Take Me From This Pain, Kevin's story

Kevin and Jason spent the rest of the weekend stealing quiet time together when they could. Gina worked on Saturday, so the boys had plenty of snuggle time at home. They stayed in bed late and then cuddled on the couch.

\"Hey, let me see your newest drawings,\" Jason said after heavily making out with Kevin for the past half hour while they ignored \"Underworld\" on the television. They\'d both seen it a bunch of times anyway.

\"Why?\"

\"You\'re always drawing at lunch,\" the tall boy shrugged as he pulled back just far enough to look down into Kevin\'s eyes. \"I\'ve always wanted to really look at them.\"

\"I didn\'t think you were paying attention to what I was doing,\" Kevin said quietly looking down. \"You were always so engrossed with Cindy.\"

\"I never heard what she was saying.\" Jason pulled Kevin back into his lap and kissed his neck. \"I was trying not to jump you right there in lunch. Marly was always all over you, anyway. I thought you liked her.\"

\"As a friend! I never thought she liked me that way!\"

\"Well everyone else could see it. I just thought you were being shy with her.\"

\"No. She makes me uncomfortable.\"

\"You and me both!\" Jason grinned, watching Kevin get up and pull his sketchbook out of his backpack. \"You don\'t know how hard it was for me to watch you with her last night.\"

\"As hard as it was for me to watch Cindy eat your tongue when we dropped them off?\"

Kevin handed the taller boy his book and sat back down. Jason opened it and slowly began to page through the sketches. They were astoundingly detailed and beautifully colored. The dragons were the most prominent, but the other mythical creatures Kevin drew were also captivating. There were also drawings of various medieval-dressed people such as kings and damsels. There was even a knight, drawn with his gaze downward and his helmet off. Jason peered closely and his eyes widened in surprise. He was looking at himself!

\"Kev?\"

\"Yes, it\'s you, Jay,\" the smaller boy said quietly.

Jason looked up and saw his new boyfriend smile softly at him.

\"I never drew the knights until you took me in,\" he said, noting the tinge of pink on Jason\'s face. \"I guess I had to meet one to draw one.\"

Jason suddenly grinned and put the book on the table behind the couch. Then he grabbed Kevin by the waist and pulled him beneath him.

\"Does this make you my damsel in distress?\" he teased, pecking the small blonde\'s lips.

\"I prefer the term \'significant other,\' thank you.\"

\"Very significant,\" Jason breathed into Kevin\'s ear as he nibbled on the lobe. \"Monumentally important, even.\"

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On Sunday night, the two boys agreed they would have to let Cindy and Marly down easy the next day, but still find a way to keep their relationship a secret. They already have enough to worry about with keeping up their cover story of being related, but not really related. Adding a romantic dynamic would just be overload.

They walked into school cautiously, trying to act as if nothing happened. It was hard enough keeping their hands to themselves around the house. When they were in public, it seemed impossible. Jason felt like he had to keep Kevin away from both the girls and the guys now. And Kevin watched for any signs that another boy was interested in Jay.

\"Hey guys,\" Trent said when he saw them. He was sporting an amused look that made the hairs on the back of Jason\'s neck stand up. \"How was your weekend? Did you meet up with the girls?\"

\"Why are you asking us that?\" Jason demanded. \"Is your sister planning something for them?\"

\"I don\'t know for sure,\" the small smile dropped from Trent\'s lips. \"But I couldn\'t help but notice that neither of you looked happy to be with them at the dance.\"

\"They\'re our friends, Trent,\" Kevin said softly, noting the tension between his boyfriend and the football player. \"But we think they may have the wrong idea.\"

\"I figured as much,\" Trent replied. \"But here\'s the thing. Tanya and her friends are waiting for you to dump them both today because they noticed your faces that night. Cindy\'s going to be the laughingstock of the junior class if you break up with her, Brennan.\"

\"Why are you helping us?\" Jason frowned.

\"It\'s like I told Kev, here.\"

Jason bristled inwardly at Trent\'s familiarity with his small love.

\"What did you tell KEV here?\"

\"Relax, Brennan,\" Trent grinned then let eyes pass over Kevin before returning to Jason. \"I told him I\'m not like my sister. I don\'t like elitist crap.\"

\"So, maybe we can talk to Cindy and Marly and convince them that we should pretend to go out with them,\" Kevin muttered as he pondered the situation.

\"Cindy\'s the one my sister is after,\" Trent returned his gaze to the small blonde, much to Jason\'s growing annoyance. \"You don\'t have to pretend to date Marly.\"

\"Like they would leave her alone if they couldn\'t bother Cindy!\" Kevin groused. \"No, if Jay\'s going to have to do it, I\'m doing it to.\"

Trent assumed a neutral expression but Jason thought he saw a sparkle of frustration. That was all he needed to see to know that Trent was either bi or gay and attracted to Kevin. Now what? He knew Kevin wasn\'t interested in Trent or anyone else for that matter. Be believed the small blonde when he had sleepily admitted he loved Jason. But that didn\'t mean that a rival couldn\'t make trouble for them.

\"I think Kev\'s right,\" Jason said carefully. \"We should help them both.\"

Trent shrugged and smiled at them before waving slightly and walking off.

\"So much for letting them down easy,\" Kevin sighed as they started toward their first class.

\"Hey, we\'ll explain it as nicely as we can,\" Jason replied. \"But we have to let them know we\'re not dating them for real. I won\'t sit by and watch Marly paw you.\"

\"Or Cindy swallow you,\" Kevin smirked.

\"Or that.\"

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At lunch, Kevin and Jason pulled their two \'girlfriends\' aside and explained what Trent told them. Cindy looked upset that Jason wasn\'t really interested in her, so he decided to come clean, leaving Kevin out of it, of course.

\"Gay?\" Cindy whispered sadly.

Jason nodded.

\"Both of you?\" Marly asked and Kevin quickly nodded. He didn\'t want her to think there was any chance he would change his mind.

\"But why didn\'t you tell us before?\" Cindy asked, clearly hurt by her friends\' omissions more than the lost chance at a boyfriend.

\"Think about it,\" Jason replied as patiently as he could. \"You\'re in a new school away from all of the friends you have back home. There\'s just you and your equally gay brother in a new place with no guarantees. Would you walk in and suddenly announce your homosexuality?\"

\"Um, I guess not,\" Marly murmured. Cindy shrugged but remained silent.

\"We do like you both a lot,\" Kevin went on. \"That\'s why we became friends. Now we want to keep Tanya from bugging you. It\'s what friends do.\"

Cindy looked at him and smiled. He was a cutie, and so sweet. Too bad he batted for the other team. Ah well. He and Jason would make two very lucky men happy someday. And really, how could she be mad at them when they immediately thought of something to help her and Marly out.

\"You know, you can tell us anything,\" she replied. \"We accept all of our friends for who they are, not who we want them to be.\"

\"Thanks,\" Jason smiled.

\"So, how do we make this work then?\" Marly asked curiously. \"We act like couples at school?\"

Kevin and Jason laughed and the four began to outline a plan to make everyone believe they were together.

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\"Hey, Trent, what\'s eating you?\"

\"Hey, Joe,\" Trent ran a hand through his light brown hair and turned to his friend in the now empty hallway. \"Nothing.\"

\"Right,\" the boy laughed knowingly. \"It\'s Kevin, isn\'t it?\"

\"Who are you, the high school Oprah?\" Trent grumped. \"Just because I told you I\'m gay, doesn\'t mean I want to tell you everything about it.\"

\"Why not? I\'m your best friend.\"

\"There are some things you don\'t tell even your best friend.\"

\"Girls do.\"

\"Um, I\'m sure I\'m not a chick, and unless you\'re not telling something, neither are you.\"

\"You\'re gay. Close enough.\"

\"I should hit you for that.\"

\"You won\'t though.\" Joey grinned. \"Now tell me about what\'s eating you.\"

\"I think Kevin swings my way.\"

\"Why is this bad?\" Joey\'s brows furrowed in confusion. \"I thought you were hoping for that. Ever since we cornered him in the locker room he\'s all you and I talk about.\"

\'Note to self: stop telling this big mouth secrets,\' Trent thought moodily. \"Yeah, but now I think he has a boyfriend.\"

\"So soon? How did he hook up so quickly.\"

\"He brought this guy with him.\"

\"His own BROTHER?!\" Joey\'s face paled. \"Dude, that\'s sick!\"

\"Brennan\'s not his brother.\"

\"Half brother. Whatever!\"

\"No. They\'re not blood related.\"

\"How do you know?\"

\"Brennan told me at the dance,\" Trent sighed. \"They share their sister, but she\'s a haf sister to them both and they don\'t share any parents in common with each other. At first I was happy for Kevin, but seeing them now just depresses me.\"

\"Man, don\'t worry. You\'ll find someone.\"

\"Yeah, but I really liked Kevin. He\'s small and spunky, but he\'s also fragile and delicate looking.\"

\"Like a girl?\" Joey grinned. \"I don\'t get you. You\'re gay, but you look for girly-looking boys.\"

\"I\'m a paradox,\" Trent grinned back.

\"You are,\" Joey agreed. \"Too bad Kevin doesn\'t have another brother.\"

\"Yeah,\" Trent sighed. \"That would be awesome!\"