Connor got out of the shower, dried off and moved to stand naked in front of the sink. It was Sunday. The day Hannah had planned for them all to go out and celebrate the beginning of her teaching career. He was planning on going alone though. He and M hadn’t talked about it once since Connor had made the announcement.

Things were good between them lately besides that. They got along, they talked, watched TV and spent time together doing normal household chores. At night, when Connor came home from work, they spent time cuddling on the couch. They were still making a habit out of sleeping together, too.

It was pleasant.

But Connor had been dreading this day. He knew Hannah was expecting him to come and celebrate her. She thought he loved her and he did, in his own way and definitely not in a romantic one. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he wanted to hurt M even less. He liked what they were doing together. He liked being with him, and he knew M felt betrayed whenever he chose Hannah over him and Connor was starting to feel bad about it.

It wasn’t a joke anymore, he had the power to hurt M by giving his affection to someone else. This shit was completely alien to Connor but he couldn’t go on ignoring it anymore.

But the thought of admitting his new relationship with M to Hannah paralyzed Connor with fear. He knew he’d be abandoned once his true feelings were bared to the world. And then he’d end up alone.

Connor studied his reflection as he went over his options. Hannah would be here in less than twenty minutes, but maybe he should call and cancel the whole thing. Hannah would no doubt be disappointed but her frustration wouldn’t even come close to the heart crushing despair she’d feel if she knew why. And that’s what Connor was avoiding. The truth.

The bathroom door crept open just a tad and Connor shifted his gaze, thinking he’d spot the dog nosing into the room.

M was standing in the hallway though, watching Connor curiously through the crack in the door. Connor opened it fully and smiled at the boy. M’s cheeks pinkened and he shyly looked away.

“What are you doing?” Connor drawled.

“Watching you,” M muttered.

“I can see that,” Connor snorted. “See anything interesting?” He turned to face M fully and the boy took the unspoken offer at once, raking his eyes over Connor’s naked body. Connor felt a spark of surprised pleasure shoot down to his dick. It was hanging free and unsupported between his legs and he could feel it growing under M’s intent stare.

He turned away as his cock thickened with arousal. He thought nervously about wrapping a towel around his bare waist but what was the point? M had seen everything and he was still ogling Connor, staring at his ass and the strong muscles in his back.

“You’re getting ready to go out with Hannah, aren’t you?” M asked dryly and Connor forgot about covering up.

“Um, yeah,” he said. “You didn’t want to come, right?” He glanced over his shoulder and caught M staring down at his ass intently. M looked up, meeting Connor’s gaze. They stared at each other until Connor had to look away, he felt so awkward and embarrassed. His cock was still growing long, filling with blood, straining for a resolution to the sexual tension floating in the air. It was maddening.

“Well,” Connor said uncomfortably. “She’ll be here soon. I’ve got to shave and get dressed.”

Again, M didn’t say anything. He stood in silence, watching.

Feeling like he was moving in slow motion, Connor lathered his face up with shaving cream and sheared his 5 o’clock shadow off. He poured his attention into the simple task and hoped his erection would go away, but every time he looked in the mirror, he could see M standing behind him watching. Every time he bent to wash his face off, he knew he was giving M a nice view of his ass. Every time he stood up straight again he knew his cock, which hadn’t given up, was as hard as a rock. It was pointing straight up at the ceiling, bobbing and swinging in the air.

Connor finished as quickly as he could and cleaned his face off. He had to get some fucking clothes on before Hannah got here and saw this bullshit! Fuck! He grabbed his deodorant and slathered it on. He snatched up the fancy bottle of cologne Hannah had got for him one Christmas and he spritzed it on as an afterthought

Connor thought he’d slip out of the bathroom and grab some clothes, but it wasn’t that simple.

M completely blocked the door to the hallway and his shyness seemed to be rapidly disappearing. Connor’s, however, wasn’t.

Connor had never been exposed like this in front of M before. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking when he’d so confidently pushed the door open so he could face M in the nude. His erection was directly contradicting him, though, and his mind, which had rapidly been reduced to a muddle of confused thoughts, was now in an uproar.

Unfortunately, Connor figured he probably deserved this embarrassment. He’d checked M’s body out several times now without the kid even knowing. This seemed like some sort of fucked up justice. Retribution, in a way, for trying to satisfy two romantic interests at once. Connor needed to stop being such a selfish, cowardly prick and come clean.

“You smell good,” M said and he sniffed the air. His eyes clouded and he swayed a little closer into Connor’s personal space.

“Thanks,” Connor grunted. “It’s cologne.”

M peeked up into Connor’s eyes and stepped a little closer. He pressed his forehead against Connor’s broad chest and slowly his hands came up and gripped Connor’s bare hips.

“I don’t want you to go,” he said quietly. His breath ghosted hotly against Connor’s skin. “I want you to stay naked here with me…”

Connor groaned and collected M into his arms. He pulled the boy flush up against his overly excited cock and buried his face in the blond’s soft hair, breathing him in desperately. He didn’t want to go either, his thoughts were rushing. He didn’t know what to do.

In the other room, Connor heard his phone start going off. “Shit,” he cursed, then he took M’s shoulders and physically moved him out of the way. He rushed down the hall and into the other room and found his phone on the armchair with the screen lit up merrily. He grabbed it up. “Hello?”

“Hey.” It was Hannah, of course. She sounded normal, cheerful even. “You ok? You sound funny.”

“Yeah, I just got out of the shower.”

“Well, hurry it up! I’m almost there,” Hannah chuckled. “I just passed Pizza Hut. I’ll see you in 5 minutes, ok?”

Connor was shocked into silence. He nodded dumbly a few times before he managed to choke out a response. “O-ok.”

Hannah let him go and Connor stood in the middle of the living room, naked and with his erection finally flagging. Thank god.

M loomed at the end of the hallway. “Was that Hannah?”

“She’ll be here any minute.”

M sulked in silence. Connor felt a wave of guilt roll over him. He should have told Hannah to turn around and head home just now. He’d barely been able to say ‘ok’, but he should have done something, dammit!

“I left sandwiches in the fridge,” he said instead. “And give the dog a treat after his last potty break. He already ate dinner.”

M nodded solemnly and he moved aside without a word when Connor pushed past him to get dressed.

In the bedroom, Connor put on a t-shirt, ripped jeans and his favorite leather coat. He went back out into the living room to find his boots when headlights washed through the little front window. Jack barked from the kitchen. He came flying out from the back of the trailer, blustering and irritated.

“Calm down. It’s only Hannah.” M crouched down and gathered the dog into his arms. Jack licked his face but his tail wouldn’t stop wagging. Connor hurried to tug on his boots. He tied them quickly and then got up to open the door.

Hannah had just parked her Prius. She waved and bounced out of the front seat. “Hey!” she called cheerfully before ducking into the back. She emerged momentarily, her arms laden with shopping bags.

“Do you need help?” Connor called.

“Hold the door.” Hannah nudged the back door shut with her hip and hurried around to the front of the trailer. “Make room.”

Connor flattened himself against the door and Hannah bustled past him.

“Grrrrrr.”

Hannah stopped dead in her tracks as Jack stepped in front of her, growling. Her shopping bags swayed dramatically around her.

“So… this is the new dog?” Hannah asked nervously.

“M!” Connor hissed. “Shut him up!”

“Jack, stop it,” M cooed to the dumb animal and luckily, Jack sniffed and deflated under M’s admonishing tone.

“He’s…cute.” Hannah edged around M who held the dog with an arm around his neck.

“His name’s Jack,” M said proudly.

“He won’t hurt you,” Connor said quickly. “He hasn’t hurt either of us yet, anyway.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Hannah laughed humorlessly. She finally made it to the couch and she dumped the bags.

“What all did you bring?” Connor asked.

Hannah smiled and started emptying the bags. The first two were full of clothes, a couple hoodies, t-shirts, and warmer pants. “I had time to check out the thrift shop again. I found some fall clothes for M. Here, you should wear one of these tonight.” Hannah looked at the options before throwing a red hoodie M’s way. “That’ll look nice,” she said.

M caught the hoodie in mid-air. He studied the garment for a moment before putting it on. He wore jeans, a simple black tee, and now a red Abercrombie hoodie.

Hannah put the clothes aside. “I bought more books for you too, M,” she said, looking through the next large bag.

“Cool,” M mumbled. He laced his fingers through Jack’s fur and pulled a glum face. Connor glanced at him, but M avoided his gaze.

“I got you guys a couple things from the store, too. I bet you’re starving, aren’t you?”

Connor shrugged. He hadn’t made it to the store yet, so... “Both of us know how to make sandwiches,” he said.

Hannah laughed. She took a couple bags into the kitchen and started unpacking them on the counter. She pulled out a half gallon of milk, eggs, bread, and cereal. Connor stopped watching her after that. She’d never had any trouble making herself at home.

“Shouldn’t you see where she’s putting the food?” M hissed.

Connor glanced at the boy, raising an eyebrow. “Uh, no. She knows where everything goes.”

M frowned and aggressively rubbed the dog behind the ear.

Connor didn’t know what that was about, so he left it alone. He got his wallet and keys, and pocketed his cell phone. M would take care of the books and the clothes on the couch and hopefully, Jack would keep M safe. He didn’t want to do this, but everything would be fine. It would be over soon.

“We can either try the new Mexican restaurant near campus or we can go to the old Italian place closer to my mom’s house,” Hannah said as she finished up in the kitchen and came to join Connor. She put a hand on his shoulder and very determinedly drew Connor in for a kiss. Connor kept his eyes on Hannah, but he could feel M’s gaze searing a hole through his flesh.

“What’s it going to be?” Hannah asked, beaming. “Mexican or Italian?”

“It’s your special night,” Connor said graciously. He felt awkward, really. Hannah’s arms were looped around his neck. She’d never ended their embrace. M’s glare burned like hot coals from across the room and Connor wondered when Hannah would notice. She would probably ask questions and Connor wasn’t sure if M would keep his mouth shut.

“Are you asking me to pick?” Hannah laughed and Connor realized he’d been standing motionless and silent for several seconds, paralyzed with fear.

“Uh, yeah. We’re celebrating your new career, so you should pick,” Connor said.

Hannah smiled. “I really want to try the new Mexican place. We’ve been to the Italian restaurant a million times.”

“Guess we’re having tacos, then,” Connor smiled weakly back.

Hannah hugged Connor and then laid another kiss on his lips. M was right. Hannah would be kissing him all night. It was a good thing he wasn’t coming. This was all a huge mistake. But at least M wouldn’t have to witness it.

Now, Connor just had to get Hannah out the door quietly, without M blabbing their private business or calling Hannah a nasty name, or god forbid, asking to come along.

“Why don’t you go warm up the car. I’ll be out in a minute,” Connor said to the girl when she released Connor’s lips at last.

“I’m not sure it’s that cold out yet,” Hannah giggled. “But whatever. C’mon M, let’s go warm up the car.”

Connor bit his lip hard. His plan had failed utterly and now he had to come up with an excuse fast and—

M got up. He pulled the zipper up on his new hoodie and he stepped around the dog.

“You be good,” M said to Jack as he passed. But without another word, or another look in Connor’s direction, M followed Hannah out to the car.

Connor gaped after the two of them. Motherfucker! There was no way this was going to be good…. He stood back in the trailer for a couple minutes, absolutely dreading the night stretching out before him. Jack whimpered and Connor turned to the dog immediately, startled by the high-pitched sound.

“You should have bit Hannah when she walked in the door,” Connor said to the dog, but Jack looked far from chastised. He sat with his tongue hanging out, looking pouty and bored.

Connor sighed and left the trailer. His heart in his throat, Connor went to join the other two in the Prius.

“Hope you don’t mind,” Hannah said through a crack in the passenger window as Connor approached. “M called shotgun.”

Connor peered through the window. M was sitting in the front seat and again, he completely avoided Connor’s gaze. “It’s cool,” Connor said awkwardly, then he reached for the back door, and he slid inside.

Hannah rolled up M’s window before she turned her car around in the gravel and drove away from the trailer. She was heading for the highway, so they had to drive through town, first. Connor folded his arms and leaned stiffly against the back window, gazing out at the trees as they passed. He wished he’d picked the Italian restaurant. At least it was closer.

“So, my first week was incredible,” Hannah started as they reached the end of the drive and turned down Woods Trail. “I stuck to my lesson plan, the kids were well-mannered and polite, and I even managed to have a good hair day for three days in a row!”

“Wow,” Connor said. He glanced at the back of Hannah’s head, but the bleached blonde locks looked exactly the same as they always did.

“Right? My hair never behaves in the morning,” Hannah giggled. “But I found this new serum that’s done miracles…”

Connor tried his best to tune Hannah out as they passed the shitty apartments. He was already sick of the conversation. He wanted to go back to the trailer where it was quiet and peaceful. All he needed was M and his bed. The fantasy distracted him as Hannah continued to drive, chatting endlessly about school and her internship.

It must have been a good ten minutes before Connor tuned back into the conversation. They were on Main Street and Connor looked up moodily as his Pizza Hut passed them on the right. He could sense the place like one could sense a bad storm brewing on the horizon.

“Oh, look M. There’s Connor’s Pizza Hut,” Hannah pointed out as they passed the restaurant. M had been keeping his silence up until this point, but he peered through the window when the building passed, looking with interest.

“Wow,” he said. “It’s so tiny. How many people work in there?”

“Don’t you ever take M out?” Hannah asked with a laugh. She glanced over her shoulder at Connor, giving him an admonishing look. “You should show him around more.”

“I don’t go out. It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose.” Connor shrugged. “I’m not keeping him hostage.”

Hannah tisked.

“I go outside,” M said. “Connor takes me for walks and I play with Jack in the yard.”

“Ok.” Hannah said. “But I meant, out as in ‘out to town’. You should see new places and people and things,” Hannah said while Connor rolled his eyes.

“The world is overrated,” Connor scowled just as M said; “Speak for yourself. I’m happy at the trailer.”

Hannah met Connor’s eyes in the rearview mirror with purpose. “For now…”

Connor shook his head. He was totally helpless here. He couldn’t stop Hannah from lecturing them. He couldn’t stop M from telling everybody that he and Connor were literally sleeping together. All he could do was watch the shitshow unfold.

Oh god.

Connor sank back into the back seat and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He tried not to, but it was nearly impossible not to listen to the strangely veiled bickering in the front. Both M and Hannah were being polite and pleasant, but M clearly disagreed with pretty much every observation Hannah made about their lives together. She went on about the food, the environment, the lack of mental stimulation. Whatever. M disagreed with everything she had to say. The tension in the car was slowly rising and Connor felt sick.

Finally, they hit the highway and Hannah sped up significantly. She seemed irritated all of a sudden.

“Fine. So, can you two tell me what you’ve been up to?” Hannah asked as they sped toward campus. “Connor’s always too busy to answer my calls and texts. I’m pretty curious… What’s got my boyfriend’s attention snared so firmly?”

“We watch a lot of TV,” Connor said quickly before M could say anything. Hannah’s head didn’t turn, she stared straight ahead into traffic, but Connor knew she’d heard because she immediately scoffed.

“Great.”

“What’s wrong with TV?” M asked.

“What’s wrong with it?” Hannah snorted. “It’s what’s killing education across the country. Nobody wants to go to school and actually learn something when they think they can watch something on the History Channel and get the same level of education.”

“We watch the news,” Connor pointed out.

“Oh, those fake stories about celebrities, sports and political propaganda?”

Connor sighed. They weren’t going to win.

“Please tell me you guys do other things besides TV.”

“Why? Are we in trouble if we don’t?” M muttered and Hannah gaped at him, but M had his face turned toward his window and he stared resolutely at the passing landscape.

“Please, let’s just talk about work,” Connor said.

“Work? When have we ever talked about work?” Hannah scoffed again. “Are you guys alright? Is everything ok?”

“Yes, Hannah, everything’s fine,” Connor said forcefully.

“Well, I think something weird’s going on and you guys are keeping it a secret.”

Connor didn’t know what to say. M kept his silence, too.

“M’s being stalked, right? Did something else happen?”

Connor hesitated. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

Hannah glared at Connor in the rearview mirror. “You completely failed.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve got everything under control. You’re already helping with your research—”

“What research?” M interrupted, looking away from the window at last.

Hannah glanced nervously at M. Both their faces glowed in the blue light coming off the dashboard. The sun had almost completely set since they’d gotten on the highway and the lanes were lit by headlight.

“We’re just checking around to make sure you don’t have any family looking for you,” Hannah said. “Now that we know your real name—”

“Michael?” M sneered.

“Thomas,” Connor finished for him.

M huffed. “That is not my name.”

“Well, not now,” Hannah said. “We call you M—”

“I’m not Michael Thomas! That guy that called me that…? He’s insane!”

“And who is that guy?” Connor prodded. “The guy in black?”

M spun around and glared at Connor. “I don’t fucking know!”

Hannah hissed. “Watch your language.”

“I’m not a baby!” M cried. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

Hannah shook her head. She pulled off the highway and Connor realized they’d reached their exit.

Campus sprawled before them. The school was in the middle of a small city and the buildings were newer and dispersed between residential zones. Right off the highway was a huge tower of apartments. Connor had stayed there for maybe a year fresh out of his dad’s place. He’d hated it. The small cramped quarters, the constant noise of partying, the lack of privacy… just seeing the student housing wound Connor’s nerves up tight.

As the car moved through traffic, an uncomfortable quiet filled the air. Hanna’s pop music dominated the sound waves and grated on Connor’s already thin nerves.

“See that street? Me and my roomies live down there.”

“Hmm,” M muttered.

They went through another intersection, driving deeper into campus.

“That’s the library. And that’s the psych building… Connor and I met there,” Hannah said.

M said nothing. Connor kept his mouth shut, too.

“Oh, look Connor! That’s the new architecture building. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”

Connor glanced at the building. He didn’t remember it being there when he’d attended, not that he gave a fuck. It was a fancy mess of lines and windows. The building was lit up inside and it glowed across a lawn of green grass.

Connor didn’t say anything though. What was he supposed to say? He didn’t care about the architecture building.

“Jeez, you guys,” Hannah sniffed. “Can you at least pretend I’m not the last person you wanted to see today?”

Connor sighed. “C’mon Hannah, it’s not like that.”

“It feels like you hate me,” Hannah said and Connor stared at her face in the soft blue light. Her brows scrunched together in an angry line. Her lips sloped downwards with displeasure.

“I don’t. And neither does M,” Connor said, glad when M stayed quiet. The boy looked disinterestedly out the window. “I ah… I just think it’d be easier if we didn’t talk about the important stuff tonight. This is supposed to be a fun night, right?”

Hannah smiled a little. “Right.”

Luckily, they were able to leave it at that. Hannah didn’t force any more info on them, and M and Connor were able to look freely at the sights that interested them.

“This is it, guys,” Hannah said after they drove onwards a couple minutes more. Finally, Connor managed to drag up some curiosity and he checked out the restaurant.

Connor wasn’t a fan of Mexican food. He didn’t like spicy stuff and peppers gave him the runs. So, he wasn’t feeling very confident as he studied the neon La Terraza sign in front of the trendy little café. The place was packed. The parking lot was a sea of vehicles.

Hannah pulled up to the front of the restaurant. “Go in and get us a table for three,” she said, begging Connor with her pleading brown eyes.

Connor sighed and got out of the car. He definitely didn’t want to go in alone, but it was the only thing that made sense. The place was busy. They should hurry and get a table.

Hannah gave Connor a cautious smile through the window, then she drove off, steering into the parking area. Connor watched the Prius disappear into the sea of cars. He hoped she would hurry up. He really didn’t like the idea of M and Hannah being alone together for any amount of time.

He tried to stop stressing out. Instead, he turned and hurried into the building.

The lobby was packed with a bunch of young people and Connor had to push his way through a throng of waiting college kids to get to the wait stand. One of the hostesses led a large party of girls through to the bar area as he approached.

“Hey,” Connor said to the young hostess with fiery red hair. She was organizing some menus and she flinched and looked up quickly at the sound of Connor’s voice.

“Oh, hello! Welcome to La Terraza. How many—”

“Three,” Connor said.

“Alright.” The redhead moved the menus into a rack under the stand. “Just a sec…”

Someone bumped into Connor from behind and he careened into the hostess. “Seriously?” he snapped, looking behind him, but nobody would meet his eyes. Nobody was owning up to the random shove. “Shit…sorry about that,” he said awkwardly to the redhead.

“It’s fine,” the girl said as she looked through her seating arrangements. “Actually, I’m new. I’m training tonight,” she said in a soft voice. “Sorry for the delay.”

Connor sighed and tried to draw the anger vibrating inside him further down into his gut. The crowd wasn’t this girl’s fault. “It’s okay,” he said evenly.

“Um… my co-worker will be back in just a minute. Wait…no, what’s the name you’d like to put down?”

“Flynn, I guess.”

The redhead jotted his name down in the corner of the chart. “We’ll have a table ready in 20 minutes.”

Connor nodded solemnly. That wasn’t too bad, especially with the size of the crowd. Still, the wait was going to suck, and Connor grimly pushed his way back through the group and went to hang out by the door.

As he stood by the door, a small group of girls and boys came in the entrance. Connor edged further into the corner, nearly backing into a tall potted plant they had filling the empty space.

The dull murmur of a hundred different conversations filled the room. The crowd teamed with energy. There was maybe 30 some college kids waiting for tables, but the amount felt overwhelming to Connor.

“Britany! Party of eight!” Chimed a voice over the intercom.

Some guy over by the benches whooped. His exclamation was met with a gale of laughter. A large group of kids got up and started snaking through the crowd. The mass of people shifted and morphed and there was a bit of relief as the large group of people were led into the restaurant. Connor’s relief was short lived though. He wondered how many people were back there and he started to sweat. There would be no relief from the crowd. It was only going to get worse….

Suddenly, Hannah and M came in the front door.

Connor popped his hand up to be seen but neither of his…lovers…spotted him. They both gawked at the crowd, taking it in, searching through the mix of faces.

Connor gathered up the courage to shout. “M!”

The blond finally looked in Connor’s direction. He smiled a little, his lips curving softly. He tugged on Hannah’s arm and the girl beside him twisted around until she spotted Connor as well. The two of them moved to join Connor in the corner.

“Did you put our names in?” Hannah asked at once.

“Yep. She said 20 minutes.”

Hannah nodded and looked around the lobby. “It’s awfully busy for a Sunday night.”

“Everyone in fucking town is here,” Connor agreed.

“Who are all these people?” M said, looking around with bright green eyes.

Neither Hannah nor M seemed to be affected by the crowd or the dull roar of their incessant conversation. Connor’s ears rang and he wanted to plug them with his fingers. He didn’t. But he was thinking about it.

“They’re mostly students. I go to school with them,” Hannah said proudly.

“Do you know everyone?” M asked in amazement. He stood on tip-toe and craned his neck to get a better look at Hannah’s classmates.

“No. There are thousands of people in my school,” Hannah said. “But actually, I think I recognize that girl over there from my bio class.”

They all followed Hannah’s line of sight. A girl with leopard leggings, crazy high heels, and pink streaks in her hair stood talking to a couple boys wearing frat shirts.

“You should say hi,” M said.

“I don’t even know her name,” Hannah chuckled.

M shrugged. He continued to peer around the lobby.

Connor was uncomfortable. He was too hot in his leather jacket and sweat was beading along his forehead. Clumsily, Connor took his phone out of his pocket and tried to distract himself with news feeds.

“What are we waiting for?” M asked curiously.

“For a table. There are so many customers, they don’t have enough space to take care of them all at once,” Hannah explained. “So, we have to wait our turn.”

“That’s weird,” M said. “Maybe they should get more tables.”

Hannah laughed.

Connor tuned the two of them out. He turned his attention to his phone. He forced himself to read an article, but by the end, he had no idea what it’d been about.

He went back to the home screen and stared, utterly lost, at the icons on his phone. Connor glanced up at his companions. Hannah and M chatted away, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere, and Connor quickly turned back to his phone. He didn’t want them to see how uncomfortable he was. He just wanted to play it cool and get through this nightmare as easily as possible. Making a fuss wouldn’t help anyone.

Connor flipped through his icons, looking for something to entertain himself with. When he flipped over the gallery icon, he paused and tapped into the picture app.

It had been almost a week, but Connor had a sudden flash of memory.

He remembered leaving Daryl’s house with a bag of weed. Most importantly, he remembered being stalked by the man in black. He’d taken a picture of the guy before he’d attempted to call Hannah. He could show Hannah. Maybe not now, but maybe he could get her to figure something out about this guy and his relation to the house at the end of the road.

Connor hadn’t planned on letting Hannah in on the secret, but he hadn’t wanted to let M in on it either. The more minds they had trying to figure everything out though, the better, and Hannah’s brain was worth 4 times Connor’s.

Connor scrolled through a couple pictures of the dog and M, looking for the grainy pictures he’d taken of the man in black. The pictures kept scrolling and Hannah popped up a few times, some nature shots, a single selfie, and then a picture of Connor’s Honda. That was it though. The pictures of the man in black weren’t there.

He definitely hadn’t deleted them. And he hadn’t dreamed this up. He’d taken two, maybe three pictures, of the guy before he’d called Hannah. Somewhere, between then and now he’d lost his photographical evidence.

“Hey, Connor, are you ok?”

Connor looked up from his photo gallery. Hannah and M were both staring at him, and Connor quickly put his phone away.

“Do you know who was ahead of us?” Hannah asked after they all stared at one another for an awkward moment. “Because they just called a bunch of names.”

Connor glanced over his friend’s heads. The lobby was finally clearing out. A new group of people were just coming in, but there was space now. It was only because of Connor and his desire to hide that the three of them were still crammed into the corner.

“Can you go ask the hostess how much longer?” Hannah touched her stomach. “I’m starving. And I want a chance to look over the menu.”

Connor sighed but nodded. He moved back toward the hostess stand prepared to embarrass himself yet again in hopes of ending this quicker.

A few minutes later, the red-haired hostess was leading them back into the restaurant. They went through some pillars and back along the bar. It was fully stocked and under a Pueblo style roof. The bar was tiled in blue and red Spanish tiles and over it glass shelves filled with expensive, name-brand liquors were mounted strategically between big plasma TV’s.

No wonder the bar was packed then. Football filled every TV screen and frat boys with beers in front of them lorded over the bar space. There were little two seater tables on the left and more frat boys drank under dim little sconce lights.

Connor turned away and followed the hostess. They weren’t going to the bar. They went around a corner at the end of the narrow hall and the area opened up significantly.

The back part of the restaurant was where the majority of the guests sat. The room was large and square and most of the tables were spread out across the hard-polished wood floor. There were alcoves along the walls with small booths. The hostess-in-training led them to one of the those and she spread out their menus.

“Your server tonight’s going to be Jeremy,” the girl said cheerfully. Hannah smiled and slid past the girl. She hooked Connor’s arm and pulled him into the nearest seat. M got stranded and he stood behind the hostess, looking confused.

“M, come around.” Hannah gestured to the other side of the table.

The boy shuffled around the hostess and sat gingerly across from Connor and Hannah. He glared at Hannah a little, but the girl was already looking through the menu and she didn’t see.

“Alright everyone, enjoy your dinners!” The hostess said. She gave them all a huge grin and finally she left them in peace.

Connor looked around the room. His feelings of discomfort had lessened only slightly. Most of the tables in the middle were full and the atmosphere was charged with energy. People were drinking and eating and watching the TVs that ringed the room. A couple waitresses weaved through the tables, trays held over their heads. It was a chaotic mess.

He couldn’t believe their luck. He was so glad they hadn’t mixed with the college idiots.

“Are you looking at the menu?” Hannah prodded him and feeling guilty somehow, Connor grabbed up the stack of papers. He flipped through the menu, speeding through the sections on tacos, and burritos and enchiladas. His stomach roiled at the thought.

“Hi guys, I’m Jeremy.”

Connor flinched, nearly dropping his menu. He looked up to see a waiter in white. The guy was dark haired and handsome. His arms were muscled, and the rest of his body was fit and well-proportioned.

“Oh! Hello.” Hannah smiled over her menu. “I think we’re all still looking.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Jeremy said, then he glanced casually in M’s direction. He did a double take, his eyebrows quirked, and a smile slowly slid onto his lips. “How about I grab you guys some drinks while you look?”

“Uh.” Connor flipped back to the drinks section. His eyes kept flicking back up to the waiter. The guy’s chocolate brown eyes hadn’t left M yet. Jeremy seemed transfixed with the very sight of the blond.

“I was curious about your raspberry margarita, actually,” Hannah said. “I saw it was on-special out in the lobby.”

“Oh, it’s delicious,” Jeremy said and finally, he looked away from M. “How about I bring you a pitcher?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Excellent.” Jeremy marked something on his notepad and glanced at M one more time. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait…” Connor watched the guy go with distress. “He thinks we’re all drinking margaritas!”

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll bring water, too,” Hannah said.

“Fuck Hannah,” Connor hissed. “Me and M could have ordered a pop or something! I was looking to see if they had Pepsi or Coke!”

“You can order that when he comes back. Now, did you decide on what you want to get?” Hannah asked, turning back to her menu. “I’m going to try the fish tacos.”

Connor shook his head, then paged through the menu again, disinterested. He stopped when he spotted a small section labeled ‘steaks’.

“What about you, M?” Hannah asked. “Did you try looking at your menu?”

Connor didn’t pay attention to M’s response. He was sure M would have a tough time picking something to eat. He’d probably never been to a restaurant either. Connor involved himself in picking a steak and some sides. He decided to pair some roasted potatoes and veggies with his plain steak.

“Here’s that pitcher of margarita for you,” Jeremy popped up again, startling Connor for a second time. The waiter’s tray was full, and he carefully started to unload the glasses.

“Could I get—” Connor started.

“Hold that thought,” Jeremy said as he continued to unload his tray, placing a huge pitcher of pink alcohol in the center of the table. He was busy, yet he had all the time in the world to gaze at M. His eyes roamed over the boy as he set down three empty margarita glasses and three little waters, looking M up and down in a rather predatory fashion. Connor felt a fire start to burn inside of him. He stared hard at the handsome waiter, waiting to be acknowledged, but Jeremy pressed the empty tray to his chest and slithered back into the crowd of tables. This asshole disappeared like he was fucking Houdini!

“This guy’s a huge dickhead!” Connor cried. He grabbed one of the water glasses and drained it in a single gulp.

“It’s fine. M and I are still picking something for him to eat,” Hannah said. She had M’s menu open to the same page as hers and the two of them were looking at Hannah’s fish tacos.

Connor glared at the two of them. He grabbed a second glass of water and started sipping on it. He still felt hot and uncomfortable from the lobby and he finally decided to take his jacket off.

Connor struggled in the small space as he ripped his arms out of the coat, really putting his frustration into a worthy cause. Whatever. Hannah leaned away from him.

“Come on, Connor…”

“What?!” Connor snapped once his arms were free and he sat in his t-shirt. “I was hot!”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Here,” she took Connor’s coat and tossed it over into the free space beside M. Then she went back to explaining a fish taco.

The blond boy watched Connor with hooded eyes.

Connor felt even more uncomfortable under M’s gaze, and he averted his eyes desperately. He finished the second water as he frantically scanned the dining room for something interesting to look at.

“What is this?” M asked when Hannah finally managed to shut up about food. There was a loud clink of metal against glass and Connor turned his attention back to the table just in time to see M stirring the pitcher of margarita. He blinked in surprise.

“It’s a sweet alcoholic drink,” Hannah said blandly.

“Oh no. He’s not going to start drinking on my watch,” Connor said in a deep voice.

Hannah rolled her eyes, but she rescued the last glass of water from the edge of the table and pushed it towards M. “It’s good, M, but it’s a drink for adults. I thought it might help everyone relax.” She shrugged, then pulled the pitcher closer and started to pour herself a glass.

M watched with interest. “Does it make you talkative like weed?”

Hannah sloshed a bit of the raspberry drink onto the table. “What?”

“We smoked some weed the other day. It was a lot of fun. And very relaxing,” M said casually, playing with the glass of water.

Hannah glared at Connor. “Are you kidding me?”

“We were just—”

“Did you guys decide what you’d like to order,” Jeremy’s voice floated into the argument and Connor’s eyes snapped up to see the handsome waiter standing beside the table.

“Christ,” he muttered.

Jeremy cracked a grin. “I said I’d be right back. What can I get for you guys tonight?”

“Two of the fish tacos,” Hannah piped up behind Connor. “Can we get the salsa on the side?”

Jeremy wrote the order down. “Are the side salads ok?”

“Yes. We’ll both have ranch.”

Jeremy nodded shortly in acknowledgement, scrawling in his little notepad.

“Go on, Connor.” Hannah poked Connor in the ribs.

Connor grit his teeth, but he ordered as calmly as he could. “The Americana steak, potatoes, and mixed vegetables on the side. I want ranch with my salad, too.”

“Sounds good,” Jeremy said and then he finished writing and tucked his notepad away. He smiled at the awkward group. “I’ll bring your Texas toast out with the salads.” Jeremy quickly collected the menus and disappeared into the crowd.

Suddenly, Connor realized he’d forgotten to order soda, again, and he stared hopelessly after the waiter.

“I want to try it. I’m not a baby,” M said once they were alone again. Connor turned back to the table and glowered at the boy.

“You’re not drinking alcohol,” Connor snapped. “I told you, I grew up with a drunk. I’m not going to put up with you becoming one.”

M didn’t appear to be listening. He had his finger on the frosty glass of the pitcher and was tracing the lines of condensation. “It looks good.”

“It’s disgusting!” Connor growled.

Beside him, Hannah tisked. “You’re one hell of a hypocrite.”

Connor barely registered the insult. He did see Hannah glaring at him out of the corner of his eye though and he rounded on her.

“What?!”

“You’re a hypocrite,” Hannah said forcefully. She kept her voice down, but the hurt in her eyes shone like a beacon in the night sky.

“Fuck off! I told you I didn’t want to drink. I told you I didn’t want M drinking either,” Connor spat.

“Yeah? So, you went and wasted your money on weed and got the kid baked?” Hannah laughed. “At least alcohol is legal.”

Connor shook his head. Hannah ignored him though and started to pour a second glass of margarita. She pushed it towards M.

“If Connor got you high, then I can get you a little drunk.”

M didn’t say anything. He did accept the glass though and he cautiously sipped the margarita from the flared glass. The boy’s eyes widened at once and Connor groaned.

“Fuck you, Hannah…” He covered his eyes. “He fucking loves it.”

“Mmm!” M danced in his seat and started slurping from his glass. Connor heard Hannah trying to correct him, telling him that slurping alcohol was a dead sign of an underage drinker, or worse, an alcoholic!

Connor started to laugh at the insanity of it all. “Fuck it! Pour me a glass too!”

Over the next ten minutes, the three of them drained the pitcher. Connor was bitter about the drinking, but the sweet margarita was making him a little less bitchy. When Jeremy brought out the salads and asked if they wanted a refresher, Connor didn’t even try to stop M from replying.

“Yes!” the blond said enthusiastically. “It really was delicious. I’ve never had a mar-gar-ee-ta before.”

Connor face-palmed and Hannah covered a nervous titter with her hand. Jeremy balanced the empty tray on his hip, quirking a devastating little smile as he gazed at the object of his obvious affections, M. The look of pure sex was quite evident on the waiter’s face, but M was oblivious. He continued to smile like a loon, while the waiter looked him over again.

“How about I switch it up for you and save you guys a dollar on the next pitcher,” Jeremy suggested.

Connor was struck speechless after the look the waiter had given M. Hannah was unaffected though. She was a lightweight. Her eyes were glazed and her cheeks were red. She was murmuring some sort of agreement though and M started nodding in her steed.

Jeremy subtly licked his lips. “After all that sweet raspberry, I bet some ice cold, lemon-lime would titillate your little tastebuds.”

Connor gaped at the guy but Jeremy wasn’t paying him a single bit of attention. M squirmed in his seat, childishly thrilled by the sexy waiter’s obvious come-ons.

“Yes,” he squealed. “That sounds good! I want to try another flavor.”

Jeremy’s eyes smoldered with heat. “I’ll be right back,” he said then he disappeared into the crowd again.

The second he was gone, Connor nailed M with a look of extreme seriousness. The blond froze and met Connor’s eyes nervously.

“What?”

“That guy’s flirting with you,” Connor said firmly. “You’d better watch out, or he’ll drag you off into the back room and ravish you.”

“What does ravish mean?” M asked softly, sipping at the last of his margarita.

Hannah snorted and started to giggle. Connor elbowed her and after a few sharp pokes the girl quieted down.

“You are such an idiot.” Connor rolled his eyes. “And so are you!” he said, raising his voice a little so Hannah would be able to hear him over her moaning.

“Ouch,” Hannah whimpered and then she burped.

Connor huffed. He wasn’t getting anywhere with these dumb shits. Reluctantly, he decided he’d try to ignore the waiter.

Moments later, Jeremy appeared once more with the pitcher of lemon lime margarita. He took their old glasses away and gave out new ones, then he winked at M and dashed back to the kitchen.

“Fruitcake,” Connor muttered, angry. Fuck Jeremy, fucking hitting on M, treating him like he was a piece of meat. M was fragile and complicated, and he needed all kinds of help. Jeremy definitely wasn’t up for the task of caring for M’s needs. How dare that faggot think he could swoop in, fuck M’s cute little ass, and then just leave. Because no guy as aggressively sexual as Jeremy spent time dating, wooing and securing a relationship with only one person. Jeremy wasn’t going to be there when M had another seizure or when the man in black came looking for more trouble.

Connor was deeply offended, and he quickly sloshed margaritas into everyone’s glasses. He normally hated drinking, but the fruity taste of the margaritas was fooling him into thinking this wasn’t alcohol. The drink was pretty good, and Connor hated to admit it. So, he didn’t. He sucked his drink down and went for seconds.

Jeremy brought the food out shortly after that. “Two fish tacos,” Jeremy said as he handed out the first two plates. The dish looked weird, and Connor was glad he wasn’t having any. “And one steak.” Jeremy plopped Connor’s bloody steak in front of him. “Now, let me know if you guys need anything else,” the waiter said pleasantly, but he was still, still, making eyes at M. “Enjoy your meals!”

Grumbling disagreeably, Connor started to unwrap his silverware. A soup spoon, a butter knife and another little fork were wrapped in the napkin. They’d all been given a little fork with their salads and Hannah had used her butter knife to cut hers up. But Connor needed a steak knife.

“Jerry!” Connor barked and the waiter, who had just spun around in an attempt to vanish, stopped on the balls of his feet.

“It’s Jeremy, actually.” The waiter glared at Connor. “Did I forget something?”

“I need a steak knife,” Connor said through his teeth. “For my steak. What the hell am I supposed to do with a butter knife?”

Jeremy pressed his lips together. “Just a minute, sir.”

Connor rolled his eyes and turned away from the waiter as if his existence were meaningless. It was. Connor had dibs on M, and it didn’t matter whether Jeremy knew that or not. Because M wasn’t going home with Jeremy no matter how hard the handsome faggot tried to convince him. M was coming home with Connor and that was the end of it.

“Jeez, Connor,” Hannah stage-whispered. “You didn’t have to be such a jerk.”

“He’s flirting with M. He’s a fucking creep.”

“What?”

“Seriously, you haven’t noticed?” Connor whined.

“What’s the big deal! It’s completely harmless,” Hannah laughed. “M doesn’t even know what’s going on.”

Connor felt like spitting. Beside him, Hannah started picking at her fish taco and M took another large gulp of his margarita.

Jeremy appeared out of nowhere, as usual and stopped at the head of the table, right beside Connor. He jutted his hip out sullenly then he slid a steak knife onto Connor’s plate.

Connor was about to thank the creepy waiter when there was a loud bang. Connor spun around and watched in horror as M whacked his head back against the booth for a second time, his body jerking. The whites of his eyes were showing, and he gurgled low in the back of his throat as he shook.

“Oh my God!” Jeremy yelled and strangers around the room looked on in shock.

“Fuck,” Connor glanced at the knife. He’d forgotten big knives made M have seizures. He tossed a napkin over the offending item and dove out of the booth. He pushed past Jeremy, who was uselessly flapping his arms.

Connor pulled M out of the booth and laid him out on the floor. He cradled M’s head in his lap and calmly stroked the hair from his ashen face.

“Should I call 911?!” Hannah shouted behind Connor, and he shook his head sharply.

“Shhh,” he hushed the girl. “Just wait.”

Connor held M in his lap as the boy went through the last of his seizure. He stroked M’s soft face as he waited, oblivious to the stares he was getting from a hundred different eyes. He knew M was almost out of the woods when he felt the boy sag into the floor.

“M? You’re fine, baby. You just have to open your eyes and take a deep breath,” Connor said to the blond. “You’re perfectly fine…”

Slowly, M’s eyes peeled open and he blinked up at Connor. They stared into each other’s eyes and for a moment, La Terraza was quiet and peaceful. They were totally alone and Connor felt his heart swell with deep affection.

“Can you sit up?” he asked gruffly.

M nodded, but Connor didn’t miss the look of fear in the blond’s green eyes. Connor was fearful, too. These seizures seemed to be happening more frequently and they were constantly interrupting daily life. Connor only wanted the best for M. Because Connor… well, he really liked M.

Connor helped M sit up. M propped himself against Connor’s chest and Connor put his arms around him, monitoring the boy’s breathing.

“Are you sure we don’t need paramedics?”

Connor shook his head. Hannah hung out of the booth; her phone locked in her grip. She was a great picture of worry and concern, but her eyes weren’t nearly as glazed as they had been a minute ago. She’d sobered up. Connor had done a bit of sobering up, too. But Hannah’s eyes traveled over Connor’s and M’s entwined limbs. She stared with purpose at Connor’s hand, splayed across M’s belly.

The hairs on the back of Connor’s neck stood up and he carefully looked away from Hannah’s prying gaze.

“Ahhh, so everything’s ok now?” Jeremy asked loudly, and Connor glanced in his direction. Jeremy stood several paces away, his hand pressed dramatically to his chest. Just as Connor had suspected, he’d been totally useless in the emergency.

“Can we get everything to go?” Connor asked smartly. “We should probably get him home. You know. Just in case he has another episode.”

“Sure thing!” Jeremy dashed off, hopefully to get some to-go boxes and the check. But Connor was busy getting M off the floor. He could have picked him up, easily, but with Hannah’s sharp gaze on him, Connor wasn’t willing to do anything overtly romantic, such as, sweeping the damsel off his feet.

Hannah didn’t say anything, but she didn’t let up on the death glare as Connor helped M back to his seat. Connor chose to sit beside M, mostly because he was afraid to confront Hannah, but also because he had to slide into the booth to help M get seated.

He just stayed there. Beside M. His arm around the boy’s shoulder. People stopped watching them one by one, their interest slowly diminishing when nothing else happened.

Jeremy appeared after several moments. He’d brought them Styrofoam boxes and the check. Hannah was quick about it, at least. She slapped her Visa card on the table and said she could handle the leftovers. Jeremy rushed off with her credit card and Hannah started packing their food into the take-home containers.

In minutes, they were out the door.

“Where did you park?”

“In the back,” Hannah said. She shouldered past Connor and M and took the lead.

Connor let her go and the three of them ventured out into the dimly lit parking lot.

It had started to rain while they’d been inside. Everything was wet and the dark clouds overhead continued to mist. Connor hoped Hannah kept an eye out for the Prius, because he wasn’t paying much attention. He was much more interested in watching M.

He wasn’t touching the boy. He wasn’t holding onto him like he wanted to, either. He wanted to make sure M was alright, but he settled for walking close to the blond and keeping an eye on him.

In return, M glanced at him occasionally. His eyes were filled with indecision. He looked confused and maybe even a little hurt.

But Connor would make everything up to him later. When this shit was over. Because it was almost over, it had to be. This entire trip had been a disaster.

“It’s back here!” Hannah cried and Connor looked ahead as the girl jogged towards her Prius, parked on the end of the last row. She splashed through a huge puddle and cried out wordlessly in disgust. Connor tried not to laugh at her.

“C’mon,” Connor called to the blond beside him. He started to run, just wanting to get out of the misty night air and heard M following behind him, splashing through the little puddles dotting the asphalt landscape.

When they reached the car, Hannah stood on the passenger side.

“What’s up?” Connor had a bad feeling about this. As he got closer to the car and to Hannah, the girl’s epic frown became frighteningly evident.

“I’m not driving,” she said. “I had too much to drink.”

Connor wanted to argue with the girl. He’d had twice as much to drink as her. Three times as much as M. Connor hadn’t even wanted to start drinking, this had all been Hannah’s bright idea! But somehow, somehow, Connor was expected to pick up the pieces?

Connor handed M his leftovers and silently directed the boy to get in the back seat. M took the direction and went without hesitation.

Over the hood of the car, Hannah continued to glare at Connor, her gaze unwavering and direct. She was pissed.

“Where’s the keys?” Connor snapped at her.

Hannah threw the keys in a shitty underhand toss. They landed just short of Connor’s fingers and slid under the car next to the Prius.

“Fuck!” Connor yelled into the night. A streak of lightning cut across the sky and a crack and rumble of thunder followed. The sprinkling mist turned into rain then and Connor’s face was plastered in chilly rainwater.

He heard one of the car doors slam and he looked up. Hannah huddled in the safety of her car. She and M stared out at him, watching him stand in the pouring rain like he was some sort of fucking retard.

Connor knelt down in a puddle. Fuck it. He didn’t care anymore. He plunged his arm under the little Chevy Cavalier next to them, and after a few frantic gropes, he emerged victorious with the keys. He dove into the car after that.

He was secretly thrilled that he was dripping wet now that he was doing it all over Hannah’s nice car. The girl didn’t say anything, but her nose was wrinkled with distaste.

Whatever. Connor didn’t want to start a conversation anyway. He started the car, leaving the radio to pump its stupid, lame, pop songs through the speakers. He turned on the wipers and the headlights and then he backed out of the parking spot.

Connor took them back the way they’d come. They passed the architecture building, the psych building and the library. They drove through campus and Connor felt nothing but dread. He wanted this night to be over. He couldn’t wait to go home.

“Hey, aren’t we going to my place? You need to get in the left turn lane up there,” Hannah said out of nowhere and Connor stared at her blankly. Hannah rolled her eyes and turned the radio down. “My house is that way.”

“Uh, I don’t think we should come to your house, Hannah,” Connor said, dumbstruck. Did this girl seriously think either of them still wanted to hang out? “I’d better get M home and to bed.”

Hannah’s eye twitched. “How many seizures is M having lately?”

Connor shrugged. He squared his shoulders and idled in the right-hand lane. He looked ahead at the lights and crept forward. There was a honk behind him, and Connor yelled with frustration.

“Shit! Shit! Fuck this shit!” Connor sped up and jumped into the left turn lane. The tires spun and squealed on the wet road.

Connor grit his teeth. The guy that had just honked at them was pulling up in the turn lane behind them. Connor was really looking forward to having the guy ride his ass for the next few blocks. The lights were changing in the big intersection ahead and Connor prepared to make a left.

“Fine,” Hannah snapped, and Connor glanced at her, a little confused about what she was talking about. He’d completely forgotten she’d even asked a question. “M,” Hannah twisted around in her seat. “Are you having lots of seizures?”

M didn’t answer right away. Connor glanced at M in the rearview mirror, watching the boy chew his bottom lip.

The car behind them honked again and Connor realized they had an arrow.

Connor cursed and swung the car out into the intersection. He punched the gas and sped down the little residential street.

“Why are you guys keeping so many secrets?” Hannah asked. “I don’t get it. What’s there to hide?”

 

“Nothing.” Connor clenched the wheel. He didn’t remember which house Hannah lived in. He hadn’t been here in almost a year. “And we aren’t keeping secrets from you, Hannah. You’re just imagining things.”

“That’s a huge lie and I know it,” Hannah scoffed. "C'mon Connor. Fess up. What are you hiding from me?"

Connor sputtered, at a loss of what to say.

“Well?

“Do you really want to know?” M asked suddenly and Connor jerked the wheel. The car honked behind them again and Connor growled and slammed a fist into the dash.

“Shut up, M!”

“Know what?” Hannah shot a glare at Connor, but he barely noticed. Connor’s eyes were glued to M in the mirror. He wished he wasn’t driving, because he’d gladly choke M out again and force a seizure on him. Anything was better than letting him continue to talk.

“I’m sleeping with Connor, now.” M said blankly.

“What does—what the hell does that mean?!”

Connor hit the turn signal. He was pulling over, even if this asshole behind him took his bumper off in the process. Connor forced his way to the curb, earning a honk or two from the jerk attempting to drive up his ass. But finally, the guy swerved around them and zoomed off.

There was the briefest of silences, then M continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “We kissed,” he said. “And we’re sleeping together at night. I want Connor to be my boyfriend.”

Hannah started hyperventilating beside Connor. She slapped her palm against the passenger window and drew in deep, shaky breaths of air.

Connor pinched the bridge of his nose. A huge headache was on the horizon. “M? Why did you say that?!”

“Because she needs to know,” M said.

“Oh my god!” Hannah gasped. She slapped the window a few more times, gulping air like a fish.

“Hannah,” Connor started.

“Fuck off!” she yelled. Then she buried her face in her hands and started to sob. “I can’t believe this is happening!”

“The first time we kissed, it gave me a seizure. So, we’ve been trying to figure out why they’re happening. And also, we’ve been trying to figure out different ways to be together—”

“Oh my god!” Hannah screeched.

“M!” Connor lunged from his seat. He tried to grab ahold of the blond. Connor deserved this but M was just making it so much worse. M dodged out of his way, flattening himself into the far corner so Connor couldn’t reach him. Connor growled with frustration.

“Take me home!” Hannah screamed at the top of her lungs. She was crying too, and the tears streamed down her face like little waterfalls. “I hate you, Connor! Just take me home! Now!”

The rain outside was sympathetic. It pounded onto the roof of Hannah’s Prius in soft, rhythmic patterns. It was soothing and Connor turned back around to clutch the steering wheel. He shut his eyes and tried to focus on the sound of the rain, rather than on Hannah’s sobbing.

“Take. Me. Home!”

Connor jumped and started the car again. The wipers came on and wiped away the intricate rivers the rain tracked across the windshield. “I don’t remember which house is yours,” he finally admitted.

“Of course, you don’t,” Hannah sneered. “Keep going straight.”

Connor pulled away from the curb and took off down the road. Most of the houses were lit up inside. The big old homes were infested with happy, cheerful, future-oriented students. In the wet, miserable night air, the warm cookie cutter houses stood in mockery of his life choices.

They took the tree-lined avenue for about half a mile before Hannah spoke again.

“Make a left here.”

Connor followed instructions. He turned the car and Hannah unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Park it there,” Hannah said, pointing to the third driveway on the right. Connor parked the car. He shut off the engine and looked determinedly across the seat at Hannah.

“How are we supposed to get home?”

“Call an Uber.” Hannah held her hand out.

“I’ve never done that before,” Connor said and for the first time ever, he actually wished he knew what Uber was. He didn’t want to force the issue. If Hannah didn’t want to see him ever again, if she couldn’t even take them home, then Connor understood.

“Look it up. It’s on the app store,” Hannah shook her hand impatiently. “Keys please! And get out of my car.”

Connor sneered and handed Hannah’s keys over. “C’mon M.”

The blond got out on Connor’s side. He looked up at Connor nervously, but Connor wasn’t paying him much attention now.

Hannah got out and slammed her door. She used the remote to lock the doors before marching up to her house.

“Can you at least call me a taxi!” Connor yelled after her.

“Nobody takes taxis anymore! Download Uber!” Hannah ran up to her porch. It was well lit and there was a swinging bench near the front door and a couple of comfortable lawn chairs on the other side. Connor remembered this place.

“Hannah! C’mon! I’m sorry!” Connor yelled after her. The girl fumbled with the door. She started crying again, loud enough for Connor to hear it from the sidewalk. The door opened from the inside and one of Hannah’s roomies appeared. It was some girl with dark hair.

“Hey! What the hell’s going on?” the girl said, again, loud enough for Connor to hear from the sidewalk.

Hannah didn’t stop to answer. She slipped past the girl and ran into the house. The dark-haired girl folded her arms and glared at Connor.

Connor shook his head. “I guess we’re going to find out how Uber works,” he said. “Let’s go.”

M didn’t argue. He followed Connor down the sidewalk and back to the main road they’d turned off earlier. Once Connor was sure they were far enough away from Hannah’s house, he crouched down on the sidewalk and downloaded Uber on his phone. Then he used the dim light from the streetlamps to see the numbers on his bank card. He entered all the info into the app quickly and used his phone’s location to get a car sent to him. It was pretty cool.

M watched over Connor’s shoulder.

“So, that car is coming to us now?”

“Yep. And they’re going to take us home.” It was nice, because the Uber app estimated what the total would be before the car even arrived. It seemed like a fair price. 15 bucks for a 20-minute ride. But then again, Connor had never done this before. Maybe it was a total rip-off.

The Uber car pulled up to the curb. It was a little black Nissan, and the guy was a college kid, go figure, with a greasy beard and a fat gut.

“Hey guys,” he said. “I’m Paul.”

M poked his head into the back seat. “Hi.”

“Get in, get in,” Paul said jovially, and M climbed into the back. Connor followed him in. Once everyone was seated, the guy did a crazy loop around to get back into the highway bound lane.

Paul tuned into some classic rock on the radio and for once, Connor was happy with the choice. M sat across the seat with his face pressed against the window. His back was turned, and Connor figured he was going over the disastrous events of the evening.

Connor didn’t bother him.

They made it home alright. Connor and M waved farewell to the friendly driver and they watched Paul’s car disappear into the pitch-black night.

Connor dropped his arm once he knew they were alone. “What a night,” he sighed. It was an understatement. As if to prove his point, M zipped his lips and followed him to the door in silence. The dog came bounding out to greet them, but Connor wasn’t in the mood. He shoved Jack into the yard before he rushed inside. He turned the lights on and tossed his damp jacket into the armchair. He kicked his boots off next, then noticed M hadn’t made it inside yet. “M!” he called out the door.

“I’m coming!” The boy appeared in the doorway after a full minute. He was alone, thankfully, and he quickly shut the door. “Jack has to use the bathroom first,” he said in explanation.

“Uh-huh.”

M fidgeted in front of the door. Shyly, he started to take his tennis shoes off. He left them by the door and stepped onto the carpet. “My socks are wet,” he said absently.

“Come here,” Connor said in a deep voice.

Uncertainty danced in his eyes, but that didn’t stop M from closing the distance between them. The blond looked up at Connor expectantly.

“So, you’ve got me all to yourself now,” Connor said sarcastically. “Hannah’s not coming around anymore. Not after all of that.”

M stuck his bottom lip out. “Good.”

“I don’t know how it’s good. I didn’t want you to do that,” Connor said. He meant to raise his voice, to get angry, at least a little bit, but he didn’t feel much anymore. The events that had happened tonight felt like nothing more than a dream. Or a fucked-up hallucination.

“Well, I want us to be boyfriends,” M said. “And that can’t happen when you’re dating Hannah. And you’re not even dating her! I just thought she needed to know.”

“You’re a real smartass, you know that?” Connor snapped.

“I am smart,” M said, lifting his chin proudly. “I also learned from the best,” he nodded in Connor’s direction.

Connor wasn’t flattered. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the defiant little blond. M was smiling at him. He was acting like outing them both and ending Connor’s longest friendship ever, was no big deal. He sneered and he grabbed onto the feisty little blond by the front of his hoodie. He pulled M closer. “I didn’t mean you were smart, like intelligent,” Connor said. “I meant to say that you’re an asshole.”

M stuck his tongue out.

“Fucking jerk,” Connor shook M by his fistful of hoodie. That’s when he noticed how wet the boy was and how his body shivered with cold. “Ugh, you’re soaking wet.”

“Aren’t you?” M asked.

Connor shook his head. “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t get out of those wet clothes.”

M bit his lip and nodded. “I’ll go change in the bathroom.” The boy glanced down at Connor’s restraining hand. Clearly, he was waiting to be released so he could get cleaned up. But Connor had a different idea.

“You can take them off here.”

M swallowed audibly. His gaze locked onto Connor’s and he gave into the suggestion without any further encouragement. He shrugged out of his damp hoodie, then yanked his t-shirt over his head. His bare, smooth chest was exposed. His pink nipples were hard little pebbles. He continued at an agonizing pace. He was being a little tease, smiling impishly, his green eyes flashing with humor.

M pulled the zipper down on his jeans next. He popped the button at the top and shimmied out of them quickly. He tugged on the waistband to his shorts and paused, like he was waiting for something.

Connor quirked an eyebrow. He waited patiently.

M gave up the act almost immediately. He batted his golden lashes and smiled coyly then he pulled his underwear down. He was naked now and he stood unashamed in the middle of the room. Connor took him in greedily.

M’s cock and balls hung proudly between his legs. They were much smaller than Connor’s, but they fit his compact little body. The soft blond hair on M’s pink, rounded balls was visible. The same soft hair was on M’s upper thighs too and it was on his stomach. The boy had the faint beginnings of a pleasure trail inching up from around his dick and up toward his belly button.

Connor’s cock swelled and leapt to attention as he studied the naked boy with appreciation. M had no idea how much he affected Connor. This was the second time tonight he’d had him hard like this and they hadn’t even touched once. Well, Connor was determined to rectify that horrible mistake. He didn’t know how much he could do, or what he could and couldn’t touch, but he was going to try his damndest not to mess up.

He stepped forward and touched M’s hip. The skin there was stretched tight over the bone. He traced the sharp curve with gentle fingers, then flattened his hand and ran his palm over M’s ribs. He paused on his chest, flicking the boy’s tight nipples.

M’s eyes fell shut and the golden eyelashes shook in a gust of aroused breath. He started to pant.

“Oh, what’s this?” Connor chuckled as he looked down between them. M’s soft pink cock wasn’t so soft anymore. M’s length bounced teasingly between them while the boy sobbed, and his thigh and belly muscles clenched.

“Connor,” M cried helplessly and in a moment of confusion, he grabbed the rigid shaft of his erection. He threw his head back and his mouth fell open. “What—what’s happening?”

“Hold on. Not so fast.” Connor pulled M’s hand away from his cock. “I think we both deserve to appreciate this after tonight’s shit-storm.” He stepped closer and slid a hand between M’s legs. His calloused skin brushed against M’s silky cock shaft and the boy trembled with need, but Connor avoided M’s raging erection and cupped his tender balls instead.

M hissed. His face flushed with frustration as Connor rolled his balls between his fingers. M obviously wanted his cock touched. He squirmed, swinging his dick around in desperate little circles. Sweat began to glisten on his upper lip.

“You’re clammy.” Connor couldn’t help smiling at the sight of the horny blond. “We both need a shower…”

M nodded dazedly. His whole body followed the movement, his dick bobbed up and down.

“Do you want to go wait in the bathroom? I’ll be right in?”

M blinked at Connor, not seeming to understand what he was being asked. Then it seemed to click, and he spun around only to trip over his pile of wet clothes.

“Oops!” M said to himself. He didn’t waste time though. He flashed a nervous little smile over his shoulder and then he hurried to the bathroom.

Connor waited until M was down the hall, then he adjusted his needy erection. He sighed shakily, then collected the pile of wet clothes on the floor and took it to the laundry room. In the dark, he removed his t-shirt, his jeans and his boxers and tossed them into the hamper in the corner. He left everything behind after that. He was rushing now. He didn’t even know why he’d made himself wait.

Connor grabbed a dog treat off the fridge as he passed through the kitchen. He let the dog in and threw the treat down for Jack. “Hang out in here for a while,” Connor begged the dog, but Jack ignored him. He eagerly licked the carpet, determined to get every last crumb of the treat in his mouth. Connor sighed and left the dog to it. He had bigger fish to fry.

He walked down the hallway slowly. Goosebumps blossomed on his naked skin. He was nervous and he had no idea what he was going to do. But there was no way he was going to admit to that. He paused outside the bathroom. He took a deep breath and pretended he knew exactly what he was doing. He pushed the door open and walked inside.

M sat on the toilet, absently touching his sweet little nipples. He jumped up when Connor came in. He looked him up and down and his face started to get red.

Connor’s cock bobbed and started to fill with blood again. The erection had flagged when faced with laundry and stupid dogs, but it was rapidly coming back to life. So many dirty thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted to do so many things with this beautiful boy…

“Let’s get the water running.” Connor squeezed past M and turned the shower on. He waited a moment, then he climbed in and stepped under the warm spray. M watched him, longing glistening in his pale eyes. “Get in, silly,” Connor said with a laugh. “I have to shut the curtain.”

M bounced eagerly into the shower and they both pulled the curtain closed. Connor made room for M and the boy slid under the warm water and tilted his head back as it rushed through his hair. His eyes fell shut and his pink mouth parted sensually around a moan.

Connor licked his lips as he watched the blond. He moved closer in the hot, steamy shower and wrapped his arms around M’s tiny waist. M sighed and looped his arms up and around Connor’s neck. “Connor,” he groaned, his fingers tickling the nape of Connor’s neck. “Kiss me.”

Connor was overcome with desire; M’s soft, inexperienced touches were driving him crazy. He wanted to devour the sweet blond trembling in his arms. Connor hoisted M off his feet and pressed him back against the wall of the shower. He leaned in then and kissed M’s perfect, pink lips. M moaned loudly into Connor’s mouth. He wrapped his legs around Connor’s hips and held on like a little monkey.

Connor was a bit nervous around M’s mouth, so he moved on rather quickly. He bent his head and pressed his lips to M’s warm throat, licking the boy’s wet, slippery skin. M seemed to like it. His moans rapidly increased in volume and intensity and Connor excitedly bit into M’s neck and sucked the tender flesh. M groaned loudly, the noise echoing around the steamy room. His cock pulsed with need against Connor’s belly.

Connor understood M’s desperation. His own cock bobbed uselessly, just inches below M’s round ass cheeks. He wanted to jam his cock into M’s hot little hole, but he didn’t want to hurt him and there was no telling what kind of triggers he may set off. Connor had an idea though. If he dropped M’s body a little lower and worked his cock between the boy’s tight cheeks, it might feel pretty good on his dick. It wasn’t penetration. M wouldn’t feel any pain.

M was happily rutting away against Connor’s stomach. Their skin was wet, and M’s eyes were rolling in his head. It looked like he was enjoying it. Connor grabbed the boy’s slippery ass cheeks and cupped them warmly, squeezing and kneading the hot flesh insistently. Once he was sure he had a good hold, he let M’s body slip down the wall a bit. Immediately, M squealed and tightened his legs around Connor’s hips.

“You’re dropping me!” he cried.

“No, I’m not,” Connor assured him. “Just relax. I got you.” Connor let the boy slide down his chest slowly, inch by inch, until he felt the fleshy little bridge between M’s asshole and his balls settle flush against the excited shaft of his cock. M was so low down now, his legs were around Connor’s thighs and his cheek was pressed to Connor’s chest. He gasped at the strange new contact at his private backdoor. His teeth clenched together but Connor wasn’t paying attention.

Connor concentrated his efforts on getting a few good thrusts in between the boy’s ass cheeks. It felt nice. M was moist and tight. Connor slid his cock along M’s spread asscrack and groaned at the delicious friction. It wasn’t until M made a strange gurgling noise that Connor noticed something was wrong. He pulled back to check M’s face. “Hey, you ok?”

M was not. He started to convulse against Connor’s chest.

Connor yelped. He set M down on the shower floor and leaned him back against the wall. Quickly, he shut off the water, then he turned back to check on M. He cupped the boy’s face and looked into the whites of his eyes. Blood leaked through M’s lips. It looked like he was biting his tongue off. Connor leapt out of the shower and got his toothbrush. He returned to the shower and shoved the tool between M’s teeth.

The boy shook through another short seizure. It seemed a bit worse than usual. M didn’t usually bite himself. Connor held him until it was over.

When M opened his eyes again, he spat out the toothbrush, then his he started to tear up. “I ruined it,” he whispered. “We were having sex, weren’t we?”

Connor wasn’t going to lie. He nodded.

M sniffled. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. Just yourself.” Connor wet his fingers and rubbed the blood off M’s lips. He washed his fingers off quickly. “C’mon. Let’s rinse your mouth out. You bit your tongue.”

M continued to sob as they got out of the shower. Connor wrapped him in a towel and then got the boy to bend over the sink.

“Close your eyes. I don’t want you seeing the blood.”

M closed his eyes and waited for Connor to turn on the water. Once it was on, he cupped his hand under the facet and started to rinse out his mouth.

“Good.” Connor said. He got the second towel for himself, and he draped it around his shoulders. He dried off as he watched the boy swish and spit water until it came out clean. “That’s enough. You’re clean now.”

M stood up and wiped his mouth. His face was glum and unhappy. “We’re never going to have sex.”

Connor snorted. “Why? That was the first time we actually tried.”

“I’m so stupid. I’m always passing out or I’m biting someone.”

Connor smiled. “If it means that much to you,” he said. “And if you’re up for it, we can dry off, get in bed, and try again.”

M blinked up at Connor with wide, hopeful eyes. “Really?”

“Let’s go,” Connor pushed the bathroom door open.

They tripped over the dog. Jack was camped out in front of the bathroom door.

“Jerk.” Connor shook his head and stepped awkwardly over the animal.

“Oh, c’mon. He’s just lonely,” M said, crouching down to rub the dog behind his ear.

“Yeah, well, he’s still not allowed in the bed,” Connor snapped and then turned to go into his room. M had been crying about sex just seconds before, but now he seemed more interested in petting the dog than in finishing what he’d already started. Connor left him to it.

M found Connor in the bedroom a couple minutes later.

“Sorry,” the boy slipped into the room naked. He’d abandoned his towel somewhere, and Connor calmly appreciated his exposed skin. But Jack was following him. Connor rolled his eyes.

“Stupid dog,” he muttered.

“He’s not stupid. He followed me!” M said with a laugh.

“Just hit the lights and jump in bed,” Connor scrubbed a hand across his face.

M did just that. He hit the light switch like he was giving someone a high-five and then he ran and leapt into bed, nearly crushing Connor’s legs in the process.

Connor drew his knees into his chest. He waited silently as M shifted around, adjusting himself. The dog settled down next to the bed with a huff. He looked up at them curiously, peering up at the bed like he was considering climbing in.

M saw Connor’s discomfort. He glanced down at the dog, watching them with interest, and then his face screwed up. He started to blubber. “I’m messing everything up!”

Connor rolled his eyes. “You’re just a dork. That’s all. C’mere.” He pulled M into his side and started kissing his neck again. M let out a breath of hot nervous air. He gently stroked Connor’s wet hair.

“Just relax,” Connor advised. Touching M’s chest and stomach hadn’t set him off. Fuck, Connor had even gotten away with touching his dick! Maybe they could figure something out…

He trailed his hand down M’s front and scratched his fingers through M’s soft pubic hair. Then he wrapped his hand around the boy’s flaccid cock.

M gasped.

“Does that freak you out?” Connor asked quickly “Do you feel a seizure coming on?”

“Uh…no,” M mumbled, his face filling with color.

Connor nodded and he turned his attention back to M’s dick. He pumped the warm shaft in his fist and immediately it started to respond. Connor pressed his fingers into it and twisted and stroked the tightening flesh. The sound of M’s moaning and of Connor’s hand rhythmically slapping into M’s heavy balls was causing Connor’s nether regions to feel tight, as well.

M’s head fell back as Connor worked him to hardness. His mouth was open around a continuous groan and his hips rose up to meet Connor’s hand at a rapid pace. His face and chest were flushed and his pink nipples were hardened to peaks. Connor bowed his head and licked the closest nipple. He sucked the hard little pebble into his mouth and sucked it tenderly.

M’s dick pulsed in Connor’s hand, and he hissed, pressing his chest up into Connor’s mouth. “Mmm,” he moaned deeply, his chest rumbling against Connor’s lips.

Connor’s cock was desperate for some attention, but he was afraid of causing pain. He thought it might be safe if he tried one more thing, though.

Slightly frantic with desire, Connor spat in his hand and used the moisture to slick up his cock. He had to let go of M’s cock to do that and the blond whined with dissatisfaction.

“What are you doing?” M opened his eyes and peered desperately at Connor. “That felt really, really good.”

Connor squirmed down a little and pulled on M’s hip until the boy rolled on his side, his body facing Connor’s. He watched with interest as Connor wiggled his hips closer and then gasped when Connor pressed his cock-shaft against M’s.

Connor wrapped his big hand around both their dicks. M shuddered and grabbed onto Connor’s hip for leverage. Connor bit his lip and slowly started to jerk their cocks together.

The spit helped Connor’s cock slide against M’s. He alternated his grip and put some added pressure into the strokes. He pressed his thumb between their excited dicks and sawed the sensitive undersides against the calloused edge.

M’s fingers were digging into Connor’s hip. He was licking his gorgeous lips and moaning. He was gorgeous and Connor blinked a few times to pull himself away from the blond’s distracting beauty. He pumped their cocks in tandem, loving the feel, the very sight of the boy splayed before him. He could feel pre-cum leaking from the tip of his pulsing cock. He was pretty sure, from M’s frantic sounds of pleasure, to his spasming dick, clenched in Connor’s fist, that he was dripping some juices, too. Connor picked up the pace, greasing their heated, cocks with enthusiasm.

M trembled and shook, but he wasn’t in the throes of a seizure for once. “Mmmm...”

Connor was panting hard and M’s face was so close, the boy’s frantic, gasping breathes gusted across his cheeks and face hot as fire. Connor suspected they’d suffocate each other if they kept this up much longer.

All of a sudden, M jetted pearly streams of sticky cum across Connor’s belly. He cried out in delight and clung to Connor with his little fingers.

Connor was pretty close too and he released M’s dick, letting the blond boy roll flat onto his back. He brought himself off quickly, watching M’s sexy, tight little body as he languished in post-orgasmic bliss.

Connor groaned. He couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore and when he let them slide shut, he saw streaks of lightning. The pleasure built sharply and Connor grunted as the pleasure boiled over and he erupted into orgasm

He fell limply to the bed afterwards and he dragged the pillow closer and propped his head up.

“Thank you,” M said.

“That’s just the beginning,” Connor said, his excitement matching M’s for once. He felt like a little boy, days before Christmas or something. He couldn’t wait to see what else he could do to M’s supple body.

“What do you mean?”

Connor wanted to talk more about sex, but frankly he was exhausted. He shushed the boy gently and pulled him closer. M rested his head on Connor’s shoulder and relaxed with a sigh.

“Just wait and see,” Connor said softly, already drifting off into sleep. He pressed a tender kiss to the boy’s forehead and closed his eyes.

***

A couple days passed and Connor didn’t hear from Hannah at all. He sent her a text after their ‘break-up’ and received an automatic reply that his message hadn’t been received. Looks like Hannah had him blocked.

It was just after lunch and Connor was jumping into the shower for a quick clean up before work.

He rubbed some shampoo through his hair before moving onto some body wash and a scrub. He could take his time, he didn’t have to be at work for another hour, but he rushed anyway.

He and M took a shower together almost every night now and they weren’t nearly as much fun without the blond. It was almost a waste of time, actually. Because M was waiting out in the living room and Connor was in here, alone.

He hurried through his shower and dried off in record speed. He rushed into his room, threw on his uniform and returned to M.

The boy smiled when he saw Connor coming into the living room.

“Nice and clean,” M hummed with approval. Connor sat beside the blond and M giggled, putting an arm around Connor’s shoulders. “You smell so good.”

“You smell even better,” Connor drew the boy closer. He took a deep breath of M’s hair. “I love the way you smell.”

M laughed. “We use the same body wash, so…”

Connor shrugged. “I don’t care.” He stroked the boy’s face, feeling his irresistibly soft cheeks, touching his plush, pink lips with his thumb. “I want to kiss you,” he said suddenly.

“I wouldn’t mind if you tried,” M said.

“Really?”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

Connor didn’t bother to state the obvious. But really, M must be used to having seizures by now. He had them all the fricken time.

“I’m going to keep my tongue in my mouth. So, you don’t bite it off.”

M swatted him, pulling an angry face that he couldn’t hold onto for longer than a second. “Make sure I don’t bite my tongue off, either. This could be a terrible seizure chain-reaction. You know what happens if I see blood?” M threw himself onto the couch and he kicked his legs up dramatically. His arms flailed over his head and he let out a high, whiny sound of distress. “Help me, help me! I’m having a seizure!”

Connor shoved the boy’s legs out of the way and climbed on top of him. “Not funny.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s funny when you remind me about my dumb ‘problem’ almost taking your tongue off!”

Connor chuckled. “Just relax. And prepare to have your mouth plundered. In the most PG way possible, because I don’t think you can handle the really sexy stuff yet.”

M pouted, but that gave Connor an opening. M’s plump lips looked so soft… gently, Connor pressed his lips to M’s.

The second they met, M released a delighted sigh. Heat pooled in Connor’s belly and he sank into M’s arms, gently swiping at the parting between M’s lips with his tongue. The boy trembled and moaned and Connor reluctantly pulled away. He searched M’s face for any signs of distress.

“Good?” Connor asked.

The boy blinked his eyes open. “Good,” he said, his breath coming out heavy and labored and Connor immediately dipped back down to capture his lips again.

Connor couldn’t really help himself. He’d meant to keep this tame, but M made the most delicious noises and his tight little body refused to be still. He kept squirming under Connor, inadvertently humping his persistent erection.

Connor threw caution to the wind. He kept his tongue out of M’s mouth, but that was the only concession he made. He kissed M deeply, tasting him, feeling the heat radiating off his body. Then he sucked his swollen, moist lips into his mouth.

M gasped wetly, his bottom lip caught between Connor’s. Connor worried the sweet morsel for a moment, then he forced himself to pull back again. The memory of their first, painful kiss nagged him to check on the blond.

“Good?” he asked again.

M panted for breath. His chest rose and fell erratically, but he nodded, his eyes gleaming with desire.

Connor immediately went back to exploring M’s mouth. The press of their lips and the pleasure they sparked was intoxicating.

M was close to orgasm, Connor could tell. His little pants and moans and whines became more frantic. He wrapped his legs around Connor’s waist and mindlessly pushed his needy cock closer to Connor’s. His hands came up and he twisted his fingers in Connor’s hair.

And Connor lost his mind for a second. He wanted to invade the boy’s body. He wanted to crawl inside him. He wanted to be inside him. Fuck, he was shaking with the need to cum. M’s mouth tasted so sweet, his body was so warm and welcoming and he wanted everything Connor had to give him. He felt drunk with the power he had over the tiny blond.

He bit into M’s full bottom lip, thrilling a squeal from the boy and then he plunged his tongue into the honey pot.

M froze and Connor tore himself off of M immediately. The boy thrashed his head back and forth while he groaned pitifully.

“M?”

“Not good,” M hissed through his teeth. He sank them down harder and harder into his lip. Connor yelled and frantically started to search for something for M to bite down on.

But it was over before Connor found anything appropriate.

M covered his face with his hands and he sank bonelessly into the cushions of the couch.

“Shit.” Connor moved closer to the boy. He gently touched his hair. “Are you alright?”

M was definitely weak. He didn’t seem to have the energy to sit up. “I’m fine,” he said, but his face was pale.

“Well, that went from sexy to scary in a heartbeat,” Connor eyed the boy nervously. He continued to stroke M’s hair. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” M said. “Everything felt really good, and then… I have these flashes of pain. It feels like I can’t breathe and I panic every time you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Put your tongue in my mouth,” M said, his face flushing red.

Connor cleared his throat and surreptitiously adjusted his flagging erection. He didn’t know what to say about the mention of pain, it sounded like some terrible repressed memory. And the abrupt end to the sex, well, that didn’t even need to be mentioned. It sucked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Connor said.

M forced himself to sit up. He glared at Connor.

“I’m definitely worried.”

Connor studied the boy’s face. He noticed M had a couple teeth marks on his bottom lip. It would have been cute, but the marks sported a bit of blood as well.

“I’m weird, aren’t I?”

“Ah, yeah?” Connor laughed. “That was established the night I found you naked in the swamp. And then I had to teach you how to eat.”

M pouted. “Mother… she wanted me to find romance. Am I even doing it right? Or am I too weird to find it?”

Connor really wanted to ask about M’s mother. M hadn’t spoken about her in a while. But the boy looked so down in the dumps, Connor answered him and forgot his own prying questions.

“Even weird people can find love,” Connor said. “You’re weird, and I guess other people have always thought that about me, too,” he continued, some bitterness bleeding into his tone. But we’re still having fun together.”

M’s mopey face started to warm up.

“We’ll figure this shit out. That’s what I meant by not worrying.” Connor smiled tightly. Then he went to grab some paper towels from the kitchen. He felt awkward for having said all that. He wetted the towel while he was by the sink, took a deep breath and then returned to clean M’s bloody lip. “Let me see your face,” he said.

M turned to him, beaming. It looked like he had licked most of the blood off without even noticing, but Connor cleaned the remnants away. He touched M’s injured lip with care and M smiled through the whole thing. When Connor finally removed the paper towel, he spoke up.

“I think we’re a good match.”

“Yeah, because we’re both weird,” Connor said.

“And you take care of me,” M said. “You’re so good at it; taking care of me.”

“What a bunch of crap,” Connor laughed.

M frowned. “Why can’t you just accept my compliment. I mean it.”

Connor rolled his eyes. Really? Was this going to become a fight? Connor was smart enough to pick his battles though. Fine. He’d accept the stupid compliment.

“Thanks,” he said awkwardly.

M smiled and pulled himself up. He wrapped his arms around Connor and sank into his side.

***

Connor got to work a little earlier than usual so he jumped on dishes and made himself useful. The night went smoothly. His co-workers were leaving him alone. The customers were jerks and shitty tippers as usual, but Connor refused to let that bother him.

He was looking forward to his next couple days off. He planned to see Daryl again for more weed, then he was going to get M high. Maybe that would help with the seizures. Maybe they’d get to explore more sex.

Connor returned from a delivery around 10 o’clock. The orders had been slowing down and when he pulled into the lot, he saw Josh’s car was gone. He’d probably left early for the night.

He went inside and signed back into dispatch. Across from him, David cut up a pizza for carry-out. They’d finished prepping all the dough for the night, the dishes were almost done, and everything else was being cleaned. The night was almost over.

The swinging doors banged open. Connor looked up to find Angela standing there, staring back at him in horror.

Connor raised a brow.

“There’s a boy in the lobby… He’s asking for you,” Angela said, her voice shaking.

“Ok?” Connor glanced at David. What the hell was up with this girl?

David put the pizza blade down. “What’s wrong, Angie?”

“He’s covered in blood!”

Connor’s shoulders tensed up. His heart started to pound. “What?”

“I’m not going back out there!” Angela cried and she fled into the back of the store.

Connor glanced quickly at David before he rushed out into the dining room. He rounded the empty bar and froze. His body stiffened with shock.

M stood in the Pizza Hut lobby. His face was pale and his eyes were wide and glassy. Blood splattered across his t-shirt and stained his pants in big blotches. It was on his arms and his hands. The red washed up his neck in an artistic spray and a single spot of it dotted his face, right on his chin.

“Are you hurt?” Connor demanded. He moved forward jerkily. His eyes traveled frantically over the boy’s small form, looking for signs of injury.

“I’m not hurt,” M said softly.

“Then who is!” Connor asked in a panic. He’d raised his voice without thinking and M flinched away.

The boy’s bottom lip wobbled and he looked at Connor with his misty green eyes.

“I’m calling an ambulance,” Tamera said and Connor spun around. The manager had snuck around behind the bar. She grabbed up the cordless phone from behind the register.

“Don’t,” Connor snapped. “He’s not hurt.”

Tamera narrowed her eyes at Connor. “Who is this kid?” she asked. Her gaze moved to M and it softened a bit. “Is he a friend of yours?”

A dog started barking outside. Connor turned to peer out the glass doors behind M. Jack paced in front of the building, stopping periodically to bark.

“You brought the dog?” Connor asked faintly.

“I had to,” M whispered.

“What the fuck’s going on?” Connor hissed at him. M gave him a needy look. He was pleading with his eyes.

Connor huffed and he grabbed M’s arm. He yanked the boy to the right of the lobby. The bathroom was down the hallway and he opened the door, quickly checked that it was empty and then shoved the boy inside.

The men’s room was lit with dim candelabras that hung off the wall. It was painted red and had a stone floor. The low lights were probably meant to disguise the filth but Connor was just glad he didn’t have to see the blood in high-detail anymore.

“What happened?” Connor asked again. He released the boy’s arm and pushed him into the center of the room.

“That man,” M said breathily. “He came back.”

Connor felt the blood drain from his face. “The man in black? The guy with the glasses and the hat?”

“Yes,” M shivered and Connor looked around the room frantically. The sinks were to the left, urinals to the right. The back part had a couple stalls with toilets. Connor already knew the place was empty, but he was paranoid now.

“How did you get away?” Connor asked in a rush.

“He grabbed me. He tried to take me,” M shook violently. His teeth were chattering together.

“Wait! He got inside the trailer?!”

“Jack bit the man’s leg and he had to let me go so he could fight the dog off,” M said quickly. “There was this metal thing behind the door—”

“The aluminum bat!”

“I hit the guy,” M said. “He was kicking Jack so I hit him in the head. I hit him again and again.”

Connor stared at the boy in shock. “It looks like you killed him.”

“He stopped moving,” M said. He wrapped his arms around himself.

“Fuck,” Connor cursed. He hurried over to the sinks and grabbed a bunch of paper towels from the dispenser. He ran the water. “C’mere.”

Connor cleaned the kid’s arms, neck and face. It was strangely arousing, washing the red splotches of blood from the boy’s flesh. The wet paper towel was thin and Connor could feel M’s soft skin through it. He saved his chin for last. He gently took the boy’s face into his hands. They stared into each other’s eyes as Connor washed the bright red speck off his pretty face.

“I have to get you out of these clothes,” he said next. He cleared his throat and broke the intense staring match he’d accidentally started. He thought for a minute before he peeled his Pizza Hut shirt off and then his undershirt too. “Change your shirt for this one,” Connor said, handing M his grey undershirt.

M was in the process of doing that when the bathroom door opened.

Connor jumped. He stretched his arms out to protect the blond and turned to face the enemy.

But it was just David.

“Woah,” David held his hands up in surrender. “Tamera sent me in.”

“We’re fine,” Connor snapped. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

David didn’t leave though. He looked around Connor and watched noisily as M finished changing.

Connor growled and reluctantly turned his back on David to grab the bloodied t-shirt from M. He stuffed it in the trash can between the sinks.

“Who’s he?” David asked.

“He’s my friend,” Connor said. “We live together.”

“Oh.”

M stared up at Connor helplessly. He was clearly looking for Connor to do something.

“David?” Connor shifted to face the dork.

“Yeah,” David said. He sounded suspicious and Connor couldn’t blame him.

“Go tell Tamera we’ll be right out. We still need a minute.”

“She wants to call 911. She said he was hurt.” David did his best to look M over. “He isn’t though. Is he?”

“I’ll explain. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Who’s blood is it?”

“Not his!” Connor cried and then cursed under his breath at himself. He shouldn’t have said that! “Dude! Please! Just a couple more minutes.”

“This is really weird,” David said. He backed towards the door. “The girls are freaking out. You better hurry up.”

David disappeared and Connor didn’t waste another second.

“Let’s go,” he said and he grabbed M’s hand and pulled him to the bathroom door. He poked his head out into the hallway. The coast was clear and lucky enough, the emergency exit was at the end of the hallway. Connor tugged M past the ladies room and he hit the lock on the back door.

The emergency alarm blared like a siren.

They rushed outside and hurried around to the back of the building. Connor dug his keys out of his pocket and quickly unlocked the doors. He let go of M’s hand and pushed him towards the passenger side.

“Get in!”

“We forgot Jack!”

“Just get in!” Connor cried. M threw himself in the front seat and Connor followed suit. He started the car and threw it into reverse.

Tamera and David burst out the back doors. The manager was screaming.

Connor took off. He sped behind the building and circled around.

Jack stood dumbly at the front doors. He was barking and howling with anguish. Connor slammed on the brakes and the Honda squealed to a stop.

“Call him!” Connor insisted and M pushed open his door.

“Jack! C’mon baby! C’mere!”

The dog perked up. He spun around and spotted M hanging out of the car. He ran to greet the boy.

“C’mon! Get him in the car,” Connor yelled.

M hauled the dog into his lap and struggled to pull the door shut with his foot. Connor helped the boy push Jack into the backseat and then he punched the gas again. Tamera was barreling around the building and Connor didn’t want to confront her.

They tore down the main road. The streets were clear of traffic. It was a Wednesday night. Nothing exciting was going on.

“Are we going back home?” M asked, his expression grim.

Connor growled with frustration. “I don’t know where else to go!”

“Anywhere but there,” M mumbled, but he fell into silence. He peered listlessly out the window.

Connor drove past the apartments and the duplexes and finally turned down onto Woods Trail. He didn’t look at M as they reached the turnoff. The Honda crept along the gravel path in the dark. Connor felt goosebumps rising on his exposed skin. The feeling of being watched dug into his nerves. He turned the brights on and peered into the black crush of trees on either side of the drive.

“Do you see anything?” Connor asked M.

“No. But he could be out there,” M said. “I don’t feel safe here.” He didn’t turn away from the window. Connor was glad. He didn’t really want to face the boy. He didn’t want to explain his need to check out the scene of the fight. He almost hoped he would find a body, because he just couldn’t believe M had beaten the living shit out of someone.

“How did you walk to my job covered in all that blood? Didn’t you have a shit ton of seizures? Nobody stopped you?” They pulled up to the trailer and Connor parked the car. He looked at M.

“Nobody bothered me,” M said softly. “And I had one seizure. But that was when the guy grabbed me. I was so shocked at first and scared. I knew he was going to kill me for sure and then I blacked out. When I woke up, Jack was fighting the man. He did a good job,” M reached into the back to pet the dog. Jack whined and leaned into M’s hand.

Connor was actually pretty impressed with the dog. If what M said was true.

“I got up and grabbed the bat. That’s when the guy started to get the upper hand on Jack. He’d just landed a kick to Jack’s stomach and the dog rolled onto his side and started growling and biting the air.”

“Fuck,” Connor pressed his hand over his eyes.

“That’s why I hit him so many times. Because I didn’t want him attacking us anymore. I knew you wouldn’t be back soon. I had to do something,” M said.

“But… what about the blood?” Connor asked. “It didn’t make you pass out again?”

“It bothers me,” M said slowly. “But I think I’m ok.”

Connor nodded. “Well, I guess we can go inside then. See what the damage is--”

“I don’t want to go in,” M said. His hands began to tremble in his lap. “What if he’s still in there? What if he grabs me again?”

“I’m here,” Connor said. “I’ll protect you.”

M shook his head. “I’ll just wait here.”

Connor sighed. He wasn’t going to argue with the boy, though. He left the car running and got out. He considered taking the dog with him, but he thought better of it. He could handle this on his own.

Connor went to the front door and tested the lock. It was open and he cautiously pushed his way inside.

The first thing he saw was a pool of blood. And then he noticed the body. Connor swallowed hard as he edged his way into the living room, trying to avoid stepping in the red stuff crusting in the carpet.

“Fuck my life.”

The man in black, in full costume, was laid out on Connor’s living room floor and the aluminum bat he kept behind the front door was near the couch, stained with blood. Connor reeled backwards. He stumbled into the kitchen and fell back against the counter. He could still see the body through the little window between the kitchen and living room though. Connor stared until he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Hoping it was Hannah, someone he could talk to, he fumbled to retrieve it. It wasn’t Hannah though. It was a text from an unknown number.

It’s David from work, the message read. It was closely followed by another. That was pretty shady what you did. Running off like that.

Connor felt his blood boil. Fuck off! He texted back. You don’t even know what’s going on.

Connor’s gaze drifted back to the man in black. He wondered what they were going to do. He thought maybe he should call the police and report the accidental crime but he had a feeling the police would throw them both in jail first and ask questions later.

Fuck!!!

Connor’s phone buzzed again and he automatically checked the screen.

Tamera called the police. I’m just warning you.

Connor felt his stomach do a flip. Why?!

They want to see your friend’s bloody shirt. You guys left it in the trash.

Connor put his phone down on the counter. This was bad. He couldn’t talk to anyone! Not even Hannah! Connor’s heart beat frantically in his chest. He felt like he’d just returned from a long, strenuous run.

After a moment of indecision, Connor crept back into the living room. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, but he didn’t let his gaze shift from the dead man on his floor.

Connor crouched over the body. With his stomach twisting at the prospect, he plunged his hand into the man’s front pocket. It was empty so he moved his trembling hands up along the man’s torso, feeling along the inner lining of his coat. There was nothing to find either, however.

The locks on the front door hadn’t been broken. This didn’t look like any sort of break in. Connor had been hoping to find something, anything, that would prove this man was here with malicious intent. He pushed the man and rolled him on his side hoping to check his pants, when he noticed a black gun tucked under his belt.

Connor blinked in shocked surprise. The gun was black and official looking. He didn’t know lots about guns, but it looked like a typical cop pistol.

Connor saw another bulge in the man’s back pocket. His mouth going dry with anxiety and hesitance, he pulled out a simple black wallet. Connor opened it nervously. Inside was a single official looking card. It had the man’s picture and next to it, in plain black ink, it said: Agent # 224.

Alarm bells went off in Connor’s head. He started to panic. Fuck. They had to go. Now! Who had sent an agent? Who was after them? What the fuck?!

Connor leapt up and rushed down the hall to his bedroom. He wasn’t sure yet what they were going to do, but he had a feeling packing some clothes would be a good idea.

Connor found his old duffle bag in his closet and quickly stuffed a couple days’ worth of clothes inside. M’s stuff went into his backpack. Connor grabbed some essential toiletries from the bathroom, his running shoes from the hall closet, then he was out the door.

M rolled down the window when he saw Connor coming. “Connor, what’s—”

“Reach around to my side of the car, down on the floor. There’s a little lever under the front seat, on the left side. It’s a picture of a car with the door sticking up in the back. I need you to pull it.”

M’s eyes widened but he lunched across the seat and disappeared. Connor took the bags to the back, relieved when the trunk popped open as he approached. He quickly stuffed the bags into the trunk and started to close it when he realized he hadn’t had a chance to take the Pizza Hut car topper off. Grunting, he rushed around to pull the magnetic signage off the hood of the Honda and tossed it into the trunk after the bags.

Connor hadn’t done any of his end of shift duties…

Already knowing he was screwed, Connor yanked out his wallet and thumbed through the money.

He had almost $200 and most of the money wasn’t his to keep. It belonged to Pizza Hut. Fuck, not only had Connor left his shift early with a boy covered in blood, he’d also stolen company money and property. No wonder Tamera was calling the police!

Connor pocketed the money. It was too late to return it now. With a huff, he pushed his sweaty hair out of his face and shut the trunk. They had to go. Now.

As soon as Connor got in the car, the dog started barking again. He probably sensed the fear and discomfort in the air. Connor ignored him, taking one last look at the trailer through the windshield. Shit…they were doing everything wrong. They hadn’t hidden the body. The murder weapon was out in the open. Connor suddenly remembered that he’d left his phone behind…

“Oh, fuck, M! We have to go back inside. We have to hide the body.” Connor slammed his fists against the steering wheel. “Fuck!”

“I’m not touching it,” M’s breath got quicker. “No way.”

With a growl of frustration, Connor leapt from the car and stormed back inside. Fucking M, being a goddamn baby….

Luckily, the dead man hadn’t moved. When Connor reached the living room, he stared down at the body lying prone on his carpet. “This is so messed up,” he muttered to himself then he crouched down and grabbed the man under his armpits. The guy was tall, but rather thin and Connor had little trouble hoisting the body over his shoulder. Connor stood with the Man in Black draped over his arm, confident he could carry him, but then he felt a mushy warmth seeping into the back of his clothes.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Connor cursed. The dead man’s head was leaking! With little care for the blood dripping left and right, he hauled the guy out the front door.

M quickly rolled up his window as Connor barreled out the door. He gazed wide-eyed at Connor through the glass, and Connor had to resist giving him the finger. He wouldn’t know what it meant anyway. He gave the kid a glare, then turned for the swamp. Connor had already decided. He was going to drown the body. He wished he had time to think of something better, but he could feel the heat closing in.

Connor reached the edge of the water and sloshed through it until it got waist deep. Only then did he shrug the heavy, lifeless body into the water. The man in black floated lazily on the surface and Connor planted his boot on the man’s abdomen and forced him under. The body sank into the dark water and Connor stepped on him a few good times to make sure he stayed in the muck.

Connor hurried back to the trailer after that. He threw his bloody Pizza Hut shirt into the washer and hurried back to his room for a clean replacement. He grabbed his phone from the kitchen and the bat from the living room and paused over the pool of blood. There wasn’t much he could do about the mess. Connor just hoped the cops wouldn’t have the authority to enter the premises based on $200 dollars and the blood they’d left at the store.

There was another text from David on the phone, but Connor didn’t bother to look. He shut the lights off and locked up as he left. Connor took one more trip back to the swamp before he returned to the car. He tossed his cellphone into the water first, then followed it with the bat. He made sure both items sank to the bottom before he left.

As he made his way back to the car, Connor looked bitterly up at the night sky. He had no idea what to do next, but he knew they had to run. As he trudged through the gravel, he noticed a red light blinking high above. Connor slowed to stare up at it. It hovered directly above the trailer, and Connor had the oddest feeling it was watching them…

With a shiver, Connor sped up and made it back to the car in seconds.

M had his face in his hands, but he sat up straight when Connor got in beside him.

“I’m sorry,” M sobbed. “I ruined everything.”

Connor didn’t say anything. He let the boy cry while he sorted through their options.

Seemed like the best bet was for Connor to withdraw all his money from the bank. He couldn’t risk his card getting tracked by the cops if they were going on the run. He didn’t feel like it was safe to continue driving the Honda either. It was in his name and the police would be able track that as well.

Connor couldn’t believe he was even going to consider it, but he knew someone with a car to spare. Someone that owed him a favor.

He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. They had to hurry, there was no telling how long they had. M continued to cry quietly as Connor drove. He thought about consoling the boy, but he couldn’t stop seeing flashes of that man’s crushed head. He could still feel the guy’s brains, his blood and other juices leaking down his back. He’d carried a man’s dead body tonight because of M.

And Connor didn’t really know how he felt about it.