Chapter 17

After school, Kris waved goodbye to Robert as he peeled out down the street, leaving even more tire marks in the street, and entered his house. Robert would be over around seven, so he had time to finish up his few homework assignments (they were only his since Vick and the twins were still M.I.A.) and get everything ready. He didn't know what exactly he needed to get ready, but he was happy he had time to do it anyway. After eating a snack and doing his homework, he took a shower, taking time to wash his hair twice and scrub every inch of his body. He blow dried his hair before styling it the best he could, off-handily wondering what colors he should get next for it, and threw on some semi-tight jeans and a t-shirt. He had thought about dressing up fancy like, but he didn't want to go overboard... he also put away the candles he had set out. When all this was done he looked into his mirror and deemed himself worthy of being seen by Robert. He checked the time. It was only 5oclock. He hummed and looked around, trying to find something else to do. He guessed it was a good time as any to clean his room, and maybe the entire house while he was at it.
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Ding-dong! The doorbell resonated around the house. Kris looked up from his computer to his clock. 6:50. "Coming!" Kris yelled before dashing down the stairs in a flurry. He composed himself at the door, straightening his shirt and brushing his pants off. He set a smile on his face, and opened the door. His smile wavered.
"Hi. That'll be ten-fiddy," The acne-ridden boy standing on Kris's porch said. He held a steaming hot pepperoni pizza in his hands and a bored expression on his face. Kris dug around in his pocket and pulled out $15. He gave it to the boy and took the pizza.
"Keep the change," He said. The boy nodded and thanked him before going back to his car. Kris sighed and closed the door, going to the kitchen and setting the pizza on the counter. He heard a car drive by outside, and he instantly tensed and listened to hear if anyone got out. After a few moments of nothing, he sighed. He had to calm down, but he was just so excited. He let a stupid grin fill his face and practically squeed at the thought of finally telling Robert how he felt. He stopped himself from jumping up and down and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "The last thing I need to do is jump him at the door," he said to himself. He looked around. "Alright, pizza is here, video games are set out, house is spotless. Is there anything else I need?" His thoughts were interrupted be a loud crack of thunder outside. He peered out the kitchen window at the dark clouds forming in the evening sky. The rain started spattering down softly before picking up speed. It wasn't an immense thunderstorm, but everything was pretty much soaked as soon as it started. Everything, including a '69 Mustang that was sitting in Kris's driveway.
Kris jumped away from the window when he heard the knock on the door. He quickly smoothed out his clothes again and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before realizing Robert was standing outside in the rain. He dashed to the door and pulled it open. Robert smiled at him from under his jacket hood that was almost keeping him dry.
"Sup?"
"Get in here before you catch a cold!" Kris said, practically pulling Robert inside before closing the door. Robert chuckled and threw his hood off, shaking his head, his wet hair sending water droplets in all directions.
"Weird weather," Robert said. "Rain just started out of nowhere," He ran his fingers though his hair, trying to smooth it out, but he knew it would dry funny without a brush.
"No kidding. Like one minute it's clear, then the next fwoosh!" Kris made rain like motions with his hands to emphasize his sound effect. Robert laughed and turned to look at him (he had been facing away after being pulled in). Kris's smile faltered. "Dude, what happened to you?" He asked concerned.
"What do you mean?" Robert asked, suddenly unable to look at Kris and more interested in looking around the house. Oh look, a collection of coins, and over here is-
"What I mean is, why do you have a black eye?" Kris stepped up to Robert and turned his face to look at him. Robert kept his eyes downcast.
"I... ran into a wall," He flinched at the glare he knew Kris was giving him. He hit Kris's hand away from his face and looked around again. "Is that pizza I smell?"
"Robert!" Kris said in his sternest voice, which really wasn't that stern, and Robert couldn't help to think how cute it was. No, not cute. No, no, no. "Why do you always do this when ever you get hurt? You try to avoid it," Kris said, hinting back to web design that day. Robert sighed.
"Because, it doesn't matter," He said, waving a nonchalant hand in the air.
"It does to matter. Please, just tell me what happened, and then I'll get you an ice pack," Kris huffed. Robert had again kept trying to look away, but Kris stepped right in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest. Robert groaned.
"Fine, fine," He put his hands up in defeat. "But can we sit down somewhere? My back is killing me," He said, trying to shrug his jacket off his shoulders with some difficulty. Kris went around behind him and helped him slide it off arms before he gasped.
"Robert, you're bleeding,"
"Oh shit, I am?" And indeed he was. Blood spots were soaking through his dark gray shirt, turning it a dark red. "That would it explain the pain," He said, trying to chuckle. Kris grasped Robert's hand and led him upstairs to his bedroom, telling him to sit down on his bed. Robert obeyed, slightly afraid of Kris. Truthfully, Kris was less confident then he looked. As he left the room to put Robert's jacket in the laundry and grab the first aid kit, he had to stop himself from breaking down and crying. He wanted to cry because his night that was supposed to be amazing and go so smoothly, was turning to mush, and because Robert was put through something horrible. A flash of anger at who ever dared to hurt Robert pulsed through Kris. He knew he couldn't go out and give them a piece of his mind, but he could help Robert, and that's what he was going to do.
When he arrived back in his room with the kit, Robert was trying to get his shirt off, but failing because he could only move his arms up so high before his shoulders would scream at him. "Here, let me help," Kris said, pulling the shirt the rest of the way off. He suddenly felt like he was in the school locker room again, ogling at Robert's bare chest. Robert was trying to look behind him and his own back, so he didn't notice.
"Damn, he cut me up good. I must have blacked out for a few seconds...," He said, mostly to himself, but Kris had heard it and it snapped him out of his staring.
"He?" He asked, opening the first aid kit and grabbing an ice pack. He bent it, sounding a small snap, before shaking it. It instantly began to turn to cold in his hand. He handed it to Robert, to put it on his eye. He took it and sighed.
"You know how earlier I told you my mom was being all weird? Well, when I got home today she wasn't there. So, I figured she just went out to get herself her own beer. I was home alone until right before I left to come here. That's when my mom and this big guy stumbled into the house. Needless to say, me and him did not get along, and you can see the result of that," Robert motioned to his eye. "I must have blacked out for a minute because I don't remember him doing anything to my back," Kris nodded, trying to take in his story. He wasn't even safe in his own home. Kris couldn't imagine it. He pushed the first aid kit back on the bed and scrambled after it, sitting behind Robert.
"Woah," He gasped.
"What? Is it bad? It doesn't hurt that much," Robert said, trying to look over his shoulder again.
"No, it's not that, there's actually not very much back here, it's just that I didn't know you had this tattoo," Kris ran his finger down the pole of one of the scythes. There were two bloody scythes, crossed like an X, printed right between his shoulder blades. On his shoulder blades were tribal-like angel wings. Robert shivered at Kris's touch and chuckled.
"You never saw it in gym when we were changing?" He asked.
"No, I never looked at your back," Kris reached over to pull out some antibiotic ointment from the kit before he realized what he just said. "N-not that I was trying to look at you, per se," He was glad he was behind Robert so he couldn't see him blush. Of course, thinking that just made him blush more. He groaned softly and began applying the ointment to the cuts on Robert's back with a cotton ball. Robert chuckled and flinched a little when Kris touched a cut. He nursed the ice pack on his eye and sighed.
"It's for my dad,"
"Huh? What is?"
"The tattoo. It symbolizes my dad for me. You know, he was a gravedigger. Scythes, death, graves, and then the wings, because you know... he's in a better place," He sighed again. "Sometimes I envy him. I've got to struggle through this life, and he's got nothing to worry about. Not that I'm about to go kill myself, but I just wish life could be a little easier,"
Don't we all? Kris thought, still cleaning the cuts that refused to stop bleeding. "Most of it is because he left, too. My mom would never have stopped drawing, started drinking, if he was still here. I might actually be safe in my own house. I might actually still have friends instead of people who look at me and run away,"
Kris wanted to remind Robert that he was his friend, but he didn't want to interrupt him. Robert seemed to have forgotten Kris was even there. "So much has changed since he left. Changed for the worse, not the better. Fuck, I'm only a teenager. What does this damn world want from me?" Kris was putting band aids on the smaller cuts now, still silently listening. Robert ditched the ice pack in favor of running his fingers through his hair. "I have to care for my drunken mother like she's a little kid. I'm the one who should be taken care of. I used to be,"
I'm taking care of you. I'll always take care of you, Kris thought. He was done bandaging Robert, and now he just sat there. He reached a hand out to touch Robert's shoulder and he felt him shudder. "You know what else I used to be? I used to be loved. By my family, my friends. Now look. My mom can barely look at me because I look too much like my father, and all my friends left when that stupid rumor spread throughout the school. Like I would kill my own dad. It wouldn't, it didn't, help me any that he died. All the care and love I used to have is gone. Gone," He fell quiet, his face in his hands. Kris couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't stand Robert wallowing in misery, and he couldn't stand bottling his emotions inside.
In a smooth movement, Kris had wrapped his arms around Robert's waist and rested his head on his shoulder. He soaked up Robert's warmth for a moment before opening his mouth and saying, "I love you."
And just like that, the warmth was gone.
x.xx.x.x..x.xx..x.x.x.x.x.x..x.x.x.x.
Robert was peeling out down the rain soaked street. He didn't know where he was going, but he was getting there fast. Maybe another town, another time, another everything. He could barely see the road ahead of him. Half because of the rain, half because of hot tears forming in his eyes and making his vision blurry. He could barely register what just happened only a few moments ago. All he could remember was grabbing his shirt and Kris's words in his ear. "I love you." No, no, no. It's just not... right.
He took a sharp turn and slammed on the brakes, almost hitting a brick wall at the dead end. He was breathing hard, like he just ran a mile, and his hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. He groaned and slammed his forehead against the wheel, reaching down and turning off his car. What was he doing? Was he actually this scared of his own feelings that he tried to run away? What if Kris didn't even mean it like that? What if he meant he loved him as a friend? Robert felt a pang in his heart. He knew that if Kris meant it only as friendship it would kill him... but he wasn't gay! "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Robert hit head against the wheel again and again. He sat there for a few minutes, listening to the rain pattering on the window and the roof of the car. It was relaxing. He sighed again. Denial was getting him nowhere. He had to come to terms with his feelings, and it was now or never. "Ok, let's take this slow," He thought. "I believe that Kris likes me. Like likes. Ok. Now, do I like like Kris? Yes, I think so. Ok. Why? Not because he's a boy, no, but because he's nice, and cute, and innocent, and other reasons I can't explain. Just that feeling when I'm near him. He pulls me in. Ok. Ok. I can live with that. Who am I kidding? I need to live with that!" He looked up from the steering wheel, determination in his eyes. He had to go back. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Robert started the engine. He had to turn his car around.
…..B.a.c.k....t.o.....K.r.i.s.....
What just happened?The slam of the front door and the screeching of tires snapped Kris back to reality. He looked down at the empty space that used to be Robert. His throat clenched, as well as his fists, and he fell over on his bed, burying his face in a pillow. Sobs racked his body as he poured his tears into the soft fabric. "What have I done?" He mentally scolded himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now he'll never talk to me again!" Kris let his fist slam down onto his mattress. "He probably won't even look at me. He's probably gone out to kill himself. I'm just another thorn in his side," Kris pushed up off his pillow and sniffed. He ran his hand under his nose and tried to wipe his eyes, but new tears just spilled over the edges. He reached over the side of his bed and grabbed his shoes, pulling them on and trying to tie them through his foggy vision. He stood shakily, using his dresser for support, and let out a hard sob. He needed to get out of here. He wished he had a car like... He gritted his teeth and contemplated jumping out his window. He was only on the second floor.
Letting out a shuddering sigh, Kris willed his feet to move him downstairs to the front door. He pulled it open and stepped out into the rain. Immediately, his feet began pounding down the driveway to the sidewalk, leaving the door open behind him. He didn't know where he was going, but he was getting there somewhat fast. Another neighborhood maybe, if he could make it that far, and if he couldn't make it, what would it matter? He could barely see the sidewalk through his tears that mixed with the blinding rain that stung his face and froze him to the core. He didn't care though. He just kept running, trying to forget the events that happened only moments before. He turned a corner, then another, then another. He was about to turn again when his shoe slipped on the wet concrete and he face-planted into the ground. He stayed there for a few minutes, feeling the rain batter him, listening to it hit the streets. It would have been relaxing if he wasn't so heartbroken at the moment. When he stood again, he was freezing, drenched, and hurt, mentally and physically. He started to shuffle his feet in what you could call walking, and continued on with his head down. He thought about trying to find his way back, but knew it would be for a lost cause. There was no one there waiting for him. No reason to go home. No reason for anything.
Kris looked up from his shoes when he heard people talking and laughing. He spotted an alleyway up ahead (had he really all the way to town?), the soft orange glow of a fire peering out of it. Maybe he had stumbled upon a band of hobos. Perhaps they'd let him join their group. Kris continued walking towards the glow like a firefly to a light bulb. What he saw when he got there made his breath hitch in his throat.
Vick and the twins were all situated around a huge fire in a trashcan; the twins on an old couch talking, and Vick off to the side throwing stuff into the fire and watching it burn. Two more fires lined the entryway to the alley, and a tarp was strung up high above them to keep the rain out. All in all, it was nicely lit, warm, and dry.
Vick barked out a laugh as the twins said something funny, and Kris shivered, but this time not from the cold. Kris's eyes widened and he felt his heart stop when Vick turned his head towards him. At first Kris thought he hadn't seen him, but Vick quickly did a double take, surprise etched across his face. Their eyes stayed locked while a malicious grin spread over Vick's face. Kris knew he should run, but he just didn't have the strength anymore.
"Well, look who's here!" Vick announced, strutting over to Kris and grabbing his arm. He pulled him roughly into the alley and towards the fire. "It's our favorite little fag," Vick purred close to Kris's ear. They stopped in front of the fire, and Kris had to admit that it did feel a lot better than the cold rain.
"In the UK, fag means a cigarette," Adal said while Wulf nodded.
"Shut it you two," Vick spat out. "Can't you see our guest is freezin'. Let's let him warm his bones by the fire, huh?" Vick trailed a hand up Kris's back and wrapped it around his shoulders like they were best friends. Kris weakly tried to get away, but Vick held on tighter, and Kris didn't really have any motivation. He sighed and scooted closer to the fire. Vick's arm slowly made it's way from Kris's shoulders to around his waist while he continued talking to the twins like Kris wasn't even there. Kris shuddered and casted a quick glance at the red head. He was barely paying him any attention. With a burst of energy, Kris tried to slip from Vick's grasp and make a run for it, but he barely took a step when the hand around him tightened, threateningly. Kris grit his teeth against the pain and sighed again. Oh well, what did it matter if he escaped or not. No one would care.
"I'm just sayin', there's no way you could get from New York to California,"
"In one day! Even using the Panama Canal," Wulf finished Adal's words. Vick rubbed the bridge of his nose with the bottle he was holding before pressing it to his lips and drinking down the last of it. He shook it sadly.
"Would you guys shut up, and go get me another drink," He barked. The twins whined, neither one wanting to get up. Vick threw the bottle into the fire, causing a minor explosion of flames that made Kris jump back, successful in pressing closer to Vick. The twins were suddenly up off their couch and running into a door on the side of the building that the alley sat between. Vick smirked and picked up another bottle from the ground. He pushed Kris back against the wall, away from the fire, before stepping up and slamming the bottle into it. It must have had more alcohol than the last one, because this time the flames licked higher and brighter, almost touching the tarp that was keeping out the rain. Kris gulped. Who would have guessed Vick was a pyromaniac?
Cringing when Vick turned to look at him again, Kris started sliding down the wall. Vick pulled him up roughly by the collar of his shirt. "Now then," he said, his smoke covered breath brushing Kris's face. "What were you doing out on a night like this? Didn't your parents ever warn you of the bad guys that could be outside in the night? The people who like to take advantage of scared little boys," Kris gasped when he felt Vick's hands gripping his hips with bruising strength. He tried to push him off, but Vick just got closer. Suddenly, Vick's face went from smirking to scowling. With a hard punch to the face, Kris found himself on the ground at Vick's feet in a split-second. He groaned as Vick picked him up again. "Fuck! I hate you!" Another punch landed to the other side of Kris's face, and again he was on the ground. He coughed and could taste blood on his split lip.
Looking up at the fuming Vick, he asked confusedly, "What did I ever do to you?" Vick just growled and landed a hard kick to Kris's ribs before picking him up and slamming him against the wall, their faces inches from each other. Kris blinked his eyes, trying not to black out from hitting his head on the brick wall.
"You and your stupid faggy ways have infected my mind. Your stupid hips that no normal man has, the way you fucking walk, your big ass blue eyes! Fuck!" Vick growled and pressed himself closer to Kris. Said boy's eyes widened as he felt something poking him in his lower stomach. Something that told him this was not going to end good for him. "I don't know how you did it, but you're making me turn fucking queer, and I hate it!" Vick landed a hard punch to Kris's stomach, backing up as Kris leaned forward, groaning in pain.
"I-I didn't do anything. I'm not even- not even-," Kris knew he couldn't the sentence.
"Shut up!" Vick kicked Kris's side, sending him sprawling to the ground, again. "Shut your fuckin' mouth!" He gave Kris another kick before bending down and gripping his hair. Kris gasped as his head was roughly pulled back. "Maybe you should put you mouth to a better use...," Kris yelled out and tried to pry Vick's hands off of him as he was pulled to his knees by his hair. Suddenly, Kris found himself eye level with Vick's tented pants. He felt tears pricking his eyes and he struggled to get away, but Vick's grip just tightened on his hair. Kris knew what was about to happen, and he knew he couldn't stop it, and this time, Robert wasn't going to appear from around the corner and save him. He felt his heart sink and heard Vick laugh when he stopped struggling. Wulf and Adal chose that time to make a pretty good distraction though.
"Hey, here's your beer," They said together as both held out a bottle towards Vick, not even caring what he was doing to Kris. Vick grabbed one beer in his free hand and chucked it into the fire.
"You idiots! I only need one!" but as he reached for the other one, it was dropped onto the ground and shattered right by Kris. "What the hell?!" The twins just pointed at the fire, their mouths open wide. Vick's head whipped over and he gasped. Apparently, fire really likes alcohol. The flames spilt over the sides of the trashcan, almost melting it, and reached high up into the air, licking at the tarp, eager to get out into the night. The entire alleyway was lit up in a orange and yellow glow, and the heat was hot enough to make the still cold Kris sweat. Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped. The four boys all stared at the trashcan as the flames died back down to their original size. Adal let out a low whistle.
"Well, that was exciting," He said.
"Oh, it's not over yet," Wulf said, looking up at the tarp. It was on fire. "Damn, that thing burns fast,"
"Don't just stare at it! Find something to put the fire out with!" Vick yelled at the twins, and they began scrambling, looking for anything they could throw at the fire. By time they found a bucket half full of water, the tarp was in ashes and raining down on them.
"It was definitely not fire retardant," Wulf said.
"At least it stopped raining," Adal noted, looking up at the stars through the hole the tarp left.
"I don't care if it stopped raining! It could start again! So, stop standing around and- AAH FUCK!" While the trio had been talking and trying to put out the fire, Kris had slowly reached over to the shattered bottle on the ground next to him and picked up a piece that he felt was best. With a well placed stab to his lower region, Vick had screamed, let go of Kris's hair, and fell to his knees. With a burst of adrenaline, Kris stood and ran towards the opening of the alley. He was almost there when he felt himself being tackled by not one, but two bodies. He hit the ground with an "oof", but tried to continue crawling. It was all in vain as each twin grabbed an arm and brought him back, pinning him to the wall.
"Déjà vu," The twins both said and started laughing. Kris groaned, the adrenaline all out of him. He hung his head in defeat, but it was quickly ripped upward by a not very happy Vick who was holding a piece of bloody glass.
"That is it. I've had it with you," He held the glass against Kris's throat. "You will not be a bother to me anymore," Kris gasped as he felt the glass dig into his skin and warm blood start flowing down. Suddenly, the pressure on his throat was gone, as was the hold on his arms, and he fell to the ground in a heap. The sound of tires squealing was the only thing he heard before blacking out.
….w.h.o..c.o.u.l.d..i.t..b.e....
"Fuck, who's that?"
"Think it's a cop?"
"That's no cop. Cops don't drive Mustangs,"
"That car looks oddly familiar... Fuck, it's the fag's boyfriend!"
"Should we run?"
"No, let's teach him a lesson,"
"Because that worked so well last time,"
"Shut up!" Vick barked at his goons as Robert came closer. He was positively fuming, his hands balled into fists and shaking at his side. A deep frown set in his face. He bared his teeth when he got close enough to the trio and growled. "Well, look who's here to save the princess aga-," Vick was interrupted by Robert's fist colliding with his nose. The twins parted, allowing Vick to sail through the air and land a good five feet away. Robert grinned, his fist still held out in the air and his breathing heavy. He looked towards the twins.
"Oh, shit!" They said together before taking off down the alley and into the building. Robert let a dry laugh escape his lips before running over to Kris. He checked him over, not seeing any fatal wounds, and moved his hair from his face. He shook him softly.
"Kris? Kris, can you hear me?" He got a mumbled reply as an answer, and he let out the breath he was holding. At least he was alive, and would wake up sooner or later. Robert looked up at the red head that was laying a few feet away who was trying to sit up and hold his broken nose at the same time. A surge of anger rushed through Robert as he made his way over to Vick.
"Fuckin' cowards," He grumbled before his eyes caught sight of Robert's foot being slammed into his stomach. He groaned and curled in on himself. Robert landed another kick, this time to his chest, happy to hear a crack resonate from somewhere inside of his body. With another kick, he managed to roll Vick over, closer to the wall where Kris sat. Vick coughed up blood onto the dirty ground and tried to get up. Robert made an attempt to step on Vick's head, but quick as a flash, Vick had stabbed the piece of glass he still held deep into Robert's leg. Robert hissed through gritted teeth and backed up, giving Vick enough time to stand. He smirked and wiped his face with his arm, his other wrapped around him. "That all you got?" He taunted.
"In case you haven't noticed, I seem to be winning," Robert growled back to him, still trying to remove the glass from his leg. It was wedged in there deep. Vick let out a maniacal laugh.
"So it would seem," He gave a nod, and Robert didn't have any time to look behind him as two boots suddenly hit him square in the back and pushed him face first into the ground. He groaned. His back was still sore from earlier, though his black eye was fading quite well. He soon found himself being kicked back and forth like a soccer ball between two pairs of feet. He caught a glimpse of white hair and realized that the twins had come back.
As he neared one of them, Robert stuck his arm out and caught the ankle attached to the foot that was about to kick him again. He gave a sharp tug and the boy fell to the ground, his head hitting the ground with a sharp crack. He got up on his knees, ready to face the other twin, but he was already rolling on the ground, holding his head in pain.
"Aaah, verdammt noch mal!"* He curse, crawling over and laying besides his brother. Robert left them there and headed back to Vick who was hacking up a lung onto the wall right above Kris. He spun him around and slammed him into the wall, resulting in a groan of agony. Robert's hands moved to Vick's throat, and he weakly tried to claw Robert's hands off him, but he had no chance. He gasped for air as Robert pressed his thumbs down harder.
"Please..." Vick gasped out.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here, right now. Oh, that's right, you can't!" Robert pressed harder, watching Vick's skin slowly turn purple. All of a sudden, Robert felt a weak tug on the bottom of his pants. He looked down to see Kris struggling to open his eyes, but pulling on Robert's pants.
"D-Don't...don't kill him... He is-isn't worth it," Kris stuttered out just loud enough for Robert to hear. Vick gasped in a much needed breath as Robert's hands left his windpipe, and he fell to his knees. Both boys looked at Kris with bewildered faces. Kris lazily punched Vick in the shoulder and whispered, "Go away," harshly. Vick didn't waste in anytime in fulfilling this request, and he made his way as fast as he could towards the other side of the alley, disappearing into the night.
Robert knelt down, and with a hard tug, finally got the piece of glass out of his leg. He turned to Kris who looked away from him, more focused on the blood drying on his hand. Robert reached out to touch his cheek, but Kris flinched away.
"Kris, look at me please," Robert pleaded, trying to turn Kris's face towards him, but Kris just shook his head and brought his knees to his chest, burying his head into them. Robert scooted closer to the blonde and took one of his hands in his. Kris tried to pull away, but soon his hand fell limp in defeat. "Kris," Robert whispered. "Kris, please, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sorry for running away. I know I overreacted, but please, I'm sorry!" He gave Kris's hand a squeeze. "Please, Kris. Give me a chance here. I-I think that my feelings for you are the same as yours are for me. I just needed some time to think it over. I just didn't do it in a very good manner. Please," Robert rested his forehead on Kris's raised knees, mixing his dark hair with Kris's light. "Please, I'm so sorry," The two sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, Kris broke the quiet.
"Mow dit oo fimg ge?" He mumbled, his face still hidden in his legs. Robert looked up at the noise.
"What?" He asked. Kris squeezed the hand that Robert still held and lifted his head, sniffling. Robert wiped away the tears that were settled on Kris's cheeks and left his hand cupping said cheek.
"I said, how did you find me?" Kris repeated, looking anywhere but Robert. Robert gave a small chuckle.
"I went back to your house and found your door open. I knew you couldn't have gotten far on your two feet, so I started driving around the neighborhood. I was about to go back to your house when I saw this fire burning above the buildings, and I figured that I should check it out. Lo and behold, here you are," He gave Kris a small smile. Kris looked down at his hand in Robert's before looking up, locking his blue eyes to Robert's gray ones. Another moment of silence passed over the two before Kris took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.
"Robert?" He said with a shaky voice.
"Yes?" Said boy answered, scooting closer, watching Kris bite his bottom lip before speaking again.
"Will you go to the homecoming dance with me?" Kris looked away, blushing. Robert could not stop a huge grin from spreading across his face and a few chuckles to escape. He tilted Kris's face back to look at him, and leaned down, placing a soft kiss to his lips that lasted barely a second, but had Kris as red as a firetruck, and so much meaning in it.
"I'd love to go with you," He told him. "But first, why don't we go get cleaned up and maybe have some of that pizza that's still sitting on your counter, huh?" Kris smiled and wrapped his arms around Robert's shoulders as he helped him up.
"That's a great idea."