Every Prince is Charming

“Mom,” whined Andrew Ellen, “Do I have to go?” The last thing Andrew wanted was to go to some party for his mom’s company. Hanging out with a bunch of old people, really wasn’t what he would have planned for a Saturday night.

“Yes,” snapped his mother who was just moments away from slapping her son upside the head in order to shut him up. “Stop complaining, there’ll be other kids there.” Andrew groaned and sunk down lower into his seat.

“Yeah, but every single last one of them is under ten.” He argued but shrunk away when he saw the fire in his mother’s eyes.

“John Prince’s boy, Stewart will be there,” said the brunette who was currently glaring at the road in order to keep from driving the car into a tree, “he’s about your age.”

Andrew didn’t think that was very comforting. Anyone named Stewart was bound to be a stick the mud. He liked mud, but hated random sticks that found there way into it.

“Whatever.” He sighed and leaned his head against the window. The rest of the car ride was silent and he became very familiar with the surrounding woodsy area.

***

“Behave,” hissed Andrew’s mother as the duo walked into the crowded lodge. He didn’t answer her and simply pulled his hood over his head and marched off to an abandoned corner. Andrew stuck his earphones in his ears and turned up the volume on his IPod as high as it would go, without taking notice to what song was playing. Anything was better than the awful small talk that was floating across the room.

Stewart smiled and nodded at whatever the man across from his father said but was clueless as to what he meant. This was the last place he would have ever dreamed of going tonight, his father’s colleagues all talked in some sort of code that was impossible for average humans to understand.

A grey haired man started talking about complainants and defendants but Stewart had his eyes locked on a boy in the corner with dyed blonde hair and what looked like blue eyes but the distance was too far to know for certain. He had to change that.

“Dad,” he said after the man who was practically six feet under already finished speaking. “I’m going to go introduce myself to-“ He remembered the names his father drilled into his head “Andrew.”

“Yeah, sure” he waved his son off with barely a glance and engrossed himself with whatever the men were saying. Stewart rolled his eyes and quickly made his way over to the boy who was practically a walking wet dream.

“Hey,” Andrew didn’t hear him but the hand that was shoved into his face brought him out of his own little world.

“Um… hi” he said hesitantly when he raised his eyes to see the body that was attached to the hand, and what a body it was. The guy standing in front of him was six foot at least and had messy black hair that fell into his colorless grey eyes.

“I’m Stewart,” the boy said and Andrew robotically took his hand as he tried to remember what his name was. So far he wasn’t having any luck. “You’re Andrew right?” he asked as the corner of his mouth turned up into an all knowing smirk.

“Yeah,” answered Andrew, happy that at least one of them hadn’t been reduced to a pile of goo.

“My dad told me about you,” explained Stewart, “mind if I sit down?” Andrew was so distracted by the boy in front of him that he couldn’t even remember which way was up, down, or backwards. But he did manage to shake his head in agreement with Stewart’s question.

“Are you as bored as I am?” He asked as he took a seat next to Andrew, “I can’t believe my dad dragged me here.” Slowly Andrew managed to comprehend what the amazingly cute guy beside him had said and took out his remaining ear phone in order to talk to him properly.

“I know, my mom could have at least left me at home where I could watch television until brain exploded but no, she had to take me to this party in order to ‘show me off’ her words, not mine,” said Andrew as he placed his IPod in his pocket without taking his eyes away from the gorgeous creature beside him.

When Stewart didn’t say anything Andrew started to think he had said something wrong. “Oh god, he thinks I’m a nerd,” he thought to himself. “Good going nimrod, you just blew it.”

“What?” He asked, a little scared that Stewart was going to laugh in his face and walk away, never to speak to him again.

“Nothing,” laughed Stewart, “just thought it was weird that you would rather watch television than go out with your girlfriend. There’s no need to freak out.” Well that was an uncomfortable conversation if Andrew had ever heard one.

“Um… I don’t have a girlfriend.” He said embarrassed. Stewart just smiled and moved closer as if that was some kind of invitation and Andrew slid over to the edge of his seat in order to get some distance between them.

“Interesting,” said Stewart and Andrew saw a hunger in his eyes that made him wish that they weren’t in a secluded corner but instead in the middle of the crowded room.

“Hey,” he looked away from Stewart’s gaze and focused on a red paint splatter on the floor that had suddenly become very interesting.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, Andrew’s eyes never leaving the floor and Stewart’s never leaving him. It wasn’t until the ever popular song “the cha-cha slide” started playing in order to entertain the younger children who had become incredibly rowdy in the stuffy environment; that the brunette spoke up.

“You wanna dance?” He asked already standing up and reaching for Andrew’s hand.

“No,” said Andrew curtly, “I don’t dance.” That wasn’t a complete lie, the boy had two left feet and couldn’t walk in a straight line without hurting himself, let alone dance.

“Come on,” whined Stewart, “everyone knows this dance.” The pleading look in his eyes made Andrew sigh and place his hand in the other boy’s.

“Fine,” he said standing up to see that he was a few inches shorter than Stewart. “But don’t you dare let go of my hand. If I fall, then you’re going down with me.” Andrew started walking toward the small section of the room that had been cleared of chairs and he could hear Stewart laughing softly behind him.

“Got it,” said Stewart once they were standing amongst the three foot tall elementary schoolers. “Don’t let you fall.” He gave Andrew a smile that made his heart stop for a moment before starting again.

“Exactly,” said Andrew as he performed the first step in the dance.

“Well, while we’re here,” Stewart started when the two were sliding across the linoleum flooring. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” Andrew didn’t look up from his own feet but he could still hear the smile in Stewart’s voice.

“Why are you so interested?” Andrew asked, glancing briefly up at the boy that made him feel like prey in some kind of hunt.

“I just am,” he answered, “now are you going to indulge me?” Andrew didn’t know how to answer that or even if he should so the two danced in silence until that particular song ended and another began.

This one was much slower than the first and Andrew went to leave but Stewart pulled him back by the hand he was holding and placed his other on Andrew’s waist, making him feel like a girl; a weird masculine looking girl; but a girl nonetheless.

“Fine,” Andrew snapped when he realized that Stewart was practically keeping him prisoner here on the dance floor.

“There isn’t much to tell, I hate school and love to read as long as the book is free of vampires or werewolves, my favorite color is maroon, and in ten years I see myself as a physiatrist in training.” Stewart smiled in triumph and Andrew rolled his eyes as they were joined by several older couples.

“What about you?” asked Andrew as he slowly wrapped his arms around the taller boy’s neck. A move he hadn’t been aware of until it was too late, but even so he didn’t try to correct it.

“Complete opposite,” said Steward with a smirk on his face. “I love school but hate to read, my favorite color is yellow, and in ten years I see myself married to a cute blonde, with blue eyes and an ass that puts very naughty thoughts in my head. “ He growled the last part in Andrew’s ear and Stewart’s words sent all his blood rushing to a certain area of his anatomy.

“So you want to be a politician?” Joked Andrew, glad that his voice didn’t portray how much Stewart’s words had affected him.

“Sure,” said Steward unconvincingly, “let’s go with that.”

Time seemed to fly by at the speed of light after that was said. At some point during a fast song, Andrew’s hoodie became very uncomfortable and was thrown over the back of a chair.

“Andrew,” said his mom several hours later. “It’s time to go.” The two continued to stare at each other until Stewart smirked and slipped a piece of paper into his right hand.

“Call me,” he whispered and kissed Andrew lightly on the cheek, though both wanted so much more than that.

“I will,” Andrew promised and regrettably walked out of the room with his mother.

“Are you glad I made you come?” Asked the older woman with a knowing smile once they had made themselves comfortable in the car.

“Yeah,” said Andrew. “Thanks mom.” The mother-son duo both had smiles on their faces when they sped out of the parking lot.

“He left his jacket,” said Stewart to his dad after Andrew had left. They were some of the last people in the room and Stewart didn’t understand his father’s need to talk to everyone in the lounge.

“Leave it on the counter when we get home and I’ll bring it to his mother on Monday,” said Stewart’s dad, he had just finished speaking to a company investor and was currently shrugging on his own coat.

“Do you think we could just run it out to him?” Stewart asked, he knew full well that his father had the address of everyone in the firm in a book that was currently located in the glove compartment of his car.

“Fine,” sighed John and Stewart smiled at the fact he could make anyone agree with him with very little effort on his part. “Let’s go.” He headed out of the room and Stewart brought Andrew’s clothing to his nose and took a deep breath before following him. The jacket smelled just like Andrew, a mix between oranges and the ocean.

The car ride to the Ellen house was silent, Stewart had never really liked his father and had the feeling that his dad didn’t much like him either. So when they pulled up to a plain white house in the middle of nowhere, he was more than happy to break the impermeable silence.

“I’ll be right back,” said Stewart and his father nodded in return. A sign that he wasn’t about to object.

Stewart quickly got out of the car and ran up to the front door, barely pausing in time to keep from slamming into it. Carefully he rang the doorbell, his shaking fingers making it harder than it really should have, but his reward came in the form of the same blonde haired, blued eyed boy he had met earlier opening the door.

“Miss me already?” He asked smirking. Andrew had meant it as a joke but Stewart was fully prepared to tell him he had.

“I just wanted to give you this.” He held out the hoodie in his left hand and Andrew stared at it as if he had never seen something quite so magnificent.

“Thanks, I really apprecia-“ He was cut off by Stewart forcefully bringing their mouths together. The first contact sent a shiver down Andrew’s spine. He had never been kissed quite like this, as if the other person truly cared about him.

Stewart dropped the piece of material that he had been gripping and moved his hands to Andrew’s back in order to bring him closer.

“Stop,” said Andrew as he pushed the other boy away. “My mom’s inside and if you keep kissing me I’m likely to forget that.” Stewart didn’t know whether to be pleased or hurt by Andrew’s statement but decided he was pleased when the blonde placed a quick kiss on his lips and grabbed his jacket off the ground.

“You know Stewart Prince, bringing this back to me means you’re kind of charming.”