YOU [Tonick] H.H. #1

36.

"I fall in love with you."

With his mouth opening to the point that his chin fell flat on the ground and his cheeks exploded in a deep crimson, Nick lingered his gaze focused on the writing that was strikingly outlined across the center of the sheet of photo paper. The true message was incomplete and that detail managed to be visualized with a simple glance as if the creator of the sweet gesture had not wanted the discard to be completely stripped of the contemplation of its recipient, a large marked X stood out specifically over the words "trying to" so that the end result would bring out the sure statement of what he felt for his little bear at that moment.

The chestnut spread his eyes like dishes that he thought would come off their basins, remaining hypnotized towards the soft material, the letters flying in a cursive way in a combined color that the minor surely knew as belonging to the dancer's usual handwriting, and his heart flowed into him. He felt the butterflies again overflow each piece of air in his stomach as the phrase on the sheet passed in front of his eyes like a commercial.

He could not continue in that way, he could not just keep the boy away when he had already left a perpetual imprint on his entire body, an imprint that disarmed his tiny heart and made his hair stand on end. Every time he finds Tony, it was more and more love that he felt for him.

That was the first reason why he could not feel a particle of resentment or anger against him, now or at the moment when everything collapsed, even when they were separated for a long time, he tried countless times to accept the blame to fall about him and he convinced himself of a good reason why he should have walked away from his best friend, but his pride was always there to stop him.

He thought that Tony would not return, he imagined him with him every day, with a determined strength and illusion, but now that the boy was in front of his eyes, everything would fade away. He was only weak in front of him.

"I choose you, my love."

The silence within the circuit of an expected response made him realize that his fighting soul had disappeared; his knees began to weaken in the rhythm of the election, awakening him from his reverie. Raising his gaze, he found that sincere closed-lip smile he knew so well and that face lit with hopes and fears. But, detailing him more accurately, he noticed the glimpse of tears that filled the edge of his eyes and threatened to spill out of his cheeks.

From that moment, he knew that the antagonist of the story of his suffering was not that bad, just irresponsible. And in the end, that irresponsible would be the one who would heal his wounds.

And, shit, he was cursing himself for knowing him so well.

His lower lip resented as he bit down on it with containment, a cause and effect, an inevitable sensation arose lingering along his nerves every time he witnessed the black-haired boy's tears. Nick also wanted to cry. It was an effect attributed to the passage of his childhood with Tony; he always thought that his brave warrior without armor would be the vitality in his moments of vulnerability, not just another addition to his afflictions, not just another victim of his demons. Big boys cry too, and Nick knew it must be something of the utmost importance for his protector to feel that way.

He was his important motive.

Unable to suppress the urge any further, he inadvertently launched himself in his direction and wrapped his slender arms around the curly boy's neck as he buried himself in his raised chest. Like when they were kids. Tony's chest rose and fell with his breathing, raging, his heartbeat seemed hammer hitting inside the internal skeletons of his chest. His body; a hot morning in which Nick always wanted to wake up.

The elder's arms did not take long to respond, trapping the delicate figure of his little bear with softness and fear, feeling the light weight of the handmade bear falling on the minor's back. He had done it, he had finally gotten the recovery of what -he now realized- he loved in his life. He had learned to mature the hard way. That was the only thing he had to do from now on, wisely make his decisions and choose his boy above the pyramid.