Kylle found it remarkably entertaining to bother Ives while he was trying to get ready for the Junior Prom when the night came. Ives was fairly certain that she was jealous that she wasn't going, but her self-imposed dating rules made it impossible for her to go, because she refused to go on a date with a junior boy when she was a senior.
It didn't help that Ives already felt incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of going to a school dance, now that he was getting ready for it. His discomfort had nothing to do with Tomi, though, he was happy to conclude. It was just that he didn't feel like himself when he was dressed up in a shiny red dress shirt and a suit. At least he wasn't forced to wear a tie, and his black shoes were more like sneakers than dress shoes.
Tomi's parents brought him over so that Ives wouldn't have to backtrack to the school after picking Tomi up. According to Tomi's warnings, his parents were a bit uncomfortable with him going to the prom, but they were trying not to show it. Ives could see it, though, when they came into the house with Tomi.
On the other hand, Tomi looked happy. He wore a black suit much like Ives', with a violet shirt and black sneakers – Ives had suggested he not waste effort on fancy shoes because he wasn't going to, either. Ives didn't care if Tomi's parents were right there, he hugged him tightly.
"Why purple?" Ives asked curiously as he let go.
Tomi smiled. "Thought I'd like to match your eyes."
Ives grinned. "I like that idea. Maybe I should have worn green."
"There's always next year," Tomi replied.
Mrs. Miliani cleared her throat. "How about some pictures?" she suggested, holding up a digital camera.
Ives wondered if she genuinely wanted to take pictures of them, or if she was just humoring them. Either way, Ives was happy to pose with Tomi for the next fifteen minutes – the most time-consuming being when they both struggled to pin the silly flowers to each other's jackets. Ives' mother had to step in to help them so they wouldn't be late.
"Are you going to any parties?" Tomi's dad asked before they left.
"Haven't decided yet," Tomi answered. "I'll text you if we do."
"Don't forget," his mother warned.
"I won't let him," Ives assured her.
She nodded. "Thank you."
Tomi and Ives left at the same time that Tomi's parents did. "Do you have a curfew?" Ives asked as they drove toward the school.
"No, but I assume they want me to come home sooner rather than later." Tomi put a hand on Ives' knee. "I didn't want to say it in front of my mom, but you look really hot."
Ives grinned. "So do you. I have to warn you though, I'm honestly not huge on dancing."
"That's fine with me," Tomi replied. "We can just watch and be there. Maybe dance once."
"Works for me," Ives replied, coming to a stop at a red light. He rested his hand over Tomi's on his knee for a moment. Then the light turned green and he put his hand back on the wheel.
When they got to the school, Ives parked in the student lot with all the others, and stuck the key into his pocket. "Ready?" he asked Tomi.
Tomi smiled and opened his door. "If you are."
Ives opened his door and stepped out. He waited for Tomi at the back of the car, and didn't hesitate before taking his hand. They walked through the parking lot and Ives didn't care if anyone took notice of them on their way to the door. Inside, they had to stop to check in before they could go to the gym.
"Ives Fay," the middle-aged woman mumbled to herself as she skimmed the list of names. Ives recognized her as a teacher, but he had no idea what she taught or what her name was. "Ah, there you are. And your guest... Is that supposed to be 'Tammy'?"
"Tomi," Ives corrected.
She looked confused, then glanced at Tomi. "'Toe-me'?" she pronounced slowly. "What kind of name is that?"
Tomi shrugged. "Japanese or something. My parents found it in a book and liked the way it sounded. And yeah, I've heard every joke there is."
The teacher just nodded. "Well, enjoy the dance," she told them with a smile.
"'Tammy'?" Tomi grumbled. "Seriously? Usually people think it's 'Tommy'."
"She's clearly not able to think outside the box," Ives replied.
As soon as they entered the dimly-lit, streamer-strewn gym, Mark Salazar appeared with a blond girl in a tiny red dress of questionable appropriateness who Ives vaguely recognized as Sally Zoller. "Hey, Ives," he said with a smile.
"Hey. This is Tomi," he introduced.
Mark held out his hand. "Mark. Ives and I are on the archery team together."
Tomi let go of Ives' hand to shake Mark's. "I know. Nice to meet you."
Mark's date held out her hand next. "Sally Zoller. Not on the archery team, but you two boys are just so fucking hot together!"
"Uh... thanks," Tomi replied, shaking her hand hesitantly.
"So, are you guys coming to the after party?" Mark questioned.
Ives looked at Tomi, who shrugged. "Why not?" Tomi replied.
"Sure, we'll come," Ives told Mark with a shrug.
Mark grinned. "Awesome."
As he walked away with his date, Ives found a place to lean against the padded gym wall. He had a feeling that the night was going to be a long one, but with Tomi there with him he was sure it wouldn't seem so bad.
"Text your parents," he reminded Tomi.
Tomi took his phone out of his pocket. "Yes sir."
Ives smiled. "Good kid. You deserve a sticker," he said, which got him a smirk.
"They call that dancing?" Tomi asked after a few minutes of watching other people dancing to the blasting pop music. "I'm pretty sure they'd call it sex if their clothes were off."
Ives snorted. "I'm sure you're right. See why dancing isn't my thing?"
Tomi moved a bit closer. "Because sex isn't your thing?" he suggested.
Ives pulled Tomi tightly against him, making Tomi squeak in surprise. With Tomi's back against him, Ives did his best to kiss Tomi's neck, battling against Tomi's jacket collar. "Maybe you'll find out sometime," he teased.
"I should smack you," Tomi replied, but he adjusted his jacket and tilted his head so Ives could get at his neck more easily.
"Huh, I don't know if I'm into that," Ives said thoughtfully, against Tomi's neck.
Tomi smacked him – halfheartedly, on one of the arms holding him. "You're a loser," he stated.
"I know," Ives joked. "But you love me."
"True." Tomi turned around in Ives arms, put his hands behind Ives' neck, and kissed him. Ives kissed him back without a second thought, just happy to have Tomi there with him.
They spent the rest of the night like that, standing off to the side, watching the other students "dancing" and killing time by making out on occasion. Then Mark and Sally appeared next to them.
"Wanna ditch this place?" Mark asked. "My parents gave me the house for the night."
"Sure," Ives replied, seeing Tomi nod.
They drove to Mark's house, where they left their jackets in the car and helped Mark get his bonfire built in the back yard before everyone else showed up. Ives doubted the party would last long, though, looking at the clouds slowly filling the sky.
But everyone else got there very soon after they had fire built. Many of the guests Mark had invited were members of the archery team and their dates, so Ives knew most of them. Ives hadn't been sure what to expect, but what soon happened wasn't part of it.
Almost everyone was drinking, but he had expected that. He had a bottle of water himself, because the last thing he wanted was to get Tomi seriously hurt or killed on prom night when he was the one responsible for driving his boyfriend home. He shared his water with Tomi, who Ives was sure didn't want to drink anything Mark gave him. Before he realized it, though, a lot more was going on around him. Couples were making out, skirts were getting hiked up, and hands were going everywhere. Ives looked down and saw a thong by his foot.
He looked at Tomi to ask him if he was ready to go, but Tomi yanked him into a rough kiss.
Ives pulled away and stared at him for a moment. "Are you crazy?" he questioned, completely shocked by the kiss.
Even in the dim light, Ives could see Tomi blushing. "No. I just really want you. I have all night."
Ives continued to stare at his boyfriend, totally in shock. Making out at the prom was one thing, when they were so far from the dance floor and in the dark where no one would notice them. Doing what everyone else was doing at that moment was another thing entirely.
"Are you sure about this?" Ives questioned.
"No one is going to care," Tomi argued weakly. "No one is going to notice us. Everyone is busy and drunk. I thought you'd be as into it as I felt..."
Ives admitted to himself that what was going on around him was embarrassingly exciting. Looking at Tomi, he could see that his boyfriend was starting to withdraw back into his shell, clearly hurt and maybe a bit embarrassed, Ives speculated. He pulled Tomi closer on the bench they were sitting on, before Tomi could shut himself off completely, and kissed him deeply. Tomi seemed to hesitate at first, but he quickly melted into the kiss, arms wrapping around Ives.
A few moments later, Tomi pushed him back against the bench's back and got on the ground in front of him.
Ives' eyes went wide. "God, Tomi." But that was all he had a chance to say. He stopped watching Tomi once, only to see that Sally Zoller and a few other girls were watching intently. Clearly, girls were quite good at multitasking. Ives would have thought he'd feel awkward in such a situation, being watched at such an intimate time, but when he turned his gaze back to Tomi, he felt quite the opposite. He was so happy, and so thankful to have Tomi in his life.
It was incredible.
So incredible that he didn't think twice about returning the favor when Tomi finished with him. His happiness only grew as he watched Tomi's expression and knew that everything Tomi felt was because of him. It was an intense feeling.
But they barely had the chance to rearrange their clothing when the rain hit. There had been a few warning rumbles of thunder, but no one had noticed, and the rain arrived in an instant downpour. People scrambled for the house or their cars – Ives yanked Tomi up and toward the driveway, though Tomi was already thinking the same thing.
They made it to the car and climbed in, sputtering and panting from the sudden sprint through the downpour. They were both completely soaked, but they both started laughing as soon as they looked at each other. Ives turned the car on so they had some heat, then he reached over for Tomi's hand. Tomi smiled and squeezed his hand in return.
Ives leaned in and kissed him softly, running his free hand along Tomi's jawbone to the back of his neck. "I love you," he murmured.
"I love you, too," Tomi breathed against his lips.
Ives smiled at him. "Do you want to head home?" he asked. "I'm thinking the party's over."
"Strangest party I've ever been to," Tomi commented. He must have seen Ives' worried expression, because he added, "But I'll never regret it."
"Neither will I," Ives assured him. Even though he was the one who'd have to deal with the guys from the team, it wasn't like he couldn't bring up their own actions at the party.
Luckily, they weren't blocked in the driveway, and the whole drive to the Miliani house, Tomi had his hand on Ives' leg. They were both too happy for words. Not even the mini heart attack caused by thinking he was being pulled over by a cop who actually just needed to pass him didn't ruin the night.