Always and Forever

"Don't do this!" Gage screamed desperately, tears streaking down his cheeks in a never ending waterfall. "You can't do this to me, Marcus!" Gage screamed again as he saw Marcus continue to drag his bags out of the front door of the apartment. Gage was on his knees, begging to stay. This was his last chance.

He had no money, no job, no place to go. Everyone hated him because of the cursed disease that he has been forced to carry the burden of every since he was fifteen years of age. He can't have a room mate because his noise at night wakes them, forcing them to get annoyed. He can't keep a job because he's always too tired to do anything. This disease, this cursed disease of insomnia, is single handedly ruining his life. Hell, his own parents kicked him out the second he turned eighteen, not being able to deal with his habits anymore.

"Please!" Gage begged again, softly. He was giving up hope. He knew this was pointless. This situation that he was currently in was inevitably going to come, but he wished that it hadn't come so soon.

"Gage..." Marcus said softly as he knelt to Gage's level. "I'm so sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I warned you four months ago that if you didn't have the rent I'd have to kick you out. I'm barely staying sane with my lack of sleep because of all the noise you make at night. I can't deal with that and struggle to pay the rent when the person whose supposed to be helping me can't come up with his share." He said sincerely. It was all true.

Marcus barely got any sleep anymore because of Gage. He would often be woken up in the middle of the night to the television or loud banging in the kitchen that was caused by Gage and his inability to sleep regularly. Gage's habits were starting to make Marcus lack much needed sleep, and it was taking a toll on him. He was performing less then satisfactorily in both college and work. His teachers are worried about his sudden drop in grades, and his boss is worried that Marcus suddenly lost his eagerness to work. He'd probably end up getting fired if he didn't get his act together.

He took Gage in when he was just nineteen. The young boy had answered the add he had put in the newspaper for a room mate. He needed help paying the rent. At first everything was going well, but as the months passed, Gage's payments came slower and slower until they stopped coming altogether. It broke Marcus's heart to kick the poor boy out, but he had no choice. He had to keep his job and continue going to school. He needed to find a new room mate, one that could keep up with his share of the rent, or he would lose his apartment too.

"I'm sorry," he said for the billionth time as he helped the boy walk outside of the apartment, softly closing the door in his tear stained face. Marcus knew that what he was doing was the best for him, but he was a softy. He knew that if he didn't do what he did to Gage now, he'd end up caving and let Gage continue to stay, only hurting himself more in the end. He can't keep putting the young boy ahead of himself.

Outside of the closed door stood Gage, more tears streaking down his face. He was stunned that everything had happened so quickly. It didn't feel like four months. Then again, time was just a blur to Gage now. Most people spend half of their lives sleeping, while Gage would wish for days for such a treasure. He spends at least eighty percent of the day awake, craving much needed sleep, only to be rewarded with a few hours. He'd take it though, if it meant that he could close his eyes and rest. He spends so much time awake that it all blurs together. He barely knows night from day and day from night. Everything just seems like one infinitely long day that he takes tiny naps through.

He finally gathered himself enough to pick up his bags and start to lug them to his car. He only needed one trip because he only had so many personal belongings. He set his bag in the trunk of his old, rusty car and put the key in the ignition. As he turned the key he hoped that his car wouldn't die on him today. "Please, please, work," he begged his car silently, hearing it sputter a bit then roar to life. At least his car didn't break down, adding to the atrociousness of this horrible day.

He took a deep breath before he started to drive to his favorite place in the world, the twenty-four hour diner. Ever since he turned sixteen and received his license he would drive there every night. On his first night there he met the most gorgeous boy he had ever seen, Riley Martinez. Riley, too, is an insomniac, and goes to the diner every night. He's two years older then Gage, and much wiser, and Gage always looks towards him for guidance and company. It seems that Riley is the only person Gage can truly relate to and trust in the topsy-turvy place we call planet Earth.

No matter how much Riley reassures Gage, Riley knows that Gage has no hope. He's a screw up, and will go nowhere in the world. He can't keep a job, a home, a relationship. He can't do anything right. To make matters worse, Gage knows that he's hopelessly in love with Riley. It's impossible for someone as amazing, successful, and gorgeous as Riley to even take time to think about reciprocating feelings of love towards Gage. That didn't stop Gage from going to see him every night though.

They'd sit in the diner, talking for hours over coffee and a plate of hash browns. They keep each other company in the hours of the night that they both would rather be sleeping peacefully through. They both crave sleep, being able to close your eyes and lose yourself for a few hours. Maybe even dream. Dreams were a foreign concept to both of the boys. They can't get enough sleep to dream. Oh, how they both wish they could dream.

Gage smiled slightly, wiping his eyes, as he pulled up to the beloved diner that held the most amazing person in the world. Gage knew that being in a relationship with Riley was a lost cause, but that didn't mean that a smile couldn't help but creep onto his lips whenever he saw him or thought about him. Riley never ceased to make Gage feel better about himself. It's one of the many things that drew Gage in, making him love Riley like he's never loved before.

He hopped out of his car quickly, wanting nothing more then to see Riley's gorgeous face. It's the face that occupies his thoughts almost all the time. It's the face of an angel. A face that would make even male super models green with envy. He smiled as he heard the soft 'ding' of the bell as he opened the door to the dinner. He immediately spotted Riley's head of raven locks in their usual booth. He walked over to him and noticed how their food was already ordered. They've been eating the same thing for almost every night of the year for four years, of course the waiting staff would know their order by heart now. They were regulars, and often the wait staff would stop by to join the conversations, loving them like they were part of the family at the diner.

"Hey," Gage spoke softly as he sat down in the vinyl booth.

Riley looked up from his book as he heard Gage greet him. He noticed how the usual smile that graced Gage's luscious lips seemed forced. Why does such a great person have to have such a horrid life? Gage deserved so much better then what he was forced to life with. "Hey," Riley said as he put his book down, reaching across the table to take Gage's delicate, porcelain hand in his own. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

Riley knew that he and Gage had grown attached to each other over the years. They have yet to spend time together in broad daylight, but they were always together at night. They shared no secrets between each other. They could talk about anything and everything for hours on end. They craved each others company, loving it. They were two outsiders walking among the people of the world, looking for that someone to relate to. When they both stumbled upon each other incidentally four years ago, they both subconsciously knew that they'd never want to let the other one go. It's as if they both rely on each other to prove that they aren't completely alone in this world.

Gage looked at Riley as he grabbed a hash brown and stuffed it into his mouth. The hash browns here were truly addicting, and he and Riley were often the butts of some of the jokes of the wait staff about how much they were addicted to the simplest of foods. "I got kicked out of my apartment," he told Riley softly. He lost track of the number of times he's told Riley that same exact line, all because of the same exact reasons.

"Oh honey," Riley said, sympathy lacing every syllable. "I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better." Riley really believed that. This has happened to Gage over five times. It made Riley thank the heavens that he was able to find a job at a successful publishing company. They were all accepting of his disease, not letting his moodiness in the very beginning of the morning bug them. He was one of their top editors, and the job paid very well. He didn't have to live through some of the extreme hardships that people like him had to live through, like Gage had to live through.

"If I deserve so much better why can't I get any better?" Gage responded softly. He was always putting himself down and it broke Riley's heart. He was such a gorgeous creature and the depression in his eyes marred his near perfect beauty. Gage has been through the same scenarios so many times that he knew Gage had lost hope.

"Live with me," Riley said on impulse. He knew Gage had no money to temporarily stay in a motel until he found a new job and a new apartment. The idea sounded better and better to Riley. He could help Gage and keep better company all at once. It would be perfect for both of them.

"I can't intrude," Gage said flabbergasted. He can't force himself on Riley. Riley was too kind of a person and Gage would find some way to mess up their relationship. He didn't want to lose him. He couldn't lose him. If they lived together he'd end up scaring him off, losing the only person who ever understood him.

"I insist," Riley said as he got up and slowly tugged Gage towards the door, throwing some cash on the table in the process. "You need a roof over your head, and I can give you that." Riley held his tongue from telling Gage how he felt about him. He thought that if he told Gage he was gay that he'd be screwed. Well, he wasn't exactly gay, he was bisexual, but for all he knew, Gage could be a homophobe. Sexual preference was one of the few topics that he and Gage had never discussed. Maybe they'd be able to discuss it and learn more about each other since they would soon be living together.

Riley drove to his apartment building, Gage trailing behind him. He helped Gage get his bags and they ascended the stairs to his second floor flat together. This was no longer Riley's home, it was their home. The thought sent excited shivers down both of their spines, but neither noticed.

Riley unlocked the door and set Gage's bags down. "I'm gonna have to force you to take the pull out couch for now," he said apologetically. He felt bad that he couldn't give Gage the luxury of sleeping in a bed, but he needed his bed for the rare moments he slept.

"It's okay. The fact that I can stay here is enough." Gage responded truthfully. He never knew that Riley liked him enough to put a roof over his head in his time of need. The thought made him smile. Riley smiled before motioning for him to make himself at home and walking to his own room.

Gage walked into the living room, pulling out the couch. It was a nice size and looked rather comfortable. He made the bed with the sheets he found in the cupboard underneath the nightstand before crawling into it. This was the beginning of the hours he would spend staring at the ceiling until his mind calmed enough to let him drift into unconsciousness. He didn't mind doing that on this night, though. He only had one thought running through his mind, one that made his heart swell with both want and gratitude.

For once in his life, Gage felt welcomed, and it was all because of Riley.