I updated chapter 3.16 because there was a character plot point that I accidentally FORGOT so I had to retrace my steps and fix it. It's about Kenneth's scars by the way, I'd you care about him.

Franky reassured Fisher that he had no obligation to come out to his parents. If there is a chance that they may hurt him or kick him out—or since they're religious—send him to conversion therapy—he doesn't have to say anything. Fisher doesn't think his parents already know he's gay. If they know, they act clueless, but they have no reason to suspect anything. Fisher knows Frankie is right. His parents probably don't even want to know and they have no business in his relationships, so telling them isn't obligatory.

Still, Fisher can't help but feel like a liar when he sits down at dinner with his mother and father every night. He can feel the tension in his shoulders and the weight in his chest. They don't have to know. They probably won't take it well. It might be a mistake to tell them, but Fisher wants the relief of coming out for the first time. His friends all figured it out before he even admitted it to himself, since he was always seen with Howl. His brother caught him so he didn't get to come out to him either.

Just once, Fisher wanted to say it. Who better to confess to than the people who brought him into this world in the first place.

Frankie has religious, conservative parents as well and her coming out did not go well. She shared the entire experience with Fisher when he went over for dinner and games one night. It sounded bad. Her parents still don't talk to her but she says that has effected her less and less as she aged. It hurt during times like her wedding with Kaliyah or when she went on a cruise with Kaliyah's side of the family, including Howl. She resented her parents in moments like that, but she also had a loving and beautiful family that supported her, so she was alright.

Wyatt was suppose to come over for dinner tonight, for no special occasion, so Fisher decided he would come out tonight. His brother found out and he accepted him. As long as someone was there to have Fisher's back, he felt like he could do it.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Wyatt asked Fisher. Wyatt was lounging casually on the couch while Fisher stood and wrung his fingers through his hands, staring at the kitchen. His parents were in there.

"I'm not nervous," Fisher retorted. His voice came out sharper than he intended. He sometimes got a little defensive when he was nervous.

"Your face is pale, you won't even sit down, and you look like you have to shit," Wyatt argued.

Fisher shot his older brother a glare. He was not being helpful, at all.

Fisher sat on the couch beside his brother and stole another paranoia glance at the kitchen. He couldn't see his parents but he could hear them talking and could hear the sizzling of their meal on the stove. Fisher's heart was pounding and his stomach was queasy. He felt like he was going to throw up before he even got the words out. He hadn't even looked his parents in the eyes yet and felt more uncomfortable than ever in his life.

"I want to tell them tonight," Fisher confessed to his brother. "That I have a boyfriend."

Wyatt's eyebrows gave the slightest pop before his eyes drifted toward nothing in particular. He was considering Fisher's words and calculating his judgement and reaction. Fisher was his little brother, so he was going to support him no matter what. Fisher wasn't fragile but he did have a vulnerable side that Wyatt knew was hidden away. If this went poorly, he would gladly stick up for his brother. He would protect him.

"Okay..." Wyatt's eyes shifted back to Fisher's. "If you really want to, I guess you should. Although, you just dyed your hair without their permission. They might think you've gone insane."

Fisher grimaced and grabbed a strand of his hair, pulling it down his forehead to get a glimpse of it. His hair was just barely long enough for him to see a bit of green between his fingertips. Wyatt was right about that. His parents didn't take the hair dye well. His father didn't say much but he did give lots of disgusted looks and disapproving shakes of his head. His mother was the one that nearly broke out in tears, as if he had someone ruined something so pure and precious.

It was just hair.

"Oh god, you're right." Fisher dropped his head into his hands as dread filled him from head to toe. "They're gonna have me committed to a psyche ward. They're gonna call grandma and grandpa and make this a whole big family thing. Everyone is gonna think I'm deranged..."

A regretful smile pulled across Wyatt's face as he pat Fisher's head. "It's not going to be good, but I'm here. I'll defend you if I have to. And if worse comes to worse, you can sleep in my office at my place. I've got a futon in there."

"Right... Okay..." Fisher sighed and ran a hand through his hair, debating all his life choices.

Fisher liked Howl. A lot. More than he even wanted to admit. Howl said he loved him and that made Fisher's chest swell with so much joy every time he thought about it. Howl was a big, huge idiot and he had made a lot of mistakes in their relationship, but he had also grown so much from those mistakes. He was a different person from the Howl that stole a kiss from Fisher during that game of Spin the Bottle. He wasn't completely different. He still had his flaws, but Fisher liked Howl's personality so he didn't really want too much change.

"I should actually hang out with this boyfriend one day," Wyatt chimed, pulling Fisher from his thoughts. Fisher cocked an intrigued eyebrow at his brother. "If you're willing to tell mom and dad about him, he must be pretty important. You wouldn't dare say anything if you guys were just fucking for fun."

Fisher flinched at Wyatt's vulgar comment and threw a punched into his arm. Wyatt chuckled and rubbed the spot of impact to soothe the small ounce of pain there.

"Don't say shit like that around mom and dad, alright?" Fisher insisted, keeping his voice low.

"Of course, I wouldn't. Do you think I'm insane?"

"Dinner's ready!" Their father shouted from the kitchen, emerging with a glass dish that was still steaming. He placed it on the table and tore his oven mitt from his hand as he looked up at his sons. "Boys, come eat. Did you wash up already?"

"Yes, sir," Wyatt said dryly as he got up from the couch and trudged toward the table. Fisher was close behind him, still feeling the intense urge to throw up.

Wyatt and Fisher and their father sat at the dining table together while their mother brought out the pitcher of sweet tea. Their father politely took it from her and set it on the table so his wife could sit and settle in. Fisher eyed both of his parents, for no other reason than utter paranoia. He watched as his family took each other's hands and then grabbed Wyatt's, holding on tighter than he intended as his father said grace. While his father spoke, Fisher said his own little prayer and begged that this meal and his confession would end smoothly.

"How is freelancing working for you, Wyatt? Is working for small businesses as rough as I predicted?" Their father teased as he elbowed his eldest son.

Wyatt frowned at his fathers back handed comment. "It's actually perfect for me. With Tamara all the way across the world, I need a flexible schedule to talk to her. It also helps us visit one another. And building websites for small businesses pays more than you think it does."

"You're probably right. We had a temp at the office that was selling customized graphic tees on the side. Had his own website too. He was a billionaire," their father joked again, smirking to only himself.

Wyatt fought the urge to roll his eyes, and instead, diverted his attention to his mother. Their mother was a midwife at a hospital and had been for many, many years, so Wyatt asked his about mother about the babies she'd recently helped deliver. Nothing too exciting had happened lately. Sometimes she had stories about stillborns or surprise twins or mothers who nearly died during childbirth, but nothing like that had happened recently.

And then came the lull in the conversation. Fisher's shoulders tensed. It was inevitable that the attention was going to be dropped on him soon.

"Decided on your plans for this summer, Fish?" Their father asked, glancing up at his youngest son very briefly as he stabbed his food with his fork. "You're going to be a junior next year, right? You might want to start looking for a local job, save up for a car, think about college. You can't just skateboard everyday and game every night like you used to."

"I agree with your father, dear." Of course, their mother had to pile on the nagging as well. For some reason, she hounded Fisher a lot more than Wyatt. She probably hadn't noticed it but Wyatt and Fisher did. "It's always made me uncomfortable when I see you playing games with those big guns. I don't think you should be killing people in your spare time. I miss when you played lacrosse."

Fisher sighed, picking mindlessly at his food. He didn't have much of an appetite today and his parents nagging was not helping. Every word they spoke made Fisher want to come out to them less and less.

"Our student counselor, Mr. Peterson handles a lot of the college planning stuff. I can talk to him next year," Fisher said, his eyes glued to his place.

Their father stare at Fisher as he chewed, his eyes narrowing when he recognized a change in his youngest son's attitude. His shoulders were slouched, his head was down, and he was picking at his food without eating any of it. Was he sick? Had Wyatt been teasing him too much today? Didn't get enough sleep last night?

"What's wrong, boy?" Fisher looked up at his father, started by the abrupt question. "Don't want to go to college? Going to follow in your brother's footsteps?" Their father flashed a smile at his wife as he muttered. "Patty, maybe we should have another one. A girl this time. She might listen better."

"Leonard..." his wife lowly scolded, gently slapping her husbands arm. "We have fine boys. They may be a little different than the others but they're not criminals, they don't do drugs, and they're not constantly begging us for money."

Their father grunted at that. He could not argue his wife's point, but just because they didn't do bad things, did not mean they were perfect. They were fine boys, sure. Frankly, he was still holding a grudge because Wyatt would rather spend all his time on his laptop and wooing that African American girl than going to the college that Leonard went to and taking up the position he offered at his work a few months back. Even though Wyatt hadn't gone to college, Leonard's company was still willing to take a chance on him because he was his son.

But Wyatt turned him down. He said he didn't like cubicles and fluorescent lighting.

Leonard tried to explain that Wyatt could work his way up to an official office, like he had, but Wyatt absolutely refused. There was no nudging or nagging that could convince him. That may have been why they pushed Fisher a little harder. It might be too late to save Wyatt, but Fisher still had a future ahead of him. Maybe he could persuade his youngest to attend the college he went to and join him at the debt collecting company he had worked at for over twenty five years.

"Anyways, your first priority this summer should be washing that hair dye out of your hair," their mother, Patty, said to Fisher.

"It doesn't just wash out, ma. I've already taken like three showers since I dyed it," Fisher pointed out.

"Then buy normal hair dye, the color of your hair. I'll take you down to the place I go to for my grey hairs and we can have it done there. We should actually do it before you graduate so your pictures don't look so silly," Patty insisted. "I work nightshift tomorrow so we can head out in the morning and even get some breakfast while we're out."

Fisher frowned as he stared at his plate. He didn't want to dye his hair back to his normal color. He was pretty hesitant about dyeing it green, and not because he didn't want to, but only because green wasn't his favorite color. Howl liked it though, and Howl always got final say, so they chose green. Even so, Fisher liked it. He didn't care what color his hair was. All he cared about was that it was an expression of his love for Howl and it was a decision he made all on his own. The combination felt so freeing. He didn't want to erase that feeling.

It didn't matter that his parents nagged him about it. It didn't matter that people stared at him at church yesterday. Fisher wasn't a kid anymore. He wanted to make his own decisions and love whoever he decided to love.

"I'm not going to dye my hair back," Fisher muttered bitterly through his pout. "I'd rather chop it all off."

Everything went silent as Fisher's sour attitude filled the space around his family. He glanced nervously up at his parents and found them both staring at him, looking incredulous. Wyatt mentally cursed and sat back in his seat, already knowing how badly this was going to kick off. The slightest ripple on this family and it could turn to utter chaos. That's why Wyatt didn't argue when his parents nagged him. He'd rather silently roll his eyes than start a war.

"What is the matter with you?" Patty asked Fisher, her glare stern. "You really want to look like that forever?"

"It's not going to last forever. It's not a tattoo, ma," Fisher argued, still keeping his voice low and meek.

"Are you planning on getting one of those next?" Leonard jumped in, looking just as tense as his wife. Fisher groaned, staring down at his plate. "Come on, Fisher! Might as well let us know now! You dye your hair, you talk back to your mother, you get a tattoo, maybe some piercings. Next thing you know, you're getting a young lady at school pregnant and doing drugs with a bunch of lowlifes."

Fisher wasn't even going to comment on how steep that slope was and how it made absolutely no sense.

"Well, I'm definitely not going to get anybody pregnant in my lifetime, so that's one thing you can cross off your list," Fisher retorted.

There was another beat of silence as his parents tried to process his retort. Wyatt nearly facepalmed. This is not how he imagined it would go. Fisher was probably thinking the same thing though. Wyatt couldn't blame him. Fisher was on edge. The very idea of coming out to his parents was stressing him out and making him get defensive before he had even confessed anything yet. Wyatt wanted to help, but there wasn't much he could do without hijacking Fisher's coming out.

"What's that suppose to mean, Fisher?" Patty asked, her voice accusatory.

"Nothing. It doesn't mean anything." Fisher kept his head down as he sighed. Muttering under his breath, he said, "I didn't want it to go like this."

"What are you talking about, son?" Leonard added, pushing the subject. He gestured his fork at Wyatt. "What about you? You know what's going on with him?"

Wyatt straightened nervously in his seat, stealing a glance at Fisher before meeting his father's eyes. "Nothing. I don't know, dad."

"Don't say things like that, Fish. You'll change your mind about children someday. Once you find your perfect woman and she ends up pregnant, you'll thank the lord for that blessing," Patty insisted with a sweet smile.

"I'm not going to find that perfect woman, ma."

"Now don't go sayin' that. We'll find you one. I've been getting to know Sarah James—you know, the new James' at our church—and her daughter, Madison is such a sweetheart. You should really strike up a conversation with her this Sunday. Or even that girl, Riley. You two used to play together as kids. She's a nice girl."

Fisher almost laughed. He remembered Riley. They used to play in the dirt after church and and then she would race him to the skatepark. He would bet good money that she had a girlfriend right now. How ironic.

"I don't want any of those girls. I never will." Patty looked up at her son, confused and slightly worried. Fisher gulped as he held his mothers stare. He couldn't look at his father or his brother. All he could do was work up enough courage to finally tell her, to her face, that, "I like guys, mom. I'm gay."

Silence struck the house like a violent lightning bolt, causing the entire world to go still for a moment. Fisher could hear his heart pumping in his ears and could swear his sternum was visibly jumping under his skin from the impact of her beating heart. The words had left his mouth. There was no turning back. This bell could not by unrung. All Fisher could do was hold his mothers stare and study every twitched of her expression. She was frozen in shock though, completely unmoving and unreadable.

Reluctantly, Fisher looked to his father. He was less composed. Leonard straightened in his chair as he dropped his fork to his plate. There was still food in his mouth, but he chewed it like he didn't want to swallow it. Fisher could see it in his tense jaw movements and the strained look in his eyes. His father didn't like that. That was expected. What freaked Fisher out was the fact that his mother still hadn't said anything. She was just staring at him.

The glint in her eyes, that made her look at Fisher like she didn't even recognize him, tore at his fragile, little heart. The way she was looking at him made him want to throw up.

"I'm not confused either," Fisher blurted, already defending himself. He was panting more and more as his lungs took the brunt of his anxiety. "I have a boyfriend. I've known him for over a year now but we've only been together a few months. I like him."

"You're dating boys?" Patty asked. The tone of her voice made her sound hurt, like she had been stabbed and betrayed.

"No! I mean, I'm just dating the one. Before him, I really didn't feel that way about anybody."

"That way?" Leonard chose that moment to speak up, since those two words struck him in ways he didn't like. Fisher looked at him, panting even harder with fear and anxiety. Leonard glared at his son. "Are you sick?"

"Dad-" Wyatt interjected, hoping to stop his father before he crossed too far over the line.

"No! I want to know! I have the right to know! He's my son! I raised him!" Leonard hollered at the top of his lungs. He shoved his plate forward with a force so aggressive that it hit his drink, Wyatt and Patty's plates, and caused all of their silverware to loudly clatter. Fisher flinched. "Tell me about this boy, Fisher! Have you touched him?"

"That's nobody's business, dad," Wyatt interjected.

Wyatt knew it was a tad hypocritical of him. The first thing he asked Howl was if they were fucking. His intentions with the question were different than his fathers though. Wyatt wanted to make sure Fisher was okay and not being taken advantage of. Their father was asking to see just how twisted Fisher's brain was. It was different. Still, asking about someone's sexual relationship before anything else was shallow and inappropriate.

"Nobody's business?" Leonard's heated gaze locked with Wyatt's stubborn one. "I'm his father! I need to know far this has gone!" He turned back to Fisher, who had tears pooled idly in his eyes. "You should have told me about this right away so we could go talk to Pastor Williams. His boy was suffering too, until he got help."

"He's not suffering! What is wrong with you?" Wyatt raised his voice as he glared at his father. His blood was boiling and his heart was racing. He hated when his father talked down to him, but he was being even more cruel to Fisher, and that hurt even worse.

"You knew already?" Patty asked Wyatt, still looking paralyzed with shock.

"Yes." Wyatt glanced at Fisher, wondering how much he wanted him to say about the subject. Fisher had his watery eyes glued to his father and fists clenched nervously on either side of his plate. He looked paralyzed too. "I've met him. Fisher's boyfriend, I mean. He's... and interesting character, but he seems perfectly fine. And I've seen the way Fisher is with him. He's happy, so I trust him."

"What's his name?" Patty asked.

Fisher's eyes landed on his mother now. He was confused by her reaction to all of this. He imagined she would react just like his father, but she didn't look or sound nearly as angry. She looked a little worried and frightened but she also sounded very curious. Genuinely curious. She wasn't just gaslighting him like their father was.

"His name's Emmitt," Fisher reluctantly answered, his voice quiet. Patty gulped, a solemn smile twitching across her quivering lips.

"What's his last name? Who are his parents?" Leonard interjected abrasively.

"Wh-Why do you need to know?" Fisher couldn't meet his father's gaze as he asked. He was too frightened.

"I need to call them and ask why their boy thinks he can run around and spread sin like a disease! He did this to you and he's going to answer for it! I'm not going to let anybody molest my son and get away with it!"

Fisher chuckled, trying not to burst out laughing, as his idle tears rolled down his cheeks. In the beginning of his relationship with Howl, after they met during that game is Spin the Bottle, Fisher had all of the same thoughts. When Howl kissed him and touched him and made him moan or made him hard, Fisher always blamed Howl for ruining him. He was always scared of the fact that he enjoyed those intimidate moments. And Howl never really asked if he could touch Fisher so some of it felt unfair. Molestation wasn't too far off the mark.

The only difference was that Fisher never said no. And it wasn't because he couldn't. He didn't want to. He bickered with Howl and pushed him away and told himself that he had no choice because Howl didn't listen to him, but that wasn't true. Howl didn't ruin him. He didn't take advantage of Fisher. It wasn't like that. Fisher liked being touched by Howl. Even when his brain told him it was dirty or unfair, his hands always seemed to reach for Howl and pull him closer.

Howl didn't take no for an answer, but Fisher never said no.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Patty asked Fisher, reaching across the table to gently caress his arm.

Fisher snatched his hand away to wipe his tears from his face. "I'm fine. Perfectly fine. I'm not ruined or sick or broken. I'm just me."

"This isn't you," Leonard jumped from his chair. Wyatt did the same, meeting his fathers eyes with fearlessness. Leonard glared his eldest son before looking at his youngest. "I don't even recognize you. The boy sitting at my dinner table right now is not the son I raised."

"Then who did you raise?" Fisher barked at his father, his eyes red and glossy. "I have a fucking boyfriend! So what? That doesn't change anything else in my life!"

Leonard stepped forward to reach for his son but Wyatt put his hands on his father's shoulders and stood his ground, even as his father tried to shove him aside. Fisher leaped from his seat and scuttled back, terrified of his fathers rage. Patty got up but didn't move, simply preparing herself for the worse. Wyatt kept his father at bay the best he could.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me and cuss in my house, boy! You don't talk to me like that! You're not going to be kissing any boys under my roof! I'm not gonna let you fuck up your life because some delinquent convinced you you're gay!"

"He's not gonna live under your roof then," Wyatt argued, matching his fathers anger. That gave Leonard pause as he stared curiously at his eldest son. "I already offered for him to stay with me if you were gonna act like this. If he's not welcome here, I'll take him."

"You're going to enable this behavior? He needs to be fixed, Wyatt, and he's not going to get any better if he's coddled by you!"

"He doesn't need to be fucking fixed, dad! Knock it off with that toxic shit!"

Not a beat passed before Leonard backhanded Wyatt across the face. The sound of the impact echoed in the room as both Patty and Fisher gasped, staring wide eyed at the two. A muscle in Wyatt's jaw flexed as he clenched his cheek and endured the stinging pain of his fathers swing. Leonard kept his eyes on Wyatt as he silently seethed. Nobody spoke. Fisher felt like his world was caving in on him, right before his eyes. He was half a second from hyperventilating.

"We're going to fix you," Leonard quietly declared as his eyes shifted to Fisher. "Before you tear this family apart and throw your life away."

A tear rolled down Fisher's face as he stared into his fathers cold, icy blue eyes. He shook his head, finding it hard to call forth his voice and form coherent words. "I-I'm sorry... I d-didn't want any of th-this... I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize." Wyatt aggressively shoved his chair into the dining table, causing the plates and silverware to loudly clatter. He grabbed Fisher's arm and bee-lined for the door. "We're leaving, now."

Fisher didn't say anything as more tears rolled down his face. Patty tried to yell for her boys, but Wyatt didn't listen. Fisher was too stunned to say anything or to even turn around. He couldn't. He followed Wyatt out of the house and raised his feee arm to cover his eyes as a few sobs managed to escape him. He was trying to hold back, but his emotions were trying their damndest to burst from him like a flood.

Wyatt guided Fisher to his car, opened the passenger door, and pushed him inside the car. Fisher hid his face in his knees and openly sobbed as Wyatt got in his car and drove off. He caught a glimpse of his mother standing at the front door but he didn't spare her a second thought. She may not have hit him or called Fisher sick, but she also didn't help in anyway. He didn't know where she stood, and right now, he didn't care. No matter what, he was going to protect his brother.

"I'm sorry!" Fisher wailed during the car ride. "I didn't think he'd do that! Not to you! I'm s-so sorry, Wyatt! P-Please.. I'm sorry..."

"You're fine, Fishsticks. I'm not mad at you." Wyatt reached for Fisher's hair and gently pat his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "Don't let dad get to you. He's been fucked in the head by misinterpreted bible verses and toxic masculinity. Nothing he says means anything. You're not sick or broken."

"I knew it would go badly.. but he acted like I was a monster." Fisher's voice cracked as he spoke and broken sobs escaped him, but he didn't really care. He felt like shit.

"You're not a monster, Fish."

"To him, I am. He thinks I'm disgusting."

"What he thinks doesn't matter. His opinions are worthless. You're safe and you're happy, right?" Fisher was too busy sniffling and wiping his tears. Wyatt grabbed his brothers shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You're safe and happy, right, Fisher? You're not hurting anybody and nobody's hurting you, right?"

"Right," Fisher blubbered.

"Then you're good, Fish. You're perfectly fine. You're a good kid. Don't let dad get in your head," Wyatt insisted.

Fisher nodded, unable to audibly agree as he swallowed back his sobs. He tried to collect himself as best he could while they drove, but the heaviness in his guts wouldn't leave. He didn't like the way his father made him feel. He didn't like feeling ruined. Fisher knew his father was wrong. Just because he liked a boy, didn't mean I was suddenly the heart of all evil. He liked someone and he was happy. Why did it have to be such a big deal? Why did his father think he needed to be fixed, as if there was a wire all twisted up in his head that made him a danger to society?

It sucked, having someone cut him that deep, even when he was expecting it.

"Can you drop me at Howl's?" Fisher asked with a sniffle, glancing at his brother. Wyatt gave him a curious look. "Just for a little while, or maybe the night. I feel like him and his moms would know how to handle this."

"Moms? Plural? You know them?"

"Yeah. I've been over there a few times. They're nice and I talked to them about coming out already. I really wanna see them."

"Do you think they'd mind if I visited as well, or are you not cool with that?" Wyatt asked, the look in his eyes thoughtful.

A smile flickered across Fisher's face. He wished his parents had been as patiently considerate and genuinely interested as his older brother. It was comforting to know Wyatt was open to exploring this new part of his life with him. He wanted to meet Howl and even his parents, because they were apart of Fisher's life and he wanted to be apart of it too. After getting attacked for standing up for Fisher, it touched him even more.

"I'll call and see if we can come over. They'll probably say yes. They're nice," Fisher said as he pulled his phone from his pocket and called Howl.

A few minutes, Wyatt and Fisher pulled into the parking lot of Howl's apartment complex with the sun slowly setting behind it. Fisher hurried to the main entrance and the door buzzed as he reached it, so he yanked it open and rushed up the stairs. Wyatt was close behind, trying to keep up with his little brother. His stopped when he saw Howl leap down a set of stairs and crash into Fisher, wrapping his arms around him without a second thought. A smile stretched across his face. It was sweet.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Howl asked, holding Fisher close with one arm and holding his head to his shoulder with his other hand. Fisher hugged him tightly and nuzzled even closer.

"I'm okay. They didn't touch me. Wyatt protected me," Fisher reassured.

Being in Howl's warm and comfortable embrace made him want to cry again. He didn't know why. It wasn't like he had never hugged before. This just felt different somehow. He wasn't used to feeling this much love in one hug. It made his heart do all kinds of flips in his chest.

Howl looked at Wyatt over Fisher's shoulder. "Thanks. I'm glad he had someone there for him."

"I'm his brother. It's my job." Wyatt nonchalantly shrugged.

"And it's your parents job to love him and they failed, so thank you. You actually pulled through," Howl pointed out.

Wyatt smiled thoughtfully at Howl. The two times he had met Howl, they hadn't talked much and he had left some very strange impressions on him, but the kid was nice. And he clearly liked Fisher, which was the most important part. Wyatt appreciated Howl for making his brother happy, just like Howl appreciated Wyatt for protecting him. There was mutual respect there.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Kaliyah cooed as she trotted down the steps, using one hand to keep her robe closed. She put one hand on Fisher's shoulder and he moved into her arms. "Come inside, baby. We'll make brownies or something. Whatever you want."

As Kaliyah turned to guide Fisher upstairs, her eyes met Wyatt's and she gave him a friendly smile. Frankie was at the top of the stairs so she ushered Fisher up to him, let Howl follow, and locked eyes with Wyatt as he approached.

"Fisher's brother, I assume? Nice to meet to meet you. My name's Kaliyah." Kaliyah offered her hand for a friendly shake and he politely shook it.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Wyatt," he respectfully replied.

Kaliyah's eyes fell to Wyatt's cheek and they filled with worry. She gently grabbed his chin and tilted his head. "Oh dear. You're all red here. Did they hit you? Do you need an ice pack."

Wyatt was touched by Kaliyah's worry. She didn't even know the woman and she was already mothering him. "I should be fine. Thank you though."

"Well, come inside, dear. We'll feed you too," Kaliyah said, placing her hand in Wyatt's shoulder and guiding him upstairs in front of her.

Frankie was waiting for her wife at the door as Howl comforted his boyfriend inside. She greeted Wyatt with the same welcoming gaze and smile that Kaliyah offered him, and Wyatt felt instantly safe. He walked inside and looked around for Fisher, only to catch a glimpse of him inside Howl's room. Howl was holding Fisher's face in his hands and whispering things to him as he wiped stray tears away with his thumbs. Fisher's bottom lip trembled as he nodded. In the next second, Fisher was wrapping his arms around Howl's neck and pulling him into a kiss.

"I love you," Howl whispered as he peppered kisses all over Fisher's face. "You're so brave and I'm so proud of you and I love you so much, Fisher."

Wyatt's eyes widened just a fraction at the sound of such affectionate words. He didn't know the kid was in love with his brother. That was a surprise. He knew they were together and everything, but he hadn't expected love. It was sweet but it also made him worry. Fisher was young. He didn't want to imagine the heartbreak his little brother would feel when he realized puppy love only stretched so far.

Maybe he would be one of the lucky ones though. Maybe it wasn't puppy love. Who could tell?

"You don't live at home, do you, Wyatt?" Frankie asked as she passed him to get to the kitchen.

Wyatt tore his eyes away from Fisher and Howl's affectionate make our session and followed the women further into the house. "Uh.. no. I live further into the city, near the river."

"So Fish doesn't have to go home if he doesn't feel safe, right? He can stay with you?" Frankie continued, pulling a teapot off the stove and filling two mugs, handing one to her wife. "I mean, we'd obviously love for him to stay here. We absolutely adore Fisher. He's always welcome. But just in case your parents find a problem with that, it would be nice to know he could stay with you."

"Don't worry. We were on our way to my place before we decided to come here. He's gonna stay with me until our parents come to terms with the whole thing, and if they don't or he wants to stay with me, I'll just keep him." Wyatt gave another one of his unbothered shrugs.

"Commuting to school will be difficult for him if he's gonna be living all the way in the city," Kaliyah worriedly muttered to herself as she sat at the dining table, blowing on her tea. She silently offered Wyatt a seat and he politely took a seat. "Howl has a car though. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He'd just have to get up a little earlier."

"There's only a few more days of his sophomore year anyways," Wyatt pointed out. "I can drive him these last few days and then we'll try getting him his license and a car if he's still with me before his junior year starts."

"Good thinking."

Frankie spoke up with the teapot still in hand. "Would you like some tea, Wyatt? Or can I get you something else? A water, some juice, are you old enough to drink? We have liquor."

"I am old enough, but I'll go without liquor tonight. A water will do." Frankie set down her teapot and fetched a water out of the fridge. She set in on the table in front of him and he smiled at her. "Thank you."

Wyatt took a big gulp of water and touched the back of his hand to his cheek. It was a little warm from the impact of his fathers hand, but it wasn't anything to be concerned about. His eyes drifted back to Howl's room and he couldn't see Howl and Fisher from this angle, but he imagined they were still in there making out or something. It was silent, so they were either not talking or being quiet in there. Although it was still a little weird to see his little brother shaping another human being affection, Wyatt was just happy to know Fisher was happy. That was enough for him.

Howl and Fisher joined the others in the kitchen a few minutes later. Fisher very sheepishly told Kaliyah and Frankie the story of his horrible, horrible coming out. A few tears escaped as he spoke and How tentatively wiped them away. He watched Fisher intensely through the entire story, worry and sorrow and love swirling in his eyes. Fisher caught his gaze a few times and the intensity of Howl's devotion made Fisher blush. This Howl was definitely different than the Howl that cornered him in a bathroom the first time they met.

Fisher loved this Howl. A lot.

"How about Fisher stays here tonight," Howl proposed after awhile of talking, his eyes on Wyatt. "I'll drive him to school in the morning and then help you guys move his stuff after. It'll be easier that way."

"Uhh..." Wyatt looked to Fisher, unsure of how to answer that proposal. He had no problem with that plan but it was Fisher's boyfriend, so it really his decision.

"I think that's a good idea. I want to stay here," Fisher declared.

Wyatt looked between Howl and Fisher, his gaze dropping to their interlocked fingers for only a moment. He finally shrugged and accepted the plans. It was true that it would be easier for Fisher to go to school in Howl's care. They would have to be careful getting Fisher's things from the house tomorrow though. If either of their parents were home, Howl couldn't be anywhere near the place. They'd simply have to figure that out later.

Wyatt stood from the kitchen table as he excused himself for the night and took a few steps to the door before he stopped. He made eye contact with Kaliyah, Frankie, and Howl as he sincerely said, "I'm really glad Fisher has people in his life that support him like this. I'm glad he has more than just me, who doesn't know anything about this experience, to guide and comfort him."

"You're a lot of help too, Wy," Fisher playfully retorted, smiling fondly at his brother. "They might understand me a little better, but you had my back in ways they can't."

Wyatt smiled at his little brother, feeling a sense of pride wash over him. He did feel a little helpless and clueless in this situation. Not to long ago, Wyatt didn't even know Fisher was gay. It was hard to keep up with all of this while also protecting and supporting his little brother, but Fisher noticed that and he appreciated it. That was touching. Even if he didn't know what he was doing or how to do it right, he was there and that's what counted. It was more than could be said for their asshole parents.

Wyatt said his goodbyes one more time before leaving and Kaliyah and Frankie got to ask a few more questions to satisfy their worry and curiosity. Howl wanted to ask things too. He had a lot to say. He kept silent though, and simply massaged Fisher's arm and caressed his fingers as he spoke. Howl preferred to talk to his boyfriend in private.

Fisher blushed as soon as Howl excused himself and Fisher to bed. He tried to be polite and say good night and thank Howl's moms, but Howl interrupted him by pulling him into his room and shutting the door. Fisher glared at his impatient boyfriend, although the expression was halfhearted. Howl simply smiled and took Fisher's face in his hands so he could properly admire him. His eyes and nose were still a little red from crying earlier, but he looked like had a recovered a little from the incident.

"Are you okay?" Howl asked, reaching to play with the end of one of Fisher's curls.

Fisher nodded, slowly blinking. "I'm okay. I don't know what I'm going to do now that my parents despise me. I kinda feel like an orphan now."

"Don't say that to my moms. They'd adopt you in a heartbeat. Like, for real," Howl teased.

"That's nice and all but I don't want to be your brother. I'm not into incest."

"I'm not either. That's why I said not to say that," Howl chuckled. He tilted Fisher's chin, towering over his short boyfriend with a smile on his face. "I love you, Fish, and I'm really happy that you want people to know we're together. It almost feels like you're catching up with me."

"Catching up?"

"Mm. Almost feels like you love me."

Fisher gave a stubborn pout. He was both offended that Howl didn't think he had caught up and too stubborn to admit it himself. Part of Fisher really wished Howl could just read his mind so he didn't have to say such embarrassing things out loud. That was probably a really bad wish though. It was probably a good idea to keep Howl out of his head and simply communicate his feelings. The words simply wouldn't leave his mouth. He couldn't do it. Already, he could feel his face turning five different shades of red.

Averting his eyes from his abnormally tall boyfriend, Fisher muttered, "I think I've caught up, if that's not obvious already."

Howl's face lit up with intrigue and he tilted Fisher's head back towards him, forcing their eyes to meet. "You've caught up? Really? You love me as much as I love you?"

Fisher's blush overtook his ears and his shoulders raised as he attempted to shrink back into himself. He was too shy for this. "I-I... I love you... I think."

Howl's famously huge and giddy smile overtook his face as he stared down at his boyfriend. He took in his fill of Fisher as his tongue teased his piercings. "That's good enough for me."

Before Fisher could run for his life, Howl captured him in a slow, yet passionate kiss. Fisher grabbed Howl's arms to anchor himself as his head went dizzy. He barely had enough strength to keep himself upright on his weak knees, yet somehow, he had all the energy he needed to match Howl's passion. Howl still hooked an arm around Fisher's waist and hauled him against his chest when he felt Fisher begin to slip from him. Fisher moaned at the dominate gesture and melted against his boyfriend. Being in Howl's arms was so nice.

"No sex," Fisher whispered when he finally pulled away from Howl's devilishly delicious lips. "I don't want your moms to walk in or get the wrong impression and ban me from spending the night ever again."

"I didn't say anything about sex, Fish. I'm only kissing you," How smugly teased, sneaking a leg between Fisher's to press his thigh into Fisher's growing erection.

"I-I know you didn't say anything... but I want more." Fisher stared into Howl's eyes, hoping he could read between the lines. "Just.. less than sex."

Fisher was asking for him this time. He wasn't the victim of Howl's harassment anymore. The dynamic between them was shifting one day at a time, ever since Howl had asked to kiss Fisher instead of selfishly cornering and attacking him. Fisher loved Howl. He wanted him.

"More than kissing but less than sex." Howl made a face as if considering the very controversial request Fisher was giving him. Before he knew it, Howl was lifting Fisher onto his bed and pinning himself on top of him. "That's a very fine line with lots of temptations, Fish. Are you sure you want to play that game?"

Fisher gulped as he stared into Howl's piercing eyes. He reached to touch Howl's face, silently admiring him as he ran the pad of his thumb over Howl's bottom lip. He loved Howl's snake bite piercings. They were so hot, it killed him. Fisher couldn't help himself from shifting slightly under Howl so his legs could hook around Howl's hips, caging him in. There was a moment when his parents made him feel like a monster for wanting this, and part of him was still being convinced of that, but right now, nothing felt more right.

Howl belonged to Fisher and he belonged to Howl. They loved each other. They weren't monsters. There was nothing wrong here. It was all right.

Fisher mustered up all the courage he had to confidently declare, "I love you, Emmitt."

A soft, content, loving smile pulled against the corner of Howl's lips. "I love you too, Fisher."

Sometimes I feel like Howl and Fisher don't get enough attention, and then chapters like this happen. Kinda super sad, but that's life, isn't it? I also promised that chapters were gonna be happy for awhile and... that's obviously coming to an end... We're about to move on to bigger and badder things folks. Hold your butts.