Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:20:48 +0000 (UTC) From: Albert Collins Subject: You were there - part 20 Disclaimer: This is a romantic love story about love between young adolescent boys. There are some explicit sex scenes in the story but they are not the main focus of the story. So if you are looking for a story with a lot of explicit sex action, you are in the wrong place. If you like to read a sappy romantic tory with occasional kinky sex scenes, then please sit back and enjoy! Thanks again to all those who wrote with comments and feedback! Of course, as usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome! albert.c87@yahoo.com Oh, yeah, and please, donate to Nifty: donate.nifty.org *************************** You were there -- Part 20 A ray of the morning sun pierced the curtains and landed on Diego's closed eyelid. Diego opened his eye and blinked rapidly, waking up from his deep sleep. He stretched over Luke's naked body and reached for his phone. Shit!! They overslept again!! Diego jumped out of the bed with a start, pulling Luke by the hand with him. Luke tumbled on the floor. "Hey Diego, what the ...," Luke started protesting. "Luke!!" Diego shouted showing Luke the phone. "We overslept! Again! 30 minutes to breakfast!" Diego laughed manically. "Oh, for fuck's sake!!" Luke cursed in frustration. They both jumped up and dashed into the bathroom. Luke glanced at Diego and then at himself in the mirror and crinkled his nose. "We stink!" he cried with a laugh. "You said it," Diego concurred, stepping into the bathtub and turning on the water. Luke hopped in next to him. Diego grabbed a piece of soap and started frantically soaping his body, bumping up into Luke in the process and giggling softly. Luke picked a washcloth and started rubbing his body furiously, washing away the grime and sweat of the previous night. "Hey, Diego, what's so damn funny?" Luke pouted, still with some irritation in his voice. "You know, Luke," Diego replied gently, "I'm still waiting for that second super-sexy morning you promised ..." "Aha!" Luke exclaimed wickedly, "well next time I'll really have to deliver, won't I?" He suddenly grabbed Diego's dick and pulled it down hard. Diego yelped loudly. "You asked for it, elf-boy!" Luke laughed. Diego stopped washing himself and threw his arms around Luke's neck. He pressed his wet naked body to Luke's tightly and gave him a quick tender kiss. "Luke," Diego whispered softly, "thank you for the last night. Thank you." Luke held Diego's waist and their dicks twitched against each other. "You are welcome, babe," Luke smiled back at Diego. "And thank you too ... Now, we really gotta hustle!" Luke turned off the water and the boys jumped out of the shower. Falling over each other, they grabbed their toothbrushes and stuffed some toothpaste in their mouths. Diego kept grinning at Luke as they took turns at the sink. "What? What is it now?" Luke demanded as he saw Diego's grin grow even wider. "You've got some toothpaste on your dick," Diego pointed, laughing, "it dripped down." "Oh, my fucking god!!" Luke screamed and started cleaning his dick frantically. Diego keeled over in laugher. A few minutes later the boys managed to get out of the bathroom and started dressing up frantically. Diego pointed at the mess around Luke's bed that remained since their previous night's lovemaking. "No time!" Luke declared. "We're already late. We'll clean this up later." They got their sandals on and sped out from the room. As Diego and Luke rain into the dining room, all the other boys had already started eating. Margie met them with a disapproving glance as she was leaving the room with an empty try. "Diego, Luke, your breakfast is getting cold," Margie admonished, "I put each of you some eggs and sausage on your plates." "Sorry, Ms Margie! Thank you, Ms Margie," the boys replied in unison. Diego and Luke quickly settled at the table. "What's with you guys this morning?" Ritchie asked them with smirk. "First you get here late. Second, you look like you've just run a half-marathon. Rough night, he-he?" "Ritchie, I swear to god, I'm gonna ..." Luke held up his fork menacingly. "Luke, Ritchie, please behave yourselves," Frank's voice spoke from behind. Luke put down his fork and stuck his tongue at Ritchie. The rest of the breakfast proceeded in relative peace. "So, where's Wade?" Luke whispered to Diego as they were finishing eating. "I thought he'd be here already." "I donno," Diego whispered back, "weird ..." As if on cue Frank put his hand on Diego's shoulder. "Diego, I just had a call from Wade a few minutes ago," Frank explained. "He's on the way here but is running a little late. He'll come and find you in you room shortly after breakfast. Okay?" "Yeah, sure, okay, Mr Frank," Diego replied nervously, "we'll wait for him there, right, Luke?" "Right!" Luke confirmed emphatically. "Okay then," Frank moved off. After breakfast Diego and Luke quickly made way back to their room. Diego fell on Luke's bed, on his back, and stretched out his arms. Luke sat quietly next to him. "Oh, god, I so want this day to be over already!" Diego exclaimed. Luke's hand caressed Diego's face. "It'll be okay, Diego, babe," Luke said softly, "nothing to worry about." "We should probably clean up this mess," Diego suggested. "Fuck it, I don't care," Luke giggled. He stroked Diego's cheek again. "Well now I'm definitely not getting up," Diego whispered, "so, yeah, the mess is gonna have to wait ..." Luke slowly lay next to Diego. The boys held hands, waiting. Seconds, minutes ticked by. There was a knock on the door. The boys jumped up. "He's here!" Diego whispered urgently. "Come in, please!" Luke called. The door opened, and Wade walked in slowly. He stood up a few steps past the entrance and looked at the boys with an inscrutable expression on his face. Luke and Diego stared back. Diego grabbed Luke's hand and held it tightly. "Why do these FBI guys all have to wear those ugly grey suits?" Luke wondered mentally. "Shit, I didn't remember him being that big. So that's what Ritchie's gonna look like when he grows up ... Only this guy, he looks like he's all muscle ..." Wade's eyes scanned the boys' room attentively. His glance fell on Diego's bed. Neat, well made, looks like hadn't been slept on in a while. Luke's bed at the opposite wall. Still messy, unkempt. Definitely slept on last night. Clothes lying around on the floor. Looks like from more than one person. Hmmm. Wade's gaze shifted to Diego and Luke, standing next to each other, nervously, holding hands. A small smile creased Wade's stony face. He cleared his throat. "Diego, Luke, nice room, boys," Wade smiled wider. "Good to see it's not a total war-zone!" Diego's face relaxed slightly. "Diego, buddy, it's good to see you again," Wade uttered genially. His stony face still held a friendly smile. "You look good. I'm glad this place agrees with you. I'm glad to see you're doing so well." Diego released Luke's hand and slowly took two steps forward. He looked up at Wade and smiled shyly. "Thank you, Mr Wade. It's good to see you too," Diego spoke softly. "Thank you for bringing me here. This place, the Green Oaks, it's been great. And I'm with Luke now." Luke stepped forward and stood next to Diego, holding his hand again. Wade nodded slowly. "Luke, right," he replied, "of course, I remember you." Wade extended his hand to Luke: "Good to see you again, kid." Luke shook it carefully. Wade shifted his hand to Diego: "And good to see you, Diego, buddy. Real good to see you." Diego shook Wade's large hand gingerly. Wade chuckled and started looking around the room again. The boys followed his gaze anxiously. Wade walked to Luke's bed. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking up the green bottle that was lying on the floor next to the nightstand. "You shouldn't have that just lying around on the floor like that." "Oh, shi ..." Luke opened his mouth but then shut it again. "Hmm," Wade remarked nonchalantly, "weird, it's all oily." Luke handed him a box of tissues wordlessly. "Thanks, Luke," Wade wiped off his hands and put the bottle on the night stand. He looked at Diego and Luke and arched his eyebrows a bit. Diego was staring into the floor, blushing beet red. Luke was looking back at Wade defiantly. Wade shook his head slightly and cleared his throat again. He noticed the picture above Luke's bed that Luke put there the day before. It was a sketch of Diego, Winston and Amber chasing each other. "Wow!" Wade's eyes grew larger. "That's an awesome picture! Luke did you draw this yourself?!" "Yeah, Luke drew it yesterday," Diego answered for Luke. "As I was playing with Amber and our donkey, Winston." "Amazing!" Wade repeated. "Hey, Diego, looks like the donkey almost got you!" Wade winked at Diego. "Yeah, but I still got away," Diego smiled back. "Good, good, that's what I like to hear," Wade commented. Luke was still holding Diego's hand. He felt that, despite the incident with the bottle, he was beginning to actually like Wade. The guy looked like a brick wall on legs but he might be okay. Wade continued looking around the room. Suddenly he spotted the other picture, the one taped to the wall above Diego's bed. Wade's face changed, became sharper, more intense. He walked to Diego's bed and peered at the drawing closely. "Diego, isn't that your ...," Wade didn't finish the question as he looked back at Diego in shock. "How can that be?!" Luke squeezed Diego's hand and again opened his mouth to say something, but again Diego beat him to it. "Yes, Mr Wade," Diego explained as he looked straight at Wade, "that's a sketch of my mom. Luke drew it for me. Using my description. He worked for hours." Wade combed his bald head with his right palm. "Wow!" he uttered again at last quietly. "Amazing. I'd not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." He shifted his gaze to Luke: "Luke, son, you've got an amazing talent. You created something really special here. I'm sure Diego knows it too ..." "Thank you, Mr Wade," Luke finally spoke. "For Diego, I'd do a lot more than that." Wade nodded, his usual stone-faced expression already having returned. "All right boys, thank you for showing me your room. I'll catch up with both of you later," Wade turned around and exited the room. "U-u-u-f," Diego fell back on Luke's bed in relief. Luke sat on the edge of the bed next to him. "So that was Wade, eh?" Luke mused. "Looks like a bit of a brick wall, with legs. That face too, brrr, like a centaur! But I think he's okay." "A centaur, that's right," Diego said, raising up on his elbows. "Luke, you gotta use your demigod powers to keep him in check! Yeah, Mr Wade is okay, but it still gives me goosebumps when he looks at me. It's like he knows everything!" "Don't worry, Diego, I'll protect you!" Luke lay down next to Diego. "I'm thinking of using my demigod powers right now!" Luke grinned, craned his neck and licked Diego's nose. "Eww-w, Luke!" Diego snorted and laughed gently. His face suddenly changed. "Oh, my god, the bottle!" Diego covered his face with his hands. They both laughed merrily. "I'll tell you what," Luke managed between the laughs, "if this Wade guy never figures out what actually happened with the bottle, that means my demigod powers are working just fine!" The boys burst into laughter again. A few minutes later Diego and Luke got outside. The boys knew that Wade and Frank might need them again soon, so they decided not to go far. They hung out in the obstacle course area and practiced rope climbing. Diego was still faster than Luke, but Luke was really catching up with him. Suddenly Luke's phone buzzed. "It's a text from Mr Frank!" Luke exclaimed. "He wants us in his office." They run to Frank's office. To their surprise, Wade wasn't there. "Umm, Mr Frank?" Luke asked. "You wanted us for something?" Frank turned towards them. "Ah, yes, Luke, Diego, come in, come in," he motioned to them. "Diego, take a seat, please," Frank directed. Diego sat in the big chair. "Mr Wade is not here?" he asked shyly. "No," Frank answered. "He's finishing some stuff with Rafiq, preparing for tomorrow." Frank regarded Diego and Luke pensively. Luke was standing next to Diego's chair, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "Diego, you and me, we have some things to discuss in relation to Wade's visit," Frank continued. "And what about me?" Luke asked anxiously. "Actually," Frank explained, "Wade wants to talk to you, Luke, in private." Luke and Diego both looked at Frank in surprise. "He'll be waiting for you on the terrace when he's done with Rafiq," Frank added. "Might be there already." "Mmm, okay," Luke replied uncertainly. "Go ahead, Luke," Frank reassured him. "Diego and I will join you there when we are done here." Luke gave Diego another worried glance, turned around and left the room. When Luke entered the clubhouse terrace, he saw that Wade was already there. Wade was standing next to the railing, looking south. "God, he's big! Really, like a house, with legs," Luke thought. Luke took a deep breath and approached Wade slowly. He stood next to Wade and placed his hands on the wooden railing. "So, Luke, you and Diego, eh?" Wade asked slowly, without turning his head. "Yeah," Luke replied laconically. "Good for you, guys!" Wade said, "good for both of you!" He turned towards Luke and looked him straight in the eyes. Wade's expressionless face slowly changed and his mouth formed into a wide smile. His eyes held a friendly twinkle. Luke looked back in shock. The stone-faced FBI guy had a soul! "Umm, thanks, Mr Wade," Luke gave a friendly smile in return. Wade turned and looked south towards the forest again. "Nice view you guys got here. Real peaceful," he remarked. Luke looked at the forest and then looked down at his hands. "Umm, Mr Wade, is Diego okay?" he asked anxiously. "I mean is everything okay with him? ..." Wade sighed slightly. "Luke, you are a smart kid, and you probably figured something out by now," he said quietly. "And now there're a few things I gotta tell you." Wade paused and stared at the view again. A cloud passed over the bright summer sun, and suddenly everything got a bit darker, shadier. A cool wind blew from the east and stirred the hair on Luke's head. Wade run his right palm over his large bald head and continued: "See, Luke, the car accident that killed Diego's family -- it wasn't really an accident. Some people done it on purpose. They wanted Diego's family dead. Wanted him dead too." A long silent pause followed. "Yeah, I thought it was something like that," Luke finally replied somberly. "Diego never said anything, but I just knew." Luke sighed. "I wish he'd told me." "Well, Diego, he's a smart kid too," Wade chuckled gently. "He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone, no matter what. And there were other reasons for him to keep quiet ..." Wade paused and rubbed the top of his head again. "Yeah, it was a miracle that Diego survived," he continued. "A damn miracle. Wasn't supposed to happen. And as far as those people are concerned, it didn't. As far as they know, he was also killed that day. And you and me, Luke, we've got to keep it that way. Got to keep them from ever finding out. You understand what that means, don't you, kid?" "We've got to keep Diego under wraps?" Luke suggested. "So the bad guys don't find out about him?" "You got it kid, I couldn't have put it better myself!" Wade laughed and slapped Luke's shoulder. "Yeah, we've got to keep him under wraps. For a couple of years at least. After that, it'll be okay, I think. Puberty will take care of things for us, he-he." "Sorry, what do you mean, Mr Wade?" Luke wondered. "Well, you kids change really fast at this age," Wade explained. "In two years time Diego probably will be unrecognizable. Get a growth spurt, maybe a mustache, some acne, god willing a few good size zits. Nothing to worry about after that." "Ah, somehow, with Diego, I'm not sure we'll be lucky in that kind of way, Mr Wade," Luke mused, "now, me, that's a different matter." "Well, we'll have to see," Wade replied nonchalantly. "But for now we've really got to try and keep Diego on the down low. That means no pictures in the local papers, no fancy statewide competitions, Facebook to a minimum, and so on. Try to keep his face out of circulation to the extent that we can." Luke nodded slowly. "Which brings me to something else," Wade added with a sigh, "some other face I discovered here today that might bring unwanted attention to Diego. You know what I'm talking about, right, Luke?" "The picture I drew of Diego's mom," Luke answered, his voice crackling with tears. "Yeah, kid, afraid so," Wade sighed. "See, that's exactly the sort of thing that can bring trouble. It's a beautiful picture, striking, you should be proud. But somebody might notice it, take a photo with their phone, post it somewhere. And then there we are." Wade sighed again. "Can't let it happen, Luke, can't take that risk. The picture, it's gotta go ... And by all rights, I've gotta take it with me ..." "No, Mr Wade, please!" Luke grabbed Wade's hand and stared him in the eyes. Tears were rolling down Luke's face. "I know what you're saying, Mr Wade but ... It'll kill him, it'll literally kill him!" Luke sobbed into Wade's sleeve. "I know, kid, I know," Wade patted Luke's head gently. He paused for a few moments as Luke continued crying. "Luke, I tell you what, kid," Wade continued with a chuckle, "I might be losing my mind and I might lose my job over this too, but I'm not gonna take that picture away." "You're not?" Luke stopped crying and lifted his face. "No, I'm not," Wade chuckled again. "But the picture has got to come down from that wall. And you and Diego gotta promise me to keep it hidden. And only look at it when nobody else is around. How does that sound, kid?" "Oh, my god, Mr Wade, thank you!" Luke exclaimed gratefully. "Of course, I promise! We promise, me and Diego, we'll do as you say! Thank you Mr Wade, thank you!!" Luke exhaled with one more sob. "It's a deal then," Wade smiled. "It'll talk it over with Diego too. I figure the only other person who's seen it so far is Frank. I'll explain to him what's what. So I think we're good." He smiled at Luke again. They both turned and looked south, towards the pond and the forest in the distance. "You're a good guy, Mr Wade," Luke remarked cheekily after a while, "I'm glad you're looking after Diego!" "Well, thank you, Luke," Wade chuckled, "you're a good guy too. And I'm glad you're looking after Diego also." "Wait, Mr Wade," Luke asked, "you said there were other reasons Diego didn't wanna tell me about himself? Apart from his promise to you?" "Yeah," Wade sighed and his voice became more serious. "See, although everything is safe and quiet now, as far as we know, but in the future Diego might still be in danger. And anyone who knows about him, anyone who's real close to him, might be in danger too." Wade turned towards Luke and looked at him earnestly. "That now means you, Luke. I'm real sorry about it son, but that's the truth. Now that you and Diego are together, now that you know about him, you aren't safe either, Luke." "Wow ...," Luke uttered slowly, "so Diego, he was trying to protect me ... But I love him, Mr Wade, I'd give my life for him in an instant, he knows that now!" "I know you would, kid, I know you would," Wade patted Luke on the shoulder, "but let's try to prevent that from happening, shall we?" "So, what does that mean now?" Luke wondered. "It means you gotta keep your eyes and ears puckered from now on," Wade chuckled. "Don't be paranoid or anything, but just look out for anything that's strange, out of place, out of the ordinary." "Ears puckered, got it," Luke remarked with a smirk. "Yeah," Wade confirmed flatly. "See, Diego is a great kid, but he's too trusting. Got not a mean bone in his body. You know that right?" Wade suddenly winked at Luke, and Luke felt the tips of his ears burn with heat. "He's likely to miss things that shouldn't be missed," Wade added. "You, on the other hand ... You, Luke, you're also a great kid, of course. But Frank told me about your past. I know you've been on the streets, you know what it's like, you know what to watch out for ..." "I do," Luke stated simply. "Right," Wade said, "well, right now we need a bit of that side of you back. Just to be on the lookout. For Diego, and for yourself." "Mmm, Mr Wade," Luke hesitated, "supposin' I did notice something? What do I do then?" "I'm glad you asked," Wade replied. "I'll give you my phone number and my e-mail, for less urgent things. Diego already has them, of course." "If you see something that's out of place, something that doesn't feel right, but the hair on the back of your neck doesn't stand up yet, you don't feel like you gotta run for your life -- then you send me a text and you let Frank know too, the same way." "And if it does? If the hair on the back on my neck does stand up?" Luke looked at Wade questioningly. "Well, I'm gonna give you something for that occasion as well," Wade proposed. He reached into his pocket and handed Luke a necklace with a small green and yellow turtle figurine. "My own turtle talisman!" Luke exclaimed. "What?" Wade asked in surprise. "Diego wears one of these around his neck all the time," Luke explained. "He told me it was some kind of a talisman. For protection." "He did, did he?" Wade laughed gently. "Well in a way, I suppose it is. Sort of a talisman. And now you're getting one of your own, Luke." Luke held the turtle between his fingers. "See, Luke, the turtle is a beacon, with a panic button at the bottom," Wade explained. "You press the bottom hard and hold it down for five seconds, and the signal is activated. Then I come and get you." "Wow!" Luke said, holding up the turtle. "So it's that kind of a talisman ..." Wade looked at Luke pensively: "Right. But you only use it in a real pinch, if yours or Diego's life is in danger. Hopefully it won't ever come to that." "Thanks, Mr Wade!" Luke hang the turtle around his neck and hid it under his t-shirt. "I won't let you down! I won't let Diego down! I promise!" Luke looked at Wade smiling brightly, his eyes shining with determination. Wade shook his head slowly and gave Luke a hug. "Luke, kid, I'm real glad Diego found you, real glad the two of you got together!" Wade smiled at Luke still shaking his head a little. "You know, Luke, I think you might be the gutsiest kid I've ever met! And that is saying something ..." They heard footsteps approaching from behind. Luke and Wade turned and saw Diego and Frank walking towards them. Luke's eyes lit up. Diego searched his face anxiously: "Everything okay, Luke?" "Yeah, Diego, we're good," Luke reassured him. "Mr Wade and me, we had a good talk!" Wade smiled at Diego enigmatically. "Diego, there are still some things you and me need to discuss," Wade said. "Let's go and talk in Frank's office. Sounds good, Frank?" "Yeah, sure thing, buddy," Frank assured him. "Luke, you can wait for Diego in the clubhouse. I'll bring him over when we're done." Diego took Luke's hand and they all walked in the direction of Frank's office. About forty minutes later Frank brought Diego to the clubhouse. Luke had been pacing back and forth by the entrance and chewing off his fingernails. His eyes went directly to Diego's face. Diego's eyes looked reddish but not really puffed up. Didn't really look like he'd been crying, at least not much. Luke exhaled with relief. "Diego, you good?" he asked softly, holding Diego's hand. "Yeah, Luke, yeah, I'm good," Diego replied earnestly, "I'm okay, honest." He stepped forward and hugged Luke. Luke hugged him back, gratefully. "Mr Wade, he told me what he told you," Diego whispered. "I'm sorry, Luke. I really wanted to leave all that stuff behind ... Don't wanna be a burden ..." "Diego, it's okay, we're together now, so it's all good," Luke replied softly, hugging Diego tighter. "And you're not a burden. Taking care of you isn't a burden. Absolutely not!" Luke kissed the top of Diego's head. "And hey, you know we're turtle brothers now, right?" Luke giggled. He lifted his turtle pendant and showed it to Diego. Diego smiled and touched it: "Oh, yeah, you've got your own now. Cool." "I think we both deserve some R&R right now, don't you?" Luke suggested, smiling. "Luke, come on, you wanna have sex now??" Diego whispered. "He-he, Diego, dude, who's got a dirty mind now!" Luke laughed. "I just meant chilling out in the common room over there. Maybe listening to some music." "Oh," Diego's face turned red. "Sure thing, Luke, sounds good." The boys went into the common room. Rafiq and Toby were sitting by one of the tables, playing backgammon. Luke and Diego stopped next to them. "We play backgammon!" Rafiq declared with a smile. "You play, we watch!" Luke chuckled and ruffled Rafiq's hair. After a couple of minutes Diego and Luke moved off and sat in a large comfy chair, with Diego settling on Luke's lap. "Comfy?" Luke inquired. "Yeah!" Diego confirmed, smiling. "Mmm, what's the policy on public displays of affection around here?" Luke wondered mischievously. "I think today they might be allowed," Diego giggled. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Luke confirmed in a whisper. He leaned closer and joined his lips with Diego's in a long soft kiss. "Ahem," they heard somebody clear the throat next to them. Ritchie plopped in a chair opposite from Diego and Luke and grinned at them from ear to ear. "You guys look adorable!" he giggled. "Really, I think I ought to take a picture." Luke gave Ritchie his usual angry glare. Diego smiled at him warmly. "But it's gonna suck when Rafiq leaves tomorrow," Ritchie added wistfully. "Yeah," Luke agreed. "Rafiq is a good kid ... Still, it's great they found him a family." They all looked at Rafiq playing with Toby. "Yeah, not likely that any of us other rejects will get that chance," Ritchie mused. "Hey, Ritchie, man, it might still happen," Luke replied gently. "It might still happen to you, I believe it, man." He paused and continued: "As for me, I gotta say, I love it right here! I'm staying here as long as I could, before they kick my ass out!" "Yeah ...," Ritchie sighed. "Hey, how about putting on some uplifting music, eh Diego?" Luke suggested. "To cheer up this gloomy company!" "Yeah, yeah, sounds like a good idea, Luke," Diego agreed. He got up and went to the old fashioned CD player that was sitting in the corner. Diego opened the dusty CD stand next to it and rummaged inside. He pulled out a CD and declared: "This one, yeah, this will do!" Diego put the CD in the player, set the track and hit 'play'. He quickly settled back in Luke's lap. The song started playing. "I see trees of green, red roses too I see them bloom, for me and you And I think to myself What a wonderful world." The sweet gentle sound of Louis Armstrong's song filled the room. Rafiq and Toby stopped playing their game and joined the other boys in listening. "I see skies of blue, and clouds of white The bright blessed day, dark sacred night And I think to myself What a wonderful world" Diego held Luke's hand and smiled. "I hope it's true," he thought. "I hope it really works out that way. Luke and me, we deserve it. Rafiq deserves it. Ritchie deserves it. Everybody deserves it." "The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces, of people going by I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?" They're really sayin', "I love you" I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know And I think to myself What a wonderful world." The song ended. Silence hung over the room for a while longer. "Ah, good choice, Diego," Luke finally spoke. "That was some proper uplifting singing ... Hey, Ritchie, man, are you crying?" "Nah, nah, I just got something in my eye," Ritchie protested. "Yeah, right!" Luke mocked. "No, our sumo champion has got himself a heart, he-he!" Ritchie shot Luke an evil glare and run out of the room. Luke rolled in laughter. "Now, Diego, really, that was super! You gotta do this more often!" "Come on Luke, I think you need to give him a break," Diego admonished kindly. "Ritchie's a good guy." "I know, Diego, I know," Luke agreed guiltily. "It's just that with Ritchie it's ... extra hard to resist the temptation. But I'll try to be more gentle, I promise!" "You'd better," Diego replied earnestly. "I'll hold you to it. I can't be in love with a bully." Luke's expression turned serious as well. He took Diego's hand and pressed it to his heart. "Diego, babe," Luke uttered sincerely. "For you I'm gonna be Ritchie's slave for a month if I have to, you know that, right? But more than that, I never want you to see me as a bully. Never. I want you to be proud of me. So if you ever again notice that I'm doing something like that, I want you to tell me right away. Okay, Diego? Please?!" "You're not a bully, Luke," Diego replied gently. He stroked Luke's cheek and gave him a quick soft kiss. "You're my Prince Charming. You just forget it sometimes. And when you do, yeah, I'll remind you." Diego kissed Luke again. "Sounds like a good deal," Luke laughed happily. He held Diego tighter, as they continued to to enjoy the comfort of a warm summer afternoon together. Diego and Luke spent the rest of the day mostly hanging around the clubhouse, with a short trip to the gym and the climbing wall. They didn't see Wade at dinner but they knew that he must still be around as he would be leaving with Rafiq after breakfast the following morning. The atmosphere at dinner was subdued. Everybody was glancing at Rafiq, although not much was said. Even Luke's usually irrepressibly happy demeanor was somber and subdued. He gave Rafiq a long silent hug as they were leaving the dinner table. As Diego and Luke got to their room, Diego slowly sat on his bed. "Well," he sighed, "this day is almost over." "You said it, man," Luke plopped onto his bed. About a minute of silence followed. "Ah, Diego, babe," Luke added softly, "I've gotta do something now that I promised Mr Wade we're gonna do. Okay?" "The picture?" Diego sat up. "Yeah, babe, the picture," Luke kissed Diego's forehead. "Okay?" "Okay, Luke. Okay," Diego whispered in response. Luke got up and walked to Diego's bed. He carefully removed the drawing of Diego's mom that was attached to the wall with sticky tape. Luke walked back, sat next to Diego and handed the picture to him. "Think she'd be happy for us?" Luke asked. "I'm sure she is," Diego replied, "I know it." Luke wrapped his arm around Diego's shoulder. "Where should we put it?" Luke wondered. "I think I know," Diego replied. He folded the drawing carefully, got up and walked to the closet in the back corner of the room. Diego pulled out a small trunk where he kept some of his things and put the picture at the bottom there. After putting the trunk back, Diego returned to Luke and sat next to him again. "Not very FBI-ish," Luke remarked with a small chuckle. "Maybe we can find a more secret place for it later." "I think it's okay," Diego sighed as he rested his head on Luke's shoulder. "Oh, god, is this day over yet?" Luke laughed gently. "Mmm, Luke," Diego called quietly a few moments later. "Yeah, Diego?" "Maybe ... we don't need to get naked tonight?" Diego suggested softly. "Huh?" Luke asked in surprise. "I mean ... take a break from the sex stuff tonight ... and just cuddle, you know?" Diego smiled awkwardly. "Sure thing, Diego, babe!" Luke sat up and grinned at Diego broadly. "You know I'm a great cuddler! ... And you are right, we do need a bit of a break ..." Diego nodded, with relief. He got up, went back to his side of the room and quickly changed into his sweatpants and A-shirt that he usually wore to bed. Luke was soon similarly attired. Diego walked to Luke's bed and collected the various pieces of clothing that were lying on the floor around it since the night before. "Better put that in the laundry basket now," he joked, "in case Mr Wade pays us another visit tomorrow morning." Luke giggled approvingly. Diego made a trip to the laundry basket in the closet and returned to Luke's bed. He sat down next to Luke. Luke lifted the turtle pendants hanging around their necks. "Look, we're the turtle twins now!" he joked. Diego lay his head in Luke's lap. "Oh, I don't know Luke," he sighed, "I really didn't want to drag you into this ... been trying to escape it myself ... and now ..." "And now we're an item!" Luke declared, as he leaned down and kissed Diego's head. "And this thing, we'll get dragged into it and escape from together. That's how it's gonna be!" "If you say so," Diego agreed meekly. He suddenly lifted his head and quickly pushed Luke onto the bed, laying on top of him. "How did I ever get so lucky to get you, Luke?" Diego whispered burying his face in Luke's shoulder. "It's just not possible." "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome!" Luke chuckled, stroking Diego's back. "Maybe somebody was trying to send you a gift, he-he." "You know, Luke, you think it's funny but that actually makes as much sense as anything else," Diego replied as he kissed Luke's neck. "So, were you a good little elf, he-he? That Santa left you such a sweet present?" Luke laughed in response. "Mmm, not sure. Don't know if you're from Santa. Elves work for Santa, don't they ... so they make his gifts ...," Diego mused as his hand found Luke's face. "I don't think we're gonna figure this one out ... I just know I'm not giving you back ..." "Yeah, you're not getting rid of me that easy ...," Luke chuckled as he kissed Diego's palm. "Mmmm, now this day is finally over," Luke breathed out, "let's go to sleep."