"Damsel, you're not buying that."
"Why?"
"We don't need LED lights.."
"Yes we do! For lighting!"
"We're buying household items we actually need."
"Please, I really want it,"
"Get a job and you can buy it," Darren dragged him by the hood of his hoodie back to the original isle they were in. "We've got your bed, the dining table and chairs; couch, we don't need a TV; so all that's left is the sanitary necessities and household items like bowls, towels, toothbrushes, cups, and other utensils." Darren read off the list.
"You forgot about the wardrobe, and we probably need a desk too?" Damsel chipped in, he stopped by a specific item;
"Okay, a wardrobe; we could make do with smaller shelves, and to save money we don't need a desk." He scribbled the words down, "It might get hot so we should buy a fan or two, and a solar generator or a battery for when electricity turns off. Gas too, probably. A heater as well since it's a little chilly now though."
Darren continued listing down the objects, "What do you think? Is this about right?" He turned to look at Damsel, only to see him not there.
He felt a headache coming, with an exasperated sigh he turned around and searched the isles he had passed. "For fuck's sake."
"Damsel?" He called his name, trying not to attract too much attention; it was a little hard when everyone he passed eyed him up and down with no shame. This part of town was very uncomfortable, especially when he was going around calling that name. "Damsel!"
He looked past the shelves; and even for the next 10 minutes, he couldn't find him; he had traced back to every step they had taken in the building.
Sweat dribbled down his temples, and a horrid feeling reached up his spine; had they already been found? Did something happen to him?
He was about to give up when he saw a familiar figure in one of the entries,
The look on his face when he found Damsel in the gardening section.
Damsel was holding a Phlox seed packet.
"Are you serious?"
Damsel looked up, meeting Darren's scornful gaze, "Oh- .. Hey?" He shifted to the other foot when he saw how Darren was walking up to him. "Darren?"
"Do you have any Idea how long I've been looking for you?" Darren caught a hold of Damsel's collar, his breath disgustingly close to his face. Darren seemed out of breath; and he was.
"I was going to find you." He explained, but Darren's grip only tightened, "Get off me."
"Are you fucking forgetting that there are 2 packs on our tail? Samuel is waiting for us, and you're practically delivering us into a mess." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
Damsel shoved him away, yanking his grip off; "I got it."
He put the packet back.
The two entered another cold war, walking out of the store; Even when they entered the car they had borrowed, neither of them spoke to one another.
They had brought the chilly tension into the car with them.
"Did you guys buy everything?" Samuel asked as he closed the cover of his book, peeping his head out from the back-seat. "When are they being shipped to the apartment?"
"By tonight," Darren answered, "Did you get hungry? I got you pizza and some cool drinks."
".. You aren't eating?" He meant both of them.
"I lost my appetite." Damsel said.
Darren frowned, turning back around to start the car; Damsel kept his gaze outside the window, and his body slightly shifted away.
Samuel kept his mouth shut at the awkward atmosphere.
Darren did try to ignore Damsel, he tried to act nonchalant aswell, but his gaze kept falling back onto Damsel's profile no matter what. That was how the car ride continued, at this point, Darren had decided that as long as Damsel said something, he would let the situation go; but.. Damsel was not saying anything.
Fuck, just say something and I'll forgive you.
Darren waited, and waited; and currently, he was at the end of his wit. He seemed to be going through the 3 stages of boyfriends after a fight.
".. I don't understand why you're being like this." Darren scoffed,
He couldn't hold back anymore.
"Why the fuck are you acting all moody when you went off on your own, knowing damn well it was dangerous?"
Damsel still faced the other way. A sense of panic washed over him, Darren was at a loss on what to do. He was even pondering if he should just apologize and ask for forgiveness; but his sense of reason and weak heart were fighting one another in his head; "I was worried that something happened, and it's not making it any better that there's a possibility of danger at every corner,"
He decided on reasoning, but his trembling voice was evident; his tone had softened by a mile since the first confrontation.
Why was he even nervous? Why did he care if Damsel wasn't talking?
"Do you have to spit in my face and grab me by the collar to tell me that?"
He spoke!
The words he was ready to argue out sunk back in at Damsel's words, he got a gist of what Damsel was saying.
You could talk properly, did you need to grab me?
"I was scared,"
"Then tell me properly." He added, "I won't go off on my own again."
"I'm sorry."
"I get it, I don't like it when you do anything physical, though. I'm aware I can fight back, but I don't want to do that nor make physical fights a norm anymore, especially not for such issues."
Samuel stayed quiet in the back, he glanced between the two; his brother and Damsel acting so.. reasonable towards eachother gave him a fright? He felt like he missed out on multiple chapters?
"I won't do it again."
The two had reached and agreement, Damsel unhooked the seatbelt to move to the back, squeezing past the seats and into the backseat next to Samuel, "Bon Appetitie."
Samuel just wondered how the atmosphere changed so fast; like simply in a flash after one conversation.
"What happened to losing your appetite?"
"Yeah, I got my appetitte back without being next to you."
"Don't finish it all without me, fuck,"
"Just continue driving, " Damsel waved him off, opening the box to reveal a large pizza; already cut up. "Samuel, let's split this 50/50."
Sam didn't nod, somehow, a thought flashed by; Was this Damsel's way of making his brother come eat?
Damsel was so kind.
Samuel blushed as he stared at him.
"You piece of shit." Darren remarked before he pulled the car to the side, parking the car at the side of the highway. Damsel scrunched up his nose as he saw Darren trying to squeeze into the backseat aswell,
"There's no room, fat-ass. If you're going to eat just eat from where you're sat."
Darren sat back down, there really wasn't enough room to fit all three of them in the back if they wanted to eat comfortably; Darren seemed to ponder for a moment, before getting out of the car and opening the trunk of the truck, He knocked on their window, signaling to come sit at the back.
Three teens, basking in the moon on a bridged highway, seated at the back of a truck, eating pizza.
With the head-lights along the highway, flashing cars buzzing past them; and the view from the bridge; this seemed like a scene out of a cinematic film. Damsel and Samuel were already enjoying their time, Damsel was cracking jokes and Samuel seemed to be trying to concentrate on his book and Damsel at the same time, The Prince's legs dangled off the edge of the truck, swinging them back and forth with a slice in his hand; Darren could barely hear them because of how loud the cars were; and yet this scene brought a familiar feeling. He looked over the railings of the bridge; revealing the water that held the moon's reflection.
Darren inhaled deeply, taking in the moment; before he turned back to his brother and Damsel to get his share of the pizza.
"Okay, hold on, my turn." Damsel devoured the slice in 3 bites, he still spoke with food in his mouth, spitting everywhere. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with.. 'W'!"
Darren grimaced, and Samuel only trembled trying to scooch backwards to avoid Damsel's gross way of eating,
"Fucking hell, can you not talk when eating? Disgusting."
Damsel paused; gulped down his food, before taking a the swig of water.
Then he directly sprayed the water at Darren, some even landed on Samuel.
"!!!" Samuel gasped, he jumped off of the back and straight into the car to run away; if he knew well enough, it would turn into a brawl.
And he was half-right.
"----- Bastard-.." Darren froze, the feeling of the liquid making its way down his face, it was horrifying; disgusting, and he even got goosebumps. Darren grabbed a whole bottle of water, directly pouring the shit onto Damsel's head.
"Ha-.. WAIT, OKAY, I GOT IT IM SORRY- Fuck-!"
Damsel kicked back and forth, and Darren jumped on him, locking his legs in place as he loomed over him, the scene seemed a little familiar.
"Water, that's the word right?" Darren laughed sarcastically over him, he waited for the last drop to wash over Damsel. The result was that Damsel's hair was fully wet, he had to slick it back to get it out of his face, but a few strands still troppled over his forehead, his eyelashes were dripping with water, and his hoodie had been soaked.
".. Congratulations." Damsel replied unenthusiastically, he got up and shoved Darren aside, Darren hadn't been using much force, he sprawled to the side with a stupid smile on his face; he fixed himself into a comfortable position, and both figures lay side by side, their chests heaving up and down as they gazed into the night sky.
They were trying to catch their breath.
"...Pfft." Damsel was the first one to start chuckling,
from what started as a small laugh turned into both of them laughing the time away.
It was nice.
This felt nice.
Darren turned to the side to stare at Damsel's profile, he looked even better with his hair wet and over his forehead; somehow, he seemed a little.. sexy? The way the corner of his lips lifted to reveal an alluring smirk was undeniably attractive, in a way you would imagine some sort villain smiling; he had a specific charm to him that Darren could not describe properly. He was arrogant, domineering; yet it was all ever so.. sexually attractive?
the boy's light, modest smile and laughter rang in his ears; and somehow, he had even sounded out the engines of the cars and the flickering city lights that loomed over them.
He wished he could record this memory.
Damsel took out two canned beers from the bag, putting one in Darren's hand, "Give me a cheers."
".. I have to drive, Prince." Darren took the beer and put it back into the plastic bag; instead, he took out a can of monster; knocking his can against Damsel's,
"To finding our mates."
Damsel seemed dazed for a second, before a smile spread, "Mm. And to a happy cohabitation, I'll be under your care for the next 4 months," He knocked against Darren's can again.
"Just don't piss me off."
"You piss me off."
The two laughed for a bit over everything and seemingly nothing; perhaps just each others normal remarks were impossible to get bored of, Sam had already fallen asleep in the backseat due to how late it was, he didn't dare come back out; Darren had checked up on him, but Damsel and Darren seemed to enjoy the night for a little more.
It was an hour later, they were sprawled across the trunk; Damsel had taken off his hoodie, revealing the wet white shirt he was wearing underneath; with it clinging to his skin, you could make out the lines of his abdomen. He still had that lazy, cocky vibe to him; even when he was drunk. He sat up.
"You know, I don't really mind this," Damsel commented, he opened another beer, the sizzzzz of the oxidated drink being opened sounded, before he took a gulp.
"Mind what?" Darren leisurely asked; he seated himself up.
Damsel blinked for a second and downed the drink, setting it down with a pang against the surface of the truck; "I don't mind living like this, it's nice."
he wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he felt his head getting a little woozy, he was getting drunk. "I've never felt so alive before."
He swayed slightly back and fourth, and he was about to fall in the next second before Darren caught his head when he reached out his hand; he lead Damsel's posture to set his head against his shoulder, letting Damsel lean against him as to not fall.
Damsel spoke with a muffled voice, ".. Nothing really matters like it used to."
His breath danced along to form a layer of vapor in the air. Darren smelled his scent now.
Damsel didn't say anything for a while after, he simply stared at the cars that went past them, counting them; and Darren did not overthink Damsel's words, he understood him; the issues and rampaging thoughts he had everyday never surfaced now, like his problems in his previous environment were simply.. old memories. Passing thoughts.
He didn't mind the current atmosphere, the unfamiliar warmth that Damsel brought him anchored his heart in place. Damsel was counting cars, yet Darren was counting his heartbeat.
For the two of them, this was the first time in their lives where they were simply,
at peace.
It was about 2AM when the two arrived back home; Damsel's face was flushed, he had gotten drunk. When Darren parked the car, he had already been notified that the movers had delivered the boxes and supplies and they were inside the apartment; him and Damsel had to assemble everything tomorrow with help from the neighbors. He first carried Samuel into bed, tucking him in before he went back down for Damsel.
".. Hic."
The sight he met when he opened the passenger door was a little unpreferable.
Damsel's hair was messy, yet tousled; his eyes were sore and red, he was crying and yet his facial muscles didn't move. It was already clear how handsome Damsel was, so how was it that he even cried beautifully?
His pretty eyes were simply leaking tears.
Darren often thought; that perhaps his temperament was justifiable when you looked at his face.
He could never get over his face.
Damsel kept moving about from his uncomfortableness, his shirt had slightly raised to reveal a small amount of the skin of his waist. He was alluring.
Naturally seductive.
No wonder girls practically threw themselves onto him; he wasn't even trying at the moment.
Darren could not forget the smiling youth from just half an hour ago, smiling with his flushed face, leaning against him, playing with his fingers; he said that he didn't want to go home, that he was happy.
Darren wished that they could stay like this forever, not for 4 months.
He was scared that this fantasy would shatter when the time was up; he hated his home.
-
The next morning came in the blink of an eye. Darren had a healthy sleeping schedule, his body was already used to getting up early, he had woken up at 6am and got started on putting together the furniture, by the time Damsel had woken up, he had already fixed most of the furniture and set them in place; the living room, Kitchen, and bathroom were organized well and everything was set in place.
Damsel felt stuffy in his heart when he opened the door to the sight.
He didn't know how to feel.
This was the first time Damsel felt familiarity, every piece of furniture was picked out by them, every item had a backstory on how and when it was bought, these were feelings he hadn't gotten even after living 17 years of his life inside the same home. Everything inside this home was theirs.
Although the walls were ruined, and the floors were noisy, this was the most homely home he had set foot in. It was cramped, but the stupid rugs they had picked up and washed from the neighbors seemed so cozy; the utensils and second-hand items loitering around the home made him a little emotional. Heck, even the curtains that seemed a little old-fashioned made him feel surreal.
This was all theirs.
Every item.
Damsel walked around, the place was small, ruined, and cheap, yet Damsel had never felt like he had seen a prettier house before; even though he had been downed in luxuries since he was a child.
The kitchen had a cozy feel to it, it seemed rustic; the living room area was no different, there were no empty spaces; no empty spaces like the spacey rooms back in his pack's mansion; where everything was set-up extremely professionally and formally. Even the bathroom had three pairs of toothbrushes, three pairs of towels, and.. and every item had a copy for three people living in this place, like 3 coffee cups, 3 bowls and plates, utensils. 3 blankets, and even the small storage compartment was split into three sections.
This was.. like a place he belonged.
He had viewed around for a bit, but Darren was nowhere to be found, he had checked up on Samuel a couple of times too.
It seemed Darren wasn't home, Samuel was still sleeping.
Darren wasn't home.
Home.
Was this home..?
It must be.
A home, a place where he belonged.
His eyes caught onto a small packet on the table, Phlox seeds, and a pot.