Second position
Dougie keeps his mouth shut all dinner long, saying shy thanks you and nodding from time to time. Not once he catches Danny's eyes on him. But they are. Danny still can't get over the fact that he is seventeen. What happened to « the young kids need to have a good start in life and we are helping them? » Dougie isn't young so… how did his start go?
Not again, grumbles Danny within himself. Do not start to wonder… do not start to care.
''Tomorrow, we will go to the studio together, alright?'' says Danny's mom.
Dougie nods again.
''What studio?'' asks Danny.
''The dance studio Dougie is going to teach in'' replies his dad.
''Oh'' Danny take a bite, eying the new guy. So they found him a job? A teaching job? It seems to Danny that he barely knows how to interact with people.
''Why are you teaching dance?'' demands Leslie. ''You're not an old lady.''
''Good thing you adopted her'' chuckles Danny. ''Her vision is marvelous!''
Danny's dad lets out a little laugh but his mom just shakes her head. She turns to her youngest daughter. ''He will be teaching to earn some money. To pay for the dance lessons he is taking. Paying the right way.''
The woman sends a look to Dougie, who contemplates his food like if it's the most interesting thing on earth.
Just three sentences and Danny learned a lot. A guy that dances? That's weird. And Dougie isn't really an angel… He surely looks like one though. « I mean, thinks Danny, who has gray eyes like that? » With what his mom said, he is more like a burglar. Or a drug dealer?
''It is part of his rehabilitation'' is declaring his father.
Danny raises an eyebrow. Rehabilitation, really? Is he coming from prison?
''What does it mean?'' asks Xio, looking at Dougie for an answer.
''I means that you are trying to do things better'' replies Danny's dad.
Dougie is still fixing his food. Can he make full sentences? Danny smiles slyly:
''I think that if, for once, you picked up a kid that can already tie his shoelaces, you should let him talk for himself. At least, he is old enough to have an opinion that doesn't involve unicorns and spiderman.''
Dougie can't help it, the corners of his mouth twitch a little. He can see this guy is a sarcastic bastard, just like him. No, not like him. They are nothing alike.
''Talk, blondie'' orders Danny.
Dougie lifts his head. What next? Give the hand? Do a trick? He supports the brunette's eyes, although he feels naked all of a sudden. Too blue eyes, surrounded by cute freckles and a dimple… That's a full package deal of a face…
''Can I get excused?'' finally says Dougie, looking at the women, who nods. He gets up with a thank you and makes a step away from the table. But to go where? ''Do I have a bedroom?''
''Of course you do!'' says the dad. ''Danny, show him.''
The tall guy sighs dramatically and, as Dougie goes to the living room to fetch his two small bags, he is again surrounded by this feeling… Something isn't right here… Oh wait, it's him who isn't right. The father said « of course you do » like if he should take that for granted… People like them don't know what it's like, to be someone like him. A bed is a luxury. They wouldn't understand. A job is special, a meal is precious, a roof is something to cherish. Bling bling doesn't matter. The essentials, that's what counts. But how would they get that? They never lost anything really valuable.
Obviously.
Dougie's eyes wander across the vast room Danny lead him in. The beds, the big TV, the gaming laptop… everything screams cash.
''Is it enough for you?'' demands Danny when he notices Dougie still in the door frame. Without a word, Dougie walks towards the smaller bed. ''You're not gonna steal my stuff, right?'' asks Danny.
The blonde lets his bags fall on the floor and sits on the bed. In the corner, there is this bookshelf with at least two hundred blu-rays and videos games. There is a PlayStation, a WII and an Xbox on the floor at the bottom of the bed.
''You so are going to steal it…'' sighs Danny, taking place on his bed.
Dougie doesn't listen, he continues his visual tour of the room. The walls are a nice yellowish color, there is a window in between the two beds, over the bedside tables, hidden by green fabric. In the corner close to Danny's bed, there is a red bean bag and on the desk, a bright blue lava lamp seems to be bubbling. So many things… so many colors…
Dougie strokes the blue fabric over his bed and notices the lump at the top of the mattress. A pillow?
''Is it for me?'' he asks.
Danny takes a few seconds to understand what he means. It's only when he sees Dougie grab the quilt and pushing it down to take the pillow that he gets it. Well, no, he doesn't get it. What is this weird question? There is something weird about that guy… Well, duh! He is in rehabilitation from something! In Danny's bedroom! How could his parents let that happen?
''Yeah, it's a pillow. Never had a pillow before?''
Dougie lifts his eyes and lets go of the fabric. Of course he had a pillow before. But when the guy you are rooming with wants two pillows and he is two times your weight, you shut up and let him have it.
Without a word, Danny gets up and storms out of the room.
''Was he in prison or something?'' he asks bluntly as soon as he lays eyes on his parents and sisters, still eating. ''Because I kind of mind having to sleep next to a prisoner, you know.''
''They wouldn't have let him come here if he had anything to do with prison, Danny, think about it…''
''No, you think about it…'' snaps the brunette. ''You feel safe? I don't.''
''Danny is acting like a diva again'' laughs Xio and Leslie giggles in her chocolate pudding bowl.
''You need to relax. Dougie is a really nice guy'' sighs his mother.
''Sorry, the last time I checked, rehabilitation didn't rhyme with nice. Maybe I could do some nice things to end up in rehabilitation too?''
''You're not funny young man.''
''Whatever, dad.'' With an annoyed look to his parents, Danny extend a hand to grab his sister bowl of pudding, leaving for his bedroom followed by an outraged « hey » from Xio. They never listen…
Dougie is still sat on the bed and their eyes meet when Danny enters the room. He really is good looking. Ah, that's an understatement alright… He will make the girls at school happy…
''I am not dangerous'' says Dougie, out of the blue.
''Let me doubt that assertion for a moment…'' grumbles Danny, his index in the pudding. ''You know how many people like you I saw in my life so far? I lot and you are all dangerous to some level. Plus, you… you did bad things, am I wrong? You are like the others… just somehow worse.''
He licks his fingers and Dougie can't help but follow it with his eyes when he enters Danny's mouth and get out all slick and shiny… Dougie gets up.
''Listen'' he starts, putting his bag on the bed to empty it, turning his back on Danny. ''I don't want to be here, probably as much as you didn't want me here. I don't need parents, I had two. I don't need sympathy, friendship, pity or whatever other emotion you think I could use. Shove your sarcasm in my face, it's fine. You can think I am a loser, a creep or a dick all you want, it's also fine. You are mostly right. Just don't assume you know me. I don't know you either and I don't feel the envy to. I can make presumptions about who you are but I will never really know because I don't care. I am here to work, earn money and get this dance scholarship I has my eyes on since I was seven, everything else is irrelevant. Your opinion of me included.''
As Dougie continues to empty his bags, taking it out worn out books and what looks like slippers, Danny can only sit on his mattress, flabbergasted. He is hesitating between laughing at how the guy mouthed more words in a single reply than in the last three hours he's been here or being mad because, somehow, deep down, Danny knows a lot of what he said is right…
''Whatever'' mumbles Danny.
''That's what I thought'' whispers Dougie. He finally looks at Danny who just took another finger of pudding. ''Where can I put this?'' he asks, hands full of shirts.
Danny gets up and walks to the dresser. He has a lot of clothes, he loves clothes… There is still the wardrobe though so Danny takes out the things in the first two drawers and rests them on his bed. He will clean this later. As Dougie walks close, Danny notices that he is a few inches shorter than him. His jawline is just perfect and he has really long eyelashes. Is that normal? When he moves his head to push his fringe away from his eyes, Danny get hit by a subtle odour. What is it? Apple? Cream of something? Smells good, he thinks, walking back.
''You want to put your stuff away?'' asks Dougie, feeling eyes on his back. ''Hide it so I can't be a bad boy and run away with it? Oh running where? Here… How useful that would be to steal stuff from here to get it back… here.''
Danny wrinkles his eyes. ''You could resell it.''
''You are really clever for a rich kid'' says Dougie, resting the remaining of his clothes in the second drawer.
''And you have way too much attitude for a poor.''
''That's the only thing I have, you mean'' chuckles Dougie.
Danny remains silent. Why the laugh? It was supposed to be an insult. Some kind of insult anyway. He never was really good with words fight. He loves sarcasms but he never needed to make his point with words really. He wouldn't be able to do it anyway. Look at what happens time after time with his parents and foster kids? Yeah… he doesn't have any power in this house.
But he will have some in his room, that's for sure!
''Going to take a shower'' grumbles Danny, grabbing a pair of boxer briefs from the bed. ''Don't touch anything.''
Dougie watches him walk to the second door of the room and sees a toilet before it closes. So Danny has his private bathroom? Wow. Dougie looks around again. He is so not used to that… all that space, all that luxury, all that… life in within walls.
He resumes the cleaning of his bags and at the bottom of the last one, he feels glassy paper. His heart starts to beat a little faster. Why did he steal that? Why did he bring that? Why? He knows why! Because he wanted to wank looking at something. And having internet isn't a possibility, right?
Dougie hears the shower starts and looks under his mattress. No, he can't hide it here, if the guy is nosy, he will find it… Eying the furniture, Dougie decides that to slide it under the chest of drawer. You can't see underneath, it's perfect. God only knows what some people can do when they found out someone is gay…
''You all set?'' asks a voice and Dougie straightens up at once.
He feels himself blushing under Danny's dad eyes. Homosexual is probably a word he doesn't want to see pronounced, even in someone's head. Dougie finally nods.
''I have something for you.'' says the man, coming closer. ''So you can keep all your music with you at all time.''
Dougie can only blink when he advises the Ipod through the cover.
''You're welcome'' smiles the man. Close to them, the shower stops. ''Just asks Danny to use his computer to load it, OK?''
Dougie nods and, after pressing his shoulders, he takes the stairs up to the living room or the kitchen. Hastily, Dougie opens the box, feels the slick of the device under his index.
''What are you doing?''
Dougie lifts his head and opens his mouth but no sound comes out. Danny is there, dying his hair with a towel in a little pair of boxer brief. So… sexy… thinks Dougie. Bending forward, Danny continues to brush his hair. Dougie feels a shiver running in every nerves of his body.
He turns around. No. No desire. No lust. That would lead nowhere.