Only Colours

Chapter 7

Sometimes Mikey talked, and Jude didn't really listen. Okay, often Mikey talked and Jude didn't really listen, but that didn't matter because most of what Mikey said wasn't important. He just enjoyed having someone to talk at. Today's topic was whales.

Mikey was sprawled on his back on one of the concrete steps leading up through the seating that overlooked the amphitheatre in the park, staring up at the stars as he rambled away to himself. "The biggest whales are blue whales, so they're my favourites. They're the biggest animal anywhere. I like narwhals too, even though they're tiny in comparison. I like all the whales. I like orcas less, though, because they kill seals. I know that's just nature, but when I see documentaries I'm always on the penguin's side. Isn't it weird that the biggest kinds of whales just eat tiny things and the smaller ones eat big things? Actually, I think orcas aren't even really whales. They're also called killer whales, so you would think they'd be whales, but I think actually they're dolphins."

Suddenly something jabbed Mikey in the ribs, hard enough to hurt but only a little. Mikey squeaked and reflexively rolled away. Of course, that resulted in him rolling off his step and onto the next one down, which hurt much more than the jab had. Ow.

Mikey sat up and looked up the stairs, his eyes quickly falling on the floating swirl of colours that indicated another person. Not taking his eyes away from the colours, Mikey scooted across the step towards where Jude sat on one of the seats.

"That was stupid, you edgy little shitbag," Jude told the colours, his voice dangerously calm. He never shouted or got aggressive unless he really had to these days, and usually he didn't have to. It was Jude's confidence, Mikey thought, that deterred most people from testing him.

"I'm not an edgy little shitbag," Mikey informed Jude. They both knew this routine was bullshit but, well, he had to keep up appearances.

"You're definitely not edgy." Jude yanked Mikey away from the stairs, and Mikey decided since Jude's lap was right there, he might as well be sprawled across it. He draped himself face down. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was nice to be close.

Mikey's face was pressed against Jude's thigh, muffling his speech, but since he was mostly talking to himself, it didn't really matter. "I like elephants, too. They're kind of big, but not really that big. They're smart, though, and they have trunks. Trunks are pretty interesting. Prehensile. Why don't other animals have trunks?"

It wasn't just colours that Mikey was good at noticing. He'd known Jude long enough now that things like facial expression, posture, and the tensing and relaxing of his muscles could tell Mikey a lot too. It was the slight contraction of Jude's thigh muscles that told Mikey he'd tensed up.

Mikey rolled over so that he could see Jude's colours and his face. Disgust, sadness, pity. "Jude?"

Jude shook his head, dismissing Mikey's curiosity, and Mikey sighed. They were both terrible at communication. Mikey began to roll back over onto his stomach, but paused halfway. There was something moving at the edge of the light from the lamp posts. Someone. A boy, and he had colours.

Mikey did occasionally see people. Good people, or at least people-people. People who had colours. Those people were usually adults, though, people going about their everyday lives, and Mikey couldn't just go up to them and say hi, couldn't just introduce himself and try to make friends.

This boy, though, he wasn't going about his everyday life. Not unless his everyday life involved washing his shirt under a tap in a park. It was hard to make out all of his colours without getting closer, but what Mikey could see was all fear and shame and guilt.