Carter's eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness. His hands on Josh's chest as he listened to his heartbeat, and any other sound his body was making. The sheets covering their naked bodies enclosed the warmth around them and Carter felt content with this moment. He was tracing figures with the tip of his index finger on Josh's chest absentmindedly. He wasn't sure if Josh was asleep or not; they had been lying like this for some time now and Carter knew that if he wanted to, he could very easily fall asleep like this.
Somewhere in his mind, he wondered what time it was right now, and if his parents would return soon. Though knowing them, they could be out for hours before finally going back home.
He exhaled deeply and laid his hand flat onto Josh's torso again and relaxed against his warmth.
Josh's hand then moved and he tangled his fingers between the strands of Carter's hair. "Are you awake?"he asked.
"Mhm," Carter hummed in reply. "Did you sleep?"
"A little."
Carter looked at the arm that was in the sling, and at the collarbone what which was still broken. "Are you in pain?" he asked. "I could fetch you some of the medicine."
"I'm not in pain, don't worry," Josh said, pressing a kiss to Carter's head. "I took one of the heavier ones right before I took a shower. They work for four hours so I'm still numbed down," he said.
"Okay," Carter traced his finger over the smooth skin again. "But if you do start feeling pain, tell me."
Josh removed his hand from Carter's hair and placed it on his back, staring up at the ceiling. A vague sound of a car was heard in the distance, and for a moment, Carter thought that it might be his parents returning. The car passed the house, however, and for some reason, it relieved him. He liked being here all alone with Josh. Nobody who could interrupt them. Just the two of them, all alone in his house. It gave him a feeling of nostalgia, thinking back of all the times they had spent in his bedroom all those years ago, lying in his bed together and talking about all sorts of things.
"I'm going to tell the officers the truth," Josh said, shooting Carter out of his thoughts.
Carter sat up and looked at him, relieved, as well as surprised to hear that. "You are?" he asked. "Good. Thank you."
Josh furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "No, I should be thanking you," he said. "You saved me. I've been thinking about it, y'know, about what would've happened if you hadn't showed up. Until a moment ago, I refused to believe it, but I do think that there could have been a chance that my father would have injured me a lot more. I still don't think he actually would have killed me directly, but I suppose I can call myself lucky that I only ended up with one broken bone and stitches in my head."
Carter rested his head on Josh's chest again and closed his eyes. "I'm just really glad that you're okay now," he spoke. "I was going crazy when I was looking for you. The thought of losing you for good kept going through my mind and it was the most horrible feeling. I already lost you once. I do not want that to happen again."
Josh held onto Carter a little tighter and closed his eyes as well. "Me neither," he said softly. "We've made it pretty far together. You and I."
Carter smiled at the words. "We have, surprisingly enough."
Josh chuckled at his comment, causing Carter to softly laugh along with him.
There was a feeling of content in the silence that followed, and despite no words being spoken, Carter felt as if their bodies were telling each other more stories than words could ever form.
Josh closed his eyes as well and moved his leg a little bit. "Hey, Carter?"
"Hm?"
"Let's leave this place. Port Hayland, once we graduate."
That comment had Carter opening his eyes again and he sat up a little to look at the blind. "You want to leave?" He asked. "Where do you want to go, then?"
"Anywhere. We could take my boat and sail to anywhere in the country. I've saved up quite a bit of money during the past few years. We could sail to wherever we want to, and maybe rent something somewhere. Just the two of us."
Of course the offer was very alluring, but at the same time it was a bit scary. Going to into the unknown, it was typically something that would be exciting for Josh but a bit overwhelming for Carter.
"What about our friends?" he asked. "What about Alyssa, and my parents?"
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Josh said, "but we can call them, Skype them and invite them over if we settle somewhere for a while."
Carter leaned against the cushion of the sofa and pondered about what Josh had said. Going on such an adventure with Josh by his side did sound good, but right now he didn't think they were in the position just yet to make big decisions like that.
"Maybe," he said, leaning down to give Josh a kiss. "I'll have to think about it."
Josh gave him a gentle smile and reached out to place his hand on the side of Carter's face, his thumb stroking over his cheek. "Fair enough."
+++
The next day, officer Maxwell and Jefferson arrived early in the morning after Josh had contacted them.
The officers requested to talk to both Josh and Carter individually and then finally together to discuss all the charges that would wished to be filed against Steve Marson.
Carter was sitting downstairs on the couch, a cup of hot chocolate in his palms and he watched some television. He wasn't sure how long the "interrogation" was going to last, but he was sure that the officers would be asking Josh a lot of questions. Not only about what had happened the day after New Year's Eve, but especially about his past with the abuses and his father being an alcoholic.
He had skyped with Alyssa, Paxton, Chris and Melanie about what exactly had happened and about the current progress of the investigation. He was happy that his friends were so supportive of them, even though Paxton had admitted to them that he did have to get used to the idea of them being gay, and in a relationship with each other. But he was trying, and that was just as good for Carter.
As of now, he was content. Josh had come to terms with himself and the truth, he had fully opened up to Carter about what exactly had been going on in his mind, the people Carter cared about were supportive of his sexuality and his relationship with Josh, and it felt as if he had never been this close to Josh before. Not even five years ago.
Thinking back at all the times they shared together, he recalled how even back then there had always been things Josh had been mysterious about. But back then they were a lot younger, and still weren't so caught up in the adult world.
Yet, there still was the matter of the plans for the future. Josh wanted to travel the country, and maybe even the world with him. Carter loved the thought of it, but he knew that they couldn't just take off to somewhere and see where they'd go from there. They could take a gap year and travel, but eventually would have to settle down somewhere, and continue their education.
When footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, Carter turned off the television and sat up, looking at Josh entering the living room with the two officers following him.
Josh appeared to be calm. He hadn't cried like the last time the officers had spoken to him.
"Alright, we would very lastly like to discuss the final decisions and conclusions together with you. Since you were both involved, it is alright for you to be together while we discuss it," officer Maxwell said. "Can we speak right here or shall we go upstairs again?"
"Here is alright," Carter said, putting his hot chocolate down on the coffee table. Josh came to sit next to him and officer Maxwell went to sit on the sofa chair, while officer Jefferson walked to the kitchen to get one of the chairs at the table. Once sitting down next to officer Maxwell, he opened his notebook and cleared his throat.
"Alright. After both of the stories, and now that they are quite similar to each other, we can determine what kinds of charges you could file against Mr. Marson, if you wished to do so," he said. "However, no matter what kind of charges you file against him, he will be put into court for child abuse. The judge, however, will decide what the exact verdict will be. We have no power when it comes to the final court."
Carter gave a nod and glanced at Josh next to him. Even though he still seemed to appear calm, he knew that from the inside it must be nerve wracking for him. There was no going back now, and the life of Josh and his father, and their relationship, would never be the same again.
"There is a big chance that Steve Marson will be sent to a rehab facility as well," officer Jefferson said. "But he will be called to the court."
Carter was starting to feel quite nervous as well. Even though he had nothing to do with Steve, besides Josh, he was still a tad bit anxious about what the final verdict would be.
"Alright," Josh said after taking a deep breath in. "But before we decide what to do, I would like everyone to keep a few things in mind about my father."
Carter turned to him in curiosity, wondering if there were a few things he still hadn't told him.
"My father is not a criminal. Yes, I know that he has done awful things, especially to me, but he didn't do them because he liked it. He didn't become an alcoholic because he liked alcohol that much," Josh added. "After my mother died, he became incredibly lonely. Alcohol was the only thing that was able to numb his pain. He wasn't abusive from the very beginning, but if he stayed sober for too long, he'd get caught up in his sadness. Said sadness eventually turned into anger, as is the process of mourning." Josh looked at the hand that was on his lap, a part of a bruise on his wrist just visible at the edge of his sleeve. "I thought he was finally getting better after he converted himself to the Christian faith. He seemed to be doing better for a while, and was convinced that if he'd stay loyal to God and his beliefs, he'd one day be with my mother again. His alcohol addiction eventually started to fade, and both the mental and physical abuse lessened massively. They hadn't completely vanished. He'd still come home drunk from time to time, especially during stressful weekdays. But... After I came out to him, he began getting stricter again. That was the point where he was afraid that I would ruin his chance of being with my mother again, the three of us. I think that is what caused him to turn back to alcohol again, and regaining his aggressive behavior."
The officers had taken notes in their notebooks again and Carter placed a hand on Josh's leg. Hearing his story made him realize how lucky he actually really was with the fact that his parents were acceptive of him. He was very well aware of the fact that a lot of LGBT people got rejected by their families and friends, and would have to live the rest of their lives knowing that they were seen as lesser simply because of who they loved. The very thought of it was ridiculous, but it was reality.
"But of course, that doesn't justify what he did to me. He needs to know that his actions were not okay, and he needs a fitting punishment for everything he's done. But even so, I don't want him to be treated as a heartless criminal."
"We understand," officer Maxwell said with a firm nod.
"Everyone would understand," Carter said.
Josh's eyes met with his and they shared a supportive smile. With a hand holding each other, Carter promised himself that no matter how long the journey, he'd go with Josh through it all.