Disclaimer: This story involves love, relationship, and "adult" subject matter between teenage boys... so I guess that means your not supposed to read this if your under 18, but really if you are younger than that, I can't stop you.  Just Don't Get Caught :)  If homosexuality offends you, then leave, or join the 21st century, and open up to it.

This Is FICTION... any character resembling a real life person is by coincidence, and in the rare event a character is based on someone in real life their name has been changed due to legal and personal protection.  You never know who's lurking around reading this. So now the little spiel is over so hopefully you'll enjoy this.  Do Not Reproduce this story, and if you would like to have it on your web site, email me & get my permission.  Thanks.  Copyright © Jaden & Jaded Edge Productions™

Birds chirped merrily, swooping and flailing through the clear blue skies.  Children ran in the park, playing their tag, hopscotch and hide and go seek without a care in the world.  Parents watched on smiling, letting their kids have the freedom to enjoy the rare day, one where the sun emitted a heat that was much warmer than usual for the time of year, but was welcomed with open arms by the people of St. Paul.  It was a welcome break from the normal chill of the fall air that normally greeted anyone who trekked outside during the season of falling leaves and winter coats.

Teenagers had gathered and started a game of endurance and physicality.  The brown, walnut shaped ball sailed through the air as a young brown haired teen let it roll off his fingers with the greatest of ease.  The ball sailed through the air, spiraling toward it's ultimate destination, untouched by any outside interference.  A thud could be heard as the ball was grasped tightly in the arms of a shirtless young man, then cradled to protect it, while he ran around the oncoming defenders and past the invisible zone to score a touchdown.

"When did you learn to play football, Matéo?"  The quarterback, a boy named Derek, teased with a hint of a smile on his perfectly proportioned mouth.

"I guess I'm just a natural," Matéo couldn't hold back the smile that appeared behind his pink lips.

"Well, aren't you just Mr. Special.  I mean, you don't have to try at anything, not at sports, work, school; not even at getting girls or boys for that matter to drool over you," Derek's teasing continued, causing Matéo to blush, not being one that enjoys the absurd amounts of attention people handed out to him more often than not.

"Yeah, yeah.  Are we gonna play or are you going to keep admiring me for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Well, lose the shorts and I might just keep admiring," Derek trotted off with a grin on his face, leaving Matéo to blush even harder.  He shook his head and rejoined the rest of the guys in the game.  A smile adorned his lips for the rest of the game and afternoon.  It used to be a rare event to see the pearly whites appear on Matéo's face, but not on this day.  He was having fun and didn't have a care in the world for once in his life.  The hours passed without interruption, and the game soon died down to a crawl.  Clouds drifted into the sky and the sun drooped behind the horizon, turning the once bright and perfect day into the darkening mass of the evening.

The boys said their goodbyes to each other, then headed off to their cars or homes respectively.  Matéo threw his shirt back on, with the air starting to nip at his skin with the descent of the sun.  Derek stuffed the football into a small duffel bag and walked beside Matéo, having parked next to each other in the parking lot across the way.  Matéo took a moment to glance at his friend.

Derek was the typical boy next door, the all american boy that any parent would be proud to have their daughter bring home.  He was the school's starting quarterback as a junior, and pitcher for the school's varsity baseball team.  His hair flopped lazily over his forehead, accenting his striking green eyes.  "Do you want me to get a picture for you?"

"Huh?"  Matéo was startled out of his thoughts.

"Nevermind, man.  You're still a space cadet, always got your head in the clouds," Derek shoved Matéo gently, while they kept up their pace.  The two had always been friends, but only recently had they gotten closer.  Matéo was happy with that, even if it took a terrible event to do so.  "So, I'll see you in school tomorrow, or is it your lazy day that you spend in dream land every week?"

Matéo smiled, "I'll be there.  You don't ever get off my back do you?"

"Oh, I haven't had the honor of being on your back, maybe we can get together tomorrow night and," Derek wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't think that works for me, but maybe Matéo and I can pencil you in another time."  Matéo and Derek turned their heads to the sound of the intruding voice.  The wavy long hair fluttered with the breeze, blocking the almond eyes of the boy that stood up against the chain link fence in front of the cars.

"Tobey, man, you're such a jealous bitch," Derek grinned, then walked up to greet his friend.

"I just don't play well with others," Tobey's eyes gave off his playful nature, going toe to toe with the snarky attitude that Derek displayed.  They were like the yin to each others' yang.

"More like you don't share well with others.  You want Matéo's goods all to yourself."

Matéo blushed, "I am standing right here you know.."  Tobey walked up to Matéo and wrapped his arms around the boy's hard body.  He swung around behind Matéo and rested his head over Matéo's right shoulder, while loosely wrapping his arms around his slim waistline.

"Yeah, he's standing right here, Derek.  You're so rude," Tobey stuck out his tongue to which Derek just shook his head snickering slightly.

"You guys are so gay.  I'll see you two tomorrow.  Play nice, and don't forget protection!"  Before either Matéo or Tobey could respond, Derek had hopped into his car and shut the door.  Matéo and Tobey watched Derek pull out and drive away in his new Mustang, his pride and joy.

The wind picked up and shot a chill down Matéo's spine, causing him to shiver violently.  Tobey slipped his coat off and wrapped it as far around himself and Matéo as he could.  Their body warmth meshed together, fighting off the cold that tried to penetrate the smooth surface of their skin.  Matéo relished in the protection of Tobey's firm yet comforting arms.  They gave him a sense of security, a quality that he has severely lacked throughout pretty much all of his 17 year old life.

"Do you want to go get something to eat?"  Tobey broke the peaceful silence with his seemingly innocent question.

"Do I really have a choice?"  Matéo questioned back softly.  To anyone else it would have seemed like Tobey's question was simple; a question that wouldn't cause a second thought.  Matéo knew better though.  He had developed a slight eating disorder for a short period as a way of lashing out over his loss.

"Hmm... Nope, not really.  I need to keep you all buff and sexy," Tobey smiled widely.  He expected Matéo to at least try to put up a fight.

"I'm not really hungry.  I'm fine, Tobey.  You've gotten me back on track."

"Okay, okay, down boy.  So will it be chinese or mexican this evening?"  Tobey put on his best innocent school boy look, while Matéo sighed.  Matéo tilted his head back to the side, with a small smile adorning his face, then started nuzzling the nape of Tobey's tender neck.

"Chinese, I guess."

"Good, cause I plan on having me some mexican for dessert," Tobey wiggled his eyebrows suggestively while licking his lips.

Matéo blushed a deep crimson, "Baby, how many times do I have to tell you?  I'm not mexican, I'm of spanish decent."

"Who said I was talking about you?"  Tobey tried to hold back his snickering, but failed miserably when he saw the priceless look on Matéo's face, "Kidding!"

"Yeah, not funny," Matéo pouted, while looking up into his boyfriend's sparkling almond eyes.

"You know I love you, Téo."  Matéo visibly winced at the sound of his shortened nickname, "Oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to call you that.."  Matéo frowned and dropped his head.  Tobey turned Matéo around and cupped the boy's face in his hands.  Their eyes met and Matéo's silent tears became evident, "I know it's hard, baby.  You've been through so much in your life.  It might seem like it's going to just keep coming, but you don't have to deal with it on your own.  I'll get you through this.  You survived the beatings, the constant mental and physical abuse that your father laid on you.  You're a strong person, and I'm not going to let you fall now.  You know that he's watching over you and wants you to be happy."

Matéo sighed deeply and let Tobey hold him tight.  No words could be said to change what happened.  He knew in his heart that what Tobey said was true.  That he was being watched over and protected by his new guardian angel.  "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"You can stay with me forever," Tobey whispered, helping Matéo into the passenger side of his car.  Tobey ran a hand through his tousled brown locks, taking a moment to revel in his thoughts.  He would do any and everything to make Matéo happy and he planned on doing just that

The Next Night...

The stars shined brightly in the black mass of sky, forming a perfect backdrop for the harmonizing sound of crickets chirping, in the calm silence that held the cool, dormant air.

Marissa set down a large, soft navy blue blanket upon the crisp green grass, sheltered by the cover of a weeping willow tree's drooping branches.  She picked up a large bag that sat next to the tree and rummaged through it for a few moments before pulling out a pair of long candle sticks along with their matching candle holders.

Her mind was filled with too many thoughts to handle as she placed the candles on each corner of the blanket, then kneeled down to light them.

Her mind drifted off into thoughts of the past, about experiences she may never encounter again.  Even if she did, they would never be the same in her eyes.  Everything had changed, and there was no turning back.. ever.

"Penny for your thoughts?"  The young male voice startled her from the plague that occupied her troubled mind.

"Nickel for your kiss.." Marissa responded.  It was a common greeting between the two friends, one that might seem odd to most, but for them, it showed the closeness they had gained with each other over the short amount of time they had known each other.

"Hey now, you know I can't sell my kisses.  How's it going 'Rissa?"  Tobey's smile was full of hope and joy, while his eyes held an underlying concern as they studied the girl in front of him.

"It's going good.  Almost setup for your romantic evening, Romeo," Marissa tried to joke, but her voice came out so softly that it was barely audible.

"I was talking about things with you."

Marissa grabbed a small boom box and set it at the head of the blanket.  She exhaled deeply as she stood from her kneeling position, swallowing back the lump that was forming in her throat.  She tried her best to keep her emotions in check around people, and succeeded the majority of the time.  With Tobey it was different; something about him made him different from everyone else.  Almost as if he truly could understand what she was going through.  "I'm holding up the best that I can."

Tobey walked up and put an arm around her small shoulders, "You know I'm here for you if you need me right?"

"Yeah, I know.  You're about the only one that can be here for me.  Matéo is just as bad if not worse off than I am about it and no one else seems to understand what I'm feeling,"  She paused for a moment, "Why is it that you can be everyone's rock so easily?"

Tobey shrugged, "It's just a gift I guess.  I'm very perceptive and I've dealt with loss before.  I'm not going to pretend I fully understand how you're feeling inside, but I will do my best to TRY to.  That's all I can promise."

Marissa smiled and looked up at Tobey with tears glistening down her cheeks, "You're a great friend, Tobey.  I'm glad Matéo found you, he deserves someone that can make him happy."

Tobey reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks, "So do you," Tobey's voice came out softly.  Marissa stood there solemnly, fighting the feeling that was eating away at her heart.

"I miss him so much," Her voice came out with a whimper.

Tobey embraced his friend's small frame, "I know.. I know.."  There was nothing else he could say or do other than just hold her while she tried to cry out the pain that was slowly destroying her will to fight any longer..

Meanwhile...

The eerily calm night settled down upon the sagging shoulders of Matéo as he stood, staring at the sight in front of him.  As if the sky was resting upon his very shoulders he slumped down to his knees, letting his body touch the ground with a slight thud.  The silence gave him a sense of peace, in a world that otherwise was filled with heartache for him.  His soft hands fumbled around in his pockets, his nerves getting the best of him.

Times had changed so much in the last month for him.  The beating that had almost taken his life turned out to be so much more.  On that day, he found his hero, his friend and his love in Tobey.  Knowing each other for only a day, somehow Tobey had figured out Matéo's secret that he had tried so hard to hide from everyone.  Tobey followed him to his house, and as Matéo's father left in his car, Tobey snuck inside to find Matéo's nearly lifeless body laying on the cold hard floor of his father's office.  Matéo didn't remember much of what happened after he hit the floor.. just the faint sight of those soft brown eyes complimenting the beauty of Tobey's face, watching over him.

Matéo had wished a countless number of times to find someone for him to love, and someone to love him back just the same.  He thanked god every moment that he could for giving him Tobey.  For once in his life he had felt complete.  Everything was perfect, and all the years of abuse and torment seemed like a distant memory.  If only that had remained true.  It seems for every miracle like that of true love coming to a person, an equally devastating event has to occur to balance it out.

Matéo's father was taken into custody shortly after Tobey reported the incident to the police, and a restraining order was immediately issued to keep him away from Matéo.  Matéo spent two weeks in the hospital under the care of doctors to make sure there was no permanent damage done to his brain from the blow his head took from hitting his father's desk.  Soon after that, he was released under the supervision of Noah's parents, as no doctor was about to put the welfare of one 17 year old in the hands of another, that other being Tobey.

"I don't even know where to start.  You were my world, Noah.  Everyday I woke up knowing that I probably had a beating coming to me for one reason or another, but I still got up and would smile to myself in the mirror because I knew I'd be with the one person in the world that loved me for me and would never turn their back on me.  You."  Warm tears dripped over the long dark eyelashes of the young latino.  "You should've just let me go.. It was supposed to be me.."

Matéo's father was released on $300,000 bail a few days after Matéo was checked out of the hospital.  There was to be no bail set as far as Matéo, Tobey, Noah, or his parents knew.  That was until Mr. Consuelos hired a new big shot attorney who manipulated the judge into setting the bail amount high enough that it looked like a fair ruling.  Matéo's father was not a reasonable man, and immediately set out on finding his "mistake" and finishing what he had started.  After all.. he was going to most likely go to prison anyway, what did he have to lose?

Tobey, Matéo and Noah went through Matéo's house rummaging around for Matéo's possessions.  Matéo avoided the room of the incident at all costs, while Noah went in and took any books and financial assets that may belong to Matéo from Mr. Consuelos office.  Tobey helped Matéo pack up his clothes in various suitcases, neither of them speaking very much.

"I'll go run these out to the car," Tobey said as he picked up two of the larger suitcases and headed outside.  Matéo sat on his bed, running a hand over the back of his head.  The staples were still there, thankfully hidden out of sight by his dark hair.  He sighed to himself and stared off into space wondering how things had gotten so bad.  He was without a family now.  No mother, no father, no nothing.  It was as if his often thought destiny of being alone truly was how it was supposed to be.

"Get the fuck out of here!!"  Matéo was torn from his thoughts by the sudden and urgent yell coming from outside.  He quickly hopped to his feet and ran to the front door, which was wide open.  He stepped outside and froze like a deer in headlights.

"Noah, you never gave me reason to think bad of you, infact I would've been much better off with you as a son.  Don't change that now," Mr. Consuelos spoke calmly and coldly.  Matéo's eyes shot down and saw Tobey laying face first on the ground, his hands holding the side of his head, and the crimson color of blood trickling through the gaps of his fingers.

"Fuck you!  I have a real father.  One who doesn't beat me to get his jollies off, one that is man enough to realize that he has a son and that's a privilige not a burden  You are nothing but a coward, and I can't wait until you are in that prison, getting beaten by guys bigger and stronger than you, calling you a worthless, no good faggot like you do to your own son."

"That will never happen.  If you don't watch your mouth I'll show you what a real man IS like.  I should've guessed that you and Matéo were queer together.  You and your earrings.. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one that turned him into such a worthless fudge packer."  Mr. Consuelo's words came out like he was spitting acid.  Noah's eyes flared with anger, even though he had a fear tucked down inside.  He wasn't going to show weakness.

"You're wrong.  Matéo is the best person I know, and if I was gay, I wouldn't find any better than him.  There's no one that I know that would be there for me like he is.  I'd give my life for him and I know he'd do the same for me.  You can threaten me all you want, but you stay the hell away from him."

"I'm glad you said that, because if you try to stop me from what I came here to do, we'll really see if you'd do what you say you'd do for him," Mr. Consuelos pulled his hand from his coat and revealed a .35 caliber pistol.  "Your friend on the ground there met the nice side of this gun, Matéo won't be so lucky."  Noah glanced at Tobey who still was struggling to shake the cobwebs from his head.

"Noah.." Matéo's voice was soft spoken, but it seemed to slice through the air like it had been said over a PA system.  Matéo's father immediately cocked his head to the side and locked eyes with his son. The next sound that could be heard was the cocking of the pistol, before Mr. Consuelos aimed it at Matéo.  Matéo didn't move.  His body locked with shock and fear caused his nervous system to stop responding as he stared down the barrel of his father's gun.

Noah charged Mr. Consuelos and grabbed the arm aiming the pistol.  Noah was no match in strength for Matéo's father, but the pure adrenaline running through his veins was enough to keep the older man at bay for the time being.  Mr. Consuelos grabbed at Noah's arms as they wrestled for possession of the weapon.  The struggle seemed to last for hours, but it was really only a couple of minutes.  Matéo looked on in horror as he heard a gunshot echo through the air, then moments later another.  Mr. Consuelos looked at his son, then dropped to the ground with a loud thump.  His body laid motionless, as Matéo finally regained control of himself.  Noah had his back to Matéo, as he stood looking down at his friend's father lying on the ground.

Matéo started approaching Noah quickly, when Noah turned around and faced his best friend of many years.  Noah held his hands over his chest, and staggered forward.  Matéo's eyes met Noah's, and then shot down to the dark red soaked blotch seeping through the white T-shirt covering Noah's body.  "Téo..?"

Matéo ran forward and caught his friend as Noah fell forward.  Matéo turned his friend over and held him in his arms, "Noah.. god.. no.. please not him.. please.."  Matéo's voice cracked with sadness as he stared into his friend's eyes.

Noah smiled at his friend, "I-I told you I'd die for you..."  Noah coughed heavily, then pulled Matéo's face down closer to his.  "T-Take care of Marissa for me okay..?  I love *cough* you, Téo.. D-Don't ever forget tha.."

And then there was silence.

"I'll never forget the look of your eyes.. that blank stare.  You saved my life.. a-and now you really are my angel.."  Matéo choked back on his tears as he stood from the ground and looked down in front of him.

"I love you and I'll never, ever forget.." Matéo touched a hand to the headstone, then turned and walked away from the site where his friend laid to rest, leaving behind a part of himself, yet taking all the pain with him.

Back At The Park..

"What kind of music do you think I should play?"  Tobey questioned, the excitement of the date was starting to set in.

Marissa smiled at the childlike giddiness in his mannerisms, "I've got a cd for you in the car.  It's full of perfect songs for this romantic evening.  Would you like me to fetch it for you sir?"  Marissa teased Tobey, and he playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

"No, I'll get it.  I've got the food in my car."

"Now, what makes you think I'm going to trust you with my keys?"

"Cause you love me to death and know I'd never take your tight ass car out for a joyride around town.. well, hmm.. that doesn't sound half bad.."  Marissa threw her keys at Tobey who smiled widely.

"Don't even think about it."  Tobey put on his innocent school boy look and jogged off in the direction of the parking lot.  He wanted the night to be perfect and worry free for himself and Matéo.  With Noah's death it seemed like there was rarely a moment that went by where Matéo could be truly happy, but Tobey planned on changing that with his little picnic under the stars.

Matéo walked at a steady pace toward the park, as the time Tobey had told him to meet him there was rapidly approaching.  Matéo's head was in the clouds, wondering if he could by some miracle have a night without anymore sadness.  He felt as if he owed Tobey for all he had given him.  The least Matéo could do in his mind was be good company for this date that Tobey was going through all the trouble to set up.  Matéo's cell phone rang as he smiled to himself, thinking of his boyfriend.  "Hello?"

"Matéo?"

"Yeah.. who's this?"

"Ariana.. where are you?"

"Um, I'm a block away from the town park.  Why?"

"Run."

"Excuse me?"  Matéo questioned, not sure if he had heard her right.

"RUN!"  Matéo heard a click, then started running as fast as he could toward the park wondering what the hell was going on.  He came to the edge of the parking lot and saw Tobey shutting the trunk of his car, with two baskets in his hands.  One of the baskets tipped and a couple of sodas fell onto the pavement and started rolling away.  Tobey hurriedly ran into the road and bent down to stop them.  He picked up one can, and struggled to put it back in the basket.

The next thing that could be heard was the screaming from the other side of the road, "TOBEY LOOK OUT!!"  Marissa screamed as loud as she could, trying to get Tobey to move from his path.

That's when Matéo saw it.  A car came whipping around the corner, and started coming at Tobey full speed.  Tobey snapped his head around to see the car too close for him to move.  Matéo dashed out into the middle of the street and grabbed Tobey, as the car came crashing into them, with nothing but the sound of screeching tires ringing through the night and the white light of headlights piercing the darkness....

*BOOM*

Matéo shot up with a start gasping for air.  His eyes took a couple minutes to focus as he tried to move around, but his muscles ached tremendously.  The beeping sounds of the various machines around him set off alarms in his head.  He looked around the room taking in the white walls and sickly sterile smell.  He felt around and grabbed the call button and pressed it furiously. He tried to prop himself up, but his head seemed to spin causing him to lay back down from the dizziness.  Moments later the door to his room swung open and a teenage boy practically sprinted to his bedside.

"Téo, you're awake!"  The boy threw his arms around Matéo and hugged him tightly.  Matéo furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what was going on.  The boy pulled away, smiling widely at Matéo.

"Y-yeah.."  Matéo coughed out his words, his throat felt like sandpaper from the lack of water.

"Hold on, I'll get you some water."  The boy ran to the sink and filled  a small cup with water.  His blue eyes shimmered with the light as he came back and sat on the bed next to Matéo.  The boy put the cup to Matéo's lips and let him sip the liquid slowly, replenishing his glands.  After setting the cup down, the boy just sat there and stared at Matéo, making him feel a little uncomfortable, "So, did you miss me?"

"Um.. yeah?"

"That's the best you can do?  Three months without your Noah fix and you can only give me an um, yeah?"

"Uh.. sorry."  Matéo thought hard and frowned.  Then his eyes lit up in alarm, "TOBEY!  Where's Tobey?!?  Is he okay.. god, please don't let him be dead.."

Noah looked at Matéo confused, "Tobey?  Téo.. why would Tobey be dead?  And why are you so worried about him, you only knew him for a day before.. well, before you know.."

Matéo's head started spinning even more, "What?  You don't know what you're talking about.  He's been my boyfriend for the last month.  We got hit by a car.. that's why I'm in here,"  Matéo looked up at Noah, "Right?"

Noah frowned and a worried look took over his face, "Matéo, listen.. you've been in the hospital for the last 3 months.  You went into a coma from the head trauma you suffered."  Matéo reached his arm up and felt the bandage on the back of his head.  He started to panic and immediately started pulling at the iv's in his arm.  Noah grabbed him and held him down.  "Matéo stop!"

"T-This can't be real.. I want Tobey.."  Matéo broke out into a fit of tears.  Tears formed in Noah's eyes as well. Seeing his friend in such pain was tearing him apart inside.  He hit the call button to get a doctor to come into the room.

"I'll try to find Tobey's number.."

"Where is he.. he got hit too.."

"Matéo, you weren't hit by a car.  I found you in your house, all beaten up.  You had lost a lot of blood, so I called an ambulance and they brought you here.  I've been here everyday hoping you'd wake up."

"No.. Tobey found me.. he got my dad arrested.. he saved me.."

"I found you, Téo.  I followed you home after you showed me the bruises on your body after school.  I just didn't get there in time to stop your dad from.."  Matéo looked into Noah's eyes and saw the genuine concern and caring he held in them.  The sound of the door being opened could be heard in the background.

"W-who are you?"  As soon as the words escaped Matéo's lips, Noah's face dropped like a ton of bricks.  His eyes seemed to dim and he swallowed hard.

"You d-don't know who I am..?"  Noah's voice cracked as the harsh reality seemed to be setting in.

Matéo could feel Noah's sadness through his words, "I'm sorry.. I don't remember.."

The doctor stood to the side and looked on with a look of sympathy on his face.  Noah grabbed Matéo's hand and grasped it in his own, "I-I'm Noah.. we've been best friends since we were little kids."

Matéo stared at Noah's face, trying to remember him.  He became increasingly anxious at the thought of not being able to remember someone as close to him as his best friend.  "I can't remember.."

Noah sat on the bed beside one of the most important people in his life, at a loss for words.  "I-I have to get some air.. just.. just know I love you, Téo.  Never forget that."

Matéo watched Noah walk out the doorm his body heaving with the sobs he tried to hide.  Matéo on the other hand sunk back against the bed, as the doctor started to perform tests on him.  He cried silently as his insides started to crush him from the inside out.  He didn't know what or who was real anymore.. he just needed Tobey, the love of his life there by his side and everything would be okay...

The Jaded Edge