The Barefoot Violinist

Believe Me

Cory looked at the video of Bennett playing in the school cafeteria again. He's watched the video about ten times already and was scouring through the posts of other students to find more videos of him. It was just his luck that on the day Bennett did something so wonderful, that he'd not be there to see it. When was he going to catch a break, he wondered as he updated all the social media sights with new pictures and videos.

So far his interactions with Bennett had been minimal and somewhat awkward. It was almost as if they were meeting each other for the first time, with neither knowing what to do or say. But getting to be near Bennett for a brief part of the day was like sunshine breaking through the dark clouds that hung over him.

He missed Bennett and all his quirks and moods. He missed that beautiful smile, those deep blue eyes that you could drown in, his messy blond mop that always hid his eyes and even that logical mind that could be cold and calculating sometimes. His perfect, imperfect Bennett. The only Bennett that could light up the world for him.

Deciding to take the bull by the horns or at least tackle the wall he needed to climb, he pulled out his phone

Cory: Hey Bennett.

Bennett: Hey yourself.

Cory: Are you busy right now?

Bennett: No.

Cory: Can I come over for a bit. Just to chat.

Bennett: Sure.

Cory: Great, thanks! I'll see you in 20.

A knock on the door announced Cory's arrival. Walking from the kitchen, he went to open the door.

"You didn't use your spare key?" Bennett raised his eyebrow at Cory, letting him in.

"Yeah, I didn't think now was the best time to barge into your house." he said in embarrassment. Bennett nodded and led the way to the kitchen, taking out a water for Cory.

"So..." Bennett trailed off, waiting for Cory to say something.

"Sooo..." Cory drew the word out. "Eh, Bennett?" He stuttered, not knowing what exactly he wanted to say.

"What have you been up to?" Bennett threw him a lifeline.

"A lot, actually," Cory smiled at him "I've been staying with my parents and I've been seeing someone to sort out... to sort out... you know...?" he looked at Bennett, a blush creeping over his cheeks.

"You're anger issues?" Bennett asked pointedly, cutting to the chase.

Cory nodded, looking more embarrassed. "Yes, to sort out my anger issues, my possessiveness and my future and what I want and what I... what I lost." he sighed.

"And? Do you think it helped?" he looked at Cory, his heart skipping a beat. No matter how logically he looked at the problem, the more illogical it got. He couldn't separate his feelings from logical thought when it came to Cory. When he didn't respond, Bennett tried again, "What did you lose?" his voice was even and quiet.

"I lost you." he quietly said to Bennett, holding his gaze.

"You didn't lose me. You're still very special to me." he put his finger under Cory's chin, forcing his gaze up. "Will you believe me?" he smiled warmly, his heart feeling a squeeze as he looked into Cory's mournful, dark eyes.

All he could do was nod, a quiet tear slipping down his cheek. Getting up, Bennett stood next to him, putting his hand on Cory's head, pulling it so that Cory was leaning against him. "You'll always be special to me." Bennett confirmed quietly, running his fingers through Cory's hair.

Cory laid his head against Bennett, not willing to create any space between them yet. His heart was racing, he was unsure of himself again. It felt so good to be next to his love again and yet he was unsure of whether Bennett would ever return his love. But for that moment, just a moment, he closed his eyes and enjoyed leaning into Bennett's warmth and feeling his fingers in his hair.

--

Since Cory had been around, he hadn't left Bennett's thoughts for a moment. Even when he was playing, it felt like something was missing, something just out of his reach. Sighing, he laid down his violin. Practicing had been impossible when his mind couldn't come to a rest. He knew for that to happen, he needed to work through his feelings for Cory.

"Guys!" Blue called as she met up with them outside school, on their way in. "What do you say to a gore and horror night?" Her eyes were gleaming at the prospect.

"Again?" Ellie whined. "Can't we do something with less blood?"

"This isn't the Disney channel, Missy." Blue snapped at her.

"What do you say, Ben?" She hooked her arm through his, giving him a squeeze.

"Why are you asking him?" Victor jumped in before he could answer. "He always says yes to whatever stupid thing you want to do! That's not fair!" He scowled over at Blue, placing his arm around Ellie.

"Shut up, you ass! You just want to score brownie points with Ellie. I know you really want the gore." Blue laughed, while Victor sheepishly looked at Ellie.

"Right, since I get to have the final say, we're going to watch Korean romantic comedies!" Bennett gleefully informed them.

"What?" Victor and Ellie turned to him with confused looks.

"Are you out of your freaking nut?" Blue asked in shock. "You better not be pissing with me, Ben. You can't just say shit like that when you get to have final say."

"What? I like them." He pronounced smiling brightly. "We're watching Korean romantic comedies and that's the final say!" The others groaned, while Ellie looked over at him gratefully.

That evening they were holed up in Blue's den, that had once again been transformed, with mattresses, fluffy pillows and blankets set up, and enough food and snacks to keep them going for months. With a contended sigh, Victor fell back into a stack of pillows, almost disappearing into their softness.

"This is the life." he sighed loudly as he reached over to grab a drink.

"Yes, it would be, if we weren't watching fucking Korean romantic comedies!" Blue snapped from where she was sitting on a mattress, propped up by a mountain of pillows.

"What about these?" Ellie interrupted them loudly, while her and Bennett were scrolling through the movies.

"Oh god, I almost forgot." Blue remarked snidely, as the opening credits started rolling, while Victor groaned in agreement. "There must be a good reason why we're watching this." she lifted her head slightly to look over at Bennett, who was on his stomach, feet in the air, already engrossed in the movie.

""Sometimes a bit of romance is nice." he responded without thinking. Turning around to look at Blue, he saw her and Ellie share a knowing look. "What?" He asked self-consciously.

"Oh, nothing." Ellie shook her head, with a dreamy smile. "Young love." she sighed and turned back to the big screen.

"Yeah, that!" Blue snorted, when he looked at her in confusion. "It would explain the humming."

"Whose humming?" Victor sat up slightly, with popcorn rolling down his chest.

"Ben. Now shut up and watch the movie." She tossed a chocolate egg at his head. Ducking to avoid the egg, he fell back onto the pillows with a sigh, raising his arm to flip her off.