Author's Note:

One of my favorite books of all time, The Giver. This book was the only one in which I enjoyed the in-depth discussions and interpretations in English class. I love all books with the "futuristic dystopia" theme, but this book holds a special place in my heart.

Which is why I need you, the reader, to tell me in the reviews if this is a bad idea.

This is not about Jonas, The Giver, Kira, Claire, Gabe, or even Asher. These characters do exist, but they are not the main focus of this story. This is an idea that came to me one day. As clear in my favorites and Death Note fanfic, I do thoroughly enjoy yaoi and shonen-ai. I wondered how it would be if a boy decided not to take his pill, and began developing feelings for another male of his age. These are characters of my own creation, OCs. Jonas and The Giver will probably be mentioned later on, as I might include the plot point in the end when the memories come back.

And, with no further ado, I present my literary experiment.

"Christopher, you forgot to take your pill again!"

A soft groan escaped the young Eleven's lips. What could not taking one pill hurt? Why do we even take them? He thought with a protesting scowl. His feet obediently stopped his bike, stepped off, and carried him back to the door of his house. He quickly swallowed the pill dry, avoiding the look in his mother's eyes.

"Christopher, you should know by now that you have to take this every day." She said slowly, resting both hands on her hips. "If I have to focus on getting you ready in the morning, I may not be able to get ready for my own day on time." The boy ran his fingers through his hair. "I apologize." He mumbled, looking away. "Can I go catch up with my friends, now?" His mother stared him down again, causing him to sigh loudly. "MAY I go catch up with my friends, now?" Pleased with his ability to correct his own grammatical error, she nodded and disappeared back into their dwelling.

Relieved at the end to the nagging conversation, Christopher ran back over to his bike. He climbed onto it all too eagerly, knowing his friends would be irked with his lateness. He began pedaling in an almost frantic manner, looking around for his friends. He almost laughed when he saw them.

Elizabeth was leaning against a tree, her arms crossed as she watched him. She reminded him of his mother in almost every way, and acted like she was. Jason was kicking a small rock with his foot, his gaze locked on the ground. He was a quiet boy. Not one to talk much. However, he was always there for him when Christopher needed someone to talk to. Now that brought him back.

The previous year, he started having "Stirrings". He didn't understand what they were. Well- scratch that. He knew what the Stirrings were, but his just weren't...like the others. He had overheard boys his age talking about them, and it was always about them and a girl around their age. His did involve him, but it was not a girl in his dreams. It was Jason. He remembered the first one very well.

He and Jason were laying on a grass field and talking about their days like they usually did. He had been watching the other male, suddenly noticing his appearance in a new light. Without realizing it, he had reached out, running his thumb over the male's lips. "They're so soft.." He mumbled, not in control of what he was doing. He felt his insides and face grow warm as Jason stared back at him with a knowing look. They embraced, suddenly only having the desire for the touch of the other male. And then the dream ended.

After a week of dreams similar to this and leaving out details around his parents, he had gone to Jason to talk about them. He remembered feeling how hot his cheeks were as he explained it. When Jason laughed, horror was the only way to explain it. Then the boy admitted he had experienced the same dreams about him, and that they were, in fact, Stirrings.

As he parked his bike by them and began to apologize, he found himself thinking about that pill he took. It was, in fact, to stop the dreams he had experienced. But other than the slight embarrassment, they hadn't been that bad. He almost missed them.

What harm could not taking one pill do?