Connor was totally whipped. The aches and pains from his perilous run from the man in black were slowing him down. Adrenaline had filled Connor’s veins with fire during the chase, but now he was dead tired. He trudged through the forest in the heat. His clothes were drying quickly, at least. When he spotted the trailer through the trees, his heart started beating double time.

What if the man in black was lurking around? What if he was already inside?

He picked his way through the last few trees skirting the gravel drive and stepped cautiously into the rocks. The trailer was quiet and Connor looked around as he crept across the drive. He didn’t see anything of interest though, no signs of movement. He stepped up to the door, looked left and right, then tried the handle.

It was locked. Of course.

He fished his keys out of his pocket and hurried to unlock the door. His fingers were slow and clumsy and the back of his neck burned as he fumbled with the lock. He got the strange feeling he was being watched and he opened the door and rushed inside.

“M?” He locked the door behind him and stepped into the main room. “M?” he called again and turned at the sound of a door opening down the hallway to the right.

The boy poked his head out of the bedroom and the dog peaked out, too. He licked his pink nose.

“There you are,” Connor sighed with relief and the little blond lowered his head, letting his hair fall into his face as he slipped out of the room in silence. He approached Connor with a shuffling walk. “What happened?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as the boy got closer. He didn’t look hurt, but then again, Connor couldn’t get a good look at his face…

M dragged his feet, but Jack rushed around him and burst into the living room. He sniffed around nervously, making a speedy perimeter of the room. He came to sniff Connor a few good times, as well, nosing him in the crotch.

“Gah!” Connor shooed the dog away from his damp nether regions. He blushed, and glanced up awkwardly, a little surprised to find M standing just a few feet away. M looked at him shyly through his hair and Connor stepped forward, clicking his tongue with concern. He reached out to cup the smaller boy’s chin, or he would have, except M flinched away.

Connor blinked and pulled back abruptly. His face burned even hotter than before. “What happened to your—”

M touched his cheek gingerly and shifted his hair back from his face.

Connor gaped. “I did that, didn’t I? Fuck.”

The blond had two black eyes and his lip was split in the corner. His cheeks were battered as well.

Connor covered his face with his broad hands. He felt like crying, but he didn’t. He just stared into the darkness of his hands. He felt sick. “I’m so sorry,” he said into his hands.

“I don’t know what happened,” M said. “I woke up alone and my head hurt so bad… Jack was barking like crazy.”

Connor peeked through his fingers at the blond. He shivered at the look of his face and covered his eyes again in horror.

“Do I really look that bad?” M asked.

Connor groaned. “You’re fine.” Of course, he hadn’t felt that way when M had been biting his tongue off, but the blond was acting normal now and Connor was sick with guilt. He sighed and took his hands off his face, then very cautiously, he tried to put an arm around the blond’s shoulders.

M allowed himself to be drawn into Connor’s side. The two of them went to the couch.

“What do you remember?” Connor asked as they sat down. He tried not to stare at M’s bruises, but he couldn’t help it. His eyes roved over the boy’s sweet little face.

“I remember waking up with you,” M said, and he smiled slightly. “I remember you climbing on top of me.”

Connor blushed. He remembered the tender moment, too. It had only lasted for a couple seconds, but it had been nice.

“That’s the last thing I remember. You were on top of me,” M said.

“I tried to kiss you,” Connor told him.

M blinked his long golden lashes at Connor before he burst into a huge grin. Connor was stuck between joy at the total forgiveness in his smile and horror at two black eyes that stared back at him, swollen and actually kind of gross looking.

“We shouldn’t try it again,” he said, looking away.

M pressed his lips together. They turned into a thin pale line. “It must have been another seizure. I don’t remember things very well when I have one.”

“Yeah,” Connor snorted. “A kiss gives you a seizure.”

“Well, it must have!” M cried. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the night you found me! There’s no way I would have willingly ruined our first kiss. There’s no way I’d willingly forget it, either.” M looked so glum, Connor felt kind of bad for him.

“I’m sorry,” he said again and he felt kind of uncomfortable doing it, but he gently touched M’s delicate hand.

“What happened?” the boy asked. He turned his hand over and Connor’s fingers slipped between M’s. Suddenly, they were holding hands.

“Um… “ Connor stared at their interlaced fingers. “You bit my tongue and then your jaw locked up. I thought you were going to take my tongue off for a second so I hit you.”

M nodded. “I guess I should be apologizing, then.” He squeezed his fingers and Connor’s cheeks got hot again.

“It’s not your fault you had a seizure. I just didn’t understand what was happening. I panicked,” he said. “It’s my fault. I’m really hating myself right now.”

M hung his head and sighed heavily. Connor could almost feel him trying to come up with a way to take all the blame and he just couldn’t handle it. He didn’t want to go through that horror show again and he felt he might have to if he let M blame himself… The little blond was way too excited about that ill-fated kiss and Connor had meant it; he didn’t think they should try again.

“Did you have any trouble when I was out?” Connor asked quickly, remembering his initial panic after his run from the man in black. He thought it was probably best to keep the weird chase to himself, but he needed to know if the man had been to the trailer.

“Jack was scaring me with how loud he was barking,” M said vaguely.

“Well, what was he barking at? Did someone come to the door?” Connor pressed.

“No,” M said. “But Jack didn’t stop barking for a long time. I went to go lay in bed because my head hurt and eventually Jack came to lay with me, too.”

“Hmm.” Well, that didn’t sound too bad, but Connor was hardly satisfied. He wanted to know what the fuck was going on. Why had he been chased like that? And what was going on in the abandoned house?

He made vague plans to return to the house at a later date. Hopefully with less disastrous results. They sat in silence for a couple minutes. Connor was busy thinking, but when he caught M touching his split bottom lip, he got up to get some ice from the freezer.

He’d take good care of M. He had too. He couldn’t bear to see the kid’s face bruised up a day longer than he had too...

***

When Connor woke up Thursday morning, he decided today would be the day.

It had been several days since he’d lost the man in black in the swamp. He’d gone to work. He’d nursed M’s battered face. He’d done nothing, but wonder about the creeper who’d chased him through the woods, but he needed answers. Because he was sick of wondering and he was tired of waiting too, and plotting the unknown. He had a feeling nothing was going to turn out the way he planned, so sitting around, thinking about it was useless.

He’d just have to think on-the-go.

Connor got out of bed and got into his jogging outfit. Since Sunday, Connor and M had canceled their morning walks with an unspoken agreement. Neither of them had mentioned going out.

He wasn’t really sure, but M seemed to be depressed. He wasn’t smiling like he normally did and he wasn’t talking as much either. He ate in silence and pet the dog lethargically. He watched TV with vacant eyes.

Connor finished dressing and edged cautiously out of the bedroom. M couldn’t come with him. Not if Connor was going to check out the abandoned house and he was dying to check it out at this point. He hoped M was still asleep, but of course, he wasn’t. The blond sat on the couch watching TV and Jack snoozed on the blankets beside him. The blond’s eyes searched out Connor’s immediately and he braced himself for M’s next question. The boy was going to ask to go with him and Connor was going to have to figure out how to say no.

But M only looked at Connor. His eyes weren’t very bright today. They seemed dull and lifeless.

Connor cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

M grabbed the remote and muted the TV. “Morning,” he said.

“How are you feeling today?” There had been some improvement to M’s face, at least. The bruises were slowly going away and the cut on his lip had closed up.

Connor couldn’t wait to see M’s sunny face again. Unblemished and smiling.

M yawned. “I’m still sleepy.”

“Then you should go back to sleep. I won’t bother you.”

The boy nodded, his eyes flickering back to the TV screen.

“I’m going for a run,” Connor said quickly. “But I’ll be back soon.”

M nodded again.

“Alright.” He took the keys off the top of the TV and edged out the door. He locked it, so M would feel safe and Connor wouldn’t worry as much. He couldn’t believe how easily M had let him go, but he shook it off and decided to blame it on luck. He jogged down the driveway and turned left at the end.

He wondered what was waiting for him. Would he run into the man in black again? Or would he get to explore some secret lair? Who were these people anyway? Or was it just the one guy? Connor was itching with curiosity and he quickened his pace. He could see the place just ahead and he kicked up some loose asphalt in his haste.

He had his eyes peeled, too. If the man in black showed up, he’d have to pop into fucking existence right in front of Connor, because no one was sneaking up on him this time.

He reached the grass and picked his way through the low-lying branches and rough bramble surrounding the property. His heart beat like a drum in his chest as he crept up on the house. He stepped over a mossy fallen log and finally, he reached the old building. He flattened himself against the rotted wood siding and waited in silence. He held his breath so he could hear better, but after 30 seconds, he released his breath in a careful sigh. He didn’t hear anything. No one had followed him. He was either going to get away with this, or he was falling into a trap.

Leaning towards the more optimistic option, Connor slid his way along the front side of the house. He kept his eye on the road, through the trees, but didn’t see anyone approaching. When he reached the busted window on the left side of the house, he boosted himself through and landed on the rickety floorboards with a soft thud.

Connor had always wanted to explore this place, but he’d never had a burning interest to do so. Now that he was here, though, he wasn’t leaving until he checked it out.

It smelled funny; like stagnant water with a dash of rot. The peeling brown wallpaper was blooming with mildew. The floor, where vegetation hadn’t taken claim, was broken and unstable and Connor wished he’d brought his phone with the flashlight, because the only light was coming through the smashed window. It bled through the opening and hit the floorboards in random patches.

Connor wasn’t going back though. He made his way as carefully as he could towards the back of the room. There was an opening there. It looked like a door had secured the room beyond at one point, but rusted metal hinges dangling off the doorframe was all that remained. Connor stepped over some thick, sticky weeds and entered the next room.

It was a small hallway, dark and humid and reeking of the same musty scent the first room had. There was a broken table in one corner and a stack of old, decaying papers in the opposite one, but besides that, the hallway’s main attraction was the three doorways.

The doorways to the left and right were the same as the previous entrance Connor had just come through. Hinges were affixed to the frames, but they had no doors.

But the third one did...

It was right in the middle, directly in front of him and he turned back to check. This door was lined up perfectly with the broken window back in the front room.

This had to be where he’d seen the light coming from the other day.

He stepped forward and the floor in the little hallway sagged and groaned under his weight. Feeling bold, he grabbed onto a cold metal door handle. It didn’t match anything else in the house. Everything was wooden and full of rot. The only metal around was rusted as fuck, but this metal felt smooth and solid. From what Connor could see, and he was squinting in dim light now, the door didn’t even have a spot of rust on it.

He waited for a few second, but he didn’t hear any movement. All he could hear was his own breathing and he had to swallow a few times before he could hold his breath. He still heard nothing and he breathed again, turning the metal handle slowly.

Connor pulled on the door and it opened easily, and without a sound. He poked his head through the opening. It was pitch dark inside, but as he scanned the darkness a red light flashed in the distance. His gaze zeroed in on the strobing light. It seemed like it was a far away, even though he’d been behind the abandoned house and he knew it wasn’t very large. That had to be the far wall of the house he was looking at, but the room was cavernous and dark as night. It was an unnatural kind of darkness too and it crept over the threshold and wrapped tendrils of ice cold dread around Connor’s heart. There were no windows or any other signs of light besides the flashing pinprick of red, which was rapidly increasing its blink rate. Something was wrong and Connor’s skin broke out into goosebumps. Then the room lit up in blinding white light and his eyes were seared with the intensity. He screamed and stumbled back from the door. It slammed shut as soon as it slipped from his fingers.

He stumbled around the little room. He clutched his eyes and he yelled as they burned. He couldn’t see. Fuck! He stuck his arms out and felt for walls or other obstacles as he pushed blindly forward. Shit, he had to get out of here! He had to get home! He whacked his forearm into the corner of the doorless entranceway and he cried out in pain. Dammnit! He had to get out of here!

Suddenly, the deafening sound of static split the air and Connor tripped over a broken floorboard and fell. He landed flat on his face and he curled helplessly into a ball. He whimpered and cried. He dug his fingers into his ears and screamed to drown out the sound, but nothing could dampen it.

He clawed at his ears, his eyes burning and unseeing. He tore at his flesh, desperate to stop the sound. It ripped through his head with a vengeful force.

And then it was over. The noise stopped. The air buzzed with tension.

He whimpered, his hands falling away from his abused ears. He sagged completely into the damp, rotting floorboard and everything faded around him.

***

“Connor! Connor!”

Connor woke with a start. He sat up and instantly regretted it. The world spun wildly around him. He closed his eyes and waited for the spell of dizziness to end.

“Connor!”

“What!” he demanded. “I’m awake!”

There was silence for a few seconds. Then: “You’ve been missing for hours! I was so worried about you!”

Connor managed to get his eyes open again and he blinked up at M.

They were surrounded by darkness. They were in the woods. Trees spread out above them, blotting out the sky and the stars that dotted the night sky. Connor quickly took stock of himself. He was propped up against a tree, in his jogging clothes and tennis shoes. He was absolutely freezing and his entire body felt sore. “What’s going on?” he asked and his teeth started chattering halfway through the question. “W-what the f-f-fuck happened?”

M’s face was hard to see in the dark, but Connor could see his lips pressed together.

“C’mon,” M said and he grabbed Connor’s arm. Somehow, the smaller boy was able to get him up on his feet without much struggle and he encouraged Connor to lean his weight into his side. Connor wasn’t comfortable making M support him physically, but he’d definitely let the boy lead him through the dark. He couldn’t see shit, he was cold and his body hurt. He just wanted to go home and get warm and—

The ground ahead of them was suddenly lit by a brilliant light. Connor whirled around, gasping as a huge orb of white light rose up behind them through the trees. It was a ways off, the pristine, white orb of light, but it was bigger than the trailer and perfectly round. Connor gawked as the light continued to gain altitude.

“C’mon!” M yelled behind him.

The rising orb was completely silent. Connor stared, his mouth agape. “Do you see that?!”

“C’mon!” M yelled again, yanking on his arm.

Connor was unstable and weak, and he stumbled with the slight pull. “What is that?!” he screamed.

“We have to go!”

“What is that thing?!”

The ball of light hovered above the trees. It was dancing, twirling, the light seemed to shudder and then swell with energy….

Connor blacked out for a second time.

***

Connor woke up inside the trailer, lying on the couch. He started to sit up—

“Careful,” M said softly. “You really hit your head…”

Connor sat up anyway, grimacing at the pain. M was right. Everything hurt.

There was a burst of hot breath against Connor’s right hand and he looked down. His hand dangled over the edge of the couch and the dog sniffed it eagerly. He cringed when Jack’s tongue began to lap at his skin. “Yuck.” He reclaimed his hand before it got chewed off.

M giggled. “We all love you, Jack. Even Connor.”

“The hell I do,” Connor grumbled and M laughed again. Connor surveyed the room and silently checked himself over for injuries. He felt a vague sense of panic, but it felt distant and far away from the coziness of the trailer. Beside him, M knelt before the couch and the dog had his head on the boy’s knee. The TV was on, but muted and playing a snowflake-filled, low budget movie. The place was peaceful and still. There was no need to run, but Connor couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to.

“What happened?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

M sighed and his goofy smile faded away. Connor felt a pang of regret, he missed that smile, but he waited for M to speak.

“I rescued you,” the boy said.

Connor quirked a brow at the little blond.

“What? Don’t you believe me?” A forced smile played across M’s hopeful face. He might have been trying for a joke, but Connor wasn’t in the mood for it.

“No,” he said.

M’s face fell and Connor went about sitting up. M had to move from his place on the floor and he slid onto the other end of the couch. Jack followed him. The dog sat at M’s feet and turned back to watch Connor.

Connor glared at the stupid mutt. “What happened?”

M sighed. “Don’t even try to blame me for this.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Connor snapped.

“That you’re being a jerk!” M said quickly, his cheeks flushing a fetching shade of red. “I saved you. I found you in the middle of the woods after you’d been missing for hours!”

“Missing?”

“Yes! You said you were going for a run this morning and that I should try to get more sleep. You didn’t come back, Connor. I had to go out and find you.”

“What?” Connor said, but as M kept talking, the images, the memories of that morning floated to the surface, fuzzy and disconnected. Something weird had happened today.

“You were gone all day,” M said, his voice accusing.

Connor buried his head in his hands. He remembered getting dressed that morning. He remembered his plan to investigate the abandoned house. “What happened after I left?” he asked.

“I went back to sleep. I thought you’d be back when I woke up, but you weren’t so I waited and waited. I started to get hungry. I was getting really worried and then Jack started barking at the door again. It was already locked so I went and looked out the window.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“No, but it was weird. When Jack finally stopped barking, I decided I was going to find you,” M said. “I went down our usual path, but I didn’t see any sign of you so I started crisscrossing through the trees. I thought maybe you had gone off-course or something and gotten hurt. I still didn’t find you.”

Connor desperately tried to piece his scrambled memories together. He mentally retraced his steps. He followed the memory like it was a video on replay and he watched it from the beginning as he ran towards the abandoned house at the dead end of the street. He remembered being vigilant and cautious. He remembered approaching the house with a foolish confidence.

“I kept circling around,” M was saying when Connor tuned back in. “When I finally found you, I yelled your name until you woke up. You remember that, right? It just happened.”

Connor shook his head. The video memory had stopped playing. He was paused just outside the abandoned house and he was just about to leap through the window and begin the adventure.

But Connor didn’t remember anything else.

M stared at him blankly. “You don’t remember?”

Connor squared his shoulders. “It was the house,” he said. “I don’t remember anything past the house.”

“The old house at the end of the road?” M said, quirking an eyebrow with suspicion. “I found you near there.”

Connor shook his head again. The memory was replaying on its own. It went back to the beginning, when Connor had woken up with the idea of exploring and it fast forwarded to the moment before he entered the abandoned house. It ran on repeat, taunting Connor with its incompleteness. He rubbed his face and groaned. He felt sick.

“What happened at the house?” M asked. “You went inside? Why?”

“Because…” Connor started, his stomach muscles clenching.

“Are you ok?” M asked, his voice flooding with concern.

Connor didn’t answer. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom. He reached the little room in seconds. He hit the light and fell in front of the toilet. He didn’t have much in his stomach, but it came up anyway along with some yellow bile.

After the heaving stopped, Connor hung his head in the toilet and sobbed. “What the fuck happened to me? What the fuck?”

The memory looped in the back of his brain, the swirling colors and emotions and the big, fat, huge implication of it slammed into Connor’s brain like a sledgehammer. Snot ran down his face and it dripped into the toilet water, mixing with the bile.

If Connor had been missing all day and had lost memories, then the house was somehow to blame.

He’d walked right into a fucking trap.

He puked again and sobbed some more. His throat was sore from the rush of acid vomit and the sobs only made it worse. He started hacking, and that caused him to begin choking on strands of his gross, drippy snot.

He moved to the sink once the nausea died down. He mopped his face up and rinsed out his mouth. The water was cold and refreshing and Connor closed his eyes and enjoyed the brief moment of relaxation.

When he was done, he pulled his head out of the sink and looked up at himself in the mirror. The bare bulb over it had always been bright, but it had never bothered him before. The bulb caught Connor’s eye tonight though. It seemed so intensely bright… he looked directly into the light.

He felt his head spin and blood rushed in his ears. His knees buckled. “Fuck.” He fell onto the toilet seat and drooped his head, letting it hang between his knees.

More memories of the house exploded into his thoughts. The metal door. The dark room with the red blinking light. Then the whiteness. A horrible light so intense and blinding, he hadn’t been able to see afterwards.

Then the static. Again, with the fucking static!

His memory inside the house was choppy and brief. He remembered stumbling around in the dark and being in pain. He remembered falling to the floor to tear at his ears. That was the end of his memory, though. He remembered nothing but a long stretch of blackness.

He clutched his head. The memory shuddered and erupted into color again.

He remembered being rudely jerked awake. He was lying against a tree in the dark and M was calling his name. Then a huge ball of light rose from the trees and hovered above them...

M hadn’t mentioned that part.

Connor remembered staring at the ball of light in disbelief. And then somehow, he’d lost consciousness again. Then, there was another, although briefer, lapse of blackness.

What the fuck?! What had that ball of light even been? And how had M gotten him back to the trailer? Had the little blond flung him over his shoulder? Connor snorted at the image.

He opened his eyes again and tried to adjust to the light. The memory had stopped replaying. They weren’t totally complete, but at least the memories of the day added up. Still, he didn’t know what had happened to him after passing out at the house. How had he managed to end up outside and alone? He was chilled by the experience and he still had a lot of questions. At least the light bulb wasn’t sending him into flashbacks, though.

Connor got up on unsteady feet. He glanced at himself in the mirror one last time. He looked pale, and his eyes were red. Disturbed by his own appearance, he shuffled out of the room and turned the light off as he went. He’d barely taken a step when he heard a small voice murmuring from the other room.

“I don’t think it’s funny...”

Connor stopped. He looked down the hall, but couldn’t see M.

That was his laugh though. It floated down the hallway and Connor tensed up. Who was he talking to?

“Oh… Has this place ruined you already? How do you know so much about revenge?” the boy’s voice was soft but Connor could hear the amusement in it. He was definitely talking to someone.

“Well don’t do it again. He says he’s missing memories… He was inside that house…”

Connor’s gut tightened and he charged into the living room.

M had his fingers pressed just behind his ear. He spoke quietly, quickly, but stopped and dropped his hand when he saw Connor at the end of the hallway.

“Who are you talking to?” Connor snapped.

M flapped his jaw. “No one.”

Connor narrowed his eyes. “Yes, you were.”

“I mean, I was talking to myself. I was wondering how you were doing in there.”

“I was sick,” Connor said. He moved further into the room, eyeing M with suspicion.

“I hope you feel better at least,” M said, looking back calmly. When the boy faced him, Connor was able to study him in greater detail. When he had entered the room and saw the blond talking to no one, he’d immediately thought it was a Bluetooth device. But there was nothing but M’s bare fingers, his silky hair and his soft skin. There was no device and M hadn’t rushed to hide anything; Connor would have seen. Maybe M really had just been talking to himself.

“How did you get me home?” Connor asked trying to trump the boy.

M smiled. “I’m stronger than I look.”

Connor flat out laughed. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, believe it. Because that’s how you got here,” M said. “You passed out. Maybe you had your first seizure.”

“Seizures aren’t followed by long periods of unconsciousness,” Connor snapped, although a paranoid little part of him screamed and ran off to go hide under the covers. “It wasn’t a seizure.”

“How can you be so sure? Maybe you had one in the house? And you just don’t remember crawling out of there.”

“Because I remember what happened at the house,” Connor said. “I saw a bright light behind a door and I heard a bunch of loud static. The combination somehow caused me to lose consciousness. I don’t know what happened to me after that, but I remember you finding me now. And I remember this weird ball of white light flying over us. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but you wouldn’t even look at it.”

M gave him a blank look. “What?”

“The huge orb of white light?! It appeared out of nowhere and flew over us, up in the trees. Right before I passed out… Don’t you remember it? I was screaming at you to look!”

M slowly shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit!”

M shrugged his shoulders and turned from Connor’s intense glare. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch and moved to rub Jack’s head. The dog hadn’t moved from his position at his feet and the dog accepted the rubdown with a yawn.

“Why didn’t you take the dog when you went out looking for me?”

M rolled his eyes. “Why would I?”

Connor laughed humorlessly. “You’re joking, right?” M shrugged and Connor laughed at him again. “I guess the dog’s the only one who senses danger.”

“Huh?”

Connor had been so impressed seeing M learn normal things by leaps and bounds these past few days, but seriously? M needed some street smarts. He’d wanted to be the big man and keep all the danger to himself. He hadn’t wanted to scare M, but Connor decided, right there and then that keeping M in the dark was useless when he went out into the dark, all fearless and dumb, thinking he was being heroic.

“I went to search that abandoned house today because I ran into the man in black again. That guy that showed up to the house, the guy who’s been looking for you?”

M’s bottom lip protruded and he looked so cute and clueless, Connor wanted to smack him.

“C’mon, M! Use your brain.”

“I know who you’re talking about!” he cried, his cute little mouth turning into a frown.

“Good, then you’re not completely stupid,” Connor sneered. “That guy tried to chase me into the abandoned house the other day. I saw something move in there and got super curious. I didn’t go in though, I ran off, further into the swamp and eventually managed to lose him. He was a great sprinter though, he would have caught me if I hadn’t thought of a way to disappear.”

“T-that guy chased you?”

“Yep,” Connor said. “And I think he came poking around the trailer once he’d lost me. You said the dog was barking a lot?”

“But I didn’t see anyone,” M said.

“So? That doesn’t mean nobody was there. You need to be aware that there’s a weird guy creeping around, looking for you. You’ve got to take better care of yourself.”

“What happened today?” M asked, waving off Connor’s concern like it meant nothing. “Can’t you remember anything?”

“I think I fell into a trap. I think someone wanted me to check that house out. They had me unconscious for hours. I’m surprised you’re alright.”

“Why? What’s going to happen to me?” M’s eyes flashed with anger. “Connor. I’m actually able to take care of myself most of the time. I don’t always know what I’m doing, but that doesn’t mean I’m a wimp.”

Connor laughed. “Get up.”

“What?”

“Get up,” Connor got up as well. The blond stood up uneasily, stepping around the dog. Connor gestured him into the middle of the living room and when M was close enough, he took his shoulders and gently steered him around so M stood with his back to Connor’s front.

“This is a real basic chokehold,” Connor said, sliding an arm over M’s chest and then up around his fragile throat. “See if you can get out of this,” Connor scoffed, then tightened his hold, pulling M back and up on his top-toes.

M grabbed Connor’s arm with both hands. They were shaking, but Connor didn’t take the hint.

“See, your totally helpless right now,” Connor muttered, his arm closing on M’s windpipe and M went totally limp in his arms. “Fuck… you’re not even trying.”

He loosened his hold and M sagged in Connor’s arms. The dog let out a bark and he turned with M held securely in his arms to see what was up with the dog. Jack’s hackles were up and his teeth were bared. Most worryingly, his eyes were on Connor and M.

Connor felt his blood run cold. He released M from the chokehold and swung the boy around and up into his arms.

The boy’s eyes were partly closed. Only the whites were visible.

“Fuck,” Connor cradled the blond. He’d gone into a seizure and Connor hadn’t even noticed! “Fuck, M. I’m so terrible at taking care of you.” He rocked the blond tenderly in his arms.

M’s eyes twitched behind his soft eyelids and the golden lashes fluttered. Connor watched his face impatiently, waiting for a better sign of life. He bent his head over M’s mouth and listened for his breathing. It was shallow and brief but it was coming at regular intervals.

Connor pulled back and waited. He didn’t stop watching M’s face. He didn’t put him down. After what seemed like forever, M blinked his green eyes open and Connor broke into a huge grin.

“Hi.”

M licked his lips. “Hi.”

Connor snorted with amusement. “You are the most vulnerable person I’ve ever met. Jesus…”

“I am?”

“I wasn’t even trying to hurt you. I was going to show you how to get out of a chokehold, but it gave you a seizure.”

“Oh,” M lowered his eyes.

“Kisses do you in, big knives, certain names... how many weaknesses do you have?” Connor asked with another awkward laugh. “I have to protect you from everything.”

M continued to look embarrassed.

“I don’t know how you carried me home, but thank you for saving me,” Connor said. He gave in to his desire to touch M’s rosy pink cheek and had to bite back a moan when he felt how soft the boy’s skin was. M looked up at him shyly. “I like keeping you safe, too, M. I just want to protect you. Let me handle the dangerous stuff and don’t go sneaking around when I leave you someplace safe.”

“Next time I have to save you, I’ll bring the dog. Jack will keep me safe.”

Connor laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”

M’s eyes sparkled with happiness. A smile danced on his soft, unkissable lips, and Connor traced them with his eyes.

He also decided that he liked having M in his arms. The boy weighed practically nothing. His smile was to die for. And the intoxicating rush that came with saving M was beginning to get addictive.

Connor still couldn’t believe M had been able to carry him as easily as Connor was carrying him now. But he let it slide. Because he was letting a lot of things slide when it came to M lately.

He carried the boy back to the couch and sat down with M in his lap. He cautiously put his arms around him and M’s green eyes continued to sparkle. His smile was contagious. Connor was already beaming back at the boy.

“I really like it when we can be close to one another,” M said suddenly.

“Um—”

“This feels very, very nice,” M said and he squirmed closer so his front was pressing into Connor’s and his legs were on either side of Connor’s hips. M had to put his arms around Connor in this position, and that left them hugging each other intimately.

“Erm—” Connor’s face was on fire.

“I know you think we shouldn’t kiss, but can we try this instead? Can we try being close to each other? It makes me feel tingly and warm.”

How could he refuse a request like that?

Connor didn’t want to have a repeat of their painful first kiss. But honestly, he’d been wanting to touch M for a while now. “Ok,” he said.

M hummed and buried his face against Connor’s neck. They sat like that for a while, holding each other, soaking in each other’s warmth. M smelled good, well, he smelled a bit like sweat, and there was the underlying earthy scent of the woods underneath it. Connor thought he smelled wild. He imagined the boy searching the forest for him and warmth blossomed in his belly. He wondered how close he could get… Because M had his lips pressed to Connor’s throat and he was wondering if he could suck on M’s skin too. He already knew the little blond would taste delicious…

He didn’t indulge, though. He feared some random physical attack for getting too close and personal. He simply held M until the boy squirmed out of his arms and slid over to sit on the couch cushion.

“How do you feel?” the boy asked and Connor quirked a lopsided smile at him. He figured M had gotten used to him asking the same thing all week long. Despite all the weirdness, Connor felt much closer to M and not just because they’d hugged.

“I feel alright,” Connor said. “I guess I’m a little sore, though.”

“I could help you in the bath,” M said pleasantly.

Connor didn’t know how well that would turn out either. He wanted to accept M’s offer, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to ruin the mood.

“How about I leave you with some ice for your face and I go take a shower.”

M pouted a bit, but nodded. Connor stroked gentle fingers through M’s hair on his way up, but he left the boy behind and retrieved the ice so he could get to his other tasks.

The shower was refreshing and Connor mulled over his memories of the day under the hot spray of water. He stayed in the bathroom longer than he usually did. He let the water massage his sore muscles and the hypnotic rhythm cloud his brain. He was worried about his loss of memories, but he didn’t know what he could do. It wasn’t like he could talk to anyone about this. He hadn’t talked to Hannah since he’d told her about getting the dog and as much as he wanted to use her as a confidant he was afraid of what she’d say.

He knew he was risking everything. Apparently, his life, too, as he’d been unconscious and helpless more than once tonight. Connor kept hurting M by mistake and the boy, so desperate for attention, accepted everything with ease... Their relationship was bordering on toxic and Hannah wasn’t going to understand why Connor needed M to stay. And if Connor explained…? He could imagine it now.

I’ve fallen in lust with a boy, he’d say. And he’s not just any boy. He’s the twink we found together in the swamp!

Hannah would slap him silly and walk away from their friendship. Probably for good.

Despite the risks and all the strange bullshit surrounding blond, Connor was ready to start pursuing some sort of romantic relationship with M. He was pretty fucking nervous about it and he definitely wasn’t in any rush to do anything crazy. Hell, he figured they could start with more cuddling and simple touching. But he wanted this; he wanted M.

Connor finished his shower, got out and dried off lazily. He felt sleepy and relaxed after the hot shower and the long day of stress and confusion. He didn’t want to bring the towel back, so he hung it up again and left the bathroom stark naked.

He felt a little slutty, strutting down the hallway with his dick swinging. He imagined running into M. He imagined the boy’s eyes trailing downwards and centering on his cock, hanging long and thick in a bed of dark pubic hair.

He didn’t run into M though. He could hear the TV playing in the other room and he made it to the bedroom without being seen. His cock was still getting chubby though. He entered the room without turning the light on and went to sit on the bed. He leaned back, taking his cock in hand.

It had definitely been a weird day, Connor thought, stroking his cock slowly. He knew he should probably be more worried than he was, but he was just relieved to be honest.

Relieved to be home. Relieved both he and M were safe.

Connor closed his eyes and hissed, throwing his head back against his sole bed pillow. He tightened his fingers around his swelling manhood and he gasped, squeezing the shaft rhythmically. His cock pulsed beneath his fingers. He could feel the veins flooding with blood. He pulled his dick slowly, and in a couple moments, he was hard as a rock.

He thought back to earlier. When he’d had M in his lap and the delicious curve of the blond’s neck had been just inches away from his mouth. He imagined licking that hot, salty skin, sucking M’s pale flesh into his mouth so he could better savor the taste…

He wanted to leave a big red hickey on M’s throat. He’d left several visible wounds on his flawless body over the last week or so and Connor really wanted to start a better trend. A love bite would be a hell of an improvement.

So, Connor fantasied he had M pinned to the couch. He latched onto M’s neck like a vampire and rubbed his body against M’s. In his fantasy, M moaned and thrashed his head about. His mouth was so luscious and wet. Connor took the boy’s lips and since this was a stupid fantasy, they were able to kiss without any trouble. The blond’s mouth tasted like honey.

Connor came easily, thinking about his tongue being in M’s sweet mouth. His eyes scrunched tightly shut and his lips parted with a silent scream. He let the semen collect on his belly, milking his cock deliciously through the aftershocks of orgasm. He laid there for a bit after that, half asleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed masturbating this much. Well, he could, but he hadn’t been alone and he didn’t want to acknowledge it, since that pleasure had been a lie.

Fucking Rick.

That thought made Connor sit up. He was a little peeved, but he tried to shake it off. He crawled off the bed, careful not to dribble his semen across the sheets. He found a dirty sock under the closet door and used it to swab his belly clean. He got dressed next, thinking he’d check on M before bed. The boy had probably fallen asleep in his absence. It was pitch dark outside, it must be getting pretty late.

Connor popped out to the living room, surprised to find the blond sitting up, holding the half-melted ice pack to his cheek. His eyes were on the TV, but shifted to Connor in an instant. He smiled.

“You’re still up,” Connor said needlessly. He turned from the blond, checking the front door was locked up securely. When he looked at M again, the blond was holding the ice pack out.

“All done?”

M nodded and Connor took it silently and returned it to the freezer. When he got back to the living room, M sat up even further, looking at Connor like he wanted something. Connor swallowed nervously and moved to sit beside him.

“Can I sleep with you again?” M asked suddenly.

“Sleep with me?” Connor asked dumbly. In my bed? The bed I just came in?!

“Yeah,” M said, smiling. “Please. I just want to be close to you. Like earlier.”

“Like earlier?” Connor repeated. He was just repeating shit! He felt like his brain was fucking melting! Fuck!

“I was miserable these past couple days,” M said, looking back towards the TV. His lips turned down at the corners and Connor instantly felt horrible for what he’d done... Whatever that was. “I missed you so much.”

“I was right here the whole time,” Connor said, confused.

“Yeah, but you kept your distance. And you never touched me. You could barely look at me…” M glanced nervously back at Connor and Connor felt his heart break a little. “You just keep giving me ice and I know it’s because my bruises are ugly—”

“It’s because I feel guilty and because I want your face back to normal. You’re not ugly. You’re… gorgeous,” Connor said clumsily.

M hummed with happiness. He’d had his throw blankets bunched up around his feet, but now he pushed them aside and crawled closer. Connor’s heart started pounding. He could hear his pulse beating in his ears. He was getting hot and sweaty and nervous and M was beaming at him. His beautiful green eyes hooded with lust.

M sat up on his knees, inches from Connor’s left side and he reached over to plant his hand high on Connor’s thigh. He slid his leg over Connor’s next and settled with his butt in Connor’s lap. The new position put a lot of pressure on Connor’s reawakening erection and he grit his teeth, trying to pretend he wasn’t dying to ravish M’s body.

“Oh!” M giggled, wiggling his butt over Connor’s erection as he did. He seemed to have no fucking clue what he was doing, he was just enjoying the contact.

Connor closed his eyes and summoned all his willpower. He scooped M up and lifted him off the couch. “It’s time for bed,” Connor said roughly. He had to clear his voice because it was so husky.

“Alright!” M looped his arms around Connor’s shoulders and held on for the ride.

Connor took them around the room. He turned everything off and made sure the door was locked. Then he carried M to bed.

He set the blond on the mattress before he crawled over him and laid against the wall, facing M. The boy sat up straight and looked down at him.

“You’re being weird,” Connor said. “Lay down.”

M laid down so fast, Connor’s head spun in sympathy. He tried not to laugh at the boy, but he suddenly felt pretty nervous, too. M laid there on the edge of the bed, his eyes closed tightly.

Connor sighed. “Roll on your side, like me. Facing the door.”

M peeled a single eye open to look at Connor.

“Go on, roll on your side.”

The blond did as instructed and Connor looped his arm over M’s hip. Without even thinking about it, he yanked M close and then tugged him flush to his body. M shuddered as Connor wrapped his arms around his small waist and held him tight, but Connor was too busy kissing the back of his neck to notice.

Connor, drunk with list, breathed in the scent of M’s hair. Deep pine filled Connor’s senses and he moaned with pleasure.

Then, M stiffened. Connor pulled back in a daze but he wasn’t quick enough. M suddenly reared his head back and Connor’s nose got crunched.

“Ah! Fuck!”

Connor pushed M away and rolled on his back. He cradled his nose, feeling a bit of blood leak out. Fuck, it didn’t feel broken, but it stung like a motherfucker!

He glanced over at M’s prone figure, ready to lecture him, but realized he was shaking, face down on the bed. Fuck. M was having another seizure.

Connor didn’t want M seeing blood on his face, so he flipped M onto his side and hurried to search through his closet for something to clean his nose with.

Suddenly, the bedroom door banged open and Connor whirled around to see Jack crowding into the narrow space on M’s side of the bed. The dog whined and started pawing at the edge of the mattress.

“No!” Connor cried. He grabbed a spare t-shirt from the closet and dabbed at his stinging nose, but the dog wasn’t listening. He was trying to get on the bed. “Shoo!” Connor slammed the closet door shut and got back on the bed. He pushed the dog off the mattress and hovered protectively over M. The boy’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t shaking anymore. Connor couldn’t see much else in the moonlight.

“Fuck my life,” Connor cursed. He stroked M’s pale cheeks and touched his hair. He watched the boy’s face closely for any signs of change and after a couple tense moments, the boy opened his eyes. “There you are!” He grinned with relief. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

M stared blankly up at the ceiling for a few seconds before his eyes lazily drifted down. He met Connor’s eyes.

“I had another seizure, didn’t I?”

Connor nodded.

“Fuck,” M muttered.

Connor raised an eyebrow, but M continued after a short pause.

“I don’t even know why that happened. You were just holding me. It felt nice… for a second.”

“Umm, I guess I can’t spoon you,” Connor said.

“But it felt nice. And I knew it was you behind me. But I couldn’t see your face… and I started to panic. I felt like maybe you’d close your arms around me and I wouldn’t be able to escape. I—I’m sorry. That’s so stupid. I can’t believe I said that!” M’s face filled with fear, his eyes searched Connor’s frantically. “I like you so much, Connor. I want you to hold me!”

Connor bit his lip. He laid down, a little uncomfortable with M’s scrutiny. He pulled M close to him though, and gestured for him to rest his head on Connor’s shoulder.

“Seriously, it must be the position.”

“Is that weird?”

“Uh, yeah.” Connor said. “I guess doggy style is off limits, too”

“What?”

Connor flushed. He was glad M didn’t know what he’d meant. “Nothing.”

“But you had your arms around me earlier!” M whined, his voice going up a pitch or two.

“I remember,” Connor said, but he was mostly thinking about M’s fit out in the living room. The boy didn’t like to be held from behind. He couldn’t handle having an arm around his throat either.

“So,” M prompted. “Hold me like you did earlier. Let me lay on top of you.”

Connor blinked. “That’d be a really strange way to sleep.”

“Please. Can’t we try?”

“Yeah, sure,” Connor shrugged. He waited for M to get off his shoulder and he straddled Connor’s waist and scooted down until he settled comfortably on top of him.

Connor liked the new position. His cock was happily nestled in the warm hollow of M’s belly.

“Thank you,” M whispered. He rested his head on Connor’s chest and Connor moved his hands up and laid them just above the deep and lovely curve of M’s ass.

“You’re welcome,” he said. He stroked the boy’s lower back and M sighed with pleasure, his breath tickling Connor’s exposed nipple.

The blond settled in completely, his body weight sagging into Connor’s frame. Luckily, he wasn’t very heavy and Connor played with M’s hair, curling the fine strands around his fingers as M fell deeply into slumber land.

Slowly, Connor’s eyes closed, too, and before he knew it he was sleeping as well. That night, Connor dreamed of M. He wasn’t surprised, M was definitely on his mind. He didn’t remember what the dreams were about, though. He just remembered seeing M’s sweet, smiling face...

***

Connor woke up the next morning and immediately, he started to stretch his back before he even got out of bed. He still felt sore from yesterday, but he did feel slightly better. He decided to count himself lucky and leave it at that.

M had fallen to the side at some point in the night. Their legs were still tangled together and M’s arm was draped over Connor’s middle. His head dangled off the pillow and his top half was twisted at an awkward angle. Connor carefully readjusted M into a better position.

Seriously, the next time they slept together, Connor was grabbing the other pillow off the couch. This was dumb.

He stretched some more and started to get out of bed. He glanced casually over his shoulder at the window to judge the time from the strength of the sunlight and his heart went cold with dread.

“Shit,” he moaned. He crawled over M, kicking the kid’s legs. The dog was sleeping on the narrow strip of floor again, but he already knew better than to get in the way. The dog sat up as Connor made to leap from the bed. He shifted out of the way and Connor rushed around him.

Connor had left his cell on his dresser yesterday morning before his ill-fated adventure. He spotted the little device and grabbed it up. He turned on the screen.

The battery was low, but he was able to check all his missed calls and texts.

There were a couple from Hannah. She was just checking in. Nothing important.

It was the ones from Pizza Hut that caught Connor’s attention. He’d completely forgot. He’d totally missed work yesterday.

And he really had no fucking excuse either.

“Connor?”

Connor whirled around.

M propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes sleepy. “What’s wrong?”

“I missed work yesterday,” Connor said, scrolling through his phone. “I’m not in any place to lose this job. Fuck!”

He left the room and then he turned on his heel in the hall. He marched angrily back to the bedroom and grabbed his charger off the wall. Jack cowered out of Connor’s way and M watched him with wide eyes, silent. Connor wanted them both to fuck off.

Phone and charger in hand, he went out to the living room and plugged the charger into the wall behind the armchair. He plugged the phone in and sat with it in his lap for a minute. He had to think of an excuse...

He shook his head, angry at himself and at the situation. He never missed work!

“Thank you for choosing Pizza Hut! My name is Angela. Is this going to be for pickup or delivery today?”

“Uh, it’s Connor,” he said with a sigh. “Is Tamera busy?”

“She’s not busy enough to talk to you,” Angela said sweetly. “Josh is loving all these solo nights. He’s making great tips.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Hold on a minute.”

Connor waited, digging his fingers into the fraying arms of the brown chair.

“This is Tamera.”

“Hey, it’s Connor.” He started.

“What’s up? We were looking for you last night. Did you lose your phone?”

Tamera didn’t sound furious, but her voice was guarded. She was waiting, Connor decided. She was usually nice, but she could be a tough bitch when the situation called for it. She’d ripped into lesser men than Connor, and he’d watched it happen a few times. It was pretty funny, but he’d never wished to be on receiving end of her bitch-mode.

“I did, kinda,” Connor said. “Listen, this is embarrassing but you know I live out in the sticks, right?”

“Right.”

“I like to go jogging in the mornings, to keep fit. And it’s never been a problem before but yesterday I slipped and hit my head. I lost consciousness for a while and when I woke up, I was pretty disorientated and lost. I couldn’t remember why I was in the middle of the woods.”

“Really?” Tamera sounded skeptical, but she hadn’t erupted into anger yet. Connor stuck with the stupid story, it was better than the truth.

“I dropped my phone and ended up wandering around for a couple hours,” he said. “I recently had a roommate move in, and after I’d been missing for awhile, he came out to find me. He got me home pretty late. I completely forgot about my shift. I didn’t think about my phone until this morning. I had to go out and find it before I could call you.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m really sorry, Tamera.” Connor felt dirty. He felt like he had to beg forgiveness and he wasn’t even sorry. He’d fucked up. He honestly hadn’t meant to do it. If he got screwed because of this, he’d be one huge burning tower of rage.

“Be here tonight. 4 pm, as usual,” Tamera said after a moment. “It’s Friday.”

“That’s right,” Connor said dumbly. “Ok, I’ll be there.”

“You’d better be, Connor,” Tamera said sharply. “I wouldn’t go out hiking today, if I were you.”

“Yeah, ok.”

“See you in a few hours, then.” Tamera said before she hung up.

Connor sighed and shut his phone off immediately. He left it to charge on the chair. He sighed and tried to shake off the bad feelings the call had left behind. He wandered into the kitchen and searched lazily for something to eat.

“Is everything ok?”

Connor flinched. He’d been digging around the freezer. Breakfast was going to be between waffles and frozen breakfast sandwiches, it seemed. There was nothing else. They were out of milk, too.

M stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He watched Connor with curiosity.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Connor said. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“Ok,” M said simply. He smiled sweetly and then went off into the living room.

Connor heard the TV come on and he relaxed a bit. He finally decided to make some waffles and he took the box out of the freezer.

They ate breakfast together and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon. They spent a little time cleaning up, M was on dishes and Connor did laundry.

The two boys took turns showering next and Connor reluctantly got ready for work.

While he’d been busy grooming himself, M had finished getting himself put together too. He was dressed in khakis and his green polo again. He looked sharp. His blond hair was being generous today and was lying neatly in place. Connor thought he looked adorable.

“What did you dress up for?” Connor asked him. He was taken aback. M looked like he was ready for some important first date. Not a night alone, watching TV.

“No reason,” M said, fluttering his eyelashes.

“No reason?” Connor didn’t believe that for a second. He stepped closer to M and looked the boy up and down while M started to smile coyly. Connor wanted so badly to devour the delicious blond in front of him. He bit his lip. “C’mere,” he murmured, feeling nervous and embarrassed. M’s eyes lit up bright, though, and he came to stand toe-to-toe in front of him.

“I’m here,” he said softly and Connor thought he was dead sexy right then, and crazy, horny thoughts started popping up in his head. He swallowed and gently pushed the boy towards the couch. They fell onto the cushions together and Connor wrapped his arms around the boy, burying his nose in M’s hair. He inhaled a deep breath of the fragrant locks and his cock began to perk up with interest.

M groaned with satisfaction and he snuggled deeper into Connor’s arms. “Mmm, that feels nice,” he said.

Connor pressed his lips into the curve of M’s neck and his shoulder. He could feel the boy’s heart beating. He could taste his skin on the tip of his tongue... He’d never been so close to anybody before.

M squirmed a bit and pressed himself firmly into Connor’s body. Somehow, Connor managed to get his leg up on the couch and M slid his hip against Connor’s semi-hard cock in an attempt to get closer. M made cute little noises of pleasure as he and continued rub his warm body against Connor’s erection.

“I wish you didn’t have to work tonight. If you stayed here, we could hold each other like this all night,” M murmured and then he looked up at Connor, his green eyes glowing with desire.

Connor groaned. He couldn’t take any more. If M did anything else, he’d have to flip the sexy little jerk over and see how he reacted to getting his asshole fed with cock.

“What’s wrong?” M pouted cutely, seeing the distress on his face.

“I have to… go to the bathroom,” Connor scooted back on the couch, escaping the heat and the pressure of the M’s tempting flesh. He stood on wobbly legs and adjusted himself in his jeans. His cheeks burning red with embarrassment, he ran down the hall and hid himself behind the bathroom door.

This was stupid. He’d just been in here! And now he was back, jacking off like a horny teenager.

He took care of himself quickly, spurting off into the toilet and flushing it after. He felt better at least and he washed his face with cold water and fixed his hair in the mirror. Ok, no more fucking around. He didn’t have time for another bathroom break.

He felt nervous about facing M again after that, but the boy sat calmly on the couch, the dog licking his bare knees. The boy laughed, completely oblivious that his perfect hair was now mussed, thanks to Connor and his out-of-character horniness. Whatever, Connor thought he looked even better.

M didn’t say anything, thankfully, and Connor watched the boy and his dog interact. There was some court TV playing in the background and he occasionally gave it a glance.

It was 3:30 before too long and Connor left M with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They’d run out of lunch meat, again. He made plans to get to the store this weekend.

“I’ll see you around midnight,” Connor said in farewell.

“I’ll miss you,” M said, pouting.

Connor smiled and he pet the boy’s hair. “I’ll be back soon. Just stay inside and keep the door locked. If the dog wants to go out, let him go out on his own.”

“I know,” M said.

“Alright then.” Connor looked around the house, but could see nothing preventing his departure. “You two have a good night. Be safe.”

“We’ll be fine,” M said and he smiled so brilliantly, Connor believed him.

Connor went into work after that and parked in the back as usual. He punched in the code on the back door, grabbed his Pizza Hut car topper and went back outside to put it on the Honda.

When he came back in he ran straight into Angela, the college girl who waited tables up front.

She was small and curvy. She was probably considered attractive which would explain why Josh was always going out of his way to talk to her before shift. Connor didn’t really think much of her though. They’d worked here together for maybe 2 years and Connor barely said a word to her.

She had her hands on her hips today and she looked like she was about to get bitchy.

Connor braced himself.

“Your girlfriend’s here,” she said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. It was in a ponytail, jet black, long and slinky like a snake.

Connor took his eyes off the girl’s snake like hair and gave her a questioning look.

“Your girlfriend? The bleach-blonde?” Angela rolled her eyes and then sighed when Connor continued to keep his silence. “You’d better hurry up! Chad wants to clock out and I know Tamera doesn’t want to put up with any bullshit from you today.”

“Fuck off.” Connor snapped. What the hell did I do to you?”

“Dude, we were slammed last night. David started fucking up the pizzas. Josh switched some orders up and we had these assholes in the dining room starting World War III over an expired coupon, for a deal we don’t even have anymore!”

Connor brushed past the girl and her anger. She squawked something or other, but Connor didn’t even bother to listen. He went through the kitchen, getting a few curious looks from his coworkers as he passed. Tamera was back in the office, luckily, so Connor wasn’t forced to deal with her yet.

He pushed through the swinging doors and spotted Hannah immediately. The girl was perched at the bar with a glass of Pepsi in front of her. She was wearing an outfit Connor had never seen her in before; a blue skirt and a white fitted blouse with a cardigan over it. Her hair was pinned back neatly and the only thing missing was a pair of glasses and a red grading pen.

Fuck. She looked like a teacher.

Connor shuffled up to the girl, getting her attention as he closed in on the bar.

The dining room wasn’t very busy at the moment and Hannah was alone at the bar. She smiled and patted the seat beside her. Connor sat obediently.

“It’s nice to see you,” Hannah said cordially.

“You too,” Connor said. “You look nice.”

“Thanks,” Hannah plucked at her skirt. “My mom took me shopping.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for a couple days now. You never seem to want to answer my texts. You guys must be pretty busy.”

Connor glanced over at the girl, sensing a hint of an accusation in her voice. She was smiling pleasantly though. And now that Connor really looked at her, he noticed she was wearing more makeup than usual. Her lips were vibrant red and she had eyeliner rimming her eyes. Her cheeks were pinker than usual, she’d probably painted that on as well.

“We’re not busy,” Connor said. “I actually got hurt yesterday when I was out for my morning run. I dropped my phone and it’s a miracle I even managed to get home. I got so turned around yesterday, I had no idea which way was up.”

Hannah’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I went back for my phone this morning. I missed work last night too, so I had to call my boss and explain why I was a no-call, no-show last night. I just left the phone on the charger when she finished lecturing me—”

“Oh, Connor.”

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry I missed your texts. What did you say?”

Hannah’s lips thinned and she got a serious look about her. “So, I didn’t find any records on our Michael Thomas. I searched the whole country.”

“What about Canada? Or hell, I don’t know, Mexico? Can you access their records?”

Hannah shrugged. “I thought of that, too. I’ll have to dedicate some time to learning how to do research like this. I’m sure, as I start searching outside the US, that I’ll run into some language barriers.”

Connor nodded. He didn’t even know how to find people on Facebook. He was glad for her help.

“So,” Hannah looked at him pointedly. “Ask me how my first week went.”

“Oh! How did your first week go?” Connor asked lamely. He figured it had been fine. He actually hadn’t thought to ask Hannah this very obvious question. She was usually good at things, and accomplished stuff easier than others. It had quickly stopped being a surprise to see her succeed.

“It’s great!” Hannah said excitedly, and Connor wasn’t surprised. “The kids are so excited to learn! I can see it in their eyes,” she continued. “They call me Miss Hannah. We’re all best friends already.”

Connor smiled. “That’s awesome.”

The young school teacher glowed with pride. “Thanks Connor.”

He shrugged. He’d been forced to ask the question. He didn’t know why he deserved any thanks.

Hannah was smiling at him though, seemingly impressed. She leaned closer and put her hand on his thigh. She squeezed his leg suggestively, and Connor found himself looking into her eyes. Her dark brown, hypnotic stare bore deeply into his and left him paralyzed under the demanding weight of it.

She leaned in and kissed Connor and Connor instantly felt like he was cheating, and maybe he was. Either way, the kiss was unpleasant and he spent the duration of the wet ordeal wondering how many of his coworkers were watching.

When Hannah broke the kiss, Connor glanced towards the swinging doors.

David’s, Chad’s and Tamera’s faces crowded the two little round windows on the top half of the doors. They ducked out of sight the instant Connor looked their way, but it didn’t matter. He’d seen the bastards...

“I should probably get to work. I’m already in trouble,” Connor mumbled.

“Shoot,” Hannah said, but she didn’t sound very upset. Connor resisted the urge to glare at her.

The swinging doors flew open and Angela bustled out into the dining room. She spared Connor and Hannah a quick glare, but she didn’t bother them.

“I have to go,” Connor said, getting off his barstool.

“Wait! While I got you here, I wanted to ask if you and M would be interested in coming out with me Sunday night.”

“What for?”

“To celebrate the end of my first week, duh. We could go tonight or Saturday, but you work. So, let’s celebrate the day on Sunday. Just the three of us.” Hannah said. “I can give M the level two reading books and we can all have a chance to get out of the house and have a little fun.”

Connor usually hated all of Hannah’s ideas for dates and ‘nights out’, but he felt weirdly obligated to at least ask for details.

“What did you have planned?”

“Just some dinner and dessert. We can go back to my place for some drinks and a movie.”

“You know I don’t drink,” Connor said. “And do we really want to give M a taste for alcohol?”

“What?” Hannah snorted. “Oh, c’mon. I’ll make you a coffee. I’ll make M a hot chocolate. I said drinks!”

“Drinks usually means alcoholic ones.” Connor sneered.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “C’mon. I’ll pick you guys up around 7:30. Sunday night.”

Connor folded his arms over his chest and tried not to frown as he ran over a quick list of pros and cons. He really didn’t know if he wanted to accept Hannah’s offer. Connor wasn’t sure he wanted Hannah and M together again, not since he and M had started kissing.

Oh god.

Angela appeared from the far aisle with a tray full of empty glasses. She nudged the swinging doors open with her hip and took everything to the back. She would dump everything near the dishwasher where it would sit until Connor went to take care of the mess.

He glared after the snaky waitress, but Hannah was still waiting for an answer.

Connor really wanted her to leave. Hannah’s little visit today was much more embarrassing than her usual ones. The only thing holding Hannah back though was Connor’s answer and he felt his resolve split in two.

“Sure,” he said. He forced a smile onto his face. “I’m sure M would love to go.”

Hannah furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? Of course he’d love to go. He loves leaving the house, doesn’t he?”

“Of course.” Connor said.

“I’ve got to see this dog,” Hannah said, laughing just a little too loudly. Angela came out from the kitchen again, glaring at them pointedly this time. She went off to seat a couple who’d just wandered in the front door.

“Alright then,” Connor said, feeling very tense and pressured.

“I’ll see you Sunday,” Hannah said and she leaned in for another kiss. Connor nearly threw up in her mouth, he was so nervous and uneasy. Hannah spared him a sloppy, open mouth kiss and when she pulled away she wiped the residue of her red lipstick from Connor’s lips with her thumb.

Connor was embarrassed, but just glad not to be wearing makeup anymore.

“Bye baby,” Hannah said and she took one last, deep sip off her soda before she got up and left.

Connor watched until she left the restaurant, then he leaned over the bar and buried his face in his hands.

“We need you to clock in.”

Connor jumped and turned to see the little snake-haired waitress glaring at him, moody as hell. He growled at her and grabbed Hannah’s glass of pop. He took it into the back and launched it into one of the deep, stainless steel sinks. There was a loud splash and a series of dramatic clatters as the thick plastic glass bounced around.

“Connor!” Tamera was on him in an instant. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the back office.

He glowered at the woman. His hands clenched into fists, ready for a fight.

“What is with the attitude, Connor?” Tamera asked. She released his arm and scowled right back at him. They faced each other in the tiny back office. It was a cramped area. Tamera was backed into the desk chair and Connor stood across from her, the filing cabinet digging into his hip.

“Angela’s being a bitch to me,” Connor snapped. “She needs to stay away from me.”

Tamera looked highly unimpressed, but she hollered for the waitress. Connor cringed and crossed his arms.

Angela appeared shortly, her eyes flickering to Connor before she even addressed the boss.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Leave Connor alone. He’s a special little shit and he doesn’t want to feel like he inconvenienced anyone or broke any rules.”

Connor ground his teeth together while Angela stared at him. A little smile tickled the edges of her mouth. It looked like she was enjoying this, way too fucking much.

In that moment, Connor hated all the women in his life. He couldn’t believe how close he was to losing his shit. This was a test. A stupid horrible test. He couldn’t lose it and if he did, Tamera would happily toss him out on his ear.

“Sorry Connor, “Angela said, straight-faced.

He shook his head, disgusted. “Fine. Thanks. Can I clock in and get to work?”

“Be my guest,” Tamera said sarcastically and Connor marched out of the room at top speed, back to the dispatch computer where he clocked in and finally got his bank for the evening.

He went directly to dishes and was only stopped once to make a delivery. When he got back to the store, minutes before Josh was due to arrive, Connor hopped back on dishes.

Josh showed up not even 5 minutes later. He smiled gratefully when he saw Connor in the back, elbow deep in dirty pizza pans.

“Hey! Glad you made it in,” Josh called over to him.

“Yeah. Sorry about last night,” Connor said flatly.

“It happens, I guess,” Josh laughed. “What happened again? You hit your head and got amnesia?”

Connor rolled his eyes. Fucking Tamera. Of course, she’d spread his stupid story around. She’d just wanted to know how phony Connor sounded. Was his excuse a normal, lazy kind of bullshit, or was it the crazy, insane type?

“Yeah, I cracked my head and got a little turned around. My hair’s hiding the bump. But it’s a pretty good one.”

Josh looked up at Connor’s hat, but didn’t ask for him to take it off.

“I heard your girlfriend stopped by,” Josh said after a moment and Connor turned away from the other boy with a scowl. Josh laughed and left Connor alone.

***

Connor got home just before midnight and knocked on the door before he slid the key into the lock. He was trying not to startle the kid, but when he came in, it looked like he’d failed horribly.

M sat up stock straight. His eyes were wide open and his hair was skewed to the right of his face. He had pillow marks on his cheek.

Connor laughed. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok,” M smiled and then a yawn split his face in two.

Connor locked up behind himself. The boy was already making room for him on the couch and Connor eagerly went to join him. He put an arm around the boy and M leaned his head against Connor’s chest. Both of them sighed. The relief was palpable and it brought a smile to Connor’s face. He was glad to be home.

The dog watched them from the floor. He was sprawled out on his stomach and looked comfortable. Jack licked his lips and laid his head down between his paws.

“How were you guys tonight?” Connor asked.

“Fine.” M said simply. “Nothing interesting happened.”

“Good.” Connor felt better, knowing the boy had managed to have a decent night.

“How was work?” The blond asked.

“Shitty. I’m glad it’s over.”

“Hmm.”

Connor had debated on the ride home whether or not he should tell M about Hannah’s visit. He didn’t want to make the boy jealous or anything, but… “Hannah came to see me at work.”

M’s face instantly soured. “What did she want?”

“She wants to hang out with us Sunday night. She said she’d take us out for dinner and we could probably watch movies at her house afterwards,” he said.

M wrinkled his nose with distaste. “I don’t want to go.”

Connor snorted. “I actually told her you might not want to come. “

“Of course, I’d like to try new foods! And I like watching movies. But not if it means I have to watch her kiss you all night.”

Connor sighed. “Yeah.”

M looked at Connor critically. “Did she kiss you when she came to visit today?”

Connor hesitated for a moment. “Yes,” he said eventually.

M frowned. “That’s not fair.”

Connor bit his lips. They were on fire, actually. Fuck, he’d never felt like this before. Like he had a set of guilty lips!

“I wish you wouldn’t go to dinner with her either,” M said. “She’ll just kiss you again. And you’ll let her, I’ll bet.”

Connor hung his head.

“Maybe you should tell her about us,” M said.

“It doesn’t matter, M,” Connor said quickly. “So what if she kisses me. I don’t like it anyway. I’d rather kiss you. I just want to keep my tongue in my mouth.”

“That isn’t funny!” M cried. “You’re making a joke out of it!”

Connor sighed. “Hardly. I was just telling the truth.”

M flushed bright red and looked away.

“This is the first time I’ve seen her in a week. And the last time I saw her? We stood out on the lawn and argued.”

“And you kissed her too. I remember that day,” M said glumly.

Connor sighed and shook his head. “Kissing isn’t the only thing couples do together, you know.”

“I know that,” M said indignantly.

“Actually, I’m pretty sure you don’t,” Connor said frankly. “Listen, if we keep going the way we are, we’ll figure out a way to be… intimate. And then you’ll see. That a kiss isn’t really anything to get jealous over.”

M gave him an incredulous look and Connor sighed. He leaned closer, picking M up with ease and pulling him onto his lap. M made a cranky little face. He didn’t believe Connor. That sex was a hell of a lot more personal and touchy feely than a kiss. Connor couldn’t wait to prove him wrong.

“How about we go to bed?” Connor asked.

“Don’t you need to shower first?” M sniffed Connor critically. “You smell good. But I think I may try to eat you in my sleep.”

Connor laughed and let the blond slide off his lap. “If you can’t control yourself, I can’t let you sleep in my bed anymore.”

“I promise to be good!” M giggled. “I won’t eat you, yummy pizza man! I promise!”

Connor smiled. “I’ll hold you to that now. So, if I wake up with a piece of me missing, I’ll know who to kick out of my bed.”

M squealed with laughter. It was really a goofy joke, but M was adorable and Connor was enjoying the sound of his happiness. He liked the look of it too. M was a gorgeous boy.

Connor stood up to start his nightly rounds. “I guess I will get a shower,” he said, grabbing M’s pillow. He gestured for the boy to follow him. M already had his PJs on. “You can get the bed warmed up for us,” he said, leading the way into the bedroom. He tossed the extra pillow towards the bed and stopped to grab some sleep pants for himself to change into.

“Ok,” M said and he smiled sweetly at Connor in the dark little bedroom.

Connor was struck again by the boy’s beauty. He could really get used to this...

He started to leave the room, but nearly tripped over Jack, who was trying to butt his way into the bedroom. Connor snorted and let the dog through. He’d be back to claim his place in the bed. He wasn’t worried.

This was a first for Connor, having to share his bedroom on the regular, but he actually liked it better this way. He hurried into the bathroom and stripped out of his work clothes. He left everything for later, he just jumped in the shower and rinsed off. He wanted to get back to bed. He wanted M’s warm arms to slide around him. He wanted M’s soft body pressed against his. He couldn’t wait to have another dream about the beautiful blond waiting in his bed.

The shower ended up taking longer than Connor had intended. He took few extra moments to jerk himself to orgasm. This was becoming a habit now, too. Before this, Connor hadn’t felt much in the libido department. He’d always suspected something was wrong with him. He’d felt so numb below the belt.

But he felt alive now… With M in his arms, in his thoughts, in his dreams…

Connor was rapidly moving into territory he’d never explored before. Love, sex and romance in general was, if not new, then completely foreign to him. Clearly, M wasn’t entirely ready for the newest chapter in their relationship either. The unexplainable seizures were annoying and definitely holding them back, but Connor was willing to accept the weirdness for now, because he was enjoying himself more than he ever had before.

They’d both have to keep learning to adjust… but in the meantime… Connor ejaculated to the image of the sultry blond waiting for him in the other room. Then he turned off the shower, dried off and headed to bed.