Liability

Chapter 40 - Rhys

WARNING! This chapter deals with a bunch of sensitive topics, including teenagers accusing an adult of grooming, pedophilia, and harboring unwanted desires for a person over ten years his junior; teenagers expressing sexual desire for an adult; and teenagers engaging in non-explicit sexual acts. 

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Sunday
September 16, 2018

Rhys wants to be dismissive of Armand's promise of always being there for them but he cannot detect even the slightest treachery in the man's eyes. He knows that Armand is lying to them about many things. Maybe he is truly a hitman like Thommy not so jokingly quipped one too many times before but in that moment his gaze is serious and his tone is frank.

It's a vow and, if nothing else, Rhys tentatively lets himself believe him.

Then Armand is called away by his grandmother — yet another new piece of information Rhys soaks up with a greed he will never willingly admit to — and Rhys is left to his own devices with Thommy resting right next to him, their fingers laced together.

Neither of them speaks for a while, left with too many thoughts to mull over, but Rhys can feel the tension climb up Thommy's arm with each passing minute. He wants to say something reassuring, show the other that he is still there, that they both survived but the words get stuck in his throat because...

Armand was right.

They could have died.

Both of them, or what's worse one of them.

Even just a hint of such outcome, the mere idea of Thommy being... gone, leaves him struggling to draw air into his lungs and it is followed by the shadow of guilt when he realizes that he would have needed to look Thommy's father and brother in the eye and admit to failing the only duty they ever bestowed upon him.

"It wasn't your fault," Thommy mumbles. Rhys' gaze shifts to his face, easily picking up on the displeased downturn of those plump lips and the tightness around the usually mischievously glittering dark eyes. "But Dim-A is right. You could have died... Oh God, you could have died and I don't know what I'd've done then." The grip of Thommy's fingers turns crushing, panic and desperation splashed all over his expression. "I can't lose you, I just can't!"

Rhys reaches up with his free hand, slowly rolling onto his side to prevent aggravating his injuries, and caresses Thommy's cheeks, his touch feather light. "You won't lose me," he vows quietly, not sure he believes his own words but determined to keep them as long as possible.

"But we can't go on like this," Thommy adds, pushing his face into Rhys' palm, the look he directs at him grave. "I ache to defy the asshole, you know? To show him we're better, stronger, smarter than he thinks. I burn with the desire to get him to treat us as equals even with all the lies that keep piling up around him. Except we aren't and he won't."

"So what? We just give up and let the useless adults fail to solve any of the problems?" Rhys isn't sure he is as against that idea as he wants to be.

They have been back in school for two weeks but everything basically picked right back up where it was left off in July. Mark is back on that shit drug, the school is a mess, Thommy's friend is dead, and they almost died. Why the fuck should Rhys care what happens to others as long as Thommy is okay? When would Mark even turn anything but his vitriol on them for trying to help? And what if he was also involved in the death of Lodge?

"We aren't superheroes, and neither do I want to be one. They always die tragic deaths or live too long and become villains. I don't want any of that shit."

Rhys's lips quirk up upon hearing that. They definitely aren't heroes of any kind.

"What about Mark?"