Fic: A Boy from Nowhere (11/?) Guy/Kyle (HSAU)

[perpetual_motion]

Title: A Boy from Nowhere (11/?)
Author: Perpetual Motion
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Pairing: Guy/Kyle
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Guy invites Kyle to dinner. It takes awhile.

Dis: Lies and bullshit, as always.

Author's Notes: I meant for "Boy from Nowhere" to be a single, 1500 word story, but it grew, so I let it, and it fits in with other prompts for my dcu_freeforall table, so it's grown. The prompt for this bit is "writer's choice." Many thanks to crimsonquills who did a lovely beta job and kept a conversation from being even more awkward than intended.


Previous Parts: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten



A Boy from Nowhere (11/?)
By Perpetual Motion

He can't call at four, Guy thinks, because Kyle probably won't be home from school, and Kyle said he took art classes, but he didn't say when, and Guy wonders if calling at five would be too late, because maybe then Kyle and his mom have already started making dinner, but if he calls at five, he can say he's calling to invite him for tomorrow, but that sounds totally lame and girly, and he doesn't—

"Jesus Christ, quit being a girl and call him." Mace says, rolling his eyes.

"Mace!" his mother admonishes. She'd taken a half day off, her appointment with Dr. Sarrek had been over her lunch break, and she'd come back to Mace's apartment, the lines around her mouth telling Guy she's tired.

"He's gonna put a hole in my carpet if he keeps pacing like that," Mace responds. "I've got a security deposit to think about."

Guy watches his mother fight back a smile. "Be kind," she says, and her tone is soft. "He'll make the call when he wants."

"What if he's doing something?" Guy asks, trying not to squirm when they both turn to look at him.

"Then you invite him over tomorrow night," his mother tells him.

"But that's—"

"Stop it," Mace orders, and he holds up a hand before his mother can lecture him. "Either get on the phone and see if he answers, or stop staring at the phone."

"He's not home, yet." Guy says. "School doesn't get out for an hour."

"All right." Mace stands, walks to the coat rack by the door, and slips on his coat. He tosses Guy's coat to him. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"Out." Mace makes a hurry-up motion in Guy's direction. "C'mon," he orders.

Guy slips on his coat and kisses his mom's cheek before following Mace out the door. They walk down the front steps, and Mace turns left, ducking against the almost-cold wind as they walk to the corner and turn left again. "Where we going?" Guy asks as they cut around a couple holding hands.

"Here," Mace says and opens the door to a coffeeshop.

The coffeeshop is done up in burnished, black-brown wood and lots of shades of blue. The girl behind the counter beams at Mace and immediately pours him a cup of coffee. "I didn't expect to see you, Officer Gardner," she says.

"Soranik, this is Guy, my little brother," Mace replies. He sips his coffee and gestures for Guy to shake Soranik's hand. "Guy, this is Soranik. She's here working through med school."

Guy shakes her hand and glances at Mace. "Okay." He blinks when Soranik beams at him.

"It's about time you brought him in," Soranik admonishes Mace. "I've had the blend ready all week."

Guy blinks again when Soranik gives him a little smile and darts away. "Blend?"

"She's into tea," Mace explains. "Like, really into tea. I mentioned you had your jaw broken, and she went off about willow bark and raspberry leaf and aspirin and muscle relaxants, and she made me promise I'd bring you by."

He's missing something, Guy is certain, but he doesn't know what. "…Okay."

Mace sips his coffee again. "I didn't just bring you here for the tea. I wanted to talk to you."

And now Guy is absolutely certain he has no idea what's going on. "What the hell?" he asks, but before he can get an answer, Soranik is back at the counter, a perfectly round, kelly green mug with a white stripe in her hands. There's a chain that ends in a circular charm hanging over the edge of the mug.

"Let that steep another four minutes," she orders Guy. "And be careful, the mug is really warm."

Guy wraps his fingers around the handle of the mug and touches his other hand to the bare side of the mug. He adjusts his grip so his palm is supporting the bottom, and the heat is bearable. "Got it."

"What do I owe you?" Mace asks.

"Cops drink free, Officer Gardner. You know that." She grins at Guy. "And so do their little brothers as long as they don't want anything fancy."

"Thanks," Guy mutters, staring into his mug rather than meeting Soranik's eyes. There's something very knowing about her, Guy thinks, like she can see all his insides at once.

"C'mon," Mace says, and he puts a hand on Guy's shoulder, leading him to a square, scuffed table in the back corner. There's a sign on the wall above it: "Reserved for Officers." Mace sits facing the door, taking another sip of his coffee. "You have to be confident," Mace says without preamble. "If you sound like you're scared, you lose points."

Guy pulls on the chain that's dangling out of his cup. It ends in a ball covered with small holes. He dangles it over his cup for a moment before Mace puts down a napkin for him to set it on.

"Tea ball," Mace explains. "It's like a tea bag, but it's metal."

Guy nods at the information and sips the tea. It tastes like nothing he's ever had before, but it doesn't quite taste bad. There's sugar in it, and that helps. "Confidence?" he asks.

"For calling Kyle," Mace says, and he says it so matter-of-fact that it takes a second for Guy's heart to trip-hammer.

"What?" Guy hisses.

"Relax," Mace tells him, looking around. "I'm not hanging a fucking banner. Jesus. There's no way anyone from your school is here right now."

"Unless they're skipping," Guy grits out.

"Then I'll arrest them for truancy, and they'll forget they ever saw you here." Mace gives Guy an apologetic grin. "Sorry."

Guy stares into his tea. "It's okay. It's just…" He doesn't know how to explain how he wants to tell people, but he doesn't at the same time. He takes a sip of his tea and looks at Mace again. "And how do you know how to talk to guys?" he asks, voice only slightly quieter than normal.

Mace shrugs. "It's the same as talking to girls, I figure. You like someone, so you have to do certain things to get noticed. I'm not gonna recommend you take Kyle flowers or something, but asking him over? That's pretty standard." Mace holds up his hand near his face, his thumb resting near his ear, his pinkie near his mouth. "Hey, it's Guy. What are you doing?" He pauses like he's having a real conversation. "Cool. Look, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and have dinner tonight." He pauses again. "Oh, like seven. My brother can drop you off after we hang out if it's really late, and you don't want to take the bus." He drops his hand and grins at Guy. "Just like that."

Guy thinks about it, hears the whole conversation in his head, sees himself answering the door and saying hi to Kyle without feeling like a complete girl. "What if he says no?"

"Ask him if he's busy tomorrow."

"What if he says no to that?"

"Tell him you'll see him on Monday, then."

Guy wrinkles his nose and stares over Mace's shoulder at a painting of a huge white temple balanced on the edge of a frothing blue waterfall. "I don't wanna get rejected."

"Nut up, man. Read the situation."

"What?"

Mace cocks his head at Guy and studies him for a moment. He breaks into a grin and lets out a burst of laughter before covering his mouth. "You are completely damned clueless, aren’t you? The guy's already come by to check up on you, man. He wrote his number on your homework—"

"Eavesdropping douchebag," Guy mutters.

"You're in." Mace concludes. "You are so in."

"Yeah?"

"If he turns you down, it'll be because he's actually busy. Or an idiot."

"He's not an idiot," Guy mumbles, and he takes a long drink of his tea so he doesn’t have to see the amused look on Mace's face.

Mace stands up and walks to the counter. He comes back with two paper to-go cups and hands one to Guy. "C'mon. It's nearly four. Let's get home so you can call and get it over with."

Guy pours the rest of his tea into the cup and waves to Soranik as they leave. "The tea's supposed to do something, right?" he asks Mace as they step outside again.

"She says it should help with the pain in your jaw and maybe help your headaches, but she also says aspirin and the drugs the doctors already have you on will probably work better."

"Why'd she make it, then?"

"She likes to help people, and she likes to play with tea." Mace shrugs as they turn the first corner. "I think it keeps her busy when the place is slow."

Guy squints into the wind and tightens his hold on his cup. "Most people aren't assholes, are they?"

"No." Mace clears his throat. "Not that we'd notice at home, but no, most people aren't."

"Is that why you're a cop?"

"Partly." Mace slings his arm around Guy's shoulder, reels him in close under the pretext of getting out of the way of a woman with a stroller, but he keeps his arm around Guy's shoulder as they take the turn that lets them see the stoop of Mace's building. "I couldn't come up with any way to help you or mom," Mace says so quietly that Guy almost misses it. "So I guess I figured I'd save the rest of the city instead."

"It's not your fault."

"I know."

He doesn't, Guy thinks. He sips his tea and stays quiet until they're walking up the front steps of Mace's building. "Do you like talking to Dr. Sarrek?"

Mace shrugs. "I've only just started, but it's all right, I guess."

"I like it."

"Yeah?"

"I like that he can't tell anyone what I say. It's…nice. He can't start shit, you know?"

Mace looks him up and down. "Yeah." He says. Guy waits for him to say something else, but Mace just presses the call button for the elevator and rocks back on his heels.

"Thanks," Guy says.

"For what?"

For being my brother, Guy thinks but holds it back. Mace will give him no end of justifiable shit if he ever says that out loud. "For the tea, and the whole talking thing about Kyle."

"No problem. I'm telling you, it's in the bag."

Guy grins as they get on the elevator, taking the ride in silence. When they get back to the apartment, he gives his mother a quick smile as he walks over to the phone and dials. If he stops to think about it, he knows he won't do it.

It rings once. Twice. Guy turns towards the wall as it rings a third time. Halfway through the fourth ring, there's a click, a clatter, and a muffled swear.

"Hold on!" Kyle's voice yells over the line. There's another clatter, another curse. "Hi," Kyle says, out of breath. "Sorry, I just got home. Who's this, please?"

"Hey…" Guy swallows and glances over his shoulder. His mother is pretending not to listen, flipping through a magazine, but Mace is looking right at him, gesturing for him to keep going. "It's Guy."

"Oh! Hi!" There's a shuffling sound and a couple of muffled thumps. "Sorry about the phone thing, I was unlocking the door, and then I had to run for it, and then I dropped it, and now we're on the phone." Kyle breathes in deep. "What's up?"

Kyle's explanation makes Guy lose his place in his internal script. "Um…You wanna come over for dinner?" It comes out faster than he plans, and he cringes at himself. "I mean, if you wanna."

"Oh." Kyle doesn't say anything for a moment. "My mom and I usually have dinner together on Fridays. We don't see each other a lot, so…"

Guy looks over his shoulder again. His mother has given up on pretending like she's not listening, and she and Mace are both watching him now. "We could do it some other time," he says. "I mean, if you've got a thing with your mom."

"Invite her," his mother whispers.

"Your mom could come too," Guy says before he can think how lame it sounds. He sees Mace wince, and he turns away from them again. "I mean, if that's not…lame."

"Um, yeah, that could work. She's not gonna be home for an hour, but I can ask when she comes home."

Guy can't tell if Kyle thinks inviting his mom is actually a bad move. "Or we could just do something tomorrow. If you don't—"

"No!" Kyle interrupts. He clears his throat, and there's a thumping sound over the line. "I mean, you know, if you're cool with her being there, I'm okay. My mom's pretty cool. And she…she kinda wants to meet you anyway."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Just…I dropped off your homework, and I've mentioned you a couple times and stuff, so she wants to meet you. So. Yeah. I'll see if she wants to come."

"Cool. Sure." Guy swallows hard, twists the phone cord in his hand. "Just call me back when you know, okay?"

"Yeah. What's your number?"

Guy rattles it off, and Kyle repeats it back. "That's it," Guy confirms. "So…just…call back." He wants to thump himself on the forehead for how stupid he sounds, but he's pretty sure it'll give him a headache.

"Yeah. I'll do that."

"Okay." Guy waits a few seconds for Kyle to say something else. "Bye."

"See you."

Guy hangs up the phone and stares at it for a moment. "His mom doesn't get home for another hour. He's gonna call back."

"That'll be fine," his mother says. She stands up and walks into the kitchen, pausing to kiss Guy on top of the head. "I was just going to make pasta and garlic bread and salad, so we'll have plenty for four."

"Thanks, Mom." Guy turns away from the wall and raises his eyebrows at Mace, who's grinning. "What?"

"So just call back," Mace teases in a falsetto. "So. Lame. You are not my brother."

"Shaddup," Guy mutters.

"Seriously, you are so not my brother. He's adopted, right Mom? You found him in a basket with a note that said he was completely lame?"

"Of course not," their mother replies. She winks at Guy. "But I think I found you in something like that."

Mace grumbles half-heartedly under his breath and gives Guy a gentle shove. "Go shower."

"Why?"

"Because you shower before a date."

"It's not—"

"Yeah, it—"

"And I don't even know—"

"Fine." Mace rolls his eyes. "Go shower because you smell. Whatever. Just go. You're just gonna stare at the phone otherwise."

"I will not—"

"And you're pace around and try not to ask why he's not calling, and I'll have to call you a girl again, and Mom will yell at me and—"

"I'm going! I'm going!" Guy shouts to drown out the rest of Mace's litany. "Jesus. You're such a spaz."

"Yeah," Mace scoffs, "I'm the spaz."

Guy ignores him in favor of walking into the bathroom and starting the shower. He looks at himself in the mirror as the water heats up. The bruises on his face are fading out into yellow and green and brown. He pokes at a few of them, and there's only a little bit of pain. He uses his hands to comb his hair forward, then back, then parts it down the middle. None of it looks particularly different from what he's been doing, and he steps into the shower wondering if he should wear a nice shirt.

"Chill," he mutters to himself as he wets down his hair and reaches for Mace's body wash. It's supposed to smell like the ocean, and it's the only thing in the apartment Mace has requested Guy and their mother not use. Guy squeezes the bottle until he has a full palm of the stuff. He rubs himself down and rinses off before washing his hair and scrubbing his face.

The bathroom is steam-filled when Guy turns off the water, and he enjoys the haze of it as he towels off and rubs his hair dry enough to push off his face with his fingers. He looks at himself in the mirror again and rubs a hand carefully over his jaw. A week without shaving has left him with enough stubble to shave if he wants. He eyes his razor and considers having to push down on his jaw if he hits a tough spot.

"Stubble is hot," he tells his reflection and opens the door.

"Is there any hot water left in the building?" Mace hollers from the living room.

"I dunno," Guy replies, "but the hot air seems to be working just fine."

"Oh, zing," Mace deadpans.

Guy rolls his eyes as he closes the door to Mace's bedroom. His clothes are on a garment rack in the corner, and Guy spends a few minutes staring at it before shaking his head at his actions and grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at random. He dresses and cuts back across the hall to check his hair in the bathroom. It looks all right, pushed straight back from his forehead, and he decides to leave it.

"Guy," his mother calls down the hall, "set the table when you're finished dressing."

"All right," he calls back. He rubs a hand across his jaw again and pulls a face. "Nut up," he says to himself, takes a deep breath, and walks down the hall.

"You're wearing that?" Mace asks, eyes wide in mock-horror.

"Cram it." Guy flicks at Mace's nose, but Mace ducks away.

"Guy. Table." His mother reminds him.

"Yeah, Guy. Table." Mace teases, but he stands up and gets placemats while Guy grabs plates.

"Go ahead and set it for five," their mother instructs. "If they can't make it, we can just put everything back in the cupboards."

"I don't need a plate," Guy points out.

"We can set your glass on your plate," his mother responds. "It'll look nice."

"Okay." Guy agrees, because it sounds good.

He concentrates on setting the table, trying not to look at the clock as he sets out the plates, glasses, and silverware. He'd been in the shower about fifteen minutes, he figures. And he probably spent another ten getting dressed, maybe, so it's only half an hour until Kyle calls back. If he calls back. Maybe he won't call back. Maybe he'll decide he doesn't want to hang out with Guy, or maybe he'll decide he doesn't want to introduce his mom to Guy.

"Hey," Mace says, and he nudges Guy's shoulder. "How's your head feel?"

"Okay."

"Like, 'I-could-use-a-few-minutes-on-the-couch-okay' or like, "I-can-get-my-ass-kicked-at-Soul-Caliber-Four-on-mute-for-a-few-minutes-okay'?"

Guy scoffs. "I can totally kick your ass at Halo."

"Mom, you need us?"

Their mother waves them away from the dining area and towards the living room. "Out of my way," she orders. "You just take up space."

"Hey," Mace argues, "I know how to cook."

"Of course you do, honey," she replies, a smile in her voice. "Of course you do."

"Ouch," Guy mutters as they sit on the couch, and Mace powers on the Xbox. "I don't remember Mom being so…"

"Wiseass?" Mace fills in.

"Yeah."

Mace doesn't say anything for a second as they choose characters. "She couldn't be a lot of things for a long time," he finally responds. "Not with dad around."

"Yeah. I get that."

Mace shakes his head like he's trying to get water out of his hair. "Let's not talk about dad right now. I want to be in a good mood when your date shows up."

"He is not—"

"Date." Mace interrupts. "Date. Date. Date."

Guy clubs him with a pillow as the phone rings. He goes still long enough for Mace to laugh at him, but he's up and grabbing the phone before the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Guy?"

"Yeah."

"Hey. It's Kyle."

Guy can't tell from his tone whether Kyle's calling to cancel. He decides to try for neutral. "Hey. What's up?"

"My mom got home a little early, and she said she'd like to come for dinner, so we should be there in half an hour or so."

"Okay. Cool."

"And she said to tell your mom that we'll bring dessert."

"Okay." Guy can't find any other words for a few seconds. "So…see you in a little bit."

"Yeah." Kyle breathes in directly against the receiver. "Yeah. See you. Bye."

"Bye." Guy hangs up the phone and looks up to find his mother and Mace both hovering over him. "They're coming," he says, and they both beam. "They'll be here in half an hour."

"Oh, good!" His mother says, and something like relief flashes across her face. "I'll start the water boiling."

"Come on," Mace says, steering Guy back into the living room. "I'll keep you distracted until they get here."

They play five fights. Guy loses the first four to the jitters he won't admit to having but Mace teases him about anyway, and he wins the fifth so he can shove it down Mace's throat.

"Say I'm better at playing Ivy than you!" Guy demands.

"Sure," Mace agrees. "You're better at playing a girl than me."

Guy brushes him off. "You're just pissed because you know if I was actually trying, I'd—" A knock on the door interrupts him, and Guy whips his head towards the sound.

"So lame," Mace mutters as he stands up and answers the door. Kyle is standing in the hallway holding a bakery box, a middle-aged woman with his same face shape and eyes standing behind him. "Hi, Kyle," Mace greets. "And this must be your mother." He holds out his hand. "Mace Gardner. I'm Guy's older brother."

"I'm Maura," Kyle's mom introduces herself.

Guy pushes himself up off the couch and walks over, takes a moment to try and surpetiously wipe his sweating palms on his jeans. "I'm Guy," he says to Kyle's mom. He glances at Kyle. "Hey."

"Hi," Kyle replies. He looks from Guy to his mother to Mace.

"Come on in," Mace says, stepping to the side and throwing Guy a look that calls him an idiot. Guy tries to find something else to say, but his mother bustles into the room before he can come up with anything.

"Hello, I'm Peggy."

"Maura."

"It's so nice to meet you." Guy's mother smiles at Maura and then at Kyle. "And you're Kyle."

"Yes, ma'am."

Guy catches Kyle wiping his own palm on his jeans and his nervousness disappears. "Mom made spaghetti," he says, "and garlic bread. She makes great garlic bread."

"And a salad," his mother adds, "just so we can call dinner somewhat healthy."

Kyle's mother laughs and takes the bakery box from Kyle's hands. "Well, we'll cancel it out, I think. We brought chocolate cake. I figure if you throw in a little milk, it'll blend into something like a shake for Guy."

"That's very thoughtful," Guy's mom says, and she looks like she might cry.

"Is that from the Ninth Street Bakery?" Mace asks hurriedly. "Their stuff is amazing."

"It's one of our favorite places," Kyle's mom responds, and she, Mace, and Guy's mother walk towards the kitchen.

Guy tries to grin at Kyle, but he's certain he just looks creepy with the wires in his mouth. "Hey. Glad you could hang out."

"Yeah," Kyle replies. "Me, too." He slides his hands into his pockets, takes them out again. "You still coming back to school on Monday?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Come sit down, boys," Guy's mother orders. "Let's eat before the pasta gets cold."

Mace sits at the head of the table. The mothers are already seated on one side, so Kyle and Guy sit next to each other on the other side. Guy's mother spoons out the pasta and sauce before Mace passes the salad and bread. Guy eyes it all with envy as he slurps at his protein shake.

"Do those suck?" Kyle asks as he twirls spaghetti on his fork.

"They're okay. They're just boring."

"I remember when I had my wisdom teeth out," Kyle's mom says, "and I spent three days on pudding and Jell-O and mashed potatoes. I thought it was going to be great, you know? I still can't handle Jell-O."

"The academy always served green beans," Mace says. "I think they got a special on them or something. But it was four months of green beans. I won't even keep them in the apartment now."

"My mother always served Hominy," Guy's mother adds. "I always thought it tasted like a big collection of nothing."

Guy glances at Kyle as Mace and the mothers continue the list of foods they won't eat. "They are so lame," he says in an undertone, and Kyle nearly chokes on his salad.

Kyle washes down his salad with a drink of water. "Your face looks better," he says. "Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes. I'm still on a bunch of pills for it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. They suck. I just get tired or my face goes numb like at the dentist."

Kyle pulls a face. "I hate that. I always spend the rest of the day thinking I'm gonna bite off my tongue or something."

"Yeah. Like that." Guy grins as he takes another drink of his shake. He watches Kyle out of the corner of his eye, glances around the table and sees that Mace and the mothers are still in conversation. "Hey," he says, and Kyle looks over as he slurps a noodle. "When do you have art class?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays. I go right after seventh period. Why?"

"I was just…" Guy feels suddenly tongue-tied, Kyle watching him with interest. "I didn't know," he says. "You mentioned it, but I didn't ask you when you went, and I just…wanted to know." Kyle's still looking at him, confusion making his brow crease. "You know," Guy continues. "If we wanted to hang out or something."

"Oh." Kyle smiles, looks at his plate and pushes around his spaghetti. "Cool. Yeah. I'd like that."

Guy feels Mace tap his foot. He glances over, and Mace gives him a grin. Guy gives him a one-shoulder shrug and finishes his shake.

"Do you want another?" his mother asks him.

"I've got it," Guy says and stands up.

"What's in one of those?" Kyle asks.

"I dunno. I think they're just basically protein powder and yogurt and stuff."

"Show him the powder," Mace says. "The color is ridiculous."

Guy slants Mace a look. The powder's not that weird looking. "It's—"

"In the cupboard to the right of the sink," Mace interrupts.

Kyle stands up, and Guy follows, still wondering what Mace is doing. "It's not that interesting," he says in an undertone as Mace starts telling a loud story at the table. "It's just green." He pulls the jar of powder from the cupboard and unscrews the lid, moving to the side so Kyle can see it.

"Wow," Kyle says, "that's really green."

Guy glances into the jar. "Huh," he says. "Guess I’m used to it." The powder is neon green, nearly glowing in the light. "And it tastes like crap, too," he adds.

Kyle laughs. "Yeah?"

"It's pretty terrible. But it's got all the vitamins and stuff I'm supposed to have as long as I drink like six of them a day."

"Six? That's gotta get boring."

"I can have other stuff." Guy measures out the powder in the blender, adds some yogurt and milk, throws in some fruit he'd chopped earlier in the day. "It basically tastes like a smoothie as long as you put enough crap in it." He looks down to turn on the blender. When he looks up, Kyle's nose is nearly touching his. "Um…"

"You're coming back to school Monday?" Kyle asks, his voice barely carrying over the whirring of the blender.

"Yeah," Guy responds. Over Kyle's shoulder, Mace is still telling his story, the mothers listening intently, neither of them looking towards the kitchen. It suddenly clicks in Guy's mind. "Oh."

"Huh?"

Guy licks his lips, leans in, and pecks Kyle on the mouth. He tries to think of something to say as he pushes the 'Off' button to stop the blender. "I…um…was that okay?"

Kyle looks down at the floor. His cheeks are flushed. "Yeah," he says. "That was okay."

Guy pours his shake into his glass, stirs it a little with his straw. "I don't know if I'm gonna be…out…at school, but I wanna…" He doesn't know how to finish. "I want—"

"Yeah," Kyle stops him. "I get you."

"Yeah?"

"We can be friends," Kyle says. "We don't have to be, you know, the gay coalition or anything to hang out. Just, you know, don't be a dick."

Guy laughs a little. "Okay," he agrees. "Do you wanna…I mean, I won't be…out…but we could, you know. Hang out. And stuff."

Kyle's flush blooms again. "Yeah. That'd be—You mean…" He bites his lip, and Guy reaches out, touches his fingers to Kyle's hand.

"Yeah," Guy says. "If that's not weird. I want to…hang out, you know."

"Okay," Kyle replies, and he grins. "I'm okay with that."

"Yeah? I don't want you to think I'm—"

"It's weird," Kyle interrupts. "Coming out at school. Just, acknowledge me, and we'll…do the other stuff if we want."

"Okay," Guy agrees. "Yeah." He glances over again. Mace's story is winding down. "Man, I owe him so big."

Kyle glances over his shoulder at Mace. "Yeah? He seems cool."

Guy shrugs. "He's all right."

They walk back over to the table and sit down again, Guy drinking his second shake more slowly than the first while Kyle cleans his plate and goes for extra garlic bread. Guy's dessert shake actually tastes really good, and he has to keep fighting off Mace and Kyle so he can finish it himself.

"You have cake," he grumbles as they both try to steal his glass again.

"Yeah, but that tastes really good," Mace argues.

"We have a blender," their mother says. "I've seen you use it."

"Falsehood!" Mace says so dramatically that they all burst out laughing.

Kyle manages to steal a sip, sputtering when Guy elbows him in the ribs. "Hey!"

"My. Milkshake." Guy states, wrapping both hands around his glass. "Get your own."

"Or eat the perfectly good cake on your plates," Kyle's mother interjects.

"All right, all right," Mace says standing up, "I'll man the blender. Who else wants their cake liquefied?"

Kyle and the mothers hand over their plates as Guy gloats by taking a long drink of his shake. "We'll have to have you over soon," Kyle's mother tells Guy's mother. "This has been a great evening."

"We'd like that," Guy's mother replies. "It's been good for us, too."

Guy glances at Kyle, who's glancing at him. They both look away. "Totally beats sleeping," Guy says.

"Or studying," Kyle adds.

"Or getting your ass beat at Soul Caliber over and over and over again," Mace says and drowns out Guy's protests by starting the blender.

"We'll have you over." Kyle's mom shouts over the blender. "In a couple of weeks when Guy's back in the swing of things."

"Perfect," Guy's mother says and smiles wider than Guy's ever seen her smile, he thinks. "We'll
bring the blender."

Part Twelve (Final part)

Comments

[shiny-glor-chan.livejournal.com]

Awwww. So cute! Booooooys~ <3 I love this fic, so much. This chapter was awesome!

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! And aren't they just adorkable?

[moonsong42.livejournal.com]

I love how in most of your fics you have Guy making the first move, even if Kyle's more comfortable with himself and his sexuality.

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

It's Guy's brashness, 100%. He can't not go for it. It's completely against his nature, you know? I'm so happy you like it!

[phoenixofborg.livejournal.com]

Brb, dying of ADORABLE.

<3 <3 <3

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[kirai-slasher.livejournal.com]

Awwww! Cute! It's adorable, especially awkward teen romance. That's always fun. XD

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just? It especially helps that it's none of us going through it, methinks. :) Glad you liked it!

[teshumai.livejournal.com]

aw so cute! I'm totally in love with this fic

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it; it's a lot of fun to write!

[seftimiu.livejournal.com]

Total squee over here. LOVE IT!

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm always happy to get a squee.

[candyflosskillr.livejournal.com]

Wooooonderful. *hugs fic tight*

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. If the fic were Kyle, it'd hug you back. If it were Guy, it'd flail and try to push you off.

[busarewski.livejournal.com]

this is so wonderful and cute!

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

[merelymine.livejournal.com]

Omg, this chapter is an overload of adorable teenage awkwardness. *dies*

And Mace! Mace is my new favorite thing in the universe, all full of brotherly advice and teasing, and setting him up for a minute alone with Kyle. SO AWESOME.

This story is still the best, and I just LOVE IT SO MUCH. <333

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

(How I have not said thank you, yet? I'm a bum. But, really, THANK YOU!)

I loved writing Mace being a sneaky brother for Guy to get a little lucky. I mean, that's what brothers are FOR.)