𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲

fifty-three: It's Nothing.

WHEN THEY got off the ferry, Kai laid down in the back and simply stared up at the sky. While they're driving, the car engine sputtered and steam came from the front so Kai quickly sat up, turning around with a confused look. The car drives into the side of the road abruptly causing Kai to fling back and hit his head, he groans as he raised his hand up.

He held the back of his head with a grimace on his face as the truck comes to a stop. "No, no, no," Pope was panicking as JJ quickly got out and walked to the back. "Hey, baby, you okay?" He taps Kai's left leg. "Yeah. Never better." The boy is grimacing as he sat up slowly, looking to the front where Pope was.

"You probably unhooked the radiator, Pope. I haven't seen this before. You knocked the entire hubcap off!" JJ said as he went over to the hubcap a few feet away, clapping. "Whoo!" He picked it up as he laughed.

"You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight, Pope." JJ says as he walks over. "Uh, plan B? We could, um... Public transportation. We could hitchhike. We could rent bikes." Kie says and Kai looks at her.

"Yeah, it's the radiator." JJ says, checking the engine. "My dad's gonna kill me." Pope says making JJ turn to him. "Yeah, he might. He might." He nodded to the boy.

They ended up getting a tow truck to pick up the truck and take it to the nearest gas station where they can fix it. Pope and JJ were talking to the guy as Kie and Kai sat in the back of an old truck nearby. "Goddamn middle of nowhere." JJ says as he walks over, standing behind Kai. "Your head okay?" He asked Kai, raising it to the back of his boyfriend's head.

"Yeah." Kai pushed his hand away and crossed his arms. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" JJ asked, putting his hand to Kai's shoulder and the other glanced away. "I'm okay. It's nothing..." Is all he said as Kie glanced up at them. "Sure... dude's in heaven right now. Gotta know the calibration point before you do anything with the intake valve, JJ. You do the--" JJ stops himself from mocking Pope talking about the truck when he noticed Kie.

"Hey. Are you alright?" He says, glancing between both Kie and Kai now. "What's going on with you two?" He asked and Kai just looked at Kie. "Is something wrong, Kie?" He asked her and she looks at them. "My mom is so worried that I'm gonna be a Pogue that she's willing to send me to boarding school." She says and JJ glanced at Kai then Kie.

"Well, I guess that's what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd, Kie." He says and Kai turns his head to look at JJ. "Well, I mean, I'm not gonna go." Kie says making Kai look over at him. "They can't force you to." He says, furrowing his brows together. "It's too late anyway. I already am who I am." She says.

"Ain't all that bad." JJ says when he finished taking a sip from his flask. "Just look at that guy over there." He pointed at Pope making Kie glance over her shoilder. "He would do anything for us. That's a Pogue if I've ever seen one." He says and Kai smiles softly.

"Bone-deep." He says and Kie turns to look at him. "That's just one man's opinion, though." JJ says, raising the flask again before taking another shot from it as Kie looked over at Pope walking into the gas station with the man.

"J?" Kai turned to him as Kie glanced between them. "I'll give you guys some space..." She said quietly and got out of the truck as JJ glanced at her then looked at Kai. "What is it?" He asked, putting his hand to Kai's upper back. "My dad came back to OBX... that's why I spent the night at Kie's. Instead of coming to you... because I know you feel about him." He says, staring into his boyfriend's blue eyes.

"What the hell? You know I hate him, Kai. I mean, how could he just leave you and your mom like that?" He said, raising his hand to the back of Kai's neck. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd make it into a big deal..." Kai glanced down, playing with his fingers.

"If you didn't wanna be home because he was there, you could've came to the Chateau..." JJ says, brushing the dark haired boy's hair out of his face, staring at him. "Yeah, I know." Kai whispers and JJ leans in, pressing his lips gently against Kai's cheek. "You can talk to me... You know that." He whispered.

"Yeah..." Kai says softly, looking up and meeting the boy's eyes, leaning slowly towards him. JJ's other hand goes up to his face, kissing him passionately as Kai kissed him back, his hands going up to JJ's shoulders.

JJ pulls away, "I love you. And I'm always here for you... I always try my best for you to know that. Because I am." He nods softly, keeping their faces close together and Kai nods, glancing down. "Yeah, I know." He whispered before leaning in once more, kissing JJ again.

As the truck was getting repaired, JJ and Kai sat together in the old truck nearby, Kai leaning against his boyfriend who had an arm around his waist, they drank from JJ's flask together which eventually ended up empty.

"God, how much longer?" Kai asked as he stretched his arms and JJ looks over. "I think we can go now." He says when the man had finished up repairing the truck, leading Kie and Pope inside to settle up payment.

"Finally." Kai yawns, getting out of the truck with JJ's help before he looked at JJ, holding out his hand for his boyfriend. "Oh, before we head to Charleston, I offered we rent a car instead, I pay, leave Pope's dad's truck behind so all of us can be in comfortable seats." JJ says and Kai smiles, "wow, you really love me that much you'd rent a car just for one day so I can be in a comfortable seat?" He asked the boy.

"Well, my first thought was we ditch them, they go to Pope's meeting and we just sightsee." JJ says as they approached the truck, getting into the back of it and Kai laughs. "You're so dumb, JJ." He says, laying down.

"And you're so cute, Kai."

  

  

 

  

  

  

   

     

   

AUTHORS NOTE
can't wait for the angst lawl