Month: December 2023

The time has come to say goodbye to the boys. This is the final instalment of the saga of Max and Finn. They are settled with boyfriends and are enjoying life in Cockaigne. I could write about the boys forever, but the time has come to set them free and continue their lives without me chronicling their most private and intimate moments.

The final part centres on Max’s bully, Neil, and his meeting with his estranged father. The relationship between the boy and his bully has changed. Neil had changed.

I’m not too fond of twee endings and wonder if this could happen in real life. Most of us would have been bullied in our lives if not for being gay or identifying as anything other than straight; then it would be because of your ginger hair, your glasses, perhaps a stutter, or a limp. But it is because of Max’s sheer force of will that he never gave up on Neil, despite his friends and family not understanding. I am so proud of Max!

So, just as we leave Max and Finn, we leave 2023. I’m not sad to see it go, and I hope 2024 will be a better year for everyone.

So, happy New Year and stories from Cockaigne will continue.

Neil comes back to Max after being punished. He won’t allow anyone else to help him, and James reluctantly leaves Max alone with his bully. No one knows what happened to him on the punishment stage, but he is showing the scars of being birched.

Max bathes the boy and settles him on his bed. Neil is exhausted and instantly falls asleep. Max gently rubs a soothing ointment onto Neil’s welts and bruises before covering his naked body with his duvet.

As punishment day approaches, Neil becomes more insular and contemplative. On the day, James finds Neil on the doorstep. James isn’t happy seeing the boy who beat up his boyfriend, but Owen sets him straight and tells him to go up to see Max. He finds the brothers sleeping, and he soon falls asleep and is woken by the light touch of Max’s lips.

Finn gets back into his old routine and is looking forward to going to the pool and continue to train his group of kids. He is given a warm welcome, they are all excited to see him. His class has shrunk since he had to give it up during his stay at Cockaigne Pharma. Eddie is also pleased to have Finn back at the pool.