A New Start? [M] { Midori-hime && lobo }

[lobo]

Not wanting leave Aiden's side, Jasper was relieved that the other boy offered to join him in going to the kitchen for some drinks. His muscles were able to loosen from their tensed state as they entered the less crowded room, and the college boy released Aiden's hand in order to grab a solo cup full of the punch. Hoping the liquid courage would help ease his nerves a bit more, he sipped from the cup as he heard the other boy speak up. "We could dance! Our first date involved a pretty steamy dance session, remember?" he chirped, feeling a grin curl onto his lips at the memory. It felt like such a long time ago that they had their first sorta-date, and things had seemed to be smooth sailing since.

As he was taking another sip from the red solo cup, Jasper noticed the girl from his art class enter the kitchen and the shy boy didn't speak a greeting...until she spoke first. His eyes brightened as he was recognized, and he gave a vigorous nod to confirm she had his name correct. "Ah, him? This...- This is my boyfriend, Aiden," Jasper tripped up on his words at first, not used to calling Aiden that out loud to another person. However, the college boy reached out to grab Aiden's hand for emphasis, a smile still curled on his lips. "I...feel really bad, since you remember my name but, um, can you remind me yours again?" the timid boy added after a moment, feeling a bit of a blush start to form on his cheeks. He was never good at memorizing the names of people, but he was determined to keep hers in mind now.

He could still feel his heart beating a bit faster from using the "b" word to describe Aiden, but a part of him somehow knew that this girl wasn't going to mind. Even if he couldn't remember her name, he could remember that she was more kind than most people he met. "So, how long have you been here? There seems to be a lot of people," he piped up again after a moment, not wanting to allow awkward silences to linger. He was excited to get to have a conversation with someone relatively new as well, since he did enjoy the company of others despite his limited number of close friends.

[Midori-Hime]

Hearing Jasper introduce him to a stranger as his 'boyfriend' for the first time brought a smile to his face and he gave the boy's hand a gentle squeeze. Emma smiled at them both and then nodded. "Nice to meet you." She said to Aiden and then blinked as Jasper stammered out an apology. "Oh, I'm Emma. No worries, most people aren't. And we've never really talked officially." She said. "You usually sit off on your own." She commented then. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course." Emma quickly added.

Seemingly eager to change the subject, she glanced out into the living room. "So, you guys into this 'college party' scene?" She asked, taking a sip from her drink. "My friend dragged me here. It's not really my thing... but it's alright." She smiled at them then.

Aiden only smiled in response, giving Jasper th chance to make conversation with his classmate. He needed some friends, Aiden realized, and this girl seemed open and friendly. After all, he didn't really want Jasper getting too mixed up with his circle of friends. Sure, the gang was alright, but even then he didn't want Jasper getting too involved with that part of his life. It was just one more thing that made him feel inadequate as Jasper's partner.

[lobo]

Seeing Emma’s smile caused some of the tension in Jasper’s shoulders to ease, and his own bright smile spread across his lips as well. It didn’t even fade as the kind girl brought up his rather unsocial behaviors in class, and he even felt a soft laugh bubble up from his chest to help show the girl he didn’t mind. “I’m not the best at being social... But I’m working on getting there,” he chirped, motioning towards the party to emphasize his point. The Jasper from before meeting Aiden would never have even considered coming to a place like this. However, the other boy had helped patch up Jasper’s confidence enough that he was willing to try new things, and to meet new people. Something he didn’t think he ever could’ve done without Aiden.

As he then heard Emma ask a question, his gaze drifted off towards the more heavily populated section of the house, and another little chuckle left his lips. “Not so much, honestly... But I dragged him here just so we could both see what it was like,” Jasper admitted, giving Aiden’s hand a soft squeeze “I was a little hesitant at first, and I think Aiden was too, but now I’m glad we came. It’s really nice to truly get to meet you,” the college boy added, smiling in Emma’s direction before peeking up at Aiden.

He wanted to bring the other boy into the conversation somehow, but he could tell Aiden was giving him the chance to open up a bit and hopefully make a friend. “Have you been to parties like this before?” Jasper asked the girl as he returned his gaze to her, his head tilting to the side curiously. “We could also all go dance... Since that seems to be what most are doing,” he added, not wanting to force them all to stay in the kitchen.

[Midori-Hime]

Emma blinked and grinned at Jasper's kind words. "Ohh~ Well aren't you sweet." She said and chuckled softly. "Eh, just a few." She said with a shrug to answer his question. "Like I said, it's not really my scene. But I'm having a good time now." She said, taking a sip of her drink before breaking out into a wider grin. "Alright, sure!" She said, throwing a wink at Aiden before linking her arm in Jasper's a playfully dragging him into the living room that had been rearranged to make room for dancing.

Aiden blinked but then immediately broke out into a laugh, quickly following them into the other room. Emma didn't hog him for long however, breaking away once they were among the crowd to start dancing. Aiden came up behind Jasper, lightly holding his hips to move along with the beat of the music. He smirked, leaning in to the boy's ear. "I like her..." He murmured, before planting a discreet kiss on his neck. The energy of the others was a bit contagious, especially Emma, who was also joined by another friend of hers. She shouted to the other girl who was dressed like a sexy angel, introducing them all to her friend Nicole.

[lobo]

Jasper couldn't help but laugh softly at Emma's compliment, feeling his cheeks warm slightly in response to it. However, his suggestion to dance seemed to be the right one, and another bubble of laughter escaped his lips as he was being dragged to the dance floor. His grip on Aiden had been lost, but he reached out to wave the boy to follow as he was taken to the designated dancing area. He smiled brightly at Emma as the girl eventually released him from her grasp, and before he could look back to see if Aiden had followed, he felt a pair of hands press to his waist. He immediately melted back against the boy, knowing the familiar touch without having to look back.

He slowly started to move along with the music, feeling a smile curl onto his lips as he felt Aiden's lips next to his ear. "I do, too. She's very nice," he chirped, speaking up a bit so that the other could hear him. As they danced, he lifted a hand and reached back, placing it gently against the back of Aiden's neck as his body moved against the other's. "Remember the last time we did something like this?" he tipped his head back a bit in order to ask over the music, remembering their first date and the dance at the club. They had been through so much since then, and the memory alone brought a smile to Jasper's lips.

He then faintly heard Emma's voice over the music, and his thoughts were pulled from his memories and back to the present. He immediately smiled at the new girl, waving his free hand in her direction. "It's nice to meet you, Nicole!" he called over the music, deciding at that moment that he was truly having a good time.

[Midori-Hime]

Aiden's eyes widened slightly feeling Jasper's hand hold the back of his neck, surprised by his boldness but also thrilled by it. And as those fingers weaved through his messy hair, he hummed in pleasure and let his eyes close, getting lost for the moment in the movement of Jasper's body.

His lips then pulled up in a sly smile at the memory. "How could I forget..." He replied, speaking lowly into his ear before planting a subtle kiss against his neck. He then peeked up as Emma introduced them to the friend that had likely dragged her here. He lifted his head and nodded to greet the other girl. More and more Jasper seemed to become more comfortable with the girls, Emma continuing to chat through their dancing, and in turn so did he.

It was important to him that Jasper had a good time and made some friends that were much needed. As much as he wanted to have the boy all to himself, he felt it would benefit him to have others that he could get close to. After some dancing, they would take a break, finding a couch to sit on. "Do you want anything more to drink, or snacks?" Emma asked them. Aiden smiled, tilting his head at Jasper. "I'm good... Do you want something?"

[lobo]

Jasper allowed his eyes to sink closed as he felt Aiden’s lips press against the skin on his neck, humming a pleased sound at the gentle touch. He let his fingers curl gently in the other boy’s hair, completely relaxed against him as they danced together. He did open his eyes in order to continue the conversations with Nicole and Emma, enjoying the company of the two girls even while dancing with the boy he loved. Although he had tried to be optimistic, a part of him had been worried about coming to the party. But after meeting Emma and doing something that helped him relax, he was truly glad that they came.

Surprised to find an empty couch, Jasper collpased onto it as they decided to take a break from dancing. He pressed himself close to Aiden’s side, not to rub their relationship in anyone’s face, but just to be close to the other. “Oooh~ What kind of snacks are there?” he asked, tilting his head curiously. Rather than wait for a response, he patted Aiden’s leg gently before hopping to his feet. “I’m going to go check, actually. If I see something you like, I’ll grab it for you,” he decided, smiling brightly at the other.

He then motioned for Emma to follow, wanting her company as he went to search the kitchen. “Do you know if they have anything good?” he asked, going straight for the section of the kitchen with all of the snacks. He was too distracted by his haste to realize that there was a small group of guys exiting the kitchen the same moment he was entering, causing him to collide into the first guy. “Oh! E-Excuse me, I’m sorry,” he quickly sputtered out, not realizing he was about to face one of his biggest nightmares.

[Midori-Hime]

Aiden smirked at the boy's enthusiasm for snacks and gave his ass a quick swat as he walked past to visit the kitchen. "'Kay, don't take long." He called back before continuing the conversation with Emma's friend.

Emma followed after Jasper with an amused grin. She thought they made a cute couple and she'd never seen Jasper so open and relaxed before. "No clue, let's go check it out." She said, following close behind. She halted quickly as he ran into another guy, before doging around them into the kitchen quickly.

The guy he ran into was Chris, the one who had invited him in the first place. "Hey~ Jasper. Glad you could make it." He grinned, and Emma wandered over to the kitchen island, letting Jasper chat with who she assumed was his friend. "So, that guy you were dancing with... He your, uh, boyfriend?" He asked then, the other two guys watching with an amused look on thier faces. Once it was confirmed, Chris quickly glanced back to the one guy, smirking. "Nick, you owe me 10 bucks." And the three of them laughed. "Sorry, we had a bet... Though, I gotta say Jasper, I'm kind of impressed. I didn't think you had it in you, taking it in the ass from a guy like that." Slowly his friendly smile twisted into a smug grin.

"You think he's the bottom?" The third guy chimed in. "I mean, isn't it fucking obvious?" Nick slurred. All of them were obviously three sheets to the wind. Chris laughed at them before looking down at Jasper. Emma quickly stepped over then. "Hey man, lay off him!"

Chris looked to her with a raised brow before chuckling. "Oh please, Emma. You know you're only hanging out with him because you feel sorry for him."

"No, I don't pity him. I pity you" She spat before moving past him to take Jasper's hand. "Oh, ho ho!" The guys snickered at her retort. Which caught Aiden's attention from the living room. Seeing Jasper cornered by the three guys, he was immediately on his feet, heading over. "Hey man, what's going on?" He asked warily, putting a hand on Jasper's shoulder, studying the boy's expression.

[lobo]

When Jasper heard the voice of the person he bumped into, he could feel his shoulders relax and a little smile appeared on his lips. “Oh, hey Chris! Your party is really wild,” he chirped, doing his best to converse with the guy he had only spoke to a handful of times. His awkward side was beginning to break through the shell of comfort that had been built up since arriving at the party, but he wanted to try to continue the trend of making friends. As he heard the boy’s question, his gaze moved back towards the living room so he could look back at Aiden. His smile grew a bit wider, not picking up on the true meaning behind the question. “Yeah... That’s my boyfriend,” he confirmed, feeling pride swell in his chest.

However, the feeling didn’t last long, as Chris’s words took a moment to register in Jasper’s mind. When they did, the boy looked to Chris again, his eyesbrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m...I’m sorry?” he murmured, wondering if he had missed out on a joke when the three other guys started to laugh. He quickly understood what was going on when Chris continued though, feeling a stab of pain in his gut. “What?” the words left him much softer than he had meant, wishing he could feel something other than...guilt, was it?

He hardly had time to react to the situation when he heard Emma’s voice, wondering briefly why the girl was even standing up for him. Were the guys wrong? It wasn’t like that had said anything untruthful. But...why did he feel tears burning his eyes? “I don’t appreciate you talking to my friend like that,” he finally managed to speak, not realizing that he was standing up for Emma rather than himself. Then, he felt another presence at his side, and the hand on his shoulder seemed to add to the weight in his chest. More tears started to form, but he refused to let them spill.

“N-nothing, Aiden... We can...- How about we go?” Jasper tripped on his words, fumbling for Aiden’s hand to try to escape before the situation could get ugly. He didn’t even get a chance to take hold of the other’s hand before another stab hit his gut. “Oh? I think maybe we were too hard on him, guys. I see a few tears in his eyes,” one of the guys cackled, taking a step closer to lean down more eye-level with Jasper. “So maybe they aren’t gay... He’s actually the pussy in the relationship!” another of the guys chimed in, as if Aiden wasn’t standing right there.

“This...This really isn’t funny, guys. I know you’re trying to j-joke around but...but I don’t think it’s funny,” Jasper tripped on his words again, feeling his voice break as his throat seemed to tighten. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally began to slide down his cheeks, but his hands were curled into fists at his sides. He was angry... so angry. But what was he supposed to do? He could only hope that Aiden would take his hand and pull him to safety.

[Midori-Hime]

Aiden glanced to Jasper, knowing something was wrong when Jasper suddenly seemed so desperate to leave. At the guy's mocking comment, Aiden's eyes widened, seeing that Jasper was indeed near tears. Something flashed in his eyes then as the boy dared to lean in closer to his boyfriend. Immediately his hand shot out, shoving the guy back. "Back the fuck off..." He snarled, finally understanding just what was going on now.

"Yo! What the fuck?! You two fags can't take a simple joke?" Chris spoke up, immediately getting defensive after the push. Aiden would take Jasper's arm, pulling him back as he stepped foward, putting himself in between then. "Emma... " He said then, glancing a hard look her way. "Could you... please." His voice softened briefly as he spoke to her and she seemed to get the message. "Yeah, come on Jasper..." She muttered, gently trying to lead him out of the kitchen, at least into the hall.

By now others were starting to gather, curiously eavesdropping on the situation. "I'm sorry, did we make your bitch cry? What do you think you're going to do? Think you can take on a real man?" They laughed together, and suddenly Aiden joined in. Before his fist connected with Chris' jaw with a beautiful right hook. He clearly never saw it coming as it knocked him to the floor. The crowd that was forming now shouted, some in horror, some in amazement, and other's in excitement. After the initial shock, Chris started to get up from the floor, bleeding from his mouth, while his friends immediately went for Aiden.

Immediately the crowd started chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" And now even more people were trying to see what was going on. Emma fought past them, trying to keep Jasper out of the brawl. The two grabbed Aiden from behind, trying to restrain his arms while Chris got up to get his revenge. Aiden took a punch to the face and one to the stomach, making him double over. But he took advantage of the momentum and flung his head back, crashing his skull into the one guys face. "Ah! Fuck!" He immediately released Aiden, which allowed him to swing an elbow into the other boy's solar plexus, sending him to his knees. Now that he was free from their hold, he came after Chris, the two of them grabbing and swinging at each other. Some of the other party goers were now trying to break them up, while others continued to cheer them on.