The Cost Of Love (Bxb, Rape, Abuse)

Coming Clean

"Good morning sunshine. How did you sleep last night?" Beth said as she sat on the side of the bed.

"Honestly, I don't remember. I don't remember much of last night." Austin said as he sat up on the bed.

"You were pretty much out of it once the pain meds kicked in. Eric and I had to help you into bed last night."

"Thank you for that." Austin offered.

"Why don't you come downstairs and have breakfast. I made pancakes with bacon and toast. I figured it's a good breakfast for you to have before you take your meds again."

"You didn't have to do that. I could have just had cereal."

"Oh nonsense. I love to cook. I don't get to really make a nice breakfast like this back home. Besides you need something filling." Beth said as she looked at him caringly.

The smells coming from the kitchen were heavenly. It had been so long since he had a good breakfast. Eric usually just gave him some juice and toast for breakfast. Austin felt a little guilty when Beth started to cut up his pancakes for him, even though he didn't know how he would have done it on his own. After breakfast was done and cleared up, Austin took his meds and went into the living room and sat on the couch.

"How are things going with you and my brother?" Beth questioned as she sat on the couch and turned on the TV.

Austin knew he couldn't tell her the truth so he tried to sugar coat it. "Everything is good. He's been working a lot and I've been keeping busy around the house so when he gets home he can relax. How are things in California?"

"Truly amazing. It is a beautiful state to live in." Beth smiled but it quickly faded. "Austin, you would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Uh...yeah why?" Austin was starting to get nervous.

"How did you get those bruises?"

"Oh, Eric and I were play fighting and I guess we got a little carried away." He really hated lying to her but for his safety he knew he had no choice.

"Hmmm, I just noticed that you have all the bruises and he has none."

"Some of them probably happened when I fell down the stairs. You know how clumsy I am." Austin flashed her a smile, a fake smile but he tried.

Beth didn't buy it for one minute but she didn't want to pressure Austin too much. "Okay, well you know I love you and you can tell me anything."

"Thank you."

By this time the meds where starting to kick in and Austin was getting drowsy. "These meds are making me tired."

"That is one of the biggest side effects. Come here and lay down, you can watch some TV until you fall asleep." Beth offered.

She put a pillow on her lap and Austin rested his head on it. She slowly started to stroke his hair and in no time he was out like a light. As she rubbed his head she felt a knot towards the back that his hair had hidden from view. It was very hard and she could feel the scab over it. Beth looked at Austin as he was sleeping on her lap and she knew he wasn't telling her the entire truth. She moved his t-shirt to the side and could see that the bruises went further down his chest. They were not the bruises of a play fight gone wrong, or from a fall down the steps, they were that of rage and anger.

As she was sitting there watching TV, she heard Austin start to mumble in his sleep. She could only make out bits and pieces of what he was saying. The one thing that he repeated the most was 'Ryan'. She had never heard of him before. Then she noticed that his dream turned unpleasant. He started crying and moving around like he was trying to get away from something or someone, begging whoever it was to stop. She gently shook him and he seemed to calm down. Now she knew something terrible had happened to him and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Eric got home around eight that night and Beth was in the kitchen cooking up dinner.

"Where's Austin?" Eric asked as he sat at the counter.

"He's in the living room laying down. I gave him his meds and he was feeling drowsy so I told him to rest and I'd wake him for dinner." She replied vaguely.

Eric sensing something was bothering her. "What's wrong with you?"

Beth put down the spoon and turned to her brother. "Eric, what is going on between you and Austin?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Something is going on between the two of you. I've noticed some things that have me a little concerned."

"Like what."

"Well, he looks like total crap and he acts very reserved."

"You know how he gets. He gets into those depressed moods and there's nothing anyone can do to bring him out of it." Eric presented.

"How did he get those bruises all over him?" Beth probed deeper.

"Probably when he fell down the basement stairs." Eric was starting to get agitated with Beth. "Why are you asking all these questions?!"

"Why are you getting all defensive?! Is there something that you don't want me to find out? Like how you hit Austin!" Beth shot back.

"So what. One time I lost my temper and I hit him. It's no big deal!"

"Oh Eric, stop lying to me. I know it's been more than one time that you've hit him. I know you have a horrible temper and it doesn't take much to set you off."

Eric finally snapped. "You want to know something. You're right, I do beat his ass! After what he put me through and what I've given up for him, he deserves every single thing I do to him!"

"Does that include raping him?"

"I have never raped him." Eric protested.

"Really? Because the bruising he has between his legs sure does look like it."

"What the hell are you doing between his legs?!"

"I haven't seen it but the doctor at the hospital told me all about them."

"Maybe someone else raped him. That fucking slut will open his legs for anyone!" Eric yelled.

"Why would you call your boyfriend a fucking slut?!"

"Because that's exactly what he is, a good for nothing slut! He ran the fuck away and hopped into bed with the first guy he met and I had to chase him down!" Eric screamed.

"I'm not surprised he ran away if you have been treating him like this! How long has this been going on for, and don't lie to me."

"You really want to know? Because don't ask any questions you don't want the answer to!"

"You know what. No I don't want to know how..."

Eric interjected. "Years! I've been beating his stupid ass every fucking day! I can't fucking stand him. I don't care that one of my friends comes over here and fucking rapes him! He deserves everything he gets! I lost so much because I made the stupid fucking mistake of taking him in after his parents died!"

"What did you lose?" Beth questioned.

"Mom and dad told me that if I stayed with him after high school that they were not paying for me to go to college."

"You can't blame him for that. You made that decision by yourself. No one put a gun to your head and forced you."

"Oh Beth please, who else was going to take care of him. It was either he stay with me or move to Florida with his grandparents." Eric scoffed as he tried to leave the room.

"Sit your ass back down and now!" Beth yelled after him. "I'm going to tell you something and you're going to fucking listen to me."

Eric was taken aback by his sister's choice words.

"You are blaming him for something that he had no control over! Mom and dad cutting you off from college was NOT his fault! Obviously you stayed with him for a reason. What was that reason, Eric?!"

Eric was too pissed off to answer her. He just sat back down and glared at her.

"At one point and time you loved him. That's the reason why you made that decision. Not because he had no place to go but because you loved him and would have done anything to make him happy. At some point you changed and started blaming him for your decision. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at mom and dad. They're the asses that are closed minded." Beth walked over and sat next to her brother. "Eric, you need help. You need to go and see someone, talk to a professional. You have a lot of anger built up inside of you and need help knowing how to deal with it."

Eric sat silent. He knew that she was right. For the first time in his life he realized that. Austin had said it to him once before but he was so mad at Austin that it didn't register.

"Eric, who is Ryan?"

"He's some guy Austin ran into down in the south." Eric's attitude had done a complete one eighty. "They had started dating."

"If they were dating then why did Austin come back?"

"They had come up here for Ryan's family reunion but Ryan's sister accused Austin of being a freeloader. Ryan found out and there was a huge fight and his sister was banished from the family. That was the same night Austin came back."

"How did you find all of this out?" Beth questioned.

"Ryan's sister, Clare, had gotten a hold of me and asked me about Austin and how to get rid of him. So I told her what to say and how to treat him. I knew that he would come back."

"Eric, you pushed him away in the first place. He is terrified of you. I've seen the fear in his eyes." Beth started to tear up. "I love you guys and it kills me to know that this has been going on for years. I wish you had talked to me about how you were feeling instead of taking it out on Austin."

Eric just hung his head. His cold interior was starting to crack. His sister was slowly chipping away and was starting to make him see what he had really done. "I need to go."

"Eric, don't leave."

"No Beth. I need to get out of here for a little while, please." Eric begged.

"Okay, but please text me later and let me know that you are okay. You're still my brother and I will always love you, no matter what." Beth said as she kissed his cheek.