"Wait", [A Spur of the Moment Drabble]

Chapter One, Part One: I'm Not Gay

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"Yeah, the night's not over,
You're not trying hard enough.

Our lives are changing lanes,
You ran me off the road.

The wait is over,
I'm now taking over.

You're no longer laughing,
I'm not drowning fast enough..."

-From "Reptilia" by The Strokes

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Everything spiraled out of control so quickly... too quickly for James' taste. It was meant to be a casual fling, nothing more... but then, James just had to fall for him. Him, Julian Bloody Lupin, who he was currently staring at like a juicy piece of steak. Hm, well, his middle name really wasn't "Bloody", it was... hell, James didn't even know, but he did know for a fact that he was the prettiest boy that ever lived. "Boys aren't meant to be described as pretty, Jamsie-boy," his best friend of seven years, Clayton's, sardonic voice drawled in his mind, rudely interrupting his "Julian Ogling".

James scoffed, but didn't try to reason with the voice inside his mind: he was insane enough as is. Julian was pretty, but not the kind of pretty most people normally think about. The way his sandy-coloured hair fell over his left eye was just indescribable, and when his deep amber eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the algebra textbook he was busily skimming over... Julian unconciously licked his lips as he turned the page, and James suddenly felt the temperature rise in the room "Crap."

He cursed under his breath as he noticed the growing bulge in his pants, and he hurriedly rushed into the bathroom to relieve his "little problem". Julian, who nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the bathroom door slam shut, looked up from his textbook, a puzzled expression forming on his face. "What's the deal with James?" he turned to Peter, who looked up lazily from his comic book.

"Probably wanking in the bathroom, that horny little bugger." the chubby, brown-haired boy snickered in reply, and Julian frowned, suddenly remembering the previous night. How could he forget? That had to be one of the best flings he ever had, and with James, his best friend, no less!

"Ugh, we shouldn't have drank so much of that whiskey..." he groaned inwardly. Things were sure to be awkward between him and James until Clayton, their fourth room mate and also the self-proclaimed leader of their little group, returned from his family vacation in Florida. Julian's thoughts took a different turn, though, when visions of a smooth, pale-skinned figure looming over him replayed over and over in his mind, and harsh panting and a rough, husky voice pleading for him to "Oh Gods, Julian, just move!", filled his ears. Julian had to bite his lip to stifle a ragged moan.

It was common knowledge around the school that James was the panty-peeler, the man-whore, the heart-breaker, the guy who was described as "sex on legs". With his long, wild, mane of black hair, pale gray eyes, and his charming, sexy personality, he could make any girl, younger and older, cater to his every whim, anywhere and anytime he wanted. But what would happen if everyone knew that he was also gay?

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, James was thinking the same thing. He was hunched over the sink, splashing his face with cold water. Nobody could ever know of his and Julian's night together. Not Peter, not Clayton, nobody. First thing in the morning, James decided that he would find the hottest bird he could find and shag her senseless. Last night, he was bored, he was horny, Julian happened to be in the room, one thing led to another and... No, James thought to himself, shaking his head, he couldn't be gay. He wasn't. He couldn't be...



Right?



... Damn hormones.

Chapter One, Part Two: Unexpected Homecomings

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"Sweetheart, bitterheart,
Now I can't tell you apart.

Cozy and cold,
Put the horse before the cart.

Those teenage hopes,
Who have tears in their eyes.

Too scared to own up,
To one little lie..."

- From "1, 2, 3, 4" by Feist

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Clayton Sizemore hadn't expected to come home to this. Peter was his same lazy, sarcastic self, and had greeted him off-handedly with a "Welcome home, Clay," his head buried in a comic book. James and Julian were the decidedly suspicious ones. Clayton could see that there was a tension between the two, no matter how hard they had both tried to hide it.

"Clayyyyyyyy, you bloody wanker, you didn't get me a souvenir!"James whined petulantly, as he usually did, but aside from the customary laughter in his eyes, there was something else. Nervousness? Anxiety? Clayton's eyes narrowed with scrutiny, as Julian welcomed him with a friendly pat on the shoulder, his lips curved in a warm smile as he helped him with his luggage.

"How was Florida, Clayton?" Julian questioned politely, and Clayton stared into his amber eyes. He always said that Julian's eyes were like the gateways to his soul: you could clearly see all of his emotions just by looking into them. James had teased him after he explained his little theory, saying that he sounded like a poetic ponce, but Clayton took pride in knowing that he was more observant than his dramatic best friend of seven years.

"Alright, that's it, you two: what's going on?" he looked expectantly at the two boys, who both paled at his inquiry and exchanged furtive glances. Clayton smirked smugly: oh, he was good.

"Wh... What are you talking about, Clay?" James stuttered nervously in reply, backing away from Clayton as if he was the bubonic plague himself.

"Of course we aren't hiding anything." Julian added smoothly, his expression saying otherwise.

"Don't lie to me, damnit." Clayton snapped sharply, his eyes turning fierce, and Peter actually glanced up from his book for the first time since his arrival, a worried look on his face.

"What's going on, guys? Why does Clayton look like you just killed his puppy or something?" he questioned, his head tilted with curiousity.

"I don't know, Peter. He's somehow under the impression that James and I are hiding something from him." Julian chuckled awkwardly, and James chortled too, trying to play along with him.

"I will find out, you know. You can't hide it forever." Clayton sing-songed in an eeriely sweet voice, causing Julian to swallow nervously. James cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at Julian, then at Clayton, then back to Julian, before hastily heading towards the door.

"Wellllll it's time to go down to dinner, I bet. Let's not be late!" he laughed anxiously, making his way to the stairs. At the mention of food, Peter grinned and followed after him. Julian sent Clayton a pleading look.

"Could you please drop it, for James' sake?" he whispered, staring dejectedly at the floor. Clayton frowned, clearly displeased: he hated it when Julian begged. The secret that he and James were hiding must've been serious.

"Well, alright then. I'll stop asking," Clayton paused, before adding thoughtfully, "But, if things get bad and you need my help, don't think twice about asking me for it." Julian visibly relaxed, and the tension in the room dimmed slightly.

"Thank you, Clayton." he beamed, and Clayton shook his head.

"You and James are my best friends; what else can I do?" Clayton gave him a crooked smile, and the two friends made their way down to the dining hall.

Julian sat next to Peter, with James at his opposite side, and Clayton at the far end. The grand dining hall was filled with raucuous chatter, consisting of gossip, friendly laughs, and everything in between. The tantilizing smells of food made Clayton's mouth water, and he suddenly remembered how hungry he was.

"Oi, James! Save some for the rest of us, will you?!" he laughed, noticing the way James was shovelling food into his mouth like a starved vagabond.

Peter and Julian chuckled between mouthfuls of food, as James replied with a rude hand gesture, and the two friends ended up in a playful food fight with lots of cursing and choked laughter. The four friends savoured the moment, blissfully ignorant of the fact that the normalcy would not last for very long.