The small black haired young freshman, (a high school jock had once called him petite and nearly lost his knee cap in retaliation) walked confidently into the gymnasium as the signs outside had directed. He stopped and eyed the long row of tables with lines of students in front of them. At the far end, the first table started with ABCD. There were four tables in between that one and the closest one that had VWXYZ above it. He stepped into the short line at the last table wondering if anybody's name actually started with X.
He was inured to feeling smaller than his peers. He was also inured to them all ignoring him, all that is, except the stupid jocks that made fun of his diminutive size, and he had never succeeded in totally ignoring their jibes. When he got to the head of the line and stood before the desk, he really felt out of place. The student assistant behind the desk wasn't only handsome... he was big and muscular, and probably quite tall when he stood. It all made the little freshman feel even smaller than he was. The student assistant looked up at him and grinned. "A child prodigy are you?" He said, and smirked at his own humor.
The comment irritated the black haired young man, but he ignored it as best he could, even though he still turned red. "I am Jason Warren," he stated in a deep voice that contrasted with his diminutive size. His clear blue sky eyes dared the student assistant to say something further.
The 'jock' studied Jason a moment, re-evaluating him. "Sorry. I was out of line." He dug through the files in front of him and pulled out Jason's. "Nineteen. Wow! I really did mis-guess this one." He grinned at Jason. "I'm Arlen...forgive me?"
Jason smiled back. "I'm used to it, Arlen. But thanks for the apology."
Finished with the enrollment process, Arlen handed him his room assignment and told him where to find the dorm. Jason thought, 'That Arlen seems to be more than just a big handsome jock. He was actually kind of nice. Wish more guys were like him,' as he left to look for his room.
In another row Pete Peterson impatiently bounced his weight from one foot to the other. Once he got his room assignment, he sprinted across the campus to his assigned dorm. He took the stairs two at a time to the second floor and sprinted down the long hall to room 246. He took a deep breath, grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. Half expecting the room to be empty, he was surprised to see a young boy stretched out on the bed across the room. The boy opened his eyes and looked at him. Pete stared back into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. He forgot everything as he felt a knot form in his chest. He wondered why he would be wanting to hold this kid and protect him from the brutalities of the world. Someone's yell down the hallway behind him, broke his thrall. Not able to accept what had been rushing through him a moment before, he chose to act like he hadn't experienced it. He shook his head to clear it, then heartily said, "Hello."
Jason sat up and grinned at the tall, nearly gangly, towheaded fellow with pale grey, almost blue, eyes. "Hey, roommate. I'm Jason."
Pete just stared at him a moment before stuttering, "Th...th...they put me in with a little kid?"
"Oh great," Jason muttered, "not another one." He slid off the bed and stood. He glared up at Pete who towered over him a good eight inches. "Let's start off on the right foot, shall we? I'm nineteen years old. I am five foot three inches tall and not likely to get any taller. And I've have had my fill of dim-witted diminutive comments and jokes from jocks like you. So keep them to yourself."
Pete ducked his head and looked at Jason. "Sorry." And then he asked, "Are you always so alliterative?"
"Only when I get pissed off. And your name is....?"
"Oh, I'm Pete. Pete Peterson."
Jason giggled. "Speaking of alliterative. Your parents actually named you Peter, with your last name?"
"No, I was named after my father. But they couldn't call us both George. So I got called Pete."
"Well, that's good." Jason grinned mischievously. "You look more like a Pete than a George anyway."
"I look very much like my dad."
Jason grinned and shrugged.
"His friends all call him Pete, too," Pete said as he returned the grin.
"So where is your stuff. Didn't Daddy and Mommy bring you down to school like most the other kids?"
Pete ignored the jibe. "My folks are farmers up in Pearl's Creek. I came by bus."
Jason was immediately embarrassed for having bated him. "Sorry."
Pete had arrived in UniCity via the Greyhound. He'd locked his three suitcases in a big locker in the station and walked from downtown to the campus. When he told Jason this, Jason asked him why he hadn't taken a city bus or a taxi.
"I wouldn't know how to find either one," Pete honestly admitted.
"Oh," was Jason's only response. And then after a moment's consideration he asked, "Why don't you come with me? I have to take a bus across town to pick up my stuff, then we can call a taxi, and stop to pick up your stuff on the way back."
Forty-five minutes later the two young men stepped out of the city bus and walked a couple of blocks through an older section of town. Pete looked around at the small neatly kept row houses as they walked. "This is where you grew up?"
"Yep, all my life, right here in this house," Jason said as he turned up a cracked concrete walk. Pete noted that the house wasn't as neatly kept up as the rest on the block. The house itself needed a fresh coat of paint, and a couple panes of glass needed replacing. However, the yard was neatly kept
Jason made no apologies for the mess when they entered the house. He simply ducked his head and went straight up the stairs to his room. Pete was surprised at the difference. The interior of Jason's bedroom was neat and tidy. Not a thing out of place. He smiled and mentally sighed with relief that his new roommate wasn't a slob like the rest of the house indicated. Jason noticed and ducked his head, refusing to make eye contact, as he gathered a few more items, stuck them in his already packed suitcase. Then he said, "As fast as I clean up the place my father messes it up, but he wasn't like that when my mother was alive... she wouldn't have stood for it."
"You don't get along with your father?"
"That's an understatement."
Pete was again feeling protective toward the little guy. He found himself ready to take on the 'bastard' if need be. "He doesn't mistreat you, does he?"
Jason sighed, "Physically no, but verbally... he's a master."
"That can be just as bad, if not worse, than anything physical."
"I can put up with his verbal shit. But I told him right after my mother died that if he ever touched me, he'd better kill me, 'cause I would make sure he paid for it."
Pete growled, "He'd better not touch you or he'll......." He blinked and shut his mouth when he realized what he was saying.
Jason looked up at him and for the first time really studied him. "Or he'll what, Pete?"
"Nothing. Look you want me to carry those two boxes out."
Jason studied him a moment more and smiled to himself. "Yeah, that would be nice of you. I'll call a cab now. They're usually here within ten minutes."
Pete stacked one box on top of the other, picked them up and headed downstairs. When Jason came down the stairs he found Pete at the mantle looking at a picture of his mother. "She was pretty wasn't she?" Jason asked.
Pete turned and stared intently. "I see where you get your looks, especially your eyes."
Jason blushed. "I can't figure where I got black hair, though," he said trying to ignore the implied compliment. My father is dark blonde, and as you can see Mom had light brown hair."
Pete grinned and mischievously said, "Maybe you're a genetic throwback."
Jason ducked his head and muttered, "I sometimes wonder why they didn't throw me back."
Pete mentally kicked himself. 'Damn, I'm going to have to be careful. His bastard of a father has really hurt him.' He smiled gently at Jason. "Hey, don't get down on my man."
Jason's head popped up and he again stared at Pete. 'What's going on?' he wondered. Pete blushed and turned to set the photograph back on the mantle. The toot of the taxi's horn relieved both of them. They grabbed up the boxes and suitcase and hurried out the door.
They stopped at the Greyhound station and Pete lugged his three suitcases out. When they got back to their dorm, they emptied the Taxi and stood staring at the pile. "I tell you what," Pete said. "I'll take one load up while you stay here and keep an eye on things and then we both can take the rest of it up."
Jason nodded. As Pete walked away carrying the two largest suitcases, Jason ogled his backside. "Damn, that boy has a beautiful butt...and I love his hair," he muttered to himself. He found himself wanting to run his fingers through it. 'It's going to be hard being in the same room with him. Not only is he a hunk, he's damned nice too. I wonder if I'm just projecting, or is he really feeling something towards me?'
When Pete came back out of the dorm and sauntered toward Jason, he couldn't help but grin. Jason was just so damned cute standing there, grinning back at him. He felt a strong desire just to cuddle the little guy. Jason blushed as Pete continued to advance on him with his big shit-eatin'-grin. He wanted so badly to feel Pete's arms wrapped around him. Neither said a word as Pete picked up the two boxes and Jason picked up Pete's smaller suitcase and his own.
With Pete in the lead, Jason couldn't keep his eyes off Pete's butt until they stepped into the elevator, and then they just stared at each other while they rose to the second floor. When the door opened, neither moved. A slow grin spread across Pete's face. "You've got to get off first, Jase. You're blocking the door."
"Oh, sorry," he muttered and stumbled over his own feet. Pete grinned and admired Jason's little bubble butt as he hustled the two suitcases down the hall.
Jason pushed the room door open and stepped back to let Pete enter first. Pete set the two boxes on Jason's bed and collapsed on his own. "Damn, what'cha got in those boxes?"
"My computer and a small stereo."
"That reminds me, I gotta call my parents and give them my address so they can ship my stuff to me." He headed for the door.
"Where're you going?"
Pete turned and looked at him like he was a dummy. "To find a pay phone."
Jason giggled. "I doubt you'll find one. Everyone uses cell phones these days. Here," he said fishing his out of his pocket. "Use mine."
"It's a long distance call."
"I've got unlimited calling. It'll only cost a few pennies. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Pete, take it and call you parents."
After Pete relented, Jason ended up having to explain how to use it. Pete made his call, and when he handed the cell phone back to Jason he slumped down on his bed and said, "I guess I really am a hayseed."
Jason sat down beside him and ran his hand soothingly up and down the big guy's back. "So, you aren't sophisticated. You're still the best roommate I could have hoped for."
Pete turned and stared at Jason. "You're something special, too." He stared at Jason's lips. They looked so kissable. Feeling himself getting excited made him uncomfortable. "I've got to get some fresh air," he said, jumping up and sprinting for the door.
Jason sat immobilized by his emotions. He was sure that Pete had been about to kiss him, and as he thought about it... he realized that was what he'd wanted, too. It shook him up. His father had often called him a little fairy. And had called him much worse than that when he left this morning. After moving his stuff into the dorm, there was no reason to ever go back and be abused by the old bastard again. But still having been called a faggot had stung like no other words the man had ever thrown at him. Jason had known for several years that he was gay. He'd never played around or experimented with other kids, but he knew without a doubt that when the right man came along, he'd be open and willing to give himself completely to him.
When his mother had first bought him his computer, he'd gone on line and explored what there was to find about being gay. He'd even researched the etymology of the word faggot, and found that it referred to a bundle of twigs and sticks used to build a fast hot fire, and that the word had come to be used referring to homosexuals when they were tied and trussed like such a bundle and tossed onto the fire at the feet of witches, like Joan d'Arc, being burned at the stake. He found it amusing, in a rather sick way, to learn that the English referred to a cigarette as a fag.
His father's meaning of the word was something lower and filthier than a turd. He'd explicitly explained that to Jason that very morning. Jason's opinion of the man wasn't any better, so he didn't let it bother him much as he'd headed for the University campus, sighing with relief that he wouldn't be seeing the man again if he could help it.
He started unpacking and setting up his computer and the little music system that he'd purchased just for this room. He didn't have a lot of money to throw around, but his mother had seen to it that his college education would be paid for and that when he turned eighteen he would receive what savings she had put away, just for him. He knew it irked his father terribly that Jason was totally independent of him, and he thanked his mother everyday that she'd seen to it that he was.
He hung his clothes and filled his dresser drawers with his folded clothes. And then he lay back on the bed and went over his schedule. He had another whole day before his first class. Pete's class schedule was laying on his desk, so Jason sat down and went over it, too. After a while he decided that Pete wasn't coming back anytime soon, so he decided that he might as well go out and explore the campus and familiarize himself with the buildings that he had classes in.
Over the last couple of years Jason had been on the University's campus several times. It was well planned with its prairie-style buildings, wide green belts and paved walks. Trees grew in abundance with benches everywhere to sit and enjoy the beauty. He discovered that of his six classes, only two consecutive ones were across campus from each other. All the rest were, more or less, a progression from one building to the next. He wished that he'd brought a copy of Pete's schedule so he could figure where he'd be at any given time. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'I'll be learning that over the next few weeks.' He thought about getting his books, but put it off for tomorrow. With the blast of hatred from his father to start his rather busy day, he was tired. He headed back to his dorm room.
In the time he'd been out wandering around the campus the dorm had filled with students. The halls were bustling with kids moving in. Jason fell into his 'not here' mode and found his way to his second floor room without anyone saying anything about children not being allowed in the dorm. As he closed the door and leaned back against it with an audible sigh, Pete swivelled in his desk chair to peer at him. "Are you alright, Jase?" That was the second time that Pete had called him Jase without him objecting. Jason had never let anyone call him anything except Jason. Why wasn't he objecting now? As he thought about it, he realized it gave him a warm feeling when Pete called him Jase. There was an intimacy about it that he liked.
"I'm fine. Just been out exploring the campus."
"I wish we could've done that together," Pete said.
"You should have said something. I'd have waited. As it was, I waited about an hour before I left."
Pete shrugged, then brightened. "Hey, I've found a job already."
"Really? Where?" Jason found himself being relieved that Pete had been gone so long because of this, rather than trying to avoid being in the room with him.
"You know that big book store just south of the campus?"
"Yeah, The Gateway... or something."
"I just wandered in and asked the man that owns it if he had any openings. He referred me to Sue, the manager, and she hired me on the spot."
Jason thought about the one time he'd gone into the bookstore a year or so ago. Mr. Gates had been behind the counter. Jason had thought he was about the most handsome man he'd ever seen, and on top of it, Mr. Gates had treated him like an adult. Pete was lucky to be working for such a nice man.
The two young men settled into their routines. They both quickly learned each other's schedules and knew where each was at any given time. Although neither of them consciously planned it, they spent their time outside of class together. One of Jason's professors referred to them as Mutt and Jeff one day, peaking Jason's curiosity. The professor brought him an old comic strip from the middle of the last century showing Mutt as a short little man and Jeff as a tall gangly fellow. While Jason could appreciate the reference to their height differences, he flat out told the professor that Pete was way too good looking to be compared to Jeff. The professor had laughed, agreed, and then asked, "Like you aren't, Jason?" Jason just shrugged and impudently grinned.
One afternoon about six months into the semester Pete was working behind the counter in the bookstore. He looked up to see his employer, Dave Gates, walking toward him. He smiled and nodded, but the man walked right by him without any recognition...like he was in a daze. Pete didn't know it, but Dave had just been informed that he'd inherited his deceased partner's estate. Before Pete could even wonder about what might be wrong with him, Sue, the store manager, urgently grabbed his arm and told him to follow Dave. "Make sure he gets home safely. He's not himself at the moment," she said.
"Sure, Sue," he replied.
"Come right back and let me know that he made it," she admonished.
Pete followed Dave at a discrete distance, even though he could have walked right beside him and Dave wouldn't have been aware of it. Dave crossed the street in front of the bookstore okay and wandered across the campus, but he stepped off the curb in front of the Tower without looking right or left. Seeing a car speeding toward Dave, Pete sprinted into the street, grabbed Dave around the waist and hurled him to the side of the street. The screeching tires brought Dave to his senses. He watched in horror as Pete scrambled to his feet, trying to get out of the way... but he wasn't fast enough... the car hit him, knocking him to the side.
The car stopped about thirty feet beyond the impact, and the driver came running back, still talking on the phone. As he approached Dave who knelt beside an unconscious Pete, he said into the phone. "Got an emergency, talk to you later." Then he just stood looking down at the unconscious body, seemly unconcerned. "I was dialing a number on my cell phone. I didn't even see him. Where did he come from?"
Dave had blood running down the side of his face where he had contacted the pavement, and his hands were both abraded. He looked up at the man with a withering icy stare. "You've got a damned phone in your hand. Dial 911."
"Oh. Yes, of course."
It was just minutes before an ambulance arrived. The police were right behind them. The driver, who still acted like he was being inconvenienced, was given a citation for careless and reckless driving, and released. Dave was all for throwing the stupid son-of-a-bitch in the slammer and losing the key.
After the cut on Dave's face had been stitched and his hands were taken care of, he sat in the waiting room, still in a slight daze, but for different reasons. He wished Joe was there with him. Several times he had tried to contact him, but had failed. He'd called Sue and explained to her why Pete hadn't returned. When he told her what had happened, she went into a guilt trip. Dave set her straight fast. "Listen, Sue, I could be dead now if not for you. You couldn't have foreseen the accident. So stop with the guilt. I'm alive because of your mothering instinct, and because of Pete's bravery and willingness to sacrifice his life to save mine."
"Oh, God. You mean Pete's going to die?" she wailed.
"At the moment, I don't think the doctors even know, so think positive." He then asked her to hunt Joe down.
Dave still didn't know why Pete had been rushed directly into surgery. He waited, anxious to hear how Pete had fared. The young man had nearly lost his life saving his. Dave had told them to spare no expense with Pete. The hospital had already notified the University, and Pete's parents. Dave called Sue back and asked her to call the Petersons immediately and arrange for them to fly first class. When he learned that they lived nowhere near a major airport, he had Sue arrange for a private plane to pick them up and fly them directly down to UniCity the next morning.
A student employee overheard Sue's conversation and asked her what had happened to Pete. Sue filled her in. Within a couple of hours the news of Pete's heroism spread across the campus.
Pete was a quiet, studious kid. He was well liked by those who knew him. His shock of blonde hair hanging in his laughing blue eyes could often be seen in the midst of one group or another. In the bookstore, he was always on top of whatever needed to be done, seldom having to be told what to do. He never hesitated to ask...if he was in doubt of what to do.
As Dave waited for word of Pete's condition, Jason wandered into the waiting room looking lost and scared. Dave saw him and smiled. His big expressive liquid blue eyes filled with relief when he saw Dave. A hesitant smile brightened his face as he hurried to him.
"Sir? Is Pete going to be okay?"
"I'm still waiting to hear. A nurse came out a while ago and told me that he is still in surgery. That's all I know."
The young man bit his lip. He had tears in his eyes.
"I'm Dave Gates. Pete works for me."
"I know, Sir. I've stopped in to see him sometimes when he's working. My name is Jason. Jason Warren."
"It's nice to meet you, Jason. Please, call me Dave."
"Thanks, Dave. I'm just so in awe of meeting you. You are an icon on campus, you know."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"It's still so difficult to be openly gay on campus. Yet, you and Mr. Way went to school here and then opened your bookstore practically on campus. You never made any bones about being gay, but you never denied it either. You were both football jocks. One would never imagine that you're gay. Everyone who knew him was so saddened by Mr. Way's death. It must have been very hard on you, losing him."
Dave didn't know whether to be proud, cry for his loss, or just be embarrassed. He chuckled. "Are you always this wound up, Jason?"
"No, Sir, I'm just so worried about Pete. We became roommates at the beginning of the semester. It's starting to get serious." Suddenly Jason broke down. "I've come to really care for him, and now I may lose him. We haven't even had sex yet." Jason turned scarlet when he realized what he'd just said. He glanced at Dave as he blinked back tears of humiliation.
Dave's heart went out to the kid, and he pulled him into a hug. Jason laid his head on Dave's chest and wept.
"Hey, everything is going to be okay. He's getting the best medical help money can buy."
"I don't know how he's going to pay for this," Jason said, forgetting about himself. "He's barely getting by with what he makes working in the bookstore. His parents don't have much money and they took out a loan on their farm to pay for his schooling."
"How do you know so much about him?" Dave asked, motioning for Jason to sit next to him.
"Pete and I talk a lot. We've told each other everything. We're planning on moving out of the dorm and renting a small place together as soon as we can. Maybe right after he tells his parents he's gay. He doesn't know how they will take it. They're really religious."
"Well, Jason, you don't need to worry about Pete and his parents having to pay for any of this. It's all taken care of."
"Gee, Dave, you'll end up having to put your store in hock. Hospitals are expensive, especially surgery and intensive care."
"Don't worry about it, Jason. I've got a nest egg I can use."
"That's so good of you, Dave."
"Hey, Pete saved my life. I can't do too much for him. He'll never want for a thing as long as he lives."
"You talk like you're a rich man, Dave." He threw his arms around Dave's neck, giving him a big hug. Dave automatically returned it.
"I do, don't I?" Dave asked, stunned at how his life had suddenly changed. The lawyer that had visited him just before he'd left the bookstore in a daze had informed him that he had inherited the Way fortune.
They didn't notice Joe walk up. Sue had told him that Dave had said he was alright, still the bandage on Dave's face gave him a fright, but as he watched, he could see that Dave was okay. "Somebody mind telling what this hugfest is about?"
Jason let go of Dave like he had just grasped a glowing ember, and turned beet red. Dave turned to Joe.
"Hey, Babe," he said as Joe wrapped him in a tight embrace, and kissed him. Dave melted into it. The kiss seemed to last forever as Jason watched ...big-eyed.
Joe pulled back and looked at Dave. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Dave nodded. "I'm fine. A couple of stitches, some bruises and abrasions, but I'm okay. But we haven't heard anything on Pete yet."
Joe pulled him close and kissed him again. When the two men broke apart Dave turned toward Jason. Jason was still blushing, but it was now from watching the two masculine men kiss. Dave laughed.
"Sorry, Jason, we didn't mean to embarrass you. This is my partner, Joe Paolini. Joe this is Jason Warren, He's Pete's friend."
Joe stuck out his hand to Jason. "Hi."
Jason hesitated in taking Joe's hand. "You're the famous architect? That Paolini?"
"The same one," Joe said grinning.
"Wow, Mr. Paolini." He grabbed Joe's hand with both of his. "It's so neat to meet you. We've been studying your work. We're going to be taking a tour of the Tower in a couple of weeks. This is so cool, getting to meet you before hand. Are you going to be teaching any classes again, any time soon?"
"It's nice to meet you too, Jason," Joe said, amused at the enthusiasm the little fellow exuded. "I'm on hiatus for the next two semesters to get my new building finished downtown. So you're waiting for word on Pete?"
"Yeah, he's been in there for nearly two hours now."
Joe had his arm around Dave's waist. He pulled him tight against his side. "If he comes through this, there's nothing that boy is going to want for, Dave."
"I just told Jason the same thing."
A surgeon came into the room removing his mask. His countenance was calm, but all three men looked at him expecting to hear the worst.
The doctor looked from one to the other. "I know none of you is the parent of the young man."
"No, sir," Dave said. "I have arranged for them to be here by tomorrow morning around nine o'clock. Can you tell us how Pete is doing?"
"Well, he had a hard hit on his head. We had to relieve the pressure on his brain. He is unconscious. Until he wakes up, we won't know whether we have succeeded, or not. However, it looks very good. We had to pin his right clavicle which was shattered by the impact and set the bones in both his upper and lower right arm. Other than a few abrasions, he should be in pretty good shape. There's nothing you can do here, so why don't you men go home."
"Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate you telling us this. I'll see you tomorrow with his parents."
"And you are whom?"
"My name is Dave Gates. Pete is my employee."
"You are 'the' David Gates?"
"What do you mean by 'the'?" Dave asked.
"David Gates, the third wealthiest man in the U.S."
Dave turned red with suppressed anger. "How would you know that?"
"The front page article of my financial paper. You just inherited the Way fortune."
Dave was at a loss. "How does that information get out to the public?"
"Excuse me, Mr. Gates, but big money does not have privacy. Everyone in the money market knows any time something that big transpires."
Dave turned to Joe, looking helpless.
"Yes, Doctor," Joe said, "you've got the right man, but please keep it to yourself. Dave is a very private person. I can promise you that whether young Pete pulls through this or not, the hospital will receive a large endowment."
"Of course, your privacy is safe with me. You look very familiar, Sir. You wouldn't be J. V. Paolini, the architect, would you?"
"You are very astute, Doctor...?"
"John Sanderson. I read a lot. I've seen your picture in several publications. Congratulations on all of the awards you've won."
"Thank you, Dr. Sanderson."
"I'm sorry I can't stay and chat, but I've got to get back to surgery."
"Thank you again, Doctor, for telling us about Pete," Joe said. Dave just stood there staring at the door as it swung closed. He was realizing that his world was changing.
Jason sat in awe... his mouth open... looking at Dave as though he was in the presence of the Queen of England.
Already in protective mode, Joe noticed. He was ever sensitive to Dave's anxiety. "Close your mouth, Jason, and find your manners. Dave is still the same person you were talking to a moment ago."
"I know... but... wow, I've never known a really rich person before."
That brought Dave out of his stupor. He sat down and took Jason's hand as he let out a big sigh. "Jason, if what you were saying earlier is true....if you really do respect and admire me, please don't tell anyone what you've heard here tonight. If word got out, it would totally disrupt Joe's and my lives. I really like being close to everyone else. If they knew I have so much money, they wouldn't let me. I don't want to have to hide and live with guards all the time."
"Dave, I will never tell anyone. Not even Pete. I liked you and wanted to be your friend before I knew anything. I still feel the same."
"I'd be honored to have you as my friend, Jason. But of course you can tell Pete."