Rim: Well, we're finally at the end of the road. It's been a fun three years working on this piece, stressing out, going into a mental institution and such. Thanks for all the support that I've received all the way through this story. Chaco, B.T., and even you Silverm have all been very kind to me and I thank you for sticking it out with me my friends. I dedicate this last chapter to all the wonderful words and readers I've come across along the way.

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"Kenny, are you listening to me?" Robert leaned on the long polished conference table, staring at the young man who was zoned out, staring at the walls of books on the bookshelves against each wall in the roomy, deep plush carpeted room. A short smile curled the corners of his mouth watching as the brunette's eyes came back into focus on him. Clear blue eyes blinked a few times, the thoughts fogging his eyes receding to the back of Kenny's mind. "Might I ask what perhaps you were thinking so intently about?"

"Huh…I wasn't…" Kenny started.

"Thinking so intently?" Robert said, finishing off Kenny's sentence. The brunette closed his mouth, leaning back in the white leather chair. The smile on Robert's face widened, finding Kenny pouting. "You have no reason to do that."

"Do what?"

"Pout," Robert commented.

"I'm not pouting," Kenny huffed. "I'm thinking."

"I thought you weren't thinking," Robert teased.

"You know, you keep that up and I'll run away, then you'll never get my submission for that magazine," Kenny warned. "I still don't know how you managed to get me to agree to write something for that magazine."

"There's a lot I can get you to do as your agent," Robert commented.

"Agent, Editor, Publisher, you do it all," Kenny chuckled, however he was grateful that his friend was deeply involved in his evolution as a writer. Without his friend's support to continue working on his novel, Kenny doubted he would have been able to get this far alone. Looking up at his friend, the smile on his face stretched even wider. "Thank you for it all, Robert."

"You don't have to thank me," Robert says. "And if you plan on thanking me anyway, why don't you pay me a little more attention when I'm trying to ask you about a book signing. You know the publishing company is eager to get you to support the business more by showing other young writers that they can make their dreams come to if they decide to step forward."

"So that's what this meeting we're about to have is all about," Kenny said, running a hand through his hair, leaning back in his seat. "I thought I told you that I don't want any publicity, just focusing on the book doing well is more than enough for me."

"You don't have to worry about the book doing well," Robert said.

"I always have to worry about the book," Kenny said, standing up from his chair.

"Where are you going, the meeting is in ten minutes," Robert questioned.

"You know what my answer is going to be about the book signing," Kenny said. "Tell everyone thanks for thinking about my popularity increasing, but it's not necessary. Maybe at a later time I will think about it. But right now, I'm fine with being unknown."

"Our humble author," Robert teased.

"It's not nice to tease me," Kenny remarked. "I might get the urge to run away and not finish the next story for that new magazine that's about to come out."

"You wouldn't do that. Oliver's looking forward to reading your latest short story. If you run away, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop him from hunting you down and dragging you back. Surely you don't want to have a Misery type of incident occur, now would you?" Robert inquired as his friend shuddered at the thought of his green haired friend super gluing him to a chair to finish typing. "So, have you reached a verdict?"

"I don't like being super glued to anything, so I think I'll stay put," Kenny shuddered once again.

"Super glue this time? I swore he told me that he would use fillet knives, they are more effective in keeping your prey in one spot," Robert replied as the brunette slowly making his way from the conference table. Robert took notice, grinning wide. "What's the matter Kenny? Surely you aren't trying to escape. Will I have to call Oliver and tell him you're already trying to make a break for it?"

"You can tell him whatever you want as long as you don't know my whereabouts. So, you pick up the phone, it'll give me enough time to fly out to Las Vegas and change my identity," Kenny said, moving further away from the table.

"I shall," Robert said, watching Kenny walk out the room. Well, Robert supposed that if he gave the young author another year, he would be ready to show the world the person behind the heartfelt words which had already begun to win over people who had lost faith in many things. In the hall as Kenny headed outside the company building, he contemplated what Robert had said. He didn't care about the popularity, or putting his face out there for others.

Then again…

Kenny's phone decided to ring at that precise moment. Pulling out the phone, Kenny flipped it open, hitting the talk button before placing the phone to his ear. "Kenny speaking."

"Hey Chief, where are you?" Tyson's voice can through on the other end of the phone.

"I'm about to leave the publishing company, what's up, Ty?" Kenny asked, turning the corner to the elevator. Pressing the button once he reached it, the doors opened, and he walked in. Pressing the button to the first floor, he leaned against the wall.

"I was just about to head over to the bookstore on the south end. I need to pick up another psychology book for research on a paper I'm doing. The one that Professor Lashley loaned me referenced the book, and I thought I should check it out. I was calling to see if you wanted to hang out, if you weren't with Rei, Kane, or Robert," Tyson said.

"Hn…you didn't mention Tala, that's rare," Kenny commented.

"I don't need to mention Tala," Tyson stated.

"Oh, really?"

"I know if you were with Tala right now, you wouldn't answer the phone, isn't that correct cousin?" Kenny could hear the teasing on the other end of the phone, but he wasn't going to play into Tyson's game; too many times before they ended up having a conversation like this which had often made Kenny want to drown his cousin.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation when we meet up," Kenny commented, as the elevator reached the first floor, the doors opening. Waving to the receptionist as he passed, Kenny pulled out the keys to the small two-door Saturn parked across the street. On the other end of the phone, Kenny heard his cousin whine at the lack of cooperation in his teasing.

"You won't let me have any fun will you?" Tyson questioned.

"Do I ever?" Kenny wondered. "I'll talk to you when I get there, will you be outside waiting or inside?"

"Outside you killjoy," Tyson said. "I'll see you when you get here."

"All right," Kenny said, hanging up the phone. Placing the phone back in his pocket, Kenny walked across the street to his car. He had been lucky to get such a good deal on it…well he suppose he had Tala to thank for watching out for him when it came to customers at his shop that were in the process of trying to sell used cars. "I should make a note to call him later…"

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"You certainly took your time to get here, didn't you?" Tyson said, leaning against the wall near the opening of the Barnes & Nobles bookstore. Pushing away from the building, Tyson walked up to his cousin with a wide smile. "Perhaps you stopped off to see you know who before coming over here. Then again, we would never have seen you again, would we?"

"You're starting far quicker than I would have expected, Tyson," Kenny commented, giving his cousin a stare. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, come now Kenny, do I need an occasion to tease you?" Tyson inquired, placing an arm around his cousin's shoulder and leading him towards the entrance of the bookstore. Kenny gave Tyson a suspicious stare before he decided that maybe he didn't want to know. His cousin was in too good of a mood which he could probably attribute to something Kai related.

"So, what has Kai done now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're in too good a mood today," Kenny pointed out. "So, what's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about you being on cloud nine? Kai pops into mind. So, what has he done, or said, or given you that you're walking with wings today."

"You know, if you and Tala spent more time together, you would be as happy as I am," Tyson shook his head as they entered the bookstore. "In the past two weeks, how many times have you two seen each other with you holing yourself up at your parents' place?"

"I've been busy, I'm sure he's been busy too. I talked to him the day before yesterday for a while. Everything is fine," Kenny shrugged.

"You two are like old maids," Tyson sighed, shaking his head. "You two were meant together, yet since you got back together two years ago…it's like you're taking the smallest possible steps in the world. I can understand that some of that time you were finishing your book, and attending school, but now that you've completed your novel, you two…"

"It's not like with you and Kai," Kenny said, moving from his cousin's side to go over to where a book display was. A short small rose to his lips seeing the glossy cover with the title printed on the front. Running a hand over the cool surface, he felt a swell of satisfaction bubble up at what he was able to accomplish.

"You're caressing that book like you should be doing to, a certain someone we know," Tyson said, walking up beside the brunette.

"Hn…shut up," Kenny said.

"Fine, I'm just trying to tell you that I'm sure your boyfriend would appreciate the caresses you're giving that book," Tyson stated. Kenny would have said something if it wasn't for a young girl wandering over to the display where the two were. Her bright blue eyes studied the two before producing a large grin.

"I didn't think many guys around here would want to read this book, but it's such a good book! I remember when it first came out last year. My friends and I were going to pass it over, but then we read the back of the book and it reached out to us. We each brought a copy and finished it in a week. I love it so much I've read it ten times by now. It's my favorite book and I recommend it completely," the girl chimed.

"What did you like about it so much that you read it ten times?" Tyson said.

"What's not to like about it! The characters are so complex and compelling. The story is well written and the details are well thought out. When you're reading the story, you feel like you're part of the story. I cried when I learned about Xander's past. It was so touching. I would love to meet the author to ask how they created such a believable story," the girl said. "It's a shame the author doesn't do book signings. I wonder what they're like."

"I heard a young man in his early twenties wrote the book," Tyson said, as Kenny gave him a quick glare lucky the girl didn't notice.

"I heard it's a woman that's writing under a pseudo name. What guy would write a book like this, besides a gay guy, which would be understandable considering the characters?" the girl thought. "I wish the author would do book signings and stuff though. There's so much I would like to ask and tell them. I never thought a book could make me see things so differently."

"Maybe one day," Tyson said.

"Tyson, don't you have that book to buy for your paper," Kenny reminded, moving away from the book display.

"Huh? Oh yeah, right Chief!" Tyson said. Turning to the girl, he grinned wider. "You know, I'm sure that the author of this book appreciates your dedication. If you continue to loyally support them, they just might see that it's inevitable to have a signing to show they really care about the voices of those whose lives have been changed by that book."

"Tyson, come on," Kenny urged, heading down another aisle.

"All right Chief, I'm coming," Tyson said, following after his cousin who was in the middle of the aisle. Walking up to the brunette, he shook his head. "You know, maybe you should give a book signing a thought. You have so many loyal fans."

"You sound like Robert," Kenny said.

"He's been worrying you about doing book signings and getting your face out there again? I agree with him, you should do it. You would make a lot of girls out there happy. More people respect your book than there are close minded individuals who haven't brought themselves forward to live in a world that isn't so bothered by the fact we're gay. What's stopping you from doing it? Your book is already number 20 on the bestsellers list. In a few more months, you'll be in the top ten, everyone knows it. What are you holding back for?" Tyson questioned.

"Ty, to be honest…I don't know. It's just that…since two years ago with everything going on, I lost my way a little. I still wanted to write my book. I still wanted people to know the truth that this world could at times ruthlessly stain your soul. I guess…the support that I lost…it affected me more than I know." Kenny lowered his eyes to a shelf of books.

"You still miss Michael…don't you?" Tyson knew there was still a part of his cousin that resented letting go of Michael so easily. When Tyson had learned about the decision Michael ultimately made, he both respected the red head more, and worried what it would do to the parties involved. It was obvious from the time that Michael left to fulfill his dream of playing pro baseball, it would take a while for Kenny to get over him. Everyone figured Tala would be all he needed in the long run, but so far…

"I keep waking up and thinking he'll be here, but…it's getting easier."

"Don't lie to me or yourself Kenny. If you miss him still, you can tell me," Tyson scoffed. "You loved him, he loved you, and you decided to choose between someone you previously loved with someone you currently loved."

"I didn't choose…I couldn't choose," Kenny shook his head. "Michael made the decision for everyone involved. He didn't give me a chance to make the choice."

"Because you would have chose him?" Tyson clasped his hands behind his head, looking at the top shelf of books on the wall. His eyes roamed lazily over the titles. "Tell me, if he came back now and said he couldn't live without you, would you back up everything now and leave with him?"

"What?" Kenny blinked, turning his attention to his cousin.

"If he came back and said he couldn't live without you, would you leave with him?" Tyson repeated.

"But he's not going to," Kenny stated.

"That doesn't matter, just answer the question. Would you?"

"Maybe about a year and a half ago, I would have given up everything…I would have followed him," Kenny said softly.

"And now?" Tyson questioned.

"And now…no…" Kenny shook his head.

"Why not now?" Tyson shifted his vision to his cousin, seeing the warm smile tug at the corners of his lips. "Why wouldn't you follow him now? If you still miss him and are still in love with him, why wouldn't you pack up and leave to be with him? What makes it different now?"

"Tala," Kenny answered immediately. "I couldn't possibly leave him now. We've worked through so much together…his nightmares don't come as often as they did. He's more at peace now. I would never be able to leave behind what we've matured into. So…I would have to choose Tala now, over the love that I have…no, I had for Michael."

"Can I ask you something?" Tyson wondered.

"You've asked me plenty by now," Kenny remarked. "I don't mind."

"Do you really need his support now? Do you still believe that you need him to support you from falling?"

"No…" Kenny replied.

"Then tell me, why are you holding back?" Kenny opened his mouth to speak, however he end up closing it. Tyson took notice, reaching over to ruffle the brunette's hair. "Sometimes, I have to remember, for someone so smart you have your dumb moments. You have all the support you will ever need in front of you. So stop trying to blindfold yourself."

"Thanks Ty," Kenny smiled.

"No problems, let's go find that book I need now," Tyson beamed, leading his cousin to where the psychology books were. The two cousins didn't have much to say while Tyson searched for his book, Kenny took the time to think about the short conversation he just finished having. There was a lot that he hadn't bothered to think about, and a lot that he chose not to think about when it came to these past two years. In another year, he would be earning his Bachelor's in English, following two more years in order to earn a Masters. By the time he finished, he wondered if this indecision in his heart would be gone. Would he be able to meet up with Michael again, look him in the eye, and tell him that he had made the right choice in allowing this decision to go on? That he was glad for the way things had turned out?

"Hey, Kenny, come back to Earth," Tyson said, snapping his fingers in front of his cousin as he took the bag with his book in it from the cashier. Saying a quick thanks to the woman, he pushed along his cousin. "What are you thinking about so intensely?"

"Nothing really," Kenny shrugged, allowing himself to be led towards the exit.

"I'm beginning to worry about you," Tyson frowned.

"I'm fine, so what do you plan to do now that you have your book?" Kenny said, changing the subject. "Do you need a ride anywhere? Back to your dad's place or somewhere else?"

"Don't worry about me, Kai told me to call him when I was done here. He and I were planning to see a movie," Tyson beamed.

"That's money wasted, we both know that you're going to be more into feeling each other up than watching the movie. Just make sure there are no kids around, we don't need their impressionable your minds becoming corrupt, just so you can have future psychiatric clients," Kenny voiced. Tyson's smile faded into a neutral expression as he narrowed his eyes at his cousin. Kenny chuckled, making his way towards his car. "What? Don't like being on the other side of the teasing, do you now?"

"You'll be a future psychiatric patient if you don't leave me alone," Tyson threatened. "Where are you going anyway?"

"Walling myself back up at my parents place," Kenny said.

"Don't plan to return home any time soon, eh?" Tyson questioned, making reference to the fact that both of them had in fact moved in with Tala and Kai last year. It was also around that time the two finally let their family in on the factor that they were both gay, and involved with the two young men which had showed up again in their lives after that one faithful summer. Kenny had been surprised at how easy his mother had taken the news in stride, welcoming Kai and Tala as part of the family. It had taken his father a while to accept his son would never fall in love with a woman and get married, or one day having children. In truth Kenny knew his father was still learning to deal with it, wherein his mother was happy he was happy, which for now was enough for him.

"I still have work to do," Kenny said.

"His thing is going to wilt and fall off," Tyson commented.

"…" Kenny said nothing, only being able to give his cousin an incredulous gaze at what his cousin just said. Sure Tyson could be tactless, but that tactless never calculated in his head.

"What? It's true," Tyson said. "It's going to fall off if you don't let him put it to use soon."

"I'm just going back to my parents' place now. You have fun with your movie," Kenny said.

"Oh, don't like to be teased when you've teased someone else, eh?" Tyson countered.

"I'm going back to my parents' place now," Kenny repeated, ignoring his cousin's teasing. "Remember what I said."

"You remember what I said," Tyson laughed. "And I'll remember what you said."

"How about if I say no?" Kenny tilted his head to the side.

"Then I'll say no too," Tyson announced. "So have a safe trip."

"No wonder he would have kept us apart," Kenny declared.

"I love you too."

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Kenny closed the front door to his parents' house. "Mom, I'm back from my meeting!" Listening for sounds from the kitchen, footsteps approached from the den. Turning his attention towards the approaching sound, he found his father walking towards him. The man stopped a few feet short of his son. Kenny shifted ever so slightly, waiting for his father to say something, rather than giving him such a slow study of what the brunette could figure was concern. Eventually, his father cleared his throat.

"You have company," Kenny's father announced.

"Who is it?" Kenny frowned slightly, having no earthly idea who could be waiting for him without first calling to check to find out where he was.

"Your…" Kenny's father trailed off, a slight tinge of red stinging his neck and face as he looked away, slightly uncomfortable with saying the word boyfriend when it came to his son.

"Oh, it's Tala. I wonder what he's doing over here. How long has he been hanging around here waiting for me to come back?" Kenny said, ignoring his father's embarrassment. Eventually the older male would be able to handle this unexpected exposure to his son's life, and perhaps even not be bother with the fact he was gay.

"Almost two hours," his father said. "Your mother told him that you were out with Robert, and he said he would wait around to talk to you whenever you came back."

"I wonder about what," Kenny said, continuing to frown. "Well, I guess I'll go see what he wants to talk about then." Kenny made a move to head for the stairs however his father rested a hesitant hand on his shoulder, stopping the slightly shorter young man. Turning his attention to his father, Kenny saw indecision flickering in his father's eyes.

"Kenny…I…" The flush on the man's face expanded.

"Dad…it's okay if you're against it, but trying for the sake you don't want to hurt my feelings, but I want you to be honest with me and tell me the truth, even if it's harsh," Kenny voiced. "I'll appreciate that more in the long run than you forcing yourself to adjust to me being gay."

"No you're fine," Kenny's father said, reaching up to stroke Kenny's head. "Your mother and I talked it out a long time ago. We had our suspicions, but we wanted you to tell us when you were ready. I understand that he makes you happy. That's all, your mother and I have ever wanted for you. He changed you, but in a good way…I'm not as good with words as you are, but—"

"I'll make sure I won't regret the decisions that I have made," Kenny assured.

"I know you won't. You have many wonderful people that surround you," Kenny's father smiled, moving back to let Kenny continue along his destination. "Invite him to stay for dinner we should all get to know each other better."

"I'll ask him," Kenny nodded, heading up the stairs to his room. Opening the door once down the hall, Kenny found the red head sleep on his bed with a few pages of paper in his hand. Closing the door quietly and walking over, he leaned over the sleeping red head, gently prying the papers out of his hand, thinking Tala had become curious to a story Kenny was working on and decided to read some of his notes, nevertheless what he found almost seemed to stop his heart.

In his hand, he discovered was a letter addressed to him. His heart clenched in his chest reading about how life in Michigan was, the schools and sights, and how Michael was getting along now. His mouth curled upwards into a smile as he continued, Michael eventually coming around to ask about how things were with Kenny and Tala, and how sorry Michael was for not writing sooner. About how he was unable to bring himself to do so when he still loved Kenny so much. The silence Kenny had experienced in those two years since his other red head left parted; reconnecting Kenny to someone he still cared about no matter how much time slipped away.

"I was going to hide it from you when your mother said you had a letter from Michigan, but I knew you would have wanted to read it." Kenny jumped a foot hearing the silence of the room interrupted. Looking up from the letter, he found Tala watching him intensely, the blue of his eyes murky as the red head sat up, stretching. "I thought you would have reacted more than this."

"Why would you say that?" Kenny lowered the letter, sitting on the edge of the bed, Tala only shrugged. "Don't give me that, Tala. Why would you think I would have acted differently?"

"Because you still love him," Tala replied honestly.

"I love you too," Kenny argued.

"I know, but I know you wish you had made the decision two years ago rather than let him control all the strings. He was right, I can see into your soul, I know that you regret not trying to go with him to see where it led you, even if you would have eventually ended up miserable and came back to me," Tala murmured.

"It hurts you to know that, doesn't it?" Kenny placed the letter on the nightstand beside the bed, leaning against Tala's shoulder as the red head gently stroked his head. "You're not the only one who can see into a soul. I know yours so painfully well, even the darkness that's just a few steps backwards. I have learned more than any person ever wanted about what there is to fear and loathe. I don't regret going through those things for you Tala, even if I regret my own indecision two years ago."

"If he came back now would you—?" Tala started.

"I wouldn't so much as hesitant to remain at your side," Kenny interrupted.

"Liar," Tala chuckled slightly bitterly. "But I do appreciate you trying to make me feel better about it. He and I are pretty much the same. You can love either one of us, and it won't change for you."

"You're wrong Tala." Kenny tilted his head upwards, staring seriously at Tala. "It's not the same. It won't ever be the same. If he came back now, and said he couldn't live without me, I would not hesitate to tell him that I could never be with him. My heart is only yours now."

"Why?" That answered seemed to clear the darkness from the red head's eyes.

"Because we have overcame so much and have found a place where our indecisions and hesitations are no longer things that keep us apart. I can honestly say that the love I once had for him has grown into something of a fond memory of good times. Today, someone made me realize, I don't need his support to continue moving forward, you're all the support that I need to keep walking along my road. You're the only light I will ever need," Kenny remarked.

"Kenny," Tala breathed, closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss the brunette. Pulling back, he placed his forehead against Kenny's, opening his eyes. "Only you have this effect on me."

"I want to be the only person who will ever make you feel this way," Kenny said, watching a smile tug at the corners of Tala's mouth. Blue eyes took on a playful nature as a hand trailed the back of Kenny's nape, moving lower to his hip, where a hand tugged at Kenny. Getting the message, Kenny leveraged himself into Tala's lap, allowing his knees to brush against Tala's sides. Tala swooped down, claiming Kenny's mouth in a heated kiss; his teeth nipping at the brunette who moaned quietly.

"You drive me crazy," Tala whispered, roaming his hands under Kenny's shirt. His fingertips lit a slow fire in Kenny. "How could one person do this? How could one person make me need them so much?"

"Does it matter?" Kenny shuddered at the mouth licking a trail down to his collarbone. The mouth pulling away, allowing the hands to navigate the shirt he was wearing up and over Kenny's head and onto the floor. The mouth returned, kissing and mapping a path aimlessly over Kenny's now naked chest. "Just…continue to need me…"

"You leave me no choice," Tala said hoarsely, staring his boyfriend in the eyes. "When you look like this in front of me—"

"You do things to me too," Kenny said, leaning forward to capture Tala's mouth. The red head moaned his agreement at the move, giving up his role as dominator for the moment. When Kenny finally pulled back, to breathless to continue, he found a large smile on his boyfriend's face, causing him to laugh at the fact they were acting like two horny teenagers just discovering sex.

"I finally get to hear you laugh again. I missed that sound," Tala said, pecking Kenny lightly on the lips. "I think I might have to thank your ex for writing. The walls that have been up between us are finally coming down."

"You really think so?" Kenny asked, quirking his head to the side to stare at Tala.

"I do believe so. For a while, I would hate to say, but we've been old maids. My own cousin told me that my equipment was going to fall off if I didn't use it soon..." Tala paused in his sentence, his eyes lowering into slits of blue. "Remind me whenever your idiot cousin returns home to strangle him to death. He's influencing Kai with his harebrain remarks."

"For that remark, I'll allow it," Kenny shook his head. "He said the same thing to me while I was leaving the bookstore earlier."

"As long as I have your consent, I'm sure we can assure Kai it's okay to stop mourning that idiot's death," Tala thought, as Kenny laughed again. "You know, I really have missed that sound. How did we get to the point where it takes something like this to get us in a position like this?"

"You know, some of us being old maids had to deal with me working on my novel," Kenny pointed out.

"Hn…yes I know, but I know it's important to you. He's also proud that you're able to show the world your hard work over these few years," Tala replied.

"What…"

"It's on the third page, he talked about buying your book to support you and how he was glad that he stepped out of your life to be able to write from your soul…sorry I opened and read the thing. I just didn't want—"

"To lose me again," Kenny finished. "It's all right. I'm glad I didn't get that letter before I was able to sort some things out with myself and what I've been able to accomplish over these past two years. Maybe we can go visit him together now with a sound resolve on this end."

"Well, he does still owe me a few drinks," Tala thought.

"You two really would make great friends," Kenny shook his head.

"So tell me, where were you today?" Tala questioned.

"You want to talk about that while we're in a position like this?" Kenny gestured. "You really have turned into an old maid if you're going to allow your equipment to fall off while you have the opportunity to—"

Tala silenced the brunette with an abrupt kiss, all but sucking the breath from his lungs as Kenny pulled back panting. Tala licked his lips, going in for an all out attack as nipped and kissed the unmarred skin. Kenny gave a low cry when fingertips singed his skin with their heat whilst Tala made a go for his prize. Losing himself to the feeling of desire, Kenny eventually somehow found himself on his back wearing nothing but his underwear, his clothes strewn across the floor along with items of Tala's clothing.

"Tala…hang on," Kenny gasped, his back arching off the bed feeling Tala run a finger across his straining clothe need.

"I can't stop now, you're the one that taunted me into not acting like an old maid when I finally have an opportunity to spend some time with you," Tala murmured, leaning in to nuzzle his face against Kenny's neck.

"My father is downstairs," Kenny moaned quietly.

"I'll just have to do it slow then," Tala smirked, inching off Kenny's underwear, flinging them somewhere else within the room.

"Tala," Kenny flushed.

"Would you rather have me stop now and cuddle?" Tala questioned, pressing his body against Kenny's, sparks shooting between them as Kenny bit his lip to keep from being too loud. Tala's ragged breaths tickled Kenny's ear, but he was far to in need to be bothered by it. "If you say yes, I might have to kill your father and come back up here to satisfy myself with you."

"Dummy…kiss me so I don't moan too loud," Kenny panted.

"I knew you would see it my way," Tala smiled.

Doing as instructed, Tala linked his hands with his lover's as he solidified their need. Kenny closed his eyes, allowing himself to be lost in this act of not just passion and desire, but an act of finding each other again. Allowing their rhythm to draw them together in sync, their pulses throbbing, their breath quicken until they were too breathless to utter anything more but desperate whispers. The raw hunger between them urged them forward, captivating them in rapture so intense that when they finally went over the edge together, nothing else seemed to exist in their white hot world of emotion. When everything finally leveled itself out, they untangled themselves, however Tala wouldn't allow the brunette too far from his side, spooning the lush body against him.

"You still awake," Tala yawned, his arm languidly draped across Kenny's bare stomach. Kenny turned his head to look at his boyfriend who wore a mischievous grin. "You're a bad boy again."

"Shush you," Kenny scolded, snuggling closer to Tala. "Whose fault do you think it is that I just ended up doing that with my father downstairs?"

"Yours for being so damn sexy," Tala answered.

"You're impossible. And everyone wonder why I holed myself up here to get work done," Kenny shook his head.

"Speaking of, how is it going?" Tala questioned, dipping his head down to nibble at Kenny's neck.

"Fine, I've managed to get most of the short story complete for that new magazine that's coming out. Robert wants to get me as much exposure as a new popular writer as possible. He's still bugging me about giving in and doing book signings and interviews. I'm not ready for all that publicity…but…" Kenny trailed off.

"You would like to thank your fans personally for your book being on the bestsellers list. People are saying that in a few more months, you'll be in the top ten. You're doing well for your first book, I think you should do it," Tala advised.

"Will you be there to support me?" Kenny asked.

"Every step of the way," Tala assured. "There's nothing that will stop me from standing by your side, when you've stood by me through everything. I love you."

"I know…I love you too, Tala," Kenny smiled.

The two fell silent for a while, basking in the afterglow of their union. Tala eventually began drifting off into a sweet surrender where he knew nothing was going to be waiting to cage him. He had his angel there to make certain of that, now more positive than he ever had been before. Just when he was about to be fully submerged in his dreams, that angel's voice called him back to the land of the conscious. Blinking a few times, he stared down to find Kenny smiling up at him.

"Tala, were you sleeping?"

"I was almost there," Tala yawned. "Was there something you needed?"

"It was more like…a question I had," Kenny corrected. "If you were sleeping, I can ask it later."

"No, go ahead, besides, after this, I can just find another way to put myself to sleep." Tala put emphasis on the remark by pressing himself closer to Kenny who flushed pink, scolding at him softly.

"I wanted to ask you, do you remember what you told me about oleanders three years ago?" Kenny wondered. "Even now, do you still remember it?"

"Yes, I do. I told you love is the most powerful and deadly poison in the entire world. That it can heal someone and supposedly it's beautiful, but it's the most powerful death when it comes in contact with people. That it was like an oleander because we don't truly understand why we nurture it if it causes so much harm. Why we take a chance each time to plant it where people are around. And maybe it's because humans hold some hope we can cultivate it without the consequences," Tala answered.

"And remember what I said?"

"Love may seem like an oleander, but you were certain that if handled with care, it wouldn't slowly kill you when you touched it or took it in. And only the foolish would abuse something so wonderful and eradicate those around them. It made me realize just how much I was in love with you, but I still fought it even then," Tala spoke. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"Do you still believe that love is like an oleander?" Kenny wondered.

"In some ways, I do, but what you told me allowed me to change my thoughts towards how deadly love can be," Tala replied.

"You were wrong," Kenny announced.

"I was?"

"Love…especially the love we have is so far from an oleander, that the summer we spent together was a prelude to what we would eventually find. That oleander was just a ruse summer played on both of us," Kenny commented.

"Then what is our love like?" Tala inquired.

"Astrum. Our love has become such," Kenny declared.

"Run that by me again." Tala blinked while quirking a brow down at his boyfriend who gave a short laugh. "Seriously honey, you're going to have to run that by the dummy again. So our love has become what now?"

"Astrum, it's Latin, or in simpler translations star," Kenny articulated.

"Ah, I see. So our love is like a star now. I'm not following, but okay," Tala voiced. "Teacher, I think I'm going to need you to give me my hooked on phonics back."

"Dummy," Kenny rolled his eyes, with a smile. "All right, since you're not following the bread crumbs, I'll Google you a map. Our love is like a Fall star represented by a flower that blooms in the late summer and in the fall. That flower is an aster, derived from Astrum because of the star shaped of the flower itself."

"So, our love is an aster now, and not like oleanders now?" Tala inquired.

"Exactly," Kenny nodded. "Our beautiful Fall star that blooms brilliantly when all obstacles have withered away. The thorns which kept us apart…are the oleanders that falsely represented such a strong love which has taken us this long to cultivate."

"No wonder you're so popular with the female population of the world. When you say things like that, I want to place everything whole heartedly into those words," Tala simpered.

"Then do it. It's time to allow our summer oleanders die. We can let our love mature into those strong stars which will only grow closer with time when everything else is ceases to bloom," Kenny said, turning to wrap his arms around Tala's neck, drawing his boyfriend closer.

"I'll remind you to add that into your next book."

"How do you know I'm writing a second book?" Kenny blinked, as Tala grinned.

"Because you have to let the world see that there's no amount of pain which will wipe away the strength that has been given to us as we walk together once again in the light," Tala answered, drawing Kenny even closer to him. A silent promise between them that the road which they have travelled will remain clear and brilliant as those stars which symbolized everything just one summer of whirlwind events brought two unlikely flowers seeking to bloom.

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Rim: Thanks everyone for reading this story. I don't have much to say, but thanks for all the support. It's been such a long road that we have travelled together. I really hope to see most of you again in another story. Now we shall move back towards Dear Teacher, and just maybe…I'll have time for a certain birthday story extension someone talked about. Thanks for everything everyone!