"Find me hope/find me fire/ find me ultimate desire." Skittery finished reciting his poem, then beamed at Specs. "Well? Did you like it?"

Specs grinned. "Of course I like it, Skitts. It's beautiful. Like all your poems."

Skittery blushed softly. "Thank you." he said, smiling. "I… I better get to photo now. Before Ms. Albo gets upset." Skittery flashed a glowing grin, kissed Specs's cheek, then took off down the hallway, his black bookbag swinging against his hip. Specs smiled at his creative boyfriend's back, then turned to go down the other hallway to his band class.

He couldn't have been happier.

"So I grabbed the bastard 'round the neck and fucking body-slammed him!" Dutchy demonstrated by slamming his elbow into the lunch table, and then screaming in pain.

Snitch laughed and bit into the sandwich his mother had made him. "That'll teach ya to go messin' with lunch tables, mo'fo'," The polo-shirt clad boy teased.

"C'mon, Snitch!" Dutchy protested, nursing his elbow. "I was protecting my masculinity."

"What masculinity? You're gay!"

Dutchy rolled his eyes. "So? Even queers have testosterone."

Snitch kissed Dutchy's cheek. "You're so cute when you're macho!"

Dutchy blushed. "Well… cha, dude."

Snitch smiled and returned to his sandwich.

Dutchy was pleased.

When Dutchy reached for a hug, Snitch smiled and drew back.

"No PDAs in uniform." he explained, grinning sheepishly.

Dutchy pouted. "But you're so sexy in your band uniform!"

Snitch blushed. "Just go find a seat in the stadium before they're all gone."

"All right." Dutchy grinned. "Love ya."

"You know it." Snitch smiled as Dutchy left the band room, then turned and headed to the lockers for his sax.

Skittery's fingers flew over the piano and Specs listened happily as he adjusted his baldric.

"Skitts, you're so artistic." he mused as Skittery played the final chord of his song.

"Just a poet-slash-pianist." Skittery responded humbly. "I better get out to the stadium so I can save my seat before coming back down for your pre-game wave." He squeezed Specs's hand, then went to the outer door.

Specs only turned his back for a moment.

How did it happen so fast?

Snitch wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. His reed refused to cooperate and remove itself from his mouthpiece.

Skittery wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He was too busy composing a new poem for next week's sharing circle at Writing Club.

~ Isaac 'Skittery' Tatum

Composed upon meeting Danny 'Snitch' Riccio

Specs knew something was up when Skittery didn't wave at him from the stands. Even though Specs couldn't wave back, Skittery always made a point to do it anyway. It was part of who he was.

Specs felt the tremble of his trumpet against his thigh and knew he was shaking when Skittery didn't even bother to look up until the brass section had passed him by.

Dutchy knew something was up when Snitch didn't put his reed in his mouth as soon as the 'At Ease' command was given. It was a nervous habit Snitch used to calm himself before a game or performance.

Dutchy rested his head in his hand and wondered why Snitch wasn't sucking softly on his reed.

He felt the twitch of his hand and the drop of his heart when Snitch's search for a loving fan didn't make it past the first row.

Snitch and Skittery knew something was up when their eyes met and the whole world dropped away, leaving them alone with each other, their mouths open slightly in the shock of this sudden surge of desire.

"Hi…" Snitch said dumbly, momentarily forgetting about his stubborn reed. "I… I'm Snitch."

"Skittery…" Skittery responded, his voice filled with wonder as he held out a trembling hand.

When Snitch took it, their fate together was sealing.

Now what to do about Specs and Dutchy?

~ Isaac 'Skittery' Tatum

Composed upon breaking up with Neil 'Specs' Jackson

After the halftime show, Dutchy ran to the front to see if he could catch a word with his boyfriend.

"Snitch! Riccio! Hey, great show man!"

Snitch lifted his head, gave Dutchy a dull smile, sharpened only by the lack of interest, then he went up to his place in the stands, absently skimming his flipbook; his mind on other things."

Dutchy stared. What had he done?

Specs waited by the water coolers for Skittery's after-show chat. The artist was late, and it made Specs anxious. A blonde student shouted something Specs didn't hear, because Skittery had decided to appear, and Specs grinned. He's probably been eating or something. That was all.

When Specs stepped forward to say hi, Skittery simply brushed past him and walked up the stairs.

Specs stared. What had he done?

Snitch looked up and smiled brightly when Skittery sat next to him, even though the sax player felt very guilty about blowing Dutchy off like that.

"Great show." Skittery said with a geniune grin that hid the pain he felt about ignoring Specs.

Both boys were happy to sit next to each other and chat during the band's free time, and both were reluctant to separate with Mistah T called for non-band members to leave the area.

Snitch even broke the rules and kissed Skittery's cheek when the directors weren't looking.

But Specs and Dutchy were.

Dutchy backed into the railing, his face pale.

"No…Snitch, please, no!" he whispered softly to himself. "You didn't just kiss him!"

Specs dropped his water cup and his jaw dropped; he was completely oblivious to the water pooling at his shoes.

"No…Skitts, please, no!" he murmured, blinking rapidly. "You didn't just let him do that!"

When the game ended and the band headed back to the bandroom, Dutchy and Skittery followed. They waited outside, on opposite sides of the door, while Snitch and Specs changed out of their uniforms. When Snitch emerged, Dutchy smiled and went to him, but was left ignored when Snitch turned the other way and went to Skittery.

Specs was met with the same neglecting feeling from his boyfriend, who was now more delighted by Snitch's company.

Skittery offered Snitch a ride home.

Snitch accepted.

Specs and Dutchy were left alone together on the curb; hurt, lost and alone.

Or so they thought.

Dutchy slumped on the curb, his head between his knees.

Specs sat beside him and sighed. "Snitch, right?"

Dutchy looked up. "Sorry?"

"That's his name? The tall alto player?"

"Danny. But he's been called Snitch since he moved here and kept snitching people's reeds instead of buying his own."

Specs smiled. "I remember that scandal." A sigh. "But I don't remember him being gay."

"We keep to ourselves."

Specs glanced at Dutchy. "Your boyfriend?"

"I thought so."

"Skittery, the dark-haired one he left with? My boyfriend."

Dutchy laughed slightly. "Not anymore, it looks like."

Specs frowned and sighed again. "No, apparently not." He looked at Dutchy. "What year are you?"

"Junior. Why?"

"Just wondering. You didn't have the…" Specs paused to consider. "Aloofness of a senior. Is Snitch a junior too?"

"Yeah…" Dutchy ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the starry desert sky.

"I'm a senior. So's Skitts."

Dutchy tossed a pebble at the parking lot. "Looks like our boys are more interested than each other."

"I can understand that." Specs gave a half-hearted wave to one of his section-mates, then returned his attention to Dutchy. "Skittery's a great guy. He's really creative though." Specs sighed. "I always thought I was great at stuff… then I started dating Skittery. While I never told him this, I always felt stupid around him. Y'know? He was just too talented for me."

Dutchy laughed. "I feel stupid around everybody. 'Cause I am. I'm aware of it, and I'm not afraid to admit it either."

Specs laughed as well and the boys felt comfortable with each other.

Dutchy put his hands in his hair, staring straight ahead. "Snitch… I don't know what attracted me to Snitch in the first place. No wait…" he smiled. "Yes I do. Those eyes. He has these eyes like a doe. Y'know? Big, beautiful, brown… soft like pillows."

Specs smiled and removed his glasses. "Skitts used to tell me the same about my eyes. What do you think?"

Dutchy looked hard, and smiled. "I agree. You do have eyes like that. Very pretty."

Specs blushed. "Thank you." he said softly, returning his glasses to his nose.

Dutchy smiled and took the glasses from his new friend's nose. "You look better without these, you know?"

Specs took his glasses back. "Thanks for the info."

"Maybe that's why Skittery left you." Dutchy removed his own glasses. "Maybe that's why Snitch left me."

"I don't see why Snitch left you. You're very cute." Specs said with a grin.

Dutchy flushed slightly. "Well… thanks. Same to you."

Specs held out his hand. "Don't believe I've introduced myself. They call me Specs."

Dutchy grinned. "Dutchy." he introduced, taking the hand offered.

It was quick, the way it had been with Snitch and Skittery.

As it turned out, all four boys were in love. They'd just had the wrong partners at first.

When Skittery met Snitch, things took a turn for where they were supposed to be.

And when Specs met Dutchy, everything was right with the world.

~ Isaac 'Skittery' Tatum

Composed upon discovering his ex-boyfriend was dating Dutch 'Dutchy' Schyler

***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

I wrote Specs/Dutchy!

XD X_x

Only for Stage would I do such a thing. . . LOL ^_^;

Happy Birthday Stage. XD ^_^; Aheheheh. ^_^;