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~Chapter One~
If anything- it was his eyes.
Those sparkling sapphires that first caught the young man's attention.
Daniel Jones hadn't been in Summerdale very long.
The sleepy town settled a few hours north-west of the City was more of a rest stop for weary travelers then any type of suburb most were accustomed to.
The inhabitants there lived peacefully together, were friendly to everyone, always willing to lend a hand to a fellow neighbor.
At least, that's what it seemed on first impression.
Daniel hadn't liked the idea of moving from his hometown of Addison to Summerdale.
He was switching high schools in the middle of freshman year- he didn't know anyone- didn't have any friends-
Not to blame his parents- it was the only place his father could find a job- and the way the economy was at the moment- the fact that his father had a job was enough to be thankful for.
But still, Daniel was lonely. He would be starting second semester at his new school soon, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was scared.
It was Christmas break, snow piled up for miles- he still hadn't met anyone yet- "Give it time," his mother would say.
"How much time?" Daniel would shoot back- he didn't have much patience- he had tons of friends back in Addison. Not one true friend he had to admit- but still- they were people- people who liked him- if only because he had cash.
It was snowing pretty heavily as Daniel sighed, wallowing in self-pity like he did every day since the move.
There wasn't much to look at outside the window- just a bunch of white with a few trees lost among the canvas.
And suddenly, he thought he heard laughing- or something- off in the distance.
Daniel pressed his face to the cold window to get a better look.
The glass fogged and he rubbed his sweater sleeve against it- opening up a hole-
just in time to see something whir by.
"What the-?" Daniel heard laughter again and suddenly realized there were people on his yard-
What did they think they were doing trespassing like that?
Hopping off the trunk he was sitting on against the window, he trudged off to shoo them away, immediately cursing the cold air that blasted his face the minute he opened the front door.
"Hey!" He shouted- quickly getting the trespassers' attention, "What do you think you're doing here?"
There were two of them- the first was small- Daniel wouldn't have any problem in taking him down-
But as the second stood up his courage melted as he realized the other boy- or man- or something big and scary- was coming right towards him.
"Cheers mate." The tall boy stretched out a gloved hand and gripped Daniel's tightly, "How are you doing this afternoon?"
"Uh- fine thank you." Daniel was caught off guard by the giant's friendliness.
"I'm sorry- we didn't mean to trespass- we weren't aware someone had moved into this place yet- it's just that you've got the perfect hill for sledding- and, well," he shrugged, still smiling brightly, "we just couldn't resist."
Daniel nodded slowly, his anger disappearing. The friendliness of this stranger made him smile- it was the first real contact he had had with anyone in town. He shivered a bit- realizing he only had a sweater on, "Um- won't you come in?"
The tall boy flashed another smile, then turned his face back to the cold, "Dozer- come here!" He motioned for the smaller boy to follow.
"I'm sorry- I didn't catch your name." Daniel said, wishing that kid could run faster- he didn't want to have to hold the door open any longer.
"Peter- Peter Hayes." The tall boy nodded as the other appeared out of breath in the doorway, "And this is my brother, Darren."
As mentioned before, it had to be his eyes.
Daniel just stood there, shivering- the door wide open, but he didn't care- those blue diamonds that smiled up at him were enough to warm him in an instant.
"Hello." Darren said softly, shyly extending his hand.
Daniel shook it, getting lost in those endless blue oceans.
"Hi-." He squeaked, cursing himself for sounding like a blushing idiot.
Daniel couldn't help it- this kid, who actually wasn't a kid at all- was beautiful-
absolutely beautiful.
Darren took his snowy hat off, revealing curly blond locks that framed his porcelain face.
"How are you- er. . .Mr. . . "
"Daniel- Jones. No Mister-" Daniel cursed himself again for sounding stupid-, "Um- fine thanks- uh- would you like some tea or anything?"
"Nah- we gotta run- thank you anyway- you've been very kind," Peter put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Gotta be heading home before it gets dark."
"Oh- course." Daniel nodded, trying not to stare at Darren who was shyly looking back up at him.
"Sorry again for intruding- hope there's no hard feelings."
Daniel looked up at Peter, "Oh- um- no- not at all! You can come back anytime you'd like."
"Well that's mighty kind of ya." Peter patted Daniel's arm in a friendly gesture, "We'll see you around then- oh and if ya ever need anything- just let us- or anyone else know- we'll be glad to help ya."
Daniel nodded, still a little shocked by all this friendliness, "Nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you." Darren's soft, melodic voice echoed in his ears- and to Daniel's delight- he smiled- lighting an angelic glow around his whole face-
Daniel watched them leave, dragging their battered old sleds behind them, until they disappeared from sight. He could still picture those beautiful eyes-
"Honey? Was someone at the door?"
His mother's words snapped him back, "No mum- nobody special." Daniel closed his eyes, and smiling, whispered.
"Just an angel, that's all."
~Chapter Two~
The rest of Daniel's break flew by- he hadn't seen Peter or Darren since that first encounter-
It was strange- he couldn't stop thinking about that blond angel- how beautiful he was- how much he'd love to-
Daniel put a hand to his fly, sighing. It worried him- a lot- he couldn't tell anyone about this- that another guy was turning him on-
It wasn't right- he was supposed to like chicks- which he did, very much so- at least he thought he did-
But as he looked at all the failed relationships with those cheerleaders and flaky blondes- Daniel realized he wasn't really into them as much as he had thought- the sex wasn't that great- they weren't that great- something was missing.
Enough of that- Daniel frowned as he saw the small school building in the distance-
Summerdale only had one high school with a total of fifty kids. There was another one in Appleton, a few miles north- but that was private, and to quote his father-
"I'll be damned to have them bible-bangers get to my boys."
Daniel would've happily dealt with "them bible-bangers" if Darren attended that school- then maybe he'd get to see him again.
"Hey- dorkwad- we're here." Daniel's older brother Oliver poked him in the ribs.
Daniel glared at him and piled out of the car.
"Have fun guys." Their father nodded at his sons before driving off to work.
Daniel watched that old car make it's way along the snowy road away from the school- what a piece of shit-
But at least they had a car- from the looks of it- most of these kids didn't.
"Pick up some chicks for me- eh Danny?" Jonathan winked at his youngest brother- "See you guys around."
Jonathan was a senior- and quickly melted into the crowd- or- lack there of-
As Daniel and Oliver made their way up the icy steps into the building they were shocked to see a single hallway with a few smaller ones branching off to the side-
"They weren't kiddin' when they said this place was small." Oliver whistled, "Well," he patted Daniel a little too hard on the back, "Don't get into too much trouble kid."
And then Daniel was left alone- holding his sack and a lock- lost in this new place with no one even looking his way- he never felt lonelier.
The hallway was wet with the tracked-in snow, Daniel could picture himself slipping and making a total fool out of himself. Carefully- he made his way to his new locker- opened it and almost screamed as a small fuzzball scurried out of it-
"Don't worry- they won't hurt you."
Daniel gasped, that voice- that beautiful melodic voice-
Turning around his widened emeralds were met with those same gleaming sapphires-
"Daniel- Jones?" The owner of those gems extended his hand, "How are you doing today?"
"I- er- I- um- fine- I- fine." Daniel turned several shades crimson- oh why did he have to sound like such an idiot? "How are you doing Darren?"
Darren smiled broadly, "You remembered my name."
Daniel smirked a bit, "It's not a common one- easy to remember."
The blond angel blushed a bit, suddenly turning shy.
Daniel smiled, he looked absolutely adorable, "Hey- listen- um- I'm not really sure where my classes are and everything- do- do you think you could show me around?"
At that invitation Darren looked up and grinned brightly, "Sure- no problem- it's not so hard- can't get lost in this place."
Daniel took his schedule out and handed the crumpled paper to Darren, "Let's see," he bit his lip- making him look even younger then he already did, "Math up first huh? That'll be room 108." He pointed down the hallway, "It's the second one on the end- you've got Mr. Porter- he's really nice- you'll like him as a teacher."
Daniel nodded, mesmerized.
The bell rang, signaling passing period before first class. Darren handed the paper back to Daniel, "Don't worry- you won't get lost in here at all- just look for the numbers on the doors- all your classes are on the main hallway."
Daniel nodded, suddenly disappointed that he couldn't talk longer, "So- um- I'll see you later then?"
"Sure." Darren flashed another grin and then disappeared into the crowd. Daniel floated all the way to class.
~Chapter Three~
His classes weren't so bad- the teachers were nice and all, but no one seemed to talk to him or anything. Guess the Hayeses were the only friendly people in Summerdale.
Daniel's first five classes passed and he didn't have a single one with Darren. Then again- he had no idea if Darren was even a freshman, for all he knew- he could be a senior- which made Daniel sink lower in his seat with embarrassment.
Lunch bell rang- the hallway was a flood of chatter and pushing kids-
Daniel followed the crowd into the small cafeteria- carrying his lunch sack that his mother had lovingly packed for him.
He scanned the scene, looking for the familiar curly blond boy. He spotted Jonathan with a bunch of seniors- laughing and chatting away- and then there was Oliver- already flittering with a cheerleader- he rolled his eyes.
Daniel looked a while longer for Darren, but to his dismay didn't find him- so he sat in a corner alone- munching bitterly on his sandwich-
"To hell with you all." He murmured at all the laughing kids- they already were in their cliques and whatnot- he hated being on the outside-
"Is this seat taken?"
Daniel nearly chocked.
He looked up and smiled. "'Course not- care to join me?"
Darren smiled and seated himself across from Daniel, setting an apple down in front of him. "I- I noticed you were all alone here." He was shy again; Daniel loved it, "Hope you don't mind."
"No! Not at all, nice to have the company." Daniel smiled broadly.
"So- how are your classes?"
Daniel shrugged, "All right- I suppose- I'm not into school I guess- kind of bores me."
Darren chuckled as he took a small bite of his apple, "I don't really like school either."
"Yeah- I'd rather play my music then sit in some stuffy classroom."
The sapphires lit up at that, "You play?"
Daniel nodded, "Guitar and piano." He shrugged, "I'm not great- but I can hold my own."
Darren smiled, bits of apple sticking out of his teeth, "Well- I- I'm a singer."
Daniel wasn't surprised at that- his speaking voice was music already- he couldn't wait to here this angel sing.
"Well hey- maybe sometime- we could jam together- ya know?"
Darren beamed and nodded excitedly, "That'd be great- sometime when you're free- some afternoon- or something-."
Daniel drew in a breath, "Uh- well- I'm not doing anything this afternoon- w- would you like to come home with me after school?"
Darren grinned, "I'd love to."
The two sat and chatted away until the bell rang for sixth period. Reluctantly they parted ways, promising to meet up at the front steps after school.
It turned out Darren was only a year older, was the youngest of three children, and had dreams of becoming a famous singer someday.
Daniel was on cloud number nine- already they had so much in common-
Seventh hour couldn't come soon enough- the bell rang- Daniel hopped out of his seat- threw his books into his locker and hurried out into the blistering cold to wait for Darren.
Oliver came out a little later, his arm slung around some chick.
He did an up-nod at his brother before taking off in the opposite direction of their house. Daniel looked at his watch- he hoped Darren hadn't forgotten. He tapped his foot nervously as several unknown faces passed him by-
"Daniel!" Darren came up from behind him, out of breath, "Hey- sorry mate- I got tied up in my last class- didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"S'all right- thought maybe you had forgotten or something."
Darren shook his head, pulling his blue hat on over his ears. "You don't live too far from school." He stated, pulling his sack over his shoulders, "Shouldn't be too long of a walk."
Daniel nodded and the two set off along the icy roads.
The familiar house soon appeared and Daniel opened the door, letting his new friend in.
"Mum- it's me." Daniel called, hanging up his coat and shaking off his boats. He motioned for Darren to do the same.
"Well hello there." Mrs. Jones came in from the kitchen, apron full of flour.
"Mum- this is Darren- mind if he stays for a while?"
"No- not at all." She extended her hand, "Nice to meet you Darren."
"Nice to meet you mam." He said quietly.
Daniel smiled at his mother and led Darren upstairs to his bedroom.
The two didn't get any playing done; they talked away until Darren glanced out the window- realizing it was getting dark.
"I better get going- don't want to get lost getting home."
Daniel wanted to ask him to stay for dinner, but didn't want to seem too forward, "All right then- I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course." Darren smiled and Daniel walked him to the door.
"Thanks for letting me come over Daniel."
Daniel nodded, feeling as if he were on a date- all that was left to do was a goodnight kiss- but he knew better.
"See ya tomorrow mate." Daniel patted Darren's shoulder, then shut the door.
Leaning against it, he sighed happily; maybe living here wasn't going to be so bad after all.
~Chapter Four~
The next couple of months were wonderful. For the first time ever, Daniel was actually excited to go to school. He and Darren became best friends over night- and for once, Daniel could actually say he had a genuine companion.
There was only one downside to the whole thing-
Daniel was falling in love.
Deny it all he wanted to, he knew deep down in his heart that he loved that blond-headed angel deeply.
And it scared him.
Daniel had come to realize that not very many people were tolerant if you were different- racism and prejudice ran amuck in this town- that's why his opinionated father fit here so perfectly-
You couldn't tell your deepest secret to anyone- the whole town would know the next day-
That lack of privacy and security made him uneasy- especially with something like this-
If he did say something he knew exactly what would happen-
His father would disown him right off the bat if he ever found out-
He might even be run out of town-
And Darren- well, he didn't know which side of the field he swung- they didn't talk about girls at all- Daniel wasn't sure he'd ever been in a relationship yet-
If he was straight, Daniel knew that their friendship would end immediately- he didn't want to scare the guy off-
And if he wasn't, well, Daniel wasn't really sure what to do then.
* * * * *
"All right lamebrain- spill it- who's the new chick?" Oliver flung a pea at Daniel's nose.
"Oliver! We will have none of that at the table." Mrs. Jones scolded her son; Mr. Jones was too engrossed with the paper to notice.
Daniel threw the pea back at his brother, "There's no new chick Oli."
"Yeah right! I see that look in your eyes- Danny boy's in looove."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, "Got a crush on someone Dan?"
Daniel sighed, he did, he just couldn't say who.
"I bet it's that Angie chick- God is she hot- say Daniel- if you ever get tired of her you could send her my way-."
"Shove it Oli." Daniel rolled his eyes.
"Enough boys." Mrs. Jones tapped her fork on her plate impatiently.
Oliver poked Daniel in the ribs with his spoon, "Careful Dan- Darren might get jealous."
Daniel chocked on his bread, "What?"
"Darren? Oh yeah- your lil' play mate." Jonathan winked at his brother. "I hear he's a faggot-."
"Oliver Jones!" Mrs. Jones was just about to scold him when the paper came down to reveal Mr. Jones inquisitive face-
"He is not." Daniel retorted- his face heating with anger.
"'Course he is! Just look at him- come on- you can tell a mile away!"
"You letting queers come into this house Daniel? I don't want no fucking fairies on my property."
"John!" Mrs. Jones shook her head.
Oliver laughed, "Want some fairy dust to give him for his birthday? It'll go great with his pink dress-."
Daniel's face was growing redder and redder with each taunt. They had no right to make fun of Darren- how could they even think of doing something like that-
Oliver was making some obscene gesture with his hands when Daniel stood up- nearly knocking his chair over-
"Shut the fuck up asshole!" He threw his napkin down onto the table and marched upstairs- leaving his shocked family behind.
* * * * *
Soft rain pattered on the roof, Daniel felt like crying. How could they be so cruel about Darren?
He replayed the conversation at dinner, and a realization dawned on him.
What if those rumors were true?
Oliver was in the same grade as Darren- and news through that small school traveled like wild fires.
It hurt his heart to have rumors like that floating around about his best friend- but he also knew that they affected him personally as well-
He never really had thought about his sexuality until he met Darren- and now he was so confused he didn't even know what to think.
Maybe Darren was having the same problems- maybe they could talk about it together- figure out this tangled mess of emotions-
And just maybe- Daniel could tell Darren how he really felt about him- and maybe Darren, would do the same.
~Chapter Five~
Daniel was disappointed when Darren didn't show up to school the next day. He was even more so the day after that. The third day Daniel decided to find out what was up.
The winter snows had melted by now, leaving muddy puddles everywhere. Daniel cursed as his shoes and jeans were getting filthy-
Darren lived on the outskirts of town, in the middle of nowhere- and it took a good half hour before Daniel arrived at his front door step-
No one answered the doorbell- Daniel was beginning to worry until the screen door opened and there stood the object of his affection- dressed only in his boxers.
"Daniel!" Darren cried, turning red, "I didn't know it was you!"
Daniel stood with his mouth open, taking in the gorgeous sight of Darren's well-toned body-
"Uh- uh- hey- Darren." Daniel was stuttering and for a while the two just stood there until Darren finally let him in-
"Uh- let me get a shirt on-." Darren disappeared and came back wearing an oversized college sweatshirt, "Jonesy- hey- what're you doing here?"
"Just seeing how you were doing." Daniel sat down on the old kitchen table as Darren put some tea on.
"Oh- yeah- I've been down with the flu- but I'm fine- I'll be coming back on Monday." He sat down across from his friend and smiled, "Thanks for worrying about me."
Daniel returned the smile and they sat in awkward silence for a bit, "Um- sorry about that- back there- I thought my brother had locked himself out or something."
Daniel chuckled, "It's all right mate- no worries."
More silence, the shrieking tea kettle startled them both. They laughed and Darren got up to tend to the tea.
Daniel couldn't help himself as he stared at Darren's ass- delighted to have found out his crush wore white cotton boxers.
A steaming cup of cinnamon tea, Darren's favorite, was placed in front of him.
Daniel gripped the edges nervously-
"Dazza- another reason why I came over here- was- well- I wanted to talk to you about something."
Darren sipped his tea, wincing a bit as he burned his tongue, "Okay- talk away."
Daniel stood up; looking out the window at the farmland stretched as far as the eye could see-
"I-I don't even know how to begin- I mean- it's something that's been bothering me since I met you."
Darren frowned, setting his cup down, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No- no- you haven't done anything wrong. You've been wonderful- the best friend I could ever ask for- it's just. . . " Daniel trailed off, surprised that he was actually calm at the moment.
"What's wrong Daniel?"
Daniel tensed as he realized Darren was behind him- if he turned around he could have been in the perfect range to lean over and kiss him. Instead, he kept his back turned, voice low and quiet-
"Th-there's just been these rumors- going around- I mean- I've heard that- well- some people think that- that you might be-." Daniel couldn't bring himself to say the word. He heard Darren sigh and turned to see his friend had backed up significantly.
"They're just rumors Daniel- that doesn't mean they're true."
"Oh- I know- but- I just wanted to ask you- ya know- see what you thought of them."
Darren sighed avoiding his eyes. Daniel suddenly felt like an idiot for even bringing it up.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Darren turned his head away- and Daniel realized he was wiping away his tears.
"Dazza- hey now- don't cry mate- it's all right." And for someone reason Daniel found himself wrapping his arms around his small friend, taking him into a hug.
Darren didn't cry- just a few stray tears fell down and marred his flawless face- when he looked up, his sapphires were sparkling so beautifully Daniel swore he was looking at two stars that had fallen from the sky.
And then something happened. Daniel wasn't sure what- but he saw a look in Darren's eyes he had never seen before- or hadn't noticed- and he was sure he had that same gaze in his own.
Their eyes locked, only inches away from each other- Daniel decided it was time to close the gap-
Forgetting to breathe, he leaned in and gently set his lips against Darren's velvet ones-
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