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Sal tucked one arm behind his head and wrapped the other arm around Eddie. He trailed his fingers along the bare skin of his back, smiling as Eddie laid his head on his chest. "You comfy kitten?"
"Mmmm." Eddie turned his head a little more and nipped Sal's pec, "I am. But we got distracted. You were going to tell me about volunteering."
"Was I?" Sal sighed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to duck this. And maybe Eddie deserved his story. It wasn't exactly a secret, but he didn't usually talk about this part of his past.
Eddie nodded without lifting his head. "You were. I want to know you, Sal, that's all. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"I do. It's…not easy." Sal said. He didn't know where to start. Eddie didn't really know anything about his past. "My dad died when I was fifteen. My little brother, Dom, was only two. He doesn't remember dad at all."
"I'm sorry." Eddie kissed the pec he'd bitten earlier. "That must have been so hard for you."
"It was hard for all of us." Sal would have shrugged if it wouldn't have disturbed Eddie. "Nonna moved in with us so ma could work full time. I got a job. Woulda dropped out if ma had let me. She made me finish high school. I helped with the kids since I only worked part time." Taking care of his family was so important to him and he had done such a bad job. "I didn't tell them things about me. They were kids."
"You were still a kid."
"Not really." Sal shook his head. "It doesn't matter, kitten. The point is that I didn't tell them things about me. I didn't know I should."
Eddie felt his stomach twist with anxiety. He wanted to move so that he could see Sal's face, but he sure that the older man didn't want that. Instead he hooked his leg over Sal's and held him a little tighter. "What happened?"
Sal appreciated the comfort Eddie offered. It made it easier to talk about his mistakes. "My little brother is gay. I thought he might be, but I didn't ask. And I sure as fuck didn't tell him that I'm gay. We put them in Catholic school to get a good education, even though we aren't religious. Nonna would go to church out of sentiment and to socialize, but the rest of us didn't. None of it came home. At least, I didn't think it did. Turns out, I failed as a big brother and a father figure. Dom ran away when he was fourteen. He thought we wouldn't accept him. That I wouldn't love him. Because he's gay."
When Sal fell silent, Eddie maneuvered himself up so he could press a gentle kiss to his lips. "How long?"
"Almost three years. He was seventeen." Sal shuddered, thinking about the things his brother had faced. And the things he hadn't had to face. "He was living at the shelter at the LGBT+ teen center. It saved his life, Eddie. It kept him from sex work, kept him from drugs. Volunteering there is the least I can do. Being there for other kids the way I wasn't for my brother."
"Where is Dom now?"
"He's a therapist, he works with queer kids. He also volunteers at the teen center. So if you come with me, you will meet him." Sal pinched Eddie's side when the other man bit him again. "The teeth on you, kitten. Is that a yes to coming with me?"
"I want it to be. But what value do I have to a bunch of kids that are braver than me?"
"Did you not hear my story? I was thirty before my brother knew that I'm gay." Sal hugged Eddie a little closer. "You have a lot of value to those kids, Eddie. Just being there matters. But you don't have to come with me. I won't judge you. Just think about it, okay?"
"I'll think about it." Eddie settled against Sal again. "Thank you for telling me why it's so important to you."