Sweetarts & Cherry Hearts

Chapter Two

(A/N) This chapter of SaCH contains possible triggering subjects such as Mason having a panic attack in the first paragraph. Please read at your own risk.

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Mason could feel the anxiety rising in him as every painstakingly long second passed. He had absolutely no idea why he had said that with such confidence. He'd embarrass himself on the one time that he would get to know more about Joseph. He started to panic, his anxiety worsening and making his breathing sharper, making it cut itself in half as every breath entered and exited his screaming lungs. His mind was spinning and negitive thoughts of all kinds swirled around in the storm that was his unstable mind. He was curled up in a pathetic ball on his bed as tears swelled up in his one eye and flew down his now red cheeks. He gripped his messy light gray hair as he indured the panic attack that didn't seem to end. His vision was getting blurry and he got even more scared, which only made this moment worse. He felt as though he were about to pass out until he heard something in the very back of his mind. It was a small voice that was telling him to "Just breathe..." The voice was calm and collected. Mason tried to force  a long breath into his rebelling lungs, making his whole chest ache and his heart pound furiously. He let out the breath in small, shaky bits and tears kept shooting down his face like a small waterfall. He repeated this many times until his breathing became somewhat stable and his body stopped shaking. He released his grip from his hair and sighed shakily. He slowly sat up, his whole body feeling like jello that was being forced up, but quickly rebelled and he collapsed onto his bed. His body felt numb as he laid there, save for the throbbing coming from the two scars on his left eye which was very uncomfortable. He sighed again and forced himself to sit up again, the only think motivating him at the time was the thought of getting some coffee with Joseph. He wobbled over to a box with most of his clothes and rummaged around in that until he found something that looked somewhat good. 

:::

Joseph still couldn't decide on what to wear. Should he just wear his normal hoodie or something actually nice? Would it matter? Would Mason even give a crap? Mason. Why couldn't he stop thinking about Mason? I mean, yea, he only has one eye, but that's not what Joseph ever payed attention to. He was always thinking about Mason's smile and how it turned the thick atmosphere paper thin. He also couldn't stop thinking about his awkward and quiet laugh, that would almost always sound forced despite it not. Joseph was stuck in his thoughts, pondering different things, most of which were about Mason. Like how did he lose his eye? What does he do in his spare time? What are his hobbies? What is he- bzzt bzzt His train of thought was shattered the moment his phone started buzzing. He picked it up and sighed, looking at the screen lazily. A sudden surge of energy was shot through him when he noticed it was the alarm he set to remind him that he and Mason were going to get coffee. He threw his phone on his bed and quickly grabbed a random sweater. He quickly got ready and grabbed his phone before practically sprinting to and out the door, giving Lacy no time to ask what he was doing or where he was going. To Joseph's surprise, Mason wasn't outside or waiting for him. He was a little confused, so he headed over to Mason's front door and rang the doorbell. He waited for a little bit before the door clicked and slowly opened "Oh hey." Mason said in a rather tired voice. His eyes, well eye, was a little puffy and his hair was hidden by the beanie he was wearing earlier, except for a small bit that poked out of the bottom to cover up his injured left eye. Joseph stared up at him for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but was shushed by Mason "I got something in my eye. Calm down." The tall boy said, easily convincing Joseph. Mason smiled a little and Joseph was, as usual, beaming with joy. The two headed off to a coffee shop nearby, Joseph of course leading the way. Mason walked slowly, taking in everything the best he could. Joseph would occasionally glance behind him to see how Mason was doing, and every tim he checked, Mason looked more and more in awe as he looked around. Joseph slowed his pace so that he would be standing next to Mason as they walked "Why are you so intrigued by this dump?" Joseph asked playfully

"I've never been to such a big place before" Mason responded, surprising Joseph

"Woah what? This tiny compared to other towns and cities."

"This isn't a city?" 

Joseph stopped midstep and looked up at Mason "Have you really never been to a town before?" He asked, a tiny bit worried.

"Not one this big, no. The town I used to live in, each house was around two miles apart. Not a lot of people lived there."

Joseph was speechless. Had Mason truly never been anywhere else than where he lived before? He was so confused yet interested at the same time "Wow. I didn't know they had towns like that." He finally said "Honestly, there's probably smaller towns." Mason said, laughing his quiet little laugh. Joseph couldn't help but smile at him. Mason looked over at Joseph and gave him a warm smile, making the shorter boy's heart pick up the pace. Joseph smiled awkwardly and then the two looked ahead, a calm silence between the two as they walked side-by-side to the coffee shop. 

::

After a short walk in silence, the two boys reached the coffee shop. It wasn't that full, only three or four other people there, either chatting or working on something. Joseph walked up to the counter as Mason stood awkwardly beside him. They order their drinks and sat down at a table. The silence between them quickly shifted from peaceful to awkward. Mason was a little tense while Joseph didn't know what to say. They each wanted to talk, but they were both worried they would say the wrong thing. Mason and Joseph both glanced at each other at the same time, locking eyes and then just sitting there. They stared at each other for what felt like a long time before quickly breaking away from the trance of eye contact. Their drinks finally arrived, but the awkward silence still hung heavy between them. It took a little bit, but Mason finally talked "So.... do you have any pets?" He asked out of nowhere. Joseph looked at him and shook his head "No. I want to get one though." He said quietly, staring down at his steaming cup of coffee. Mason was gazing at Joseph with a rather calm look on his face. The two continued on with short conversations until they finished their drinks. They sat there for a little bit, glancing at each other every now and then. Joseph then slowly stood up and smiled at Mason "Come on. Let's head back home." He said kindly and Mason nodded. He stood up and followed Joseph back to their houses. The two said their farewells and headed into their appropriate homes. 

The moment Mason closed the door behind him, he sighed and smiled "That was really nice." He said quietly to himself, fiddling his thumbs. He then just laughed to himself "I'm too awkward for this world." He thought out loud before slumping down to the floor and letting out a heavy sigh "Wow he's cute..." he said, thinking about Joseph and his cute smile and how his voice has that quirky Irish hint to it every time he talks. He smiled and looked down at the hardwood floor "Maybe we could go out on a picnic or something." He mumbled before standing up and heading to his room for some sleep.