Love Conquers All

by Flaming Matt

Chapter 42

January 2016

"So you're getting married?" Ben quickly asks in a surprised tone, after listening to his dad and his fiancé's mum revelation and trying to process what they were actually telling them and while he and his fiancé and brother had talked about it a little bit themselves, well, speculated he guessed, it was still a surprise to have it confirmed and he wasn't quite sure how he really felt or what it meant for them all as a family.

"Whoa there Son, I don't think either of us is thinking that far ahead, not yet anyway." Mike quickly responds in a surprised tone, before giving his friend or he guessed girlfriend or partner now, a slightly sheepish smile, as he realises how his quick response must have sounded and knew he had to do a little damage control, even if he knew she was just messing with him a little bit.

"I think what your dad is trying to say Ben, is that we aren't getting married, but we are serious about our feelings for each other and for the moment, we're going to be a couple and we really want all three of you to be happy for us." Sarah then decides to say in a warm and caring tone, as she gives all three boys a loving smile and while she was still feeling nervous about their reaction, she didn't get the impression any of them were upset or angry, but apart from Ben just now, they had been very quiet and that was a little worrying.

"Oh, okay." Ben then says in a thoughtful tone, as he looks at his dad and then at his fiancé's mum again, before eventually smiling after a few moments.

"So two of my brothers are engaged to each other and my mum is dating my uncle?" Tobias then decides to say with as straight a face as possible, after deciding to try and have a little fun, he could tell that everyone was a bit tense and he wanted to try something to lighten the mood, especially since he was happy about the news and he and his brothers had already suspected their two parents were doing stuff together, so he wasn't that surprised by their announcement.

"What the hell Tobias?" Ben quickly responds in an embarrassed tone, as he half glares at his brother, but when he hears his fiancé beginning to giggle and then his dad chuckle, he quickly starts to smile himself and despite how inappropriate his brothers joke was, it had at least made everyone relax a little, even if it was still a little embarrassing at the same time.

"What? It's true." Tobias then quickly states with a smug expression, before suddenly feeling himself being pulled into a cuddle and relaxing as he recognises his mums perfume and quickly returns the embrace.

"What are we going to do with you, you little devil." Sarah states affectionately, as she holds her son tightly and smiles at her other son, after seeing him giving her a shy smile and as much as she had been worrying about telling them about this, she could tell that they both accepted it and were happy, which just meant the world to her, especially after everything that had happened.

"What does this actually mean though, I mean for all of us?" Matt then decides to ask, after waiting a few minutes as everyone hugged and cuddled each other and while he didn't think it would change anything, he was curious about how it would work and whether his fiancé's dad would still be kind of like a uncle to him, like he had been for the past year or whether he would have to look at him more like a dad kind of person now, which he really wasn't sure if he was comfortable with or not.

"How do you mean Sweetheart?" Sarah quickly asks in response, as she kneels down in front of her son and holds his hands in her own and while she thought she knew what he was asking, she didn't want to risk being wrong and knew it would be better to let him explain it and then hopefully be able to reassure any concerns that he had about her new relationship with Mike.

"Do I have to call him dad?" Matt responds with a curious expression and while he might consider doing it, especially if they wanted him to, he really wasn't very keen and while he hated his dad now and he was dead, he was still his dad and before everything that had happened over the past few years, he did love him and he was a good dad, so he didn't feel the need to replace him.

"No Matt, you don't have to call me dad and neither will Tobias, just like Ben and Mitch, wouldn't have to call your mum, mum either, even if we one day did get married, I will always be Mike to your both and Sarah will always be Sarah for Ben and Mitch." Mike answers as clearly as he could, after deciding to answer the boys question himself and not leave it all up to his partner to explain and could see the appreciation on her face and quickly gives her a caring smile.

"Unless you want to, if that's what you want Sweetheart and that goes for you both as well boys, it's up to you all and it's your choice, we aren't going to force you to do or say anything, do you all understand?" Sarah then decides to say and while she got the feeling her son wasn't keen on it, she wanted to make sure that they understood that it was their choice and that they weren't going to be forced to do or say anything that they didn't want to.

"I just want you call him Mike, I have a... well I had a dad and he might have been the worst dad at the end, but he was still my dad and he was a good dad once, so I don't want another one, well not a proper one, anyway." Matt responds honestly and while he wasn't sure how his mum or fiancé's dad would react, he couldn't help but feel relieved at both their expressions and knew that he must have done a good job of explaining himself and hadn't upset either of them.

"I understand Matt and I agree, I love you and your brother and I love your mum, but I'm not a replacement for your dad and I never will be." Mike then says with a sincere smile and while he wouldn't have protested against the boys calling him dad or thinking of him as a dad, he wasn't looking for that from either of them and if he was being honest, he was happy with how things were and thought they had a good balance to their family and he was pretty sure neither his youngest or eldest sons would call Sarah, mum either and he secretly wouldn't want them to either, they had a mum and it would hurt him, if they did call someone else mum, even if he knew that was a little selfish, it was just how he felt about it.

"I like you being my uncle, so I don't want to call you dad either." Tobias then decides to say with a smile, as he suddenly realises that this was about him as well and while none of them were actually his real family, well Sarah did adopt him and he called her mum and Matt was now his official brother, they weren't replacements for his real family, even though they were dead, they were still his family and he just didn't have it in him, to accept calling someone his dead, he already secretly struggled with calling Sarah his mum, but he did genuinely love her and it made it easier because he used to think of her as his second mum before and his brothers were easy, because he never had a brother or sister, so he wasn't replacing anyone, but he definitely had to draw the line somewhere and for him, this was it.

"I guess I don't want to call you mum either Sarah, you're cool and I like you and when Matt and I get married, I guess you will be my mum in law or whatever it's called, but I have a mum and I don't want to replace her and I know Mitch wouldn't either, but we still love you." Ben then decides to say with a slightly sad smile, as he thinks about his mum, but as he feels his fiancé pulling him into his side, he manages to not let himself get too upset and quickly puts his arm around his fiancé's back, just to let him know that he appreciated what he had done.

"I understand as well Ben and like your dad, I don't want to replace anyone in your life, this isn't about that, we just want to be happy and we want you all to be happy as well." Sarah responds with a caring smile, as she stands up and sits back down next to her partner and takes his hand into her own, which actually felt nice, they had spent weeks hiding how they felt, well months really and it was nice to be able to be open about it now and not worry about hurting anyone.

"You aren't going to be kissing and stuff all the time though, are you?" Tobias then quickly asks in a slightly disgusted tone, as he suddenly thinks about what might happen now and knowing how gross he had found it when he had walked into them kissing a couple of times already, he really wasn't keen to see old people kissing all the time, even if he did love them both, they were still old.

"Okay boys, don't laugh at him." Mike quickly states firmly, as he gives his son and Matt a serious look and while he had found the question amusing as well and also a little embarrassing, he didn't want them teasing their brother, even if it was hard not to sometimes, especially with the things he often came out with and this latest one, definitely had both his partner and himself blushing a little bit, which he knew the boys would find amusing as well.

"Sorry." Ben quickly responds with a slight smirk, as he tries his best not to laugh at his brothers question and the look on his dads face and Sarah's, which wasn't easy, especially as he could hear his fiancé struggling to hold back his own giggles.

"But, to answer your question Honey, we will kiss and cuddle when we want to, just like you and Lily do and just like your brothers do, but we promise not to do it all the time, okay Honey." Sarah then says in a soft tone, as she looks at her son affectionately, although looking at his expression, only made it harder not to laugh herself, he was just too sweet and adorable, although as she continued to study his face, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive, because she had seen that look before, in fact, just a few moments ago and she almost dreaded what he was going to say this time.

"But you're really old and it's kind of gross seeing old people kiss." Tobias quickly states with a slight frown, as he looks between his brothers and mum, who were giving him very different looks and he could feel himself blushing, especially as it dawns on him what he had just said and remembering a conversation that he had had with his girlfriend and he instantly regretted saying it now, not that his mum looked angry or upset, but he knew he hadn't said a nice thing and he was genuinely sorry.

"Why don't we talk about something else for a while, your mum and I aren't getting any younger apparently, so what do you think guys, should we phone in for a takeaway?" Mike then decides to suggest with a mock hurt expression, which only lasts a few seconds, as he looks at all three of the boys faces and while Tobias looked more than a little guilty, he was pleased to see him smiling, even if the other two boys faces made it impossible for him to keep his act up, he loved them all and was happy with how the conversation had gone, even if he did feel a lot older now.

"Can we get Chinese please?" Matt quickly asks in response, before either his brother or fiancé could answer and while they often wanted the same thing, he really wanted Chinese and he didn't want to risk one of them saying something else and when he glances at his fiancé, he couldn't help but smile shyly as he shakes his head and knew he was going to say something else and while he felt a little bad, he knew he liked Chinese, just as much as he did and their brother would eat anything, so he didn't feel that guilty about getting in first.

"Can I call Lily please? I will be quick." Tobias then decides to ask, after remembering that he had promised his girlfriend that he would give her a call and while he could do it later, he didn't want to risk forgetting, especially since it looked like they were going to be having a fun night and he could get easily distracted.

"Okay Honey, but before you go, what do you want from the Chinese?" Sarah responds with an amused smile and while she had to admit to herself that him having a serious girlfriend was a little worrying, she knew his brothers and friends would keep an eye on him and she knew Lily was a sensible girl, which definitely helped her feel more relaxed about the situation and just be happy for her son, he had lost so much and deserved to be happy.

"Matt knows what I like." Tobias quickly responds with a grin, before getting to his feet and heading towards the door. "I won't be long, I promise." He then says with a slight blush, after hearing his two brothers sniggering, but he was too excited about calling his girlfriend, to really get embarrassed and quickly heads to his bedroom.

"Okay boys, write down what you all want, while I go and make us some drinks." Mike then decides to say, as he looks around and sees that all their glasses were empty and it seemed like a good time to refill them.

"Okay." Ben quickly responds with a smile and quickly gives his fiancé's hand a quick squeeze and is instantly rewarded with a beautiful smile, which he quickly returns.

"I will help with the drinks, so have your orders written down boys and don't forget your brother and just to be clear, I know what he likes as well, so don't joke around with his order, okay." Sarah then states with a serious expression and while she didn't think either of them would do that, well actually, she knew they would without even thinking about it, but she knew they wouldn't do it tonight, but she wanted to make sure, just in case she was wrong.

"We won't Mum, I promise." Matt responds with a smile and while he could have been a little annoyed by what his mum had just said, he knew why she said it and they had done it in the past, so he couldn't exactly try and deny it, well he could, but it would be pointless and he just wanted to enjoy the night and he knew everyone else felt the same was as well.

"We won't be long." Mike then says with a smile, as he leads his partner out of the room and into the kitchen, where they quickly embrace and kiss for a few minutes, before moving away from each other with a smile and walking over to the sink.

"I said I would do it." Alex quickly states again, as he gives his friend an annoyed half glare and while he was happy to see him and be with him again, he anger had been slowly building up and he really just wanted him to leave him alone, at least for a little while so that he could clear his head a little bit.

"But you cooked it and I just want to help Alex, it's only fair." Peter quickly responds, as he gives his friend a big smile, which quickly fades when he sees his expression and while he had prepared himself for a lot of things before he came here, he hadn't considered him acting like this and he was really beginning to regret coming or at least not letting him know that he was coming, because it was obvious now, that the surprise was a big failure.

"Fair?" Alex quickly mutters under his breath, before sighing as his friend picks up the tea towel again. "Seriously Peter, just... just leave me alone." He then decides to say in a frustrated and annoyed tone, as he finally loses patience and while he didn't want to argue, he just couldn't take his friend acting like everything was okay, because it wasn't and it was obvious that it wasn't and his friend pretending that it was, was just making his anger and resentment grow.

"But... but I thought..." Peter then begins to respond in a stunned tone, before trailing off as his friend turns his back on him and starts to consider calling his friends dad to come back and take him home. "I thought you would be happy to see me, don't you want me to be here?" He then finds himself asking, after actually walking towards the hallway, but as much as he felt like going home, he had fought too hard to be here and he wasn't going to give up just yet, even if it meant confronting his friend and making him talk to him.

"WANT YOU HERE? OF CAUSE I WANT YOU HERE." Alex quickly shouts in response, before holding his hand over his mouth and slowly turning to his friend in shock. "Sorry." He then says in a shocked tone and while the anger hadn't disappeared, he didn't want to shout and he definitely didn't want to be having this conversation, even though his friend seemed to be pushing it for some reason.

"Then why are you being like this, you've barely looked at me and you won't talk to me unless I push you to and I want to know why." Peter quickly states in a braver tone than he was actually feeling inside, because while he wanted to know, he was also dreading his friends response, just in case he really did hate him, because while he didn't even consider that possibility before coming here, his friends behaviour so far seemed to support his growing concern.

"No you don't." Alex states quietly in response, as he looks at his friend and despite how angry he was feeling, he still loved him, but right now, he was just too confused to really do anything other than try to avoid confronting him about how he felt.

"Yes I do, so just tell me, tell me why you can barely even look at me, tell me Alex." Peter then states angrily and while he surprised himself by the tone of his voice, he wanted to know what his friend was thinking and the soft approach wasn't working at all, but as he sees his friends expression, he instantly regrets speaking out like he did and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT ME PETER... BECAUSE YOU LEFT ME FOR A MONTH... A FUCKING MONTH AND YOU JUST COME BACK... YOU JUST COME BACK HERE TONIGHT AND ACT LIKE IT'S OKAY... you act like we're friends and you're talking about our friends and you bring me a rose... A FUCKING ROSE PETER... what the fuck am I meant to do with that, you don't even remember us being boyfriends and every that I've tried to get close to you again, you got freaked out... SO WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT PETER... WHAT?" Alex suddenly finds himself shouting in response and despite feeling anger and tears rolling down his cheeks, he couldn't stop himself, he had been bottling this up for weeks and ever since his friend had stood outside, it had just grown even more until now and he could feel himself shaking a little bit.

"I do though, I do remember Alex, I remember everything." Peter then just about manages to say in a meek tone, after just staring at his friend in shock for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a minute or two and while he thought his friend might be a little upset because he was gone so long, he never thought it would hurt him, not like it had obviously done and he couldn't help but feel guilty and a little sick inside, as he continued to stare at his friend.

"What?" Alex quickly asks with a stunned expression, as he stares at his friend in shock and while he actually felt a little better after venting a few minutes ago, he was still angry and hurt, even if what his friend had just said, had been something he had wanted to hear for almost two months, it didn't make the past months hurt and rejection any less important.

"I remember, it happened after you risked your life to save me, when you thought your mum was going to kill me, you saved me and then we kissed and it all came back, everything, well not all straight away, because there was a lot, but for the next few days, it all came back and I love you Alex, I really do." Peter quickly answers with a shy smile, as he looks at his friend and starts to hope that things were starting to turn around, but as he sees his expression, his smile falters and he could tell that it wasn't going to be that easy, even if he wasn't quite sure why it couldn't be.

"I love you too." Alex then says in a quiet tone, before tensing up a little and putting his hand up to stop his friend from getting any closer to him, because while his words had been the very thing he wanted to hear, to his own surprise, it wasn't enough and he just couldn't get past this past month, especially if his friend remembered everything on that night a month ago, because if he remembered, than him staying away for so long still hurt, it actually made it worse and he wasn't sure how to react or what it meant for them.

"Then what's wrong, you love me and I just said I love you, so I don't get it Alex, what's wrong?" Peter then decides to say in a confused tone, as he thinks about his friends reaction and despite all that he had said, he just didn't get it, he should be happy, he should be hugging him and kissing him, not reacting like this and he couldn't help but feel hurt, this was meant to be a special night, where they could finally be happy again, but it was turning into the complete opposite and he didn't know what to do.

"Just go sit in the other room Peter, I will wash up and then I will call my dad to come take you home." Alex decides to say, as he weighs up his options and despite not wanting his friend to go, he knew the real answer to his question and he was just getting more frustrated, because he had told him what was wrong already and he had shouted it, but his friend had either ignored it or just didn't think it was important and either way, it hurt and he could feel his anger building again.

"NO! No I won't, I didn't come all this way, just for you to act like a baby Alex, I love you, you love me, so why can't we just be together, why?" Peter quickly asks in a almost furious tone, as he decides to just try and force his friend to talk to him and even though he was a little frightened of his response, he wasn't just going to sit in the other room and then go home, he came here for a reason and he wasn't going to give up now, not after what he had been through the past month, there was just no way he was going to walk away.

"BECAUSE YOU LEFT ME PETER... HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?" Alex quickly shouts in response, as he glares at his friend and while he didn't want to shout, he couldn't help himself. "A month Peter, a fucking month of me leaving you voice messages and text messages and not one single FUCKING REPLY... NOTHING PETER... you say you remembered how you felt about me, but one month, you couldn't respond once in a month and then you just turn up and expect me to rip your clothes off and be your boyfriend again... do you know how much that hurts..." He then states in a vulnerable tone, as he feels himself shaking and just as he starts to lose his composure, he feels himself being embraced and despite wanting to push his friend away and get away from him, he just didn't have the strength and instead, just let himself cry in his arms.

"I didn't know you've been trying to call me." Peter slowly responds in a stunned tone, as he struggles to take in what his friend had just said and while he had known his friend might have tried to get in touch, he didn't give it that much thought, he had other things on his mind and couldn't think of everything, even if it was clear to him now, that he had underestimated just how much it would hurt his friend.

"Fuck off Peter, how the hell couldn't you have known, I sent loads and there is no way you..." Alex quickly begins to retort in an unimpressed tone, before looking at his friend with a mixture of emotions as he interrupts him and almost interrupts him back straight away, but just about manages to stop himself.

"They took my phone Alex, my parents, they wouldn't let me have my phone or use the internet and there was always someone at my grandparents house, so I couldn't use their phone either, not that I could, because I couldn't remember anyone's number anyway." Peter states desperately as he does his best to calm his friend down and while he knew he hadn't thought about how hurt his friend would actually be, it wasn't his fault and he didn't have a choice, well there were options, but none of them were any good, especially as he had been doing his best to change his parents minds and being caught going behind their backs, would definitely have ended any chance of getting them to change their minds.

"Why would they take your phone or stop you calling anyone here?" Alex then decides to ask, as his anger is slowly replaced by curiosity and while he couldn't quite buy his friends excuse completely, not just yet anyway, he wasn't going to dismiss it either, as he suddenly started to think a little more clearly about what had happened and as he continues to study his friends and decides to at least hear him out, because it was obviously not as clear cut as he had first thought it was.

"Because they wanted to move Alex, they wanted to move near my grandparents." Peter answers honestly and while it wasn't happening now, he couldn't help but look down at the floor sadly for a few moments, because while he had fought almost fiercely to change his parents minds, his friends reaction to his return, had definitely taken the shine off his victory and doubts about whether he had done the right thing, were slowly creeping into his mind.

"What?" Alex quickly responds in a shocked tone, as he just stares at his friend and while for whatever reason his friends parents had obviously changed their minds, otherwise his friend wouldn't be here tonight, just the thought of never seeing him again, quickly wiped out all of his anger and frustration, by the realisation that he could have lost him forever, which would have hurt on it's own, but knowing his friend remembered them being boyfriends and still loved him, just made that feeling even worse and he could feel his stomach tightening a little bit.

"I don't blame them Alex and if I didn't love you or remember us being boyfriends, I don't think I would have tried everything I could to change their minds, I mean I almost died Alex and not just once and both times it was at your house, so it's not like they didn't have a good reason." Peter responds honestly and while he wasn't sure what his friend was thinking, his body language had definitely changed and he didn't look angry or annoyed any more and he took that as a good sign.

"Fucking hell, I need to sit down." Alex then says, as he struggles to process everything and sort out his own emotions, because it was a lot to take in and his mind was spinning too much right now with all his feelings and questions going around and around in his head.

"We could sit at the table, we still have our wine to finish and we can just talk, it's why I came here." Peter decides to suggest with a warm smile, as he takes a few steps towards his friend and carefully reaches out for his hand, which to his relief his friend accepts and although it was a weird and awkward kind of holding of hands, it was a start and he slowly leads him back to the dining room table.

"This is nice, just the two of us." Carter decides to say, as he contently walks hand in hand with his boyfriend through the park and while they had done this more times than he could remember, it was really quiet and they hadn't seen anyone at all on their walk so far, which while a little scary, was also kind of nice and a little romantic.

"Yeah, I mean it kind of sucks that everyone is busy, but to be even more honest, I'm kind of glad that they are." Wesley responds with a happy smile and while they had planned to spend some time with their friends here, he had to admit, that he was just enjoying being with his boyfriend and just being together like this and it was a beautiful evening.

"Well as long as you don't get the ball out and expect me to play catch with you, I'm glad they aren't here as well." Carter then says with a grin, after deciding to have a little fun and when he feels himself being pulled around and into his boyfriends body. "Hey! Quit it you moron." He then quickly protests, before just as quickly beginning to giggle as he feels himself being tickled.

"What about these balls, can I get these out?" Wesley then whispers seductively into his boyfriends ears, as he stops tickling him and slowly slides one of his hands down the front of his boyfriends shorts and underwear, before giving his balls a playful squeeze.

"You fucking dare Wesley, don't even think..." Carter quickly tries to respond, but as he feels his balls being squeezed a little harder, he also feels his boyfriends other hand unbuttoning his shorts. "I mean it Wesley, you will regret it." He then states as sternly as he could and although he didn't really want to be exposed, he had to admit that it was a little sexy and they were in a pretty well covered part of the park and he kind of liked it, even if he would never admit it to his boyfriend.

"Relax Beautiful, as much fun as it would be, I'm not risking getting caught here, even if you're already hard and leaking a little bit." Wesley then whispers into his boyfriends ear, as he slowly removes his hands from his underwear and shorts, after giving his balls one last gentle squeeze and despite being more than a little turned on, he really wasn't going to risk getting caught doing something like this in a public park, even if he couldn't quite rule out the possibility completely of maybe doing something when it got a little darker.

"Seriously?" Carter quickly retorts in a less than impressed tone, after turning to face his boyfriend and looking down at himself and while his boyfriend didn't seem to want to risk getting caught doing anything, he didn't seem to have any problem pulling his hard on and balls out of his shorts as he removed his hands and quickly looked back up to him with a glare.

"Oops, how did that happen?" Wesley quickly responds with a sweet and innocent smile, before suddenly grunting as he feels himself being tackled to the ground and even though he just about managed to roll on top of his boyfriend instinctively, their momentum meant that he quickly found himself on his back again, with his boyfriend on top of him and as much as he tried to move, he quickly realised that one of his arms was trapped behind himself and his other was pinned to his side by one of his boyfriends legs.

"Oh fuck, I did it, I have you, don't I?" Carter quickly states in an amazed tone and while he knew he was probably letting his guard down, he couldn't help himself, he was just to proud of himself and while he was hoping to get in this position, he rarely succeeded and as he felt his boyfriend struggle a little bit, he realised that he had him completely at his mercy, which just made him smile even more.

"Oh shit, I mean fuck Carter, that was awesome, I mean not for me right now, but fuck, I can't even move my arms and fuck, you even remembered to lock your feet under my hips this time." Wesley quickly responds proudly and while it was a bit of a kick to his own ego, he didn't really care about that, he had been slowly and patiently teaching his boyfriend some self defence and even some attacking moves and as he tested just how well his boyfriend had him pinned down, he couldn't be any prouder of him for remembering to lock his legs under him, it was one of the things he almost always forgot, but as he twisted a little more, he could tell that unless his boyfriend let him go, he wasn't going to be able to get out from under him without some kind of small miracle.

"So I really did it?" Carter quickly asks in an excited tone and while he harboured no doubts about his chances of actually being able to beat his boyfriend in a fight, he had worked hard to learn how to defend and toughen himself up a little bit and this was definitely a big moment for him, because even though he knew he wasn't going to suddenly become a killing machine, it would give him the confidence in himself to not feel so intimidated around other people, not that he constantly feared being bullied, but being smaller than everyone else, it was sometimes hard to not always be a little on guard.

"Honestly Carter, I can't get out of this, well not without giving everything I had and even then, you would need to fuck up somehow, so yeah, you did it." Wesley quickly responds proudly, as he looks up to his boyfriend with a smile and while again he could feel a little embarrassed, he was just too proud of his boyfriend to be anything but happy for him, he had seen the improvement he had been making over the last few months and this was the first time he saw his boyfriend realise that he was really progressing and it was definitely a big moment for him and he was more than happy to show him how proud he was.

"This is so cool." Carter then says with a big smile. "But I guess I should let you go, even though you were being a moron." He then says a little reluctantly, as he thinks about how he had his boyfriend at his mercy, but they were in the park and despite not seeing anyone since they got here, he wasn't really comfortable fooling around, although despite that, he decided to sit on his boyfriends thighs and not let him get out from under him completely, just to see what he would do.

"But seriously Carter, are you finally going to believe in yourself now, because you just proved you can do it and there is still more that I can show you, but you need to believe in yourself, otherwise it's not going to be worth it." Wesley then decides to ask, as he thinks about what else he could show his boyfriend and while he would always be limited by his size and the fact he was never going to have the desire to bulk up or become obsessed with going to a gym, he could still learn to defend himself and he had just proven he was capable of that, he just needed to believe in himself more.

"Well yeah, I guess I have to, but it still doesn't mean that I'm going to ever join a gym properly Wesley, well maybe I will, but you know what I mean Wesley, I'm a geek, well maybe not really a super geek, but you know what I mean and I like who I am and while I might love your muscles and how tough you are, that's just not me and it never will be." Carter slowly responds in a thoughtful tone, as he thinks over his boyfriends question and while he had been to the gym with his boyfriend a lot already, it was more about watching his boyfriend, rather than actually doing any serious workout himself.

"I know Beautiful, I know and I love you and you know I mean all of you, I love everything about you Carter, but this isn't about getting you buff or making you into something you're not, this is just helping you learn how to defend yourself and be safe and not because you're small or weak, but because I love you and I honestly think everyone should know this kind of stuff and you know Ben and Matt asked Mitch to teach them, so I'm not just making it up, the world sucks, we seen that for ourselves this past couple of years Carter." Wesley states in response and while it was a little over the top and slightly dramatic, he was just being honest and he really did believe everything he had just said and he hoped his boyfriend understood his point as well, because it was important and he did want him to be safe.

"True and I guess Tobias proves that you don't have to be big and muscly to defend yourself, so yeah, I believe in myself Wesley, I promise, but I just wanted to make sure we were both thinking the same thing, because I won't change who I am, not even for you." Carter responds firmly, but even though he was being serious, he made sure to smile, just to let his boyfriend know that he wasn't accusing him of anything and as he feels himself being pulled down, he quickly meets his boyfriends lips half way and despite knowing they were in a public place, he didn't care and as he is rolled on to his back, he quickly slips his hands in the back of his boyfriends shorts and briefs and gently squeezes him bum.

One Hour Later

"You want me to go home?" Peter quickly asks in surprise, as he stares at his friend and tries to process what he had just said, especially since they're been talking for over an hour and while it was still a little awkward and tense at times, he wasn't expecting to be sent home and he couldn't help but wonder if he had done or said something wrong.

"You've been gone a month Peter and yeah, right now, all I want to do is jump on you and strip you and well, you remember what we used to do, but I need to process everything." Alex quickly responds and while he was fighting his desire to do exactly what he had just said, he really wasn't thinking straight and right now, he just needed to be alone and get it sorted out in his head and he really hoped his friend understood what he needed.

"But I thought you believed me, I never wanted to leave Alex, but I'm just a kid and if my parents take me away, I have to go, you would have to do the same and..." Peter then quickly decides to say in response, but before he can finish, he quickly finds himself being cut off by his friend and he couldn't help but be even more confused about how the evening was ending, which from the moment his friend had opened the door, hadn't gone at all like he expected it would go and he couldn't help but feel hurt by it all.

"That's not what this is about Peter, I'm sorry and I know I'm probably confusing you, but I don't know how to explain it, I miss you and I love you and I know you love me and you convinced your parents to not move away, but it's so much to take in and I just need to think about it all and I can't do that with you here Peter, if you stay, than all I'm going to think about is kissing you and all the other stuff I want to do to you and even now, I want to just do that, but please, just for me, can you just go home and let me get my head sorted tonight, we can talk tomorrow and maybe we could ask your parents if I can sleep over or something, because my dads working and I was supposed to be sleeping round Matt and Ben's." Alex quickly explains and while he didn't want to interrupt his friend, he quickly realised that he hadn't understood what he had been trying to say and he wanted to do his best to stop him from getting upset or feeling rejected, because that wasn't his intention at all, that was the last thing he would ever do and he wanted his friend to know that.

"Oh..." Peter quickly begins to respond, before trailing off with a slight frown and just stares at his friend for a few minutes as they sit in silence. "I get it, I mean I kind of think it's a bit stupid, but I er... well it's not stupid and I get it Alex, but before you call your dad, can I ask you something?" He then decides to say in a soft tone, after thinking over his friends words and while he didn't want to go, he could understand that he needed time, but there was something he wanted to do before he left and he wasn't going to go until he asked his question, even if there was a tiny chance of not getting the answer he was hoping for.

"Er... okay, it's only fair." Alex slowly responds, as he looks at his friend curiously and while he didn't look angry or upset, he couldn't quite read his expression and he wasn't quite sure what he was about to get asked.

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Peter quickly asks with a big grin and while there was a possibility of being rejected, especially considering how the evening had gone so far, he was confident enough of his friends answer to ask, but as his friend starts to get up from his chair and walk around the table towards him with an unreadable expression, his grin faulted a little bit. "You don't er... well er... you don't have..." He then finds himself beginning to say, as he watches his friend nervously, only to be cut off by his friends hands holding his face and then his lips pressing against his own.

"That's a yes by the way, just in case that wasn't clear." Alex decides to say in a slightly amused tone, as he pulls away from his now boyfriends lips, after kissing for almost five minute and while he was surprised by the question, he couldn't be happier and quickly resumes their passionate kiss before his boyfriend can even respond.

"I've missed you." Peter then says in a slightly flustered tone, after feeling his boyfriend pulling away again and while he never wanted the kiss to end, he was too happy to complain and as his boyfriend stood back up, he couldn't help but grin as he notices the tent in his trousers and knew it was because of him, which gave him an odd feeling of pride and a quick flash of similar memories which he hadn't even realised he had forgotten about.

"I've missed you too Peter, but er... well er... I still..." Alex then begins to ask with a slightly awkward and nervous smile, before surprisingly finding himself being interrupted by his boyfriend, who had stood up from his chair and was now smiling at him.

"I know, I'm still going home, but I wanted to make sure we were boyfriends before I left, because I've been waiting a month to finally be able to ask you and well, now I did." Peter quickly says in a slightly shy tone, before this time initiating the kiss by pulling his boyfriends face towards his own and pressing his body against his.

"What's that look for?" Wesley can't help but ask, as he gives his boyfriend a curious smile and while he knew their friend could have texted him anything, he couldn't quite read his expression right now and wasn't quite sure if it was something funny or something to worry about.

"It's just Tobias, I mean I love him and everything, but he can be just straight up weird sometimes." Carter responds in a distracted tone, as he tries to work out how he was meant to respond to his friends text, because while it was kind of nice news, it was a little odd and as he read the message again, it seemed kind of pointless as well or at least pointless at the moment anyway.

"Why? What did he do this time?" Wesley then asks in a slightly baffled tone, as he continues to struggle to work out what was going on, because this was definitely an unusual reaction to one of their friends texts, which were mostly just laugh out loud funny, whether intentional or not, so his boyfriends reaction was definitely both surprising and intriguing at the same time.

"He just said that he might be allowed to get a kitten because Matt and Ben might be getting a puppy and he's going to call it Ty if he is allowed to get one." Carter responds with a smile, as he looks up at his boyfriend from his lap and couldn't help but notice the look on his face and how it pretty much summed up how he felt himself about their friends text.

"So they might be allowed to get a puppy and kitten, but he doesn't know for sure and he still texted us about it, even though they might end up not being allowed?" Wesley quickly states in a bemused tone, as he thinks about their friends text and why their friend had bothered to tell them about something that might not even be happening.

"Pretty much." Carter responds with an amused smile, before looking back at his phone and reading the text message again. "What should I text back?" He then asks in a slightly unsure tone, as he thinks about what he could send their friend back and drew a blank and as much as he tried, he couldn't think of anything, well anything that didn't sound stupid and he was hoping his boyfriend could at least come up with something.

"Seriously Carter, aren't you meant to be the brains on this operation?" Wesley quickly retorts with a grin, which just as quickly widens when he sees the look of annoyance on his boyfriends face and while he had actually thought of a half decent response to their friends text message, he couldn't resist teasing his boyfriend a little bit.

"And you're meant to be the muscle and yet I seem to remember someone being unable to move and completely at my mercy a little over an hour ago." Carter quickly retorts with a growing grin, after quickly remembering what he had done to his boyfriend earlier and even though they were pretty even when it came to teasing each other, he knew he just hit the jackpot of all comebacks and he could see it all over his boyfriends face, which just made him grin even more.

"You're a little shit, you know that." Wesley eventually states with a shake of the head, after trying to and failing to come up with even a mediocre comeback to his boyfriends retort, which to his annoyance, was pretty much perfect and even though he was tempted to get a little naughty and strip him naked and pin him down to prove a point, he was too content with how they were sitting, or rather how he was sitting and his boyfriend was laying on his back between his legs with his head resting on top of his groin.

"Maybe, but seriously Wesley, what should I text Tobias back, because he's obviously excited and I got nothing, I mean I could say congrats, but he might not even get the kitten, so that's kind of pointless, so come on, what should I say?" Carter then decides to ask in a serious tone, after thinking about carrying on their little bit of teasing and deciding against it, at least for now anyway and just focus on responding to their friend.

"Fair enough." Wesley quickly responds with a slightly apologetic smile. "What about something like 'Hey Tobias, great news and we hope your mum lets you get the kitten and by the way, we love the name Ty, it's a pretty great name for a cat, so let us know if your mum lets you have one or not, love you' or something like that, I mean yeah he might not get the kitten, but at least this way, we cover ourselves either way and I kind of do like the name Ty, it's different and yeah, I like it, so why not." He then states with a slightly smug expression, as he shares his idea and while with a bit more time they could probably come up with something better, he thought it was still pretty good and from the way his boyfriend was looking up at him, he could tell that he liked it as well.

"That's perfect, seriously." Carter quickly responds with a surprised smile, before slowly getting up from between his boyfriends legs and turning to face him with his legs over his.

"Don't sound too surprised Beautiful, you aren't the only one with a brain cell." Wesley then decides to say with a cheeky smile and quickly pulls his boyfriend a little closer so they were almost groin to groin and while their was nothing sexual behind it, he had to admit that it was a little bit sexy to sit like this, but despite that, he only pulled him closer so that he could hold him around the waist and see his stunning violet eyes a little clearer in the evening light, which was getter darker and darker as the evening went on.

"I know, but I wasn't mocking you, I mean it, it's brilliant and I'm going to send it, so just give me a second." Carter responds sincerely, before quickly leaning forward and giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the lips and then looking down at his phone and responding to their friend, although as he feels his bum cheeks being first cupped and then gently massaged, he couldn't help being a little distracted and quickly gives his boyfriend a playful shake of the head, before looking back down at his phone and resuming his response to their friend, while at the same time, enjoying the nice feeling his was receiving from his boyfriends hands.

"I wish we didn't have to go home soon, it's so nice out here and so quiet." Wesley decides to say contently, as he watches his boyfriend finish the text message to their friend and put his phone in his pocket, which amused him a little bit as he still had his hands down the back of his shorts and his pockets were obviously a little tighter than normal, but he hadn't asked him to remove them and he certainly had no intention of letting go of his bum unless he absolutely had to.

"We still have plenty of time and I'm in no rush, we already told our parents when we will be home." Carter responds with a smile, before shifting a little and then reaching behind himself to pull his boyfriends hands out of his shorts. "It's darker now and no one is around, we haven't seen anyone since we got here." He then states in a soft tone, as he sees the slightly disappointed look on his boyfriends face, it had been an almost magical evening in his mind and he wanted to do something special to just make it perfect and while something naughty would be fun and more than a little exciting, he wanted something else right now and he was hoping his boyfriend would feel the same way.

"And if someone did come by, we would hear them before they got anywhere near us." Wesley then says with a slightly naughty smile, after quickly getting over the disappointment of his hands being pulled away from his boyfriends bum and thinking about his choice of words, but as he reaches for the front of his boyfriends shorts, he can only look at him in surprise when he holds both of his wrists.

"It's special tonight Wesley, the walk here and how quiet it is and I love how clear the sky is as well, it's just perfect and I know what you want to do and I kind of want to as well, but I just want you to hold me Wesley, I just want to be in your arms and just talk or we could even just be quiet, you know, just all peaceful and just be with each other." Carter decides to then say with a soft smile and while he was sure his boyfriend wouldn't mind, he couldn't quite read his expression and he was a little worried that he might have ruined the evening.

"So no sex stuff?" Wesley then eventually asks in response, as he gives his boyfriend a curious look and while the idea of doing something so naughty and risky was exciting, he also remembered what he had said to his boyfriend all those weeks ago after being caught by his boyfriends mum and he couldn't help but think how special this night could be and if it was just the two of them being with each other without the sex, it would just be amazing and slowly pulls his boyfriend a little closer.

"Is that okay?" Carter quickly responds with a slightly nervous expression, as he tries to work out whether his boyfriend was disappointed or annoyed that he had basically put a stop to any sexual stuff that he might have been thinking about and while he didn't think that was likely, he couldn't help but feel a little paranoid about it.

"Honestly... it's perfect Carter and we've talked about this before and I love the sex stuff, I really love it and you know I do Carter, but I like the other stuff too and tonight, well it's been so nice and I know we've done a bit of kissing and touching, but just holding you and just being with you on a night like this, it's what couples do and not just normal couples, it's what people in love do and I love you Beautiful, I love you so much." Wesley quickly responds passionately, before cupping his boyfriends face in his hands and leaning forward to give him a brief, but passionate kiss on the lips.

"I love you too." Carter then says in a quiet tone, after taking a few moments to recover from the kiss, because while it was only a quick one, it was a loving and caring kiss and as he feels himself being twisted around and pulled backwards into his boyfriends arms, he sighs contently and just lets it happen.

"We better set an alarm though, if we go home late, they're going to kill us." Wesley then whispers into his boyfriends ear and while he didn't want to ruin the moment, he knew they could just get lost in their own thoughts and just being with each other and the last thing he wanted, was to lose track of time completely and worry either of their parents.

"I'll set it for an hour, just so we won't have to rush home." Carter slowly responds softly, as he slowly pulls his phone back out of his pocket and while he didn't want to move, his boyfriend had a point and after looking at the time, he quickly worked out how long they could stay here and not risk being late home and quickly begins to set the time on his phone.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to start anything, just getting comfortable and you know you like it." Wesley quickly says in an almost soothing tone, after gently sliding his hands just under the waistband of his boyfriends shorts and underwear and feeling him tense up a little and while it was a little sexual, it wasn't about that and as he feels his boyfriend relax again, he continues to gently rub his naval.

"I love you Wesley." Carter then says in a contented tone and while he had jumped a little at his boyfriends touch, it was just out of surprise and he really did like being held like this, his boyfriend just made him feel both safe and loved at the same time and he couldn't be happier.

"I love you too Beautiful." Wesley quickly responds affectionately, as he rests his head on the top of his boyfriends and just enjoys holding him in his arms and while it was a little stupid, he always felt a sense of pride when they were in this position, he was protecting his boyfriend and showing him how much he cared for him and it was a nice feeling to have, even if their friends sometimes teased him about it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Gordon decides to ask in a curious and slightly concerned tone, after coming back into the house after dropping his sons friend off home and seeing his son just sitting in the living room and looking in deep thought and while he had been tempted to leave him be and just get himself a drink or something, he had been surprised that he was dropping Peter off home and couldn't help but wonder if something had happened.

"I'm okay Dad." Alex responds with a slightly forced smile, after looking up at his dad appreciatively and then back at the TV and while he wasn't really watching it, it seemed to help him think and he definitely needed to think about what had happened and how he had reacted to it all.

"Are you sure, because Peter was very quiet and your eyes are red and slightly puffy." Gordon then asks in a slightly hesitant tone, as he walks into the room and sits on down on the chair to the side of his son and while his sons friend didn't look upset, he struggled to get him to say anything meaningful and seeing his sons eyes, he couldn't help but worry that the evening had been some kind of disaster and the boys hadn't reconciled.

"Do I really look that bad?" Alex decides to ask in response, as he looks up to his dad and despite still trying to process everything that had happened, he found his dads concern, both reassuring and amusing, which actually made him genuinely smile.

"You look like you've been crying your eyes out Alex, but to be honest, I'm completely confused, because you're smiling now and that's not a smile of someone who is upset or angry, so come on, what happened and you know you will tell me eventually, so you might as well talk to me now, it could help." Gordon states with a slightly forced smirk, as he struggles to make sense of the whole situation, because his son definitely didn't look upset and the more he thought about the car journey when he took Peter home, the more he remembered the look on the boys face and it definitely wasn't a look of sorrow or despair and while it definitely wasn't a delighted expression, it definitely seemed like he was at least content, which just confused him even more.

"It's been a weird night Dad." Alex quickly responds with a slight shake of the head and instinctively rubs his face with both hands. "But in a good way, because he asked me to be his boyfriend Dad and you should have seen his face Dad, he meant it and I could tell that he really loved me and seriously Dad, my heart, I swear it actually skipped a beat, hell it probably skipped a hundred beats and it's just amazing, I thought I lost him and I tried not to give up Dad, I really tried, but he had been gone a month and honestly, I wasn't sure if I would ever see him again and now I have and he's my boyfriend again and it's just mental Dad... mental." He then quickly states excitedly, as he looks at his dad again and although he could tell that he was probably even more confused now, he just couldn't help himself and he really was just completely overwhelmed, it's why he asked his boyfriend to go home, because he really needed to calm down and process it all and he couldn't do that with him being here.

"Oh wow..." Gordon then begins to say in response, before trailing off for a few moments as he takes in what his son had just said. "I think mental sums it up pretty well." He then states with an amused smile and while he was still a little concerned, he heard everything he needed to hear to know his son was okay and he even started to understand why he looked the way he did and he couldn't really blame him, they were some pretty intense emotions that his son was obviously feeling and it would take anyone a bit of time to process them, even more so a child.

"Yeah, I mean I didn't want him to go Dad, but I kind of had to ask him to, you know." Alex then decides to say with a searching expression, as he looks at his dad and tries to gauge his reaction, because while he thought he had done the right thing in asking his boyfriend to leave, he wasn't completely sure and he was hoping his dads response would reassure him, that he had indeed made the right choice and hadn't just sent his boyfriend away for no reason at all.

"Honestly, I've never really been in your position Alex, but for what it's worth, I think given how you're feeling and the thoughts that are going through your head right now, you made the right decision and more importantly, the mature decision, because I would imagine asking him to leave, especially after being apart for so long, was not easy and not a lot of people could do that, so you really should be proud of yourself Alex, because I am and while Peter looked a little subdued on the way home, thinking about it now, he looked happy and content, so if you're worried about what he thinks about your decision, I wouldn't worry too much." Gordon then says in a measured tone and while he was a little surprised by his sons words, he had no problem answering his unasked question and he could see straight away that it was the answer he was looking for and despite everything that had happened, seeing his son looking so happy, well that just made it all bearable, especially knowing the truth about his wife, a truth that he could never let anyone else know.

"Thanks Dad, you're the best." Alex then says with an appreciative smile, after getting up from the sofa and quickly walking over to his dad and embracing him affectionately and while it was a little awkward with his dad still sitting down, he didn't care, he had the best dad in the whole universe and he was never going to stop letting him know how much he appreciated and loved him.

"You're the best son a father could ever want Alex, even if you have lost your way a few times along the way, the man you're now becoming, it's all I could have ever hoped for and I'm so proud of you and I always will be Alex." Gordon then decides to say in an emotional tone, as he looks up to his son, who was now standing up and looking down at him and despite the all the negatives in recent years, he genuinely loved his son and he was proud of the man he was becoming and even though he still had a bit of adjustment to get used to his sons sexuality completely, he couldn't be happier with who he had fallen in love with and Peter was just the most endearing boy he had ever met, well maybe Tobias Summers might just have him beat, but it didn't make his sons boyfriend any less enjoyable to be around.

"Even if I won't be giving you any grandchildren?" Alex then decides to ask with a cheeky grin and while it was a little embarrassing for himself, he wanted to have a little fun and get away from the serious stuff for a few minutes, just to clear his head a little and when he sees his dads expression, he knew he had made the right choice, it was just priceless.

"You know what, just for that, I think we should have a little man to man talk, I mean now that you have a boyfriend, you're going to need to know..." Gordon then begins to say in a teasing tone, after being initially shocked by his sons question and while he had felt himself blush a little, he quickly decided to turn the tables and as his son interrupts him with a horrified expression, he couldn't help but mentally give himself a pat on the back for his quick thinking.

"Dad... no, please, just no, no, no." Alex quickly states in a mortified tone, as he looks at his dad pleadingly and while he had been the one to start this, he was definitely regretting it now and was just praying that his dad was just trying to tease him, because the last thing he wanted was a sex talk, he still remembered the one they had already had and while he had to admit he learnt a lot, it was still something he did his best to never think about, so he definitely didn't want a repeat.

"Relax Alex, I was only messing around." Gordon quickly responds in an amused tone, before smiling as he watches his son sitting back down on the sofa. "Although and I'm being serious about this Alex, there are other options when it comes to having kids and I know you're only twelve Alex, but with things like adoption and fostering, being gay doesn't mean that you can't have children, especially these days and I would imagine in ten years time, things would change even more." He then decides to say with a warm smile and while it was a long way off and there was a possibility his son would never want a child, he wanted him to know that he had options, even if it was unlikely he had even thought about this kind of thing himself.

"I know Dad, but I'm only twelve and that's like years and years away, but I guess one day it would be nice to have a kid, but not until I'm old like you." Alex responds in a thoughtful tone, as he thinks about his dads words and while it was still kind of embarrassing, he had to admit that he had been curious about the possibility of having a son or daughter one day ever since he had talked to Matt and Ben a while ago and they had mentioned it and while it was a long way off, it was definitely something to think about, although he doubted he would bring it up with his boyfriend, they had only just got back together, there was no way he was going to freak him out by talking about kids and having them, that just wasn't going to well at all.

"Well, less of the old Alex, I'm not quite ready for retirement yet." Gordon then says with a slightly shake of the head, before sitting up a little and looking at the time. "Is there anything else you want to talk about Alex or do you want to be on your own for a while?" He then decides to ask with a warm smile and while he wanted to stay and try and help his son process everything he was going through, he also didn't want to crowd him and make him feel uncomfortable, he remembered being a kid himself and while he loved his parents, he needed his space as well and he had always tried his best to give his son that same space that his parents had given him, even if it was harder than he had ever thought it would be.

"I want you to stay, but I kind of just need to think as well Dad and I can't really do that with you here, you don't mind, do you?" Alex slowly responds with a loving smile and while he was actually tempted to just ask his dad to hold him while he thought about things, he just wanted to be alone and not have any distractions, even if it would be a good distraction.

"Tell you what Son, I'm going head upstairs and read a book for a while, so if you need anything, just let me know, if not, than just make sure the lights are all off before you go to bed and I will see you in the morning, how does that sound?" Gordon decides to suggest in response and while he wouldn't mind staying with his son, he really did understand and he was happy just to give him the option to call him if he needed anything, not that he thought he would, but he still wanted him to have that option and for him to know that it was okay to come to him.

"I will Dad and thanks, you know for everything, I love you." Alex responds from the heart and while he had never thought about it before, he was realising just how affectionate he was, especially towards his dad and while his old friends would have likely mocked him and maybe worse, he couldn't help but feel content and happy with how his life was now, his dad was amazing and his new friends were just the kind of friends that he had always wanted and of course, he had the best boyfriend he could have ever hoped for and now that they were back together, he was just happy and it had been a long time since he could say that.

"I love you too Alex and if you don't see you before we go to sleep, goodnight and see you in the morning." Gordon then says with a loving smile, after getting to his feet and moving in front of his son, who to his slight surprise quickly stands up and embraces him and as much as both of them had lost this past year, he couldn't be happier than he was right now and while he would miss his wife, especially knowing what she did for their son in the end, he loved his son and he was proud of the relationship that they had.

"Goodnight Dad and I will will check all the locks and windows before I go to bed, I promise." Alex then says with a smile, after letting his dad go and while he was a little surprised by the embrace himself, even though he did initiate it, it was just another sign of how close they were and despite still having a lot of thinking to do about other things, knowing that his dad loved him so much, just helped him relax and feel safe and quickly decides to give him another quick cuddle, before pulling away with a slightly sheepish expression.

"Goodnight Alex." Gordon then says with a slightly bemused expression and while he could have been a little worried by his sons slightly emotional behaviour, he could tell that he was happy and he didn't want to risk doing anything to change that and with a quick kiss to his forehead, he leaves the room and heads towards his bedroom with a content smile.

Two Days Later

"I can't believe we're getting our own puppy, it's going to be amazing Ben." Matt decides to say with an excited smile, as he brings over their plates and sits down opposite his fiancé, it wasn't often he was the one to cook and he was hoping he did a decent enough job, even if it was just steak and jacket potatoes, with a side salad and corn on the cob, he still wanted it to taste good.

"Yeah, but we still need to decide on a name and I don't know, I kind of liked the ones we thought of before, but now that we know we're allowed one, I don't know any more." Ben then says in response, after looking down at his plate, which looked amazing and while he preferred to cook, he liked when his fiancé did it as well and quickly gives him a big appreciative smile.

"Well I guess Ace and Rocky sounded pretty good, but yeah, we can keep talking about it, it's not like we can change it afterwards, so we should pick one that we both love." Matt then says with a smile, as he reaches for the salt and quickly sprinkles it over his plate, while watching his fiancé putting butter in his jacket potatoes and then swapping the salt for the butter and copying each other.

"Oh er... well I know we liked Rocky and Ace, but I kind of don't want to pick one of those now, can you think of anything other ones?" Ben then decides to ask in a hopeful tone, after trying to think of an alternative and while they had talked about this before a few times, he couldn't think of anything that they hadn't already thought of and he was hoping his fiancé could think of something.

"What about Shadow?" Matt quickly answers and while he wasn't sure what made him think of the name, he instantly liked it and as he looks across to his fiancé, he could see him thinking about it and then smiling and while they could change their minds again, he was pretty sure he just came up with the perfect name, even if he had no idea why he had thought of it.

"What made you say that?" Ben then asks as he looks at his fiancé curiously and while he liked the name, a lot, he was still surprised that he just came out with it and when they had talked before about names, he couldn't remember Shadow coming up once and was genuinely curious about what made his fiancé think of that name.

"I don't know, but do you like it?" Matt quickly asks in response and again, while he really didn't know why he thought of the name, he was happy with it and he was really hoping his fiancé felt the same way.

"Yeah, it's cool and yeah, I really like it, our puppy has a name." Ben responds enthusiastically, as he looks at his fiancé and while again, he thought they might talk about it again at some point, he really did love the name and he couldn't wait to tell everyone else, especially their brother, who they had been a little jealous of, because he had already picked his kittens name and they both loved the name Ty and he was definitely happy that their puppy now had a name as well.

"I can't wait until we go to the pet store next week, it's going to be so fun." Matt then says with a genuine smile, before cutting up his steak and eating a couple of pieces, as he looks across the table and sees his fiancé doing the same thing.

"This is really good, did you use that black pepper stuff Mitch gave us?" Ben decides to ask with an appreciative smile, as he takes a couple of bites of his steak and decided to change the subject and also make sure that his fiancé knew that he appreciated his cooking and even though neither of them would ever make it as a chef, he was happy that they could at least cook something for themselves, which he knew a lot of kids their age wouldn't be able to do and he couldn't help but be proud of them both.

"Yeah, but I wasn't sure how much to put in, so I just used a little bit." Matt answers with a smile and while he just guessed how much to use, he did air on the side of caution and he was pleased to see that his fiancé was enjoying it and quickly starts to eat some more himself. "What?" He then finds himself asking in a slightly paranoid tone, as he looks up and sees his fiancé just staring at him with a weird smile and while he didn't think it was anything bad, he couldn't quite read his expression.

"I was just thinking about everything and I don't know, it's just a bit weird, but in a good way." Ben responds honestly and gives his fiancé a shy look, after realising that he must have been staring at him and while he was a little embarrassed, he was also happy to share what he was thinking and as he looks at his fiancé's hand, he quickly notices the ring and smiled even more.

"Maybe I did use too much black pepper." Matt then states with a bemused expression, as he looks at his fiancé with a shake of the head after trying to work out what he was on about.

"Funny." Ben then quickly retorts with a shake of the head himself, before smiling happily at his fiancé. "But seriously Matt, I was just thinking about how everything has turned out and all the ups and downs we've been through and I don't just mean you and me, I mean everyone and then I just looked at our rings and it just makes me smile and think how everything seems to have worked out." He then decides to add with a soft smile, after realising that his fiancé had no idea what he was talking about.

"Okay, now I'm completely lost Ben... seriously, what the hell are you going on about?" Matt states in response, as he gives his fiancé a bemused smile and while he knew it was nothing bad or anything like that, he really had no idea what he was on about or what point he was trying to make.

"Love Matt, I'm talking about love." Ben then says with a smile, before rolling his eyes at his fiancé's expression. "Look at the past year Matt, well I guess year and a half, you and I are not only together, but we're engaged and we're going to be getting our own puppy soon, then look at Wesley and Carter, they're still together and come on, Wesley went from completely bet your life he was straight, to being in love with Carter and they've had a few big fights and yet, they're stronger than ever, even if they did have that weird thing going on with Tobias for a while, then you have Tobias himself, he's lost everything Matt, his entire family and yet, he's happy now, he has us and he has Lily and they love each other, then there is Peter and Alex and fucking hell Matt, look what they've been put through and yet, they're together again and they're happy, it's just amazing and then there is Mitch and Erica, I mean we all love Mitch and he deserves to have someone special and he found Erica and she's just amazing, even if she did touch your penis and balls that time, I still love her and then, if that's not enough Matt, look at our parents, my dad hasn't even been on a date since my mum died, I mean, Mitch and I could see he was missing something, but he wasn't interested in anyone and then your mum, who is amazing comes along and after what David did, I wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't want to be near another man, but despite that, they found each other and they didn't just do it, they waited and waited and they fell in love and I just think it's great, I think it's amazing Matt." He then states with a big grin, which just grows as he watches his fiancé's expression and while he could tell that he still didn't quite get it, he could tell that he felt the same way about everything he had just said and it just made him love him even more.

"Okay, you're going to have to spell it out for me Ben, because I kind of get it, because it is amazing and when you think about what we've all been through, it's even more amazing, but I still don't get what your point is and what it has to do with out rings, I just don't get it." Matt then says in a mixture of confusion and curiosity, as he looks at his fiancé and gives him a slightly pleading look and while he felt like he was going to look a bit stupid once his fiancé spelled it out for him, he just wanted to know, even if he did get teased for it.

"Amor Vincit Omnia, love conquers all Matt, don't you see, after everything, everything we've all been through and all they've been through, both individually and together, we all found love and it got us through it all, love really does conquer all." Ben then explains from the heart, as he looks across to his fiancé with a loving smile and as he sees the look of realisation on his face, he feels a few tears of happiness roll down his cheeks, as his fiancé stands up and limps around the table.

"Amor Vincit Omnia, Ben." Matt states lovingly, after limping around the table and kneeling down next to his fiancé and while he had been confused by him at first, he understood now and slowly takes his hands into his own. "I love you so much Ben and you and I are forever, no matter what." He then states from the heart, before slowly standing up with his fiancé and kissing him lovingly, he really understood what his fiancé was talking about and he was amazed when he thought about everything they had all been through and how one way or another, they had all managed to find happiness and as they slowly make their way into their bedroom, he knew that no matter what, love really did conquer everything.