"Jake you've been in here for twenty minutes, get out," Valentine said, his patience there, but waning.

"I'll be out i-in a minute," Jake yelled through the door.

"You said that ten minutes ago. Just-" Valentine sighed, "just talk to me, Jake."

He waited for what felt like an eternity, but finally, the door opened.

Jake's face was flush, but that wasn't what surprised him though, what did was the smell of semen.

Valentine didn't show surprise, just gave an encouraging smile.

"Come on, let's set down," Valentine said going to the couch that was in the middle of the garage.

"So, what's up?" Valentine asked though he could guess.

Quite.

"Jak-"

"I think I'm gay- or bi or something." It was said in a rush, but Valentine got it.

"Ok, that's fine." Valentine smiled. He wasn't going to make a big deal about it.

"You're not- you know?" Jake asked nervously.

"Jake," he waited till the boy was looking. "I'm gay, known ever since I was twelve." Valentine shrugged.

"How- um, how did you know?" Jake asked, looking a little more relaxed.

"Well, my mom, Renéen she's bi. She dated the woman for a bit before she meets Phil. So, I was like- what? Seven, eight? So, I've been knowing about sexualities for a bit. Knowing my mom would support me, I wasn't scared to come out when I found out. I know when I watched Spiderman and Tom Holland got me hard- God I'm happy I decided to watch that show in my room- but yeah that's how I found out." Valentine explained, a smile framing his face.

"Oh, yeah, I like your hair, it's soft." Valentine nodded as an afterthought.

To Valentine, it was just a truthful compliment, but to Jake, it made his heart race and a butterfly's attempt to burst out of his chest.

"Wanna... um- y-you can uh- p-play in it sometimes," Jake mumbled, grabbing a strand of his hair unconsciously.

He had never offered that to anyone before, never thought he would. But then a beautiful out of his league man said he liked his hair and then he just.... offered it out on a silver platter.

Nobody else, just him. Just his Val.

"Really?" Valentine asked skeptically. Jake chuckled, he was a bit surprised he offered so easily, but he was crushing hard on the older boy. Somebody he used to look up to, now the center of his infatuation.

"Yeah, you can know if you want," Jake said, smiling gently as he offers the strand of hair to Valentine.

"Yeah, ok." Valentine agrees, excitement and fluttery nerves going stir-crazy in his chest.

Bringing his hands to that head of hair, he massaged his scalp, finding out the hair was as soft as it looked; maybe softer.

Getting a moan of approval, he dug into the boy's scalp, his hands covered in thick hair.

Lovely.

They did that for what felt like hours, sitting in peaceful silence, enjoying the moans coming from the other, enjoying the feel of hair. They were comfortably content.

"

Wake up, idiot." Bella said cutting on the light to Valentine's room.

"Already up," Valentine responded, strolling through his phone, wondering why he forgot to ask Jake for his phone number. He was already dressed.

"Yeah, I know, dad wanted me to make sure. Doesn't know you like to get dressed in the dark like a creep." Bella explained closing his door.

"You could have cut off the light!" bitch. He didn't say that part though.

Heaving in a sigh, Valentine cut off the light and continued to get dressed.

He had no idea why he preferred the dark to get ready, but he did. He could see pretty well with no light, so it didn't do much to hinder his sight.

Valentine had on a white shirt, a layer leather jacket, back skinny jeans with a couple of rips here and there, and black and white jordans.

Grabbing his brush from his nightstand, he tried to tame his dark shoulder-length curls before deciding to just get a scrunchie and tying it in a half-up half-down hairdo.

It looked like a total mess since his hair wasn't quite long enough just yet but somehow worked on him.

He looked like his sister- though she didn't have green eyes or curly hair.

She was more of a rough draft. Perfectly pretty- nothing unique. Just pretty. But Valentine, made people want to paint him. He was unique. He was sharp almost ugly at some angles, but with a tilt of the head, a turn of the body and he was gorgeous. He looks like there was someone underneath, a person like he had a charter.

His sister looks- well she looks like whatever you see on the surface, that's what you get. Nothing unusual, nothing special. She looked simple, pretty but simple. Not someone anyone would paint.

Most of his friends who were as much into art as he was offered to paint, draw, color, and sketch him; once even a professor asked to make a sculpture of him. They were all shot down. He didn't like the idea of people having him in their sketchbooks. He sincerely doubted Bella had been asked to be drawn.

And his eyes. Valentine just referred to them as green, but even he could tell the color wasn't green, though it was the closest thing he could say and get away with.

They were greenish, but they look gaze over with.... something, also the yellow tinge in there was something that seemed impossible. Even though he tried to get the color right hundreds of times, he always came up short every time. He would hand himself over on a silver platter to anyone who manage to get the color of his eyes right.

Going to the bathroom, happy to see his sister wasn't in there he closed the door and locked it.

Taking a piss and brushing his teeth; no not in darkness. His teeth were perfect white- even though he never flossed or used mouthwash. First flossing made his gums bleed, and mouthwash always leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

His face was unblemished, which he deserved. Puberty had been rough on him, his face full of bright red bumps, his voice squeaky, and to add on all that he was short and looked like a skeleton.

He thanks all the deities when he finally grows out of it. Now at 6'1, lean and muscular; thank you mom for introducing ballet, he looked good. And he was extremely flexible.

"Hurry up Valentine! You're taking forever!" Bella yelled banging on the door like only cops would do.

Valentine would have stayed in there for another ten minutes if he had something to entertain himself with, but alas- today just wasn't the day.

Valentine opened the door and walked past his annoying sister, not sparing her a glance and went to seek out his father.

He was in the kitchen, setting and reading a paper.

People don't make use of phones in this town, do they?

"Dad." Valentine waited till he got his father's full attention.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Can we get a dog? Mom said you liked them, and I love them so?" He gave his father a charming smile.

"A... dog?" His father asked cautiously.

"Yeah, we had one named Izzy. She died two years ago from old age. Mom said she wasn't getting another one no matter what I offer." Valentine explained a hint of sadness in his voice.

He loved that dog.

"Yeah, that's cuz you cry and lock yourself in your room for two months," Bella said walking down the last few steps.

"I was morning the loss of my dog. I took care of her all her life; it was like losing a best friend. A guy can morn." Valentine nearly sneered, but keep it in. Losing control wasn't how a person should negotiate.

"I'll see, I haven't had one in a good six years. I'd be good to get another." Charlie said.

"See dad gets it. You don't have to worry about taking care of it dad. I'll do all of it, but I do want it to be mine though. " Valentine said, talking as though he already had the fluff ball because it was going to be a fluff ball.

His dad let out a chuckled.

Bella liked dogs, but she much preferred cats. She never had one since mom was allergic though.

"If he gets a dog I get a cat," Bella said childishly and Charlie full-on laughed at that.

"As I said, I'll think about it, know to get to school before your late." Charlie smiled. Valentine hugged him before heading out.

He put on his sleek black helmet, set the engine, and he was off a loud vroom the only evidence.

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