Heart's Done Time (Aerosmith Fanfiction)

Chapter twenty-four

Chapter twenty-four
Sesame's POV
I kept my promise.
Every day after school for the first five days he missed, I visited him with my books still slung over my shoulder in my messenger bag and his homework tucked away with mine, and I tutored him on all the things he missed.
Admittedly it wasn't much since our teachers never taught us a whole lot, but it was enough that I felt glad I did it, if only because he wouldn't need to repeat 11th grade this way.
He was easy enough to teach, but he got quickly distracted by the fact that his tutor was also his girlfriend and, therefore, readily kissable, and I would tell him he had a kissing addiction, but he would always agree and then stick his enormous tongue in my mouth. And I couldn't say I minded, either.
Finally Friday came, and so ended my first week of tutoring and kissing duty and up popped an opportunity to stay the night in Steven's bed.
True, his parents were religious enough to be involved in the church, but they liked me, and the fact of the matter was Steven was just too weak to do much of anything right now, so sex was right out.
I came over straight from being dismissed and got to work showing Steven the ropes of our latest math assignment, getting through it pretty quickly with him apparently tired and not quite in the mood for excessive kissing. At least for now.
After that we had no other homework, and so we chose just to lie in bed and talk.
"My parents aren't around much," he told me after lying in silence for a bit, his fingers tracing the seam on my sweater sleeve. "They figure you have it covered. And you do." His eyes followed his fingers as the explored the length of my arm. "And I like it better this way. They always watch me eat." When I giggled, he shot me a glare. "I hate when people watch me eat."
I rolled my eyes. "You're so dramatic. They're just doing the best they can by everyone. They still have responsibilities outside of you," I told him moving my gaze to the ceiling.
He was quiet for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Do you have responsibilities outside of me?" and that was actually a pretty good question.
"I have school," I said, shrugging and turning on my side. "I've been considering getting a job. I mean, my mom is usually cool for gas money, but the fact is you can only spend so much on drugs and your kid's gas before you go broke. She hardly works."
His brow furrowed, and his eyes moved up from my shirt to my face, searching for something. Maybe some sign of emotion, since I'd stated this so matter-of-factly, but really it was true. These were the facts.
"And you're worried," he said, not asking so much as stating.
"Well, yeah, I'm worried," I said, pulling the blanket atop us closer, feeling suddenly very cold. "She's so dependent on these drugs that she forgets important stuff, like eating. She only eats when I remind her to, you know."
I felt tears spring to my eyes suddenly and I angrily blinked them back, ignoring the single one that escaped towards the side of my face leaning on the pillow. Steven wiped it away before it could finish its fall. "I mean, sometimes it's cool, right? Being able to do whatever I want, having my mom as my dealer; it's pretty neat. But when you branch out into the hard stuff, shit happens. I'm a strong supporter of marijuana; you know that. But she's so heavily into heroin and cocaine and shit that it's like nothing else matters to her anymore," I ranted, crying just a little when Steven scooted closer and hugged me tightly. He continued to wipe my tears with shaky fingers until at last I'd calmed down.
"I'm sorry, Pink. I wish there was something I could do," he whispered, raspy voice a little hoarse from illness and disuse.
"You're already doing more than enough just by holding me," I told him honestly, sniffing a little and nestling closer so as just to enjoy the moment.
And this is how we stayed most of the night.
I fell asleep at some point, warm and safe beneath blankets and with Steven's arms around me, but I awoke again sometime into the night for reasons unknown.
I did my best to blink the sleep from my eyes, gaze moving around the room and finding it dark and quiet, with Steven wide awake and apparently deep in thought beside me. I furrowed my eyebrows. Since he'd been sick, Steven hardly ever missed a chance to sleep; he was so weak and tired, he needed all the rest he could get.
"What're you doing up?" I asked quietly, shaking him from his thoughts.
He looked at me, eyes just visible in the low lighting. I wondered if the lights had been off the whole time I was here, or if Steven had managed to turn them off without waking me. "I can't sleep," he told me, looking rather like he couldn't believe it himself. "But don't worry about me. Go back to sleep, Pink."
"No way, dumbass. How can I sleep when I know you can't?" I asked, snuggling up to him a bit more. "What can I do to help?"
He yawned. "You could tell me a story," he suggested unenthusiastically.
"What kind of story?" I asked, and he laughed a little, either having believed I wouldn't go for that, or thinking inappropriate thoughts.
"Tell me about your family. I mean, I already know the gist of it (I have known you forever), but just talk to me about them. Or about anything. I don't know," he said, chuckling a little and then coughing briefly into his fist.
"Okay," I sighed, thinking for a minute. "Well, my dad died when I was five," I said, almost laughing at how lame a start that was. "My mom was really torn up and starting drinking and shit. When I was maybe ten she went to rehab for alcoholism and I lived with my grandma for awhile." I wondered how much of this Steven actually knew; I could hardly remember what I'd told him and what I hadn't. "When she got home again she was clean for awhile, then on the tenth anniversary of my dad's death she took some pot from my stash and thus began her drug problem."
It wasn't until I said this aloud and heard it in my own voice that I realized I felt guilty; because who knows, maybe if I hadn't had weed readily available that day, my mother would be sober now. I brushed this aside and focused instead on Steven's eyes, which seemed distant.
I realized he probably wasn't listening to me, so I switched gears to get his attention.
"So yeah, I think we should have sex, like now," I said, trying not to laugh. "I want to feel you inside me, fucking me mercilessly against the headboard."
"Wait, what?!" said Steven, suddenly pulling out of our embrace with a look of alarm. I knew he was turned on, though, and I laughed.
"Just checking to see that you're listening," I said, kissing his forehead. "Think you'll be able to sleep now?" I asked with a wink, cuddling back up to him and poking his ribs.
"God, Pink," he said, laughing and poking me back. "You're a bitch, you know that?"
"Yep," I said, planting a kiss on his lips. "Goodnight."
"Fuck you," he said, but he was still laughing.
And he was deeply asleep in a matter of minutes.