Austin sat on top of the trailer allowing the cool night air to relax him for s few moments. In a few more months he'd be gone, he'd be free. He'd be traveling to Paris to pursue dance for the rest of his life and he finally almost the money to buy a ticket and an apartment. He was going to be his own person for a change... He was going to learn to love others and to build the attachments to others he so desperately wanted but never got.
In ten years he wanted to be exactly where the adults he made fun of were. He wanted to live in a suburban neighborhood with obnoxious housewives he could gossip with and homophobic husbands he could antagonize just by existing. He wanted to have a husband that loved him and adopt two little girls. He was going to get married to a beautiful man that supported him unconditionally. He was going to be happy. Except instead of working a boring office job, he was going to dance one way or another. And that dream was becoming a reality.
He regretted what happened next that night. For the first time ever, Alex had caught him in a happy and sympathetic mood. The small boy had climbed up on top of the trailer and hesitantly sat beside him. His big eyes stared up at his older brother with pure adoration.
"My dad is talkin' about you again" Alex awkwardly mumbled. Austin shrugged and lightly gripped the cool metal below him.
"Let him. His opinion doesn't matter" Austin didn't yell. He didn't snap or push Alex away... For the first time, the boy's presence didn't bother him. For the first time, he wanted to build a relationship with someone... Even if it was just Alex. "You just have to do what you love and what other people think doesn't matter"
"Is that why you dance?" Alex asked. Austin nodded and a bright smile reached the boy's lips. It was the first genuine smile Alex had ever seen from his older brother. Austin looked happy under the starlight... He was smiling and his hair - which at the time was dyed a bright red - fell over his eyes and he wore a baggy old t-shirt that engulfed his entire body. Austin looked youthful and energetic... Everything teens were expected to be. Alex couldn't help admiring him.
"Of course" Austin grinned. "Can I tell you a secret?" He regretted those words.
"Please... I like it when you talk to me... I want to be like you" Alex mumbled as he stared down at the gravel. Austin's heart fell at that. He didn't want to be like Austin... Nobody should want to be like him. He knew the things he said and did to others were harmful and wrong. He knew he was a bully. He knew all he ever did was lie, steal and blackmail people. Most of the time he didn't care... But sometimes it hurt to reflect on it.
"I'm going to Paris after I graduate" Austin admitted for the first time out loud. "I got an acceptance letter from a very well-known and expensive dance school... I got a full-ride scholarship and I've been saving for my ticket and apartment there"
"Wow" Alex breathed before a bright smile broke onto his face and his entire body shook in excitement. "You're going to be a star!" He marveled.
"Maybe" Austin chuckled.
"Will you take me with you when I turn eighteen?" Alex asked with hopeful eyes. "I want to go too"
"I'll already be graduated by then" Austin admitted. "But I'll try my best to get you over someday"
"I love you"
"I know"
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"No need to panic, I've arrived" Markos announced as he strutted into Jullian and Jayce's room which had somehow become the designated hang-out spot for everyone. Jayce was laying across his bed tossing a basketball up and down, Austin and Jullian were arguing over math, and Aiden and Beau were sitting on the floor quietly talking in their own world. The six boys had become good friends for the most part. Although, Jayce was only there for Jullian and Jullian was there for Austin who got along fine with everyone.
They had all agreed to do a secret Santa. Jullian had been reluctant since he didn't celebrate Christmas. But then the boys decided to call it a Holiday gift exchange which he didn't mind as much and agreed to. Although he didn't say it out loud, a small part of him agreeing to it was to be spiteful to his parents. The school didn't let them go home without a parental note. Since the school holiday breaks didn't line up with Jewish holidays, Jullian had patiently waited for his parents to sign him out for Hanukkah. Instead, they had ignored him and left him out of what was once an important family holiday.
He had gotten Aiden who honestly wasn't too difficult. All you had to do was give him two concert tickets for New Found Glory and he was happy. So that was exactly what Jullian had bought. Markos sat down on Jayce's bed next to the bored black-haired boy who instantly perked up at his presence.
"Who's going first?" Beau asked. Austin's hand shot up and he happily picked up a small black gift bag before handing it to Jullian.
"Despite you being a little bitch and not telling me shit about you, I've caught you reading the Outsiders book on repeat" Austin scoffed. Jullian hesitated as he pulled out a carefully wrapped box with four books concealed in plastic. A small nearly unnoticeable smile reached his lips as he recognized the next few books by the same author.
"Thanks, Austin" Jullian chuckled as he lazily tussled his white hair. Austin scowled and ducked away from him making Jullian let a small nose laugh out.
"Alright, Jules. Who'd you get?" Austin asked. Jullian sighed and grabbed the envelope containing the tickets before handing them to Aiden.
"They're coming to Washington at the end of the school year" Jullian briefly explained. Aiden's face lit up as soon as he recognized the tickets
"New Found Glory... Nice! I heard they're good in concert" Aiden grinned before glancing down at Beau with a teasing smile. "You should totally go with me" Jullian rolled his eyes as he watched the copper-haired boy blush and jokingly shove Aiden away. Despite them being platonic now, it was painfully obvious they had feelings for one another.
That's why Jullian was relieved that Austin wasn't looking for anything serious. They could just have fun without any consequences or feelings attached... That was exactly what Jullian wanted and it soothed any attractions he had for Austin. It also confirmed that Austin was annoying as hell.
"I got Austin" Aiden shrugged as he handed Austin a small box wrapped in blue paper. Austin wasted no time undoing the wrapping paper before a small smile broke onto his face. Jullian glanced down to see new ballet shoes... If Jullian remembered correctly, Austin called them slippers. "I heard you say your old ones weren't fitting right"
"Thanks, Aiden. My old ones literally cut my feet whenever I dance" Austin ranted. Jullian had thought the boy was being dramatic at first. But then he saw just how damaged and bruised Austin's feet and ankles were from dance. It reminded him of how his legs looked after a violent game of soccer.
"I guess I'll go" Markos shrugged as he handed Beau a gift bag. Jullian was curious as to what Markos would get someone like Beau. Beau was simple and didn't have a ton of hobbies or interests. He liked a little bit of everything and was obviously still discovering what he liked doing.
"Wow" Beau's face lit up as he pulled out a small canvas no bigger than a laptop. On it was a beautiful copper-haired boy painted in watercolor, his eyes closed as he smiled and freckles dotted his cheeks. Tucked behind his ear was a dandelion and the background was painted a pastel yellow.
"Like it? I know a ton of artists in LA and was able to get in touch with one" Markos grinned.
"I love it... Thank you" Beau breathed before handing Jayce a present wrapped in the same wrapping paper as Austins.
"Sorry, I don't know much about you but I heard you really like Theology" Beau sheepishly admitted. Jayce smiled as he opened up an old and large book with a painting of a greek god on the cover.
"Thank you, I can't wait to read it" Jayce grinned before his eyes landed on Markos. "Promise me you won't overreact"
"You know I can't promise that" Markos scoffed. Jayce sighed before pulling open his drawer and pulling out a small, baby bamboo plant causing an instant smile to erupt onto his face. The lean and curly-headed boy wasted no time in jumping up in down in excited circles causing everyone to break out in laughter, including Jullian. "Oh, my Gods... Harry has a sister!" Jayce let out a snort as he extended the plant to the over-excited boy.
"I told you not to overreact" Jayce chuckled.
"This is a perfectly acceptable way to react to becoming a father" Markos snapped before accepting the plant and smiling down at it. "I'm going to call you... Julia" Markos proudly announced. He twirled around the pastel pink ribbon wrapped around Julia's pot with his finger as he grinned down at the bamboo.
"I'm glad you're happy, Markos" Beau began. "But screw you, Jayce. He's going to keep me up all night talkin' about that thing" Beau groaned.
_________________________________________
Jullian half-heartedly glanced up from his book to watch Austin practice his dance for the millionth time. He had asked to meet up today in hopes of hooking up, he didn't want to sit around and watch the twink break in his new shoes. He didn't care much for Austin... Sure, he'd stepped in in the past when unjust things happened. But that was because he didn't like McCarthy and him punching Austin had given him a good excuse to kick his ass.
He didn't care about Austin and Austin had made it clear he didn't care about him. In fact, Austin had flat out told him he didn't care about him which was relieving. He didn't want to be the asshole that dragged someone along for pleasure. He wasn't ever going to be that person.
"Are you done yet or should I just leave?" Jullian deadpanned. Austin rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed next to Jullian.
"You asked to see me, this is what I'm doing. Take it or leave it" Austin scoffed. That was the problem with Austin. The two couldn't hold a conversation without arguing over one thing or another. Jullian let out a huff and ran his hand up the side of Austin's shirt, feeling up the smaller boy's toned body. He grinned when he noticed Austin's body shiver and continued to run teasing circles up the boy's skin.
"Or you could take a break" Jullian hummed. Austin rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh before taking off his shirt, revealing the body Jullian had quickly become obsessed with. Jullian wasted no time in pulling the boy onto his lap and leaving slow kisses down his chest. Austin let the boy kiss him, knowing full well that Jullian was going to be mad at him in a matter of minutes.
He let Jullian leave carefully planned hickeys on his neck and body. He let his hands run up and down his body but Austin barely made an effort to give anything in return. Not a kiss or even messing with Jullian's hair like he loved to do out of pure spite. Austin carefully slipped his hand into the boy's pants, lightly stroking him. Jullian moaned against his skin and for a moment Austin debated on just giving Jullian what he wanted. Austin lightly took Jullian in his hand, carefully moving up and down until he felt the boy's hardness and received another moan from Jullian.
That was when he stood up and pulled away completely with a bright smirk leaving Jullian baffled. The brown-haired boy glared daggers at him as Austin pulled his shirt back over his head.
"You've got to be kidding me" Jullian scoffed.
"I said take it or leave it" Austin deadpanned. "Not my fault you don't listen... I planned on practicing till four and I will. If you want to wait, be my guest" Austin hummed. Jullian seriously debated waiting around for the boy to finish. He also thought that that looked a bit pathetic... It was a silent debate between his pride and the image of Austin's tight ass around him. Both were tempting and in the end, lust won. He reluctantly grabbed his book once again and tried to ignore the serious problem between his legs.
_________________________________________
Austin twirled a blow pop in his mouth as he watched his two neighbors scream at one another about divorce for the fifth time this month. Always at the same time as Austin got back from Justin's. Justin who would pay Austin in new clothes or jewelry or sometimes straight-up cash for the occasional blow job. Justin who was too closeted for his own good. Just who was dating one of Austin's supposed friends.
His heart dropped as he spotted a brand new car sitting outside his family's trailer. They didn't have money for a new car, everyone knew that. When his step-parents bought things they couldn't afford it almost always came from the money they didn't have. That would mean they'd buy fewer groceries, stop paying for hot water and heat too. It was just a mess.
"What the hell" Austin scowled as soon as he spotted his step-mother. "We don't have the money for this shit"
"No, but you do" She scoffed. "Pretty selfish of you to keep away money that could help the whole family. We could have used it last year to fix the car or buy Alex shoes for school" That was when Austin's world collapsed.
"My fund for Paris... You spent it on a fucking car?" Austin's voice was more of a scream than anything else. His dream of a bright future, gone. His dream of dancing, gone. His dream of getting away from Alabama, gone.
"Your money is my money" A deep voice scoffed. "I spend enough feeding you, I deserve something in return" Austin's entire body shook in anger. Only one person knew he had that money and it was Alex. The little fuck had betrayed him... The little fuck had tricked him. And he wanted to kill him. So instead of yelling again, he smiled. He gave the most polite smile he could muster.
"What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours" Austin forced out the words, keeping a bright and condescending smile before leaving the trailer and heading to his tent. He ripped open the zipper and grabbed the cheap baseball bat his step-dad had bought him in hopes that baseball would turn him straight... It didn't. If anything it made him more defiant and gayer than ever.
Without a single rational thought in his mind, Austin strutted toward the car and swung the bat hard into the back window. He felt satisfied as the loud shatter echoed down the street. So he swung again. And again. And again until someone was trying to wrestle the bat from him.
_________________________________________
Down the hall, Jayce was laying across his bed, humming the words to a Beatles song. His eyes were closed and his body was relaxed but the same couldn't be said for his head. All he could think about was Markos and that was becoming a serious issue. Especially after seeing how excited Markos had gotten over the Christmas present yesterday... He couldn't stop smiling like an idiot just at the thought of it.
Okay, maybe he wasn't as straight as he thought he was... Or maybe Markos was just a special case. God, he was so lost at this point. His fingers glided over a simple package that had been delivered to him this morning. It was from Mikayla for his birthday... Jayce never liked making his birthday a big deal. He only celebrated with a few friends or on some years just Mikayla. But this birthday was different.
It wasn't different because he was away from Mikayla for the first time since before she was born. It was different because he was turning eighteen and was finally out of the system. He could finally start working toward legally adopting his little sister and building a stable life for them. He could watch her through high school, teach her how to drive, drop her off at all of the school dances, and more. They could finally be normal and happy as soon as he got out of Westwood. The thought of that alone made a smile break onto his face.
As soon as he was free he was going to get a job, buy an apartment in a small city, and get to work on the paperwork. Finally, Mikayla could be out of the system too and they could just be family. No more strangers. No more moving. No more heartbreak and abuse. Just them...
He undid the strings keeping the small package tied shut and smiled as he pulled out a small box of homemade cookies and an envelope filled with her photos from her first homecoming. A small note was written on top; Sorry you couldn't be there, happy birthday dummy - Kay
Jayce smiled down at the photos, flipping through each one. Mikayla seemed so happy with all of her new friends. She was wearing a gorgeous midnight blue dress and for the first time in a while, it looked like she had a foster home that was properly taking care of her curls. She looked almost exactly like their mom... Jayce swallowed his mixture of grief and happiness as a knock rang at the door.
He tucked away the photos and headed over to pull open the door. His heart gave a quick flutter as he spotted the greek god himself, Markos. His light brown curls fell perfectly over his forehead. His calculating and clever green eyes instantly met Jayce's chocolate ones and his narrow pink lips were pulled into a mix of a smirk and a smile. The button-up he wore that day was half black and half white and was neatly tucked away into his pants and belt. In his hand was a small box.
"So, Mikayla happened to let it slip that it was your birthday when I saw her" Markos began as he walked past Jayce into the room with a clever smile. "And as you know I take birthdays very seriously" he lightly joked. Jayce bit back a smile and tried to ignore how excited his heart was at that moment.
"You didn't have to" Jayce chuckled as Markos extended him the small box. It barely fit in the palm of his hand, but it was somewhat heavy. He carefully undid any ribbon and pulled open the box. His heart instantly dropped as he spotted a simple yet elegant silver watch. "I can't accept this"
"I promise, it was no problem" Markos protested. He grabbed onto Jayce:s arm and pulled him onto the bed before reaching for the watch. He pointed out a few details about it before pressing a small button on the side. "If you press here, this lifts up" Markos briefly explained. The top of the watch went up to reveal a small spot to keep a photo of a loved one. "Thought you'd like to put a photo of Mikayla there or something" Markos shrugged as if it had meant nothing, but to Jayce it was everything.
He smiled down at the watch, admiring all of the thought that went into choosing it. It was beautiful, Markos had a good eye for beautiful things. But that wasn't what made him love it as much as he did. He glanced over at Markos who was still looking down at the watch. He was so close and he didn't even realize it. Jayce glanced down at the boy's lips, trying to listen to what he was saying but nothing would process.
Fuck it
He reached for Markos's chin and turned him to face him before closing the distance. His heart froze when Markos didn't kiss him back for a moment. But eventually, he got past the initial shock and Jayce felt two hands cup his cheeks, pulling him in closer. He wasn't sure how he would feel kissing Markos. But it certainly wasn't as bad as any guy he had kissed on a dare or in a stupid party game. In fact, Jayce actually enjoyed it.
Markos's lips molded perfectly into his and moved gently against him. He tasted like green tea with a hint of lemon and his hands caressed Jayce ever so gently. It didn't feel bad at all... Being with Markos just felt right. He could only hope Markos felt the same. So when Markos finally pulled away, a bright smile was on his lips. And that told Jayce everything he needed to know.
Jayce's fingers traced Markos's lips and jawline as he admired the boy in silence. Neither of them dare spoke a word out of fear that the other regretted it or of saying the wrong thing. And then Markos's sweet laughter filled the room quickly followed by Jayce. Markos wrapped his arms tightly around Jayce's neck, burying his face into the boy's hoodie. Jayce wasted no time in hugging him back and planting a sweet kiss on the boy's cheek. And of course, Markos had to ruin the moment. Or maybe make it better.
"That's a little gay, Williams" He chuckled although his voice was muffled by the soft cotton of Jayce's hoodie.
"Shut up"
Question of the chapter: Which one of my characters do you relate to the most?