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“No……no please…….”
“Kevin…..c’mon Elder Price, wake up, buddy.”
Kevin Price let out a loud scream and jolted up out of his nightmare, knocking Connor back a bit in the process. The dark-haired boy was taking deep breaths, his chocolate eyes wide with fear. They landed on Connor and he let out a small whimper.
“Connor?” Kevin asked, and choked on a sob, relieved, and pulled the red-head into a hug. “You’re alive…..you’re okay….”
“Of course I’m alive Elder Price,” Connor rolled his eyes a bit as the other boy hugged him. “Why wouldn’t I—" Connor stopped, eyes wide, suddenly realizing what must have happened to his friend. “be…..” He gently pulled Elder Price out of the hug, and gave him a small sympathetic smile. “You had the Hell dream didn’t you?” he asked the other, voice kind.
Kevin nodded, with a sniffle.
“I—" Connor bit his lip. “I was in it?” he asked again.
Kevin nodded again, this time a little more upset.
“All of you were,” he mumbled, glancing at the other Elders sitting around him.
“We were?” Elder Davis said.
“Uh huh,” Kevin nodded.
“Why were we—?” Elder Michaels started, but Elder Church nudged him, shutting him up.
“He doesn’t have to tell us why,” he scolded. Elder Michaels hung his head.
“Sorry….”
“It’s okay,” Kevin replied. Connor knew he was lying.
“C’mon Elder,” Connor helped Kevin up, throwing his arm around the taller boy’s shoulders. “Let’s get you back to the house okay?” He turned to the others, and noticed Elder Cunningham walking towards them. “See where he was?” he told Elder Thomas. The poptart-loving Elder nodded at his friend, and the rest of the boys watched as Connor and Kevin walked back to their house.
“We were really worried about you Elder,” Connor said, as they walked along. “After you stormed off like that last night….”
“Sorry,” Kevin apologized, looking down at his feet a little embarrassed.
“I know you are,” Connor smiled. “I’m just glad we found you by the bus stop, and not, you know, eaten by lions or something.”
Kevin cracked a little smile then, but stayed quiet as they continued to walk down the dusty road back to their house.
“Do you think Heavenly Father hates me?” Kevin suddenly asked.
Connor’s eyes widened, shocked by this question.
“Hates you?” Connor repeated. “Why would He hate you?! You’re-you’re like the poster boy for Mormon everything!”
“Then why is He letting all these bad things happen to me?” Kevin asked.
“What do you mean?”
“He-he let that poor man get shot in the face, Connor,” Kevin’s voice was low and terrified. “Right in front of me. I-I had his blood all over…it-it took me three tries to wash it all off….” he sniffled again, and wiped his nose on his arm.
“Oh Kevin….” Connor frowned.
“I-I can’t do this,” Kevin sniffled again. “But-but I can’t leave either. I know that now…I just….”
“I understand,” the redhead nodded. “But that’s why you’ve got us, Elder,” McKinley smiled, trying to cheer the other Elder up. “We are here to support each other.”
Kevin nodded as the other Elder opened the door to their house and McKinley helped him over to the sofa.
“Now,” Connor sighed, as they both sat down. “You said we were all in your Hell dream.” He patted Kevin’s hand. “I usually don’t make the other Elder’s talk about them, but this one is super different. I can tell.”
“You can?”
“Every time you look at me, it’s like I died or something,” Connor replied.
“You did die,” Kevin mumbled quietly, looking down at his hands. It was so quiet, Connor almost missed it.
“I-I did?” Connor asked and his face fell as Elder Price nodded.
“All….all of you,” Kevin sniffled again. “Elder Church, Elder Kneely, Elder Davis, Michaels, Poptarts….then Arnold and-and you….The general shot all of you and-and I couldn’t save you because The Devil and a bunch of demons tied me up. I couldn’t—I couldn’t do anything…." a sob escaped his throat and this time Kevin let the tears fall freely from his eyes and buried his head in Connor’s shoulder and sobbed.
Connor immediately hugged Kevin, rubbing his back gently. To Heck with the rules right now. His friend needed him more.
“Shhh….” Connor rubbed Kevin’s back, trying to calm him down. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re all okay.”
Kevin stiffened, feeling Connor’s fingers brushing gently though his hair and he quickly sat up.
“No, what….this is against the rules, Elder. What-what if someone saw us?”
He quickly tried to smooth out his already-perfect hair and wiped the tear stains away from his cheeks. Connor didn’t budge.
“I don’t care,” he said, feeling brave.
“Wh-what?”
“For the first time in my life, I don’t care. I-I care about you a lot, Kevin. I-I don’t like that you’re so sad. And I mean-You must care about me a lot too if I died in your dream…I mean,” Connor bit his lip. “You hugged me first, remember?” he teased a bit nudging Kevin’s shoulder.
Kevin blushed and turned away, biting his lip a little shyly.
“Well, you were dead….”
Connor blinked.
“Did you just quote Princess Bride to me?”
Kevin winced, his face even more red than before.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t catch that….”
“Kevin Price, you are the biggest dork!” Connor giggled.
“Hey!’ Kevin glared. “You’re supposed to be comforting me, not teasing me!”
“Heh,” Connor chuckled. “You’re right,” he said, completely serious. “I’m sorry.” he bit his lip. “That really sounds like an awful dream.”
“It was,” Kevin nodded.
They stayed quiet for a few minutes before Kevin spoke-up again.
“Did you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“What you said?” Kevin clarified. “Do you care about me?”
This time it was Connor’s turn to blush.
“Oh-of course I do, Elder Price!” He stammered a bit. “I care about all the Elders here! I-uh-I don’t want any of them to feel upset or confused….”
“Connor,” Kevin smiled, taking the redhead’s hand. “I’m not talking about the other Elders. I’m talking about me.”
Connor stayed quiet and fiddled with his hands.
“Connor McKinley, you answer me right now,” Kevin said again. “Do you like me?” Connor looked a little scared. Kevin smiled. “It’s okay, I won’t get mad. I just wanna know.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah. Promise.”
Connor braced himself, shutting his eyes tight, and with a deep breath, he nodded.
What happened next threw Connor for a loop. For in that second, Elder Price was suddenly kissing him. On the lips.
Connor stiffened, blue eyes wide.
‘Pull away, Connor,’ he told himself. ‘This is wrong. Pull away…. Pull….a….way…….’
The redhead turned to mush and finally gave in and kissed Kevin back, closing his eyes, blissfully happy that his crush was suddenly kissing him. Kevin Price was kissing him. Connor’s eyes opened again, realizing what was happening, and froze. Kevin could sense something was wrong and pulled away. Seeing Connor’s shocked expression, Kevin’s face fell a little.
“I-sorry I thought….”
“You thought what?”
“I thought….I thought….”
“Spit it out, Price! I don’t have all day!”
“Ijustthoughtyouwantedmetokissyousinceyousaidyoulikedme……”
Connor blinked.
“Again. Slowly.”
“I just-" Kevin started, his face turning red. “I like you too, okay?!” Kevin blurted out suddenly. “I thought kissing you would just be easier than explaining….MMPH!”
Kevin’s thought was cut-off when Connor suddenly went back to kissing him. They both pulled away a bit happier the next time, with huge dorky grins on their faces, and a little out of breath.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Kevin admitted.
“Really?”
Kevin nodded.
“Since I saw you in that ridiculous vest.”
“Hey!” Connor cried, putting his hands on his hips with a sassy pout. “That vest is fabulous, and you know it!”
Kevin laughed and shook his head.
“You’re adorable, you know that?” he teased.
“But-but I don’t geddit,” Connor said, still confused. “You-you said you weren’t having thoughts.”
“I uh-I might have lied,” Kevin admitted. “I mean-you were trying not to be, and-well….”
“But,” Connor interrupted. “You’re…You’re so good. All the time. Why-why this….sudden change of this being okay? I-I don’t even…how can you admit all this when I’ve been turning it off for so long?”
“When I saw you die,” Kevin said, his voice quiet. He looked down at their hands, fingers now entwined together. “Gosh Connor, I was so scared,” Kevin admitted. “I felt like I had exploded into a billion pieces and just seeing you lying there….” Connor felt Kevin shake under his hand. He frowned, seeing Kevin upset again.
“Oh sweetie, c’mere,” Connor pulled Kevin into a hug, and Kevin started crying onto the District Leader’s shoulder again.
“What-what are we gonna do, Con?” Kevin sniffled, suddenly lifting his head up off his shoulder, but he stayed cuddled. He liked it too much to move away. “This-this is so wrong but I just—" he blushed. “I like you. A lot.”
Connor nodded.
“I like you too. A lot. And I’m super scared and really not sure if I’m totally one-hundred percent okay with it all but….” Connor blushed then too. “But you are kinda an awesome kisser and—actually, no. I’m not surprised. You’re perfect at everything so of course kissing would be something too but—"
Kevin smiled a bit proud of himself.
“Yes. Go on.”
Connor glared at the brunette’s smug grin.
“I was going to say because of you and your stupid-perfectness, that I kinda would like to kiss you again, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Hey!” Kevin’s grin turned into a pouty frown.
Connor smirked.
“You’re adorable when you’re mad,” he teased.
“Shut up,” Kevin continued to sulk, which only made Connor grin more, since Kevin was still occupying his lap.
“Still adorable,” Connor mused, and wrapped his arms around Kevin’s, leaning his head on his shoulder.
Kevin relaxed and sighed, giving into the cuddling, and leaned back against Connor’s chest again.
They stayed like that for a bit, but Kevin could still sense a little fear from the other boy because of the way Connor’s hands were shaking.
“This just made things so much more complicated,” Kevin muttered.
“Yeah. We’re breaking so many rules right now….”
“Heh,” Kevin chuckled and looked up at Connor’s crystal blue eyes. “Like I said last night. To Heck with rules.” he mused. “You died,” he reminded the redhead.
Connor chuckled.
“Good point.”
“And as such,” Kevin decided. “I think it’s only fair that you stay here and hug me like this until I know you’re not going away any time soon, yeah?”
Connor knew Kevin meant it as a joke, but the way the light in his eyes faded just a bit, Connor knew Kevin was still a little scared from before. I mean, he had that stupid Hell dream every night. He knew how traumatic they could be. And knowing that his death was the cause of Kevin’s Hell dream, made his heart break. Even more so now than before. Somewhere in the last five minutes, Kevin Price suddenly had become the most important person in Connor McKinley’s life, and the District 9 Leader suddenly felt compelled to make sure the beautiful dork of a boy currently sitting in his lap would never have to feel like that again. Connor hugged Kevin tight.
“Yeah,” Connor finally replied. “Yeah you win.”
Kevin smiled and let Connor hug him.
Just then, the front door blew opened, Elder Thomas standing in the doorway.
“YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!” he cried excitedly. “ELDER CUNNINGHAM HE—“
He suddenly saw Kevin and Connor on the sofa, both of them slightly terrified. The shorter Elder looked at the state of their ruffled shirts and messy hair, and he gave them both a knowing grin.
“It’s about time.”
Kevin and Connor blushed.