A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews!

I own all of it.

Chapter 6

The Decision

Mike smiled, "Come on in," he offered.

Evans gratefully stepped inside the house. His eyes looked slightly unsure, which both Mike and Chris picked up on immediately.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked curiously.

Evans tilted his head up slightly to look into Chris' inquisitive blue eyes. "Are you really renting a room for so little in a house like this?"

Mike laughed as Chris tried to figure out a way to answer that question. Finally, he looked down at Evans. "Can we ask you some questions before answering yours?"

Evans shrugged his shoulders, "Sure," he readily agreed. A piece of black hair fell onto his face, and he absentmindedly brushed it back behind his ear.

"Here, have a seat," Mike offered, motioning to a large dark green chair. Evans accepted and sat down, still wearing his jacket.

"First of all, where are you from?" Chris asked, sitting next to his boyfriend on the sofa across from the chair.

"LA," Evans replied in a monotone voice.

"Did you like it?" Mike questioned.

"I hated it," Evans answered honestly.

Chris and Mike both raised their eyebrows. "Why?" Mike asked softly.

Evans looked surprised by the question, but he answered it anyway. "I didn't exactly have the world's best childhood," he explained. "I wasn't wanted, and-" His voice trailed off as his eyes met the two men sitting across from him. "I just don't like it," he finally said.

Mike and Chris were silent for several seconds unsure of what to say next. "How long have you lived here?" Chris questioned, glancing down at a sheet of paper.

Evans shrugged his shoulders, "I've been in San Francisco for a few months. Since May."

"Where do you live?" Chris asked.

The offending piece of black hair fell into Evans' face again and he carelessly swept it behind his ear. "I share a studio apartment with several other people. It's actually in Oakland."

"Do you have a job?" Mike questioned.

"Yeah," Evans replied. "I work at a bank here in town. It's not what I want to do, but it's money." He closed his mouth when he decided that he'd gone too far.

"What would you like to do?" Chris spoke softly.

"Paint and sketch," Evans replied.

Mike picked up a blank piece of paper and a pencil and handed the items to Evans. "Draw something," he instructed.

Evans looked at Mike incredulously as he accepted the drawing materials. He worked quietly for nearly fifteen minutes, pausing every now and then to steal a glance at the two curious men seated across from him. As he worked, the same piece of raven hair continued to fall into his face, but he simply ignored it.

Finally, he handed Mike the piece of paper and the pencil and sat back in the chair looking rather uneasy.

Chris and Mike gasped when they saw what Evans had drawn. It was a sketch of the two men sitting together on the sofa.

"That's amazing," Mike breathed as he set it down carefully on the table in front of him.

"Thanks," Evans replied quietly. He really wasn't used to receiving compliments.

"You need to do something with that talent, you know," Chris said warmly as he looked at the drawing once again. "Can we keep it?"

"Of course," Evans said.

"Thank you," Mike sighed and looked at the man across from him. "How long have you been drawing?"

Evans shrugged his shoulders. "I guess for about ten years, although I couldn't always draw when I wanted to. I was interested in it when I was younger, but that was out of the question."

"Why?" Chris asked, hoping he wasn't prying too much.

"My parents hated me, and then in the orphanage-" Evans said simply then he covered his mouth in shock. "I probably shouldn't have said that."

Mike and Chris glanced at each other and their eyes met. They both decided not to question Evans' statement.

"What are some of your other interests?" Mike questioned, trying to sound uplifting.

Evans looked thoughtful. "I like music," he replied. "I guess I'm an activist of sorts, too."

"What kind of music?" Chris asked at the same time that Mike said, "What type of an activist are you?"

Evans' mouth broke into a smile, which was undeniably rarely seen. "My favorite band is the Dead, but I like other music from that time period and some from today. I'm a strong believer in animal rights and gay rights, among other things. I'm pretty liberal."

"Almost everyone is in this city," Chris laughed. "You have excellent taste in music."

"Are you a vegetarian?" Mike bit his lip and waited for Evans' reply.

The raven-haired man simply nodded his head. "Is that a problem?"

"Quite the contrary, actually," Chris responded. "Are you gay?"

Evans shook his head. "No, but I've always believed in gay rights."

Chris and Mike nodded. "Can you wait here for a minute?" Mike asked as he tugged at his boyfriend's sleeve.

"Sure," Evans agreed and his brown eyes began to wander around the apartment.

Chris and Mike disappeared upstairs and into their room. "What do you think?" Mike asked earnestly.

"Is he real?" Chris smiled. "He would be perfect!"

Mike raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you have a crush on him," he said in jest.

Chris leaned forward and gently kissed his boyfriend's lips. "You'll always be the only one for me," he replied honestly. "What I mean is he agrees with us politically speaking, and he likes good music."

Mike laughed, "That and he can draw unbelievably well. You have connections--you could probably get him a job painting, couldn't you?"

"Most likely," Chris agreed. "So what do you say, love? Should we take him in?"

"Absolutely," Mike grinned and opened the door to the hallway.