Marcus looked out the front window and whistled with appreciation.

“What year is that?” he asked.

“I don’t fucking know,” Connor sighed.

The Hummer sat on the curb, crammed full of his ragtag family. It was 7 in the morning now, and he still had no idea what the fuck he was doing, but M and Jack needed to be with everyone else.

The blond was running around the front room, stuffing their things into their bags while the dog sat by the door with his tail wagging. They’d been informed they were leaving Marcus’s and the boy and his dog had exploded with excitement.

“So… What’s going on again?” Marcus left the window and crashed on the couch. “You guys are leaving?”

“My step dad smacked my mom around so I’ve got to get her someplace safe,” Connor said shortly.

“Well, are you coming into work today? Or should I tell Derrick you’re busy again.”

Connor sighed. Everything was fucked right now, but the Hummer wouldn’t have a problem towing any of the trailers. “I’ll have to hurry, but I’ll meet you at Bayside in an hour.”

Marcus shrugged. “Alright.”

“C’mon.” Connor grabbed his bag. M was stuffing a t-shirt into his little backpack, but he was done packing, thankfully.

M nodded and shouldered his bag.

“I’ll see you soon. Thanks for letting us stay for a couple nights,” Connor said to his workmate as he turned to the dog. He leashed Jack and opened the door part way so he could slip outside.

“No problem,” Marcus smiled and laughed a little. He sounded terribly amused and Connor tensed a little, sensing his “friend” was making fun of him. But Marcus only said: “I hope you make it to work… I’ve gotta call around for a ride now.”

Connor cringed. “Try Uber. It’s actually pretty convenient.”

He and M left the duplex behind and Connor went around to the back to help M and the dog get in the Hummer.

“M!” Jamie cheered as the boy got in the seat behind her.

M smiled at everyone, his face was filled with a pleasant blush and his green eyes sparkled.

Connor threw his bag in behind M and left him to talk with his little girlfriend. He had to figure out where everyone was going to stay. In the front seat, he looked through a few different hotels in the area on his phone.

“How many rooms do you think we should get?” he asked Julie.

The woman turned to look at him. The bruise on her face glowed in the morning light and her eyes were weary.

“What was that?” she asked. “I spaced out for a minute.”

Connor slowly shook his head. “Never mind.”

He picked a motel 10 minutes down the road. They accepted pets and had decent prices. It was good enough. He put his phone on the dash and made a left turn out of the cul-de-sac.

They were almost there when Nathan spoke up from the back.

“Where are we going?” he asked. His voice was already getting close to grating and Connor’s fists clenched on the steering wheel.

“To the Econo-lodge,” he said briskly.

“Ugh. Why there? Let’s go to the Red Roof Inn,” he said snottily. “We just passed it. It has a pool.”

“Yeah and they don’t want dogs either,” Connor said.

“Ah, who cares? They won’t know. We’ll just leave the do not disturb sign up on our door and they won’t even know Jack’s there.”

“What if he starts barking?” Connor snapped. “And we’ll have to sneak the dog in and out of the room 3 to 4 times a day so he can piss and shit!”

Nathan made a face.” We’ll all take turns.”

Connor firmed his shoulders. He kept going straight ahead.

“Go back to the Red Roof Inn,” Nathan whined. “I don’t want to be stuck inside all day watching basic cable.”

Connor wanted to spit. “You’re such a fucking brat,” he hissed, but he pulled into the nearest parking lot and turned the Hummer around, nearly taking out a light post in his haste. Julie grabbed her door handle as the big SUV did a big U-turn and then zipped back to the exit.

Connor took a few breaths as he sat, waiting for traffic to clear so he could head back to the Red Roof Inn. The hottest place in fucking town.

Still, he tried to calm down. Julie had already taken someone else’s abuse and now had to wear it shamefully on her face… He didn’t want to freak her out with his driving.

Traffic cleared and he made a careful turn onto the main road.

“Alright.” Nathan leaned back in his seat, looking pleased with himself. He smiled widely at Jamie and received a glare for his trouble.

They got to the Red Roof in a couple minutes and Connor pulled into a spot up front. He was lucky there were two empty spots side by side otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to park. The fucking Hummer was a bitch to park straight.

Julie handed Connor the black Visa card when he cut the engine. Neither of them said anything, and Connor hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt.

He went inside, not sure how he should do this, but glad he didn’t have to worry about the money.

Maybe 10 minutes later, Connor came out with three room cards. He probably shouldn’t have gotten everyone their own rooms, but what the hell. Julie might get a chance to relax…

Connor hopped back in the Hummer and drove around to the pool side of the inn. They had the last three rooms on the end and Connor figured he and M would take the last room so they could sneak the dog out a bit easier.

He handed the two other room cards to Julie. “I’ve got to get M situated with the dog and then I guess I’m heading into work,” he said.

Julie’s eyes widened a bit, but she didn’t say anything.

“I’m sure you guys can get set up on your own, right?” It wasn’t actually a question, but Connor waited a moment to see if she was going to start panicking.

Julie pressed the cards to her chest and nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

Connor got out of the Hummer after that and went around to help M with the dog.

It was early yet and there wasn’t anyone around, really. Connor hurried the dog to the last room on the end of the building and opened the door with the key card. M crowded Jack inside and the dog snorted and took the hint. He roamed further into the room.

There were two double beds, a TV on the wall and a set of dressers with the Bible on top. Connor took in the room with a sweeping gaze, unimpressed. It looked like every other room they’d stayed in before.

He set his things down and got his uniform out.

M went to sit on the far bed and watched as Connor quickly dressed. He looked a little sad.

“I’ll be back before 6,” Connor said. “You get to hang out with the teenagers all day. You’ll have a great time.”

M nodded wistfully. “I feel like I’m ruining your life.”

Connor gaped at the blond. “Because my mother got hit?”

“And everything else…” M said sadly. “I’m to blame for everything and… I…” M slid to the edge of the bed and hung his head. “I don’t feel so good,” he whispered to the floor.

“Um, the bathroom’s back there.”

M leapt up and rushed for the bathroom. Connor wondered if he should follow him in, see if he was going to pass out or something, but then he heard the blond start to vomit.

The dog whined and came to settle in next to their bags. He looked worriedly towards the bathroom door.

Connor sighed and quickly finished dressing. When M started to sob in the bathroom, he figured he should probably check on him.

M knelt on the tile in front of toilet. It was filled with bile.

“My stomach feels weird,” he whined as he wiped the back of his mouth.

“C’mon.” Connor flushed the toilet and helped M up. He led the little blond to the sink and ran the water for him. “Rinse your mouth out.”

M splashed water in his mouth as he continued to sob like a baby.

“Do you feel better at least?” Connor hesitated, but he touched M’s shoulder gently and started to slowly rub his trembling back.

M shrugged. He leaned over the sink and spat out the water.

“Do it a couple more times,” Connor said. “I’m sure that tasted yucky.”

M already had a mouthful of water, but when he looked back at Connor with his big, teary green eyes, Connor knew he was agreeing.

Connor ran his fingers through M’s soft hair. The boy bit his lip and turned to spit out his second mouthful of water.

“That’s probably good,” Connor said with a lopsided smile. He put his arm around the blond and walked him back to the bed. “Lie down. I’ll get you some drinks and snacks for the day. I’ll be right back.”

M whined again when Connor got close to the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob and looked back.

“Wake me up if I fall asleep,” M said. “I want to say goodbye.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, alright.”

He slipped outside and hunted down the vending machines. He didn’t run into any of his family and he was glad. He figured the kids were enjoying their private room and Julie was laying down for a nap.

Whatever.

He got a bunch of different stuff for M and headed back to the room without encountering a single soul. He walked by the pool on the way back and gazed at the clear, blue water lapping peacefully at the edges. He wouldn’t mind taking a dip when he came home…

When he got back, M was half asleep on the bed. Connor spread the candy and chips out on the table and handed the blond a pop.

“Drink it slow,” he recommended. “It should settle your stomach.”

M nodded weakly. His face was a bit sweaty, but he his cheeks were rosy; the color full of life and energy. His eyes sparkled beautifully… He actually looked pretty good.

Connor checked the time. He had 20 minutes to get to work… He sighed and went to look through M’s bag and then his own for the dog food. He didn’t remember loading it in the Hummer so he’d figured it’d be in one of their bags.

“Where’s the dog food?” he snapped and then glared over his shoulder when M didn’t immediately answer. “I’m going to be late. Where’d you put it?”

M’s mouth formed a cute little O of bewilderment. “I… think I forgot,” he said at last and Connor sighed.

He grabbed the ice bucket from the table and filled it with one of the waters he’d got outside. “I guess he’ll have to starve then. Or he’ll have to wait patiently until I buy him a new bag after work.”

M pouted. He sampled his Pepsi gingerly and licked his lips. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Connor shook his head. “I have to go.”

M reached out to him and Connor stifled his immediate irritation. He shuffled up to the bed and leaned down to kiss M’s soft lips. At least they tasted like Pepsi…

***

The other guys at Bayside were really impressed with Connor’s new ride. When he and Marcus came out with their assignments for the day, they found half the team hanging around, gawking at the Hummer.

“Move aside guys,” Marcus said with a laugh. He slid into the passenger seat and shut the door primly.

“Is this really your new truck?” the big bald black guy asked in a serious voice. “Where’d it come from?”

“It’s my stepdad’s,” Connor said and he got in beside Marcus. He shut the door and rolled the window down as the engine started. “Marcus is right, guys, you should really move back. I don’t have the best experience driving this big hulk yet.” He smiled and nodded at his coworkers. They finally backed up and Connor pulled out of the parking lot.

The day went decently enough after that. None of the jobs were especially complicated and Marcus bought him lunch. He was excited tomorrow was Friday. He was celebrating early.

When Connor mentioned something about buying dog food near the end of the day, Marcus snorted.

“M left a bag in the living room. I forgot to tell you, my bad, bro,” Marcus said. “But please come get it. I don’t need it.”

Connor grinned. “Sweet. Then dropping you off tonight lets me kill two birds with one stone.”

“Sure.” Marcus shrugged his shoulder. “I guess.”

***

Connor got back to the Red Roof Inn at a quarter to 6. He had the bag of dog food and felt pretty accomplished after a normal day of work.

The kids and M were hanging around the pool when he got to the motel.

“Hey,” he called as he got closer. M pulled his legs out of the water and hurried to his side. He crushed him with a hug and Connor laughed and hugged him back briefly. “Alright, open the door for me and let’s feed this miserable dog,” he said.

They went to the room to do that. Besides the water bowl made from the ice bucket, they didn’t have anything for Jack to eat off of. Grumbling, Connor decided to go to the lobby and request some paper plates.

When he went outside again, he ran into Julie, standing near the pool with the teenagers.

She looked like a ghost in her long white robe. Her hair was unusually unkempt, but Connor noticed the shoulder length, black and silver hair covered the bruises on her face pretty effectively.

Julie looked up at him as he approached. “They said you were home.”

“We’re trying to feed the dog.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He ate lunch with us. We had cheeseburgers,” she said with a smile.

Connor snorted. “Well, what’s up?” He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked from person to person. The teenagers watched the adults converse with wide eyes, and Julie just smiled. It was unnerving.

“We all need to sit down and figure out what we’re going to do,” she said. “We can’t stay here forever.”

Connor shrugged. “Well, you’re not getting back together with Greg. That’s not part of the plan.”

Julie’s smile faltered just the slightest bit. “Either way, if you’re taking the Hummer to work, then how am I supposed to get the kids to school? And we can’t walk to McDonald’s every day for food. I need to get to the grocery store. We can’t live out of a motel.”

“First of all, you need to file for divorce,” Connor said blandly. “We should get that done with and out of the way.”

“Uh,” Julie looked nervously at Nathan. The teen was gawking at them with speechless shock on his face. Connor sneered at him.

“What mom? You’ll get alimony. And child support. Then you can figure out where you want to live,” he said.

“He’s right,” Jamie said from the edge of the pool. She sloshed her legs around in the water. “Either we do that or we all have to get jobs.”

Nathan frowned. “Naw, man. I’ve got school. I don’t have time to work.”

Connor glared at him. “Whatever happened to that interview you had?” he asked.

Nathan shrugged. “They never called back.”

“See mom! Alimony. Child support. That’s the only way we can make this work,” Connor said aggressively.

Julie crumpled into herself. “Connor, I—”

“What?!” he yelled. Julie flinched and Nathan shushed him obnoxiously. Connor realized he probably had been a little too loud… He felt perfectly stupid. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” he said angrily.

“Did you have a bad day?” Julie asked, totally sympathetic and overbearing. Connor drew his shoulders into himself uncomfortably.

“Not really,” he said lamely.

Nathan snorted and Connor’s nostrils flared with annoyance.

“I don’t want to see you going back to Greg. I’m serious about that.” Connor said. “No excuses. He hit you. You’re going to divorce him.”

“Why don’t we get Greg to give us the house back,” Julie said a bit desperately. “We won’t have to rush things then. It makes sense.”

“I don’t want you going back to that house either,” Connor said through his teeth. “And the longer you think about this, the less determined you’ll be to go through with it. This shit needs to happen now.” He turned on his heel and marched off towards the lobby in the front. He was getting those fucking paper plates and feeding the dog, fuck what Julie said about cheeseburgers…

When Connor got back to the room, M and the dog were sitting on the bed together with mopey eyes.

“You took a long time,” M said in a small voice.

“Sorry.” Connor left it at that and didn’t bother to tell him anything about the argument over divorce.

He set up a plate and put a couple handfuls of dog food out for Jack. The dog came and sniffed the pellets, but he wasn’t as hungry as Connor had hoped he be after all the drama he’d gone through to get the damn plates.

Whatever.

He left the dog with his food and sat wearily on the edge of the bed.

“Did you have a bad day?” M asked.

“No…” Connor said with a sigh. “I just… I’m stressed out. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

M nodded in understanding, although, how he could understand would be anyone’s guess.

“I thought having a productive day at work was good enough.” Connor shook his head. “It doesn’t mean shit. There’s a mountain of bullshit to sort through when I get home.”

M reached up and slowly stroked Connor’s cheek. “I wish I could help more.”

“Yeah. Me too,” he said bitterly, and then felt bad immediately.

M drew his hand back into his lap. He dropped his head a little and Connor sighed. He grabbed M’s hand and rubbed it warmly.

“How was your day? What did you guys get up to?” he smiled tiredly at the sad blond beside him. Fuck, he just wished everyone wasn’t so damned miserable all the time! Connor had no idea how to make anyone happy!

“It was fine,” M said, a bit more cheerful now. “Once I stopped being sick.”

Connor quirked an eyebrow. You threw up some more? After I left?”

“Yeah, maybe twice. But Jamie brought me some peanut butter crackers and I finally felt a little better.

“Hmm.” Connor scratched his neck. “Maybe you’ve got the flu.”

M shrugged. “I didn’t like it.”

“Well, it’s over now,” Connor said. He rubbed M’s shoulder and smiled at him. Maybe he wasn’t in a great mood, but he didn’t need to be an asshole.

M’s eyes fluttered shut and he leaned closer. Connor knew what he was asking for. He closed the distance between them and kissed the blond sweetly on the lips.

M hummed into Connor’s mouth. He squirmed closer and wrapped his arms around Connor’s waist.

Connor wasn’t feeling up for sex, but he pushed himself. He clenched his eyes shut tight and kissed the blond passionately, hoping to get in the mood.

M whimpered and beside them, the dog jumped off the bed and wandered away. It freed up some extra space and Connor eased M down onto the mattress. He climbed on top of him and straddled his narrow hips.

Connor was getting in the mood now. He felt a tendril of pleasure curl around his cock.

M’s lips were warm and soft against his. He was delicious. He tasted so sweet...

Connor moaned into his mouth. He slid his tongue against M’s and groaned as he felt himself begin to harden in his jeans.

Tap, tap, tap…

Connor sat up abruptly and turned towards the door. “What?” he snapped.

“We ordered pizza,” Jamie said through the door. “And Nathan picked a few movies on-demand. Want to come eat something?”

Connor swallowed angrily. “Just a minute.”

M was already sitting up though, his face flushed. “What’s on-demand?”

Connor rolled his eyes and got off the bed. He stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

So much for that!

***

“Mmfph!” Connor was rudely torn out of a dream when M’s heel collided with his shin. “Hey!” He sat up and rubbed the sore spot.

But M didn’t apologize. He jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom with a hand over his mouth.

Connor glared after the blond. “Are you sick again?”

The sound of vomiting was M’s response.

Connor flopped back into bed. He glanced at the time and sighed. He had to be up in 20 minutes. He scrubbed a hand across his face and after listening to M puke for a couple seconds, he finally rolled out of bed.

Connor thought about checking on M first, but it sounded like he was taking care of business all on his own. He didn’t need any help. He glanced at the dog instead. Jack lay curled in a ball at the foot of the bed. “Do you want to go out?”

Jack’s tail started wagging.

“Guess that’s a yes,” Connor said. He grabbed some jeans out of his duffle bag and quickly pulled them on over his boxers.

They left the room while M continued to puke. It was a little before 7 in the morning and the sun just touched the horizon. The clouds in the distance were a fuzzy pink and blue. Connor took the dog around the back of the building where a little hill rose off the parking lot. He took Jack through the grass there.

The air smelled fresh and clean and Connor enjoyed the feeling of a gentle breeze gusting through his hair. He took some deep, calming breaths as he watched the dog roam the grassy knoll.

It was finally Friday.

He could finish up work today and then everyone could relax. They could all sit down together and figure out what the hell they were going to do...

Connor felt harassed. He was being pulled in so many different directions and he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

Needed… Responsible...

There was this tingling worry in the back of his head that he was going to fail. Everyone needed him to do something and he was going to totally fuck it all up.

But today should be simple. He had to be at Bayside in about an hour and then he could turn off his phone and concentrate on some manual labor for eight plus hours.

Easy enough.

He’d figure everything else out from there, and, shit! He was getting paid today too!

When he got back to the room, M sat on the edge of the bed with his bare legs pulled up to his chest. He was moaning pitifully.

“I hope you aren’t contagious,” Connor said. He put some food out for the dog and grabbed up his water dish.

“I don’t feel good,” M cried. His eyes were wet and his hair hung in his sad little face.

“Yeah, I can tell.” Connor sighed. He went into the bathroom and ran the dog some fresh water. He almost yacked himself, M hadn’t cleaned up after himself all that well.

M had his face in his hands when Connor came back. He made tiny, pitiful sounds.

“I’ll get you another Pepsi,” Connor said. “And I’ll tell Julie you aren’t feeling—”

M leapt up with a loud moan. Connor barely had enough time to move out of the way before he was running past him and into the bathroom again.

“Blehg!”

Connor shook his head. He set the water bowl down, but Jack wasn’t interested. He hid behind the bed, his ears pinned back.

“You’re in for a fun morning,” Connor muttered sarcastically, but what the fuck could he do? He shared a grimace with the dog, grabbed a Bayside shirt out of his bag, and quickly finished changing. He ruffled fingers through his hair and hoped he looked alright.

He left the room and headed to the lobby. He gathered some snacks and the exalted Pepsi and stopped to grab a coffee while he watched the news they had playing behind the counter.

It was going to be another beautiful day. High 80s in the afternoon, no rain. The banter between the little Asian weatherman and the blonde co-anchor was corny as hell though and Connor promptly took his leave.

“Hey Connor!”

Connor was balancing a handful of packaged snacks, the bottle of Pepsi, and his coffee. He slanted his gaze across the pool.

Nathan and Jamie were in the parking lot just beyond the fence. There was a green minivan beside them and a bunch of teenagers were piled inside.

Connor stopped, but he didn’t get any closer. The pool separated the brothers.

“We’re carpooling to school,” Nathan called. “We had to get up extra early. Thanks douche.”

Connor rolled his eyes and started walking again.

“We’ll see you tonight,” Jamie said, a bit gentler. Then she shoved Nathan into the van.

Connor tapped on the door with his boot, his arms overladen. He had to wait a few breaths, but before too long M let him in.

“Did you stop puking?”

“I don’t know, I don’t feel any better,” M moaned. He shuffled to the bed and threw himself down face first.

Connor dumped the snacks and pop on the little table beside the bed and took a sip of boiling hot coffee. “The kids are going to school. Looks like it’s just going to be you and Julie today.”

“Mmmph.”

Connor huffed. He’d never seen M so pathetic before. It was a major turn off. “Well, I guess I gonna head out then. I’ll touch base with Julie first, so let her in if she come knocking.”

“Ugggh.”

“See you later.” Connor gladly left the room. He hoped the little blond would be feeling better by the time he got home, because a night with that miserable lump in bed would be nothing but unbearable.

He tapped on Julie’s door as he savored the hot coffee. Luckily, she answered quickly. Again, she was kind of a mess. Her hair hid most of the bruises, and she wore the robe from yesterday tight around her body.

“Everything alright?” she asked.

“M’s got the flu or something,” Connor said. “He’s throwing up and moaning in bed.”

Julie frowned a little. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah, and I’m off to work. I wondered if you check on him a few times.”

“Sure. I’ll put something on and go over in a few minutes.”

Connor sighed. “Thanks. Oh, and there’s coffee and donuts in the lobby if you want some.”

Julie wished him farewell and Connor was able to take off without a care. It was Friday, damnit!

***

The first job of the day was an apartment building. The lot was kind of small and it needed nothing more than a trim on the lawn so he and Marcus finished up in less than an hour.

“This next customer is super particular about her hedges,” Marcus said as he checked the order sheet. “So I’ll take care of them, and have you do a quick weed whack around the driveway and then mow the lawn.”

Connor shrugged. It sounded like he got the shitty job, but whatever. He could weed whack and mow, no problem.

He pulled down a little two lane street with beautiful ranch houses on the left and larger two stories on the right. The right hand side of the street rose up in a prominent hillock.

“We’ve got a hill to deal with, don’t we?”

“Yeah, it’s that house down there. The blue one,” Marcus said. “But they don’t have much of a backyard. All the property’s up front.”

Connor scowled.

“Easy boy, take the riding mower,” Marcus chuckled. “Are you that tired already?”

Connor shrugged again. He wasn’t tired, he was anxious for the day to be over with.

“Pull in the driveway. Some crabby ass neighbors whined about us blocking the street last time,” Marcus said and Connor slowed down and carefully angled the Hummer up the narrow drive, missing the mailbox by inches.

“This will be fun to back out of,” Connor said through his teeth, but Marcus wasn’t listening. They parked halfway up the drive and he hopped out immediately. Connor killed the engine and followed him to the trailer.

They quickly got their supplies together. Marcus pointed out the hedges that bordered the property and Connor felt kind of bad for doubting his friend. The bushes were quite extensive and though they were in need of a trim, they already looked immaculate.

Connor left Marcus to it, and revved up the weed whacker. He put some ear plugs in and got to work chopping the grass close to the driveway. He got lost in his work, in the feel of the metal vibrating between his hands.

He went up one side and down the other. He was making excellent progress and paused at the end of the drive to check his work. He wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and was considering taking a water break when a car horn, much too close for comfort, invaded his head.

He ripped the ear plugs out and turned to see a yellow Corvette poised to enter the drive. He moved aside and made room for the flashy sports car and the Corvette jetted past him and rolled up behind the trailer.

A woman got out of the car. She was tanned to a crisp and had long bright red hair in a tight, tight ponytail. She was wearing all white; a fitted t-shirt, a short skirt, and a visor.

She didn’t spare Connor a single look, she went straight for Marcus.

“You’re butchering my hedges!” she shrieked.

Marcus dropped the hedge trimmer and turned from the bushes, his eyes wide.

“How many times have I told you people? No electric trimmers!”

Connor tried not to laugh. He knew it wasn’t funny. He took the weed whacker back to the trailer, glancing at the Corvette as he passed. This lady really had nothing better to do then bitch about some hedges? What a cunt.

He put his equipment away and grabbed a water. He hid behind the trailer as he wet his tongue. It seemed like the crabby neighbors had called the customer to turn them in. She’d left her Friday morning tennis match to chew them out.

“I’m sorry ma’am, we’ve got a long list of jobs to complete this morning—”

“Are you telling me I don’t deserve special treatment?” she yelled. “Why am I paying premium for you Bayside bozos to screw up my yard?! Should I hire some damn Mexicans from the Home Depot?”

Connor snorted. Poor Marcus.

He wasn’t sure exactly what he should do at this point, it seemed like they were moments away from losing this cunt’s business, but Connor finally decided he’d better get the lawn started. He wasn’t going to get yelled at for slacking.

He tossed his water to the side and went to release the riding mower from the back of the trailer. He began to carefully reverse the heavy piece of machinery when a shadow fell across his line of sight.

He turned, expecting to see the cunt in white, but the figure was black and tall and threatening.

Connor skidded to a halt.

“You left the house by the water,” said the agent.

“Fuck!”

“Then you ran from the dirty little house in the city,” the agent continued, sounding amused.

“What do you want?!” Connor gnashed his teeth. “What are you doing here?!”

“I stopped by each day, waiting to find your little lover alone, but he’s been going off planet. Hiding from me like a coward.”

Connor gaped, speechless. The agent stepped slightly closer and Connor was able to see the freak’s mouth twist in a maniacal grin.

“Do the two of you have any sort of plan? Or are you just running blind?”

“Fuck— Just leave us alone! M isn’t doing anything wrong. He’s just trying to survive.”

“And that’s what we’re trying to do as well,” said the agent. “I have many notes on my insertion into this human body, if I could study your lover in depth and compile the information, my race could finally proceed with full-scale immersion.”

“No,” Connor growled. He was shaking with rage, but he knew better than to charge the dark figure before him. He’d only end up losing.

“‘No’?” the agent laughed, that horrible fake laughter that Connor had heard the other night when he’d crashed his truck. “As if I care what you want, or what your M wants. You two are nothing but insects to my race and our fight to live on.”

“You’re a fucking freak,” Connor hissed. “Skulking around in the dark, trying to scare us into doing your bidding. News flash! M isn’t going anywhere with you and I’m not giving him up!” he pressed. “I’ve spent too long and wasted way too much effort protecting him to just hand him over. Now, fuck off! I’ve got work to do!”

Connor jumped on the riding mower and turned it on. He was going to run the bastard over if he didn’t move, but the agent stood motionless, the creepy grin firmly affixed to his face.

Connor bared his teeth. “Move!”

A familiar buzzing sound started in Connor’s left ear. He screamed with frustration, bringing his shoulder up to gouge the sound out. It didn’t help. Horrible static filled his brain and made him shudder with agony. It was louder than the running mower; it drowned the sound out completely and it was only his intense determination to scare the man in black away that kept him from sliding off and thrashing in pain. He clutched the steering wheel tight, his foot wiggled precariously on the pedal.

The agent’s voice sliced through the static. On the other side of the mower, the man’s mouth didn’t move, he remained smiling and filled with vindictive glee. Connor trembled as words poured into his head.

“If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll continue to ruin your life, Connor,” said the agent, straight into his brain. “I’ll make all your friends turn their backs on you, and when M’s finally alone, I’ll swoop in and take him.”

And just like that, the agent backed out of the trailer and stepped to the right, vanishing from sight.

There was no relief though, the static rose in pitch and Connor felt the mower lurch underneath him. His eyes rolled up in his head and he crashed to the metal floor, banging his head on the equipment shelves.

He blacked out for a moment. He wasn’t sure how long, but when he opened his eyes, the buzzing noise had stopped and had been replaced with a shrieking that echoed through his fuzzy brain and made his tortured ears ring.

“Connor!”

Marcus flew into the trailer. He fell to his knees and skidded to Connor’s side. His dark eyes were full of panic.

Connor moaned wordlessly. He tried to lift his head, but everything was spinning so fast. He laid down flat on the cool metal floor, his head aching.

The shrieking didn’t stop.

“What did you do?! My car! My car!”

“Connor, can you get up?” Marcus asked in a rush. “Dude, this is bad. We have to go.”

Connor moaned again.

“C’mon, please,” Marcus begged and Connor tried his absolute hardest to raise his head.

Out through the back of the trailer, Connor could see their cunty customer circling her Corvette. She was in hysterics, clutching at her chest, her hair, in a desperate frenzy.

And then he spotted the riding mower.

It was on top of the shiny sports car. The yellow paint on the hood was ruined, the windshield was shattered, the entire roof was caved in. Connor shut his eyes and stopped totaling the damage, because it was bad. He couldn’t look anymore.

“We better go,” Marcus said.

“How?” Connor groaned. “She’s blocking the driveway!”

“We’ll back through the grass,” Marcus insisted. “Fuck! What happened to you, man?!” He helped Connor up and Connor stood on wobbly legs, trying to shake the pain out of his head.

“I blacked out.”

“I don’t know how that mower had so much force behind it. It practically jumped the bumper. It should have collided with the front of the car and that’s it! Nope, it ran all over that pretty Corvette. Shit, dude. You totaled it!”

Connor clutched his head and stumbled out of the trailer. Luckily, the woman was way too upset to notice. She was drawing a crowd now, neighbors were wandering over from across the street.

“We’re going to the hospital, ma’am,” Marcus called as Connor limped around the Hummer and jumped in the front. “My friend’s hurt bad. He had a seizure or something.”

A seizure… Connor scowled.

“Then he can’t drive!”

But Connor was already starting the Hummer up. Marcus barely had time to leap inside before Connor shifted into drive and tore through the grass he was never going to mow.

The woman started shrieking again: “You can’t leave the screen of an accident! I’ll have you arrested, you buffoons!”

Connor kept his eyes straight ahead, trembling violently, scared shitless.

Crunch

“Dude! The mailbox!” Marcus groaned as they ran over the box and hit curb. The Hummer swayed and rocked. Connor took a deep breath and straightened her out, then coasted down the road unimpeded.

“Oh my God,” Marcus sobbed into his hands. “We are so fired!”

“I know I am,” Connor said bitterly. His head pounded terribly. He had no clue what to do next. “I’ll be lucky to avoid another arrest. You heard what that cunt said!”

“Oh shit, oh shit,” Marcus cursed. “What do we do now?”

“Probably head back to work,” Connor sighed. “I should turn myself in.”

“Screw that. We’re done for anyway, let’s get off the street. You’re feeling better now, aren’t you?”

Connor gave his friend a sideways look, curling his lip. “Why?”

“Go towards my house,” Marcus said, letting out a heavy sigh. “There’s this bar I really like around the corner.”

Connor snorted, but he decided to just roll with it. Apparently, they were going to get drunk in the middle of the day!

***

The bar was mostly empty, though it wasn’t even noon yet, Connor wasn’t overly surprised.

He let Marcus handle the drinks, he emptied his wallet in the middle of their little table and told his partner… ex-partner most likely, to get him something good.

“Something good? Or something hard?” Marcus asked with a smile. Connor paused to consider his options, but Marcus snatched up his money and said he’d get him something with liquor.

And so the drinking began.

“So both you and M got brain issues?” Marcus asked over their second drink. They were racing each other, matching sip for sip. There was a soap opera on the only TV in the place and the old black lady running the bar was really into it. There was nothing else to do but drink and bullshit.

“I don’t have brain issues, fucker,” Connor growled. He guzzled a large amount of his Jack Daniels and Marcus hurried to catch up. “I didn’t have a seizure. I blacked out.”

“You wouldn’t know if you had one,” Marcus said around a disgusting burp. “Your brain cuts out and you can’t remember what just happened. You wake up on the floor all confused and shit.”

Connor mopped up the condensation from his frosty glass with a finger. “Do you remember that guy I told you about? M’s stalker?”

“Sorta kinda.”

“He showed up at that lady’s house today,” Connor said slowly. “He said a lot of fucked up shit.”

“And that made you have a seizure?”

Connor grit his teeth together. He didn’t know how much he should say, but honestly, it seemed like he should spill the beans and come clean with his friend. Marcus probably wouldn’t believe all the alien stuff, but he deserved to know the truth. His job was in jeopardy because of it.

He opened his mouth, trying to form the right words to say the most ludicrous thing he’d ever encountered in his life… and then he zipped his lips tight.

Fuck… Neither of them were drunk enough yet.

Connor quickly finished his drink, feeling the burn in his empty stomach. “Fuck you, get me something sweet.”

“You want a Cosmo or something?” Marcus giggled like a girl.

Fuck it. “Get a pitcher of margarita.”

Marcus continued to laugh, but he left with their glasses. He was still finishing his.

When the other man returned, they started in on the margaritas with gusto. It wasn’t long before they were ragging on the soap opera, mocking the cheesy acting and tearing apart the shitty characters. They were laughing, totally forgetting the horrible morning and the botched job. It wasn’t long before the pitcher was nearly empty and it was finally nearing 1:00 pm.

Then Connor’s phone started buzzing in his back pocket.

“It’s probably M,” Connor said loudly to no one. “He had the flu this morning. It was pretty gross, he splattered this yellow shit all over the toilet. Great way to wake up.”

“Mmm.” Marcus licked his lips. “You boys have all the fun.”

Connor snorted and pulled out his phone. He didn’t even check who was calling.

“Heeey,” he said into the receiver.

“Connor?”

That wasn’t M. It was a deep masculine voice that Connor couldn’t quite place. He checked the screen on his phone and froze. Motherfucker… it was Bayside.

“Uh, sorry, I’m here,” Connor said quickly.

“And where exactly is here?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Connor scrambled. It was Derrick. He knew the voice now. It was his fucking boss!

“Um…” Connor looked across the table in terror, but Marcus looked just as bewildered, if not more so. “We’re taking a lunch break?”

“Oh good,” Derrick laughed humorlessly. “I thought maybe you’d gone to another job.”

“Er nooo.” Connor chewed his lip. Fuck, he should have checked the caller ID! He should have let this go to voicemail!

“I’ll keep this very simple Connor. You and Marcus no longer work for Bayside. The two of you have forfeited your paychecks and I don’t want to see either of your faces in my office ever again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes?” Connor’s heart sank. None of this was a surprise really, but he still felt the walls crashing in on him. He had tunnel vision and at the end of it was Marcus’s curiously pale face.

“Oh, and if the Bayside trailer isn’t returned to the storage locker by tomorrow morning, I’ll file a police report myself,” Derrick said sternly. “Contact Rosie. She’ll meet you at the locker to collect the keys.”

“Ok.”

“Goodbye Connor,” Derrick said firmly and then he hung up.

Connor set his phone down carefully. His hand was trembling.

“Was that Derrick?”

“We can’t go back to Bayside,” Connor said. “But we have to drop the trailer off tonight.”

“Shit.” Marcus rubbed a hand through his poufy afro. It sprung up wildly in several different directions.

“Do you know Rosie’s number? We’re supposed to have her meet us at the storage facility and give the keys back.”

Marcus groaned, but he fished his phone out of his pocket. “Yeah, I have all the Bayside numbers in my phone. I’ve been there for years.”

Connor hung his head. “I’m so sorry Marcus.”

Marcus waved him off halfheartedly. “Obviously it’s time to move on.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Connor said bitterly. He freshened up both their glasses while Marcus messed with his phone.

They drank quietly for a while. Connor’s head swam. He didn’t feel so jovial anymore.

“Rosie said she’d meet us after 5,” Marcus said as he finally set his phone down. “Gives us a few hours to… I don’t know. Joyride the trailer?”

“How about not,” Connor said.

Marcus chuckled darkly. “Aww, c’mon. We still have the push mower. We could do some drunk landscaping.”

Connor shook his head.

“This sucks, man,” Marcus said. “Seriously.”

“I know.”

“Pfft,” Marcus sloshed more margarita into his glass. “I’ve been meaning to get out of here anyway. My lease ended a few months back, I had that epic breakup with my ex, now I lost my job… I don’t have anything going for me anymore,” he said. “My brother lives out in Cali. He’s been trying to get me to come stay awhile now. I should go.”

“California?”

“Yeah dude,” Marcus smiled a little. “He says it’s a big party. All the time. You and M should come, too.”

“Maybe.” Connor licked his lips. “I mean, I should probably get out of here either way” he said. “That guy that’s stalking us… He wants to do some really fucked up shit to M and I’m not going to let him. He messed with that lawnmower today and did something to make me blackout—”

“I didn’t see anyone, Connor.”

“I’m not making this up Marcus. Someone’s after us,” Connor said forcefully. He started intently across the table at his friend, hoping to push the truth into his head. “He said he’d ruin my life if I didn’t stand aside and let him… let him cut up M’s brain—”

“What?” Marcus gasped.

“Just listen,” Connor hissed. He pressed his palms flat to the tabletop and leaned over the glasses so he could lower his voice dramatically and still be heard. “He’s trying to kill M. I know it,” he said. “And he’s going to ruin my life if I keep trying to stop him.”

“He won’t just kill you, too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Connor said, a tiny vein in his right temple twitching with fear and nerves. “I don’t want to find out.”

“Have you guys tried going to the police?”

Connor shook his head. “They can’t help. Trust me. They aren’t going to believe us anyway.”

“Well, I don’t want to be responsible for bringing some crazy stalker to my brother’s place,” Marcus said slowly.

“Of course not,” Connor said. “But maybe if we move cross-country, he won’t find us. Maybe this shit will finally be over.”

“You have to be sure you aren’t being followed,” Marcus said, meeting Connor’s gaze nervously. “I can forgive you for the job thing, but if me and my brother turn up dead… “

Connor laughed. “Yeah, you’ll haunt me for the rest of time. I get it.”

Marcus snorted. “Ok, ok, settle down and get back to your side of the table,” he said. “You’re looking like a crazy person hovering over me like that.”

Connor slid back into his seat and pulled his margarita closer. “Guess we’ll just shoot the shit until 5.”

“Let’s see if we can get the barmaid to open a pool table for us. Shit, we’re the only living customers in here.”

Connor nodded and watched as his friend went up to smooth talk the old lady at the bar. He felt his mood lifting.

***

They pulled into the storage facility at a quarter past 5. They were both slap-happy drunk, and Connor had taken the route with extreme caution.

“There she is!” Marcus jabbed his finger at the windshield. “My lovely, lovely Rose.”

“Cool it,” Connor said with a laugh. “You’ll scare her off.”

“Man, this is my last chance with her! I’ve gotta make this one count.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Good luck. She can barely look you straight in the eye when you’re sober, I doubt she’s going to start swooning now that you’re drunk off your ass.”

“You never know,” Marcus carefully sculpted his afro in the passenger mirror as they pulled up alongside Rosie’s little Volkswagen. She had to lean across her seat to peer into the Hummer. Connor rolled down his window.

“I’ll back the trailer in the garage and Marcus will bring you the keys, ok?” he called.

“Yeah, alright.” Rosie blinked at Connor suspiciously. It looked like she’d been crying at some point.

“Hop out, retard,” Connor said to his partner. “We don’t have all night.”

Marcus glared at him, but he leapt out of the Hummer and jogged up to the storage locker. After fumbling with the lock for a moment, he lifted the heavy metal door and Connor did a quick U-turn so he could position the trailer.

Connor took his time. He was afraid he’d hit something or someone if he didn’t. But perseverance was key. He managed to angle the trailer into the garage and carefully secured it inside.

Connor got out to unhook everything and to finish the job. He happened to look up as he did, and his mouth dropped when he saw Marcus and Rosie, standing in front of her VW, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

“Fuck Marcus,” Connor muttered. “Never thought you’d go for it.”

The kiss continued, Marcus put his arms around the slim redhead and swept her off her feet. Connor could hear her girlish giggles.

Connor smiled.

He took his time unhooking the trailer, moving the Hummer, and then locking up the garage once more. He didn’t want to interrupt, but it looked like Marcus and Rosie were moments away from humping frantically on the hood of her car.

He drove up next to them, casual as can be. “Do you still need a ride home, Marcus?”

Slowly, the two of them broke apart. Marcus was grinning hugely and Rosie’s face was as red as her hair.

“I— I can take him,” Rosie said shyly, her eyes refusing to meet Connor’s.

Connor smirked. “Alright then. I’ll be in touch, Marcus,” he said. “Try not to forget about me.”

“I got you, man,” Marcus said cheerfully. “We’ll make plans again really soon.”

Connor rolled his eyes, but he wasn’t about to turn into an enormous cockblock. He drove off and left the couple in the parking lot.

***

Connor got back to the Red Roof at exactly 6 o’clock. He parked the Hummer crookedly and skulked around the side of the building, hoping to avoid contact with the family.

He got lucky. The pool was empty, and he saw lights on in Julie’s and Nathan’s rooms.

There was soft, warm glow coming from M’s window, too. And Connor crept up to the door and knocked softly.

The door opened almost immediately and Connor was met with one of M’s brilliant smiles.

“Connor!”

Connor pushed the blond inside and kicked the door shut behind them, then he gathered the boy into his arms and carried him to the bed.

“Oh!”

Connor laid M down on the covers and crawled on top of him. He swallowed M’s surprise and pressed his lips to the blond’s, delicately tasting the inside of his mouth. He tasted sweet, like chocolate, and Connor wondered how many snacks he’d munched on while he’d been away having an unplanned day at the bar.

“Mmm, Connor— what—?”

“Shhh,” Connor hushed, drawing back so he could press a gentle finger to M’s soft lips. The boy’s green eyes were wide with wonder. “I want to be inside you. Can I fuck you? Please?”

M sucked his bottom lip into his lovely mouth. He nodded, his silky hair falling into his face.

Connor brushed the lock away. He didn’t want anything getting between them. He wanted to stare into M’s serene eyes forever, no matter what crazy shit happened.

He loved this boy.

Connor was filled with reverence. He touched and kissed M ever so softly. He pushed his hands up under the blond’s t-shirt and smiled when the boy put his arms up and let the top slide over his head.

Connor lowered his mouth to the luscious stretch of exposed flesh. He sucked at the boy’s tender throat, loving the feel, the sound of M gasping with every wet kiss. He continued to lick the salty patch of skin as he began to tease M’s sensitive nipples with his fingers. The nubs hardened at his insistence and Connor plucked the thickening buds, gently pulling and twisting them as M’s gasps grew more desperate. Finally, he abandoned M’s throat and used his mouth on the stiff nubs. One at a time, he sucked them into his mouth and teased the swollen nipples with his tongue.

M’s eyes slid shut and his mouth opened around another long, desperate moan. “Ohhh!”

Connor’s cock was hard as a rock in his jeans, but he felt no need to rush. The agent was trying to take M away forever, and though Connor wouldn’t let it happen, he also wouldn’t take the blond for granted anymore. He’d enjoy him. Fully. At every opportunity.

After he tended to his erect nipples, Connor worked his way down to the hollow of M’s navel with more hot, sucking kisses.

The boy’s skin was so responsive. M moaned pitifully as Connor reached the little dimple of his belly and circled it with his tongue.

M’s body vibrated with pleasure. He raised a trembling hand and ghosted it through Connor’s dark hair, knotting his fingers in the thick locks.

“Connor! That tickles,” he giggled and Connor swirled his tongue around the quivering belly button one more time before he let up.

He sat back, marveling at the beautiful flush across M’s upper body.

The blond’s eyes fluttered open again. The green smoldered in the weak light from the bedside table. He watched Connor closely, waiting to see what was next.

Connor’s heart pounded hard in his chest. He felt like he could do anything in that moment, he felt so powerful, hovering over his sweet lover. He knew exactly what he wanted to do next though. He wanted to see M’s cock.

The blond wore a loose pair of sweats today and it took almost nothing to remove them. Connor hooked his fingers under the waistband and M lifted up just a bit. With an easy slide, the sweats came off all at once and M’s cock sprang up to point at the ceiling.

“No undies today?”

“I was sick this morning. I laid around most of the day,” M said.

“Mmm.” Connor left it at that. He was pleased with the commando decision.

He skimmed his hands up M’s thighs, squeezing the flexing muscles underneath the soft flesh. M’s breath hitched in his throat as Connor zeroed in on his erection, but Connor didn’t touch it just yet. He cupped M’s silky balls and weighed them gently in the palm of his hand. M hissed with need, but Connor took his time. He rolled the sack between his fingers, studying the delicate, dark pink skin and the sparse golden hair that grew there.

M whined. “Connor….”

Connor licked his lips. He was tired of teasing. He released M’s silky balls and wrapped his thumb and forefinger around the excited shaft of M’s cock.

“Ahh!”

Connor was transfixed by the sight of M’s cock pulsing in his grasp. Without really planning to do it, Connor dipped his head, parted his lips, and took M’s cockhead into his mouth.

A drop of pre-cum bubbled from the blond’s piss-slit and Connor licked it off. M wailed and twisted his fingers in the bed sheets in response, but he held his hips perfectly still. They were arched up slightly, as if Connor couldn’t quite reach his cock and M was desperate for him to take the entire length immediately.

But Connor didn’t take the hint. He held back and tasted M’s hard penis with relish. He teased the notch underneath the tip with his tongue, and sucked happily on the swollen head. He held M’s cock steady with his two fingers at the base and as M’s desperate noises became more insistent, Connor gave in a little and started to stroke the pulsing shaft.

M tossed his head around, he was delirious with desire. Connor didn’t want to stop. He was addicted to the sounds spilling over M’s sweet lips.

Connor knew the blond wanted more sensation on his cock, so he rewarded the boy and grabbed his shaft fully, pushing himself to take more cock into his mouth. He slid his head up and down, working his lips and tongue over the erect shaft with increasing speed.

It didn’t take long for M’s balls to draw up tight to his body. Connor squeezed and rubbed the base of M’s cockshaft warmly, but he had plans for his sperm. He drew back a little with his mouth, waiting for him to explode.

M gasped, his eyes flying wide open and then quickly shut again. He panted as he came, shooting a little come onto Connor’s tongue. He released M’s penis immediately though and caught the rest in his hand. The made M moan pitifully, having his pulsing cockhead exposed to the cool, hotel air.

But Connor was far from finished. With his free hand he unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them and his boxers down to his thighs. He used M’s semen as a lubricant. He slicked his cock in the spunky stuff before he patted M’s leg.

“Huh?” M’s eyes opened halfway. He was smiling vaguely, looking like he was close to passing out.

“Spread your legs,” Connor said. “I didn’t get to fuck you yet.”

M bit his lip, but he didn’t hesitate. He pulled his legs back to his chest and exposed his hole completely.

Connor groaned. It was a beautiful sight. M’s asscheeks were round and pert and between them lay the most gorgeous pink asshole, just begging to be filled.

Connor pushed two of his cum-covered fingers into M’s tight hole. He scissored them about, stretching and lubricating the tunnel as best and as quickly as he could.

M moaned a little. “I think that’s good,” he said.

Connor licked his lips. He drew his fingers out and crawled closer so he could press his hard dick to M’s tender anus. He pushed inside, groaning as his cock was engulfed in hot, tight heat. M bit his lip hard and sighed deeply as he was entered. His gripped the backs of his legs tightly, trembling from the sensations.

Connor inched deeper inside the blond’s twitching body. “Put your legs on my shoulders,” he urged and M relaxed a bit as Connor took over.

They fucked slowly. Connor slid his cock all the way inside, pressing his balls to M’s round little ass at the end of each thrust. The boy’s asshole responded to each deep push of Connor’s cock, spasming around his length in the most intimate of embraces.

M was quiet at first, his breathing was uneven and shallow, but as Connor ramped up the pace, he started to moan loudly. His spent penis came alive once more and Connor gathered the length in his hand.

Connor stroked M lovingly. He wanted to make him spurt for a second time, he wanted to feel M’s hole clench tight around the head of his thrusting cock.

The boy’s pink inner flesh felt delicious around his cock already and Connor savored the tantalizing feel of their sensitive skin rubbing together. Suddenly, M’s cock lurched violently in his hand and the boy arched his back with a long moan of pleasure. Connor smiled because he knew he’d finally found the boy’s sweet spot.

He sped up a bit as he angled to hit M’s prostate again.

The blond responded quickly. His cock lengthened and became fully erect. It dripped with pre-cum and Connor rubbed the slick, inflamed head with his thumb.

It didn’t take much longer before they were both coming. M lost control moments before Connor, his body tightening, his asshole crushing Connor’s sensitive cock in a vice like grip, sucking him deep and holding him intimately. The boy yelped with helpless pleasure as his cum splattered between them for a second time.

Connor sucked in a deep breath. He could feel his orgasm approaching like a tidal wave pulling him out into the deep blue. Waves of pleasure crashed over him and took him by surprise. He filled the blond with what felt like gallons of cum. He yelled and then he bit his tongue and tried to restrain himself, but his body continued to empty into M’s with the strength of a firehose.

When his balls finished depleting themselves, when his cock started to go limp inside M, he fell to the side of the bed, gasping for breath.

“Wow,” M said after a long moment. He rolled over and pressed his front to Connor’s side. He reached up gingerly and touched Connor’s hair. “That was amazing.”

Connor smiled warily. “I needed that,” he said. “Feels like we haven’t done that in forever.”

M laughed. “We did it only a couple days ago,” he said.

Connor shrugged. “Whatever.”

They laid together for a bit, catching their breaths. Suddenly, M leaned closer and he sniffed around Connor’s collar.

“You smell like alcohol.”

Connor grimaced. “Yeah, about that…”

M sat up, his eyes full of interest. “Did you go drinking with Marcus?”

“Yeah,” Connor said. “We spent most of the day in the bar.”

M furrowed his brow. “Why? Didn’t you guys do any landscaping?”

“Something bad happened,” Connor said. He sighed and finally just decided to break the bad news to the curious blond. “The agent showed up while we were doing this crazy lady’s yard. He messed everything up for me, M. He got me fired.”

M gasped. “How? What did he do?” The blond stood up and started to get dressed again. Connor took that as his cue to straighten up as well. He wiped the excess cum on the bedspread, who hadn’t cum on these sheets at some point, and then he got back into his jeans and straightened his shirt.

“He totaled another car,” Connor said. “But that’s not what’s important. The agent told me he was going to destroy my life if I keep trying to protect you. He wants to study you, M. He was talking about your people coming down for an invasion and stuff. It was fucked up.”

M shook his head and started to speak, but Connor cut him off.

“He already is destroying my life, M. We have to get away from him.”

“The tracker—”

“Yeah, I know,” Connor snapped. “We have to figure out how to remove it. Marcus said he could possibly get us a place in California. That’s far away from here, and there’s tons of places to hide, I’m sure. I think it’s our best shot, but we can’t go if the agent’s going to find us again and he will. In no time. If we don’t get rid of this thing.” Connor knocked on his skull, indicating the tracker lodged inside.

M chewed his lip for a moment. “Do you trust me?”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Well, Mother’s the only one who can remove the tracker,” he said. “But, you’d have to let her abduct you. She’ll probably insist on you being unconscious. You’ll be completely helpless.”

Connor wanted to instantly disagree, but what choice did he have? He was desperate to get the alienware out of his brain, to stop suffering from the static and the awful pain it caused. Of course it would take another alien to remove it

He sighed. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“I’ll be with you,” M said. “Nothing bad will happen. I promise.”

Connor nodded. He stepped closer to M and took the boy in his arms. “I’m sorry about this morning,” he said out of the blue. “I was cranky.”

“You’re always cranky,” M giggled, but he wrapped his arms around Connor tight. “It’s ok,” he said. “Julie helped me feel better. She’s a good mom.”

Connor shrugged.

“Besides, it sounds like you had a worse day than me,” M said.

“Just another day living with aliens,” Connor said, his tone thick with sarcasm.

M laughed and he stretched up on his toes for a kiss. Connor pressed his mouth to M’s softly, enjoying the leisurely slide of their lips.

***

They ended up hanging out in the room, watching TV movies and eating more snacks.

Connor didn’t know what the rest of the family was doing, but he tried to put it out of his mind.

He was worried about them, of course. He didn’t know what to do with them, and he doubted they’d all be able to tag along to California, let alone be willing to come.

He pondered it over as it slowly got later. The dog was asleep by the door and beside him, on the bed, M looked like he was about to zonk out too.

That was when a loud banging started outside the room. The dog sat up instantly, growling as he looked around for the source of the noise. Connor’s ears perked up and M lurched out of his half sleep with a jerk of his head.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know,” Connor said. He got out of bed as the banging turned into pounding. It was coming from next door… from Julie’s room.

“Let me in, you stupid bitch!” yelled a muffled voice. “Two nights and $300 is enough! You’re coming home now!”

Connor knew that voice. He froze up for a minute, and then he started to get angry. It was Greg.

He rushed to the door and fumbled with the locks. The dog zipped out ahead of him, but Connor didn’t care. He followed the dog, only to see Julie’s door closing behind a flash of color and light.

Greg was inside Julie’s room.

Connor stormed to the door and tried the handle, but it was locked.

“Connor?” Nathan peeked out from the next door over, his dark eyes wide with fear. “What’s going on?”

“What’s it sound like?!” Connor yelled. He slapped his palm against Julie’s door. “Julie?” he yelled. “Julie, are you ok?”

He heard the woman scream followed by the sound of something crashing around and breaking.

“JULIE!” Connor banged on the door. “Let me in!”

“Oh my god.”

Jamie had joined Nathan at the door. She had her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes.

“Jesus fuck!” Connor screamed while the dog bounced around and barked his head off behind him. He kicked the door. “Open up, Greg. Don’t make me call the police!”

The door flew open and Greg stood on the threshold in a towering rage. The huge, blubbery man was red in the face and he wasted no time in trying to intimidate Connor. He shoved his hands into Connor’s chest and sent him stumbling backwards.

“Back off, faggot, I’m discussing these outrageous credit changes with my wife,” he growled. “She won’t take my calls, so I cancelled all the credit lines and drove here after work. You can’t stop me, you little cocksucker!”

“Work?” Connor laughed, shoving the dog aside as he stood growling just behind his legs. He’d nearly tripped over him, and he wasn’t helping! “You’re drunk, you piece of shit!” He ran at Greg again, but was easily pushed aside.

“I’ve had enough of you and your bullshit! Get out of our lives, Connor. You’re nothing but a good for nothing leach! I’m taking my family, and you and your fruitcake boyfriend can take care of yourselves from now on. Our doors are closed to you.”

Connor boiled with rage. He went at Greg again, managed to land a few swift punches to his fat gut, but before he could do any real good, Greg walloped him across the head.

Connor saw stars. He stumbled backwards and tripped right over the damned dog. Jack yelped in pain and Jamie cried out in concern. She flew out of her room, calling for the dog who was trembling with fear. Nathan hovered in his doorway, watching with shock. Connor suddenly found himself on his ass, looking around the fat man’s legs for a trace of Julie. He couldn’t see her and he wondered if she was sporting some new bruises.

“Fuck off, little boy,” Greg sneered and he started to turn back to Julie’s room. Connor’s heart clenched in his chest. He couldn’t let Greg go back into that room... He leapt up and charged at the door, throwing everything he had at the walrus of a man.

He burst into the room and took Greg down to the floor. Julie was on the bed, holding her bleeding mouth and sobbing. Connor saw red and he pummeled the shit out of any part of Greg he could reach.

“Leave my mom alone!”

Connor didn’t know how long he beat Greg. The man had his hands up over his face, and he grunted and fought to get up, but Connor’s forceful blows kept him on his back.

Suddenly, hands were latching onto Connor’s upper arms and he was hauled off Greg like he weighed nothing.

“Let me go!” he hollered.

“That’s enough, boy,” said an authoritative voice. “We’ll handle it from here.”

A policeman got in Connor’s face and he deflated a bit, gaping in surprise at the blue uniform.

“What are you doing here?” Connor asked vaguely.

“Management called in a domestic dispute,” the policeman said briskly. “C’mon. Let’s get you settled down outside.”

Connor went unwillingly. He tried to look back into the room, to see if his mother was being taken care of, but the policeman firmly grasped the back of Connor’s neck and led him outside to a pool chair. He was forced to sit.

“Connor!” M rushed over, easily slipping past the officer so he could fall into the pool chair beside him. He hugged Connor tightly. “Are you ok?”

Connor clenched his jaw. “I guess,” he said.

M held onto Connor like he’d never let him go and Connor took comfort in that. Eventually, he felt the shock and tension drain out of his body and he sagged into M’s embrace. He felt tears welling up, but he hid his face against M’s shirt so nobody would see.