1.15 - A Boy's First Crush

Dagon was nervous about his first day at high school. As a kid, he never had to worry about the pitfalls of dating and sexuality. But now that he was a teenager, he wasn't sure how everyone would react to him. Would he be teased and tormented? Or were the people of Eltham's Falls more liberal-minded? He hoped he would be accepted, because he couldn't imagine trying to hide who he was.

Aoife squeezed his hand. "Don't worry, Dag. If anyone gives you trouble, I'll wolf out on them and tear them to shreds."

Dagon grinned, "That's surprisingly reassuring, cuz."

After school, Dagon stuck around to clear his head. The day went better than he thought it would. He blended in pretty well. Nobody singled him out, but neither did they extend a hand of friendship. He was a freshman, and he imagined the other kids were just as nervous as he was. But lunch was a different story. He shared a lunch period with Percy. Percy had invited him to his table, where Dagon quietly watched everyone interacting. They all seemed to enjoy purchasing food from the cafeteria like it was some sort of status symbol. Dagon wielded his bag lunch like a weapon. He only trusted food he made at home.

Percy kept smiling at him, trying to get him to participate. But Dagon didn't understand the conversation. It was very sports-oriented. Dagon wasn't really a sports guy. He wished he was at home, in front of his easel. And then a girl sat down, beside Percy. She kissed him on the cheek. Dagon had felt the muscles in his stomach contracting with panic. His heart felt heavy and full. Percy -  his first crush, his first high school friend, the first person to accept his sexuality - had a girlfriend.

Dagon spent so much time lost in thought at school, he missed the twins' aging up. Elisedd was serious and somber.

While Diarmuid was more excitable and outgoing to make up for the fact that he lacked wings like his brother's.

Dagon went right to his easel when he got home. Sulking outside of school didn't help him arrange his thoughts, but he was always able to get lost in his paintings. He painted a cityscape to represent how busy and congested his head felt with all these new thoughts, feelings, and hormones.

But his therapeutic activity was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Percy? What are you doing here?" Dagon exclaimed upon seeing his guest in the kitchen.

Percy smiled knowingly at Dagon's distress. "You seemed really flustered at lunch today. I figured maybe I should stop by and make sure you're okay. I know we just recently met, but it didn't seem like you to be that quiet."

Dagon sighed, unsure of how to handle his new friend. "Alright, follow me. I have something to tell you."

Dagon led Percy into the bedroom his mom and aunt shared. "Alright, look Percy. There's something I need to tell you...and I'm not sure you're going to want to remain my friend afterwards. In case you didn't notice, I'm gay. And the thing is...I really like you. I know it might be crazy. But...I don't know. I hope you don't feel compelled to beat me up now." Dagon hung his head, waiting for at best a broken heart, and at worst a fist to the face.

"What? Dagon, I'm not that type of guy. I might be a jock, but I'm not a jerk! And actually, I kind of guessed at your feelings for me. It's why I broke up with Kari today."

Dagon was overcome with panic. "Kari? Was that your girlfriend? Why would you break up with her?"

Percy laughed. "Kari and I have been friends practically since birth. Our parents have been pressuring us to date since we were children. So it just seemed the natural thing to do. I wasn't any more interested in her than she was in me. We're both ready to just be ourselves. And in honor of that, I was hoping you'd be my date to prom."

Dagon's heart thudded against his ribs. Was this some sort of cruel trick? Or was his crush actually asking him to go to prom? Dagon gulped. "What will your parents think?"

Percy shrugged, "I don't know. What will yours think?"

Illdrid took that convenient moment to burst in on her son's intimate conversation. She looked questioningly at the two teens, trying to figure out why they would possibly be in her bedroom.

"Uhh...mom. Percy just invited me to his prom next weekend. Would it be alright if I went?"

Illdrid smiled, happy that her slightly odd, artistic son was experiencing his first romance. "Of course it's alright. But hanging out in my bedroom is not quite as alright. Let's go celebrate Aoife's birthday. And then maybe we should have that birds and bees talk. Or...birds and birds in this case, I guess!"

Everyone blushed as they all shuffled awkwardly into the kitchen.

 Aoife was already waiting at the cake. She was anxious to join her cousin at high school. He was her best friend. And she felt like she needed to protect him. Which was all but impossible in her current form.

She aged as gracefully as possible, but once the cheering had subsided, she stepped away from the cake. Now was not the time for sugary treats - delicious though they may be. Now was the time to check our her cousin's love interest and make sure everything was on the up and up. Which was incredibly hard to do while they were making kissy faces and each other.

 Percy walked away from the kitchen table, and Dagon followed, grasping Percy by the hands. "I don't think I gave you a proper answer," he said. "I would be thrilled to be your date to the prom."

Percy grinned. "Great! That means you're paying, right?"

Dagon snickered. "Yea, right. Like I can afford that. Sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to be the sugar daddy for this date!" 

Percy took a step closer, not caring that they were surrounded by all of Dagon's family. "I would be happy to be your sugar daddy," he replied, his voice low and husky.

Dagon breached the distance and let his lips brush every so lightly against Percy's. It was perfect. The best first kiss he ever could have hoped for.

The following morning, Illdrid decided it was time for the twins to learn some life skills. They were getting older and neither could walk or talk. So, despite the fact that Evandrus and Dagon were both still sleeping, Illdrid took little Diarmuid into the boys' bedroom, sat him on the ground, and started teaching him how to talk. She didn't feel too guilty about waking her sons. They had to be up for school anyway.

Unlike her cousins, Aoife was an early riser. She took the initiative to get Elisedd ready for the day while her mom got ready for work and her aunt Illdrid handled Diarmuid. Now that she was a teenager, she no longer felt threatened by her brothers' presence. In fact, she felt down right silly for ever feeling that way. Apparently, much wisdom comes with age.

She sat down for breakfast with Evandrus. He was still dressed in his royalty garb. Everyone had hoped he would grow out of those delusions by now. Aoife cleared her throat, "So, Ev. Your birthday is coming up. Are you excited?"

Evandrus looked at his cousin like she had just grown another head. "Excited? I'm always excited. Why would you ask such a silly question? You would have been better off asking what I was most excited about. That would have been much more legitimate."

Aoife rolled her eyes. "Alright, what are you most excited about, you little nut?"

Evandrus arched one eyebrow at her. "The answer is not quite as cut and dry as I would like. On one hand, I am excited to gain a semblance of independence so I can better escape everyone's presence. On the other hand, I think I would like to use that same independence to gain peons. But that would involve human interaction, which, as you know, I find to be particularly droll. It's quite a conundrum."

Aoife shook her head. "For someone who dislikes people so much, you sure talk a lot."

Evandrus grinned impishly as he scarfed down the last bite of his waffle. "Yes, cousin. I am an enigma."

Dagon's morning was much less pleasant. He woke with the overwhelming urge to strangle someone. He couldn't figure out why he felt so unhappy. Everything was working out so well for him. Maybe it was the fact that he was up half the night daydreaming about prom, or the fact that he had sprouted his first pimple. Regardless of the reason, he was grumpy. And he had to take it out on someone. So he rigged up the sink to spray the next person who was unfortunate enough to use it

Unfortunately for Dagon, that person was none other than his mother. He ran out of his room to find her shouting, dripping wet by the sink. Their eyes met, and he knew that she knew. It was him. He mumbled a sheepish apology before going back to his room to finish getting ready for school.

After school that day, Dagon learned his punishment. He had been signed up for an afterschool activity. "I don't think my mom is very good at punishments. She signed me up for art classes after school," he whispered to Aoife while they did their homework.

Aoife chuckled, "I think your mom is better at punishments than you think. You're going to be up all night doing homework. Kiss all hopes of having a social life goodbye!"

Shae overheard the conversation while watching television and called into the next room, "I  wouldn't tease your cousin, if I were you. Your aunt Illdrid had such a good idea, I decided to sign you up for a sport. You need to be more active."

Dagon stuck out his tongue while Aoife groaned. She couldn't wait until she could move out.