Love Hurts (boyxboy)

Chapter 16: Love & Abuse

A/N:

Italics represent flashbacks of past events.

.........

Griffin POV

I tightened my hold on the small body in my arms, lips dipping to kiss the top of his head as he snored lightly. He was so peaceful when he slept like this, curled up in my arms and safe from the world around him. Why was it so hard for him to simply let himself have this? To be happy...

My mind went back to our conversation earlier at school, the conversation we had about Theo.

...

He seemed on the edge of breaking at the mere mentioning of Theo, but I needed him to tell me what happened between the two of them. Did they date? Were they lovers? Fuck buddies? Platonic gay friends? I don't know.

"Please don't make me talk about it, Griff." His voice was already choked up and he hadn't even started. What the hell had Beckett done to him?

I sighed, scrubbing a hand across my face. "Parks, I need to know what's wrong. I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is. It's me," I moved across the room, gently rubbing my hands up his defined arms. He was such a beautiful and strong man, but sometimes he just seemed so fragile...small.

"We dated in secret," he said, refusing to meet my eyes as he spoke. "And we lost our virginity to each other." I wanted to be mad about that, but I knew I couldn't. I had left Parker alone back then and what he did with his body and his life were entirely his choices. I would never be mad at him for previous choices he made with other people. Now, though...

"What did he do to you?" 

This was what I really wanted to know. I could go without the sappy details of their forbidden love, mostly because I was in the picture now and he was going to be loved fully and openly for the rest of his life.

"What they all do...." he trailed off, but his hand went down to his side where I know a massive bruise from his father was forming.

"No," I shook my head in disbelief. "He hit you?" Parker remained silent. "He didn't just hit you." I filled in his silence.

"He did worse."

...

Why couldn't I just pull Parker inside of my body? Just hide him away form this abusive world that he didn't deserve to be a part of. He was so sensitive and sweet and caring, so why did the universe keep sending people in his life to misuse that trust and violate him so deeply?

I growled to myself, tightening my grip on him even further. If I ever saw someone lay their hands on my boy again, I would rip them to pieces.

...

Parker POV

I woke up to rough fingers tracing the skin of my bare back. Part of me wanted to fall back asleep and avoid the conversations I knew that were inevitable, but the rest of me wanted to soothe Griffin's nerves. I knew he was thinking about the Theo thing too much. It was all in the past now, there was nothing to be done other than move forward. My heart hurt at the thought, though.

"What are you thinking?" Griffin asked. 

"You," I mumbled, as my hand trailed down his chest to his stomach.

Our eyes met and I could see the caution there, the restraint he was forcing upon himself, and hated it. I rolled on top of him, staring down at his tanned muscular body. He stared up at me for a second before I dove down to take his lips in mine. It was a feverish mashing of lips and teeth, but it was a distraction we both needed. At least, I thought.

"Parker," he groaned as I moved down his jaw and neck. "I really just want-" his voice caught as I found the sweet spot at the base of his neck.

"Don't talk," I whispered against his hot skin and moving down his body. "There's plenty of other things we can do."

His head popped up at that, meeting my hungry gaze as I took one of his nipples into my mouth. Whether he decided to give up protesting, or was unable to, his head fell back down to the pillow and a smile came over my face.

"God, I love you," he said as he caressed my head.

"I love you too."

That did it. Griffin sat up, shifting my weight back to rest in his lap as he stared into my eyes. We sat there, both of us taking in the words I had just said for the first time. I bit my lip, terrified of what they meant and half wishing I could take them back. I didn't, though, because it was true.

"I love you, Griffin." I said it again. "I do."

...

A/N:

I hit a block for a long long long longggg time. Now, though, this story is about to get kinda crazy and hectic, so if you're still following along, buckle up.

xx

-Tay