Mustang’s eyes flashed then. ‘Are you admiring him?’

‘Why?’ Ruby asked playfully. ‘Are you getting jealous?’

‘And what if I am?’ Mustang asked.

‘You're one to talk about jealousy’ Ruby frowned. ‘I will only ever love you. You on the other hand…’

Mustang cut off his last words then with a kiss, pushing him back into the forest.

‘Mustang’ Ruby giggled. ‘Not here.’

‘Why not?’ Mustang whispered seductively in his ear. ‘I can’t resist you.’

‘Can’t you at least wait until we get indoors?’ Ruby asked as Mustang pushed him against a tree.

Mustang bit his earlobe hard, Ruby flinching in pain as he did so.

‘No’ Mustang answered shortly, before taking Ruby by the hand and pulling him deeper into the forest.

He pushed him against another tree, now out of sight of the tracks.

Ken returned to the town, wandering the streets alone.

He wondered where he should go. He felt that it was too late to go back to school now, registration would already have finished. Perhaps he should go home. There was a chance the school had called home to tell his family that he was absent, perhaps they were beginning to worry.

Ken’s stomach tightened nervously then as he thought of his mother. She would surely not be pleased with him.

He picked up his pace, heading home quickly.

When he entered through the front door, she was waiting for him.

‘I'm so glad you're back’ she said holding him tightly. ‘I was beginning to worry…’

Ken held her back, tears in his eyes. ‘I'm sorry mother….I….’

‘Your teacher told us you failed to show up’ his mother said, letting go of him and brushing the tears from his cheeks. ‘I thought something terrible must have happened. You're not having flashbacks again are you?’

‘No’ he answered quickly. ‘I haven’t in ages….I’m fine…’

‘Then why didn’t you go to school? Your father and I have been so worried.’

‘I just…’ Ken mumbled. ‘I don’t know…I just couldn’t….not today…’

His mother watched him sadly. She hugged him again, kissing him on the forehead before letting him go.

‘Just stay here now’ she said kindly to him. ‘I’ll get you something to eat.’

Ken spent the rest of the day watching TV, curled up with a blanket around him.

‘You shouldn’t sleep now’ his mother told him, ‘or else you won’t sleep tonight.’

‘It’s alright’ he said to her. ‘I'm not asleep.’

‘Are you sure you're alright?’ she asked him again. ‘You seem different now. Did something happen?’

Ken thought of Mustang suddenly, his cheeky grin, his carefree attitude…everything about him was stuck in his mind.

‘Why did you save me? Why? After what I said to you? I have to know…what were you thinking when you ran towards him?’

Mustang put his hands in his pockets.

‘Fuck it’ Mustang replied. ‘YOLO.’

‘This is the only life we all know we have. One life. One chance. If I can die making a difference in this world, then I will.’

‘I am not controlled by my parents. My life is my own, and I will do with it as I please.’

‘Live your life as you should’ he told him, ‘not how other want. Live in the moment’

Why? Ken thought urgently. Why are you the way you are? What makes you be that way?

‘I'm fine’ Ken mumbled to his mother. ‘Nothing’s happened…everything is fine I just….don’t feel myself at the moment…’

He sighed, resting his head against the pillow. His mother watched him with concern, but left him alone, thinking perhaps that he needed his peace.