"Daniel told me about it! I already got my parents to agree to it and I will be going to their next session in a few days!"

Mason was excited. Only a day has passed since he found out about the program and he was already celebrating his win. Not only had he been able to get his parents to agree to pay for it within an hour of knowing about it, but he would be attending it within days.

His mind was filled with the possibilities of what he could learn and do, the thoughts only increasing his already intense amount of excitement.

The only thing that he could have possibly considered doing was to call up his two closest friends, Jasmine and Clark, to tell them about what was happening. He had them on a video call, none of them feeling up to travel over to one of their houses, and was currently controlling the entire conversation.

Luckily neither of them truly minded. Clark actually enjoyed it when Mason or Jasmine just went on and on about their lives. He was the type of man who found a lot of comfort with being around people. Especially after having to suddenly leave his hometown, family, and friends for a reason he tried not to remember.

Clark could go a long time simply listening instead of speaking with the simple thought of wanting to know as much about them as possible before anything happened. It was more of a negative approach to relationships, but it worked for Clark.

Jasmine's mind, on the other hand, was in a completely different place. Her brother had told her about this exact program the previous morning. Mark had been just as excited, if not more excited than Clark, and it was nice to know that the two of them would be doing it together.

While her first instinct was to tell Mason about this so he knew it was coming, she decided not to. Jasmine knew how much Mason was into her brother and this would be a very cute surprise for him. With that thought, Jasmine kept her lips sealed, smiling only when appropriate and keeping the Cheshire cat grin off of her lips.

"It is so cool. Towards the end, we will even be able to intern a bit." Mason said at some point during his extended monologue. "Imagine how cool it would be if I got to interact with patients or help with a procedure?"

Clark and Jasmine nodded, struggling to appear genuinely happy. The idea of working as any sort of a medical professional did not appear to either of them and it was hard for them to look as excited when confused. Mason did notice, however, that while Clark seemed to absorb the information as if he was hearing it for the first time, Jasmine looked as if she had heard it all before. Mason tried not to focus on it too much but it stuck in his brain like a bad song.

Why?

—————

The building loomed over Mason's lithe body. Although short compared to the towering skyscrapers that were common in downtown Toronto, it somehow still intimidated Mason. Although he wanted to pin it on some logical, factual, completely understandable, and provable reason, Mason knew that it was simply because the program would be held here.

He was nervous, alright! This was a big step for him—not really—and he wanted it to go well.

All the excitement he had been building up inside of him for the past several days seemed to have left his body in a single second. What was he left with? All the nerves that had been present on his first day of high school, or before his very first date.

No, my first date wasn't that bad. He thinks, shaking his head. Regardless, Mason was suddenly hesitant to actually enter the building. Maybe, I could just leave. We might be able to get a refund. Mason thought suddenly, a spark of hope growing in his chest with the idea of being free from these nerves.

He did not consider how this would impact his parents or how his friends would react, the new thought quickly seemed like a very good and logical choice. As Mason continued to ponder over the logistics of this idea, he was startled by a hand against his lower back, pushing gently yet firmly. Mason, embarrassingly enough, let out a high-pitched yelp and spun quickly to spot the person who touched him.

Maybe it is . . . Mason started to think, his mind going to a certain boy with soft brown locks.

But, well-trained over the years to deal with the disappointments that Mark brought, Mason pushed the emotion down when he met a stranger's eyes.

The man seemed close to his age, likely around a year or two older. Only around two inches taller than Mason, his face was quite close, giving Mason a good angle to look at him. He had long blond hair that went down to his shoulders, naturally bleached at the top from the sun. And, pleasant features consisting of high cheekbones, dark smoldering brown eyes, a strong nose, and a permanently upturned mouth.

Mason tried to discreetly glance down to take in the man's body. A slim build with broad shoulders and very thin hips. Strong hairy calves covered in a decent covering of dark blond hair shown by the dark blue shorts the man wore. A simple gray t-shirt and a dark red flannel on top completed his outfit and Mason made a mental note.

This guy is hot.

"You here for the nursing program?" The taller man asked him, nodding his head towards the nearby doorway.

Mason blinked, quickly trying to gather his wits and focus on answering the guy's question.

"Uh, yeah." Mason said, avoiding looking into the man's eyes and, instead, staring at his nose. "You?"

The man chuckled, nodding his head and squeezing his hand around Mason's back. Mason shifted, rolling his shoulders back slightly. He was very uncomfortable with the stranger's proximity. Cute or not, he found it odd to have the man so close. But, he kept quiet. Mason had no reason to make a fuss, yet.

"Yeah, I am. My name's Gabe by the way. Gabe McCartney." Still practically glued to Mason's side, Gabe put his hand out, taking Mason's in a handshake.

Mason smiled as he reciprocated it.

"Mason Moore." Mason responded, not taking in the fact that Gabe had held his hand for far longer than necessary. "Pleasure to meet you."

With Mason's hand still firmly grasped in his own, Gabe lifted it up and left a kiss on Mason's knuckles. Mason's mouth fell open, shocked to see the formal and cliche gesture used on him, of all people.

"The pleasure is all mine."

Mason burst into sudden laughter, the sound sharply cutting through the quiet and cozy mood Gabe had been carefully crafting. Gabe simply smiled, watching Mason as he continued to laugh at what had happened.

"That is so funny." Mason sighed happily, his giggles slowly dying off. "You're interesting Gabe."

Gabe bowed slightly, the action more difficult since he was still standing against Mason.

"Thank you for the compliment." He replied, a terrible accent falling from his lips. Using the arm he had against Mason's back, Gabe started to pull Mason inside the building. Mason, now relaxed and in a happy mood, made no protest. The two continued to make conversation as they entered the building, unaware of the warm brown eyes that watched from afar.

Honestly, Gabe was more than slightly peeved about Mason's reaction to his advances. When he saw the shorter brown boy silently panicking in front of the building, the only thing on his mind was getting himself a date. Now though, he could see that he would either have to play the long game and earn his trust or be very blunt and his attraction was accepted.

But . . . Gabe thought, watching as Mason let out another happy laugh. I could try to do both . . .