Home Soon (Bohner)

Nine

     Tyler woke up at two a.m.
The sky was covered in a mass of heavy, dark grey clouds. The lightning illuminated the forest every few seconds, and the trees were bending in the strong wind. It was pouring, and the raindrops were banging on Tyler's windows. The thunder was ringing in his ears, sending shivers down his spine.

Oh no.

Tyler hated storms. "What do I do?" he whispered shakily, pulling the blanket closer to his body, burying his head in the soft fabric, trying to ignore the loud noise. He waited for a few minutes, and when the rain only intensified, he slowly got out of the bed, put on one of his sweaters, and quietly walked down the stairs. He was hugging himself, shaking in fear and anxiety.

I can't stay here. But I can't go all the way to AJ's or Ty's cabin... And Michael is mad at me... But his cabin is the closest! What do I do?!

The blonde boy just took a few deep breaths, waited for the lightning, and the second it passed he quickly opened the door and practically ran towards Michael's cabin. He slipped a few times, but he eventually made it. He stood in front of the door, knocking as fast as he could, praying to god and hoping that Michael will hear. His hair was sticking to his forehead, and his clothes were slowly soaking, too. A few seconds later, he was shaking with cold along with the fear and anxiety.

Oh god. This is terrible. He's not gonna wake up. What do I do?

Tyler was ready to turn around and run back to his cabin, when the door opened and revealed tired looking Michael. His eyes widened when he saw the wet, shivering boy, and he immediately pulled him inside and closed the door. "Tyler?! What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse as he probably just woke up. "I-I-I-the storm-I-I was scared-and-and your cabin was the closest." the younger boy stuttered, still shaking and shifting on the spot, leaving wet marks on the floor. "Oh god. Come on, I'm gonna give you some new clothes and make you some tea, you're soaked and you look like you're freezing." The taller of the two sighed, turning around and walking up the stairs. The blonde boy followed him quietly, leaving a wet path behind.

Maybe he's not that mad. Maybe I can fix this.

Michael kneeled down next to his bag and pulled out a pair of boxers, soft black sweater and a pair of grey sweatpants. "Here you go." He mumbled when he stood up and handed the clothes to the soaked boy, disappearing downstairs before Tyler could even thank him. The blonde boy just sighed and shook his head, quickly stripping from his wet clothes and putting on the soft, comfortable, and dry clothes.

Woah. This smells so good... Like Michael.

Just as he was about to walk down to find the older boy, he stepped into the room with a cup of tea, handing it to Tyler without a word. The younger boy just watched him with sadness in his eyes. "Look-Michael, I'm sorry-" he was interrupted by a scoff. "I don't care. It's your life, I shouldn't-whatever." The taller boy shrugged, his voice still a little husky. He grabbed one of the two blankets from his bed, throwing it at Tyler, and then climbing into his bed, facing the wall. Tyler's face fell.

Oh no, he is still mad. I ruined everything, I knew it.

He just quietly sat down on the other bed, and sipped his tea. He usually loved tea, but in that moment, he didn't enjoy it at all. It was supposed to warm him up, but he was still shivering after he drank it, so he put the empty cup next to his bed, lay down, and cuddled into the soft blanket from Michael. He felt comfortable, but he was still cold, and the thunder was still scaring the shit out of him. Every single time the lighting appeared, he jumped up, pressing his eyes shut and desperately trying to ignore it, but it didn't help at all. He opened his eyes and glanced towards the brunet laying on the other bed. His frame was slowly rising and falling, he seemed to be asleep.
Tyler just shook his head and sniffled, noticing the warm tears on his cheeks. A few minutes later, he was full on sobbing into the pillow, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I'm so stupid. So, so stupid. Why did I even go to Michael? I should have known not to bother him after what happened. I'm an idiot.

Tyler's sobbing was interrupted by a groan coming from the older boy. He froze, trying not to make any noise, but Michael was already wide awake. He sighed, getting up from his bed and walking towards the blonde boy. "Scoot over." He mumbled, clearly tired. Tyler just blushed and shifted closer to the wall, wiping his eyes and trying not to sob again, confusion written all over his face. When the taller boy climbed into the bed and pulled his shaking body closer, he just couldn't keep it in any longer. "M-Mikey, I-I'm so-so sorry! I'm so stupid for not trusting you from the start and-and defending him-but-but I thought that-that everybody was good on the inside and I-I thought he was just misunderstood-but-but then he-he-" the blonde boy rambled, looking into the older boy's eyes, tears streaming down his face, his bottom lip trembling. "It's okay, I understand. I overreacted." Michael mumbled softly, burying his head into Tyler's hair with a sigh. "But-but-If you-if you-he-he was touching me-and I felt so disgusting-an he-he could have raped me-but-but you stopped him and-and I should have thanked you but in-instead I was still defending him and-I-I was so scared Mikey! I just-I shouldn't h-have kissed him back! It was all m-my fault!" He buried his head into Michael's chest, letting out loud, uncontrollable sobs. "Hey, shh, it's okay. It's fine, it wasn't your fault. I will always protect you, okay? I promise. Calm down, you're safe now." The older boy whispered, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. "O-Okay." Tyler blurted out, sniffling, trying to breathe steadily. Michael wiped his tears, giving him a soft smile. The blonde boy bit his bottom lip, but then managed to smile back a little. "You're still cold." The older of the two whispered, pulling the blanket over them, and pulling the blonde boy closer. "Goodnight, baby boy." He added quietly, gently kissing the boy's forehead and wrapping his arms around his waist. Tyler just blushed and put his hands on Michael's chest, finally feeling comfortable. His mind stopped racing, his breathing was back to normal, and his eyes were quickly dropping. The storm was slowly going away. Five minutes flew by, and he was fast asleep. Michael couldn't help but smile when he heard the little snores coming from the boy.

He is so cute. The way his hair is so messy sometimes, the way his eyes sparkle, the way he bites his lip, his perfect smile, his cute laught...every single thing about him is perfect.
Oh Tyler, what are you doing to me?