Meant to be Broken [boyxboy] [Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter Eighteen

Ives had dinner with Tomi and his parents the following Monday, and after dinner he and Tomi took over the kitchen table to do homework while Tomi's parents went to watch TV. It was the last thing Ives wanted to do with Tomi, but it was better than working alone at home. Or in study hall.

"So," Tomi said quietly, "I had this really crazy idea a couple of nights ago. I don't know if it will work, but I wanted to ask you..."

Ives looked up from his math homework. "I'm listening."

Tomi fiddled with his pencil and took a deep breath. "I want to ask Mom if you can spend the entire week of Spring Break here."

Ives' violet eyes widened. "You think she would let us do that?" he asked, stunned.

"I don't know," Tomi answered with a shrug. "I think she might. If she does, though, we'd have some time together while she and Dad work, but you'd probably be sleeping on the couch."

"I don't have a problem with that," Ives stated. "I would sleep on the floor if I could spend a week with you."

This made Tomi blush and smile. "I'm going to ask. It might take some time, though."

Ives nodded. "I know. If she says no, I'll still come over when I can. And you can come to my house."

Tomi smiled again. "That would be a decent alternative, if we have to take it."

"I will still have practice, though," Ives pointed out.

"I know," Tomi assured him. "I just thought coming back here afterward everyday would be a nice vacation from your house."

"My mom has surprisingly gotten a little better," Ives admitted. "She's drinking less and keeping the place neater than she had been. She talked about trying to quit smoking in a few months, too."

Tomi looked startled, but he grinned. "This is good, though. Any idea why?"

Ives shrugged and thought back to the night he'd found his mother asleep in the living room. "I told her Kylle and I would be screwed if something happened to her."

"Maybe she realized you were right," Tomi suggested.

"I almost don't believe it," Ives went on. "I keep expecting her to go back to her old ways."

Tomi shrugged. "All you can do is wait and see, I guess."

Ives looked across the table to his boyfriend, then got up and leaned across to Tomi. Before Tomi could react, Ives kissed him gently. "Do you realize how much better you make me feel?"

Tomi got up to kiss him back. "I'm glad I do," he replied quietly, kissing him again. "I'm also glad they replaced this ring for you."

Ives had to smile. "Free of charge, once I mentioned that it cut open my boyfriend's lip."

Tomi returned the smile. "How nice of them."

It took Tomi three weeks to convince his parents to let Ives spend Spring Break with them. In the end, Ives wondered if Seth's parents had anything to do with convincing them. It was Ives' seventeenth birthday when he found out, one week before the break officially started.

Tomi came over for dinner – which Lisa Fay was actually cooking in celebration of her son's birthday – and practically tackled Ives when he opened the front door for him. "I have the best birthday present ever for you!" he exclaimed, grinning brighter than Ives would have thought possible.

Only one thing came to his mind at that moment. "They said yes?" he demanded, eyes wide with surprise.

Tomi kept grinning. "Yes!"