Felix and Warren (boyxboy)

Nineteen

"You know something? I really like having you around," Felix said, after a pause. Warren's eyes, which had previously been so fixated on the screen in front of them, now flitted over to the boy sat beside him.

Felix's expression had softened. He seemed perfectly content. It was a sight which made Warren's heart skip a beat.

Warren wasn't sure what came over him, but he moved closer to Felix and pulled him into a hug.

It took Felix by surprise. His eyes widened, but he moved his arms in order to hug Warren back.

"This is nice," Felix said.

There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He meant it, which was a relief to Warren who was worried he was coming on too strong.

It seemed ridiculous. It was just a hug. Besides, Felix didn't know that Warren was gay. At least, he didn't think that he did. He hoped he didn't. he wanted to be able to tell him in his own time, when he was ready for it. It seemed a bigger deal with Felix because, well, it was Felix.

"You're nice," Warren responded absent-mindedly. He was more than nice, but that could wait. "You should stay here for a bit."

"Yeah?" Felix asked.

It would get him away from his drugs. That much could be said for it.

"My parents are away on holiday for the next couple of weeks and I don't know...it would be cool to have some extra company," Warren said.

"Besides Cleo?" Felix replied.

Warren gave a small shake of his head, as he released a breath.

"Cleo's barely here and when she is, she doesn't really leave her room," he said.

She liked to have her own time, her own space. The two of them got along, of course they did. They had that twin bond, but it wasn't as though the two of them would play video games together, like they would when they were little, anymore.

"Alright. I'll have to shoot Wynn a text, but I'd like that," Felix said, with a smile.

Warren felt a warmth grow inside his chest.

"I uh..." Felix trailed off. "I don't have a toothbrush or anything-"

"That's alright. There's plenty of things here that you can borrow. My dad's very big on dental hygiene. Honestly, he probably should have been a dentist, but it makes sense that he's in the medical field, generally speaking," Warren said.

Felix nodded, as some amusement lit up his eyes.

"And my mum likes to make sure we have a supply of essentials in case we have any guests over," Warren continued.

He wasn't sure what he was doing but staying with Warren didn't sound bad at all.

Felix didn't want to admit it, but he was used to him now.

It felt strange when Warren wasn't around.

Besides, friends lived together all the time. This was normal. It wasn't anything to feel strange about.

"Do you want to come and meet Bruno?" Warren asked, after a second, which caused Felix to break out of his thoughts.

"Bruno?" Felix asked. "You live with Bruno Mars?"

Warren scoffed.

"Nah. He's my Bengal kitten," Warren explained.

Felix's eyes brightened at that.

"I'd love to come and meet Bruno," he said. "Lead the way."

So, Felix and Warren walked down one of the hallways of the house and up a flight of stairs until they reached Warren's bedroom.

Felix had imagined what it looked like before, but it was different. A good different. It was nicer than his room. Warren's room was cleaner and larger, and his plants didn't look as though they had given up on life itself.

Bruno was asleep on the bed, so Felix walked over and gently scratched him behind the ear. The cat moved a little but stayed asleep.

"He's friendly, most of the time," Warren said. "Do you have any animals?" He was curious.

"I have a pet snake called Basil," Felix said. "And Wynn and I have a cat called Mushroom."

Warren smiled.

"Bruno is actually named after Bruno Mars," Warren said, "So you weren't entirely incorrect, earlier."

"You're a fan?" Felix asked.

Warren nodded. His cheeks became dusted with pink again.

"I think I'll be hosting a funeral for my own plants one of these days...how do you manage to keep yours looking so good?" Felix asked.

"Cleo would kill me if she let the plants die," Warren replied. His tone was completely serious.

Felix gave a shake of his head, as he released a shaky laugh.

"Honestly, Wynn would probably do the same to me. She really loves plants. They're like her children," Felix stated.

Warren smirked. She sounded just like Cleo.

"She cried when one of them shrivelled up due to the heat last summer," he continued.

"God. That bad, huh?" Warren asked.

Felix responded with a small inclination of his head.

"Some guy broke into our house a while back, I think I mentioned before," Warren said.

"Yeah, you did," Felix confirmed.

"Well, he took one of the plants with him. He was a weird dude. I hope Bruno gave him a scratch on the way out," Warren spoke.

The corner of Felix's mouth twitched up slightly, at that comment.