Mars Meets Priestly And He Gets A Boner

Mars was that one kid who really loved horses. Except, for him, it was demons. He obsessed over them, day in and day out. He scoured religious texts day in and day out for any mention of demons, for any inklings of information he could. Though he stayed in high school, his grades dropped. He failed his junior year completely. He didn't pass a single class. He went from A's to F's in the course of a few weeks. After his parents died, he stopped being just that creepy Bible Thumper. He became an obsessed mess.

On the weekends, he worked hard at the church. He cleaned it until it was spotless, and then he trained. Though he had lost most of his body fat, he was far from being in shape. In fact, he still looked as awkward, gangling and pathetic as before. But now, he had a fierce, driven look in his eyes.

He sat at the laptop he had inherited from his parents, he sent out an email to all of his parents contacts. None answered. He hadn't expected much. No one had even come to his parents funeral.

Stepping out of his sleek black car, Priestly adjusted his collar and dusting off his jacket sleeves. He enjoyed dressing nicely for his visits, no matter how inconsequential.

Walking up the steps to the church, he knocked on the door twice, waiting for someone to answer. Deciding he was wasting his time by standing there, he cautiously pushed the doors open and peered in.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he asked. "I received an email..."

Tucking his ancient rosary into his shirt, Mars turned to the man. He was going to act cool, before he saw him. A blush spread across his cheeks. This man was rather attractive.

"Oh...you're here about the email, right?" he asked, walking towards the door. He slicked back his short, greasy hair. It needed washed.

"Yes," he said, smiling and stepping inside. "Are you the person who emailed me? I didn't recognize the address, and there was no name, but I decided to come anyway--it was on the way." He winked.

"So, I assume you know who I am? Or is an introduction in order, young man?"

Hearing him talk didn't help his blush. He coughed slightly, reaching to fiddle with the beads on the back of his rosary.

"Oh. You knew the Gray's, right?" he asked, stepping forward awkwardly. He almost tripped over his own feet. "I'm their son. Mars."

He frowned, thinking deeply. No, he had never slept with anyone name Gray, he was sure of it. He smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I can't seem to recall...I've met a lot of people. I travel the country frequently, you see. My sincerest apologies." He extended his hand. "It's lovely to meet you though, Mars Gray. I'm Father Priestly--call me Priestly."

He beamed at him, flashing a mouth of white teeth.

The disappointment was obvious on his face. He tried not to look so heartbroken, but he had really hoped that this man could help him. After all, he was incredibly attractive. And a priest, that was a bonus, too.

He stared at his hand for a couple of seconds, before he wiped his palms on his jeans and then extended his hand. He pulled away from the handshake as soon as possible.

"Never mind, then," he said, quietly. "I'll find someone else to help me. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"Wait now," he said, placing a hand on Mars's shoulder, "I never said I wouldn't help you. I came here specifically because I thought you were in need of help. Helping people is my job--the Lord's work."

He sat down on a pew and folded his hands on his lap. "Now, tell me about your problem, Mars Gray. I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Mars, in a futile attempt to look cool, leaned against the pew across from Priestly. Instead of looking cool, his hand slipped and he nearly fell, so he quickly took a seat next to Priestly, feeling his face turn very red.

When he regained his dignity he said, "It's just Mars. Well, actually, it's Cyprus. But, uhm, everyone just calls me Mars. Well, just my family. My friends don't. Because I don't' have any."

He felt the color drain from his face. Why was he babbling like such an idiot in front of the other man? Of course, he couldn't act cool in front of an attractive man.

"A-anyway! Uhm...I need someone to take me," he said awkwardly, toying with the rosary beads on his neck.

He chuckled softly.

"Of course you have a friend who calls you Mars--we just met, didn't we? I love making new friends." He patted him on the shoulder.

"Now, there are multiple things you can mean, needing someone to 'take you'--mind elaborating?" He kept his arm around Mars's shoulder, hoping the boy's meaning was the one he was accustomed to. He looked young, but hopefully he was legal--he looked like he could use some affection, in any case.

"I mean, to take me away from here," he said, wishing there was no awkward touching going on between them. He shuddered slightly, curling in on himself as he leaned forward, setting his elbows against his knees to prop himself up.

Mars glanced up at Priestly through his glasses, "I can't live in this town anymore. It's been a year since my family died, and I'm just wasting time. I need to travel, I need to get away from here. I...need to do something, but it's personal, and it's none of your business so I won't waste your time.

"Can you take me far away from here, and just...put me somewhere else? I can work from somewhere else, but it's suffocating here," he said quietly.

Priestly gently swept a lock of hair out of Mars's face. His brow creased, and he leaned closer.

"Well, Mars. I'm very sorry to hear that your life has been so tragic as of late...my own family is dead as well. I know what it's like to be alone as well." He paused, staring at a painting of the Virgin Mary.

"I have been considering taking on an apprentice for some time, Mars. Now, I travel a lot, and I live alone, and I'm not the wealthiest man in the world, but..." He met Mars's eyes, smiling. "You can fulfill the position if you'd like--even if it's temporary. I can take you anywhere."

Mars looked away almost immediately. The eye contact was too much, it unnerved him. It made him more anxious than he already was. He swallowed, staring down at the wooden floors.

"It's too late to go today, I know," he said. "I can be ready tomorrow, as early as we need. I don't care what we do, or where we go, or how often we stop, or anything. I don't even care if you stuff me in the trunk, as long as you just take me far away from here. From there, I'll do what I have to do."

He looked apprehensive suddenly. The very thought of 'doing what he had to do' make his stomach churn. He didn't want to think about it, so he looked back to Priestly, staring at his face. It wasn't fair that he was getting stuck with someone so pretty. He would never be as good as he was, and certainly the other man would never think of him as more than a gross, awkward child. Not, that he tried to tell himself, he wanted him to.

"I...have packing to do," he said, standing up.

"So sudden?" he asked, laughing. "Well. I suppose this is what you called me for. Shall I stay here tonight? I can sleep on a pew, unless you have a bed that fits two." He waggled his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"This way, we can leave early tomorrow and get a nice hearty breakfast at a diner on our way out of town. That's how I like to start my day."

"Why would we wait?" he asked, confused. He wanted out of there as soon as possible. He stretched his arms above his head, causing a tiny section of his tummy to show.

"My bed is big enough for two," he said without thinking. "If you want. I mean. I mean, it is big enough for two, but, I mean, I'm...you don't want to sleep next to me."

"I'd love to," he said, grinning. "I'm used to having company when I sleep, anyway--I wasn't the richest, growing up. This'll be just like old times, sharing beds with brothers." He winked and patted Mars's back.

"Show me your room and I'll fetch my overnight things from the car."

"What," said Mars, completely surprised. "I mean, uhm, I guess."

He walked behind to behind the alter and down the stairs, into the basement of the church. He made a left into a tiny room, filled with stacks of books. Religious texts, from the floor to the ceiling, messily annotated with sticky notes and stacked high on top of each other. One side of the bed was clear, while the other was covered in books.

"Ah!" he shrieked, upon realizing he had left his room in such disrepair. "Ah, no, uh sorry for the mess, just, uhm, ignore everything!"

He shoved the books onto the floor, but the dust made a mushroom cloud.

Priestly laughed, not even attempting to hide his amusement.

"It's quite alright, young man! Why, my room was far worse when I was around your age--and it wasn't littered with religious texts, but with far less holy items." He winked, still giggling.

"I think it looks like a lovely place to stay--better than the motels, that's for sure."

Mars felt shame, anyway. He looked so crazy, like some sort of fanatic. Not that he wasn't.

"If...you still want to stay here, I'm gonna be packing," he mumbled, looking away. "So."

"I don't mind--why, I'll pitch in," he sat, patting Mars's lower back. "What are you taking with you?"

Mars shuddered, immediately moving out of reach of Priestly. He really didn't like how touchy Priestly was. It unnerved him, only because he enjoyed it.

"The books stay, I just need clothes and, maybe, this," he bent over, rifling through a cabinet until he found a large duffle bag. He set it on the bed next to Priestly, opening it up. "It has my parents notes, and their hunting supplies."

"Ah," he said, his eyes widening. "Perhaps I met them during my own exploits. It must have been a while ago. We can put it in the back of the Elantra with my things." He smiled.

"I hope you like riding shotgun, I keep my things in the backseat."

"Sure," he said, completely uncaring at this point. The priest promised to take him away, that was all he wanted. He started packing his clothes into a separate bag, shoving things in half hazardously.

"What time will we leave? Early, right? Please?"

"As soon as we wake up," he said, touching Mars's back.

"Of course, that also depends on how late we stay up...but I'm sure you're not a naughty boy." he winked and laughed loudly.

Mars squirmed out of his reach.

"Wait, what?" he asked, realizing what Priestly said after he had moved out of his reach. Sleeping next to him was going to be a nightmare, he felt. "I'm going to get ready for bed, so you should get your stuff. I guess."