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- 09/18/2016
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Jabberwocky - 20. Epilogue
XX. Epilogue
Jordan lay in the small bed of the university's tiny dorms, listening to the muted cacophony of college life echoing outside and in the hallway. He had learned quickly that there weren't many quiet places on a campus filled with young people, and the constant ebb and flow of life around him made him feel comforted. His boyfriend, on the other hand, stirred uneasily in his arms and Jordan pressed a kiss to Brandon's sweaty forehead and watched as Brandon's eyes slowly opened, blinked drowsily in the twilight.
"It's okay baby. I'm right here," Jordan soothed, stroking back his sweaty hair. "Go back to sleep."
Brandon mumbled an almost incomprehensible consent, before burrowing back against Jordan's chest, and melting into the boneless posture of the deeply asleep again in minutes. Jordan gently stroked his back with his fingertips, listening to the slow delta waves of Brandon's sleeping mind. Brandon had been busy with one thing after another since starting college in the fall...classes, art projects, and volunteering at the hospital. When the two of them finally managed a one-night interlude where they could have some uninterrupted time, Jordan took full advantage, seducing Brandon and having sex with him until his exhausted boyfriend fell asleep. Jordan was determined to keep him in bed until morning, and if he had to use sex again to do, then he was more than willing to make the effort.
It was this...the normal, hectic, happy life of young lovers that Jordan was afraid they had lost for good with Charion and everything involved with it.
Jordan initially thought that he had made a terrible mistake in bringing them both back home. He thought home was what Brandon needed, but once they were there and the dust had settled, Brandon had started regressing. There were nightmares and panic attacks. Brandon refused to eat or attend school. Jordan, equally disturbed by the anxiety and fear eating away at his lover's mind, was furious and frustrated by the distance he was kept at...mostly by Brandon's concerned but ignorant parents.
Jordan eventually, for the first and only time, broke a promise he had made to Brandon and contacted his parents, and told them all he could about the sexual assault that Brandon suffered. That was enough to get Brandon into see a professional therapist. Jordan also contacted Nikki to get an Establishment based therapist for Brandon to talk to as well. Dalaja, who was furious with what they had done, and the lengths she had to go through to make sure they weren't prosecuted for it, would not speak to him or return his correspondence, but Nikki, who understood more about the irresistible sway of creative curiosity and the situation that Brandon was in, set up a way for the therapist and Brandon to communicate through Skype.
Brandon, who according to both therapists was suffering from PTSD and anxiety, never returned to public school. He completed his education through a computer based home schooling program as well as a tutor for math. Brandon, who had never done as well with school as his sisters, found himself getting straight A's for the first time in his life, once he was able to focus on the material. He also took an art class at the local community college and a couple of core classes during the summer to prepare for rejoining a classroom environment when he left for the university. So far he was doing well and keeping busy.
Jordan never suffered from going back to high school, even though he missed Brandon. Their tertiary bond remained, although it was much less sensitive than it was when they were in Charion. Feelings were still shared involuntarily, as was casual thought. To send a specific thought or message required a little more focus, as did keeping thoughts hidden. Jordan had gotten adept at "tuning out" Brandon in certain circumstances where he knew the other boy would want some privacy...mainly during his therapy sessions.
There were still the occasional nightmares, or panic attacks. But they were more rare than they had been. Brandon was eating well and sleeping less than Jordan was happy with, but it was his schedule that restricted that and not nightmares or insomnia. Brandon smiled more, made jokes and still drew, pictures of Jordan, himself, his professors and his classmates. He liked his classes and the work he did at the hospital and while he was more quiet and introspective than he used to be, he was also more compassionate and generous.
Brandon released a contended sigh on top of him and Jordan smiled again, dragging his fingers up and down his warm skin. This was all he ever wanted, all he would ever need. His lover, his hotheaded, stubborn, passionate lover with his artist eyes and his sunshine smile, lying here with him, in his arms, in his mind and in his heart. His family. His home. His forever.
~END~
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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