Kyle hides his face away in his hands as he tries to keep the world from seeing his weakness. He sits alone in his bedroom, the words his mum had shouted at his dad still ringing in his ears. I want a divorce. After all these years, his parents still haven't managed to find some sort of common ground- and this is the result. Filing for a divorce.
His little sister doesn't really understand what is going on. She knows that there have been arguments between them for years now, and now Dad is packing all of his stuff to leave- but she doesn't really get it. Meanwhile, Kyle sits in his room being almost suffocated by the weight of his anger, upset, and heartbreak.
He finds his relief in the form of a small silver blade, allowing it to relieve his worries. It provides a sense of freedom that he hasn't felt in a while. Suddenly, it feels like he's Icarus. His wings work, and he can fly for a little bit- although the knowledge that his wings will soon melt looms over him. For the time being, though, he goes far, far away, to a place where nobody bullies him, to a place where his arms are free of marks, and to a place where he is happy with Dan.
Dan.
The stairs creak beneath him as he skips down them, rushing over to the phone hanging on the kitchen wall. The house in considerably quieter now- no shouting, no cursing. Just silence. Mr Simmons had made his leave ten minutes ago to stay at Kyle's grandparents' house until everything is sorted out.
" 'Ello?" Dan's voice is almost as relieving to Kyle as he finds his blade to be. He pulls his sleeves over his hands.
"Dan, can we meet by the trees?" Kyle asks, voice full of upset and worry. Dan picks up on this as there is no hesitation from the other side of the phone.
"Course we can," Dan says quickly. "Ten minutes?"
"Okay."
Given the fact that it's three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon in December, the forest is considerably darker than the boys usually ever get to see it. It's not completely pitch black, though the light is fading quickly.
Dan is worried as he walks the familiar path. The upset in Kyle's voice hurt him, hitting him straight in the gut. He knows things at home aren't really great at the minute- well, have they ever been? And Kyle, especially with Catlin, is getting a lot worse. He fears for Kyle's safety every night.
"What's up?" Dan questions Kyle as he reaches the tree with his torch in hand. "Kyle, you okay?"
As the teenager approaches Kyle, he can already hear his soft, choked sobs, and his slight sniffles that follow. Dan rushes towards him, kneeling down to get to Kyle's level, and pulling his hands away from his face. His heart is in his mouth, and it feels like he's suffocating- his worse fear is to see Kyle's face battered and bruised with blood trickling from his nose and mouth. To his relief though with partial concern, he just sees tears falling down his face.
"Kyle?" He asks, concern saturating his voice.
"They're getting a divorce," Kyle whispers, looking up into Dan's sparkling blue eyes, the concern in them proving overwhelming. Dan is shocked as he looks into Kyle's eyes, noticing how much of a deep, chocolate brown they are. He can only stare as he loses all his words. How on earth is he supposed to reply to that?
"Oh, Kyle. You know it was a long time coming..." He grabs Kyle's hands and raises them until they gently reach his lips. He plants a gentle kiss to the boys' knuckles as an act of support. "It'll be better for everybody in the long run. You can't expect them to stay together if they're not happy." He sits facing Kyle, opening his arms and letting Kyle embrace him just as he has done so many times in the past. "Everything works out in the end."
"I just... I can't believe they haven't worked anything out," he mumbles quietly, burying his head into Dan's shoulder, which has broadened a lot in the past few years. "I just can't believe Dad's leaving us..."
Dan is very fond of Kyle's dad. It seems as though his mum doesn't really listen to him much at all, and Kyle has always trusted and confided in his dad.
"Hey, listen to me, okay? At least there will be no shouting now, and who knows, things should get better. My house is always open if you need somewhere to stay, and I am always here for you." There's a pause as the two just embrace, Dan comforting Kyle, and Kyle falling evermore in love with Dan's warmth. He wishes he never had to let go. Why can't Dan just be with him all the time?
Kyle finds feelings confusing. Whenever he thinks about Dan, he gets a tingling in his stomach that he can't quite explain, and his heart gives a little flutter. He loves Dan- but love love? No, surely not. How could he? He's not made for love. He doesn't even know what love is- how was he supposed to be in love?
"I tell you what, let's go out tomorrow. Just me and you. We'll get something to eat, yeah? And then go and watch a film or something. Then we can go back to my house, and you can talk to me, and tell me everything that's bothering you. Sound good?"
Kyle smiles. "Perfect."
Dan decides to ask Kyle if he wants to sleep around tonight- at least it will keep his mind off of things. Kyle agreed, and they popped back into Kyle's house on the way back to get pyjamas (Shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt), and also to tell his mum where he was going. She didn't really answer.
The two lie on Dan's bed together, in each other's arms. Kyle likes it like this.
They're in practical silence, and Dan is quite happy sat there, listening to one of his vinyl's playing in the background (the one Kyle had bought him all those years ago), with Kyle wrapped up in his arms. His face is resting in the crook of Kyle's neck, and Kyle's face is on Dan's chest. The duvet is pulled right up over the pair to keep them warm, and there's a strong smell of Dan's deodorant filling the room. It smells nice.
"Dan?" Kyle asks quietly, way beyond being in love with the situation.
"Hmm?"
"What... What are we?" He questions, moving his head to look at Dan. "Is this... Is this normal? Do friends cuddle in bed together?"
Dan just shrugs. "Dunno, Kyle. We can be whatever you want to be." He watches as Kyle's cheeks turn slightly pink, and he smiles. "If you want to be just friends, we can be just friends. If you want to be something more, then... Well, you're my best friend. I can't imagine a world without you, and I think about you so much it genuinely drives me crazy. If that makes you want to be something, then we can try."
Kyle nods, suddenly feeling guilty for his nasty habit. He falls silent again.
Fear bubbles inside of Dan. He wonders if it's made Kyle uncomfortable, and he doesn't like that. He doesn't like Kyle not being happy and comfortable.
Minutes pass quickly, and so many go that Dan begins to think Kyle has fallen asleep, until the boy speaks up again.
"Dan?"
"Yes, Kyle?"
"I think... I think I want to try. I think I want to try us."
