Broken Toys

Chapter 33

Dr. Carson leaned back in her chair and sighed. Fifteen minutes into the first real group session with these three boys and the past 10 minutes of it had been spent in silence. She let it linger another minute, taking in Zeke's forced casual sprawl, Billy's unconscious leg movements and Casey's painful-looking tenseness.

"Okay," she prompted, leaning forward and consciously relaxing her posture "Let's try something easier." She paused for a moment, noting that none of the boy's nervousness eased. Time to try a different approach.

"Casey, anything good happen this week?"

Ah, there it was; the slight relaxing of his shoulders, the straightening of his back, the smile, the others responding to Casey's shift in mood. Interesting. Was Casey always the emotional barometer for the trio?

"I... I got a scholarship to State," he said happily, then shifted a little, blushing. She could see him dampening his excitement as if it were an automatic response. The other two boys shifted in their seats and their smiles faded a bit as if on cue. Very interesting.

"That's wonderful, Casey. You should be very proud."

"Well, I..." he hunched his shoulders, the faint blush of pink still coloring his face. He looked towards Zeke and then Billy, as if seeking encouragement, or perhaps permission. Zeke reached over and touched his hand while Billy offered up a smile. Casey smiled back and the tension eased again, but the blush remained. "I guess so," he admitted shyly, not quite meeting the doctor's eyes.

"You should be proud," she assured him gently. "I'd like to see some of your photographs if you'd be willing to bring them in."

Casey nodded eagerly and Zeke laughed.

"Bring 'Grass is Scary' Casey," Billy suggested grinning. Casey nodded again and returned the grin.

_Contact_, the doctor thought, smiling softly. She waited a moment before easing into the next question.

"Well we know what Casey's plans are for the next few years. What about you, Billy? Zeke?"

"We're all going to State," Billy answered for himself and Zeke. "Got the acceptance letters this week."

"Are you planning on living on campus?"

"No," Billy said, then hesitated, looking at Casey.

"We're going to, that is... I have a house not too far from here. We're going to fix it up and live there," Casey said. He wasn't really uncomfortable with saying it, he just hadn't fully accepted the fact that he had a house of his own. It still seemed as if someone would shake him awake one day and he'd find it had been a dream or a joke.

"A house?" Dr Carson said neutrally, measuring their guarded expressions.

"It belonged to my grandparents," Casey said. "Big four bedroom farmhouse about half an hour from here. It needs work so Zeke and Billy are going to help out."

"Sounds like a great idea, Casey. Does that mean you won't be working at Regis like you'd planned?"

"No, I still want to work there. I just won't live there. At least not after the house is fixed up. At least," he looked at Zeke and Billy nervously as if he'd had a sudden unpleasant thought. "If the dean lets me live there."

"You haven't asked him, Casey?"

"No. I mean..." he swallowed hard and blushed, looking down. "I should have asked him."

"Why?" Dr Carson asked gently.

"Because..." Casey looked up and there was a flash of something dark and bitter in his eyes. "He's my guardian, right? Since I don't have parents anymore and I'm not legal yet."

"Don't you want Dean Parker to be your guardian?"

Casey laughed. "Does it matter?" He looked at Billy and Zeke who had tensed as well, leaning forward as if lending support by their physical proximity. Zeke's hands clenched the arms of the chair and Billy's hands were clenched into fists. Casey sensed their mood and leaned back, making a visible effort to relax.

"I mean," he said in a quiet voice, "the dean's been great. He's done a lot for us and he didn't have to take on the responsibility of being my guardian. I'm grateful. But," he looked down at his tightly interlaced fingers and eased them apart. "It shouldn't be like this. That's all." He stared down at his hands.

"Are you angry with your parents, Casey?"

Casey shrugged but didn't look up.

"Do you think they hate you?"

A sharp, ragged breath and another shrug.

"Do you hate them?"

A long hesitation and then a slow shake of

the head.

"Why not?"

Another shrug and the head bowed farther, shielding all of Casey's expression from view.

Dr. Carson leaned shifted forward in her seat, keeping her voice soft and the tone conversational. She was well aware of the tension in Zeke's body, how he was struggling to remain in his seat while every part of him screamed his need to go to Casey. Billy's need was different; he wanted to hit something, his anger warring with his concern for his friend. The next few minutes could be very tricky.

"You want me to believe that you don't hate them for what they did to you Casey? For neglecting you? For letting you be beaten and abused? For leaving you permanently damaged?"

The words were like knives, each one driving into Casey, hurting him, bending him over on himself until he was almost bent double in the chair.

Dr Carson took a quick measure of the anger levels in the room. It was almost palpable now and this next action would be dangerous, but she felt it was a necessary risk. Something had to shock Casey into confronting all of this rather than suppressing it. Quickly she left her chair and moved over to Casey, grabbing his shoulders and pushing back, unbending him and making him look at her.

"Stop lying!"

As expected, all three boys reacted. Casey recoiled as if he'd been hit, his eyes wide, revealing far more than he ever would willingly - anger, fear, hurt, betrayal. Zeke exploded out of his chair, barely controlled anger and the need to protect/defend Casey filling every millimeter of his body. He towered over her threateningly, using his size to try and intimidate. Billy closed in on the other side, his shorter, broader form held rigid, not as angry, but just as threatening.

Carson gave the older boys each a measured look before dismissing them and leaned closer to Casey. She took one wrist in her hand. "Permanent damage, Casey. Loss of fine motor control in both hands." She dropped the wrist but didn't relent. "Your ribs - scar tissue causing shortness of breath, requiring limits on certain types of physical exertion." She leaned even closer. "Nerve damage affecting..."

"Stop it!" Billy shouted. He couldn't hear this again, couldn't stand by and watch as this woman threw cold reality back into Casey's face. They knew he had permanent impairment from the years of beatings, they knew about his hands, his ribs, and even about the nerve damage in his groin. They knew he needed a little extra attention in certain areas. It didn't need to be repeated. Especially not here, not like this.

Casey was trembling now, tears threatening despite his efforts to keep them at bay. Zeke snarled at the doctor and used his body to crowd her, not actually touching her but making her step aside by the sheer force of his presence. He made himself a barrier between her and Casey and his expression promised pain if she tried to get at Casey again.

Carson stood her ground, eyes meeting Zeke's angry glare, holding it. Time stretched on pulled as taut as every nerve in that room until the break she was waiting for finally occurred.

"I'm not broken," Casey said softly. "They didn't break me." The voice was unsteady, but there was conviction behind it.

"No, they didn't Casey," Carson said quietly. "Because you're strong." She took a small step back, finally breaking eye contact with Zeke. "You're all strong. None of you are broken."

The tension ebbed away as if someone had pulled a plug somewhere. Zeke and Billy turned to each other and Casey stood up to join them. They grasped hands, making an irregular circle, and held on tight.

Dr Carson stepped back, moving quietly to the other side of the room, watching the boys until they separated, moving apart and reluctantly returning to their seats. She crossed the room and took her seat again.

"We're not going to play games here, gentlemen; we're going to deal with some ugly reality. I'm not going to demand any more from you than you are capable of. Do you understand that? You are here to accept and understand that you are not damaged or broken or weak; that the actions of your parents and others around you does not define you." She looked at Casey, sorry for the pain in his eyes, yet knowing that she forced him to take a small step in the right direction. She offered him a tiny smile, understanding when he wasn't able to return it.

Billy moved restlessly, and Zeke still radiated anger. She offered them the same tiny smile. Careful to keep her movements open and smooth, she stood and returned to her desk. "Why don't you take off a little early?" she suggested. She looked at each of them in turn. "You've done well today. All of you."

She watched as they left the room, Zeke and Billy on either side of Casey offering silent support as they walked away. Only when the door closed behind them did she sit down. It had been a close thing, very close, but the risk had been worth it. Now if only her hands would stop shaking, everything would be fine.

*****

"Where are we going?" Billy asked after they'd been driving for more than 10 minutes. The houses and shops of the town faded away and the only evidence of civilization was the occasional house or car.

Zeke was driving fast, his beloved GTO moving fluidly along the curves and rises of the two lane road. He'd wrecked his first car while fighting the aliens last year. It had taken some work to find an almost identical replacement but he'd managed it.

He was a usually a careful driver for all his seeming nonchalance. Now, however, there was an edge to his movements and he seemed cold and unapproachable.

Without warning he turned the steering wheel hard to the left and the car bumped down an uneven gravel road fast enough to jostle the passengers.

Around one bend, then another. Zeke slammed on the breaks and the car slid sideways a bit before stopping.

No one spoke for a moment, the air heavy with uncertainty. Zeke exhaled loudly and snapped off his seatbelt, opening the car door and launching himself up and out in the same motion.

Billy and Casey looked at each other nervously.

Cautiously, Casey opened his door and got out. Zeke was standing a few feet away staring out into the thickness of trees and underbrush. The heaviness of solitude pressed down on them.

Without speaking Casey approached Zeke, reaching out with one hand tentatively. Just before contact was made, Zeke turned, swept Casey up and kissed him hard.

There was no tenderness or hesitation in the kiss, only harsh demand and raw need. They battled each other equally, neither one completely in control. Teeth clicked against each other and tongues laid claim to hidden recesses. Fingers dug into cloth, scoring the skin underneath. Breathing was harsh and loud, as if there weren't enough oxygen anywhere.

Billy watched for a moment, stunned. But as the first flash of bare skin was seen, he crossed the space that separated them and staked his claim as well.

Casey was between them, Zeke pressed hard against his chest, Billy solid against his back. There was no space between them even as they writhed against each other, leaving imprints with mouths and fingers.

There was no coordination as they loosened clothing to reveal those most sensitive places, and no gentleness when those places were marked.

Casey was making little sounds now, his hands tight in Zeke's hair as the older boy worked downward while Billy sucked at Casey's neck.

There was no conversation, no words of caring as they moved against each other. It was selfish and primal and raw - exactly what they needed.

Casey's breathing was ragged as he pressed back harder against Billy's erection. He willed the fabric between them to disappear, almost crying with the desperation of his need.

Kneeling before him, Zeke was using his mouth to torment Casey, taking him in just the smallest bit, then letting Casey's cock slip free before catching the tip in his mouth again. Zeke's unforgiving hands worked Casey's balls, squeezing and pulling them until Casey thought he would pass out.

The wishing worked and suddenly Casey's clothing was pulled away. It was skin against skin as Billy resumed the brutal pressure. Casey welcomed it, shifting to trap Billy's erection between them. Wanting more.

Zeke was teasing Casey's cock again, licking the length with painfully slow motions. Casey thrust forward blindly and got a bite on the inner thigh as punishment.

Zeke caught Billy's eye as the shorter boy leaned forward to nip at Casey's shoulder. They didn't need words to communicate what they wanted. Zeke shifted back, looking up at Casey.

"We're gonna make you scream, Case."

The words alone were almost enough to send Casey over the edge, but Zeke grabbed his cock and squeezed hard at the root, making the smallest boy groan. After a moment, the grip was released and Casey was no longer on the edge of exploding.

"Relax," Billy pushed the word into Casey's ear with his tongue. "We've got a long way to go, Casey."

Billy's fingers were in Casey's mouth now, thrusting in and out in a rhythm that matched Billy pressing against his entrance and Zeke taking him deep in his mouth. Casey groaned again and his eyes rolled upward.

"Not yet, cupcake," Billy whispered. "Got a few more things to try."

The fingers slid from Casey's mouth and found their way to his entrance, wetting everything, getting him ready.

Billy pressed his other hand to Zeke's mouth, stretching around awkwardly for the older boy to add his saliva to the palm of Billy's hand.

While Billy prepared himself and Casey, Zeke increased his attack on Casey's cock. Zeke was taking him completely now, sucking hard and moving fast enough that Casey couldn't help but make little thrusting motions with his hips despite the hands that tried to hold him still.

He almost screamed when Billy took him, not the gentle entry that Zeke used, but a relentless, though not violent, assault that didn't ease until Billy had claimed him completely.

Zeke waited until Billy was fully inside Casey before returning his attentions to Casey's erection. He worked in counterpoint to Billy's movements, the two of them determined to drive Casey far beyond his usual limits.

Zeke concentrated on Casey's balls, nipping and sucking the area that had supposedly suffered the most nerve damage. The doctor had warned that there would be a small decrease in sensitivity, perhaps some numbness, most likely a loss of fertility. Zeke didn't believe any of it. He would show Casey that the doctor was wrong; that there was nothing wrong with him.

He nipped at the balls one last time, them took Casey's cock deep, letting Billy's thrusts set the pace. He reached around Casey and put one hand on Billy's hip, urging him to move faster.

Casey was well and truly pinned between his lovers, their movements uncoordinated now, their need an almost physical presence.

It could have been brutal, almost an act of violence, but it wasn't. Every mark on flesh, every tiny cry was born of pleasure, not pain, and every movement was for love, not torment.

When Casey came, he threw back his head and screamed his ecstasy to the sky.

It took them a long time to come down, despite their physical exhaustion. They cleaned themselves up as best they could, Casey's climax made Billy lose control and then they both turned on Zeke until he cried out as well. Redressed, they all climbed into the back seat of the car and held each other.

No one said a word about Casey's tears, or Billy's dry-eyed shuddering sobs, or the way Zeke's hands shook so hard that it took Billy and Casey holding them to stop the tremors.

No one needed to say anything. They all understood. They weren't damaged; they weren't broken. They were whole and loved and together. And that was all that really mattered.

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