Title: Into better days
Rating: rated M
Disclaimer: The real people I'm referring to belong to themselves of course. Their characters and gimmicks belong to the WWE.
Pairing(s): Mason/Evan
Summary: High school can be hell. But what happens if some of the 'outsiders' decide to stand together, facing all the injustice each of them had to suffer in their past? A loose alliance soon transformed into friendship... and more...
Warnings: sexual content
A/N: Gosh, I'm sorry for the delay... As always... Well, thanks for your comments, they're very appreciated. And, please, stay with me, ok? :)
XI. - All our fears are gone!
"Look, a stranger!" Daniel leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head. Cody closed the door behind him, his ears beet red. Irritated he corrected his glasses.
"Shut up, nerd", Wade said. "It's not fair to say that to... to... what was your name again?" He grinned arrogantly. Daniel and the others laughed.
It seemed as if Cody was about to give him a snappy reply, but he didn't. Instead, he sighed and sat down next to Daniel, who was relaxing on Phil's big sofa. It was Wednesday afternoon, almost evening, and the boys - minus Evan - met up at Phil's as they did almost every day. Sheamus and Daniel had been working on some song ideas while Phil, Wade and Mason were playing a card game.
"To what do we owe the honour of this visit?"
Cody gave Daniel a stern look and the bearded boy fell silent. "It's not a crime to spent time with other people, is it?", he snapped. He didn't dare to talk back to Wade or Phil, but Daniel was different. The dark blonde boy was roughly his age and, most important, smaller.
"Sheesh, calm down", Daniel sighed. They fell silent until Sheamus started playing on his bass again, and the others returned to their game.
After some minutes, Cody stood up, got himself a glass of tap water, and went over to Phil. He bent down, suspiciously eyeing his cards, but he didn't say a word. Phil was getting nervous with someone peeking into his hand. "Can I help you?", he asked, putting his cards down.
"Can I borrow your phone for a minute?"
Wade and Mason looked up. "What for?", Phil asked.
"I have to check my mails and mine has low battery. Also, you're the only one in here who'd be nice enough to lend me his!" Cody put extra emphasis on the last words. Instead of feeling guilty, Wade just grinned, and Mason turned his attention back to his cards. He didn't even own a cell phone.
"Here you go." Phil drew his phone out of his back pocket. Cody took it. Turning around he pressed the small button on the upper side of the phone.
"It's turned off", he complained afterwards.
"What?" Phil stood up, took his phone and turned it on again. "The fuck, I didn't turn it off!" Confused he entered his pin and gave the phone back to Cody, who was standing close behind him.
"Thanks", the smaller boy replied. He played with it for a while and handed it back to his friend, a guilty feeling arising in his stomach. The rest of the day he spent silently, listening to Daniel and Sheamus, and ignoring the gnawing thoughts.
He met up with them at the men's restroom during one of the short breaks. Mike and Ted were already at their meeting point when Cody arrived. Nervously the boy checked whether none of his friends had followed him.
"Did you get it?", Mike asked. He was leaning against one of the stall's doors, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He eyed Cody with a mixture of arrogance and expectation.
"I did", Cody responded and gave him a small piece of paper. A number consisting of four digits was written on it. "Phil's locker combination", he added unnecessarily.
Instead of taking the shred Cody was holding out to him, he gave Ted a wink. The taller boy took it and put it into one of his pockets. "I have to ask: how did you get it?", he asked curiously.
"T'was pretty easy", Cody started to explain. "Phil... he's not good in remembering digits. He practically hates them. Therefore, every numerical pin code he uses is the same. I just had to find out one to know them all..." He averted his gaze. Somehow he still couldn't believe what he just did. He basically betrayed one of his friends, and, on top of that, without knowing what Mike was planning to do with this information. He had asked the blonde boy, but he had refused to tell him. 'I'm a horrible, horrible person', Cody thought, but the reward Mike had offered him had just been too tempting.
Quite pleased with himself and his accomplishment Mike's grin widened. "Excellent", he said. He took a step towards Cody and put one arm around the younger one's shoulder. "And because I'm a real friend.." - luckily Cody didn't notice Ted's sarcastic snort - "... I kept my promise. I talked to Kelly and she's very positive about going on a second date with you. And who knows, maybe she'll put out. I think she likes you."
Cody's face brightened up. The thought of seeing the blonde girl again, the possibility of her liking him, made him very happy. He had fancied her for quite some time, and since his makeover and since he was friends with Mike, she seemed to be at least a bit interested in him, too.
"Thanks", he mumbled before storming out of the room.
"What an idiot!", Ted exclaimed. "He's backstabbing his friends to get into Kelly's panties. Hilarious!"
It became harder and harder for Evan and Mason to hide their relationship from their friends. Evan was relieved to able to talk to Daniel at least, but after each and every talk the bearded boy reminded him that, someday, they had to tell the others.
Another problem Evan had to face was, next to his extended training sessions and the limited time he had to spent with his friends, that it became even harder to hide things from his parents. He had to lie about where and with whom he spent his free time, because he didn't wanted them to suspect anything. The constant hiding and lying was stressful, and sometimes even wished that he could just tell them, but he was way to afraid of their reaction to actually do that. He accepted the bad feeling in his stomach he had every time he told them a lie, and he also accepted the even worse feeling of not being able to openly confess that he was in love with another boy. Sometimes he felt that he wasn't treating Mason right by not admitting their relationship to his family.
His head clouded with thoughts and doubts, he was riding his bike down the streets and towards home. The sky was painted in a dark shade of blue, and the cold wind was tugging at his light jacket. The days had become quite warm but the wind and the nights were still chilly. Evan enjoyed the cool and refreshing air. It was almost relieving to be able to inhale deeply without having the strange and chemical smell of chlorine and detergents all around him.
A car passed him by and Evan's heart beat faster. He was angry with himself for getting frightened by every sound of a car approaching him, but the attack from last winter, shock and fear, still gripped him to the marrow. Only two weeks ago his parents received a letter from the local police station that they had called off the criminal complaint. Four months and they hadn't been able to get any informations about his attackers. Evan still felt guilty for not being able to remember or describe them properly.
He reached the well-known crossroad and stopped. He didn't wanted to go home. He hadn't been able to meet up with his friends for weeks. The time they spent together in school wasn't enough to talk properly, especially with thousands of curious students around. He made a decision. His parents could wait. He desperately needed to talk to his peers, someone his age. Determined, he rode towards the street Phil was living in.
The driveway was empty, and no light shone through the windows of the two-storied building. Phil's car was standing underneath a nearby tree, covered with leaves and mud. Wade's Vauxhall was standing right next to it, the black varnish shone and not a single stain could be seen. Evan smiled. Somehow the cars did resemble their owners. Assured, he shove his bike towards the garage, leaned it against the wall, and entered the garage without knocking.
"Evs!", Daniel exclaimed as the young man entered the room. "I thought you wanted to go home after training." Sheamus, Wade and Daniel were practising, while Phil sat on the sofa, gnawing on a dry slice of bread. His feet resting on the low coffee table, the inked boy looked up.
"I did, but I changed my mind." Evan looked around. "Where's Mason?", he asked.
"Well, if you don't know where he is, how should we. After all, he's your b..."
Daniel fell silent, and Evan gave him an alarmed and shocked look. Curiously, Sheamus and Wade eyed the bearded guitarist, who was struggling for words. "... your b-best... friend..." Daniel ended the sentence, but the damage was already done.
"That's not what you wanted to say!", Phil pointed out and sat up. He looked from Daniel to Evan, and back to Daniel. "You two... you have a secret, don't you?"
Evan was stunned. He was standing between his friends and the safety of the door leading into the cold night, unable to move or talk. His eyes hastily wandered from one boy to the other, and he felt hot, terribly and daunting hot. He wanted to run to the door, get outside, and drive away from that expectant silence, those curious eyes.
Daniel was equally stunned. He scolded himself for not thinking before opening his mouth, but it was too late anyway. In order to not make it worse, he decided to remain silent, ignoring the questioning looks of his peers. Avoiding Evan's shocked look, Daniel started to pick at the strings of his guitar.
The silence grew heavier.
"For god's sake, say something!", Wade snapped at Daniel, and threw one of his drumsticks at him. But the boy just shook his head. He didn't even shout at Wade for hitting him with the stick, which made all of them even more curious and suspicious.
Eventually, Phil stood up. He seized Evan's arm and dragged the boy to the couch. He ordered him to sit down, and positioned himself right behind the swimmer. For him it was pretty obvious what was going on, and by standing behind Evan he could prevent the boy from running away if he'd chose to.
"I guess you wanted to say 'boyfriend'", Phil said, looking at Daniel, who watched his fingers with exaggerated diligence. "You do have a weird sense of humour, and we all know that you like to tease and annoy the hell out of us. But you never, never, fall silent! That means..." He laid his hands on Evan's shoulders. "... there's something to it! Am I right?"
The attention shifted from Daniel to now beet-red Evan. The small man sat on the sofa, hanging his head. He clenched his fists, digging his fingernails into the soft flesh of his palm. Biting his lips he was fighting back the tears. A car drove by and the loud sounds of a bass cut through the new silence.
Neither of them said a word. Finally, Phil abandoned his position and sat down next to a shivering and completely distraught Evan, watching him closely.
"I take the silence as a yes", he said in an unusual, soft tone. After a long pause, he sighed. "I think I can speak for all of us when I say: it's okay. You don't have to hide or disguise who you are. We're your friends, and we accept you the way you are. Whether you're straight, or gay or... or purple...
Look, I already suspected that something must've been going on between you two. You spent that much time together, and Mason always acts a bit overprotective around you. I didn't say anything because it's your life, your choice, but keep in mind that we don't have a problem with that."
Finally, Evan looked up. He had lost the fight, and some tears ran down his face. He wiped them away. A quick look at Wade and Sheamus confirmed Phil's words. Both looked at him normally. He wasn't able to describe it any better, but there was no change, no disgust, no irritation. They just looked at him; Wade with his slightly arrogant grin, Sheamus with his open and soft smile.
"See?", Phil asked and dishevelled Evan's hair. "No need to worry, silly." He laughed and got up. "No harm done!"
"And you...", Wade suddenly said, pointing at Daniel. "You knew and didn't tell us!" He threw his second drumstick at the guitarist. This time, Daniel ducked. Angrily, he spun around and started shouting at the English-born.
Evan laughed. He was relieved, and he wondered why he had been that terrified to tell his friends.
Later that evening, Evan wished his friends good bye, and rode his bike down the driveway. But he still didn't want to go home yet. Not after what just happened at Phil's. At the crossroads he turned left instead of right, and a short ride through the almost pitch-black darkness later he arrived at his destination. He took his cellphone and made a quick call before he climbed the three steps and rang the bell.
Evan didn't have to wait long. The door swung open and a brunette girl appeared in the bright gap. Her hair was messy and her puzzled look let him assume that she didn't expect late visitors at all.
"Evan! That's surprising. Come in." Marysa opened the door to let him in. The boy greeted her and apologized for the late disturbance. "Well, as long as you don't mind my appearance. I just wanted to make myself a cup of hot chocolate, and go upstairs to read a book." She tucked at her greenish sweatpants and gave him a shy smile. He loved that smile. It reminded him so much of...
"Mason's in the living room." Yawning, the girl went into the nearby kitchen. "You know the way."
When Evan entered the living room, Mason was already facing the door. He had heard the door bell and the voices, wondering who was visiting them that late. His facial features relaxed, as he noticed Evan being the unexpected visitor, and gave him a warm and welcoming smile. The younger boy crossed the room and sat down next to his tall friend.
"What are you doing here?", Mason asked after he gave Evan a soft kiss on the forehead. "You're parents must be worried", he said, eyeing the bag of sports clothes Evan had thrown into a corner after entering the room.
"I called them", Evan replied.
"They must be angry."
"They are", Evan affirmed. "But I don't care, I needed to see you."
Thoughtfully, Mason scratched the back of his head. "You shouldn't do that to them. They're nice people... great parents..." He paused, staring at the flickering monitor of the TV in front of them.
'I shouldn't have to lie to them, either', Evan thought sadly. They were still dwelling on thoughts in silence when Marysa looked into the room. "I'm going to bed now", she announced. "Don't forget to fetch Maria from kindergarten tomorrow, kay?" Mason nodded and soon her footsteps faded above their heads.
"I'm sorry", the tall boy apologized. "I didn't mean to kill the mood." He turned to Evan, who allowed him to take him into his strong arms. "I'm glad that you're here. I missed you."
"That's why I'm here", Evan said conciliable. "Studying, training for competitions... In the length of time this all becomes very dry and boring. Ah, and there's something I have to tell you..." A dull feeling spread in his stomach as he thought back to the conversations he had at Phil's earlier.
Mason eyed him curiously.
"Befor I came here..." Evan said after a while, "... I went to Phil to see him and the other boys. And... how can I explain..." He paused, thinking of how to described the events without mentioning Daniel's blooper. "Well, the long and the short of it, they know." He shrugged and hoped that his boyfriend understood his hints.
Mason did. He sighed and leaned back. "You seem pretty relaxed. I assume all went well?" He started to caress Evan's neck.
Evan laughed and nodded. "Wade was pretty mad at Daniel because he knew all along and didn't tell them." He closed his eyes, enjoying the soft touch of Mason's hand on his skin. They spent some moments in pleasant silence. Then, Evan said: "Phil's a good friend. He sure talks a lot, and he's very direct and sometimes he's not directly polite, but he's one of the most reasonable people I know. I'm so glad we're friends with him."
Mason nodded. "Bur right now I'm glad that you aren't that reasonable. Staying out late just to spent time with me..."
Evan laughed. "Oh, so I'm a bad boy? Do I need punishment?" I didn't think that his words may sound ambiguous, and smiled at his friend, innocently and pure.
"Perhaps I actually have to do that", the older one considered. He leaned in, and Evan feared that he would tickle him. Therefore, he closed his eyes, raised his hands and laughed even harder. But he misunderstood Mason's intentions. Instead of tickling him, Mason shove his hands underneath the thin fabric of Evan's shirt, caressing his chest, his stomach, while he started kissing the younger ones neck.
Evan gasped. He didn't expected that. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Mason's neck, holding him tight, and enjoying the delicate touch of his boyfriend. He suppressed a moan and flinched as Mason touched the sensitive spot right above his pelvis. He didn't realise that the older boy was opening his pants until he felt the cold skin on his thigh. He lifted up his hips to let Mason remove the disturbing piece of clothes completely.
"Do you really want to do it here?", he asked, opening his eyes. But Mason shook his head.
"This is just some punishment", he said, guiding his hands underneath Evan's underpants.
With clenched teeth he suck in the air as Mason touched his member, trailed his fingers down the soft flesh. He wanted to close his eyes again but Mason shook his head. "Look at me!", he ordered. "And if you dare to look away I'll stop." In order to show that he was serious he pulled out his hand.
"No", he heard himself saying and kept his eyes open. At first, that didn't seem to be much of a problem, but as Mason started to touch him again, stroke him, he felt the embarrassment coming down on him like a downpour. His head started to feel hot, but he didn't dare to look away. Mason's brown eyes pierced into his, and he felt as extradited and dependent as never before.
And Evan liked it. The embarrassment, the force, the strong grasp around his member. Sweat ran down his forehead. He opened his mouth, breathing heavily. Mason seized the opportunity and kissed him.
Then, he stopped his movements. Disappointed, Evan gave him a sad look, but Mason just smiled. He stood up, shoved one arm underneath Evan's back, the other one underneath his knees. Evan clung to his upper body as Mason lifted him up from the sofa.
"Wait...", he mumbled and tried to fight against his stronger friend. "I'm too heavy!"
"You're not, silly. I carried you before. You're light as a feather. I punished you enough, now let me do something for you."
With determined steps he walked out of the living room and up the stairs. "You already did", Evan mumbled at his neck. When they reached Mason's room the tall let him down to open the door. But before opening it completely to let Evan in he gave him a strict and exhorting look.
"If you run away I'll make you look at me the whole time while I fuck you."
Evan gave him an astonished look. He never expected him to say such things without being asked to do so. A little self-satisfied he realized that Mason started to blush at his own words. He gave the taller one an impish smile and looked at him, challenging, his chin raised.
"I can't wait for it!"
A/N: Already working on the next one and hope to publish soon!