Descent Chapter 9
#9 of Jason Wolfe: Descent
**Chapter 9: A Rock and a Hard Place
Newroads**
Screeeeeeee...!
The car ground to a painfully high-pitched halt. Thankfully, there were no other motorists on the road at the moment and the gesture went unnoticed... except maybe for the burnt rubbed on the asphalt but they were near a high school, there were was an abundance of those.
Dan flung around from the driver's seat. "You slept with another guy!?"
"Had 'sex', dad," Jason replied, never keeping his eyes off Connor. "I didn't sleep with him."
"O-kay... Who?"
"Brett Sykes."
Dan's eyebrows rose. "Brett Sykes? Your workout partner? The one you keep moaning about at night?"
Jason froze.
I moan... About Brett?
"Sure do!" Horndog exclaimed. He pressed up against Optimist, closing his eyes and let out an excruciatingly lustful moan. "Oh Brett... Yeah Brett... Pump those guns... Brett! Brett!"
Jason sent flaming frying pans of doom from space hurtling down onto Horndog. They hit with a satisfying clang and appeased him to no end as his hormonal subconscious part ran around screaming while on fire.
"You seemed to like him," Connor said, beaming slightly. "I just thought that you should get a little more 'experience under your belt'... so to speak."
Jason groaned. "Did you have to use the double entendre...?" He glanced back at his boyfriend, wincing slightly. "But did you really have to...? I mean, Brett is nice and hot but... Now I just feel dirty... Like I've cheated on you."
"You don't cheat on someone if they've given you permission, you silly wolf," Connor answered, grinning at him broadly. He bent over to Jason, pushing Jason a little further back and away from him. "So... you sounded like you enjoyed it?"
Jason went rigid. "Y - you heard!?"
"Jase, everyone in the locker room heard. Just like everything about you that's gay, you're not very subtle."
Crack.
The sound of a shattered reality.
Everyone in the locker room knew.
The entire football team knew... The football team that consisted of the most popular guys in school!
By tomorrow, everyone would know!
Jason began hyperventilating.
"Jase! Calm down!" Connor cried, grabbing his hand. "It's okay! The guys are cool about it! They all knew Brett was gay and more than a few of them have stuck their dick in me so -"
Wait...
"Hang on..." He said, regaining his normal breathing patterns. "What do you mean 'stuck their dick in you'? Are you saying that you've -?"
Connor shrugged casually. "Yeah. Of course. Why? Did you think you were my first? I thought I told you I've been with other guys before."
You did but...
"I suppose..." Jason murmured, feeling a strange sense of unease in him. "It's just... You haven't been with other people while we've been together, have you?"
Dan's eyes widened and he began making rapid silencing gestures that Connor didn't see.
"Well, how did you think Brett knew how you liked to get your rocks off?"
Crack!
That wasn't Jason's reality.
That was his heart.
Jason pulled away from Connor. "You've been sleeping with other guys!? H - How could you!? I - I thought we were boyfriends!"
The tiger looked utterly confused. "We are. But it's not like we're announcing it to the public or anything. You freeze up the instant you think some other guys suspect and I've been around, Jason. A lot of the guys have expectations and I can't just tell them 'no, I'm seeing someone' without exposing you."
"That's no excuse!"
"Jason!" Connor protested. "I was protecting you!"
"Protecting me by literally putting your ass on the line!?"
"You're blowing this way out of proportion!"
"How am I blowing this out of proportion!?" Jason roared, slamming his fist against the door. It made a sizable dent that caused Dan to wince. "You've been going behind my back and sleeping with other men!"
"'Had sex'," Connor corrected with a sudden hostile edge. "There's a difference."
"I don't care!"
"Whoa!" Optimist cried, trying to block his view of Connor. "Jase, he gave you permission to sleep around, remember? Plus, you've already had sex with Brett! Doesn't this make it even?"
"You really think you're going to stop him?" Pessimist asked, arms folded and looking defeated.
"I didn't give you permission to sell yourself like some common whore!" Jason snapped.
Connor's eyes flashed. "Since when do I need your permission to do anything!?"
"Since I became your boyfriend!"
"You wanna tell anyone else that fact!? Because for the past few weeks you haven't exactly been the shining example of one!"
That was true... But there was a solid reason for that.
"I just didn't want to ask you to Homecoming!"
WAIT!
Connor looked like he had been slapped. "You... You don't want to take me to Homecoming?"
"Stop!" Optimist pleaded_. "You're making things worse! Don't say anything you'll regret!"_
That part of his subconscious got buried in a whole pile of flaming frying pans of doom.
"I was stalling then!" Jason growled. "But now, I don't think I will now! Besides, I already asked Brett!"
That slapped look again. "Oh..." Connor whispered, lowering his voice and his eyes shifting away. "I see... I guess... I guess it's started then."
Jason's rage subsided slightly. As the red haze began to lift from his vision, he was starting to realise there was a lot of things he said in the past few seconds that he really didn't mean.
"Connor..."
"No," the tiger interrupted, lifting a hand. "Jason... You're right. I have been acting poorly." He flashed a slight smile at the wolf. "You're strictly a one-man kind of guy. I can understand and respect that. I'm... I guess I enjoy the threesomes we have with your dad more than I do with just the two of us."
Dan coughed.
"And... And I guess that's the problem with us," Connor whispered, his voice almost ghostly and distantly. "We're just too different. I guess... I grew a little impatient. I thought you'd never ask me to the Homecoming Dance... and I ended up missing my only chance."
A lot of words came into Jason's mind at that moment.
'Connor, I still want to go with you.'
'I can always un-ask Brett.'
'Let's just skip the whole thing and spend the night, just you and me.'
But what came out was...
"Damn straight."
Connor chuckled faintly. "Sorry, Jase... I guess I assumed you'd be okay with the kind of person I am..." He turned, running a paw down the side of Jason's face.
More than anything, Jason wanted to rub that paw against his cheek and hold it there forever... but... It just didn't feel right anymore... His face felt frozen... Very Robin-esque.
"I love the kind of person you are, Jason," Connor said, fighting back the tears. "You're kind, sweet, romantic and one hell of a cook." He finished with a distant laugh. "But it looks like we'll have to keep searching for that 'one guy'... I like to cast my net wide..." His laughed grew slightly. "And you like to go 'spear fishing'."
Normally, that would've made Jason laugh.
But he just couldn't muster the emotion anymore.
He felt empty inside.
Sometime soon, the pain would start but he didn't want to think of that right now.
"We were already starting to drift apart, weren't we?" Connor sighed, looking at the raised roof of the convertible. "It was always me pushing you into those situations. I'm sure you would've been just as happy to cuddle or kiss but I always made it about the sex. I really did corrupt you. And the two of us are just so different. You're a superhero... and I'm a... a..."
Connor seemed to want him to finish the sentence... but his lips were locked in position.
No emotion whatsoever.
"Brett is a nice guy, Jase. Just like you. I hope you two are happy together."
Jason grunted and unbuckled his seatbelt. "I need to go for a walk."
"Jason, it's raining!" Dan protested as Jason pushed open the door and was instantly drenched.
"Good. Then maybe I'll feel something."
The emptiness just seemed to grow and fill his entire being. A strange numbness was wrapping around him, dulling the pelting rain. All he became focused on was setting one foot in front of the other. He purposefully stomped in the puddles, hoping the rising and falling droplets would tell him how to feel again.
It was like he had returned to that uncaring daze when his father had returned...
"Didn't I tell you your story isn't the only one being written?"
He glanced up.
R3 was leaning casually against the streetlamp up ahead. Rain was coming down so hard that it was almost impossible to make out more than a couple of yards in front of him. Strangely, R3 was clearly visible as was that streetlamp.
"I'm not in the mood," he growled.
"High school was never designed to be easy," R3 persisted as Jason stomped past him. "However, when all is said and done, regardless of the profession teaching degrees, experience or knowledge of the teachers within the school, it is entirely up to you to take as much as you can from your years there and learn as much as you can."
Jason wasn't really that surprised when he saw R3 again in the next streetlamp ahead, still leaning against the lamp.
"The funny thing about most mortals is that they assume just being in the school will allow them to learn the maximum amount they can possibly can. That is certainly a possibility but one must remember that, in high school, you are interacting not with gods, not with pure knowledge but with people, other mortals."
Again, R3 was up ahead. Jason glanced behind him. He couldn't see the previous streetlamp through the rain.
Am I stuck in some sort of loop...?
"These mortals write their stories as you write yours. Occasionally, you write each others."
Jason didn't want to hear R3's philosophising right now and decided to turn around. Maybe walking in the opposite direction will allow him to dodge the persistent No One.
No such luck.
R3 was just leaning against the streetlamp again.
"We must always remember, however, that the only person who can write those final words at the end of the tale is us. Ultimately, we decide the course of our fate. Destiny is the path carved in the sand by others. Fate is the path we carve for ourselves. Free will is the ability to choose between the paths before us."
"What do you want!?" Jason demanded.
"I want you to take a step back and think about what just happened. Connor had no right to trick and manipulate you into engaging with Brett but neither did you have the right to question the way he chose to live his life. You were each trying to write one another's tales to little success. It is time for you to seize the pen, Jason, and take up the hand of the author once more."
R3 pointed at him...
Jason reached towards his chest just where R3 was indicating - just over his heart. He felt a lump there and reached down his shirt, pulling out the golden pen hanging from a silver chain... Chronicle.
A realisation hit him.
This entire time... he had been at the mercy of others. He had let others lead his life for him. Connor, Brett, Robin and even Dan. They had all been writing his story for him. Sometimes, he thought he was writing it... but really, they were guiding his hand. Whether it was pressuring him for sex, forcing him into decisions he didn't want to take or even forcing to accept facts he would rather dismiss.
Now... It was time for him to write his story.
Jason looked back up but R3 was gone.
"Jason?"
He glanced to his right.
There was a small, single storey house sitting there and standing at the doorway in nothing but a pair of boxers was Brett.
"What are you doing out there, man?" Brett asked, a worried look on his face. "Get in here!"
This is my story...
... I'm not going to mess it up.
****
Jason opened his eyes and felt warm arms against his body, hard muscle pushing back against his fur. He rolled slightly onto his back and saw warm, brown, puppy-dog eyes looking back at him.
"Hey there, sleepyhead," Brett chuckled, leaning forward and nuzzling his neck.
He smiled and kissed Brett's nose. "Heh... You fell asleep first."
"Cuddled up to a big, hot guy like you? It's impossible not to."
Jason reached out with his right hand, finding Brett's raging erection. "Well, one part of you is obviously awake."
The Rottweiler chuckled. "It always is..." His smile eased slightly. "So... You going to be okay?"
Nodding, Jason said, "Yeah... Just needed someone to hear me bitch for the night... Thanks for being there, Brett."
"Anytime, man."
"You're not disappointed we didn't do anything?"
"A little," Brett answered with a shrug. "But hey, life isn't just about sex."
Neither is love, apparently...
It had been a little bit of a shock for both Brett and his mother when Jason had arrived soaking wet. Jason explained that he had just broken up with Connor and Brett instantly took pity on him. Knowing that Connor lived with the Wolfes, Brett offered to let him stay, an ironic twist on Connor's first day with Jason.
After accepting the offer, Mrs. Sykes cooked up a spectacular lasagne and shared some of the stories she had with Brett's father. Apparently, Mr. Sykes was a superhero. Mrs. Sykes never told anyone apart from Brett mostly because she didn't want her son being constantly scrutinised about being the son of a superhero and not having any powers. She felt it was fine to tell the son of a CGID agent. Brett was apparently fine with it, preferring not to compare himself to his father in anyway but living by his father's ideals, constantly reiterating that he was his 'own man'.
During the night, they watched some free-to-view TV, Brett's family was a little poorer than Jason's since Mr. Sykes had died and Mrs. Sykes was living and raising Brett on her husband's pension and life insurance - which were both very large. Brett shared much of himself with Jason and Jason did the same.
Nothing too incriminating like his father was a god or that he was developing powers.
Just the little things.
Like how he liked to cook, how he respected the Blue Wolf, he was gay and how he hated spandex.
Brett loved spandex. He thought it made the superheroes all look sexy and since he wore it more often than not for wrestling, he had gotten used to its feel and weight.
That night, Brett offered Jason his room - there were only two rooms in the house - and went to sleep on the couch. Jason grabbed his hand and asked if the Rottweiler could stay with him.
Nothing happened.
Sure they cuddled up to each other in their boxers - Jason's clothes were still terribly wet and he felt weird wearing Brett's clothing - but nothing beyond that happened. Once or twice during the night, their noses may have touched and Jason felt that sense of completeness wash over him again.
"I don't think you should give up on Connor," Brett said, rolling onto his back and stretching. That spicy beef scent filled Jason's nose but he didn't let hormones get the better of him. "I mean, sure he's a horny little guy and likes to sleep around but that's just the way he is. I kinda think it's a way he makes up for the lack of love in his life."
Jason propped himself up on his elbow, regarding Brett curiously. "Huh?"
"Connor. You know his mom's a drug addict and his dad's a drunk, right?"
"Yeah..."
"In a family like that, what do you think will happen? Connor must've felt like he couldn't be loved so he probably sleeps around so that he feels loved. Maybe you just haven't been paying him enough attention."
Jason laughed. He wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was because such insightful thoughts were coming from someone he had assumed was just a dumb jock.
"What?" Brett asked, a cute smile crossing his features.
"Nothing. Just wondering how you can know Connor so well. Did you sleep with him that often?"
"It was only one time," Brett said, blushing slightly. "And that's when he recommended you. Besides, he's not really my type."
Jason rolled his eyes and sat up completely, his back to Brett. "Let me guess. You prefer wolves and guys about as big as you."
Even without looking, he could detect the sheepish grin on Brett's face.
"Good guess."
"Conner was right, though," Jason said, glancing at the Rottweiler over his shoulder. "We're different. I'm kind of a one-guy guy. Polygamy feels weird to me. I mean, when we did it, it was totally hot and I loved it but... It just made me feel dirty. No offence."
"None taken." Brett frowned slightly. "I think I get it, though. You've spent your life living with the same ideals as those old-fashioned, single-minded, straight people that even as you're changing, you're finding it hard to transfer over. You have to be with one person at a time, marriage is absolute, no same-sex-stuff, things like that, right?"
Jason nodded numbly.
"A lot of that defines who you are and I'm not saying that polygamy is just a gay thing either but those same archaic ideals come with their views on gays as well. They see us as horny, hormone-driven, shameless perverts who will jump anything with a pulse... or the same genitals as us. You're just having trouble letting go of those stereotypes.
"There are a lot of straight people out there who abuse marital vows, fuck anything even without a pulse and stalk little children. It just so happens that the stereotypes you're afraid of being pigeonholed into puts all those brands on us just for being 'gay'. Sort of an 'all-in-one' package."
Jason gave Brett a stunned look. "Where does the captain of the wrestling team get off pulling words like 'archaic' and 'pigeonholed'? And where'd all this psychoanalysis come from?"
Brett laughed and got up off the bed, grabbing a shirt from the floor. "I'm going for a Psychology Course in Skyscape. When I graduate, I hope I'll get in."
Jason whistled. "Skyscape... Wow."
Skyscape College, Cosmos College and Berform College were what formed the 'Triad' of Colleges. The top three schools for tertiary education in all of Alderon. Getting into those colleges was like running a death gauntlet. There were countless entrance requirements, so many interviews and the fees were phenomenal. However, just getting into the college was like a badge of honour.
Skyscape focused mainly on sciences, Cosmos on medicine and Berform in law.
"You sure you can get in?"
Again, Brett laughed, plucking a slip of paper from his desk. It was only at that point that Jason noticed Brett's desk had a pile of thick books that could reach his shoulder.
"Tell me what this says," Brett challenged, giving him the paper.
It was a report card.
All A+'s.
Even in math.
"You're kidding..."
"I'm not as dumb as I look," Brett said, tapping the side of his head. "Just because I look like this" - he flexed a bicep, causing Jason's eyebrows to skyrocket - "doesn't mean I'm all muscle."
"Wow... So... Stereotypes, huh?"
"Yeah!" Brett exclaimed cheerily, taking the report card back. "When you stop to look at the person for who they are and not by what they should be, you'll get to know them better!" He picked up the phone on his bedside table, handing it to Jason.
"So, you wanna call your boyfriend, tell him you'll be taking him to the dance after all?"
They should've added 'Nice guy' to that list of A+'s...
Jason shook his head, pushing the phone back. "No... I said I'd go with you."
"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. Don't make me call him."
"You don't know my home number."
Again, Brett grinned and held up a slip of paper. This one had Jason's home phone number. "Connor gave it to me in case I ever wanted to ask you out on a date!"
Jason stood up with a sigh and took the phone. He stared at it for a long time, feeling Brett's eyes and grin on him. The Rottweiler seemed truly genuine... Either it was a pretty good facade put on by his training in psychology - such as it were - or that was just how he truly felt.
But...
He tossed the phone aside, Brett's grin fading.
Jason navigated around Brett's bed, wrapped his arms around the big Rottweiler and planted a soft kiss onto the dog's lips. Brett instantly pulled away, horrified.
"Jase! What're you doing!?"
"I told you, it's over between me and Connor."
Brett held up a finger, looking very worried. "Okay... I know you're feeling lonely right now and probably a little scared but I want you to think about this for at least a day. You've been with Connor for months now! You can't just throw that all away!"
"Now who's thinking in stereotypes?" Jason mocked, inclining his head to the side. "And I have been thinking about it. All night. I didn't sleep."
He really didn't.
For the most of the night, Jason was trying to imagine how he'd reconcile with Connor but the words never came. Even with Brett's insight now, he couldn't imagine speaking to Connor and just... patching things up.
"Dude, come on!" Brett whimpered. "You two make a great couple! He's horny and you're... you're... Well, I don't really know what you are but I've seen the way you are around him! You make a great couple!"
Jason sat back down on the bed and stared at the phone. It was tempting him, demanding that he call Connor up right now and patch up the broken bridge between them. A bridge both of them had destroyed at exactly the same time.
But this is my story... I've decided living by being tagged along by others.
This is me.
Well... a 'me' I'm trying to rediscover...
"Okay, how about this?" he suggested. "You and me hit the town today. Then, tonight, at the Homecoming Game, I'll talk to Connor. We'll see how things go."
Brett blinked rapidly for a few second. "W - Wait... You and me? J - Jase, I'm flattered and all but I do not want to get in the middle of a love triangle."
Jason got up, a smirk on his face.
"Two points don't make a triangle."
****
Brett was nervous the entire day.
Firstly, it was a school day - the last day of school for the week. Quite a few people were skipping school to get ready for the Homecoming Dance and it was somewhat of an expected standard at Newroads High that less than fifty percent of the student population would turn up. Most of those that did were the football team getting ready for the big game and the rest were those setting up for the dance.
Jason made sure to keep about half an arm's length between himself and Brett. He wasn't sure how he felt about the Rottweiler just yet. There were still feeling for Connor in him and he didn't want to let those go but Brett was a quickly growing counterpart. It really didn't help Brett's case that the Rottweiler was practically pushing him towards Connor.
"Hey Brett," Jason began as they bought two tickets for 'Blue Revenge', a movie about the Blue Wolf.
"Hmmm?" Brett replied, holding two buckets of popcorn in one hand and two large sodas in another. He was sipping from one of the sodas.
"Was it just Connor's suggestion that had you coming after me?"
Brett choked and a surge of flavoured carbonated drink shot out of his nostrils. He whimpered slightly as Jason laughed.
"W - what?" the Rottweiler stammer. "Um... Oh... Right, well... erm... see..."
"Yeah?" Jason pressed, holding his own large popcorn deal.
Brett blushed and looked away. "I've... I've sorta had my eye on you for a while..."
"A senior going after a junior? Imagine the talk."
"Everyone knows I like guys," Brett responded as they headed into the theatre. They sat near the middle of the theatre with a couple in front of them and a small family behind them. "And... I've got to admit, it wasn't exactly the smoothest coming out..."
"What? Did your best friend manhandle you on your own couch?"
Brett sniggered. "Nah. Our couch can barely hold me let alone another guy. You know how I'm in the wresting team, right?"
"Captain."
"Right... See... I like guys... Big, muscled guys... And spandex doesn't really leave that much room to the imagination... let alone room between you and the other guy..."
Jason's eyes widened as he slowly started piecing the puzzle together. "You're kidding..."
Brett winced. "No... I had the guy in a submission hold then he gives me the old 'is that a pen in your pocket' line, I freak and he pins me... I had no idea what that meant at the time and it was during a Varsity match... My mom was watching and believe me, she and the rest of those watching saw. Coach Townes was pissed as hell."
"I can only imagine..."
And Jason thought the situations he had been were embarrassing. To pop a boner in spandex right in front of a crowd of people during a match like that...
And in spandex... ugh...
"Coach sat me down and talked me through it," Brett said, smiling slightly. "I kept telling him I wasn't gay. Then, you know what he did?"
Jason ran through the possibilities and came to the most logical one.
"He kissed you?"
"Nope."
Huh?
"He pulls out his dick there and then and I stare at it for a good five minutes. I didn't never knew I was pawing off until he tells me." Brett was grinning good-naturedly. "And then... I knew. Was ashamed of it for a while but then my mom gave me a talk about it, told me never to be afraid of who I was, and then I was fine. Never been ashamed since."
Wow... I gotta admit, that's pretty hot...
... and Brett is really lucky...
Or maybe I've just been such a neurotic idiot that I can't see just how supportive people are and can be...?
The movie started so they dropped their voices slightly.
"You haven't answered my question," Jason whispered. "Why did you come after me?"
Brett grinned at him. "Well, I know you're awesome at soccer. It was off-season for me and I went to check out the 'new meat', so to speak. Not a looker in the bunch. Except you, of course."
Jason felt himself blush.
They were both told to be quiet and they fell silent as they watched the Blue Wolf start the movie by saving a woman from a burning building.
"You saw me play?" Jason persisted ten minutes in.
"Saw every muscle bunch, stretch, move and bounce." Brett winked at him. "Liked what I saw."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"You were a freshman! I don't go around bouncing other guys unless they know and they want to. Besides, you probably wouldn't have been interested in me anyway. You like smaller guys."
Who says...?
I sleep with my dad all the time and I love it when he goes all macro-muscle on me...
Jason felt a pit form in his stomach at the mention of 'other guys'.
"So... Have you been with many others...?"
Again told to be quiet.
Two more minutes passed and those one hundred twenty seconds were one of the most excruciating in Jason's young life.
"About three," Brett whispered, shoving some popcorn into his mouth. "Connor was the last. You know Ronald from the wrestling team."
"No."
"Well him and... well..." Brett blushed again and lowered his voice. "Coach Townes..."
Jason's eyes widened. "Really? What's he like?"
"You know those foot-long subs you can get?"
No need to say any more.
The family behind them sighed and moved seats.
Jason took that as a cue to just focus on watching the movie. It was a simple tale about the Blue Wolf fighting his arch nemesis, Bladebane. There were countless flashy battles and even some on screen romance that both Jason and Brett spent finishing their popcorn.
Jason finished his only halfway through the movie and found himself yearning for more salty snacks.
Something tapped his shoulder and he glanced to his left and found Brett prodding him with a half-finished popcorn bucket while the Rottweiler had his eyes transfixed on the movie. Smiling, Jason ate his fill.
When the movie was done, the two of them emerged into the afternoon sunlight, groaning as their eyes adjusted.
"So, I bet knowing a about how g_ay_ I am has made you want to jump back to Connor, huh?" Brett said, rubbing his eyes.
Jason smirked. "I'm starting to think this is reverse-psychology at work."
"I'm not that good," Brett muttered, blinking away tears. "Besides, reverse-psychology's effectiveness lowers as the age of the subject increases. Baring mental deficiencies later in life, it's pretty damn useless unless deployed in complex matters."
He had to remind himself Brett was trying to get into Skyscape Psychology and the big, Rottweiler was actually pretty damn smart.
"Umm... Right..."
"So, you're gonna get back with Connor?"
He gave Brett his best accusing stare. "Brett, what is your obsession with reuniting me with Connor? I told you, it's over."
"You and I both know it isn't," the Rottweiler said. They sat down next to a large fountain at the centre of the mall. "You've still got feelings for him. I can see it in your eyes. Every time I mention his name, you get this distant look in your face like you're remembering some distant memory or something."
I guess I do...
Jason folded his arms across his chest. "But you're still obsessed with getting us back together. It must kill you that you're pushing the guy you've been after for a while into someone else's arms."
Brett winced and glanced away. "It does... It really does. But... Before he died, my dad sort of gave me a code of honour to live by. I've been living by that code ever since my mom reminded me of it when I came out."
"What sort of code?" Jason asked, truly curious.
A distant, respectful look crossed Brett's adorable face as he said, "Work for the benefit of all, love for the sake of others but live for yourself."
Whoa... deep...
"I can see the love you and Connor share, Jase... And as much as it kills me to give you away when I have you so close, I live by that code. 'Love for the sake of others'. You love Connor. I like you, Jason, but I think it's too early to say I 'love' you... I'm not selfish enough to pull you away when you're clearly hurting."
"So why'd you end up having sex with me?"
He was painfully aware he was in a public place, speaking at his normal tone of voice and there were countless people around him. Some were staring but right now, he didn't care.
"Connor insisted," Brett said. "Plus, I didn't think you two were actually going out or in a relationship. I just thought you were Connor's latest 'conquest'. I mean, you gotta admit, the way he acts, it's hard to tell if he's serious or just in it for the sex."
That was true... Sometimes, Jason doubted... but deep down, he knew where Connor's heart lay. It showed when they were fighting...
"I guess..."
"Anyway," Brett said, tapping his knees lightly. "Some psychologist-wannabe I turned out to be. I didn't even see that. So, I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean to get you stuck in a love triangle."
Jason wasn't sure what to say...
What was there to say?
Brett could possibly the kindest, most honourable guy he had ever met.
Here they were, yearning for someone they could never have and Brett was being the real man and giving Jason up for the sake of Jason's happiness.
It was the stuff right out of movies and those daytime dramas.
And it worked.
Jason grabbed Brett's shoulders and pulled them close, intertwining his lips with the Rottweiler's. For a second, Brett resisted but Jason held him in place. People stared. Some smiled. Others scowled in disgust. Other still just shrugged and turned away.
Jason didn't care.
Brett's resistance faded.
The instant it did, Jason pulled away.
"Thanks..." he whispered. "You'd make a better superhero than I ever would."
"What?"
Crap!
"Just a thought," Jason said, quickly, trying to force his voice from rising to high pitches. "Anyway, we've still got about four hours until the game. What did you want to do?"
For a second, Brett glanced at the skylight above their heads, watching the afternoon sun as it slowly drifted in and out behind the perpetual overcast of the Newroads skies. Then, a grin crossed his face as he grabbed Jason's wrist and stood up.
"Come on, I've got just the thing."
Together, they jumped into the cabin of Brett's sky-blue pickup truck and drove through the streets of Newroads out beyond the city limits. Jason frowned when the road suddenly gave way to gravel and the thick forests that surrounded the city. Their path quickly reached an incline and Jason had to hold on for dear life as the cabin tilted so far he wasn't sure which direction the sky was anymore.
Finally, the path evened out and Brett parked the car at the end of the trail.
"Please don't tell me this is some romantic spot you like taking your boyfriends to," Jason groaned.
Brett grinned at him. "Nope."
Oh thank god...
... I don't think I can handle any more sappiness right now.
Jason wasn't sure but spending the day with Brett had lifted that dull, grey haze over him. Where before he was red with rage, he had sunken into a numbness that was only broken by tiny pin-pricks of light as he slowly began to regain control over his bodily functions and his future. Brett seemed to take those pin-pricks and make them shine brighter than anything else.
And, for once, he was sure why that was the occasion.
As he got out of the cabin, he realised it was because, with Brett, it wasn't just about the sex.
It was about more than that.
There was a future there that wasn't just 'the next time we fuck'.
Jason followed Brett through the forest...
... and had his breath stolen from him.
They emerged into a large cliff overlooking all of Newroads, the massive, sprawling city with its suburbs, rural areas and urbanised sections completely in view. Riley Tower stood at the centre of the city, rising above all skyscrapers and the big 'RTD' symbol hovering on its top face. Beyond, Jason could make out the harbour and the rapidly setting sun that tickled the land in delicate pinks, flaming oranges and passionate reds.
"Whoa..."
"I know, right?" Brett said, putting his meaty hands into his pockets. "I come out here to think sometimes."
Jason turned to the Rottweiler with a slight grin. "I thought you said this wasn't some place you take your boyfriends."
"Never had boyfriends."
Oh...
"Score!" Horndog shouted.
"Good god," Pessimist sighed, "First appearance we make in a while and that's what you've got?"
"At least he's consistent," Optimist replied. He patted Jason's shoulder. "Glad to have you back, big guy."
All three were back to their original forms.
If that was some sign from the gods that Jason had finally taken the reins of his story again, then Jason was going to take it.
"Thanks Brett," Jason said, feeling a grin cross his features.
"So you've made a decision then?" the Rottweiler replied.
...
Hmmm...
"Sure have."
****
R3 the Writer of Reality snapped the book in his hand shut with a loud fwack!
The Homecoming Game was proceeding badly for Newroads High. Their star quarterback was fumbling constantly and throwing wide, making it easy for the opposing team to make interceptions. The score was 26-3 in favour of the opposing team and it was just reaching halftime. Spirits were down and all blame was being put on the poor, distraught quarterback, Connor Stark.
"You sense their arrival?"
V10 the Valiant swooped in beside him, regarding the football field from the top of the scoreboard. No one was looking in their direction. Everyone knew the scores by heart and those that didn't, were reluctant to see their team lose.
"It's a desperate gambit," R3 answered. "However, their plans cannot proceed without him."
"You realise, of course, that if they fail here - and they will - they'll try to lure him to them."
"And they will. But they won't get the results they bargained for."
"You cannot be sure of the future, Jacob," V10 said, using R3's true name.
In the presence of others, it was wise for the No Ones never to use their true names. However, when they were just with each other, formalities were dismissed... most of the time. They only used each other's titles out of respect. It had been a while since anyone used R3's true name.
"That may be true, Athena, but you forget that there is one weapon that has the power to alter the future no matter how certain the path."
"Your ability to rewrite reality as you see fit thus changing the outlooks of people on existence and their fates?"
"No."
R3 turned away from the game just as a sky-blue pickup truck came rushing into the car park. He watched as two figures scrambled out with four large posters before heading to the grandstands. A smile touched his hidden lips as he turned back to V10.
"Hope, V10. Hope."
****
Jason scrambled up the grandstands with two of the four posters he had hastily made with Brett. Dan and Robin were at the back of the stands, shouting and yelling with the rest of the crowd as the Newroads High Football Team made another play. Even if he wasn't an avid football fan, judging by the scores, it wasn't going well for their team.
Everyone was also 'booing' the quarterback which could only mean Connor.
Well, I hope this will lift his game.
"Jason!" Dan exclaimed as he thrust one of the poster's into his father's hand. "Where have you been!? I was worried! Connor was worried!"
"I stayed with Brett," Jason responded.
Dan's eyes became daggers as he stared at the Rottweiler on Jason's tail. "So this is Brett Sykes, huh?"
The dog just grinned and waved. "Pleased to meet you, sir!"
"Yeah... likewise."
"Dad," Jason interrupted, staring at his father gravely. "When Connor makes the next play, you have to promise me you'll hold up this sign."
Dan regarded the contents of the sign... glanced at Brett... then back at Jason. A smile crossed his features as he nodded.
Jason turned to Robin next, a slight frown on his lips as Robin sat on the stands impassively, that white umbrella of hers placed daintily on her lap.
"Look, I know you hate me and I'm not particularly fond of you. But we have one thing in common and that's Connor. So for his sake" - Jason thrust a sign into her hands - "hold this up with Dan."
Robin took the sign and regarded with a critical eye. She huffed loudly. "The penmanship is terrible and you're hardly being subtle."
"Are you going to hold it up or not?" Jason growled.
"For Connor," she agreed. "And for the record, I do not hate you, Jason."
You don't?
He sensed a 'but' there and waited patiently as the supporters of the opposing team cried out in glee as they managed to cut through the offensive line... again. That scathing 'but' never came, however and Robin merely rose to her feet and got ready.
What...?
He shook his head and took one of the remaining signs from Brett and took up position beside Robin. Brett stood next to Dan.
Okay... Here goes.
"CONNOR!" he roared at the top of his voice. "CONNOR!"
He prayed his voice would carry all the way to towards the field. They were all the way at the back of the grandstands, amidst the roars of the rest of the crowd and Connor wasn't going to be looking in his direction.
Damn... Maybe I should've thought this through...
Something brushed up against his left cheek.
A single, glowing, white feather swept past him and drifted over the roaring crowd. The opposing team managed to break the offensive line again and the clock was quickly ticking down to halftime. Transfixed on the feather, Jason watched as the stunning, white object navigated its way through the arms, banners and flying drinks of the crowd with surprising agility... almost like it had a mind of its own.
Even from where he stood, he could see the feather drift up to where the two teams were lining up once more. A whistle blew and the two teams slammed against one another, Connor scrambling back with the ball ready to throw it.
That feather drifted right in front of Connor's nose and jerked suddenly towards the grandstands.
"NOW!" Jason shouted.
And he lifted up his sign.
Dan, Brett and Robin did the same.
He was sure Connor saw them.
He just knew.
The signs, when combined only made a single sentence.
Suddenly, Connor's head snapped back to the field as a huge player from the opposing team came charging at him like a raging bulldozer. The tiger nimbly dodged aside, forgetting the throw entirely and bolting past the tumble of players.
Jason could see Coach Townes yelling and the entire crowd was suddenly on their feet, blocking the majority of Jason's signs. He didn't care, he just kept his eye on Connor as the tiger bolting halfway down the field, dancing around the opposing players like they were all moving in slow motion. A cheetah came charging towards him from his flank, gaining rapidly.
Jason was on the edge of his feet!
Connor was just six seconds from the end zone...
The cheetah was three seconds away.
"Go Connor..." Jason whispered. "Come on..."
Five seconds...
Two seconds to impact...
His heart was pounding in his chest, a steady, rising drumbeat to a climactic conclusion...
Four seconds...
One second to impact...
Connor glanced over his shoulder, saw the cheetah and increased his speed, gaining an extra second on the cheetah.
Three seconds!
Jason prayed...
The cheetah lunged -
... prayed to any No One that was listening for Connor to get over the line...
WHAM!
Jason yelped as Connor jumped at the very last second. The cheetah ate dirt beneath him as the tiger soared...
A blaring air horn announced that it was Halftime.
...just as Connor landed in the end zone!
A deafening roar filled the football field.
'Touchdown' was echoed over and over again.
Jason ignored them all and bolted down the stands, leaping over the barriers and running straight to where Connor stood. Connor saw him and tore off the helmet on his head, grinning from ear to ear. Jason scooped up his tiger, bringing a cry of shock and joy from the feline as he swung them both around in a tight circle.
Jason then set down Connor and stole a long, loving kiss.
I missed you...
He pulled away, smiling.
"Well?" he asked.
"Well what?" Connor asked.
"Will you go to Homecoming with me?"
That one question on Jason's signs.
'Will you go to Homecoming with me?'
Connor looked confused, pleased, but confused. "What about Brett?"
"It was his idea!"
Thunder rumbled in the distance and it began to rain. That didn't dampen the spirits of the players or the crowd, however. Whether it was the spectacular play Connor had single-handedly unleashed or the fact that there were now two lovers in the end zone, standing in the rain, Jason wasn't sure.
All he was sure of, however, was that he didn't care what anyone thought anymore.
He was gay, he was in love with Connor and he wasn't going to hide it anymore.
"I'm sorry I screwed up, Jason," Connor murmured, casting his eyes down. "I should've expected -"
Jason silenced him with another kiss. The crowd had gone silent. As he pulled away, he said, "No one's perfect. We write our stories alongside those we care about and sometimes, we help co-write them. But the important thing right now is that we've got each other... and we'll have the rest of our lives to get to that 'happy ending'."
Connor laughed. "What daytime drama did you get that from?"
"None. I had an epiphany."
The tiger's arms wrapped around his neck. "You seem to get those often."
"What can I say? I've got a guardian angel."
Zzzzap!
The crowd suddenly broke into screams and Jason glanced up just in time to see a shower of sparks rising from the base of the goalposts. His jaw dropped as he watched the goalposts lean precariously towards them.
The future became apparent.
Connor would get crushed...
"Look out!"
He shoved Connor away...
Crrrrack!
... and felt the heavy, metal posts strike his spine, slamming him hard against the ground.
"JASON!"
****
Why was this happening?
Just two seconds ago, he had been so happy... Jason had forgiven him after what seemed like an eternity of anguishing over whether or not the wolf would... Connor had horrifying nightmares of Jason wrapped in Brett's arms and the two riding off into the distance, wedding bands on their fingers... While part of him was happy that Jason was happy in those visions, he felt like a part of him had been wrenched away and thrown into a burning furnace.
An important part of him.
His heart.
And now, he just as they were reconciling, disaster struck.
Of all the things to happen, lightning struck the goalposts and caused them to fall...
He wouldn't been the one crushed... He should've been the one crushed. He was the one in the football gear!
But Jason had pushed him away...
And now...
"JASON!" Connor cried, scrambling to his boyfriend's aid. Jason was unresponsive, his eyes firmly shut and his body embedded into the mud. That heavy, metal goalpost was practically wrapped around the wolf's body, right across the spine.
"This isn't happening..." he breathed. "This can't be happening! JASON! Wake up!"
"Leave him, boy. You have a far greater destiny."
He thought that was a No One...
Had a No One been responsible for killing Jason!?
He turned towards the source.
Why would they -?
...
Not a No One.
A superhero gone bad.
Rex Cumulus.
The former superhero hovered in the air on a disc of clouds. The human had long, wispy, electric-blue hair that stood permanently on end like he had been electrocuted. Bright, yellow eyes were placed firmly inside sunken eye sockets that were ringed by black smudges like the man hadn't slept in a while. Bright blue and electric yellow spandex covered the villain's trim, athletic body, a cape with the motif of clouds hanging from his shoulder.
"Wh - What...?" Connor stammered, covering Jason's crushed body with his own. "Get away!"
"Don't resist, boy."
His eyes flicked back towards the football field. There were people running for their lives and the football team had long since vacated.
The reason: a burning man was striding across the field.
Flame Runner.
That was two supervillains!
"Your destiny lies with us," Flame Runner laughed in a strangely familiar tone of voice. "Not with that mutt."
"I'll never go with you! I love Jason!"
There... had had finally said it... and not just as a response to Jason either. He had said it... and he meant it.
"Love is a sentiment that colours the mind and draws focus away from the truth of life."
Connor's eyes widened. He knew that voice. It was the voice he heard whenever his eyes skimmed the pages of a book, reading the words to him just like those warm, summer nights when he'd sit on the owner's lap and be lulled to sleep by tales of fantasy and distant lands. It was a voice that consoled him when he had scraped his knee or elbow. The voice that told him he could be anyone he wanted to be and that even he could be a superhero one day.
It was the voice of his grandfather.
Titanitus.
His clung onto Jason tighter as it began raining blood. In a panic, he tried swatting the blood away but only proceeded to smear it further into his fur. Strangely, the blood began slipping off almost instantly, running along his football uniform and collecting themselves in a single space in front of him. The blood massed, formed and became the hulking figure of the horrifying Titanitus. A tiger made completely out of blood with jet-black eyes.
Titanitus' hand suddenly lashed out, wrapping directly around Connor's throat and choking the life out of him.
Connor tried to pull away but his grandfather was just too strong.
"Your body..." Titanitus whispered, his voice sounding distant and ghostly. "My power... and the world shall know the one truth of life: power!"
Connor took one glance at Jason...
... and rage began building in him, flooding his every fibre and filling his vision with a burning, red haze. A growl escaped his lips as Titanitus leaned forward almost as if to kiss him. Tendrils of blood began to snake forward from the blood tiger's lips...
Just as Connor's eyes snapped back towards him...
His figure exploded.
****
Jason was pulled awake by a titanic roar that felt like a jumbo jet had started its engines right next to his ears. He blinked and spluttered as he spat the mud that had been forcefully shoved into his mouth. A firm, heavy weight was planted against his back and it felt like someone had placed an anvil there.
He groaned...
"Jase?" a deep, rumble asked.
Glancing up and nearly screamed when he saw an enormous, hulk of a tiger looming over him.
It was Raging Tiger!
Holy crap!
He's gonna eat me!
Then he saw a pair of dog tags hanging from Raging Tiger's neck...
... dog tags he would know anywhere...
"Connor...?"
Raging Tiger smiled at him... though he didn't seem to be raging so much anymore. The tattered remains of the football uniform were scattered in all directions but somehow - and conveniently - the pants remained. Although Connor's huge chest was exposed and stirred something in Jason.
Well... At least I'm not a paraplegic...
"Stay here," Connor rumbled, rising to his feet and spinning around, his eyes suddenly filled with rage. "Get the fuck away from my boyfriend!"
Jason managed to twisted his head to see who Connor was speaking to. Rex Cumulus, Flame Runner and Titanitus were all on the field!
What the hell!?
Is this some sort of supervillain convention!?
"I think it makes for some sexy romance story," Horndog said, glancing at Connor lewdly. "Think about it. You the superhero. Him the supervillain. You play it cool whenever you face in battle, throw a couple of punches and beat each other up a little. Then, when you get home, you get to ride that big kitty for all he's worth!"
Jason ignored him.
He tried pulling himself out from under the goalpost pressed against his back but could hardly move as it was.
Damnit! I'm stuck!
"I cannot take his body if he is in that form," Titanitus rumbled.
"I thought you wanted his body because of that form!" Flame Runner exclaimed, a familiar tinge in his voice.
"We're you listening to the briefing?" Rex Cumulus snarled. "He's stronger in that form and his will is impenetrable!"
Suddenly, the weight against his back was lifted. Jason glanced over his shoulder. Brett, Dan and Robin were working together to get the goalpost away from him. He scrambled out from the small indentation he had made in the mud. The only reason he was probably still standing was because the impact was somewhat absorbed by the mud.
"Jase! You okay?" Brett asked, supporting him as he started to topple over.
"Y - Yeah..."
"Wow... You're boyfriend is Raging Tiger... Did you know?"
"No..."
But that doesn't matter... Connor isn't a supervillain... I know him.
He must've had reason...
"Brett!" Dan barked. "Get Jason to safety!" He turned back to Robin and threw her a small, white mask as well as what appeared to be a large, white, sniper rifle he pulled from within the coat he was wearing. "Robin! Time to put all that training into practice!"
Robin nodded, deposited her umbrella and placed the mask on her face. At the same time, Dan slipped on a large, metal helm that covered the upper half of his face.
"Are you telling me your entire family is made up of superheroes!?" Brett exclaimed as he dragged Jason away from the field.
"Pretty much," Jason laughed dryly. "Kinda makes having a love triangle sound pretty stupid, huh?"
"I'll say..."
Raging Tiger - Connor - roared and charged straight into the three supervillains. Titanitus instantly dissolved into a puddle of blood that swept in various directions. The wind picked up at Rex Cumulus' behest, lightning pouring down like machine gun fire and attempting to slow down Connor. Flame Runner back picking up speed, the flames around his body roaring into new, vicious life that not even the hard rain could douse.
WHAM!
Flame Runner was suddenly thrown into the air by an enormous pillar of rock. Dan pulled his palms from the ground and made a sweeping gesture with his hands. That pillar was yanked from the earth and struck Flame Runner dead on the chest.
"What's this!?" Rex Cumulus snarled. "More heroes!? Bah! None of you will ever compete against the might of Rex Cumulus!"
BANG!
The supervillain staggered on his cloudy-disc and cried out in pain and shock, clutching his left arm. Blood began seeping down his arm. His yellow eyes found Robin crouched near the base of the grandstands.
"I see you girl!"
Faster than even the lightning, a tornado ripped from the sky and slammed into Robin.
NO!
BANG!
Rex Cumulus' other arm was suddenly injured and he turned to where Robin crouched beside the goalposts.
"How did...?" Then his eyes flashed with understanding. "Ah... I see, an illusionist... Brilliant. But your illusions are useless if I strike everywhere at once!" The supervillain lifted his hands into the air.
Rain was suddenly replaced by lightning bolts.
Jason heard Robin scream and his friend topple over next to the entrance to the locker rooms.
"NO!"
Connor was struggling against Titanitus, his punches merely slipping through the blood-made tiger with Titanitus countering with solid punches of his own. Dan's ability to manipulate matter was useless as Flame Runner kept running circles around him. Soon, a dome of fire wrapped around Dan, slowly cooking him and if the flames didn't kill him, Jason knew the lack of oxygen would!
"I've got to..."
"Don't be stupid!" Brett snapped, pushing him back down. "You can't do anything!"
"I've got... superpowers..."
"You do? What?"
...
"I don't know."
"How can you not know!?"
A third voice interrupted them.
"Because I have yet to give it to him."
Both of them turned.
R3 the Writer of Reality stood a short distance away, a shiny, gold and silver sword in his hand.
"Who the hell are you!?" Brett exclaimed.
"I am your father."
...
Brett froze.
"Wh - What!?"
"You're kidding!" Jason exclaimed, leaping to his feet.
"Yes, yes I am," R3 answered, stepping up to him. "I thought it would just be amusing to slip that in."
Jason was dumbstruck. "You're making jokes now!? Connor, my dad and Robin are about to be killed!"
"No their not. Not now that you will be entering the fray." R3 offered Jason the sword in his hand. "Jason, this is Genesis. Let it be the pen by which you write your new story."
Regarding the blade, he noticed that it was fit just for his hand. It was a little longer than his arm and just like that feeling he got with Brett, it felt like he had known the blade all his life. Slowly, he grasped the blade's large, golden hilt and felt a rush of energy flood him. His muddy, ragged clothing was suddenly encased in a burst of blue-white light that exploded into a shower of blue-white, glowing feathers.
Suddenly, he was standing in a floor-length blue coat reinforced with bits of Kevlar. Thick, black, cargo pants with multiple pockets covered his legs and were slightly draped over a pair of steel-capped boots. A white shirt with the silhouette of a sword pointing upwards and two feathered wings lifting it up covered his torso. Chronicle hung across the sword while Legacy hung by his hip. As he glanced at his back, he noted that the design of two, white, feathered wings were drawn there.
R3 offered him the last aspect of his costume.
A visor similar to L4's that would conceal his eyes completely and wrap around his head.
He took it and slipped it on.
With a confirming nod, Jason spun and bolted for the football field.
****
Connor gasped as his grandfather slammed a mighty fist into his chest. He swung wildly but the bloody form in front of him merely twisted out of the way and punished him with a backhand that sent him sprawling to the ground.
His airways were barred against as Titanitus looked over him, a foot on his throat.
"I know your one weakness," the bloody tiger whispered ominously. "Your rage mode is tied directly to your emotions and as you continue to rage, tension builds in your body. That tension only builds as you continue on your destructive rampage but can be subdued by tranquilisers. However, the amount required to tranquilise you would kill you. Therefore, the only other way to relieve that tension is..."
Titanitus lifted his hand.
Connor felt the blood start rushing towards his cock and he cried out in both anguish and pleasure. It felt like the blood there was shifting in ways he never knew possible, slowly coaxing him to cum and lose the strength he so desperately needed.
He couldn't let that happen!
But it felt soooo good!
"Get off my boyfriend!"
His eyes snapped open as -
Sssshing!
Titanitus roared and staggered away from Connor. The big, bloody tiger's arm dropped to the ground right beside Connor's head but instead of just dissolving into a puddle of blood and reattaching itself to the supervillain, it began dissolving into a shower of blue-white stars and similarly coloured feathers.
Connor blinked as a stunning superhero dressed in a blue coat and wielding a gold and silver sword stood over him, defending him.
"Who...?"
The hero suddenly bent over and kissed him.
He knew that kiss.
He knew it anywhere.
They pulled away.
"Jason...?"
Jason smiled at him and suddenly stood up. He gripped his sword and the weapon suddenly began emitting a few clicks. The sword's blade split into three separate sections, rearranging itself to become a large, three-point shuriken. He spun and hurled it straight at Titanitus but the bloody tiger had recovered from the shock of losing an arm and dodged away, countering by hurling his remaining arm forward. The bloody limb shot forward like a long, speared tentacle.
Connor was about to cry out to Jason when his boyfriend moved with lightning speed, somersaulting sidewards, that brilliant, blue coat billowing like a banner as he landed deftly on his feet. A cry of pain filled the football field as Rex Cumulus was knocked off his cloud-disc by that spinning shuriken. The weapon swung back towards Jason who caught it easily in one hand.
The sword suddenly began clicking again and rearranged itself into a long, bladed staff - a long pole with two swords attached to either end. Titanitus lunged forward, roaring and flailing his arm like a whip. Jason planted his shape-shifting weapon into the ground, using it as leverage and he leapt into the air, positioning his body parallel to the ground and delivering a vicious series of kicks right into Titanitus' chest. Large burst of blood erupted from the bloody tiger's chest but the supervillain was hardly affected...
... Until Jason jumped down, ducked the countering, high-sweep from Titanitus' remaining arm, then swiped at the bloody tiger's legs with his bladed staff. Titanitus toppled to the ground, roaring as everything below his shins were torn apart and began dissipating into a shower of stars and feathers.
"What weapon is that!?" Connor heard his grandfather roar. "How can you destroy my blood form!?"
"Easy," Jason said, a cocky smirk on his face. "You just suck."
Connor suddenly felt heat rising from somewhere to his right.
Flame Runner had given up on Dan and was charging at his boyfriend!
"Jason!"
Click-click!
Jason's sword split into two, separate smaller blades and he crossed them in front of him as Flame Runner slammed into the defence. The instant Flame Runner touched the weapon, he roared and leapt back. The flames around his body exploded into a shower of those stunning feathers and stars.
"No way..." Connor gasped.
Even Jason was dumbstruck.
"Mr. Laurence!?" the cried in unison.
They Social Studies teacher just snarled as he nursed the two wounds in his forearms that weren't actually bleeding but causing more of those stars and feathers to drift into the sky.
"Our secret is exposed!" Titanitus roared. "Retreat! Now!"
The bloody tiger exploded into a shower of blood and vanishing from sight. The rain suddenly picked up, blocking their view of the two remaining supervillains. Even before the storm cleared, Connor knew the villains were gone.
He was out of breath... aroused... and terribly confused.
His grandfather... and Mr. Laurence...?
"Hey."
Jason was hovering over him. He looked so sexy in that costume and with that visor. Like a futuristic warrior wolf from space. It turned Connor on more than his fantasies of eventually seeing Jason in spandex.
"Hey yourself," Connor rumbled, still unused to his deep rumble. "Can you help me up?"
That grin on Jason's face told him they had different definitions for that. "Sure."
He grabbed Connor's cock, making the tiger gasp.
"I heard what your granddad said. So you really buff out when you're angry and need you jack off to get back to normal, huh? Is that why you're always pressed for sex?"
"Sort of..." Connor answered, grinning slightly. "The rest is you're just so damn sexy!"
Jason leaned forward, kissing him with new passion. It was unlike their other kisses. There was always a degree of hesitance in the kiss like Jason was always ready to leap away if and when someone rounded the corner. But this time... There was confidence in the kiss... The love they shared overrode whatever discomfort Jason felt...
... if there was any discomfort any left.
Jason pulled away, squeezing Connor's manhood harder. "So... Did you get bigger down there?"
Connor grinned. "Wanna find out?"
****
Naturally, the Homecoming Dance was ruined. No one attended as everyone was too busy being interrogated by the Justice Guard or the police on what happened. Jason, Connor, Dan, Robin and Brett all left in a hurry, leaving the football field long before anyone arrived. The game itself was called a draw due to 'interference' and 'bad weather'.
None of them wanted to get caught being questioned especially since Connor - as the Raging Tiger - was meant to be a villain.
People had a tendency to forget the good things and just remember the bad and even if Connor saved Jason and fought off three of the most powerful supervillains in the world, he'd still be remembered for his rampages. Rampages caused by Jason's insecurity and self-induced dry-spell.
But they both set that aside.
This was the beginning of a new story for them.
"Are you sure this is okay...?"
"I'm positive," Jason said, grinning as he adjusted his bowtie. "My dad didn't mind you borrowing that tux anyway."
"Yeah... but what if someone comes in...?"
"No one will come in. My family made sure of that."
"Right... Your family the gods, right?"
"Pretty much."
Jason slipped his arm around his escort's and pushed open the doors into the gym. They were instantly assaulted by music, the delicious smell of fried foods and so many colours it made Jason's eyes hurt just to see them.
A party thrown by the No Ones was... well... otherworldly.
There were actual rainbows running along the walls and the multicoloured balloons would occasionally explode to shower confetti down upon them. A thin mist hung on the ground, glistening with a golden sheen as bright, differently coloured lights flooded the gym in every direction. A unicorn was the DJ - no unicorns on Enria and as far as Jason was concerned, they were creatures of myth - and pots of gold sat in several locations. Jason even thought he saw a little man in green run across the gym.
"Unreal..."
"Yep," Jason replied proudly. He waved as all the No Ones in the gym turned and greeted them. "Hey everyone! This is my best friend, Brett Sykes!"
Brett waved meekly back. "Jase... I'm feeling a little out of place here... You're a superhero and these are gods..."
"Don't worry about it," Jason answered with a shrug, pulling Brett towards his extended family. "Trust me, they've seen it all. They were watching when I yiffed you in the locker rooms. D8 lost about six hundred bucks because he bet I wouldn't do it."
The Rottweiler went rigid. "They were watching!?"
"Every single, saucy bit, big boy," V10 laughed, hovering over to Brett and running her fingers around his shoulders. "An if you ever get tired of cock, I'm always available."
Brett whimpered.
Jason just laughed.
The doors to the gymnasium opened again and he beamed.
Dan, Robin and Connor - in a borrowed tux - entered.
Jason turned to Brett and pushed him towards the No Ones. "Go on, Brett! It's time you met my family!"
"But we've only known each other for two days!"
"That's two days more than nothing!" He laughed as the No Ones converged around the Rottweiler and scampered over to Connor who was back to normal size.
The instant he was within range, he took the tiger's hands in his and kissed him.
When they pulled away, Connor was smiling. "Thanks for understanding, Jase... I... I just didn't know how to tell you I literally turn into a monster without sex."
"Our powers come to us differently," Jason replied philosophically. "You need sex. I needed a god to hand me a sword. We're all different." He slowly pulled Connor towards the middle of the dance floor. "That's what makes us all special. With or without powers, we're all special. We're special to someone and someone will always be special to us. I guess we just have to remember we're also mortal and there will be hiccups along the way."
Turning to face Connor, he took his boyfriend's hands in his and positioned them for a dance. "But when you're in love like this, we'll always have eternity to know just how special we are to each other and to get over those hiccups."
Connor was beaming as he shook his head. "You've gotten really philosophical. Another epiphany?"
"No..." Jason glanced over to were Brett was laughing it up was H2. "More like a steaming hot piece of Rottweiler who gives some pretty damn good advice."
"I'll have to thank him some time."
Jason pressed his nose against Connor's.
Connor pressed back.
"Well, maybe you can go all 'Raging Tiger' on us and we'll do that thing we did on the football field again but with Brett and my dad along."
Connor laughed as the slow music started. "Jason... I love you."
"And I love you, Connor."