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Funkita - Yass honey! We've never really left but yet we haven't really been here y'know? Life. Thank you for the love and we hope you enjoy this chapter! And that you are staying safe, of course. NightwingSavage - Thank you for reading it on both! You totally don't have to xD I assure you the same story is being posted on both platforms, and by me, just to bring it to more eyes y'know? I also understand that it helps if I update every once in awhile.

I apologize guys! I've been dealing with some health issues and what not but here's another update at least!

Thanks Y'all! :)


"Ellie, I'm real glad you didn't ditch me tonight," Barkley Wolf admitted to his long time good friend and brother. "I was worried you wouldn't show."

Elliot Where feigned hurt, "Oh Barkley… I'm not that flaky, am I?"

Barkley grinned, "Sometimes," then he gave a fake-sniffle, "it's like you're not even there."

He rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha, like a game of 'Where's Where?'."

Clawd, however, had some things to do after dinner – such as a hefty load of laundry once he got his clothes back from Deuce long enough to wash them. He had to distract him with the mentioning of whiskey, but at least it took him away from claiming the wolf's wardrobe.

Deuce Gorgon sat behind the bar, taking his place as the bartender for the night. Both Barkley and Where on the opposite side, as if they were customers this evening.

"Oh Pops," The gorgon said cracking the elder werewolf's second beer of the night. "bourbon, Uncle?" Deuce inquired pulling out the 25-year aged alcohol and a shorter glass. If he remembered right, the man liked it on the rocks.

"Absolutely my boy, you can drip that sweet liquid all over the rocks tonight." He paused for a moment, chuckling. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Anyone's name worth remembering?" Barkley commented before he took a long swig of his beer. Man this tasted so good, it was like a victory beer after having to behave all week.

Elliot nearly choked on his first sip of bourbon. "Oh you dirty dog, of course not."

Deuce couldn't help but chuckle, he knew that it wasn't what his Uncle Ellie's phone was indicating. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket before grabbing his favorite whiskey. He paused for a moment when he noticed Pops had bought a spiced rum, was the old man slipping? No one drank rum in this house that he could recall. Although now it had his attention, maybe one drink couldn't hurt?

Elliot sighed as he enjoyed the first sip, he hadn't realized how much he needed a drink until right now. "This is absolutely hitting the spot."

Barkley raised an eyebrow. "Oh is it?"

He nodded, "You know it's not any fun drinking alone..."

"Damn right I do, that's why I had Clawdia. Dad's first drinking buddy and my scale-y boy here can keep up with me." He tipped his beer towards Deuce, "Best son ever."

Clawd headed into the laundry room just off the bathroom, his basket overflowing with clothes. He at least wanted to wash Deuce's nest – made purely of his clothing.

Deuce glared towards the wolf, how dare he retract the nest he comfortably made? It took him weeks to take all that clothing under Clawd's nose. The gorgon let out a dramatic sigh as he went make a spiced rum with soda.

Just then Howleen walked by with drinks in her arms, Twyla in tow with the popcorn. There was a marathon of their favorite show on tonight. So they were going to hide in the bedroom.

The youngest wolf stopped behind her older brother. "Y'know if you wanna keep your clothes, yet keep a happy boyfriend - get him a blanket or something he can nest with and put your scent all over it. Trust me, your gorgon will cling to it. Especially if at the beginning you make him think he can't have it, Deuce will want it more."

Twyla giggled, she had to agree. "Yeah just roll on it and spray your cologne. Total gorgon-trap." With that both girls disappeared in the bedroom to start their show.

Clawd thought about it, that was a good idea actually. He carried on to empty his clothes into the top loading washing machine, he wasn't one of those fancy separating laundry do-ers. He hadn't owned anything white since his shoes were scribbled on so there was no point.

Barkley had his beer finished and the gorgon had another one opened. "Did I mention you're my favorite?"

Elliot peered at Barkley, though he was on the last sip of his bourbon. "So... high blood pressure, hmm?"

The elder wolf groaned lightly, taking another sip before getting into this topic. "Yeah, but I'm dealing alright."

Elliot stared at Barkley. "Are you truly?"

He gave a nod, "Yeah, I couldn't put it off any longer. I was hospitalized last week."

Deuce's snakes hissed at the subject. He and pops had a long conversation about it, too. The gorgon boy might have cried a little when he found out. It shook him honestly, Barkley was the closet thing to a living father for him.

Just then, he felt his pocket vibrate. That's right! He was playing with his Uncle's phone. Trying to figure out who or what he was hiding. The gorgon was really shocked when he found out there was no pass code on it. This made snooping a lot easier.

I really wish you'd answer me, I can't stop thinking about you and I... between the sheets. ;) I've never had such a good time in bed - Othello

"Did you have to stay overnight? Was blood pressure the only thing they found, Barks?" Elliot asked him worriedly, his bourbon was magically re-filled.

The gorgon pushed the tip cup forward with a smirk as he sipped on his own drink.

Barkley shook his head, "No, no I woke up with this massive headache and then my nose started bleeding. I felt real sick, it looked like some episode of a crime show in our ensuite bathroom, lemme tell you." He sipped on his beer, it tasted real good tonight. "Scar took me early so I was home by the evening."

The gorgon shivered at the memory, it was great that everyone could work together and get themselves ready. He was also thankful for Max and Clawdia, if they weren't there who knows what would have happened.

He glanced down at the phone and quickly shifted his gaze towards the owner of the phone. Oh how badly he wanted to hear Mr. Where try and talk his way out of this message.

Maybe after a few more drinks, the gorgon would strike up the topic.

Deuce took a moment to sneak off, he wanted to steal a kiss from his boyfriend. Maybe see if he could grab a couple shirts and hide them as well?

Clawd was startled when the gorgon hugged him from behind. However he was positive he knew exactly why the other was here. "Babe, can I please wash your nest of shirts and gee, I don't know - maybe borrow a couple of them back for school?" He made a mental note of Howleen's blanket suggestion.

Deuce let out a small sigh. It nearly took him forever to collect all of them. Each shirt he had taken was linked to a special memory.

The the maroon one was when Clawd has first kissed him, yes it may of been at the truth or dare game, however that was what really kick-started their relationship.

Then there was the white muscle tank / red and black plaid over-shirt combination, the werewolf wore that when he had come over for their first dinner date.

Then there was his entirely black t-shirt, he honestly loved just taking that one because Clawd had it stretched out perfectly. Whenever Deuce stole it - his boyfriend was always with him in his mind.

Oh then there was the white band shirt, Clawd wore that at the hospital were he made them official.

Deuce snuggled into his wolf's back as he kissed the others neck. "I'll get them back?" The gorgon asked nervously as he saw the main shirts that he cherished so much. The gorgon knew he would have to get back to the wet bar soon but he just wanted to make sure he could get his nest returned at some point tonight.

Clawd nodded, "Of course you'll get them back, I just wanna wash them so my entire bed doesn't stink. And y'know, I have some clothes for Monday." The moment Clawd turned around, Deuce attacked him – with passionate, fiery kisses. The empty laundry basket hit the floor with a thud as Deuce pushed the werewolf against the dryer, hardly giving the taller a chance to catch his breath at all.

The gorgon smirked against the kiss, one thing he loved was how the wolf reacted to his little out bursts of affection. Deuce laced his fingers through the wolf's hair so he could hold the other close while he attacked the others lips, jaw and neck with kisses.

He caught his breath while Deuce seemed to make fast work of his jaw and collarbone. "Hey, hey – frisky hot boyfriend? Can I like, start the load of laundry first please?" His answer was perfectly clear when the gorgon didn't bother to move much... especially away from his neck. "You're just gonna steal my clothes out while I'm all distracted aren't you?"

"I don't know... I'm feeling awfully dry out here. If I gotta get my own beer, he ain't gon' see a tip." Barkley was only teasing of course, but he was now empty again.

Deuce pulled away, he almost forgotten about Pops. "We'll finish this later." The shorter informed the other before stealing one last kiss. "I'm coming old man, calm your dust cells." The gorgon said as he made his way towards the door.

Elliot laughed. "You're right, Barkley could use a dusting off couldn't he?" He sighed lightly. "I dusted Sawyer while I was over there earlier." His eyes adverted downward as he trailed off that statement. His heart became heavy whenever he thought about their beloved normie best friend. They shared a lot of wonderful times between the 3 of them.

Deuce exited the room, pausing slightly when he heard Mr. Where say something about his father. The gorgon bite his lower lip, was this a good time for him to be coming back?

"Perfect timing, my favorite son. Can you tell my other son that I prefer my undies folded? Also, how's about another drink?" Barkley gave Deuce a warm smile, in his own way, telling the gorgon it was alright to come back.

Elliot smirked, "Maybe our bartender is trying to get himself some canine ass between rowdy customers? If you get us thrown out of this lovely establishment, I'll take you to the pound myself."

Barkley's own ears flattened for a moment.

The gorgon noticed the flattened ears on top of Pops head, "Oh cheer up Pops, I got you a nice cold beer." Deuce cracked the top of and slide it towards the elder wolf, then he scooped a few ice cubes in the other drink and topped if off with bourbon.

"That's my boy!" He took it and took a nice sip.

Elliot was thankful for the re-fill, he could use it. "Thank you, kindly."

"He came to me, in a dream when I was sick actually. Sawyer did, I mean." Barkley told Elliot this, he hadn't revealed that anyone else. Not even Scarlet. "I had to get poor Clawd to leave school to get me from work, I felt so horrid." He shook his head. "It was comforting but it scared the hell out of me. I was drenched in sweat when I woke up."

"Oh Barks, only the good die young." Elliot and Barkley clinked their drinks together in a cheers of sorts. "It should've been me, y'know that right?"

Barkley set his now-empty beer on the bar-top. "What are you talking about? Should've been you for what?"

Elliot sighed, finishing his bourbon. "Death. Barkley, out of you and Sawyer, it should've been me. I have far less to live for that either of you do, or did. Think about it, I'm not married, I don't have children, I most likely never will. I don't really have family of my own, anyone who was my family disowned me long ago, you know that."

Deuce was taken aback, he didn't think Mr. Where would feel such a way. Especially since he knew the man was seeing someone. Wasn't he happy?

Barkley gave a sad nod. "I know, your parents were always assholes. They were strict, hard-asses."

Elliot drained the watered down mixture of bourbon and ice. "They are, or were… I don't even know if they're living or not."

"Are you serious?" Barkley interjected as Deuce was quick to hand him another beer. "Thanks, bud."

The invisible man sighed. "I'm afraid so. I've tried to contact them over the years, nothing. They flat out refuse. The moment I feel a soft spot for them-"

"You absolutely shouldn't! How do you throw your kid out, your own flesh and blood-"

"Planned. I was also a perfectly planned child… I just wasn't their version of perfect." Elliot wished the bourbon would come out a little faster… actually, was giving him the bottle an option? He hid his trembling hands from sight, the topic of his parents nearly sent him into a panic attack on its own.

Deuce watched his uncle for a moment, the shaking hands didn't go unseen by him either. All the gorgon boy wanted to do was hug the older man, tell him what Pops always said. That he had a home here. But he honestly didn't know if it was place to or not. Instead he went onto topping up the other's drink.

"Oh, thank you." He took a sip immediately, welcoming the burning sensation it brought to his mouth and throat.

"Any child is a gift, I don't care who they are, what they like - it does not matter." Barkley's fur was on end. "It shouldn't matter."

"I know, Barkley, I know. You told my parents that… they didn't care. It doesn't matter." He dismissed quickly, he didn't want his dear werewolf friend to work himself up over something that happened so many years ago.

However, it was extremely unforgiving in Barkley's eyes.

Barkley narrowed his eyes at his longtime friend, he growled a little before sipping his beer. "What exactly happened? I mean, you kept it on the down-low and then all of the sudden you were just... kicked out."

Elliot cleared his throat, "I uh, actually I went out with this one guy that you and Sawyer wanted me to… and I told him to go, I asked him to drop me off a block away but no, he decided to drop me off at my house like a 'proper gentleman' and he… wanted the doorstep kiss goodnight… I tried to shy away, but he came in closer… I knocked over a planter by accident and it roused the attention of my parents."

Barkley stared intently at Elliot, as if he'd never heard this before.

"I didn't think they were home because their car wasn't in the driveway but I guess they loaned it to a friend, the neighbor or something and they caught us red-handed… and lip-locked." He admitted, he set the bourbon glass down as soon as he noticed it was trembling. He knew he had to calm himself down before he ended up sick in the bathroom all night. What happened after that was the real nightmare. "And that was that, long story cut short - I wasn't allowed to go back there… ever again. They didn't let me have my school books, clothing, nothing. I don't know what they did with it… maybe they just wanted to make life difficult? I don't know. They were… far from accepting, I can tell you that much."

Deuce noticed Pops's fur was standing on end, he truly did have a big heart. "So who moved in first, you or my dad?" The gorgon inquired.

Elliot smiled, "Honestly, Sawyer was around before I was."

"He absolutely was, Sawyer and I were best friends since middle school." Barkley was positive he remembered correctly. "Your stubborn ass didn't even come to my house. He was at the die-ner in the dead of night."

Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "It's always been 24 hours and honestly I was so distraught, I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know how or if I'd attend school. You and your family took me in while I was in my darkest hours." He never wanted to admit how many times he thought about landing in the heavy flow of traffic below the bridge about a mile from the die-ner. "The debt I have to you for that is unpayable."

"How did you know to go to the din-ner though, Pops?" The gorgon asked cracking another beer. He honestly loved hearing these stories. In a way it helped him learn a little bit the past and his father.

Elliot downed the remainder of his bourbon, he wasn't sure how Barkley ended up crossing his path come to think of it.

Barkley let out a sigh as he took a swig of the new beer, having drained the older one a few moments ago. It was going down real smooth. "Well, actually - I had no idea. We didn't have cell phones then and I just, Papa Pawsley was working late so Nana Leena called over to the die-ner to place and order for us and had me drive over to go get it. I uh, didn't have my full license but my old man taught me how to drive at like, 13 in case there was ever an emergency situation where I was forced to drive, at least I'd be able to get somewhere y'know? But I just showed up at the die-ner, I noticed Elliot there and I knew something wasn't right. Asshole tried to ignore me."

"Well we know what happens when we try to ignore you, pops." The gorgon stared at Elliot for a few minutes. Was he ashamed at the fact he was tossed out? Was that the reason why he tried to ignore his friend or was he just being stubborn?

Elliot chuckled, "Ignoring him is impossible, he sat down and ordered himself another meal. He wouldn't leave until I told him what was wrong. I told him everything. Everything that could've gone wrong… did."

Barkley began to peel the label on his beer bottle. "I didn't know it was because of that guy though. That you were thrown out."

Elliot realized that his friend was wondering what would've happened if they didn't hook him up with that guy. "Don't think that," he warned Barkley. "if it wasn't him, it would've been another. I was getting… brave and daring, when I shouldn't have been. Not around them." It also was possible that he only went on the date because he, Sawyer and Barkley were drinking to prepare for it… in his alcohol-clouded mind, he somehow agreed to let another guy kiss him on the front porch of his severely homophobic parental unit. A bunch of bad decisions were made that day.

Deuce topped up the Mr. Where's glass, he didn't like how it was only half full. "Could that be a reason why you don't let people get close?" The gorgon said thinking about the beau Mr. Where had spent his last weekend with. Which reminded him, he never did show Clawd who their uncle was seeing.

Elliot's eyes widened for a moment, he downed 3/4ths of the glass. "I've no idea what you mean, Deuce."

Barkley watched the both of them for a moment. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"OF-course not," he cleared his throat, Elliot was clearly nervous. "No-no, never." He downed the last of his bourbon. Nearly afraid of the moment he'd have to get up to use the washroom… he'd been drinking the bourbon down quite well. Was the bottle Deuce was pouring from nearly-empty?

Deuce couldn't help but smile. "Well I mean, maybe that's why you don't come over often. You don't wanna feel like your burdening pops, right?" The gorgon didn't want his uncle catching on to what he knew. Not just yet at least.

"Absolutely, that's it." He had a feeling Deuce was playing at… something but of course he didn't know what the younger knew. "Well, my-my it's getting late-"

"Sit. Down." Barkley warned him. "You aren't leaving this house, you just got here. You won't be going home tonight, I fuckin' miss you so much. Please, Elliot…"

The invisible man hated when Barkley would do this… though, he had to admit it had been a very long time it seemed. "Oh fine, have it your way."

"I absolutely will damn it all, now… if we're all done stressing me out - I need another beer."