Steadfast

4

“Julian, you devil!” Mara exclaimed, slapping him on the shoulder playfully as they settled down to the hot concrete on the ground outside of the school building.

Julian couldn’t help but laugh at the girl. “I know, right?”

“I swear, it‘s fucking raining men in your world!” Mara said with a bright smile, obviously proud of her Julian.

“I don’t know exactly where we’re going, though. We’re just going to get food.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re ‘just’ going to get food,” Mara said as she pulled back her curly red locks of hair in to a ponytail, “We all know that food is the way into a man’s pants. You’ll probably get laid tonight, and if you didn’t I’d be a little proud that you still have some inhibitions!”

“Oh please, I have inhibitions.”

“Oh fuck that, Julian. We all know how you gays are… they can’t keep their fucking briefs on their hips!”

“That’s a stereotype!”

“And I’m sure you fit it perfectly, gorgeous. Go get him.” Mara playfully pushed Julian, her push coming off a little stronger than she had meant. Julian gasped and his body tilted, though ending up surprised that his sitting frame didn’t topple over from the impact.

“Mara, what’s with this abuse?” Julian was cracking up, speaking between chuckles.

“To show you what I’ll do to you if you fuck him on the first date,” Mara’s voice oozed sarcastic playfulness. That’s all she really was, really. Playful. “It’ll happen ten times worse than that, too, little white boy. Don’t you even think it won’t.”

“I wouldn‘t on the first date!”

“You won’t fuck on a first date?”

“Never!” Julian said, crossing his arms over his lap.

…Wow, he was just like his mother.

“That’s m’boy!” Mara chuckled and gathered her books from her book bag, intent on using the lunch period as a perfect opportunity to get started on her homework from the first five mods. “Do you think Rocky will like me with my hair up?

Julian groaned.

“Oh come on, not everyone gets boys as effortlessly as you, babe.” Mara withdrew her World History text book, opening up to the proper page as she scanned the text. “Some of us have to actually try to look gorgeous.”

“Rocky would like it if you fucking talked to him for starters, Mara,” said a deep voice, obviously coming from that tall shadow daunting above Mara’s head.

Mara jumped, just like she always does when Marty sneaks up on her and surprises her. “Oh, fuck you! You have to stop doing that.”

“You know, your potty mouth is very unbecoming of you. I say you fix it,” Marty’s voice was teasing, coming out in a sing-song tone.

“Oh shut up, shit face. Maybe when New Years comes around I’ll think about it,” Mara rolled her eyes at Marty as she reached into her pocket to take out a pen. “Besides, you promised me you’d bring him over here for lunch one day, and your sorry ass totally didn’t act upon that promise yet.”

“Okay, Mara, chill. I’ll see what I can do about that… tomorrow,” Marty said with a smile, before turning around to leave to go float among his other social groups. He was quite popular although he looked like quite the dork. His hair was dark brown to the point where you might as well just say it’s black and it was modest and short, typically worn in slight spikes gelled up from his head, and each pair of his glasses had thin black frames; whether they were rectangular or round, and he always wore woolen sweaters under sophisticated vests. Today was no different, despite how hot it was outside.

“So… how old is this guy?” Mara questioned as she watched Marty walk away.

“He’s twenty-two.”

“Isn’t that illegal or something, Jules?” Mara asked, though not shocked at all of the man’s age. She had seen Altair a few times before, and he looked like no teenager.

“Only if we fuck,” Julian said as he relaxed his head against the school building.

“Which you will!” Mara jokingly insisted, before shutting up for the remained of the lunch period.

Honestly, Julian wouldn’t have had a problem if they did.

-

Julian was no less than excited as he stripped himself from his school clothes, a pair of plaid boxers hanging loosely on his hips. He stood in front of his mirror, inspecting his nearly nude form for any sort of flaw, considering what combination of tops and bottoms would look most flattering on him and would be suited for going on a casual date with Altair.

Then, he realized as he glanced at his body, that he looked fairly moist. Sweat.

He wanted to slap himself in the head for getting a little too ahead of himself because it was obvious that after a day of sweating in a sweltering hot school building that you would need to actually shower. Yes, showering would be perfect before going on any kind of date.

Julian made sure that he was quick in the shower, hopping out at just the tenth minute from under the hot sprays of water, leaving the whole bathroom steamed up and leaving the scent of fresh, manly body wash linger in the air. He used his palm to clear the medicine cabinet’s mirror of the steam collected on it, causing there to be some streaks of clear visibility and some streaks of water droplets on the mirror. Not satisfied with this vision, he wrapped his towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door to allow the steam to air out.

As if almost on cue, Julian’s mother walked past, taking a glance inside of the bathroom and whistling, “Oh baby, who are you getting ready for?”

Julian couldn’t help but laugh at his mother as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste, running the sink water and setting up his toothbrush. Before he spoke to his mother, he made sure to start brushing away at his perfectly white teeth. “Nuhhunn,” he mumbled as the white foam from the toothpaste began to kill every bit of bacteria in his mouth.

“Where are you going, Julian?” Julian’s mother was always the kind of mother to ask quite a few questions.

“Ouhh t’eat,” he mumbled before spitting out the foam into the running water, repeating it in more coherent terms for his confused mother. “Out to eat.”

“Oh. Okay. I won’t be here either, mister, so I won’t be able to make sure you’re home by bedtime.”

“Mom, I’ll be home.” Julian laughed and looked at his mother’s obviously sarcastic look of doubt. “I promise.”

“Good, because it’s not a Friday,” she said with a smile before walking off to do what women do to get ready for a date. “Ugh. Don’t be too long in there, okay?” She shouted back.

It looks like someone else just thought that taking a shower would be a good idea, too. They really were alike.

Julian grumbled at that, not really excited about having to rush through his beautification… well, handsome-ication process. He finished brushing his teeth, and then he did it once more. For everyone who wanted to impress, Julian would so humbly suggest brushing your teeth twice and finishing it all off with a mouth wash that promoted whitening.

But that was just Julian. He loved his five-thousand-dollar straight teeth.

He exited the bathroom in a matter of minutes, having only spent twenty minutes in there in the first place. He glanced at his bedroom clock as he walked in. It read 3:30 AM.

He would have to change the ‘AM’ thing later. For now, he was just too eager to present himself amazingly to Altair, and he had until five to do it. He could do it, yes he could, he knew he could!

-

His clock read 5:00 AM (he still didn’t even try to bother to fix it!) and Julian sat up from bed. In actuality, it only took him another fifteen minutes from when he got out of the shower to pick out everything he was going to wear, and he got the compliments on it from his mother before she left. He was a man, after all, and he couldn’t bear to take two and a half hours to get dressed.

5:00. Why would anyone be right on time? Doesn’t that seem too eager? Would Altair be right on time? He’d leave his house at 5:03. Yes, that would be right.

5:03 came along, and Julian exited his bedroom after studying himself in the mirror, declaring that he looked decent enough for the night. His deep blue jeans fit his legs with just enough room left in them for breathing, and his red plaid button up shirt hugged his delicately sculpted body just right.

Yes, his teeth were still as white as they could be, he decided, smiling at himself in the mirror just to make sure.

Julian made sure that all the lights were off and that he had a pair of house keys in hand before he walked out of the apartment. He closed the door behind him and then turned around, standing still at his door for a moment as he caught sight of the stunning European sitting only twelve strides away from him.

Altair waved with one simple motion of his hand, his slight tan glowing with vigor as the sun shone on him from behind. His posture was forced and fixed, probably out of nervousness. His body language exuded nervousness and confidence at the same time as he stood, ironing out the slight wrinkles of his fitting gray t-shirt, his jeans only tight enough so that they wouldn’t fall from his hips.

Julian wished he would have spent ten more minutes getting himself together before laying down. He simply couldn’t compare to Altair.

“Hello Julian,” came the low, accented voice as the owner of the voice approached him. Julian looked at him for another moment to notice how Altair’s hair was gelled only enough to slightly accentuate his thick curls and he noticed how calm Altair’s dark eyes were. Oh, too bad his body weren‘t.

“Take me to dinner,” Julian said with a cocky smile, his arm reaching over the older man’s shoulder as he guided him down the stairs.

“Oh, but that was only my intention.”

-

“So, what are you planning on doing here in America?” Julian asked Altair, making small talk after the handsome server in all white settled his grilled cheese in front of him.

The date was to a diner. Although it was a diner, it was very clean, the uniforms looked like they were just freshly bleached, and although the restaurant was quite empty, the people who were there looked almost as put together as Altair and Julian were.

“I wanted to come here and save up for college,” Altair said, taking a bite out of his own food. He ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with swiss.

“Oh? What do you want to study?”

“Veterinary medicine, ultimately.”

Julian was a little shocked. Altair never seemed like the one who would want to care for animals.

“I love household pets,” Altair began, taking a break to sip his water before he continued, “Ever since my Valiant died, I knew I wanted to take care of pets.”

“That’s respectable,” Julian ripped a piece off of his simple grilled cheese sandwich and ate it. He made sure he thoroughly chewed it before going to talk again. After all, it was only polite. “Why did you come here from France? You couldn’t have done the same thing there?”

“I simply had the desire to come to America. I knew I would not have been very happy if I were to stay in France.” Altair said simply. This answer seemed to be enough for Julian, and they both took a minute or two to enjoy their delicious yet somewhat greasy diner food.

“When you graduate, what are you going to do, Julian?”

“I want to go to culinary school,” Julian said as he wiped a few bread crumbs off of his lip with a napkin.

“Oh, so I will say that is why you cook when I come over your house,”

“I really love to cook,” Julian said. “And see, this is the best food in the world,” he said, making a gesture to his grilled cheese. “But if I want to be respected, I have to go to school to make even something like this.”

Altair laughed. “If I knew you were that interested in food, I would have made myself find some place with more delicious food than this and take you there, instead.”

“I’ll forgive you if you get me a milkshake and fifty cents so I can play a song.”

“I guess I agree to that,” Altair said, understanding the humor in Julian’s statement, withdrawing fifty cents from the wallet in his pocket.

Julian accepted the fifty cents and put it into the music player on the wall next to their booth. “Thank you.”

“You are very welcome--… Oh, waiter, may I have a milkshake?”

“What flavor?” The handsome, white-clad waiter with the emerald eyes asked.

Altair looked to Julian, and Julian turned to the waiter, “Vanilla.”

“I’ll be right back with it, sirs,” the waiter said with a nervous smile, nodding in their direction as a nervous sign that he knew what he had to bring.

“You know, they never have good songs in these things,” Julian commented once the waiter walked away.

“I know, the songs are usually very, very old,” Altair said, finishing up the final few bites of his meal.

“Yeah, they all suck! Oh… wait!” Julian smiled as he quickly typed in the combination for the one old eighties song that caught his eye. “Everyone’s going to think we’re really gay, now,” he said with a laugh as the catchy eighties rhythm began to waft through their small space.

“I do not know if I heard this song before,” Altair said as he listened carefully to the unfamiliar beat.

“If I… I get to know your name! Well, I could trace your private number, baby...” Julian laughed uncontrollably at the silly song as he sang it. “It’s ‘Like a Record‘!”

“This I have never heard.”

“You’re so strange,” Julian said, then looking over to his right as he smiled at the waiter who came to bring him his milkshake. “Do you know this song?”

“Unfortunately… yes,” the shy waiter said, setting the cold vanilla shake on the table. “The music they have on these boxes are corny.” He smiled shyly, and turned away to go about his business.

“I guess I have to be the only person in all of America who does not know this song.”

“I think you are the only one ever who doesn’t know it. It’s not even an American band.”

“Oh, stop teasing with me.”

Julian smiled and took a sip from his tasty vanilla milkshake, before singing softly again, “You spin me right ‘round, baby, right ‘round. Like a record, baby…”

“Are you feeling okay, Julian?”

“Oh, shut up.” Julian reached on his plate to pick up a tiny bread crumb and tossed it at Altair. “I have an amazing voice.”

-

“Walk me to my door?” Julian asked as the pulled up to the apartment complex.

“I could not even imagine telling you no, Julian,” Altair said, getting out of his simple Cobalt.

“Good, you would be a terrible date otherwise,” Julian replied, letting himself out of Altair’s car before Altair acted upon his urge to be a gentleman.

“Oh, this I know,” Altair waited at the curb for Julian to walk in with him.

The two walked up the steps and into the building, Altair naturally holding the door open for Julian. They walked slowly and silently up the steps to the small hall where their two apartments were. Altair went with Julian to the front of his apartment door.

“I kiss on first dates,” Julian said offhandedly, leaning his back against the door to his home.

“I do, also,” Altair responded, pressing his palms to either side of Julian’s shoulders as he leaned in for a kiss.

Julian gratefully accepted Altair’s kiss, pressing his own lips eagerly to the curly haired European’s, his hands wandering to relax on Altair’s strong and broad shoulders. A contented sigh slipped from one of their mouths, but neither one knew or cared which one of them it was, because Julian’s tongue was playing at Altair’s lips, gently sliding against them to entice Altair to part his lips.

Julian had a funny way of always ending up in control. His tongue coyly danced along Altair’s, slowly yet eagerly tasting the older man and letting out a sure sigh of his own at this. Julian felt a warm, built body press closer to him and felt some strong yet careful fingers tangle their way into his blonde hair.

After letting this kiss linger for a few seconds, Julian pulled away without showing his reluctance. He smiled wickedly at the older man staring down on him and let his hands move from off of Altair’s shoulders.

“You were teasing me again.”

“Goodnight, Altair,” Julian said, turning around once Altair unwrapped his fingers from his hair.

Mara would be proud that he didn’t have sex tonight. Very proud.

-

Notes: Longest chapter! Aw, wasn’t that sweet? And who else loves Dead or Alive? Srsly! But dear readers, don’t get used to this all in good fun kind of thing. The first few chapters are just the set up for something tragic. I’m surprised I got this up in a more than timely fashion. Don’t get used to that either, I’m usually terribly slow! Please, everyone who takes a gander at this story. leave me a review. Reviews drive my little muse to bug the crap out of me until I write. (: If I get a total of ten reviews for my story, I’ll immediately put out a super long chapter five! Deal?

B.B.W: Michael is a loser, I agree. Isn’t Julian too good for him?

Esquirella: Haha. I like that word for Julian. Rogue… that seems about right. (: