Just a warning, this one has a bit of swearing in it...
Noah stepped forward so that he was able to look over my shoulder and around the street suspiciously, presumably to make sure that no one was following me. Admittedly, it was kind of amusing to see him try and peer over my shoulder, due to the fact that the fourteen year old was much shorter than myself.
After a second he stepped back and turned to walk inside, instructing me to shut the door in a nonchalant way that showed he knew I would whether he said it or not. I followed him into the kitchen where he passed me a damp cloth.
"Don't get blood on the floor or my brother will be pissed." He said in a steel-like voice and I nodded slowly, starting to clean up the white smeared down my arm that was drying more as each second went past. "Who are you, really?" He turned so there was no way I could avoid his gaze and I tried to avoid the wry smile creeping over my face. Now was not the time to ponder family resemblance.
"I'm Scott..." I trailed off, unsure how to explain who I was without sounding like a maniac. I think deep down I was hoping that the boy would recognise my name and tell me everything I'd ever need to know but he didn't. He just stood there. "I'm friends... I was friends with your brother. Can I talk to him? Is he home?" I gestured to my arm and laughed bitterly. "It's a little important."
"He's home. I'll ask if he wants to see you though, he's been kind of sick recently." He turned to walk out of the room but stopped and retraced his steps to push his finger roughly into my chest. "You're lucky that our parents aren't home, but if you hurt him in ANY way, I'll make you wish you never existed, pretty boy." His snarl was somewhat reminiscent of a lioness protecting her pack as he left fully this time, giving me time to start regretting what I'd done so far.
It wasn't long before I heard a loud crashing sound and a high-pitched voice yelling "he's what?! I can't believe this. Noah stay up here please, I need to settle something." The voice was followed by heavy footsteps that were making their way toward me. "What the fuck Scott?"
The situation was serious, and I knew that but I couldn't help grinning as I saw Noah's brother standing in the doorway, his lips pursed and his arms folded. His eyes were burning with anger which made my stomach drop and my facial expression fade immediately.
"I'm... I need your help." I said softly, stepping toward him "what happened to your hair?"
The boy with crimson skin stepped back, shaking his head as he left the kitchen. I dropped my bags and followed him into what I assumed was the loungeroom, a tattered couch placed in front of a small television set. "You can't be here." He said with such finality that I nearly agreed, but then I remembered the promise I'd made to Lauren, the promise I'd made to myself. I stood staring at the boy whose face was much slimmer than I remembered, but I couldn't tell if that was due to how he'd changed his hair, which was now completely shaved. It was growing back slightly, but not enough to see any more than dark maroon stubble across his scalp. I couldn't look at his hair for long though, his strict gaze always bringing my eyes back to his.
"But I am here. Please just listen to me." I pleaded, not stepping forward again because I didn't want to scare him off. "Mitch, please."
"I told you to leave. Last I knew, leaving didn't include turning up a month later with a fucking purple face and a bullet wound in your shoulder!" Mitch yelled, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides in a way that just made me mad.
"Listen, I risked my life coming here. Do you think I wanted to leave my family and put my friends' lives at risk for you?! Last I remember, you were the one who jumped into my life! You were the one who couldn't stay on his fucking side of the border!" I was probably crossing a line, but I couldn't care less. I was mad and if he was going to pin this all on me, he had something else coming.
"How dare you! How could you possibly blame this on me?! I told you! I told you not to get close to me! I told you that this couldn't work!" His cheeks were turning pink in anger as he looked at me, his blood probably boiling. "And what am I supposed to do now?! Drop everything and come with you? Run away from my life to look after you and your... purpleness?! I know you'll say that I don't have to and you'll mean it because you're so fucking nice! You're always concerned for what's best for me but what am I supposed to do then?! Live with the fact that I've changed your entire life and then left you?!" Mitch tried to keep yelling but no words came out so he just screeched as he buried his face in his hands, shaking slightly.
I stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm soothingly, trying to calm my own breathing so I wouldn't accidentally say something I'd regret. "I'm sorry. It's just that I couldn't leave without telling you how I feel–"
"Don't say it. Don't you dare." He cut me off and stepped away from me, looking up into my eyes and I could see the anger that was still lingering in his although there were also the beginnings of tears and what I could now see was a slight cloud of alcohol. "Scott Richard if you–"
"I love you." This time it was me who cut him off, almost challengingly as I looked down at the small boy who always seemed invincible. The small boy who never got mad, never really.
I didn't get a chance to react as his fingers clasped around the lamp beside him and he sent it flying toward me, only just missing my body as the porcelain base and glass bulb shattered against the wall. "Fuck you! Fuck you fuck you fuck you!" He was screaming and I moved quickly, pulling him into my arms tightly as his small hands pounded against my chest violently, joining his head. "Let go of me! Fuck you!"
He might've been small, but as I tried my best not to speak in response and wait for him to calm down, his hits were causing pain in my chest and my shoulder felt like it was being torn to pieces while I held him close to me.
My thumb caressed the skin between his shirt and his trousers where there was no fabric against my hand. My jaw rested against the top of his bald head, making me try not to rub my soft skin against the slightly prickly hair that was growing back. It was only now that I saw the hair closer, small purple hairs growing from his scalp. Definitely purple. The hair wasn't long enough to make out how much so, but there was definitely a deep colour that was growing out.
"Mitch..." I whispered, feeling like my breath had been knocked out of me.
"Don't talk to me." He murmured into my chest.
"Fine." I huffed and silently lifted his shirt so that I could see his torso, immediately recognising what I both feared and hoped for.
"Shit! Scott what the–?" I couldn't help myself and pressed my lips to his, my hands splaying over the mostly purple skin beneath his shirt as he kissed back for a few seconds, then scrambled out from underneath my body. "Don't do that. We can talk about this later, let me fix your shoulder." And he was gone, out in the kitchen getting medical supplies as I sat there, the image of his chest and that colouring burned into my brain forever.
We managed to get my shirt off with only minimal pain on my part, and as I laid on the couch with the small boy on my back, I tried to focus on anything but the small tweezers in my shoulder. "Okay that seriously... OW fuc–"
"I get it, that hurts! What do you want me to do? I've almost got it!" Mitch groaned at my impatience and leaned forward a little, making my eyes flutter closed at the pressure of his hips on my lower back.
"Sorry, I'll be quiet. I'm trying my best to not think about it."
"Good. Okay, I've got it now. Just try to think about something else?" He asked softly and I tried to prepare myself for the pain but couldn't really think of anything. I was just glad that I'd been so distracted when it was shot into me.
"I don't know if I can..." I sighed.
"Scott? This is a strange time to tell you this, but I love you." Mitch whispered and my jaw hung slack and I almost responded when I felt the bullet being tugged out of my shoulder. I could only grind my teeth together and close my eyes tightly as I tried not to say anything, being successful until a loud whimper passed my lips. Then Mitch was moving fast, bandaging my shoulder and making sure that everything else was okay.
"Mitch did you really mean that?"
"You need to sleep, I can't have you sleeping on the couch though... Um, go up to my room it's better for your shoulder... And I can check on you..."
"Whatever you say boss." I huffed, but couldn't argue much. He was right, I was exhausted and wouldn't have been able to have a proper conversation but as I laid in the bed waiting for him and slowly drifting off, I knew one thing. I wasn't going to be forgetting any of this anytime soon.
I was nearly asleep when I heard Mitch's faint voice speaking to Noah and then shortly after felt the mattress sink slightly as his body got into bed and snuggled in close to mine.
"I've missed you Scotty."