Parity - 10. Dom - "Time"

"Oh, that's her!" Dom's face broke into a happy smile, and he hopped to his feet. He heard the car toot three times - Vilma always tooted three times when she was picking him up to signal that she'd arrived. He glanced out the window to make sure, and his heart leapt when he saw her car parked across the road by the footpath. He made sure to hug his father on his way out. "Love you Pop. I'll be back for dinner!"

"Remember to text me throughout the day, alright?" Tayn's weary face was beginning to droop with age and exhaustion. "I don't even care if it wakes me up. I need to know you're okay."

"Every two hours, I know," Dom wanted nothing more than to argue with these ridiculous rules, but the sad, scared look in Tayn's eyes pacified his indignance. "And if I start thinking about hurting myself, I'll ring you or Vilma right away. I promise."

"Come on, let's go and see her," Tayn managed a smile and lumbered after his kid, the two of them forced to walk through the rest of the sharehouse to get outside.

"Oi," Bess caught their attention from the recliner in the sitting room. "You boys are a bit short this month. Everything alright?"

"I get paid on Tuesday," Dom reassured her, seeing the way his father seemed to deflate at that remark. "We'll be good, sorry about that. Hospital bills, you know?"

"Preaching to the choir, kid," Bess gave half a laugh and snuggled back into her seat. Dom didn't like her very much. An old battleaxe who ate her weight in chicken soup and watched nothing but soap operas. Aside from the weather, the house bills and rent, Bess had nothing to say to either of them and she wasn't afraid to get heavy if they were too far behind in their payments.

"Hello, darling!" Vilma greeted him warmly the moment she saw him emerge from the house with his father in tow. "And my other darling! How are my boys?"

"Hi, Vil!" Dom threw his arms around her, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Vilma," Tayn's icy greeting did not go unnoticed by either of his companions. Dom sighed. Although he'd stressed to his father that he forgave Vilma, his father held tightly to his grudge. Tayn was crook on everyone who didn't show their support for his little boy during his rough time. It didn't matter to him that Vilma sent a card for Christmas and a letter a couple of weeks later wishing him well. In Tayn's eyes, she failed him, and he was still upset with her.

"Morning, Tayn!" She replied brightly in spite of the chilly reception. "You're welcome to join us for breakfast, you know! The more, the merrier!"

"Thanks," Tayn shook his head in stubborn refusal. He wonders where I get all this attitude, Dom thought with a smile. The most obstinate, unyielding man in the world, and the apple drops right down under the tree. "I need to go to sleep before I pass out. Take care of him, alright?" Tayn put his hand on Dom's shoulder. It's a bit dramatic, don't you think Pop? I'm going to have brekky with the Carlisles. Then I'm going to the beach with the least spicy person in the entire world. It's not like I'm going back over the Tasman again. More's the pity. "You're my Te Ao Mārama," Tayn whispered in Maori. They only spoke it during special occasions. Tayn must have thought this was a special occasion, so Dom smiled and indulged him.

"I love you to the island and back, Pop," Dom replied in their mother tongue, and he hopped into the passenger seat, making sure to wave. Tayn stood on the footpath and watched until Vilma drove around the corner and out of sight. He'd always been overprotective, but this was excessive. When will he trust me again? Will he ever?

"You know, things have not been the same without you," Vilma chatted away. She was a safe driver, Dom knew, but she was still scary. She never seemed to glance at the road, but she never had any road problems. Maybe raising the twins heightened her instincts and peripherals. She wouldn't have survived otherwise. "You're looking terrific, darling! Oh, you're so tall and so broad! And handsome! You look just like your father!"

"Stop!" Dom blushed and hid his face behind his hands. I'm not handsome - not really. Clunky, clumsy and weirdly proportioned. I could be worse, I suppose, but handsome is a stretch. "How are the boys? Veikko ready to talk to me again?"

"Snoring their little heads off," Vilma snorted, and Dom had to laugh. Of course they were. The whole Carlisle family liked to sleep in. Even for brekky, Vilma warned him she wouldn't be ready to rock and roll before ten-thirty. It was nearly eleven now. "I woke them, but they're bloody useless. I know you and Veikko are having a few problems, darling. He'll come around, okay? He's having a rough time with the dreams again."

"Oh. He didn't tell me," Dom felt a flash of guilt running through him. Veikko said something the other day. Something that struck a chord. Dom hadn't felt right ever since. "I wish he'd get some help for that."

"Oh, you and me both, darling," Vilma exhaled deeply and brushed the hair that escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. "I dragged him kicking and screaming to a psychiatrist a few weeks ago. Same old routine. He sat there with that face and didn't say a single word the entire hour. I tell you, that kid is impossible!"

"How's Rei Rei?" Dom asked, wanting to get away from that grim topic.

"Oh!" Vilma laughed. Her laugh was a strange repeated croaking sound that came from somewhere deep in her throat. "Reima's a git. He was watching television upside down on the couch all night because he thought it might help him grow. As soon as he got up on his feet, he fell on his bum!"

The Carlisle home always smelled of something delicious. It was one of Dom's favourite places. Lana and Brownie, named by Veikko after his favourite artist and by Reima after his favourite food, wasted little time in leaping up on Dom's shorts and begging for loving and affection, licking any part of his body that got close enough in between whimpers and excited barks. They were the most spoiled dogs in the world - disobedient and incredibly fat. Vilma doted on them every bit as much as her other twins. She spoiled Dom too. Although he looked down his nose at how much she pampered her kids, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed receiving that kind of treatment on occasion. His mother was a soft woman too, and it was nice to have some of that back in his life.

And there's my brother, he thought with a smile as Reima stumbled down the stairs, almost tripping over his pyjama bottoms that were too long for him. He was one of the cutest fellows Dom had ever met in his life. Short, brown hair, those golden, speckled eyes and the half-smile he usually had on his pink lips - a smile Veikko shared but rarely showcased. Although Reima hurt his feelings very deeply by not visiting, he knew in his heart that he could never stay mad at the sweet little goofball.

"Buddy!" Reima greeted him with a full body hug.

"Rei Rei, did you get taller?" Dom teased him and embraced him in earnest. They saw each other Friday at school, but it had been almost two months since they'd been together outside of school. He knew Reima missed it every bit as much as he did.

"No! But I reckon you did!" Reima exclaimed pulling away and looking at Dom from head to foot. "At a certain height, you're just rubbing my face in it, you mongrel! How are you, shorty?"

"I'm doin' good, stretch," Dom replied and looked to the stairway. "Koko not talking to me today, hey?"

"Tsk, I have no idea where he gets those tantrums from," Vilma remarked as she fired up the stovetop. "Certainly not me!"

"It's you," Reima laughed, eliciting giggles from his mother. "Nah, he's having a sook. I don't reckon he'll be down while you're here. Sorry, man."

"I'll see if I can talk him out," Dom shrugged, and both Reima and Vilma shared an uneasy glance. "Hey, he's already having a sulk, right? It's worth a shot."

"Good luck!" Reima slapped him on the back. "If you die, I'm eating your bacon!"

The door to Veikko's bedroom was closed, of course. Dom didn't knock. Veikko would only tell him to piss off. He opened it up and walked inside to see a shape disappear under the rug on his bed.

"Excuse you!" The muffled voice snapped at him. "Can you get out of my room?"

"In a minute," Dom summoned up all the patience he had in his body. He was tired of this. He missed his friend, even if his friend was the most petulant, inconsiderate little prima donna in the world. "I miss you."

"Then you can miss me somewhere else!" Veikko curled into a ball. Dom could see him moving underneath the rugs. Awww. "I'm so not in the mood to see you. Go away!"

Dom smiled to himself. How many times had they enjoyed this exact conversation together? He guessed every time Veikko was mad at him, whether or not it was justified. This time it was, he thought. We both screwed up. Dom did what he'd been doing since he was twelve - he kicked off his shoes and hopped into his friend's bed. Veikko gave an exasperated gasp, but he didn't ask Dom to leave. Dom slid up close and snuggled Veikko's small body against his own, wrapping his big, brown arm around his friend's pale, naked torso. Veikko put his hands on the arm and gently stroked them. I knew it, Dom thought smugly. Veikko was often too proud, upset or stubborn to admit when he needed affection and love. Dom could always tell whether his friend wanted to be left alone or not.

"We're probably gonna suffocate under here," Dom reminded him after a short while of silence and snuggling. The air was getting stale very quickly between the pair of them. "Do you mind if we poke out heads out?"

Veikko pettily threw the blanket off the both of them altogether, letting it fall to the floor. Dom laughed, and the older boy tutted in exasperation. He didn't like it when someone ruined his theatrical tantrums.

"I'm sorry about everything," Dom decided it was time to get everything off his chest. Veikko stiffened in his arms. He was so warm and soft. "I wasn't trying to get away from you. I didn't even think of it that way."

"Can we not?" Veikko sighed sadly.

"I need to," he pleaded, laying a gentle kiss on Veikko's small ear. "I hate fighting with you. I want to stop. I want us to get everything out in the open."

"Ahh, why though?" Veikko snarked. "Talking doesn't fix anything. It only creates more problems."

"It's me, though," Dom reminded him, resting his forehead against Veikko's chestnut hair. "Do it for me?"

"Okay!" Dom wasn't sure if Veikko was angry, upset, defensive or a combination of those. His reply gave very little away. "All I ever do is love you, Dominic! And you always turn your back on me!"

"Keep talking," Dom gave a heavy sigh. He wasn't going to like this. He knew that already, but it needed to be said. He needed to understand why his friend was hurting so badly.

"I love you so much," Veikko was trying his very best not to cry, and Dom's heart began to hurt. He knew Veikko loved him, but he didn't feel the same way. It wasn't as though he hadn't tried to through the years. His heart would not accept Veikko as his soul mate. "I know you don't love me back. I can handle that. I mean, I've had four fucking years to get used to it! But you... Dom, you tried to die. You did die! Right in front of me! I can't believe you would ever do that to me. You... you broke my heart so badly, Dom. You're not just my best friend who died! You're also the cunt who tried to take him away from me! The guy I love more than anything! You tried to kill him! I'll never forgive you for that!"

"Is that why you never came to see me?" Dom was getting emotional as well. There was a lot of anger, hurt and misery between them. They needed to suck the poison out of the wounds of their friendship before they festered, but it didn't taste at all pleasant.

"I'm not sure," Veikko replied honestly after a short while. "I know I should have. I know you needed me and I know I let you down, Dom. Of course I know that! But... I suppose I needed you to hurt the way you hurt me. That's why I couldn't come to see you. I..." Veikko sniffled and spun around so that he was now chest to chest with his far bigger friend and hugged closer.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Koko," Dom planted a loving kiss on his friend's forehead. Veikko melted into his body with a shaky sigh. "I didn't even think about it that way. I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did!" Veikko hit him in the chest with a closed fist. Hard. It was still a glancing blow, though. Veikko and Reima were taking their sweet time going through puberty, but Dom was a big lad with a lot of muscle.

"I wanted everything to stop, okay?" Dom explained as best he could. "I want to die, Ko. All the time. It just... it seemed like the best thing to do. I'm sorry I did it. I'll never turn my back on you again, okay?"

"Yeah, you will," Veikko's gentle fingers traced up and down Dom's spine underneath his shirt, making him almost quiver with orgasmic joy. "It took you five minutes to leave me for Topher. Why do you like him so much, anyway?"

"That's not me turning my back on you!" Dom tried to be reassuring, but he was sick and tired of talking about Topher with Veikko. "I'm allowed to have other friends, Ko, but you'll always be my favourite. You are, but... wow Ko, you hurt me so bad. Please, if I ever go back to the hospital, don't leave me there alone again."

"MMM... I'll think about it," Veikko's reply may have been catty to anyone else, but Dom knew what he was saying. What he was really saying.

"I'm so, so sorry you saw me... you know," Dom took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I did that to you. Can you forgive me?"

"I'm still mad at you," Veikko's reply wasn't what Dom wanted to hear, but at least he was honest. The boy's heart was fickle and prickly at the best of times, so to listen to such raw emotions without protective coats of attitude and misdirection was a rare thing. A great thing. "Maybe. One day. I need some time." After nearly thirty seconds of silence, Veikko spoke again. "Dommy. I'm so sorry I didn't come to see you."

Dom snuggled Veikko closer, and for a brief moment, their heartbeats were the only noise in the room. That was a huge step forward for them. Veikko did not apologise but for the most exceptional circumstances. Not for his words, his actions or his choices. That wasn't who he was anymore. To hear him say that word was... it was special.

"I'm still mad at you too," Dom smiled, even though Veikko could not see it with his face buried between the brown fellow's pectorals. "I guess we just need time. Yeah? Whenever you're ready to forgive me, lemme know, okay Koko? I'll always be here, even when we're fighting. You'll always be my number one."

"But I'm not your number one!" Veikko hit him a second time. "And I never will be! You just don't get it, Dom!"

"Ko..." Dom brushed tears away from his eyes. "I wanna be your best friend. Do you want that or not?"

"No!" Veikko hit him a third time. "I want to be good enough! Why have I never been good enough for you?"

Veikko went to hit him a fourth time, but his resolve finally broke down, and he collapsed into a quivering pile of sobs and tears. Dom didn't fare much better. His eyes had been leaking tears from the moment Veikko began speaking from his heart. It was full of so much hurt, anguish and pain, and Dom knew he was a catalyst for a lot of it. Even if he knew how to reply to Veikko's question, he couldn't. All he could do was hold him tight and let the two of them cried out their distrust, their frustration and their sorrow. It was a long time coming. Seconds and minutes ticked by, and neither one let go of the other even after they both stopped crying.

"Oh hey, brekky's been ready for a while if--" Reima skidded into the doorway and caught himself in surprise, looking concerned at the scene he witnessed on his brother's bed. He was no stranger to seeing them kissing and cuddling, nor did he seem to care when he did, but this bothered him. We must look pretty pathetic, Dom thought with a much-needed smile. Tears and snot and everything. "Shit, um, well yeah, come down when you're ready," Reima mumbled uncomfortably and promptly left.

"I am hungry," Dom declared, sniffing and using his hand to clean up all the wetness on his face. Ick. "Do you wanna come and eat? Please?"

Veikko responded by putting his hand up in his friend's face. Dom rolled his eyes and licked the boy's exposed palm, causing a squeak of surprise from him. Veikko got his revenge by wiping his hand on Dom's face. The two of them started laughing. For a moment they didn't resent each other. They were just friends again. It was nice.

"I'm not ready yet," Veikko shook his head after thinking it over. "Maybe next time?"

"Do you promise?" Dom asked, saddened that they would be eating without him this morning but relieved that they had not damaged their relationship beyond repair.

"I pinky promise," Veikko's little finger found Dom's and wrapped around it. Dom laughed. They used to do this when they were ten years old. It was their thing.

"Alright," Dom pressed his lips against Veikko's as he had done a hundred thousand times before.

As he scooched off the bed to satisfy his rumbling stomach, Dom's eye caught a sinister sketch posted to the wall opposite Veikko's bed. He'd seen the gift Maverick had so generously drawn for his little friend. While there was no denying that it was beautifully made with a talented hand, it was one of the ugliest things Dom had ever seen. The way Maverick bit his lip and smiled in the shy, cutesy way, offering the viewer a fistful of pretty flowers... it was sickening. Especially the eyes. All of it was a lie. It was funny, Dom thought as he exited, leaving that creepy picture behind him. Maverick has so little understanding of emotions that he can't even draw them. The sketch was lacking the very same thing its artist was. Humanity. Maybe I'll shake Kellan's hand tomorrow. He did what I should have done years ago. Better him than me, Dom thought with a sudden pang of dread. If Matsuda's amnesia was yet another lie - and Dom was all but sure that it was - then there would be reprisals. People like Matsuda don't forget. Even if they say, they did.

Eggs. Bacon. Fruit salad. Yoghurt. Toast. Pastries! Maybe there is some joy to be had in life after all, Dom thought with a smile. Those thoughts were always there. Despair. Emptiness. Misery. Get out while you can. Nobody wants you. Kill yourself. But now, they weren't so loud. They didn't drown everything else out. While there was still gloom tainting his mood, being here with his friend and his chosen maternal figure, chowing down on a smorgasbord of Vilma's delightful dishes quietened those thoughts. It wasn't hard to cook eggs or bacon, but Vilma had a unique way of doing it. Dom wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps she imbued it with love. Maybe it was the excessive amount of grease. It didn't matter. He was more at home here than he was with his father. If he couldn't live by the ocean with his family in New Zealand, this was close enough for him. Veikko did not join them. More's the pity. It was still a pleasant morning, though. Dom had fun with both Vilma and Reima until twelve thirty beckoned and he was ready to head to the beach. To Topher! He remembered to text his father with an update and sent a picture of himself kissing a very happy looking Reima on the cheek for good measure.

Dom: < here with the twins, going 2 beach with chris lynch, sleep well luv u > 

There wasn't a lot that stoked the embers in Dom's heart these days, but Topher's influence seemed to fan a brand new blaze that the Maori boy hadn't felt in a long time. He was kind, thoughtful and so... happy! Veikko, as much as Dom held him dear, was none of those things. Not anymore. Not for the first time, Dom imagined a scenario in which he and Topher hugged, kissed and fucked the day and night away. The last release Dom had with another person was nearly two months ago when he and Veikko traded blowjobs as they often did. At least, they did in the past. The older but far smaller boy was eager at a moment's notice to sit on Dom's dick, and it wasn't as though Dom didn't thoroughly enjoy having sex with his best friend, but it could be awkward. To Veikko, they were making love. To Dom, they were having fun. He did not see himself as using Veikko for sex. He always made sure the Finnish fellow had an orgasm - often he came even before Dom did - but he sometimes felt guilty about it. Veikko knew and accepted their arrangement, but he always lived in hope. Dom didn't. He wanted to fuck Topher's brains out and not feel sorry about it afterwards.

The boy was a dream come true when Dom saw him walking gingerly in his bare feet down to the beachside corner shop the two agreed to meet at. At school, Topher wore clothes unbecoming of the hot Summer days and had his hair slicked back on his head. He was cute. Handsome. Debonair. But this guy coming down the footpath? He was fucking sexy as hell! He was topless, a gorgeous golden tan coating his slender, athletic body with visible abs and pecs that made Dom's cock twitch in his shorts. The sun-bleached blond hair fell over the boy's face, and even from this distance, he could see the intense blue eyes twinkling happily at him. This is a bad idea, he warned himself. You're setting yourself up for failure. He's the priest's kid for fuck's sake. Ahh well. I can always kill myself if things go wrong.

"Shit Toffee, I barely recognised you!" Dom laughed, ignoring the physical urges he was having. "You sure that's you?"

"Hello!" Topher giggled, and his hand warmly brushed against the part of Dom's shoulder left bare by his tank top. You're killing me here, Toph. "It's me! Are you happy to see me?"

"I'm happier than an alcoholic that saw Jesus turn water into wine!" Dom cheekily poked his tongue out. Topher chuckled. A beautiful, lilting giggle. When he laughed, his face lit up brighter than the sun. Dom liked to make Topher laugh as much as he could. He was starting to zero in on the boy's sense of humour.

"How are you, Domino?" Topher asked, and Dom snorted.

"Domino? Is that the best you can do?" He teased, and Topher shrugged.

"I have no imagination, I suppose! But if I have to be Toffee, you have to have your own name as well. Dominatrix just... hahaha," Topher started giggling to himself. "I don't know if that suits you!"

"How would you know?" Dom snickered as they hit the beach. "Maybe I like cuffs and whips and chains."

"Oh?" Topher gasped, looking up at him with awe and shock on his face. "Does Veikko like that stuff?" Topher looked more confused and even a little bit offended when Dom began to laugh at him.

"You know I can't tell you shit like that!" Dom dared to slap Topher on his bronzed back. Fuck he's hot. "Plus, I didn't think you'd even want to know! Isn't gay stuff in the wrong lane for you?" More's the pity, he thought.

"Ah... oh," Topher stammered and brushed his blond bangs to the side. "I never know when you're serious or not!"

"I'm just playing, man!" Dom reassured him, staring at his delightful bubble butt as he walked a few paces ahead. What a butt! Hnnng.

"How are things between you and Veikko?" Topher then asked, and Dom had to wonder why Topher seemed stuck on this topic. He didn't talk about Veikko. This was odd and unlike him.

"We had a big talk today," Dom replied, being as honest as he could. "We're okay. Probably need some space from each other, though."

"Ah. So you'll be boyfriends again?" Topher asked, laying down his striped blue and white towel on the dry and sitting down on it. Beautiful day. Beautiful boy.

"We're not boyfriends, Toff!" Dom reminded him. "We never were. We never will be. We're just friends."

"So why do you kiss him all the time if you're not boyfriends?" Topher asked, and Dom frowned.

"We like it. Does it bother you?" Dom asked somewhat defensively, hitting the sand underneath him with a thud and stripping off his shirt. Man, the sun felt good!

"It doesn't bother me at all," Topher replied quickly, but he saw the way Dom eyed him off and he changed his answer. "Alright. It does bother me! Not because you're gay! It's just... why do you like him? He doesn't seem to like you. Why do you kiss him if you're not in love?"

"If you took Veik at face value, then you'd think he hates everyone," Dom replied to the easier of the two questions. He'd spent too much time on the other one and never gotten anywhere. "He wasn't always so difficult. We were best mates before all this shit happened with him. I wasn't gonna stop being his friend just because of trauma and stuff. Do you ever watch his videos?" Topher shook his head, looking over at the horizon. "You should do it sometime. He's always been a sassy little bitch of a thing, but he's a funny, sweet guy as well and you can see that in his youtube channel. He's a good guy, Toph. He just sees enemies everywhere. You remember Zack McDickhead laying into him for no fuckin' reason, yeah? Stuff like that is why he has a tough time just being himself. People like Kellan McLeod and Maverick Matsuda have always had it in for him. Try not to hate him. Please? For me?"

"Maverick?" Topher repeated, almost as though he were in an entirely different world. "Maverick has it in for Veikko?"

"Oh yeah, man. It was bad," Dom's blood chilled at the memory of Ninth Year. "A couple of years back. Matsuda is a scary son of a bitch. He'd catch spiders and leave them in Koko's bag and stuff. That's one person you should stay away from, Toff. He's bad news."

"Everyone says that!" Topher huffed, laying back on his towel and putting his arms behind his head, his eyes closed and skin drinking in the sun's golden rays. "If it were true, he would have been expelled! Or put in juvie! I think he's nice. Sure he's weird, but he's nice, isn't he?"

"Matsuda? If he's nice, then that's because he either wants something or he's hoping he'll have a chance to knife you in the back," Dom scoffed. "He's been involved in everything from bashings to drugs to blackmail, and I want him as far away from me as possible."

"There's something you should know," Topher's eyes fluttered and guilt flooded his face. Dom cocked his head. What now? What poisonous filth has Matsuda been spreading now? "I saw him yesterday in the hospital."

"I already knew that," Dom hugged his knees to his chest and looked at the waves. He wanted to dive in already.

"Well..." Topher bit his lip, his eyes briefly opening. Like sapphires they were. In this position, every muscle in his lean body was begging for Dom's tongue to caress them. Luckily in this position, nobody could see how erect the Maori boy was. It was almost painful. I should have had a wank before I came here.

"Spit it out, Toffee!" Dom encouraged him after a few seconds of silence.

"Okay," Topher sat up on his elbows, his tight shorts sticking to his skin and his tanned toes scrunching in the sand. "So... I went and saw Maverick to make sure he was okay. Then... he told me that Veikko... um..." Topher exhaled. What? What about Veikko?

"If it's about Ko, you need to tell me, Toph," Dom sat sideways so he was facing the other boy. Matsuda was planning something, and Dom wanted to know what it was. Topher gently scratched his wrist.

"Veikko... says that you have a crush on me," Topher revealed. Dom flushed a shade of crimson. I do. So bad. But the story doesn't make sense, does it? Why the fuck would Matsuda relay that information?

"Don't believe everything you hear," Dom stammered, but he couldn't make out Topher's expression. "Especially from Maverick."

"So, you don't?" Topher asked, and Dom could swear - SWEAR - that there was an element of disappointment in his voice and on his angelic face. No, that was disappointment. It had to be. Come on Dom. You might have a chance after all. It might be why he was so interested in you and Veikko.

"Alright... I do," Dom felt insanely vulnerable admitting that. What if it freaked Topher out? Shit! Why did I do this? "Please don't... think that means I don't like you as a friend. Did I make everything weird? Shit. I should have shut up. Fuck. Dammit. Ugh."

"I think I like guys," Topher broke in before Dom could get too carried away with beating himself up, and Dom's jaw dropped. Is it true? Is it actually true?

"What?" Dom asked quietly after Topher's eyes misted up. "You do?"

"I tried not to, but yeah, I do," Topher started to sniffle. Dom wasn't into it. No. There have been too many tears today already.

"Are you okay?" Dom asked him. "Do you want a hug or something?"

"No!" Topher said a little too quickly. Quickly enough to hurt Dom's feelings. "It's the first time I've ever actually said that. Out loud. To anyone. Me, even. It's... scary."

"I'm glad you told me," Dom looked at the hundreds of people spending their day at the bay. On the sand or in the waves, they were all having a great time. They didn't know that a deeply religious boy just came out only a short distance away, and while that was a difficult thing for Topher, Dom was feeling on top of the world. Imagine if I did die, he thought to himself. Maybe Topher would never have come out at all. Perhaps he'd never have friends at Peatsland, and maybe Veikko would have made his life a living hell.

"Please don't tell anyone!" Meanwhile, Topher's body language had changed dramatically in the last minute or so. He'd been so open and cheerful, at home here on the sands. Now, he was curled up.

"I would never," Dom told him gently. "I've gone through all this too. I know how scary this shit is. Don't let it get on top of you, okay? Hey, Toph? Do you mind if I asked why you told me?"

"I'm tired of all these lies," Topher wiped his eyes, but it seemed the emotional stage had passed. He was still skittish about the topic, but he wasn't going to cry, it seemed. Good. Perhaps that was why he chose to talk about it in such a public place, Dom realised. "I hate the clothes I wear and I hate pretending I like Harper and I hate that I have to be perfect! It felt good to... be real for a change."

"I reckon you're pretty neat," Dom shrugged, wishing he brought his own towel. There was going to be sand everywhere by the time he went home tonight. In the pathetic shower he had at home it was impossible to get rid of it all. "Whether you're the straight kid in fancy threads or this cute guy who just came out to me, I've liked you the whole time. So... yeah. Sorry about that."

"It's nice," Topher smiled from ear to ear after a short while. He looked up at Dom with those blue eyes, and the bigger boy felt like his stars aligned. Everything was okay. Better than okay. "Is... is that why you sat with me in that English period?"

"Maybe a little bit," Dom admitted, scooching closer so that he and the boy of his dreams were sitting side by side on the boy's towel. Topher smiled and made room for him. "It's not just that though. I spent a long time alone, you know? I didn't want you to feel that way."

"Thank you," Topher sat up, and he looked much happier. "For everything. Please don't feel awkward if you... like me in that way. I like you too. In... that way. I... I think."

"Yeah?" Dom felt faint for the briefest of moments. He'd been dreaming about this for the past week. It couldn't be real. Could it? "You like me back?"

"I do!" The blond boy blushed and hid his face between his knees. "Is that okay?"

Dom laughed. Is this kid serious right now? Doesn't he know how happy he just made me? Topher looked nervous. Dom reached out to gently touch Topher's cheek, and the boy did not stop him.

"Fuck yes that's okay!" Dom was ecstatic, and Topher gave an elated giggle of his own. The sun shone from this boy. He was the light that fought the darkness. Beautiful. Just... ahh! "So... what do you want to do now? If we like each other, do you want to go on a date some time or... something?"

"I would like that," Topher sighed, and Dom's heart dropped. Why the sigh? "But... do you mind if we... like... go slow? This is all so new to me and... I need some time to think. About stuff. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, Toff! You take as long as you need," Dom took his hand away and lay his giant body down on the towel. "I'll be over here thinking you're gorgeous and stuff."

"Ooh..." Topher lay down next to him. Close enough so that Dom felt his heat and presence, but not close enough so that anyone who happened to be looking at them would know what had been going on. "I think you're gorgeous too... hehe."

It really does get better, doesn't it?

Dom smiled.