"Oh my god. He's amazing."

     Jane smiled at Cole as he continued babbling on and on about his boyfriend. He couldn't stop himself. Cloud was everything he wanted and the fun part was the fact that he had him.

"Wow, he seems like a chill guy." Jane grinned at him then turned away from him to start preparing dinner for the boys.

     Cole's parents had been a bit hesitant to let him come because they were still a bit scared that he might never come back home. Cole had to reassured them that he would and his dad let him. Honestly, he saw no reason for them to fret. Being able to stay in his own home had been a dream and he wasn't going to ruin that anytime soon.

"Yes. He is aaand I might just be in love with him," He said giddily, pushing away from the counter to help Jane cut the vegetables.

"Might?" She rose a brow at him. Jane had her hair in a neat bun and was tinkering rice steamer.

"Yes might. But it is more yes than no, I think." He rolled his eyes, pushing the already cut onion to the side before raising the chopping board and pouring it into the small glass bow. Jane gave him the carrot and he took a different knife to cut it.

"So to sum it up, you love him but you just don't want to admit it." He turned to see her cutting up the cabbage for the coleslaw.

He frowned at his work, remembering when Payne had suggested the same thing. He really was scared of commitment but he had no idea what was making him scared. He wasn't the type to sleep with a bunch of guys. Sure, he had had a couple of girlfriends but that was a completely different situation.

"Is there a reason behind the fact that you are holding back? Because he seems like a great guy and the way you light up when you talk about him is enough proof that you're in love with him."

Cole only frowned deeper. What was holding him back? Cloud was amazing in every way. Cloud loved him. Cloud wanted him. And yet, he couldn't still admit his love for him.

"Maybe it's because I'm scared." He answered suddenly, dropping the knife so he won't get distracted as he talked and cut himself.

"What's there to be scared about? Someone like that wouldn't want to hurt you." He turned to her just when the she poured the already sliced carrot into the cabbage.

He took the bowl of coleslaw from her and kept it in the fridge as he said, "I know. I'm scared because I feel I might hurt him. I don't want to hurt him. I'll feel worse that just terrible."

Jane smiled at him, touching his shoulder lightly. "You wouldn't dare if you loved him."

Now that he had admitted it to himself, it made more sense. Cloud could never hurt him, himself on the other hand, he didn't trust. To start with, there were people like Mattew who still made him feel a little fuzzy inside.

The sound of glass hitting the counter snapped him out of his thoughts to see Jane opening the steamer. He went back to cutting the carrot when she asked, "So, your mum called a couple days ago. I believe it was the day you had your steamy night with Cloud."

Cole blushed but refused to look at her because he could already feel her stare on him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "The day before yesterday. Why?"

"Oh the usual rant of a mother who doesn't know what she's doing. Of course, everything was about you. She told me you had a boyfriend and before dinner she heard noises coming from your room. I swore she must've blushed with the way I kept teasing her."

Cole released a breath he never knew he was holding. He hadn't called Jane to tell her about the incident in school because 1) Cloud made him forget about it and 2) He hated how vulnerable he was as Shamus did whatever to him. He wanted what happened to stay between his parents and Cloud and maybe the twins. They hadn't brought it up since that day and he like it that way.

"But apart from that," She continued, making Cole freeze in his spot, "she told me you got sexually abused. Were you ever going to tell me?" She didn't raise her voice but she had her motherly tone on and it made Cole frown.

He turned to her to see her crossing her arms and pinning him with a serious stare. He sighed and looked away from those eyes that made him remember his dad's former scrutinizing gaze.

"Honestly?"

"Yes, Cole."

He nodded. "No. I wasn't going to tell you and I really wish my mum didn't. I wanted it to remain with them because thinking about it is very humiliating for me. So please, can we not talk about it?"

Jane's eyes narrowed and Cole swallowed. He couldn't guess what she was thinking but he just prayed she dropped it. And his prayers were answered when a smile grew on her lips instead. "Well, this must mean you've accepted them."

He exhaled in relief, returning the smile. "Yes. I guess there's no need becoming your son anymore."

She laughed lightly, "Can't imagine what Mattew and Marcus were going to say if I had made you my son."

"Your son?" Jane and Cole turned to see the twins standing by the door gapping at them.

Cole's stomach sank when he saw the look on Mattew's face. It was a look that gave him the chills. While Marcus fell into a smile afterward, Mattew stormed out of the kitchen angrily. Jeez, this was why he never wanted to tell him in the first place.

Cole ran after him and was able to get into his room before he locked the door. Mattew threw his bag on the bed angrily tossing his jacket off on the floor before turning to pin Cole with a menacing glare.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked bitterly.

"It wasn't on my to-do list until tomorrow." He joked, hoping it would calm him down but that just made him madder because his nose flared in annoyance.

"You weren't going to tell me?" Mattew gasped at him in disbelief.

"Honestly?"

"Damn right honestly!"

"No. I wasn't." He admitted and quickly added when he saw Mattew's eyes widened, "I was if my parents continued treating me like crap but since they didn't. There's no need for adoption. See, no need to be mad."

Mattew scoffed, folding and unfolding his arms on his chest. He did that when he was nervous or angry. Now he was angry. "'No need to be mad?' Are you nuts? Why shouldn't I be when there was a chance you could've been my brother."

Cole was confused. What was so bad about him being a brother to them? He already lived in their house. All that was left was to carry their surname. Anger suddenly ran through his veins at that and he glared at Mattew.

"And what's bad about that?"

"Oh I don't know. That fact that you get to be my brother. And the shit about adoption is that once you become my brother my feelings for you become forbidden. And I can't make it go away when you are always there."

Cole had no idea Mattew's feelings for him were that intense. He had thought it was just a simple crush like he had on him but it seemed like it was more that. Especially with the way Mattew looked at him.

He swallowed and took a step back to the door, wanting to get away before he did something he would regret. "Well, no need to be mad because I love my fucked up family and I'm not leaving them anytime soon."

"Great," He drew then pinned Cole with a look that had him fixed in place. "Good because we are either going to regret this one way or the other, but I'd love to get it off my chest," He said then walked up to Cole before capturing his lips in a hot scorching kiss.

Cole's mind became blank the minute his lips fell on his and he hated himself for that. In fact, he hated himself as he spent the rest couple of minute returning that kiss with the same undeniable desperation.

He let Mattew push him down on the bed and moaned when he came up to kiss him. Cole closed his eyes tightly as Mattew grinded their boners together. Cole couldn't help thinking about Cloud as Mattew kissed him, tasting every bit of his mouth. Their teeth clanked as Mattew tried to unbutton his own shirt. He tugged them away and purred when Cole reached up to slide his arm over him.

"And you said I would be a bottom." Mattew teased, slipping his hand under Cole's shirt.

"You'll always be a bottom to me." Cole replied, pulling him up to kiss him before adding, "You're just the dominant bottom who won't take no for an answer."

Mattew's eyes glowed and he smirked before going back to nip at his skin, obviously leaving a hickey. That managed to leave some sort of panic in Cole.

A hickey that wasn't Cloud's.

Someone touching him who wasn't Cloud.

Cole's eyes widened in realization and he quickly pushed Mattew off. "What the fuck?!"

Mattew's brows creased in frustration and he managed to sit up as Cole stood abruptly from the bed, running to check himself in the bathroom and sure enough there was a red mark there. Oh my God.

In anger, he ran back to Mattew and was so close to punching when he saw the tears in his eyes. He glared at him and barked, "Why did you do this?!"

Mattew only looked up as the tears ran down his face. Cole couldn't bring himself to punch Mattew and he knew better than to get close to him. So instead, he snarled at him and said, "Don't ever speak to me."

Cole wasn't only angry at him but also at himself. How could he let it go this far? It had been just a flimsy crush. He didn't have real feelings for Mattew. Maybe Mattew did but he didn't. If there was anyone out there he had feelings for, it was Cloud and now he was so sure of it.

But then he had to tell him of this little mistake that he might not take well.

Oh joy.

__________________________

Fiona: *blinks rapidly* Bruh... Did you just-

Cole: Don't say it. Let's just pretend it didn't happen.

Fiona: *munches quickly on her popcorn* Okayyy...