[X]

Kevin flops back onto the bed, panting. Abel lies beside him in a similar state.

Kevin glances over at Abel, laughing. "That was amazing."

Abel looks back, skeptical. "Really?"

"Mmhmm," Kevin rolls closer. "Know what my favorite part was?"

"What?"

"Beating you three times in a row!" Kevin crows, sitting up and holding his Wii controller. The ending screen of a Mario Kart race shows Kevin as the clear winner. The two of them have spent the day playing video games. It's been a few weeks since they first got together, and Kevin hasn't spoken to Damon since the awkward incident in the ice cream shop.

Abel shoves him playfully. "Now, Blue, don't get cocky." He smirks. "Or do." He leans in and kisses Kevin full on the lips.

Kevin giggles, blushing, then pushes him away gently. "As much as I love making out with you, I've got to get home. You know my parents get upset when I'm out late," he adds upon seeing Abel's pout.

Abel nods, sighing dramatically. "Okay, if you must go, I'll drive you."

Kevin kisses Abel on the cheek. "Thanks, babe."

The drive to Kevin's house is comfortably quiet, rock music playing on a low volume in the foreground. Once they arrive at Kevin's house, however, the silence becomes tense.

Damon is standing on Kevin's porch, holding a sweatshirt and smoking a cigarette.

Abel glances at Kevin warily. "Is it okay to drop you off with him there? Should I walk you? Or maybe just take you back home with me?"

Kevin smiles to put his boyfriend at ease. "Your concern is appreciated, but I can handle him." In all reality, Kevin isn't really sure that he can handle Damon, but he doesn't want Abel to worry.

"Okay," Abel nods, still looking uncertain. "If you're sure, I've got a completely unrelated present for you."

Kevin raises his eyebrows. "Really? What is it?"

"Close your eyes." Once Kevin's eyes are securely shut, Abel giggles and something rustles from the backseat. "Okay. Open."

Abel has unbuckled his seatbelt and sits facing Kevin, legs crisscrossed in his seat. He holds a small leather box in his lap. His cheeks are pink, and a giddy smile pulls at his lips.

"What's this?" Kevin's eyes are wide.

"Well, we've been together for about two months now, and I know that's not very long, but I wanted to get you something anyways." He starts to open the box, then shuts it, looking unsure of himself. "It's not much, so don't get too excited."

Kevin nods eagerly, beaming largely. Abel opens the box slowly, and watches Kevin for a reaction. He gasps, reaches out towards it, then glows a little brighter.

In the box, on a small cushion, sits a locket on a leather band. It's a little golden bird, wings spread open as if in mid-flight. Kevin reaches out again, hesitantly, as if asking for permission to see what's inside.

Abel looks away as he does. "I know it's stupidly cliche." Popping a latch on the bird's belly reveals a red paper heart. "It's supposed to be a little piece of my heart, or something."

Abel's face gets darker red, and he tries to hide it by babbling. "I'm not sure why the bird, I just saw it and thought, 'Blue would like this,' so I bought it, and I got it in gold because, well, you're my golden boy. Er, I mean, not my golden boy, but, yeah, a golden boy who is also mine." A pause, during which Abel still doesn't look at Kevin. "I also didn't know if you'd want a necklace or a bracelet or an ankle bracelet- anklet? So, um, the strap is adjustable to any size. Nifty, yeah?"

Kevin nods, smiling widely. "You're too damn cute, you know that? This is really sweet, and you're very cute, and I really should've gotten you something."

Abel shakes his head, folding Kevin's hands around the box. "No, no, you didn't have to get me anything." He smiles warmly. "A kiss would be nice, though."

Kevin licks his bottom lip, nodding, drops the box in his seat, then launches himself across the median and attaches his lips to Abel's. The kiss starts off slow, gentle, but it soon turns frisky and heated. Kevin pulls away and glances through the windshield self consciously. Damon is glaring back at him, chewing his lip furiously.

"Oh, hell," Kevin murmurs. "I've made him angry."

Abel casts a protective look at Damon. "You sure it's okay for the two of you to be alone?"

Kevin nods. "Yup. I should go see what he wants, I guess."

"Alright. Call me if something happens. Goodnight, Blue."

"Night, babe." After a quick peck on the cheek, Kevin gets out of Abel's car and closes the door firmly behind him. He walks hesitantly up his walk, hands shoved deep inside his pockets, fingering the gift box.

Damon leans against the wall looking sinister. "Did you really have to have a make out session with me standing here?"

Kevin shrugs. "No one asked you to stand on my father's property and watch."

There's an awkward silence during which Kevin stares at Damon. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't come here to argue. I really do have important things to say to you." Damon has the decency to look apologetic.

"Alright, then. Get on with it."

Damon takes a deep breath. "I'm here to explain why I hate Abel." Upon seeing Kevin shaking his head, he blurts, "C'mon, just hear me out, okay? We were best friends for years, at least listen to what I have to say."

Kevin sighs loudly. "Okay. I'm listening."

.

Damon nods, looking relieved. "Alright. This will take a minute, so you might wanna sit down." He waits for Kevin to settle himself, then begins. "I'll have to give you some background on this, since you don't really know the deal.

"In high school, my freshman year, before you moved, I was pretty much a loser. I didn't have very many friends, people picked on me because I was short, and I was... Lonely, I guess. Abel, on the other hand, was a senior. He had tons of acquaintances, a few close friends, and he was quiet enough to look cool. He hung out with the smokers, but never smoked himself; he was different, but just different enough to be cooler than everyone else.

"About a month or so into school, I was sitting by myself at lunch, as usual, when Abel just walked up and asked if he could sit with me. He asked me, Kev, and it was so crazy cool. I said yes, obviously, and we talked a bit. I thought he was even cooler up close.

"At first, he'd only come around every once in a while, then once or twice a week. Soon enough, Abel was eating lunch with me everyday. Sometimes he'd even bring his friends along. They invited me to go places, hang out with them. One even offered to teach me to smoke, but Abel wouldn't let me. He said it was uncool. Anyways, he made me feel special, like I wasn't the freshman nerd, like I was somebody. It was the most fantastic thing to me back then.

"He waited a few months, maybe to make me feel safe, or whatever. Lulled me into a false sense of security. Then, one day in the winter, just after winter break, he said he had to show me something. That it'd be the coolest thing ever, and that it had to be just the two of us.

"I trusted him, of course. He's very easy to trust as I'm sure you've found out. He pulled me into the janitorial closet after school one day." Damon pauses, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. "

"He said that he had to find it, that it had to be dark in there for it to work. And then, he pressed himself really close to me and kissed me."

Damon hangs his head, a tear spiraling down to the stair below his feet. "I didn't know-- I was confused, and I didn't-- I didn't know what I should do. I wasn't sure how I felt about the kiss, but I didn't want to lose him as a friend. He was the coolest, you know? So I just let him do it.

"When his hands started to roam, I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. I tried to push him away, but he had me pinned to the wall. So, I screamed. He shushed me, told me that someone might hear us, and started biting on my neck." Damon and Kevin share eye contact, Damon's regretful and Kevin's shocked.

"I'm lucky the door opened when it did. He was just getting to my belt buckle when the janitor opened the closet. He ran and told the principle, and we had to go and talk to him about it. The bastard tried to claim that it was consensual." Damon swipes at his nose. "They didn't even expel him since it was his senior year. I hadn't heard from him since, until you paraded him about the coffee shop like a prize pony."

Kevin opens his mouth, then closes it, gaping like a teary eyed fish. "Y-you... Are you sure it's the same guy? I mean, Abel's been lovely to me; he hasn't pressured me to do anything I don't want to."

Damon glares again, eyes flashing bright with tears. "Yes, I'm sure! Do you think I'd lie about this, asshole?"

"N-no, of course not, I just... Why wouldn't he tell me?" The last sentence is soft, nearly a whisper.

Damon snorts loudly. "I don't know, maybe because no one wants to date a sex offender?" Seeing Kevin's hurt look, he lays a hand on his shoulder. "Look, maybe he's changed, but you know, 'seasons change but people don't'. Fall Out Boy never lies."

Kevin sniffs, trying not to cry. "Why didn't you tell me? That you were... Assaulted? We used to tell each other everything."

Damon shrugs with a sad smile. "Not everything is meant to be shared. This was a special case." He stands, dusting off his pants. "I'm gonna go home, rest up. Leave you to think about things. Call me?"

"Yeah," Kevin says throatily.

"Okay." Damon walks down the driveway. "I'll see you later, Kev."

Kevin picks himself up off of his porch and enters his house as quietly as he can. His mother smiles at him, and he manages a nod in return. He trudges up the stairs to his room and shuts the door.

Flopping onto his back, Kevin removes his present from his pocket. As he examines it, he thinks.

What if Abel has changed? What if he hasn't changed? What if he's waiting to do it again? What if Damon is lying? But, he wouldn't lie about something so major, would he?

Kevin takes the charm out of the box, swinging it around his finger by the string. Could someone so beautiful do something so monstrous? He supposes it's possible.

He catches the bird in his palm with a decisive nod. He will confront Abel about the matter tomorrow. Whether he's done it or not, the truth will come to light.