"So David can't help you at all?" Eddy asked, topping of Charlie's glass of wine.

"It's not a legal proceeding," Charlie said, chugging the wine faster than his sister had anticipated.

"Easy on the medicine. I only brought one bottle."

"It's hopeless. Unless Robbie retracts his statement... "

"Alright, buck up Chuck. This whole doom and gloom thing is so beneath you."

"There's nothing I can do to fix this!"

"Well, take a shower, shave, and change your clothes for a start. You're pretty gamey, truth be told."

"Hey!" Charlie protested.

"Seriously, Chuck. There's a smell."

"Grumble, grumble, grumble," grumbled Charlie.

"I love ya li'l bro, I do. And I support you no matter what shit you're wading through in your life. But I do not and will not condone this moping. This isn't the Charlie I know." The buzzer interrupted the pep talk and Eddy got up to answer it.

"Charlie," said the muffled voice on the other side. "It's Ben. Can I come up?"

"Don't let him up!" Charlie said. "I don't want him to see me like this."

"Come on up," Eddy said, buzzing Ben up. She threw off her brother's indignant glare with a roll of the eyes as she went to unlock the front door. "Maybe this is exactly how he needs to see you. Maybe the promise of hot man action will help you find the pair you've lost."

"Hi," Ben said hopefully, opening the door and peeking in.

"Good to see you Benjamin," Eddy smiled, opening the door for him to step all the way in. She took his coat and noticed that he had brought a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. "Ah, the good doctor brought some medicine. I see my services are no longer needed here."

"Eddy, wait!" Charlie started, but it was too late: her coat was on and she was halfway out the door.

"You boys make nice now," she said as she dashed down the stairs. Ben and Charlie stared at each other for a moment.

"How are you?" Ben finally asked.

"Alright," Charlie said, averting his gaze. "Well, as alright as can be expected."

"I've been calling."

"I know."

"Are you mad at me? Because like I said on voicemail, I'm really sorry about how we left things... "

"No, of course I'm not mad at you. How could I be?"

"Because... well, you haven't called me back."

"Aren't you going to ask me if it's true? If I did it?"

Ben shook his head in disbelief. "I know you didn't."

Charlie chuckled to himself with self-pity. "Sorry, I just... this whole thing has thrown me for a loop and... it's really embarrassing."

Ben took his hand. "Well I'm here for you. If you wanna talk or... "

"You don't have to Ben."

"I know I don't have to," Ben said, kissing Charlie's hand. "I want to." The buzzer interrupted this tender moment. They looked at each other quizzically, but then Charlie noticed Eddy's scarf on the floor.

"Must be Eddy coming back for her scarf," Charlie said. Ben got up and buzzed her up.

"Well, how about we start by making you some dinner. Looks like you've been on a liquid diet lately." Charlie smiled weakly as he got up to let Eddy in and Ben walked into the kitchen. He didn't deserve any of this, the good or the bad, but maybe the fact that so many people were rallying around him was a sign that he was doing something right. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, the person at the other end forced it open, nearly knocking Charlie over.

"Where is he, Parker?" shouted the man, barging his way in.

"Where is who? Who the fuck are you?"

"My son, Robbie. His bedroom window is open and there's rope made out of bed sheets dangling out of it. Did you kidnap him, you pervert?"

"Mr. Pittman, I haven't seen your son in weeks... "

"What's all the commotion out here?" Ben asked, rushing in from the kitchen.

"Do you know where my son is?" demanded Mr. Pittman.

"Whoa. Sir, I don't know who you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to calm down."

"This pervert molested my son and now he's hiding... "

"Whoa! Hold on there a minute, my boyfriend is not a pervert! If you'll forgive me, sir, I believe that your son is misguided and confused and once this whole thing blows over, you'll find yourself very thankful that my boyfriend is very forgiving and won't be pressing assault or trespassing charges. I however am not so forgiving, so I suggest you leave before I call the police. And before you protest or try to threaten either of us further, I might add that one of my close friends is on the Chicago Police Force, and we all know how famous they are for protecting their own. So I would suggest you leave peacefully now before things get... untoward."

Mr. Pittman's eyes narrowed as he glowered at Ben then back to Charlie. "This isn't over, Parker," he snarled before slamming the door on his way out. Charlie stood there stunned and Ben immediately took him up in his arms.

"Thank you for that," Charlie said, looking at him in disbelief.

"Anytime," Ben said, kissing him on the forehead. Charlie held him tight, allowing his head to rest on his shoulder, breathing in this wonderful man that he didn't deserve.

"Wait a minute," Charlie said, lifting his head off of Ben's shoulder and looking him dead in the eyes. "Did you say... 'boyfriend'?"

Ben's face went blank as he tried to recall everything he said in his "from the gut" rant. "I think I did."

"A couple of times."

Ben looked at Charlie, worried. "Is that ok?"

Charlie smiled. "More than ok," he said, kissing him tenderly.

Ben smiled back. "Alright then. As my first official act as your boyfriend, I'm going to run to the store and grab some groceries. All you boys have in your fridge is leftovers and beer."

Charlie blushed. "Thanks."

"And as my second act, I'm ordering you to take a shower while I'm out. You're kinda gamey."

Charlie blushed even more. "Omigod, you smelled the smell?"

Ben chuckled and kissed him again. "I was willing to tolerate it for a while, but even boyfriends have their limits."

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Just joining us? Catch up here:

Volume 1 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 2 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 3 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 4 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 5 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five


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