Thicker Than Water - 61. Chapter 61

As Diego made his way out of the courthouse, he turned on his phone and checked his messages. Apparently, Luis will be Bryan's supervising officer, which made Diego laugh. Bryan used to complain about Diego's punishments. Yes, Diego was strict when it came to his chosen punishments, but his brothers, including Luis, were way worse. A small part of him was satisfied with the situation, though he wasn't looking forward to hearing Bryan's bitching and complaining for the duration of his punishment.

A cacophony of shouting and screaming hit Diego's ears the second he left the building. The sight before him caused him to stop in his tracks. The Christians were at their usual spot with their bigoted signs condemning homosexuality, while also claiming that gay parents were all pedophiles. By this point, Diego had grown to ignore them and their ignorant messaging; however, there was an even larger crowd gathered next to them. This crowd was full of people wearing rainbow clothing, many in drag, holding their own signs about love and acceptance, while other signs quoted the Bible's claims of not judging and loving your neighbor.

“Fucking faggots!” One Christian shouted. “You're all going to Hell!” Diego was not pleased to see it was the former superintendent.

“Good!” Gleefully retorted one man, who was nearly naked, except for a rainbow G-string. “I'll meet you there, but you won't be invited to the orgy!”

“Fucking, Joey,” Billy said, causing Diego to jump. “I've known him since he was a little kid. Back then, he would've ended up with the bigots.”

“What changed?” Diego asked.

“My biological father had...words, shall we say, with Joey's dad. Joey was allowed to come out of the closet after that. In fact, he was Charlie's first boyfriend.”

“How old were they?”

“Nine, if I remember right.”

“That young?”

“I knew I was gay since I was about four, if I'm being honest with myself. It took Ry longer to figure himself out. As for Charlie...well, that's complicated.” Billy looked sad as he thought back to his childhood. “Anyway, someone seems to have tipped off the queer community. Sure they're late, but fashionably so, don't you think?”

Diego looked out at the counter protesters and reveled, as they danced and sang, while also flipping off the bigots. At the front of the LGBTQ protesters stood a familiar looking man, wearing plain clothing, and holding a megaphone. If it wasn't for the brightly colored mob behind him, Diego might never have seen him. “I know that guy. He's the priest who contacted me about Donna's death.”

“David Donaldson. Another one of Charlie's old friends. He was actually Charlie's first friend after we moved here from Franklin. In case you're wondering, David isn't gay; just an ally.”

“Did Charlie arrange this?” Diego asked with a smirk.

“God no!” Billy replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “My baby brother would never do such a thing. How dare you even imply it!” Both men laughed as they walked to their respective cars.

Diego honked and waved as he pulled out of the parking lot, stopping long enough to take a pic of two nearly nude muscle bears making out and heavily grinding in front of Mrs. Thomas. He wanted to make sure Steve got to see it.

*     *     *

Everyone sat around the table and quietly ate dinner. There was a brief moment of laughter when Diego told them about the counter protest and happy cheering when they were told about Diego's testimony; however, there was still tension, especially from Bryan. Caleb desperately wanted to ask about Kenny, but his dads forbade it, saying that Bryan will talk about it when he's ready. Diego also wanted to ask, but didn't want to seem like a hypocrite in front of Caleb. Steve did his best to fill Diego in via text, but he didn't have a lot of answers himself, since every time the topic came up, Bryan would start crying again.

“So, Chico,” Diego said. “What time is Uncle Luis picking you up?”

Bryan fought rolling his eyes. “Deputy Padilla will be here around 7:30, and I'll be home around 10:30.”

“Is your homework done?”

“Yes. I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to do it at whatever I'm going to be doing.”

“What are you doing, anyway?”

“Some 'Scared Straight' thing, I guess.”

Caleb's eyes got big. “They're going to scare you into being straight?!”

The adults snickered. Even Bryan tried not to laugh, only having made the same mistake a few hours prior. “No,” Bryan said. “Uncle Luis and Dad said that's just the name of the program that keeps kids out of prison.”

“I don't get it. What does that have to do with you liking boys?”

“It doesn't, Mijo,” Diego said, getting his laughter under control. “It's just the name of the program. It has nothing to do with a person's sexual orientation.”

“Well, that's a dumb name for it.”

“I know, Buddy,” Steve added, rubbing Caleb's shoulder. “They didn't think those things through back in the day.”

“Mijo, how was your day?”

“Meh. Do I have to go back to Mrs. Lambert's tomorrow? Her house smells like cats.”

“Yes, Mijo. Until your dad and I talk to the principal, you're not going back to school.”

“When's that going to be?”

“Maybe the end of the week,” Steve added, looking at Diego for confirmation. “We're waiting for you to get better and for Billy to have a free moment. We want to make sure nobody bullies you again.”

“But, I miss my friends.”

Diego nodded and said, “How about you have them stay the night this weekend? We can order pizza and find some movies to watch. We can make a little party out of it.”

Bryan went to say something but caught himself at the last second. He was going to ask if Kenny could stay that night, but then remembered that he was grounded and Kenny wasn't talking to him. “May I be excused?”

Diego looked at Bryan's plate of barely touched food and excused his son. Normally, Diego wouldn't have allowed his son to leave without at least eating half of his meal, but broken hearts often lead to lack of hunger.

*     *     *

“Is that what you're wearing?” Luis asked, as Bryan walked into the living room.

Bryan was dressed in blue jeans and a Foo Fighters t-shirt. He looked down at himself and thought he looked alright. “Is there a dress code now?” He retorted, with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

“Go change into something more plain.”

Bryan rolled his eyes and walked away. Diego looked at his little brother questioningly and asked, “What's wrong with how he's dressed?”

“Nothing,” Luis said, with a shrug.

“So, why make him change?”

“To make the point that he's not in charge and has to do whatever I tell him without question or attitude. He's going to get extra work for the eye roll, too.”

“That's a bit harsh, don't you think?” Steve asked.

“Maybe, but he's the one who fucked up. If being a hard ass is what it takes to make him not want to assault another person, then I'm more than willing to do it.”

“Aren't you worried that he'll resent you or even hate you after this?”

“Not really. He's a Padilla and will get over it eventually; we all do, don't we, Diego?”

Diego didn't respond. It was true that everyone in their family had hard feels towards each other at one point or other, only to let it go later, but Diego felt his brother was being a little flippant towards Bryan's willingness to let things go; after all, Bryan assaulting Calvin was a result of nine years of resentment and anger.

Bryan came back into the living room wearing cargo pants and a white t-shirt. Luis sent Bryan back to put his jeans back on, with a warning that Bryan better not make them late or there would be consequences. As Bryan grumbled, Caleb limped into the living room and into his uncle's arms.

“Hey, Little Man,” Luis said, hugging his nephew. “I see you're moving around. I heard you couldn't walk.”

“My leg has been doing better today,” Caleb said.

“Yeah, but you're not supposed to be doing a lot of walking,” Diego said, a little stern. “We don't want you hurting it again before you have to go back to school.”

“Yes, Sir,” Caleb said, dropping his head.

Luis picked him up and set him on his lap. “I heard what happened at school, and after talking to your dads, we've decided it's time for you to learn how to defend yourself. So, when you're better, I'm going to teach you self-defense. Is that okay with you?”

Bryan had returned by then and looked annoyed. “So, you're going to be here more? Oh yay.”

Luis asked Diego, “Do you usually let him talk to guests that way?”

“Only the ones who are trying to antagonize him intentionally.” To Bryan, Diego said, “Mind your uncle and do what he says. Nobody can bail you out, so don't make things harder for yourself.” To Luis, Diego added, “Don't treat him any different than you would any other kid under your supervision. You may be my brother, but he's my son. If I think you're abusing your position, I'll take this to your boss and make sure you regret it.”

Both Bryan and Luis looked dejected as they left.

“How well do you think it'll go?” Steve asked after the door closed.

“Poorly,” Diego replied, closing his eyes. “Luis and Bryan are a lot alike in all the wrong ways.”

“That's not good.”

“Nope. Not at all.”

*     *     *

Bryan didn't say anything as he and his uncle drove through town. He was beyond irritated with his situation. First Calvin, then Kenny and now Luis. Bryan wished there was a woman in his life he could talk to. Sure, there was Terra, but she seemed to be in own world lately; plus, she was still friends with Kenny, and he didn't want to put her in a bad position.

They pulled into the juvenile detention parking lot just before eight. Bryan was feeling nervous, wondering if Luis was going to put him in a jail cell for being rude earlier. They got out of the car, and Luis led them to a small annex building near the main structure. After using a key card to open the door, Luis and Bryan walked into the nearest room.

It was a large, nondescript, conference room, with folding tables and chairs against the far wall, and large windows overlooking the parking lot.

Luis said, “Take all those chairs and set them up in a circle in the middle of the room. After that, set up two tables by that wall and one by the door. When you're done with that, I have more work for you.”

Without protesting, Bryan began his work. There were about 30 chairs in total, so it didn't take very long to set them up. A few times, Luis told him to spread the chairs out more but left Bryan alone, otherwise.

Just before eight, Charlie and James entered. James was barely managing to carry two large boxes, while Charlie had four pizza boxes. Bryan felt his mood lift slightly, but then it fell again, remembering that James and Quinton spent a lot of time at their uncles' house with Kenny.

“You're not here to socialize,” Bryan heard Charlie say to his son, who looked unbothered. “Now, go see if Bryan needs any help.”

James had a small grin on his lips as he approached Bryan who was still setting up the tables along one of the walls. “What's up, Nolan Ryan?” James said.

“Ha ha,” Bryan replied at the reference to the old baseball pitcher.

“Uncle Billy said that he was impressed with your aim. You definitely need to try out in high school. I play Center Field.”

“Well, I doubt I'll be playing anything next year. I'm stuck doing this for 20 weeks.”

“Shit, dude. That sucks, but at least we'll be doing it together.”

Bryan paused and gave a questioning look. “Are you on probation or something?”

James chuckled and said, “No, but I might as well be. I help Daddy and Luis, and they try to treat it like it's a punishment. The kids that come here all have issues, and the adults want to use me as an example of how to change their lives around or whatever. I get it, but it's still dumb as fuck.”

“Yeah, Uncle Luis was riding my ass about my clothes earlier. He's being a jerk.”

James nodded. “There's a strict dress code here, since some of the kids have been in gangs and shit.”

“I don't see why my Foo Fighters shirt should make a difference.”

“It is what it is, and they both treat it like the military...at least Daddy does.”

“Yo, Padilla!” Luis called out from the doorway. “Less talking and more moving. Barton, he's not here to entertain you, so either help out or find someone else to annoy.”

Bryan grit his teeth, while James rolled his eyes, as they started unpacking the boxes James brought over.

*     *     *

The meeting started at 8:15pm and went to 9:30pm. There were kids ranging from 12 to 17 from various backgrounds and ethnicities. All of them were in trouble with the law and addicted to alcohol or some kind of drugs. Luis had Bryan cleaning the entire time, even redoing what Bryan had already finished. James helped, which was nice, since he technically didn't have to. James's actual punishment was just having to go and not spend time with his friends, who his parents think are bad influences.

“How are you doing, by the way?” James asked, as they cleaned the restroom after the meeting ended.

“What do you mean?” Bryan replied, repulsed by how nasty the women's restroom was. “Ew! And girls say how fucking gross boys are!!”

“Dude, I know about you and Kenny. Quinton sent me a text.”

“Oh. Um...I'm dealing, I guess.” James bunched Bryan hard on the arm. “Ouch! What the actual fuck?!”

“Don't bullshit me, Bryan. You're as clear as the glass you hit your sperm donor with. Don't bottle that shit up, man. It'll eat you alive. Talk to me. What's going on? According to Quinton, Kenny overheard my uncles talking about it yesterday. Did something else happen? Kenny was fucking nuts for you, so I don't get why you'd dump him.”

“I didn't dump him. He dumped me,” Bryan said, trying to fight back tears. “He just said it in front of the entire school and ran away. He hasn't spoken to me since, and I don't have my phone, which means I can't call or text him.”

“You can use my phone if you want,” James offered, pulling out his iPhone. “It's pretty fucked up that he dumped you, let alone like that, but I think there has to be more to it than hitting that bitch of an ex-dad of yours.”

“I don't know. He mentioned this one time I got mad at him for annoying me, but I apologized and tried making up for it. I guess he never really forgave me.”

“I get it. My dads don't really fight, but the few times they have, it was brutal. I remember this one time, Daddy came home drunk, and Papa lost it! I thought I was going to have to break it up or call the cops. Luckily, it was only yelling. The next day, Daddy went to a meeting and when he came home, he apologized to Papa and everyone else for his behavior. He's been through a lot when he was about our age, so he relapses when stress gets too high.”

Bryan acknowledged the pain on James's face and pulled him into a hug. “I'm sorry that it gets to you. If you ever need to talk about anything that's bothering you--”

“--I'm fine,” James said, returning the hug. “Uncle Trevor found us a family therapist we see a couple times a month.” James hastily let go of Bryan and said, “Sorry. I know you're fresh on the market and probably looking for rebound sex, but you're not my type.”

Bryan laughed and punched James on the arm. “Again, you're not my type, either.”

“We both know I'm your type; I'm everyone's type.” Before the boys could laugh, Luis opened the door and chewed Bryan out for not having the restroom finished, then told James to find his dad.

*     *     *

Bryan sat quietly on the ride home. Luis tried engaging, but Bryan wasn't having any of it. Yes, he knew he was being punished. Yes, he deserved it. Yes, he knew that his uncle was doing his job. However, Bryan didn't feel it was fair for Luis to be a dick most of the evening then try to be buddy-buddy with him after the fact. If he wants to be an ass, Bryan thought, then I'll treat him like the ass he's being.

As Bryan went to get out of the car, Luis told him good night, which earned the man a middle finger. “Really? You could get in trouble for that.”

“Freedom of expression, dickhead. I thought all you pigs knew the Constitution.” With that, Bryan slammed the door and walked into the house.

Diego and Steve were still up, and Bryan hastily said goodnight as he walked to his room. Bryan's door closed just before Luis poked his head in the front door.

“You know what your kid just said and did to me?” Luis asked.

“Did you deserve it?” Diego asked, already drawn his conclusions.

“I was just doing my job,” Luis replied, annoyed.

“I believe that's a 'yes',” Steve said with a chuckle.

Diego gave his brother a stern look and asked, “What did he do?”

Steve could barely contain himself as Luis whined about Bryan's language. “He's not wrong, you know. You work for the government, so you can't stifle his free speech.”

Diego didn't find it any funnier than Luis did, but he certainly didn't take his brother's side. “What did I tell you? He's there to work, not be your punching bag. He's already had enough bullshit this year, not to mention his boyfriend ended things earlier today.”

“Oh. I wasn't aware of that.”

“Does it matter? You're his uncle, la familia, hermanito. Mamá y papá se avergonzarían de tu comportamiento y el de él. You both owe each other an apology, and from now on, you treat him with respect, o le digo a mamá.”

Luis understood that Diego was trying to protect his son, but he didn't like their mother being brought into it. “Bien,” Luis sulked, “Me disculparé, pero deja a mamá fuera de esto.”

Diego nodded and made a note to translate for Steve later, as he called for Bryan. Bryan came out in his boxers, and gave his uncle a sour look, while not saying anything.

“Well?” Diego asked his brother.

“Sobrino, lamento mi forma de comportarme.”

“¿Y?”

“A partir de ahora estaré mejor.”

Bryan mulled over the apology. It was clear that Luis was being forced, which meant that Bryan would have to accept it. “Fine, I'm sorry, too.” To his dads, he asked, “Can I go to bed now?”

“Sure, Chico,” Diego said. He hoped Bryan would've said more, but he wasn't going to push it; not tonight, at any rate. They'd have a talk about it before his next community service day, though. Once Bryan was out of the room, Diego said to his brother, “Thank you for apologizing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luis said, dismissively, as he walked out the door. “I'll see you on Thursday.”

“Did all of that need to be in Spanish?” Steve asked, only half serious.

Diego laughed and said, “Before you moved in, we only spoke Spanish in the house. Why do you think the boys are good at it?”

“I guess I never thought about it.”

“We'll get you there soon enough. In the meantime, go on YouTube and start watching some videos.”

*     *     *

Diego softly knocked and gave Bryan a moment to respond before opening the door. He walked in to see his son laying on his back, his face wet, yet trying to be stoic. Bryan moved over, and Diego laid down next to his boy. Without waiting for an invite, Bryan rolled over and wrapped himself around his father. Fresh tears fell as he sobbed. Diego remained silent, while rubbing Bryan's back, trying to sooth his wounded boy.

“Why do I keep messing up, Dad?”

“It's just how life is sometimes, Chico. Sometimes, things just go bad. The important thing to remember is that it will go back to good. It just takes time.”

“I miss him so much already.”

“I know, Baby. I know. I'm sure he misses you, too. Maybe you can try talking to him tomorrow?”

“I doubt it. He really hates me.”

“Oh, I don't think he hates you, Chico. I think he's scared and doesn't know how else to manage his feelings. You two have been best friends for ages, and don't think that will ever change.”

“I've been in love with him for so long, Dad. I just never understood that until today.”

“Then you need to tell him that. Tell him how you feel, but let him decide from there. Don't try to force this or you could lose him forever.”

“I already have!”

“No, Chico. I doubt that. Yeah, you might not be boyfriends again, but you'll always be best friends.”

“How do you know?”

“I know you and I know Kenny. I also know that you two always find a way to be together. Remember when you guys were seven, and Kenny tried running away from home? Well, where was he headed?”

“Here.”

“That's right. And why was that?”

“He didn't want to be alone.”

“No. He wanted to be where he felt safe.”

“Because you were here.”

Diego rolled his eyes and smirked. “No. He wanted to be with you, because you make him feel safe. You were always standing up for him and defending him. You're his safety. Kenny will always try to find you. It's just who he is.”

“What if he finds someone else?”

“He might find another boyfriend, but he'll never replace you, Bryan. You love each other too much to completely let go.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“...Thank you....”

“Of course, Chico.”

“No...I mean...thank you...for everything...especially for being my dad.”

Diego teared up and kissed Bryan's forehead. “Have I ever told you the story of the time Calvin and I almost dated?”

Bryan whipped his head up so fast, he almost hit Diego's chin. “What?! No!”

Diego looked annoyed and said, “Yeah. Well, it's not something I like bragging about. Anyway, the next night after Calvin brought you and your brother to live with me, I decided that he and I needed to have ground rules and work our issues out if he was going to live with me again.

“I brought up the problems I had with him from the previous times we lived together, like accusing me of being obsessed with him, telling people that I made him do all the housework, and of course, his inappropriate touching. I told him that if I heard any rumors about me enslaving him or he accused me of trying to control him, he was gone, and if he so much as tried molesting me again, I was going to the police.

“He didn't have much to add to the conversation, to be honest, even when pressed to get things out in the open. However, there was one remark he made that stuck out. He had asked me why I thought we'd be toxic as a couple. I told him that I explained it at the time. I didn't trust that he'd be honest with me about anything, since he liked to lie, and there was no way I could trust him to not cheat on me, especially since he had cheated on your mom so many times.

“Calvin told me that it had always bugged him that I kept saying I didn't want to date him. I then pointed out that he was the one who always asserted that he was straight, and that anytime I mentioned he and I hooking up, he'd get mad and turn me down. So, I didn't know why me turning him down would even bother him. I asked him if he wanted to be in a relationship with me? I meant it to be rhetorical, but he said, 'Maybe.' I asked if he was being serious, and in true Calvin fashion, he wouldn't commit to a simple yes or no, so I told him if we did date, there'd be a long list of rules and boundaries we'd have to follow.”

“So, why didn't you date him?” Bryan asked, looking quite perplexed and a bit disgusted.

“I found out later that Calvin didn't actually want to date me. His pride was just wounded that someone didn't want to be with him. You see, Calvin is not only a sociopath but he's a classic narcissist. He's always been self-centered. The reason he left you and Donna after Caleb was born was because Donna didn't want to have sex with him till after she healed from giving birth. Well, Calvin couldn't handle his woman not wanting his dick, so he left her.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Language, and no, I'm not. He left you guys in the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep. Now, I don't know how much of this I believe, which is why I never brought it up in Court, but he told me that he got a ride from a transwoman. According to Calvin, they flirted and even had sex. His story varies, of course, but he told me that he even bottomed for her. Depending on the telling, she either got the tip barely in before he told her to stop, or she got all of it in and he really liked it.”

“Why don't you believe him?”

“Calvin loves to lie. He always wants people to like him, so he's willing to make up anything he can to get anyone to be his friend...until he's done using them, that is. I believe Calvin made up the story to make it sound like he isn't as straight as he claimed, and to use that to try to manipulate me into wanting to be with him. Calvin's M.O. is to trick people into loving him, so they'll blindly believe whatever he says, which then allows him to take advantage of that person. He's a con artist. His biggest problem with me is that I don't trust him, so I question everything he says and does, which pisses him off.”

“I'm so confused.”

Diego laughed. “Don't worry about that part, then. I only brought it up, because it was during the course of that conversation with Calvin that I opened myself up to the possibility of being a dad for the first time. Prior to you and your brother moving in, I didn't want kids. I was never really that guy with a desire to have kids. Hell, I had Luis, and he was more than enough.

“Anyway, I knew that dating Calvin would mean that you and Caleb would be in my life in more than just a 'my friend's kids' kind of way. It meant a potential future with you being my stepsons, which Calvin used to manipulate me. He encouraged me to have a father-like attitude towards you guys almost right from the beginning. I know now it was to make sure I wouldn't kick him out for fucking up, and so he could use you guys as forms of emotional blackmail like he did with Donna. By the time it all dawned on me, it was too late. I had already fallen in love with the idea of being your dad. I mean, fuck Calvin! I didn't give a shit about him, but you and your brother became the world to me.

“When he left us, I was glad he was gone and hoped he'd never come back, but I was upset because it meant that you'd either get put in foster care or he'd come back and take you from me. I fell for his bullshit and was pissed at myself. Hell, I still am, even after all these years! That's why I helped your grandmother as much as I did and agreed to adopt you after her passing. The night that Calvin suggested we should be together, was the night I wanted to be your dad.

“So, Chico, it has never mattered to me what you've done or who you become, because you'll always be my son. I love you, have always loved you and will always love you.”

“Me too.”

Father and son held each other, glad that, despite Calvin's existence in this world, that one good thing came from it.

“Dad?”

“Yeah, Chico?”

“Do you think we can move on to the next chapter already? It's getting late, and I'm exhausted.”

Diego chuckled, kissed his son's head again, and said, “Good night, my son. Sleep well.”