Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:30:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Smith Subject: Almost Crying - The Tutor Author Michael Smith sets aside the wonderful manga he has just reread, his thoughts overflowing with beautiful stories and inspiring tales. The manga, Almost Crying by Mako Takahashi, must be shared, this much he knows, and so he sets to work on rewriting the stories so others may share in their beauty and passion. Within these pages you, the reader, will find tales of inspired life, romance, and love. While this journey is a retelling of the creative work of those who have come before, it is one worth sharing together. May these stories leave you laughing, sighing, and always almost crying. Max Hughes is a goofy nerd with a secret crush. Brandon O'Leary is a dumb jock with a gentle touch. When fate and poor scores on a science test place Brandon in Max's capable hands for tutoring, both boys find mammals aren't the only subject on the study guide, but will Max's true feelings towards Brandon win him true love or a broken heart? DISCLAIMER The following story is completely fictitious and any resemblances to persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Just as in life, this story contains graphic scenes of love and hate, life and death, joy and sorrow, as well as sexually explicit scenes which may involve minors. If it is unlawful for you to view such media, or such material makes you feel uncomfortable, then please read no further than this warning. COPYWRITE This story is fan-fiction inspired by the creative works of Mako Takahashi in the yaoi manga Almost Crying published by Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). The author of this story, Michael Smith, does not claim ownership of any aspect of the manga Almost Crying; this is a freely written tribute to a wonderful work of storytelling. If anything, the author encourages those that enjoy this story to make purchase of a copy of Almost Crying by Mako Takahashi as he himself has done... three times. The original work of Mako Takahashi is reflective of the Japanese culture and while the author, Michael Smith, respects and enjoys many aspects of the Japanese tradition, he understands he does not have the appropriate background to communicate all of the necessary nuances and subtleties to fully convey the stories offered in the manga Almost Crying. To remedy this, he has reconstructed the stories with a more western tone, in the hopes of properly passing on the inherent beauty of Mako Takahashi's stories to a new audience. AUTHOR'S NOTE I would appreciate any constructive criticism you have to offer me, but anything that lacks any form of redirection or remedy will be ignored. Also, anyone commenting on how I need to make things hotter and steamier between certain characters will be equally ignored. The sexual content of my stories, while present, does not make up the majority of the storytelling. Send legitimate questions or comments to: faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com. ALMOST CRYING -- THE TUTOR Max Hughes sighed to himself as the day seemed to drag on at an unreasonably slow pace; the school bell primed to ring for the last hour it seemed. As his history teacher, a Neanderthal of a football coach, prattled on about famous dead people, Max allowed his mind to wander aimlessly. It wasn't until the harsh and blissful sound of the school bell signaled the end of the day and another boring lesson that Max gathered up his books and slung the rather weighty book bag over his slim shoulders. As he made his way hastily out of the classroom and into the crowded hallway, he could hear his name being called. He tried to walk faster without it looking like he was running towards the exit. "Max!" the man voiced again, this time loud enough that a few other students were turning their heads to look at the freshman who was attempting to make a break for it. Turning around with a smile, Max pretended not to have heard his name until now and greeted the approaching guidance councilor, "Hey there, Mr. Rosenberg. I didn't hear ya." Mr. Rosenberg wasn't buying it. Max Hughes was an exceptionally talented boy, a little on the scrawny side with short and messy red hair, brown eyes hidden behind clunky black-framed glasses, and a goofy grin. His entire look screamed `I'm a nerd, come and beat me up,' but his cheerful attitude and infectious humor seemed to win him more friends than bullies. He wasn't popular by any means, but he wasn't shunned by anyone in particular. Like most fourteen year olds, he simply took up space in the hallway. "Nice try, Max." Mr. Rosenberg, a jolly man of fifty chuckled, "You know you could have just said something earlier if you didn't want to participate in our student tutoring program. You're a gifted kid; it would be a shame to waste that talent, but if you'd rather spend your free time doing something else..." "No, no," Max defended, "It's nothing like that, I just forgot. Honest." "If you say so, Max." the councilor sighed without a hint of anger in his voice. "Anyhow, your assigned buddy is waiting in Mrs. Martian's classroom in the science wing. If you are still up for it, why don't you go down and collect him. I'm sure Mrs. Martian would prefer you collect him sooner rather than later." "Sure thing," Max replied with more enthusiasm than he really felt, "I'm just going to go and drop this stuff off first. I'll go down to Mrs. Martian's room right after, promise." "Alright, just don't make them wait too long, remember we aren't paying you by the hour." Mr. Rosenberg chuckled once more as he ruffled the youth's already disheveled hair before going along his own way. As he passed by Max, the boy's cheerful smile almost immediately dropped to a crestfallen defeat. He had been so close. After a brief stop at his locker to drop off the books he wouldn't need to take with him, he walked to Mrs. Martian's room where the generally attractive science teacher was finishing up some papers. As Max looked into the room he could see the object of his hesitation attempting to spin the planet Earth on the tip of his finger like a small blue and green basketball. As the model of planet Earth wobbled precariously on its axis the planet spun wildly out of control and fell with a hollow plastic thud to the unforgiving ground below. Max could almost see the flattened remnants of Australia as the model rolled away. Those poor Aborigines, Max thought to himself. "Mr. O'Leary, can you please knock it off. I know you are bored, but can the world go a single day without you attempting to destroy it?" Mrs. Martian griped without removing her eyes from her stack of papers. Her red pen was poised to strike down all manner of incompetence, and Brandon O'Leary almost looked like he believed she would mark him full of red ink should he anger her further. "Sorry, Mrs. Martian." The boy said in all seriousness as he hastily picked the globe back up and returned it to its rightful spot on the display table. Max caught himself smiling and let out a soft sigh. Brandon O'Leary was one of those pretty kids that for the most part skated through life on charm and a smile. He had an innocent look about him and was easily one of the most popular kids in school, even though he was a freshman, like Max. With naturally wavy brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a small sprinkling of freckles, the kid was a looker, yet he seemed completely oblivious to most things. He was, for lack of a better term, a dumb jock; but at least he was friendly. "Oh, hey, you must be my partner." Brandon smiled as he saw Max standing in the doorway of the science room. As Brandon flicked an errant wave of hair out of his eyes Max was suddenly reminded of why he had tried to avoid this situation; he, for whatever reason, had a crush on Brandon O'Leary. Mrs. Martian seemed to ignore the two boys as Brandon collected his book bag from an empty desk and easily hefted the monstrous pack over a very developed shoulder. "Hey," Brandon greeted as he extended his hand to Max, "I'm Brandon. I think we have a couple classes together, or something. You're Max, right?" "Yeah, Max Hughes," Max replied as he sheepishly took Brandon's hand, "We have gym and religion together." Brandon's handshake was warm and strong and Max slowly began to wonder what his touch would feel like in other places. He must have been blushing a bit because Brandon seemed to smile and mistook his redness for embarrassment at mentioning having gym together. After all, gym was a generally embarrassing time for most boys who weren't as developed as their peers, and Max wasn't what one would describe as overly developed. "Oh, that's right." Brandon remembered as he tried to pull the conversation more towards religion as opposed to gym, "Ms. Papa is a little weird, don't you think?" It seemed to Max that Brandon was being sensitive to his feelings, but it was true; Ms. Papa was a little on the eccentric side. She didn't seem to care she was supposed to be teaching a Roman Catholic religion class in a Roman Catholic high school. Instead, she seemed to spend more time comparing the other religions of the world to Catholicism to expand the student's viewpoints. She was tough, Italian, and opinionated, but she could definitely hold her own in any debate. Max liked her. As the boys exited Mrs. Martian's classroom and made their way down the hall, Brandon seemed to go on and on about nothing in particular. The boy seemed to love to talk, and whether it was because he was nervous about having to be tutored in biology, or whether he was just uncomfortable around his new tutor, he seemed to be stealing glances at Max now and again, as if nonchalantly sizing him up. "So, where are we going to do this shin-dig?" Brandon asked playfully as he turned around to walk backwards facing his slightly younger tutor. "Well," Max thought, "there is the school library. It is open to students for an hour after classes get out just for studying." "Or...?" Brandon asked, obviously not thrilled with the idea of having to sit around in a room filled with books. "Well," Max began, "we could go to my house to study. My dad doesn't get home until later, but it is within walking distance and it would be quiet." Brandon seemed to weigh the choices in his head for a moment before replying, "I'd rather hang at your place, if it is all the same to you?" "Sure," Max answered, suddenly feeling nervous that he was going to actually have Brandon O'Leary in his house, in his room, maybe even on his bed. "But you have to remember, we aren't `hanging out,' we are studying. By the way, how did you fail a quiz on mammals? I mean, we're mammals." "No, dude," Brandon chuckled as he turned back around while they walked towards the door, "we're humans." Max let out a silent sigh; beautiful and dumb. It was going to be a long week. "There are so many books..." was Brandon O'Leary's first impression of the Hughes' house. Indeed, there were many books on many bookshelves which could be found all throughout the house. In every room of the small two bedroom house there was some sort of devotion to literature or the arts. "I bet there are even books in the bathroom." "Yeah, sorry," Max seemed to blush, "My dad and I sort of really like books." "Really?" Brandon teased in good humor as he gestured to the towering book cases behind him, "I never would have guessed. So, where's your room?" "Umm, my room?" Max asked a little surprised the handsome kid wanted to see his room so soon. "Yeah," Brandon replied with a smirk, "it's that place you generally sleep in, but some people use it to study." "Oh, yeah," Max caught himself momentarily daydreaming, "I mean, yeah, it is right through here. We can drop our stuff off there and set up shop in the living room if you want. It has a little more room to work." "Whatever works, you're the genius." Brandon half commented to himself as he continued to look around and make small talk. "So it is just you and your dad?" "Yeah." Max explained as he showed Brandon towards his room. "My mom left a few years ago for the coast. She said she just couldn't deal with a family anymore. She has a boyfriend now, his name is Chet. How cliché is that?" "That sucks, dude." Brandon said as he laid a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. Immediately Max found himself enjoying the contact which seemed to last a little longer than he had expected, which wasn't to say he was complaining. As they entered the small room, Brandon set his book bag down on the floor and plopped down on Max's bed as he sprawled out a bit, making himself at home. "So, where you want to start?" "Huh?" Max asked a little confused, getting a couple mixed signals. "The biology stuff, mammals and whatnot, where do you want to start?" Brandon asked as he sat up a bit sheepishly, having forgotten his manners. "Sorry, I've got three brothers and we are sort of informal around each other and stuff." "Oh, it's okay." Max replied as he set his own book bag down and fished out his Bio 1 text book. "Umm, I guess we should start at the beginning of the chapter on mammals. Just go over which traits mammals share that set them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom." Brandon laughed a bit to himself. "What's so funny?" Max scowled as he pushed up his glasses. "Nothing," Brandon chuckled as he looked Max in the eyes, "I was just thinking how when you say it, it doesn't seem like it is going to be so bad. When Mrs. Martian says we are going to learn `blah-blah-blah' I get all nervous. I guess it is because she is so damn intimidating with that red pen of hers, and you are about as intimidating as my pet bunny." "You have a rabbit?" Max asked a little surprised before he caught the subtle jab, "Hey, I can be intimidating... when I want to be." "Sure, like I believe that," Brandon laughed even harder as he tried to imagine Max as being intimidating, "you're too cute to be scary." Brandon kept chuckling to himself and whether he had missed his own words or not, Max hadn't. Brandon O'Leary thought he was cute. As the boys finally settled down and began working on mammals, Max kept getting a fuzzy feeling inside his stomach every time he would catch Brandon looking at him, only to have Brandon smile and turn back to the text book they were sharing. It was odd, Max thought, but maybe Brandon was just acting like he normally did around his brothers; he wasn't nervous or even shy like Max seemed to become in his presence. "Please?" Brandon pleaded as he let his head hang off the side of Max's bed obviously tired of studying. Max didn't answer right away as he was too busy looking over Brandon's perfect, albeit clothed, body as it lay sprawled out on his bed without fear of the other boy catching his glances. "Come on, please?" the boy pleaded again. "I've learned a lot, really, I have." "It's only been forty-five minutes." Max argued as he was pulled away from his gazing. "We can't take a break just yet." "Oh, come on, Max." the boy tried once more, "Just a quick ten or twenty minute break from studying." Max shook his head and smiled in defeat. "Okay, we can take a little break, but only if you do one of the end of chapter quizzes." Max negotiated. "Deal," Brandon agreed as his head shot back up to give Max a breathtakingly beautiful smile. "I bet I ace it." "Oh really?" Max asked cheekily. "What do you wager?" "Well, what do you want if I don't pass?" Brandon asked seriously. While it had been a joke, Brandon seemed to regard it as a serious question and to Max's surprise spent the next few moments seriously awaiting his reply. "Umm..." Max blushed and turned away before Brandon could see. "Nothing; I was just goofing around. Anyway, how about we just see how you do and I will see if it is worthy of a break, okay?" "Sounds fair to me," Brandon replied as he looked a little worried towards his tutor, "but are you feeling okay? You seem a little shaky." "Yeah, I'm fine." Max said with more confidence than he felt as he averted his eyes from the beautiful boy next to him. Max could feel Brandon shifting his weight on the bed and a few moments later felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his small frame. Max was a little confused, but the embrace felt nice and he immediately felt himself stop shaking and felt the nervousness wash away from his body. As Brandon completed the embrace, Max could feel the other boy's warm breath on the back of his neck and suddenly Max felt his heart racing. "You remind me a lot of my bunny, Trevor," Brandon said calmly as Max listened to his confident and steady voice, "he is goofy, cute, and loveable, but he is fragile, nervous, and he gets worked up sometimes too. So what I do is I hold him, like this, until he calms down, and I talk to him, like this, and let him know he is going to be okay. You are smart, Max, and a really good tutor. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. I won't let you down." These strange and friendly words from Brandon were unexpected, yet reflective of the kind smile and underlying nature of the boy that Max had admired from afar. As Max felt his body give in to the warm arms embracing him, in unspoken understanding, both boys slowly laid down and simply snuggled with Brandon's arms wrapped around Max, their body's so close together that Max could feel Brandon's own heart beating strongly and calmly. "Okay," Max gave up, "maybe, like, a little break or something." Max could almost imagine a smile creeping across Brandon's beautiful face. After remaining in their embrace for a while longer, Brandon had released Max, happy the boy was feeling better. The athlete didn't seem to make a huge deal out of it and while it had surprised Max, he too didn't want to make a huge deal about the hug. The two of them navigated their way into the kitchen and Max got them a snack. While it only consisted of pops and some PB and J sandwiches, Brandon was polite and ate everything before him. "I can't believe you guys get the raspberry jam," Brandon commented gleefully as he enjoyed his second sandwich, "I love it, but I'm the only one in my family that eats the stuff so we never get it. Who makes this brand? It is so much better than anything else I've ever tried." Max smiled at the simple joy raspberry jam had brought to the boy. "It is actually homemade." Max informed, "My dad and I like to experiment with stuff like that, and since making preserves are just a chemical process we sort of wanted to see how it would work. We got a few books on it, got some fresh raspberries from the farmer's market and a few painstaking trials later, well you can taste the results for yourself." "Wait, you guys do this stuff at home, together?" Brandon asked with a little bit of a laugh, "Sorry, it is just that I can't imagine my dad EVER doing stuff like that with me, I mean like cooking stuff. Unless it is on a barbeque or something with lots of fire, he generally thinks cooking is a girl thing." Brandon immediately seemed to catch himself, like he had said something wrong. "I'm sorry," Brandon said, "I mean, I didn't mean to imply I thought what you and your dad do is girly or nothing..." "It's okay," Max laughed a little bit to let Brandon know he wasn't mad, "everybody's family is a bit different, and everybody's parents think about things a little differently." "Yeah, I guess you are right, Max." Brandon seemed to cheer up a bit as he thought about it. "Man, you are one smart dude, you know that?" "So I've been told." Max grinned back cheekily. As the boys continued to talk a bit in the kitchen they heard a car door slam and the jingle of keys as footsteps approached the front door. "Oh, that is just my dad." Max replied to Brandon's questioning look. To the young redhead's surprise, Brandon seemed to straighten up and become a bit more timid at the sound of the approaching footsteps. As the bottom lock was undone and the door opened, into the house stepped Max's dad, a middle-aged man of average height and build who carried the same red hair as his son. He was dressed nicely, but a step below business casual, and carried a backpack over his shoulder. As he took off his sunglasses, he gave the boy's before him the same goofy smile as his son, which immediately set Brandon at ease. "Well now, what do we have here?" Mr. Hughes asked of his son and guest. "Hey dad," Max happily grinned, "this is Brandon O'Leary, from school; I am helping him with science for the afterschool tutoring thing I told you about. You know, mammals and stuff." Mr. Hughes gave both boys and the kitchen an appraising glance. "Yeah, I can see that," Mr. Hughes replied to his son, "I suppose one finds many mammals inside a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." "We were taking a break, dad." Max shot back sarcastically, knowing his father was joking. "Sure you were." Mr. Hughes played along in his continued joshing of his son. "Either way, Brandon it is nice to meet you, I'm Max's dad, Ryan." Immediately Brandon O'Leary was broken from the trance of watching a father and son lovingly banter back and forth. He took a few steps into the living room from the kitchen as Mr. Hughes put down his worn backpack and he shook the man's hand. He was surprised to find Mr. Hughes stronger than he had appeared yet possessed of that same goofy humor as his son. "Nice to meet you too, sir." Brandon replied formally. "We were just about to get back to work... after we clean up, of course." "What?" Mr. Hughes asked, "You mean you are actually going to clean up your dishes and not leave them over the entire counter area?" Max rolled his eyes. "You don't want to be my NEW son, do you?" Mr. Hughes asked good-humoredly. "I've had this one for fourteen years, so sometimes it forgets to pick up after itself. I'm more than willing to do a trade in with your parents, but I don't think I could get much for him." "Well," Brandon responded, finally picking up on the joke, "my parents have three more boys at home, so I'm sure they wouldn't miss me too much." Despite the cheesy jokes, Max laughed in spite of himself. Brandon and his dad were getting along, which was good, but more importantly, he and Brandon were getting along too. He was still a little unsure about the hug they had shared on his bed, but as Max looked at Brandon as he continued to joke and tease with Max's dad, mostly at Max's expense, he couldn't help but feel this unknown warmth overflowing from his heart. About another hour after Max's dad had arrived, Brandon was getting his stuff together. He had called ahead to his parents to let him know Mr. Hughes was going to give him a ride home. As the last part of their studying, Max checked the end of chapter review and was surprised to find Brandon had done fairly well on it, only missing a few of the short answer questions. "Not so bad, eh?" Brandon replied with a smirk. "I know you can do better," Max responded, "but it is a good start." The boys talked a bit longer as Mr. Hughes got a small jar of raspberry jam for Brandon from the basement, so he could have some at his house. It was a nice gesture, and Brandon was very thankful to Mr. Hughes who informed him that he and Max had gone a little overboard in their attempts to make preserves. Luckily, preserves last for a while, he had joked. "You know," Brandon said once Mr. Hughes was out of earshot, "you're dad is really cool. I mean, he is like nice and stuff." "Oh, he can be mean when he wants to be," Max joked knowing Brandon was right, "but yeah, he is." As Mr. Hughes left with Brandon to drive him home, he left Max with some money to order a pizza for when he got back. "You know," Mr. Hughes said as he closed his door and started up his truck, "we really don't mind if you stay for dinner." "Thanks, but I really do have to get home." Brandon replied. "I already promised my mom I would be home for dinner, but maybe another night?" "Definitely," Mr. Hughes smiled, "You are always welcome at our house; just don't expect me to treat you any different than Max." The last comment seemed to make Brandon O'Leary smile and before too long they pulled up in front of the O'Leary house, which was fairly big compared to the Hughes'. As they got out, Mr. Hughes walked Brandon to the door and asked if he could speak to his parents. "Just to get to know them a bit, introduce myself." Mr. Hughes smiled to Brandon's question. "After all, they trust me with their son, so I wanted to just let them know who I was and see who they are. I assure you, it is a harmlessly dull thing parents have been doing for years." As they walked into the living room, Mr. Hughes and Brandon were met by a couple older boys, both of them with a very athletic build. They seemed to be lounging around the living room, but immediately noticed their youngest brother in the company of a strange man, but then seemed to dismiss it. "Hey, Cody," Brandon asked to his older brother who was sprawled out on the couch watching a relatively violent movie, "where's mom? This is Mr. Hughes, the dad of the person helping me with my biology stuff; he just wanted to meet her." "Kitchen." The young man replied without paying much attention to his brother or their guest. As they continued through the living room into a large open hallway, Mr. Hughes could see a very beautiful woman working in the kitchen preparing dinner for her family. As they entered the kitchen, she turned around and, seeing her son in the company of the man she assumed had given him a ride home, she smiled warmly. "You must be Max's father," she greeted kindly as she removed an oven mitt and extended a graceful hand towards the new face, "it is nice to meet you, I'm Rose O'Leary, Brandon's mother." "It's is nice to meet you, Rose." Mr. Hughes replied as he took her hand in his own, "I'm Ryan. I can see where your son gets his friendly manner." Rose seemed blush at the complement. "Well, yes, I suppose in that regard he is the only one of my boys that takes after me." She commented as she ventured a tentative look into the living room to see two of her other sons laying about like sloths. "It is very kind of you to say." "Not at all," Mr. Hughes continued as he saw Rose give her son a loving squeeze on the shoulders, "I just wanted you to know, he is welcome at our house any time. I think the boys were planning on meeting again after school tomorrow. I know they had talked about it before, but would it be alright if he stayed for dinner? I only ask because I think Max would like having someone other than me to talk to over a meal, and it would let me show off a bit my cooking skills, which I don't get to do very often." "Oh, no, that should be fine." Rose replied, "So... your wife?" Brandon sort of sensed this might be an adult only conversation, so he excused himself to go check on Trevor, his rabbit, upstairs. "Elena was a bit of a free spirit." Mr. Hughes sadly grinned. "She decided one morning the husband and kid thing wasn't for her and left. She was a beautiful and independent woman, and that is what I loved about her, but in the end she wasn't cut out for the family life. It has been two years, and she hasn't made any real effort to contact myself or Max in that time. So, yes, it is just me and my son, right now. The paperwork on the divorce has gone through, but I am not in any real rush to get into another relationship, not when I have my son to think about." "I can appreciate that," Rose nodded, "and out of curiosity, what is it you do?" "I'm a teacher." Ryan replied. "I teach business ethics and management up at St. Justin's University, or at least that is what I tell my students. For the most part it feels like an exercise in futility trying to instill work ethic and a proper business mindset in these college kids." "Oh, well, teaching is a very noble profession." Rose admired. "It is no wonder your son enrolled in the tutoring program as a helper. It took everything I had to convince Brandon's father to let him join it to get the help he needed." "Is he not a fan of the tutoring program?" Ryan asked a little surprised. "He is not a fan of `weakness.'" Rose said a little candidly. "Well, your son is far from weak, from what I can tell." Ryan commented, "He has a strong body, a good heart, and if he is anything like his mother, a lot of common sense." "Well, thank you, Ryan." Mrs. O'Leary blushed a bit. "I will plan on Brandon staying for dinner at your house tomorrow night, if you are sure it won't be an inconvenience." "Not at all." Mr. Hughes replied. "Oh, and before I forget..." Mr. Hughes reached into his pocket a pulled out a small jar of raspberry preserves. "Between our sons, they managed to polish off one of these jars of raspberry preserves for a snack, "he explained, "so I figured it wouldn't go to waste if Brandon brought some home with him. I think he said something about him being the only one to really like the stuff, so I imagine it will be safe out in the open?" "Only if I leave him some myself." Mrs. O'Leary replied. "My husband and my other boys don't really care for raspberries, but Brandon and I love it. My husband just grumbles about buying two kinds of jelly at the store when one kind will do." "Well, then, I might have to get a bigger jar to send home with Brandon the next time he visits." Mr. Hughes smiled. "Anyway, I promised my son I wouldn't be gone too long. It was very nice meeting you Rose, and I think I can show myself out if you want to get back to dinner." With a smile Mr. Hughes excused himself. "Chicken and bacon," Mr. Hughes sighed to himself, "I should have known you'd order that if I didn't leave specific instructions." "Yeah," Max grinned as his father dug into the pizza in spite of himself, "you should have." Max and his dad ate the pizza as they talked about their day and as Mr. Hughes told his son about meeting Brandon's mom. As Mr. Hughes listened to his son talk about their studying and the quiz Brandon had taken afterwards, he couldn't help but marvel at his son. "You are a really wonderful young man, you know that?" he asked as he helped himself to another piece of pizza. "I'm not that great," Max modestly deflected the complement, "I mean... Brandon isn't as stupid as he is making himself look." "Probably not," Mr. Hughes agreed. "He has a good head on his shoulders. I like Brandon, he is a good kid." "Yeah," Max echoed, "He's really great." As Max continued to eat his piece of pizza, Mr. Hughes quietly reflected on his son's words and smiled to himself; oh, to be young and in love, he thought. The next day at school, Max found he was a bit unfocused and actually looking forward to his new tutoring gig. He was constantly scanning the hallways for Brandon O'Leary, but it wasn't until they were filling in towards the gym that he caught sight of Brandon through a crowd of kids descending the stares into the hardwood floored arena. As the boys and girls made their way towards the separate locker rooms, Max snuck away towards his usual spot in the back to change. As he got his clothes out of his backpack, he turned around as he was greeted by a smiling Brandon O'Leary. "Hey, Max." he greeted his new friend, "How's it going?" "Umm... good?" Max replied a little nervous at Brandon being in such close proximity to him as they were getting ready to change. "Don't you usually change over there with everybody else?" "Yeah, but I was sort of thinking about yesterday." Brandon said nonchalantly as Max's heart jumped into his throat, "I was thinking about how you seemed all nervous when we talked about gym and stuff, and I just wanted you to know it is okay. I mean, I've noticed how you sort of sneak off to get changed, but there is nothing to be shy or embarrassed about. I mean, everybody develops at their own pace, right? So I was just going to sort of change here, if it is okay, and that way if anybody comes by you are behind me and it is all good." Max was both moved by Brandon's gesture and immediately aware that he really liked the idea of getting to see Brandon O'Leary change more closely than he had dared in the past. "Umm, okay," Max was able to respond, "yeah, thanks." "No problem." Brandon smiled as he began to removed his shirt. The students usually had ten minutes or so to change clothes before gym class and Max figured he must have wasted five minutes of it watching Brandon pull his shirt off and over his head in slow motion. The boy's body was perfect, not overly toned or developed, but that perfect mix of skinny and muscled that few teenagers could pull off. As Brandon moved on to unbuttoning his belt and undoing his pants, he slid the material down his perfect legs to reveal a pair of white boxer briefs with a nice bulge in the front. As he absentmindedly kicked off his shoes to get his pants all the way off, Brandon looked up to Max who quickly turned away so as not to appear like he had been staring. "What are you waiting for?" Brandon asked cheekily. "We don't have all day to change." "Right, I knew that." Max replied as he himself removed his shoes and slowly began the process of changing into his gym clothes. Unlike Brandon, Max Hughes was about as developed as he had been three years ago. His body was skinny, but lacked any muscle definition. His legs and arms were devoid of almost all hair and he hadn't even begun to sprout underarm hair. What little hair he did have over his privates wasn't much more than a few wispy promises of changes to come. As he reluctantly revealed his own green boxer shorts, he couldn't help but imagine he saw Brandon sneak a peek at them as he fumbled with the drawstring of his athletic shorts. Max must have imagined it. Gym class was relatively uneventful, dodge ball, with Max ending up getting out almost right off the bat. He spent most of the period talking with the other kids who had gotten out early and joking around a bit. As he chatted, he also snuck glances at Brandon as he moved around the gym and occasionally, Brandon would look over towards the bleachers where Max and a few others were sitting a quietly smile. As the period came to a close, everyone filed back into the changing rooms once more. Since it was light activity towards the end of the day, nobody had to shower, which Max was thankful for, but it still meant changing clothes with Brandon O'Leary again. As Max made his way towards the back and Brandon joined him once more, they began to change, but Max was still having trouble with his self image. "You know, dude," Brandon said as he saw Max nervously looking around as he took his shirt off, "you don't have a bad body, you know?" "I don't?" Max asked. "How can you say that, I mean... look at you... you're like perfect. I mean, like... you look the way a fourteen year old is supposed to look and I..." "Look the way a fourteen year old is supposed to look too?" Brandon offered. "I mean, look over there at those other guys changing, they are all different builds and stuff, some fat and some skinny, some with muscles and some even hairy." Brandon laughed a little bit to himself at that part. "The point is, Max," Brandon tried to clarify, "you're a normal fourteen year old, just like me, and you have a normal fourteen year old body, just like me. I look at you and I think you're perfect too." Max and Brandon continued to change in silence as the bell rang out to signal the end of the period. As Max gathered his things together and made his way towards his last period history class, he couldn't stop thinking about Brandon's words. "Endothermic?" Brandon repeated the word as his voice carried a tinge of fear. "Endothermic means that... mammals... it means mammals produce their own body heat?" Max looked at the boy with unenthusiastic eyes. "Now, let's try saying that with confidence." The redhead coached playfully. "Endothermic means that mammals produce their own body heat." Brandon O'Leary said with confidence and a smile. "Very good," Max replied as he wrote down the final answer on the second end of chapter review, "that is ten for ten." The two boys were once more sitting on the bed in Max's room studying, but unlike the previous day, Brandon had seemed to get into the swing of things and felt more comfortable in the unfamiliar environment. He hadn't complained once to Max about studying and they had spent a whole hour without interruption before Brandon aced his end of chapter review. "Want to celebrate?" Brandon said slyly as he leaned in towards Max, a devilish look in his perfect blue eyes. "Wha... wha... what kind of celebrating?" Max stuttered as he slowly began counting Brandon's freckles on his nose. "Celebrating of the raspberry jam variety, of course." Brandon grinned. "Why what were you thinking?" "Umm, nothing," Max lied as he quickly dismissed a celebratory kiss. Brandon laughed a bit to himself. "What's so damn funny?" Max scowled to his new friend. "That look, it was so cute." Brandon replied innocently. "I swear if you were a bunny, I'd take you home with me. As Brandon leapt from the bed and made his way towards the door, Max seemed to make a devilish smirk of his own. "Come here and I'll show you `cute.'" Max threatened as he raced after Brandon who had bolted from the doorway. Mr. Hughes had been a bit surprised to find the boys wrestling in the living room, but what surprised him more was that Brandon, while physically stronger and more developed, was letting Max win a little. As he sighed to himself and made some offhanded comment about the insatiable zeal for life ascribed to youth, he made his way into the kitchen to start on dinner. The boys seemed to wrestle a bit more before they calmed down, but their laughing never seemed to end. Mr. Hughes was silently thankful for Brandon's presence; it was definitely a positive effect of Max. "Wow," Brandon commented as dinner came to a close, "that was amazing." "I'm glad you approve." Mr. Hughes replied as he collected the now empty dishes from the table. "I'm going to get these washed up, but why don't you boys go get Brandon's stuff together and I will take him home in a few minutes." "Okay, dad," Max replied as he pushed out his chair and addressed Brandon, "I can get that book you wanted to borrow." "Sweet." The youth replied as he joined Max. "It is sort of a long book, though, are you sure you are up for it?" Max asked as he entered his room and found `Wizard's First Rule' on one of his shelves. "Yeah," Brandon replied as he walked closer to Max, "it just might take me a while and stuff, so don't expect it back anytime soon." "No problem," Max smiled as he turned around to hand Brandon the weighty novel, "books are meant to be shared." "Cool." Brandon said with a tremor of uncertainty in his voice as he took the book from Max, their fingers touching momentarily. Both boys seemed to fidget awkwardly for a few moments and Max Hughes could feel something building up, like an unexplainable energy between them. He couldn't say why he did it, or how he managed the courage, but before he knew what he was doing he leaned forward and kissed Brandon O'Leary on the cheek. As Brandon looked down at the goofy boy with the red hair and glasses that had just kissed him, Max seemed to swallow hard, waiting for Brandon's reaction. "Okay boys," Mr. Hughes interrupted as he stuck his head in, "I'm ready to take Brandon home." Brandon turned startled to look at Mr. Hughes and when he turned back around he appeared as white as a ghost. "Umm, okay, yeah... see you later Max." he had said quickly before he disappeared out of Max's room. Mr. Hughes followed the boy with his eyes towards the front door and turned around to look at his son, who was still slightly taken back by the whole reaction. As Max's dad shrugged his shoulders at the strange reaction of his son's friend, Max silently felt his little heart breaking into a million pieces. As he heard his dad leave to drive Brandon home, Max collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes. He rolled over and took his glasses off, but didn't remove his clothes. "Max Hughes," the boy said to himself as he set his glasses on the dresser next to his bed, "you are a stupid idiot." All the next day, Max felt as if his kissing Brandon O'Leary was on full display to the entire school, but nobody seemed to pay him any more or less mind. After thinking about it, it made sense to Max that Brandon wouldn't say anything about the kiss to anyone simply because Brandon wouldn't want people thinking he was a weirdo either. While Max had seen Brandon a couple times in the hallways, the boy didn't carry that same happy-go-lucky skip in his step. If anything, the boy looked absolutely crushed and shattered. "What have I done?" Max thought to himself as he could see the distancing Brandon was doing not just to Max but to everyone it seemed like. As the day wore on, it came time for religion, a class that was held every other day like gym, and as the class filed into Ms. Papa's room, everyone took their respective seats. Max was seated towards the front of the class, while Brandon was all the way towards the back. As Max ventured a tentative look behind him, he could see that same crushed spirit Brandon O'Leary had worn to school the first time Max had seen him in the hallway today. It hurt Max to see Brandon in that much pain, but more so it hurt him to know he had been the cause. Mrs. Helen Papageorgiou, or Ms. Papa as she was normally addressed, was a stern woman of forty and possessed of exceptional height and build. However, she was also sensitive and understanding without being gullible and naïve. Immediately she sensed the unfamiliar auras in her classroom, radiating from both Brandon O'Leary and Max Hughes. Most of the kids in her class were emotionally undeveloped, and thus unaware of Brandon's turmoil and Max's concern, so Ms. Papa played that to her advantage and didn't call on either boy for the entirety of the class. "So, for homework..." Ms. Papa began, but she could see both boys had spent the entire period elsewhere, "ah screw homework. It's Friday, so go and enjoy the weekend." Everyone in class, except two, replied with cheers. While Max could probably handle a full plate, Ms. Papa knew Brandon wasn't the brightest bulb and may be going through something personal. She decided that the homework she had planned could be converted into a worksheet for next period, but she would definitely want to make sure things were okay for both boys after the weekend. After all, it could be nothing, but she had the sneaking suspicion that Max might like Brandon, and she didn't want to do or say anything that would let either boy know she had noticed. Ah, she thought to herself, the stupidity of young love. After class got out, Ms. Papa was gathering her papers together when she saw Brandon O'Leary make a b-line for Max Hughes and grab the unaware youth by the arm and drag him off towards the back exit. Max had a look on his face that told Ms. Papa he was as shocked as she was. As she moved towards the doorway of her room, she saw the boys as Brandon pulled Max along with him, out the door of the hallway and into the grass beyond. Due to the layout of Ascension High School, no one would notice the boys as they made their way across the grassy field and off of school grounds. As she carefully thought about whether or not to report their truancy, she ultimately decided against it. She knew Brandon O'Leary, and he was not a violent or aggressive child. She also knew Max Hughes, and he was a sensitive and clownish individual with a good head on his shoulders. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed the front office. "Yes, this is Ms. Papa." She replied to Karin at the front office. "Will you let Max Hughes' and Brandon O'Leary's teachers know I am borrowing them for the next period? Good, thank you." As she hung up the phone, she smiled a bit to herself as she watched from her window as the two boys disappeared over the grassy hill of the school grounds. Sometimes, she thought, it is good to be the wife of the principle. The boys walked on in silence, the only sound was their footsteps as they marched across the grass and towards the houses near the school grounds. Max was so shocked by Brandon's action and the youth's utter silence that he was unaware of where he was being led until he found himself at the door of his own house. Once they stopped outside, Brandon let go of his arm, but he still didn't say anything. Sensing he needed to talk, but in private, Max fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to the small house. Once both boys were inside, Max locked the door and without a word both gravitated towards Max's bedroom for the utmost privacy. "Umm... Brandon?" Max asked tentatively as the boy looked like he was near tears. "I just wanted to say I am really sorry... really REALLY sorry... and I know if this changes things between us it is all my fault... but I just wanted to say..." "Trevor died." Brandon blurted out as Max could see the boy's lower lip begin to quiver, his eyes watery and ready to break. Max was stunned into silence as he watched the beautiful and strong boy he had admired from afar bare his soul before him. Brandon walked a few steps forward, closing the distance to Max, and simply let his head sink into Max's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around him. Max found his own arms automatically embracing his friend in pain, and he heard Brandon begin to sob; he could feel every reverberation in his own chest. "I came home the other night," he explained to the bewildered red head, "and I went to check on him in is cage and he was dead. I didn't want to believe it at first, but he wouldn't move... I knew he was dead, but... my mom heard me crying and came to check on me, but she didn't understand until I showed her he wasn't moving... my dad came up and was all `what is the big deal it is just a stupid rabbit, it is not like it is even a dog!'" At that point Brandon just cried and didn't say anything and Max just continued to let him get it all out. As he did, both boys seemed to gravitate towards the bed, and carefully, they lay down together, still embracing. With a little effort, they found a comfortable position with Brandon spooning Max, his strong arms desperately clinging to the smaller boy as if he would somehow lose Max if he let go. For a while that is all they did, lay in bed while Brandon cried and held onto Max. As Brandon's crying lessened, either by exhaustion, recollecting himself, or both; Max sensed a change in his friend. His embrace had somehow transformed into something more intimate and gentle, and Max could feel Brandon's warm breathe on the back of his neck, just like the first time they had cuddled like this. "I think, I understood..." Brandon said softly to Max as they lay motionless on his bed, "when I saw Trevor... when I knew, I was afraid because I was alone. I've always had lots of friends, people to hang out with, girls to flirt with, but Trevor was always my buddy, someone I could talk to about anything, someone to cuddle with if I felt scared or alone. I know he was just a rabbit, but he was my friend, Max." Max could feel a gentle kiss on the nape of his neck, Brandon's lips gingerly positioned in his soft red hair, and a sudden warm rush washed over his body. "... but, I'm not alone, am I?" Brandon asked rhetorically. "Not as long as I have you. You don't mind that I am not super smart, or that sometimes I don't win a game, or that sometimes I just want to hold someone close and snuggle, or that sometimes I think you are so cute I just want to kiss you." Brandon seemed to move a bit as he repositioned himself slightly above Max who had been pacified by his embrace. As Max looked up into Brandon's sensitive eyes that seemed to be searching for something intangible, he could feel their gentle love upon him. "You don't mind, do you?" Brandon asked in a whisper as he slowly leaned down towards Max. As both boys shared their first real kiss, Brandon delicately explored Max's lips with his own and both boys were lost in a world of their own budding passion. They continued to explore each other's mouths, tentatively at first, but then with greater confidence; Max feeling Brandon's inquisitive tongue meeting his own. After a few minutes of exploring each other's love, Brandon separated, giving Max a chance to breathe and reply. "No," Max responded to Brandon's previous question with a goofy grin, "I don't mind at all." AFTERWARDS When Ryan Hughes got home he was surprised to find the house utterly quiet; having expected a repeat of the previous evening's wrestling antics. As he slowly made his way towards his son Max's room, he knocked gently and cracked open the door. What he found was a shirtless Brandon O'Leary and an equally shirtless Max Hughes snuggled up together on the bed, fast asleep. After taking in the scene for a few more moments, he carefully closed the door behind him with a knowing smile on his face. Mr. Hughes had suspected his son liked Brandon, maybe even loved him, and who was he, as a father, to deny his son unconditional love and understanding? "Hello, Rose?" Ryan Hughes spoke into the phone he had used to dial the O'Leary residence. "Hi, it's Ryan Hughes, Max's father... oh, yes, I'm good thank you. Listen, I know it is short notice, but the boys were wondering if it would be alright if Brandon spent the night tonight. I told them I would check with you... oh, not at all. He is more than... oh, I see. No, he didn't say anything about that to me, but I am sure he and Max have talked about it. I'm sorry to hear about his pet. Yes, I think he is doing much better now." Ryan Hughes smiled to himself as he spoke with Brandon's mom, a more complete picture of what had transpired coming together. "Well, I agree that maybe some time away from the house will do him good." Mr. Hughes continued. "In fact, why don't Max and I entertain Brandon this weekend, sort of get his mind off of things and give the boys a chance to spend a little time together that doesn't involve studying. I think it would be good for Max too, I haven't seen him out of his shell like this since his mother left... oh, I see... really? Well I'm sorry to hear about that. No, no I understand, I won't say anything about it to Brandon... from one divorcé to another I know just how difficult this can be. I certainly hope it wasn't this last incident between Brandon and his father... no, I didn't think it was, but it is good to hear you are finally taking a stand against him." "If you like," Mr. Hughes began to wrap up, "Max and I can swing Brandon by the house tomorrow so he can pick up some clothes and a few other things, and maybe the four of us can go get some lunch so you and your son can talk? I think it would be better for him to hear about all of this from you and knowing Max is nearby in case they need to talk, and I will be there in case you need to talk too. No, not at all... I will see you tomorrow afternoon. Yes, you too. Goodbye." As Ryan Hughes hung up the phone, the wheels in his head were already turning. He liked Rose, he liked Brandon, and from the sounds of things the other three boys were going to be siding with Mr. O'Leary in the coming days, so Rose would need all the support she could get. He wasn't going to break the news to Brandon that his mother and father were splitting up, nor was it his place to tell the boy his mother had been unhappy in that marriage for a long time. As he started putting together a light snack for the boys for when they eventually woke up, Mr. Hughes hummed a little tune to himself as he made some peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches.