Please, Stay With Me

Cradling

Gray dressed comfortably, a white cable knit sweater, soft and clean. It smelled like drier sheets and his closet, oddly enough, he found solace in that, holding the sleeves up to his nose and filling his lungs with the aroma. Familiar. Safe. It was an elegant sweater, which he loved. The sleeves were a little poofy, as the lined cuffs, that normal would only sit along the wrist, were much longer, reaching about mid-forearm. The neck was tall, but didn't roll over on itself, making it more-streamline than bulky. He'd long since gotten into the habit of wear turtlenecks to hide the bruises. Some of them were earned through fighting to acquire information, some were given by... different means to achieve the same end. Donald would exploit Gray's beauty and brilliance for all it was worth, sometimes asking immoral things of him. 

With a sharp sigh, he forced those images from his head, now wasn't the time for this. Usually, he would've paired this specific sweater with a black skirt of sorts, though, due to the chill of the winter's air, coupled with the dark of the encroaching night, today he opted for jeans. They were a very pale blue, and slim, hugging his legs well until they flared out into bellbottoms, with a variety of rips scattered up and down and small embroidered flowers over the pockets, hips, and cuffs. Gray selected a pair of white sneaker like shoes, with clear platform bottoms to accompany the bottom flare of his jeans. He'd sooner die than let the bottom of his pretty, pale, jeans get wet or dirty.

The boy turned to face his mirror, it was an oval, framed in dark stained wood, and full body. He smiled at the reflection. Many people, called Gray attractive, though very rarely did he feel it. Today was different, he gave a little spin, smiling all the while. Today he felt attractive, hopefully Stephen would agree. His silver hair was brushed, and yielded to his will, cooperating. 

It'd been but a short ten-minutes since Gray agreed to another not-date with the boy who'd just broken up with him. An Arboretum, a world of flowers and man-made streams, encased in glass. In all actuality, it was closer to a human-sized terrarium, where they were the bugs, the creatures to be gawked at. It would be nice though, to be with him like that. Looking at flowers, and marveling at the little things. 

Not giving himself another moment to regret this, he exited his room, walking down the dim hall as he made his way to the living room. Bonding moment, Gray reminded, that's what this was. Everything had to be perfect, he had to be perfect.

Stephen came into view rather quickly, clothed in the same clothes as earlier, other than the navy hoodie, which he exchanged for a black jacket. He hardly tried, but oh, how Gray adored him. His figure, his smile, his hands. This was going to hurt, all of it. Brown eyes settled on him, scanning and skimming, silently, Gray hoped that Stephen was enjoying what he saw, "You look nice!" He smiled again, displaying the maroon shirt beneath his black windbreaker, "Ready?"

"Yes," Was the answer, such a sweet syllable. 

"Let's go then!" 

Once more, Gray was cast into turmoil. A gnawing pain was settling deep within his chest, a little suffocating. Confliction. Loyalty. He followed Stephen, trying to mimic the way he walked. Such confidence exuded from his frame, perpetually, and in the moment, Gray just wanted a little bit of that. He pretended to be a lot of things, confident was one of them. So why...

Why don't I want to pretend now?

...

The bus creaked, near-lifeless as it toiled about its path. There were three others on the bus aside from the pair, though none of them seemed like the nosy type, keeping to themselves in small quiet conversation between a couple, and earbuds in for the other. Stephen and Gray were practically alone in this sense. Last time, the bus ride had been anything short of life-less, he'd been held by Stephen then, and photographed at the beach. Oh how times change. The same camera was settled between them now, at Stephen's hip, safe as it pressed against Gray's leg as well. "Have you been to this garden?" The auburn asked with a smile, clicking open his phone briefly to check the time, 8:48, it read.