Next, Please! - Tythan

SpeakEasy

It went quiet for a while, no one looking at anyone else. In silence, Matt took Stephs hand. He ran his thumb over her hand, trying to keep their hopes high.

After a while- Matt was fine. After all, who can keep him down.

"But to be honest" he said, looking over at Stph, "He had good aim"
"To get me? Yeah. To get fatPat? No"
"Woah Steph, I'm hurt!"
"Oh shhh you love me really"
"Welll, yeah"

He lend down, kissing her on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling back. She then presses her nose on his, "You're a goof" "Love you as well, Steph"

Tyler was kind of shocked at first- but then not really. After all, They are so close. They only seem to need each other in life.

"Soo" Matt started, "We know about You and Mark, but what about you, Ethan?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask" he sighed, but have them a smile. Ethan then sat on the floor, holding up a book, "Story time!"

"Oh oh sit down Steph, story time!" Matt giggled, sitting down quickly. Steph sat down beside him, leaning on him.

Tyler and Mark sit next to Ethan, Tyler's arm snaking around him. Then he kissed the side of his forehead, "Well this is going to be a long break then. . . I was born in 1909, living into I was 20, so I died in 1929. So I was in the prohibition era, is what people have been calling it. Alcohol was banned- production, importation, transportation and even sale was all banned. Now- I didn't drink. But my family was in the alcohol business, and we would have been dead broke if we didn't do something"

That's when he fell quiet, nuzzling into Tyler. He didn't say a word, just cuddling into his lover. Tyler held him, not wanting to see the little blue boy cry again.

"I worked in our business at the age of 5 so I knew the dangers anyway. But then, when the law was passed? It was a tricky business. We had a shop, and a basement under it. So my cousin was allowed to run a flower shop up top but needed to wait for the password. If someone said 'Have you seen the sky in Florida?', then when she'd say 'I haven't', they'd have to say, 'It's like sky is falling'. They'd be moved into the basement- which is where I came in. I was what- 11? Yeah it started when I was 11. It was a lot to take in cos now I was a criminal, helping my family illegally sell and make alcohol. Not only that- but I was dealing with drunk people. . ." he started, sniffling. Yeah, he started to cry as he read the book.

"H-hey" Tyler whispered, stroking his hair, "Give me the book, it's hurting you baby. . ." "No Tyler. . . you all deserve to know"

"Are you sure you want to carry on?" Matt said, frowning at him, "It really isn-"

"Yes- I am sure" he sighed, looking back at the book, "At the age at 12, I was already exposed to strippers and had to look after the women. They won't leave me alone in the basement but sometimes it felt that way. You see- my cousin John would probably be with me and my brother. They'd both get drunk out of their minds and flirt with ladies. Then. . . girls started to hit on me to get free drinks, promising me a 'good time'. I wasn't interested. . . but the men started to catch my eye." He said, looking over into the  corner, as if he could see it all.

"Thomas Thorn- 18, slick black hair with some nasty tricks. I was 14 but I knew I was gay, and he could tell. He did what he could do charm me- make me then he was a good man, and I'd stand up for him. He was the one who taught me about the word 'gay' and told me 'It's fine- so am I'. Never had a felt so alive in my life. My family didn't care as long as I did my job. So when he asked my family if he could buy me for a night?. . . they agreed . . ."

Tyler's eyes widened, looking down at him. 14? They did that to a 14 year old who was loyal to the family? The fuck?

"After that- I was used. I was the only male stripper, dancer, and. . . yeah. A lot of the men were older than my dad so that was. . . terrifying. He left me- Thomas. Only wanted me for a night. All I was thankful for was that men wanted to use me- no ladies" he said, sighing. He looked into the other corner, "20 years old, been raped more times than I could count. I was drinking to make the pain go away but I didn't know real pain yet. It was one of the nights I was just behind the bar- not for sale. That's when the West Maine gang broke in. Issue with our business? It's a basement. We have no way of escape- but there was places to hide. Of coure- I hid my family and the girls first. So I was the only staff out cos there wasn't enough room for me in the end. . . I just smiled at them, offering them all a drink but no. . . they wanted more. They knew a gay was in there and who was that? It was me. I didn't even know being gay was bad so when they asked- of course I said it was me. They kept me alive for 6 weeks after kidnapping me. They rapes m-me but what was worse? Women touched me. It just felt, disgusting. I was screaming, begging for it all to go away. They'd put guns to my head and I'd plead for it to go away but it wouldn't. . . it wouldn't go away. When they weren't looking- I'd hurt myself. Already doing it at home because the pain was just coursing through my body, ripping me away from peace. . . but the whole time, I kept a smile. I was polite, kind. Some of them wanted to put me into their gang cos I was a dead on shot but in the end- I was gay. So, because they liked me- they gave me a mercy kill"

Everyone was just. . . quiet. You could hear a pin drop in 5 rooms away, it was that quiet. Tyler pulled him onto his lap, stroking his hair. Can the dead self harm? He hoped not. . .

Ethan just smiled up at him, closing the book. He kissed Tyler as the tears poured down both of their faces, "it's all okay now though!"

"H-how!?" Tyler asked, kind of shocked at Ethan's sudden positive attitude, "You used to cut- people hurt you!"

"Hehe, allll in the past" he promised, tilting his head with a smile, "I have you now."