Chapter Text
The first time Kurtis had ever felt love for someone was when he was 9.
Well maybe that’s not the most accurate, he’d felt love before just.. never in the way he had this day.
The day in question had been a sunny one, with gentle crisp winds flowing in through the windows and into his short curly locks of hair. They’d been growing out alot more recently, yet he found himself quite liking it. Somehow it made him feel slightly more free.
His mother had told him earlier in the week that he and his family had to attend a wedding. He watched as she slicked back her straight brown hair and yelled at his brother to get ready. His brother, Dexter, was halfway out his bedroom door, one sock on and his crisp suit now crumpled as he rushed to tie his tie. It made Kurtis giggle.
His dad, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be found, probably some place else drinking with his friends. Kurtis didn’t mind much though. He had grown used to the faint absence in his heart.
But that wasn’t the time to worry about things like that. Not whilst his mother frantically grabbed him, brushing through his untamed curls which made him wince in pain.
“Mama… that hurts…” He whined, trying to tug at her hands in an attempt to stop the sharp rushes of discomfort in his head.
“I know Kurti but we’re in a rush sweetie,” She said apologetically, “Try and bear with it today okay?” She tilted her head and gave him a small reassuring kiss on the cheek.
Kurtis gave a pout but didn’t say anymore. Soon he was rushed into the car, his mum and older brother in the front seats and him in the back. As the journey stretched on, he looked out the window a few times but all he could see was a large pan of green spreading far and wide, save a few farm animals. He happily yelled when he saw the horses, eyes sparkling with wonder. It earned a chuckle from his mother and an amused eye roll from his brother.
After a while, he felt the car slow to a stop and he hopped out, holding his mother’s hand as he walked from the car park into the venue. It was decorated beautifully. White lilies were placed all around an overwhelmingly big arch with various gold decorations accompanying it, a food table lined with just about everything a nine year old boy could imagine and balloons encompassing the entire room. There was a large garden area in the back where various other children were playing, some around his age and a few older.
He looked up at his mother, his bright green eyes wide as he watched her talk to a lady. She had dark skin with blindingly bright honey eyes which sparkled. The white puffy dress she wore stood out against her skin and was decorated with assortments of lace and jewellery. Kurtis assumed she must’ve been the bride from his mother’s descriptions but he didn’t have a clue who she was in regards to him or his mother. The lady bent down to him and pinched his cheek, cooing about how cute he was. It made him flush and hide his face away into his mother’s leg, earning loud laughs from both the women.
“Kurtis honey why don’t you go play with the other kids?” His mother asked, gently coaxing him away from her leg.
“I have a little boy around your age actually” The lady smiled, broadly and brightly. “I’m sure the two of you will get along great!” She added on sweetly.
“Uhm.. okay..” Kurtis mumbled, trying to sound a little more confident as he was ushered to the garden.
His brother was already there, he seemed to be talking with a girl his age so there was no chance of trying to just hang around him, Kurtis would just get yelled at and shunned away.
So instead he chose to sit on a small brick wall. It was tucked away in a corner, not so far it’d be impossible to find him but far enough it was unlikely anyone would come near him.
The ceremony didn’t start for another hour so he took time in the peace and quiet. He wasn’t normally one for it, he preferred running around, getting scuffed and dirty, but today, he took solace in the gentle breeze and sunshine peeking through the trees. He’d never admit that he may have been slightly lonely sitting there. That was until, a voice rang out from above him.
“Hey,” It said. Kurtis’ head shot up so quickly he almost smashed it into the tree. His heart had jumped out of his chest when he heard the voice. When he looked up, an audible gasp left his mouth.
Standing in front of him was a boy his age. He was slightly taller with the same dark skin as the bride and those enticing honey brown eyes. They carried something behind them, an air of mischief maybe? Whatever it was, it made Kurtis’ heart rate speed up exponentially as they met with his bright green ones. The boy was dressed in a frilly black and white suit, his hair in a wide afro decorated with white lilies. It would’ve looked stupid had he not been so pretty.
“Uh hey?” The boy said, waving a hand over Kurtis’ face. “I asked you a question”
Kurtis snapped out of his daze. That was weird… he thought, shaking his head as he regained his conscious thoughts.
“Oh uh— sorry.. what was the question?” He muttered, ignoring the flush that rose to his face. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else he didn't quite know.
“I asked what your name was.” The boy raised an eyebrow as he perched himself next to Kurtis on the brick wall, earning a small, thinly veiled, yelp from the pale boy.
“I-I’m Kurtis.. what’s your name?” He managed to choke out. The butterflies in his stomach didn’t subside as the boy gave a wide toothed grin. He was missing one of his front teeth but it was still as bright as the sun.
“Blake.” He grinned, those honey brown eyes meeting Kurtis’ again. It felt like everything the bo- Blake did sent jolts of electricity through his veins. This feeling was unfamiliar and it scared Kurtis more than he’d liked to admit. His fists clenched against the hard brick as the flush grew to his face for no particular reason.
“So Kurtis, how come you’re at my parent’s wedding?” Blake tilted his head. Small petals fell from the lilies in his hair. Kurtis’ heart raced at the way his name sounded in Blake’s mouth. It was like honey, sweet and soft with a small bite to it. He could’ve listened to it all day.
“My mama was invited so.. I guess I had to come along as well?” He said in return to Blake’s question, nerves jolting at him. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, growing brunette curls drawing themselves over his hand.
“Huh. Alright then!” Blake grinned as he jumped off the brick wall. He held out a hand to Kurtis, small and welcoming. “Wanna play football with me?” He asked nonchalantly
Kurtis’ heart swelled a little as he beamed, taking Blakes hand into his own. It was soft and delicate like a girls but he had a strong grip on Kurtis’ hand, almost as if he was afraid to let go.
From then on, the time until the wedding passed by in a blur. Him and Blake played together for a while, he felt himself giddy with something he couldn’t quite place until Blake was called away for final preparations. Kurtis felt a pit in his stomach as he watched Blake be whisked away, only left with a wave of his hand and an apologetic smile.
“Meet me back here afterwards!!” Blake yelled from over his shoulder.
“Y-yeah I will!” Kurtis yelled back, pink dusting his freckled face.
Even during the service Kurtis could only keep his eyes glued directly on Blake. He was walking down the aisle throwing various different flowers across the walkway. Adults cooed at how adorable he was and that bright grin was still plastered on his face. It was clear he enjoyed the attention. Suddenly, he stopped before promptly grabbing a flower and shoving it into Kurtis’ hands with nothing more than a teasing smile and twinkle in his eye before continuing to spread the flowers.
Kurtis felt his face heat up to a completely new degree as his mother chuckled softly beside him.
“Looks like someone’s got a little crush..” She whispered, poking at Kurtis’ sides through snickers.
“Wha— gross mama I don’t have a crush!!” He stammered. His red face probably gave away all his emotions but it was met with nothing more than a quirk of his mother’s eyebrow and a hand gently ruffling his head.
He was only nine, too young to truly understand the weight of those words on him.
The ceremony passed in a flash. The couple, Blake’s parents, exchanged vows Kurtis didn’t really care for and kissed. Which he made a small fake gagging sound at, much to the amusement of his brother and annoyance of his mother who gently slapped his arm and told him to be respectful. He scoffed, sinking into his seat and rolling his eyes. Romance had never exactly been his favourite thing.
As people filed out of the room, Kurtis caught a small glimpse of Blake who, when their eyes met, gave a wild grin and a wave. Kurtis just gave a timid wave back and mentally smacked himself for looking so nervous as he shuffled off.
At the dinner table, his family were seated with another. It was the girl from before who his brother was talking to along with her parents and younger sister. Her sister was Kurtis’ age with gleaming blonde hair and bright blue eyes but Kurtis didn’t even bother to speak to her, rolling his eyes as the words from her droned on. She was probably talking about dresses or makeup or something that he deemed to be ‘girly’ or ‘stupid’
When the food came he devoured it, not even caring how he appeared. His mother gave him a small shove and told him to eat properly so he did tone it down a little but was still practically inhaling the food. The prospect of meeting Blake again was enough for him to mostly disregard his mother’s complaints.
After finishing he wiped his mouth and eagerly asked if he could return back outside. His mother said a quick yes and he raced down to the garden as fast as his little legs would take him.
Right there waiting for him was Blake. The way that the flowers surrounded him, both on the ground and in his hair made him look a little bit like a fairy. When Kurtis made eye contact, Blake’s face lit up and he rushed forward, enveloping Kurtis in a hug which the other boy definitely did not expect.
“Yes! I was worried you wouldn’t make it!” Blake grinned, squeezing his arms around Kurtis’ waist. Kurtis, so taken aback by the sudden display of affection just mumbled a small dazed ‘yeah’ and brought his arms around Blakes warms shoulders. His whole body was practically radiating heat.
“C’mon, I’ve got somewhere to show you!” Blake exclaimed, breaking the hug and grabbing Kurtis’ soft pink padded hand in his own and they took off running.
Wind flowed through their hair, the flowers from Blake’s flew out with how quickly the two of them were rushing through the lush green fields. The sky was painted with an array of reds, oranges and pinks, all of which illuminated Blake’s entire being. The colours wrapped around him like a halo of light. It made him look angelic.
The two of them arrived in a secluded spot Kurtis hadn’t managed to notice before. It was almost like a maze, trees intertwined with each other, willow leaves bending over shielding them from any other presence. It was… peaceful. It was almost like it was.. theirs.
Kurtis turned to make eye contact with Blake who was looking a little sheepishly at the ground. He twiddled his thumbs nervously, more timid than Kurtis had seen him the entire time.
“Um— sorry if this is kinda too much.. it’s just, I like this place..” Blake stammered, uncharacteristically nervous. Kurtis felt an overwhelming feeling of needing to reassure him. He didn’t like seeing him so jolted with nerves.
“No way, it’s not too much!” Kurtis yelled, grabbing Blake’s shoulders, bringing their eyes to meet again. “It’s really pretty, and I don’t even usually like pretty stuff!”
Blake just had a dumbstruck look on his face as he observed the way Kurtis’ green eyes shone with some genuine, something real. It made a small blush rise under Blake’s dark skin.
“I- thanks..” Blake smiled, white teeth shining in the growing moonlight. “C’mon!” He grabbed Kurtis’ hand again, his small fingers threading through the other boy’s.
The two of them did anything and everything they could think of at that moment. They climbed to the highest peaks of trees, swung from branches before landing flat on their faces, scuffed but blissful. They talked about anything and everything that came to their minds. School, home, football, both their tongues ran giddy with their new found freedom. The sun had fully set now, the glowing moon illuminating their exuberant faces.
That was until, a sharp yell interrupted their mini paradise. Kurtis jumped at the sound as the bushes rustled from behind him. He saw his mother there, a panicked look on her face as she saw the two boys sitting on the grass, dirtied with mud and small scrapes from falling.
“Kurtis!” She ran towards him, grabbing him swiftly and hugging him close to her shoulder. “Kurti sweetheart please don’t scare me like that..” Her shoulders shook a little.
Kurtis’ hands fisted at her dress as he craned his head to look back down at Blake. The other boy’s eyes were wide, shining with a faint sense of guilt.
“Mama it’s fine.. me and Blake were just playing..” He retorted.
“Kurtis it’s night, you could’ve gotten lost or even worse” Her voice edged on being more frantic. She set him back down on the ground and he could see the tears prick at her eyes.
“Just.. promise me you won’t do that again?”
“I..I won’t mama..” His face was stained with guilt.
She gave him a small tired smile before turning her eyes to Blake. She raised an eyebrow at his just as scuffed up appearance.
“And you Blake? Your parents must be worried!” She said. Blake’s eyes were kept to the ground.
“I’m sorry m’am..” His cheeks were puffed out and his eyes still looking at the grass as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
“It’s fine but we should all be getting back now,” Kurtis’ mum gave a tired sigh before grabbing both boys hands.
They both gave a small nod as they walked back through. When Kurtis looked over, Blake’s look of guilt had turned into one of mischief and it made him giggle a little. That was the look he adored, the look that truly felt like Blake.
Soon, the three made it back to the main reception. It wasn’t extremely late so most people were still there but Kurtis could feel the wave of tiredness hitting him like a ton of bricks. Turned out that climbing trees was just as exhausting as normal even if it was with Blake.
Speaking of which, his parents rushed him up into their arms and his mother planted kisses over his face, red lipstick staining it. He pouted, pushing her head away in embarrassment. Kurtis’ laugh morphed into a yawn half way through and he felt himself leaning on his mother’s leg for some stability. He felt a rumble of a laugh from
her.
“Well, guess I should be getting this one home now huh?” She patted his head gently and he immediately protested. He didn’t want to go just yet, what about Blake? But when the protests became weaker from his mouth, he knew sleep would be coming to claim him soon enough.
Blake’s mother just laughed, still holding him in her arms. She plopped him down gently and he immediately rushed to Kurtis, arms wrapping tightly around his mid section. His head was buried in the crook of his shoulder.
“I don’t want you to go..” He murmured into his shoulder.
Kurtis wrapped his arms back around Blake, drinking in the other boy’s warmth.
“Hey, we’ll see each other again won’t we?” Kurtis looked up expectantly to his mother who just gave him a laugh and a smile.
When they parted Kurtis took one final look in Blake’s deep honey brown eyes. They were just as beautiful as in the morning, the reflected moonlight made them look like a starry night sky. Blake sniffled before giving a small smile at his reassurance.
And with that, Kurtis felt himself be whisked away along with his brother. The entire time his eyes were following Blake who gave a wave. Kurtis returned it with a grin, bigger than any he had smiled that entire night.
His stomach turned a little at his own words however. “We’ll see each other again right?” The words echoed around him. Even he wasn’t sure of the truth in those words but he knew one thing for sure, he would do just about anything for them to be true.