Badboy and the emo reunite (BXB)

25. back to normal.

Zane and I are lying in his bed, still catching up on everything we've missed. He's begun telling me stories of him working and getting away, how he's been going to therapy, how he's bettering himself. I'm so proud. 

 "It's just like when we were in high school," I say. "I didn't want to be with my parents so I stayed here, and now I'm too worried to stay in my apartment so I'm staying here again."

He turns to look at me, "It doesn't seem real."

"Well, it is. Live in the moment, Zane."

"I know," he pauses. "I didn't believe in destiny until we split up. I knew you were meant for me, I knew we would be together again, and I knew I couldn't leave you that easily. It pissed me off seeing you with Jason if I'm being honest, I knew his history with violence. I was scared for you, and it hurt so bad, but those first few days I thought he changed. I thought he changed, but people don't change. He still pisses me off, acting like a nice guy after everything he's put you through, and I know that's saying a lot coming from me. I put you through so much, but he raised his hand to you, and that's a level I would never fucking stoop to."

"It pissed me off knowing you were rooming with his brother honestly, and after finding out what he did, god I want to kill him."

"Why did that anger you?"

"I had a feeling that he liked you when we were dating in high school."

"Really? I didn't. Was it obvious?"

"Well, I'd catch him looking a little longer than the average person would, especially when you would wear no sleeves," I laugh and turn on my side to him. "I still wish you didn't hold me back as much as you did. There's a difference between holding back someone that doesn't want to fight but has the energy, and someone that WILL fight with the energy to pair with."

"You say that like you've been in more fights recently."

"Well, I wouldn't say fights, but arguments resulting in a fist or two being thrown. I'm not as laid back as you thought, Zane."

He moves closer to me and pulls me into a hug, I feel his body shudder as he relaxes like he's crying. I pull him into myself, squeezing him as hard as I can.

"I'm here now Zane, we are both safe. You really scared us, Ethan and I the other night, You kept saying you thought I died, you thought I was going to die, you didn't want to let go of me. I knew then how messed up this world has treated you, and how well I wanted to treat you from then on. I am always going to be here for you from now on, you can't push me away," He pulls back, and his eyes red and swelling with tears. He blinks and they roll slowly down his cheeks, I peck his lips, then kiss away the salty tears. "You and I will make it through this, together Zane. That night you told me you still loved me, that you tried to move on but you couldn't. I felt so much guilt because deep down I knew I still loved you too. I was just too impatient to wait."

"Shane, I want to be with you again, I want to be your boyfriend, I want to be your husband, I want to have a family together. Only if you are ready, will you be my boyfriend again?"

"I am ready, I think I've been ready since the day you came back. Yes, Zane, I will very happily be your boyfriend again. I love you, I always have," I pull him into a kiss, so passionate and yet so short.

"I love you, Shane."

—

"I want to take you to see Gavin, plus, I bailed yesterday on physical therapy. So, what I mean to ask is do you want to go to the gym with me?"

"Sure, I've been working out recently, it's helped."

He grabs my hand and walks me over to the closet, he throws a sleeveless hoodie into my arms and strips off his shirt. He reached for another hoodie, I watched his muscles move as he stretched out his arm. They tense, the veins pop out, and then they soften, the veins sinking back into the muscle. I glance to the hoodie in my hands, then to the one he's putting on. Mine is red, his is black.

"Is that okay?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His muscles bulge, veins trying to escape the arm. I swallow hard, I see him smirk.

Zane pulls my body towards him, and I nearly trip. He takes the hoodie out of my hand and throws it to the bed. Then he kisses me, soft, sweet, angelic. He pulls off my shirt, breaking the kiss to get it over my head. I pull him closer, my arms wrapping around his neck as I lift myself further into the kiss. His arms travel around my sides, to my back, and below. He lifts me off the ground, I wrap my legs around his waist. He turns my back to the wall and lays me against it, not taking another breath.

"What about Gavin?" I pant when I pull my head away to breathe.

"We'll just be a little late, it's fine," he dives back into the kiss, pushing up against my body more, I'm completely pinned.

If it were Jason, I would be panicking. But with Zane, I'm loving and living for this moment. I love Zane, I truly do, I don't know how I thought I could leave him. He's my life support, my antidepressants, my insomnia meds that don't work. And I'm addicted to it, I'm addicted to him.

He turns us and pushes my back into the bed, he's now standing between my legs, and I stare up at him, panting due to the lack of air. He looks at me, then runs his hand through his hair. He looks away, then back at me, sighs, bites his lip, and goes back down on me. I laugh into the kiss, pulling his head towards me, depending the kiss. We explore each other like we're foreign, searching, looking, and loving. Loving. Loving.

—

"Gavin," Zane yelled out. "I have a guest."

Gavin stops boxing with a boy with orange-dyed hair. He looks over and lights up when he sees me. Zane grabs my hand, giving me a squeeze.

"Holy shit, you actually did it Zane," he opens the rope and steps out, then goes into a steady jog toward us. "Shane, long time no see, how are you?" He opens his arms and pulls me into a hug.

I smile, and separate myself, grabbing onto Zane's hand. "Better, better than when we met last."

"Finally together again?"

I throw our hands into the air, "finally."

"I thought this poor boy was gonna kill himself working out so hard when ya split. You have no clue. He started-" Zane puts his hand over Gavin's mouth.

"Okay Gav, come on," Zane lets go but he's smiling. "We came to work out."

"No, you came to do physical therapy, Shane came to work out," he puts himself between us, our hands dropping. He grabs our shoulders and drags us over to the orange-haired boy.

"Zane, long time no see," the orange-haired boy says, coming out of the boxing ring.

"Cam," Zane gives a sad smile, patting his head. "How are you holding up? How's your brother?"

Zane looks at Cam like he's a child, I find that cute.

"The apartments okay. My brother is sober, he's been working, we've been working to afford the apartment together."

Zane grins and pulls him into a hug, running his knuckles into the kid's hair. He's swatted away, Cam now smiling lightly.

"Cam," he stops and grabs his shoulders. "This is Shane, my boyfriend. The same boy I told you about, that saved my life. Shane, this is Cameron. I met him while umm, you know that arm story."

My eyes go wide, this is the boy who almost shot Zane to save his brother.

"You," I mumble out, then grab both his hands. "I'm glad you're okay."

He looks so young, younger than me. So malnourished. Zane told me he never completed school, and that he lived on the streets with his brother, getting dragged into gang fights and drugs.

"I'm so glad you're doing better," I pull him into a hug. He's shocked at first, doesn't know what to do, then presses the boxing gloves against my back. "Thank you for looking out for Zane while I was gone, I know you helped him a lot, Cameron."

"No, he was the one that helped me. If it wasn't for him, my brother and I would probably be dead right now. I have him to thank."