Primary Target - 10. Chapter 10

Conner whipped into the garage and we all piled out, Mason in the lead. He barreled through the door and looked about frantically. I put my hand on his shoulder calming him down some and I suggested we try the living room – when we’re not there we more often than not find Richie hiding out there if he’s not under the covers on his bed. I walked in first and was surprised by someone sitting beside Richie.

It wasn’t Dad.

Mason got past me and just froze when he saw his brother being pulled onto the woman’s lap. I was mostly shocked that Richie didn’t fuss, at least not outwardly so – he’s been very wary of people Mason doesn’t explain how he knows them and if they’re good people. She looked up and froze as well, but softened. “Mason honey…. I’ve missed you, dear.”

Slowly, I found my way to Dad – or rather wanted to. Mason grabbed my hand firmly, not letting me go. I glanced at him as I felt him shaking. “Mace, what’s wrong?” I whispered to him. “You’re scaring me a bit, babe.”

The shaking stopped and Mason adopted a neutral expression. “Mom… where have you been?” I think he wanted to ask more questions, but he stopped as he almost lost his mask.

“I had… things, to take care of dear. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you–”

Mason cut her off. “Things? Things?!” Mason’s voice rose in both volume and ferocity. Richie cringed a bit and slid off his mom’s lap, making Mace bite his tongue with great difficulty. I broke away and took a couple of steps back and found Richie hiding behind me, clutching my leg and shaking really bad. Mason’s angry yelling almost made his brother piss himself. Conner poked his head in at just the right moment. I motioned for him to get Richie out of here. He did so with haste. As soon as Conner was out the door, he let loose upon his mother. A torrent of rage and anger in his words assaulted the woman – I didn’t know if she really deserved it or not. But it didn’t last long before I was by Mason’s side as he fell to his knees, exhausted. He ended his rant rather brokenly. “W-Why did you leave us with him?!W-Why?!”

She looked hesitantly around the room, trying to look everywhere but at Mason. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed, trying to give my boyfriend the strength he needed to stand back up. Slowly, he did just that. He stared hard at his mother and I didn’t miss seeing his face wet. I wasn’t sure what kind of tears coated his face. Finally, Ms. Jackson broke the silence. “Things that were… are, complicated.” She made herself look into her son’s eyes. “It has to do with your biological father.” She pointed to an envelope on the coffee table. “That envelope holds information on your father. I’ve been holding onto it until I thought it was time for you to know. It’s still too hard to verbalize what happened to him for me. So… whenever you’re ready, it’s all there and I’ll try to answer your questions about him.”

“Mason,” Dad spoke up for the first time. “Your mother still needs to take care of some things and has agreed to give me full custody of you and your brother for the foreseeable future. She wants both of you to have a stable home.”

She approached Mason haltingly. “Be good for Mr. Jacobs, Mason. And make sure to look after Richie – he needs you more than ever.” She paused. Her face seemed wondering. “Before I go – I need to get going, unfortunately – will you introduce me to your friend?”

I glanced at my boyfriend before I reluctantly took a step forward. “Sorry about that Ms. Jackson, I… forgot my manners. My name’s Xander. I’m a… friend of Mason’s.” I felt a bit guilty for saying it like that but I didn’t know if–

“Boyfriend,” Mason corrected. “Xander’s my boyfriend.” Oh, I guess he’s already out to his mom and–

“What?!” Ms. Jackson suddenly raised her voice and her face immediately transformed into a raging scowl. “You’re a fag lover?!” She turned to me. “You made him this way, didn’t you?! You’ve corrupted my baby boy! Go to hell!” As she spoke, something else happened. Something I wasn’t expecting from our conversation so far.

Ms. Jackson slurred her words a bit.

I assumed it was from a sudden, blind rage, but she got into my face as she shouted at me and I could smell some booze underneath all of the minty breath freshener from either gum or mouth wash. She raised her hand as if to slap men as she got out of my face – I was stunned from the quick about-face her emotions performed – her heart had to have gotten whiplash. Her hand came down, but Mason grabbed her forearm, intercepting the blow. I glanced at him. He was totally livid. “You lay a fucking hand on my boyfriend and I’ll rip you to pieces!” Mason screamed. “Get out! I never want to see you again! You’re just like that horrible excuse of a man that used to be my step-father!” He threw her arm back and set her a bit off-balance. She staggered a bit more than she should have. I looked into her eyes – they were bloodshot. I just noticed – maybe the distance didn’t let me see it.

Dad stepped in and started to guide Ms. Jackson towards the exit with a restrained but gentle hand. “Let go of me you ape!” she screamed and slurred at the same time. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”

“And you’ll never see your sons again, Ms. Jackson. I work for the DCF and you attempted to assault my minor son in my own home!” Dad shifted into rare form out-shouting Mason’s mother. “You’ll be hearing from our lawyer – after you get your ass out of jail!” He turned to me. “Alex, call the damn police already before I do something I can’t take back!”

I pulled out my cell and quickly called the police and explained the situation as Dad struggled with the difficult woman. The dispatcher said it’d be about five to ten minutes until the nearest officer could arrive. I told this to Dad and quickly ran back to Mason. I knew he’d need me.

He was a mess emotionally. He was crying in frustration, fear, anger, sadness, and outright rage over the past few minutes. He stormed around the living room, unable to sit or stand still for more than a second. His eyes eventually drifted towards the envelope on the table. Hastily, before he could pick it up, I pulled it out of his reach. He glared at me, but I stood my ground. “What the fuck, Xan? That thing probably is full of lies and filth from that hateful woman!” he seethed. He got into my face, still angry. “Give it to me!”

“Not until you calm down, Mason,” I said firmly. “You’re too angry right now. You’re not thinking right. What if this has information about your dad that you want to know about someday? If you destroy this now, you might regret it later!” Before Mason could do anything else, I grabbed the sides of his head and pulled him roughly into a kiss. Mason tried to pull away – he wanted to stay angry – but the longer my lips stayed connected to my boy, he started to slowly calm down and reciprocate. Our lips fought each other, trying to outdo one another as I suckled on his upper lip, turning my impromptu kiss into a full-blown make-out session. On a split-second decision, I probed his lips with my tongue and reluctantly he parted his lips enough where I could slide my tongue into his mouth. When my tongue touched his, he moaned audibly and I think I might have too. We dueled with our tongues for what seemed like hours. But eventually Mason did break free from my grasp as my knees weakened, sending the shockwave all the way to my hands. Both of us were breathing heavily as Mason wiped excess spit from his chin with the back of his hand. I could see the bulge in my boyfriend’s slacks – that visual didn’t do anything to lessen the constraint I felt in my own. Both of us readjusted ourselves quickly.

“You don’t play fair,” Mason pouted angrily as he slid into the nearby rocker. He still glared at me, but it was a much softer glare. I could tell he was still mad and I really don’t blame him. With what went down only minutes ago, I realized he never did tell his mom about being gay. I guess he knew her better than most.

“So…” I sighed as my breathing stabilized. I took the sofa across from him. “I guess this is why you didn’t tell her, huh?”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell her,” Mason sighed as well. “I was always afraid she’d tell Eddie. Hell, the man almost caught me telling Richie! Who know what would’ve happened if he found out!”

“Let’s not go there,” I quickly suggested. “What matters is that he’s gone and you’re still here. With me. Mason, I’m going to stand by you through this. You’re stronger than this, I know it.”

The angry face finally softened into thoughtfulness. “I’m only strong because of you, Xan. I-I…” he stopped. He got quiet. “I almost wanted to hit you a moment ago…” He tore away, ashamed.

While not news I wanted to hear, I went forward. “Mason, you were blinded by rage. You had a lot of shit overflowing your plate tonight when we got home. It didn’t help when your mom went all spazzy when you told her about us. This isn’t your fault – it’s hers.”

“I’m so sorry!” he cried. “I’ve ruined your birthday! I-I’m sorry!” He tried to run out of the room, tears streaking his face but again I was too quick for him and grabbed his arm as I stood.

“No! No you didn’t!” I challenged. Again I grabbed his face. “My wish came true when I met you, don’t you see?! As long as we’re together, I don’t care if the fucking world explodes and we’re stranded on a five foot section because we somehow survived it all! You’re what made my birthday special! You are my first boyfriend and this is the first birthday I’ve been able to spend it with him. With you.” I stroked his hair hoping to calm the flood of tears. It was working, but at a snail’s pace. I was still thankful that it was doing anything at all. I hated seeing Mace like this. Eventually he stopped crying and grabbed my hand. He brought it to his lips and he kissed the back of my hand.

He pulled to the sofa and into a hug once we were sitting down. “I am sorry, Alex. I can’t believe that I even thought about raising a hand to you – after I stopped my own mother from doing the same!”

“Babe, you didn’t – that’s what matters to me. You had the self-control to not do it. I can’t control what you think, especially when someone pissed you off as much as she did. Let’s just drop it, okay?” I turned Mason so his back was resting against the armrest and I sat between his legs. I pulled his arms around me and I snuggled into his chest and nuzzled my face against his as I tried to get it comfortable against his shoulder. I felt Mason sigh and the tension left with that action. The two of us sat like that when the police arrived and escorted Mason’s mom out of the house. Officers would’ve found us sitting like that had Dad not come in and asked us to try and look like foster brothers instead of boyfriends. Slowly, I slid away from Mason and we sat next to each other when an officer came and took statements from us.

Once everything settled down and the police were gone, I turned back to Mason. “You should probably go find your brother and say you’re sorry to him. You scared him kind of bad when you starting yelling at your mom. The police being here didn’t help probably. Go to him – I’ll be up in a bit.”

“Oh shit, Richie!” Mason’s eyes grew wide as he tore out of the living room. I heard Dad chuckle a bit from the kitchen, most likely at Mason’s expense. I found him reading the paper again from this morning.

“Dad… I have a question for you about Mason’s mom,” I said as I sat down at the table. He lowered the paper and looked at me expectantly. “Did… you know she was drunk?”

“What makes you say that?” Dad asked a bit shocked.

“Well, when she got in my face, I smelled it under a heavy dose of Crest mouth wash – you know, the non-alcoholic kind – and her eyes were all bloodshot. Didn’t you notice her slurring when she got angry?”

“Well son, it was kind of hard not to notice,” he said. “I just thought that she was so raged that she couldn’t talk right or something.” He thought for a moment. “This could be good or bad for Mason and Richie.”

“How so?”

“Well, it could be good because she was drunk – if you’re right. It’ll show her having some dependence on the substance and it’ll discredit her in court when it comes to that point. It could be bad because her lawyer might argue she didn’t know what she was doing at the time and might cop out on some kind of insanity plea and fight to take them back. We’ll just have to wait and see.” He smiled at me. “Alright, scoot up to bed with your boy, son. And make sure to hang that tux up so I can take it back tomorrow.”

Tux? Oh yeah – I totally forgot that Mace and I were wearing them! That reminded me. I stood up and sat in my Dad’s lap, surprising him a bit. I clutched tightly to him and buried my face into his shirt. “Thank you, Daddy. For a wonderful birthday dinner.” I wanted to tell him my revelations at the restaurant, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment. We stayed like that for about a minute before I pulled my head back up and looked him in the eyes. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, son. Now… off to bed.”

Apparently my plan to surprise Mason for the dance later tonight was busted – from the get-go no less! It seems that Mason wanted to do the same thing for me and talked to the guys about it – Josh not surprisingly was going to buy the tickets for him too – so at lunch, we were all there.

“I find it funny how much you two are alike sometimes,” Jess said as I leaned my head on Mason’s shoulder while we ate. “And… you two are adorable together, by the way.”

“Thanks… I think,” I said as I rolled my eyes for the hundredth time. Every time he or I leant into each other or got a bit “cozy”, Kat and Jess usually have to make some kind of comment like that or just plain gush over it. Oh well, at least she’s not trying to stab us or something.

“Really!” Jess laughed. “You two are good together.”

“Now that both secrets are out, how are we doing the dance thing?” Eric asked. “Are we meeting for a group dinner somewhere beforehand like in middle school? We have the group size for it.”

Ben bit into an apple. “I think it might be best if we all did our own thing before the dance. We could always get together afterwards – like a party.”

“I like that idea better,” Mason piped up. “There might be things that we might want to do without you guys… watching.” Several eyes bugged out and drinks were almost spit across the table.

“Dude, way too much info!” Ben said as he tried to recover from near choking on his apple. I just laughed at Mason’s suggestion. I might have to take him up on it.

“What?” he countered with a smile on his face. “You guys talk about how much pussy you’re hoping to score by senior year. All the time!”

“Mason’s right, you know,” Kat agreed.

“Whatever,” Eric complained. “I just don’t need to know what orifice Mason intends to plug on Xander is all.”

“Who says Mason will do the plugging?” I said mischievously “Or at least all of it?”

“Hordie,” Josh said as he patted my back and squeezed my shoulder. “You know I respect you and all, but…. Thanks oh so much for that lovely visual of both of you rolling in the sheets naked. My day wasn’t complete without it and now I can live my life to the fullest now that I have that…” Josh stopped and shuddered. “I can’t do it anymore! Gross! Out of my head!” He started beating the side of his head. “Does anyone happen to have a memory eraser?”

“If you find one, let me know,” Ben said. He winked at me, but still shuddered.

“Keep it up guys,” I threatened with a lilt in my voice. “I’ll take Mason right here and now if you don’t stop it.” Suddenly, the three other boys’ eyes grew exponentially.

“I’d pay to see that,” Jess smirked.

“Me too,” Kat agreed with a grin, causing Eric, Ben, and Josh to just groan and bury their faces away somehow.

The day dragged on and on after lunch, but eventually we all were released from our prison of classes and we all ventured towards home. When I did, I started to get ready for the dance by getting my clothes in order. Mason said he didn’t want to see me before the dance if we could help it, especially when we got dressed for it. He wanted to be surprised at what I wore, as did I. We even asked Richie not to divulge what the other was wearing and he just giggled but agreed.

Richie was sitting on his bed in my room, reading a magazine as I scoured my closet for clothes to wear. I could feel him glance at me a few times but otherwise the eleven year-old kept quiet. I started to get frustrated.

“Richie, can you do me a favor and go ask your brother what colors he was going to wear for the dance? I don’t want to clash with him.”

“Sure,” he said as he set the magazine down and disappeared for a moment. I rooted through my closet still coming up on empty. I really didn’t have too many dress shirts when we moved here, but slowly I’ve been adding a few more. I felt being the President of the GSA I might need to be somewhat formal on occasions. Richie came back into the room.

“What’d he say?” I didn’t bother to even turn around. Richie didn’t respond. He did force his way into my closet past me and started rummaging for something. “What are you looking for?”

I saw his eyes light up when his hand settled on something. “This. Mason wants you in something like this.” He shoved the shirt into my hand before he scooted by me again and back to his bed and to his magazine. I stepped out and examined what Richie pulled for me. I smirked when the room light hit it – a dual tone fabric. Depending on how the light hit the shirt, it shifted from green to blue – like my eyes.

“This is perfect!” I exclaimed. “Now what kind of pants to wear…”

“Khaki,” Richie said, not even looking up from his magazine.

“You sure?” I thought about it, trying to imagine the shirt with a pair of khakis. I frowned. “The only khakis I own are cargos…”

“Nice pair in the back. On the left.”

I went to where I was directed and saw them – a pair of Dockers. “Oh, I don’t remember even having these. Thanks Richie! You’ve been a big help, man!” I turned to look at him and he stared at me, beaming. He really didn’t do much, but he lavished in any praise he could get. I guess I would too if our situations were reversed. It still made me cringe when I remembered how he used to live.

Richie must’ve seen my face twist a bit. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. “It’s okay. Can’t hurt me anymore – thanks to you.” He looked up at me. “A…Ap…” His brows furrowed. Hesitantly, he said, “Like respect almost?”

“Appreciate I think is what you want to say.”

Richie nodded vigorously into my chest. “Appreciate you for… everything. Happy you’re my brother…brother like from marrying.”

“Brother-in-law?”

“Brother-in-law.”

I laughed gently. “Well, we’re not quite married just yet Richie. At this rate though… all we’ll need is time.” I shook myself out of my trance. “Alright, I’m going to clear out of here. Maybe when you two are done you can help me with my Algebra. I don’t get that stuff to save my life.”

“Kay. Shoo!” He started pushing me towards the bedroom door, making me laugh.

“Hey! What about my outfit?”

“I hide it for you. Go!” he laughed.

“Alright, alright… I’m going,” I laughed too. As I exited my bedroom door, I felt my heart pang with love for that kid. Richie was like my little brother now too. Next week he’s going to try and go back to school – he insisted. Richie said the soaps are starting to get boring as that’s about the best thing on and he said we really don’t have that many unplayed video games to keep him entertained anymore. Both Mason and I told him to watch his temper if the teasing got to be really bad. And for him to tell us about any of it – we didn’t want him to regress any further in regards to his speaking. Sometimes when he’s helping me with math, he’ll know what he wants to say, but just can’t pronounce the word. So instead, he writes it down – his written English is flawless. His mouth just isn’t in the practice of speaking it fully – unless he’s pissed of course.

I ran down the stairs and heard my bedroom door shut as I hit the foyer. Damn it… I forgot about a tie! I thought to myself. Maybe Conner has one I could get from him. I stepped into the kitchen to find a snack when I heard Conner come back into the house. “Hey bro. What’s going on?”

“Not much, just getting a snack before dinner. Tonight’s the night, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Homecoming dance, Con,” I laughed lightly as I shook my head, scanning my limited snack choices within the fridge. I closed the door. “Speaking of which, can I borrow a tie for that? Mace might need one too.”

“Sure, what kind of shirt are you wearing?” I described it to him. “Ah, yeah! I remember that shirt. You wore it once and kind of forgot about it.” He snapped his fingers. “I have just the tie for both of you!” He scurried up the stairs.

As he came back down not five minutes later, I called out to him, “Don’t show me Mace’s tie! I just want to see which one you picked for me.” He shoved it into my hands. It was a blue and green striped tie, crossing the fabric in a diagonal fashion. The lines were very small and close together – you almost had to get close to the tie to even see it, but it should go with my shirt nicely.

“I’ll just go run up and give Mason the other one. Your room?” I nodded and he bounded up the stairs again. Just then, I decided instead of a snack for me, I’d make Mason and me dinner before the dance! Perfect – he’ll love it! I went through all the recipes I had in my head – some that Mom used to need my help with. My eyes widened as I thought of a good one and got set to work gathering ingredients and utensils. I also made sure to make enough for the other three males of the household.

I made sure to mentally double the recipe and set a big pot of water on the stove to boil. Once that got close, I threw in an entire box of macaroni noodles. I pulled out a large, glass baking pan. I mixed some shredded mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone cheeses and some milk together in another pot to turn the cheese into more of a sauce. I finished with that and just had to wait on the noodles. After about ten minutes to get tender, I lightly greased the pan with some cooking spray before I spread the cooked and drained noodles in the dish. I quickly mixed in some ham cubes and the cheese sauce into the noodles. I topped it off with some bread crumbs and tossed it into the oven to help melt the cheese some more and to give it a lightly golden brown color on top.

While that sat in the oven, I went ahead and cleared out the so far unused breakfast nook and set up the table once I wiped the surface down. I found a nice tablecloth and draped the table with it. After digging for some candles, I set two of the thinner ones on the table and the rest in the window. The early days of October were still a bit warm, but definitely not as warm as a mid-July scorcher. I glanced and saw a lot of the tree already shedding their summer coats and dressing with the vibrant golds, reds, and oranges indicative of a New England fall. It was the perfect backdrop for a romantic dinner before the dance.

I stepped back into the kitchen only to find Conner hovering over the oven about to peek into it. I swatted his hand and he pulled it back. “Hey, what was that for?”

“Don’t peek at my dinner,” I chastised.

“It smells good, whatever it is,” Conner salivated.

“Homemade mac and cheese a la Mom,” I replied fondly. “It’s her recipe.”

“I knew it smelled familiar,” Conner said, but I could tell he was a bit more subdued. Quickly, he shook it away. “You remembered it?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I remember helping her with it a few times over the past couple of years. She said I was a natural.” I looked at Conner and decided to change subjects after I checked on the dinner – it still needed a couple more minutes. “Are you going to the dance with anyone?”

“Nope, just as V.P. for the GSA. I offered to help keep an eye on things, but if a pretty girl asks me to dance, I’m not going to refuse them. The teachers understand this, but if I’m not dancing, I’ll be patrolling.”

“Cool. Hey can you do me a favor?” I asked with a knowing glint in my eye.

“Sure, I’ll be your waiter,” he grinned.

“Wait, what?!” I was shocked he knew my question.

Conner just laughed. “I saw you setting up the nook, Xan. Not hard to figure out your plans in there, dude.”

I checked the food and it was ready. I asked Conner to set some things down to hold the hot dish off the counter and he quickly set a couple up on the counter as I slid on oven mitts. I pulled the dish out and set it down. “I made sure to make a double recipe – there should be enough for all five of us. I didn’t think it was necessary to dirty any more dishes.”

Conner grabbed a fork and stabbed the noodles and took a quick bite. His eyes bugged out and he started to fan his open mouth. “Hot!” he managed.

“Hmm… I wonder why? It’s not like it came out of the oven only five seconds ago. Can’t be that,” I patronized my sibling. He playfully shoved me now that his palette wasn’t scalding any longer. “Okay, can you bring him down and have him get into what he wants to wear to the dance? We didn’t want to see each other before dinnertime in what we picked. While you seat him,” I giggled at that. “I’ll run up and get changed. Can you set up some silverware along the way?”

Conner pushed me towards the living room. “I got you covered from here, bro. Just wait until I knock on the door twice – that’ll be your cue to run up to change.”

“And don’t bring–”

“–Him through the kitchen. Got it.” He pulled the living room door shut. I decided to think a bit as I waited for the knock and my thoughts settled on Mason and Riche’s mom. I really hoped she wouldn’t try to take her sons back – I liked living with my boyfriend, even if we haven’t really done anything yet. I feared she would take him and move out of the state. Oh, I’d miss him and Richie terribly if she did that! But my thought drifted back towards our sex life – or lack thereof. I was quite happy with where we were in regards to that. I mean, I wasn’t going to stop my boy if he brought it up, but I was satisfied with the cuddling and the kissing. Anything past that is bonus in my books. I think my biggest fear, deep down, is that if I push too hard for things, I might scare him away. But another thought crossed my mind: what if he wants to go to the next level and is waiting for me to make the first move? I was the one that suggested we share as shower after only getting to know him during our photography project for Art class. What if that drives him away? Damn this… this is all so confusing! I guess I’ll just have to talk to Mason about this… see how he feels on things.

Two light knocks rapping off the door brought me out of my head. I bee-lined up the stairs and almost plowed through my bedroom door, slightly startling Richie – he had heard my thunderous stomps up the stairs. I apologized quickly and asked him to lay out my outfit before I slipped into the shower. In less than five minutes, I stormed back into my bedroom, towel around my waist. Not caring about Richie, I just dropped my towel and grabbed a pair of fresh boxers and slipped them on, along with the outfit I already picked out. I saw that Conner already tied my tie – it hung off the corner of my bed. I slid it over my head and adjusted it a bit. I mussed my hair up and smoothed it into a relaxed style. Richie glanced up and smiled with thumbs up. I smiled back at the kid and headed back downstairs.

Mason seemed to fidget in the seat and glanced at his watch as I came up from behind him. Instead of surprising him, I just gently cleared my throat. Mason quickly stood and I took in my boyfriend as he did the same to me. He wore a pair of Dockers similar to my own, but a slightly darker color. His shirt and tie were a mix of blue and green, though his tie had to have been made from the same fabric as my shirt – it shifted colors as the light hit it. Again, his hair was styled but differently than from my birthday dinner – he had his bangs gelled up with the rest just combed down. Simple but classy.

“You look…” Mason breathed as he stepped towards me, hands outstretched. I took his hands as I stepped forward as well. “Breathtaking.” He smiled. He kissed my cheek.

“You do too,” I giggled as I planted a quick kiss to his lips. We walked over to the table and I helped Mason into his seat again. He giggled politely as I helped to push his chair in before I went around and sat across from him. I looked around and saw the candles all lit and the ceiling light turned down to a lower wattage. I faintly heard the sounds of a violin playing in the background – a nice touch. Conner came in with a dish towel draped over his forearm.

“Dinner will be along shortly, gentlemen,” he said. With a bit of flourish, he pulled the towel off his arm and revealed he tucked a bottle of Pepsi against his arm. He poured it into glasses he must’ve set up before he retrieved my guy. Before we knew it, Conner faded back into the kitchen.

“This is nice, Xan,” Mason admired. “Did you set this up?”

“Most of it. Conner chipped in with the lighting of the candles and the background music. He also set up the silverware and glasses. Other than that, the rest was me. I even made the dinner.”

I saw some moisture in Mason’s eyes. “Xan that was sweet of you. Whatever it is, it smells delicious.” On cue, Conner arrived with two plates of the homemade mac and cheese, along with some bread on each plate. I saw him turn and Richie appeared through the door for a moment. He handed Conner two bowls of salad and winked at me before he faded from view. I giggled at the younger boy’s infectiousness. Conner placed the greens next to our main courses. He placed a bell next to me and just winked too. I knew what this was for and smiled. Conner disappeared after that.

The two of us ate in companionable silence, smiling at one another several times. The only thing spoken between us once the food hit the table was Mason’s praise over how good the homemade macaroni and cheese tasted. I rang the bell only once to have our plates refilled and suggested a half serving. I didn’t want either of us to be too full to dance.

After our second helping, I wiped my mouth off with a napkin and lay it on the table. “Mason, I have something I’d like us to talk about.”

“Oh?” he asked, a bit hesitant.

“I was wondering about your thoughts in regards to… how fast we want this relationship to move. I’m fine either way – really. If you want to wait before we even do anything, I’m cool with it. I just don’t want to either pressure you or ignore the topic and push you away.” I rubbed my forehead a bit. “Am I making sense? I sound like I’m talking in circles.”

Mason smiled lightly. “No babe, you’re fine. I’m actually kind of glad you brought this up. I wasn’t really sure how fast you wanted to move either. There were a few times when we made out that I wanted to do a few… other things with you. I’m cool with waiting too, if we agree to that. But I won’t be heartbroken if something magical happens in the interim.”

Something crossed my mind and I audibly swallowed. Mason looked at me a bit. “Well… I hate to ask this question, but…” I rubbed my eyes for a second. “Did Eddie… do anything with either of you? You know… sexually.”

Mason frowned, but I don’t think it was at the question. “To be honest, I don’t really know if he did or not. I want to say he didn’t but there are a few hazy gaps in my memory – for all I know he slipped me a mickey and did things to me then.” He stared at me, intense focus in his eyes. “I think to be safe I should get tested. I’d hate to give you anything by accident if our hormones get the best of us. Until then, I don’t expect us to even give each other head – the uncertainty is too great for me.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I haven’t been with anyone, but if you want, I could get tested alongside you – just as a show of faith if nothing else.” Mason started laughing as he broke his stare, turning his face towards the ceiling. “What is it babe?” His laughter started to make me giggle.

“Listen to us, like we’re adults or something! It just sounded amusing to me for a second.” He sobered up quickly. “Granted, the topic at hand isn’t a laughing matter. Don’t think I’m making fun of you for asking – in fact, I’m really glad you mentioned it as I said. I’ll talk with Dad after the dance tonight and see if he can get me tested. Hell, maybe my last lab results could be useful – I went to the doctor’s the day before things happened.” We discussed a few other things, the STDs talk being put on the back burner for the time being. Mason glanced at his watch and said it was getting late – we needed to head out to the school for the dance.

Conner drove us to the school with a knowing grin on his face. I wanted to ask him what got his motor running – making me laugh a bit inside my head – but Mason pulled me into a lip lock before I could. I wasn’t complaining. Not at all.

We agreed to meet the gang by the front doors before we all went in. Conner didn’t hang with us – he needed to get in there and start scouting for troublemakers, so he offered a salute and disappeared. So far only Jess and Josh were waiting. Josh looked good in his red shirt and black tie. Surprisingly, Jess’s formal dress almost complimented his attire: a black number with a red sash around her waist. I raised my eyebrow at her.

“Don’t look at me like that, Xan!” she huffed playfully. “Josh and I couldn’t find dates, so we decided we’d just go together. At least I’ll have someone to dance with, even if he is my brother.”

“Look at you two,” Josh whistled, causing me to blush. “If you two weren’t dating, you’d both be getting requests from the ladies to dance with either of you. Hell, maybe even some of the other guys.”

“I’ll cut off balls if anyone tries to cut in with my Xander,” Mason almost scowled before he softened. “Well, maybe not any of you guys. Only the ones that would try and steal him away from me.”

“Babe, relax,” I cooed. “No one is going to steal me away from you.” I paused as I took his face in my hands. “You already stole my heart.” Mason smiled warmly and kissed me tenderly.

“Get a room you two,” I heard the playful banter of our friend Ben say as he chuckled. We slowly separated and I turned to see Ben wearing a black dress shirt, black khakis, black shoes… and a white tie. Shannon’s dress was a lovely shade of teal, playing up her styled hair quite nicely.

“You two look good,” Mason marveled as I rest my head on his shoulder, nodding almost dreamily.

“You two look very dashing,” Shannon complimented. “No one’s teased you two?”

“Not yet anyway,” I said a bit dryly. I was expecting a few comments from a few people no doubt, but I wasn’t going to let it ruin my evening with Mason. “The night is still young, though.”

“Hey,” Ben’s normal smile was gone. “If anyone picks on you two, they’ll have to answer to me!”

“Me too,” Josh stepped up and placed a hand on our shoulders.

“Don’t forget about me.”

We all turned to see Kat and Eric stepping up towards us. Kat’s dress was simple and elegant – an off-white slip accented with pearls. Eric wore a nice dark blue shirt with black tie. “Hey guys. Did… you two come together?” Josh asked.

“Actually, yes,” Kat said as she flipped her hair back, daring anyone to challenge her. “But we did agree that if someone that came over to ask either of us to dance, we would go ahead. I mean, it’s not like we’re dating.”

“Yeah,” Eric said, almost a bit too quickly. I just smiled in my head. “We just didn’t want to come here alone.” The rest of the group just nodded, accepting this at face value. I casually watched them for a moment. They gave no outward sign that they were even really attracted to one another, but it could be blossoming love. I just brushed my matchmaking side away as we all entered the school for the dance.

After about fifteen minutes, the place started to fill up, making a nice sized crowd. I heard the familiar voice of Steve cut across the gym, slowly silencing the dancers. “Hey, thanks all for coming out for the homecoming dance. It’s great to see so many kids here. Moving along, I’m here to announce the nominations for the homecoming court! This year, there’s a bit of a twist on the old program so bear with me. Xander, are you here? Is our GSA president here?”

Damn it! I don’t really like crowds to focus on me, especially since I’m gay! That’s like putting Waldo in a bullpen full of angry cattle with sharp horns. Suddenly, I heard Mason next to me jump up and down, signaling my location. A spotlight fell on me, but before it did I scowled a bit at my boyfriend, turning it into a weak smile once the light bathed my form. Slowly, I made my way up to where Steve was. “Thanks a lot,” I muttered.

He whispered to me, “If I got to flounder up here, I’m not doing it alone.” He turned back to the dancers and spoke into the mike. “Our esteemed GSA president here suggested, in the interest of fairness we’d change up the court a bit. Xander, care to explain?” He grinned evilly but playfully as he shoved the device into my hands. Damn, my first speech. I really hoped I could’ve done this later – say the Valentine’s Day after I graduated from high school.

Nervously, I shifted on the makeshift stage. I shook my head, clearing away all my hesitations and self-doubts. “Fellow classmates, my suggestion for the court was a simple one. Instead of designated king and queen, I opened it up for the possibility that we could nominate two queens or two kings. So when you vote, you don’t have to think totally straight.” I got a few laughs out of that, which helped to relax me a bit. “So let’s get the voting underway and remember – you don’t have to vote traditionally. Think outside the box a little. Thanks.” I quickly shoved the mike back at Steve.

“As the little dude said,” Steve said with some more laughter. “Make sure to stop by the court booth to place your votes!”

I stepped down and found Mason mingling with the gang. I walked a bit faster towards him and buried my face into his chest. He gently put a hand on my back. “Hey babe, you were great up there.”

“God, I totally hated being on display like that. And I was just saying a few words!” I breathed a bit heavily. I felt Mason tense against me. He carefully pulled me back.

“You wanted the role knowing you’d probably have to speak, didn’t you?” I nodded. “So…?”

“It’s just,” I started to explain with all our friends watching, all of them a bit concerned. “I felt like a piece of steak by myself in a sea of hungry upper classmen. I… I really just think it’s a case of small fish in a big pond right now.” I had no problems making some suggestions for fairness, but that text message came back to me hauntingly so, the one from when I started typing my initial ideas up. Was that person here? Was it a parent of one of the kids? A teacher, even? I felt too many eyes on me and I didn’t like it. I started to breathe a bit heavier.

Mason whispered in my ear. “Babe, calm down – you’re going to hyperventilate. It’s okay, I’m here baby.”

“Xander, are you okay?” Ben asked. He placed a hand on my shoulder. I nearly jumped ten feet in the air. “Jesus, dude! It’s only me. What’s gotten into you, man?”

“N-Nothing,” I lied. I couldn’t tell them about that text. I could feel Mason scowling at me – he could tell I was lying. “Let’s j-just dance, guys.”

“Okay…” Josh reluctantly agreed. He took Jess’s hand and disappeared into the throngs of dancers, the other two couple hot on their heels. I started after them, but Mason held me firm.

“Alex don’t lie to me,” Mason said, his voice firm but reassuring somehow. “Something’s bothering you, I can tell. Don’t give me that crap that it’s nothing.”

I sighed, hoping we could just forget it – at least for a while. “Can I tell you later? I just want to dance now. I don’t want to think about it for a while.” I looked up and met his disappointment head on. “Look, I promise to tell you later. I just want this to be fun.”

Reluctantly, he sighed and escorted me to the dance floor. We found our way next to our friends and slowly, I started to loosen back up again. The fast paced songs kept us jiving for another ten minutes when it switched to a slower song. I felt Mason’s hand glide into mine as one arm snaked around my waist. I just smiled as he looked down at me before I rested my head on his shoulder. I didn’t want this moment to end.

After the song, another slow song came on, but I felt Mason stiffen unexpectedly. “May I cut in?” the voice of an unknown female sliced through my thoughts. I looked up to see a really gorgeous upper classman stare back at me – lightly flowing brown hair, green eyes, and perfect skin giving her the look of softness. If I was straight, I would almost swear I could fall for her. But lucky for both Mason and me she doesn’t have the right… setup?

“Sure,” Mason smiled politely. “I need a break anyway, Xan. Have fun.” Mason slipped away before I could protest. The mystery upper classman stepped up in his place.

“Hi Xander, my name’s Marissa. Marissa Lawrenson. Having fun tonight?”

“Yep, this is my first dance.” I would be having more fun if I didn’t have this bimbo’s balloons shoved in my face. “I never knew Mason was such a good dancer.”

She ignored my comment. “So, I think it’s great that you’re the GSA president. I think it takes character to be in such a responsible role as a freshman. I’m a junior by the way.” She started going on and on about how much she admires people who are responsible and mature. My mind started turning – is she really flirting with me? Surely, she knows I’m gay, right? In a school our size, the rumors had to have circulated around totally by now and touched everybody. There’s no way she doesn’t know that Mason and I are a couple.

Suddenly, I felt her pelvis grind against mine and my eyes widened. “How about after the dance you and me get together?” she asked with a certain lilt to her voice. “I think you’re cute for a freshman.” Well, I guess not everyone know I’m gay. Either that or… wait. If she does know, then she doesn’t care and she thinks she can “turn” me! I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.

“I’m going to an after party with some of my classmates,” I replied coolly. To make sure there was no misunderstanding, I added. “Freshmen only, sorry.”

“Oh, bummer,” she sighed as her tone dropped substantially. But her smile bounced back. I felt her slip her hand into my pocket. “Maybe next time.”

I think my time with this chick was more than up. “Hey, I need to run to the bathroom. It was nice getting to know you.” Before she could say anything, I ducked under her taller frame and made my way towards the table we all claimed. I saw Mason looking bored but he perked up when he saw me coming towards me. He started to say something, but I interrupted him by grabbing his wrist and nearly dragging him towards the bathroom. I saw amused glances from the others that were resting between songs.

We cleared the door. “Damn it, Xan what–” I pushed him into the closing bathroom door and kissed my boyfriend passionately. He moaned into my mouth at the pleasant surprise of my “attack”. I kept it up for a few minutes, even unconsciously grinding into him before I pulled away.

“I’m sorry, but I really needed that,” I said a bit sheepishly. I reached into my pocket for a handkerchief when I felt a piece of paper. I pulled it out and saw that bitch’s name with her number on it. Before I could stop it, I started to laugh hysterically. I slumped to the floor, unable to stay standing.

“Xander, what are you doing? What’s so funny?” he started giggling at my laughter.

“Oh, it’s too funny,” I said, trying to control myself. I looked into his eyes, holding his gaze. I calmed down enough. “I love you, Mason. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do. I love you too, Xan.”

“Good, because I hope you find this as funny as I did.” I recounted what happened between me and Marissa. I didn’t necessarily tell him in order, but it still had the desired effect. He was amused until I told him she was grinding me.

“She what?!” he bellowed. “Where is that bitch?! I want to tell her–”

“Babe, relax!” I shouted over him. I quickly stood up and hugged him. “I don’t think she even knows I’m gay. I didn’t even get hard while she did it. Maybe she’ll think I’m too small or something and give up on me.”

Mason chortled. “You… small? Is that supposed to mean…” He stopped in mock realization. “Oh, you mean that… Babe, I’ve seen you and you are by no means small. Well, in height maybe…” I punched his arm.

“Asshole,” I giggled.

“But you love this asshole, don’t you?” Mason sighed. He stepped forward pressing me against the tile wall. He leaned in and placed a feather kiss on my lips. He did this a few times before he repeated, “Don’t you?” I stared into his eyes – I saw his love for me and the longing for my body there, all out in the open. I found it very sexy. Very.

“Oh God, yes I do!” I breathed as I grabbed his head and held his face to mine. Our tongues met again, dueling it out inside my mouth at first before he retreated and I followed, taking the battle into his. I could feel Mason’s weight pressing into me, his steel member poking into my belly. I moaned into him when I felt a shockwave emanate from my groin upon his caress.

The bathroom door opened.

Both Mason and I pulled apart, breathing raggedly, our hair a bit mussed from our exchange. “Uh… I guess I could go find another bathroom?” Josh looked a bit shocked but he recovered rather quickly.

“N-No, it’s fine,” I said as my breathing settled. “I-I’m glad you came in and not someone else. We’re just getting a bit carried away is all.”

“Yeah,” Mason agreed. He stood upright and ran his fingers through my hair, trying to correct what they did only seconds ago.

Josh squinted at me. “Are you saying…? You two were going to screw if I didn’t come in here, weren’t you?”

I blushed. “I-It might have gotten that far. We’ll never know now.”

Josh went over to one of the urinals and started to do his business. “It’s great that you two are so into each other. In fact, I think it’s really cool that no one’s really hassled either of you about your orientation.” He zipped up and came over to the sinks again – where we still stood. He started washing his hands. “Just be glad it was me that came in here, Hordie, and not someone else. It might not have been good. For either of you. Please be careful – there are no graveyards to corpse run from if you get ganked in the real word.” He slipped out and I saw the confusion on Mason’s face.

“What the hell was he talking about? Corpse run? Ganking?”

“Warcraft, babe. He was saying there’s no do over if we get ganked – killed.”

“Oh.” Mason pinched his nose. “I think you’re going to have to teach me some of that game’s stuff just so I can understand that kid – and you – sometimes. It’s like you two speak German while the rest of are stuck with pictograms.”

“Sure babe. Maybe I can even teach you to play if you want.”

“Maybe. Let’s not get carried away,” he laughed.

The dance went along normally. A few students did get kicked out for breaking some of the rules, but it was far fewer than I really expected. Josh didn’t say he mentioned almost catching us in the act and if he didn’t, I would be relived. Ben would go on and on about it for months. I’m not really sure how Eric would take it – I’m not even sure if he’s patched things up with his Steve and Adrian. I hoped he did.

“Mind if we cut in?” Ben and Shannon stood next to Mason and me, looking expectantly. I was pleasantly surprised.

“Sure,” Mason said as he took Shannon’s hand and danced a bit away from Ben and me. He took my hands and I let him lead.

“I’m surprised, Ben. Happy, but surprised.”

“Ah, it’s no big deal,” he scoffed. “Just doing the friend thing, you know?”

I smiled at him. “Is it okay if I rest my head against you?”

“Sure, just don’t expect any nookie after this. I’m not a cheap date.” I laughed as I put my head on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to. I don’t want to ‘corrupt’ you or anything.” I felt Ben pull back. “I’m kidding, Ben.”

“Oh.” I felt him relax. “Sorry, I just don’t know how I should react to a gay guy’s sense of humor when they start that up. I’m not sure what’s insensitive or what’s not. I don’t want to offend either you or Mason.” He paused. “By the way, I never got the chance to thank you for your part in my present for my birthday. You were like a one-hit wonder at my party. There one second saying happy birthday and the next, you left in a cloud of smoke.”

“Yeah,” I frowned at myself. “I was still a little gun-shy around all of you then. I mean, I just told you all that I was gay and, even though you all said it was okay, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?”

“I could understand that,” Ben agreed. He thought for a second. “Was it really hard in Ohio for you when you got outed?”

“Not really. I mean I got picked on a lot more there than I have here, but I had a really good group of friends there. They made sure to stop everything – or at least tried. It doesn’t help that I’m a bit short for my age.”

“Give it time dude,” he said. “It’s not like your body can respond like your dick when you’re around Mason in a bathroom.” I heard him stifle a giggle.

“Damn it! Josh told you, didn’t he?” I flushed in embarrassment.

“How long after he left did it take for you two to leave?” Ben still giggled.

“About five minutes. Maybe longer – it’s kind of… difficult when your boyfriend is standing not two feet from you.”

His laughter deepened. “You almost said ‘hard’, didn’t you?”

My blush deepened – I had to have looked sunburnt. “…Maybe.” The song ended and I brought my head up. I kissed Ben’s cheek. “Thanks for the dance, big guy.”

“No sweat. You’re my bud.” He pulled me into a brief hug before relinquishing his hold on me.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to steal him away from me,” Mason said. I spun around and hugged my boy. Shannon sidled up to Ben.

“Nah, you can keep him. Now Shannon on the other hand…” He grabbed her hand and spun her in a circle, her dress flowing outward a bit. He turned to us and winked before the couple walked to our table.

For the next hour, I mostly danced with Mason, but I did get a turn with Kat and Jess. Josh took a turn and admitted that Jess had to suggest it, making him feel a bit ashamed. I told him it was okay if he didn’t want to – I wasn’t forcing anyone to dance with me against their will. Once he got there, he relaxed and just enjoyed it. We mostly ended up talking about Warcraft with a bit of soccer mixed in – like we normally do. I was really shocked that Eric stepped in after my dance with Josh. He told me the progress on his relationship with Steve and Adrian.

“I called him yesterday – it took me until now to work up the nerve to even call him. Sam helped me though. He stayed with me the whole time, making sure I went through it.”

“Sam?”

“He’s our youngest sibling. He’s about Richie’s age. Anyway, I almost hung up while the phone rang, but Sam’s hand on my shoulder kept me from doing it. He answered. I-I almost didn’t say anything, but I started off with a weak hello. He asked who was calling – I guess I was so quiet he didn’t recognize me. Once I told him it was me, I could hear the pause before he asked why I called. Xan, I heard the pain in his voice – I think he was afraid I was calling to tell him to never talk to him again. Hearing that pain made me break – I-I never wanted to h-hurt Stevie.”

“So I take it you two are at least on the right road?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Eric sniffled. “He was so relieved to hear me say I still loved him. I only hurt him with my silence, at least. It’s not like I called him dirty names when he came out.” He stopped for a second as he needed to clear his throat. “I’m meeting him and his boyfriend for lunch on Sunday. Would you and Mason like to come too?”

“Eric, I don’t think we should impose on your time with Steve.”

“Well, could you at least come so I could introduce you guys? I want to show him that, since I couldn’t do right by him initially, I’m trying to make amends for any trouble I’ve caused gays. I know I’m not a saint.”

“I’ll talk with Mace about it. But I really think we should sit at a different table so–”

“That really shouldn’t be necessary, man,” Eric insisted. “After lunch, I was hoping the three of us could just hang out. I want the lunch to be a transition for me and Steve, really.”

“Okay, but I still need to discuss it with Mace at least. Probably Dad too.” The song came to an end and the DJ didn’t queue anything else up right away. I saw why – President Steve stood on the stage again.

“Alright folks,” Steve’s voice cut through any commotion still going on. “I have the tallies for your homecoming court. I’m sure you all got a surprise when you got to the voting table, right?” A few laughs ran about.

“What’s he talking about?” I asked Mason. He shrugged. I got similar responses from the rest of the guys. Ben was trying to hold a straight face and was failing. I raised my eyebrow at him but he said nothing. He probably knew the results – he stepped over to help count at Kat’s suggestion after he danced with me.

“Now, I must point out that I was pleased to see a few gay couples on the ballot and each of them got their fair share of votes along with the straight ones. That really impresses me guys.” A light round of applause sounded before Steve took control again. “And I’m really pleased to announce that we have our first gay couple to be crowned for the court in the history of this school.” Louder applause resonated around. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m happy to announce that your homecoming kings for this dance are…” He played with an envelope as a drumroll sounded, heightening the tension.

“Mason, I want to go home. I’m getting tired,” I said as I yawned before sleepily laying my head on his shoulder. “Let’s go find Conner.” I closed my eyes when suddenly, a bright light poured around my eyelids. I pulled them open carefully to see a shaft of light aimed in my direction. I felt Mason trying to stand.

“Babe stand up!” he whispered. “We need to go onstage.”

“Why? Won’t we be ruining the crowning?”

“We will if we don’t go up – we won, babe.”

“What?!” I almost shouted, pulling my head up really fast. I saw the entire room staring at us, most of them with smiles on their faces. I jerked to my feet as Mason slid next to me. I heard a single person starting to clap.

Conner broke out in front of us as a path to the stage formed.

Soon, I heard the clapping behind me from Eric, Ben, Josh, Jess, Kat, and Shannon. Before long, the whole dance floor was filled with a raucous applause as we made our way to the stage. Steve shook our hands as his VP placed the crowns on our heads. “You’re getting all sorts of attention, Xander,” Steve whispered to me after I was crowned. I still was stunned. “Just don’t let it go to your head,” he laughed gently.

“Right,” I numbly said.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Steve spoke. “Xander Jacobs and Mason Jackson – your homecoming kings!” Another round of applause reverberated the ceiling. “Now, it’s time for the final song of the night – for the homecoming court. Gentlemen, if you’ll take the floor.”

Mason walked down the stairs holding my hand in his as he helped me down the steps. The spotlight followed us, but I lost myself in Mason’s eyes. The crowd faded away, the DJ didn’t exist – only each other and the soft melody that wrapped around us. We swayed to the music, not once taking our eyes off each other. I felt my love for this boy growing exponentially as I stared into his soft, lovable eyes. Eventually, reality came back as the song slowly wound down, replaced by cat calls and whistles amongst the applause that returned.

“Alexander, I love you,” Mason whispered. “I love everything about you.”

“Mason…” I choked up. “I-I love you, too. You brighten my day every morning that I wake up next to you.” He pulled me into a hug and accepted it wholeheartedly. I had my chin resting against his shoulder and I accidentally opened my eyes. They focused on someone standing at the exit as I noticed he or she was focused on me. My eyes widened as I recognized the person with the pure evil radiating from their scowl.

Bates turned and walked out of the gym.

I started shaking and almost fell to the ground, but Mason held firm. “Babe…?” Before I could even attempt to answer, I felt my phone vibrate for the first time that night. I pulled it out and flipped it open, hoping to stall and avoid what I didn’t want to talk about. I couldn’t put off for long.

Evan called me several times during the evening. But he only sent one text message.

It read, “We need to talk. NOW.”