Partners In Crime (lietpol/Poliet)

Chapter 12

"I'm breaking up with you."

Natalia's mouth opened. Her eyes boggled in shock. Toris held his breath, and walked away. He had nothing else to say.

Whispers danced throughout the class. No one had expected the relationship between popular Natalia and unpopular Toris to last long, but everyone had expected that Natalia would be the one to break it off.

But despite it all, Toris smiled. He felt a little more free, a little lighter. He didn't love Natalia. At the moment Toris was convinced that he didn't love anyone, and that was okay with him.

There was only one thing troubling Toris: Feliks. The Pole hadn't shown up to class that day. It was possible that he was sick, but none of his other classmates seemed ill so Toris had no idea who Feliks would've caught a virus from.

Oh well. Maybe Feliks was just playing hookie for the day.

The rest of the day was blissfully normal. He did his classwork, took his notes, and focused on being the perfect student.

When Toris got home he immediately started on his homework. It's not as if he had anything better to do, anyway.

Every couple of minutes Toris would remind himself to smile. He was a happy, happy person. He didn't need Natalia. He didn't need Feliks.

Feliks... Swallowing his pride, Toris sent him a text.

Hey, I noticed you weren't in class today and I was wondering if something was up.

Feliks didn't reply. Maybe he was mad.

...

Every day, the views for Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio's videos jumped. It was only a matter of time before Francis released the picture.

If Toris was being completely frank with himself, he wanted the photo to be released. Maybe then, if the entire school already knew about him and Feliks, Toris would be able to talk to the Pole again. And maybe that talking would turn to friendship and that friendship to something more.

Argh. Toris didn't even know what he wanted anymore. Feliks was great company and a great friend, but Toris still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he could possibly see Feliks as more than a friend.

After all, perhaps Natalia just wasn't his type. Toris spent days at school sneaking glances at Elizabeta, and then the next day, at Erika, and then at Irina. They were all pretty, and much less bitchy than Natalia.

Toris was lost in thought. He had spent the past couple of hours just thinking about it. About whether he liked Feliks, or another girl, or what.

Toris's parents knocked at the Lithuanian's door.

"Come in!" Toris called.

Toris's mom entered. She sat down and said nothing.

"Mom...?"

She sighed. "Toris, I love you."

"I love you too, Ma. What is it?"

Toris's mother took a deep breath. "I just got a phone call from Mr. Łukasiewicz. A friend of yours--Feliks I believe?--is in the hospital.

Toris's mouth made an O. "W-why? What happened to him?"

"Attempted suicide."

*time skips brought to you by America's French fries. So big.... (That's what she said)**

Toris spent the next week dragging through his daily life. He cried himself to sleep every night. This was his fault, wasn't it?

He begged to be able to see Feliks, but apparently, until the Pole went through therapy, only family was permitted to visit.

Toris spent his free time locked in his room. He obsessively checked the two videos that had been entered in the competition. He didn't give a damn who won at this point.

As Toris was scrolling through YouTube one day, he noticed that the bad touch trio's video showed up under the category "just released music videos". Currently it had over 700,000 views.

But then Toris frowned at something. There was a video with a thumbnail that caught his attention.

The video was under the category "Stories that will Restore your Faith in Humanity."

The video had over 1.5 million views. Toris slowly scrolled his mouse over it, and clicked.

...

"Hi," the teen in the video in the video said. "Um, so this is kind of awkward, but I feel like I owe it to myself to come out with this."

"I'm not a popular YouTuber or a famous person. But I've struggled a bit, especially these past few months, about hiding who I am. But now, I just want to get onto honest terms with myself, and with the rest of the world.

"I'm gay. I've know it for about two years, but this is the first time I've said it out loud to myself, much less the entire internet," the teen gestured to camera.

"I guess I was just afraid. It's scary wondering what people will think. I'm still scared," he let out a nervous chuckle.

"But that's why I'm releasing this video. There are so many people out there who are so afraid to embrace themselves. I've been there. I've bashed myself, ridiculed myself, hated myself because I'm not "normal".

"There are people out there that treat being gay as if it's a crime. But if that's the case, than so be it. There's a very special person out there that I want to be my partner in crime."

Toris gulped. The teen in the video, it was Feliks.

"These next few things I'm going to say, they're for him," Feliks said. "You know who you are."

During the entire first half of the video, Feliks didn't make eye contact with the camera. But now, he stared directly at the lenses. Toris felt chills rise on his arms. It was if Feliks was looking straight through the screen, and at him.

"I want you to know, that I love you. I totally know that the feeling isn't like, mutual. But I don't care. I love you, Liet.

"You're probably wondering why I would like, make this video. Our first attempt totally failed. I know there's a girl that means a lot to you..." Toris felt his blood run cold. Feliks must've filmed this video before the Lithuanian had broken up with Natalia.

"I'm willing to totally respect that. But the real reason I made this video was because I was tired of being pushed around. I was tired of waiting for the day when like, someone told everyone about me. About us. I'd rather tell the world myself.

"There's a Polish proverb for this. Lepiej umrzeć stojaç niż żyć na kolanach. It is better to die standing than to live on your knees."

Feliks took a deep breath, and continued.

"Serce które kocha, zawsze pozostaje młodym; Istniejemy na tyle, na ile kochamy."

Toris did not speak much Polish, but he knew enough to understand what the blond Pole has said. Hearts in love will always stay alive; we exist only when we love.

Feliks smiled. He looked on the brink of tears. "And Liet," he whispered. "Jestem w Tobie zakochany."

I'm in love with you.

Toris laughed drily, wiping tears from his eyes. "Me too Feliks, me too."