I Like Your Batman Underwear {boyxboy}

I Like Your Batman Underwear

Chapter One: Maxxie

Bruce Wayne; by day he was a normal guy, by night he was a crime fighting
Batman. I wished that I was just like him. Who didn't? He was a billionaire, co-
owner of a company, and always looked out for others. He was my hero, my idol.

I was far from achieving my goal of being like him, though. I was in the
eleventh grade, with pale blonde hair and bright cornblue eyes framed by huge black
glasses. I was pasty from always being cooped up indoors. While most guys are
spending their time outside, I usually spend every minute of every day inside
reading comic books or computer games. If I were to be like Bruce Wayne, a miracle
would have to happen.

Suddenly, a loud high-pitched noise broke through my thoughts. I cringed

as it sounded again. I turned my head in the direction of Coach Hendersen. He kept
on blowing his little red whistle, causing his wrinkly bald head to look as if it
were expanding.

"Come on you sissies!" he shouted. "Keep moving!"

I wheezed along the track, my feet slapping against the dirt. My best
friend Brian panted beside me, his pudgy face turning red with every stride. I
could see sweat threatening to drip down his round nose. Just looking at him made
me feel as if I were about to pass out.

"One more lap, you girls!" Coach yelled.

I groaned and urged my legs to keep going. My feet felt like weights yet
my knees were like Jell-O. I wished that I had a grappling hook or something so I
could be swept away from here.
 Brian and I finally finished our lap. The other kids in our P.E. class
chuckled but didn't say anything. Coach gave Brian and me a sideways glance before
turning to the entire class. His beady black eyes darted from face to face.

"Alright you guys," he shouted. "We're going to start our football unit.
You all know how to play football and if you don't you're un-American! Does
everyone know how to play football?"

We all nodded.

"Good! Now, I'm going to split you up into shirts and skins."

My stomach churned. Coach Hendersen always put Brian and I on the skins
team. It was just another way to make the non-athletic kids feel bad about our body
image.

"Alright! Listen up! On shirts I want Brody, Parker, Jace, Evan, and Sam!
On skins I want Brian, Anthony, Dylan, Marco, and Max!"

The shirts team laughed. As we passed them, they shoved us with their
shoulders. I sighed and ripped my shirt off, throwing it onto the sidelines. The
rest of my team was absolute terrible. We had Brian the chubby kid, Anthony the
manorexic, Dylan the chess team leader, Marco the scrawny Italian boy and of course
me the geeky in-the-closet-gay boy.

I squinted at the shirts team, looking at all the athletes on the team. I
noticed Jace Storme peering at me, staring at my half naked body. My heart jumped a
little but calmed down after a second. There was no way that Jace Storme was
staring at me.

Jace Storme was the hottest guy in the world and possibly the entire
universe. He had a slender athletic body, sparkly turquoise eyes as bright as the
sun, shortly cropped brown hair that he enjoyed to spike and a smile that could
light up even the darkest of nights. He was the captain of the soccer team,
football team, dance team, and he was the lead in the school's musical. He was the
most popular junior at Macintyre High, easy. He would never be caught dead talking
to me, much less gazing at me. It was probably just the stupid glasses not working
for me.

The coach blew his whistle and the game began. The September sun was
beating on me as I looked at the brown leather ball being tossed around from player
to player. I watched in horror as Dylan tried to tackle Brody Williams. The result
was Dylan being thrown in the air, landing back on the ground hard. I cringed. The
game continued.

The ball and the players began to approach the rest of my team. I looked
at Brian, who looked scared out of his mind. I expected a big and beefy guy like
him to take the other guys out with no problem. But he was just like me-unpopular
and scared.

"Maxxie! Look out!" Marco shouted from behind me.

I quickly turned my head to see Jace storming towards me, football

clutched against his chest. He had a slight smile on his face as he ran towards me.
I had two choices. Option A was to run away like a little girl and let the other
team score a touchdown. Option B was to try and tackle Jace with all my might,
which might've resulted in my possible death. I was about to run but had no time.
Jace's body was soon colliding with mine, sending my glasses flying off my face and
through the fall air. They landed on the grass with a thud and a crackle. I was
shoved back and I fell to the ground. I yelped as my head hit the ground. A heavy
yet muscular mass was pinning me to the ground.

Coach Hendersen blew his whistle. I opened my eyes and blinked. Jace's
face was only four inches away from mine. His eyes were bright and matching his
lips, smiling. I could smell his cologne. It was a musky yet sweet fragrance. I
could feel the sweat dripping from his shirt and onto my skin. I tried to steady my
breath as I recognized the situation-Jace Storme was on top of me, sweating and
smiling. Had I died and gone to heaven?

"You okay?" Jace asked, not moving off of me.

I went to nod but my mind started swirling. I shut my eyes and groaned. My
head was suddenly throbbing. I soon felt Jace get off of me and Coach's beefy hand
grabbed mine.

"You alright?" he asked, though he didn't seem like he cared.

I blinked a couple times as I tried to steady my sight. The light was

hurting my head. I shook my head at Coach Hendersen and he exhaled through his
nose. He grumbled.

"Brian, take him to the nurse's office," Coach grumbled. "The rest of you,
avoid the glass. Let's play!"

Brian was soon by my side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, trying
to steady me, and guided me into the school. Once we were far enough away from the
track, he smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Thanks buddy," he said. "I couldn't last another minute playing

football."
I groaned again.

>>><<<

Brian knocked on the nurse's office. Two seconds later, the sour looking
nurse opened the pale green door. She glanced at Brian then at me. Her face was set
in a scowl. She rolled her eyes before saying, "Which one is it?"

Brian pointed at me.

The nurse stepped aside and Brian shuffled us inside. The nurse guided me
over to the cot and sat me down. She got a little flashlight out of her pocket and
shined the bright into my delicate eyes. I shut they tightly.

"That hurts!" I exclaimed.

She exhaled sharply before turning the flashlight off. She shoved it back
into her pocket and walked over to a little mini fridge. She grabbed an ice pack
from one of the shelves and thrust it at me.

"Put this on your head," she instructed.

"Are you sure that's all he needs?" Brian piped. "I mean, I think he had a
concussion."
I put the cool pack on my head. It numbed the pain a little bit but I
still felt as if my brain was jumping.

The nurse narrowed her eyes at Brian and said, "Now, now, I think I know
what I'm doing. Oh, and remind me to give you a healthy eating brochure on your way
out, mmkay?"

I frowned at the nurse. She didn't have to be so mean to Brian. Sure, he

was on the tubby side, but he made a wicked role playing guy for when we acted out
scenes from our favourite comics.

The nurse looked at her wrist and said, "You boys might want to gather
your things from the locker room. The bell is going to ring in-"

She didn't finish. The bell rang long and loudly. Brian helped me off the
cot and I handed the nurse her ice pack. We rushed through the filling hallways and
burst through the locker room doors. The locker room was cold and stuffed with
people. Brian and I squeezed through the crowd, him leading the way. I was
practically blind as a bat without my glasses. Brian fished our gym bags from the
locker and handed mine towards me. I went to take my shirt off, but I remembered
I'd left it at the field. No wonder the nurse had been scowling at Brian and I. I
cussed under my breath.
 I stripped my shorts off and shoved them into my red bag. I fished my
Batman T-shirt out of my bag and slipped it over my scrawny body. I then pulled my
jeans over my legs and slipped into my black Converse. I fished my extra pair of
glasses out of my bag and slipped them on my face. I could see everything clearly
again. I looked at Brian anxiously. We both began to snake our way out of the
locker room. When we finally entered the emptying hallways, we began to walk
swiftly to our lockers. I suddenly heard a familiar silky voice say, "You dropped
these."

I stopped cold in my tracks. Panic washed over me. Slowly, very slowly, I looked at
the red gym bag I was holding. In my furious escape from the locker room, I'd
managed to forget about zipping the stupid thing closed. I sucked a sharp breath
in.

I turned on my heels, coming face to face with a smirking Jace Storme, Mr.
Popular. His stark blue eyes matched his lips--they were playful and daring. And in
his left hand was a wad of gray and yellow that I knew too well. I cursed at myself
for ever bringing those stupid things to school.

Jace took a step forward, dropping the fabric in my hand. I clenched my fist around
it, not wanting it to fall again. I gave Jace a sheepish smile and turned around. I
hadn't even taken two steps when Jace said, "And Max...."

I stopped again. I whirled around, bracing myself for what was to come. My heart
was beating fast as Jace approached me. I knew what was coming; he was going to
tell the entire school what kind of underwear I wore. I swallowed as he placed his
lips a breath away from my ear.

He whispered, "I like your Batman underwear."

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Two: Jace
Chapter two! Hope you guys like it! Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!!! :D <3

Chapter Two: Jace

You think that it's easy being popular. You think that it's easy having
everyone either drool over you or curse your name before they sleep. You think that
it's easy having everyone have huge expectations for you.

Well, you're right.

Everyone accepts what you do; they're eventually just going to copy you
anyways. They accept who you are no matter if you're a douche or not. As long as
you have a pretty face they'll like you.

But I'm faking it. Mostly. I mean, I try and be myself as much as
possible. I'm not a mean person. But sometimes to keep my rep, I have to be mean.
And it pains me every time I make fun of the way someone looks or what somebody
likes. Because I know that I would hate it if somebody made fun of me for what I
am.

Gay.

I figured it out when I was twelve. I had snuck into my friend's older
sister Chloe's room bedroom when she was at a birthday party. She was sixteen. She
had a DVD popped in the player. The DVD case had said the title was "Rainbow Boys
in New York". That was it. No cover or anything, just the words. Being twelve, the
fact that I was in my sister's room was exciting and the DVD had me curious. So I
watched it. All sixty-six minutes of guys in speedos making out with one another.
It was the first porno I ever watched and it seemed to be the only I've ever liked.

As I watched Maxxie continue down the nearly empty hallway in his

flabbergasted state, I couldn't help but smile. He was hot. Very hot. I've always
been a sucker for blonde hair, which Maxxie was sporting in an uncombed heap on his
head. His eyes were gorgeous too, blue with flecks of turquoise and gold. They were
like masterpiece that needed to be framed, which they were by huge dark frames.
 I felt my best friend John put his tanned hand on my shoulder. I glanced
at him sideways, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

"Dude," he muttered, "why did you help Max out?"

Just hearing his name made me grin harder. "Why not?"

John looked at me flatly. "Dude, he's Max Gray. He goes by the name
Maxxie. He's obsessed with comics. He must be gay!"

My heart panged. If Maxxie was gay then I was in heaven. Of course it

would be almost impossible for us to be together even if he was gay, but a guy
could dream, couldn't he? If I had Maxxie to myself, to hold in my arms, to see in
the stands or in the theatre watching me perform, I would love that. No, I would
kill for that. You could say that I was lonely. The last time I had been in any
kind of relationship had been in the eighth grade when my best girl friend had
asked me out. I had only said yes because of the peer pressure. Plus, I didn't want
to hurt her feelings. We'd gone out for a week before I broke things off. She then
went on and dated John for a bit.

I shrugged away from John and began to strut down the hallway, binders in
hand. I arrived at my locker and began to twist the combo into my lock. As I did so
I said, "Just because he goes by the name Maxxie doesn't mean he's gay. And since
when is reading comics gay? Don't you read comics?"

He shook his head. "Correction, I read them. Past tense. That was way back
in the fifth grade before they were gay."

I clenched my jaw. Even though I was in the closet it didn't give John the
right to insult gays in front of me. In truth, John didn't know I liked men, so I
couldn't expect him to understand.

"Don't say gay that way," I said. "Please."

 He crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Gaygaygaygaygay."

I curled my fingers into a fist. John knew better than to piss me off. I
guess I had a slight bit of a control and anger management issue. But what could
you expect when you were usually given the right of way?

"Gaygaygaygaygay," John continued.

Anger got the best of me. I shoved John back into the lockers. He gasped a
little, stunned at the sudden force. His hazel eyes were as wide as dinner plates,
questioning me. I flared my nostrils, mostly at myself. If I was trying to keep my
true self hidden, I wasn't doing a very good job.

"Dude," John hissed. "What the hell was that for?"

I drew a deep breath in. I counted to ten, trying to calm myself down. I
thought of Maxxie and that surprisingly helped-it always helped. I peeled my hands
away from John's shoulders.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I guess it's my time of the month."

John exhaled through his nose. "Yeah. I guess it is."

>>><<<
 If there was one person that wouldn't accept me being gay, it would be my
dad. You could say that he was a traditional guy. Super religious, he was. It's not
like he'd ever said that he didn't like gays, but you could tell that he wouldn't.
Whenever my younger sister Naomi watched Glee on TV, he frowned at Kurt and Blaine.
I usually just sat there thinking how attractive Chris Colfer was.

I dug my keys out of my pocket and slipped it into the gold coloured lock.
I turned it once before swinging it open. I took the key out and stepped into the
house. I shivered; my dad liked to keep the place freezing all year round. He said
it kept his temper at bay.

I trudged through the house into the kitchen. I swung the stainless steel
fridge door open, gazing at all the organic things in it. I sighed. My mother was
trying to 'detoxify' her life. Now that whole family had to suffer. I quickly
pulled an organic fruit and vegetable juice box from one of the shelves. I shut the
door with my hip before trudging back through the house and up the spiral stair
case. As I sipped my juice, I popped my head into my younger sister's room.

"Hey Jules," I said.

She gave me a quick wave before turning back to her book. I smirked and
took a step into her room. I sat on her pink sheeted bed and peered over her
shoulder. I saw that she was reading a book on pregnancy. I jerked my head back and
stared at her.

"Whoa, is there something you're not telling me?" I demanded.

She looked at me flatly with eyes that matched mine. She flicked her light
brown bangs out of her face and said, "No, I'm not pregnant. But I have to read it
for my stupid eighth grade project in health class." She sighed. "I have to write
ten reasons why we should wear protection to keep from getting pregnant."

I suppressed a chuckle. Wasn't the answer obvious? You should wear

protection to keep from having to lug around about twenty extra pounds for nine
months. That was the good thing about being gay. We could have unprotected sex and
not have to worry about getting each other knocked up.
 Jules groaned and shut the book. "I really don't care about this. I know
that I need to use condoms and not get pregnant. 'Nuff said."

I smiled and shook my head. I slowly stood up and said, "Kid, you got a
lot to learn."

I quickly padded out of the room and into my own room. This place was my
safe harbor. This was the place I could be myself and not have anyone care.
Everything about it was special-everything from the baby blue walls to the things
hanging on it. My whole childhood was on display. My trophies and medals from
sports and drama, pictures of my friends and I, drawings I had drawn out of
boredom. At the moment I was heading straight for my bedside table. I slowly pulled
out the oak drawer, pulling out a big wad of paper and a box of sketching pencils.
I then flopped on the red beddings on my bed, my head at the foot.

I nimbly pulled a piece of paper from the pile. My breath caught when I
saw it, as it always did. I ran my fingers across the page, hoping to feel all the
curves and edges that were drawn. But I didn't. They weren't real. It was just a
drawing.

I picked up a gray pencil and adding something to the picture. My hand

moved swiftly across the page. I then picked up a yellow pencil crayon and added
the details. I smiled at it.

It was my Batman, Maxxie. And I had of course added the underwear that I
hoped I would someday see him in.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Three: Maxxie

Chapter three!!! Now remember guys, this is a BoyxBoy story! If you don't like the
gay community please leave!! Thank you! Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!! :D
<3

Chapter Three: Maxxie

I stared at the gray undergarment, studying the yellow Batman symbol on it.
My mind was bouncing around one thought: Jace Storme liked my underwear. Or at
least he'd said. My mind was dancing happily-Jace Storme had liked my underwear!-
but my heart was telling me that he was just joking. Nobody, especially not Jace
Storme, could like anything I owned. I was a nobody. He was a somebody. No, he was
Jace Storme.

"Maxxie!" My mom's abnormally high-pitched voice rang through my ears.

"The phone is for you!"

I threw the briefs onto my bed and leapt off of it. I hurried down the
hallway and down the stairs, stopping on the second one. My mom was standing in the
foyer, phone in hand. Her honey blonde hair was in curlers and her ageless face was
touched up with makeup. My heart froze-my mom was going on a date. It would be her
third one this week.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I grabbed for the cordless phone. I
already knew the answer; I just hoped I was wrong.

She gave me a small smile before putting her finger to her pink lips. She
then walked back down the hallway. I sighed. My parents had gone through a nasty
divorce three years before, which resulted in my mother spiraling into a deep
depression. My father had moved somewhere on the West coast, cutting off all
communication with his one and only child. Sometimes he sent me birthday cards
decorated with slogans like, "You're the best son in the world!" but I just threw
them out.

I pressed the phone to my ear and said, "It's Maxxie."

"Hey!" the familiar sexy voice I knew all too well said. "It's Jace
Storme."

I sucked a deep breath. Jace Storme? Impossible. I probably just heard

something wrong. The person probably said Chase Stern. Chase was in my homeroom. He
was probably calling me for math homework or something. Yeah, that was it!

I cleared my throat and said, "Erm, who is this again?"

 I heard a soft chuckle before they said, "Jace Storme. I'm in your P.E.
class."

I exhaled softly. So I had heard right the first time. But the question
remained, why was Jace calling me? How did he know my number? He's the most popular
kid in the school, I thought. Of course he has your number.

"Uh, hi," I stuttered, my tongue tying. Talking to him was always so hard,
even over the phone. His voice made my heart flutter in my chest.

"Hi again," he replied. "Are you busy tonight?"

My heart jumped. Why was he asking? Was he asking- No, that was
impossible. I completely etched the idea out of my mind. There was no way that Jace
was asking me out. He wasn't gay. He was straight. There was no way that the blue
eyed, brown haired, bright smiling boy could be gay.

I swallowed and said, "Uh, no. I'm not busy."

"Good. Do you and Brian want to come to my party tonight?"

Everything in my body stopped working. My heart stopped beating, my lungs

stopped breathing, my brain stopped functioning.

Three things were wrong with this. 1) A popular kid was asking me if Brian
and I would like to go to a party, 2) It was Jace Storme's party, 3) Jace Storme
was asking me.

I racked my brain for an answer. I could say yes and end up going to my
first-and probably last-high school party. But that might mean that I would get
horribly humiliated. But if I said no, I would be embarrassing myself. Plus, I
could possibly be missing the party of a century.

"So?" Jace asked. "Are you in?"

I took a deep breath. It was now or never. A chance to go to the hottest

guy in the world's house.

"Yeah, we'll go."

>>><<<

Brian hobbled on the sidewalk next to me. I could see sweat threatening to
drip down his forehead. The kid was always sweating. He could probably fill ten
Olympic sized swimming pools just from anxiety-sweating alone.

"I can't believe I let you convince me to come here," Brian huffed. "I
could be at home playing Batman: Arkham City right now!"

I slipped my trembling hands into my jean pockets. I myself was second

guessing my choice to come to this party. I wasn't friends with anybody that was
attending. They all thought I was a loser.

I shrugged. "Maybe it'll be fun," I lied.

We arrived at 459 Andersen Street, Jace's house. We shuffled up the long

driveway and stood on the white front porch. I stared at the large green door.
Would I knock? Would I ring the doorbell? Would I run? I was contemplating on doing
the third, when all of a sudden the door swung open. Jace's face lit up as he saw
me. He seemed almost excited to see me.

"You guys made it!" Jace shouted. "Come on in!"

He slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his house. Though
there were bodies everywhere, there was chill. I shivered as Jace led me to his
house. I was fully aware of his arm around me, though. It was mesmerizing the way
he seemed perfectly at ease with his arm on my body. It was as if he didn't care
that it was me.

People were scattered all around the house, either in clusters or in

pairs. Some were making out while others were giving each other evil looks. Some
were drinking while others were smoking. Everyone seemed to be having a carefree
and satisfying time.

We entered what I assumed was the kitchen. People were on the countertops
and tables playing tonsil hockey or drinking. At the far corner of the kitchen a
small group of guys were having a beer chugging contest. One guy couldn't hold his
liquor and he threw up all over the floor. My nose twitched at the strong stench.

We arrived at the far side of the kitchen and Jace unwound his arm. My
heart suddenly felt empty, as if it were longing for his touch again. But Jace just
fished out two bottles of beer from the ice cooler. He smiled and handed them to
us.

"I'm assuming that you two have never drunken beer before," Jace admitted,
"so just take it slowly. Remember, you have all night."

I slowly nodded. I stared at the moist burgundy bottle in my hands. I

could feel Jace's startling blue eyes staring at me. I glanced at Brian who looked
just as hesitant as I was. I looked back up at Jace. He smiled and took a sip of
his own beer.

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want," Jace said.

 I frowned. Not drinking the beer made me seem like a coward. I sighed
before twisting the metal cap off the bottle. I slowly brought the bottle to my
lips, hovering it over my mouth. I could smell the foul liquid. I closed my eyes
before tipping the bottle. The cool drink drizzled into my mouth. My taste buds
immediately told me that they were not satisfied. My mouth felt fuzzy as I
swallowed.

Jace beamed and patted my back. "Hey! You did it! Congrats!"
I gave him a weak smile, my stomach feeling a little queasy. As I looked
at Jacec's smiling face, I wondered why he was all of a sudden talking to me. He
had all of last year to talk to me but he never had. Now it was just so sudden.

Jace looked at me and chuckled. He took the bottle from my hand and said,
"Hey, I understand. You don't like the alcohol. Technically that's a good thing."
He winked.

I blushed. Jace leaned against the counter and stared at me, a smile still
on his face.

>>><<<

About an hour later, Brian and I were awkwardly leaning against a wall in
the living room. We watched as people were grinding and dancing to an upbeat hip-
hop song. I wondered where Jace had gone. I stared at a clock above the fireplace
and saw that it was ten o'clock on a Saturday night. I would usually be playing
some Batman games on normal Saturday nights. I sighed. I wished that I could be
playing on my Xbox.

Somebody poked my side. "Hey there."

I turned to see Jace smiling at me again. He leaned one arm against the
wall and looked around the room. He turned back to me. I couldn't get over how
perfect he looked in the dim light. His eyes were still sparkling and his lips were
looking so glossy.

"Are you having fun?" he asked.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't want
to seem lamer than I already was. I didn't have to say anything though. He just
laughed.

"I know you're having a lousy time." He slipped his hands into his jean
pockets. "In truth, I invited you so I could give you something."

I raised a confused eyebrow. He wanted to show me something. I wondered

what it was. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what it may be. But Jace just
took my hand and led me through the crowd. I couldn't concentrate. His hand was
warm and soft and strong. I felt every single crease and wrinkle that had engraved
itself into his palm. As his grip tightened while we walked up the stairs, leaving
Brian behind, my body tingled.

We took a left down the hallway and arrived in a bedroom; I assumed it was
his. The walls were baby blue and there were different pictures and drawings on
them. The drawings were fantastic, all of different things. Jace looked sheepish as
he dragged me through the room. He sadly let go of my hand and walked to his
bedside table. I watched as he pulled a familiar rectangular thing out of the
drawer. He turned and sat on his bed, patting a spot beside me. With my heart
beating as quickly as a hummingbird's, I took a seat.

Jace smiled and handed me a comic book. As I held it in my hands, I could

feel the timelessness and age in it. I could feel that it was special. I stared at
Batman's figure, Robin standing right behind him. The background colour was yellow
and the old Batman logo was at the top of the cover. My jaw dropped as I ran my
fingers across the cover.

"This is an antique!" I whispered in shock. I stared at him. "Do you know

how much it's worth?"
 He smiled and shrugged. "No, I really don't."

I stared back at the comic book. Ever since I was little I had tried to
collect all the Batman comics. So far I was only five comics away. This was one of
them that I needed. I wanted it so badly.

I looked back up at Jace. I swallowed before saying, "Could I...could I

have it?"

He laughed. I loved his laugh. It sounded like my favourite song in the

summer multiplied by ten.

"Of course you could have it," he said. "I told you I was giving it to
you, didn't I?"

I blinked a couple of times before smiling. I continued to run my fingers

across the cover. This was surreal. I couldn't believe that Jace had just given me
an antique comic book. The feelings I felt were inexplicable.

I suddenly stopped moving. I felt a cool pair of fingers brush a stray

hair behind my ear. I felt my heart rate speed up as I turned my head slowly. Jace
was staring at me, his eyes soft and compassionate.

He inched forward. "Can I... can I give you something else?"

I didn't have time to respond. As usual, Jace was quicker than I was. He
slowly inched his face toward mine. I then felt his soft lips on top of mine.
Electricity shot through me and my heart slapped my rib cage. My mind couldn't
grasp anything. Jace's lips parted slightly, as did mine. His mouth tasted like
beer and peppermint gum. His breath was warm.
 It was everything I'd ever dreamed of.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Four: Jace

Woot! Chapter four!!! Thanks so much for reading and supporting you guys!!! Don't
forget to comment/vote/fan/share if you love these boys!! Sorry it's kind of crappy
and short but I wanted to upload!! Enjoy! <3

Chapter Four: Jace

I will admit that kissing Maxxie was terrifying. You'd think that me of all
people would be mighty and fearless. Usually, I was. But I'd had my eye on Maxxie
since the beginning of freshman year. I'd never talked to him until this year
because I was scared--yeah, the popular kid was scared--and I didn't want to mess
anything up. To me he was perfect in his own geeky way.

But his lips were everything I'd imagined they would be and more. In truth
they were a little dry and cracked, but I liked it. I liked the feel of the scratch
on my own lips. It was nice to know that such a perfect person could have even just
one tiny imperfection.

Just as quickly as they had been placed there, my lips were parted from
Maxxie's. I stared at him, a smile on my face. I could feel the excitement coursing
through my veins. He smiled back, but his twinkly blue eyes were confused behind
his glasses.

Then it hit me.

I had just kissed Maxxie. I had kissed another guy impulsively! I was so
stupid! How could I be so careless? Maxxie probably wasn't even gay! And if he
wasn't that meant that I had just revealed a huge secret--one that I knew he'd
probably never tell--and I had screwed any future with Maxxie that I had.

I was the dumbest person on this planet Earth.

"I am...so sorry," I told him. "It was impulse. I'm so so so--"

"Um, Jace?" Maxxie piped. I looked at him sheepishly from the corner of my
eye.
 "Yeah?"

He bit his lip before saying, "I...I liked it. I'm...um...gay. Are...are
you gay?"

I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven. I couldn't stop laughing at how
cute he was.

"Yeah, I'm gay," I replied.

He nodded. He then frowned and stared at his hands. Though I couldn't help
but keep smiling, I couldn't help but wonder what was troubling him. I wanted to
make things right and perfect in his life. I didn't want to see him hurting in any
way.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

I nodded. "Anything."

He chewed his lip. He looked up at me and asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

I stared at him carefully. If I could name all the reasons why I had kissed
him, we would be here forever. In my eyes he was perfect in every which way. He was
smart, gorgeous, kind, and cute in that geeky way. He was everything I'd ever
wanted in a guy, though I didn't portray it. The kind of person like him was hard
to find.

My hands were shaking as I took Maxxie's hand. I smiled softly as I said,

"I'm going to be honest here. I really like you. I have since last year but...I was
too shy to speak to you. And now I've gotten the courage to talk to you and kiss
you and--" I paused to smile hugely "--I've loved every minute of it."

I watched as his mind seemed to register the words I had said. He smiled at
me sheepishly. My grip on his hand tightened. He bit his lip though he still
smiled. He was such a cutie!
 "I know that we don't really know each other that well but I would love to
get to know you better," I admitted.

He smiled and nodded. "I'd like that. A lot."

I smiled and kissed him again, this time quick and careful, relishing every
beautiful moment.

>>><<<

After everyone had left my wicked party, I had escorted Maxxie to the door
and scrambled to clean everything up. Now it was Sunday morning and I was
exhausted.

"Jace Riley Storme!" my father's voice boomed. "Get up! We need to be out
the door and at church in fifteen minutes!"

I groaned and turned over in my bed. Church would have been better if my
father wasn't best friends with the pastor. Pastor Mark was always watching me like
a hawk, always keeping tabs on me. He would always inform my dad on everything
wrong I did.

I heard my bedroom door swing open. My dad's loafers padded across the
carpet. I was trying not to groan when he pinched my ear. I yelped and stared up at
him. He scowled and I scowled back.

"Are you deaf?" he demanded. "Get up! Let's go!"

I groaned. I swung my feet out of bed. He walked out of the room, grunting
the whole way.

>>><<<
 The only good thing about church--besides learning about all things Holy--
was Primrose. She was the pastor's daughter. She was smart, kind, loving, and fun
even though she followed what her dad said far too much. I had tried to convince
her to get out of her shell, but nothing ever worked. Plus, she had a secret that
only I knew. She would get excorcised if her father ever found out that she was a
lesbian.

As usual, my father ordered my family to arrive at church half an hour

earlier. Primrose was waiting for me in front of the church, her Sunday dress
fluttering in the wind. Her caramel hair was in loose curls around her smiling
face. She waved at me as I walked out of the car.

"Hello," I said as I reached her.

She grinned. "Hey."

We walked around the back of the church. As we did so, I noticed my mother
and our fathers staring at us. They had smiles on their faces. I just kept walking.

Once we were at the back of the gray stoned building, I leaned against it.
The view behind the church was so beautiful. There were lush meadows and trees and
flowers. The view captured the entire beauty of everything.

Primrose nudged me. "So, have you made your move on mister Geeky-Pants
yet?"

I grinned and nodded at her matter-of-factly. "Why yes I have. I did last
night at my party. We are now a couple."

She grinned and threw her arms around me. "That's awesome!"

I chuckled. She unwound her arms from around me. I nudged her with my
elbow. "How about you? How's that foxy red head you were telling me about?"

She frowned and put her finger to her lips. "Shush. My dad can probably
hear me."
 I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you're telling me about a foxy red headed guy. So
how is she?"

A smile returned to her face. I grinned and bore my eyes expectantly into
her. She finally cracked.

"We got to second base," she admitted. "It was awesome."

I grinned. I stared out into the fields, just staring at the beauty of
everything. I looked at a patch of flowers and I noticed they seemed to be making a
rainbow. I cocked my head to one side and grinned.

"Those are our flowers," I pointed out. Primrose nodded.

Primrose looked at me and asked, "Do you ever wish you weren't gay?"

I looked at her, startled. She was always saying that she was so proud of
who she was. Where had this question come from and why?

"No," I replied. "I don't ever wish that I wasn't gay. I'm proud of who I
am."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then why haven't you come out yet?"

I blinked. Primrose and I were in sort of the same predicament. She

couldn't come out to her dad because he wouldn't allow his o'Holy daughter to like
the same gender. I couldn't come out to my friends and family because they wouldn't
allow the succesful popular kid to like the same gender. She fully knew my reasons
for not coming out. Why was she asking me why?

"The same reasons as you," I replied.

She stared at me and said, "Hmm." It wasn't mean or anything. It was more
just matter-of-factly.
 She looked out into the meadow. I wondered what she was thinking.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Five: Maxxie

Hey guys! Sorry it's so short and kind of bad!! I HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK!!! x_x
Anyways, I hope that you guys still enjoy!! Don't forget to
comment/vote/fan/share!! :D <3

Chapter Five: Maxxie

As I sauntered into school on Monday, I had no idea what to expect. I

wondered if Jace would talk to me or if he would give me the cold shoulder. I set
my expectations low, that way I wouldn't get my heart broken. But remembering the
way that Jace had looked at me after he'd kissed me, I had a strong feeling that he
would at least talk to me.

I walked to my locker and twisted my combo into the lock before it swung
open. A pale pink piece of paper floated to the ground. I raised an eyebrow as I
bent down to pick the paper up carefully. I anxiously unfolded the paper and read
the little note.

Turn around.
 I slowly turned around and was staring into Jace's bright blue eyes. He
grinned at me and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. I could feel the surrounding
people's eyes staring at us as Jace gave me a small wave.

"Hey," he said.

The words were caught in my throat but I managed to say, "Hey."

He leaned on arm against the locker and stared at me. I could feel
everyone's eyes on him as he looked at me. They were probably thinking that Jace
was crazy. They probably thought that he needed help or something.

Suddenly, everyone's jaws dropped. Jace's hand reached out to me and he

laced his soft fingers with mine. I bit my lip to keep from squealing with delight.
I didn't even want to see the faces of the people around us.

"So, I have a question," Jace said softly.

I swallowed. "Okay."

He took a step closer to me, not letting go of my hand. Our faces were
close enough to each so only we would hear, but they weren't close enough for us to
kiss each other. He bit his lip nervously.

"So, I was wondering if you were alright with coming out to the school,"
he said carefully. "I mean, would it be alright with you if... if we hung out
around school? You know, romantically."
 I grinned. Was I scared of being made fun of even more for being gay? Of
course. Was I afraid of Brian finding out? Of course. But I was mostly ready for
coming out. I knew that it was weird for the geeky, shy kid to say, but I really
was ready. I was crazy about Jace and I was almost positive-though we still had to
get to know each other better-he felt the same way about me.

"I'd love to do that," I replied to him.

He beamed. I smiled back. That was all I could do these past couple of
days; smile.

>>><<<

As lunch rolled around, I grew more and more anxious. Like most couples,
Jace had promised to sit with me at lunch. I had no idea how he was going to face
the entire school at one time, especially his friends. This would prove just how
brave Jace was-and just how brave I could be.

As I walked into the cafeteria, my knees were shaking. Brian gave me a

sideways glance.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Is your rash flaring up again?"
I elbowed him. He yelped but didn't say anything more about my rash in a
place that could not be named. And in my defense, it only happened once every
winter.

As I walked deeper into the cafeteria, I caught sight of Jace leaning

against a wall. His hands were in his pockets and his blue eyes were searching. His
eyes soon caught mine and he smiled. He shrugged away from the wall and walked
towards me. As I stopped in the middle of the cafeteria, everyone was looking at
us. Jace finally reached me and his arm wrapped around my waist. His face came
closer and closer to mine. I could feel everyone's shocked eyes on Jace and I as
his lips came crashing closer and closer towards mine.
 As our lips finally met, I could hear everyone gasp. I couldn't help but
feel the least bit happy-I was kissing Jace Storme, the hottest guy in the school,
right in front of the entire school. I gently closed my eyes and wrapped my arms
around his neck, enjoying the kiss. His grip around my waist tightened as he pulled
me closer. Silence loomed over the entire cafeteria.

As Jace pulled away from me, he smiled. I smiled back sheepishly. The
cafeteria was still silent. Jace looked around, looking slightly afraid. I couldn't
blame him. I glanced at Brian. His mouth was gaping open.

"Shit," somebody in the crowd breathed.

Jace smiled and wrapped slinked his arm around my shoulders. He kissed the
side of my head and whispered, "Sorry about the crowd. Let's go outside, shall we?"

I grinned and let him sweep me away. As we walked through the cafeteria, I
glanced back at Brian. He looked confused and furious. I sighed. Explaining
everything to him would be a whole other adventure.

>>><<<

"Since when are you gay?" Brian demanded. I blushed and continued to put my
books away.

"Since I was born," I replied. I gave him a quick glance.

He shook his head. His curly brown hair bounced around his face. "No, I
mean, like.... I don't even know what I mean! But why didn't you tell me?"

I sighed. "Because I didn't want you to freak out. Like you're doing right
now." I shut my locker. Brian and I began to walk down the hall.
 Brian exhaled through his nose and replied, "I'm obviously going to freak
out! My best friend is gay!"

I sighed again and shrugged. "It's not really a big deal, Brian. I'm still
me. I'm just dating--" I paused to smile "--Jace Storme."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. I understood why he was so upset. I

understood that he needed some time to cool off. I understood that he probably
wouldn't accept who I was. But he seemed to take it well, or at least not as bad as
I anticipated. He wasn't screaming or sweating or walking away from me. He was
still walking to class with me, though he wasn't saying a word.

We finally reached the classroom and we took our usual seats beside each
other. Brian scowled at his desk, deep in thought. I just opened my books, not
wanting to disrupt him.

"Maxxie," Brian said.

I turned to him. "Yeah?"

He took a deep breath before saying, "Does this mean that you won't want to
play Batman games with me anymore?"

I grinned and gave him a playful nudge. "Dude, I couldn't imagine life
without playing video games with you."

He grinned back and nodded. "Good."

I couldn't help but smile some more and shake my head. What a crazy kid.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Six: Jace

Hey guys! Sorry it's kind of shorter than I wanted!!! I have to study for tests and
stuff!!! I hope you guys still enjoy it, though it is a kind of upsetting chapter :
( Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!! :D <3

Chapter Six: Jace

 "Since when the fuck are you gay?" John demanded.

I expected this from John. He didn't like change-and this was a huge
change. My other friends, however, seemed to be mostly okay with it. They still
talked to me for the rest of the day, though they seemed a little bit
uncomfortable. But how could they not be? I had just kissed one of the geekiest-and
most adorable-guys in the world in front of the entire school. I'm sure my friends
had soiled their pants when they saw my little lip lock with Maxxie. But that kiss
had felt so amazing and uplifting, I didn't even care what they thought.

Now John and I were walking home from school. John was like a dragon, with
steam flaring out of his nostrils and his eyes flickering with anger. I kept
glancing at him sideways, making sure that he wasn't going to rip his brown hair
right from the scalp.

"So?" he snarled. "Are you going to answer my question?"

I shoved my hands in my pockets and shrugged. I guess my whole life I had

known somewhere, deep down, I knew I was different. I didn't know how I was
different until that one day when I was twelve.

"I've been gay my whole life, John," I sighed. "But I've known I was gay
since I was twelve."

His brown eyes bugged out of his head. "W-what?! Are you kidding me? I've
known you since we were twelve!"

I shrugged again and kept on walking. I could hear John trying to steady
his breathing beside me. John was the kind of the person who didn't get angry very
often, but when he did you had to run. He was like a volcano ready to erupt and
spread its wrath over everything.

"Wait, so all this time when I thought that you got horny for girls...
you've actually gotten horny for guys?" he demanded.
 I frowned. "Why do you need to make it sound so gross?"

"Because it is!" he shouted.

I stopped walking. I stared at him carefully, a frown set on my face. I

could still see that he was breathing angrily, his chest moving up and down
quickly. If he kept this up, he was going to have a seizure right there on the
sidewalk. I could feel a growing anger towards him, so it was dead set that I
wouldn't help him if he did have a seizure.

"It's not gross," I insisted. "It's just liking girls, except I'm a guy
and I like guys. In my opinion guys can kiss better than girls."

"So you've kissed more than one guy?" he asked.

I blushed and looked at my feet. "No."

A sluggish smile spread across his face. "Well, then, you're not gay.
You've only kissed one guy."

I shut my eyes. Why was he acting like this? More importantly, why didn't
I even expect him to act like this? It was just like him to try and get things back
to the way he liked them.

He dropped his arm around my shoulder and smiled lazily. He nodded and
chuckled a couple of times.

"You're not gay," he said. "This is all a phase."

 I rolled my eyes. Being accepted by my friends would be much harder than I
thought.

>>><<<

I was leaning against the lockers, my friends trying to cram information

that I couldn't care less about down my throat. They were thrusting words and
phrases at me like, "Jace! You're too good to be gay!" or, "Jace, you're so funny!
Why would you ever go out with Maxxie?"

I was ready to kick them all in the face.

"Hello."

My friends and I all turned our heads to the direction of the voice. A
tiny Asian girl with her dark hair in pigtails was standing beside my locker. She
was holding a small rectangular book in her delicate looking hands. She had a smile
on her innocent looking face. I had seen this girl around school sometimes; she was
a freshman and often mingled with the sophomores. She usually hung out with three
other freshman girls but they were nowhere in sight now.

"Uh, hi," I said hesitantly. "Can I help you?"

I watched as she simply thrust the book towards me. It had a picture of
Batman and Robin on it. Robin was stroking Batman's arm. I knit my eyebrows
together and looked up at her.

"What is this?" John hissed as he peered over my shoulder.

 The girl beamed. "I made it all by myself." She pointed to the right hand
corner of the page. "See? Yuki Nakamura."

I nodded slowly. I was still very confused about why she had given it to
me. I barely knew this girl and-not to be rude-I was far too popular for her to be
talking to me first.

"It's a yaoi fan-fiction," she explained. "You know, boy on boy?"

I flipped through the pages. I came across a very detailed picture of

Robin on top of Batman. In my mind, Maxxie was Batman and I was Robin. I smirked-I
always knew that Robin was the dominant one in his secret relationship with Batman.
John, I'm guessing, saw the picture and his eyes bugged out of his skull. He
reached for the book and handed it back to Yuki.

"He doesn't need this," John hissed. "He's not gay."

Yuki frowned, confused. "But yesterday-"

I grabbed the book back from Yuki and smiled. "I love it, Yuki. Thank you.
I'll be sure to show my boyfriend this."

Yuki grinned and walked away. I smiled looked back at the book. Suddenly,
it was ripped out of my hands. John held the book in the air, making a face as if
he were holding a bottle of acid.

"You," he said slowly and firmly, "do not need this."

 I leaned against the lockers and raised an eyebrow. I knew that there was
no point in grabbing the book back from him; John was a brown belt in karate. He
had ninja reflexes.

"Why is that?" I asked softly.

John fluttered through the pages, showing them to me. My eyes kept
narrowing as he kept flicking through the pages. My eyes kept darting from picture
to picture.

"You don't seem to be understand what I'm telling you," John insisted.
"You. Are. Not. Gay!"

I clenched my jaw. It was the second day that I had been out of the closet
to the school. No, I did not expect people to be warmed up about the idea yet. But
John was taking things too far. Yeah, he was my best friend, but he should have
been there for me. He should have understood that I was feeling somewhat lost with
myself and I didn't need his pestering.

"You don't seem to understand what I'm telling you," I hissed. "I'm gay."

I grabbed the book from his hands and tucked it under my arm. I turned on
my heels and began to walk down the hall, feeling furious with John. I was suddenly
yanked backwards and pushed onto the ground. The book fell from my arms and
skittered across the ground. I blinked a couple of times, confused with what had
just happened. John picked the book up from off of the ground and threw it into the
trash can. He put his hands on his hips and looked at me sternly. I took a deep
breath to keep myself calm.

My friend Andy put his hand on John's shoulder and said, "Dude, stop. Just
accept it, okay?"

John shoved Andy and stormed off down the hall. I frowned at his back.
Andy reached down to help me up. I brushed myself off and looked into the garbage
can. I could see the little book resting on a pile of pencil shavings. I quickly
reached in and grabbed the gift.

"Uh, Jace, that was in the garbage...," one of my friends said.

I shook my head and stormed down the hall myself.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Seven: Maxxie

Chapter seven! Woot woot! Thank you all for reading this story :3 It means so much
to me! AND thank you for helping me get this story to be #303 in Teen Fiction and
#667 in Romance!! :'] it means so much to me!! Don't forget to
comment/vote/fan/share!! <3 <3

Chapter Seven: Maxxie

At the end of the day on a Friday, Jace was leaning against my locker, a
smile on his gorgeous face. You'd think that since I had been dating him for about
a week now I'd be used to him smiling at me. But this was a huge step for me; the
most popular boy in the tenth grade was my boyfriend. I had gone from the biggest
geek in the school to only slightly geeky.

As I walked up to my locker, Jace wrapped his arm around my waist and

pulled me close to him. He bent his head down and pressed his lips against mine,
causing ecstasy to surge through my body. I didn't feel the eyes on us anymore.
Almost everyone was alright with us together now.

"So," Jace said when he pulled away. "About getting to know each other
better, do you have any plans for tonight?"

I glanced at Brian two lockers down. He was packing all his books into his
tiny backpack, stealing a glance at Jace and I every so often. Usually on Friday
nights Brian and I would have Batman movie marathons before playing some Batman
games. But judging from Jace's face, I could tell that he wanted to spend the night
with me.

This was the hardest decision of my life. I could do the same old same old
with Brian, or I could go on my first date with Jace; if that was what he was
planning. Part of me didn't want bail on Brian. The other part of me really wanted
to experience my first date and get to know Jace better. He was my boyfriend, after
all, and I barely knew him.

I put a smile on my face and shook my headat Jace. "No, I don't have any
plans tonight. Why do you ask?"

He smiled and his grip around my waist tightened. He pulled me close to

him once again, resting his soft lips against my head gently.

"Well," he said against my golden hair, "I want to take you somewhere
tonight. But it's a surprise."

I chuckled. That was something I could have never done around Jace before-
laugh and be happy. But during the past week I had grown so comfortable with him.

I looked up into his eyes and asked, "What kind of surprise?"

He shook his head and kissed me again. I smiled against his lips before
pulling away. He unwound his arm from around me and reached for my hand. His touch-
as always-was warm. He grinned at me.

"So, would you care to walk home with me?" he asked. He then glanced back
at Brian. "Or are you two walking home together?"

I glanced at my stout friend. He stared at me with sad brown eyes. He was

waiting for me to just walk away with Jace, leaving him to stumble on home all by
himself. Of course I would never do that to Brian. He was still my best friend, no
matter if I was in a relationship or not.
 I turned back to Jace and smiled at him apologetically. He shook his head
and said, "No, it's okay. I understand. I'll pick you up at your house at around
six-ish, okay?"

I nodded. He smiled and kissed my cheek before walking down the hallway
with his friends. I smiled at his disappearing figure before turning to Brian. He
looked slightly annoyed, if not angry. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but he
began walking down the hallway and out the double doors. I rolled my eyes and
quickly grabbed my stuff from my locker. I then ran out the double doors and into
the bleak mid-September weather. The pale orange sun was casting a warm light over
everything. I caught sight of Brian, who hadn't made it very far down the sidewalk,
and ran as fast I could over to him. Once I reached him, I put my hand on his thick
shoulder.

"Dude," I huffed, "what's the matter?"

He shrugged me off of him. I sighed and continued to keep pace with him.
For an overweight guy he was pretty speedy.

"Brian, please talk to me!" I pleaded.

Silence.

What had I done wrong? I had just declined Jace's invitation to walk home
just so I could spend more time with Brian! And I spent the entire day with that
guy! I had no idea why he was angry with me at the moment. The way I saw it, I
should have been the one angry at him for giving me the silent treatment.

I finally couldn't stand it anymore and I grabbed his shoulder. I yanked

him backwards, causing him to stumble a little bit. He shot me a look of pure
anger.
"Leave me alone!" Brian shouted.

His shout took me by surprise. Brian was a pretty easygoing guy, never one
to hold grudges. So why was he yelling at me, his best friend? More importantly,
what wasn't he telling me?

"Brian, what's wrong?" I asked him.

He shook his head and said, "Just leave me alone, okay? I can't... I can't
look at you right now."

I furrowed my eyebrows, completely confused and appalled. I watched as

Brian kept walking down the sidewalk, not stopping to turn back and look at me.

>>><<<

I was not going to let Brian get in the way of my very first date. Though I
was still unsure of what had caused his outburst, I decided to push Brian out of my
mind. This was going to be a good night. This was going to be a night I would
remember for the rest of my life.

I had no idea where Jace was taking me. The only detail he'd given me was
to dress casually. So, I had dressed in a pair of jeans, a The Green Lantern T-
shirt and a pale blue hoodie underneath a brown jacket. For about the millionth
time, I checked myself in the mirror. My glasses looked awkward on my face. I
frowned.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door. Before my parents could answer it,
I rushed out of my room and down the carpeted stairs. I opened the front door to
reveal Jace standing there. As always, he looked stunning. He was wearing a blue
and black checkered shirt and a dark pair of jeans. His accessory was his perfectly
flawless smile. I suddenly felt like a piece of trash next to him.

"Who's at the door?" I heard my mom say as she began to walk down the
hall. She finally arrived at the door and her eyes shifted from me to Jace. She
raised an expectant eyebrow at me, demanding who this person was. I gave her a wan
smile.

"Uh, mom, this is Jace Storme. He's my... friend. We're just going to hang
out for a bit, okay?"

My mom flashed Jace a quick smile before frowning at me. "I thought that
you and Brian had plans? Just like every Friday?"

"No. We cancelled." I turned back to Jace and smiled. "Let's go, shall
we?"

I stepped out of the door and shut the door behind me before my mom could
say anything. I peeked at Jace and he smiled. He snaked his arm around my shoulders
and pulled me close to his body. I could smell his body spray emanating from his
body. I just wanted to dig myself into him.

"So," I asked. "Where are we going?"

He laughed. "It's a surprise."

I smiled and let him lead me to wherever he was leading me. Thankfully my
house was in walking distance of everything, so we didn't need a car or anything to
get around town. The only question I had was where were we walking to?

We finally arrived to the town park. The lush green grass was illuminated
by the soft glow of the surrounding street lamps. Jace beamed at me before
interlocking his hand with mine. He continued to lead me through the park, where we
finally arrived at a little corner.

I smiled at what I saw. There was a small square blanket resting on the
ground, with candles flickering light over a picnic dinner of spaghetti and
meatballs. I grinned at Jace and he blushed.

"I know that it's really cheesy," he explained, "but I just wanted
everything to be perfect."

Aww! I thought. He's so cute!

Jace motioned for me to sit down and I did. He did the same and sat beside
me. I couldn't help but blush as he stared at me, a smile set on his face. About
two weeks ago a scene like this would all be a fantasy for me. But this was reality
and I couldn't ask for anything more. I knew that we were young but the connection
I felt with him, it was inexplicable.

We began talking and eating our meal. I learned about what colleges Jace
wanted to go to, what he wanted to major in-which was musical theatre-and what his
dreams were. In exchange I told him where I wanted to go to, what I wanted to major
in, and how I thought of the world.

"What's your biggest fear?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment. I had a lot of fears. But which was my biggest
one?

"My biggest fear is probably losing love," I admitted.

Jace bit his lip. "Who's love?" he asked softly.

I shrugged. "My mom's, since she's dating again. Brian's friendship love."
I stared at him and blushed. "Your love."
 He smiled sheepishly, as if he were a little bit flattered or something.
He bit his smiling lip and reached to pick my hand up. He held it gently in his own
hands, cradling it protectively. He looked me straight in the eye, as if he were
looking into my soul.

"As long as I live, I will always love you in some way," he said. "I have
gotten to know you better and I know that you are a remarkable person. It's
impossible not to love you."

I tried to process his words as best as I could. Surely this couldn't be

the man of my dreams; this was too good to be true. There was no way that I, Maxxie
Gray, was sitting on a picnic blanket with Jace Storme holding my hand in his.
There was just no way that the geekiest kid in school was dating the most popular
kid he knew. The world just simply didn't work that way. It was like the law of the
Universe.

Jace gave me an amorous smile and said, "In the time that I have known
you, really known you... well, it's been the best time of my life."

I couldn't say anything. All I could do was stare at him, speechless, and
smile. This was still trying to set in my mind. But it was true. Jace loved me, and
I loved him. Yes, it was too good to be true, but it was. It was all completely
true.

Jace caressed my cheek softly with the side of his index finger. He
whispered ever so softly, so softly that I could barely hear him, "I love you."

He cupped my face in his hand and pressed him lips against mine. It was a
soft kiss, a gentle kiss. Yet it was full of a humble passion, one that was hard to
find.

When we pulled away, we both lay on back on the blanket, my head on his
shoulder and his arms around me. We stared up at the bright stars illuminating the
dark sky. We were both quiet, for words couldn't explain how either of us felt at
that moment. Jace rested his head against mine and laced his fingers with mine. I
smiled up at him and he smiled back.
 Jace suddenly looked as if he had remembered something important. He
reached to his side and handed me a little book. It had a picture of Batman and
Robin on the front, though Robin was stroking Batman's arm. I smiled confusingly
and continued to glance at the cover. I saw a little name in the corner of the
page. It read Yuki Nakamura. I knew her as a little Asian freshman girl. I chuckled
once.

"Did you know that she and her friends told me today that they're
officially our fangirls?" I asked Jace. He laughed.

"That explains why Yuki made this book," he said. He opened to a page and
said, "Look."

I looked at the page, staring at a picture of Robin on top of Batman.

Well, technically it was Bruce Wayne. I smiled and chuckled. Jace kissed my head.

"You're my Batman, you know," he whispered. "You always come and save my
day."

I looked up at him and whispered back, "So that means you're Robin? And
you're on top of me?"

He chuckled and sat up, only to place a hand beside my torso. He leaned
over me and stroked my cheek with his finger. He nodded matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that does mean that I'm Robin," he explained. "And yes, I am on top
of you."

I smiled up at him. He smiled back and pressed his lips against mine
again. We spent the rest of the night like that, kissing each other softly, our
hearts exploding in our chests.
I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Seven: Jace
This chapter is very sad. I cried while writing it. Have a box of tissues by your
side if you're emotional. :'[

Chapter Eight: Jace

Maxxie's lips still lingered on mine as I walked into the school on Monday.
Friday night had been one of the best of my life. I had gotten to know Maxxie so
well and I shared things with him that I had never shared with anybody before, not
even my best friends. Being around him, I didn't have to be careful with what I
said. I could be myself without feeling the need to be cautious with my words so
they wouldn't backfire at me.

As I headed to my locker in the morning, as I always do, I noticed

something strange about the atmosphere. My friends, or at least the people that
hung around with me, were all crowded around my locker looking uncomfortable. I
noticed that John was absent from the little crowd, but that didn't surprise me. He
was still furious at me for being gay. But I didn't need him. I was proud of what I
was, even though I didn't have the guts to tell my parents yet.

I approached my locker, ready for what was going to come. Some people
glanced at me before stepping aside. I narrowed my eyes and took a step towards my
locker. There was a note taped to the outside of the metal door and was written in
rainbow ink. It said OPEN UP!

I quickly and cautiously spun my combo into my locker. When my locker swung
open, I gasped. A wave of dildos and condoms came flooding to the floor, landing at
my feet. Girls surrounding shrieked and ran while guys made uncomfortable faces and
horrified faces. I couldn't help but look down in red hot anger. Only one name came
into mind: John.

I heard a chuckle behind me. I quickly spin around to see John standing
there, two skanky looking girls flanking him. He smirked and raised an eyebrow
proudly. He cocked his head to one side and took a deep breath in. I watched as he
bent down to pick up a rainbow coloured artificial... you know what. He waved it
around a bit, laughing as he did so.

"You like these, don't you?" he asked. He threw the thing at me and it
bounced off of my chest before landing back onto the floor.
 I glared at him. "John, what hell?"

He sighed and shook his head. He stared at me and shook his head. "You
were the perfect guy, Jace," he sighed. "Popular, good looking, athletic, musical.
All the ladies were drooling over you. I looked up to you, as did many people."

I clenched my fists. "I'm still the same person, John. I haven't changed
at all."

He shook his head and raised a finger. "No, see, you have changed."

"How?"

"You have changed because instead of spending Friday nights partying with
your friends or making out with girls, you spend them making out with guys."

I raised an eyebrow but he just took a picture out of his pocket. He

unfolded it, stared at it in disgust, and then threw it at my feet. I bent down to
pick it up with shaking fingers. I stared at the picture in shock. It was a picture
of Maxxie and me from Friday night, me on top of him. We were kissing, our lips
fitting perfectly together. My head began to spin; I had made sure that nobody was
at the park. I hadn't seen anybody exit or enter the park, either. How could John
have a picture?

"Did you take this?" I asked through trembling lips.

John grinned. "You're shaking, boy. And yeah, I did take it. You should be
more careful as to where you have your little dates, you know."

I looked at the picture again. It was shaking just as my hands were. How
could John, my best friend, do this to me? I had been there for him whenever he
needed me. I was the one who had given him dating advice and helped him through his
parents' divorce. We had been like brothers. Now he was turning against me, all
because of who I loved.

Tears were blurring my vision. A stray tear landed on the photo. I could
hear John's laughter bellow ten times louder than it actually was.

"He's crying now!" John cackled. "Oh God, this is good!"

I bit my lip and shook my head. I slipped the picture in my back pocket
and shut my locker door. I took a deep breath and walked out of the school. I was
skipping today and I didn't care what the hell the consequences were.

As September was coming to a close, the air was getting colder. I zipped
my jacket tighter and kept walking. Kids were still only just walking into the
school as I headed in the opposite direction. They all smiled or waved at me but I
kept walking. I had to get as far away as possible from the school and John. I
didn't even want to know what the teachers would say when they found that mess of
fake dicks.

I felt sick to my stomach. My brain was throbbing in my skull. I felt like

punching something, or preferably, someone. My feet went as fast as my heart did,
slapping the pavement. But I kept walking, letting my mind let go of my body.

After a half hour of walking and whilst tears were streaming down my face,
I found myself feeling tired and frustrated. I finally stopped to catch my breath,
resting my shaking palms on my knees. As I took deep breaths in, I looked up. I
found myself staring at a church, Pastor Mark's church. For some reason, I walked
into the church. Maybe I'd thought that somehow Primrose might be in there, or
maybe I really did want the Grace of the Lord to wash over me. Anyhow, I pushed the
large doors open and stepped into the dim church.

The church was dark, with the exception of the sun seeping through the
colourful stained glass windows. I could see dust circulating through the light and
dancing across the vacant pews. As I walked down the gray carpeted aisle, my
footsteps echoed off the marble altar.
 I took a seat in the first pew and set my bag beside me. I kneeled on the
little kneeling bench and clasped my hands together. I stared at the statue of
Jesus on the cross hanging off the walls just above the altar. Why was I here? What
did I want to pray about? Did I even want to pray?

As I continued to stare at Jesus' image, I felt another tear fall down my

cheek. That tear was followed by another and another, and soon an entire sea of
tears were trickling down my face. I stopped kneeling and sat on the wooden pew, my
face in my hands. I sat there and sobbed, thinking that I shouldn't have even been
in the church. I didn't belong there. God didn't want gays in his world. Lev.
20:13, "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both
of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their
bloodguiltness is upon them." I was surprised that a giant hand of God didn't come
down and zap me right then.

As I continued to cry, I felt somebody pat my back. I looked up and saw

Primrose sitting beside me. Her face was morphed into a frown. She shook her head
at me, confused and sad.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. "Why are you crying?"

"Why aren't you at school?" I sniffled.

"I skipped," she admitted. "I'm guessing you did too. What's wrong?"

I told her everything that had happened, right from the very beginning
when I came out to the school. She listened carefully as I spoke to her, tripping
over my own bloody words.

"I don't even belong in this church," I murmured. "God doesn't love me."

"Hey," she said softly, "you belong here just as much as I do. God loves
you, Jace. You're a good person with a good heart. It doesn't matter if you love a
man or woman. We are all God's children."

"But the Bible says-"

"It doesn't matter what the Bible says," she scolded. By this time tears
were in her eyes. She took my hand in hers. "Do you believe that God loves you? Do
you believe that God loves everyone? Because I do. So I believe that it doesn't
matter what the Bible says, because I know that God loves me for me. And he loves
you too, Jace!"

I thought about her words. Did I really believe that God loved me, despite
what the Bible said? Did I even believe in such God?

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from the back room. My heart went cold
and Primrose's grip on my hand tightened. We watched the doorway and waited. Her
father soon walked into the church and glanced at us. His salt and pepper brows
furrowed.

"Primrose? Jace? Is that you? What are you doing here?" he demanded.

I swallowed and though of an answer. I finally said, "My teachers excused

me from class so I could come and pray for the rest of the day." I knew that my
answer was stupid, but it was all I could come up with.

Pastor Mark nodded and looked at his daughter. Primrose smiled sweetly and
said, "The same happened with me. I just went home to get changed out of my uniform
then I came straight over here."

He nodded again. He glanced at us and noticed that Primrose and I were

holding hands. His face lit up and he smiled. He stood in front of our pew and
kneeled down before us. He looked us both in the eyes with an abnormal happiness.
 "Jace, your parents and I have discussed this for a very long time now,"
he began.

Primrose and I exchanged worried glances.

"We have come to the conclusion that, well, you and my daughter spend an
awful lot of time together. You two are the same age and you have grown up
together." He took a deep breath. "Well, we are aware that this is America and that
we don't usually do this, but, we have decided for you two to be in an arranged
marriage."

>>><<<

I arrived home at noon knowing my parents would both be home for their
lunch break. My heart was pulsing in my ears. My muscles ached from the long walk
but anger was pushing me forward. I stormed through the front door, slamming it
shut. My mother, looking confused, walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer.
Her brows furrowed.

"Jace, what are you doing home?" she asked.

"Really?" I hissed through gritted teeth. "An arranged marriage?"

Her face went pale. My father then entered the foyer to see what the
commotion was about. He folded his arms across his chest and clenched his jaw.

"What on Earth are you doing home?" he demanded. "You're supposed to be at

school!"
 I dropped my backpack onto the ground and stormed into the living room,
knowing that my parents would follow. We stood there in silence for a bit. My
mother chewed her nails while my father had his hands on his hips angrily. I
clenched my jaw as I stared at both of them.

"An arranged marriage, eh?" I hissed. "You arranged for Primrose and I to
be married?"

My father narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that? You weren't supposed
to know that."

"Pastor Mark told me earlier," I explained. "I went to the church."

"Sweet heart," my mother said softly, "Primrose is a nice girl. She comes
from a stable family with a good heart. She'd be the perfect girl."

My fists clenched. "But I don't like Primrose."

"Of course you like Primrose!" my father bellowed. "You two talk all the
time! You're best friends."

I rolled my eyes. "I mean I don't like her like her. She's just my
friend."

"Well," my father said, "as you grow up you'll grow to love her as more
than a friend."

I exhaled sharply.
 "No, Dad, I won't," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "You're just shocked right now. But don't worry,
you'll love Primrose in time. Now let me get back to my lunch, dammit!"

I watched as he turned around and began to walk out of the room. I

clenched my fists. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't keep anything bottled
inside anymore. I had to tell them.

"I WILL NEVER LOVE PRIMROSE BECAUSE I AM GAY!" I shouted at the top of my
lungs. The sound echoed off the walls.

My mother's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. My father turned on his heels and
stared me carefully in the eye. Anger flashed across his face. He then walked over
to me and raised his hand. He swung his arm and I was thrown onto the couch. I
clutched my cheek as the pain rose. My mother wailed.

"There's no way in hell that you like men!" my father shouted. "What's
wrong with you?"

I whimpered. My dad smacked me again. My mother screamed. My dad shook his

head.

"You're no longer welcome in this house," he hissed. "Leave. Now!"

He hoisted me up and guided me through the house. I could hear my mother

crying softly. We got to the front door and my dad opened it. He shoved me outside
and shook his head.

"You're not my son," he whispered.

 He shut the door on my face.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Nine: Maxxie

Aloha guys! Sorry it's so short! I'm sick and my brain feel like Jell-O. :
( Anyways, enjoy! Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!! :D <3

Chapter Nine: Maxxie

I dialed Brian's number for the fifth time. I tapped my fingers against the
counter as it rang once, then twice, then three times. As usual, he didn't pick up.
I sighed as I heard the "You've reached the McKinley residence. We can't take your
call, but please feel free to leave a message!" BEEP.

"Hey Brian, it's me, Maxxie. Call me back, okay? Please?"

I slammed the phone back into its cradle. How could one person stay mad at
me for so long? And what had I even done? It wasn't like Brian to hold a grudge or
get mad easily. I contemplated that maybe he was having family troubles, but he
would usually tell me something like that. I couldn't think of any other solutions.

"Maxxie!" my mom called.

She slinked into the kitchen. I gasped when I saw her. She was wearing a
marvelous blue evening gown that touched the floor. It was studded with jewels that
made her blue eyes sparkle even brighter. Her blonde hair sat on her shoulders in
loose curls. She smiled at me and turned once, making the dress flow freely.

"What do you think?" she asked me, looking down at her gown.

I cracked a smile. "It's gorgeous! But why are you wearing it?"

She gave me a wan smile and said, "I'm going out with Liam tonight. He's
taking me to some ball type thing." She giggled.

My frown disappeared. "But mom, it's only Monday night."

She shrugged and walked up to me. She grabbed my chin with her newly
manicured nails and whispered, "I think he may be the one, Max. This night is very
important to me."

She grinned and let go of me. She kissed my cheek and told me she loved me
before stepping out the front door. I stared solemnly as her car drove off into the
twilight. I sighed and walked into the living room.

Clearly he's not the one if he can't even pick you up for your dates, I
thought.

I flopped on the couch and picked up the remote. I turned the TV on and
began to watch meaningless cartoons, thinking about how much my mom had changed.
She wasn't the loving, caring mother that would watch TV with me on Monday nights.
She had turned into a dating and carefree mother who couldn't be bothered with a
teenage son.

There was a knock at the door. I quickly stood up and ran to the door,
wondering who it could be. I knew that I wasn't supposed to open the door for
anybody I didn't know, so I simply peered out the little window. To my surprise,
Jace was standing there looking forlorn. He looked like he was on the verge of
tears. I quickly opened the door and he stared at me.

"Hi," I said. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. I took a step aside so he could walk in. He kicked his
shoes off and I closed the front door, locking it shut. I turned back to him and
grabbed his hand. I led him into the living room and we took a seat on the couch.
Our hands rested on his jeans, which looked slightly dirty.
 "Why weren't you at school today?" I asked. "I missed you."

He stared at our hands as he said, "I came out to my parents today."

I smiled slightly and said, "That's great! Right?"

He shook his head slowly. I saw a stray tear trickle down his cheek. I
frowned and wiped his face. He took a shaky breath.

"My father hit me," he whispered. "My mother just watched. He disowned
me."

I gasped in utter shock. I had seen Jace's parents before, around school
when special events went on, and they looked like the perfect family. His dad was a
business executive, his mom was nice. They didn't look like the kind of family to
disown a child. But I guess you can't judge a book by its cover....

"John hates me," Jace whispered, more tears dripping from his eyes.
I had nothing to say. I couldn't say anything. I was in shock. Jace began
to rock with tears. He turned so he was lying on the couch, his head on my lap. I
ran my hands through his soft hair, trying to get him to calm down, though I didn't
blame him for crying. I couldn't imagine how lost he felt.

"You can always stay with my mom and I," I whispered. "There's always a
home for you here."

He sniffled. "Where is your mom?"

I sighed. "On a date with her boyfriend."

 He turned his head so he could look up at me. "Your parents are split?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't really talk about it. They divorced three years
ago. My dad never talks to me anymore. My mom just started dating."

"How do you feel about that?"

I shrugged. "Like any teenage boy with a single mom who's started dating?"

He grinned. "Touché."

I smiled and bent my head down to kiss him. His lips tasted salty from the
tears and they still trembled. When I pulled away I touched his face.

"It's horrible what your parents did," I whispered.

He nodded.

"We should do something about it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Go to the media," I offered. "I could do that, if you wanted. They'd
listen to me. My uncle is the news anchor for the local news place."
 Jace's mouth popped open. "Your uncle is Tyler Gribbon?"

I nodded and smiled. I caressed his face again.

"We'll get you the justice you deserve," I whispered.

He smiled at me and bit his lips. I looked into his bright blue eyes. They
sparkled with a little happiness. He sighed contently.

"I love you Maxxie," he whispered. "I really and truly do."

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Ten: Jace

WARNING: This does contain an intimate scene between TWO GUYS. If you have a
problem, please don't proceed on reading. If you are okay with it, please
continue :) Thanks guys! And don't forget to listen to that song over there --->

Chapter Ten: Jace

I had fallen asleep on Maxxie's lap, the sound of some Batman movie playing
softly in the background. Through my sleep, however, I suddenly heard the sound of
a key jiggling in a lock. My eyes fluttered open and I raised my head off of
Maxxie. He patted my hair once before standing up off the couch. I rubbed my eyes
groggily and waited. I could hear an overly high-pitched voice giggling and a
deeper voice-one that was definitely not Maxxie's-laugh. In my dazed confusion I
couldn't help but wonder, weren't Maxxie's parents split? Then I remembered of his
mom's date.

"Who's this?" I heard the high-pitched voice ask in slight confusion.

"Mom, this is Jace. Remember him?" Maxxie whispered.

I looked up and gave a small smile to Ms. Gray. She gave me another smile
back, but it was all wrong. It wasn't motherly or anything. Her makeup was smudged
and her eyes were puffy. Her eyes kept darting all over the place and her smile was
rubbery. It was obvious she and her boy toy were drunk.

"Jace, right. He's your boyfriend, right?"

I looked at Maxxie. He swallowed and gave his mom a nervous grin.

"Maxxie is gay?" the boyfriend asked. He turned to his wife. "Well, looks
like we're not going to have any grandchildren!"

Maxxie's face went white. "What do you mean 'we'?" He glanced nervously at
his mom. "Mom? What does he mean by 'we'?"

I watched carefully as his mom giggled again and put her hand on the
boyfriend's chest. She nuzzled her head against him before turning to Maxxie. Her
lips curled happily.

"Maxxie, Liam and I are getting married!" she squealed.

Maxxie's eyes bugged from his head. My own eyes were as wide as dinner
plates. His mom and her boyfriend didn't look that serious and they were all of a
sudden getting married. I glanced at Maxxie. He looked as if he were about to
faint. I quickly stood up and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him back onto the
couch before he could fall over. I squeezed his hand tightly. He kept shaking his
head.

"It's only been a week, hasn't it?" Maxxie mumbled.

Maxxie's mom giggled-man she was a giggler-and rested her head on her
fiancé's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to
him.
 "Liam and I both feel that we're ready for this," his mom explained.
"We've both been alone for a very long time-"

"It's been three years," Maxxie pointed out.

"-and we feel that we're perfect for each other."

I could feel Maxxie's body trembling beside me. I wrapped my arm around
him, trying to keep him from exploding into pieces. I was afraid that he might just
self-implode into a million tiny Maxxie pieces.

Ms. Gray's boyfriend kneeled in front of Maxxie. I could smell the pungent
alcohol on his breath. He exhaled sharply, exposing more bad breath.

"I know this is a lot to process," he huffed, "but I love your mom a lot.
And I'm sure that I could learn to love you, too. In fact, if Helen loves you, then
I love you. So, I love you." He pulled Maxxie into an awkward hug.

"Aw, see, you two are bonding already! Now, Maxxie, you and Jace keep
safe. Liam and I are going to a hotel for the night."

Liam let go of Maxxie and stood up. Maxxie began to stutter something, but
they disappeared out the door before he could finish. He just sat there and blinked
a couple of times. I stared at him in shock.

I knew that I had just been disowned by my parents, but I suddenly forgot
about that. I would of course remember it the next morning-or maybe in five
minutes-but I had just witnessed something that was not okay in my book. His mom
had come home in a drunken state and told her son she was getting married. She then
just left without saying anything. I understood that she probably felt alone
without a husband, but husbands wouldn't always be there when you needed them most.
Your kids probably would be, though. There was an eternal bond between parent and
child that nobody could really understand.

"Holy crap," I whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Maxxie mumbled. He wiped something from his face. "You're the
one that needs to be worried about."

I smiled at his kindness. I propped his chin up with my finger and smiled
at him. I could see the tears causing his blue eyes to look glassy. Two tears feel
down his cheek and I wiped them away. I kissed his forehead.

"We can worry about me later," I whispered. I kissed his forehead again.
"Right now we need to fuss over you. How do you feel?"

He sniffled. More tears fell down his face and he scrambled to wipe them
away. I chuckled once and wiped some away with the side of my thumb. I gave him a
sweet smile.

"What? Are you ashamed to cry in front of me or something?" I teased.

He blushed. "Maybe."

I chuckled and pulled him against my chest. I rubbed his arm soothingly. I
kissed the top of his head and rested my cheek against it. I could feel his warm
breath on my chest as he exhaled.

I wondered what it was like having a mother who didn't really care. My mom
had always made sure that I was safe and well. When I was a kid, she would always
bring me home candy from the department store she worked in. When she would tuck me
in at night, she would always sing a song. I could still remember the words she had
always sung to me.
 Lay your head down,
My little one.
Remember I love you,
Always and forever.
You will be safe,
Forever and always,
Because of my eternal love.

I knew that the words didn't rhyme, but my mother's voice had always
sounded so sweet and calming. I always went to bed feeling safe and sound whenever
I heard her voice. I suddenly missed her terribly, my heart feeling heavy in my
chest.

"What are you humming?" Maxxie asked.

I blushed. I hadn't realized that I was humming the song. I just smiled
and stroked Maxxie's golden hair.

"It was a song my mom used to sing to me," I replied. "She sang it every
night. I was just remembering it for some reason."

Maxxie sighed. "My dad used to sing to me when I was a kid. I can't
remember the songs he'd sing, but they'd always put a smile on me and my mom's
faces. I would always go to bed feeling happy."

I couldn't help but think that we had some pretty messed up families. I
smiled at the thought. We actually had more in common than everybody gave us credit
for. We could relate with each other's feelings.

"Can I tell you something totally unrelated to our situations?" Maxxie

whispered.
 I nodded.

"I'm a virgin."

I couldn't remember a time I laughed harder. I clutched my stomach and

tried to catch my breath. Through my teary eyes I could see Maxxie's face turning
as red as a tomato. I finally caught my breath and turned to Maxxie. I smiled and
took his face in my hands. I stared deep into his eyes and beamed.

"Well, I guess we're just going to have to change that, right?" I asked.
"It'll also get our minds off things."

He grinned as if he liked that idea. I pressed my lips against his.

>>><<<

"You're sure you want to do this, right?" I asked him.

We sat on his bed, a candle flickering. It seemed that he been prepared for
this, which was a good thing. We were only wearing our shirts and our boxers. Well,
I was in my boxers while Maxxie was in his Batman underwear. I couldn't even
describe how happy that made me.

Maxxie nodded firmly. I couldn't get over how different he looked without
his glasses. "Yes. I'm one hundred percent ready for this."

I grinned. With jittery fingers, I reached out to him and caressed his
cheek. His breath caught in his throat. I moved towards him and placed my lips on
his. It started off as a normal kiss, but our mouths began to move faster and
faster. As our lips moved, I slowly pushed Maxxie back, my hands on either side of
his hips. As I lay on top of him, I could feel his heart beating quicker than
anything I'd ever felt before. I pulled away from him and looked at him carefully.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," I whispered. "We can
wait."

He shook his head. He placed his hands on my face, cupping it protectively

yet looking at me with such desire. He swallowed and looked from my face to my
button-up shirt. He ran his hands slowly down my chest, causing my heart to
flutter. His hands stopped on the first button, hesitating. He looked up at me and
took a deep breath.

"I want this," he whispered.

I nodded. I pressed my lips against his again, this time softer. I could
still feel his heart beating quickly, but he seemed to be alright.

The kiss intensified as I felt his fingers unbutton my shirt. He soon

slipped it off my shoulders and it fell onto the bed. I heard him gasp slightly as
he ran his hands down my chest then my stomach. I pulled away from his lips and
softly kissed his neck. I smiled.

"My turn to take your shirt off," I whispered.

I heard him giggle once. I slipped his shirt off of him and placed it
gently beside him. I smiled closed lipped at him and kissed his neck again. I could
feel his fingers tracing up and down my spine slowly. Wherever his fingers touched,
warmth would pulse through my skin.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he whispered.

I tried to count all the times girls had told me that. I tried to count
all the times that those girls had really meant it. They didn't know me, so how
could they know that I was beautiful? Just by my looks? That meant nothing. But
Maxxie had bothered to get to know me and I knew he meant it. And thought I could
never show him how much I meant to him or how beautiful he was, I would try my
best.

I looked down at him and saw he was looking up at me too. His face looked
like an angel's, with his blue eyes twinkling and his lips looking so soft.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

>>><<<

Maxxie's head rested on my shoulder. I breathed in and out deeply, trying

to match his breathing. When he breathed out, I breathed in. It was as if we were
breathing in each other's air, bringing us together as one as much as we possibly
could be.

The candle was still flickering but the golden yellow flame had reached
the end of the wick. The light had turned dull, casting a dim glow over us. That
was okay, though. We didn't need to see each other, for we knew exactly where we
were. We had practically memorized each other by now.

"Tell me one of your childhood dreams," I whispered. "I'm just curious."

I looked down to see his cheeks flush. I smiled; he was constantly

blushing.

"I've always wished that I was Bruce Wayne," he admitted. "He's just so
amazing. He's smart, he's good looking, and he's a superhero."

I intertwined my hand with his. "In my eyes," I whispered, "you're better

than Bruce Wayne."

I looked up at me, his eyebrows raised. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"How am I better than Bruce Wayne?"

I stroked his cheek and whispered, "You're simply you. That's better than
anything I could ever ask for."

We shared a long moment of staring into each other's eyes. I knew that
Maxxie was trying to figure out something to say, but his eyes said it all.

He loved me too.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Eleven: Maxxie

Chapter Eleven: Maxxie

"Hey Max."

I turned to my right. There were four girls standing in front of me,

smiles on all their faces. I knew one of them as Yuki Nakamura but her friends were
unrecognizable. One of them had unruly blonde curls whilst the other two had
straight brown hair, though one had bright blue green eyes while the other girl had
smooth brown. They all beamed with some inexplicable excitement.

"Uh, hello," I replied sheepishly. No girl, not matter what age, had ever
talked to me. Except for the nurse on numerous occasions.
 "I'm Bianca Leduc," the girl with brown eyes said.

"And I'm Imani Massri," the girl with blue eyes retorted.

"I'm Olivia Harrold," the blonde muttered.

Yuki smiled at me and said, "I'm assuming you already know me."

I nodded. I glanced at them and said, "Uh, so why are you guys talking to
me?"

They all exchanged glances and broke out into a giggle. I blushed even
harder than before. They all turned to me and stared at me as if I were a cute
little puppy.

"We're your fan girls!" Bianca giggled. "And so you're going to be our
best friend! You and Jace!"

They broke out into another huge fit of giggles. I stared at them
uncomfortably. I had never had so much attention before.

"Does Jace know?" I mumbled.

I felt a hand around my waist. "Does Jace know what?"

Of course, the girls squealed. They grabbed each other and stared at us as
if we were Hollywood's most precious couple. Jace's grip around my waist tightened
and he raised an eyebrow. The girls squealed again.
 "YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE!" Imani shouted. She, Bianca and Olicvia began on
their chorus. I looked at them in horror.

Yuki rolled her eyes, though I knew she wanted to join in on their fun.
"Sorry about them. But, uh, Jace, we're your fan girls, remember? I told you that?
Right? You guys read my book?"

Jace nodded once and chuckled. "Yeah, I read it."

Yuki smiled. She turned to her friends and they walked down the hall,
still squealing. Jace shook his head and chuckled.

"Those girls are so weird," I muttered.

Jace shrugged and smiled at me. "Don't you kind of like the attention?"

I made a face and he chuckled. He kissed my head and gripped onto my hand.
As I felt his skin against mine, I couldn't help but remember the night before and
blush. Everything had been so perfect; the way his skin felt against mine, the way
his eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Just thinking about it made me wish I could
go back to those moments.

I felt somebody tap my shoulder. I whirled around to see the principal. He

gave me a quick smile and asked, "Hey Max. I know you're friends with Brian
McAllister. Do you know where he is today? Nobody has seen him."

Confusion crossed my mind. I hadn't walked to school with Brian because he

was still angry with me. It wasn't like him to not show up, though. I knew his mom-
she always sent him to school even if he was sick. Why wasn't he at school?
 "No, I haven't seen him," I replied.

He licked his lips and looked as if I had just said that wrong answer. I
looked at him, expecting him to explain something. He sensed my confusion and
sighed. He pointed to an empty corner and pulled me along, leaving Jace standing
there.

"Brian's mom called us this morning and said that Brian left her a note,"
the principal said slowly.

My heart dropped. Had it been a suicide note? His behavior showed that he
was struggling. I felt tears welling in my eyes. Brian had probably been suicidal
and I didn't even help him; I had been so focused on Jace.

"The note said that he was running away from home," the principal
explained. I exhaled with relief, but the principal looked me carefully in the eye.
"Do you know where he could be?"

I shook my head. I chewed my lip nervously. Brian and I never hung out
anywhere around town, unless it was the comic book store or sometimes even the
movie theatre. I doubted that he was at the comic store, considering he had every
comic book he ever wanted. There were no movies out that would interest Brian, so I
doubted he was at the theatre.

My mind began to spin. Where could Brian be? The question was hitting me
like needles, demanding to be answers. I needed him to be alright. He was my best
friend and I couldn't do anything without him.

"Sir, I think I know where he is," I lied. I just wanted an excuse to get
out of school. "Could Jace and I go to where I think Brian is, and then bring him
back to his house?"

The principal looked skeptical but I looked at him with pleading eyes. He
finally sighed and nodded. I gave him a quick smile and walked over to Jace. I
pulled him by his arm down the hall and out the school doors. I could feel the
tears stinging my eyes.

"Where are we going?" Jace asked. "We need to get to class."

"We need to find Brian," I muttered. "He needs me."

>>><<<

After a half hour I was ready to give up.

Jace and I walked around town aimlessly, calling Brian's name as if he

were some lost puppy. I had tried calling him on his cell phone twice, but both
times I had gotten voice mail. I could feel a layer of sticky grime on my hands as
Jace and I turned onto alley ways and sketchy streets. Still, there was no sign of
any Brian.

"What's his deal anyways?" Jace huffed. "I mean, isn't he usually really
happy?"

I sighed. "Usually. He's been upset about something ever since the kiss."

He stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at me. "What kiss? Our kiss or
have you been kissing somebody else?"

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Our kiss, Jace." I blushed. "You were my
first and only kiss."
 He smiled and put his face close to mine. "Let's keep it that way, shall
we?"

I laughed and we kept on walking. I sighed as my feet kept hitting the

ground. I had no idea where Brian was or where he could be. I was getting tired,
cranky, and hungry.

Most of all, I just wanted to play some Batman with Brian.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twelve: Jace

Chapter eleven! Woot, woot! :] I know it's short. Don't hurt me. I have school and
a life to live! Dx Thanks so much for reading though! I promise I'll upload
tomorrow!! <3 <3 <3

Chapter Twelve: Jace

I groaned internally. We had walked for what seemed like forever. My feet
ached and although it was almost November, I could feel sweat trickling down my
forehead. I wiped the trickling droplet with the back of my hand as Maxxie
continued to search frantically.

"Max, we should just go home," I said. "It's getting dark. The police will
have to step in now."

He chewed his lips skeptically. I could tell that he was determined to

find Brian and he wouldn't give up. That was inspiring, yet I could see the bags
forming underneath his eyes. He needed some rest; the day had given him quite a bit
of big news.

I put my hand on his shoulder to make him stop walking. I looked into his
eyes. It almost pained me a little bit, because his eyes were so full of sadness. I
gave him a sympathetic smile.
 "Come on," I said softly.

"But Jace," Maxxie whimpered, "what if he's not okay?"

"Brian is a smart guy. I'm sure he's alright. Now come, let's go get
something to eat."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it once. He sighed but followed.

>>><<<

We sat in a booth at my old neighbor's diner. We munched on French fries and

drank milkshakes. As I looked at the waitresses, who were also my old neighbors, I
couldn't help but miss my home. I missed my mom a lot. I wondered if she missed me,
or if she was glad I was out of her hair. I sighed and picked at another fry.

"Jace, is that you?" a husky voice said. I looked up and saw the owner
walking towards me, a confused look on his face.

"Hey Darius," I said sheepishly as he walked over. "How's it-"

"Where have you been the past couple days?" he asked. He took a seat
across from me, right beside Maxxie.

I felt my cheek grow hot. "I've been sleeping over at my boyfriend's

house."
 Darius looked at me, stunned. "Y-you're...gay."

I nodded. Darius thought that subject over, looking as if he were trying

to rule out different situations. I just continued to pick at my fries.

"Wait, you're parents are super religious," Darius mused. He looked up at

me. "Is this why you haven't been around for two days?"

I shrugged. I looked up at him and nodded sadly. His Hispanic nostrils

flared. He cussed in Spanish and shook his head. I heard one of the fry cooks yell
something at him in more Spanish, but he just ignored them. He took a deep breath
and looked at me carefully with his wise brown eyes.

"They kicked you out, didn't they?" he whispered. "You told them and they
kicked you out."
I felt my lip quivering as I nodded. Darius hit his fist against the
table. Maxxie jumped a little before blushing. I swallowed back a lump in my
throat. Darius continued to cuss in his language.

"Look, I'm going to confront your parents, okay?" Darius said firmly.
"That happened to me, too. I told my parents something and they didn't like it.
They kicked me out. But you, Jace, you're too good to have a life like me."

I didn't know what to say. What could I say in a situation like that? All I
did was smiled at him thankfully before he stood up, replaced his apron with a
jacket, and walked out of the diner. I knew that he was going to go talk to my
parents. I felt kind of sorry for my mom and dad; Darius seemed like a pretty tough
guy.

"Who was that?" Maxxie asked halfheartedly.

"Neighbor," I replied. "Darius Gomez. He was like a second father to me.

He nodded. I could tell that he was still really upset about Brian. I was
actually kind of jealous that he was thinking so much about his best friend, though
of course I knew that he loved me.

Maxxie sipped the last of his milkshake before standing up and throwing a
ten dollar bill on the table. He looked at me sadly. I sighed and fished around in
my pocket. I took another ten dollar bill from my wallet and threw it onto the
table. I stood up and waved to a waitress. She waved back and gave me a quick
smile.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I tried to wind my fingers through

Maxxie's hand. I squeezed once, hoping he would squeeze back. He just scowled at
the ground. I bit my lip.

"Hey, I know you're upset, but cheer up," I said. "I'm sure that Brian is
fine. The police are looking for him."

He looked doubtful. "It's not like him to just run away, though. He knows
that I'm always there for him. I just don't understand...."

I smiled wanly. "You're very smart, but not even the smartest man on Earth
will ever understand human emotions."

He sighed and we continued to walk.

>>><<<

I dropped Maxxie off at home. He asked me if I wanted to join him, but I

declined. Darius had texted me and asked if I wanted to stay at his house for the
night. He wanted to talk to me about something important.
 When I got to Darius' house, I avoided looking over at my parents' house.
I didn't want to look at my dad's Prius in the driveway or my mom's wind chimes
hanging from the porch. It hurt too much.

Darius was waiting for me when I arrived. He looked antsy about something.
I gave him a quick smile before walking up the walkway. He patted my back and
ushered me inside.

Of all the years I'd been neighbors with Darius, I had never been inside
his house. It smelled of exotic spices and leather. The walls were a rich red
colour and there were pictures of Mexico and smiling people on them. I smiled as he
led me to the kitchen. His wife, Lolita, was sitting at the table and sipping
something. She grinned when she saw me.

"Hola chico," she said.

"Hola," I replied sheepishly. Darius snickered.

Darius motioned for me to take a seat at the kitchen table. I did so,
sitting across from Darius and Lolita as they held hands. I wiped my clammy hands
against my jeans. Darius looked from Lolita to me, his eyes looking nervous. I
raised an eyebrow at him but stayed silent.
"I talked to your parents," Darius said slowly.

I braced myself.

"I gave them crap that you don't need to hear. Anyways, I then went and
talked with social services. You're like what, fifteen?"

I nodded. "I'm turning sixteen in February."

He nodded. "Well, we told social services about your predicament. They said
that the only option was to put you up for adoption, since they saw everything as
abuse." He paused. "Your parents already signed the papers."

A lump formed in the back of my throat. Tears were stinging my eyes. I

tried to blink them away. Why was he telling me this?

"Anyways, back to the point. Lolita and I have been talking. We know that
this is very sudden, but... we'd like to adopt you."

I had no idea what to say. Only about forty-eight hours ago had my parents
kicked me out of their house. Now I was officially up for adoption. I was
officially alone, no family to turn to. I was out of their lives just like that.

"I know this is a lot," Lolita said with a thick accent. "But we have
always thought you like our son."

"Obviously it would take months for everything to be legalized and stuff,"

Darius continued, "and I know that this is so, so much to take in, but we want
what's best for you."

The right answer was yes. I had to say yes. There was no option to say no.
But I was reluctant. How could I not be? Everything was hitting me like a brick
wall.

"Just think about it, okay?" Darius said.

I nodded. Darius and Lolita gave me smiles before standing up and walking
away. I sat there, stunned.

>>><<<
 As I lay in the itchy guest bed, my phone jingled. I fished it out of my
pocket and saw Andy's name flashing brightly. I clicked the little green button and
held the phone to my ear.

"Hey," I said quietly, hoping I wouldn't wake Lolita or Darius.

"Dude, guess who found Brian."

"The police?"

"No," he responded quickly.

I sighed. "Who then?"

"Batman."

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirteen: Maxxie

WARNING: This chapter contains MATURE CONTENT. It contains a LOVE SCENE between two
GUYS. If you have a problem with people showing their love, or if you have a
problem with MEN SHOWING LOVE, then please refrain from proceeding. Thank you :) <3

Chapter Thirteen: Maxxie

Brian was more than thrilled to have been saved by me, or as he saw it,
Batman.

As we walked along the sidewalk, my cap billowing behind me in the dark

wind, he was all smiles. His thick face even seemed to be thinner from all the
happiness he was radiating. I was happy that he was safe and sound.

I had found him walking along the highway. He had one of those cliché hobo
sacs slung across his shoulder. His face was smeared with a mixture of dirt and
sweat. His cheeks were cherry red and his curly hair was matted with sticks. It
really wasn't much for me to save him, but I felt good that I had, even though
everyone besides Brian thought it had been Batman.

"You're such a snake!" Brian exclaimed quietly, not wanting to upset the
policeman driving the cruiser. "I mean, I've always wanted to dress up as Batman
and fight crime or help people, but you actually did! That deserves some kind of
medal!"

I blushed through my mask. "I don't want anyone else to know," I mumbled.
"They'd think I was stupid."

Brian shook his head. "No way. You're too cool."

I blushed harder and we turned into the police station. I felt my heart
leap nervously in my chest as I saw a horde of reporters standing outside the
station. I swallowed hard.

We parked behind the station and swiftly
In most cases, Batman would have already fled the
way out. I glanced around, thought it was hard to
have my glasses on and it was twilight outside. I
idea.
got out, escorted by the police.
scene. I desperately thought of a
see anything considering I didn't
then saw a nearby tree and got an

I nudged the officer and whispered firmly, "Could I be excused? I drank a

bottle of water and I can't hold it."

He frowned but nodded. "I guess.... We don't really need you here
anyways...."

I gave him a quick salute before disappearing behind the trees. Once I
knew I was out of sight, I took the stuffy mask off of my face. I let out a deep
sigh and pressed my palms against my knees. Finding Brian had been tough work,
especially for my body size.
 "Hey Batman," I heard a familiar voice say.

I turned around and saw Jace standing behind me, his hands in his pockets.
His face was stone, unreadable. I wondered what he was thinking, and if he was
angry with me. But he had no reason to be, so would he?

"Jace," I said. "Uh, hi."

He took a step towards me, his hands still in his pockets. "I figured you
guys would be here," he said. "Looks like I was right, eh Batman?"

I was getting more and more nervous with every word he said, but I had no
idea why. Maybe it was the fact that I was dressed up as my favourite superhero-the
underwear part of the costume. The whole situation was messed up and farfetched,
though it was reality right now. It was also a very embarrassing reality.

"This isn't what it looks like," I mumbled, blushing, though I knew that
was a stupid thing to say.

Jace finally cracked a smile. He took a step closer to me, so we were in

arms' length. He ran his fingers down my chest, touching the itchy fabric. I
shuddered, for his touch was always enchanting. His hands then travelled to my
mask, and he carefully took it from my fingers. He twisted it in his own hands,
examining it carefully. He finally looked up and grinned at me before caressing my
black painted face.

"You look amazing ridiculous," he said matter-of-factly. "But I like it.

This-" he motioned to my entire body "-suits you."

Although my face was completely opaque, Jace could probably see that my
face was redder than a tomato. He just chuckled and pressed his lips lightly
against mine. When he pulled away, he stared at me softly with those captivating
blue eyes.

"I think that you're the best Batman there has ever been," he whispered.
"But I have one question."

"What is it?" I whispered back.

He smirked as he said, "Can I be Robin?"

I laughed and hit him playfully in the arm. I could picture him now,
dressed up in a green and red unitard, a yellow cape trailing behind him as he ran
down the streets. And of course his bright eyes would be framed by a small black
mask, making them stand out. The whole picture was oddly hilarious.

"I'm serious!" he chuckled. "Can I please be Robin with you?"

I stopped laughing and stared him, my brows raised. He nodded and smiled
cheerfully. I cracked a smile and looked at him doubtfully.

"This was only a onetime thing," I replied.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my shoulders. "But just think, Maxxie! You
could be helping so many people by doing this! And I could help you!"

The thought rolled around my brain. It was tempting, becoming my favourite

superhero and fighting crime, or just plain helping people when they needed help.
It was a way to do what I wanted, be who I wanted to be, without people making fun
of the lame kid who dressed up in his mom's tights. Still, I felt uneasy about it.
Jace sensed my hesitation and put his arm on my shoulders.
 "Just think, Maxxie. This is what you've wanted to do. Obviously you're
good at it, too. So why don't you just live your dream? It will be fun!"

"But what about school work and stuff?" I asked. "What about my mom and
Liam?"

He chuckled once. "It will help you take your mind off of that. And it
will also help me take my mind off of some serious stuff going on with my life
right now."

I frowned and looked straight into his eyes. "Jace, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, the smile never escaping. "Look, let's do it! We'll
Batman and Robin with a romantic twist! Please, Max?"

As I stared into his crystal eyes, I couldn't resist. I rolled my eyes and
hugged him, nodding my head against his chest.

"Fine," I said.

He grinned and placed my mask on his face. He made a little pose and
grinned at me. I laughed and laced my fingers with his before going on my tippy
toes so I could kiss his soft, seductive lips. As we stood there, I felt the
passion rising. My lips slowly opened, causing Jace to do the same. His hands
travelled to my hips, resting firmly. I could feel his heart beating quickly as our
bodies were pressed together. Jace then pulled away, gasping. I stared at him
carefully, trying to bottle my own feelings. I could see him trying to steady his
breathing.

"I'm supposed to be back at Darius' house," he whispered. He pressed his

forehead against mine. "But I don't want to go."
 "Then don't," I whispered back. "Nobody is at my house. We could go there
and... let our feelings be unleashed."

He smirked. "You're a very bad boy, Max Gray."

"I know," I whispered against his neck.

>>>><<<<

The first time had seemed like forever ago, yet it had only been a couple of
nights before. But that had been soft and sweet, a perfect first time. This was hot
and steamy, with our bodies coated with a thin layer of sweat and our breath
shaking rapidly. Jace's lips and hands moved across my body quickly, engulfing me
in all of his love. As he moved against my body, he whispered my name softly in my
ears. I lay there, paralyzed with lust and longing, longing for every fiber of his
body.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against my chest as his lips moved

down my body.

"Don't stop," I panted.

He stroked my face. "Never."

Quickly, his lips moved past my hips. I gasped, unsure if I was ready for
what was coming next. From overhearing some people talking, I heard that what I was
going to feel would be like nothing I'd ever felt. It would feel indescribably
amazing. Was I ready for all that?
 I didn't have time to think, because I gripped the bed sheets. I felt
Jace's soft lips surround my body part. His tongue flicked against me and I
struggled to control my breathing. After moments of this, it was all over. I lay
back, gasping. The ceiling was suddenly very interesting as I tried to grasp my
mind around reality.

I felt Jace's body snuggle up next to me. His fingers stroked my chest
gently.

"How did that feel?" he whispered in my ear.

I swallowed. "Marvelous."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you say so. So, is it my turn?"

I smiled and didn't hesitate to have my lips travel down his body.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Fourteen: Jace

Chapter Fourteen: Jace

I was drawing my Robin costume when we were in free period. I made it look
slightly manlier than Robin's actual costume, but there weren't many touch ups. I
then noticed Maxxie peering over my shoulder and I quickly closed the book,
smiling.

"You can't see it," I insisted. "It's a surprise."

He raised an eyebrow. "What is it, a wedding dress or something?"

I chuckled. "Maybe. We just might be getting married in them one day." I

winked.
 He kissed my cheek. "Well, that's alright with me."

"Hey! Keep the PDA to a minimum over there!" somebody shouted. I turned
and saw John glowering at Maxxie and me. I rolled my eyes.

"They're aloud to love whomever they want!" Yuki and Bianca shouted from
across the room. John glared at them, too. I grinned at Maxxie.

"It's nice having some fan girls," I teased. He grinned and looked at his
hands. I turned back to my sketching.

"Brian finally told me why he ran away," Maxxie said.

I looked up from my picture. "Really? Why'd he do it?"

Maxxie shrugged and said, "He... has a secret."

I stared at him carefully. "What kind of secret?"

Maxxie flushed. "He's... uh, well... he's-"

"Gay?" I finished for him. He nodded. I exhaled deeply. "Oh gosh."

Maxxie's face kept getting redder. "He said that he's bi. And that he...
kind of had a crush on you-"
 Guilt washed over me.

"-and that seeing us every day made him... sad." Maxxie looked kind of
guilty, which he had no reason to be. I was the one that basically broke up a
friendship.

"So how does he feel now?" I asked hesitantly. I felt bad for Brian. I
hadn't given him any recognition since we started high school, and now I was
figuring out he had a crush on me. I was used to girls having crushes on me-I
usually just broke their hearts, anyway-but this was different. This was a really
sweet guy who just so happened to be my amazing boyfriend's best friend.

"He said that he doesn't really mind anymore," Maxxie replied. "But he
still likes you. He's just accepted the fact that you love me."

I smiled and grabbed his hand. "I do love you. Very much."

Maxxie smiled sweetly. "I know."

The bell rang then, and we stood up and gathered our things. Now that the
whole Brian fiasco was out of the way, I only had one problem to think about-the
whole adoption thing.

I must say, I was taking it pretty well. I guess I was still in the
initial shock stage, not really aware of anything going on. In the back of my head
I knew that I was never going back to my parents, but I guess some part of me felt
a little hopeful, like they'd pull me back into the lives.

As I walked down the hallway, I suddenly felt something smack against the
back of my head. I fell forward, kissing the linoleum flooring. My head started
throbbing in my skull and everything was blurry.
 "Take that, queerfag," John whispered in my ear as I still lay on the
floor. I felt Maxxie's hands touch my face.

"Are you okay?" I heard Bianca ask me. I sat up and rubbed my head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yuki demanded of John. "You can't just
go picking on people!"

John raised an eyebrow. "Of course I can pick on him! He's a queer."

I leaned against the lockers and watched as Maxxie stood up. He faced his
Brian, his face red with anger.

"You're a giant bully!" he shouted.

Then he collided his fist with John's face.

I couldn't register anything until I saw John fly to the ground, crimson
dripping from his nose. He looked totally dazed while everyone else looked
flabbergasted. Through my hazy state, I peered up at Maxxie. I was about to ask
what he had just done, when I heard a husky clearing of the throat behind me. We
all turned and saw the principal standing there, his hands on his hips.

Busted, I thought.

He pointed to John, Maxxie, and I. "You boys, in my office. Now."

Maxxie helped me up, his face as red as a lobster. The principal escorted
us through the hallways, John bumping shoulders with me.
 "Queerfag," he muttered.

>>><<<

I had been in the principal's office many times, but not for anything like
this. I was always getting awards for drama and dance and stuff, but not once was I
ever a victim-or a witness-of a beating, or whatever that had been.

John's nose had stopped bleeding and my head had stopped pounding. Maxxie
still looked like he was about to die of embarrassment. The principal, with his
salt and pepper hair in a really bad comb over, stared at us as if we were a bunch
of criminals. John may have been able to be charged, but Maxxie and I were clean.

"So boys," the principal said in a steely calm voice, "what happened back
there?"

"Easy," John hissed. "Max punched me in the face and I got a bloody nose.
Suspend him."

"That's not what happened," Maxxie squeaked. "He threw a pencil case at
Jace and called him an offensive name!"

The principal raised an eyebrow and asked, "What name did he call you,
Jace?"

"A queerfag," I replied, the words like acid on my tongue.

 "Is this true, John?"

John glared at his hands and mumbled, "It's not my fault he's gay."

"It's not my fault either," I spat.

"Yes it is!" John insisted. "It's his choice to be gay!"

I was getting seriously annoyed with John. The anger was just boiling
inside of me, like a stew. I turned in my seat so I was staring right at John's
face, right into his brown eyes.

"You think it's my choice to be picked on by people like you? You think
it's my choice to look at the guy that used to be my best friend and know that he
doesn't like me just because I'm different?" I paused. "Put yourself in my shoes.
Think about how many gay people there are compared to girls. You can have any one
of those millions of girls, but I have to search far and wide just to find one
reasonable guy who will love me. You think that I'm being selfish for 'choosing' to
be gay, but just think about how lucky you are."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Not even John said anything. He just sat
there and stared at me. I exhaled and took a seat. The principal's eyes flicked
from John to me.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "A couple of weeks on and off."

He nodded and looked at Maxxie. "And you, you've never done anything like
this before. What made you do it this time?"

I glanced at his precious face. Why had he done it? What feeling had he
felt for him to punch somebody in the face for me? Was his love for me that strong,
or was it the fact that John had called me a name that was offensive to him too?

"He hurt somebody I love," Maxxie said sheepishly. "That's not right."

"Oh, cry me a river," John muttered.

I clenched my fists, ready to clock him one. But the principal shot him a
look and if looks could kill, John would be on the floor in a bloody heap. The
principal huffed and grabbed a folder from his shelf. He scrawled something on the
page. He sighed and folded his hands across his desk.

"John, you are suspended for two days for harassing Jace. Maxxie, you have
a lunchtime detention tomorrow. But since you have such a good permanent record,
the detention won't be added. Jace, be careful out there. You're all dismissed."

We all stood up from our chairs and walked out of the room. I grinned at
Maxxie and pulled him close to me. I towered over him, so I rested my head on his.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Anytime," he replied. He looked up at me. "I love you, after all."

I chuckled and kissed him softly. When I pulled away, I grabbed his hand.
We began to walk down the hallway. I was soon flying into the lockers, causing them
to echo through the hall. John's hands were on the collar of my shirt, pinning me
to the metal doors.
 "When I come back in two days, you're dead meat," he hissed. "Be waiting."

He then let go of me and retreated down the hall.

>>><<<

I was so happy when I got back to Darius' house. I had had a tough day at
school and all I wanted was to flop into a bed. I trudged up the driveway, my feet
feeling like cinder blocks.

"It's your entire fault!" I heard a familiar voice shout. "It's your fault
that he's gone!"

I turned my head and saw my mom and dad in the driveway. My mom's face was
streaked with tears and my dad looked as if his own eyes were watery. My heart
ached as I saw my mom's face. I missed her so much and I just wanted to throw my
arms around her frail body.

"It's his own damned fault!" my dad shouted. "He's a sinner, Maria! I
won't have a sinner for a son!"

"He was just being himself!" my mom retorted. "He can't help it!"

I couldn't stand hearing them. I ran into Darius' house, slamming the
front door shut. Lolita walked into the foyer, her face warped with concern. I
couldn't see her face clearly, as my vision was blurry.
 "What's wrong mijo?" she asked.

I shook my head at her. I needed someone's arms arm right now, so I

collapsed into her. Her delicate hands found their way into my hair, smoothing it
out. She patted my back and held me close.

"It's okay," she whispered. "You can cry."

And that's what I did. I cried.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Fifteen: Maxxie

Yaaay! Chapter fifteen!! :) I hope you guys like this one!! :D Heh heh there's a
little surprise in there for you ;) Enjoy! Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!
<3 <3

Chapter Fifteen: Maxxie

I sipped my cherry cola in between slamming my thumbs against the Xbox

controller. Brian laughed as we played a game on his console. We were both laughing
and talking happily, just like the good old times. Everything was just as it was
before Jace and I started going out, before Brian told me that he too was gay. I
was still sort of getting used to that fact, but of course I would accept him. He
was, after all, my best friend.

"Oh, oh, oh....Oh!" we said in unison as I blew Brian up. I began to die
of laughter, slapping his knees and waving my controller around.

"I totally obliterated you!" I chortled.

He shook his head as he said, "No way, you didn't obliterate me. You just
blew me up out of luck."

I made a doubtful noise. He looked at me, taunting me to come at him, and

I did just that. We began wrestling in his basement, whipping ourselves back and
forth. As we did so, we laughed until tears were seeping from the corners of our
eyes.

Just then, I tripped on a bean bag chair and flew backwards onto the
carpet. Brian fell on top of me, but stopped himself from crushing my mince body.
His hands were placed sturdily on either side of my face and he looked down at me
with those big brown eyes. At the moment, he looked so fragile and delicate and not
huge at all. He looked like a protector or something.

Suddenly, without time for me to think, he bent his head down towards me
and pressed his moist lips against mine. I lay there, shocked and unable to move.
Just as quickly as the kiss started, Brian pulled away, his face beet red.

My mind was spinning. I thought that Brian liked Jace, not me! Why on
Earth had he just kissed me?

"Maxxie, I'm so sorry," Brian mumbled, tripping over his words. "I..."

"I thought you said you liked Jace!" I shouted when I finally found the
strength to hoist myself up.

His face went redder. "I...I lied about that."

I felt my ears prickle; they always did when I was getting angry. I tried
to remain calm as I asked, "What do you mean you lied about that?"

Brian rubbed his beefy hands together. "I only said that because I didn't
want to upset you because I... I really have...." He paused and took a deep breath.
He looked right into my eyes and said, "Max, you're the only one who understands me
in this world. Nobody else knows me like you do; not my parents or anyone else.
It's just you. And... over the past few months I've realized that... well, I love
you."
 I love you.

No. This couldn't be happening. My life was just finally getting good. I
had Jace and Brian and they were my two favourite people but they had two different
meanings in my life. And now Brian was ruining it!

"Brian," I stuttered, "I... I love Jace."

He hung his head. "I know... I'm sorry."

I couldn't deal with this. I grabbed my jacket and shook my head at Brian.

"I'm... I'm going to go."

He opened his mouth to say something, probably object, but I just kept
walking up the stairs and to the front door. I slipped into my shoes and bolted out
the door. The air was frigid with November going along. Snow-though the flecks were
practically non-existent-was falling softly to the pavement. I shoved my hands into
my jacket pockets and walked down the sidewalk to Darius Gomez's house-I knew that
Jace was staying there. Luckily the house was only two blocks away, so it wasn't
that long a walk.

I was still in so much shock as Brian's three words echoed through my

head: I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I had been bombarded with so
many surprises in the past months; Jace being gay and liking me, his parents
kicking him out of the house, my mother getting remarried. And now I could add to
my list: Find out that your best friend is in love with you. I sighed heavily,
causing a steam cloud to form in front of my face.

I finally reached the Gomez house. I trotted up the walkway and stood on
the front porch. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice. I waited a
moment before a tiny Hispanic woman opened the door. Her long, dark, silky mane was
cascading over her shoulders and her big brown eyes were lined with liner. She was
gorgeous, I will admit. She smiled at me.
 "Hello," she said in a thick Spanish accent. "May I be help you?"

I smiled sweetly at her. "Uh, is Jace home?"

She nodded and ushered me inside. I took a step into the house and was hit
with the smell of spices and chicken. The woman clutched the stair railing and
pointed her head upwards. As she called for Jace, I couldn't help but admire the
beautiful bright art on the rich coloured walls; there were brightly decorated
suns, birds, and faces. All the splash of colour was just spectacular.

Just then, Jace came bounding down the stairs. He grinned when he saw me.
He bent down and kissed me before grabbing my hand and pulling me up the spiraling
stairs. We entered a bedroom, which I assumed was his. His room was full of his
drawings, all of them hanging from the walls. Just above his bed was a drawing that
really caught my attention; a blonde Batman. I felt a warm feel fill the pit of my
stomach. I then remembered why I was here and the feeling passed.

Jace sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. He pulled me close
to him so my head was resting on his shoulder. Our feet tangled together at the
foot of the bed and I loved the way my head fit perfectly in the crook between his
shoulder and his head.

"What's bugging you?" he asked, running his hands through my flourishing

hair. My scalp tingled all the way to my toes.

I traced one of Jace's hands. "You know I love you, right?"

I felt his hands pause for a moment in my hair. "Did you get someone
pregnant or something?" he asked. "What's going on?"

I chuckled and turned my head so I could kiss him. When I pulled away I
stared into his eyes. He raised his eyebrow questioningly and I bit my lip. I felt
sort of bad for exposing Brian's secret. But Jace deserved to know who kissed his
boyfriend.

My breath was shaking as I opened my mouth.

"Brian kissed me."

Jace removed his hands from my hair and froze with his hands in his lap. I
pulled away from him and watched him carefully. His face was twisted with
confusion. He blinked a couple times at me. For a couple moments, he stayed silent.
I was getting kind of antsy now.

"Are you-"

"I thought you said he liked me," Jace muttered. "Why is he kissing you?"

"Apparently he lied," I said sheepishly, "so it wouldn't be as awkward

between me and him, I guess."

Jace cussed and ran his hands through his sandy hair. He looked ready to
punch a baby or something. I didn't understand why he was getting so worked up over
this; it wasn't like I had any feelings for Brian. Heck, I was pretty upset that
he'd kissed me. But Jace look infuriated, as if some evil demon had taken over his
emotions.

"I thought Brian was a good guy," Jace said mostly to himself. His words
caught me off guard.

"Hey, he's a great guy," I defended. "He just messed up this one time."
 Jace glanced at me. Fury boiled in his sea coloured eyes. I had never seen
him look so angry about anything. I wasn't scared-I knew he would never hurt me-but
he was making me feel uncomfortable.

"Maxxie, he knows that you and I are dating; the whole school has known
for months." He paused. "Brian kissed you."

Now I was getting angry. "Jace, I'm just upset as you are about this, but
just cool it down, okay?" I sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you."

Wrong thing to say. His nostrils flared and his hands balled. He exhaled
through his nose. Although he was probably going to yell and I was probably going
to cry, I couldn't help but take notice that he reminded me a lot of a dragon.

"You don't seem to understand, Max. Brian. Kissed. You! Those lips are
mine to kiss! Nobody else's!" Jace shouted.

I rolled my eyes. I folded my arms across my chest. Admittedly, I loved

the fact that he was so possessive of me. He would never let me go. But at the
moment he was being totally irrational. I had expected him to be a little bit
angry, but not this angry.

He stared at me hard. "Max... I don't think you should hang out with him
anymore. It's just... so freaking upsetting that-"

"Whoa," I said, "I'm not just going to stop hanging out with him because
he kissed me once." I shook my head in disgust. "Actually, you know what, I'm upset
that you even asked me that. I'm leaving."

I detangled myself from him and hopped off the bed. He called my name, but
I kept walking. I heard him following me down the stairs. He was still calling my
name and telling me to stop. Did I stop? Absolutely not. As I reached the foyer, I
slipped into my shoes and reached for the knob. But before I could twist it, Jace's
hand touched mine. I looked up at him, making sure to show the annoyance on my
face.

"Don't leave," he begged. "I'm sorry. Just, come on. Put yourself in my
shoes, Maxxie."

I shook my head. "I did. And I wouldn't ever ask you to not be friends
with any person anymore. Not even John."

I stepped out of the house before I could see or hear what he would say.

>>><<<

At school the next, I made sure to avoid both Jace and Brian. I walked the
halls alone, brushing swiftly past people. Without Jace-who was always by my side
in school-I felt sort of naked and vulnerable, which I was. I had always been an
easy target for bullies-I was the scrawny geeky kid-but now I was openly gay, which
meant I had added ten hit points to my list. But I had managed to stay safe until
lunch.

The lunch room was buzzing with people. I had never noticed before, but
the lunch room was really noisy, maybe even noisier than usual. People seemed to be
laughing and talking with everyone but me.

As I glanced around, I caught sight of Brian sitting alone at a table. Our

eyes met for a moment but I quickly looked away. And what did I see? Of course I
saw Jace sitting at his usual lunch table. He looked at me and sadness filled his
eyes. I also felt sad, but I wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. So I walked to
the table by the window where I knew my fan girls would be sitting. I smiled at
them once I arrived at their table.
 "Can I sit here?" I asked. They all beamed and squealed.

"Of course!" Yuki said. "Sit! Sit!"

I squeezed in next to Yuki and Imani. They began having a discussion on

who was hotter; Ashton Kutcher or Bradley Cooper. Most girls were fighting for
Cooper, but Yuki insisted Ashton was hotter.

Though I was surrounded by so many people, it was the first time that I
felt truly alone.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Sixteen: Jace

Chapter sixteen! Wooot! Don't forget to comment/vote/fan/share!! :D <3 LOVE YOU ALL

Chapter Sixteen: Jace

Not even I knew why I had been so angry towards Brian. After Maxxie had
left and I had cooled down, I reflected on it. It seemed as if Maxxie was the only
stable thing in my life; I had an adoption to think to think about and John was
plotting to kill me. Maxxie-beautiful, magnificent Maxxie-was the only thing that I
knew was there for good. And the threat of him being gone was too much for me to
handle.

After school, I walked over to Maxxie's locker, a firm grip on the smooth
stem. He glanced my way and gazed at me. I could tell that he was still upset with
me but apologizing was worth a shot.

I put my best smile on my face and waked up to him. He turned back to

packing his bag.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said coolly. "Will you get upset?"

 I chuckled once. I then collected myself and pulled the single flower from
behind my back, thrusting it at him. His face softened, like I knew it would, and
he took the red flower.

"You look like a rose kind of guy," I said softly.

He looked at me compassionately. His blue eyes stared back at me with love

and forgiveness. Man, how did I get so lucky?

I wrapped my arms around his waist. I felt his hands grip my waist and he
stared up at me.

"You don't know how sorry I am," I said in almost a whisper. "It was
completely wrong for me to say those things and I don't expect you to forgive me."
That last part was a lie. I was used to getting what I wanted and this was no
exception.

He chuckled. "I do forgive you."

See?

I grinned and kissed him softly. When I pulled away, I rested my head
against his.

"I just... don't want to lose you," I whispered. "You're everything."

He smiled at me assuring. As he stroked my face with his pointer finger he

whispered, "I promise I'm not going anywhere."
 I grinned and kissed him again. Man, I swear if I could, I would have
kissed him all day. Everything about him was just... perfect. I loved the way his
blonde hair fell into his eyes because he didn't like brushing it. I loved the way
his eyes were magnified underneath his glasses. But most of all, I loved the way I
could just be myself and not need to impress him like I had to when I was with my
friends.

I knew we were young, but I loved him, and I really meant that.

Suddenly, Maxxie pulled away, looking sheepish. He slung his bag over his
shoulders and went on his tippy toes to kiss my cheek.

"I've got to catch the bus. Love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

He grinned before stalking off down the vacating hallway. I sighed

contently before heading to my locker to gather my own things.

I exited the school feeling happy and relieved. I felt as if a huge weight
had been lifted from my shoulder, though it had been the least of my problems.

As a light layer of snow trickled to the ground, I shivered. My mind

wandered to Christmas. It would be my first Christmas without my parents and my
sister Naomi, whom I nicknamed Jules. It would be so different now. There wouldn't
be a huge tree in the living room decorated with vibrant ornaments my sister and I
had made over the years. There would be no sweet and spicy scent of eggnog and
gingerbread cookies cooling on the counter. There would no once-a-year "I'll love
you forever Jace," from my father.

I had to get a grip. I didn't have to worry-Maxxie was all I needed.

I turned onto my street. It was already getting dark out. I couldn't wait
to get home and lay in my warm bed.
 "Jace."

I turned to the direction the voice was coming from. I saw a chubby person
in a red and blue webbed unitard and a matching mask. It was dark, but I could tell
the person was wearing a Spiderman costume.

"Uh, how do you know my name?" I asked the Spiderman wannabe.

Before anything could happen, I was whipped backward onto the snow. I
skipped and stopped at the curb. I stared up at the almost starry sky, dazed. What
had just happened? Before I could interpret anything, my head was whipped backwards
onto the pavement. I let out a yelp and my lip exploded with pain. I felt something
trickling down and into my mouth. It tasted like rusty metal-blood. I tried to sit
up, but the person-whoever this was-kicked my stomach. I gasped.

"You'll pay for everything," he hissed. "Just you wait, Jace Storme."

Another blow to the face. I could feel my face swelling with every punch.
My mouth felt numb-I could barely feel anything. I just lay there, waiting for the
pain to end.

There was a final hit before the person knelt down and said, "You will
never see next year, kid."

The person walked away. I watched as their feet walked nimbly across the
snow covered pavement. The snow around me was covered in red liquid. My face felt
warm and sticky.

Before I could even bring myself to call for help, blackness engulfed me.
>>><<<

My eyes fluttered open, but it hurt. When I finally managed to see, I saw
Maxxie's and Darius' faces. Maxxie's blue peepers were rimmed with red and Darius
looked stressed. When Maxxie saw me his face lit up. He exhaled softly and rushed
over to my bed-which I looked to see was a hospital bed. He grabbed my hand and
squeezed it tightly.

"Holy crap, what happened?" he demanded.

"Maxxie," Darius said, "just give him some space."

Maxxie blushed. I wanted to smile and give him a giant hug, but my body
hurt too much to do anything.

"I remember what happened," I said hoarsely. "But it's kind of hazy."
"It's okay," Darius said. "Just start from the beginning."

I sighed. "Okay. Well, this guy in a Spiderman costume came and beat me up.
That's basically it."

Maxxie's face wet white. I wondered what he was thinking.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Seventeen: Maxxie

Chapter seventeen! Woooot! :D I hope you guys enjoy! Don't forget to
comment/vote/fan!! :D :D <3

Chapter Seventeen: Maxxie

"Hey," a voice said beside me. I turned to see Brian standing there, a dry
smile on his face.
 I didn't know whether to smile or say hi back. I was still sort of upset
about the fact that he'd kissed me, plus I had an odd feeling that he had something
to do with Jace's beating, though I didn't really have the energy to point fingers
just yet.

"Hi," I mumbled, putting my social studies text book back into my locker.

"I heard about Jace," Brian said. "Is he okay?"

I glanced at him. His face was stone cold, illiterate. He showed no

emotions whatsoever. As I stared at Brian, I couldn't help but think that I hardly
knew this person anymore. Before, when I was certain he was my best friend, he
would have told me everything. Now I couldn't even read his facial expressions.

"He's fine," I replied. I shut my locker. "He's just at home recovering."

Brian nodded. I thought I saw a smile play at his lips and I narrowed my
eyes. Could he have done something to Jace? I knew from roleplaying with Brian that
he had a Spiderman costume. He had the motive. Was it possible that he beat Jace up
with his bare hands?

"Tell him I hope he gets better," Brian said before turning around.

As I stared at his body, I couldn't help but notice that Brian had slimmed
down a bit-just a little. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed it or how he even
managed to do it, but he wasn't as chubby as he usually was.

Had he trained for the fighting?

"Brian!" I called.
 He whirled around and stared at me questioningly. My hands were shaking
and I had no idea why. Maybe it was the fact that I was about to accuse my best
friend-was he still my best friend?-of beating up my boyfriend. But I needed to
know the truth, though I had a strong feeling he would deny all of it.

"Yeah?" he asked.

I clenched and unclenched my fists. "Uh, did... did you have anything to
do with beating up Jace?"

I thought I was guilt flash across his face, but it disappeared quickly.
His face was once again unreadable.

Then he turned around and walked away without making a sound.

I stood there, shocked. I had known Brian for years and never had he
thought or talked about beating anyone up. Heck, I didn't even know he was capable
of doing such a thing!

"Brian!" I called again, this time chasing after him. He didn't stop
though; his pace only picked up. I quickened my own strider, and soon I was running
down the halls after him. I was lucky that this was lunch and we could basically be
anywhere in the school without being yelled at.

Brian turned and ran out of the school, heading out towards the bleachers
and the football field. How is he not out of breath? I thought, panting. This
wasn't even possible! He couldn't have gotten this fit this fast.

Suddenly, I saw him coming to a slow. That was my chance. I took all the
strength I had and forced my legs forward. I got closer and closer to him, and soon
my hand was grabbing his shoulder and yanking him backwards. He flew backwards and
landed in the snow. I lifted my leg and placed it on top of his chest, mostly for
dramatic effect, but also to keep him on the ground. His face was turning pink from
the running and the snow touching his face.

Don't mess with Batman, I thought to myself, thinking back to that day I
dressed up as my favourite hero and searched far and wide for Brian. As I thought
back, I wondered where I would be if I hadn't looked for him. Would Jace and I be
living happily? Would I be living with guilt?

"Brian," I said calmly, "answer my question."

He narrowed his brown eyes slightly. Before I could think, my legs were
flying from underneath me and I landed on the snow with a yelp. I watched as Brian
crawled to his feet and rushed back across the field, disappearing into the school
through the side doors. I exhaled deeply before laying my head back onto the snowy
ground.

I have no idea who you are anymore, I thought, sending them towards Brian.

>>><<<

I was going to visit Jace, but Darius called me and said that he wasn't
feeling so hot. I accepted and was secretly grateful that I would be getting home
earlier than expected. My feelings were all mixed up inside and all I wanted was to
take a hot bath then snuggle up in bed.

When I walked through the front door, I called for my mom, telling her she
was home. At first, I heard nothing. Then I heard the faint sound of laughter
followed by talking.

"In the living room, Max!" I heard her say.

 I dropped my backpack and strayed into the kitchen. I grabbed a juice box
and walked into the living room. I saw a crowd of four or five of my mom's friends,
plus my mom. They were crowded around her, but I couldn't tell what was going on. I
jabbed my straw into the box before taking a sip and walking towards the crowd. The
women soon broke away, revealing my mother.

And she was wearing a wedding dress.

It was actually quite awe striking the way the white fabric draped over
her slender body. The dress was made of bright white lace and it had short sleeves.
There was a beige ribbon tied around her waist. I watched as she turned, exposing
the back of the dress which was just as beautiful as the front. The ribbon was tied
in a bow low on her back and a handful of buttons laced the back.

My mom looked beautiful.

She smiled and rubbed her legs before smiling at me. "What do you think,
Max?"

I was going to say that the fabric looked beautiful against her skin tone
and the colour made her face glow. But how could I say that without sounding
totally gay? Ever since she had come home drunk and telling me that she was getting
married, we hadn't really discussed the topic on me being gay. She knew, and
sometimes she stood up for the gays she read about in the paper. Liam, her fiancé,
seemed pretty okay with it; he didn't treat me like I was trash. But what would my
mother's friends say?

"It's pretty," I said. "Really pretty. You look gorgeous."

She turned to her friends and smiled. They all gave a lovey-dovey, mushy
look.
 "Oh, your son is just a doll!" one of her friends said. "If only my son
were like that."

My mom turned and gave me a loving smile.

"That's my Maxxie," she whispered.

I blushed and continued to drink my juice. The women continued to talk

about the wedding, although it was still a few weeks-maybe a month?-away. As their
words spilled from their glossed lips, I couldn't help but feel a shiver down my
spine. It had only been three years since my parents' split-how did I feel that she
was getting remarried?

Just then, the phone rang. I scrambled into the kitchen, happy to get away
from all the wedding talk. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was an
unknown number. I quickly picked the phone up from its cradle and pressed the
'TALK' button.

"Gray residence," I said. "Max speaking."

"Maxxie," a familiar velvety smooth voice said. "Hi."

I tried to put my tongue on the name, but I couldn't think of anyone. It

wasn't Jace's, nor was it Brian's. I could tell it wasn't John's. So who could it
be?

"Do you know who this is?" the person asked.

"No," I said, blushing. "Sorry."

 The person chuckled. "Well, that's understandable. Haven't talked to you
in forever, ever since your mother blocked my numbers. Hey, have you gotten my
letters?"

"What-"

Letters. Could it.... No. It had been years. Why would he be calling me
now, after so long? I hadn't received any letters ever in my life. But still, what
if it was him?

"Dad?" I said, my voice shaking.

There was a slight pause at the other end. "Max. Hi."

I was speechless. I clamped my hand over my mouth, unsure of what to say.

My father hadn't spoken to me in three years, and now he was calling me. Honestly,
a flash of anger crossed over my body. After three years, after so many phones he
could have used, e-mails he could have sent, why was he calling me now? What was so
special about now?

"Hi," I managed to croak.

"Hi," he said for the third time. "How are you doing, Maxxie?"

My mind was spinning and I had to grip onto the counter to keep from
falling over.

"I'm good," I replied shakily. "How are you?"

 "I'm pretty good," he said. Pause. "Hey, I heard your mom's getting
married."

My face went warm. Was that why he was calling? To spy on my mom?

"Yeah. She's getting married. Why?"

"Nothing," he said. It amazed me how he was talking like we'd seen each
other just yesterday. "How do you feel about this?"

I shrugged. How did I feel? Would I be happy that I would be getting a new
father figure in my life? I honestly didn't know how or what I felt towards Liam; I
barely knew him. But my mom was happy, so that made me happy... I suppose.

"I'm alright, I guess," I replied.

"Hmm. Hey, bud, I have a preposition for you," he said.

I braced myself.

"How would you like it if you came and lived with me in California?"

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Eighteen: Jace

Almost to chapter twenty! Oh yeah! :D I hope you guys enjoy! Don't forget to
comment, vote, and share! :) <3

Chapter Eighteen: Jace

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My face wasn't as bad as it was the day
before, but it still looked terrible. It looked as though I had been hit multiple
times by a freight train, not to mention it was horribly painful.

"Jace!" I heard Lolita call from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready!"

I looked at my reflection one last time before turning the bathroom lights
off and heading down the stairs. The smell of fresh tortillas and fried beans
warmed my stomach up. It smelled so tantalizing and exotic. I just wanted to stuff
my face into the dish that Lolita had prepared.

I sat down at my new seat at the table. I piled beans and tortillas onto
my plate and ate silently. Darius was reading the papers and Lolita was making sure
everyone had enough to drink. As she poured Darius another cup of coffee, he eyed
me carefully and set his newspaper down.

"So," he said calmly, "Jace, have you thought about the adoption yet?"

Every stinking minute of my stinking life, I thought. It was true though;

I had been giving the adoption much thought. Darius and Lolita were excellent
parents. Lolita taught me how to fold my own laundry, cook my own food. She even
taught me how make Mexican art. Darius taught me different thing, like how to
repair a fence, how to change a tire on a car, how to sneak cookies from the jar
when Lolita wasn't looking. It was basic parent stuff that you saw in movies. It
was the stuff that I had always dreamed of, but had never gotten from my own
parents.

"Do my mom and dad know about it?" I asked.

"Yeah," Darius said. "We've discussed it. They signed the papers and
stuff. Now all we need to do is going to the city and fill out some paper work,
wait for that paper work-which will probably take a few months-then you're ours."

Then you're ours. The way he had said that was so... full of love. It was
as if I was his own son; people just had to confirm it. I had never felt this loved
by a father figure before. It made me almost want to cry.
 "So," Lolita said, "are you... are you say yes?"

The answer was obvious. These people loved me and I was growing to love
them. I wanted to say yes, but something was holding me back. I felt, in a way,
like I was cheating on my own parents. Of course they had given me up and left me
in the dirt, but they were still the ones I had turned to when I was little. They
were the ones who I had grown up with. I didn't know if Darius and Lolita could
take their place. And if they could, would I want them to?

"I... I..."

Darius smiled. "It's okay. You can tell us later, okay?"

I nodded in relief. I had tried to find the words, but I couldn't find
them. I had wanted to say yes, but something was holding me back.

I had to beat whatever was keeping me from staying with this family.

>>><<<

As I walked through the school, whispers were echoing through the halls. They were
probably wondering what happened to me. Maybe Jace got into a fight. Maybe Jace
crossed some sort of line. Maybe Jace jumped off a building. Whatever they said,
they got the answer wrong. They never thought that Jace, almighty Jace Storm, would
ever get mauled.

As I rounded a corner, I saw Maxxie talking with Yuki and the rest of our
little fan girl crew. He looked sort of awkward as he stood, nodding his head at
whatever they said. As he looked over one girl's shoulder, he locked eyes with me.
His face lit up and he struggled to cut through the little crowd. The girls frowned
as Maxxie left them alone to fan girl over something else. Maxxie looked so
relieved to be free.

"Jace!" Maxxie called happily as he trotted up to me. "You're okay!"

I chuckled and kissed him lightly. He pulled away and traced my black eye
with his fingers. His touch was putting slight pressure on my face but it didn't
hurt. His touch was actually quite soothing. I made me feel comforted.

I grabbed his hand and we walked to my locker. I could still feel peoples'
eyes on me as I walked, even more so since I was holding Maxxie's hand. I didn't
care what they thought, though. They could spread rumors. They could think what
they wanted. I knew the real story. Now all I needed to know what who did this.

"I think that Brian may have something to do with it," Maxxie whispered.

I frowned. If Brian was trying to get on my bad side, it wasn't working

very well. First he had kissed my boyfriend and now we were thinking he had beaten
me up. I had always thought Brian was a good guy, but maybe he had a dark side that
nobody really knew about. Maybe it was yet to be uncovered, and I knew that I did
not want to be the one to do so.

"How can you be sure?" I asked. "Maybe it was John. It probably was John."

Maxxie looked doubtful. "Yeah, but I asked Brian if he had anything to do

with your beating. He just ran."

I frowned. Why would Brian do such a thing? How could he do such a thing?
Sure I had Maxxie, sure I was popular and sure I was in better shape. But Brian had
something I didn't-genuine friends. Or at least, he had had them. Now he was just
lost.
 We reached my locker and I twisted the combo into the lock. I began to
grab my things and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Maxxie's face twisting
with confusion. I wondered what he wasn't telling me and why he hadn't told me
sooner. We told each other everything, and evidently, I was tired of not knowing
things. I wanted to know what was bugging Maxxie and how I could help-it would take
my paranoid mind off of who might have hurt me.

"What wrong?" I asked casually, trying to balance my books in my arms. I

turned to Maxxie and raised my brows.

"Uh," Maxxie stammered, "well.... I have some news."

I almost groaned out loud. I couldn't take anymore drama in my hectic

life. I mean, how much could happen to two people? I had been kicked out of my
house, I was facing an adoption, I had been beaten up, and I had lost my best
friend. Maxxie was facing his mom's marriage, he was facing the loss of his own
best friend. What was he going to tell me now?

"What's your news?" I grumbled.

He took a deep breath. "Well, my dad called me last night. He... he wants
me to go live with him in California."

My heart froze. I couldn't process his words quickly. California was on

the other side of the world. His father-whom hadn't communicated with Maxxie in
three years-wanted to take his son away. He wanted to take my Maxxie away. Just
when I thought that Maxxie would always be there, that Maxxie would never leave
me....

"R-really?" I stuttered. "A-are you... are you going?"

Maxxie's eyes got all glassy. He didn't even need to say the words. I
understood what his eyes were explaining.
 "I don't know, Jace," he said softly. "I haven't seen him in so long. I...
I miss him so much. You don't even know-"

"I do know," I snapped. "I do know what it's like to not see your dad for
a long time. I haven't seen my dad for weeks. Your dad may have left you, but at
least he didn't ask you to leave him."

I expected him to be angry-that's what would happen if it were me-but he

didn't get angry. He just stared at me calmly. I wondered how he felt, what he was
thinking. I felt bad for yelling at him, but I was stressed out.

"I'm sorry Jace," he said. "I shouldn't have said that. But... but I do
miss my dad. And... and what your dad did to you was wrong. But... but maybe you
can patch things up with your dad. Just like I want to do with mine."

Even though he said the words, we both knew that nothing could be fixed
between my father and I. We were done; nothing could be returned to our
relationship. He didn't want me. He didn't love me. I felt a tear slip down my
cheek.

"Hey," Maxxie whispered, "nothing has been confirmed yet. I don't even
know where he lives yet. I haven't even told my mom."

I bit my lip. In a selfish way, I felt a bit better. I doubted his mother
would let him live with his dad, and that meant that he would never leave me. But
my selfish thoughts just made me feel terrible about myself. How on Earth could I
even be happy that my boyfriend wouldn't see his dad? I was a terrible person.

Suddenly, my breath caught in my throat. For the first time in my life, I

felt scared as I saw John walking down the hall, his lips turned into a sneer. He
was heading directly towards me, heading straight in my direction. I was sure, just
from the look on his face, that he was the one who had beaten me up. He was the one
that caused me all this pain. And that made me scared.
"Oh, hey Jace," John said casually. He nodded once at me, taunting.
"What happened to your face?"

I shut my locker, swallowed a lump in my throat, and turned to walk away.

As I took one step, I was pull back. John's eyes were cold. I could feel my heart
pumping against my ribs, threatening to explode.

"It's rude to walk away," John hissed. "So, tell me again, what happened
to your face?"

I shrugged him away and shouted, "Just fuck off, okay? Just leave me the
fuck alone."

John frowned and shook his head slowly. "Tsk, tsk, Jace. That language is
not tolerable in the school."

I sighed. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Why couldn't he see that I
just needed some peace and space? That was all I was asking for. I didn't want him
to beat me up, I didn't want him to call me names. I just wanted to live normally
without fear.

"Whatever, John," I grumbled. "Just get out of my life, okay?"

He snorted. "What's wrong with you? Did your boyfriend fuck you the wrong
way or something?"

Fury boiled inside of me. I wanted to punch him, but where would that
leave me? He would just beat me up again. So, I just balled my hands into fists and
walked away, my emotions swirling like a pot of soup.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Nineteen: Maxxie

Chapter Nineteen: Maxxie
I stared at the picture in my hands. It was a family, with a mother and father and
child, all of which had identical features. They all had glistening blonde hair and
shining blue eyes. They were all good looking, especially in that particular photo.
The sun was beaming across their smiling faces. They held each other tightly, as if
they would never let go.

But they did let go.

My family was always known as the perfect family. We had my dad, the
successful business man. We had my mom, the nice lady that everybody liked. We had
me, the smart boy with good morals. Everyone we knew said we were amazing. They
never thought-I never thought-that we'd ever be so broken.

But we were.

It wasn't like my dad cheated on my mom. He promised that he would never

do that to her no matter what state their relationship was in. But, it did seem to
be my dad's fault. He kept pulling away, first from my mom then from me. It started
with staying late at work, then not coming home at all. My mom and I were obviously
confused and hurt, but we didn't think of it. He kept saying that he had lots of
work to do and sometimes fell asleep at the office. So, we just kept living our
lives.

Then my mom started looking at my dad's browsing history. No, there

weren't a bunch of e-mails or porn sites or anything like that; but there were
websites that listed houses for sale, one bedroom apartments to be exact. When my
mom found this, she went off the edge. I don't exactly know what happened from
there, because five months later my dad was gone.

"Maxxie!" my mom called from the kitchen, cutting me off from my memory.
"Supper!"

I carefully put the picture down and trudged into the kitchen. There was a
steaming bowl of soup in the middle of the round table, almost like a center piece.
There were three places set at the table and two of the three chairs were filled.
Liam gave me a warm smile as I went to sit down. I returned a very awkward smile.

We began eating in silence. The sound of the clock on the wall seemed too
loud, but I kept my mind focused on the ticking. It was constant and continuous.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

"So," my mom said with too much perk. "How was school today, Max?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

She frowned slightly. That wasn't the cheerful answer she had anticipated.
When my dad still lived with us, he would always make me explain my day from
beginning to end. He said he enjoyed trying to visualize everything. So I would
always tell him and my mom would always listen with joy.

"What happened at school?" she asked.

I shrugged again. "Stuff."

She nodded. She could tell that I wasn't going to talk and I clearly
wasn't. So she shut up and continued to eat her soup, as did the rest of us.

"So," Liam said to me. "The wedding is pretty soon. You excited?"

I nodded, though it was kind of fake.

"Maxxie, we're going out to dinner on Saturday night. Would you like to
invite Jace?"
 I contemplated that. Jace and I had only been on one real date-and
obviously a supper with my parents would not be a date-so the idea sounded nice. I
smiled and nodded.

"I'll ask him."

She smiled. She looked at Liam and they exchanged happy glances. An uneasy
feeling rose in my stomach.

>>><<<

"What if your mom doesn't like me?" Jace asked.

I rolled my eyes. "My mom is going to love you. Stop stressing."

"But-"

I shot him a look and he was quiet. My mom and Liam joined us at the front
of the restaurant and we all walked in. I was hit with the smell of Asian spices,
considering this was a Thai restaurant. It smelled like noodles and vegetables.
Various people sat at tables, picking at their food and looking at it as if it were
alien feces. That made me a little skeptical, but Liam insisted that this place was
amazing.

"Hello," a tiny Asian girl said. It was scary how much she reminded me of
Yuki. "Would you like a table for four?"
 "Yes please," Liam said.

She nodded and led us through the restaurant. We stopped at a table near
the back of the room and we sat down, Jace beside me. I could smell his musky
cologne and I just want to jump on him. He looked really nice tonight, too. He was
wearing a light gray shirt underneath a black blazer, the sleeves rolled up to his
elbows. He wore dark washed jeans and a nice pair of Pumas.

We began scanning through the foreign food on the menu. I felt Jace'slips
against my ear and I felt my face grow warm.

"Why don't we share a big plate of noodles?" he whispered. "We can do it

Lady and the Tramp style."

I cracked a smile and nodded. He kissed my cheek and turned back to the
menu. I saw Liam shift uneasily in his seat. He hadn't really seen Jace and I act
intimately. I knew that he was fine with my being gay, but he was a guy. I
understood that he would be uncomfortable. Deep down though, I was grateful that he
was keeping quiet about it.

The waitress then sauntered back to the table and took our orders. As we
waited, we all just kind of stared at each other.

"So," my mom said to Jace, "how are you doing in school?"

"I'm doing well," Jace said cheerfully. "I don't like school but I try my
best."

She smiled. "That's good."

He nodded. "Yeah. How's your wedding planning going? Are you excited?"
 At the word wedding my mom's face lit up. She and Jace flew into this big
chat about wedding dresses, flowers, and other things. I sat there awkwardly,
staring at the ice in my cup. Liam cleared his throat several times, but Jace and
my mom kept on talking. Finally our food came and they broke up their little talk
fest.

"This looks delicious," my mom mused.

I stared at the giant plate of pad Thai on my plate. Jace looked at me and
winked before digging into our plate. I chuckled and picked up my own fork, digging
into it. The taste was sweet and tangy and delicious. I couldn't stop. We all ate
in complete silence, smiling at each other every so often.

"Hey Max," Liam said, "have you ever been to New York?"

I shook my head. "No. I've always wanted to go there, though."

He looked at my mom with that same facial expression they had exchanged a
couple nights ago. It made me feel uneasy again.

"Hey, Maxxie, you know how I work in a big company, right?" he asked.

I nodded slowly. I felt Jace's body tensing beside me.

"Yeah," I replied. "Why?"

He glanced at my mom. She smiled nervously and said, "Liam got a

promotion. We're moving to New York city."
I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty: Jace
Chapter twenty! Yay! :D And I am NOT ending the book just yet ;) You're going to
have to wait for the next few chapters. I guess yesterday I was just feeling a
little lost, but today I am definitely flooding with ideas. So, I hope you all
enjoy! :) <3 <3

Chapter Twenty

My entire body froze as Ms. Gray's words echoed in my brain. We're moving to New
York. I felt as if a giant tidal wave was threatening to crash over me, falling,
falling, falling, and then it finally crashed over me. It engulfed me in the heavy
cold.

My stomach churned.

"Please excuse me," I murmured.

I quickly stood up and began walking towards the restrooms. I could hear
Maxxie rambling hysterically but I couldn't make out his words. My blood was
pulsing and the sound was booming in my ears. The food was swimming in my stomach
and looking for a way out.

Thankfully the restrooms were empty. I quickly rushed into the nearest
stall, locked it, and knelt down in front of the giant ceramic bowl of foul
smelling water. U stared into the toilet, my thoughts swirling around like a
tornado.

I, Jace Storme, used to be the most popular guy in school. I used to have
it all. In one quick kiss, I lost it all. I didn't mind because I had Maxxie. But
now even he was going to go away. My life was one giant hellhole, getting deeper
and deeper with each passing day.

"Jace?" I heard Maxxie say. His voice was thick and I could tell her was
crying. "Are you okay? Are you throwing up?"
 I sighed and stepped out of the stall, shaking. Maxxie's eyes were teary
which was making me start to cry.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

I didn't answer. All I did was hold him close to me and bury my face in
his soft golden hair. He smelled like a mixture of Thai food, strawberries, and
comic books. It was officially going to be known as his smell.

"Jace-"

"Shh," I whispered. As I blinked, I could see tear drops trickling down

his hair.

We stood in silence for a bit. I could feel Maxxie's heart beating through
our chests and I remembered that very first night we'd made love. That night had
been perfect and magical. The thought was that hazy kind, as if it had all been a
dream. But I knew it wasn't. If it had been a dream, I wouldn't have been standing
in that bathroom with my arms wrapped around the most beautiful man in the world.

"Are you really going?" I asked.

He sniffled. "Jace, she's my mom. I can't just leave her."

I suppressed a sob in the back of my throat. My grip around him tightened,

for I was afraid he would just slip away from my grasp. I felt his fingers grip
onto my jacket. I felt something wet seeping through the thin fabric of my shirt. I
couldn't help it this time-I let out a heartbreaking noise.
 "Maxxie," I whispered, trying to keep myself together. "I promise that I
will do whatever it takes to keep us together. I... I won't let anything happen to
us."

He gazed up at me. It was hard to look at him so I quickly looked away.

>>><<<

I wasn't surprised to not see Maxxie at school on Monday.He was probably bawling
his eyes out into a pillow. I myself felt like crawling into a bed and crying, but
I was sadly stuck at school.

In free period, I felt as if somebody was watching me. I heard somebody

clear their throat and I looked up to see Brian. I frowned. I didn't know what to
think of him. Hell, I didn't know what to think of anybody anymore.

"Hi," he said shakily.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He seemed a little shocked at my response, but he pulled up a chair

regardless. He folded his hands across the table. I stared at him carefully. He
seemed as if he had been working out a little; losing the chub and bulking up with
muscle.

"Where's Maxxie?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes a little. "At home. Why? What do you need?"

 I saw his lips twitched a little. He was obviously trying to suppress a
grin. Instead, he nodded at me.

"Your face is getting better I see," he mused.

I touched the bandage on my right eye. I had forgotten that I still had
the stupid things on my face. My hand dropped from my face and I continued to stare
at Brian. He seemed to be amused at my pain and that made me angry-and nobody
wanted to see me angry.

"You had something to do with this," I said matter-of-factly while

pointing to my face. "Don't deny it."

I had him now. His face warped with guilt and his hands twisted together.
I could see his breath accelerating. He could have lied to Maxxie, but there was no
way he wasn't going to tell the truth to me. I was still Jace Storme and I still
had somewhat of a ranking at this school. Nobody would lie to me, especially not
this nerdy kid.

"I-I didn't anything," he stuttered. "You're crazy."

I put my fiercest dagger eyes on and pointed them at him. I could see
sweat dripping down his nose. He was mine. Just a couple more seconds and I could
have him squealing like a pig.

He exhaled sharply. "Fine! I had something to do with it!"

A grin found its way slugging across my face.

 "But," Brian said, "I didn't beat you up."

I folded my hands together and leaned forward in my seat. I stared right

into Brian's eyes, trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible. I was good at
this. I was good at making people feel totally weird about themselves. And it was
working like a charm on Brian.

"I just lent John the Spiderman costume," he muttered. "He said that... he
said that I could have Maxxie if I lent it to him. He also said that he'd give me
training if I lent it to you. So I did."

For some reason, I wasn't surprised at all this. Sure, most people would
be upset, but my life was already dramatic as a soap opera so this wasn't much. It
was actually kind of funny because Brian looked as if he had committed a terrible
crime.

"Why did he do it, Brian?" I asked softly, as if I were talking to a

criminal. This was now like a game to me. A fun, roleplaying game.
Brian hesitated. "He... he said it was because...."

I leaned forward even more. "Because why?"

Brian exhaled deeply. "Because... well... he said that you made him... gay
for you."

No word can describe how I felt. It was almost as if I was on a train and
that train had suddenly stopped. It was jolting and wakening. It was shocking. John
was the biggest homophobe I knew-other than my dad. There was no way he could be
gay, much less gay for me. But at the same time it made perfect sense. He was
scared. He wanted to blame his problems on me.

"Please don't tell him I told you," Brian pleaded. "He'll destroy me!"
 I stared at the table but told Brian I wouldn't make a peep. I then
glanced across the room to where John was sitting. He was staring at me, his face
set in a frown. When our eyes me, he quickly look away, blushing. My stomach
churned.

This wasn't fair. Why was my life so full of all this crap? It was just
problem after problem piling on top of each other. It was like a snowball. If I
asked another person in my grade what dramatic thing had happened in their lives,
the most I would get would probably be a death. But me, I had a whole list of
different things.

The bell rang and I quickly rushed off, never taking my eyes off of John.

>>><<<

I decided that I would forget about John. I had to focus on finding a way to keep
Maxxie here.

I was on Facebook, trying to search for Maxxie's dad's name. Maybe I

could convince him to move back to town, that way Maxxie could get both things he
wanted. It would make Ms. Gray upset, but I couldn't care less about her feelings
at the moment. She was trying to separate me from the only thing I was now living
for. I couldn't let that happen.

My heart leapt as I suddenly saw the name 'Porter Gray' on the screen. I
knew that was his name so I quickly clicked his picture. I began skimming through
his poorly protected wall and pictures. There weren't many pictures to look at,
mostly just tagged ones from his friends, but one stood out to me. It was a picture
of him and Maxxie, both of them smiling as hugely as they could. Their faces were
bright and joyous. They looked so happy together it almost looked fake, but you
could see in their eyes that they really meant it.

I pressed the button to send him a message. My fingers began to tap away
at the keys, creating the letter that would determine the fate of my relationship
with the one and only person I really and truly loved.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-One: Maxxie

Aloha! :) So, this chapter is basically just dialogue :S I was pretty lazy today...
But this chapter is vital for the rest of the story. Enjoy! :)

Chapter Twenty-One: Maxxie

You know how during the summer there's always one week of nothing but
thunderstorms? And on one of those nights your parents are out of the house,
leaving you alone? You always feel so empty and cold and scared on those nights.
That's how I felt about the move; empty and cold and scared.

"Maxxie," Jace said softly, breaking me free from my thoughts. "Maxxie,

eat something."

Suddenly the noises of the cafeteria came back to me. Everyone at my lunch
table-a couple of Jace's friends and my fan girls-was staring at me carefully, as
if I were sick. I glanced at Jace's friend Andy, who probably looked the most
concerned. He quickly looked away when our gazes locked, though.

"I'm not hungry," I replied flatly.

Jace frowned. "Max, please eat something."

I sighed and broke off a piece from my granola bar. I popped it in my

mouth before throwing the rest of the bar out. I then went back to staring blankly
at the gray table. I heard somebody exhale deeply. Somebody murmured something that
I couldn't hear and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Maxxie, do you want to go talk in private?" Jace asked gently.

I nodded. I wanted to spend as much time with Jace as I could. I only had
a limited amount of time with him and every moment needed to count.
 Jace hoisted me up from the table and wrapped his arm around my waist. He
led us out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. Kids lingered the halls, talking
and eating their lunches. Jace's grip around my waist was firm as we took a seat in
front of a row of lockers. He glanced at me carefully.

"Guess what I did," he said, nuzzling his face in my hair.

"What did you do?" I asked, leaning into him and resting my head on his
shoulder.

"I e-mailed your dad."

My stomach clenched. I turned to look at his smiling face. I raised an

eyebrow at him and he nodded. I squeezed me tightly and kissed my cheek.

"I asked him if he'd move back here so you could live with him," Jace
explained.

I didn't know what to say. I just stared at a piece of garbage on the

floor. How on Earth had Jace even gotten my dad's e-mail address? And what had he
said? Had my dad responded? A bunch of different questions were swirling around in
my mind.

"He hasn't responded yet, though," Jace said. "I'm still waiting."

I blinked a couple of times. Would Dad move back here just for me? Would
Mom let me stay with him if he came here? Did I even care what Mom said anymore? So
many questions, no answers. Yet, I felt a kindle of excitement spark inside of me
as the idea simmered in my brain.
 Jace looked down at me and tipped my head up with his finger. "You're not
going anywhere, love."

I grinned and gave him a quick kiss. I then threw my arms around him and
rested my head on his shoulder. I was absolutely blessed with this remarkable
person. Nobody in the world was as lucky as I was.

"I love you," I whispered.

He chuckled. "Only you."

>>><<<

I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of pots and pans being thrown around. I
then heard somebody cuss and somebody else yelp. To top things off, the phone began
to ring wildly.

I yawned as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I swung my legs out of bed and
trudged to my desk where the phone was buzzing. I picked it up and pressed the
phone to my ear.

"Gray residence," I said. "Max speaking."

"Hello, this is Riley Brown from Brown and Co. estates. Is a Liam Greeley
there?"

"Yeah. Uh, just a second."

 I quickly headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where Liam was
trying to pick up a bunch of cooking utensils that had fallen from the cupboard. I
cleared my throat and he whirled around, his eyes looking frantic. I thrust the
phone at him and said, "It's for you."

He ran a hand through his head and sighed. "I can't speak to anyone right
now. If it's the house people, tell them I'll 'em back later."

I shrugged and told the girl that Liam would call her back. I then hung up
and set the phone on the counter. Liam kept sighing and grumbling to himself. He
seemed upset, so I helped him put the pots and pans away. He gave me a grateful
smile.

"Thanks, Max," he said.

"No problem," I said. "It's the least I can do."

He exhaled deeply and leaned against the counter. "Man, am I stressed."

"I bet," I replied. "You've got a wedding and moving across the country to
worry about."

Guilt washed over his face. He motioned for me to sit at the table and I
nervously followed him. We sat down across from each other and I stared at him. For
a moment Liam looked many years older, not his usual care-free self. He rubbed his
tired looking face and I was suddenly very concerned about him.

"Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly.

 "I don't know," he admitted. "Your mom has me working hard." He chuckled.
"I didn't even want to move to New York. I had to beg to get that promotion."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then why are we moving?"

He looked at me sheepishly. "Your mom called your dad and yelled at him
saying that you would never live with him. I think your dad said that if you
couldn't move to him, then he would move to you." He sighed. "Your mom really hates
your dad, you know. She wants you as far away from him as possible."

My heart panged. I never thought my mom would have the guts to do

something like that. I knew that she didn't like my dad, but what he done that made
her resent him so much to move me away from him? I didn't understand.

"Maxxie, you know why your mom hates your dad so much, right?" Liam asked.

I shook my head. "I haven't a clue."

Liam looked at me, shocked. "Your mom hasn't told you yet? I thought that
you would have known."

"Known what?"

Liam cracked a little smile. "Your dad is gay, you know."

My jaw fell to the table. Dad, gay? How was that possible? He was my dad!
He had gotten married and fathered a child! He couldn't be gay! But then again...
could it possible? It would explain quite a lot; why I was always fashionably
dressed, why I was always taught to respect gays.
 "Holy crap," I muttered. "Is everyone I know gay?"

Liam chuckled. "What do you mean?"

I blushed. The only person I talked about this stuff with was Jace. I had
never actually even had a decent conversation with Liam. But I felt obligated to
speak to him and open him. He was going to be my step-father, after all. I might
has have gotten it over with.

"My best friend-well, I don't know what we are anymore-told me that he's
gay and he has a crush on me. And Jace's old best friend is gay and likes him. And
now my dad is gay.... I just don't know what I think anymore!" I exclaimed.

Liam smiled and leaned across the table to pat my hand. "You know what I
think, Maxxie? I think that you and Jace are inspirational."

I stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You've inspired people to be comfortable with their sexuality. You'd be

surprised at how many gay people linger out there-some of them even married to
women-and they're afraid to embrace who you are. I know that things have been rough
because of Brian and John, but at least they're doing it because they know what
they are now." Liam chuckled once, a light and hearty sound. "I'm proud of you,
Maxxie."

I knew that Liam wasn't my dad, but at that moment I felt accomplished. I
had made a father figure proud, something I had never done before. It suddenly made
all the bad things go away and I focused on the warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my
stomach. I actually had to refrain from shedding a tear.

"Thank you, Liam," I whispered. "That means a lot to me."

 He smiled again. Then he looked at me softly and said, "I'll talk to your
mom about you moving with your dad. I know what it's like to not see your father
for a while."

My eye bugged out of my head. "R-really? You'd do that?"

He nodded. "Anything for you, buddy. Remember, even if we're not that
close, I care about you."

With that, he stood up and proceeded up the stairs. I sat in my chair, too
stunned to do anything. If you had asked me at the beginning of the year how many
people I thought cared about me, I would say two-my mom and Brian. But it turned
out that far more people than I could ever imagine cared about me, even the people
whom I had thought forgot about me. It was ironic, really. Yet, it was amazing.

In that instant, I finally realized just how amazing life was.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Two: Jace

Chapter Twenty-Two: Jace

For a week, I had checked my e-mail obsessively, making sure I hadn't missed the e-
mail from Maxxie's father. It was like a game, almost. It took my mind off of
everything. Even Maxxie seemed to be happier about everything. Of course, I hadn't
told him how John truly felt about me, and I wasn't planning on breaking his
happiness by informing him. So, we stayed happy, and that was all we needed.

"So," Maxxie said as we walked down the hallway hand in hand, "December
first is coming up in a few days."

I nodded at him, though why this was important, I had no idea. It just
reminded me that Christmas was coming and I had to start hauling my ass to buy
present. That thought just reminded me that I only had to buy three presents this
year-for Darius, for Lolita, and for Maxxie. Maybe Primrose if she would still talk
to me.

Maxxie looked at me sideways. "You know what's on the first, right?" The
way he said it was sort of angry and my stomach did a flip. Had I forgotten
something important? Was it his birthday or something?
 "Uh," I began. "Is it...uh...."

His eyes went wide. "You don't even know your own birthday?"

Oh. It was true; my birthday was only in a matter of days. With my

concentration on the e-mails, it had totally slipped my mind. I would be turning
sixteen. It was funny-I was so young yet I had so many experiences, like hardships
and broken promises. Even love was something I had experienced-and was still
experiencing. In a way, it made me feel old. Not a bad old, though. Wise would be
the better word, I suppose.

"What do you want for your big day?" Maxxie asked cheerfully.

I smiled at him. I loved to see him happy, especially now that things were
getting even tougher. It gave me hope that things would be better tomorrow, or
maybe the next day. His smile, which radiated such happiness, was the only thing
keeping me going now. So I couldn't help it; I gave him a kiss right in the middle
of the hallway. I pressed my lips against his with such passionate force that he
was obviously stunned, yet he soon relaxed against me. Our lips stayed like that
for a moment, wielded together perfectly. When I pulled away, he looked at me
questioningly. I kissed him a lot during school, but never with as much... fierce
as I had just done.

"What was-"

"I don't want anything for my birthday. I've got everything I need." I
winked at him and he blushed.

We continued walking down the hall and soon parted our ways. I walked into
my math class-which I sadly shared with John-and took my usual seat. John sauntered
into the room shortly after I had, his friends flanking behind him. I noticed his
eyes fall onto me and, although we only locked gazes for a moment, I saw something
I had never bothered to look for before-lust.

The bell rang and class started. I had a hard time concentrating on
whatever the teacher was saying-math just wasn't my thing. Half way through class,
I felt something hit the back of my head. When I turned my eyes to the floor and
picked up a piece of crumpled paper, it was no surprise that John was chuckling
behind me. I sighed and unfolded the paper. It was a little drawing of a penis,
with the caption JACE WANTS TO SUCK THESE HARD. I rolled my eyes and folded the
paper before putting it into my pocket. I wouldn't give John the satisfaction of
getting worked up over it. I would just simply play it cool.

Class soon ended as quickly as it had started. The kids as well as the
teacher filed out of the room as fast as their little legs could take them. I
stayed behind to collect my things, and of course John did the same. As I gathered
my belongings, he and his buddies appeared in front of my desk. Great, I thought.
Let's pick on Jace some more, shall we?
 "Afternoon Jace," John chortled. "You're gonna be late for your next
class, I see."

I didn't respond. I stood up from my seat and tried to push past him, but
he shoved me backwards. I clenched my jaw to keep from clocking him alongside the
jowls.

"Hey, your birthday is coming up soon," John mused. "I know what I'm
getting you. Since you seemed to have loved my picture so much-" he nodded his head
towards my pocket "-I figure that a big box of dildos will be a good gift for you?"

His friends burst into laughter and John smirked. I balled my hands into
fists yet I fought the urge to punch him. Instead I put a calm face on and said,
"John, I know how you really feel about me. Why don't you just come out?"

His buds stopped laughing. His face went beet red. I had him now, exactly
where I needed him. I could say whatever I felt about his sexual orientation. I
could make him suffer just as badly as he had made me suffer. But would I? I mean,
I used to do it to other people whom hadn't done anything wrong to me. John had
certainly done many wrong things to me; it made sense for me to want to hurt him.
But yet, underneath all the hatred, I saw a scared person; a person who was
absolutely terrified with the world around him. I knew what it was like to be so
scared that you could barely look at yourself in the morning and I didn't want to
put him through that. After all, he had been my best friend.

"What the hell is this crack head talking about?" John's friend asked.
"'Come out'? I don't get it."

John glanced at me. I think he knew that even though he was now on top, I
could easily gain my title as the hottest boy in school back. And that was even
scarier than revealing his biggest secret. He knew what physical damages I was
capable of leaving, as well as mental damages. Sure, he'd beaten me up that one
night, but that was because I was taken by surprise. If I knew what was coming, I
could possibly kill a person.

"I-I hate you," he said, his voice quivering just like his hands. "That's
how I feel about you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Do you really only hate me?"

He swallowed something in his throat. I was only playing with him now. I
wouldn't dare admit to his friends that he was supposedly in love with me, or with
men for that matter. But I would toy with his mind just a little bit.

"Yes," he hissed. "I hate you. So much."

I took a step towards him so my lips were at his ears. I was taller than
him by an inch, so it was quite easy for me to whisper in his ear.

"I know you love me," I whispered to him, so quiet that only he and I
could hear.

I heard his breath draw in his throat. For a second he was quiet,
completely appalled by my answer. He was upset because it was true. And somebody
had told me his secret. He whispered, "Jace-"

"Don't worry," I said. "I promise not to tell. If you ever need someone to
talk to, I'm here."

With that, I walked out of the classroom, not bothering to look at him. I
was wondering, Why had I been so damn nice to him? He's been nothing but a douche
to me. He deserves to feel how I felt. But in the end, what good would that have
done?

>>><<<

For some reason, I had the strongest urge to visit Primrose. I hadn't seen her in
ages, ever since my dad kicked me out. I missed her so much. So, I decided to call
her at the end of the day.

"Hello?" she asked. She barely ever used her phone so I wasn't surprised
that she answered it on the fourth ring. Poor girl probably didn't know how to
answer the thing.

"Hey," I said shakily. I felt as if I were talking to the president or

something. "It's, uh, Jace."

The other end was silent. I knew she hadn't hung up though because I heard
distant chatter in the background. I wondered what she was doing and what she
looked like. Had she changed much since I had seen her? Was she frowning right now?
Or was she smiling? I wanted to see her smile. I wanted to know how things were
with Shay, her forbidden girlfriend. I just wanted her to be beside me so we could
do things like old times.

"Jace," she finally said. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Oh my
goodness."

I smiled nervously and shifted on the park bench I was sitting on. The
snow was falling slowly to the ground, covering the already invisible grass. The
air was chilly and the wind was wispy. I zipped my jacket tighter around my chin.
 "Prim," I said, "how are you?"

"Oh my goodness," was all she said again. "Is it... is it really you?"

I chuckled. "Of course it's really me. I know I haven't talked to you in
ages, but I figured...." I began to dig at some snow with my shoe. "....I figured
you didn't want to talk to me since... well, I'm assuming you heard about what my
dad did."

"Yeah," she said sadly. "I'm so sorry about that. I tried to talk my dad
into talking to your dad but... he didn't... and-"

"Don't mention it," I said. More like begged. I really didn't want to
relive anything that had happened between my family and I.

"Alright," she said softly. "So? How's life? How's your boy toy?"

I chuckled. "He's amazing. In fact, since it's my birthday soon, I kind of

want...."

I blushed before I could finish my sentence. I knew I had told Maxxie that
I wanted nothing for my birthday, but come on. It was my birthday and he was my
boyfriend. There was a little thing called birthday sex. And I wanted it. From
Maxxie. On my birthday.

Primrose chuckled. "You gay boys and your horny wishes," she teased.
"Kidding. But I'm glad that you and Maxxie-is his name Maxxie?-are doing good."

I chuckled. "Thank you. So, how are you and Shay?"

The second I said Shay's name, I could immediately feel the perkiness
emanating from Primrose, even though we were talking on the phone. "She's really
good! I mean, we haven't popped the cherry yet or anything, but we're progressing.
Although, she's getting a bit antsy about keeping our relationship a secret...."

My heart dropped. My dad wasn't nearly as religious as the pastor, so I

had no idea how he would react if he knew his daughter was a lesbian. I didn't want
Prim to go through that pain, so I wouldn't let her go public yet. I knew it was
selfish, but we were young and she didn't deserve to go through that.

"Hmm," I said. "Are you... are you going to tell your dad?"

"I don't know," she said. "I mean, not yet. But I will eventually."
Suddenly she cussed-yeah, the Catholic girl cussed!-and she said, "I have to go.
I'm so sorry Jace! I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Bye!"
 The line went dead and I sighed. I snapped my phone shut and began to walk
home. I began counting down the exact number of days before my birthday-two. Only
two more days and I would be fifteen. It was hard to believe that I was only
turning sixteen. Curse my late birthday. It was also hard to believe that my
parents would be seeing me-

Wait. I had to stop myself from finishing that thought. I couldn't keep
thinking those things. My parents, no matter how badly I missed them, weren't a
part of my family anymore. Now it was Darius and Lolita. They were my parents. And
I loved them. The only thing stopping me from admitting that they were my parents
was the thought of my biological mom and dad, the people who obviously didn't love
me enough to keep me around. Darius and Lolita had kindly accepted me with open
arms. That was more than I could ask for with who I was.

Suddenly, something was very clear to me now. I ran the rest of the way
home, prepared to give Darius my answer. I was a ways away from the house, but that
didn't stop my aching legs from pushing forward. I felt as if I were having an
epiphany or something. I realized that Darius and Lolita gave me more love than my
parents had ever given me throughout my life. My sister and I had been close, but
apparently not close enough. My family-the family I was born into-wasn't accepting
enough for me.

When I reached the house I couldn't burst through the front door fast
enough. I tumbled inside, nearly tripping over shoes and other things littering the
foyer. I guess I made a bunch of noise because Lolita came scurrying in, concern on
her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You needing help?"

I gave her a quick yet sincere smile and kicked my shoes off. Darius soon
sauntered into the foyer, probably to see what all the ruckus was about. He raised
an eyebrow at me.

"You okay?" he asked. "Do you need help with something?"

I smiled even wider. "I'm absolutely fine. And yeah, I do need your help
with something."

He nodded and asked, "What do you need help with?"

"Filling out those adoption papers."

Darius looked stunned for a moment. Lolita's face lit up and she looked at
her husband excitedly. He smiled at her and nodded at me. I followed him into the
kitchen and took a seat at the table. He fished out some papers in a file and set
them on the table. He handed Lolita and I pens and he stared at me carefully.

"Jace, this is really big," he said. "You don't have to do it if you don't
want to."

I nodded at him. I rubbed my clammy palms against my knees. "I want to do

this," I replied. "I really...I realized that I really do love you guys. And you
love me...I'm pretty sure...and this is what we all need."

Lolita smiled. "Te amamos," she said. "We do love you."

Darius nodded. "We want you to know that we didn't want this because we
don't have children of our own. We want this because we do genuinely love you,
Jace."

Tears were welling in my eyes. "I know."

Darius smiled and wiped something-a tear, maybe-from his cheek. We then
began filling out the forms that would permanently determine who my real parents
were.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Three: Maxxie

Hey guys! Hope you had happy holidays :D So, I've changed their ages so the boys
are in the eleventh grade and Jace is turning sixteen. Just thought I'd like to
clear that up :) Love you all <3

Chapter Twenty-Three: Maxxie

"How about this?"

I peered over the shelf of dusty old sports trophies to see what Yuki was
holding up, which was an old baseball. I made a face and shook my head. She sighed
before placing it back on the shelf.

Jace's birthday was the next day and I had asked Yuki to help me look for a
gift for him. I had decided to buy one at this antique shop downtown, mostly
because it was all I could afford, but also because they had some pretty neat
stuff. But as I searched the endless dusty shelves, I couldn't find anything that
screamed 'Jace Storme'. It was frustrating, yet luckily Yuki and I were pretty
patient people.

"Does he collect anything?" Yuki asked breathlessly. "Like, marbles or

something?"

My fingers trailed across a film of dust. "No, he doesn't collect anything.

Hey, let's look over here."
 We proceeded into another aisle, gazing at everything as if it's were plain
old sand. Our eyelids were on the verge of closing over. Then, out of nowhere, I
spotted it. My eyes fixated on the object, mesmerized by its intricacy. My feet
seemed to have disconnected from my brain, because soon I was at the small metal
shelf, my hands reaching for the little statue. I held it carefully, afraid that
with the slightest movement it would break.

It was a glass statue the colour of the sea, with swatches of purple and
yellow. The glass had been blown in such a way to look like two people-two men-with
their arms wrapped in some sort of embrace. Their elongated arms intertwined with
each other, coming around to hold a tiny red heart. I'm sure it was to signify
harmony between people of the world, but to me it was much more than that. It was
the unity of two lovers coming together to protect one heart, which now belonged to
them. It symbolized Jace and I.

As I stood in my trance, I felt Yuki come up behind me. I heard her gasp
softly and whisper, "Wow. That's beautiful."

I nodded in response. It's perfect, I thought. I smiled at her excitedly,

already anticipating Jace's reaction. As I walked to the front of the store, I
hoped that he would like the gift. I hoped that it would mean as much to him as it
did to me.

I paid for the statue and Yuki and I left the building. I checked my watch
to see that it was five o'clock in the afternoon-my mom would be expecting me home.
I looked at Yuki apologetically but she just smiled.

"I've got to get home too," she replied. "My older brother is back from
Japan for Christmas holidays. Lucky bastard."

I smiled at her and we began to walk home. Our houses were only a block
away from each other. At first, we walked in silence, watching as the snow fell
softly through the dimming night. Soon, Yuki asked, "How do you make it work?"

I raised an eyebrow at her and replied, "What do you mean?"

She kicked snow in front of her and brushed hair from her face. "I mean,
Jace is the popular guy. You're the nerdy guy-no offense."

"None taken."

She exhaled, causing a steam cloud to puff in front of her. "That kind of
relationship just doesn't... exist. But somehow you two have made it real. How?"

I was ready to interject and say that there were plenty of popular kid/geek
relationships, but I realized that I had only seen those in movies and on TV. As I
thought, I realized that Jace wasn't your typical popular guy. He was only popular
because he was good looking and he used to make fun of people. But now that we had
been together for a few months, I realized that his popularity had diminished.
Sure, some girls winked at him in the hallways-although they knew he was gay-but
now the girls that used to be all over Jace were sucking up to John and his
homophobic crew. It was as if people only liked Jace because he was mean.

"I think we make it work," I replied slowly, "because we know each other.
We know that we're different but that doesn't matter. Relationships are all about
respecting and accepting each other's differences." I paused and stared at the
snow. "In fact, that's what life is supposed to be like; just accepting the
diversity around us."

Yuki nodded slowly but didn't respond. That was okay, though. I knew she
understood where I was coming from.

Yuki and I parted ways and I continued on to my house. When I arrived, my

fingertips were like cubes of ice. I quickly entered the warm house and was hit
with the smell of chicken. My stomach suddenly grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't
eaten lunch-I was starving.

"Mom! Liam!" I called, stripping my jacket and boots off. "I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!" my mom called. "Supper is ready!"

I briskly walked up the stairs and set the statue carefully on my desk. I
then rushed into the kitchen, skipping the stairs two at a time. When I arrived in
the kitchen, Mom and Liam were already beginning their meal. I was about to sit
down, when the phone rang. I sighed-I just couldn't settle down-and checked the
caller ID. My heart leapt as I saw Jace's name flashing. I quickly took it from the
cradle and retreated to the living room.

"Hey you," I said happily.

"Hi," he said quickly. "You busy?"

I glanced back at the kitchen. My mom and Liam didn't look like they were
going to miss me so I replied, "No. Why?"

I heard the smile on his face as he said "Look outside."

I wanted to ask why, but I crawled off the couch and peeked outside. There
was nothing but the light snowfall and the golden light of a street lamp. I was
half expecting him to be standing there doing something spontaneous-he was that
kind of person-but he wasn't there. In fact, there wasn't a person in sight.

"There's nothing but snow," I said.

"Exactly."
 Now I was confused. Why was he calling me to say that there was snow on the
ground? That was obvious to anyone within miles of here. We got snow every single
year so it wasn't very alarming that the ground was covered in white fluff. So why
was it so important?

"Are you okay Jace?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm just bored, is all. And I miss you. Plus I was... never mind.
It's not important."

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course anything you have to say is important. What
is it?"

I heard him sigh. "I just... uh, well, tomorrow is my birthday. And, well,
I really love you and-"

He trailed off. I knew where he was going, though. I didn't understand why
he was being so sheepish about it. We had done it twice before. It wasn't anything
new, but maybe because it was his request that he was so shy about it. I nearly
cracked a small smile at how cute and unreasonable he was being.

"Of course I'll have sex with you," I said quietly, making sure my mom and
Liam wouldn't hear. I don't think they'd be happy if their sixteen year old son was
sexually active with a guy he had only been going out with for a couple of months.

"How did you know I wanted that?" Jace asked me. I could just picture his
face being the colour of a beet.

"I would want the same thing," I replied honestly, nearly blushing myself.

"Maxxie! Your dinner is getting cold! Call whoever you're talking to back!"
my mom called.

I told Jace that I had to go and we said our goodbyes. I then proceeded
back into the kitchen, placing the phone back into the cradle. I sat down at the
table and began to eat my chicken. I was suddenly very excited about tomorrow.
Sure, we'd had sex before, but this would be different somehow. I didn't know how;
the atmosphere just felt different.

"Who was that?" my mom asked, peering up at me.

"Jace."

"Oh." She paused. "Tomorrow is his birthday, right? He's turning sixteen,
right?"

I nodded. I watched uneasily as she glanced at Liam. He shrugged at her and

she set her cutlery on the table. She wiped her mouth and my anxiety began to
escalate. Liam followed her actions, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Max," my mom began slowly, "you are sixteen years old. You have a
boyfriend. I know that you're older now and having a boyfriend is exciting, and you
can easily take advantage of that situation with a birthday. But I want you to know
that you must stay safe."

My cheeks flared. Oh my goodness. Were we really about to have 'The Talk'?!

Right over dinner?! I had assumed I would be receiving that special lesson sometime
soon, but whenever I played the scene in my head it was never my mom giving me the
speech. It was always my dad, or maybe now, Liam. We were all guys. We could
relate. My mom was a woman. We functioned completely differently. Hell, I didn't
even know-and I frankly didn't want to know-how a woman's body worked.

"Mom," I said sheepishly through gritted teeth, "we'll be fine."

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you will be, but I just want to inform you the
importance of these things. Has Jace been tested for STI's?"

My face prickled again. I could tell Liam knew my discomfort; it was

obvious on my face, so he turned to my mom and explained that maybe we should talk
alone. This upset my mom a little but she soon left. It was then just Liam and I
and the monotone sound of the wall clock.

"So," Liam said. I could tell he was just as uncomfortable as me, if not
even more. He had no kids of his own so he probably never imagined he'd be in this
situation. But here we were.

"We'll be safe," I assured him. "We've... we've done it before."

He cracked a grin. "I figured that you'd done it already. You two seem like
the type."

I didn't know whether to take that as an offense or a compliment so I just

sat still. I had been hungry before but now I was starting to feel sick. This
situation was so... sudden. And awkward.

"Look," Liam said, "I know you're smart enough to know what to do. I
really... don't want to have this conversation. Don't get me wrong, I care a lot
about you, but... well, truthfully, I think you're smarter than me at this subject.
Let's just say that happened, okay?" He smiled.

I grinned. "Sneaky. But deal."

 He looked relieved. His face then softened and he said, "I'm proud of you,
Maxxie. And hey, wish Jace a happy birthday for me, 'kay?"

I nodded. I watched as he stood up and trailed out of the kitchen. He did

that a lot.

>>><<<

The next day, Jace's birthday, was a Saturday. I waited around all day, giddy with
excitement, for five o'clock to hit the clock.

"Darius and Lolita will be working late then," he had said. So now I was
walking in the snow, a delicate box wrapped in purple paper and a bow cradled
against my chest.

With every step I took, I felt more and more giddy. We would make dinner-
well, possibly burn dinner-and sit down to a movie. After the movie we would head
into the hot tub which would put us in the 'right mood', as Jace had said. After
probable making out in the tub we would head back inside full of passion and
longing and that's when things would happen.

I hoped it would go as planned.

When I knocked on Jace's door, he answered quickly. He looked casual yet he

looked absolutely beautiful. He was wearing a pair of black sweats and a worn
looking white V-neck T-shirt. His hair was slightly messy yet it looked absolutely
wonderful. I suddenly felt overdressed in my jeans and a polo shirt.

"Come in," he said, stepping aside. He took my jacket and hung it on a

hook. "You look great. Sorry I'm not dressed up. I was trying to look perfect."

My fingers drifted to his face. "You always look perfect."

He smiled and kissed me. His lips were warm and slightly chapped, but I
liked the coarse feeling. When he pulled away, his eyes were dancing.

"Well, this is a very good start to my birthday," he said.

I laughed and handed him the present. He looked at me with his you-really-
didn't-have-to-get-me-anything look and I returned an of-course-I-had-to-get-you-
something gaze. He smiled and kissed me quickly before leading me into the kitchen.
We sat at the table and I watched anxiously as he tore at the paper. When he opened
the box, he gasped.

"Maxxie..." he began. He lifted the statue out of its hiding place. "Oh my
gosh. It's absolutely... breathtaking."

He ran his hands across the delicate and timeless glass. He looked amazed
by the object, just as I had been in the shop. He didn't say anything, but when he
looked at me, I knew it meant as much to him as it did to me. I smiled, for my
prayers had been answered.

"Thank you," he said. "It's... amazing."

I grinned and kissed him. His fingers curled around the collar of my shirt
and he tugged me closer. I could feel everything easing from his body through our
kiss. I could also feel the passion building and I quickly pulled away, smirking at
him.

"Save it for the hot tub," I whispered.

He shot me a look but grinned. He looked at the statue one last time before
placing it on a nearby bookshelf. He then walked to the fridge and took ingredients
for tacos out. He grabbed a sombrero that was hanging on a nearby wall and placed
it on my head. I chuckled and leaned against the kitchen island as he began to
place cutting boards, bowls, and knives in front of me.

"Tonight is Mexican night," he said. "I'll work on the super-secret ground

beef recipe of Lolita's while you do the bitch work." He kissed my cheek. "I'm
kidding. But I would like you to cut some of the vegetables and cheese."

I smiled and began to do the bitch work. As I sliced and he sautéed, we

talked about everything we could think of-our parents, school, people. It was
comforting to know that I could be so open with him about everything.

"I'm done with this meat," he announced. "You alright over there?"

I nodded and set the knife down. "Good to go."

He came over with a steaming bowl of the stuff. It smelled incredible. We

soon began to pile things into our taco shells, stuffing our faces with endless
Mexican delight. As we ate, we laughed at how messy we were getting.

After our meal we headed to the basement to watch the movie that Jace had
picked for us. We got comfy on the couch, his arm around my shoulders and me
snuggled against his chest. As the opening credits rolled out and the movie title
came in, I looked up at him.

"Brokeback Mountain?" I asked.

He blushed and nodded. "Have you seen it?"

I shook my head. "No. But I've wanted to see it. Jake Gyllenhaal is hot."
He shot me a look. I smiled and rested my hand on his chest. I kissed his
cheek and said, "I'm kidding." He smiled in response and we watched the movie.

As the movie went along, I found it hard to concentrate, which I suppose

was a good thing. All I was aware of was Jace's fingertips brushing against my
arms, my hair, and my neck. As we arrived at the second tent love scene, I felt
Jace's lips brush against the back of my neck. I shivered and took a sharp breath.
I could feel Jace's lips kissing the side of my face and my ear. I tried to
concentrate on Jake Gyllenhaal's shirtless figure but I could. I felt my heart
beating fast as the wanting for Jace kept growing.

"How about we skip the movie," he whispered. "And go into the hot tub."

I turn my face slightly and whispered back, "Yes."

As we stood up and padded our way back up the stairs and out the back door,
I realized that I had forgotten a swim suit. But Jace didn't go back into the house
to grab some, either. He stripped down to boxers and took the top off of the tub.
He swiftly jumped into the steaming bath of swirling water. He looked at me and
smirked, making me blush. I myself stripped my clothes until I was in my underwear
and hopped in after him. He pulled my close to him so I was on his lap. I stared
into his crystal blue eyes and smiled-he was absolutely gorgeous. No, gorgeous was
an understatement. He was beyond beautiful, beyond perfect. He was something else,
something inexplicable.

I wove my hands into his whimsical brown hair and pressed my lips against
his. Our mouths moved slowly together and steam billowed around us. The warm water
prickled me. My stomach touched Jace's every so often as we kissed. I soon felt
Jace's tongue flick against mine. I pulled away from him and moved my lips down his
neck and shoulders. I heard him trying to steady his breathing.

"The snow looks beautiful in your hair you know," he breathed. "You look
like an angel."

I smiled and looked back at him. His fingers brushed against my jaw and my
cheek. I rested my hands on his sculpted chest. For a while we just sat there
staring at each other and embracing each other. He flicked his thumb against my
lips before kissing me again. His hands travelled down my chest and to my stomach.
His fingers played at the band of my boxers and I smiled against his lips.
 "Happy birthday," I whispered.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Four: Jace

I's kind of short, I'm sorry. :( I hope you guys enjoy <3

Chapter Twenty-Four: Jace

I stared at the little spackle dots on the ceiling and listened to Maxxie's careful
breathing. My nimble fingers wove in and out of his silky hair. Last night's events
were playing on repeat in my mind-everything from the hot tub to our adventure in
the bedroom. Maxxie's beautiful face kept flashing in my mind and I couldn't help
but crack a small smile as he stirred in his sleep.

I was happy that Lolita and Darius said they wouldn't be returning home
until late. I think they'd had an idea what Maxxie and I might do, but none of us
were ready to be openly talking about sex. That was just weird. So they left us be
and I couldn't be more thankful.

Now, as dawn was barely cracking, I stared at the sleeping angel beside
me. His back was pressed against my chest and my arm was wrapped around him. I
could feel his chest rising up and down slowly as he breathed. I pictured waking up
to this every morning, him beside me, rings on our left hands glinting in the
morning light. The thought put a smile on his face and I stroked his cheek softly.

Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered and he turned over to look at me. He

blinked a couple of times and I smiled at him. I leaned over to kiss him softly and
when I pulled away he was blushing.

"Morning," I said quietly.

"Hi," he replied, rubbing his eyes. He looked out the window. "What time
is it?"

I glanced at the clock. "It's five."

He looked puzzled. "Why are you up?"

I shrugged. "I was thinking. And staring at you. You look so peaceful when
you're asleep."

He grinned and snuggled even closer to me. "What were you thinking about?"

I ran my finger up and down his arm. I wondered if I should tell him. We
were both young but I already knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with
him. I knew he was my first boyfriend and practically my first relationship, but he
was beyond anything I had ever wanted in a partner. He was caring and loving and
loyal. Just looking at him sent a warm feeling through the pit of my body.

"I was thinking about us," I said. "Our future, I mean."

He had begun to trace the lines on my palm. I noticed how different he

looked without his glasses on. He looked younger almost. As I marveled his beauty,
he said, "What about our future?"

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. I admitted to him that I

pictured us getting married one day, living in a house of our own where we wouldn't
need to worry about John or Brian or anybody.

"Maybe we could even adopt a couple of kids," I teased.

He chuckled and turned so his body was now facing me. He placed his hands
on my chest and his eyes danced from mine to my chest. His eyes finally stopped on
my eyes and he smiled as wide as I had ever seen him smile.

"I do," he whispered.

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you do?"

He chuckled and looked at me sincerely. He touched the corner of my lips

with his thumb. "I will marry you."

I grinned. This was our premature, eternal vow to each other. We were
young, yes, but we didn't care. I guess when you love someone it doesn't matter how
young you are. It just matters that the love is there.

I leaned forward and kissed Maxxie softly.

>>><<<

After Maxxie went home sometime in the morning, I lounged around the house, bored
as ever. Darius and Lolita had gone to the diner so I was home alone. Maxxie was at
home, apparently attending some wedding thing of his mom's. I didn't really feel
like going anywhere by myself so I just sat on the couch watching holiday specials
on TV.

As I was in the middle of watching Frosty the Snowman, there was a sudden
knock on the door. It was quiet and almost timid. I stood up from the couch and
walked into the foyer, wondering who it could be. When I opened the door, I nearly
gasped. My knees began to wobble as I saw my little sister standing there holding a
box wrapped in balloon paper. Her brown hair was curled around her shoulders and
she was wearing her fancy faux fur jacket. I could tell that she was going out
somewhere with our parents, but why she was here on the front stoop was beyond my
knowledge.

"Jules," I croaked. "What are you doing here?"

She avoided my eyes as she thrust the parcel at me, "Here."

She quickly turned on her heels and started to walk off the front step.
Just like that, she'd appeared and left as quickly as I could blink. I hadn't seen
her in months and I needed to talk to her. I needed to ask her if mom was doing
alright and how their lives were going. She couldn't just give me a present and
then leave.

I reached out and grabbed her wrist, twisting her so she was facing me.
Her eyes bugged out a little and she gasped. I looked at her pleadingly and said,
"Jules, come in and talk to me. I haven't seen you in ages and-"

She shook her head quickly. Her eyes, the same colour as mine, were
looking glassy. "I can't Jace. We're supposed to be going to a funeral right now."

I raised an eyebrow. "What? Who's funeral?"

Her brows knit together and her face fell. Something washed over me-and it
didn't feel good. Something in my stomach churned, knowing something was wrong.

"You didn't hear?" she whispered.

"Hear what?"

I braced myself for the worse, but nothing could have ever prepared me for
the news I was about to hear.

"Primrose is dead."

My brain instantly shut off. I couldn't think straight. All I can remember
is my knees gave in and I was suddenly falling to the floor. Jules reached down to
catch me but she staggered under my weight. My breath began to accelerate and I
felt my eyes begin to prickle.

"Jace, are you alright?" Jules asked.

 My mind was spinning in circles. I struggled to remember any form of words
but I managed to squeak, "What do you mean she's dead?"

She bit her lip. "She was found behind the church beaten to death.

My stomach lurched. Everything was suddenly coming to a halt, all my

emotions toppling over each other to create a giant tidal wave of pain and
confusion. It was hard to concentrate on anything but the clenching of my fists to
keep from screaming out loud.

Jules opened her mouth to say something but I heard a horn honk. She
turned her head to the road and I saw my parents for the first time in weeks. My
mother looked forlorn as she saw her children crouching in the door of a house, her
son a wreck. My father's face was hard set and he called my sister's name. She
sighed, tears in her eyes, and she kissed my cheek.

"I'll try and call you later," she whispered. She handed the present back
to me and walked out the door, shutting it behind her. I just sat there in the
middle of the foyer, staring blankly at the crevices in the tiles.

Prim couldn't be dead. She was one of the most amazing people in the
world. She had one of the most pure and wonderful souls of any person I had ever
met. She didn't deserve to die, especially not the way she had been killed.
I wanted to chase my parents' car and demand the answers as to who had
killed Primrose, if they knew at all. But it was no use. If I hadn't even been
invited to her funeral, there was no use in talking to my parents.

For hours I just say against the wall, crying until Darius and Lolita
found me hours later. When they asked what was wrong, I couldn't respond.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Five: Maxxie

It's shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's here. Enjoy :) Happy New Year's <3

Chapter Twenty-Five: Maxxie

"I swear this will be the death of me," Liam huffed.

I sat on a blue velvet couch and watched as Liam was being poked and
measured for his wedding tuxedo. Two plump old women with caramel coloured skin
were wrapping tape measures around every inch of his body, seeing how tall he was,
looking into his eyes to see what colour the ties should be. I was thankful that my
mom had already picked out my suit so I didn't need to be probed by these people.

"It's not that bad," my mom assured him. "We'll be done before you know
it."

He sighed. I heard one of the ladies snicker softly but I ignored it. I
was becoming restless, so I looked at the clock on the wall. It was nearly noon and
I was starving. My mom obviously wouldn't bring me anywhere soon, so I turned to
her and put a puppy dog face on. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist this face;
she was never able to, even when I was a kid.

"Mom, can I have like, fifteen bucks?" I asked sweetly.

She made a face. "What for?"

"I'm starving," I exaggerated. "There's a McDonald's down the street."

If there was one thing you should know about my mom, it was that she hated
fast food. I didn't know what she had against it but she treated it as if it were
the very food that Satan lived off of. I knew that asking for McDonald's was a big
question but I could drop dead of starvation any second now.

She finally sighed and took her purse out. She fished out a couple of
bills and handed me twenty bucks, which was more than I had asked for. I smiled and
kissed her cheek. I asked her if she wanted anything but she declined. Liam asked
for some medium fries and I took off.

The air outside was icy although there was no wind. My boots crunched
under the snow on the sidewalk and I watched my breath come out in wispy puffs. I
took note on how my breath looked like my mom's wedding veil when it hit the cold
air. And the wedding veil though reminded me that I would have a step-dad in a
month. And I'd be moving to the other side of country.

My breath suddenly came out in one big wave. I hadn't heard from Jace that
my dad e-mailed him back about me moving in with him. Chances were he didn't even
read the e-mail yet. He hated technology. He preferred the good old snail mail.
That was fine with me-I had plenty of time before the wedding to get the letter-but
I needed to some sort of proof soon. I needed assurance that he was going to come
and I wasn't going to be let down again.

I put those thoughts out of my head when I realized that my eyes were
beginning to water. I arrived at the golden arches of McDonald's and stepped inside
the restaurant. I was hit with the greasy smell of French fries and grilling meat.
People sat at tables and talked with their kids or their friends. The line was long
but I was thankful it moved quickly. I ordered a chicken nugget meal and Liam's
fries then found an empty table. As I opened the barbecue sauce for my chicken, the
brown liquid flew onto my shirt. I cussed and stared at the slimy glob. I stood up
and rushed to the bathroom before it could leave a stain.

Once in the bathroom, I dabbed wet paper towel onto the area where the
sauce was, all the while thinking that my mom was going to kill me in my sleep. I
began to cuss under my breath as I kept dabbing water onto my shirt. Just then, one
of the stall doors opened and someone walked towards the sinks. Someone I knew.
Someone with dark brown hair and cold eyes.
John.
 Except, it didn't look like him at all. His face looked as if he had
jumped from a moving vehicle. His left eye looked swollen and his lips were cracked
and bloody. His cheeks were scathed and scratched, as if he'd been hit with a
couple of small rocks. He looked absolutely exhausted and it was anybody's guess
what had happened to him.

I stared in complete shock as he grabbed some paper towel and ran it under
the cold water. He dabbed the dripping paper on his face to wipe the blood. He
looked down into the ceramic bowl and watched the red swirling with the water down
the drain. He soon noticed me looking and he glanced at me. He didn't give me a bad
look or snarl at me. He simply stared at me.

"What happened to you?" I managed to ask.

He looked back into the mirror and continued to clean his face, wincing
every so often. I could tell that he was angry and he was only hurting himself even
more by scrubbing like that. I sighed and took the paper from his hands. I threw it
out and got some new paper, soaking it under lukewarm water. I turned his head so
he was looking at me and I dabbed his face softly. He didn't pull away or call me a
name like I thought he would. He just relaxed and leaned against the sink as I
washed his face of all the dirt and blood and sweat.

"If you could take back anything you've ever done, what would you take
back?" John murmured.

I let his words simmer in my head before responding. I was amazed that I
was having a pretty decent conversation with John, the person who beat up my
boyfriend for being gay. He was known as a popular, good looking bully at our
school. You either loved him or you hated him, and he either loved or hated you. I
was certain that he hated me, so I would treasure this conversation.

"I wouldn't take back anything," I informed him. "How about you?"
Out of the corner of my eye I could see him swallow hard. As I continued
to wipe every injury clean, I saw that his eyes were suddenly fixed on nothing in
particular. It was as if he were focusing on something inside him, something nobody
else could see unless he opened up.

"I messed up, Max," he said softly. "I really messed up."

As I waited for him to respond, I threw the bloody paper towel into the
trashcan. I washed my hands quickly and turned back to him, expecting an answer to
his comment. When he didn't speak up, I asked, "How did you mess up?"

He took a shaky breath. Maybe this would explain what happened to his
face. With the blood and grime wiped away I could see bruises dotting his cheeks
and forehead. Maybe he did jump out of a car.

"A couple days ago," he began, "I saw two girls. They were holding hands.
One of them had flaming red hair-like a fire truck-and it was spiky. The other girl
had curly hair and she was familiar, I just didn't know from where at the time. And
they were both wearing those stupid uniforms from that Catholic school a couple
blocks from ours. And as I stared at them showing affection for each other, I
couldn't help but think how wrong it was."

My heart dropped. Every hope I had of having a decent conversation with

him flew away. I suddenly felt stupid; why would I ever think that I could talk to
John normally? He was rude, inconsiderate, and mean. He didn't accept who I was and
I didn't want to know how he felt towards those poor girls.

"But then, as I continued looking, I only thought it was wrong because

they weren't wearing gloves and it was freezing outside." He paused. "I... I took
another look at them and felt... jealous."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would you feel jealous?"

He took another wobbly breath. "Max, I... I want to say that I'm sorry. I
wish that I was ever mean to you about who you are because... well... I'm just like
you."

At first, I didn't understand what he meant. We had nothing in common with

each other. Then, the gears clicked. I'm just like you. Classic thing to say when
you want to admit something but at the same time you want to deny everything. I had
a feeling about what John might say, but surely it was impossible. He was
homophobic. He couldn't be telling me this.

"Are you gay John?" I asked with more emotion than I wanted. I expected
him to knock me one in the face but instead he hung his head slightly.

"I... yeah, I'm gay. And... well, I know he'll never fall for me, but I
have a crush on Jace."

My knees nearly gave in. This was far too much information for one day.
First, John was talking to me. Then, I found out he was gay. Now he's telling me
that he likes my boyfriend, the person who he used to be best friend's with. I
wanted to ask him to pinch me and make sure that I was dreaming but the look on his
face told me it was anything but a dream.

"Okay," I squeaked, wanting to get back to his original story. I'd get
back to this topic some other time. "And is this connected to you messing up?"

He nodded. "I guess someone saw the two girls holding hands, because they
began to throw snow balls at them. The girls didn't seem to mind, though. They just
giggled. This made me angry and I walked up to the people. I asked them what they
were doing and they said they didn't like lesbians or gays. I told them off and
they beat me up, along with the girls." He blinked. "I can't remember everything,
but I do remember that there was blood and screaming. And I realized that the girl
who looked familiar was Jace's friend. And by the time I remembered who she was she
was covered in so much blood that it was impossible for her not to be dead."

My stomach lurched. How was Jace handling the death of his friend? Who was
this friend? Who beat her up? Why was John still bleeding? There were so many
questions and I had no answers.

"Why are you still bleeding?" I asked. "Did they beat you up again or
something?"

He nodded slowly and mumbled, "I threatened to call the cops. They found
me again earlier and beat me up." A tear trickled down his face. "I can't believe I
let that happen. If I just let the girls be Jace's friend wouldn't be dead. That
poor red headed girl wouldn't be heart broken."

It was weird seeing someone who radiated dominance cry. It seemed wrong,
yet I wanted to comfort him. I hated seeing people cry. Yet as I saw his eyes fill
with tears, I couldn't help but see a little bit of Jace in him. Jace probably
needed me right now. And I would go to him.

"John, come with me," I said. I grabbed his hand and took my cellphone out
of my pocket, hovering my thumb over the number '3' button, which was my mom's
number on speed dial.

"Where are we going?" he asked, sniffling.

"We're all going to Jace's house," I said.

His eyes went wide. "But he hates me!"

I sighed. "I don't care. You both need each other despite the fact that
you were an asshole to him. You need to be his best friend again, just for a
moment." I shot him a look. "And just remember that he's mine."

John nodded, though he looked petrified. I myself didn't even know how
this whole thing would go down.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Six: Jace

Chapter Twenty-Six: Jace

The images flicked across the screen in a big, washed out blur. The lady's too-
perky face was plastered with fake sympathy as people behind her filed through the
large doors of a church. Her lips moved quickly as if to mask the sadness emanating
from the crowd.
 "Friends and family of Primrose Callaway, the local pastor's daughter,
gather to mourn her death. The young girl was found beaten to death behind her
father's church. No reports have been filed as to who could have committed the
crime."

This was as close to Primrose as I could get. The only thing separating us
at that moment was a stupid TV screen. I would never get to see her face again. I
would never get to hear her laugh. I would never get to feel her arms around me for
a hug.

I would never get to say a proper goodbye.

Jules' present sitting in my lap was the only thing that kept me from
falling apart. I had begun to think violent things, like maybe her own father had
killed his daughter. He had probably found out she was a lesbian. He probably hit
her with a Crucifix while shouting, "The power of Christ compels you!" Or maybe it
was an exorcism gone wrong.

I could feel my hands ball into fists in my lap. It wasn't fair that a
girl so pure and wonderful was dead because of who she was in love with. What
difference did it make if she loved another woman? What difference did it make if I
loved another man? What difference did it make if her father liked the opposite
gender? Love was love and it was everyone's human right. Nobody-not even the worst
of people-deserved to be questioned or discriminated about who they loved.

I feared that if I continued to rant to myself I would break something. I

squeezed my eyes shut and chanted Maxxie's name in my head, yet it didn't work. My
hands were craving to punch or rip something. I remembered the present in my lap
and I tore away at the paper and the box.

When I peered into the parcel, my breath caught in my throat. I reached

into the box and pulled out a little figurine of an angel. She was beautiful, with
caramel hair floating around her in soft ringlets, spring green eyes, and ivory
flawless ivory skin. She wore a long silk dress adorned with lace and tiny,
sparkling jewels. Her hands were outstretched as if she were ready to give someone
a huge hug. She reminded me of someone, yet I was afraid to admit who it was. My
eyes didn't want to leave the stunning doll, yet they drifted to the box again. I
noticed a pink piece of paper with ragged-yet elegant-edges. I reached into the box
and read the note.

Prim is your angel. She will always watch over you.

I love you, Jace. Never forget that. Happy birthday.
Love, Jules.

When I looked back at the angel, I realized she really did look like Prim.
But that made my heart wrench. It reminded me that she was with me, but at the same
time she wasn't really here. Anger rushed through me, yet I didn't know who I was
really mad at. Was I mad at whoever killed her? Was I mad at God for creating us to
be different? Was I mad at my parents for not informing me of her funeral? I
couldn't place the anger and that somehow made me even more angry.
 Suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling me. I tried to compose myself as
best as I could and wiped my face of the tears. I swung the front door open and saw
Maxxie standing there. And John was next to him. I raised an eyebrow at the scene,
wondering why John was standing there. With Maxxie. With his face looking like it
had been run over by a lawnmower.

"What are you doing here?" I asked John. My voice sounded more bitter than
intended but I didn't care. After everything he'd done he deserved it.

"Maxxie dragged me," John admitted sort of sheepishly.

My eyes shot to Maxxie. He stared at me innocently. I noticed a light

brown stain on his shirt and I wondered what these two had been doing. What had
happened to result in them showing up to my house together?

"Jace, can we come in?" Maxxie asked. He didn't stop to have my answer
though, because he grabbed John's hand and pushed past me. He kicked his shoes off,
gave me a quick kiss, and stalked off into the living room. I watched in confusion
as he still held John's hand as if he were a young child. I shook the feelings away
and followed them.

Maxxie motioned for John to sit on one of the couches and he sat on the
other. He patted the spot beside him for me to sit with him. I stood in disbelief.
Maxxie was controlling John as if he were some sort of animal. Were they alright?
Was John okay? I then reminded myself that I really didn't care what John felt. I
took a seat beside Maxxie and let him touch my face softly. His eyes searched my
face, looking for something. From the wan look on his face I could tell he found
it.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he whispered.

A lump thickened in my throat. I couldn't speak. I blinked a couple times

to keep from crying. I focused on John, who stared at me with sympathetic, scared
eyes. Twice he tried to look away, to break our stare, but I didn't flinch. I
stared at him until he squeaked.

"I know what happened to her," John said wanly. "I got beat up too."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. He had to be lying. John was pretty strong.

He had beaten me up before. If he could hurt me there was no way he could have
gotten beaten up himself, unless the people were six foot something and possibly
packing on a couple hundred pounds. As if he sensed my feelings, John said, "They
were huge, Jace. And there were three of them. I think they were high, too."
 Was that supposed to make me feel better? Because it only made me feel
worse, knowing that poor Primrose was assaulted and murdered by three huge people
on the influence of drugs. I could picture her helpless body being beaten as she
lay screaming in a pool of her own blood. I shut my eyes at the image and hoped it
would go away. I could feel tears dribbling down my cheeks.

"Jace," Maxxie whispered, "it'll be okay."

I shook my head. "No, it won't be okay." When I spoke, it sounded wrong.

It didn't sound like me. It sounded like someone else. Someone weak.

Suddenly, I felt a different hand resting on my knee. It wasn't the soft

yet sure feel of Maxxie's palm. This hand I knew yet I barely recognized. They were
strong and trying to fight something. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at John.
He looked at me with sympathy and lust. I could tell that he was holding the
romantic feelings he had for me back, all because he wanted to help me. I was weak
and vulnerable. I needed answers and he had them.

I nodded at John and asked what happened to his face. He took a deep
breath and explained everything. He explained the snow balls and the rocks and the
fists and the kicks. He explained how they were dragged to the back of the church
and the guys just went all out. He told me that he couldn't do anything because he
was pinned down. He told me that he felt guilty about everything.

"They beat me up again today," John informed.

"Why?"

"Because I threatened to tell the cops."

My face dropped. He still hadn't called the cops? It had been what? A
couple of days since the beating? Why hadn't he informed authorities yet? Surely he
wasn't being stalked, or he would have said something. Or maybe he wouldn't have.
Either way, I was seeing a John who hadn't changed. I wasn't going to let his
sadness fool anyone; he was still the same John, always trying to solve things by
himself. He didn't like having help even if it was life threatening, or in this
case, somebody's justice on the line. He was always hungering for power.

Anger got the best of me finally and my hands balled into fists. I inched
forward on the couch and glared at John. I pointed a finger at him and opened my
mouth, but what could I say? I couldn't accuse him of killing Primrose, because he
didn't. He had been just as helpless as she was. But maybe I was mad at him for not
telling somebody yet? Was that it? I didn't even know. Instead, I just broke down
crying again.

Maxxie's hands rubbed my back in small circles. John crouched there,

unsure what to do. I wouldn't have known what I would do in his situation, anyways.
I was a mess, a terrible mess. I suddenly craved for the morning to go back to the
time when I didn't even know that Primrose was gone. It would have been so much
less painful than the truth. The truth always hurts.

"Jace," I heard John whisper, "I'm so sorry. For everything."

I didn't respond. I just sobbed. My chest ached and my eyes stung. My head
felt like somebody was pounding at it with a hammer. My nose was tripping and I
felt disgusting.

Suddenly, the images on the TV screen were back to the funeral. Primrose's
dad, his eyes puffy his nose pink, was standing in front of the camera. I stopped
bawling just long enough to focus on the interview.

"The night before her death, she came out and told me she was a lesbian,"
the pastor admitted. I found myself clutching onto the couch and inching forward
with every breath he took.

"How did you react?" the reporter asked.

He sniffed. I could see he was acting strong, although he felt incredibly

weak. "I told her I didn't care whom she loved. I loved her so much. She was
amazing. I promised her that I would never let anything hurt her." A stray tear
fell down his cheek. He whispered, "I failed."

Immobile, my eyes were glued to the TV screen. Even when Maxxie turned it
off and the screen went black I continued to stare.

The pastor, the person in this town who was closest to the Lord, was
accepting of her daughter's sexuality. He didn't throw her out of the house. He
didn't scream that the Grace of the Lord compelled her. No, he simply said that he
wouldn't let anything hurt her. My mind flashed back to three years ago when
Primrose came out to me. She trusted me because I had already confided in her how I
felt about men. She told me she was scared but I replied that I wouldn't let anyone
lay a hand on her. But now here she was, dead at the tender age of sixteen. The
thought made my heart nearly stop and I made a strangled sound in the back of my
throat.

"Jace," Maxxie said softly, stroking my hair, "lay down. Get some rest."

I didn't object. I lay my head down on his lap and squeezed my eyes shut.
I heard John mumble he was sorry again and that he would see us at school. I
shuddered at the word because I didn't feel like going anywhere. I just wanted to
lay on Maxxie and have him stroke my hair.

I eventually fell asleep, yet I drifted in and out often. I was conscious
of Maxxie murmuring things in my ear that I could comprehend. After about three
hours I finally woke up for good. My head was spinning and my eyes still stung. I
got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to find Maxxie sitting at the
kitchen table and nibbling on some tortilla chips and salsa. When he saw me he gave
a small, reassuring smile. I padded over to him and sat across from him. He slid a
plate of nachos in front of me.

"I figured you'd be hungry once you woke up," he said. "Eat up."

I didn't have an appetite yet the chips were taunting. I began to nibble
on my nachos and soon the plate was empty. Maxxie cleared the dishes and ran them
under the faucet. As he did so, I felt drained. Not physically, but more
emotionally. Even if I wanted to I bet that I couldn't even shed another tear. All
I wanted to do was sleep.

"How are you feeling now?" Maxxie asked. He sat down again.

"Tired," I replied.

He reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Do you want to take
another nap before Darius and Lolita gets home?"

I nodded. I stood up and we walked up the stairs to my room. I got

comfortably under the covers while Maxxie sat on my desk chair. I lay my head on my
pillow and shut my eyes, yet I needed something else.

"Maxxie," I said softly, "could you... stay? Until Darius and Lolita gets
home?"

He nodded. "Of course."

I rested my head back on the pillow. I soon felt the weight shift on the
other side of the bed and Maxxie's arm wrapped around me. He was smaller than me
but his touch still comforted me. I snuggled into him and closed my eyes. I soon
drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I didn't wake until nine the next morning. Darius and Lolita were bound to
be at the diner so that left me alone... again. I longed for Maxxie but he was
probably at school. I was surprised that Lolita hadn't woken me up. I hoped that
Maxxie had explained everything to them.

After minutes of lying in my bed, I finally found the strength to crawl

out of bed and into the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge written in bright
blue marker. It said that there weren't any groceries but there was twenty bucks on
the counter. I was free to go to Starbucks or something for breakfast. I didn't
really feel like leaving the house but I was starving. I figured my sweat pants and
T-shirt were alright for the public eye but I slipped a hoodie over my head. I put
my sneakers on and began on my trek to the nearest coffee place.
 Starbucks wasn't too far from my house so I arrived in no time. I ordered
myself a muffin and a coffee and took a seat at a table. After devouring my muffing
I took to sipping my coffee and people watching. For some reason almost everyone in
the restaurant had a laptop with them. It reminded me that I hadn't checked my e-
mail yesterday and I was now itching to do so. I wanted to grab some guy wearing a
suit's Mac and start tapping away. I restrained myself however and downed the rest
of my coffee. I then exited the building and stood in the front for a minute.

I began to walk, but I had no idea where I was going. My feet just kind of
dragged on. When I found myself in front of the church, though, I wasn't surprised.
I stared at the giant bricked building. Just weeks ago I had run here. Primrose had
told me things that I would never forget.

"You belong here just as much as I do."

So why wasn't she here now? Surely if she was gone I didn't belong here
anymore. Her words, the words she had said so many days ago, echoed in my brain as
I stepped into the church. The doors shut loudly behind me. I stared at the wooden
statue of Jesus hanging by nails above the altar. My third grade class had donated
that to the church way back when. As I stared at it, I noticed a dark mark on
Jesus' collarbone. I smirked, remembering that those were my initials.

"Hey."

My eyes fixated down the aisle. There was a girl standing there with short
cropped, spiky, fire truck red hair and dazzling blue eyes. Her skin was snow white
and her lip was pierced. She wore a tattered pair of skinny jeans and a T-shirt
that said SHANAYNAY IS MY HOME GIRL, which was obviously homemade. She looked sort
of lost and didn't look as if she belonged here, but she got ten points for the
Shane Dawson reference.

"Hi," I replied. Neither of us moved. We stood our ground and just stared
at each other.

The girl bit her lip and said, "You're Jace, right?"

I looked at her suspiciously. "Uh, yeah. How did you know that?"

She gave me a pained smile. "Prim said that you had the bluest eyes she'd
ever seen. She was right-your eyes are painfully blue. Bluer than mine."

This must have been Shay, Primrose's girlfriend. I exhaled, relieved that
I didn't have some creepy girl who knew my name. I walked up to her and extended my
hand. She took it and said, "I'm Shay."

I nodded and said, "Prim talked about you a lot."

 She gave me a wan smile. Now that I was up close to her, I could see a
purple splotch just above her left eyebrow. I realized that she probably felt the
worst about this. She had been there the night of Primrose's death. She had seen
her poor girlfriend getting beaten to a pulp all the while she was getting the same
treatment. It was puzzling because Shay had a smaller frame than Prim. How had she
gotten free?

"Do you miss her?" I asked, which was stupid of me.

"More and more each day," Shay breathed.

I looked at the stain glass windows. "She really was amazing."

Shay nodded. She walked over to a pew and I felt obligated to follow. We
sat on the wooden seat in silence. All I could hear was our breathing and the
chirps of birds outside. Sunlight seeped through the colourful glass windows,
causing rainbows of beautiful light to swirl around. Prim always loved watching the
stain glass in the summer.

"You're gay, huh?" Shay asked. I nodded. She blinked and stared at her
hands. "How did you and Primrose meet then?"

"Our parents," I replied automatically. "My dad has always been close
friends with the pastor."

She nodded. She stared at the altar for what seemed like forever. She
never took her eyes off of it. She seemed so lost in thought that I didn't have the
heart to interrupt her thinking.

"I always pictured Primrose and I getting married in here one day," she
murmured. "I can't believe that her dad was okay with her being a lesbian. Didn't
your dad kick you out of the house?"

I nodded painfully. I didn't like talking about my dad.

"Sorry about that," she replied. "It's horrible what he did to you, you
know. Primrose told me everything about you two. Sometimes I got just a teensy bit
jealous of you. She adored the very ground you walk on, you know." Shay winked at
me.

"She did?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. She even got me taking a liking to you. You're so...
inspirational. You didn't break down when your dad kicked you out. You basically
said, 'Screw this! I'm going to bunk with a childless Mexican family!' That's
awesome, by the way."

"Thanks," I managed to say between her talking.

She stared up at the ceiling. "Like, you didn't even let that John kid get
in your way. You just held onto Max-his name is Max, right?-and didn't give five
shits about what everyone else did." She poked my arm. "That's what keeps the gay
community going, you know. People like you."

I gave her small smile. She made me sound like some hero sent from the
gods of gays, but really, I was anything but that. I was just trying to get by in
my life. I was sure that there was some other amazing gay person in the world.
Actually, there were probably hundreds better than I.

"I'm not that great," I said sheepishly.

She laughed. It sounded like metal clinking against the floor. "Believe me
honey, you are. If you have my approval then you're something special."

I blushed.

Shay sighed. "I can't believe she's gone."

"Me neither," I said. "I didn't even get to go to her funeral."

Shay raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I was wondered where you were. Why weren't
you there?"

"Nobody told me."

Shay frowned. I could tell that she was thinking my dad should have told
me but she probably knew he wouldn't have. She then looked at her watch and cussed.
I squirmed. It seemed a little wrong to be cussing in church but I didn't say
anything.

"I have to be back at school," she said. She stood up from the pew and
began to strip her pants and shirt. My face went ablaze and I quickly looked away.
When I turned back she was dressed in her school uniform, which she looked totally
unhappy in. She gave me a quick smile and said, "We should meet up again sometime.
Bring your boyfriend too."

I nodded. She blew me a kiss before heading out the church doors. I heard
them slam shut, causing the church to shake. I stayed in the pew and stared at the
dust circulating. Just sitting here I felt closer to Primrose.
 Two hours later, I said a prayer because I felt it was right and I left
the church. I suddenly felt happier. It was as if Prim was with me and I thought
back to the angel sitting in the box at home. Jules had been right.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Seven: Maxxie

Hey guys! Y'all are probably gonna hate me for this chapter, but I hope you
enjoy :) <3

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Maxxie

A week passed by quickly. I noticed that Jace seemed a little bit fragile looking,
like he would break if someone said a certain word. Sure, I knew he was still
devastated, so I tried to be extra nice to him. It was hard though because he only
gave me one word answers and practically ignored me.

Monday after school I headed to Jace's locker so we could walk home

together. He didn't seem to notice me when I arrived so I cleared my throat. He
glanced at me for a moment then continued to put his things away. A little bit of
hurt washed over me but I set it aside. He was still traumatized. I just had to
give him some time.

"Hey," I said, hoping he'd respond.

He shut his locker and turned to me. "Hi." He gave me a quick, small peck
on the lips. It wasn't the sensual kiss I usually got but it was better than
nothing.

"Are we going to get coffee?" I asked. We'd planned to do this little date
last week-before he found out about the girl's death-and I had been looking forward
to it. I just wanted to do something simple together.

"Uh, yeah," he replied slowly. "But can I have a request?"

I grinned although I felt uneasy. "Sure. You can request anything."

"Alright. Is that okay if I bring a friend along?"

My heart dropped a little. This day was supposed to be a little alone time
together before I moved and my dad didn't get back to town in time. Jace didn't
know how fast a couple of weeks could be. Every moment counted.

"Sure. Yeah, it's okay," I lied.

 He beamed and wrapped his arm around my waist. He led us out the school
and to the nearest Starbucks. As we walked in the brisk December weather, I kept
trying to make conversation but he was texting. I wanted to know who he was texting
but I decided against it. He wouldn't respond; he'd just continue to pay more
attention to an electronic device instead of his boyfriend.

When we finally arrived at Starbucks we ordered our drinks and found a

table to sit at. I attempted asking Jace how he was but he just brushed me off. I
noticed that he was staring behind me, probably focusing on the door while waiting
for his little friend. I asked myself, Why is this friend so important? Who is this
friend? But I didn't ask. I didn't want to know.

Suddenly, Jace's face lit up and he stood up. He began waving like a
lunatic to his little friend. I turned around to see a short girl with a tiny frame
walking up to our table. Her hair looked as if she had dipped her head into a bowl
of cherry Kool-Aid. Her clothes were tattered and worn looking. She smiled at Jace
and gave him a big hug. My hands balled into fists.

"Sorry I took so long," the girl said as she sat down beside Jace. "I had
to buy a slice of pizza at Al's parlor if I wanted to get changed in his bathroom."

"No worries," Jace assured her. "Hey, want me to buy you a coffee?"

I watched as she nodded and he walked into the line. He had never asked to
buy me a coffee before. Who was this girl? Why was she so important to Jace? I
thought these things as I clenched my coffee cup and stared at the table. I was
conscious of her eyes on me but I didn't dare look at her.

"So you're Maxxie, huh?" she asked.

I swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. And who are you?"

She smirked and leaned back in her chair. "The name is Shayna but I go by
Shay. Hey, why do you go by Maxxie? Your name is Max."

"I just like it. Why do you go by Shay?" I hissed.

She chuckled. "Point taken."

I took a satisfied sip of my coffee. One point Maxxie, zero points Shay.
Jace came back then, setting a coffee in front of the Shay girl. He
glanced from me to her. I tried studying him, trying to figure out how he met this
girl. He didn't have a job. He didn't go to church. He didn't talk much at school.
I was baffled and I expected him to answer me.

"So Jace," I said casually, "how did you meet Shay?"

 "At a church," Shay responded.

I raised an eyebrow at Jace. He shifted in his seat and smiled at Shay.

"What she means by that is that we first met at a church. We began talking
because she's Primrose's ex-girlfriend." He shrugged. "I figured it'd be nice to
finally meet the girl that Prim talked about so much."

I let my defenses grow just a little bit weaker. I asked, "So you're a
lesbian then?"

Shay shrugged. "Bi, actually. I recently found out that I'm attracted to
both women and men."

My defenses multiplied by a thousand. How recent was recently? Was it in a

week's time? Because I certain that she and Jace had hung out all last week. Had
Jace caused her to go bisexual? And could he be bisexual now too? No, I told
myself. He loves you.

"Where do you go to school, Shay?" I asked, trying to keep the chatter off
the topic of sexuality and relationships.

"The all girls' Catholic school," she replied bitterly. "It fucking sucks
there. I hate the stupid uniforms and all the girls are so damn religious. That's
what drew me to Prim; one day she was arguing to this girl about how homosexuals
belong just as much as heterosexuals in the Catholic church." Shay laughed. "I
couldn't believe it! The pastor's daughter defending gays! I loved it!"

I didn't know if Jace could tell, but this girl seemed like trouble. She
enjoyed being rebellious. People like her were bound to get him in trouble. He
didn't seem to mind her, though. They just laughed and chatted about different
things. I sat there awkwardly, ready to pounce if she made any kind of move on him.

"Hey, my older brother's band is performing at this underground theater

place on Friday night," Shay said. "You guys should come! It'll be so fun!"

I was ready to protest but Jace jumped in and replied, "We'd love to go,
Shay. Thanks for inviting us."

Shay smiled. "No problem! Admission is free, too. All you really need is a
pair of ear plugs if you don't like the noise."

She and Jace began laughing again. Jace glanced at me but I kept my face
hardened. I didn't smile. I didn't frown. I simply looked emotionless. He gave me a
tiny grin before turning back to the girl with the flaming hair.
>>><<<

"I don't want to go," I told Jace on Friday afternoon. He had come by my house to
pick me and take me to Shay's. We were in my room, me sitting on the bed and him
leaning against the wall.

"Maxxie, we already told her we'd go," he replied. "It'll be fun."

If you enjoyed being in dark, smoky room with sweaty, drunk, and high
people clashing around you, then yes, it would be fun. But I didn't like that. I
preferred to cuddle on the couch and maybe play some video games. Concerts-even low
key ones-weren't my style at all. Jace knew that. He just wanted to hang out with
Shay. Her name was like acid in my head.

Jace walked up to my bed and sat across from me. He looked me in the eye
sweetly and took my hands in his. He smiled and kissed me softly. Oh, how I missed
those genuine kisses. I couldn't help myself-I leaned in for more kisses. When he
pulled away he lifted my chin with his finger.

"Tomorrow I promise we'll do something just the two of us," he said. "But
only if you go to this concert with me."

I rolled my eyes. Bribery usually didn't work on me but I finally caved

in. Soon we were holding hands and walking across town to Shay's house. My brows
furrowed as we left the quaint townhouses and entered Sunshine Circle, a place
where only rich people lived. From the look of Shay, she didn't seem very rich. But
we soon stopped in front of a large white house with two large marble columns
supporting the roof over the front steps. Two expensive looking cars were parked in
the front and there was a giant marble fountain with the Virgin Mary in the center.
This house didn't seem to fit the girl I had met in the coffee shop.

Jace led me up the front walkway and to the door. It was a huge door,
equipped with a lion head knocker. The doorbell was surrounded by some whimsy
looking gold metal and seemed as if it were being suffocated. Jace rang it and we
stood there quietly for a moment. Then Shay appeared at the door. I nearly fainted
at the sight of her. Her hair was spiked in all directions, her blue eyes were
caked with black makeup, and her lips were the colour of blood. She wore a tiny
black dress with black fishnet stockings, a leather jacket, and black hooker
looking boots. I was ready to run but Jace smiled and said, "You look great."

"Thanks!" she exclaimed. She looked us over. "Y'all look pretty good too.
Come on in. I just need to grab something upstairs then we'll be off, okay?"

We stepped into the house and I was shocked. The house was gorgeous, with
marble floors and cream coloured walls. A few feet away from the front door was a
large marble staircase, which broke into two stair cases, then joined again to
reach the second floor of the house. I watched as Shay scurried up the stairs and
headed down the left hall. I heard Jace whistle something and I turned to him.

"This is a big ass house," he muttered.

"No kidding," I replied.

Shay came bounding down the stairs again. She smiled at us then we stepped
back outside. We walked to the garage and she punched a series of numbers into a
padlock. The garage door soon bellowed to life and quickly opened, revealing a
bright red Chevy Camaro. She winked at us before opening the passenger side door
and popping the seat forward. She extended her arm and smiled at me.

"Aprèz-vous," she said.

I hopped in the back seat while Jace clambered into the passenger seat.
Shay got into the driver's seat and the car roared to life. We began to drive down
the darkening streets. Shay began to inform us that her brother had been touring
with his band for three months and that he ran away from home to do so. She told us
that when he wanted to come back into their house their parents didn't let him back
in.

"He was okay with it though," she said. "He just moved in with his
girlfriend."

She continued to say how much she idolized her brother and how she wanted
to be just like him.

"That's the whole reason why my parents put me into a Catholic school.
They thought it would 'fix' me." She laughed. "That went well."

She pulled into this sketchy looking parking lot and parked the car. We
clambered out and followed Shay to a beat up looking wooden door. She knocked on it
once and a burly looking man opened it. Shay handed him our tickets and he let us
pass down a flight of stairs.

I've never liked dark places and this was probably the darkest of them
all. The only things lighting the staircase were these dull looking Christmas
lights. I couldn't believe that I was doing this for Jace. He owed me big time.

If I thought the staircase was scary, then the main auditorium was Hell.
People with multicolored hair bobbed around and thrashed their bodies in every
direction. The band's music echoed over all the walls and I could feel my brain
buzzing. I wanted to leave right that second.

"Jace," I said, "I think we should go."

 He made a face at me. "Why? We just got here."

Something tugged at my heartstrings. "Jace, please."

He rolled his eyes and dragged me to a quiet looking part of the room.
Good, we were going to leave. At least, that's what I thought until Jace took a
twenty dollar bill out and handed it to me. I looked at him, confused. Why was he
giving me money?

"If you want to go home, go home," he hissed. "But I'm not leaving Shay."

My heart sank to my knees. Was he really going to send me away and spend
time with this girl? I thought I was his boyfriend. I thought that he loved me. Why
was this girl so damn important to him?

"Are you serious right now?" I demanded. "You're giving me bus money?"

He nodded. "I came here to have a good time. If you didn't want to come
then you shouldn't have."

Anger coursed through my veins. "Jace, I told you I didn't want to come!"

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you so dependant of me? Why can't you do your
own thing?"

I felt as if my heart was being ripped out. Where was all this coming
from? I didn't understand! Just a couple hours ago he was kissing me! Why was he
being so mean? What had that freak girl done to him? Whatever it was, I had had
enough of it.

"I'm leaving," I said. I shoved his money back into his hand.

I began to run back up the stairs I had come down from. You would think
that adrenaline would be pushing me forward but it wasn't. The pure fear that I
might be losing Jace was what was making me move.

"Maxxie!" I heard Jace shout behind me. "Maxxie, wait!"

I ignored him and soon broke into the cold air. I was so confused and on
the verge of tears. I had no idea where I was, either. I placed my hands on my
knees and began to catch my breath.

"Maxxie!" I heard Jace say. I heard his footsteps behind me but I didn't
turn around. Did I want to see him right now? Not really.

"Go away," I muttered.

I felt his hand on my back and I flinched away. I didn't want to have
anything to do with him right now. I felt hurt and annoyed. How did he even have
the nerve to come talk to me after what he had said?

"Maxxie, I understand that you're upset," Jace said. "But let me explain,
okay?"

"Okay," I said furiously, "explain why you'd rather me go home alone than
come with me. Explain why you never kiss me anymore. Explain why you invited her to
our special coffee time. Explain why she's so damn important to you, Jace!"

Just as I expected, anger washed over his face. "Maxxie, she understands
what I'm going through. You have no idea to have someone you love to just be out of
your life!"

I threw my head back in cold laughter. "You think I don't know how you
feel, Jace? My dad left us three years ago! I know what it's like to lose someone
you love! You know that! So why did you turn to her instead of me?"

He blushed. "She just... she's more bad-ass than you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"She helps me see the other side of life, Maxxie," Jace explained. "You're
afraid of a lot of things, Max. You're the geeky kid who has a Batman fetish.
Remember when you even dressed up as Batman to go save Brian? Shay helps me see the
tougher side of things."

"I didn't realize you liked your partners bad-ass and tough," I scoffed.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed to the door. "Are you afraid that I'm
going to fall for Shay?"

I crossed my arms and shrugged. I didn't have to say anything I didn't

want to. He raised his hands in exasperation.

"Max, she's a lesbian."

"No, she's bisexual," I reminded him. "There's a difference."

 He shook his head. "I can't believe you're afraid that I'm going to fall
for her. I'm gay, Max."

"She changed her mind. Doesn't mean you can't either."

He clenched his jaw. His hands balled into fists. I've never been afraid
around Jace but looking at him like that, I was scared.

"Maxxie, I don't like it when you're jealous," he murmured.

"It's not my fault you're spending all your time with her," I mumbled.

"And it's not my fault you're boring."

My jaw dropped. Had I heard him right? Did he really just say those words?
I could tell that the second he said them he wanted to take it back but I didn't
want to hear it.

"Maxxie, I'm so-"

"Don't even speak," I whispered. "I'm leaving."

"Whatever happened to 'I do'?" he asked me.

I started towards the sidewalk, ignoring him. Clearly you didn't want me
to say 'I do'. I could hear Jace's shoes crunching behind mine. I couldn't believe
anything he'd just said. Tears were prickling my eyes and my hands were shaking.

"Maxxie, where are you going?" Jace demanded.

"New York city," I muttered.

Yes, I expected him to follow me, but I didn't want him to. Actually, my
emotions were running too high for me to know what I wanted. Part of me didn't want
to see his face again, while the other part wanted him to apologize.

"Max!" he called. I felt his hand curl around my wrist and whirl me around.
"You can't go."

"Watch me," I snarled.

I tried to break free of his grasp but I forgot how strong he was. His
grip kept getting tighter and tighter but I wouldn't go without a fight.

"Max, you can't go," he insisted. "Please. I'll make it up to you. Just
don't go to New York."

I shook my head. "I'm going. You can't stop me."

"Max, if you go I'll only follow you there," he assured me.

Try, I thought. Maybe that'll prove that you love me.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Eight: Jace

Hey guys! Just over there is a picture that I found on the Internet that is
basically perfect for this story. ---->
Enjoy the chapter! :) <3

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Jace

As I walked back to the concert hall I kicked snow to conceal my anger. I was upset
with both myself and Maxxie. I was upset with myself because I'd nearly lost
control of my temper when I was talking with him. I was upset with Maxxie for
obvious reasons; he was being over emotional and irrational. Just because I decided
to speak my mind didn't mean he had to go and decide he was moving to New York. The
idea was absurd and made my blood boil even more.

Once I was back in the loud and stuffy room, Shay found me pretty quickly.
She had a sly smile on her pixie face. She glanced behind me and soon frowned.

"Where's your friend?" she asked me. "Couldn't handle the awesomeness of
this place?"

I ran my hand through my hair and mumbled, "Something like that."

Shay grinned and dug something out of her pocket. She grabbed my hand,
made me put it face up, and placed something in my palm. I glanced down to see a
little plastic bag full of white powder. She winked at me.

"As I've been your dealer for a week, I think that right now would be a
pretty good time snort some." She grabbed my hand. "Come on."

She led me to the bathrooms where a bunch of crusty looking people were
swaying their heads to the sound of the music. I could tell that all of them were
high but it didn't bother me. After all, I was just like them-addicted.

Shay poured some cocaine on the back of her hand and lifted it to me.
Without hesitation I sniffed the powder. It burned a little but the sensation was
tolerable. Just as Shay finished snorting her own coke, it hit-the excitement and
the rush. I was suddenly so much happier than I was minutes ago. My problems lifted
off my shoulders. I felt like dancing and I going to do just that.

I grabbed Shay's hands and dragged her onto the dance floor. The band's
music was booming in my ears and I tried to sway to the beat. Shay was giggling as
she twirling and bobbed her head. I smiled at her.

"How do you get enough money to pay for that stuff anyways?" I asked her.
"Besides your parents' trust fund."

She winked. "I have my ways, Jace. The perk of being the Catholic school
girl is that it's always easy to pick up some guys."

I chuckled and we continued to dance. It was amazing how good I felt. It

was like my body was weightless and invincible. I could do whatever I wanted, be
whoever I wanted. And as I spotted a tall, dark haired guy smiling at me from
across the dance floor, I felt like I could get whoever I wanted. And at the
moment, I wanted him.

Wait! the only sane part of my brain shouted at me. You don't want him.
You have Maxxie!

Did I really have Maxxie though? I felt like he'd just walked out on me.
He was now going to leave me and move to New York. So, were we really together
right now? He clearly didn't want me if he was just going to ditch everything we
had for the Big Apple. I actually felt quite betrayed and hurt by him.

I pushed my Maxxie thoughts out of my head and strode across the dance
floor. I stopped right in front of the guy. He grinned at me and cocked his head to
one side. He nodded in the direction I had just come from and said, "Are you with
her?"

I shook my head and placed my hands on his waist. His grin widened and I
pressed my lips against his-hard. We began to dance together, getting lost in the
music. I could feel his body heat radiating and I could smell his cologne. It was
strong and almost suffocating. But he was so cute I couldn't stop. We just danced
and kissed and had a good time.

"So what's your name, sexy?" the guys whispered in my ear.

"Jace," I replied. "And yours?"

He chuckled. "That's for you to find out at my place. You in?"

I smiled and nodded. "I just need to tell my friend first, okay? Wait for
me by the exit."

I pushed through the crowd until I finally found Shay downing a shot of
something. She looked and me and smiled lazily. She glanced from me to the guy I'd
been dancing with. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Who's your friend?" she asked.

"Someone," I replied. "And he's taking me to his place right now."

Shay grinned. "Congratulations, man! So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

I nodded. I then pursed my lips and whispered in her ear, "I'll need my
coke. Please?"

She nodded and handed the bag to me. I thanked her with my eyes before
slipping the baggie into my pocket and rushing over to my mystery man. He smiled
and wrapped his arm around my waist. We walked up the ill illuminated stairs and to
his car. We then drove down the cold, dark streets.

>>><<<

The next morning my head was killing me. So was my nose. It felt as if
somebody had set it on fire then tried to scrub the soot away with sand paper. I
tried to rub it but that just made it worse. I needed to get to washroom and try to
splash water on it. Maybe that would help.

That's when I realized that I had no idea where I was.

I glanced around frantically and saw that I was in a huge bed. I noticed
that there was a person next to me in the bed, sound asleep. I remembered last
night's events-the concert, the dancing, the guy, the sex. I learned that his name
was Jason. Or maybe it was Mason. Whatever it was, it seemed to have escaped my
mind. Just then, Jason or Mason began to wake up. I braced myself, wondering if he
would remember me.

"Hey!" he said, smiling. "You're awake. Did you have fun last night?"

I grinned uneasily. "Yes. Of course I did. Now, um, where's the bathroom?"

He chuckled and propped himself up on one arm. He stroked my face with one
of his fingers and murmured, "I'd think you remembered where it was, considering we
spent a good amount of time in there."
 Okay. What had happened last night? Because I surely didn't remember any
bathrooms.

"Sorry," I said, smiling sheepishly. "It's escaped my mind."

"It's alright. It's just on the right if you exit the hall."

I nodded. I stood up and noticed my clothes in a heap on the floor. I felt

my face grow warm and I quickly slipped my underwear on. I then picked up my jeans
and shirt and headed in the direction Jason/Mason told me. When I was in the
bathroom, I locked the door.

I began to run cold water from the tap. I splashed my face with it but it
only seemed to make my nose feel worse. I cussed under my breath. Sure, it hadn't
hurt that bad when I took it, but now the pain was like fire. I sighed and looked
at myself in the mirror.

I was shocked by the person I saw.

I didn't look like myself at all. My nose made me look like Rudolph's
brother and I had dark circles under my eyes. And as I studied my body even further
I noticed bruises all along my torso, leading down to my south end. I cautiously
pulled my pants down and examined my area. Sure enough, it looked as if someone had
used it as a punching bag. The question came back to me-what had gone on last
night?

Suddenly, I heard a muffled beeping noise that I recognized as my phone. I

reached into my pocket to find half full baggie of coke and my cell. I pulled my
cellphone out and checked the screen. I was getting a call from Maxxie. Guilt
washed over me as I realized something-I had cheated on him. But then again, I
still had no idea if we were together or not. It seemed as if he had broken up with
me last night.

"Maxxie," I said. "Hi."

"Shay drunk dialed me," he hissed. "But I figured what she said was true."

My heart started beating fast. "What'd she say?"

"So," he said. "Did you really leave with another guy?"

Oh no. Shay must have told him that I went home with some guy. This was
not good. Then again, why was I getting so worried? I was my own person. I wasn't
with Maxxie anymore-at least, I didn't think I was. And the more I dwelled on that
thought the more uneasy I felt about it.
 "Uh-"

"Jace!" Jason/Mason began to bang on the door. "You've been in there a

long time! You alright babe?"

I squeezed my eyes and refrained from slamming my fist against the ceramic
sink. I sighed and heard Maxxie take a long, deep breath in. I could just hear his
voice coming out in a loud, high pitched scream. I didn't blame him, either.

"So it's true," he said. "You did go back to some stranger's house. And
let me guess, you guys had sex?"

"Maxxie-"

"Jace, I never thought that you were this kind of person," Maxxie hissed.
"Why would you cheat on me?!"

I narrowed my eyes. "I thought you broke up with me last night."

"What made you think that?"

I scoffed. "Well, you left right after you told me you were moving to New
York."

"So what?" he shouted. "I got offended! I said something stupid! But did
it really mean that we were breaking up?"

"Damn it, Maxxie! I don't know, okay? Relationships aren't my thing!"

"Clearly," he hissed. "Considering you cheated on your now ex-boyfriend.

And by the way, the wedding has been moved. It's in two weeks. And it's happening
in New York. We're leaving on Friday."

My heart went cold. "Maxxie. Maxxie wait a-"

The line went dead. I clenched my jaw and stared at the phone. I thought
that when Primrose died I felt alone. Really alone. But in that moment, as
Jason/Mason banged on the bathroom door, I realized something-I had never been
alone through any of my hardships. Not until now, at least. I realized that now,
without Maxxie, I was alone. And it killed me.

I had to get him back. Somehow.

 I quickly slipped into my clothes and splashed cold water over my face
again. I then opened the door, revealing a still naked Jason/Mason. He sighed
happily and nodded at me.

"I worried that you drowned or something." He chuckled. "Hey, you want
some coffee? I'm making a fresh pot right now."

I pushed past him. "I'm sorry, but I've got places to be. Maybe I'll call
you later?"

He nodded. "Sure thing. I programmed my number into your phone. It's under
Jason."

I smiled at him and hopped down the stairs and out the door. It was
freezing outside and I realized I had no idea where I was. I walked down the street
and checked the name. It turned out that I wasn't that far from home. I shoved my
hands in my pockets and proceeded home. When I arrived, Darius and Lolita didn't
look too impressed.

"Where were you?" Lolita demanded. "We were worried sick!"

"Loli, calm down," Darius said, though he didn't look any less angry. He
turned to me. "So, where were you? You told us you were going to a nearby concert
with Maxxie so we called him. He said that he didn't know where you were."

A lump formed in my throat at his name. I messed up real bad and I needed
to fix it. But with Darius and Lolita interrogating me, I had no time. I tried to
think of something to say really quickly.

"We also went with my friend Shay," I replied. I rubbed my nose. "Maxxie
had a certain time he needed to be home and I stayed over at Shay's. Sorry I forgot
to call you. I was so tired after the concert."

They nodded slowly. I could tell they were still suspicious but they
didn't press me, thank goodness. I gave them a quick smile, kissed their cheeks,
and ran up the stairs to my room. I shut the door and quickly checked my e-mails. I
had my usual notices from different websites I was subscribed to, but I noticed a
new name-Porter Storme. That was Maxxie's dad. The lump in my throat had formed
again but I clicked his name. I slowly read the response e-mail line by line.

Hey Jace! I'm glad that you sent me that letter. Sorry that I haven't gotten back
to you for so long, though. I don't have a computer at my apartment right now so I
sent this from an internet café. But that's beside the point. For a while I had
been contemplating moving back to where Maxxie was. I miss him so much here in
California. I also feel very guilty about leaving him. Your letter confirmed it,
though. When I found out that you and Maxxie were so in love, well, it shocked me
that my own son was gay. But it was a good shocked. I myself am attracted to men.
That's the whole reason why my wife and I got divorced. Anyhow, I found a small
house close to Maxxie's high school. I'll be moving in sometime next week. That
gives just enough time before my ex-wife's wedding. I can't wait to surprise Maxxie
with my homecoming! Thank you again, Jace. It was good hearing from you.
~ Porter Gray

I chewed the inside of my cheek. It was soon, sure, but it wasn't soon
enough. By that time Maxxie would off in New York trying to get used to his new
life. Without me. I sighed and clicked the 'reply' button.

Hello again, Mr. Gray. Thank you for informing me on your move. Unfortunately it's
not soon enough. Maxxie has decided that he's going to move to New York with his
mom and soon to be step-dad. I'm sorry that I wasted your time and your money, Mr.
Gray. I really didn't mean to cause any trouble.
-Jace Storme

I stared at the computer screen. Tears were welling in my eyes and I felt
like screaming to the world that Maxxie broke up with me, though I didn't feel that
anyone would quite feel sympathetic for me. But Mr. Gray would understand. He was
gay. It was his son. I think he deserved to know.

PS: Maxxie broke up with me today.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Twenty-Nine: Maxxie

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Maxxie

He doesn't deserve you, I thought as I slid a piece of duct tape over the cardboard
box. I grabbed a marker from my back pocket, wiped my eyes, and wrote MAXXIE'S
COMICS before attempting to hoist it up. I grunted as I threw the box onto the ever
growing stack and sighed. If I knew that moving was this difficult I would have
given it some thought before I told mom and Liam. But here I was, packing all my
childhood memories into cardboard boxes, getting them ready to stick on a plane and
fly them to New York City. I sighed. New York City.

"Max!" I heard my mom call. I barely had time to turn around before she
was in my room. She glanced at the boxes and smiled at me. "Good. You're done
packing. Liam's going to get the boxes now. Oh, and your cute little Asian friend
is here. She said she wanted to talk to you ASAP."
 I nodded at her, though why would Yuki want to talk to me ASAP? Of course
she would want to know that Jace and I had broken up, but I hadn't told her yet...I
hadn't told anybody yet. I was too upset about the fact that he'd cheated on me.
Now that I thought about it, I didn't know what I had ever seen in him, anyways.
Maybe it was just his popularity overshadowing everything else. Or maybe the
prescription on my glasses needed to be bumped higher. Whatever if it was, Jace had
proven himself to be like every other popular guy-a manwhore.

My mom, obviously wondering why I was still standing like an idiot in my

room, looked and me and said, "Well aren't you going to go invite your friend
inside?"

I gave her a quick smile. "Yep. Have fun with those boxes."

She snorted. "Yeah, like I'm going to be the one lifting them. Liam's
doing all the work."

I shook my head and proceeded down the stairs. I smiled as I saw Yuki
standing in the middle of the foyer. She perked up when she saw me. I expected a
hug or something but instead she tackled me against the wall. I stared at her wild-
eyed state and wondered what kind of drug was she on. I also couldn't help but
wonder how such a tiny girl could be so strong. Then again, I was pretty wimpy
myself.

"Tell me it isn't true," she pleaded. "Please don't tell me what I heard
in the coffee shop was true!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you hear in the coffee shop?"

She raised her hands in terror. "That you and Jace broke up!"

I frowned. How had she found out? Had Jace already told her? It had been a
day! Then again, I should have expected this from him. He was probably furious with
me and wanted people to know that he was now single and ready to mingle. I didn't
care, though. He could be with whoever he wanted. I just felt sorry for the guy; he
would probably cheat on them, anyways.

"How did you find that out?" I asked. "It only happened yesterday."

"Some girl was talking to some other girl. I overheard them talking. The
one girl was all like, 'My friend Jace is gay. He had a boyfriend.' Then the other
girl said, 'What do you mean had?' So the girl replied, 'His boyfriend Maxxie just
broke up with him yesterday. He's devastated.'" Yuki grabbed my collar. "Is it
true?! Please, Maxxie, please tell me you didn't break up with him!"

Despite the fact that I had just broken up with Jace a day before, I
couldn't help but laugh. I gently pushed Yuki off of me. "Calm your fan girl moment
down a sec and I'll get you something to drink. Then I'll explain what happened."

Her face rippled with distraught. "So it is true?! Why, Maxxie? Why!?"

I frowned. I walked into the kitchen and poured us both glasses of

chocolate milk. I was grateful for Yuki's friendship, I really was, but right now
she was acting like it was the biggest deal ever for her. She didn't understand how
I felt. I doubted that she had ever been cheated on-she was still so young. Even I
was really young. I didn't understand how Jace could have the right mind to do
that. It didn't seem like him to just assume that we were broken up, then go and
hump the next guy he saw! There was something missing in this picture. But I
wouldn't find out. Jace was no longer in my picture; his personal things weren't my
business anymore.

Yuki and I took seats at the kitchen table. I wrapped my hand around my
cup, not interested in drinking it at all. Yuki however downed hers down in two
seconds flat. She then looked at me expectantly with those big brown eyes of hers.
I sighed and continued to stare at my glass.

"Jace and I went to a concert with Jace's friend...Shay." Her name was
still like metal in my mouth. "I wanted to leave and we got into a fight-"

"About?"

I shrugged. "Stuff. One thing led to another and then he called me boring
in comparison to Shay."

Yuki frowned. "That's not that bad, Maxxie."

I stared flatly at her. "You've got the biggest crush on Noah Ziti. How
would you feel if he called you boring?"

She sighed. "Fine, point taken. Continue."

I swallowed. All these memories of Jace were bringing tears to my eyes

again. The last thing I wanted was to think of him and Yuki wasn't helping me. This
move to New York was supposed to make everything go away. But with Yuki demanding
all these answers and with all these 'remember whens' randomly popping into my
head, this move just seemed like an even worse thing to do.

I took a deep breath. "Anyways, Friday night-after I was done bawling my

eyes out-I got this call from Shay. She was obviously drunk, so I told myself not
to believe a word she said. But then she told me that Jace left the place with some
other dude! When I called him yesterday morning he even confirmed it himself." I
clenched my hands. "I can't believe he just... he just threw our relationship down
the drain just because of some fight!"
 Yuki patted my back. I tried to control my breathing. I was getting really
worked up now. But how could I not be? I mean, I had trusted Jace with my entire
heart. What he done? He'd gone and replaced it with some stranger who had a higher
possibility of having STI's than an STI itself.
Just then, Liam and Mom came strolling into the kitchen. At least, I
thought it was Liam-I couldn't really tell with a box in his face. My mom just
giggled and patted his back, urging him to get a move on. He chuckled but kept on
moving. Yuki raised an eyebrow at me.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Are you renovating or something?"

Uh oh. The moment of truth. If Yuki was upset about Jace and I breaking
up, how would she feel that I was moving to the other side of the country? I was
guessing that she'd be incredibly upset about it. She was killing me just looking
at me, waiting for an answer. I sighed and finally caved.

"Yuki, my family and I are moving to New York City."

It didn't take long for her to register what I had said. Her eyes bugged
and her face went pale. Thank God Liam and my mom were out of the room so they
didn't have to witness Yuki nearly breaking the table when she jumped up from her
chair.

"What do you mean you're moving to New York City?" she demanded.

I gave her an uneasy smile. "Surprise?"

Exasperation was all over her face. That soon changed to pleading as she
got on her knees and grabbed my hands. "Maxxie, please, don't leave! What am I
going to do without you? You're one of my bestest friends! Who will I go shopping
with? Who will I fan girl over?"

"There's always Brian or John," I muttered.

She suddenly stopped talking. Yuki looked at me, deadly serious, and
whispered, "What?"

I shrugged. "They're both gay. It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure there
are plenty of others like them in school." I patted her arm sympathetically. "Yuki,
I promise you that this move to New York City had nothing to do with you. It was
all-"

"Jace," she said. "I get that." She sighed. "When are you leaving?"

"Friday."
 Tears began to well in her eyes. Guilt overwhelmed me and I wrapped my
arms around her. I could hear her trying to hide her sniffles but it was no use. I
patter her back in an effort to comfort her. No matter what I did, however, it
didn't work.

"We'll keep in touch, Yuki," I promised.

She sniffed and pulled away. "We better." She looked at her watch. "I have
to go. Call me later, okay?"

I nodded. I followed her to the foyer and made sure she left in one piece.
Once I shut the door behind her, Liam stalked into the foyer, his hands on his
hips. He nodded at the door.

"What was she so upset about?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Various reasons. Yuki is very... passionate about

everything."

He chuckled once. "Want to help me bring down some of your stuff."

I blushed. "I tried lifting a box earlier. I could barely do it. And that
was just my comic books."

Liam patted my back. "Well, then, would you like to talk with me as I take
some boxes down?"

I nodded and followed him up the stairs. We walked into my room-which now
only held a bed-and watched as Liam hosted another box into his arms. I followed
him back through the hallway and down the stairs again.

"So," he grunted, "what was one of the reasons Yuki was upset?"

"The move," I said.

We arrived to the moving truck. Liam dropped the box into it. "And
another?"

I shut my mouth. I didn't want to talk about it, not right after I had
just done so with Yuki. I missed Jace so much, yet at the same time I despised him.
I supposed that Liam sensed my emotions because he said, "Is everything okay with
you and Jace?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "We broke up."

 Liam looked surprised. "How come? You guys were so in love when we had
dinner that one night."

I sighed again. "I know. I don't... he just changed. He started acting all
weird. We got into a fight. He cheated on me. End of Jace and Maxxie story."

I took a seat in the moving truck. I could feel more water works coming
on. Oh, how I wished Jace was here right now so he could wrap his arms around me.
All I had was Liam and I didn't really want him snuggling me. Instead, he sat down
and stared at his hands. I concentrated on the snowflakes that had begun to fall.

"I know what it's like to be cheated on," Liam huffed. "My ex-girlfriend
cheated on me. Your mom saved me from suicide, you know."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He shrugged. "More or less. I wasn't really going to take my life, but I

felt like life was over. I was lonely, I had nobody to turn to. Then your mom
showed up that one day and it turned my life around." He nudged me with his
shoulder. "I also got you, which made me happy."

I grinned. I was suddenly feeling a lot better. It amazed me how Liam

could to that. Maybe there was a father-son bond growing between us two. And maybe
it could grow stronger in New York.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirty: Jace

Hey guys :) I really like this chapter, though it's pretty sad. I recommend you
listen to that song over there ---->
And also, much thanks to peach982 for the picture :)

Chapter Thirty: Jace

There are a lot of things in this world that scare me, but I can honestly say that
my biggest fear is an angry Japanese-American girl.

"You're a cock sucking asshole," Yuki hissed. I was surprised at her tone
and her choice of words. It seemed wrong for such an innocent looking girl to be
swearing like a sailor.

"What'd I do?" I asked, clearly confused.

Yuki jabbed a finger at my chest and I nearly staggered backwards. I

noticed a couple of people staring at us as she continued to bore her almond shaped
eyes on me. My ears prickled as those people began to whisper and watch us as if
they were ready for Yuki to attack me.
 "You cheated on Maxxie!" she shouted.

My cheeks completely flushed with anger. "In my defense," I said, "I

thought we had broken up."

Yuki and I both knew that my response was no excuse for sleeping with a
complete stranger, yet it didn't get rid of the truth behind it. I could make a
thousand excuses like that one but it still wouldn't make anything okay again.

As I began to grab my stuff for my next class, I couldn't help but notice
Yuki studying me. She leaned against the lockers and watched like a hawk. If her
mission was to yell at me, she had succeeded. So why wasn't she leaving?

"He's moving to New York City in four days," Yuki informed me.

A layer of frost covered my heart for a moment and I whispered, "I know."

"Are you going to do anything about that? Or just let him leave?"

I didn't want to let her know, but I was planning on sneaking to New York.
The only issue was the money-I didn't have a job and I didn't get paid allowance. I
had a hundred dollars saved from previous birthdays and holidays, but unfortunately
that wouldn't buy me a plane ticket.

"I'm trying my best," I eventually sighed.

I shut my locker and started to my next class-gym-with Yuki flanking me. I

felt a bit annoyed; didn't she have classes of her own? What did she want from me,
anyways?

"Have you talked to him lately?" she asked.

I couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you have places to be?" I snapped.

She made a face and said, "Yes. And I can see you're not in the mood for
talking, so I suppose I'll leave you alone. I'll see you later, okay?"

I sighed as she walked away. I felt terrible for yelling at Yuki but my
life was already hectic. I cheated on Maxxie, he broke up with me, and I was out of
coke and wouldn't see Shay until Saturday. I was surprised I hadn't imploded yet.

When I walked into the change room, the first person I saw was Maxxie. He
was huddled in the corner and tried to hide his scrawny body with a T-shirt. A week
ago we would have been in that corner together, me guarding his body with my own. I
knew how insecure he was and as his boyfriend I had wanted to protect him. Out of
habit, I began to walk over there, but Maxxie suddenly looked up and shot me a
look. I immediately stopped walking and stared at my gym bag. Right. That was no
longer my place in this room of smelly, half naked boys.

"Hey," a voice said behind me. I turned around and saw John smiling
timidly at me. I sighed and nodded once at him. We didn't have the same gym class
but we both had gym the same period.

"Hi," I said.

His eyes trailed to my bag. "You better get changed. Your gym teacher is
deducting marks if you're late."

I shut my eyes for a brief moment. Great.

I found an empty place on a bench and stripped my shirt off. I could feel
John's eyes on my body but I couldn't care less about his teenage hormones at the
moment. All I could think about was that look Maxxie had given me. It was so
serious and unlike him, it was almost scary. But could I blame him? I had broken
his heart. Now it was his turn to try and break mine.

"So," John said casually, "I heard some stuff about you."

I unzipped and stepped out of my jeans, replacing them with gym shorts.
"Yeah, so? What was it?"

He cleared his throat and leaned against the wall. "Uh, I heard that
you're single now. Is it true?"

I stared at him coldly. "Do you see me over there with him?"

Hurt flashed across his eyes and I felt guilty. I really didn't like
hurting anybody but my mind was a fluster of thoughts. I ignored the guilt and
walked out of the change room, nearly bumping into Brian. He gave me a quick smile
but I just looked at the ground.

When the entire class was gathered in the gym, Coach Hendersen stared at
us with a lazy grin. He blew his whistle which made me cringe. He clapped his hands
together and stared at each of us in the eyes.

"Alright, girls!" he shouted. "We're going to be starting a new unit-

ballroom dancing!"

The room went so silent you could probably hear grass trying to grow
through the snow. It was apparent on every single one of our faces that we were
shocked at what the Coach had just told us. Ballroom dancing? Did he really think
we were that girly?

Marco the weird Italian guy raised his hand and said, "Coach, ballroom
dancing is for two people."

"I know that!" Coach shouted. "You'll be paired up with one another."

We all groaned. I secretly hoped that I would get paired up with Maxxie,
that way I could talk to him. Plus, I was dying to be close to him again. I felt
wrong without his touch.

"Okay! The pairings are Sam and Brody, Parker and Dylan, Anthony and
Marco, Brian and Evan, and Jace and Max. Get with your partner!" Coach shouted.

I looked at Maxxie. His face had turned paler than his original pale. I
took a deep breath before walking over to him. His face continued to grow pale with
every step towards him I took. When there was only a foot between us, I could see
the hurt in his eyes. That hurt made my heart ache. Why had I slept with another
guy? Why hadn't I fought my high and trusted my true, hidden instincts?

"Alright," Coach hollered, "pick one person from every couple to play
the... er, female role."

Everyone groaned once more. I raised an eyebrow at Maxxie. He blushed and

looked away, obviously thinking that he'd have to play the girl role. We already
knew that I was on top, and I doubted ballroom dancing would change that. I had to
fight a smirk as Maxxie shifted uncomfortably.

"I suppose I'll be the girl," Maxxie murmured.

Coach Hendersen continued with, "Okay girl figures, I want you to place
your hand lightly on your partner's shoulder. Good. Now take their hand as well."

Maxxie placed a shaky hand on my shoulder and my hand. His touch sent
tendrils of electricity through my body. His hand against mine was almost as soft
as his lips and I restrained myself from kissing him. I could see his lips
trembling, as if he were fighting back tears.

"Now, male figures put your hand firmly on your partner's waist," Coach
finished. "This will be your tie. Do. Not. Let. Go."

I heard Maxxie draw a sharp breath as I glued my hand against his waist.
Don't let go, I told myself. Not this time.

Coach Henderson explained how we were supposed to move to the music. One,
two, three. One, two, three. Step, step, step. Step, step, step. After a few minute
our entire class looked less like teenage boys with no posture and more like
gentlemen. Coach then came around with magazines and told us to hold them up with
our torsos.

"If it falls," he warned, "I'll fail you for the rest of the semester."

He placed the thing booklet between Maxxie and me. We stepped together.
Coach tipped our elbows up a little higher and we stood straighter. I stared down
at Maxxie, down at his beautiful face which was now turned into a frown. Coach
glanced from me to him before heading on to another couple.

"I'm happy the board is making me do this to you. It's funny seeing you
pansies look like even bigger pansies," Coach snickered to the class. "But do keep
going."

I looked at Maxxie. His face was ashen and sickly. He must've sensed me
staring because he glanced up at me. I shot him my most sincere, apologetic smile,
but he bit his lips and concentrated on the floor again I frowned and realized that
if I wanted him to associate with me, I would have to talk to him first. But what
was I going to say when both our hearts were breaking?

"What's up?" I asked finally while still trying to sound cool.

Without even looked at me he said, "Nothing." When he didn't say anything

more, I stayed quiet as well.

Every detail around me was suddenly very loud. I was aware of everything-
Maxxie's breathing, my footsteps, everyone's monotone march to the beat of the
music, the thing gym shirt keeping my hand from touching Maxxie's skin. Memories-
memories of us-flit across my brain like a fast paced movie.

"Hey," Maxxie frowned, "slow down."

That's when I noticed my steps were no longer in harmony with his. So, I
let my body go and let him guide me. It was nice becoming one with him again as we
stepped carefully to the music. I smiled softly.

"You're good at this," I mused.

"I used to watch my parents together all the time," he mumbled.

I then remembered the e-mail Maxxie's dad had sent me, informing me that
he had bought a house. It pained me to know that he would never see his son anytime
soon. All because of a stupid fight. And a stupid me.
 "Max, don't go," I said quietly and abruptly. "Please."

He didn't bother looking up at me. Apparently the odd blue-green floor

tiles were still more interesting than me. But I watched him and waited for him to
do something. He continued to nothing and I continued to wait until I could wait no
longer.

"Remember that night your mom told us you were going?" No response, but I
kept talking. "Remember I told you that I was going to do whatever it took to keep
us together?"

Silence, but trembling lips. His picture perfect eyes were beginning to
look moist but that urged me on. I bent my head down so my lips were at his ear. I
whispered, "I'm still fighting, Maxxie."

His breath came out in a low, almost silent sob. He let go of me but my
hand was still on his waist. The magazine fell but I still held on. That was what I
was supposed to do. I was glued to him. We were bonded by that one touch and that
thought scared me a little. My eyes kept darting from his waist to his face to the
other kids. They didn't seem to notice us, which was good.

"Coach," Maxxie said, "I'm going to the washroom."

He squirmed away from my hold and scampered to the washrooms. I was

dumbfounded for a moment, stunned that he had broken free from the glue. I then
took off through the gym for the boys' washroom. There I found Maxxie curled up in
a ball in the far corner. His face was buried in his knees and all I could see was
his beautiful blonde head. I cautiously walked over to him.

"Maxxie?" I called.

He looked up slowly. Tears were streaking his cheeks and his nose was the
colour of bubblegum. His glasses had tear stains on them. How, I wondered, could
somebody be in so much pain?

"What are you doing here?" he blubbered.

I hesitated before responding, "I had to see if you were okay."

He scoffed and shook his head. He began to stare at me. His gaze was
paralyzing; I couldn't move or speak. I just stared back at the broken person in
front of me and told myself that I was to blame for all of this. It was my fault.
And that beginning to break me.

"Maxxie," I murmured, for nothing else would come out. The, "I'm sorry.
Please forgive me," part didn't muster. It was just warm air.
 "Don't you get it Jace?" he snapped. "You ruined it. For whatever reason,
you went and slept with someone else. You couldn't talk to me about our fight. I'm
going to New York for a fresh start." He took a deep breath. "I don't even know why
you did it."

"I was high," I blurted. Oh, so I could expose my drug use but I couldn't
apologize? Thanks, brain.

Maxxie's eyes went darkly serious as he said, "You were on drugs? Shay
gave them to you?"

I nodded slowly. Maxxie closed his eyes and began to chuckle darkly. It
didn't like him and I fell to my knees. I reach out to touch him but I froze mid
stride.

"Max, you have to believe me when I say I'm sorry," I explained.

"Oh, I know you're sorry Jace," he said. "I just can't forgive you."

I always thought people were crazy when they said they could feel their
heart breaking, but never would I think that again.

As Maxxie stood up and left me in that washroom, I thought the broken

pieces of my shattered heart would surely kill me.

I was too numb to move from my spot on the floor. I don't know how long I
was there in that bathroom alone, but I soon heard the door swing open. John
rounded the corner and stopped when he saw me. His face softened-which was
something I had never seen before-and he slowly made his way over to me. He took a
seat on the floor beside me. Hesitantly, he reached out and wrapped his arm around
my shoulders. I was too frozen to object his actions.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

I shook my head. Nothing was okay. Ever since September nothing in my life
had been okay. It was a giant snowball of despair and heartbreak. Was somebody-God
maybe?-trying to destroy me bit by bit? Because now they had gone and done it.
Maxxie saying that he couldn't forgive me shattered the only piece of sanity I had
left.

"Want to talk about it?" John asked. "We have time."

I turned to look at him. He was one of the things that had broken me a
little bit. He had turned on me when I needed him most. Who did he think he was
now, trying to get me to pour my heart out to him? It sparked anger in me that soon
died down. Maybe John was all I really had left. I didn't know if I liked him or
not again, but I couldn't forget all the good times we had had. Maybe, just maybe,
that could happen. Baby steps, though.

So I told him everything from the very beginning. I explained to him when
I first realized I was gay. I explained to him how angelic Maxxie looked that first
day of freshman year when we were gathered in the gymnasium for our orientation. I
explained how I had mustered up enough confidence to finally talk to him this year.
I explained how many good memories we had. I explained how my father kicked me out.
I explained how I felt when Primrose died. I explained how I felt that first time I
took the cocaine Shay had handed me. I explained how hurt I felt when Maxxie walked
away from only a few nights ago. I explained how stupid I felt when I woke up
beside Jason. And lastly, I explained how truly broken and alone I felt.

He just sat and listened to everything I had to say, and when I was done
he wiped the tears from my face and let me rest my head on his shoulder. He rubbed
my arm softly and said, "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm still here for you
Jace. And it will get better. It really will."

I wanted to believe his words, but at this rate I just couldn't. Would
you, if you were in my place?

"John," I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"When did you start liking me? Not as a friend, but as something more."
I could tell from the look he got in his eyes that it was a touchy
subject. It must have been hard to go this long watching the person you loved love
someone else. I felt bad about that, because I knew that John was a good guy deep
down. This whole mean, bad boy look of his was all a mask so he could fit in. It
was hard to admit, but in my imaginary perfect world John would have one of the
happiest endings. He would be happy and loved.

"It started during the summer," John said, staring up at the ceiling,
"when we saw that movie. What was it called?"

"30 Minutes or Less," I reminded him.

He nodded. "Right. 30 Minutes or Less. Anyways, during the movie we kept

complaining how stupid it was and how nothing like that would ever happen in real
life. Halfway through the movie you decided that we were going to be those two
guys. You were going to be Dwayne and I was going to be Travis. Anyways, at the end
of the movie, when Travis caught on fire and Dwayne put it out, they stared at each
other and exchanged these words. And you whispered, 'I'm about to kiss you.' I
stared at you and realized that I wouldn't really even mind if you kissed me. I
tried to push those feelings aside, though."

"Why?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

 "Because you were straight. Or so I thought. But then you came out to the
school by kissing Maxxie freaking Gray. I was angry. I was upset. But that's when I
found out that I was really, really into you."

We were both silent as I took the time to fully understand his words. It
was true; he really was no different than I was. He had been scared just as I had
been. He had been upset just as I had been. And if John was just like me then it
really went to show that everybody was truly equal.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not being able to love you back," I replied. "You deserve someone,
John. You really do. And I'm sorry that I'm not that person."

He smiled. "Don't be sorry. I'm sure... I'm sure I'll find my prince
charming one day. Though it's a shame it's not you."

I chuckled. We both fell silent again. It was nice being able to talk to
John again. I forgot how well we used to get along. I guess that's why we first
became friends in the first place-we could always tolerate one another. That was
hard to find nowadays.

"Jace, I heard that Max is going to New York on Friday," John suddenly
said. "And I don't think you should give up."

I raised an eyebrow. "Give up what?"

"Fighting. I truly believe that you and Maxxie belong together. You are
each other's knights in shining armor. And you have to keep fighting for him, Jace,
no matter what it takes."

I never thought I'd see the day, but John was right. If I really loved
Maxxie, which I did, then I would keep fighting for him. I couldn't stop him from
going to New York but I sure as hell could stop him from staying there. And I would
do just that.

I smiled at John. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. He had
deserved it. I felt his arms hug me back and I couldn't help but grin like a fool.

I was going to save my Batman.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirty-One: Maxxie
Chapter Thirty-One: Maxxie

My room was always a safe haven. No matter how bad life got, those walls painted
the colour of cream were always there to protect me. When my parents got divorced,
off I went to that room, crawled into bed, and thought that the world was going to
end in that instant. But things got better. I had some more good memories. Soon my
room was just a place where I slept. It had no special meaning.

But now, as I stared at the empty space where a bed and a desk and a whole
bunch of other crap had been piled, I couldn't help but feel a little bit
heartbroken. I had lived in this house and slept in this room my entire life, and
now I was just suddenly picking up and going to New York. I'd get settled in a new
place and start ignoring a new room. I'd make new memories. I'd have a new safe
haven.

"Max!" my mom called from downstairs. "Unless you want to miss our flight,
let's go!"

I gazed around the room one last time before closing the door behind me. I
pause for a moment. I would be saying goodbye to everything I really knew. In a
couple of hours I would be in New York at our new apartment. I would be miles away
from friends and family.

And Jace.

I clenched my hands as I remembered Monday's PE class. I didn't understand

how hard it was for him to understand how badly he had hurt me. Couldn't he see
that I didn't want to talk to him? So why had he chased after me? Was he trying to
make things even worse.

"Max!"

"Coming!" I shouted back.

I took a deep breath and bounded down the stairs for the last time. Mom
was standing in the doorway. She gave me a quick smile and we filed outside and
into the cab. She instructed the driver where to go. As we cruised down the snowy
roads of my hometown, I couldn't help but feel like I was finally escaping.

The ride to the airport was short. We did our basic airport stuff-got our
boarding passes, went through security, waited at the terminal, boarded our plane.
I've always been afraid of heights so giving my life to a flying object in the air
didn't make me feel so good. So, for the entire ride, I slept.
 After a couple of hours, I felt somebody shaking me. I opened my eyes
groggily to see my mom smiling like a fool. From the look on her face I knew
immediately that we were there-New York City. I quickly looked out my window and
stared in awe. It was dark outside yet the whole city was illuminated. Everywhere
you looked there were twinkling lights. Buildings that seemed to go on forever
looked as if they were on fire, yet it was so beautiful. Only the sound of the
flight attendant's voice could break me from my trance.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. We are just about ready to land at LaGuardia
airport. The time right now is eleven thirty PM and it is about fourteen degrees
Fahrenheit. We hope you had a good flight with us and we'll enjoy seeing you soon."

The seatbelt sign came on and I sat up straight in my chair. I couldn't

believe it. I was actually in New York City! I was in a place where people could
only dream of coming to and now I was living here! The thought was so hard for my
brain to wrap around. It all seemed like some sort of dream.

We got off the plane and went through the security. Liam had left a day
earlier to unpack our things, so we didn't have to worry much about that. No, all
we had to worry about now was finding Liam in this sea of people.

"How are so many people here at the same time?" my mom kept mumbling.

"It's New York, Mom," I said, a smile on my face.

She suddenly perked up a bit and was soon in Liam's arms. Liam gave me a
hug too and slinked his arms around our shoulders.

"How was your flight?" he asked us.

"We slept through practically the whole thing," my mom admitted. "But now
were here!"

Liam chuckled. We exited the building and got into his car. As we drove
through the city I kept gawking at everything. It was all so amazingly different
than back home. People and cars still littered the brightly lit streets, although
it was nearly midnight. Everyone looked happy and at ease, as if they knew exactly
where they needed to be. It was incredible.

We finally reached the apartment and parked the car. We walked up to the
lobby and into the elevator. Liam pressed the number 14 button and we zoomed up to
that floor. We walked down the dim hallway and reached apartment 14J. Liam fished a
key out of his pocket and jiggled it in the lock. The door soon swung open and we
stepped in.

The living room looked pretty basic, with beige walls and hardwood floors.
Our old couch and other furniture was already in place, so it looked like our old
living room. If you turned to your left, there was a little kitchen space and a
table. To your right were two doors. Liam led us through one of the doors, which
held another hallway. He led us down that hallway and showed us three different
rooms-their room, my room, and an office.

"That other door you saw earlier was the bathroom," Liam explained. He
then stretched and yawned. "I'm assuming you two are tired, and so am I. So, is
this goodnight?"

We all agreed that we'd catch up the next afternoon because Liam had to go
to work for a briefing. We all slinked into our different rooms. When I shut the
door in my room I stood and stared at everything for a moment. It was almost an
exact replica of my old room, right down to the arrangement of comic books on my
bedside table. I slowly padded over to my bed and took a seat. The familiar feeling
of the mattress reminded me just how tired I really was. I slowly lowered myself
underneath the covers.

The sound of cars honking and buses stopping were echoing across the
walls. As I listened, I chuckled once. I was in New York. This was my home. Every
night I would fall asleep to the sounds of cars and people screaming. It was
surreal! A smile spread across my face and sleep soon found me.

The next morning, I woke up to the same sounds I had fallen asleep to, with the
fizzle of bacon added on. I yawned and stretched before pulling myself out of bed.
I padded out through the hallway and into the kitchen/living room. Mom was in the
kitchen hovering over the stove. White winter sun was seeping through the windows
and splashing over the room. I stared out the window and smiled for a moment.

"Morning sweetie," my mom said, breaking me free from my trance. I turned

my attention back to her and walked next to her. She gave me a kiss on the cheek
and said, "Did you have a good sleep?"

I nodded. "It was loud but I liked it."

She grinned and stared at me carefully. She whispered, "We're finally

here."

I nodded again. The joy on my mom's face made her look absolutely
beautiful. Younger. I hadn't seen her look so happy in a long time. That's all I
wanted for my mom-for her to be happy and care free. She deserved that much and
more.

"Hey, can you take the trash out?" she asked me. "There's a garbage chute
at the left end of the hallway."

I nodded and reached for the black plastic bag. I tied it and stepped out
the front door. I wasn't paying attention and suddenly I bumped into something-no
wait, make that someone.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I then looked up at the person. It was a guy, probably

my age, maybe older, with dark curly hair and warm hazel eyes. He grinned at me and
shook his head.

"No, no, I'm the one who should be sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He
looked me over and outstretched his hand. "I'm Ash. And you are?"

I took his hand-blushing-and said, "I'm Maxxie."

"Maxxie. Interesting. Is that a nickname or something?"

I nodded. "Uh, yes. My real name is Max. But I like Maxxie."

Ash smiled sweetly. "My real name is actually Ashley. I like Ash better,
though."

I cracked a smile. As I stared at Ash, I couldn't help but think how cute
he was. He had a prominent jaw and plump, pink lips. He had some slight stubble,
too. He wasn't sex-god material but he was definitely very attractive.

"You taking out the trash?" he asked me, nodding at my garbage bag. I
nodded in response. He nodded back and said, "Hey, are you new here? I feel that I
would have recognized a face as cute as yours."

I blushed. "I'm new, yeah. I just moved in here last night."

He smiled mischievously. "Well, Maxxie, would you like a personal tour of

the city today? I promise I'll take good care of you."

I blushed even harder. How many hours had I been in New York? Maybe eight?
And now a guy was offering to give me a tour of the city. I applauded myself in my
head. So far the move had been doing its job. I was already forgetting Jace.

"Sure," I said, smiling. "A tour would be wonderful. What time?"

He checked his watch. "Hmm, maybe noon-ish? Is that a good time?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

"So what apartment do you live in? I'll pick you up."
 "14J."

He grinned. "Cool. We're neighbors. I'm apartment 14K. What a coincidence.

Anyways, I'll let you go now, but I'll swing by at noon. See you then."

I nodded. I watched as he walked into the elevator, leaving me alone with

garbage. I couldn't help but smile, though. New York was proving to be very good.

>>><<<

At noon I was primped and polished. My mom had gone shopping and said it was
perfectly fine with me going out with Ash. She was happy that I was 'making
friends'. Frankly, so was I.

When there a knock on the door I quickly rushed to answer it. Ash grinned
at me. I smiled back and grabbed my jacket. We stepped into the hallway and I
locked the door. He guided me to the elevator and we stepped inside. An old woman
with tangled gray hair and wilted looking skin stepped into the elevator behind us.

"Hello Ms. Rathwell," Ash smiled. "How are you today?"

Her eyes darted from me to Ash. "I'm fine, Ashley. Who's your friend?"

I outstretched my hand and she took it. I softly said, "I'm Max Gray. I'm
new here."

She smiled a not-so-toothy grin. "How nice."

I nodded awkwardly and looked at Ash again. He winked at me. It amazed me

how comfortable I felt with him. I had only felt this way with one other person-
Jace. I usually fairly shy but I didn't feel that way with Ash at all.

Soon the elevator stopped at the lobby and we all filed out. Ash and I
headed into the brisk cold weather. The noise was so loud but it made me feel as if
I blended in. It seemed to drown out the fact that I was dorky looking and had no
idea where I was going.

Ash led me down the sidewalk and announced that we were going to a
Starbucks first. As we walked, he asked me questions.

"You're gay, right?

 "Yes."

"Where are you from?"

"Washington."

"What's your favourite hobby?"

"Reading comic books."

"Who's your favourite super hero?"

"Batman. All the way."

"Are you single?"

I went quiet after his last question. That was obviously a topic I didn't
really want to discuss. I just wanted to start my love life over. I wanted to have
a relationship without worrying about people breaking my heart. I wanted a love
that would last forever and a day. Iwanted somebody who would really, really love
me.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked me when I didn't respond. "Did I say
something wrong?"

"No, it's not you. I just don't like talking about... him," I replied.

He nodded. "Ah, I see. Was it recent?"

"Yeah." I shoved my hands in my pockets. "About a week ago."

"That's terrible," Ash remarked. "I'm so sorry."

I gave him a wan smile. "It's not your fault."

He smiled at me apologetically then turned his focus to somebody in front

of us. His face lit up and I watched as he ran ahead of me a little. I watched in
confusion. Suddenly he locking lips with some guy with dark hair and blue eyes. I
deflated a little. Great. Ash had a boyfriend.

I soon caught up to Ash and his mysterious boy-toy. Ash glanced at me

apologetically again and wrapped his arm around the boy's waist. He said, "Max,
this is my boyfriend Jazz. Jazz, this is Maxxie. He's my new neighbor."

Jazz smiled. "Hey! It's nice to meet you! How are you liking New York?"

"I haven't gotten to see it much, but it's beautiful so far," I replied.
Jazz seemed nice.

He laughed. "Don't worry. Once my boyfriend and I are done giving you
you're tour, you'll be sick of the city."

"I highly doubt that," I teased.

Ash poked Jazz in the stomach. "And guess what? Maxxie here plays for our
team."

Jazz raised a captivated brow. "Really? That's fantastic. We need more gay
friends."

We all laughed and headed into the coffee shop. We ordered drinks and
talked some more about my life and their relationship. We tried to avoid talking
about my love life. As they explained how much in love they were with each other I
couldn't even feel the least bit jealous. These two were just so adorable together.
I wanted them to be happy and expected them to live together forever.

"So," I asked, "how old are you guys?"

"Sixteen," they said at the same time. "How about you?"

"Same here. How long have you lived in New York?"

"Our entire lives," Ash said. "Jazz and I have been friends since diaper
days."

"It's funny," Jazz said. "We were best friends and somehow turned gay.
Coincidence? I think not."

I grinned. Their relationship was the kind I wanted. Their irrevocable

love was the kind I wanted to experience. I had thought that I had had that with
Jace... but I guess I had been wrong.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around various parts of the
city. We ended in Central Park, where Ash and Jazz shared a quick kiss. I looked
away, wanting to give them their privacy. I look at my watch to see that it was
four in the afternoon. Where had the day gone?
 "I have to go," I announced. "I'm so sorry."

"No problem," Jazz said. "We were just about to head back to Ash's place,
anyways. We can walk together."

I smiled and off we were. Ash said, "This is the start of a very good
friendship. Don't you guys agree?"

Yes. We all agreed.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirty-Two: Jace

Chapter Thirty-Two: Jace

I tapped my foot nervously against the floor of the diner. My palms were sweaty and
I couldn't help but think over and over again how I should have insisted I meet him
at Starbucks or somewhere that wasn't here. But no, he said that he was fine with
going to the diner. He said that he had always loved the food. He said that it was
okay.

I didn't know why I was so damn nervous. I mean, I was just meeting Mr.
Gray. It was a simple meeting, right? It wasn't like I was asking him for his son's
hand in marriage.

Actually, yeah, I was.

Okay. I knew we were young. I knew that we both had to be at least

nineteen before anything legal could happen. But, technically, we had gotten
married once already. That one night when Maxxie said I do-that was our first
marriage. Yes, it had gone downhill, but now was the chance to fix it. I really
believed that we belonged together. I really believed that we had a future. There
would be more ups and downs but I was ready for that. I was ready to face those
challenges with Maxxie-breathtaking, wonderful Maxxie-by my side. But I still
wanted to keep things old school. I was going to treat this like any other
proposal. I needed his father's approval first. Then the rest of my plan would
execute perfectly.

I shouldn't have taken coke this morning. That was a bad idea.

I didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, however, because a

middle aged, blonde haired and blue eyed guy walked up to my booth I was sitting
at. He gave me a soft grin before saying, "You must be Jace. Right?"

I couldn't speak. I was taken aback by his utter perfection. Mr. Gray
wasn't as perfect as his son but it was plain to me where Maxxie had gotten his
beauty from. They had the same stunning blue eyes and perfect smile that made you
feel like melting whenever it was flashed. He had Maxxie's high cheek bones and
flawless skin. I had always thought that Maxxie looked like his mom but no, I was
clearly mistaken. These two men were definitely from the same family. That was
evident.

"Uh, yeah," I said once I had collected myself. "Yes, I'm Jace. You must
be Mr. Gray."

He chuckled as he slid onto the red leather bench across from me. "Please,
don't use 'Mr.'. It makes me feel old. Call me Porter."

I nodded and folded my hands together. My palms were sweating. My forehead

was sweating. I'm pretty sure my armpits were sweating. I didn't understand why I
was so nervous! We had planned this meeting days in advance and since then we had
kept in contact with each other, either by e-mail or phone. I had heard his voice
plenty of times before. But now that we were actually looking at each other,
breathing each other's air, it was so different. Not bad different. Just different.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Porter exclaimed. "I'm sorry to hear
about you and my son, though. But mind me asking, why did you want to have this
meeting?"

I took a deep breath and shifted in my seat. Now was the moment of truth.
All I had to do was say those words and pull the small velvet box out of my jacket
pocket. But it was dawning on me that this was actually becoming real and I kept
freezing. I could tell that Porter wanted to ask if I was alright-I probably looked
like a fool-but he didn't press. He just sat there with a smile on his face. Maybe
we should get to know each other first? Should I order some coffee? Should I just
ask him? All these questions were swimming and clashing into each other. Finally I
said:

"Is it okay if I marry your son?"

His face didn't warp into those What-Did-You-Just-Ask-Me?, Are-You-Crazy?,

Who-The-Hell-Do-You-Think-You-Are-Trying-To-Marry-My-Son!? faces I expected.
Instead he seemed to be amused by the question. Like it was a simple, stupid
question like, "Where do babies come from?" He moved forward in his seat, folded
his hands across the table, and asked, "You want to marry my son?"

I felt myself blushing as I responded, "I know we're young. I know that
we're still in high school. I know that he's on the other side of the country. I
know all these things but still I want him. No, I need him. And I don't expect to
get married anytime soon-we have the rest of our lives to figure that one out. But,
I just... I want him to know that I'm his. Always. No matter what happens, I'm
going to love him. And I hope that he loves me still, even though I was the biggest
asshole ever." I paused. "Pardon my language."

"No worries. Continue."

 Deep breath. Continue. "I know that what I did was wrong. There's no
excuse for it. But I hope that he still loves me and still wants me. I hope that he
still needs me, too. But I don't want to hope anymore. I want to know. I need
something stable to hang on to."

He raised an eyebrow. "And a proposal is stable?"

I nodded. "Yes. In my family-and I don't mean my biological family-

marriage or a proposal or whatever you want to call it is very important. It
symbolizes that you love them and will wait for them until your wedding day. Then,
on that day, you can finally say it was worth the trip. It was worth the waiting.
Because then there's no more waiting-you're each other's forever."

I felt so stupid pouring my heart out to him. I mean, it was nice to

finally say that. But it must've sounded so weird coming from my mouth. I mean, I
had just turned sixteen. Half the sixteen year olds I knew thought that love was
getting drunk illegally and hooking up with whomever you could find, and here I was
trying to propose to someone. No, their definition of love was completely different
than mine. Love is so much more than just a four letter word. It has no definition.
Love just is.

"So," Porter said, "you want to propose to my son so you can have
something stable."

The way he said it made me seem like some clingy, possessive person, which
is how I didn't want to come across. I just wanted to let Maxxie know that I was
his and only his. He could love me or he could not love me, but that would never
change the fact that I loved him.

"I... I didn't want it to seem like-"

Porter broke out into laughter. "I'm only teasing, Jace. I think what you
want to do is fantastic. Man, I wish there were more guys like you around." He
shifted in his seat again. "But how are you going to propose to him?"

This was the big part. "Well, I wanted to go to New York. Take you along,
if you wanted to go. The day of his mom's wedding, I wanted to... well, crash the
wedding. I know it sounds bad, but this will benefit both of our relationships."

"How so?"

I smiled. "If Maxxie says yes, it will be like we're really getting
married, because if he says yes I plan to kiss my future groom when the real bride
and groom share their first kiss."

"You like being spontaneous, don't you?" Porter asked, a grin on his face.
 "When it comes to Maxxie," I said, "yes. He deserves it."

Something-pride, maybe-washed over his face. He relaxed against the booth

and said, "My son is lucky to have you, Jace. Really lucky. And I'm more than happy
to help him realize that. So, we'll go to New York together, we'll crash that
wedding, and you'll get everything you need. Plus, I'll get to see my son."
Words can't describe I felt in that moment. My heart felt like it had
grown wings and had begun to fly. I was on a high without drugs and it felt better
than anything I'd ever felt. I quickly fished the ring box out of my jacket and
held it out to Porter. He opened it slowly and grinned.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, picking the rings up the box. He held
them carefully between his fingers.

"I bought them from some person obsessed with vintage Batman stuff. He
said that they were totally useless to him and that's why his asking price was so
low. But I thought they were perfect."

He nodded. "Maxxie has always loved Batman. He's going to love them. And I
take it the other one is for you?"

I nodded and said, "It's kind of our thing."

Porter laughed and put the rings back into the box. He handed the box back
to me and I placed it back into my jacket. I felt as if a giant weight had been
lifted off of my shoulders. I actually felt like laughing, too. Just giggling away
to my heart's content.

"So, when is the day of the wedding?" Porter asked. "Unfortunately my ex-
wife wouldn't share any details."

"It's next Saturday evening. I was thinking we could leave early in the
morning and get there in time for the ceremony and stuff."

He nodded. "You're probably right. And if all goes well, hopefully Max
will come back here with me."

I nodded. I felt like a spy or something. I was going to hitch a flight to

New York City, crash a wedding, and propose to someone under the age. It was all so
farfetched but that wasn't going to stop me. Maxxie had always said he wanted his
movie moment. Well, now he was going to get what he wanted.

I'm coming for you, Maxxie, I thought. Be ready.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirty-Three: Maxxie

I've enclosed a little song for you to listen to while you read :) Enjoy <3
Chapter Thirty-Three: Maxxie

It was quite obvious Mom was freaking out over the wedding. Everything she said
included the word 'wedding'. Here's a conversation we had just last week.

"Mom, can I walk to school with Ash and Jazz tomorrow?"

"Speaking of tomorrow, I have to meet up with the wedding planner.

Something about flowers."

"That's great Mom, but could you please give me an answer?"

"Hush, Maxxie. I need to see if the priest e-mailed me back an answer for
the wedding vows."

"Mom. I'm going out with Jazz and Ash. I'm going to tell them that I can
go to school with them tomorrow morning."

"Wait, where are you going?"

At that point I just face palmed and walked away.

Ash, Jazz and I were sitting at the Starbucks we usually up at. Ash and
Jazz were gushing over everything under the sun-musicals, Anderson Cooper, my hair.
I just sat there and pretended to listen. I was too preoccupied with my own
thoughts about the wedding, which would be tomorrow. I wasn't nervous or anything-
Liam was a great guy and I couldn't ask for a better step dad. But the word that
rolled in my head-step-dad-is what scared me.

"Hot pink Mustangs."

I turned to Jazz and asked, "What?"

"It's what he says to get people's attention," Ash responded proudly. "So
what's up? You keep spacing out."

I shifted in my seat. "Sorry. I've got a load on my mind."

"Do tell," Jazz said.

So I told.
 "Three years ago my parents got divorced. Apparently-I'm not entirely
sure-my dad is gay. I haven't seen him for three years, ever since he picked up and
moved. The last time I talked to him was a couple weeks ago on the phone. He asked
me to move with him." I took a breath. "Well, my mom and I were living happily.
Mostly. But she kept on going on dates and she just randomly brought Liam home and
told me that they were getting married. I got close to him. We're pretty close now.
But... but I'm scared that he's going to take my dad's place. I'm scared that I'm
going to get so close to Liam before I get to see my dad again, that I won't even
be able to pick up where my dad and I started."

Jazz and Ash sat there quietly. I assumed they were listening. Even if
they weren't, it was nice to just say it. Get it out of me.

"Wow," Jazz said. It wasn't a mean way he said it. He was just saying it.

"You don't want to get closer to your step-father?" Ash asked.

"No," I said, "it's not that. I like Liam a lot. I just don't want to get
as close to him as I was with my father."

"Because your father is special to you."

"Yes."

"Is Liam special to you?

"Yes."

"Who's more special?"

"My dad," I replied automatically.

Ash smiled and said, "Well there you go. Problem solved."

Jazz and I both exchanged glances before giving Ash an odd stare. We were
both clearly not following him. He just rolled his eyes and looked at us as if the
answer was obvious, which it wasn't.

"Your father is more special to you than Liam, therefore nobody will take
his place. You can get as close to Liam as you lie but no one will ever be like
your dad. Duh."

I grinned. How could I be so stupid and not realize it before? Of course

Liam was important to me but my dad was my Dad. He had seen me grow up and he had
taught me everything I knew. Sure, he wasn't there for my most important years, but
I knew that he had wanted to be there. That much counted.

"My mom told me about the wedding," Ash said randomly. "And I must say, I
cannot wait to see you in a suit and bowtie."

I was suddenly reminded of something. "Speaking of that, I have to go and

get my suit fitted." I had grown two inches-miraculously-since my last fitting and
the suit wasn't 'perfect' enough for my mom's tastes.

"See you tomorrow!" Ash called as I exited the building.

I hurried off to the apartment, making sure I stuck only to the routes Ash
had instructed I use. Once I reached the apartment, I took off to the elevator and
ran down the hall to our flat. The door was unlocked so I stepped inside. I could
hear some voices from the living room but they sounded too loud and garbled. I
furrowed my brows and walked to where the sound was coming from.

I saw my mom sitting on the couch and watching something on the TV. As I
looked carefully, I could see that the film was grainy. I then saw a smiling,
lollipop smeared face appear on the screen. I realized that it was me when I was a
kid. Mom was watching home videos.

"Mom," I said cautiously.

Her head turned to me. Her face was streaked with tears but she smiled
hugely at me. She leapt from the couch and pulled me into a big hug. I was taller
than her so her head rested against my shoulder. I patted her back awkwardly,
wondering what was up.

"Uh-"

"I love you, Max," she said. "I'm getting married again tomorrow and I
know this is hard for you. I know that Liam can never replace your father. But just
know this-I love you more than anything in the entire world."

My mom looked so helpless yet so excited, like a little kid. I realized

that I could feel a lot of things towards my mom, but hate would never be one of
them. No, I realized that she really loved me. She wouldn't do anything to hurt me-
at least, no intentionally. I wanted to tell her that I loved her too. We were a
team. We had gone through three years of hell and back and still we survived those
rocky waters. Nothing-not a divorce or coming out or a new marriage-could ever tear
us apart.

"I love you too, Mom," I whispered. "And I'm really happy for you."

She smiled through her tears again. She squeezed my arms. "Oh, Max.
Tomorrow is going to be such a big day. I'm scared."

"Don't be," I said. "Liam is a great guy. He's going to treat you right.
Tomorrow will be the best day of your life."

She smiled at me again and we embraced once more. Tomorrow would be the
first day of a new life.

Both of ours.

>>><<<

I adjusted Liam's tie for what seemed like the billionth time. He gave me a nervous
smile. I chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"You're going to be fine," I assured him. "Soon enough you're going to

saying 'I do' to my mom then flying off to Argentina for your honeymoon."

He sighed. "She's going to look so beautiful. I probably look like crap. I

hardly slept last night."

I laughed. "Nonsense! You look great."

He gave me a look that said, "I hope so". I winked at him and soon the
priest came into the room. He took his stand behind the altar-that was the cue for
the music to start. I quickly dashed off to my place as the best man. Light,
elegant music began to play. The back doors of the church swung open and out came
the flower girls, which were my little cousins Alice and Monique. They walked down
the aisle throwing rose petals in the air. When they got to the end of the aisle
they smiled at Liam before taking their seat. Me and the maid of honor walked hand
and down the aisle. I stared at Liam the whole time, smiling. He smiled back.

The rest of the bridal party came teetering down the aisle. Soon enough,
the stereotypical wedding march began to play. I watched as the most beautiful
woman in the world came strolling down towards the altar.

My mom's honey blonde hair was cascading across her shoulder in curls. Her
veil hung at the back of her head like mist and her wedding dress made her seem to
glow. I glance at Liam and saw that he was beginning to cry. I grinned and
struggled to fight back tears of my own.

Mom reached the altar and Liam tilted back her veil. They shared a quick
glance before turning to the priest. He smiled at both of them and began to recite
his words.

"Today we gather to unite Liam Stevens and Melissa Raff in marriage," he

said. "And of course, their son Max."

The crowd broke out into muffled laughter. I smiled and watched as the
priest began saying some things about love then read something from the Bible about
love and marriage. He began to say how marriage is the strongest bond a couple can
have. It shows just how strong true love can be. The whole time he spoke I tried to
not think about Jace. I thought that we had had true love. I suppose I was wrong.

"And now onto the ring exchange," the priest said.

The ring bearer came up and thrust the pillow at Liam. With shaky fingers,
Liam picked up my mom's ring. He took her hand gingerly and slid it on her finger.
He said, "Melissa, I give you this ring as a token of my everlasting love. As long
as you wear this ring you will know that I will love you until the end of the
time."

Tears were streaking my mom's cheeks as she took his ring and said, "Liam.
I give you this ring as a token of my everlasting love. As long as you wear this
ring you will know that I love you until the end of time."

"Now, Liam, do you take Melissa to be your wife? To have and to hold?
Through sickness and in health?"

Liam nodded. "I do."

"And Melissa, do you take Liam to be your husband? To have and to hold?
Through sickness and in health?"

She nodded too. "I do."

The priest looked up at the crowd and said, "I now pronounce you Mr. and
Mrs. Liam and Melissa Stevens. You may now kiss the bride!"

Cheers and claps broke out. Liam took my mom's face in his hands and
tilted her head. They both leaned into each other and-

"WAIT!" somebody shouted from the end of the aisle.

We all turned our heads. I gasped. I felt like somebody had kicked me in
the stomach.

Jace was standing in the middle of the door, his eyes crazed.
 The whole crowd was silent-dead silent. All I could hear was my heart
pounding like a drum in my ears. I was just about to ask myself why he was here,
when suddenly another person came from behind him.

Dad.

His face sent memories rushing through me. The time he took me to the zoo
when I was little, the time he taught me to ride my bike, those endless nights
where I would watch him and mom dance in the kitchen when they thought I had gone
to bed. Seeing his face reconciled all these locked up things were just flooding
through me.

But I was soon snapped back to reality. Jace was here. Standing at the end
of that aisle. He had crashed my mom's wedding, for God knows what reason, right
after we had had out very nasty break up. How dare he show up here?

I took a step away from the altar and headed down the aisle. He mimicked
my action and met me half way. We stopped so two feet separated us.

"Jace," I hissed, "what are you-"

"Maxxie," he said, "please, let me explain."

I was too speechless to object anything he did. He took my hands in his

and looked at me with pleading eyes. His gorgeous eyes. I stared at him, into him,
and more memories washed over me. That first kiss. That first time. All those
amazing moments. They had once meant something but now they didn't mean anything.
Or did they? I mean, why would he be here? An idea sparked in the back of my head
but I figured it was just my heart trying to make up ideas.

"Max, I know I hurt you," Jace said. I nearly winced but he continued.
"And I know that you will probably never forgive me for that. You have every reason
not to. But I want you to know that ever since I laid my eyes on you, I knew that I
loved you. I didn't know you but I was fighting to know you. That first year in
high school when I saw you, I wanted to know your name. And I learned it, but I
could never get the courage to talk to you. So I listened to other people say
wonderful things about you. And I found myself needing you. I need you, Max. I
fought so hard to get you and I messed up. I'm sorry about that. You don't even
know how sorry I am. You'll never know how sorry I am for hurting you. But Max, you
really need to understand that when I say 'I love you', I mean it. I know that
those three words-words we say so often yet mean it so little-are just words, and
that they can never show you how much I care and love you, but... but I do. I
really, really love you. Which is why I need to ask you this, Maxxie."

My mind started to race as he fell to one knee. One. Knee. And he pulled a
box out of his jacket pocket. When he opened that box, there were two rings-two
silver bands with some incomprehensible words scrawled across them. Jace looked up
at me pleadingly and asked, "Maxxie, will you please marry me someday?"

Was this really happening? Had Jace really just gotten down on one knee
and asked that question? Was he really proposing to me? This had to be some dream.
It had to be. I would wake up and see that I was still in my bed and the wedding
hadn't even started yet and Jace would still be back home. There was no way that he
could be here and proposing to me.

"Maxxie," he said, "I'm sorry. I really am. You have to believe me. But I
also really love you. I can't imagine being with another person. You are my other
half. You are my soul mate. You belong with me."

I wouldn't cave. He had broken my heart. He had done something so wrong. I

wouldn't forgive him, right? I wouldn't give in to those beautiful eyes and those
beautiful words.

But as crazy as it was, I still loved him.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Chapter Thirty-Four: Jace

Hey guys :) There's a song over there you should listen to --->
And I know that the picture over there isn't both of our boys, but let's pretend it
is ;) <3

Chapter Thirty-Four: Jace

Blood was pounding in my ears. Everyone's eyes were on me. I didn't care, though. I
didn't care that I was kneeling in the middle of the rose petal covered aisle with
the bride and groom looking on at us with shocked expressions. Actually, everyone
was looking at us with shocked expressions. Maxxie especially.

Please say yes, I pleaded in my head. Please, please, please.

"Jace, I... I don't know what to say," Maxxie whispered. "I mean... I....
You hurt me. Badly."

It took all my strength to nod and say, "I know, Maxxie. I know. I was so
stupid for doing that. I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am. I'm so-"

"Yes."

I looked at him, confused. Yes what? I had just apologized. Why was he
saying yes?

"Yes, Jace," he said, smiling. "I will marry you someday."

 I blinked a couple of times. My heart literally stopped beating for a
moment. I beamed at Maxxie. His face was glowing and smiling. My fingers were
shaking yet I still took one of the rings-engraved with the words Robin+Batman-and
slipped it on his finger. I slid my own ring on my own finger and stared at Maxxie.

Words can barely describe how I felt in that moment. I stared at him and I
made a promise to myself that I would never hurt him again. I wouldn't do anything
stupid. As of that moment, I wouldn't do drugs. It would be hard, yes, but if it
would help make Maxxie happy then I would do it. I would do anything to keep him by
my side.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too."

Maxxie glanced at the altar, at his parents. His mom had tears in her eyes
and she grinned at her son. She glanced at me and nodded slightly. It was like
saying thank you. And I returned the nod. You're welcome.

"Alright," the priest said, "you may now kiss your bride. And your future
groom."

I glanced at Maxxie and smiled. He let out this beautiful laugh before
pressing his lips against mine. Fire that had been lost and rekindled shot through
me, warming every fiber of my body. I felt Maxxie's arms wind their way around my
neck and I placed my hands firmly on his waist. This time I really wouldn't let go.

>>><<<

I was thankful that Maxxie's parents let me stay for the party. They pulled up two
extra seats at Maxxie's table for me and his dad. I really wanted to talk to Maxxie
but I couldn't think of a good time or place where we could talk.

"Hey," Maxxie said as people began to filter onto the dance floor. "Let's
dance."

I smiled and took his hand. We walked to where the crowd of people was and
found a small place for ourselves. A fairly slow song came on and we took the
positions we'd learned from dance class. Instead of stepping to the beat, however,
we swayed back and forth gently. It was nice and calming.

"Jace, can I ask you something?" Maxxie said softly.

 I stroked his face and said, "Anything."

He hesitated before saying, "Why did you come here today?"

I smiled. "Because I love you. And I needed you to know that I'll love you
forever. No matter where you are or if you love or don't love me back."
He smiled. "I do love you back."

I nuzzled him. "I know that."

"So tell me, why did you make such a grand entrance?" he asked, an eyebrow
raised.

I laughed. "Because you deserved it! I thought that maybe if I made it

dramatic then you'd believe me more."

He smiled and rested his head against my shoulder. I laid my head on his
and we continued to sway to the music. Nothing could break us. Not anymore. I
carefully glanced at the ring on Maxxie's finger and I smiled. I was just so happy
he'd said yes.

"Max," I said, "why did you forgive me so quickly? I mean, you were so
angry at me that last time we talked.... I expected you to be angry again."

He shrugged. "Well, after a week of being in New York, I tried to forget

about you. That's the whole reason why I decided to move here. But truthfully, you
were always on my mind. I didn't want to admit it, but I still loved you. Even
after you hurt me."

I gave him an apologetic smile and pressed my lips against his. Kissing him
again was like kissing him for the first time again. I hoped that whenever I kissed
him now Maxxie would realize that I would never leave him or hurt him again. That
was certain.

"MAX GRAY!" somebody shouted. We both turned around to see some guy with
curly hair and a huge smile on his face staring at us. I swear he had tears in his
eyes, too.

"Ash," Maxxie said. "Hey."

"OhmygoshthatwassoadorableIcouldbarelystandit!" the dude said.

"Ohmygoshsothismustbeyourexbutnowyou'renotexesanymorebecauseyou'reengaged!"
I wondered if this kid knew how to breathe.
 Maxxie laughed. "Yeah, this is Jace."

Ash extended his hand to me and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I smiled. "You too."

Ash turned back to Maxxie. He squealed and threw his arms around my
beloved boyfriend. I chuckled. Maxxie began laughing.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Ash said once he had released Maxxie. "You guys are
just too cute! Anyways, I have to go dance with my mom, but I'll talk to you guys
later! Kisses!"

Ash drifted away. Maxxie and I exchanged glances. Just then I heard
someone clear their throat behind us. We both turned around and saw his dad
standing there, smiling at Maxxie. I grinned and stepped away from them. I drifted
off to a corner in the room and watched as Maxxie and his dad began talking. It
didn't seem awkward or angry or anything you might expect their first conversation
in three years to be. Instead, it seemed like they were talking as if nothing had
ever happened. As if thousands of miles hadn't separated them for so long. And it
was nice. I could only wish that things could be that was with me and my father.

After they shared a tight hug, Maxxie came drifting back to me. A familiar
song came on-Nothing Like You and I by The Perishers. I had heard that song
whenever Jules' indie boy crush would come over to our house when our parents were
away. They loved playing this song-which, as I listened to the lyrics, made me
wonder what they were doing behind those closed doors.

"Let's dance again," I told Maxxie. I dragged him back onto the dance
floor and we swayed again. The lyrics of the song drifted through my head.

We spent some time

together walking
Spent some time just talking
about who we were
You held my hand so
very tightly
And told me what we
could be dreaming of
There's nothing like you and I

"There's nothing like you and I," I whisper sang to Maxxie.

"There's nothing like you and I," he sang back.

I Like Your Batman Underwear ~ Epilogue
Epilogue

-TEN YEARS LATER-

I wake up to warm breath on the back of my neck. My eyes stay closed but I'm aware
of Jace kissing my neck and jaw. His arm tightens around my waist and he pulls me
closer to him. His breath is warm against my ear and I smile slightly; his
breathing tickles.

"I know you're awake, love," he whispers. He kisses my cheek.

I turn over so that I'm facing him. As always, he takes my breath away. I
never get tired of looking into those beautiful blue eyes, even after all these
years. His face is still the same angelic as always, but there are faint sun
crinkles around the corners of his eyes. I like those sun crinkles, though. They
remind me of all the good times we've had together, and we've had a lot of them.
Ten years' worth.

"Good morning," I murmur.

He grins and kisses me softly. His lips, still so perfect, move with mine,
fitting together like puzzle pieces. The busy sounds of cars whooshing across the
streets of Manhattan fade into the background and Jace's fingertips brush against
my chest. I go to cup his face with my hand, when suddenly a new noise rings
through the apartment.

A baby's cry.

Jace chuckles as he pulls away. He says, "Looks like Robin is awake."

I quickly pull myself out of bed and pad across the room to the little
crib in the corner. Robin is bawling his brown little eyes out and his round little
face is red. I reach into the crib and pick him up carefully. I stroke his curly
chocolate hair as I rock him back and forth, humming the tune of a special song.

'Cause there's nothing like you and I.

Nothing like you and I.

He immediately stops crying and I stroke his cheek. He begins to giggle

randomly, as he so often does, and I can't help but smile. He's so precious; our
precious little Robin Bruce Wayne Storme, named after the super heroes that started
all of this. We adopted him a year ago and our lives haven't been more complete.

"Hey Robi-Bear?," Jace coos, coming up from behind me and stroking Robin's
cheek. "How was your night, sweetie?"

He giggles again and begins to clap his hands. Jace and I both laugh. He
wraps his arms around my waist and I tilt my head to look at him. He grins at me
softly and I wonder what he's thinking.

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too."

He kisses me quickly before swinging his arms and scooping Robin from me.
He put him on the back of his neck and begins to run through the apartment
pretending he's an airplane. Robin laughs and it sounds like a thousand harps being
strummed. I laugh while I attempt to follow them through the house.

Yes, this is now my life with Jace-happily married with a son and living
in Manhattan, the same city where he proposed to me. Sometimes we get on each
other's nerves and fight, but we always make up. We try not to hurt each other and
when we do we always apologize. One thing is certain-no matter how bad life gets,
we will always be there for each other.

I lean against a wall and steal a glimpse at my wedding ring. The message
on it is slightly faded but I will always know what's written on it.

Batman + Robin = Forever

Jace rushes over to me and places Robin on the floor. He begins to crawl
around the living room, grabbing onto the couches and coffee tables for support
when he tries to walk. Jace and I stare proudly. He stares at me and asks, "What
are you thinking?"

I just smile and reach up to kiss him. He places one hand on the wall
beside my head and kisses me back. I smile against his lips.

Yes, Batman and Robin will always be together.