Dakota woke up naturally, seeing as it was a Sunday morning. He didn't have to worry about his obnoxious alarm going off. He didn't have to worry about school; however, he did have to worry about several other things.

Lucas, unlike the previous days, was still asleep when Dakota glanced at his roommate's bed. The bite-mark-ridden twink was in Dakota's pajamas, curled into a little ball, clutching the blanket like a small child.

Dakota didn't realize how tense Lucas had been before seeing him sleep; sleeping Lucas seemed much more relaxed and calm than awake Lucas. Dakota couldn't help but let his heart silently soar at seeing Lucas in such a precious state.

He decided that it was time for breakfast.

Sunday was "cereal day." Nick took a break from cooking while everyone in the house explored the deep recesses of the Moore Family Cereal Cabinet- which was basically the cereal aisle of a store. Despite cooking breakfast for most days, the Moore's- including Dakota- all had their favorite individual cereal. Even Xavier had some, despite his recent absences.

When Dakota walked to the kitchen, he saw Nick talking on the phone while pouring the toddlers' cereal onto a plate. Yes, the two-year-olds ate cereal without milk; they were heathens.

Dakota noticed that he was the only kid there other than Jason and Jordan. Maria and Bianca were most likely sleeping in late. Avil probably woke up earlier than all of them and finished his breakfast already.

While Dakota was pouring his cereal, he decided to eavesdrop on Nick's phone call.

"Honey, it's Sunday...Yes! I know... just please come home..." Nick paused, listening to whoever was on the phone. Dakota guessed Xavier by the way Nick was speaking. "Yeah? Will you?..." Nick was smiling now- tiredly and sadly, but still smiling-" What about dinner with the kids? You can-...Oh, I see..." 

Nick's smile slowly died, and that's when Dakota knew for sure that he was talking to Xavier. Nick was never disappointed in anybody- not unless it was Xavier.

"Why can't you?" Nick asked, his voice slowly going stern. Dakota was surprised. He had never heard that tone from Nick- especially not toward Xavier, "What do you mean, Xavier? You have time to take me to dinner, but you can't eat with our kids?...No, I'm serious!... Yes! Just because I take care of them, doesn't make them mine and mine alone. They're your kids too!... Cut it out, Xavier. Cut the crap. I'm tired of playing this game... You know what I'm talking about...Whatever. Dakota's here for breakfast, so I got to get to it. I expect you home by tomorrow, no later than five. It's either that, or I'm coming to you. End of story, okay?... Bye I guess. I lov-"

Nick suddenly pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it, frowning. It was obvious Xavier had hung up on him. After a moment, he looked at Dakota.

"Sorry you had to hear that," Nick mumbled, "I just couldn't let him get away with it again. He needs to come home." He rubbed his eyes- from sleepiness, Dakota assumed.

"It's okay. Are you good?" Dakota asked. Nick pursed his lips.

"Don't," he replied, "Don't get me started. I can't curse in front of the two-year-olds."

"S**t!" Jordan repeated, as if he knew what Nick was talking about.

"Shhh!" Nick replied, "That's not a nice word!"

"Nick?" Dakota asked, calling Nick by his name to let him know he was serious. Nick looked at him. "How long has it been since you've eaten?"

Nick looked a little pale, a little shaky, a little thinner than usual. His eyes had bags from lack of sleep, and they were half-closed from his exhaustion. Dakota wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't seen Nick in a healthier state before.

Nick also hadn't touched his dinner or breakfast in the past days, Dakota had noticed. Was he starving himself?

"That's none of your business, mister," Nick smiled, booping him on the nose with his finger. He was trying to distract Dakota, the boy realized. "How about we save that conversation for another day, okay? Today is not the best day to talk about it."

"Okay," Dakota conceded, but was bound to bring it back up at some point.

~{()}~

Lucas was waiting for Dakota when the boy reentered his room; he was laying- splayed out like a starfish on the bed.

"Hi," Dakota greeted.

"Ugh," Lucas replied, "Thank God you are here. I need your assistance to get up because let's just say- the pain from last night? It's one hundred percent worse."

"I'm sorry," Dakota replied, lending a hand to Lucas. Lucas's hand wasn't sweaty or rough or textured. It was as smooth as a hand could be. Dakota hoisted Lucas up, while Lucas groaned at the motion. 

"No need to be sorry, sweetie," Lucas replied, "After all, you were the one begging me not to go. I should have listened."

"You should have," Dakota nodded, before- in a rush of a decision- picking up Lucas bridle-style to carry him to the bathroom. Lucas squeaked and held onto Dakota like a cat being dropped into water. 

"Holy crap! At least take me out to dinner first before you escort me to the shower! Jesus!" Lucas replied, then sighed, "Well, I guess as a prostitute, you don't exactly get dinner first, do you?"

"Good thing you're not one of those anymore," Dakota replied somewhat smugly, "We made a deal, remember?" He gently set Lucas down, trying not to instigate any pain.

"Right. The deal," Lucas replied, pressing himself against the bathroom door, "Well, after I take a shower, you can give me that massage you promised. During that massage, we can talk over the details, okay?"

Dakota absently nodded, blushing, shamefully imagining rubbing his hands over Lucas's pretty back.

He might have been a virgin, but he could still get turned on.

He didn't want that to happen while massaging Lucas's back.

~{()}~

Dakota was relaxing on his bed, listening to a song on his headphones and researching careers, when Lucas came out of the shower...in only lacy underwear. Black frilly ones. Thankfully for Dakota, the front half of the underwear had a black curtain of fabric underneath the lace to conceal Lucas's...equipment.

"Like what you see, Koty?" Lucas asked sweetly. Dakota jerked embarrassingly out of his eye contest session with Lucas's nether regions. He sputtered a little, blushing, before swallowing and gathering himself. He took his earbuds out.

"I uh, I'm just a bit over-observant," Dakota eventually explained.

"I can tell," Lucas replied, sensuously sliding onto his own bed and crawling backward up to the pillow. He looked at Dakota the entire time. "So, how about that massage?"

Dakota gulped, trying to swallow any drool that might try to leak out of his mouth. He didn't want to have sex with a guy. He did not want to have sex with a guy. He couldn't have sex with a guy. 

So, why was Lucas so alluring?

Why was he so irresistible?

Dakota nodded toward Lucas, retrieved his bearings, and got up from his bed to approach Lucas.

"Do you have any lotion?" Lucas asked, rolling over onto his back. Dakota could see Lucas's plump butt- every gay guy's dream, in Dakota's opinion. Lucas was wearing a thong, so his cheeks were out on display.

For a second, a dirty thought rushed through Dakota's head- the thought that not only the string of the thong could be in between those sweet peach cheeks. 

But the thought was quickly banished when Dakota's eyes rested on the numerous bite marks all over Lucas's body. Lucas was hurting, and Dakota was going to fix it. 

He went to fetch some lotion in the bathroom, rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved black shirt, and came back, squirting some of the lotion on Lucas's back. Lucas shivered.

"That's cold," he mumbled, "Do it again."

Dakota obeyed, squirting some more on the smooth planes of Lucas's back- smooth except for the bite marks. Once a generous amount of lotion was resting on Lucas's back, Dakota hesitated for a second.

However, though it seemed like an intimate thing to Dakota, Lucas really needed it. Dakota really wanted him to be happy. So, he placed his hands on Lucas's warm skin and started rubbing in the lotion. Lucas groaned, snuggling his face into his pillow and curling his toes. Dakota made sure to rub both lines and circles down Lucas's back, delving into the dip of every muscle and underneath the curvature of every bone. 

Lucas was putty in Dakota's hands. And Dakota worked as diligently as he could. If Dakota found a spot in particular that pleased Lucas more than the others, he would run his hands over that knot until Lucas was satisfied. In fact, despite Lucas saying that they would talk about the deal, the boy seemed too relaxed and comfortable to talk. Dakota was oddly relaxed too, as if massaging Lucas was taking his mind off of everything else.

It was actually. And Dakota didn't even realize it.

"Lower. The small of my back. That's the moneymaker," Lucas commanded, and Dakota did as he was told. Lucas didn't just groan when Dakota massaged that spot, he basically moaned- and he also giggle-snorted, which Dakota thought was cute.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked quietly, afraid to break the zen of their moment with a loud noise.

"Because you're just that good, Dakota Moore," Lucas replied, "I'm so relaxed, right now, and I'm really happy. No one has ever done this for me, you know? Actually," Lucas sounded as if he was sleepy- or drifting asleep, "No one really cared enough to notice." A few more seconds of silence passed, before Lucas spoke up again. "Hey Koty?"

"Yeah, Luca?" Dakota replies, taking a stab at a nickname. Lucas smiled at it, so Dakota was satisfied.

"If...If you were interested in dominating...would you like to be... my dominant?" Lucas asked, almost shyly. Dakota frowned.

"Is this your end of the deal?" Dakota asked in return. He admitted he was really interested in Lucas, but he didn't want to form a relationship with Lucas off of a deal. He also didn't want a relationship with a guy.

"Absolutely not," Lucas said calmly, "I was just...curious. I know you like me."

Dakota was going to deny it, but he knew Lucas would object to his denial.

"I don't know," Dakota replied, digging at a knot in Lucas's back, "I'm not really wanting to be in a relationship right now."

"Oh," Lucas replied glumly, "Well, if your type is a whore then I can see why."

"It's not because of you," replied Dakota, "You're perfect." Dakota accidentally blurted out that last part, but he meant it. Lucas sighed deeply.

"You really are dense if you think that's true," he sighed, turning around. Dakota ceased his massaging and pulled back his hands. "Distract me."

"What?" Dakota asked, red-faced from Lucas staring at him.

"My part of the deal. Distract me. If I can't have sex, I eventually get sad, so I need you to distract me. Make me happy," Lucas replied, "Do random crap like this or whatever. Just distract me."

"I would have done that without the deal," Dakota admitted.

"That's sweet," Lucas smiled, "But I also have another thing I want."

"What's that?" Dakota asked, willing to allow him a second thing. Lucas's first request didn't require much work.

"I want you to agree to my lessons," Lucas replied, sitting up with much more ease than he did before.

"Okay," Dakota nodded. It wasn't that bad of a request- especially not considering Lucas's options. Lucas could have asked him for his virginity or to help him rob a bank or something totally ridiculous. He figured sex lessons were a small price to pay for Lucas's safety.

"Really? It's that easy?" Lucas asked him, seemingly astounded.

"I did say anything," Dakota replied.

~{()}~

Lucas was called downstairs by Nick; they were going shopping together for some clothes. Finally, Lucas was going to have his own wardrobe, with sensible clothing, and Dakota was happy for him. However, Dakota was a little disappointed that Lucas wouldn't be wearing his clothes anymore. He looked astonishingly cute in them.

While Lucas was out shopping with Nick and with Mrs. Jenkins babysitting the younger kids, Dakota took his task of distracting Lucas very seriously. He brainstormed and wrote down a few ideas on how to distract Lucas enough for a while- until he figured out what Lucas really enjoyed other than sex.

So far, he had a list of fun things to do: rollerblading, bowling, more massages (since Lucas seemed to enjoy them), maybe a surprise relaxing bath. He thought they could also go out to eat just to discuss what Lucas would be interested in doing.

In fact, Dakota had already planned to take Lucas out for dinner that evening so that they could do just that.

Then he realized that it kind of sounded like a date.

No, Dakota told himself, It's not a date. It's a distraction.

But the thought if it being a date didn't leave his mind. Should he dress up a bit more? He hadn't been on many dates. Lenore was the kind of person who was like- "Let's go to my place and we can snuggle while reading books and watching movies!" not like Lucas who- well, Dakota didn't know much about Lucas's dating life.

He decided to go see Avil, who- on Sunday- horded up in his room like a hermit to practice endless hours on makeup. According to Avil, he spent his time applying and erasing makeup onto his face- practicing different tutorials or testing out an original idea. Over and over.

I was common knowledge not to disturb Avil on Sunday- but it was also common knowledge that Avil was an expert at fashion and dating, and Dakota needed his help.

Dakota heard music blasting from the speakers in Avil's room when he approached it. He didn't think Avil could har him knock, so he decided to barge in. He didn't want to, but there was no polite way around it.

Dakota stopped short, when he saw Avil- makeup almost completely removed.

And he had an extremely large bruise on his face.