Ever since Elder Davis had found a wifi router in the market, the Elders of District 9 had been able to mooch some internet off of nearby villages. Elder James Church used the signal to sign himself up for some online college courses.
James was taking a cornucopia of art classes so that he could get his degree when he returned home to America in two years.
One night, James sat alone in the living room of the mission hut with the Elders' laptop in his lap. He was taking a course on graphic design and he needed to finish his final project before he went to bed. With baited breath, he watched the assignment load slowly in the horrible internet connection.
When it finally loaded, James read his teacher's email. It looked something like this:
Attention graphic arts students,
Your end of term assignment is to draw a human being. You will be graded on how anatomically correct the subject is and your creativity on the posing and facial expression of the subject.
The final draft is due in full color next Tuesday.
I highly recommend using a posing model for this assignment.
Good Luck!
Mr. Harris
James sighed and rubbed his temples. He didn't have a posing model because one had never turned up amongst the miscellaneous bits and bobs in the market. James considered trying to do the assignment in front of a mirror but he couldn't find one tall enough. He took off his glasses and huffed, cleaning the lenses on his pajama shirt.
Something clattered behind James and he turned around, slipping on his glasses as he did. Elder Chris Thomas was in the kitchen with a Poptart sticking out of his mouth. He looked at James guiltily when he noticed the other missionary staring.
"Elder Church, you're awake!" He exclaimed after swallowing his pastry.
"Yeah, um, call me James."
"Well then you can call me Chris. What are you doing up? Lights out was almost two hours ago." Chris asked.
"I was working on my art project for my online courses. What are you doing up?"
Chris smiled devilishly and turned out his pockets, revealing three packs of smuggled Poptarts. "I thought I'd indulge in a little sin. When you've got the district leader as a roommate you have to be creative." He explained, reaching up to grab a box from a high shelf in the cabinet. When he wasn't successful on his tip-toes, Chris climbed onto the counter and pulled the box of S'mores Poptarts off its perch.
James watched Chris, interested. "Chris how tall are you?"
"Bit of a touchy subject, why?"
"My art project is to draw a person but I don't have a posing model. Maybe you could help me out?"
Chris munched on a Poptart thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing and shrugging. "Sure why not. I don't have to get naked or anything, right?"
James could feel himself blush slightly. "Um no, you're good just like that."
Chris was wearing his temple garments, he was one of the only Elders who actually followed that rule in the steamy Ugandan nights. Kevin Price (the super Mormon), Arnold Cunningham (his side-kick), Connor McKinley (the district leader), and poor Chris Thomas (the district leader's unfortunate roommate) were the only one who wore temple garments to bed.
The District Leader was gay, everyone knew it, maybe that's why he was so desperate to follow every other rule, no matter how silly or inconvenient they were.
James settled down with a pad of paper and a pencil after putting Chris in the proper position. The smaller Mormon was standing with his hands at his sides and his legs slightly parted, his head was turned up like he was looking at something large and foreboding like a castle.
While James drew, Chris kept on making funny quips to entertain himself, but James found himself laughing more than Chris. He tossed an eraser cap at his chest in a lighthearted attempt to shut him up. It worked, until Chris got another idea.
"So James..."
"Yeah?" James asked, without looking up.
"Is that what you sleep in?"
"Usually."
"It makes your arms look good."
"Thanks Chris. Tilt your head back up."
Chris rolled his eyes and fixed his positioning. "I didn't know you wore glasses."
"I wear contacts during the day."
"Glasses look really nice on you."
"Thanks."
James' obliviousness to Chris' flirting was starting to get old. He'd really have to get his attention somehow.
"Hey James."
"What?"
"Paint me like one of your French boys." Chris said in a bad British accent. James stopped drawing and smiled up at Chris. "Original." He critiqued playfully.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." James winked at Chris before returning to his paper. Now they were getting somewhere. Chris could work with this.
"I wasn't allowed to watch that movie as a kid." He said, trailing off the word "kid" so that James would feel obligated to add something to the conversation.
"Titanic? Why not?"
"My mother didn't think it was appropriate for growing Mormon kids."
"I wasn't allowed to see it either, I watched it at a non-Mormon friend's house."
"Oh you rebel, I'm surprised they didn't drag you to hell right then and there. I guess we're both a couple of sinners then, huh Elder Church?"
"I guess so."
Chris inched closer, still in his position. "And I guess once you sin, it's kind of a downhill slope from there."
"I suppose. That would explain your late-night Poptart binge."
Chris leaned forward and pulled the notepad out of James' hands, tossing it onto the couch cushion next to him.
"Chris what are you doing?" James asked as Chris placed his hands on his shoulders. Chris rolled his eyes. "God's work, what do you think I'm doing James?"
Before James could reply, Chris smashed their lips together, kissing him excitedly and relishing in the fact that this was definitely against the rules. James moaned into the kiss and pulled Chris down onto his lap to get at his neck.
Neither of them noticed a door opening or a figure walking into the living room. Chris had his head tilted back as James kissed up and down his neck and collarbone, he opened his eyes slightly and gasped when he saw Connor McKinley standing there, staring at them.
James assumed Chris' gasp was his doing and he laughed. "Enjoying yourself?" He asked.
Chris pushed James off of him. "James turn around."
He obeyed and saw the district leader standing behind them. "Um I was just doing my project and Chris was helping-" He stuttered.
Chris interjected. "But then I kissed him-"
"And I started to kiss him too and-"
Connor held up a hand to shush them. "I don't care what you two get up to after hours, but let's keep the moaning to a minimum." He glared at James.
"We're trying to sleep." Connor said before stomping back to his room.
"Even Poptarts gets it before I do." He grumbled as he passed Elder Price's bedroom.
Chris watched Connor go, then adjusted James' glasses on his face. "What's his problem?" James asked.
"Elder McKinley has a little crush on one of the other Elders, but as far as I can tell, it's one-sided."
James shrugged. "Sucks to be him." Then he wrapped an arm around Chris' waist, eager to finish what the other Elder had started.
