Le Petit Nicolas
Chapter 16 - Home again

"Nick, does it hurt?" Geoffroy's scared voice ringed in Nicolas's ears. “Wait a second. No, don't stand up. Hold on. Just a second.”

Nicolas, the little, abused boy, was resting on his side, turned away from his classmates, trying to relax his body which was no longer painfully bound. Still feeling the excruciating pain all over his groin and head he could not decide what was worse. His face was still red from tears even though he wasn't crying anymore - he was not able to cry. The unpleasant scent of sperm seemed to be all over him as if he was coated in it. As if it was flowing in his veins instead of his blood, marking him, reminding him of what happened just a few minutes ago. As a matter of fact, Nicolas could barely hold himself from vomiting. His throat and nose ached, his eyes were tired, sleepy.

But, on the other hand, his rectum seemed even worse, sending some sharp waves of agonizing pain all over him every time he squeezed his legs together. It was really sensitive now, sore and leaking the fluids onto the floor. The boy realized he bleeding a bit when Geoffroy touched the delicate spot. Nicolas hissed, clenching his teeth.

“Owww!”

"Just give me a moment, I will clean you up." Geoffroy stated, brushing the fabric against his boyfriend's sore skin, gathering all the drops of blood and cum. After a while, the blond-haired kid noticed that his behavior's anus was not looking as bad as he expected. Once cleaned it was not that red anymore and there were no visible traces of abuse on the outside. No permanent damage, no wounds, even the small ones. “Do you think you can walk?” Geoffroy asked another question, grabbing Nicolas's arm carefully.

It sure wasn't easy for him, but he finally managed to stand up without Geoffroy's aid and pulled his underwear and pants up, dressing up slowly. It felt better now, as long as nobody was touching him down there. Clenching his buttocks Nicolas made a step forward, grimacing. “It will make me stronger...” the boy kept repeating to himself.

“It hurts, but I'm ok.” He stated, feeling that Geoffroy wrapped his arms around him.

But instead of returning the hug Nicolas looked back at Clotaire's naked body, feeling nothing but disgust. Their classmate was in a visible pain coming from the broken finger and nose. Nicolas could tell that these were the most painful spots on the tormentor's body right now. Allowing his mind to flow, he started wondering what they should do next. His parents were teaching him of a mercy, but he never believed it. He could not forgive and forget. Perhaps he would if his own body wasn't forced into a wicked sexual intercourse. Now Nicolas wanted to return the pain he experienced. Pay it forward and teach Clotaire of the terrible mistake he committed. Besides, he doubted if his parents would show any mercy to the person who abused him. All the emotions were still boiling inside him.

Once Geoffroy let him go the black-haired kid walked closer to Clotaire, marked his hit and kicked the helpless boy directly in testicles. Sure, it caused him to feel pain as well, but he was satisfied knowing that his ex-tormentor was in even greater anguish.

“Fuck you!” Nicolas shouted, kicking again, seeing that Clotaire was already all crying and begging, screaming into his gag. “You fucking dickhole!”

“Nick, stop!” Geoffroy grabbed him from behind, stroking his chest. “This is not fair.”

“What?” Nicolas's face expressed surprise, but he felt that his anger was fading. “Are you going to forgive him?”

“I'm just saying that you should stop beating him up.” The blond-haired boy explained and added. “We should return to him exactly the same he did to us. Get his camera and start recording. Take some pictures. I will take care of rest. Alright?”

The boy's face was deadly serious. Once again, Nicolas thought that his boyfriend seemed different, more mature. They were rarely behaving like that, so he figured out that opposing Geoffroy would be pointless. Clearly, the young teen had some kind of a plan – Nicolas obeyed the order, believing that Geoffroy knew what he was doing. Plus if he understood him correctly Clotaire was about to experience his worst nightmare. Reaching for the dropped camera the black-haired kid deleted the movie which was recorded before. There were no more traces left. They were free from any blackmail, creating their own now.

“Hold on, let me dress up.” Nicolas stated, looking for a new shirt to wear. He wiped a few remaining drops of sperm using his old shirt, cut into the pieces by Clotaire. “Alright. This one will do.”

The clock showed 16:00 as Nicolas pressed the red button, recording the brand new movie. In the meantime, Geoffroy grabbed Clotaire's hands and repositioned him, knowing that their hated classmate was unable to fight it anymore. The boy was broken, humiliated and feeling nothing but the sense of an impending doom, unaware of what will happen next. To say the truth, Clotaire would never admit it, but he realized he made a serious, unforgivable mistake. His mind kept telling him that everything happened because of his adoration or love for Geoffroy. His precious boy, the chosen one. But it was Geoffroy who was now abusing him, spreading his legs, pressing them against his stomach and chest, exposing the tight hole for everyone to see.

“Okay, let's start.” Geoffroy stated and placed the tip of his soft penis at the tiny opening between his classmate's buttocks. He looked at his victim's face, all in tears, mumbling something into the gag, but all words were silenced by it. Rubbing his glans against Clotaire's anus he was about to push when he turned his head to Nicolas. “I just can't. It feels like I'm cheating on you. Can you go to the bathroom and grab deodorant of some sort? And start recording again.”

“Alright!”

“You know, I wish I could do it without wetting you up. But I don't want to stick my fingers inside you.” Geoffroy explained, hoping that his classmate will understand it clearly. The blond-haired kid wanted to have no connection to the older boy. He was disgusted only by thinking about him and wished for a sweet revenge and nothing more. He hoped that once they were done Clotaire will disappear from his life. Oh yes, he wanted to use his father's power.

After about two minutes Nicolas returned to the room holding the biggest tube he could find. There were plenty of small ones, but for some reason, this one caught his attention – it seemed perfect for a big boy like Clotaire, about five centimeters wide. He watched, with a hint of satisfaction, as Geoffroy started coating the object with the lube. Then, he pressed the recording button once again.

“A big task ahead of you.” Geoffroy smirked.

“Ready when you are.”

Of course, penetrating the virgin boy's anus wasn't going to be easy and everyone in room figured it out. Clotaire wanted to avoid it at all costs, clenched all of his muscles, hoping that the boys will finally let him go, oh yes, he hoped for some mercy. But Geoffroy was patient, he brushed the rounded, wet tip of the object against his classmate's hole. Putting some pressure on it, placing his hand on the bottom of the deodorant, the blond-haired handsome kid hoped this will be enough to slip at least some of the tube inside.

Thanks to oil, it worked, the hole started spreading apart slowly. Clotaire began fighting the intrusion instinctively, pushing the object out, grunting and clenching his eyes as his efforts had no effects. The incredible burning pain pulsated all over his groin. It just got worse once Geoffroy pressed the deodorant with his second hand as well, causing more of it to sink inside right away. There was no escape anymore. Clotaire's sphincter gave way, unable to stop it, unable to fight it. Another centimeter went inside.

“So how does it feel to be raped by someone you trusted?” Geoffroy asked all of sudden, keeping the pressure on the object between another teen's legs. “Let's see.” Geoffroy said, removing the gag from Clotaire's mouth.

“Geoffroy, please. I can't take it.” Clotaire croaked in a weak voice. “Geoffroy! Please!”

“Nicolas could not take it anymore as well. You had no mercy for him.” Geoffroy answered, slapping his victim's testicles. “I will stop once he forgives you. It's not up to me, now.”

“Nicolas! I'm really sorry!” Their classmate exclaimed and hissed feeling as more and more object filled him. Another two centimeters found its way inside, Geoffroy started drilling to the sides, coating all the muscles with more of the sticky oil, lubricating and spreading them wide. “I will do everything, just tell him to stop! Nicolas!” He turned his red, tears covered face to the little boy who kept the recording going. His and Nicolas's eyes met. The black-haired tried to look away, but could not.

For a brief moment, Nicolas felt incredible sadness, knowing that the thing they were doing made them no different from their tormentor. On the other hand, he knew he was not able to forgive his classmate. Something deep inside was blocking him, he wanted the boy to suffer for a little bit more. The little kid wanted to see the tears, to smell the fear.

“Will you leave us both alone and leave?” Nicolas asked in a low voice, staring at the helpless boy.

“It's not up to me! It all depends on my parents. I will try to...” He paused and groaned when Geoffroy pushed again. “Oh god, I can not...”

“Geoffroy, give me a second, please.” Nicolas stated, turning the camera off and sat down on the office chair, in front of Clotaire's computer and glared at the screen looking for some clues.

The thing that bothered him was fairly obvious, and Nicolas was a smart kid. Noticing that Clotaire seemed to use some kind of chat while he assaulted them he decided to investigate. He wanted to know what exactly was happening and who was getting all these messages. After all, Clotaire was rather happy to share everything. Describing his fantasies precisely, sending some photos, talking about perverted stuff. Nicolas scrolled the conversation up and down, wasting no time, getting more and more upset as he understood what was his classmate's plan. The man on the other side seemed to support him and was rather happy to see the first results of Clotaire's work.

“Geoff, come here.” Nicolas called his boyfriend and pointed to the screen.

“Found anything?” Geoffroy's eyes narrowed as he started reading. The poor boy was astonished to see that Clotaire managed to get a nice collection of his pictures, taken mostly with a hidden camera. But this wasn't the worst part – these photos were shared among some perverts on the internet and Clotaire promised more. Geoffroy sighed and looked over his shoulder at the tied boy, who glared at them both with terrified eyes, full of tears.

“I think I have a plan.” Nicolas said. “If he is meeting with some random people on the internet we may use it against him. He shared your pictures without thinking. We will share his.” The black-haired boy whispered and grabbed the camera once more. He wanted to transfer all the pictures that were taken recently and pick a small collection to upload.

“What about him?” Geoffroy asked, pointing at Clotaire.

“Leave him alone.” Nicolas said in a low tone. “Yes, leave him like this, with the deodorant up his ass. I guess his parents will be surprised to find out the truth.” He added, seeing as confusion crossed Geoffroy's face.

“Wow, Nick. You... you are kinda cruel to him now.”

His plan needed to work, Nicolas was sure of it. Posting just a few pictures and a made up story describing Clotaire's arousal seemed like a good start. Nicolas wanted to make it clear that Clotaire was meeting with some shady people from the internet. The men who were sex-obsessed perverts just like him. “And this was what happened while his parents were away - he invited another random guy, who tied him up. His greatest secret will be revealed as they find him naked on top of the bed, still wet from a recent fucking. This will be the end of him.” Nicolas thought, a smug appeared on his face.

“Your parents won't be happy, when they realize that you shared your home address with some criminals.” The black-haired boy turned his attention to Clotaire, feeling like a winner. “What did you write? Oh. That anyone can come and fuck you anytime. Perhaps they will move out, once for all. And you will disappear. Or they will just change all the locks.”

“Please, Nicolas. I will do anything. We can still be friends, really!”

“Do you think this one is fine?” Nicolas typed the chat message and awaited his boyfriend's approval. The blond-haired boy nodded and smiled mischievously. So, this was the end.

“Great, are you going to attach the photos as well?”

“Yeah, it's done.” The younger teenager pressed the key and watched as his message appeared in the chat. He wanted to know what will happen next and if there will be any feedback from all perverts sitting in the chat room. “Can't believe that people like it...”

“Clotaire! You are a star!” Geoffroy exclaimed and grinned, looking at the screen. “They are all adoring you and asking for more. Sounds familiar?”

The bound boy turned his head away and continued bawling. Every single of his dream was shattered, just like his body and his mind. He felt weak, wanted to beg for mercy, but not a single word escaped his throat, nobody wanted him, not even the boy he admired for so long. Everything was lost. “If only I could him explain why all of this happened.” Clotaire thought. It was a sudden rush, the peak of emotions, a tantrum, a moment when he could not control his mind and body, allowing animal instincts to take over him. It seemed so simple to him. “Perhaps they would understand and forgive me” Another thought appeared in his head. The helpless teenager could not imagine living without Geoffroy, his pretty face, his smell, his boyish voice. It was all over now. A point of no return.

“We are done.” Nicolas stated, walking closer to the bed. The overwhelming sickness returned to him now, he felt weak, wanting to run away.

“Nick, I don't know.”

“Let's just go, ok?” The small boy suggested, walking out of the room.

Looking at the bound boy Geoffroy sighed, standing still beside the bed. Clotaire glared at him, their eyes met, but Geoffroy broke it off. The blond-haired boy was not able to tell what bothered him, but he sensed something strange building inside him. The two teenage boys knew each other for so long. They hated and loved each other at the same time and they were never meant to be together. Yet, ignoring everything that happened recently Geoffroy felt this incredible pity and sadness as he imagined what hell was awaiting Clotaire in the coming days. Or perhaps it was about the fact that Nicolas was as merciless as Clotaire. The blond-haired young teen sighed again and glanced at his boyfriend who left the room without a single word.

“I hope we will never meet again, Clotaire.” Geoffroy whispered and turned his back to his classmate, walking towards the door. He stopped midway, noticing Clotaire's pocket knife on the floor and grabbed it. “I remember when we were in the primary school, playing, chatting, having fun. Shit, it was like five years ago. What happened to us?”

“I love you, Geoffroy!” Clotaire whispered, hoping that the boy will keep talking to him. He needed it, a final conversation, a serious one.

“You need help. Promise me.” Geoffroy answered and threw the knife on the bed.

“I promise!” Clotaire's weak voice was barely heard.

As soon as Geoffroy walked out of the room he noticed that Nicolas was waiting for him, impatiently tapping his foot. Nodding at him, Geoffroy tried to smile, but instead, he moaned silently, feeling the lump growing in his throat. They both rushed outside. They were free, finally. Not being able to talk the blond-haired boy tried to gather the pieces of his strength to carry on.

“What's going on?” Nicolas asked, noticing Geoffroy's strange behaviour. His boyfriend rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Then, he started bawling, not able to control it.

The whole street was crowded, a lot of people were coming back home from work. Everyone seemed busy, everyone ignored them. Two poor boys who were just abused seemed like every other kid out there. Geoffroy's breakdown lasted just for a minute, but for Nicolas, it was a whole eternity, the moment he was not able to do anything at all.

“We should walk faster. My dad is surely...” Geoffroy mumbled after a while, noticing as his mobile started vibrating and ringing. The young boy was barely able to hear it as they crossed the road, making their way home. “I will call him later. It's too loud in here.”

No more words were spoken as they left Clotaire's dreaded house behind them.

***

Charles was nervous on many levels and his body was still shaking as he parked the car in front of the gate. Everything kept returning to him, the images, the words, the sounds, he was experiencing it over and over in his head. Still, he tried to focus on his task. His friends in the police department assured him that they will arrive as soon as possible but so far he wasn't able to see any traces of them. Still sending that something was not quite right the man tried to call Geoffroy again before opening the door and stepping outside. Sadly, his son was still not answering. “Is he really that busy?” Charles thought. “Or did something happen to him? He usually answers my calls. Oh god, I hope they did not get him. I will kill them, all of them.”

Slowly, the tired man started walking towards the mansion's entrance and kept looking around, feeling insecure, searching for the hired thugs, who were meant to break into his home. Sure thing, they were fools to do this during the day, but they were desperate dangerous fools. They were people who had nothing to lose. Noticing that the front door was open Charles gasped a little, trying to control his emotions. Some voices could be heard in the hallway. “Did they really make it?” He kept wondering and decided to wait a little longer, but just then the door opened wide before him. A middle-aged man in the policeman uniform walked outside and glared at Charles. He was clearly concerned.

“Thought we have another one here.” The police officer explained, reaching for Charles's shoulder, pulling him closer. “You were right. Someone was trying to break into your place. Nobody was hurt but we would like to ask you several questions whenever you have a couple of minutes, monsieur.” He explained politely.

“Is my son home? Is Geoffroy there?” Charles asked.

“We don't know. We do not have the permit to search your property. These punks were caught as they were trying to breach the main door. Idiots.” The policeman answered, hardly able to hide his smile. “We will investigate this, of course. One of your servants was about to call us as he saw them approaching. This doesn't make any sense to me. It's just like they wanted to get caught. A-Are you ok?”

“I want to make sure that Geoffroy is safe. Excuse me.” Charles explained and walked inside, down the hallway, trying to get to his son's room as soon as possible. His hopes were quite high, he wanted to find both boys playing, just like yesterday, as if nothing bad happened.

Another intrusive thought appeared in his head. “They seemed so innocent and cute together, ready to protect each other. But what chances do they have against armed thugs, who could kidnap them in a blink of the eye? What are their chances?” Charles became obsessed thinking of his son's security, realizing that the recent events will make him even more careful and paranoid.

“Geoffroy?!” He shouted and opened the door to his son's room without knocking. “Geoffroy?! Geoffroy!”

Cursing, he reached for the mobile phone once more, looking into their shared bathroom, before making another call. The teenage boy was nowhere to be found and Charles felt rather disappointed that his son once more ignored his advice to stay home. He started thinking of all the possible places where Geoffroy could be. Sure thing, he could ask the police department for yet another favor. They could not refuse – searching for the kids who escaped home or went missing was one of their tasks. Especially if the kid was multi-millionaire's son. This was happening all the time to Charles's colleagues. But his son was so different, so fragile...

Charles was about to speak to the policeman standing near the entrance when the door opened once again and two little figures rushed inside, breathing heavily. Geoffroy looked at his father with his eyes wide-open and tried to say something at this unexpected meeting, but instead, he gasped for breath, resting his hands on the knees. He seemed exhausted, scared and excited, all at once.

“Is everything alright, boys?” The policeman asked, staring at them and scowling. The young teenagers exchanged their looks and stepped closer to Geoffroy's dad.

“We were running to see what happened. There were like six big police cars driving down the street a-and we wanted to know if you are alright, dad. It seemed serious.” Geoffroy stated and hugged his father. “Especially after all this stuff we were talking about recently.”

“Some guys were trying to break into our home.” Charles explained, trying to calm himself. “I need to go to the police station to clear things up. Nicolas, can you stay with Geoffroy tonight? I will call your parents and assure them that you are safe in here.”

“But dad! Wait!” Geoffroy exclaimed, hoping for some more explanations. “Don't go!”

“Oui!” Nicolas said and nodded. “I will take care of him.”

“Geoffroy, kid.” Charles lowered his head, so he looked directly into his son's eyes. “We will need to talk. And please, remember to answer your phone when I'm calling you. This is important.” The man pleaded and nodded at the policeman, telling him that he was ready to leave.

“Sorry! Let me know when you are back.” Geoffroy murmured, hanging his head low. Both boys watched as the man walked through the front door and disappeared. “He was nervous. Really.” The blond-haired teen stated and bit his lip, he wanted to speak with his father as soon as possible. Deep inside the boy was afraid to lose him - as he was running towards the mansion he imagined how devastating it would be for him to find out that his dad was dead or injured. Losing both parents seemed like a tragic event for every child, the event that could change everything you forever. And in Geoffroy's case, this would mean getting a whole lot of new responsibilities, growing up quickly.

“Not a big surprise, I can't believe that someone tried to break here...” Nicolas shook his head but was interrupted by his boyfriend.

“There's something more. I can tell it and see it in his eyes. I wish I could tell him about everything. You know what I mean, right?” He asked, but getting no reply he asked another question. “Do you feel any better now?” The boy changed the subject as they walked to his room.

“Not really. It's only getting worse.”

His head ached as he sensed this terrible nausea overwhelming him, filling every little bit of his body. Now, when his emotions and adrenaline rush faded he felt weakness and the familiar, hated smell of Clotaire's sperm all over. On the other hand, he was sleepy, they both were thinking only of resting on top of the bed, healing their minds and bodies. Doing nothing at all, for the rest of evening and night.

“Ohhhh!” Geoffroy sighed, spreading his arms and legs wide, feeling the pleasure as his skin touched the delicate, fresh sheets. “Come on, Nick. Lay next to me.”

“Can I go to the bathroom first?” The younger boy muttered in a rather weak voice. Nicolas's face became blank and before he received any answer he covered his mouth with his hand and ran to the toilet as fast as he could. He wasn't able to hold it anymore. Geoffroy heard some not so pleasant sounds and sprinted after Nicolas.

The poor, helpless teen was bending over the toilet, puking his guts out loudly, gasping and crying loudly. Geoffroy did not know what to do, he began to rub Nicolas's spine slowly, feeling all muscles tensing up over and over as the black-haired kid was throwing up and spitting, breathing heavily. After only thirty seconds he was done and exhausted even more, barely able to move his small finger. Taking another deep breath he sat down on the floor, trembling. Everything felt so cold now, the floor, the air, the goosebumps appeared on his body. Nicolas's face was red, full of tears, which began to spill from his eyes, leaking down his cheeks. Grabbing some tissues Geoffroy handed them to the boy, who wiped his mouth and cheeks slowly, blinking.

“I hate throwing up.” Nicolas whispered eventually, resting his head against the bathtub and closing his eyes. “Really. I just feel like dying.”

“I know, here, have some water.” Geoffroy answered, kneeling next to his boyfriend. “We should change our clothes. I think I still feel the smell of his house. Are you better now? Here, let me help you.”

“Yeah, much better.” The smaller boy stated and watched as Geoffroy started unbuttoning his shirt. “Are we going to leave our clothes here?”

“Sure, I'm sharing the bathroom with my dad for next days, but I guess we could wake up early tomorrow and clean up all this mess. Do we sleep naked?” The blond-haired boy asked, sliding his underwear, stripping fully.

“I don't mind, let's just go to bed. I can barely keep my eyes open.” Nicolas explained and Geoffroy helped him get up. His hands wrapped around Nicolas's body, which felt so fragile, so small. Geoffroy wanted to take care of him, to make sure that all of Nicolas's wounds were healed, to make sure that nothing bad will happen again.

Nicolas's black-haired head rested on his boyfriend's naked shoulder and he closed his eyes. Oh, the fresh sheets sure felt great, for the first time he felt incredibly safe and comfortable. Geoffroy's hand was stroking his hair as they slowly started drifting off to the sleep.

"Do you think that this will change us?" Nicolas asked in a weak, almost nonaudible tone.

"I don't know Nick, but everyone needs to grow up at some point. Why not now?" Geoffroy answered silently. “Besides...”

But Nicolas wasn't able to hear rest of the sentence. Everything seemed so distant, so quiet, black and white. He started dreaming of the better times and smiled. He was in a different place now. In a different place and time.

***

It all happened years ago, in a third grade, when Geoffroy invited some of his favorite classmates over for a small party. A great opportunity to have fun for all of them, no teachers, no parents, nobody to watch over them. They were all so different back then, careless, not thinking about the past or the future, even Clotaire seemed like a good guy, not so bright, but always playing the best pranks on everyone. Of course, Geoffroy and Nicolas were already true friends, but this was a whole different kind of friendship. If Nicolas recalled correctly this was the second or third time he saw Geoffroy's mansion, which left him amazed. He also liked Geoffroy's swimming pool and gardens.

Everything seemed so big for a boy his age. But Nicolas's father was annoyed for some reason, advising him “to not eat too much of the caviar” as he left him standing in front of the door. They were all there. Eudes, the boy who was the first to fight over everything, punching his colleagues on the nose, trying to become the boss of the group. Alceste, a chubby one, who kept eating throughout their meeting and was rather impressed by the selection of cheese and meat served on lunch. Rufus, whose father was the policeman, Joachim, Clotaire. All his friends.

But this was not important. Nicolas had many different memories back from his childhood and they were all written down in form of a journal. All the adventures they shared together, happy and sad moments related to the school. A single one, partially forgotten, was now slowly returning to him as he was sleeping. New details were revealed and he only hoped to remember them all once he wakes up. It all started on this day when he and Geoffroy had some nice chat, when Nicolas confessed his big secret. Back then it seemed insignificant, but it meant a lot for Geoffroy. They were sitting in the garden, rest of their gang was chasing each other and laughing when Geoffroy asked this very important question.

“Why are you sad?” He looked at Nicolas, sitting beside him on a bench.

“Huh? I'm not. We were just having fun and eating the cake. It was great!” The little boy answered his friend's question and smirked. It was true. He could not imagine having a better Saturday afternoon.

“No, I mean in the school. You seem sad every morning and it gets worse during the long break between classes.” Geoffroy explained. He spotted this strange behavior a few days ago and it seemed to follow some kind of pattern, but Geoffroy was not able to find out what was going on with his friend. It seemed that something bad was happening to his friend and he wished to protect him from, but first, he needed a clear answer. “Tell me, please.”

“Oh, there's some guy from the fifth grade, who likes to pick on me because I'm among one of the shortest kids in our school. But he promised to not laugh and pretend that we are friends If I give him my lunch money.” Nicolas explained and ignored Geoffroy's concerned expression.“ But lately my parents do not give me any cash anymore, so he is...”

“Bullying you.” Geoffroy interrupted him in a sharp tone, his eyes narrowed.

“No, he is not.” Nicolas shook his head.

“You can't buy friends for money. He's just using you. Can't you see this?” The blond-haired boy asked and looked at their classmates playing. “Best things, like real friends come for free. Like me. I don't need your cash, and you don't need mine. Right? And I promise to say only nice things about you.”

“I don't really want to speak about this.” Nicolas whispered. He wanted to change the subject of their conversation as he knew that Geoffroy was right, but was unable to admit it. “Hey, remember the wooden car thing? It was like a year ago, right?.”

“Are you trying to change the subject?” Geoffroy asked and punched Nicolas in the arm. He already knew the best solution to Nicolas's problem and was going to work on it later, like a smart boy. Besides, he needed to speak to his father anyway. His birthday was getting closer and he was asked to pick one present from a long list of the things he wanted.

“I prefer to not worry about things I can not change. It's stupid.” Nicolas blurted out.

“Well, I disagree.” Geoffroy looked directly into Nicolas's eyes and smiled.

“Nick! Geoffroy! Come here!” One of their classmates called them, pointing at something, disturbing their conversation.

Every color faded and Nicolas started dreaming yet another dream. The dream filled with some emotions, pain, and the images of everything that happened earlier this day. Thankfully, he wasn't able to recall it in the morning. Thanks to Geoffroy, who kept Nicolas wrapped tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to protect him not only from the world, but also from the nightmares of past and present. And the morning they were waiting for was getting closer with every moment, marking the final chapter, the great reveal, the things they could not expect to happen.

But for now, let them sleep.