Living with Damian ended up being both more exhausting and less exhausting than he thought it would be. Damian stuck to his house rules almost perfectly. He was always ready in the morning and was on time after school. He worked at his homework doggedly and was quiet and unobtrusive the rest of the time. On the other hand, he flirted with nearly everything that moved and Simon found his sexual overtures exhausting. Especially because it was difficult to say no. Damian was gorgeous, but it wasn’t that. He had never found looks to be what got him. Neither was Damian’s charming, if mercurial, manner. No, it was simply that Simon was lonely and horny and Damian was a willing- nay, eager- body. It had been months since his last relationship and that had been a not very serious fling with Jake.

Nonetheless, he ignored the flirting and the advances as best he could. He was learning that it was barely conscious on Damian’s part anyways. It got easier and easier until one day nearly a month later.

Simon was sitting on the living room couch, reading, when Damian bounced in. Simon glanced up. His jaw dropped. Damian was in nothing but a pair of very tight, low slung jean cut offs.

“All the bruises faded,” Damian exclaimed, twirling and sending his hair flying. “They’re all gone. And my ankle is feeling almost normal.” He paused and grinned at Simon. The grin turned wicked when he saw Simon gaping. “Like what you see?” He spun in a slow circle this time.

Simon snapped his mouth shut, reminding himself that this was a damaged young man half his age. He gave Damian a critical once over instead of blushing and turning away. Maybe that would nip this in the bud. Damian had a habit of repeating behaviors that gained a reaction. “You need to eat more,” he said before flipping his book back up.

“You said that the day you found me.“ He could very nearly hear Damian’s pout. “I have fast metabolism. You’ve seen the way I eat. I can’t help being skinny.”

Simon had to admit it was true. Damian ate more than he did, but never seemed to gain any weight. “Maybe,” he conceded. “It’s good that you’re healing.” He said, putting the book down. He glanced at Damian’s body again. All the bruises were gone and the bite mark on his shoulder had faded to a very faint pale circle on his shoulder.

It was a struggle to keep his gaze clinical. He really was lonely. He stood suddenly, making Damian blink. "I'm going to my room, I'll see you later."

Damian stared at him for a moment before he began snickering. "Yeah, okay," he said, still giggling.

Simon flushed and adjusted his now too tight pants. Some days, he really hated being a guy.

--

Damian smirked and flopped down in the recently vacated hollow on the couch. He snuggled in deeper. It was still warm and smelled a lot like Simon; musky with a sort of citrus overlay. It was really nice. Very masculine too, which Damian had always found a turn on.

He snorted and let himself fall so he was sprawled on the leather seat cushions. He was developing a minor crush on his teacher. Extremely minor, but it was still there. He hadn't had a crush for ages. Not since he fell for Jett and he had gotten over that pretty quickly when the man began to treat him like a little brother. Simon was already treating him like that, but Damian wasn't getting over it.

He giggled to himself and crossed his legs, absentmindedly petting the soft leather of the couch. Simon was attracted. That was good. He had been starting to think the man was asexual, or worse: straight. But, when Damian pranced in here mostly naked, using his healed bruises as an excuse, Simon had definitely been attracted. He had not been harboring a pup tent in his pants when Damian first came in.

"Well, don't you just look like a porn star?"

Damian glanced up and grinned. "Hi, Mr. Torah," he chirped. "Simon's in his room."

Mr. Vixa shook his head at Damian's state of undress. "And what, exactly, are you doing dressed like that?"

Damian blinked at them, trying to project innocence. "I was just showing Mr. Taylor that all my bruises healed." He bounced upright and spun quickly, sending his hair flying again. "See?" He giggled.

"You're in an exceptionally good mood."

Damian beamed and nodded. "Yep, it was a good day." Because Simon was reacting like everyone else. Finally.

Aden shook his head again. "Well, first I need to talk to Mr. Taylor; I got a hold of Jett. Then I need to ask you a few questions."

Damian scowled, elation deflating. He sat down heavily. "Fine, do whatever you need to do."

Aden gave him a confused look, but went upstairs to find Simon. Shane stared at him for a moment longer. "You're a weird kid," he said finally, before following Aden.

Damian brightened as he realized they would be interrupting. He wondered if they would just go in, or actually knock. He scowled when he heard knocking. Well, so much for that particularly fantasy. His other mental image- of a sweaty and embarrassed Simon- was also popped when he heard Simon open the door and say, "Oh, hi, one second, I forgot you two were coming over. I just got out of the shower."

"We'll wait."

Damian scowled and stood up quickly. He grabbed the cordless kitchen phone and fled outside, to hide under the porch. It was cool, dark, and, most importantly, private underneath there. He dialed Jett's call number from heart. Jett picked up on the first ring.

"What?"

"What did you tell them?"

Damian heard Jett's tired sigh. "All I told that principle of yours is that I found you wandering around on the streets. And I told him it was only a few days after you ran away, okay? I didn't tell them anything important."

Damian sighed in relief. "Thank you." Regaining his calm and remembering his usual semblance of manners, he asked, "How is everyone?"

"Like you give a shit."

"Okay, I don't. How are you?"

"I'm good Red, I really am. You remember Amber right?"

Damian giggled. "The blonde bombshell and the love of your life that you've been dating since before you picked me up off the streets?"

He could hear Jett's smile. "That'd be the one. Well, I proposed. She said yes."

"Congratulations! Wow, you engaged."

Jett snickered. "Yeah. Engaged," he sounded more floored than Damian was. "I just asked yesterday. We're getting married in July. Damian, I'm going to retire."

Damian's jaw dropped. "And leave the Wolves?"

"They're a tough bunch."

Damian snorted. "That's an understatement. The police still avoiding your street?"

"Oh yeah, and I'm damn proud of my boys for that. But Amber wants kids, and I'm getting old."

Damian snorted again. "Oh yeah, twenty-nine. Real old."

Jett snorted right back. "Maybe not for the average person, and maybe not even for most gang leaders, but the Wolves are a young group. I'm the oldest by nearly five years."

There was a long moment of silence. "What happened to Candy?"

"Shit, Red, he's turned straight. Got picked up for prostitution in a club, met a nice guard while in jail, and is shacking up with him."

Damian's mouth formed a little 'o' before he started giggling. "That's funny."

"And oh-so Candy," Jett said dryly. "Anyways, the guys are throwing me a retirement party. The jerks. You should come."

Damian sighed. "I can't, remember? No money, school's going on, and I'm living with a teacher. They won't allow it."

"Allow what?"

"Holy shit!" Damian swore and jumped, cracking his head against the underside of the porch.

Shane's fiery head swung down to look at him. "You really are a weird kid," he informed Damian.

Damian scowled and crawled out from under the porch, ignoring Jett's demands to know what was going on. He glanced up to find a bemused Simon and Aden on the porch as well. He ignored their looks and answered Aden's previous question. "Won't let me go to New York for Jett's retirement party."

Aden raised an eyebrow. "Retirement? I met him, he's in his mid-twenties."

"His current job is bad for marriages," Damian muttered. "So he's retiring."

Aden raised an eyebrow. "I forgot to ask. What exactly does Jett do?"

"Construction," Jett hollered, managing to get loud enough that Aden could hear him.

Damian winced and pulled the phone away. "Construction," he repeated. "Lots of accidents."

"Right… Well, whether you can go is up to Simon."

Damian glanced at Simon who raised an eyebrow. "We'll talk later."

Damian sighed. "Fine, fine. What did you want to talk to me about?" He quickly pulled the phone back. "Bye Jett, I'll call you back later." He hung up over his sputters and looked expectantly back at Aden.

Aden sighed. "I need to know your full real name. If anyone's looking for you...."

Damian sighed and clambered up onto the porch. "I'm surprised Simon didn't tell you."

"They didn't ask," Simon said, glancing at Aden.

Aden shrugged. "Didn't think you'd know. You did say Damian hasn't been particularly talkative lately. Anyways, what is it."

"Damian de Bois," Simon and Damian chorused. They glanced at each other. Simon looked away first.

Aden ignored it. "And your father's name?"

"Robert de Bois. He put Bob down for everything though."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Electra complex?"

Damian stared at him. "I have no idea what that means."

"It's when a-"

"Simon, tell him later." Aden glanced down at the piece of paper he was writing on. "Any other relatives?"

Damian shook his head. "I had a great aunt but she was ninety-nine when I ran away. She's probably dead by now."

Simon winced at how callous that sounded.
 
"Well, we need her name anyways."

Damian sighed. "Rose Marie Cyles."

Aden nodded. "Okay, that's all. See you in school." He nodded to Simon and turned and left, Shane trailing behind him.

There was a long moment of silence. "Well you want to call Jett back?"

Damian shook his head. "Not yet. Can I got to his party?"

When Simon hesitated, Damian quickly plowed forward. "Please? He can pay my way and it'll just be a few days at the most. I haven't seen him for over a year. Please? I'll do anything."

Simon started slightly, forcibly reminded of the first day at Damian's apartment when Damian told him everything. Damian had said something like that then, but had accompanied it with a lick of lips. He hesitated again.

Damian looked up at him, letting his long hair fall into his eyes. "Anything," he whispered.

Simon flushed. "Just for that, no! Shit, you need to stop trying to- to-"

"Use sex as a weapon?" he asked wryly, remembering an old song.

"Exactly! It's not proper and it makes me feel like a lecher!"

Damian sighed and tossed his hair over his shoulder. "You should feel like a damn priest," he said primly. "Everyone else I know would have taken advantage. Are you straight?" He wondered if Simon was angry enough to actually answer. All previous attempts at weaseling out his teacher's sexuality had been met with evasions.

"No, I'm not straight," Simon snapped. "I'm twice your age and not interested!"

Damian pouted and took a step forward, closing the distance between them to a few mere millimeters. Now, it would be more natural to touch than to maintain that distance, but Damian stubbornly didn't close the distance. "Really? Because earlier," he wetted his lips deliberately. "That's not the impression I got. In fact, I got the feeling you were very... interested." He closed the distance between them.

Simon gasped and grew hard against him.

Damian smirked and slowly brought his thigh forward, between Simon's legs. "Very interested," he repeated, purring. Slowly, he moved forward and, very gently, pressed his lips against Simon's.

Simon jumped and stumbled back. He stared for a moment, flushed and wide-eyed before swearing and stomping into the house.

Damian frowned and sat down on the porch seat. "Well that didn't work out the way I planned," he mumbled.