The Prince

Part 47

"What do you think you're doing?"

Skye's voice made Noah jump as he was packing up the things that Skye's family and Tsukasa brought him. The plan was to make a quick getaway without being a further burden to them.

"I er, I," he trailed off not quite sure what to say.

"You're about to do something dumb, aren't you?" Skye accused.

"Why do you always expect the worst from me? Is that your default setting?" He knew how perceptive Skye could be, but he always spoke as if he knew more than he let on.

"I know you well enough by now to know exactly what's going through that empty head of yours," he chuckled.

"Piss off, Toad!"

"Now, tell me what you were planning to do," he insisted, sure that Noah was on his way out because he didn't want to bother anybody.

"I, well, I thought that maybe..."

"Well, you thought wrong," he moved toward Noah to help him pack his bag. "I'm not sure where you thought you were going, but you need to think your plans through better. Here, sit on this since you pack like a toddler."

With a grunt, Noah obliged and gingerly sat on the bag while Skye pulled the zipper closed.

"Now, put your crazy thoughts away and come with me." Skye grabbed his bag and waited for him to take a seat in the wheelchair he'd brought in. "Don't make me force you," he threatened when Noah looked at the wheelchair ready to argue.

"You're going to be overbearing the whole time, aren't you?"

"Not all the time, most of the time," he smiled as Noah sat down.

"So, where are we off to?" Noah asked as he was strapped in like a little child. It was easier to let Skye do what he wanted than to argue.

"You're going to stay at my parents for a while, or at least until we have this thing with your brother sorted," he chanced a glance at Noah. "Can you tell me why you did it?"

"What?"

"Why did you step in front of your brother's knife? Why did you protect me?" This had been bothering him from the start.

"You're always saving me and it was the one time I could be useful to you?" He mumbled.

"Useful? Noah, why do you think we're friends? So that I could treat you like a charity case where you feel you need to make yourself useful?"

"Well, when you say it like that, it does sound bad, but it's not about everything you've given me, I don't want to cause you any more trouble than you've already been through." He looked out of the window blindly.

"You've given me so much without asking anything in return, keeping you safe was the least I could do," he continued.

"We gave it to you out of love. My dad said that I couldn't let someone in and then leave them out in the rain. Maybe I've been letting you stand out in the rain too long," Skye smiled sadly at Noah, pulling up on the side of the road, he turned to Noah.

"You are a real friend to me, Noah. You're always around never asking or demanding anything from me, you're just... there. You make me smile when you act all stupid or get into trouble and you make me want to hide when you force Tsukasa and me to go out with you," he grabbed Noah's hand.

"You don't treat me any different to anybody else. It's so easy to be around you, to be myself. So don't think that you're useful or not. You're my friend and there should be no doubt in your mind that I do this because I care about you."

"You care?" Noah squeaked, almost afraid of the word.

"Yes, I care," he pulled Noah in for a hug, before turning to start the car again.

Noah sat for the rest of the drive caught up in his thoughts. What Skye had said meant the world to him. If it wasn't pity, then he didn't need to worry the whole time that he might be doing something wrong.

Stepping into the house Noah nervously looked around as if afraid that he'd be ambushed. He quietly followed Skye to the guest room. Dumping his bags in the corner, Skye pushed him toward the bed.

"Skye, I can do this myself," Noah said self-consciously when he tried to bend down to remove his shoes.

"You can do as you like when you're better," he gently pushed Noah onto the bed, pulling half the cover over him. "For now, all you have to do is listen to me, promise?"

Nodding Noah laid his head back on the pillows. He hadn't realised how much effort it took him to get here without it hurting. For now, he was happy to let Skye boss him around if it meant that he could get some rest.

"Dad, I brought Noah home," Skye said casually as he entered the kitchen where his fathers were both engrossed in their world.

"That's great, Son. We'll soon get him settled in," Jackson grinned looking up from his laptop.

"Yes, that's great," Raymond started, before sharply turning to Skye. "How exactly did the two of you get here?" Raymond narrowed his eyes, both stopped grinning and Jackson looked back down at his laptop.

"The driver..." Skye mumbled while Jackson loudly started typing.

"Oh? The same driver who's booked off sick for the week?"

"Well, no what I meant was that I er, you know...

"Jackson?" Raymond sharply turned to his husband.

"Come on my love, what does it matter how the boys got here, they're safe, aren't they?" Hopefully, Raymond's motherly instincts would kick in and take the focus off them.

"No thanks to you!" He snapped. "What would have happened if they got caught or got into an accident?"

"I don't know what you mean," Jackson tried to wear Raymond out by playing dumb.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" He turned his attention to Skye who was looking at the floor doing his best sad impersonation.

"Sorry Dad," he mumbled, hoping his act would be enough to call off the dogs.

"You're grounded! No cars, no Eric, only school and home, and no bakery for a month! And you," he turned his ire on Jackson. "You know what your consequence is," he said storming out of the room.

"Go calm him down!" Jackson furiously whispered.

"No, you go! I don't want to get a worse punishment."

"He won't do that, just go," he prodded.

"No! I know you want to get out of this by throwing me to the wolves," he whispered. "You go calm him down!"

Shaking his head in dismay, Jackson heard his name called.

"Coming love!" he called before turning to Skye. "You're a sell-out.