The Missing Boy

Chapter 17 - Honest

I'm doing it. I'm kissing Axel Jacobson and for some crazy, unbelievable reason he is kissing me back.

Miles climbs on top of Axel, straddling him as he continues to kiss him. Axel angles his head upwards as they kiss, their lips moving together in perfect sync. Axel's hands slide up Miles' legs until they settle at his waist, pulling him that little bit closer, the infinite miles between them reduced to zero. Miles' hands find themselves tangled in the taller boy's silky midnight hair.

Before they were in this position, the two were in a much more innocent posture. They were hugging. But both boys secretly wanted more.

They could tell that the atmosphere between them had changed. They knew in that moment that they weren't just friends. They never really were. Miles and Axel's relationship has always been teetering on the edge of something more.

Miles was the one to act on it first. He made the first move. He blames his courage and bravery entirely on the fact that he is intoxicated but he was the one to initiate the kiss.

"I just want to know, at least once, what it would be like to kiss you." And then he did it.

Miles kissed Axel. Is kissing Axel. And Axel is kissing him back.

Axel hums in satisfaction when Miles tugs at the strands of his hair and Miles gasps when Axel's tongue enters his mouth without warning. And instead of biting his own lip like before, Miles is biting Axel's.

Axel can't help the magnetic pull to Miles' neck. He kisses it, sucking occasionally on his warm skin. His fangs come out on their own accord.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you....Yet." He adds. And it takes all of Axel's willpower to retract his extended canines.

"No, I want you to do it." Miles says breathlessly.

"Do what?" Axel gasps.

"Bite me."

"Ok. I think that's enough of that for today." Axel gently moves Miles so that he's sitting on the floor beside him and not on his lap.

"W-What do you mean?" He asks confused. He thought everything was going so well.

"You're drunk Miles."

"Yes, that is correct. I am very drunk." Miles says, swaying a little bit from dizziness. He places a hand on his forehead and feels like he's on fire. "I-I think I'm going to be sick."

That's when Miles runs to the edge of the building and throws up.

••••••••••

Miles knows he needs to stop doing this. And by 'this' he means staying over at Axel's while his mother worries and comes up with absurd scenarios that involve her sweet, innocent son and the troublesome neighbour that lives across the road. But he's grateful he's in Axel's bed and not his own. He would hate to face the wrath of his mother while hungover. Just the thought amplifies the pounding in Miles' head. Miles grunts, shielding his eyes from the too bright sun.

"Here, drink this." Axel offers Miles a glass of water which he tries not to choke on as he chugs it quickly.

Miles mutters a thank you, wiping his dripping mouth with the back of his hand. He realises then that he's wearing a red hoodie, very different to the green shirt he was wearing yesterday. Then he realises that Axel, sitting on the edge of the bed, is shirtless wearing only his underwear and socks. There's a lot of sudden realisations for Miles, another one being that him and Axel slept in the same bed. He quickly looks under the sheets to see that he is still very much clothed below the belt. He lets out an audible sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, we didn't do anything last night." Axel says smugly, Miles' actions did not go unnoticed. "Well...anything in this bed."

"Huh? What do you mean by 'anything in this bed'? Did we do something somewhere else?"

"Do you really not remember?"

Miles thinks back to the night before. He remembers ditching the party; going to the stupidly tall building; drinking way too many cheap beers and finally-

"We kissed." Miles immediately blushes.

"Yep. We kissed." There's a silent pause before Axel asks "So how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The kiss. Yesterday you said you wanted to know what it would be like to kiss me and you did, so how was it?"

"Do you want me to be honest?"

"All I ever want is for you to be honest."

Well it's about time I start being honest.

"It was fucking magical."

For the first time ever, Axel actually likes it when Miles swears.

"It was better than I ever imagined." Miles says.

"So you've thought about kissing me before?"

"Every fucking day." Miles whispers, and then he kisses him again. This one is tamer, sweeter yet still leaves both of them breathless.

"I like you, Axel."

"I'm gay, Miles."

They say this at the same time.

"Gay? As in completely gay, like 100% into guys?"

"Yep. It just didn't feel right sleeping with Sydney. At first I couldn't really figure out what the problem was but then it was just so clear and so simple. She was a girl."

"It's amazing that you've figured yourself out. I still don't even know if I'm fully gay. I just know that I like you and that I want to be with you."

"That's gay enough for me." Axel says and Miles laughs.

"My mom is going to hate this." He says when his laughter dies down. "Like really hate this. This whole time all my mom has been telling me is to stay away from you. That you're not safe. That you're trouble. But to be honest, I like defying my mom."

"You're mom is right though. I'm everything she says I am."

"I know."

And that's the very thing. Miles knows Axel. If anyone else made that statement it would be a lie.

"I hate my mom." Miles says.

"No you don't."

"Ok you're right, I don't. You're always right."

Miles takes Axel's hand then. And Axel watches as Miles' slender finger trace patterns on his palm and spells out their names, before he finally encloses them together.

Miles' smile puts the sun to shame. His beauty uncanny.

And Axel remembers how they slept. Miles' head on his chest, his bronze curls tickling his chin. He drowned out all the external noises and focused entirely on the light beating of his heart. The soft continuous drumming in his chest. He listened. And for a second, forgot what death felt like.