Through the summer, Amadeo spent a lot of time among Fay.  He learned to speak t Fay, and with his mastery of language, was coining new phrases or looking up archaic ones to revive. The Fay loved the fact that they could steal the past without anyone realizing it.  Amadeo was making friends, and shopping in thrift shops, clothing stores and costume shops for clothes and jewelry.  You could never have too much costume jewelry.  The Fay loved getting trinkets.  Amadeo took to wearing velvet frock coats early on. He was told he should let his hair grow to its natural color, and the next day, he had Kim cut his hair for him, so he looked like a roman emperor until it grew out.  One of the Fay nymphs pierced his ears, one of them twice, and he went out and bought real earrings to wear.  Amadeo couldn't wear fake earrings, only gold or his ears got infected, his mother was the same way.

He read history novels, and watched old Hollywood costume movies to see the dances and the way they kissed ladies hands.  He got a hand fan, and learned how to signal coyly with it from across the room.

He bought all sorts of make-up.  He did his eyes up like an Egyptian queen one day and like a punk the next.  His parents didn't know what to make of it.  He was usually honest with them and so he told them he was one of the Fay now.  "You might walk by any of the cafe's during the afternoon and see all the young Fay.  If you like you might give one a bauble or buy them some chocolate and ask them to tell you what a Faerie is.  Don't let them mistake you for Fay bait, they might think you are looking for a Fag.  Tell them you are a human who does not prejudge others and you want to know what the Fay are."

"You aren't having sex with people who walk by looking for it?" his mother asked, horrified.

"Im not a harlot.  Just because I have a painted face doesn't mean I sell myself body and soul.  Fay can always say no.  Ive only had sex with Fay nymphs.  I've stayed disgustingly healthy, you can ask Dr. Stewart.  Id be a fallen Fay if I wasn't."

"Amadeo, why all the affected glamour.  If there is some statement?  All young people try to make a way for themselves. . . but why the airs?" asked his father.

"Do you think Im a snob?"

"A poseur perhaps."

"It is how we can show support for a cause.  I want to do it.  I will still be a writer.  I talked to a counselor. If I go to school for five years instead of four I can get a degree in writing and art history also.  There would be more jobs to choose from that way."

"That I think is a good idea, especially for you," said his father.

"I want to get a dorm room, so I don't have to drive across town if I don't want to, that is if I can."

"I don't understand," his mother said, "Why the Fay would go with - how do you say?  Fay Bait?"

"It is a rule of the Fay that having sex is something you do because both people want it and you do it for each other.  Sometimes people who are not Fay would like one of us to spend a little time with them.  We are not a naive bunch of waifs.  I think the Fay are quite mature.  If they don't go by Fay rules, then no Faerie will pay them any attention.  We don't allow violence in any way."

"But to take gifts?"

"We call it courting.  When you have better things to do you must be persuaded, no?  It isn't how much it costs.  Most times if you have something you can teach a Faerie will accept a lesson.  Some of the Fay are kept.  They are set up in apartments or have their tuition paid.  You become sort of a patron then if you support a Faerie.  All the famous master painters were supported by patrons who paid for all their supplies and shelter just to see them work."

"But you have not done this?"

"No one asked me to.  I would have to wait till they asked to consider.  It isn't even sex so much.  Most of the time we sit around and recite or debate."

Amadeo knew his parents were still shocked, even though they could block mind reading, but then they fell into a conversation about things they had done in their youth and Amadeo had to leave.   The same things you might do just sounded wrong when said about your parents.

When classes started, Amadeo kept busy with his schoolwork. He sat at the cafes during lunch and between classes.  He only got very dressed up to go to the club on weekends. There everyone called him The Wooden Boy.  He might have really been considered fair, if he would consider the elves along with the nymphs.  Matt though, was there more often than he was.  Matt went by the name Rubio.  It seemed to Amadeo that Matt did not have sex with Fay as often as he did, which was not that often, and never as often as he wanted.  Either that, or Matt was so much more discreet.

The word that best described Amadeo was eager.  He could keep going and going, if they would let him start.  He was still new to it, though.  He did start taking Fay home to his playroom.  Being youthful and hedonistic, he often missed the looks he got during the day from the family.  Having a place to go helped.  Though, one day, Amber came to him looking like she had not slept a wink and said plainly, "do you know that those who have the talent project when they are emotional?"  It took a while for Amadeo to recognize that his sister could tell what he was feeling and doing when he was in the playroom, or anywhere nearby, by merit of their talent.  He just wasn't bothered.  Amadeo thought it a nice thing to share.

He got better at asking for what he wanted.  He learned the elaborate system of etiquette and the signals.  More than having sex with as many people as possible, it was who your friends were that got you respected by the Fay. You could conceivably be a virgin and be a Fay Queen, if you were friends with enough people and you could teach or perform.

Amadeo started collecting paintings in return for songs or poems he wrote.

At school, classes were simple enough, and he liked it there.  His one problem was the young man who lived in the dorm room next to his.  They saw each other often, and Charlie always had something terrible to say to him.  It was either a stupid comment on the amount of wealth that Amadeo's family had, or it was a crude remark about the Fay.  "Going out to kiss the princes?  It would be a shame to damage those knees you better take this," he said and threw a pillow at him.

Amadeo just dropped it as he might a handkerchief and walked on.  He was angered though.  It was one of Charlie's kinder comments.  And at the club, Pony was the first one to greet him, that boy had been the first to ask Amadeo to do anything on that first night he'd ever gone to the Limelight.  He'd seen Matt leave with him twice already.  After listening to Charlie, he did not want to be around Pony who, was one young man who was absolutely wooden for The Wooden Boy.  Amadeo took his hand and kissed it though.

He looked up when he felt it, Pony sucking at his fingers.  A warm soft tongue gliding across his fingertips.  He let his fingers rest on Pony's cheek.  "How do you stand it, Pony?  All the Fay bashing?  I get called a lackey or a fag.  It's assumed I do nothing but have sex with other men. There are women who call me 'beautiful' and 'disgusting' in the same breath."

"They all want you."

"That can't be right."

"They are jealous.  They would secretly love to have your freedom.  And think of the Fay Bait.  Do you think they even know what they want?  They are just curious, drawn in to it, but not wanting to become us.  They are always sad when we leave."

"Maybe I shouldn't be Fay."

Pony laughed.  "You told me you were here because you found out what you were was called Fay.  You couldn't have been corrupted as they claim.  You just needed a name for it."

"But how do you stand it?  It makes me so mad."  The more he stood with Pony the more he really wanted to give in.  It wasn't truly a new feeling; several weeks ago some other pretty boy had convinced Amadeo that they should kiss.  Amadeo had to admit that had been very...hot.

"Kiss me."

It was like Pony was reading his thoughts.  Amadeo was feeling pretty confident of himself, feeling pretty good so close to the other boy.  Amadeo moved forward slowly to kiss Pony on the mouth. As soon as their lips touched, Pony opened his mouth and slipped his tongue into Amadeo's mouth.  Amadeo was moaning.  He moved his fingers from Pony's cheek into his hair.  Pony was whispering to him, "Don't you want to see if you can do it?  Let's leave here."

"I just got here, It's early," said Amadeo grasping for an excuse.

"I've waited all summer for you.  I want to spent the night with you."

 Amadeo kissed his neck.  "My dorm room?"

The only person who noticed was Charlie, sitting in the hall lounge as before.  "Come back for something, prince?"

Amadeo moved to walk away but Pony kept him there.  He watched, as Pony looked Charlie up and down.  "Have you been hiding him from me, Amad?  He's so exquisitely beautiful."

"Charlie?" asked Amadeo, "He's rude."

"His loss then."  Pony kissed Amadeo again.  "Come, lover we only have till morning."

Amadeo took Pony into his room, only looking back to see Charlie's gaping mouth.  Pony was laughing but he stopped. "He really does want you?"

"Do you think so?"

"Charlie is jealous of me."

"That isn't very Fay of him.  Let him be jealous."  Pony had come over to him and was kissing him.  Pony hung one arm limply over Amadeo's shoulder and his other hand rested lightly on Amadeo's hip.

"Do that dance you do."

Amadeo tried to remember the music.  He moved his hips slowly in a circle.  He lowered his eyes to see Pony moving right up against him.  He pivoted and made a 180-degree turn so that Pony's arm was on his other shoulder.  Pony leaned forward over his shoulder.  "How did you do that?" Amadeo turned back around.  He put his arm on Pony's shoulder and the other at his hip.  Pony started moving on his own.  Amadeo moved with him counting and then he pulled forward on Pony, causing him to turn toward Amadeo's arm.  He took his arm down to hold both of Pony's hips.  He pulled Pony back against him.  "I want you like this," he said.

Pony nodded leaving his head thrown back on Amadeo's shoulder.  Amadeo kissed his neck.  He reached around to undo Pony's shirt.  Pony took his own shorts off while Amadeo undressed.  He bit at Pony's shoulders, "Get on the bed."  And even thought he sounded confident, inside Amadeo was wondering whether every word wasn't wrong.

Pony climbed onto the bed and lay there, "All summer, boy, I waited for you."

Amadeo climbed over him.  He reached for the foils on the shelf above the bed and hurried to put one on.  He moved Pony's legs apart a little.  Of course, he hadn't done it before, but by now Amadeo knew how it should be done between recalled sex-ed classes and all the nearly pornographic books he'd lately been devouring.  Amadeo looked for a moment and then he just let his body take over his mind and he entered Pony.  "I want you, Pony," he said, his hands sliding up Pony's back to hold his shoulder blades.

It was a remarkably different feeling than just having a woman.  And it wasn't just the position being new, it was seeing the shape of the body under him.  Of course the artist in Amadeo had always been able to admit without embarrassment when he considered a male body beautiful and when he didn't.  But this was teaching him something new.  Amadeo was learning.  And he liked it.

He liked the fact that he would have a new skill, a new trick to show off.  But he also liked the pure feeling of it.  Pony was a good teacher, telling him in wonderfully encouraging phrases how he might do better.  When he was done, Amadeo collapsed on Pony's back.  He kissed his neck. "You move slow, do you know that?" asked Pony.

"It's good though."

"Yeah."

Amadeo moved to the side as Pony got up.  Pony kissed his mouth.  "Can you do it?  Can you take it in your mouth?" He asked. 

Amadeo licked at his lips. He looked down the length of the other boy's body with an appreciative glance.  "I think so, but could we just kiss some more first.  I want to."  Pony just blinked a yes, then lay back.  Amadeo had been hungry for Pony's skin.  He kissed him, letting his tongue lick at Pony's chest, letting his hands learn the new body.

He didn't like the taste of latex as he went down on Pony.  He continued on with it anyway.  Amadeo was completely aroused by the idea of it.  It was like a more perfect kiss.  And Pony was just so sweet and delicious all around.  He put his hands under Pony and pulled him up toward him.  Pony was moaning wildly at it.  Amadeo had had others do the same to him enough to know what he liked to feel.  He tried to be like René only slower.  Amadeo kept licking even as Pony lost his hardness.  Amadeo removed the foil carefully and dropped it in the wastebasket.

Amadeo moved up to Pony's mouth, which was what had captivated him in the first place.  Pony pulled away from him, "Damn," he said loudly, "Damn, Amad."

Amadeo grinned.  He felt confident and beautiful.  "Bathe me, Pony, Im so damn fain," Amadeo whispered.  He knew that Pony would do anything for him just then.  But Pony played with Amadeo first.  He must have actually waited an hour before he was bathing Amadeo's ho-ho.  He told Amadeo that he'd had the Queens, Mab and Strawberry and J.  The Queens could play with you for hours and drive you absolutely mad.