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Prince of the Hill

Chapter 2

By Kendo Kawabata

"Blossom" was considered to be a mixture of both Fable, Oblivion and Mass Effect. In a world twice the size of Oblivion, and with a medieval fantasy of Fable and every good and back action effecting how the world changed around you like Mass Effect, it was considered to rival them all.

The front cover of the games box featured a perfect red rose, while the back featured a perfectly dark rose. The games creators had explained "when you start, you're just a bud. A flower waiting to bloom. And as your choices change yourself and the world around you, you blossom within the world itself."

Every action you took changed yourself and the world around you. Good actions had people revere you, the world shone brightly and your character seemed to radiate. Bad actions had people fear you, the world clouded over and your character became shadowed.

But even with his great game at his disposal, Gielle couldn't bring himself to load it up.

It was Saturday night. Grounded and confined to his room without phone calls, privileges or visitors permitted, Gielle did not feel all that bothered by it. His aunt and uncles grounding should have bothered him, after all the argument had been started by his aunt Peggy, and the restrictions on the already restricted life he had should have given him cause to be upset.

But he didn't feel upset about it. Lying on his second-hand bed in just his purple boxers, looking up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, he felt oddly at ease about the whole thing. He wandered his eyes over the ceiling a few times again as he felt calm.

If there was something to gripe about with the whole grounding, it was that he couldn't see or speak to Alex since their time together. The moment they had shared on the couch together had to end eventually, and very reluctantly. Neither really could find the words to express how they felt about their spontaneous moment together, and they promised to talk about it next time they saw each other. After they had time to think about it. Gielle just didn't want to leave the presence of someone who actually liked having him there.

He wandered a hand down his slim chest slowly, his heartbeat felt against his fingers for a few moments. A picture of his hybrid friend mowing his lawn in just a pair of shorts made his heart race, the beating against his fingers getting faster.

He wondered what Alex was doing at that moment. A few visions passed through his mind, housework, watching tv, homework. Alex could have been doing anything at that time. Although the vision of Alex in the bathtub made his boxers tent slightly.

"I really miss him" he thought to himself as he put his hand back behind his head. "It's kind of funny though. I barely know him, and I just want to see him again" he said softly to the ceiling as he stared upwards.

"I wonder if this is one of those stereotype things, me falling in love with the first person to be nice to me" he wondered to himself. He could think of other comics and stories he had read over the last year or so that had that same scenario. Although the ones that sprang to mind were the one about the lion named Daniel in college and the flamedramon with his bowser roommate.

His thoughts began to drift towards their moment together once more, except this time his imagination began to fantasize. He imagined Alex standing in front of him, Gielle naked and Alex wearing nothing but a pair of tight briefs. He didn't feel embarrassed about that as he felt Alexs hands start to wander down his chest, the warm fingers caressing his barely developed muscles.

"Oh Alex" he found himself moaning softly as he closed his eyes. He felt his hand drag down his stomach and brush over his abdomen, just above the waistband of his boxers. He could feel his garments start to tent more, the bulge getting quite prominent and evident as he closed his eyes.

He felt his heart race as he dreamt that Alex put his hands on his waist and held him there. He could feel Alex's warm breath cascade down over his neck as he felt those warm lips press against him. He felt how good it was to have Alex suck in just the right place on his neck. Gielle let out a soft gasp as he found his fingers sliding into his boxers to touch against his painfully hard length.

"Alex..." Gielle panted as he felt those warm lips travel down his chest and across his nipples. His other hand slowly slid up to touch them, finding them hard already as the brushing of fingertips set small electric currents through him.

He could feel those lips, so hot and warm brush down his chest to his stomach. He felt his hand wrap around his hard length, moaning as he arched his back a bit more to feel how good it felt.

"Please Alex, don't stop" he whispered as he stroked the base of his length, feeling his six incher throb all the more harder. It was a painful pleasure and he arched his back slightly. He imagined Alexs hands sliding around again to caress his naked backside, feeling those hands cup his cheeks again. It had felt so good that first time.

He slowly stroked his hand up and down in his boxers as he felt his fingers rub against his nipples as he moaned softly. In his mind he saw Alex move to his knees with a soft smile on his features, his fingers sliding from his waist to his blue backside as he leant forward.

"Farlo Alex" Gielle moaned. He could feel his climax build up already. His length was throbbing against his fingers as he gasped, trying to hold back as long as he could as he wanted his fantasy to last longer than it was. He wanted Alex to do it, to show him more pleasure then this. *Do it Alex*

Alex slowly opened his mouth and drew it close and

KNOCK KNOCK.

"Oh la merda" Gielle gasped as the knocking on his door plunged him down from his fantasy. He flipped his legs off the bed as he scrambled to find his robe. *Oh shit*

"Great" he thought as he ran to the wardrobe and flung the doors open. "Whoever it is just had to pick now" he thought as he threw his robe on and tied it closed. When he was sure that his dying erection was not visible, he took a few breaths to calm himself down before he opened the door.

"Oh, Uncle Hank" Gielle said as he saw his uncle standing in front of him. It just had to be him didn't it?

"Uh...I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Hank said as he looked down at his nephew. He looked rather uncomfortable, as though he didn't want to know the answer.

"Um...no" Gielle said as he held the door open. "I was just...drifting off to sleep" he admitted. His uncle looked down at him like he didn't believe him, but he didn't admit what he could have walked in on.

"Well...Good" Hank said to him as he rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway... we'll be going to church tomorrow, like we do every Sunday. So uh...you'll be coming with us" he said.

"Church tomorrow? Well...I guess I have no reason not to go" Gielle said to him after a moment. He had the feeling that even if he said he was an aethiast, which he wasn't, his uncle would still make him go.

"Good. We'll be leaving early" Hank said with a light sigh of relief, as if he had just avoided an arguement. "So, uh...dress nice .We don't want you embarrassing us tomorrow during the uh..service. Wouldn't want anyone to know my uh...nephew embarrasses his family on uh..purpose" he said with a light chuckle, as though he had just made some sort of weak joke.

"And that means no shirts with angels on it" he heard his aunt Peggy shout from presumably the kitchen. Apparently eavesdropping was something she wasn't ashamed about.

"Ok Aunt Peggy" Gielle called out. "I have some good clothes I packed I can wear tomorrow" Gielle said to his uncle.

"Good. I'll uh...see you tomorrow morning then" Hank said to him before he rather awkwardly left his nephew alone.

"Remember, no angels" his aunt called out again.

"I heard you Aunt Peggy" Gielle called out again before he shut the door. "lei l'idiota stupid" he muttered. The mood spoilt , he shook his robe off and slid under the blankets. He felt no desire to try and bring his fantasy back as he curled up under the sheets to fall asleep. *lei l'idiota stupid*

Breakfast the next morning was rather dull, as Gielle had come to expect. Dressing himself in a good pair of black pants and matching shoes with a collared white shirt, he walked out of his bedroom into the kitchen to find his Aunt serving up bacon and eggs.

"Hey Gielle. Check it out. It's you" Bobby said from his seat at the table as he held him plate up. Gielle saw that Bobby had arranged his food into a sloppy looking face on his plate.

"Wow. Funny" Gielle said, unimpressed by his cousins antics. Bobby pouted and sat back in his chair with a scowl. Gielle noticed he was wearing a very formal looking dark brown suit and a red tie.

"Gielle, you're not wearing that to church, are you?" his aunt said. Turning, Gielle saw his aunt wear an equally formal looking dress of a very hideous lime green. She must have thought she looked good in such a horrible looking thing.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Gielle asked as he looked down at himself. He didn't see anything wrong with what he was considering, considering he had worn this outfit when he went to church back in Venice.

"Gielle, this is church we're going to" his aunt said with an annoyed look. "So dress nicely" she pointed out to him.

"I am dressed nicely" Gielle said to her. "I'm just not dressed up going to a wedding or something" he explained.

"Go and put a tie on at least. We need to look presentable" his aunt said. "Così andare ed indossare un serpente così possiamo essere eseguiti quando suo zio è irritato per andare alla palestra" she said firmly to him, waving her finger at him in her no-nonsense type of manner. * So go and put a snake on so we can be performed when your uncle is irritated to go to gym.*

"Yes Aunt Peggy" Gielle said to her with a nod, not even trying to understand what she meant by that as he turned around and headed back to his room. He dug a dark blue tie from his wardrobe, thankful he had packed one and slipped it around his neck.

"Che dovrebbe importare che indossiamo per un'ora durante la settimana? Dubito che Dio baderebbe a cui indossiamo en Considerando la bibbia dice che ci ha fatti nudo in primo luogo?" his father had once said what seemed like a lifetime ago. Gielle had simply asked his father why they were dressed so simply and everyone else had dressed up so much. *What should it matter what we wear for one hour during the week? I doubt God would mind what we wear considering the bible says he made us naked in the first place?*

His father did have a point back then. He somehow doubted his aunt and uncle would have agreed with him.

After securing his tie in place, a thought suddenly entered his head and made him feel better about it. Maybe Alex went to the same church. He'd find out once he got there. He made his way back into the kitchen to find his uncle had joined them, wearing an equally smart looking suite and tie, but it was just as dull as his work uniform.

"Peggy, he's not wearing that is he?" Hank said without addressing his nephew as he looked over at his wife.

"Hank, I told you last night to make sure he had something smart to wear" Peggy pointed out.

"He said he did" Hank protested. "What will everyone else think when we show up? He'll stand out against us" he said.

"Hank, we don't have the time to argue this morning" his aunt said as she sat down to eat her breakfast. "I'll take him clothes shopping during the week after school. Although Lord knows I'll have to replace his entire wardrobe, considering he has my sisters non-existing taste in clothing" his aunt pointed out.

"Alight" Hank said as he drank his morning coffee. Gielle ignored everything as he soon finished his rather tasteless breakfast. How could anyone spoil bacon and eggs?

"I will be taking you clothes shopping tomorrow" his aunt said to Gielle. "We can't have you wearing ugly angel shirts all the time" she said. "Where do you get such stuff anyway?"

"My mom bought them for me from a store called Minotaur" Gielle said to her. "They had a lot of Doctor Who merchandise there."

"And what is Doctor Who?" Hank asked. Gielle felt surprised. Who didn't know that?"

"It's a tv show I like" Gielle said to him.

"Well, the only good tv show on is the 'Firenze Files', which happens to be my favourite" his aunt said. Gielle actually cringed inside.

'The Firenze Files' was a live action action drama series done in the epic stlye of 'The Borgias', 'Pillars of Earth', or 'The Tudors'. It was considered the prequel series to 'Assassins Creed 2'. It focused on Ezios father and his uncle Mario growing up and learning to be assassins, and helping to lead up to the events in the games sequal. He couldn't believe that perhaps the one thing he had in common with his aunt, was a favourite tv show of his.

There wasn't much talk at the breakfast table, except for when Ladybird walked in and Hank seemed to come alive and lavish attention on her. Gielle thought it was rather unnerving to see a grown wolf like that make eager baby talk to a dog. Specially an ugly one like that.

Soon, they all had to leave. They did not take Hanks truck, but rather Peggys rather unattractive little four door car. It was rather uncomfortable to sit in. Especially by the time they left the house and drove into the alley the hot weather was already starting to heat up

He kind of felt like he was heading to a funeral, the car ride was that silent and formal. It was very uncomfortable to be in. He did feel somewhat better knowing that his relatives were covered from head to toe in such weather and he was wearing less than they were. It made him smile a little to know they'd be more uncomfortable then he was.

The church they pulled up in looked rather simple and plain. Nothing like the huge gothic and heritage listed churchs that littered Venice. His regular church had been huge and spacious, detailed in almost every way imaginable with the most beautiful paintings and stained glass windows.

As he got out of the car, he could not help but wonder who could make a church look like something assembled from the boring catalogue of church building. A sign out the front of the church proclaimed it to be the "First Methodist Church of Arlen."

"You guys are Methodists?" Gielle asked as he closed the door.

"You should know we are. Your mother and I were brought up Methodist" Peggy said pointedly as she slung a very ugly looking square bag across her shoulder. "Why, was your father something different?" she almost accused.

"My dad was Catholic, but he wasn't fully devoted. He just believed enough to keep religion in his life" Gielle admitted. All three of his relatives seemed to give him a disgusted look at the same time.

"God is not something to casually believe in" Hank said sternly as he locked the car. "And this family is Methodist" Hank said as if that should have ended the conversation. Gielle sighed slightly and followed his family, at a slight distance, as they headed to the church.

What a way to start the day.

As he passed a small and rather old looking car, he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him to the side. Gielle let out a small startled cry as he was yanked almost off his feet and pulled against something.

"Hey, what the..." he began, before he looked up and saw Alex smiling back at him. The teen was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a white open sleeved shirt. "Alex" Gielle said with a smile across his face as he wrapped his arms around him. He felt Alexs arms wrap around him and hold onto him, almost with a longing.

"Hey, I missed you" Alex said with a smile as they pulled away a bit. Gielle looked over his shoulder for a moment, but didn't see that anyone had noticed his rather sudden side drag.

"I missed you too" he said softly as he felt Alex squeeze his arm gently in his hand. "It's good to see you again" he said with a smile.

"You too" Alex said with a smile to him. Gielle felt happiness well up inside him as he saw the warm look in Alex face that gazed up at him.

"I...can't stop thinking..about what we did" Gielle admitted. He didn't want to just say that though. Now that Alex was there, he wanted to say a lot more. To confess a lot more.

"I know. Neither can I" Alex said to him as he let go of Gielles hand. "Listen...we need to talk about..."

"Alex, are you coming?"

Alex turned around and Gielle saw a tall looking older black lion walk up to them. He wore a pair of dress pants and a blue collared shirt. He looked old, his mane showing strands of grey and silver. And he looked very tired too, although his deep brown eyes were rather kind as they spotted Gielle.

"Alex, who's this? Is this that new friend you were talking about?" the older male asked.

"Oh, yeah Dad" Alex said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Dad, this is Gielle Auditore" he said with a gesture. "Gielle, this is my father, Michael Shephard."

"It's nice to meet you sir" Gielle said as he felt Michael take his hand. He had a firm but soft grip as he gave the teens hand a shake.

"No need for the sir" Michael said with a smile. "Just call me Michael. Sir makes me feel older then I already do" he said. "And I really don't need to feel any older at the moment" he said with a chuckle. Geille smiled a bit. Something about Michael was making him like him.

"Anyway, we'd best head inside. Don't want to miss the service" Michael said as he turned. "You can sit with us if you like" he added.

"Thank you" Gielle said with a smile to him. Michael smiled back as he headed towards the church. Alex gave Gielles hand a quick, but tender squeeze as the two boys followed.

The inside of the church was rather cool, as it obviously had air conditioning. But the space inside was rather small for a church. The pews were simple hard benches with a few cushions scattered around. A quick look into church showed his family already seated, but no seat beside them spare.

"Don't bother" Michael said to him as he sat in the back. "They only care about their seats. Hanks kicked up a fuss with the previous reverend about what he called 'his family seats'" he said.

"He did? With who?" Gielle asked as they took their seats.

"Reverand Strupe" Alex said as he leant back and picked up a bible from the ledge in the pew in front of them. "She told Hank that reserved seats was not something they do in church, so he kicked up a fuss and wouldn't shut up about it till he got what he wanted."

Gielle found that hard to believe, but he could see his uncle sitting by the end of the pew at the centre aisle, and he could almost see a smug grin on the wolfs face. Suddenly, he believed it.

"Is that Reverend Strupe up there?" Gielle asked as he saw a soft orange vixen in a set of white robes at the front of the church.

"No, that's Alice. Strupe left the church a few months ago" Alexs said. "She got involved with someone, and he dumped her. She left over it" Alex said as he flicked through the bible as if it was a boring comic.

"Who did she get involved with for that to happen?" Gielle asked. Alex shut the book and stuck it back in the ledge and pointed across the pew.

"That's Bill Dauterive" Alex said as he pointed to a balding and overweight bear sitting in an old looking three piece suite. "He got involved with her, and then she decided to drop out of the church to continue the relationship. But he backed out and she got really upset over it" Alex said.

"Plus, he's a retard" Alex said. "He's an idiot. He lives in a filthy hovel of a house and tends to make a lot of whiney noises and has the worst looking idiot grin on his face half the time" he added.

Gielle took a quick look over at Michael to see if he had heard the way his son was speaking, but Michael was at the other end of the pew, resting his head against his arm propped up on the pews armrest. Obviously, he was either so tired he could sleep at church, or he was willing to let them talk about whatever.

"He's also one of Hanks friends. Part of the idiot group" Alex said, as he gestured to a tall and thin looking bleach white rat in a trucker cap wearing sunglasses. "That's Dale Gribble. Chain smoker. And believer in just about ever conspiracy theory known to man" he said. Gielle saw the guy twitch slightly as if he was itching to go smoke. "Expect him to cornor you if he finds out your last name is Auditore. Even since Assassins creed came out, he's been bugging people saying that the conspiracy was a real one."

"And that" he continued, pointing to a third male, this one a laid back looking pale yellow husky with a crew cut. "Is Boomhauer. No idea what his first name is. He's a womaniser. Goes out with a new girl every weekend. And, I have no idea what he says half the time. He talks like he's tongue tied or something" he added.

"So, those are all my uncles friends?" Gielle asked as he sat back.

"Yep" Alex said. "I'd stay away from them" he said as he leant back a bit. Gielle sat back as well, a small smile on his face as he sat with his friend.

At the front of the church, Reverand Alice began her sermon. Gielle didn't really pay all that much attention to what it was about. He just felt good to be able to sit close to Alex again. Alice has a nice soft speaking voice and she seemed rather at ease as she spoke. Gielle got the impression from her that she enjoyed herself.

A slight movement to his side made him notice that Alex had slid a bit closer, just enough for their hands at their sides to touch each other. He felt Alex hook his fingers into Gielle and he felt the warm and comforting squeeze.

"So, shall we talk?" Alex asked softly, as he moved his gaze from the reverend to Gielle. Gielle felt himself blush slightly, thankful that they were all sitting in the back row where no-one else could see them.

"Yeah" Gielle said softly back, feeling Alex stroke the side of his hand with his thumb. "I think we do" he said. He felt Alex grip his hand tightly.

"Look, if you feel bad about, I will apologise" Alex said to him. "I just...I just really wanted to touch you in that way" Alex said, starting to go red as well.

"Alex..."

"And I do kinda feel like I took advantage of you" he said as he gripped Gielles hand a bit tighter. "I mean...you were pretty upset when you came over."

"Alex..."

"And...I guess if you want to stop being friends after what we did, I guess ...I guess if that's what you want..." Alex said as he felt like he was panicking.

"Alex, can you let go of my hand before you break it?"

"Oh, sorry" Alex said, a deep blush crossing over his face as he let go of Gielles hand. Gielle gave it a slight rub as he flexed his fingers a little.

"Where did all that come from" Gielle asked as he looked at him. First time he had heard Alex spill out so much before in such a short time.

"I...I'm not sure" Alex admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck a little. "I thought about what to say to you all weekend, and ...I guess practicing made no difference since it all just kinda spilled out like that" Alex said, looking embarrassed.

"Good thing no-one's listening to us" Gielle said with a small smile as he sat back against the hard pew.

"Yeah, I guess so" Alex said with an embaressed smile of his own.

"Well, first off" Gielle said as he sat back up. "I don't feel bad about it" he said as he looked at Alex.

"You don't?" Alex asked with some surprise, and a bit of relief. He had been worried about that all weekend, and it felt good to know that.

"No, I don't" Gielle said. "I...I thought about it... and...I wanted to be that close to you too" he said to him.

"Oh thank God" Alex said with a sigh of relief as he chuckled slightly. "I was afraid I had taken advantage of you" he admitted.

"You already said that" Gielle said to him with a smile as he put a hand on Alexs shoulder. "And..I know I was upset...but you didn't do anything to me that I didn't want to do" Gielle said with a smile.

"You wanted to do that?" Alex asked him as he looked over at the blue male beside him.

"Well, maybe not that exactly" Gielle admitted as he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. "I mean, I didn't plan on getting felt up...or humped...or going in my pants" Gielle said, feeling his cheeks heat up even more.

"I don't think I thought that far ahead either" Alex admitted to him. "I guess...it was one of those heat of the moment type things" he said.

"I guess so too" Gielle said as he sat back again as he took his hand off Alexs shoulder and gently took his hand in hand.

"And...I do want to be friends with you" he said.

"You do?" Alex asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, I do" Gielle said, still smiling. "But..." he said, suddenly finding himself blushing harder than he had before.

"But...what?" Alex asked, looking slightly confused by Gielles hesitation.

"Maybe...we could start as friends....with benefits?" Gielle asked with a deep blush across his face that turned his cheeks purple. "I...don't think I'm ready for boyfriends."

"With benefits?" Alex asked. Just then he heard the reverend finish the first part of her sermon and announce the hymn for everyone to sing. Around them the patrons all stood up with their hymn books in hand and started to sing along as the church organ began.

"My Jesus...My Saviour...Tower of refuge and strength....all of my days...I want to praise...the wonders of your mighty love" came the voices all around them.

"Wel.. .that's a start to boyfriends, isn't it?" Gielle asked with a small and embarrassed smile as he continued to blush heavily.

"Yeah, it's a start" Alex said with a smile as he gave Gielles hand an affectionate squeeze.

"So...did you know you were ...gay after what we did?" he asked after they sat in a rather comfortable silence together, just listening to the patrons sing the first hymn of the morning.

"What do you mean?" Gielle asked him.

"Well" Alex said, starting to look embarrassed again. "I ...I always thought I was straight. I mean...every guy in school likes cheerleaders and Divas in the WWE" he admitted. "God, Kelly Kelly is one hot arctic fox. But...ever since I saw you...you're the only guy I can't get out of my head" He admitted.

"You think Kelly Kelly is hot, but you think of me?" Gielle asked him, looking slightly amused.

"You're the only guy I think of" Alex admitted to him. "And...you really turned me on that day" he added with a deep blush across his face. "And...I guess I realised I could be gay. Or maybe Bi" he admitted.

"Oh, I see what you mean" Gielle said, understanding what Alex was talking about. "Well, I knew I was gay with I was eleven" he admitted.

"Wait, you serious?" Alex asked in wide eyed surprised. Gielle had to giggle a little to the look on the hybrids face. He looked kinda cute like that.

"Yeah, I'm serious. My parents found out that day too" he said. "They were ok with it" he added with a soft smile.

"Really? They were?" Alex asked. Gielle nodded as he leant back and started to explain.

Three years ago...

"Gielle, Lei potrebbe venire nella cucina?" Gielle heard his mother call out. He slid off his soft bed after pushing his soft toys aside and walked into the kitchen to find his father sitting at the table with a newspaper and his mother arranging a vase of flowers on it. *could you come into the kitchen?*

"Sì la madre?" Gielle asked as he sat at the empty chair in his mothers kitchen. His father turned a page in the paper as his mother put a rose down and looked at him. * Yes Mother? *

"We need to have a talk with you" Michelle said as she sat down as well, the tall femininely blonde wolf said..

"Your mother plans to talk. I just plan to listen and nod now and then" Rodin said, the muscled Exveemon scanned the paper before turning the page again.

"Rodin, Siamo convenuti" Michelle said with a look at him from across the table. *we agreed*

"Alright, Alright" Rodin said as he folded the paper away reluctantly and sat back up at the table.

"What's wrong? Sono nei guai? " Gielle asked, feeling slightly worried about what was going on. *Am I in trouble?*

"No, you're not in trouble" Michelle said as she looked over at her young son. She felt kind of uncomfortable about what they were going to talk about together.

"Gielle, have you been in my study lately?" Rodin asked his son as he looked down at him.

"No, not lately. You don't like it when I go in there" Gielle said to his father. It was true. His father had always said his study was off-limits, because he had to do all his work business in there. It was probably that reason why Gielle had always had a fascination with that place.

"Well, I don't like you going in there because my work is very important and I need it to be kept off limits" Rodin said to his son. "But, have you been in there? Maybe not recently, but have you been in there before, without me knowing?" he asked.

Gielle felt slightly fidgety as his father asked. How did he know? He had been very careful.

"Sì il padre. Sono andato in una volta. Ma solo guardare" Gielle said as he looked up at his father. "I'm sorry I went in without permission, but I didn't touch anything important" he promised him. He felt afraid now.

"Honey, we know you didn't touch anything important in there" Michelle said, starting to see her child get upset. "It's ok, you're not in trouble for that" she said to him. Gielle felt himself start to calm down enough to stop feeling fidgety.

"But...did you take seomting from my study?" Rodin asked him. He saw Gielle try to speak, but obviously his son was either scared of admitting it, or he was trying to come up with an alibi. Rodin sighed a little. He and Michelle had always being hard on their son. He was never one to cause trouble on purpose. But he was still a young boy, and boys always got into some form trouble, even without knowing it.

Seeing his wife looking uncomfortable over what was about to happen, Rodin sighed and pulled the magazine from his lap and placed it on the table.

"I left this in my desk. And your mother found it this morning under your mattress" Rodin said to him. Gielle felt every drop of colour drain from his face as he saw the copy of 'Dragon Heat' on the table. It was a funny magazine filled with pictures of naked dragons all throughout.

Gielle looked up at his mother and his father in turn, and felt himself start to tear up. He had forgotten all about finding that magazine and keeping it under his bed, and now his parents knew. He couldn't help but start to cry.

"Gielle, come here" his father said as he got up and easily picked up his smaller son, hugging him against his large muscled frame as he sat back down, holding his boy in his lap. He may have been growing up, but he was still small enough to hold him.

"Honey, you're not in trouble" Michelle said as she got up and pulled her chair beside her husband and gently took her sons hand into her. "Non ci è bisogno di piangere di questo. Lei non è in difficoltà" she said as her husband hugged their son in his large arms. *There's no need to cry about this. You're not in trouble*

"I...I'm not? "Gielle asked as he sniffed his tears away. He looked up at his father and his mother, but neither of them were looking angry at him.

"No, you're not" his father said softly to him as he gave a rub to his sons back, seeing him start to calm down by the reassuring rubs. Gielle sniffed again and his body stopped trembling as he wiped his eyes a bit.

"But..I went into your study and took that magazine" he said as he rubbed his eyes dry.

"Well, it's partly my fault because I left it in there. I don't normally leave those sort of magazines in there. I usually...keep them elsewhere" his father finished after a pause, and a look from his wife. "So, I guess it was only natural for you to find it and take it" Rodin said to him.

"It was wrong to take it though" his mother said. "And you really should not have. But we can't punish you if you didn't know you were doing anything wrong" she said with a smile to him. "So, we're not going to punish you for this" she said.

"You're...you're not?" Gielle asked as he wiped his eyes dry.

"No, we're not" Rodin said to him. "But, you do have to tell us why you took it" his father said as he put his large hand over his sons shoulder.

"I...i do?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous again.

"Gielle" his mother said softly as she made him look at him. "There is nothing wrong with looking at a magazine like this. The only thing we're not happy with, is that you're not old enough to do it" she says. "It's meant to be for older boys."

"So, you might be too young to look at a magazine like this" Rodin said to his son. "And, while there is nothing wrong with looking at a magazine like this, we would like to know why you took it" his father asked.

"I.." Gielle said, suddenly finding himself unable to answer the question. He was afraid of what his parents would say if he told them.

"Gielle" his mother said softly as she held his hand. "Did you take it to look at the girls?" she asked him. "If you did, that's ok. There's nothing wrong with looking at them" she said to him.

"But...but I didn't " Gielle whimpered as he started to cry again. His parents exchanged a look with each other for a moment before his father spoke.

"Gielle, we know you took the magazine, and we know you took it because you liked what you saw in it" his father said firmly, but still kindly as he held his crying son.

"Son, we told you its ok to look at it, you're just too young" his mother said to reassure him. "But we told you sweetie, it's ok to look at those girls" she said.

"But I wasn't looking at the girls" Gielle said as he felt more tears coarse their way down his cheeks. "I was....looking at...the boys" he cried out as he buried his face into his father's shirt and started crying harder.

His parents both exchanged surprised looks at each other for a moment before his mother added her arms to her husband's as they held their son together. Neither of them had been expecting him to say that, but now they could understand why he was upset.

"Il figlio, è ok. Non siamo arrabbiati con lei" Michelle said softly as she held her son with her husband. If anything, he just began to cry harder as he kept his face buried against his father's large chest. *Son, it's ok. We're not angry with you*

"Gielle, Ciò è ok anche. C'è niente non offende con ciò sia" Rodin said softly to his son as he gently stroked his fingers through his sons short length hair. "Don't cry, it's alright" he said softly to him. *Gielle, that's ok too. There's nothing wrong with that either*

"There....there's not?" Gielle asked as he looked up at his father as he wiped his eyes against his father's shirt. His mother smiled at him and gently wiped his eyes for him with her fingers.

"Gielle, there isn't. And it doesn't matter if you do" she said softly to him. Gielle sniffed a few times as he looked over at his mother. He felt himself start to calm down a little at her soft words.

"It...It doesn't matter?" he asked her as he looked at them both.

"Of course it doesn't matter" Rodin said to him with a smile. "You're still our son, no matter if you like looking at girls or boys" he said as he rubbed his sons back.

"I'm...not in trouble ...for looking at the boys?" he asked with a small whimper. His mother smiled and kissed him softly on the forehead.

"Gielle, we love you. If you end up liking boys more than girls, we'll still love you. You're our son. We can't love you any less then we already do" she said with a smile.

Gielle managaed a small smile as he looked up at his parents, who smiled back at him in turn. He saw no reason to doubt them as he looked at them both. They still loved him just as much as they had loved him that morning.

"You'll be alright buddy" Rodin said with a smile to his son as he watched Gielle calm down enough to stop crying.

"But, if you do find any more of those magazines in your fathers study, just leave them there, ok?" Michelle said with a smile to her son. "Cause I'll have to smack your father if I find them in your room again" she said.

"Ok mom" Gielle said with a smile as he wiped his eyes dry, feeling his tears no longer emerge.

"So, jus t like that, your parents accepted it?" Alex asked. The hymn had by now finished and the church goers had sat back down as Reverend Alice started the next part of her sermon.

"Yeah, just like that" Gielle said with a smile as he rubbed his eyes slightly. That memory always made him feel happy when he remembered it.

"Your parents must have been so cool" Alex said with a smile to him. Gielle smiled back and gave a small nod.

"They loved me. What can I say?" he asked him as he felt Alex hold his hand again gently. "What about you? Does your dad know?" he asked.

"I don't think he does" Alex said after thinking about it for a moment or so. "If he does know, he hasn't said anything. He hasn't been treating me any different then he normally does, so maybe he doesn't care" he said.

Gielle took a look over to where Michael was sitting. The older lion hadn't moved from his position. It looked like he had fallen asleep.

"Is he ok?" Gielle asked, feeling slightly concerned.

"He's fine. He's just really tired" Alex said, a sour look spreading over his face. "He works way too much."

"How come?" Gielle asked him. He felt Alex remove his hand and rub the back of his neck a bit. He didn't look comfortable.

"Gielle, I do want to tell you, but ...I just don't feel comfortable about talking about it" he admitted to him. "It...wasn't a nice divorce, and ...it's not something I really enjoy talking about" he said.

Gielle reached over and put his hand on Alexs thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to" he said softly with a smile to Alex. Alex smiled back and put his hand on Gielles.

"Let's sneak out" he said softly.

"Huh?" Gielle asked, somewhat surprised by the suggestion.

"Let's sneak out of here. No-one's going to notice" Alex said with a smile as he grabbed Gielles hand.

"They...they won't?" Gielle asked as he looked around a moment. It seemed everyone was focusing on the sermon. Reverand Alice seemed to have finished the next part and was now suggesting the next hymn.

"If they do, they'll just think we're using the bathroom, now come on" Alex said as he stood up as everyone else stood to sing.

"Wait...what are we doing?" Gielle asked as he felt himself get dragged upwards.

"I really want to hug you right now, and I don't want to do it in front of those people" Alex said to him. Gielle felt somewhat happy about that remark, but also slightly concerned as Alex practically dragged him out of the church.

They exited through the large doors without being noticed as the church goers all sang the hymn together. Gielle allowed the teen hybrid to drag him outside and around the building, getting led by the hand. His heart thundered in his chest as Alex dragged him into a doorway on the side of the building.

Gielle found himself being dragged down a stairway into a basement type area under the church. It smelled old and dusty, and it was rather dimly lit. It looked like a typical church basement, filled with old plumbing and electrical machines and boxes of nativity statues and old Christmas lights. And it was rather cold.

"Why are we down here? And how did you know the door wouldn't be locked?" Gielle asked as Alex led him into a small corner that was shielded off by a few old filing cabinets and a large flat wooden camel cut out. On the floor was what looked like an old bed made out of ancient hay and blankets.

"They never lock this door" Alex said to him with a smile. "There's nothing down here to get stolen or anything like that. And no-ones going to miss us for a while. Service is at least another forty minutes" he said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Gielle and drew him close.

Gielle smiled as he felt Alex pull him close and he felt his body come into contact with the other boys and he wrapped his arms around him and held on. He rested his head on Alexs shoulder and sighed softly as he felt Alex nuzzle at his soft hair.

"I've been waiting all weekend to do this again" Alex said with a smile as he held Gielle close. His hand slowly rubbed up and down the boys back as he felt that warm hide through the thin shirt.

"I've wanted to do this too" Gielle admitted as he felt the warm rubbing against his body as he held onto Alex. The two of them stood close in the silent basement as they just held each other, feeling their warm bodies press together as they kept each other close.

"You smell good" Alex said with a smile as he breathed in against Gielles blonde hair, inhaling the soft scent. Gielle giggled slightly and nuzzled against the hide on Alexs neck. The hybrids warm lion like mane brushed over his face as he smelt a warm earthy smell coming from him too.

After a few warm minutes of just being held together they pulled apart just long enough to look at each other with a soft smile on their face.

"You know...I had a dream about you last night" Gielle said with a light blush across his face. Alex smiled as he saw his blue hide turn purple. It made him look quite cute.

"Oh? What was it?" Alex asked. Gielle felt his cheeks burn a bit more brightly as he felt Alexs hand slide across his left hip around to the small of his back, just above the waistline of his pants.

"Well" he said after taking a breath. "You and me...were together" he said as Alex smiled and started to rub his hand on that part of Gielles back. "And....you were....on your knees" Gielle said, giving a light chuckle in embarrassment.

"You know, I don't have to be on my knees for that" Alex said with a smile and a slow lick against Gielles ear. Gielle gave a soft moan and a shiver from hat warm organ against his earlobe.

"We...huh?" he asked as he felt Alexs hand slip in the back of his pants slowly to caress at his backside. It made his skin shiver in a rather delicious way. He gave a soft moan as Alex grabbed a cheek and gave it a squeeze.

"If we're going to be friends with benefits, then I want to get all benefity right now" he said softly into Gielles ear, making the flamedramon shiver with a moan. "And I bet I'm better than any dream you can have" he said with a low and rather dominating growl against Gielles ear.

Gielle gave a soft squeak as Alex grabbed his hips and spun him around, pushing him gently onto the old hay bale style bed nearby. Gielle found himself on his back as he took a moment to register what had just happened as Alex crawled on top of him and pressed his lips firmly against Gielles.

They both moaned softly into the others mouth as Alex grabbed Gielles head and held him in place as the two of them kissed. Gielle reached up to wrap his arms around Alexs neck and held on as he felt Alex nom softly against his lips.

It sent a delicious feeling down his back and he moaned more as Alex opened Gielles mouth with his tongue and pushed his way in. Gielle moaned harder as he met Alexs tongue with his own as he felt Alex explore his mouth with that hot warm organ. His tongue met alexs and they started to dance around each other for a minute or so before Alex pulled away so they could both take a good breath.

"Wow" Gielle moaned softly as he smiled up at Alex, but eeped slightly as he felt Alex move down his body to kneel between his outstretched legs. Gielle brought his hands together against his chest in a sudden nervous display as he felt his heart hammer against his chest.

"Don't be nervous" Alex said with a smile as he looked up at Gielle. His hand found the bulge in the pants before him and he gave it a firm squeeze. Gielle let out a gasp as his crotch was fondled and he felt his length pulse rather hard. "I haven't done this before either" Alex said to him as Gielle let out a soft and nervous whimper.

"Sono sorpreso " Gielle said softly as he felt Alex slowly unzip the zipper on his pants. His tenting briefs were exposed and he gasped a bit as he felt Alex lean forward and wrap his lips around the tip of the bulge. He let out a brief "ahh" of pleasure as he felt Alex suckle on it firmly. *I'm surprised*

Alex let out what sounded like a mix between a growl and a purr as he suckled on that bulge, a wet spot appearing between his lips as he mouthed softly and suckled on that bulge. Gielle let out several small whimpers and moans as his length was stimulated without even being touched.

"Alex...please don't tease me" Gielle whimpered loudly as he felt Alex stop his suckling and start instead to lick the damp material. Alex continued to growl/purr as he licked at the bulging underwear, giving a smirk as he heard Gielle beg.

With a smile Alex undid the top button of Gielles pants and tugged them down a bit, just enough to expose enough of Gielles tented crotch. He hooked his fingers into the waistband and tugged the front down, leaving Gielle exposed and blushing hard.

"Wow" Alex said softly as he looked at Gielles exposed length. He was rather modest, a nice hard six incher was displayed over pair of matching balls. The length was the same blue as the rest of him, and it was cut, the head a pearly white colour.

"Is...it ok?" Gielle asked nervously as his fingers nervously touched each other. He felt his cheeks burn as he gulped a bit.

"It's gorgeous" Alex said with a smile as he leant forward and opened his mouth without hesitation. Gielle gasped as he felt those warm lips wrap around his throbbing length. This was definitely better then a dream.

Alex let out that growling purr as he sunk his mouth slowly down the shaft in front of him. He could taste every inch of that hot warm pole as it slid past his lips and up over his tongue. The hot warm length pulsed against his tongue as he took in as much as he could before slowly sliding back up.

"Oh alex" Gielle moaned out as his fingers stopped nervously twitching against each other as he tilted his head back, feeling spikes of pleasure surge through his body. He gripped his shirt tightly as he felt Alex slowly slide down his length, feeling him take each inch into his mouth.

Alex purred around the hot throbbing shaft as he tried to see how much of that warm yummy cock he could take. Thankfully, Gielles length was small enough that he soon found his nose buried against Gielles pubic region. He could feel every inch throb against his tongue as he felt the head of the length tickle the back of his throat.

"Aaaahhh" Gielle whimpered out as he felt Alex start to bob his head up and down, suckling on his length as he felt him keep a steady pace. The hot warm mouth slid up and down as he felt his length throb hotly.

Alex moaned softly as he gripped the base of the shaft in his hand, his other hand wandering between his legs. Gielle thought he heard another unzipping sound, but he was too caught p in the pleasurable sensation to really pay attention.

"Oh Alex... please don't stop" Gielle whimpered as he felt Alex jerk his shaft with his hand and flick his tongue over the drooling tip. His length pulsed and throbbed with need. Alex may not have had experience, as he claimed, but he could feel his climax build up anyway.

"Alex...I'm....I'm going to" Gielle panted as he felt his loins tingle with pleasure as Alex didn't stop his rhythmic movements

With a loud gasp Gielle shuddered all over as he erupted into Alexs mouth. His pent up load shot out of his balls like a rocket as he shivered all over in his orgasmic pleasure. He lost count how many spurts he sent into the hybrids warm waiting mouth as he panted through the experience.

Alex pulled back slightly till just the head remained as he let Gielle flood his mouth. He swallowed a few times as he felt the thick flamedramon cream coat his tongue. The taste was slightly salty, like something sweet that had gone somewhat tart, just enough to change its taste. But he swallowed every drop willingly.

"Alex... sante fesserie" Gielle gasped out as he felt Alex pull away from his softening length. His heart raced as he panted for breath, feeling his body sweat and tingle from the pleasure of his first ever blowjob. *Alex... holy crap*

He lifted his head up as he saw Alex get to his knees and his eyes went wide as his body went into either surprise or shock mode.

Alex had his pants around his knees and he was panting as he furiously stroked his own length. It was a sight to behold for Gielle. Alexs length was bigger than his own. Guessing, Gielle had to think it looked almost two inches longer then his own. He saw that Alex had no sheath, nor did he have outside equipment like his own. He saw a slit at the base of his length where it emerged like a snake into Alexs pumping hand.

It was thick and a deep beat red, ending in a pointed tapered tip. Amongst the blur of fingers around it, Gielle could see several bumps like a spinal ridge across the underside, almost like a Jacobs ladder.

"Oh my god" Alex moaned loudly, breaking Gielle from his staring as he watched Alex empty himself onto the floor between his legs. He kept his length pointed down as he splattered the dusty concrete with a white puddle.

Gielle panted, feeling his arousal build up again from the hot display in front of him as he watched Alex slowly come down from his orgasmic high. Alex trembled a bit as he panted before he fell ontop of Gielle.

The two boys wrapped their bodies around each other as they held onto each other's somewhat dressed forms. Their panting slowly ceased as they managed to catch their breaths as they felt each other hold on close.

"That.....that was..."Gielle said softly as he felt Alex squeeze him gently. He could almost feel Alex smile at him.

"I liked it" Alex said with a smile to him. "Did you?" he asked, giving a soft nuzzle against Gielles exposed neck. Gielle had to think for a moment before he smiled back.

"How could I not? "he asked. He couldn't' deny it. He had wanted to experience that dream he had the previous night, and he didn't want to say stop anytime during what had happened.

They two of them laid together in the basement of the church on an old nativity bed before Alex checked his watch.

"Oh yeah. Service is almost over. We better get back up before people notice we're missing" Alex said rather reluctantly. Gielle pouted slightly, his heart sinking a little at the thought of having to split so quickly.

"I don't want to go back" Gielle admitted as Alex softly brought his lips against his own and they shared a brief kiss before they pulled apart.

"So...um...where are your ...?" Gielle asked as they stood up to get themselves dressed. Gielle couldn't help but look at Alex crotch, seeing his now flaccid length slide slowly back into him. He could see the slit seem to close around it like a mouth as the length slid back in like a tongue.

"My balls? They're internal" Alex said casually as he slid his pants back up and tucked his shirt back in.

"I've umm...never seen one...like yours before" Gielle admitted. He felt himself blush slightly, yet again, but he couldn't help but be more curious about it. And how it would feel. Oh, how would that length feel?

"Well, I could let you have it all to yourself" Alex said with a smile as he finished rearranging his clothing and ran his hands through his mane a few times to straighten it. Gielle blushed slightly at the prospect.

"Are....are we moving too fast again?" Gielle asked, suddenly feeling nervous again. Alex stopped and moved up close to him as he drew his arms around Gielle.

"Do you think we are? I...I guess we could back off a bit" he said to him. Gielle thought for a moment or two, before he shook his head.

"No, I don't think we should" Gielle said to him with a small smile. "I guess...I just have to get used to this. I've never been in this situation before" he admitted.

"Well, neither have I" Alex said to him as he gave him a soft kiss. "But, we can take it slower, if you want. No sex or anything. Just friends" he said. Gielle shook his head and smiled.

"I still want the benefits" he said, which made them both smile as they finished straightening their clothes before they ascended the stairs. Gielle went first, and he could almost feel Alexs eyes on his rump as he walked upwards. He blushed slightly, but lifted his tail out of the way a little to give him a better view. It made him giggle slightly to hear Alex murr in approval.

The sermon was obviously over as most of the people were in the parking lot talking amongst themselves. Gielle and Alex cautiously crept into the parking lot, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. They managed to make it as far as Michaels car when they heard Hank talk to them.

"Gielle, where did you go?" Hank said as he seemed to bear down on them, an annoyed look on his face. Gielle felt the butterflies in his stomach build up.

"Um...we went to the bathroom?" Gielle said as he suddenly found himself on the spot with his uncle.

"Together? You don't need two people for that" Hank said. "Were you out here causing trouble?" he demanded.

"He wasn't" Alex said as he looked up at the bigger wolf. "He wanted to talk to me about school when it starts. He was worried about not fitting in" Alex said to him.

Hank seemed to look uncomfortable with hearing something like that and he stepped back a bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh...fine...I guess" Hank stammered slightly as he seemed rather eager to avoid the conversation.

"Oh, there you are boys" Michael said as he walked up to his son. "You boys done talking?" Michael asked. He seemed to be more awake then before, no longer looking quite so tired.

"Yeah dad. We're fine" Alex said. Gielle found himself momentarily confused about what was happening. Did his father know what had just happened?

"Oh dad, would it be alright if Gielle came and slept over sometime during the week?" Alex asked his father.

"I have no problem with that" Michael said. "He can come over anytime during the week before school starts. That ok with you Hank?" he asked Gielles uncle.

"Well...I guess so" Hank said. "I don't see a problem getting him out of the house during the holidays" he admitted.

"Good. Then just give us a call when you're ready to come over" Michael said with a smile.

"Uh...sure" Hank said. "Gielle, we're going to go in about ten minutes, so finish up here would you?" Hank said before he walked off without waiting for a reply.

"How...did you know we were talking?" Gielle asked Michael once his uncle had walked out of earshot.

"I woke up before the sermon ended and you two were gone. Why else would you two sneak out of church? "He said with a light shrug. "You don't look like a trouble causing kid anyway" he added. Gielle smiled to that.

"Thank you Mr Shephard, for offering to let me stay during the week" Gielle said with a smile as Alex smiled back at him.

"It was no trouble" Michael said with a smile. "Besides, I thought you could use a break from them. And I told you before, call me..."

"MICHAEL"

The three of them turned as they heard the sharp female voice behind them. Gielle saw Alex visibly cringe as a lioness walked up them, seeming to glare at Michael as she approached. She looked rather intimidating, wearing a smart looking dress that hugged her matrure figure. Alhthough she was a few inches smaller then Michael, the bigger lion seemed to visibly shrink.

"Judy, what are you doing here?" Michael asked as he saw her approach.

"Oh, hi Alex" the lioness said briefly to Alex.

"Hi Mom" Alex said in a small voice.

"I had a flat tyre on the freeway this morning" she said, not bothering to look at either Alex or Gielle once she turned her sharp gaze to Michael. "And when I called roadside service, I found out that it was cancelled because it hadn't been paid for in the last three months" she said, looking highly annoyed as she waved a bunch of papers at him.

"That's your mom?" Gielle whispered to Alex.

"Yeah" he said, not looking pleased as he watched his parents fighting. He took a couple of steps backwards, as if he wished he wasn't there.

"Judy, we've been over this. Your alimony pays for that" Micahel said to her. "Just like child support, is supposed to pay for Alexs school things" he said.

"Alimony does not pay for triple A" Judy said, looking annoyed. "And child support doesn't cover school fees" she said. "We're divorced. You're supposed to support me in these situations" she demanded.

Gielle saw Michael shrink slightly as he was spoken too. He had never heard someone address another like that before, like they were above the other.

"Judy, we have been over this. You want triple A, you pay for it. I don't have the money after alimony and child support to pay every bill you think I should. You can't keep passing off every bill you come across to me like this. I'm not made of money" Michael protested back at her. But Judy didn't seem unfazed. In fact, she looked angry at his defiance.

"Well then, maybe I should get my lawyer and you and he can decide what pays for bills" she said, poking his chest with her finger.

Michael said nothing at the threat, but even Gielle could see that he had no comeback to that, or even any plans to fight back. Judy smirked as her ex nodded only once and she slapped the papers against his chest.

"Just get them paid. And if I get one overdue notice, you'll hear from my lawyer" Judy said with an angry look on her face.

Gielle watched as she walked off, feeling slightly surprised or shocked by what happened. He wasn't sure which one was more dominant right there.

He looked at Michael who sighed and looked at the papers in his hands, the tiredness coming back on his features in full force, and with backup. Alex looked decidedly rejected from the public outburst of his mother.

Gielle had to wonder what Alex must be feeling, to have his mother walk into the parking lot of a church just to yell at his father and not even look at him for more than a moment.

And then another thought passed through his mind. Both his parents were lions. And Alex was obviously half dragon, or at least half scaly. So...did that mean...

Suddenly he understood in a way why Alex was so reluctant to talk about his family like that. Perhaps not every family was a lucky one like he once had.

Gielle saw Michael walk around to the drivers side of the car and open the door. He didn't look back as he sat down in the seat, but seemed to be studying the papers. Gielle took alexs hand and pulled him back a few steps just in case.

"I'll come by as soon as I can, ok?" Gielle said softly as he gave Alexs hand a soft squeeze. A small smile broke out on Alexs face from that and he seemed to lift his feelings a little.

"I'd like that" he said softly as he squeezed Gielles hand back. Gielle looked around for a moment, then took a chance and gave a quick and light kiss on Alexs lips.

"I'll be thinking of you" he said softly as he pulled away from him.

"I'l l be missing you" Alex said softly back to him as he watched Gielle leave. Gielle looked over his shoulder as he saw Alex slide into the back of his fathers car and he gave a wave, watching Alex and his father drive off.

He walked down the parking lot towards his aunts car, seeing the group of his uncles friends trail off as his family got into their car. As he joined them, he smiled, already thinking of the next time that he could spend with Alex.