Notes: yeehaw i've finally been getting motivation and it's all thanks to you guys~~~ thank you for giving me so many positive comments on this and favoriting and following jghsjhflsjhfshrkjh it makes me feel loved ;u;

i hope you enjoy my lovelies

Trigger warning: There's a small mention of rape near the end- no details really, but yeah ;w;


"No."

"Yes, Sully."

"No. Hell no, Nate, turn the damn car around because I'm not-"

"Sully," the brunet stretched as he drove down the highway, glancing over at his companion to see a smug grin on his face.

"It's alright. C'mon. I'm pretty sure I have more to fret over than you do," he pointed out. There was a sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Dammit, kid." A pause. "What is it with you and the British?"

"Very funny," he sneered. "Anyway, he's, well, behaving."

"I'm not a dog, you ass," Flynn cut in.

"I wish you were," Nate snapped back. "At least you would be loyal."

"No, oh, no, we are not doing this again-"

"Nate!" Sully yelled into the phone, making his ear ring. "For God's sake, I'm shoving my feet up your asses if you keep bitchin' all the time."

"I'm sure you have duct tape," Nathan stated. Flynn sent him a look. "We'll be there in ten minutes or so."

"Counting on it." Click.

"He still has a stick up his ass, I see," the Brit grumbled, which earned a glare.

"I would say the same for you," Nate retorted quickly, "but you must be into that kind of thing."

"Not as much as you. An entire tree would be more like it."

"I'm sure you've tried that before."

The banter went on back and forth the entire time they were on the road, and it even continued in the driveway until they saw Sully stepping out of his house. They acted as if nothing happened when they opened the car doors.

"I'm guessing you already used the murder-threat tactic," the eldest of the men stated.

"Yeah," Nate said slowly as he watched the Brit fold his arms and furrow his eyebrows. "After that, we did a lot of talking-"

"I'm guessing Flynn did most of the talking because of his big mouth."

"- and I actually, uh, got a whole new perspective on things," the brunet said, almost seeming happy and proud of himself.

"Can we go inside now, you blokes," Flynn interrupted. "It isn't exactly the warmest of weather right now."

Victor huffed as they headed inside. "Home sweet home," he murmured. "I guess."

Honestly, Drake should just bunk with the other; this home was cozier than his own. Tan walls instead of plain white ones, and a rich wooden floor instead of a boring tan carpet. He must've let Elena and Chloe help him move in, with all the appropriate decorations and layout of everything.

"Harry!"

Speaking of the girls.

Elena wasn't there, but Chloe was, and she was storming to them from another room it seemed.

"Dirty old bastard," Nate mused at his guardian, and the other shrugged not-so-innocently.

Without warning, the woman practically leaped onto the Brit and wrapped around him, as if he was her lifeline. Flynn was confused; he thought she didn't like him at all after... what happened.

"Hey- hey, sweetheart," the blond said quietly and soothingly, returning the embrace hesitantly. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Don't even," the other laughed. Reluctantly, she let go of him and instead settled for a good look at his familiar mug, hands reaching out to his shoulders.

"Damn," she murmured. "Two bloody years. We didn't leave off at the best spot, but I really missed you." A pause. "We all thought you were gone."

"Aw, missed me?" Flynn smirked. "Stop it, you're making me blush-"

"Harry."

Silence. Sully and Nate glanced to each other as they watched the scene. Chloe was giving him a stern, yet concerned and gentle look.

"Uh, come on," Flynn said quietly. "Seats."

Once everyone was settled down at the table, Sully and Chloe on the other side with Nate sitting next to the story-teller, the man seemed to be mentally preparing himself.

"Um," he started lamely. He tapped his fingertips against the table. "Now, I know you probably won't believe me," he sighed, "but even Nate listened to what I said."

"Impressive," Chloe mused. Sully snickered.

"You all remember Lazarebitch, obviously," he stated nonchalantly. "I couldn't..." A breath.

"I wasn't able to leave. They put my two closest friends on the line, and you saw how serious and... and cruel he was," he murmured. Two closest friends. That's a way to put it. "If I left, or even told you about this ordeal, he would've had your heads. Or worse."

There was a heavy silence as the Brit thought to himself. "He lied to me completely. I was in need of money, wanted a quick way, and it sounded like he could provide it," he explained. "I had no sodding idea he was a warlord, or even a killer at that."

"Of course I dragged Chloe into it before I even met up with him so, yeah, that was probably my biggest mistake," he said, glaring down at the table. "He got tabs on Drake because of our history, looked into him, and said he'd be 'useful.' The jackass could tell I cared a lot about' em," he stated.

"So that's how I got in that mess," Nate murmured. The other nodded.

"Can't keep his damn hands to himself, you could say." He sighed through his nose.

"So, other than what you've all experienced," the Brit forced out, "there's... not much else to explain. I just had to be a damn good actor or Lazarebitch would chew my ass out for being suspicious," he chuckled. "I accused him of not being able to handle a single man and he-"

Heavy silence.

The three watched intently as Flynn stared down as his hands resting on the table, gnawing on his bottom lip.

"He... what, Harry?" Chloe spoke up.

"Got any booze 'round here, Sullivan?" the blond spoke up as he stood from the table, a large smile plastered on his face. "I bet you do."

"Flynn-" Nate tried, but it was no use. He was already opening the fridge. It was too obvious he was avoiding the question.

"I'll even mix drinks with what I have if ya want," the other offered with a grin. He started placing various bottles of alcohol on the kitchen counter- beer, whiskey, wine, champagne...

"How much do you drink?" Nathan asked as he eyed Sully.

"More than you need to know."


After a few attempts, they gave up- or rather, Nate and Chloe gave up while the eldest drank and sent glares at the Brit when he thought he wasn't looking. Flynn refused to say anything else on Lazarevic.

Instead, they told stories amongst themselves, with Chloe occasionally placing her hand on his back, shoulder, or arm. It made Drake feel angry for some reason. Angry? No. Frustrated? Annoyed? Whatever.

"Alright kids," Sully sighed out after a yawn, "it's past your bed time." Oh. Almost midnight.

They said their goodbyes and, before they left, Chloe pulled Harry aside for a private talk, which Nate didn't want to poke his nose into. Then, they went their separate ways.

"So," the brunet started awkwardly. Flynn looked at him. "What were you going to say?"

"Say about what?" the other asked.

"When you explaining what happened."

"Explaining what?"

Now, it was clear to Nate that he was just playing dumb. He sighed exasperatedly.

"Explaining what happened when Lazarevic came around," he clarified. "You said you accused him of not being able to handle me even with an army...?"

"Oh, yeah," Flynn mumbled. "I dunno," he said nonchalantly with a shrug. "I don't remember."

"Yes you do."

"No, seriously-"

"Damn it, Flynn," Drake snapped as he glared at the road speeding by, "I wasn't born yesterday, okay? I don't know what, but Lazarevic did something that broke you."

The Brit scoffed. "I was far from 'broken.'"

"You tried killing yourself with a grenade."

Silence.

For once, Harry made himself a smaller target instead of holding onto the confident show, sinking into his seat ever so slightly. Apparently, he knew he couldn't win this one.

"This wouldn't be all touchy-feely and dramatic if you just told me the truth," Nate murmured. "For once."

"It doesn't matter now, so what's the point?" the other chuckled humorlessly. "I don't really, well..." he trailed off, then sighed exasperatedly. "I shouldn't even be here right now."

"You are, so boohoo."

"Drake..."

"Tell me what Lazarevic did," Drake said quietly. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about," he stated, "but I don't know what he's done that we haven't already seen because holy shit that guy was insane."

"He raped me."

The vehicle came to a screeching halt, the car not too far behind them honking their horn and swerving by.

"What?"

Flynn shrugged nonchalantly.

"Used me as a sex toy." A pause. "I mean," he scoffed, "not that I'm not used to that, just, whenever I was one beforehand, it was, uh... willing," he said with a shaky smirk.

"Oh. I- uh, I didn't..."

"Just drive," Flynn snapped.

Besides the engine, everything was silent as they headed back home.