The Art Show

Time: August 22-September 18

Mai Lynn

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Melbourne smiled to his lovers as he sat down in the small room on the train.

"I'm really glad that ya'll came along," he said, placing his knapsack beside himself. He leaned against it, briefly looking out the window to watch as the train station was left behind.

"Hey, we're just glad to be here," Michael smiled to him, leaning over to kiss Mel's forehead. The teenager gave him a quick smile despite his dislike for public displays of affection. Michael was much taller than him and much more muscled. He had short brown hair and warm brown eyes. Melbourne found that it wasn't as hard to stare into those eyes as opposed to anyone else's.

"Hell yeah, an all-paid-expense vacation sure beats a week at school," Demon spoke up, sliding the door closed as he grinned to the two. Demon's muscular build was very much like Michael’s, the strong, dreamy type. The teenager's hair, however, was short and black. He had beautiful violet eyes.

Melbourne sometimes thought that he'd wake up to discover that the two actually hated him and would much rather be with each other. But that was never the case as he sank back against the seat, folding his arms across his chest. Michael sat down beside him as Demon took the seat across from them.

"How did we come along instead of your other friends?" Demon asked, cracking his knuckles. Melbourne laughed a little, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, when I told them 'bout how the pieces I put into a contest was one of th’winners at an art show in North Carolina an' that I got two tickets... Uhm, th'first thing Atticus asked me was when the last time I saw ya'll." Mel gave the two a shy smile as he shrugged a little bit. "So I guess from the start they wanted me t'spend this with ya'll." Melbourne felt his face flush slightly; his ugly Southern accent stood out more when he was with these two, who were from another country all together. Michael sat back in his seat, looking happy.

"I'm glad," he said and Demon nodded as he looked out the window.

"Yeah, same here."

Melbourne was happy that they didn't say anything else. He knew that Atticus and Sadie didn't trust Michael and Demon; and vice versa. He smiled to the two gratefully just as Demon playfully kicked at Michael’s leg. The brunette shot the teen a small glare as he kicked him back but a bit more forcefully. Melbourne rolled his eyes and reminded himself that oftentimes, Demon's attention span was akin to a child's. And Michael wasn't much better.

"You want to cut it out?!" Michael snarled after a few more kicks. Demon only snickered.

"Aw, what? You're hurt already?"

"Guys..." Mel sighed a bit, but Michael only got up and reached over to fwack at Demon's head. The teenager quickly grabbed his wrist, dragging him over to his seat. The two wrestled a bit more, their grunts rather audible. Melbourne chuckled a bit, watching as he brought his legs up to himself so he wouldn't get involved. Suddenly, the door to their cabin opened. The two teens quickly stopped, smoothing out their clothes as they sat like two perfect angels. Melbourne covered his mouth as he giggled some more and an older man sat down next to him. The teen glanced over to him, seeing that he was of middle age, balding, and had on thick glasses. The man smiled to the three, giving a curt nod. Michael only nodded while Demon lifted a hand in greeting.

An uncomfortable silence entered the cabin as Melbourne turned to watch the passing scenery. He rested his forehead against the glass, glancing over to see that Demon was fidgeting slightly, bored to be in one spot while Michael had his arms crossed and head bowed. He looked like he was sleeping. Mel smiled a little and resumed to watching the trees. He was thankful that his friends had pressured him to enter a few of his paintings into the contest. Now he was heading towards Charlotte to be judged with two other artists.

'With the two I love the most,' he smiled softly, thinking about how much fun the three would have.

"Ah, do you know the time?" the older man asked him. Melbourne looked over to him before looking to his watch.

"It's ‘bout 11," he replied, glancing to the person beside him. The man wore a business suit, with a briefcase at his side. Melbourne found it lightly odd that a man dressed in business attire wouldn't have a watch on him. The man smiled to him.

"Thank you. I lost my watch earlier. I never noticed how troublesome it is to not have a watch," he spoke. He didn't have a Southern accent, nor did he sound like he was from the North. Mel gave him an awkward smile, looking back out the window. But the man continued, "you'd think with something so expensive, it'd have a much better grip." He chuckled a bit and Melbourne glanced at Demon. The teenager had his arms crossed, head bowed. Mel frowned a bit.

'Thanks,' he thought. The man turned in his seat slightly to face Melbourne better as the teenager lowered his legs to the floor. "So what kind of journey are you on, son?"

Melbourne swallowed a bit, his eyes downcast. He hated making conversation with strangers, much less eye contact. "Ah, no-no where in particular."

"He's a big shot in this art show at some place up north," Demon spoke up and Mel felt his face flush as the man gave a low whistle. The teen gave Demon a withering glance, to which his lover merely shrugged and grinned back at him.

"So you're an artist? How wonderful. I wish I could paint," he said in admiration. Mel bit his lip.

'You and ev'ryone else who says that to me,' he thought. He offered the man an awkward smile as he said, "it's not too hard..."

"Ah, well. I can barely draw stick figures," the older man chuckled and Melbourne noticed that his hand rested on the seat a little too close for comfort. The teenager shifted away from it, nodding in response. It was another statement that so many people told him. After a while, it got a bit old.

Demon had seemed to have gone back to "sleep" as silence entered the cabin once more. The man said a few more things, to which Melbourne gave him his awkward replies. The cabin was suddenly feeling very tight as he looked over and it felt like the man was getting closer. Feeling uncomfortable, the teenager stood, turning to exit.

"Bathroom," he said softly as he took a step over Michael’s and the man's legs. It must've been the motion of the train or perhaps his own clumsiness, but Melbourne tripped slightly and fell to his side. His hand quickly reached out, grabbing the shelf resting above the older man's head. He sighed a little in relief since he didn't fall on top of the man, but tensed when he felt a pressure against his lower torso. The teenager looked down to see the man staring up at him in shock, one of his hands pressed firmly against the area near his belly button, the other hand hovering as though to touch his waist.

"Oh my, are you alright?" the man breathed out and Melbourne felt his face flush ten shades of red as he quickly took a step back, stammering a "yes" before quickly fleeing the cabin. He shut the door behind himself and hurried along the corridor towards the bathroom. Melbourne didn't stop until he reached the bathroom and shut it, locking the door. Exhaling shakily, he rested his head against the door and closed his eyes. He shivered as he remembered the man's face and bit his lip.

'That wasn't concern,' Melbourne thought as he recalled how the man had breathed and his expression. It was something in between shock and... pleasure. Melbourne shivered again, gently hitting his head against the door. Why was it always someone creepy? The teen immediately thought of Demon and Michael, and he felt the uneasiness melt away and a soft smile spread on his lips. He had them, yes. They'd protect him.

After a few moments, Melbourne opened the bathroom door. He dreaded going back to the cabin. Reaching the door, he swallowed before opening it. The old man was still there and smiled to him. Mel didn't match his gaze as he began to make his way back to his seat from hell.

But suddenly, Michael’s hand closed in on his wrist and with a shocked cry, Melbourne fell in between Demon and Michael. His face flushed considerably as he stared at the ground with wide eyes as Michael leaned over him, resting his head on Melbourne's shoulder.

"Mi-Michael..." he whispered.

"Tired," was his reply. Mel tensed as Demon's head fell onto his other shoulder.

"Yeah, you make a good pillow," he muttered sleepily. The teenager felt his face redden at the intrusion of personal space, especially since it was happening in front of a stranger. He endured it though, thinking it felt a hell of a lot better than sitting beside a creepy old man. Eventually, he just closed his eyes and forced his body to relax against the warmth of the two boys.

“Passengers, we are now arriving at our destination. Please be sure…” The intercom’s voice sounded cracked and broken. It woke Melbourne up, even though he had felt as though he had just fallen asleep. The teenager rubbed his eye, looking to his watch. He had slept the whole trip? Michael and Demon were already up, having a conversation over Mel’s sleeping body. The teenager stretched, covering his yawn with a hand as he darted his eyes to see if the older man was still there.

He wasn’t.

Mel sighed a bit in relief as he listened to Michael and Demon, smiling. He didn’t care if he didn’t understand the conversation, but he enjoyed hearing their lulling voices all the same. Melbourne looked out the window, seeing the train station gliding past slowly. Standing, he stretched again, raising his arms above his head.

When Demon’s finger poked his side, he yelped quickly and swatted at the hand, “hey!” He turned to smile to Demon, who was grinning playfully. The three began to gather their things to exit the train.

“So are you alright?” Michael asked Melbourne, who looked a bit confused.

“Yeah…?”

“He means after that pervert guy,” Demon spoke up with a frown. “That jackass wouldn’t leave you alone.” Mel felt his face flush; had they seen how the man had ‘caught’ him?

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. He’s gone after all,” he replied, smiling a bit. The two seemed satisfied with that reply as Demon ruffled Mel’s hair. The teen smiled easier as he exited the cabin, joining the rest of the passengers on leaving the train and retrieving the bigger bags and suitcases that they couldn’t carry on.

Once in the fresh air, a cab was waiting for them, already paid. Demon gave a low whistle, commenting about all of the special treatment Mel was receiving. The teen hushed him up by jabbing him in the side.

But the next time Demon whistled, Melbourne felt that he should as well. The cab arrived at a very expensive looking hotel, which seemed to stretch as high as it could. It looked completely new and expensive cars were parked around the parking lot. The area it was in wasn’t shabby either; very fashionable shops lined the streets and people dressed in pricy clothing were meandering about.

“It’s as if you’re in high society,” the black-haired teen commented as they got out of the cab, collecting their suitcases. Melbourne only nodded while Michael looked to him.

“A bit much, isn’t it?” he questioned and Melbourne nodded again. It certainly felt like it. Upon entering the lobby, he had to double take. It looked more like a rich person’s living room, complete with a beautifully furnished fireplace near one corner and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Melbourne made his way to the front desk, feeling awkward in his beat-up dark blue hoodie and worn-out jeans. He glanced to his two lovers, who were currently scoping out the lobby and the expensive looking couches.

“Yes, may I help you?” the thick Carolina accent made Melbourne feel a bit more at ease as he smiled to the lady uneasily.

“Uhm, y-yes. I have a reservation?” he hated how he sounded unsure as the lady nodded.

“Name?”

“Patterson…” he replied and blinked in surprise as the woman’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, I see! You’re that young artist from Alabama, right?” The teenager nodded, biting the inside of his lip. “Why, we were expectin’ you. The other two young artists have already signed in. Go on ahead and sign here an’ Tracer’ll be showing ya’ll to your room.” She slid a small clipboard before Melbourne and placed a pen on it. The teen signed his name, looking at the other artist’s name. They had arrived about an hour earlier, around 7 pm. The lady smiled to him, telling him that her name was Bella and if he needed anything don’t hesitate to ask. Mel nodded to her as a man stepped up beside him.

“Hello there, want me to get your bags for ya, son?” the man, who didn’t look any older than Michael or Demon, smiled to Melbourne. The teenager shook his head.

“Ah, n-no thank you. I got it…” he looked over to Michael and Demon, who were heading over. The man, presumably Tracer, only smiled to Melbourne and nodded.

“Alright. Follow me,” he began to lead the way toward the elevator. Melbourne, Michael, and Demon piled into it after Tracer. The man filled in any kind of silence that the elevator would’ve had.

“Man, everyone in town and their mama are all kinds of excited about your lil’ art show. Did ya know that the winner gets to have their paintings featured in anythin’ that deals with North Carolina? I sure would love to see my own art put up in banners all around the state. Could ya just imagine how many people’d see that in one day? ‘Bout ten thousand, I bet!” the man looked to Melbourne, smiling brightly. “Wouldn’t ya just love that, son?”

The teen briefly smiled to him, nodding. “Y-Yeah…”

“I don’t know,” Demon started, grinning broadly. “I think more than just ten thousand would see it. More like fifty thousand, I bet!” He coughed, laughing as Tracer looked to him. Demon was defiantly mocking him.

“’Xactly! That’s the kinda numbers I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” the man laughed along with Demon, seeming to either ignore the jab or just not realize it all together. Melbourne covered his face, feeling his cheeks redden. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened and the man began to lead them down the hallway.

“Now these here are your keys. Never loose ‘em, ya hear?” The man handed a hotel card to each teenager as they approached a fancy looking door. The numbers 1406 were handsomely engraved into a gold plate. The man winked to the three as he slid a card into the lock and took it out before opening the door with a flourish. “Gentlemen, your humble home while you enjoy your stay here in Charlotte.”

Melbourne walked into the room, feeling his mouth fall open. But he couldn’t do anything about it. The space was enormous! There were about two lovely couches around a large table. A large, flat screen TV rested against the wall on the right, where four plush chairs sat around it. There was a mini fridge beside the TV, and a stationary desk in the far corner. To the left, three small stairs lead to a doorway that opened to a handsome bedroom, with three gigantic beds inside of it. Demon let out a laugh, putting his hands on his head.

“This is a hotel room?” he asked, jogging to the bedroom and leaping over the stairs, walking in. He turned around to give Mel and Michael a huge grin. “Big beds.” Michael glanced at him and frowned while Melbourne waved his hand to Demon as if telling him to back off.

Tracer stood at the doorway, giving a chuckle, “I’ll let you gents settle in. Continental breakfast starts at 5 tomorrow morn, alright?” Melbourne nodded, back-stepping a bit as he reached into his pocket to give Tracer a tip. People gave bellhops tips, right? At least he read that much…

But Tracer shook his head and with another wink closed the door. Melbourne slid his knapsack off of his shoulder as he grinned to Michael and Demon. The two looked just as happy.

“This is huge,” Michael commented, shoving Demon out of the way as he entered the bedroom. There were two nightstands and three large, low dressers. The teenager set his heavy suitcase on top of the end dresser, since Demon had taken the other end. Melbourne entered the bedroom as well, seeing an entrance for the bathroom to the left. He peeked into it, blinking.

“A… a hot tub?” he questioned and immediately felt Demon and Michael press up behind him.

“Holy shit, a Jacuzzi!” Demon said, then laughed and slapped Michael on the back. The sound was loud and Mel winced; it must’ve hurt. He looked up to see Michael giving Demon a very hard look. Then with a grin, he lunged at him. Demon quickly pushed off of the wall, dodging Michael’s fist. Melbourne turned, shaking his head as he watched the two fight.

“Ya’ll are so immature,” he commented, walking over to set his suitcase on the middle dresser. Abruptly, the sounds of the fighting ceased and Mel tensed a bit. What the…?

Before he could think any further, two hands quickly grabbed his arms and threw him on top of the middle bed. The teen cried out in surprise as Demon’s and Michael’s heads came to view. The two of them had on sneaky smirks and Melbourne felt his face blush.

“W-Wait! Ah!” he squeaked as Demon began tickling his sides, laughing. Melbourne tried to free an arm from one of them to cover his mouth from his own laughter. But Michael wouldn’t have it as he kept a tight hold on Mel’s wrists. The teenager pleaded with the two to stop and after a few agonizing moments, Demon’s tickling frenzy halted and the teen’s hands began to softly stroke Mel’s sides. Shivering in pleasure, Melbourne gasped for air as Michael settled by his head, one of the teen’s wrists in his hold. Melbourne watched in the sun’s setting rays as Michael pulled back the sleeve, looking at the healed scars.

Melbourne had stopped his cutting, just for them. It drove him mad; the urge to cut was so immense at times that he had to scrape his nails against his flesh just to sate that odd hunger. All of the old cuts had healed, creating horizontal lines over his forearms. Mel gave Michael a soft smile and the brunette returned it, leaning down to kiss Mel. The blond closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of their lips together. He felt Demon straddle him and the heavy weight of the teen as he leaned forward to catch Michael’s lips once they parted from Melbourne’s.

The teen couldn’t help but to chuckle, “perverts.”

“Yeah, but you like it,” Demon grinned as he leaned down, kissing Melbourne’s neck. The teen exhaled softly as he turned his head, exposing his neck more. He looked through the corner of his eyes as Michael reached forward, grabbing the end of Demon’s shirt and moving to remove it. The teen complied, temporarily leaving Melbourne’s neck for the shirt to slide over his head before he dove down again, suckling on the soft skin. Melbourne lifted a hand, tugging on the end of Michael’s shirt. He complied as well, stripping it off before sliding down to lie beside Melbourne. The brunette lifted a leg, kneeing Demon to move over. He obeyed, but kept an arm tightly secured around Mel’s waist, his hand sliding underneath the shirt to stroke his sides. Melbourne shivered and closed his eyes, smiling.

He did like it.

. . . XXX Pr0n -Laziness Mostly- Smut Sexxors . . .

The morning light flooded the room through the curtains that should’ve been thicker. Melbourne made a soft noise in the back of his throat, nuzzling Michael’s chest. He was squeezed in between Demon and Michael, in a comfortable sandwich. Listening to the heartbeats from both of his lovers, Melbourne sighed lowly. He had to get up.

Each of the three final artists had to go into the art show around 10 am, to make sure that their artwork was placed properly and to meet the judges of the competition.

Not really wanting to, but knowing he had to, Melbourne pushed against Michael slightly and began to sit up. Demon’s arm tightened its hold on his bare waist. Mel, who was still half asleep, pinched the skin. Demon quickly released him as the blond climbed over Michael, mumbling out an apology. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his fingers traced over Michael’s side for a moment before standing up and making his way to the bathroom. But before he could enter, there was a knock on the door.

Rubbing his eyes, Mel bent over to retrieve his watch and his shirt from the ground (his pants had been kept on throughout the night’s activities, though the same couldn’t be said about Demon’s and Michael’s pants). He glanced at the time before sliding his shirt over his head; it was about nine o’clock.

There was another knock and Melbourne yawned, calling out, “be there.” He reached the door and unlocked it. Upon opening it, his sleepiness faded away quickly as a bouquet of flowers greeted him. A finely dressed woman stood behind the flowers as she smiled to him.

“Good mornin’!” she greeted cheerfully. Melbourne blinked, looking over the deep red and white roses at the lady. She didn’t say anything for a moment, her smile faltering slightly, and Melbourne realized with a start he was supposed to greet her as well.

“O-Oh, g’mornin’…” he mumbled out. The lady’s smile returned full force as she handed the flowers to Melbourne, who took them with confusion. “For… me?”

“Are you Melbourne Patterson?” she replied instead of answering.

“Yes…” he said slowly and the lady gave him a nod.

“Then why yes, they are for you! Now if you’ll just sign here!” She held out a pad and a pen. Melbourne signed it, still in shock about the flowers. The lady thanked him rather audibly and left. The teen closed the door, noting that there was a card amidst the bloomed heads of the roses. Taking it, his brow furrowed slightly as he read the words.

Good luck in your art competition! -James Fellow (the gentleman from the train ride)

Melbourne felt his stomach lurch as he suddenly didn’t want to be holding the flowers. How the hell did that man find him? And why did he give him roses?

“Nice flowers,” Demon’s sleepy voice spoke up from behind Melbourne. The teenager wrapped an arm around Mel’s waist, taking the flowers from his hand. “Who’re they from?”

Melbourne bit his lip, “th-that guy… from yesterday, on the train.”

“Oh,” Demon replied as he tossed the flowers to the side and began to nibble on Melbourne’s ear. “Come to bed.” He began to lead the gasping Mel to the bedroom, but the teenager quickly elbowed his muscular lover in the stomach.

“Ah, n-no. I have to get ready,” he blushed, smiling a little. As Demon went to take him again, Melbourne shook his head and pushed him towards Michael. “Go take out your, uhm, s-sexual tension off of Michael…” Demon grinned, nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” he said, crawling on top of Michael. The brunette grumbled as Demon bit his ear and Melbourne turned to go into the bathroom. Shutting the door, he smiled softly as he locked it (just in case). The teenager blushed, remembering last night. Everything was incredibly satisfying.

‘Even though I couldn’t…’ he trailed off, unable to think of the word for his lack of a hard-on. Sighing, he got undressed and stepped into the shower. Reflecting on various memories and events, Melbourne finished soon enough. Beginning to dry himself off, he realized that he hadn’t brought in the clothing he would wear.

Hitting his head, he wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his clothes. Even though both of his lovers had already seen him naked, Melbourne always felt a bit embarrassed about his body. He had nothing spectacular about himself like Demon and Michael. So with a deep inhale, he unlocked the door and ventured his way out.

He looked over to see Michael and Demon in different positions than before. Michael had a pillow bunched up under his chin, eyes closed and looked to be dozing off. Demon, on the other hand, was nursing his arm, throwing Michael dirty looks.

The teen laughed, “so you weren’t successful?” Demon snorted and backhanded Michael’s thigh with his good hand.

Michael only shrugged, “the pervert deserved it.” The teen opened his brown eye and Mel immediately felt his face flush when he realized that Michael was checking him out. Walking to his suitcase, the teen allowed his dirty clothes to drop to the floor. Picking out a light colored long sleeved shirt that had some pattern on the lower right part and presentable looking jeans, he quickly changed without allowing the two to see too much, hopefully.

“It’s just us,” Michael reminded him. Mel only nodded slightly as he combed his hair, looking into the mirror on the wall.

“So shouldn’t we get ready too?” Demon asked, lying down beside Michael. Melbourne shook his head, putting on a metal wrist band.

“No, it’s just us artists. But you two can go have fun,” he turned to give them a smile before bending over to retrieve his wallet and hotel card out of the pants he slept in. “Maybe we can have lunch together, okay?” He quickly began to walk, waving good-bye to the two and saying that he’ll see them later. Mel didn’t know why he wanted to leave so quickly as he shut the door behind himself and began to briskly walk down the corridor. He knew it was annoying to be like this sometimes, but he couldn’t help it. He brushed his fingers over his right wrist.

‘Just like I couldn’t help that,’ he thought, reflecting on the days where he used to cut. Sighing, he pushed the button for the elevator, not even realizing that he had told the two that they could meet for lunch when he didn’t have a cell phone or anyway for them to contact him.

---Foreshadowing much?---

The building the art show was being held in was enormous and very old fashioned looking. The pillars that held it up had probably been built even before the Civil War. Melbourne couldn’t help but to stare at them in awe before entering the building. He ran a hand through his whitish-blond hair, hoping that it didn’t look too messy.

As he entered the lobby, he noticed a pair of double doors opening to a very expansive room. It had dim lighting and seemed very modern despite the antebellum charm of the outside part of the building. Mel stared around, noting that there were quite a few art pieces hung on the walls. It took him a moment before he realized that some of them were his pieces.

Shocked, he quickly walked over to a landscape he had painted. It looked so… so professional on a wall with the glass over it and the handsome wood framing.

“It’s surreal, isn’t it?” a female voice piped up from beside him. Mel looked over, noting the girl’s tallness. She was dressed in a nice looking crème and brown skirt and jacket. Her hair was dark purple and split into two braids that hung close to her neck. Melbourne didn’t reply for a moment until the girl tilted her head.

“A-Ah!” he coughed a bit, nodding. “Y-Yes, it is. I mean, I’d never thought of seeing my art up li-like that…” He waved a hand to the piece. The girl nodded, holding out her hand. Melbourne nodded, taking the darker skinned hand into his. It just made his pale skin look even paler.

“I’m Antique McCullough. And you’re probably Melbourne Patterson, right?” She gave him a wide grin and Melbourne couldn’t help but to smile back. It was one of those contagious grins.

‘Like Michael’s…’ he thought as he nodded. “Yes, I’m Melbourne. Uhm, so where’s…?”

“Charlie Jones? He’s over there,” she released his hand to point to the far wall, where a teenager dressed in a black and white suit stood. He also had on a pretty wide brimmed black hat with a white ribbon. Melbourne blinked at the attire and Antique laughed.

“I know! When I saw the suit, I immediately thought ‘what a stiff’. But he’s cool. He actually designed it himself.”

“Oh,” Mel nodded a bit and Antique laughed again.

“Not a clothes person, huh?” she asked, smiling at him. Mel briefly looked down at his simple clothes then smiled a bit awkwardly.

“Uhm, kinda, I guess…”

Antique waved her hand, “hey, I understand. It’s either new clothes or paints, right?” Mel nodded, grateful that she seemed to understand. The girl was still smiling as she waved over to the suited Charlie Jones. “Hey, Charlie Jones! C’mon over!” The other teenager looked over and Melbourne blinked in surprise. He had a white contact in his right eye; it contrasted immensely with his black left eye. The two-tone eyed teen gave the two a smile before strutting over.

He stuck out a hand to Melbourne in a very sharp fashion, “greetings there fellow artist. I’m Charles Lyson Tyson Jones, but call me Charlie Jones for short, short man.” His speech was fast and abrupt and Mel suddenly felt that this teenager seemed to be suited better for New York than Charlotte.

“Uhm… hi…” Mel said, shaking hands with Charlie. The two abrupt shakes were hard on his delicate wrist and Melbourne felt glad when Charlie released his grip. He rubbed it slightly, trying not to stare. Antique seemed to simply enjoy their interaction, chuckling.

“So Charlie Jones, what do you think of the Southern charm of beautiful Charlotte?” Antique asked him. Charlie gave a short laugh, leaning back slightly before straightening.

“What I think? Well Charlie Jones thinks that this lovely establishment is absolutely perfect. Far more hospitable and far more captivating than New York, New York. My paintings were suffering up there, from all of the pollution both from the cars on the street and from the venders on the inside. But down here, yes yes. Charlie Jones thinks he’ll enjoy Charlotte North Carolina very much thank you!”

“What?” Melbourne couldn’t help but to say. He hadn’t caught a single word the teen had said. As soon as Charlie Jones looked to Melbourne with a confused look, Antique busted out laughing. When the native Southerner noticed that he had said ‘what’ out loud, he quickly covered his mouth as a blush crossed his face. “Ah, uh, n-no, I didn’t mean…”

But Charlie simply gave Mel an amused smile as he patted his shoulder, “ah, I understand Melbourne Patterson. Charlie Jones can be quite confusing to those who are new to his mannerisms. But don’t you worry, I have a feeling the three of us will be quite the inseparable pair if I may duly say so.” Mel gave an awkward smile to him, thinking that a trio didn’t make a pair at all. But he didn’t say anything out loud. Charlie Jones was quite an oddball; he moved while he talked. As though there was music in his head. And Antique was incredibly friendly. He already felt as though he had known her for years. Mel hadn’t even noticed when she placed her hand on his shoulder. For once, he didn’t mind a stranger touching him.

Although, when a hand grazed the small of his back, Mel couldn’t help but to jerk slightly. And when the voice began to speak, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise.

“Well, it’s so good to everyone gathered here,” the man from the train spoke up. The other two artists greeted him, but Mel couldn’t find words as he gave a simple nod, crossing his arms over his abdomen.

‘James Fellow,’ Mel remembered from the card as he stared at the floor. The hand was still on his back.

“So have you all taken a look around? No?” James continued. Mel assumed that the two shook their heads. “Well then, please take the time to ensure that your pieces are placed properly on the walls. But Melbourne, could I please speak with you a moment?” The hand spread to his middle back, pressing on him. The teen bit his lip, nodding as he took a few steps forward to escape the unwanted hand.

The hand persisted, however, as the man lead him out of the art room and down the hallway. Mel swallowed, keeping his eyes downcast. James wasn’t saying anything. This fact scared Melbourne as the two came to a stop in front of a wooden door.

“My office,” James explained, opening the door. Mel quickly looked up and tensed, his knees freezing up. But James gently pushed him in, shutting the door behind himself. It was a small office, with a large desk and two chairs on the opposite side. Artwork hung everywhere, some of it still on the floor.

“Please, have a seat,” James smiled to him. Melbourne skirted from him and took a seat in front of the large desk. To his surprise, James sat down in the chair beside him, moving it closer. Mel swallowed, staring at his kneecaps as he tightened the hold across his stomach.

He couldn’t explain it, but he was scared. The man’s actions on the train definitely showed that James had some kind of interest in him. And now pulling him to the side and… and… touching his knee? Mel’s legs stiffened as he stared at the hand that was resting on his knee, the fingers grazing his inner thigh.

James’s breathing was slightly shallow and Mel glanced up at him. He had the same shocked, pleased look on his face like from the train. The teen quickly looked away, wondering if he could quickly run out of the room.

“Melbourne, I’m sure that you’re a bit confused about all of this. I mean, first meeting me on the train and then meeting me here at this art show. Are you confused?” Melbourne didn’t feel like nodding, but he felt his muscles moving anyway. The man pressed forward slightly and Mel tensed. He knew that he had every right to slap the hand away from him, but for some reason he felt it would be rude.

‘I’m so stupid,’ Mel admonished himself.

“I would be too,” the man continued with a chuckle. “To be honest, I must say that I had fallen in love with your artwork. I had to meet the beautiful artist who painted those wonderful paintings. I had even thought that you would be a girl…” Mel’s face flushed; that was so forward!

The man lowered his voice, “I can’t hide or deny that I find you attractive, regardless of your gender. But… I can remind you that I’m a judge here.”

That statement forced Melbourne to quickly turn to him, unable to hide his shock, “ju-judge?!”

James nodded, leaning closer and Mel had to lean away, pressing himself against the seat. “Yes, judge. And I’ll be watching you… carefully. I run the art scene in Charlotte. I’d like it if you’d remember that.” The man’s hand moved up Mel’s thigh and the teen couldn’t help but to cry out a bit and quickly stand. The chair scraped against the wood floor loudly. Mel was breathing a bit heavier now, staring at James as though he had just wielded a knife and told him that he was going to kill him. The man slowly stood as well, but thankfully didn’t walk closer to Melbourne.

“Just remember that, Melbourne. I can either make you or break you,” the smile he was giving Melbourne had no malice in it, nor did the voice. Regardless, it sent a cold shiver down Mel’s back.

The man walked around his desk, lifting up a folder, “so nice, isn’t it? The free train ride up here, the free hotel, your artwork hung in this beautiful museum. An all expenses paid vacation. All of it totals to around two thousand dollars. Do you have that kind of money, Melbourne?” The teenager shook his head, feeling his heart pounding in his chest violently. James only gave him the eerie smile as he opened the folder, rifling through it. “It’d be a shame if all of your artwork are nothing more but copies. Not only would you be forced to pay the money, you’d also have to pay a hefty fine. Charlotte is not kind to art thieves.”

Melbourne’s eyes widened as he stopped breathing. The man simply stared at him, slowly nodding. He wouldn’t…

“I can, and I will unless you comply,” he stated. “I would like your answer tonight.” Melbourne immediately took a few steps away from him, before hurrying out of the office, quickly closing the door behind himself as he rested against it, eyes wide. James was a judge here. He had control over anything that dealt with art, obviously. And that folder; did it contain some fake evidence that his paintings were fake? Or worse, copies?

The teen suddenly felt very ill as he shoved off of the doorway and immediately headed towards the exit. He wanted to see Michael and Demon.

“Hey, Melbourne!” Antique’s voice picked up, and Melbourne forced himself to stop. He didn’t want to leave a bad impression on his new acquaintances. The teen turned, giving her the best fake smile he could offer.

The girl didn’t take it, “hey, you alright? What did that guy have to say?”

Melbourne simply shook his head, “n-nothing much. Just that h-he’s a judge…”

“That guy’s a judge?” Antique sounded disgustingly surprised and Melbourne had to look up to see her expression. It wasn’t happy. “Man, that guy’s a creep, I can’t believe he’ll be judging.” Mel couldn’t hide his surprise. Did this mean that Mel wasn’t the only one James had advanced on?

“Charlie Jones wants to know what his two fellow friends are talking about. What say you?” Charlie spoke up, sliding up beside Antique and doing a small spin. Mel noticed that his hat was off to reveal his black and white hair.

Antique only put a hand on her hip, shaking her head, “that creepy guy? Yeah, he’s goin’ to be one of the judges.” Mel looked to Charlie, who also had an expression of disgust on his face.

“Charlie Jones admits that this does not please his expressive nature,” he said with a snap, shaking his head sadly. “No no, it does not.”

Melbourne couldn’t help it; he laughed. Holding his stomach, the teen leaned forward slightly as the laughter shook his body harder than Demon’s tickling from the night previous.

Antique chuckled a bit, “what’s so funny?” Melbourne shook his head, bowing it as tears began to fall down his face. He continued to laugh, however, even when he didn’t feel like laughing. He felt Antique’s warm hand on his shoulder and her gentle voice asking him what was wrong.

The blond looked up to her, wiping his eyes, “nuh-nothing. I-I’m fine.” Saying those two words made his throat close up for an unknown reason. The feeling to see Michael and Demon turned into a full forced urge as Melbourne took a step back.

He swallowed, giving the two a smile as he felt his face flush in embarrassment, “I-I’ll be ba-back, okay?” He waved to them and the two waved back, looking a bit confused. He turned and quickly left, using his sleeve to rub off his tears as fast as he could.

Melbourne felt like an idiot. He just completely embarrassed himself in front of two people who were so friendly and open. He felt jealous about that. They didn’t seem to have anything wrong with them. Nor did they seem to have creepy people constantly harassing them.

‘No, it’s just me apparently,’ he thought, biting his lip as he walked the blocks back to the hotel. Thankfully, no one stopped him or noticed his face. He pressed a hand to his cheek. It felt a bit warm.

Hurrying through the hotel’s front doors, he quickly got into an elevator. Sighing, he pressed his back against one of the walls, pushing the button for his floor. The teen covered his face with both hands, wiping it. Hopefully, he didn’t look as though he had just been crying.

‘Why was I crying anyway?’ he worried, gnawing on his lip now. Deep down, he knew why he was crying. He just didn’t want to think about it… Still, he had found Charlie Jones’s statement hilarious, for some odd and unknown reason. The next thing he knew, he was sobbing. Mel winced, hitting his forehead with the flat of his palm.

“I probably looked like an idiot,” he muttered as the elevator door opened. Melbourne walked through it, now trudging to his room. What would Demon and Michael say? If they saw his red face, would they assume the worse and guard around him? Melbourne felt his stomach churn at the thought. The two of them could get pretty rough; if they got wind of James and his desire for Melbourne, things would get violent.

Quickly.

Sliding the card into the card slot, Melbourne watched as the small light turned green. Inhaling deeply, he pushed down on the handle and entered the room. Letting the door shut behind himself, the teenager stepped into the roomy room. Seeing no one in the living room area, Mel walked up the short stairs to the bedroom.

Demon’s suitcase was open and lying on the bed, a few clothes scattered around it. Michael’s was on his bed, but much less messy. Wondering if they had gone to lunch, Melbourne walked to his bed and fell on top of it. Reaching for a pillow, he grabbed it and smothered his face into it. Inhaling, it smelled like his lovers and Melbourne couldn’t help but to smile slightly.

“Melbourne?” The teenager shot up, looking around. Michael smiled from the doorway of the bedroom, dressed in his swimming trunks. Mel calmed himself, smiling a bit as he looked to his watch. Half an hour had passed.

“I was asleep…” he murmured as Michael walked over, standing beside him.

“I can see that,” the brunette replied, reaching out and brushing a few stray hairs back into place. Mel smiled, leaning into the touch. “Demon and I went swimming.”

Melbourne chuckled a little, “I can see that.” Michael tousled the blond’s hair as he grinned back.

“So you wanna join us?”

“Join? No,” Melbourne stood up, stretching as he grinned playfully. “But I’ll definitely watch.” Michael grinned back as he lightly punched Melbourne’s shoulder. The events from the morning seemed to have vanished. But he could still feel the weight of what James had said to him.

“I think Demon’s rubbing off on you,” Michael said, beginning to walk out of the room. Melbourne followed, laughing a bit.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be as perverted as him…” he trailed off slightly. The morning was starting to reappear in his head at full force. Speaking with Michael had made him temporarily forget what took place… and what might take place that very evening. The teenager closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

‘Don’t think about it,’ he tried to wipe his mind of the memories. It worked, but very little. Melbourne jerked slightly as he bumped into Michael, blinking.

“Ah, sorry…” he muttered, taking a step back. He felt Michael’s stare on him as his face flushed. Michael knew something was up.

“You alright?” his lover asked, gently taking hold of Melbourne’s chin and lifting it. “You seem a bit… preoccupied.”

Melbourne offered a smile to him, “just nervous, I guess…” Michael stared at him and dropped his hold, turning around. Mel bit his lip as the teenager before him spoke.

“…Fine.”

‘Crap, he knows I lied!’ Mel thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. The teenager opened his mouth, but Michael had already opened the door. The brunette turned, staring down at Melbourne disapprovingly.

“You don’t have to tell me everything… But I’d like it if you wouldn’t lie about it,” Michael said softly and Melbourne felt his chest hurting as he nodded.

“I-I’m sorry…” he replied, feeling helpless. He didn’t know what to do. If he told his lovers about what James had said, then undoubtedly they’d storm into the office and beat the man up. But then what about the art show? It’d be unfair to Antique and to Charlie if they had to cancel it because of him. And then again, if James seemed to like Melbourne so much, and Melbourne did what he wanted, would he award Mel first place? But if Melbourne refused James and the man went through what he had said, it might ruin Melbourne’s future as an artist.

The teenager sighed, staring at the floor as he felt his eyes well up again. He heard the door close as Michael’s hand touched his chin once more. Melbourne turned his head away, quickly wiping at his eyes.

“Something is wrong,” he stated softly and Melbourne bit his lip. He slowly nodded, putting his hands into his pockets. Michael moved forward, wrapping his arms around Melbourne. The teenager felt comfortable in his lover’s embrace, but it only made him want to cry.

“You can’t talk about it?” the brunette asked and Melbourne nodded again. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Michael rubbed the small of Mel’s back as he sighed softly. “Can I at least guess?” The blue-eyed teen shook his head, closing his eyes tightly.

‘I’m sorry,’ he thought, burying his head into Michael’s chest, his arms reaching around to hug Michael tightly. His mind frantically thought about his options. If he did what James wanted, it might taint his reputation. Especially if word about it got out. But if he refused James, then his future as an artist would be ruined. He’d be scarred as a copy artist, an art thief. The thought of that was frightening. Art was his future, his passion. He then thought about Antique and Charlie.

Melbourne opened his eyes, staring at the wall as Michael’s hand rubbed at his whole back. What would happen if he told them? He tried to think of scenarios. They might laugh him off. He recalled how disgusted the two looked when he informed them that James was a judge.

Feeling a flicker of hope, Melbourne pulled away from Michael. The teenager stared down at him, looking a bit confused. Mel simply gave him a smile and reached up, pressing his lips against Michael tightly. Releasing his lover from the passionate kiss, Melbourne whispered a small “thank you” accompanied by a soft smile. Michael nodded, brows furrowed as Melbourne quickly walked past him.

“You alright?” he ventured and Mel nodded, wiping at his eyes to remove any left over tears.

“I-I think so,” he said, opening the door. His smile widened as he looked at Michael. “I love you.” He quickly turned and left. He didn’t use those words a lot, because he felt that they were too special to be wasted on small occasions. And he still felt shy about saying it, especially saying it so boldly just then. He reached up, feeling the heat from his cheeks as he opened the door for the stairwell. Skipping down the stairs two at a time, Melbourne felt a bit of urgency in his steps. He wanted to see what would happen if he followed through. Would it be beneficial or would it simply crash and burn?

He prayed that, for once, luck would be on his side.

-Run Melbourne Run!-

Thankfully, Mel didn’t have to enter the museum. Antique was standing outside, smoking a cigarette. The teen walked over to her. She spotted him before he could say a word.

“Oh! There you are! You disappeared!” she exclaimed, giving him a bit smile. “We were getting a bit worried. They still have to go over with us how the night’ll- you okay?” She cut herself off as Melbourne shook his head. He must’ve looked a bit pensive as Antique took a step closer. “What’s wrong, hun?”

“I-I… I need to tell you and, uhm, Charlie something,” he stammered, suddenly feeling very nervous. Would this be a good idea? His stomach felt like it was coiled tightly around a hard ball. The female artist in front of him nodded, putting out her cigarette as she began to walk towards the building.

“Here, we’ll find a room to talk.”

Mel shook his head, rubbing his wrist anxiously, “uhm… can we, uhm, go somewhere?” He didn’t want to see James, for fear that the man would suck any courage that Melbourne had. What little existed. Thankfully, Antique nodded as she halted on the stairs. Looking around the street, she smiled.

“I see a nice lil’ coffee shop down the way. Wanna go there?” Melbourne nodded just as Charlie exited the building. The teenager inhaled the air, placing his hands on his hips in an extravagant manner.

“Charlie Jones swears he will never tire of this beautiful fresh air! Charlotte, you have stolen this man’s heart!” he exclaimed, then smiled brilliantly to Antique and Melbourne. “Would you two not agree? This fair city just emanates beauty and brilliance and you two seem to be looking to talk.” The white-and-black male thankfully lowered his voice as he walked down the rest of the stairs to stand beside Melbourne and Antique.

The purple-haired girl nodded, “Mel says he has to tell us something.”

“Well then well then,” Charlie tilted his head to Melbourne, an odd little smirk on his face. “What does Melbourne Patterson need to speak about? By the by, you look a bit shaken up. So inside the three of us venture?”

“No, no. We’re gonna head to that cute lil’ coffee shop down the street,” Antique pointed and Charlie gave an abrupt nod as he jumped a bit, rotating his arms.

“Then away we go!” he danced slightly before starting to walk down the street. “Though I do feel slightly awkward without my cane. I would normally go back to retrieve it, but the looks on my fellow artists’ faces seem to be rather urgent, so Charlie Jones can live without his cane this once.”

“Thank you,” Melbourne said softly and Antique chuckled a bit. The three reached the coffee shop that had eccentric metal works of musical notes and musicians. Polvo played from the speakers hoisted around the entrance and as the two came in, they saw that several TVs featuring a Polvo music video were mounted in the brightly colored walls. There were more metal artwork all around and the three momentarily were lost in the intricacies of it.

“After we’re done talkin’ ‘bout what you want to talk about Mel, we are so discussing these,” Antique said, admiring a warped singer piece. Melbourne nodded, he was entranced with the artwork as well. To be able to mold metal into three-dimensional artwork was absolutely breathtaking. Charlie actually didn’t reply, watching the video intently.

A man in a striped shirt smiled to the three, “go on an’ take a seat. We’ll get ya’ll some drinks. What ya like?”

“Three caramel lattes,” Antique said and Charlie Jones laughed, turning to her.

“Now how in the world did you possibly know that that is my absolute favorite drink, Miss Antebellum Antique? Charlie Jones adores that drink to the full extent because of the delicious flavor,” he grabbed a chair, spinning it before sitting down. Melbourne took the seat beside him while Antique filled in the last chair. Mel personally had never had a latte before as he stared at the table.

Antique only laughed, “because it’s my favorite drink. What about you Mel?” The teenager bit his lip.

“I-I’ve never had one,” he muttered and Charlie gasped.

“Then you are missing out on the love of the world, Melbourne Patterson. Here, here! Our drinks have arrived, you must sample the finest that the world can offer a searching soul such as yours.” Melbourne blinked at him as the warm drink was pushed towards him. The teenager stared down before taking the cup. Putting it to his lips, he sipped at it, feeling both Charlie’s and Antique’s eyes on him. The warm liquid filled his mouth and he tasted the caramel.

It was delicious.

Setting it down, the teenager smiled softly. “It’s really good…” Antique grinned to him as she drank hers. The three sat in silence, listening to the music. Mel felt the nervousness continuously eat at his twisted insides. Eventually, Antique asked him what he wanted to say.

So setting down his warm and really nice drink, Melbourne inhaled and relayed to them what had happened in James Fellow’s office. He stuttered a lot and felt like a fool several times, but the two listened to him intently. By the end, Melbourne’s left hand was gripping his right wrist tightly as he finally finished what he had to say.

He heard Antique growl a bit and the teen looked up, slightly startled. The artist looked vivid and disgusted. Mel looked over to Charlie to see that a sour look was on his face.

“The creep-maestro is not only a judge at this wondrous competition but he also attempts to molest one of the contestants?! Not only that, but a friend of Charlie Jones? This will not to unpunished, lest my dearest mother be risen from her grave to onslaught this vile beast of a man several times over, or my name is not Charles Lyson Tyson Jones!” Charlie snapped twice as he looked to Melbourne and gave a firm nod. Melbourne couldn’t help but to smile slightly. They were on his side, they didn’t think he was lying!

“This is just sick,” Antique spoke up, gripping her cup tightly. “I mean, damn! I can’t believe that such a freakin’ pig would just do that! And to try to set you up as an art thief?! That’s just sick, plain out sick.”

“So what do you plan on doing about this?” Charlie asked Melbourne, who bit his lip slightly.

“I-I don’t know… I jes figured t’tell you two, ‘cause I have no clue on what to do. I mean, if I refuse him, my reputation as an artist would be shattered,” his shoulders sagged at the thought. Antique reached over, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Now listen here, Mel. You’ll be fine. We’ll go talk to the other judges. I mean, there obviously has to be more than one,” she gave him a comforting smile and Melbourne nodded.

“Okay,” he smiled back to her as he wrapped his hands around the cup that was still warm. He felt so safe now as he sipped at the drink again.

Charlie Jones suddenly sat forward, “and now that the ugly business has been resolved and taken care of, allow us fellow artists to finally venture into the realm known as metal working. Now I absolutely adore this here piece by the window…”

-Rockin’ the Casba… or the Art Show-

Melbourne felt his stomach tighten as he stared at his watch. It was around two in the afternoon. They had spent more time in the coffee shop than intended, completely mesmerized by the atmosphere of the place. Mel smiled to himself as he stuck his hands into his pockets. He’d definitely bring Michael and Demon there.

He watched as various people walked around the room that their artworks were in. The setting up for the show was almost done. Soon, everything would be ready for people to freely walk in and view and scrutinize the artworks that he, Charlie, and Antique had worked so hard on.

Mel was with Charlie while Antique had gone off to find someone who could help them. Charlie was talking his ear off about one of his pieces. Mel was definitely interested in it as he stared at the vibrant colors and very outspoken nature of the painting. He wondered if his pieces had a chance against such an imagination.

He felt nervous standing in the art room. Would James be there? Mel looked away from Charlie’s painting, watching the people again. He thankfully didn’t see him.

“Hey guys,” Antique came up from behind them, interrupting Charlie mid-sentence. The teen didn’t mind as he whipped his head and body around to face his fellow artist. Antique wore a smile as an older woman came up behind her.

She smiled to the three, holding her hand out to them, “my name is Carville, the director of this contest and of the museum.” Both Mel and Charlie shook her hand as she spoke in her mellow, Carolina voice. “Antique tells me that somethin’ might be wrong?”

Melbourne nodded, adverting his eyes as he said softly, “y-yes… uhm…”

“Can we go somewhere private to discuss this?” Antique thankfully spoke up and Carville nodded.

“Of course, if you will please follow me,” she said, leading them to another part of the room. There was a door in the corner, barely noticeable because of an easel holding a large painting in front of it. Mel stared at the beautiful colors; it must’ve been one of Antique’s. Carville lead them into a nicely furnished office. Unlike the office he had been in that morning, this office was nice and tidy with the artwork hung on her walls.

Sitting behind a desk, she smiled to the three, “so what seems to be the matter?” Charlie nudged Mel slightly as the teen swallowed.

“O-One of your, uhm, judges… He approached me i-in a… a of kind, I-I mean a kind of, s-s-sexual manner,” Melbourne spoke quickly as he stared at the ground, feeling his face flush. The woman was silent for a moment.

“I beg your pardon?” she finally asked and Mel wanted to sink through the floor. Telling Antique and Charlie was so much easier.

“J-James Fellow,” he tried again, taking in a deep breath as Antique patted his back. “James Fellow took me to th’side this mornin’… And he-he put his hand on my leg in a very se-sexual manner.” Mel glanced at Carville. Her face was pretty grave looking. He quickly looked back down as he continued, “and h-he also told me some pretty, uhm, scary things… That I, I-I mean, that he fell in love with m-my work and ha-had to meet me… And that he could m-make or break me and that i-if I didn’t do as, I-I mean, don’t obey him he’ll cl-claim that I’m an art thief…” He heard the squeak of a chair as the woman stood up, her high heels soft against the carpet. Mel looked up to watch her as she moved to the front of her desk.

Leaning against it, she placed her hands on either side of her, “when did he do this?”

“Th-This mornin’…” Mel repeated, feeling his stomach tighten. What would happen?

“You said James Fellow,” she sighed, closing her eyes. “He has quite the influence. A very kind man held in high esteem.” Melbourne swallowed, his hands fidgeting nervously as he remembered what James had told him.

Antique spoke up in a clipped tone beside Melbourne, “even if he is a kind man, that’s no excuse for how he acted to Mel. That’s perverted, for one, and two, it’s immoral! Mel, how old are you?”

“S-Seventeen…”

“He’s underage!” Antique exclaimed. “And why would Mel make this up? He entered this contest just as we did and-“

“Calm, Antique,” the woman held up her hands. “I’m not sayin’ I don’t believe you. On the contrary, I am not one of the few who hold him in high esteem. If anythin’, I feel he is the wrong influence on our museum.”

Melbourne felt relieved as he looked up. But Carville’s face was still grave. His nervousness immediately returned.

“Then what’s the matter?” Antique asked, putting a hand on her hip.

“It’s one boy’s word against a highly educated man,” she replied.

“Three, if I may be intrusive,” Charlie spoke up. “And if I may also state, when Mel had left that man’s office this morning, he did seem rather spooked. In a way that really means that something was wrong.”

Carville nodded, “very well. We have two eye witnesses who saw Melbourne Patterson enter James Fellow’s office and leave in a scared manner. However, what happened behind those doors is a matter that is private to Melbourne and James…” she trailed off before smirking slightly, “and a private camera.”

Mel’s eyes widened as he couldn’t help the large smile that broke across his face, “really?!”

The woman nodded, smiling a little as well. “I will review the tape myself. Matters will be taken to the proper authorities. However…” Mel blinked, his smile disappearing. However?

He heard Antique groan beside him and the teen quickly looked over to her. “What?”

“He said he fell in love with Melbourne Patterson’s artwork,” Charlie spoke up, frowning. Mel blinked, confused. James Fellow did say that to him, that he had fallen in love with the art and…

“And wanted to meet the artist,” he murmured, feeling crushed. “Me.”

“Unfortunately, yes. We had three judges to judge artworks from several locations. James Fellow was in charge of the judges in your section, obviously. He must have talked them into choosing you. So even though you were chosen to be one of the final three, the fact that James Fellow chose you for a purpose other than the competition…” she trailed off, her lips tight together. Mel stared at the ground, his heart sunken. So it wasn’t his talent that had gotten him into the show; it was the desire of one man who wanted to possibly molest the artist.

He bit his lip, his right wrist throbbing. The teenager closed his eyes tightly, opening his mouth, “I-I understand…”

“So what’s gonna happen? The art show’s tonight,” Antique glared, frowning. “I mean, even if Mel was picked for the wrong reasons, he’s still here! Not his fault that some creep ruined it for him.”

Charlie clapped his hands together, suddenly smiling, “Charlie Jones has a suggestion, as something kind of but not exactly similar happened back in New York New York.”

Carville tilted her head, “what?”

“Keep the art show as it is, but with the two remaining judges who aren’t guilty of being creepy molesters, simply have them judge mine and Antique’s. I know it’s still unfair to our dearly beloved friend Melbourne Patterson, but this way the beautiful city of Charlotte North Carolina is able to save face and select a pretty new art piece for their fair city.” He looked over to Mel to give him a sympathetic smile, but the teen shook his head.

“No, I agree. And it’s not unfair… I-I mean, I’m not gonna say that I’m not sad ‘bout this, but I can’t d-defend myself when I wasn’t even chosen to b-be here t’compete…” he looked down at the ground and felt Antique’s hand on his shoulder again. It felt terrible, but he did understand. The teenager looked up to his two new friends, smiling a little. “Good luck, you two.”

-Laziness, laziness, oh la lala lala laziness! POP-

Melbourne entered the hotel room, feeling slightly worn out. He and his friends were allowed to go back to their hotel rooms to change for the art show that evening while Carville took care of James Fellow. He was thankful that Antique managed to find someone who didn’t trust James and who had snuck a camera in his office.

“Hey, Melbourne!” Demon spoke up. He was sprawled on one of the chairs in front of the TV. Michael was sitting beside him and Mel smiled to them. He loved them so much. Walking over, he sat down on Demon’s lap, leaning back. The teenager closed his eyes, exhaling.

“So how’d it go?” Michael asked and Melbourne looked over to him with a gentle smile.

“Fine. We’ll have to be at the museum at seven,” he replied, reaching over to play with Demon’s hair. The black-haired teen grinned as he rubbed one of Mel’s thighs.

“You’ll actually have to comb your hair, Demon,” Mel teased. Michael laughed as Demon stuck out his lower lip.

“I do comb my hair,” he pouted. Mel chuckled as he leaned down, kissing Demon’s lips. The teenager below him made an interested noise as he wrapped his arms around Mel. One of his hands sneakily began to slide up Mel’s shirt. The blond slowly pulled his lips away, grinning.

“Pervert,” he said as Demon quickly maneuvered to stand up. Mel cried out, wrapping his arms around Demon’s neck. “H-Hey!”

Demon looked over to Michael with a grin, “I think sex in the afternoon will be a new one for us, hm?” Michael only rolled his eyes as Mel frowned, squirming in Demon’s hold.

“N-No, I have to get rea-“ Demon interrupted him by kissing him on the lips and began to walk back towards the bedroom. Mel struggled slightly and let out an indignant squeak as Demon dropped him on top of the bed. Before Melbourne could crawl off, Demon was already on him, nuzzling at his chest. Mel flushed, trying to push him away.

“Demon, I’m serious- ah!” he cried out, arching his back as one of Demon’s hands snaked to grasp at Mel’s behind. “Mi-Michael!” He looked to the doorway, seeing his other lover finally enter the room. Michael sat down on the bed beside them, watching the two as Demon lifted the material of Mel’s shirt and began to kiss at his stomach. The teenager inhaled sharply as he bit his lip to suppress a moan.

Michael grinned as he moved to kneel beside the bed, reaching over to brush a few strands of hair away from Mel’s face. He leaned forward, kissing Melbourne as Demon’s fingers brushed against the hem of Mel’s jeans. The teenager remained tense until Michael’s tongue entered his mouth and Demon had begun to suckle at his skin. Then his muscles relaxed as he kissed Michael back, his hand reaching up to run through Demon’s hair.

He loved these moments. When he’d feel the buzz from Michael’s and Demon’s ministrations and would watch as the two would kiss each other with a bit more vigor than they would to him. Because of his damn inhabitation, he could never truly participate in events such as this. So he was glad that Demon and Michael had each other to satisfy that particular need. Melbourne watched through hooded eyes as Demon threw his head back with an audible moan. Michael likewise moaned, his muscles rippling. Mel’s lips parted slightly, watching the two in their love making as he lay at the head of the bed.

They were gods compared to him. Mel’s eyes drifted over to his wrist that lay limply in front of him. Yeah. They were definitely god-like compared to his body. Mel drew his arm to himself as he noticed Michael moving over. He smiled up to him and Michael smiled down. The brunette leaned over, kissing Melbourne gently as Demon stretched, coming over to lay his head on Mel’s hip.

The Southerner softly laughed, “I’m too boney to be a pillow…” Demon shook his head, wrapping his arms around Mel’s waist as though he really were a pillow.

“Nah,” the teenager sighed, kissing the bare skin. Mel shivered as Michael lay down in front of him. The blond reached towards him, combing his hands through Michael’s hair. Soon, Demon’s breathing was coming out even and when Mel glanced down, he saw that those beautiful violet eyes were closed to the world.

“Michael?” the teen murmured. His lover replied as softly and Mel smiled. “Thank you for earlier…”

“All I did was hug you,” Michael said, shifting so that he could look at Mel. The teen shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied, kissing Michael’s forehead. “You just helped, that’s all.”

“Hm. Well, glad to help, I guess.” Melbourne smiled as he closed his eyes, resting his head against Michael’s. He felt himself drift off into a nice nap, imagining what the night would be like without any worries or problems. The night would be wonderful, with many people loving his, Antique’s and Charlie’s artwork. There wouldn’t be a creepy guy forcing him to do whatever he wanted. Michael and Demon would be right there beside him, making soft remarks and little jokes at the right moment to make Melbourne smile.

And at the end of the evening, the three would walk around town, enjoying each other’s company and the intoxicating air of Charlotte before retiring back to the hotel room to sleep before going off to the train ride. Mel grinned in his sleep. Knowing his lovers, and himself, they probably would barely get any sleep at all.

--?!?—

Michael and Demon belong to AngelicAmbyence. Her stories are teh rock, go read 'em now!

Melbourne and essentially everyone else mentioned here belong to me, Mai Lynn