Brian and Justin were exhausted. Neither one of them could remember the end of a school year being so tiring. Every time they turned around, one or both of the teens needed to go here or there or do this or that. JR was floating on cloud nine because she was through with middle school. She would be a full fledged high schooler after Summer and she was as proud as punch. She had already been to two middle school graduation parties thrown by friends and had at least two more lined up. But none of her excitement could match her brother’s.Gus couldn't believe how happy he was. Only seven months earlier, he had thought his world had collapsed. He still, to this day, missed his moms so very much and often went to the cemetery to visit them. Jason had even accompanied him quite a few times. Thinking of Jason brought a huge smile to Gus' face. Jason had a lot to do with Gus being able to deal with his new life. He loved his dad and DJ deeply, but it was Jason who listened whenever Gus needed to vent about the loss of his moms. It was Jason who held his head in his lap when the sensitive young man just needed to get it all out and let a few tears flow. It didn't happen often, and it was becoming less and less frequent, but Jason was always there for him so that he didn't have to burden his dads with it.
Now Gus was about to begin the next chapter of his life...this time as an adult. He would be attending the college of his choice and doing so with the boy he loved. Even though the school campus was close by, the boys had talked about getting housing on campus and sharing a room. They hadn't discussed it with their parents yet. Gus was really hoping that Jason would finally come out to his family before Summer started. He wanted to let everyone know that they were a couple so they'd never have to make excuses or hide anything during their college years. Jason promised that he wouldn't let the school year end without coming out to his family. Gus hoped so. He didn't want to hide his feelings for Jason any longer.
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School had been too hectic the last couple of weeks for either Jason or Gus to notice anything different. They continued with their friendly bantering between classes and spending every lunch period together. They continued arriving and leaving school together every day. They did nothing they hadn't been doing since the new year. They didn't have a clue that one of their classmates saw them through different eyes now. Every time Terry White saw the two guys together, his blood boiled inside and he saw red. He had taken to avoiding even his closest pals because he had only one thought on his mind and he didn't want to be distracted. He knew he had to teach both those boys a lesson...Jason not to desert his team and buddies, Gus not to use his perverted ways to seduce a good guy and ruin his life. He knew that the element of surprise was going to be his best chance to mete out the justice they deserved. He used every ounce of will power in him to keep his anger in check. Now, with only a few days left until Prom Night, he made up his mind on what he had to do. He'd give those two a Prom they'd never forget, he swore to himself.
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It had taken a lot of debating, but Gus and Jason finally decided to attend the Prom as a couple. Jason had agreed to tell his parents the whole truth the night before the dance. Gus offered to go with Jason when he faced his folks, but Jason said that it was time to stand up for himself on his own. It felt to Gus that he had paced his room enough to circle the globe while he waited for word on how things had gone at the Tyler house. He knew that an awful lot hinged on this. The dads had made it clear that it would be time to inform the sisters about the truth once the Tyler parents knew. That way, there would be no necessity to ever sneak around any more. It would solve a lot, easing stress and making life simpler. It would also mean that he and Jason could dance together freely at the Prom and not be scared of who would find out about it...and, of course, it would be all over the school on Monday morning. By the time the boys walked up to receive their graduation diplomas a few days later, there wouldn't be a kid, teacher, or parent at St. James that hadn't heard about the unusual event at the Prom. Gus had no doubt of that.
Gus knew that all the hubbub would die down, and probably pretty quickly. He was attending the same school as DJ and not a soul ever mentioned the tragic event that happened at that Prom eighteen years earlier. It was long forgotten. He and Jason attending the dance as a couple was nothing compared to that, so Gus wasn't that worried.
The phone finally rang several hours after Jason had said goodbye to go home and talk to his parents.
"Hey Jase! How does it go, man?" Gus asked anxiously.
"It's all good, Gee. Look, my folks want to know if you can come over now. They want to talk to us together."
When Gus was slow to respond, Jason added quickly, "It's okay...really. They just need to hash it out with both of us at the same time. Sort of like we did with your folks, you know? They're cool about things....honest."
Gus had never been more nervous in his life, but he knew Jason was right. Jase had been more than willing to deal with Gus' parents. He owed the same consideration to the Tylers.
"Okay, Jase. I'll see if the guys will let me use the Jeep and I'll be right over."
The boys said goodbye and Gus went to find his dad. He found Brian in DJ's studio. The older man was leaning over his husband's shoulder observing his latest work. As Gus stepped in the room he heard his dad tell DJ that this painting was even more beautiful than the last one. The younger man swivelled around in his stool and planted a warm kiss on his husband's lips. As he pulled away, he spotted their son in the doorway. He tapped Brian on the shoulder and pointed to the door.
Brian laughed. "Caught the old folks necking, huh? Now don't tell your sister. She thinks we're too decrepit for such nonsense. "
Justin slapped Brian on the arm.
"Ow!" came Brian's cry of pain, accompanied by a pitiful look.
"You big baby," admonished Justin. He turned back to Gus. "So what's up, kiddo?"
Gus smiled fondly at his two dads. He loved the way they treated each other. He prayed that Jason and he would be that way forever, which reminded him why he had come up here in the first place.
"Something big is about to pop," he began to explain. "Jase called and he told his parents about us. He wants me to go over there so the four of us can sit and talk about it. I told him I'd come right over. What do you guys think?"
"I think we're very proud of you...and of Jason," Justin said, getting up to hug the taller boy. Brian was right behind him.
"Justin's right, Son. Just remember that neither you nor Jason have done anything wrong. You are who you are and there is not a damned thing wrong about that. Hopefully they'll be like your grandmothers, Debbie and Jennifer."
"Well, I don't think we could handle it if they're anything like Gram, but Grandma Jennifer would be okay," Gus laughed.
A little more banter and friendly advice from the concerned dads, and Gus took the keys to the proffered Jeep and headed out for the Tyler house.
Gus had been shocked when Mr. and Mrs. Tyler informed the two boys, sitting on the couch in front of them, that they had been wondering, for months now, when their son was going to come out to them. They informed the boys that they had figured for years that Jason might be gay, but would be damned if they were going to be the first to approach the subject. He had never seemed very interested in any girl for any length of time. They weren't really sure if it was his total absorption in his sports or something else, but then Gus had come into his life. The Tyler's laughed when they explained that for the first time in his life, they saw their son become wrapped up in somebody. It was then they were even more sure that their suspicions were correct. Mrs. Tyler informed her son that their relationship became crystal clear the day she spotted them right after the New Year's party kissing each other in the garden. The boys didn't even realize that somewhere during the 'big talk', they had begun to hold hands. When the boys told the Tylers that they were going to the Prom as a couple, they saw the hesitancy in the parents’ eyes. They were quick to let them know that neither boy was going to flaunt anything in peoples faces. They were only going there to have fun, dance a little, and visit with classmates. The Tylers looked the two mature young men over and finally gave their blessing.
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The next day dawned with a brisk breeze stirring the pre-Summer warmth through the air. The Tylers had agreed to keep JR at their place for Prom night so that the boys could have uninterrupted preparation time the evening of the Prom at Gus' house. The Prom was to be held at one of the best hotels in the city and drinking was probable since eighteen was now the legal age for alcohol consumption. Brian and Justin had rented a room for the night so that the boys would have somewhere to stay in case they partied a little too hard. Brian and Justin would pick the teens up the next day at the hotel.
By seven that night, the young men were dressed and looking especially fine in their rented tuxes. Brian and Justin stood at the front entry of their house and waved goodbye to their son as he entered the limousine that the Tylers had hired for the boys for the night. Gus had given his dads a hasty hug and slid in beside his boyfriend. Justin allowed a little tear as the chariot drove the lovers off to the ball.
Gus and Jason had the time of their lives at the Prom. Every one was in a festive mood and they were surprised by how few people reacted negatively when they entered the main room hand in hand. That move was deliberate on their part. They had chosen to be out from the moment they joined the party. There had been a few less than enthusiastic reactions, with members of the wrestling team being the most obvious in their disapproval, but many more kids seemed curious but undisturbed. A few girls actually grinned broadly at the couple. They were having so much fun the boys never paid any attention to how stiffly Terry held himself in the corner of the dance floor or how many drinks he was consuming from the spiked punch bowl.Meanwhile, back home, Brian and Justin had spent the evening enjoying the rare quiet in the house. JR was at the Tyler’s and Gus was enjoying his Prom. Unlike their more youthful days, the older men found themselves talking about domestic matters, especially the children. After a few hours of this, Brian suddenly jumped up from his seat next to Justin.
"Damn, Justin, we sound like a couple of old fogeys sitting at home on a Saturday night with nothing to do but talk about the children. I say we go out and have a little fun ourselves, just the two of us for a change."
Justin laughed and joined his husband.
"I agree, old man. I think we deserve a little down-time for ourselves too. I say we get dressed up in our best 'fuck 'em all' outfits and head for the clubs. First one to the front door gets to choose our destination." Justin took off running for the stairs.
"Right behind you, Sunshine," yelled Brian as he used his longer legs to catch up to Justin.
Twenty minutes later, the men were moving out to the car. Brian chose Babylon (big surprise) for their night's festivities. There would be no fucking in the back room with anonymous twinks like the old days, but the couple still enjoyed the thumpa-thumpa of the music and dancing with each other still held a great thrill for them.
"I have an idea," Justin piped up, once they were on the road. "What about taking a moment to relive our glorious youth and just take a peek at Gus' prom? You know, just a quick look round and then out of there. I would really like to see our boy in all his glory."
"Are you sure it wouldn't be too painful?"
"Nope. In a way it would be just another 'fuck you' to poor pathetic Hobbs. Why the hell should I let him take away anything from me ever again? I WANT to see the boys enjoying their prom the way I did mine....thanks to you. So what do you say?""What the hell, why not? I would kind of like to see whether our boys have the balls to take a stand for themselves the way a certain little blond twink did years ago. Prom night, here we come." Brian turned the car into traffic heading for the hotel.
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The evening was rapidly coming to a close. There was less than a half hour before the final dance would play. The crowd had thinned a bit as some students headed out for other parties or to prearranged rooms at the hotel to continue the celebrations. There was still a sizable crowd when Gus and Jason finished their last dance. Gus had an overwhelming need to relieve himself as he walked off the dance floor. He excused himself as they reached their table. It was what the drunken Terry had been waiting for all night.
Terry had finally managed to discover what room had been given to the two boys for the night. It hadn't been easy and required a healthy bribe to one of the bellboys, but it was worth it to him. All he needed was a chance to see Gus and Jason separated. It finally came when he saw Gus heading for the rear of the ballroom. Jason's stay at the table was all Terry needed. He looked around until he finally spotted a waiter standing nearby. He pulled out another large bill and got the guy's attention. He handed the money and a pre-prepared note to the young man and pointed over at Jason. The waiter hurriedly moved over to where Jason sat after receiving his instructions. By the time he reached Jason, Terry was gone.
Jason took the note the waiter handed him and started to laugh. He pulled out a couple of dollars and handed them to the young man. He looked around briefly and then moved rapidly for the elevator. A few minutes later he stepped off on his floor and went to the door of his room. Gus' note had asked him to go on up to the room and wait for a special surprise. Jason could feel his excitement building as he pondered on what kind of delicious surprise Gus might have in store for him on this special night. He half expected Gus to be waiting for him inside the room already as he fit his key card in the lock, but decided to get more comfortable while waiting for Gus when he found the room empty.
Downstairs, Gus had arrived at his table only to find it deserted. As he started to search for Jason, a waiter approached. He had a note in his hand. Gus frowned in puzzlement. Why was the note asking him to meet in the exercise room down the hall from the ball room? It was signed, Jason, but the writing didn't look quite like his boyfriend’s. Gus decided it must have been written in a big hurry. He made his way through the crowd in order to reach the main door of the ball room. In his rush, he didn't notice his dads scanning the crowd looking for the boys. Just as Gus got to the exit, the men spotted him and decided to follow.
Gus stepped into the barely lit fitness center. He could see the equipment in the dim light but little else. Again, he wondered why Jason wanted to meet here when they had a perfectly nice room waiting for them upstairs. He moved further into the room whispering, "Jase, where are you?"
He didn't see the dark figure stepping out from behind the opened door. Terry moved quietly behind Gus. His arm went up. The low light overhead reflected off the heavy bar bell that Terry clutched in his fingers. The sound of Brian's scream echoed off the walls.
"Gus! Look out!"
Brian moved like a man possessed. He dove full body onto the husky man who threatened his son. Terry fell, face forward onto the ground, his face buried in the floor. He screamed in pain as his nose flattened. Brian had his hands clamped in a death hold on Terry's wrist where he held his weapon. Brian could feel the satisfying crunch as the bones in the attackers wrist broke. In seconds, he ordered his stunned son to grab a nearby rope, used for tying up equipment, and throw it to him. With strength born of a combination of fear and rage, Brian had Terry's hands tied behind him, broken wrist and all.
Justin had grabbed his cell phone the instant he realized what was happening and called 911. He then ran into the hall and screamed for security. Within minutes the prom night revellers were surprised to find security and police shutting down their dance. They stared with open mouths at the sight of a bloody nosed Terry White being removed on a stretcher with several police officers surrounding the gurney. They were dying of curiosity as to why Gus was being questioned by the police and some even recognized his dad, who was also being questioned. By the next morning, there would be juicier news to talk about than had ever been discussed in two decades of after prom gabfests. But tonight there was nothing but questions. Number One for the Kinney /Taylors was, where was Jason and why did this happen?
To be continued........