The Less I Know The Better [complete]

24 ;; resolving

"Well. Fancy seein' you again."

There was a tense pause as John continued to stare intensely down at the younger boy from his bedroom window, hands resting on the windowsill, fingertips tapping randomly in his anxiety. Paul didn't respond, gaze darting to the side as if he was embarrassed - but the auburn-haired boy couldn't see him well enough from where he was, due to not wearing his glasses in that moment.
"Been a while, innit?" He raised a single bushy brow questioningly when Paul continued to stay silent, only the sound of tree branches rattling in the wind and a distant revving of a car accompanying him. 

There was a dejected, exhausted sigh from the younger boy, before he spoke again. John squinted his eyes further to try and study his features, but he then gave up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to from there.
"Yeah. Please.. I just need to talk to you. Let me in," Paul's voice even took on a pleading tone, and the almond-eyed boy relented, knowing he couldn't deny him anything when he sounded so despondent. All he could think was "why is he here now?".

"Fine. Mimi's still up, so you need to climb up the pipe." He waved a hand in the direction of the pipe that ran up next to his window.

"What? Oh, Jesus.." The raven-haired boy groaned before complying, latching onto the pipe and beginning to shimmy his way up, struggling a few times since he didn't really have any upper arm strength - but eventually he reached John's window, and the older boy gripped onto him to help him inside and over his desk, almost falling over each other in the process. Luckily, Paul made it in safely, and John quickly let go of him as if he'd been burned before taking a step back and sitting on his bed, gaze fixed on the ground; he felt the younger's eyes on him, though, while he stood on the other side of the room, noticing the way his fingers fiddled with each other nervously in his peripheral vision. He fumbled for his glasses that had been strewn somewhere on his desk before slipping them on, finally forcing himself to look at him.
His breath hitched when he saw Paul's state. 
The younger boy's eyes were glazed with tiredness, and dark circles ringed them, while his expression was pulled taut as if he'd been frowning or grimacing in stress for a long time. A pang of sympathy shot through John in that moment, and he let out a soft sigh. Seems like he wasn't the only one having sleepless nights.

"I guess yer not here just to say hello and have a cup of tea, then?" He half-joked, nasal voice cutting through the silence and sounding a little strange to his own ears. Was Paul here to make up with him about what had happened? He hoped so. He didn't want their relationship to fall apart because of what had happened.

The younger boy chuckled humourlessly at that. 
"I guess not." There was a tense pause between them, John stubbornly staying silent - Paul eventually spoke again, looking more conflicted than he'd ever seen him. It worried John a little. "I just.. I needed to talk to you, okay? I couldn't- I couldn't stay away from you anymore."

The almond-eyed boy swallowed thickly, nervously pushing his Buddy Holly glasses further up his nose out of habit, even though there wasn't any need for it. His mind went to hopeful places at those last words - hoping that maybe, just maybe.. Paul could feel the same way.

"I need to say- I'm sorry. For everythin' that's happened. I was scared, and - I didn't know what to do. I had to.. have some time away." Paul's words became slightly strained, seemingly having trouble getting the words out, cheeks flushing as if he was embarrassed to admit how he really felt. 

"George and Rings are really worried for ya, y'know. You gave us all quite a scare." John stated matter-of-factly, reaching to nab his cigarettes and slip one out of the foil packaging. 

"I know.. it was stupid." The raven-haired boy sighed again, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood there - John noticed he was wearing some beaten black and white runners with worn out jeans, and a black t-shirt with a woolly orange jumper over the top. "I just knew that if I hung out with them they'd ask questions about everythin' and I wouldn't be able to answer them properly, 'cause I knew they'd see right through my bullshit. And.. I-" He paused. "I didn't-"