"I'm going out, mom." Derek opened the door to leave, but his mom called him back.

"Where are you going?" Derek grinned at her. "I've got a date. Her name's Rena. Really sweet girl." his mother frowned.

"You can't date anyone, Derek." Derek's smile fell.

"Why not? She's nice! Do you want to meet her first?" Mana sighed and put a hand on her son's shoulder, pushing the front door closed.

"Derek, you're betrothed." Derek just blinked at her.

"No really, mom. Why can't I go?" Mana pushed Derek onto the couch and sat on the coffee table in front of him.

"You really are betrothed." she told him, looking slightly sorry.

"Wha . . . to who?" Derek was shocked, and felt betrayed. How could his mother do this to him?

"It wasn't my idea." Mana put a hand to her cheek, wishing she didn't have to explain it. Looking back at why it all happened, it all seemed so foolish. "It's all your father's fault."

"Mom, just tell me who the hell I'm supposed to marry!" Derek demanded, getting angry. Mana stood up and began pacing, running a hand through her red hair.

"When your father was young, he was dating this girl. He was in love with her. But he got drunk one night and slept with me. We did the honerable thing and married when we realized I was pregnant."

"Yeah, I know." Derek reminded her impatiently. Mana sat back down.

"But the girl was angry. She made your father, who was still desperately in love with her, swear that their children would marry. You, and the first child she had." Derek sat back, not sure what to think. "Last I heard she had a child about your age." Derek raised his blue eyes to the cieling, not sure what to do with this information. "I'm sorry, Der. But I couldn't sway his desiscion."

"I know. Just . . . let me go call Rena and explain."

"How could you do this to me?" Derek glared at his father's gravestone. He plopped down to sit in front of it. "Now I have to marry someone I don't even know? You even signed a fucking contract! It's binding . . ." Derek trailed off, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm seventeen, dad. I shouldn't know who I'm going to marry yet. And I don't. Who is she? That girl's daughter." He sighed and sat in silence for a while.

The peaceful quiet was broken by a sob from nearby. Derek raised his head and stood up, going to look behind a tree. A person was sitting there, knees up to their chest, with their long black hair trailing down and into the dirt.

"Hey." Derek said quietly. The person looked up, and Derek was startled by deep, endless black eyes boring into his, filled with sadness and anger. "You lose someone?"

"Yeah. But not to death." Derek figured from the light tenor voice that the person was male. The boy looked down at his hands. "My boyfriend broke up with me. But my mom said I had stop seeing him anyway." he whispered. Derek's eyebrows lifted.

"I guess I know how you feel." he said, sitting down and leaning against the tree. He had one knee lifted, his elbow resting on it. "I can't date anyone because I'm betrothed."

"Same here. My mom's old boyfriend's son." Derek's breath caught, and he straightened up, staring at the boy with wide eyes.

"Say what?" the boy looked at him.

"My mom's old highschool boyfriend. He cheated on her and the girl had a kid so he had to marry her. He and my mom promised that their first borns would marry, so I'm betrothed to his son."

A slow trickle of rain started, wetting the soft ground and the graves. Derek couldn't believe what he was thinking. But if he was right . . . then he was betrothed to this boy!

"W-what's . . ." Derek swallowed hard, dreading the answer. "What's your name? Your surname?"

"Joley Wilkson. But I go by Joey. Why?"

"Wilkson. Shit." Derek groaned and ran a hair through his orange hair. The boy looked at him oddly.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm your future husband. Lucky you." Joey frowned in confusion, then it dawned on him.

"Oh my god." he blushed and looked away. "At least you're hot." he giggled. Derek snorted and stood up.

"This is fucked up." he hissed angrily. The smile fell from Joey's face as he, too, got to his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not a fucking fag, that's what I mean!" Joey felt slightly hurt, and it showed on his face. The other teen didn't seem to care. "It would have been one thing to marry a chick I didn't know, but a dude?! And a friggin' queen, too!"

"Hey," Joey protested. "Now that's uncalled for!" Derek turned on Joey, who stepped back at the pure fury in Derek's eyes.

"You shut the fuck up!" he jabbed a finger into Joey's chest, making him wince in pain. "Just shut that cock sucking mouth! I won't put up with this idiotic idea anymore!" he pushed Joey away and stomped off. "The wedding's off! I don't care about the fucking contract!" Joey slipped and fell down painfully on his rear end. He felt tears in his eyes and let them go, sobbing into his hands.

Derek heard Joey's crying and halted. He turned back around. Joey saw this and scrambled up, not wanting to be hit if the other was still angry. He tried to get away but Derek lunged and pinned him to the tree. Joey's head went back and slammed into the trunk, making him go dizzy and weak for a moment. The sight of Derek's face next to his and the feel of rough, hating hands holding him up by the shoulders kept him awake.

"You go home and tell that whore that you can a mother that I won't marry you. If she's got a daughter, fine. But I wouldn't wed your ugly little ass if I was paid to!" with that said he let Joey go. He kicked mud into the boy's face, making him cry out. "Tell her that!" He left the cemetery and went home. Joey wiped the mud out of his eyes and stared after him. His heart was hurting worse than he could ever remember.

"U-ugly . . ." He lifted a pale hand to touch his cheek, new tears starting. Joey stood up shakily and found his way home.

"Oh, darling!" Mana greeted her son happily the next morning. "You came home so late last night I didn't get the chance to tell you!" Derek sat at the kitchen table where a plate of waffles was waiting for him. His mother followed suit. "I've arranged a meeting with Wanda and your future spouse! Isn't that lovely? They're coming over this morning." Derek paled.

"What?" he croaked. The memory of what he'd done the night before flooded his mind, and he felt sick. "Mom, I can't see that guy."

"Guy?"

"Yeah. I met him yesterday, ma. His name's Joley." Mana frowned.

"Oh dear. I thought that was a girl's name!" she gasped. "Wait, you met him? Was he nice?"

"Yeah. And a flaming queer. God." Derek held his hands up, covering his eyes. What had he done? His temper had gotten the best of him again.

"What's wrong, dear?" Mana asked.

"Mom, I . . . I practically beat the kid up." Mana's eyes went wide, and she gasped. He told her what he'd done and said.

"Oh Derek!" she cried. "How could you do that to someone?!" she got out of her chair and threw her napkin down angrily. "You are so grounded! I can't believe you said those things! And to your betrothed! I'm horrified and mortified!" she snatched away the plate of waffles, and Derek groaned, wishing he hadn't said anything. "You will apologize to that boy the moment he walks in this house!"

It was only a few hours until the scheduled meeting. Derek waited at the window and saw a taxi drive up. A woman was struggling to get someone out of it, and Derek sighed. She was pulling Joey up the walkway, despite the boy fighting and screaming at her to let him go home.

"Mama no! I don't wanna see him! Don't make me go in there, please!" Mana opened the door, frowning. Wanda pushed Joey into the house, and the boy just stood there, stiff, avoiding Derek's eyes. Wanda looked confused.

"Boy, what is wrong with you?!" she demanded. "You've never been difficult! What's gotten into that stupid little head of yours?" Joey flinched at the words, and muttered an apology. Derek stepped forward.

"How's your head?" he asked softly. Joey was looking everywhere but at him.

"F-fine." Derek opened his mouth, but couldn't make the words come out, so he quickly grabbed the boy in a hug instead. Joey was tensed, but after a moment relaxed and returned the hug. "It's ok." he smiled sweetly. His bottomless eyes were understanding, and drew Derek in. The red-head was unable to pull his eyes away. "I know it was just . . . anger."

"It wasn't directed at you. More at the unfairness of it all." Derek admitted. "It's not what I wanted, you know?" Joey nodded.

"What the hell is going on? Have you two met before?" Wanda asked, confused. Derek raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you didn't deliver my message?" Joey blushed and looked at the floor shamefully.

"Sorry. I couldn't." Derek shrugged.

"Probably a good thing you didn't. I'm already grounded for hurting you."

"Hurting?" Wanda grabbed Joey's shoulder, uncaring about the bruise that had formed there. Joey held in his cry of pain, though, and faced her. "What is he talking about?"

"Nothing, mama. He was angry and said some things, that's all." Wanda seemed to accept that answer and followed Mana into the kitchen. It wasn't until the kitchen door closed that Joey let out his whimper of pain, gingerly rubbing the sore spot.

"Let's go to my room. Show me those bruises." Derek took Joey's hands and led him up the stairs to his bedroom. Joey looked around and smiled.

"I like it. Very blue. My favorite color." Derek chuckled a little and helped Joey pull off his shirt. "What's your favorite color?" Derek looked into Joey's eyes a moment before answering.

"It's a tie between purple and pink." Joey laughed. "Damn. Turn around." Derek was cringing at what he saw. All those bruises marring smooth white skin. But half of them couldn't have been from yesterday. Some looked old. "I didn't do all this." Derek could see that Joey's ears turned red.

"No. My mom . . . she gets a little carried away sometimes."