Chapter 49  The Color Run

Payton

"Congratulations mon chou," Remy says as he leans over the center console and gives me a light kiss on my lips. My face heats up and my whole body tingles even though his lips barely brush mine. My heart rate spikes and my hands suddenly feel clammy.

"Thanks," I reply, my voice barely a whisper as look down so he can't see my face which is probably blushing an even deeper shade of red. I'm still fighting the fear that Remy will suddenly see me for who I really am and then question why he's with me. Will I ever stop feeling like the awkward misfit in a John Hughes movie? Stupid insecurities, they really are the worst. If only I could figure out how to shut up that inner voice that tells me I'm not good enough.

Warm fingers lift up my chin and turn my face so I'm looking into two beautiful, dark brown eyes.

"How does it feel to have your freshman year behind you?" he says with a smile that comforts me and seems to quiet the insecurities.

"Really good. It went so fast, it doesn't feel like it should be done already."

I took my last final this morning and then packed up all my stuff in my dorm room, which I'll pick up Sunday morning since that's the last day we can be at the dorms, and then Monday Remy is going to drive me to my Grandfather's house in Muskegon, Michigan.

Until then I'm spending my first weekend with Remy. Although we signed a contract last week, we haven't officially started because he wanted me to focus on school through finals. We haven't been together at all yet and I'm anxious and jittery to be with him tonight. Not anxious-bad, but anxious in that I'm really sick of waiting, but I understand. It's part of him being a good Dom to not let me lose my focus. As a result, I'm pretty sure I've ended the semester with a 4.0 average for my freshman year, which is why he's congratulating me.

All my grades except the final I took this morning have already been posted on-line, and I'm pretty confident I aced the one this morning. Tommy and I talked about it after and looked up the questions that we were worried about so I think...hopefully, I did well.

It kind of sucks that I have to leave on Monday since we barely just got together, but Remy's going to stay a few days with me in Muskegon. The best part...drumroll please; Grampa and Ellen will be away until the end of next week at Ellen's niece's wedding in Mexico, so Remy and I will have the place to ourselves! I'll have to work some, but Remy said he didn't mind, he'll bring his laptop and deal with emails, make phone calls and write proposals while I'm working at the marina, and then we have the rest of the time for just the two of us.

"How do you think you did on the final this morning?" he asks.

"Good. I'm pretty sure I aced it, but not 100% positive," I tell him. "The grades won't be posted until Monday though."

"Do you have everything you need for the run tomorrow?" he asks before he starts the car. Tomorrow we're doing the Color Run with everyone. It should be a blast!

"Yeah, it's in my bag," I tell him, indicating the duffel bag I threw into the back seat. "What are we going to do tonight? Are we going to the club?"

"No, I think we'll stay in," he says as he backs out of the parking spot and drives around to the exit. "We have the Color Run tomorrow and it's our first real night together. I want to make it special without any distractions."

When his face turns toward me I nearly pass out at the intensity in his eyes. I nod in agreement, swallowing to try to moisten my dry mouth.

"Don't be nervous, little fox," he says.

"I'm not nervous," I object, and he chuckles at the way my voice cracks. "Well, not too nervous, just a little," I admit.

"We'll take everything slow and easy, I need to get to know you and you need to get to know me. I look forward to it, though, learning everything I can about you, how you react, what you like. Just please always be honest with me and don't be afraid to tell me what you like and what you don't like. Okay, mon chou? Promise?"

"Oui, Maître," I reply back in French, saying Yes, Master and Remy gives me a proud smile.

*********

"That was great, thank you," I say after I take the last bite of the dinner Remy made. Petite Blanquette de Poulet a l'Estragon. Basically Tarragon Chicken, only he left out the mushrooms because he knows I don't like them and he served it with asparagus because he knows I love asparagus. I don't know why, but I'm surprised at what a great cook he is. He told me his mother is an amazing cook, so he learned everything from her.

"Le plaisir était pour moi," he says taking my plate before I have a chance to stand since I wanted to clear the dishes. (The pleasure was mine).

"Let me clear and clean up, you cooked," I object.

"Not tonight, little fox," he says. "Besides, I'll just throw these in the dishwasher and the rest of the dishes I cleaned as I prepared dinner."

Remy presses my shoulder lightly so I sit back down and look at the beautiful fresh flowers on the table. He said it was like a first date in a sense so he was making everything special. It was really nice, but I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable with him going to all that trouble for me.

When he returns he places a small plate with a ramekin and pieces of fruit in front of me and one at his place setting too. "Is this Crème Brulee?" I ask as I tap the top of the dessert with my spoon until the hard caramelized sugar breaks.

"How'd you do that?" I ask after he nods.

"Every good French Chef keeps a butane torch in his kitchen. Try it, let me know what you think."

I'm excited because I've had this dessert before and I loved it. I take a spoonful making sure to get some of the cool custard underneath and some of the hard crust. "Mmmmm, this is amazing," I groan. It's way better than any I've had before.

"Do you cook like this all the time?"

"Not often enough, just for guests. It's not as much fun cooking for one, but I plan to cook like this for you often."

"But you have to let me help or I'll feel guilty," I say.

"I will, but you shouldn't ever feel guilty letting someone do something nice for you, Payton. Especially me, this brings me pleasure watching you enjoy a meal I've prepared for you."

I look away from his intense eyes and feel a blush creep up my neck. Remy immediately reaches over and lifts my chin. "Don't look away cher, you have to get used to compliments and being treated as special because you are very special. I will be drilling this into you until you believe it."

I open my mouth, but I don't know what to say, so I close it and just look back at him. His eyes are so sincere. "I'm just not used to that kind of attention," I finally say quietly.

"I understand, and I will be patient with you until you are, but I will make sure you realize what a treasure you are Payton."

I nod as he runs his thumb across my chin. "Okay. Finish your dessert. I have many other ways to show you my adoration as well," he says with a sly grin which I return before I turn back and quickly finish my Crème Brulee thinking about what is to come.

Tai

"Hey guys," I say as we walk up to the spot where Lane told us all to meet.

"Hey Tai, Hello Master Ken," Tommy says when he sees me first. We all do the greeting thing which I'm sure has been repeated every time someone has shown up. I look around and realize we're probably the last ones, but it takes a while in the morning to look this good. It's like a public service I'm doing so I don't feel guilty either.

I walk over to Ashton who's crouching down tying his sneakers. I crouch down until we're face to face.

"When do you leave?" I say quietly.

"Monday morning, ass crack of dawn," he replies.

I let out a sigh. This is going to be the first summer I haven't hung out with Ashton in a long time, he's going to Colorado and I'm going off with Master Ken. "I'm happy for you bae, it sounds like the perfect summer gig for you." While I'm traveling around Asia this summer Ashton will be working at a large animal veterinary clinic in Aspen. Payton told me it's a very 'prestigious' one too. I laugh, sounds like something my snobby mother would say, though I know Pay is the farthest from a snob of anyone I know.

"It's just for the summer, I'll be back the first week of September when classes start again," Ashton assures me. A few weeks ago I'm not so sure I'd have believed him, but it's all good now.

"Still, I'm going to miss you."

"Me too," Payton says as he walks over. "I was hoping to have you guys out to my Gramps for the 4th of July weekend, take you all sailing."

"Sorry Pay, I'm not sure where exactly I'll be then," I say before thinking about the itinerary Master Ken showed me. "Maybe Kuala Lumpur, but I'm not positive."

"How about you Ash? Will you be able to come home at all?"

"Nah, sorry Pay. The summer interns don't get any of the holidays off. They hire us to do the grunt work and cover for the regular staff."

"That's okay. You'll learn a lot," he says. "I saw that girl Kaylen from your class the other day and she told me that like thirty-five students applied for this internship and you got one of two spots. We're really proud of you!"

"Thanks Pay," Ashton says and ruffles Payton's already messy hair. God, if Payton would just listen to me I could show him what products to use and how to style his hair just right.

"Oh, I have a few leads on apartments close to campus for the Fall, but I won't have a chance to look at them before I leave. I'm going to come back in a few weeks and check them out," Payton says to Ash.

"What? What's this about an apartment?" I ask.

"Well Tommy's moving in with Casey and the dorms are so noisy so I asked Ashton if he wanted to get an apartment with me," Payton says.

"Really? That's great guys. There's an opening in my building if you're interested."

"Way out of our price range and too far from campus dude, but thanks," Ashton says.

"Yeah," Payton laughs. "Our budget is more in the range of 'not-quite-condemned-chic'."

"I'm sure you guys will find something nice, I can help you look too, Pay."

"Cool, thanks, Tai."

"Okay everybody, I have all your race numbers," Lane bellows and we look up as he's making his way toward our group waving a sheaf of numbers in his hand. I look around and between us guys, our Doms and other friends of Lane and Matthias' there are between twenty and thirty of us. I think the charity helps kids which is probably why Lane is so excited about it. He has a wicked soft spot where kids are concerned.

"Here Tai."

Master Ken walks over with our race bibs and some safety pins. I let him pin mine to my white t-shirt while I admire the fine man before me. He's so focused, even while he does this small task and it's sexy as...

"There, you're all set," he says as he looks up at me and I stifle a small giggle. "Let's get you warmed up and stretched Tai, I don't want you pulling a muscle on the run."

"I'm good Sir," I tell him, but he still pushes me off to the side and I jog and bounce in place, throwing in the occasional pirouette to warm up. A warm feeling fills me as he then carefully stretches my limbs. I swear sometimes he treats me like a prize racehorse, but I love every second of his attention. There's nothing better than his firm hands on my body.

"You'll probably have to give me a good rubdown after the race," I tell him.

"I'm counting on it," he says and the corner of his mouth turns up just slightly.

I lay down on my back and close my eyes as he lifts my legs and pushes them back to stretch my hamstrings.

A few minutes later they announce the five-minute mark so we all make our way to the starting area.

"You know in a few minutes that pristine white shirt you're wearing is going to be covered in paint," Chris teases as he throws an arm over my shoulder.

"I'm mentally prepared Chris, I bought this shirt just for today so I don't care. Besides, it's powder, not paint. I've also got this," I say as I pull a white bandana from my pocket."

"Of course, gotta protect the hair," he laughs, then tries to make a grab for my bandana, but hell, I've been friends with Chris for almost five years so I quickly put it out of his reach and give him a poke in the side leaving him bent over rubbing the spot.

"Don't threaten the hair," I growl and skip off to where the Doms are standing. He won't dare tease me near them. Once I have the bandana tied securely I look around at the crowd and down the avenue that's been closed off for the event. It's really incredible the mass of people in front of and behind us.

Someone is making a speech over loudspeakers, but with all the people cheering I can't hear a word they're saying. Then there is a countdown and Lane is yelling for everyone to make sure they have their sunglasses on and a loud boom and colored powder is flying through the air and everyone is screaming.

We begin running and as we pass through the starting gate we're shot with more and more powder and everyone looks like they rolled in a pit of wet skittles.

It's really crowded in the beginning and Master Ken grabs my hand so we don't lose each other and pulling me away from the denser areas so I don't get trampled. Did I mention this man is like a prince?

When I was a kid and watched Disney movies I always had this vision in my head of my own Prince Charming and Master Ken is everything he was and more.

~~~~~~~

Tommy

"How are you doing baby?" Casey asks when we've reached the halfway point. He looks fresh as a daisy not even having broken a sweat. I'm just glad it's only 5K. I just don't enjoy running as much as the others, but when Lane told me about this run and the Just Care More Foundation that it supports, I knew I had to do it, especially since it's going to directly benefit the kids from the Boys & Girls club I work for.

I even contacted the Foundation and this summer Casey and I are going to volunteer at one of their camps for two weeks in July and 2 weeks in August. They run these Just Care More camps for kids from group homes and underprivileged communities. I can't wait and I was ecstatic when I told Casey about it and he said he wanted to come with me. He'll be so great with the kids too, he's such an amazing role model.

"I'm good," I finally answer, "thanks to you."

Casey just chuckles. He'd got me started doing short runs about a month ago and we'd worked up to 5K so I know I can do it no problem. For me it's more that I get bored running. But running with Casey has its benefits. Casey in shorts; Casey's ass in those shorts; Casey when he sweats and pulls his shirt off. I could go on, but I've been accused of being a little obsessed lately. As if my friends have any right to criticize. Tai's been talking my ear off about Master Ken; Chris is always Clark this and Clark that; Lane - well, we all know how Lane is about his 'daddy'; Payton isn't as verbal as the others about Remy, but he's always grinning and I can just tell it's Remy-related. Ashton? Whatever Master Zion's been feeding him has lifted a weight off his shoulders.

My friends all seem to be happy. Life is good!

Sebastien's face flashes in my mind. He's our friend too, but with everything that's been going on in our lives we've kind of lost track of him. I suddenly feel guilty for not making a better effort to call him or get together with him. He hasn't been at the club much lately and he didn't come to any of the study sessions we invited him to during finals. For the last several weeks he'd just go to class and go home; well, home to Master Lancaster's. I make myself a promise to call him tomorrow and make some plans with him.

"Babe? Baby?"

"What? Sorry Casey."

"You looked a million miles away," he says. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just everything going on lately. You, my friends, summer plans. I'm excited to work at the summer camp with you."

"Me too baby, I'm glad you found out about it. I sent a memo to all of my employees at each of my clubs and several have already confirmed that they've signed up for at least a week at one of the camps."

"Really? Wow! Thanks, Case! That's awesome."

"You're awesome," he replies before grabbing me mid-stride and kissing me, missing my mouth at first. I laugh afterward when he's spitting out colored powder.

"This really is the happiest 5K on the planet!" Payton says with a huge grin as he runs up to me. He's covered from head to toe in every color in the rainbow and looking adorably happy. The tall, dark and handsome man running along his other side no doubt is the reason for most of that smile.

"We should do this every year," he continues. "Kind of like a family tradition. Even after school is over and we go in different directions we can meet in Chicago for the Color Run."

"Yeah, that's a great idea. We'll talk to Lane about it. What are you guys doing after the run?"

"I don't know," he replies and glances over at Remy.

"Whatever you want to do, mon choux," he chuckles.

"Ashton will probably want to go eat," Payton says, "but we'll probably go to Remy's apartment to wash all this off before we go anyplace."

"Why doesn't everyone come over to my place after they've showered and changed for an afternoon barbecue" Casey says. "I've got the hot tub we can relax in, and a fridge full of steaks."

"And I can put together some salads," I add since we went to the Farmer's market near his house yesterday and stocked up.

"I can help too Tommy. What do you think Sir?" Payton asks Remy.

"It's fine with me cher," he replies and my heart melts a little at the look he's giving my best friend. Remy and Payton may have had some bumps in the road, but that man looks at Pay with pure affection and devotion. Kind of like the way Casey looks at me.

"You look happy baby," Casey says quietly into my ear.

"I am. Really happy."

"I'm going to tell everyone about the barbecue. What time should I tell them to come?" Payton asks.

"Maybe 3:00, that way everyone can go home and shower and rest for a bit?" I say.

"That works," Casey agrees. "That gives us plenty of time to clean up and get ready."

"And take a nap," Casey adds with a wink. He usually says nap as a euphemism. He really means he wants to cuddle and canoodle in bed.

"Yeah, definitely nap," I reply with a grin.

Payton laughs and runs off. I watch as he goes from group to group telling our friends about the barbecue, leaving Remy running alongside Casey and I.

"You take care of him," I warn, looking over at Remy.

"I have every intention of that Tommy, you don't have to worry."

"That's good, because if you slip up, I got this guy I'll send after you," I say, gesturing towards Casey.

Remy lets out a deep laugh. "Funny, I think Lane said the same thing to me just a few days ago. I'm glad Payton has such good friends looking out for him and I'll do my best not to let any of you down."

"I have confidence in you Sir."

"Remy," he says. "Outside the club, I'm just another guy. I've asked Payton to do the same, but he hasn't quite gotten the memo yet."

"Yeah, he's pretty stubborn. Once it's not so new he'll probably listen, but it makes him happy, so I'd just let him," I say.

"And my plan is to keep him happy."

After a few minutes, we pass by a water station and Casey grabs a water bottle for each of us. I drink some and use the rest to wash my face a bit. I don't mind the power on my clothes, but I don't like it all over my face.

"Only one more kilometer," Casey says. "You're doing great baby."

"Thanks, Case."

He grabs my hand and kisses it and I feel my cheeks heat up. "Love you," he whispers.

"Love you too."

Chris

"Oh god, I think I have a cramp," I gasp while clutching at my side after running across the finish line.

Yeah, I definitely have a fucking cramp. Holy fuck, is this what females go through every month? I'm so glad I have a dick. I don't cramp or bleed monthly, I don't have to get pregnant or anything. I wince while trying to rub out the cramp, not that it really works. I gotta remember to decline this shit next year. I'm not about this running life. Tommy throws me a towel and I wipe it over my whole head. When I'm done the once white towel looks like it's been tie dyed, but at least I got most of that shit off my face and out of my hair. I let out a tired sigh as I toss the towel onto a pile of used ones.

"Out of shape, Chris? I guess Master Clark isn't doing his job right," Jacobi laughs making me glare at him as I rest my hands on my knees.

"I'm in shape! Running just sucks," I groan and drop my head, "and I'm not talking about the good sucking either."

"You're so disgusting," he rolls his eyes and I snicker while standing up.

"Here, Pup, drink up," Clark says while holding out a cup of water.

"Thanks," I mumble, taking the cup and chugging it quickly. "Can I get another one?"

"Sure," he chuckles, "why don't we all go get something to drink?"

Following his suggestion, the group heads for the refreshment tents. I never knew how hungry I'd be after running. Probably because I hardly ever run. Whatever, I'm just glad there is good food. It's not food that will fill one up, no real meals, but snacks are life so I'm happy. There is a large crowd near the stage and it looks like a full on concert with the way people are jumping to the music. I enjoy my funnel cake and slushy from a distance. Feeling a pressure on my shoulder, I look over and see Clark's arm draped around me. I scrunch up my nose as I look at him and he laughs before leaning forward. I think he's going to kiss me, but instead the asshole takes the large piece of funnel cake in my hand. My eyes widen before they narrow into slits.

"That's why you got white powder all over your mouth and it looks like you've been sucking off a dry ass grandpa," I mutter making him smirk at me.

"Only one I've been sucking off is you. So what does that have to say about you?" He asks teasingly and I close my lips around the straw before sucking on it slowly.

"That I'm going to be so hurt when I find the grandpa you're cheating on me with," I reply then lick his lips with my cherry slushy covered tongue.

"I'd never cheat on you." He frowns, his arm pulling me closer.

"You better not," I warn him while glaring, "I'll get Master Matthias to fuck you up."

"Amen!" Lane shouts out of nowhere and we look over to see him standing on a table, chugging a cup of beer.

I chuckle, slightly jealous of him because he's the only one of us that can drink around our Doms since he's the only one that's of 'legal age to drink'. Bullshit. We all hang around for a while, listening to music and just regaining the will to walk to the cars that are a few blocks away from the start. But when Dennis and Master Michael decide to head out, everyone does the same. Luckily, somehow, Master Matthias is able to get us rides back to the entrance of the race in the security carts. I'm sure it has something to do with the way he rubbed his fingers together to indicate cash. I don't really care, I get to sit down for a few minutes. After a seemingly never-ending walk to the parking lot where all our rides are, we exchange goodbyes and after stripping down to my underwear that are color free, I climb into the passenger seat of Clark's Jaguar.

"So what do you want to do?" Clark asks while reversing out of the parking space.

"Shower," I answer as I turn my head to look at him and he smiles, obviously amused. "What?"

"Nothing," he chuckles with a shake of his head, "what would you like to do after we shower?

I think about it. What do I want to do? Nothing that involves exercise, obviously, though I could go for some sex. I wouldn't want to be on top though. I'd probably just lay there and take it. That'd be pretty boring though. I'm not used to boring sex and probably won't enjoy it. What's the point of having sex if you're not going to enjoy it? Let's hold off sex until later tonight. It's only one o'clock so we have the whole day. I told Tommy we might stop over to their Barbecue, but we all spent the morning together and I'll probably see them all tomorrow, so maybe I just want to spend some time alone with Clark. All I really want to do is relax, I could use a massage. Yeah, that sounds nice. My eyes drift over to him and he's focused on the road, his expression relaxed and patient. That's one of the things I admire the most about him, his patience. Clark has never once rushed me into anything. He has to be the most patient man I know.

"Maybe after we wash up we can go catch a movie or something. Have a date night?" I suggest and his eyes flick to me before going back to the road, a smile lifting on the edge of his lips.

"That sounds good," he agrees while nodding.

The drive back to his condo is a quiet one, just the radio breaking the silence. I struggle not to fall asleep. That run really fucked me up. I'm not used to running. I don't like running. I don't know why I agreed to do this shit, probably because everyone else agreed to do it before I could convince them how bad of an idea it was. Once we arrive at the building, Clark parks his car in his reserved spot in his parking garage and we amble our way to the elevator. For some reason his parking space is on the fourth floor even though he lives on the sixth floor.

"Ah, home sweet home," he sighs after unlocking the door and walking into the open living room area.

"I need a shower," I groan, carrying my clothes and shoes towards the bedroom.

"You know where everything is, so go right ahead. I'll join you in a minute," he says while heading to the kitchen.

I walk into the bedroom and go right for the bathroom. Dropping my shoes on the marble tiled floor, I put my clothes in the sink so I don't get the color powder all over the other clothes in the hamper. I walk over to the shower stall and pull open the door before stepping in. A yawn escapes me as I turn on the shower and quickly step out of the way knowing that the water will be cold as fuck. After a few seconds, I hold my hand under the water to test the temperature. I don't want it too cold, but I don't want it hot either. As the warm water runs over my hand, I decide it's good enough. I step under the spray of water just as the bathroom door closes. A few seconds later, Clark steps into the shower.

"Shall I scrub your back?" He asks with a smirk and I chuckle.

"Please," I reply as he steps closer and places his hands on my shoulders.

I get the massage I was thinking of on the drive over. Clark's soap covered hands glide over my skin, his strong fingers dig into the knots in my shoulders and neck. I groan in pleasure as he kneads all the knots out. Directing him where to go, I watch the colored water disappear down the drain. I definitely should have washed my hair before this because it's covered in the damn colored powder. Reaching over, I grab the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner and dunk my head under the spray of water. Without scrubbing, the water darkens with the mixture of all the different colors leaking out of my hair. You'd think after rubbing my hair out with a towel at the run, I'd not have so much color left. I did a good job ducking behind people when I saw they were about to blast more colored powder on us. Not good enough, obviously. Clark takes the bottle from my hand and starts washing my hair for me. This man knows how to take care of a man like me.

"Do you know what movie you want to see?" Clark asks once we're all showered and dried off.

I hum, looking through my drawer for some of my underwear, yeah I have my own drawer now. Clark cleared it out since I'd been spending so much time here. "I don't really know what's in theaters. Can you check?"

"The Dark Knight came out of a few weeks ago. Now that all the hype is kind of over, we can go see that," he says after a few silent minutes and I pull my underwear on.

"Batman," I mumble to myself while going to the closet and looking for my favorite shirt, "I love Batman. I say we watch that one. But is there any other you wanna see?"

"None that I can think of. The Dark Knight sounds good to me," he replies as I find my shirt and tug it on before looking through my jeans for the right ones.

"How about we go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner then go to the movie? My treat." I smile at him after walking back into the bedroom.

He looks over from his perch on the chair next to the floor to ceiling windows that open up to his balcony. "Dinner and the movie?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, just the dinner." I smirk as I walk over to him and straddle his waist, "and maybe if you're good, after the movie I'll give you a little private dessert."

"Now you're just spoiling me," he whispers in my ear before his tongue traces the shell of my ear, then he bites my earlobe gently.

"You spoil me so I guess I can treat you to some spoiling sometimes." I tilt my head as his lips trail down my neck.

"I spoil you because I love you," he says making me smile before it hits me and I tense.

"What?" I ask while pulling his head back by his hair.

He smiles at me, "I love you, Christopher."

"Fuck you, no you don't," I scoff and quickly get off his lap, striding across the room.

"Fuck you, yes I do," he repeats as I pull on the jeans I tossed on the bed. "I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it, Chris."

"Where the fuck are my socks?!" I shout when I can't find a pair in my drawer.

"Chris," he says and grabs my arm as I try to pass him, "what's wrong with you? Are you just going to ignore what I said?"

"That's the plan," I mutter, but he pulls me to the bed and makes me sit down.

"Well I want to talk about it before it snowballs into something bigger," he states making me roll my eyes. "Why are you so mad, because I love you? I thought you'd be happy."

"I'm not mad!" I glare at him and he raises a brow.

I'm not mad. Why would I be mad? It makes no sense. Running my hands through my hair, I sigh heavily while letting my gaze drift towards the windows. He just caught me off guard is all. Am I happy? I don't know, but I'm not mad. I don't think I am. My brows furrow and I bite the inside of my cheek. Am I mad? I am...I'm mad that he said what he did. I'm mad that he went and ruined my mood and the night. I don't want him to love me. He shouldn't love me. I'm not worth it. I don't deserve to have such an amazing man like Clark love me, when my own father couldn't bring himself to love me. My eyes fill with tears and I quickly rub my hands over my face before any tears spill.

"Talk to me, Pup," Clark says softly and I push his hand away before getting up.

"You know what? I'm not really in the mood to go out. I think I'm just going to go back to my place for the night," I tell him while looking around. "Where are my keys?"

"You're not leaving, Chris!" He tells me in a tone that makes me freeze, "I'm not going to let you run off with all those negative thoughts in your head. I know what you're thinking."

"Shut up," I grit out as his chest presses against my back.

"You think that you don't deserve to be loved because your parents didn't accept you after you came out," he whispers causing the tears to spill, "but that's not true, Christopher. I love you so much that sometimes it terrifies me because you're so young and I'm scared that one day you'll realize that I'm not what you want anymore. It scares me every time you go to work or go out with your friends because what if you meet someone else? But I love you Chris and I don't want a day to go by that you don't know that. Not to keep you from leaving me, but so you know with me you don't have to worry because I will always be here for you. I love you, Pup, and no matter how much you push me away because you're scared of that, I'll keep loving you."

"I said shut up," I sniffle as he turns me around and I bury my face into his neck, "you're so stupid."

"How am I stupid?" He chuckles while rubbing my back.

"Because you love me," I whisper before pulling back, "and now that I know, I will expect a lot more spoiling."

He laughs loudly then cups my face and kisses me soundly, "you're stupid too."

"No I'm not!" I glare at him.

"Do you love me?" He asks softly making me swallow nervously, "it's okay if you don't. I'm just curious."

"Um," I mumble then look down, "I don't know if I love you yet, Clark, but I do know that I don't want to be with anyone else right now."

"Good enough for me," he grins, "that's all I needed to know."

I stare into his bright blue eyes and sigh, releasing all the tension and I wrap my arms around his shoulders. Hugging him with all my strength, I squeeze my eyes shut and pray that he doesn't leave me like the others have.

~~~~~~~

Ashton

"What do you want to do?" He asks as we lay out on the grass outside of my dorm.

"I don't know," I mumble back, watching the clouds drift across the sky.

He chuckles, "it's your last day here, we have to do something."

"You'll come visit me, right?" I ask while looking over at him and Zion smiles.

"Of course, I've always wanted to go to Aspen. When you're all settled, I'll fly out and we can go explore," he replies with a casual shrug as if flying halfway across the country is no big deal.

"Sounds like a plan," I say then go back to looking at the sky while folding my hands behind my head, "why don't we go to the carnival?"

"What carnival?" He asks, confused.

"There is a carnival being held in Aurora. When I was a kid, my parents would take my sister and I every year. It's really fun," I tell him so he nods slowly.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't been to a carnival in a long time," he admits with an embarrassed smile.

"No worries, I'll win you a prize." I smirk at him and look over when I hear my name being called. "Is that Payton?"

"Do you know any other cute freckle faced redheads that look as awkwardly adorable as he does?" Zion asks making me laugh as we sit up, waiting for Payton to reach us.

"No, I don't." I shake my head and push my hair out of my face.

"Hey Ash, hello Master Zion!" Payton greets with a bright smile and wave.

"Hey Pay, what's up?" I ask making him shake his head.

"Nothing much, just handed in me and Tommy's dorm keys, got any plans?" He questions worriedly so I raise a brow.

"Yeah, we're going to go to that carnival I told you about. You want to go? You can bring Master Remington," I assure him, causing a light blush to work its way up his neck.

"Oh yeah? That sounds cool, I love carnivals! Can the other guys come? It'd be nice to spend your last day all together," he says with an excited grin so I look at Zion who lifts his hands.

"It's not my call, but I don't mind at all," he replies with a smile.

"Yeah, I'd like it if you guys joined us," I tell Payton who nods quickly.

"Cool! I'll go call everyone! We can meet here and go or should we just meet up there?" He asks while pulling his phone out.

"Do you even know where 'there' is, Pay?" I question and he looks at me with wide eyes.

"No," he mumbles so I roll my eyes with a grin.

"It's the carnival in Aurora, just GTS," I say so he taps away at his phone laughing.

"GTS?" Zion says in confusion.

"Google that Shit," Payton calls out, his eyes twinkling. "It's kind of our joke because I google everything," he explains.

"Alright, we'll meet there then?" he asks and I nod. "Cool, well see you guys later! I'll text you when we get there so we can find each other."

We don't sit around for much longer since it's an hour and a half drive to Aurora. It's only noon, but we head back to my dorm to get my wallet and phone. My flight is at six o'clock in the morning tomorrow and I have to be at the airport extra early. If I was the type of person that could sleep on a plane, I wouldn't really care, but I'm not. I can pass out in a car, but I can't sleep on a plane. I don't want to stay out too late because I want to get a good night's rest. So we'll go early and spend a few hours at the carnival then we'll come back and I'll crash at Zion's place since I need to turn in my dorm key today and have nowhere else to go. Besides, he lives closer to the airport. I'm sure everyone will have fun at the carnival, though, one last get together for us before we go our separate ways for the summer. Unlocking the door of my dorm, I frown since everything is packed up. It's weird, I got so used to being here that it feels a bit painful knowing that I'll be leaving for the summer. Everything I had in here is going with me to Colorado, since all I really had was clothes and some small trinkets, the furniture belongs to the school. I sit on the edge of the bed and open the drawer of the tiny nightstand, grabbing my wallet and phone.

"You okay?" Zion asks worriedly and I nod slowly.

"Yeah, it just feels a bit weird leaving this place," I admit while looking at him with a smile.

"It's understandable, this has been your safe place for months, but you'll have such a great time in Colorado," he reassures me as he crouches in front of me. "And if you ever need to talk, you have my number, my emails and everything else you need to get into contact with me."

I wrap my arms around his shoulders as he stands up and stand as well. Resting my chin on his shoulder, I take a deep breath as he rubs my back. Zion has become so much more than I expected him to. I just thought we'd hang out a few times and maybe hook up. We never even kissed, but I feel like I've been more intimate with this man than a lot of other guys I've slept with. He's become a mentor, a confidant, and one of my best friends. I pull back and he chucks my chin making me push him back with a chuckle and playful glare. I hate when he does that and he knows it. There is a smirk on his lips when I look at him. Such a dick. I look around the dorm one last time while biting my lip before looking at Zion who gives me an encouraging nod. We walk towards the door and as I step out of the dorm room, I smile at all the memories I've had in here. Some painful to remember and some that I will think of when I need a quick laugh. Locking the door, I release a deep breath and walk down the hall to return the key.

"Hey, Ashton, were you serious about winning me a prize?" Zion asks after we climb into his new white Tesla Roadster.

"Yeah," I nod as I buckle my seat-belt and he presses the button to lower the top of the car, "I'll win you the biggest prize there is."

"Promise?" He smirks while holding out his pinky and I wrap mine around it.

"I promise," I chuckle, taking my sunglasses out of his center console and putting them on. "Hey, can we stop at Wendy's? I'm hungry."

He just laughs making me frown in confusion.

***

"YES!" I shout after knocking down the last bottle and all the guys cheer.

"Which one will it be?" The game operator asks with a dull tone.

"I'll take that one," I say while pointing at the large stuffed animal.

"Here you go." He gives me a toothless smile after using the pole to get it down. I guess carnies don't have much of a dental plan.

"Thank you," I reply and take the frog before looking around.

"Where are you gonna put that thing, Ash?" Lane chuckles.

"I doubt you'll be able to bring that on the plane," Tai adds making me shrug.

I scan the crowd, "it's not for me." I spot Zion with the other Doms standing a few feet away chatting.

"Aww, is that for Master Zion?!" Tommy coos and I nod, ignoring all the knowing grins the guys give me.

"It's not like that, we're just friends, but I promised to win him a prize," I mutter and walk away before they can reply. "Excuse me."

"Well look what you won, it's almost bigger than you are," Master Casey chuckles making me smile at him before looking at Zion.

"I promised you that I'd win you a prize," I say before holding out the ridiculously large frog.

Surprise flashes through his eyes as he takes the prize. "I didn't think you meant it when you said the biggest. I don't think this will fit in the car," he chuckles.

The other Doms laugh and it doesn't take long before the guys join us. We've only been here for about an hour and we really haven't done much except walk around to check out what kind of games and rides there are. I'm going to let my food settle a bit more before I go on any rides. The last thing I need is to puke up my Wendy's, cotton candy and pretzels. Hearing a gasp, I look over and see Lane dragging Master Matthias to the high striker. An amused grin pulls at my lips and I decide to follow them. I've never seen anyone actually hit it hard enough to ring the bell. I think Master Matthias could do it though. After a few failures, Master Matthias steps up and takes the hammer as I look at Zion. He looks at me with a raised brow and I nod my head, motioning him to take a turn. The look he gives me making an amused grin to pull at my lips. He looks utterly disgusted by the idea, but when I nudge him, he nods with a sigh. Hearing the bell ring, I look over and see Lane jump on Master Matthias, cheering and fist pumping.

"Which one do you want, Ash?" Zion asks after he too gets the bell to ring.

"I want the penguin," I tell him and he looks over.

"You can get one of the bigger ones though," he tells me while pointing at them.

"But I won't be able to take that on the plane with me," I frown before looking at him as he smiles. "I don't need a big prize, just something to remind me of today."

He nods silently and asks for the medium sized penguin with a bowtie. It's the domino effect really because now all the guys are telling their Doms to try the High Striker and win them a prize. I look around, noticing how people are glancing at us and I wonder what we look like. A group of flaming homosexuals obviously with the way the guys are all over their Doms. I feel slightly awkward when I look at Zion and he's watching the couples laugh and kiss. At least I'm not alone, I think as I look at Master Lancaster standing there tapping away at his phone as Sebastian looks at the prize he was tossed with a look of confusion. Poor kid looks like he doesn't know whether he should be happy or not. Luckily for their prides, all of them are able to get the bell to ring and win their partners a prize.

We spend the day running from one game to another, going on ride after ride, and eating all the unhealthy carnival food we can afford. As I watch Lane and Master Matthias compete in the Whopper Water race, I munch on my churro. They have to be one of the best snacks ever created. Sipping on my soda, I feel a tug on my churro and look over to see Zion eating it out of my hand. I glare at him when he looks over and he smirks. I'd complain, but he bought it so I guess he can have some. I hold it out for him, but he shakes his head, instead taking my soda and taking a sip. As the sun begins to set, I hear someone say something about a fireworks show. It gets my attention and I ask a guy working there when it's supposed to start. He tells me it starts at nine thirty and ends at ten, just in time for the carnival to close. I look down at my phone and see it's almost nine o'clock.

"Hey, guys!" I call while watching up to them and they all turn to me. "There is going to be a firework show to end the day, it starts at nine-thirty. I was wondering if we could find a nice spot in the field to sit and watch the show?"

"That's a great idea," Master Matthias replies, "it'll be a good way to relax and end the day."

Everyone else agrees and after a quick stop to get some drinks and snacks, we head off in search of a comfortable spot to enjoy the fireworks. A lot of people were already in the field waiting and after searching for ten minutes, Chris suggested heading out of the carnival gates. We'd still see the fireworks the same, but we'll be further from the crowds. With no other real option, we leave the carnival grounds and walk for about five minutes until we've rounded the fence. There are a few people out here, but not enough to be crowded. We find a nice grassy spot to sit down and get comfortable. I put the penguin Zion won me on my lap as I stretch my legs in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I push away the thoughts of how everything is going to change tomorrow. For now, I'm with my friends and I'm going to enjoy it, I think as I look around.

Lane is tucked protectively between Master Matthias legs, while the large man wraps his arms around Lane tightly. Tommy has Master Casey's head on his lap, running his fingers through his boyfriend's long hair. Tai is twirling around Master Ken like the little ballerina he is as Master Ken looks up at him with a blank expression, but happiness in his eyes. I look over to see Payton and Master Remy whispering to each other, sitting so close you wouldn't know where Payton ended and Master Remy began. Chris is having a thumb wrestle with Master Clark who looks highly amused at Chris' muttered curses every time he loses. A frown tugs at my lips as I gaze over at Master Lancaster and Sebastian, who are sitting a foot apart and looking in two different directions. I look at Zion who is staring up at the star-filled sky, but he looks over after sensing my gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asks with furrowed brows and I bite my lip, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you all," I admit in a whisper as he rests his cheek on my head and tangles our fingers together just as fireworks explode across the dark sky.