Lie Like You Mean It

Dominick didn’t talk very much really. I suppose he was pretty shy about meeting everyone or maybe even scared. I couldn’t comprehend why though. At least, not until my uncle called Zero and I into the kitchen to talk. Talk about déjà vu. I was wondering what we had done this time even though I figured by the tone of voice that it wasn’t anything bad.

“What’s this about?” Zero asked casually in his mature voice, trying to keep me close. He was trying to keep me from freaking out even if I was aware that this talk wasn’t anything bad.

“I think you boys need to know the truth.” Blake stated, looking over at Dominick. Dominick’s expression looked pained and he must’ve felt the urge to look away because that’s what he did after flinching.

Dominick was young, like Zero and I, only about nineteen, I think my mom said. But he had soft features and a gentle innocence about him. He did small things for my mother around the house like putting his dishes away in the dishwasher instead of the sink and occasionally he’d help her fold laundry.

“The truth a-about what?” I stuttered, fairly nervous about what the ‘truth’ entailed.

“How people are to us.” He said. I looked at him confusedly and frowned, not understanding anything he was talking about. So I looked to Zero who shared the same expression only in more of a repressed manner. “I mean, how many people treat gays.” He corrected.

“B-but I’m not-”

“I know Nicolas. I know it’s only Zero. And I don’t doubt that, but that’s not how people are going to see it on the streets. They’re going to regard you as a homosexual.” He explained in a blunt fashion. He drew in a shaky breath. “You know how my father treated me when I told him and I’m thankful that Garrick didn’t treat you as such. However, there are many people in the world that are like my father.”

Dominick was now looking down at his hands with his brown hair obscuring his eyes.

“As I’ve already said, I’m protecting Nicolas. No one is going to touch him.” Zero said adamantly, not breaking eye contact with my uncle.

“I know, but you both need to know this.” Then my uncle motioned to his boyfriend who stood up, the chair scraping against the floor.

Dominick turned around and lifted his shirt over his head. On his back scarred words were carved into the flesh. The scars were still pink around the center. The words read out “FAG” in horrible crooked lettering. It was grotesque and morbid to say the least.
It took me a second before I could breathe. Dominick threw on his shirt again, concealing the afflicting scars.

“It happened one night while I was walking to my car.” He whispered. “After, um, I saw Blake home. They had… followed us from the restaurant.”

His voice was weak and frail like an abused dog’s whimpering.

“I couldn’t protect him.” My uncle face had contorted into a look of shame and disgust, but not at Dominick. “You two need to understand how difficult this is going to be for you when you get out into the real world.”

“I-it doesn’t… it doesn’t matter.” I said looking at my uncle. “I just… want to be with Zero.” Dominick took his seat across from us and smiled a little half-smile at me.

“You still needed to know what threats there are for the life.” My uncle stated.

“I told you – I’ll take care of him.” Zero said with a startling boldness that almost made it a growl just to show how serious he was.

“Okay.” Blake said after a moment. “Okay, then, I guess there’s no reason to continue this conversation.”

“I’m not going to let people carve ‘FAG’ into your back. I swear to fucking God if anyone so much as looks-” Zero was pacing back and forth in our room after that talk. I had started a video game for us to play.

“I-I know.” I whispered grabbing onto his arm. “But we might not be together forever.”

The realization that had come out of my mouth scared me intensely. Zero had become such a huge part of my life now. Now I liked him way too much to let him go. To imagine him not being here was terrifying to me.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re together or not. I’m still going to look after you.” He stated as he sat down next to me. His random bouts of kindness were astounding to me and I never expected them. But he only spoke the truth to me whether it was bad or not.

“Fuck.” He hissed, falling over onto his back. “They shouldn’t have showed you that.”

“I’m seventeen – I think I can handle it.” I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest. Then he sighed exasperatedly and wrapped his arms around my waist, sprawling me across his stomach in a cross-shape. I didn’t object; I didn’t feel like it. Besides, he was warm.

He reached for my hand and I shut my eyes as I felt his slender fingers intertwine themselves with my own. “Is it scaring you?”

That question forced me to open my eyes again and turn to look at him. “D-don’t be stupid.” I didn’t mean to stutter because it stole away from the serious tone I was trying to achieve. “It’s just… I can’t believe something like that happened to Dominick.”

“Listen…” Zero sat up and rearranged me so that I was sitting on his lap instead of sprawled out on my back on top of him. “If people are really intent on hating you, they’re going to find something to hate you for anyways. For Dominick it just happened to be the fact that he likes guys.”

“That’s so…”

“Deep?” He tried to finish.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Actually, I can’t really think of a word for what that is.” I announced, nodding, as if to fortify what I’d said. Zero buried his face into my neck, causing me to shiver.

“Your game’s been up on the screen for the past three minutes.” He stated and then I could feel him smirking into my neck. “Unless you like this?” He added suggestively as I felt his lips attach themselves to my throat. My breath hitched as his arms encircled my waist tighter.

“D-don’t-”

“Don’t what?” He cut me off. Even though I had objected, I didn’t hate this; in fact, I kind of wanted him to continue.

“Don’t l-” He pressed another kiss onto my neck just below my ear, causing me to jolt a bit. “l-leave any… any marks…” I managed to finish.

“Why not?” He asked, pulling his head away from my neck. I shifted around to face him in his lap. “Your parents already know we’re together.”

I rolled my eyes at him again and then let my head fall forward, annoyed, onto his chest.
He just sighed before running a hand through my hair. Geez, when did I get so comfortable around him? First it was like walking on eggshells around him, trying not to set him off now I actually anticipate touching and being with him. I guess it’s okay to admit wanting him to kiss me or hug me now.
I felt his arms snake their way around me to lazily sit on my back. For once, I wasn’t forcing myself to relax, my body just did so naturally. My own arms even found their way around him as I hugged him a little closer to myself. His breathing came closer to my ear as I felt his head droop over mine as he buried his face into my hair.

“You smell good.” He breathed into my ear.

“You’re a freak,” A whispered back with an affectionate tone.

And then, just like that, our moment was over when Michael and Mina burst through the door with twin, “Aww’s.”

“Ever hear of knocking?” Zero growled. I kept in the position I was in, only I had turned to face the intruders. Hey, I had to get used to being with him in the public eye sometime, didn’t I? Zero seemed pleased about my choice to stay on top of him and he pulled me tighter to himself.

“Ever hear of, ‘we have to set up the Christmas tree?’” Mina grinned. Michael just skipped over to us and pulled me off of Zero and then yanked Zero off the bed.

“Come on guys! Let’s go, let’s go!” He cheered excitedly.

Zero looked at me, groaning. “I’d rather swallow nails.” He hissed. I laughed at that but then Michael turned to me.

“How about you, Nickybear? I’m sure you could convince your grumpy-ass boyfriend-” Then he gasped in realization as he saw my ‘no means no’ expression. “Ohhh… I get it now… You guys want to stay in here and… do things.” He laughed at my face as he said that. “Can I videotape it?”

“Fuck no! Get out!” Zero yelled. I’m sure he didn’t care about what Michael said, but I did; it embarrassed the hell out of me. So, Zero was defending me as he always did.

“Aww man… okay, you two have… fun.” Michael smirked at us and then Mina elbowed him and laughed. They shut the door on the way out and I flopped back onto my bed backwards.

Zero took that opportunity to climb over on top of me. My face tinted with a slight blush as he did that, but I didn’t stop him. “You wanna take his advice?” He whispered.

“H-huh?” I choked out.

“I mean… this.”

My eyelids instantly fell over my eyes as he leaned in and met my lips with his. It was automatic now, the way my arms wrapped around his figure, hugging him into my chest. The way I pressed back up to his mouth to return the kiss. I was getting better at being able to move my mouth with his without being so damn awkward about it or inexperienced.

His own arms found their way behind my neck and ran through my hair, tugging at it playfully. I rolled us over because his weight was becoming too much for me so that I was on top. Then I detached my lips from his and turned his neck to the side, blushing like mad. I’d never done this before and I didn’t want him to think I was terrible at this, so I suppose you could say I was a bit nervous.
Nonetheless, I placed kisses on his jaw and then trailed down over to the hollow of his throat. I felt, rather that saw, him grin over my sudden boldness.
Then I went up the side of his neck and decided it was payback time for biting me that one time and for making me moan that other time. I sucked on a piece of flesh that was just below his ear. He moaned slightly at that and tightened his grip around me. Then I bit down on it, making him emit a louder groan into my ear. I pulled back just enough to examine it and sure enough it was already red.

“Wh… what came over you?” He asked, apparently finding my audacity out-of-character.

“Payback.” I whispered, leaning back in and kissing the red mark that was starting to bruise a little bit.