Page 228 of Sticks and Stones
It.
Because he ate all of his fries but didn’t touch his burger, Ethan cut up Corbin’s food for him and handed him his fork so he could keep eating.
Then, he went there.
“When you need help, Corbin, you should ask for it,” he said. “Instead of sitting here staring at your food, you should have asked one of us to handle it for you.”
He sighed.
“It’s a difficult thing to do when your ego is too big for the room,” he admitted.
Ethan leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t be an idiot. Ask.”
From here on out, he would.
“Thanks,” he said. “Oh, and Ethan?”
He glanced over.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Corbin tried to find himself in all of this and have a little normalcy in his life.
“Gene said I could run off and marry you. Since you just kissed me, we should.”
From where he sat on the other side of Ethan, Gene started laughing and didn’t even flinch. He knew Corbin was fighting hard to get some normalcy back.
“I can also say that I can toss you off of the balcony to see if you can fly, Corbin. Do we want to test gravity along with my patience?”
He didn’t miss a beat.
“Is that a pig and cop joke? Because you’re technically a cop, too.”
Gene winked at the man.
Honestly, Gene felt better knowing Corbin was still inside that broken shell. Now, his family just needed to help him get better.
Ethan ate some of Gene’s fries as he finished up Ethan’s burger.
“While I appreciate your offer, Corbin, I like a bear. Sorry,” he stated. “I’ve seen you eat, and you're never going to bulk up like Gene.”
The big man smiled at Corbin.
“Told you, Corby. He’s got a bear kink, not a twink kink.”
Corbin laughed, and it hurt, but it felt good to be normal. He knew the men at that table were taking it easy on him, and he appreciated it.
He.
Felt.
Safe.
Thank God for family.
Because they had work to do, Ethan flipped through the file.
