Secret Prayer Ch. 05

Jarek felt Gage smile against his ear. "I don't know songs well other than ones we were allowed to listen to, but you might be right."

Jarek's face took on a mischievous cast and he smiled wickedly. "You may be crazy," he said in a sing-song voice.

Gage moved back to lay his head down again so they could look at each other, and he gave a little shrug that said he didn't know that reference either. "Maybe you can help me come into this century?"

"Sure thing! As soon as you cum into this ass," Jarek said, sitting down and grinding on Gage's lap.

Gage let out a groan at that, but then he looked a little self-conscious. "I've never topped before. Or bottomed, but I've heard it's far easier to suck as a top than as a bottom."

"It depends on what you're sucking," Jarek said, continuing to grind his ass against Gage's hardening cock.

Gage moaned and grabbed onto Jarek's hips. He was worried he wouldn't cut it as a top, but if it was what Jarek wanted, then he was more than willing to give it to him. Gage gave Jarek a nod that said he was willing to try and then ran his hands up Jarek's torso, using his nails on the skin there. Jarek leaned down, sensing Gage's hesitation. He said, "Don't worry, baby, I know how to bottom from the top."

With that, Jarek reached between his thighs and slipped a hand down the waistband for Gage's shorts. Jarek fished around briefly and then closed his fingers around Gage's cock with a smile. Gage let out a surprised groan, always forgetting that the touch from Jarek was so much more intense than when he would touch himself. He trusted Jarek so he was okay with letting him take the lead and guide him through this. Jarek used his other hand to push Gage's shorts down as he slithered down his body and took his cock into his mouth.

"Fuck," Gage breathed out, his head falling back as his eyes closed. That mouth was magical, and soon Jarek had him completely hard and leaking precum like a dribbling fountain. Gage stopped him just before he came, as he didn't want to risk the chance that he would be too tired for the main event. Jarek did as he asked and kissed him deeply, letting him taste his own flavor on Jarek's breath and tongue. Mostly he wanted Gage to be sloppy and wet.

Reaching to the night stand, Jarek squirted a bit of lube onto his hand and gave it a swipe through his crack before lubing up Gage's hard cock. Jarek guided it into place and lowered himself onto it slowly. Gage swore out under his breath because of how hot and tight Jarek was. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was intense and amazing, and Gage looked up at Jarek so they locked eyes as Jarek continued to slowly impale himself with Gage's cock.

Once he had Gage fully seated inside himself, Jarek closed his eyes and moaned gently. His colon gripped Gage tightly and spasmed occasionally, though whether that was happening on its own or if Jarek was doing it, Gage had no idea. Opening his eyes and continuing to look into Gage's eyes, Jarek started to slowly move him out and back in, it was only when they were a few strokes in that Gage realized they hadn't used a condom.

Gage really only had enough time to look momentarily surprised by that before Jarek's movements made it hard to think. He decided he would have to bring it up afterward, as it was already too late now. Gage kept a grip on Jarek's hips while he sat up a little bit to take one of Jarek's nipples into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before he started sucking on it. His movement forward changed the angle he was going into Jarek, causing his cock to drag along Jarek's sweet spot inside with each movement back inside.

Jarek continued to ride Gage while he worked on Jarek's nipple. He clamped down on Gage's cock when rising and let off the pressure as he took his lover's cock inside. Gage let go of Jarek's nipple as the pleasure overtook him. He was barely able to think enough to reach between them to stroke the head of Jarek's cock before Gage was crying out in orgasm. It was then that Jarek realized what he had done. As Gage forcefully flooded his colon with his thick seed, Jarek's face looked like a surprised Pikachu. Any chance Jarek had of orgasming with Gage was destroyed in that moment, though a distant part of his mind still noted how amazing it felt to have someone he trusted erupting in his rectum.

"Are you okay?" Gage asked between shallow breaths.

Jarek was unsure how to answer that, so he simply said what was on his mind, "I am SO sorry!"

Gage took Jarek's face in his hands and kissed him gently. "So, both of us forgot the condom. It's not the first time it's happened to someone and won't be the last, but I trust you, and if something bad comes of it, we'll deal. You don't need to apologize."

Jarek tried his best to relax and let it go, but all he could think about was his history as a bit of a sloot and he didn't want any consequences of that being visited upon Gage because of a moment of forgetfulness. Still, Gage was right and didn't seem to be as upset, so he took solace from that. "There are baby wipes on the nightstand, could you grab them for me, please? I think you left a couple of fully-grown tadpoles up there..."

Gage snickered at that and reached over to the night stand to grab them for Jarek. He pulled a few out before handing the package to Jarek, helping Jarek clean up as Gage's softening cock popped out of him. When they were all clean and spooning afterward, Jarek muttered into Gage's hair that he had recently been tested and was negative for everything, but that he was going to continue to get tested just for safety as HIV could take up to 6 months to show up and he had only been celibate for a couple of months before they moved in together.

"That's smart," Gage agreed. "And we know my sexual history is...one blow job and that's it before you."

Jarek nodded behind his head, then realized that Gage couldn't see that and said, "Yeah."

Gage leaned back into Jarek's chest, loving the feel of their bare bodies together like this. There was a part of him that felt like this was a big deal, a big achievement, to have lost his virginity, and to someone he actually wanted to other than just because it was expected. At the same time, he didn't want to dwell on it as if it was something to put on a pedestal. He was a virgin, and now he wasn't. Jarek probably had his own story about losing his, but it wasn't the last time he had sex, and this wouldn't be the only time either.

Plus, Jarek seemed a little skittish when it came to big commitments, and putting this type of emphasis on it might freak him out. That was the last thing Gage wanted to do, so he just enjoyed the feeling of Jarek holding him and let himself drift off to sleep.

The next day Jarek got to meet Marina in passing. She was much shorter than her cousins, and very clearly not completely white in race. She had darker skin, dark hair that was almost black and deep brown eyes. She seemed to be a very feisty woman who didn't filter herself from saying what she thought. She did it in a tactful way, but she didn't sugarcoat it either. She warmly greeted Jarek and immediately treated him like just another significant other of her cousins, which meant she told him she wanted to get to know him and to take care of her cousin.

Marina did take photos for Addison. Addison found a nice white dress to wear for the photos, and even though it wasn't her wedding dress, she loved them. Marina worked on editing them and less than a week later, she brought over printed off versions for Gage as well. There were a few of them that were just of Gage, and Gage looked a little embarrassed while Jarek looked through them. Jarek was sure to crow about how very handsome Gage was and celebrated the skill with which Marina had taken the photos.

In the end, Jarek selected a favorite and ordered a large canvas print of it to frame and hang in a prominent place in the house, which only caused Gage to blush even more.

He hadn't heard much from the rest of his family besides seeing Kayla around every once in a while, and Gage was wondering if they were done with whatever they were trying to do. That was, until Addison came knocking on the door way earlier than she ever had before with Brett and Marina in tow, all of them looking at Gage and Jarek with grave expressions.

"Jarek, are you from Texas?" Addison asked once they had gotten inside and the front door closed.

Jarek looked momentarily confused, then slightly alarmed. "Yes, but how did you --"

"Their dad is a psycho, that's how," Marina grumbled.

Addison looked like she was going to argue for a moment before she stopped and then shook her head and looked at Jarek. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how he does the things he does sometimes."

Gage clenched his jaw in annoyance, and Brett said, "All he really needs is a name. Anyone can pay for background checks. It's pricey but accessible."

"Sounds like privacy is for sale as much as anything else," Jarek said. "Most importantly, though, what did he do with that information?"

"Fucking capitalism," Marina mumbled angrily.

"According to dad, he thought that two sets of parents was better than one trying to talk you two out of this 'nonsense' as he puts it," Addison explained.

A dangerous look darkened Gage's face, making him look far more serious and menacing than Jarek had ever seen him before, and Gage seemed to be considering his options. "I'm going to fucking kill him," Gage ground out, his voice deeper in his fury, emphasising every single word he said.

Jarek's mood was just as dark. He had worked hard to distance himself from the pile of homophobes that made up his original "family", opting instead to build a family of caring individuals where he found himself. He had gone to great lengths to make sure he was as far away from them, both physically and culturally, as possible. Now apparently they were here to bother him once more.

Jarek was broken out of his thoughts by Addison and Marina yelling at Gage to stop. He had grabbed Brett's keys from him and was about to go and find his father to make good on his promise, and now Tate and Brett got in front of the door to block his exit.

"If you actually go and hit your father, then he gets what he wants!" Tate told Gage, his hands raised up to stop him. "You'll end up in jail and he can try and claim you aren't mentally fit and need to go back to Utah for treatment. With a threat under it, they might just side with him."

"I'm not sure I really care right now," Gage admitted.

"They have a point," Jarek said, breaking out of his own self-pity to try to help talk some sense into Gage. "Don't let him win."

Gage clenched his jaw so hard Jarek was surprised a tooth didn't crack or something. It was clear to everyone that Gage didn't want to change his course of action, but with a great amount of effort, he dropped the keys back into Brett's hands and turned away from the door to stalk over to the couch. He ended up sitting down on the couch looking defeated, staring off into the distance though he wasn't really looking at anything at all.

Who would actually stay with someone whose family did this to them? Gage was asking himself in his head. The only answer he could come to was: no one. No one would. Jarek sat next to him and caught his eye. "This isn't your fault, you know," he said with conviction, "They'll do anything to get you back into the cult. My own family tried several times to drag me back to church after I realized that what the priest was doing to us behind the closed door of his office wasn't normal."

"Isn't it my fault though?" Gage asked. "You never had to be involved in all of this. I should have met with them alone, or with just Mr. Thayer and Mr. Sparks and Kennedy. If you hadn't been there for everything, they wouldn't know enough to have done this. That directly connected to me."

"Gage," Jarek said in a tone that showed his displeasure with Gage blaming himself. "You seem to forget that I am the one who checked you into the hospital. I connected myself to you when I did that. There're a lot of Phillips families in Texas and around the US. He would have needed at least as long as the time since then to find them. He came prepared for any eventuality."

"Besides, blaming yourself takes away the fault that sits squarely on their shoulders," Tate pointed out. "They did this maliciously. All you did was meet a guy and have feelings for him. Of the sins here, which is actually worse?"

"According to who?" Gage asked, though he didn't look at either of them. "Me, Jarek, or the church?"

"Fuck the church," Marina spat out. "It's controlling and run by bigots. I can see how your dad has made this possibly more dangerous for Jarek, but you can both get through this."

"Gage, loving someone isn't a sin," Addison said as she came over to sit down on the other side of him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You're both consenting adults, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be with each other. Nothing."

"Yet my love seems to be harming everyone," Gage replied.

"That's exactly what they want you to think," Jarek said.

Gage let out a sigh and leaned his elbows against his knees, burying his face in his hands.

Jarek rubbed his back comfortingly while he texted the group chat with the Foundation the latest update so they could get a plan together. He made it clear in his message that he wanted restraining orders against the lot of them, especially his parents, for mental and emotional anguish. Jeremy explained to Jarek that they would need proof of danger for the restraining order for his own family, but at this point they had more than enough for Gage's. So for now, they needed to wait to see what Jarek's family would do, which Jeremy and Jimmy both agreed was a sucky way of dealing with it, but the justice system wasn't always fair on victims, or fast.

It wasn't hard to get Gage an emergency session with his therapist, luckily, so he let Brett and Addison drive him over to that before he went to his job. He focused on learning some of the iron work they did in the shop, wanting to really get his body into it this time because he was so angry at everything that was going on. He kept his phone on him while he worked though in case something happened.

By the time he came back home, his body was sore from everything he had been doing and he had streaks of sweat along his face from being up near the fire for most of the day. He felt accomplished though, and felt like he had a good idea of how to work with the wrought iron now.

Jeremy and Jimmy were there when he got home, talking with Tate and Jarek about what they could do about everything going on. Gage said his hellos and then said he was going to take a quick shower before he joined them. When he came back out he gently sat down on the couch next to Jarek and they could all tell he was sore, even with the very hot shower he had just gotten out of. Gage's skin was warm against Jarek's arm when he leaned into him so Jarek knew how hot he'd probably had the water.

"You seem to be settling in well at work," Jeremy commented.

That made Gage smile his first genuine smile that day. "Xavier is great. If he's not in the front of the store with customers, then he's back teaching me various techniques on what I'm doing. And all of his workers are great people. I've learned more than I ever thought I could in the short time I've been there. I love the work too. I'm very thankful that you could help me get this job."

Jarek smiled at that, pleased that Gage enjoyed what he did. He made a mental note to offer him a massage later. "So, circling back to my family damaging me..." Jarek started, "Would any of my therapy serve as proof of that or maybe my trauma journal? I have no doubt they'll bring the Bishop and I'm pretty sure even if he's new to the area, there are still priests associated with that Diocese who are in my journal."

"We can definitely try to use those, but how long has it been since you've heard from any of them?" Jeremy asked.

"About seven years," Jarek answered after a quick calculation in his head.

"Well, I'll have Lucia start filing," Jeremy replied. "The judge might claim they aren't a danger to you now, so it might take a bit longer to get yours through. We can keep fighting it though, and make sure you both document everything. I have no doubt that Gage will get his, though. They've gone to extreme lengths to get him alone with them and vulnerable. Has your family said anything to you yet?"

"No, it's been radio silence. My guess is they'll try to show up when it will be most dramatic for them. Mother's name is literally Karen, so..." Jarek answered, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, well, we're on standby whenever you need us," Jeremy said. "How are you dealing, Gage?"

Gage shrugged his shoulders, and then winced slightly at how sore they were. "I'm angry, and feeling guilty, and want to scream, so I turn that into physical labor."

"Be careful with that," Jeremy warned. "Sometimes it feels good to use physical means to deal with emotional problems, but you don't want to go overboard and harm yourself physically. There are so many bad things you can do to your body without meaning to."

"And so many good things you can do to your body if you're not sore every day..." Jarek said with a sly smile.

Gage smirked at that, accepting that they both were right. "I'll be more careful, I promise."

Jarek smiled back and hugged his arm gently. Jeremy looked over at Jimmy, and there seemed to be some form of communication going on with their looks before Jeremy looked between the three young men seated with them.

"I was hoping to avoid this, if we could, but your family seems to want to play dirty, so it may be time to use the press to our advantage here," Jeremy said.

Jarek squinted at Jeremy suspiciously, "What do you have in mind?"

"Sometimes, in escaping cults, the press is your friend," Jeremy explained. "People find it interesting, it makes good stories. If we talk with a few specific reporters we know, they can put out that your church and family are trying to use the police and hospitals as a way to kidnap you back. It, unfortunately, puts a big spotlight on you personally, Gage, but it also puts a spotlight on your church that they won't like."

Jarek looked to Gage, indicating to him that it was his choice and that Jarek would back him up. Gage's face drained of color as he considered that option. It wasn't exactly how he had wanted to come out to the rest of the people he knew in Utah, but it wasn't a bad play. He glanced over where Tate was, and Tate gave a short nod.

"Alright, I'll trust you on this," Gage replied.

"But if he's doing this, I want in," Tate added. "That way it's not just him. My father may not be trying anything, but the Mission President has put me through hell the last almost two years, and I stand by Gage."

Jeremy considered that. "Actually, showing the disparity here isn't a bad idea. They aren't trying everything to get you back, which is...well, good, obviously, but not what you would expect from a church like this. Show them the black sheep side and the side of the one who looks like the good Mormon boy."

Gage glanced over at the mirror that was hung on the wall behind a table, looking at himself. His hair was getting shaggy, but he didn't necessarily hate it that way. His skin was pale and mostly unblemished other than a few moles and scars from outdoor activities. He looked the good Mormon boy part, if a little too disheveled for his father's liking.

"Would it still work even if I stopped looking like the good Mormon boy?" Gage asked.

"Thinking of some freedom spending?" Jeremy asked him.

Gage slowly nodded his head. "We were always supposed to protect our bodies. They belong to God after all. No tattoos, no piercings unless you were a woman, and we mostly stay away from hair dye and unnatural hairstyles."