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Aaron had a problem.
His problem came in the form of an elusive black-haired teenage boy with the fashion sense of a 2000’s scene kid.
All week he had been running around behind Callum Hunt, trying to snap a photo of him for the yearbook, but somehow the guy always managed to outrun him despite his limp. Every time Aaron got his camera out, Call seemed to simply vanish.
Aaron was half convinced that Call was doing it on purpose. The first time he’d asked, Call had scoffed at him then stood up, walking away like Aaron had offended him or something. The second time Aaron asked, Call had given him a steely glare and pointed his umbrella (who even carried an umbrella around when it wasn’t raining anyways?) in Aaron’s face and opened it, which was a pretty clear ‘go away’.
After that, Aaron had declared war. It would have been different if Call had simply told him ‘no’ or ‘I don’t like pictures’. That umbrella was an insult. He didn’t care that Magisterium Academy had plenty of other students that he could photograph and add to the yearbook instead of Call. This had gotten personal. He was going to get a photo of Call, and it was going to be the best photo ever.
So that’s what he had been doing for the past five days; basically stalking the other boy around the academy in an attempt to get a single photo of him. Frustratingly, though, Call always evaded Aaron’s efforts.
Every time Call had always walked away while Aaron was getting his camera out, or he rounded a corner, or the stupid umbrella he always carried around with him got in the way of the shot. Every. Damn. Time.
Aaron couldn’t catch a break.
Once he’d thought he’d caught Call just as he was about to disappear behind a wall, but there must have been a delay on his camera or something because the image showed up blank.
All in all, trying to get a picture was frustrating and hard to do.
Which was why Aaron was currently creeping up on Call like a lion in the Serengeti about to pounce on a gazelle.
Aaron pushed his glasses up his nose as he raised his camera, lining up the shot. Currently, Call was sitting on the steps of Magisterium Academy, overshadowed by the building itself. Despite the shade, he still had his umbrella open and propped against his shoulder. His dark hair fell in messy tangles around his face, framing it.
It was going to be a great photo .
Well, apart from the low light, but Aaron could work around that later.
He made a few final adjustments, then he finally clicked the capture button, taking a few pictures. He resisted the urge to pump his fist in victory as he grinned wildly. He took the camera away from his face, then frowned as he tried to look through the photos he had just taken. They were completely normal save for one very important detail.
Call wasn’t in them.
Aaron looked between his camera and Call on the steps. When he looked up, Call was there, oblivious to Aaron’s panic, but when he looked down, he could only see the steps. There was nothing in the pictures to indicate that Call was in them at all. No silhouette, no shadow, no umbrella. All traces of him were simply...gone.
Aaron raised his camera and took a few more photos, then looked through them. Call wasn’t in those ones either. He stared down at his camera in shock.
“What in the world…” he breathed out.
Call looked up at the sound of his voice. “What are you--” he began, the cut off when he saw the camera in Aaron’s hands.
Call stood up and marched over to him, snatching the camera out of Aaron’s grip. “Is this some sort of sick joke to you or something?” Call asked, glaring down at Aaron.
“I--um, I-I don’t--” Aaron sputtered. Call’s glare only intensified.
Normally, Aaron was a lot better at articulating himself, but having a face full of pissed off Callum Hunt paired with the peculiar nature of the photos was putting him off a bit. He could only stare at Call as the other boy scowled at him.
“I can’t believe you,” Call bit out as he slammed the camera against Aaron’s chest, “Stop following me around. What kind of dick move are you trying to pull here, shoving it in my face like that?”
Aaron’s face turned from shock to confusion. “What?” He asked.
Call rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to act dumb, then just get out of here.”
“Uh…” Aaron said unintelligently. Call pointed aggressively to the side.
“Go!”
Aaron scrambled to his feet, his glasses falling askew on his face as he hurried to get out of Call’s sight. He could feel the guy’s eyes boring holes into his back as he scurried around the corner of the school. He glanced once more down at his camera. Sure enough, the photos were still blank.
What in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks just happened?
The Magisterium Academy Yearbook Committee was made up of five students; which sounds tiny when said out loud, but considering that the academy itself was so uncommonly small compared to most public schools or even most other private schools, they were really quite lucky to have such a large staff.
Tamara Rajavi, a brilliant student with the top scores on every exam, ran the committee with Aaron as her right hand man. The committee wasn’t completely concerned with hierarchy, mainly because it was so small, but Tamara was a wizard when it came to organizing, so the others made sure to listen intently to every word she said.
Aaron was given the title of vice president primarily because of his skill with a camera and his vote winning smile (there were only five voters, and Aaron himself was one of them, so it wasn’t very difficult to win).
Other than Tamara and Aaron, the three other members consisted of Jasper, Gwenda, and Celia, who all had merits of their own.
Gwenda’s graphic design skills were a real asset. She designed most of the page art as well as the cover itself for the yearbook. Half of the time, Aaron was in awe at Gwenda’s ability to create such amazing designs off the top of her head.
Celia was practiced at catching the best gossip shots. Be it a couple kissing during a school assembly, or a teacher dressing up in a funny costume on Halloween, Celia was sure to get it on film. Most of these shots turned out to be hilarious, and were always worth a good laugh when they made their way around the yearbook room.
Jasper was a fine paparazzi-in-training himself, but also served as their sole connection to the many social groups that were apparent at the academy. He had favors pending in with populars, goths, jocks, or any other sort of ring you could name. Aaron wasn’t sure how Jasper kept everyone’s names straight, but it seemed the guy knew everyone that attended school with them.
The committee was, in turn, supervised by Master Rufus, a teacher at the academy. Master Rufus was a tall, gruff old man with a bald head and an overall calm disposition. Why they had to refer to their teachers as ‘masters’, Aaron didn’t know.
This school was kind of weird.
“What happened to you?” Tamara asked, raising an eyebrow at Aaron as she watched him enter the room.
Aaron, who was still a little out of breath from running away from Call, held up a finger and doubled over, his hands on his knees. After a minute, he straightened up and walked over to the table where Tamara was sitting down, flipping through an old yearbook. No one else was here yet, leaving Tamara and Aaron to their own devices.
“The weirdest thing just happened to me,” Aaron said, pulling up a chair to sit down at the table across from her. Tamara looked at him strangely then closed the yearbook, giving him her full attention.
Aaron swallowed and continued. “You know Callum Hunt?”
“Call? Of course I do. What about him?” Tamara knew basically everyone at the academy. Aaron wasn’t entirely sure why he’d even asked.
“I’m not entirely sure how to explain it,” Aaron replied, rubbing at his eyes underneath his glasses, like he still couldn’t believe them. He pulled out his camera, bringing up the photos. He handed it to Tamara, who frowned in confusion.
“Aaron, these are blank.”
“I know!” He said, throwing his hands up. “I just don’t get it! Call is supposed to be in them!”
Tamara nearly dropped the camera, gawking at Aaron.
“Aaron, you didn’t…” she said.
“Didn’t what?” Aaron asked.
“Tell me you didn’t take a picture of Call!”
“I just told you I did!” He said, bewildered, “Why is that such a big deal?”
Tamara ran a hand down her face in exasperation. “Aaron, that’s so rude! Call is way insecure about that!”
“About what?!” Aaron yelled, feeling like everyone knew what was going on except him. Tamara blinked at him for a moment.
“Oh my god.You don’t know, do you?” She stared at him, completely wide eyed. Aaron was getting tired of being treated like an idiot. He huffed in an irritated manner, prompting her to get on with it .
“Aaron, Call is a vampire! He can’t be photographed!”
A long, drawn out silence followed her statement. Then, Aaron laughed.
“Right, and I’m the Queen of England,” he said, thinking that Tamara was messing with him. She stared seriously at him. After another long silence, Aaron’s felt his chest start to swell with panic.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” he squeaked out, his voice small. Tamara continued to gawk at him. “There is no way-- ”
“Aaron, do you have any idea where we are right now?” Tamara interrupted. She looked just as panicked as him, but he was willing to bet it was for a different reason.
“Uh, school?”
“...for monsters ,” Tamara finished. Aaron blinks blankly at her. They stare each other down, both daring the other to break.
“Alright,” Aaron said, standing up. He went about the room, searching for some sort of recording device, “Where are the stupid cameras? This isn’t funny anymore.”
“Aaron, this isn’t a prank!” Tamara called as he shuffled through the bookcases that lined the walls, “Did you seriously not know ? How the hell did you even get into this school?”
Aaron stopped in his search and thought back to it. He had received a letter, which was strange. He never received any mail, since he was always moving from foster home to foster home. Still, it had clearly been for him: a plain envelope with his name printed on it in bold lettering. Aaron Stewart .
“I got a scholarship,” he said, his voice quiet, “Housing, food, everything. I jumped at the chance.”
Tamara stood up from her seat and walked over to him, looking him up and down with suspicion.
“What are you doing?” Aaron asked. Tamara continued to squint at him like she was studying bacteria in a petri dish.
“There has to be something about you that’s supernatural. They wouldn’t have let you in otherwise.”
“But...you’re here too, aren’t you?” He asked. Tamara laughed.
“Aaron, I’m a witch. Everyone in my family is a witch.” Aaron blinked at this new information. He thought witches walked around in pointy hats and had black cats that followed them around everywhere. He also didn’t believe in witches.
“Even Kimiya?” Aaron asked. Tamara’s sister seemed like a completely normal person on the outside. Then again, Tamara did too.
“Especially Kimiya,” Tamara smiled. Aaron’s face was pale. His best friend was a witch. He didn’t know what to do with that information.
“I can’t believe it,” he said, stumbling over to his chair and sitting down, not trusting himself to stand, “Everyone here seemed so normal .”
“You do realize that Jasper walks around half transformed basically all the time, right? He has a tail.” Aaron thought about it for a moment. True, Jasper did look like some weird animorph transformation whenever Aaron saw him, but...
“I just thought he was a furry or something,” Aaron mumbled. Tamara laughed loudly.
“I can’t believe you.”
A small, comfortable silence passed between the two of them despite the bomb that had just been dropped. Aaron took a deep breath as he processed through all of the information just given to him.
“Okay, so...Call’s a vampire,” he stated.
“Correct.”
“And I took a photo of him.”
“Yes.”
“And he’s upset because...vampires don’t show up in photos?”
“He’s upset because he never chose to be a vampire. When you took a photo of him, it probably felt like you were rubbing it in his face.”
Aaron sucked in a breath. “Yikes.”
“Yeah,” Tamara said. Now Aaron felt awful. He’d never meant to upset Call, he’d just wanted a picture. He stood up.
“I need to apologize to him,” he declared. Then, he sank back into his chair as he was seized by doubt, “What am I going to say to him? Where do I even start with that?”
“How about ‘Hey, I’m an idiot’?” Tamara suggested. Aaron rolled his eyes.
“Gee, thanks Tamara.”
Tamara laughed and smiled at him sympathetically. “Just explain the situation. I’m sure he’ll be understanding so long as he knows what happened.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t even believe me when I said I didn’t know,” Aaron argued, “I’m still not even sure if I believe it. You, a witch? And Jasper, a...what exactly is Jasper?”
“Werewolf. Well, actually he’s only half werewolf. Celia’s a faerie and Gwenda’s a selkie, if you were wondering about them too.”
Aaron whistled. “I guess that explains the coat incident then.”
Tamara hummed. “She’s been very careful with it ever since. Anyways, I can assure you it’s all true. I’m just confused as to why the Magisterium Academy would accept just a normal human. Even more, I’m confused why they went so far as to give you a scholarship .”
“Maybe they sent it to the wrong Aaron Stewart,” Aaron suggested, shrugging.
“No, they don’t make mistakes like that. They’ve never made a mistake like that,” Tamara said, deep in thought. Then, she waved it away, “Nevermind, we can ponder that later. Right now, we should be working out your apology to Call.”
“Okay,” Aaron said, “What do you suggest?”
He laughed as Tamara reached into her backpack to pull out a notebook and a pencil. She scowled at him.
“If you’re going to laugh at me for writing it down, then I’m not going to help you,” she said, eyes narrowed.
“Okay, okay!” Aaron said, still laughing, “Go on. I promise to take this seriously.”
Tamara, satisfied once he’d stopped laughing at her, began to write. “Well, first of all, you need to let him know the situation…”
Call peered out of the doorway, checking the hall left and right for the annoyingly familiar head of duck blond hair. When he saw that hallway was clear, he swept around the doorframe and walked quickly towards the direction of the dorms.
“Call!”
Call cursed. The sound of Aaron’s footsteps came closer. Call hurried to walk faster, wincing from the pain shooting up his bad leg with every step he took.
“Call! Hey, Call!” His pace quickened, but Aaron was faster. He pulled up beside Call, flashing him a bright smile that shone like the sun on an early summer morning. Unfortunately for Aaron, the sun was the one thing that Call hated most.
“What do you want?” Call snarled at him. Aaron, to his credit, didn’t flinch. He rubbed the back of his neck abashedly as he looked away from Call. If Call were a nicer person, he’d probably feel bad for Aaron’s kicked puppy look, but he wasn’t a nice person. Aaron was a jerk, anyways.
“Look,” Aaron started, “I just wanted to say I’m really sorry for what happened last week. I was completely out of line. I didn’t know that you were…” he trailed off. Call raised an eyebrow at him.
The two of them had stopped walking, instead standing in the empty hallway. Call crossed his arms and gave Aaron a hard look, daring him to continue.
“...a vampire,” Aaron croaked out eventually. Call scoffed again and looked away from Aaron.
“You don’t have to make it sound like it’s a disease,” Call said, his eyes falling to the ground.
“N-no! That’s not what I meant!” Aaron exclaimed, “I--gee you’re not going to believe this…” he laughed nervously, “I didn’t know I was attending a school with a bunch of supernatural people.”
Call barked out a short laugh. Really? That was the game Aaron was going to play here? “Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England.”
“That’s what I--oh nevermind. The point is that I’m completely serious!” Aaron looked at him pleadingly, his expression begging.
“Aaron, that is such bullshit,” Call said, glaring at him, “Everyone knows this is a school for supernaturals. It’s the only one in the country. I mean, for fuck’s sake, you’re a psychic! Shouldn’t you know all this?”
“I’m a what now?”
Call gaped at him. How on Earth did this guy play dumb so well? Was that just a talent that came with being blond? Or was Aaron really just that idiotic?
“A psychic. You know, telling the future and all that? That’s how you kept finding me, right? You’re always showing up in places that only I’d be in before I even got there. That screams psychic to me.”
“...Are you saying that not everyone dreams like that?” Aaron asked slowly, his face disbelieving. Call ran a hand down his face, exasperated.
“Aaron, I don’t even dream. I’m dead.” Aaron looked Call up and down, who suddenly felt a bit insecure about his black on top of black on top of black ensemble. Then, Aaron reached out and poked him in the chest.
“You seem pretty alive to me,” Aaron said, raising an eyebrow as he looked back up at Call, who blinked in surprise.
Call would have blushed, if he had any blood. He’d never noticed how green Aaron’s eyes were until now, like an untamed emerald rainforest that shone with life. He looked away from Aaron’s gaze.
“Fine, undead then.” he conceded, “Point is, I don’t dream.”
“Do you eat?” Aaron asked earnestly.
“What?” Call asked, confused. Aaron shrugged and straightened up, pushing up his dorky looking glasses as he gave Call one of those smiles that were packed with all of the sunshine that Call hadn’t ever been able to experience.
Until now.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to get food sometime. You know, to make up for me being a jerk earlier.”
Call let out a slight laugh of astonishment. That was a smooth move on Aaron’s part, especially considering how awkward he had been moments before. Call considered the offer. Was he still upset about the photos? Yes, yes he was. But it sounded like Aaron’s offer to try and fix things was genuine, as was his prior ignorance to Call’s…condition.
“You know what? Fine,” Call said. Aaron’s expression shifted from casual to elated.
“Really?” He asked, his eyes wide from disbelief. So much for smooth. Call turned an easy looking smile on Aaron.
“Sure, if you really want to make up for it,” Call answered. Aaron nodded eagerly and Call huffed another laugh. “Alright then, meet me outside on the steps Friday night.”
“Friday... night ?” Aaron furrowed his brow.
“I’m a vampire,” Call said, beginning to walk away. He turned, walking backwards, and opened his umbrella, swinging it over to rest on his shoulder, “Nighttime is kinda my thing.”
Without waiting for Aaron’s answer, Call turned back around and pushed open the door, stepping into the bright sunlight of the Tuesday afternoon, shielded from it’s burning rays by the shade that his umbrella provided.
Aaron was nervous.
Actually, he was way more than simply “nervous”. He was downright terrified .
His date with Call--which he was assuming would start when the sun went down--was in less than an hour, and he didn’t feel prepared at all . He had been scrambling around his dorm, looking for things to wear and thinking of things to say, for a little longer than what would be considered normal.
Wait, had he just referred to it as a date? He ran a hand down his face and groaned. It’s not a date , he reminded himself, just two people getting food together.
He supposed he wouldn’t be bothered if it was a date, but he was pretty sure Call still hated his guts. It didn’t matter if Aaron thought the guy was attractive, or that he had a nice laugh, or that he actually looked really cool with his umbrella even if it was purely a functional thing, or that--okay, Aaron was just going to stop himself now.
The fact was, his somewhat spontaneous feelings wouldn’t change the fact that the whole reason this was happening was because Aaron had offended Call on perhaps the most profound level possible; and that Call, being a merciful person, had agreed to let Aaron make up for it by buying him dinner.
Deep down, Aaron hoped that Call wasn’t going to make him rob a blood bank.
Was that offensive to think? Vampirist or something? He definitely wouldn’t bring it up to Call. Aaron had gotten on his bad side too many times already. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Call’s soul-piercing death glare again. He’d much rather get a laugh or a smile from him.
He liked Call’s smile. Call’s smile made him feel like he was on a rollercoaster. He wondered if vampires liked rollercoasters. By extension, he wondered if Call liked rollercoasters. Maybe, one day, Aaron could ask Call on a date for real. They could go to an amusement park, and he could put the vampire-rollercoaster question to the test.
Aaron really needed to stop thinking about this so much.
He mentally went over his list he had titled Things Not To Say To A Vampire. Tamara had helped him make it when they were trying to write out his apology. Apparently, blood jokes were a big no no, which meant that the blood bank thought was going in the metaphorical recycling bin.
Aaron sighed. He really wished he’d had a dream about tonight, so he would at least have a little notice on what would happen. However, his mind had remained stubbornly blank every night since Call had agreed to dinner. So much for the whole “psychic” thing.
After a good amount of time spent fussing over his outfit and hair, Aaron reluctantly made his way out of the dorms and towards the front steps of the academy. The last flickering rays of sunlight drowned the grounds in a beautiful gilded light.
The entrance of the academy faced the west, the letters that spelled “Magisterium Academy” were seemingly painted with flecks of gold. The two large stone pillars in front both casted contrasting black shadows over the doors, the darkness sinking into the soft glow of honey colored light that was starting to fade now. Aaron looked back once more at the sun sinking down below the hills of Virginia.
“Is it beautiful?” A voice asked. Aaron turned back around, startled as he searched for the source of it. Finally, he caught sight of Call, who was hunched down in the shadow of one of the pillars. He would have blended in perfectly had it not been for his pale features.
“Yeah,” Aaron replied calmly, once he knew that it was Call. He blinked his green eyes at the fading sun, “It’s really beautiful.”
Aaron sat down on the steps of the academy. The wind blew around him, reminding him of the chill that promised the cold winter months ahead. For now, the world was filled with the sound of leaves skittering across the pavement, the call of birds as they flew past, and the howl of strong autumn breezes that made you shiver as you pulled your coat closer around yourself.
The two of them sat in silence as the sun lazily fell lower and lower, being pulled into its routine nightly slumber before it eventually climbed its way back into the sky in the morning.
“Ready to go?” Call asked, standing up finally. He swung around the pillar, his face a neutral expression that conveyed neither joy nor displeasure. His clothes were the usual ensemble of black hoodie over black jeans and his hair was in its usual tangled and messy style. Jarringly, though, he had no umbrella with him.
“Where’s your umbrella?” Aaron asked, a little confused. Call rolled his eyes and gestured at the hills that the sun had just barely sank behind.
“Why would I carry around an umbrella at night?”
Aaron smiled dumbly. “Maybe it’ll rain.”
Call laughed disbelievingly at him. “You are so ridiculous,” he said, smiling. Aaron resisted the urge to do a fist pump. Smile number one: obtained.
Magisterium Academy wasn’t very far from the edge of town, so it was only a short walk as they strolled past the gates and onto the sidewalk leading into the small city.
“Where did you want to go?” Aaron asked. Call considered for a moment, tilting his head up to watch the stars, which were only just starting to emerge from the twilight. Aaron didn’t know whether he was trying to ask them their opinion or if he was simply thinking, so he remained quiet.
After a minute or so of silence, Call looked back at him.
“Does this town have a McDonald’s?”
Call and Aaron had elected to skip eating at the greasy restaurant itself, instead choosing to walk further into the city as they ate their food.
“Here,” Call said, slipping under a large, iron gated archway. He was careful not to touch the metal itself as he went through. Then, he reached back and tugged Aaron along.
“What is this place?” Aaron asked, looking around at the grass and trees that glistened in the moonlight. Their trunks looked dark and their branches ever-widening, but he supposed that was just due to it being night. Everyone knew that trees were ten times creepier at night.
“City park. It looks a lot different at night, huh?”
“Yeah…” Aaron said slowly. Call bit his lip as he led Aaron to the old, dilapidated playground. He sat down on one of the rusty swings. Aaron set their food down before following suit. Then, he handed Call his fries (Call could eat regular food, just not copious amounts of it; hence, fries) before pulling out his own food.
They ate in comfortable silence, Call finishing later than Aaron due to him being such a slow eater. Call threw a fry at Aaron for pointing that out and laughed at the shocked expression on Aaron’s face.
“That was assault,” Aaron said, offended.
“More like a salt . Get it? ‘Cause fries are salty?” Call asked, a shit-eating grin on his face. Aaron groaned.
“You’re worse than Tamara.”
“Tamara could beat me in a pun war any day of the week, I hope you know that.”
“I--yeah, I guess that’s true.”
Call hummed and began to swing back and forth contentedly. Aaron followed suit, and a minute later the two of them were competing to see who could get the highest. Aaron laughed as the swing set shuddered and creaked dangerously.
“We’re gonna die!” He called out, sounding rather happy about it, Call thought. He grinned at Aaron.
“Can’t die if I’m already dead!” He yelled back. His voice must have been carried off by the wind because Aaron didn’t answer him, just kept laughing in time with every shake of the ancient and rusty frame.
After a while, the two of them settled down, Call dragging his feet in the sand underneath him as he gently swayed back and forth. The night air was cold, but he never felt the cold anyways. Aaron might have been shivering, but every time Call looked over at him, he seemed fine.
“You’re not dead,” Aaron said suddenly. Call’s gaze fell to him again.
“What?” He asked, confused. Aaron turned to Call with a serious look on his face.
“You said you’re already dead, but you’re not. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that’s as alive as you are.”
Call blinked. What was with all the sincerity all the sudden? He’d just barely met Aaron, and now the guy was…
...he was telling Call exactly what Call had always wanted to hear, if he was being honest with himself.
His entire life (the term “life” being used ironically in this context) he had grown up less than a human being. A vampire. A half life. An undead. One who subsisted through hurting others (though he had never personally hurt anyone). He shrank back from sunlight, from iron, from mirrors, from cameras, and for what? What had he done to deserve this?
It was unfair. All of it. Call had never asked to be turned. He’d never asked for the scorn of the sun every time it came across his skin. He’d never asked to become a blank backdrop of every photo and mirror that attempted to capture him.
But...now here was Aaron. Aaron was a sun he could touch, a warmth he could feel without being burned. He supposed irony came around in the funniest ways.
“Can I kiss you?” Call asked abruptly. Aaron’s face went red, and this time it wasn’t because of the cold.
“W-what?” Aaron said, bewildered. Call dropped his head down in embarrassment. He’d probably be blushing too if he had the ability.
“Sorry, that was really forward. I just--thanks. For saying that, I mean.” Call stood up from his swing and put his hands in his pockets, smiling at Aaron, “You’re a good person.”
“I thought you hated me,” Aaron said, his eyes wide as he stared at Call. Call laughed.
“I don’t hate you. I mean, the photo was a dick move, sure, but I can’t blame you for it if you didn’t know about...you know. That.” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling very nervous all of the sudden.
“And even then, you still offered to do something to make up for it. I think most people would have just stopped at the apology.”
Aaron stood up, smiling sheepishly. “I felt really bad about it. Even if I didn’t do it intentionally, it still hurt you. I never wanted to do that.”
Call stared for a moment at Aaron, baffled at how there could be someone so good that existed in the world. In Call’s experience, people didn’t care if they hurt you. So long as it didn’t inconvenience them, you simply faded into a blurred shadow in their peripheral. Not Aaron, though. Aaron was…
Aaron was something .
Call looked away and cleared his throat. “We should be heading back. You look cold.”
Aaron’s smile faltered slightly, but stayed on his face as he took in a deep breath and nodded. He looked up at the sky, his breath coming out in clouds that ghosted around his rosy cheeks.
The two of them cleaned up the McDonald’s wrappers, disposing of them in a nearby trash can, before exiting the iron archway. They walked back to the academy in silence.
Call’s mind drifted back and forth in confusion as the quiet stretched between them. Had Aaron rejected him? He hadn’t said no to a kiss, but he’d never said yes either. Call dropped his shoulders in defeat and elected to just let Aaron make the next move.
If he’d even make one.
He probably thought Call was weird.
…
He definitely thought Call was weird.
Once they reached the academy, they both walked towards the dorm, beginning to make light conversation on the way. Over time, Call’s nerves slowly lessened, and his fumble from before seemed as if it had been forgotten.
When the time came for them to part ways, they stood in the hallway for a moment.
“I--” Call began.
“Ha--” Aaron started at the same time. They both laughed.
“You first,” Aaron said.
“I had a nice time,” Call chuckled, “As cliche as that sounds.”
“I don’t think it sounds cliche at all. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Aaron smiled at Call. Call smiled at Aaron. It was a quiet moment, seemingly charged with one of those choices that created a split in time.
Unbeknownst to Call, Aaron was making that choice. For once in Aaron’s life, the future had fallen outside of his dreams and into his hands, giving him the power to choose whichever path he wished to follow.
The first path was safe. The evening would end quietly. The boys would say their goodbyes. They would go back to their rooms. They would rise the next morning, all conflict absolved between them. Aaron would wave at Call in the hallway every so often. Call would wave back shyly. Then they would go their separate ways. Life would continue on as normal.
The second path was risky, but it offered so much more. There was happiness, pain. There was heartbreak, elation. It was a bumpy, long road that twisted and turned, dipping low and soaring high. But, when Aaron looked beyond it, to the end of the road, to the destination, he knew what his choice was.
Aaron stepped forward into Call’s space, hearing the other boy’s breath hitch from surprise as Aaron leaned down and pressed his lips to Call’s in a light, chaste kiss that meant so much more than what could be felt on the surface. Then he pulled away, his cheeks red.
“Have a nice night, Call,” he said, giving Call one last smile, one last glimpse of sunshine before he turned away.
“You too,” Call croaked behind him. Aaron laughed quietly as he began his walk to his dorm room.
He’d seen the end of the path: a brilliant display of sunlight that broke through any shadow that crossed it.
He knew how it all ended, because Call’s lips had been warm.