Chapter Text
The front door opened smoothly and the blond man entered the apartment building.
He approached the security and gave him the address of the apartment that he was visiting. Ever since he parked his car outside the building his throat has closed up and even the smallest breaths were difficult. He felt like he was trembling, but every time he looked at his hands they were both perfectly fine to him. For once, his body was not reflecting the tremor of his heart.
"Oh, you are that guy! Yeah, the old lady did mention that someone other than herself was going to come visit today. Ok, you see the elevator over there? You will take that and head to the 7th floor. Then you have to find room 21. You got me?"
The tall man eyed the elevator that the guard was pointing at and very slowly nodded his head.
"Good. Also, fix that face of yours. That old lady is one of my favourite people to deal with. If you make her cry other than from joy, I will personally come and kill you."
A small chuckle left the standing man at the guard's words and gave a more affirmative nod this time. He even was able to give the guard a smile.
The other man also smiled and waved him away and with that the blond man slowly made his way to the elevator.
The ride took much less time than he expected. The boy was planning on rehearsing his lines once again in the elevator. His plans flew out of the window the moment the lift left the ground. Throughout the ride, he would feel that his legs were ready to give out at any second. He was so focused on trying not to pass out or bolt away that he almost did not hear the small "ding" sound the elevator did when it reached its destination. The door opened and the man gulped down the ball of anxiety that had formed in his throat. He made sure that he was perfect at the mirror, cursed himself once more for not wearing anything more special except for baggy jeans and a jumper, and , finally, exited the small metallic box.
As he was slowly making his way to the apartment the tremor inside his soul increased by tenfold every single step of the way. The man could feel his panic attack starting to surface.
He took deep breaths.
I have come this far. I am not going to chicken out now of all times. I can't do that. Not to those two at least.
He managed to get his thoughts back and swallow down the nerves just in time, because right in front of him was his final destination.
S7-21
This is it. I am here.
He stood in front of the door half excited to hear the people inside talking and half dreading to hear them. He was fighting his instinct to press his ear on the door just to check. He also wishes that the guard downstairs didn't tune in to see him standing there like an idiot in front of a closed door just like a puppy waiting for their owners.
Damn it. How is this more difficult than getting shot?
Surprising even himself, the blond man pushed the door bell.
At first nothing was heard, but then slowly footsteps approached the door. The blond man could feel his heart throbbing inside his rib cage. The footsteps stopped just behind the door, but the person inside the house seemed to make no movement to open the door. Someone would say that they too needed their time to compose themselves in order to face what was behind the closed entry door.
A second pair could be heard, but the person dragged their feet more. A slow walk, but the woman wore high heels so the clicking of her shoes was louder and more distinct.
After what felt like ages, the door handle came down and the door started moving.
The boy in front of him was exactly as he remembered him, but also different. He still somehow had the baby fat in his cheeks, but his jaw was more defined and sharp. He has grown in height, but he was still short enough to be the other's chin rather than the chest which he was before. The blood man took a deep breath as he felt the tears along with a mini panic attack coming back to him in full force.
"John...?" Jaren asked.
John nodded repeatedly and threw himself into the open arms of the shorter man. The black haired man tightened his arms as if afraid that John would vanish again if he were to let him go. John also buried his head in Jaren's neck as he cried silently. Tears no longer needed to be held back.
A small hand was placed on top of John's head and the man looked up, only to find Jaren's mother smiling at him affectionately. The hand started to move through John's blond locks petting him slowly. John let himself relax in the hands of the man he loved and almost purred in relief at the hand that was on his head.
At the thought of him loving Karen, John felt a new wave of tears coming back to him and tightened his hands around Jaren' back. He buried his face deeper in the smaller man's neck and took a strong inhale of the scent he missed so much all those years. Jaren followed suit and also tightened his hands. The blonsd man could also feel that Jaren was trembling in his arms and that his friend was also crying in his shoulder.
"Hello, John. Will you be staying here until dinner?" the old woman asked while smiling up at the blond man.
"If you would like to. I would like to stay." John said.
To everyone's surprise it was Jaren that answered.
"You can stay for as long as you like."
John tightened up his arms and made a silent promise to never ever let the man in his arms go and nodded his head repeatedly. The two boys groped each other so hard that it almost hurt them, but at that point they didn't care at all.
John had decided to stay.
"That settles it, then. Welcome back, John."