Work Text:
Brandon Shaw, despite his natural charm, had always had trouble making friends. So when, during his trip home over the summer after his first year at Somerville Prep School, he kept talking about a new friend, his mother was pleasantly surprised. Brandon mentioned him often; at times Mrs. Shaw was amused because he almost seemed like a boy with his first girlfriend- giddy and wandering in a lovesick haze. Of course, he denied any of her good-natured teasing about this.
Mrs. Shaw was pleased when the fabled Philip Morgan came to visit the farm in Connecticut during the winter of the boys' sophomore year. He was sweet and relatively quiet around her but she caught glimpses of him acting exceedingly more comfortable around Brandon, who seemed equally as comfortable and happy to have him there. Mrs. Shaw knew he was delighted to show Philip around the farm, even if it was extremely cold out.
Philip continued to visit over winter breaks for the next few years. He and Brandon would both be going to the same university after they graduated from Somerville, but Brandon insisted that Philip come up to visit his mother's farm over the summer for the first time. They took the train up- Brandon took a taxi down to New York City to meet Philip at the station and take the train with him. His mother, knowing they would get in late, prepared a nice dinner to be ready when they got to the farm.
Humming to herself as she chopped fresh greens from the garden, Mrs. Shaw opened the window to the kitchen. The sun had just set, leaving a lasting orangey-red glow shining into the sky and into the trees and fields that surrounded the farm. Fireflies were beginning to appear, anticipating the oncoming darkness. The train must've only been a few minutes away at this point, although she didn't care if it came a little late or early, as long as the boys arrived safely.
Sure enough, several minutes later two sets of voices and footsteps could be heard coming down the gravel road. Mrs. Shaw went to the porch to greet them. Philip's gelled black hair glinted a little in the yellowy glow of the porch lights as he greeted Brandon’s mother. She kissed him on the cheek and took his bags, ushering the two boys inside. In the foyer, she gave Brandon a hug and a kiss as well, and then rushed up the stairs to her son’s bedroom where they usually stayed.
"I made you two dinner before you came," she said, swiftly descending the stairs only seconds later. "It's in the kitchen though, let me grab it. Meanwhile, you boys should sit down and relax. You've been traveling for hours."
Philip protested and tried to help her carry food into the dining room but to no avail, as Mrs. Shaw pushed him away and made him go back to the table. Brandon laughed as his mother once again hurried out of the room, back into the kitchen, and Philip sat down in a chair, blushing a little.
Philip had never been here in the summer before, and Mrs. Shaw knew that he would like it even more than in the winter. The weather was hotter, obviously, but the fields weren't obscured by a layer of snow, and one didn't have to put on four layers just to trudge through the snow every morning to feed the animals.
Over the years, Philip had gotten more comfortable around Brandon’s mother, and as the three of them ate, they all talked about the boys' uneventful train ride and plans for the school year. Philip was happy to be able to get away from the city for a bit- Mrs. Shaw knew how he felt. New York City was especially humid in the summer, and the asphalt sucked up all of the heat so it never cooled down- even at night. When Philip had first come to the farm, you could tell he wasn't accustomed to the quiet of the rural countryside, but over the last few years, he had grown to love it.
Mrs. Shaw was right in her prediction, Philip seemed to love it out there in the summer. Although he'd been to the farm before, Brandon was happy to show him around the property when it wasn't covered in several inches of snow. She had the two of them do chores around the farm but made sure that they still had time just to relax- they were about to go into college after all. They would do the chores in the morning and then have the afternoon off. Philip, who would soon be studying music in college, practiced on the farmhouse's upright piano almost every day. Mrs. Shaw couldn't really even remember why they had a piano- Brandon had never stuck with any instruments for more than a few months, but it was times like this that she was thankful for it being there.
Philip was quite naturally skilled on the piano, so he didn't really need to practice as often as he did, but he insisted on keeping with his studies to prepare for university. Mrs. Shaw loved to hear music coming from the living room on hot summer afternoons. Philip had begun taking his music seriously halfway through high school and found he was quite good at it. When he played he felt that any anxieties he may have been facing on that day would melt away. The chords and rhythm of the songs he played soothed his nerves.
He studied a lot and didn't often make mistakes. If he did, Mrs. Shaw didn't judge him (most of the time Brandon didn't either, but would usually frown a bit when Philip would mess up on a note) and rather enjoyed listening to it wafting through the farmhouse windows while she worked in the barn. Philip, who was more shy when it came to social conventions, was very confident while on the piano, sometimes he seemed to be in his own world while performing- even if it was just for Brandon and his mother.
When they weren't inside waiting out the mid-afternoon thunderstorms or lounging in the living room quietly planning little crimes Brandon thought up, the boys explored the property. Brandon, having grown up there, knew every inch of the place. It seemed as if every time Philip thought he'd seen all of it, there was more that Brandon wanted to show him.
Between breaks in the rain, they would run outside and enjoy the wet grass and muddy ground against their bare feet, and then run under the cover of the porch when the rain started falling again, laughing and stumbling inside soaking wet. Amidst the grove of maples and pines behind the house away from Mrs. Shaw's eyes, Brandon stole kisses from Philip, who couldn't deny that he liked it, but still was apprehensive about her catching them someday. When Brandon's lips met his, however, he couldn't help but want more, and many of his worries of being discovered disappeared. Sometimes, on weeks that Mrs. Shaw would drive into town and leave the boys to take care of the farm, on those nights after dinner had been eaten and chores taken care of, Brandon would put music on the record player and he and Philip would dance together; Philip resting his head on Brandon's shoulder with his arms around him as they moved together and listened to the music and the sound of the needle scratching against vinyl.
They also often discussed the apartment that they were planning on purchasing for them to live in while attending college and after they graduated. They'd been talking about it for more than a year now, only recently had they told their mothers (who both seemed happy about it). Of course, they only told Ms. Morgan and Mrs. Shaw that they'd be living as roommates, nothing more.
Philip was excited for college, and for what the future might have held for him. Brandon was less enthusiastic about going back to school after what felt like only a couple of weeks of summer vacation, but he told Philip that the prospect of them having an entire luxury apartment to themselves outweighed any frustrations he might have had with the idea of returning to school.
Philip had to go home a few weeks before school started. He bought the train tickets for a Monday in mid-July. That Sunday, Philip and Brandon decided to attempt to make breakfast after they had done the morning farm chores. Usually, Mrs. Shaw made breakfast- as she was quite a good cook and enjoyed doing it anyways. Neither of the boys had done a whole lot of cooking before, so they did struggle with their baking. She had to come in at one point and give them some instructions to prevent them from rendering their breakfast inedible. Philip was definitely better at it, he just lacked experience. Mrs. Shaw reminded herself that she should get some recipe books for them to have in their new apartment. She stepped back once again, hoping that now she had given them some pointers, a culinary crisis had been avoided. Despite the potential danger their pancake batter had been in, Brandon and Philip were laughing and joking around with each other. She couldn't hear their specific words, nor did she want to be nosy. Brandon said something quietly which sent them into fits of laughter, completely oblivious to Mrs. Shaw only standing several feet away. They both seemed so happy together in their own world. "I wish my son could marry that boy," she thought to herself, smiling (although with a twinge of sadness) before leaving the room.