Before I start, I'd like to say that I received a couple of reviews for this story saying that I was stereotyping and generalizing, and I'd like to assure you that I mean no offense to anyone Catholic or not Catholic by this story. This was written simply for fun. The religion in this story can be exchanged for another. Don't like homophobic Catholics? Make them homophobic Jews. Make them homophobic Muslims. IT DOESN'T MATTER. If this story had been about religion, I would have posted it under 'Religion.' That's why it's under 'Romance.' This is not about religion. This is simply about love. I did not intend to stereotype anyone. The few Catholics I know very well are kind, accepting people. I did not mean to imply anything different. There. Now that you've been warned, go ahead. I promise, it isn't religion-heavy at all. If you feel that you'll be offended then please, hit the back button. Don't waste my time and arouse my anger because you feel the need to put me in my place. If you just came here to read a story about a cute, gay, Catholic kid and his classmate (which, really, should be everyone-- I don't understand why anyone would click the link just to tell me off for talking about things I don't understand) then please, keep reading. I think it will be worth it. And I apologize to those who reviewed with the comments mentioned. I don't mean to offend you by the above rant. Thank you.

So Perfectly Taught

Mary kissed her cross, then her brother's forehead. Luke looked up at her, and she put a hand in his hair, equally blond as her own, and ruffled it slightly. He smiled, and then she fastened his cross around his neck. "Have a good day at school, Luke," Mary said.

"Goodbye, Mary."

Luke grabbed his bag and haphazardly dashed out the door to catch his bus. He was sixteen years old, and in his junior year of high school. He was born Catholic, and his parents were convinced that he would die Catholic, with no sins resting on his soul. But Luke had secrets, and although secrets were not technically a sin, these secrets most definitely were. Not even starting on "lust" as his first general sin, Luke often figured that what he thought about might even encroach upon "perversion" territory.

He wasn't gay. He just liked boys. No, no. He didn't even like boys. He just thought about them. A lot. About eighty percent of the time, actually. Probably more than that, when Luke really thought about it.

The thing was, though, that he couldn't even tell anybody. His mother would laugh and tell him of course he wasn't gay. His father might hit him for mentioning it. Mary would just pray for his soul or something, and frankly, Luke didn't want to deal with any of that.

Once, Luke asked Mary what would happen if he was gay. She looked at him gravely and said that Jesus loved everyone, even sinners, so if she was a true follower of Jesus, she would love everyone, also. But something in her tone told Luke that what she really meant to say was "It's okay for other people to be gay. But not you, Luke. Don't. Even. Think about it."

So it wasn't like he could go to one of those ex-gay groups, either, because his parents wouldn't believe him, even if he said he wanted to. But he didn't want to. Luke wasn't necessarily ashamed of the way he was. He didn't really wish to be straight, either, because most girls actually scared him more than boys did.

But Luke didn't want a relationship with a boy. How could he? He would go to college and he would find a Catholic club there, and he would marry the sweetest most Catholic girl in that club. He would bring her to his parents, and they would love her, and they would have three children and everything would be perfect.

But somehow, Luke couldn't see this happening. He grew agitated at the thought of spending his life with one woman. Many women, maybe. Many men, for certain - although, he wasn't sure what Mary, his parents, or God, for that matter, would have to say about that. But then he thought of what would happen if he spent his life with... one man.

And that, really, was what frightened him. Because he realized that he wanted it. He wanted it very much. He wanted to be married, to have commitment, to have children. But not with a woman. No. Luke couldn't see that happening.

And then there was Dev. He used to go by his full name, Devon, until he read Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and decided he wanted to be called Dev instead. Luke internally ridiculed the boy - really. Everyone knows you're gay, you don't have to make such a big show of it.

But a small part of Luke wished that he could do it, too. It was never about being yourself; everyone knows that. It's about being who you want to be. When you become who you want to be, who you want to be becomes you, and then you are being yourself, anyway. It was a little confusing, even to Luke, who over-thought everything and understood most of it.

Anyway. Dev. Mary scorned him often, even though she claimed that she oughtn't. She would kiss her cross and tell Luke, "It's those parents of his, you know. They made him this way. Be sure to pray for him, Luke, he needs it."

Dev's parents were unusual. In the sense that they were both men. The ladies at church liked to gossip about them often, because it was such a very strange thing. "Do you think," Luke once heard Mrs. MacAfee say, "that they..." she lowered her voice, "do things to that little boy?"

"Heaven above, Marcia!" Mrs. Lewis exclaimed. "For his sake we should hope not!"

"He kisses other boys at school," Cheyenne MacAfee, a girl in Luke's year, had added to the conversation.

Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Zebrowski, and Cheyenne's mother all clapped their hands over their mouths in a delicate yet comical manner. "No!" Mrs. Henderson said as Mrs. Lewis crossed herself.

"We ought to pray for him," Mrs. Zebrowski added.

"Pray those sexual deviants be righted," Mrs. Lewis agreed, clasping her hands together.

Luke had the feeling that if Mrs. Lewis was to write a book, many words would be unnecessarily capitalized. For some reason, he felt that if she could have done this as she spoke, "Sexual Deviants" and "Righted" would have been.

Dev sat next to Luke in History. The teacher liked Dev very much, probably, Luke thought, because Dev liked the subject very much. "And Patrick Henry said - what did Patrick Henry say, Devon?"

Dev sat up proudly in his seat. "I know not what course others may take," he quoted, "but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."

"Very good, Devon. Now..."

The teacher continued to talk that day, but Luke could not focus. All he could do was look at Dev. It wasn't fair that those awful women from church thought so lowly of him, and of his fathers. Dev was evidently a very intelligent person, and he was nice even to those who scorned him. He obviously cared a great deal about American History. Luke didn't know quite why, though.

That bothered Luke. The fact that he didn't know why. Luke liked understanding people. He liked their predictability and he liked the way they could always be counted on, if not to tell the truth, then at least to lie consistently. But not much about Dev was predictable. He was always kind, and he was always bright. But then there were those little things that made Luke want to ask him questions.

Luke's parents were not fond of questions, incidentally. Therefore, Luke had learned not to ask them. But could he help the fact that he was always so curious?

So he started, that day, to ask Dev questions. He started small. "Where do you buy those pens?" Do not give him that look, they were very unusual pens indeed.

Dev smiled, quirking an eyebrow. "Office Max."

Luke coughed and turned back towards the front of the room.

The next day, he asked another. "Do you brush your hair in the mornings?"

Dev looked at him, almost frantic. "Why? Is it messed up? Goddammit."

Luke chuckled. "It looks fine. I was just wondering."

Dev immediately relaxed, smoothing his chestnut hair down. "Oh. Well. Yeah, I brush it."

The day after that, when Dev successfully spouted several more Revolutionary War quotes - "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and "Those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason with or without reason" included.

"How do you remember all of those?" Luke asked.

Dev shrugged. "They're interesting."

This was not enough information to satiate Luke's curiosity today. "Why do you like History so much?"

Dev looked at him thoughtfully. "History - especially American History - is often about fighting for what you believe in. I suppose I'm a little obsessed with the idea of liberty and equality. And as for this country, any liberty or equality anyone has started with that war. I like to take time, sometimes, to appreciate what those people have done for all of us. If they were not there, then we would not be here.

"If everyone else in this classroom now refuses to remember anything those brave people have spoken or written, then at least I will never forget - they started us on our way to being who we are. Someday, we all really will be equal. And then the revolutionaries may rest. But as for now, it's all down to us to simply remember."

Luke blinked. "You're amazing," he blurted.

Dev gave a shy smile. "Yeah?"

"Yes. Definitely."

The weekend. The weekend was painful because Luke didn't get to ask any questions. He went to church on Sunday and prayed for Dev - not for Dev to find Jesus and be straight and be Catholic, but for Dev to like him.

Luke could not believe he just asked God to make Dev like him.

And on Monday, in History, Dev asked Luke, "How was your weekend?"

"It was boring," Luke answered truthfully.

"No one to ask questions?" Dev guessed.

Luke looked at him, an expression of incredulity on his face. "Exactly. How did you - ?"

"I figured you ask me things because you can't ask anyone else."

Luke frowned. "That's not really true. I ask you things... because I know that you know the answers. And I want to know the answers."

"I don't know everything."

"I think you actually do."

"So what's your question for me today, Luke?" Dev asked, a wild glint in his eye and a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"What's it like?" Luke whispered.

Dev frowned. Then a look of realization appeared on his face. "You mean... with my dads?"

"Yes."

"It's..." Luke noticed Dev eyeing Luke's cross nervously. Luke simply tucked it under the collar of his shirt and looked back at Dev, gesturing for him to continue. "It's... nice. Because they really love each other, you know? It's like... I don't know... it's different, I guess."

Luke nodded. "It's probably better than my house. There are... a lot of secrets. My parents haven't even given me the sex talk yet. I think that they think that I still don't know about it."

Dev chuckled. "Have they said anything about... sexual deviance?"

Luke swallowed, feeling his stomach drop. "They haven't. My sister has, though, and Father Alderman."

The bell rang, but Dev followed Luke to his locker, grinning. He leaned close to Luke, and whispered in his ear, "Did they tell you it's bad?"

"Yes."

Dev leaned back against the lockers. "Have you ever done it?"

"With a boy?"

"With anyone."

Luke shook his head. "Not until I'm married."

Dev visibly bit back a smirk. "I see."

Luke felt his cheeks grow hot. "People are ridiculous," he said, angrily slamming his locker shut. "I don't see why it's such a bad thing to want to wait. Everyone looks down on it. I don't understand why."

"I don't look down on it," Dev insisted. "I just think it's cute, that's all."

Luke swallowed, then looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Yes. Definitely."

Eventually, they started eating lunch together. Cheyenne came to Luke in the hall and asked why. "I mean, it's not that we don't accept him," she assured Luke. "Jesus would want us to love everyone around us. Devon is not a bad person, he just makes mistakes often and doesn't repent for his sins. Why would you want to hang around someone like that, Luke?"

"I'm helping him find the Lord," Luke deadpanned. "He is beginning to find his way along the path of goodness."

If it had been someone else he was talking to - Mrs. Lewis, perhaps, or Mary - they would have called him out on his bullshit. But Cheyenne was dumb and blinded enough to believe him.

"They're looking at us," Dev said at lunch one day. "The Catholic youth group. I swear to god, I - sorry. Are you not supposed to do that?"

"I don't care," Luke said truthfully, sipping his Fresca.

"Well, then. I swear to god, I'm going to go over there and start giving one of those guys a lap dance in a minute."

"That would go over really well, Dev," Luke said sarcastically, though chuckling at the mental image.

"Why don't they like me? I mean, I know I'm gay, and my parents are gay, and they think it's creepy or whatever, but I think a lot of them are creepy Jesus freaks and I've never been anything but nice to them."

Luke shrugged, frowning. "Do you... do you think I'm a creepy Jesus freak?"

Dev looked immediately apologetic. "Oh, god, Luke, no. You're... different than they are. You believe as much as you want to believe, but you have your own opinions. I've listened to them talk - half of what they say is just stuff their parents and priests have spouted at them. You're... I don't know... you're aware, I guess. You know that not everything they teach you is true, just like anywhere else. You trust in God or whatever, but you don't act like I'm a demon or something, not like they do. You trust yourself to make choices, not other people."

Luke nodded. "Yes. Exactly."

"I know this is kind of personal... but are you... um... are you...?"

"Gay?"

Dev nodded stiffly.

Luke sighed. "Yes."

A little smile came over Dev's face. He raised his eyebrows a little bit as if to say, join the club, dude, and they spent the rest of that lunchtime in a simple, warm silence.

One day, a few weeks after this, Luke was messing around with a soccer ball on the front lawn of the school, when Dev came to join him. Luke rolled the ball back and spun around to dribble away from Dev. Dev, however, cut him off and easily trapped the ball, kicking it through Luke's legs before chasing it around Luke, laughing. Luke laughed, too, as he stole the ball back from Dev. When Mary showed up to pick Luke up, they were both pink in the face, sweating, and covered in mud and grass stains, panting heavily. "Luke!" Mary called from the car.

"I have to go," Luke said regretfully, kicking his ball up into his waiting hands. "See you."

"Later," Dev said, sitting down and plucking at the grass around him.

When Luke got in the car, he turned to pull his seat belt on. When he faced front again, he noticed Mary was watching him. "What?" he asked her.

"I don't like you hanging out with him," Mary said bluntly.

"What? Mary, he's practically my best friend!"

"You asked me what and I told you. This is not a discussion, I simply decided to inform you that I don't like it. And I don't think Mother or Daddy will like it either."

"You're not going to tell them!" Luke exclaimed, astonished. "Mary, I thought..."

"Well, I'm not going to lie to them, like you have been. Lying is a sin, Luke. Honor thy parents - tell them the truth."

Luke made a face. "Mary, you can't tell them. I'm honoring them by protecting them from hearing things they don't want to hear."

Mary pursed her lips. Luke sighed exasperatedly. This was her way of telling him that this wasn't over; it was just over for him. He'd lost to her.

But he hadn't lost yet, Luke thought. In fact, this war hadn't even begun.

"Luke was playing soccer today," Mary announced casually at the dinner table. "His form was quite good."

"That's wonderful, Luke," Mother said.

"It's good to see that you're getting exercise," Dad said. "Thinking of going out for the team next year?"

"Not really," Luke admitted. "I just like doing it for fun."

"Well, that's good too. Even if you're not on a team," Dad said wisely, "it's good for boys to be involved in sports."

"He was playing with some boy," Mary interjected. "What's his name again, Luke?"

Luke glared at her. "Dev."

Dad let his fork clank to the plate and Mother stopped chewing her food slowly. "The little faggot?" Dad barked.

"He's not, Dad, he's really very..." Luke trailed off.

Dad picked up his fork again and shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. Chewing, he pointed his utensil at Luke and said, "I don't want him around you. If I hear any more about this, you're going to be taking extra Bible study. Learn your place, Luke. Your place is with real women and real men who respect the Lord. Not fairies like that kid."

"Don't call him that!" Luke said angrily. "He's just as much of a man as anyone else!"

Mary's eyes had widened, and Luke feared that she knew exactly what was going on. Mother was looking at her hands, folded in her lap, and Dad just looked angry, as usual. "A man is not a man without a woman," Dad said.

"I don't have a woman," Luke spat. "Does that make me less of a man?"

"You're a boy, Luke, you'll grow up, and you will get married, and you will be a man. It's the fags that have no chance. There is no place for someone like that in this world."

"He's my friend," Luke said harshly. "Don't say things like that about my friends, Dad!"

"If he was your friend, he isn't anymore," Dad said. "End of discussion. Mary Elizabeth, how was your work at the university today?"

"It all went fine, Daddy," Mary said, poking at her food with her fork. "Everything was wonderful."

Luke stood up and shoved his chair in, before proceeding to stomp off to his room. Whatever Mary did, whatever Dad said, they were wrong. This wasn't over. This wouldn't be over until Luke was finished.

---

"Did you get into trouble for being within twenty feet of me?" Dev teased Luke the next day.

Luke gave a strained smile. "I've been told not to associate with the likes of you."

Dev frowned. "Well, that's not very nice. Surely even Jesus can't approve of actively hating a child."

"I don't think Jesus really cares," Luke answered. "I think whatever my parents want isn't going to happen, though. I'm not staying away from you." He blushed at how the words sounded, what they implied.

But Dev just gave him a soft smile. "Well, that's good. I need to kick your ass at soccer again."

"Puh-leeze!" Luke laughed. "I so beat you!"

"Don't you have any questions for me?" Dev asked, snatching Luke's soccer ball and holding it above his head so that the shorter boy couldn't reach it.

"Hmm." Luke thought about this. "Have you ever been in love?"

Dev watched him carefully, his blue-brown eyes intense. "Once."

"With who?"

"A boy back in California. Before I came here."

"So that wasn't vague at all." Luke sat down on the floor of the hall, leaning back against the lockers and pulled Dev to sit next to him.

Dev sighed. "His name was Adam. He was three years older than me. I was young, I was stupid. People don't think a kid can fall in love, but they can. I thought about it. I was asking myself, just recently, you know - did I really love him back then? And you know what, Luke? I did love him. You don't have to be old to love someone. You don't have to be experienced, or anything. Anyone can fall in love."

I know, Luke wanted to tell him. I know because I fell in love. I fell in love with you. But instead, he said, "What happened?"

Dev cleared his throat. "Adam... well, he acted like he didn't want much to do with me. But the interesting part was that it didn't seem to be because I was a boy. It was just because I was a kid. But anyway... he kissed me, in his bedroom at a block party. And then he avoided me. But I called him out on it - I told him that I wouldn't put up with his bullshit. So either we went back to being friends, or he got over himself and kissed me again. Well, he chose the second. And then my parents found out."

"Why is that bad?" Luke asked, confused.

Unfortunately, the bell rang then. Dev smiled apologetically. "Story for another time, yeah? I'll play you soccer after school again - is that okay?"

"Sure," Luke said, disappointed that he hadn't gotten the full story.

After school, they played more soccer. And when Mary came to get Luke, this time, she turned off the car and slammed the door, stomping over to the boys. "Luke!" she shrieked. "Mother and Daddy expressly told you not to hang out with him!"

"I'm sorry, Mary," Luke said dismissively.

"Mary? Is that your name?" Dev said pleasantly. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Devon Phillips." He held his hand out for her to shake. She looked, at first, to be disconcerted at his politeness. But she still eyed his hand like it was oozing slime and otherwise ignored it.

"Luke," she instead said, menacingly. "Get in the car. Now."

"No."

She blinked. So did Dev. "Luke, just go with her," he said.

"Don't tell him what to do, you faggot!" Mary shouted at Dev.

He looked insulted, but more concerned with Luke. "Just go, Luke," he said, softer. "I don't want you in any more trouble."

"I told you to shut up!" Mary screeched, slapping Dev across the face, her purity ring tearing his skin.

He hissed, bringing a hand to the cut. "Please don't hit me," he said.

"Mary!" Luke said, astonished. "Why did you - Mary! You fucking little bitch!" He launched himself at his sister, but Dev shot in between them and stopped him.

Luke struggled against him, wanting to rip his sister to shreds. How dare she? How dare she come to his school and insult his friends and get herself involved in his life? This was none of her business. It was only Luke's. And Dev's, of course. "Luke, stop!" Dev commanded. "It doesn't even hurt, just stop. Just go home, Luke."

"Don't swear, Luke!" Mary admonished. "Get in the car!"

"Get in the car, Luke," Dev said seriously, still holding Luke at the shoulders, halting his struggles to get to his sister. "Just... listen to them. Leave me alone."

"There, you see?" Mary said triumphantly. "He doesn't want you. So come home, now! And I'm telling Daddy all about this! You've got some major repenting to do."

Luke blinked back tears. "I thought you wanted to be my friend."

"I did. I do," Dev corrected himself. "But you can't, Luke. They're your family. They're more important."

"You!" Mary said. "Don't say anything more! We all know those men made you the way you are! They brainwashed you, and you've turned into this... abomination. Get your filthy hands off of my brother!"

Dev's controlled face slipped, and pain and anger showed for the first time in this conversation. "I'm not gay because they're my parents! They're my parents because I'm gay! My biological mother and father abandoned me when they found out, when I was thirteen. Oliver and Colin were my neighbors at the time - they heard the whole fight, everything! And they adopted me, because I had nowhere to go. No one in my family would take me. So they became my family. And they love me. And I love them. So just shut the fuck up, because you don't even know what you're talking about!"

Mary looked a little remorseful as she kissed her cross, held it high up to Dev's face, and pulled Luke away. "Whatever your case," she said primly, "I won't let you turn my brother into one of you."

"Mary, I've always been one of them!" Luke shouted at her. "Always! As long as I can remember! You know it, too! You always knew I was like this, you just pretended you didn't see it! But you'd have to be blinder than even you are, Mary, not to see it! I'm gay," he spat at her, "and you can't change that."

"He's infected you!" Mary cried out, dropping to her knees. "He's made you like this! He's... he's... In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!" she screeched. "Let GOD arise and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His Face!"

"Is she exorcising my gayness?" Luke asked incredulously.

Dev, even in the current situation, couldn't help but give a little chuckle. "I think she is."

"As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the Presence of GOD!" Mary shouted. "Judge Thou, O' Lord, them that wrong this boy: overthrow them that fight against my Luke!"

"Mary," Luke said gently. "Stand up, Mare." He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. She was sobbing hysterically now, clinging to his shirt.

"Tell me it isn't true!" she cried to him. "Tell me!"

"I'm sorry, Mary."

She wrenched herself from his grip. "Then it is too late to save you!" And she ran for her car, speeding away as fast as she could. Luke sighed and dropped to the ground, shaken.

Dev sat beside him. "You okay?"

"I think I may need to find a new place to live."

"You can stay with me."

Luke wrinkled his nose. "Too much testosterone in one house, yeah?"

Dev laughed. "Well, whatever Oliver's got is more like estrogen anyway, so, I don't know if that's going to be a problem."

"You used to have straight parents," Luke realized, then. Dev nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" Luke looked at the other boy.

"You never asked." Dev looked at the grass in front of him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Luke nodded. But then, slowly, he changed his mind, his head shaking from left to right instead. "N-no, I..."

Dev looked over at him, saw his face, and swiftly put his arm around Luke's shoulders, pressing the side of Luke's face into the crook of his neck. "It's going to be okay, you know," Dev said. "Someday."

"You know I've fallen in love with you." It wasn't a question.

Dev smiled. "Yeah, I was wondering about that. You really have, then?"

"I think I have. Anyone can fall in love, right?"

"Of course," Dev said softly. "You know I've fallen in love with you, too?"

"I prayed."

"Did you really? Well, it worked."

Luke smiled. "I guess God hasn't given up on me quite yet."

"No, I don't suppose He has."

"If my mother doesn't come to get me in the next half an hour," Luke said softly, "will you let me stay the night at your house?"

"Of course," Dev said. "Though, my fathers will probably make you sleep in a different room than me."

"What if I have nightmares?"

"Then I suppose you'll just have to appear at my bedside, whining like a small child to let you sleep with me."

Luke chuckled. "This should be interesting."

"Yes. I suppose it should."

"What ended up happening with Adam?" Luke asked shyly.

"Oh." Dev smiled a little, tightening his arm around Luke. "Well, my mom found us. And she exploded. She... it wasn't good. She and my dad didn't want anything more to do with me. I don't know if it's legal to do what they were planning on doing - I don't really know what it was they were going to do. But Colin heard us fighting, and he came over and told my parents that if I wanted to, I could stay with them.

"I remember my dad laughed at Colin. He said of course I'd want to, because faggots belonged with faggots and nowhere else except Hell. And Colin looked him straight in the eyes and said, 'Then we'll talk to the court about it. And as for Hell - I'll see you there.'" Dev shook his head reminiscently. "I love him, Colin. He's amazing. I'd say he was twenty thousand times better than my biological dad, but seeing as my dad wasn't any good at all, twenty thousand times zero is still zero. So I'll just have to say that Colin and Oliver are... just... I can't explain it."

"I think I understand."

"I hope you do. They're just... they're how parents are supposed to be. They take care of me. They love me. They always tell me how proud they are of me." Dev grew quiet, and Luke felt him swallow. He cuddled closer to Dev.

"I wish my parents were like that."

"Not everyone can be so lucky." Dev kissed his forehead. "But you have me, yeah? And I'm proud of you. So that's a good start, isn't it?"

Luke smiled. "Yes. I think it is. A very good start."

Aw. Don't you love when cuteness just appears in your mind and then you write it? I know I do. At least - I hope this was cute. Was it cute? Review, please, and let me know :)