Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Poets Society... I am just inspired by it.

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I love you, Todd. The moment the words escape my mouth, Ifreeze in panic. What if Todd thinks I'm lying? What if he gets scared and wants to stop seeing me? Worse yet, what if he doesn't care for me in return? Sure, we've been together since the Valentine's Ball, but then again, how many opportunities are there for guys like us in a school like Hell-ton?

But then... "I love you, too, Richard," Todd whispers against my neck, his breath hot against my skin as he clings to me.

I can feel him trembling in my arms as I hold him closer still. "We have each other, Todd... that's what it's all about. The only way I'm ever going to let you go is if you ask me to." I drop another soft kiss on his temple.

"Never," he says softly, kissing my neck. After a long moment, he lifts his lips to mine.

Something seems different about this kiss. Maybe it's the gladness of getting our letters from the Captain. Or maybe it's that we've admitted aloud how we feel about each other. Whatever the reason, I feel as though I can fly. My hands move along Todd's back, no less hungrily than usual but with more tenderness and less urgency. He responds in kind, and for the next hour or so, we forget about the food, the letters, and the school around us. We take our time exploring each other's bodies for a change, caressing with lips as well as hands. My breath catches in my throat as Todd hesitantly takes me into his mouth... something we haven't done before. "Yes..." I breathe, shifting around to return the favor. We get lost in the taste and feel of each other for what seems like days. When we come back to ourselves, we're wrapped in each other's arms as our breathing slowly returns to normal.

After a while of cuddling together, my stomach growls and Todd laughs. "So much for being able to live on love alone," he quips, tickling me.

I yelp and jerk away, being extremely ticklish. Naturally, I fall off the bed and we both start laughing. "I don't suppose that does work too well," I grin, pulling on my shorts and slacks. "Fortunately, we've still got half a pizza and two more Cokes, plus some Hershey bars. So we don't have to. We don't even have to try to live on mystery meat, at least not tonight."

He watches me dress, then pulls on his own clothing. "I'm glad of that. I don't want to go to the dining hall tonight, not after..." he blushes. "I feel like someone will see something in my face. That was... incredible..."

I lean over and give him a gentle kiss. "You are incredible, Todd."

Todd turns brighter red and tries for a change of subject. "Do you really think I'll be able to come see you this summer?" he asks wistfully. "It seems too good to be true."

"Tell you what," I suggest, picking up my unfinished pizza slice from earlier. "After we finish eating, I'll go to the pay phone and call my folks. I'm sure they'll not only say yes, they'll offer to talk to your parents themselves. And if I can come up with enough change, I can even call AJ at Dartmouth and see if he knows your brother, if you think that will help."

He nods. "I... don't bother your brother," he says. "If your father calls mine, that will be good enough, I think. Your family is from Boston, right?"

I nod. "Close to Boston, anyway... Andover. Father and AJ both went to Phillips Academy there. I was supposed to go as well, but my mother got sick when I was in the sixth grade, I'm not sure exactly what it was. But she had to have surgeries and live in a care place for a while to recover... she's fine now. But Phillips doesn't start until ninth grade. Father found out about Welton from one of the partners in his law firm, and learned that it starts with seventh grade. So, Father ended up sending me here, rather than pay my tuition at the day school I'd been attending plus hire a woman to live in at the house to take care of me. AJ was going into his senior year already, and he just changed from being a day student to being a boarder at Phillips."

Tod nods in understanding. "I'm surprised you didn't transfer in the ninth grade, though," he says. "I would have thought that your father would have wanted you to go to Phillips anyway. Or am I missing something in the story here?"

"Father did ask me if I wanted to transfer. But by then, I was starting to realize that, you know, that I'm queer. I figured that if I was living at home, they might start questioning why I wasn't dating anyone. I mean, between the girls at the Abbot Academy and the ones I knew growing up, they'd be sure to wonder. By staying out here, where we see the Henley Hall girls maybe three times a year unless we get into something like drama... I just figured I'd have an excuse for not bringing any girls home, you know?"

He gives me a sympathetic smile. "At least I had that a little bit easier. For all my family cares about me, I might as well be a piece of furniture in the house. Plus I've always had a bit of a struggle academically... that's why I was at Balincrest until this year, to get my grades up to where they needed to be to make it here. So if Father ever mentions girls to me, it's to tell me to ignore them and concentrate on my studies so I don't embarrass the family. I just never bothered to tell him that I have no problem at all ignoring girls. Of course, when I do get around to telling him that, I expect I'll really embarrass the family." He opens his second Coke and takes a drink, then grabs more pizza.

I finish the slice I'm munching on, then take a deep breath. "Todd? It just occurred to me... where is your family located? I can't ask my father to call, if I can't tell him where and who..."

"Portsmouth," he answers around a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni. He swallows and continues. "My father is Dr. J. Warren Anderson, Chief of Staff at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. He's actually a junior and my brother is the third, but Father got used to using his middle name to avoid confusion with his father Jeff, and then my brother goes by Jeffrey so it all worked out."

I nod and finish my meal, then start digging through my pockets for change for the telephone. "Write down your phone number for me, please? So I can give it to Father."

Todd does so, then walks with me down to the pay phone in the dorm lobby. As is usual on a pass Saturday, the dorm is semi-deserted still, as curfew isn't until nine o'clock. As it's only about six, I figure my parents will be home. Even if they have plans for the evening, they likely won't be leaving the house before seven. He leans against the open door of the phone booth as I give the operator my number and deposit the appropriate coins.

"Cameron residence, hello?" My father's voice sounds odd over the long-distance wires.

"Father? It's Richard."

"Good to hear from you, son. Nothing is wrong, I hope?"

"No, sir. But I wanted to ask... may I invite a friend to Martha's Vineyard this year?" I cross my fingers nervously.

Father's laughter explodes in my ear. "Richard, how many times have I asked you to invite someone? You've always said you'd rather not bother. Well, who is it you want to bring along? He's welcome for all of July, if his family will let him."

"My new roommate, Todd Anderson, Father. Will you call his family to invite him yourself? He says they'll feel better about accepting if you do it."

"Of course I will, son, after all, you don't ask for too many favors. Who am I calling, and what's the number?"

"Dr. J. Warren Anderson... he's Chief of Staff at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Todd's home number is POrtsmouth 7-3528. Oh, and Todd says his brother Jeffrey is graduating from Dartmouth this year, pre-med. It's possible that AJ knows him. I'm going to ask the next time I write," I say.

"And I'll try calling Dr. Anderson tonight, son, and I'll write you as soon as I know what he says," Father tells me. "And I'm pleased by the work you've been doing this term, Richard, keep up the good work."

"I will, Father. Bye, now."

"Good-bye, Richard."

I hang up the phone and turn to Todd with a grin. "He's going to call. And he says you can come for the whole month of July if your folks will let you."

Todd gives me a slow grin in return. "I hope they do. I really hope they do."

"Me too, Todd," I say as we head back upstairs to our stash of Hershey bars. "Me too."