:EnGarde- Ch 5:

EnGarde

Chapter 5

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"A baseball game? Why would I go to a baseball game? I don't watch baseball… I don't know anything about it." Caleb complained to himself. "Why did I say yes? Alec and I don't have anything in common. I know it won't work out between us. I don't even know if I... go… that way. But I promised him a chance—"

Without warning, Caleb felt his legs suddenly get caught and he fell forward over a low coffee table, his shins throbbing.

"AH FUCK IT ALL!" He shouted, kicking the table and then cradling his now sore toes. His head shot up when he heard the doorbell ring. His heart immediately beat faster as he made his way to the front door.

"I got it Ed!" He shouted before grabbing the handle and pulling it open, revealing Alec wearing a jersey and dark skinny jeans, his baseball cap shrouding his hazel eyes in shadow.

"Hey!" He said, excitedly, waving a little flag. "You ready to go?"

"Hold on a sec," He said, bitterly, slamming the door shut and running up the stairs to his bedroom, searching for a pair of sneakers.

---

Alec stood on the porch, tapping his foot on the cement, letting his eyes wander. The door opened once again, exposing an older man dressed in a tux. Alec smiled warmly and lifted his hand in a small greeting.

"Oh, hi, uh… are you Caleb's dad?"

"No, sir," He said in an archaic voice. "I am Master Caleb's butler, Edgar Ané. But please, call me Ed."

"Nice to meet you, Ed. I'm Alec, Caleb's date!"

"Oh," He said with confusion. "I didn't realize… um… what happened to Haley, Mr. Alec?"

"She cheated on him… a lot."

"I see," He bowed. "But excuse me, sir. I must go finish my tasks. Please, make yourself at home, Mr. Alec."

The hazel-eyed boy walked into the house, his eyes widening in bewilderment. Caleb's house was gigantic, with fancy flooring and ornate vases. The floor was polished hard wood and the staircase off to the side had a thick, luscious, red carpet traveling up the steps. It was all so lavish that when Caleb came down the stairs in jeans and a t-shirt, he looked out of place in his own home.

Alec smiled widely at Caleb as he met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm leaving, Ed! Have a nice night!"

"Same goes to you, Master Caleb. Stay out of trouble." The old man responded.

Caleb grabbed Alec's wrist and dragged him back out the door, shutting it quickly.

"Whoa… I knew you were rich… but not… this rich," Alec breathed, staring at Caleb in astonishment.

"My parents are well off. Now let's go."

He seems aggravated, Alec thought to himself. Maybe I should try to cheer him up.

"Hey, Caleb!" He yelled, posing awkwardly on the path from the front door to the driveway. Caleb turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you think of my outfit?" He asked, attempting to fling the bill of his hat the side, but failing. Caleb blushed slightly and looked away.

"It's… cute," He whispered, under his breath. Alec grinned, walking forward.

"I'm sorry, what was that? You're gonna have to speak up."

"Nothing."

"It didn't sound like 'nothing.'"

Caleb glared at him on the other side of the car. He looked up and stuck out his tongue, sliding in and closing the door. Alec smirked and got into the driver's seat beside him, turning the key, the engine revving to life.

"I know what you said," He teased as he backed out of the drive.

Caleb's face burned and he stared out the window, feeling flustered but a smile on his face nonetheless.

---

Alec parked the car and led Caleb through the parking lot to the entrance. They handed the ushers their tickets and ventured through the gate into the mass of people surrounding the variety of concession stands behind the grand stands. As they walked through the crowd, Caleb constantly collided with other people as he marveled at the whole place, his eyes not looking ahead and his shoulders taking a beating.

"Watch where you're going!" Alec shouted yanking him out of the way of a crowd of large men.

"Oh, uh," Caleb stammered, tripping over his feet. "Sorry."

Alec laughed at him and released his hand.

"Just be careful. The people here can be rude and you're the one who has to get out of their way."

The brunette followed Alec through the entrance to the stadium and climbed the stairs to their seats.

"Here we are," The golden-haired teen stated, taking a seat in the stands. Caleb sat next to him and Alec slid his arm around the brown-eyed boy's shoulders. His cheeks flushed and Caleb looked away, his eyes settling on two girls staring back at him. He raised an eyebrow as they gawked at him and suddenly turned around, giggling crazily.

He awkwardly pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned into Alec, resting his head on his shoulder.

"So…. What are those… pillow things in the ground," Caleb asked, pointing toward the field. Alec laughed and stared at him in disbelief.

"You seriously don't know what those are?"

"Marshmallows?"

"They're bases. The things the runners have to touch to be safe."

"Runners?"

"The person who hits the ball has to run from base to base. If they make it to home plate, the little house looking base in the corner over there, without getting out, then they score a point."

"What do they hit the ball with?"

"A bat. A long wooden stick… you'll see."

Caleb furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the field.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why is it called baseball if—"

Alec put a finger to Caleb's mouth and exhaled slowly.

"Just watch and you might understand."

He nodded as Alec pulled his hand away and Caleb let his head fall back against him. They sat there for a few moments in silence. The brunette glanced up at him then back at the field, pursing his lips in perplexity.

"But I still don't—"

"Caleb. Sh! Just watch."

They played the Anthem and the game started, Caleb trying to resist the urge to ask questions every two seconds.

After the 5th inning, Alec stood up and stretched looking down at his date. The blonde grabbed his sweatshirt and began to pull it on only to have it get stuck as he tried to tug it over his hat.

"Uh, Caleb?" He mumbled, his voice muffled behind the clothing. "Little help?"

Caleb rolled his eyes and stood up, his gaze lingering on the two girls that had been watching them before and then focused on Alec. He gripped the sweatshirt firmly and pulled it down over the golden-haired teen's head. The brunette froze as he stared into Alec's hazel eyes. Alec smiled and leaned forward, kissing him square on the lips. Caleb's eyes widened in shock and he quickly moved back, sitting back down in his seat, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"D- Don't do that in public," He muttered, nervously. Caleb abruptly heard loud giggles and looked over, noticing the same girls leaning forward in their seats, covering their mouths with their hands, their faces as red as tomatoes. He blushed massively as the red-headed girl stood up and started walking up toward them.

"U- Um, hi," She stammered, shyly, staring at the ground. Caleb tilted his head and smiled a bit at her nervousness.

"Hi there," He said, making Alec lean forward in his seat to see who was talking to them.

"I- I just wanted to say… y- you guys make a really cute couple!"

Alec snickered as Caleb's eyes flew to the ground, his heart skipping a beat.

"C- Couple… no," He said, shaking his hands innocently. "We're not—"

"Thanks!" Alec interrupted, smiling happily, wrapping his hands around Caleb as the ginger squealed and ran back to her friend. Caleb stared at Alec in confusion.

"But Alec… we aren't… y'know…"

"Together? I know… not yet."

Caleb glued his eyes to his hands, his palms sweaty with uneasiness.

"I don't know how I feel about… anything yet."

"If you weren't gay, you wouldn't have let me kiss you."

"I- I didn't let—"

"Three times in fact."

Caleb sealed his mouth shut and glared at Alec before returning his attention to the baseball game.

What does he know? The brunette thought to himself. Stupid.

"You want to get some ice cream?" Alec asked, standing back up. Caleb smiled, his eyes brightening.

"Yes! Anything to get out of this chair! It's numbing my ass."

"Well… when we get back, you can sit on my lap if you want. It might be more comfortable for your... ass."

He winked and walked past Caleb who reddened, following Alec with hesitance. Once they reached the bottom of the steps, Alec grabbed Caleb's hand, interlocking his fingers with the brunette's. Caleb's heart began racing full speed and he looked over at Alec, his eyes amplifying in realization.

"Y- Y'know," He whispered as Alec turned his head toward the brunette. "Maybe I… I do like you."

Alec smiled widely and walked over to an ice cream stand, ordering two bowls of chocolate Dippin' Dots. Caleb reached for his bowl excitedly and stared at it in awe.

"Whoa," He breathed, in fascination. "These are neat. But it's like overflowing!"

"Here," Alec said, leaning forward. "I'll help you with that."

He leaned over and licked some of the contents from the bowl, smacking his lips happily at Caleb. The brunette's face flushed insanely and he immediately turned and walked the other way, right into the bathroom. He leaned against the wall by the sinks and glared at the ground, his ice cream still in his hand.

"Stupid Alec," He mumbled before looking up and noticing a bunch of women staring at him. His eyes widened in awareness and he laughed nervously, putting his hands up.

"D- Don't worry," He announced, walking through the bathroom to the door on the other side. "I'm gay!"

The women laughed and nodded as Caleb walked backwards out of the bathroom to see Alec watching him, a smirk on his bemused face.

"Oh, are you now?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," He mumbled, stomping past the amused blonde.

Alec smiled to himself and began to follow after Caleb, laughing softly. A hand gripped Alec's wrist, suddenly pulling him back, causing the Dippin' Dots to topple out of his hand, the little balls of ice cream spilling around his feet as the bowl crashed to the floor. He looked up at a man, his face a mask of surprise.

"Who are you?" He asked, making Caleb aware of Alec's sudden disappearance and he spun around to see an older man with a receding hairline and a scruffy, short beard. He was wearing a baseball shirt and in his free hand was a mostly empty bottle of beer, which explained the slight sway in his posture. Alec tried to pull his arm away but only managed to make the man tighten his grip.

"I can be the man rocking your world tonight, babe." His words slurred and he chuckled slightly, leaning in close to Alec.

"W- What?!" The hazel-eyed boy stammered, shocked.

"Um, dude," Caleb said, walking toward them. "let him go."

"Excuse me?" He asked, smirking and pulling Alec toward him. The drunk stood up straighter in an attempt to lessen the distance between him and Caleb's height.

"I said let him go," Caleb hissed, grabbing the drunk's wrist, the same one connected to the hand gripping Alec. He tightened his hold on the man, squeezing his arm until he pulled away, the flesh red and bruising where Caleb's fingers had lain.

"What the hell, man?" The guy breathed in pain, turning to Alec. "You really prefer this guy? He'd leave you black 'n' blue in the morning."

"It's better than waking up next to you!" Alec retorted.

The drunk scoffed and turned, staggering away as he rubbed his wrist. Alec turned to Caleb and grinned, clasping his hands together and lifting his leg, theatrically.

"Oh gee, thanks for rescuing me you big, strong, sword fighter," He said in a dramatic voice with a fake, gay lisp. "You saved my virginity!"

"Shut up," Caleb demanded, turning and walking away.

Alec smiled inwardly and ran up behind him, wrapping his arms around his neck and pushing himself up into the air, planting a kiss on the brunette's cheek. His sudden weight knocked Caleb off balance and he staggered to the side, in an attempt remain upright, dropping his ice cream in the process. Caleb stood there, staring at the scattered dots, his lips pursed in disappointment.

"Aw," He whined. "I didn't even get to take a bite yet!"

Alec laughed and snuggled into Caleb's neck, balancing precariously on his toes, and kissed him again. He smiled widely and chuckled.

"Then I guess we'll just have to buy another one."