Fiction~~Light of the Fallen Series~~Highschool is Hell
Highschool is Hell |
Nick
locked the door to his aunt’s beige stucco house and trudged down the
driveway. Keeping his eyes on his feet, he tried to ignore
the
landscaping. Compared to the neatly mowed lawns and flowers
beds
of her neighbors, Aunt Kate’s front yard seemed like a wasteland of
earth and rock. It suited his mood. Monday, on his way to the
bus
stop, in the middle of the school year. Two months since he’d
started at this new school. Four months since his parents’
deaths. An eternity since he’d felt normal, or loved, or
accepted, or anything that didn’t have fear mixed in with it
somewhere.
It had been bad enough before
he turned
18. But as of 2 days ago, he was a legal adult, and Aunt Kate
had
made it clear that her responsibility to him was over, as far as she
was concerned. He’d managed to get her to agree to let him
stay
until he was done with high school, but he wasn’t sure she’d keep her
promise. Ever since he’d told her he was gay, she’d been cold
and
distant. He’d thought it would be safe to tell her; she
drank,
she smoked, she considered herself a ‘liberal,’ and she didn’t go to
the local Homophobic Church of Bullshit. Turns out, that’s
because she had plenty enough homophobia to last a lifetime without
having it re-supplied every Sunday. He supposed she thought she was
being a good Samaritan or something when she warned all the
neighborhood families with teenage boys that her nephew was a ‘homo.’
Yeah,
because the short, weak, geek gay boy was going to overpower all the
local jocks and have his wicked way with them. God, he
couldn’t
wait until he could get out of here. Except he didn’t have
anywhere to go. His parents hadn’t had much in the way of
money;
just enough to keep him going for a few months,
maybe. He
wasn’t sure what he would do after that. He’d never held a
job in
his life.
He was just…really, really
scared.
Scared of the bullies at school, of getting grades so poor he’d never
get into college, of never being able to afford college now anyway,
of…everything. Just getting up in the morning felt like he
was
trying to move a boulder up the Andes Mountains. He could
hardly
bear it anymore.
“Hey, look, it’s Nick!
Sucked any good cock today yet, Dick? Oops, sorry, Nick.”
Nick
hunched his shoulders as he walked the last few feet to his spot and
tried to ignore the three neighbor assholes as they called out to him
from the stop.
“Hey, carrot top, I’m
talking to you!”
Matt and Kevin jeered at him while Kyle continued to yell his usual
filth. “You need to meet your cock quota, why don’t you come over here
and blow me? I haven’t had a good blow job in ages.
Might
as well find out how well a little faggot does it.” The three
of
them laughed hysterically and Nick kept his pale blue eyes staring down
at the ground, praying the bus would come before they got bored and
started pounding on him. He shivered inside his denim jacket,
the
autumn breeze blowing his cheap slacks against his thin legs and
ruffling his hair until it completely ruined any chance of
making
it to school without looking like he had a red, curly fire on his head.
‘Cause
he needed more things about him that people could make fun
of. He
glanced over at the boys with just his eyes, trying to make sure they
weren’t coming over. These were the three jerks who’d spread it around
that he was gay, after his aunt’s ‘warnings.’ The information had blown
through the conservative high school like a typhoon. He
shuddered
from the cold again.
“You shiver like that when some
old bastard
shoves his dick up your ass?” Matt yelled, cracking himself up again,
and Nick struggled not to cry. He could hardly bear it
anymore. Every stupid day they did this. If he was
any good
at fighting, he’d turn and tell them to go fuck themselves and beat the
shit out of them or something, but he wasn’t. He
was one of
the shortest boys in school right now, just like his father had been
before he’d hit his growth spurt. He hadn’t filled out at
all,
and to make it utterly ridiculous, he had freckles and a stupid little
pug nose that had earned him the nickname of ‘piggy’ at first.
The
bus pulled up before anything else could be said and Nick was eternally
grateful for an open seat behind the bus driver that had
nothing
free around it. The jerks couldn’t sit behind him and shoot
spitballs into his hair when he was this close to the driver.
Their aim wasn’t that good, and they got chewed out so badly the one
time they’d tried and hit the windshield that they left him alone when
he was up front. He stared out the window, flushing as they
continued to pick at him with words instead.
“I just
don’t get gay people. What kind of freak likes to suck cock?”
Probably
not your girlfriend, that’s for sure, Nick thought to himself.
“Yeah,
people like that should just take a hint and leave. No one
wants perverts like that around town.”
“Homos are
all pedophiles, too, did you know that? My dad told me all
about it…”
The
bus driver glanced up in the mirror and ignored everything they said,
as usual, and Nick slumped down further in the seat. He
turned
his face completely towards the window. He wiped at his eyes, hoping no
one noticed. The bus took a sharp right turn and the
highschool
loomed in front of them like some prison created by a mad scientist on
cocaine. The grass and trees had been razed to the ground at
some
point and covered with cement, and then the builders planted a few new
trees in random cement planters throughout the campus. They
seemed gray and sickly. Everything did. The
buildings were
unpainted cement, the odd geometric benches against walls were cement,
the floors. Even the insides were terrible: the classrooms
were
done in drab olives and grays and something yellowish that made him
think of jaundice.
The building’s design was like
the add
against using crack: this is your architect on drugs. There were almost
no right corners; everything was at odd angles that hid huge sections
of the campus from sight. There were strange bridges
connecting
some floors while others would be completely isolated. It
looked
like it should be in a videogame as a maze, and yet still managed to be
so completely bland and depressing that he thought it was the perfect
highschool. This was something that made no effort to deny
that
it was sucking the soul and joy out of everyone.
As
soon as the
bus stopped, he was down the aisle and out the door, heading to
class. He was always the first one in; it kept any potential
bullies away, and besides, it wasn’t as though he had any friends to
talk to. He’d tried to meet people, a little, the first few
days
after he’d arrived, but he didn’t have a lot to recommend him as
someone worth spending a few minutes on, he supposed. He
wasn’t
athletic enough for the jocks, or smart enough for the geeks.
If
he saw someone he’d thought was cool or gorgeous, he lost the ability
to speak at all. The girls didn’t find him all that sexy – he
was
about the same height as most of them – and while that didn’t get him
teased, it didn’t win him any friends there either.
And
he’d still been missing his parents so damn much, he hadn’t really felt
like making much of an effort.
So,
he showed up in class, did his work with as little interaction with the
teachers as possible, and tried to make it home before he lost it and
yelled back at every single snide comment and malicious little prank
that followed him all day long. He’d only done that once, and
the
beating that followed had cured him of the idea that there was any
justice in highschool.
He was sitting in
the front of
the class, bent down over his books and pretending to study when a
group of jocks rolled in. He tried not to stare.
They had
such fine bodies. Firm muscles, good hair, tall and tanned
and
gorgeous. Everything he wasn’t, and the few times he’d been
caught staring had resulted in a physically unpleasant discussion after
school. He was sliding his eyes back to his desk when someone
new
walked in, and he froze.
The smile was what got to
him.
Open and happy, laughing without mocking, dusky lips wide over perfect
white teeth, with a dimple in one tanned cheek. He swallowed,
his
eyes moving up higher than the smile before he could stop
himself. Deep blue eyes with dark lashes twinkled merrily
under
black eyebrows as the boy laughed again in a rich, deep, voice that
made Nick shiver. The newcomer’s hair was blue black and a
lot
longer than the popular buzz cut that most of the jocks
favored.
It hung down to his shoulders with a soft wave in it that Nick noted
with a little envy.
He was simply…
gorgeous.
Nick
stared at him. He couldn’t have said what he wore, he was so
captivated by that face. The boy was utterly, completely
beautiful. Flushing as he realized the boy was staring back
curiously, Nick looked down at his desk as quickly as he
could.
Oh God, the jock had caught him staring. He cringed as he
waited
for the inevitable backlash.
He heard him murmur
something to
the other jocks as they headed to the back of the room, and heavy
footsteps swooshed across the ratty carpet towards his desk. He
pretended to write something, trying act like it had just been a
moment, that he was really just thinking of what he’d been about to
write and just happened to be staring off into space in the same
direction as the fantastic, perfect face.
“Hey.”
The
friendly, conversational tone made Nick glance up to make sure Mr.
Beautiful wasn’t talking to someone else. He looked up into
another blinding smile, and almost didn’t notice the focused
staring. Those eyes… It felt like they could see
everything
inside. Petty thoughts, private jokes, silent despair…every
erotic dream he’d ever had.
He felt a
little flushed.
“H-hi,” Nick finally
choked out.
“I’m Marcus. You’re new since I was here
last, aren’t you?”
Nick
nodded slowly, trying to remember how to move his head without breaking
eye contact. When the brilliant azure started to shimmer and
glow, he blinked and heat rushed into his cheeks. He was
really
obsessing now if he thought the guy’s eyes were so bright they glowed.
He dropped his eyes, caught sight of the boy’s body, and he stopped
thinking of him as a boy immediately. Blue eyes was
developed. Broad shoulders, slim waist, loooong
legs.
Ripped. Boy seemed like a pathetic word for a human being
with
such a beautifully made adult body. He wished this man had
been
in the school before. Nick would have braved another beating
just
to watch him.
A warm, broad hand patted his shoulder
and he was
horrified to feel himself get an erection from the contact.
Oh
god, not now! Please. let no one notice. It was so
humiliating; he would just rather die.
“Hey, you
don’t need to be so worried about talking to me. I won’t
bite.”
Nick looked up and swallowed as
the smile hit him in the gut again. “I –“ He
couldn’t force out another word.
“Kind of hard being
a freshman in a senior class, isn’t it? You must be pretty
darn smart to be in this class.”
Nick
closed his eyes and wished he could just disappear. Marcus
was
gorgeous AND kind, and he was making the same mistake everyone made at
first.
“I’m a senior,” he whispered, not
opening his eyes.
“Really? Wow, you’re
just a little squirt, aren’t you?”
Nick
opened his eyes to glare and stopped in mid-angst at the look on
Marcus’ face. There just wasn’t any malice in it, only
something
lighthearted and pleasant that had him smiling back at him before he
realized it. A braying laugh interrupted the moment and Nick
turned back to his desk as the football captain, Joel, came up behind
Marcus and wacked him on the shoulder.
“I think the
little faggot has a crush on you, Mark.”
Nick
waited for it. The withdrawal and disdain, the cutting
remarks
that he thought would be so much worse this time. He couldn’t
stand it, he couldn’t –
“You got something against
this kid?”
Nick looked up in surprise.
He thought his face must mimic the shock showing on Joel’s.
“Huh?
I- Well, I mean, he’s gay, Mark. You know, a homo?”
“Yeah,
so? What the fuck has that got to do with anything?
At
least he’s not the one acting like an ass and interrupting other
people’s conversations.”
Joel reared back as though
he’d been slapped.
“What are you, s-some sort of
homo-lover?”
Marcus
rolled his eyes and turned his back on the jock. “Better than a gay
basher. At least I get to look at something cute instead of
taking potshots at him like a moronic bully.”
Nick
stared at
him, speechless even after the jock left in a huff to go whisper and
stare with the others in the back of the class.
“Thanks,”
he finally managed.
“Anytime, cutie.”
Nick
flushed again and started in surprise as Marcus tapped the tip of his
nose.
“See
you later.” He turned and went to the back of the
class,
his voice irritated and curt when the others tried to speak to him.
That
period was the first one in months without snide comments over his
sexuality.
By
the end of the week, the bus stop was the only place where he worried
about being harassed. He couldn’t prove it, but he couldn’t
think
of any reason for the change except for Marcus. His beautiful
man-boy came by his desk every day. Sometimes he just said
hello,
sometimes he chatted for a minute or two. He always ended
with a
quick, soft tap on the nose and a ‘see you later.’
Nick
was in love.
He
sat on his bed at home, looking out the window, and realized how stupid
that sounded. He’d only known Marcus for a week.
He’d only
talked to him for a few minutes total. And he couldn’t get
him
out of his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Marcus
laughing and smiling, his face openly joyous. He could hear
his
voice in his ears whenever things were silent. He’d dreamed
about
him each night since he met him, and every single fantasy had him
waking in a sweat with an erection so hard that he had to finish
himself off before he could fall back asleep.
He’d
wondered
about asking Marcus out on a date, but the thought of what the other
boy might say was enough to make him freeze. He’d rather say
nothing than have Marcus stop talking to him.
That
next Monday,
he stood at the bus stop day dreaming about seeing Marcus at school,
and thinking of something witty to say this time instead of his usual
mono-syllabic replies. The three neighborhood bullies decided he looked
a little too happy, or uppity, or something; they never made it
clear. What they did make clear was that if he didn’t stay in
a
crowd after he got off the bus, they had the opportunity to kick him
around, and he showed up for class with a huge shiner and a bloody
nose. He was dabbing the blood from his face with a kleenex,
sitting at his desk, when Marcus came in. Kneeling by the
desk,
Marcus scowled at him furiously and he cringed. He knew he
was a
puny little weakling, but seeing the disgust on Marcus’ face was just
awful.
“Who did this to you?” he asked.
His voice was almost an octave deeper, gravelly.
“I
– no one.”
“Bull
shit. Some asshole obviously beat you up.” Marcus put his
hand on
Nick’s chin and tipped his face up. He looked so furious it
was a
little frightening. As he examined Nick’s face, Nick would
swear,
he would honestly swear, that he heard him growling. “Who did
it?”
“It’s
not important.” Nick whispered. Kyle and the others would kill him if
he told on them. Marcus glared at him, his body tense, and
leaned
over to kiss him abruptly on his freckled nose. Nick touched
it
in shock.
“Do you need to see the nurse?” His
voice was a little smoother.
“N-no.”
Nick’s finger couldn’t stop rubbing the tingling spot on his
nose. Marcus’ lips had touched his face! Nick’s
dick came
to attention and he just hoped that Marcus’ sudden half smile wasn’t an
indication that he’d noticed.
“Right then.
We’ll talk later.” He walked back and started talking in an angry,
controlled voice to the other jocks.
Kyle,
Matt, and Kevin weren’t on the bus home that night. He got a
little thrill, imagining that maybe Marcus had beat them up for
him. They’d deserve it! That didn’t seem so
appealing when
he had to go to the bus alone the next morning, and he timed things
just right so that he walked up as the bus slowed to a stop.
They
weren’t there.
Marcus acted like the day before
had never
happened, except this time, he kissed Nick on the nose before he said
‘see you later.’ His eyes watched Nick the entire time, twinkling as
Nick blushed furiously.
That evening, his aunt
asked him if
he’d seen Kyle and his two friends recently. They’d never
come
home the day before and their parents were frantic. He shook
his
head silently, but the next morning he watched Marcus and couldn’t help
wonder, just for a moment, if he knew anything about it. Had
he
beat them up, like Nick had thought? Or maybe something
worse?
What a ridiculous
thought. They were
highschool students, not serial killers. The thought made him
a
little queasy. He couldn’t figure out why he was worried.
Marcus
was the happiest person he’d ever met. He was almost always
smiling. Except for some reason, Nick really thought Marcus
would
be really, really scary when he was angry. Something in his
eyes
when he’d been angry gave him the shivers.
Marcus
smiled as he
came over and he flicked Nick’s earlobe. “What in the world
is
going on in that brain of yours? You look like the world is
ending.”
Nick laughed uneasily. “Just…” he cleared
his throat
and looked around. Everyone was pretty much used to their
little
ritual by now, so no one seemed to be paying them any particular
attention. He lowered his voice. “Um, did you …say anything
to
Kyle yesterday?” He couldn’t quite bring himself to ask him
if
he’d ‘done’ anything. It was too far fetched to say out loud.
“Kyle?”
Marcus’ smile was twice as wide as normal. Nick looked at it,
blinking a few times. Marcus’ incisors were so long that for
a
moment there, they’d almost looked like fangs. It gave Nick
an
odd chill. “That’s the bastard who smacked you around, isn’t
it?”
“How did you…”
“It’s not
hard to find out, “ Marcus said quietly. Nick looked at
him. Marcus looked so sweet.
“You didn’t…”
He couldn’t say it. It sounded crazy.
Marcus
started laughing. “What are you afraid of, that I ate them?”
Nick
smiled a little. It was pretty ridiculous when he put it like
that. This was Marcus. He was sweet and funny and
kind, and
he kissed people on their noses. That wasn’t the kind of
person
who’d do something that would make three bullies disappear.
He
smiled at him sheepishly. “Sorry. I don’t know what
I was even thinking.”
“It’s okay, cutie.”
That
lunchtime, when Nick found his usual blind corner to tuck himself away
in as he ate, Marcus turned up. Isolated from the rest of the
school in his dank cement hide-away, the meeting seemed much more
intimate than seeing Marcus in the schoolroom. The sounds
echoing
from the other halls were dull, and Nick felt like he was in a private
little bubble. Marcus sat on the other side of the cement
bench,
and as he leaned against the gray walls, Nick thought he looked like
some painting come to life. He was dressed simply in a red
t-shirt over blue jeans, his hair held back in a small tail at the
nape, but everything about him glowed.
Seeing his
own reflection
in the trapezoid window across from him, Nick couldn’t understand why
Marcus would choose to spend time with him. He was so
boring. His hair was curled around his face in a little kid
cap
of big fluffy curls around his head. He hated the hairstyle,
but
he didn’t have a lot of choice with it. Any shorter and his hair stuck
out at odd angles, and when he tried to grow it long it merely puffed
out until he looked like a giant red Q-tip. His freckles were
almost as red as his hair, and his nose was tiny and lame. He
looked like the drab, dull, depressed loser that he was.
Although
since Marcus had come to school, he didn’t feel quite so depressed any
more. Sighing, he started to slump when something cold and
wet
suddenly slid down his back and he jumped up with a squeal. Marcus
began to laugh. While Nick jumped around until the ice cube
fell
out of his shirt, Marcus watched him with that happy join-me
twinkle. Nick sat down with a fake glare, secretly ecstatic
that
Marcus was actually teasing him, and Marcus hugged him around the
shoulder with one arm for a moment, giving his head a little noogie at
the same time.
“You are just too funny.”
Nick
tried to
pretend that being pulled against the muscular chest of the person he
most admired in the whole school was no big deal and took a quick,
nervous bite out of his sandwich as soon as he was released.
He
poked Marcus in the shoulder, because he figured a normal person would
have some kind of retaliation rather than sitting there in a happy daze.
“So,
you always eat here at lunch?”
Nick shook his head.
“I, uh, just find a good corner somewhere. There’s a lot of
‘em around here…”
“I’ve
noticed that. Fucked up place, isn’t it?” Marcus smiled
broadly. “I swear, Uncle Tacitus was out of his freaking mind
when he designed it.”
Nick laughed as though he’d
told a joke
until he realized that Marcus was serious. “Your uncle
designed
the school? Seriously?” Oh God, he was so glad he
hadn’t
said just how much he hated the place!
“Oh yeah, he
likes to
make crazy, messed up buildings in his spare time, but dad keeps him
from getting too bad. You should have seen how wacked out he
was
going to make it at first! This is nothing compared to
that. Glad we didn’t have anything weirder pinned on the
family,
though. The Perfu’s have enough crazy shit going on without
that
added on.”
Nick gaped at him.
“You’re
a Perfu’? But, I
thought your family always goes to school in the alps…or
something. I mean…” Nick flushed
miserably. Marcus
was from the wealthiest family in the whole state! He felt
suddenly even more inadequate. His little daydreams that Marcus might
somehow like him seemed so juvenile that he wanted to just go find
somewhere to hide for the rest of the day.
“Hey,
what’s with the
look?” Marcus took his chin and pinched it gently between his thumb and
forefinger. “You don’t like my family or something, little
guy?”
“I- no, it’s nothing like that,” Nick mumbled.
“Then
what? You look like old yeller just died.”
“It’s
nothing,” Nick whispered. He couldn’t stand it
suddenly. He
was so stupid. Marcus was cool, and beautiful, and now he was
rich too! “Uh, thank you for the company during
lunch. I’m
sure your friends are waiting for you…” Please let him leave. Please
let him just go before he started doing something really pathetic like
crying again.
Marcus’ eyes stopped
twinkling. “You
don’t want me around anymore?” Nick shook his head, staring down at his
half eaten sandwich and trying to swallow the lump in his throat.
“It’s
not that. I just don’t want to keep you from, you know,
whatever
you were going to do today. With your friends, and stuff.”
“I’m
already doing what I was going to do today. With my
friend.” Nick looked up at him and Marcus frowned.
“Hey,
what’s wrong? Are you about to cry??”
“No.
Don’t be
stupid.” Nick’s voice was hoarse and he started to turn his face away
again when Marcus caught him by the chin again and kept him there.
“I
don’t mind,” Marcus said quietly, smiling again. “It’ll just
give
me the chance to kiss away the tears, you know?” He leaned
forward and kissed Nick softly on each eyelid as he closed his
eyes. He opened them to stare as he felt something soft and
warm
against his lips, and caught Marcus’ brilliant blue eyes looking into
his as Marcus licked him again across his lower lip.
“I…there
weren’t any t-tears there,” he managed to stutter.
Twinkle.
“No? Are you sure? I dunno. I think I
should check
again to make sure.” Nick couldn’t have moved if his life were about to
end as Marcus lowered his head again. The hand around his
chin
moved to cup the side of his head and Marcus’ lips pressed against his
own.
Marcus was kissing him! Marcus was
deliberately, on
–purpose, for real kissing him! He shivered, worrying what to
do
with his hands, if he should keep his eyes open or close them, if he
should touch Marcus back. Marcus brought his other hand up
until
he was cradling Nick’s entire head in his hands. He deepened
the
kiss and Nick stopped worrying.
He
stopped thinking.
He
opened his mouth and let Marcus’ tongue push in to taste any part of
him that he wanted. There was suction as Marcus pulled at his
tongue, heat against his lips and the inside of his mouth, the flavor
of coffee and chocolate filling his senses. He moaned
quietly,
his skin tingling, his groin tight and ready and constrained inside his
pants. When Marcus pulled back, bright and smiling, Nick let
himself focus on his eyes. They were so blue, almost purple,
and
they were so nice. That had been so, so nice. So…perfect.
“Y-you’re
not…” Nick cleared his throat, pausing with an aroused shiver as Marcus
pulled his hands back, running a thumb across Nick’s bottom lip as he
took them away. “You’re not just…messing with me, are you?”
he
whispered.
Marcus looked
genuinely surprised for a
moment before he leaned forward until his forehead touched
Nick’s. He brought a hand up to tuck a curl behind Marcus’
ear
and smiled at him.
“I would never be that much of a
dick,” he
said quietly, and then he moved and kissed the tip of Nick’s nose
suddenly and pulled away with his usual bright smile. “Cutie.”
Flushing,
he stared at him with what he was sure was a big dopey smile on his
face.
Marcus
had kissed him! On the lips! A big, huge,
fantastically
wonderful amazing kiss, on the lips! From Marcus!
He tried
to figure out how to take another bite of his sandwich when he couldn’t
stop smiling, and the bell rang before he worked it out.
He
gathered up his stuff and turned to see Marcus standing and waiting for
him. “How about I walk you to class?”
Nick
kept blushing and smiling the entire way to Calculus. When
Marcus
left him at the door with a brief tap on the nose and ‘I’ll see you at
lunch again tomorrow,’ he thought he might just die happy, right
then. He had a smile on his face for the rest of
class. He wanted to get up and yell it at everyone.
Marcus
kissed me!!
Nick
thought the next few weeks were some of the happiest he’d ever had in
his life. Marcus never met him at his locker, but no matter
what
corner Nick found to eat in, Marcus sniffed him out. They’d
kissed a few more times. Not every day, but sometimes Marcus
would hold his hand while they ate, while neither of them mentioned it,
as though it was so normal there was no need to even comment.
Once, Marcus had pulled Nick onto his lap to kiss him until he was so
hard he thought he was going to come in his pants.
And
yesterday, for the first time, Nick had felt brave enough to lean over
while Marcus still sat and kiss HIM, instead of the other way
around. Marcus had been so surprised he’d frozen, and Nick
had
wondered if he’d done something wrong until Marcus’ broad hands went
around his waist and they shoved their tongues into each other’s mouths
until the bell rang. They were both a little late for class,
and
Nick was thankful that his run to calculus was a good enough reason for
panting hard.
He thought that life really couldn’t
get any
better. They weren’t dating, not really. They
didn’t see
each other aside from first period and lunch, but Nick felt close to
Marcus in a way that felt so right, it was hard to remember what he did
before he knew him. How had he spent his time when he wasn’t
thinking of Marcus and his body and his smile and his
kindness?
Or
other parts of him that were a lot less sweet and a lot more
arousing. He knew there was more things the two of them could
be
doing. He’d heard plenty of stories. Sucking on
each
other’s penis. Or the butt. He even knew
it involved
sticking someone’s dick in the ass, but…the actual logistics?
He
really didn’t have a clue, and it didn’t exactly seem like something to
ask. It was way too overwhelming, especially with
Marcus.
What if he didn’t want to do that sort of thing? What if he
just
liked kissing?
What if he thought it was gross, and
that was the
reason they’d never gone any further? Nick didn’t want to
screw
up the closest friend he had just because he was really horny and
thought Marcus was completely and totally hot. He was so
happy
with the kissing and the little touching of chests and shoulders and
arms, he could keep doing this for a long, long time.
That’s
what he thought, and then the world decided to take a quick right turn
when he wasn’t looking.
The
blond started it all. Just as gorgeous as Marcus: golden
hair,
sable eyes, rosy lips – he was obviously the reason cliché had been
invented. And he was a new student in their first period
class. He’d walked in early, like Marcus usually did, and
Nick’s
head had popped up in expectation. Nick had been so surprised
at
the boy’s looks that he could only stare. He’d thought Marcus
was
the sexiest boy he’d ever seen, but this one was just as
hot. Still staring when his true love walked in, he
noticed
the look of shock on Marcus’ face as he noticed the other
boy.
Light and dark, the two watched each other warily, eyes narrowed, until
someone behind them yelled at them to get out of the way.
Marcus
very slowly shoved his way through the now-crowded classroom and
planted himself in front of Nick. A brief ‘hello’ was all
Nick
got, and then his buddy turned to stare at the other boy
again.
Peeking around Marcus, Nick managed to see the blond smile slowly at
them both. It was a bright smile, as perfect as his face, but
something about it made Nick uneasy and ducked back behind Marcus to
pretend to look at his notes some more. It wasn’t
that
there was anything wrong, but the smile made him want to squirm.
When
Marcus didn’t move, even as most of the students took their seats, Nick
wondered what was going on. Did he have something against the
guy? The blond was still just inside the door as the teacher
walked in. His eyes tracked Marcus back along the aisle as he
was
finally told to take a seat. And as the other boy walked back
to
sit in the back as well, he smirked at Nick as he passed. For
the
rest of the period, every time Nick looked back, Marcus and the other
boy were keeping an eye on him or glaring at each other.
The
boy
had that same weird trick of the light that made Marcus’ eyes glow a
little, too. Nick would glance back, and it looked like
watching
a couple of cats in the dark, with their eyes lambent and
bright.
He kept blinking and trying to rub his eyes to make the illusion stop.
His
shoulders growing more tense as the class went on, he still couldn’t
help feeling a little flattered. Having Marcus watch him even
more than usual made his blood rush down to his cock and stay
there. He was going to have to hold his notebook in front of
him
just to get up without humiliation. And having a new, sexy
student watching him just as intently was making Nick feel almost
desirable. It didn’t matter that the blond’s smile wasn’t as sincere as
Nick’s, it was still a smile. He would have thought the guy
was
weirded out by him or something, but he would swear the other boy was
interested. He couldn’t say why, exactly, but his gut
wouldn’t
stop fluttering over it.
Not that he wanted anyone
but Marcus,
but having someone else look at him without dislike made something
tingle deep down. He couldn’t stop
smiling. When
Marcus got up as soon as the bell rang and escorted Nick from the
classroom while glaring behind him at the blond, Nick smiled a little
brighter. He had company all the way to his second period
class. Marcus was waiting for him as that class ended and
walked
him to the next, and then the next class as well. When Nick saw him
waiting for them to walk together to lunch, he wanted to giggle
He
bit his lip as Marcus kept looking up and down the hallway while they
ate.
“What’s
got you so wound up?” Nick asked, smiling to himself. He
thought
he knew. Marcus had been edgy all day, watching the blond
like a
hawk when they’d been in the same room. Nick was almost
positive
Marcus was jealous!
“Just keeping an eye out for
trouble.”
Nick
thought it was pretty funny for a few minutes more, but when Marcus was
so focused on looking up and down that he didn’t even try to touch him
while he ate, Nick started to get frustrated. He scooted a
little
closer on the bench, but Marcus barely noticed. With the
lightest
brush of skin, he laid his fingers over Marcus’ thigh, watching him to
see if it was too much.
Marcus still didn’t
notice.
If this is what jealousy was
like, he could see why people hated it.
“Marcus,
it’s lunchtime.”
“I know, cutie.” Eyes scanned from
entrance to entrance.
“There’s nobody around.”
“I
know, I- Ah. I see.” Marcus finally paused in his
visual
pacing and leaned in close. His hand pressed down over Nick’s where it
lay on his thigh and he squeezed it gently. Blue eyes stared
into
his own. “Lonely?”
Nick flushed, his smile
returning. “Maybe.”
“Can’t have that.”
Nick
sighed happily as Marcus began to kiss him, and he was proud of himself
for sneaking his hands underneath Marcus’ shirt to touch his solid
stomach and up to his nipples. They were soft, with a few
downy
hairs, and started to firm into little round nubs as he rubbed
them. He sighed against Marcus’ mouth. He loved
touching
Marcus so much!
“We need to stop, cutie.” Marcus
panted, pulling his mouth away and moving back. Nick
wilted. Had he moved too fast?
“I’m sorry,
I didn’t-”
“Nothing
you did will ever make me pull back from you, Nick. Nothing.”
His
eyes paced up and down the hallway again and he looked back at Nick and
seemed….nervous?
“I – dammit.” He took a deep breath
and grabbed
Nick’s shoulders. They sat staring at each other.
“Nick, do
you like me? I mean, more than just a friend or a- a casual
kissing buddy?”
“Yes,” Nick whispered. Was
he going to ask him to go out?
“I’m
not going to be around for much longer, Nick. I’ll be leaving
school. My family will be…going out of town. I have
to be
with them.”
Nick’s stomach dropped and his world
focused to the
small blue spots of Marcus’ eyes. He was leaving?
Marcus
was leaving? The food inside his stomach felt like a molten
lump.
“But
– but you never said you were leaving! Where are you going?
I- we
won’t s-see each other anymore?” He couldn’t leave! Nick
couldn’t
be without him. Nick didn’t HAVE anything without him.
“That’s
what I have to talk to you about. I know you’re 18.
You can
leave you aunt if you need to, right? Legally, I mean?”
“Y-yeah,”
Nick answered automatically, trying to breathe, trying not to cry. He
didn’t want to lose him!
“Would you come with me?”
Nick’s
eyes opened so wide they felt stuck there. “What?“
“I
want you to come with me. Come live with me. My
family would be completely ecstatic to have you there, trust me.
“Live
with you?” Nick couldn’t think of his own words. He thought
his voice might be a high-pitched, ugly squawk .
“Live
with me,” Marcus said softly, smiling as he saw how shocked Nick
was. He moved his hands up to Nick’s cheeks and rubbed his
thumbs
over the soft skin there. “I need you, Nick. I don’t think I
could bear leaving you behind. I want you with me.”
Nick
stared
at him. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t
blink. He’d
thought it was just him. Marcus was so sweet, but he’d never
said
anything. He’d never… Tears gathered in
his eyes and
all he could do was stare as they leaked out and flowed down his
cheeks. It had to be a dream. Things like this
didn’t
happen except in stupid, cheesy stories, and some one like Marcus would
just…never want him as much as he wanted Marcus.
“Marcus…”
“Will
you come with me?” He stared at Nick so hard Nick could hardly think.
“Y-yes.”
Nick finally managed, smiling shyly as Marcus moved towards him.
“Will
you give yourself to me?”
Nick’s
entire body flushed. What a question! Asking…about
sex, at
a time like this! And like that! But it was…oh god,
sex
with Marcus! Nick nodded so quickly he thought he got
whiplash. Marcus wanted him, and he wanted
sex. He
didn’t think it was gross! Nick shivered and Marcus started kissing
along his neck, growling a little. Nick felt sharp little
nibbles
along his neck and he arched back. It made his dick push
against
his pants, and he almost died when Marcus reached down and started to
undo his fly.
Nick could hear the shhh
of Marcus’
fingers against the denim, feel the pressure easing around his dick as
his jeans were slowly opened. He moaned softly and Marcus
nibbled
down his neck some more, pulling at the round collar and nuzzling
underneath hit. His stomach quivered when Marcus placed his fingers
there. They slipped under the waistband of his boxers, hot
against his skin. His breath came out in a hiccupping gasping
when they actually curled around him.
“Marcus.
I- ohhhh,
yes. Please. That’s…” His hips moved as he was
gripped
hard. It was so hot and different and fantastic and just
amazing! Marcus started to move his hand, still
kissing
along Nick’s neck while Nick grabbed at his hair and started to pump
his hips up into his hand. He was so hot and hard he felt the
full body flush of energy rise almost immediately.
“God,
I’m gonna…!”
“Yes.”
Marcus smooth voice against his neck was followed by a sharp pain there
and Nick’s vision exploded into white and black and he came into
Marcus’ hand. Nick couldn’t breath as his hips humped against
a
tight grip, Marcus nuzzling against his neck, and Nick spent so quickly
it was wildly embarrassing. Marcus slowly drew back his hand
and
began licking at it instead.
“I- Oh God, that was so
good!” He
leaned against Marcus’ head, his neck throbbing oddly and his heart
thumping madly. He felt almost morbidly shy all of a sudden.
It
had been so quick and sudden, he hadn’t had time to even
think.
Jeez, they hadn’t even taken off their clothes! And Marcus had touched
him and he hadn’t done anything for him. And the idea of
maybe…finding out what Marcus’ dick tasted like made him drool and
blush at the same time. “D-do you want me to...do you
too?
Maybe I could do it, with my mouth? I mean –“
Marcus
groaned loudly, licking at his slick fingers a few more times before he
kissed Nick once, bitterness and an odd salty tang on his
lips.
“Oh I would love that, cutie. But later. We should
go now.”
“Oh.
Yeah, I didn’t think. Lunch is almost over, huh?” Nick
fumbled
with his pants until Marcus shoved his hands away and did him up in
seconds.
“Not lunch. We should leave for
home now. Right now. Just leave now.”
“Really?”
He was going with Marcus right now?
“Really.”
Marcus kissed him on the lips again and he noted that strange taste was
still there. Was that what semen tasted like? It
gave him a
little shiver.
“I – okay. Okay,
yeah. Just leave
right now. Yeah.” He felt giddy and free, suddenly. He didn’t
know how to transfer his records to wherever they were going.
He
didn’t even KNOW where they were going, and he didn’t care.
He
was going to be with Marcus! He could hardly believe it.
“Come
on, then. I phoned my family after first period.
Someone
should be waiting for me in the lot already. They know you
might
be coming with me.” Marcus grabbed Nick’s hand and started
moving
down the hallway at a trot, looking back over his shoulder in quick
jerks as they moved.
“Uh…can’t we just
walk?” Nick’s legs
felt a little wobbly from the orgasm and he stumbled as he tried to
keep up. Marcus was awfully eager to leave!
“We
need to hurry.” Marcus said quickly. He stopped and turned,
scooping Nick into his arms and walking again.
“Hey!”
Nick laughed, punching him in the shoulder. “What are you
doing? You’re crazy!” He laughed again as Marcus
rushed
around the corner and out into an open part of the campus.
With a
curse as he glanced behind them again, Marcus started to jog.
“M-m-marc-c-cus!
I’m gonna be sick if you d-d-don’t let me d-d-down!” Nick’s body
bounced as Marcus began to sprint, clutching Nick to his chest, and
Nick put his hands up to his mouth. He was sure he was going
to
barf. It was worse than motion sickness!
He
almost lost it
as Marcus slammed to a stop just before the parking lot. Nick
took some deep breaths to control his stomach and looked ahead of
them. The blond from that morning was standing there,
smiling. His eyes ran over them, taking in Nick’s growing
flush,
and his face changed. The smile was still there, but it was
like
the kid knew how to smile and scowl at the same time.
It
was a
little creepy. And combined with the burning humiliation of
being
found in someone’s arms, it was making him almost nauseous.
“Impatient
to ‘come,’ impatient to leave. How rude.” The boy tsked, and
Nick’s stomach rolled again.
“Fuck off,
Aurelius, and get out of my way.”
Wait, Marcus knew
him?
“I
feel like playing today, though.” The kid’s smiled deepened, almost too
big for his face. “Why don’t you leave him here? Such a
bright,
sweet little soul, isn’t he?” Nick stared as he realized the
blonde was talking about HIM. Being called sweet by this boy didn’t
give him nearly the happy feeling being called a little squirt had from
Marcus. The blond’s voice was just too happy.
Weirdly
happy. Like he was someone laughing at someone else’s expense.
“You
don’t need him, Aurelius. Just step back and we’ll be getting
out
of your territory,” Marcus growled low and Nick stared up at
him.
He looked really, really, really pissed off.
“You
shouldn’t have entered it.”
“I was within my rights
once I sensed him and you know it.”
Sensed
him? What the heck did that mean? Nick looked up at
Marcus
again, completely shocked by the savage look on his face. He
squirmed, not quite brave enough to demand to be put on his
feet.
Not when Marcus was looking like this. With a nervous
swallow,
Nick stared back and forth between the two of them. The blond
was
smooth and charming and…chilling. Marcus looked dark and
vicious.
“What
are you guys talking about?” He couldn’t believe how small his voice
sounded, like an echo rather than actual sound, but both faces turned
his way.
“We’re discussing you, sweet,” Aurelius
said
softly. “I’m betting Marcus here didn’t even tell you what
you
were getting into, did he?”
“Shut up, Aurelius.”
“Have
you felt your neck since you orgasmed so enthusiastically back there?”
Nick
flushed. Had he been spying on them?! His hand
drifted up
to his neck against his will and his fingers felt two large wounds on
the side.
“What…what’s this?
Marcus, you bit
me?” He glared at the other boy. “S-so? So he likes
it a
l-little rough. You shouldn’t have watched, you pervert!”
Marcus
laughed and pulled him tight, kissing his forehead once.
“He’s got your number, Aurelius.”
“It’s
not just a bite, you bubble-headed idiot,” Aurelius hissed. “He’s a
demon! He’s trying to make you his so he can take you back
with
him to his little corner of hell…”
“Hawaii is
expensive, but I’d hardly call it hell,” Marcus shot back.
Nick
waited for him to poke fun of the demon comment as well, and Marcus
just watched Aurelius silently. It was so ridiculous, it
didn’t
need a comment, obviously. Just…so bizarrely crazy that no
one
would even bother to respond to it. Nick
bit his lip,
staring as Marcus growled again at Aurelius and his lips raised in a
small snarl.
Ice slithered over his skin
as he got a
good, close look at the man’s teeth. Oh shit - he had
fangs! Nick stared. It wasn’t a trick of the
light.
He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to be sure. They
were
really fangs.
“Teeth,” he managed to
squeak. God, Marcus
had freaking fangs!! And he’d bitten him! He
was…like a
vampire or something! Or…
He looked to Aurelius,
staring.
Or a demon? Was Marcus really a demon?! Oh God!
Kyle and
his missing friends popped into his head suddenly, and he couldn’t stop
himself from asking.
“Where’s Kyle and the others?”
He couldn’t manage more than a terrified whisper.
“Trying
to explain to the French authorities how they got into the country with
no passports, beaten, naked, and in the middle of a winery,” Marcus
said quietly.
Nick’s mouth gaped. What? In
a what? How did they-
They
couldn’t have just –
That
was ridiculous. Stupid. Nick bit his lip,
watching.
Marcus sounded so rational, the answer just popping out of his lips
like he hadn’t needed to think about it at all. Was it the
truth? A few hours ago, he would have believed him, no matter
how
insane it sounded. Except now…if he was really…
Weren’t
demons supposed to be able to lie? That’s what they always
said,
and he was sitting here, held by – a demon? Was he really a
demon? – and listening to him.
Like it wasn’t the
craziest thing
he’d ever heard. Except it was Marcus acting like it wasn’t
crazy
that made Nick have trouble treating it like it was crazy. He
seemed so…normal.
“Really?
They’re
not…dead?” Nick cringed as he asked, feeling guilty for
thinking
it, and stupid on top of that for wanting to believe the France story.
“Of
course they’re dead, you imbecile,” Aurelius sneered from the sidewalk
up ahead. “He’d a demon. They aren’t fucking merciful.”
Nick
sucked in his breath as the pupils within Marcus’ blue eyes flickered
to pale blue for just a moment. He couldn’t miss it this time
either. Just like the fangs, he couldn’t ignore it, and his
eyes
were actually glowing. It wasn’t a trick of the light. They
were
beautiful. Nick reached up and touched one of his teeth,
wondering. This was so crazy, he just had to have something
to
make it real. The slippery hard feel of enamel met his
fingers
and he pushed at it. Maybe it was a falsie. It
didn’t give
and he yelped as he pricked himself on the sharp point at the end.
He
sucked on it immediately to keep the drop of blood from dripping onto
his shirt. That didn’t feel like a fake tooth.
“Are
you a complete moron? What the hell is wrong with you?!
You’re being held by a demon!” Aurelius snarled at him.
“Not
a demon,” Marcus said quietly, looking back up to Aurelius
again.
“It’s more like a fallen angel. Spawn of a fallen angel, if
we’re
getting technical.” His smile quirked and Nick felt the answering smile
that he always did when he looked Marcus in the face.
“Which
Aurelius knows very well. He’s descended from angels himself,
after all.” Nick stared across at Aurelius and swallowed as
the
boy’s eyes started to glow darkly. The boy’s mouth snarled and Nick saw
fangs there as well.
“And that should make it clear
who Nick should come with. Who would you rather be with, an
angel, or a fallen one?”
Aurelius
looked at Marcus triumphantly and Nick could feel Marcus’ body
tense. He looked up at him. He could feel the
muscled arms
holding him up like he hardly weighed anything. They were
bunched
and full against his back and legs, but they didn’t crush him too
tightly. Just cradled him there. He looked over at
the
stranger who frankly still seemed pretty darn creepy, and he shook his
head. Believing either of them was too much, but not
believing
what he was seeing wasn’t something he could do either.
And
Marcus was still Marcus, wasn’t he? Just because he turned
out to
be a little strange, did that mean he wasn’t who he’d seemed to
be? Did it mean it was all a lie? Nick thought it
would be
easier to have his heart ripped out than find out it was all a game,
some weird, demonic lie. He had to trust himself, and what he
felt, or he couldn’t really trust anything, could he?
Marcus
hadn’t known he was gay when they met, but he’d still liked him when he
found out, hadn’t he? Nick had to believe that he had. Some
kind
of demon, or angel or whatever, was a hell of a lot different then just
liking other men was. But it was probably even harder to find
someone to be honest with, if he were really…something like
that.
And he was still Marcus. Looking up into
the beautiful
blue eyes and the warmth they always had, he didn’t think the decision
over who to trust was that hard to make.
Nick
smiled, warmth blooming in his chest as he opened it up. “I
told Marcus I was going with him,” he said quietly.
“Then
go with him to hell, you little twit.” Aurelius growled, and he leapt
at them. Nick yelled as he saw him move like some kind of panther, into
the air and forward incredibly fast. Marcus tossed Nick to
the
ground and leapt to meet him. Aurelius was slammed to the
ground,
his head hitting with a sickening crack, and Nick saw blood streak into
the air as Marcus jerked his hand across Aurelius’ stomach.
Marcus’ hand was coming down towards Aurelius’ stomach so quickly again
that Nick thought he was going to kill him.
“Marcus!”
Marcus
froze, looking back at Nick instead of gouging his hand into Aurelius’
body. He glanced down at the blond once and spat on him
before
running back to Nick. A car was just pulling into the
lot.
Marcus pulled up Nick by the hand and yanked him along until they
reached the black sedan as it screeched to a halt. He shoved him in
back, jumping in beside him.
“It’s
Aurelius. I don’t know who he’s called. We’ve got
to get back to our own territory.”
“Of course.”
Nick
looked up to the front and saw a man with black hair and blue eyes that
looked back in through the rear view mirror at him. The eyes
twinkled like Marcus’.
“I’m Tacitus. Nice
to meet you, Nick.”
The name sounded
familiar. Nick gaped. “The uncle? You designed the
school?”
“Yup. Love that sucker.
From above, it’s supposed to look like…”
“Uncle,
later, all right? Nick and I need to talk.”
With
a gulp, Nick turned to look at him. Both of Marcus’ pupils
glowed
bright blue, and when he smiled, Nick saw the fangs again. It
was
really real. This was…weird.
“You
weren’t…lying. Making fun of me, or him, or something?”
“No.
I’m really descended from a fallen angel…a few generations removed, but
that sort of blood doesn’t really ever dilute.”
“Not
a vampire?”
Marcus started laughing. “No, not a
vampire. Ugh, all that blood sucking? Gross.”
Nick
smiled a little, still sure he was on the verge of freaking out but
trying to keep it down. “A-and the blond guy?”
“Same
thing, but from angels.”
“Yeah.
Nasty fuckers, aren’t they? It’s amazing how corrupt those
little
blondies get after a few years.” Tacitus interjected.
“Uncle,
kindly shut up.”
“Will do!” Tacitus said
cheerfully.
“I’m
sorry this is so fast,” Marcus said. “You have a very lovely soul,
Nick. It’s very bright. Anyone with angel’s blood,
fallen
or not, can sense it for miles. I was just going to get you
away
from the angels, but...”
“He got sucked in by your
blue eyes and cute little butt,” Tacitus commented.
Marcus
ignored him and smiled ruefully. “A little more than that,
but
pretty close. Aurelius and his brothers aren’t very angelic
anymore, to tell you the truth. Too much time spent
fascinated
with dark souls and not enough attention to the lighter side.
They’re not…safe. I would have gone more slowly if he hadn’t
shown up. I’m sorry.” Marcus’ hands were clenched on his
knees as
though he was waiting for Nick to say something. He
was
smiling, but the dimple was missing.
He’s
nervous, Nick realized.
“Were you going to tell me?”
he whispered.
“When I thought you might believe me,
yeah.”
“And… you bit me?”
“Yeah.
It’s uh-” Marcus flushed. Nick hadn’t ever seen him looking
so
uncomfortable. “A kind of claim. When it’s binding, other
angels
and fallen can’t touch you, but that’s not until we’ve, uh…”
“…screwed
like the cute little bunny rabbit you are,” Tacitus said in the same
cheery tone, and Marcus growled at him.
“Uncle…”
“Yes,
yes, shutting up. Kids today, no sense of humor.”
Nick
bit his lip, thinking. Marcus had fangs. He had
eyes that
glowed, and if Nick was believing it all - and he’d told himself he
was! – then he was a fallen angel. He was going to have to
process that, and what it meant about his own personal theology,
later. There was something else more important to him right
now.
A question that was burning his lips until he managed to spit it out.
“You
still want to be with me?” He knew it was childish, and probably didn’t
relate to much of anything in the face of what’d just happened, but he
didn’t care. He just…he didn’t want to lose Marcus.
The
thought made him shake.
“More than anything, for as
long as I live.”
“Oooh, nice. I’m writing that one
down,” Tacitus said, and ducked his head as Marcus gestured at him with
a fist.
Nick bit back a slightly hysterical
giggle. “You really didn’t kill Kyle or anything?”
Marcus’
eyes glowed brightly and he snarled. “I would have.
He and
those other two deserve it. But,” he reached out and tapped
Nick’s nose. ”I didn’t think you’d like it if I did.”
“That
why
we always love to find the nice, sweet little souls like you to marry
into the family. Keeps us from turning into immoral,
self-righteous dicks like those stupid angel fuckers,” Tacitus
interjected.
Marcus turned and growled at the front
seat. “Can you butt out, Uncle??”
“Oh
certainly. Just say the word.”
“I am! Butt
out!”
“Will do!”
Nick
stared at him as Marcus ran his hands through his hair and blew out his
breath. He looked so worried. Upset. Did
he really
care what Nick thought? He had him in the car. Nick
couldn’t exactly jump out or anything; they were already on the
freeway. He could do anything he wanted. Bite him,
hurt
him, kill him. But he just sat there, looking
like…Marcus.
With fangs. But still just Marcus.
“Nick?
I- what
are you thinking? I know this has got to be bizarre and crazy
and
all, but I swear to you, I’d never hurt you.”
Just
Marcus.
“I
know.” Nick smiled and leaned against his shoulder, snuggling close as
Marcus put an arm around him and hugged him so tightly he grunted and
poked at him until he let go. He smiled again and closed his
eyes. The weirdest and best moment of his life, right then,
in a
car with his…boyfriend. Partner. Lover, soon, he
realized,
his skin tingling.
“Um, you really don’t
have to drink blood to live or something?”
Marcus
made a brief gagging noise. “No. I need coffee to live.”
“I
need sex to live,” Tacitus offered.
“You need to
shut up to live,” Marcus added, and Tacitus chuckled.
“So,
no hunting around in the dark for v-virgins or something?”
“No.”
Marcus smiled and kissed the top of his head. “Anyway, all the cute
virgins come out in the daytime. And I already found mine.”
Nick
flushed and smiled, letting himself be cuddled as they
continued to drive. Marcus leaned over and whispered to him.
“I
really do love you, Nick.”
He fell asleep with a
smile on his lips.
*****