《Davi and Davey》 Chapter 1 Davide was irrevocably different from anyone David had ever known. From the first time he saw him to the last, he commanded David¡¯s attention without even trying. Perhaps predictably, the first time they met was the first day of junior year. David was walking down the hall to the usual spot he and his friends hung out at before the first bell when he saw this stranger leaning on a locker. He had messy black hair hanging in his face, he had that one emo style that covered one of his eyes completely. He had some edgy band t-shirt on, the logo was a bit faded and David was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t have recognized the album cover anyway. He was wearing black skinny jeans, had a wallet chain hanging from his hip, and seemed distracted listening to his iPod. He had a pretty prominent adam¡¯s apple that bobbed as he swallowed nothing, he licked his lips absently. He looked kinda gay if David was being completely honest, but that was okay, didn¡¯t necessarily make him a bad person. David didn¡¯t recognize the boy. He also knew teachers loved giving pink slips if they even thought you had an electronic on you. David tapped the boy on the shoulder, he figured it was only polite to give the guy a heads-up, ¡°Hey,¡± The boy turned to look at him. He had some light eyeliner on it really highlighted his green eyes- wait no. The left one was a golden hazel, the right a bright lime. Damn, that wasn¡¯t something David saw every day. It was pretty cool actually. ¡°Hmm?¡± He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. He had at least six ear piercings from what David could see. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around before,¡± David said, as he realized he hadn¡¯t actually elaborated on why he had approached this random guy. ¡°I¡¯m a new student. My name is Davide,¡± Well, that explained a lot. ¡°No shit? My name is David, nice to meet you,¡± David laughed. Davide held out a hand to him, ¡°Nice to meet you too, almost name twin.¡± David shook it, oh huh, Davide had black nail polish on too, damn this guy committed to his looks didn¡¯t he? His hands were delicate, with a few light scars on them. Maybe he had a cat or something. ¡°I¡¯m going, to be honest, I have no idea what I¡¯m doing here,¡± Davide said. ¡°Oh it¡¯s not that bad, new school but the routine is still similar enough I bet, right?¡± Davide tucked his bangs behind his ear and looked at the floor shyly, ¡°I uh, I¡¯ve never gone to public school before.¡± ¡°Oh shit, you a private school kid?¡± That would explain why he went so hard with his style if he¡¯d been forced to wear a uniform before. Davide looked up again and shook his head, ¡°Oh no, I did a combination of online school and my mom tutoring me. We moved around a lot since my dad was in the military so it just felt easier than uh, changing schools all the time,¡± Davide explained. David nodded, ¡°Yeah that makes sense. I was heading over to meet up with some of my friends, why don¡¯t you come with me? Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and you¡¯ll have a class or two with one of us.¡± Davide nodded, ¡°Yeah that, that would be nice. Uh, what year are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a junior.¡± Davide sighed in relief, ¡°Oh good, me too.¡± ¡°You have your schedule on you?¡± Davide pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his pocket and offered it to David as they walked down the hallway, he skimmed it, damn. It looked like he didn¡¯t have any classes with Davide, This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Shit, we don¡¯t have anything together, that blows. But hey! You have lunch the same period as Shirley and Marcus, they¡¯re the ones we¡¯re going to meet up with. I¡¯ve known them forever.¡± He leaned over to Davide to conspiratorially whisper in his ear, ¡°I¡¯m planning on skipping class to crash that sometimes. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fast friends.¡± ¡°Thanks, David this is, you¡¯re being really nice to me,¡± Davide said with a small smile as he took his schedule back. ¡°Well, why not? You seem like a cool guy seems only natural I¡¯d want to help you get your bearings and all.¡± Marcus waved at him from the end of the hallway. David was a bit impressed he was even able to see the other guy. Marcus Winter was a bit on the shorter side, not really someone looked at for very long. He had messy black hair in a bob, was it still a bob if it was on a guy? David didn¡¯t know much about hair. He had dark brown eyes obscured by glasses and espresso-colored freckles littered his pale skin. He was dressed in unassuming clothes, black jeans, and a red t-shirt. Not skinny jeans like Davide though. Next to him was Shirley Davis. Shirley and Marcus had been friends longer than David had known either of them, inseparable since elementary school. David could admit he was a little jealous, even if Shirley super friend-zoned him back in middle school. She was in her usual athletic gear. She was a good five inches taller than Marcus. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. Dark green eyes contrast her medium brown skin she had bags under her eyes but it didn¡¯t detract from her appearance. She was to put it bluntly, a fucking babe. ¡°There they are,¡± David said to Davide. Davide looked a bit nervous. David patted him on the back, ¡°Hey dude, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re gonna love ya.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yeah man, I¡¯m sure.¡± He squeezed Davi¡¯s lower back and guided the two of them over. ¡°Shirley, Marcus! This is Davide, he¡¯s new, figured he can hang with us.¡± ¡°Davide? That¡¯s gonna get confusing quick,¡± Shirley said with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m Shirley, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Marcus.¡± He held out his hand for Davide to shake. Davide shook his hand, ¡°Hey, nice to meet you two too. Guess me or David is going to have to get a nickname though if we¡¯re in the same spot.¡± ¡°We could call you Davi? Since your name is pronounced a bit closer to that than mine is.¡± ¡°I was gonna suggest we call you Davey,¡± Shirley said. ¡°Why not both? Davi and Davey,¡± Marcus suggested. ¡°Sounds like a comedy duo,¡± Davey snorted. ¡°Who says we won¡¯t be?¡± Davi chuckled. ¡°Fair enough man.¡± Davey shrugged. ¡°So Davi, what classes are you in?¡± Marcus asked as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt. Davi handed Marcus his schedule, ¡°Oh, you and I have math together!¡± Shirley peeked over Marcus¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Oo we have photography together, last period.¡± ¡°Davey said I have lunch with you guys too, is it alright if I sit with you?¡± Davi asked. Marcus handed him back his schedule, ¡°Of course, you can man. Let¡¯s just hope we can get a decent spot.¡± David and the rest of the group scattered as the warning bell rang, ¡°Meet me in the parking lot after school okay? You too Davi!¡± He said to the group. Marcus gave him a thumbs up, Shirley an overdramatic salute, and Davi blinked in surprise and nodded a bit. David counted that as a win and headed off to class. It was the first day so most of it was just boring ¡°this is the syllabus and class rules please don¡¯t do anything dumb¡± sort of bullshit. The only class David even said more than his name and two fun facts about his summer in was the advanced computer science course. He hadn¡¯t even wanted to take it but his father insisted, said it would be good for his future and shit. The teacher, Mr. Dunlop, asked the class if anyone had any experience or connection with the tech industry and one of his classmates looked directly at him. David sighed and raised his hand, ¡°Yes, David?¡± ¡°Well I mean, my dad is the CEO of VitaTech,¡± He shrugged. Sure his dad¡¯s job was cool and all but it didn¡¯t mean he liked talking about it. People always gave him a certain look, ¡°The security company? Well, that¡¯s certainly something.¡± Dunlop said, clearly impressed. Yep, that was the look. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not just security. They do a lot of other stuff too. They¡¯re doing like, AI shi- stuff and like. Dad said something about some health initiative? Not gonna lie I don¡¯t always uh, pay attention to the stuff he talks about.¡± ¡°Well, I hope you are all aware that we will not be doing anything even close to machine learning this year. Maybe by the time you get to college, you could do things like that. But that all sounds very interesting Mr. Caputo.¡± Oh god no that¡¯s what shareholders and other suits call his dad, that was not him, ¡°Just uh, David please.¡± Chapter 2 The school day wasn¡¯t a long one thank fuck, other than Comp-sci and meeting Davi nothing of note happened. David was able to make his way to the student parking lot pretty quickly after the final bell. He leaned on the hood of his car, a blue Ford. He¡¯d semi-ironically started calling it ¡°Blueford the big blue car¡± when he got it over the summer, then Shirley heard the name, and ever since the car was never going to be known as anything else. Marcus arrived not too long after him, he waved as he approached, ¡°Hey Davey, we survived another first day huh?¡± Oh huh, guess the nickname actually was gonna stick. ¡°Yeah, how did you and Shirley end up liking the new guy?¡± He really hoped his friends liked this guy as much as he did. ¡°Davi? Oh yeah, he¡¯s super cool. Him and Shirley have some classes together too.¡± ¡°Oh sweet.¡± No sooner had the two been mentioned that Davide and Shirley exited the back door of the school. She was walking and laughing with Davide, damn they must have super hit it off. David was glad, he seemed like a cool dude who needed some friends. ¡°About time you showed up!¡± David called to them. ¡°Listen Davi and I got into a long discussion about photography. We can''t be held accountable for our actions.¡± ¡°Aw shit known him one day and you already got him hooked on your artsy shit?¡± David asked. ¡°My fault, I mentioned having a real film camera,¡± Davide said. ¡°Woah really? That¡¯s pretty cool,¡± Marcus said. ¡°My mom gave me hers from college,¡± He explained. ¡°So, Davi,¡± David started, ¡°I know it¡¯s your first day and all but how you liking ¡°the public school experience¡± so far?¡± Davide shrugged, ¡°I mean, you guys seem pretty cool. Not used to having to run between classes all the time but, seems like no one really likes that part. I think I¡¯ll survive.¡± ¡°Just what we wanna hear! Now, I usually drive these two home. You want a ride?¡± Davide blinked a bit, clearly surprised at the offer. ¡°Really? You, you don¡¯t even know where I live.¡± ¡°I mean if you go here it can¡¯t be that far.¡± He shrugs, ¡°Come on, we can get some Wendys or something on the way even. My treat.¡± What dad didn¡¯t notice on the credit card bill wouldn¡¯t hurt him. ¡°Uh. Sure! Thank you again you¡¯ve, you guys have all been so nice to me.¡± David patted him on the back and tugged him a bit closer, ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for my good man! Now get in the car.¡± Davide took shotgun, which was fine, Shirley and Marcus got out at the same place anyway so it wouldn¡¯t super matter in the long run. He placed his backpack at his feet, ¡°You know you can put that in the trunk if you want? You¡¯re not gonna have tons of legroom.¡± ¡°Oh no it¡¯s fine I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡± David shrugged, ¡°If you insist.¡± ¡°So you and Shirley have photography together. What else do you have?¡± ¡°We also have the same English.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re in the smart kid courses then?¡± David asked as he started the car. He wasn¡¯t in the honors or AP track but he didn¡¯t let it bother him. He was doing fine just where he was. Sure his dad got on his case about not being as smart as his friends but whatever. His grades would be good enough for college. He pulled out of the parking lot. He drove right past the Mcdonald''s that was technically closer, he wasn¡¯t really in the mood to hear his coworker Eric on one of his days off. He also figured Marcus didn¡¯t need to stop by his mom¡¯s work. There was a bit of a line at the drive-through. That wasn¡¯t super surprising though, school letting out and a decent chunk of people were getting off work. ¡°Okay while we¡¯re waiting, what¡¯s everyone want?¡± David looked over his shoulder at Shirley and Marcus. ¡°Cheeseburger, fries, and an orange soda,¡± Shirley said. No surprise there, for a runner she ate like a quarterback. ¡°I¡¯m not super hungry. I¡¯ll just have an order of fries.¡± ¡°Alright solid, how about you, Davi?¡± ¡°Salad and a sprite.¡± That was a chick¡¯s order, ¡°Really?¡± He raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I¡¯m trying to maintain my girlish figure,¡± Davide deadpanned. ¡°Whatever you say, dude. I¡¯ll get another order of fries in case you change your mind.¡± He gave Davi a playful wink. Davi swallowed and David found himself staring at his adam¡¯s apple again, what the hell was with that anyway? He didn¡¯t normally stare at dude¡¯s throats or really anyone¡¯s throats. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°David, it¡¯s our turn,¡± Shirley said, clearing her throat. ¡°Aw shit, sorry man.¡± He said to the person on the other side of the intercom. He gave the order, he did in fact order an extra thing of fries for Davi. Once they made it through the drive through David placed the bag on the little stand thingy between the driver and shotgun seats, he didn¡¯t know what the hell it was called, ¡°Try not to spill on the floor, okay guys?¡± He asked as the others grabbed their food from the bag and he handed Shirley and Davi their sodas, ¡°Oh damn, there goes my plans to pour my sprite directly onto the floor,¡± Davide deadpanned once again. ¡°I¡¯ll make you walk.¡± ¡°Damn, hazing the new kid? I expected better of you.¡± ¡°Sounds like a you problem,¡± David smirked. ¡°Well damn guess I won¡¯t be feeding you your fries then,¡± Davi said, pulling the container of fries to his chest. ¡°Aw come on man driver tax!¡± Davi chuckled and rolled his eyes as he offered a fry to David. David bit the french fry, he felt a bit like a cowboy with it half hanging out of his mouth. ¡°Yeehaw,¡± ¡°Save a horse ride a, blue bull?¡± Marcus said from the backseat. ¡°Eh, not your best work,¡± Shirley said. ¡°He¡¯s definitely said worse,¡± David said. ¡°Assholes, see if I invite you on my next outing.¡± ¡°How you gonna get there without my car? Checkmate jackass.¡± Davi glanced at everyone in the car, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, one of my main hobbies is breaking into abandoned buildings around the island and painting them.¡± ¡°That sounds so cool,¡± David could practically hear how starry-eyed Davi probably was right then, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you some time if you want,¡± Marcus said. ¡°I¡¯d really like that. Maybe I can take some pictures too?¡± Marcus chuckled, ¡°Just don¡¯t get me caught alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m offended you think I would!¡± David was so distracted hearing those two talk that he almost missed the turn for the apartment building. With a slight jerk of the wheel, he made his way into the parking lot, ¡°See you later guys.¡± ¡°Bye David. It was nice to meet you, Davi! See you tomorrow.¡± Shirley said. ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Davi said with a smile. ¡°Yeah man, see you around.¡± Marcus threw up a peace sign as he got out of the car as well. ¡°Shirley and Marcus live in the same complex? That¡¯s pretty convenient.¡± Davi said as the other two walked towards their apartments. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve lived here for as long as I¡¯ve known them. Now I just gotta get you home don¡¯t I?¡± David patted him on the shoulder. He noticed he was a lot touchier today than he usually was. Eh, whatever just one of those days he supposed. ¡°I guess you do,¡± Davi said as he glanced at David¡¯s hand on his shoulder with a small smile. ¡°So, were you always homeschooled?¡± ¡°I went to a normal preschool but, that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Why were you moving so much if your mom is a college professor?¡± ¡°Back when my father was in the army we were never stationed in the same place for more than a year.¡± Oh shit, past tense, ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Oh no! Discharged! Discharged not dead,¡± He clarified. David exhaled, ¡°Good good. Now, not that I¡¯m not stoked you¡¯re here, but why did your parents pick Long Island specifically? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ¡°My dad grew up around here. Turns out our house is like down the street from the one he grew up in.¡± ¡°Oh, my dad grew up around here too, wonder if they knew each other.¡± ¡°My dad¡¯s name is Martin Maloney. Guess you can ask your dad when you get home?¡± ¡°Right speaking of home! I need your address,¡± He pointed at his phone as he pulled up the maps app. ¡°Yeah yeah, that is probably helpful since I have no idea how to direct you there myself.¡± He chuckled as he entered the address. ¡°Oh, nice dude you¡¯re like, fifteen minutes from my place.¡± ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be seeing a lot of each other then?¡± Davi asked. ¡°I sure hope so,¡± David smirked at him. Davide smiled back at him and David started driving. The ride was pretty quiet after that, with Davi looking out the window, probably taking in the new town, and David was occupied keeping his eyes on the road. He didn¡¯t even turn on the radio, just kept listening to his phone spit out the directions. It wasn¡¯t a long drive, David had practiced driving in this neighborhood back when he still had just a permit. ¡°That¡¯s it over there,¡± Davi pointed at a humble one-story house with pale cream siding and a maroon-colored roof. There was a reasonable but slightly cheap car in the driveway. David pulled in beside it. He went to unbuckle his seatbelt, then figured he should probably ask before just following the guy into his house, ¡°Mind if I pop in to use the bathroom real quick?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯ll be fine. Try to ignore the moving boxes?¡± Davide asked as he got out of the car. ¡°Somehow I¡¯ll look past them,¡± David winked. Davide¡¯s face looked a little red, must have been David¡¯s imagination. David got out of the car and followed him inside. Davi opened the door, he wasn¡¯t kidding about the moving boxes. The living room had a couch and other normal furniture, but the floor was littered with boxes with sharpie labeling the contents. Davide tossed his backpack onto the couch unceremoniously. ¡°Mom! I¡¯m home!¡± He called out. Chapter 3 ¡°Mom! I¡¯m home!¡± He called out. A woman with long black hair and the same vibrant green as her son¡¯s left eye appeared. Even if Davide hadn¡¯t just called her mom there would have been no doubt of their relation, she had the same face shape, the same nose. She looked like if Davi was a chick. She had a flannel tied around her waist and looked like she was probably interrupted unpacking, ¡°I want to hear all about mio capolavoro¡¯s first day! Also, hello there, are you a friend of Davide¡¯s?¡± Her Italian accent was a bit surprising. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m uh, my name is David Caputo,¡± He held out his hand. She shook his hand, ¡°David and Davide huh? Now that sounds like a duo asking for trouble.¡± David laughed a bit nervously, ¡°Oh no ma¡¯am, just a couple of good students.¡± ¡°I¡¯m teasing ragazzo, promesso.¡± David nodded, ¡°Who is this?¡± A tall and very wide man walked into the room. He had a stern face, short brown hair, and hazel eyes. He wore military dog tags around his neck. His eye color and resting bitch face was about the only thing he gave to his son, appearance-wise. He was an extremely imposing figure, ¡°Uh, I¡¯m David Caputo, sir.¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t sir me. Not in the army anymore,¡± He said with no inflection in his voice. ¡°Uh, sorry s- uh. Mr. Maloney.¡± ¡°You can just call me Martin, kid.¡± David nodded, he still somehow felt like he was doing the wrong thing, ¡°Yeah uh, sure Mr- Martin.¡± ¡°So, you one of Davide¡¯s classmates I¡¯m guessing?¡± Martin asked, still with that hintless inflectionless tone. ¡°Oh no actually. I just uh, saw him in the hallway and thought he looked cool.¡± Davi turned towards him and tucked his bangs behind his ear with a bit of a shy smile, ¡°You think I look cool?¡± Was it not obvious? ¡°Uh I mean duh, have you seen yourself, Davi? You look like the lead singer of a punk band what other word could I possibly use to describe you?¡± He motioned to Davide¡¯s earrings. ¡°I dunno I just,¡± Davi scratched the back of his neck, ¡°never been called cool before.¡± David shrugged, ¡°Well you¡¯ll probably have to get used to it. You¡¯re by far the coolest guy in our damn grade, probably the whole school.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a very sweet boy David,¡± Mrs. Maloney said. David shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m just being honest. Also may I uh, use your bathroom before I head out?¡± ¡°Not staying?¡± Martin asked. ¡°No uh, I didn¡¯t ask my dad if I could hang out at someone else¡¯s today and he¡¯s probably wondering where I am,¡± He explained. Martin nodded and turned to his wife, ¡°I¡¯m going to get back to unpacking.¡± Davide told David how to get to the bathroom and he slipped away. The bathroom looked like it was one of the first rooms the family completely unpacked which made sense, piss waits for no man. The soap was honey lavender scented, did he even know what scent his own soap was? Why was he taking notes of every little detail in this place? He shook his head and went about his business. He spotted a pencil on the counter while he was washing his hands with the previously mentioned honey lavender soap. He leaned in to get a bit of a better look at it. It was an eyeliner pencil, based on the edgy lettering of the brand name it was probably Davi¡¯s. David supposed it did make his eyes stand out. Not that Davi needed much help in that department. His eyes were unlike anything David had ever seen before, his wearing guyliner just made them even more attention-grabbing than they already were. Why was he thinking about a guy¡¯s eyes this hard? He shook his head and dried his hands off, he really needed to be going home. The Maloneys probably had a bunch more unpacking to do that he was delaying with his continued presence. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. David walked out of the bathroom. Davi¡¯s dad had vanished, but his mom was still around, ripping open one of the boxes in the living room. Davi was helping her. He waved, ¡°I¡¯m gonna head out, thanks for letting me use the restroom.¡± Davi rushed over and hugged him. His body was surprisingly warm against David¡¯s especially given how skinny he was. Not that he was like, thinking about Davi¡¯s body under his clothes or anything, that would be weird. David chuckled a bit but hugged Davi back rubbing the other guy¡¯s back a bit, ¡°No need for dramatics man, I¡¯m gonna see you tomorrow.¡± Davi pulled back and looked shy again, ¡°I know but I just. I dunno wanted to thank you for like, showing me the ropes and shit? I wouldn¡¯t have even talked to Shirley and Marcus today if you hadn¡¯t introduced us so like, thank you for being my first friend like, ever?¡± Davi looking at him like that made David feel a unique swelling of pride in his chest. He smiled softly at Davi, ¡°Sure man. It¡¯s my privilege. See you tomorrow,¡± He patted him on the shoulder and waved goodbye to Mrs. Maloney again as well. Then he got in his car and cracked his knuckles before he started the trek home. He turned on the radio, it was some sappy pop song. Normally he would change the station but he didn¡¯t care enough. He listened to the high-pitched woman¡¯s melody about dancing or a hot guy or maybe it was both as he made his way home. He might have even found himself singing along a bit, what the hell he never sang. The song ended and so did whatever strange feeling had come over him at that moment. It wasn¡¯t too long before he arrived home. His house was admittedly pretty damn nice, it¡¯s what happens when your father is a CEO of a major tech company. It was a two-story older home that was completely updated inside. He pulled into the garage and got his shit out of the trunk. He kicked his shoes off, he didn¡¯t like how the cold tile felt against his feet but he liked hearing lectures about trekking dirt into the house even less. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± He said as he closed the door to the garage behind him. ¡°You¡¯re later than expected. Lots of traffic?¡± His father, Armand Caputo asked. He did not look up from his laptop. He was tall but not imposing in the way Davide¡¯s father was. He had mousey brown hair like David did but slightly greying at the edges from stress. ¡°I met a new kid and gave him a ride home. Ended up talking to him and his parents for a bit. I must have just lost track of time, sorry.¡± ¡°New kid huh? What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°Davide Maloney. His family just moved here.¡± ¡°I am aware of what being a new kid entails David and, wait Maloney? What¡¯s his dad¡¯s name?¡± His father looked up at that, his tired grey eyes assessing him, ¡°Martin. He apparently grew up around here.¡± ¡°Oh, that fucking prick. We went to high school together,¡± His dad said with a huff. ¡°He seemed kind of¡­Intense. Turns out, he just got discharged from the army,¡± David said. He wasn¡¯t sure why Davi¡¯s father wigged him out so badly but he did. ¡°He enlisted right after high school. Guess he had to come crawling back now.¡± His father scowled. ¡°Did you uh, know him well?¡± David asked as he took a seat at the glass dining room table across from his dad. ¡°We had at least two classes together every year. So I¡¯d say we were more than acquaintances.¡± David elected not to say how that sounded like very much the definition of acquaintances. ¡°I think his wife is an immigrant. She had a bit of an Italian accent,¡± David said. ¡°How do you keep finding immigrant kids?¡± ¡°They¡­go to school with me?¡± David hoped this did not become A Thing like it did when his father found out Shirley¡¯s mother immigrated from Colombia. ¡°Armand, if you didn¡¯t want our son having a diverse friend group you could¡¯ve sent him to Catholic school.¡± David¡¯s mother, Eunice said from the kitchen, where David heard the distinct sound of her electric wine opener at work. ¡°Nothing against them it¡¯s just what are the odds of him finding two?¡± ¡°Not that low apparently.¡± ¡°Well regardless. How was your first day aside from this new kid?¡± His dad ran his hand through his hair, a light brown that was starting to grey at the edges. ¡°It was fine. Mr.Dunlop was impressed to hear my dad runs VitaTech.¡± ¡°As well he should be,¡± Father got to his feet and brushed some nonexistent dust off of his grey suit jacket, ¡°Did he mention what sort of things you¡¯ll be studying this year?¡± ¡°Probably more programming, like Java and stuff.¡± He chuckled a bit, ¡°He did say definitely no robots, though.¡± Armand snorted, ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t be smart enough for that anyway.¡± David blinked a bit, ¡°Wow uh, thanks, dad.¡± ¡°Just being honest.¡± ¡°Do you have a lot of homework?¡± Eunice came into the dining room. Her light blonde hair was tied back in a bun. Her brown eyes looked tired as usual. She must have just come back from a run since she was still in workout gear and David knew she¡¯d let her gym membership lapse over the summer. ¡°Mostly need you guys to sign syllabi saying I won¡¯t like, cheat and stuff.¡± Eunice reached out, ¡°I suppose I can handle that.¡± Chapter 4 The next few days were pretty simple. Classes had started but weren¡¯t getting super hard yet. David was giving the gang rides home, as usual, Davi was part of them more and more frequently which David was also a fan of. Today he didn¡¯t even seem surprised when David once again said yes when he asked for a ride home. Maybe soon he¡¯d realize he didn¡¯t need to ask anymore. Marcus was talking about something that had happened in math class that day, he and Davi both laughed at the story. David stared at Davi for a bit and just listened to his laugh, it was a soft sound, a bit of a surprise given his baritone voice but David liked it a lot. He blinked a bit and turned his attention back to driving out of the parking lot, ¡°Do we want to hang out at my place today?¡± David asked the car while they were stuck behind one of the buses which seemed to be full of cheerleaders. Was there a game today? David didn¡¯t super pay attention to sports unless it was the girl¡¯s track team, for Shirley. ¡°Shirley and I have plans, but next time!¡± Marcus said. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just you and me this time, Davey,¡± Davi elbowed him lightly. ¡°Oh no, what a nightmare,¡± David laughed. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t mind getting to hang out with just Davi this time around. He was really cool but after that first day, the two of them hadn¡¯t really had time to be alone. Shirley and Marcus got classes and lunch with the guy every day he needed to catch up! Shirley talked a bit about how she wouldn¡¯t be riding back with them all for a bit, between track practice starting up again and some BBYO stuff she was gonna be pretty busy soon. ¡°My dad shouldn¡¯t be home yet but he, he can be a lot to handle when you first meet him just a warning.¡± Davi nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± David unlocked the door and stepped to the side so Davi could come in behind him. He toed out of his shoes, Davi seemed to notice and did the same. His socks were black with red spiderweb patterns on them. ¡°Damn even your socks are edgy?¡± ¡°I have an aesthetic and I am committing to it,¡± Davi deadpanned. Eunice walked out of the kitchen, she had a loose yellow sweater drooping off of one of her shoulders and black leggings on. Her hair was down and she wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, ¡°Oh hello there, you must be Davi, right? David has mentioned you,¡± She said as she approached the two of them still clogging up the entryway. ¡°I hope mostly good things,¡± Davi smiled a little self-consciously, ¡°Only good things. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, I¡¯m Eunice, his mother,¡± She held her hand out. Davi shook it, ¡°Oh! I like your nails, what color is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh¡­called violet seductress,¡± Davi blushed. Eunice laughed softly, ¡°Of course it is, well I think it suits your style very well.¡± David figured Davi could use a rescue, ¡°We¡¯re gonna head up to my room for a bit if that¡¯s alright mom? Dad home yet?¡± Eunice let go of Davi¡¯s hand, ¡°Oh of course dear I¡¯ll let you two have fun. I¡¯ll be right down here if you need anything. And no, your father is still in the office, you know board meetings like to drag on and on,¡± David nodded before he led Davi up the floating staircase to the second floor. Davi slowed down a bit to look at one of the art pieces on the wall. ¡°This is a Monet right?¡± ¡°Not a real one, but yeah I think so.¡± Davi nodded, ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be surprised you knew that, you¡¯re an artsy guy.¡± ¡°I mean my mom is quite literally an art history professor, I never had a chance to not be,¡± He laughed a bit as he followed David up the rest of the stairs. David opened the door to his room and let Davi enter first. His room was nothing particularly special. The floor was the same black ¡°not marble but looks enough like it to impress people¡± that ran throughout the house, and the walls were a pale greyish blue. His bed was pressed against one wall and there was a TV on the other side with his Xbox on the floor. ¡°You have your own TV?¡± Davi asked as he placed his backpack on the floor. ¡°Oh yeah, got it as a Confirmation present,¡± David said as he closed the door behind them. The rule was the door only had to be open if Shirley was in there, so David elected to get a bit more privacy from his mother¡¯s prying ears and eyes. ¡°Damn, my parents don¡¯t even have a TV in their room,¡± Davi nodded, impressed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty chill.¡± David sat on the bed, ¡°Want to watch something? Or we can play video games, whatever.¡± Davi walked over and sat next to him, their thighs nearly touching from the proximity, ¡°I¡¯m fine playing some video games.¡± David inched a bit away from Davi before getting up, ¡°Alright cool. Sit tight while I get things set up.¡± It didn¡¯t take too long to set up the Xbox, he tossed a controller Davi¡¯s way and explained how to play the off-brand racing game he¡¯d found in the bargain bin of a GameStop a few years ago. He sat down next to Davi again and the two of them started playing, ¡°So¡­it¡¯s been a few weeks. Still liking public school?¡± ¡°Mostly yeah, you and the others are my only friends but I¡¯ve always been a bit more of an introvert so I think that suits me just fine.¡± David nodded, ¡°Yeah most of the kids at our school kinda suck. Glad we found you though.¡± ¡°You mean glad you found me.¡± ¡°I mean yeah but like, you have a bunch of classes and lunch with the others, they would¡¯ve found you at some point.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°But they didn¡¯t, you did.¡± Davi pointed out as he cut David off in the game. ¡°Oh, you dirty little snake!¡± ¡°Read it and weep bitch!¡± Davi elbowed David in the side. Without looking away from the screen David shoved Davi¡¯s face away from his own, ¡°I changed my mind I should have let you get detention on your first day.¡± Davi laughed, that same lovely airy sound from the car. Laughter was just a natural expression of warmth right? It was no wonder he liked hearing Davi¡¯s as much as he did. The guy was his friend, there was nothing weird about it. He was winning the race again. He just realized Davi¡¯s car wasn¡¯t even moving, he glanced at Davi out of the corner of his eye. Davi was just staring at him starry-eyed, ¡°Mind if I pull out my camera for a second? You can keep playing.¡± ¡°Uh sure, what for?¡± ¡°Getting used to using digital for one and also you, I dunno. You looked really focused? Just uh, pretend the camera isn¡¯t even there.¡± ¡°That sounded a little gay dude,¡± David teased, ¡°If it was gay I¡¯d ask you to take your shirt off, dumbass.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Knock yourself out man, but you¡¯re kinda weird.¡± Davi shrugged, ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re still friends with me so I think I¡¯m in good company.¡± He put the camera to his eyes. He must have had flash off, there was no blinding light paired with the click. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so not used to being able to see my pictures this fast,¡± Davi said as he looked at his camera. ¡°You sound like an old man,¡± David snorted, Davi turned his chest away from him, holding the camera close, ¡°Just for that I¡¯m not gonna show you it!¡± ¡°What not gonna compensate your model for his hard work?¡± Davide rolled his eyes, ¡°Only if you promise to actually model for me once we get to the portrait unit.¡± ¡°Wait that¡¯s like, a real thing?¡± ¡°Yes and I¡¯m sure you and Marcus will be pestered by Shirley and I endlessly for our homework needs.¡± ¡°I kinda figured you and Shirley would just be taking pictures of each other,¡± He shrugged. It only made sense, if David was in a photography class with a hot girl he would super ask her to be a model for all his shit. Hell Shirley had fucking abs even. He tried not to think too hard about what an easy way that would be to hit on someone. Especially given how much they both seemed to like each other already. ¡°I mean we will, but I¡¯m sure Mrs. Perez would prefer we diversified our portfolio as she likes to say.¡± ¡°Yeah man, I¡¯ll totally be eye candy for you,¡± He winked. Davi blushed a bit, ¡°It¡¯s a portrait you absolute weirdo.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already established you¡¯re the weird one of the two of us, I am like. The most normal dude you¡¯ll ever meet.¡± ¡°Hmm, gross!¡± ¡°God, you¡¯re so rude,¡± David said with a crooked grin. Davi laughed. His phone started to ring, ¡°Hold on, it¡¯s my mom.¡± David paused the game. Davi spoke in such a relaxed manner with his mom that felt so foreign to David. It wasn¡¯t a long conversation. He ended it with a brief ¡°I love you too¡± and put his phone back in his pocket. ¡°Mom is heading home from work and was going to swing by and get me. I¡¯m gonna head downstairs and get my shoes on if that¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine dude what am I gonna do, make you leave without them?¡± ¡°Touche.¡± Davi got his stuff back together and headed downstairs. David followed after him. ¡°Are you staying for dinner, Davi?¡± Davi shook his head, ¡°No ma¡¯am, my mom¡¯s last lecture just ended so she¡¯s going to swing by and get me. Thank you for the offer though!¡± ¡°Of course, some other time then? David¡¯s friends are always welcome here.¡± ¡°I really appreciate that.¡± The front door opened. The three of them looked to see who was coming. David figured it might be Davi¡¯s mom. It was his father. He looked exhausted, his briefcase thudded against the floor as he crossed the threshold. ¡°Who is this?¡± Armand narrowed his eyes as he nodded at Davi quizzically, ¡°I¡¯m uh, Davide? One of David¡¯s friends?¡± Armand took in Davi¡¯s appearance. God David could feel how much his dad was not into this, ¡°The new kid huh? Not what I was expecting.¡± Davi shifted his weight uncomfortably, ¡°What were you expecting?¡± ¡°A boy, for starters.¡± ¡°Armand come on now. We lived through the eighties, it¡¯s hardly the first time you¡¯ve seen a punk kid,¡± Eunice rolled her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t like it then either.¡± ¡°And just like then, it doesn¡¯t matter what you like.¡± Davi looked incredibly uncomfortable and David didn¡¯t blame him. David put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I think you look nice,¡± He whispered to him. Davi looked at his phone, ¡°Well my mom is here! Gotta get going!¡± ¡°See you tomorrow?¡± David asked with a small wave, he really hoped his dad didn¡¯t just ruin this whole thing for him. ¡°Yeah, of course, Davey,¡± Davi nodded as he closed the door behind him and vanished. David smiled at the door for a little bit, just savoring the memory of Davi¡¯s presence before his father¡¯s gruff voice broke him out of it, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you approve of that so-called style Eunice.¡± Eunice shrugged, ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t. But part of being a teenager is doing things adults don¡¯t like. It¡¯s perfectly natural, and you know what? If my biggest complaint about one of our son''s friends is that his personal style isn¡¯t my cup of tea I think that¡¯s pretty good! He¡¯s not on drugs or a bad influence or anything like that. So what if he has some piercings? He can always take them out when he¡¯s older.¡± ¡°The style implies other things.¡± ¡°He likes obscure music, I don¡¯t think that makes him a bad person¡­¡± David said. Armand sighed, ¡°David, don¡¯t be dumb, that kid is obviously a fag.¡± He knew that was what his father had meant, he had just hoped he could avoid having to think about it for too long. He started to formulate a response when his mother saved him, ¡°Armand is that really appropriate?¡± She put her hands on her hips and gave dad the same disapproving look she gave David when he forgot to do his homework. ¡°If the shoe fits.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a child,¡± Eunice pointed out. David glanced at the two of them, they were so absorbed in their own argument they didn¡¯t notice him slip upstairs. He sighed heavily as he made his way to the bathroom, just a little edge, that was all. He popped the cap off his mouthwash and took a swig. It burned a bit but he was mostly used to it. Didn¡¯t change that it tasted terrible but whatever, he just needed something to cut through the fog forming downstairs and it was hardly a good time to risk stealing some of dad¡¯s whiskey. Chapter 5 David couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious about him and Davi after how their hangout had ended. While Davi was getting some stuff from his locker David admitted as much to the others, ¡°I just I dunno. I wanna make sure things are alright between us you know?¡± ¡°I doubt he holds you responsible for your dad being a dick,¡± Marcus said. David narrowed his eyes at Marcus but said nothing, in this instance he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. His dad was a bit much at the best of times. ¡°You know what we haven¡¯t done in a while? Arcade trip,¡± Shirley suggested as she slid into the shotgun of David¡¯s car. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± He was a little taken aback at Shirley being in front instead of Davi but no one else seemed to comment. Plus it had been a while since Shirley rode with them, so David supposed he could let it go, ¡°Can I come too?¡± Davi asked, luckily getting into the car just at the tail end of the conversation. It would have been mortifying if Davi had heard his whole anxious rant from earlier. ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna put you in the trunk the whole time. Of course, you can come man!¡± When was Davi gonna realize he was just as much a part of the group as any of the others? Well, David supposed he¡¯d just have to keep hammering the point home as long as he had to. Retrocity arcade was technically a little out of the way but it was a Friday afternoon so hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be a huge issue. David was a little surprised with how easy it was to find a parking space but there was one available pretty close to the arcade. ¡°You¡¯ll love this place, Davi, it¡¯s the best.¡± Davi nodded, ¡°It seems cool just from the sign,¡± He pointed at the bright blue sign depicting a purple cat playing an arcade cabinet game that had cartoon sharks on the side. The gang descended upon the arcade. It looked exactly like a proper arcade should, with neon signs and game cabinets all around sitting atop a truly atrociously patterned carpet. The cashier recognized them at this point, he was a slightly pimply twenty-something with an ID tag that said ¡°Clyde¡± he waved at the group as they approached, ¡°Oh, a new kid. Welcome to Retrocity arcade!¡± David plopped his debit card on the counter, ¡°I¡¯m buying his tokens. My treat.¡± He winked at Davi. ¡°That¡¯s, you don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± Davi looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°Yeah, but have you considered I want to do things for you?¡± Davi¡¯s face went pink, ¡°In that case uh, okay.¡± ¡°Good I would hate to have to fight you before we even got any games going.¡± ¡°You know where to find me,¡± Shirley said as she beelined for the pac man-machine, her favorite game and arch nemesis at the same time. David snorted as she zoomed away, ¡°Yeah see you later too.¡± ¡°I want to try the claw machine,¡± Davi said, his eyes fixated on the cutesy-designed contraption. ¡°Dude those things are a total scam. They¡¯re designed to make you waste tokens,¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna try anyway,¡± Davi said as he went over to the machine. David decided to hang back and watch Davi try. Shirley had already fucked off and Marcus was probably doing some Marcus thing, or buying an icee. Davi was staring at a fluffy blue bear with precision. His hand was clenched on the stick as he guided it to just over the bear. He clicked the button and the claw began its open-mouthed descent. It touched the bear¡¯s head, holy shit maybe it was actually going to work? Then it kept sliding to the side and clenched on air. ¡°Damnit,¡± Davi said as he watched the empty claw drop disappointment into the prize slot. ¡°I told you the claw machine is a scam dude,¡± He shook his head a bit fondly, ¡°I know but still.¡± ¡°Do you want me to try for you?¡± He asked as he leaned on the machine and nodded toward the offending bear. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Davi jokingly batted his eyelashes at him, ¡°Aww you¡¯re gonna win a prize for me?¡± David shoved his face away, ¡°Quit looking at me like that man you¡¯re gonna get me hard.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it weird man.¡± Davi giggled a bit, not a normal laugh like a guy but an honest to god giggle like a cheerleader in a porno or something. He lightly pushed him out of the way and put a token into the machine. He had to put his money where his mouth was. He was determined to get that stupid blue teddy bear, it was a matter of pride now. He had paid attention to where Davi had dropped the claw and made sure to move it slightly more to the right. He had pretty decent spatial awareness. He waited a few seconds to make sure the claw had fully stopped swinging and pressed the button to begin its descent. He held his breath as the claw swayed and scraped down the bear¡¯s face. It started to close and David was scared it was going to slip off one more time and he¡¯d be in just an embarrassing spot as Davi except he¡¯d made a whole big show of being better at it than him. The claw closed on the bear¡¯s face and pulled it up. He swore to god if that thing slipped out he was gonna kill someone. The bear stayed true and only fell when the claw let it go into the prize chute. He pulled the bear out, fluffed up his face fur a bit, and held it out towards Davi, ¡°Your prize,¡± Davi took the bear from him with one hand and pulled David into a one-armed hug with the other, ¡°Thank you.¡± David patted his back awkwardly, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s no big deal man.¡± Marcus approached the two of them, sipping on his usual arcade treat, a huge cherry icee. ¡°Hey, either of you wanna play Zombies, Die with me?¡± Oh lord, not Marcus¡¯s shoot-em-up game. David sucked major balls at that one. He glanced at Davi, he seemed intrigued, ¡°How about you two play and I¡¯ll just watch?¡± Davi put the bear in David¡¯s hands and went over to join Marcus at the zombie game. He picked up the gun like a natural and cocked his hip to the side, some sassy little gesture. If he were a girl David wouldn''t be able to stop staring at her ass. But he was a guy so if anything it was just incidental. Davi and Marcus started the game. It was technically two players but the scoreboard only put one name up on the leaderboard at the end. David was absolute ass at this game but it was one of Marcus¡¯s favorites other than DDR, which the whole group always made a point to do when they were there. Shirley came over at some point and elbowed him with a smirk, ¡°Enjoying the show?¡± ¡°You know I suck at this game. I always like watching Marcus play it.¡± She shook her head a bit, ¡°That¡¯s not what I- you know what, sure. Wait, what¡¯s with the bear? You hate claw machines.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not mine, I¡¯m holding it for Davi,¡± He nodded towards Davi who was absolutely killing it at this game though David guessed that with Davi being a military brat he might have actually shot a real gun once or twice. Davide blasted Marcus¡¯s old record out by at least a thousand points. The screen asked him to input his initials. Davide smirked and entered F-A-G. He turned to the group to show the new #1 spot. David felt his fingers twitching, ¡°That¡¯s a joke, right?¡± He asked. Davide stared him in the eye and very slowly and very decisively made a blowjob motion at him never once breaking eye contact. Marcus snorted, ¡°Come on guys, let''s have a DDR tournament.¡± ¡°Okay since Davi is the reigning champ of the day I think he should go first.¡± ¡°Who am I versing?¡± Davi tilted his head. Shirley shoved David forward, ¡°Battle to be the best Dave!¡± David glared at her, Davi however seemed to be taking it in stride, ¡°Hold the little guy for me?¡± ¡°Ugh seriously? Why am I on plushy duty?¡± Shirley complained as she took the bear. ¡°Because I¡¯m your favorite,¡± Davi kissed her on the cheek. Oh come on did they have to flirt right where everyone could see them? David had to remind himself to focus, he couldn¡¯t let himself get distracted by Davi and Shirley no matter how much the image of that annoying kiss was burned into his memory. He decided to let Davi choose the song, ¡°I haven¡¯t played this before, here¡¯s hoping I don¡¯t embarrass myself.¡± ¡°Dude one time I tripped getting up here and broke my nose, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Shirley reassured him. David beat Davi but not by much. They scored within a few hundred points of each other. ¡°Not bad considering it''s your first time playing,¡± David reassured him, ¡°Now make sure to remember your score because you might still be in the running.¡± It was mostly an empty platitude, but there was a chance Shirley would do worse than usual and Davi would move on to round two of the tournament. The two of them stepped off the glowing board. ¡°Alright, take your child back, my turn,¡± Shirley tossed the bear at Davi and made her way onto the DDR machine. ¡°You¡¯re about to see how it usually goes down,¡± David stage whispered to Davi. Shirley and Marcus started their match. Marcus was stiff from the waist up, like a steel rod was down his back. He moved mechanically but he was annihilating the combos. Shirley looked more like an actual human dancing and was doing pretty well, but she was still no match for Marcus. ¡°It¡¯s always a race for second. I think Marcus is part robot,¡± David explained. ¡°So before I came around you and Shirley played to see who would go up against Marcus?¡± ¡°Yeah just about,¡± David nodded. Davi stared at Marcus, ¡°I can see why¡­¡± Chapter 6 The next time David and Davide hung out they decided to go to Davi¡¯s place. That didn¡¯t exactly surprise David, his dad was a major douche to Davi even without Davi knowing what he¡¯d said after he left. ¡°We got rid of all the boxes, I promise.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you hadn¡¯t dude,¡± David said. ¡°I guess but still just, for the record. We have actually settled into the house.¡± Davi wasn¡¯t lying, not that David thought he would mind you. The house was free of any and all cardboard. There were a few books on the coffee table and a small statue of La Pieta. David was a little surprised admittedly he probably shouldn¡¯t have been, it was hardly uncommon to find some Italian Catholics on Long Island, himself included. He wondered if Davide¡¯s family was particularly devout, he hadn¡¯t seen them at the church his family went to. He was tempted to ask him about it when Davide¡¯s mother walked by. She was carrying a briefcase but still dressed pretty casually, ¡°Oh hey boys! Nice to see you again David,¡± ¡°Hey there Mrs. Maloney,¡± David waved, She chuckled a bit, her laugh was very similar to her son¡¯s, albeit a little higher in pitch, ¡°Remember, here I¡¯m just Nicolette. I get enough Mrs and Professor at school, I don¡¯t need it at home too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be grading papers in the office but feel free to knock if either of you needs me for anything, okay?¡± ¡°Will do, thanks, mom,¡± Davi nodded. She nodded and headed off, presumably to her office. David looked over at Davide, ¡°So, what do we want to¡­do today?¡± He asked. ¡°I could show you my dark room? Shirley thought it was pretty cool,¡± Davi offered. ¡°Is that a euphemism? You uh ¡°showed her your dark room¡± and shit?¡± He winked. Just make a joke about how he¡¯s banging the girl you¡¯re into. It¡¯s fine David, you can handle this. He thought to himself. Davi snorted, ¡°No, it¡¯s not a euphemism.¡± He eyed David, ¡°Unless you want it to be?¡± David laughed, ¡°Ha! You¡¯re funny, anyway show me this mystery basement, man.¡± ¡°Stay close to me, I don¡¯t want you messing up any of my projects.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t touch your photo shit.¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯ll feel bad if you get chemical burns down here. They¡¯re nasty little bitches.¡± He started walking down the basement stairs. It was already dark but once he actually reached the bottom and he realized Davi wasn¡¯t exaggerating. David couldn¡¯t see dick or shit down there. Davi grabbed his hand, ¡°Stick by me. I know where everything is.¡± ¡°How do you get anything done down here?¡± He asked, a little incredulous knowing the space was made this way on purpose. ¡°My eyes are quicker at adjusting to the dark than the average person, plus I set everything up myself other than the ventilation. So that helps.¡± ¡°You set this all up yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah, installed the blackout curtains and the tables and shit. I was formulating my own developer fluid for a little bit but the stuff not made of coffee grounds works a lot better, go figure!¡± He said as he leaned on a table with three tubs of liquid in them that smelled really strongly of chemicals. ¡°How long does it take to develop stuff like this?¡± ¡°Not that long surprisingly enough. Usually around ten to fifteen minutes.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not working on any right now I¡¯m guessing?¡± Davi shook his head, ¡°Nope, might work on some after you leave but I thought it might be a bit rude to keep you captive while I play with chemicals.¡± ¡°God, you¡¯re a little bit of a freak aren¡¯t you?¡± David said with a fond smile. Davi smirked, ¡°Oh you¡¯re just noticing now? I¡¯ve been slacking.¡± He led David away from the tubs of fluid and over to a string that was hung up on the other side of the room, there were several photos hanging from it with clothespins. ¡°These ones are drying. Well okay, they¡¯re dry by now but you know what I mean.¡± David stepped a bit closer to the array of photos, there weren¡¯t too many up quite yet. The first one was Davi and Shirley making silly faces at the camera. Davi was winking and had his tongue hanging out like some metal singer. Shirley had made herself go cross-eyed and was giving Davi bunny ears. Another one was just a grey wall with black spray paint of two diamonds smushed together. He felt like he had seen that emblem around town before. Maybe Marcus had drawn it in the margins of his notes before? He turned his attention to the last picture, ¡°Wait you actually, developed that one?¡± He was surprised Davi had even bothered. It wasn¡¯t like he had been doing anything noteworthy or silly. He wasn¡¯t even looking at Davi when the photo was taken. He was staring at the TV, his hands were gripping the controller and he had a determined look in his eye. The lighting from his window was casting him in a soft almost halo effect. ¡°Of course I did, I think it¡¯s the best one I¡¯ve taken so far,¡± Davi said plainly, ¡°Do you¡­not like it?¡± ¡°What? No no! Dude it¡¯s rad. I¡¯m just surprised since you know the other ones had more shit going on in them and I¡¯m just you know. Playing a video game.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Yeah but the lighting,¡± He felt Davi¡¯s hand on his shoulder and his breath in his ear as he stepped closer to point at the picture, ¡°It was so nice plus you were so focused, it kind of reminded me of old paintings of angels.¡± David snorted and took a step away, it was getting a little warm down there. ¡°Want to head back up?¡± Davi asked as he put the picture back where it was. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t mind being able to see again,¡± He joked. ¡°Oh come on it¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°Maybe not for you Mr. built-in night vision!¡± He poked Davi in what he hoped was the space between his eyes. He¡¯d feel more than a little bad if he blinded his bro. ¡°You were able to see well enough to notice the picture of you,¡± Davi said as he started to leave the basement. David scampered after him. He almost walked right into the coffee table once the two of them were in the light of day again. If Davi had an easier time adjusting to changes in light David had an infinitely worse time. He kept blinking and rubbing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head to my room in a sec if you want to join me.¡± Davi said, blinking a little bit as well, guess he wasn¡¯t totally superhuman. David made his way into the kitchen and got himself some water, ¡°Be there in a second Dav, just a little thirsty.¡± Davi snorted, ¡°Yeah I noticed.¡± David blinked a bit at that, did his throat sound parched or something? Whatever, Davi was weird nothing to worry about. He followed Davi into his bedroom. It was pretty bright considering his general aesthetic. Off-white carpeting and eggshell walls. The walls did have a decent number of posters on them that seemed more in tune with what David had pictured Davi¡¯s bedroom to look like. ¡°Surprised you didn¡¯t paint the walls black.¡± ¡°Maybe in a few months. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll get Marcus to paint one of his murals on my wall.¡± David was struck by a lightning bolt of insecurity. Davi was such an artsy dude and so was damn near everyone else in the group. What did he bring to the table? A car? Well, Davi seemed to like him well enough right? ¡°Davey? Are you listening?¡± ¡°What? Sorry I, zoned out a bit.¡± Davi sat on his bed and patted the spot beside him, ¡°Clearly. Come on man don¡¯t just stand there you¡¯re making me nervous.¡± David sat next to him, ¡°Alright alright, so how was school for you today? I noticed you and Marcus didn¡¯t have your usual post-math debrief in the car today.¡± Davi sighed, ¡°Oh my God it was a fucking trial man let me tell you. First of all, Snyder totally has it out for me she asked a question, like eight people had their hands up and she picked me, not raising my hand! I didn¡¯t know the answer so I looked like a fucking moron and was frustrated. I asked why she called on me when clearly there were people who knew the answer and she told me to check my Attitude Problem.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Ah, now you¡¯re starting to get some of the staple experiences.¡± David sighed in commiseration. Davi started gesticulating, ¡°Why the hell is that a normal thing? Why embarrass me when you¡¯re supposed to be teaching I don¡¯t understand¡± Davide¡¯s elbow hit David and his drink went all over. Davi¡¯s shirt was soaked, ¡°Shit sorry, I¡¯ll go get a towel-¡± David started to get up and was struck still when Davide pulled his shirt off, ¡°It¡¯s whatever. I need to do laundry anyway.¡± Davide was super thin, his ribs weren¡¯t jutting out exactly but David could still see them pretty well but what stuck out to David far more was the dark and extensive scarring all over his upper chest all the way to just above his navel. ¡°Shit man, those are pretty intense.¡± David shifted a bit closer, ¡°How¡¯d you get them?¡± ¡°Animal attack as a kid.¡± David reached out and then paused, ¡°Can I touch them?¡± Davide shrugged as he tossed his shirt into a clothing hamper in the corner of the room, ¡°If you want to.¡± David¡¯s fingertips barely made contact with Davi¡¯s skin at first, the scars were puffy and a bit rough to the touch. The feeling sent an electric shiver down David¡¯s spine. He was glad he managed to suppress the feeling, he didn¡¯t want Davi to think he was freaked out by his body or anything like that. Some of the scars had faded a lot more than others, a few were a faint pink that was barely distinguishable from Davide¡¯s slightly sickly pale skin color, while some were a deep pinkish red. Davi held very still while David¡¯s hands mapped the varying elevations of his skin. He brought his other hand into the mix to get a more complete feel of them. He paused as he saw his hands cupping another guy¡¯s chest as if they were proper breasts. If Davide was a girl this would solidly be second-base action. He cleared his throat, suddenly very embarrassed at letting his curiosity get the better of him, ¡°How long ago was it?¡± ¡°Eight years ago. It was, pretty bad.¡± ¡°Looks like it.¡± ¡°I almost, I almost died.¡± David looked up at Davide¡¯s face, his eyes seemed heavier somehow, ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still here man.¡± Davi gave him a hint of a smile, ¡°Me too. Even rabies couldn¡¯t take me out.¡± ¡°Holy shit you had rabies? Doesn¡¯t that like, a hundred percent kill you?¡± ¡°If you get symptomatic, yeah,¡± Davide nodded, ¡°I spent like, a month in the hospital getting treatment.¡± ¡°Shit, that sounds intense.¡± ¡°It was, but I¡¯m good now and I¡­don¡¯t go on hikes anymore,¡± He chuckled awkwardly, and David realized his hands were still on Davi¡¯s chest. He pulled them back, and brushed his bangs out of his face, ¡°Yeah that, that makes sense.¡± Davi jerked his head towards his dresser, ¡°You want me to put another shirt on or?¡± David sat on his hands and cleared his throat, ¡°I uh, that might be good.¡± Davide nodded and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a grey tank top, it hung a bit loose on Davi¡¯s narrow frame, and the top of one of the scars was peeking out. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you in a tank top before.¡± ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t really wear them at school since you know,¡± He motioned to his chest. ¡°Right yeah, must be tiring getting questions in like Gym and stuff right?¡± He asked, feeling a little bad for having put Davi on the spot earlier. ¡°Oh, are you kidding?¡± Davi snorted, ¡°I get changed in the bathrooms. If someone wants to see me half naked they gotta seduce me first.¡± David elected not to point out that he had just seen Davi half-naked without anything that even remotely resembled seduction happening. He glanced down at his phone, oh fuck it was later than he thought. He jumped off of Davi¡¯s bed, ¡°Shit uh, sorry man I gotta go I¡¯m so gonna be late for work. See you tomorrow?¡± Davi looked surprised at his sudden leap, ¡°Oh uh, yeah get outta here. Don¡¯t wanna get you in trouble. Good luck at McD¡¯s.¡± He nodded and ran out, leaving Davi standing alone in his room. Chapter 7 Much as it pained him to admit it, David did sometimes actually have to do his job. Normally, he didn¡¯t mind taking on an extra shift or two that much, money was nice and all, but he¡¯d had to ditch Davi for it so he hoped something interesting happened to make it worth his while. He entered McDonalds through the staff entrance at the back, walking past the dumpster as well as the kitchen to get to the POS, which did not stand for ¡°piece of shit¡± like he thought it did during orientation. ¡°Glad you could come in today David! I know it was last minute.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Pat,¡± David lied as he clocked in. Pat was his manager and also Marcus¡¯s mom. She had the same dark hair and dark freckles as her son. The biggest difference was her hair was straight instead of wavy. She wore dark glasses with round frames. She was pretty but not quite a milf, at least not in David¡¯s opinion. ¡°You look flustered, did you come from a hot date or something?¡± A voice that was distinctly not Pat¡¯s chimed in, David wanted to bang his head on the counter. Just what he needed, fucking Eric was working tonight. Eric was a huge dick. He had brown hair shaved on the sides that he kept slicked back. His skin was a bit tanned, his eyes were a deep green and he had a black scorpion tattoo on his bicep. Oh, also he was buff as hell. He even managed to make that stupid black polo shirt work for him and it infuriated David more than words could say. ¡°No, shut up! I forgot I was working tonight and had to rush here,¡± He huffed and felt his cheeks burning as he did so. ¡°Alright hotshot keep your secrets. You¡¯re on register two today.¡± David put on his apron. He didn¡¯t mind the register, it was better than having to decipher the goddamn garbled bullshit that came through the drive-thru, even if he could sit when he was on the headset. David had to pick his battles and not having to ask the customer to repeat that a thousand times was one he¡¯d chosen. He went over to the register and got ready for the long shift ahead of him. He hoped Tommy knew he owed David big time for taking a closing shift on a school night of all things. People came in, only like a few families, nothing too crazy. He got the kids their happy meals and sent them off. Eric called him away from the register for a moment to help him move some boxes, he wasn¡¯t sure why Eric asked him. Eric was both taller and stronger than David, but whatever, he helped the guy grab some more paper towels for the restrooms easily enough. He needed to do a restroom check soon anyway, so it was convenient in a convoluted sort of way. He refilled the dispenser in the men¡¯s restroom. Pat or someone else could handle the women¡¯s. He headed back to the counter, glad he didn¡¯t have to deal with another shit volcano like last Thursday. Just when it seemed like it was going to be a slow night a whole bunch of girls from school came in. Lisa, Laura, and Theresa were the ones he knew by name but there were three more he didn¡¯t know by name. Laura and Theresa giggled to themselves and shoved Lisa towards the counter. Lisa had wavy red hair, and her eyes were bright green, not entirely unlike his own. David remembered when they were younger and she used to wear her hair in braids until kids started calling her Wendy, like the restaurant. She stopped wearing her hair like that pretty quickly. He¡¯d always thought it was a bit mean-spirited. She was wearing a black tank top and a skirt that absolutely would¡¯ve gotten her dress coded at school. She rubbed the back of her neck as she approached the counter, giving Laura and Theresa a dirty look, ¡°Uh, hey David! I didn¡¯t know you worked on Wednesdays.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, I had to cover for Tommy at the last minute.¡± ¡°Ha, well lucky me then I guess,¡± Her cheeks were rosier than usual, was she overheating or something? Hard to imagine given how skimpy her outfit was. ¡°I had to ditch someone for it.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Hopefully she won¡¯t mind.¡± David didn¡¯t bother to correct her, ¡°You girls have a fun time at the mall?¡± It was fairly slow, he had time to chat a little he guessed. ¡°Yeah, we went to Victoria¡¯s Secret,¡± Lisa held up the pink bag and shook it. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. David nodded, ¡°That¡¯s nice, what can I get you?¡± ¡°Lisa show him the bra you got!¡± Theresa giggled. ¡°Oh my god, Theresa I¡¯m not pulling out a bra in McDonalds!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re wearing it,¡± Laura pointed out. ¡°Still!¡± ¡°What do you want, Lisa?¡± David asked, hoping to get this conversation back on track. ¡°Oh right uh! The number seven? With a diet coke?¡± David gave her a quick once over, Lisa was pretty skinny, ¡°You don¡¯t need the diet,¡± He commented. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s, it¡¯s not for my weight I just like how it tastes better than regular,¡± She clarified her cheeks still oh so very rosy. He nodded, ¡°Fair enough. Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so uh, wait! Mrs. Keller¡¯s class was uh, was the homework pages six and seven or seven and eight?¡± David blinked a bit as he rang her up, ¡°Seven and eight.¡± ¡°Thanks, David, you¡¯re a real lifesaver,¡± She smiled a little too graciously for him just giving her the pages of their science homework, it wasn¡¯t like he was even giving her any of the answers, not that he knew them in the first place. ¡°No problem, you can take a seat. I¡¯ll bring you your food when it¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Thanks, David,¡± She repeated. He shrugged, ¡°Just doin¡¯ my job.¡± He nodded toward the rest of the girls, ¡°Whose next?¡± The girls gave their orders and David rang them up. He was starting to regret telling Lisa he¡¯d bring her food directly to her since now it would look weird if he didn¡¯t do the same for all her friends. Oh well, other than them the main restaurant was pretty dead. Lisa''s order was done first, duh that¡¯s kinda how it works. So he went over to their table, the girls¡¯ laughter echoed throughout the building, ¡°Here¡¯s yours Lisa, the rest of you ladies will be up in a bit alright?¡± ¡°Take your time Dave, none of us are in a rush to get out of here. Right Lis?¡± Laura elbowed Lisa. ¡°Shut up Laura, but yeah don¡¯t stress out over us. It¡¯s all Gucci.¡± He smiled at the group, ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m gonna head back up front now.¡± The girls waved as he went back to the register. They then came and got their food one by one. Laura teased him a bit about not bringing the rest of them their food. To which he pointed out the group had a lot more food than he could reasonably carry. He neglected to mention he also didn¡¯t feel like doing more work than necessary tonight. Laura seemed to accept this as did the rest of the group. Lisa gave David a wave as she and her friends left, ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± He waved back, and then realized he was totally ignoring a customer in front of him, ¡°Sorry, can you repeat that for me?¡± ¡°Oh sure, young love is more important than my burger,¡± The customer laughed. David pulled his head back a bit in surprise, ¡°What? No, I- she¡¯s just a classmate,¡± He was pretty sure Lisa was nice, she sure seemed like she was from the brief conversations they¡¯d had, she wasn¡¯t exactly bad to look at either but nah. Not his type. ¡°Really? Could¡¯ve fooled this old timer. Don¡¯t waste your time young man, you¡¯re only young once.¡± The customer was a bit on the older side. His hair was mostly gone and what was left was well past what one could call silver. His eyes had an intelligent and somewhat youthful sparkle to them. He was dressed like you¡¯d expect a well-meaning grandpa to be dressed, jeans too high up, and a boring button-up. David entered his order, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Mister,¡± He said with a placating smile. ¡°I hope so, for your sake.¡± There wasn¡¯t really many more people of note that night. Pat tapped him on the shoulder a few hours before closing. ¡°I¡¯m heading home early tonight, Eric is acting manager the rest of the night, call me if there¡¯s an emergency,¡± She said, she¡¯d already hung up her apron for the night and everything. David glanced at Eric, of course, he was the acting manager. Pat had pretty much been prepping him for the job for as long as David had been working there. He sighed as he looked at Eric, he waved at Pat, ¡°Goodnight Pat, say hey to Marcus for me.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Eric looked at David, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s you and me tonight bud.¡± ¡°Oh wonderful,¡± David rolled his eyes. Chapter 8 David managed to get his ass to school a bit earlier than usual. Some of the buses were running late so he wasn¡¯t stuck behind as many as he made his way to the student parking lot. He was actually a little pumped to be going to school today. He¡¯d formed this whole plan to ask Davi to the movies after school tomorrow. If Davi got to their spot before the other two he¡¯d just ask him then but if not he usually walked him to his math class so that would work too. It would be fine. He made his way to the usual spot in the hallway the group congregated in the mornings. Shirley and Marcus were already there. Marcus looked up at him from Shirley¡¯s camera and waved. ¡°Hey Davey, good to see you.¡± ¡°Hey, guys, what¡¯s up?¡± David asked as he dropped his backpack to the floor. ¡°Oh not much, I was just showing Marcus some of the pictures I took the other day,¡± Shirley waved the school-issued camera for emphasis. ¡°Nice nice, can I see?¡± He leaned over her shoulder. ¡°Sure,¡± She nodded. The pictures were varied. Lots of landscapes from the park nearby her complex. A few pictures of her parents. Her dad was wearing his tallit in the pulpit of the synagogue, wait was it called a pulpit? He wasn¡¯t sure. There were a few of Marcus, most included him doing art of his own. Some of just him hanging out. He almost looked cool in a few of them. Then there was a picture that made him inhale a bit. It was a picture of Davi, he was in profile, sitting on a grassy hill with a particularly vibrant sunset in the background. The pinks and oranges of the sky contrasted with his dark hair beautifully. His eye looked like amber. If she didn¡¯t get an A for this David was gonna riot on her behalf. ¡°Holy shit, can you send me this one?¡± He asked. Shirley gave him an inquisitive look, ¡°Sure, what for?¡± ¡°I still need an image for him on my phone,¡± It felt weird that Davi didn¡¯t have a contact image. Marcus and Shirley still had some stupid pictures from middle school and David assumed the same was true for him on their phones. It was just wrong that Davi still had that dumb silhouette the iPhone defaulted to. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll email it to you while I¡¯m uploading them in class,¡± Shirley said. ¡°Awesome thanks!¡± David began, ¡°Okay so, I know I normally drive us all home and shit but I¡¯m planning on asking Davi if he wants to go to the movies with me this Friday. Will you guys be fine taking the bus that day? I mean, assuming he says yes,¡± He paused, frowning slightly, ¡°man I hope he says yes.¡± Davi didn¡¯t have any reason to say no right? It was just two dudes seeing a movie. Davi had probably never had that given his upbringing. Plus, who didn¡¯t like movies? He just wanted to do something nice for the guy. It was completely normal. Shirley¡¯s eyes widened and her face broke into a wide grin, ¡°Oh my gosh David I¡¯m so proud of you for asking him out!¡± Where the fuck did she get that idea? ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a fucking faggot! I just want to do something nice for the guy who never had any goddamn friends there¡¯s nothing weird about it!¡± David snapped. ¡°Jesus Christ dude chill out. You can say it''s just a friend thing without dropping the F-slur.¡± Marcus said as he stepped between him and Shirley. David rolled his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s just a word, why so upset? Unless you¡¯re one?¡± Marcus just stared at him, ¡°I¡¯m not deigning that with a response.¡± ¡°I just thought, you know you seemed pretty excited about it and you two are super close and all that so it kinda seemed like¡­, not a friend thing,¡± Shirley said apologetically. David felt himself break out in goosebumps, there was nothing weird about his and Davi¡¯s friendship, right? They were just two dudes that got along, and everyone was blowing shit way out of proportion, ¡°Well, it is just a friend thing, and since I haven¡¯t even asked him yet it¡¯s all hypothetical anyway! And I¡¯d like us to stop talking about it. You¡¯re taking the bus on Friday.¡± ¡°You know, I think that¡¯s just fine with us,¡± Marcus glanced at Shirley. Davi approached the group, ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, missed the bus so dad had to drop me off on the way to a VA thing,¡± He paused, clearly taking in the awkward energy, ¡°...Everything okay?¡± David threw his arm around Davi¡¯s shoulders and pulled him close, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I just uh, have the test and then the meet coming up. It¡¯s making me a bit, distracted,¡± Shirley said. ¡°I can go to your place after school and we can study together if you want?¡± Davi offered. Shirley smiled a little bit, slightly less tense in her shoulders, ¡°Yeah that, I¡¯d like that a lot, Davi.¡± Davi looked over at David, ¡°Wanna cut class and have lunch with us? That always cheers you up.¡± David felt some sort of way about Davi pointing that out but he couldn¡¯t exactly say he was wrong. Being around him and the others did always improved his mood, or at least it usually did. He avoided making eye contact with Marcus. ¡°Yeah that, I think that would be nice,¡± Hopefully, things would have blown over by then. The last thing he needed was to try and explain the actual reason things were so tense. The warning bell rang not too long after that and the four of them scattered to the winds. When the proper time came instead of heading to his dumb programming class he met up with Davi and the others. They slipped into the cafeteria along with hundreds of other kids. Poor Davi still hated how noisy it was inside. He had his hands covering his ears. David put a hand on his back and just ushered him along. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Do we wanna eat outside or inside?¡± Shirley asked. ¡°We can watch kids do the mile if we do it outside,¡± Davi pointed out. ¡°Davide, are you mocking the unathletically inclined?¡± David asked in mock scandal. ¡°I¡¯m not a hypocrite so no. I am commiserating from a distance since that will be me tomorrow.¡± ¡°Lmao rip dude,¡± David elbowed Davi, ¡°David¡­we have gym today,¡± Marcus pointed out. Fuck they sure did, ¡°Well that¡¯s a problem for future us.¡± ¡°Us in an hour,¡± Marcus complained as he ate his granola bar, ¡°besides you¡¯re not exactly a jock either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we have Shirley for.¡± ¡°Boys are weak and you three are the proof,¡± Shirley said as she started heading outside. Davi made a bit of a pouty face at that but said nothing. ¡°I would¡¯ve figured you were at least in decent shape Davi, what with your dad being ex-military and all.¡± Davi raised an eyebrow at him as he took a seat at one of the outdoor tables, ¡°Yeah, my dad was in the military not me. I used to go on hikes when I was younger but,¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°we stopped getting deployed in places where that was uh feasible so I stopped.¡± David knew that wasn¡¯t the real reason, but he wasn¡¯t about to make Davi dish his shit out in the open like this. He bumped his leg into Davi¡¯s under the table, a silent expression of solidarity. Davi linked his ankle with David¡¯s. David looked around, not too many other kids outside today, he figured it was fine to keep their legs linked for a bit. David was thankful Davi seemed to just naturally ease any remaining tension from the morning¡¯s conversation. The group just talked and laughed like normal. Marcus gave him a few odd glances but that was still pretty typical. Davi was leaning on his fist and just kind of looking at him with half-lidded eyes, David felt a bit self-conscious at his friend¡¯s gaze, ¡°There something on my face?¡± Davi blinked, ¡°What? No sorry, I¡¯m just, really tired.¡± He yawned a bit and David was glad he wasn¡¯t asking the guy to the movies today. He didn¡¯t want to take his guy on a particularly expensive nap. Davi jolted as the bell rang. Shirley, Marcus, and Davi all waved and headed back inside. David was in no rush, this was technically when he was supposed to be arriving anyway. Once his actual lunch period started David headed to the library. Kids were allowed up there during study hall or lunch. He figured since he¡¯d already eaten he might as well just hang out there. Hell half the time he wound up in the library even when he didn¡¯t cut the class before lunch. He waved at the librarian, a sweet lady named Ms. Sawyer. Ms. Sawyer¡¯s family was originally from Saudi Arabia. She had a pixie cut and was always dressed in a snappy suit. Sometimes it was a funky color, today it was just navy blue. David approached the desk, ¡°Hey, Ms. Sawyer, do we have any books on like photography here?¡± She started typing on her computer, still looking up at him with very wise grey eyes, ¡°We certainly do, but what are you looking for specifically? Photography 101? Books of photography? Things about a particular photographer?¡± She listed topic after topic. ¡°Uh, 101 stuff, some of my friends are in Mr. Pinkman¡¯s class and I wanna like, ask them not dumbass questions.¡± ¡°Well, first of all, there¡¯s no such thing as a dumb-butt question David,¡± Ms. Sawyer had been the elementary school librarian for many years before the previous one retired and she took over, sometimes David forgot she never really lost the vocab of her former station, ¡°but I think this book would suit your needs very nicely.¡± She wrote down the name and decimal number of a book. ¡°I also think it¡¯s very sweet you¡¯re taking such an active interest in your friend¡¯s hobbies.¡± He smiled at the paper, ¡°Thanks, Ms. Sawyer.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here for,¡± She nodded. It wasn¡¯t hard at all for David to find the book Ms. Sawyer recommended to him. It was on the center of the shelf, he went over to one of the more isolated tables and started to read it. Soon he¡¯d be able to keep up with Shirley and Davi whenever they started talking about photos and crap! The language was easy and the photos were as he expected, good and crisp. He was so engrossed he almost didn¡¯t notice the bell ring. He made sure to check the book out before booking it to his next class. He couldn¡¯t really afford to be late the same day he cut a different class. Not to mention, more importantly, after class he got to walk Davi to math. Class went by in a blur, that seemed to be happening a lot today. David just figured he was focusing on the mini fight and maybe a bit of nerves about asking Davi to the movies later. When the bell rang Davi was already waiting outside the classroom for him, ¡°Someone¡¯s early,¡± David smirked. Davi blushed a bit, ¡°Maybe I was looking forward to seeing you, not a crime.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± David said as the two of them started walking. He was glad Marcus¡¯s class was on the other side of the school or he wouldn¡¯t even have this brief moment of alone time with Davi. Davi and Marcus were in the same math class. ¡°So did you and Marcus manage to survive the mile?¡± ¡°Barely, I felt bad for Marcus, he slipped in a mud puddle on the track.¡± Davi snorted, ¡°Oh God I can imagine it getting behind his glasses and everything, poor guy.¡± ¡°Yeah I felt really bad for laughing but it was pure looney tunes shit you know?¡± ¡°Please tell me they let him shower after?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, he shouldn¡¯t be all gross by the time you guys get to math.¡± ¡°I was more worried about him being uncomfortable than smelly, but good to know.¡± ¡°So yeah, make sure you watch out for any mud when you head to gym tomorrow. I can¡¯t imagine a mud mask would compliment your makeup very well,¡± He tapped Davi¡¯s cheekbone just under his eye. ¡°Right yeah! Well uh, see you later,¡± Davi was blushing wildly as he started to go into his classroom. David caught him by the elbow, momentarily amazed at the fact that his hand was able to envelop so much of Davide¡¯s arm. ¡°Wait I, uh, before you go there was something I wanted to ask you,¡± His face felt warm, why the fuck did it feel warm? The school was still cranking the AC even though it was practically October already. Davi tilted his head and took a step closer so he wasn¡¯t blocking the door to the classroom, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Wanna go to the movies with me after school this Friday?¡± David asked. He had no idea why he felt so nervous. It wasn¡¯t like he was asking the guy on a date or anything despite Shirley¡¯s gross-ass assumption. Davi stared at him a moment, then his eyes seemed to widen as he processed the question, ¡°Really? I mean- Yeah I totally want to! That, that would be nice.¡± ¡°Awesome, we¡¯ll head to the theatre after school if that¡¯s good with you?¡± Davi nodded, ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± David smiled, there was no fucking way he was going to learn anything in English today but somehow he didn¡¯t care. All he could think about the rest of the day was Davi¡¯s excited smile. Chapter 9 David was for sure overthinking his outfit. At first, he put on a simple white T-shirt with red on the edges. No, that was too casual. He didn¡¯t want to look like a slob when Davi always put so much effort into his appearance. He thought about wearing something black to match but that was a bit too homo for him. He finally settled on a grey shirt with a slight V-neck and threw a hoodie in his backpack in case it got cold in the theatre, or school for that matter. ¡°Took your time getting ready this morning, something special planned?¡± His mother asked as she poured another mug of coffee. ¡°Oh just going to the movies with a friend after school,¡± David said as he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the granite kitchen island. ¡°You look all done up for a date!¡± She teased, and she held the mug out toward him. He blushed, ¡°It¡¯s not a date!¡± ¡°Alright sweetie, well either way you look nice today.¡± She patted him on the cheek. Come on Mom he was nearly seventeen¡­ ¡°Thank you,¡± He said, he wasn¡¯t gonna be rude to his mom even if she was babying him. ¡°Of course darling,¡± Mom nodded at him. The phone rang in the living room, ¡°I¡¯ll get it. It¡¯s probably your aunt Gina. You should get going if you don¡¯t want to be late love you!¡± She said as she patted David on the shoulder and went out towards the waiting landline. Mom leaving the room gave David the perfect opportunity. He opened the liquor cabinet. He wouldn¡¯t have time to break into the wine fridge and frankly, the idea of drinking his mom¡¯s wine out of a flask in a movie theatre sounded atrocious. It had been a few days since he¡¯d filled up his flask. He pulled the antique out of his backpack, where it lived. He¡¯d bought it on a trip downtown with Shirley and Marcus over the summer. It was a dented metal flask with a weird-looking fisherman etched into the side of it. He grabbed one of his father¡¯s mostly full whiskey bottles and poured a decent amount into his flask, he¡¯d gotten very good at not spilling over the years. He screwed the cap back on, closed the bottle, and quietly closed the cabinet. No one had to be any the wiser. He headed out of the house, he gave his mom a quick wave as she was likely trapped in a several-hour-long conversation with her sister. Aunt Gina was a nice lady but she could go on and on about a snail crawling across the sidewalk much to everyone¡¯s dismay. David got to school without any hassle. He considered leaving the flask in the glove compartment while he was at school but then figured better to keep it on him just in case. The last thing he needed was to explain to someone that no officer he wasn¡¯t underage drunk driving he just happened to keep a full flask in his glove compartment. He shook his head and entered the school. He hoped the day would go by quickly. ¡°You two remember I¡¯m busy after school today right?¡± He asked once he caught up to Shirley and Marcus. ¡°Oh believe me dude we remember,¡± Marcus said. Davide approached the group with the same untouchable coolness he always did. He was in a particularly striking outfit today. He had this silvery eyeshadow on that really made both his eyes just pop so beautifully. He was in a black long-sleeve shirt that was basically a second skin with how tight it was. His black jeans had some of those fashion rips in them. He also had his usual black Converse on. His usual plain stud earrings had been swapped out for little black roses in the normal piercing spot. His bangs were partially swept out of his face for once as well, David could actually see both of his eyes. Speaking of his eyes he had this silvery eyeshadow on that really made both his eyes just pop so beautifully. ¡°Woah uh¡­You look really nice this morning,¡± David was a bit breathless at the sight. Davi smiled, ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Duh man I mean,¡± He motioned to Davide¡¯s entire person. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± Davi glanced at Shirley, ¡°thanks for the advice.¡± ¡°Anytime,¡± Shirley waved him off, ¡°what are friends for if not to give early morning fashion advice?¡± David was surprised that Davi of all people needed fashion advice. If anything he figured Davide was more likely to be the one giving it, but Shirley definitely hadn¡¯t led him astray with her advice. When the bell rang for first period all David could really think about was how much he wanted the day to be over so he could see Davi again and go see that movie. Thankfully God decided to be merciful on him that day as it all went by pretty quickly. He decided to ¡°go to the bathroom¡± towards the end of his last class and just waited by the back exit of the school for the final bell. He saw the familiar speck of black among the sea of color as the hallway filled with kids trying to get the hell out so their weekend could start. He nodded towards the parking lot and made his way to the car, he left it unlocked as he waited for Davi to catch up with him. He also fixed his hair, he must have been futzing with it during the wait and not even realized. Davi got into the car, he was a bit more subdued than he had been that morning, ¡°What happened to the eyeshadow you were wearing earlier?¡± ¡°Some guy spat in my face and I had to wipe it off¡­¡± He looked morose and David felt himself scowl at the concept of someone doing something so vulgar to Davi. He contemplated asking who the hell this prick was and giving the guy a piece of his mind and his fist. How fucking dare some douchebag spit on Davide of all people? Then he remembered what it would look like if he were defending a fag in makeup. ¡°Well,¡± He put a hand on Davi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°hopefully the movie will distract you from all that.¡± He hoped Davi didn¡¯t feel his hand shaking in anger. ¡°I just wanted to look nice for you,¡± Davi said, he still looked pretty upset about the whole thing. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that just for me Davi.¡± He said, a little amused and fond, ¡°For starters, you always look nice,¡± He smiled at him gently. He hoped he could coax at least a half-hearted smirk out of Davi, ¡°Secondly there¡¯s no pressure here I mean it''s just us right? Nothing scary about that.¡± ¡°You mean it?¡± ¡°Of course man, I mean I have eyes don¡¯t I?¡± It was just an objective truth that Davi always looked like the coolest guy alive. Everyone knew it, even that jackass that spit in his face probably knew deep down he was just mad he would never be half as hot as Davide was. Davi glanced away, Stolen story; please report. ¡°You¡¯re sweet.¡± ¡°I sure hope so man, I really like you, dude,¡± He wasn¡¯t sure why Davi was still so surprised whenever he was nice to him. Dude had quickly become his best friend, of course, he was gonna be nice to him. He looked over at him again, Davi¡¯s lips were shining, David leaned in a bit to get a better look, ¡°Dude, are you wearing lip gloss?¡± ¡°What? No, it¡¯s just a little chapstick.¡± Davi leaned back a bit, his face getting flushed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it kinda gay for a guy to use that stuff?¡± Davi just stared at him, ¡°It¡¯s getting cold and my lips get chapped a lot¡­¡± David shrugged and started the car, ¡°Whatever you say, man.¡± The movie theatre downtown was only a few minutes from both Davi and David¡¯s places so it seemed a natural enough one to go to. It wasn¡¯t the closest one to the school but that was fine, the drive was nice enough and they just listened to the radio for a bit. They arrived and David slipped his flask inside of his hoodie pocket while Davi got out of the car. He figured that could be a surprise for later. There wasn¡¯t a horrible line at the ticket box so they were able to just go right up. Davi went to pull out his wallet. David put his hand on top of his to stop him, ¡°It¡¯s not really me taking you out to the movies if you pay now is it?¡± ¡°I uh, suppose you have a point there.¡± ¡°I always do,¡± He stuck his tongue out at Davi, then turned to the ticket teller, ¡°Two to Red Lake Massacre please.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± The teller said as she swiped David¡¯s card, she returned it to him along with two tickets, ¡°Theatre three, down the hall.¡± She nodded to the left. ¡°Thank you.¡± The two of them went over to the concession stand. David bought a large popcorn and a Dr.Pepper. He got Davi a blue icee and a packet of Sour Patch watermelons, which was apparently his favorite candy. David took note of that for future reference. They entered the theatre while the trailers were still playing. Davi took a seat in one of the back rows without David even needing to suggest it, sweet. David sat down next to Davi, ¡°So as you might¡¯ve guessed from the name, this is a horror movie. You a fan of horror?¡± Davi chuckled and looked at him, ¡°I want you to look at me and ask me that question again.¡± ¡°Fair point, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn¡¯t gonna treat you to a movie you¡¯d hate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty easy,¡± He shrugged. David blushed, Davi surely didn¡¯t mean what he just implied right, ¡°...to please, right?¡± ¡°That too,¡± Davi winked. David shoved some popcorn in his mouth and avoided thinking about that too hard. The movie started playing. It was a fairly typical horror movie premise, summer camp taking place at a lake with a history of murder. David had a feeling there was going to be a lot of dying mid-hookup, which was in his opinion both the best and worst way to go out. ¡°I bet the lifeguard is gonna die first,¡± Davi said, pointing at the typical Jock-y lifeguard character that was oh wow, sure showing off his abs to the camera. ¡°Oh almost guaranteed, him or the bimbo,¡± He pointed at one of the girl characters, a blonde with a huge rack. ¡°I kind of hope she lives, she seems smarter than the guys give her credit for.¡± Davi said. They watched the movie a bit more, when the counselors were all gathered around the campfire telling stories to freak each other out David leaned over to Davi, ¡°I snuck us a little something,¡± He whispered in Davi¡¯s ear. The other boy shivered and glanced over at him, ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± David pulled the flask out of his jacket, ¡°I stole some of my dad¡¯s whiskey, you want some?¡± Davi nodded and reached over for the flask, his fingertips brushed against the back of David¡¯s hand. He shivered a bit, the theatre must be cold. Davi deftly unscrewed the cap and took a swig. He made a face, coughed, and handed the flask back to him as he did. ¡°Oh, that fucking burns.¡± ¡°You get used to it,¡± He patted him on the shoulder and took a swig of his own. The metal was still warm from Davi¡¯s lips. It was an interesting sensation, he¡¯d never actually shared his booze before. There was a jumpscare and Davi grabbed his arm with a bit of a yelp. David stared at his hands which were clamped firmly onto his arm. He smirked a bit, ¡°Shut up, I didn¡¯t see it coming.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what makes it a jumpscare dude. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you from Freddie Kreuger,¡± He ruffled Davi¡¯s hair. ¡°He¡¯s not even in this movie you asshole,¡± Davi muttered, but for all his grumping he was making no motions to let go of David¡¯s arm. David figured there was no harm in letting him hold on. The movie was a decent enough slasher flick. Davi had been right about the bimb- he probably shouldn¡¯t call her that. The blonde chick. She ended up being the one to defeat the killer, with the expected final girl¡¯s help. The lifeguard was also the first one to die, he got harpooned in a fishing cabin. The two of them had also managed to kill the whole flask during the movie. David hadn¡¯t even been paying attention to how much the two of them were drinking. He looked over at Davi as the credits rolled, he was curled up in his seat, he¡¯d kept his arm captive pretty much since that jumpscare. David didn¡¯t mind even if his arm was super numb. ¡°Come on dude, movie¡¯s over let¡¯s blow this popsicle stand.¡± ¡°Okay Okay, I¡¯m getting up.¡± Davi said, slowly unfurling his legs, ¡°Shit they fell asleep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you sit like a fuckin¡¯ gargoyle,¡± He poked him on the forehead. Davi stuck his tongue out at him. They made their way out of the theatre, probably putting on a rather shit show of fake sobriety. The sham fell completely once they exited the theatre Davi broke out into a fit of giggles as the two of them staggered back to David¡¯s car. They¡¯d have to chill in Blueford for a bit while they sobered up, no way in hell he was driving like this. He looked over at Davi to ask him how he liked the movie and the guy looked like he was about to shake his skin clean off, ¡°Oh my god dude you¡¯re shivering like mad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold!¡± Davi whined. ¡°Here.¡± David pulled his hoodie off and tossed it at Davi, ¡°Put that on and quit whining,¡± He teased. Davi pulled the hoodie on, it was pretty big on him. Davi wasn¡¯t exactly a petite guy; he was easily five foot nine or something. He was just so thin, his cheeks were flushed from the alcohol and he looked like some giggling girlfriend in David¡¯s too-large hoodie. He had to be less sober than he thought because the sight was making blood rush distinctly south and that was oh so not where it was supposed to be. He crossed his legs to make sure Davi didn¡¯t see the absolutely humiliating situation. He was getting confused obviously, Davi was just looking even more like a girl than usual and his body was too stupid to remember he wasn¡¯t into guys and definitely not this guy. ¡°You alright?¡± Davi asked, tilting his head. ¡°Wha? Yeah, I- Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°You just look a bit warm,¡± Davide reached out to touch him. He pushed Davi¡¯s hand away before it could reach his face, ¡°I¡¯m good I¡¯m good! I¡¯m uh, I think I¡¯m good to drive now.¡± ¡°You sure? I don¡¯t mind waiting a bit longer, better safe than splattered on a wall or dead in a ditch you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about it,¡± He ruffled Davide¡¯s hair and started the car. ¡°You think I¡¯m pretty?¡± Davi blushed. ¡°Well, I mean. I¡¯ve got eyes dude,¡± Eyes he was making sure to keep aimed firmly at the road because he was pretty sure the whole boner situation would not be helped by whatever look Davi had on his face at that moment. It was time to drive back to Davi¡¯s place. Chapter 10 Davide¡¯s house was a welcome sight as David pulled into the driveway. The tension he normally felt in his shoulders when he arrived home was distinctly absent here. Davi was still wearing his hoodie, he was toying with the strings in an almost flirtatious manner, but that wouldn¡¯t make any sense so David chalked it up to the guy just needing something to do with his hands, ¡°Do we want to do this again sometime?¡± Davi asked. David felt a rush of excitement course through him, ¡°Of course man! Hell, we could do this every week if you want. Don¡¯t worry about tickets, I can sneak us in the back if we need to,¡± He winked. ¡°I¡¯d really like that,¡± Davi gave him a small smile he stared at David for a long time his face growing pinker. David thought he was going to say or do something but he wasn¡¯t quite sure what. Whatever debate Davi was having in his head in the end, he just patted David¡¯s thigh and got out of the car, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head inside.¡± David watched Davi head into the house, he needed a second to gather himself. He popped a few tic tacs into his mouth, he hoped the Maloneys didn¡¯t smell whiskey on Davi¡¯s breath. He didn¡¯t want them to think he was a bad influence on their son. He shook the thought out of his head and followed Davide inside. Davi sighed in relief, ¡°There you are. I was starting to think you just went home.¡± ¡°As if, I¡¯m getting as much time with you as I can manage.¡± He elbowed Davi jovially as he hung his backpack on a coat hook. ¡°Hey Davey, good to see you!¡± Nicolette was lounging on the couch with a book open in her lap. She had MSNBC on TV, and some short-haired lady in a suit David didn¡¯t recognize was the news anchor, ¡°Martin and I were thinking of ordering Chinese for dinner, so you two can take a look at the menu and tell me what you want whenever.¡± ¡°Thanks, Nicolette,¡± David said as he untied his shoes. ¡°You want to go to my room?¡± ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Where else would they even go? Davi smiled, ¡°Cool cool,¡± He took David¡¯s hand and led him there, it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t already been to Davi¡¯s room dozens of times. Something about Davi¡¯s hand in his felt nice, weird, but nice. Davi pulled him into his bedroom and shut the door behind him David heard the lock click. God, he was really close to him, wasn¡¯t he? ¡°I figured we could use some privacy,¡± His voice barely above a husky whisper. David laughed nervously, what did he mean by that? He put a hand on Davi¡¯s chest, he could feel his heartbeat pounding through the fabric of his sweatshirt. ¡°You alright?¡± Davi asked. ¡°Just uh, a bit warm is all.¡± Davi let go of his hand and stepped back, David was both relieved and saddened at the distance, ¡°Right right sorry, didn¡¯t mean to overwhelm you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good man just uh,¡± Just what? He¡¯d never felt this nervous around Davide before, or around anyone now that he thought of it, ¡°mind if I open a window a bit or something?¡± ¡°No uh, go ahead.¡± He tugged on the hem of the hoodie David¡¯s hoodie which he was making no moves to remove, ¡°If I get cold I have this.¡± ¡°I will be wanting that back at some point you know,¡± David said as he opened one of Davi¡¯s bedroom windows just a crack. He just needed some fresh air and to maybe not be looking at Davi¡¯s face for a little bit. ¡°You doing alright? You seem a bit stressed.¡± Davi asked from his spot on the bed, perched a bit like a bird. ¡°I¡¯m fine I promise. Besides, it¡¯s just us. What would I even have to be nervous about anyway?¡± David sat down next to him. Davi smiled at him and linked his pinky with David¡¯s, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just us,¡± He repeated. He was still always surprised at Davide¡¯s hands and how soft they were. Why was he thinking about another guy¡¯s hands? ¡°Want to listen to my music this time?¡± David asked as he pulled his phone out of his pocket ¡°Trying to indoctrinate me into your top forty bullshit again I see?¡± Davi teased. ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t hate everything I played you last time you jerk!¡± David lightly shoved Davi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Maybe I was just placating you,¡± Davi leaned into his space and chuckled. David couldn¡¯t breathe, Davi¡¯s face was so close to his and Davi didn¡¯t even seem phased. He pulled his earbuds out of Davi¡¯s pocket, he was still in his hoodie, and put one in Davi¡¯s ear and the other in his own. He eventually broke eye contact to pick a playlist. He was in fact, forcing Davi to listen to music other human beings had heard of. He figured it would do the guy some good. Davi didn¡¯t make any immediate noises of protest. All seemed well with the world as the first few songs played. David didn¡¯t remember this song having backup singers that sounded like that, then he realized that Davi was singing along. He pulled his earbud out for a moment. Oh, Davi was leagues better than Katy Perry. David just stared at him and listened to his best friend sing, his voice was amazing. It had this deep melodic quality, he could listen to him for hours. He sang about an infectious and poisonous kiss, his eyes were closed and he leaned ever so slightly into David¡¯s space. David felt his heart pounding as he stared at Davide¡¯s mouth. Davi opened his eyes, noticed David staring at him, and his voice wavered, ¡°Sorry was I, uh, singing too loud?¡± He blushed. David shook his head, ¡°No uh it was¡­it was nice. You didn¡¯t strike me as a Katy Perry fan though,¡± ¡°To be fair, neither do you. But I like some of her stuff but yeah, she¡¯s not my favorite by a long shot.¡± ¡°But uh, the song made me wonder something,¡± David started. ¡°What? Are you a the pyramids were built by aliens dude?¡± ¡°What? No, I- not that part of the song,¡± He shook his head. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°So, you moved around a lot, guessing that didn¡¯t give you a lot of time to mess around with girls and that sort of shit?¡± ¡°I mean not exactly but I¡¯ve done some stuff,¡± Davi said, looking at his nails as he spoke, they were a sort of iridescent color this time, making a rainbow in the black as the light hit them. ¡°How far?¡± David wondered where Davi even managed to sneak off to mess around on military bases and all that shit. He pictured Davi tugging girls off into some dark alley to make out or shit like that. The vision did something to David but he couldn¡¯t quite articulate what. Maybe jealousy? He had no luck with girls and Davi seemed like he was rolling in it. ¡°Third base.¡± ¡°Oh, holy shit. You¡¯ve done more than me already,¡± That was, admittedly, not saying much. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Davide shrugged, ¡°Being a homeschooled dirtbag kind of makes me sexy to a certain set.¡± Well, David couldn¡¯t exactly argue with that, ¡°Who was your first kiss?¡± ¡°A boy on the Florida base named Gunther when we were like, twelve.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve kissed a guy?¡± David asked, looking at Davide in a new light. ¡°Does that surprise you?¡± Davi quirked an eyebrow at him. Not really no, Davide had eyeliner and ears full of piercings. If anything it would have been more shocking if he wasn¡¯t a bit of a homo. He was still an alright guy though. ¡°I mean well¡­No but. I didn¡¯t wanna assume or anything,¡± He let out an awkward chuckle. Davi tilted his head at that, ¡°Does it make you uncomfortable? That I like men?¡± He leaned a bit closer to David. David felt a bit sweaty at the proximity, ¡°No! I mean to each their own and all just, what¡¯s it like?¡± David asked, ¡°Is it like, weird?¡± Davi snorted and rolled his eyes a bit, ¡°If you¡¯re so curious why not find out for yourself?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± David grabbed Davide¡¯s face and kissed him. It wasn¡¯t like the books or songs told him it would be. It didn¡¯t feel like things were sliding into place or anything like that. But it felt nice. It wasn¡¯t at all how he imagined kissing a guy would be like, not that he had ever imagined kissing another guy. Davide¡¯s lips were surprisingly soft, and part of his cheek was a little scratchy, David guessed he must have missed a spot shaving. David wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do but Davi was more than capable of picking up the slack. He kissed him back with an intensity that almost made him feel like he was going to fall backward on the bed. But he stayed upright, he felt warmth spread across his face and his chest. It eventually occurred to him to stop kissing Davi and he pulled back, ¡°Well damn. Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t pretty much tell you to do that,¡± Davi chuckled, ¡°So, how¡¯d you like it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I like guys but, that was pretty chill,¡± He rubbed his thumbs on Davide¡¯s cheekbones. It was a bit of an understatement but. He was honestly just psyched to finally have his first kiss. Sure it would¡¯ve been nice if it had been a girl but hey. Davide was a good kisser, so it wasn¡¯t a huge loss. Davi smiled at him, ¡°If you ever want to¡­experiment a bit more, you have my number,¡± He winked. David blushed and scratched the back of his neck, ¡°I¡­maybe. I have had a crush on Shirley for a while now.¡± ¡°No pressure, just an option,¡± Davi said casually but there was a flash of something in Davi¡¯s eyes David couldn¡¯t quite identify. ¡°You won¡¯t¡­tell anyone about this, right? I can¡¯t have people thinking I¡¯m gay.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Davi shook his head, ¡°It¡¯ll be our secret, I promise.¡± ¡°Good, good, thanks, man,¡± He felt a rush of relief, he didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen if people at school or God forbid his father found out he¡¯d kissed a guy. Davi patted him on the shoulder, ¡°No problem.¡± He held up an earbud, ¡°Wanna listen to some of my music this time?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± David nodded, taking the offered bud. He didn¡¯t super get Davi¡¯s taste in music all the time. Okay, a lot of the time. But there was something nice and casual about just listening to someone else¡¯s iPod on shuffle. Plus sometimes Davi either sang along or just moved around a little to the music which David always found really endearing, maybe a little too endearing he wondered as he thought back to their earlier activities. He didn¡¯t recognize the song that came on, but that was just about par for the course with listening to Davi¡¯s music. It was fine until wait what¡¯s this guy singing about, ¡°Oh my god, why do you even have this song?¡± David asked, feeling his face burning. ¡°First of all I love this band and secondly, I think you know why,¡± He motioned between the two of them, ¡°But I can skip it.¡± ¡°Please,¡± He felt his cheeks burning, Davi laughed at him a bit but skipped the song, which David was very thankful for. There was a knock on the door. David jerked away from Davi on instinct, only remembering Davi had locked the door after the fact. ¡°What¡¯s up, Mom?¡± Davi called. ¡°I was about to order dinner, you two want to come out and join us?¡± ¡°Sure, Grazie!¡± ¡°Prego,¡± Davi looked over at David, ¡°Let¡¯s head out there. Unless you¡¯re too jumpy to be seen sitting next to me,¡± He said a bit skeptically. ¡°Sorry I uh, just an instinct. Besides, you know what happened has to be on the DL,¡± This attitude shift was unexpected. Davi had been so giddy earlier, now he seemed more distant, ¡°I know.¡± David got up and followed Davi out into the living room. Nicolette had her phone at the ready David and Davi quickly skimmed the menu and told her what they wanted, ¡°Also, thanks for letting me stay this late.¡± David added. ¡°Of course, David, our home is always open to you,¡± She patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± Davi bumped shoulders with him. He was still not quite as enthusiastic as he¡¯d been earlier but David was just glad it didn¡¯t seem like Davi was irreparably pissed at him. ¡°You two saw a movie right? How was it?¡± Martin spoke up, his deep baritone voice commanding attention even without him speaking above a normal speaking volume. He probably didn¡¯t try to intimidate David but he still felt like an ant being melted under an elementary schooler¡¯s machinations as he made eye contact with the man. ¡°It was a fun horror movie, I liked it,¡± He smiled at Davi, ¡°Davi here got a bit jumpy at parts though.¡± ¡°It was one jumpscare okay.¡± ¡°Do you scare easy Davide?¡± Martin asked his son. The look on his face implied he genuinely didn¡¯t know the answer. ¡°No, David is just being a jerk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called light teasing,¡± David stuck his tongue out at Davi. Davi rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Food should be here in about fifteen minutes, think you guys can hold out till then?¡± Nicolette asked as she hung up the phone. ¡°Probably. We did have a stupid amount of snacks at the movie,¡± Davi pointed out. ¡°Ah good, exactly what you¡¯re supposed to do when you see a movie.¡± Nicolette nodded. She took off her jacket and draped it over the back of her chair. There was a tattoo on her bicep, the outline of a figure. ¡°Oh whoa, I didn¡¯t know you had a tattoo.¡± Nicolette looked at Davi, ¡°Will you be mad if I tell your friend the story?¡± Davi shook his head, ¡°Might as well kill the time.¡± ¡°So as you might know, I¡¯m an art historian with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. Davide is also my only child.¡± She motioned to him, ¡°When he was born Martin was overseas. There was a complication, Davide was much smaller than a full-term baby should have been, so they kept him in the NICU for several days.¡± She paused for a moment, Martin rubbed her back slowly, ¡°They weren¡¯t sure he was going to make it. I always loved the name, Davide, it was a strong contender even before I gave birth but. I sought solace in the Bible and as David faced the Goliath I looked at my too-tiny baby and thought¡­Maybe he can fight this Goliath and keep living. I got this tattoo, the outline of Michelangelo¡¯s Il Davide, as a reminder of how strong my son is.¡± ¡°Holy shit.¡± David blurted out, ¡°I mean uh, that¡¯s lovely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re practically an adult. Martin and I don¡¯t care if you swear occasionally,¡± She said with a bit of a wet laugh, clearly still affected by the story she had just recounted. ¡°Ti voglio bene, mama,¡± Davi said softly, he placed his hand on the table. ¡°Anchio mio figlio,¡± Nicolette took the offered hand and squeezed it. David wondered what that was like, to know a parent adored you so undeniably. Chapter 11 The Maloneys ordered their Chinese food from the same place David¡¯s family did. David wasn¡¯t sure how he hadn¡¯t realized that when looking at the menu but he chalked it up to having a lot on his mind. Like Davi and the kiss. His lips still tingled a bit at the phantom sensation. Maybe he was allergic to something in Davi¡¯s chapstick? That would make sense, who knew what the fuck was in that shit anyway? He was glad that the heavier conversation from earlier seemed to have strayed to more light-hearted topics. It was a bit weird to think about Davi as a small baby in the hospital when the guy had had his tongue down his throat like an hour earlier. Davi complained about his math teacher and in general the way public school operated. He kept assuring David he and the others made it all worth it. David squeezed his shoulder, ¡°It better be, I¡¯ll be real mad if you worm your way into our lives just to drop out.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily,¡± Davi leaned his head on David¡¯s shoulder. David felt that same warmth in his chest from earlier cropping up once again. He ignored it and just kind of let Davi keep his head there, it wasn¡¯t like there was any harm in it. The Maloneys seemed like an affectionate family, they wouldn¡¯t think anything of it, right? Davi knew he couldn¡¯t tell his parents about their kiss, he wasn¡¯t stupid. He was probably smarter than David for sure. ¡°What did you get?¡± David asked. ¡°The sweet and sour chicken,¡± ¡°Very fitting.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± David shrugged, ¡°I mean, you¡¯re a sweet guy but you¡¯ve got a bit of bite to you?¡± Davi glanced away, flustered again. David didn¡¯t mean to, the guy was just so reactive to everything he said, ¡°Shut up, you want to try it or not?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Open up then,¡± David half anticipated Davi to just toss the piece of chicken but he fed it to him like some fucking lady and the tramp type shit. He blushed and looked away as he chewed. He glanced at Nicolette, only vaguely remembering Davi¡¯s parents were right there for that embarrassing little exchange, ¡°So David, do you have any plans for after graduation?¡± Nicolette asked. ¡°Oh uh, I have a short list of colleges but I¡¯m probably going to do either a computer science or business thing.¡± ¡°Are you a tech kid?¡± Martin asked as he gesticulated with an eggroll. David shrugged, ¡°I mean, my dad is a tech CEO, sort of comes with the territory.¡± ¡°So you got into it at a young age? Baby David used to play with robots and tinker with them?¡± Davi asked, he sounded entirely too amused by the visual. David felt his cheeks grow warm, ¡°I mean uh, not exactly but I mean. There are no other kids to inherit the business so. I need to do right by my father¡¯s vision and I feel like actually knowing how the machines we make work might be good,¡± He scratched the back of his neck. ¡°If that makes you happy.¡± ¡°It does,¡± David said perhaps a hair quicker than a normal person would have said it. ¡°Then that¡¯s what¡¯s important,¡± Martin said with a nod, ¡°I had no idea what I wanted to be when I was your age, part of why I enlisted. Figured it gave me some time to figure myself out without other people judging me. Then again, there wasn¡¯t a war when I first signed up.¡± He looked distant for a moment. David cleared his throat, ¡°I should probably get going if I want to get home before I fall asleep behind the wheel,¡± He felt a little melancholy about it. He liked spending time with the Maloneys, obviously Davi was his favorite but all of them were awesome even if Martin made him nervous sometimes. ¡°You can stay the night if you¡¯d like,¡± Nicolette offered. David looked at Davi, did he want him to stay over? Davi did his best to smile at him with a mouthful of rice. Okay, that might¡¯ve been his mistake to look for a visual cue mid-meal. ¡°I¡¯ll text my mom,¡± He pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message to Eunice, ¡°Hey can I stay at a friend¡¯s place tonight?¡± He knew she liked Davi more than Dad did, but didn¡¯t want to risk it more than he had to. Her response was quick. ¡°Do you have a lot of homework?¡± ¡°Not really, and he offered to help me with it anyway.¡± Not strictly true, but he didn¡¯t think Davi was about to tell him to go fuck himself if he asked for some help with his chem homework. The guy was really good with chemicals from all his darkroom crap. ¡°Then have fun sweetie!¡± David looked up at the Maloneys and gave a thumbs up, ¡°We¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°Thnx love u¡± He put his phone away. ¡°Well since you¡¯re going to be sticking around, we could play some video games.¡± Martin offered, ¡°You like Mario Kart kid?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± David nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll put the leftovers away, will you set up the Wii, Mama?¡± Davi asked as he started collecting the food containers that still had enough stuff in them to be worth saving. ¡°Of course, and grazie for taking care of the food,¡± She pinched his cheek as Davi walked by her. David followed Nicolette and Martin into the living room. David sat on the floor, his elbows rested on the coffee table. Nicolette and Martin sat on opposite ends of the couch. There was more than enough space for both Davide and himself between them, but David liked sitting on the floor. David hadn¡¯t anticipated Davi sitting next to him without a word. He didn¡¯t have much time to ponder that as Martin picked Peach which really threw David for a loop and almost made him feel awkward about picking Mario. Davide picked Birdo, the girl Yoshi. Nicolette picked Bowser, which David also hadn¡¯t seen coming. ¡°Isn¡¯t he super heavy? Won¡¯t that slow you down?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll still do laps around these two.¡± She winked and nodded towards Martin and then Davi. Nicolette whooped everyone''s asses right off the bat. David was more than a little impressed. Martin wasn¡¯t bad per se, he and Davi had the same stoic expressions as they played though which David found slightly unnerving. Davi tried to do his little ¡°lean into David to make him lose¡± tactic again but David just wrapped one arm around him and went back to holding the controller with both hands. Now Davi was stuck at a stupid forty-five-degree angle while David had a comfortable, if bony, armrest. He figured Davi would pull back or try and extract himself but he just stayed right where he was. His elbow was digging into David¡¯s thigh a bit, David didn¡¯t think about how close his arm was to his dick, not the time and not even the right part of the arm for anything. Also again, Davi was a guy, and he wasn¡¯t into guys. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Damn David, clearly you¡¯re not used to actual skill,¡± Davide snorted as the race ended, David placed solidly fifteenth out of sixteen. ¡°I beat you at the game at my place, so what¡¯s that say about you?¡± ¡°That I own a Wii and not an Xbox?¡± Davi quirked an eyebrow at him. ¡°Minor details.¡± They played a few more rounds, David even managed to come in a decent spot for a few of them. Nicolette was the reigning champion, and Davi and Martin¡¯s reactions implied this was the norm for family game nights. ¡°Hey, I think my controller is dying,¡± He waved the Wiimote for emphasis. ¡°As if on cue, I think it¡¯s time us old people headed to bed. You boys try and get some sleep okay?¡± Nicolette patted David on the shoulder and kissed Davi on the top of the head, ¡°Ti voglio bene, mio capolavoro.¡± ¡°Anchio Mama,¡± Davi smiled at his mom and dad as they went down the hall. He looked at David, ¡°You wanna let me out of this headlock now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you complaining earlier.¡± ¡°Because I was busy kicking your ass, obviously.¡± ¡°Awful bold for a guy one muscle twitch from me choking him out.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, you like me too much,¡± Davi said with a smug grin. ¡°Debatable.¡± Davi leaned over towards David, David leaned back to maintain distance, so much so that he somehow ended up flat on his back with Davi leaning over him, his body now cast in shadow from both Davide and the couch. They were completely obscured to everything but God. ¡°You good dude?¡± David stared up at Davi, he took in the sight of his hazel and green eyes and the way his lips moved. They were still just a little bit shiny. Man, he kind of hoped Davi kissed him again. Not that he was gonna initiate it, no no. He was just a little vain and hoped David found him as hot as he thought Davi was at that moment. Like, objectively, speaking duh David wasn¡¯t attracted to guys. He realized Davi had said something and he should probably reply to avoid looking like a crazy person or a homo, ¡°What? Yeah uh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good,¡± David started to sit up, their faces practically met once more. Davi bit his lip and backed away, ¡°We should probably head to my room, less likely to wake them up that way,¡± Davi nodded toward his parents'' room. ¡°Yeah that makes sense,¡± David nodded. Davi pulled David to his feet. David looked at their clasped hands and slipped from Davi¡¯s grasp. They walked down the short hallway in silence to Davi¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Be there in a sec.¡± Davi opened the door to the bathroom. David nodded and went into the bedroom, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d be waiting long anyway. He lounged on Davi¡¯s bed, laid on his side, and tilted his head curiously at the other boy once he came in and sat down next to him, ¡°So, you still in the mood from earlier?¡± David asked. Davi stared at him, mouth agape, ¡°What, exactly do you mean?¡± ¡°I was gonna pull up some horror shit, you know, like the movie we saw earlier?¡± ¡°Oh! Yeah yeah, I can jive with that,¡± Davi nodded. ¡°Swag, wanna grab your laptop?¡± David jerked his head towards the laptop on the other side of the room. Davi grabbed it and brought it over to the bed. The two of them watched some YouTuber play crappy horror games for a few hours and recited creepypastas to each other trying to freak the other one out. David would never admit it, but Davi was pretty good at finding the ones that managed to get under David¡¯s skin, ¡°I¡¯m gonna head to sleep I think,¡± David started to get up but Davi caught him by the wrist, ¡°You know you can sleep in my bed, I¡¯m fine on the couch,¡± Davi offered. ¡°Dude I¡¯m not kicking you out of your bed.¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have a guest room so unless you plan on getting really cozy with me someone is gonna have to get their ass on the couch,¡± Davi rolled his eyes. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re pretty skinny, I doubt it¡¯ll be that bad,¡± He shrugged. Davi blinked at him, ¡°I sleep like half naked.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your house man, do what you want,¡± He paused as he remembered something, ¡°Though that does put a slight damper on me borrowing pajamas.¡± ¡°I have enough soft shirts you could borrow if you want?¡± Davi offered. ¡°Oh, that would be epic, thanks, man.¡± Davi nodded with a smile, ¡°No problem,¡± Davide walked towards his dresser, pulled out a black t-shirt, and threw it at David. He decided to take a moment to look at the logo. ¡°My Chemical Romance¡± David had heard of them vaguely but had never listened. Wait, this was the shirt Davi was wearing when they first met, he recognized the black and white faces with blood splatter! He smiled a bit to himself at the memory. He took off his shirt and put the other one on. He looked over at Davi, who had his back to him. The moonlight was coming through the blinds in shafts of soft light. It cast Davide¡¯s back in a pale blue with an almost glowing effect. David could admit to himself he was staring but it wasn¡¯t like he was perving on his friend. If anything he was paying far more attention to the slope of Davi¡¯s back than he was to his ass. He was thin, and he had narrow shoulders but he still looked statuesque in his own way. He had two impressions in his lower back right above the waistband of his boxers. David wondered briefly if his back felt at all like his chest did, probably not. It was completely unmarked by the scars that littered his friend¡¯s front. He belatedly realized it was probably still a bit much to be staring at someone while they were changing even if you weren¡¯t being horny about it. He was a bit late to roll over as Davi cleared his throat, ¡°Did you like my strip tease?¡± He deadpanned as he yanked his jeans off his ankle. David had never understood how chicks, and he supposed Davide fit in those things. He theorized Davi was allergic to wearing pants that weren¡¯t borderline painted on. ¡°Uh, sorry,¡± He didn¡¯t have much else to say but in his defense, there was nothing else in the room to look at really. Davi had a curious look on his face as he got into bed. Like he was searching for answers in David¡¯s face. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure man, anything,¡± He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if something was bothering Davi. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not into guys?¡± He asked it so gently David couldn¡¯t even find it in himself to be mad. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m pretty sure I mean,¡± He checked out Davi briefly, ¡°I think if I was we wouldn¡¯t be sleeping right now you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± Davi went red, ¡°Right, yeah. Makes sense. Goodnight,¡± He rolled over and shut off the light. ¡°Night man, sleep well.¡± It was his own fault for putting the image in his mind but he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would be happening right now if he was into guys. If he just reached over and pulled Davide close and kissed him again. If they went even further than before, he got the impression Davi was more into the girly role which would be fine. He looked at Davi¡¯s bare back in front of him, he was hardly more than a few inches away. It wouldn¡¯t take much effort, just touch him. Come on, he said if you wanted to experiment more you could just say so. He reached out, he could feel the warmth radiating off of Davi¡¯s skin like a space heater. He pulled his hand back. Why the fuck was he thinking about having gay sex with his best friend? He had meant what he said earlier, he liked girls. He liked Shirley. It didn¡¯t matter if Davi was down to fuck him because he didn¡¯t like guys! He rolled over so he was facing away from Davi. He was just really androgynous it was getting him all confused, obviously. He just needed to stop thinking about Davi, his face, the way his chest felt in his hands, and what his lips felt like against his. Okay, brain that was like, totally the opposite of helping. He tried thinking about Shirley, a cocky smirk on her face after she won yet another impromptu race she somehow roped him and Marcus into even though there was no chance they would ever win. The rare times she let her hair down and it fell in her face. Her chest, wait, what the fuck. Shirley didn¡¯t have scars. Ugh. He bit his lip, he really hoped he hadn¡¯t just groaned out loud. The last thing he needed was poor Davi to think he was cranking one out in his bed, that was beyond rude. He risked glancing over his shoulder, Davi wasn¡¯t moving. Hopefully, he was asleep, like David should¡¯ve been. He closed his eyes and tried to push all visuals out and actually get some fucking sleep. Chapter 12 David woke up alone. Davi didn¡¯t seriously sneak out to go sleep on the couch, did he? He looked at the bed, the blankets had been pulled back, the space beside him was still warm. He placed his hand on the empty space, absorbing that warmth. Clearly if Davi snuck out it couldn¡¯t have been terribly long ago. He inhaled softly, taking in the slight lavender scent on Davi¡¯s pillow. He wondered where Davi might have wandered off to when he realized the shower was on. That made sense, Davi sometimes still had not quite dry hair in the mornings at school. He listened, curious if Davi was the type to sing in the shower or if he just focused on what he had to accomplish and got out. Or did he use it as an opportunity for privacy? Especially since David had crashed in his room last night. How did he do it? Did he lean forward and press his head to the tile, or lean back and let his head rest? Or maybe it was neither, he¡¯d spotted a bathtub, maybe he laid down as he did it. Did he use his left or right hand? Why the hell was he thinking about this so much and why was it getting him harder? David heard the shower turn off. Oh, right duh Davi probably didn¡¯t want to spend the whole day in there. He rolled over onto his stomach, the last thing he needed was for Davi to see and get the wrong idea, morning wood just happened sometimes! It didn¡¯t mean anything. Davi came in with a towel wrapped around his hips, damn he was just as bony as David figured he was. His scars were more vibrant from the hot water, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up,¡± Davi said. He meant awake but David felt a wave of shame rush over him nonetheless, ¡°Yeah I uh, just woke up, I can roll over while you get changed though.¡± Please God don¡¯t make him get up, there would be no denying his state and explaining it in a normal way would be nearly impossible. ¡°Yeah if you wouldn¡¯t mind. Sorry I was thinking you¡¯d sleep in a bit more.¡± He looked apologetic, covering his chest with one hand as best he could. ¡°No worries man, I mean it''s your room.¡± He glanced at his chest, ¡°Also you don¡¯t have to cover your scars around me unless you want to. I already told you I think they make you look badass.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too nice, now turn around,¡± Davi said in a jokingly authoritative voice. David complied with the order a little too willingly. He didn¡¯t like the way Davi even jokingly ordering him around was so appealing. He stared at the wall and thought neutral thoughts. Math, snails, anything but naked women or Davi saying he was ¡°up¡±. He didn¡¯t have terribly long to get his biological impulses under control before Davi said he could turn back around, ¡°I¡¯m decent.¡± ¡°Oh come on you¡¯re at least a 7/10,¡± David joked as he turned around. Davi blushed, he was wearing a tank top and jeans, ¡°Hey¡­Listen not gonna lie it strokes my ego when you say stuff like that but.¡± He swallows, ¡°If the other day is just gonna be a one off please don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Oh, right yeah my bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up too bad.¡± Davide sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°My dad usually does that for me.¡± ¡°David?¡± Davi looked at him with naked concern. ¡°A joke! A joke, um. Mind if I take a shower real quick?¡± ¡°Be my guest, even more than you already are.¡± The concern was very clearly still in Davi¡¯s eyes. Thankfully it was enough to let David stand up without embarrassment. He made his way to the shower and washed all of yesterday¡¯s confusion off as well as take care of the tail end of his ¡°morning problem¡± he just let his mind wander to whatever it wanted to, he¡¯d psychoanalyze himself later. He had to put the same clothes he¡¯d slept in back on. It was fine, they more than passed the sniff test. He drew a little smiley face in the mist on the mirror. Davi was waiting outside his bedroom, ¡°You want some breakfast leftovers?¡± ¡°Oh fuck yeah man!¡± Davi nodded towards the kitchen and led him there. Nicolette and Martin were also eating what remained from the Chinese feast the night before. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be staying tonight as well?¡± Martin asked. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯ll probably leave after lunch,¡± ¡°Probably for the best, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a church family but we go every Sunday,¡± Nicolette said. ¡°Oh no we do too, I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t seen you at Mass.¡± ¡°Must go to a different church than us I guess.¡± Davi shrugged. ¡°I guess so, anyway thanks for letting me stay over, and for the leftovers. I¡¯m gonna head out now.¡± David walked out of the house, the car unlocked with a beep. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, he turned around and saw Davi standing behind him, ¡°Hey, you had a good time right?¡± Davi had that same shyness that just seemed so weird on him. David put his hands on his shoulders, ¡°Of course I did man, I would¡¯ve gone home a helluva lot sooner if I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good I just, you know, wanted to make sure.¡± David squeezed his narrow shoulders, ¡°Well I had a great time man¡­we still on for this weekly movie thing?¡± Davi blinked a few times, ¡°I¡¯d really like that, yeah.¡± ¡°Cool, see you Monday bro,¡± He clapped Davi¡¯s shoulder and got into his car. He started the really not long drive at all back to his place. Most eventful thing was spotting a cat sitting on top of the neighbors fence as he pulled into the driveway. The garage door was closed this time so David parked outside, he¡¯d have to move it later since dad left the house before he did but to be fair to him, his dad took his spot not the other way around! He parked his car and did the usual routine of taking his shoes off in the laundry room. He plopped his backpack in the living room and nodded at his parents on the sofa, ¡°Hey dad we¡¯re gonna have to swap spo-¡± ¡°Where have you been?¡± His father interrupted, ¡°Sorry, must¡¯ve lost track of time at Davi¡¯s,'''' he shrugged, it was only like noon, not super late. ¡°For two days? Without even asking?¡± Armand sounded skeptical. David glanced at his father, and then at his mother sitting on the couch, ¡°I texted Mom. She said it was okay¡­¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Armand stepped in between David and his mother, ¡°Your mother does not make the rules in this house, I do.¡± ¡°Armand, it was just a sleepover, honestly calm down,¡± Eunice said. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me where he was!¡± He turned to yell at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask,¡± She retorted. David took their brief moment of distraction to slip upstairs to his room to put his stuff away. He had a new text from Davi, ¡°This weekend was fun! Hope u got home safe. See u monday!¡± He smiled and texted him back, ¡°Yea just got home I had a gr8 time, see u monday :)¡± ¡°David? Get your ass down here!¡± Dad called from downstairs. David sighed and put his phone away, he knew he couldn¡¯t avoid the fallout forever but he¡¯d hoped for at least five minutes of respite. He padded down the stairs. His Dad had his arms crossed over his chest and was sitting next to Mom on the couch, Mother had refilled her wine while David was upstairs, ¡°That¡¯s not your shirt,¡± It was not a question. Oh shit, David had completely forgotten about that. He glanced down at the shirt, it was one of Davi¡¯s edgy bands. No way he could pass it off as his own and Dad clearly wouldn¡¯t have believed him about it anyway. ¡°Davi lent it to me,¡± He explained. ¡°Before or after he screwed you like a girl?¡± David¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°What the hell? Dad, we didn¡¯t that¡¯s disgusting!¡± ¡°Then why are you wearing his shirt?¡± ¡°Because since I didn¡¯t plan on staying over I didn¡¯t bring extra clothes! Would you rather I¡¯d slept shirtless?¡± A vein started bulging in his father¡¯s neck, ¡°Did you sleep in the same bed as that pervert?¡± Yes. ¡°No, I slept on the couch like a normal person Dad!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bit old for sleepovers, aren¡¯t you? Did you even actually sleep?¡± ¡°Stop, we are not fucking doing this,¡± He did not often get terse with his father, and he sure as shit never swore at him. But Jesus Christ he did not want to hear whatever vile shit his father was about to spew about Davi. He was a good guy and didn¡¯t deserve that, even if he would never hear it himself. ¡°Don¡¯t you swear at me you little shit! Tell me the goddamn truth did you fuck that little faggot?¡± ¡°No, I did not fuck my friend because I am not gay Dad, and neither is Davi,¡± Not a lie! Davi said he liked girls too! Checkmate Dad! ¡°Did he fuck you? Or make a pass at you?¡± ¡°No, he didn¡¯t because he¡¯s normal and we¡¯re friends!¡± He snapped, ¡°But God Dad how do you think I would feel if my friend had actually molested me and then you started shouting at me about it?¡± ¡°That you¡¯d man up and tell me the truth.¡± ¡°Armand that is quite enough!¡± Eunice got to her feet, her cheeks flushed either with alcohol or indignation, ¡°I am not going to stand here and listen to you eviscerate our son over a simple sleepover I said he could go on. You¡¯re making a mountain out of a molehill and frankly, I don¡¯t like you speculating on the sexuality of a child we¡¯ve met a grand total of one time.¡± ¡°Teenagers fuck darling, you of all people should know that,¡± He sneered. ¡°Not the point.¡± David did the math a while ago, his dad was eighteen when he met his mother, who would have been fourteen at the oldest. He tried his best not to think about the implications but it was a bit hard when she¡¯d had him a few weeks after her eighteenth birthday. Armand squinted at him, ¡°Go do your damn homework. And you¡¯re not getting out of church this sunday so don¡¯t even think about it!¡± David almost made a snide remark on how he was a lot more likely to get fondled by a priest than by his best friend but he held his tongue. He turned around and went back up to his room. He took Davi¡¯s shirt off and tossed it aside, putting one of his own on without even doing a sniff test. His homework situation really wasn¡¯t that intense, but he stayed in his room till it was time for dinner anyway, just seemed like the safer bet. Dinner was tense and quiet, but that was the usual. The only sound was occasionally Eunice topping off her wine or Armand chewing a bit too loud. ¡°So David, anything interesting going on at school?¡± Eunice asked. ¡°Shirley has a big track meet coming up, we¡¯re gonna go to Leroy¡¯s afterwards the four of us.¡± David said, this was safe territory, Shirley? Sports? Burgers? All normal teenage boy discussion topics. He¡¯d apparently let his guard down too much, ¡°Four of you? Its always been a trio, you Shirley and the dweeb.¡± ¡°Well yeah, Davide is invited too, him and Shirley are mad tight.¡± Maybe if he emphasized Davi¡¯s connection to Shirley Dad wouldn¡¯t freak as bad. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m a huge fan of this Davide fellow. He seems a bit gay,¡± His father said as he poured himself a glass of wine. Goddamnit he couldn¡¯t catch a break. David felt the pins and needles you get from your foot falling asleep throughout his entire body. Pain all over, he had to stop this topic. He had to stop picturing Davide¡¯s mouth on his. It was an experiment, a one-time thing. It didn¡¯t mean anything, ¡°He¡¯s not though, we¡¯ve been over this. I wouldn¡¯t be friends with him if he was,¡± He said quickly. ¡°He just seems to like you a bit too much for it to be normal.¡± ¡°He¡¯s never had real friends before. Makes sense he¡¯d go a little overboard,¡± David said, praying his dad would take the bait. ¡°That¡¯s a bit pathetic, isn¡¯t it? Sixteen-year-old boy, who¡¯s never made a friend before?¡± He quirked an eyebrow at him. ¡°I mean, they moved like every year and he was homeschooled¡­it makes sense,¡± David felt himself withering under his father¡¯s scrutiny. ¡°You seem quick to defend him,¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s my friend? And a really good one at that?¡± His father stared at him for a moment. David knew he couldn¡¯t possibly know but he still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he did anyway. How the hell could he spin it? Davide hadn¡¯t even been the one to initiate it so he couldn¡¯t blame it on that. Fuck. ¡°Just don¡¯t let him confuse you,¡± He said firmly. Well too fucking late on that front but thank you for playing our game Dad! ¡°How about we invite them over for dinner? We can all get a chance to get to know the whole family better,¡± Mother volunteered. David and Armand were both so shocked at Eunice¡¯s suggestion they were silenced. ¡°Way I see it darling you¡¯re getting a bit, intense because you don¡¯t know this boy like we know David¡¯s other friends. Well, why don¡¯t we fix it instead of getting into fights over the dinner table? Behave like civilized people for once?¡± Her thin toothy smile was as tense as always. David wasn¡¯t sure he had ever seen a relaxed smile from his mother in his entire life. Armand sighed, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll invite the fag and his parents for dinner. Happy?¡± ¡°Yes, in fact, I am dear,¡± Eunice sipped her wine. Chapter 13 David didn¡¯t even ask when he arrived at Davi¡¯s house after school. He just got out with him. Davi didn¡¯t say anything about it either. The boys went into the house as if they both lived there. Nicolette didn¡¯t bat an eye either when she saw two boys instead of one gracing her living room. ¡°Hey, boys! How was school?¡± ¡°Not too bad, we¡¯re starting the collage unit in photography!¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s exciting, I can only imagine how much fun you and Shirley will have on that. How about you David?¡± ¡°My dad wanted to uh, invite you guys over to dinner at our place this Thursday if that¡¯s okay?¡± David said, ¡°Woah, for real?¡± Davi asked. David nodded. ¡°Thursday as in tomorrow? Or next week?¡± Nicolette asked. ¡°Uh, tomorrow,¡± David clarified. Martin shrugged, ¡°We didn¡¯t have any plans, I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°I think that would be just lovely. We haven¡¯t really had time to make a lot of friends in town yet. And you¡¯re such a lovely young man. I''m sure your parents are great too.¡± Davi snorted and then seemed to see David¡¯s betrayed face and cleared his throat, ¡°Yeah uh. That sounds great, Davey.¡± ¡°What time should we get there?¡± David pulled out his phone, ¡°I¡¯m just going to give you my dad¡¯s number so you two can work out the details because I¡¯m gonna be honest all he said was invite them over for dinner on Thursday.¡± Nicolette nodded, ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea. Then you and Davi can get up to your business,¡± She winked. ¡°Speaking of, wanna head to my room?¡± Davi jerked his head that way. ¡°Uh yeah, good to see you as always you two.¡± David gave a polite wave to Nicolette and Martin before he disappeared down the hallway with Davi. ¡°You know, I¡¯m surprised your dad is having us over, I got the impression he wasn¡¯t super into me,¡± Davi said as the two of them entered his bedroom. ¡°Well, I sure hope he¡¯s not into you, he''s a straight guy in his forties,¡± David snorted. ¡°Oh my god gross that¡¯s not what I meant and you know it!¡± Davi shoved him playfully, ¡°If anyone is into me it¡¯s you.¡± David coughed, ¡°I uh. That was just a one-time thing¡­I¡¯m straight,¡± He said gently. He didn¡¯t want to lead Davi on, that wasn¡¯t fair to him. He felt a pain in his stomach as he said it. ¡°I know I know, I¡¯m just bugging you.¡± David scoffed, ¡°God you¡¯re such a fuckin¡¯ ass.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t seem to mind,¡± Davi rested his head on David¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Juries still out on that.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡± ¡°You alright man? You seem a bit far away today,¡± Davi put his hand on David¡¯s shoulder. ¡°My dad and I had a fight,¡± He confessed. Davi furrowed his brow in concern, ¡°What about?¡± David swallowed, ¡°Uh, you.¡± Davi looked guilty. Aw nuts, David didn¡¯t want him to feel bad, ¡°About me? Why?¡± Shit, he should have just lied and said it was about something else. Would it have been so hard to just let Davi think his family was invited over to dinner for normal reasons? ¡°My dad, uh, thinks you¡¯re gay.¡± Davi stared at him, ¡°Davey we-¡± He put his hand on Davi¡¯s, ¡°I know, but- but he can¡¯t know, okay? If he found out we kissed, even if it was just a one-time thing I. I don¡¯t want to think about what he¡¯d do to you okay? I¡¯m, I¡¯m telling you this for your own good.¡± He squeezed his hand, he needed Davi to understand, God knew no one else would. Davi looked down at David¡¯s hand on top of his and then back up at David, ¡°I understand.¡± David was shaken at how gentle his friend¡¯s voice sounded. But he was also so deeply relieved. He smiled at him, ¡°Thanks for being so understanding man, I know it¡¯s not exactly going to be fun. And uh, if your parents know that¡¯s you know, your business just¡­if you could ask them not to bring it up at dinner?¡± Davi shook his head, ¡°They don¡¯t know yet. We¡¯ll be careful alright? I promised I¡¯d keep it a secret, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°That you did, and I get the impression you¡¯re a man of your word.¡± ¡°I try to be.¡±
Nicolette was sharply dressed, probably the type of outfit she¡¯d wear to an academic conference. Martin was also dressed nicely but not too formally. Davi looked deeply abnormal, he was wearing a plain white turtleneck and light colored jeans. They weren¡¯t even skinny jeans! The only hint of his normal self was his jewelry. If he¡¯d come without his ears full of metal David would¡¯ve been worried his dude had been replaced by some normie. He wanted to hug him but his father¡¯s gaze was boring into his back, so he gave him a bro fist instead. ¡°Glad you could make it man.¡± ¡°Glad you invited us,¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s so nice to finally have faces to the names, I¡¯m Eunice, David¡¯s mom,¡± Eunice held her hand out. ¡°I¡¯m Nicolette, Davide¡¯s mother,¡± She shook Eunice¡¯s hand with a genuinely friendly smile. ¡°And I¡¯m Martin, Davide¡¯s dad.¡± Martin introduced himself. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve met before,¡± Armand said as he shook the man¡¯s hand. Martin looked skeptical, ¡°Have we?¡± ¡°We went to high school together,¡± Dad pointed at himself, ¡°Armand Caputo?¡± ¡°David already told me your name but I don¡¯t remember you, sorry.¡± ¡°We had science with Mrs. Dennis, Gym sophomore year.¡± Armand listed varying courses over the four years the two of them had apparently had together. ¡°My memory isn¡¯t always...The best these days,¡± Martin said. ¡°Ah, of course,¡± While his voice sounded neutral David could tell his dad thought that was bullshit. He hoped he didn¡¯t make a big stink of it. ¡°Come in come in, I have the table set already.¡± Eunice said, taking Nicolette and Davi by the wrist, presumably on account of even playfully she probably couldn¡¯t pull Martin anywhere. David took a seat and Davi sat next to him, Martin and Eunice sat across from one another. Nicolette sat beside her husband and Armand sat at the head of the table. There were a few minutes of casual conversation, asking how the Maloneys were adjusting to the neighborhood and how the boys were doing in school, softball type shit. Then Armand glanced at Davide and asked, If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Now Martin I have to ask, what do you think of your son having all those piercings?¡± Davi¡¯s body stiffened next to David¡¯s as Martin turned his gaze on him, ¡°I think it''s a free country, he wants to fill his ears with holes it''s not my business. I also think it would be a bit hypocritical of me to care much one way or another considering I was on the other side of the globe when he got most of them.¡± ¡°So this was your decision?¡± Armand looked at Nicolette. ¡°It was Davi¡¯s. He wanted his ears pierced for a long time, I let him get his lobes done when he turned thirteen. The rest have happened in the past few years, I told him he can get whatever he wants so long as it¡¯s the ears and he doesn¡¯t try and do it himself again.¡± David mouthed ¡°Again?¡± To Davi who gave him a look that told him he¡¯d be getting a story at some later date. ¡°Just seems a bit, unusual for a boy.¡± ¡°My kid marches to the beat of his own drum, far be it from me to try and change his tune,¡± Martin shrugged but there was a distinct undercurrent of stop talking about my kid in his tone. ¡°So, how did you two meet anyway?¡± Armand asked as he motioned with his fork between Martin and Nicolette. ¡°Well I happened to be working, helping pay tuition with the tips at a bar near the base Martin was doing basic training at, and he was the only army guy I could stand. So when he wrote his number down on a napkin, I didn¡¯t throw it away!¡± She laughed. ¡°And what do you do now that I assume you are not uh, still a barmaid?¡± Nicolette¡¯s smile fell, ¡°I¡¯m an art history professor, a degree I paid for with that tip money. And I recently landed a full-time faculty position at Dowling College.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s-¡± ¡°Right nearby, yes,¡± Nicolette smiled in an almost threatening way. ¡°So, Martin. What do you do now that you¡¯ve retired from the military?¡± Eunice asked. ¡°Mostly puzzles,¡± Martin said, voice as flat as ever. ¡°P-puzzles?¡± ¡°Puzzles.¡± Okay, Eunice looked a little thrown by that reply but to be fair David was right there with her, so he could hardly hold it against her. ¡°So you¡¯re not working right now?¡± Armand asked. Martin shook his head, ¡°I figure I¡¯ve been absent from my kid¡¯s life for long enough, I can afford to take a bit of a break to get to know him before he runs off to college.¡± Armand nodded, his expression impossible to decipher as he turned his attention to Davide, ¡°You¡¯re an only child I assume?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Davide nodded. ¡°I had several difficulties with Davide¡¯s pregnancy so we thought it safest not to risk another.¡± She looked at Davi, ¡°Though admittedly I do sometimes wish we¡¯d given you a sibling dear.¡± Davi shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m alright Mom. I had you.¡± ¡°Do you worry you¡¯re perhaps a bit too close to your mother, kid?¡± Dad asked Davi. Davi shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked like he was going to say something when his mother pipped in, ¡°What exactly are you implying Mr. Caputo?¡± ¡°Kid never had any friends aside from his mom till he¡¯s practically an adult? Sounds like a recipe for some weird shit.¡± ¡°Oh, by all means, tell me all about what a bad mother I am,¡± Nicolette gave him a terse smile. ¡°Just saying, homeschooling isn¡¯t what¡¯s best for a kid most of the time.¡± ¡°Would constantly placing him in schools only to take him out midway through the year have really been better for his development? Have I mentioned I am a college professor and therefore have a decent awareness of how to teach?¡± ¡°Just saying, not how I would have done it.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure to take that under consideration if you¡¯re ever the one raising a child alone while your husband is deployed overseas.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pull back a bit before this gets uglier,¡± Martin nodded towards David and Davide, ¡°For the kids'' sakes.¡± David hadn¡¯t noticed, but at some point, Davide had started holding his hand under the table. He glanced at the hand and then at Davi, he looked so tense. David didn¡¯t know how else to help so he just rubbed his thumb on the back of his hand. ¡°I agree, Martin,¡± Eunice said, pouring more wine into her glass as well as his, ¡°I know you grew up around here. Do you still have family in the area?¡± She asked, clearly trying to diffuse the tension between their spouses or at least distract from it. ¡°Not really, conveniently enough though Nicolette¡¯s mother only lives about forty-five minutes away.¡± ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s so nice. I wish my parents still lived nearby,¡± Eunice said, ¡°It would have been nice to give David the whole grandparent experience.¡± ¡°My parents are very much alive dear,¡± Armand said as he took the wine from her. ¡°I know,¡± Eunice said. David didn¡¯t know much about his mother¡¯s side of the family, only that they had a falling out years ago. Armand told him they were bitter that Eunice was rising above them and dropped her when she was pregnant with him. Sometimes he wondered if his mother resented him for being born. His mother was a young woman, younger than his dad, certainly younger than the Maloneys as well. ¡°I take it you were an only child Eunice?¡± Nicolette asked. ¡°No no, I have two older brothers.¡± Armand got up, David assumed given the topic of conversation, it was to pour himself some whiskey. ¡°Do you talk to them at all?¡± ¡°My older brother Francis worked in the World Trade Center,¡± Eunice finished off her glass. Martin put his glass down, ¡°Francis Grant? I remember him¡­ I¡¯m so sorry Eunice, he was a good man.¡± ¡°He was,¡± Eunice nodded. ¡°You know, David kind of looks like him now that I know the relation.¡± ¡°I always say the same thing,¡± Eunice smiled sadly as she patted David on the shoulder. He hid his and Davi¡¯s still linked hands from his mother¡¯s gaze just in case. David felt the regular twist of guilt whenever his mom talked about uncle Francis. He barely remembered the man but knew how much his mother loved him, apparently he reminded mom of him a lot. Armand put the bottle on the table with a bit more force than strictly necessary, ¡°And I still say you need to stop shoving him in the shadow of a dead man. He¡¯s his own person.¡± ¡°Dad, it''s okay. Just because I look like him doesn¡¯t mean I am him.¡± His father¡¯s lip twitched but he didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°It¡¯s getting a bit late. We ought to start heading home.¡± Martin said after several minutes of uncomfortable silence. Eunice looked sad but not surprised, ¡°Well it was good getting to know you two better. Get home safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we get back,¡± Martin said. Eunice nodded. Davi slipped his hand out of David¡¯s, he felt an instinctive need to grab it again, as atrociously as dinner had gone he didn¡¯t want Davi to leave yet. He sat on his hand to avoid doing something embarrassing. ¡°See you tomorrow bud.¡± He said. ¡°Yeah, see you.¡± There were no hugs goodbye from anyone, Eunice shook hands with Nicolette and Martin and they were gone, as if they had never been there at all. The door had barely latched before the silence was broken once more, ¡°Eunice, when did you decide you didn¡¯t have to stand by me anymore?¡± He asked tersely. ¡°What on earth are you talking about Armand?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t stand up for me once that whole fucking dinner!¡± Eunice balled a fist, ¡°Maybe because I put this whole thing on to become friends with the Maloneys not accuse Davide¡¯s mom of an Oedipal relationship with her kid or shit on my dead brother you absolute maniac!¡± ¡°Through thick and thin unless it interferes with you guzzling half a bottle it seems?¡± ¡°I split that bottle between all the adults, you just don¡¯t like wine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, and yet we have a whole fridge for it.¡± ¡°Half of which is filled by your business associates gifts I¡¯ll remind you.¡± David had heard enough, he slipped away to his room and texted Davi, he didn¡¯t bother checking what he¡¯d said last, ¡°Hey. Sorry abt tonight. We still good?¡± He let his phone drop on his face and sighed. The buzz of a reply came not too long after that, ¡°We still good. Knew ur dad was an ass already, my mom is pissed tho¡± Yeah, that was fair. He agreed with both the moms on the matter, Dad was insane to say that. ¡°Tell her im sorry :(¡° ¡°Dont worry dude she still loves u. She says ur not responsible for his behavior¡±