Millions (#2)

Sea slugs

11:57

Charles eagerly waited for Kurt on a rock, eyeing the vacant shore for his friend to come. He couldn't wait to tell him that he had powers now.

'What if he becomes scared of me..?'

'No, he wouldn't. Kurt's a brave guy.', Charles thought, 'Brave, pretty smart, fearless..'

Charles bit the inside of his cheek. He looked at the bracelet that Xander had given to him.

'He said that powers were for people who liked guys..'

Charles shook the thought from his head. He didn't like guys. That was dumb. 'You can't believe everything some random guy tells you.', Charles reminded himself, 'But, he knew my name before I said anything to him... maybe-'

"Charles!"

The mermaid perked his head up. "Kurt!", he yelled, waving at him. Kurt came towards him, dragging the tiny boat behind him.

Once Charles could see Kurt's face, his face turned to shock, then to concern. "What happened to you?", he asked.

"My girlfriend's stupid posse beat me up.. Usually I can take them, like one or two", Kurt explained while pushing the boat into the water, "But this time it was like half the football team."

Charles' face flushed as anger began to boil inside of him, "Why'd they beat you up?"

"They wanna send me to the looney bin.", Kurt huffed, climbing into the boat.

Charles helped pull the boat out deeper into the water, "What's the looney bin?"

"The people at this school think I'm insane. Its a place where crazy people go."

"You're not crazy, though."

"I know!", Kurt exclaimed, pushing the boat with his oars, "Dumb jocks.."

~

Charles tethered the boat to a rock. His stomach growled, "Did you bring any food?"

"No. My mom says I need to 'stop wasting good food on an imaginary friend'"

"Your Mom doesn't think I exist?"

Kurt shook his head, "I'm telling you, everyone thinks I'm crazy. You can't trust anyone, Charles."

Charles went quiet before changing the subject, "So, I found out that I have powers-"

"You do?", Kurt marveled, "I do too, just don't tell the government."

Charles laughed a little. "Yeah. Well, I mean, a fortune teller told me I have powers.", he showed Kurt his bracelet, "He gave me this bracelet thing."

"Butter.", Kurt nodded.

Charles raised an eyebrow, "Butter?"

"Yeah. I like your bracelet, so I said 'Butter'."

"Oh. Nice."

The night was quiet. Kurt looked Charles deeply in his eyes, "Charles, you know you're my best friend, right?"

Charles could barely keep himself from beaming as butterflies swarmed around his chest. He couldn't explain it, how Kurt's voice just made him swoon, 'He thinks I'm his best friend. Better of a friend than his girlfriend!'

"Yeah."

"Well..", Kurt put a hand on the back of his neck as he broke his gaze with Charles, "How do I say it?"

He looked back at Charles, regaining his composure, "Imagine that you and I are slugs-"

"Sea slugs?"

"Why not?", Kurt inquired with a chuckle, a smirk hinting at the corner of his mouth, "So, imagine that we're sea slugs. Everyone's a sea slug, and the sea slug law is that all sea slugs have to pick flowers. I'm a sea slug that wants to pick up sticks instead."

Charles raised an eyebrow.

"Am I a bad sea slug, Charles?"

Charles thought over the question, "Well, if the law is that you have to pick up flowers, the law is the law.."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows a little as his jaw clenched. He looked straight ahead, not at a specific landmark, just gazing, "That's what I was afraid of.."