Okay. So I'm into gay guys. Sue me.

Okay. Don't sue me. Finny, Gene, Devon. Not mine.

Just sayin.

It wasn't really fair to Finny. After all I had gone through, all the inner turmoil and torture that I willingly subjected myself too I unconsciously hurt the person I thought was trying to hurt me. Of course he wasn't jealous of me or trying to make me fail. I just couldn't come to terms with the fact that he didn't care about my grades or my status within the social elite at Devon – he was the only elitist in his mind – that the only thing Finny actually cared about was me. Me as a person, an individual, not some scholarly recluse that he had saddled on him as a roommate.

No. Finny really cared. And I just couldn't understand why. I guess I never actually found out why. I suppose I never viewed myself as particularly interesting.

During the month when I ignored him nearly completely, a few weeks before I jumped for the last time, something happened that can only be described as catastrophic. It was quite possibly the most influential moment of my career at Devon, aside from the ultimate tragedy of the entire year.

It was again late at night, I was studying, like I usually was past hours, a small electric lamp shedding light on the peeling Latin text in front of me. Finny had snuck out to go re-organize a blitzball game that had been canceled a few days before and I stayed behind, feigning a headache. I glanced at the clock to the right of my desk, and eyeing the time, scowled. I couldn't go to sleep without knowing where Finny was. It was something that became almost a second-nature after rooming with him for so long.

Suddenly a knock came at the door and I rushed to open it, standing up and in my haste scattering my translation on the floor. The old green-gray door creaked open as I let a sliver of light pass through into the hall. With the small illumination present, I could see Finny's outline, sweaty and shirtless in the claustrophobic hall that seemed so small.

"Let me in Gene." Finny said tiredly, happily. "I want to sleep."

"Oh no you don't! How does a game of blitzball take so long?"

"We were temporarily disbanded. Three times."

"You're going to get in trouble," – 'Temporarily disbanded' meant that a teacher or prefect had come along. You had to scatter, wait for the authoritative figure to leave then continue the game after a suitable amount of time had passed – "You really shouldn't have stayed out so late."

"It was a good game." He said, voice losing its sleepy edge.

"That's no excuse."

"If you're so worried about my getting in trouble then why won't you let me in?"

"Appologize." I said stubbornly, annoyed at the boy in the outside hall.

"Appologize!" he repeated, sounding both outraged and amused at the same time. "For what? I didn't ask you to wait up. Besides, you like to study. Come on Gene, just let me in already."

"I want you to apologize."

"Gene I just want to go to sleep."

"Appologize!"

Finny sighed, bullheadedness momentarily distracted by his overwhelming tiredness. I could see his muscular outline sag and for a second I was elated at my victory. Finally I would get some small revenge against this arrogant boy that was constantly competing with me.

"I'm giving you to the count of three." Came the voice from the outside.

"What?" I asked, momentarily shocked.

"I'll break down the door if you don't let me in. And I'm giving you three seconds to calculate how much force a door can take before it breaks."

"Finny!"

"One."

"You wouldn't dare!" I yelled, slamming the door. We didn't have locks at Devon, something that led to more than a few odd situations.

"Two."

"Finny!"

"Three!" I had my shoulder to the door, but even with all my weight against the sturdy frame I couldn't stop such an athlete as Phineas. He barreled into the door and I was thrown back a few feet. Unfortunately, Finny's momentum was not stopped by a mere structure of wood and metal knobs. He barreled into the room, his unfaultable balance flawless even as he ran into the dorm.

His natural stability, however, was not enough to keep him on his feet as he ran headlong into me, knocking us both to the floor.

I never really appreciated just how well-built Finny was until that moment. Sure, I had seen him run and swim and canoe, but seeing him so close to me, and already so worked up from blitzball, sent a flush up my cheeks.

"Get off me you big oaf!" I said, growling, attempting to shove the mass of muscle above me off.

"Apologize." Came the equally agonized growl. Before I could reply, Finny twisted on top of me, straddling my hips and pinning my wrists to the ground in his deft, fluid and ultimately unexpected motion.

I didn't answer at first but tried to wriggle out to the other boys grip, my face still red in the dull light of the desk-lamp. I didn't want to apologize to Finny. I didn't want to admit that I was in the wrong. I wasn't! He made me wait up, pretending to study.

"Apologize or I'll have to punish you." Phineas said, leaning closer towards me, his attractive face twisted in a half smile that revealed most of his teeth anyway.

"How can you punish me if you've never been reprimanded before in your life?" I growled breathing hard underneath Finny, skin burning where he was touching me.

"I think I can think of a suitable penalty." He said, smirking now, inching closer, acting like everything he did was a game. Which it was to him, at least.

"Like what?" I asked angrily.

"Kiss me."

"What!"

"Do it. You've been bad."

"I. . Why?"

"You've been bad."

"No!"

His smile faded as he squeezed his thighs together during his decent down to my level. His hands tightened around my wrists and my breathing grew faster, my pulse pounding in my chest. A small pause, then, in a smaller voice than he had used previously, Finny muttered,

"You don't want to?"

"I. . Phineas!"

"Yes." He was still above me, his face hard and indiscernible in the dim light. I shifted again, trying to get loose, Latin papers crunching under me. I struggled slightly and felt Finny ease off my wrists, allowing me to slip out from under him, legs outstretched and still straddled by his own, my freed arms supporting me as I stared at the remarkable boy in front of me.

Face turned to the side, staring at the foot of my bed, Finny glared at the dull comforter. It wasn't me that angered him, but my lack of respect for him. He almost expected me to do anything he said. I was suddenly filled with an indescribable anger towards him. It wasn't fair to me that he was playing with me this way! Well, maybe Phineas should learn that I could play too.

In an instant I was very close to him, clutching the back of his neck and holding onto his face in a hard embrace that was unreflected in the gentle kiss I laid upon his lips. I didn't hold onto the other boy long enough for him to respond, just long enough for his eyes to widen and his mouth to part slightly in shock under mine.

I quickly pulled away and stood up, leaving Finny kneeling on the floor, watching me as I passed swiftly to the side of him and shut the door solidly. I turned to my desk, glared at the translation, then turned away from the text and went over to my trunk, getting ready for bed.

After I had fully changed and went back over to the desk to turn of the light, I looked again at Phineas still on the floor, watching me open-mouthed.

"Get to bed. You look awful." I grumbled. I switched off the light and crawled into my own futon-like divan. Only a few seconds had passed, just enough time for my eyes to adjust when I heard, rather than saw, Finny climb into his own bed.

Snorting impatiently, I shifted positions under my covers and glared at the wall.

In those next few minutes before I drifted off, I dammed the boy in the bed near me for not responding. I hated to admit it, but he had won again. Next time, I promised myself, I wouldn't be the one kissing Finny. He would be the one kissing me. Then we would see who was the winner. Then we would see.

Done while procrastinating while supposedly writing an ASP essay. Psh. As if.