#oooooooooooohhh

MASS EFFECT

M A S S  E F F E C T 

“You are.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Without a doubt.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“The worst kisser I’ve ever seen.”

“Mmh- hey!”

Octavius laughs and Jedediah whacks him with his hat. Octaviusleans back against his bedroom wall, arms behind his head.

“Well, then, you’re the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had,” Jedpouts.

“I’m the only boyfriendyou’ve ever had,” Octy points out, giving him a look.

“Well, I’m the only boyfriend you’ve ever had,” Jed retorts. Octavius just raises an eyebrow.“Oh,” Jed says, blinking.

“Not everyone waits until they’re in junior year to have agay panic.”

“I didn’t have a gaypanic.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“I had a gay… moment.”

“Well,” Octavius says, leaning over and kissing hisforehead, “even though you’re not my first one, you’re definitely my favoriteboyfriend.”

“You’re dumb.”

Octavius snorts.

o0O0o

“Hey, Jed, scoot over.”

Jed fiddles with his earbud- it’s caught in the string ofhis necklace. He frowns at Teddy, who’s making a vague gesture that could meananything from ‘please move’ to ‘fuck me up the asshole.’

“What?”

“Move,” Teddy repeats. “Scoot over, make room.”

Puzzled- so puzzled that he doesn’t notice Octaviusstiffening beside him- Jed slides his backpack to the left and scoots over-just in time to allow the stranger, helloto sit down at their table, between Jed and Octavius.

He’s taller than Jed, but shorter than the teachers. Hishair is slicked back in a way that should be annoying but somehow manages tolook good, and the navy blue dress shirt he’s wearing just screams “I’m smarterthan you.” Okay, it also sort of screams “I like to suck dick in my sparetime,” but obviously that’s not why it catches Jed’s attention.

The guy grins around at them and god damn it, even his teethare perfect.

“Hi,” the guys says, in the silkiest voice Jed’s ever heard.“My name is Cassius.”

“Hey,” he says, offering his hand. “I’m Jed.”

The others introduce themselves in a circle, and Jed jumpsin before anyone else has the chance.

“So, uh,” he begins, immediately regretting the decision tospeak. “You new?”

“Transfer,” Cassius replies, nodding.

“Please tell me you’re here on a trip,” Octavius says in themust un-Octavius voice Jed’s ever heard. “And not for a semester.”

“Oh, calm down, Octy,” Cassius says, and Jed thinks excuse me?

Octavius huffs and doesn’t reply to that, and suddenlyCassius’s hair looks incredibly slimy. And his shirt really says “punch me inthe face.”

The rest of the table seems to have gotten the message thatsomething’s wrong, because Teddy jumps in to change the subject.

“Where are you from?” he asks, giving a smile that Jed knowsis genuine- Teddy’s like that, always nice even when he doesn’t have to be.

“I was born in America,” Cassius says, shrugging, “but myparents originally lived in Italy. I spent a few years there in school, butFather got a job offer and so we moved back.”

“And you just happened to find out which school I was goingto?” Octavius interrupts, scowling.

“Octy, stop it,” Cassius says, rubbing Octavius’s shoulder.Jed straight up sees red. “I heard this place has a good music program.”

“Sure,” Octavius says, frowning into his lunch bag.

Jed scoots a few more inches away from Cassius as he stabshis fork into his cafeteria pizza.

o0O0o

“So,” he says, pushing the door to his room open andushering Octavius inside, “what was up with Assius?”

“Cassius,” Octavius corrects.

Jed rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” He drops his backpack ontothe ground as Octavius flops onto his bed.

“He’s my, um.” Octavius clears his throat. “Ex-boyfriend.”

Jedediah stares.

“I’m allowed to have ex-boyfriends,” Octavius huffs.

“He seemed like an ass,” Jedediah says, crossing his arms.

“I saw the way you were looking at him.” Octavius shrugs. “Iget it, he’s handsome. Anyway.” He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. As long ashe isn’t looking for trouble, I won’t be, either.”

Jedediah wants to ask about their relationship so badly. He opens his mouth twice,almost says something, almost says the words so why did you, but stops himself.

“Do you want to-” talkabout it? “-watch something? Do… work?”

“It’s not like you have to walk on eggshells, Jed,” Octaviuschides. “I won’t go to pieces if you ask me.”

“But I don’ wanna ask you if you don’ wanna talk.”

“I’d be more than happy to talk,” Octavius assures him. “I’mglad to be rid of him, anyway.”

“Yeah?” Jed flops down on the bed and hikes both of his legsup expectantly, criss cross. Octavius sighs.

“Yes.” Octavius scoots over to allow Jed a little more room.“He’s not the kindest person.”

“With a name like Assius,I ain’t surprised.”

“Cassius.”

“Whatever.”

“Anyway.” Octavius folds his arms. “We used to go to thesame school together. And I… well, I joined the cheerleading squad there aswell.”

Jed snorts. “Hoo, I’d love to see pictures o’ that.”

“That’s just the thing,” Octavius explains. “Much like it isat this school, I was the only boy on the team. So, since they didn’t want toorder a new uniform, I wore a girls’ uniform.”

“Only I bet it don’t look as good as the one you’ve gotnow,” Jed butts in, unable to stop himself. “After all, red’s sorta yourcolor.”

Octy shrugs. “The blue and black might not have done mejustice,” he agrees. “But, in any case. Cassius didn’t exactly… approve.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“The idea of me in a skirt rather… intimidated him.”Octavius shrugs. “There was one day in particular where the team had to wearthe uniform to school- as a sort of message to everyone that we’d be performingthat day.” Jed doesn’t comment when Octavius crosses his legs unconsciously.

“And?” he says, gently.

“And so I wore the uniform.” Octavius shrugs. “And Cassuis,he.” He pauses. “Didn’t like it.”

“What an ass.” Jedediah huffs.

“Yes, well. Later that year, I wore a skirt- it was mymother’s; I stole it from her closet.” Octavius laughs a little at that.

“Bet every guy had his eyes on you,” Jed teases. Octysnorts.

“It didn’t, ah. Go well,” he says, quietly.

“Oh.”

“We had gym together- I had to change into shorts- when Iwasn’t looking, he stole my skirt and, um.” Octavius scratches his chin. “Cutit up. Then soaked it in the toilet.”

“Oh.”

“He told me his friend Nonus had done it- and I believedhim.” Octavius shrugs.

“Octy, that’s…” Jed can’t come up with an adjective that candescribe how awful and stupid and horrible Cassius is, so he just trails off.

“Anyway, when I heard we were going to move, he got upset.And- he told me the truth.”

Octavius brings up his legs to the bed and crosses them,mimicking Jedediah.

“So,” Jed says, carefully, “you… like skirts?”

“I don’t dislike them,” Octavius says. “Obviously I don’twear them around school.”

“Well,” Jed says, reaching for Octy’s hand and hoping thathe’s not crossing some sort of boundary. “Why not?”

Octavius fixes him with a look. “I think I’ve just told youwhy not.”

“Well, Cassius ain’t here- I mean, he is, but not really. He’sa dick.” Damn it, this is all coming out wrong. Sort of like Jed. “I think youshould, um,” he shakes his hands, trying to articulate what it is he’s tryingto say. “I think you should wear them if you want.”

Octavius raises an eyebrow.

“I mean,” Jed says. “I think you look really nice, whateveryou wear. And if anyone gave you a hard time about it, I’d kick their asses.And- and I know the rest of ‘em wouldn’t care- you know, Teddy, Wea, Lance, allof them.”

“That’s very kind of you, Jed,” Octavius starts.

“I’m serious, though,” Jed insists. “Cassius was an asshole,right?”

“Well, sure.” Octavius shrugs. “It’s fine that he’s here, Idon’t really care. I’ve got you now, haven’t I?”

“Course you do.” Jed shrugs. “But I… like you in youruniform.”

“I did notice that,” Octavius teases, “when you were benchedfor a week for dropping the ball.”

“Shut up.”

“I appreciate it, though,” Octavius says, smiling shyly.

“Will you wear a skirt for me?” Jed asks, ignoring anyworries he’d had about crossing lines. “Tomorrow?”

“What?”

“I wanna see- I only get to see you in your uniform, I’mcurious, now.” Jed grins, waggling his eyebrows.

“You’re ridiculous,” Octavius huffs.

“I’m serious.” Jed takes his hand, now, properly. “Will youwear a skirt tomorrow?”

“Jed-”

“For me?”

Octavius sighs. Jedediah sticks out his bottom lip, fixinghim with his best pleeease face.

“Pleeease?”

“Oh my god, fine.”Octavius rolls his eyes. “For you,” he agrees.

Jedediah gasps dramatically, beaming. “You’re the bestboyfriend ever.”

Octavius snorts. “Love you, too.”

He doesn’t seem to expect Jed to say it back- come to thinkof it, Jed doesn’t know if he’s just joking or if he’s actually serious- but itdoesn’t matter, because Octy’s changed the subject to Ms. Orsay’s class and Jedjust nods and smiles, already on cloud nine.

o0O0o

Octavius waltzes into Ms. Orsay’s the next morning in a rubyred skirt that doesn’t quite reach the floor. On his feet is a pair of sandalswith straps that wrap up his ankles, and Jedediah is not imagining what his legs would look like shaved or what his toeswould look like with nail polish on them.

Octy sits down and pulls out his books, fixing Jed with alook that says happy, now?

Jed just grins back.

o0O0o

In the end, Jed doesn’t know whether Lunch ends horribly or amazingly.

“Octy,” Cassiusgreets, and wow, how did Jed not notice how annoying this guy was from the start?“Nice dress.”

It’s not a compliment, and somehow everyone knows that.Teddy in particular, Jed sees, finally gets the vibe that something’s wrongabout Cassius.

“It’s not a dress,” Octavius says, sitting down and notfacing Cassius. “It’s a skirt.”

“Your mother’s skirt, right?” Cassius snorts.

“Yes,” Octavius huffs. “She was nice enough to lend it tome.”

Cassius laughs, a harsh, mean sound that makes Jed’s jawclench and his shoulders tense. From across the table, Lance’s smile falls offhis face.

“Maybe you should be nice enough to give it back,” Cassiussays. Octavius doesn’t say anything, just pulls out a sandwich from his paperbag. “Oh, come on, Octy,” Cassius says, smiling. “You know you look ridiculous.”

Octavius grits his teeth.

“I think he looks fine,” Jed butts in, leaning forward.

“Yes,” Sacagawea adds, seeming to understand exactly what’sgoing on. Good old Wea. “He does. It suits him.”

“All right, all right.” Cassius takes his half empty lunchtray and stands, then winks at Octavius. “Seeyou in gym, Octy.”

And that’s it. That’s all Jed can take.

o0O0o

“You didn’t have to do that,” Octavius says, from the backof Mr. Kahmunrah’s classroom, where they’re both serving detention.

“Course I did,” Jed says, shrugging. The room’s abuzz withchatter from all the other kids- Cassius is sitting in the front, readingquietly.

“This was a bad idea.” Octavius picks at the skirt,uncomfortably. “I should have brought a pair of jeans or something-”

“It was a fine idea.” Jed shakes his head, then winces ashis nose protests the movement. He touches it gently, picks off a few flakes ofdried blood. “Cassius’s just a dick.”

“But I’ve gotten you in detention.”

“Not like I’ve never been here before.” Jed shrugs. “Besides,you’re here with me, too.”

“That’s not really a good thing.”

“Hey, lighten up. Detention’s not so bad, once you get usedto it.”

“Jed, I’m… not going to wear something like this again,” Octaviussays quietly.

“Why not?”

“Because!” Octavius leans back in his chair. “Because ofwhat happened last time and because of what happened this time.”

“Well, do you like it?”

“I feel stupid.”

“But do you like it?”

“Jed-”

“Because I like it-”

“Jedediah, stop it!”

It’s not loud enough to make the rest of the room quiet downand pay them attention, but it’s loud enough that Jed is stunned into silence.He’s crossed a line, now, he knows it- shit, shit, he fucked up, he fucked upso bad, what the hell is he going to-

“Sorry,” Octavius says, but Jed barely hears him. “I’m justgoing to- um.”

Octavius’s seat scoots backwards with a horrible squawk, and Octy takes his stuff andjust leaves. Sits in the second row.

eue mah ni— cool person ouo omg i’m getting TKD lessons for my birthday or something idk

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE

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