Sequel: Pretty Bird

People Got A Lotta Nerve

Sea Of Love; Cat Power

"Evan died on a Sunday...Kind of ironic, right?"

He gave me a questioning look.

"Sunday...Jesus' day, day of rest, you know. The world is supposed to be perfect, all done, nothing left to do. Just sleep, I guess, or marvel at all the perfection. That's what God did, right?"

Oliver shrugged. "That's supposedly what happened."

I leaned back, now joining Oliver who was laying belly up on my bed. My head fit perfectly in that comfortable space where his arm met his shoulder. It was like that crook in his shoulder was designed to be my personal pillow.

"Science versus Romance, Oliver. Science, the world was created by some mass explosion, controlled chaos, basically. Or the romantic side, the side that says some divine creator did all of this, made things the way they are. That this is all planned. Why the hell would God want to take Evan?"

Oliver shrugged again, his arm curling around my back and pushing my body into his chest. "Lots of people don't believe in God, Chris."

"That's not the point!" I sighed, closing my eyes as I rested my head on his body, his even breaths helping me to even out my heart rate. I was sure Oliver could feel my entire body shaking, Good Christian screaming and protesting in my head as one of one, the layers began to peel away from me. "She was never supposed to die. She was way too perfect. She did everything right, you know? I remember when she was little, it was Easter and my mom had dressed us both up in those big poofy white Easter dresses, complete with the lace and the pink sashes and everything. And after we had done church, we were going to go hunt for eggs at the park. We were searching, and I found some brook, some tiny little stream, but to me, it looked like a river. And I thought I saw an egg, but it turned out to be a bright purple piece of trash. I was waist deep in the water, determined to get that egg, that I wasn't even thinking. When Evan saw me, god Oliver she was only 4, she grabbed onto me so tight and wouldn't let go, telling me if I got too cold, I would turn into a popsicle. She made me stand in the sun with her, as both of our dresses got absolutely filthy in that gross water and the mud and dirt. My mom was absolutely livid, but Evan could have easily saved my life that day. I could have easily drowned, or gotten too cold, or anything. So why couldn't I save her life?"

Oliver stayed silent, keeping me pressed against his body with his arms. I was getting good at memorizing all of his tattoos.

"She was cute as hell, too. When I moved into here, I found some old video tapes of things like Christmas of 1994 and 1995, when we were both so little. I was 6 and she was 4, I think. In '96. And she got this My Little Ponies VCR movie, that I had wanted so bad and made her write on her Christmas letter to Santa. And as soon as she unwrapped it, she walked over to me and handed it to me..."Here Chrissy, here's your present." Like it was completely nothing. My parents got so, so mad. But I mean, what could they do?"

"She sounds incredibly cute." Oliver whispered, his lips pressing against my forehead. It was comforting feeling the breath coming out of his nose on the top of my head.

"Yeah, she was..." I trailed off, turning my body completely into Oliver's and wrapping my arms around him. "I haven't really gotten around to dealing with too much since she died."

"It was clearly way difficult, Christian. Hell, I don't know what I'd do if that happened to Tom."

"I have this fucked up idea in my head that if I let someone get close to me, I'll let them down. Just like I feel like I let her down...100 people can tell me 100 different ways that it wasn't my fault, what happened to her. My head will agree, but my heart cant. I cant help but feel like if I had done something different, she would be alive. And my parents would be around here still. They say there are too many memories. They sold all their real estate, except for this house, and they moved to Germany, Berlin I think. My dad is German."

"Babe..." He trailed off upon feeling my shoulders and back ridge straight up. I wasn't used to nicknames like that. "Sorry..." He awkwardly laughed under his breath.

"No, its okay...I'm just not used to it." I answered honestly, tilting my head up to look into his eyes, giving him a reassuring smile.

He smiled back, his cheeks turning that new pink color I had just discovered earlier today. "Its normal, I'm sure, to try and think you could have done something different. But think about it, you said she's in a better place now, right? Maybe she can dance now."

I still had my eyes focused on him, his arms wrapped tightly around me. He smiled shyly, his eyes staring straight into my soul from behind his fringe.

"You need a haircut, Sykes." I giggled, pressing my nose against his and wiggling back and forth; eskimo kisses.

He laughed too, rubbing his nose back against mine. "I just want you to be happy, Christian. That's all. And you're not happy now."

"Who says I'm not happy?"

Oliver stayed silent, just kissing my forehead softly.

"Can we just lay here like this all day?" I asked, a yawn escaping my lips as I snuggled up even closer into Oliver's warm body. He may be skinny, but the boy could cuddle.

"As long as you'd like, love." He whispered into my hair. It was the last thing I heard before I felt my eyelids get heavy, and my consciousness fade away into the distance.

----

It was a different feeling this time, waking up next to Oliver. Last time, this morning, I had felt suffocated and stifled, like he had a grip around my neck, even if he was sleeping peacefully next to me. All I could think about was getting out, and getting away.

This time however, I felt...okay. His arms around me, never loosening me from their grip around my body, felt like my own personal force field, keeping me safe from the outside world, and all the bad thoughts that lived in my head. As long as I was with Oliver, I was okay.

I nuzzled my head into his shoulder, as if I could possibly get any closer to him. He stirred slightly, his breath picking up pace and his arms squeezing me into him tighter.

"I'm not letting you get away this time." He whispered into my hair, making me shiver.

"I promise, I'm here." I replied, the heat emanating off his body keeping me perfectly warm.

He shifted, curling his body into mine more as his eyes opened for this first time. "What time is it?"

"3AM." I turned to look at the clock on my nightstand. "We slept through dinner."

"Fuck...." Oliver released me from his arms, and sat up, his legs swinging over the edge of the bed. The muscles in his back subtlety twitched. "I missed some interview thing with AP."

"I'm sure you can call them tomorrow."

"I was supposed to be there with...I think Curtis. Probably Curtis. They're all probably wondering where I am."

"Well, if Vegan is all of a sudden making phantom appearances to my places of work, I think its safe to assume that they know you're with me." I crawled across the bed, until I saw sitting on the edge, right next to Oliver, my head resting on his shoulder.

He smiled, and kissed my forehead. "You're probably right."

"I'm always right, you'll get used to it." I looked up and beamed at him, kissing his bottom lip gently, catching him off guard.

He kissed me back, one of his hands gently cupping my cheek, so he could control the length of the kiss. It was simple, and sweet, his lips barely grazing mine as I licked his bottom lip slowly, begging for more. He never relented though, just pulled away slowly, before laughing under his breath and kissing my nose softly.

"I have an idea..." I said, as soon as I regained all of my mental functions after that kiss. "Get dressed."

"Dressed? Why?"

"Can't you just trust me?" I giggled, placing my hand on his knee as I pushed myself up from the bed, walking over to my closet. "I'll never lead you astray, Oliver Sykes."

----

"You have a thing for the beach, don't you?" Oliver teased, our hands intertwined as I pulled into the parking spot one handed. My little car was the only one in the parking lot; front row to the sandy beach in front of us. It was so dark. The ocean looked pitch black, blending perfectly into the night sky, the only thing separating the two was a layer of tiny stars twinkling through the horizon. Every few seconds, the ocean would make itself known, the waves creating little gray swirls in the water.

We got out of the car and removed our shoes and socks instantly before walking out of the parking lot. Oliver wouldn't let me move before checking for any broken glass in my path, adamantly demanding that I never get hurt when on his watch again. The dark night hid my blush; I was still in shock about how cute he could be at times. Finally, we made it to the sand, the freezing cold granules molding perfectly to our feet as we walked closer and closer to the shore. Oliver laughed, and lightly pushed me closer, til I was ankle deep in the surf, the Pacific water temporarily freezing my entire body.
As soon as I had recovered, and my body began acclimating to the temperature, I lifted one of my feet out of the water, kicking water in Oliver's direction, his shirt quickly becoming littered with water spots.

"That's what you get!" I cried, running from him, anticipating his retaliation.

All I got in response was his laugh, his perfect laugh, and the sound of stomping feet on the beach coming closer and closer. Before I knew it, my feet were completely off the ground, and my body was thrown over Oliver's shoulder, my face staring down at the ground.

"Put me down!" I shrieked, playfully hitting his back with my fists.

"No, love. You got me wet. And you cant run very fast, you know." He laughed again, his stomps in the water splashing up and wetting both of our clothes.

Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours of both of our laughs filling the empty space at the deserted beach, he set me down, before tackling and pinning me to the ground, sand instantly finding a way in my hair. His hands were on either side of my head, his body directly on top of mine, one knee between my legs, the other resting on the outside of my right thigh. His weight didn't crush me, at all. The cold sand on my back perfectly counteracted Oliver's body heat, and his warm breath on my cheek, his breath still evening out, as I'm sure carrying me around was no easy task.

"Oliver?" I whispered, his face inches from mine.

"Love?" He smiled, his eyes bright and twinkling, just like the stars above us.

"I don't want this to end."

He sighed, lowering his head and resting it in the crook of my neck. "I know, me either."

"When do you have to leave?" I tried to stop the corner of my mouth from slanting downwards, even if Oliver couldn't actively see my face if his was buried in my neck.

"Soon." He whispered, kissing my neck gently. "But then only a few more weeks before the tours done, and we get to go home."

"Home, as in England, not as in San Diego." I reminded him. "There are no beaches in Sheffield."

He breathed out heavily, bringing his eyes back up to mine. "We will work it out, love. Everything will work out."

"I guess I can try and trust you." I smiled, even if it was weak. He smiled back, his lips pressing against mine.

"I promise, okay?" He trailed off, the kiss ending as his eyes lost focus at mine, now staring at something in the sand by my head. "Christian?"

"....Oliver?" I whispered, unsure of what was happening.

"I...I don't really say this too much." He inhaled, exhaled. "I think I'm in love with you."
♠ ♠ ♠
This thing is winding down, coming to a close haha
:)