Devyn’s Struggle II
Published: 22 Dec 2025
Devyn had been a bit surprised by the number of people who had come out to watch the play. He had never guessed that there would be such a big audience. It was a relief to have the play over. Despite all the work and stress that had gone into the play, Devyn had to admit that it had also been fun. He was, however, not going to tell that to Stacy.
Now, Devyn just wanted to get this last part over with. He had not known they would have to stand and do a meet and greet with the audience as the audience members left.
Devyn felt a little odd at the praise he received. Mr. Hanks told him it was the best performance in years. Mrs. Rogers told the whole cast backstage how good a job they had done.
“You’re very good, Devyn,” Mrs. Jones said. “We’re proud of you.”
One by one, the folks passed by complimenting the cast of the play. Devyn felt a little guilty that the backstage crew was not getting all the accolades. He guessed maybe they were better off at not having to stand here and smile and say thanks a thousand times.
Devyn spotted Charlie and his parents working their way through the line. It seemed Charlie had brought Heather with him.
“You were so good,” Barb said when she had reached Devyn.
“Not fair to downplay your acting abilities,” Howard senior stated. “You had us believe this was going to be a train wreck.”
“See, my plan worked,” Devyn said. “You were prepared for the worst, so we appeared better than we were.”
Howard chuckled. “Sneaky.” Then, in a more serious tone. “You were very good young man.”
“Thanks.” Devyn said and felt his ears burn a bit. It felt kind of good having the approval of his boyfriend’s father, even if the man did not know that his son and Devyn were boyfriends.
“You were really good,” Charlie said. “It was so much better than last year’s production.”
“Thanks,” Devyn said.
“You were so good,” Heather said. “All of you were. I’d be way too shy to get up there and try that.”
“You could be part of the crew backstage,” Devyn said. “Both of you could.” Devyn then kicked himself. He didn’t want Charlie involved in the play. He had no intention of being in the spring performance.
“I don’t think it’s for me,” Charlie said. “I…um…have other things I’d like to spend time doing.”
“Come on, stop monopolizing the star,” Julie said. “Wow, Devyn! You and Stacy were amazing!”
From the way Charlie was looking around, Devyn was sure the guy was looking for Brent. Devyn just didn’t know if it was to meet Brent or to avoid meeting Brent.
At last, the line of folks congratulating the cast ended, and Devyn found Brent. He had asked Brent to be his date for Stacy’s party. It had just felt right. He knew he could not ask Charlie, and Charlie seemed to have a date for the evening.
Devyn glanced at the blonde boy sitting in the passenger seat. It was hard for him to believe that Brent was sitting there. It was even a little odder to think that they were going to the after-play party at Stacy’s together. At the time, it had felt natural and right to Devyn to invite Brent to go. Devyn knew he would have asked Charlie to go, but that would have been awkward with Charlie not being out. Stacy had said the party was just for the cast, crew, and their dates.
Devyn had received a text from Charlie about how good he had thought Devyn had been.
Charlie: “Wow u look good up there”
Charlie: “you could do this for real!”
Charlie: “Stacy is so lucky getting to kiss you”
Devyn had seen the messages when he had gone backstage. Charlie must have been texting during the play. Devyn had wondered if Charlie and Brent might run into each other. They both knew what the other looked like. Devyn had shown them pictures of the other.
Charlie: “You were amazing”
Charlie: “Mom and Dad think so too”
Devyn had not had much time to respond to the messages. He had to get out to the lobby with the rest of the cast to do the meet and greet with everyone.
When Brent was there in front of him, Devyn thought it felt natural to invite Brent. Devyn was sure his castmates would be bringing dates, and they would all be accepting that Devyn had brought Brent.
“You seem like the…um…I mean…you seem really popular,” Brent said.
Devyn shrugged his shoulders. He did not feel like one of the popular kids, but he guessed it could seem that way. “So much has changed over just the last few weeks.”
“It doesn’t seem that way,” Brent said. “I mean, everyone seems to truly like you.”
“That’s just because you are only seeing me with friends. Not everyone is…um…comfortable with me.” Devyn was thinking of Dale and Ted. He was also thinking of Tanner. Devyn was glad that none of them would be at Stacy’s.
“Do you mean you or you being gay?” Brent asked. He was a bit nervous about being so out. He was not like that at his new school. He hadn’t exactly hidden being gay, but Brent also hadn’t told anyone that he was gay. He just had not made any close friends with whom to share personal facts about himself.
“Being out was an issue for some,” Devyn admitted. “My close friends like Stacy, Sam, and Julie have stood beside me. Some of the others took more time to come to terms with it. Now there are just a few that…well…are never going to be accepting. I’m sure no matter what, there will always be a few homophobic dick heads out there somewhere.”
“Do you…um…regret coming out?” Brent asked.
Devyn thought for a moment. “No. It was hard sometimes, but honestly, it is easier just being me and not hiding.”
“Steven has kind of told me the same thing,” Brent said. “He doesn’t want to hide being gay, and he doesn’t. I’m surprised he hasn’t been beaten up. He’s in a small town like you. He likes…um…kind of pushing the boundaries of appropriate behavior. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten his ass handed to him.”
“I think I’d like to meet him,” Devyn said. “He sounds cool.”
“He is,” Brent confirmed. “We could do that…you know this summer…or on spring break. We could drive up there.” Brent liked that idea. He could spend a lot of time alone with Devyn. They could get to know each other again. Brent was sure with Devyn that he’d be able to perform sexually. Just the idea of them touching each other and kissing was already starting to push urges into Brent’s teenage equipment.
“I’m not sure when my spring break is,” Devyn said. “I haven’t looked that far ahead. I’ve got a lot going on in the summer. I was hoping to get a job this summer and start saving for college.”
“Oh, right,” Brent said. He tried to hide the disappointment. He had thought it was a clever idea. He thought that Devyn would jump at the chance. He should have known Devyn had plans for the summer, and the guy was right that their breaks might not be at the same time.
Devyn turned down Stacy’s long driveway towards the large, elegant two-story house, which was painted in soft pastel colors. The large front porch ran the full length of the house and was decorated with fairy lights. The house was set far back from the street, and the front lawn was well manicured. Devyn had never been to Stacy’s before and had not known her family was so well-off.
“Wow, this is a nice place,” Brent commented.
“Do you think she put the lights up for us?” Devyn asked. It seemed that Stacy had gone all out for her after the play party.
“What?” Brent did not understand the question.
“Fairy lights.” Devyn’s voice held a bit of amusement in his words.
“Oh…” Brent chuckled. “If she did, then I guess she’s really good with a couple of gay guys at her party.
“She is,” Devyn said. “Stacy’s great.
Devyn parked the truck next to what he recognized as Simon’s car. He slid from the truck. “Let’s get in there before all the food is gone.”
Brent was still regretting what he had said earlier. He did not want his road trip proposal to cause tension between him and Devyn. Brent knew he should have guessed that Devyn had plans for the summer. He probably planned on spending it with Charlie and his other friends. Brent wished he could take back what he had said. He reached out and put a hand on Devyn’s arm. “Hold on a second.”
Devyn stopped and turned towards Brent. He looked at a question at him.
“About the summer. I…um…just thought…well, that it would be fun.” Brent wished he could produce the words to tell Devyn how he was feeling. Things felt so natural with Devyn, and it made Brent want to spend more time with him.
“I agree that it would be fun,” Devyn said. He reached out and touched Brent’s shoulder. “I’d like to meet Steven. It would be fun to have more guys my own age to hang out with that are gay. It makes it more comfortable or something.”
“Exactly,” Brent said.
“Maybe there will be time for us to do something over the summer. Or maybe during the winter break.” Devyn did enjoy seeing Brent again. It was comfortable with Brent. There was still that part of Devyn that cared a great deal for Brent.
“That would be cool,” Brent said. “Let’s make that happen.”
Devyn smiled. “We will. Now let’s get in there.”
“Yeah, I know, you are starving.” Brent’s lips were curved up in a smile. “I heard your stomach trying to eat itself.”
Devyn chuckled. “It is.”
The two started towards the house. The lights on the porch gave off an inviting glow. The sounds of laughter and music coming from inside told the two teenagers that everyone was enjoying themselves already.
Devyn and Brent stepped into the large living room. Moonlight filtered in through the large windows and there was a large sectional that lined the walls with colorful pillows. The large coffee table was filled with chips, cookies, popcorn, candy, and other snacks. Several of Devyn’s castmates were sitting on the sofa and helping themselves to the snacks.
“Nice house,” Brent commented.
Devyn nodded. It looked like most of the cast and crew from the play were already there. When Stacy spotted the two coming through the door, she ran to Devyn. “We were fabulous!” Her voice was jubilant. “Everyone is saying so. Mrs. Rogers says it was the best performance.”
“I think we did good,” Devyn agreed. He was happy to see Stacy so excited.
“The pizzas are in the kitchen,” Stacy pointed out. “There are also chicken wings, sliders, and Oh, I don’t know what all. My parents went to pick up more pizzas because they were going fast. “The drinks are in the dining room. There’s soda, punch, and water…oh, all kinds of stuff. Simon and Adam brought stuff too. Adam is mixing up some sort of crazy concoction. Just go help yourselves.” Stacy hugged Devyn and then grabbed Brent and hugged him. “I’m so glad you came!”
“I don’t think she should have anything with caffeine in it,” Brent commented when Stacy flew away from them to talk to other performers.
“She never needs caffeine when it comes to acting,” Devyn said.
The two moved into the kitchen. The room was large with black stainless-steel appliances, white European style cabinets and granite counter tops. The large island was loaded with pizza boxes, and it was obvious that most of the pizzas had been demolished.
“More pizzas are on the way,” Adam said. “You want to try this?”
Devyn looked at the glass Adam held out. It was a strange green color. “Um…what is that?”
“It’s an Adam original,” Adam said.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll just grab a soda,” Devyn said.
“Hey, there’s the star,” Simon commented as he came back into the kitchen for more food. He held up his hand and he and Devyn high-fived.
“You were just as much the star as me,” Devyn said. “We were all good.”
Brent and Devyn helped themselves to what was left of the pizza and followed Simon back to the living room. “It was our best play ever,” Simon said as they took seats. They were soon joined by Adam and a few of the other cast and crew.
Devyn was pleased that his drama club friends were including Brent and drawing the blonde into conversation. It was rewarding that this group was good with them being gay, and Devyn hoped it was making Brent feel included.
“Do you have a drama club at your school?” Adam asked Brent.
“Um, yeah, I believe we do,” Brent answered. “It isn’t something I ever considered doing. Of course, I never thought it was something Devyn would do either.
“He’s a natural,” Adam said. “I can’t believe he hasn’t acted before.”
“He never did at our old school,” Brent said.
“I’m not that good,” Adam admitted. “I would prefer to just be behind the scenes, but we had that role that no one filled.”
“I thought you were alright,” Brent said.
“Thanks, but I know I’m not as good as Stacy, Devyn, and Simon. They are the stars.”
“They are good.” Brent agreed.
They continued to talk for a while as they ate. When the fresh pizzas arrived, Brent saw Devyn head back to the kitchen for more. Brent wondered where his friend was putting all that food. Music soon started to play, then, and some kids moved aside furniture and started dancing.
“Your friends are nice,” Brent told Devyn once the others had moved off.
“They are,” Devyn agreed. He watched as other kids started to dance. “You want to dance?” Devyn asked.
“What?” Brent was surprised by Devyn’s question.
Devyn stood up. “Do you want to dance?” Devyn held out his hand to Brent.
Although Alex had told Brent that the two of them had gone out dancing, Brent did not remember that. As far as Brent remembered, he had never danced in public with a guy before. “Here…now?”
“Sure,” Devyn said. His lips smiled at Brent. “Everyone here will be fine with it.”
Brent stood. He nervously put his hand in Devyn’s. He told himself that everyone already knew he was gay. He might as well dance with Devyn. The only thing that would be better is if there were a nice, slow song. He could then be in Devyn’s arms and have Devyn in his.
Brent allowed Devyn to lead him to the dance floor. There was not much room and Brent felt like everyone was watching them. It made him self-conscious.
“Relax,” Devyn said. “This should be fun.”
“I’ve just never done this before,” Brent said and added, “I mean, out in a public place like this.”
“It’s fine,” Devyn said. “These kids are good with two guys dancing. Hell, they might even be good with two guys kissing.”
Brent felt his heart skip a bit at Devyn’s words. Did Devyn want to kiss him? Was Devyn hinting at them moving past this casual friend stage that they were exploring? Brent wanted that. He wanted them to kiss. He wanted them to become closer. He wanted things to be like they once were. Like they were before their lives had been shattered. Brent tried not to think about their future. He needed to focus on the here and now. Devyn was a better dancer than Brent remembered. Of course, they had not danced much together before. Only when they were goofing around some.
After several dances, they moved off out of the dance area and over to the refreshments. They grabbed drinks and a few of the other snacks that were there.
Stacy joined them at the snack table. “You two looked so good together.”
“Thanks,” Devyn said.
“Devyn, you’re a good dancer. I wonder if we can work that into our next production. I’ll have to talk to Mrs. Rogers.”
Devyn did not want to be in the next production. This last one had too much work. It had cut too much into his free time. Did he tell Stacy now or later? Devyn decided later was the right answer. There was no need to cause an issue this soon after the performance.
“It sounds like you are going to be in the next show,” Brent commented after Stacy had left them.
Devyn let out a sigh. “No, not in the plan. I just have to figure out a way to tell her.”
Brent smiled. “Um…dude, she is not going to take no for an answer.”
Devyn glanced over at Stacy, who was talking to Simon. He bet the two of them were working out a way to work dancing into the next production. How Stacy did not know that Simon had a huge crush on her was beyond Devyn. “Well, she won’t take it easily.” Devyn turned back to look at Brent. His lips curved up in a smile. “You like those cupcakes, huh?”
“Yeah, they’re good,” Brent responded. He had just finished a second one. “Dancing works up an appetite.”
“It shows,” Devyn said. His voice was amused. “You have frosting on your nose and some at the corners of your mouth.”
“Ugh,” Brent tried to lick the frosting from his mouth and reach to get that off his nose.
Devyn watched Brent’s tongue flick out. It sent a tingle through him. He could remember that tongue licking him in very intimate places. “You missed it.” Devyn reached out and used his thumb to remove the chocolate frosting from Brent’s nose.
“Thanks.” It sent a surge of sexual excitement through Brent. Having Devyn do that felt very intimate to the blonde boy.
“Come on and let’s dance again,” Devyn said. “You need to work up an appetite for another couple of cupcakes.”
“Hey, they are good,” Brent said. “Just how many slices of pizza did you wolf down?”
Laughing, the two moved back into the dance area. The evening was turning out to be way more fun than Devyn had anticipated. He was glad he had brought Brent.
The two continued to dance and snack into the late hours. They rested and spent time talking to everyone that was on stage and those kids that made things work behind the scenes. Brent had started out feeling out of place but as the night went on, he started feeling like he belonged there with Devyn. The guys did not seem to care that they were gay, and the girls seemed to be checking Brent out in more than just a casual manner.
It was refreshing for them to step out into the cool night air. They had both worked up a sweat on the dance floor, and the cool air felt good.
“I’m sorry we stayed so late,” Devyn said. “I did not expect it to go this late.” It had not been until Stacy’s parents had started forcing people out that the party had started breaking up.
“It’s alright. I had fun.” Brent did not mind where they were or what they were doing as long as he was with Devyn.
“I’m glad,” Devyn said.
Brent wanted to reach out and take Devyn’s hand. He wanted to pull Devyn to a stop as they were walking to his truck. Brent wanted to kiss Devyn there under the sky full of stars and in the light of the full moon. Brent was just not sure they were both ready to take that next step. Plus, Brent was still a bit worried that Wilson might raise her ugly head once again. She had been quiet for so long, but Brent had a nagging fear she would be there to destroy any intimate moment.
They were both quiet on the drive home. It was later than either of them had planned to be out. It had been an emotional day for both of them.
“The house looks dark,” Brent commented when they had driven up the hill.
“I bet the old folks went to bed,” Devyn said. “I texted Joe earlier and said we might be late.”
Devyn led Brent around to the back of the house, where the porch light was on. They slipped quietly into the kitchen. They crept silently up the stairs. The door to Matt and Bryan’s room was closed. “I’m really glad you came,” Devyn said as they stood outside Brent’s door.
“Me too,” he said. Brent wanted to give Devyn a good night kiss, but was still not sure that Devyn was feeling what Brent was feeling. Brent’s heart sped up when Devyn stepped a little closer. Brent thought maybe Devyn had read his mind and was going to give him that kiss.
“It was a fun night,” Devyn whispered. “How about a good night hug?”
Brent was a bit disappointed but would take what he could with Devyn. He stepped into Devyn’s embrace. The two held each other for several minutes.
“Thanks for being my date tonight,” Devyn said.
Brent could feel Devyn’s warm breath against his ear. It sent blood surging into his teenage equipment. “Um…anytime.” Brent meant that. He would be Devyn’s date for any party that the other boy wanted to go to.
Devyn stepped back. “Good night.”
“Good night, Devyn.” Brent moved into the bedroom. He looked at Devyn’s back as the teenager moved to his room. Brent pushed his door closed. There was a part of him that wanted to follow Devyn into his room. He wanted to slip into Devyn’s bed. Of course, he could not do that. It would be humiliating if Devyn rejected him.
Devyn moved into his room. He glanced over at his bed, and with the moonlight coming in, he could see Travis sleeping there. At least with Travis being deaf, Devyn did not have to worry about being completely silent as he moved around the room in the dark.
Devyn could not believe how much fun he had tonight. The play had been stressful, but the party afterwards was a blast. It had been even more fun having Brent there with him. He did not have to worry about outing Brent. It made it so comfortable. It had made the party easy. Devyn wished things were that easy with Charlie. They could have so much fun together if Charlie could just be out.
Devyn sighed. He understood why Charlie wasn’t out. Having a homophobic brother did make things complicated for the guy. Devyn slid off his pants. He tossed them into the hamper of dirty clothes. He needed to carry that downstairs and do some laundry. He would add that to his mental list of things to do tomorrow afternoon. He wondered what time Brent would be leaving. He should have asked him. They might be leaving early, as it was a long drive. It occurred to Devyn then that Brent might want to shower tonight. They had worked up a bit of a sweat on the dance floor.
Devyn silently crept out of his room and downstairs. After brushing his teeth, he grabbed clean towels and headed back upstairs. Brent’s door was slightly ajar, and Devyn could see the light was still on. He pushed the door open and stepped into the room. “I brought you some clean towels,” he said. Then he saw Brent there in nothing but his snug fitting white underwear. Devyn’s eyes slid across the fair skin of the blonde boy. The skin that he could remember so well touching, caressing, and tasting on his tongue.
Brent jumped a bit when Devyn spoke. He then spun away from Devyn, reaching for something to cover up with.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Devyn said. His eyes slid from Brent’s shoulders, down the boy’s back, to the firm butt in the tight white underwear. Brent appeared to be as smooth as Devyn himself.
“I um…sorry. I didn’t hear…”Brent could feel the heat creeping up his neck to his face.
Devyn put the towels down on the dresser. He could feel Brent’s nervousness and hear the embarrassment in the blonde boy’s voice. Devyn took a step towards Brent. He placed a hand on Brent’s shoulder. It almost felt like a surge of electricity hit his palm when he touched the other boy. “Don’t be embarrassed,” Devyn said. “You know we’ve seen each other naked before.”
Brent nodded. “Yeah, that…um…is true.” Brent felt like there was an ember on his shoulder where Devyn was touching him.
“Anyway, sorry about startling you,” Devyn said. “I just thought you might want to shower.”
“Um…thanks,” Brent said. He slowly turned but held his T-shirt to cover his chest and stomach.
“Don’t be so self-conscious,” Devyn said. “Tiffany sure thought you were a hot-looking guy. I’m not sure she believed that you were fully gay.” Tiffany had been very into Brent at the party, and the two had danced one dance together.
“She was friendly,” Brent said. He was still holding the T-shirt in front of him.
“I’d say she does have good taste,” Devyn said. “You are hot.” Devyn’s eyes flicked over Brent’s body, at least the part that he could see.
Brent looked down. He noticed for the first time that Devyn was not wearing pants. It sent a shudder through Brent to see Devyn was standing there in just a t-shirt and underwear while he, Brent, was only in his underwear. “Um…I don’t know about that.”
“Trust me, you are,” Devyn said. Brent was still as good looking as he had once been. Maybe even a little better looking. There was more maturity about the guy than before. Brent was leaner than Devyn remembered. Probably being in that hellhole of a clinic had made the guy lose some weight.
Brent hesitated but decided to throw it out there. If he and Devyn were going to move forward with any kind of relationship, Devyn should know how ugly he was. “Thanks, but I’m not. I’m…messed up…you know.” Brent kept his gaze down. He did not want to meet Devyn’s eyes.
Brent had never been this self-conscious with Devyn before. At least not when they were exploring their sexual interest in each other. Then a thought occurred to Devyn. “Are you talking about that injury?” Brent gave a slight nod in answer to Devyn’s question.
“Brent, that wound is probably not as bad as you think,” Devyn said.
“It’s hideous,” Brent said.
Devyn reached out and took a light grip on the T-shirt. “Let me see.”
Brent shook his head. “It’s ugly, Devyn.”
“Come on, let me see,” Devyn said. He could tell that Brent was reluctant. “Brent, it’s me. A scar is not going to change anything.” Devyn gave a slight tug on the t-shirt. He would not force Brent, but Devyn wanted to reassure Brent that it was not as bad as the blonde boy thought.
Brent let go of the T-shirt and allowed Devyn to pull it away. “See. It’s gross.”
Devyn tossed the t-shirt at the foot of the bed. His eyes then slid over Brent’s smooth chest. He could remember touching that bare skin. He could remember the feeling of lightly pinching Brent’s little pink nipples. His eyes traveled down to the wound on Brent’s belly. “It isn’t that bad, Brent.” The wound was healing, and there was no doubt that there would be a scar there. Devyn reached out and lightly touched Brent’s skin. “Does it hurt?”
Brent felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when Devyn’s fingers contacted his bare skin. “Um…not really. Just once in a while, I’ll get a twinge from it.”
“That’s good,” Devyn said. He let his fingers drop away from Brent’s skin. “Honestly, it isn’t that bad.”
“Oh, come on, Devyn. It’s horrible. It stands out…like…like.”
“It will fade in time,” Devyn said. “Besides, scars are sexy. It shows how tuff you are. It’s a badge of honor.”
Brent snorted. “Sure, it is. Would you really find a guy with a scar attractive?”
“I would, definitely.” Devyn paused. “In fact, I have.”
“What do you mean, you have?” Brent did not quite believe Devyn. He thought Devyn might just be telling Brent that to make him feel better.
Devyn had tried to forget much of what he had done when working for Tom, but he did not want to forget Eddie. “Eddy was a unique guy. He had been in the army and suffered from an explosion. When I first saw him, the scars were a bit of a surprise, but the man was handsome. He was handsome, not despite the scars, but they added to his remarkable appearance. His face, chest, and stomach were all marked by the violence of the war. They proved his valor and bravery. He received those scars sacrificing his own safety to save his fellow soldiers.”
“He sounds like a hero,” Brent said softly.
“He was,” Devyn said. “This scar,” Devyn’s finger lightly traced Brent’s scar, “is nothing compared to Eddy’s. He, like you, was a bit embarrassed by them. I hope I helped him to understand that it is easy enough to see past them to his handsome face with the strong jaw, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes. The scars only amplified his heroic aura.”
“Did you and Eddy…mean you two…”
“I told you a little of what I did for Tom.” Devyn had told Brent about Tom when Brent had shared what had happened in the clinic and some of what the quack doctor had done to him. Sitting there on the ground in the woods behind Matt and Bryan’s, it had felt right for the two of them to share part of their past with each other. “We did,” Devyn confessed. “We had sex. Despite his being this rough and tough army guy, his touch was tender and caring. He was a guy that anyone would be lucky to be with.”
“I’m not a hero like Eddy,” Brent said. “It isn’t the same.”
“I bet Steven would disagree,” Devyn said. “I bet to him and those other kids in the clinic, you are a hero.” Devyn hoped that his words were making Brent understand that it was our scars that helped make up who we are. We need to accept them and not be ashamed of them.
“Um…you are probably right about Steven,” Brent said.
“Scars are sexy, Brent.” Devyn smiled at Brent, and the blonde finally met his gaze. “Honestly, they are.”
Brent could tell the scar was not going to bother Devyn in the least. Brent was sure that Alex wouldn’t be repulsed by it either. Alex was similar to Devyn and would see past the scar. “Thanks for telling me about him,” Brent said. “It helps put things into perspective.”
“Good,” Devyn said and smiled at Brent. “I’m glad I could help.”
“You’re always helping me,” Brent said.
“Well, that’s what friends do,” Devyn said. “We help each other when we can.”
“You for sure do,” Brent said. “But I didn’t when you needed it.”
Devyn stepped closer to Brent. “Brent, we are passed that. You couldn’t help me then. Richard wouldn’t have let you. I’ve forgiven you for that. Now, it is time for you to forgive yourself.”
“I could have gone with you that day,” Brent said. “I should have.”
“We both might have been caught up in Tom’s clutches,” Devyn said.
“That could not be any worse than being dumped into that hellhole clinic and being tortured by a crazy bitch.”
“Tom played a lot of mind games like that doctor did. They were…um…just to keep me under his control.” Tom had kidnapped a mentally challenged boy to keep control of Devyn.
“I think that would have been better than what she did to me,” Brent said. “Being raped and injected with drugs to make me perform…it was hell.”
Devyn was not sure he could argue that point. Tom had sometimes given Devyn pills to help him perform sexually. Tom had sometimes been rough with Devyn and extorting Devyn with Todd had been a form of rape. It just had not been as physical as the way it happened to Brent. It seems they were both raped physically and mentally by Tom and Wilson.
“It would have been better because…because…we would have faced it together.” Brent could not keep the slight tremor of emotion from his voice.
Devyn took a step forward and pulled Brent into a hug. “It was bad for both of us. We both went through hell.”
Brent slid his arms around Devyn and held the other boy tight. Devyn’s hand caressed the smooth planes of Brent’s bare back. Brent thought this felt almost as safe as when Matt and Bryan held him. In some ways, this was better as it was Devyn. If Brent had not remembered Wilson and the clinic, he’d probably be sporting an erection right now. Devyn was half dressed, and Brent was less than half dressed.
“Something I figured out,” Devyn began. His voice was soft, and Brent could feel the warm air against his ear as Devyn spoke. “I wouldn’t actually change what I went through. I’d do it all over again.”
Brent pulled back a little so he could look into Devyn’s eyes. The two continued to hold each other. “You would?
Devyn nodded. “It was because of what I did for Tom that I was able to make sure Joe got full custody of Travis,” Devyn proceeded to tell Brent a little about the judge that was overseeing Travis’ custody case, being the same judge that Devyn had been seeing when working for Tom. “Travis belongs here with Joe.” Devyn’s voice was firm. “I went through some hell to save Travis from his own hell. I’d do it again and more to protect that boy.”
Brent could hear the fierceness in Devyn’s voice. Brent had no doubt that Devyn would do anything to protect Travis. Brent knew Devyn was loyal almost to a fault. He was also a guy that repaid debts and Brent believed in Devyn’s mind he owed a big debt to Travis’s mom.
“In a way, you did a similar thing.” When Brent seemed a bit puzzled, Devyn continued. “If you had not been at that clinic, you would not have met Steven. If you had not called Matt and Bryan for help, Steven might never have gotten out of there until he was truly broken. You saved him and the others.”
Brent had not looked at it like that before. He had only thought of himself as a victim. He had never considered that he had freed Steven from the hell of Wilson’s torture. “I just called Matt. He and Bryan did the rest.”
“But you called. You stood up to her and you found a way to help yourself, Steven, and every other boy in that hell. It is because of you that the place got shut down.” Devyn stepped back and looked down at Brent’s flat belly. He tenderly touched the scar. “This is your badge of honor. Maybe not earned the same way Eddie earned his, but it is still a symbol of your fight to save yourself and your friends.”
Brent guessed Devyn was right. He had saved himself and, in turn, saved Steven, Ned, and the other boys. Brent needed to try and find out what happened to the other guys. They should try and get together sometime. They should make sure that they do not end up in some other clinic. “Thanks, Devyn. You…um…know how to put things into perspective.”
Devyn released Brent. He stepped back. “Joe taught me a lot. I’m glad I can help you.”
“You did, again.”
Devyn smiled. “All part of the friends forever package.”
Brent smiled. He felt better than he had for a while. Devyn did seem to make everyone around him feel better and special.
Devyn moved towards the door. “Good night, Brent.”
“Good night, Devyn.”
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