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A trail of smoke followed the newly lit cigarette limply lying between Marcus’s pointer and middle fingers. The graveyard was calming with friends, but it just wasn’t the same without the presence of someone in particular. Sure, Lex, and Petra were enjoyable to be around obviously, but it just wasn’t the same as usual. The green mohawk strutting eccentric boy he considered his best friend just livened up a measly day just with his presence. Marcus never understood what was so different about Billy in regards to how he felt around him. Maria and Saya never made him feel the way Billy does, it was similar but nothing near the same, and other male friends didn’t make him as happy to be around either, although he didn’t have that many to compare the feeling to. Billy was just so different to him. He hadn’t even realised his cigarette had burned itself to nothing as he was in deep thought about the boy until the ashes hit the rest of his fingers as it fell. Finally snapping out of it, he looked down to it. “Had I really been thinking about him for this long?” He looked up to Lex and Petra, Lex still prodding Petra for some type of give into payback against the Legacy kids for the rat meat in their food prank. Marcus put out the barely hit cigarette, as it was nothing but a useless butt now, and calmly left to head to class early.
Class had been a blur, Marcus completely zoning out during mixed martial arts. His mind still lingered on the question he asked himself earlier that day. What made Billy so special to occupy his thoughts for an entire day? He thought maybe it would be easier to just ignore it then to pursue an answer, but his mind was one step ahead, pushing his body to head to find the boy. His mind went rampant with the ideas of why Billy meant so much to him, and tried to settle on the fact he was such a good friend to him. It rationally made sense because his friends list was about as short as his stay in King’s Dominion. Plus Billy was always there for him, and he was always there for Billy. Hell, They killed Billy’s piece of shit father together. That type of thing bonds friends together for life. For as much as Marcus wanted to believe that was the answer, it was something else. Something that completely slipped over his head as something he couldn’t believe would be the answer. He was in love with him, but not in the way he felt about Saya or Maria. This was truly genuine, unforced, and natural. Was he aware of this at that moment? Not at all. He would realise soon enough.
Just as he arrived at Billy's dorm, He finally snapped out of his thoughts. He collected himself then promptly knocked. Billy opened the door quickly after, looking like a hot mess. He had been sleeping the day away before Marcus woke him up with a knock at his door. His hair was unstyled and messy, and his self cut tank top hung loosely against the boy’s frame accompanied by his sweats. Marcus stared at Billy, his face heating up without him knowing. It was slowly starting to hit Marcus the real reason Billy was so special to him, and made him feel so different compared to everyone else. The Boy standing in front of him was so effortlessly perfect in his eyes, every flaw everyone else saw just making his heart skip beats. Marcus was so immersed in his own self recognition that he couldn’t hear Billy asking him what was up and why he was there. As it finally Hit Marcus, so did Billy.
“Hey! Dude, You good?? You were all like… out of it and shit. Plus your face is looking all red, Maria flip out on you again?” The boy asked, his signature little laugh following his words. Marcus loved that laugh, it was so real and like music to his ears.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. I haven’t even seen Maria today. She’s on one of her fits, ya know. I actually came to see you.” He realised quickly how awkward that sounded as a stand alone sentence. “Since you haven’t been in class all day, Just wanted to check on you! I’m a good friend obviously.” His face continued to get hot from
embarrassment, probably being able to cook an egg on his cheeks at this point.
Billy laughed again, “Of course I know you’re a good friend!! I’ve just been sleeping, needed to sleep off the pain of the food poisoning that rat gave me.” He yawned, rubbing one of his eyes, “You want in? You can chill in here with me if you’re that worried.” He smiled again, going to fix the hair now resting over his eyes.
“Oh yeah, sure. Sounds great!” Marcus chuckled, his pits sweating profusely as he walked into the shared room of Billy and Lex. The smell of weed was strong, but his mind was more focused on the current realisation he had. He wasn’t even aware that he liked men that way, especially Billy. It would make sense it would be Billy of all people, but it came as such a shock. He was so preoccupied with Maria, Saya, the troubles with Chester,and all his classes to even properly think about it or anything in reality. As he walked around in a dazed state, he couldn’t help but let his eyes fall on the other boy in the room. He never realised how attractive Billy was, especially with the low light in the room from when he was sleeping.
Billy was fixing his hair in the small mirror on one of the desks, teasing and spraying it to make it into his signature flared look. It was unusually quiet in the room, he realised, starting a quick conversation about the class he missed this morning.
“Sooo, What did you guys do in Mixed Martial Arts? Hope it wasn’t anything with Miss DeLuca, cause mannn I would be so jealous of you.” He followed his words with a laugh, looking over to Marcus and seeing the boy’s eyes set directly on him. It came as a shock, because it wasn’t a normal stare, which prompted him to ask. “Hey, are you good? You’ve kinda just been staring bro….” He laughed again, finally snapping Marcus out of his stupid little trance.
“Oh hey, sorry, I’ve been super out of it today. I was completely zoned out in Mixed Martial Arts, It was just normal routine fighting checks. Haven’t even seen Miss DeLuca today.” He finally took his eyes off Billy, unaware of how long his eyes were locked on him. He slowly sat down next to him, trying not to stare this time. “So did you sleep well? I know you weren’t feeling all that well this morning, so Did sleeping it off help?” Marcus asked, looking to Billy to find his eyes locked on him now.
They sat there in silence for mere seconds, time slowing down to make the seconds feel like hours. Marcus couldn’t move, he was too scared to move. Was fear the emotion he truly was feeling? He couldn’t even answer that question before Billy moved in closer. Marcus’s eyes darted to where Billy was resting his hands. They were right next to his hands. The silence then interrupted by Billy’s voice. “Was checking up on me really what you are here for Marcus? Cause you’ve been goo-goo eyeing me more than Petra did to Viktor.” He laughed, sitting up as Marcus’s eyes followed his face.
His heart reacted before he could even think to respond, grabbing his hand. Marcus looked to Billy, locking into his soft blue eyes. He smiled and ruffled the boy’s freshly styled hair, messing it up completely. Billy laughed in return, resting his hands on Marcus’s shoulders after doing the same back. They both broke out into a fit of laughter, gently messing up each other’s hair again and again until they both couldn’t breathe. When they finally stopped to breathe, Marcus looked up to Billy with tender eyes, taking a deep breath to finally say what he’s been meaning to say the whole time.
“Billy, I never properly realised how much you mean to me, but there’s something you should know. I like you. Not just as a friend, something way more. Something more than friends. I,” He paused, and took another sharp breath before letting the rest of his words out, “I am in love with you.”
Silence fell between them. Billy had to take in what he just heard. Marcus had girls wrapped around his waist begging for him, and he was in love with him?? It made no sense to him, but he couldn’t deny himself how he felt either. Petra may have been someone he had a stupid highschool crush on, but he truly always liked Marcus. Since they first met, he was attracted to his personality and the way he held himself day to day. Standing up to Master Lin and Chico again and again? It made him so crazy for Marcus. He tried to pass it off as just jealousy that he was so courageous and would take so many risks off the bat. Sure, he was the class clown, but he never took heavy risks like Marcus. He wouldn’t even mess around with Lin or Chico, but Marcus would. Marcus was also so kind to him, he cared so much for him, Lex, and Petra. He treated them like life long friends who he would die on a hill for without hesitation. The Boy looked up to his curly haired friend, and took a leap of faith. No time for thinking, just needed to act before he regretted what he was doing. He grabbed his shoulders and kissed him. Just as he was going to pull away, Marcus set his hands on his cheeks and kissed back.
Minutes turned into seconds for the lovebirds, spending every second they could pouring into their first kiss. Finally, They both broke off to breathe. “So, what does this make us Billy?” Marcus asked, the blush slowly growing across his face. “I would reckon us dating my good man.” Billy chimed back, laughing. God Marcus loved that toothy grin and laugh.
“I’m more than happy to hear that Billy, you don't know how badly my heart was racing.” He nervously laughed, trying to hide his shaking hands by grabbing Billy’s. He gently stroked his hands with his thumbs, touching foreheads with his newly obtained boyfriend. “Do you want me to fix your hair? I feel bad I fucked it up.” He smiled, fluffing around his hair a little bit.
“You don’t have to bro, or should I say babe?” Billy pointed a finger gun at Marcus, paired with a wink and smirk. This erupted laughter out of his partner, and a soft “You’re such a dork” as well. He smiled, “I mean I can show you how I do it, I’ll even fix your hair after I fluffed it to oblivion and back. You look more like a rat than ever before.” The boys laughing together once again.
Billy showed Marcus how he did his hair, then went to comb through Marcus’s hair after he wet it down. They spent a little while picking out matching accessories they could hide under their clothes, and just talking about life and anything they really could. Lunch was in about an hour, so they decided to finally head back to Lex and Petra in the graveyard before they all went to get poisoned again by the legacy kids. Billy quickly changed into his uniform, as Marcus looked through Lex’s stuff for another box of cigarettes. He found a box right as Billy finished changing. Billy shut his light off as he grabbed Marcus’s hand, dragging him up to the roof as quickly as possible to go tell Lex and Petra the news.