\\A:N//

Heyla everybody, so sorry it’s taking me so long to update… I have recently discovered the wonders of fanfics (to see my latest work in the fanfic that has been stealing all my creative attention, please go to There’s only one story up on that account, so… yeah.) and haven’t really worked on any of my fictionpress stories… That’s all going to change now. I’m going to try to go in order from fanfic to original to fanfic and back… enough babbling, I guess you wanted me to get to the next chapter, huh? Well here it is! ~~Love always, Shadow of Angels

Tanner was released from the hospital within the week, but was kept under house-arrest for a while after. He tried to push thoughts off Matt out of his mind while his body healed and he worked on backlogged homework, but nothing seemed to work. Late at night when he was supposed to be asleep, he’d lie awake with his mind running in never-ending loops and his body craving his friend’s touch. It was an odd sensation for Tanner.

A few days after he was sent home Tanner was sitting by the pool in his backyard, working on a sketch of the water for his art class. Once he had the sketch finished, he was supposed to paint the picture with watercolors. Since he’d spent all morning scrubbing his hair out and deep-conditioning it, then had taken an hour and a half carefully braiding it behind him, he’d figured he ought to get started on his art project. He was perched at the edge of the pool in a pair of shorts and a polo shirt, his legs dangling in the water and the canvas resting across his knees, sketching a still-life of the ivory lilies bunched by the far wall, when suddenly his sunlight was blocked. He glanced up, pencil resting on the paper lightly.

“Heya, Tanner!”

He smiled and put the paper down on a lounge chair where it would be safe. “Hey, Sissy, what’s up?” He motioned her to sit beside him.

His sister plopped herself down on the tile decking next to her brother and giggled happily. “Nothing much.” She wore her bright pink swimsuit with a pair of black men’s trunks over the bottom, and her skin reeked of suntan lotion. Leaning in a bit, she fell in the water gracefully. When she surfaced, she splashed him playfully. “Come on, Tanner, the water’s great!”

Laughing, he shielded himself. “Sissy, I’m trying to do my homework.”

“Aw, you can do that any old time.” She pushed off the side of the pool into a polished back-flip. “You never have time to play anymore.”

“You know that’s not true.” He smiled and leaned forward a bit to lightly splash her.

An impish grin crossed her pretty face and he realized his mistake. She latched her hands around his wrist and kicked off the side, pulling him in with her, polo shirt and all.

Tanner came up sputtering but laughing. “Sissy! Why’d you do that?” He wiped water from his face and treaded water in a slow circle. “I spent all morning washing my hair, and now I have chlorine in it!” he whined.

Sissy came up a short distance away from him and scrunched her nose up, mimicking him. “I spent all morning washing my hair.” She laughed. “Tanner, you spend more time on your hair on a daily basis than I do!”

“You don’t have to worry about the chlorine turning your hair green,” he muttered, then dove down beneath the waters. Even though the water was crystal clear, he was wearing all white, blending in well with the snowy bottom. He felt the water currents from where she was kicking before he opened his eyes, then he wrapped one hand around Sissy’s slender ankle and yanked her underwater.

She turned on him and pushed his head under as he came up for air, then swam away. Once back on the surface, he leaned back and floated on his back, allowing the cheerful sunlight to dry his face. Even with his eyes closed he knew when his sister was coming up and let out all his air to sink before she shoved him back under. Once immersed in the water, he again yanked her feet out from under her.

After an hour or so of playing, Tanner swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted himself out. He was tired, pleasantly so, and still chuckling. Sissy drifted over to him on a floating inflatable pink chair and grinned. “See, you still know how to have fun.”

“I wasn’t aware I’d forgotten.” He yawned and stretched out on the edge of the pool to let the sun dry him.

“I came to visit you when you were in the hospital,” she continued, “but you were sleeping, I think. You weren’t awake, at any rate. What happened? Why’d you get sent there this time?”

Dark memories returned to his mind, and he shoved them away brutally. “It was an accident, nothing to worry about.”

Moodily Sissy kicked the water and pouted. “Nobody ever tells me anything. People at school are asking why you got kicked out, you know.”

“I didn’t get kicked out, I dropped out.”

“Whatever.” His sister pushed herself away from him and made her way to the other side of the pool.

Her comments brought back his thoughts of Matt, and Tanner sighed as the familiar ache settled itself in the pit of his stomach. I need to see him again, soon, but how? Then he remembered something. Abandoning his art project, Tanner shoved himself up off the deck and dashed to the door.

“Where are you going?” Sissy yelled at him.

“I have an errand to run. When I get back,” he said, turning back to her, “we’ll swim some more or go horseback riding, I promise.”

“Yeah!” His sister pumped her fist in the air and toppled over into the water as the door slid to a close behind her brother.

Tanner ran into the house and upstairs to his bedroom. He was still dripping from the pool and no doubt he’d hear about leaving water stains on the carpeting later, but right now he didn’t care. Right now he had something very important to do. He stood in front of his closet and leaned back on one foot, carefully regarding every piece of clothing he owned—and it was a lot. Finally, twenty minutes and a gigantic puddle on his carpet later, he decided on a plain old cotton tshirt and jeans with holes in the knees; he’d had to hide them in the very back of his closet, just to keep them. His maids insisted on throwing them out: he was just as adamant about keeping them. The shirt and jeans were his only pieces of casual wear. To cover them up, he pulled on a trench coat. He then spent the next ten minutes carefully brushing, drying, brushing again, and braiding his hair. On his way out the door, he settled a black ball cap on his blond head and grabbed up an old, beat-up backpack that had the initials M G sewn on a side pocket.

“John, I need the car. I’m going out,” he said as he hurried down the main stairs, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Sir, you aren’t allowed out—”

“Don’t disobey me,” he bit out. “Let me deal with my father later. Just go get that car.”

The startled servant rushed to do as he was told. Master Tanner never snapped at any of the servants like that, and hearing him do so shook the poor manservant to his toes.

Sitting in the backseat of a relatively common car with John driving, Tanner stared out the window. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure about this…

“I beatcha again, Uncle Matt!” Cecil crowed as he took the piece off the board. “Set ’em up again!”

Matt sighed and bowed his head in defeat, wondering for the thousandth time why he’d accepted his little nephew’s challenge in checkers. Cecil was the checkers champion of his school, and he was only in the second grade. As pathetic as it was, Matt had been the one to teach Cecil how to play.

“Why do I even play with you anymore?” Matt grumbled as he reset the board. “The student has long since surpassed the teacher.”

Cheeky as ever, Cecil chimed in, “Coss you keep thinking maybe this time I’ll go easy on you. And every time I win, you take us out to ice cream to celebrate.”

“I like ice cream,” Matt defended.

“You can go first.”

Matt sighed again and pushed his checker out. Be brave, little plastic one, he thought. Maybe this time I’ll get lucky.

No such luck. Three turns later Cecil had not only jumped that piece, but had a king.

“I never liked this game anyway,” Matt muttered as he kinged another piece.

The doorbell rang. Matt stood, dusted carpet fuzz off his knees, and stretched. “I give up; you win again, brat.” He ruffled the grinning boy’s hair affectionately, then went to get the door.

“I want Baskin Robins today!” Cecil yelled at him.

He waved to let his nephew know he heard, then opened the door just as a beautiful Mustang drove away from the curb and disappeared around a corner. “Hello?”

The boy standing on his doorstep looked up, and soulful blue eyes met chocolate brown. Tanner smiled nervously. “Special delivery for Matthew Gatz.”

Matt swallowed his surprise, grinned, and leaned against the doorframe. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “Oh? Who’s it from?”

“One Tanner Baxter,” Tanner answered. “Do you choose to accept the delivery?”

“Oh, sure, I suppose.” Matt sighed exaggeratedly and tilted his head to the side. “What is it?”

“This.” Tanner leaned up and pressed his lips to Matt’s.