KEY OF BEFLAT
15k
A made up story and the pacing is BUTT
This is unfinished and not beta read
NSFW bullying self image
I'm a disgusting creature. Rotten and horrid. People look at me and see a monster. And for what? Is it my crooked teeth? My weirdly bright eyes? Maybe my taste in jewelry? No, that’s not it. It’s because of the thing on my head—a horn that’s way too obvious to hide. Everyone else has two, all neat and symmetrical, but I only have one, right in the middle. Where would a second one even fit if the first takes up the center?
Every morning, I try to scrub the horn off my forehead, avoiding mirrors so I don't have to face the monster everyone else sees. I walk with my head down, hoping to disappear into the background of the crowded halls, but I know it's pointless. Here, horns aren’t just things. They’re symbols of status and beauty, shaping how people judge worth and acceptance. All anyone cares about is the horn on your head and whether people think it looks good, and I want to look beautiful.
I have not gone long without a question or displeased look from someone new. I’ve given up on trying to explain, as each attempt only deepens my sense of isolation. An internal conflict constantly weighs on me…I wonder whether it is possible to find acceptance, even with myself. My life would be better if I weren’t born with horns, or rather, the horn of a tenor; yet, I also find myself questioning why this physical trait should have such power over how others perceive me.
The cold hand on my shoulder snaps me out of my thoughts. The spindly teacher beside me looks at me in an obligatory “concern.”
“Do you need to step outside, Silver?” She says as she wipes her hand on her pressed blouse, right in front of me. The look on her face reads disgust.
“Yes, please,” I am already standing up to leave, and maybe never come back. The door seems to curse me out, too, with its obnoxious creaking and slamming shut. The sound makes me hold my breath.
I wander the empty halls in search of something I haven’t seen already, the sound of girly giggling coming from the end of a particular one. At the source of the sound is a couple of girls fawning over someone, a brash, ignorant, poser.
My stomach twists with jealousy just thinking about him. His shiny hair that shines with a green hue, perfect horns, skin without a single blemish, and those stupid emerald eyes. The jewelry that pierced his face only made him more beautiful. If he didn’t dress like he saw an alt outfit online and only bothered with the first layer, maybe I’d think he was less of a poser. Like, pull up your pants you loser.
He catches me staring. His eyebrows shoot up, quick, like he actually remembers who I am, then he shoves past the girls and heads straight for me. That old, familiar anxiety starts bubbling up. I pick at the hem of my shirt, and brace for whatever awful thing he’s about to say.
“You’re Saturn Silver, right?” he says in a cocky tone. I duck my head in embarrassment. Is that the right word? Maybe. I hate this show-off already. He's looking to the side of him to gauge the girls’ reactions to his words, as if this act is all a farce.
“Sorry, it’s Jupiter,” I mumble and focus on anything but the burning gaze of this popular kid. Perhaps if he sees how pathetic I'm acting, he’d leave me alone.
He shoved my shoulder, surprisingly gentle, “You don’t have to apologize, you loser.” That’s so cheesy. I quickly stepped farther away from him. I can feel his entourage’s burning stare.
“Sorry…” I barely muster up a whisper. It seems amusing to him. I look so funny already; this might be the cherry on top.
“Well, Pluto, you have a rehearsal today with the top ensemble. The director says that he really likes your sound. He told me to tell you that because he thinks we are such great friends.” This is the second time I’ve ever talked to this person, by the way. I feel a rush of heat to my face as my chest tightens and my breath stutters for a moment. I huff in frustration with his tone and turn away without saying anything; if I did, it would be something too stupid to take back.
“Where are you going? I thought we were friends.” He fake-pouted as he turned back to the girls huddled together, watching the interaction with intent. I can hear them whispering and giggling; it makes my insecurity spike.
“It’s Jupiter, and I’m not friends with people I don’t know.” I hissed at his direction before fleeing to the men’s room to skip. I knew he probably wasn’t listening. Now that was cringe.
Rehearsal
After the final bell, I headed to the choir. Usually, I wouldn’t go in the afternoons, but the director changed my ensemble since I dropped a class. When I entered the room, I could hear talk of the upcoming senior trip and who's staying with whom.
I can't say I wasn't excited for the trip myself, but they were way too abuzz for me.
I set my things down in a corner of the room and shuffle my way through the crowd of people to get to the tenor section, apologizing profusely after I accidentally touch anyone. I am eventually shoved into a spot in the middle, next to someone I certainly don’t want to stand by, Mr. Popular guy. He raises his big, stupid eyebrows at me again, moving a perfectly glossy bang out of his eye before looking back at his binder. How is the front of his hair straight and the back is curly?
“Shoot, I don’t have the music,” I complained, looking at the other person beside me.
“I’m not a tenor.” He said, pointing his head towards the jerk beside me, “Jade has the music, though.” Jade? That's his name? Also, why are you in the tenor section if you aren’t one?
“Oh, great. Thanks.” I said sarcastically, forcing myself to face Jade. “Hey, so-”
He simply tilted the binder so I could see it, wordlessly. I nodded in thanks and focused my attention on the rehearsal, trying to avoid interaction as if it were a lifeline.
I could feel someone staring at the side of my face the entire duration of the session; the added tension of being placed into a higher ensemble just made me sweat. I couldn’t stand still; the unusual feeling of someone’s attention on me made my head hurt with apprehension. I couldn’t help but look over at Jade just to catch him swinging his head the other way as if he was the one who was nervous. I clear my throat and look away again. Great Dragon, this was awkward.
The moment rehearsal ends, I scurry toward my messenger bag and sling it across my body, heading toward the door, trying to avoid interaction. Once I was in the quiet safety of my car, I let out a breath of release.
The steady hum of the car and the familiar route calm me as I drive home. Such an uneventful day, and yet I still feel like I’ve been to a heavy metal concert and forced into the middle of a mosh pit. I’m so pathetic.
I unlock the door to my house, and the only one here to greet me is the elderly Labrador that gives me a questioning look like I’ve gotten home way past my curfew. I sigh and pat the old dog’s head as I head down the hall to my bedroom.
I sit in my bed and look through my bag for my phone, not finding it. I dump out my entire bag and dig through the pile to find a scrap of notebook paper with a phone number on it. I scrounge through the rest of my stuff and find my phone. I dial the number and let the phone ring to hear a voice on the end, a smooth, cocky one. “Hey there. Did you find that piece of paper I slid in your bag then?”
“Who is this?” I question, studying the number on the screen.
“Jade Azul.” I could see his face on the other side of the phone, and oh my god, I shouldn’t be able to catch every little detail on it.
“Mkay, well, why did you put your number in my bag?” I attempted to sound indifferent. I lay back onto my pillow, looking at the ceiling’s tapestries.
“Why did you call a random number in your bag?” He counters.
I stammer and groan at him in frustration.”Because it was in my bag. You’re avoiding the question. Come on, spit it out.”
“I’m interested in you,” he said in a softer tone, the juxtaposition of his tone catching me off guard. My eyebrows shoot up, and I’m upright in my bed again.
“What do you mean?” I say in genuine confusion. What is he going to say next? Is it something about my...deformity? If he were being as genuine as he sounds, why?
”I want to get to know you,” he replies, and after radio silence on my end, he decides to wrap the call up, “Well, Mars, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“It’s jup—” click. I drop the phone onto the soft blanket and shove my face into my palms. He’s so annoying, what a poser!
I rest on my side, curling up in the unmade bed, scrolling through my missed calls and texts.
The next morning, I am startled awake by my alarm’s aggressive tone. I have to resist the urge to throw my phone across the wall and break it, but I know I don't have enough money to buy another one.
I throw on a random shirt and pants, switching out the silver and gold bangles on my arms for different ones. My choice of shoes is the usual, a well-worn pair of Converse that match everything. I dare to peek at the bathroom mirror to fix how my locs are sitting before quickly rushing out and grabbing my satchel.
I say goodbye to my “senior citizen,” heading out the door. If my parents were around when I came home and went to school, I would say goodbye, but their jobs are too busy. I wish they were home more.
I start my car and head to school for a hard and earnest day of skipping classes.
When I arrive at school, I am immediately ambushed by the girls from yesterday, their voices overlapping in the same frequency of “Why is he talking to you?” And to that, all I can say is “I dunno.”
The knight in shining armor that saves me just happens to be my friend, Cain. His stern voice scares them away immediately.
“You know you can tell them to go away, right?” He teases as he moves to walk beside me. “What are they even on about?”
“I think it's 'cause Jade…Azul, right?” Cain nods, “Yes, Azul. Just went up to me and started talking.” I shrug.
“That's weird. Please be careful with him.” He warns. Cain is really protective of me; he’s always been there for me and stood up for me because he thinks I'm too nice to people who are mean to me. I just find it not worth my while to get riled up in front of other people.
I observe his face as he looks at me. I can see that he's considering his next words. “So what was he even talking to you about? I wouldn’t think he’d want something to do with you.” His words are tinged with doubt, his eyes darting up to my head.
“It's because the director bumped me up to a higher ensemble.” That makes Cain pause.
“So you're going to leave me all alone in 7th now?” He whined, “How will I make it through the day without you being in almost every class I'm in?”
“So dramatic, Cain. It's only one class period.” I pat him on the back as I guide him down the hall.
I went through the first part of my day smoothly, but it wasn't until lunch that my peace was disrupted by a tap on my shoulder. When I look behind me to see who it is, my stomach drops. Why him?
My face must’ve shown how I felt because he immediately backed up and threw his hands up in surrender, “Hey now, I'm not here to be a jerk.” Jade purred. “Then what are you here for? Don’t you have a huge friend group to talk to?” I said, trying to smooth out my expression to indifference.
He chuckles and acts like he was hurt.. I could see a faint blush on his cheeks the longer I stared. “What do you have there?” I ask as I notice the papers in his other hand.
“Music!” He clears his throat as if to try to regain his aura. He places them in my hand and doesn't back away when I receive them.
At the same time, Cain had returned from the lunch line, smacking the back of my head with the intention of saying “Fix your face.”
“Cain!” I growl.
“So, I heard you the other day, you’ve got a great voice.” He interrupts, in that overconfident tone. His hands play with the rings on his fingers. Looking at him now, I realize he has put on more accessories, and they all match his eyes. Fun.
“Thanks, that's a huge compliment coming from you.” I am trying to sound sarcastic. Although, the praise did boost my ego.
“You’re so humble, I don’t know why more people are friends with you,” he blurts. Can he not see the deformity on my head? My eyes shoot to his horns, a beautiful mahogany, so pretty.
“I've got an idea,” I say monotone. I see him freeze in his tracks. I can see that he tried his best not to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
“Oh. Right, yeah. I can see how people can be exclusive towards you.” He said in a quiet tone. I knew he didn't mean it to be hurtful, but my tenderness towards the topic still makes my heart ache.
I hear Cain cut in, bite in his tone, “Well, Jade, it's nice to meet you, but Jupiter here has obligations elsewhere.” He said in a courteous tone before dragging me away from the cafeteria.
We ended up in the men’s room, and he shoved me into one of the stalls. “Cain- I'm fine.”
“He was being weird. I think he has ulterior motives towards you. He's trying to get you to catch feelings for him so you’d tell him embarrassing stuff.” Now that was him being hypothetical
I push Cain away, “I don’t need you telling me the obvious, also the catching feelings part, that's weird. He's probably trying to bully me. Also, I'm pretty sure he's straight.” I huff.
“Believe what you want,” he sighs.
“He has a girlfriend.” I counter.
“That proves nothing!” he sings before leaving the stall.
Getting to know you
I was sitting in fourth period, focused on my project, when I saw Mr. Popular walk right up to my desk. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and the shirt he had on made his muscles look bigger. He stood there as if waiting for me to say something.
I looked up from my laptop fully and furrowed my brows. “Can I help you?” I said, not keeping my tone in check.
He almost winced, “I swear there was someone else named Jupiter at our school, but she was a girl. I remember seeing her around freshman year.” Jade said, messing with the paper on my desk. I have to fight the urge to bat his hand away.
I don't know how to go about answering this. If I told him the truth, would he use that to bully me? Is this all just a way to get “dirt” on me? I'm thinking about this too hard. Just tell him the truth.
“Yeah, that was me.” I sigh, fiddling with my mechanical pencil. I mean, obviously, I am the only jupiter here, and I only have one horn.
“Really?” He looked at me, surprised, and I felt a little bit of pride that I looked so passing. “So uh, what does that mean, like you did testosterone and all that?”
I frowned at him, “I don't enjoy sharing medical details with someone I barely know.”
Jade raised his eyebrows at me, and I was anticipating his mood to get more aggressive, but he remained peaceful. “Well, alright. I was just curious. You don't have to tell me stuff if you don't have to.” He gave me an uncharacteristically warm smile and walked away. That's so weird.
For the rest of the period, I could feel his eyes on the back of my head.
Harassment?
The state of these hallways are atrocious during the passing period. I'm being crammed into a shoulder to shoulder crowd, the people behind me think it's funny to shove me into those in front. I try to turn away and get into a less busy hall and I get shoved again, hard. “Hey, watch it!” I shouted.
I look back to see two guys I notice around Jade's expansive friend group. All his friends dress the same, baggy everything with no belts, hell, not even a simple necklace. They grab me by the shoulders and turn me around. “Stop! What are you doing?” I grunt with effort trying to shake them off.
“Hey Ugly.” one of them taunts grabbing my horn and shaking my entire head. The other grabs me by my locs, keeping my head in place. “What’s this all about?” I cry out in pain of my head being pulled in two different directions.
“Why do you even still go here? I thought I told you to get out of this school.” The one holding my horn grunts in my ear. My hands grab at his wrists, trying to pull them off. “Stop!”
“How about you stop going to this school, your ugliness pollutes the place. Aren’t you all anti-pollution?” he sneers. He's holding my horn so tight I can feel it in the nerves deep inside it. I panic when I see another person approach him from behind. He taps his shoulder and I can feel the release of tension on my hair and the man holding my horn pauses, looking behind him. He gasps when he sees the face on the new person, Jade.
“Let him go.” He said in a calm manner. I can see the guy’s shirt crease and Jades finders dig into his shoulder. I stumble back when he lets go, stepping a good few feet away. Jade looked angry.
Jade swings at the “guy who held my horn”’s face. The guy who grabbed my hair backed away, “Jade- what are you doing?”
“What are you two doing? What is your issu-” Crack, that was jade’s jaw hopefully just popping like a knuckle..right? I grimace at the sound. Jade readjusts himself quickly, standing at his full height over the two. “Dont come around here again. I don't like being friends with bullies and I think that should be more publicly known.” He's quiet, his voice is lower. It's kinda hot…
He looks back at me, I can see the bruise blooming on his face. “Get to class Venus.”
This is not the time to pretend not to know my name. “I could say the same-” “Jupiter go. I don't want the administrators to see you with us.” he says sternly.
I nod, grabbing my things and smoothing out my clothing. “Thank you.” I whisper before I flee around the corner. Just in time because I heard the shrill raptor-like voice of a principle shaming the three. Hopefully things go okay for Jade.
The next day, I ran into him in the stairwell, the stench of cigarette smoke fogging up the area. My face scrunched up with disgust. “Oh, outside would be a better place for this.” I choke. “Oh hey, mercury.” my mood might just get worse. “It's Jupiter.” I scowl.
“Wrong planet again…” he sighs.
“What.” I blink at him. I lean against the opposite wall, crossing my arms against my chest.
“Nothing.” He says, taking another drag of his cigarette.
“Poser.” I say under my breath, he must've heard it.
“Excuse me?” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“You heard me, is smoking just another way to make you seem edgier?” I pointed a finger at him.
Jade sighs, stamping the butt out on the tile floor, leaving a grey mark on the floor. I stare at it. “You really think I'm a poser?” he cocks his head to the side. I look at his clothes. “Yeah! You get all your ideas from social media but you don't follow through.” He smiles at me. “Well, how can I change that?”
I step closer poking his chest, “all your shirts look basic, not saying all your shirts should have some kind of design, but you wear the same v neck all the time. Jewelry would help, something simple but it would help. Also, you need a belt. They can pull everything together, even your pants to your hips.” I glance down to see his underwear peeking out of the waist band of his pants. “You look good, but your butt is practically out all the time.”
“You stare at my butt?” he laughs.
“I do not!” I grouch, poking him.
His laughter gets louder, uncontrollable.
I smack his chest, frowning. “Stop!” His laughter subsides, taking a deep breath. He looks at me with a different expression, worried. “About yesterday…”
“Thank you.” I interrupt. He nods. “They didn't hurt you right?” he asks, scanning me.
“No, thanks to you.” I play with a loc. He flushes, rubbing the back of his neck. “It's no problem, they had it coming.” I watch him. I see the bruise yellowing on his cheek.
I agreed, looking up at him, “That bruise, he hit you too hard?”
He shakes his head, "I'm still kicking, don't worry.” He consoles but that does not put my nerves to rest.”
I feel guilty. “I feel bad, you didn't deserve to get hit because some guys were picking on me.”
“Its not your fault. I don't tolerate guys like that.” he smiles, pushing himself off the wall, “Well, I gotta get somewhere. I'll see you around. Try to text me, yeah?” and he is gone.
Routine
Rehearsals have become a routine for me. I try to act cold and ignore Jade as much as possible to avoid another conversation with him, but I can feel his constant stare on my face when I sing. I feel like everywhere I go in school, I am being watched by prying eyes.
One day, a girl walked up to me. She had bright blonde hair and the hot pink horns of the soprano. She popped her gum in my face and looked me over. “So, you're the guy that Jade’s been talking about? I don't see what he sees,” she says bluntly, and I can't figure out why she's talking to me.
“Excuse me?” I clear my throat, blinking at her. She chews her gum disgustingly loud. So obnoxious.
“Sasha.” Someone grunts from behind her, none other than the handsome man with horns of an alto himself, Jade. He grabs her hand and is already dragging her away. He looks at me apologetically before putting on a mask of coldness with her.
Later that day, at rehearsal, I decided to break the ice to quench my curiosity. “So, Jade, who’s Sasha?” He looked at me like he didn't like the question, “She's my girlfriend.” A girlfriend you don't like?
“Okay?” It sounded way more provocative than it was meant to be. “I didn't mean it that way,” I whispered.
“You’re fine,” he snipped.
I furrowed my brow at his attitude. “Are you okay?” Genuine concern? From me, to him? That's so weird.
“Jolly.” He grunted, and that was the end of the conversation.
I was driving around later that night. I don't know why I was but it didn't matter when I got a call from an unsaved number. I answer on my center console, “Hello? Who is this?”
“’S Jade,” said the other line, his voice low and gruff. I could hear music in the background.
“Oh, uhm, hey? What's up?” My fingers drum on the steering wheel as I wait for him to continue.
“Are you driving right now?” he sighed, a door closing and the background noise behind getting quieter.
“Yes, why?” and just on cue, I need to use my turn signal.
“I know you barely know me, but could you pick me up?” He sounded like a sopping wet puppy on the other end, and I could feel my resolve crumble.
“Yeah, send me an address,” I say before hanging up.
I arrived at a suburban home in a large HOA neighborhood. This house was significantly larger than mine, and it was brimming with partying teens. A sad-looking Jade immediately enters my car as I pull in. “To?” I ask as I watch him buckle up before pulling out.
“Literally anywhere else but here.” I hear him mumble as he runs his hands down his face shakily. Looks like hes had a bad night.
“My house is nearby, I guess I can take you there. My parents aren't home until morning.” I offer as I leave the neighborhood and head for mine. “Okay.” He acknowledges.
The drive there was nerve-wracking; I could smell his cologne and alcohol all around me, making me nervous. I looked over at him, any chance I could, only to see him staring straight ahead as if he was waiting for me to talk.
It wasn't until we were in my driveway that I broke the silence, “So what's up. Why are you so down?” I ask, maybe too bluntly. Why did you call me of all people?
He avoided eye contact, thinking of the correct words, “I broke up with my girlfriend, and she said some pretty nasty stuff about someone I like.” Now that's not something I'd expect him to react like this to, but then again, he fought some guys who were holding me by the horn.
“Would you like to go inside and talk about it more?” I say as I unbuckle my seat belt and leave the car. He follows closely behind me as I unlock the door and lead him inside. “Ignore Citizen. He's just old.” I say as the senior basset hound hobbles towards us. I pat his head and head for my room, silently inviting Jade to follow.
“I have like 7 different seating options, you are not limited to my bed if you don't want to sit on it. I'm sorry if it's a little messy; it's actually cleaner than usual. “ I nervously rub the back of my neck as I stand in the middle of the room. I can see Jade looking around the room in blatant curiosity as he makes his way to my bed anyway.
“I like your room, it matches you, different and detailed.”He says quietly. An odd but welcome compliment.
A blush creeps across my face, “Thanks, I worked hard to make this room look a little more cozy.” I plop down on the bed beside him, the close proximity palpable.
“So, what's up? I've never seen you act this way.” I inquired, turning on my side and propping a hand under my face. I can see his gaze warm on me, and he sighs.
“I found out my…ex was using me to gain attention and bully people. When I told her I didn't want to be with someone like that, she told everyone that I cheated on her…with you.” He said as quietly as possible, his eyes averting mine, embarrassed. “Of course, no one believed her, but it still made me mad that she'd tell people I'd do something like that.” He seems like someone who works hard to be in a good light the more i get to know him.
“Why would she think that?” I searched his face.
“Because I talk about you. I say how impressed I am with you and that I wish that I could reach your level. You are such an amazing singer and an even kinder person, and I'm jealous.” His voice barely registered as I blinked at him. “You…what? You're jealous of me?”
“Very.” He looks at me with the most earnest look. His green eyes were focused on me, me. His pretty, beautiful eyes were looking into mine as if I were someone important. My face heats up, and I break eye contact.
“Wow. That's- I've never heard someone say that to me.” I fidget with a loc as I look anywhere but him. I feel the bed shift with him and his hand on my cheek. My eyes flick to his face, I could see every detail and line on his face, his beautiful face.
“And, I'm sorry for last time, playing blissfully ignorant about your…horn. I genuinely thought that you were someone people should look past differences for. You are the most gorgeous man I've ever met, and I'm jealous of you. You've got the prettiest horn, and your eyes are something I could stare at all day.” Is this a love confession? How can someone think of me this way?
I feel his breath on my face as he gets closer, as slow as possible to give me a chance to run away. I almost took it.
The soft press of his lips against mine was innocent and sweet. I kissed him back, awkwardly. I haven't kissed anyone. Is this how this works?
He pulled away as quickly as he touched me, searching my face.
“I've never expected someone so good-looking and talented to even acknowledge me. I'm a monst- ""You're a unicorn.” I pause. “Excuse me? You're drunk, that's all this is, right?” I say defensively. Why is being called a unicorn worse for me somehow? I can't even run away; this is my house.
A long stretch of awkward silence plagued the room. “Do you need to stay the night or can I take you home, Jade?” I try to sound as monotonous as possible. I don't want him to know what all of that made me feel. I dont understand it myself.
“If I could get a ride home, that would be great.” He said quietly.
The ride home was tense; the air could be cut with a knife. All I could think was that it was my fault, but at the same time, I wasn't exactly ready for all that.
I pulled into his driveway a few minutes later and parked the car. “Hey, Jade?” He turned his head towards me. “Yeah, Jupiter?”
“Let's talk about this later. When you're sober.” I give him a warm smile, and I see his mood turn around. I watch him head into his home before backing out of his driveway.
The next day, at lunch, I'm sitting with Cain, telling him the events of last night. “So, he was drunk, he kissed you, and you let him?”
“Yeah. He looked sorry after he did it, too. I feel bad that I reacted to what he called me. All he was doing was complimenting me and getting carried away.” I say as I lay my head on the table, PLaying with my hair.
“Well, what did he call you?” Cain asked before taking another bite of pizza.
“He called me beautiful and talented and…” “And…?” He parroted. My face flushed with embarrassment, “A unicorn. He was quick to explain why, but I thought he was talking about me being gay.” I murmured.
“Oh damn, he might actually like you.” Cain he looked at me dissapointed and shook my shoulders. “You got a whole love confession from a popular boy.” He cooed and set me down. His tone changes too much.
“A drunk confession about his thoughts. He didn't say outright he liked me.” I said as I picked at my lunch. “Besides, he acts completely different with his friends, he's mean to them and wants to show off, why would he be so nice to me?”
Cain patted my back, “Yes, yes, still be careful, Jupiter. If he hurts your feelings, I'll beat his ass.” He says, concerningly serious.
“That's a bit much, Cain.” I backed away.
“It won't feel like it's a bit much when he breaks your heart.” He shoots. When?
I stand to throw away my trash, giving Cain a look to shut up. “It stays between us that I told you this, right?” I get a nod in response.
School Trip
Two weeks later, I am sitting alone in my room after school when my phone rings. I jump and almost drop my phone trying to answer it, ignoring the name on the screen. “Hello? Who is this?” I say as if I'm reading off a script.
“Still don’t have my number saved?” A familiar voice teases.
“I see you on your phone all the time, that's all you do in 5th period.” Jade giggles.
“Well, I'm too busy on Cookie Run Kingdom, I gotta get Silent Salt, I need him.” I hear his laugh on the other end, soft and bright. It made me smile to hear him make that sound.
“What's a Silent Salt?” “A cookie,” I answered immediately.
“I'm guessing the whole game is about cookies?” he asked, and I could hear him lie back on something soft.
“Yes! The lore is a lot, and I don't think you wanna hear all of that.” I say as I reel back in the excitement.
“I wanna hear.” He says plainly, and it could’ve been hours that I was talking, but he stayed awake the entire time, listening and asking questions. The conversation turns into other mundane topics like choir and homework. He had only hung up because his mom yelled at him about how late it was, how cute, I wish my mom yelled at me to get off the phone and go to bed sometimes.
I miss my mom. I wish she were home. Sometimes I think she may have just bought a second house and lives there now, leaving me all alone.
She used to tell me that she loved me and would tell me about how she thought my horn made me more powerful, but now she barely talks to me. I haven't heard her voice in a hot minute. I want to hear her say “I love you” for the first time in a while. I don't want to just read her texts.
I feel a burning in my eyes as I try to push back the tears. I wipe my face on my pillow and lie as still as possible in hopes of sleep before I spiral further.
I wake up with a headache and the sun blaring through my window, I shoot up from my mattress in a hurry, stuffing a duffel bag. I should've packed when I was on call with him! I hear my phone ring mid-rush with a familiar number that I totally should save at this point. I picked it up and set it on speakerphone. “What's up?” I shout at the phone from across the room. “Hey, I hope it's not too much, can you pick me up? My mom took my car again.” Jade said sheepishly.
“No, not at all, I'll be there in 30 minutes.” I sigh.
“I appreciate you,” he beams audibly.
“Aw, shucks, go make sure your bags are packed. I won't turn around if you forget anything.” That's a lie, I'd probably make the bus turn around if we were almost to our destination out of town. Maybe.
I have double checked my duffle bag three times just to make sure I have everything I need for the next week. I am rushing out the door and hopping into my car to go pick up Jade.
It's not like I haven't thought about that night when he was at my house, but I try to block it out. Things are going so well, and I don't want to address that elephant at the moment. There is a time and a place for everything.
Apparently, I think too hard because I didn't notice the door being opened and shut until Jade was in the car. I shake off that nervousness that always boils in my belly near him and restart the car. We arrived at the high school, and I parked my vehicle in the designated area for road trip participants. I triple-check to make sure my car is locked, and I get a teasing remark from Jade, “I think it’s locked.”
“Well, so are your keys in your mom’s room.” I shoot back, sticking out my tongue.
“Actually, they are in my mom’s room,” he said, sticking out his tongue too.
I ignore his smart-alec remark and head towards the school bus to hop on. I check in with the director and sit down in an empty seat. Jade shortly follows behind and sits down right next to me. I blink at him, confused.”What do you think you are doing?” I grouch.
“Okay, sassy. I'm sitting here.” He declares, getting himself comfortable.
“But, Cain– “ “He’s sitting with Milo.” Bastard is going to go sit with his boo thing.
“Fine…” I sigh and huddle up at the window, waiting for the bus to leave.
I had the best nap of my life on that bus. I'm going to have to ask where Jade got that blanket. I was woken by Cain cooing in a childish voice, “Oh, Mr. and Mr lovebirds, we have arrived.” I jolted and tried to back away from Jade, just for us to both shout in pain because our horns had tangled together. I feel my face heat up in embarrassment, and I gently slip mine from underneath his two.
I could see the embarrassed look on his face and he tried to smooth it over as if he'd lost aura over a facial expression but he's already lost so much for falling asleep and getting his horn– horns– tangled.
“I'm sorry, Jade," I mumbled groggily and urged him to get up.
We made it to the hotel lobby, and the group had all checked in but me, Jade, Cain, and, I guess, Milo? I heard the woman talking with Cain about a room switch, and all she said to him was, “Do what you want, babes.” With a shrug. He turned to me, semi-apologetic, “Hey, I'm gonna room with Milo, okay?”
“Do what you want, babes.” I parrot the receptionist and pat him on the shoulder before walking towards Jade.
“It's just us,” I say awkwardly. Standing beside him in front of the desk, waiting for our door key.
We follow our group up the stairs to our room and unlock the door. When I step inside, my heart drops. There. Is. One. Bed.
I look at Jade and back to the singular bed. “What do we do?”
“I'm hoping to sleep in it.” It was a queen-sized bed; it wasn't like I was going to have to lie on top of him.
I drop my bag down near the door and look around. We have a microwave, a desk, and anything else a Holiday Inn would have in a two-person room, except for a second bed. This is going to be an awkward week.
The first day on our trip, we went to a concert for a very popular choir. I was told that this was educational, but I think it's just because the director likes it. We also went out to eat, and I had to watch Cain get all cozy with Milo. I have no clue if they are together at this point, but if they don't talk soon, I'm going to do it for them. I spent the entire day with either Jade or being a third wheel on the Cain and Milo show. What a drag.
We were back in the hotel room after everyone had their doors taped for the night, getting ready for bed. I had sat on the left side of the bed, staring at Jade skittishly. He was the one to break the ice, “So this is no big deal, we will just stay on our sides if you like...” I heard that last part under his breath loud and clear. I nodded at him and got under the covers, lying on my side facing away. I'm guessing he did the same when I heard him shifting in bed. It's going to be hard to sleep when the guy you're pretty sure you like is sleeping in the same one.
I had woken up in the middle of the night for a glass of water just to find out I couldn't move. I was lying in the center of the bed with Jade curled around me, sleeping peacefully. In the faint light of the room, I can see that his shiny hair has been tussled by sleep, and his pout, oh, how pretty he is when he wakes up.
His hold on me was strong as I tried to get out of his grip, attempting to keep him asleep. I had failed at that, obviously, because I can hear him stir and look at me with a sleepy look. It took a few tries for his voice to work. “What are you doing up...” He said, looking up from my chest. “I need water,” I whispered, and he relinquished his hold on me so I could grab a bottle from the refrigerator.
I took long drinks from it, wasting time before I had to figure out what to say, but Jade beat me to it. “I'm sorry.” He murmurs groggily, and I hear him shift in the bed, presumably to go back to his side.
“You're fine, it's not your fault.” I breathed as I got into bed again, curling up in the blanket.
“ I was cold, and you are a blanket hog.” He tries to justify, and I blush.
“What do you mean? You had a blanket too!” I counter.
“I guess the only way to stay warm is to huddle close.” Bitch just wants to lie on my chest again. I sigh and allow him to lie on me again, and just hate to admit it, but that was the best sleep I've ever had.
Cain startles me by standing over my bed, taking pictures of us. I can hear the shutter of the camera rapidly and his giggling.
“Do you mind?” I groaned, sitting up, looking at the bonnet that had fallen off my head mid-sleep. I threw it at Cain and hissed at him till he left the room.
I looked at Jade, half asleep, staring at the ceiling, trying to wake up. “What was Cain doing in here?” He says hoarsely.
“Being nosy.” I sigh, getting up and gathering an outfit, and going into the bathroom to change. In the main room, I hear him rustling through his bag, assuming he's getting his things together to change in the bathroom. I was sorely mistaken when I walked out to see him half-naked and getting dressed. I stared too hard for a hot minute. He blinked at me frozen. “Sorry, I thought you were going to take longer in the bathroom, so I was going to get dressed out here.” He blushed; his whole face was red with embarrassment. My eyes caught the tattoo on his shoulder. It was a saxophone*. Huh.
“You have a tattoo?” I ask, poking his shoulder to feel the muscle.
“Yep! I got it a while ago. I heard that's where we get our horns, and I was obsessed. I think I accidentally got a tenor because of how the neck is curved.” He rubs the back of his neck, and I can see him flex, show off.
“Relax, muscles.” I pat his back and go look for my phone. I unlocked it to see messages from Cain; they were the pictures he took, and with it, he said, “I think y'all like each other!" With a surplus of laughing emojis.
I sent him some not-nice threats and closed out that tab. I look back at Jade to see him dressed and ask him, “You wanna go downstairs and get breakfast? I'm pretty sure Cain and Milo are down there, too.”
Jade nods, and we head down to the lobby to serve from the breakfast bar. I chose a bagel and strawberry cream cheese. I go sit by Cain and Milo, seeing them look at me like I did something funny.
“What's up with you two?” I look at them skeptically.
“Nothing.” They giggle in unison. I look between them to see Cain's phone still open to our messages. “You creeps…” I frown at them.
Jade wasn't sitting with us, a shame, he was going to sit with people from his friend group. They followed him to a table close by, all of them spilling gossip about what's happening at school when they aren't there. I don't realize I'm staring again until one of the guys there gives me a questioning look, and I hear him say some mean things about me just looking. No, I'm not jealous of you because you have two horns; I'm jealous that Jade is wasting his time with you!
Finished with my breakfast, I lay my head on the table, spacing out from the conversation with Milo and Cain. I was third wheeling again, and I don't appreciate it.
Heart to Heart
After an entire day of exploring, I was tired. About halfway through the day, I started complaining that my feet were going to fall off (because they were.) How am I supposed to do a water park tomorrow? I'm exhausted.
I lay on the shared bed face-first into my pillow, whining loudly, “Jade, I'm so tired! I want to go home.” I felt a hand brush my back as he made it to his side of the bed, lying on his back.
“Jupiter, you’re sweaty. Go take a shower.” He mimicked my annoying voice. I groaned and rolled off the bed onto the ground and stood up. “You should also get off the bed then.” I poked him before heading into the bathroom.
I turned on the water and let it heat. I peeled off my disgusting clothes and stared at myself in the mirror for a moment. My eyes immediately catch on my horn. I don’t think that it itself ugly at all, I like its deep purple ombre and how it's shaped. It looks like a textbook Horn of the Tenor, with it curving to point behind my head and slightly up. In the middle of it is a deep notch from a particularly bad bully who said something unforgivable. Luckily, Cain stopped me in time. That event still runs wild in my mind once I start thinking of it. It spirals into why it happened, how much of an idiot I was to let that happen and how it should have never gotten to that point. I am such a failure and a wimp for letting that happen to me.
I feel my eyes burn with tears and soap, and I have to hold back the urge to sob. I'm so pathetic for crying alone in the shower like this when Jade is waiting for me to be done. I'm so embarrassed by myself. I shouldn’t even be trusting him. Why would someone so beautiful and popular as him want to be with an ugly man like me? He must be doing this for his own entertainment. What if it's a pity? I have to ask him.
It didn't even occur to me that I had gone through the motions of showering until I was hit with the cold air of the bedroom. I wiped my face one more time before heading towards Jade, standing in front of his side of the bed. He looks up from his phone and makes direct eye contact, waiting for me to speak, “Jade. Please be honest when I ask you this.” I pause, and he takes that silence to confirm, “Of course, Jupiter, what's the matter?”
I take a deep, shaky breath and ask, “Jade, do you have ulterior motives for why you want to be my friend?” Oh my god, I sound like Cain. I watch his face widen with shock. Perhaps it's from being found out, or maybe it's from the pure outrageousness of the question. I feel tears well up in my eyes, so I quickly wipe my eyes with my hand.
“Jupiter. I’m not doing this as a humiliation ritual, or to bully you.” He says quietly.
I scrunch up my face. I don't like his tone. “I don't believe you. Cain told me to watch out for you, and all you give me are things you could be getting close to me for. I'm an ugly, horrid monster no one wants to be friends with. Cain is only my friend because he pities me, and so why would you, some popular guy, want to be friends with me!? You have all these friends who adore you, and you show off for them. You’ve got girls lining up at your door!” I feel my eyes well up with tears. I'm being so mean to him, and all he's been is nice! I am not making sense. He doesn't make sense either.
I can see his face turn into a deep frown as his eyes looked particularly sad. “I don't think Cain pities you, and I sure as hell don't pity you either. You are better than someone’s pity. I hope you know that.”
“But Cain—” “Is just that good of a friend, they worry about you because you are such a good person to them.” He interrupts.
“But, I'm ugly and my horn— it, I only have one. I'm a defect,” I cry. I wiped the tears from my face. I feel the shame fill up my brain with pain.
“No, you aren’t,” he says sternly, his hands on my shoulders felt like something grounding. I search his eyes for exactly what he's feeling, and I see anger. He speaks in a quieter tone, “You were fed those lies since you were little by every adult, child, and adolescent who sees you because they don't understand that you are here for a purpose and you can't control what the dragons bestow upon you.” Dragons...? Oh, right, that old tale about how we got our horns.
His thumb comes up to my cheek to brush away a large tear falling down my face. I look up at him with watery eyes. “But-” “No buts. You are a gorgeous man who doesn't deserve all the hatred you have faced. I love you so much, and it hurts me just as much whenever you talk about yourself like that.”
I backed away from him, wrapping my arms around myself, “There's no way you love me. You must be lying.”
Jade takes a step closer, “I have only told you the truth. You can’t tell me what to feel. I love you, Jupiter.”
I look at him, frozen like a deer in headlights. Words don't come to my brain. I feel his hand grab mine, clasping my hand with his. He kisses my hand tenderly, looking at me with heartfelt affection. “You don’t know that I've loved you for a while; I just didn't know how to approach you.”
He kisses my knuckles with a gentle smile on his lips. They lingered on each knuckle as if they could make the scars on my hand fade away. His other hand wrapped around my waist, tugging me close to him. He pressed his forehead to mine, gazing into my eyes.
“You know? I see someone who is resilient and strong.” He punctuated with a kiss to my forehead under the base of my horn, and then one to my nose and one to my cheek. I felt his breath move down to my lips, “You are just my type. Strong, handsome, and beautiful with a good sense of humor and a no B.S. attitude. I hope you feel somewhat the same about me.”
I nod, “I guess the whole ordeal here is genuinely from me needing to know if you actually care. I don't mind what other people think about me unless I care about them.”
“So if I kiss you, you’d kiss me back?” he asks, his lips inching near mine.
“Yes,” I breathe, and I feel his lips press into mine with a gentleness I could only ever expect in my dreams.
Jade’s lips were soft against mine, tentative at first, waiting for me to ease into the sensation. I wrap my arms around his neck and press myself impossibly close to him. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest.
His arms tightened around me as if we couldn't get any closer; he smooched me with a gentle passion. He tasted like the cotton candy we shared and the mint gum he always chewed. I gasped into his mouth, breathing in the air he breathed out.
Heat pools in my lower belly when I feel his hand drag up my neck and attempt to intertwine with my dreadlocks. I giggled lightly and tilted my head back for him to get a better angle. He backed us up against the edge of the bed, making me lose my balance and fall on top of it. It broke the kiss, and I opened my eyes to see him crawling on top of me, his hands finding purchase on the bed beside my face. He leaned down to kiss me again, his teeth biting down on my lip, making me gasp. He chuckled and trailed his lips down my face and sucked on the tender part of my neck. I whined and squirmed at the sensation.
One of Jade’s hands trails down to the hemline of my shirt and sneaks inside and roams upward. I arch my back to allow him to snake up my back. His warm, calloused hands bunched up the shirt, and I helped get it off my head.
His hands explored the plains of my bare chest with fascination. He traces the top surgery scars with a certain gentleness that makes me fall apart even more. “You’re so handsome,” he purrs, kissing down my neck to my chest. “Your turn,” I huff, and he makes me release him to take off his shirt. He puts on a spectacle of it like he were a male bird vying for my attention.
I let out a low whistle under my breath, and he chuckled breathily. “You flatter me,” he flushed. I dragged my eyes down his lean form, catching on the tent in his pants. He’s aroused..by me..? Oh god, I am too. “Don’t worry, we will get to that soon. I am still taking my time with you,” he coos, his hands roaming down to my pants to unbutton them.
I lift up my legs to allow him to pull them off my body and toss them away from the bed. Jade studied my face, looking for some sort of signal to stop, and I pleaded with him, “Please..”
“Please what? What do you want to be gorgeous? Use your words.” Jade says, rubbing his hands down my thighs.
“Jade. Please touch me,” I whine, squeezing my legs together.
He moves down to sit between my legs, playing with the waistband of my underwear. “Are you sure?” he asks, looking directly into my eyes. I nod vigorously, “Yes!”
“So eager. Lift your hips up, sweetheart.” I oblige him by doing what he says. Cold air hits my sensitive core, and it makes me shudder with anticipation.
He stares at “it” for a second; I could swear he was salivating like a hungry dog at that moment. “You're so pretty. I wanna touch, is that okay?” he asks, his hand resting on my upper thigh, rubbing slow circles. “Mhm.”
His fingers gently slid up the fold, catching on that sensitive nub. I jumped from the initial contact, making Jade look up. “you okay?” he asked, his fingers fiddling with the nerve idly. “”s fine, it's my first time.”
He nods in understanding, but I can see a playful look in his eye. “Is that so?” he purrs, a single finger teasing the rim of my sex before slipping it inside. “That face you make is adorable.” He talks so much, I'm glad I like his voice and the words he says.
He added a second finger and ground his palm roughly against me to feel the friction. I let out a low whine at the feeling, grinding my hips to chase the sensation. “Jade...”
He hums in acknowledgment. “I think— I think I'm gonna come.” I stammer, and he chuckles and kisses my temple. “You can come, don't worry, I'll help.” It's like the floodgates came crashing down, and my knees locked up from pleasure.
“You are doing so well for me, do you think you can do it one more time for me?” He's unbuckling his pants and shaking them off. I can see the evident wet spot in his boxers and the outline of everything. I nod absentmindedly, focused on other things, “Do you have a uhm, condom, maybe?” I ask awkwardly, still staring directly at his hard-on.
“Yes,actually,” he grabs the jeans he was just wearing to pull out his wallet and grab the rubber inside of it. I looked at him, surprised he had one for the first time. Jade pulls off the wrapper and slides it on. He goes back to standing between my legs, one hand is on his erection, while the other keeps my hip steady. I feel the tip of him against my opening, the slow burning feeling of him inserting himself makes me wince. He immediately pauses, looking down at me, waiting for approval to keep going, “Jade, you’re fine.” I try to relax to make the process easier, as he had vaguely instructed the best I could. He sat there for a moment, letting me adjust to him for a minute. I reached up to hug him again, and he met me in the middle. I clutched at his shoulders when I finally whispered that he could start moving. He started off slow and picked up pace with my approval and rising volume. I attached my mouth to the underpart of his jaw, sucking and kissing it.
I froze up when I felt jade had snuck between us to rub at my sweet spot. I didn't realize that my teeth had clamped down that little bit of skin til I heard him hiss, “Jupiter, you’re going to leave a mark.” He breathed in my ear. I couldn’t help but cling to him as closely as possible as he thrusted into me. I snuggled my face into the crook of his neck sobbing his name “Jade, Im gonna—” “Yeah me too,” he grunted, his hands not stopping their ministrations on my core. My brain felt dizzy this time and I couldn't stop the moan that came out of my mouth as I came harder than last time. Jade stopped shortly after, huffing in my ear. We stopped, sitting there, breathing heavily and sweaty.
Jade slowly pulled out and took off the used condom, tying it off and throwing it into the trash. I lay still on the bed, staring at the ceiling, half awake when he asks, “Was that okay? Does anything hurt at all, Jupiter?” he moves a lock out of my eye, and kisses my cheek. “I’m fine,” I breathe, turning to lie on my belly. “That's nice,” he smiles sweetly, going to fetch a pair of shorts from my back and something for himself to wear to bed. He helps me into said shorts and curls up around me, his head resting in the crook of my neck.
☆ end of the scene. ☆
Going Home
The next morning I am startled awake by Cain banging on the door and giggling the handle. I sit up, blinking the sleep off before getting off the bed to answer. I come face to face with Cain smirking at me. “What do you need Cain?” I grunt, hanging on the door.
“I just came to make sure you two lovebirds were awake.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“Shut up.” I smacked his chest and attempted to close it on him, but he wrenched it open, giggling at me and walking inside.
I heard Jade stir and look at Cain with disdain. “I'm awake, you can go now Cain.”
“Youd be scarier if you weren't only in your underwear.” He teases and I start pushing him out. “You've overstayed your already unwelcome!” I slam the door in his face and walk away. I heard steps decrescendo in sound and relaxed.
“Im sorry about him.” I sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed to grab my phone. It was aggressively buzzing because Cain was blowing it up.
“We are leaving today, make sure you're out by 9!” With a whole lot of smiley faces.
I send him a thumbs up and set my phone back down.
“I don't wanna leave, Jade.” I whine.
“Relateable, it's so nice sharing a room with you.” He smiles, his arms wrapping around my shoulders from behind. He places a kiss at the nape of my neck. “We should hang out more when we get back. Maybe we should go on a proper date.”
“I'd like that.” I lean back into him for a minute before sighing. “We gotta pack, we were supposed to do that last night.”
Jade laughs and kisses my cheek before letting me go. “Fine. I enjoyed it though, how about you?” He asks, crawling off the bed to grab his own bag.
“I've never done something like that, I think I had a great time.” I scrounge my bag for my sweater, pulling it over my head. I see Jade staring at me again. “Huh?”
“All your clothes have unicorns on them.” He's observant.
“Yeah, when I was little my mom tried anything to help me cope and she settled on unicorns. I love The Last Unicorn.”
“Your mom sounds nice.” He sighs.
“I don't get to see her as much because she's busy, so is my dad but he comes home a lot more than her.” I smooth out the shirt and get to packing my bag.
“I see.” He nods, looking up to see me shoving all my clothes into my bag unorganized.
“You don't fold them when you repack?” He teases.
“Why would I fold dirty clothes, this whole bag is just going to be dumped into the wash.” I shrug.
He just shakes his head and continues packing. A few minutes later, Jade walks into the bathroom and I hear him shout, “Jupiter! I told you it’d leave a mark!”
He peeks out of the bathroom and I look at him sheepishly. “I'm sorry…”
“You’re fine.” he sighs, rubbing his jaw.
We made it to the bus on time, I checked in with the director and sat in the back next to the window. Jade shortly followed suit, coming to sit by me. He cozied up to me almost immediately.
I can hear jade snorting when Cain started loudly complaining about the seating arrangement. “Jupiter! Why can’t I sit by you?”
“Jade got here first.” I say sarcastically.
“That doesn't count, you guys were in the same room!” I roll my eyes and grab Jade's arm to rub it in his face.
“Just sit in the seat behind us.”
Cain sighs and moves to sit with Milo behind us. I hear them giggle about something stupid and he makes my phone buzz nonstop for a full thirty seconds with questions. About things me and Jade did last night. I set my phone on to not disturb to stop the racket and lean against jade.
About ten minutes later I feel Cain playing with one of my locs whispering, “Jupiter…”
I groan and look up to see him standing up in the seat behind me. “I’m so curious, you gotta tell me what you guys did.” He wasn't actually looking for an activity but a confirmation. “Its none of your business. We were just hanging out.” I slur sleepily.
A long three hours were spent sleeping and watching the 3rd season of she-ra, we made it back to the school when all the other students were dismissed for the day. We made it to the choir room for a quick discussion before being dismissed ourselves.
Once we were outside, I asked< “Jade, do you need a ride home? I'm also dropping Cain so we won't be alone for the whole ride.”
“If you don't mind you taking me home.” he smiles, grabbing my hand.
“Just a warning, he will fight you over a shotgun.” I tap his chest in punctuation.
I see Cain already waiting at the car with his hand on the front passenger seat door. I can see his sly smile at Jade like he's already won. Jade simply shrugs and sits in the back.
As soon as we are on a major highway, Cain’s survival instincts seem to stop working as he asks, “So are you two dating yet?” He is so rude. I narrowly avoided a life ending car crash, my eyes focused on the road.
“That's an impolite thing to ask.” I state my knuckled lightning from my grip on the steering wheel.
“We haven’t figured that out yet, Cain.” Jade grunts, looking up from his phone.
“Well, people who are ‘just talking’ wouldn't give each other such visible hickeys, would they?” he chastises and I raise my voice at Cain, "That's enough, leave him alone.”
The entirety of the ride to Cain’s house was awkward after that and we didn't say anything when he left.
It took a moment for us to catch our bearings before either one of us spoke, “I’m sorry about Cain. He's acting weird. I don't know what his issue is with you.”
“Its fine, I suppose. I’m not butthurt about it.” Jade shrugs.
I started memorizing the route to his house, all the landmarks becoming something I'll look for any time I come this way. The mood eased into something more calm and relaxed when his hand clasped with mine. I let the radio hum low as we approached his house.
Speaking of his house, it was this white brick family home in a cute neighborhood. I smile at the plethora of Christmas decorations covering the home. I completely forgot it was christmas time, ive gotta decorate at home.
I expected Jade to immediately leave my car but instead he stayed, staring at me, considering what to say. “Do you want to come inside for a little, I'm pretty sure my mom is making dinner.” he asks, almost shy.
“Of course!” I smile at him.
I followed him up the stairs and into his house. He shook off his shoes unceremoniously and shouted “Mama, Mami, im home! I brought a friend!”
A woman shouted from the other side of the house, “I’m in the kitchen!” Another woman, his other mother, I assume shouted from an entirely different part of the house, "I'll be there in a moment!”
“Alright!” he shouted back. He's usually so quiet, I guess his parents just yell across the house all the time.
Jade leads me to a vibrant kitchen smelling of delicious food. A small child and an older woman were standing over the pot stirring. The woman looked up, her bright eyes catching on me immediately. “Oh look at you! It's nice to meet you! I’m Jade's mother, Cadenza!” She cheerfully introduces me.
I smile politely, my hands clasping in front of me, “Hello, my name is Jupiter. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Azul.”
“Cadenza is fine! You are such a respectful young man! I like you!” she pinches my cheek and I stand there not knowing what to do. I looked up to see Jade had taken over the unmanned pot next to whom I assume is his little brother who was staring straight at me with curiosity.
“Wait, did you say your name was Jupiter? My son talks about you all the time, I think he really likes you, you know?” she smiles, shooting Jade a teasing glance.
“Is that so?” I avert eye contact, my eyes darting anywhere else but her.
“Mami!” Jade whines.
“What?”
“Cadenza.” Another woman’s voice said, a hand on her hip. “Leave the boys alone.” she sighs. She approaches me holding out a hand for me to shake, i take it and shake it. “Im Mira, our youngest over there is Caleb.” She tilts her head towards the little boy next to jade.
“It’s really nice to meet you.” I say curtly. Jade’s mom takes over the pot again and he comes to sit in the chair next to me.
“So, how did you two meet?” Mira questions.
“Choir.” I say simply.
“How long have you two been friends?” is this an interrogation?
“A few months I think?”
“Are you two together? Did you share a room on the trip?” lots of questions. I feel Jade’s hand subtly brush mine as he replies for me, “Mama, that’s enough.” he says laughing it off.
“I have my eye on you two.” she says sternly.
“Don’t worry about her, she's just a bit worried about me.” he reassures, resting his head on his palm.
I have never felt this welcomed in my life, his moms are so nice, and Cadenza’s cooking is the best thing I've ever tasted. I wish my home life was like this.
After dinner, Jade invited me to see his room and it was exactly how I expected. Everything was in greens and greys, he had a few posters along the wall and a desk in the corner with a nice monitor.
“Your room looks so nice. It's completely different from mine.” I say, plopping down on the bed next to him. “Oh yeah?” he smiles and lays on his side. I scoot closer to him, wrapping my arms around him. He smelt like cedar trees and mint like always, I can smell it everywhere in the room too. He pulled me close, "You're so adorable” he smooches me on the lips. I wish I could stay like this forever. He's so pretty.
I hear a soft knock on the door and the creek opens slowly. There in the doorway is Jade's little brother. I sit up and scoot away from Jade and Caleb opens his mouth to say, “Mami asked me to come ask you if you two were boyfriends.” I see Jade roll his eyes and sigh.
“Caleb, you don't have to do Mami and Mama's bidding.” He said basically laughing. Caleb walked up to the bed and crawled onto it with the two of us, sitting across crossed. “But you said to listen to them.”
Jade shook his head. “Yes, listen to them, but question them too.” He patted his little brother's head. “Now go on, I'll talk to you later, me and my–” He shouts, so his moms can hear, “--Friend! Are you going to talk.” My stomach drops, about what?
Once Caleb leaves, jade turns to me, an uncertainty in his eyes. “Jupiter.”
I flinched, “What's up?” I say, tense.
“Relax, it's nothing bad I promise, I wanted to ask you something..” He gives me an almost shy look, his voice dropping in volume.
I nodded and forced my shoulders to lower. He took a second before asking, “Would you want to be my boyfriend?” Oh? Oh my gosh? Is this for real?
“I would love to.” I am immediately barreled into and bombarded with kisses to my face and neck. I couldn't help but giggle at the tickling sensation of his lips all over me. He pressed a longing kiss to my lips and I obliged him by deepening it.
☆hey chat…☆
Our teeth clicked together and his tongue lapped at mine. I gripped at his hair and he pressed his body incredibly closer to mine. It's incredible how our lip piercings have not gotten tangled up yet…
He groaned into my mouth making my lower belly ache with need. I felt his knee nudge my legs apart and I gladly ground down on it.
I broke away from the kiss to look at him, I asked, “Should we be doing this, won't your mom walk–” his knee rubbed at my core.
“We'll be fine.” He cooed, pressing a kiss at my jaw. “I have to get my revenge for what you did to me last night.” He nipped at that spot before sucking. I whine a little too loud, “Jade…” he tuts.
“If you're as loud as you were last time, though. We will get in trouble.” He bites hard this time. I stifle a shout with my hands slapping my mouth. He lifts his head to look at me, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Make sure you keep quiet, yeah?”
I nod, my eyes watch him crawl downwards to there he strips my lower half with a certain swiftness that makes me realize how much more experienced he is. I feel cold air on my lower half and instinctually close my legs to keep it out.
Jade gently parts my legs, pushing up my shirt to kiss from my navel to my vulva. His eyes make contact with mine for signs of discomfort before making contact with where it matters most with his lips. I breath in a sharp gasp and squirm against his face. I can feel him smile around that bundle of pleasure before sucking on it like a jolly rancher.
I bite my lip until it practically bleeds to keep the sounds I make at bay. My hands search for something soft to bury my face in and jade throws something at me mid munch. I graciously take it and cram my face into the pillow to muffle my screams. The familiar tension in my nethers makes everything pulsate before the abrupt stop of administration from Jade’s end.
I peek over the pillow to see mischief in Jade’s eyes, his lips were shiny from me and his spit. His hands were leaving indents in the plush of my thighs. I wiggled my hips in a silent plea to make him continue. I feel his hand remove itself from one of my thighs to tease my entrance. “Jade...” I whine, blinking at him with watery eyes. He hums in acknowledgement. “Jade please...”
“Please what?” he purrs, his face already lowering, waiting for me to speak.
“Please keep going, so close” I hiccup. That was enough for him to shove his face between my legs, his tongue relentless in its attack as if he didn't need to breathe. The sensation is almost overwhelming. Both his fingers and his tongue moving deliciously made me topple over the edge. A full body shudder passed through me as he continued to nurse that nub until it became sensitive.
I breathragged as I came down from my ecstasy, I could feel my heartbeat everywhere in my body. He pressed a kiss to my thigh, his eyes staring at me like they were going to burn right through me with love. “You’re etherial.” He breaths.
Jaed\\de gets up onto his knees to crawl up to me, brushing sweat off my forehead. “So good for me. I love you.” he whispers.
He sits on my hips, he can't stop looking at me. He's gorgeous. Jade kisses my lips in a slow, deliberate passion. It's a bit odd tasting your own come but I won't complain if it's him who's missing me. His hips grind against me, the soft material rubbing against my bare, sensitive core.
“You need a break?” he asks, leaning down on top of me. “i know this is moving fast for it being only your secon d time.” he breaths. My fingers brush tentatively against his crotch and I look up at him, guilty. “I do, but I don't wanna just leave you hanging like that.”
he smiles at me, my dumb haze catching him off guard. “l let you take the lead next time if you want. I'm not worried about getting my rocks off right now though. I'm very content getting you off tonight.”
“But you're— you're hard...” I whispered ashamed at how vulgar that sounded. He chuckled, laying on his side next to me. “ill calm down soon,” he reassures.
“I wanna help you out too.” I double down, I don't know how he would want me to but I still want to. “Well, if you insist,” he murmurs, kissing my temple. My hand was in his guide down to his pants. Even through the fabric I could feel how hard it was.
I experimentally squeezed gently and his breath hitched. “Sorry.” I whispered. “No, you're fine, remove your hand for a moment though.” He instructed. He shimmied off his sweatpants and pulled himself out of his boxers.
I blinked at him for a moment, it was red and shiny at the tip from the precum. “Woah..” I breathe, swallowing the saliva in the back of my mouth. “Oh yeah?” He giggles.
I hover my hand over him uncertain of how to approach. I glance up at him and his hand grabs mine and molds my hands to fit around it. He moved our hands up and down until I got the memo, "Yeah like that.” he whispers, hanging his head. He's so pretty, everything about him is too.
I picked up in pace, watching his every reaction. The way he shudders when I flick my thumb over the tip or when I squeeze harder. His hips buck up to my hand and his voice shakes as he says, “You’re doing so good, Jupiter.”
I can hear him huff in my ear, his lips finding my neck to kiss at the sore spot he put there. I squeezed the base gently and I felt him pulsate beneath me , his breathing hot.
“Like that.” He groans, continuing,”Close, oh, Jupiter. shit.” his release covered my hand and his shirt. He stares at me heavily. I look between his shirt and my hand, unsure what to do. I watch him peel off his stick shirt and wipe my hand with the clean parts. “Thank you,” he murmured, burying his head in my shoulder.
He pulled me on top of him and pulled the blanket over us. I slept comfortably, in his bed,surrounded by things that smell like him.
I'm woken up by Jade's gentle prodding at my side, handing me my cellphone, "you're getting called, a lot.” He whispers. I take the phone from him, praying it's not my dad.
Relief and worry cross my mind when instead it's Cain. I can see the multiple icons that indicate messages and the missed calls. I pick up, expecting the worst.
“Hey Jupiter!!” Cain said, painfully loud.
“”Hi Cain. What's up…” I check my phone for the time, “2 in the morning.” I finish
“Just checking in! I hope you settled in at home after the trip!” He practically shouted and I had to take the phone away from my ear.
I groan and sit up fully. “Fine. That possibly can't be-” “You and Jade have become awfully close over the trip. You left me all alone.” His tone was quieter. “It would be a betrayal for you to up and date him. Leaving me for the popular guy?” Something negative crept into my brain. Worry? Disdain? Guilt.
“Cain it's not like that.” I start. But he interrupts.
“Its not like what? You only needed me as a friend but now that you have him You're going to leave me all alone.” He shrieks. Jade's presence is made aware again when his hand is on my side. I look down him with a helpless look.
Cain's voice brought me back into focus, “did our friendship mean nothing? Are you saying that once you get some dick you're suddenly not a freak? All you had before me was yourself because you are an abomination, you know that?”
“Cain..” I drew myself in on myself. I am easily able to just hang up, it's so easy I do it all the time by accident, so why can't I do it now, on purpose?
“Shut up, you hate me so now I hate-” jade grabs the phone, ending the call and setting the thing aside. I look at him confused. “Hey, what was that for?”
“I don't know what's up with Cain but what he said to you was messed up. You don't have to listen to him scream at you over the phone.”
“It's fine. It would've ended pretty shortly once he found another topic to talk about.” I run a hand over my face.
“That's not fine, Jupiter. He's your friend, he shouldn't talk to you that way.” He grabs a hold of my shoulders turning me towards him.
“He's always like that.” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact. “That might be the reason I don't make many friends but I'd hate to lose the one I'm so close with.” I shudder with a sob. Jade pulls me close.
“Talk to him. Set boundaries.” He said, not a suggestion but not a demand either. I take a deep breath, staring at him in the dim lamp light. “Okay.” I sigh, dismissing him. I felt bad that I was but at the same time, i feel like i cant choose.
He smoothed my arms and laid back in the nest of pillows at the top of the bed, “Lets try to get more sleep, maybe some rest will improve your day tomorrow.” He pulls the covers up my body and rests an arm over mine.
My heavy eyes crack open, staring directly into the sun leaking in between Jade’s curtains. I feel his breath on my back and his horns gently butting in between my shoulder blades. The door creaks open and I jump, my head darting towards it to see Cadenza peeking her head through. She had a sly smile on her face like she caught us and my heart dropped.
“Jade, wake up. The poor boy is getting poked by your horns.” she taps against the doorfraim. He groans and lifts his head and angles it to look at her. “Huh..:” His face was creased with sleep and his usually shiny and perfectly placed hair was stuck to his forehead or mussed to stick in the air.
“Hi Mrs. Azul…” I murmur. Attempting to sit up within Jade’s grasp.
She smiles at me warmly, “Hey sweetie, we have breakfast downstairs if you are hungry.”
“Thanks!” I return the smile and pat Jade’s shoulder. She leaves the room, with the door still open and I can hear him sigh, “Stay in bed with me. I'm not ready to get up.” His arms wrap around my waist and press his face into my thigh.
I pet his hair and they drift up to his horns. They are absolutely gorgeous. He must get these polished and varnished professionally. Such a solid color. He's mesmerising. His full body shudders from the unexpected contact at the base of them. “”What’re you doing?” he slurs.
I place my hand at my side,“I’m sorry. They are just so pretty. You take care of your horns so well”
“Its varnish and fancy polishing. Mine don't compare to your horn.”
My shoulders cave in and I sigh. “It isn't pretty at all. It's got a big gash in it and the end is unkempt.”
“You stare at it so much you don't notice how pristine it is.” something flutters in my chest. He sounds so genuine that I don't know how to respond, “Thanks..”
He had somehow convinced me to lay back down in his arms, his inhuman like warmth made me feel like a lizard in the winter. Of course it was interrupted again when Jade's brother pokes his head through and creeps into the room to stand at the edge of the bed. He jabs his tiny finger at Jade’s shoulder, “Mami says you two gotta get up before breakfast is put away.”
Jade sighs dramatically, “Fine.” He sits up finally and sets his feet on the floor. He looks back at me, “Come on.” I followed him down to the kitchen to two plates that were set aside for us. I felt awkward and unsure about the fact he feels so comfortable clasping his hand with mine. I peeled away from him when we sat at the table eating in silence. I had already decided I wanted to go home after breakfast and that's just what I did.
Jade tried to convince me to stay over because i already had clothes but i cant bear the thought of burdening his parents with my presence any longer. When I opened the door of my house I was met with Senior waddling up to the door. I crouched down and hugged him.
The little basset hound whined at me with happiness. I loved his floppy ears and wiry tail that slapped my shins when he led me through my house. He trotted towards my room to go sit in his usual spot beside my bed so i can pick him up.
I laid on my back, taking in the comforting sight of my room. I sight, thinking back to what Cain said. It really hurt my feelings this time. I dont want to face him, i dont want to get out of this bed. No one would miss me if i didnt go to school tomorrow, right?
Jade’s Turn
I miss jupiter. I havent seen him in a few days and he hasnt been returning my calls or texts. Im worried something bad has happened to him. I think i should go visit his house to check on him.
I still have the rest of the schoolday though, Jupiter would hate me for ditching school to come see him. No matter, ill go as soon as i get out of this class. I have to wait.
Waiting is too long.
I raise my hand and ask the teacher to use the restroom, hoping my urgency would just make the teacher assume i just really needed to go. I rush down the hall to my locker, grabbing my car keys. I book it towards my car before the security notices and speed out of the parking lot. Im in the clear.
I take the way i remember jupiter showing me when he took me to his house. I park in his driveway and head up the small path towards the door, i knock on the door and wait for a response. Senior Citizen barks at it, glaring at me through the cloudy stained glass. I see the vague figure of someone approaching the door, slowly opening it.
“Hello?” I come face to face with jupiter’s tired eyes, they widen in shock as he finally recognize him. “Oh, Jade.” their lip wobbles as if they were going to cry. “Im so sorry..” They breath, avoiding my eyes. My heart breaks for him just from this expression.
“Hey Jupiter, are you okay?” i push hair out of his eyes, my hand running down his cheek. He pushes my hand off and backs away, “Yeah, im just fine.” a lie.
His arms wrap around himself and his arms clutched at the opposite’s biceps. “Why are you here?” he said, coldy. I hope i didnt make him mad, maybe my texts havent gone through.
“I was worried about you.” i search the rest of him, he hasnt changed out of the clothes i last saw him in, his eye bags were deeper. I stepped into the house and he let me in, a good sign. “Is it okay if i hug you?” I held my arms wide for him and he stared. “Jupiter?” He finally stepped towards me, leaning into me. “Im sorry.” he said again.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I should've came over sooner.” i whisper, cradling their head. Jupiter hugged me tight and shook with sobs. I stood with him for a moment waiting for him to calm down.
When his crying subsided i pulled away to look at his face. I swiped my thumb across his cheek to catch a tear. I saw him look down at my chest where he put his face, and looked up at me, apologizing again, “I got your shirt wet, sorry.” I smiled, hugging again, “Youre okay, i dont mind.” I pause, thinking of what to say, “Hey, why dont you go take a bath, i can cook you lunch while you bathe. Dont worry about clothes, ill get you some together.” i watch him nid his head and he turns away, heading for the bathroom beside his room. I go into his room to look for clothing, I havent seen his room in daylight. Its very decorated. Its so cool.
I look into his dresser and pull out a pair of pants and a shirt.
