Helllloooo strangers! Long time no see! I have no explanations for the tardiness of this entry, other than life and then vacation. Just got back, had a little time on my hands, and I was itching to write. This is a fluffy, fluffy, cute, and pretty unrealistic chapter. But did I mention it is fluffy? And cute?
So, enjoy! See you at the end.
And just in case you haven't picked up on it yet, nothing related to Glee belongs to me.
And oh yeah, Blaine and Kurt make an appearance in this entry. I think that is all.
~oOo~
"What?" AJ Hummel-Anderson looked up from his physics text to find Gavin O'Keefe staring at him.
Gavin grinned. "You are beautiful."
"Gav, please. If I don't get an A on this test tomorrow, my grade drops dangerously close to a C and C's don't go over well in the Hummel-Anderson household."
"Sooooo, you don't like it when I tell you that you're are beautiful?" Gavin asked.
"No, that's not the…STOP DISTRACTING ME!" AJ shouted, which he followed up with his trademark grin. After one more valiant attempt at making the words on the page mean something, he slammed the text closed and said, "Fine. Now, what were you saying about me?" He got up from his desk and moved over to his bed, cross legged and across from Gavin, who gave a victory holler and wrapped his arms around AJ.
"I said that you are beautiful," Gavin kissed AJ soundly, "and to that I'll add brilliant," another kiss, "and kind" another kiss "and sexy." The final kiss lasted much longer than the rest, and AJ found himself being pushed back towards the headboard of his bed.
AJ broke the kiss, causing Gavin to whine just a bit. "Okay. Enough. Seriously, I've got to study and it would be really kind of you to help me, O Physics God. Chemistry made so much more sense to me. Physics can go die a slow and painful death."
"Come on, sweetheart, it's not that complicated. Makes all the sense in the world, if you think about it." Gavin sat up again and reach for AJ's book. "I'll make you a deal: I'll help you study and take you to dinner IF you promise to spend the hour before lights out with me. Alone. No Michael and Jacob allowed"
"And what is the plan for that hour?" AJ asked, looking Gavin in the eye.
"Oh, I don't know. I think an hour of cuddling and kissing and more cuddling might be in order. So, do we have a deal or what? Clock's a-ticking," Gavin said, tapping his watch.
"The pressure is killing me," AJ teased. "Okay. Fine. You help me ace this test; I spend the hour before lights out with you. Deal?" AJ extended his right hand.
"Deal," Gavin said, reaching out to shake AJ's hand. "Let's get cracking."
"Let's get cracking? Who says that?" AJ asked, laughing.
"Evidently, I do. And I think Woody, from Toy Story. Or maybe one of the characters from Westside Story. I dunno," Gavin responded before delving into all things high school physics.
~oOo~
That hour before lights out started out as Gavin intended, but evolved into some pretty serious talk about several different subjects. For a while, the boys reminisced about their holiday trip to California, where they, along with Kurt and Blaine spent a couple of day at Disneyland and California Adventure. They talked about the dinner they had, compliments of AJ's dads, at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel. They laughed about AJ meeting Gavin's family, including his suspicious younger brother Xander (who, as it turned out, was a pretty good magician), his sassy sister Mhyre, and his adorable youngest sibling, Siobhan. "AJ, I don't think you know how 'in' you are with my family. After they saw Bhannie take to you AND ask you to color in that semi-precious-and-all-holy Spongebob coloring book, they were sold. You know how people say dogs can judge people's personalities? Siobhan is like that. She takes to the people with good hearts, and she took to you at an alarming speed."
AJ was quiet for a few seconds. "What?" Gavin asked.
"I…uh…" AJ faltered.
"Come on! Spit it out! What's going through that amazing brain of yours?" Gavin asked, kissing AJ's temple.
"Gav, I know that we are young and that we joke around about our futures, but…I…Oh hell."
"AJ, you know there isn't a thing we can't talk about."
"I know. Okay." AJ's voice got really quiet. "Do you, you know, ever think about our futures in a serious way? Like, if we'll be together?" AJ's question met silence, which caused him to backpedal a bit. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry. I've overstepped. Forget I said…" All speaking stopped because Gavin's lips crashed down on AJ's, in a kiss that was more of an answer than anything else. The longer kiss ended in a serious of earnest pecks, both sets of eyes open, and a smile spreading across Gavin's face.
"What?" AJ finally asked the boy with a big dumb grin.
"I've wanted to have this conversation with you for the past several weeks, but I was chicken, figuring I'd scare you off." AJ sighed with relief and Gavin continued. "AJ, we are young and I know that most high school romances don't last past graduation. I don't know which colleges we'll end up attending, and I know that long distances don't always make the heart grow fonder." AJ looked down, his shoulders sagging slightly, afraid of where this conversation was headed. Gavin reached over and lifted AJ's chin so they were looking each other in the eyes. "But, I love you AJ. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. We haven't known each other for long; we've dated for even less time, but something feels right here, like I have this calm feeling that we are meant to be together. People will call us crazy, tell us we are making a mistake at too young an age, but," Gavin paused and wiped a tear that began to fall from AJ's eye, "I cannot imagine my future without you. I want the whole deal: the marriage, the house full of noisy kids, the careers, the vacations, the good times and the tough times. I want to grow old with you and take my last breath holding your hands and looking into your eyes. So, to answer your question, yeah, I do think about our future and from where I stand, my future is you."
Tears flowed freely from both boys as they embraced in silence, eyes squeezed shut, neither quite believing that they'd arrived at this place so soon. Pulling apart, they both laughed when their hands smacked into each other while each reached to dry the other's tears.
"Dammit. Lights out in seven minutes," AJ said. "Sometimes I wish we were older and living together. I'd really like it if we didn't have to say goodnight and head our separate ways."
"I know," Gavin said, "but this is only temporary. Someday, and then for the rest of our lives, if you'll have me that long."
"Do you even have to ask? Gavin, I want it all too. With you. You know that my dads met when they were seventeen. Neither had dated anyone else seriously, yet here they are today, rock solid and a whole lot happier than most of my friends' parents. I know it is possible for us to work out and nothing would make me happier."
"Stay with me tonight," Gavin pleaded urgency in his voice. "Go to your room for check-in and then sneak back here. I don't want to be apart from you tonight."
"Gavin I don't know. That's a pretty serious offence and then there is the matter of…"
"AJ, I just want to sleep in your arms and talk until we fall asleep. Cross my heart. Explain it to Michael and Jacob. They'll cover for you. They'll understand."
AJ was silent for a few seconds, and then he smiled. "Okay. God, what I won't do for you. But if we get caught and this gets back to my dads, it's on you, got it buster?"
"I'll take all the blame. Now, get out there and make sure the hall monitor sees you go to your room. Get back here as soon as you can." Gavin kissed AJ, turned him around and gently pushed him to the door.
A quick conversation with the boys and a stealth maneuver down the hallway, and AJ was back in Gavin's room. They settled in for sleep, content to be in each other's arms. They talked until the wee hours of the morning, about after high school and families and where they'd like to live. Conversation stopped, mid-discussion, when they were just too tired to continue on. They slept peacefully, dreaming of each other and what the future would bring.
~oOo~
"You know, my dads used to sneak out all the time. Even sneak off campus. According to them, the rules we have now, you know the ones that threaten us within an inch of our lives if we are out past curfew, are because of them," AJ told Gavin at breakfast the next morning.
"Remind me to thank them next time we talk," Gavin said before taking a bite of cereal.
"Well, I'd best go meet my fate at the hands of the Physics Universe. Wish me luck!" AJ said, gathering his things.
"You'll do great! Just remember the things we studied yesterday and be logical. It will all be fine," Gavin reassured. Seconds later, he leaned over and whispered in AJ's ear, "And also remember that I love you. With that, what could go wrong?" AJ kissed the top of Gavin's head, which lead to the requisite "Get-a-rooms!" from Michael and Jacob. With a very Kurt-esque eye roll in their direction, AJ headed to the science wing.
~oOo~
Blaine walked into the Hummel-Anderson home to find Kurt on the phone, his brow furrowed, a look between worry and concern and…happiness? on his face.
"Okay, son. Yep. I know, it can be confusing, but remember that you have all the time in the world. No, no, of course not. We love him. Right. You have been smart, very smart. I know, been there, done that. Okay. Okay, I'll tell him. Okay. I love you. Tell Gavin hi and that we love him too. Okay. Bye, AJ."
Kurt hung up and looked right into his husband's face.
"Hey! Obviously, that was our boy What's up? Everything okay?" Blaine asked.
"Well," Kurt cleared his throat, "it seems that AJ and Gavin have declared their undying love for each other. As in, their intent is to be together forever. This puts us in a strange spot, you realize. My logical brain wants to tell the boys that they are too young to be making such serious decisions but…"
"…but then there is us," Blaine said, "the two who met at seventeen, same age as the boys, and we're still here, still making it work. You are right: a very strange spot. So, my brilliant husband, what did you tell him?"
"I told him to continue being smart, to take things slowly, to remember that high school is the time to have fun and the last time in his life that he'll have relatively no responsibilities, beyond his studies. Really, Blaine, I know they are young, but both AJ and Gavin are good kids with brains in their heads. I know there are no guarantees that they won't screw up, but it already feels like Gavin is part of our family. I hate to say this, but I can see this working out between the two of them. Is that wrong?"
Blaine rubbed his hand over his forehead and thought for a few moments. "To be totally honest, I'd be thrilled if they ended up together, but we have to be careful and smart too. We can't set ourselves up for disappointment if the boys decide that their futures won't include each other. That, and be there for them, listening and dispensing advice when they need it and want it. You know, I always thought parenting was one of those things that would get easier as AJ got older. Not so, huh?"
"You can say that again," Kurt replied. "We also talked about summer break. Seems the boys are in cahoots to spend part of their break here and part in Southern California with the O'Keefe's. What do you think about that?"
"Well, initially, I'm thrilled that they want to spend time with each other's families. I'd be thrilled to have them here for a few weeks to get to know Gavin even better. After meeting the O'Keefe's at Christmas, I've confident that AJ would be in good hands while there. So, yeah, I think I'm fine with that plan. You?"
"As always, we're on the same page. That's kind of sick, isn't it? We are not very good role models for our son," Kurt said, laughing.
"Well, you know what they say: 'If you can't be a good example, be a cautionary tale.'" Both Blaine and Kurt burst out laughing and moved on to a conversation about their respective days.
~oOo~
"I told them."
"And?"
"Well, I actually only talked to Daddy K, but it's as good as talking to both of them. They love you. They told me to tell you that and 'hi' from them."
"And?"
"They want us to continue being smart and aware. They know from their own experiences that it is all possible. I think my dad felt a little torn, though. I think he realizes that what he and Daddy B have is unusual, yet he wants us to be realistic. Kind of a weird place to be."
"Agreed. Did you talk about summer?"
"Yep. It's a go. Your turn to face the music."
"I'm calling the house tomorrow night, as usual."
"Don't you mean 'the mansion'?"
"Cut it out, AJ."
"Sorry, sorry. What do you think they'll say?"
"I'm guessing the conversation will go a lot like the one you had with Kurt."
"And yet one more uncanny aspect of this relationship. God, I love you. Hey, I have to finish my English assignment and then I'm ready to go to dinner? Dine with me?"
"I can't think of a better date. Love you too, AJ. See you in an hour."
~oOo~
Okay, far shorter than usual, but necessary in establishing the future! I really am an advocate for committing oneself to a serious relationship when one is older…much older than high school. People grow up and change SO MUCH between ages 18 and 25. In our family, we try to instill "No serious decisions made before age 25." But for some reason, this situation works for the boys. I dunno. Does that make me a hypocrite? Might be, but this is a fictional story, so who cares?
For those who celebrate, I hope the holiday was to your liking. See you soon?
GirlFromTheWest xxoo
