Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel) - Chapter 27
Title: Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel)
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Twenty Seven
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 6976
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
The time had finally come for Pierre to visit for spring break and he could feel his nerves eating him alive as he waited to board his plane, and during the flight, and even more so as he got off the plane and walked out to where he knew David would be standing. He had plans that David knew nothing about, plans that had been in motion since the prior November when David had come to see him for Thanksgiving in Anchorage, and it was finally time to act. He wondered how the other boy was going to react when he learned what he’d done, and if he was going to feel angry or upset with him at all. He hoped that David would see he had done it for his own good and that he would be excited, rather than possibly feeling like Pierre had gone behind his back against his wishes. He supposed the next few days would tell him one way or the other.
When he had gotten back to his dorm that late November day after taking David to the airport, he had sat at his desk and let his thoughts wander, wanting to break down and cry but not allowing himself to. As he had sat there, trying not to let the weight of his grief crush him, a stack of papers in the small trash can next to his desk caught his eye and he had taken them out, flipping through them slowly. He had seen David’s extra printouts for his college applications, having printed far more than he needed just in case anything happened. He looked through David’s essay, his transcripts and other needed documents, and his portfolio which consisted of drawings and photos of clothing he’d made and smiled a little at the evidence of his boyfriend’s skill and talent.
And then he had seen the folder from that fashion school in New York and he started flipping through the pamphlets and the application, feeling an odd, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t fathom that David would get a better education in this field at University of Alaska Anchorage and there was a large part of him that felt guilty knowing the only reason David wasn’t applying for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City was because of him. If they weren’t dating, he was certain David would have applied for schools in New York City, the fashion hub of the country. He couldn’t help but feel it was a waste for the other boy to choose a lesser education in his field strictly so they could be together. It was a decision that Pierre would have never even thought of making, to take a lesser opportunity just to be with someone he loved. That idea made him feel guilty, too.
As Pierre sat there, thinking of the missed opportunity of the road not taken, he wondered if David would come to regret the decision and if he would someday resent him. If there was one thing he felt strongly about it was that David’s dreams were just as important as his own and he couldn’t help but feel his education and future career would benefit massively from being in New York, no matter how much it would kill him to have his boyfriend on the exact opposite end of the country. To know that he was the only reason David had completely written this off as a possibility didn’t sit right with him in the slightest and he felt it eating away at him as he sat there and looked at the FIT materials in front of him, able to easily picture David as the one in the pictures, David meeting other people like him who he would feel comfortable around and who could help support him on his path, who he could make connections with and build friendships with. He felt like a bad boyfriend thinking of all that he was allowing David to give up for him.
And then a thought occurred to him, a thought so simple it almost felt too easy. What if we both went to New York? He opened his laptop and was immediately searching for New York City colleges that had hockey teams, and immediately he saw multiple options. The possibility that had suddenly presented itself to him felt too good to be true and he researched for hours, looking at the requirements for transferring and qualifying for athletic scholarships; it was with an overwhelming sense of excitement that he saw that he not only met all of the requirements but he far exceeded them. He had worked his ass off to keep on top of his classes and to get good grades, knowing his ability to keep playing college hockey hinged upon his academic success. As a result, he more than qualified not only to transfer to another school but also for an athletic scholarship. He knew with how well he’d been performing, he would look good to just about any school out there.
All of this had led him to applying for Columbia University, an Ivy League school that his parents would absolutely approve of if he intended to ever talk to them again (which, of course, he didn’t). Without hesitating, he filled out the FIT application for David and assembled all of the materials, putting everything in a big envelope and mailing it off for him. Sure, he was pretty sure what he had done was illegal but if they both got accepted to colleges in New York City, David wouldn’t be mad, right? If the only thing keeping David from considering a school in New York was Pierre, Pierre also moving to New York would solve that problem for him, surely? It was all he could hope for as he walked through the airport, feeling far more nervous to see David than he ever had before.
He knew David had already received his acceptance letter from University of Alaska Anchorage the week prior, and Pierre had received his acceptance from Columbia, had been in contact with the hockey coach and had even miraculously gotten the full athletic scholarship. He felt like things one by one were starting to fall into place, and knew the FIT letter would be coming soon enough - whether that would be an acceptance or denial, he didn’t know, but something in his gut told him the school would see David’s potential and accept him. He couldn’t explain why, maybe it was bias or blind confidence in his boyfriend, but he just had a feeling he would be accepted. He hoped the letter would come while he was visiting and he would be able to intercept it, especially before the time came for the second part of his plan.
Though he hadn’t told David, he was taking him to New York City on a short trip in two day’s time; he planned to keep this a secret until the morning they had to leave. He had been saving his monthly trust fund money for months, barely touching it except for necessities and when David came to visit, and had been able to easily afford this secret trip. Again, he hoped that David wouldn’t be upset with him over such an extravagant surprise, but he reminded himself that they were just a week out from the one year anniversary of when they had gotten together for good, and he wanted to do something special. Taking David to New York to tell him what he had done only felt too perfect. He only hoped the FIT letter arrived before they left, and that it was a thick envelope, signaling an acceptance.
When he walked through the last of the doors separating him from David and saw him standing there, he felt his stomach twist itself into knots and he smiled, trying to hide the way he felt like his heart was trying to pound out of his chest. He hustled over to him and pulled him into his arms, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in as he felt David’s arms wrap around his neck. He could feel himself shaking as he held him and he hoped that David wouldn’t notice, that his nerves wouldn’t give him away before it was time to reveal the different steps of his surprise. He pulled back and looked down at David, smiling down at him with meaning in his eyes, the third and final part of his surprise making him the most terrified of all. The ring he had bought after David had left the prior month which was hidden in a pair of his socks in his bag weighed on him and he was worried it would show on his face, that David would see something had changed so drastically for him and to know what he was planning.
David smiled up at Pierre with watery eyes, his hands moving to his face and feeling him again for the first time in a month, glad for his warmth and his sweet smile and his rich brown eyes and everything about him. He leaned up and kissed Pierre, a bit more passionately than was perhaps appropriate for the airport but he couldn’t help himself, having missed him so desperately. He felt Pierre’s strong arms tighten around his middle and he pulled himself in closer, his hands sliding from the other boy’s cheeks to the back of his head. Every time they got to be together again was painful and wonderful all at once, and was a strong reminder of how right everything felt when Pierre was around. It almost didn’t feel real that there had ever been a time in which he had hated the older boy.
When they went back to David’s house, they wasted no time getting tangled in each other’s embrace. After so long apart, it was like they couldn’t wait even a second longer to touch and kiss each other, to feel the warm contact of their bare skin against each other. They had barely made it through the front door before they were kissing and had stumbled back to David’s room and to his bed, unable to deny how much they needed to feel and experience the other. They allowed themselves to be engulfed in their passion without a second thought, and only came up for air once they had finished, laying naked in each other’s arms and feeling the world like a fuzzy blur around them.
Once he had regained the ability to breathe normally and the room felt cooler around him again, Pierre pushed himself up on his side, propping an elbow up on the pillow and resting his head in his hand as he looked down at David. David looked back up at him, seeing the dreamy, deep look in his eyes and being reminded of the way Pierre had been looking at him toward the end of his last trip to Anchorage, again getting the distinct impression that Pierre was thinking a million things. His gaze was soft in a new sort of way that made him feel pleasantly nervous. If Pierre hadn’t already told him many months before that he loved him, he would have thought it looked something like that.
The next day Pierre continued to nervously glance out the front window, watching for the mail though he tried to keep it from being obvious. He felt restless and anxious as he and David sat around relaxing together, knowing that he would be taking them to the airport the following morning and praying that the letter would come before then. When the mail finally did come he stood and offered to get it, trying to keep himself from sounding too excited or invested, hoping he managed to come off as nonchalant. David gave him an odd look and he worried he hadn’t done a good enough job but he went out to the mailbox without further comment. Amazingly, miraculously, he found an envelope from the Fashion Institute of Technology tucked between bills and junk and to his utter relief the envelope was thick, certain that this was a sign that it was an acceptance letter. He wanted to celebrate, to throw his whole plan away and tell David everything on the spot, but he told himself to be patient and instead tucked it in the waistband of his boxer briefs, allowing his shirt to cover and hide the letter entirely.
He did his best to walk as casually back into the house as he could muster and handed David the stack of mail without looking at it or him as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Then he walked back to David’s room and opened his bag, hiding the letter down toward the bottom with shaking hands. Somehow, it seemed that everything was going to actually work out the way he had wanted it to, though he knew it would still be up to David whether or not he actually wanted to move to New York. As far as he could tell, however, it was going to be a real possibility for them, and that idea made him shake with nerves.
That night he waited until David went to take a shower to get up and quickly throw a travel bag together for him, trying to be sure to grab enough clothes for the week long trip to New York and packing the things he saw David wear most, though he also hunted through his closet for something nice in case they went out for a more expensive dinner; he knew David would never forgive him if he tried to take him to a nice restaurant and hadn’t packed him something that the other boy would deem appropriate for the occasion. After less than ten minutes he had finished packing and hid the bag under David’s bed before joining him in the shower as if he hadn’t done anything at all. Again he wondered what David would think of all of this and if he would enjoy being surprised in this way.
David gave Pierre an odd look when he joined him, thinking there was again something behind the other boy’s eyes that wasn’t quite normal. He thought Pierre had seemed nervous since he’d picked him up from the airport and wondered why and what it was about this trip that was different. The behavior was so uncharacteristic of his boyfriend that he wanted to ask but something kept him from doing so. There was part of him that figured there must have been a reason for the other boy’s behavior and that he would share whatever was going on with him whenever he felt ready. David had never been one to pry and Pierre had never been one to hide anything from him. He had to trust his boyfriend, even if he was acting oddly.
The next morning he woke to Pierre sitting on the edge of his bed and shaking his shoulder gently, though it was still dark in the room. He rolled over and looked up at him with groggy eyes, confused for a moment about what was happening.
“Okay, don’t kill me but… I’m taking you somewhere,” Pierre said, a fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach.
David rubbed his eyes and sat up. Slowly he dropped his hands and looked at Pierre with confusion. “Huh?” he asked quietly.
“I’ve kind of been planning a surprise… I already packed you a bag, you just need to throw your toothbrush and stuff in,” Pierre admitted, smiling sheepishly at David, trying his best to hold back his excitement.
David blinked rapidly as Pierre’s words sunk in and he felt himself wake up more. “Wait, what?” he replied in his surprise.
Pierre just smiled and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll go make us a quick breakfast, you get up and get ready to go. We have to leave for the airport in about thirty minutes,” he said, before standing and moving across the room.
David blinked faster at that, his legs kicking out of his bed and onto the floor as he stared after Pierre and said again, “Wait, WHAT?!”
Pierre just turned back to him and smiled, giving a nod, before heading out toward the kitchen to do his best at making some eggs. David’s mouth was open as he watched Pierre disappear from the room, his brain working frantically to process what he’d just been told. As he looked over he realized his bag was sitting on the floor next to the bed and he unzipped it, seeing it full of clothes and an extra pair of shoes. Suddenly Pierre’s nervous behavior the past two days made sense and he got himself up, knowing that this wasn’t going to end up being some practical joke and that in thirty minutes they would absolutely be heading to the airport to go somewhere. He got dressed and went to the bathroom, grabbing his toiletries on the way out and stashing them in his bag.
When he walked into the kitchen it was to see Pierre putting scrambled eggs and toast on a plate and he took the plate when offered, feeling like he was in some alternate reality. “Thanks,” he said, his voice sounding far off and distracted. Pierre washed the pan and spatula he’d used quickly before grabbing his own breakfast and joining David at the table to eat. Every time he looked over at David it was to see the other boy staring at him with wide eyes that were full of questions he wasn’t asking. He just smiled and continued to eat, glad to see that David didn’t appear to be upset but was instead shocked and curious.
Soon they were grabbing their bags and standing in line at the airport to pick up their boarding passes. David passed over his ID when asked and continued to glance at Pierre, who was doing the bulk of the interaction with the person behind the counter and was being his usual charming self. Pierre grabbed the boarding passes when they were handed to him and grabbed David’s hand, pulling him out of the line and starting on their way toward TSA. David took his boarding passes when Pierre handed them to him and looked at them, seeing there was one to Seattle and another to New York. His eyes widened and he pulled back on Pierre’s hand, stopping him in his tracks and staring up at him with his mouth hanging open. He tried to stammer out a question but nothing but disconnected sounds came out and Pierre grinned down at him.
“Just go with it,” Pierre said before leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on David’s cheek.
David blinked again and closed his mouth, not able to do anything other than give a nod and allow himself to be pulled through the TSA line. It felt odd to be going through with Pierre instead of leaving him standing behind and he found himself reluctant to let go of him. When they got through the rest of the checkpoint and went and sat at their gate, David kept looking over at Pierre, wanting to say something but unable to form cohesive thoughts or words. Somehow he had a feeling that this wasn’t the only surprise and that Pierre had something else up his sleeve that he hadn’t revealed yet. Why would he be taking him to New York on a whim? Sure, he was impulsive but not that impulsive.
When they boarded the plane, Pierre took David’s bag from him and stored it in the overhead compartment with his own, and still David could do nothing but watch him with a look of wonder. When Pierre sat down next to him and grabbed his hand, David finally found some words that would leave his mouth and he asked, “What are you up to?”
Pierre pulled David’s hand up to his lips and kissed his skin softly, not breaking eye contact with him. He dropped his hand back down and said simply, “Stuff.”
David blushed, his suspicion confirmed with that one word. “So secretive,” he responded, his voice breathier than usual.
“Just relax and let me spoil you,” Pierre told him.
“You know that makes me nervous, right?” David asked, smiling a little.
Pierre leaned in and kissed his cheek again before sitting back in his seat and saying, “Good.”
David blushed a little harder at that but closed his eyes and leaned his head against Pierre’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm under Pierre’s and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly, feeling happy, excited and anxious all at once. Pierre squeezed his hand back and leaned his head over to rest against the top of David’s, knowing already that this would be the most enjoyable flight he’d ever taken, having his boyfriend at his side. The letters and ring in his bag continued to run through his mind and he found it hard to contain his excitement and nervous energy, though he did his best to not let it show, wanting David to be surprised every step of the way.
The two and a half hour flight to Seattle was over before they knew it and they were rushing to their next gate, having only thirty minutes until their next flight was set to depart. Their flight to New York was significantly longer and they watched several movies together, sharing a pair of earbuds and cuddling against each other the whole time. By the time their second flight was finished and they were riding in a taxi to their hotel, David felt tired and stiff but it didn’t stop him from looking around everywhere they went, having never been somewhere so big before. Though it was dark outside, the city was alive with lights and noise, the buildings were tall, the traffic was thick, and there were people walking on the sidewalks everywhere. He felt like a child on Christmas morning staring at a large stack of presents in awe.
When they got to their hotel and up to their room, it was already late and they didn’t plan on venturing out anywhere. Pierre insisted on ordering pizza to the room and David smiled at the suggestion, having become aware some time ago that pizza was Pierre’s favorite food, though he supposed it only made sense to get pizza when in New York. That night they ate and cuddled, and David insisted on showering and cleaning himself up after a day of travel before they tore each other’s clothes off. Pierre joined him in the shower, which made the shower take significantly longer and be far less efficient than if they had showered separately, but he couldn’t wait to get his hands on his boyfriend for even a second longer.
The next morning Pierre knew he wouldn’t be able to wait even a day longer to carry out parts two and three of his secret plan. There was part of him that worried David would be upset or would say no to him and the rest of their trip would be spent in awkward silence, but whenever he reached out to touch David and the other boy responded as if drawn into him, or looked into his eyes with love, he told himself to stop worrying so much and to just do it. Pierre wasn’t good at hesitating or waiting. The most he had ever held himself back had been in the months leading up to him kissing David for the first time and those had been some of the most torturous months of his entire life. Now that he had David and he was his, he had completely lost his ability to hold back from what he wanted, and at least thus far his boyfriend had always reciprocated his desires. He had to trust that this would be the same, no matter how terrified he felt.
While David was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Pierre took the opportunity to store the Columbia and FIT letters and the ring in his inner jacket pocket, zipping them securely closed and hoping that David wouldn’t pick up or feel his jacket for any reason. He wanted to reveal these items to him at just the right moment in just the right order. He had done well at keeping these things a secret thus far, he didn’t want to screw it all up now. When David was ready and came out to him with a sweet smile, Pierre gave him a kiss that was longer and sweeter than the moment warranted but he couldn’t hold himself back, bubbling over with anxious energy and undying love for the other boy as he was. They pulled apart and David gave him a curious smile but didn’t speak and soon they were throwing on their jackets and heading out to find somewhere to eat breakfast.
They spent the day exploring, choosing to walk down busy sidewalks and look at everything around. David was floored by all of the people, the size of the crosswalks, the height of the buildings, and everything they saw. He felt like he passed vintage store after secondhand store, showing cool outfits in the windows that were unique and like nothing he’d ever seen in Alaska. He held onto Pierre’s hand and pulled him around like an overly excited child, turning to look at him and pointing things out, his eyes bright at the things he was seeing. Pierre watched him with a soft smile, feeling more and more confident as the day went on that he had done the right thing and that this was where they should end up together. David was alive in the best kind of way, excited and energized; Pierre loved seeing it.
David found them more pizza for lunch, which was trivially easy, and then they were off again. By the time the sun was starting to lower in the sky, David realized they had been out all day and he had quite possibly done more walking that day than he had done the entire past month, though somehow he didn’t feel tired. After finding something to eat for dinner, Pierre waved down a taxi and they headed toward the next stage of his surprise. He squeezed David’s hand all through the taxi ride, knowing that within the next few hours he would be revealing it all to his boyfriend and putting himself fully out there for him to accept or deny. It was nerve wracking and terrifying but he was exhilarated at the same time. He couldn’t stop the way his knee was bouncing, something which drew David’s attention; Pierre was never fidgety. David looked up at his face, deeply curious about what he was planning, but he didn’t want to ruin whatever surprise Pierre had worked so hard to set up so he didn’t ask.
When Pierre led him to a nighttime city lights cruise, David’s eyes lit up and he smiled excitedly, thinking it would be incredible and beautiful. They boarded the vessel and went to find somewhere to sit, choosing a spot outside on the sky deck where their view would be unhindered by windows. David looked around excitedly before they’d even departed, having never done anything like this before. Pierre felt himself begin to shake a bit and his breath started to feel uneasy but he did his best to steady himself, afraid his nerves were going to ruin everything before he could get a single word out.
They departed as the sun was setting and soon all was darkness around them except for the city lights which bounced and reflected off of the water in the most beautiful way. Soft music played in the background, setting the stage perfectly for everything Pierre had planned. For the first hour they just enjoyed the ride and the views, David pointing things out and grabbing Pierre excitedly here and there. As they approached the Statue of Liberty, David stood and walked over to the railing, looking at it and seeing how impossibly huge it was lit up in the darkness. If anyone had asked him if he cared to see the Statue of Liberty at any point in his life he would have said he didn’t have feelings about it one way or the other but seeing how huge it was in person felt entirely different and it made him feel tiny.
Pierre walked to stand next to David, taking in a deep breath and letting it out shakily. “I have something I have to admit to you,” he said, sounding as nervous as he felt no matter how hard he tried to steady himself.
David turned to look at Pierre, his eyebrows pulled together and his head tilting to the side. “Are you pregnant?” he joked without being able to help himself.
Pierre laughed and covered his face with his hands, shaking his head a little. David had smiled at his own joke but his face dropped a little at the way Pierre covered his face; he’d never seen him do that before. Again Pierre’s nervousness stood out to him, even more intensely now. Pierre dropped his hands and bit his lip for a second, before unzipping his jacket, unzipping his inner jacket pocket, and pulling out the two letters. He was careful to not let the ring fall out and zipped his jacket back up to be sure it wouldn’t be revealed by accident before he was ready for it. David’s eyes flicked to the two envelopes in Pierre’s hand, only seeing the back of them but seeing that one was opened and one wasn’t. He looked back into Pierre’s eyes, the smile gone from his face now in his curiosity.
“This is yours,” Pierre said, and he handed the unopened FIT letter to David, watching his face carefully as the other boy took it and read who it was from. David’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he stared at what he was holding, a response letter from a college he had adamantly said he was not applying to. His eyes flicked back up to Pierre’s and he stared at him, unsure what to feel or what to say. “I may have sent in an application for you and I’m not a psychic or anything but… that envelope seems too thick to be a denial,” he said, his voice shaking audibly now.
David didn’t know what to say and he looked back down at it, staring at it for several long seconds before his curiosity got the better of him and he flipped it over, opening it carefully with shaking hands. He pulled out the contents and saw that there were catalogs, which told him he had been accepted before he’d even read the letter. He felt tears in his eyes and he unfolded the letter, reading the words that he had been accepted for fall admission as if they weren’t real. He looked back up at Pierre, his eyes wide and teary, his lips parted and unable to speak. He felt an odd mixture of joy and betrayal that he couldn’t explain even to himself.
“Before you get mad at me, here’s mine,” Pierre continued, handing David his own letter from Columbia University.
David didn’t process fully what he said and took the envelope in a daze, looking down at it as soon as it was in his hands and pulling out the contents. As he read, he realized what he was holding and his mouth fell open further, shaking even harder now. He looked back up at Pierre, still unable to speak, holding the two letters and not fully comprehending what it meant.
“If you still want to come to Anchorage, we can stay in Anchorage,” Pierre told him firmly. “But I think it just makes sense to come here. You’re worth taking the best opportunity given to you, and this school sees the same thing in you that I do.” David couldn’t pull his eyes off of Pierre as he spoke and he just stood there, holding the letters in his hands and staring up at him. “Columbia’s a twenty minute subway ride from FIT. We can find an apartment somewhere close and we can still be together every night, we just won’t be at the same school,” Pierre explained, trying to smile a little. “And I can play hockey there, and they gave me a scholarship if I want to take it. We can have everything we want and we can do it here where you can go to the best fashion school in the country.”
David stared up at Pierre for a moment longer before everything Pierre had told him clicked into place and his emotions overwhelmed him. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Pierre’s neck, pulling himself close against his body and losing the battle against his tears. The moment David hugged him Pierre knew he had done the right thing and he wrapped his arms all the way around him, his fingers digging into David’s sides as he held him.
“I can’t believe you did this,” David whispered into his ear, his voice thick with tears.
Pierre’s eyes squeezed shut and he responded with a soft, “You deserve the world, and you’ll never take it for yourself so it’s my job to take it for you.”
They hugged for several minutes before David felt he had a hold of himself a little and he pulled back, looking back down at the letters in his hands again. “I seriously can’t believe you did this!” he said again, his voice louder and more excited now.
“So… does this mean we’re moving to New York this summer?” Pierre asked. David looked up at him and nodded quickly. If he had been honest with himself for even a second in the prior months he would have known how much he would have loved moving to New York for school but it had never once occurred to him that Pierre could come with him so he had never allowed himself to recognize how much he would enjoy it. Now that it was real, he could see how much he wanted it.
“Oh my god, what’s my dad gonna say?” he asked absentmindedly, going back to staring at the letters. It all felt surreal to him, like any moment he was going to wake up and realize it had all been some wild dream. He handed the letters back to Pierre, who smiled and stored them back in his inner jacket pocket for safe keeping. He felt the ring box against his hand and knew it was almost time but he allowed the moment to pass for the time being. David turned back to look over the rail out toward the city lights, his mind swimming with what had just happened and what it all meant. He looked out at it all for several minutes, not speaking, just allowing it all to wash over him and to begin to imagine what their lives were going to be like in a matter of months.
After a short time he turned back to look up at Pierre but was confused for a second when he didn’t see him standing there. Then he registered where he was, and the way he was kneeling down, and the fact that he was holding a ring box in his hand and looking up at him with shining eyes. David turned fully, his expression dropping entirely and staring stunned at the other boy who was down on one knee in front of him and holding a ring out to him. He felt as if everything stopped around them, no longer aware of his breathing or his heart beating or the music behind them. All he could process was Pierre and the ring he was holding and the way his chocolate brown eyes were uncharacteristically tear-filled.
“This probably seems pretty crazy,” Pierre started, his voice shaking again. “We’re young, we don’t know where we’re gonna end up in life, and we have our whole lives ahead of us… but I know I want you with me at every step. I know I want to wake up every morning and see your face. I know I want to go to bed every night with you in my arms. I know I’m gonna want it to be you tomorrow, and the next day, and fifteen years from now, and when I’m old and can’t hear anymore, I want it to be you.” David moved his hands to cover his mouth and his nose, tears again slipping from his eyes and his whole body shaking. “I’m not saying it has to be right now, or even a year from now,” Pierre continued, his voice choking up a little as he spoke and getting caught in his throat. “Whether it’s five years from now, or ten years from now, I don’t care. Whenever you’re ready, whenever you’ll have me… Will you marry me?”
David kept his hands hiding the bottom half of his face as he nodded fervently, tears falling rapidly from his eyes. Pierre smiled and gave a nervous laugh before saying, “Yeah?”
David dropped his hands and nodded again, giving a watery laugh as he said, “Yeah.”
Pierre stood and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around David and lifting him in the air as he hugged him. A strangled sob left David’s chest as he hugged him back, his arms around his neck, his head leaned down against Pierre’s shoulder and into his neck. The sound of clapping and cheering around them pulled both of their attention and they looked over, seeing that those who were within eyeshot were celebrating for them, perfect strangers who had just so happened to see this intimate moment between them and were happy for them. They shared a bewildered laugh and returned their attention to each other, hugging each other again as if their lives depended on it.
Pierre dropped David back to his feet and they pulled apart, and immediately David grabbed the ring box from Pierre’s hand and looked at it, seeing the ring properly for the first time now. It was black and almost looked like wood grain, though it was hard like metal and had a matte finish on it that he liked. It was also thinner than men’s bands normally were, which he thought would look far more fitting on his hand than something big and bulky. He didn’t think Pierre could have picked something more perfect for him.
Pierre took the ring out of the box and put it on David’s finger, hoping beyond hope that it would fit as he hadn’t exactly been able to determine David’s ring size without ruining the surprise. To his shock, the ring fit exactly as it should and he couldn’t help but feel incredulous at the way that everything had just worked out the way he wanted it to. David felt his stomach flutter as the ring slid on his finger and he looked up at Pierre, smiling in disbelief up at him. Then, without being able to hold back, he lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his neck again and kissing him. Again Pierre wrapped his arms as tightly around David as he could, returning his kiss with everything he had, pouring every ounce of his love into him.
They parted again but David couldn’t pull away entirely and instead let his arms slide down Pierre’s chest to instead wrap around his middle. He rested his head against Pierre’s shoulder, burying his face in his neck and closing his eyes, so overwhelmed with happiness that he felt it flowing out of him. Pierre leaned his head to the side to rest against the top of David’s head, his grip on his body becoming much gentler as they stood there, not speaking, just basking in the soft glow that surrounded them.
Suddenly all of Pierre’s nervous behavior made that much more sense to David and he dug his fingers into the back of his jacket as he thought of it, of how nervous Pierre must have been, of everything he had done to make this night and this moment absolutely perfect. Pierre had gone above and beyond once again to make his wildest dreams come true and he was left stunned and feeling it was more than he could have ever asked for. There were so many things he wanted to ask, to confirm just how all of this had come to be and when Pierre had decided he was going to propose to him but in that moment he couldn’t bring himself to ask any of it. He wanted nothing more than to stand in the other boy’s arms, surrounded by how loved he was, to truly feel and appreciate just how much Pierre cherished him.
He had spent months questioning why Pierre continued to choose him, what he saw in him, how he could find him more interesting than literally anyone else, and in that moment he knew he had to stop questioning all of those things. Whether or not he felt the same way about himself as Pierre did, he couldn’t deny anymore that he truly was all that Pierre wanted; everything the other boy had done for him to give him this most perfect night was proof enough of that to last a lifetime. And so he simply stood there, held in Pierre’s arms, knowing without question that they were going to spend the rest of their lives loving each other.
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Twenty Seven
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 6976
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
The time had finally come for Pierre to visit for spring break and he could feel his nerves eating him alive as he waited to board his plane, and during the flight, and even more so as he got off the plane and walked out to where he knew David would be standing. He had plans that David knew nothing about, plans that had been in motion since the prior November when David had come to see him for Thanksgiving in Anchorage, and it was finally time to act. He wondered how the other boy was going to react when he learned what he’d done, and if he was going to feel angry or upset with him at all. He hoped that David would see he had done it for his own good and that he would be excited, rather than possibly feeling like Pierre had gone behind his back against his wishes. He supposed the next few days would tell him one way or the other.
When he had gotten back to his dorm that late November day after taking David to the airport, he had sat at his desk and let his thoughts wander, wanting to break down and cry but not allowing himself to. As he had sat there, trying not to let the weight of his grief crush him, a stack of papers in the small trash can next to his desk caught his eye and he had taken them out, flipping through them slowly. He had seen David’s extra printouts for his college applications, having printed far more than he needed just in case anything happened. He looked through David’s essay, his transcripts and other needed documents, and his portfolio which consisted of drawings and photos of clothing he’d made and smiled a little at the evidence of his boyfriend’s skill and talent.
And then he had seen the folder from that fashion school in New York and he started flipping through the pamphlets and the application, feeling an odd, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t fathom that David would get a better education in this field at University of Alaska Anchorage and there was a large part of him that felt guilty knowing the only reason David wasn’t applying for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City was because of him. If they weren’t dating, he was certain David would have applied for schools in New York City, the fashion hub of the country. He couldn’t help but feel it was a waste for the other boy to choose a lesser education in his field strictly so they could be together. It was a decision that Pierre would have never even thought of making, to take a lesser opportunity just to be with someone he loved. That idea made him feel guilty, too.
As Pierre sat there, thinking of the missed opportunity of the road not taken, he wondered if David would come to regret the decision and if he would someday resent him. If there was one thing he felt strongly about it was that David’s dreams were just as important as his own and he couldn’t help but feel his education and future career would benefit massively from being in New York, no matter how much it would kill him to have his boyfriend on the exact opposite end of the country. To know that he was the only reason David had completely written this off as a possibility didn’t sit right with him in the slightest and he felt it eating away at him as he sat there and looked at the FIT materials in front of him, able to easily picture David as the one in the pictures, David meeting other people like him who he would feel comfortable around and who could help support him on his path, who he could make connections with and build friendships with. He felt like a bad boyfriend thinking of all that he was allowing David to give up for him.
And then a thought occurred to him, a thought so simple it almost felt too easy. What if we both went to New York? He opened his laptop and was immediately searching for New York City colleges that had hockey teams, and immediately he saw multiple options. The possibility that had suddenly presented itself to him felt too good to be true and he researched for hours, looking at the requirements for transferring and qualifying for athletic scholarships; it was with an overwhelming sense of excitement that he saw that he not only met all of the requirements but he far exceeded them. He had worked his ass off to keep on top of his classes and to get good grades, knowing his ability to keep playing college hockey hinged upon his academic success. As a result, he more than qualified not only to transfer to another school but also for an athletic scholarship. He knew with how well he’d been performing, he would look good to just about any school out there.
All of this had led him to applying for Columbia University, an Ivy League school that his parents would absolutely approve of if he intended to ever talk to them again (which, of course, he didn’t). Without hesitating, he filled out the FIT application for David and assembled all of the materials, putting everything in a big envelope and mailing it off for him. Sure, he was pretty sure what he had done was illegal but if they both got accepted to colleges in New York City, David wouldn’t be mad, right? If the only thing keeping David from considering a school in New York was Pierre, Pierre also moving to New York would solve that problem for him, surely? It was all he could hope for as he walked through the airport, feeling far more nervous to see David than he ever had before.
He knew David had already received his acceptance letter from University of Alaska Anchorage the week prior, and Pierre had received his acceptance from Columbia, had been in contact with the hockey coach and had even miraculously gotten the full athletic scholarship. He felt like things one by one were starting to fall into place, and knew the FIT letter would be coming soon enough - whether that would be an acceptance or denial, he didn’t know, but something in his gut told him the school would see David’s potential and accept him. He couldn’t explain why, maybe it was bias or blind confidence in his boyfriend, but he just had a feeling he would be accepted. He hoped the letter would come while he was visiting and he would be able to intercept it, especially before the time came for the second part of his plan.
Though he hadn’t told David, he was taking him to New York City on a short trip in two day’s time; he planned to keep this a secret until the morning they had to leave. He had been saving his monthly trust fund money for months, barely touching it except for necessities and when David came to visit, and had been able to easily afford this secret trip. Again, he hoped that David wouldn’t be upset with him over such an extravagant surprise, but he reminded himself that they were just a week out from the one year anniversary of when they had gotten together for good, and he wanted to do something special. Taking David to New York to tell him what he had done only felt too perfect. He only hoped the FIT letter arrived before they left, and that it was a thick envelope, signaling an acceptance.
When he walked through the last of the doors separating him from David and saw him standing there, he felt his stomach twist itself into knots and he smiled, trying to hide the way he felt like his heart was trying to pound out of his chest. He hustled over to him and pulled him into his arms, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in as he felt David’s arms wrap around his neck. He could feel himself shaking as he held him and he hoped that David wouldn’t notice, that his nerves wouldn’t give him away before it was time to reveal the different steps of his surprise. He pulled back and looked down at David, smiling down at him with meaning in his eyes, the third and final part of his surprise making him the most terrified of all. The ring he had bought after David had left the prior month which was hidden in a pair of his socks in his bag weighed on him and he was worried it would show on his face, that David would see something had changed so drastically for him and to know what he was planning.
David smiled up at Pierre with watery eyes, his hands moving to his face and feeling him again for the first time in a month, glad for his warmth and his sweet smile and his rich brown eyes and everything about him. He leaned up and kissed Pierre, a bit more passionately than was perhaps appropriate for the airport but he couldn’t help himself, having missed him so desperately. He felt Pierre’s strong arms tighten around his middle and he pulled himself in closer, his hands sliding from the other boy’s cheeks to the back of his head. Every time they got to be together again was painful and wonderful all at once, and was a strong reminder of how right everything felt when Pierre was around. It almost didn’t feel real that there had ever been a time in which he had hated the older boy.
When they went back to David’s house, they wasted no time getting tangled in each other’s embrace. After so long apart, it was like they couldn’t wait even a second longer to touch and kiss each other, to feel the warm contact of their bare skin against each other. They had barely made it through the front door before they were kissing and had stumbled back to David’s room and to his bed, unable to deny how much they needed to feel and experience the other. They allowed themselves to be engulfed in their passion without a second thought, and only came up for air once they had finished, laying naked in each other’s arms and feeling the world like a fuzzy blur around them.
Once he had regained the ability to breathe normally and the room felt cooler around him again, Pierre pushed himself up on his side, propping an elbow up on the pillow and resting his head in his hand as he looked down at David. David looked back up at him, seeing the dreamy, deep look in his eyes and being reminded of the way Pierre had been looking at him toward the end of his last trip to Anchorage, again getting the distinct impression that Pierre was thinking a million things. His gaze was soft in a new sort of way that made him feel pleasantly nervous. If Pierre hadn’t already told him many months before that he loved him, he would have thought it looked something like that.
The next day Pierre continued to nervously glance out the front window, watching for the mail though he tried to keep it from being obvious. He felt restless and anxious as he and David sat around relaxing together, knowing that he would be taking them to the airport the following morning and praying that the letter would come before then. When the mail finally did come he stood and offered to get it, trying to keep himself from sounding too excited or invested, hoping he managed to come off as nonchalant. David gave him an odd look and he worried he hadn’t done a good enough job but he went out to the mailbox without further comment. Amazingly, miraculously, he found an envelope from the Fashion Institute of Technology tucked between bills and junk and to his utter relief the envelope was thick, certain that this was a sign that it was an acceptance letter. He wanted to celebrate, to throw his whole plan away and tell David everything on the spot, but he told himself to be patient and instead tucked it in the waistband of his boxer briefs, allowing his shirt to cover and hide the letter entirely.
He did his best to walk as casually back into the house as he could muster and handed David the stack of mail without looking at it or him as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Then he walked back to David’s room and opened his bag, hiding the letter down toward the bottom with shaking hands. Somehow, it seemed that everything was going to actually work out the way he had wanted it to, though he knew it would still be up to David whether or not he actually wanted to move to New York. As far as he could tell, however, it was going to be a real possibility for them, and that idea made him shake with nerves.
That night he waited until David went to take a shower to get up and quickly throw a travel bag together for him, trying to be sure to grab enough clothes for the week long trip to New York and packing the things he saw David wear most, though he also hunted through his closet for something nice in case they went out for a more expensive dinner; he knew David would never forgive him if he tried to take him to a nice restaurant and hadn’t packed him something that the other boy would deem appropriate for the occasion. After less than ten minutes he had finished packing and hid the bag under David’s bed before joining him in the shower as if he hadn’t done anything at all. Again he wondered what David would think of all of this and if he would enjoy being surprised in this way.
David gave Pierre an odd look when he joined him, thinking there was again something behind the other boy’s eyes that wasn’t quite normal. He thought Pierre had seemed nervous since he’d picked him up from the airport and wondered why and what it was about this trip that was different. The behavior was so uncharacteristic of his boyfriend that he wanted to ask but something kept him from doing so. There was part of him that figured there must have been a reason for the other boy’s behavior and that he would share whatever was going on with him whenever he felt ready. David had never been one to pry and Pierre had never been one to hide anything from him. He had to trust his boyfriend, even if he was acting oddly.
The next morning he woke to Pierre sitting on the edge of his bed and shaking his shoulder gently, though it was still dark in the room. He rolled over and looked up at him with groggy eyes, confused for a moment about what was happening.
“Okay, don’t kill me but… I’m taking you somewhere,” Pierre said, a fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach.
David rubbed his eyes and sat up. Slowly he dropped his hands and looked at Pierre with confusion. “Huh?” he asked quietly.
“I’ve kind of been planning a surprise… I already packed you a bag, you just need to throw your toothbrush and stuff in,” Pierre admitted, smiling sheepishly at David, trying his best to hold back his excitement.
David blinked rapidly as Pierre’s words sunk in and he felt himself wake up more. “Wait, what?” he replied in his surprise.
Pierre just smiled and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll go make us a quick breakfast, you get up and get ready to go. We have to leave for the airport in about thirty minutes,” he said, before standing and moving across the room.
David blinked faster at that, his legs kicking out of his bed and onto the floor as he stared after Pierre and said again, “Wait, WHAT?!”
Pierre just turned back to him and smiled, giving a nod, before heading out toward the kitchen to do his best at making some eggs. David’s mouth was open as he watched Pierre disappear from the room, his brain working frantically to process what he’d just been told. As he looked over he realized his bag was sitting on the floor next to the bed and he unzipped it, seeing it full of clothes and an extra pair of shoes. Suddenly Pierre’s nervous behavior the past two days made sense and he got himself up, knowing that this wasn’t going to end up being some practical joke and that in thirty minutes they would absolutely be heading to the airport to go somewhere. He got dressed and went to the bathroom, grabbing his toiletries on the way out and stashing them in his bag.
When he walked into the kitchen it was to see Pierre putting scrambled eggs and toast on a plate and he took the plate when offered, feeling like he was in some alternate reality. “Thanks,” he said, his voice sounding far off and distracted. Pierre washed the pan and spatula he’d used quickly before grabbing his own breakfast and joining David at the table to eat. Every time he looked over at David it was to see the other boy staring at him with wide eyes that were full of questions he wasn’t asking. He just smiled and continued to eat, glad to see that David didn’t appear to be upset but was instead shocked and curious.
Soon they were grabbing their bags and standing in line at the airport to pick up their boarding passes. David passed over his ID when asked and continued to glance at Pierre, who was doing the bulk of the interaction with the person behind the counter and was being his usual charming self. Pierre grabbed the boarding passes when they were handed to him and grabbed David’s hand, pulling him out of the line and starting on their way toward TSA. David took his boarding passes when Pierre handed them to him and looked at them, seeing there was one to Seattle and another to New York. His eyes widened and he pulled back on Pierre’s hand, stopping him in his tracks and staring up at him with his mouth hanging open. He tried to stammer out a question but nothing but disconnected sounds came out and Pierre grinned down at him.
“Just go with it,” Pierre said before leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on David’s cheek.
David blinked again and closed his mouth, not able to do anything other than give a nod and allow himself to be pulled through the TSA line. It felt odd to be going through with Pierre instead of leaving him standing behind and he found himself reluctant to let go of him. When they got through the rest of the checkpoint and went and sat at their gate, David kept looking over at Pierre, wanting to say something but unable to form cohesive thoughts or words. Somehow he had a feeling that this wasn’t the only surprise and that Pierre had something else up his sleeve that he hadn’t revealed yet. Why would he be taking him to New York on a whim? Sure, he was impulsive but not that impulsive.
When they boarded the plane, Pierre took David’s bag from him and stored it in the overhead compartment with his own, and still David could do nothing but watch him with a look of wonder. When Pierre sat down next to him and grabbed his hand, David finally found some words that would leave his mouth and he asked, “What are you up to?”
Pierre pulled David’s hand up to his lips and kissed his skin softly, not breaking eye contact with him. He dropped his hand back down and said simply, “Stuff.”
David blushed, his suspicion confirmed with that one word. “So secretive,” he responded, his voice breathier than usual.
“Just relax and let me spoil you,” Pierre told him.
“You know that makes me nervous, right?” David asked, smiling a little.
Pierre leaned in and kissed his cheek again before sitting back in his seat and saying, “Good.”
David blushed a little harder at that but closed his eyes and leaned his head against Pierre’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm under Pierre’s and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly, feeling happy, excited and anxious all at once. Pierre squeezed his hand back and leaned his head over to rest against the top of David’s, knowing already that this would be the most enjoyable flight he’d ever taken, having his boyfriend at his side. The letters and ring in his bag continued to run through his mind and he found it hard to contain his excitement and nervous energy, though he did his best to not let it show, wanting David to be surprised every step of the way.
The two and a half hour flight to Seattle was over before they knew it and they were rushing to their next gate, having only thirty minutes until their next flight was set to depart. Their flight to New York was significantly longer and they watched several movies together, sharing a pair of earbuds and cuddling against each other the whole time. By the time their second flight was finished and they were riding in a taxi to their hotel, David felt tired and stiff but it didn’t stop him from looking around everywhere they went, having never been somewhere so big before. Though it was dark outside, the city was alive with lights and noise, the buildings were tall, the traffic was thick, and there were people walking on the sidewalks everywhere. He felt like a child on Christmas morning staring at a large stack of presents in awe.
When they got to their hotel and up to their room, it was already late and they didn’t plan on venturing out anywhere. Pierre insisted on ordering pizza to the room and David smiled at the suggestion, having become aware some time ago that pizza was Pierre’s favorite food, though he supposed it only made sense to get pizza when in New York. That night they ate and cuddled, and David insisted on showering and cleaning himself up after a day of travel before they tore each other’s clothes off. Pierre joined him in the shower, which made the shower take significantly longer and be far less efficient than if they had showered separately, but he couldn’t wait to get his hands on his boyfriend for even a second longer.
The next morning Pierre knew he wouldn’t be able to wait even a day longer to carry out parts two and three of his secret plan. There was part of him that worried David would be upset or would say no to him and the rest of their trip would be spent in awkward silence, but whenever he reached out to touch David and the other boy responded as if drawn into him, or looked into his eyes with love, he told himself to stop worrying so much and to just do it. Pierre wasn’t good at hesitating or waiting. The most he had ever held himself back had been in the months leading up to him kissing David for the first time and those had been some of the most torturous months of his entire life. Now that he had David and he was his, he had completely lost his ability to hold back from what he wanted, and at least thus far his boyfriend had always reciprocated his desires. He had to trust that this would be the same, no matter how terrified he felt.
While David was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Pierre took the opportunity to store the Columbia and FIT letters and the ring in his inner jacket pocket, zipping them securely closed and hoping that David wouldn’t pick up or feel his jacket for any reason. He wanted to reveal these items to him at just the right moment in just the right order. He had done well at keeping these things a secret thus far, he didn’t want to screw it all up now. When David was ready and came out to him with a sweet smile, Pierre gave him a kiss that was longer and sweeter than the moment warranted but he couldn’t hold himself back, bubbling over with anxious energy and undying love for the other boy as he was. They pulled apart and David gave him a curious smile but didn’t speak and soon they were throwing on their jackets and heading out to find somewhere to eat breakfast.
They spent the day exploring, choosing to walk down busy sidewalks and look at everything around. David was floored by all of the people, the size of the crosswalks, the height of the buildings, and everything they saw. He felt like he passed vintage store after secondhand store, showing cool outfits in the windows that were unique and like nothing he’d ever seen in Alaska. He held onto Pierre’s hand and pulled him around like an overly excited child, turning to look at him and pointing things out, his eyes bright at the things he was seeing. Pierre watched him with a soft smile, feeling more and more confident as the day went on that he had done the right thing and that this was where they should end up together. David was alive in the best kind of way, excited and energized; Pierre loved seeing it.
David found them more pizza for lunch, which was trivially easy, and then they were off again. By the time the sun was starting to lower in the sky, David realized they had been out all day and he had quite possibly done more walking that day than he had done the entire past month, though somehow he didn’t feel tired. After finding something to eat for dinner, Pierre waved down a taxi and they headed toward the next stage of his surprise. He squeezed David’s hand all through the taxi ride, knowing that within the next few hours he would be revealing it all to his boyfriend and putting himself fully out there for him to accept or deny. It was nerve wracking and terrifying but he was exhilarated at the same time. He couldn’t stop the way his knee was bouncing, something which drew David’s attention; Pierre was never fidgety. David looked up at his face, deeply curious about what he was planning, but he didn’t want to ruin whatever surprise Pierre had worked so hard to set up so he didn’t ask.
When Pierre led him to a nighttime city lights cruise, David’s eyes lit up and he smiled excitedly, thinking it would be incredible and beautiful. They boarded the vessel and went to find somewhere to sit, choosing a spot outside on the sky deck where their view would be unhindered by windows. David looked around excitedly before they’d even departed, having never done anything like this before. Pierre felt himself begin to shake a bit and his breath started to feel uneasy but he did his best to steady himself, afraid his nerves were going to ruin everything before he could get a single word out.
They departed as the sun was setting and soon all was darkness around them except for the city lights which bounced and reflected off of the water in the most beautiful way. Soft music played in the background, setting the stage perfectly for everything Pierre had planned. For the first hour they just enjoyed the ride and the views, David pointing things out and grabbing Pierre excitedly here and there. As they approached the Statue of Liberty, David stood and walked over to the railing, looking at it and seeing how impossibly huge it was lit up in the darkness. If anyone had asked him if he cared to see the Statue of Liberty at any point in his life he would have said he didn’t have feelings about it one way or the other but seeing how huge it was in person felt entirely different and it made him feel tiny.
Pierre walked to stand next to David, taking in a deep breath and letting it out shakily. “I have something I have to admit to you,” he said, sounding as nervous as he felt no matter how hard he tried to steady himself.
David turned to look at Pierre, his eyebrows pulled together and his head tilting to the side. “Are you pregnant?” he joked without being able to help himself.
Pierre laughed and covered his face with his hands, shaking his head a little. David had smiled at his own joke but his face dropped a little at the way Pierre covered his face; he’d never seen him do that before. Again Pierre’s nervousness stood out to him, even more intensely now. Pierre dropped his hands and bit his lip for a second, before unzipping his jacket, unzipping his inner jacket pocket, and pulling out the two letters. He was careful to not let the ring fall out and zipped his jacket back up to be sure it wouldn’t be revealed by accident before he was ready for it. David’s eyes flicked to the two envelopes in Pierre’s hand, only seeing the back of them but seeing that one was opened and one wasn’t. He looked back into Pierre’s eyes, the smile gone from his face now in his curiosity.
“This is yours,” Pierre said, and he handed the unopened FIT letter to David, watching his face carefully as the other boy took it and read who it was from. David’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he stared at what he was holding, a response letter from a college he had adamantly said he was not applying to. His eyes flicked back up to Pierre’s and he stared at him, unsure what to feel or what to say. “I may have sent in an application for you and I’m not a psychic or anything but… that envelope seems too thick to be a denial,” he said, his voice shaking audibly now.
David didn’t know what to say and he looked back down at it, staring at it for several long seconds before his curiosity got the better of him and he flipped it over, opening it carefully with shaking hands. He pulled out the contents and saw that there were catalogs, which told him he had been accepted before he’d even read the letter. He felt tears in his eyes and he unfolded the letter, reading the words that he had been accepted for fall admission as if they weren’t real. He looked back up at Pierre, his eyes wide and teary, his lips parted and unable to speak. He felt an odd mixture of joy and betrayal that he couldn’t explain even to himself.
“Before you get mad at me, here’s mine,” Pierre continued, handing David his own letter from Columbia University.
David didn’t process fully what he said and took the envelope in a daze, looking down at it as soon as it was in his hands and pulling out the contents. As he read, he realized what he was holding and his mouth fell open further, shaking even harder now. He looked back up at Pierre, still unable to speak, holding the two letters and not fully comprehending what it meant.
“If you still want to come to Anchorage, we can stay in Anchorage,” Pierre told him firmly. “But I think it just makes sense to come here. You’re worth taking the best opportunity given to you, and this school sees the same thing in you that I do.” David couldn’t pull his eyes off of Pierre as he spoke and he just stood there, holding the letters in his hands and staring up at him. “Columbia’s a twenty minute subway ride from FIT. We can find an apartment somewhere close and we can still be together every night, we just won’t be at the same school,” Pierre explained, trying to smile a little. “And I can play hockey there, and they gave me a scholarship if I want to take it. We can have everything we want and we can do it here where you can go to the best fashion school in the country.”
David stared up at Pierre for a moment longer before everything Pierre had told him clicked into place and his emotions overwhelmed him. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Pierre’s neck, pulling himself close against his body and losing the battle against his tears. The moment David hugged him Pierre knew he had done the right thing and he wrapped his arms all the way around him, his fingers digging into David’s sides as he held him.
“I can’t believe you did this,” David whispered into his ear, his voice thick with tears.
Pierre’s eyes squeezed shut and he responded with a soft, “You deserve the world, and you’ll never take it for yourself so it’s my job to take it for you.”
They hugged for several minutes before David felt he had a hold of himself a little and he pulled back, looking back down at the letters in his hands again. “I seriously can’t believe you did this!” he said again, his voice louder and more excited now.
“So… does this mean we’re moving to New York this summer?” Pierre asked. David looked up at him and nodded quickly. If he had been honest with himself for even a second in the prior months he would have known how much he would have loved moving to New York for school but it had never once occurred to him that Pierre could come with him so he had never allowed himself to recognize how much he would enjoy it. Now that it was real, he could see how much he wanted it.
“Oh my god, what’s my dad gonna say?” he asked absentmindedly, going back to staring at the letters. It all felt surreal to him, like any moment he was going to wake up and realize it had all been some wild dream. He handed the letters back to Pierre, who smiled and stored them back in his inner jacket pocket for safe keeping. He felt the ring box against his hand and knew it was almost time but he allowed the moment to pass for the time being. David turned back to look over the rail out toward the city lights, his mind swimming with what had just happened and what it all meant. He looked out at it all for several minutes, not speaking, just allowing it all to wash over him and to begin to imagine what their lives were going to be like in a matter of months.
After a short time he turned back to look up at Pierre but was confused for a second when he didn’t see him standing there. Then he registered where he was, and the way he was kneeling down, and the fact that he was holding a ring box in his hand and looking up at him with shining eyes. David turned fully, his expression dropping entirely and staring stunned at the other boy who was down on one knee in front of him and holding a ring out to him. He felt as if everything stopped around them, no longer aware of his breathing or his heart beating or the music behind them. All he could process was Pierre and the ring he was holding and the way his chocolate brown eyes were uncharacteristically tear-filled.
“This probably seems pretty crazy,” Pierre started, his voice shaking again. “We’re young, we don’t know where we’re gonna end up in life, and we have our whole lives ahead of us… but I know I want you with me at every step. I know I want to wake up every morning and see your face. I know I want to go to bed every night with you in my arms. I know I’m gonna want it to be you tomorrow, and the next day, and fifteen years from now, and when I’m old and can’t hear anymore, I want it to be you.” David moved his hands to cover his mouth and his nose, tears again slipping from his eyes and his whole body shaking. “I’m not saying it has to be right now, or even a year from now,” Pierre continued, his voice choking up a little as he spoke and getting caught in his throat. “Whether it’s five years from now, or ten years from now, I don’t care. Whenever you’re ready, whenever you’ll have me… Will you marry me?”
David kept his hands hiding the bottom half of his face as he nodded fervently, tears falling rapidly from his eyes. Pierre smiled and gave a nervous laugh before saying, “Yeah?”
David dropped his hands and nodded again, giving a watery laugh as he said, “Yeah.”
Pierre stood and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around David and lifting him in the air as he hugged him. A strangled sob left David’s chest as he hugged him back, his arms around his neck, his head leaned down against Pierre’s shoulder and into his neck. The sound of clapping and cheering around them pulled both of their attention and they looked over, seeing that those who were within eyeshot were celebrating for them, perfect strangers who had just so happened to see this intimate moment between them and were happy for them. They shared a bewildered laugh and returned their attention to each other, hugging each other again as if their lives depended on it.
Pierre dropped David back to his feet and they pulled apart, and immediately David grabbed the ring box from Pierre’s hand and looked at it, seeing the ring properly for the first time now. It was black and almost looked like wood grain, though it was hard like metal and had a matte finish on it that he liked. It was also thinner than men’s bands normally were, which he thought would look far more fitting on his hand than something big and bulky. He didn’t think Pierre could have picked something more perfect for him.
Pierre took the ring out of the box and put it on David’s finger, hoping beyond hope that it would fit as he hadn’t exactly been able to determine David’s ring size without ruining the surprise. To his shock, the ring fit exactly as it should and he couldn’t help but feel incredulous at the way that everything had just worked out the way he wanted it to. David felt his stomach flutter as the ring slid on his finger and he looked up at Pierre, smiling in disbelief up at him. Then, without being able to hold back, he lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his neck again and kissing him. Again Pierre wrapped his arms as tightly around David as he could, returning his kiss with everything he had, pouring every ounce of his love into him.
They parted again but David couldn’t pull away entirely and instead let his arms slide down Pierre’s chest to instead wrap around his middle. He rested his head against Pierre’s shoulder, burying his face in his neck and closing his eyes, so overwhelmed with happiness that he felt it flowing out of him. Pierre leaned his head to the side to rest against the top of David’s head, his grip on his body becoming much gentler as they stood there, not speaking, just basking in the soft glow that surrounded them.
Suddenly all of Pierre’s nervous behavior made that much more sense to David and he dug his fingers into the back of his jacket as he thought of it, of how nervous Pierre must have been, of everything he had done to make this night and this moment absolutely perfect. Pierre had gone above and beyond once again to make his wildest dreams come true and he was left stunned and feeling it was more than he could have ever asked for. There were so many things he wanted to ask, to confirm just how all of this had come to be and when Pierre had decided he was going to propose to him but in that moment he couldn’t bring himself to ask any of it. He wanted nothing more than to stand in the other boy’s arms, surrounded by how loved he was, to truly feel and appreciate just how much Pierre cherished him.
He had spent months questioning why Pierre continued to choose him, what he saw in him, how he could find him more interesting than literally anyone else, and in that moment he knew he had to stop questioning all of those things. Whether or not he felt the same way about himself as Pierre did, he couldn’t deny anymore that he truly was all that Pierre wanted; everything the other boy had done for him to give him this most perfect night was proof enough of that to last a lifetime. And so he simply stood there, held in Pierre’s arms, knowing without question that they were going to spend the rest of their lives loving each other.