Four heads are better than two GOCC GOCC 2 3 2001-10-16T15:26:00Z 2001-10-16T15:29:00Z 4 2025 11547 GOCC 96 23 14180 9.4402

Four heads are better than two

Jun looked down at the inert form of her brother sprawled across her floor. He had come in, and immediately took up residence at the side of her bed. He hadn't spoken a word, or moved since. She simply looked down at him, his head laid on crossed arms, his dark eyes staring a hole through her wall.

She leaned over, putting her feet on the floor by his head, and frowning worriedly. "What's the matter, Davis?" He gave her the facsimile of a shrug without lifting his head. "Did he tell you that he hated you, and he was totally disgusted by today?"

"No." He rolled over, twining his fingers against the back of his head. "He said that he had fun. He even hinted that maybe kissing me had been fun."

"Then why are you ready to cry?" His eyes had welled with tears, making them black instead of dark brown.

"Because he's going to break my heart tomorrow, and he's going to build my hopes until then. When he finally says, 'Davis, that's gross', I'm going to be convinced that he could really like me that way, and it's going to hurt that much worse." He inhaled sharply, fighting with his emotions.

"If you know that he's going to break your heart, then why can't you stop yourself from hoping?"

"Because I want it to be true. I want him to care so badly." He sobbed, his shoulders shaking. She slid to the floor, and gathered him against her. He curled his arms around her, shedding his tears against her shoulder like a small child. "I just want him to care, to love me. It's all I've ever wanted."

She rocked him gently, closing her eyes in sympathy of his pain. If she could think of one thing to say, one thing to help, she would in an instant. Instead, she held him silently, unable to think of a single thing to do.

_________________________

"Matt, I don't know what to do." Tai sat backwards in a chair, staring at his best friend, seated on his bed across the room. "I honestly haven't a clue about what I'm supposed to be thinking at this point. I'm flattered, honestly, that he cares as much as he seems to. And I'm more than a little certain that I feel something for him. Like that. But I don't know if I'm willing to risk everything."

"Today sucked, I'll admit it. And, should you guys start dating in earnest, you may lose the support of the rest of the team. Is he worth soccer to you, Tai? Is he worth the scorn your parents will feel? How about all the jock friends you have, who have to face you in the shower? Will you be able to face them proudly, knowing that most of them are disgusted and worried about being around you?"

"Thanks, Matt. That helps. Point out all the bad things. That's really going to help me decide in his favor." Tai growled sarcastically. Matt shrugged, unfazed by his attitude.

"But if you decide to be weak, and stay with your straight image, you will lose your biggest fan, the person who will probably love you most in this life. The boy who tried to be you, someone who respects and admires you above all else. At the same time, he also knows most of your flaws, and shares them, and loves you anyway. He knows who you are better than most people, and it doesn't faze him. Can you turn your back on that?"

"And face ridicule and disgust for my choice? For the rest of my life? To be looked down upon for loving? Have to deal with losing a job when they realize that my lover isn't a woman, lose friends and acquaintances, simply because I fell in love with another guy."

"Would you dye your hair orange for Davis?" Tai looked up, thinking. He nodded. "Would you dye your hair orange for me?"

"To save your life, sure. If you dared me to, I would."

Matt smiled. "But you would do it for Davis, without asking why." Tai opened his mouth, and then shut it, swiveling to look in the mirror behind his desk. His spiked hair stood out, the brown covered by neon orange in stark contrast to his brown eyebrows. "Do you remember what tomorrow is?"

Tai frowned at him for a moment in confusion, then gasped. His eyes widened as they met blue in the mirror. "The sports meeting for parents, right after school."

The blonde nodded. "I've heard that Carl Flowers' dad will be there, to protest the fact that his boy got kicked off the team because of a couple of homosexuals."

"If they call for a vote, my father will be cheering to kick us off the team, and reinstating Carl and Lester." Tai sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"You do realize that you included yourself in that, don't you?" He turned back around, his eyes worried.

"What the hell am I going to do, Matt?"

"I think it comes down to one thing. How brave are you, Tai? Is it really that hard, when you think about the person you are, and the obstacles set before you? Can you honestly tell me that you're too scared to do the right thing?"

______________

"What are you going to do, Davis?" They sat side-by-side, their backs to the bed. "The banquet's tomorrow. Rumor has it that both generations of the Flowers men will be there, complaining about the 'fairies' that got the bastard son kicked off the team."

He tilted his head back to study the ceiling. "I'll do what I should have done a long time ago. I'll stand up, and tell them if they want to be a bunch of close-minded homophobes, they could all burn in hell. I'll play on that team until bastards like Lester and Carl beat the shit out of me, or they tell me not to."

Jun smiled at him. "I'm proud of you Davis. I remember when you were twelve, and you stalked Kari, like I stalked Matt. You've grown up so much, and I can't begin to describe how much of a man you've become. It takes a lot of guts to come out, especially in front of the entire school."

"I just wish that it could have been different. It would have been great to know that the kisses were real, and..." He swallowed, and then smiled at her slightly. "I really need to think about something else. If I keep this up, I'll drown us both with my tears."

"Tomorrow, when you guys walk up to the school, I want pictures of the two of you, hand-in-hand. My little brother, and his first love. I want you to enjoy every minute of it."

He pushed her slightly in jest, shaking his head in disapproval. "Stop that. You can take pictures when I find someone who can return my feelings. You have to remember, Tai's perfect. And being gay would be a flaw; therefore, he can't be gay. It's just not in him to care for me the way I do for him. My only hope is that he doesn't hate me when he knows."

She watched as he pushed up from the floor. With a jaunty wave, he left her room, and made a beeline for his. She knew that he was going in there to cry again. As the door shut, she looked at a picture of Matt, Tai, and Davis that sat on her desk. "What makes you think he doesn't know, Davis? What if he's just as confused as you are?"

The angst plot thickens

The next day, Tai pulled into the parking lot at the same time he usually did, dressed in his normal khakis, with the multiple pockets, and a blue T-shirt. He waited in the car, watching as Davis walked out of the building, like any normal day. In his mind's eye, he could see his friend climb into the car, and lean over to greet him with a kiss.

In actuality, Davis slid into the car without a word, turning his head to face the window. His eyes were slightly pink around the edges, but Tai didn't comment as he drove them both to school. They were near the school when Davis finally spoke.

"How long is this stuff supposed to last?" He tugged on a lock of his hair, and Tai watched it spring back into place. They both had naturally gravity-defying hair, just another thing they had in common.

"It should come out in two or three washes. It's already started to fade." He could see the red of Davis' roots, and his own brown was starting to show through in places. "It was cheap stuff."

"It did the trick." They pulled into the school parking lot, and Davis grimaced at the number of people that turned to watch them get out of the vehicle. "Nosy bastards."

"You can't blame them for being curious. We made quite a spectacle of ourselves yesterday." He didn't call it a show, or a performance, and he could see the younger teen glance at him oddly. "Shall we start the day, dear?"

He grinned, his normal cocky grin, and was happy to note that Davis smiled in return. "Of course, lover." Tai hid the shiver that those simple words sent up his spine, and followed him out of the car. They hefted their bags on their shoulders, and met at the front of the car. Davis held out his hand, and Tai gripped it quickly, pulling him in so that they walked with their shoulders brushing each other occasionally.

No one yelled obscenities, or made a move towards them as they walked through the throng of students on their way to the building. A couple of their friends even waved, small smiles saying that they might not be comfortable, but they weren't going to judge.

Tai felt himself relaxing, the concern he had over their future diminishing with each step. As long as they could get through the day without problems, it could be okay for them. It could work.

For his part, Davis felt the tension drain from his friend, felt the grip on his hand loosen until it simply felt natural. His chest was tight, but not painful. He stored the memories away, each touch, and each nuance of Tai's face. He would enjoy every last second if it killed him.

Kari and Matt joined them on their way to their lockers, Matt eyeing Tai warily with Kari smiling along, oblivious to the sudden tension when all three guys saw Carl Flowers standing at the end of the hallway talking to the principal.

Davis tried to clench his fist, crushing Tai's fingers in the process. The older boy gasped, and squeezed back, gaining the younger's apologetic attention. "He can't touch you. If he tries, I'll beat the shit out of him, don't worry." Matt smiled slightly at the protective tone of his voice, while dark brown eyes stared at him with a mixture of pleasure and remorse.

"Thanks." Kari stopped them in front of their lockers, and stepped back, a camera poised in her hands as students flocked past and around them.

"Okay, you two. Big smiles, I want your arms around each other." They looked at each other, and complied while Matt snickered on his way to his own locker. "Now I want one of the two of you kissing."

Davis swallowed, but managed to keep himself from frowning outright. Tai simply turned their bodies to each other, and bent his head down. Their lips touched lightly, pressing gently together. They both closed their eyes, relishing in the feeling.

Kari snapped several pictures, sighing happily as she did so. Finally, Tai lifted his head, and flashed her his careless grin. "You're going to be late for class, and so are we. Save the rest of the pictures for another day." She put it away, and waved goodbye.

Davis put the books he didn't need in his locker, and slammed it shut. "She's going to be mad when she finds out that it was all a dare." He walked away before Tai could answer, which was a good thing.

Tai refused to watch him go, turning instead to gather his stuff for class. Ten hours before the start of the banquet, and no time to think. The bell rang, and he hurried to class, narrowly missing roll call. He looked at the clock, and frowned, knowing that it was going to be the longest day of his life.

___________

Davis couldn't remember the last time a day had gone so fast. Every time he and Tai passed each other in the hall, they exchanged small, affectionate kisses, sometimes holding hands to the next room. During lunch, they actually sat and fed each other, much to Kari's delight. Matt simply watched on, not saying anything. Even physical education passed quickly, without mishaps.

If asked why the day had gone so well, he would have said that it was to make up for the next ten years of hell, the expected length of time that he figured Tai would hate him for. Not for being gay, but for enjoying their charade too much.

After school, they held hands to the car, where Tai even held his door open. That earned the older teen a glare, but Davis didn't say anything until they were in the car. "I am not a girl. I can open the door without breaking a nail, and I can get into a car without assistance." Tai only laughed at him, maneuvering through the streets quickly.

They stopped at Davis' apartment, and Tai got out, giving him a mocking grin as he held open the entrance doors. Davis swatted at him, and then laughed as Tai tripped over the concrete that sheltered the plants on the outside of the building. The block was only a foot high, and Tai sprawled into the dirt and mulch on the other side.

"Graceful." Davis held out his hand, and then yelled shortly as Tai pulled him down with him, effectively hiding them both behind the shrubbery as Jun walked up the sidewalk. Tai held a hand over his mouth, gesturing for Davis to be quiet. When the brunette was even with them, he jumped out quickly, scaring her into a scream.

"Hi, Jun." Tai grinned innocently as he helped Davis to his feet. They were both slightly flushed in the cheeks, and she raised an eyebrow at her brother. He merely blushed harder, and shrugged, denying that anything had happened. "How's my favorite future sister-in-law?"

She smirked, realizing that he still didn't know that she knew. "Hello, Tai, Davis. How are the love-birds doing?" Davis glared at her, but Tai smiled, gathering him against his side despite his resistance.

"Wonderful, of course." He released him with a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll see you tonight, Davis." They waved him to his car, and watched him drive away.

"Does that mean you guys have to keep it up during the banquet, as well?" Davis looked at her, fear and shock registering on his face.

"Damn! I am so dead. If I wanted to keep Dad from knowing, it would be pointless at this time. You should pamper me while I'm still alive. By tomorrow morning, you won't have a little brother."