* This takes place right after Luke and Ryan found Mr. Ward kissing his co-
worker. The boys accidentally set off the car alarm, then took off. *
"Luke, man! Wait up!" Ryan called, finally catching up to him. Luke had stopped at his car, but was leaning against it rather than getting in.
"If you say anything..." he started.
"I won't," Ryan assured him. He stood there, awkwardly shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "Are you okay?"
Luke shot him a look that told Ryan he clearly wasn't.
"Okay, stupid question."
Luke stood in silence for a minute before saying to no one in particular, "This is so f*cked up." He sighed. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Dude, your dad didn't do this to punish you," Ryan told him.
"I'm so stupid," Luke continued, ignoring what Ryan had said. "How could I not know that my own dad is...?" His voice got caught in his throat. "I can't even say it," he choked out, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand. He turned so Ryan wouldn't see him cry.
Ryan looked over his shoulder at the car dealership. "Let's get out of here."
Luke nodded silently and started up the car. He drove to the school, parking near the baseball diamond. "This is where I go to think," he explained, getting out of the car.
Ryan followed him over to the dugout, watching as the other boy sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Why?" he whispered to no one in particular. He cried for a few minutes, then got up, grabbing hold of the chain link fence and shaking it hard. "Why?"
He walked over to a wooden post and started to punch it, not caring about the pain.
"Luke," Ryan said, coming up behind him. The other boy didn't stop; he was too angry. "Luke."
Ryan spun him around. "Luke! Listen to me! Hurting yourself won't do anyone any good, do you hear me?"
Luke looked down at his bloody knuckles and sighed, frustrated. "What am I supposed to do, man? All I want to do is punch my dad's lights out!"
"It won't do any good," Ryan told him calmly.
Luke began to pace, his frustration growing. He muttered things under his breath, clenching his fists in anger.
Ryan watched him helplessly. What could he do for him?
Luke continued to mumble, growing more angry by the minute. Ryan managed to pick up on some of what he was saying.
"Not him, too."
"What do you mean, 'not him, too?'" Ryan asked curiously.
Luke looked up, startled. "Nothing." He turned and walked out onto the baseball diamond, stopping when he reached the pitcher's mound.
"Who else?" Ryan asked, appearing behind him. He cautiously put a hand on the taller boy's shoulder.
Luke spun around to face him, his eyes wide in fear.
"Who?" Ryan asked softly.
Luke sat down on the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Why do you care?"
"Because you're hurting and you need to talk to someone," he replied.
Luke stared up at the clear autumn sky. "It was two years ago at football camp," he began, never tearing his eyes away from the sky. "It was the middle of summer, so the heat was unbearable. Coach was drilling us extra hard and the pads and jerseys were just making it worse. So, naturally, all the guys ditched shirts and we were playing in skins." He swallowed hard.
"I had the ball. I was running for the end zone when some guy tackled me, pinning me to the ground."
Ryan watched his demeanor change. He looked vulnerable.
"It was so strange," Luke continued, biting his lip. "The guy was on top of me for maybe 2 seconds and I didn't want him to move." He shook his head. "No."
Ryan sat beside him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder "It's okay."
Luke stared at him, wide-eyed. "That's easy for you to say," he shot back. "You're not the one that..."
"Gay?" Ryan finished. No one had spoken that word all night.
"I must've gotten it from my dad," Luke reasoned. "That's gotta be it."
Ryan shook his head. "It's not hereditary, Luke."
"So now you're an expert?" Luke snapped. "How do you know?"
"Because my dad's not gay," Ryan said quietly. He watched Luke's expression change from anguish to confusion instantly and didn't give him a chance to respond.
* * * * * *
'Oh my God,' Luke thought, a million things racing through his head. 'Ryan's kissing me!'
He concentrated on how good his lips felt on his own, reaching up and caressing the side of Ryan's face with his hand.
He felt Ryan's tongue slip into his mouth and gave in to temptation, kissing him back with everything he had in him.
Ryan put a hand behind his head and laid him on the ground. His lips moved to Luke's throat and he reached for the buttons on his shirt.
"What are we doing?" Luke whispered as Ryan suckled his neck.
Ryan pulled back to look at him. "Do you want me to stop?"
Luke shook his head and crushed Ryan's lips with his own once more as Ryan unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. He slid Ryan's shirt over his head and kissed his toned chest.
"No," Ryan whispered. "Tonight's about you, not me." He kissed his way from Luke's throat down to his stomach, pausing at the waistband of his shorts. He unbuttoned them and stroked the length of him.
Luke watched intently as Ryan gently stroked him, moaning loudly when Ryan took him in his mouth.
"Oh, f*ck," Luke murmured as Ryan continued to suck the tip of him, his hand expertly stroking his length all the while. "Dude I'm gonna...sh*t..."
He exploded in his mouth seconds later, trembling at the thought of how intimate they had just been.
Ryan released him and wiped his mouth, then trailed kisses back up his body.
"Do you feel better?" he asked.
Luke wrapped his arms around him and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Now I do." He looked at Ryan cautiously. "This stays here, okay?"
Ryan nodded, smiling. "Yep. It's our secret."
"Luke, man! Wait up!" Ryan called, finally catching up to him. Luke had stopped at his car, but was leaning against it rather than getting in.
"If you say anything..." he started.
"I won't," Ryan assured him. He stood there, awkwardly shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "Are you okay?"
Luke shot him a look that told Ryan he clearly wasn't.
"Okay, stupid question."
Luke stood in silence for a minute before saying to no one in particular, "This is so f*cked up." He sighed. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Dude, your dad didn't do this to punish you," Ryan told him.
"I'm so stupid," Luke continued, ignoring what Ryan had said. "How could I not know that my own dad is...?" His voice got caught in his throat. "I can't even say it," he choked out, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand. He turned so Ryan wouldn't see him cry.
Ryan looked over his shoulder at the car dealership. "Let's get out of here."
Luke nodded silently and started up the car. He drove to the school, parking near the baseball diamond. "This is where I go to think," he explained, getting out of the car.
Ryan followed him over to the dugout, watching as the other boy sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Why?" he whispered to no one in particular. He cried for a few minutes, then got up, grabbing hold of the chain link fence and shaking it hard. "Why?"
He walked over to a wooden post and started to punch it, not caring about the pain.
"Luke," Ryan said, coming up behind him. The other boy didn't stop; he was too angry. "Luke."
Ryan spun him around. "Luke! Listen to me! Hurting yourself won't do anyone any good, do you hear me?"
Luke looked down at his bloody knuckles and sighed, frustrated. "What am I supposed to do, man? All I want to do is punch my dad's lights out!"
"It won't do any good," Ryan told him calmly.
Luke began to pace, his frustration growing. He muttered things under his breath, clenching his fists in anger.
Ryan watched him helplessly. What could he do for him?
Luke continued to mumble, growing more angry by the minute. Ryan managed to pick up on some of what he was saying.
"Not him, too."
"What do you mean, 'not him, too?'" Ryan asked curiously.
Luke looked up, startled. "Nothing." He turned and walked out onto the baseball diamond, stopping when he reached the pitcher's mound.
"Who else?" Ryan asked, appearing behind him. He cautiously put a hand on the taller boy's shoulder.
Luke spun around to face him, his eyes wide in fear.
"Who?" Ryan asked softly.
Luke sat down on the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Why do you care?"
"Because you're hurting and you need to talk to someone," he replied.
Luke stared up at the clear autumn sky. "It was two years ago at football camp," he began, never tearing his eyes away from the sky. "It was the middle of summer, so the heat was unbearable. Coach was drilling us extra hard and the pads and jerseys were just making it worse. So, naturally, all the guys ditched shirts and we were playing in skins." He swallowed hard.
"I had the ball. I was running for the end zone when some guy tackled me, pinning me to the ground."
Ryan watched his demeanor change. He looked vulnerable.
"It was so strange," Luke continued, biting his lip. "The guy was on top of me for maybe 2 seconds and I didn't want him to move." He shook his head. "No."
Ryan sat beside him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder "It's okay."
Luke stared at him, wide-eyed. "That's easy for you to say," he shot back. "You're not the one that..."
"Gay?" Ryan finished. No one had spoken that word all night.
"I must've gotten it from my dad," Luke reasoned. "That's gotta be it."
Ryan shook his head. "It's not hereditary, Luke."
"So now you're an expert?" Luke snapped. "How do you know?"
"Because my dad's not gay," Ryan said quietly. He watched Luke's expression change from anguish to confusion instantly and didn't give him a chance to respond.
* * * * * *
'Oh my God,' Luke thought, a million things racing through his head. 'Ryan's kissing me!'
He concentrated on how good his lips felt on his own, reaching up and caressing the side of Ryan's face with his hand.
He felt Ryan's tongue slip into his mouth and gave in to temptation, kissing him back with everything he had in him.
Ryan put a hand behind his head and laid him on the ground. His lips moved to Luke's throat and he reached for the buttons on his shirt.
"What are we doing?" Luke whispered as Ryan suckled his neck.
Ryan pulled back to look at him. "Do you want me to stop?"
Luke shook his head and crushed Ryan's lips with his own once more as Ryan unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. He slid Ryan's shirt over his head and kissed his toned chest.
"No," Ryan whispered. "Tonight's about you, not me." He kissed his way from Luke's throat down to his stomach, pausing at the waistband of his shorts. He unbuttoned them and stroked the length of him.
Luke watched intently as Ryan gently stroked him, moaning loudly when Ryan took him in his mouth.
"Oh, f*ck," Luke murmured as Ryan continued to suck the tip of him, his hand expertly stroking his length all the while. "Dude I'm gonna...sh*t..."
He exploded in his mouth seconds later, trembling at the thought of how intimate they had just been.
Ryan released him and wiped his mouth, then trailed kisses back up his body.
"Do you feel better?" he asked.
Luke wrapped his arms around him and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Now I do." He looked at Ryan cautiously. "This stays here, okay?"
Ryan nodded, smiling. "Yep. It's our secret."