Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:18:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Smith <faretheeforeverwell@yahoo.com>
Subject: Stories from Haven - Nolan 2

DISCLAIMER

The following story is completely fictitious and any resemblances to
persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Just as in life, this
story contains graphic scenes of love and hate, life and death, joy and
sorrow, as well as material that may be offensive to some audiences. If
such material makes you feel uncomfortable, then please read no further
than this warning.

Send questions and comments to thatguywhowritesniftysmut@gmail.com

NOLAN - CHAPTER TWO

Sam brought his hand up to his face. He could see the red smear on it and
even though his hand hurt, in a disconnected way he knew the blood wasn't
his. He could feel Max pulling on his bare shoulder. His words were urgent,
but he couldn't understand them. A process was going on inside Sam's head,
like a child trying to grasp a balloon that kept moving higher and higher
out of reach. He was trying to piece something together.
     Sam said the words before he could register them. They were almost a
whisper, drowned out by the laughter and yelling around the pool. He said
them three more times before he realized what he was saying.
     "I should be fine in the shallow end."
     The words Nolan told the twins when they asked if he wanted to play in
the deeper water.
     The meaning of the words impacted both boys at the same time.
     "Oh, God." Sam said in shock.
     "...he can't swim..." Max echoed.
     A shrill whistle blew. Sam could hear Nolan's name being called out
from behind with urgency.
     "Hey! No running!" the ass-hat lifeguard shouted as Dylan burst past
the twins.
     Each droplet of water from Dylan's dive seemed to rain down upon the
twins like a magic storm. They could see the white foam trail that led
downward at an impossible angle towards Nolan. The children who were
playing seemed to be looking around at the source of the ruckus, while the
lifeguard seemed to stand up from his post for the first time. When the
lifeguard saw the red trail of blood in the water his eyes went wide with
realization.
     "Everybody! Out of the pool!" he yelled interjected with repeated
short whistle bursts.
     Max began to sob as the twins could see Dylan grab Nolan's limp arm
and pull him close underwater. Dylan made his way with Nolan to the surface
of the water. As they broke the surface, Dylan let out a breath for air;
Nolan did not.
     "...he... he can't swim..." Sam trailed off. Max never left his
brother's side as they both began crying.

"Wow." Nolan said, taking in the site of the park as he and Dylan walked
around, "it's really beautiful."
     Dylan smiled to himself. Nolan was looking around the park with
childlike wonder plastered all over his face. It had only been an hour in
the park and already he could tell Nolan was opening up to him. Sure it was
just small talk and asking some simple inconsequential questions, but
still, it made Dylan feel like a million bucks.
     He could hear a little laugh coming from the boy next to him.
     "What's so funny?" Dylan asked.
     Nolan just smiled up at him.
     "Nothing. I was just thinking how much I like it when you smile. It
suits you, you know?" Nolan added as if making a profound statement of
someone many years older.
     Dylan really liked Nolan. The kid was funny, smart, charming, and he
possessed this air of innocence that Dylan wanted to simultaneously protect
and exploit. No, not exploit. Dylan beat himself up internally, berating
himself for thinking of taking advantage of Nolan.
     "You okay?" Nolan asked with a concerned look on his face, seeing
Dylan's facial changes as he chided himself.
     "Yeah, I'm fine." Dylan answered, letting the smile from earlier
return, "just my thoughts getting the better of me."
     Nolan seemed to weigh Dylan's answer in his head before letting it go.
     "So, Nolan." Dylan asked, trying to change the subject, "what grade
are you in? You're eleven, so that is what? Sixth?"
     Nolan was quiet for a few moments.
     "Umm... I'm actually in fifth grade..." he trailed off.
     Dylan instantly felt bad, but how could he have known Nolan had been
held back.
     "I move around a lot... and it takes me a while to get to know new
people... sometimes too long... so when I am in a classroom surrounded by
people I don't know... it's hard for me to speak up. Teacher's just assume
I'm slow... they pass me... but they don't really care to look at me... see
me..." Nolan let his words sink in for Dylan.
     "But you seem to be comfortable around me?" Dylan pointed out.
     Nolan just turned and smiled at Dylan.
     "Yeah, but you're special... it isn't like how I normally am around
people... I don't know why... you just..."
     Nolan reached over and hugged Dylan around the waist.
    "... you just feel... safe." Nolan finished, as he inhaled Dylan's
smell only to let it out with a small sigh.
     Dylan wrapped his arms around Nolan's back. He could feel unnatural
warmth between them. Could this be the feeling of love? Dylan hoped so. He
also hoped...
     "...I can feel it, too." Nolan replied.
     "Huh?" Dylan asked.
     Nolan looked up into his eyes, smiling a little to himself.
     "I'm sorry." Nolan replied, "I thought I heard you say
something. Still, I feel it."
     "Me too." Dylan said as they continued to hug.

The inside of the room was slightly heated but dark as the night
outside. Dylan was roused from his slumber by the feeling of a warm body
next to him in his bed. He allowed himself to wake up a little before he
turned himself carefully over to find Nolan in bed with him. The stunned
realization lasted for only a few moments, as Dylan tried to decide what to
do.
     "Sleep tight, little man." Dylan whispered as he closed his eyes and
brought his hand around to lay on Nolan's back.
     Thinking for a moment, Dylan leaned down and kissed Nolan on the
forehead, through his mop of black hair.
     As Dylan drifted off to sleep he couldn't help but feel like he was
running. As he continued to run in his mind, he could see that he was
chasing after something. As he got closer, he could see it was
someone... it was Nolan. Nolan was running as fast as he could and Dylan
felt himself being pulled along but slowly catching up.
     "Promise." Dylan replied out loud as he suddenly found himself wide
awake, clutching Nolan protectively to his chest. The light from the window
was filtered through the blinds, but motes of the invading light managed to
find their way right into Dylan's eyes. Nolan began to stir in his embrace.
     At that moment, Dylan heard a soft knock on the door. It was
Mrs. Richardson's `get up time for the day testing the waters to see if it
is okay to come in and check on you' knock. Dylan had no time to get Nolan
into his own bed, so he did the only thing he could think of. He dropped
back down to the bed and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
     "Boys?" Mrs. Richardson said softly as she opened the door and peeked
inside.
     Dylan could hear the door open more as she moved inside. She seemed to
move about over to the bed. Dylan could feel Nolan stirring in his embrace,
and then finally Nolan lifted his head up.
     "Morning." Mrs. Richardson said in a gentle tone, "Trouble sleeping,
Nolan?"
     Dylan could feel Nolan move around a bit, obviously adjusting to his
sleeping situation.
     "I guess so... I don't..." Nolan let out a yawn, "I think I might have
had a nightmare... but I don't remember."
     Dylan feigned stirring himself as he began to "wake up" to the sound
of the two talking. As he opened his eyes, he could see Mrs. Richardson
looking down at him, already ready for the day. Nolan was sitting up, but
he was still mostly out of it.
     "Hey." Was all Dylan said as he pretended to be warmly surprised that
Nolan was in his bed.
     "Hey, Dylan..." Nolan said a little less groggy. It took only a few
more moments before Nolan realized where he was. The realization brought
him almost immediately to a fully awake mode. Embarrassment plastered all
over his youthful cheeks.
     "Nolan, you're fine." Mrs. Richardson said. "If you had a nightmare,
it is only natural that you would want to be near someone, and I'm sure
Dylan doesn't mind."
     "Not at all," Dylan jumped in, taking his cue from Mrs. Richardson. "I
can think of worse ways to wake up than next to you..."
     Mrs. Richardson just gave Dylan a `really? you just said that out
loud' look, as Dylan internally face palmed himself. Nolan was oblivious to
the slip of the tongue.
     "Well, it is a beautiful Sunday morning and Mr. Richardson is fixing
breakfast downstairs. I hope waffles are satisfactory, otherwise we have
cold cereal." It was Dylan's turn to give Mrs. Richardson the `really? you
just said that out loud' look.
     "Sounds good." Nolan said, blushing as he finally realized he was in
his underwear in front of his foster mom, sharing a bed with her foster
son, barely covered by a half discarded blanket.
     "I'm going to go check on the twins. You two just get up at your own
pace this morning. Tomorrow is going to be a different story, but we can
get to that later. Dylan, if Nolan needs help with running the shower, be
sure to show him so he doesn't burn himself. Also, later today we are going
to be going out with Nolan to pick up a few things. Make sure you both are
ready by 1:00pm."
     Dylan knew that voice. They were going to go shopping to get Nolan
everything he needed. The Richardson's were not the richest family, and
honestly the money they got from the state for taking care of the foster
kids they got barely covered the needs of the kids. Still, Mr. Richardson
was a hard worker and with his job as a computer technician he was able to
provide comfortably for his family. Mrs. Richardson worked at the school
Nolan was probably going to be starting tomorrow for testing, not as a
teacher, but as the administrative head. Since a lot of Mr. Richardson's
work could be done at home, and almost all of Mrs. Richardson's was through
the school, it was no wonder they made such great foster parents.
     As she left, Dylan could feel Nolan's body slump a little bit.
     "You okay, Nolan?" Dylan asked, fearful that he might have known what
happened last night.
     "What did you mean?" Nolan asked, not looking Dylan in the eyes, "What
did you mean, when you said `promise?'"
     Dylan was taken back a little bit by that. He didn't think Nolan had
been awake until Mrs. Richardson came into the room.
     "Well... I'm not really sure... I guess I was still dreaming a little
bit..." Dylan said, seriously trying to remember the dream he had. All he
could remember was running.
     Nolan seemed to think his answer over for a long while with a very
serious look on his face. It surprised Dylan how grown up some of Nolan's
expressions could be, especially when he got serious. Dylan reached his arm
out and hugged Nolan's bare body to his own. Nolan rested his head on
Dylan's shoulder.
     "I think... it had something to do... with protecting you..." Dylan
said, trying to remember more of the dream he had.
     "But..." Nolan began.
     "But nothing." Dylan interrupted the younger boy. "I can't promise you
a lot of thing's Nolan... I'm not that great of a person... but I want to
be..."
     Dylan could feel himself speaking honestly for the first time in a
long while. It was as if his words were flowing out of some hidden place in
his heart, as if it wasn't really him speaking, but rather the person that
he wanted to be speaking up for once.
     "I've never told anybody this, but when I grow up... I want to protect
people." Dylan said plainly, allowing the words to sink in, "I'm not sure
how to do that though." He admitted more to himself than to Nolan.
     "You want to protect people? Like a police officer...?" Nolan asked
hesitantly.
     "I don't know." Dylan answered honestly, "It's like, when I close my
eyes, I see myself... sword and shield... like a knight. I want to be
strong... fast... tough... smart... dedicated... I want to be everything I
need to be in order to protect the people I love. So I train every day to
make myself physically able, I learn skills that I think will help me help
others, and... I don't know... it sounds kind of dumb, huh?"
     It was Dylan's turn to find an unmarked spot on the bed to drop his
stare.
     "It doesn't sound dumb." Nolan said. "It sounds like you know what you
want to do... you just don't know what you want to be."
     "Sometimes... it doesn't even feel like it is a matter of what I
want... it feels like... what I need. I need to protect people. Like
everything I am doing right now is slowly leading me to a place I need to
be in the future. Does that sound stupid?" Dylan asked.
     "No...  It sounds like you are following your dream." Nolan said
simply.
     Dylan looked over at Nolan who was smiling at him with warmth that
seemed to wash over the older boy. Dylan returned the smile.
     "As I said, I can't promise you a lot of things... so I will only
promise you one."
     Nolan looked up at Dylan quizzically.
     "Nolan, I promise that so long as I am able to, I will do everything
in my power to protect you, and keep you from harm. I want you in my
life. You are important to me."
     Nolan bit his lip as he looked into Dylan's eyes, trying to detect any
hint of deception or joking.
     "You mean it?" Nolan finally asked hopefully.
     "Of course." Dylan looked into Nolan's eyes as the younger boy
swallowed hard.
     Nolan smiled, weakly at first, but soon he couldn't contain his
happiness.
     Nolan was the first to break the silence.
     "Better go get ready for the day. Haven't even gotten out of bed and
it is already shaping up to be a great one!"

When 1:00pm rolled around, Mrs. Richardson announced a voyage to the
mall. Mr. Richardson had to stay to catch up on some work, but
Mrs. Richardson, Sam, Max, Dylan, and Nolan all loaded into the
Richardson's van and made their way to the mall. Since Dylan was the
oldest, he got to ride up front, leaving Nolan and the twins in the
back. Luckily, Sam and Max decided to behave themselves. Dylan assumed they
were simply saving up their mischief for later.
     Nolan had never been to an official mall, the closest thing was a
strip mall once in Florida. After that revelation, the twins began talking
nonstop about how they couldn't believe such a travesty was allowed to
happen in this day and age. Dylan on the other hand mentally focused on the
fact Nolan used to live in Florida, which was a long way from Iowa, where
they currently resided.
     Finding `rock star parking' up front, Mrs. Richardson explained the
way things were going to work. Sensing the twins were going to be more of a
distraction than an asset, she decided to put Dylan in charge of Nolan,
while she would handle the twins. She told Nolan to stay with Dylan and
that if they needed anything, Dylan could reach her on his cell phone. She
also handed Dylan a card.
     "When did you get this?" Dylan asked, confused.
     Nolan tried to get a better look at the card as Dylan flipped it
around in his hand, looking it over. It appeared to be a credit card, but
Nolan couldn't see anybody's name on it.
     "Mr. Richardson and I picked that up about two weeks ago when we
learned Nolan was going to be coming to stay with us. I've been holding on
to it just in case. Dylan, you are to get him everything he needs
clothing-wise. I'm going to take care of a few minor things, but I want you
to get him at least five pairs of new pants, get him some new shirts, new
underwear..." the twins giggled as Mrs. Richardson slapped them away in
mock frustration,"...a pair of running shoes..." Nolan's attention seemed
to focus a bit more on the conversation,"...a haircut... maybe for both of
you... and some lunch."
     Dylan seemed to look the gift card over a few more times before
looking up at Mrs. Richardson.
     "Umm... just how much is on this thing?" Dylan asked.
     Mrs. Richardson held up a few fingers so the twins couldn't see,
indicating that there was $500.00 on the card. Dylan's mouth dropped.
     "Now, go have fun. If you need anything I am going to be dragging
these two around for new clothes. They are springing up like weeds and
since they both like different styles it might take a while. I honestly
miss the days when you were required by law to dress twins exactly the
same." Mrs. Richardson joked.
     "You can blame that one on Dylan and Cole." Sam said dryly.
     "For sure." Max added.
     As the group entered the bookstore entrance, they parted ways. Before
Dylan and Nolan could make their way out of the bookstore, however, Dylan
spotted Nolan eyeing a table full of puzzle books.
     "You like puzzles?" Dylan asked.
     "Yeah, sometimes they are fun to do... I just don't get to do
many. Not much for crosswords, there are a lot of words I don't know, but
number puzzles are fun." Nolan said enthusiastically.
     "Well, seeing as Mrs. Richardson put me in charge of the money, why
don't you pick out a couple puzzle books and we can get them so you have
something to do during down time. After all, the twins have their x-box and
the Richardsons got me martial arts lessons, so this will be part of your
coping mechanism."
     "Coping mechanism?" Nolan asked a little confused.
     Dylan just laughed a little and told him to never mind. As Nolan went
and began looking through the bargain puzzle books, Dylan browsed the
shelves for manga. After looking around for a bit, he found Nolan who had
picked out two rather thick looking puzzle books. They looked like the ones
that you filled in the numbers to get different equations in a square, but
Dylan couldn't be sure. Either way Nolan seemed to be happy with his
choices, so they went and paid for the books using the card Mrs. Richardson
gave them.
     As they left and began moving about the mall, Dylan began asking Nolan
where he wanted to go to get clothing. Nolan wasn't quite sure, so Dylan
decided to ask in a different way. He asked what sort of things Nolan liked
to do, what sort of activities he did, and if he liked certain styles by
describing them. After a few minutes of conversation, Dylan found that
Nolan was much more active than he would have guessed. Since Nolan liked
outdoor stuff, going for walks, running, hiking, climbing trees, and other
sort of rough activities, Dylan decided on where to go.
     "You are probably looking for clothing that is going to be adaptable
and resilient. None of that pre-worn in crap like Max likes. So we probably
want to either go jeans or cargos. Actually, I think I saw something around
here you might like..." Dylan said as he trailed off. They had been in the
clothing store all of five minutes and already he was pulling out stuff for
Nolan to try on.
     All in all he found some pants that could be converted into shorts
using zippers with lots of cargo pockets and loops. Dylan explained the
loops were for belts or equipment that some people that were explorers or
outdoor adventurers used. Dylan also had Nolan try on some generic black,
grey, and white t-shirts, since they were the best for basic protection and
wear. If he got them dirty or torn than it would be cheap to replace. He
also helped Nolan pick out a pair of swimming trunks, general use goggles,
a neck-shading hat, a pair of black leather work gloves, a pair of new
running shoes, a couple belts, and some new boxer-brief underwear. He also
threw in a high quality, highly resilient, flashlight that could be
connected to his cargos as well as some functional carabineers.
     "Wow, cool, just like the mountaineer's use." Nolan exclaimed,
marveling over the carabineers.
     While they were in sporting goods, Dylan got something and buried it
in the cart.
     As they were looking around, Nolan noticed a few shirts that he
thought would look good, but Dylan saw they were in the women's
section. Dylan rolled his eyes and told Nolan to get them too, since the
other stuff had either been on sale or cheap anyway. Also looking around
they got him a swimming towel, an overcoat that seemed to match the black
cargos pretty well, and at Nolan's request a small sewing kit.
     "You sow?" Dylan asked a little surprised.
     "A little bit... sometimes I like to patch things up a bit. Just
haven't really had a chance for a while." Nolan replied matter-of-factly.
     As they went to check out all of the clothing and accessories, Dylan
told Nolan to go wait for him on the bench just outside the store. Nolan
did as Dylan paid for everything with the card, except the hidden item
which he used his own money to get.
     As Dylan met back up with Nolan, Dylan defused Nolan's question about
what that was all about by redirecting him a couple stores over to the
salon.
     "A salon?" Nolan asked.
     "Trust me." Dylan said as he struggled to lug all the bags they had.
     As they made their way in, Dylan did the talking. He set up Nolan's
appointment, which would be in a few minutes and told the lady to just do
whatever Nolan wanted with his hair, but to give him the full works. Than
Dylan called Mrs. Richardson on his phone and seemed to set up a time to
meet with her at the car. Then he turned to Nolan.
     "Alright, buddy. Here is the plan. We still have some more shopping to
do, and this haircut is going to take a little bit, so I am going to meet
Mrs. Richardson at the car and drop this stuff off. If you want, I can
leave some of the new clothes here and when you are done you can change
into them before we meet back up with the Mrs. Richardson and the twins?"
     Nolan nodded and rummaged through the bags, putting everything he
wanted to wear in one bag that would stay with him. A pair of black cargos,
a grey t-shirt, a pair of boxer-briefs, some socks, his running shoes, the
sewing kit, one of the belts, one of the women's shirts, the flashlight,
and the goggles stayed. Everything else went with Dylan to the van.
     Right as Dylan was leaving the salon, he heard Nolan's name being
called. It looked like Morgan was going to be taking care of him. He knew
Morgan pretty well since she always did his hair when he got it trimmed. He
knew Nolan would be in good hands.

It seemed like forever before Mrs. Richardson made it to the van where
Dylan had been waiting with the bags to be let in. She also had a few bags
in tow, and finally took pity on Dylan with a remote unlock so he could
open the trunk and start loading in their bags.
     "How's it going so far?" she asked, a little out of breath from
lugging the clothing laden bags for two.
     "Pretty good, we got him some stuff to wear now, but he still kept it
minimal. Kind of surprising that someone his age is more about function
than form." Dylan added.
     "He would know." Mrs. Richardson said knowingly.
     "Well, we better get back to our respective charges, eh?" Dylan said
ignoring her comment.
     Pam smiled at her son.
     "Thank you, Dylan. You've been really good for Nolan, and I know it
hasn't always been easy. He is a very open child when he feels comfortable,
and I can tell he cares about you very much. Just remember, you're opinion
matters to him, so just watch what you say."
     Dylan just nodded as he hugged Mrs. Richardson. They parted ways, as
they were at opposite ends, and Dylan made his way quickly towards the
entrance nearest the salon. Looking down at his watch, it had been almost a
half-hour. He hoped that Nolan hadn't been waiting for long. He would feel
bad if he made the poor kid worry.

Dylan got to the salon almost ten minutes later. He really wished
Mrs. Richardson hadn't parked so far away from that part of the mall, but
there wasn't anything he could have done.
     "Hey, Nolan done yet?" Dylan asked slightly out of breath to Lily, the
receptionist.
    "Oh, he and Morgan finished up a while ago, than he said he wanted to
try on some of the stuff you guys had picked out, so Morgan took him into
the back changing rooms." Lily said warmly to the regular. "By the way, he
is so cute."
     Dylan thanked her, as he went into the back area where Morgan was
standing outside of a vented wood door.
     "Hey, Morgan." Dylan greeted the older woman. "Is Nolan almost done?"
     "Oh," Morgan jumped, not expecting Dylan to appear behind her, "give
me a fright why don't you?"
     Morgan laughed a bit as she calmed herself down.
     "I expect he will be out in a few minutes. Gave him a pair of scissors
to cut tags off and the like, but he has been in there for about 15 minutes
now." She said, checking her watch. "You don't suppose he is
having...a... male issues?" she asked, whispering the last bit.
     Before Dylan could reply, the door slowly opened and Nolan poked his
head out. Dylan could see that Morgan had done a nice job with his
hair. Cleanly and expertly washed, it had a jagged messy look to it but it
still managed to hang over his forehead and ears at cute angles. Dylan
thought Nolan couldn't possibly look any better. He was about to tell
Morgan as much, when Nolan stepped out of the changing room.
     "Oh... wow." Was all Morgan could say.
     The other hair stylists and the customers they were working on stopped
their chatting and turned to look at the emerging Nolan. Dylan thought he
could hear music playing in the background.
     Nolan's blue eyes seemed to glow in the light of the room, contrasting
the black of the cargo shorts he wore which grounded his entire look. His
simple grey t-shirt was tucked into his waistline, accenting the belt and
drawing attention to his waistline where it moved up to the shirt that had
once been of a women's store brand cut, but had since been modified with
scissor and sewing kit into a work of art on Nolan's young body. The
sleeves arranged in such a way as Nolan's shoulders and arms were slightly
exposed, carried down into an elegant cuff and completely open buttoned.
     The goggles loosely strapped around his neck, the entire picture
immediately captured in Dylan's mind what it would look like if an angel
tried to pass himself off as a futuristic looking assassin. Nolan just
became the coolest kid on the block.
     Sensing everyone staring at him, Nolan meekly asked if it looked okay.
     "Nolan," Dylan said in the most reassuring voice he could muster at
the time, "you are beautiful."
     No one in the room could deny or dared to challenge the older boy's
judgment.
     "Kid," Morgan added, "someday, you are going to break someone's
heart."
     "He already did." An older black lady getting her hair done in one of
the chairs said, as goodhearted laughter filled the salon.
     Dylan saw the streak of crimson on Nolan's cheeks, but knew he enjoyed
the compliment.
     They made their way to the front, a few more people complimenting
Nolan on his look and one asking him where he got that shirt. When Nolan
told her, she told him he might have a future in clothing design
someday. Dylan went to use the card to pay, but Lily asked if instead it
would be alright if they used Nolan as a model for one of their
posters. Dylan looked down at Nolan who looked up at Dylan equally unsure
of what to do, so Lily explained that sometimes they get a patron in that
looks so good with their new hairstyle or otherwise and they sometimes take
them to the picture studio next door and take a few shots instead of
paying.
     After considering it for a few moments, Nolan agreed, and Lily led
Nolan and Dylan next door. It took only a few minutes to set up the quick
shoot, and the photographer seemed to know what he was doing. When he saw
Nolan, he looked the young boy up and down and immediately asked if he had
done any modeling before.
     "No." was all Nolan could softly say.
     The cameraman, probably used to working with kids in the family
portrait studio told Nolan he was just going to take some pictures and
wanted Nolan to act like himself. He called it `being natural.' The entire
process took about twenty minutes, and after it was done Dylan realized
they should have met up with Mrs. Richardson and the twins a while
ago. After going through all the photos he took, the cameraman took the
ones he liked best, loaded them into his computer quickly, and made a copy
on a disk for Lily and for Nolan.
     "Nice work, Nolan." The cameraman said as he handed Nolan the disk in
its case.
     "Thanks, Tony. It was kind of fun." Nolan said enthusiastically. Dylan
was happy Tony had made it a positive experience. "I've never had my
picture taken before. It was neat."
     Nolan turned and began to go, and Dylan could almost see the
heartbreak in Tony's eyes at that revelation. No one had ever taken his
picture before? No one had ever bothered to capture his smile or his joy?
No one had ever bothered to make memories with him they could share?
     Dylan thanked Tony and Lily, before escorting Nolan out into the mall
proper.
     "I wonder if Mrs. Richardson is going to be mad at us for being so
late." Nolan asked as he played with the disk case in his hand. Dylan
carried the last of the bags that had Nolan's old clothing in it.
     "No," Dylan said, imagining Mrs. Richardson, "not mad at us..." he
said, allowing the last word to trail off.

"Dylan Evan Richardson! I am mad at you!" Mrs. Richardson yelled from
almost across the mall as Nolan hid behind him defensively.
     "Told you she wouldn't be mad at us." Dylan whispered.
     Nolan just giggled to himself, clinging to Dylan's shirt tail.
     "Sorry mom, but we sort of got side tracked. Nolan got offered a
modeling career, and I'm pretty sure he is going to be a fashion designer
when he grows up." Dylan explained as Mrs. Richardson put her hands on her
hips not believing a word of it.
     Dylan could see the twins coming out of Game Stop with a bag of their
own, and he wanted to time this just right. Obviously Mrs. Richardson
hadn't really seen Nolan that well, so Dylan whispered behind him to Nolan,
asking him what his full name was. Nolan didn't really know why Dylan
wanted to know, but told him anyway.
     "Lady and gentlemen," Dylan began as he cleared his throat, motioning
to Mrs. Richardson who still looked disapprovingly at him and the tweedles,
"May I present to you, Nolan Swift, up and coming model and fashion guru."
    He waved his hand out to his side as Nolan moved from behind
him. Nolan's hand ran across Dylan's outstretched arm until their hands
met. Nolan allowed his hand to fall into Dylan's as he made a slight bow to
an astonished Mrs. Richardson. Sam and Max both stared openly at Nolan who
seemed to be radiating the same beauty as in the salon. More than a few
passersby stopped to stare at the youth.
     "Wow. You look wonderful, Nolan." Mrs. Richardson complimented,
finally finding words but feeling they failed to describe him.
     Dylan noted with some satisfaction that both Sam and Max had sported
wood and were in the process of hiding their erections with hands and bag
respectively.
     "Thanks." Nolan said humbly, "Oh, Tony at the portrait studio gave
this to me," he said, handing her the disk case, "it has the pictures on it
he took for the lady at the salon, and... I want you to have them."
     It took Mrs. Richardson a few moments to register everything Nolan was
saying as she took him in.
     "So, let me see... new clothes," Dylan twirled Nolan around by the
hand letting his shirt catch the air with an artistic flourish, "new
shoes," Nolan showed off his black running shoes, "hair cut," Nolan shook
his head as the styled mop of hair didn't seem capable of falling in a bad
way, "swim wear," Dylan said while winking to the twins, "and a picture for
above the mantle; all for under the expected budget. It helps when you get
the cost of a salon style haircut waved for helping with advertising."
     Regaining themselves a bit and deciding to join in on the fun, the
twins interjected.
     "But wait..." Sam jumped in.
     "That's not all!" Max added.
     "There's more?" Sam responded with mock surprise.
     Both boys reached into their pockets and took out their cell phones
and scrolled through their contacts. Happy that they landed on the one they
were looking for, they both directed the screen of the phones at Nolan,
showing him who the highlighted contact was.
     "I... I don't understand." Nolan said as he and Dylan both looked at
the screens with a highlighted "Nolan" on them.
     Taking their cue, Max shut his phone while Sam hit the send button on
his. As Sam brought the phone up to his ear a phone began ringing in
Mrs. Richardson's pocket. She reached in and pulled out an identical but
silver phone and handed it to Nolan. Still a little confused, Nolan just
looked at the phone.
     "I think it's for you... better answer it." Dylan said as he leaned
down next to Nolan.
     Nolan took the phone from Mrs. Richardson and opened it. He stared at
the screen for a few moments before he held it up to his ear.
     "Hello?" he asked innocently into the device.
     "Hey, Nolan." Sam said into the phone, even though they were a few
feet apart. "This is so we can get a hold of you and stuff. Also, try not
to lose it or break it..."
     "...even though it is fully insured against any sort of accident or
hazard." Max added as he spoke into the phone as if they were miles apart
from Nolan and he wouldn't be able to hear them any other way.
     Mrs. Richardson laughed to herself.
     "It has all of our contact information in it, but I don't have to
remind you that it is not a toy and is to be used only for emergencies. No
prank calling or dialing 911 unless it is an emergency." Mrs. Richardson
added.
     "That's right..." Sam interjected once more.
     "Only use it for emergency prank calls." Max followed up.
     Nolan laughed at the joke, but Dylan could see tears beginning to form
in Nolan's eyes.
     "One more thing." Dylan said, kneeling down to Nolan, "I saw this, and
thought you might need it. Seems to me like you move around a lot,
sometimes maybe in directions you don't understand. So, maybe this will
help you find your way, when you are lost. Maybe it will help you find your
way back to the place you need to be... to the people that care about you."
     Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal object, and as
Nolan looked closer, he could see it was a compass. It seemed to be durable
and made for really rough exploration. He could see the arrow pointing
North, towards Dylan.
     "Also, came with this booklet, teaches you how to read maps and a
compass. I'll teach you, if you want?" Dylan added.
     A single tear rolled down Nolan's cheek, but even his red cheeks and
watery eyes couldn't detract from the beauty of the boy standing in front
of Dylan. Nolan reached out and took the compass from Dylan's hand and fell
into his arms. Dylan held onto Nolan for a long while as Mrs. Richardson
and the twins took in the scene quietly, not wanting to disturb the magic
of the moment.

When they got home, Nolan talked Mr. Richardson's ear off about all the new
stuff they got and how amazing the mall had been. Mr. Richardson was eager
to hear all about it as he fixed an early dinner of lasagna, after loading
Nolan's beautiful new photographs on the family computer. Dylan helped
unpack Nolan's new clothes into his dresser which looked satisfactorily
full. Putting the puzzle books away, Dylan turned around and was startled
by Nolan being in the doorway. The kid knew how to be quiet.
     "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Nolan apologized, smiling a little
to himself at the thought he could scare such a big and seemingly fearless
person.
     "No worries, buddy. Dinner almost ready? I'm starved."Dylan said
brushing the incident off.
     "I think so, Mr. Richardson said it would be about 10 more minutes
before `plates.' I think he meant before we could get plates and be ready
to eat." Nolan seemed to be trailing off a little bit, and from the ways
his eyes moved, Dylan could tell Nolan wanted to ask something but wasn't
sure if he should.
     "Nolan? What's on your mind?" Dylan said, sitting down on Nolan's bed
and motioning for the younger boy to sit down next to him, "You know if you
want to talk about anything, I'm here."
     Nolan hesitated a little bit before he made his way over to the
bed. Instead of sitting down next to Dylan as he had expected, Nolan
allowed himself to lay back. Letting out a sigh, Nolan fixed his eyes to
the ceiling.
     "Dylan?" Nolan asked.
     "Yeah?"
     "Do you think I am beautiful? Like... do you like the way I look?"
Nolan asked, more pleading for an answer than simply seeking one out.
     Dylan was a little thrown by the question, but it was obviously
important to Nolan. Dylan didn't want to say anything that would hurt
Nolan's feelings and he certainly didn't want to tell him the truth of how
he really felt, but given Nolan's question and Dylan's experience with him,
Dylan felt the truth would be the simplest and best.
     "Nolan, I believe you are probably the most beautiful person I've ever
met. Not just outside, but inside too. Yes, I like the way you look, but
what I love is you. You are kind... and funny... and... I don't know..."
Dylan trailed off a bit as Nolan shifted his weight to he was partially
sitting up to face Dylan, "If you want to know if I am attracted to you,
than the answer is honestly yes, but I don't want to do anything to hurt
you, Nolan. That thought alone would break my heart."
     Nolan seemed to take in what Dylan had said and as usual seemed to
weigh it in his head.
     "I think I'm attracted to you, too." Nolan finally said turning his
head to look at Dylan, "Is that okay?"
     It was Dylan's turn to weigh Nolan's words.
     "So long as neither one of us does anything the other doesn't want or
isn't ready for, than I don't see why not? You know I would never do
anything to intentionally hurt you, and I feel you would never want to do
anything to hurt me." Dylan explained, "But, if I might ask, when did this
all come about?"
     Nolan smiled.
     "Well, I just sort of noticed how you always look at me, not in a bad
way but like you are really looking at me. You listen to me, even though I
am younger than you." Nolan observed.
     "Boys! Dinner!" the echoing call of food from Mrs. Richardson sounded
throughout the house. Somewhere downstairs the telltale sound of exploding
twins could be heard.
     "Nolan? I've got some questions for you..." Dylan began, but Nolan
stopped him.
     "How about after dinner... I promise I will answer any and all
questions. One condition, however." Nolan quickly added.
     "And that is?" Dylan asked before committing either way.
     "I can sleep in your bed tonight, since it will be easier to talk that
way." Nolan said simply, nothing sexual implied.
     Letting out an exasperated sigh, Dylan agreed in mock pain as if Nolan
had asked him to do the most unbearable thing in the entire world. To that
Nolan giggled and hopped off the bed. As he made his way to the door, Nolan
turned back to look at Dylan to see if he was coming.
     "You know, if we don't hurry, Sam and Max are going to eat all the
food." Nolan said dryly.
     "Oh, I was just being nice and letting you have a head start." Dylan
said matter-of-factly.
     Both boys locked eyes. Moments later each exploded from their current
position towards the stairs. As Dylan picked Nolan up and held him upside
down over his shoulder as they made their way noisily down the creaky
wooden steps, the sound of Nolan's giggling laughter could be heard
throughout the entire house.