Home Soon (Bohner)

Six

When Tyler opened his eyes the next morning, he was confused for a few seconds, just like the first morning. When he realized where he was, he was surprisingly even more confused.

Why am I still in my clothes from yesterday? Why am I not in my cabin? And why do I smell coffee?

He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning in the process. He made a quiet 'oh' sound when he remembered the last night and shook his head.

I'm too slow sometimes. Almost all the time, actually.

Just when he was about to stand up and go downstairs, Michael walked into the room, holding two steaming cups of coffee, smiling from ear to ear. His eyes were sparkling, he seemed to be very excited for some reason.

He doesn't look hungover at all. I'm surprised. He looked pretty bad yesterday. He even called me baby boy... Or was that just my imagination...?

"Morning, sleepyhead. Would your majesty like some coffee?" the tall boy asked with a smirk, sitting down next to Tyler. "Yeah, I would love that." The younger boy mumbled quietly and blushed a little, taking one cup from Michael.
"So, after we drink this, I'm inviting you on an adventure." The older boy said and sipped the hot liquid. Tyler just raised his eyebrow. "Where?" he asked and sipped from his own cup. The strong taste filled his mouth and he immediately felt somewhat better. He loved coffee almost as much as he loved tea.
"Well, when I was downstairs, I accidentally moved the carpet because I stumbled, and I found something like a door in the floor. It wasn't locked, so I opened it. There was a ladder, but it was too dark down there, so I couldn't see anything else. I think it's just a basement, but I wanna check it out. Do you want to go with me?" Michael explained with widened pupils and a big smile on his lips. "Yes, I wanna know what's down there." Tyler nodded with a smile and looked up from his cup, meeting Michael's beautiful brown eyes. In that moment, he realized something.

His eyes are the same color as the coffee.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Ok, I'll go first." Michael said, moved the carpet, opened the door, and climbed in without another word. "You can go!" he shouted after a few seconds. The blonde boy carefully stepped on the ladder, and slowly began to climb down. The walls around him were dirty and cold, and the wooden ladder made creepy noises. He was almost down, when suddenly the wood under his feet broke. He lost his balance and fell backwards with a surprised scream, expecting to land on the hard, cold floor. But instead, he felt Michael's hands being wrapped around him, bringing him safely to the ground. Once he felt the ground under his feet, he pulled away from the taller boy, shaking a little bit from the shock. "T-Thank you." He whispered, hugging himself and blushing. "It's okay. Now come on." Michael smiled casually and turned around, walking away and looking around. "Hey! Look what I found!" he pointed the flashlight on the wall on the left. There was a light switch. The tall boy ran to it and flipped it. In a second, the room was filled with faint orange light. "Woah." They both said at the same time. The basement was huge. There was a lot of broken furniture, old clothes, books, photographs, and paintings. There was a black piano in the corner, too. "Do you think I can play?" The blonde boy asked. He loved to play the piano. "I don't think anyone will care. Just go for it." Michael just shrugged and smiled, the right corner of his eye twitching a little. Tyler smiled back and walked towards the instrument. He sat on the small chair in front of the piano, put his shaking fingers on the keys, and started to play. The older boy grabbed one of the chairs and put it next to Tyler's, sitting down. For the next ten minutes, he just watched the blonde boy play. The soft melodies the younger boy played were the only thing interrupting the silence, and everything felt calm, almost peaceful.
When Tyler finished the last song, they were left in silence for a while. "You are really good." Michael said quietly. The younger boy just blushed and shook his head. "Ty told me that you two made some songs together. Can you play and sing me something?" the older boy asked with sparkling eyes. "Uh, I don't think I can play anything we made on piano...but I can sing something else...?" The blonde boy suggested, biting his bottom lip. "Yes please, I just want to hear you sing. I heard that your voice is incredible." Michael chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows. Tyler just grimaced and turned back to the piano.
His expression was unreadable. His eyes were focused on the wall in front of him, his fingers moved exactly like they should, never making a mistake, creating a beautiful melody. The older boy just watched in amazement, not able to look away from Tyler's face, and when the blonde boy started to sing, he felt shivers down his spine.

"Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today

I would hold you in my arms,
I would take the pain away,
Thank you for all you've done,
Forgive all your mistakes.

There's nothing I wouldn't do
To hear your voice again.
Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there

Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself..."


When he sang the last word and turned to Michael with a sheepish smile on his face, the older boy was speechless for a second. But then he smiled and shook his head in amazement. "They were right when they told me that you have the voice of an angel."