Sweaters & Cigarettes (19 page)

Theo shifts a bit, uncomfortably.

"He stood up for me,
first," he mumbles, and Riley nods. Theo can see it, out of the corner of
his eye. "And it was worth it, even if it did land me in detention for a
week."

Riley smiles, before getting
serious again.

"Mom told me you can't see him
again," he says, voice subdued. "She said it's for your own
good."

Theo sighs in exasperation, leaning
his head back against the bed's headboard.

"Yeah, I know," he says
tiredly. "It's such bullshit."

Riley chuckles, and Theo looks at
him, frowning.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing," Riley replies,
shaking his head. "It's just that you've gotten more... comfortable,
lately. Mom mentioned that, too. She doesn't like it. Neither does dad."

Theo scoffs.

"Yeah, apparently, Max has a
'bad effect' on me," he says, and god help him, he actually uses
air-quotes.

"I don't think so." Theo
reacts at the confident calm in Riley's voice. "I mean, sure, yeah, you've
changed a bit since you met him. But not in a bad way. You seem more confident,
more relaxed."

He shrugs.

"You seem happier," he
says. "Even if that does mean you actually curse now, a little bit."

Theo just looks at his brother,
before smiling.

"Tell that to them," he
says, shaking his head. "I swear, dad took one look at Max and just... He
didn't even give him a chance."

He sighs heavily.

"I knew this would happen.
That's why I didn't tell them. I just knew they would react like that, right
off the bat. It's like they don't even want to know who he is, what he's
like."

"I think they're scared."
Theo frowns slightly at Riley's words. "They're our parents, you know. I'm
not saying it's fair, or that it makes sense. And I mean, I like Max, I know
he's not a bad guy, and I agree that this is bullshit."

He glances at the wall, thinking,
with that precocious look on his face.

"But imagine your kid suddenly
changing, like you have," he says, "and this random, scary-looking
guy comes into his life, at the same time. It's easy to blame him for that, for
corrupting your son. I'd probably be scared, too."

Theo considers that for a few
moments, staring. He blinks.

"How the hell are you only
fourteen years old?" he finally asks, and Riley chuckles, turning back to
him.

"I'm just observant," he
says.

"Yeah, well, that's pretty
insightful for a kid," Theo retorts. Then he frowns. "And Max isn't
scary.
"

Riley raises his eyebrows at him
pointedly.

"Dude," he says, "he
can be pretty scary. Especially if you don't know him."

Theo considers that for a moment,
then cocks his head, admitting that Riley has a point. He remembers how
intimidating Max was, before he got to know him. Which makes it all the more
shocking, how sweet and funny he can be. How sweet and funny and thoughtful and
gorgeous and―

Theo closes his eyes, sighing.
Damn
,
he's got it bad for this guy.

"But that's the thing,
though," he says, opening his eyes again. "He's not bad for me. I
mean... I feel
good
about myself, with him. Like I don't have to put up
with other people's crap, all the time, like I actually have a say."

"I've noticed," Riley
says, a small smile on his face. "But I think mom and dad are a bit too
freaked out to deal with that, right now."

Theo doesn't reply. He's angry at
his parents, there's no question there. But at the same time, he sort of gets
where they're coming from, he gets what Riley is saying right now. But that
doesn't excuse anything. It doesn't excuse the way they talked to him, the way
they simply blamed everything on Max, or the way Eric literally pulled Theo
away from him, at the school. It's not alright, and no matter their reasons,
Theo can't really accept his parents' behavior.

He'll just have to wait, instead,
hoping that they'll come around. And if nothing else, he is eighteen, which
means that he's technically an adult, and they can't really stop him from doing
anything.

The matter of him living in their
home, though, complicates things. In that sense, they really do have a say in
what he does, and Theo doesn't like the idea of going against his parents,
either. Because they're his parents, and it feels wrong.

But that won't stop him from seeing
Max. Nothing will.

"What were you watching?"
Riley asks, gesturing at Theo's closed laptop. "When I came in?"

"
Firefly
," Theo
replies, before cocking his head. "Wanna watch?"

Riley gives him a small smile,
before getting up from the chair and sitting down next to Theo, on the bed, and
his big brother scoots over to make room.

Theo feels a surge of affection for
his brother, at how
wise
he actually can be, and he's so glad to have
him on his side. And for a little while, as they watch the crew of Serenity
kick some ass on the screen, things feel pretty okay, despite everything.

♦

Theo thought it would be simple, going to school. He
thought it would be like normal, seeing Max and going about his business as
usual.

He may have overstated matters a
bit.

Although he is eighteen, and
although there were technically no further repercussions of the fight than him
getting a week of detention, there has clearly been a slight shift, when it
comes to him and Max being around each other. There's nothing the teachers or
the school can do, really, but Theo is still uncomfortably aware of people
somehow paying more attention to him, now, teachers and students alike.

He doesn't see Max for the whole
next day, though, and only knows he has been to school because Cassie has
talked to him.

"He asked about you," she
says, when they meet up for lunch. "He seemed pissed that you keep missing
each other, between classes."

She wrinkles her nose.

"He asked me to pass on a
message for you, but I'm not gonna."

Theo just looks at her.

"Why not?" he asks, and
Cassie practically cringes.

"Let's just say it was a very
physical request," she explains, and Theo can't help but laugh at her
discomfort. "But he says hi."

Theo is glad to hear it, but in the
midst of it, that ache inside grows just a little bit stronger; he misses Max, he
really misses him, and knowing he's around, but not right here, is only making
it worse.

When the day comes to an end, Theo
has detention, which means he doesn't see Max for the rest of the day. And
since his cell phone has been confiscated, he can't really reach him. So, he
sits through his detention in restless silence, trying to get some schoolwork
done, before he finally gets to go home. It's cold outside, and he misses Max's
warmth more than ever, borrowing Riley's phone (with his permission) when he
gets home, to send a small text just to say hi. The simple reply is enough to
make him smile, and he really hopes he gets to see Max tomorrow.

Theo's wish is granted.

He's on his way out of a classroom,
the hallway milling with students, when he feels someone grab his arm. He turns
to find Cassie, a conspiring look on her face.

"Your man wants to see
you," she says in a low voice, cocking her eyebrows, and Theo
automatically looks around.

"Not here," Cassie says,
sounding scheming and exasperated, all at once, and Theo looks back at her. She
cocks her head toward the front entrance. "He said you'd know."

Theo frowns at her, eyes slightly
narrowed.

"You're kind of enjoying
this," he says. "Aren't you?"

Cassie shrugs.

"Maybe," she admits
gleefully. "It's very covert ops."

Theo scoffs, smiling, and Cassie
nudges him gently.

"Go get him."

Theo doesn't need telling twice.

Cassie wasn't very explicit in
saying where, exactly, Max wants to see him, but Theo has an idea. He makes
sure to get his jacket, though, before slipping out through the front entrance
and making his way across the schoolyard. The temperature has really dropped
lately (it looks like it might even snow, soon) and he shoves his hands in his
pockets, as he goes.

The moment he reaches the building
on the other side and rounds the corner, he spots him. Max. And for a moment,
Theo experiences an odd sense of déjà vu.

Max is standing near the wall, a
cigarette between his fingers, and as he hears Theo approach, he looks up. The
way he blows out a slow stream of smoke, dark blue eyes sharp, takes Theo right
back to the first time he ever bumped into him here, behind the school. The
only difference, really, is the expression; rather than looking smug and
mischievous, Max's face lights up, and he smiles as he catches Theo's eye.

"Hey," he says, taking a
few steps to meet Theo halfway, and as soon as he reaches him, he leans in to
give him a kiss. And Theo closes his eyes, exhales slowly, because it's the
best kiss, ever.

Then again, he tends to think that
about pretty much every kiss they share, no matter what. Maybe
kissing
Max
is just the best thing, ever.

Max makes a content humming noise
as he pulls away, cigarette still secured between his fingers. He shivers slightly,
from the cold or something else, Theo can't really tell, but the way Max smiles
tells him that he doesn't really care, anyway.

"I missed you," Max says,
moving in closer and tugging softly on Theo's jacket, and Theo automatically
places his hands on Max's waist. He absently wonders how warm that black coat
is, if it's enough to keep him warm, through the winter.

"I missed you, too." Theo
practically murmurs the words, just staring at Max's face, taking in his
features, the black makeup and the metal piercings, the way he smiles at Theo
in a way that Theo has never seen anyone else smile at him, before. He moves
one hand up to cup his boyfriend's face, gently smoothing over the small cut
below his cheekbone; Theo was right, it has left a bruise, but it's really not
that bad. He decides to not think about it right now, and instead and relishes
the way Max seems to melt against him, as he kisses him, slowly.

Max hums against his mouth in
appreciation, and when they pull apart, he just sighs, sounding tired and
completely content.

"Man, I've got it bad for
you," he mutters, and Theo smiles, vaguely remembering thinking the exact
same thing, the other day. "How you holding up?"

Theo moves his hand from Max's face
and places it against his waist, again, while Max takes a long drag on his
cigarette.

"It's fine," Theo says,
sounding tired in a way that suggests it's anything but
fine
. "My
parents are really sticking to it. I feel like they're about to pay off the
teachers to spy on me and keep me in line."

Max smiles mischievously.

"You mean, to keep you from
misbehaving?" he says. "Like surreptitiously meeting your hot,
dangerous boyfriend in secret?"

He pulls on his cigarette, cocking
his eyebrows suggestively, and Theo chuckles.

"Something like that," he
says, tilting his head. "You're not that dangerous, though."

Max looks outraged.

"I can be dangerous," he
says in mock indignity. "I'm just... really subtle about it."

Theo laughs, and places a chaste
kiss on his lips.

"Sure," he says, as Max
drops his burned-out cigarette to the ground and grinds it out with his boot.
"If you say so."

"Hey," Max says
warningly, looking down at Theo's chest, as he tugs on his jacket. He seems to
do that a lot, like it has become a bit of a habit, especially when he's
feeling unusually shy. Or, at least the closest thing Max can actually get to
feeling shy, or modest. "Don't test me."

Theo smiles, watching Max's face,
as Max watches his own hands, tracing Theo's clothed chest.

"Yeah, well," Theo says.
"Might have to, if this keeps up. There are those very determined to keep
us apart."

He says that last part with some
dramatic effect, and Max scoffs slightly, with a small smile.

"Let them," he says, a
hint of seriousness underneath the cocky tone, his words effortless. "I
love you, I'm not giving you up that easy."

Theo's stomach drops. He blinks,
and simply stares at Max, who still has his eyes on Theo's front, where he's
unnecessarily tugging at the lapels of his jacket.

"What?" Theo finally
musters dumbly, in a somewhat stunned murmur, and Max looks up at him.

"Hm?" he says, dark blue
eyes slightly wide, eyebrows raised, making him look so innocent that it's
obvious he's trying too hard. He has never really been good at looking
innocent, of all things.