Prologue

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The clouds covered the slightly misted forest floor, the snow flickered against Ahren's skin his body shaking from the sobs that were stuck in his throat. Joel ran through the woods turning every corner trees covered his eye sight, Ahren's text message had awoken him at two in the morning, he was running to find the boy that had his heart beating for him. The midnight sky casted a dark plum shadow over the boy as his feet dangled over the edge of the cliff, his nose a flushed red colour from the lack of warmth he was receiving. His hair was matted and run back as he had run his fingers through his hair, his lips a light shade of blue from the snow that covered his small shaking frame, Joel's eyes widened at the form of his best friend lying in the snow so broken, Joel sighed in relief he was still alive, as Joel approached Ahren he calmed down his breathing softer than ragged and sharp, his body shook lightly shivering. His small arms wrapped tightly around Joel in an attempted to access the warmth he's lost over the past four hours staring at the ragging waves crashing into each other, the wave slightly frozen crashing into the cliff the rocks plunged themselves into the ocean sinking to the ocean floor, the sky is shining directly on Joel as he senses the pain and agony his friend is enduring. The stars align over the stars as if taunting Joel at any moment Ahren could jump the cliff and suffocate under the current if the waves, his heart stopping as deaths hand wraps around his only hope in life. Joel rushes past the many trees dusted over with snow covered trunks, his hair pushed over to the side wet and clamped together, his eyes scan over the forest as he makes a right as he's directly behind his house. His window open as he had jumped out the second he got the message, his eyes shocked and afraid his breathe knocked from his lungs, he feared the worst. As Ahren made contact with the warmth of the house his eyes fluttered open as Joel ticked him into his bed and shit the door and as his hands reached the light switch Athens soft and sore voice croaked out,
"S-stay w-it-h me.."
Joel simply nodded and walked through the door and after a few moments had passed the scent of peppermint hot chocolate filled Joel's room as he walked in with two mugs of the creamy drink. Ahren placed his next to the bed and latched himself onto Joel as he laid in the bed alongside Ahren.
"So that message, want to talk about it?"
The air in Ahrens lungs began to fade, he knew what would of happened if Joel didn't save him from his dark mind his blade packed away in his jacket in the left breast pocket. His eyes glosses over with tears as his voice spoke,
"Dad beat me again and mom joined in with a smashed liquor bottle, I clean my cuts the best I could, as they went to end I wanted it die, everyday this is the same thing, I'm beaten and my will for life disappears."
Joel pulled away from Ahren as he grabbed the first aid kit with a piece of tape with the name "Ahrens healing". Joel chucked softy as he saw his broken big laying there in pain put pushing it behind himself so that he seemed happy, little did he know Joel knew that's why he lives on his own, his parents burned in a fire the last words his mother spoke were,
"Ahren will forever be yours, cherish him I give you my blessing understand Joel, I love you..RUN!"
As the memory of the smoke and lit flames Joel remembered two years ago the smoke filled house and his lungs burned as he needed fresh air, his thoughts ended as he realized he was tearing up and a head of dark brown hair was in front of him hugging his waist comforting. Joel chuckled,
"Take off your smirk shorty."
Ahren flushed pink as he took off his shirt, his body littered with many tattoos but a good amount of skin showing, Joel's eye slit with awe, Joel noticed a new tattoo of his name and a wave above it,
"I thought you'd notice my new one."
"Did you really get that dedicated to me?"
"Of course I couldn't have it any other way, I'm forever your best friend, and when I fall you help me back up forever until I become a pile of bone alongside you."
"Sometimes when when life's serious here you are being a goofy idiot, sometimes I wounded if you even realize how many bruises you have."
Ahrens cheeks flushed red as Joel hands touched the slash his mother made in his back, Joel grabbed a cotton ball dipped in peroxide and dabbed it over the now infected wound, the room was silent but comfortable for the two, soon after the cut started to bubble up Joel applied Neosporin to the wound and wrapped the cut with four jumbo bandaids to make sure the cut was air-tight. Ahren hissed at the pressure, and sighed as he finished the rest of his hot chocolate. Joel ran his hand through his hair looking at the time sighing as if was Saturday and they had school in two days, grinning Joel turned off the lights and slipped into bed, Ahren wrapped his arms tightly around Joel and as Athens eyes shut he could of sworn he heard,
"My love grows more and more everyday for you..."
The midnight sky covered the two boys as the light caster through the window, the stars watched the two as they slept, the brightest was Joel's mother seeing that her son realized his emotions for the boy, and wishing him the best of luck for the future.

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