The Art of Seduction

"Reuben Magnus Hughes!"

"Ho-shit"

Clear blue eyes fell onto the closed door way - the only barrier between him and the one calling out his name. What made it all the more interesting was the fact that dear old Dad wasn't due to be in the house for a few more hours. Obviously, fate felt like playing with him, and Reuben's father had come home early, and by the sounds of things, he had a bone to pick with his son.

"What's going on?" asked the male sitting on Roo's bed with him, his school tie loose around his neck and his shirt open down to the last button.

Reuben flashed the other male a cheeky grin and flew up from the bed, back colliding with the door. "Remember what I said about my Dad not being home for a while?"

The male nodded, elegantly arching a brow in curiosity. "You mean he's home early?" Swallowing the lump in his throat, the teen swung his legs over the edge of the bed, unsure of just what to do. "What's he doing here?"

"Well, he does live here," Roo replied sarcastically. "I guess he just dumped all that work he said he needed to do on Dave," the male assumed, leaning his ear against the door, trying to listen for the sound of his father's footsteps getting ever closer. "Don't know why I got the full name though, I am allowed to be at home for weekends."

There was a tap on the door from the outside, and the sound of someone clearing their throat. "What's this I hear about you breaking someone's son?"

Through the corner of his eye, Ben caught the male on his bed blush slightly and look down at the floor. "You didn't tell your parents?" he asked in a light whisper, hoping his father on the other side of the door couldn't hear him.

The teen shook his head. "I thought they didn't know," he replied, more mouthing the words rather than speaking them aloud.

"I haven't broken anyone," he called back to his father. "How do they know it was me anyway?"

"What are you doing in there?"

"Masturbating."

"Reuben..." Al growled, obviously irritated by his son's antics, and the fact that a woman came up to him on school campus and literally yelled at him for allowing his son to 'break' her son. According to her opinion, Alastar should have taken more care of his son, and not allowed the boy to spin out of control, and that as a teacher he was setting a horrible example to his students. Al had every reason to be angry right now. The woman hadn't specified how his son had 'broken' her's, but Al was assuming Roo had used that temper of his and punched the poor kid in the face or something. "Let me in."

Shooting a scared look to the boy on his bed, he made hand motions for the other seventeen year old to get and hide somewhere. Opting for the closet, Roo rushed from the bedroom door to standing before his closet. Eyes fell to the spot where he'd previously been, now filled with the form of his father. Sheepish grin spread onto his features, hoping that his father wouldn't be too mad at him for keeping him outside for so long. "Heh...Hi Dad!"

The older man shot his son a side long glance and looked around the room. "I can't believe you would use violence against someone, Reuben," Al began.

"But I haven't beaten anyone up since that incident in the mall where that guy decided he didn't like the sight of two guys holding hands, and I did that because he was insulting my Dad. I don't beat people up unless there's good reason to," he explained to his father, leaning back against the closet door. He could hear the teen's breathing on the other side, and felt horrible for putting the poor boy through all this.

Brows furrowed on his father's face. "So why did that woman claim you broke her son? Not to mention she said that it was my fault you turned out the way you did, and that I'm allowing you to do such things to her boy," he replied, explaining his side of the story. "I assumed it meant you were beating kids up."

The penny dropped for Roo, and he let out a long "Aaaahhh," before deciding to fill in the blanks for his father. "Remember the other week when I went to Caden's? Said I was staying over to do homework and stuff."

"You did not do what I think you did..."

Roo's sheepish grin grew wider and he nodded. "I guess she was eavesdropping or something, and now she thinks I 'broke' her son by making him gay."

Al let out a long, heavy sigh and shoulders slumped. Trust it be something like that. The woman wasn't blaming the fact that two men raising a boy meant the kid turned out aggressive - she was some homophobic bitch that needed a good slapping. Moving over to where his son stood, he patted him on the shoulder affectionately. "I guess I was wrong then, wasn't I?"

"My Dad, admitting he was wrong? Did you get laid last night?"

Al smiled down at his son, ruffling his brown hair. "For someone that claims I'm like a rock in the sex department, I'll take that comment as a compliment."

Blue eyes looked up at his father's face. "Ooooohh...David was extra kinky, wasn't he?!"

Instead of replying, Al shook his head and went to leave the room. Pausing at the door, he glanced over his shoulder at Ben, sly smirk curling his lips. "Tell Caden I said hi, and that he's welcome to join us for lunch if he likes."

Roo shot his Dad a confused look.

"He's in the closet, Roo. David said he saw you two leaving the school together. Next time you want to go hiding a boy in your bedroom, try under the bed."