Disclaimers: I do not own AFI. I do not own any right to write stories about them or anyone associated with them. None of this ever happened. This is complete fiction and not true in any way. Though the thought of telepathy sounds cool, to my knowledge, the real Davey and Adam are not as gifted. Luv.
The Story:
It was several days after Adam�s rescue of David. Things had gone back to semi-normal. Adam went back to his friends and David was back to his usual quiet corners. But this time David was left alone and no longer a target.
He was where he usually was at recess, behind the cafeteria, sitting on an empty wooden box turned on its side. He sits here not only to get away from the bullies of third grade, but also to stare at the rushing traffic going by on the street. It calms him, gives him a sense of ease.
However, David is not at ease today. He�s not looking at the traffic. In fact, he�s looking at his skinny, scabbed knees. A small gust of wind blows by and he shivers. With a soft whimper of anguish, David hurriedly claps his hands on his lap. The wind had blown right up his skirt, flashing his underwear briefly. His hands shake slightly as he takes care to straighten the navy blue pleated skirt. He hates the skirt, no doubt, but he doesn�t want wrinkle it or get it dirty. His mother wouldn�t approve.
It was his mother�s fault that he was sitting here in a skirt and lace embroidered blouse. Even the navy blue bow in his hair added extra nuisance to his nerves. And it was all her fault. She dressed him like this.
It was one of those rare mornings she was actually awake before David could escape to school. She had caught him by the collar of his plain white shirt and dragged him back into the house. He tried pleading with her but she whacked him on the cheek with her wooden hairbrush.
�Stop it!� She shrieked at him. She wore her usual rumpled pajamas and frayed pink robe left unclosed. Her skin smelled like camphor and other medicines. When she spoke, he smelled the liquor on her breathe. �Stop it! Stop it! I won�t raise a disrespectful little girl! How DARE you raise your voice to me. My own child! I know what you�re doing. I know what your father�s been letting you get away with!� Here, her tone grew bitter. �Going to school dressed like a little boy. Letting everyone think you�re a boy. The shame of it!!�
David cried. �B-but, mom, I AM a boy!� This outburst, no matter how weak, earned David a swollen cheek and a good-sized bruise on his arm. He could do nothing as his mother hummed to herself while dressing him the way she wanted.
After, she threw him out of the house. He badly wanted to go back in and change but if he didn�t start running to school soon, he�d be late. So he ran and hoped the wind carried away his tears as it flew past him.
At school, no one seemed to notice except for his teacher, Miss Turner. �Wait!� she stopped him just as he passed her desk.
He froze and turned to her, heart nearly stopping. Miss Turner was frowning at him. When she realized the entire class was watching avidly, she told them to open their reading books while she took David outside to the safety of the hall.
�David, isn�t it?� Miss Turner asked softly while she knelt in front of him in her khaki slacks. Shyly, he nodded.
Miss Turner frowned again. �David, I�m sorry I�m asking you this, honey, but are you a little boy, or a girl?� There was no threat in Miss Turner�s voice, none that David could hear, anyway. So he didn�t put up much of a guard.
He shrugged. �I-I-I d-don�t know, ma�am. Me an� my dad keep telling my mom I�m a boy, but she still thinks I�m a girl!� Tears trickled down his cheeks.
Miss Turner�s eyes looked sad. �Did she make you wear these clothes?�
He nodded. His hand reached up and touched the pretty bow tied at the top of his head. �The bow too?� Miss Turner asked. David nodded again. �Okay, okay. Here, I�ve a tissue. Why not clean off your face, David? It�s going to be all right, you hear me? There�s nothing to worry about. Your mother�s just a little confused, I think. I�m going to want a talk with her.� At this, David started to sniffle. Miss Turner hurried on, smiling gently.
�Oh, no, no David! Not a bad talk! A GOOD talk, I promise! We�ll have a talk an see if we can sort this matter out, okay? Because it doesn�t look like you enjoy wearing a skirt, am I right?� He agreed. He didn�t like skirts. They were too high and on windy days, like today, his underwear was always threatening to show.
Miss Turner led him back inside, then, and they went about class like normal. Then recess came and David suddenly remembered he was still in a skirt. So he made for his hiding spot, just until the twenty minute recess was over. He sat there, fighting the tears back. But no matter how calm he was, or tried to be, the skirt�s inability to stay put increased his agitation.
Yards away, a football, thrown too hard, hits the fence and rebounds slightly. David takes no notice.
Adam watches his friends walk away. But Adam has seen the little girl whimpering over her fluttering skirt and decides he doesn�t want to play any more. In fact, he has the sudden urge to see exactly why this girl is hiding out back there like she is now. True: girls were the mortal enemies of boys. But if that little girl needed some help. . . if some bully was picking on her. . . Well, that just wasn�t fair. Adam hated bullies. Never let one pick on him and detested when they picked on others. So he starts forward.
He walks between the fence and the auditorium until he comes within a foot or two of the upset little girl.
�Hi.� Adam says, hands twirling the football around and around.
Startled, David simply sits and looks up at Adam with a surprised expression. He finds a somewhat cool, peaceful feeling the instant he meets those steady blue, frozen chips of ice.
�H-hi.� David says. He pulls aside a few strands of his hair only to clap it back down. His skirt fluttered again, threatening to show Adam what David was trying to hide.
Adam frowned, maybe recognizing David�s face. �What�s your name?�
�David.� he answers quietly. He�s surprised when Adam sits down on the box, also.
�Why are you wearing a skirt?� Adam asked.
�David decides he can�t look at Adam�s eyes. He looks down at his lap. �My mom�s making me wear this.�
�The crazy bitch?� Adam says, after some thought.
David nods. His hair is now so wild it�s flying at Adam, tickling his nose and neck. He smiles briefly at the feeling before brushing it back behind them. He sees the bow. Suddenly, he�s getting an awful feeling.
�David? You�re not a girl, are you?� Adam asks.
�David�s hands shake and his shoulders bow defensively. �No.� he says.
Adam sighed in relief. �Good. Thought you were one of those stupid girls. You know which ones I mean? The ones who paint their nails and an� talk about us boys.� he grunted, then shook his head. Because his attention span was somewhat shorter than others, Adam laughed suddenly. �Hey, guess what?�
David shrugged. But didn�t speak. �I�ve got a kitten!� Adam said happily, �I named her �Gut-Splatter�, but my mom made me change it to Fluffy. She�s the one who let me get it so I had to let her change it. Mrs. Penny, my neighbor, she�s got this cat. This cat had nine baby cats. Nine! She gave me Fluffy. I think she still has a lot left. You got any pets?�
David looked up skeptically. Maybe he thought it was a trick question. He shook his head.
�You want one?� Adam asked, �Can you ask your mom if you can get one? They�re just these little balls of fur. Their claws are sharp, but they�re so tiny it don�t even hurt. An if you get one, you can pick it up by the backs of their necks an� they don�t even cry! I like cats. Fluffy�s too small to leave my room but she keeps looking out the window. When she grows up, I�m training her to attack birds. She�ll be a lethal killing machine�
As he finished talking, the bell to return to class rang. They got up and headed back to their own classes.
�Hey,� Adam said suddenly, �you want to come over an� see Fluffy? Maybe we can go see Mrs. Penny�s kittens. She�ll let us play with them if we ask all nice-like. You wanna come?�
Without thinking, David nodded. He�d like that. He�s never had a pet before. He doubted very much if his parents would let him have a kitten, but it wouldn�t hurt to just go see one, right?
So they made plans to meet at the corner store before heading off to Adam�s house. . .
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�Wait, wait, wait,� Jade said, holding up his hands and smiling faintly, �hold on. Didn�t you have to talk to Miss Turner with your parents? And why the hell were you wearing a skirt?�
Even though Davey was sticking strictly to the truth, there were things he simply had not divulged to the two sitting across from them. He didn�t think they wanted to hear about him. He figured they�d want to hear juicy bits about their friend. But when Davey looked up at their expressions, he found they were interested in him as well. Well, why not? Might as well tell them.
Davey wasn�t sure if that thought was his or Adam�s, but decided what the hell. �I was just getting to that.� Davey said. �Miss Turner had gone into the stock room to get more chalk. But it was on the high shelf and the stool was wobbly. She fell and cracked her ankle. While another teacher took her to the hospital, we had the assistant principal substitute for the rest of the day. Miss Turner wasn�t in any condition to speak with my parents. And by the time she came back, several days later, she completely forgot about our talk.�
�And the skirt?� Hunter asked.
�That�s easy.� Adam said. He leaned back in his chair and stretched. �Davey wore a skirt �cause even though his mom�s a crazy bitch, he also has the best legs in our school.�
Jade and Hunter both looked at each other, grinning disgustedly. �Ewww.� they said at the same time.
Davey playfully punched Adam in the stomach. Adam feigned injury. �He�s right,� Davey said, �about the first part, not the second. I wore a skirt and that stupid bow because my mom was a crazy bitch.� And he continued telling the story, surprising Adam at how much and how clearly he remembered things, especially every word that was said.
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David stood against the store�s building for ten minutes before he felt like the world�s biggest fool. How could he have thought Adam would actually meet him here? Why on earth would Adam, just about the most gorgeous, handsomest. . .
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Jade cleared his throat while muttering, �Bullshit, bullshit!�
�Hey!� Adam tossed a sugar packet at him. �I am TOO, gorgeous!�
Davey laughed. �Of course you are, Adam. He�s teasing.� Jade laughed but whispered �No I�m not,� to Adam silently.
�Still,� Adam sighed, �think you should cool it on the stalker talk, D. You�re scaring poor Hunt.�
Hunter shifted. �I�m not scared. Just weirded out.�
�Okay,� Davey said, rolling his eyes and sighing. . .
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. . . kid like him want to be Davey�s friend?
Davey gave a depressed sigh, then started walking home. He was almost around the corner and realized someone was yelling at him.
�Hey! Hey, Davey!� David turned and watched Adam run up to him, followed by another boy. This one he recognized to be Eric Madison. �Hey, Davey, thought you were coming to my house!� Adam�s tone sounded hurt.
�I-I am,� David said, �I j-just thought you weren�t coming.�
If Eric wondered why Adam was inviting a girl to his house, he didn�t ask. He looked like he wanted to but he was afraid to get Adam mad.
What David learned first about Adam that remained true ever after was that if you could get Adam comfortable enough to talk to you, he�ll keep on talking without end. He talked the entire time about nothing much. A block or two down and Eric left them to run into his own house. Adam led David into his house.
It was one of the more modern ones at the time. The grass was bright green and trimmed neatly. The flowers lining the walk bloomed with life and drifted powerful scents as they passed by.
�Come on, we�ll get some juice before we go see Fluffy.� Adam said as they walked through a nice living room and hallway to the kitchen where his mother was busy making dinner. She looked happy to see Adam but paused when she spotted David.
Her eyes went from his skirt to his bow. She smiled softly. �Oh! Hello. What�s your name, honey?�
Embarrassed, David bowed his head and toed the ground nervously with the tip of his shiny shoes. Adam, who was getting two cups down answered for him. �His name�s David. He�s a boy, okay mom?�
Startled, his mom turned wide eyes on David. �A boy? Then why is he wearing that skirt?�
As Adam poured their juice, he said plainly, ��Cause his mom�s a crazy bitch.�
Adam�s own mom gasped. �Adam! Don�t you DARE use that language like that! That�s very rude of you!�
Adam frowned. �But it�s true! Ask Davey! Go on, Davey, tell my mom!�
David blushed but nodded. His voice came out soft. �He�s right. My mom�s a crazy bitch. My dad says so. He�s always yelling at her and telling her she�s a crazy bitch and a goddamn whore. He says if she keeps it up, she�ll make me into a crazy, too.�
Adam�s mom, whose name [A/N: for this tale] is Wanda, listened to all this with her mouth slightly open. She looked from Adam to David, then shook her head. �Okay, all right,� she said, �whatever your parents say to each other is THEIR business, you two understand? I don�t want you two to go repeating those kinds of words any more, understand?�
�Yes, mom,� Adam said, clearly disappointed.
�Yes, ma�am.� David said.
�Good.� Wanda smiled at David�s adorable seriousness. �Now, grab a cookie and go play.�
They grabbed a cookie each from the jar shaped like a cow and took them and the cups of juice upstairs to Adam�s room.
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At this point, Davey stopped suddenly. Adam was looking a little flushed. Jade looked from one to the other, but neither looked up from the table. Finally, Adam cleared his throat.
�Uhm, look, it�s still early. How about we get some breakfast, huh?� He asked, standing.
Davey didn�t say a word. Jade saw Adam was now looking at him. �Er, no, I don�t think I will.� Jade said, �I really want to know, Ad. I�ll stay and listen to the story.�
�You, Hunt?� Adam asked quietly. Hunter looked from Davey to Jade.
�Uhm yeah, I�ll go. Can we go see if Holly�s working today?� He asked hopefully.
Adam smiled faintly. �Yeah, sure.� As Hunter hurried to the car, Adam looked at Davey. �I�ll see if I can take a bit longer, all right, D?�
�Okay, thanks.� Davey smiled up at him, but behind the creases, his eyes were decidedly blank.
Jade waited until he heard the car pull away before moving to Hunter�s vacated seat beside Davey. �Is there a problem with the way the story�s going?� He asked quietly. �If something�s making you uncomfortable, you don�t have to say it.�
Davey nodded slowly. �I know. Actually, I never meant to tell you guys this much. But one memory pushes out another and here I am, talking about the most private things. I know I was making Hunter uncomfortable, but I�ve. . . I�ve never told anyone about all this, Jade. I haven�t even said any of this out loud in confession! And Adam. . .�
�He�s not here.� Jade said, taking a hold of Davey�s hand and giving a firm squeeze. �I think he wants you to talk about this. I�m sure he doesn�t want you to bottle it up. So you and Adam used to fool around when you were younger. Okay. So your crazy bitch mom made you wear skirts and shit. Not so okay, but doesn�t just saying it make it better in your mind?�
Davey nodded slowly. �Actually, it does. Thank you.� he looked up at Jade�s soft smile. �Are you sure you want to hear this? I mean, it�s kind of. . .�
Jade smirked. �Tell you the truth, I�m a sucker for romance, be that straight or homo. Just don�t tell Adam or Hunter. They�ll never let it die. They already think things about me. The only thing is, they and I don�t really care too much about boundaries. If I am or not, one way or another, we�ll all still be friends. Just remember that, Davey, and keep telling the freakin� story already!�
Davey smiled and folded his arms. �All right.�
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The kitten heard their footsteps coming up the stairs and started mewling. It scratched ineffectively at the metal-wire cage it was imprisoned in on the desk by the window. Its fur was a dark gray while it�s eyes were a lighter, smokier color.
Adam brought the cage down to the floor so they could play with it there. Curious at the presence of a stranger, Fluffy went to a David and sniffed tentatively. David soon set aside his half-eaten cookie and juice to devote his attention solely to the cat. He brought a length of his hair forward to tease the cat playfully as it batted it lazily in his lap.
�See?� Adam said, finishing his cookie. �Fluffy�s a regular predator. She�s gonna train real hard and pretty soon�� he stopped to drink his juice, �pretty soon she�ll catch that stupid brown bird that keeps shitting on my dad�s car. She�ll tear its head off!� he laughed. Adam eyed David�s cookie. �You gonna eat that?�
When he shook his head, Adam gladly took it. It disappeared down his mouth in less than a minute. He watched David play with the cat for a minute, then grinned. �Hey, you wanna see something?� when David nodded, Adam pulled open the bottom drawer of his dresser. He reached in and pulled out a plastic squeak toy in the shape of a dog.
Seeing this, the kitten immediately sat up, eyes going wide as it followed the dog. Adam chuckled. �I was doing this yesterday. Look, she thinks it�s real.� He moved it closer and they watched Fluffy not only flinched, but also move backward. Adam made a growling noise and moved the toy yet even closer still. This close proximity was apparently too much for Fluffy to handle. With a hiss, then a battle cry in the form of a MEOWRRR! Fluffy launched herself at the dog toy, scratching and biting furiously.
Adam and David laughed so hard they scared Fluffy. She ran off, leaving her defeated enemy to hide underneath Adam�s bed. Adam saw this and laughed some more.
�My stomach hurts from laughing.� David said when it got quiet.
�Mine too.� Adam said happily. He looked at his new friend. �Hey, Davey, you play poker? My dad showed me how. You want me to teach you?�
�Sure.� David said. While Adam got his pack of cards, David frowned. �My name is David, not Davey.�
Adam nodded. �I know. But I like Davey. What, you don�t like it? I�ll stop calling you that if you don�t like it.�
David shrugged. �It�s all right, I guess.�
As Adam sat down in front of him, Davey crossed his legs so they wouldn�t be in the way. This was a mistake, since he was wearing a skirt, after all. Adam opened the pack of cards, then glanced up as something caught his eye. He froze, eyes going wide.
�Davey,� he said, surprised, �you�re wearing girlie underwear, too?!�
Davey yelped and hurriedly stretched his skirt further so it covered more. Adam grunted. �Man, you�re mom�s a REAL crazy bitch, isn�t she?� he set the cards down momentarily. He thought a moment. �Hey, Davey, can I see them?�
�What?!� Davey asked indignant. �Why?�
Adam shrugged. �Dunno. Miranda showed me a little of hers. And so did Tanisha. Just wanted to see if they all looked alike.� he looked at Davey expectantly and waited.
Davey stood firm on his decision but after five minutes of silent stares, he gave in. �All right. I guess.� he said grudgingly. �But don�t laugh, Adam!�
�I won�t.� Adam said. �I didn�t laugh when Miranda showed me hers. And she had ponies with rainbows!�
Slowly, Davey lifted the edge of the skirt until he touched his forehead. He peered over to see Adam�s expression. �Hhmm,� Adam said with interest, �strawberries. That�s nice. They look cute. Do they feel nice?�
Davey looked down at them also. �Kinda. They�re light an� I can move better but. . . I dunno. They�re girls�, not boys�. I wouldn�t care if they just didn�t have these stupid strawberries. If my skirt goes any higher, everyone will see �em an� they�ll laugh.�
Adam hesitated, then reached a hand over. �Hey!� Davey cried out, then yanked his skirt back down. �Don�t do that!�
�Why not?� Adam asked. �I was just gonna feel them, that�s all!�
Davey�s face burned with humiliation. �You can�t.�
�Why not?� Adam demanded. Of course, he believed he was right in his actions.
�Because!� Davey said, then lowered his voice. �Because that�s my private! Dad says no one�s supposed to see it! He says if I ever let anyone see, I�ll go to hell! He says I�m not supposed to touch it, not even in the shower! That�s why I can�t take a bath by myself!�
Adam looked puzzled. �Really? I take baths by myself.� He scoffed. �Maybe your dad�s crazy, too. You can�t go to hell for touching yourself! How the hell will you have sex?�
Davey looked startled. �Have what?�
Adam�s eyes widened. �You don�t know about sex? Don�t you know anything?�
Davey blushed further and shrugged. �Sure I do. But I�m not supposed to say those words. My parents will hit me.� His hand went instinctively to the bruise on his arm.
Adam saw Davey�s expression. He nodded sadly. �All right, I guess. I�ll tell you about it.� He went into a nearly fantastical description he heard from the other. Some parts were true, but because of his lack of experience and his bad choice in sources (mostly Michael Dunn), most weren�t.
Davey listened in horror. At the end, he was terrified. �Why? He asked Adam. �Why have sex?�
Adam shrugged. �How else are babies gonna get made? Besides, sometimes I can hear my mom and dad going at it and they seem to like it.�
Davey hugged himself to ward off the worry. This sex business sounded bad. He�d have to be careful not to agree to have sex with a girl in the future. It might kill him.
�It doesn�t sound like fun,� Davey told Adam, �it sounds like fighting.�
Adam nodded. �It probably is. But I wouldn�t care for it. I like kissing. You know Tanisha? I kissed her.� He folded his arms smugly.
�Why?� Davey asked.
�Why?� Adam appeared surprised. ��Cause it�s fun! She was eating a cherry lollipop and her lips were sticky.� Adam looked sheepish. �I kissed her, then I ran away. She couldn�t stop laughing.�
Davey frowned. �But I thought you and the guys were at war with the girls?�
Adam shrugged. �We are. But if you get one by themselves, she�s like. . . I dunno. Different. She gets all smiley and stuff. And if you get a good one, they ask you if you want to kiss them and then you. . . can.� he smiled crookedly.
Davey smiled also. �That sounds better than sex.� he grew quiet. After much thought, and on pure impulse, he asked, �Will you kiss me?�
�Wha�?� Adam asked, taken aback.
Davey blushed furiously and absentmindedly crumpled his skirt between his fists. �W-will you k-kiss me?� he repeated. Just simply put. That was what he wanted, he realized then, he wanted Adam to kiss him.
Adam scratched his head. �I dunno. I don�t think boys are supposed to kiss boys.� He saw Davey look away, but not before the first tear fell. Adam�s guilt overcame him again. �Uh. . .� he said, �I guess so. One kiss won�t hurt.�
Hearing him, Davey wiped his eyes as turned as Adam slowly moved to sit beside him. They looked at each other silently for a long time. Then Adam inched closer and closer. He kept going until his lips smooshed with Davey�s, then he pulled back.
Davey looked surprised. �That�s it?� he asked.
�Yeah,� Adam said. He looked at the pack of cards. �You wanna play poker now?�
�Sure.� Davey said. But neither moved. They were both trying to sort out their thoughts on what happened. It was almost trying because the thoughts of one came spilling over to the other, scrambling the orders up.
�Adam,� Davey said, turning to face him. That�s as far as he got, however, since Adam quickly blocked his mouth with his own.
This time neither pulled back any sooner. Davey turned his head slightly. Adam�s mouth opened from the movement and he breathed air at Davey. It happened out of instinct now. If either of them were unsure, the other couldn�t tell. Somehow when Adam�s tongue poked through Davey�s parted lips, Davey knew not to shut his jaws. Feeling more courage, Adam set his hand on Davey�s shoulder, then moved up to run through his hair. He�d forgotten how soft it was. This close he could smell it again, how it smelled almost like bubblegum. He decided then that kissing Davey was probably better than kissing Tanisha, and THAT had been the best!
When they finally did pull apart, things looked different. Literally, the room seemed darker. They looked dazedly at the clock. Davey snapped awake.
�Seven?!� he cried out. �My dad comes home at six! He�ll whip me if I don�t have dinner ready!�
�You cook dinner?� Adam asked. His voice was slow and thick; his current state of mind.
Davey hurried up. �My mom sleeps a lot.� he explained. �Thanks for having me over, Adam, I like your cat. I�ll see you tomorrow?�
Adam nodded. �Yeah, okay.�
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They heard the front door open and Davey and Jade both looked at the clock. �No way they�ve been gone for half an hour!� Jade cursed, frowning. Adam and Hunter came trudging back in, glaring at everything.
�Car�s got a flat.� Adam explained. �Had to push it back.�
�Don�t you have a spare?� Davey asked.
�Yeah,� Adam pressed his lips together thoughtfully. �Yeah, I do. The bad news is, it�s already on the car. The good news is, it�s not the one that blew.�
Hunter snorted. �It�s too far to walk. We�re gonna eat here.�
Jade scowled, then stood up, pulling Davey with him. �Come on, Davey, let�s go somewhere else and talk.�
Davey exchanged a brief, faint smile with Adam before letting himself being dragged out.
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