Tell Me You Love Me [bxb]

C22: Tell Me I Almost Had You.

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"I love you," Eric repeated again once we were safely inside and he was breathing heavily on my bed. I was nice enough to get him a bag of peas to hold onto his face so that some of the swelling that was happening could go down.

He kept saying it and I kept blanking out every time he did. 

Sitting next to him on the bed the protective caring side of me really came out as I dabbed at the blood on his bottom lip with a warm wash cloth. I didn't know what had happened to him and at this point I was too afraid to ask.

"I had to," He paused himself as he sat up in my bed and under the circumstances I ignored the fact that he still had on his shoes. "I had to love myself before I could love you and the first step in that was coming out to my dad,"

"Oh my god," I empathized bringing my hand up to cup his face. "He did this to you?"

Eric nodded his head in agreement. "According to him no son of his is gay nor will he have me under his roof exposing Henry to my antics," He shrugged his eyes glistened with hurt, anger and fear.

"When I told him disowning me wouldn't change who I am he went crazy," Eric coughed holding his side in agony. "In front of Henry too,"

Removing my hand from his face so I could go back to cleaning up his blood I sighed heavily. "That's.. horrible, I don't see how anyone could hate their child over something they can't even control.. I'm sorry that this happened,"

"I was scared," He admitted weakly. "He kept hitting me and hitting me and hitting me while Henry screamed for him to stop, I had to beg for my life before he finally stopped and that wasn't even the end of it. The things he said to me... Darren the things he said made me feel like.. like I wasn't worth anything. I've never felt like that before and it crushed me, especially coming from the guy I've looked up to my entire life,"

My heart ached for him. "I don't even know what to say," I gulp not sure how to make him feel better. "We can um, call the cops right? You're only 17 and this is definitely child abuse if I've ever seen it and he can't kick you out and and and um-,"

"Fuck him," Eric spat. "Is that spare bedroom still available?"

"Of course," I smile happy that he's even okay. I hated to imagine what would have happened to him if Henry wasn't there. Would his father had ever stopped? Would Eric even be breathing right now?

Groaning as he stretched out his body he switched the bag of peas from his face to his ab area.

"Darren," He called out even though I was still sitting directly in front of him. "You haven't said it,"

Looking down at him, his beautiful face now scarred I felt like doing everything in my power to take his father down. How could he do this? Liking who you like doesn't make you any less yourself or any less of a person. When would people understand that? Eric was still the same guy he's always been and it was sad to say that his father would never see him that way again. He'd always be gay when in reality being gay doesn't define you it's just who you are and it's not something people can beat out of you. It wasn't something you could wish away.

"Said what?" I sniffled proud that he had even came out to his dad knowing what he was like. "Say that I love you? How many times do I have to tell you that before you believe it?" I let out a broken chuckle.

Eric grinned.

"I love you," I confess before connecting Eric's lips to mine. It was like the first time we had kissed all over again. His lips were so soft and warm, I wanted to kiss them forever. Placing my hands behind his head, I pulled him into me. Placing my hand against his chest, I felt his heart racing, his breathing quick and ragged.