Was It Really Worth It? [Closed to First]

[Alfred F Jones]

Ted stared at the door for long minutes after Evan had left through it, then sighed and allowed his head to drop. It hadn’t gone badly exactly, he did feel marginally better he supposed. But the way Evan had spoken didn’t exactly fill him with much confidence. It was the overly formal words and mannerisms that concerned him; he had tried to lay how he felt on the line and explain how it was and Evan just seemed to switch off and not care – although Ted suspected that Evan did care, the way he spoke seemed like more of a shield than anything else. One that Ted had been known to use himself from time to time, but he wished that he’d managed to somehow put it better. They didn’t seem to be at odds anymore, but it seemed that Evan would be keeping his distance from now on. Which wasn’t what Ted had wanted, even if it was for the best. Oh hell, he didn’t know. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting and it hadn’t gone exactly badly. He supposed.

He still felt out of sorts and rather down as he made his own way to school; his mind on Evan – what if he’d asked Evan to wait a few months, like Cody was doing for Randy? Judging by the reaction he’d gotten, he was pretty sure that Evan would have politely brushed him off and that realisation made him suddenly glad he hadn’t put himself on the line that much – he’d have ended up looking a bit of a tit and making things more awkward for both of them. He managed to pick himself up a bit when he got into school – he hadn’t been lying when he said he’d always wanted to teach and wanted to make a real go of his career – and was in a far more mellow mood than he’d been the previous day. He was almost able to take his mind off Evan several times that day. He got a text just before his third lesson from Randy, asking if he could find five minutes to grab something to each. Ted got back to say that he was going to spend most of his break in his office, as he tended to do in case there was some student who wished to ask him questions or needed help with work (and didn’t that take him back to a lunch break spent with Evan) but Randy could drop in on him there.

When Randy arrived at his room at lunchtime, Ted had already retrieved his lunch from his desk and was giving his pasta salad a rather doleful look; why was it that when he really wanted a pizza there was only salad on offer? Randy slammed the door behind him, making Ted jump, then parked himself on the man’s desk asking how things had gone with the call. Ted wasn’t surprised that Randy knew, presumably Cody had mentioned it and Evan would have told him – he rather wished he knew just what had been said though, so he could tailor his response.

“I spoke to Evan about a few things, cleared the air between us.” Ted poked listlessly at a tomato, then glanced up at Randy as if that was the answer to everything he wanted to know, although he knew it wasn’t. Randy stared at him with an eyebrow raised and Ted shrugged, still considering the tomato. “What’s to say? We got things cleared up, things are just fine between us – but there’s no arrangement, if that’s what you’re thinking. No waiting. I think I managed to restore Evan’s ego, undo the damage I did there, but probably we’ll keep a little more distance from now on. So that’s good, right? Temptation out of the way.”

~:~

After the conversation and teasing with Cody that morning (not to mention the kiss, he couldn’t forget that and didn’t for the rest of the morning), Randy had been hoping that his best friend had some kind of good news going on for him as well. Only Ted had acted like – well, like Ted. Always so afraid of making a mis-step in an unknown situation, Ted had played it cautiously when he should be throwing caution to the wind. Which was all very well for him to think, he had been going through much of the same when he and Cody had been dancing around each other; although he and Cody had very different attitudes and behaviours to Evan and Ted and had reacted completely differently to the same situation.

“Are you going to be okay with that?” he asked, reaching out to snag one of the tomatoes that Ted seemed to be only considering eating. Ted gave him a carefully blank look. “Of course. Why?” Randy ate the tomato, thinking before he replied. “Because you two seem to have been trying really hard to pretend there’s nothing there when there clearly is. And you don’t even have some date in the future to look forward to like we do, when you know all the bullshit’s gonna be behind you and you can just get on with it.” Ted frowned a moment. “We hardly need it. If there’s anything that’s going to happen, then we’ll still be able to make up our minds once he’s graduated, without the pressure of having some expectation building up.”

Randy rolled his eyes. “Dammit Ted, you make it sound like you have a social life – you don’t. Not a romantic one anyway. What you seem to mean is that Evan might be missing out on a string of potential dates by hanging on for you and that’s not true either. I’ve known that boy a couple of years and he isn’t that type, you know that too. But if that’s your final decision, and his, then I hope that goes well for you.” As he had suspected might be the case, Ted rapidly changed the subject and the two of them chatted about very little for a while before Randy mentioned that he was having Cody over that night to watch a film and eat some takeout.

Ted grinned, rather wanly Randy thought, probably thinking that could be him in that position had he managed to get the guts to genuinely speak his mind instead of going in with too much caution. “Have fun,” he said genially. “And be careful. It only takes a whiff of suspicion for everything you’re waiting for to be brought down.” He wasn’t warning Randy about the sex part, since he knew Randy was smart enough to work that out for himself, but if anyone realised just how close Cody and Randy were then it might not take an actual relationship for Randy’s career to be ruined by scandal and gossip. “And for gods sake, watch something without a sex scene!” Randy pretended to look affronted but wasn’t having much success in hiding his grin, reminding Ted about football that night and then taking his leave. He couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to having a real, actual date with Cody, even though he was going to keep it entirely innocent. He hoped

[Alfred F Jones]

In class Evan only responded when called upon, not wanting to draw Ted's focus anymore than necessary-- and finding it hard enough to manage given that it wasn't as though he couldn't block Ted out completely considering that the man was his teacher. There was a tentative smile offered between them when he had offered a correct answer, but then the moment had passed and Ted was moving on to the next person. Cody was looking at the clock beside him and Evan mentally sighed; football was going to be a nightmare because he was going to have to make sure that Cody behaved himself around their coach and also because he'd be seeing Ted in that snug fitting top and those shorts again. And he needed to stop that train of thought otherwise he was going to go crazy as well as make a spectacle of himself in the middle of the classroom. He was both relieved and disappointed when the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, everyone beginning to pack away.

Evan noticed that Cody was sending Ted looks as the room cleared, warning looks and Evan was quick to kick the other sharply in the back of the leg to make him stop. Cody yipped, leg buckling and shooting Evan a dirty look for what he had done, unsure why the other was defending the man after he had rejected him. Not looking to see whether Ted had taken notice of what had transpired Evan grabbed his bag and made his way out of the classroom, Cody having no choice but to head on out after the other. Lessons seemed to pass by in an uninterested blurr for Evan, the ravenette barely remembering what notes he had written when he read them back to himself just before school ended. Meeting up with Cody at the gym to get changed, Evan greeted other members of the team lightly before setting his thighs down and getting changed; soon they would be getting their official team uniforms and Evan knew that Cody was giddy at the prospect... or maybe he was just giddy to consider the prospect of teasing Randy with the somewhat indecently tight trousers that football players wore.

They trooped out onto the field, Randy and Ted already there, Randy beginning to set them off on warm-up exercises; what Randy eventually ended up putting the team through made their trials look like a walk in the park. It was darkening a little by the time they finished, Randy actually seeming somewhat satisfied with what they had done; the man was usually so hard to please though, expression-wise, that you may underestimate just exactly how he was feeling. They were all soon dismissed to shower and change, Evan amongst one of the first to go in as Cody lingered.

In the locker-room he showered as quickly and thoroughly as he could, changing into his street-clothing and bidding Cody goodbye when the other appeared. The other caught his wrist, concern on his face as he asked Evan if he'd be alright. Evan responded with a carefully neutral look and a nod, excusing himself to head out to the car-park. Driving himself home he was surprised to find a car in the drive; it seemed that his mother had finished her shoot on time and Evan braced himself mentally and emotionally as he let himself into the house, his mother immediately teetering out to meet him at the door, kissing him on both cheeks.

~:~

Cody sighed heavily as he watched Evan walking away; he swore that he was going to give Mr DiBiase a piece of his mind about he stupid he thought the elder man was being concerning Evan; he'd be lucky, privileged to be with Evan. However, if his friend was going to continue playing oblivious then he himself would have no choice but to just keep out of it. Sending Randy a text he said that he'd be along to the other's house once he had nipped home; he knew Evan wouldn't mind Cody using him as his excuse since Cody was hardly going to admit to his parents that he was at his teacher's house... Although if it was coach Orton he doubted his parents would find anything odd about it, let alone to suss out the truth.

Showering and dressing once he had received Randy's response that that was no problem, Cody then made his way out to his car and drove home. He text Evan as he parked up, pleading with the other to cover for him on the off-chance should he need it, before then exiting his car and locking it up behind him. Entering his house he then claimed Evan was going to be home alone again and was it Ok if he go back around? Of course it was, and Cody felt a little guilty for lying, but he knew that it was the only way. He told his parents that he didn't think he'd be staying overnight (though chance'd be a fine thing!) but that he would call and let them both know if that was the case. He was waylaid upon his return from unpacking his sports kit when his father began asking him how practice had gone that evening.

Pulling on a jacket, Cody then kissed his mother's cheek and gave his father a hug before then exiting the house once more and making his way to his car. He was admittedly really looking forward to spending time with Randy even if the other didn't so much as kiss him... though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't hoping for at least a little kiss. When he pulled up outside of his boyfriend's home (and he assumed he was allowed to refer to Randy as such) Cody checked his appearance in his rear-view mirror before then exiting the car and locking up behind him. He could see Randy's car in the drive so knew that the other was back by then.

A few minutes after he had knocked the door opened, Cody grinning as he stepped indoors. "Hey there," he greeted, hoping he seemed casual and collected; he had to at least try to make himself not seem like a collossal geek before Randy since the other man was just so amazing and cool and all. Removing his shoes at Randy's direction Cody then moved into the living-room when he was indicated to do so and settled down on the couch, deliberately settling on the bigger couch in the hopes that Randy would sit beside him. Thanking his lover for the drink he was handed after a few moments Cody then accepted the takeout menu that he had been handed; there was something really thrilling about being told he could indulge himself on 'bad food' by the one man who he would have thought was dead-set against such things, and it didn't take him long to choose what he wanted. Randy ordered their food and then stood up, moving towards his TV as he asked Cody what he wanted to watch, Cody responding honestly with a, "I don't mind."