The Truth Runs Wild (Philip x Lukas)

Chapter One

As if today couldn't have got any worse- he now had a flat bike tyre.

Fantastic.

Philip had been riding down the lane to his foster parent's house- it still felt weird to think of it of his house- when he heard a little hiss and all of a sudden his bike had jerked before grinding to a halt. Apparently the wheel had been torn by a stone or something; it had completely sagged and it definitely didn't look like he would be able to ride it anytime soon. Which was great, seeing as Helen and Gabe's house was still a ten minute ride away and he'd have to wheel it the whole way there.

"Really?" he muttered under his breath, giving it a half-hearted kick. "Anything else going to go wrong today?"

He didn't really notice the low drone until the motorbike had rounded the corner, appearing through the trees at a high speed until it swerved to a careless stop beside him. The guy riding it removed his helmet.

Philip's day took a sudden, definite upswing. He was extremely cute.

"Are you okay?" asked the guy. He seemed almost nervous, not looking directly at Philip, instead peering at his bike.

"My bike has a flat tyre." Philip was definitely checking him out- too-long blonde hair, slanted cheekbones and almond-shaped blue eyes, not to mention definite wiry muscles under his white shirt.

"Ah, shit. If you want I can, er, fix it up for you." The boy pointed down the driveway Philip had stopped in front of, a long dusty road leading to what looked like a farm at the bottom. "I live just down there. It's really no problem."

His shyness was endearing- the moment their eyes finally met, the other guy looked away instantly, clearing his throat. And was he honestly blushing?

"Really?" he asked, grateful. "Dude, thank you so much."

The other boy asked where he lived- there was some sudden understanding in his eyes when Philip replied; in a town this tiny of course it would be common knowledge that Helen and Gabe had a new foster kid- but thankfully he didn't say anything other than he would drop the bike off later.

"I'm Philip, by the way" Philip added, meeting the other boy's eyes and hoping he wouldn't look away as he smiled a little.

The other boy hesitated, but he didn't look away. "Lukas" he said finally, returning the grin, albeit a bit nervously.

Okay, maybe this town wasn't as bad as Philip had first thought.

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Pulling to a stop in the school parking lot, Helen killed the engine before she and Gabe looked back at Philip simultaneously. "How are you feeling for your fist day, son?" Gabe grinned. Philip appreciated his endless cheerfulness- it wasn't like Philip was exactly giving a lot back. In the week since he'd arrived in the town, though, Helen still didn't seem comfortable with him- she gave him an unconvincing smile, seeming like she didn't know what to say. He'd heard the foster parent advice tapes she played in the car before she hurriedly snapped it off as he'd buckled his seatbelt, but it was enough to tell him that she felt as confused and lost about all this as he did.

It was kind of nice to know he wasn't the only one, to be honest.

"Fine" he replied to Gabe, grabbing his backpack off the backseat beside him.

"That's the spirit. Just smile and be friendly, I'm sure you'll come back with tons of friends!"

Somehow Philip wasn't so sure. He hadn't had 'tons of friends' even when he'd lived in the city with his mom- for some reason kids tended to stay away from him, and to be honest Philip preferred it that way.