Well, well, well, look who decided to show up after…how long? The crazy in life is beginning to subside again, so here I am. The boys have been on my mind quite a bit, so this story tumbled out. Hope you enjoy.

Anything you recognize from Glee is not mine; anything you don't, is!

~oOo~

"So, you'll go with me?" Gavin asked AJ.

"Wha— do you mean to Formal Ball? Of course! I just assumed we'd go together," AJ replied, taking Gavin's hand. The pair had just returned from their senior trip, which happened to be to Chicago this year, where they wandered around the Art Institute, watched a White Sox game, shopped downtown, and watched a stage production of Hairspray.

"Okay. Just checking," Gavin said, tentatively.

AJ paused from unpacking and looked at his boyfriend, who sat at AJ's desk chair. "Hey," he said, "what's going on with you?"

"I…it's just…everything is about to shift. Life, as we've known it together, is about to change, and it just makes me feel a little off, a little unsettled," Gavin said, standing up to hug AJ.

"You are right," AJ said into Gavin's blonde hair, "things are about to change, but we are not. Think about it: we have so many adventures ahead of us, and Formal Ball is just one of them! We have graduation, our trip to Europe, moving to New York, college, medical school…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Gavin said, grinning and looking AJ in the face. "Thank you for centering me. Change isn't always easy, even the good kind of change."

"True, but ours has a point of stability: us. So lighten up, O'Keefe. We're supposed to be having the time of our lives!" AJ kissed Gavin's forehead and looked him in the eye. "Better?"

"Better," Gavin replied. "I'm going to head to my room and finish unpacking and call home. I promised I would check in once we returned from Chicago. I heard that Owen 'borrowed' the projector from the science department again, so they are showing movies on the cement wall behind the gym. Wanna be my date?"

"Hasn't Owen learned his lesson from his 'borrowing' incidents? He knows he's going to get busted like always, right?" AJ asked with a laugh. "I'll meet you back here in half an hour?"

"Perfect. Bring a blanket. And snacks. I know you have some stashed in the bottom drawer of your closet."

"Snoop!" AJ exclaimed.

"But I'm your snoop," Gavin quipped as he dashed out the door, barely missing a pair of socks chucked in his direction.

~oOo~

"So, are you and Gav going to Formal Ball?" Kurt asked AJ during a phone call a few days later.

"Yup. We're going to the tux shop for fittings on Monday of next week."

"I'll put some money in your account to cover costs," Kurt said.

"It's okay, Dad, I've got it covered. Don't bother."

"AJ, I swear, you are the weirdest teenager ever. Turning down money from your dear old dad? Are you feeling okay?" Kurt teased.

AJ laughed. "I'm fine, Dad. Hey, did you have a chance to order our plane tickets home?"

"I did. We'll fly out the day after graduation to make it home for your party. We're having it catered because our timetable is so tight. Gavin still feeling okay about spending the time with us rather than his folks?" Kurt asked.

"Totally. It makes sense for him to fly to New York, anyways. It would be an awful lot of air time to fly to California and then fly to the East Coast to catch another plane to London."

"True. Well, son, I need to head out to the board meeting for the library. We'll talk soon?"

"Yup. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too, August." At that moment, Gavin entered AJ's room.

"Hi Kurt! Gavin called out.

"Tell him hi…never mind, let me talk to him," Kurt told AJ. AJ handed the phone to Gavin.

"Hi Kurt! How are you?"

"Great! AJ told me that you two are going for tux fittings next week. Word of advice. The cut of the tuxes from Ralph Lauren's spring line will fit AJ's body type perfectly. Try to steer him in that direction, okay? And keep him away from those ridiculous pastels. Dark colors, Gavin. Black, charcoal, navy, even deep burgundy are all fine"

Gavin grinned into the phone. "Sure, no problem. And what about me?" he asked.

"Well, not pastels for you either! And I'm thinking…Marc Jacobs' line for you. There's a great classic jacket with thin lapels. Ask for it."

"Okay, Dad," Gavin said. "No problem.

"And don't tell AJ about our little conversation…"

"I get it. No worries." Gavin looked at AJ, whose raised eyebrows indicated that he knew something was transpiring between his dad and his boyfriend. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye AJ. Love you."

"Love you too." With that, Gavin hung up.

AJ waited just a moment, looking Gavin in the eyes. Gavin leveled his stare, daring AJ to ask, while personally resolving to not give an answer. "Let me guess. My dad was telling you which tux you should convince me to rent. Am I right?" AJ did not let his stare waver.

Gavin tried his best, but he broke eye contact and laughed out loud. "My god, I swear you can read not only your dad's mind, but mine as well! Yes, he's thinking you'll look best in Ralph Lauren's spring line, but no pastels for you. Seriously, pastel tuxes? Who would subject themselves to that?"

"Grandpa Burt, that's who!" AJ replied. "He has a prom picture with my dad's mom and he's wearing a powder blue tux. He says it was all the rage in the early '80's, but I can't imagine that ever being true. He wore a big floppy blue velvet bowtie too. Just…ewe. So, tux by Ralph. What about for you?"

"He said Marc Jacobs for me. And of course, no pastels."

"Why couldn't he just tell me which tux I should rent? I don't know why he feels like he has to go through you sometimes," AJ said.

"Come on! You know that sometimes, you do the opposite of what he suggests, just as a matter of principle!" Gavin exclaimed.

"I do not…okay, I do. Keeps the dads on their toes, which is a healthy thing, don't you think?" AJ asked.

"Certainly. I subscribe to that same theory with my mom and dad," Gavin said, grinning. "Come on, we'd best head to the Outdoor-Movie-With-Stolen-Equipment Extravaganza before all the good seats are sold out or the science teachers realize the projector has gone missing again."

"Grabbing a blanket. Right behind you!" AJ said, as both boys made their ways to the courtyard behind the gym."

~oOo~

The boys held hands as they casually made their way back to the senior dorm. Since classes were done and the oldest boys were in the throes of Auxiliary Program, curfew was relaxed and everyone in the senior class was allowed to sleep in a bit before beginning the day's activities. They entered AJ's room to find a note from Michael and Jacob.

Our Dearest AJ (and Gavin too. We know you are there. Duh),

We'll be spending the night in our sleeping bags on the roof of the gym, along with the guys from 210, 222, and 228. Mums the word; we'll be shot at dawn if Uncle Headmaster finds out. Join us if you'd like to, but we're guessing you won't (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Sleep well boys and we'll see you at breakfast.

Michael and Jacob xxoo

PS Do us a favor and check the grounds around the gym when you wake up. If one of us rolls off the roof, do your best to hide the body. We really don't want to get in trouble this close to graduation. ~ M & J

Gavin snorted and AJ just shook his head. "Idiots!" they said in unison.

"But idiots who will be out of the room all night. Wanna sleep over?" AJ asked.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Gavin said. "I'll grab my stuff."

"Borrow from me," AJ said. "I don't want you to leave." He pulled a pair of Dalton issue sweats and a t-shirt from a drawer. After changing and brushing teeth ("Come on Gavin, think about it. I kiss you all the time. How is that any different than sharing a toothbrush?"), the boys crawled into AJ's bed, arms and legs tangled. They were quiet for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. "God, you are beautiful," AJ said before leaning in to kiss Gavin. Gavin responded by pulling AJ even closer. In moments, they shifted and Gavin was on top of AJ, and the kiss intensified. Hips shifted and the boys entered territory they'd never allowed themselves to explore. A slight shift from Gavin caused AJ to moan and then end the kiss.

"Gav, I love you, but we have to stop. Paris, remember?"

Gavin looked at AJ, disappointed, but accepting. "I know, you are right. We don't want our first time to be in the bunk of some smelly dorm room. Paris it is," he said as he rolled to AJ's right side.

"I beg your pardon," AJ said, "but it doesn't smell in here!" His joking was meant to lighten things, but was met with silence. "Hey, Gavvie, I love you, but we want this to be special, right? We talked about this…"

"Totally," Gavin said. "Heat of the moment. Must be what they warned us about in health class, right? It's like your brain stops functioning and all logic flies out the window!" AJ reached over and pulled his boyfriend close.

"You know, sometimes I look at you and I have to remind myself that you are mine. I'm sure I'm in a dream and that any moment, I'm going to wake up to Jacob's snoring and Michael's ridiculous fighting zombies in his sleep. Then I start to wonder how I got so lucky. I can't wait to spend my life with you. You, Gavin Teirney O'Keefe, are the love of my life and I hope you'll feel the same way I do, forever." AJ looked at Gavin and realized that tears were welling in his eyes and beginning to fall down his cheeks. He reached up gently with his thumb and wiped the tears away. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Gavin sniffled and began. "Do you ever feel so much love that you think your heart is going to burst? Like, it's not possible to have so many feelings at one time. I go from being deliriously happy to humbled to crazy in love in a matter of seconds. Then I throw in the whole 'we're so young, how can this be happening so soon?' panic, which is always calmed by the undeniable assurance that this, what we have, is meant to be. It's like before there was us, we were walking our own paths. Our paths joined, and our walks continue, but the walk is ours now, not yours or mine. I'm pretty sure I sound like a lunatic. Shutting up now." Gavin flopped his head back down on AJ's pillow and started to laugh.

"I know exactly what you mean and I could not have said it better," AJ said, leaning over to give Gavin a peck. "It all seems crazy but in the most normal way, right?"

"Right. Wow, suddenly I'm exhausted. That's what three John Hughs movies, a box of gummi bears, and an emotional rollercoaster ride will do to you! Time to sleep?" Gavin asked?

"Yes. And this is the best kind of sleep because you are right here. Can you believe we'll be able to sleep this way forever, beginning in just a few weeks?" AJ asked.

"Mmmmm, can't wait," Gavin mumbled as his eyes fluttered closed.

~oOo~

"Ha!" AJ shouted through the bathroom door to Gavin, who had just turned off the shower.

The door opened and Gavin exited, wrapped in a towel. "What?"

"Leave it to Daddy K. Here's what his email for this morning says: 'After our talk yesterday, I decided to just order tuxes for you and Gavin. I know your size and looked at a dress shirt Gav left here last summer and made a good guess at his. You should get a package from Nordstrom in about three days. If there isn't a decent tailor in Westerville (there used to be one on State Street. If he's still here, he'll remember me. Tell him who you are), there's a good one in Lima on Garden Drive. Take the tuxes and get them custom fitted. I've said this a million times, but a fitting makes all the difference.

Your dad and I decided that all young men should have a tux hanging in his their closets. Besides, who knows when one will find himself in need of formal wear to attend something like, oh, I don't know, the Tony Awards? Love to both of you! ~Dad.' He really doesn't trust us to dress ourselves!" AJ said, a bit exasperated.

"Come on, AJ, take it for what it is: a sweet gesture from your dads. Besides, Tony Awards? Is he hinting at something? I love that your dads are famous. We get to do the coolest stuff," Gavin said.

"The Tony Awards already took place for this year, but who knows what he has cooking for next season. We'll see. Hey, you'd best get dressed because I think we are supposed to go on body patrol on the grounds around the gym before breakfast. Really, what do Michael and Jacob think we'll do if there is a dead body? Cart it off to the woods? Dig a shallow grave. They are crazier than crazy."

"We could really throw them off and go to breakfast with work gloves and a shovel. I'll say, 'Well, I'm glad we got that over with' and you nod your head in agreement and say something about hoping we hid the evidence well enough and that digging graves is a lot more difficult than you'd think. That will shock them. I'll bet you five bucks they'll look at each other, then look at the boys seated around the table, and start counting heads, to see if somebody really did roll off the roof in the night!"

"I like the way you think, O'Keefe," AJ said, smiling and nodding his head.

"I'd like to think there are other things you like about me too," Gavin could flirt with the best of them.

"Oh, trust me, there are. Now, let's go get the grounds crew to loan us a shovel and some gloves." With that, the boys were off to enjoy another of their remaining days, taunting AJ's roommates, at Dalton Academy.

~oOo~

So, things got a little sweaty there for a few moments, but as always, the boys were smart and didn't let their emotions get the best of them. This story is winding down: I'm thinking a graduation chapter and a ending chapter that will coincide with the last chapter of Daddies, which you might want to read if you haven't done so yet.

Happy June to you all! Hope all is fair and happy in your lives!

GirlFromTheWest xxoo