Battle Scars [BxB]

T W E L V E

"I don't like it either. You should dye it back." Tommy frowned, his eyes darting over my appearance.

"I don't know, it's kinda cute." Luca contradicted.

Tommy and I were perched behind the counter at the pet store, FaceTiming Luca on the old, crackly computer. The empty store was cloaked with shadows, the lack of customers having something to do with it being nearly closing time. The shop would almost look eerily haunted with its stilled silence and missing visitors if it weren't for Tommy and Luca lightening the mood.

Tommy rolled his eyes, "You're biased." He told my boyfriend into the computer screen, "Teddy could get a fucking Mohawk and you'd still think it was cute."

This time, Luca was the one to roll his eyes. The image was blurry and pixelated, but it was clear that he was sitting on his bed, leant against the wall with his laptop resting in his lap. His walls were plastered with photos pinned up above his head, showing happy faces and bright smiles. The closest one I could see was of him and his family before they left Holland, accompanied by his cousin, Rosa, who'd come to visit last year. Other photos were of his friends, old and new. I almost chuckled when I spotted one of him, Phoenix, Tommy and Daya with Sam's face cut out. It looked almost comedic.

My gaze drifted to more recent photos; him and his new friends. Pretty girls, unfamiliar boys, strange new faces. I knew Luca had made a ton of close friends since he'd been away, but seeing them on his wall made it real. And it made me realise that Luca really was starting a life of his own.

And of course, there were photos of us. Ones of us kissing, hugging, laughing and being all sappy and gross together. My happy face didn't even look like me anymore. I was staring at a stranger. My hair was still white, my eyes were still innocent, my skin was still clear of any bruises or bags shadowing my eyes.

There was a photo of us curled up in bed together, the covers pulled to our noses, our eyes creased with hidden smiles. Ones of us smiling like the two happiest boys to exist. Kissing like the world was about to end. There were photos I didn't even recognise, ones I'd forgotten we'd even taken. But Luca had them all, displayed proudly on his wall for everyone to see. As if to make sure no one would ever mistake him for being single.

"What did Phoenix think, Ted?" Tommy urged, dragging me out of the depths of my intricate thoughts.

I shrugged, blinking away my confusion as I tried to join the conversation again, "He d-didn't like my hair either."

"You two looked like you were having fun the other day." Luca commented, trying to shift the subject away from my hair since he thought I looked good either way.

I remembered the selfies Phoenix had sent to Luca and smiled gently, "Y-Yeah. It was good to see him."

"Why didn't you go?" He asked Tommy curiously. "I thought you were all meant to be meeting?"

"Yeah, my bitchy grandma came over at the last minute and my bitchy Mum made me cancel." Tommy complained bitterly.

Luca snickered, his pretty plump lips pulled into a smile, his lip ring glinting dully in the dim light of his dorm room. "So, what's new with Phoenix? He never really tells me anything."

"H-He's seeing someone. Th-They're called Grey." I stammered.

"Isn't that a boy's name?" Tommy's brows furrowed.

"No, I swear I've heard that on a girl before-" Luca contradicted.

"No, they're like...both. Or...or n-neither, I'm not really sure." I tried to explain.

"So, like...they're not a girl, but not a boy?" Tommy queried.

"Well, have they got a dick?"

"L-Luca!" I scolded, "Y-You're not meant to ask that."