Higher Education - 18. Higher 18

“Alright you two. I can walk on my own, ya know?” Thad grumbled as Wade and Trevor hovered beside him. “And sit down by myself too.”

“Sorry if I’m being over protective, but I did almost lose you.” Wade’s hands-on-hips stance garnered an eye-roll from his husband. “I’m just happy to have my mate back home with me.”

“I hope I never see the inside of a hospital again. Not sure how the humans deal with it. A week in that prison’s more than enough for one lifetime.”

“I’m sure it’s not something they look forward to, Thad.” Trevor finally moved back and settled into one of the patio chairs.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work? It’s only Friday morning.”

“No, Daddy Thad.” Trevor smirked. “I would have been, but being on hand to help you and Wade took priority. I told Tanner and Sidney I was taking the day off. Besides, I need to go over a few items from your pending file with Aiden and Ethan this afternoon. I want that stuff finished before they leave tomorrow.”

“I wish we hadn’t dumped all this on you.” Wade looked confident his mate was fine in the chair and sat beside him.

“Not a big deal. Your staff knows what’s going on and is helping me. Besides, I’m passing as much as I can up the food chain. It’s good for our alphas to get their hands dirty,” Trevor’s voice rose slightly, “and actually do their jobs for a change.”

“I heard that, Trev.” Aiden walked through the side gate and slapped the back of Trevor’s head as soon as he was in range. Ethan and the rest of their crew followed a few steps behind.

“You were meant to. That’s why you should never approach from upwind. Especially if you haven’t showered after a run. Damn, dude.” Trevor jokingly waved his hand in front of his face.

“Asshole. I did shower.” Aiden huffed. “Gods, I miss having you around. Even if you are a dick.”

“Well, since I know you like ass and dick, I guess those were both compliments.” Trevor leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

“Enough already. I think you two are worse than him and Casey together.” Ethan rested his hand on Thad’s shoulder. “How’s my patient today?”

“I’m feeling better. Still tired.”

“Mind if I poke around?”

“I thought that’s what you were doing?” Thad tilted his head up to look at his boss.

“I am, but I figured it would still be polite to ask even if I was gonna do it anyways.” Ethan silently worked for a few minutes before the glow in his eyes returned to normal. “I think one or two more treatments and all the remaining silver will be out of your system. It’s low enough you should be able to piss the rest out. I’m pretty sure I can heal any remaining damage after that, but I can’t make any promises yet.”

“Considering everything else I’ve had to do this week, I’ve let something slide. You guys might have already discussed this on your own. Why did you have such a problem dealing with this, Ethan?” Trevor arched an eyebrow. “With Dorian’s poisoning and the alpha’s son at our first congress—who had a lethal dose by the way—you didn’t have any problem. And what about the people shot with silver bullets in the rogue bunker?” During an attack on a criminal pack that had kidnapped people from all over the Northeast, including Aiden and several of his packmates, many people had been injured by the heinous projectiles. “I know that wasn’t as difficult. Then there’s what you did with Brandon. That dude was nearly dead from getting roasted alive.” Trevor smirked mischievously as he watched Ethan’s expression change. “Granted he was burned by flames and not silver, but come on, you’re supposed to be a superhero according to the lycan media. I’m surprised no one from Marvel or DC has called to get you in one of their movies. Or are you losing your touch as you get older?” He could not hold back his belly laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. I got your superhero right here.” Ethan grabbed his crotch. “As much as the lycan press and everyone else make me sound perfect and infallible, you know I screw up plenty. It just doesn’t make it into the media. Maybe it should so people stop thinking I’m perfect. Do I need to remind you of the hail storm? ” While assisting with the Australian bushfires in early 2020, Ethan inadvertently triggered a large hail storm across a vast distance after his first successful attempt at making it rain there. “I’m sure Brandon would love to remind people about it and him nearly breaking my nose with that punch. And before you say anything, yeah, I realize we don’t know if there were extenuating circumstances for that fiasco.” During the course of fires, they had learned of the existence of another elemental who was enhancing some of the blazes. “I still say that felt different from when we know we were up against her.”

Trevor was about to crack another joke when Ethan held up a hand to silence him.

“No, just shut up and let me finish.” Ethan’s accompanying glare had the desired effect. “Look, I got to the alpha’s son not long after he was given the injection.” At the first Congress of Alphas he and Aiden had attended, the kidnapped son of another alpha had been recovered nearby. Having been given a lethal dose of a drug cocktail containing silver nitrate, lycan doctors could do nothing but watch. In a display of his gifts before those present, Ethan was able to heal the teen. “Dorian really was an easy fix. That asshole beta of his wasn’t trying to kill him, but manipulate him using poison. His levels of the toxin were relatively low. Both of those cases weren’t pure silver either.” Ethan shivered while mentioning the dreaded metal. “The people in New York didn’t have deformed hollow points in them. Plus, they hadn’t been waiting hours for their removal.”

Ethan took a breath and glanced at his latest patient. “With Thad, it was near pure silver lodged against his heart. I know the burning kept the arteries from rupturing while weakening them at the same time so they would eventually burst. I don’t understand how, but that’s what the doctors said. It also let the stuff leach directly into his bloodstream. His body was absorbing silver for hours, letting it settle everywhere and slowly burning him from the inside.” A growl worked its way into his voice. “You know they depleted the entire supply of counter-agent for the whole territory, trying to keep him alive until the doctors and I got here, right? Plus I think they said he built up a resistance to it so it stopped working before we landed.”

“Yeah, I was getting conflicting reports about that at the time.” Trevor shifted his eyes to Thad. “It’s why I put out an emergency resupply request before getting all the details.”

“If the bullets could have been removed quickly, there likely wouldn’t have been such a big problem for me to fix.” Ethan’s rant seemed to be building steam. “He didn’t have enough blood for me to push that amount of poison out of him at once like I’ve done in the past. Also, staying in contact with his skin was giving me burns. I had to heal myself frequently before I could help him again. I couldn’t repair the damage until his system was pretty much clean. All I could do was maintain him so it didn’t kill him. According to the doctors, Thad was the wolf version of an irradiated man.”

“Ethan, I really was just trying to joke about it. I know there are limits to what you can do.” Trevor felt bad. “I’m sorry for the ill placed humor.”

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Any other time, I’d probably have laughed it off. And you’re right, we had talked about it a little when you weren’t there. Pretty sure you were getting laid by two hot guys.” Ethan walked across the patio to embrace one of his dearest friends. “The last week’s taken a lot out of me. I’m still tired and dealing with the side effects of my own silver poisoning. According to Aiden, I’ve been a little…” He glared at his mate. “How’d you put it, bitchier than normal?”

“Even with the problems, I’m glad you were able to help me, Ethan, so that I can be here with Wade.” Thad’s grasp of his mate’s hand tightened.

“I know Redding’s a neutral area outside of any pack, but maybe we need to encourage lycan surgeons to join the staff of the hospital there.” Trevor glanced from the betas to the alphas. “Cases like this are rare, but it could benefit any packs around the north end of the state.”

“We tried that in the past. A couple times under Dorian anyways.” Thad stood to move around a little. “Wolves don’t like it there. Especially when it hits nearly 120 degrees during the summer. I don’t think any of us or any of the other species go there unless we need something badly. At least during the hot season, during winter it’s not bad. That’s why it’s strictly human staff there.”

“The ammunition used this time was new, or at least new to The Council.” Darius drew the attention of everyone in the yard. “They hadn’t seen anything like it come up before.”

“How so? I thought it was a standard hollow point made of silver.” Seeing the look he was given, Trevor clarified. “Yeah, I know. Nothing about making ammunition from that horrible stuff is standard.”

“Yes and no. These were designed for an assassin who didn’t know what he was doing. This was a suicide mission. That gunman knew he wasn’t leaving. It also means he wasn’t a pro.” Darius leaned back in his chair. “Maybe you’ve financially hurt them enough they can’t or just don’t want to pay for that level of service. Or the expense of paying some wildcatter to craft custom ammo out of silver ate up their budget. Lucky for Wade, the second pistol jammed. The forensic analysis of the first two slugs removed from Thad showed signs of enhanced degradation. The second two were even more so.”

“Since someone isn’t getting to the point fast enough, the short of it is these were meant to do as much damage going in as possible. And if they didn’t kill the target that way, they were meant to induce a lethal dose before it could be removed.” Cody crossed his arms over his chest. “If Trevor hadn’t found surgeons who could remove them, and Ethan hadn’t arrived when he did, Thad wouldn’t be sitting here with us now. Both were required to save his life.”

“There’s plenty of ifs with a situation like this. If they hadn’t lodged so close to his heart, the original surgeon in Alturas could have removed them with the other two.” Trevor glanced around at his friends. “At this point, ifs no longer matter. We managed to work through the crisis and Thad is still with us.” His eyes focused on Darius. “You were saying?”

“The rounds still in both pistols were the most telling.” Darius slapped a hand over Cody’s mouth to keep him quiet. “There was a little glass chamber of acid inside each round designed to shatter when fired and to break down the silver faster. That’s what makes this new. And I was getting to it, Cody.” He finally released his mate. “As Ethan said, Thad’s body was absorbing a lot of silver, and that would make for a painful death. I think that was the ultimate goal. The acid vial was defective or broke in the first round of the second pistol, causing it to fail. The bullet was too soft to exit the barrel.”

“And like I said, the silver poisoning was beyond what I could easily fix.” Ethan peered at his hands. “While my gifts helped, it’s the transfusions the doctors gave him that really did the trick. I honestly didn’t think we’d be able to save him.”

“When do you want to head to the office? I’d like to finish a couple things before you guys head back to Pennsylvania tomorrow. It’s not that I can’t do it on my own, but it would be good for you to see how it’s done and give your input.” Trevor glanced between Aiden and Ethan. “I was surprised I didn’t see the jet at the airport when we came back from the hospital. Is it coming back in the morning?”

“One of our betas gave me a pretty good dressing down on Saturday night. Or was it Sunday morning? He had some very good points, and it’s always good to listen to your closest advisors.” Aiden gave a nod of respect. “Wade needs to be here with his mate, and Thad’s in no condition to return to work yet. You’re doing an incredible job filling in, but it isn’t your duty. I sent you here for other purposes.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. “So we’re staying until the end of August. As alphas, Ethan and I haven’t properly done our duty here, so we’ll take a more hands on approach for now. Though I really do need your help with all this, Trevor.”

“You’ll have it.” Trevor rested his hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “I think Sidney and Tanner already expect me to divide my time.”

“I’ll be here with Thad a lot, but once in a while I’m going to need to get out and feel useful.” Wade laid a peck on his mate’s lips. “It’s not that I don’t love you, but we’ll kill each other if we end up being together twenty-four, seven.”

“Plus us staying gives us more time to see Trev with Randy and Skyler.” Casey smirked. “I, for one, want to be around if you three become actual boyfriends. Also, we want to be here to help if Randy has any questions about lycan life. He seems cool.”

“Thanks, Bro.” Trevor enveloped his friend in a fierce bear hug.

******

“We’ve got five weeks until you head back to school.” Skyler pressed pause on what they were watching and pulled Trevor back against his chest as he readjusted himself on the couch. It seemed the three men kept rotating positions and it was currently his turn to be at the back of the trio. “What would you like to do this weekend?”

“If you guys don’t mind camping, I’ve got an idea for next Saturday or between now and me leaving if it works out.”

“You mean like camping, camping? Sleeping in a tent and all that?” Randy did not sound enthusiastic.

“I thought sleeping under the stars instead.” Trevor teased. “The two of us could go wolf and keep you safe.”

“Wasn’t worried about not being safe, but now that you mention it... Hell, the most camping I did was a blanket thrown over a rope in a friend’s backyard when we were kids. That lasted until we heard something and hurried back inside.” Randy turned his head slightly. “Don’t give me that look. Even if I can’t see it.”

“We’d need to find some sleeping bags, a camp stove, and such. A tent big enough to fit us.” Trevor ticked off other things in his mind regarding supplies.

Skyler’s body vibrating felt like he was trying not to laugh. “One of my buddies has a travel trailer he lets me use. We might need to wait until the end of July, though. He’s due back in town from his vacation by then. If that’s not a problem, I’ll text and ask him. I can tow it behind my truck if there’s a place to park it where you want to go.”

“That sounds better.” Randy’s scent let Trevor know he was smiling. “Easier to cook too.”

“You two just want to take the fun out of it.” Trevor shook his head. “Fine, if it’s RV camping you want, we can do that.”

“Best of all, the three of us can try to find ways to fit in the bed.” Skyler smirked. “So where did you want to go?”

“I want to keep it a surprise for now. I’ll check on places to park the trailer.” Trevor tightened his hold on Randy and nibbled at his ear. “I picked hiking last weekend. Sky chose cuddling. That means you get to decide what we do this weekend.”

“Keep doing that, and I won’t be able to think of anything.” Randy shivered when the tongue ran along his neck.

“Wherever it is you want to go camping, at least with me along, maybe you won’t need your security detail.” Skyler nuzzled Trevor’s neck.

“I hadn’t thought about that. Sure, I could be a target, but only a couple people would know where we’re going. Though if someone in the territory recognizes me… No, I’m emotionally attached to you and vice versa. You are not allowed to risk your life for me.”

“It’s kinda my job regardless. Secondary duty for all hunters.”

“I’ve heard you say that before. What are the hunters you talk about?”

“Okay, Randy. More wolf basics. I work for a group in the pack called the Hunter Corps. We’re the first line of defense to protect the territory from threats. Sometimes it’s wolves or other shapeshifters that shouldn’t be around here and other times it’s to catch a wolf that’s lost its mind. We call those feral. But we also protect the pack leadership or at least try to. Our group has failed that job with the last several alphas and current two betas.”

“You can’t stop everything when the attacker’s determined.” Trevor tried to reassure his lover. “Thanks to the hunters, both Thad and Wade did survive.”

“I’ll be back in a minute. Gotta pee.” Randy hopped up and disappeared down the hall. He resettled on his return so both men had an arm around him. “We can decide what to do later. Let’s finish this episode of The Orville.”

******

“Mrs. Murphy, is Seth home?”

“Randy. This is a surprise. Yes he is, but he hasn’t wanted to see anyone since the incident. I’m not sure I want one of Cassidy’s friends around him.”

“Do you remember Trevor? He’s the one who found Seth and got him the help he needed. He’s my friend, not Cassy. It’s why I was there that night.” Randy’s sarcasm had Trevor trying to hold in his laugh.

“Hello, Mrs. Murphy. I’ve wanted to check on Seth since you took him to the hospital. But I also wanted to give him a little time since he’s got a lot to deal with.” Trevor clasped his hands in front of him. “Your son needs to know he’s now got three big brothers who plan to look out for him in town.”

The woman stared at the men for a moment before wiping her misty eyes. With a nod she let them into the house and retreated down a hall. A few minutes later she pushed a wheelchair into the living room. Seth reached up with his good arm and tried to pull his hoodie down further over his face. Deep purple and yellowish bruises still covered the blond’s exposed skin. The swelling around the left eye was no more, but the two black eyes remained with several stitches above one.

Kneeling down so he would not tower over the seated younger man, Trevor focused his eyes on the fearful blue orbs staring back. “Not sure if you remember me, but my name’s Trevor.”

There was a strained laugh and crooked grin. “Yeah, I remember you. The hot guy who was nailing my older sister.”

“Seth Anthony Murphy.” The voice from the kitchen was stern.

“Sorry, Mom.” The eye roll was typical teenager.

“Yeah.” Trevor lowered his voice. “But now I’m Randy’s boyfriend.” He glanced up and smiled. “This is Skyler. Our other boyfriend.”

The blond’s eyes grew wider as he ogled the muscular redhead.

“Nice to meet you, Seth.” Skyler leaned in close. “Gotta say, your sister’s a real cunt for what she did.”

Seth tried to hold back a giggle, but it still strained his aching ribs. “Dude, don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

“Your mom says you haven’t been out of the house since this happened.”

“Only for doctor’s appointments. I don’t want people seeing me, and I don’t want to see them. And it’s not easy to get around in this chair.”

“Are you willing to change that? You’ve got three older brothers now who want to take you out to get some fresh air.” Trevor peered towards the kitchen. “That’s if you approve, Mrs. Murphy.”

She came out of the kitchen. “I don’t know.”

“It’s not like you don’t know Randy, Mom. And Trevor’s the guy who saved my life. Skyler’s the only one we don’t know, but he’s with them so has to be okay I guess.”

“Where exactly would you be taking him?”

“We thought to Burney Falls, Ma’am. Everyone tells me the locals rarely go there.” Trevor put on his best impress-the-parents expression. “We can talk to him and get to know our little brother better. Maybe show him he doesn’t need to hide. And that even in a small town, he can hold his head up and be proud of who he is.”

“I’ll be fine with them, Mom. If either of them were gonna do anything, I wouldn’t be alive now.”

“You haven’t even let your friends come over.”

“That’s because I don’t know if any of them were involved. That deputy said there would likely be more arrests coming soon. And it’s not like they’ve been beating down the door to come see the local fag either.”

“Seth!”

“Besides, I love it at the falls.”

“We’ll have him back in two or three hours, Mrs. Murphy.”

“Ma’am, I understand you met Deputy Baker the night this happened.” Skyler turned towards the mother. “He knows all three of us, and I deal with him a lot through my job. If you have any worries, he’ll have no trouble finding us. We promise to bring your son back safe.”

“Alright. But three hours and one minute, and I call the sheriff’s department.”

“Understood. Here’s all three of our cell numbers.” Randy handed her a note with the digits written down.

“You know, Seth. It’s a nice, warm day out.” Trevor glanced at the bulky hoodie. “You might be more comfortable in a t-shirt or tank top. There’s no reason to hide those bruises. It gives other people power over you if you do. Just like hiding in the house does.”

The teen looked uncertain as he eyed all three men. He finally nodded and awkwardly maneuvered the wheelchair back to his bedroom. It took him about ten minutes to return, all the while Mrs. Murphy grilled the waiting group. The muscle tank surprised Trevor as it revealed the twinkish body covered in bruises and several stitches down Seth’s side. A backwards baseball cap covered the messy blond locks. Slip-on Vans had replaced the sock he previously wore on the left, uncasted foot. A flip of the sunglasses to open them and he was ready. “Let’s roll.”

The look of surprise on Mrs. Murphy’s face said it all. “You be careful.”

“I will, Mom.”

“Want to do it yourself? Or would you like me to push.” Randy stepped behind the chair.

“It would go faster if you did it.”

Out at Trevor’s SUV, Skyler opened the rear passenger door. “Can you climb in on your own or need me to lift you?”

Glancing around to make sure only his three companions were near, he grinned. “I don’t care if I can do it myself or not. If you think for one fuckin’ second I’m gonna turn down being in the arms of a total stud, you’re crazy.” Seth smirked. “Could you help me up, please?”

Skyler chuckled as he picked up the light body and held it to his chest, while Randy folded the chair and put it in the back. Both lycan easily picked up the sudden arousal from the teen.

“At least three more times of getting out or in. So you’ll get help from each of us.” Randy winked.

******

Trevor pointed the SUV east on Highway 299 after making a stop at the Blackberry Patch restaurant to get sandwiches to go, along with four slices of fresh blackberry pie made from locally grown fruit. He noticed the black Chevy Tahoe following at a discreet distance, knowing his detail was respecting his wish for privacy. Pulling into the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, he nodded at the ranger in the entrance booth. “Hey, Johnny. Good to see you again.”

“We’re almost full up. You might have a hard time parking.”

“I’ve got someone in a wheelchair in the back, but no disabled placard. What would you suggest?”

“Put this on your dash.” Johnny handed him something reading State Park Disabled Approved.

“Thank you.”

“One of the guys you know through work, Trev?” Randy cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Your choice for helping you out. Randy or me.” Trevor’s wolfish grin kept growing as Seth’s eyes moved between the two men while Skyler got the wheelchair.

“Umm. Randy. Only because I’ve dreamed of being in his arms since the first time I saw him coming out of Cassy’s bedroom.

“You got it, Seth.” Randy lifted the young man out of the backseat and cradled him like a new bride. Moving his lips next to the blond’s ear he whispered. “Since you were underage and her little brother I never paid attention to how adorable you are.” With care not to hurt him, Randy gently set him into the chair. “I’ll push for now.”

The men made their way along the path from the parking lot to the falls’ overlook. Skyler walked on one side with Trevor on the other. Just above the vista point, they stopped. “Looks like it’s my turn to have you in my arms. I forgot about the stairs.”

“I didn’t. There aren’t any if you come in from the second parking lot.” Seth’s grin kept growing, likely due to the way the three men were treating him. Once they had him at the bottom of the steps and again in the chair, he tried to subtly place his hands in his lap only to receive a wink. A gentle mist flowed on the breeze. Tourists feeding peanuts to friendly squirrels and blue jays made room for the quartet. “I’ve missed the way it feels here. Thanks for bringing me.”

“No problem, l’il dude.” Randy took a seat on the bench beside Seth’s chair. “You only get that nickname since you’re the youngest one here.”

“I can live with it.”

A father reprimanded his sons for pointing at the bruised teen in the wheelchair. The scent of curiosity hit Trevor’s nose a moment before he queried about the boy’s condition. “He’s an MMA cage fighter, sir. You think this looks bad, you should’ve seen the other guy.”

“Dude, I already told you to stop making me laugh. It hurts.” Seth held his side. “My friend’s joking, sir. I got the crap beat out of me because people found out I’m gay. I’m not hiding it anymore.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one should judge others.”

Seth appeared to bask in the sun. He closed his eyes and inhaled as deep as his ribs would allow. “Can we go down to the bottom?”

“Sure. This is your outing. We can do anything you like.” Randy stood and released the brake on the wheels.

“I’ve got some ideas if you really mean anything.” Seth beamed. “I’ll settle for what’s happening, though.”

Trevor and Skyler walked in front, opening space along the path so the other two could easily follow. The spray off the falls was stronger down by the pool and cooled the area. Tourists lined the edge of the stream, soaking their feet and making their own path through the rocks to the base of the cascading water.

“This is my favorite place.” The smile had not left Seth’s face since they arrived.

“I’ve only been here a couple times since I got to town, but I agree with you. It’s beautiful and the scenery’s perfect.” Trevor glanced over his shoulder and winked at Randy and Skyler. “Are there any good places around here, away from people we can talk? We’ll have lunch there too.”

“Maybe down by the boat ramp. Randy should know all the spots.”

“I rarely come here. My friends and I always used the other boat ramp. Beats paying the state park and launch fees every time.”

“My friends and I…” Seth grew quiet for a few minutes. “The people I thought were my friends always got together to buy a summer pass. My best friend knew about me, but he’s afraid of being labeled gay if he’s seen around me now that my bitch of a sister outed me.”

******

They sat around for another half hour enjoying the breeze and mist. When Seth had his fill, they returned to the truck and made their way through the campgrounds and almost to the Burney Creek Pier at the northern end of the state park. There was a nice, wooded area with picnic tables in the shade and a view of the water. Again, Randy pushed Seth as they found a spot away from other people.

Seth and the others were quick to devour their lunch. “I love their blackberry pie.” The accompanying moan was soft.

“I remember being out on the lake when two guys on a Sea-Doo rode near. I thought at the time the blond was kind of cute.” Trevor’s smile and memory made the young blond blush. “All my closest friends are gay or bi, Seth, Although Randy and Skyler are the first guys I’ve ever dated. I can’t forgive your sister for what she did. It scared the hell out of me when I found you in the parking lot.”

“I’m lucky it was you.”

“You’ve got three brothers now, and likely a bunch of cousins through me. We’re gonna make sure word gets out around town that we protect our family.” Skyler held out his fist to Seth. “Randy and I aren’t out publicly. To us, it isn’t people’s business if I’m with a guy or woman. Just so happens right now I’m dating two guys. If we get serious, I don’t really care who knows I like dick.”

“If you want to go out, it doesn’t matter if you’re still in the chair, we can take you. I don’t think anyone will mess with us. If they do, we’ll deal with it and make sure you’re safe.” It was easy to see the hero worship, or possibly just lust, the blond had for Randy.

“Why do this for me? Not that I don’t appreciate being surrounded by really hot guys. Randy knows me ‘cause he used to fuck my sister.” Seth blushed. “Yeah, I wish it had been me, but at least I got to see the show a couple times you two didn’t close the door all the way and thought no one was home. But why help the town fag?

“Now I wish I’d caught you watching, you little perv.” Randy knocked the teen’s hat off and ruffled the blond hair. “I’d have made sure to pull out more to show what I had.”

Trevor put his hand on Seth’s. “I said all my best friends are gay. Most of them are in town now, through the end of August, so you’ve got competition if you want the title of town fag. And they’re all married to other guys so don’t get any ideas.”

“Guess that means no incest if I’m being named your little brother?” Seth looked to be pouting until the corner of his lips curled up.

“No comment. Anyways, no one deserves to go through what you did. Burney’s your home, and you shouldn’t be scared to leave the house. Besides, it gives us a chance to get to know you. Maybe show you there are others around here like you, and you can have a normal life. Perhaps even find someone like we did.” Skyler winked at the twink.

“Can I ask one favor?”

“Name it, Seth.”

“Would I get in trouble if I asked you guys to take your shirts off?” In rapid succession, all three bared their chests to the blond teen. “Oh my fuckin’ god. I’ve died and gone to heaven. Three absolutely perfect, furry chests.”