Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 31: Big boy pants

"He's going to leave her."

☆

"Ow!" 

"Keep still!" Thomas tries not to frown at his sister as she does her best to clean up his cut by his eye. "You know you should really have this checked out at a hospital." She sighs as she looks at the slight gape of a wound. "It might need a stitch or two."

"No hospitals." Thomas says bluntly as he again scowls at Molly, maybe this time with intention. 

"Then just keep still." She huffs as she grabs another antiseptic wipe from the farm's first aid box. There is a moment of silence with Thomas enduring the pain, an unlikely distraction from what had happened to him earlier that evening. He had felt a multitude of emotions since being helped out of Feathers and into a taxi by Jasper, while Jim had stayed back to "have a word" as he had called it, with the man behind the bar. It wasn't too hard to have an educated guess as to what that meant. But all Thomas wanted to do was get away, get home and just forget about it, "I still think you should have reported it…"

Thomas pushes Molly's hand away as he gets up from his seat. "I told you, I'm fine.just leave it." 

"But Tom…"

"He didn't actually do anything. What would I say? It's not like they'll believe me. They will take one look at my track record and say I asked for it."

"Now stop it right there!" Molly shouts, causing Thomas to be taken by surprise. She rarely raised her voice. "You said no and he didn't stop. End of." She puts down the antiseptic wipe on an opened wrapper on the table before getting up and reaching out her hands to hold his. She looks into his eyes. "You are important to me, to Jim and I know to Jasper. If someone hurts you, it hurts us too." 

Thomas feels his eyes beginning to well up with tears. He swallows down the emerging lump in his throat. "I feel so ashamed Mol. You should not waste your time on me. I've been trouble since I returned." 

"Hey, I'm going nowhere. I'm right here." She smiles, not so good at keeping her tears from falling. "Now let's finish patching you up." 

Thomas finally relents as he sits back down at the table, with Molly resuming her first aid. The kitchen stays in a comfortable silence as Thomas finds his mind drift once again to Jasper. The way he had been the hero, just when he needed it. His knight in shining armour, coming to his rescue as Thomas fell, only to wake up by Jasper's side, with the man finally confessing his love for him. That it was him. Only him he wanted to be with. It was like a twisted fairytale of sorts. All Thomas ever wanted, so why did Thomas now feel uneasy?

"Mol…" he begins. As he glances up at his sister, wondering if he should say. 

"Mm?" She says, her eyes never straying from her task in hand. 

"He's going to leave her." 

"What?" Molly pulls her hand away from the cut, now looking at Thomas. "Jasper said he would leave Beth?" 

Thomas nods, emitting a half smile as he looks down on himself. "I know I said I wanted him but I didn't expect he would actually do it." 

"I don't know what you want me to say." Molly says, still stunned by the news. "I mean, you're happy right?" 

"Yes but... do I want to be the reason a child grows up without its father?" Thomas lets out a sadistic laugh. 

"You know you didn't change Jasper's mind Tom. His feelings for you have always been there, Deep down I think we all knew that. It's just that you weren't around to see it. But you know that there are gonna be tears before a happy ending. Beth is going to be hurt. Jasper will be tied to her because of the child."

"I know. I'm not stupid." 

"Just an idiot for staying away so long." Molly laughs. "So are you gonna tell me how he did it?" 

Thomas looks up in thought as he recalls that journey. "Well…"

"Tom….Thomas wake up!" Jasper continues to slap Thomas' cheek then shake his shoulders, trying to gauge a response. 

Thomas slowly opens his eyes. He was not where he was before, on the cold stone floor, face down, in the company of a predator. But sat, back slumped against a wall in a quiet street. Thomas blinks a few times in order to focus. He looks around him. "Where am I?" He mumbles. Even stringing that simple sentence together hurt his head. 

"Safe and away from that piece of shit." Jasper reassures as he stays crouched down in front of Thomas. "You need to go to hospital." Jasper looks at the cut on Thomas' forehead by his eye. It causes Thomas to reach up to touch, but Jasper catches his hand. "Don't touch it." 

"Just take me to Molly." Thomas groans. "I don't need to sit in an emergency department on a weekend." Thomas looks around him once again. "Where's Jim. Does he know…" 

"He knows." Jasper emits a small smile. He's delivering his own kind of justice. Seems me and him are cut from the same cloth after all.'' 

"My butt is cold '' Thomas grumbles as he goes to get up from the ground, but no sooner has he began to move, Jasper is there, pushing him back. 

"Just wait. I've got a taxi coming." 

"I'm not an invalid. I can find my own way home. I don't need anyone." 

"I'm not going anywhere so deal with it." Jasper says decisively. "You've just had a… you ..uh… you could have been…" Jasper bites on his lips as he looks down. The words there but not wanting to leave his lips. 

"Molested? Attacked? Violated?....raped? Take your pick." Thomas replies so casually it made Jasper's blood boil. 

"Shut up. Don't say that." 

"But that's what it was." Thomas pulls a sad smile on his face. 

Jasper pulls Thomas close to him. His head buries into Jasper's chest. "No one will ever hurt you again. I swear." He says into the shell of Thomas' ear. He pulls away to look Thomas in his eyes.

"You saved me Jas, just in time. How did you…" 

"Because I am wearing my big boy pants." Jasper smiles. 

"What do you mean?" Thomas says, confused at the words. "Is this a dig about me wearing no underwear?" 

"I talked to Jim at the club, well he talked to me. For once he actually gave some good advice and for once I actually listened to what he had to say." 

"What did he say?" Thomas wonders feeling nervous all of a sudden as he sits up a little against the wall. 

"It's more of what his words made me realise." Jasper smiles, looking down, feeling embarrassed. He clears his throat as he composes himself before looking back up at Thomas. "I choose you. I want you. Only you…. I'm in love with you Tom. That's why I was trying to find you. To tell you that I'm telling Beth." 

Thomas reaches forwards and cups Jasper's cheek. "Trying to be a hero and a prince charming in one night." He grins. "Don't wear yourself out."

Jasper chuckles at the comment. "I will try not to." Before his demeanour turns more serious. "I also have to be the enemy. I will tell Beth as soon as I see her. That's if Ed hasn't beaten me to it."