Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:42:09 -0400 From: Matthew Andrews Subject: Astroria.love chapters 5 & 6 WARNING: This story contains gay sexual content. If this offends you, or is not legal in your city, state, country ect. then please exit this story. This is a fictional story. All people and events are not real. This is a love story, not a J.O. story. There will be no sex for the first couple of chapters, maybe a little longer. If this is not something that interest you, I suggest you look for something more your style. Astoria, Oregon is a real town, but I've never been there. I got all my info about Astoria on the internet. I will mention certain products or companies for discriptive purposes only. I'm not advertising or endorsing said products or companies. I found all my info on said products or companies online, where you can also find any © ®TM info about them. This is my first ever story and I do all the editing so if I missed something, forgive me please. I hope to get 2 chapters out a week, maybe every 2 weeks. But if I can get them out faster, I will. One other thing. I know some things in this story are unrealistic and maybe impossible or improbable, but it's just a story. Hope you enjoy it, you can always email me and let me know what you think. ASTORIAboutlove@gmail.com If you can, please make a donation to Nifty. It keeps the site going for all us readers and authors to enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +++ CHAPTER 5 +++ Sunday, March 23, 2014 ++++( CHASE )++++ Having just woken up, I lay in my bed and stretch the stiffness out of my body. I look at the alarm clock and see that it's almost 11:00 already. I'm still kinda tired. What happened last night is already on my mind. (SIGH) It was not a good night. I look over at Cole who is still sleeping. I love him so much. There has to be a way to get us out of here. Mattie! Maybe he can help us. I know Cole wouldn't want me to tell him whats going on, but it has to end. This time was really bad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- When we pulled up to our house, Mattie shut the car off and got out. Cole and I grabbed our stuff and got out ourselves. Mattie gave both of us a hug and said, "I hope you guys can come back next weekend. One of you call me and let me know. You guys call me if you need anything, Ok? Anytime, it doesn't matter. Love you guys. If you get that permission form signed Cole, call me to let me know and I'll pick you guys up on Monday morning. If not I'll see you later Monday, Ok? Oh, here take this." Mattie pulls out his wallet and hands us each a $50 bill. "Just take it ok. I want you guys to stash that somewhere. I want you to have it, so if you ever need it in an emergency, use it. Hide those gift cards you got too and if you come over this weekend, I'll take you to Sears and you can get something. Ok?" We nodded our heads. We both said goodbye to Mattie and started walking up to the front door. Mattie waited until we had the door open before getting back in his car. I looked back at him and waved. He waved back and then pulled away. When Cole and I got inside, we hung our coats up and took our shoes off. We took the bags we had to our room and found a place to hide the money and gift cards. Once we were done with that, Cole said he had some homework and test that Mattie wanted him to do and he wanted to get some of it done now so he wasn't doing it all day tomorrow. He took his things to the kitchen table and started working on it. I stayed in our room and put some music on quietly and got one of my drawing books. I worked on a drawing for what only seemed like maybe an hour, but it was past 8:00 when Cole came in with his bookbag and told Me he was done with his homework but still had the tests to do. He said he was gonna do some of those after we got something to eat. We searched the kitchen for something to eat, but there wasn't much. Dad hadn't been home yet and he usually gives Cole some money and we ride our bikes up to Safeway and get what we can with it since dad's too lazy or drunk to do it. I suggested we use a little bit of the money that Mattie gave us to order a pizza, but Cole said we should save it for a real emergency and if didn't eat all the pizza, dad would ask us how we got it. I didn't really think about that, so I agreed we should save the money. We had a couple eggs and some bread left so Cole just made us some egg sandwiches. After we ate, Cole started on some of the test before it got too late. I went around the house to make sure everything was cleaned up and then went back to our room to work on my drawing some more. Cole came back in about an hour later and told me he was too tired to finish everything and he was gonna do the rest tomorrow. I was pretty tired too, so we both started getting ready for bed. Just as we were walking into the bathroom to brush our teeth, we heard dad get home. I could tell he was drunk by how loud he was being. He was walking really loud, bumping into things and dropping stuff he picked up. After like two minutes he was quiet for a few moments, then we heard, "COLE! GET YOUR FUCKIN ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" I looked over at Cole like, "What the hell?" Cole got a look on his face like he just realized something and it wasn't good. "I left the folder out." he told me. I didn't really know what he was talking about. "What?" I asked him. "The tutoring folder, with the test and stuff in it." he said in a nervous voice. "Oh shit." I whispered. "NOW COLE!" dad yelled. Cole slowly walked to the kitchen, while I followed but stayed in the hall and listened. "Who the fuck did that to your hair?" dad asked. "My friend's mom cut it." Cole told him. "Well, it looks like shit." dad said. Cole didn't say anything so my dad asked, "And what the FUCK is all this? A fuckin tutor Cole? So, you not doing your school work now?" Cole didn't answer right away and I heard a (SLAP). I heard Cole let out a little whine. "Answer me boy!" dad said. "I'm sorry dad. I've been trying, really, but I just don't understand some of the stuff, so they want a tutor to work with me on some things." Cole said. (SLAP) "Don't you lie to me boy. I know better than that. You never had any problems before. You're just gettin fuckin lazy. (SLAP) I heard what sounded like Cole fall down. "GET UP! NOW!" dad said. "Dad, I'm sorry I just-" Cole started to say before my dad cut him off with another (SLAP) "I won't have you bein a lazy little shit. You're gonna learn to be a man, even if I gotta beat it into you." dad said. I heard what sounded like him taking his belt off. "Dad please!" Cole said. All I heard after that was (CRACK, CRACK, CRACK) over and over again and Cole crying and pleading for him to stop. I don't know how many times Cole got hit before I heard him fall again and my dad say, "Oh, you wanna cover up your ass?" (CRACK, CRACK, CRACK) I heard everything go quiet for a moment, then I heard my dad say, "You let go of the belt right now Cole." "Oh shit!" I thought to myself. "Dad, please stop. I'll try harder I promise." Cole said "I said let go off the belt Cole." dad said in a really scary sounding voice. "No!" Cole told him. "Oh no. Why'd you have to say that Cole. It's gonna be worse now." I thought. "NO? Fine, I don't need the belt!" dad said. All I heard after that was my dad hitting him over and over with his bare hands and cole screaming out every time he got hit. I don't know how long it went on before I heard my dad stop and after a moment he said, "Get up!" I didn't hear anything. "I SAID GET UP, NOW!" dad yelled. I didn't hear Cole move. "Whatever, lay there you lazy little fucker. You can stay there all night for all I care, you fuckin pussy." dad said. I heard dad moving toward the hall so I ran to our room and closed and locked the door. I heard my dad make his way to his room and slam the door. I wanted to rush out to Cole, but I wanted to make sure dad wasn't gonna come back out. I figured with how drunk he was and how much energy he just used, it would only take him a few minutes to fall asleep. Once I thought he was asleep, I crept my way into the kitchen. I thought for sure that Cole was dead when I saw him. I couldn't tell if he was breathing and he had blood running from his nose and lip where it was busted. I could already tell he was gonna have a big bruise on his cheek. I also saw that his glasses were broken. I walked over to him and got on my knees next to where he was laying. I was just about to touch his shoulder when he slightly opened his eyes and asked in a really weak voice, "Is he asleep now Chase?" I felt tears falling down my cheeks. I nodded my head and said, "Yeah I think he is. I'm pretty sure I could hear him snoring when I walked into the hall. Are you hurt bad Cole? I heard everything. I know he hit you a bunch of times with the belt and his hands." "It really hurts, but I think I'm ok. That fucker broke my glasses." he said as he grabbed his glasses and tossed them across the kitchen floor. "I'm sorry Cole. I should have done something. You always look out for me, but I never help you when you need it. I guess I'm just a coward." I said while crying. "Don't Chase. I wouldn't want you to do anything and don't you ever try. You're younger and smaller than me and he could really hurt you bad." Cole got a really angry look on his face and said, "I hate him. He's a fucking hypocrite. He calls me a lazy little shit, but he's the lazy one. We do all the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and I'm the one who does all the cooking. I help you with homework and look after you. Don't you take that the wrong way, because I'd do that stuff for you anyway, but it's supposed to be his job. He's the damn parent. He expects us to just do all this stuff and what's he do, catch fish and drink all the time. Some parent." I started running my fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes. We sat like that for a minute before he asked, "Will you help me up Chase. I just want to go lay in my bed." I nodded my head and slowly helped him get up. The whole time he was wincing and holding his left side. I helped him slowly walk back to our room and sit on his bed. I helped him get his shirt off and saw red marks all over his chest and sides where dad had hit him. This was the worst it had ever been and I thought, "If this doesn't stop, dad's gonna kill him." I wiped his bloody face with his shirt and he laid back on the bed. I helped him out of his pants and he slowly moved up the bed as I pulled his cover down. When he got comfortable enough, I covered him up. He barely got out a raspy sounding, "Thank you Chase." before he was asleep. I stripped down to my underwear and went over to my bed. I crawled in and just sat there and watched Cole for a while, just to make sure he was ok. I don't know how long I watched him but eventually I fell asleep. I didn't sleep very good at all though. I would hear Cole moan in his sleep from the pain and it would wake me up. I'd watch him for a while before falling asleep again. This went on all night. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So now, while Cole's still sleeping, I'm thinking about what I should do. I think anything would be better than the way things are now. As long as Cole and I get to stay together, I wouldn't care to go into a foster home or something. I'm not sure what to do though. That's why I think I should call Mattie. Now I just have to get Cole to agree with it. I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom to relieve myself. Once I'm done, I can't help but notice that the house is really quiet. Dad's not snoring and it doesn't even sound like he's here. I walk to the front window and take a look out to see if his truck is here. It's not, so I guess he went somewhere already. It looked really gloomy out and it was raining a little. I walked back into our room and went up to Cole's bed. I wanted to let him sleep, but I wanted to talk to him while I had a chance. Not knowing how long dad was gonna be gone, I figured I should do it now. I pulled Cole's cover back a little and climbed in behind him. He was laying on his right side with his back to me. I saw a bunch of red belt marks all over him when I looked at his back. I reached out and felt his back. I could feelthe welts and it was kinda hot. I started rubbing his back a little but he didn't wake up. I figured I would softly sing a song to him until he was awake. I thought of a song that kinda fit the day and started softly singing it. It was my own version of "Sunday Morning" *** Sunday morning rain is falling Steal some covers, share some skin Clouds are shrouding us with moments unforgettable You twist to fit the mold that I am in. Things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do I would gladly hit the road, get up and go if I knew That someday it would bring me back to you That someday it would bring me back to you Someday, That may be all I need In darkness you are all I see So Cole, rest your bones with me Driving slow on Sunday morning And I never want to leave *** I heard Cole let out a little sigh. I could tell he was awake now, but I kept singing. I started rubbing his side and back really lightly. *** Fingers trace your every outline "Oh yeah yeah" Paint a picture with my hands "Oh Oh" Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm Change the weather, still together when it ends But things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you Singing one day it'll bring me back to you Find a way to bring myself back home to you You may not know, that may be all I need In darkness you are all I see So Cole, rest you bones with me Driving slow on Sunday morning And I never want to leave And I never want to leave *** Cole turned onto his back and looked at me. We both had some tears in our eyes. I started rubbing his chest and it looked like he was about to say something, but before he could I told him, "I wanna call Mattie." He looked at me like he didn't understand what I was trying to say. "I can't keep watching you go through this Cole. It was really bad this time. Next time, he could kill you. I want to call Mattie. I think he can help us. I'd rather us be in a foster home together, than watch you getting hurt or watch you die." I told him. I was expecting him to argue about it, but he just stared at me, released a big sigh and said, "Ok Chase." We laid there for a few more minutes just looking at each other. I leaned in and gave him a short, soft kiss then asked, "Where's Mattie's number?" "In the pants that I changed out of Friday evening before we left. They should be on the floor by the closet." he said. I got out of his bed a found his pants. I searched the pockets and found the paper with the number on it. I ran out to the kitchen, grabbed the phone then ran back to our room and locked the door. I walked back over to Cole's bed and sat down next to him. I punched the numbers into the phone and waited for Mattie to answer. "Hello?" Mattie said. "Mattie, this is Chase." I said "Hey Chase. What's up?" he asked. "Mattie can you come get us?" I asked him. "What's going on Chase?" he asked. "If you can come, I'll tell you when you get here. If my dad's green Blazer is in the driveway, just wait for us to come out. If it's not there, park down the road a little, then walk around the back and knock on the window on the left side of the back door." I told him. "Um, Ok Chase. I'll be there as fast as I can. I wanna know what's going on after I get there though." he said. "Ok Mattie. Try to hurry please." I said. "I will Chase. See you in a few minutes." he tells me. "Bye Mattie." I say. I hang up the phone, turn to Cole and say, "I'm gonna get some stuff ready. We're not gonna stay here. Hopefully Mattie will let us stay with him, but if not, we'll figure something else out. I'm sure Mattie will let us stay though." Cole nods his head and I get up and start getting some things ready. I pack us a few clothes and set those by our door. I grab our bookbags and set them there too. Cole then asks me, "Will you run out and grab all the papers and that folder off the table?" I nod to him and run out and grab everything. I come back to our room and put the papers back into the folder, then stick that in Cole's bookbag. Next I get dressed in some red cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. I grab a pair old black shorts and a red t-shirt for Cole to wear. I help him sit up on the edge of the bed and put the clothes on. His body looks worse now. It's starting to bruise really bad all over his chest and he's got a pretty good one on his face. Just as I'm getting his shirt on, I hear a knock on the window. I run out and open the back door for Mattie. "Hey." he says. "Come with me. I wanna hurry because I don't know when my dad will be back. " I tell him. He gives me a concerned look and follows me to the bedroom. "OH MY GOD! What happened to you?" Mattie says once he sees Cole's face. Cole just lowers his head and doesn't answer. "Did your dad do this?" Mattie asks me. I nod my head and Mattie looks like he wants to kill my dad. I tell him, "He found the folder with all the tutor stuff in it and went crazy on Cole. He said Cole was just being lazy and he said he was gonna make a man out of him by beating him, I guess." Mattie sits down next to Cole on the bed and says, "I'm so sorry Cole. If I would have known-" Cole cuts him off by saying, "Don't Mattie. This is not your fault. This has been going on for a while. The tutoring stuff was just another excuse for my dad to take something out on me. Normal parents don't do stuff like this. He's been an angry drunk since my mom died and he treats Chase and me like shit. He's hit me before but it's never been this bad. He was really drunk last night." "Lift up your shirt Cole." I tell him. Cole lifts his shirt and shows Mattie his chest and back. Mattie looks like he is halfway between being sick and rage. He pulls his phone out and says, "I'm gonna take off your shirt for a minute Cole. I want pictures of this." Cole nods his head and Mattie carefully takes his shirt off. He takes a bunch of pictures, puts Cole's shirt back on and says to us, "I'm not gonna let you guys come back here. I want you to get anything you want to bring to my house and pack it up real quick. I'm gonna take you to see my mom and let her decide what to do. I'm assuming since you called me that you want to leave and like, never come back here again, am I right?" We nod our heads and I point to the stuff that I packed already and said, "I packed some stuff, but there is a few things I wanna grab real quick." Mattie nods his head, then I start gathering the few things I want to bring. My art book, CD's, our picture of us with mom and my bear that mom gave me when I was little and stuff everything into my duffle bag with the clothes I packed. I ask Cole, "Is there anything you want me to grab?" "Yeah, grab my treasure box out of the closet." he tells me. I know what he's talking about, so I find it in the closet and stick it in his bag. Then I remember the money Mattie gave us and the giftcards, so I grab those and put them in Cole's bag. Mattie asks, "Is that everything?" we nod our heads. "Ok. I'm gonna run this stuff to my car real fast. Chase, I want you to gather your shoes and coats and bring them in here. Get your's on and help Cole get his on, Ok?" "Ok." I tell him. Mattie grabs our duffel bags and bookbags and makes his way out the back door. I run to the livingroom and get our shoes and coats. I run back to our room and put mine on, then help Cole. Once I'm done I sit next to Cole and rest my head on his shoulder. I hear Mattie come back through the back door a few moments later. He walks in our room and stares at us for a minute before he walks over and kneels in front of us. He tells us, "I don't want you guys to worry, Ok. I'm gonna make sure my mom knows that I want you guys to stay with us. I know she can get a really good lawyer, so if I have my way, you guys will live with us as long as you want. You never have to come back here again. I'm pretty sure your dad is gonna get arrested though. And CPS is gonna get involved but my mom will deal with all that. We might need to take you to the hospital too Cole. Anyway, we'll deal with all that when we get home so, let's get out of here before your dad comes back." Mattie and I help Cole up and we all make our way out the front door. Mattie had parked his car down the street, so it took a minute to get there. We helped Cole into the front seat, then Mattie and I got in. We all got our seatbelts on and Mattie started up the car. Just as he was about to pull out, Cole spotted dads truck coming down the street. Mattie told Cole and I to duck down as far as we could. Cole slid down in his seat and I laid across the back seat. I heard dad drive by us so I peeked over the back seat. Dad parked in the driveway and got out of his truck. I watched him walk in the front door, then turned to Mattie and said, "We better go now Mattie." Mattie pulls away from the curb and we make our way down the street. After a minute of silence Mattie asked Cole, "Exactly what happened last night, I mean, when your dad did this, what all did he do?" Cole told Mattie everything that happened and I filled in a few things that I remembered. Mattie then asked, "Did you get knocked out?" "Yeah, I remember waking back up right before Chase came into the kitchen." Cole told him. "Do you have a headache or feel sick right now?" Mattie asked. "Yeah, a little bit of both." Cole told him. "You could have a concussion. I think we should get you checked out really soon. I'm sure my mom is gonna want you to go when she sees you." The rest of the drive was silent. I was really tired from not getting much sleep last night. I was almost asleep when we pulled up to the gate at Mattie's house. He opened the gate, drove through and then pulled around in front of the house. Once Mattie shut off the car, I got out and went around to help Cole get out. Mattie got our things out of the car and we all walked up to the front door. Since Mattie had his hands full he asked me to open the door. Once I opened it, we all walked in and lead us into the livingroom. I helped Cole sit down on the couch and Mattie told us he was gonna go find his mom. I sat down next to Cole and started taking his coat off. Once I had his off, I took mine off also. "My back's kinda hurting from sitting in the car" Cole told me. "Here, lay on your side and put your head in my lap. That way you're not putting pressure on it." I said. Cole turned onto his right side and rested his head on my left thigh. I started to run my fingers through his hair and with my left hand I lifted the back of his shirt so his back could get some air on it. "Oh man. I forgot about my go-kart in the shed." Cole tells me a few minutes later. "I know it kinda means something to you because mom got it for you but, that thing is a heap of junk Cole. It didn't run when you got it and it never has since. We could maybe get it sometime, but I really don't think it's even worth it." I tell him. "Yeah. I know the motor was junk, but at least we could save the body of it. It was still in good shape and I spent a lot of time last summer painting it." he says. "I'll ask Mattie later if we can get it sometime." I tell him. He nods his head a little and looks like he's about to fall asleep again. I just keep rubbing his head with my fingers and about a minute later, Mattie walks back into the livingroom.. +++ CHAPTER 6 +++ ++++( MATTIE )++++ I was standing on the balcony outside my bedroom and couldn't remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in my bed last night. I was naked, but didn't feel cold at all. The moon was shining so brightly, it made my body look like it was glowing. I noticed in my right hand was someone else's small hand. I was really confused. There shouldn't be anyone here. How did they get up here and why didn't it trip the alarm? I looked to my right to see who was standing next to me. "Finley?" This just isn't possible. He looked just like he had the last time I saw him alive, except he was naked too. "How are you here and why are we naked Fin?" I asked. "Hi Mattie. I dunno how I'm he-ya, I just is, and I dunno, I likes bein nekkid." he says in his cute little boy voice that makes me smile and almost start crying at the same time. God how I miss it. "What are we doing out here Fin?" I asked. "I just likes it out he-ya." he says. "Ok but, what is this Fin? What is this all about?" I asked. "Weeeeeeeeell, they says I can tell you goodbye, cuz I can't help you no more." he tells me. "Who is "they" Fin and what do you mean you can't help me anymore?" I asked. "The people who gived me my wings, see." he turns around and shows me a small pair of beautiful white feather wings. "They let me help you sometimes and you didn't know I was they-ya, but I was. I had'ta make sure things worked juuuust right. I know you was sad that I died, but I had'ta die for it to work right. You had'ta move he-ya and that never was gonna happen if I didn't die. So don't be sad no more Mattie. You gots two new brothers that need you. It's your, um, deskiny." he tells me. "You mean destiny?" I asked "Yeah, destiny. Oh, and I'm s'posed to tell you, "watch out for the little fire." I dunno what it means, but I had'ta tell you that." he tells me with a serious look on his face. "So you've been watching and helping me all this time?" I asked. "No, only when they said I needed to. Like when you didn't wanna do the tutor thing, I kinda made you think 'bout how you could help some kids out. You had'ta do it. It was part of the plan." he says. "So was it really you that talked to me the other day?" I asked. "Yup. They let me talk to you then." he tells me. "So how come you've never talked to me before Fin?" I asked. "I tried to, but you never heard it, just the last time. I tried lot'sa times cuz I was sad when I watched you cryin, but they told me you was not s'posed to hear me until it was time." he said, then let go of my hand and held his arms out like he wanted me to pick him up. I grabbed him under his arms and picked his little naked body up and brought him into my chest. He wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist. I put one hand on his lower back and one on his little naked butt and hugged him. I felt tears on my cheeks as I held him. I put my nose in his thin blond hair and smelled his little boy scent. He smelled just like I remembered. "I've missed you so much little brother." I told him, then I kissed the top of his head. "I missed you too. But you got'sa be happy now Mattie. Don't be sad on our birthdays no more. You got'sa make them good days now." he tells me. I hold him for a few minutes before he says, "I got'sa go now Mattie. I love you. I'll see you again someday and then we'll be together forever." I hug him tight and tell him I love him too. He wraps his little wings around me and my whole body starts to tingle. He says, "You got'sa wake up now Mattie. They need you. You been asleep for too long and if you don't get up now, the whole plan is ruined. Bye Mattie." he kisses my cheek and everything goes white. I woke up in a cold sweat and for a minute it was hard for me to breathe. I about jumped out of my skin when my phone started ringing. It was Chase asking for me to come get him and Cole. After I got off the phone I rushed to my closet to throw some clothes on. I stripped out of my old boxer briefs and pulled out a red pair of CK briefs. I don't usually wear briefs, only occasionally. I only grabbed them because I was in a hurry. I slipped the briefs on and put on a pair or black Diesel Koolter jeans. I snatched a t-shirt from the rack. It was a green and black DC long sleeved t-shirt. I scanned my shoes really quickly and found my pair of white and black DC Court Sport skate shoes and slipped them on. I ran back to my nightstand and grabbed my phone. Next I ran to the kitchen, snatched my keys off the counter and made my way downstairs, through the garage and out to my car. I got in, buckled my seatbelt, started the car up and then I was on my way to Cole and Chase's house. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't know if what happened with Fin was a dream or not but it seemed real to me. You guys probably think I'm crazy." I said, telling Cole and Chase everything that happened last night or this morning? I guess it didn't really matter when it actually happened. I was sitting next to them on the couch in the livingroom, waiting for my mom to come down. She was calling a lawyer and one of the people who worked in her antique store. She was good friends with someone who worked for CPS and was going to get their number and call them. Once she was done we were going to take Cole to the hospital to get him checked out. The lawyer and CPS person were supposed to meet us there. "I believe you Mattie. Even though it's kinda sad, it's really kinda awesome too. You got to see Finley again for a little while." Cole said. "Yeah, you're right. It was pretty special. I guess if that was real, he's been my guardian angel all this time." I said. We all sat silent for a few moments before I said, "I wonder what "the little fire" is? I have no idea what it's supposed to mean and Fin didn't know either." I tell them. "Yeah, that's kinda weird. I hope there's not gonna be a fire." Chase says. "Me too, but somehow I don't think that's what it meant. I'll have to think about it later." I tell Chase. He nodded his head and we sat in silence for a few moments until I asked them, "Would you guys like to put some different clothes on while we wait for my mom?" They looked at each other for a moment and Chase said to me, "Yeah sure. You and I can go grab some of the clothes you gave us." I nodded my head and waved my hand at Chase, telling him to follow me. We made our way to my apartment and into the guest room. Once we got there I said, "I put all your stuff on the left and all of Cole's on the right. I'm gonna set both these guest rooms up for you guys when we get all this settled, so you'll each have a room. That is if you both want to stay here with me and not in the main house." "Yeah, I'd much rather stay in here with you. I'm sure Cole does too." Chase said. "I'm gonna take you guys shopping in Portland when Cole feels better and maybe like tomorrow, you and I can make a trip to sears to get some stuff." I said. Chase gave me a big smile and said, "Cool. Well that is, if they let us stay here." "Don't worry about that. I know my mom will work it out." I told him. He nodded his head and started looking through the clothes. I started trying to find something Cole could wear that would be kinda loose and comfortable. I grabbed a white pair of Polo boxer briefs, a plain white pair of ankle socks, red and white Adidas Trio 13 soccer shorts, a grey Adidas Portland Trail Blazers long sleeved shirt and the Adidas shoes I gave him. I looked over at Chase and he was just slipping a pair of grey CK boxer briefs over his plump little white butt. Wow! He had a nice ass. Shit, now I'm lusting after a 10 year old, well almost 11 year old. (Sigh) What the hell is wrong with me. He finished pulling the boxer briefs up, then put his red cargo shorts back on. He put on a black and red Zoo York t-shirt and the Adidas shoes I gave him. He turned back around facing me and I asked, "You ready?" He nodded his head and said, "Yup." We made our way back into the main house and downstairs to the livingroom. Cole looked like he was asleep, but sat up when we walked in. I set the clothes down on the couch and told Chase, "You might wanna help him change in the bathroom in the hallway." He looked at Cole and said to me, "Uh, you should come too Mattie. He looks kinda out of it right now. I could probably use your help to like balance him while I help him put the clothes on." I looked at him with a kinda shocked expression for a moment, then looked at Cole. He looked like he really didn't care if I helped or not. I looked back at Chase and said, "Uh, ok I guess. As long as Cole doesn't mind." Cole shrugged his shoulders, so we helped stand him up. I grabbed the clothes and followed them into the bathroom. I closed the door and set the clothes down on the counter of the sink. I was a little boned up already just thinking about Cole getting naked. I knew I shouldn't be thinking like that but I couldn't help it. I just hoped they couldn't tell I was sporting a boner. When I helped Chase get Cole's shirt off I could tell he was still in a bit of pain. Chase started pulling the shorts down Cole's legs so I put my arm around his back and let him rest his arm across my shoulders. Even with Cole having bruises and welts all over, I still thought he was really sexy. (Ugh) He's in pain and I'm thinking about how sexy he is. Chase finished pulling the shorts off Cole's legs and reached for his briefs. I couldn't watch or I was probably gonna blow a load, so I turned my head. I heard Chase grabbing the boxer briefs off the counter and then I felt Cole stepping into them. I waited until I was sure he had them on before I turned my head. Chase was holding the Adidas shorts out for Cole to step into. Once he had the shorts pulled up Cole's legs, he grabbed the shirt and we got it on him. We sat Cole on the toilet seat and put his socks on him. Once we were done we lead him back out to the livingroom. While Chase helped him put the shoes on, I was looking at Cole. I kept thinking something was different about him and then it hit me. "Hey Cole. Where's your glasses?" I asked. "My dad broke them. I don't know what I'm gonna do now. I guess I can still see ok, but not great." he told me. "Well don't worry about it. We can get you new, even better glasses or if you want, we can get you contacts. You've got really nice eyes and they get kinda hidden behind the glasses." I said, but then realized that I just told him I liked his eyes and started blushing. Cole smiled at me and said, "You got really nice eyes too Mattie." he blushed a little too. I heard Chase make a little snorting sound and Cole whisper, "Shut up." "I've never tried contacts before." Cole told me. "Well, we could get you some and a pair of glasses and if you don't wanna wear the contacts, just wear the glasses." I said just as my mom walked in. "Took you long enough." I told her. She gasped when she walked in and saw Cole for the first time. She got a really sad look on her face and shook her head. "I wish I could have 5 minutes alone with that man. I would-" she let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head again. "Well, I just got off the phone with Laura, she's from CPS. I told her everything that was going on and that we wanted to take Cole and Chase in and she's gonna bring some paperwork and meet us at the hospital. She said it shouldn't be a problem for them to stay with us. I talked to a really good family lawyer too and he will meet us at the hospital too, so we should really get going. Just to let you know Cole, you're going to have to talk to the police and CPS about this." she said. Cole told her that was fine. "Did you guys eat breakfast," I looked at Cole and Chase who shook their heads. "Well I didn't either, so I say we stop and grab something on the way because it's like almost 1:00 and I'm starving." I looked at my mom and she just nodded her head and said, "That will be fine, but we should go now. We need to hurry." I stood up and Chase helped Cole up. They got their coats on and I grabbed my white Nike Club Swoosh zip-up hoodie that was hanging by the door and put it on. My mom got her coat on too, then said, "I'm going to take the Mercedes because we will probably be there for a while. They can ride there with you and if you and Chase wanna go somewhere after we get Cole into a room, you guys can leave without having to worry about coming back for us. I'll drive us back here if we get finished while you guys are out." "Ok, that'll work." I told her. Chase was already helping Cole into the front seat. Cole looked like he was doing a little better at moving around, so hopefully he wasn't in as much pain. I walked around and got in the driver's seat and started the car. Chase got in the back and we all buckled up. I waited for my mom to drive past before I started following her. We drove out the gate and made our way toward town. We made a quick stop at McDonald's since it was closest to the hospital. We all ate our food on the way and were done by the time we got into the hospital parking lot. I parked and shut the car off. We waited for my mom to park next to us before we all got out. Cole said he was able to get out by himself, so we didn't help him this time. Once we got into the hospital, Cole, Chase and I sat down in the waiting area, while my mom talked to someone about getting Cole checked out. Shortly after my mom came back and sat down with us, Laura Williams from CPS and our lawyer, Greg Yates showed up. After introductions, Laura started asking Cole and Chase questions about how their home life was and what happened last night. A nurse came out and got Cole about 10 minutes later, so he was taken back to be examined. Laura and Greg went with him, but we had to stay since we weren't allowed back there. About 20 minutes later, Laura asked Chase to come back so she could finish her interview. My mom and I waited for about 45 minutes before Chase came back out and said Laura wanted my mom so they could go over some things. Chase told me that it was ok for us to sit with Cole while the adults were having a meeting. Chase and I sat and talked with Cole for about 20 minutes. He told us they had taken a bunch of pictures and the doctor was going to run some test on him later. Once my mom, Laura and Greg came back to the room, my mom explained that she had signed temporary guardianship papers for Cole and Chase and she was going to file for permanent guardianship when they went to court on Thursday. They were also filing to have Cole and Chase's dad's parental rights taken away. She told us they had talked to the police while they were doing the paperwork, the police saw the pictures and were going to arrest their dad. Since Laura and Greg were finished with everything, they left and my mom told us that Cole would have to be here for a while, so we could go somewhere if we wanted to. I looked at Chase and he just shrugged his shoulders. "Ok. Come on Chase, we'll go to Sears for a while. If Cole gets released before we're done mom, call me." I said. "Ok boys, have fun." my mom said to us. Chase and I made our way out of Cole's room and back out of the hospital. We walked to my car and got in. We got our sealtbelts on and I started up the car. I pulled out of the hospital parking lot and started the drive to Sears. "So we get to stay with you guys, like forever?" Chase asked. "I hope so. That's what we want to happen, as long as you guys want that too." I told him. "Ok." he said, then stared out the side window. "Is something wrong Chase." I asked after he didn't say anything for a few minutes. "No, I'm fine. I'm just really tired because I didn't get much sleep last night. I was awake half the night watching Cole. After I fell asleep I kept hearing Cole make these moaning sounds from the pain and it would wake me up. That happened all night." he said. "Well you should've just told me Chase. You want to go home and take a nap?" I asked him. "Yeah, I'm really tired Mattie." he said. "Ok bud. I'll take you home so you can rest for a while. We can do some shopping some other time. No big deal." I told him as I turned toward the direction of my house, well OUR house now. I smiled as I thought about that. After a few minutes of silence, I turned to Chase and saw he was already asleep, leaning against the door of the car. (Sigh) He looked so cute while he was sleeping. I can't believe I'm thinking about how cute an 11 year old is. That's not normal right? Well, it's not like I can do anything about it, so I'll just have to deal with it. I'll just ignore it and I'll be fine. Once we made it through the gate at our house, I parked under the covered car port, parked the car and shut it off. I got out and walked around to the passenger side. I opened the door, unbuckled Chase's seatbelt and scooped him up. He woke up a little, wrapped his arms around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. It sent shivers down my spine and gave me goosebumps. I kicked the car door closed with my foot and pressed the alarm button on my key fob to lock the car. Normally I would be kind of upset that mom had forgotten to reset the alarm on the garage, but I was kind of thankful this time. I couldn't reach my phone to turn it off, so I just tried the door. It was unlocked and the alarm was off, so I guess it was a good thing. I kicked the door closed and made my way upstairs. I unlocked my door and went inside, kicking that door closed too. I figured I'd just take a short nap with Chase, so I carried him into my room. I laid him down on the bed, pulled his shoes and coat off and pulled the covers up around him. I toed my shoes off also, took my hoodie off, grabbed my phone out of the pocket and set the alarm for 2 hours. I set the phone down on the nightstand, stripped my jeans off and climbed into bed next to chase. Once I pulled the covers over myself, I felt Chase roll a bit and cuddle up to my side. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back through his shirt. I loved how he felt in my arms and how he smelled. He tucked his head into my neck and said, "I love you Mattie." I wasn't sure if he was really awake or not but I told him, "I love you too Chase. Get some rest buddy. I'll wake you back up in a little while." He lifted his head and looked at me with sleepy eyes. He smiled for a second before he moved his face close to mine and gave me a really sweet little kiss, right on the lips. It only lasted maybe 5 seconds before he laid his head back down. After the shock wore off, I started rubbing his back again. I could tell he was asleep after about a minute and I followed not long after. I was woken up by someone moving on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw Cole climbing in on my left side. I looked at the doorway and saw my mom standing there. She whispered, "I tried to call, but you must not have heard it. I thought you were going shopping?" "We were going to, but Chase was really tired. He was up half the night. I just brought him back here for a nap." I whispered back to her. She nodded her head and said, "Well make sure you don't sleep all day, it's about 4:00 now. Try to get back up soon." "I'll get Chase and I up in about and hour. I think Cole should sleep for as long as he needs it." I told here. She nodded her head again and walked out of the room. Cole had climbed in under the covers and was laying on his stomach next to me. Once my mom left the room, he turned on his side a little, wrapped both his arms around my left arm and layed his head on my shoulder. I had Chase cuddled on my right and Cole on my left. I felt so at peace and a warm feeling filled my chest. Cole moved his left arm to my chest and put his hand about where my heart was. Almost like he could feel what I was feeling at that moment. I heard him let out a short sigh before he started to drift off to sleep. I laid awake for a few minutes thinking about how much these two boys had changed my life in the last couple of days. We've all had to deal with both good and bad situations, but it's drawn us closer together. I feel such a strong bond between them in such a small amount of time, it's truely amazing. Hopefully soon everything will settle down and we can start making a better, happier life for them. They deserve better than what they've had to go through and I was gonna do everything I could to make sure they got everything they needed. I was so comfortable at that moment that I couldn't fight my tired eyes any longer and soon fell back asleep along with these two beautiful boys. (Maroon 5 - Sunday Morning © 2003 Octoscope Music, LLC) (Yes I know those aren't the actual lyrics, I changed them some. If you would like to hear what I think Chase would sound like and how he would sing this song, go to YT and search * Sunday Morning cover - John Robert * or go to his YT page * rmrimel1* and look for the song. The video is poor quality, but this kid does an amazing job on the song. At least I think he does!)