Inner Demons

Mike sat down on by the table where the person he had arranged to meet was. They had decided to meet while Darren was still fast asleep, because they didn’t want him to know anything just yet.

“Sorry I’m late.” Mike apologised.

“It’s fine. What do you want, Mike?”

“Talk about Darren, Benjamin.”

“What about him?” Benjamin asked, sipping his coffee.

Mike smiled sadly and averted his eyes to the outside. “He’s miserable without you. We saw you when you came into the restaurant earlier and Darren broke down. I took him home and put him to bed, then I called you.” Mike looked back at Benjamin. “He told me something about you.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me you kissed him, left him and then called to say you didn’t mean to.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” Benjamin argued lightly and put the coffee cup back on the table, then leaned back on the chair.

Mike leaned forward, placing his arms on the table and looking intently at Benjamin. “What I’m going to tell you now, you can’t tell to anyone. You can’t even tell Darren I told you.”

“If it’s about his uncle abusing him, I already know.” Benjamin said, still not really paying attention to Mike.

“He already told you?” Mike asked, surprised that Darren had told someone what his father had done.

“Yeah, he told me after someone had grabbed his arm, trying to get him to come somewhere and he had a panic attack. I have never seen anyone get a panic attack before but when I saw Darren… it was really painful to watch, but I didn’t know what to do.” Benjamin scratched his face a little before continuing. “It wasn’t before our teacher came and asked me to help her get him into a room that I was able to move. I sat with him for three hours, him sleeping in a chair and me sitting on the floor doing school work. When he woke up he looked at me with wary eyes, I hadn’t really recognised his eyes before but they are beautiful. Anyway, I asked him if he was okay and he shook his head. When I asked him if he wanted to talk about it, he just started to cry and sob out his story. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and that he was pouring his story out to someone he hadn’t ever talked to before.”

Mike held a hand up, stopping Benjamin from saying anything else. “Karen told me you met when you were both arguing with classmates and changed fights.”

Benjamin laughed. “We made it up, so that Karen wouldn’t know that he had a panic attack. We talked to the teacher and school nurse about it and we had to promise that if Darren had another panic attack we would tell Karen, luckily he didn’t.”

Mike nodded, understanding what Benjamin was saying. “Did you know that Darren and I had an affair before he moved?” Benjamin’s jaw dropped. “Didn’t think so. I love Darren, and I know that deep inside he loves me too, but I also think he has feeling for you. Which is why he took it so badly when you said you didn’t mean to kiss him and when he saw you with that girl.”

“You two…” Benjamin finally managed to make his mouth work again.

Mike nodded. “He was only 15 when I confessed to him, I myself was 16. We knew it wasn’t normal to fall for your cousin, but we couldn’t help ourselves. We would do anything to have time alone together, faking school trips, volunteering to go grocery shopping, anything.” Mike smiled fondly at the memories. “Things changed though, when he turned 16. Suddenly he got popular and I got possessive, things got bad and after awhile I couldn’t stand seeing him with other people. We both decided to take a break for awhile, cool down a little.” There was another pause. “As time went I noticed a difference in Darren, he became quiet and distant, afraid to have people that wasn’t family touch him. It wasn’t until the day I did something really stupid towards him here I got to know what had happened to him.”

“What did you do?” Benjamin asked, wanting to know what had happened to Darren.

Mike looked at him, not really wanting to tell but also knew that Benjamin would ask Darren if things went well today. There was a thick silence between them for a minute, before Mike took a deep breath.

“It was the same day you kissed him, I got angry again and I dragged him into the restroom at the mall next to your school.” Taking another deep breath, Mike looked out the window. “I regret doing it, but I didn’t know any better at the time.”

Benjamin was glaring at him now. “Don’t tell me you forced yourself onto him.” Mike nodded. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Benjamin hissed.

“I didn’t know! I admit I did one huge mistake, but Darren forgave me for it, that’s more than I can say for you.”

Mike saw that Benjamin wasn’t far from punching his face in, so he shut up and looked around the café, it seemed like no one had heard their conversation so far, something he was incredibly glad for.

“What do you want me to do with Darren?” Benjamin asked. “He’s the reason why I’m here right?”

Mike nodded. “Please start talking to him again, like I said earlier he is really miserable without you. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do with himself and I can’t help him.”

“Why should I help? For all I know you can get possessive over him and then do something really stupid again.”

“You should help because you are Darren’s best friend. Don’t make him loose hope in everybody.” Mike argued. “I know I have done nothing to make you like me, but this should give you a sign that I’m trying to change.”

“Fine, I’ll try to talk to him.”

Mike smiled satisfied. “Thank you.”

---

Darren had woken up alone and in a completely dark house. He had no idea where Mike was, and he was getting worried. Mike still didn’t know his way around here and that terrified him. What if he got injured or someone tried to hurt him.

The sound of a car approaching the house, told Darren that someone was coming. Walking over to the window he saw Benjamin’s car with Mike inside. There was something wrong and he knew it. Running down the stairs he threw the door open, just as Mike was about to do it too, hugging him tightly.

“Where were you?”

Benjamin stood a few steps behind Mike, trying to keep his cool while Darren was talking to Mike, hugging him and pressing a single kiss to his cheek. To know that his best friend and his cousin used to, and maybe once again, be an item. He wanted so badly to go over there, tear them apart and dragged Darren into his car, driving away.

“There’s someone here that wants to see you.” Mike whispered to Darren, after assuring him he was fine.

Darren looked over Mike’s shoulder and saw that Benjamin was still standing there. Breaking their hug, Darren stood there awkwardly for awhile, before Benjamin took a step closer and smiled carefully to Darren.

“Hi.”

Darren looked back at Mike, who nodded. “Hi.”

They both stood there kind of awkwardly, before Benjamin took another step towards Darren and hugged him tightly. Mike starred at the two best friends and lowered his head. It was hard for him to see that the person he loved was so depended on someone that wasn’t him. He could see the tears rolling down both their faces and knew he had done the right thing, even though it had and still was painful.

Benjamin pulled back and dried away the tears on Darren’s face, while teasing lightly. “You should stop crying, crybaby.”

Darren let out a small laugh. “Says you, crybaby.”

Mike cleared his throat. “Lets get inside, you probably have a lot to talk about.”

Darren nodded and took Benjamin’s hand in his, dragging him inside.

---

Mike was standing in the kitchen, preparing something to eat for the three of them while Darren and Benjamin was catching up on the few days they had been apart. He figured that it was better that he wasn’t around them, because he knew that they had a close relationship for best friend and he might just become jealous again.

Light footsteps were coming his way and Mike turned around, seeing Darren there with a big smile on his face. Darren walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you for this.”

Mike smiled and kissed Darren’s cheek. “You obviously needed it.”

Darren’s smile brighten if possible even more and he quickly kissed him on the lips. “What are you making for us?”

“Nothing much. I’m afraid I inherited my father’s cooking abilities.” Darren smiled faltered a bit and Mike mentally kicked himself. “I’m sorry, love.”

Darren shook his head. “It’s okay, Mike. I don’t want you to cut him out of your life just because of me. I know you look up to him for different reasons and what he did shouldn’t take that away from you.”

He tightened his grip on Darren and kissed his forehead. “I looked up to him, I don’t anymore. I would be lying if I said I don’t love him anymore, because he is my father, but I will never look at him the same way.”

Darren nodded and broke away from his hold. “Are you done with the food?” Mike nodded and grabbed the brownies, walking with Darren out to the living room.

Benjamin smiled to Darren and took an offered brownies from Mike. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, I’m a lousy chief.” Mike said and sat down in the big chair, while Darren sat down in the sofa, both grabbing a brownie each.

It didn’t go long, before all the brownies were gone and the boys lost in conversation, all three for once. Mike was laughing hard at some of the things Benjamin was telling him about Darren for the past two years, all the troubles they had gotten themselves into and all the times people had actually caught them doing things they shouldn’t. Darren was happy that they seemed to finally get along with each other, not a moment too soon in his opinion.

Benjamin threw a look at the watch and his eyes widened. “Shit, it’s really late.” The clock was show 00.30am. “And I haven’t even called Grandma.”

Darren sighed, knowing Benjamin would be in trouble in the morning. “Why don’t you send her a text message, telling her where you are and that you’ll be sleeping here.” Benjamin nodded at that and fished out his cell phone. “Say hello from me.”

“Will do, and thanks for letting me stay, she would’ve flipped if I told her I would be going home at this hour.” He said, typing quickly on his phone.

“You live with your grandmother?” Mike asked, confused.

Benjamin nodded. “My parents died in a car crash when I was 10, I’ve been living with my grandmother since then, but she isn’t more 56, she had my mother when she was 20 and mom was 18 when she got me.”

Mike nodded. “I’m sorry about your parents, but it seems like you have a happy life nonetheless with your grandma.”

Benjamin smiled a little sadly. “Me and my grandmother was always very closed, closer than I ever was with my parents. I think it’s going to be harder when she dies sometime, but that might be because I was very young when my parents died.”

Mike smiled back to him and stood up taking the empty plate out to the kitchen. “We should probably set up your bed for the night.”

Darren suddenly snapped his head up. “Where is he going to sleep?”

“Guestroom with me I guess.” Mike answered, making Darren bite his lip. “It’s going to be okay, we won’t try to kill each other in our sleep.”

Benjamin let out a brief laugh and poked Mike’s cheek. “Don’t be so sure of yourself.”

Mike laughed, along with Darren and they went up the stairs, making the guestroom suitable for two instead of one.

“God you have so much crap, Mike.” Benjamin said, laughing like crazy at all the things he found in Mike’s suit case.

“OI! Stay out of my things. You’re supposed to be helping me, not looking through my stuff.” Mike yelled and threw a pillow at the snooping Benjamin.

“Yeah, whatever, you’re doing fine without me.” Benjamin said, throwing the pillow back.

Mike scowled and slammed the pillow down on the bed. “There done, now lets brush our teeth and get to bed.”

Darren stood by the door and snickered at the two bickering boys. He took a forgotten pillow up from the floor and placed it on the chair by the door.

“Ready for bed now?” he asked.

Mike whirled around, hand on his chest and a shocked expression. “Don’t scare me like that!”

Darren smiled innocently and handed a new toothbrush and some clothes to sleep in for Benjamin. “Since you didn’t pack anything for this sleepover.”

“Thanks.” Benjamin said, taking the things making sure his fingers lingered a little by Darren’s hands.

Mike walked to the bathroom and quickly brushing his teeth, then let the other two do their things. He was standing outside Darren’s room, waiting for him to come back. When he did, they shared a brief kiss and said good night.

Coming back into the guestroom, Mike laid down next to Benjamin and rolled to his side, his back facing Benjamin.

“Make sure to stay on your side through the night.” He said, closing his eyes.

“You too.”

TBC

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Thanks to Lisa for reviewing and everyone else for reading this story. I hope you liked the chapter and please review if you have the time.