Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Something Extraordinary ❯ Something Extraordinary ( One-Shot )

Something Extraordinary

 

~'~'~

 

“Love is the most powerful emotion that I have encountered. It can move mountains, and it can destroy kingdoms. Who is to judge what we do in the name of something so extraordinary?”

-Ridley C. James (fanfiction author)

 

~`~`~`

 

blackheart1985 [8:02 AM]: Morning, stud.

WaywardSon17 [8:03 AM]: Die.

blackheart1985 [8:03 AM]: Aww, someone hasn't had their COFFEE this morning!!!

WaywardSon17 [8:04 AM]: You are so lucky you didn't call instead of getting online. You're too happy. I would have verbally eviscerated you.

blackheart1985 [8:04 AM]: Ooooh, “verbally eviscerated.” Big words for so early in the morning.

WaywardSon17 [8:05 AM]: I got more. You want I should use them?

blackheart1985 [8:05 AM]: Remember, Connor…. Reading make our English speaking good.

WaywardSon17 [8:06 AM]: Well then it's lucky I got me a good teacher, ain't it?

blackheart1985 [8:06 AM]: I should say so, hugglemuffins.

WaywardSon17 [8:06 AM]: Oh, for God's sake, stop with the cutesy nicknames!

WaywardSon17 [8:07 AM]: What do you want, anyway?”

blackheart1985 [8:07 AM]: Connor, I am wounded. Can't a guy just say hi to his boyfriend every now and then without being suspected of ulterior motives?

WaywardSon17 [8:08 AM]: No, now what do you want?

blackheart1985 [8:10 AM]: I was just wondering if you'd thought about what I asked you and Riley and Nicholas yesterday.

WaywardSon17 [8:11 AM]: ….Maybe….

 

~`~`~

 

The cool February air pushed a tree branch against the window, the tip of the wood tapping lightly on the glass like a drunken and/or irritating friend who was determined to wake the room's occupant from his deep slumber. Logan Chase rolled over onto his stomach, clutching his pillow to his chest, and snorted as he blinked his eyes open slowly. Sighing, he reluctantly let go of his dreams about a certain man who was altogether too beautiful, and altogether far too young. (And….a boy….that little detail would certainly not be overlooked by their small, conservative town.) Poor Logan's heart was beginning to wonder how long it could take the strain put on it by this prolonged game of hard-to-get.

 

It had not been the branch that had woken him, but rather his subconscious helpfully informing him that focusing so much of his emotional energy on one person could not possibly be healthy. Now he lay in his bed, feeling the urge to pace and being completely unable to find the energy at three o'clock in the morning. So he simply stretched out on his bed, hugging his pillow to him, and his eyes wandered to the bracelet that lay next to him on the table. The turmoil in his thoughts fell immediately to rest, and he smiled to himself.

 

Connor….

 

~`~`~

 

Meanwhile, in his little apartment on the far side of town, Connor Jamison was battling his insomnia, just as he had every night since long before he left New York City. He had given up on sleep after about two-thirty in the morning, and had taken up his usual perch on the wide window sill. His guitar, which usually lay across his lap at times like this, was leaning against the wall next to him. Inspiration had deserted him as of late.

 

So instead of putting his sleepless hours into writing more music, he was currently leaning against the cold window and examining the object in his hands. After several moments, he let the necklace drop out of his hands, so that the moonlight glinted off the silver chain and the charm that dangled off it—a small charm that was crafted in the perfect shape of an acoustic guitar and captured even the tiniest detail of the instrument. It seemed like a small gift, but was, in fact, quite expensive, being made of pure silver and having Connor's name etched in miniature script on the back.

 

The necklace had been a gift from the object of his current preoccupation, on their first Christmas together. Logan had told him on no uncertain terms that he was not to expect something so extravagant every year. However, the older man figured that as it had taken him seven months to steal his first kiss from Connor, he should celebrate their three-month mark by getting the boy something special for Christmas.

 

It had been exactly one year ago tonight that Connor had realized his feelings for Logan—the gorgeous, intelligent, amazingly talented man of his dreams, who also happened to be his literature teacher for junior and senior year—and about four and a half months since they had begun to see each other in secret. So far, they had managed to keep their relationship secret from the tiny town of Milestone—no mean feat, considering that it was such a small and gossip-loving town.

 

But now….now Valentines Day was coming, and for the first time since their completely unconventional relationship began, both Connor and Logan were beginning to wish they could just shout to the world that they were a couple.

 

That was part of the problem….

 

~`~`~

“You want to what?”

 

“What could you possibly be thinking?”

 

“Are you insane?”

 

Logan sighed, and dropped his head into his hands. This wasn't going to be easy. It was nearing seven-thirty, and they all had to be at school in half an hour—Logan to teach, and the other three to learn. “Guys, you have to understand. I'm getting so tired of hiding from everyone in this stupid town, and I know all of you are, too. Why can't we just throw all this in their faces in one fell swoop? Drop the bomb and then….not run?”

 

“But….at the Valentines Dance?” Connor demanded. “I'll ask again—are you insane?”

 

“Probably,” Logan replied with a shrug. “But….think about it! It doesn't sound so insane!”

 

Nicholas Kingsley, who was sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall and his smaller boyfriend Riley O'Neal's head in his lap, put on a show of thinking about it. “No, it….still sounds insane….”

 

“Oh, come on, Nick! I thought you'd be the first person to back me up on this!”

 

“Well….normally I would be, but….I gotta think about Riles, and….”

 

“And?” Riley interjected, taking his red-haired head off of his boyfriend's lap and turning to look him in the eye. “I agree with Lo—er, Mr. Chase.” The light Irish accent that hadn't disappeared even after nine years in Colorado tinged his words, and Nicholas was inclined to kiss him (because that's what he always did when the accent made him firmly believe that Riley was the most adorable thing in the world), but he refrained from doing so, sensing that the boy had more to say. “Maybe we should consider this.”

 

“And you are….possibly the last person I expected to back me up,” Logan stated, staring at the little redhead in awe. Connor and Nicholas did the same.

 

“Riley….what?”

 

“Oh, come on, Nikki, I know you're tired of hiding, too. Probably more than the rest of us are, `cause you have so much more to hide.”

 

“Riles, my disease is—”

 

“Your business, I know, and I'm not asking you to tell anyone about that. But….yeesh, Nikki, is it so much to ask to grab your boyfriend and make out with him on a street corner?!”

 

Nikki stared. He blinked, then blinked again. Then a slow grin started to spread across his face. “I really, really love you sometimes….”

 

Riley grinned. “Only sometimes?”

 

“Don't you two even start,” Logan muttered, unfolding himself from his sitting position and reaching for his bag. “You guys have to get to school.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, teach….” Nicholas muttered, hauling himself to his feet. He glanced over at Connor, who had been very quiet during this exchange, and was now looking at Logan without any sort of expression on his face. “You….comin', Connor?”

 

“You guys go ahead. I can be a little late.”

 

Logan sensed he was in a great deal of trouble, and his heart sank with dread as Nicholas and Riley left quietly. After a moment of silence, Connor stood and went to the kitchen, where he found enough coffee to fill a cup. “This fresh?”

 

“Fresh enough,” Logan replied, cowering slightly from the muscle that he saw working in his younger boyfriend's jaw. There was a very long silence as Connor poured his coffee, added cream and sugar, and took a sip, all with his back to the blond. “Connor?” Logan finally asked hesitantly, still standing in the doorway.

 

“Did it ever occur to you that you could lose your job?” Connor asked, finally turning away from the counter and giving Logan a look that the older man couldn't quite pin a label on. “Your friends? Everything?”

 

“Oh, yeah, it occurred to me….believe me, it occurred to me.”

 

Connor sighed and turned back to the counter. “I just don't get how you can be so okay with that.” There was a quiet moment, and then the boy started slightly as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and the coffee cup was removed from his hand just as he was about to drink. Damn, but he can move quiet….

 

“You wanna let go of my addiction and tell me what's really going on?”

 

At this, Connor sighed again and absently grabbed for his coffee cup, although his mind was somewhere else entirely and he ignored the fact that Logan held the caffeine out of reach. “Logan?” he said quietly, after awhile.

 

“What?”

 

“….I'm scared.”

 

Logan chuckled quietly and gently turned his student around to face him. “To coin a popular Milestone High phrase….duh.”

 

Connor laughed in spite of himself and rested his head against Logan's shoulder. “You really are a piece of work, you know that?”

 

The only answer he received was a pleased “hmph” and a soft kiss.

 

“Get to school, you're gonna be late. We can finish this later.”

 

Connor's smile was teasing now. “What, the conversation? Or….the other thing?”

 

Another chuckle. “Get outta here. You're late enough as it is.”

 

“So?” The black-haired boy grabbed his bag from the table. “I've got pull with the teacher, didn't you hear?” Then he bolted for the door before Logan could get hold of him, and the blonde's highly amused laughter followed him out of the house.

 

~`~`~

 

Sighing, Connor turned his eyes away from the window. This was the very subject that his been plaguing his thoughts since the morning before. It wasn't as though he was afraid of coming out—hell, if he was able to face his father's reaction, telling the entire town should be a breeze. But there was so much more at stake this time. Instead of there being only the threat of losing a relationship (the kind that Connor had never dared hope to have again), there was also Logan's job to consider, as well as his status in the community. Connor would not be responsible for ruining all of that.

 

But keeping the secret became harder with every passing minute….

 

~`~`~

 

KnowYourOnion [7:10 AM]: has connor said anything about logan's idea?

yolatengo84 [7:10 AM]: not that i know of, but he talks to logan more than he talks to either of us. kinda sad, actually…. o.O

KnowYourOnion [7:11 AM]: XD well what else did you expect? they've been obsessed with each other since junior year…. well, connor's, anyway.

yolatengo84 [7:11 AM]: well, i hope he says yes. i wanna get this thing out in the open once and for all.

KnowYourOnion [7:11AM]: amen, sista suffragette.

yolatengo84 [7:11 AM]: ….did you just call me sister?

 

~`~`~

“Remind me what we're doing here again? Connor hasn't even said yes yet….”

 

“What, we can't go if he doesn't?” Riley asked in reply to his boyfriend's question, glancing up from the rack of dresses he was going through and looking truly crushed by the news. “That's no fun, Nikki….”

 

“Well….we can still go, I just didn't know we wanted to.”

 

“Well, I want to, and don't you wanna come with me?”

 

“Oh, dear God, not the face! Put it away, it's lethal!”

 

Riley grinned and clapped his hands. “Yay.” And then he went back to flipping through dresses. At last, he selected one and handed it to the third member of their party, a girl about their age with long, somewhat unmanageable dark brown hair and blue eyes that sparkled and snapped with humor and sarcasm. “Here, this is the one, I think.”

 

“Are you sure this—?”

 

“Trust me.”

 

“….Riles?” Nicholas asked as the girl went towards the dressing room. “Why are we helping Jocelyn pick out her dress?”

 

“Because she can't be trusted to do it herself,” Riley replied matter-of-factly, picking out two more possibilities in case Jocelyn didn't like his former choice.

 

“O…kay….how about this one?”

 

Riley blinked. “….You bring shame to the gays, Nikki. You know that, don't you?”

 

“Huh? What's wrong with it?”

 

“Nothing….it's fine if you want her to look like a hooker trying to pass as a lobster.”

 

“Point taken. Putting this back now.”

 

Jocelyn returned a few minutes later, a pleased look on her face, Riley's selection draped over her arm. “Let's go.”

 

Riley grinned. “Didn't I tell ya? Am I good or am I good?”

 

“You're amazing.”

 

The redhead grinned and tapped his cheek. “Kiss the Riley.”

 

“I certainly will not. C'mon.”

 

~`~`~

 

From: “Logan Chase” <RenegadeHasItMade@hotmail.com>

To: “Nicholas Kingsley” <rileys_coin_operated_boy@yahoo.com>, “Riley O'Neal”, <chica_cherry_cola@yahoo.com>

Subject: Operation Valentines

 

Guys-

 

Connor finally made up his mind. He said no. I'm not gonna get into the details, but please don't be mad at him. He's only thinking of me, and what would happen to my life if we went through with the plan. You guys feel free to do whatever you want, though.

 

You're all going anyway, right? I'm chaperoning, so I don't have a choice…. Hope to see you guys there!

 

-Logan

 

~`~`~

 

“Well, I can't say I blame him,” Riley said around a mouthful of pins. “I kinda see where he's coming from.” Then he paused and looked up at the girl who was standing on the stool in front of him. “Jocelyn, honey, look here. Focus on the Riley for a sec. Now, I need you to stand still so I can stick the pins in the dress and not in my thumb. Can you do that for two seconds?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“There's a good lass. So….are we still going through with the plan, Nikki?”

 

Folding his hands behind his head, Nicholas spun Riley's computer chair away from the screen to face the other two. “If you keep up with this whole seamstress gig we won't have to.”

 

“Oh, come on, there are plenty of straight guys who sew. I just….don't happen to be one of them. Ow.”

 

“Sorry….” Jocelyn said, flushing slightly.

 

“You never answered my question, Nikki.”

 

“Well….we don't have to decide now, do we?”

 

“But we have to decide, right?”

 

Nicholas shrugged. “If I grab you and plant a wet one on you in the middle of the dance floor, you can take that as your hint that I wanna go through with the plan.”

 

Riley grinned happily. “Fair enough.”

 

~`~`~

 

From: “Connor Jamison” <silentlucidity@yahoo.com>

To: “Logan Chase” <RenegadeHasItMade@hotmail.com>, “Nicholas Kingsley” <rileys_coin_operated_boy@yahoo.com>, “Riley O'Neal”, <chica_cherry_cola@yahoo.com>, “Jocelyn del Ray” <la_bohemienne@aol.com>

Subject: Sorry, guys….

 

Hey, guys. I just wanted to e-mail and tell you I'm sorry for backing out on you…. Hope you're not too mad at me (I know all of you—even you, Jocelyn—were hoping I'd say yes) and that you still wanna hang out at the dance. (Yeah, I'm still going….)

 

Logan, I know you're chaperoning, but is there any chance you'll be able to slip away and hang with a few lowly and lonely students for a few hours?

 

Let me know, guys!

 

~`~`~

 

“I hate parties,” Jocelyn muttered, nibbling halfheartedly on a bowl of peanuts. “I always just end up standing in a corner and trying to look busy.”

 

“I know the feeling,” Riley replied, clearly resisting the urge to wrap himself up in Nicholas's arms and hide there. “Where's Logan….?”

 

“Chaperoning….” Connor replied, sounding rather more than a little disappointed. “God, can't they do anything about this music? It's earsplitting. You'd think, as frickin' tight as this town's wound, the principals of the high school would hire a band that played something a little less….loud, and….screechy. And….modern. It's very, very modern….” He let out a depressed breath. “Rock is truly dead, isn't it?”

 

“Hey, ladies,” a voice said from next to them. “And….Jocelyn. What's shakin'?”

 

“Connor wants you to do something about the music,” Nicholas replied.

 

“He thinks it's too modern,” Riley added helpfully. “He wants something less screechy.”

 

“Couldn't agree more, babe,” Logan told Connor, grinning. “And trust me, I tried.”

 

The night wore on, and Connor began to wonder why he had been agonizing over it for so long. Even after he had decided to say “no” to Logan's request, he had been wondering if he should go to the dance at all. Would his feelings for Logan be too obvious to others if they were together somewhere that wasn't school? He'd never tested the theory, and this certainly didn't seem like the place or time to do so.

 

As the hours passed, Logan became more and more agitated. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the “happy couples” on the dance floor—couples who he knew would be broken up before the year was out, but nevertheless happier than he himself was because they were allowed to be together without fear of prejudice.

 

It was when Connor finally got bored out of his mind and asked Jocelyn to dance—just as the band started to play a Metallica song—that the blond English teacher finally snapped. “Screw this,” he muttered, striding towards the stage and wondering faintly if it was the dancing invitation, the Metallica, or a mixture of both that had caused him to snap.

 

Over in their corner, Riley, Nicholas, Connor and Jocelyn were still gathered, wondering where their English teacher had disappeared to after the crowd had swallowed him, when silence slowly fell over the room.

 

“Hey, no more music,” Riley commented.

 

“Yeah, and the band stopped playing, too,” Jocelyn added.

 

“Hey, guys….is that who I think it is?” Nicholas interrupted, pointing at the stage.

 

“….Oh my.”

 

Then Logan's voice, magnified by the microphone he spoke into, cut them off. “Good evening, everyone. Everyone having a good time?”

 

There was a general roar of approval.

 

“Well, that is great,” Logan continued. “Really great. Anyway, sorry to interrupt all your fun, but this will only take a minute.” He paused. “I just wanted to announce to you all that….I have been seeing someone.”

 

“Oh dear God,” Connor muttered, looking terrified.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all thinking. `Why do we care? What does it matter to our boring, never-changing lives? Why's he getting up on stage and telling us this? They don't allow alcohol at school dances, do they?' Well, in theory, those would all be very good questions to ask, except there's more. This `someone' that I'm seeing is a guy.”

 

An agitated murmur began to whisper its way through the crowd.

 

“Yep! You all heard right! I'm a big, fat fairy man! Well….not fat, but definitely gay. A frickin' flamer! Have been for a really long time!”

 

“Oh, my God, he's gone insane,” Connor moaned. “Quick, make a distraction!”

 

“Like what?” Riley asked.

 

“I dunno….drop a grenade or something!”

 

“….Oddly enough, I think of those two things, Logan's coming out speech would be what they would remember,” Nicholas said.

 

“Damn it,” Connor muttered, starting to shove his way through the crowd.

 

“Oh dear….” Riley muttered, hiding behind Nicholas. “Tell me when the slaughter's over. I can't look.”

 

Reaching the stage, Connor stared up at Logan with an expression on his face that was something akin to shock, anger, and….relief? Logan gave him a brief smile before going back to talking.

 

“See….I've been hiding this for a really, really long while now. Since I moved here, actually. And I'm sick of it. I don't want to do it anymore. And you guys can fire me or….or stone me, or whatever. I don't care. I'm done hiding.”

 

But that was as far as he got. While he had been talking, Connor had clambered onto the stage, pulled himself up, and yanked Logan into a….rather intense kiss, to say the least of it. “So am I,” the student whispered to his teacher when the kiss broke. Grinning, Logan pulled him back into another, softer one. The murmuring of the crowd rose into an angry din—a din to which the two on stage were completely oblivious.

 

“….Well. Charade's over, it looks like,” Nicholas commented, looking altogether calm considering the circumstances. “Good for them.” He paused and looked down at the small redhead at his side. “Now, uh….to do something about us….”

 

Riley smiled at the look on his face. “Oh? What'd you have in mind?”

 

Never one to go halves on anything, Nicholas grinned and, with a sweeping motion of his arm, cleared the table behind them, pushed Riley back onto it, and gave him a kiss that came right out of the old black-and-white romances.

 

By now, the entire gym was in chaos. One would have thought the entire place had been thrown back to the witch-hunting days of yore and the four in question had committed a particularly heinous magical act. Logan, were he in full possession of his faculties, would have gotten back on the microphone by now and pointed out that it was just a kiss, but his mind was rather far into another universe at the moment.

 

“WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” the principal finally roared, his face a deep and angry shade of magenta.

 

That was enough to finally cause Logan to break the kiss and go back to the microphone. “I should think it would be obvious,” he replied with a gesture in the direction of the other pair. “You, sir, are witnessing a coup d'état. The gays are taking over! We'll be here all year at the very least, ladies and gents, try the veal. Thank you, and goodnight!” And with a mocking bow and a cocky grin in the direction of his employer, Logan dragged Connor off the stage and out of the gym, snatching the rest of their group on the way.

 

~`~`~

 

blackheart1985[6:47 PM]: Well, it's official. I'm fired.

WaywardSon17 [6:47 PM]: Are you surprised?
blackheart1985 [6:49 PM]: More like resigned, really. A little disappointed. I guess some tiny little part of me was hoping they'd be a little less….archaic about the whole thing.

WaywardSon17 [6:50 PM]: I still can't believe you did that.

blackheart1985 [6:50 PM]: Please, Connor….I can't take you being mad at me on top of everything else.

WaywardSon17 [6:52 PM]: Y'know….it's kinda funny. I tried really, really hard to be mad at you, and….I just can't. I'm too relieved to be mad, actually.

WaywardSon17 [6:52 PM]: I am really sorry you got fired, though….I really didn't want that to happen….

[yolatengo84 has entered the room.]

yolatengo84 [6:53 PM]: what's going on, guys?

WaywardSon17 [6:53 PM]: Logan got fired.

blackheart1985 [6:53 PM]: And Connor thinks it's his fault.

WaywardSon17 [6:53 PM]: Well, it kind of is, isn't it?

blackheart1985 [6:54 PM]: Hey, you tried to keep me from doing it, remember?

yolatengo84 [6:54 PM]: that's true, connor. i'm inviting nikki in.

WaywardSon17 [6:55 PM]: Okay.

[KnowYourOnion has entered the room.]

KnowYourOnion [6:55 PM]: hi, y'all.

yolatengo84 [6:56 PM]: logan got fired and connor thinks it's his fault, so logan's trying to convince connor that it's not his fault and connor's still feeling guilty. it's a guilt fest. kinda depressing. plus we don't have our favorite english teacher anymore. that kinda sucks, too.

blackheart1985 [6:58 PM]: Our lives are an open book….

KnowYourOnion [6:58 PM]: get used to it, champ. your entire life is gonna be the subject of town gossip for years to come.

KnowYourOnion [6:58 PM]: ….come to think of it, all our lives are.

yolatengo84 [6:59 PM]: there's….no going back now, is there?

WaywardSon17 [7:01 PM]: I think it's safe to assume not. We're all screwed.

blackheart1985 [7:01 PM]: Yup, screwed to hell. I'm rather pleased with the prospect, myself.

yolatengo84 [7:01 PM]: i do like a challenge.

KnowYourOnion [7:02 PM]: i'm all for it.

WaywardSon17 [7:02 PM]: So it looks like we're stuck with each other, too, huh?

blackheart1985 [7:02 PM]: Newsflash, Connor. We were all stuck with each other long before this.

yolatengo84 [7:03 PM]: gee, how flattering….

blackheart1985 [7:03 PM]: Isn't it?

KnowYourOnion [7:04 PM]: well, i don't know about you guys, but i'm really looking forward to tomorrow….

yolatengo84 [7:05 PM]: amen, sista suffragette.

KnowYourOnion [7:05 PM]: i knew you were gonna throw that back in my face.

WaywardSon17 [7:05 PM]: I gotta go, guys. Homework.

yolatengo84 [7:06 PM]: same here. nikki?

KnowYourOnion [7:06 PM]: yeah, i'm going, too. see you tomorrow!

blackheart1985 [7:07 PM]: Yeah, see you guys tomorrow. And the day after that….and the day after that….and the day after that…. I mean, it's not like I have a life anymore.

WaywardSon17 [7:08 PM]: Night, guys.

blackheart1985 [7:08 PM]: Night.

KnowYourOnion [7:08 PM]:night, y'all.

yolateng84 [7:08 PM]: night!

[KnowYourOnion has left the room.]

[blackheart1985 has left the room.]

[WaywardSon17 has left the room.]

[yolatengo84 has left the room.]

 

~`~`~

 

“You can bail all the tears you want, but the saving thing has more to do with the hospitality of your heart. Together we sink. Together we float. Together. That's the small, tender mercy of the ride.”

-Sue Monk Kidd