Golden Snow - Bennoda

Chapter Seven

Mike's dad still wasn't home when Mike was preparing for bed. He didn't change out of his day clothes, just laid in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It never used to be so hard to fall asleep. He was lost in thought, headphones in.

He thought about the rapes. He couldn't understand how two people could mistake this rapist for Mike. It's not like many people looked as he did. He was tanner than anyone else in town, had intensely colored hair and eyes, and was of a regular build. It sounded common but not around there. Most people were quite pale and had medium features. It should've narrowed down the list of suspects but instead, it just increased the odds of Mike being arrested for a crime he didn't commit.

His head moved onto Jay. He hated his brother but not really. He wished he wasn't so mean to him earlier and not so sensitive towards things that were his fault. He found it strange he came just yesterday and didn't mention it. It was like him not to tell anyone anything but it was just weird to Mike.

Finally Mike's thoughts fell onto the boy he's fallen so deeply for. He cared for this stranger more than he could understand. He loved having a name to the face and voice that called him that first night and actually really liked the name Chester. It was unique and Mike had never met or heard of many Chesters before. He thought it was a cute name, considering the boy was cute himself. Maybe that's why he thought the name was adorable; simply because the boy was.

Mike caught himself off guard with his thoughts of the boy. He thought he was cute and admitted it to his most conscious state of thought. He really did find him adorable, he couldn't deny that, and he cared for the boy. Mike supposed he liked him but never once had he thought himself homosexual. He always went along with what everyone else desired and amongst his friends, it was girls. Mike wasn't too surprised by his perhaps new found sexuality but he had never met anyone gay. He knew it must've been true then and decided he'd worry more about it later but just had to tell someone about it. He called Brad.

"Hey, wassup?" Brad answered in a slurred voice. He must've been close to sleep. Mike felt guilty for waking his friend but he desperately wanted to talk about this.

"Hey. Can I talk to you about something?" Mike asked, getting straight to the point, skipping over an apology. He heard Brad yawn.

"Yeah, bud, anything," He said and Mike had to love the fact that his friend was so willing to help and talk, even when moments from sleeping.

"I think I might be gay," Mike hesitated before continuing, "That missing boy... I've spoken to him and saw him. I think I like him. I think he's cute and I care about him a ton. When I get an unknown caller, my heart races because I always think it's him."

"Mike... I don't think you're gay," Brad said slowly, causing Mike to squint his eyes in the dark. He wasn't understanding what Brad was trying to say. "I think it's just that boy. I...I find him cute too. So does Rob, we talked about it."

"Rob too?" Mike asked, dumbfounded. He was so confused. Was there something about the boy that made everyone have a crush on him? "Phoenix...?"

"Phoenix had... very perverted thoughts about him... It's really... It's just the boy, really," Brad said unsurely and Mike's eyes widened. Phoenix had naughty thoughts about Chester? There must be something about him. "Joe was really hesitant to admit it but he thought Chester-"

"How'd you remember his name?" Mike interrupted. Brad was usually terrible with new names but somehow he remembered this missing boy's after just seeing it once.

"Just... him. But anyway, Joe thought he was attractive. I guess everyone's just obsessed and gay for him. I... well Rob and I got very jealous when Phoenix said he had those thoughts. I don't know what came over us," Brad admitted and Mike understood that. He honestly felt a tinge of jealousy when Brad said everyone fell for him. "And I'm jealous he contacted you and not me. But when did you see him?"

"That's a long story-"

"Mike, tell me!" Brad whined and Mike rolled his eyes. His friend seemed to suddenly express his obsession with the boy once he admitted to it. Mike couldn't help but think he released something he'd regret later inside Brad.

"I'm sorry but I gotta go. I'll talk to you later," Mike lied and hung up before Brad could pressure him into talking more about Chester. Mike got out of bed and found the poster of the missing boy and studied the image of him. He felt his lips twitch at the corners, threatening to break a smile. He could forget all his troubles while looking into this boy's dark eyes. He took a look to the window.

He noticed the snow was falling heavily. It was intense but the winds were low. It was falling with grace to the ground and being illuminated by street lamps that made the snow look ever so golden. Mike stepped closer to the window to get a better view. He looked down and saw beautiful mounds of golden sparkles covering ever inch of the ground, covering any marks left by the human race. No footprints were to be seen and almost everyone in the small apartment building was gone, probably out to some christmas party, meaning the lot was almost empty and this side of town was at it's quietest.

Mike grabbed a sketchbook, setting the poster down. He sat by the window and began sketching the outline of a face. He looked back outside and the beauty it showed reminded him of Chester's eyes. He drew features within the head and added hair, wanting to get this image in his head down on paper as quickly as he could. With another glance out the window, his heart warmed and started beating quicker as he drew the person further, wanting to just feel their skin pressed against his.

He focused on the eyes for what must've been over fifteen minutes, just looking up to peer out the window another time. Once he finished with that, it was easy to tell who he was drawing. His head felt light and his soul felt needy at the drawing of Chester. He wrote the boy's name at the top of the paper. 'Chester Bennington.' The name ran around in Mike's head and danced with his thoughts. He looked to the drawn lips and craved to press his against Chester's and wrap his arms around the sweet boy. He felt empty when he realized the boy wasn't his and he may never be able to treat Chester the way he wanted to. He wondered how it would feel to have his and the boy's heat radiate against each others.

Mike set his drawing down, attempting to bring himself away from the thoughts of the boy but he couldn't refuse their need to be in his head. He looked back outside once again. The wind picked up ever so slightly, making the snow blow just a little to the right but it still appeared glorious and perfect in every way, much like the boy. The golden snow had formed in the corners of the window and Mike couldn't stop staring until something pulled his attention.

There was a soft knock on the door.