Capture Me Gently - 2. Chapter 2

Alex sighed as he locked himself into his house. Loud voices could be heard from the living room, and he quickly walked up the stairs. He didn't want to come between his parents when they fought. He didn't want to come between them at all, actually.

Alex didn't like his parents that much; but he was glad they had decided to move away from their old town. He had hated it there. This place was a lot bigger, everyone didn't know each other here, and it wasn't quite so strict for everything to be normal.

Alex fell down on his bed, rolled over on his back and just lay there for a while, staring up at the white ceiling.

The voices beneath him turned higher, and he sighed as he stretched out to get his remote. He quickly turned the television on, and then clicked on his DVD-player where he knew he had a CD inside. Soon the only thing he could hear was his music, and that fitted him perfectly at the moment.

His parents were always fighting. They had been like this since an incident few years back when he had walked in on his two siblings in a very intimate situation.

Alex had been eleven, and he understood perfectly well that what he saw was wrong. He had been in shock, and he had lost something he had been carrying, and it had made a sound so high his parents had heard it and come up to see what was going on.

Nothing had been the same in their family after they had found out about his two older siblings' relationship. His parents started fighting all the time; his father turned to alcohol. They sent Leo off to the military, and Camilla moved to the big city; not able to live home with them anymore.

Alex hadn't seen or talked to them in two years now. He didn't exactly want to talk to them either. Whenever they came home he would stay out of the house. Not that Leo was coming home anymore; he had just come home a few weekends in the first year of the military.

Camilla came home a few times a year, but she never stayed for long. Alex guessed she didn't want to always watch and hear their parents fight like they did either.

And with their mother's bad temper, things easily got thrown around and broken.

Alex even had a scar on his chest after a plate his mother threw at him almost a year ago in one of her fits. His dad had just watched in silence as he had emptied his glass of vodka.

But they were never abusive or anything. It had been that one time Alex had been hit by something; and it had really been an accident. It had been his dad she had aimed at and he had come in the way. They had never hit him or anything before or after.

But he guessed neglection was some kind of abuse in itself. They didn't care about him; they only cared about themselves. Alex couldn't remember last time he had gotten a hug or even last time they had talked to him in a polite, motherly/fatherly-tone.

He sighed and stood up from his bed. He glared a while at his computer before he dropped down on the chair and turned it on.

He was bored, and he didn't know what to do to make the time go. He closed his eyes as the voices beneath him got higher, and something heavy crashed into the kitchen wall.

He stood up from his chair and without further thoughts he ran downstairs, got his shoes on and continued outside. He just couldn't stand being in there anymore.

---

Aiden was startled awake when his bedroom door slammed open. Someone stepped inside his room and then the door slammed shut again. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, stretched his upper body and then glared up at the intruding person. He jerked in surprise when he met Alex's piercing, azure eyes.

"Hi," he said slowly and propped up on his elbow in the bed. Alex dropped down next to him and leaned his own elbows on his thighs. "What brings you here at-" Aiden glanced at the clock on his nightstand, "eighth o'clock in the evening?"

"My parents were fighting again," Alex replied in a low voice. "I just had to get out of there. I've been walking around town for a few hours now, but it got cold and I figured I could stop by here." He glanced at Aiden. "I walked in the basement entry, not really up to talking with anyone from your family right now."

"That's all right," Aiden said. "I haven't talked to them myself. I fell asleep right after I came home, apparently." He yawned again and stretched his free arm slightly.

Alex noticed that Aiden's shirt slid up a bit, uncovering his lower stomach. His eyes trailed over the bare skin, and he fought back the urge to stretch out his hand and let his finger brush over the hot and sun-tanned flesh.

"You want to do something?" Aiden asked and brought Alex back from the little reverie he had been in.

"Huh?" Alex lifted his eyes from Aiden's stomach to his face. He couldn't help blush a little, his thoughts going in a much more perverted way than what had been the meaning of the question.

"You want to do something?" Aiden asked again. "Maybe watch some television or a movie, or something? I'm up to suggestions."

"Umm... A movie sounds good," Alex muttered, removing his eyes from the handsome boy in front of him and resting them on the wrinkled sheets they were sitting on.

"What do you want to see?" Aiden asked and got up from the bed. He walked to his television where he crouched down in front of it and looked through his DVD-collection.

"I don't know," Alex replied. He got up from the bed himself and sat down next to Aiden, looking through all of the movies with him. "Are all of these yours?" He asked, viewing some movies he never had thought about as something Aiden would want to watch.

"Nah, most of them are Ben's," Aiden said, referring to his one year younger cousin.

Benjamin and Aiden had been best friends their whole lives. They had grown up together, but Aiden had only been living with his uncle for five years. His father had just abandoned him and his older sister, Christina, five years prior and they hadn't heard from him since.

Ben on the other hand, had lived with their uncle Thomas and his daughter, Maria, his whole life. Ben's mother, and Thomas's sister, Hannah, had been in a mental institution since before Ben had been born. She had had a terrible childhood and had now locked herself up completely. She never spoke to anyone; she just sat in her room and stared out into the air.

Ben was a drummer in a local band called Elegant Morbidity. And he was one hell of a drummer, Aiden had to admit. His cousin was the best drummer in town, and he also had an awesome singing voice. But Elegant Morbidity already had a vocalist, so he didn't sing in that band. He could also play a lot of other instruments as well.

Ben was also gay and one of the biggest whores in town. He slept around with every good-looking guy he could get his hands on.

"What about this one?" Alex pulled out a movie from the pile and showed it to Aiden so he could read the title.

"That one it is," Aiden said with a small laugh and took the movie from Alex's hands. Their fingers brushed against each others lightly, and they both blushed. Aiden quickly put the compact disk in the player and turned the television on.

He and Alex moved over to the bed again, where they sat down next to each other and leaned back against the wall with one of Aiden's quilts supporting their backs.

The movie was very interesting, but it had been a long and hard day, so halfway through it, Alex fell asleep. His head had come to rest on Aiden's shoulder, and Aiden himself didn't have anything against the contact. He wasn't especially tired, but then again, he had slept for a few hours prior, so he silently watched the rest of the movie.

When that movie was done, he switched through his other channels and soon found a newly started movie on one of the movie-channels.

That movie turned out to be about an everlasting love between two men, and he watched it with interest. All sides of their lives was shown, even a very censored, and not that very graphic, sex scene between the two men.

Right before the movie ended, one of the guys were attacked by a group of homophobes and he was brought to the hospital where they weren't sure if he would survive. The other man was totally broken.

In the end, though, his lover survived, and the two decided to move away from the small town they lived in to a large city where they could get legally married and live a normal life, without fear of gay-bashers.

Aiden found the movie very intriguing, and he had had a huge realization in the middle of it; he liked Alex. He was utterly infatuated with the black-haired boy who now was sleeping with his head resting on his shoulder.

He cocked his head to the side and looked at his best friend. He brushed away a few black strands of hair from his forehead and ran his thumb lightly down his cheek and over his jaw and lips. He was sure of his feelings now, absolutely sure; he was in love with Alex.

---

Alex woke up slowly by the sun shining down on him the next morning. He groaned in displeasure and tried to pull the sheet over his head. When it didn't go thanks to a weight over his waist, and when the fact that the sun never shone in on him from his bedroom window, he slowly opened his eyes to get some answers.

When his eyes were open and focused though, he was staring straight into a milk-white wall. He blinked in surprise; his own bedroom was dark-blue. He moved his arm slightly and startled when he felt another arm tightening around his waist and another warm body lying tight against his back.

The previous day slowly came back to him. His parents fighting, him walking around town, him going to Aiden's house, they watching a movie, Alex suddenly feeling very tired...

Oh my God, I'm in Aiden's bed! With Aiden lying right behind me, with his arms around me! Even though his thoughts were panicking at the moment, they did a lot of unwanted things with his body, and Alex squeezed his eyes shut and tried to still the urges he suddenly got.

His body didn't quite listen to him though, and he tilted his head slightly and buried his face in the pillow, groaning in something in-between pleasure and displeasure. This was not fun! He yelled at himself. Jesus, not let him wake up yet! He can't see me like this, so obviously wanting him! I need to pull myself together first!

He tried desperately to find other things to think about, but when Aiden's grip tightened around him again, all thoughts faded away. Well, all except from one; Aiden, who was holding him so tightly against himself.

Alex wanted to turn around, to look at the other boy, but that could lead to him doing something stupid, something he couldn't stop. So he just lay there for a while, enjoying how good it felt to be held in the arms of the boy he was in love with.

Then something else came to his mind. Today was Tuesday, and that meant school. The sun was shining, and that meant that it had to be near the time for him to wake up. And that meant getting ready for school. That again meant that he had to get the fuck home, or he would be late!

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed and sat straight up in the bed. Aiden's hand fell from his waist to around hips, resting halfway over a very sensitive area. "Aiden! Aiden, wake up!" He shook his best friends shoulder and tried to ignore his arm resting over his crotch.

Aiden groaned in discontent, not really waking up at all.

"Aiden, get the fuck up!" Alex shook his shoulder harder. "Come on, we're late! Wake up!"

Aiden registered Alex's voice and he wondered sleepily why Alex was waking him up. He moved his hand a little, felt that it lay around Alex's hips and over his... His eyes shot open and he quickly withdrew his hand.

Last evening rapidly came back to him; he remember how he didn't have any heart to actually wake Alex up, so he had just laid down in the bed with him and soon fallen asleep. What he didn't remember though, was putting his arm around him. That he must have done in his sleep during the night.

Shit, is he going to say something about that? He thought nervously and then glanced up at Alex's slightly panicked expression.

"It's freaking late, Aiden! And I don't have any of my stuff here! I'm so going to be late for school!" Alex rambled away, flustered.

"Hey, calm down," Aiden said with a small, relieved laugh. Alex was far to busy about the time to say anything about where Aiden's arm had been. "It's one and a half hour until school starts. That's plenty of time."

Alex glared at him for a while, stunned, and then he glanced at the clock again. "You think?" He asked, his voice now slow and insecure.

"I'm positive," Aiden replied and gave him a wry smile.

"Why didn't you wake me up last night?" Alex turned his eyes back to Aiden. That was an answer he had wanted from the moment he had woken up and remembered last night. He was curious as to why his friend had just let him sleep in the same bed as him.

"You looked so peaceful." And adorable, handsome, gorgeous, beautiful and way to cute for your own good. Aiden could think of a lot more, but he quickly pushed all such thoughts away. Didn't really want to dwell on the realization he had come to the night before.

"You didn't wake me because I looked peaceful?" Alex tilted his head to the side and smiled slightly.

"Aha," Aiden nodded, giving him a small smile back. "That's right. And I figured you could need the sleep, seeing as you don't get as much as you need at your home thanks to your parents."

Well, that was true, Alex had to admit. He used to wake up during the nights his parents were home by their arguing and fighting.

"Well, I guess I have to go home and get my stuff," Alex sighed. He looked down at himself. "And change clothing," he muttered.

The two boys got up from the bed, and as Alex slipped out of the basement entry, Aiden walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Before he started to soap himself in though, he had to take care of a little problem Alex's presence had brought forth.

After he stepped out of the shower, he quickly got dressed, brushed his teeth, ruffled his blonde hair, and then walked up to the first floor.

Everyone was sitting at the table as he walked into the kitchen. Thomas was reading the paper and sipping his coffee. Ben was eating cereal, while Maria and Christina were reading each their magazine and eating fruit.

Aiden fixed himself a bowl with cereal and slid down on a chair next to his black-haired cousin. "You sleazy bastard," he snapped. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Ben's eyes were twinkling mischievously as he looked up at Aiden. A sly smirk spread on his lips. "How could I wake you up when you looked so adorable in your sleep?" He asked in a sugary tone and stuck out his tongue playfully. His red tongue piercing glittered in the light. "You were so cute where you lay, holding around your little boyfriend."

"I don't have a freaking boyfriend," Aiden exclaimed in a low voice, hoping that the others around the table wouldn't hear them. "Alex is my friend, and we fell asleep after watching a movie last night!"

"Yeah, ri-ight," Ben rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Because I so believe that!"

"Have you've gotten yourself a lover, Aiden?" Christina snickered from the other side of the table.

"I have not gotten myself a lover!" Aiden snapped in annoyance and started to eat his cereal with a frown.

"Aww, in denial maybe?" His sister said teasingly and exchanged a devious glance with Ben. "You and Alex would've been a perfect couple," she continued. "You fit very well together, you know."

"Shut up!" Aiden exclaimed and scowled at both Christina and Ben. "You two are just freaking despicable!" He bowed his head down and continued to eat his cereal.

"Tell me Ben," Christina leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm, totally ignoring her grumpy brother. "You're the best matchmaker in town, right," she started. "So, is Aiden in love with his adorable best friend, Alex?"

"Definitely," Ben giggled girlishly. "And indeed I am the best matchmaker in town!" He blinked one eye at his older cousin, and Christina blinked back with a teasing smirk.

"And does said best friend like said brother back?" She asked and threw a glance at her brother, who was now scowling down on his cereal.

"Oh yes, indeed he does," Ben replied and nudged Aiden's side lightly.

"Will you two stop teasing him before he explodes on you both?" Thomas chuckled from the other side of the table and folded his newspaper up.

"Hey, we're just telling him the truth," Ben insisted. "It's not our fault he doesn't want to hear it or believe it."

"You two are just fucking annoying," Aiden snapped. He stood up and sat his empty plate in the dishwasher. "I'm going to school," he said as he moved out from there; totally ignoring the two's wild snickering.

---

Alex managed to get to school in time; he rushed into the classroom two minutes before the bell rang. Aiden was already sitting at their desks at the back, and Alex silently sat down next to him, flashing him a small smile.

"Did your parents say anything about you being gone the whole night without telling them?" Aiden asked and turned to face his friend with a slightly worried look.

Alex shrugged. "They weren't home when I got there," he said, running a hand through his black, newly showered, moist hair. "But if they both were home last night, I doubt they even noticed my absence. They were probably to busy fighting anyway," he sighed. "But that's just like usual."

Aiden wanted to reach out and touch him, comfort him, anything to make him smile again, but he knew that he couldn't do that. Unless he wanted to let him know about his feelings, and that was something he absolutely didn't want.

Sure, Alex wasn't a homophobe, he was on fairly good terms with Ben, but Aiden didn't know how he would react if he found out his best friend had a crush on him. And if he found out about that, it could complicate things between them, and Aiden didn't want to loose Alex as a friend.

"So, your parents," he started slowly. "They aren't getting better? At all?"

"If anything, they're getting worse," Alex muttered. He rested his head against his forearms on the table.

"You know that if you can't stand being there, you can always come to my place, right?" Aiden said, watching his friend carefully.

Alex tilted his head slightly and glanced up at Aiden. "I know," he said mildly. "But watch yourself; I might take your offer every time they fight, and then I will be practically living at your house." He smiled wryly.

"I see no problem in that," Aiden replied and gave him a wry smile in return. Inside though, he wasn't so sure. He remembered all to well how good it had been to lay in the same bed as Alex the previous night. And what Alex's presence had done to his body. That was not good. Not good at all. He couldn't let it happen so Alex noticed it.

Alex turned his face down again so Aiden couldn't see the light blush covering his cheeks. The reaction he had gotten when he had woken up in Aiden's arms... It had been both a good feeling, and a very frustrating one. Very, very frustrating, indeed. And an appetent one.

Jesus! I have to stop thinking about it! He screamed silently to himself. Have to really going to stop thinking about it! He's going to notice it sometimes... He has to. How my body reacts to his.

The bell rang then and interrupted both boys' thoughts. Something they both were very grateful for, because they couldn't for their bare life stop thinking about each other.