A Special Occasion Posting.

It won't happen very often.

 

 

RECOVERY

 

CHAPTER 1

 

 

 

 

"Jonny, I got you sort of a ummm special present for Valentine's Day," Chris said.

Jonny turned flashing green eyes toward Chris and smiled.

"Yeah?" Like what?" he asked.

Chris giggled a little and ran into the other room.

He was back in a flash with a small square box.

It was wrapped in SpongeBob wrapping paper.

"SpongeBob?" Jonny asked, lifting one eyedbrow.

"They were all out of The Simpsons," Chris said, innocently.

He handed the package to Jonny with a little evil smile on his gorgeous mouth.

Jonny turned it back and forth.

Then he turned it over and over.

Then he shook it.

Chris was wringing his hands in anticipation.

Jonny looked at him, knowing the waiting was driving Chris crazy.

He started turning it over and over again.

"Oh fuck Jonny. Just open it already!!" Chris yelled putting both hands into his own hair and giving it a yank.

Jonny laughed hard at Chris' antics.

Then he ripped the paper off in one elegant sweep.

"It's a camera?" Jonny asked confused.

"A video camera," Chris said, looking at him with lust in his eyes.

"We already have a video camera," Jonny said.

"Not like this one," Chris said, winking at him.

Jonny looked at him for a long second.

Suddenly, he realized what Chris meant.

"You mean for recording our..." he nodded toward the bedroom.

Chris nodded in a slow seductive way.

"You are such a slut," Jonny told him.

Chris reached over and pushed the little red button.

"It's recording now," he said.

Jonny stood up.

"Then it wouldn't be right to waste good tape would it?"

He was unbuttoning his shirt as he headed toward the bedroom.

 

Six Months Later

 

 

"It's not here!!!" Chris said, shrieking in a loud tone as he searched through the shelves.

Jonny put down the magazine and looked at him.

"Of course it is there," Jonny said, "Where else would it be?"

"I am telling you it isn't here!!!" Chris said, jumping up and down.

"What isn't here?" Will asked, walking into the room carrying a plate of scones.

"This tape that Chris is looking for," Jonny said.

"Was it the one in the blue case?" Will asked.

Chris' eyes bugged out and Jonny stood up.

"Yes," Chris said, slowly, "Have you seen it?"

Will nodded as he took a bite.

"Where is it?" Chris asked, grabbing him by the shoulders.

Will held up a finger and pointed at his mouth, indicating that he was chewing.

"WHERE IS IT?" Chris asked, shaking him hard.

Will started to cough and choke.

Ten minutes later, Will was drinking water to finish recovering from the choking.

"Where?" Jonny asked.

"Geez,,,,,," Will said, "You act like there were state secrets on that damn tape," he said.

Jonny and Chris looked at each other.

Jonny blushed in embarrassment.

"Just our secrets," Chris said.

Will turned pale.

"What do you mean?' he asked, "I thought that was the demo tape of our new songs."

"And..." Jonny asked.

"And I sent it to the management company," he said.

Jonny and Chris both fainted.

 

 

 

C&J in the same bed, ooh!

Day 5/Day 6/Day 7

 

 

Chris sweetly smiled at Jonny as the last few notes floated from his vocal chords and drifted off into the ears of the crowd gathered just in front of the small platform he was standing on. Everyone began to clap, and Chris was pulled away from his focus on Jonny.

 

"Oh, thank you, thank you," he nervously said to the crowd, then started to walk with Jonny off stage, resting his hand on Jonny's back. Everyone was crowding around Melissa now. "And thank you, Jonny!" He quickly threw his arms around Jonny in a tight embrace.

 

"You were great, Chris," Jonny happily replied, then the two of them went to join the crowd.

 

"Well, guys," Melissa was saying, "I'd like to thank you all for coming. You all mean so much to me, and I don't know that I could have made it through these past few years without all of you." Her voice was starting to shake, so he took a deep breath. "And I hope that I'm able to keep in touch with every single one of you as I start my life as an adult. It's a scary thing, huh?" she quietly asked as she turned to Will, who was standing a mere six inches to her right. He nodded, and she gave a nervous laugh.

 

The people all cheered and said kind words to Melissa as they walked by. The party was, for the most part, over now, since it was getting late, the refreshments were nearly vanished completely, and Chris had already sung. A few people stuck behind to chat with Melissa or Will or Mrs. Champion, and so Chris, Jonny and Guy just wandered around with nothing else to do.

 

"What is it with you guys?" Guy asked as the three of them sat on the front porch and watched the cars leave.

 

Jonny glanced at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

 

Guy kept his eye on a dark blue car that was slowly disappearing down the road. He shifted in his seat a little before replying, "I mean, when's the last time either of you had a girlfriend?" At this, Chris finally looked over to Guy. He stared for a few seconds, then drifted off, trying his hardest to think.

 

"It's been a while, yeah," Jonny said. "Why does it matter?"

 

"I don't know, it's just that..." Guy look down at his hands resting in his lap and sighed. "It's like everywhere I go, I have to find some girl to... chase," he hesitantly used the word, and even winced a little as he said it, "and I just don't get how you two can be content with not having anyone."

 

Jonny shrugged. "It doesn't feel like I don't have anyone, though, you know?"

 

"I guess it's 'cause you guys have each other," Guy quietly said. "Not that I think you two are... you know, but... well, I don't really have many friends, especially not any that I'm close to like you are with each other."

 

Jonny was so disheartened by Guy's somber mood that he forgot to panic over the mention of a possible relationship between he and Chris. "Listen, Guy," he sincerely began, "you'll find someone, you just have to be patient. It's hard, I know, but I believe that there's someone for everyone. So, there must be some girl out there waiting for you to chase her."

 

Both Guy and Chris looked up at Jonny as he spoke. Both of their hearts were touched by his words.

 

"You really think so?" Guy asked. Jonny nodded. "Thanks, man," he said, and he leaned forward to hug Jonny. The sound of the last car driving away died, and Jonny hugged Guy back. Chris could see from Guy's expression that Jonny really was their rock, the one who always tried to help, and who always succeeded. He smiled to himself.

 

-

 

The next day was a peaceful one. Everyone was just resting after the previous days of excitement, and the boys were enjoying their last day before they had to leave. Will was in the kitchen with his mother, Guy was somewhere in the house, and Chris and Jonny were laying in the backyard, watching the clouds drift through the sky.

 

"Look, Jonny, doesn't that cloud look like a cake?" Chris quickly said, pointing at some puff of white condensation floating above them. Jonny looked at where Chris pointed to, and as he did so, he felt Chris's fingers intertwine with his own.

 

"Chris, don't you think people are going to think it's weird that we're holding hands?" Jonny discreetly asked. Chris turned his head and smiled.

 

"No. I mean, who's around to notice? Everyone's inside. And anyway, holding hands doesn't have to be romantic. Friends hold hands sometimes, I'm sure."

 

"Yeah, like when they're dating," Jonny mumbled.

 

"We're not dating..." Chris thoughtfully said. "But we're friends, and we're holding hands."

 

"Yeah, and we're also-"

 

"We haven't done much yet, Jonny. Listen," Jonny felt Chris squeeze his hand a little, "if we walk in there right now, like this, no one's gonna care. I'll prove it!"

 

Chris sprang up on his feet and headed towards the house, dragging Jonny along with him. The back door was open, and they both coolly walked inside to where Will and Mrs. Champion were. They just stood in the room for a moment, then Chris elbowed Jonny a little.

 

"Um, hey everyone." Mrs. Champion looked up from her work and smiled at them.

 

"Hello. How are you two doing?" she sweetly asked.

 

"I'm good... Chris?" Jonny blinked at Chris and waited for him to answer.

 

"I'm good, too," Chris beamed, then he lowered his voice so only Jonny could hear. "See, you just have to act like you're not embarrassed right now."

 

"I'm not," Jonny replied in a near-whisper.

 

"Yes, you are. It's obvious."

 

"Well, I'm sorry that I just find it a little strange to-"

 

"Oh, what are you two on about?" Will asked as he walked over to the two.

 

"Nothing," Chris smiled. "Hey, where's Guy?"

 

"Yeah, and Melissa?" Jonny added. He and Chris both looked at each other.

 

"Ooooh!" Chris giggled.

 

"HEY!" Will shouted.

 

"Oh, Will, calm down. Melissa's a young woman now, she can take care of herself," Mrs. Champion calmly said. "Anyway, she's out with some friends. Guy, I think, is in the other room."

 

Will turned to his mother and hung his head. "Oh." Then he walked out of the room, most likely in search of Guy.

 

Mrs. Champion returned to her work, and tutted. "That boy needs to get his head on straight. But he's just so protective of his sister. Bless him." She picked up what she'd been working on; it was a platter of some sort. She carried it out through the door and into the dinning room. After a few moments, she showed no signs of coming back, so Chris felt it safe to talk to Jonny normally.

 

"See? No one said anything," Chris told him. He gave Jonny's hand another little squeeze. Jonny looked down at their hands and twisted his mouth.

 

"Yeah..." Jonny blinked a few times, unsure of himself, then looked back up at Chris. "Can we go back outside?"

 

Chris didn't even respond, really. He just smiled and bolted out the door, with Jonny trailing behind him once more. They laid back down where they were before, fingers still neatly laced together. And that's all they did for the rest of the day, until it grew too dark out. They just laid next to each other and held hands.

 

-

 

The car was all packed, and the people were all in disbelief. How could it have been time for them to go home already? It seemed like they'd only just arrived!

 

Alas, time is a tricky thing, and so their little vacation seemed to whisk away without much notice. The four men and Mrs. Champion were gathered alongside the car for one last farewell. Mrs. Champion made sure to hug each and every one until they had all died from being squeezed too hard.

 

"Oh, boys, thank you so much for coming, and thanks for all of your help!" Finally, she got to Will. She hugged him the tightest, then pinched his cheek a little. "Oh, I will miss you all so much. Don't be gone for too long, now. You're all welcome back anytime."

 

"Thanks for letting us stay, mum," Will kindly said, and Mrs. Champion smiled in return. They all piled into the car, and soon the sight of Mrs. Champion standing in the driveway and waving as they drove off was gone.

 

The drive back to their respective apartments was only two hours, roughly. As they had done when they drove to the Champion house, Will was driving with Guy sitting shotgun, and Chris and Jonny were sitting in the back. They were both awake this time, and deeply embedded in some weird conversation.

 

Their voices were hushed, though, so neither Guy nor Will could hear what they were saying. The only thing they could hear was the occasional giggle from Chris. Jonny laughed sometimes, too, but it was far too manly a laugh to be called a giggle.

 

Guy peered through his sunglasses and out the windshield at the road ahead of them. There were few cars around, as they were still driving mostly on back roads. Once the view became too vanilla for him, he turned to Will.

 

"Hey, sorry about trying to get with Melissa," he said. His apology could have been a tad more vigorous had he used friendlier terminology.

 

Since he was driving, Will just kept looking forward, but he did respond with a dumbfounded, "What?"

 

"She's a nice girl, really, but I realized that... well, Jon helped me realize..." Guy trailed off. Will quickly glanced over to see what was wrong. Guy was looking back at Chris and Jonny.

 

They were just talking, but something was different. They were sitting very close, and their heads were down, but facing each other at the same time. Jonny was saying something, a strange serious look on his face, and Chris was sharply listening and smiling. It was almost as if they weren't conscious of other people existing.

 

Then, suddenly, Jonny's words rang in Guy's ears, and he understood. "They're together, aren't they?" he asked as he turned back to Will.

 

"Who's together?" Will asked, even more dumbfounded that before.

 

"Chris and Jonny," Guy replied.

 

Will thought about it for a few moments. "Eh, I don't think they're actually together, they're just always like that."

 

"No," Guy firmly said, looking back at them once more. "No, this is different. They're together."

 

"You're sure?" Will skeptically asked.

 

"Yes!" Guy exclaimed. "Look, Will, there's a light coming up. When we stop, just look at them. You'll see."

 

Will narrowed his eyes at Guy, but agreed regardless. It was only a few hundred yards until the car rolled to a stop, and Will quickly turned in his seat. Now Chris was talking, but it was still as obvious as it had been when Guy first looked. Will didn't say anything until after the car started to move again.

 

"You're right," he said, defeated.

 

"Do you think they were hiding it from us?" Guy asked with a hint of paranoia.

 

"Nah," Will decisively replied. "I don't think they would do that. Not for more than a few days, at least."

 

"So, then, you think they've only been together a few days?"

 

Will was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "They did share a room for a bit."

 

Guy's eyes flew open and he shuddered rather violently. "Oh God, I slept in that bed!"

 

"Guy!!" Will laughed. "I don't think they would have done that." Guy shot Will a dirty look for a few moments, but soon came to terms with how ridiculous he was being. He started to laugh along with Will, though he secretly was still a bit afraid.

 

"I find it amazing that they're not hearing us," Guy stated after their laughter had died down. "They're still just talking."

 

"That's good, though. I think they're really happy with each other."

 

"They do look happy," Guy agreed. "And I'm happy for them."

 

"Yeah."

 

"...Do you think it's weird to be jealous, too?" There was a dash of fear in Guy's voice, like he wasn't exactly sure why he was feeling that way.

 

"You're... jealous?" Will asked in a voice that did not make Guy feel better.

 

"Kinda." Guy paused for a moment, then slowly he began to understand. "Well, maybe it's just because I'd like to have that with someone. I mean, look at them, they're so... I don't know. Happy sounds like an understatement," he quietly said.

 

"Oh, yeah. I know what you mean," Will said. "Hey, you know what? Tonight we should go out to a bar or something and try to find some chicks. There's got to be at least two single women who'd like us."

 

"Yeah, that sounds great! On one condition, though."

 

"Which is?"

 

Guy removed his sunglasses and pointed a finger at Will. "You can not, at any point during the night, try to kill me."

 

 

Fading

 

 

Kind of short one-shot that really doesn't make much sense. :rolleyes:

 

 

Day 1

Chris lay on his sofa, facedown into a pillow. There was a persistent knocking on the door, but he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to open it.

 

“Chris!” Will’s voice was heard through the mailbox. “Are you there? Open the bleeding door, man!”

 

Chris heard the jingling of keys and he sighed deeply.

“I’m opening the door now, Chris.”

 

Chris didn’t move from his place on the sofa as Will entered the flat.

 

“Chris, what the hell?” Will looked around the un-tidy room. “Get up from there.”

 

“No.” It was the first time in a few days that Chris had said anything at all, so it mostly came out as a gravelly whisper.

 

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

 

“Please, just go.”

 

Will frowned at the defeated man on the sofa. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Leave me alone.” Chris tiredly mumbled into the pillow.

 

“Come on, Chris. You haven’t been to the Beehive in days! And by the looks of it, you haven’t been outside this room either. We kind of need you down there, you know. Jonny’s all over the place. You know he concentrates better with you there.”

 

Chris twitched. “Whatever. You’ll manage.”

 

“Come on, man, go get a shower and I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”

 

Chris just shrugged and wrapped his arms around himself. “No, thanks.”

 

Will sighed. “Whatever man, be like that then. We’re in the Beehive if you decide to change your mind.” He hesitated by the door, looking over his shoulder at the thin outline of Chris’ back. “You sure you’re alright?”

 

“Bye, Will.” Chris mumbled.

 

“Right. Bye.” Will shut the door behind him.

Day 4

 

Guy stormed in through Chris’ front door.

 

“Oi!” He shook Chris’ shoulder where he lay on the sofa. “Right, lad, up you go!” Chris’ shoulder was disturbingly thin underneath his washed out red t-shirt. “Shit. When was the last time you ate, man?”

 

“Dunno.” Chris responded tiredly.

 

“Ok, that’s it. Get up from there; you’re having dinner with me and the guys.”

 

“No.”

 

“Screw you, Chris. I’m getting Jonny and Will. This is ridiculous.”

 

Guy slammed the door as he left. He returned with the other two after a few minutes.

 

“Chris.” Will said as he kneeled down beside his friend. “Turn around please.” Chris didn’t move. “Turn around.” Will patiently repeated.

 

Chris let out a deep sigh but complied. He looked a right mess. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes and his usual stubble had grown into a slight beard. His gaze was faraway and empty.

 

“Shit.” Will breathed. “What’s wrong, Chris?”

 

“Nothing.” He whispered.

 

“Like hell it’s nothing!” He yelled, getting scared of the state his friend was in. He shook Chris’ shoulder whose head lolled back and forth.

 

“Maybe it’s drugs?” Guy said and started to frantically search the messy room. Jonny stood still by the door, watching the scene with his lips pressed together in a thin line.

 

Will nodded and helped Guy sort through the amount of things in Chris’ living room.

 

“We’re gonna find them, Chris. You might as well tell us where they are!” He said to the quiet man on the sofa. “Damnit, Chris!” He tipped over a dead, potted plant.

 

“Stop.” Jonny softly said.

 

Will and Guy ignored him and continued to dig through the dirt on the floor.

 

“I said STOP it!” Jonny raised his voice and stomped by the two bewildered men on the floor. He crouched down next to Chris. He tried to meet Chris’ distant gaze.

 

“Look. I’m sorry, alright?” He grasped Chris’ thin hand and stroked his forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Chris closed his eyes and a tear escaped from beneath his eyelid.

 

“Please, could you forgive me?” Jonny ferociously asked, squeezing Chris’ hand.

 

“What the hell is this about?” Will asked from behind him.

 

Jonny ignored him. “I love you. Now please stop this stupid self-harm.”

 

“You lie.” Chris whimpered, voice breaking from exhaustion.

 

Jonny desperately shook his head. “No. No, I’m not lying. I love you.”

 

Chris opened his eyes and squinted at Jonny.

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

Jonny let out a breath and before Chris could react; he had gently fastened his lips to Chris’.

 

Guy and Will both let out equal sounds of surprise and shock.

 

“What the hell?” Guy hissed to Will, who shrugged.

 

“I’m sorry.” Jonny repeated softly, leaning on Chris. “I’ll never keep you a secret again.”

 

 

for dianna's challenge...

It happened, and you know it!

 

 

 

It was dark. So dark, as an alley would and should be. The perfect place for two men to meet in secret.

 

"I missed you," is whispered all about, though they've spent nearly the entire day together.

But not together.

 

Hands brush cheeks, lips touch, curly hair is pulled, caps are sent askew. Some moans are thrown about the place. But it's dark- very late- so there isn't any worry.

 

 

 

 

OR IS THERE?

 

 

 

 

Two girls walking down the sidewalk. Harmless. They're not even that tall.

One's blond, the other brunette. They're just walking. Just having a laugh.

Two harmless girls.

 

The streetlight is far from the alley. In fact, one person- or perhaps, two people- unfamiliar with the area would never even know that there was an alley there, if they were walking in the dark. Walking down the sidewalk, at night.

 

The men are safe with their dirty secret, hidden from the world behind a dumpster. But as the girls pass, everything changes.

 

Two steps past the corner of the alley, Katie stops. Two steps back. Three, even. Dianna follows her, and they both know. The alley is dark, but they're trained professionals.

Are those footsteps we're hearing, Jonnyboy?

No, surely you're just being paranoid.

 

It makes sense, so they don't think about it again. Until Chris hears footsteps again.

 

Jonny, someone's here.

Are you sure?

Positive.

 

So the men break apart, and try to blend themselves with the wall. But it's no use, the girls are trained professionals.

 

Five feet away. Katie, do you really think...? Four feet away. No, I know. Three feet. Jonny, what if they find us? Two feet. I think it's too late for that.

 

It's dark, but not dark enough that the outline- obvious outline- of two men is invisible. No, it's very much visible. Then the alley is filled with screams, the joy of finding buried treasure.

 

"I KNEW IT," is shouted into the night. Fangirlish squees, manly "Oh no, we've been caught!"s.

 

We have to tell Brooke. Oh my God, WE HAVE TO TELL BROOKE!

Wait.

 

Dianna walks closer to the men, her path slightly more towards Chris. Narrow eyes, and the men start to feel self-conscious.

 

You don't want us to tell the whole world do you?

No, please.

Then what's in it for us?

 

The men exchange glances.

Anything you want.

Are you sure that's a good idea?

Well-

Well, it's too late now.

 

More glances. Nervous glances.

 

Fine. What, then?

You don't think you're the only two who want to have a little fun, do you?

 

Laughter from the girls. What else are the men going to do? They agree.

 

---

 

Yeah, you wish.

Fine, maybe the ending isn't true. And maybe Dianna and I didn't actually see them or anything. But I'm sure it happened, anyway!

Oh, it did. It definitely did. :wacky:

 

 

A fic that's been floating around for awhile now...

 

Holes

Chapter One

 

 

 

 

I was shivering. The snow was up to the windows of the first floor. I ran through the doors and up the stairs to our apartment while shaking snow off of my boots. The lights were off so Chris wasn’t home yet. It’s not too often he has a date to attend, so I assumed he went out for a midnight snack at the local convenience store.

 

I threw off my coat and hat, and wrote Chris a quick note reminding him of his upcoming exams. I then continued to my room, removing various items of clothing as I walked down the hall. I pulled on some sleep pants then retired into my bed. About ten minutes later, I heard the door crack open and I called out to Chris. He entered my room with frostbitten cheeks, looking upset.

 

“J? Why are you up so late?” Chris asked as he sat on the edge of my bed. I retaliate by asking why he was out so late.

 

“Believe it or not, Jonny-boy, I went on a date.” I sat, amazed and feeling slightly hurt, gazing at my best friend.

 

“And how did that go?” I bit back coldly.

 

“She didn’t show… Well she did eventually, with her fiancée,” Chris looked so hurt. I knew he loved Aislinn for a while; she even inspired some great songs, but I knew she was only out to hurt him. She used his love as a cruel and evil prank against him. Chris didn’t deserve to be mistreated by such a woman. He was blind, though, when it came to love.

 

I looked gently at Chris. He was hunched over, facing the wall. He placed his head in his hands, and ran his fingers through his curly locks. He sniffed a few times, and I continued to stare. I wanted Aislinn to pay. I wanted her to stop hurting my Chris. I wanted to tell Chris to move on. I wanted him to love me, but I knew I’d only be picking up the broken pieces and mess she left.

 

I pulled him closer and held him, Chris crying softly. I wiped tears from his face and told him he deserved better than her. What he replied shocked me.

 

“I think someone like you Jonny-boy. You wouldn’t hurt me… You love me, right?” With my mouth agape I nodded, “Good ‘cause I love you too, JJ.”

 

“I always will Chris.”

 

“Forever?”

 

“Forever.”

 

 

 

C&J in the same bed, ooh!

THE NIGHT

 

 

There was that scratching noise again. Chris was wide awake, staring into the darkness of his bedroom wall. There were usually between fifteen and twenty scratches before the sound stopped. But this time there were more, and they were getting louder. And louder. And louder.

 

Then, suddenly, they ceased.

 

Chris exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, even though he was still not tired in the least. The next thing he knew, there was a body laying next to him. He turned around as his heart beat faster and he even squealed a little. He was so caught up in his excitement that he kissed Jonny squarely on the mouth without even thinking about it. Jonny softly laughed as Chris pulled away.

 

"Sorry!" Chris whispered.

 

"Don't be," Jonny said, and gently kissed Chris.

 

"Are you going to sleep in here tonight?" Chris asked. He lightly ran his hand up and down Jonny's arm.

 

"If you'll let me."

 

"Of course I'll let you," he smiled. "I'll let you do anything."

 

Jonny rested his hand on Chris's waist and just looked at him for a while. Chris looked back, and it was an amazing feeling shared between them as they just stared into each other's eyes. Jonny reached over and kissed Chris's forehead.

 

"Chris, do you remember how you said it was OK for me not to be in love with you?" he whispered.

 

"Yeah. What about it?" Chris replied.

 

"Well, I want to be in love with you. I don't think I am yet. Yet. But..." Jonny brushed some of Chris's hair out of his face. "I will be soon."

 

"Really?" Chris asked, his eyes lighting up. Jonny nodded, and Chris snuggled up against him. Jonny wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

 

"Listen, Chris, I don't see how I could not be in love with you eventually. You're just..." Jonny struggled to find the perfect words, and Chris interrupted him before he could.

 

"The other day, Jonny, what you said to Guy... Do you think we're the someones for each other?"

 

"Yeah."

 

Chris just listened for a little bit. The room was silent, but he could hear Jonny's heartbeat. "Do you wish your someone was a girl?"

 

"No. I'm glad it's you." Chris smiled and continued to listen to Jonny's heart. He loved how beautiful it sounded, like it was there, beating, just to let Chris know it was his. He realized it was a little selfish to think that, but he also knew that Jonny would tell him that if he asked. Jonny's heart belonged to Chris, and Chris's to Jonny.

 

He slowly looked up at Jonny after a long silence. He decided that he wanted Jonny to hear his heartbeat so he could know, too.

 

"Jonny, will you do something for me?" he quietly asked.

 

"What?" From the sleepy tone in Jonny's voice, Chris could tell he was starting to fall asleep. But he was willing to stay up all night with Chris if he had to. If Chris wanted him to.

 

"Will you listen to my heartbeat?" Jonny looked at him blankly for a moment, but his tired mind was just trying to process what Chris said. When it finally did, Jonny moved and rested his head on Chris's chest. The rhythmic beating was his perfect lullaby, and it slowly lifted him off to sleep. "That beat's for you, Jonnyboy."

 

Chris could tell that Jonny was no longer conscious, but he didn't mind. And he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep at all. Not with such a beautiful person laying with him. He might miss something.

 

So, instead he just ran his hand through Jonny's hair and thought how wonderful everything was. They still had yet to really be physical with each other, but that was part of the beauty of their relationship. They didn't have to be. As long as they were just there together, harmlessly sleeping in the same bed, everything was good.

 

As promised for Rachel

 

Recovery

Chapter 2

 

 

"Chris.....Chris..." Will was slapping him hard across both cheeks.

Chris was floating somewhere between unconsciousness and awareness.

"Yes, mum," Chris mumbled.

Will sounded remarkably like his own mother trying to wake him up for school.

Guy came in the door and looked at the scene.

He stopped for a minute and then walked on.

Chris on the floor with Will slapping him was not a new occurence.

"Could you help me here?" Will asked, in a strident tone.

"What?" Guy asked, innocently.

"Chris and Jonny passed out," Will said.

Guy frowned as he scratched his arm.

"Why?' he asked, nonchalantly.

"Well I don't know," Will said, sarcastically, "If I can get them to wake up, they might tell me."

They both looked around as they heard a mumble from the other side of the table.

Jonny was struggling to sit up.

Guy went to him and put his arm around his neck.

"Thanks man," Jonny said, wiping his face.

"What happened? Why did you faint?"

"I...I.. can't remember," Jonny said, looking around with a confused expression.

Guy looked to Will for a further explanation.

"We were talking about some tape that I...."

Jonny jumped straight up.

"Oh shit!!" he said, "Now I remember. The tape....with the....the...."

"The songs?" Will asked, "It isn't a big deal. We always send them stuff before it is ready."

"You don't understand," Jonny tried to say, as he blushed.

"Well, then maybe you should explain it to us," Guy ventured.

Chris mumbled a little and began to move.

Jonny ran to him.

"Chris, are you okay, luv?' he asked.

Chris sat up and looked around.

Then he grabbed Jonny by the shirt as he showed wild eyes.

"Did Will really send the tape off?" he asked.

"It seems so," Jonny said, covering his face.

"I'm sorry," Will said, "I didn't mean to cause such a problem."

Jonny and Chris looked at each other.

"Should we tell them?" Jonny asked.

"You better," Chris said.

"Tell us what?" Guy asked, frowning.

"Well," Jonny said, "That tape wasn't the one you thought it was."

"What do you mean?" Will barked, "What tape was it?"

"It was a sex tape," Jonny mumbled, deeply embarrassed.

"What?" Guy asked, "I didn't understand you."

"A sex tape," Jonny mumbled again.

"Huh?" Will asked, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"A SEX TAPE!!" Chris yelled, "Me and Jonny."

Will and Guy fainted.

 

 

R*E*S*P*E*C*T*

 

 

 

Finally!! This one's a bit of a shortie, but enjoy it! There's only two chapters left.:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris’ POV

After a few moments of breath-catching, I instantly bolted off of my ass, loaded with an idea in my head. The only place I could go and not be bullshitted as to what happened to my Jonny was very simple; his house. I sprinted the whole way there, forgetting anything that I could. I needed to focus on my speed and my footing. I knew I had to forget what I’d just seen…

 

I never stopped or slowed, and my face nearly collided with Jonny’s front door. Though my hands weren’t so lucky, and had been put up to shield the rest of my body from the door. Letting out a muffled cry of pain, I shook my wrists a little and knocked. I shifted my weight from right to left. I tapped my foot. I was anxious, and needed a response as soon as possible. If not, I’d be heading over to Will’s and punching him square on the nose.

 

Suddenly the door was opened, answering it, was Jonny’s mother. “Oh, hi Chris,” she smiled. “’What brings you here?”

 

“Uhm-I-was-just-wondering-where-Jonny-was-I-didn’t-see-him-at-school-today,” I sped. I nervously played with my fingers and tried catching my breath from the run. His mother had obviously picked up on the fact that I’d been worried about him. She gave me a reassuring look, which confused me.

 

“He’s alright, Chris,” she paused. “Would you like to see him?” I nodded and she motioned me in. I hesitated for a moment, and she raised her eyebrows, almost asking ‘well, what’re you waiting for?’

 

I walked past his mother, and descended up the stairs. The reasoning behind why my body was feeling afraid was beyond me. My heart sped and I breathed from my mouth. I stalled, slowing my pace as I came closer to his door. I hadn’t heard anything from the other side of his door, not as much as a floorboard creak or voices from the telly.

 

My knees began to tremble, and I took long breaths in hope of calming myself. Taking a final deep breath, I placed my hand on his doorknob and turned it.

 

“Chris!” I heard someone squeal. I turned to see Jonny smiling at me, lying in his bed. I quickly closed the door, and ran up to hug him. Immediately, I felt my eyes flood with tears. Jonny held me closer. Even though he hadn’t told me why he had been at home, I was excruciatingly relieved he was just comfortably napping.

 

“What’s the matter?” he softly asked.

 

Through shivers and droplets, I managed to speak. “I thought he’d h-hurt you…” Jonny pulled back and looked into my eyes. He saw concern, red overpowering blue, but reflected understanding.

 

“Don’t fret, hun…” His hands were on my arms, holding securely. I jumped at him, and snuggled my head in his chest. He gently caressed me, as I continued to cry softly on his shirt. I knew Jonny loved me, but moments like these highlighted that. He kissed my forehead and I looked up at him. He stared into my eyes deeply, and my heart sank. I immediately felt bad for keeping a secret from Jonny. He sensed my troubles, and questioned.

 

“Chris… what happened? Is something else bothering you?”

 

I took a moment to ponder my choices. I couldn’t tell him, for that secret isn’t mine to share. Besides, if someone had seen Jon and me, would I not want that person to do the same? I quickly thought of something to say. “Well… I don’t know why you’re napping here instead of being at school! I was worried sick, J.”

 

‘Oh, that… In the morning, I wasn’t feeling quite well. As usual, you were running a little late to school, and Will was the first to approach me. He’d been speaking just a tad loudly, so I’d asked him to tone it down, and I wasn’t feeling well. He turned, and asked why I was at school if I wasn’t feeling well. Then he began nagging me to see the nurse, and I repeatedly told him to stuff it, and I’d be fine. On a final resort, he’d dragged me to the nurse, and she said the same thing, and sent me home,’ he paused. ‘Turns out, I was just over-exhausted. No big deal, actually,’

 

I continued to stare at Jonny. ‘Wait… if you were with him, then why didn’t you turn around when he waved at me?’

 

‘He-- damn it!” He furiously whispered. “He’d told me he was waving at a girl! Am I really that gullible...?”

 

I’d been ignited like a flare. He wasn’t concerned with Jonny’s health, he’s just been trying to take him away from me… then turn it against the both of us. He didn’t give a fuck about anything, and practices hypocrisy everyday. Saying we can’t be, but when we judge something of his, he whips around and tells us he’s allowed to like whatever he does. That was my final straw. He’d hurt my Jonny, he’d tried to separate us on several accounts, and I needed him out.

 

“I can’t stand him anymore, Jon!” I exclaimed. “He’s ruining our lives, and I need to stop him from being in our lives, particularly the private ones!” I stood and began charging at the door.

 

“Chris, no!” he shouted. He lowered his voice, and his grip on my wrist. “He’s already got that wrapped around his pretty little finger… he’s talked to his mother about us, and not giving specifics. But she knows enough to call my mother and tell her everything. Then mine would contact yours… and who knows what would happen from there? One of us, or both of us, would probably be disowned,” he looked down, then back at me. “Worst part is, he knows what disaster it could cause, but he waves it around like it means nothing.”

 

I sat back down, feeling extremely worried. How could one guy hold so much power over the two of us? And how could he really be considered a friend when we’re put through agony and pain whenever he’s involved? Jonny looked like he’d just been in a screaming match, yet he still hadn’t released my wrist. I knew he wasn’t one to raise his voice, and it probably startled even him.

 

“It’s alright, J…” I said, wriggling out of his grip. I looked at his beautiful mint green eyes before coming closer and meeting my lips with his. After I’d called my parents and let them know where I’d been, I stayed later, watching random bits of TV while snuggling with Jonny.

 

“You know it’s not healthy to carry so much anger, Chris… just take these happy moments and carry them with you,” he’d said. I nodded and snuggled closer. I knew Jonny was right, and he always was.

 

*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x-o-*x

 

The next morning, I’d still been tired. I also had an odd notion that something terrible would happen. Then, thinking rationally- or a round of ‘what would Jonny say’- I knew that I was just being paranoid, as usual.

 

Since I was running late, Jonny was only able to slide me a note while passing by and wave before I made him late for his class. I smiled at him, and continued on to my first period class. I sat beside Dom, and he’d been entirely buried in the latest Spiderman comic. On a second look, he was struggling to pay attention. I knew there was something wrong with him, and I also knew what that was.

 

“Hi there, Dom,” I called. He was obviously startled by my voice, because he jumped and his comic fell out of his hands. He nervously laughed as I asked him if I’d startled him. “Are you okay? You seem a little… out of it, I guess.”

 

“Um, no, I’m fine! Really!” He smiled at me happily, but I saw right through it. Then I remembered; on my way out on the second door, it had made a noise, and so did my footsteps. He was worried someone else knew, and it was my fault. I considered talking to him about it, but I had to throw that idea away. It’s not exactly an enjoyable conversation to start with ‘oh, what’s going on between you two? Hmm?’ I’d be against myself...

 

Everything spiraled downwards second period. There was a student that transferred classes. I closed my eyes tightly before I looked up to see who it was. To my obvious dismay, it was Will.

 

“Oh, hi Chris! I didn’t know this was your class,” he proudly announced.

 

Obviously, he knew it was, I could always see right through his bloody mask. The coach commanded we split ourselves into two even teams, and I shied away from Will. I joined Bellamy on the other side of the court. I attempted to talk to him, but didn’t as much as even flinch, and continued thinking deeply. This turned quite sour against him when a team member threw him the basketball. Had he been paying an inch of attention, the ball wouldn’t have hit him between the legs.

 

He’d made a loud shriek of pain, and fell to the floor. A teammate that was closest to him supported him to stand. I glanced over at Will, who was smirking and suppressing a laugh. Even if I couldn’t even remotely stand Bellamy, I felt sympathy. I shot him an evil look, and shook my head at him, but he hadn’t seen. I took a breath and continued playing, trying my best to avoid Will.

 

Once the class was over, Will began following me wherever I went. I made my way to the lunchroom, he was right beside me. I instructed him to sit while I searched for Jon, but instead he followed. He purposely sat between the both of us, and refused to acknowledge Dom when he joined the three of us. I ignored this, and continued to struggle to have a conversation with Jonny.

 

After lunch, Will followed Jonny and I to our lockers, and walked with us on our way to English. He left no room for us to talk about anything, which was exactly the way he’d planned it. Sooner than I knew it, I started seeing less and less of Jonny. Weeks passed, and we did nothing to prevent Will’s plan. We knew the consequences of defying him, and didn’t dare outset the line.

 

Having not seen anyone even remotely happy, I decided to scribble Dom a note. I'd invited him to talk to me about something that needed to be talked about. I made it seem as if it was another one of my problems, so he wouldn't worry. As I was ready to hand the letter to its recipient, Will feverishly attempted to read its contents. I ignored him, and slipped it inside his locker.

 

Eventually, I decided to behave and cooperate. I lost interest in music, writing, and several other things. I devoted my time to schoolwork, and stayed at home more than usual. I did everything my mother said without questions; and also took her screaming without question. On weekends, when I’d usually sleep in, I was entirely unable to sleep. I became emotionless towards anyone else; I lost purpose. I wasn’t allowed to be with Jonny, and I was beginning to accept that. It would make him happy to still be able to live in his own home…

 

I started becoming everything Will had wanted me to become; a lonely Chris without lovely Jonny.

 

 

 

HEATHCLIFF

Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

I spent the next week locked up in my flat, refusing to see the band. I kept thinking things over; thinking about everything I’d said and done. I regretted all of it, but I still felt as if there was something stopping me from forgiveness on all fronts. I knew, logically, that what they did wasn’t all that bad. But I couldn’t help feeling that something wasn’t right about it.

 

On Friday, I called Jonny.

 

“Wanna go to the pub with me?” I asked quietly. I had finally decided that I needed to talk to him. I needed to try and make things okay between us before it was too late.

 

For a full few seconds, there was dead silence. Finally, he answered, “What time?”

 

“Eight?”

 

“I’ll meet you at your flat.”

 

“Sure.” I hung up and pulled a beer out of the fridge.

 

When Friday rolled around, I found myself pacing the entire length of my living room. The TV was on, but I wasn’t paying it any attention. All I could do was think about what I was going to say to him. I felt ridiculous; I’d known Jonny for years. But I didn’t want to let anything slip that might upset him.

 

He eventually knocked at the door, and I took my time answering it. “Hey,” he said, the moment I showed my face. He smiled tentatively; he was just as nervous as I was.

 

“Hey,” I replied. We stood there for a moment, just looking each other over. Then Jonny leaned in awkwardly to hug me. I winced slightly, but he didn’t seem to notice.

 

“I’m sorry for what I said,” he murmured into my shoulder. “I didn’t mean it.”

 

“Yeah,” I answered. My voice was muffled by his chest. “But it was my fault anyway. It’s fine. Forget about it. I’m sorry.”

 

In the end, we spent a little more time eating and drinking than we did talking. But we did get a few words in, especially on the way home. We weren’t really drunk, but we had decided to walk home, occasionally glancing over our shoulders for free cabs. There were none, and it was chilly, but neither of us was too bothered.

 

“Why are you so angry?” asked Jonny suddenly, tugging at my shirt.

 

I shrugged him off. “I’m angry because it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

 

Jon was quiet for a moment. “Like what?” he asked.

 

“We were just...four mates. Making music,” I said, glancing at the dark gray sky as I spoke. “Four mates,” I repeated, kicking at a piece of asphalt near my feet. “Now we’re two mates...and a gay couple.”

 

Jonny stopped. “Does that mean...we’re not friends anymore?” he whispered.

 

I stopped too, looking back at his hunched figure. “No...” I drawled. “You know what I mean.”

 

“I’m not gay,” he added.

 

“Bi, then?”

 

“I...don’t know.”

 

“Well then what the fuck are you?”

 

“I love Chris. I don’t like other guys.”

 

“Whatever you say.” I kept walking, checking once more for a taxi. A couple cars zoomed by, their lights throwing odd shadows against the walls. I coughed and rubbed my face with both hands. “But does that mean you don’t find me handsome?” I laughed.

 

“No, you’re fucking ugly. I can tell that you’re handsome, stupid, but that doesn’t mean I’m attracted to you. And it was always supposed to be like this. Chris and I belong together,” he said.

 

“No you don’t,” I snorted. “Like you said; you’re not gay.”

 

“We do,” he argued. “And fuck you if you don’t think so. I don’t need your approval.”

 

“That’s true,” I murmured, frowning. “Why don’t you go? You don’t need me; I don’t need you.”

 

“That’s not what I said.”

 

“I don’t think so, man.” I happened to spot a cab, and I waved it down. It pulled to a stop, and I yanked the door open. “Get in and get the fuck out of here,” I snapped.

 

In hindsight, going to the pub hadn't been such a good idea.

 

 

 

A Rush of Blood

 

Chapter XVIII

 

 

 

Removed, please PM me if you want to read it.

 

 

The Bank

 

1

 

 

It was a cold January morning.

Will rubbed his hands together to keep warm.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Guy replied, making sure that he had the object in his jacket pocket. “Let's do this.”

Will casually opened the door and held it open for Guy.

Guy bowed his head and walked in.

It looked just like a normal bank should look.

There were people sitting in chairs.

There were people standing behind desks.

They all looked bored.

“I hope this works,” Guy whispered to Will.

“Of course, it's going to work,” Will quietly replied. “You trust me, right?”

“Yeah,” Guy said, though he sounded unsure.

One of the tellers was free, so Guy and Will walked over to him.

“Hello,” the man said, smiling wide and displaying his rather large teeth. “How may I help you today?”

“Uh, yeah, I'd like to make a withdrawal, please,” Will replied.

The man hit something on his computer, then went to ask something.

But before he could ask, he heard a click.

He looked up at the two men in front of him.

One of them was holding a gun, pointed right at him.

 

 

 

The people all crowded in the corner.

There were a young couple, a grandmother and her grandson, a man who seemed to be in his thirties, and two bank tellers.

They were all quiet, but they were panicking on the inside.

Guy was watching over them, holding a gun, while a third teller was assisting Will.

The little boy sneezed, and Guy quickly jerked his armed hand over to him.

The little boy cried and held onto his grandmother as Guy eased back.

He felt kinda bad, watching the little boy look so scared and helpless.

But he knew he couldn't feel bad for long.

Guy looked over his shoulder at Will.

“What is taking you so long?” Guy shouted.

The teller with Will looked up with frightened eyes.

She looked rather young, with long, dark hair that waved neatly around her shoulders.

Anyone who worked with her could say that she was usually one of the happiest people ever.

Right now she was frowning.

She turned to Will, and went to apologize for something.

Will stared at her, his intention to listen to whatever she was going to say.

But something went wrong.

His hand jerked, or something, and suddenly a loud noise filled the room.

Then the girl was on the ground.

Will's eyes bulged as he realized what had just happened.

He turned to Guy.

Guy was also looking, wide-eyed and mouth completely open.

“Oops,” Will said.

 

 

Holes

Chapter Two

 

 

 

The next few weeks went on normally. As if we never told each other we were in love. Occasionally Chris would smile at me or offer to do dishes but, we never spoke of the night. Chris stopped chasing after the girls he couldn’t get and always gave Aislinn a look of hate when walking by her. I found that my life was going splendid.

 

Months past, soon September had magically become December and Christmas was upon us. We set up a small tree in the apartment and decorated as best as we could. Chris even went as far as to make us stockings. They were identical bright red, with a small felt Christmas tree and several presents underneath the tree, with our names written in messy glitter.

 

I decided to get Chris, the new Oasis album and a box of chocolates. I knew it was a strange combination but, he’d love it. He had got me a pair of ear plugs and a notebook to “write all of our adventures in.” Chris then proceeded to call me Watson for the rest of the day.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Christmas passes, then its New Years, then January is over, which leads us to February. I spent the first two weeks planning for the 14th. I felt like a little schoolboy trying to woo his latest crush, as I brainstormed my ideas. I finally fell for a simple dinner date in the apartment. Chris told me he was busy that day but would be home in the evening which fit my plan perfectly.

 

Valentine’s Day I started to prepare the apartment, I went out and bought some yellow daisies -Chris’s favorite though, he believes they are tulips- to put on the table, and some lobster for dinner. I set the table with candles and turned the lights down to create the right mood.

 

Dinner time rolled around and I sat at the table awaiting Chris. Just like he said he was home in the evening. The door clicked as Chris put the keys in the lock. My heart began to beat rapidly, worrying I might be taking things too fast with him.

 

I looked up to the door as it opened slowly. Chris wasn’t alone, next to him was our friend Guy. And they were currently in an intense lip lock. My heart was crushed.

 

 

 

A very short chapter, unedited. I kept my promise. Next chapter will be a lot better.

The Bank

 

2

 

 

“This is completely ridiculous,” the man in his thirties said.

He was watching Guy and Will talk over by the dead body.

Guy's gun was still pointed at all of them.

“Oh, does being taken hostage cut into your busy schedule?” the man next to him snidely remarked.

He was the teller who'd spoken to Will and Guy first, and as the man in his thirties looked at him, he noticed the teller's bright green eyes.

“Maybe you could ask them to do it at a time that better suits your lifestyle.”

“I assume you work here,” the man sneered. “What's your name?”

“I do work here. My name is Jonny,” the green-eyed man replied.

“Well, Jonny, I'm Chris Martin, and I don't think my bosses would appreciate if I report that their employees are not so friendly.”

Jonny stared at Chris funny, so he continued.

“You see, I work for this bank chain. I go around and inspect the banks, namely for the quality of customer service. Right now, you're not doing so hot.”

Jonny continued to give him a funny look, and scoffed to say that he was being unfair.

He turned to look at Will and Guy, too annoyed by Chris to want to continue their conversation.

But he kept thinking about Chris's blatant rudeness.

 

 

“Guy, will you calm down?” Will said.

“No,” Guy replied, his anger ever-increasing. “Will, how hard is it not to kill someone?”

“Well, obviously, it's tougher than it looks!!” Will exclaimed.

Guy looked down at the poor girl laying on the floor.

She couldn't have been a day over twenty-five.

Guy ran his gun-free hand through his hair.

“You know, I knew I should have just stayed home,” he said.

“There's a Golden Girls marathon on... I should have just watched that instead of coming with you.”

“Guy, Golden Girls, really? Don't you think you're being a tad over-dramatic?” Will laughed.

“Over-dramatic???” Guy shrieked. “Will, there is a dead girl laying right in front of us.”

Will looked down at the girl.

“Yeah... we're going to have to do something about that,” he said.

“The cops will probably show up soon. Someone must have heard the shot,” Guy said.

He began to pace around, trying to think of a plan.

“Will, what are we going to do? I can't go to jail. With a face this handsome,” Guy stopped and looked directly at Will, “do you know what they'll do to me in there?”

Will thought for a moment, then winced.

“I guess it won't be pretty... luckily, I've got nothing to worry about.”

Will rubbed his hand along his beard, distracted by thoughts of his appearance.

Guy just shook his head and tried again to think of a plan.

 

 

“Isn't that a little immature?” Chris asked.

Jonny looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Your full name is Jonathan,” Chris stated in almost question form.

“Yes,” Jonny replied.

“Isn't going by Jonny a bit... childish?” Chris asked. “You could at least go by Jon.”

Jonny blink at Chris a few times.

“I could,” he slowly said. “But I don't want to.”

Chris looked up at Jonny and just stared.

“Everyone's always called me Jonny. That's the way I like it.”

Chris paused, then took a deep breath.

“Fine,” he said, defeated.

 

 

A Rush of Blood

 

Chapter XIX

 

Thanks for sticking with this story for so long! It seems to have a life of its own and it never wants to end, haha. I think I'll be wrapping it up soon, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I wanted to get this chapter up before I go to Stockholm. :wacky: It's kind of sappy :cheesy: Oh, and it's also for Dianna.

 

 

 

 

The drive over to Oxford took about an hour. It was uneventful, Elizabeth slept the whole way and Chris exchanged pleasantries with the police man. Soon they drove up to a small house on the outskirts of the town.

 

The policeman turned to Chris as he turned off the engine.

 

“Alright, here’s your key and your traceable mobile phone. There are numbers in there on which you can reach us. There will be a patrol car coming by once a day to check on you.”

 

“I thought you were staying? Weren’t we supposed to be in protective custody or something?” They begun to unload their luggage from the trunk.

 

“Well, we use that phrasing a bit too generously. We just wanted to get you two out of London for a while. Anyway, since your situation is quite unique with you being known almost everywhere and seeing as we need to keep her identity as much of a secret as we can… We’re having basic food delivered to you. Don’t go into town unless you absolutely have to. There are a few small shops if you follow this road for about two kilometers.”

 

Chris nodded and thanked the man.

Together they managed to carry the sleeping Elizabeth into the bedroom. Chris quietly closed the door and turned to the police man.

 

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

 

“Thank you, but I better be getting back.”

 

“Oh, I see. Well, thank you again for your help.”

 

“That’s my job.”

Chris followed the man to the door and closed it behind him.

 

He leaned against the door, their bags scattered in the small entrance. He sighed and decided to ignore them for a while. He checked their new quarters. It wasn’t much – it consisted of a living room with a fireplace, a small kitchen and a bedroom. But it was nicely decorated in warm colors and Chris found himself enjoying the small living space.

 

“Chris?”

 

Chris opened the door and almost bumped into a bleary eyed Elizabeth.

“Hey, love, what are you doing up?”

 

“Oh, please.” She waved him off. “I’m perfectly fine. I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.”

 

Chris took a step back and let her out of the room.

“Wow, it’s nice, isn’t it?” She smiled as she wobbled around the room.

 

“Very.” He said, looking at her.

 

“Oh, stop it.” She laughed.

 

“You stop it.” He said, eyebrows raised.

 

She frowned. “What am I supposed to stop with?”

 

“Being gorgeous.”

 

“Please, Chris, I mean it. This is all getting to my head.”

 

“Good.” He smiled. “Would you like something to eat?”

 

“Do I dare let you cook?”

 

“Please, I can manage a sandwich.”

 

She nodded and he helped her sit down on the sofa. “Yes, please. And tea. But don’t dump the whole sugar bowl into there, would you?”

 

“Me? Using a lot of sugar? Well, I’ve never.” He scoffed playfully.

 

She poked her tongue out at him.

 

“You’ll have to stop that if you want that sandwich, love.”

 

She smiled sweetly. “Sorry.” She rolled her eyes behind his back.

 

“Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady.”

 

She shook her head, bewildered.

 

“How did you know?”

 

“Aha! So you did roll your eyes.” Chris triumphantly said from the kitchen.

 

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but bit it back and quietly watched his back through the kitchen door.

He was jumping around, checking drawers and cupboards, humming to himself. She felt her heart swell in her chest.

 

“Chris?”

 

He turned around and met her gaze with a big smile.

“What?”

 

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

He looked down on the sandwich he was making, and tried to hide his disappointment.

“Oh.”

 

“No! No, I didn’t mean it like that!” She started to get up from the couch.

 

“No, stay down, love.” He walked over to her and crouched down.

“Are you feeling ill?”

 

“Noo…” She drew out her answer. “I just missed having you near.”

 

She cupped his face and his eyelids fluttered close.

 

“Mmm…” He sighed. “You still need to eat, love.”

 

“We can eat later.” She kissed him gently.

 

“Oh, alright.” He leaned his forehead against hers.

 

“Let’s go to bed.” She breathed.

 

“Honey, as much as I want to…” He glanced down. “You’re injured.”

 

“I don’t care.” She kissed him again and groaned at the pain that shot through her stomach when she moved. “I hate being ill.”

 

“I know you do.” He kissed the top of her head. “But luckily, you have your loving husband to take care of you and your every need.”

 

“Yeah…” She smiled and her eyes sparkled. “Wait. What did you say?”

 

Chris’ eyes grew wide for a second. “What did I say what?” He asked innocently.

 

“You said ‘loving husband’.”

 

“Did I?”

 

She nodded ferociously.

 

“Honey, you must have misheard me. You’re still woozy from those meds.”

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

“Let’s get you that sandwich, huh?”

 

“Stop!” She raised her voice as he stood up. He obliged and silently watched her as she knitted her brows together and shook her head. “Alright, fine. Sorry, it’s no big deal, let’s just drop it.”

 

Chris, as the man he was, was oblivious to her disappointment.

“Ok.” He breathed a silent sigh of relief as he went back to the kitchen.

 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid…” He muttered to himself as he poured their tea.

 

He walked out to his girlfriend – tray laden with their afternoon tea and sat down next to her on the sofa.

 

Chris chatted away as Elizabeth sat silent, sipping her tea, occasionally nodding or making an agreeing sound.

 

Eventually Chris caught on. He put his hand on her knee.

 

“Is anything the matter?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry if I talk too much, Jonny always tells me to talk less. But I think he secretly likes it, even though he’s kind of silent. You can hit me if you want; Will usually gives me a smack on the head if I’m too chatty.” He caught himself. “Oops, sorry, doing it again. Please make me shut up.”

 

She kissed him hard.

 

“Thank you.” He said with a sheepish smile.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

“So?”

 

“No, nothing’s the matter. I’m just…” She eyed him up and down. “Tired, I guess.”

She bit her lip suggestively.

 

“Oh, you little minx, there’s nothing stopping you is there.” He had an internal dialogue with himself for a few seconds. He finally made a decision, plucked the tea cup from her hands, and she squealed with delight as he swept her up from the couch and carried her into the bedroom.

 

“I love you.” He whispered into her ear before he gently put her down on the bed.

 

She sighed – a big smile on her face - as he gently pulled her shirt off. Life didn’t get much better than this.

 

 

Dp :dozey:

Love Story

 

:cheesy:

 

 

Coldplay were settled in the new studio and the equipment was everywhere.

Jon,Will,Guy,Phil,and Chris were sitting on a huge couch when........

 

Guy turned to his left and said to Jon

"Jonny..I love you."

 

 

 

 

 

Jon turned to Will and said

"Will...man...I love you...":shy:

 

 

 

 

 

Will turned to Chris and muttered

"I love you Chris,okay?!"

 

 

 

 

Chris turned to Phil and whispered in his ear

"Phil I love you."

 

 

 

 

Phil stood up and walked to Guy and screamed

"GUY I LOVE YOU!!!"

 

 

 

 

:goofy: this was just a silly thing okay :shy:

 

 

HERE IT IS LADIES (AND LIKE ONE GENTLEMAN? ;))

 

A Rush of Blood

 

CHAPTER XX

 

 

 

 

 

Removed, please PM me if you want to read it.

 

 

The Bank

 

3

 

 

“OK, everyone, listen up,” Guy shouted.

The hostages had been moved a bit, so that they were all standing, rather close to each other, in front of a blank wall.

Guy paced in front of them, waving his gun about threateningly every now and then.

Will was sitting in a chair not too far behind Guy.

“The cops are bound to show up soon, as my stupid friend over there has gone and killed your... friend, or whatever.”

“Killed?” Jonny repeated in a shrill voice.

“She was my girlfriend,” the third teller quietly said.

He raised a hand to his face, which was pale and gaunt.

Guy stopped his walking about, leaving his presence directly opposite the third teller.

“Seriously?” he said, looking back and forth between the man and Jonny.

“What-” Jonny began.

“You didn't realize when the gun went off that she, you know?” Guy slashed his finger across his neck.

The teller stared at Guy, then burst into tears.

'I guess not...” Guy said.

Chris cleared his throat.

“So, would you say, then, that you feel the workers here are not as quick as they could be?” Chris asked.

Guy shot him a 'you're ridiculous' look, then turned back to the teller.

“Get a hold of yourself, or you're next,” Guy snapped.

He raised the gun level with the man's neck.

“Fine, kill me,” the man blubbered. “I've not got much to live for now.”

Guy twitched his mouth displeasedly.

“Eh, maybe later,” Guy said, lowering the gun.

“In the meantime, you can help Will.”

Will stood up and grabbed the teller's arm.

They began to walk away and over by where the female teller had been shot.

“The rest of you stay here, and there better not be any loud noises or sudden movements,” Guy said, shoving the gun in all of their faces.

He stopped in front of Chris.

Chris was texting someone.

“And no cell phones!” Guy exclaimed, slapping the phone to the ground, where it shattered into several pieces.

Chris looked from the phone to Guy.

“Are you gonna buy me another one?” he scoffed.

Jonny started to laugh.

Both Guy and Chris focused their attention on Jonny.

“Why would he buy you another one?” Jonny asked Chris.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Chris sarcastically replied. “Is it not OK to ask someone to replace the phone they just blatantly broke? I needed that, you know.”

“And why would you even try to use it in a situation like this?” Jonny continued. “Especially with him waving that gun around all over the place.”

“It was a very important message that I needed to send,” Chris said.

“We're hostages,” Jonny said, nearly raising his voice. “You can't make an attempt to contact the outside world and not expect there to be any consequences.”

Jonny sighed and turned away.

He tried to wrap his head around Chris's odd and careless behavior, but he just couldn't understand.

He couldn't understand why Chris would be so rude to someone who, at the present, controlled his life.

He couldn't understand why Chris acted like he was a thousand times smarter than Jonny.

And he couldn't understand why the image of Chris's piercingly blue eyes was permanently etched into his mind.

 

 

 

Fish Don't Wear Clothes, Anyway

 

 

"...Twos?" Chris asked, his voice high in hope. Guy just looked at him and shook his head.

 

Then, it was like everything slowed down. Chris looked around the room, panic rising in his thin frame. Jonny scrunched up his nose distastefully, and Will was laughing. Chris returned his gaze to the table in front of him.

 

"Ohhhh, man!" Chris whined. He slid his hands down his face and frowned.

 

"You have to, Chris," Guy said.

 

"I know," Chris replied. He stood up from the table and took a step back. He looked down at his body and frowned again.

 

There was only one thing left. Why was he so bad at this game? It's not as if it took much skill.

 

It had actually seemed a little absurd when Guy suggested it. They had all been just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs and staring off into space. So, Guy insisted they play a simple game. Really simple, it seemed. At first.

 

Guy walked into the other room and came back carrying a red rectangle. On closer inspection, the rectangle turned out to be a deck of cards. Just a regular deck of cards.

 

So they all sat at the table, one on each side. Chris faced Guy, Will faced Jonny. Guy dealt the cards out first- 7 to each player. The remaining cards stayed in a pile in the middle of the table.

 

Jonny went, successfully pairing an ace from Will with one of his own. Then he asked Chris for a nine, to which he was graced with the response, "Nope!"

 

Jonny reached to grab a card from the pile in the middle, only seeming a tad ho-hum. But Guy stopped him.

 

"That's not all," he said. Jonny turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "You've got to lose something."

 

"You were serious about that??" Jonny shrieked. Guy nodded.

 

"Yeah, and you agreed. So, pick something."

 

Jonny moved his eyes around. "Can I pick my socks?"

 

"Fine," Guy happily replied. "But it has to be both of them."

 

"OK." Jonny reached down and peeled off his socks. He looked unsure of what to do with them afterward, but he decided to simply throw them on the ground next to his chair.

 

The game went on for quite some time. Naturally, they all lost most of their clothes. But Chris was not as lucky as the others. Oh no.

 

Jonny was wearing something like twelve layers, Will five, and Guy six. Chris was wearing a t-shirt, pants, and some underwear. And socks, but that didn't add much more to his cause.

 

And now, all that was left was his sad Spongebob boxers. He quickly looked back up at Guy.

 

"What do I do after I have nothing left?"

 

Guy shrugged. "I don't know. Just keep playing, I guess."

 

Chris sighed, paused for a moment. "OK." He moved his hands down and slipped his thumbs under the waistband. He hesitated, quite obviously and quite understandably, but he knew he had to do it.

 

So, soon he clutched the boxers in his hands, holding them tight against his chest. His eyes scanned over the others', which were all staring at him.

 

"Damn, Chris," Guy said. Everyone now looked at him, all with a what-the-hell expression. He just looked back at them, innocently. "What?"

 

"Um, that's a little..." Will began.

 

"Hey, I'm not gay or anything, but I mean... damn."

 

Chris's face went beet red, and he sat down as quickly as he could. "It's your turn, Will," he quietly muttered.

 

"Yeah... uh... Jonny, got any fives?"

 

Jonny checked his cards carefully, then shook his head. "Go fish."

 

Will sighed and nodded. He didn't even bother reaching to grab another card first, he just ripped off his shirt.

 

Then he turned to make sure Guy wasn't watching him in any creepy sort of way.

 

 

The Bank

 

4

 

 

“Excuse me, sir,” the little boy said, partially hidden behind his grandmother.

Guy looked up from where he was sitting.

“Yeah?” he tiredly said.

“What if... what if one of us has to go to the bathroom?” the little boy asked. “Really, really bad.”

“You.....” Guy sighed.

It had been far too long since Will went with the teller in search of the safe.

Guy still would much rather have been at home, watching Golden Girls.

But no, he had to sit there and babysit hostages.

And now one of them had to go to the bathroom.

He had no idea what to do.

He couldn't take him and leave the rest of them there unguarded.

But he also couldn't send the kid off by himself without supervision.

Finally, he decided to take the kid himself.

The bathroom was fairly close, and was actually almost right near the entrance.

There wasn't much of a hostage situation going on, anyway.

While he was gone, none of the people tried to escape.

They were all too afraid.

The young couple held each other and whispered calming things in their ears.

The grandmother just patiently waited for her grandson to return.

Jonny was mindlessly humming.

Chris looked over at him.

Jonny looked almost out of it.

“Hey, man, are you OK?” Chris asked.

Jonny turned and replied, “Hmm?”

“Are you OK?” Chris repeated.

“Oh... No, I don't think so,” Jonny slurred.

“Yeah, you look like you're gonna pass out,” Chris said.

He examined Jonny for a while.

Jonny was not nearly as lucid as he'd been half an hour ago.

Chris was struck with an idea after a while.

“Jonny, are you diabetic?” he asked.

Jonny nodded. “Last I remember, I was, yeah.”

“Shit,” Chris said under his breath.

He spun around and loudly asked, “Does anyone have any form of sugar? Drinks, candy, anything.”

The young couple just looked at him with blank stares.

The grandmother reached into her purse.

“How are these?” she asked, holding out a dozen hard candies.

“Perfect,” Chris said, grabbing half of them out of her hand. “Thank you so much.”

He turned back to Jonny and unwrapped one of the candies.

“Here, take this,” he said, forcing the candy into Jonny's mouth. “And sit down.”

Chris eased Jonny to the floor and sat with him.

After the first candy was dissolved, Chris gave Jonny a second one.

“Do I have to take all of those?” Jonny asked, a tiny bit more lucidly, pointing at Chris's hand.

“Yeah,” Chris replied. “It'll make you feel better, though.”

“How do you know?” Jonny asked.

“My mother has diabetes. This isn't the first time I've dealt with something like this.”

“Oh. Well, thank you, Chris,” Jonny said, halfheartedly patting Chris's arm.

Then he smiled, and Chris thought he saw a wink.

But he convinced himself that Jonny was just blinking, and it merely looked like a wink from his angle.

Then Chris smiled back.

 

 

 

My song is love

This isn't even an actual chapter, its sort of... a test chapter:lol:

:shy:

 

 

 

I stuck my head out of the bathroom door slowly and looked around. All the party people were lounging about, talking, laughing and drinking. I sighed and proceeded out of the bathroom when someone suddenly grabbed my right arm.

 

 

"Hey!!!" The person yelled in my ear.

"Hahaha hey Josie." I touched my ear to make sure It hadn't fallen off.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Josie said,embarrassed. I told her it was okay and complimented her on her magnificent blue satin dress.

"Lucy, you've been in that bathroom for 15 minutes, why don't you come with me?! She suggested, "We're about to dance, WOO!!" She grabbed my arm once more and headed to the living room. I would tell her that I was in the bathroom for that long because I DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THE PEOPLE but I kept my mouth shut. Her living room was transformed into a dance floor and the lights were dimmed with the stereo playing my favorite Coldplay song, "A Message."

I danced with her for awhile ,until the song eneded, and then I went to sit in the corner of the particularly large room. I was sipping my glass of scotch when I looked up and saw him....

 

The Bank

 

5

 

 

Guy was starting to nod off.

Which was very dangerous, as he still had his gun ready in his hand.

The young man stepped away from his girlfriend and closer to Guy.

Guy jerked himself to full awareness, but he didn't move the gun.

“Hey,” the man said, “How long do you guys plan on being? Because we've got dinner reservations.”

Guy stared unblinkingly at the man.

“None of you take this seriously, do you?” he asked.

His eyes scanned the people and stopped at Jonny.

“Well, maybe you do,” he added.

“Um, not to be rude or anything,” the man apprehensively said, “but you are kinda falling asleep. Hardly seems professional.”

Guy pointedly looked around for a bit.

Then he sighed.

“Will should have been back forever ago. It doesn't take that long, does it?

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from somewhere close.

Then there was a crash, and a huge flash of light shone on Guy and the hostages.

Guy lifted his hand to shield his eyes and try to see what was happening.

The light was coming from the door of the bank, and was creating a glow around several shadowy figures.

As they walked closer, Guy noticed that they weren't human.

They were extraterrestrial.

“What the hell?” he exclaimed.

He turned around to the others.

They were split off into pairs, all trying to protect each other, and all staring at the doorway, dumbfounded.

“Excuuuuuse usssss,” one of the aliens drawled. “You arrrrre Guy, rightttt?”

Guy apprehensively stood up and stepped a bit closer.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, nervously swallowing. “C-Can I help you?

“Youuuuu need to commmmme with ussss,” the alien said.

“Where?” Guy asked.

The alien shook its head. “We cannnnn not telllll you.”

Guy started to refuse, but he found himself being pulled towards the aliens by some invisible force.

He struggled to remain in his spot, and eventually gave up and let the aliens take him.

There was nothing else he could do.

He wondered what Will would think when he returned and Guy was gone.

Maybe he'd think the hostages had taken over and killed him or something.

Will would probably not be too surprised by that.

He never gave Guy enough credit, even though Guy was usually the brains behind their schemes.

Then again, brains doesn't mean that he would be able to fend off five other adults and a small child.

But he did have a gun.

Guy's mind was all over the place with these thoughts.

But he didn't have much time to wonder, because as soon as he was in the aliens' spaceship, everything went black.

 

 

 

Roll Over Beethoven

Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

Jonny figured he must be very lucky. It is not every day you wander the halls of your college and meet your life long partner, both musically and otherwise. But that is just how it happened for Jonny. His last class had ended over an hour ago. The evening light was becoming more and more scarce and the halls were nearly empty. Jonny, books in hand, was in no hurry. The most he ever did on a Friday night was settle down in his dorm room with a bowl of popcorn and watch movies.

 

When he heard the first notes drift in from some place further down the endless stretch of hall, he thought it was his imagination going wild. But as he kept walking, the sound grew louder and closer. Soon the chords were practically hitting him in the face, demanding he listen to the sweet sounds they created when played with skilled hands.

 

Jonny followed the music involuntarily. Like a strong breeze did with leaves, the sounds swept him along until he found himself at a door. Beyond this door, Jonny knew, was the source of the tune that so enticed him. He opened it just a crack, hoping the musician inside wouldn't notice.

 

He needn't have worried about that. As he peered through the small opening, the man at the piano was in his own world. He sat at the stool, his body arched over the instrument in a beautiful way. His long fingers leapt and skipped about the keys with more grace than a professional dancer could ever manage. Sweat formed on his brow and dripped down his face as he increased his concentration. The chords came out more powerfully every time and struck Jonny with stronger and stronger blows of strikingly beautiful noise.

 

Standing there, Jonny gaped. His eyes were wide as saucers and his books were slowly slipping out of his grasp. It was all he could to do pull himself away from the breathtaking scene before him. It was fear that finally snapped him out of it. The last thing he wanted this man to know was that he had been watching him. As quietly as he could manage, he slipped away and stumbled down the hall in a daze. He nearly slammed into a teacher on his way, presumably a music teacher, because she entered the room where the man was.

 

Once she had disappeared behind the door Jonny broke into a sprint and did not stop until he was inside his dorm room. He collapsed onto his couch gasping for breath. He had hoped the running would clear his head. But thoughts of the nameless man at the piano consumed him. And not just for the evening.

 

The images of the man and the beautiful music he created stayed with Jonny all through the weekend and into the following week. He forgot books, missed classes, and failed tests all because of it. It nagged at him until he could take it no longer, and he knew what he had to do.

 

He made sure to pass by the same room on the next Friday evening. And the next Friday, and the next one after that. Every time, the man was still there with the piano, compelling it to emit beautiful sounds that Jonny found awe-inspiring at every occasion. It got to such a point that Jonny truly only stayed in college to ensure that he would still hear the man play week after week.

 

Before long, Jonny had to admit to himself that he loved this unknown man. It was crazy that he should love someone who he'd never met, or even knew by name. But the music the man played and the way that he played told Jonny everything he need to know about him. He was enthusiastic, he was passionate, he was determined.

 

Often he was unsure of himself and would stop right in the middle and slam his hands down with a horrible clang of keys. But some words of encouragement from the teacher would soon bring him out of his musical stupor and soon tunes would once again flow out like fast moving rivers from underneath his fingertips.

 

Jonny found himself wishing he could be the person to give the man the encouragement he so frequently required. Eventually, and out of pure good fortune from Jonny's viewpoint, he did get that chance. And it all started with a flyer.

 

 

The Bank

 

6

 

 

“Where am I?”

The voice was Guy's own, but he was only faintly aware of this.

Actually, he wasn't really aware of anything.

Except for a throbbing pain in his chest.

“You're in an ambulance, OK?” another voice responded. “I'm going to ask you a few questions, but I need you to take it easy.”

“OK,” Guy breathed through the pain.

“All right, what's the last thing you remember?” the voice asked.

Guy thought strenuously for a while.

“I brought that boy back from the bathroom, then I started to fall asleep...” Guy began, “... and then there were these aliens.”

“Aliens?” the voice repeated, obviously stifling laughter. “So, you don't remember being shot?”

“I was shot?” Guy shrieked.

Some machine started beeping rather quickly.

“Easy, easy,” the voice told him. “You were shot very close to the heart. You're on the way to the ER now, and we're going to patch you up, but... well, then you're going to have to face trial.”

“Who shot me?” Guy asked as calmly as he could.

“You were shot by an officer, apparently after shooting several rounds at one of the other officers.”

“I don't remember that,” Guy quietly said.

He also didn't remember falling unconscious once more, but he did.

He opened his eyes to see the sky just before the ceiling of the hospital showed itself.

He still wasn't sure of what had happened.

Bits of memory were coming back to him every now and then, but it was hardly enough.

If any of the hostages had been there, they certainly could have told him.

It was fresh in all of their minds, and would definitely be such a way for a long time.

 

 

 

 

Jonny was starting to feel much better, and he was listening to Chris talk about one of the other banks he had visited just the day before.

The young couple was still in their own world.

The grandmother was still worried about her grandson.

He and Guy returned safely, though, only a few minutes later.

Then the cops showed up.

For some reason, neither Will or Guy had thought to get someone to lock the front doors, so the cops walked in with ease.

Without thinking, Guy spun around and started to shoot.

Even then, he didn't feel as though he was the one doing it.

Then one of the officers shot back, and Guy fell to the ground.

The hostages were all stunned at what was happening.

Soon they were ushered out of the building, as the cops went in to find Will and the other teller.

When they came out, Will was in handcuffs, and the teller was crying frantically.

He seemed unharmed otherwise, though.

A few of the officers stuck around to interrogate the hostages.

It only took a few minutes, then they were all released for the time being.

Chris walked up to Jonny as everyone started to leave.

“Hey,” he called.

“Yeah?” Jonny answered.

“Um, you don't... you don't have any plans or anything, right?” Chris asked. “I mean, you would be working now if it wasn't for... this... right?”

“Well, actually, my shift would be over by now,” Jonny replied. “But I don't have any plans, no.”

“Oh, well, then, maybe... you'd like to come with me and grab something to eat?” Chris asked, and bit his lip in anticipation.

Jonny shrugged his shoulders. “Eh.”

“Oh... uh...” Chris quickly scanned the air in front of him, then spun around.

He started to leave, walking as fast as he could, it seemed.

Jonny watched him walk for a few seconds.

“Wait!” Jonny suddenly shouted.

Chris stopped and turned, patiently awaiting a follow-up.

“I'll come with you,” Jonny said.

Chris smiled at him, and they both began to walk together at a much slower pace.

“You know,” Jonny said, “you're not as much of a jerk as I thought you were.”

“Really? You're everything I thought you were,” Chris replied.

He looked at Jonny with his big, blue eyes.

“But that's a good thing.”

 

 

All You Ever Wanted

 

14

 

 

Logella pinched her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger. She stared hard at the wall, tapped her foot a few times, then sighed.

 

“I'm sorry this is so boring,” she said to Retaw. Retaw just smiled at her kindly.

 

“It's not boring.” In truth, it was very boring, but he liked being around Logella, so it wasn't much of a punishment to stand there and stare at a canvas that was nearly empty save for a few splatters carelessly thrown about. Logella saw right through his lie.

 

“If you don't think this is boring, something's wrong with you,” she laughed. Retaw laughed with her, admiring the way she laughed heartily but managed to show only half of her teeth as she did so.

 

“It's not the most interesting thing, certainly,” he admitted, “but... it could be worse.”

 

“Oh yeah?” she asked, daringly raising one eyebrow.

 

“Yeah.” They both silently stared at each other for a while, half-smiling. Then Logella turned hers in to a full smile and grabbed Retaw's arm.

 

“Come on, let's go look at some more crap- I mean, art.” She pulled him away and down the wall a bit, though she didn't need to use much force.

 

The next display was another nearly empty canvas, but this particular one was decorated with a single pink line diagonal through the middle. Logella just shook her head at it as the sound of approaching footsteps drew nearer.

 

“You like it?” a cool female voice asked. Logella already knew who was talking, but she spun around anyway.

 

“Yeah, it's great!” she exclaimed in an obvious tone. She hugged her friend, then turned to Retaw. “Walter, this is my friend Lindsay. These are her lovely works of art.”

 

“It's nice to meet you,” Retaw kindly replied, and he held out his hand for Lindsay to shake.

 

“Pleasure.”

 

“Walter's my new friend,” Logella said to Lindsay. “We met last week. And then again yesterday. And a third time this morning!” Logella laughed, though even she recognized that nothing she had said was even remotely funny. “So, I asked him to come with me. He likes your stuff, too.”

 

“Does he?” Lindsay replied, her voice finally expressing a hint of enthusiasm.

 

“I do?” Retaw asked Logella. But he was still facing Lindsay when he said it, and with his accent and the way he uttered the words it sounded like he was confirming. Lindsay smiled at him contentedly.

 

“Great! Well, I'll leave you two to keep looking around... see you later, I suppose!” Lindsay waved goodbye, then spun around and walked away.

 

“God, she is so annoying,” Logella quietly said through her teeth.

 

“I thought you were her friend,” Retaw replied. Logella turned to him and laughed.

 

“You don't have very many social skills, do you?”

 

“What do you mean?” Retaw asked.

 

“I mean,” she pointedly began, “that sometimes you have to lie to certain people in order to get on their good sides, and you need to be on their good sides. You know?”

 

Retaw scrunched up his face in confusion. “So, you mean that this friend of yours is of some importance to you for reasons other than friendship?”

 

“That's a long way of putting it, but yes.” Retaw stared blankly at Logella, so she decided to continue. “You see, she's my boss's daughter. I've got to be on good terms with her, so my boss will like me more. And maybe I'll finally get the promotion I've been after for the past three years.” There was a new bitter tone in her voice, but Logella quickly composed herself and smiled at Retaw.

 

“I see.”

 

“Yeah... You know what?” Logella briefly looked at their surroundings, probably searching for Lindsay. “I think we've been here long enough. Let's go.”

 

“Go where?” Retaw asked as Logella grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the exit.

 

“Anywhere,” she simply replied. As they left the building, the chilly night air hit them with only a light amount of force. There were quite a few people wandering on the sidewalk, since it was still relatively early in the evening. Logella guided them through the pedestrians down to a lesser populated street, where she hesitantly let go of Retaw's hand.

 

They walked in silence for a good ten minutes or so. The streetlights were on now, bathing them in an orange glow every once in a while. Logella would stare at the ground, and Retaw would stare at Logella, then they'd switch. Each tried to hide this from the other, but were both unsuccessful.

 

“It's a beautiful night,” Retaw awkwardly said.

 

“Yeah, it is. I always liked fall nights. They're just...” Logella shrugged and looked at Retaw. He thought he saw her eyes sparkle. “...magical.”

 

“They're certainly nice.”

 

Logella laughed and grabbed Retaw's hand again. Then she stopped walking and looked straight at him.

 

“Listen, Walter. I like you. It might be weird to say that, since we haven't known each other for very long, have we?” Retaw would have responded, if his mind hadn't been stuck on 'I like you.' Logella didn't really expect an answer, though. “But it's true. I don't know, there's just something about you.”

 

“I like you, too,” Retaw muttered, still in awe. Logella smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Retaw felt his heart beat a little faster, and his cheeks felt hot. But everything was going swimmingly, which was, for some reason, just what Chris and Jonny were wondering.

 

“He's probably doing fine,” Jonny said. Not a minute had passed since Retaw's departure where Chris didn't fret over whether or not Retaw would be able to handle the night. Jonny was used to Chris's odd worrying, though.

 

“Oh, what if it doesn't go well for him? What if she doesn't like him like that, but he tells her he likes her, then she's all disgusted and leaves? He could be a wreck for days!” Chris exclaimed. Jonny reached out and placed his hand on Chris's cheek.

 

“Chris, honey, not everyone's like you.” Chris sarcastically smiled, and playfully shoved Jonny's arm.

 

“I just don't want him to get hurt. It's not fun.”

 

“I know,” Jonny nodded. “I think it's cute that you're so worried about him. But he's a grown man, he can take care of himself.”

 

Chris opened his mouth to reply, but the only sound that could be heard was a knock at the door. Jonny went to answer it, while Chris stayed on the couch and wondered how often a thing like this happens.

 

“Is Walter in?”

 

“No, he's not.” Jonny stood silently and looked Guy over. He was wearing what Jonny considered to be normal clothes, but something was different about him. He looked as though he had taken special pride in his appearance, and he was even smiling. “Would you like me to tell him you asked for him when he gets back?”

 

“Yes, that would be good. Thank you,” Guy replied in monotone.

 

“Sure.” Jonny waited only one more second before closing the door. He slowly turned around to face Chris, who was still pondering life. “Is there anything weirder than a weird person who's not acting weird?

 

Chris snapped out of his thoughts, and stared blankly at Jonny. “...Yes?” he guessed.

 

“Guy was just at the door,” Jonny explained, walking back over to Chris, “and he was acting... normal? It was weird.”

 

“What did he want?” Chris asked, tilting his head inquiringly.

 

“Walter. And he was calm... I guess he likes Walter for some reason.”

 

Chris absentmindedly nodded, then gasped loudly and widened his eyes. Jonny raised his eyebrow, invoking a response. “What if Guy is an alien, too?”

 

“Seriously?” Jonny laughed.

 

“Hey, you never know! And it would account for him connecting with Walter and being so weird. I mean, Walter's pretty weird, too.”

 

“So are you, and you're not an alien,” Jonny pointed out. “Are you?”

 

“Yes, I am,” Chris blankly replied, with still wide eyes.

 

Jonny narrowed his eyes. “You know, it actually wouldn't surprise me.”

 

Chris laughed, and any response he would have given was once again cut off by a interruption from the door. This time, though, it was Retaw, and he didn't bother knocking, of course. He silently walked in, and Jonny asked how the night went.

 

“Great,” Retaw simply said, smiling. “Absolutely wonderful.”

 

“See? There was nothing to worry about,” Jonny said to Chris. Then he turned back to Retaw. “Oh, by the way, Guy came round not too long ago and wanted to know if you were here. I guess you could go talk to him, if you want.”

 

“You don't have to, though,” Chris said as quietly as he could. “Guy is crazy, and I wouldn't blame you for not going over there.”

 

“I'm glad to have your permission, Martin,” Retaw laughed, “but I think I can handle Guy. Thank you for telling me, Jonathan.”

 

Jonny nodded, and with that, Retaw left to go see Guy.