The Trouble With Boys
Title: The Trouble With Boys
Author: Jjonaes (Robin)
Pairing: Nick J/Taylaut
Rating: overal-Nc-17, chapter-pg
Genre: Au
Summary: By the time most boys were 11, they had already received their Boy. It was not only proper, but considered by many to be a necessary asset in a proper young man’s life. The concept of Boy’s isn’t a difficult thing to understand. Proper young men are bombarded with work, stress, and troubles. Sex is something that is scientifically proven to relieve the stresses of the day and with less stress comes longer lives, happier people, and better over all work.
Chapter Two: Nick’s Woes - Nick
It was cold. The wind was howling loudly outside, the tree by the window was scratching the glass eerily and a thick air of cold lingered. Nick shivered under his bed sheet and pulled his limbs in closer to his body so that he could try to huddle for more warmth, but it was no use. His bed was just as cold now as it was when he had first slipped into it. He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, he had random fleeting naps that always ended in him shivering so much that he woke himself up.
He knew that it was getting early now. He could hear the house starting to buzz around him and he was actually looking forward to the time when his Master would wake up and go to school. Nick knew the rules, he wasn’t allowed to leave his room unless told by Taylor, but he was so cold! And he knew that Taylor’s bed would be warm and soft and all cozy and smelling so good.
The comforting thought of his Master’s bed lulled him back to sleep peacefully, but it didn’t last long. He was woken up, once again by his own shivering, only this time, his room was bright with the grey light of the day. He sat up, his covers coiled tightly around him, and looked out the window. The sky was dark and everything was wet and the howling wind was still blowing outside his window. He shivered again before looking down to the driveway and noticing that Taylor’s car was gone. That meant that his driver had taken him to school and his bedroom was officially empty.
Nick took a deep breath and got out of bed, his toes nearly freezing the moment they touched the floor. He tiptoed over to his door and opened it, poking his head out to see if the coast was clear. He ducked back inside when he heard the voice of a servant girl coming closer, and he waited until her footsteps were gone before poking his head back outside. Once he was sure no one was around, he quietly sprinted to Taylor’s room, stopping only once when he ran into Taylor’s mother’s cat.
Taylor’s room was warm and inviting the moment Nick was safely inside, the fire had long since been put out, but the warmth still lingered in the air. Nick sighed softly, enjoying the warmth, and ran over to his Master’s bed jumping in. The soft mattress and warm quilt instantly soothed the young Boy instantly and he snuggled up, inhaling his Master’s scent happily as he drifted off into a calming sleep.
Nick wasn’t sure how long he was asleep when he actually woke up due to a heavy-thing that fell on his stomach. He scrambled to get the covers off of his face so that he could see what landed on him. It took a lot longer than he expected to get out from under them, but he was still half asleep and so confused that he gave himself a break. His jerking around caused whatever it was to roll off of him and he shook his head, puzzled, as he finally came out from under the warmth of the covers.
He threw his arm over his eyes as he tried to adjust to the sunlight that was now pouring through the windows. He shook his head and blinked a few times before removing his arms and seeing a very amused Taylor looking at him from the doorway. His Master chuckled softly and went to pick up his fallen backpack.
Nick blinked a couple of times, trying to wake himself up. His eyes were still droopy and his skin was sleepy soft from his day in bed. He yawned and leaned up to stretch as Taylor sat down next to him on the bed. Nick smiled shyly at his Master as he leaned over and ran his fingers through Nick’s unruly curls. Nick really wanted to cut them off, but Taylor insisted that he keep them.
“Good Afternoon, sleepy head.” Taylor said, his voice obviously amused that his Boy snuck into his bedroom while he was gone. Nick blushed softly and gave a tiny wave as a reply to his Master. Nick wasn’t very talkative, he was serious and always very shy, and his Master seemed to enjoy those qualities.
“Why are you in my bed?” Taylor asked tenderly. Nick knew that he wasn’t going to get in trouble for sneaking out of his room without permission. Taylor had never said it out loud, but it was obvious that Nick was always welcome in his room, even though Taylor made it clear that they wouldn’t be doing anything other than sleeping, which Nick was more than fine with at the moment.
Nick bit his lip softly and sat up straight, the covers still warm over his legs. “It was cold in my room.” He said gently. Taylor smiled and continued to run his hand through Nick’s curls. Nick hummed in appreciation and leaned into his Master’s touch. It wasn’t often that Taylor treated him like a Boy, most of the time they were more like friends, but what little things he did that Nick knew was more Master to Boy than friends, Nick enjoyed. “I’ll see if we can get that fixed for you.” Taylor said, but Nick was enjoying the petting too much to really hear him.
They spent the rest of the day in Taylor’s room, playing chess and figuring out how to multiply fractions. Nick was really good at school work, they found over the past three years. He was quick at learning and easy to teach, and he always enjoyed helping Taylor with his homework. Taylor’s father even worked out a way to have a tutor come to the house and teach Nick all of the things that Taylor was learning, just so that he would be able to help his Master out even more. Taylor tried to convince his dad to home school him as well, but because Taylor needed social skills, he told him no.
They were about half way through with Taylor’s math homework when Miss Jenni came to the door. “Dinner will be ready shortly.” She said kindly. She didn’t delay she quickly turned around and left the room. Taylor looked at Nick happily. “I hope we’re having lobster!” He jumped up and shot over to the door, turning back only when he realized that Nick wasn’t at his side. He saw his Boy slowly standing up and brushing off his pants, straightening his shirt and smoothing down his hair.
“What are you doing?” He asked confused. Nick looked up and sighed. “I just want to look nice. Your mom hates me, and she’s always commenting on how I look.” He pouted. Taylor chuckled and walked over and slung his arm around Nick’s shoulders. “She doesn’t hate you, she just doesn’t like that her baby is getting older.” Even if Taylor was right, which he usually was about these things, it didn’t make Nick feel any better.
At the table Nick had to look away from Taylor’s mother’s disapproving looks whenever he took a bite of food. It had been three years and she still hated him, but Taylor insisted that Nick was a member of the family and his mother wasn’t to say another word about it. His father was all for the way Nick was being treated. Even though Taylor had no recollection of his father having a Boy, he seemed to know everything there was to know about them.
The meal went by slowly, thanks to the awkward silence. Nick tried not to bother his mother too much, but he didn’t think that was possible. Every now and then Taylor’s dad would speak up and ask about school or tutoring, he’d ask about their chess game which had been going on for over a year now, but after the small talk was over, the awkward silence came back over the table.
After dinner, they went back into Taylor’s room and continued with their game of chess and even finished Taylor’s English paper that was due at the beginning of next week. Taylor beamed so happily when he finished that Nick was sure his smile was going to split into two. Taylor almost never finished his work before it was due. Even with Nick encouraging him to work rather than play, so when it happened, Taylor always got overly excited.
“This calls for a celebration! Let’s go out tomorrow!” Nick’s eyes brightened instantly. He had never actually been anywhere beyond their land before, but he knew that whenever Taylor and his dad went out on a weekend, they spent the whole day out of the house together. And the idea of spending the whole day with Taylor just made him buzz with excitement.
He was so excited, that he didn’t even mind that Taylor didn’t finish his fractions. When Taylor finally told him that he was going to sleep Nick wanted to stay up and plan out the day tomorrow, he wanted to snuggle up in Taylor’s bed and go through each and every step of what they were going to do, but Taylor insisted that they would just wing it.
Nick hated the idea of sleeping in his cold room when Taylor was right there…all warm and good smelling and cozy. But he knew the rules and he didn’t want to disturb his Master, because he knew that he’d probably be up for hours, thinking about his exciting trip in the morning.
Nick hadn’t made it quite to his room when three servant boys, that looked like maybe they were a few years older than him, came walking down the hall. He wasn’t close enough to his room to make it there and go in without it seeming rude that he didn’t say anything to them, so he smiled shyly and nodded awkwardly as they approached. He expected them to keep on walking past him, but they stopped in front of him and sneered.
One of the boys was really tall, gangly and pale, his two companions were shorter, one fat, one normal all with brown hair and mean diminutive eyes. “Hey, Kid. You’re Master Taylor’s Boy right?” It was a stupid question that everyone in the house hold knew the answer to. Nick wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer them or not. The tallest boy was the one speaking and he had such a teasing air to him that Nick just wanted to run into his room and avoid the situation. He didn’t want to end up like he did in the Shelter; with boys picking on him and beating on him daily.
Nick settled on a short nod, casting his eyes down so that maybe they would take pity on him and leave him be. But he wasn’t so lucky. All three of them started chuckling amongst themselves. “You know-Master Taylor is thinking about getting a new Boy.” The tall one said. “A better Boy.” The fat one said. “A less dorky Boy.” The third chirped in.
Nick felt his heart swell up. They were just jealous. Taylor had told him about a lot of the younger servants being bitter about the fact that he chose a Boy from a Shelter and not from his own house. Nick knew what they were trying to do he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of upsetting him.
“My mom said that he’s planning an outing sometime soon, to scope out new Boys and to compare them to you. He wants to make sure that he doesn’t get another reject like you.” It was the tall one again. His voice was cold and shrill, full of hate and anger. But-could it be a coincidence that Taylor decided to take him shopping tomorrow? Could it all be part of them just being bitter? How could it be? He and Taylor had just made those plans. There’s no way that this boy’s mother would have had time to overhear them and rush to gossip about it enough that her son would hear.
Nick’s stomach was in a knot and he felt tears stinging his eyes. He knew that he wasn’t the best Boy in the world. He knew that most Boy’s at the Shelter had been taught their whole lives how to be Boys, and he-well he was just found one day wandering around after being separated from his mother, and after a week when no one came to get him, he was sent to the Shelter.
The boys were laughing again, saying something about his stupid curls and baby cheeks, and Nick couldn’t stand it anymore. He closed his eyes and stormed right through them, closing his door soundly, behind him as he safely entered his room.
Nick didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t want his Master to give him up. He wanted Taylor to love him forever and to want to be with him. Not some other Boy. No matter how much better they were than him. He spent the long night, willing away tears and trying to reason with himself about how it might not be so bad-going back to the Shelter. He was still young. He was bound to be picked again right? Or maybe his family would come get him this time. But it didn’t help. Taylor wanted a new Boy and it was all because he sucked.
Nick curled himself into a tight ball on his bed and willed away the morning. He didn’t want to go out. He wanted to stay there and maybe convince Taylor to stay too. He stayed on his bed, curled in a ball all night, thinking about all of the things he could do, or change about himself that would convince Taylor to keep him and not some stupid other Boy.
The morning came too soon for Nick’s liking. He didn’t make a sound as he heard the house start to buzz with early morning servants. It wasn’t long before he heard a small knock at his door. He didn’t answer but Miss Jenni opened the door anyway, her smile fading when she saw him curled up on his bed. “Nick honey, are you alright?”
Nick didn’t answer he just turned his head away, trying to make the day disappear. Miss Jenni came in and sat down on his bed, smoothing her hand gently over his back for a long while before she finally said that he had to get up. “Today’s supposed to be a good day, remember?” She said, trying to get him excited. Nick looked up at her with sad eyes and slowly uncurled himself from his ball and got up out of bed.
Nick was dressed, cleaned and down stairs ready for breakfast just as Taylor was finishing up. “Hey Nicky! Ready for our big day today!” Taylor was off the walls with energy; Nick expected that he slept very well knowing that this was the last day he would have to put up with a horrible Boy. Nick sighed and nodded in response and then grabbed an apple just as he was dragged through the house and out the front door to Taylor’s car. He saw Miss Jenni waving to them as the car pulled out of the long driveway-probably her last goodbye to him seeing as he wasn’t going to be coming back here again.
The car ride was awkward. Nick didn’t want to say anything he didn’t want Taylor to know that he was onto him. If Taylor wanted a new Boy then Nick wouldn’t make it harder by making him feel guilty about it. But Taylor kept asking him what was wrong. He kept playing with his hair and tugging him over to his side of the car so that he could see the sights and show him who that person was or whatever. It didn’t seem like Taylor was going to get rid of him. But then Nick thought about what he would do with an old Boy if he were getting a new one. And he would try to make the old one feel as safe and happy as possible.
When they pulled up to a very large shopping center, Taylor hopped out, keeping Nick right by his side as he told the driver that he’d call when they were ready to go. Taylor kept looking at Nick concerned. His poor Boy must have had a hard time sleeping, he was so excited. He kept Nick close as they went in and out of nearly four shops. Nick felt uncomfortable with all these people around, all these boys around who could catch Taylor’s interest at any moment and send him packing. He just wanted to go home and tie himself to Taylor’s bed and never get up.
They had visited a few more shops when Taylor was hailed by a young boy with red hair and lots of freckles. Nick rolled his eyes at the boy as they chatted away and he grunted irritably when the boy offered to show Taylor “just what he was looking for.” Nick wanted to trip the boy, get him turned around and confused and make him just go away. Taylor already had what he was looking for…right? But he tagged along, slowly behind as they went into another shop.
“Hey airhead.” Taylor’s voice broke through Nick’s thoughts and he looked up taken aback. The red haired boy had left and he and his Master were alone once again. Taylor smiled at him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders gently. “What’s going on with you today? I thought you were looking forward to this?” Nick didn’t know what to say, so he just shrugged. Taylor looked like he was going to say something else, but he was interrupted by yet, another boy.
This boy was tall, skinny and blond; just like the Boys Taylor had inspected at the Shelter before he saw Nick. Nick stood behind his Master obediently as the tall boy laughed and messed up Taylor’s hair all friendly like, and Nick was on the verge of lashing out. How dare he touch his Master! And Taylor just took it with this stupid happy go lucky grin on his face, which was also turning a slight red color from the blush that was creeping up on his cheeks.
Nick felt his stomach knot up and his heart swell as he realized that this was it-this was the Boy who was going to replace him. Taylor must have sent for him to meet him there or something. Nick’s head dropped and he sighed softly as he looked at the quickly blurring ground. He whipped his tears away quickly and sniffled as he noticed Taylor and the boy walking toward another shop. He followed silently behind.
Nick spent the rest of the shopping trip, tagging along behind his Master and his probable new Boy. They were laughing and carrying on like two old pals, and the more Nick watched them, the sadder he became. This Boy wasn’t some pushover, shy, dork. He was outgoing and talkative and he seemed to be older than Taylor. Maybe that’s what he wanted. Someone older who could tell him things and show him important stuff-maybe that’s why Nick was never allowed in Taylor’s room at night.
As the sun started to set, Taylor told the new Boy that it was getting late and that they were going to have to go. Normally this would have made Nick happy-but Taylor didn’t skip a beat before asking him to join them for dinner. Nick scrunched up his face in misery and looked away furiously. But instead of saying yes…the Boy said that he couldn’t. Nick’s eyes blew wide and he looked over at them. Even he knew that Boys couldn’t refuse a request from their Masters! Wow, this kid blew it now. Nick couldn’t help the smug smirk on his face as Taylor nodded and told him that he understood.
They parted ways and Nick didn’t have even a moment to enjoy his safe feeling before Taylor sighed and said “Man, I really liked him. I wish he could have come over. I wanted my dad to meet him.” Nick realized, then, that this wasn’t over. Taylor was still looking for a new Boy. The car ride home was quiet, and Taylor didn’t bother asking Nick why he seemed so upset this time, instead they just had a silent ride home, Nick pouting out the window and Taylor picking at a loose thread in his pants.
When they got home, Nick asked his Master if he could go to his room. “You don’t want dinner?” Taylor did seem a little concerned, but Nick pushed it off as his wishful thinking and shook his head slowly. “Are you sure? Cook made steak tonight. Your favorite.” Nick shook his head again. He knew that cook only made that because Taylor was expecting a new Boy tonight. Taylor reached over to his Boy and lifted his chin slowly, but Nick jerked away and ran upstairs to his room, closing the door and diving onto his cold bed just as hot tears started to spill down his cheeks.
Author: Jjonaes (Robin)
Pairing: Nick J/Taylaut
Rating: overal-Nc-17, chapter-pg
Genre: Au
Summary: By the time most boys were 11, they had already received their Boy. It was not only proper, but considered by many to be a necessary asset in a proper young man’s life. The concept of Boy’s isn’t a difficult thing to understand. Proper young men are bombarded with work, stress, and troubles. Sex is something that is scientifically proven to relieve the stresses of the day and with less stress comes longer lives, happier people, and better over all work.
Chapter Two: Nick’s Woes - Nick
It was cold. The wind was howling loudly outside, the tree by the window was scratching the glass eerily and a thick air of cold lingered. Nick shivered under his bed sheet and pulled his limbs in closer to his body so that he could try to huddle for more warmth, but it was no use. His bed was just as cold now as it was when he had first slipped into it. He wasn’t sure how long he had been there, he had random fleeting naps that always ended in him shivering so much that he woke himself up.
He knew that it was getting early now. He could hear the house starting to buzz around him and he was actually looking forward to the time when his Master would wake up and go to school. Nick knew the rules, he wasn’t allowed to leave his room unless told by Taylor, but he was so cold! And he knew that Taylor’s bed would be warm and soft and all cozy and smelling so good.
The comforting thought of his Master’s bed lulled him back to sleep peacefully, but it didn’t last long. He was woken up, once again by his own shivering, only this time, his room was bright with the grey light of the day. He sat up, his covers coiled tightly around him, and looked out the window. The sky was dark and everything was wet and the howling wind was still blowing outside his window. He shivered again before looking down to the driveway and noticing that Taylor’s car was gone. That meant that his driver had taken him to school and his bedroom was officially empty.
Nick took a deep breath and got out of bed, his toes nearly freezing the moment they touched the floor. He tiptoed over to his door and opened it, poking his head out to see if the coast was clear. He ducked back inside when he heard the voice of a servant girl coming closer, and he waited until her footsteps were gone before poking his head back outside. Once he was sure no one was around, he quietly sprinted to Taylor’s room, stopping only once when he ran into Taylor’s mother’s cat.
Taylor’s room was warm and inviting the moment Nick was safely inside, the fire had long since been put out, but the warmth still lingered in the air. Nick sighed softly, enjoying the warmth, and ran over to his Master’s bed jumping in. The soft mattress and warm quilt instantly soothed the young Boy instantly and he snuggled up, inhaling his Master’s scent happily as he drifted off into a calming sleep.
Nick wasn’t sure how long he was asleep when he actually woke up due to a heavy-thing that fell on his stomach. He scrambled to get the covers off of his face so that he could see what landed on him. It took a lot longer than he expected to get out from under them, but he was still half asleep and so confused that he gave himself a break. His jerking around caused whatever it was to roll off of him and he shook his head, puzzled, as he finally came out from under the warmth of the covers.
He threw his arm over his eyes as he tried to adjust to the sunlight that was now pouring through the windows. He shook his head and blinked a few times before removing his arms and seeing a very amused Taylor looking at him from the doorway. His Master chuckled softly and went to pick up his fallen backpack.
Nick blinked a couple of times, trying to wake himself up. His eyes were still droopy and his skin was sleepy soft from his day in bed. He yawned and leaned up to stretch as Taylor sat down next to him on the bed. Nick smiled shyly at his Master as he leaned over and ran his fingers through Nick’s unruly curls. Nick really wanted to cut them off, but Taylor insisted that he keep them.
“Good Afternoon, sleepy head.” Taylor said, his voice obviously amused that his Boy snuck into his bedroom while he was gone. Nick blushed softly and gave a tiny wave as a reply to his Master. Nick wasn’t very talkative, he was serious and always very shy, and his Master seemed to enjoy those qualities.
“Why are you in my bed?” Taylor asked tenderly. Nick knew that he wasn’t going to get in trouble for sneaking out of his room without permission. Taylor had never said it out loud, but it was obvious that Nick was always welcome in his room, even though Taylor made it clear that they wouldn’t be doing anything other than sleeping, which Nick was more than fine with at the moment.
Nick bit his lip softly and sat up straight, the covers still warm over his legs. “It was cold in my room.” He said gently. Taylor smiled and continued to run his hand through Nick’s curls. Nick hummed in appreciation and leaned into his Master’s touch. It wasn’t often that Taylor treated him like a Boy, most of the time they were more like friends, but what little things he did that Nick knew was more Master to Boy than friends, Nick enjoyed. “I’ll see if we can get that fixed for you.” Taylor said, but Nick was enjoying the petting too much to really hear him.
They spent the rest of the day in Taylor’s room, playing chess and figuring out how to multiply fractions. Nick was really good at school work, they found over the past three years. He was quick at learning and easy to teach, and he always enjoyed helping Taylor with his homework. Taylor’s father even worked out a way to have a tutor come to the house and teach Nick all of the things that Taylor was learning, just so that he would be able to help his Master out even more. Taylor tried to convince his dad to home school him as well, but because Taylor needed social skills, he told him no.
They were about half way through with Taylor’s math homework when Miss Jenni came to the door. “Dinner will be ready shortly.” She said kindly. She didn’t delay she quickly turned around and left the room. Taylor looked at Nick happily. “I hope we’re having lobster!” He jumped up and shot over to the door, turning back only when he realized that Nick wasn’t at his side. He saw his Boy slowly standing up and brushing off his pants, straightening his shirt and smoothing down his hair.
“What are you doing?” He asked confused. Nick looked up and sighed. “I just want to look nice. Your mom hates me, and she’s always commenting on how I look.” He pouted. Taylor chuckled and walked over and slung his arm around Nick’s shoulders. “She doesn’t hate you, she just doesn’t like that her baby is getting older.” Even if Taylor was right, which he usually was about these things, it didn’t make Nick feel any better.
At the table Nick had to look away from Taylor’s mother’s disapproving looks whenever he took a bite of food. It had been three years and she still hated him, but Taylor insisted that Nick was a member of the family and his mother wasn’t to say another word about it. His father was all for the way Nick was being treated. Even though Taylor had no recollection of his father having a Boy, he seemed to know everything there was to know about them.
The meal went by slowly, thanks to the awkward silence. Nick tried not to bother his mother too much, but he didn’t think that was possible. Every now and then Taylor’s dad would speak up and ask about school or tutoring, he’d ask about their chess game which had been going on for over a year now, but after the small talk was over, the awkward silence came back over the table.
After dinner, they went back into Taylor’s room and continued with their game of chess and even finished Taylor’s English paper that was due at the beginning of next week. Taylor beamed so happily when he finished that Nick was sure his smile was going to split into two. Taylor almost never finished his work before it was due. Even with Nick encouraging him to work rather than play, so when it happened, Taylor always got overly excited.
“This calls for a celebration! Let’s go out tomorrow!” Nick’s eyes brightened instantly. He had never actually been anywhere beyond their land before, but he knew that whenever Taylor and his dad went out on a weekend, they spent the whole day out of the house together. And the idea of spending the whole day with Taylor just made him buzz with excitement.
He was so excited, that he didn’t even mind that Taylor didn’t finish his fractions. When Taylor finally told him that he was going to sleep Nick wanted to stay up and plan out the day tomorrow, he wanted to snuggle up in Taylor’s bed and go through each and every step of what they were going to do, but Taylor insisted that they would just wing it.
Nick hated the idea of sleeping in his cold room when Taylor was right there…all warm and good smelling and cozy. But he knew the rules and he didn’t want to disturb his Master, because he knew that he’d probably be up for hours, thinking about his exciting trip in the morning.
Nick hadn’t made it quite to his room when three servant boys, that looked like maybe they were a few years older than him, came walking down the hall. He wasn’t close enough to his room to make it there and go in without it seeming rude that he didn’t say anything to them, so he smiled shyly and nodded awkwardly as they approached. He expected them to keep on walking past him, but they stopped in front of him and sneered.
One of the boys was really tall, gangly and pale, his two companions were shorter, one fat, one normal all with brown hair and mean diminutive eyes. “Hey, Kid. You’re Master Taylor’s Boy right?” It was a stupid question that everyone in the house hold knew the answer to. Nick wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer them or not. The tallest boy was the one speaking and he had such a teasing air to him that Nick just wanted to run into his room and avoid the situation. He didn’t want to end up like he did in the Shelter; with boys picking on him and beating on him daily.
Nick settled on a short nod, casting his eyes down so that maybe they would take pity on him and leave him be. But he wasn’t so lucky. All three of them started chuckling amongst themselves. “You know-Master Taylor is thinking about getting a new Boy.” The tall one said. “A better Boy.” The fat one said. “A less dorky Boy.” The third chirped in.
Nick felt his heart swell up. They were just jealous. Taylor had told him about a lot of the younger servants being bitter about the fact that he chose a Boy from a Shelter and not from his own house. Nick knew what they were trying to do he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of upsetting him.
“My mom said that he’s planning an outing sometime soon, to scope out new Boys and to compare them to you. He wants to make sure that he doesn’t get another reject like you.” It was the tall one again. His voice was cold and shrill, full of hate and anger. But-could it be a coincidence that Taylor decided to take him shopping tomorrow? Could it all be part of them just being bitter? How could it be? He and Taylor had just made those plans. There’s no way that this boy’s mother would have had time to overhear them and rush to gossip about it enough that her son would hear.
Nick’s stomach was in a knot and he felt tears stinging his eyes. He knew that he wasn’t the best Boy in the world. He knew that most Boy’s at the Shelter had been taught their whole lives how to be Boys, and he-well he was just found one day wandering around after being separated from his mother, and after a week when no one came to get him, he was sent to the Shelter.
The boys were laughing again, saying something about his stupid curls and baby cheeks, and Nick couldn’t stand it anymore. He closed his eyes and stormed right through them, closing his door soundly, behind him as he safely entered his room.
Nick didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t want his Master to give him up. He wanted Taylor to love him forever and to want to be with him. Not some other Boy. No matter how much better they were than him. He spent the long night, willing away tears and trying to reason with himself about how it might not be so bad-going back to the Shelter. He was still young. He was bound to be picked again right? Or maybe his family would come get him this time. But it didn’t help. Taylor wanted a new Boy and it was all because he sucked.
Nick curled himself into a tight ball on his bed and willed away the morning. He didn’t want to go out. He wanted to stay there and maybe convince Taylor to stay too. He stayed on his bed, curled in a ball all night, thinking about all of the things he could do, or change about himself that would convince Taylor to keep him and not some stupid other Boy.
The morning came too soon for Nick’s liking. He didn’t make a sound as he heard the house start to buzz with early morning servants. It wasn’t long before he heard a small knock at his door. He didn’t answer but Miss Jenni opened the door anyway, her smile fading when she saw him curled up on his bed. “Nick honey, are you alright?”
Nick didn’t answer he just turned his head away, trying to make the day disappear. Miss Jenni came in and sat down on his bed, smoothing her hand gently over his back for a long while before she finally said that he had to get up. “Today’s supposed to be a good day, remember?” She said, trying to get him excited. Nick looked up at her with sad eyes and slowly uncurled himself from his ball and got up out of bed.
Nick was dressed, cleaned and down stairs ready for breakfast just as Taylor was finishing up. “Hey Nicky! Ready for our big day today!” Taylor was off the walls with energy; Nick expected that he slept very well knowing that this was the last day he would have to put up with a horrible Boy. Nick sighed and nodded in response and then grabbed an apple just as he was dragged through the house and out the front door to Taylor’s car. He saw Miss Jenni waving to them as the car pulled out of the long driveway-probably her last goodbye to him seeing as he wasn’t going to be coming back here again.
The car ride was awkward. Nick didn’t want to say anything he didn’t want Taylor to know that he was onto him. If Taylor wanted a new Boy then Nick wouldn’t make it harder by making him feel guilty about it. But Taylor kept asking him what was wrong. He kept playing with his hair and tugging him over to his side of the car so that he could see the sights and show him who that person was or whatever. It didn’t seem like Taylor was going to get rid of him. But then Nick thought about what he would do with an old Boy if he were getting a new one. And he would try to make the old one feel as safe and happy as possible.
When they pulled up to a very large shopping center, Taylor hopped out, keeping Nick right by his side as he told the driver that he’d call when they were ready to go. Taylor kept looking at Nick concerned. His poor Boy must have had a hard time sleeping, he was so excited. He kept Nick close as they went in and out of nearly four shops. Nick felt uncomfortable with all these people around, all these boys around who could catch Taylor’s interest at any moment and send him packing. He just wanted to go home and tie himself to Taylor’s bed and never get up.
They had visited a few more shops when Taylor was hailed by a young boy with red hair and lots of freckles. Nick rolled his eyes at the boy as they chatted away and he grunted irritably when the boy offered to show Taylor “just what he was looking for.” Nick wanted to trip the boy, get him turned around and confused and make him just go away. Taylor already had what he was looking for…right? But he tagged along, slowly behind as they went into another shop.
“Hey airhead.” Taylor’s voice broke through Nick’s thoughts and he looked up taken aback. The red haired boy had left and he and his Master were alone once again. Taylor smiled at him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders gently. “What’s going on with you today? I thought you were looking forward to this?” Nick didn’t know what to say, so he just shrugged. Taylor looked like he was going to say something else, but he was interrupted by yet, another boy.
This boy was tall, skinny and blond; just like the Boys Taylor had inspected at the Shelter before he saw Nick. Nick stood behind his Master obediently as the tall boy laughed and messed up Taylor’s hair all friendly like, and Nick was on the verge of lashing out. How dare he touch his Master! And Taylor just took it with this stupid happy go lucky grin on his face, which was also turning a slight red color from the blush that was creeping up on his cheeks.
Nick felt his stomach knot up and his heart swell as he realized that this was it-this was the Boy who was going to replace him. Taylor must have sent for him to meet him there or something. Nick’s head dropped and he sighed softly as he looked at the quickly blurring ground. He whipped his tears away quickly and sniffled as he noticed Taylor and the boy walking toward another shop. He followed silently behind.
Nick spent the rest of the shopping trip, tagging along behind his Master and his probable new Boy. They were laughing and carrying on like two old pals, and the more Nick watched them, the sadder he became. This Boy wasn’t some pushover, shy, dork. He was outgoing and talkative and he seemed to be older than Taylor. Maybe that’s what he wanted. Someone older who could tell him things and show him important stuff-maybe that’s why Nick was never allowed in Taylor’s room at night.
As the sun started to set, Taylor told the new Boy that it was getting late and that they were going to have to go. Normally this would have made Nick happy-but Taylor didn’t skip a beat before asking him to join them for dinner. Nick scrunched up his face in misery and looked away furiously. But instead of saying yes…the Boy said that he couldn’t. Nick’s eyes blew wide and he looked over at them. Even he knew that Boys couldn’t refuse a request from their Masters! Wow, this kid blew it now. Nick couldn’t help the smug smirk on his face as Taylor nodded and told him that he understood.
They parted ways and Nick didn’t have even a moment to enjoy his safe feeling before Taylor sighed and said “Man, I really liked him. I wish he could have come over. I wanted my dad to meet him.” Nick realized, then, that this wasn’t over. Taylor was still looking for a new Boy. The car ride home was quiet, and Taylor didn’t bother asking Nick why he seemed so upset this time, instead they just had a silent ride home, Nick pouting out the window and Taylor picking at a loose thread in his pants.
When they got home, Nick asked his Master if he could go to his room. “You don’t want dinner?” Taylor did seem a little concerned, but Nick pushed it off as his wishful thinking and shook his head slowly. “Are you sure? Cook made steak tonight. Your favorite.” Nick shook his head again. He knew that cook only made that because Taylor was expecting a new Boy tonight. Taylor reached over to his Boy and lifted his chin slowly, but Nick jerked away and ran upstairs to his room, closing the door and diving onto his cold bed just as hot tears started to spill down his cheeks.