"Hey, it's just the attendant, here with your two serves of VOGF dinner."

Alex heard Chris's voice from the other side of the door. He could smell the taste of steamed greens from inside the room. 

"Ugh, one second," he said as he turned the heater off and opened the glass windows that led to their veranda. It was getting stuffy and he did not want to be stuck in a room with the smell of beans.

"Soo, I have this here, the vegan food, but," the attendant said while waiting. "I also brought a tray of meat for a growing young man."

"Nah, no meat!" Alex shouted, remembering Jayden had cautioned him to stay vegan at all times, so as to not blow their cover. "Just come in Chris."

"Are you sure?" The person asked as the door swung open, in Chris's voice. He had Chris's facial structure. "Anyway, who's Chris?"

Correction: She, had Chris's facial structure. 

"My name is Christina."

***

The McCrondles had been popular as expected. With so many customers there was little need for Jayden to worry over whether he'll be spotted by his classmates outside. He also realised that few staff took notice in him only ordering a coffee.

He was beginning to enjoy his stay here but it was getting dark. Alex would want him through the scout routes before they begin.

But a hand came from within the crowd waiting for their orders, and stopped Jayden from leaving. "Hey there, wait one second. I'll shout you something."

It was a face that Jayden..."I don't know you?- 

Wait, Danielle? The masseur?" 

Yep that was the cross-dresser, now without make up, and in his white gym-goer vest.

"Ha, about that, it's actually Luke. I mean, you probably thought my name was Daniel or something right?" He paused and noticed the empty hot-chocolate cup in Jayden's hand. "Yep I knew you were gay the moment I saw you."

"No, Luke," Jayden emphasized on the Luke. "I'm not gay. Not because I'm drinking hot chocolate, and not because of the way I look. Can you let go?"

"C'mon," He pulled Jayden closer and whispered. "Didn't Karl tell you I'm your contact over here? ...Jayden."

He knows my name?

For the time being what this Luke had said managed to pique Jayden's curiosity. He stopped resisting and agreed to let him get him another cup of hot chocolate. He lead them to an empty table at the back. It had a good view, that is, of the toilet and the staff entrance to the kitchen.

"So what we've found out is that Christina is a cross dresser that works at the same massage salon as me. We want you to tell Alex that Karl's boys on the east coast are getting ready to move in to acquire our target. Christina works the dawn shifts while I work until the massage shop front "closes". We don't know who she is outside of her job but I have managed to sneak a picture of her in her dress." He took a photo out and placed it face down on the table.

"Okay thanks, we'll get to it tonight," Jayden said, reaching out for the photo.

"Not yet pretty boy," Luke said, slamming his hand over the photo. "You want info? You gotta trade for it."

"Trade what? I don't got any info that you don't have?" Jayden said, confused.

"Nah, it's nothing serious. Karl wants me to find out how Alex is going with his childhood crush, and he wants it spicy."

"Alex... has a crush on me?"

"Don't play dumb kid, he didn't run away with you cause he really needed help on the mission and you know that."

"Sure, but more importantly, how did you find out?"

"He told everyone in the brotherhood who he loved the moment he knew, pretty sure everyone in the whole neighborhood back in Kale Field City. Alex grew up with Karl and me back there he knows our love interests swings the other way. So he claimed you as the love of his life before anyone of us could get to you, not that we wanted to, but to a young child that'd be the worst of his fears."

"I...." Jayden hesitated. He doesn't know what is going on nor what he should say to this person who apparently knows more about his relationship with Alex than he did himself. "I'M, NOT, GAY." He shouted, attracting some attention.

"You don't have to be anything" Luke said, in his Danielle voice. "To love someone."

"..." Jayden saw that Luke paid no mind to the others that are listening in on their conversation.

"Just be yourself." Luke continued. "Just know that Alex, if he knows you are  honestly straight, will become a woman that you'll love for you."

"He wouldn't." Jayden thought, remembering the Alex that'd get into fights every second day and spends his spare time dominating everyone around him. His face flushed with pink as he remembered Alex flexing during P.E. "I don't know if I want him to."

"Oh yes, yes he will. Our little Alex is a carnivore in bed but he hasn't touched a single guy when he heard that you came back." He whipped up a menu with all the burgers available. "And now... you want him to go vegan?"

***

"And I will go vegan," Alex said, to Christina who is now sitting above him, pinning him down by his waist. "If that's what Pajamas wanted."

He was half-undressed by her, who had just finished unbuttoning the last bits of his shirt.

"I know you want this meat," Christina said, her tray of sausages and patties still in hand. "But let's do it this way," she said, grabbing the knife on the tray and holding across Alex's neck. "Either eat it when it's hot, or I'll take you when you're cold."

"How about neither," he said, twisting around and making Christina, who is on top of him, lose balance. He threw her against the wall and clamped her neck against it. She tried to kick him but he ducked behind her to the veranda outside, his arms still reaching in through the glass door frame and holding her by the neck. "I'd punch you for doing that but," he teased. "I don't hit girls."

"YOU KNOW HE'S GONNA ACT STRAIGHT AND MAKE YOU DRESS UP," Christina shouted desperately as her fingernails dug into him. She ripped off her necklace and strung it around Alex's wrists hoping it'd cut off enough blood flow to loosen his grasp. "And here I was being nice enough to offer a passing by eye-candy a good deal."

"Pajamas is another story, if that's what it takes to get him on me then it's all good," he said, taking out a nano-GPS locator injection syringe and shoved the needle into Christina's thighs, pushing the liquid into her bloodstream. He threw his other hand away, wrapped in her necklace, to stop her from tightening it. "But you, I ain't sleeping with you whatever you offer me."

As a result the necklace flew away. There was a vial on it that spilled its contents as the necklace was chucked through the air. 

"My lavender essence!" Christina shouted. "YOU IDIOT! That was extra-concentrated perfume that netted at a hundred bucks per mil."

"Welp that's gone now." He said, as he shoved Christina onto the veranda. He pinned her against the railings in a position that she would have fallen over if Alex didn't hold her in place. "And don't you ever drag Pajamas into any this. If being "straight" makes him happy then I'm all for it."

"Agh, you," She kicked him in the chest, and made him loosen his grasp. "YOU, YOU ARE SO STUPID!" She screamed as she fell into the grass two levels below. Stumbling around and limping away, the last Alex had heard from her that day was spiteful. "He's not worth your love, he's never done anything that deserves it."

No, he has.  He was thinking to himself, but the thought was interruped by Jayden's voice.

"What are you doing naked on the porch you pervert!" Jayden shouted, prompting Alex to turn around.

Alex's shirt was fully undone; his belts were unbuckled and his zip was...

"Agh I can explain!" He said, hurriedly adjusting his attire. Apparently Jayden had made his way inside the motel when they were fighting. Alex secretly hoped Jayden didn't hear any of the embarrassing things he had said. But then again, it'd be nice to let Jayden know how much he loves him.

"No you can't! And shut up, I don't care anyway." Jayden said, chucking him a paper bag. "Just eat this and walk me through tonight's plans."

Alex saw the McCrondles logo on it.

"Listen you don't have to be vegan anymore okay?" Jayden said, while reaching for a nearby alcohol wipe. "At least not around me. But keep this between us."

"Yes sir!" Alex said, gobbling down his meal. Jayden sat down nearby and re-opened his laptop, still trying to clean himself.

In realization of where Jayden had been, he found further solace in the faint scent of Lavender, being wiped off of Jayden's shoulders. He shifted towards Jayden's side of the bed, pretending to look over his work but really he just wanted to get up and cozy with him.

You know I'd do anything for you.

***

On an avenue not far from here, that diverted off from an exit off the highway that lead to the seaside, an extravagance-less car drove up. The car was almost a normal car, and it was obvious that the owner did everything she could to modestly hide its luxurious features.

The 16 oz silver edges that lined the windows, were painted over with black paint. But oops, she had forgotten about the back windows. How silly of her, now the whole world would see that she had failed her "very very sincere, truly" attempt to be modest.

The panther fur seat covers she had imported from Africa, had a layer of plastic wrapped around it on top. But again, oops, she forgot that when pressed hard against each other, the fur shows through the plastic. 

They pulled up in front of the local 3 star hotel, which "though she would love to stay there her stay would be too uncouth". 

Exiting her car she made sure to specifically instruct her chauffeur not to lay the red carpet this time, but ts ts ts he did it anyway. This woman was Alex's step-mother, known for her motherly bitterness-less smile. 

What is bitterness-less? Well, it's just that. A smile without a trace of bitterness.

"Thank you very much, really," she said with the aforementioned smile. "We will pay you handsomely for this."

She asked for an envelop of cash be given to the informer, who had revealed to her of Alex's location. 

"I'm no evil stepmother," she said to her chauffeur, who came to accompany her after parking the car. "It's quite unfortunate that Alex would have these "thoughts" about me. I'm really, from the bottom of my heart, just trying to help him. I'm not a bad person am I?"

"No, ma'am."

"Oh! That's good to hear then!" She turned around to him. "Now would you be so kind as to get the teachers to send the students back home? Tell them I am very very sorry, truly, that their trip had to end early. Of course, all of them will be compensated."

She said, fixing her make up. She looked into her own self in her pocket mirror while adjusting her slightly off-centered motherly bitterness-less smile.

CHAPTER END

XXX

"Expecting Jayden tonight, Alex? Well, I'm very very sad, truly to inform you that he couldn't make it." Someone said.

Someone with a motherly bitterness-less smile.

???