Finian Fair let out a long sigh as he zipped up his graduation gown in front of the mirror. He picked up his cap with a sour expression on his face. He didn't know what direction the tassel was supposed to go. Was it left to right, or right to left? He wanted to ask his dad, but the man was sick in bed and Fin didn't want to disturb him. Of all the days to have a high fever, it would have to be on his graduation day. The seventeen year-old understood that falling ill was out of his father's hands. It wasn't like Robert Fair had set out to get sick on purpose. Still, he couldn't help but feel forlorn without him being there.
After the…incident…at prom, he had thrown away the shirt that belonged to his suit and then hid the remainder of the suit all the way in the back of his closet. As much as he didn't want to associate what happened with the suit that his father had gone through so much trouble to buy him, a part of his mind still did. He had yet to tell his father about it. Hell, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to gather that kind of courage at all.
Your pathetic excuse of an, apparently, gay son ended up drunk on spiked punch and couldn't fend off his high school bully from having at him.
He hadn't even been able to tell him about falling for an older man in the first place. The young man placed a hand on the mirror before him and frowned. Finian never wanted to keep anything from his father. He didn't know how or when, but he would tell Robert Fair everything, even if it killed him.
Thoughts of the man he had fallen for rose to his mind, causing him to clutch his gown over his heart. Alistair had been kind and patient over the last couple of months. The Nightmare gave him enough time and space for Fin to be able to push the…prom incident…aside. Had he truly pushed it aside? Or had he hidden it away in the recesses of his mind? Finian couldn't tell. But, he vowed to himself to keep such a thing from dragging him down.
Finian straightened his posture in determination and walked out of his room and down the stairs. Just as he opened the front door to leave the house, he heard a wheezing cough behind him.
"Wait," Robert Fair called from the doorframe. The older man wore a thick black robe over a set of pajamas and a pair of fuzzy house slippers. "Can't I at least see my son off on his big day?" He asked in a breaking voice.
Fin rushed over to give his dad a tight hug, despite the man's attempts to keep him at arm's length so that he wouldn't get sick, as well.
"I'm really sorry I can't go, sport." Robert insisted.
"Get some rest, Dad. The Kiernys will take lots of pictures, I promise," the teenager replied as he rushed over to the door, his cap in hand. He turned to give his dad a parting smile before walking through the door. Though Fin was already tearing up, he didn't want his father to see how upset he really was. After all, what graduating teen didn't want at least one of their family members there, cheering them on? All that Finian had was his dad. The older man could only be there with him in spirit.
::::
His sadness was eventually chased away with the help of Jack's family. They all cheered them both on the entire time at the auditorium, especially when they crossed the stage to shake the principal's hand and retrieved the envelopes for their diplomas. Finian couldn't have been more grateful to have known, and grown up with, the Kierny family.
It seemed almost impossible to escape the auditorium. They kept running into classmates and families who wanted to talk and reminisce. They finally tore loose, only to get stuck in the traffic of honking horns and teens celebrating their freedom. The Kiernys and Fin laughed through it, happy as everyone else.
They finally made it to the community center where they were having their co-party. They'd decorated the night before with green and white, the school colors. Jack's mom had stopped by before the ceremony and turned on the crockpots and put out the cakes and cream cheese mints. Balloons and twisted crepe tape was everywhere, not to mention graduation themed decorations of all kinds. Jack grinned as he thought to himself that it looked like a party store threw up. He loved it.
"Everything looks great!" Finian commented as he walked around the center. The two of them had left their caps and gowns in the car. Lee'en had promised to meet them there to join in their celebration, but the pink-haired unicorn had yet to arrive.
Jack sidled up to Finian. "Hello, graduate." He threw an arm around his blond friend. "We did it! We conquered the beast known as the public education system."
"The basics, anyway," Fin agreed with a grin, wrapping his arm around his taller friend's waist in a half-hug. That was when he caught sight of Lee'en. "Whoa..." He whispered. He had only ever seen the unicorn in casual clothing, but that time, he went all out. Finian didn't even realize that he was still staring.
Lee'en had grown out his pixie cut enough on top to be able to swoop it up and slightly to the side. He had a hint of eyeliner around his eyes and two black studs on one of his ear lobes. He wore a wine-colored choker that matched his wine-colored leather pants. His shirt was white, asymmetrical, and ripped in certain places. The shirt had mesh on the sides and the deep brown hiking boots on his feet had burgundy laces.
Jack poked Fin in the side. "Are you having a stroke? Do we need to call an EMT?"
Fin yelped, startled out of his staring. "Sorry, I...I mean, Lee'en..." He stammered. "He's wearing dark red leather pants!" Was all that he could manage to relay.
"Unf," Jack purred. "What else is he wearing?"
The blue-eyed teen cleared his throat. "Dark brown boots and a white shirt with rips in the front and back, but mesh on the sides..." Fin described. "And a dark red choker?"
Jack let go of Fin so he could casually cover his crotch. "I want to feel him."
Fin waved at the unicorn and made a motion towards Jack with his head before walking away to one of the tables to give them some privacy.
Lee'en walked up to Jack as if he were a model on a runway, thought the human could see none of it. He reached down to take hold of one of Jack's wrists, leading him over to a spot where no one could see them. He then took hold of both of Jack's hands and placed them on his leather-clad hips. "This is a special occasion, after all." He then leaned up to press a kiss to Jack's lips. "Congratulations, big guy."
Jack found Lee'en's lips and claimed them, as well as the rest of the unicorn's mouth. It left both of them a little breathless.
"Damn, I wish I could see you, baby," Jack whispered. "You sound so damn hot." The human pressed his body close to Lee'en's, his enjoyment obvious. "Just thinking about it does this to me. If I actually saw you I'd probably cream my pants."
The unicorn felt a rolling shiver down his spine. He was rather pleased at the human's reaction. He pressed the letters for 'later' into Jack's hand and shifted forward to press his thigh against the clothed member as he gave a gentle bite to the side of the human's neck. "Consider it my congratulations present."
"Damn," Jack breathed out on a sigh. "You make me want to skip the party and find a bed to drag you to." He allowed Lee'en to take his hand and lead him back out to the main area of the room, though he had to stand behind the dessert table for a few minutes until his privates settled down.
People came and went from the party, some staying longer than others. Many had other parties to go to. Jack enjoyed seeing his extended family, even his Great Uncle Louis who took great joy in getting Jack's dad's blood pressure up by playing devil's advocate in every conversation. Jack was just happy no one was drinking. A drunk Great Uncle Louis was likely to get someone to punch him.
It was fun. Both Finian and Jack talked too much and ate too much cake and nachos while taking congratulations and kind teasing from friends, family, and, in Jack's case, former lovers. Around eleven that night, Finian couldn't help but think of his ailing father back home. He asked Jack's parents to take him back.
The party was winding down anyway, so they decided to pack it in. They loaded the leftover food in the trunk and did a whirlwind cleanup. With the help of some of Jack's extended family that had stayed to help, they were ready to leave by eleven-thirty. They locked up and dropped the keys in the drop box. Jack fell asleep on the way home, reminding Fin of a little kid. He blinked blearily as they pulled into the driveway of the Kierny house next to Finian's home. Jack yawned as he hugged Fin one more time and they agreed Finian could come get his presents out of their trunk the following day when he had a chance. The blond walked the short distance to his home as Jack sleepily helped carry empty crockpots inside his own house.
Lee'en was rather proud of his two favorite humans for having reached a milestone in their lives. As the Kiernys put things away in the house, he snuck his way into the teenager's room and waited patiently for him at his desk. He made sure to turn the laptop on so they could talk.
The first thing he wrote on the document was: 'I am quite proud of you both. Congratulations on graduating. You both deserve it.'
"Aww, thanks, baby." Jack stole the seat and pulled Lee'en onto his lap so the unicorn could continue typing and the human could cuddle him at the same time. He'd gotten pretty good at working around having an invisible boyfriend. "And I know usually the grad is the one getting presents, but I have something for you." Jack smirked. "You want it now or would you rather wait until tomorrow?"
"A present for me?" The unicorn wondered aloud. Excited at the prospect, Lee'en typed 'NOW' in all caps.
Jack laughed and slid open a drawer of the desk. A little velvet box sat inside.
Lee'en glanced at the box and back at Jack. "What's this? If there's jewelry in here, I hope you didn't spend too much on it..." He murmured.
'Not too expensive, I hope?' He typed.
"I saved up helping at my sister's mechanic shop, it's all good." The teen smiled happily as the little box floated in the air. "Go on, open it."
Lee'en bit his bottom lip as he slowly cracked open the box, fully aware of how odd it must seem for Jack to merely see a floating box in midair. Inside was a gleaming white gold ring. In the center was a pale pink gemstone with two smaller gemstones on either sides. They gleamed and sparkled in the light.
"The middle one is a pink sapphire," Jack said softly. "The others are rhodolites. I-I hope it fits..." The brunet sounded uncharacteristically nervous.
The ring was stunning, unlike any gift that anyone had ever given the unicorn. Lee'en was touched beyond words. His family roots weren't royalty, but they most certainly were not a low-status family, either. The twenty-year old unicorn knew to place his value in material things that actually meant something to him. The ring meant a great deal to him and, in essence, was highly valuable. He slid the ring on slowly enough for Jack to see it suspended on his finger before allowing the mask that kept him hidden from the human world to assimilate it.
'Perfect fit, Jack. The most priceless gift I have ever been given. Thank you so much,' He typed out immediately.
"I'm so glad you like it." Jack grinned like a kid. "I got it because I love you...and when," Jack swallowed. "Well, I've been thinking. When the time comes and Fin turns eighteen, I don't want to just come over and see you and come back home again." Jack looked down and then back up. "I want to be with you, wherever that is."
Just like that, the pink-haired unicorn felt a pang in his heart. He tried to swallow past the knot that suddenly formed in his throat as he softly rapped his knuckles over his own chest, where his heart thundered.
"Shit, Jack." He hissed out loud. "Are you trying to kill me, now?" He took a rough, deep breath as his fingers flew over the keyboard. 'Damn, do I love you, big guy. Right now you can't hear it in the tone of my voice. Right now you can't see it in the way I am freaking the fuck out. But, I am going to do my damnedest to show you just how much tonight. I sure hope you're not too tired.'
"I'm feeling much more awake now," Jack laughed. The teen scratched his chest. "Strange," He murmured. "I think something bit me..."
He scratched again before unbuttoning his shirt. Looking down, he saw a shape blossoming over his heart. It took the form of a deep burgundy heart before three lines seemed to pierce through it, rapidly changing the whole image into a hazel hue.
"What the hell?" Jack said, startled. "Is that a hazel heart with branches?"
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