Hello Readers! I wanted to say thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you stay with it! This is currently under a rewrite so if you've read the first version it's going to be a little different. I just wasn't feeling the story's direction. It kept going into these dead ends. Also I know some peeps want a super angsty yearning story where they have unrequited love for a million chapters. Folks i'm sorry but this is not that story. They're pretty much get together in the first chapter because i want the story to focus on lost love. And that is where the angst and yearning is going to come from. I honestly don't have the patience for unrequited love and I don't think it fits these characters.
I know this seems like a mystery themed story but it's actually going to be a romance between two boys in a creepy mysterious world. Also, this story is mature. There is going to be some pretty dark themes and strong language. And i'm not sure if smut is wanted so tell me if you want that and I'll put it in.
I hope you like these boys as much as I do and please if you have any thoughts or opinions or stuff I could work on please message me or comment! I'm working on this by myself so i'd love some feedback.
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Kade grew up in a small New England town that was filled with history. Every persons' life in this town was traditional. Each kid had a mother and father who worked hard to have a nice home and a full family life. It was a blueprint given to every child who grew up in Copperwood. For the Kade it was be athletic, find a girl and fall in love. Get married and have children soon after. And by the time Kade started his freshman year he was on the road to that life. He had a beautiful girlfriend who he adored and was climbing the ladder to captaincy on the football team.
But something about this town was a little...wrong. People were go missing. Especially older teenagers. The police never investigated the disappearances more than asking a couple questions and the parents pretended their child skipped town. Everyone eventually learned what happened if you strayed off the trail. If you dared to live a life different from the blueprint. You'd be taken. And in Kade's sophomore year someone showed up who was plenty different.
Luca Auriant, a French Italian exchange student. He had permanently tanned skin and longer light brown hair that curled up into a beautiful waviness. He looked like he was made to be under the sun. When Kade had first met Luca he was much smaller than most boys his age. He was short with small arms and his shoulders weren't very wide either. But by the time they reached senior year he had matched Kade's height at Six feet give or take a half inch. While he was still skinny, his shoulders were impossibly wide with muscles sculpted beautifully by the hard labor he did for his host family. He was constantly flipping his hair back from his eyes, making the long curls mix together. Luca was truly a beautiful man.
During their years in high school, they'd discovered a massive tree in Copperwood Forest, which had its name because the trees stayed a burnt orange color all year. The tree was in a grassy opening where the sun shone brightly. It was totally isolated from the world and the perfect meeting place for them. They'd lay in the grass, side by side talking for hours or pointing at shapes in the clouds.
"Hey, Luca."
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
Luca turned to Kade who laid next to him in the soft grass, the tree creating a nice shade. "Sure. You ok?" he said in a mostly American accent. His French would only lace his words.
"Yeah I'm fine. I was just wondering if you remember when you were really tiny." Kade snickered.
Luca lifted his head from the grass, smacking Kade's arm playfully. "Shut up, fucking jerk."
"Ok but you were so small! You literally grew up overnight."
"Yeah that's what happens when you're 14 years old. We don't all take steriods to get on a football team."
"Hey. I do not use steroids."
"Yeah right." Luca rolled his eyes.
Kade smiled playfully as his eyes returned to the sky. Silence taking them over once again.
"Hey, how are things going with Rebbeca? Someone told me you were fighting." Luca asked as they stared up at the sky.
Kade shrugged. "I ended it."
"Why?" Luca asked, shocked.
"Something was missing." he said calmly.
Luca seemed completely railroaded by this response. He sat up and propped himself on his elbow. "What are you talking about? You were always all over each other at school."
Kade turned his head to match his gaze, his face unreadable but intense. "I've felt like this for a while now. I was just doing what was expected. But I have other priorities now."
Luca nodded. "What priorities?"
Kade didn't answer for a moment. He stared at Luca knowingly. "I just didn't want to pretend what I felt for her was real, anymore." he avoided the question.
He saw the wheels in Luca's head turning. "Well, you should've told me you didn't like being with her. I'm your best friend, it's literally what I'm here for. But what are you going to do about your mom? She's going to be pissed."
Kade looked back up to the sky. "I thought I would try to being happy. Maybe see if the person I actually want," he sighed, "wants me back. If that doesn't include her, then whatever I guess. It's my life."
He shoved Kade annoyedly. "Merde, who's the unlucky girl?"
He shut his eyes against the shinning sun. "It's not a girl." he said muttered.
Luca sighed triedly, laying back down beside Kade. "How long have you known?"
"Known what?"
"That you like boys."
"Only recently. But I'm only attracted to one boy."
Kade turned to look at Luca, who looked curious. "Who? It's not a football player is it?" he cringed.
Kade's eyes shot open, turning back to the boy. "What, no! It's you, idiot!"
Luca sat back up. "Me?"
"Yes. You." Kade looked up at him, saying the words seriously.
Luca went stiff and he actually looked angry. Kade started to wonder if it was a mistake telling him. This guy was his best friend and he cared about him deeply. He couldn't live without him. Fear spread at the thought that Luca might never want to see him again.
"Look I'm sorry. Can we just forget it happened?" he said in a panicked voice.
Luca grit his teeth together. "Putain merde." he said. His hand darting out at Kade's collar as he bent down, crashing their mouths together.
Kade yelped in shock but as his lips moved over Luca's he relaxed into the kiss. This mouths exploring each other's excitedly. Kade couldn't help but laugh as they came back up for air.
"You ever make me wait like that again, I'll kill fucking you." Luca said breathlessly.
Kade put his hands out protest. "I didn't know! I swear!"
Luca rolled his eyes, leaning back in for another kiss. Kade's lips moved hastily against Luca's, who put reached out for his cheeks, pulling them back only a little so their lips were touching.
"Shhhhh." he whispered against Kade.
When he allowed them to reconnect his kiss was wide and tantalizingly slow, telling the other boy to move with him. Kade let his eyes flutter shut, allowing Luca to take control. His hand lifted to move the long curls that threatened to come between them. He buried his fingers in the hair, pushing himself even farther into his opponents mouth.
Luca's palm moved to Kade's stomach, letting his long fingers spread out and slide against the rippling muscles. When his neck started to ache from the position, Kade pulled him down so they were laid chest to chest, limbs completely tangled. He'd never felt so devoted to another person. Suddenly it wasn't about his own pleasure or happiness, it was about the boy that had his body pressed up against him. Luca seperated their lips. For a second they just stared at each other in a flustered state, lips red and faces flushed. Then he ducked his head to Kade's neck, kissing and sucking against the soft skin. He couldn't stop his eyes rolling back at the feeling.
"Luca." he breathed out.
He didn't respond, instead he bit down on his neck softly, resulting in a pleasure filled noise escaping Kade's mouth.
"Luca. Hold on." he tried again.
At that the boy pulled back from his neck, giving him a worried look. "I'm sorry. Was I going to far?" his voice wavered.
Kade put a hand on his arm, rubbing circles on it and shaking his head. "No it's not that. We just need to talk before this goes further."
Luca lifted himself from his body, taking back his position next to him. He looked slightly embarrassed, running a hand through his curls anxiously.
"Hey. It's not what you're thinking, I swear." Kade said, moving to rest a comforting hand on his knee.
"Hey, if you don't feel ready just tell me. I'll understand." he said sternly, putting his hand over Kade's.
He shook his head, "Luca, I have thought about this moment everyday for a while now. I swear I want to be with you. But you have to know what you're getting into if we do this." he said carefully.
"Ok.."
"Not with me. With the town. We are in a place that is going make our," he paused to think about the right word, "feelings dangerous. I don't know if you've noticed but bad things happen to people that are different, here." he tried explaining.
Luca frowned, "I don't understand."
Kade looked down nervously. "I know."
Luca inched closer, intwining his fingers into the one that laid on his knee. "If it's homophobia you're worried about, we can be careful." he said as gently as possible.
"It's not that. It's-" he looked up at Luca, his voice going low, "there's something wrong with with this place. When people go off on their own path, if they try to leave town, bad things happen to them."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" he said, confused.
"No it's like, fuck. I don't know. I've never had to explain it to anyone before." he said stressfully, "Ok. Do you remember Casey Davids?"
"From chemistry class in like sophomore year? I guess."
"Alright so Casey's dad was this abusive asshole, right? So she told him she was leaving to go to college in Northridge. Her plan was to leave town and she told people about that. But the day she left was the last time anyone ever saw her again. Like her car was left running at the town boarder, with no one inside."
Luca looked at him confusededly. "So a girl goes missing in really weird circumstances and that's why you think there some guy running around kidnapping people?"
Kade sighed defeatedly, "No it goes deeper than that. It's not just if you try to leave, it's if you go against Them. It's like They watch you, waiting for you to slip up."
He laughed nervously, "Kade your kinda freaking me out."
Kade held his hand tightly, leaning his forehead against his chest. "I know it sounds crazy but you have to believe me. We need to be careful with this."
Luca brushed his hand in the head that laid on his chest. "I do, I just don't get who we need to be hiding from."
"Everyone. We have to hide from everyone, including your host parents and my mother."
Luca nodded, "you really think we can't trust them?"
"We can't. I've seen where parents send their kids when they're like us."
"Are you talking about conversion therepy?"
Kade sighed loudly, wrapping his free arm around Luca's waist. "Something like that."
There was a long silence while Kade rested against Luca. The sun started to set,
highlighting their features in gold. Kade tried to not think about how selfish he was for allowing Luca to walk blindly into this. He barely knew himself what would happen to them if They found out. All he knew was the people that were taken for their particular difference, didn't just disappear. They came back, but they weren't the same. There was a lifelessness behind their eyes. Like staring into a black abyss.