Rule Number One (BoyXBoy)

Chapter Twenty

Sorry it took so long DX 

Chapter Twenty

"Brian, how are you?" Rachel asks as she answers her front door. I gulp, smiling a little, nervous. The last time I saw her was when everything with Jason happened. It's hard to believe that the sweet smile and cheerful voice I notice are those of a murderer.  

"I'm...I'm okay, I mean, I'm fine, I mean..." I take a deep breath, steadying myself. 

"Why don't you come in? I have iced sweet tea in the fridge and an open ear," she steps back, letting me in. I walk into the house, so much more lived-in than her ex-husband's house. I follow her into the kitchen, happy to have a moment to calm myself. 

"Thank you," I saw when she hands me the glass. She makes sweet tea perfectly. Of course she does, who else would have taught Teddy? 

"No problem, honey," she smiles across the small wooden table. She watches me, and I wonder what she sees. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" 

"I...Rachel, I...do you feel guilty about Jason?" I blurt out the question. It wasn't what I came to hear, but I need to know the answer either way. 

"Well, on a level, I suppose I feel a twinge of guilt over killing him. He's only a few years older than Teddy; he has parents, somewhere, or did; he moved in here when Teddy was sixteen. By the time Teddy was seventeen, they had come to realize they were the only males of their sexual orientation here-" 

"Jason was bisexual and Teddy is homosexual. There's a difference," I mumble half-heartedly. I can't focus on her, so I keep my eyes trained on her mouth as it pauses. 

"Of course," she sighs. "My point is, they were swept up together, Teddy without many options and Jason seeing a person he thought would be easy to control. They were far from a match made in heaven." 

"Rachel...do you suppose I'm Teddy's rebound? Am I just his only option?" 

"I.." she pauses as if this had never occurred to her. "I am not my son, Brian, but I see he cares. Don't doubt him. He hates that." 

"Of course...in that case, Rachel, I have a question I want to ask him, but I need to check with you first." 

Her eyes scan my face. "I'm supportive of anything that is good for my son." 

"Am I good for him?" 

"At first I thought no. I thought you were going to leave him, be scared off, break his heart. Now, now I think you are his best option." 

"Okay...so, Rachel, may I marry your son?" 

Rachel grins, a playful light brightening her features. 

"Yes, you may." 

"Brian! Will you tell me what's going on?!" Teddy huffs. 

"No, not yet," I grin as I drag him through the city, into the department store I was in before we first met. 

"Why are we here, at least?" he asks as we stop in the middle of the dark store. We can't see each other, but we're close enough to touch. Our bodies are pressed together. 

"Because, one cloudy day, I came in here to eat, bathe, change my clothes, and cut my hair. I was terrified of the dark, of the loneliness. I ran out of here and swore to never come back. Then, I went walking around the city and found this little guy, adorable, quick, and human. He saved me. We proceeded to go through up and downs, and we had to go through something really hard. I was scared he wouldn't recover, but he's doing it. He's surviving. And now that I see that, I see that I can be brave, too, just like him. Because he is amazingly brave. And I'm not afraid to come in here anymore." 

"Brian, that's sweet," I hear him chuckle, his warm breath fanning across my face. 

"It's true!" I pause. "And that was cheesy." 

"Incredibly," his hand finds my cheek, wind their way back into my hair. He pulls himself up on his tiptoes to press his lips to mine. The slide of the wet skin and quiet breaths are the only things audible in the dark place. 

"That's not all," I break away, despite the fact that he is clinging to me for the first time in too long. 

"Please tell me step two is ravishing me against the wall right now...or the floor...or the bed I saw in the furniture aisle. I'm amenable to anything at this point," he places frantic kisses against my neck and jawline. 

I can't help the half-moan that escaped my throat. "Oh, I wish I had thought of that...No, but I think you'll appreciate this anyway." 

I kneel to the ground, searching for the battery-operated lantern I had planted there earlier. I find it, switch it on, and see Teddy's form cast into half-light and half-shadow. He looks down, hair falling in front of his eyes, and I resist the urge to fix it. 

"Teddy, you know how much I love you," I say. 

"Brian, why aren't you standing up?" he appears nervous. 

"And I would do anything for you." 

"Please tell me you're gonna give me a blowjob while you're down there..." he continues nervously. 

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." 

"Oh, wow, Brian, um..." 

"Please let me finish." 

He falls silent, and I can see the fear he's been suppressing in his eyes. 

"I am asking you to marry me. Not necessarily now, next week, or even this year. I'm asking you to marry me whenever you're ready. I just want to propose the commitment now." 

The quiet stretches. 

"Yes," he murmurs quietly. 

My eyes widen as I fill with hope. 

"Yes?" 

"Yes." 

I launch to my feet, grabbing him by the waist, picking him up, and twirling him. 

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I practically squeal. He giggles. 

"As if I would actually say no," he hugs me around my neck. 

"I was worried for a minute," I kiss him while he's still above me. Having to strain my neck upwards is a new feeling. 

"Never doubt me, silly boy," he says around the kiss. 

"I never do, not really." 

"Good," he nuzzles his nose against mine in a feline manner. 

"I'm not a kitty cat." 

"I love you," I finally set him down. 

He puts his hand against my cheek, "I love you, too, honey." 

The lights burn out, but I am unafraid. I no longer have to talk to myself. I no longer need a set of rules. Teddy- loving him, caring for him, being for him what he needs (whether that requires me being dominant, submissive, or completely his equal), those are my only guidelines. Teddy is my Rule Number One. Our future together is the only thing that matters.