TOUCH OF HOPE (MxM) (Completed)

1. The lost boy (revised)

He reached in his pocket for his phone, shielding it from the rain and flipping it open. He was about to press the call button when something stopped. A sound.

His head snapped back up.

What was that?

The sound was faint beneath the rain, but it was enough to catch his attention.

Squinting his eyes from the rain, he looked around. And then, he saw him. A boy dressed in what looked like white pyjamas, sat in between the bushes, his head on his knees and shoulders trembling with the sound of his cries.

- Hey, - Blake called over the rain. - You.

The boy froze for a split second and then, slowly, lifted his head. Blake's chest tightened.

Even in the faint light, he could see a pair of puppy-like eyes, red with tears that rolled down pale cheeks mixed with the raindrops.

- Are you ok? - Blake asked, stepping towards the guy.

Those wet eyes widen, face distorting in clear terror. The boy took his hands to the floor, crawling back more into the bushes through the mud.

- Wait, wait, - Blake halted mid-stride and raised his hands. - I just want to help. Are you ok?

His words didn't have the calming effect the had intended. The boy only shook his head in desperation, crying.

- Please don't hurt me, - his cracked voice begged. - Please.

- I'm not going to hurt you.

It was useless. The boy was completely mortified, trying to hide in the scratchy foliage. Blake looked around in search of something that could help, but the road was vacant. A frigid gust of wind swept across the night, nipping at Blake's skin. He wrapped himself in his arms, which did little to help, and looked back at the boy. If it weren't for the purple tint of his lips and violent shivering, Blake would have thought he couldn't feel the cold since his focus seemed to be solely on being the further away from him possible.

Opening his bag, Blake grabbed the small umbrella he had brought along.

- You're drenched, - he said, signalling to the umbrella in his hand. - I'm not going to get closer if you don't want to, okay? But you should use it.

He was half-expecting to receive a hand-full of mud to his face in response, but, instead, the crying subsided and the tears were replaced by confusion, eyes moving from Blake to the umbrella.

Well, a confused guy was better than a confused crying guy.

- I'm going to step towards you, - his words were met with a look of panic. Blake stepped back. - Wait! Let me explain. I'm just going to get close enough so you can grab it, okay?

Once again, no answer. Blake took to opening the umbrella, since, judging by the way the boy was shaking, he wouldn't be able to do it by himself. He then slowly got on his knees, ignoring the cold mud against his skin, not covered by the shorts. One more look at the guy and Blake slowly crawled forward. The hazel eyes studied every movement as Blake got closer.

It became obvious when the boy thought the proximity was more than enough once he pushed his back against the bushes, with a guttural noise. Blake froze.

- Okay, okay. I get it, - he tried to say in a soft tone while still being heard. - Now I'm going to give it to you, ok? You just have to grab it and cover yourself.

He didn't know why he was explaining how to use an umbrella, but that wasn't the time for questioning. After a few fake starts, the umbrella was finally delivered. Blake smiled.