about keeping the sideburns, and maybe growing a beard, too. Maybe then people will believe that I'm not a teenager with a fake ID."
"You're very manly without the beard," Dune said indulgently, and then laughed as Micah pounced on him and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on his mouth.
"Dance with me!" Micah commanded, pulling him out of the booth, and Dune was content to follow. The beat of the music didn't allow for slow, close dancing, but they could still dance hip-to-hip and belly-to-belly. They got plenty of second looks from other dancers, and a few tried to move between them, but Micah brushed them off easily. Every time he went out with Micah, Dune loved to see how people reacted to him, like they couldn't believe someone so ethereal was real.
Dune put his arms around Micah's neck, looking into those eyes as they danced, and Micah beamed up at him. "If Gavin bothers you I can do horrible things to his computer."
"Don't worry about it. I think he's taken the hint."
"If he hasn't, I'm happy to play your boyfriend as much as you want."
Dune kissed his forehead. "I wouldn't expect it of you."
Micah slid both hands around Dune's waist and into the waistband of his trousers. "I missed you so much over the summer."
"I missed you, too," Dune said softly. "We all did."
"Yeah," Micah muttered, ignoring the thumping rhythm of the music to hold Dune close and sway. "I should have brought you with me. You would have enjoyed the same things I did and we wouldn't have fought." He laid his head on Dune's shoulder, his fingertips massaging Dune's back.
Dune shivered as Micah stroked him. "You think so?"
"We never fight. I like that we don't fight."
Dune rubbed his cheek against Micah's soft hair. "I bet we could have found something to argue about. Three months of just you and me? We'd probably be bickering over which cheese to eat by the end of the summer."
"Nope. We never fight. Even when you're upset with me you never make me feel like I'm stupid -- just that I did something stupid, which is something else entirely."
"That's true," Dune said, "it is." He poked Micah's shoulder -- mostly to distract himself. Things were starting to feel entirely too cozy. "So why didn't you bring me with you, huh? Your very own best friend, but you still left me to languish all summer."
"Because I wanted my boyfriend. I'll know better next time. Boyfriend bad, best friend good."
"No, boyfriends are good. Just not that particular boyfriend. Not for you, anyway."
"You know what?" Micah said. "You should find me the perfect boyfriend. You know lots of guys and you understand people. You have to know somebody who's right for me."
Dune opened his mouth to answer, then laughed and shook his head. "If I had any idea what kind of guys you like, maybe -- but the only things your boyfriends have in common is that they were all men." He looped his arms over Micah's shoulders to look into his eyes. "So tell me what kind of guy you want and maybe I'll find him, if he actually exists."
"Hm," Micah hummed thoughtfully, his hips falling easily into rhythm with Dune's. "Well...somebody hot, of course. He has to be cute. And smart. I like smart." He smiled at Dune, looking angelic. "And warm. I want somebody who's warm."
"Can somebody be both hot and warm?" Dune rested his forehead against Micah's.
"Yes. And not pushy. He'll have to understand about all the complications I have to deal with. And he has to like me for who I am, not for who he wants me to be."
"You and everybody else want that."
"Funny how many people fall in love and then want to change everything about the person they love."
"The trick," Dune said, "is to not fall in love."
"The trick," Micah replied, "is to fall in love with the right person. And how are you ever going to know that unless you try a few on? So introduce me to some of your friends and maybe one of them will be
"You're very manly without the beard," Dune said indulgently, and then laughed as Micah pounced on him and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on his mouth.
"Dance with me!" Micah commanded, pulling him out of the booth, and Dune was content to follow. The beat of the music didn't allow for slow, close dancing, but they could still dance hip-to-hip and belly-to-belly. They got plenty of second looks from other dancers, and a few tried to move between them, but Micah brushed them off easily. Every time he went out with Micah, Dune loved to see how people reacted to him, like they couldn't believe someone so ethereal was real.
Dune put his arms around Micah's neck, looking into those eyes as they danced, and Micah beamed up at him. "If Gavin bothers you I can do horrible things to his computer."
"Don't worry about it. I think he's taken the hint."
"If he hasn't, I'm happy to play your boyfriend as much as you want."
Dune kissed his forehead. "I wouldn't expect it of you."
Micah slid both hands around Dune's waist and into the waistband of his trousers. "I missed you so much over the summer."
"I missed you, too," Dune said softly. "We all did."
"Yeah," Micah muttered, ignoring the thumping rhythm of the music to hold Dune close and sway. "I should have brought you with me. You would have enjoyed the same things I did and we wouldn't have fought." He laid his head on Dune's shoulder, his fingertips massaging Dune's back.
Dune shivered as Micah stroked him. "You think so?"
"We never fight. I like that we don't fight."
Dune rubbed his cheek against Micah's soft hair. "I bet we could have found something to argue about. Three months of just you and me? We'd probably be bickering over which cheese to eat by the end of the summer."
"Nope. We never fight. Even when you're upset with me you never make me feel like I'm stupid -- just that I did something stupid, which is something else entirely."
"That's true," Dune said, "it is." He poked Micah's shoulder -- mostly to distract himself. Things were starting to feel entirely too cozy. "So why didn't you bring me with you, huh? Your very own best friend, but you still left me to languish all summer."
"Because I wanted my boyfriend. I'll know better next time. Boyfriend bad, best friend good."
"No, boyfriends are good. Just not that particular boyfriend. Not for you, anyway."
"You know what?" Micah said. "You should find me the perfect boyfriend. You know lots of guys and you understand people. You have to know somebody who's right for me."
Dune opened his mouth to answer, then laughed and shook his head. "If I had any idea what kind of guys you like, maybe -- but the only things your boyfriends have in common is that they were all men." He looped his arms over Micah's shoulders to look into his eyes. "So tell me what kind of guy you want and maybe I'll find him, if he actually exists."
"Hm," Micah hummed thoughtfully, his hips falling easily into rhythm with Dune's. "Well...somebody hot, of course. He has to be cute. And smart. I like smart." He smiled at Dune, looking angelic. "And warm. I want somebody who's warm."
"Can somebody be both hot and warm?" Dune rested his forehead against Micah's.
"Yes. And not pushy. He'll have to understand about all the complications I have to deal with. And he has to like me for who I am, not for who he wants me to be."
"You and everybody else want that."
"Funny how many people fall in love and then want to change everything about the person they love."
"The trick," Dune said, "is to not fall in love."
"The trick," Micah replied, "is to fall in love with the right person. And how are you ever going to know that unless you try a few on? So introduce me to some of your friends and maybe one of them will be
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