Damon

"So... how long have you two been together?" Graham's sister, Eleanor asks. Jesus christ. This woman comes in hot and heavy only one damn question in. Graham chokes on his water and I start laughing to ease up the tension and so does he. I need him to be as carefree as possible because it's a lot easier to lie that way.

"W-What?" I stutter through laughs as Graham giggles away beside me. It's not forced and that fact makes my heart feel happy. I know he's still probably a little ball of nerves under this persona but it's nice to see him laughing.

"What? You're not dating? Graham's always been a little off. I just figured that was it." Graham's mother gasps at her comment and the laughs all stop as Graham coughs uncomfortably. All I could do is let my jaw hang open in amazement of how terrible what she just said was.

"Eleanor!" His mother throws a neatly embroidered pillow at her to shut her up as his brother Jacob averts his attention from the football game playing on the tv to laugh.

"We were all thinking it!" She whines like a child. Her son looks up at her from her lap and then looks to Graham almost as if he can interpret what's happening and doesn't like it. He slides to the floor and goes to play building blocks with Jacob's daughter Darcy soon after. I can see a lot of Graham in that kid. They've never met each other, but he seems to be quiet and collected as well. We've been here for an hour and I have barely heard a peep out of him.

"She's right mum, I could see it. Graham being a poof and all..." Jacob trails off and shoots his brother a menacing glare. I try my best to stop myself from starting a fight. I have to remind myself in my head that this is not my bone to pick. These are not my demons, they're Graham's. And as much as I'd like to protect him from them, he needs to fight them off on his own.

Graham's father Bob sits aloof in his chair reading a newspaper. The room has grown cold and awkward but he sits unfazed. It seems like he never engages in his family's squabbles and it gives me a good idea as to why he and Graham don't exactly have the best father-son relationship. He probably let him get picked on a lot.

"I'm going to bed." Graham announces suddenly through the silence. Caleb, Eleanor's son, whines as he says this. As if he just wants his family to be together too. As he leaves, Eleanor rolls her eyes and Jacob snickers. I just sigh at the unfair treatment as it's not my place to say anything about it.

A few minutes go by of grueling awkwardness before Pauline, his mother, leans over and whispers in my ear. "Please talk to him."

That's all I need to hear before I quickly nod and try to find my love. No wonder he didn't want to come here. His mum might be the only good thing about this wretched place. I slowly make my way up the winding staircase and the further I get, the more apparent the muffled sniffles become. I feel terrible as if this is all my fault. I push his door open only to find a lump under the covers in his twin sized bed. I make sure to close the door behind me as I slip myself beside him. He latches on to me like he's never done before. I just hold him until only his silent sobs are making him shiver and flinch, and kiss his forehead.

"T-They're just s-s-so terrible D-Damon." He stutters and sniffles into my chest and it breaks my heart. He does not deserve this. I never thought this would be his warm, long awaited welcome home. It's not fair. It's not right. I thought it would be laughs and exchanges of pleasant past memories, but I was wrong. It seems like I am most of the time. Within the first hour he's crying in his childhood room.

"I know baby. I know." I soothe him as I pet his hair. I try my best to find something, anything that will distract him from his mess of a family. My eyes quickly find the photo of him and someone on his nightstand. It's neatly framed on what looks to be a beautifully hand painted frame. "Who's that?" I ask him in the sweetest tone I can muster up. He untucked his head from my chest and a small smile plants itself on his lips.

"That's my brother Luke." He whispers quietly with a sniffle. He's starting to calm down more and more the longer he looks at the picture. He's still basically squeezing the air out of me with how tight his grip is, but I push the feeling of almost passing out aside as I just want him to be okay.

"Why isn't he here?" I ask and his smile turns to a frown. No tears leave his eyes but there's a somber look on his face that tells me the reason his brother whom he seemed close with from the picture is not here is not a good one. My guts twist again as I prepare for the worst.

"Car crash. 1986. I was 18. He was on his way to pick me up from school because I didn't have a car or a job. I was so mad that day because I thought he had forgot about me and I was waiting for hours. I was so ready to yell at him but then my mom came in crying and it's like I just knew. His car was hit by a semi as soon as he got on the highway. Died instantly." There it is. I was bracing myself for something bad but this is worse than I ever imagined. I make sure to pull him closer to me. "My family hates me because of that day though. They think it's my fault he died because he was coming to pick me up. Well, my mom doesn't think that but the rest all do. They were particularly vocal about it in the years before I left too."

Now I'm crying. It all makes so much sense now. Graham should not be here. He should be at home. We need to go home right now. I'm not going to let him stay here any longer. I should have never made him come here. This was such an awful mistake. I suddenly shoot out of the bed and start packing his things up. He gives me a quizzical look but I ignore is in my furious rage at his siblings and father.

"What are you doing?" He asks as he sits up and runs at his eyes. He should know. I'll bet he'll be happy to get out of this awful hellhole. We could be home by morning if we drive straight through tonight. We could celebrate christmas with Grace, Alex, Dave, and Jamie. His real family. Not this sorry excuse for a biological line. Maybe Pauline could even come back with us. It could be so nice if we could just leave right now-

"Damon, what are you doing?" He asks again. Now he's looking at me in the eyes and holding my far too warm hands in his cold ones. I'm breathing heavily and my words are misplaced in my mind as I shake.

"I need to get you out of here now. We need to leave. We need to go home." I say to him. He shakes his head and my eyebrows knit in confusion as he starts unpacking his suitcase once again. What is he doing?!

"We can't. I have to do this Damon. This is the furthest I've gotten with them in years. Do they break me down and make me feel absolutely terrible? Yes. I love and miss them though and you're right when you say I have things to resolve. I know I'll feel a lot better when I do and hey, as soon as we get home we can laugh about how awful this was because it will be over." He tells me and I instantly abandon the idea of us leaving. He is right. He will feel so much better once he buries this hatchet. I'm just so proud of him for being so brave about this all.

"I love you." He instantly smiles as the words tumble from my lips. We haven't known each other too long but love is the only way to describe this feeling I have for him. I could spend endless days waking up next to him and just being near him. In this short time, he has become my world. My everything. I could never give him up. Ever.

"I love you too." He kisses me so sweetly after he says it as if he just needs to confirm that what we feel is in fact real and not some twisted dream. For a split moment before we dive into another kiss though I hear the door open. He does too and we're very quick to jump away from each other.

Pauline steps in with a grin across her features and what might be tears in her eyes. She wordlessly hugs Graham and then moves to hug me. Well fuck. This is okay I think, but I hope she doesn't tell anyone because I don't think the rest of Graham's family will be this accepting.

"M-Mom I'm s-so sorry." Graham stutters. I want to be offended but I get it. This is really big and who am I to question how he comes out to his own mother.

"You have nothing to be sorry for honey. This is the happiest I've seen you since before Luke... and you're here. I could never ask for any more of you. Plus I don't care who you date. As long as they treat you well." She gives me a menacing look that I didn't know she had in her and I nervously laugh it off.

Graham hugs his mother once again and I beam at the weight that has probably been lifted off his shoulders. He's free from at least one of his restraints and he's getting towards the life he deserves, not the one he has.

"Please don't t-tell them." He wipes his eyes again and he looks so small as he does so. Pauline just cups his face in her hands and gives a sad smile. She wipes away a few stray tears with her thumbs as she does so.

"It's our little secret. Just us three okay? I would urge you to tell your father at some point though. He does worry about you darling. He just wants the best for you." She tells him and all he can do is nod. Then she moves back to me and the stern look reappears on her face as a finger gets pointed at me.

"If you ever hurt my son, I will make sure you will hurt just as much and then some." She warns and Graham tries to hide his face behind his hands in embarrassment. "Well, now that that's out of the way, welcome to the family sweetie." She smiles once again and pats my shoulder twice before walking off. I exhale as that just might be the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced.

"Oh my god I am so sorry Damon." Graham blushes and I laugh and take him into my arms as I fall back onto the bed. He does that cute giggle he does that comes straight from his belly. How did I end up so damn lucky with this one? I could only think he deserves much more than me, but until he realizes that I'll be here with him. I will not leave his side until he asks me to.

"It's quite alright, Graham." Everything is quite alright.

***
2009 words.

WOW I'M BACK.

So with everything going on I thought I would pick this fic back up because I miss it and also it's probably far more healthy to write than to play the sims for hrs on end.