With more of the motel lobby’s shitty coffee in hand, the pair of pretty psychos started their drive back early the next morning, stopping for gas and cigarettes and shitty gas station breakfast before hitting the highway. They made it back to the city before dark. Then, they waited.
---
Sunday morning, Kai was the first one awake (he didn’t sleep). He sat, staring unblinkingly at the sheet of paper beneath his pencil. It was filled with a messy sketch of a woman with dark eyes and laugh lines and pursed lips and wisps of hair falling from the dark braid. He sat there, staring at the uncanny likeness of the woman who was better than his momma, until he was startled by his pretty psycho’s arms wrapping around his waist.
“This her dolly?” Sami asked, voice still husky with sleep. Kai hummed in response, tilting his head back onto his baby’s shoulder and exposing his throat.
“We should get going pretty soon. Mass starts in an hour.”
----
Pulling into the parking lot of the church he spent literal years of his life in made Kai’s heart beat a little faster. It was odd how much he missed church, despite not believing in anything it preached. He remembered how warm and peaceful it was when he was younger, and hoped it hadn’t changed. He took a steadying breath in and climbed out of the car.
“People might recognize me here, I’ll introduce you if they do. It’s… it’s a lot different than what you’re used to.”
“I’d hope so dolly.” They both cracked a smile and Sami pulled his dolly close before wrapping him in a tight hug. “And I think I can probably introduce myself. Southern hospitality remember?”
Kai took a step back, blushed, and looked down at his shoes. “Does southern hospitality transfer into Spanish?”
“Alrighty then dolly, you’ll be doing the introducing.” Kai looked up from his shoes and met Sami’s eyes before smiling wide, showing his teeth and crinkling his eyes in laughter.
“Okay.”
----
The inside of the church was just as warm as Kai remembered, the smell of old paper and incense making him nostalgic. He did introduce Sami to some people that recognised his dimples and curls, and met the surprised eyes and smile of his lover after holding a conversation in spanish and hugging the woman goodbye. His cheeks flushed cotton candy pink.
“What?”
“This makes you happy, doesn’t it? We’re not just here for Lupe, we’re here for the whole church, aren’t we?” Kai nodded shyly.
“It reminds me of what it felt like to be safe, Sami.”
“That’s really good, baby. I’m glad. Honestly, I’ve never felt that until right now, but I do now. I understand why you wanted to say goodbye- the whole place is like a good family.” Sami looked up at the stained glass in wonder.
“Like a good family,” Kai repeated.
----
At the end of the mass, which Sami understood very little of (but most definitely felt, which was odd), the ravenette followed Kai to the front, and watched as he pulled the drawing he’d been staring at that morning out of his pocket before unfolding it and setting it down on the table with hundreds of other pictures, ranging in age and quality. He watched as his flower boy fiddled with his crucifix before very slowly reaching his hands back and unclasping it and setting it down on the table with the picture.
Kai could taste the blood from his chewed (and chapped) lip as he set the crucifix down on the table and let the chain fall from his shaking hand. His eyes filled with tears and he tilted his face up to the ceiling to stop them from falling.
“Thank you,” he whispered, voice watery. “Thank you”
Kai grabbed Sami’s hand and squeezed as he lit a candle, and kept squeezing as he walked out the church doors and didn’t look back.
YOU ARE READING
SUGAR AND STEEL
Teen FictionIn which a boy as sweet and sickly as cough syrup and cotton candy meets a boy that tastes like Juicy Fruit and cigarettes (and is best friends with a butterfly knife)
