Oliver and Carrie were stood behind a pillar in the ballroom, with their bottle of Dom, still waiting for Damien. Carrie groaned, "I'm gonna see what's taking so long," she said.
"Okay," Oliver replied with a shrug. "I'll just be here." Carrie nodded, disappearing into the crowd as Oliver looked around taking a sip from his champagne flute.
"You know that's like... three hundred dollars worth of champagne you're drinking," came a voice from beside him. Oliver turned, Tyler.
"What do you want?" he demanded, eyes lowered.
"Oh nothing," Tyler replied leaning against the opposite pillar with a smirk. "I was just thinking, you know--" he trailed off, staring at his nails.
Against his better judgment, Oliver asked the question, "About?"
"Just all of this," he said waving his hand dismissively about the room. "Mrs. Carmichael really outdid herself. Of course, they can afford to can't they? Lavish parties with tons of people, catering, I mean the alcohol budget alone could have gotten someone a small car, but--" he shrugged. "Not how they decide to spend their money I guess. Who am I to judge?"
"What's your point?" Oliver snapped.
"That's a very smart tux," Tyler said, turning to face Oliver fully then. "Did Mrs. Carmichael get that from her usual place in Beverly Hills or is it Manhattan?"
Oliver blinked, "I don't know."
"No, no you wouldn't. Well, it's lovely. You're a kept man now," he chuckled.
"Excuse me?" Oliver glared.
"Well, Damien could get you anything you could ever want. You would never have a reason to work a regular job again... certainly not a sad repair shop." Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Does Damien even now about all of that? How you had to work in your father's garage? Does he even know it was a rather mysterious fire in that garage that killed both of your parents and gave you the insurance money that allowed you to attend Westlake in the first place?" Oliver glared at Tyler's implication. "Oh yes, Oliver, I know all about you. Oliver Martin of Albany, New York. Formerly anyway."
"Fuck off!" he snapped.
At this Tyler laughed, "You'll never fit in!" Tyler hissed. "You will never be able to give him exactly what his station demands. You're not of this world, and frankly..." he shrugged. "You're just a charity case to them anyway to look as though they're doing some great deed for a poor, disenfranchised Indian boy."
Oliver growled, his eyes lowered, he had half a mind to deck him.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Damien yelled several feet behind him.
"Whatever do you mean?" Tyler asked innocently.
Damien glared, shoving Tyler hard. Oliver's eyes widened before he could move however several people had crowded in between Oliver and Damien, surrounding both Damien and Tyler. Tyler shoved Damien back.
"I'm SO sick of your shit!" Damien yelled.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Tyler snapped. Damien growled, and lunged at Tyler, pushing him to the ground. The crowd closed ranks making it next to impossible for either Carrie or Oliver to stop them. Oliver looked over the crowd, trying to catch something. Tyler glared, and slammed his fist into Damien's face, nearly knocking Damien off of him.
Damien saw red, he slammed his fist into Tyler's nose, then his stomach, anger surging through him from the last two years. He yelled, "Fuck you, you son of a..."
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Mr. Benson bellowed. The crowd parted in an instant. Oliver swept in fast, pulling Damien off of Tyler as quickly as he could. Across the ballroom, Mrs. Carmichael stared, red-faced, glaring daggers at the boys.
"He started it!" Tyler argued as Mr. Benson dragged him to his feet.
"I don't care! I've had just about enough of you!" All eyes were on Mr. Benson and Tyler, as Mr. Benson dragged him out of the ballroom.
Oliver held onto Damien, his heart racing. "Let go," Damien hissed.
Oliver let go quickly, and Damien slipped away, sneaking out behind one of the far curtains on the other end of the ballroom.
Mrs. Carmichael forced a smile, "Teenagers," she said with a fake laugh, whipping around she glared at the band. The music started almost immediately, as Oliver and Carrie shared a look.
"I'm gonna go find Damien," Oliver whispered to Carrie. Carrie nodded, he had half a mind to send her instead, they had been friends for much longer after all, but he needed to make sure Damien was okay.
Grabbing a towel from a nearby sever, and some ice from a champagne bucket. Oliver made his way towards the curtain where Damien had disappeared and snuck out onto the balcony that overlooked the snow-covered field of the Carmichael's garden.
Damien stood at the far end of the balcony, leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette.
"How are you feeling?" Oliver asked, handing Damien the cloth full of ice.
Damien took it gratefully, pressing it to his already purpling eye. Oliver frowned at the sight, caressing Damien's hair off of his face and behind his ear. Damien sighed, "Sorry I snapped at you."
"No, I get it," Oliver replied kissing his forehead.
"Glad I finally got a punch in," he said. "Hope I broke his nose."
"He can afford a new one," Oliver teased. Damien chuckled. Oliver wrapped his arm around Damien's waist, pulling his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a song before placing it onto the railing. "I wanted to show you something," he said with a grin.
"Huh?" Damien looked at him confused.
Oliver removed the cloth full of ice from his hand, and took his hands in his own, pulling him in close so they were standing chest to chest. He leaned over, hitting play on his phone, grinning.
Damien raised an eyebrow, "What..." the song began to play, a song Oliver had heard at least a thousand times over the past two weeks. "Save the Last Dance for Me".
Oliver preceded to lead Damien through the waltz, trying to remember all the steps Mrs. Carmichael had taught him, as they moved hand-in-hand across the balcony. Damien's eyes widened, as they glided together easily, perfectly. Oliver spun Damien out and around in a circle before he pulled him back in so they were chest to chest once more. Damien blinked, staring up into his eyes. Before he could say a word, Oliver dipped him. Damien gasped, as Oliver pulled him upright once more.
"Where on earth did you learn to do that?" he asked, breathless and clearly impressed.
Oliver smirked, rather proud of himself. "Your mother taught me," he admitted.
"Is that so?" Damien chuckled, as the two stared into one another's eyes in the moonlight. "I wondered where you were sneaking off to."
"It was meant to be a surprise," Oliver whispered, spinning Damien out once more.
"Oh I'm very surprised," Damien replied, spinning back in, placing his hand on Oliver's chest. For a long moment the two just stood like that as the song ended, their faces almost touching. Oliver lost in the way Damien's flaxen hair glowed against the moonlight, and his fair skin looked almost as though he were glowing. It was, utterly magical. As if on cue, snow began to fall from the sky, several flakes collecting on the tips of Damien's eyelashes. Sighing happily, Oliver pulled him in for a kiss, cupping Damien's face in his hands.
Damien moaned into his mouth, it was all Oliver could do not to throw him over his shoulder and take him upstairs and ravish him.
"God I love you," Oliver whispered against his lips.
Damien blushed, just as he had the first time, and as, Oliver had a sneaking suspicion, he would do each and every time. He couldn't help but find it endearing. "I love you too," Damien whispered from the crook of his neck. Oliver chuckled.
"You are utterly magnificent," Damien said somewhat breathless.
Oliver laughed, "You haven't even had me yet," he teased. Damien groaned and shivered. "We should get back inside," he suggested. Damien nodded, though he made no move to pull himself out of Oliver's arms. Oliver smirked, pressing one last lingering kiss to Damien's lips. "Come on," he whispered, pulling Damien away from the balcony, back through the glass double doors on the other side of the curtain where Oliver had slipped through only moments earlier. There was just enough space between the curtains and the wall for staff to walk through, or anyone else who wished to sneak away unseen. The two made their way behind the curtain, towards the far end of the ballroom, behind a pillar so as to ensure they would remain out of sight. Oliver didn't quite know where he was going, he didn't know the Manor the way Damien did. He could only imagine the sorts of trapped doors an old Manor house like this one would have and were he able to have a moment to explore the Manor at length he would no doubt discover them. In lieu of that, he took hold of Damien's hand, the two of them running across the back of the ballroom, in between several servers carrying empty silver filigreed trays. Damien laughed behind him, the sound was intoxicating, Oliver realized, pulling him out of the ballroom and into the foyer, just before the staircase. He smiled, pulling Damien into him again, wrapping his arms around his waist. He realized then and there that he wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of his life.