up and down my back.

Once Josh broke the kiss, he looked into my eyes with love and lust in his and said, "I can't begin to describe what I'm feeling right at this moment, Joey. Know this; I'm glad that I got to experience this with the guy that I love very much."

I tried to say something, but I couldn't because every fibre of my body was racing towards an explosion that I could no longer control. Just as I was about to come, Josh's untouched cock exploded between us, creating a sticky mess.

"Fuck!" I moaned, as Josh's hole gripped my cock tightly, causing me to unload into the condom, which was buried deep inside him, and as I started to come down from my orgasm, I collapsed onto Josh, causing the cum on his stomach and abs to glue us together.

As our intense breathing started to return to normal, Josh said, "Thank you for giving me that wonderful experience, Joey. This is one night that I will never forget. After today we are surely boyfriends, partners and lovers for life. You have made me yours and I have made you mine. I will always love you for the rest of our lives."

With my head lying in the hollow of his neck, I said, "I'm glad that you liked the experience I just gave you, Josh. It was my way of saying sorry for being such an arsehole to you. I will also love you for the rest of our lives, no matter what comes our way."

As Josh kissed the top of my head, he said cheekily, "I think we should take a shower and then change the sheets, Joey. I can't believe that I came so much."

"That sounds like a plan, Josh. As much as I love being this close to you, your cum is getting cold and it's starting to stick to me. I agree that the sheets definitely need changing, because I think I made a mess with the lube," I said, as I chuckled slightly.

*****

The next morning, I awoke to the sun coming in through the partially opened vertical blinds and when I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to me, and when I saw that it was just 7:45 am I groaned.

"Damn I hate waking up so early," I muttered to myself.

When I realised that I was lying on my side with Josh spooned up behind me, with an arm draped over my side, I could feel his semi-hard cock nestled between my arse cheeks and I thought to myself that he must be having a good dream.

When Josh muttered something incoherently in his sleep, I decided that it was pointless in trying to get back to sleep as I was wide awake, so I gently lifted Josh's arm off me, pulled back the covers that were covering me, moved to the side of the bed, and when I had my feet on the plush carpet, I pushed myself up off the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Josh sleepily.

I turned around and saw that Josh had removed his covers, exposing his magnificent body and suckable cock, and as he stretched the sleep from his body, showing his tantalising armpits, I looked into his eyes and replied, "I was just about to put on a t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs, so I could go and wake up Evan and Tyler for breakfast. I decided to let you sleep in for a little bit so you could recover from last night."

"Sleeping in sounds good to me, but I'd rather get up and have a hearty breakfast so I can recharge my weary body. I may need to sit on a soft pillow or something, because my arse feels real sore this morning," said Josh, as he sniggered slightly.

"I'm sorry that I pounded you so hard, Josh," I said softly.

"I didn't mind it at all, Joey. I can put up with a small amount of pain, knowing that it'll lessen over time. It's a good thing that we're versatile, so we can give ourselves a chance to recover," said Josh gently.

I nodded and said, "Let's go and get some breakfast, Josh. I have a feeling that we're going to need all the energy we can get for our day at the hospital."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right about that, Joey," said Josh, as he nodded.

*****

When Josh, Evan, Tyler and I walked into the dining room, both Ben and Logan were sitting on bar stools, in front of the breakfast bar, wearing only boxers, showing their defined torsos and treasure trails that ran from their navels to the tops of their boxers, talking to Liz and Larry, as they were busily preparing breakfast for all of us.

"Good morning, boys," said Liz cheerfully, when she noticed us.

"Morning all," the four of us said together, as we walked to the dining table, which had already been set with empty plates, cutlery and empty glasses, with Evan and Tyler taking the right side of it, leaving the left side for Josh and I, and when we had pulled our chairs out, we sat down on them and pulled them closer to the table.

"What's for breakfast, Mum?" asked Josh, as he took my hand.

"Bacon, eggs and toast," replied Liz, as Larry walked around the breakfast bar with two jugs of orange juice in his hands, and when he reached the table, he placed them at either end of it.

"That sounds great, Mum," said Josh as he picked up one of the jugs with his free hand, poured some into the glasses that where in front of us, and when he had finished pouring, he placed the jug back onto the table.

"What's on for today?" asked Liz, as she buttered the mountain of toast.

"Josh and I plan to go to the hospital after breakfast, while Evan and Tyler want to stay here for the morning as they want to talk about an assignment for school, and then I'll come back and pick them up after lunch," replied Josh, as he looked at Liz.

As Liz placed the buttered and cut up toast onto a platter, she said, "If you like, your father and I or even Ben and Logan can bring Evan and Tyler to the hospital, so you don't have to do so much driving."

"That's a very nice thing to do," I said, as I picked up my glass.

"We're more than happy to help out where we can, Joey," said Ben.

"It's more than I can say for some of my family members," I said.

"What do you mean by that, Joey?" asked Liz curiously.

Before I could reply, Josh gripped my hand tightly, an indication to not say anything, because he knew exactly who I was talking about, and now wasn't the time to discuss it, so he replied, "Mum, this isn't something that can be discussed at breakfast. I promise that Joey and I will sit down with all of you when the time is right, not before."

The look on Liz's face wasn't that pleasant when Josh told her that it would be discussed later, but whatever she was thinking, she kept to herself, but I had a feeling that she would probably tell Josh off when they had a moment to themselves, and that worried me, because I didn't want any unwanted tension between Josh and his parents.

When Larry had sat down at the head of the table and pulled his chair in closer to the table, he cleared his throat and said seriously, "You know that we don't like secrets, Josh, so we'll go along with it just this once, but know this, this will be the first and last time that this happens."

Josh looked at Larry and said, "I understand what you're saying, Dad."

Nodding, Larry said, "I'm glad that you understand, Josh. Whatever Joey has to say must be very upsetting, so when he wants to say whatever he wants to say, your mother, Ben, Logan, Evan, Tyler and I will be there to listen, and to provide any support that's needed."

"Thanks, Larry," I said, as I turned my head and looked into his eyes.

"That's okay, Joey," said Larry, as he smiled.

When I turned my head back to face Evan and Tyler, I could see a hint of anger in Tyler's eyes, and immediately I knew what he was thinking, but I decided to ask anyway, "What's the matter, Tyler?"

"Evan and I would prefer to not be a part of that discussion, Larry. The people that Joey is talking about made some disparaging remarks about him, and we have lost all respect for them," replied Tyler, as he and Evan turned their heads slightly and looked at Larry.

"That's fine with me, Evan and Tyler," said Larry kindly.

"Thank you, Larry," said Evan and Tyler together.

"I'm glad that we got this serious shit sorted out," said Josh cheekily.

"Josh, that's not appropriate talk for the dining table," said Liz, as she picked up the platters piled high with our breakfast, walked around the breakfast bar, brought them to the table and placed them in the middle.

"I'll deal with Josh later, Liz," I said, as I sniggered slightly.

"Sure, sure," said Josh, as he let go of my hand and started tickling me.

*****

After Josh and I had finished breakfast and helped Liz with the cleanup, Josh suggested that we go out the front and sit on the sofa that was on the veranda and talk more about the trip that we planned to take with Evan and Tyler.

Just as we were about to sit down on the sofa, a car further up the street started revving its engine which caught the attention of Josh, so he left my side, walked down the two small steps, and as the car came into view, I saw that it was a dark coloured sedan and my blood ran cold.

As the car started to slow down, the front passenger window rolled down, and just as I recognised the passenger, a 9mm handgun appeared and it was aimed at Josh, who stood frozen in place on the front lawn.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, JOSH!" I yelled, as I broke into a dead run, and when I reached Josh, I pushed him out of the way just as the gun discharged, and before I hit the ground, I felt a sharp burning pain radiate through my right leg, and as I landed on top of Josh, the car's tyres burnt rubber as it sped away.

"JOEY!" yelled Josh, as he gently rolled me onto my back.

"I've been shot," I mumbled, as Josh knelt next to me.

"Where, Joey?" asked Josh, as he looked into my eyes, with fear in his.

"My right thigh," I replied, as I struggled to keep my eyes open.

As Josh looked down to see how bad my wound was, Ben and Logan appeared on my left side with a look of disbelief on their faces, and as Josh took off his white t-shirt and placed it on my wound, my eyes closed and I slipped into unconsciousness.

*****

As I started to regain consciousness, I noticed that I was in a single room with the afternoon sun shining brightly through the large windows, and as I moved slightly to get comfortable, I heard someone snoring softly to the right of me, so I turned my head and I saw Josh asleep on the blue comfortable visitor's chair, with his legs crossed in front of him.

While I looked at my sleeping boyfriend, I couldn't help but wonder at how lucky I had been that Josh had wanted to spend his life with me, when he could've had any other guy. I was very fortunate that he didn't want to leave me high and dry, especially if I ended up looking after Evan and Tyler.

When I moved again, a wave of pain shot up from my injured leg into my spine, which caused me to whimper slightly, and as a result of this, Josh stirred, opened his eyes, and when he saw that I was awake, he looked into my eyes, smiled broadly and said, "I'm so glad to see that you're awake, Joey."

As the pain started to lessen, I said, "I'm glad to be back, Josh. I could hear you, Evan and Tyler telling me how much you wanted me to wake up, and I fought as hard as I could to make my way back to you all."

"You had all of us worried," said Josh seriously.

"Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"We expected you to wake up a couple of hours after the surgery on your thigh, but for some reason you didn't. You've been out for nearly two days, Joey. Even Cameron was concerned. He had a word with the surgeon to see if the surgery went smoothly, which it did, so there was no reason for you not to wake up," replied Josh emotionally.

"Just know that I'm here now," I said reassuringly.

"I'm just glad that you're back," said Josh, as he smiled.

"What's the news on mum and dad?" I asked.

The smile on Josh's face disappeared, so I knew something bad had happened, and after a few seconds of silence, Josh replied, "Your mum suffered another stroke while you were in surgery, and it's not looking very good. Your father improved enough to be taken off the respirator and can talk slightly. They've both been moved to ICU and they're in a shared room. Other than that, I don't know much more, as I've spent most of my time here with you."

"I want to see them," I said shakily.

Shaking his head, Josh said, "You're not able to walk for a couple of days, Joey. You may be able to go in a wheelchair, but probably after you've been given the okay by Cameron, as he's your doctor."

"Why can't I walk for a couple of days?" I asked curiously.

As tears started to well in Josh's eyes, he replied, "The bullet that hit you nicked your carotid artery as well as your femur. Cameron asked me to tell you to stay off the leg for a couple of days, so you can give the artery and the bone bruising a chance to heal. He also said that you won't be able to play basketball or football for at least 4 to 6 months."

I could live with not walking for a couple of days, but to not play the sports that I enjoyed so much, made me extremely angry and I said through clenched teeth, "I'm not very happy at being told that I can't play basketball or football, Josh. Why couldn't Cameron tell me this?"

Taking a deep breath, Josh replied, "I volunteered to tell you that."

"Why the fuck would you want to do that?" I asked angrily.

"Because I can calm you down, Joey," replied Josh calmly.

"Cameron's a fucking coward for not wanting to tell me himself. Right now there is nothing that you can say or do to calm me down, Josh. I'm also annoyed at you for wanting to volunteer in the first place, when it should've been Cameron to tell me."

"I don't like you talking about Cameron that way, Joey. If you want me to leave the room so you can throw a tantrum, I'll be more than glad to. I just thought it would be easier coming from me, that's all. We're only telling you this so you don't reinjure your fucking leg."

Being chastised by an angry Josh for the second time in a matter of days made me feel like day old dog shit, and the anger that I had slowly disappeared knowing that what Josh was saying was right, and before I knew it, I was crying uncontrollably and trying to pull the covers up to my face, so Josh wouldn't see me breaking down.

Sensing that Josh was standing next to me, I gripped the covers as tightly as I could, but Josh was stronger than I was and he had managed to pull the covers away from my face, and as I looked into his tear filled eyes, I said softly, "I'm so sorry for getting angry at you and Cameron, Josh. All you were doing was just telling me to take it easy so I wouldn't reinjure my leg, but it just went all over me when you told me I couldn't play basketball or football until I had healed up."

Looking at me with love and understanding in his eyes, Josh said, "I guess next time something like this happens we'll leave it up to the doctor to say what we can or can't do. That way neither one of us will go off at the other one. It's going to suck sitting on the sidelines, but think of all the guy watching you'll be able to do."

"There's only one guy that'll have my attention," I said, as I sniggered.

Wiping away mine and his remaining tears with his right hand, Josh smiled and said, "I'm glad to know that I'll have your attention while you're sitting on the sidelines. Somehow I think you'll enjoy seeing me covered in sweat, and no doubt your cock will like that as well."

"Seeing you covered in sweat will give me a thrill, and it may even make me want to take you to the locker room, rip your shorts off and have my way with you," I said cheekily.

"I don't think we'd be very popular," said Josh, as he sniggered.

"Our teammates and coach can just suck it up if we're caught," I said.

Before Josh could say something about that remark, there was a knock at the door, and when both Josh and I turned our heads to see who was there, we saw Cameron standing there, dressed in his street clothes with a smile on his face.

"Hi, Cameron," I said, as I looked into his eyes and smiled back.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake, Joey," said Cameron.

"Josh told me the same thing when I finally woke up," I said.

As Cameron walked into the room and stood at the foot of the bed, he said, "I thought I'd stop by before I left for home to check how things were going and I'm glad that I did. You had us all worried, Joey. I'm sure that by now Josh has filled you in on what happened to you and your need to recover fully."

"Josh told me that you were all worried about how long it took me to wake up after the surgery on my thigh. He told me about the need to take some time off from basketball and soccer and I wasn't very nice to him when he told me that," I said seriously.

"We nearly ended up having an argument about that, Cameron. Joey can be a bit stubborn at times and he needed another kick up the arse for him to see sense. I did tell him that he'd have a ball on the sidelines by watching me and the other guys getting all sweaty, which may cause the both of us to go to the locker room and have some fun," said Josh, as he chuckled slightly.

"I don't think that your teammates or your coaches would like that very much. Someone close to me and their boyfriend got seriously hurt after being caught masturbating each other in their locker room. There is a time and a place for that sort of thing. As I told my nephew, a locker room isn't the place for jerking off," said Cameron, as he looked at Josh.

"We certainly don't want to do anything that'll upset our teammates or coaches, so maybe Joey and I should just keep our desires in check and have our fun in the privacy of our bedrooms," said Josh.

"That's a good idea you have there, Josh," said Cameron, as he smiled.

"When would I be able to see my parents, Cameron?" I asked.

Turning his attention back to me, Cameron looked into my eyes and replied, "If you promise to see them for only a couple of minutes, I'll arrange a wheelchair for you and have Josh take you to see them. It may be against hospital policy, but I'll allow it just this once, Joey, as you need your rest."

"Thanks for doing that for me, Cameron," I said sincerely.

"Before you go there, I'd like to offer you the opportunity for a quick blood test to check if you or Josh has HIV. All I'll need from you is just a small amount of blood and you'll have the results in about 10 minutes," said Cameron, as he looked at us individually.

Thinking about it for a couple of seconds, I said, "Just do the test for us, Cameron. We told our uncle that we'd get tested regularly, so it's a good idea that you brought it up. I'd like to ask if you could do the same thing for Evan and Tyler as well."

Cameron looked into my eyes and said, "As long as I have permission from you or a guardian, I'll be more than okay with testing Evan and Tyler as well. Also, it may be an idea to put all of you onto anti-HIV medication as well just to be safe. There is nothing worse than infecting your partner."

"Our uncle told us exactly the same thing," said Josh seriously.

"Your uncle sounds like a smart person, unlike some others that I know. They think that they're invincible and when something goes wrong, they start to panic and want miracles to happen," said Cameron.

"It's nice to believe in miracles, but sometimes you have to make your own miracles in this world. One happened the other day when I finally told Josh how I felt about him. Since then, it's been great, except for what's happened with my parents and me," I said emotionally.

As Josh turned his head and looked into my eyes, he said, "That was a great day for me as well, Joey. Even though we've had our ups and downs the last couple of days, it's been great for me as well. I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too, Josh," I said, as Josh leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"It's great to see two young guys very much in love," said Cameron.

*****

When Josh pushed the wheelchair into the dimly lit room that my parents where in, I saw Evan and Tyler cuddled up together on the blue comfortable visitor's chair at the foot of dad's bed, talking quietly to each other.

Just as we reached the foot of mum's bed, Evan, while still talking to Tyler, turned his head slightly, and when he saw me sitting in the wheelchair, he stopped talking, relinquished his hold on Tyler, got up off the chair, raced over to me, wrapped his arms around me and started crying.

"I'm very happy that you're awake, Joey," said Evan emotionally.

"I kept hoping that you'd wake up soon," said Tyler shakily, as he got up off the chair, walked over to us, wrapped his arms around me, leaned in slightly and kissed my forehead, while fighting the urge to cry.

"Hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again," I said determinedly.

"I hope not," said Josh, as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"How's dad going?" I asked curiously.

"He's been asleep the entire time we've been here. He was taken off the respirator yesterday and they gave him a nasal cannula to help keep his oxygen levels up," replied Tyler softly, as he rested his head on my left shoulder.

"Bailey came by last night to see how mum and dad are doing. He did say that they had a breakthrough and they were able to identify the person that shot you and hit mum and dad's car," said Evan.

"Is it Aaron Steadman?" I asked, as I looked up at dad.

"How did you know it was him?" asked Evan.

"I was able to catch a glimpse at the shooter just before I ran to Josh and knocked him out of the way. I was hoping that I was seeing things, but there was no mistaking that it was Aaron," I replied sadly.

"Why would Aaron want to do all of this?" asked Tyler.

"The only thing that I can think of is last week at school he tried to make a pass at me and I told him that I wasn't interested in him. He went right off when I told him that, and that's when he threatened to hurt me and my family," I replied, as tears filled my eyes.

"That bloody bastard, I want to get my hands on him," said Josh angrily.

"As much as I want something to happen to him, it's better if we just let the police handle him. I don't want anything to happen to any of us if we decide to teach him a lesson," said Tyler adamantly.

"Tyler's right, Josh," I said.

"I know he is, Joey. I'm just so angry right now," said Josh.

"Don't let that anger consume you, Josh," said dad softly.

Upon hearing dad speak, Evan and Tyler left my side and hurriedly went to dad's bed, and with Josh helping me to my feet and supporting me, we walked slowly to the bed and stopped next to Evan and Tyler.

As dad looked at Evan and Tyler, he said, "Evan and Tyler, I have suspected for a while that you are more than brothers, and when I saw you earlier snuggled up together, I saw an absolute look of love and trust on your faces. Your mother and I are okay with this, however, all we ask is that you’re careful in who you come out to."

"We will, Dad," said Evan and Tyler together.

When dad turned his head slightly and looked into my eyes, he said, "Joey, I can see just how much you and Josh are in love with one another. Your mother and I kept hoping for someone kind and gentle."

Before Josh or I could comment on what dad had just said, dad's eyes closed, his body started to shake violently and when the monitors above his bed started to sound their alarms, two nurses and a doctor ran into the room, with the doctor pushing us out of the way, as they made their way to dad.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked shakily.

*****

While I was walking slowly up the ramp to the entrance of St Augustine's with the aid of a walking stick, the door to the church opened and a hot muscular guy with a cute girl next to him walked out of the church, and as I got closer to them, I had a feeling that I knew them.

As they turned their heads slightly, I was able to get a closer look at their faces and even though it had been six years since I had seen them, I was able to recognise Jackson and his girlfriend Melissa.

When they heard me approaching, Jackson turned his head fully and as he looked into my eyes with his green eyes, he smiled broadly and said, "Hey there, Joey. I was hoping that I would be able to have a quick chat with you before the funeral."

Once I had reached Jackson and Melissa and stopped in front of them, I noticed that Melissa had the beginning of what looked like a baby bump, but I decided not to say anything, just in case I was wrong, and as I looked into Jackson's eyes, I said, "It's so good to see you and Melissa again, Jackson."

"I wish it was under different circumstances," said Jackson solemnly.

"As do I, Jackson," I said softly.

"How have things been over the last week?" asked Melissa.

"It's been absolutely crazy. Thank goodness I had Evan, Tyler, Josh and his parents helping out with getting everything organised. It was really tough going through all the photos of mum and dad, but we managed to find nice pictures of them for their caskets. In a way I'm glad that dad and mum passed away within hours of each other," I replied, as I looked into Melissa's bright brown eyes.

"Why's that, Joey?" asked Melissa curiously.

"I don't think that Evan, Tyler or I could say goodbye to our parents at separate funerals, Melissa. It's going to be extremely difficult for us today, but with the support of our family and friends, we should be able to get through the day," I replied.

"I thought you didn't get on with your mum's side of the family, Joey."

"I'm sorry, Melissa, I should've been more specific. I still don't get on with those homophobic arseholes. It'll be when Hell freezes over when I speak to them again. What I meant was that Josh's family have decided to unofficially adopt Evan, Tyler and me."

"Did you and Josh get together?" asked Melissa excitedly.

"How did you know about Josh?" I asked curiously

"Jackson and I figured that Josh was gay like you were, Joey. I'm very surprised that it took you this long to get together, but I'm glad that you finally saw sense. Jackson and I figured that Josh had feelings for you," replied Melissa, as she smiled.

"I'm just glad that we told each other how we felt about one another, Melissa. I'm also glad that Josh has helped me through this very difficult time," I said, as I smiled slightly.

Jackson cleared his throat and said, "We're glad, Joey."

"Thanks, Jackson," I said, as I looked back into his eyes.

"Onto a less serious topic, Melissa and I have some news to share. We found out a couple of months ago that Melissa was pregnant. We've since learned that we're going to have a boy and we'd be honoured if you and Josh would be the Godparents to him," said Jackson.

"Joey and I would like that very much, Jackson and Melissa," said Josh, as he walked up from behind me, stopped next to me, took my hand and after looking at both Jackson and Melissa, Josh looked back at Jackson and said, "It was nice of you and Melissa to come today, Jackson."

"We wouldn’t have missed this for anything," said Jackson seriously.

Before Josh could comment on what Jackson had said, one of the funeral directors appeared at the door, cleared his throat and as I looked at him, he said, "Joseph, it may be an idea to come inside so we can go over last minute preparations."

I nodded and said, "I'll be with you in a few seconds, Scott."

"No worries," said Scott, as he turned and headed back into the church.

I sighed loudly and said, "I'd better go and see what he wants."

*****

While I stood at the pulpit with Josh standing next to me, I noticed that there were no free spots on the pews, and I was astonished at how many people mum and dad had known over the years, as well as how many of Evan's, Tyler's, Josh's and my friends had taken time out of their holidays to come and support us.

As I turned my attention to Evan and Tyler, who were sitting in the front row directly in front of me, I started reading the eulogy that we had prepared, "Firstly, I would like to thank those that made the effort to come today. It's never easy to lose a member of your family, let alone two within hours of each other. Growing up, mum and dad were always there to give us all the support and love that we needed, especially when one of us was going through a particularly rough time. The first time that dad took me out for my first driving lesson, I was really anxious, but after dad took a few minutes to calm me down, I felt a lot better and I was able to concentrate on the lesson. Whenever mum would do any baking, Evan and Tyler would help her, and once the cake or muffins were in the oven, she'd let them fight over the remaining batter. More than once it ended up on their clothes instead of in their mouths. Taking family trips to Lakes Entrance was always great, especially when dad would take Evan, Tyler and I out in the early morning to do some fishing at our favourite spot at the Gippsland Lakes Fishing Club."

By this time I had tears streaming down my face, and as I looked at the people in front of me, I could see that there wasn't a dry eye in the church, and as I cleared my throat so I could continue, one of the inner doors to the church opened and my mum's homophobic brother walked in, walked up the aisle to the altar, and as he stopped at the steps, he looked into my eyes and said nastily, "You made this to happen, faggot."

Before I could even comment on what my uncle had said, Josh left my side, walked up to my uncle, stopped in front of him and said forcefully, "I don't appreciate you talking to my boyfriend like that, Mr Wells. He has more decency in his little finger than you do in your entire body. I always thought that one day you and your parents would see past Joey's sexuality, but I can see now that that will never happen and you will miss out on what a wonderful person he is."

I could see that my uncle was struggling to keep from exploding and possibly lashing out at Josh, and as he continued to try and keep his cool, a group of people stood up from their pews, and as they came to the front of the church, I noticed that it was Cameron and Cody, Ben and Benji with their uncles Stephen and Todd and their friends Ryan and Robbie, as well as Blake, with his boyfriend Casey. Bailey and Brandon, who were dressed in full police uniform, rounded out the group.

When they reached the front of the church, they formed a protective shield between Josh and my uncle, and as they interlocked arms together, I left the pulpit, walked over to Josh, stopped next to him, and as I took his hand, I looked into my uncle's eyes and said firmly, "I don't appreciate you coming to mum and dad's funeral and speaking to me like you have just done, Barry. You don't deserve to be called uncle by me, Evan or Tyler for what you said to me when I came out to the family. As far as I'm concerned, I no longer consider you or your parents a part of my immediate family as that has now fallen to Josh's parents and his uncles."

As Barry's face turned purple with fury, he spat out, "You're nothing but an ungrateful little shit. You and your kind are an abomination and you will all burn in Hell for your sins. I'm eternally grateful that you don't consider yourself a part of my family, Joey. The same goes for your troublesome brothers. Next time I won't be so lenient when they decide to get involved in something that doesn’t concern them."

"That's quite enough, Mr Wells," said Bailey angrily.

"Fuck you, arsehole," said Barry, as he looked at Bailey with contempt.

As I shook my head slightly, Bailey said, "Mr Wells, I strongly suggest that you keep those sorts of comments to yourself, otherwise I will have no choice but to have you charged for being a public nuisance and causing a disturbance."

"I'd very much like to see you try and charge me," said Barry smugly.

Bailey just shook his head as he said, "Don't test me, Mr Wells."

Before Barry could say anything, I noticed that Evan had stood up and in a clear and commanding voice, he said, "It's no good to try and talk to him, Senior-Constable Miller as he is a very stubborn man. Just please do something to have him removed from the church so we can continue the funeral."

As Bailey relinquished his hold on Brandon, he said, "Mr Wells, I must inform you that you are under arrest for being a public nuisance and causing a disturbance. You have the right to remain silent and anything that you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Thank you, Bailey," said Evan softly, as he sat back down next to Tyler.

EPILOGUE

"They're having the absolute time of their lives," said Josh, as he looked out at Evan and Tyler who were swimming in the shallows just near the fishing club, while Josh and I were sitting at a covered picnic table, just in our board shorts.

"I'm glad that Mr Anderson was able to give us a couple of days off from school so we could have this little break from all that's happened. It didn't take much effort on dad's part to convince him, especially when we wrote that fantastic English assignment for Mr Marks," I said, as I took Josh's hand.

"Mr Marks was blown away when he read it. I didn't think he'd stop crowing to the class just how great it was. I'm glad that Corey and Lachlan were also impressed at how great a job we had done on it. I think Mr Marks will start grading work based on our efforts," said Josh, as we continued to watch Evan and Tyler.

"Is there any news on our living arrangements?" I asked curiously.

Josh cleared his throat and replied, "I've spoken to mum and dad and they're okay with us moving into your place, because they've been talking about selling their place and moving into something smaller. They even said that they'd put in a pool and entertainment area for us."

As I turned my head suddenly, Josh turned his, and as I looked into his eyes, I said, "That's nice of them to do that for us. I just hope that they won't move to far away from us, because it'll be nice to have them around just in case we need them."

Smiling slightly, Josh said, "Dad said that he had an idea that he wanted me to run by you, but he didn’t know if you'd like it or not. Basically if it's okay with Evan, Tyler and you, he'd like to build a 2 bedroom unit along the back fence. He's already spoken to some contractors, and according to them, even with the pool and entertainment area he wants to put in, there will be room for the unit."

"When we get back from our holiday, tell mum and dad to go ahead with all the plans. It may seem that I'm rushing into this, but Evan and Tyler will be more than okay with this, because they've told me more than once in the last week that they would like mum and dad to live with us. It may have something to do with the fact that they would like to have someone who is older than us to be in their lives as well."

"I'm sure that mum and dad will absolutely love that, Joey."

"Truth be told, I'm glad that dad said that he'd like to build a unit for him and mum, Josh. It'll be nice to have someone who is older than us living close to us, because we'll most likely need some guidance for Evan, Tyler and ourselves during difficult times," I said, as I leaned in and kissed Josh softly on the lips.

"Get a room you two!" said Evan and Tyler together.

When I broke the brief kiss, I turned my head slightly and I saw that Evan and Tyler were walking towards us, and when they reached us, Evan approached me, while Tyler approached Josh, and before we knew it, they grabbed us in a bear hug and Evan said, "Thank you both for talking Tyler and I into this holiday, Joey and Josh. I think I speak for all of us when I say that it was definitely needed."

"That's okay, Evan and Tyler," said Josh, as he returned Tyler's hug.

"I'm glad that you and Tyler are having such a great time, Evan. We've certainly had a lot happen to us over the last couple of weeks, and while most people would've given up, we certainly proved that nothing can stand in our way," I said, as I returned Evan's hug.

When we all had relinquished our hugs on one another, Evan and Tyler walked around to the other side of the picnic table, sat down opposite us and as Evan looked into my eyes, he asked, "What were you and Josh talking about, Joey?"

"Well, Josh was just telling me that mum and dad were planning on building a pool and entertainment area for us when we move back to our place. They even said that they'd like to build a 2 bedroom unit along the back fence, if it's okay with you, Tyler and me," I replied seriously.

As Evan looked at me with wide eyes, Tyler found his voice and said, "Evan and I would like it very much if mum and dad were able to live very close to us, Joey. Also they're very considerate in wanting to give us a pool and entertainment area for us. We'd be able to have a lot of parties for family and friends. Maybe you or Josh should talk to them and see if we can get a great outdoor kitchen for the entertainment area, even if it means we have to put a little bit of the settlement money towards the project."

Stifling a smile at what a great practical think Tyler was, I looked into his eyes and said, "Josh and I will sit down with mum and dad when we get back and let them know that we're okay with them wanting to build the 2 bedroom unit. We'll also talk to them about a decent outdoor kitchen for the entertainment area. We'll probably end up being the envy of all the neighbours when it's completed."

"Home will certainly look different, but it'll be good though," said Tyler.

"That's right, Tyler," said Josh.

"Are there any more surprises, Josh?" asked Tyler.

"There is, but I don't know if I should say something or not, as both mum and dad have sworn me to secrecy, as it's something that will make one of you extremely happy," replied Josh mysteriously.

"Maybe you should just tell us what it is, Josh," said Tyler.

"Well, I hope that you and Evan won't be disappointed, Tyler, but the surprise is for Joey. Before we left for this holiday, mum and dad talked to me and told me that they were going to give Joey my grandmother's Bechstein grand piano," replied Josh seriously.

As I turned my head suddenly, Josh turned his, and as I looked into his eyes, I asked, "Are you being serious, Josh? I hope that this isn't one of your practical jokes."

Shaking his head, Josh replied, "I'm serious, Joey. I had to keep asking if it was a joke, and mum told me each time that it wasn't. She said that Uncle Ben and Uncle Logan had no room for it, and seeing that we don't have any other family, she said that she'd rather see it go to you and not some stranger."

As tears welled in my eyes, I said, "I'll make sure that I act surprised when mum and dad tell me what they're going to do with it. I think I know a good spot to put it to."

"Where are you going to put it, Joey?" asked Josh curiously.

"There's a good spot just near the dining area. Once the piano is in that area, we can put some sofas there for people to sit and watch, and maybe even a wet bar and barstools," I replied, as I wiped my eyes.

"That'll be a great little area once it's all setup," said Josh.

"We won't know ourselves once all the changes are done. I think our parents would be happy with all that we're going to do to make our lives just a bit more comfortable," I said emotionally.

"Yes, they would," said Josh, as he leaned in and kissed my lips softly.

"Get a room," said Evan cheekily.

When Josh broke the kiss, I turned my head slightly, looked into Evan's eyes and said cheekily, "I should say the same thing to you and Tyler when you’re being all lovey dovey in the lounge room."

As Evan's face turned red with embarrassment, he said cheekily, "At least Tyler and I aren't trying to mount each other when mum and dad aren't home. It's a little thing called respect for others, Joey."

"You're right about that, Evan. Josh and I will try our hardest to be a bit more considerate of those around us. That sort of thing should be left for the bedrooms from now on. That's the best place to get really acquainted with your partner," I said, as I felt my face flame.

"Joey's right about that, Evan and Tyler," said Josh.

"We'll respect each other's boundaries," said Evan and Tyler together.

 "I'm glad," I said, as I looked at my younger brothers individually.

"Now that we've gotten all the serious shit sorted, I reckon we should put a t-shirt on, get ourselves into the car, head to Macca's so we can get some lunch, and then head to our unit so we can check in and get settled, before we make plans for the rest of the afternoon," said Josh.

"Sounds good, Josh," I said, as I turned my head towards his.

"Let's get going!" said Josh, as he looked into my eyes and smiled.

"Macca's won't ever be the same," said Evan and Tyler together.

*****

After we had had our fill of Macca's with Evan and Tyler finishing off what Josh and I couldn't eat, we had checked into Bellevue on the Lakes, our home away from home for the next couple of days, and as we walked into the lounge room of the 2 bedroom unit and stopped, Evan looked around and said, "This place looks really great."

As Josh closed the door behind us, he said, "Well, Evan, mum and dad didn't want us to stay at a cheap place, so after searching the Net for decent accommodation, they came across this place and they liked what they saw, so they booked it for us."

"That was nice of them," said Evan, as he and Tyler turned around.

When Josh had stopped next to me, he looked at Evan and said, "It was extremely nice of mum and dad, Evan. It may seem a little bit over the top, but they only want the best for us."

"They certainly do," said Evan, as he smiled.

As Josh took my hand into his, I cleared my throat and said, "I think that you and Tyler should take your suitcases to the room next to the main bedroom and get settled, Evan. Josh has a surprise lined up for dinner that you'll definitely enjoy, so we all need to look decent tonight."

"Surprises are always good," said Tyler enthusiastically.

"They certainly are," said Evan, as he and Tyler turned around and headed for the bedroom next to the main bedroom, and when they reached it, Evan followed Tyler into the room, and when he turned slightly, he smiled broadly at us before closing the bedroom door.

"What's the bet they won’t unpack just yet?" asked Josh cheekily.

"They just want to celebrate the good news that Cameron gave us just before we left for our holiday. The next time that we make love, we could try going bareback again," I replied, as I turned my head and looked at Josh.

When Josh turned his head and looked into my eyes, he asked, "Are you feeling okay, Joey? You haven't been yourself for the last couple of days. You know that you can talk to me about anything."

I sighed slightly and replied, "I got the death certificates the other day."

Josh didn't need to ask how I felt about that, he just let go of my hand, turned slightly, grabbed me in a hug and said softly, "It may not seem like it now, but things will get easier each day, Joey."

As tears welled in my eyes, I said, "When I saw those pieces of paper, it just hit home that I'd never see their smiling faces again, Josh. Knowing that they didn't suffer just makes it a little bit easier for me to accept their deaths. I thank God that mum, dad and you are there to make things a bit easier for Evan, Tyler and me."

"I love you, Joseph Matthew Silvagni," said Josh tenderly.

"I love you too, Joshua Stephen Casboult," I said softly, as I kissed Josh's cheek, then placed my head in the hollow of his neck, allowing him to kiss the top of my head.

When Josh stopped that, he started rubbing the back of my head, letting me know in his own way that he would always be there for me, and this was a great sense of comfort for me, because I knew that whatever life threw at us, Josh and I would be able to tackle those challenges together.

THE END?

Posted: 12/01/17