After their passionate time together everyone cleaned up the mess and headed inside. All three of them put on night clothes and climbed on Brian’s bed. They covered up with Brian in the middle, snuggled up to both of them. Surprisingly Jared didn’t think much of it the next morning; he just hopped into his dads’ bed and curled up on Zack’s chest. School and work would come within two hours but that gave them at least a little more time to doze.

Surprisingly no one acted awkward the next day. They woke to Brian’s work alarm going off. Matt scrambled to hit the snooze button but Jared was already waking up. He watched as the little boy climbed off of Zack and padded to his room. Jared knew what that alarm meant. Brian and Zack on the other hand didn’t seam to want to wake up. Matt only had to shake Zack to get him to wake but with Brian he had to pull out all the stops, including ripping the blanket off of the bed so he got chilled enough to complain and wake up.

Breakfast went as normal, everyone scattered around the kitchen grabbing the types of cereal they wanted. They juggled the milk around the table from one person to another; they would defiantly be running late if they didn’t eat quickly. Jared had already dressed before breakfast so all he had to do was slip a pair of shoes on as the adults scrambled into Brian’s room and put on their uniforms. Matt wouldn’t have his today but he just borrowed one of Brian’s.

On the way out the door Zack grabbed Jared’s sweater and stuffed it in his backpack along with some treats for snack time. He and Jared climbed into his car just as Matt and Brian were getting into the truck right next to it. They pulled out one after another and took off. Zack got Jared to school on time and surprisingly made it to work before time to clock in. The reality owner is a really nice lady and understands that three days out of a week Zack has to drop off and pick Jared up from school, so she arranged his schedule so he could be on time for both.

In eight hours Zack sold two houses and started the paperwork on three more. It was a pretty busy day; he had to take clients for walkthroughs and the tedious paperwork, by the end of his shift he was more than ready to go. He stopped by and picked Jared up from school then went to the grocery store. He picked up the things for homemade lasagna and some snacks for the house as well as fruits and veggies.

When Zack and Jared got home the little boy hurried into the kitchen and sat at the island bar, pulling his homework out on the way. Zack started dinner. He cooked up the noodles and eggs as well as made homemade sauce. He had just put it all together with cheese in a pan and stuck it in the oven when he got a text.

‘Just dropped Matt off at home, I will see you soon. <3’ Zack smiled and put his phone on the counter.

Brian got home just before the oven went off; greeting Zack with a kiss and Jared with a hug. “How are my boys doing?”
“Good.” They both replied. While Zack was bent down looking into the oven Brian stared at the rump presented to him. Letting out a low growl Brian walked around the bar and sat next to Jared.

“Do you understand everything?” Brian asked looking over the homework. Brian looked over at the page, he had taught Jared to circle the number on what ever problem he was working on if he needed help. There was only one dot on the page with thirty math problems.

“I need help with this one.” Jared stated pointing to number seventeen. Brian scooted closer and helped Jared with the problem.

Once the math was finished Jared moved onto his reading homework. His teacher had assigned a book for the whole class to read; of course it was an age appropriate chapter book for first grade students, Little Bear. The class had read a chapter out of the book today and their homework was to answer ten questions about it as well as read another ten page chapter. Tomorrow they would answer questions about what they read as homework and also read yet another chapter. It was a repetitive process but the kids understood what they had to do each day.

When the bell on the oven went off Zack pulled the lasagna out and put it on the stove to cool. “Want me to set the table babe?”

“Please.” Zack turned around and grabbed a hold of the salad bowl and fruit dish; he carried them to the table while Brian grabbed the plates. Just as he had finished setting the table the house phone rang.

“I got it.” Zack chimed passing two glass cups to Brian; he walked over to the phone on the wall right next to the fridge and answered it. “Hello?”

Brian had scooped out the food on the three plates just as Zack hung up the phone. “Who was that Zee?”

“I have to go; Matt needs one of us to go get him. He asked if he could stay here but I said that I don’t know if you would be okay with it but if by some chance your not he can stay at my place for a bit.” Zack walked over to the drawer and grabbed some foil to cover his plate; Brian grabbed the roll and covered the rest of diner.

“Of course he can stay Zack.” Brian pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Hey buddy go get your boots on we’re going to get Uncle Matt.”

Jared immediately ran upstairs, grabbing his jacket and a pair of shoes. His little feet were heard stomping down the stairs. He waited at the door until the adults were ready and they all left, taking Brian’s truck. “Matt didn’t say what was wrong, he just asked if we could get him and if he could stay.”

“I’m sure it had to do with her.” Brian drug out the last word as if to give a hint to Zack. He obviously received it because neither of them said Val’s name in front of Jared for the rest of the ride. Who knows maybe Matt didn’t want the little guy to know what was going on with his wife. It would be bad for them to say negative things about his aunt if Matt and Val worked it out.

Brian’s jaw nearly dropped when they pulled up to Matt’s two story house. All of the windows in the front of the house were broken out. The front door was kicked in and there were what looked like burn marks on the front lawn. Matt was sat outside holding a bundle that Brian soon realized was Kage. “Jared, stay in the car.” Brian stated taking the keys out of the ignition and throwing open his door.

“Matt.” Zack asked as he approached his taller friend slowly. Jared was no more than ten feet away and he could no doubt hear because the doors were open. Matt looked up from the sleeping bundle in his arms, tears streaked down his face. “Are you hurt?” Zack asked when he saw red trickling from the larger mans arm onto the baby blanket.

“What did you do Matt?” Brian asked surveying the damage when Matt lifted his palm to look at it; he had a large gash down the middle of it. Matt started shaking, a sob escaped his lips. “Matt, Zack’s going to take the baby so I can look at your hand okay?” Brian kneeled down on the covered porch between his friend’s legs. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

Matt nodded, “Kitchen,” he whispered when Zack took the baby. Zack, not feeling like Matt was a threat anymore took a seat on the bench next to him. Taking caution to not let the bloody part of the blanket touch him or the baby; Matt noticed. Brian walked out of the door with the kit in his hand his eyes glazed over. When he knelt down again he slipped on a glove. “I don’t have any diseases.”

“Just taking precaution you know me Matt.” Brian grabbed his hand making sure to avoid blood, using his gloved hand to wipe away the blood and sanitize it with a wipe.

“I know but literally I got tested for all that shit a month ago and I haven’t slept with anyone but you two since.” Matt murmured knowing that it would help ease Brian’s OCD about blood.

“What happened here Matt? Why does it look like you let an elephant or ten loose in your house?” Brian asked having had a good look of the inside when he went to receive the kit.

“Val and I got into it. I confronted her and she threw it back in my face about that party you threw forever ago. We fought for a long time and Kage started to cry so she went to check on him. I was fuming and decided to take a walk. I made it to the park and back but by the time I got home the windows were broken and the inside of the house was trashed, she took off with my car. I smelled smoke and all the sudden the front lawn caught on fire. I managed to get to the extinguisher in the coat closet and put it out. I wondered what had started it because it wasn’t burning when I walked up; I searched and found a cigarette. I don’t smoke and I know she doesn’t so I assume she called someone over to trash my house. They are lucky that I got here when I did because she left the baby in the house when she took off. The place would have gone up in flames with him in it.” Matt looked over to the baby in Zack’s arms.

“Well the good thing is that he’s safe, you got to him in time and your hand doesn’t need stitches.” Zack said taking a glance at the large cut Brian was wrapping. “It’s not deep so it should scab over like any other cut.

“Where is his car seat?” Brian stood back up and dusted off his knees.

“We keep the spare in his closet in the nursery. Anything in there is salvageable and can be taken with me. His dresser is tipped but I should be able to get his clothes out of it anything else I can buy new.

“Here,” Zack handed Kage back to his dad and stood next to Brian. “We will go through the nursery and your room to get what ever we can, you just wait here or get in the car with Jared.”

Matt nodded and let his friends go through his entirely thrashed house; the whole place was covered in broken furniture and glass. When they got upstairs the bedroom was the worst of them all, the bed was torn and blankets ripped up, all personal items were strewn across the floor with glass mirror pieces and window shards. There were holes in the wall and a nasty message written on the wall stating ‘fuck you.’

Brian grabbed a duffle bag out of the closet which had been avoided surprisingly and managed to tip the dresser up so he could get Matt’s clothing out of it. He grabbed a few more personal things that Matt had that weren’t ruined while Zack raided the baby’s room. He found a portable crib in the closet with a stroller, car seat, a box that looked to have clothes that were too big for the baby and what was left of the diapers. Just as Brian had done Zack lifted the dresser and grabbed clothes.

As they packed the truck up Brian made a call to Jimmy. Matt was so distraught he didn’t even realize that they had let Bella into the back seat. They were all backing out, Zack in-between Matt and Brian when Matt nearly yelled for them to wait. He unbuckled and ran into the house. When he returned he was holding a large yellow envelope. No one asked him what was in it. “I called Jimmy; he will have the place boarded up unless you want to call the cops?”

“I called them informed them that I would be at your house if they need to question me. They won’t know that you took clothes and baby stuff out of that mess so ill have to tell them. It’s not like you did anything illegal.” Matt stated as they pulled up to Brian’s house. Jared was unusually quiet in the back seat. Brian looked back to see the boy dozing off in his seat.

Back at Brian’s they unpacked the truck and took everything inside. Brian carried Jared up to his bed and let him have a nap. Bella was running through the house all crazily with the two puppies. Matt was cooing the baby back to sleep and Zack sat back and watched it all thinking to himself. ‘This is what my life has become and somehow for once in my life I’m proud of it.’