"Happy Anniversary!"

Ten years ago, on May 8th, I woke Kai up before our last week of school. We were so close to graduation it was almost unreal! So in honor of that milestone, I prepared a breakfast for Kai that included all his favorites: pancakes, parfait, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. I sprinkled some rose petals from his mother's garden around the pop-up table just to make it special. I literally stayed up hours into the night making sure I had the right ingredients, and after several false alarms in the kitchen, and a little help from Ahiko, I was able to present a well-deserved feast to the man I loved.

"Wow," Kai mused, getting up in bed and looking down at the food on the table. "You made all this?"

"Yea!" I mused.

"Thanks, babe."

Kai kissed me, appreciatively, which made my heart flutter. I wanted him to kiss me more and for us to skip school and spend the day together, but the second he released from our embrace I knew that was impossible. Kai prided himself in being the class president, and I knew tearing him away from his duties would not make him happy. His happiness meant more to me than my own.

So, I laid my head down on his shoulder as he dug into my meal. He'd pass me bites, but I insisted that he ate everything. In the end he wouldn't let me sit and observe.

That day, we walked to the suburban hand in hand. Ahiko drove us to school, as he always did. I winked at Ahiko, our code for him to roll up the dividing window between the back and front seats. When I heard the window click, I couldn't help but look over at Kai. He gazed out the window, staring at the shades of green fade to the greys of the city. Just watching him made my heart pound, my cheeks redden, and my mind race.

"Kai," I recall saying, undoing my seatbelt.

"Hmm..." was all he could respond, as I moved over and kissed him.

I held Kai's face in my hands, pressing him against the window. I felt him shuffle, as he tried to push me back. However, I was like an animal in heat. I wanted him so desperately, that I caressed his mouth with my tongue until his moans softened his hands on my chest. I undid his belt, undoing his pants as I finally felt him resist.

"Max," he huffed, as I released his lips and kissed down his neck: still fumbling with his pants. "Stop...I don't have a change of clothes."

I grabbed his bulge, his chest contorting as his words slurred. "Max..."

My intention wasn't to wreck his appearance. I just wanted to suck him off, carefully. I moved down to the floor of the suburban, watching Kai wriggle. I grabbed a hand towel that was in the passenger seat's back pocket and plopped it beneath my legs. It was going to be difficult but it's something I've wanted to do for him for a long time. And I had twenty minutes to pull it off.

"Max...sto―"

I licked him, cutting off his words. I slid my hand underneath his sweater and button-down shirt to feel his body wriggle underneath my fingers.

"Fuck!" he burst as I put all of him in my mouth.

His hand found itself on my hair, as he pulled me closer to his body. With each turn, I felt my own body react. I grasped my own bulged, rubbing myself as I pleasured Kai. I opened my throat, to force more of himself in as I felt him get larger in a matter of minutes.

"Damnit...Max," he cursed, as I looked up toward his face.

It was red, sweat was coming down his chin as he grasped onto the side door. His eyes were closed, but tears gathered under his eyelids in pure seduction, and the more I looked at him, the more I came. Thus, the reason for the towel.

"I'm...I'm going to..." Kai huffed, and he did.

I caught most of it, but some got on my sweater. I laughed it off though, which only made Kai angrier. He hated it when I didn't fill him in on things or surprised him in any way. However, he came prepared himself. He took some wipes out of his backpack, and after fixing himself, helped me look like a semi-decent human being.

"Don't ever do that again," Kai whispered into my ear, kissing me on the cheek.

His eyes told me he enjoyed it, even if his words did not. When Ahiko stopped, we both got out of the suburban and continued on like normal. Kai went his way and I went mine, but this time he looked back at me. It was that small smile that made me realize that even though we could not be out to the world, that he was still mine.

That day I was on cloud 9. I texted Ahiko throughout the day to make sure that our dinner arrangements were ready for this evening. Kai wouldn't let me go out with him in public places, but he was fine with going to the Georgetown Waterfront Park as long as we were off the beaten path. So, I enlisted Ahiko's help in getting a meal catered so we could spend our anniversary watching the sun set over the water.

I sighed, feeling proud of myself as I walked toward my next classroom. I didn't want to think about what would happen after Kai and I graduated. I knew Kai was going to Georgetown for college, but my grades weren't high enough to be admitted. Hell, I didn't even know what I wanted to do next. I had no aspirations...nothing that interested me outside of just being by Kai's side. There was a lot I wanted to ask him...like if he even saw a future with me in it because I wanted to stay with him. I wanted to marry him and be the best husband I could be: that's why I tried so hard to learn how to cook and help clean because if I couldn't help with money, at least I could help with that. But...would that be enough?

"What the fuck did you say to me? Did you forget that I own you?"

I turned the corner to see Darian with his hand on Kai's throat and a pistol pointed to his forehead. Ian and Trevor stood away, watching like vultures. My eyes widened in fear that I didn't have time to think, I just reacted. I ran towards them, anxiety and fear clouding my mind. Kai?! Please...please don't hurt him!

"Stop!! Stop, please! Put the gun―"

----------------------------------------------

"DL?" I heard Roy call over the radio.

I blinked, finding myself back behind the wheel of the Bentley. I reacquainted myself with my surroundings as I realized we had come to Constitution Avenue.

"Follow-up from DL, are we a go to stage the cars at 5th and 6th." Roy asked.

I sloppily pressed my mic, "Yes."

"Roger that."

I heard Roy pause, but he didn't respond any further. What he wanted to say over the comms was to be careful, but he couldn't spread his desires over the open wire. I glanced back at his vehicle as he turned away from the limo. The lead car sped ahead as I made a right onto Constitution Ave, heading to Row Street.

I heard a chime go off on Kai's phone. It was a melody that I remembered...the one I sang when I was a kid.

In space there was a beauty, yes a little beauty. She was called a 'purty' blue eyed bee.

I couldn't believe, after all this time, that he would use that tune as his ringtone. It was one very near and dear to my heart. And that only tethered me to his story; however, in those next moments, as I looked at him through the rear-view mirror, I saw the blood drain from his face.

"Max," he said, his voice quaking. "Stop...stop the―"

A large explosion reverberated through my bones as shattered glass and car horns filled my senses. I slammed on the breaks only to hear another explosion off in the distance. Two explosions. Stop...why would Kai tell me to stop?

My heart raced, as reality began to sink it's ugly fangs into my soul. ROY!

I jumped out of the car, unable to think. I looked back seeing black smoke and flames rise behind us. I grasped my mic, almost pulling out my earpiece.

"Roy, from DL, status update."

I began to sweat as Kai opened his door.

"Max..."

There was sorrow in his voice, confusion.

"Get back in the car!" I shouted, still not receiving an answer.

"Roy from DL, update!"

"Max!"

Kai wasn't listening to me, his hand was on my shoulder, but I felt like I couldn't breathe: like a lung had been removed. No, like my heart had been smashed. An unimaginable pain came through my mind as I slunk to the ground.

"Roy, FUCKING RESPOND!"

But by then, I heard the screeching of cars jetting towards us. I jumped up, forcing Kai into the back seat and slammed his door shut: just in time for the raining bullets to hit the armor. I rolled under the car, slamming the front door on my way down, barely missing being a target myself. Under the vehicle was an SR-16 I had stashed for a rainy day, and I picked it up, shimmying myself towards the back side of the car. I could hear Kai's muffled yells as I unboxed the rifle, dipping: realizing I had been hit. I winced, opening my suit jacket to see blood soaking through my shirt.

Shit.

Looking up at the smoke and hearing static on the mic, I inhaled. I laid the rifle on the hood of the car, flipped on full auto, and pulled the trigger.