When I See Stars, That's All They Are

Nick. 18. Slave. That's all there is to know.

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Getting Out

[enslavednick]

Nick couldn’t help but let a smile slide onto his face at Jeff’s reaction. It meant a lot to him that he was willing to let Nick spend some of the money on a way to keep in touch with his sister, but the thought of being able to call Jeff whenever he needed to was comforting, too. “I like the sound of that,” he said, settling in againt Jeff’s chest. “I think things might finally be starting to work out for us.”

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“Yeah, they are.” Jeff agreed. It seemed like for the first time in a while that their future seemed okay, positive even. They had money, a place to be, reconnecting with their families, no longer slaves. Jeff settled himself back against the pillows, still keeping Nick in his arms and kissing his forehead. “I love you, Nick.”

[enslavednick]

Nick continued to smile to himself, Jeff’s love for him obvious. He had no idea how they’d managed to get through so much already, but it made him feel like they might stand a chance of getting through everything else, too. “I love you, too, Jeff,” he said, letting his eyes fall shut. After a few minutes, his breathing evened out, and he found himself drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

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Getting Out

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“Then I’ll get one too.” Jeff said.  His last phone had been taken when he was. And unless it had been kept in storage in the manor in the past year, Jeff would need a new one. “Even if we just get cheap ones from Walmart or something, I’d feel better if we had them.” If something ever happened again, he wanted a way to keep in touch with Nick and his family.

[enslavednick]

Nick couldn’t help but let a smile slide onto his face at Jeff’s reaction. It meant a lot to him that he was willing to let Nick spend some of the money on a way to keep in touch with his sister, but the thought of being able to call Jeff whenever he needed to was comforting, too. “I like the sound of that,” he said, settling in againt Jeff’s chest. “I think things might finally be starting to work out for us.”

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Getting Out

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“Yeah, we can ask them.” Surely they’d look into it before they’d given them the letter. Or they’d know how to make sure it was real. Either way, they’d find out what to do with it. 

All that money could pay for their hospital bills, maybe for them to get help if they needed it, some of it could go to his mom and brother for putting up with them. “You could use this to get a phone to keep in touch with your sister.” Jeff said. That way Nick wouldn’t have to go searching for a job until he was comfortable with it.

[enslavednick]

Nick nodded. Asking the detectives sounded like the best option right now, and then they could figure out where to go from there. Living expenses, medical costs, probably travel costs for trials and stuff... it was all going to add up quickly. This money would really help If it was real. He didn’t want to get too far ahead of themselves.

He looked at Jeff at the suggestion about a phone, biting his lip. “I-- I don’t know,” he said. “Are you sure? He-- he’s giving this to both of us, not just me. We should spend it on stuff together.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff sighed. Nick had a good point. He wanted to believe it was real, but they had no way of knowing. Carson could be playing games with them. Jeff picked up the envelope and examined it. “I don’t know, it looks kind of official… And Carson’s in custody, he wouldn’t exactly have the time to write out fake checks and mail them… wouldn’t they scan that stuff in prison?”

They could ask the detectives to verify it, they could trash it, or try to keep it and use the money. Either way, it was still unbelievable that this was happening. This money could help them with all sort of things once they get back to normal life. “I think we should keep it. Maybe set it aside for now? Until… we know what to do with it…”

[enslavednick]

“Yeah, you’re right,” Nick said, snuggling down closer to Jeff. He made a good pillow. “I guess we should ask the detectives about it? They’d know for sure. Or maybe we could just try to deposit it and see what happens...”

The thought of all of the different things they could use the money for is overwhelming. “I wanna keep it, yeah. And setting it aside sounds good. If it really is real, we could probably afford to pay a financial advisor to help us and make sure we don’t do anything stupid...”

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Getting Out

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Jeff held the check in his hand, unable to do anything with it besides just stare at it. Was this even real? How could anyone have that much money? And how could all this money just end up with them? This was enough to probably pay for all the hospital bills, maybe get both of them new phones, and who knows what else?

“She said Carson’s lawyers sent it over…” Jeff said, “They wouldn’t send some fake check would they? And… Carson did help us get out…” As much as Jeff didn’t like to admit it, Carson had been good to them the last day or so.

[enslavednick]

“Are we sure it’s from Carson’s lawyers, though?” Nick asked, biting his lip. “What if it’s some sort of twisted joke? Like he’s still trying to play mind games with us now that we’re out. He-- he only helped us get out because he was caught.”

He swalllowed, his eyes trained on the check. If it was true,... there were a million different things they could do with it. It could help pay for a place for him to stay until he got a job, so that he wouldn’t have to impose on Jeff’s family, no matter how nice they’d been about it. Except that would mean leaving Jeff, and he wasn’t sure he could do that. That was too much to worry about now, though. “What will we do with all of it?”

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Getting Out

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Jeff watched the detective leave after Nick took the envelope. He thought about it for a second. They didn’t have to open it. They could trash it or burn it or something, get rid of any reminders that the last year had ever happened. Carson had been rough on Jeff for no reason, why should Jeff even think about opening it? But then again, the memories of it would never go away.  "Let’s open it together…”

Once it was open, there were two things inside. Jeff took out one of them and unfolded it, revealing a letter signed by Carson. He read it aloud, “Nick and Jeff… I can’t make up for the awful things I did to you. But I hope this helps. This is all the money Cane gave me, plus more. You two need it more than I do. After this, I’ll stay out of your lives. From, Carson Slater.”

Seriously? Carson was giving them money?  How much did Cane pay him? A couple hundred bucks, maybe. Jeff took the second piece of paper out of the envelope, immediately noticing it was a check… with several figures made out to him and Nick.

“Oh my God…” Jeff stared at the check, “Is… is this a joke? He’s giving us all this money?”

[enslavednick]

Nick was ready to follow Jeff’s lead on what they should do with the letter. Part of him was glad when Jeff said they should open it together, because he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious what was inside. The other part of him, though, just wanted to move on and forget everything to ever do with that place.

His mouth felt like it was suddenly full of cotton as he listened to Jeff read the letter, while he followed along with his eyes. He looked at Jeff in confusion, not wanting to believe any of it. “This has to be some sort of trick,” he said, but then he saw the numbers on the check Jeff pulled from the envelope.

“That’s... That’s a lot of money,” he said, unable to look away from the slip of paper. “Do you think it’s real? I-- I don’t know. Things can’t just... fall into place like this.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff still felt bad that he’d slipped Nick’s last name. He’d never meant for this to happen. But at least it kind of worked out. And it would’ve been weirder if his family had agreed to let Nick stay with them when they didn’t know his full name. 

“Okay.” Jeff said. He didn’t know what kind of job Nick would get – neither of them could even be around strangers at the moment, let alone in some sort of working environment. “Maybe we can find a way to keep in touch with her until then.”

Just then, the detective came into the room, peeking in to make sure she wasn’t interrupting anything or waking them up. “Nick and Jeff?” She said, walking in with an envelope in her hands. “I have something for you guys.” She turned the envelope in her hands, “It’s from Carson Slater.”  Jeff nodded, wondering what this was about. What would Carson have to write to them? She continued, “His lawyers sent this over to you guys.”

[enslavednick]

Nick nodded. “M-maybe, yeah,” he said. “I have no idea how, though. we’ll have to think about it before they come back tomorrow.” He paused, a nervous thought running through them. “I-if they come back.”

He looked up then, surprised to see the detective there. He watched warily as she entered, hoping that they wouldn’t have to go through any more questioning. His mouth dropped open when he heard that the letter was from Carson, and he looked over at Jeff. He really didn’t want anything to do with Carson anymore, he just wanted to forget all about the past year... but he knew that Carson had been a lot harder on Jeff than he’d been on him. Plus, he’d said he’d try to help Carson get off with a lesser sentence, so he figured he probably should look at this. He grabbed the envelope from the detective. “Thanks,” he said stiffly. before turning his attention back to his boyfriend. “What do you think? Should-- should I open it?”

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Getting Out

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Jeff tried to put some of the stuff Nick’s mom had said out of his mind. Like the part where she said them being kidnapped was a punishment for being gay. Or that being gay was nonsense or whatever. “Um… I may have told my mom and Noah your last name…” Jeff admitted, barely remembering a specific detail like that, “Maybe they told the detectives. I’m sorry, I didn’t think they would…”

Jeff hugged Nick tighter, hoping to comfort him. “I don’t know…” Jeff couldn’t imagine parents kicking their kids out of the house at all, let alone a thirteen year old girl like Anna. “If anything happens to her…” Jeff started, “You need a way to keep in touch with her.” Jeff took the paper with the message she’d written to her brother, “If something happens, she can tell you and we’ll figure something out.”

[enslavednick]

Nick frowned when Jeff told him about what he’d said to his mom. He wasn’t mad--he’d never be able to be mad at Jeff for something like that--but it didn’t really matter now. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “If you did or didn’t... I don’t care. I got to see Anna. I thought I’d never see her again.”

He gratefully leaned into his boyfriend’s arms, once again never wanting to let go. “Yeah,” he said, swallowing hard. He’d never really thought about how his parents would treat Anna all this time, but now that he’d seen her again, it was at the forefront of his mind. “As soon as I get a job, my first paycheck is going toward a cell phone to text her and the rest is going straight to your mom.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff held Nick tightly, hoping to comfort his boyfriend after everything. He was glad that his family would be coming back tomorrow again – well, he was happy that Nick’s sister was, at least – because Nick didn’t deserve to have them drop by after a year and leave just a little bit later. Jeff smiled at the kiss to his cheek.  “It’s okay. You didn’t even know they were here until they walked in.”

The way Nick talked about his sister was really sweet.  Obviously Nick loved his sister and missed her.  She didn’t look like the little girl that Jeff had pictured. “What do you mean? What would your parents do to her?”

[enslavednick]

It felt good to be back in Jeff’s arms. He wondered if it would have been easier to talk with his mom with Jeff right next to him like this, but it probably would have just made things worse. “You still shouldn’t have had to listen to allo f that,” he said, shrugging a little. “I don’t know how they found out I was here. I mean, they said the detective called them? But I never told them my real name. And there’s no way my parents actually filed a missing persons report or anything like that...”

He sighed and pushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said. “Just... what if she turns out to be gay, too? She’s already dressing so... differently. There’s no way our parents like that. I don’t know how long this has been going on for or how they haven’t forced her to go back to being the perfect little daughter she used to be. They kicked me out, Jeff. What if they do the same thing to her?”

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Getting Out

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Jeff watched as Nick and his family got settled around Nick’s bed.  He wished he could hold Nick’s hand right now for support. But at least he got to sit next to and hug his sister.  He deserved a family reunion like Jeff had a few days before. Except, Jeff didn’t know how this reunion would go.  

Jeff’s first question to himself was how did the detectives find out who Nick was? Were they able to go off of just Nick’s first and middle name? Or… Jeff had told his mom and brother Nick’s last name. Could they have slipped it to the police? 

When Nick looked over at him, he gave his boyfriend a small smile. Jeff personally didn’t want Nick’s family to know what had happened. But that was Nick’s decision to tell them or not. Jeff noticed the way that Nick’s mom was being short or stiff with her answers. So a year away still wasn’t enough for her to even act a little nicer to her son. There were a couple times where Jeff wanted to get off his bed and walk over to Nick. Maybe say something to his mom, anything to protect him from her judgement. But he didn’t want to make things worse.  All he could do was just sit there.  And for a moment he was afraid Nick would actually say yes to going back home with his family.  Jeff wanted whatever made Nick happier but… he didn’t want to be separated from him. Not again, not after everything.  At least Nick had a way to keep in touch with his sister. And she seemed like she would to anything to keep in touch with him too. They obviously loved each other and she didn’t want to lose  him again.

Jeff gave a small wave to them when they left. He felt pretty awkward most of the time, listening in to their personal conversation, and talking about how Nick shouldn’t be gay and yet his boyfriend was sitting right there.  Jeff was a little relieved when they were gone, and he took Nick in his arms again. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I mean, it’s great that you get to see your family again, obviously. But some of the stuff your mom said…”

Jeff smiled when he saw the note Anna had written to her brother. “She really missed you.”

[enslavednick]

Nick snuggled in close to Jeff’s side, a little sad that he wasn’t holding Anna right now, but very happy to have Jeff right there with him again. Just being close to Jeff made him feel a little better, and knowing that Anna would be back again the next day helped, too. “I’m sorry you had to listen to all of that,” he said softly, glancing around before pressing a gentle kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “If I realized she was going to be so nasty, I’d have tried to get us to go somewhere else. I guess I was just kind of hoping she’d have changed, if she’d decided to make her wawy out here and everything...”

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips when Jeff commented about his sister. “Yeah,” he said, looking back down at the note for a few seconds. “She always kinda used to be my little shadow. It was really sweet. But Jeff, she’s changed so much... I mean, she’s still the sweet girl I know, but she looks so different. I’m scared what my parents are going to do to her.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff sat up when Nick, did, unwinding his arms from holding onto Nick. He was just as surprised as Nick was when he heard he had visitors. Nick had been adamant for a long time that he didn’t have anyone to go to or anyone to contact. That’s why he was going to Colorado with Jeff in the next couple days. Unless it was someone Nick hadn’t thought of or… someone from the manor…

Jeff watched Nick get off the bed and crawl into the other one, just in case it was someone who wouldn’t be okay with seeing them in the same bed. His heart pounded in his chest, ready to jump into action in case it was someone they didn’t want to see.  But who ended up walking in just confused him. A woman and a younger girl… Jeff’s mind connected the dots just a second before Nick said out loud who they were. How could this be? Nick hadn’t told anyone anything about his past life, an he’d been sure that even if his family was contacted, they wouldn’t come here. But here they were, his mom and sister, at least. Of course, Jeff was happy for him. He got to have a reunion with his family just like Jeff had. But he was still confused.

Jeff gave a small wave and said “hi,” but he wanted to let Nick catch up with his family. And figure out what was going on.

[enslavednick]

Nick wrung his hands nervously while his mom greeted Jeff politely and his sister waved shyly back at him. He forced himself to sit back down on his bed--technically his, but empty more often than not since he spent most of his time curled up next to his boyfriend--and it wasn’t much of a surprise when his sister hopped up onto the bed next to him, ignoring the empty chair that was next to their mother, who for her part had sat primly and properly in the chair closer to his bed than Jeff’s. He wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulders, and she leaned into his embrace.

It took him a few seconds to be able to think clearly enough to start talking again. “What-- what are you guys doing here?” he asked finally, unsure how he was supposed to take all of this. The last time he’d seen his family, his mom and dad had had cold, stony looks on their faces, telling him he had five minutes to get what he could carry and leave. They hadn’t even bothered to look at him as he’d left. Anna had been sent to her room right after his announcement at dinner, and the girl supporting herself on him looked almost nothing like the girl he remembered. His sister had long brown hair, usually in two braids, and she was always dressing preppy. The goth girl with spiky hair was like a stranger, but he could see his sister underneath it all.

“We received a phone call two days ago from a detective, saying that our son had been found and was in a hospital to recover,” his mother said stiffly. She clearly wasn’t all that pleased to be seeing him again, but he could deal with that if it meant he got to see Anna. He’d do anything for his sister.

“That’s-- that’s all you know?” he asked.

“Yes.” His mother crossed her arms across her chest. He could tell she was dying to say something else, but Anna spoke up before she did.

“What do you have to recover from, Nicky?” she asked, her voice sounding more child-like than it had in years. She was thirteen now, though, and hardly a child from the looks of her.

Nick stiffened, looking over at Jeff for support. He’d never imagined the day when he’d have to explain everything that had happened to him to his sister. Seeing Jeff, though, he remembered how his boyfriend had tried to spare his family the pain of knowing the details. Maybe he could do the same for Anna.

“Some bad guys kidnapped me,” he said, pulling her closer. He wasn’t sure where to look--he didn’t want to see his mom or his sister right now, and he didn’t want to have to watch Jeff’s reaction, either. “I didn’t get a lot to eat, and they hurt me. I, um... I met Jeff there, too. We were rescued together.”

Dampness began to spread through his shirt, and he realized his sister was crying. “Shh,” he said, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her shoulder and pressing his lips gently to the top of her head. “I’m okay now. Promise.”

“Really promise?” she asked, the words mumbled into his shirt.

“Really promise, Anna.”

His mother cleared her throat. “And has this experience taught you the error of your ways?” she asked airily.

Nick lifted his head up and stared at her. “A-are you asking if I’m still gay?”

“Anna, go wait in the hallway.” His sister shook her head against his chest, refusing to move. “Now, Anna.”

“No!” Nick was surprised at the sound that came from his sister. Another thing so unlike the sweet little bookworm he remembered. “I’m almost in high school, Mom! You guys made me leave the last time you talked about this stuff. Nick’s my brother. I deserve to be here.”

Nick stared between his mom and sister, who in turn stared each other down. Finally, surprisingly, his mother looked away first. “Fine, Anna,” she said. She looked worn down, and he wondered how many other times Anna had gotten her way like this in the past year. “I suppose you are becoming a young lady--or at least I hope you will be, once you give up that hideous hair dye. That, however, is exactly why I must ensure your safety. Nicholas, yes. I’m asking if you still have that tasteless notion in your head.”

This was it, Nick realized. It was likely now or never. He could lie and maybe have his family back, and the thought of losing Anna again if he told the truth was terrifying. But he had Jeff, now, and he had a place to go and they were going to be happy. He needed to buy himself some time to figure out the right way to answer. “Why does it matter, Mom?”

She sighed. “I will always love you, Nicholas,” she said. “I’m your mother, and nothing is ever going to change that. Your father, on the other hand... but that is neither here nor there. Homosexuality is a sin, and you know that quite well, after all those years of Sunday School we took you to. If you are going to insist on something so foolish, I can’t have you around Anna. It would be a bad influence, and she’s reaching an age where she’ll be quite susceptible to them.”

“Mom!” Anna cried indignantly. “Nicky would never be a bad influence. You can’t do this!”

“I can and I will,” she said sharply. “This is non-negotiable, Anna. Nicholas?”

“I-- I don’t know, Mom,” he said, wanting Jeff’s support but knowing that getting it might be a dead giveaway. He felt like he was suffocating, a noose around his neck pulling him in different directions.

“Your father and I will not stand for any of that nonsense under our roof, Nicholas. I’m sure you understand that.”

“I-- I have a place to go, Mom. Jeff’s family was actually going to let me stay with them until I can get a job and find a place of my own.”

“I see,” she said, and Anna started crying again.

“You can’t go with them, Nicky! You have to come back home with us! Daddy’ll understand! We’ve missed you so much. Where does Jeff even live, anyway?”

“Enough, Anna!” his mother said, slapping her daughter roughly on the knee. “Are you saying that you haven’t changed your mind, then, Nicholas?”

“I, um... I’m saying that I’m confused, Mom,” he said, hugging Anna close to him to try to comfort her. “Maybe it would be a good idea for me to go with them to Colorado until I figure things out.”

“Maybe it would,” she agreed, and at the same time, Anna looked up, mascara (since when did his little sister wear makeup?) streaming down her cheeks.

“Colorado?! Nicky, you can’t go to Colorado. That’s halfway across the country!”

“I’ll send you letters,” he told her, already imagining the way they could become penpals. It was so old-fashioned, but the Anna he knew would love the idea... just maybe with someone else. “And maybe even call sometimes?” He glanced at his mom for approval of the idea, but she didn’t seem to want to give an answer one way or the other. “It’ll just be like I’m off at college, like was supposed to happen, okay? I love you, Annie Bananie.” He just hoped his mother would agree.

“Love you too, Nicky,” she mumbled into his shirt.

“We’ll see about all of that,” his mother said. “Let’s get going, Anna. It’s well past dinner time. We’ll stop by again tomorrow morning after your father and I have had time to talk.”

“A-alright, Mom,” he said, but Anna didn’t seem to agree. She just clung tighter to him, her arms easily wrapping all the way around his overly skinny torso.

“You’re not allowed to go to Colorado,” she said sternly. “I don’t wanna lose you again.”

He wanted desperately to tell her that he wouldn’t, but he knew it really wasn’t in his control; if their parents didn’t want them to have contact, he didn’t see a way around it. “I’ll always be your brother, Ann’,” he said instead.

His mom stood up, tugging on one of Anna’s arms as she went. “It’s time to go, Anna. Now. You don’t want your father to hear how insolent you’re being., do you?”

Reluctantly, Anna stood as well, and Nick got up with her. He couldn’t bear the thought of them going so soon. “You’ll really stop by again tomorrow? With Anna?” he asked.

“Yes, Nicholas. Isn’t that what I said?”

Nick ignored the snide reply and instead gave his sister another kiss, this time to her temple. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I promise I won’t go anywhere before then.”

“Okay, Nicky,” she said, then turned to her mom. “Just one more hug and then we can go.” She turned her back on their mom before pulling something surreptitiously out of the waistband of her skirt, palming it before she wrapped her arms around him again. He stiffened as he felt the waistband of his bandts get pulled out a little bit, but soon the pressure was gone, replaced with only the comfort of having his little sister’s arms around him. He hugged her tightly back, counting to ten in his head before he pulled back, not wanting to test his mother’s patience any further.

“I love you,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Nicky,” Anna replied, and his mother nodded her head in his direction.

“Jeff,” she said, nodding her head at him as well. Nick had almost forgotten he was there. “Give your family my regards.” With that, she took Anna’s hand in her own and marched out of the room, presumably on the way to a restaurant and then a hotel. Anna gave a little wave back at both of them before they disappeared around the corner.

Nick closed the door once they were gone, hurrying to climb back into bed with Jeff. “I’m so sorry you had to see that,” he said. He bit his lip, worried that Jeff would be upset with him for not being completely honest with his family, or with some of the things Nick’s mom had said. “Are you okay?”

He shifted to get into a more comfortable position, and he felt something strange against the bed. He reached back and remembered what Anna had slipped to him. He took it out hurriedly, and, discovering it was a piece of paper, unfolded it in a rush to see what it said. A phone number ran across the page, with two words, written in his sister’s neat handwriting: Text me.

He smiled broadly at the note, then held it out for Jeff to see. He had no idea how Anna had a phone that was able to text--last he knew, they both only had phones capable of calling their parents’ cell phones and 911--but maybe things might work out after all.

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Getting Out

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A few days later, the boys had gone through more questions and tests, with the general consensus that they’d been through a rough time in the past year. It’s not like anyone needed to tell them that, though. Some stuff they’d been able to talk about, and others were still kept between the two of them. The biggest thing the doctors noticed was how underweight they were, and that they’d have to put weight back on and get back into the habit of eating regularly, which was something Jeff struggled with. His stomach just didn’t hold a lot of food anymore, but he was trying his best. He wanted to be okay for his family and for Nick.

He liked to think his mom and brother were getting along better with Nick in the last few days too. Things had been worked out logistically, and Nick would be staying with them in Colorado. Some things were still awkward, like his family catching them holding hands or cuddling, but they never made a comment about the two of them being gay or in love. Most of it was just Noah and Lydia getting used to having Nick around.

Right now, his mom and brother were back at their hotel, leaving the two of them alone for the evening and night. Jeff laid back on the bed, the TV in the corner of the room playing some random show while he held Nick in his arms and he absently played with Nick’s hair.  He felt nice and relaxed when he heard unfamiliar voices outside their room.

[enslavednick]

Adjusting to this new life was difficult for Nick. He was grateful that it wasn’t too different from the manor they’d been at--they still didn’t have a ton of choice about what they ate or where they went, but it was like they were easing themselves into not being locked up anymore. He was having trouble eating all of the food the nurses kept giving him, but he did his best, because he knew the sooner they started improving, the sooner they’d get the go ahead to go to Colorado and start their lives there. Even if the thought of living without the protection of the manor or the hospital was terrifying. Jeff’s family had been nice so far, though, and that helped a little bit. He just hoped that they wouldn’t get sick of him too quickly.

He hummed lightly while Jeff’s fingers worked their way through his hair. He could hear the TV playing some show he’d never heard of before, but the sound of voices coming close to their room surprised him. The nurse had just been there fifteen minutes ago, so she shouldn’t be back yet.Just then, a knock sounded, and a nurse poked her head in. “Nick?” she said gently. “You have some visitors.”

“What?” he asked in confusion, sitting upright suddenly and accidentally knocking himself loose of Jeff’s arms. “Are you sure? No one-- no one knows I’m here.”

The nurse nodded. “I’m sure, Nick. Can I send them in?”

“Um... one second.” He turned to look sadly at Jeff, then stood and made his way over to his own bed, climbing in and pulling the covers up to his waist. “Just in case,” he told Jeff. “Um, now’s good.”

“Sure thing,” the nurse replied, and she stepped back, leaving the door open for whomever was on the other side. Nick looked over curiously while he waited to see who was here to see him, and his mouth dropped open a second later as a tall brunette woman stepped inside. A teenage girl he barely recognized was standing just a little bit behind her, dressed all in black and her hair dyed black and pink.

“Mom?” he asked, his voice cracking on the word. “Anna?” He had no idea how his family had heard about his whereabouts or why they’d even bothered to come, but seeing the smile on his mother’s face and the way Anna’s eyes lit up when she recognized him was the best feeling in the world. It was even better than when Jeff’s mom had agreed to let Nick go back with them.

He threw the covers back and hurried over to the doorway, wrapping his sister up in the biggest hug he could manage. “Anna, oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much!” he exclaimed. 

“Me too,” she mumbled into his shoulder, and he could tell that she was crying.

“Um, come on in, have a seat.” He pulled the two chairs over to the middle of the room for them. “How did you-- I mean-- Where are my manners?” He turned to Jeff. “Jeff, this is my mom and my sister. Mom, Anna, this is my-- my friend, Jeff.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff really wanted to lean over to Nick and kiss him right now. But he didn’t want to surprise his family or anything by just kissing Nick right here.  Not yet. He didn’t want to shock or overwhelm his family.  Jeff just stuck to hugging his arm tightly around Nick. All that mattered was they got to stay together.

“Alright, if you want to Nick.” Lydia smiled at him, “But don’t feel obligated to.”

“Thank you so much, Mom.” Jeff said, still unable to stop smiling.

[enslavednick]

“I do want to, Mrs. Sterling,” Nick said vehemently. Jeff’s family was being more generous than he’d ever imagined they could be, and he refused to be a freeloader with them. He didn’t know how he’d find a job without any kind of diploma or anything, but he’d figure it out. 

He smiled over at Jeff, squeezing his hand tighetr for a few moments, before he turned back to his mom. “Thank you so much. Hopefully they say we can leave soon.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff was smiling before his mom was even done with her last sentence. Even though he knew it would happen he still couldn’t believe it. It was finally okay for Nick to come with them. He hugged Nick’s shoulders tighter, seeing how shocked he was at this.

“Nick, it’s okay. You don’t have to do any of that stuff for us.” Lydia said, “Right now, I just want both of you to get back to a normal life.”  She’d seen little hints in Jeff already that they’d both been through something horrible, and that they’d have to adjust. And that’s all they needed right now: adjustment and normalcy.

“And we have the space in our house, so it’s not a problem at all.” Noah said. “So… are you coming with us?”

[enslavednick]

Nick leaned gratefully into Jeff’s hug, wanting nothing more than to turn his head and kiss him senseless, but the thought of Jeff’s family seeing them be intimate like that scared him too much. It was bad enough that they were sitting together like this in a tiny hospital bed, but at least they didn’t seem put off by that much.

“I... I’d love to,” he said after Noah spoke up. He couldn’t really believe that he’d get this without some sort of string attached, though, and he really didn’t want to mooch off of anyone ever again. “But I want to help out. Cooking and cleaning and whatever you want me to do. Really.” He didn’t know what exactly they might want him to do, but he wanted to do it. They were being nice enough to let a strange, gay homeless come into their house. They couldn’t get nothing in return.

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Getting Out

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Jeff watched Nick when he answered his mom’s question. But he already knew the answer Nick would give. His family wouldn’t be looking for him, and he didn’t have anywhere else to go. When Nick did answer, Jeff felt his heart hurting for Nick, and he put an arm around Nick’s shoulders to comfort him.

Lydia could see the emotions Nick was going through. And she could see how much Jeff meant it when he said he cared for Nick. The two had been holding hands and Jeff had been comforting Nick this whole time. Even after not seeing her son for a year, she still knew him. And she could tell that her son really did love this boy. Whatever they’d gone through in the last year, they did it together. 

“Well, Nick, I’m sorry to hear that.” She said, “And I can’t let someone go through whatever you went through and know that they don’t have a place to live.” Jeff looked up at his mother, kind of knowing where his mom was going with this.  She continued, “Nick, I don’t want you to have nowhere to go or anyone to take care of you, so you’re more than welcome to come with us.”

[enslavednick]

Nick took a few deep, shaky breaths to try to get himself under control again. The last thing he needed was to break down in front of Jeff’s family, but it helped that his boyfriend was there with him. He leaned almost unconsciously into his touch, lifting his head again only when Mrs. Sterling started to speak, and he really wasn’t sure he could believe what he was hearing.Jeff had told him this a thousand times, but it was still too good to be true.

“A-are you sure, Mrs. Sterling?” he asked, turning to Jeff for support before returning his gaze to his boyfriend’s mother. “I don’t want to get in the way. I’ll-- I’ll get a job and pay you back and clean and cook and do whatever you want me to do. I can do o-other stuff, too, if you want.” He paused, glancing at Noah and licking his lips before continuing. “This would mean e-everything to me.”

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Getting Out

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Jeff didn’t know how this kind of conversation should go. But he wished it would go any other way but this way. Things were going well, but it felt like everything was right on the edge of becoming terrible. Not to mention how awkward it was. Especially for Nick.  And his mom trying to figure out how to bring another person into the house, someone she didn’t even know either.

Jeff squeezed Nick’s hand affectionately when he was done talking. “And I don’t want to be separated from him.”

“I know, Jeff,” Lydia said, “I want to work something out. But,” She looked at Nick, “Do you have any family who would want you to go with them?”

[enslavednick]

Nick’s heart raced while Jeff started to speak after him and when his mom started after that. He didn’t want to lose Jeff, but he refused to stand between him and his family. He just hoped that Jeff’s family would be okay with him at least crashing on their couch for a little while while they tried to figure out what the next steps were.

He bit his lip at the question, once he realized it was aimed at him. “N-no, Mrs. Sterling,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t-- I don’t have any family.” He looked down at his lap at that, shame flooding his face. He thought he’d come to accept the fact that his parents didn’t want him anymore, but now, sitting here and speaking with Jeff’s family, that part of his heart opened up again and it hurt.

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Getting Out

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Jeff smiled as Nick spoke up to talk about himself. In fact, the last comment made him chuckle a little. It was really good to see his mom making an effort and Nick feeling okay enough to answer her. So far so good. 

“So… I said that I wanted me and Nick to stay together after this, and he agrees with me.” Jeff said, “And… after everything I don’t want to be separated from him.” Nick meant everything to him and wouldn’t have anything keep them apart anymore.

“I know, Jeff,” Lydia replied, “I want to do whatever’s best for both of you but it might be easier said than done.”

Noah spoke up before his mom could keep going, looking at Nick, “Nick, would you want to come live with us? Stay with Jeff?”

[enslavednick]

Nick was really glad when Jeff spoke up, saving him from the awkwardness of his introduction. But boy, he cut right to the chase, didn’t he? His family seemed okay for now, but actually inviting a strange teenager into their house was another thing altogether. He didn’t know if he could handle a rejection from them, but he knew that Jeff belonged with them before he ever belonged with himself.

He swallowed at the tone of voice Jeff’s mom was using, but his head snapped over to Noah when he started to speak. His jaw dropped open, unable to believe that he was really offering this. “I’d love that, Sir-- I mean, um, I just... I’d like that. Yeah.” Blood rushed to his face, and he looked down at his lap. He didn’t know why he’d just called Jeff’s brother Sir, and he hoped they didn’t think he was too crazy. “I d-don’t want to intrude, though. Um. So... yeah.”