"I've never told anyone this..." I revealed, shakily.

"I had never told anyone I was gay before I told you." He reassured me, "We all have to start somewhere. I'm here- I pinky promise."

I took a few more minuets to compose my thoughts, thinking about what the best way to talk about this was. Preferably without breaking down into tears; that was unlikely, however. When I woke up in a tent this morning, this certainly wasn't the outcome I was expecting tonight to have. Jimmy simply sat, offering me physical comfort, but waiting patiently.

"It started when Daxx bought the plot of land up the street from you. When he was having the plans for the house drawn up, for the special glass and stuff, he asked me what I wanted in my room. Angel and I both got a balcony... At first, it was something I never even used. What kid cares about having a balcony? Not exactly mind-blowing..."

I trailed off, my voice going thick with emotion. I tried to suppress the tears, but Jimmy told me I could cry if I wanted to. At that, they started to flow like a hydrant. I found it so hard to get through this conversation- every single defence wall I had put up over the years was screaming at me to shut up. To run away. To play it down and stop showing emotion. I fought the urge to close myself off, reminding myself of how much I hated loneliness. I had to do this- for me.

"When the homophobic bullying got worse, I found myself spending more time out there. Every time I was called a mean name- shoved in the playground or the corridor- attacked after school, I found myself out there. It seemed so comforting to me to know I could end it so easily. Stop all the pain. It felt like I had taken back some of the power from the bullies. They weren't in charge, because I had the power to stop it..."

Jimmy's grip on me was so tight now that I thought he was going to cut off circulation. I welcomed it, though, because it was a constant reminder that he was still here and not running for the hills because I was a freak.

"But then the balcony wasn't enough anymore... It wasn't comforting when the name calling turned into threats on my life and beating me to a pulp. The drop wasn't far enough, anymore. One day, I found myself at the top of that cliff, not too far from here, sat on the edge... I passed out. I had been beaten pretty bad and I had a concussion, so I fainted... but I must have fallen backwards- rather than forwards. I was still there on the edge when I woke up hours later."

The sobs coming from my mouth made my words jumbled and practically incoherent, but I knew Jimmy could understand every word. I knew he could understand, because he had been there. I could tell he knew the feeling. It resonated in him, reminded him of a time in his life. The expression on his face was telling.

"Did you ever hurt yourself?" His voice was barely a whisper, concern etched onto his face.

"I didn't have to," I shook my head bleakly, "The bullies did it for me."

"I know how you feel, Andy. I've never come that close, but I've thought about it. I thought about it all the goddamn time... I was so ashamed of who I was- who I liked. I was so jealous of you, I thought you were handling it so well... I didn't know about the beatings or how you were feeling. I feel so guilty- I'm so sorry."

We were both sobbing at this point, clasping onto each other for dear life. I really hope nobody overheard this, or we would both be in some deep shit. That was pushed to the back of my mind as I cried into Jimmy's shoulder, though. It felt so good to get this off my chest.

"Don't feel guilty. It's not your fault. I thought it was, for so long, but we were just kids. It's their fault for making my life hell- not yours." I told him how I really felt, truly meaning every word.

The relief that washed over his face at hearing that was truly visible. I could tell he didn't want to believe what I was saying- he wanted to blame himself, but he couldn't. He knew my words were sincere; I didn't have a single cell in my body that hated Jimmy Wellot anymore.

"Thank you." He sobbed, hugging me to him once again.

"If you need somewhere to stay, you can come stay at Daxx's with me... He really won't mind. He might have to stop being your therapist though- bit unprofessional." I attempted a joke, pulling away from the hug- it sounded a bit odd in my emotionally fragile state.

"I don't deserve you." He whispered, his eyes locking into mine, "I don't think I can ever put into words how much you and Daxx have helped me through this. I don't think I can ever express how grateful I am and how amazing you are."

I blushed, but I didn't dare drag my eyes away. His glistened with the threat of tears and I reached out my hand, brushing a few away before letting it rest on his cheek. Silence settled over us, but this time I welcomed the building tension.

"You never answered my question." He murmured suddenly, not breaking eye contact.

"What question?" I frowned, not sure what he meant.

"At the cabin, I asked if I was a better kisser than Will. You said you needed a reminder, but then you never answered. We were slightly preoccupied. So, which is it?"

I bit my lip; I could tell where this was going. He was reluctant to kiss me before because he didn't want to ruin things, but it was undeniable that there was chemistry here. I wanted it more than anything and I honestly didn't care anymore.

"It's not even comparable." I breathed, meeting his eyes once again, "Obviously you. Stop beating around the bush- no pun intended- just kiss me already."

With that, he lunged forward. Suddenly, I was flat on my back on the ground with his lips on mine. One of his hands rested on the back of my head, protecting it from the hard ground as he moved on top of me. This kiss wasn't like the others. It was raw: hungry. We were both so emotional and we needed each other right now. After years of hiding everything, I just wanted to put it all out there and what I want is Jimmy.

His lips were rough on mine, his tongue moving fast. My hands weren't in his hair, but wrapped around him, holding him close to me. His other hand was cupping my cheek, his hands leaving delicate touches compared to his rough and emotional kisses.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against mine and breathing heavily, our breaths mingling together. He wrapped me in a hug, holding me close. Sirens started blaring in the background, but we ignored them. It felt like we were a thousand miles away from anyone on earth right now. We stayed like that for a while, Jimmy more relaxed than I had seen him in months.

"I should probably go and speak to the police." Jimmy whispered, reluctant to break the silence.

"Will you be arrested?"

"I don't see why I would be. I'm not the one who trashed my house."

He helped me to my feet, taking hold of my hand and leading me out of the small clearing. He squeezed my hand softly, leading me into the trashed house. Most people had ran at the sound of sirens, but the police were clearing out the remaining stragglers (including a few passed out people). My mouth dropped open at the sight.

Now that the lights were all turned on, the house looked even worse. The kitchen window had been broken with a kettle and somebody had taken it upon themselves to smash all of the plates in the kitchen. Jimmy made sure I stepped over it safely, leading me down the corridor to where the police were stood in the front room. Somebody had gone ham with the black spray paint on the wallpapered walls and I cringed at what it said about Jimmy and I.

"Party's over. Get out." A cop barked at us, "Unless you know anything about the vandalism."

"I live here." Jimmy deadpanned, making the police blink at us.

"You mean this wasn't a break-in? We thought they'd broken in and done this." The guy frowned.

"I opened the door and a bunch of them pushed their way in- started throwing their weight about and I left. It got out of control. I didn't expect my house to get wrecked by homophobes. I was waiting for you guys to show up, so I didn't get murdered." He shrugged, eyeing the stained sofas, "My phone was dead, so I couldn't do anything about it."

I definitely didn't want to know what made those stains.

"Do you want to file a police report?" The guy asked.

"Why bother? No point- it won't do anything. I'd appreciate it if you left now." Jimmy shrugged, following him to the door.

The guy tried to convince him otherwise, but Jimmy simply closed the door- locking it. I looked around the house, cringing at the smell. This was really bad. I could almost feel a panic attack coming from secondhand fear.

"It's honestly fine, I just really need sleep." Jimmy pulled me into his chest, resting his chin onto of my head.

"We can go back to mine? I don't really feel safe here. The window's are smashed in." I mumbled into his chest, which he made a sound of agreement to, "Maybe you should pack a bag- just in case."

"Good idea." He nodded, leading me up to his room. It was the first time I had seen it, but it looked like he hadn't changed it since he was about eight years old; it was covered from floor to ceiling in football themed paraphernalia.

"This screams 'I'm straight dad'. This is overkill." I joked, making Jimmy smile.

He threw some key stuff into a duffle bag, cramming in as much in as possible. I carried another backpack of stuff to his car and he locked up the front door, climbing into the driving seat. It was only up the road, but he thought it would be best to move his car so his dad didn't beat the shit out of it. Mine would be fine where it was.

He pulled onto Daxx's driveway, collecting the bags. I stuck my keys in the door, but he stayed stood by the car. I frowned at him and mouthed 'what's wrong?', trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake up Daxx and Connor. He shuffled from foot to foot awkwardly.

"Are you sure this okay?" He whispered, gesturing to the house, "They won't mind?"

"Jimmy, I'm so tired I just want bed. They won't care- I promise." I smiled, reassuringly.

"I've never been invited spent a night. here before" He joked, "It feels weird. Usually I just show up and it happens."

I giggled at that, unlocking the door and leading him inside. I swore under my breath, seeing both Connor and Daxx at the kitchen table. They raised an eyebrow at me tiptoeing through the dark with a bunch of duffle bags and a boy.

"You're up?" I asked, now speaking at a normal volume.

"How could we not be? That party could be heard for miles." Connor frowned.

"Not to mention the police sirens." Daxx sighed, burying his head into his arms, "Why are you home early from camping?"

"It rained." I shrugged.

Silence settled over us and Jimmy shuffled awkwardly again; he was visibly uncomfortable.

"It wasn't Jimmy's party, homophobes barged in and threw one at his house. Trashed it. Is it okay if he stays here? They put the windows through..." I explained briefly, making their mouths drop open in shock.

"Honey, are you okay?" Connor gushed, rushing over to Jimmy and checking him over, "Do you need a hug?"

Jimmy stilled, tears brimming in his eyes. He nodded sharply and Connor engulfed him in a warm hug, patting his back comfortingly. I walked over to Daxx, who was giving me a knowing look. He was always two steps ahead of everyone else.

"He can stay for as long as he needs." Daxx confirmed, without me even needing to ask.

Jimmy looked up from the hug at that and gushed a thousand 'thank you's'. Connor finally let him go and we said goodnight, heading up to my room. I placed his bag on a chair and stripped down to my boxers, immediately climbing into bed. I just need sleep now.

"Tonight's been a lot." Jimmy sighed, tearing off his shirt and jeans.

"I'm glad we had that talk- the rest of it I'm really sorry you had to go through." I offered genuinely.

"You can kiss it better?" He flirted, making me roll my eyes. He's so cheesy sometimes.

I opened my arms  for a kiss, anyway. He finished getting undressed and climbed on top of me, placing a soft kiss on my lips. He followed it up with a hundred other tiny kisses all over my face before he laid back, ready to sleep. I snuggled into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my forehead goodnight.

What a night.