Back To Our Roots, Book One

XLII. And Sebastian Knows

Matt's phone started ringing. Sebastian picked it up, answering it. "Hello, this is Sebastian speaking."

"Hey!" he heard someone greet him. He didn't recognize the voice. "Where's Matt?"

Sebastian glanced down at the boy, curled up in his sweatshirt and breathing peacefully. "Give me a minute, I'll wake him up."

He covered the speaker of the phone, kissing Matt on the forehead. "Matt? Someone's calling you."

Matt blinked his eyes open. "Wha?"

"Someone's calling you." Sebastian handed him the phone.

Matt yawned. "Hello? Oh, hey, Jason. Mhm." He suddenly got excited. "Seriously? I'll be there before you can say 'Merry Belated Christmas.'"

He hung up, grinning.

"What was that?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"My dad's going to be out of town for a few days, I'm going to go visit my family while he's gone."

Sebastian smiled. "That's awesome. I'm glad you get to see them."

"So am I." He gave Sebastian a kiss, grabbing his bag and heading towards the door. "I'll be back soon!"

The whole walk there he was practically bouncing with anticipation. He couldn't believe his father had actually left during Winter break. Maybe he did want Matt to come back?

It wasn't even a very far walk, but it took hours for Matt.

When he got there, he knocked on the door, grinning like an idiot.

Jason was the one to open the door, immediately tackling him in a hug. Then Nathan saw who was at the door, joining the hug as well.

"You're going to suffocate me," Matt joked. He loved the feeling of both of them hugging him at once; it brought back the memories of his childhood, the only times he really felt truly safe.

"Well, as a doctor I'm afraid I can't let that happen," Jason said, grinning.

They let go of him and let him inside, their mother rushing out of the kitchen. "Matt!" she exclaimed, hugging him. He hugged back, so happy to see his family that he didn't even care that she let his father act that way to him and had disappeared whenever he tried to hurt him.

It was Christmas, after all.

"Well, Merry Belated Christmas," Matt said.

They all headed in to the kitchen, Jason and Nathan sitting on stools on his sides while his mother made dinner.

"Well? What's going on at that school of yours?" she asked.

He smiled sheepishly. "I have a boyfriend."

"Way to drop a bomb!" she exclaimed. "Okay, tell me everything."

"He lived in Paris up until a couple years ago. I've known him since I went to Dalton, he was Nick and Jeff's roommate. Oh, there's also a transfer student in their dorm now, his name's Thad."

Jason did an almost comical double-take. "I'm sorry, his name's what now?"

Matt laughed, elbowing him. "Yeah, great going on that one, genius. But he's really chill," an image of Thad flipping out at Jeff and Hunter flashed into his mind. "Well, most of the time."