Polyamorous.

After dinner and after some of the essential things Anaias owns are brought in, everything just seems to go downhill. My boyfriend has a laggy filter and things just tend to come out of his mouth without him totally thinking it through. So when we're sitting in the living room watching pointless television and talking to Anaias, Callen seems to think it's okay to ask the younger boy if he has any boyfriends back home. I'm not at all surprised at the sudden anger that seems to roll of him.

"Callen, you-" I start but m cut off by Anaias' outburst.

"What would make you think that I had a boyfriend? What part of our lifestyle provides for me to even make friends?!" Anaias asks, hands flailing and eyes glaring.

"Anaias, you know how your brother is. He didn't mean it like that," I try to reason, but it's like the black haired boy simply just doesn't want to listen.

"No, I don't know what he's like. I think you're missing one major detail here. You know, the fact that you took him away from me and left me there to rot with that asshole? Sorry, Cal, if I care enough about people to not bring someone into my fucked up life."

"Ani, I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to-," Callen tries, looking like a lost puppy.

"No! You don't get to call me that. And you don't have the right to say you're sorry and have everything be okay. Fuck this and fuck you," and with that, he's getting up and running upstairs.

It takes every ounce of my strength to hold Callen back from running after the younger boy. I know he wants to make amends, to apologize and make everything right between him and Anaias, but he has to understand that he can't make three years of pain and suffering alright in one day. Anaias is going to be a ticking time-bomb for a while to come and he has every right to be.

I look over at my boyfriend and see that he has his face in his palms, head shaking back and forth. "Cal, it's okay."

"He hates me, Quenton. I left him there with dad and only God knows what that bastard did to him. I wasn't there to protect him."

"Babe," I say, rubbing his back, "I doubt that Anaias hates you. You're his big brother. He's hurt. Three years was a long time for you not to contact him."

"But, Que, you know why I couldn't do that. I couldn't live with myself knowing the way I felt about him and the things I could have done to him," Callen whimpers, looking at me with the saddest brown eyes.

"Baby, you and I both know that you would never hurt Ani, never. And the way you felt wasn't wrong. I didn't send you to rehab because I thought that. I made you get better so you could be what you needed to be for him. You two had a shitty upbringing and unfortunately, Anaias wasn't able to get away when you did. One night isn't going to fix three years of pain. It takes time. In the mean time, you've gotta watch what's coming out of your mouth. You might think what you're saying is harmless, but this is Anaias we're dealing with here," I tell him, kissing his shoulder. "He's different, Cal."

"I know," he says, sounding pained. "I know. I just wish things were simpler than this."

"We both do, but how about we go upstairs? I'll go check on him while you get ready for bed."

"Okay. Please let him know I'm sorry," he tells me before jogging up the stairs and disappearing from my sight.

I take my time to shut off all the lights and turn off the television before padding my way up the stairs. Instead of going right like I normally would, I make a left, stopping at the second door. I take a deep breath to calm myself before knocking twice. I get no answer so I knock again, jiggling the door handle only to find that it's locked.

"Go away," I hear Anaias say softly, followed by a sniffle.

"Anaias, please. It's me, Quenton."

It's quiet for a few seconds before the door opens, and the sight before me nearly breaks my heart. "What do y-you want?" Anaias asks me, his big, brown eyes bloodshot and cheeks red from crying.

"Just wanna talk. I just want to make sure you're okay. Can I come in?"

"It's your house. You can do whatever you want, can't you?" He replies, curling back up in his bed.

I shut the door behind me and walk to sit on the bed beside him. "It might be my house, but this is your room and I will respect your privacy whenever you wish to have it," I tell him, earning a small grunt in response.

"Heh, okay, Mr. Righteous."

"Anaias, don't make this harder than it is. I get that you're hurt, but Callen didn't mean anything he said in a bad way."

"You think this is simply about what he said?" He asks, sitting up and staring at me as if I'm the dumbest thing since the game flappy bird.

"Well, yeah," I respond, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.

"I've spent five years being used and abused like it was the latest trend and spent the last three bending over for a forty-five year old man that I'm supposed to call my father, while Callen's out here, living it up with you and you think that I'm upset only because he asked if I had a boyfriend?!" He snaps, deadly glare set into his normally doe-set eyes.

"I-I, well, uhm," I stutter, mentally trying not to throw up while I get the mental picture of his father abusing him.

"Why the fuck did he bring me here anyway? Clearly, I was just fine without him. And why are you in here apologizing for him? Is he not man enough to talk to me himself? Just like he wasn't man enough to stand up to our father three years ago to save me too? Oh, but I get it. He has you. You're perfect. It was always 'Quenton this and Quenton that'. What about me, huh? When does anyone stop and think about Anaias, huh?" he ends with a sob, breaking down in front of me.

"Anaias, your brother loves you," I respond, reaching out for him, only to have my hand smacked away harshly.

"Don't you fucking touch me. Either of you. Don't ever fucking touch me! Just get out!" he yells, once again curling up into a small ball on his bed.

Everything in me screams to get up and leave, but I don't. Instead, I do the complete opposite, throwing myself onto the mattress and pulling him into a strong hold. He screams for me not to touch him, all the while hitting my chest, but I don't let him go. I hold onto him firmly, mentally smiling when he softens against me, body going slack with exhaustion. He doesn't fight against my hold any longer, instead wrapping a hand in the fabric of my shirt and sobbing against my chest.

All I do is hold him, occasionally rocking him as he cries. When his cries have settled into soft whimpers and whines, I hold him tighter, kissing his soft hair. "We love you, Anaias. We both love you so much."

He only whines in response, hiccuping with every other breath. It doesn't take much for him to fall into a slumber. I release him easily and maneuver him under the thin blankets so he doesn't get cold. Before I leave his room, I kiss his head once more and shut the door behind me. When I end up back in my room, Callen isn't in much of a better state.

I wrap Callen in a hug and he holds on tight to me. "Que, what if he never heals?"

I shake my head, tossing that horrid thought from my mind. "We can't change the past, Cal. The wounds will always be there. But we can carve his future. Offer up our love until all that's left are the scars from the battle. You overcame it, and I know Ani can too."

"I love him, you know. Love him so much," Callen admits.

"I know, babe. I love him too."