Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 00:43:11 -0800
From: David Cross <dcross1@home.com>
Subject: shane-and-robin 10

The usual disclaimers apply - ie. no reading this if you're not of age to
read it, and no peeking at this if you can't stand gay people (which would
bring to mind the question of what the hell you're doing reading this
anyway).

Dear Readers: I'm still getting a handle on this variety thing between the
Shane/Robin chapters, so I apologize in advance if there are too many
similarities.

All questions etc can be directed to dcross1@home.com

----

Robin noticed Shane staring at him with something undefinable in his
eyes. Was it love? Lust? Or something else? He didn't know. Questions like
this crowded in on him. A hand on his shoulder startled him, until he
realized where he was and who he was with, quickly relaxed, and smiled at
Shane as he welcomed the contact.

Shane asked, "Robin, do you remember what I asked before, about your
parents helping you a lot? Um, was it about you being gay and all that?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. I can't really go into details, but it started mostly
by accident, actually. My sister should really be the one to thank for
bringing it all up - she was rattling on about a discussion that her
Socials class had about the news recently; you know, about the government
changing the anti-discrimination laws, and my parents had a really open
discussion about the whole thing."

"Well, I'll have to congratulate her for indirectly helping the man I
like."

Robin felt embarassed at the compliment, and felt the heat rise to his
face. "Flatterer."

"Only for you." Shane kissed Robin on the lips, and chuckled as Robin
stared at him, somewhat dumb-struck.

"This is all so new to me, you know..." Damn this uncertainty.

"Same here. I understand what you mean. Look. I want you to know
something. There's a couple other people--"

Robin instantly felt as though he were about to be dumped already. He
interrupted with, "That you like?"

"No, you silly. Let me finish! There's a couple other people in school who
know that I'm gay."

A spike of fear went through Robin's mind - was he to be "outed" before he
even had a handle on this situation? "What?! Oh shit!"

Robin felt Shane's warm hands on his shoulders, easing him down from his
panic. Shane said, "No, LISTEN, damnit! They're two guys who have lockers
next to mine, who don't care because they're too busy arguing about weird
scientific theories."

"Who?"

"Don't know if you know them. They're both named Dave, but one's in grade
11 and the other's in grade 12. Heath and Conway."

"The names don't ring a bell. Sorry."

"That's all right. I've got to introduce you, for sure. Just don't tell
them the sky's red or something." Shane grinned.

Robin stared at the wall as he ruminated on the feeling he'd had a few
minutes ago - how... just right it had felt to be with this guy, this blond
god with a warm smile and a sparkle in his eye. He said softly, "You know,
when we kissed that first time... it felt like I was coming home."

"What do you mean, 'coming home'?"

"It's hard to explain." Robin looked at Shane, and hesitantly traced his
finger down Shane's jaw, then let his hand drop. "Like I'm completely safe,
secure ... like I'm not gonna get yelled at for doing something wrong."

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. For me, it felt more like the universe
was telling me everything was OK; that I wasn't just shouting into the
wind, so to speak."

Shane turned sideways, and took Robin's hand, then kissed the back of
it. He then looked up, and leaned in to kiss Robin on the mouth. Only this
time, it was like the French kiss of earlier - tongues began to wrestle,
and hands began to roam as they embraced.

Robin broke the kiss quickly, breathing heavily. Were they going too fast?
Should he continue this??

Shane, who appeared confused, said, "Did I do something wrong...?"

Robin shook his head, and said, "No... it's just that I worry if we're, you
know, going too fast or something." He nervously laughed.

"If you don't want to do something, tell me. I'll never force you to do
something you don't want. I promise you with my heart." Robin was touched
by this gesture of affection on Shane's part, and his heart swelled. He
looked into Shane's eyes and saw nothing but truth and respect.

Robin smiled and touched his nose to Shane's. "Thanks. I really appreciate
hearing that. I dunno, I've only really accepted that I was gay really
recently."

Shane brought Robin into another hug, and said, "I've known I was gay for
about three years now, so I guess I've had more time to get used to the
thought of doing things with another guy."

Robin envied Shane's equilibrium. He wished he had been able to work all
this out in advance. He said, "I'm jealous. I can get used to kissing and
hugging you, but anything else still makes me feel weird. Not that I
wouldn't mind trying, but I have to get used to the idea..."

Shane nodded. He stroked Robin's arm and said, "Well, I've always wanted to
take a man out for a date. Would you like to go somewhere with me?"

"Um, sure. Where, though?" Robin was confused, but at the same time,
thought about how cool this was getting.

Shane inquired, "How 'bout Cafe California? I could use some lunch."

Robin nodded his assent. Hey, there had to be worse places to eat, right?

"Well then, what's stopping you? Let's get rolling, shall we? Oh, and we'll
go in my car. I insist!" Shane grinned, stood up, and extended his hand to
help Robin up.


1:00 PM

Robin swallowed the last of his fajita, then said, "Fajitas. Gotta love
'em."

Shane replied, "Nuh-uh. Chicken Quesadilla. Numero uno, senor." He winked.

"Like you'd know a margarita if it came up and bit you."

"When did we become the Mexican food expert?"

"Since I read the menu for this place." Robin tried to properly look down
his nose at Shane and failed, precipitating a short chuckle on Shane's
part. He wasn't sure if the sparkle in Shane's eye was mischievous or
lustful.

The waitress broke the mood as she inquired if either of them wanted to
order anything else. Shane shook his head no, as did Robin; she left the
bill on the table, then collected the dishes and cutlery and swiftly
vanished. Two hands reached for the bill at the same time and engaged in a
pulling contest to see who would get the check. Victory for Robin!

Shane pouted and Robin acquiesced. "Ok, fine, you can pay next time, since
you're such a gentleman and all." He smirked and tapped Shane's foot under
the table.

"We'll see who's the gentleman later." Shane suggestively raised his
eyebrows, and Robin had to avert his eyes as he blushed.

Robin wondered what guys were supposed to do on dates, and asked,
"Um... anyway, where shall we go now?"

"No idea, man. What time is it, anyway?"

Robin grinned, then reached across and smacked Shane's head lightly. "You
dumb-bell, the clock's on the wall over there!"

Shane looked at the clock, blinked, then looked again. Robin could have
sworn he'd never seen that clock there before. He sheepishly read the
time. "Ok, it's about five after one. I think we'll have to call it a day
soon; my parents will be back from this big church social thing they're
doing, and they'll rest easier if I'm back before they are."

They both stood up, and Robin sighed. For the first time in a few hours, he
felt weighed down by the world and it was all the less bearable now that he
had found someone who he could share his feelings, hopes, and desires
with. Shane leaned over and said, "We've got plenty of time. There's a
whole school year left for us, you know." He gave Robin a friendly punch on
the shoulder and Robin had to grin.

Just as Robin was about to exit the restaurant, Shane said, "Robin, would
you wait for me outside by the car? I've got to make a phone call." What
the hell was this all about? Robin looked at Shane, wondering what was
up. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad, Ok?" Robin nodded and left the
restaurant.

Robin leaned against the passenger door, and stared off into nothing,
abstracted. He wanted this to go on forever, but the world had an
unpleasant way of making itself be known. He recalled the events that had
occurred in Shane's car before they had arrived at the restaurant...

They had gotten their shoes on, and made their way out to Shane's
Ford. Robin marvelled at the size of the interior, as Shane started the
engine. Robin's thoughts made their way past his mouth. "Damn, you could
have a party and a half in here." He blushed as he realized how that
sounded. Fortunately, Shane's grin was all the reassurance he needed.

As the car had wended its way northward through town, Robin looked off to
his right, at the expanse of the ocean. He thought about how his feelings
had been submerged until very recently, and whether or not he was sure of
himself. A curiosity filled him, and he turned towards Shane, who caught
the movement and looked over to smile at Robin.

Robin had said, "Hey, um, Shane?"

"That's my name; don't wear it out."

Robin had chuckled. "How did you know you were gay?"

Seriousness enveloped the car as Shane formulated his answer: "It's sort of
a long story, but I'll try not to bore you.

"Back when I was fourteen, I started noticing that while everybody else
talked about how they liked this girl or that girl, I had these weird
thoughts and feelings about other *guys*. At first I just denied it. Prayed
to God, all that jazz. Didn't work. Then I decided to try dating a girl
anyway. That didn't work either and just reinforced the feeling that
something wasn't 'right' with me. Finally, I went to the school library and
poked around a bit, and found a book which was about homosexuality.

"What a revelation! What an absolute revelation, Robin. Have you ever
'known' something all your life, only to have a sudden change in your
entire point of view? This was about the same - it was a confirmation that
I wasn't like most of the other guys - I was *gay* and that was all there
was to it." Shane fell into a kind of brown study, and Robin couldn't think
of anything to say or do except lean over and gently put his hand on
Shane's shoulder, squeeze a bit, and then remove his hand.

The somber mood lifted as they had reached the intended destination, and
entered the Cafe California...

Robin snapped back to reality as Shane appeared on the driver's side,
momentarily out of breath. He said, "Hey. What took you so long, mister?"

Shane replied, "Like I said, I made a phone call." He winked, unlocked the
door, and got inside before Robin could frame a reply. The click of the
door being unlocked on the passenger side was his cue to get in. What was
he getting himself into here?

1:25 PM

Shane pulled up before the house on Ash Street, and said, "Voila."

Robin, confused, admitted defeat. "Uh, why are we here?"

"C'mon. All will be revealed in a few moments."

Robin followed Shane out of the car to stand beside Shane as the door
opened to reveal a blond-haired guy who wore glasses, and was about the
same height as Shane and Robin. He grinned like the Cheshire cat, for some
reason.

The mystery guy said, "Hey you two, c'mon in. Just take your shoes off
inside and follow me." He zipped down a flight of stairs to the left off
the main walkway, and then disappeared around a corner. Shane and Robin
took their shoes off and trudged down the stairs, bringing up the
rear. Mr. Mystery was reclining on his bed, and gesturing to two chairs in
one corner of the room.

Shane took Robin's hand in his own and held the joined hands up. The blond
guy turned purple with laughter and fell off the bed, gasping for air.

Robin, by now thoroughly confused, said, "Look, would SOMEONE please tell
me what's going on?!"

The unnamed fellow looked at Shane, grinned again and, while reseating
himself on the bed, said, "Shane, Shane, Shane. You sneaky sonofabitch. You
dragged your boyfriend along and didn't even TELL HIM who you were bringing
him to see! I oughtta smack you for this, and make you apologize to him,
but I betcha if I did that you'd probably accomplish the feat by kissing
the daylights out of the guy, and as romantic as that seems, I'd rather not
have to explain to my mom why two guys she doesn't know are sucking face in
my room." As he giggled, Robin wondered, "Who the hell IS this guy?"

Shane released Robin's hand and put both his hands in the air and said,
"Ok, Ok, I admit it. Anyway, I should introduce you guys, I guess. Robin,
this is David Conway, one of the two Daves I was telling you about
earlier. And Dave, this is Robin, as I'm sure you probably know."

Ah. Enlightenment. Robin reached over to shake David's hand. "Pleased to
meet you." He smiled shyly.

David vigorously shook Robin's hand and said, "Likewise." He released the
handshake, and continued. "Ok, so as much as I like to see a cute couple,
what exactly was the purpose of this interlude?"

Shane admitted that introducing Robin formally was really his only
objective.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Just giving you guys a hard time. Hey,
Robin. What do you think of this character here?"

Robin felt embarassed as he brought himself to admit his true
feelings. "Well, um... I like him a lot, even if he did put one over on me
this time!" He mock-glared at Shane, and then kissed Shane on the cheek.

David snapped his fingers as he cursed. "Damn, why didn't I bring a camera
for this? Next time, you guys. You gotta pose for me - no, not THAT way,
you pervs. Getcher minds outta the gutter. I'll get 'em developed in
Vancouver and you can have the duplicates for your collection."

He rambled on. "Oh yeah. You guys gotta come by my locker so I can watch
the other Dave choke when he sees you guys together. He doesn't even know
about you yet, Robin; this should be fucking hilarious. I bet this'll be
better than the time I got to watch him choke indignantly when he found out
nobody got the top quark yet."

At that last, four eyes looked at David inquisitively. He cleared his
throat. "Not important. I'll explain later... Anyway, you've had your date,
you've presumably kissed. So when do I get to see you guys meet at the
altar, so to speak?"

Damn, wasn't this guy jumping a little too far ahead? He said, "Look,
Dave. We've only been together a few hours. I don't even know *where* we're
going to be six months from now, let alone that far down the road."

Shane backed him up. "We're going to be taking it one day at a a time,
anyway. You've got to remember in a town like this we can't be
like... well, this like we are in front of you. That's going to pose its
own challenges."

David had the good grace to look apologetic, and said, "Oops. Shoulda
realized. My bad. Well, I do wish you guys the best of luck, and I wrote
down my private phone number if either one of you wants to talk about
anything. Don't give it out to anybody, and if you have to, talk
elliptically. I'll catch on pretty quick.

"Now I'm curious about something. How did you two end up coming out to each
other anyway?" If curiosity had a picture, David's face would have made it
into the dictionary.

Shane and Robin took turns relating what had happened earlier in the day.

David chuckled. "Geez, of all the tricks... pretending to need help on a
homework assignment has to be one of the silliest things I've heard! Man,
if I was a bookie I'd have cleaned up on this bet."

Shane looked troubled. He said, "Yeah, but Dave, I was more scared right
after I told Robin, than I ever had been before in my life. Man, I
seriously thought for a moment that I was doomed."

Robin felt abashed at this as he realized the effort it had cost Shane to
throw caution to the winds earlier that day. David smoothed over the
resulting awkward moment by changing the subject with an effort. "Um,
guys... do your parents know about any of this? Shane, we've discussed the
situation with respect to yours so I suspect the answer is 'no' on your
part."

Shane's reply was a nod.

Robin spoke carefully and softly. "My parents know most of it, I
guess. I'll have to introduce you to them soon, Shane." He looked soulfully
into Shane's eyes, and Shane leaned in for a kiss that lingered for a
second or two.

David's voice startled them both. "Shit, you guys. Do you know how
beautiful that looked? I've gotta get that goddamn camera!"

----

That ends part 10.