A/N: Hi lovely people,
This was written during a busy week, on late nights and public transport, so if it's a little all over the place, that's why 🧡
This is unedited 💛
Chapter 13.
Four days later, Cassius finally coached Kim into the kitchen garden, in the early afternoon, when most students were still in class.
Kim clutched the blonde's hand like a child and followed the taller boy into the warm sunshine. He squinted and blinked dry eyes, he hadn't been sleeping well without Yas and his nerves were still raw and jittery.
"This is cabbage and these are chillies, cucumber." Cassius pointed out the plants as they passed the vegetable beds. Little insects buzzed around them and the blonde flicked a fly off his arm.
Cassius was still wearing his running shorts and he hadn't bothered to put on a t-shirt or shoes. His tan skin shone in the sun and his long lashes caught the light in a glint of gold. Kim had a hard time concentrating on anything he said.
"Here are the flower beds." Cassius bent suddenly to snap off a white flower and held it under Kim's nose. "Smell this."
Kim sniffed, inhaling pollen and a rich scent. He quickly turned his head to sneeze and smiled up at Cassius through watering eyes. "It's sweet."
Cassius grinned and brushed the flower down Kim's cheek. "Sugar snap peas. They're my mom's favorite." He tucked the flower behind the smaller boy's ear and led him into the greenhouse.
The air inside the glass walls was hot and damp, heavy with the scents of earth, herbs and citrus. Kim took a deep appreciative breath and his shoulders softened.
"I love it in here." Cassius rubbed a fuzzy leaf between his fingertips and lifted them to his nose. "Getting my hands in the dirt and helping things grow." He squeezed Kim's waist. "It grounds me. Literally."
"I like it too. I-it's very peaceful." Kim said shyly and leaned into Cassius' side. He kept his voice reverently quiet, as if he might disturb the plants.
Cassius smiled down at him and lowered his head, cupping Kim's chin with lemon scented fingers. Their lips brushed and Kim felt warmth curl through his belly. He slid his arms around the blonde's neck, letting his fingertips graze soft curls.
"Hi." A light knock sounded on the glass and Kim leapt back, looking around with wide eyes. Cassius lifted his head to glare at the entrance.
"What?" Kim jolted again at the ice in Cassius' voice and he stared shocked up at the blonde.
Jude winced and looked at the floor. He was wearing cream colored leggings and an oversized pale pink t-shirt. A green and blue bruise bloomed around his left eye and broken capillaries threaded over his cheekbone. "Sorry, Charles told me you'd be down here. I just wanted to apologise."
"To who?" Cassius produced a strange high pitched sound, somewhere between a grunt and a purr. It was distinctly hostile and Kim felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck. Jude frowned, thin fingers flexing on the edge of the door.
"To Kim." Jude said quietly.
"Go on, then." Cassius firmed his grip on the redhead's waist, either to steady him or to prevent him from running; Kim wasn't sure. A tremor was starting in his knees and his eyes darted around the greenhouse, looking for exits.
He didn't want to talk to Jude and he didn't like seeing the boy with the sharp voice and the cold eyes approach him with a lowered head. It felt wrong.
"I'm sorry." Jude's pale gaze flitted towards Kim and quickly away again. His eye was nearly swollen shut and a broken blood vessel filled part of his sclera with red. "I shouldn't have lied to you. It was just a stupid a prank, but it could have ended really badly."
Jude licked his pale pink mouth and shifted uncomfortably, picking at a fingernail painted a sparkling blue. "I didn't want that to happen and I feel terrible...my friends have been avoiding me and I haven't been able to sleep."
Kim felt a chitter climb up his throat and he couldn't suppress it. He flushed scarlet and fixed his eyes on the dirt scattered path and Jude's white flip-flops. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty, but he couldn't help it.
"But for what it's worth," the boy's voice sounded choked, "I never actually thought you were going to get hurt."
"What the hell did you think was gonna happen?" Cassius exclaimed and Kim flinched away, chittering when the blonde just held him tighter. He risked a glance up at Jude and saw the boy was glaring at Cassius with tears in his eyes.
"I'm trying to apologise!" Jude grunted and scraped a hand through his platinum hair, making it stand up on one side. "What else do you want me to do?"
"I want you to mean it. Now get out!" Cassius stomped his foot and Kim cringed, wishing he could sink into the ground. He could feel the boys anger crackle dangerously in the air, like thunder before a storm.
"Fine, I'll go. But if you ruin mom's reunion over this, you'll be the one with a black eye!" Jude spat and strode out, slamming the door and making the glass rattle.
"We're not going." Cassius said shortly, staring after Jude with narrowed eyes.
Kim squeaked an unintelligible reply and the blonde blinked, looking surprised for an instant, before his expression softened. He looked down at the redhead and smiled sweetly, cheekbones flushed pink.
"Sorry, honey," Cassius tugged the smaller boy into a hug, guiding Kim's head against his shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."
Kim's arms wrapped around Cassius' waist instinctively and he pressed his brow against the blonde's jaw. His heart was pounding against his ribs and his thoughts were scrambling, too frantic and stressed to process what had just happened.
Cassius kissed Kim's ear and nuzzled his nose into the smaller boy's red strands. "Do you want to?"
Kim felt the boy's heat through his t-shirt and a hard cock slid against his hip. His groin gave an eager twitch, but for a brief moment he hesitated, still tasting the sharp tang of fear.
"Yes..." He breathed.
A few months ago, Kim would never have dreamed of doing something like this in a public place. But there was something about the blonde's confident touch, and his complete lack of shame, that made Kim forget where he was too. And it was hard to think with a warm tongue in his ear and a hand slipping into the waistband of his shorts.
Afterwards, they headed for the showers and Cassius helped Kim wash off the dirt, turning the redhead under the spray to press him against the wet tiles and push inside of him again. The stretch still burned a bit, but the overwhelming pleasure that followed was worth it.
......
Cassius went out with his friends that night and Chilla and Kim had dinner alone in the blonde's room. Kim had learned that Chilla preferred to eat in the dining hall, which was where food belonged, but he stayed in for the smaller boy's sake. It meant more to Kim than he knew how to express.
Dinner consisted of fish cakes and salad - halloumi cakes for Kim - with chocolate mousse for dessert. Kim was beginning to feel more at ease in Chilla's presence, but his stomach still fluttered whenever those silver eyes focused on him.
"I heard Jude came to see you." Chilla tucked his wavy hair behind his ears and started cutting his cherry tomatoes into halves.
"Y-yeah. He apologised." Kim sipped lemonade to wet his suddenly dry mouth.
"Good." Chilla said crisply and sorted his vegetables into piles, motions neat and precise. "How did Cass take it?"
"H-he..." Kim's hand trembled and he hastily lowered the glass, before he spilled it. Chilla put down his knife and reached across the table to take the smaller boy's hand. "He w-was angry. R-really angry."
"He has a temper. Rabbits are thought of as sweet and timid, but they can be fiesty." Chilla smiled fondly and speared a piece of carrot to dip it in sauce. "But it takes a lot to set him off. I've only seen it happen twice."
"J-jude had a b-black eye." Kim felt the chitters coming back and he quickly took another big gulp of lemonade.
Chilla squeezed Kim's hand, but waited until he had chewed his carrot to speak. "Jude deserved that. I wanted him suspended, but Dr. Fowler insisted on cleaning duty for a week. She said he would feel that was worse." Chilla frowned and smoothed his hand up Kim's arm.
"I might worry about your virtue around Cassius, but he would never turn on you. He acts frivolous, but he's intelligent and he has a strong sense of justice. If someone is out of line, he'll do something about it. Haven't you noticed?"
Kim thought back to a few months earlier, when Cassius had stood up for him in the washroom.
Don't talk to him like that. His name is Kim and we're all equal.
The redhead's cheeks warmed at the memory and he nodded.
Chilla smiled gently, dimples flashing. "If he's angry, it's for the right reasons. He's not like me; I snap several times a day. Usually at him."
Kim couldn't help but return that smile and a significant weight lifted off his chest, making it easier to breathe, but a thought still nagged at him. "Jude mentioned his mom...are they brothers?"
"They're cousins." Chilla sat back and lifted his glass, sipping delicately. "Dr. Fowler is fond of him."
Kim tilted his head and spoke tentatively. "You don't like him?"
"No. He clearly doesn't like me, so I steer clear of him." Chilla shrugged lightly, but his eyes had darkened to slate grey. "You should too."
Kim nodded quickly. He was relieved that he wasn't the only one Jude disliked - but now he was curious. At first, Kim had thought the platinum blonde might be in love with Cassius, but they were cousins, so there had to be another reason...right?
Chilla pushed back his chair to fetch their desserts, and a bowl of strawberries, from the mini-fridge. Kim accepted his eagerly.
He still couldn't get over how good the food was here. How incredible it felt to eat for pleasure and not just for survival. To go to bed at night with a comfortable full belly, instead of gnawing hunger pangs.
He hadn't been called to kitchen duty yet, but before that awful day with Jonathan, Cassius had been teaching Kim how to make smoothies and breakfast muffins.
The recipes had turned out well and it had given Kim a small sense of accomplishment. It felt good to know that he could make something delicious, something that wasn't just cereal and instant cup noodles. Maybe he could learn how to make a full three course meal for his boyfriends and a dessert with strawberries. Chilla would like that.
The redhead polished off his mousse, swallowed a burp, and barely resisted licking the ramekin clean. Chilla was always so proper and Kim tried to remember his manners too. Back home, he hadn't had any reason to, when he had mostly eaten alone. He wiped his mouth self-consciously with his wrist and his eyes fell on the two empty chairs beside them.
"Is Yas coming back soon?" Kim had been asking the same question once a day, for the past four days. He hoped he wasn't beginning to annoy Chilla.
"I saw him today. He's doing better." Chilla wiped his mouth with a napkin and reached for the berries. "I think he might be ready. Perhaps tomorrow."
Kim's eyes lit up and he grinned, leaning across the table to taste the strawberry Chilla held out to him.
.....
That night the door creaked open and Kim was instantly wide awake, heart thumping. Adrenaline rushed through his bloodstream, tightening his jaw, until a warm body stirred beside him and his mind caught up. He wasn't there. He was here - safe with Chilla - and it was just Cassius returning after a late night out.
"Yas?" Chilla pushed up on one arm and reached for the curtain. Kim sat bolt upright and clambered across the bed, foot catching in the sheets for an instant, before he pushed through the curtains. "Kim!?"
The redhead barely caught himself on the ladder and scrambled down, knocking his knee painfully, and then he was lurching towards the thin figure huddled by the door, faintly outlined in moonlight.
He gripped Yas' waist hard, pressing his cheek against the taller boy's chest. His hands pushed up thin cotton to touch cool skin rough with scars. He breathed in, inhaling musk, medicine and damp stone. His eyes were suddenly wet and he heaved a sob.
The body against him was trembling and hesitant arms came around him, a gentle hand settling lightly on the back of his head.
A/N: "People who don't get mad...when they get mad, beware." - Clara Cannucciari
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