Life's Unexpected Surprises (LUS) is written and owned by me, under the pen name Kuragari129. Posting this story on another site must be done with my permission. Events in this story are fictional, and entirely made up. Any similarities to your personal experiences are coincidental. If you are not the legal age in your area to read this, I ask you to leave now. This story will contain sex between two male partners, so you've got a fair warning.
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Thank you for choosing LUS. LUS is a continuation of the Original "Life" Series. Life's Expectations (LE), Colby's Life Expectations (CLE) and Life's Little Lies (LLL). This story is a standalone and will provide all information that is required, but it doesn't hurt to read the prequels. Links will be posted below.
LE: www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/lifes-expectations/
CLE: www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/colbys-life-expectations/
LLL: www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/lifes-little-lies/
Enjoy.
Chapter 8 Elijah 1
"Are you ready for your dinner?" Brandon asked looking into my room. I was looking at myself in the mirror adjusting my tie. "Looking a little formal there, aren't you?"
I looked at him from the reflection. "I wanted to make a good impression."
He chuckled. "Think you might have already done that. Were you told it was going to be formal?" I shook my head. "So why do we have a bow tie on?"
"What's wrong with a bow tie? They are perfectly acceptable pieces of formal wear." I like bow ties; they make the young look cuter than they are which adds to my cuteness. "I'm wearing it."
"Didn't say you should take it off. If you're dressed, Mr. Bayes should be expecting you soon." I looked at my watch, yes I have a watch, and he was right. I was to be expected at the Bayes household in just under 10 minutes.
Before leaving mom had to get a photo of me in my dress clothes. Breston couldn't stop giggling as she took picture after picture. Between every photo, I would shout at him, which would just cause him to giggle more and more.
We arrived at the Bayes household with a minute to spare. I quickly left Brandon in the car and headed straight to the door. After ringing the doorbell, I was greeted by a very happy looking Quinn.
He gave me a once over, smiling all the while. "You are very dressed up." I mean I was wearing a complete set of dress clothes; he was wearing a nice shirt and jeans.
Mr. Bayes peaked around the corner. "You look very nice Elijah, come on in." Quinn moved out of the way and let me in. I took off my shoes and sat down awkwardly in the living room.
Quinn went into the kitchen and grabbed glasses. "Would you like something to drink? We have apple juice, orange juice, Coke or Pepsi."
"How can you have Coke and Pepsi in the same house?"
Quinn laughed. "Dad and I can't agree which one is better."
"I'll take an apple juice, please and thank you." Moments later a filled cup was in front of me. "Sweet, thanks."
"I hope you don't mind; dad invited his business partner and her son to dinner too." Quinn gave an awkward smile. "I've only ever seen him a couple of times while at the restaurant but he seems nice."
"He's 16 but looks younger; Vega is a great kid." Wait, Vega? He's 16 but looks younger... This sounds an awful lot like the Vega I knew back in my hometown.
Vega was a guy Breston would always talk about. Vega was an out and proud gay teen that the school just adored. He was the most adorable person according to every single girl and Breston. It couldn't be the same guy.
"That's fine, the more, the merrier." It wasn't my dinner after all. Not my call to make really, not my house. "It should be fun meeting someone new."
Quinn showed me around their small house. It wasn't to to small it looked a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Quinn's room was down a hall from the living room. It had barely enough room for a bed and desk, but he seemed to really enjoy it.
When his tour finished, there was a knock at the door. "We're here!" It was a woman's voice, Mr. Bayes' business partner. She continued to speak, but I couldn't make out the words from Quinn's room.
"Quinn and Elijah are in the room down the hall there." Mr. Bayes spoke loud enough for us to hear him. We heard footsteps coming down the hall.
"Hey, Vega," Quinn said before he even came into view. "What's up?"
And the kid who came around the corner was who Breston had shown me so many months prior. The same face, haircut, everything. Breston is going to die when he hears the news.
I guess I was staring at him for a bit. Broken from my trance Quinn was waving in my face. "Wake up; it looks like you've seen a ghost."
"You're Vega Mills." Vega just nodded his head. "Do you remember Breston Crossen?"
Confused Vega gave off an awkward smile. "Yes, he lived in my hometown. Are you related to him or something?"
"He's my stepbrother we moved here in the summer. Breston talked about you a lot." My face felt warmer than usual, was I blushing? THIS ISN'T EVEN ABOUT ME! Breston was the one who spoke about him.
"Well isn't that coincidental that we both moved to the same town." He laughed a bit before continuing. "I guess I'll see little Breston again."
Quinn snorted. "You call him little, but you look like you're twelve." Vega rolled his eyes. "Did you know we live in the town of the artist of Blades of Eternity? Elijah is really into that stuff."
Vega looked over at me with great interest sketched into his face. "I've read a few chapters of Blades of Eternity: Dragoons. It's pretty interesting so far."
Remember I'm a Blades nerd, so this set off a switch that went into full-on rant mode. "Dragoons is a spin-off of the original story. People were so interested in Kiari that Isaac offered to write the story himself. Given all of the notes on Kiari's story, he wrote Dragoons.
"I personally like how the story centers around Koiji's ancestor. Koiji is the main character of Blades. His ancestor, whom he's named after, is confirmed to be the focal point of Dragoons." I told you I entered nerd mode. I knew a lot more but didn't want to make a bad impression.
"Terra is my favorite. He's such a powerful earth user, and apparently the first solid one of the series as a whole." I think the name Terra could use some work; it's very cliché in my opinion. "Though his name could use some work..." I couldn't help but laugh.
"That's actually what I was thinking but didn't want to be rude."
He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about being rude; it's just an opinion. As long as it's not an attack, it's perfectly fine to say." That makes sense. "Do you like anyone, Quinn?"
Quinn barely shrugged. "I know it's popular, but I haven't read any of it." He looked super awkward not looking into either set of eyes.
"That's okay; we can talk about something else then. What kind of stuff do you like Quinn?" He shrugged and walked out of his room, in a hurry. Vega and I both watched him going down the hallway and right into the kitchen. "What's going on with Quinn?"
"I don't know."
Quinn 2
They started talking about Blades, Elijah went on a rant. I'd never read anything on Blades and didn't know what they were talking about. When they asked for my opinion, I told them I hadn't read any of it.
At that moment, my nerves got the better of me. For some reason, my anxiety went into full blown attack. "What kind of stuff do you like Quinn?" Vega asked me, but I was too focused on my right hand shaking.
So I did what I could, immediately removed myself from where my stress originated. Vega and Elijah were probably very confused, but I didn't care. I walked straight into the kitchen, and by then my breathing started to get heavier.
The hallway twist and turned, I almost lost my balance. So I shut my eyes and placed my hand on the wall. My head started to hurt, a headache. A full blown anxiety attack at a time like this? Why?
"Dad..." I barely made a noise. But it was enough for dad to notice.
"Linda, could you just finish this up for me. It should only take a minute or so." Dad quickly took off his apron and sat me down on a chair in the kitchen. "Hey, hey, hey what's wrong buddy?"
All that I could manage was shaking my head. "I... I... I don't..."My breathing got heavier, and tears started to form. In a moment they started to stream down my face.
"What's up with Quinn?" I heard Elijah ask. Linda quickly hushed them and took them out of the kitchen.
Dad kept massaging my arms in attempts to calm me down. "Hey buddy, what can I do to help you?" I didn't say anything; I couldn't. My body wasn't listening to me anymore. All it wanted to do was shake and cry.
Who knows how long it was later when I finally calmed down. My breathing was still a little heavy. "I'm sorry..."
"There is no reason to be sorry Quinn, it happens. Think you can join everyone for dinner?" I nodded. "Linda has already talked to Vega and Elijah about it. I know you're still going to be awkward, but know that they understand."
"Thanks, daddy." Whenever I finish an attack, I call him daddy. It makes me feel like such a little kid, but I can't help it. He's my daddy and always will be.
I got a kiss on my forehead. "No problem buddy. I'll always be there for you. Love you, Quinn."
"Love you too daddy."
Addison 3
Terry and her husband were getting ready to head back home in the next couple of days. Mom has been a great help for Terry, but she decided what she wanted to be home for having her baby. Given that's only a few hours away but nonetheless.
I was in the middle of helping Terry pack. "I don't mind the help, but why aren't you hanging out with Regal?"
"We got into a little bit of a fight." Terry raised an eyebrow at me. "I told him he was a little rough at the beginning of a song, and he took it as the whole song was a wreck. I'm not saying sorry to him for voicing an opinion."
She shook her head at me. "You and I both know that is not how it works. Now tell me the whole story instead of just your part." Placing her shirt in the suitcase, I went onto the next piece of laundry. "Addison, speak now."
I let out a huge sigh. "If you just do what she says..." Zack came passing by the room. "She won't get all hormonal on you."
"I'll get hormonal all over your ass Zack!" She shouted from her bed. I couldn't help but laugh. "Now continue Addison." So I told her what I said word for word. Well, what I could remember at least.
When I finished telling her, I got nodded at. "I didn't mean it to insult him, just saying there's room for improvement."
"And then you apologized for giving him your opinion. How do you think that makes him feel?"
"Like shit," I spoke honestly. Regal probably doesn't feel the greatest, more so after my comment. It's Regal we're talking about, though, so he's caught up in the fact that I'm wrong to notice that. "What do you think I should do Terry?"
She let out a sigh. "I don't know Addie, what do you think is the right thing to do?" It's a good thing Regal took calling me 'Addie' from Terry or that would have pissed me off.
"If I talk to him, Regal will just find a way to make it into an argument. So it's either we don't talk about it again until we get into a fight, or I apologize without meaning it." I couldn't tell if Terry was agreeing with me or not. Her face told me nothing of what she was thinking.
We spent the next 15 minutes in silence as I finished packing her suitcase. I had just finished zipping it up when Terry cleared her throat. "Sound like you're between a rock and a hard place there Addie. Gotta figure out what you think is right."
"Well, thanks for your advice. NOT!" She rolled her eyes. I knew it was the only thing she could really do, but it would have been better if she waved her magic wand and made everything go away.
She got up from her spot on the bed. "Just doing what I can Addie. You have to do all the hard work." With a wink, she waddled off down the hall leaving me to wallow in my pity.
"What am I going to do?" I spoke off into the universe that gave me no response like it gives everyone. What am I going to do?
Vega 4
"What happened in the bedroom?" Mom asked me as we were heading home in mom's junky car. She keeps saying she's going to buy a new car but never does. Mom can afford it but just hasn't gotten around to it. "There might be something that could link to Quinn's anxiety attack. Any kind of information could help."
It's been just mom and me for a while now. Dad got convicted and thrown into jail years ago. I was never told why, just that he wouldn't be in my life until I was an adult. At that point, it's my choice if I want to see him or not.
When mom said, she's been in contact with an old friend from high school I didn't think it would lead to us moving. Over a couple of months, they figured they would open a restaurant together. They opened at the beginning of the summer, but I spent my summer with my grandparents.
"I don't know, Elijah and I started talking about Blades. When Quinn told us that he didn't like it, I tried to change the subject. He walked out of the room and had the attack." That was all that happened; I have no idea why he got triggered.
"What was said, Rick said even the smallest thing could help." Rick is Quinn's dad. "Anything you can remember Vega?"
"I don't know mom... I asked him 'What kind of stuff do you like Quinn?' and he walked out."
"Okay. Thanks, Vega." I don't know how that will be helpful, but if it is at all, I'm happy. "How did you enjoy getting to know Quinn and Elijah?"
"They seem cool, younger than me, though. I'm looking forward to meeting kids my age." No insult to Quinn and Elijah, I just want to meet kids my age. "When can I start school?"
"Monday."
"I can't believe I'm excited about school." Mom got a good laugh from that one.
Once we got home, I headed up straight to my room. It's mostly unpacked with a just a couple of things hanging out in boxes still. Mostly it's my library of manga and graphic novels. I have the complete set of Naruto, Pandora Hearts, Fairy Tail and most of Blades. I have a bunch more but nothing worth mentioning.
My walls lay blank, but every desk or table has a mess on it. From empty boxes to the garbage they were covered in a mess. I do mean to get it all cleaned up, just been busy. Have to keep the floor clean, so my guitars don't get all messed up.
The pride and joy of my room was my computer. Worked all summer and bought the best of the best to make it. My desk was the surface closest thing to being clean. Two monitors sat on the desk waiting to be watched.
That could wait till later, though, now was guitar time. I grabbed my favorite acoustic and just started fiddling with the strings and basically just making noise. "You should play something," Mom spoke softly leaning against my door frame.
"Why? Not like anyone is listening."
"I am... I love hearing my baby play." I let out a sigh and started to play mom's favorite song. When it got the part, she knew she sang. "Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my Poker face." and I stopped.
Mom gave me a disappointing look. "Sorry..."
"Why'd you stop?" I shrugged setting the guitar on my bed. "You'll get back into it, just give it time. A lot has changed in a short time."
"Ya, I know." Giving an awkward smile, I just sat there swinging back and forth in my chair. Out of nowhere, a tear went straight down my cheek. Luckily it was away from Mom. She did take notice, though. "Mom... I miss Dad."
Hunter 5
"GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED!" I got Dash's voice screaming into my inner ear via my phone. "We're hanging out today."
"Who said I was in bed?" I was actually laying on the couch still in my pjs, but that's beside the point. "And why are we hanging out today?"
"Because Tax is stuck at work and I haven't met anyone else worth talking to outside of school yet. So, Hunter, you're stuck with hanging out with me, please." She actually said please!? Wow, she must be bored.
"Only because you said please. What are we doing?" I got up and headed off to my room to get changed.
"Simple, ice cream and then CLOTHES SHOPPING!" I think my hearing dropped a bit from that one.
"We're on the phone; screaming destroys my ears." All she did was laugh.
"And get money for new clothes." Lucas... uhhh dad, walked by smiling. "You haven't gotten much for new clothes, so I'll give you a couple hundred bucks to get some nice stuff."
"Sweet, thanks!" A giggle escaped and caused me to blush. "I'll meet you at the mall in a bit, give me like half an hour." I quickly hung up the phone and got into a fresh set of clothes.
I was met with a couple of fifties being handed to me. "Go get some good clothes, don't blow it all in one place." I put it directly into my wallet. "Need a ride?"
"Was about to ask, thanks."
"I need to get some stuff at the mall too. Don't worry, not going to cramp your style." I snorted in laughter at his slang. "Anyways, let's go." Grabbing out jackets we headed out.
The car ride was short, and Dash was somehow already at the mall when we got there. Right doors and everything, she has to be psychic. I got dragged into the mall by her, leaving Lucas in the dust.
Store to store Dash went, ensuring I was behind her the entire time. I don't think we entered a store I was interested in until almost 2 hours into our adventure. It was girl only store and finally its a store with both genders!
"Yes enjoy the boy section." Dash waved me off.
I just shook my head. "No way!" I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the boy's side. "I sat through four stores with nothing for me to look at. You're coming with me."
She rolled her eyes and giggled. "I guess that's fair."
Her eyes went around looking at clothes, probably for Taxon, while I looked at some clothes for me. Every once in a while she would lift a shirt and clearly compare it to me. "What are you doing?"
"Thinking of what Tax would look like in this shirt attached to your arm." I rolled my eyes. "Why is it such a crime to want two people to get together?"
"When it's your 'best friend' and twin brother, yes." The cheeky smile on her face told me she didn't care. "You know this could end up us hating each other, right? That's what happens when a relationship ends in high school."
"Tax wouldn't end it like that. I don't think he could hate anyone if he tried." She thought about it for a moment. "Nope, he hasn't hated a single soul."
"Whatever, what if I'm not ready for a gay relationship?" This girl's face gives the best facial expressions. Her eyebrows rose while she was holding back a laugh. "Okay maybe I am, but not a public one!"
Dash hushed me. "Eh, secret is fine. As long as you two are a thing." I turned back to the clothes away from her. "What if I pay for the first date?"
"You would do that?"
"On the condition, you ask him out." Dash was batting her eyes, with a puppy dog face active. "I'll give you fifty bucks to take him on a date!"
"That is not enough money for a good date."
She rolled her eyes. "ROLL WITH IT! Do what you can with the money and take my brother on a date! Picnic, cheap food and a good show. Think of something with that crummy boy brain of yours." She came right over and got right in my face. "What do you say, Hunter?"
"Fine, I'll ask him out." My ears started to ring from the loud girl squeal. What did I just get myself into?
Taxon 6
"Tax!" Regal once again yelled at me for doing something 'wrong.' This time I was asked to clean the display glass. It was getting cleaned, no streaks in sight. He was just yelling at me for the sake of it at this point. "Seriously, why is it taking you so long?"
Giving him the stink eye I spoke. "Because I'm taking my time and making sure it's done right. I'm a grunt doing the grunt work."
"All because you're Anotine's nephew doesn't mean you can give me attitude, kid." Won't stop me from doing it when you're being an idiot!
Josiah projected from the manager's office. "Regal stop harassing him and do your job. Tax, come here a sec." I saw Regal roll his eyes as he went back to what he was doing. I came into the office with windex and paper towels in hand. "How much of the glass have you cleaned?"
"Ninety present of it, give or take."
He rolled his eyes. "Sure you could have been done by now, but as long as it is clean, I'm happy. Ignore Regal's criticisms and tell him to focus more on his work next time. Antoine won't hesitate to let you go if you start giving attitude."
"I know, I've gotten a full conversation about how my Uncle is treating me like any other employee." Josiah nodded and went back to his work, as did I.
The afternoon was mostly uneventful. A few people came in; most of them were helped by Regal while I continued to clean up the place. There were a couple of kids that came in for magic cards that I helped, though.
After a little bit of no customers, one came in, and walked right by me and straight to Regal. It took me a moment, but I realized it was Tyler. I hadn't seen much of him since summer.
I stood there and listened in on the conversation. "Hey Regal, do you know what the Bio homework was?"
"You seriously came here just to ask me about Bio homework? Get a life, Tyler." Regal rolled his eyes and turned around to clean up the shelves.
Tyler wasn't going to let Regal be like that, though. "Look, I don't care if you're having issues with Addison. You have to treat people with respect Regal. Thanks for nothing." He was about to storm out when he saw me. "Oh hey, Tax."
"Hey, Tyler. Trying to figure out your homework for the weekend?"
His eyes went wide as he made a funny face. "Ya, dad is going to kill me for not writing it down. He always says I should, and I never do." I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Oh ya, it's funny to you."
"Sorry, but let's be real you'd laugh at someone else."
"True. How do you like your new hometown?"
I shrugged. "Hard to say, I don't have a home here yet. Still staying with my Uncles. My mom and dad should be getting here sometime." Whatever is holding them up should really hurry up. I like having my parents around just as much as I like having my uncles around.
"Ya, that's true. When are they going to get here?"
"No idea. Parents haven't told Dash or me anything." I shrugged and got a dirty look shot at me by Regal. "They'll make it out sooner or later. Until then I'll just hang out and get paid by my uncle."
"Sounds pretty good. Maybe you should try and tell Regal to make up with his boyfriend."
"Butt out!" Regal yelled from across the store. We just rolled our eyes.
"Seriously Regal, both of you and Addison can be read like books. It's really easy to tell there's been a fight. So put on your big boy pants and deal with it." Tyler spoke a little louder than he should have.
Regal got pissed! "Josiah are you going to let a customer talk to me like that!?"
"If he's not wrong, I can't get mad." Tyler and I snickered to ourselves. Regal went into the office in a huff closing the door.
"I should get going, though." Tyler started heading to the door. "I'll see you at school Taxon!" We exchanged waves before he was gone rushing off, probably to find out what his homework was.
That left me to man the store for a few minutes. Regal and Josiah had a conversation that took a while. I actually managed to help someone through the register all by myself. I was proud of myself for it.
Regal 7
"Now go settle things up." Josiah pointed to my car as he locked up shop. "Seriously, go apologize to Addison for being an ass. You know why he said it, so go and tell him." I got waved off shooing me away.
I hopped in my car and drove to Addie's house. Standing at the front door, I froze up. Didn't know what to say, or do. Sure Josiah had spent almost an hour coaching me on what to say, but now I'm drawing a blank.
Staring at the door, I heard an acoustic guitar start to get played. The notes ever so soft, and in all too familiar tune. Zack's voice came through the window. "Say it once, tell me twice are you certain I'm alright?"
Ya... he sounds much better than I did the other night. Addie was right... like he usually is. I listened for a moment, and Zack just sounded much better than I did.
Ringing the doorbell, I waited for the door to be answered. Terry opened up the door and smiled. "Should I get Addie?"
"Please."
I stood there on the porch waiting for Addison. He came into the entryway with a neutral expression. "Hello." He offered a small smile.
"I'm sorry for being an ass..."
His smile grew a little more. "Apology accepted, would you like to practice singing? Zack is in a guitar mood." Zack loves having other people sing while he's playing guitar. Which makes him the perfect singing partner.
"Sounds like fun." Addie let me inside. I sat down in the living room waiting for everyone else to join us. Once Terry and Zack had joined us in the living room, I looked at everyone and asked: "What are we gonna sing?"
Zack got this grin on his face. With a single note, he started to sing. "She just wants to be..."
Addie picked it up instantly, looking directly at me as he sang. "Beautiful. He goes unnoticed; he knows no limits,"
Terry smiled and continued. "She craves attention, she praises an image, she prays to be sculpted by the sculpture." We all burst into cheerful laughter.
This is what I missed with Addie and his family. I need to make myself better I guess so that I don't miss out on much more. Addie and his family are like a second one to me. I love these guys.
Taxon 8
I barely stepped into my house when Dash came, for lack of better term, dashing down the stairs. Hunter nervously following her down the steps. "Hunter wants to ask you something brother o' mine."
"Really?" I looked at Hunter, who was only half way down the stairs at this point. "Why did he need you to tell me about it?"
"He didn't I just wanted to." Dash was all bouncy as Hunter made his way down the stairs. "Hurry your butt down here!" Hunter rolled his eyes but remained anxious.
"What did you want to ask me, Hunter?" His face filled with a crimson red. "It can't be anything embarrassing if Dash knows. She would have blabbed that out by now."
Dash was waving him on, trying to get him to speak. "Just do it!"
With a big breath, Hunter let out most of his anxiety let out. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner or something sometime..." Dash sent out a squeal of joy as he finished speaking.
"What do you say Tax? Will you, will you, will you, will you!?" I got so giggly all of a sudden.
With a smile unable to leave my face, I nodded. "Yes, I'll go to dinner or something with you. When?"
His face went blank. Dash, in her infinite wisdom, hadn't thought that far ahead. Of course, since it wasn't Hunter's idea he hadn't thought about it either. I couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
Dash didn't like my laughter. "Eh, no laughing!"
"Then before you throw ideas at people, think about it first." Dash rolled her eyes and put her arms up in surrender. "Next Friday, you choose the place, and I'll be there."
"Okay." Hunter shyly smiled and nodded.
Date with a cute boy, I think I may have to dress up in my best clothes for this. This will either show that we are a match, or that we just aren't meant for it. Either way, it should be a good night out.
Chapter End.
Sorry, this took so long, Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda Breath of the Wild took up much of my time. I kinda got 2 weeks behind in my tv shows too, which is usually when I write.
More for all the heroes coming soon(ish). I think I finally have an idea of Elijah's story. Quinn and Vega will have more; I enjoy them too much not to. Things are looking good for LUS.
Thanks for reading LUS! It's an honor to have you reading.
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