Sunsets and Constellations | B X B

• T W E N T Y T W O •

A R I U S

The room is warping into itself and Arius doesn't want to get out. Through the window he can see his parents' faces twisting in disappointment as they yell curses at him. Viggo is pounding on the windows with is face screwed up in determination. Tamara appears beside his parents looking at him in disgust.
"Did you actually think for once that somebody will like you for what you've become? You're fucked up." she says and laughs, her voice filling the whole room he was hiding himself in. Elijah breaks in from the wall behind him and shoves him hard.
"It's a shame you're so handsome. But I just can't! Surely, you knew that? It's not fair to me. You'll find someone like you." He says and spits on the ground next to him, vanishing into thin air as the floor beneath Arius gives way and he's plunged into darkness, falling but never really hitting anything.

"Dude, Arius? Wake up!"

He sat upright immediately, breathing erratically and looking around him, until his eyes focused slowly on the dark figure hovering over him with an iron grip on his shoulder. He violently shoved them off himself and tried to get out of the mess of sheets he was in when the lights turned on and he realised that it was Elijah.

"Where? You lef-"

"Hey, hey just sit. You were talking in your sleep." Elijah said slowly.

"Breathe with me, okay?" He said, taking a visibly deep breath and letting it out as Arius watched him warily and involuntarily followed the breathing pattern, his heart still racing.
They did that for a few minutes and Elijah stood up suddenly, going out of his room and returning with a cup of water.

"We only have ice-cold water in the fridge." He said, smiling at him softly.

Arius took the glass with shaking hands and drank it slowly, allowing the cool liquid to run through his chest and into his stomach, waking him up completely.

"Viggo?" Arius mumbled.

"Er, he's gone back home for Christmas."

Arius nodded swiftly, everything that had happened the past two days coming back to his mind at once. He looked at the clock by the table and saw that it was five in the morning. It had been barely two hours since they'd fallen asleep after the movie.
Elijah shrugged on a hoodie over his shirt and grabbed the remote by the table, turning it on and playing The Breakfast Club.
He locked the door, turned off the lamp and grabbed Ryder's quilt from her bed, walking over to where Arius was sitting up.

"Scoot over, I wanna sit." Elijah said.

Arius didn't think this was a good idea at all, after he remembered that they'd kissed. Not once, but twice. And Arius had initiated one.
He moved a little, making room for Elijah as he shuffled close to him and they were sitting shoulder to shoulder and they watched the movie. More like, Elijah watched the movie half-dozing and Arius shot him furtive glances every two minutes.

Despite everything his mind was telling him and the horrible nightmare, his chest swelled at Elijah's gesture. He'd played the "boring ass movie" that he knew was one of Arius's favourites and was even trying to stay awake. Whatever happened after today happened, he wasn't going to be able to do anything about it.
He shut off all thoughts of what would ensue once the sun rose and leaned his head against Elijah's shoulder. Elijah tensed up and Arius could feel his heartbeat halting. But he slowly relaxed and slid further down the headboard, in a half sitting, half lying down position which made it easier for Arius to lay his head on his shoulder.