Your Song - Madderton

7. Alarm Bells

sorry it took so long my dudes - also mentions of homophobic slurs in this part so be careful :)

Taron hid the jumper and letter under his bed before leaving for school. The past hour had consisted of him continuously messaging Jamie to let him know what'd happened, and wondering where Richard had got to. He smiled to himself as he walked slowly to school. There was an unusual spring in his step that hadn't appeared since he'd lived in Wales.

Once he got to school, Taron walked over to his usual table and waited for his friends. He'd had a few messages from Jamie, all in varying degrees of shock and horror.

Rami showed up first, running up to his friend excitedly. He sat across from Taron and waited expectantly, his chin resting on his folded arms.

"So?" Rami prompted after a minute of silence.

"What?"

"Lucy told me."

Taron leaned forward and squinted at Rami, his features forming a soft smile. "Told you what, Ram?"

"That there was a certain shirtless boy in your room yesterday." Rami smiled back and raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know what you mean." Taron teased, laughing at Rami's frustrated expression. "I was doing homework all evening."

Lucy came up to the pair and sat next to Rami, who nudged her arm.

"Apparently Duckie was doing homework all evening yesterday." Rami and Lucy laughed at each other, causing Taron to blush.

Richard came up to the group next, his gaze trained on Taron.

"Hey, Duckie! It's homework!" Rami pointed at Richard and instantly stifled his laughter when he got a cutting glare in return.

"Can I talk to you?" Richard caught Taron's eye and his face instantly softened. Taron nodded and stood up, following the Scottish boy out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. They both ignored the things that Rami and Lucy were calling after them, sharing a look of disdain between them.

Richard checked the coast was clear then took Taron's hand, pulling him into a cupboard nearby. He shut and locked the door, plunging them both into darkness. Taron's heart was pounding, his grip tightened around Richard's hand. They stood in silence until Taron spoke, his voice piercing through the pitch black quietness of the closet.

"You left."

"Your mum got home, I had to sneak out." Richard whispered back, his fingers tracing shapes on Taron's chest as they moved closer to each other.

"You could've said goodbye." Taron sulked, and Richard smiled to himself. He let Taron's hand go and placed his on the smaller boys waist. They got closer to each other, Taron carefully looping his arms around Richard's neck.

"I would've stayed if I could." Richard whispered in his ear and pulled at Taron's waist. Taron let himself get pushed backwards, his back hitting the wall. They kissed fervently, Richard keeping him pressed against the wall as his grip on Taron's waist got tighter.

Taron laughed as Richard started kissing his neck, his arms dropping down to his sides.

"That tickles! Stop!" He tried to push Richard off but it didn't work, he was laughing too hard. Richard's heart melted at Taron's laugh, he wanted to hear it over and over again. "Richard!" Taron whined, finally getting him off.

He grinned at Richard and poked his nose, making him scrunch it up. They stared at each other for a minute until the bell rang, making Taron jump. Richard held his finger to his lips and raised his eyebrows. The sound of footsteps filled the tiny little room, and Taron giggled softly as he tried to keep quiet.