A gay story: Longing For You Ch. 06 Things were good as the new school year started for them. Theo was finally taking classes that fully aligned with what he wanted to do, and Hop was getting into classes that would help him with his future career. Football practices had begun and there were a few weird looks from some players when they found out Hop was dating Theo, but no big blowouts. Most of the team just accepted it and moved on to figuring out how to best come out on top this season.
The swim team took it well too. In fact, there were a few out members of the team who quickly became friendly with Theo as they practiced. They were friendly to Hop as well, though Hop got the feeling that they were judging him a little on being bisexual rather than gay. Any talk that had to do with ex-girlfriends always got him the side eye, though it was done when Theo couldn’t see it.
The only thing that seemed to shake things up at first is when Theo brought home two cats who had been injured by humans. One was a black cat who had been shot by BB guns which caused her to lose an eye, and needed the wounds cleaned and antibiotics given regularly, and the other was a siamese maine-coon mix with long fur that had recently lost a leg. They had bonded while in a rescue but the rescue leader had been looking for a foster family and Theo had volunteered.
It was clear after a week though that Theo was rather attached to the two cats, who had been named Mewtiny (black cat) and Clawdia (siamese) by the rescue. It was a reminder to Hop just how good Theo was with animals. Even when they were hurting and scared, he could seem to calm them down.
Hop had a chuckle over the names and quietly went along with Theo to the pet store to pick up “catification” items to make their home more friendly for the two pirates. When they got their “haul” home, Hop did most of the work putting the shelves up for the cats to climb on and one of the cat trees together and such. Theo enjoyed watching while he got the shelves up, though, and especially loved when the cats came up to check out what Hop was doing while Theo put together the other cat tree and got the scratching posts spread throughout the house.
Theo got their dinner put in bowls before he gave each cat their pills. He was gentle about it, but sure in his technique. Clawdia took the pill far easier than Mewtiny did, so he would spend a little extra time with the black cat getting the pill into her throat before massaging her neck to get her to swallow. Then he gave them each a treat before putting their food bowls on the ground.
“They’re both gaining some weight now,” Theo commented as he sat down next to Hop. “They were brought into the rescue from the street but the rescue said they were sure they used to be pets at one point. Clawdia is declawed though, so it’s a wonder she did as well as she did outside, the poor thing.”
Hop looked at Clawdia, taking in her position bent over the food bowl, still eating a bit like she might not know where her next meal may come from or when, in sympathy. He had already learned not to try to pet them while they ate; they were both still a touch food aggressive. They didn’t bite, but their growls left no doubt that they meant business. As much as Hop felt that he may not have been completely ready to care for another living being when they came home with Theo, he had quickly fallen in love with them, particularly when he realized that Theo would not part with them.
Once the two of them were done eating, Mewtiny jumped up onto the cat tree to curl up and Clawdia came over to them to lay across their laps. Her coloring all came from her flame point siamese side, but her size was all maine coon, as was the floof coming from her ears. She could easily lay across both of their laps when she really wanted to spread out. When Theo started petting her belly, she let out a loud purr that showed how content she was. It had taken a good week or two to get her comfortable enough to do this, but now it was her favorite thing.
Hop stroked Clawdia’s rear quarters and tail, careful to pet her as evenly as he could to help keep her fur from becoming matted. Clawdia was pretty good at grooming herself, as evidenced by the occasional hairball that the men found on the kitchen floor, usually fairly near the trash can. She probably didn’t need regular grooming from humans, but she seemed to appreciate it and Hop liked the feel of her fur. It was soft and luxurious, unlike the wiry, almost coarse fur that Mewtiny sported. The black cat’s coat was starting to get softer now that she was being taken care of and petted regularly though.
Despite classes and the care of the cats, they found time for their sports and dates. They didn’t go to parties here as often as they did at their other school, but they made appearances and went to each other’s games and meets. Theo tended to wear one of Hop’s clean jerseys to the games to show his support of his boyfriend.
They got halfway through the semester without anything big coming up before Trevor messaged them to say he would be in Ohio and would love to see them. Trevor showed up with his brother Benji, who greeted them and thanked them for being there for Trevor. Trevor was using a cane to walk around but was out of the cast now.
“Your house looks great,” Trevor commented as they sat down. “And you both look like you’re doing well here, which I’m glad to see. Are the sportsball people being okay with you, Hop?”
Hop chuckled at the sportsball reference and shook his head to indicate that he had not had any trouble while saying, “I almost forgot about ‘sportsball.’ They’ve been fine. Most of them weren’t surprised close to the end of the season with an announcement of a big change, either. I don’t really blame most of the guys in Michigan who reacted lukewarmly and even mildly negatively. And the guys who acted on their homophobia got what was coming to them.”
“They did, yes,” Trevor agreed.
“What brought you to Ohio? Just missing our beautiful faces?” Theo joked.
“Always,” Trevor laughed and then looked over at his brother with a more somber expression. “Benji here goes to school at Kent State, but he lives in the Akron area. Apparently the Cleveland Clinic is one of the hospitals to go to, so I went and saw one of their orthopedic surgeons.”
Hop nodded his agreement with Trevor. “Cleveland Clinic is pretty well-known all across the country, from what I gather. Who knew we grew up a few hours away from such a place.”
“Benji used them when he was dealing with a sports injury himself, so he pushed for me to go,” Trevor agreed. “Their plan is to replace the joints completely. It’s a big surgery but he thinks that they could get me back to some form of dancing if we do it. I probably will never do the jumps I used to do, but something would be nice. Mom and Harper agreed to come down here for Christmas instead of us coming to them, and Benji and his friends are going to help during recovery. I’m terrified but hopeful.”
Theo smiled sympathetically at Trevor. “Well, anything we can help with, let us know. Even if it’s just sending you a pizza or something.”
Hop smiled broadly. “What he said! So you’re going to be the Bionic Man? That’s so cool!”
Trevor laughed at that. “Somewhat, yeah. They’ll replace the knee and ankle with titanium joints instead. It might mean other surgeries down the line to replace them but it’s better than my movements being this stiff.”
“Use your downtime well,” Theo offered. “Sleep, rest, but maybe learn some more skills while you’re laid up too.”
“I was actually thinking I’d learn more about drumming, guitar, and bass while I’m recovering,” Trevor said. “I’ve done a lot of sleeping but I get bored easily. I’ve read a ton but I’m itching to do other things.”
Hop chuckled, “Here I was thinking you were talking about cross-stitch and knitting for a minute.”
Trevor grinned at that while Theo gave a smirk. “I mean, that is a possibility too,” Trevor added. “I’m itching to do stuff with my hands, since they still work fine. I figured I’d figure out how to lean into social media to make a name for myself in music, and learn new instruments as I go.”
Hop glanced over at Theo, remembering his promise to himself to try to be more friendly with Trevor for his love’s sake. “I’m sure you’ll master new instruments in no time; you’re very talented. I have about as much musical talent as the guy who invented the bagpipes,” he said self-deprecatingly.
“You’re incredibly technically smart though,” Trevor commented. “Put me in front of machines and I’m lost. Not you, though.”
“And I can tell you the difference between male and female animals and insects any day of the week,” Theo joked. “It’s nice that we all have different strengths. We can help each other. I look forward to seeing what you create, Trev. I have no doubt you’ll shine.”
Trevor gave a tight smile this time, some of his insecurities coming up to the forefront. “I hope so. I had a lot of confidence because I was a triple threat, you know? I act, I sing, I dance. Now I only have two left, and dancing was my strongest ability. I’m hoping I can find myself in this; the new me, or something.”
Hop tried to be helpful, “Who knows? Maybe it’ll be like when folks go blind. Maybe your other talents will turn out to be even stronger because you’ll be able to focus on them for a little bit while you heal and rehabilitate yourself.”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Trevor said. “I’d like to feel confident about my abilities no matter what happens. Gay bashing isn’t new, and happens too often, and I could lose something else later, so…”
Hop looked down at his hands, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Trevor. I still blame myself for your injuries. I don’t know that I could have done anything any different, but it still feels like if I hadn’t been such a hard target…”
Trevor shook his head at that. “Even without your imposing size, they wouldn’t have targeted you. They were angry at Theo because they viewed him as the one ruining everything. Going after you for the choice to move with Theo never would have made sense. And I made my choices in this too. It could have just as easily been River, or Theo, who got this injured. But I swung first because I wanted to give Theo time to run. Didn’t expect him to go all Casey Jones on them.”
Theo’s face reddened at that. “The hockey stick was the closest thing to me. It just made sense to attack with it.”
Hop started humming a song by the Grateful Dead. Theo gave another embarrassed look while Trevor started laughing. After that they fell into more easy conversation, talking about classes and sports. Trevor stayed with them for four days, giving him the chance to spend quality time before he had to go back north to get his surgery.
All of their new friends that met Trevor seemed to have read the news stories from when they got attacked, so they all had questions for him, which he seemed to take in stride. Both Theo and Hop thought he handled it far more graciously and positively than they would have.
Trevor had always been an incredibly perceptive person, so when he first met Isaiah and Dylan from the swim team, he noticed the way they acted towards Hop. They were sickly sweet about it when Theo was around, but they asked a lot of questions about whether Hop missed pussy or missed being with women when Theo was busy with something else.
“So, what’s with that bullshit?” Trevor asked at one point when Theo was outside talking to them and a few other swim team members, leaving Hop and Trevor alone.
Hop looked out at the group and shrugged, “They seem to think ‘bisexual’ means ‘promiscuous’ or ‘noncommittal’.”
Trevor stared at him for a moment before he snorted and shook his head. “They don’t know you very well then. Even before Theo, you really only ever put your attention and romantic care into one person at a time. I was worried at first when you two started…experimenting, I guess you could call it. But you’re all in now and no woman shaking her ass at you is going to change that.”
Hop smiled appreciatively. “I’m glad to have you on my side, Trevor. You’re very observant, though that doesn’t surprise me.”
“So is Theo,” Trevor said as he patted Hop on the shoulder. “If he doesn’t see their actions now, he will soon enough. And just like you fight for him, he’ll claw some bitches for you too.”
Hop sighed, “I hope he doesn’t have to fight anyone. I’m not trying to gatekeep who he keeps around himself, but I have never had time for fake friends who are only all about what they get from you. I know he’ll get there eventually, and he’s worth waiting for. After all, he waited this long for me.”
“He’ll get there soon, I’m positive,” Trevor replied. “They’ll say something in front of him and he’ll put them in their place.”
Trevor wasn’t wrong either. Before he left, he commented to Theo that it seemed like Isaiah was interested in Theo. Theo just let out a sigh and nodded, letting Trevor know that he was already aware of it.
“I know it’s hard to have someone liking you like that when you aren’t interested, but remember that shutting it down is important,” Trevor told him the day he went back up to his brother’s. “Especially for Hop’s sake.”
Theo could see the truth in that. He didn’t want Hop to think that he was okay with someone trying to make a move on him when he was clearly taken. One of the next practices they were at, Theo worked harder on brushing away any of the flirty actions that Isaiah tried on him. If he touched Theo’s arm, Theo would move or brush his hand away.
“What’s with you?” Isaiah finally asked Theo as he pulled his swim cap off, noticing Hop coming into the pool area to sit on the stands nearby.
“Just reminding you that I’m in a relationship,” Theo replied calmly. “I’m committed to Hop, and I understand having no control over who you like, but you need to respect my relationship.”
Isaiah looked surprised and then glanced over at where Hop was again, as did Dylan. “I know he’s your best friend and everything, but…I mean, he seems like he barely admits to being bisexual. The statistics are on the side of him eventually settling down with a woman later. Not you.”
Theo looked at Isaiah sharply. “You think outing himself to all of the sports teams and the college, and our friends and his family, is barely admitting it? That took a lot of courage. He’s not some confused kid who is just experimenting in the shadows or anything.”
“Has he even bottomed?” Dylan asked.
“That’s no one’s business but mine and Hop’s,” Theo warned him with a cold tone of voice.
“It says a lot though, if he hasn’t, doesn’t it?” Isaiah said while trying to touch Theo’s shoulder again. Theo brushed his hand away from him again though.
“It says that not everyone likes a dick in their ass,” Theo replied and pulled his pants up before he told them he’d see them at the next practice and made his way over to where Hop was. He pulled his swim cap off and shook out his platinum hair, combing it with his hand before he set his eyes on his boyfriend.
Hop smiled at him, patting the seat next to him. “Wanna sit and watch the next heat?”
Theo sat down next to Hop and put his arm around him. “Sure, though I’m surprised you’d want to. I know you and some of the swim team get on like oil and water.”
“Yeah, but you seem to like them,” Hop observed. “Plus, I wanted to show you this and there’s WiFi here.” Hop pressed something on his phone and Theo’s phone buzzed with a message notification. “Install that app, then I’ll walk you through how to check in on the Pirates when we aren’t home.”
Theo let out a sigh at the comment about him liking them, because right then he wasn’t so sure, and Hop caught it but Theo pulled his phone out before either of them could say anything about it. He downloaded the app like Hop asked him to. He let Hop show him how to use the app and his face brightened up as soon as he saw Mewtiny and Clawdia snuggling together on the couch.
“Hop, this is awesome!” Theo exclaimed. “Did you do this yourself?”
“Yeah, the new coach only gave us the day because she had something come up so I spent the time I would have been practicing doing this. Pretty neat, huh?” Hop asked excitedly.
“It really is,” Theo said and looked at his boyfriend with an expression that showed how proud he was of Hop. “You really have a knack for this. I’m so impressed, babe.”
Hop hugged Theo to himself with a proud smile. “I do what I can. I know they matter to you, and it would give you peace of mind to know they’re okay when no one’s home. Besides, if I bring some girl over to cheat on you with, you’ll know.” Hop said that last part with a wink and a smirk.
Theo let out a little snort as if that was ridiculous and kissed Hop on the cheek. “I appreciate being able to see the Pirates, thank you. That second reason is completely unnecessary because I know how much you hate cheaters.”
Hop smiled and nodded. “I do. But your friends don’t seem to think the same thing, from the way they’ve avoided me completely and the looks I keep seeing them give me. Biphobia looks terrible on them.”
Theo glanced back over at where Isaiah and Dylan were standing before he let out a huff of annoyance and leaned his head on Hop’s shoulder. “I know, but they’re being idiots. And Isaiah has ulterior motives for feeling that way. Sadly, biphobia is really common in the community. I know you better than that though, and in the same way that all of us gay men are not promiscuous sluts unable to settle down with one partner, most bisexual people aren’t incapable of picking a partner and not cheating.”
Hop reeled back in mock-surprise, “What?!? Are… are you not a slut? I feel I have been led astray!”
“I’ve had my slut phase for sure, but now I’m just a slut for you,” Theo said with a laugh. “You could probably talk me into most things in bed.”
Hop arched an eyebrow, “Oh really? That’s good to know…”
“I’d be afraid of you saying that if I didn’t trust you so much,” Theo said with a chuckle. “You done with classes and practice then? We could pick up Chinese and go home.”
“Yeah,” Hop answered. “Let’s get out of here.”
Theo smiled at him and stood up, holding out his hand for Hop to take as he got out of his seat. Theo ignored the stares from his swim buddies as they left the pool hand in hand. Theo called to order the food as they walked to the restaurant and then took it home where Theo got the cats their meds and dinner before sitting down to eat with Hop.
“How long do you think domestic bliss will continue before something ridiculous happens?” Hop asked while they ate. “I love it when it’s quiet and ‘boring’ like this, but it always seems like something comes along to disturb us.”
Theo chewed the bite he had taken slowly while he considered that. “Hard to say. I think life just naturally comes with a lot of ups and downs unless you’re rich and can throw money at your issues. We’ve faced troubles together before, and we can do it in the future too.”
Hop nodded at that, “I’m not worried about how we’re going to handle it, I’m worried about what it might be. I like to be prepared.”
“Well, we could always go through some scenarios if you’d like,” Theo relied. “Isaiah wants to get you out of the way to date me, I think, but I don’t know that he’ll do anything specific. Our teams down here have been pretty good about us being out, but other teams may be less thrilled. And you’re already turning a ton of heads on the cheerleading squad.”
“I’m not worried about Isaiah as long as you’re honest and communicative with me. Our teams have been good, and from what I can tell the other teams will be as well. I’m definitely not worried about cheerleaders. Even the male cheerleaders here are vapid,” Hop said, ticking off each of Theo’s attempts to identify potential problems on his fingers. “We already know how our families have reacted but they could still find ways to throw monkey wrenches. I’m not super worried about that, but it does give me pause.”
“Honestly, our families will probably keep reacting as they have been until something is thrown at them to make them reconsider their feelings about it,” Theo told Hop thoughtfully. “Sometimes things change as the relationships get deeper and more serious. Things like marriage proposals, wanting to have kids together, and such. But as you said before, we’re nowhere near any of that right now.”
Hop smirked, not looking up from his food. “Nope, nowhere near that,” he said. He stood up abruptly, setting his fork down and picking up his food. He put the lid on the takeout container and tidied up his place at the table. “What are we watching tonight? Another of your musicals?”
Theo finished the last few bites of his food and then cleaned up his own plate and boxes. “We could, or we could watch one of the shows and movies you’ve wanted to watch.”
“Nah,” Hop said as he took Theo’s handful of dishes and deposited them beside the sink momentarily while he put his food away. He washed up the few dishes they used and told Theo to get a movie picked out while he ran to the restroom. Hop was in there for a bit longer than usual, but before long he was sitting beside Theo on the couch, his hands just a little damp from being freshly washed. “What did you pick?”
“A Knight’s Tale,” Theo replied with not even a tiny bit of shame. It was one that Hop had seen a lot because Theo loved it and would watch it every time it came on the TV.
Hop settled in a comfortable position against Theo’s side, but not so close that he couldn’t give Theo room when he moved around, as he often did when watching this movie. As the movie was wrapping up, Hop settled lower with his head in Theo’s lap and started massaging his crotch through his pants. “How would you like to be on top tonight?” Hop asked shyly.
Theo had let out a breath at the stimulation Hop was giving him before he looked down at Hop in surprise at the question. Of course, he’d done a lot of daydreaming about topping Hop, but he had never wanted to push Hop before he was ready. “Are you sure?” Theo asked him, running his hand through Hop’s short hair.
Hop nodded quietly, meeting Theo’s eye with a smile while continuing his stimulation of Theo’s rapidly engorging cock. Theo smiled back at him and let out another breath, this time accompanied by a very quiet moan. Theo gave a nod of his head and let Hop get up before he followed his boyfriend into the bedroom. Theo took off his own shirt before he helped Hop get out of his, trailing his lips down Hop’s collar bone.
“You let me know if you need to stop or don’t want to continue, okay?” Theo told Hop as he started to push Hop’s shorts off along with his boxers.
Hop nodded, biting his lip and moaning quietly. Theo let Hop step out of his pants and then had him lay down on the bed. Theo wanted to take his time to really make Hop feel good. He looked for every erogenous zone he could find; on his neck, on the back of his knees, where his arms met at the elbow, and where his hips met his legs. By the time he was ready to move on, Hop was completely hard and dripping precum.
Theo grabbed the bottle of lube and pushed Hop’s legs apart so he could see his target. He poured some lube on his fingers and rubbed them to warm it up before he gently teased the opening with one finger. He played with Hop’s balls with his tongue and mouth while he pushed in one finger, moving it in and out for a moment before he turned it inward to find the prostate.
Hop managed to blurt out between moans, “Are you looking for my prostitute?”
Theo laughed at that, because the way Hop said it would make people wonder if he was serious or joking, but he knew his boyfriend well enough to know it was a joke. “I don’t think I’d find one of those in here,” he teased while he finally found that hard little nub of nerves and dragged his finger across it, looking up at Hop to note his reaction.
Hop squirmed and moaned at the contact with his prostate. “Yeah, I hid her behind the first bend. Told her not to come out until your birthday party and shout ‘surprise’!” Hop managed to grind out after his body stopped humming to him.
Theo gave him a wicked smile at that, dragging his fingertip over Hop’s prostate again and taking delight in his reaction. “Oh really? What a nice surprise for me,” Theo murmured and rubbed that bundle of nerves again. “Your prostate, on the other hand, seems to be a nice surprise for you.”
Hop gave up trying to speak and just relaxed into the pleasure that Theo was giving him. Theo added some more lube and then added a second finger. It was a slightly uncomfortable feeling at first, with a mild burn to it, but Theo focused on using his tongue along the ridged glans of the head of Hop’s cock to put his attention elsewhere while that calmed down.
When he added a third finger, he went back to the prostate while continuing to stimulate Hop’s cock just enough to be wonderful but nowhere near enough to cum. Hop squirmed quite satisfactorily and begged Theo to “just take me already!”
Theo smirked at Hop’s begging. He always loved getting men to that point, but it was something special when it was Hop who was doing it. Theo reached over and grabbed a condom, which he tore open and rolled down his own hard length then used the lube to slick himself up before he added a little more to Hop. He lined himself up with Hop’s hole and gently teased the entrance with the head of his cock as he watched Hop.
“You ready?” Theo asked him.
Hop considered, somewhere in the corner of his mind that wasn’t flooded with endorphins, quoting from the movie Stripes with “aaaaaaaaaalways ready!” but all he could actually manage to do to communicate his answer was to nod vigorously. He had read, while researching the best way to go about this, that tensing up would make the uncomfortable feeling of the invasion worse. He focused on relaxing and let Theo control what happened to his legs.
Theo moved Hop’s legs so they were open and to the side, this way he could easily reach the rest of Hop’s body. Theo pushed his hips forward, gently and slowly forcing the head of his cock through the muscled wall. It burned a little bit, as Theo was slightly bigger than his three fingers, but Theo paused here, coming forward to kiss along Hop’s shoulders and neck to help Hop relax around him. He whispered to Hop how well he was doing when he was ready for more of Theo. They took it inch by inch, with Theo using his lips and teeth on the skin of Hop’s neck, shoulders, and his nipples.
Hop was mildly surprised when Theo started pulling back out. He hadn’t known what to expect but he had sort of assumed he would know when his lover had bottomed out. So far, nothing about the experience had been particularly uncomfortable. It was definitely an intrusion, but he had thought it would feel different in some undefinable way. He didn’t really realize it yet, but the way Theo had positioned him made Hop’s prostate easier to stimulate or not at Theo’s discretion.
Theo had mentioned that he generally preferred to bottom, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a very skilled top. He knew which positions were best and how to get his partners into those positions, even when his partner was bigger than him, as Hop definitely was. Theo started out slow, getting Hop used to the sensations and the feeling of fullness before he really let him be overcome by just how intense bottoming could be.
Theo was constantly watching Hop closely and checking on his reactions while nibbling on or kissing skin on the erogenous zones. As Hop relaxed into everything, he changed the way he was thrusting into Hop, going faster and slightly harder at just the right angle to drag his cock along Hop’s prostate with each thrust in and out.
Hop didn’t last long under such conditions and quickly dissolved into a blubbering, cum-spurting mess. Never before in his sexual experience (or any other time, for that matter) had his brain completely shut off, but this experience, with Theo’s expert strokes, left Hop’s mind completely blank. Later he would describe it as “my brain turned to mush” but in the moment, he simply laid there and began to disassociate while in the throes of abject pleasure.
Theo kept up his strokes through the entirety of Hop’s orgasm, feeling his own building fast as he did so thanks to how Hop tightened around his cock so wonderfully. He thrusted in five more times after Hop started to come down from whatever plane of existence he had gone to, and then Theo pushed all the way in, laying his head on Hop’s shoulder as he came hard.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Theo chanted out as he drained his balls into the condom. He stayed like that for a moment, his breath tickling Hop’s skin as he worked to control it. Eventually he brought his head back up, looking at Hop for a moment and then licking up the semen that Hop had shot onto himself before Theo slowly and carefully pulled out, discarding the condom and looking down at Hop to make sure he was doing okay.
Hop was slowly recovering. He saw Theo hovering over him and gave him a happy thumbs-up before taking the wipe that Theo offered and cleaned the remaining lube from his crack. He folded the mess inside the wipe and handed the little packet back to Theo because he didn’t trust himself to stand yet. When Theo came back and snuggled into Hop’s chest, he wrapped his arms around his lover and sighed quietly.
Theo was dying to ask Hop what he thought, but didn’t want to ask too soon, and was also anxious about what the answer would be. He could handle being only a bottom with Hop, but being able to top him had been pretty incredible too and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to crush that hope of doing it more than once quite yet. Hop laid there quiet for quite some time. Only some of that time was spent waiting to regain his faculties, which blissfully took enough time and happened gently enough that he was thankful.
Finally, though, his mind reminded him that this was a first experience and he had not provided Theo any feedback. He was relatively certain that his lover was anxiously awaiting his opinion but was most likely afraid to ask. Hop cleared his throat to signal to Theo that he was about to speak and then, “Well, that was a whole bunch of firsts for me. Thank you, love. That was amazing.”
Theo couldn’t help but smile as he shifted so he could look at Hop. “Really? You liked it?”
Hop knew he could mess with Theo right then, but two things prevented him. Firstly, he knew this was an important milestone for them and Theo may not take his jokes too well. Lastly, he was simply too overwhelmed still to muster his usual deadpan manner and knew he couldn’t sell the joke without it. “Really. It may not be an everyday thing for me, but 12/10; would do again,” Hop answered him, kissing him on the head.
Theo snuggled back into Hop’s chest, smiling against the skin there. “It doesn’t have to be an everyday thing. I prefer bottoming, personally, but it’s nice to switch it up now and then. I love knowing you can throw me around at any moment and have your way with me, but being in charge of someone so much bigger than me has its pluses too. It’s hot being able to turn you into a mess underneath me.”
Hop smiled wistfully, thinking about the ring currently burning a hole in his jacket pocket, waiting for the right moment to surprise Theo again. Theo was none the wiser about that, because he believed Hop was still of the same mind he was in when he was dating Elise. Though he knew they were more serious than that relationship, Hop had always made it clear he was nowhere near that type of commitment yet, and Theo was happy to have Hop whether there was a ring or not.
They continued on with school and went home to Hop’s family for Thanksgiving, though they didn’t stay long. They made a stop to see Trevor, who was back in a full cast. He was sleeping in a recliner in his brother’s living room and getting around by wheelchair and crutches. He seemed in good spirits though and was happy to see and talk to them. When it was time to come back up for Christmas, they stopped by to see Trevor again before making the drive back to Michigan.
Once they got their bags put away in Hop’s room, they came downstairs to see if there was anything they could help with. Mrs. Petersen was making fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner that night. She told them to help her fry up the chicken and had Hop peeling potatoes.
They worked in silence for a moment before Patricia. Petersen spoke up. “So, I was talking to Jenna the other day. It’s been so long since we had the families together and thought that maybe having a little Christmas Eve party might be just the thing to mend some bridges…”
Theo looked over at Hop’s mom in surprise for a moment before he turned back to dredging the chicken drumsticks. He knew their moms were still talking but he hadn’t expected them to scheme together like this. “How are you tricking my dad into that one? Telling him I won’t be there?”
“No, Jenna already spoke to him,” Patricia said. “He has agreed to come and be cordial. He knows we support you, and your relationship with our son. Your mom says Mauricio helped.”
Theo didn’t know what to say so he stayed silent, mulling this over in his head while he mechanically did what he was supposed to be doing. Hop noticed Theo’s reticence and touched his arm, the question clear in his eyes, “Are you ok?”
Theo startled a little at the sudden contact, but he looked at Hop to read his expression before nodding his head. “I just…don’t imagine he’ll have anything good to say if we do talk. Our relationship has always been awkward and cold at best.”
The sympathy was clear in Hop’s eyes as he rubbed Theo’s shoulder. Hop dragged his parents aside into a nearby room to have a quiet word with them to make sure they were prepared to stand up for Theo if things went poorly. He also took the opportunity to swear them to secrecy and then show them the ring.
Hop’s mom looked like she wanted to explode with excitement but she reeled it in for her son’s sake. It was clear she had a hundred questions but was going to let her son figure it all out on his own unless he wanted her help. Time seemed to go fast and before they knew it, it was already Christmas Eve.
Theo put on a pair of black trousers and a red button up shirt with a plain black tie. That was as festive as anyone could ask him to be for an event that was giving him anxiety. He looked at himself in the mirror just long enough to make sure his platinum hair looked fine. He’d gotten it cut a little before they came back and he hadn’t dyed the tips recently. He still had the strong impulse to want to dye his hair dark before his dad got there, but then he remembered Hop’s words about not dulling his shine and he felt more at ease.
Hop came up behind him in the mirror and kissed his neck gently. “Hey handsome! Are you ready? You know if you ever feel uncomfortable we will kick him out no problem, right?”
“I know,” Theo replied. “I’d like to give him a chance first, though. I don’t want to say that I didn’t give him a chance to…I don’t know, take accountability? Try to fix it?”
Hop squeezed his shoulder and offered encouragement. “I get that. You’ve got to give it a shot at least, right?”
Theo gave a nod of his head. “Exactly.”
Theo brushed off some non-existent lint off his pants and then followed Hop out of the bedroom. They stopped at the top of the stairs to kiss briefly and then Hop led Theo down the stairs hand in hand. Mauricio was at the bottom of the stairs slipping his shoes off at the front door and he turned to smile at the two of them.
Mauricio looked at their interlocked hands. “So, those aren’t baseless rumors going around the neighborhood then? You two are actually together?”
Hop rolled his eyes briefly before making eye contact with Theo and looking pointedly at their interlinked hands, squeezing a bit so Theo wouldn’t let go. “What?!? Oh shit! What are you doing holding my hand?” Hop said, looking shocked at Theo.
Theo snorted in laughter while Mauricio looked unamused. It was a look that Hop had seen on Theo’s face more than once and the two looked nearly identical when they made expressions like that.
“Yeah, it’s true,” Theo finally replied after Hop and Mauricio had stared at each other long enough to make Theo speak. “It will be almost an official year in, like, mid spring semester, but longer if you count the time Hop was trying to figure out his feelings on it.”
Mauricio looked at his older brother and smiled. “Well, I’m happy for you. I know dad has…feelings about that, but the rest of us don’t agree with him. As long as you’re happy, then I support you.”
Theo looked at Mauricio like he hadn’t been expecting that, but was happy to hear that. “Thanks, Mau. I appreciate that.”
Hop looked surprised as well, but did not regret his reaction at all, as evidenced by his confident smirk in the face of unexpected answers. He didn’t even scowl at Theo for referencing The Times of Indecision, which Hop counted as a win. Theo had not missed the tightening of his hand when he mentioned it though, which just made Theo’s lips quirk up trying not to chuckle at his boyfriend.
As they moved into the living room, Theo was greeted by the rest of his siblings, who all seemed to show support in one way or another. That felt odd to Theo because he had expected more of his immediate family to side with his dad considering how they were all more favored in the Santiago family.
Jenna Santiago had fair skin and light brown hair that used to be blonde when she was a child. Her eyes were a light hazel and they landed on her oldest as he walked into the room. It was hard to miss the platinum hair and ice blue eyes when Theo was around. She came over to him and Hop, looking between them for a moment before she hesitantly hugged Theo. Theo let go of Hop’s hand long enough to hug her back, though it was clear to Hop that Theo was nervous doing that.
“Your uncle told me that you got into OSU for vet school,” Jenna said to her son as she looked him over. “Is school going well? Are you eating enough? You look like you’ve lost some weight.”
“School is fine,” Theo replied. “I’m eating fine, just a lot going on. There’s been a ton of change and upheaval. I’m trying to settle in with all the changes.”
Then she looked at Hop. “Of course, I’m sure you’re taking good care of my son while you both live down there.”
Hop smiled broadly, “Haven’t I always, Mrs. Santiago? Though the rumors we heard about those heathens down in corn country seem to be true so far. It’s okay, though, we’re used to their hateful ways. Mostly they assume that most of our state is snow unless we’re from Detroit or Flint. Everyone else asks us where to get some legal weed.”
Jenna smiled at that. “That sounds about right. It will probably be their goal to have you sing against Michigan eventually, so watch out.”
Theo couldn’t help the smirk that came to his face, because he had already joined in on that song with his teammates when they went up against Michigan. It was hard to feel a lot of pride in the school where they had been attacked for being gay, but he could understand if Hop felt differently. He was still from Michigan, and nothing could change that, but he liked the diversity at OSU and how open and welcoming Columbus was to all people.
“What matters is we’re safe,” Theo commented, though. That made the smile come off of his mother’s face.
She gave a brief nod. “Sì, that’s important. We heard about what happened. Is your friend Trevor okay?”
“I suppose that depends on the day,” Theo replied with a shrug. “He’s in good spirits but it will take a while to feel any sort of normal, and he’s in therapy for all of it.”
“Are you?” she asked him.
Theo shrugged again. “Not yet.”
They both went quiet as Roberto Santiago came up to the small group. Despite Theo’s hair and eyes, it seemed like most of him had come from the genes from his father as they looked a lot alike. Even some of their expressions and the way they held themselves was the same, though Theo had always seemed like a sweeter and brighter version of his dad to Hop when they were in middle and high school.
“Theodore,” Roberto said after clearing his throat.
Theo gave him a nod of the head, trying to decide how to reply to him. There were quite a few ways he could go, some hurtful and some kinder. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about being in the same space with this man right then, so eventually he went with, “Father.”
Hop gently squeezed Theo’s hand and kept his peace, just letting him know he was there for him. His opinion of Roberto Santiago was generally negative, but Hop was open to revising it, though he feared that personal growth was not something Theo’s father was capable of.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” Theo’s mom said and motioned for the couches in the living room.
They moved over to the couches and sat down, with Mauricio and one of Theo’s sisters sitting not far away, as well as Hop’s dad. Both Theo and his dad looked uncomfortable and like they didn’t really know where to start. They started with some small talk about school and work, but that didn’t take them very far.
“Seriously?” Mauricio asked them eventually, though his eyes were on their dad.
Theo gave a wry smile. “I didn’t think we’d ever talk again, so I’ll admit I’m at a loss.”
“Ever, huh?” Roberto asked.
“Well, cutting off funding and support to your son is a pretty relationship ending decision, yes,” Theo replied, his tone a little heated now.
Roberto looked at Theo in surprise and then looked down at the ground, mulling that over. Hop’s expression was carefully schooled to neutrality. He had made Theo very aware of his feelings on reconciliation with Roberto and what he felt should happen before Theo allowed the man any kind of access to his life. He didn’t get that passionate often, so when he took a walk to cool down, he came back with an apology for his outburst and quietly asked Theo for his thoughts on the subject. It was as if Hop had needed to blow up about it before he could accept that it wasn’t his relationship to manage.
Theo generally agreed with Hop’s thoughts on it, but he wanted to give his father a chance to speak. The silence stretched for a moment before Roberto said, “It’s not really about you being gay. That’s just another thing the family can joke about, you know? Having your entire family make you the butt of their jokes for two decades…How you’re not man enough to make sure your wife doesn’t cheat on you, then you’re not man enough to pass on your genes correctly to your oldest son, not man enough to raise him to be a strong man, and more.”
Theo stared at his father in shock for a moment. “How am I not a strong man? I got gay bashed and beat them with a hockey stick to keep them away from my friends, and you call that not strong? I got into the third best vet school, and even found the funding for it knowing you would take it away, and that’s not strong? I graduated top of my class, and came out on my own terms despite someone threatening me. Maybe I’m not what your family wanted, but I am strong when I never should have had to be! Do you still believe I’m not your son?”
Roberto shook his head at that. “No, I know you are. Three different tests say you are, and as you got older, you looked exactly like I did minus the hair and eyes.”
“The hair and eyes are just a genetic abnormality,” Theo huffed in annoyance, but now he had his dad’s attention. Theo looked at him like he was surprised this was new information. “I’ve talked to doctors about it throughout college. They said it’s just a lack of pigment. It happens sometimes. Usually, it’s just bits and pieces, but for some reason, I just lack it entirely. It could have come from mom, it could have come from you. It’s just a genetic fluke.”
“I know I was distant as a father, but it wasn’t because I didn’t love you,” Roberto told Theo. “I just…was so sick of my family’s shit.”
“You were sick of it?” Theo demanded, laughing bitterly. “Try being five and knowing that your whole family hates you. Try hating going over to Abuelo and Abuelita’s home for Christmas because you knew there would be a ton of presents for your siblings and maybe three from the dollar store for you! Try watching your Tios and Tias making cookies, doing crafts, and taking your siblings out on adventures and knowing they will never take you! Or seeing your dad give absolutely everything to your younger brother that had been promised to the first born son, even your fucking name!”
Hop was barely restraining himself from jumping into the fray. He had bitten back so many retorts to Roberto’s comments that he swore there were indentations in his tongue from biting it. Theo was doing well on his own, honestly, and it would just be dismissed coming from Hop, so he simply sat next to Theo and kept his peace.
“They really did make it blatant, didn’t they?” Roberto asked.
“Big time,” Mauricio said before Theo could respond. “Even we saw it. Sometimes we’d give Theo some of the money we’d get so he could get something he wanted, but he always tried to refuse it.”
“You know, when I saw Trevor in the hospital and his aunt came to see him, I wondered if I had been hurt that badly, or killed, if you would have even cared,” Theo admitted. “Trev’s aunt was going to destroy things if the university didn’t take it seriously, but you two were nowhere to be seen in any of it.”
“We cared,” Jenna jumped in. “We spoke to Naomi Oxlar about what happened, even offered to get involved if we needed to with lawyers, but we didn’t think you’d want to hear from us after…”
“After I lost my temper and reacted poorly,” Roberto added.
“It would have gone a long way in showing you even cared,” Theo replied.
“We’ve screwed up a lot, and I’m sorry,” Jenna told her son. “How can we fix this?”
Theo looked at his boyfriend then with an expression that showed he wasn’t sure how to answer that particular question. Hop looked surprised and hesitant but hopeful. He nodded encouragingly to Theo, trying to signal a reminder that Hop would support whatever decision he made.
Theo let out a breath as he considered the question. “I don’t know, to be honest. It would take time. I don’t want you to take over paying for vet school, because I don’t want to be in a position for you to take it away because I do something you don’t like, which I feel is inevitable.’
Roberto looked down and Jenna looked like she wanted to cry, but neither said anything while Theo sat in thought.
“Well first and foremost, you need to fix some of what you’ve allowed,” Mauricio jumped in when Theo was silent for a while. “The favoritism needs to stop. Dani, Maria, Isa, and I all agree that we’re done accepting extra presents and extra attention from the Santiago side. It’s not fair if we’re not all treated the same, and you and Mama should be willing to put your feet down with them too.”
“And you should openly accept your gay son, and make it clear to our familia that you accept that part of him,” Dani added.
“Like accepting my boyfriend,” Theo agreed. “You always treated Hop well when we were best friends, and that shouldn’t change with us dating. In fact, if anything, you should treat him like family now because he is. Whether I was dating him or not, and I am, he has always been my family.”
Hop looked alarmedly askance at Theo when he said that, thinking that perhaps being treated like family in this family wasn’t the best treatment. Mauricio immediately understood Hop’s incredulous expression and snorted out a laugh before he could stop himself. Dani smirked as well while Theo was trying hard to keep a straight face on because he had been being serious. Roberto, though, had the good sense to look ashamed because of that. It said a lot about how people on the outside viewed it.
Theo eventually said to Hop, “By family, I meant the rest of the family. I’m obviously the exception.”
Hop smiled, glad that others had laughed at his humorous attempt. “You really are quite exceptional, Theopolis!”
This time Theo broke out into a laugh. He put his arm around Hop lovingly and kissed him on the cheek. Then he turned back to his parents, his expression turning serious again. “It will take time, and we’ll have a ton of missteps, I’m sure. What matters is that you prove to me you actually want things to be different. So we can start tonight, on neutral ground, and try to get there.”
They stood up and Jenna hugged her oldest tightly, which Theo allowed by hugging her back. She had tried over the years to put a stop to the favoritism, but it was hard when the other parent encouraged it. After she released him, Theo and Roberto stood in front of each other, both looking a little awkward, like they weren’t entirely sure what to do. Theo finally held out his hand for a handshake, which Roberto accepted.
Hop’s mom was standing right next to the kitchen smiling at them. “Alright, dinner is ready!”
Hop and Theo went into the kitchen to help her bring out the various serving dishes. She had really gone all out with Theo’s mom’s help. They had a ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, savory sweet potatoes, and more, plus all of the amazing desserts. Everyone took a seat at the table and Patricia gave a prayer to family and new beginnings before telling everyone to dig in.
After dinner, they went around and exchanged presents. When it came time for Theo to open one of them, he opened up the jewelry box to find an old gold pocket watch in it. Theo looked over at his dad in surprise, because it was an heirloom in their family that had been handed down since his great grandpa. It was supposed to go to the oldest son either when he graduated college or when he was getting married. Theo figured it would go to Mauricio when he got his bachelors, which he was currently working on, so he was surprised to see it in his own possession.
Roberto cleared his throat. “It’s six months late, but…I was hoping it would be something that was better late than never.”
“I…” Theo stopped, tears stinging his eyes. “Thank you, dad. It…it means a lot to me.”
Hop, meanwhile, had been continually assessing whether it was a good time to propose to Theo. He was beginning to feel a bit upstaged by Roberto, which was impossible since Theo’s family had not been informed of his intentions, for obvious reasons. He decided that maybe today was not the day for too many surprises for his love and had resigned himself to planning another family get together when Patricia poked her head in the room to suggest dessert with a wink at Hop.
She had made tiramisu, cheesecake, and banana pudding, all Theo’s favorites, as well as prepared small gift stockings for everyone as a sort of thank you for spending Christmas with their family. Theo’s had a suspicious shape to it, but Hop hoped that it was just that he was nervous. So much had happened that night that Theo wasn’t considering the shape of his stocking; his eyes were on the desserts first and foremost.
Theo was talking and laughing with his siblings as he opened up the stocking and pulled out the ring box. He stopped when he saw it, his brain trying to catch up to his body’s reaction to it before he looked over at Hop, noticing for the first time that Hop was down on one knee, his hands folded on the upright knee as he waited nervously for Theo to open the ring box.
“I know you’ve waited a long time to hear this,” Hop began, “but I’ve known I love you for a while, I’ve just been worried about it sounding reactionary instead of heartfelt. You’ve been so patient and wonderful with me for so long and I would be honored if you would consider marrying me.”
“Yes,” Theo replied without needing even a moment to consider the answer. “Absolutely yes! So much for being nowhere ready?”
Hop smiled broadly as he took the ring and slipped it onto Theo’s finger. “I’ve got to keep the mystery alive somehow!”
Theo pulled Hop into a kiss, not even caring what his family, or Hop’s, thought about that. The reaction was better than he had been hoping for, though, with almost everyone jumping up to congratulate them and hug them. Roberto Santiago had never been a very affectionate man but he waited until last to come up and shake Hop’s hand to welcome him into the family and then hug his son, which might have been the first time Theo had ever been hugged by him.
Patricia, of course, wanted to take about a hundred photos, but it did at least give them a great photo to send to friends and family, and to post. As soon as Trevor got the photo sent to him he sent back at least twenty exclamation points, while River said, “Tell that ex-straight boy he’d better take good care of you.”
As for the “ex-straight boy”, his phone started vibrating with congratulations from a couple of friends and surprised emojis from a couple of exes he still talked to occasionally. He left it in his pocket.
Theo got Hop a ring to wear as well while they were engaged, because they were planning to wait until Hop graduated for the wedding. That also gave them time to save up, though the Jameson family helped fund that, as well as Hop’s parents. Roberto offered to pay for something, but he made it clear he wouldn’t force Theo to accept any monetary help, knowing how Theo felt about it. In the end, he let Roberto pay for the desserts, because he wanted a wedding cake and a tres leche.
Mewtiny and Clawdia were their ring bearers, with the help of Theo’s sisters Dani and Isa, who carried them down the aisle.
After they were married and had finished school, Theo and Hop moved back up to the Ann Arbor area, not far from their families, where Theo joined a vet practice and Hop found a job in a startup IT business that was destined for great things while he went to school for his masters.
River and Trevor settled not far from them, though Trevor’s schedule was busy as his social media started going viral for some of his covers of songs and original songs. Both were dating around, and when Trevor landed a job on a TV musical series, something similar to Glee but set in college life and Theo thought it would be even better, he started dating one of his co-stars.
Hop and Theo had ditched condoms around the time they became engaged after getting tested to be safe.
There were some times, late at night as they laid in bed snuggled up to each other, that Theo marveled at the fact that this was his life. Sometimes it felt like a dream. He was with the man he had loved since middle school, his family was better than ever, and now bigger, his extended family had been put in their place, and he was working the job he had always wanted to, plus they had two cats and now a dog.
Anytime he worried he would wake up from this dream back to when he was still hiding in the closet, he just had to look at Hop and see that look of total love and devotion and it made him remember it was real. He knew he was one of the few lucky ones. Most gay men didn’t end up with their straight loves falling for them too, but he wouldn’t trade this for anything.