John Henry

I think Liam stayed on the couch to cover their actions since Brody knew Liam was there but not Mike. Hard to explain why he was on the couch in the middle of the night but went back to bed soon after.

Yeah, his comment before about Mike having a nice cock, and then offering to show him how to wrap his towel twice definitely are signs that Liam has been wanting something more from Mike. The fact he wanted Mike to cum on him but not help Mike do it seems odd (Liam is "go ahead and cum on me" gay but not "let me jerk you off" gay. Lol)

Agreed on all points.

I thought the same thing. There's so much to this story that hasn't been touched on yet, like Mike's mom's medical condition. I hope we get some answers before the story ends.

Over compensation would make sense.

Yeah, I got that feeling too. I'm guessing Mike's mother has cancer and won't make it, leaving Mike at Liam's house or put in foster care.

Stephen King's book, On Writing, is a great book for any writer to read. It's half autobiography and half writing manual. He suggests establishing a routine for writing, such as time of day, location, mood music, snacks, etc., whatever it takes to tell your brain, Hey, we're going to doing this! I write at night, usually before I go to sleep or at work when I have free time. Sometimes, I'll put on music, but I won't have any other distractions. I can often crank out 2-4 pages in an hour before bed, depending on the story, inspiration and how tired I am. King says he writes a minimum of 4 pages a day and won't leave his office until he's done it his minimum. Sometimes, he's done in an hour, sometimes he's there till late in the night, so everyone struggles including him. It's a matter of not letting your struggles stop you from writing. He always recommends reading as much as possible. One of my favorite quotes of his is, "If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write," which is very true.

I have similar motivational issues, but I'm also someone who will always write more than I intend to. I was in an essay class in college, and the teacher said our assignments were to be about 3-5 pages, while emphasizing the 3 page minimum. I asked if the maximum limit was a hard rule. He looked confused, so I repeated myself. He was like, "I guess you could write a page more if you want." And I said, "How about 10?" He laughed and said, "If you think you can do that, sure." His amusement for my 10+ page essays didn't last long. Lol Give me a topic to care about, and I'll need someone to stop me from writing. Lol Then there are moments or years, where I can't think of anything to write. Mental health, life and motivation definitely hold me back. I will joking bug authors to keep cranking out work, but I never mean to put actual pressure on anyone. I won't even release a series story, unless I have the first 10 chapters written, so I have enough space to leisurely write, which is how I end up with so many stories at once. 🙄 My ADD brain just can't stop sometimes. Point being, take your time, don't rush, and have fun with what you've got. Your story is fucking amazing!

Completely agree. Liam was definitely protecting his boi against the ravaging 12-year-old. I think Liam has been fantasizing about Mike for awhile, hence the hair pulling.

I think Olivia knows Liam is gay or suspects he's gay and into Mike.

Liam seems to be a natural Dom top daddy. Lol

OMG! FINALLY!!!! I'm so happy with how this ended I can't stop smiling, literally! I thought this was going to go like all the previous chapters, and Abi was going to hit on Mike. I guessed that Mike would get frustrated, Liam would be like, "Bro, what the fuck? Why are you being a dick to Abi?" The Mike would get frustrated and out himself to Liam, who would get weird then later (maybe next chapter) Liam would come around, etc., etc. But, no. Instead, Liam ran to protect his crush! I'm convinced now that Liam has been gushing to Olivia about Mike, or her gaydar is on point and read between the lines of Liam's conversations about Mike. The walk home was harsh but not in a "you shouldn't have written that" way, but in Liam was genuinely expressing his thoughts out loud; a Freudian Slip, if you will. The enter ending was perfect! Well reasoned, well written, and well executed. I wish Liam had gone to bed with Mike, but I can see why he stayed. Brody would make a deal of it in the morning if he remembered, and Liam was just trying to cover up for being in the living room that late. A kiss would've set Mike (and us) at ease for the conversation in the next chapter, but that's just not @Arch Hunter's style, apparently. Always edging us. Lol

Yes, several times; 3 or 4, I think. It's an easy and engaging story to read. The tension between Mike and Liam is natural, flows well and is realistic. Mike's insecurity, fears and emotional mind are easy to empathize with. Liam's bitterness is honest but not heartless, as he struggles with his knew found roommate and what feelings he may have for Mike, while dealing with Mike's misreading of the situation. It makes me want more. I can understand Mike being scared/nervous and lashing out at the twins for their behavior, but I felt the name calling was out of character for him, given his own insecurities and fear of how Liam could react to almost any situation. It seemed to me that Mike would be worried how Liam would react to him calling his little brothers names, even if they're names Liam has (likely) called them. Writing faster would be nice (lol), but I'd rather you keep up the superb quality than rush out trash. Personally, I have a job that affords me the time to write, I can also type up 96 words per minute without error if I get on a roll, and I save up chapters before publishing them. Right now, I'm three weeks ahead on Thicker Than Water on this sight, while I'm out till January on Nifty. Every works at different speeds, so just go with what's natural and comfortable for you, especially since it seems to be working fantastically.

As a reminder, Chapter 41 will be out next Sunday (I accidentally looked at the wrong month), while Chapters 42 and 43 will be back on the weekly Saturday schedule.

I've read this story several times and am eager for each new chapter. I think Mike was a bit harsh on the twins. Yes, they shouldn't be throwing things in the house or at anyone's head/face, but I think Mike was out of line with the name calling, especially calling Patrick an idiot. It just felt out of pocket for Mike. The towel scene was very hot and I can't wait to see what happens on the date. Another great chapter, @Arch Hunter. I know I wouldn't complain if you released them daily...just saying.... 😁

Answers are better...nudge, nudge, wink, wink....😂

Interesting...I wonder if Norm and Jason were a thing, and Norm is doing this as revenge for Jason cheating on him?

I haven't settled on that yet, to be honest. A lot of impoverished kids in the American school system seem to find themselves in spec. ed., and I agree it's likely because they're poor. Kenny's home life also wasn't that "normal" or supportive, given his mom wasn't always there. It's definitely something worth exploring, though I'm not sure this is the story for that.

I'm someone who hates it when people buys me things. Often, I'm subjected to things that other people think I might like, solely based on their own, personal likes, which bomb 99% of the time. I have a friend who was raised poor and is dating a very well-off man. She's been fending for herself most of her life, and his solution to everything is to throw money at it. So, Kenny's reaction is a mix of mine and my friend's reactions to people spending money on us. Kenny's words about being erased and replaced are visceral. He's had to struggle to feel accepted as he is his whole life. He's been teased and bullied for being poor and in special education, which happened to me a lot growing up. He's accepted his station in life, but is soon faced with a situation that would change all of that (at least his financial status). Kenny quickly fell into an identity crisis and became overwhelmed, verbally spewing his the feelings he usually keeps to himself. Luckily, Bryan was there to help put things into perspective and keep Kenny from spiraling. I didn't intend to hit people in the feels with Kenny's line. In fact, I kind of assumed people who get it on their own. I am happy that it did have an emotional impact, though, as that's a sign of reaching people's empathy, which I think most writers should aim for.

It hasn't been brought up yet, but Trevor has a Ph. D. in Child Psychology, and knows what to likely expect from Kenny and how to reward positive behavior. Billy is just a lawyer, so he can't be expected to know much of anything. Lol

Honestly, Trevor gives zero fucks. If you called Billy "Daddy," the most you'd get is an eye roll and that's if he's being bitchy.

There's a lot of set up in this and coming chapters before I get back to the courtroom stuff. It felt kind of wrong to set Kenny up as an important character then rush through everything with him and the Barton family. This also shows a different side to Billy that doesn't shine through when he's in lawyer mode. His comfort and confidence in the courtroom is contrasted by his insecurity and overcompensation outside. As for the twins sharing a room, it's mutual. They're not fans of being separated, though they are occasionally, as we've seen and will see. I also wanted to show Bryan's love for Kenny, since he hasn't been in protector mode since the beginning of the story. He hasn't always hit home runs when it comes to his boyfriend, but he does try.

Thanks. Just needing to bridge the gap between courtroom scenes and get things established for that.