The Missing Butterfly

by Megan Derr

  The fact the graduation ceremony was outside also helped him look normal for wearing sunglasses and his hat, instead of causing him to stick out like a sore thumb. He messed with his tie as he watched Denny's row stand up to head for the stage, to join the line to march across it and received their diplomas.

  A hand reached out and covered his, stilling his restless movements. Cassidy looked at Malcolm and matched the smile he found there watt for watt. On his other side, Lindsay was texting some friend or another as they waited for Denny's moment to finally arrive. As always, she was beautiful, wearing a green summer dress with her hair prettily twisted up and secured with jewel flower pins. She would be getting on a plane just a few hours after the ceremony, flying across the country to settle into her new place for a few months before school started and she began work on her PhD.

  Denny, Cassidy knew, was planning on returning home for a little bit, to save up money and take a break from school while he debated graduate school versus working full time on his painting. He certainly would have his pick of graduate schools if that's what he chose, and he had already sold several pieces of art. So the choice definitely was Denny's to make.

  Cassidy toyed with his mirrored sunglasses and glanced around at the people surrounding them. Today as about Denny; he'd feel like a complete ass if someone recognized him and he had to deal with fans rather than put all his attention on his little brother.

  Beside him, Malcolm tried and failed to stifle a yawn. Cassidy laughed softly. "I told you to get some sleep while we could," he murmured in a low tone, careful not to disturb the people around them.

  "But it was more fun staying awake with you," Malcolm said, then "After you dozed off, I took advantage of a chance to watch your new music video eleventy billion times. It was worth the loss of sleep."

  Cassidy flushed and jabbed him in the ribs. "You're hopeless. Stop watching that stupid thing. God."

  Malcolm grinned, and Cassidy just knew that behind Malcolm's mirrored shades, the eyes were sparkling.

  The only thing more difficult than being an international star, was having a boyfriend even more recognizable. People often recognized Malcolm even before they noticed Cassidy's tattoos.

  "Denny's turn," Lindsay said in an excited, squeaky whisper.

  If not for the explicit request not to make any noise until the ceremony was concluded, and the need to keep a very low profile, Cassidy would have cheered at the top of his lungs. He'd been just as uncontainable at Lindsay's graduations. Fuck his own stardom, he loved seeing his siblings do so damned well. Lindsay could have whatever job or college chair she desired, and he didn't doubt for a second Denny would have his own gallery someday.

  He screamed and cheered just short of rendering himself hoarse when they were finally allowed. As the crowds began to break up, they slipped away and headed back to the apartment Denny shared with three other guys, waiting for the graduates to return.

  While he waited, he stripped out of his fancy clothes and returned to casual. He'd have to put on some sort of jacket when they left, but for the moment he was good in his plain blue t-shirt.

  About half an hour later, Denny and his friends came tumbling in, laughing and cheering and roughhousing. "Bro!" Denny said excitedly when he spotted Cassidy. It had been months since he'd seen either of his siblings, and man, he never stopped missing them.

  Denny threw himself at Cassidy and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for coming. Did you hear? With fucking honors, man. I told you I'd be good and work hard."

  "I always knew you'd do fucking amazing," Cassidy said, and hugged him again, before pulling away and clapping him on the back. He motioned to the other guys, who had gone still and silent and were doing the buggy-eyed, holy shit, gawking thing.

  "Yeah, man," Deny said, and presented Cassidy to them. "Guys, my brother. I can totally tell I don't need to tell you his name."

  "Fucking hell," said one. "You wanker, you said you weren't related to that Monarch."

  "Actually, I just always managed to dodge the question," Denny said smugly. "This is my sister Lindsay. So much as try to flirt with her, or even look at her the wrong way, and I'll kill you. She's way too good for you."

  Lindsay rolled her eyes, then giggled at the way they all continued to gawk at Cassidy. "I think Mal is the one who needs to worry about a Monarch getting jumped."

  "Possibly," Denny said cheerfully. "They're all totally straight until they hear and or watch Cassidy."

  "We're going to fucking kill you," said the same one who'd spoken before. "Seriously, Denny. You're an asshole. How could you keep this a secret?"

  "Keep calling me names and I'll forget to invite you wankers to dinner. With me, and Linds, and Cassidy, and Malcolm, and the rest of Four Butterflies."

  "You're an asshole," said one of the other guys, "but we like you anyway. Oh, my god. I cannot believe he—you—seriously, dude, you're so dead later."

  Malcolm laughed and rose from where he'd been watching the proceedings from the couch. "Then I guess I'd better give you a reason not to kill him." He embraced Denny and said, "Congrats. Your brother bought you a pretty awesome graduation gift, but he kept shooting down my ideas. He said you couldn’t have a flashy car yet, and then I was going to buy you a couple of professional football cheerleaders from your favorite team, but he said the lawyers would kill him for that one, so finally I just decided to be lazy and double his gift."

  "Which is?" Denny asked, looking amused and insanely curious.

  "Instead of two, you get four sets of tickets and everything else needed to go tearing around Europe this summer."

  Cassidy clapped his hands over his ears as comprehension dawned and the guys went crazy.

  Lindsay rolled her eyes, but smiled, and toyed with her keychain, which sported a key to her own flashy gift for getting her Masters. As the noise finally died down she said, "Bruce texted me to say they're at the hotel, and ready to eat whenever we roll in."

  "Why is Bruce texting you?" Cassidy demanded.

  "I’m ignoring you," Lindsay replied. Then she turned to the four rowdy men and started to organize and direct them."

  Left alone in the living room, Cassidy took the chance to slide into Malcolm's arms and steal a long kiss.

  Malcolm smiled against his mouth, nibbling on his bottom lip a moment before finally saying, "I do like being the one who gets to do all the things everyone else fantasizes about."

  "Stop being insufferable and smug," Cassidy said. "Only sulking makes you prettier."

  Laughing, Malcolm said, "Everything makes me prettier. Though, I'm still not half so pretty as you in the new music video—"

  "Shut. Up," Cassidy hissed, smacking Malcolm's ass hard. "You are so not allowed to watch those things anymore."

  "All I'm saying is, it's a good thing you didn't actually dress that way when you worked in a real office. Then we would have gotten fired for inappropriate behavior."

  Cassidy shook his head, and sighed a soft, "Hopeless." Then he stole another kiss before the living room was again flooded with rowdy, excited college kids and they were carried off to celebrate.

  Fin