Pleasantries - Chapter 4 - P.U.R.E. Intentions? - Part 3
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Chapter 4
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Part 3
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Continued from Part 2
Advisories from Part 1 are in effect. We are getting a glimpse inside Ripp's head on this one so, kind of need to stress the Language and adult subject matter (sort of ...) also fricken huge! with 85 images ...
*note* So, just like in the last update at some point in reading there will be a little ♫ show up on the right hand side. I didn't tell you about them last time, as they were completely optional. this one is strongly recommended! Click the little ♫ and it will take you to a new window with a clicky embedded mp3 player (cause I know some of you have issues with youtube) for small piece of the sound track for this chapter.
Also, yes, I finally got the title right >.>
Pleasantries - Chapter 4 - P.U.R.E. Intentions? - Part 3
8:10 PM Saturday, May 10
“Holy shit,” Ripp choked out coming to a sudden halt as the door clicked shut behind them, “There are a lot of people here.”
Lilith slung an arm around his shoulder, “No, there are only a couple dozen people here because it is still early,” she corrected, “A lot will be later when there are a hundred or more and a line up to get in the gate.”
Ripp gaped at her, “Hundred.”
“More. Still that’s not that many. There are way more than that at school, right?”
“Lil, at school I don’t have to do anything but go to class!”
“And here you don’t have to do anything but dance.”
“Which is really not even close to the same thing …”
She grinned at him, urging him forward with the arm around his shoulder, “Deep breath, you can do this. Forget about everyone else here and think about how hot Tel is going to look under all those lights.”
“Why would I think about that?” Ripp demanded snapping his head around in shock.
She laughed, “You are a sixteen year old gay male with an alien fetish. Doesn’t take much brain work to figure out what you’re thinking from there.”
Ripp sighed, “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m an idiot in a hopeless situation,” he grumbled quietly.
Lilith smirked, “You sure about that?”
“What?” Ripp snapped his head up. He hadn’t thought he’d said that loud enough for her to hear him over the music.
“Oh, look,” Lilith ignored his question, “There’s Tybalt and Damon.”
Lilith leaned in to hug Damon, “Coffee time already?”
Laughing, Damon returned the hug, “It was needed. Really needed.”
“Oh. My. Gods!” Tybalt exclaimed with a grin studying Ripp, “The little shit did a number on you didn’t he?”
Ripp shifted uncomfortably.
Tybalt chuckled, “It looks good on you though. He did something right.”
“Thanks,” Ripp murmured. It had sounded like a compliment; at least he thought it sounded like a compliment. He wasn’t all that comfortable with compliments though.
“Why so caffeine crazed?” Lilith asked.
Tybalt scowled at her, “Dirk is in a mood and if the green little shit doesn’t get here soon I am going to strangle my sister.”
“What’s up with Dirk?” she asked.
Damon snorted, “Guess.”
“Haley.” Lilith nodded, “And Jules?”
“Hell if I know,” Tybalt groused, “Rein’s dealing with it.”
Lilith grinned at him, “I’ll go talk to Dirk. Where is he?”
Tybalt gave her a grateful smile, “Moping on the couch over there. Want us to bring you guys back anything?”
Shaking her head no, Lilith set off toward the corner to find Dirk.
Ripp followed behind her marvelling at her ability to just take everything in stride. It didn’t seem to matter what the trouble was, Lilith was right there to tackle it. She always seemed to have a plan, a solution, or be ready to talk things out until a solution was found.
How much simpler would things be if he could do the same?
Ripp sat down on the couch beside Dirk.
“Hi,” Rein flashed him a smile from beside a very miserable looking Juliet.
“Hi,” Ripp returned the greeting half-heartedly. Somehow he didn’t quite trust that look.
“Wanna trade me grouchy friends for a while? I have a feeling you could deal with this one way better than I can.”
Juliet sniffed, “Not even a little bit funny.”
Stifling a giggle Rein turned her attention back to Juliet.
Ripp frowned. Girls made absolutely no sense.
“What happened?” Lilith asked patiently folding her hands on her lap.
“Haley is sleeping over again,” Dirk snarled.
Ripp’s frowned deepened, “She can’t be that bad is she?”
“I don’t know,” Dirk grumbled, “I just don’t like her.”
“But he does,” Lilith put in.
“Yeah,” Dirk let out a dissatisfied grunt, “Maybe too much.”
Ripp sat back.
Like someone too much? Was that even possible?
It wasn’t exactly like it was just a switch you could flip or a knob you could turn up and down no matter how much it might be helpful if it was.
If he could he would definitely turn down how much he liked Telesto. He’d turn it right back down to nothing. Maybe not nothing, but certainly back to a much more ‘friendly’ level; somewhere just above casual acquaintances and well before anything else got mixed in there. None of this noticing how he smiled or those damn eyes or the way he chewed on his lip when he was thinking. All of this ‘amazing’ and ‘cute’ stuff; that would go. ‘Hot’ would definitely be right the hell out!
“… trust Tel to set you up on a blind date.”
The stray strand of conversation from the other end of the couch caught Ripp’s attention snapping his head around.
“But not even you know anything about this guy,” Juliet insisted.
“Not really, no,” Rein admitted, “Just that he is a friend of Fen’s from his old school and moved here a few weeks ago. Tel met him before when he was staying with Uncle Cal.”
“That is not helpful!” Juliet insisted, “I already feel weird being set up on a date by my ex-boyfriend. Help me out here and know something about the target!”
Ripp momentarily warred with his conscience. He should not be eves-dropping on their conversation. It was wrong. It was an invasion of privacy. It was ... oh, to hell with it. Her ex-boyfriend?
“Target?” Rein questioned trying to stifle a laugh, “Have you thought that maybe things like that are why you need a blind date in the first place?”
“This is not funny!” Juliet pouted, “I’m nervous here. First dates suck anyway and blind dates are worse. Don’t laugh at my pain. This guy could be a complete jerk.”
“Telesto is a good guy,” Rein countered, still laughing, “He’s not going to set you up with a jerk on purpose. It isn’t like you guys broke up enemies or anything is it?”
A sudden lump lodged itself in Ripp’s throat. Broke up? When had this happened?
“No we did not break up enemies, but he is late!” Juliet snapped, “And he’s doing it on purpose! To make me even more nervous. Ugh! Men suck. I hate all of them.”
“I’ll remind you of that next time you are drooling over your latest victim,” Rein quipped turning her head before dissolving into a fit of giggles at her friend’s expense.
Ripp’s mind was reeling over what he had just heard. Broke up. Telesto and Juliet were not dating.
That tiny, improbable spark of hope he’d felt talking to Tel on the phone the night before surged to life again.
Ruthlessly he squashed it back down.
Just because Telesto was no longer dating Juliet did not suddenly mean Ripp had a chance. Single was really no different than not single when you got right down to it. Not that it mattered anyway, it wasn’t like he was in any position to do anything about it even if single did somehow miraculously equal gay.
His father was still a problem, a very large problem, a very large and terrifying problem and Ripp was still … well, Ripp.
Straight or not, there was no way a guy like Telesto who listened, accepted and understood; sweet, charming, adorably cocky, confident and gorgeous Telesto would ever go for someone like him. Guys like Telesto went for the beautiful people, the confident people not people like him, quiet, awkward, plain, boring … worthless a voice in the back of his mind added.
Yes, that too.
A sudden delighted squeal from Rein interrupted any further thoughts Ripp may have had on the subject.
Well shit.
Ripp barely managed to catch his jaw as it tried to fall open.
Was that even allowed? It shouldn’t be. Not when it came with a strict hands-off policy. Suddenly he had a whole new appreciation for purple.
“You’re finally here!” Rein exclaimed jumping to her feet.
“Hey,” Fenrir leaned in to return the hug, “Sorry we’re late. There were … complications.”
“Only two of you?” Juliet demanded, “Why are there only two of you?”
“This one is all you, Fen,” Telesto insisted, stepping around the embracing couple. “You explain to her why her date is hovering by the door too afraid to come over.”
Fenrir shot him a glare, “Thanks, you are a real pal.”
“Hey,” Telesto shrugged, “I do my best.”
“You,” Telesto gave Ripp a small smile sinking down to the couch beside him, as the others set off to find Juliet’s missing date “look delicious. I am loving the new look.”
“Thanks,” Ripp answered automatically before adding, “I didn’t know you and Jules had broken up.’
Telesto ducked his head, staring down at his lap, “You found out about that, huh?”
Ripp wished he could snatch the question back. Upsetting Tel had not been on his list of plans for the evening.
“Sorry,” he murmured, “It really isn’t any of my business.”
Telesto looked up, “No, It really is.”
“But yes,” Telesto went on with a wry smile, “we broke up a few weeks ago and the terrified looking blond by the door over there has the dubious honour of being Miss Juliet’s date for the evening. I almost feel sorry for him, except he asked for this.”
“Oh,” Ripp wasn’t sure what else to say, so he settled for the usual, “I’m sorry.”
“Nah,” Telesto dismissed the sympathetic apology, “Don’t be. We had a minor convergence of opinion. It’s good. I love her to bits even when she’s getting on my last nerve.”
“Convergence of opinion?” Ripp questioned, puzzled, “I don’t get it. You broke up because you agreed about something?”
Telesto chuckled, “It’s a long story, funny too actually. I’ll tell you sometime. Not tonight though.”
“Tonight I am all yours and we are going to put those new skills of yours to work.”
Ripp managed a weak smile at that, “Sure.”
“It will be fun,” Telesto chuckled, “I promise.”
Ripp wished he could be so sure.
The group on the couch settled into comfortable silence. Well almost comfortable.
Telesto leaned back to survey the room a delighted smile dancing across his lips.
Damon had settled himself on Tybalt’s lap with his coffee and appeared to be rather enjoying his position. Lilith’s attention continued to be focused on Dirk who was still brooding while Ripp fidgeted nervously.
He couldn’t do this, Ripp decided. He could not get up off the couch, head down the stairs in front of him and go dance. He certainly couldn’t do it with the gorgeous alien beside him. He wouldn’t be able to focus. Friends danced together; sure, he got that, but what if you wanted to be more than friends? What if dancing with the friend made you want to reach out and grab hold of that firm, purple clad …
“Dirk,” Lilith’s voice cut through Ripp’s musing.
“Mm,” came Dirk’s grunt of response.
“Let’s go dance.”
“Yeah, alright.”
Telesto leaned an elbow against Ripp’s shoulder as Lilith and Dirk departed for the dance floor, a small smirk curling his lips.
Ripp closed his eyes.
This was not happening. He had not just been fantasising about grabbing hold of Telesto’s rear, no matter how delightfully packaged it may be in smooth, supple fabric that he just knew would flex under his fingers letting him feel every curve of that orgasmically perfect ass, and pulling him close until their hips ground together while they danced ... and he was not doing it again! Certainly not while the subject of the fantasy he was not having; thank you very much; was leaning against him with that knowing little smirk.
“That sounds like one hell of an idea to me,” Telesto drawled.
Ripp snapped his head around blinking.
“What?”
“Your turn, Cinderella, let’s go dance.”
It took Ripp’s frazzled brain a moment to realize that the alien was referring to Lilith’s last statement before she had left and had not actually been reading his mind.
“Oh,” he said at last, “Um.”
“Nope,” Telesto shook his head, “You are not getting out of this.”
“I …”
“No,” Telesto’s voice was gentle but firm, “You want this. I know you do.”
He did. In all possible ways it was possible to define ‘this’, intended or not, he wanted.
“You’re scared. I get that,” Telesto continued, “Nerves suck, but they aren’t going to get any better if you don’t just go do it. So are you going to come and dance with me or am I actually going to have to carry you onto that floor?”
Ripp stared in horror at the hand extended toward him. So close but it might as well have been a million miles away. He wanted to reach out, take hold of not just the hand but all that hand represented; friendship, understanding and most terrifyingly, acceptance. Telesto accepted him. Worthless, pathetic him was being offered unconditional acceptance exactly as he was.
To Telesto it was just a hand, a simple friendly gesture. To Ripp it was that first step off the edge into the gaping chasm. Already he had far more than he deserved. The more he had the more it would hurt knowing he could never have what he really wanted and the more it would hurt when he lost it all anyway.
Pushing himself up unto shaky legs, he made his way toward the door.
“Ripp?” Telesto called after him.
Doing his best to keep his voice from trembling, he shook his head, “I can’t,” he managed to choke out before bolting from the club as fast as his unsteady legs would carry him.
* * *
Telesto found Ripp a few moments later leaned against the wall outside.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the music still perfectly audible streaming out from inside the club.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Ripp managed after a moment.
“Sure you can,” Telesto assured him, “You’ve been practicing for weeks.”
“It isn’t just dancing, Tel,” Ripp shook his head, “You … I …I just can’t.”
“You need to relax,” Telesto grinned, “it can’t be good for you to be this wound up all the time.”
“You sound like Lilith,” Ripp snorted.
“Lilith knows what she’s talking about. You should listen. Whatever has you so tense will take care of itself if you let it. Now relax and have some fun!”
Ripp wrapped his arms around himself. Sure it sounded simple enough. Telesto didn’t even know the half of it though.
“What is the absolute worst that could happen?” Telesto continued.
“I make a fool of myself,” Ripp replied immediately. That was putting it mildly.
“And will it kill you?”
Ripp stared at him dumbfounded.
“Well no …”
“Okay,” Telesto shrugged, “so what could be worse than that?”
Ripp could think of a few things, like, oh, Telesto finding out how he felt about him. That would be fairly sucktacular. Of course it probably wouldn’t prove fatal, just cost him a friend and make him wish he were dead.
Or, you know, his father finding out he was here, thinking about dancing with an alien, which, if Ripp wasn’t perfectly careful about his first point, could very well lead straight to his father’s further discovery that his second son was gay. Though really, on the shitty scale when compared to events he’d rather avoid, Ripp had to admit that one paled in comparison to losing Telesto’s friendship. Weird how that worked, it had scared the hell out of him earlier. Maybe he just hadn’t put it in the proper perspective then.
But then again it was becoming all too obvious he couldn’t really keep Tel around anyway. For Tel’s sake, for his own sanity, this had to stop.
“I could fall,” he stated, knowing full well he was grasping at straws, flimsy excuses, anything to avoid dancing and that inevitable moment when he had to walk away. For good.
Telesto just stared at him, his gaze unwavering; expression unreadable. Ripp couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being read though, that those piercing, iridescent, other-worldly eyes were searching for something, searching him. What the alien was looking for he couldn’t begin to fathom what he might find; that was another matter entirely.
Cold tendrils of panic began to snake their way along his spine. Fuck! This was not good, so very not good. He’d never been good at hiding what he was thinking. Usually it ended up displayed all over his face. Lilith could read his emotions like an open book. He was willing to bet that Telesto, still staring at him with those incredible eyes, eyes that seemed to pull him in and made him think about things he really shouldn’t be thinking like kissing the boy those eyes belonged to, was having no problem at all.
Shit! He really shouldn’t have thought that. Those same eyes had just widened slightly. Oh, and now narrowed. Wasn’t that fun? Yes, thinking was bad. Thinking got you into all sorts of trouble.
“Fall,” Telesto’s voice interrupted Ripp’s growing panic, his tone unusually low, lips curling into a lopsided grin, “I promise to catch you.”
Ripp’s eyes widened in shock.
Had he just … Was that … What the …
A million thoughts all raced through his mind clamouring for attention, demanding to be heard. Loudest of them all though was the almost certainty that Telesto had not been talking about dancing!
“That’s what friends are for right?” Telesto was smiling at him as if there was nothing at all amiss about what he had just said.
Okay, so maybe he had been talking about dancing after all.
“Now, what is really wrong?” Telesto asked cocking his head to one side.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Ripp registered the music, still quite loud, streaming out from inside the club. He was vaguely aware it was still the same song that had been playing when he’d come outside. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his fuzzy thoughts.
Telesto was still watching him, smiling expectantly, feet taping lightly to the rhythm.
There was a certain irony to this situation, Ripp realised as he focused on the lyrics of the song attempting to give himself something else to think about for a moment while he worked out how to answer the alien’s last question. If I had you, he thought along with the words of the song, it just might be the only thing I’d ever need. Of course he already had Tel in the only way he ever could, but for how much longer if the alien kept pushing the real issue? He briefly entertained the notion of admitting everything. It would certainly get Tel to back off, but in so very much the wrong way.
“You aren’t going to give up are you?” he asked at last.
“Never do when there is something I want,” Telesto replied, “You might want to get used to it.”
Something in his tone made Ripp look up, “What do you want?”
“To dance,” Telesto smirked, a playful challenge evident in both his voice and his smile.
Ripp frowned. There was still something he was missing about all of this. Something was different, but maybe the best thing to do was to take his friend’s advice and just go with it, let it take care of itself. It didn’t escape Ripp’s notice that the source of both his confusion and the advice were the same. The alien wouldn’t have suggested it if he hadn’t meant it right?
Also there was the matter of the message he had wanted to send. If his father somehow found out he was here tonight, he’d deal with it, just like he had dealt with everything else. He wasn’t going to be what his father wanted him to be, he couldn’t and trying to pretend he was something he wasn’t was slowly destroying his sanity. He would never live up to his father’s standards and didn’t want to anyway. It was about time the asshole realized that.
Ripp couldn’t help the smile starting to spread across his face. He was in for a world of shit one way or another soon. He may as well at least try to enjoy himself getting there.
“Come on, Princess,” Telesto urged backing from the wall, his body swaying slightly to the music, “We came here to dance.”
“Princess?”
“Adjust. You’re stuck with it.”
Shaking his head Ripp pushed off from the wall, “Jackass.”
Telesto grinned, “And yet you love me anyway.”
Ripp’s smile faltered. Those words were more true than the alien could possibly know.
“Now get over here and dance with me!” Telesto insisted.
“What, here?”
“Why not? No one else is here for you to worry about,” Telesto explained, “Just me and here is as good a place as any.”
At that moment the current song came to an end the first strains of a much slower song bursting forth from the sound system inside.
At once Ripp could see the scene unfolding inside in his mind’s eye. Visions of the crowd on the dance floor pairing off to dance to the emotionally charged music. Rein would be dancing with Fen, Juliet would probably be awkwardly trying to fit together with her date, Tybalt might even have decided to leave the couch and join Damon on the dance floor and here he was, alone, with Telesto.
♫
Ripp stepped back, clasping his arms behind his back. Why did the DJ have to play this song now when he had just made up his mind to let his guard down a little?
“What?” Telesto demanded folding his arms as he took in Ripp’s obviously defensive stance, “You don’t want to dance with me?” He looked slightly hurt, but that didn’t make sense.
It wasn’t that Ripp didn’t want to dance with him. Far from it. Right about now, nothing sounded better, but this was not a friends song to dance to, and while Ripp personally would love nothing more than to …
Hold on.
This was not a friends song to be dancing to. So why was Telesto standing there looking hurt and rejected?
Unless …
“It’s just …” Ripp’s voice trailed off.
“Just what?” Telesto’s wounded look had shifted slightly toward … was that frustration?
“You’re straight?” Ripp hadn’t meant to form it as a question, but there it was, hanging there in the air between them, with a giant question mark at the end, questioning.
Telesto’s sudden bark of laughter caught Ripp off guard.
“Am I?”
“You aren’t?” Ripp could not remember having been confused as many times before in his entire life as he had been today.
“There is some doubt recently,” Telesto admitted.
“I see.”
“Do you?”
“Not really, no.”
“A lot of doubt,” Telesto elaborated, “hardly any certainty left.”
“Okay, so is that a yes or a no?”
“I can’t say I don’t like girls, I do, just maybe not anywhere near as much as I thought I did,” Telesto smiled, “And there’s this guy, kind of quiet, a little awkward, sexy as hell especially once you get him dancing; he’s sort of got me thinking. So that is almost certainly a no, I don’t think I am straight.”
Ripp didn’t know what to say to that. What could he say? What he wanted to do was jump up and down for joy and grab Telesto and kiss him senseless, though possibly the other way around. Kiss first, celebrate later. He couldn’t do either of course because that would be just plain suicidal, but he wanted to.
“The real question here is you,” Telesto prodded gently.
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I can’t figure you out and I have tried,” Telesto lamented with a heavy sigh, “I have been dropping hints for weeks, not all of them very subtle either. You ignored them all. I have asked everyone I can think to ask.”
“No one knows!” he continued, his expression becoming an odd mix of exasperation and bewilderment “How is that? How is it that your closest friends can’t remember you liking anyone? Ever? You’ve never dated? Never even had a crush on anyone?”
Ripp turned his head refusing to meet the other boy’s questioning gaze. Oh, he’d definitely had a crush on someone.
He felt tears begin to well up behind his eyes. With a pang of loathing for his own weakness he fought them back down. If he stayed silent Telesto would simply walk away. Yet if he confessed, told the truth … he couldn’t even think of how wrong that would go right now.
“So now I am going to ask you,” Telesto announced. He paused, squared his shoulders and then pressed on, “Do you want to dance with me?”
Ripp shook his head, “I can’t.”
“Okay,” Telesto said with a curt nod.
He seemed to think for a moment before nodding once more. Wrapping an arm around himself he began to walk away, “I won’t bother you again.”
“Shit!” Ripp spun around, “Tel, no. Please don’t go.”
When it got right down to it, even knowing it would never work, not really, he found he couldn’t just let Tel walk away. This was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done. He could still be reading the situation totally wrong and Telesto was probably going to laugh in his face, which meant that he was literally risking everything and his father might just kill him when he found out. All of this scared the hell out of him, but that was okay. Anything was okay compared to the icy terror that gripped him watching Telesto walk away.
“What?” Telesto snapped, turning back, “I’d kind of like to not embarrass myself anymore if that’s okay with you.”
“No,” Ripp shook his head, his voice pleading, “I mean you didn’t. Fuck. How did this get to be such a mess? It was so much easier when you were straight. I was just the pathetic, screwed up, closet case fantasising about his friend when you were straight. It was safer that way.”
Holding his breath, Ripp waited to see how Telesto would react to his words.
He didn’t have long to wait.
“So you do want to dance with me?” Telesto asked taking a hesitant step closer, a small smile curling his lips.
“You have no idea how much,” Ripp’s voice was barely more than a breathless whisper of relief. Telesto could have just kept walking. Ripp had half expected him to do just that.
“You could have just said so, Princess.”
“Except that I am most likely dead when my Dad finds out,” Ripp countered.
“Ah,” Telesto nodded with sudden understanding, “I hadn’t thought about that. He’s not going to take this well is he?”
“No, he’s not,” Ripp confirmed.
Telesto reached out a hand to twirl a stray strand of Ripp’s hair between his fingers, “You sure you want to do this?”
“Truth?”
“Truth.”
“I am scared as hell about what he’s going to do when he finds out,” Ripp admitted, “but I am tired of hiding. I’m not sure I am ready, I don’t think you have half a clue what you’re in for but now that we are here, I don’t want to stop.”
“We don’t have to do this now though,” Telesto assured, “I hadn’t thought about your Dad and …”
Ripp shook his head, “Too late, I am already in too deep.”
Telesto’s eyebrows shot up, “Are you?”
“Possibly hopelessly,” Ripp admitted miserably, “I can’t seem to stop it. Please don’t hate me.”
Telesto grinned, “Fall. I promise to catch you.”
This time Ripp knew for certain he wasn’t talking about dancing.
Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Ripp placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes attempting to calm his racing heart beat. It wasn’t working.
“Tel?” he asked quietly, “If I tell you to stop because it is the safe thing to do would you do me a favour?”
“What’s that?”
“Ignore me and do it anyway.”
“For you, Princess, I think I can do that.”
Ripp took in a shaky breath, keeping his eyes closed tight. If he opened his eyes it would all vanish. He really didn’t want it to vanish. This was the best dream he had ever had. Of course usually when he dreamt of kissing Tel he wasn’t quite so terrified. Usually when he dreamt of Tel he felt a lot more confident. Funny how that worked. He was always so much more confident in his dreams than in reality. In his dreams he could walk right up to Tel and kiss him. Then magically Telesto would kiss him back and everything was right with the world. They had a lot more clothes on in this dream than they usually did as well and since when did he start feeling Telesto’s breath against his cheek in his dreams. This was a very odd dream, almost like it was really …
Ripp’s eyes snapped open. It was really happening!
“You okay?” Telesto’s voice sounded strange, almost strangled, “You’re shaking.”
Ripp didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead he just nodded his head. He wasn’t dreaming.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Telesto told him.
Ripp nodded, “I know.”
“Last chance, Princess. Do you want me to stop?”
Ripp shook his head no but his voice came out a strangled “yes.”
Telesto smiled, “That’s all I needed to hear.”
At the first brush of Telesto’s lips against his Ripp decided if he had to die a thousand times over for this it was worth it. Reaching out a hand he sank his fingers into the fabric encasing the other boy’s hip. It was soft and supple, exactly as he’d known it would be. Feeling it flex under his fingers, exactly as he had known it would, he adjusted his grip to get a better hold as he pulled Telesto closer to him.
He was such an idiot for not doing this sooner, he thought. Then their hips met and Ripp stopped thinking.
“See,” Tybalt turned to Damon with a playful grin, “claws. It’s a family trait.”
“Shut up,” Damon quipped back, his own grin gentling his words, “you love my claws.”
“I do,” Tybalt agreed immediately, “especially when you use them to …”
Lilith just smiled. It was about damn time something good happened for Ripp.
“So Ripp is gay!” Dirk exclaimed stepping up beside Lilith.
“Yes, yes he is,” she confirmed before a slightly worrying thought occurred to her.
Turning to face Dirk, her eyes pleading with his, she asked, “You aren’t going to be weird about this are you? Please don’t be weird about this.”
“I’m glad to know actually,” Dirk replied, “I’d wondered. It’s a bit weird sometimes, sitting at the lunch table and thinking: Hey, am I the only one here who doesn’t like cock?”
His friends gaped at him.
“What?” He shrugged, “I’m just sayin’. A guy can feel left out! At least now I know the next time some guy in tight jeans walks by and you all stop talking there is a reason for it and it wasn’t something I said.”
“Only you would feel left out because you aren’t gay, Dreamer,” Tybalt recovered enough to speak first.
“Only he would put cock and school lunches in the same sentence,” Damon added, “Not even I am that twisted!”
“You aren’t?” Tybalt sounded surprised.
“No, I’m not,” Damon insisted.
“Hmm,” Tybalt turned Damon around in his arms, “I am not sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.”
“Well …” Damon hedged, “If it makes you feel better, I am sure I could come up with a few uses for the yogurt.”
“See, I knew you could do it.”
“And,” Damon continued, “The spaghetti sauce is oily enough that it could work for …”
“Yuck,” Tybalt wrinkled his nose in disgust, “Okay now you’ve lost me. That’s just gross, Love, and sounds painful.”
“Well if you didn’t want to know …”
“Come on,” Lilith said to Dirk turning to head back inside, “I’ll buy you a coffee.”
“Good plan,” Dirk agreed immediately, “I really don’t want to hear any more of this.”
“Next you are going to tell me you can think of a use for the fries …” Tybalt said as Lilith and Dirk walked back inside, “Ew! No! Don’t tell me!”
Hearing Tybalt’s disgusted exclamation, Telesto pulled back resting his forehead against Ripp’s.
“You’re friends are nosey.”
“My friends? One of them is your brother,” Ripp countered.
“Plus side, I guess we don’t have to explain anything,” Telesto put in, “I have a feeling they have been watching for a while.”
Ripp grimaced, “Wonderful.”
Telesto grinned, “Embarrassed to be seen with me already?”
His eyes going wide, Ripp shook his head, “No! It’s just … my Dad … and …”
“I was joking!” Telesto chuckled.
Ripp’s shoulders slumped as the reality of the situation occurred to him. Against all probability Telesto was here, in his arms and those amazing eyes were reflecting back at him exactly what he had been feeling for so long. Still, at best it was a fleeting moment. It couldn’t last. He couldn’t risk Buzz finding out for Tel’s safety as well as his own and what would happen when Tel found out the truth?
He could enjoy the moment for now though couldn’t he? Tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with just how impossible it would be to love Tel this much and never let it show. Just for tonight it would be okay to pretend he was just like everyone else.
“We should go back inside,” he murmured.
Telesto shook his head, “Not yet.”
Confused, Ripp glanced up, “I thought you wanted to go dance?”
“Well sure,” Telesto grinned, “But if we go back inside I can’t do this.”
Oh! Ripp let his eyes flutter closed. Yes, this was a much better idea.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On to Chapter 5
WOOT!
A fricken' year! Seriously! On the drive (it's a long drive!) to the first day of my daughter's on site classes last January the plot bunny that is this chapter popped into my head. I am leaving to take her to her first day of on site classes for this year in 3.5 hours!
*sigh*
And with that last slide up there (and it is an awesome slide if I do say so myself) the first major plot arch of the story comes to a close. There's more though, don't worry. TONS more! I am taking a mini break though since my SimsStoCreMo project is officially to complete chapters 5 and 6 in their entirety in the month of February. *whimpers*
So bit of a mini hiatus and they will be back in Feb! :D