Chapter 53

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SKYLAR

SKYLAR SLOWLY caught his breath, looking from Ward to Charlie and back.

Was he dreaming? He had to be. Except Charlie was crying, and Ward looked on the verge of doing the same. Was that good or bad? With Charlie, it was a tossup. Skylar had known him to cry out of sheer happiness, but more frequently out of overwhelm or frustration. As for Ward? Skylar couldn't even imagine the guy crying, so it completely threw him.

Ward blinked rapidly. He was still halfway on top of Skylar and pulling Charlie in close, like he was trying to blanket both of them, shielding them from the world. “My boys,” Ward gasped. “My beautiful boys.”

Skylar's breath caught in his throat, hearing the complete and utter awe in the man's voice.

Ward burrowed down into them, holding them tight. Like he never wanted to let them go.

Skylar stared up at the ceiling, then closed his eyes, feeling the two men surrounding him. He tried to draw his knees up, desperate to hold onto the gift they'd given him. It might all come running back out of his body, and that was the very last thing he wanted. Now that it was safe for them to come inside him, he wanted to soak it all up. Absorb it into himself so it would be part of him forever.

He stifled a sudden, manic urge to laugh. Maybe he was crazy for even wanting it. Maybe it wasn't even physically possible. But he had to believe it was possible. He'd felt it enter his body. Not just from the pulsing of their cocks, but he could swear he'd actually felt the jets of it strike somewhere deep inside him, unimpeded by a condom. Now, Skylar imagined their semen mixing together and soaking into his insides. Maybe entering his bloodstream somehow and moving all around his body, becoming a permanent, integral part of him.

If only this moment would never end.

Then Charlie let out a pitiful, desperate cry.

“Charlie?” Skylar gasped.

Ward lifted up, allowing them both to see Charlie's face. “Hey, little mouse. What's wrong?”

Charlie squirmed and grunted like he was trying to pull himself free.

Skylar's heart raced in panic. He didn't want them to pull away. Not yet. He wasn't ready!

Then Charlie grabbed Skylar's left wrist.

Oh . Skylar heaved a great sigh of relief, his entire body shuddering with it, and held out his arm.

Charlie touched his fingertip to the heart tattoo and began the slow, meandering path along the continuous line. He barely paused at the heart before he started again. And again. Each pass went faster. His touch grew more insistent. More desperate.

Skylar winced.

“Easy, little mouse,” Ward murmured. “Let's not hurt Sky, okay?” He reached out to grab Charlie's hand.

Charlie slowed but didn't stop, his eyes widening.

“No,” Skylar gasped. “Let him finish. He has to finish a circuit. It'll be worse if he doesn't.”

Ward paused there, his hand hovering near Charlie's wrist. But he must have seen the silent insistence in Skylar's eyes because he relented, waiting until Charlie finished the circuit before he gently grabbed the boy's hand and pulled it away.

Charlie whimpered. Hurt? he signed.

“Just a little,” Skylar admitted, eyeing the reddened skin all along the line. Charlie had never pushed that hard before. Not even close.

Charlie burrowed into Skylar and hid his face against the pillows. Sorry! he signed desperately, over and over. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

“It's okay, Charlie,” Skylar insisted. “It's okay.”

Ward stretched out along Skylar's other side and reached across him, pulling Charlie in close. Skylar lay trapped between them. Practically buried beneath them.

There was nowhere else he'd rather be.

Skylar closed his eyes and drifted in their warmth. Never in his life had he felt so comfortable being naked with someone. So safe. Skylar smiled to himself.

He'd made it. He'd finally made it. He was theirs. Now and forever.

Charlie squirmed and pulled away far too soon, leaving one whole side of Skylar's body feeling empty and cold. A chill ran through him. It was all he could to do stifle a shudder before Ward could notice.

“Hey, little mouse,” Ward murmured, propping himself up on his elbow, taking some of his warmth away, too. “You okay?”

Charlie scowled and got up. He stood beside the bed and fussed with the sheets, spreading his hands across them over and over, trying to smooth out a wrinkle that kept coming back. His scowl deepened as he tugged insistently. Finally, he managed to get one small area of the sheets to lie flat. Charlie climbed back onto the bed, sitting in that exact spot, drew his knees up, and ducked his head.

Then he started rocking.

Shit . Skylar watched him in silence, seeing the tension all through Charlie's body. He'd expected this to be an overwhelming experience, but mostly for himself, not for Charlie. At least, not to this extent. Then again, Charlie had been stuck in a car all morning. That certainly couldn't have helped matters. His senses were probably already on overload, and the time they'd spent watching TV after lunch might not have been enough to help him unwind.

Ward opened his mouth.

Skylar held a finger up to his lips and gave a quick, tight shake of his head.

Ward relented, and they waited in silence.

It was over an hour before Charlie moved. Without making a sound, Charlie got up and strode into the bathroom.

The door shut, and the shower came on.

Skylar sighed. “I'm sorry. He gets like this sometimes. He–”

“Sky,” Ward gently interrupted him. “It's okay.”

No, it's not . But Skylar kept that thought to himself. What they'd just shared had been so perfect. So achingly real. He wasn't ready to admit the moment was over.

They got up, and while Ward tidied the bed, Skylar quickly got dressed. He couldn't seem to get his clothes back on fast enough. His hands shook, and with each item he put on, rather than feeling more settled, the trembling only got worse. It spread through his entire body.

“Sky?”

Skylar yelped and jumped back, not realizing Ward was so near.

“Hey,” Ward murmured, holding up his hands and eyeing Skylar with caution. “Sweetheart? What's wrong?”

Skylar slowly shook his head while he tried to catch his breath. “Nothing. Sorry. I think I just got lost in thought.”

“You're shaking.”

“Got a chill, that's all,” Skylar said. It wasn't entirely a lie. He did feel cold, though he doubted it had anything to do with the temperature in the room.

Ward rubbed Skylar's arms. “Why don't you go take a nice, long, hot shower when Charlie's done, okay?”

Skylar nodded. “Okay.”

“That's my good boy.” Ward bent and pressed a kiss to Skylar's forehead. “I'm gonna go preset the coffee.”

“Okay.”

Ward stepped around him and strode off. Skylar watched him go, feeling a greater chill run through his body once the man was out of his sight.

He dove for the closet and snatched up a pair of socks and Charlie's old hoodie. They'd have to come right back off in a few minutes, but Skylar couldn't wait that long. The shaking only got worse. It was all he could do to pull the socks on after dropping them twice. Then the hoodie got tangled and twisted as he tried to drag it down over his head.

Skylar just managed to finish right when the shower turned off. He let out a shuddering breath and waited, listening to the soft sounds of Charlie moving around inside the bathroom. It was only a few minutes before Charlie came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Skylar watched in silence as Charlie grabbed his pajamas, got dressed and returned the towel to the bathroom so he could hang it up to dry. As soon as the bathroom was empty again, Skylar ran inside and shut the door.

Once he was in the shower, the hot water helped, but it didn't completely settle him. Something was wrong. He should have been deliriously happy after what they'd just shared, but Skylar couldn't help thinking that some element was missing. Something important.

At least the heat of the shower made the shaking stop. Skylar finished washing, got out, and got dressed, vacating the bathroom so Ward could have his turn.

Afterwards, they all sat down to watch one more episode of a show before shutting off the lights and climbing into bed.

Skylar wound up in the middle. He closed his eyes and felt his body begin to relax. This was what he'd needed. More of this. He'd never get enough of having these two men beside him, surrounding him, shielding him. He was theirs now. Nobody else could ever touch him.

He'd just about gotten settled enough to drift off when Charlie started fidgeting.

Skylar turned onto his side, putting his back to Ward, and tried to curl up around Charlie.

The boy went still, only to pick up squirming a moment later. Charlie turned and shifted and kicked his legs, nailing Skylar right in the shin.

Skylar grunted. “Charlie.”

“ Hhnn .” Charlie kicked his legs again.

“Okay,” Skylar grumbled. He reached across Charlie, flung the sheets back, and climbed over him, almost tumbling off the side of the bed. Skylar nudged Charlie to the middle, then climbed in after him, trapping him between himself and Ward. “Go to sleep.”

Charlie gave a little wiggle, then went still.

Skylar closed his eyes and started to sigh with relief, only for a car to go by right outside the bedroom window, coming to a stop with screeching, squealing brakes. The car took off again, leaving near silence in its wake. But the silence was torn a few minutes later when an emergency siren started up, growing louder as it drew nearer, then slowly faded again as it passed.

Charlie whined.

It was almost two more hours before Charlie finally fell asleep, allowing Skylar and Ward to do the same. Skylar drifted off immediately, his entire being utterly exhausted.

The night ended far too soon. Skylar woke to the sound of Charlie having a screaming fit.

“Fuck.” Skylar sat up in bed, all alone. He rubbed his eyes, then looked around. It was almost five in the morning, the bedroom still dark. Not pitch black, thanks to the streetlamps shining through the blinds—something else Charlie hated—but plenty dark enough that all Skylar wanted was to go back to sleep.

Charlie screamed again.

Skylar got up with a sigh and went to see what was going on.

He found Charlie on the kitchen floor, pinned under Ward. The big man was trying valiantly to get Charlie calmed down, but it seemed like the boy was having none of it.

“Charlie, please,” Ward begged, holding the boy tighter.

“What happened?”

Ward looked up at him and sighed. “I got the coffee ready last night, but I guess I forgot to actually set it to start, so it wasn't ready when Charlie got up. And the filter must have torn, because a bunch of grounds got into the carafe. It kind of all went even more downhill from there.”

Charlie struggled and squirmed and cried out again.

“Fuck.” Skylar scrubbed a hand over his face and stepped around them, cleaning up the mess and getting a fresh pot started. Once that was running, Skylar got down onto the floor with them and tried to help get Charlie calm.

It was several more minutes before Charlie showed any signs of stopping. When he finally did, his face was pale. His eyes, bloodshot. Charlie slowly got up with Ward's help, but his posture was full of defeat, his shoulders slumped and rounded, his head bowed. Not even a full mug of coffee was enough to revive his spirits.

Want home , Charlie signed.

Skylar felt a sudden swell of panic inside his chest. “But you just got here,” he blurted out. Charlie couldn't leave. Not yet. Skylar wasn't ready to see him go. Not after last night.

Want home , Charlie insisted. Home now!

“Charlie, Ward can't take you home right now–”

Now! Charlie signed.

“Okay, buddy,” Ward murmured. “Okay. If you really want to go home, I'll take you back. But we can't go right this minute, okay? Let's at least have some breakfast first. You don't want to go on a long drive without food.”

Charlie squirmed and rolled his head, considering that, then gave a begrudging nod. He set down his empty mug and strode off to the bedroom.

Skylar watched him go, then turned to look up at Ward. “You're not really gonna drop everything and drive him all the way back home today, are you?”

Ward shrugged. “If that's what he wants.”

Skylar crossed his arms, hugging himself as the urge to tremble took over again. “But he just got here.” Skylar swallowed hard. “How can you let him go so easily?” he blurted out. After what they'd shared last night, Skylar hardly wanted to let either of them out of his sight, let alone have them be hours away.

“I can't force him to stay,” Ward murmured, sounding so calm and reasonable that it only made Skylar feel more unsettled. “It wouldn't be right or fair.”

Skylar blinked rapidly. “And what if I wanted to leave? Would you let me go, too? Just like that?”

Ward paused in the midst of grabbing a frying pan. He carefully set it down, staring at it as he answered. “If that was what you truly wanted? Yes, I would.” He turned to look at Skylar. “It's your life, Sky. Whatever decisions you make, I'll support you, one hundred percent. You have to do what's right for you, first and foremost. Always.”

Skylar's heart clenched as a bittersweet pain shot through him. On one hand, he loved that Ward didn't want to control him. That he was allowed to be his own man and make his own decisions. On the other, all he wanted was for the man to keep him. To need him. To beg him to stay. Both him and Charlie. Except it sounded like Ward would be willing to let him go. And so easily, too.

Just like his parents had done.

Skylar gave up. It was over. He'd known this day would come, but he hadn't thought it would hurt like this.

He had to leave before his heart could break any more.