The Unexpected [Boy x Boy Romance]

Chapter Eight: Tender Musings

Their week in school was much the same, as usual. Class, hanging out with friends, and pretty much ignoring each other until they had to speak in their little therapy sessions with Aiden. And as much as the little Asian kid tried to get them to converse, they didn't, really. They were both good at acting, when it came to giving the illusion that they still hated each other. Said illusion stayed strong, until that weekend. The two had been texting each other discreetly enough throughout the week and decided upon meeting at Donnie's house once again, as a sort of... At home dinner date. Neither were ready to actually 'go out' yet, so staying in and feeling comfortable at home was the best decision. And better yet, Donnie's parents were going on a date, too. The typical movie and dinner, so the boys would have at least a few good hours to themselves.

When Saturday rolled around, Donnie found himself in front of his mirror once again, figuring out what to wear. There was an hour until Derek got there, so he had time to figure this out... It was just stress up until then. Again he had gone through many an outfit, trying to figure out what was casual, but still nice. And, of course, he started to doubt himself. Why did he have to look nice? Derek wouldn't care. They weren't going out. He wanted to be comfortable... So, he decided on a pair of jeans and a semi-nice t-shirt. Okay, so he still wanted to look a little nice, but this was a good medium for what he was looking for.

Once the outfit was out of the way, Donnie cleaned up his home a little, and made sure everything looked nice. He set the table as well and got the kitchen in order... Before ordering the pizzas. Yeah, pizzas. He was no good at cooking, even though he enjoyed some time in the kitchen with his mom. He was just... Awful at it. And there wasn't much time to cook something great. Plus... He doubted Derek would care much about the level of fanciness with the food, either. Lucky for Donnie he wasn't a stickler, or all that picky. With the phone in hand, Donnie ordered three different pizzas, and asked them to be delivered. It was the last step, to make things complete.

With the order in, and the house looking nice, Donnie had the rest of the time to himself that night to just... Sit and feel nervous. First date with a guy. Derek. That obnoxious prick that he found attractive. That he was always a little intimidated by because he never seemed nice, and always seemed so self righteous. In the long run, Derek really wasn't that bad. Just a little lost. And who knew, maybe this could turn into something. Donnie knew he was willing to see where it went, but Derek was a harder nut to crack.

His thoughts went ever-deeper, and it was starting to twist his gut into knots. It was starting to make him second guess himself. Donnie knew he could be this way if he was left with his thoughts for too long.. And that was why he was more than happy to let Derek in, when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hey," Donnie mumbled as he opened the door, side-stepping so Derek could come in. He gave the other a slightly awkward smile, and that awkward smile was returned. Already Donnie could tell Derek's demeanor was changed. He felt nervous. Felt awkward. At least Donnie wasn't the only one.

"Hey," Derek finally returned. He slipped his leather jacket off and held onto it awkwardly. It was the first time Donnie really took notice of Derek's physique.. Unlike himself, Derek was tall, slim and slender. Definitely taller than Donnie himself. But much skinner, too. Did the kid even eat? Absently, he grabbed Derek's jacket and hung it up. "Pizza's on the way. Uh, hope that's okay. I really wanted to cook something nice, but to do that I would have had to ask my mom... And... That would have resulted in an unwanted conversation and... Stuff..." He shrugged, releasing a heavy breath. Derek nodded. "Naw, pizza's fine. Not really picky."

The conversation petered off from there, and the two stood awkwardly in the stout walk way, trying hard not to make eye contact. "So!" Donnie desperately grasped at words, trying to make conversation. Nothing was coming to mind. "Y-you wanna watch a movie??" He finally blurted, clumsily going with the first thing that came to mind. Derek's expression seemed to brighten. "Yeah, sure, that sounds good." Nodding, Donnie led the other into the living room, where Derek kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch, while Donnie crouched down in front of the TV cabinet and began his search through their DVD's. Not too much of a selection... Which was yet another hurdle they had to get through. Picking a movie from a small collection. Okaaay. "So, what do you feel like watching? We've got A League of their Own, Rocky, Snow White, Rudy, The Sand Lot, Full Metal Jacket, The Breakfast Club--" He was suddenly cut off by Derek's excited words. "Wait, you've got The Breakfast Club? I fucking love that movie!" His eagerness seemed to catch both of them off guard. Donnie looked back at the other, who shrank back on the couch and hung his head slightly, trying to hide the blush that was obviously rearing its head. Donnie chuckled. "I love this movie, too. I'd never admit it to anyone else, but I love all of those popular 80's movies. We own them all. And they're all mine." Turning back towards the TV, Donnie popped the movie in. Once the beginning teaser clips began, he straightened back out and moved to sit on the couch next to Derek.