A/N: Holy crap! Look how long this chapter is! Thank googleit6 for that because she's just so awesome and kept cheering me on to write this. So, finally things are starting to actually have a plot! I have some pairings already set up and I can assure you Ezio's party will be the longest chapter of all. And hurrah! Proper slash, at last! Between who? Well, you'll just have to read right? Expect updates to come faster because I'm finally inspired to write this story ~

And thanks to googleit6 once again, because she kindly beta edited this story and did it faster than I probably would have. And I also wanted to thank everyone who reviewed so quickly! Having that many reviews definitely helped me write this so quickly. So, review more!

EDIT: And damn it, doesn't like asterisks anymore, so for breaks I'll just have to use the break line.

Chapter Six

Saturday

Desmond woke to Ezio's earthquake inducing snore at six in the morning.

Groaning, Desmond rolled onto his back at looked at the plethora of tissues at the end of his bed. He heaved a sigh when he thought back to last night and the things he had clearly imagined. Tummy grumbling, Desmond sat up and crawled down the ladder silently, knowing he wouldn't wake Ezio. Treading the hallway carefully, he managed to make his way to the bathroom without bumping into anyone. He flipped the seat up and relieved himself, trying to shake Mr. Hastings out of his thoughts but he just couldn't do it. It was like telling Ezio to stop thinking with his dick; which clearly wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

Quickly, Desmond washed his hands and stretched, looking at himself in the mirror. To his surprise, he saw faint stubble coming through, and although he had never grown a beard and disliked most of them, Desmond decided that he wanted to grow some stubble. It made him look older and perhaps it was Mr. Hastings' kind of thing. Pulling at the skin under his eyes, for the first time, Desmond regarded his complexion. Though before he could examine himself fully, there was a slam on the door.

"Hey, Ezio! Hurry up! You take as long as Claudia! Now hurry up!" Federico yelled, probably waking everyone else up in the house. Quickly, Desmond reached for the doorknob and swung it open, catching Federico by surprise. "Oh. Desmond, it's just you. Sorry, man- thought you were Ezio," he grinned and stepped into the bathroom, causing Desmond to step out just as fast. Trying not to wake anyone else, Desmond tip toed back to Ezio's room and seated himself at the desk. Making sure the speakers weren't on, he booted the computer up. Stifling a yawn, Desmond typed in Ezio's password – belle figa – and instantly found himself looking at a year old photo of Leonardo, Ezio, Malik, Altair, Kadar, Federico, and himself. They had spent the day together at the carnival which Desmond had read was coming into town again this year. Desmond had been surprised Ezio's desktop background wasn't a pair of knockers or a close up of a half naked ass.

Smiling, Desmond opened up internet explorer and clicked into his email and instant messaging before glancing at the clock, noticing it was only six twenty four. Who the hell would be on-

(6:24 AM) Malik –

good morning

Desmond smiled. So at least one person was on. Closing his email, he returned to the message window.

(6:24 AM) desmond –

morning to you as well – why up so early?

(6:25 AM) Malik –

couldn't sleep, what about you

(6:25 AM) desmond –

i slept over at ezios house last night, he snores like a fucking giant and I suspect he wont be up until noon because with how fair his skin is, he must get lots of beauty sleep

(6:25 AM) Malik –

only you would notice his fair skin

(6:26 AM) desmond –

shut up it was supposed to be a joke

(6:26 AM) Malik –

lol trying to cover yourself, way 2 go

Desmond laughed silently, looking over his shoulder for any sign of Ezio waking. Looked like he was in luck, for the boy was still drooling into his pillow.

(6:27 AM) Malik –

do you maybe want to do something today? tho i have to babysit kadar :/

(6:28 AM) desmond –

you still babysit him? hes in our class!

(6:28 AM) Malik –

ya our parents fail to see that hes not ten years old anymore I kinda feel bad for him

(6:29 AM) desmond –

well... he is kinda short for his age and by kinda i mean a lot but sure – what do you have in mind?

Desmond was staring at the clock in the right hand corner of the computer. Nine fifty three.

(9:53 AM) Malik –

You still there?

(9:54 AM) desmond –

yeah I just cant believe we've talked for this long haha

(9:54 AM) Malik –

well it is nice company ;) and we need to pass the time until noon anyways

(9:55 AM) desmond -

yeah good point anyways, so – I'll meet you at the park at noon and we'll just... hang out for the day? we'll meet at loner bench?

(9:55 AM) Malik –

sounds good to me

(9:55 AM) desmond –

alright well I'll talk to you later – I think I hear sleeping beauty rising out of her sleep. Thank god she didn't need a prince to wake her

(9:55 AM) Malik –

You could have done the job rite

(9:55 AM) desmond –

How flattering of you Malik but I am hardly a prince

Desmond grinned at the idea and waited for Malik's next reply, which for the past two hours had been non-stop as if he was the only thing the other boy had been focusing on.

(9:59 AM) Malik –

you underestimate yourself des, just give it a chance

(9:59 AM) desmond –

? give what a chance?

(9:59 AM) desmond –

?

(10:00 AM) desmond –

Malik!

(10:02 AM) desmond –

Come onnn

(10:02 AM) Malik –

See you at the park at noon

(10:02 AM) desmond –

Damn you Malik! You won't have the last word!

(10:03 AM) Malik –

But I always have the last word.

And before Desmond could type anything witty back, a message popped up in the right hand corner.

Malik has just signed out.

With a sigh, Desmond quickly looked to see if he had anymore messages and to his disappointment, he didn't. With reluctance, he shut down the computer and turned around, only to have Ezio standing right over him.

"What's got your panties in twist?" Ezio yawned, stretching, allowing his shirt to raise slightly and Desmond's eyes followed the trial of brown fuzz to the hem of his boxer shorts.

"Nothing! I was just... setting up plans later for today," Desmond mumbled and gazed elsewhere.

"Huh, because by the way you're avoiding my gaze and shit... I'd expect something is up."

"That's bullshit," Desmond stood up and began to gather his stuff. Quickly, he changed into his clothes from yesterday and borrowed Ezio's deodorant. He was fully aware of Ezio watching him closly but Desmond had to get home and change.

"What is it? Lucy asking you to come over for a sleep over?" Ezio crossed his arms and watched Desmond tug on his jeans.

Desmond looked at him with blank eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"She has a thing for you, Desmond. Are you blind? Tap that ass."

"No way!" Desmond felt his face flush as he pulled on his belt and grabbed his backpack. He had no idea why he was so flustered.

"Are you leaving already? What about breakfast?" Ezio scowled and grabbed Desmond's arm as he began to make his way out the door.

"Yeah, I gotta get home before my parents do. They get home from work always late in the morning. Thanks for having me over, I'll text you – alright?" Desmond sighed and jerked his arm away from Ezio and ran down the stairs. Without reluctance, he pushed through the front door and ran down the steps, making way to his house. Just as he made it to the bottom of the driveway, a voice suddenly called out to him. A familiar voice.

"Hey – kid! Want to grab me that paper? Paper boy doesn't know where the hell to put the paper when there's a mailbox right up near my door, idiotic twat..." A British voice trailed off near the end and Desmond felt himself break into a cold sweat. No.

As if everything were in slow motion, Desmond turned around to see a tall man wearing glasses, dressed in a simple red robe standing at the top of his porch with a mug. In an instant, Desmond felt his heart explode and he thought he was going to die.

Mr. Hastings was Ezio's new neighbour?

As soon as they made eye contact, Mr. Hastings' lips parted slightly but before he could say anything, the mug slipped from his hand and smashed all over the floor, spilling a dark, hot liquid all over his feet.

"Fuck!" Mr. Hastings shouted as he jumped back and rammed himself against the door, groaning with pain. Desmond felt all the blood drain from his face before he hastily bent over, picked up the paper and flung it at his teacher's porch so it would land on his steps. But instead of landing on his steps, the paper collided with the side of Mr. Hastings' head, causing him to shout a string of curses before he began to make his way down the steps with a very, very large scowl.

Before Mr. Hastings made it to his driveway, Desmond bolted down the street, ignoring Mr. Hastings' hollering for him to return. Pushing himself, Desmond ran as far as he could before he had to stop and bend over for air. Gasping, Desmond slowly stood up and looked behind him and breathed a huge sigh of relief when he didn't see his teacher behind him. With a small job, Desmond ran up to his house and was glad that there wasn't a car in the driveway. Looking around, he made his way to the front door, pulled out his key, and unlocked it.

Without making a sound, Desmond stepped into the spacious, white house and closed it behind him. He took off his shoes and kept them on the matt, trying not to get a single speck of dirt on the ground. The whole place was pristine and not a single thing was out of place as Desmond made his way through the hallway carefully. Desmond sprinted up the stairs and jumped into the bathroom, taking a shower in under five minutes. As he jumped out, he listened for his parents, praying that they hadn't got home. The house was still as silent as ever.

He made his way to his room and grabbed a change of jeans and shirt. Except, when Desmond changed into his outfit for the day, he didn't want to wear it. With a frown, he undressed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a different shirt but he didn't like that, either. Groaning in frustration, Desmond tried another shirt and decided he would keep it. A simple American Eagle polo shirt with his slightly ripped jeans that he fallen too many times in. Looking into the mirror, he sighed with frustration, but ended up just grabbing his wallet and shoving it in his pocket. Before he could cover up his tracks, however, he heard the front door to the house open and his parents' bickering at each other.

"His shoes! He's home!" His mother cried out and Desmond could immediately hear her drop everything and begin to search the first floor of the house for him. Panicking, Desmond rummaged in his closet and pulled out a pair of shoes, since his favourite were down at the front door. To his annoyance, he pulled out a pair of pink high tops that Ezio had bought him as a birthday gift three years ago. But without having a choice, Desmond ran over to his window and flung it open as he heard his father running up the stairs.

"Desmond! Come here, Desmond! You're not in trouble- just come here!" His mother shouted and he could tell that she was at the bottom of the steps. Without thinking it over, Desmond tossed himself out the window and clung to the ledge, feeling the strain in all his muscles. Carefully, he began to scale down the side of his house, being careful to avoid windows just in case his parents were nearby any of them. When his feet harshly landed on the ground, he could hear his father yelling out his wide open window, followed by a string of heavy curses. Now it was a race for Desmond to run before his father made it to the front door.

"Desmond!"

He began his sprint, shoeless as he ran down the driveway, hearing the front door open just as he met the street. Pushing himself harder than he had escaping from Mr. Hastings, he ran down the street and kept running, even as his lungs felt as if they were going to explode. He needed to get to the park and he knew if his parents caught him, they would be severely pissed off with him and most definitely ground him.

As he made his way into town, he finally slowed down while he heaved a giant breath of air and doubled over, feeling his whole body ache. People were staring at him so he collected himself as quick as he possibly could and before he even took a step, his phone began to ring. Quickly, he slipped on his high tops and tied them up in record breaking speed. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, staring at the name flashing on the screen.

Home.

Gathering up all his courage, he pressed talk and pressed his cell phone to his ear.

"Desmond Nolan Miles! You are in big trouble, young man!" His mother screamed, causing Desmond to flinch and hold the phone away from his ear, fearing the ear-splitting volume. "Where the hell have you been? We've been trying to reach you and you never answered your phone! Where are you now? Why did you run from us? We were worried sick and-"

"Mom! Calm down, I'm in town. I'm meeting up with a friend and-"

"Is this friend a prostitute? Are you meeting with a drug dealer? Tell me the truth, Desmond!" She cried out and Desmond could hear her literally crying on the other line.

"No! Not at all! His name is Malik – you've met him before! Why the hell do you think I'd be doing that?" Finally, he pressed the phone back to his ear, trying to slink away from the glares of random strangers passing by.

"Well, you're never home! I always think the worst, Desmond!"

"I'm fine, really. I'll be home tonight, okay? I promise," he sighed and kicked himself mentally.

"... Okay. When? I want an exact time."

"How about..." Desmond looked at his watch. It was almost noon. "Six?"

"Fine. We'll have dinner on but Desmond, please be careful... There are very weird people in the city... We were so worried that you might have been killed..."

"Why would you think that?" Desmond began to walk to the park inside the city, taking his time as he passed by stands filled with wondrous crap. His mother didn't answer as he looked at a photo of Venice, Italy. It reminded him of Ezio, how his friend always said he'd take him there one day when they were old enough to drink.

"Have a good time in town, today, Desmond. I love you," she whispered into the phone.

"Yeah, I uh, love you, too," Desmond mumbled, embarrassed as he walked away from a stall and walked into the lush, green park which was shaded with numerous trees. He ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Walking into the park always made Desmond feel like he was walking into a king's garden. The grass was always green, cut to perfection and never had a single fault in it. The trees casted far shadows and shade for anyone walking along the smooth gravel pavement, regarding the rainbow of flowers always aligned perfectly and sprouted with their pedals in full bloom. Desmond felt completely at ease that he wasn't even anywhere near the city and tall buildings; that he was in some special reserve for a forest on the edge of being cut down, but saved in the nick of time. Walking on the pathway, Desmond finally came across Loner bench and sat down, fulfilling its name. But he wasn't alone for very long.

"Why do they call it loner bench? I never really asked," Malik sat down beside him on his right, while Kadar sat on Desmond's left.

"Well, from what I remember, the people who usually sit on this thing are loners who have no friends and they just watch everyone else go by." Desmond shrugged. "It's dumb, but whenever I'm here and I walk past this bench, there's always a heartbroken lookin' kid or lonely old man sitting on it."

"Think the two have anything to do with each other?" Kadar chuckled, causing Malik and Desmond to roll their eyes.

"I hope not. What did you guys have in mind for today?" Desmond looked at them both, smiling at Malik and then Kadar. They both shrugged simultaneously.

"Well, I was hoping we could go to the mall," Kadar suggested, raising his eyebrow when both of the older boys looked at him. "I want to buy a new shirt for... this girl I like..." And when Kadar said something about a girl, both Malik and Desmond's cheeks blushed a soft red.

"You... uh, never mentioned something about a girl," Malik looked at him, leaning in slightly and Desmond immediately caught that Malik was breaking into his personal bubble. Slightly embarrassed, Desmond tried to lean back into the bench but was already as far as he could go.

"Well... I don't know, I just didn't want to say anything. Does it kill to have a secret?" Kadar frowned and Malik sighed, pulling back slightly. Desmond sighed, although more in relief than anything else.

"I guess not, but... Who is it?" Finally, Malik broke out into a grin and Desmond felt himself lighten up.

"... Maria," Kadar smiled and Desmond caught a certain gleam in his eye that he had never seen in the young teen.

"But doesn't she really like Altaïr?" Desmond asked, wishing he hadn't let the last word leave his lips. He instantly felt Malik tense up beside him for reasons unknown.

"Well... I don't know, she's been talking to me lately and all so..." Kadar smiled slightly, "I just want to impress her and get a new kick ass shirt!"

Desmond laughed, and then was followed by Malik's delayed laughter. "Fine, fine – we'll go shopping for you and maybe I'll find something too, I want a new hoodie." Desmond grinned, stood up and instantly, the two boys were beside him. They began to walk to the mall and managed to manoeuvre their way through the maze of streets that lead them to their destination.

"Do you shop at lot, Des?" Kadar asked and looked up at him, and for the first time, Desmond noticed how he was almost a head shorter than him.

"Uhh, not really. My parents don't give me money to go out shopping but I found a fifty dollar bill like, a month ago and I haven't blown it yet," Desmond laughed, grinning as he recalled the memory of finding the bill on his neighbour's lawn. He couldn't recall a time he had jumped so hard on anything.

At first, Desmond thought it would have been awkward, but to his surprise, it wasn't at all.

It wasn't like he hadn't hung out with Malik before, but it was never just the two of them (it was like Kadar wasn't even there). They had always been in groups and Ezio had usually taken the social awkwardness and tossed it out the window. But here with Malik, all things seemed to just slide into place. Kadar would often pipe up and mention something, cueing Desmond or Malik to speak up to either correct him or tell him a story.

"But I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong," Malik grinned and ruffled his younger brother's hair, much to Kadar's annoyance. Desmond smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet.

"Any of you ladies want an ice cream?" He grinned, causing Malik to chuckle under his breath and Kadar's eyes to widen like a tiny child's would have.

"Yes please!" Kadar beamed and sauntered over to the flavour chart, eyes scanning the numerous kinds. Desmond looked at Malik, who shook his head.

"Why not?" Desmond asked, watching as every step he took closer, Malik's cheeks turned a tiny bit redder.

"I just... don't want one. Go ahead, buy Kadar one and-"

"It's fucking hot outside and you're telling me you don't want an ice cream? I think you're just trying to be a girl and reject my sweet, love proposal to you," Desmond laughed and poked Malik in the shoulder. Malik stared at him, wide eyed.

"Er... I-I guess it is pretty hot... Just vanilla please."

"Hey, vanilla's my favourite!" Desmond grinned and went to get three ice cream cones from the vender. He wasn't surprised when Kadar wanted Cotton Candy. He handed a fiver over and took two Vanillas (Kadar had instantly taken his and began to lick at it at a frantic pace). He walked over to Malik, who had taken a seat on a nearby bench to rest his tiring feet.

"Here you are, m'lady," Desmond smirked and handed Malik his ice cream cone, causing Malik to take it with a small, mumbled thank you. Desmond watched as Kadar began to devour his ice cream cone, biting large chunks out of it rather than small licks. "Slow down there, cowboy. You're gonna give yourself-"

"Brain freeze!" Kadar cried out and clutched his head, earning a laugh from Malik and Desmond at the same time.

"He told you so," Malik smiled and nibbled at his vanilla ice cream, letting the taste linger on his tongue.

"Come on, get up you lazy ass – let's go find Kadar some shirts and a sweater for me," Desmond winked and turned around, completely missing Malik's jaw fall. But out of the corner of his eye, Kadar watched his brother quickly recompose himself.

"Hey, how about you two go check for sweaters at American Eagle? I'll meet you guys there – I wanna go grab something for Maria at a store on the first floor. I'll meet you guys in the store, alright?" Kadar grinned widely and before either of them could reply, he took off in a stride fast enough to be considered a jog.

"... Huh," Desmond cocked his head slightly and took a big lick of his ice cream. Before he could stop it from happening, his whole scoop fell to the floor, splattering over his shoes. Malik stared for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"It's not funny!" Desmond sighed and chucked his empty cone into the trash. Malik laughed and took a teasing lick of his ice cream, making sure he kept Desmond's gaze on him. Desmond rolled his eyes. "Asshole."

"Jeez, Desmond – if you want, you can just have some of mine," Malik sighed and offered it to him. With a grin, Desmond leaned in and licked it from the tip of the cone right to the top, sticking his ice cream coated tongue out at Malik as he pulled back. "Mature, real mature."

"Hey, why is it when you're with me, you're so loose and fun to hang out with? But when Ezio or Altair are around, you get all tense and dare I say...stoic?" Desmond grinned and playfully punched Malik in his the shoulder.

"It's not my fault," Malik shrugged, smiling back slightly. "Ezio just bugs the hell out of me, he does all that crap to annoy Altair who doesn't really give a shit. I think Altair has some weird crush on Leo," Malik heaved a sigh.

"... But... I thought you and he..."

"Wait, what?" Malik looked at him, deer in the headlight style.

"I mean... you two were always close and-"

"Desmond, he ignores me in class and when we hang out, it's usually silent. He's like a different person around Leo," Desmond saw that Malik's lips were turning into a frown. He didn't exactly want this to turn into an all out emotional bawl.

"Well, whatever – if he doesn't like you, he's missing out. Forget Altair, why don't you hook up with me?" Desmond laughed teasingly. "We look the same, though I'm a bit warmer than he is."

Malik stared at him and for a moment, and Desmond thought he had said something that had offended him or something.

"A bit? More like a lot," Malik finally said after several long, awkward moments. "You're fire, he's ice."

Desmond smiled and took a lick from Malik's ice cream. "Well, that's a nice confidence booster."

"I told you that you're capable if you try," Malik looked away, trying to hide his corny smile. And for a moment, Desmond felt his heart flutter.

"Oh, right. What was that all about-"

"American Eagle! Come on, let's find a hoodie for you!" Malik finished off his ice cream cone and tossed it in the garbage before he walked into the sweet smelling store. They walked around, regarding the shirts that all seemed similar in one way or another and made their way to the far wall of the men's side, where hoodies were lined up according to colour. They walked over and began to browse through them, grinning as they realized that Desmond practically had all of them already.

"All that's left are extra smalls – did you already buy out all the extra larges?" Malik laughed and pulled out an azure blue hoodie and help it up to Desmond's chest.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny," Desmond smirked. "I can fit an extra small any day."

"Ten bucks says you can't," Malik grinned and leaned against the wall, and pulled a ten dollar bill out his wallet.

"You just bought me dinner," And with the challenge, Desmond took the pull over hoodie, picked up a pair of skinny jeans just for the laughs and went to the change room, Malik following close behind him. With no one else in the store, there wasn't even someone at the door so they both just slipped in and picked the door on the farthest right.

"Ten bucks," Malik repeated and leaned against the wall, watching as Desmond stuck his tongue out and shut the door. He took his jeans off and jumped into the skinny jeans, trying not to laugh as he bounced around, trying to stuff himself into them. Finally, he managed to do up the button and zip up the zipper with a little bit of difficulty. He then began to pull on the sweater, but about halfway through, he realised it was way too small. But after about a minute of struggling, he managed to pull it completely over his head, though he felt as if he was going to die of asphyxiation. Feeling the sweater tear at the seams, he managed to open the door and Malik's face was priceless.

"Christ, Desmond! You leave nothing to the imagination!" He laughed and doubled over, stealing glances at Desmond that only caused him to laugh harder. Desmond began to laugh but it hurt, so he had to fight the laughter rising in his throat.

"Help... me... out," Desmond breathed, smiling as Malik rose an eyebrow and walked over to him, still laughing. Malik grabbed the bottom of the sweater and tugged, but the thing didn't budge. He tried again but once again, it was to no avail.

"Holy crap... This thing is like, glued to you," Malik smirked and tried to give a quick, hard tug, but only sent Desmond stumbling back into the change room to slam his back against the wall.

"Jesus! Trying to start a fight?" Desmond laughed. "That was like a bad ass shove!"

"Sorry," Malik chuckled and walked into the change room, accidently letting the door close behind him. The small room seemed a lot smaller than it had looked. Desmond found himself pinned against the wall as Malik kept trying to yank the sweater off, though he wasn't doing too great of a job. Quickly, Desmond felt himself getting warm and he could actually feel a bead of sweat form on his neck.

"New skin for you, Des," Malik teased him but with a quick jerk, Malik finally yanked the sweater off and flung it hard against the wall. "Whew! We got it!" Malik cheered but instantly found his cheeks redden as he noticed that he had accidently taken Desmond's shirt off with it. For a moment, Malik's eyes were staring into Desmond's but then they trailed down slowly, taking in Desmond's body. Without knowing it, he cautiously reached out and pressed his fingers lightly against Desmond's abs, earning a small gasp from Desmond because of his cool touch. Missing a beat, Malik awkwardly looked at him, silence speaking louder than any of the words he said earlier.

Then suddenly, Desmond was remembering all the words he had said earlier. Have I been... flirting?

Desmond watched, butterflies in his stomach, as Malik slowly leaned in and tilted his head, eyes closed. Without meaning to, Desmond did the same and the minute he felt Malik's lips touch his own, a violent shiver ran down his spine. With reluctance, Malik pulled back and opened his eyes the same moment Desmond opened his.

"I... I just kissed you..." Malik whispered, licking his lips which were suddenly dry.

"Yeah... I, uh... guess you did..." Desmond mumbled, trying to pull away from his gaze. But he just couldn't. He sort of... felt bad for Malik in a way he couldn't understand.

"C-can... Can I do it again?" Malik asked hopefully, closing more distance between his body and Desmond's.

"Uh..." He couldn't reject him. "Y-yeah... sure."

And Malik leaned in and kissed him again, this time better than the last. Without even knowing it, Desmond suddenly found his hands on Malik's hips, drawing him closer. But before he could do anything else, Kadar's voice echoed through the change room.

"Hey, Desmond, Malik! I found a cool shirt! Are you guys in here?"

Quickly without warning, Malik jerked his head back as if he was snapping into reality. Desmond was still too stunned to say anything more.

"Yeah! We're in the only closed change room you idiot!" Malik replied and Desmond could tell he was instantly nervous.

"Whatcha two doing?" Kadar grinned, although neither of them could see it. Quickly, Desmond grabbed the sweater, pulled his shirt out of it and tossed it over his head in a new record time. Malik opened the door.

"He got an extra small sweater and tried it on, it was too tight. What about the skinny jeans though, do you like them?" Malik looked at Desmond, eyeing him up. "I think they look good."

"Do they?" Desmond blushed and looked in the mirror. They didn't look half bad. "Alright, I'll... just, uh... take them." He closed the door and stood still for a moment, trying to hear what the two brothers were whispering to each other. But over the sound of changing jeans, he couldn't hear a single word. And he didn't know if that was good or bad. When he opened the door again, Kadar was holding a tee shirt.

"What do you think?"

Desmond looked at it.

"Muse? How do you know she likes Muse?" Desmond rose an eyebrow, careful not to make any eye contact with Malik.

"I looked at her Facebook profile."

"You mean stalked," Malik added in. "She hasn't accepted your friend request yet."

"Shut up! She will, I know it!"

"Desmond, are you okay?" Malik asked as they began to turn the block to Desmond's house. Even though they had taken the bus most of the way back, his feet were sore from walking a mile or two from Malik's to his own house. For some reason, Malik had wanted to leave Kadar at home. It wasn't like he was going to invite him in; he still had shit to sort out with his parents.

"Yeah, I'm just... tired," he smiled at Malik, who smiled back shyly in return. Since they began to walk alone, the kiss hadn't even been brought up, so Desmond figured Malik had decided to forget about it and he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.

But with Malik's next words, he doubted he would be forgetting it anytime soon. "I like you, Des, I really do. I mean... before it had always been like a friend but just... today, it kind of changed that."

"Oh," was Desmond's only reply as they walked up quietly to his door. He looked around, just in case any neighbours were watching them. He didn't feel like anyone's unwanted eyes were on them.

"I... I was wondering if you felt the same," Malik asked quickly, just as Desmond's hand landed on the knob.

"... Malik... I..." Desmond wished he hadn't the minute he looked at Malik because instantly, he could see the fear of rejection in his eyes. Desmond knew exactly how it felt and he couldn't help his next choice of words; he was just trying to prevent Malik from getting hurt.

"Yeah, I like you too," Desmond smiled and let go of the doorknob. He cupped Malik's cheek with his right hand and leaned down to kiss him gently. It was a longer kiss but as Desmond pulled away, he knew it definitely wouldn't be the last.

"Call me later?" Malik's face was bright pink as he stole another quick kiss, caught up in the moment. Before Desmond could answer him, Malik hugged him tightly and Desmond figured that Malik didn't get too many hugs. Quickly, he squeezed him and let go, promising that he would call him.

With a sigh, Desmond opened his door and stepped inside. But to his horror, his mother was standing at an angle that Desmond knew she could see what happened at the front door.

And her expression wasn't exactly a happy one.

Review to find out what happens next!