It happened between classes, as Flynn was fighting his way through the ever-shifting crowd of students trying to find the right lecture hall.

He was studying his class list and trying to figure out if he was headed in the right direction as he squeezed between the other people, not really paying attention to most of them. He wasn’t here, after all, to make friends, and besides, he never really fit in with others, so why bother?

Suddenly, some one crashed in to him, knocking him to the side. The perpetrator didn’t even stop, just muttered a hurried ‘sorry!’ and kept on moving, shoving their way between clusters of students. Flynn stumbled, trying to find his footing, and fell right into another student.

“Ohmygosh, I am…” It was one of those moments where time stopped and he looked up into a pair of the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. “…Sorry.” The young man he’d fallen into was adorable, with messy blond hair, a spattering of freckles and an easy smile.

“It’s okay.” That smile stretched across the other’s face as he helped right Flynn, picking up his dropped class schedule. “It takes some time getting used to the crowds around here.”

“Thank you.” Flynn reached out to take the paper, blushing as a shiver of electricity ran through him as their hands brushed. He busied himself with stuffing the paper back in to his bag so the blond wouldn’t notice, then glanced back up, uncertain and willing the blush away. “Um…You would not happen to know where IRC 4 is, would you?”

“Of course I do. C’mon.” The older boy turned, indicating that he should follow, “I’m Chester, by the way. And you are…?” He glanced over his shoulder at his companion, again smiling pleasantly.

“Flynn.” The redhead in question responded, following behind and hurrying to keep up with his brisk pace. Chester had longer legs than him and was practiced at maneuvering through the bustling crowd, and Flynn found himself hurrying to match his stride.

“Are you a freshman?”

“Yeah…”

Chester stopped abruptly and Flynn almost crashed into him again. “Well whadya know…” He turned, grinning down at the redhead, “Your class is canceled!”

“…What?” Flynn gently pushed him aside so he could see the note taped on the door for himself. ‘Due to a family emergency, COMP 101 is canceled for today. The first day of class will be on Wednesday.’

“Lucky you!” The blond chirped, “It’s really rare for classes to be canceled at all, let alone on the first day.” He shoved the strap of his bag back up his shoulder, “So, since you don’t have anything to do now…”

Flynn, who had been about to turn and leave, paused mid-step, glancing back at the older man. Had he felt it too? Or was it just that he was so pretty Chester would make a pass at him, like most others did? “Yes?”

“Want to go get a coffee or something?” Chester hadn’t felt that tingly, love-at-first-sight feeling that Flynn had, but something about the younger man compelled him to prolong their time together. Flynn was attractive, sure, and that might have been it, but he didn’t think so. Chester was generally not a shallow man; it must have been something else driving him to pose the question.

At the inquiry, Flynn smiled for the first time since they met, and Chester felt his knees go a little weak. The redhead had a positively devastating smile.

“I would like that.” Flynn replied sincerely. And he would like it. Chester seemed so different from the kinds of men and women who usually took interest in him; most of them were only after him for one thing. Because of his appearance -and his resemblance to his father, who was fairly-well known in the industry- every one thought he would be an easy lay.

The truth was, Flynn was rather shy and awkward around his peers. He had a fairly isolated childhood; the Organization had been involved in some pretty nasty business when he was young and his father had schooled him at home to keep him safe. As a result, he never really learned how to interact with others his age.

“Come on!” Chester grabbed his hand, not even considering how the action may have been viewed, and dragged him out of the building, “I know this awesome place to get a mocha!”

“I’m home!” Chester practically bounced through the door of the big, sprawling house most members of the Task Force lived in together. He was radiating good energy, a cheerful smile spread across his face. Being a poor student, he usually didn’t come home from the university so happy.

“What’s up wit’ you?” Artie was sprawled on the couch, grubby socked feet rested on a pillow that Chester frequently used for napping. His laptop was propped on his stomach, fingers flying across the keys. On the screen, something exploded, and a mischievous grin crossed his face. Clearly, he was slacking off, not working. “Usually, you ain’t this chipper after school.”

“Well, I usually don’t have days this good at school.” Chester rolled his eyes, rescuing the pillow from beneath Artie’s smelly socks. He would never use that pillow for sleeping again, but it deserved better than to be demoted to footrest. Artie wasn’t known for his stellar hygiene; who knew what kind of fungus might be infecting the poor pillow now?

“You got a hot teacher or somethin’ this semester?” Artie shut the laptop, scooting up on the couch a little and looking at the younger man, “Maybe I should enroll in a class.” He leered, eyebrows waggling, and Chester scowled at him.

“No!” Chester could feel his face heating at the question. Why Artie always felt the reason to pick at him like this was beyond him. If it wasn’t something like this, it was something about Spider, whom the young man found fascinating.

“The day Artie enrolls in a college course is the day Hell will freeze over.” A deep voice rumbled from the doorway. “And the day a college accepts him…”

“Will be the end of the world.” Chester supplied, turning to smile at Ezekiel, who stepped in to the room, a box of rubber gloves and a file folder tucked under his arm. Ezekiel was a dark, heavy-set man with a dry sense of humor. He’d been with the Task Force the longest of the current members, and though he was sometimes rather moody, Chester liked him a lot.

Artie snorted, gathering up his laptop and skulking from the room, leaving a mess of chip bags and Mountain Dew bottles littering the coffee table and floor near the couch. Ezekiel made a disgusted sound, toeing some of the trash out of his way, and sat down on the couch, tossing the box of gloves on the coffee table and opening the file. “What are you so happy about, anyway?” He asked absently.

Chester flopped down next to him. “Zeke my man, I am In. Love.” He announced, “I met this guy today…He is amazing. He’s kind and thoughtful and a good listener. He’s also drop-dead gorgeous, with this smile that makes me all wobbly in the knees. We spent two hours talking at Jazzman’s. I’ve never talked that long with some one I just met.”

“Hmm.” Ezekiel still didn’t glance up from the file he was studying. “Is he some one from one of your classes?” He was an expert multitasker, capable of reading and listening to others at the same time.

“Nah, he’s younger. We just ran into one another in between classes.” Here, Chester paused, “Literally. He crashed right into me. I helped him find his lecture hall, but his class was canceled, so we wound up going for coffee together. Something about him…” The young man’s face took on a dreamy look, “He seemed so familiar, like we’ve known each other for a long time. I swear, the two hours we were together felt more like two minutes and me and Flynn are-”

“Wait.” This time, Ezekiel looked up, expression suddenly going serious. “Did you say ‘Flynn’? What’s his last name?”

“Uhh…You know, I don’t know.” Chester scratched the back of his neck, sheepish, “Why? Do you think you know him?”

“Is he a redhead, kind of tall?”

“Yeah!” The young man nodded, “You do know him! Awesome!”

“No.” Ezekiel’s mouth was drawn into a thin line, “I know his father. Flynn is Terry Sawyer’s kid.”

And the world came screeching to a halt.

“…What?” How could Flynn -shy, gentle Flynn- be Sawyer’s kid? There was no way…He knew of Sawyer; who on the Task Force didn’t? The man was a paranoid, sarcastic slimeball. A former actor in adult films, he joined up with the Organization after retiring from the life of a porn star. Never high up on the food chain, he was still a force to be reckoned with, simply because he used his good looks to get away with things. He had duped many innocent people and all of them were dying to bring him in.

“Terry Sawyer, former porn star, current con artist and thief. In a relationship with Tori ‘Bug’ Dolichova, father of two children, Flynn and Honey…” Ezekiel immediately started rattling off the general knowledge statistics pertaining to Sawyer that all of them had memorized, “Do I really need to continue?”

“No…Just…No.” Chester lowered his head into his hands. He looked as if all the joy had been sucked out of him; how could the boy he met today possibly be related to that scum?

Ezekiel patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Sorry, kid. But I guess it’s better to know the truth before you get suckered in to something you’ll regret, right?”

“I…Oh God, Zeke. I made plans to see him again tomorrow.” When Chester looked back up, his face was pale, freckles standing out more than usual. He looked positively miserable; how had meeting his dream guy turned out to be such a nightmare?

Ezekiel was quiet for a long moment, then he rose, gathering his things again. He paused in the doorway -Chester didn’t doubt he was on his way to discuss this with the boss- and turned to look at the younger man sitting forlornly on the sofa. “Good.” He said finally, “Maybe you can make all of this work to our advantage, especially if he doesn’t know who you really are.” And with that, he was gone.

Chester slumped in his seat. Who he really was…He didn’t even know any more.

Hunter_Liz: I may do some doodles for this story, but I'm not sure yet. I know what the characters look like in my mind, however, and there are no real person avatars for them, so there won't be any real photos or anything (I'm not sure what you meant, exactly, but...).

-----

When Flynn spotted Chester in Jazzman’s the following afternoon, he could instantly tell something was wrong.

The blond was slumped at a table, shoulders hunched. A cup of something steaming and sweet-smelling was clutched in his hands, but he wasn’t drinking it. Instead, he was staring vacantly out the window, seemingly disinterested in the world passing by outside.

“Hello…” Flynn’s voice was soft and hesitant as he approached the table. Perhaps Chester was having second thoughts about him? He knew he wasn’t any one’s first choice when it came to friends.

Chester jumped a little in his chair, turning to look at the other boy. “Hi.” He replied morosely, gaze quickly dropping back to the table and the paper cup in his hands. He wasn’t sure what to do; he’d lain awake all night thinking about it. Flynn was beautiful and sensitive and kind. He acted nothing like his father and how could he possibly be faking that? He was just a kid, not a practiced thug. There was no record anywhere of any of the children participating in the Organization’s misdeeds.

But on the other hand…

“Is…” Flynn stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should sit down or not, “Did something happen?” He hesitated, uncertain, “You look upset.”

The blond took a deep breath. “Sit down…We need to talk.” Chester had never been good at pretending. There was no way he would be able to spy on the younger man without giving himself away. Besides, he didn’t really want to.

Flynn sat.

There was silence for a long time. Flynn shifted awkwardly in his seat, uncertain what was going on. Chester looked so serious; terribly upset. Flynn felt like he should say something, but wasn’t sure what. He didn’t think he’d said anything wrong the day before; at least…He didn’t say anything that would warrant this kind of behavior.

“Is your dad Terry Sawyer?” Chester suddenly blurted out the question, horrifying himself in the process. He hadn’t meant to be so blunt about it, but the words just slipped out!

“Yes…” Flynn answered slowly, not sure where this was going. It was no secret, his father’s past life. This wasn’t the first time some one had recognized him as the man’s son.

Chester let go of his coffee cup in favor of burying his face in his arms. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He mumbled, the words muffled by his sleeve.

“But…I am nothing like him.” Flynn found himself saying, feeling the need to defend both himself and his father, “And besides, he is not doing those things any more. He has been with Tori and only Tori for a long time now and I am not ashamed of him or embarrassed by him…”

“No.” Chester didn’t lift his head, “It’s not that. I don’t care about that. It’s…” If anything, he sounded even more miserable, “I know, okay?”

“Know about what?”

“The Organization.” The blond’s head snapped up, “I know, okay? I know all about it, because I work for the Task Force. I know about your father, your mother, your brother and sister. I know about the Queen and the underworld and everything.”

Flynn’s face paled significantly and he just stared at his companion for a moment that felt like an eternity. Then he rose from his seat and bolted, knocking over a chair in the process.

“Flynn, wait!” And Chester was out the door after him.

Flynn didn’t stop until he reached the pond. He didn’t know where else to go; he wasn’t familiar enough with the campus to find a real hiding place. Instead, he collapsed to the ground beside a large rock, buried his face in his hands and cried.

Of all the people in the world, why did the one he was interested in have to be a member of the Task Force? There were thousands of students wandering the campus, and the only one who caught his eye was an enemy. It was just his luck.

And now…Mother was right. He had been careless and if he got in trouble, it would be no one’s fault but his own.

“Flynn!”

And there was Chester, following him.

The blond came running over; he’d spotted the other boy’s flaming hair from a distance, though it appeared that Flynn was trying to make himself small and invisible by that rock. “Flynn, just listen.” He leaned over a little, hands planted on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, “I didn’t tell you that so I can hurt you or scare you or have any kind of power over you. I really enjoyed talking with you yesterday…And I just wanted to be honest.”

“You…Your group is trying to put my father in jail!” Flynn spat out, angrily swiping at his tears. He didn’t want the blond to see him cry, but…There was no helping that now. “How am I supposed to believe that you are being honest?”

“I…” Chester sank to the ground beside him, “Look, there’s nothing I can say to prove it to you. But really, all I care about is getting to know you. I don’t give a shit what your parents have done; I like you. Yesterday was the best; I’ve never talked for so long with any one. Not any one who’s taken me seriously, at least.” He looked at his feet, rather than the other boy, “I really just want to spend time with you without lying to you.”

“But…” He sounded so sincere. Flynn was somewhat naïve; it would just take a few more sentences for him to believe Chester. Besides, he wanted to believe. No one had ever shown so much interest in him; no one but Dragon, who had wanted him just for sex and he had never wanted to be nothing more than some one’s trophy. “Chester, things cannot be that easy.”

“Well…They can if we want them to, right?” Chester asked slowly, “I won’t tell any one if you don’t. I mean…if no one knows we’re hanging out, they won’t get mad, right?”

“…You want to meet in secret.” Flynn cocked his head, studying the older man suspiciously. Why would some one he had just met suggest such a thing? Could it be a trap? It certainly felt like one!

But Chester…was just looking at him with a kind of uncertain expression. His green eyes never left the teen’s face and he was chewing on his upper lip, hands crammed in his pockets. “Look,” He finally said, “I just want to get to know you. I can tell you’re an interesting guy and I don’t just mean because you’re really sexy. I don’t want to miss out on something good because of who your folks are.”

“I am a horrid liar. My father will know something is going on.” He was beginning to want this, but Flynn had never disobeyed either of his parents on purpose. He’d never gone behind their backs, either; he was a good boy.

Chester looked at him, head tipped to the side. “Okay…I understand.” He frowned a little, “You can just tell me if you’re not interested. I won’t be offended.”

No! That wasn’t it at all! Flynn fidgeted a little, running a hand nervously through his bright locks. “It is not that! It’s just…Fine! Let’s do it. I am sick of doing what every one else wants. I think I am going to do what I want for once.” It felt weird to say, but exciting at the same time. Flynn knew he’d been stagnating for a long time, just idling until he was able to do what he wanted. And now…It was time for life to begin.

Falling in love, Flynn decided, was the greatest feeling ever.

He had been head over heals for Dragon -- Or so he thought. Dragon had been his first love and they’d only called it quits a few months before. He still saw the older teen from time to time; Dragon worked with his parents, after all. Flynn tried to avoid him; Dragon still leered at him like he wanted to throw him against a wall and have his way with him.

Their relationship had been based mostly on sex and pleasure; Dragon and Flynn had very little in common. Dragon was a muscle-bound brute who had a hard time expressing his feelings. Flynn was a gentle, sympathetic romantic. In the beginning, they had hated each other and clashed often.

Then they had one day found themselves alone together in the command office. Dragon had made a pass at him and Flynn had responded favorably. One thing led to another and years of pent up want and anger and strong feelings had come flooding out.

The sex had been intense; the relationship full of raw emotion. Flynn wanted to be loved. Dragon just wanted Flynn.

It was doomed to fail.

What he had going with Chester, however, was completely different.

The blond was thoughtful and kind and laughed easily. He was always ready for some fun; always planning exciting activities for them to do together. They went to an art museum one day; a science museum another. Chester, Flynn learned, could talk for hours and hours about outer space and rockets. They also ventured to the zoo, where Flynn had been many times before, but the whole thing seemed fresh and new. Sometimes, they went out to eat, or to movies, or even shopping -- things Dragon had never liked to do.

And it was amazing.

He knew, of course, that their luck would run out sometime. Father was starting to get curious about where he went all the time; almost any time Flynn returned home, he got a raised eyebrow and tight, thin-lipped expression from the man. It would only be a matter of time before Father would start asking questions that Flynn wouldn’t be able to answer.

But when he was walking hand-in-hand with Chester, sharing an ice cream bar and looking at monarchs in the butterfly room at the zoo…Or when he was cuddled up against the blond during the scary part of a movie…Or when Chester’s hands slipped beneath his shirt, stroking up his chest as they kissed…

That didn’t matter.

The romance was well worth the risk.

Let me first of all apologize for not working on this story for a million years. I haven't really been writing much of anything in the past few months, but my muse is slowly returning!

Having had some computer difficulties, I'm just now getting files straightened out on my new laptop. Lo and behold, I opened the file for this story and found a half-written part!

So I finished it. Here it is.

PS- Remember, no one knows Spider's gender, so they are just referred to as "they."

PPS- I'm getting to the mpreg soon; I SWEAR!

-----

It was late.

Dark.

Perfect.

Under the cover of darkness, Spider could easily blend in to the shadows; melding back in to the darkness so no one could see them.

And there they waited.

Spider liked a good mission, though they had been few and far between. The Organization had kept a low profile the past five years or so and as a result the Task Force’s duties had slowed to a lull. There had been little espionage, no fighting, no development of new weaponry, nothing.

Spider was bored.

And that’s why Spider found spying on Flynn and Chester so entertaining.

They had thought they were being clever and slick, but Spider knew otherwise. It was far too simple to follow them, skulking through the shadows. Neither had noticed their presence; the two young men were a pair of complete idiots, as far as Spider was concerned.

And wouldn’t all parties involved be tickled to know that the young lovers were meeting secretly at a Super 8 Motel, where they thought they could get some privacy.

Think again, kiddies. Spider is always watching.

Spider waited until they exited the motel, skulking along behind them. With inky black hair and a wardrobe of the same shade, they were excellent at disappearing in to the shadows. Spider had always been an excellent spy; they were perfectly wired for espionage. No one ever noticed their presence until it was too late.

And Flynn and Chester, so naïve –so stupid!- never suspected a thing.

Spider watched as they padded down the street together, hand in hand. As they kissed beneath a streetlight, Flynn stretching up on his tiptoes, hands planted on Chester’s shoulders to steady himself. Chester’s own wandering hands found their way under the redhead’s shirt, wandering up his back – So bold!

A smile, cruel and calculating, stretched across Spider’s face. Interesting.

Very interesting.

Spider felt no need to tell any one what they saw. But they also knew…Were they to mention it to Sterling, he would feel obligated to tell.

As the couple broke apart, heading in opposite directions and towards their own homes, Spider melted back in to the night.

“Hey, kid?”

“…”

“…Chester!”

“Ack!” Chester jumped about a mile when a hand clapped down on his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. He was supposed to be doing homework, but had gotten bored with the paper he was writing and instead started browsing through month-old love notes from Flynn for the millionth time. The redhead was poetic and romantic and his steamy, flowery e-mails made far more interesting reading than the article Chester was citing in his paper.

“Oh ho ho!” Artie had appeared behind him, leaning over his shoulder, “You got a dame we don’t know about, kid? That is some good readin’!”

“That’s private!” Chester yelped, quickly X-ing out of the browser tab holding Flynn’s e-mails and turning off the screen to his computer, just for good measure. He knew his face was probably bright red –he blushed at the drop of a hat- and that probably did nothing other than make him look guilty.

“Mmm, I’ll bet it is.” The other man snickered, tossing himself in to a nearby chair and stretching. “You haven’t stopped smilin’ for a month or two here, so whoever the lucky lady –guy?- is, they must be good.” Artie grinned, his dark eyes glittering mischievously behind his glasses, “Which leads me to why I’m here…”

Chester groaned, burying his face in his hands. Whatever Artie was about to say would probably going to be incredibly inappropriate or incredibly embarrassing. Or potentially both, knowing Artie.

“You better be using condoms, kid.”

The blond nearly fell out of his chair.

“How is that any of your business?” He squawked, hands flailing a little, face flaming.

“Look, we all know you’re moonin’ about some one and it’ll just be a matter of time before you start bringin’ ‘em around here. And I don’t think none of us want your booty call showin’ up with a baby in tow.” All traces of smirk were gone from both Artie’s face and voice at this point, “That’s the last thing we need, so you better be bein’ careful.”

“I am.” Chester muttered, certain that some one else had put Artie up to this. Chester was pretty obvious when it came to his feelings; the blond knew that every one could tell he was head-over-heels in love. And given how they all treated him like a child, he wasn’t surprised they would assume he wasn’t using protection. Of course Artie would be the one elected to talk with him about it; the hacker had absolutely no shame.

Or tact, as well.  

Truth was, Artie had good reason to be concerned. Most of the team had known Chester since he was a child and they were all aware that he sometimes got caught up in the moment and didn’t use his head.

He didn’t doubt that Chester knew he had to be careful, but Artie knew how hard it was as well. When you think you’re so in love and forget about the rest of the world –when you’re young and stupid- you think you’re invincible and one little slip-up won’t change your life.

Artie had done his fair share of stupid things. He knew just how easily one little mistake could ruin things forever.

“I hope so, Chester.” Artie yawned, stretching again. He had been up until the middle of the night, supposedly working (but really watching French porn over the internet), and thought it was about time to take a nap. “’Cause if you don’t want Zeke or O.P. getting on your case about this, you’ll be real careful.” Another grin stretched across his face, “And they ain’t going to be so understanding as me.”

Chester shut down the computer, making a face at Artie as he rose from his seat.

He did have to think about this, though, he realized as he left the common area. It would be much worse than any of his teammates could possibly imagine if he and Flynn weren’t super-careful.

“What the hell were you thinking?! Were you even thinking at all?? I swear, Flynn!” Terry was pacing, practically wearing a hole through the living room carpet. His hands were balled into fists and curled menacingly at his sides as he pivoted, rounding on his elder son. “I swear we talked this to death when you started seeing Dragon last year!”

Flynn no longer felt like he was dying, but the corner of the couch where he was curled up was feeling more and more like hell with his father’s every word.

“I guess your mother had a good reason to be worried about you, didn’t he?” Terry stopped in front of his son, scowling down at him, arms folding across his chest.

“I’m sorry…” Flynn whispered. He couldn’t look up, couldn’t bear to see his father’s black expression. And he didn’t need to look to know that his father’s expression was positively murderous; the room was practically vibrating with tension.

He’d never seen Terry so angry about anything in his life.

“Sorry? You’re sorry?! ‘Sorry’ isn’t going to change the fact that you’re knocked up, no matter how much you want it to!” Terry exploded again, turning on his heel, too keyed up to remain in one place. “Who is he? Who the hell did this to you? I want to know right now.”

Flynn still didn’t look up. “He’s just some one from school.” He mumbled, fidgeting in his seat. There was no point in telling Terry no; his father would never take that for an answer.

“Who, Flynn? I want a name!” This time, Terry grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a little shake and forcing his son to look up.

There was a terrible moment of silence as their eyes met and father and son stared at one another.

“No.” Flynn continued to look up at him, defiant, chin jutting out. He and his father had the same eyes, the same glittery, bright eyes. In fact, their faces were almost identical; most of their features were the same. But at that moment, with Terry so angry and Flynn so terrified, he doubted they looked remotely alike.

“No?!”

“I will tell him when I am ready.” Now Flynn had to drop his gaze. He stared down at his hands, not wanting to see, because he was certain Terry would only get more angry with each word. “I like him a lot…I want a chance to tell him without you freaking out and scaring him.”

“I’ll do more than ‘scare him’ if I get my hands on him.”

Flynn didn’t doubt that was true.

If his father found out that he was having an affair with a member of the Task Force…If his father found out a member of the Task Force was the one who “knocked him up”…

Chester would be beyond dead.

“And you can forget about going to school tomorrow.” Terry snapped, “You can forget about leaving your room tomorrow.”

“That’s fine…” Unable to stand his Father’s angry stare any longer, Flynn rose from his seat with all the dignity he could muster, “I do not plan on leaving my room any time soon anyway.”

Terry watched him as he stormed out of the room, almost ready to go after him and force him to sit right back down on that couch. He wasn’t anywhere near done with his wayward son, not by a long shot.

But really…How could he blame Flynn? He had been just as stupid at that age. He’d hoped the kid would have a better head on his shoulders, but that was apparently too much to ask for and it was much easier to be angry than understanding.

-- Edited by Buggy Girl on Wednesday 22nd of June 2011 06:06:40 AM

“Where have you been the last couple of days?”

Flynn stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet at Chester’s question. It had been a few days since he’d left the house. He also hadn’t answered his phone or e-mails in that time, and he knew Chester deserved some answers, but…He was kind of scared.

And, well, his father hadn’t been very willing to let him do much of anything, anyway.

“I…I haven’t been feeling well.” Flynn answered quietly, glancing up at the older man.

“That stinks.” Chester pulled a face, leaning in to give him a little cuddle. “We can take it easy today and just relax, if you want.”

The two had met at the edge of the campus that afternoon, in a secluded area near the pond. Flynn liked it there; it was a quiet, peaceful spot where they rarely ran in to any one else. Chester had been waiting when Flynn arrived, stretched in the grass under a tree. He hopped up at the redhead’s approach, beaming and hurrying over for a hug.

And to ask the question Flynn had been dreading.

“I have to tell you something.” The younger man pulled out of the embrace, edging away a little and wrapping his arms around himself.

At the abrupt loss of contact, Chester frowned. This was unlike the Flynn he knew, who loved hugs and snuggles and all kinds of physical affection. “…Something bad?” He worried his lower lip between his teeth, thoughts of what the problem could be firing rapidly through his mind.

“I…” Was it something bad? Flynn didn’t necessarily think so, but right then, it seemed to be the end of the world. “No, not really bad, but…” He trailed off, trying to dredge up the courage he needed to tell Chester.

“But?” Chester cocked his head, adorable and attentive as he waited for his companion to continue.

“We’regoingtohaveababy.” The words came out in a mumbled rush, Flynn’s head lowered, voice directed at the ground.

“…What?” Chester’s brows knit and he leaned closer. He hadn’t quite caught that; Flynn’s whisper had drifted off on the breeze.

“We’re going to have a baby.” This time, it came a little louder, a little easier. Flynn looked up, fear and worry etched across his face, hands twisting together nervously. “I’m pregnant.”

There was a horrible moment of silence as Chester gaped at him, green eyes wide.

Flynn looked terrified, face pale, eyes shimmering with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. “I’m sorry…” He mumbled, “I know we tried to be careful and…and…” And then he was crying, gulping back sobs and suddenly enfolded in a pair of strong arms.

“Shh…” Chester patted his back, snuggling Flynn against his chest in an attempt at soothing.

This was not at all what he’d been expecting.

A baby was not something he’d ever really considered to be part of his future. As far as Chester was concerned, he wasn’t anywhere near grown up enough to be any one’s father, despite the fact that he was always trying to prove his maturity to the rest of the team. And now, here was Flynn who he’d only been dating a few months, telling him he was going to be a father.

It scared the hell out of him.

“Th-this is a mess…” Flynn sobbed, pressing closer, “Your friends are trying to arrest my parents, my father is going to kill me and if he doesn’t my mother will, we haven’t been seeing each other that long and…and…” He trailed off in to a wordless mess of tears, burying his face in Chester’s shirt.

“I…” Chester felt exactly the same way, but how could he say so? Flynn was clearly scared; clearly struggling to come to terms with this himself. “You know…If you don’t want to have the baby…” Ugh, that sounded awful. But there always was that option…

“What?” Flynn jolted away as if struck by lightning, looking up at him, aghast. “Never!” His eyes lit with betrayal, hands protective over his flat stomach, he stared up at the blond. “I would never get rid of my baby…Our baby!”

“Okay; okay.” Chester reached for him again, dragging him back, “I don’t want you to! I just…I’d never force you to go through anything you didn’t want to, ya know?”

“I know…” Flynn looked down at the hand clasping his, closing the distance between them in a few short steps. “And I know I want to make it work, no matter what every one else thinks.”

As Flynn curled back against him, Chester rested his cheek against the shorter man’s flaming hair. “I guess, then…We got a lot to figure out.”

Notes: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, Hunter_Liz. I'd love to know what others are thinking of it as well!

Also. Despite how it may seem by the end of this bit, Sterling still has no idea whether Spider is a man or a woman :3

-----

“Sterling...”

It was really dark.

“Sterling.”

What time was it?

“Sterling!”

He’d been having the best dream; a dream which was rudely interrupted by a voice hissing at him through the night.

And gone were the hazy, smoky dream-images of Spider twined around his body, of hands sifting through fine strands of hair, of a wicked mouth hot against his own.

He was ready to thoroughly lament his fate when…Waitaminute.

Something warm and solid was pressed up against his back.

Sterling floundered amid a sea of blankets, turning, peering blearily through the darkness of his room, still groggy and half-asleep. “Wha…?”

And he was met with a kiss, slow and smoldering, which left him breathless and entirely wide awake.

Spider had slunk in to the room, silent -deadly- as they often did, situating themself in the bed between Sterling’s back and the wood paneled wall.

If he didn’t worship the ground Spider walked on, Sterling probably would have woken many nights fearing for his life.

Instead, he let things progress as they may, blindly allowing his beloved to set the pace and never protesting at the agonizing, torturous pace Spider set.

Someday, he knew that he would learn all their secrets; that he would be let in to Spider’s soul. In the meantime, Sterling was happy enough with the mystery.

Spider had intended to share with Sterling what they knew about Chester’s secret trysts with Flynn. They knew, after all, exactly who Flynn was. Hadn’t they worked alongside Terry under the Queen? Hadn’t they been there when Flynn was small and Tori was always fussing over him, trying to protect him from a life of crime? Hadn’t they watched him grow in to the intriguing, naïve individual he was now?

Oh yes indeed.

And the most wickedly delicious part…Sterling was the most honest man in the world. He would feel compelled to share everything with O.P.,  no matter how much Spider “begged” him not to – Not that they really wanted it to remain a secret. The whole point of telling would be to cause mischief for Chester –dopey Chester!- and stir up some excitement.

And Spider fully intended to tell, but not now, with Sterling trailing kisses down their neck, headed for the juncture where shoulder met collarbone, one of his strong, gentle hands tangling in their hair. He was a total romantic, so different from anything else in Spider’s life, and therein lay the appeal.

Spider turned, allowing Sterling better access to their throat.

Snitching on Chester would just have to wait.