Finding Ourselves

That sucks! I'm really close to my school.

Max nodded and mumbled, "Light it for me, will you?" His voice was gentle. His eyes were trained on the road, weaving through the slow moving traffic with a practiced ease. He was squeezing into postage stamp sized spaces, spaces he really shouldn't be able to get the car into, and he was doing it all without causing any damage to Blazes car or anyone else's vehicles. Soon, the traffic started to thin.

Atticus watched him with confused eyes, "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, his stomach twisting. Everything good was always followed by something ten times worse, but he'd hoped that, just maybe, he could be wrong about that just this one time. He watched the boy retreat in front of his eyes, the same way Atticus retreated from most social contact.

Max took the cigarette between his index and middle fingers. He put it between his lips, inhaling deeply. His hand fell back to the center console. He sped up once they hit a nearly empty stretch of road. Then he pulled into Blaze's driveway. As he pulled the keys from th ignition, his phone burst to life.
"Give me fifteen minutes at most," Max said, getting out of the car.
He answered the phone. He and his agent talked for five minutes before they connected the Burberry consultant to their call. After ten minutes, the woman from Burberry was promising to send his schedule via email. He ended the call, beaming.

Atticus felt it, the vice grip on his stomach as Miles spoke. The alcohol intensified his negative feelings. He couldn't manage to say a word as he watched the boy begin to leave. His mind just kept rolling over two words, "Alone again." He wanted to rip his hair out or slam his head against the wall, but he couldn't, not while someone was watching him. He couldn't do anything but listen to his mind.

Max nosed, flicking the ash off of his cigarette. He was staying calm, but on the inside he was jumping up and down like a little kid. No matter how many modeling jobs he got, he would always be giddy after he secured himself a job. "So, how about you show me to my room," he said in a teasing voice. He let his arm snake around Blaze's waist lightly.

Atticus waited. He had to hear the door close before he could move, before he could do anything. Sure, Miles probably saw what was wrong with him, but knowing and witnessing were two completely different things. He knew from experience that witnessing led to testing and pills and things he didn't want to go through again.

It's fine. If you have to leave me, at least it's for a guitar. Music is always a valid reason for disappearance, as is food and sleep.

Max gave Blaze's brother an endearing smile. He found it sweet. He let his arm fall and he walked over to the tv. He crouched down and turned the tv off. He then returned to Blaze, his arm returning to its previous spot. His hand fanned out over the side of his stomach, encompassing a large space. He waited for Blaze to lead him farther, to the room he'd be staying in, hopefully, the room they'd be sharing.

Sure thing!

"That's probably better than the couch. Do you have a pair of sweats I could borrow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His side felt slightly empty as soon as the younger boy walked away. He walked a few more steps into the room, closing the door behind him. He let himself look around the room again, taking more of the space into his mind. It really was like stepping inside Blazes mind.

Atticus was putting his stuff in his locker, his ray bans on, when two guy jogged up behind him. The bigger of the two grabbed him by the back of the neck and pushed him sideways. The side of his head hit the lip of his locker with a dull thud which reverberated in the boy's hung over mind, causing him severe pain.
"Morning, Atticus, how are you?" the other guy cooed in his ear. His voice was sickeningly sweet, too kind for the way they treated Atticus. "You're looking a little chubby this morning. Did you eat at your birthday party?"
The other guy said, "Tsk tsk. You can't afford to gain any weight, chubs."

Max changed into the sweats. Then he pulled off his tight white shirt. He bit his bottom lip and said, "You don't mind if I don't wear my shirt, yeah? Cuz if you'd rather I did..." he trailed off slowly, still holding his shirt in his hand. The black sweats hung dangerously low on his hips, showing off his hipbones and his lean muscles. He chewed on his bottom lip, his eyes trained on Blaze.

The big guy was taken aback by the suddenness of Miles. The second guy ran over to help his friend. Atticus let himself slide down the lockers, onto the floor. He was holding his head, praying that the pounding would go away. It was echoing in his ears and he couldn't hear anything else.

Of course

Max tossed his shirt and pants on top of his bag that sat by the door. He then crossed the room to the bed. He perched himself on the edge, cross-legged like a little kid. He was smiling as he sat down. He looked at Blaze and said, "I'm not sure I want to go to one of your races ever again. It was a twitch terrifying. But your friend seems nice. Sam, right?" he was fiddling with a ring that he'd been wearing, one his grandfather had given him. It was a simple bronze hoop that fit around his middle finger perfectly.

The two guys stepped back a little. The second one rolled his eyes as they walked away. A few of their friends teased them when they walked up for getting beat up by a kid smaller than them. Atticus was still on the ground, trying to get his bearings. He'd let his hands fall away from his head though. He tugged his sleeves down over his wrists, holding them tightly so they didn't slide down.

"No, but now that you've brought it up, I'll be sure to ask her next time we see each other," he teased, flashing Blaze a cheeky grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Then his eyes trailed over the cuts and newly forming bruises over the boys chest. His long, slender fingers reached out. His finger tips ran over the edges of the bruises and cuts. "Are you sure you okay? You're pretty banged up, Blaze..."

Atticus looked up at him, his pale brown eyes blank. He managed to mutter, "I'll be fine." His voice wasn't very convincing, but he preferred to suffer alone. Rather, he didn't know anything other than suffering alone. He didn't want anyone, especially not Miles watching him at that moment. He just wanted to melt into the walls.

Max looked into Blaze's eyes, his icy gaze lingering on the younger boy's ocean blue eyes. His free hand reached out, the back of his fingers running over the boy's jaw. His thumb drug lightly over his bottom lip.
"My god, you're bloody perfect," he whispered. "You know that, don't you?"
Even with the boy all messed up, he was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. Though his heart was going crazy in his chest, he held the eye contact.

Atticus managed to stand up and stumble to the bathroom. He closed the door and twisted the lock to keep out any unwanted passerbys. He went up to the mirror and put his hand up to the side of his face. When he pulled his hand away, they were sticky with warm, red blood. He located the cut on his ear and washed it off quickly.

Max crawled over him, his narrow frame above the younger boy. He couldn't get enough of this kid. Everything about him got Max's heart racing. He couldn't keep his hands off of him for more than a few seconds. He couldn't stop thinking about him for long enough to do anything productive. With all of this in his mind, he leaned over. His lips brushed Blaze's neck. He chose the spot At the corner of his jaw, just below his ear. He pressed a kiss there. He let his lips part slightly, his tongue running over the smooth skin. He sucked on the light skin there, pulling away after a good minute. Left in the place of his mouth was a reddish purple love bite.

Atticus glanced at his phone and cursed loudly. He ran out of the bathroom and sprinted down the hall. He just made it into class when the bell rang. His teacher gave him a stern look, hurrying him to his seat. He pulled out a notebook and started to doodle. Ten minutes in, people began to throw things at him. One boy even had the audacity to spit on him. Atticus took it all on the chin because he knew nothing else.

That's good!

Max pulled away with a chuckle, "Go to sleep, love. I'll still be here in the morning." With that he crawled off the top of the younger boy and laid down, opening his arms so Blaze could lay closer to him if he wanted. He found the way sleep lidded the boys eyes and made him slightly clunsier terribly adorable.

Max hummed quietly. He took a break in the song to say, "Sleep well and sweet dreams." He then pressed a gentle kiss on the top of the boys head. He continued humming, his voice almost in audibleit was so quiet. His arm wrapped along Blaze, holding him against his chest protectively. His thumb rubbed circles on the younger boys back.

Skipping to the next morning

Max woke up, still holding blaze against his chest. He'd never before been able to say that he liked mornings, but he thought that if he were to wake up like that every morning, he wouldn't mind them so much. He might even like them. He glanced at the time on his phone and set it back down leisurely. He had plenty of time, and he wanted to let Blaze sleep.