Over a month passed and life pretty much returned to normal for Dylan. Poor Cat Boy though. People treated him the way they’d treated Dylan the past few years: some with fear or hate, a lot with caution. But Tiago had supporters too.
There’d been some talk about trying to get him expelled, but the parents didn’t seem to have a taste for it so soon after Dylan’s trial, and it never went anywhere.
Tiago seemed to take things pretty well. He mostly ignored the people who didn’t like him with considerably less glaring than Dylan had ever managed.
Gym had just ended, and Aiden had hurried off already. He had chemistry with Tiago, a situation which had been good for jokes all semester. Dylan snickered to himself as he snapped the lock shut and grabbed his bag.
When Dylan stepped out of the locker room, he found Sakura standing there.
“Hi.” She didn’t quite meet his eyes. Izume was nowhere to be seen.
“What’s up?” They chatted in class and said hello to each other in the halls, but outside that he rarely interacted with the fox sisters.
“I, um…” Her cheeks turned bright red. “Would you go to prom with me?” The words came out in a rush.
Not you too! Over the past few weeks, girls had started bothering him again, asking him if he had a date to the prom. Apparently both juniors and seniors could go to prom because he’d been asked by girls in both grades. Being arrested and almost thrown out of school clearly hadn’t scared everyone off.
Dylan opened his mouth to say no, but then he thought about it. Sakura hadn’t started liking him after he fought a warden and killed a dark fae. The fox sisters had been friendly with him, at least in gym, since eighth grade. And they’d never been afraid of him.
“Why?” He regretted the question as soon as he asked it.
Sakura looked down. He’d never seen her like this. In class she was always bold, either seriously focused or laughing during her matches. Shy Sakura seemed so weird. “Um, because you’re the only one I want to go with.”
“Really? There aren’t any other guys?” He was surprised no one had asked her. She was cute, and with her magical skills, she would have made an impression on anyone who saw her in gym. Or the spring exhibition. “What about Jabu?” The impundulu was a year older, but seniors and juniors sometimes went together.
Sakura shook her head, her unbound hair shifting along her shoulders. “He’s nice, but he’s… not you.” She glanced at him, then away again. “I just wanted to ask. If you don’t want to go, that’s okay.” She turned and started walking away.
“Wait.” He didn’t want to go to the dance. It sounded boring and stupid. But the way Sakura looked at him tugged at something.
She didn’t know him well, but she’d known him for a long time. And after Hanna had dumped him, it was nice to know someone wanted him. Well, a lot of girls wanted him, but when they asked it seemed shallow, like they were asking out the local celebrity and not really him.
Sakura stopped, her face full of hope and longing.
“You really want to go with me?”
She nodded.
It was odd. He’d noticed her, the way he noticed all the pretty girls, but he hadn’t really thought of her that way. She was one of the only kids who could keep up with him in gym until Aiden came along. The fox sisters were worthy opponents, not possible dates.
But he saw it now. How pretty she was with her delicate features and long black hair. Not just that, but how strong she was too. A creature of fire, like he was. Beautiful and powerful.
“Okay,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “You’ll go to prom with me?”
“Yeah.”
Joy spread across her face, making her even prettier, and she ran the few feet between them. She reached for him and then stopped. “Oh Dylan, I…” Her expression turned shy again. “Thank you.”
He shrugged. “You’re welcome.” He didn’t know what else to say. Was he agreeing to be nice to her, or because she wanted him for who he was?
She hesitated before turning to walk away again. Sakura glanced over her shoulder as she left, a smile on her face.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, going to a dance with her.
Then, with a twinge of horror, Dylan realized he’d have to tell his parents he was going to prom.
* * *
Aiden lay on his bed with Tiago as they kissed, slow and lingering. They were supposed to be studying, but Tiago had declared a break. Well, “declared” by sitting in Aiden’s lap and making out with him.
“Hey.” Tiago pulled back just a bit. “I want to ask you something.”
Aiden wondered what it could be, and then his stomach flipped when the obvious answer occurred. “Tiago—”
As if reading his mind, Tiago laughed and said, “I’m not asking you to prom, relax.” He slid a hand down Aiden’s side. “I know you’re not ready to be public. But it is related to prom.”
“What is it?” Aiden asked warily.
“My guardian volunteered as a chaperone, so she won’t be home for hours.” Tiago gave him a wicked grin. “We could have the house all to ourselves.”
“You mean—?” Aiden swallowed heavily, his pulse speeding.
“Uh-huh.” Tiago kissed him, hand gently squeezing his butt. “No pressure. We can do whatever you want. Watch a movie, make out… but I really want to do more with you.” His voice dropped at the end until it was almost a growl.
Aiden’s body was rather enthusiastic about the idea. “I want to.” Just saying it made him blush all over. He and Tiago had done… things, but they hadn’t gone all the way. With his parents in the house, or with Tiago’s guardian there when they were over at his place, Aiden didn’t want to do more than make out. The times they’d done more had been out in the woods, but the cold made things uncomfortable.
“So that’s a yes?” Tiago’s eyes were so very, very dark.
“Yes,” Aiden breathed. Tiago went in for a kiss, but Aiden held him back. “But what if I change my mind?” His insides fluttered.
“Then we stop.” Tiago moved his hand up to brush along Aiden’s cheek. “I want you to feel safe with me.”
“I do.” Aiden pulled him in for a kiss. Tiago occasionally tested boundaries but never went over them. Always stopped when Aiden asked him to, kept checking to make sure things were okay.
“Good.” Tiago’s thumb traced his bottom lip. “I don’t really know how to be a boyfriend. I’ve had boyfriends before, but we weren’t together long because we moved so much and my parents…” A dark look crossed his face. “So I’m trying my best.”
“You’re doing a good job.” Aiden couldn’t believe his luck, finding someone this wonderful. “I don’t know what I’m doing at all. I went out with Hanna for a little while, but it was so awkward.” A sliver of fear went through him. “Am I a good boyfriend?”
Tiago smiled. “The best.” He brushed his lips against Aiden’s.
It warmed him all over, but then guilt crept in. “Am I really though? I feel like such a coward. After what you did at school, telling everyone the truth, but I’m still scared to—”
“Shh…” Tiago put a finger to Aiden’s lips. “You’re not a coward. You just need the right time.”
The right time had been that moment, when Tiago stood in front of the whole school and told them everything. That was when he’d needed support. When he’d needed his boyfriend to stand by him and not keep their relationship a secret.
But would that have made things worse? For Tiago to admit to murdering people and come out at the same time?
Or would Tiago have been relieved to have all his secrets in the open?
“I just—”
“Aiden.” Tiago kissed him. “Stop worrying.” He kissed him again, tongue slipping into Aiden’s mouth.
Aiden groaned as heat pulsed between his legs. “I wish I was okay with fooling around while my parents were home.” Because right now he wanted it so bad. But knowing they were right downstairs, that they thought he was studying, he just couldn’t.
“Me too,” Tiago said with a chuckle. Then he let out a breath and sat up. “We should get back to that stupid homework before you drive me totally crazy.”
“Yeah.” Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look. But Aiden glanced down at Tiago’s crotch anyway. He bit his lip against a whimper. Why did I look?
Aiden turned away so quickly he almost fell off the bed.
Tiago made a low sound. “Prom can’t come fast enough.”
Staring at the desk strewn with their homework, Aiden tried to calm his body down. He was already counting the days.