Frozen pt. 4 - YAOI

Part Four - Ice


“I don’t understand.”

Kale stared down at the pale hand tracing a line along his arm, feeling Damien’s chest expand and retract against his back. They were sitting on his bed, the older boy’s back pressed against the headboard with Kale in his lap, arms latched around him so tightly it was almost painful. “What?” Damien whispered, his head resting calmly on the younger boy’s shoulder. Kale shifted, the ache of uneasiness in his chest blooming further into a distinct discomfort. It felt so…inhuman.

“The first time I called you…I was so young, and for the longest time you were my only friend. I don’t understand how I could just forget you so suddenly. Even now,” Kale pressed a palm against his forehead, gritting his teeth against the throbbing that resonated there, “it hurts if I try to think about it too hard. I can’t remember everything. But I remember enough. Where…did you go?” He looked up at Damien, the other boy’s light eyes fixed on some point he couldn’t see.

“I never left,” Damien muttered, closing his eyes against the dark, “it…was a mistake. It wasn’t your fault that you forgot. But…it might be best if you don’t remember…everything.” Kale gripped at Damien’s arm around his chest, the throbbing beneath his eyes intensifying as he sifted through the memories from all those years ago. With a deep sigh, Damien pressed his palm against Kale’s cheek, his lips twitching in a slight frown, “Stop it. You’re just hurting yourself. How you forgot doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you remembered, okay?”

Kale pushed Damien’s hand away, unsteadily getting to his feet and stepping off the bed. Damien looked confused for a moment, his hands tracing the spot on the bed where Kale had been sitting before he leaned back with a sigh. Kale stared down at the markings he’d drawn on the floor, his arms folded firmly across his chest, “Damien…what are you?”

The older boy drew his knees up until he was sitting cross-legged on the bedspread, his back ramrod straight and his eyes closed. “I am whatever you want me to be. You may not remember everything, but surely you remember the rules?” Kale pressed a finger to his lips, mutely shaking his head. Suppressing another sigh, Damien ran a hand through his pale hair, a hint of impatience showing in his voice.

“When you summoned me for the first time all those years ago, you bound me in a sense deeper than blood. I follow your command above all others. I belong to you, Kale.” He looked up, eyes flicking to the open window on the far side of the room where the sky was beginning to lighten on the horizon. He stood up, soundlessly dropping to the floor and grabbing Kale’s arm, roughly spinning him around.

“I have to go.”

Kale staggered as Damien let go, his knee smacking the boxspring of the bed with a muted thump. “Wait!” he shouted, completely forgetting to keep his voice down, “I still have questions! You can’t leave now!” Damien paused, his palm resting lightly against the chilled glass of the open window as he offered a thin smile, “Call me back once night falls. I promise I’ll explain everything.”

A gust of frozen wind cascaded through the open window, kicking up the pile of homework papers Kale had left on the floor and throwing them viciously at the wall. Kale snatched one out of the air, his blood boiling with annoyance as he turned back to Damien. But…he was gone. And all that was left was his foggy palm-print on the glass.

* * *

The snowfall from the night before had left a fine layer of fresh powder on the football field; covering the bright metal bleachers and wiping out the lines on the field. Kale wrapped his jacket around him tightly, the cold of the snow stinging his bare hand as he brushed some snow off the bottom row of bleachers. It was just like Ari to pick the most annoying spot to meet after a snowstorm.

Ari had called soon after Damien had left, his voice sounding tense and exasperated over the crackling landline of the phone. He’d practically demanded that Kale meet him at the school’s football field as soon as he could, hanging up before Kale had the chance to protest. So here he was, sitting with his back to the wind in an empty field at seven o’ clock in the morning.

Kale took a deep breath, the cold burning his lungs and clearing his head. It did feel good to get some fresh air. The last thing he needed was to sit in his room all morning waiting for Damien to come back and explain things more. And the less he thought about it, the less his head hurt. It was Saturday after all, it wasn’t healthy to stay cooped up in the house when he could be out with his friends.

“Hey.”

Kale looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, waving to Ari from across the field. The older boy stomped his feet before sitting down, his face and hands red from the cold. “God,” he shivered, scrutinizing Kale’s thin jacket with a disbelieving eye, “how can you not be freezing?” Kale tugged at the sleeves of his jacket, “I am cold. Why did you bring me here? We could’ve talked over the phone.”

Ari shook his head, his shivers calming as he chewed on his lip. “I just…are you feeling alright?” Kale blinked, his brow knitting together, “What?” Ari shook his head, refusing to meet the younger boy’s stare, “I’m sorry I wasn’t at school yesterday. I know you needed me after your attack, but…are you sure you’re feeling fine?” A cold breeze ruffled Kale’s hair, pushing the dark locks across his face.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Ari relaxed visibly, his shivers stopping absolutely as he leaned back against the bleachers, “…good.” They sat in silence for several minutes, the only sound being the echo of distant traffic. Kale stared down at his hands mutely, tracing one finger along the lines of his palm and listening to the steady thump of his heart. This was ridiculous. He didn’t come all the way out here so early in the morning just to sit in silence.

“Ari, wha…”

The words were blocked suddenly as Ari grabbed his shoulder, roughly jerking him around and pressing his lips against Kale’s own. It only lasted for a split second, only a moment before Kale jerked back, his head hitting the top bleachers as he lurched to his feet and stumbled back. Heat rushed into his face, the burn of the cold air vanished and forgotten. He pressed his palm over his mouth, staring at Ari in shock.

Ari gritted his teeth, firmly getting to his feet with his eyes fixed on the ground. Kale took several steps back, afraid of the sudden anger in his friend’s eyes, “Ari, what…” A clear snap reverberated across the field as Ari’s fist struck the side of the bleachers, “Dammit, Kale! Are you that blind?” Spots of blood appeared in the snow below his quivering fist, the skin split from where the metal had broke.

Kale remained silent. What could he say? Not even the burn of the cold wind could calm the heat beneath his skin. Ari had always been…just Ari. His best friend. What did this make him now? It was…almost too much to think about. Kale felt the breath leave his chest in a sudden rush, his eyes finding the empty spot where Ari had been standing a few moments before.

The trail of bloodspots and footprints led in a straight line across the field. Kale stared after them in shock. Had he blacked out? It felt like he’d only closed his eyes for the smallest of seconds…but even Ari couldn’t run that fast. “Ari!” his voice echoed back to him mockingly. Hot…everything was so hot.

Kale raised a hand to his forehead, touching at the tender spot where he’d hit his head on the bleachers. A thin coat of blood covered his fingers when he lowered them, bright red against the blinding white of the snow. His hands were shaking, the breath collapsing unsteadily in his chest. He couldn’t have a panic attack now! There was no one around to help him…no one. Of course, he was alone again.

“Ari…”