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Chapter 27: This is It!

Unlike what he'd been doing for the past few days, this morning Mason woke up early. So early in fact that he had been able to spend the early morning with his parents before they headed off to work.

Eleanor Moore watched her son as he cut through his fourth crepe. As she analyzed him, a couple of suspicions she's had were confirmed. Mason was oblivious to her stares, too engrossed in his breakfast to really notice anything.

Then, seconds after Mason shoved the last piece of the crepe into his mouth, his mother spoke.

"What's going on with you, Mason?" She asked, a curious tilt to her voice. Mason paused in his chewing. He wished he could approach it like it had been a casual question but his mother had been way too serious. What was he supposed to say. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was Mark. It made Mason feel a bit dirty when he thought about Mark now. Before, he would think about his personality, great jokes, caring voice. Now, his body just clenched at the idea of finally going all the way. He wanted it so badly and regularly regretted not doing so the first time. While it was only the day after they spent a day at Mason's house, Mason was impatient for more.

With a blush, Mason wondered if this was what had him most zoned-out. But it had already been decided that he would not discuss that with his mother. Trying not to meet her eyes, Mason tried to lie.

"Nothing. I'm doing fin- well." Mason told her blandly, correcting his words last minute. "I'm doing well."

Eleanor pursed her lips, her narrowed look betraying her disbelief. Mason's shoulders came up as he braced himself for her next words.

"It's just, you seem so zoned-out. Everytime I see you it seems like you're not here." She explained worriedly, her concern oozing out of each syllable. She reached across the small table to place her hand over Mason's. "Is everything alright?"

Mason let out an inaudible breath of relief. She had no idea. It was a bit odd to him that he had been so obviously out of it. However, when Mason reflected on the past couple of days, he realized that he had a lot on his mind. Thoughts of his future had come up again. Mason had begun to daydream about what his life could be like. That mixed with his recents escapades with Mark had him in a bit of a daze. Mason struggled to figure out what best to tell his mother.

Maybe a half-truth?

"I'm thinking about the future a lot." He said candidly, finally looking his mother in the eye. "I keep imagining what it would be like when I'm an adult. Living on my own, actually working as a nurse and working with patients everyday. I can't decide if it's exciting or scary."

At some point during his speech, his father had made his way into the kitchen as well. Dave was a bit alarmed when he found his wife and son holding hands at the table. A part of him prickled at the idea of dealing with serious emotions so early in the morning but he joined them at the table regardless.

Dave's wife glanced at him with an appreciative look before focusing back on her son. Now, she held his hand in both of hers.

"Growing up is scary. Don't let anybody tell you different." She stated seriously. Unable to help himself, a laugh tore itself out of Dave's mouth.

"Really, Dave?" Eleanor asked him, a pointed glare sent his way.

"I'm sorry, but is that how you wanted to start your motivational speech?" he asked through his laughs.

"Yes. Now shut up." Turning back to Mason, Eleanor put a gentle expression on her face again. "I was trying to say that although it's scary, there are positives too. It's nice to be considering this stuff so early, honey, but don't get caught up in it. Right now, you're a teenager. So enjoy that and worry about being an adult when it's time, okay?"

Mason nodded, staring at the table as he took in his mom's words.

"That actually was pretty deep."

"If you came to just make annoying comments, you should have just stayed upstairs."

"That was not very supportive honey."

"Neither is laughing about my opening line."

"Opening line? Did you rehearse this?"

Mason couldn't hold his laughter back anymore once his mother jokingly started shaking his dad's shoulders. His neck began to bobble back and forth from the movement and Eleanor had to start laughing as well.

"Dave. You look like an idiot!"

—————

Mason felt terrible. He'd just spent the past hour thinking about all of the not PG-13 things he and Mark had done together yesterday. His pants were tight, breath light, and fingers twitching to pick up his phone. He didn't want to just think about it anymore. He wanted Mark here, doing it all again and much much more.

From his position lying on his bed, Mason stared at his phone resting on the bedside table. The shiny black screen teased him, whispering 'Mark' in a breathy voice. It took Mason all of two seconds to grab it and call Mark without another thought.

"Hello?"

Mason bit his lip, his hand clenching at his side at the sound of Mark's voice. Even after all this time, he was still getting nervous. Even after receiving all of those kisses and more, he was still worried that Mark would say no. Mason sucked in a breath.

"Hey, Mark."

"Mason! Hey! What's up?" Mark exclaimed, actually surprised Mason had called. Mason hadn't called him in several months, his method of choice was text. Yet, Mark had still recognized Mason's voice immediately. His name sounded different coming from Mason.

"Uh, well . . . " Mason began, hesitating with his words. It occurred to him how odd his request may sound. He wanted to make himself smaller, curl up into an entity impossible to be found after what he even considered saying.

"Mason?" Mark called out. Mason had been quiet for a long time. He didn't know what he was thinking and it made Mark a bit uneasy.

Suddenly, Mason remembered Mark's last message to him. Dream of me tonight. Mark was always the one being daring and blunt about his attraction to Mason. Couldn't Mason do the same for once?

"I was thinking about yesterday." Mason blurted out in a rush, words slightly muddled. But Mark understood him perfectly.

"Oh really?"

Mason could hear the smirk in Mark's voice and his cheeks warmed up further at the suggestive tone.

"Yeah." Mason admitted breathily. He was a bit shocked at how suggestive his own voice now sounded. "Um, I couldn't get it out of my mind."

Mark clenched his jaw tightly. He wasn't alone, currently at a friends' house trying to play pool. But Mark realized he wouldn't be able to finish this conversation in front of them. He pulled his phone away from his face and covered the mouth area with his hand.

"Hey, Duke. I'm gonna step out for a bit."

Duke was far too immersed in his current shot to care that much, but he nodded anyway.

"Mason, did you call me just to get me turned on?" Mark asked him seriously, shutting the bathroom door behind him. "Because, if so, you are very successful right now."

Mason started shaking his head before saying a word to Mark.

"No, I wasn't. I just wanted to invite you to come over tomorrow." Mason explained, now chuckling softly. "You, uh, might want to bring condoms."

Mark's teasing grin fell, now replaced with a look of blatant surprise.

"Are you sure?" He asked seriously. His earlier thoughts about taking things slow came back full force. "We don't have to rush this, Mason. We have time."

"But I don't want to wait anymore." Mason told Mark, practically whining at this point. "I told you that I won't have the patience to wait very long. I want this. Don't you?"

The slight break in Mason's voice is what got Mark. He couldn't keep this up when Mason seemed so certain. So desperate. His vulnerability got to Mark like nothing else.

"What time?"

A smile threatened to split Mason's face in half.

"Three o'clock."

It was a different experience opening the front door at three. The second Mark and Mason locked eyes, it was clear they were both taking this very seriously. It was on both of their minds: This is going to change everything. Once knowing what it felt like to truly explore the other's body, things couldn't be the same.

That heavy atmosphere only became stronger once they entered Mason's bedroom. This place already held the memories of their night together just a couple of days ago. Soon, it would also hold the memories of their first time together.

Mark looked at Mason, his eyes noticing the other boy's rigid stance.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, gently pressing his hand against Mason's lower back in concern. Mason did not verbally answer but no, he wasn't.

Mason was incredibly nervous. The lust that had driven him confidently to this point seemed to dim in comparison to his fears and insecurities. Logically, he knew he could do this, yet his body remained still. He dragged his eyes to connect with Mark's who immediately knew the problem.

Mark stepped in front of Mason and suddenly pulled him into a blistering kiss. Mason's eyes shot open in surprise but he returned the kiss just as passionately. After several moments, Mason pulled back, a confused expression on his flushed face.

"What was that for?"

Mark smirked at the question.

"You're back, aren't you?"

Mason laughed out loud. He was just so taken aback by Mark's blunt words. There were many ways he imagined this day going. In his mind, it had always started without them saying a word, just passionately ripping each other's clothes off and doing the deed. But this clumsy start threw all of his previous expectations into the trash.

He brought Mark into a hug as he laughed, Mark's hair brushing his right ear.

"Thank you." Mason whispered, pushing his smile into Mark's neck.

When Mark pulled away from Mason to kiss him, the two of them never stopped. With careful movements and gentle caresses, their clothes came off. Sex to them wasn't a rushed exercise but a drawn out prayer. They worshiped each other's body with an attentive detail few may ever see in a lifetime. There was no rush or desperation, but instead an appreciation for this moment they had together. They drew out the act, sucking out every last pleasurable drop from the experience. It was as if they both knew that they may not have this forever and did not want to waste a single moment.

Oddly enough, it was far more perfect than anything Mason had been able to come up with.

—————

Mason walked gingerly into the building, discreetly looking around the room. An immediate smile graced his features when he caught sight of Mark making his way towards him. Without a word, Mark grabbed his hand and started pulling him back outside. The two of them received some suspicious looks from those walking into the building but soon moved around the side so no one could see them. Finally, Mark turned to Mason and pulled him into a searing kiss.

The kiss was short yet passionate, Mason needing to quickly tilt his head for better access to Mark. Mason was the first one to pull away and smiled when Mark tried to chase his mouth again.

"Good morning." Mason said through a smile. He spoke in a low tone, keenly aware of how close Mark's face was to his own. Mark's gaze softened from its intense stare of lust and he smiled softly in return.

"Morning."

Mark wrapped his arms around Mason's back and brought Mason into a hug, tightly pulling Mason's chest into his own. They squeezed each other firmly and spoke into one another's shoulders.

"Did you sleep well?" Mason wondered, hand rubbing up and down Mark's back.

"I slept fine but it would have been better if you were with me."

Mason could feel Mark smirking into his shoulder as Mason laughed at his words. Mason was getting the first hand experience of being romanced by Mark Tyler and it involved a lot of flirting.

"You need to stop saying shit like that." Mason complained through a laugh. Mark pulled away from Mason's body to look into Mason's eyes. He pecked Mason quickly on the lips before staying close enough for their noses to touch. Staring into Mason's eyes and seeing how set he was on this, Mark relented.

"Okay fine, I'll try." He finally sighed, smiling at Mason's thankful expression. The two held each other silently for a few seconds. "I hope you're not feeling too sore."

Mark hissed when Mason suddenly smacked his shoulder.

"You jerk! You just said you would stop." Mason whined annoyingly, a pout on his full lips. Mark looked sheepish but not a bit regretful, so Mason just gave up. "I'm fine. You took your time last night so I'm okay."

"That's good."

Mason soon became distracted, his eyes trailing down to Mark's lips. Where before he would have had to look away and forget about it, now Mason could just kiss him. So he did, moaning softly when Mark deepened their kiss. As the minutes passed with them wrapped up in one another, they both realized that class was going to start soon. Yet, the last thing they wanted to do was stop.

Mason plopped his forehead onto Mark's chest, the warmth of his body washing over Mason's face.

"Are you ready to go back inside?" He asked begrudgingly. Mason didn't want to leave, but the guilt of skipping a day of this pricey class was getting to him. Mark sighed deeply and squeezed Mason just a little bit tighter.

"I really wish we didn't have to. But, yeah, I'm ready."

Mason had been disappointed that he couldn't just spend another day flirting and hugging Mark. However, he marvelled at how much more fun classes were now that he and Mark were comfortable. No longer were they hiding their mutual attraction from each other and it showed. Unlike with their previous classes where Mason felt hesitant to expose himself, he eagerly communicated any and everything on his mind. And, wonderfully enough, Mark did the same. Unfortunately for Mrs. Lorraine, they were becoming a distraction with how loud they were.

Mason and Mark had been friends for years, so it was assumed they would have been a bit distracted from the beginning. But even back when they were first paired up, they got more work done than this. The two boys were flirting, bonding, and ignoring their work in the process.

The endless chuckles and giggles erupting from them challenged Lorraine's voice as the loudest sound in the room. She narrowed their eyes at them as she considered whether she would have to split them up or not. It was only the dedication they had shown in the first weeks of the course and the pure happiness on their faces that stopped her. She just had to hope that they would pull themselves together by the next class.

After the lesson was over, Mason and Mark found themselves standing in a far corner of the room. They stood with about a foot between them and were surrounded by Gabe, Aubrey, and Tobias.

They were getting their first taste of what they expected the rest of their relationship to be like. A secret. They were deliberate in the ways they acted to make sure they appeared normal. While they wanted to hold hands and keep constant contact, they maintained a distance. With every joke Tobias told, the dimple on Mark's left cheek would deepen. But although Mason felt like letting his stare linger on it, he instead looked away. As Mason's instincts screamed for him to express everything he was finally allowed to, he had to just deny himself, over and over again.

It was a lot like liking Mark for the last several years but less depressing.

When Mason zoned back into the conversation, no longer mulling over his annoying predicament, Aubrey was talking about some guy she was talking to.

"He's an edgy kind of guy. At 22 he already has a full intricate sleeve on his arm and has stretched ears with rings about this big." Aubrey said, explaining the guy's look. She made a looney sized shape with her thumb and finger to demonstrate the size of his earring, making Mason wince.

"Those seem really painful." Mason commented, frowning at the thought of stretching his own ears. "I haven't even pierced my ears because I'm scared of the pain."

"You should go for it, though." Gabe interjected, a close-lipped grin on his face. "I think you'll look cute."

Mark struggled not to roll his eyes at the unnecessary line.

"I just got my ears pierced last year." Tobias told the group, touching the small gold studs in his lobes. "It was pretty painful but I lowkey want to get something else."

Mason tilted his head, trying to imagine what other piercing Tobias would get.

"Like what?" Mark asked curiously, looking just as confused as Mason.

The light gleamed off Tobias' dark skin as he bashfully stared at the floor, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Don't laugh okay." He commanded, sending a glare towards all four of them. "I want a nose piercing."

"Like those bull ones?"

"No." Tobias said, shooting down Gabe's assumption. "Just on my nostril. Maybe my left one."

Tobias thumbed the dark brown skin on his nose while Aubrey looked at him, humming softly to herself.

"I think it will look good on you. Draw attention to your nose." She complimented with a soft smile. Tobias raised a brow at the dark-haired girl beside him.

"I don't think I need anymore attention on my nose. My nostrils are huge." He chuckled, gesturing towards his face.

"So? That's not a bad thing." Mason stated firmly, not wanting Tobias to continue down that train of thought for a second. "I like your nose."

Tobias opened his mouth to thank Mason, but Gabe beat him to it.

"Do you like my nose, Mason?" Gabe asked flirtatiously. He walked up to Mason, standing impossibly close as he smiled. Mason nodded, giving Gabe two pats on the cheek.

"Yes, it's very white. Like you."

Mark, despite being white himself, snorted out a laugh. Tobias followed suit while Aubrey just smiled at their reactions. Gabe stomped away from Mason with a huff. Mason lived with an entirely white family, but he knew enough by learning about his culture and looking in a mirror to know that coming from Yemen made him different.

The five of them spoke for a little while longer before going their separate ways. But, where Mark and Mason would usually leave at different times, they now left together. The blessing of no longer being around their friends was that they could finally hold hands.

And, they enjoyed this benefit. Speaking in hushed tones, they held hands for as long as they could. They only let go when Mason had to get off of the train first. On his way home, Mason pulled up his left hand to stare at it. It was slightly moist, hot from being against Mark's for so long. Mason clenched his fight tightly.

He hoped for many more days of sweaty palms as long as they came with Mark attached.

——————————————————————

Yay! Another chapter finished!

Winter break has given me a lot more freetime to deal with this.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

This year truly has been crazy and difficult for many so I pray that you and your family have a better 2021.

M&M fluff really is wonderful. Now that I've become more comfortable with writing, it's a lot more fun for me.

Don't worry though, this book is far from finished.

Anywho,

Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this book and I will see you soon. Bye!!!

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