ok, i'm sorry, my movie premeirs in under two weeks and we dont have it all edited and we dont have a soundtrack yet, (Geoff, Andrew!!!!) i'm sorry but i have been a little busy. we also have to plan the premeir and my granduation project is on June 2nd. i have been a little over worked. sorry for not updating, sorry if this note seems pissy, i just spend a few hours with a pony who was intent on eating my watch and whatever arm might get in the way. topping it all off, i'm sick. (ok, venting done)

Aunt Elena's car was more than a little old. It creaked at every hard turn and rumbled as though there were an angry lion hidden in the engine who wanted out. A dark cloud of smoke belched out of the back as Dee hit the gas a little to hard.

We drove for what seemed like forever. We talked a little, but silence seemed to be the best companion for this trip. There was so much to be discussed but no one wanted to talk about it yet. Everything was still to fresh. The only dilemma was that it left me time to think. Thought of how they came at me, attacked me, and hated me for my love filled my mind. Trying to push them away was more imposable than getting Bikky to do his homework. It turned my stomach to even think of their faces.

"Dee," Dee's eyes flashed over for a moment before going back to the road ahead of us. "Pull over, I have to get out."

Dee did as I asked and I got out. I had thought about the attackers too much. The lunch that we had stopped for spilled out on the ground. I clutched my stomach until it was over. Dee's hands overlapped mine. "Don't worry baby, just let it all out. Don't hold back." Cementing his words, he kissed the back of my head lightly and whispered in my ear. "They cant hurt you now, you are safe."

I wobbled back to the car and sat down in the seat next to Dee. He turned around and looked at me. His eyes saw into my soul and read my mind "babe, how about I pull up some to get away from your little mess and then we just sit for a little bit?" He sighed deeply and stuck the key in the ignition. "And there is something that I think I need to tell you."

We pulled up far enough so that we couldn't see the mess and he stopped the car again. He unbuckled and put his arm around me. "I went through the same thing once." I looked up into his eyes, so surprised that I was ashamed. How could I think that I was the only one who had gone through this? "They beat me into the ground because I was gay. After that, I hid it. I broke up with my current boyfriend and went out with a girl. One night I saw the same group of punks doing the same thing to some other guy. That night it hit me, by breaking up with the man I loved, I was letting them win. I had broken up with someone that I loved and was going out with someone that I personally wouldn't care if she fell off a cliff other than wondering why there was a cliff in good ole NYC." Dee hugged me close, or as close as he dared to anyway. "Don't let Jered win."

"I wont." I hugged him back. It hurt but it was worth it just to see him happy. That was what he had been worried about. He had thought that I would leave him. I knew the truth, I couldn't even if I wanted to. It would have been the death of me and then Jered would have won for good.

grr!!!! Too short to be a chapter, necessary for the plot, and doesn't lead into the next part very well!!!! Could this get any worse?!?!?! Well, it could I could end it right here, but I will continue on and everyone will pretend that it is a new chapter because it would have been too short to!

Dee pulled into the parking lot for the hotel. It was near dark and this was one of the few that were decent. It had not taken more than a few hours to get there, but Dee had made sure that the vacation spirit was not lost.

We had stopped at a museum that Dee did not want to go to but suggested it because he knew that I was into art. He, although being an artist, despised art museums because they were "stuffy" and "more suited for rich snobs than artists." It hadn't been very amazing. All of the works there were copies of famous art works like the Mona Lisa and every other cliché piece of art. The reproductions were of low quality, but we had fun anyway.

Dee extended his hand to help me out of the car. After pulling me up, he pulled me close to him. Our chests touched as well as everything below them. A small peak on the cheek and he stepped back. He was still worried about how my body was holding up.

He put his arm around my waist and started guiding me into the hotel lobby. Ashamed of the appearance of my face, I looked down and away from everyone. The receptionist turned her head to the side and looked at me. "I'm sorry sirs, but I don't believe that our policy would allow you to share a room. It says that if there is any suspicion of abuse I cannot allow you to be alone together. I'm sorry, but that is the policy. That and what you are is outright wrong."

Dee's eyes flew to fight mode. "look, he has been through more today than I hope you ever have to go through in your life! A former friend of his just beat him into the ground because he is gay! I do not feel like putting him through any more shit today!"

A bright blush washed over my face. "Dee!" I couldn't believe that he was telling all of this to someone that he didn't even know! "What are you doing?" His face softened and his hand came up to my face, petting the bruise with the lightest of touches.

"Ryo babe, why don't you just sit down. I know that one of those kicks hit your legs, I saw the bruise myself, and I don't want you standing on it until we know everything that happened."

I did go and sit down, not because my leg was bothering me but because I didn't want to hear Dee trying to convince the girl that we should get a room together. I clutched my knees to my chest, ignoring the shots of pain, and tried to keep my eyes dry. He was fighting my battle, but I couldn't help him, I was too weak. Maybe if I hadn't been so weak they never would have been able to hurt me like that. No! That was not the way to think! There was no way that I could have defended myself, everything had just happened too quickly.

Dee sighed visibly and stalked over to where I was sitting. "Well, she still wont let us stay together and we don't have the money for two rooms. I will sleep in the car. I want you to take good care of yourself tonight, got it? If I find out that you didn't sleep then I swear that I will go in your room and make you sleep!"

I agreed and went up to the room after Dee handed me the key. It was a normal boring hotel room with a crappy view and beds as soft as limestone. The walls were done with a hideous red, yellow, and orange striped wall paper with a texture to hide that it was just as cheep as the ancient maroon carpet that must have been found in the tombs of the Egyptians.

I laid down on one of the beds, knowing full well that I would not sleep well. Like the night before, I needed Dee's arms around me. I would need them for a long time, not just now. The only difference was that I no longer wanted them to know that he was safe but for the more selfish reason that I wanted safety. This time I wouldn't crawl back to him. My pride had taken enough damage for the day.

I tossed and turned through the night as much as my body would allow. At some point, I don't remember what time it was, I reached into my jacket pocket and took out some Tylenol PM that Aunt Elena had sent with me. I took two and drifted to slumber-land, the world where dreams and nightmares come true. I was haunted by the latter of the two.

The nightmares that had plagued me before faded into the back of my mind, these were far worse. In the first, Bikky was getting ganged up on because Dee had moved in officially. The other students blamed him for my sins and were not as forgiving as they could have been. When I went to help him he chased me off. Dee had come but not to offer comfort. He smacked me. The only time that he had ever hit me was when I....I was disgracing him. I had thought that he would be low enough to take advantage of my body when my mind was weakened by my parent's murderer. He had knocked some sense into me. This time it came without reason. No, it was with a reason, he hated me.

I woke up to a cold sweat and a hot sun. I rolled over, still numb from the medicine, and looked at the blurry red numbers on the alarm clock. It was almost noon. The pills had knocked me out for longer than I had expected, but I felt much better now.

A solid knock on the door caused me to come back to reality. I answered for them to come in and the door swung open. Dee came in followed closely by Aunt Elena. Dee was at my bedside in a flash with his arm around my back and his other hand on mine.

"Ryo, how are you?" He asked, leaning in closer and closer. "Come here." He did not demand or question, he just whispered it to me, letting me know that he wanted it if I was willing to give anything to him when my aunt stood so close. I leaned forward, seizing his mouth with mine. The kiss was short and there was no deep passion, only concern and affection.

"Dee, I love you." I whispered to his lips. He responded with another tender lip lock.

After our moment of sap, I looked up at my aunt. "It's alright, you can continue," she smiled. "I don't mind that, I just wish that you had told me. I am happy for you, I really am, but I don't like the truth being kept from me."

Dee helped me to get up, not wanting me to have to do anything on my own, and advised that I get a shower before going on the plane. My hair was still dull with the dust kicked up during the scuffle. It would take quite a few washings to get it all out. Dee offered to help me, but I refused him.

"I'll wait out here then and talk to Elena." He offered. I nodded and then turned away. I could hear them sit down on the bed. Maybe now she would get the straight story, well, maybe not straight, but the truth.

They stayed on dull topics such as how we met, when we began dating, the basics. I felt safe that she would not hear anything that I didn't want her to, until she brought up a topic that I wanted to avoid. "So, um, I know that this might be prying, but have you, how should I put this, consummated it yet?"

Dee laughed as I imagined that Aunt Elena turned a lovely shade of red almost matching the carpet. "No, not yet. Ryo seems to be big on waiting. In any other case I would have told them to forget it, the great Dee waits for no one. Since he came along, that changed. For over a year I got nothing more than a kiss, and I had to fight to get those. There is just something different about him. I cant explain it, but I could wait a lifetime for him, just as long as he loves me." Inside the bathroom, my heart melted. It hadn't crossed my mind that he could be that romantic.

"I think he is about ready to change his mind about that. Even before Rick found you two upstairs we suspected something. When he wasn't paying attention his eyes would wander over to you and yours did the same to him. I didn't know if you to had actually gotten together, but I could sense an attraction. Seeing him now, like when you came in here, I could tell that you love each other, not just each other's body. I wish you two the best of luck. Oh, and you were also grabbed his butt when we went to the beach."

I showered as fast as I could and rushed out of the bathroom. Dee pulled me onto his lap and Aunt Elena grabbed my left arm. She redid the split that I had removed before the shower. "You must get this looked at, along with your ribs, as soon as you get home."

I nodded and we were in the car in no time. Aunt Elena had already booked us some plane tickets and we still had enough time for 'breakfast'. We drove out to a local restaurant and got a booth.

Under the table, Dee held my hand in his, letting go only once to cut up some food. A smile stayed on my face no matter how hard I fought it. I leaned in on his arm some and rested my head on his shoulder. I heard someone mutter something about not needing this at this time of day and ignored them. If they couldn't deal with me leaning on Dee, tough luck for them. This was how it was going to be for a long time and nothing could change that.

Ok, short, I know! Debating as to if I should put up another chapter or not. Things seem rather resolved. Ryo's aunt and uncle love him, he doesn't give a damn what other people think of him, and Dee understands that he is going to get laid. Don't know of anything else to put in there, everything seems rather taken care of if you ask me! if you find something that need to be summed up, email me. i will be in a better mood soon