December Boys (BxB) | ✓

Chapter 27 - At home

The hallway was dimly lit and smelled like home. I could feel my own tense and robotic posture as mom's eyes fell on Axel and studied him intensely. She was doing the famous Summers Routine, alright. Measuring a person's worth took my mom about 23 seconds, and her opinion of said person would be colored by it forever. First impressions weren't just important with my mother -- they were essential. Make or break.  

I got rid of my jacket and gestured wildly in Axel's direction. "His name is Axel. He's the guy I'm doing the school project with."

"Oh," my mom said, lips curling into a pleased smile. "What a lovely name. I hope my son's not troubling you too much."

Axel raised his head. Dark circles underlined his eyes, and there was an unhealthy hue to his tanned skin. Despite this, he returned my mother's smile in a flash of white teeth. "Not at all. It's nice to meet you," he said.

I watched as my mom straightened. She was not a tall woman by any means, but she could be terrifying when she wanted to. Standing next to Axel made her look quite tiny. She was beaming, though, obviously approving of my newfound partnership. I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"I'll get you boys something to eat! Treat your guest well, Nao." She sent me a wink before disappearing back into the kitchen, black hair trailing after her. I was left in the hallway, shuffling awkwardly by the stairs.

Had that gone well? It had, hadn't it? Flashing an uncertain look at Axel gave me no reassurance whatsoever. He was like a blank slate, staring at the family portrait that hung next to the mirror on the wall.

"Sorry about that," I murmured, inspecting my woolly socks. "She can be... a lot."

"I think she's great."

I met Axel's eyes, and for the first time that evening, it was him looking back at me. The shadows and the pain had evaporated, leaving a tired and bewildered teenager behind. His shoulders were slumped and there were blood stains on his face. Grabbing his wrist, I dragged him in the direction of the stairs. Together we scaled the steps and navigated the second-floor halls. The door to my brother's room was open, revealing a messy scene, but no human presence. I wondered if he was at work.

"Here we are," I said, stopping outside my bedroom door. A silly sign with my name on it hung on the wooden door. Why hadn't I removed that again...? The childish scrawl stared down at me, almost taunting me. 

My room would most likely be messy. I'd never been the cleaning type unless I was expecting company, and seeing as Seth's presence was much like my own brother's, tidying kind of never happened. I regretted it bitterly just then. Would Axel mind...?

We stepped inside and I deposited Axel on the unmade bed. The air was musty and thick with dust, so I circled the bed and cranked one of the windows open. The sound of my neighbor's automatic lawn mower seeped in through the opening, lending the room a quiet, but constant hum in the background.

Things were strewn about as usual, and I kicked the laundry basket out of the way as I returned to Axel's side. He seemed to be taking in the room, eyes jumping from one thing to another. His attention was on the wardrobe when I sat down next to him, cross-legged and nervous.

"It's a nice room," he said.

"It's messy."

"Still nice."

He was wringing his hands in his lap, smearing the blood all over his skin. One of his knuckles hadn't stopped bleeding yet, which I guess was expected after all the abuse it had endured. Had Axel been the one that broke everything in his apartment? Looking at his hands, it wasn't such a far-fetched theory.

"I'll be right back," I murmured, and flew out of the room.

The first-aid kit was gathering dust on the bathroom cabinet, and I disturbed it all when I hauled it down onto the tiles. Coughing, I rummaged through the box with hurried movements. Soon enough I found what I was looking for and made my way back to the bedroom.

Axel sat in the same position I'd left him in. His hair was slightly damp, falling into his face whenever he moved it.

"Here," I said, settling in next to him on the bed. "Give me your hands."

Axel did as he was told, extending his arms and lending me his hands, palms facing me. I took one of them, nervous jolt going through me at the contact. Stop being weird. I shook my head. 

The bandages laid next to me on the bed, but I chose the disinfectant first, dabbing some of it on a cotton puff before taking Axel's hand in mine. I slowly began to rub his knuckles with the puff. It changed colors as I worked.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, avoiding Axel's gaze.

"I'm okay."

"Let me know if it does."

I retrieved a second puff after throwing the first one in the wastebasket. The dried blood was beginning to come off, revealing the true nature of the wounds underneath. Lacerations were etched into his fingers, and the skin was already in the process of purpling. I found myself wincing as I continued rinsing Axel's knuckles. Did it really not hurt? It almost hurt just watching...

"You're... surprisingly gentle," Axel said all of a sudden. Looking up, I saw that he was staring at our hands. His right hand was resting in my left as I worked the blood off. Reddening, I averted my gaze once again. We were too close. I hadn't realized how intimate this would be when I fetched the first-aid kit.

"How is that surprising?" I murmured, focusing fully on Axel's knuckles. Ouch, was that a shard of glass in his ring finger? I carefully extracted the fragment.

"I don't know," Axel said, voice quiet. "I just thought you'd be more... clumsy."

"Gee, thanks."

He laughed, a low rumbling sound. "I didn't mean it like that."

Tossing the stained puff in the trash, I collected the bandages from the blanket next to me. I cut the fabric into long pieces before I took Axel's hand and attempted to bandage it. I'd only bandaged my own scrapes and aches throughout the years, and they'd been nothing like the wounds Axel sported.

"You don't have to do that," he began, pulling his hand away.

"Just let me."

"But-"

"Just because you leave your wounds alone, that doesn't mean it's safe. I'm disinfecting them for a reason."

Axel quieted down and let me continue, watching skeptically as I wound the bandages around his knuckles, careful not to disturb his swollen skin any further. When I was finished his hand looked silly, but I'd managed to bandage it in a way that let him move his fingers. He flexed his knuckles experimentally.

"Thanks."

"Give me the other one."

It was like we'd entered a strange form of limbo, a quiet place between the past, present, and future. The world revolved around me and Axel in my bed, and the careful disinfection and bandaging of his wounds. The only sounds that were audible were our breathing, the rustling from the bandages, and the faint sounds of my mom rummaging in the kitchen downstairs. My hands felt numb, and every time I came into contact with Axel, my heart did a funny jump in my chest.

Axel retrieved his left hand and watched my handiwork with gentle eyes. His hair was almost dry now, still drooping, but not quite as severely as it did in the rain earlier. He was starting to look at home in my bedroom now, too. It was an odd combination, Axel and me in this room - sitting here, not speaking, but connected. I felt a real and genuine warmth coming from him.

"Hey," Axel said, taking me back to the moment. "Thank you."

I opened my mouth to reply but found myself lost for words. Axel had stretched out his hand and grabbed hold of mine. His bandaged knuckles were a stark contrast to my bare skin. He squeezed my hand but didn't quite meet my gaze. I had the feeling he was saying more than just those two words. A form of communication was happening through his touch. It only felt right to squeeze his hand in return.

"You're welcome."