Over the past week, Archer had spent endless hours with Hunter, inside of his protective arms, caught in the lee of his thighs, laying on his chest, dancing around the lake as they fought to throw each other in. They laughed until their eyes streamed, and they screamed until their throats burned. But there was nothing better than waking up to Hunter rubbing his shoulders and whispering to him that he got him a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee, and falling asleep while they were carelessly snickering, too tired to speak of anything of much consequence. He was falling fast for Hunter, and he wasnt sure if he was ready to plunge into the water, but going under hadnt been scary the first time because Hunter had been there to pull him back up.

Now that the time at the campsite was over, Archer wasnt sure what he would do with only being able to see Hunter for a few hours a day. Hed begged him to see him more often, to spend time with him outside of school, and, to his relief, Hunter had leaned over and kissed him, hushing his concerns with one breath that someone needed to be able to quiet his rambling, and it certainly wasnt going to be anyone else. Archer had smiled, flattered that Hunter was such a jealous man over him, and then frowned, realizing that he should be insulted that Hunter thought he worked himself into such fits that he couldnt control himself from babbling about what was causing him to fret so much.

Exhausted after a long and bumpy ride back to the school and then to his house, which was only made better when Hunter had tugged his head to his chest, massaging away his headache, Archer finally stepped out of his uncles car. He and Hunter had kissed each other goodbye before they got off of the bus, giving each other gentle looks and murmured words about how much one loved the other. Despite the fact that the trip that had brought them together was over, their relationship had just begun, and Archer couldnt have been happier. When he went in through the door, he was instantly greeted by his fluttering père, who squeezed him tightly before wrinkling his nose when he realized how dusty Archer was. After a brief battle over hugging his son or saving his dress, his père had enveloped him tighter, telling him how much he missed him, and how he hoped he had a good time. This was followed by hugs from both his uncle and his daddy, the latter who happily squished his body to his powerful chest.

Once he got the initial gossip out of the way, Archer was finally let go to retreat to his bedroom, where he intended to unpack, and then pick out a pair of warm sweats that he could bundle himself in after he showered away the dirt and filth that seemed to be engrained in his skin. Even though he was more outdoorsy than both of his parents, he could still be as dramatic as they were when it came to being absolutely disgusting. He dragged his suitcase down the stairs, shutting the door behind himself, and, as if it somehow knew that Archer was alone now, his phone started buzzing.

Heaving his suitcase the rest of the way across the room, Archer let it clunk against the door to his closet, then left the unpacking a task to later be handled as he pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the screen. It was just who he knew it would be. Smiling to himself, he went over to his bed and threw himself down, his legs and arms splayed on either side of him as he clicked to answer the call. "We just saw each other not even an hour ago."

"Thats my limit." Hunter announced, making Archer giggle at his ceiling.

"I dont think my parents would be okay with that." He reminded him, rolling onto his stomach when the blood started rushing to his head. "I cant talk for long. Daddy will hear. Besides, I need to get my unpacking done, and I have to take a shower. I feel gross. I have twigs in my hair!"

"Your père is a trendsetter, right? You told me that he designs clothes. Maybe you could follow in his footsteps. Everyone could be wearing twigs in their hair by next week." Shaking his head at the ridiculous notion, Archer let out a low laugh, listening to the hum of Hunters breath as it filtered through the phone. Suddenly, he spoke up again, his voice much quieter, "I wont keep you, baby. I know that youre tired. But... I forgot to say something when I had you face to face, and I cant wait until the weekend is over. My time to ask you is running out-"

"No." Archer teased, a light giggle bubbling from his mouth.

Hunter sounded so confused that he nearly laughed again, "What? I havent even asked you."

"I assumed you were proposing to me." He admitted, shrugging a shoulder, even though Hunter couldnt see him.

"Dont give yourself a bighead, sweetheart." Hunter muttered sardonically, his voice becoming nothing more than a low grumble. "I wouldnt want to ask you to marry me if you were the last person on earth. What Im asking you is if..." he trailed off, and Archer heard him swallow thickly. "I was just... Ive never been to-" Realizing that Hunter was dumbstruck by whatever he was trying to say to Archer, he felt his mouth fall open, but he himself could make no sounds. If Hunter was flustered, Archer couldnt imagine what he was trying to get at. "Ive never been to a school dance... and I know that you havent, either. I wanted to know if you... would be my date at homecoming."

Even though Archer had always thought that school dances sounded very tacky, his heart still stuttered, so noisily that he didnt hear the door creak open. "Yes." He instantly replied, his voice so cheerful that he nearly blushed. He didnt want Hunter to think that he was too excited. "I want to go with you-"

"Archer?" Someones voice called from above his head, and Archer, startled, jumped because he hadnt realized that someone had come into his room. "Are you talking to someone?" When Archer couldnt find the voice to respond to his daddy, he grumbled once again, "Honey, I want to see you upstairs in a minute. I need to speak with you about something."

"Okay, Daddy." Archer called after him, listening to the door snap shut once more. For some reason, a feeling of dread filled the pit of his stomach. His daddy had never used that stern tone with him before. Turning back to the forgotten phone, Archer said quickly, "Hunter, my daddy needs me upstairs. Call me later tonight. I love you, okay?" Hunter had just enough time to say those three words back to him before Archer ended the call.

Glancing back up at the ceiling, where he could hear footsteps shuffling around, Archer scooted to the edge of the bed. He straightened himself up before he started up the stairs, small feet thumping up each one quickly enough that he nearly tripped because he missed a step. "Daddy?" He tried, opening the door and finding himself faced with his entire family. They all had solemn faces, except for his père, who was turned so that he could only see part of his cheek. "Daddy, is something wrong?" Archer asked uncertainly, stepping back against his door when his daddy made a frustrated sound, slowly shaking his head from side to side.

"Archer, if what your cousin told me is true, Im extremely disappointed in you. I wasnt hard on you. I gave you two rules when we came to America. I told you that in order to stay here, you have to keep up on your grades... and you have to be safe." Archer blinked at his daddy, unsure of where he was going with this. "Archer... your cousin told me that over the past week, hes hardly seen you. He said you went off on your own with that boy... Hunter... and that you slept in a cabin with him." Archers eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he jerked his head over to Dillon, who was pressed so close to the wall that he seemed to be trying to blend in with it. "Dont look at your cousin. He was right to tell me that. Now, Archer... I dont want to be angry with you. Im not going to yell. Im just scared... I had no idea you were staying in a cabin with a boy who I didnt know very well. I know that Dillon has been close with him for years, but your uncle has told me about him. Hes told me about the drugs he uses, and how he sleeps around."

"Daddy, he wouldnt-" Archers words came to a screeching halt when his daddy held up his hand.

"Dont tell me what he would and wouldnt do. I dont want to hear it." His daddy lifted a pair of blank eyes to his face, the corners of them slightly wet. "Just tell me that you were safe for the entire week... that nothing happened... and I wont stop you from seeing him." When Archer frantically nodded his head up and down, his daddy did the same motion, then lowered his gaze to the floor. "Thats what I thought youd do. Archer, youre my baby... youve been good for the past sixteen years. Im trusting that youre not lying to me. If thats the case, you can still be around that boy... but I dont want you to be alone with him again. Do you promise me that youll try being around your cousins a little more? You can still be around Hunter... but I want you to be with a group of people when you see him. I know that he would probably never hurt you. Your uncles wouldnt let him be their sons best friend if they didnt see some decency in him. But its just that I dont know for sure, sweetheart. And the last thing that I ever want to happen to you is for some drunken boy to try to take advantage of you. Do you understand why Im worried about you?"

Drawing his arms into his stomach, Archer lowered his head like a scolded puppy. He wanted to tell his daddy that Hunter was nothing to be afraid of, but he knew there would be no convincing him. If there was a boy involved, especially a boy who didnt have the cleanest of hands, his daddy was going to be protective over him, and probably want to know every going-on. "Yes, Daddy." Archer whispered, hesitantly raising his sad, blue eyes to his daddys hard face. "Daddy, hes asked me to homecoming. Just now. He was the one I was talking to. I told him I would go with him. Can he pick me up here and then take me back?"

Even though he could tell that his daddy was inwardly fighting himself by the sour look on his face, his père reached over and touched his arm, whispering something to him. His daddy took a deep breath, and then he nodded, "Tell him that I want you home by midnight." Shaking his head once more, his daddy scrubbed his palm over his frizzy curls. He looked over at his husband with a pair of searching eyes, "Lovely, why dont you help him pick out an outfit? I need to finish some paperwork."

Before Archer could say anything else to his daddy, he fled from the room, leaving Archer with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. "Daddy-" Archer tried, going to follow him, but before he could go very far, his père intercepted him, taking hold of his wrist.

He shook his head at him, tenderly reaching up for a tendril of hair that had swung into Archers eye. "You didnt upset him, sweetheart. Please dont feel guilty about what happened. He just needs some time to think things over. Hes a very caring man... He doesnt want to see you get hurt." He suddenly smiled at Archer, tucking the hair behind his ear. "As if your daddy and I didnt do some of the same things when we your age." Sighing heavily, his père put on his happiest face for Archer, "What beautiful eyes you have... Lets see if I can put something wonderful together that will bring them out even more."

Drawn out of the room with his père, Archer clung to his arm, more than grateful for the peaceful presence his père was. Abruptly, though, he turned his head, a knowing look on his face, "I think your daddy isnt willing to admit it. Something did happen over the week, didnt it? Theres something different about you. Youre holding your head higher." Stopping at the top of the stairs, his père took both of his hands, giving him a gentle smile, "You love him, dont you?"

Archer nodded quickly, "I do... very much. Are you going to tell Daddy?"

His père arched a single brow, "One day, he will find out. Hes an incredibly intelligent man... I think part of him already knows. I dont think hes willing to accept it yet... or is ready to hear it. I will give him more time. But I knew that you werent going to be a child forever. Youre sixteen now, Archer. Youre mature and confident. Youre ready to take on the world. If you want to love this boy, Im not going to stop you... All I ask is that you make sure he treats you like the amazing person you are. You deserve it."

Incredulous but hopeful, Archer slowly wrapped his arms around his père, "I love you and Daddy so much." He pulled away from him and gave him a funny smile, one that his père returned, as if he already knew. "You knew, from the time you were eighteen, that Daddy was it for you, didnt you?"

His père made a giddy noise, "Is this the boy you can see yourself spending forever with?" When Archer nodded, his père smiled fondly, "I knew that I was meant to be with your daddy long before he was able to admit the same. I have a feeling this boy is the same way? Dont be disheartened, dear... all men go through denial about their feelings. I think it has to do with their pride... they dont like to admit that we can disarm them so easily. It took your daddy nearly three years to accept that we were truly in love with each other. If you want this boy, then he is yours. We Hummel-Andersons have a way of getting what we want. He wont be able to deny you anything."

Archer followed his père into the sewing room, wondering if he had finally found the romance that his parents had, one of driving each other insane, a type of relationship that, after watching his parents for the past thirteen years, he knew was the best kind.