Liquid Fire

It was late evening when Perttu heard the knock at his door. He held his breath, not daring to tear his eyes away from the computer screen. His heartbeat throbbed in his ears. He chewed his lip. It was very, very unusual for him to ever get visitors, let alone this time of night. Rain tapped almost inaudibly against the windows, car tyres rolling over wet tarmac echoed from somewhere outside; but there was no sounds of any movements coming from outside the door. The black haired man relaxed himself and turned his attention back to his computer.  

 

Again, knocking echoed throughout the house. Perttu looked up at the door, bottom lip disappearing between his teeth. He sighed, staring at the shadow he could see behind the translucent glass of the little, semi-circle window. It was a further few seconds before he decided that he should probably answer it. Ripping his earphones out, he stood, making his way to the door.

 

Mentally preparing himself for a terrorist attack that he was almost certain was going to happen, he ripped open the door, glaring at whoever stood behind it. When he was met with the so imagined ‘terrorist’, however, all his former emotions melted into one big, heaping ball of sympathy. A teary-eyed, red-faced Eicca stood there, scuffing his shoe against the door mat sheepishly. He had one hand buried deep in his jacket pocket and the other clasped tightly around the strap of his backpack. He was soaked through, quite obviously from having been stood out in the rain for so long. High winds had torn at his hair and his clothes and left them messy and wet.

 

“Eicca?” Perttu asked, trying to get his friend’s reddened green eyes to look up from their place on the floor. They didn’t even flicker. The shorter man sighed heavily, tucking strands of his dark hair behind his ears. His fingers disappeared into the silky black as he scratched at the back of his neck. “W-What happened?” He offered, dying to get a response from his elder. "Talk to me, Eicca. I can't help if you won't talk." His words were stern, but he spoke them so softly they sounded comforting.

 

“I-I...” Eicca sighed, licking over his cracked lips, internally cursing himself for sounding so weak.“Me and Kirsi,” He paused, shaking his his head as his voice broke. “We’re done.” His voice was flat and monotonous. He was like a robot, and that scared Perttu more than anything. In all the years they’d known each other, the sandy haired man had always been known as the happy-go-lucky, bubbly little character that was never caught without a smile. Eicca was the strong one. Eicca was like a big brother to him and Mikko and Paavo. All this time, Perttu had seen Eicca as an impenetrable, unbreakable man, almost as if nothing effected him. It was so alien to see him upset, let alone as so devastated as he was now.

 

“You,” The black haired male couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It was all too much for him. “You broke up?”

 

“Oh, no.” Eicca shook his head again, smirking sadly. Perttu hated the sarcastic tinge to his beautiful smile, it being so unlike the taller man to be filled with so much hate. “I came home and caught her in bed with another guy.”

 

“Oh, Eicca.” Perttu sighed, hugging the taller man securely. Eicca couldn’t hug him back. He did however, shut his eyes and rest his cheek on top of his friend’s soft, black hair “I’m so sorry.” Perttu whispered against the skin of Eicca’s neck, his hot breath sending shivers down the other’s spine. Despite how bitter he sounded, Perttu knew that there was no real anger in his friend's heart. He was broken, not angry. He spoke so respectfully about his former parnter, like she had done nothing wrong and that it was Eicca's own fault he had gotten so heartbroken. The black haired man admired him for that, he knew that if the same had happened to him, there was no way he would have delt with it so calmly. Perttu placed two hands on his friend’s arms, and looked him in the face. The fire in Eicca’s eyes had long burnt itself out. Vivacious pools of flaxen-flecked chartreuse had simmered down into a darker light that of the night sky. His stare was empty and hopeless, self-loathing swirling within them. “You wanna stay?” Perttu asked, to which the other nodded shyly. “I’ve got room for two; just bought a king sized bed.” He winked, desperate to make the taller smile.