Status: Experiment! We'll see where this goes(:
Swing
Three.
A fucking batboy.
Simon silently fumed as he sat in the front seat of his father's car, staring out at the baseball diamond before him. Kyle had driven the two of them to practice, something Simon definitely didn't seem the point in. Sure, his mom had volunteered him to be team's batboy so he had to go to the games, but what was the point in coming to practice?
It was a Thursday, the fourth week since Kyle came to North Carolina. After the cousin's disagreement two weeks ago things had been tense. While they were both home the second week of Kyle's stay, so were Simon's parents, so things were civil. The third week Kyle had another camp and was rarely home, and this week he had a three day camp. That camp ended yesterday though, so the boys found themselves at a practice for the team Kyle was playing on.
Simon hated being the batboy. He absolutely hated it. The guys on the team other than his cousin mostly ignored him, but when they wanted something everyone knew his name and who he was. He wasn't just the batboy. Simon was the team manager, the waterboy, the batboy, the person responsible for picking up the dugout after games, and, of course, the guy who had to carry everything.
He had only been to two games, but he was already about to throw in the towel and quit. That was why, while Kyle ran out to meet the other guys and warm up, Simon stayed firmly seated in the passenger side of the car.
Kyle had been acting strange the last two weeks. Sometimes he was mean and domineering like he had been to Simon since the day he arrived, sometimes he chided Simon and poked fun at him, but the oddest times were when Kyle was flat out nice to Simon. It was then when he became the most suspicious, and then when Simon couldn't figure out Kyle's intentions.
One morning when Kyle didn't have camp Simon woke up to the smell of breakfast being cooked. It was a Friday, which meant his parents were going to garage sales, and Simon was extremely confused. When he went to the kitchen he found his cousin cooking bacon, hash browns in the oven cooking, and a plate of pancakes ready and sitting on the kitchen counter. Kyle had smiled joyfully and told Simon to sit. After the bacon and hash browns were finished Kyle fixed him a plate and sat with him while the two ate. Simon was so taken aback he could barely eat, much less maintain a conversation. The next day, however, Simon was being treated like shit by Kyle again.
With a sigh, Simon climbed out of the car and made his way to the dugout. It was hot outside and he could already feel himself beginning to sweat. When they left for practice Simon's mother told him it would be okay outside. "It's only 89 degrees out there," she had said. What she forgot to take into account was the 80% humidity that had Simon wanting to die. He could should be at home reading his books or working on his summer assignments; instead he was the handmaid of sweaty teenage boys.
By the time Simon arrived at the dugout all the guys were already warming up which was fine by him because that meant he didn't have to speak to any of them yet. The field they were practicing at was nothing great. Chain link fence composed everything, the back stop, the dugouts, and the barrier around outfield. The bags, bordering the slightly too dusty in field, were worn, but not yet torn. The diamond was by no means nice, but it wasn't in as bad of shape as the dilapidated field Simon played Tball on when he was younger. After the torturous year of t-ball ended Simon thought he would never be around the sport again.
"Hey, Sigh!" Kyle called, jogging over to the dugout where Simon stood. He hated the nickname the team gave him, almost as much as he hated being here for the team. They called him Sigh. Si, as someone had pointed out, was short for Simon and a lot easier to say. The only problem was instead of calling him Si and leaving it at that, the team decided that since Simon was was the batboy reluctantly, made evident by the multiple audible sighs Simon let out when he was frustrated and ready to leave, they would call him Sigh. Now when almost anybody needed him, they would sigh his new nickname and everyone would laugh. Simon couldn't stand it.
"Simon," Kyle said again, flashing a perfect white-toothed smile. "Could you go grab the water? Adam forgot to get the container out of the back of his truck. It's full of ice already and on wheels so all you have to do is take it to the water hose to fill it up and wheel it over here."
Simon glared at his smiling cousin, but started to turn around nonetheless, sighing as he turned. "Thanks, Sigh!" several members of the team called when they heard his sigh. This was wonderful.
As he walked to get the cooler, Simon was thinking of the summer reading assignment he had started. Watership Down was actually a very good book, something Simon really enjoyed. In fact, Simon believed he liked bunnies more than people. So far this summer the only people he had been around had been rude and annoying. Simon would much prefer to be with Hazel, Bigwig, and the gang than with Kyle and the team.
By the time Simon was able to make it back with the full cooler, all the guys were done warming up, some sitting on the dirt floor of the dugout, some lounging on the aluminum bench, and a few others sitting outside the dugout in the shade of the only tree at the field, Simon deposited the cooler under the tree and sat on the ground out of the way. They were all talking about some party going on the following weekend.
"You coming Kyle?" an incoming junior named Brian asked.
"Yeah," added Brian's older brother Josh. "You always flake on parties."
"Guys, I -" Kyle started, but Adam cut him off.
"We know, we know," he said as he spoke over Kyle. "You have to be at mass Sunday morning and you can't show up hung over. We know."
"That's why," piped in Drew who would also be a junior next year and was holding the party at his house, "We're having the party on Friday! That way you can come, have fun, and if you drink too much its okay because our game isn't until 7:00 the next evening!" Kyle looked slightly uncomfortable, but the look on his face showed he was thinking about it.
"What about us?" Sean asked from the ground where he sat with the other underclassmen. "Are we invited to this party too, or is it another one of your 'only upperclassmen' get togethers? You hang out with us for team stuff, why can't we come to your parties?"
The older boys exchanged looks, some slightly exasperated, some amused, and some thoughtful. "Okay," Drew allowed. "You underclassmen can come on three conditions. Two specific for the freshmen to be allowed to come, one for the sophomores, okay?"
"What do we have to do?" asked Michael, a sophomore.
"You? All you sophomores have to do is get that girl in your grade, what's her name?" Drew answered.
"Alyssa!" Someone volunteered.
"Yeah," Drew agreed, "Alyssa. All you have to do is get Alyssa to show up, because she might only be fifteen, but she is fine. Get her to come and you're all invited. As for the fish, you must: One, bring with you at least one sizeable bottle of hard liquor, and one case of beer. Not each, just as a group. The second thing you must do is get Sigh to come."
At the sound of his unfortunate nickname Simon looked around, unsure he heard correctly. They had to what?
"We have to what?" asked Ryan, another boy in Simon's grade. "Get Sigh to come? You know that will never happen, he wouldn't go to a party if his life depended on it!"
Simon was on his feet, mad and not sure who to be mad at. Everyone was talking at once, the sophomores laughing that the freshmen wouldn't be allowed to come, the upperclassmen shocked at Drew's request, and the freshmen complaining. The whole scene was loud and confusing, so many things happening at once.
"OKAY," Kyle yelled over everyone. We only have a little over thirty minutes now until the next team comes to practice and we have to leave the field. Lets get some hitting in, okay?" The team quieted down, grumbling, and moved towards the field. The team listened to Kyle; although there was no coach for summer league, Kyle was one of the only seniors on the team, and definitely the most sought after by college scouts. It was no secret the reason he was staying with Simon's family this summer was because he had been given a personal invitation to attend camp at UNC. Kyle was good, and the team respected that.
Before he ran out to the field with the team Kyle looked over at Simon but Simon refused to look at him. He was pissed.
The team practiced but Simon stayed under the tree where he sat fuming, refusing to get their bats or anything else. He knew he wasn't popular - that was no secret. Simon didn't mind that not a lot of other people asked him to do things with them or go out or anything. He was an introvert, so for the most part he actually enjoyed that. What he did mind, however, was people pointing out his lack of a social life with malice. What Drew had just done was more than just poking fun at Simon. Everyone knew he didn't and wouldn't go to a party, but now all the boys in his grade that were on the team would be begging him to come, and when he didn't show up and Drew let none of them in, they would all hate him for yet another reason. Perfect.
The guys hit, worked on pitching, fielding, and before Simon realized it, practice was over. As the sweaty boys filed off the field some chatted in the dugout, stopping to get a drink from the cooler Simon had moved closer while they were practicing. Simon tried to stay out of sight until Kyle walked by to go home, but Sean knew where he was and approached him when he broke away from a string of guys leaving for home.
"Hey," Sean said as he approached. Simon and Sean knew each other, mainly due to the structured playdates their moms had set up that became more and more painful the older the two became, until they ended, just two years before, much to the relief of both boys. Although the two weren't exactly friends, Sean was nice to Simon and they had a slight understanding of each other, more so than the majority of other people in his grade. "I'm sorry Drew did that earlier. It's not fair to you to for him to put that kind of stipulation on it."
"But?" asked Simon. He wasn't being rude, he just knew what was going to come next. Sean would ask him to come because even if the boys had an understanding of each other it didn't change the fact Sean wanted to be in good with the upperclassmen. Out of the corner of his eye Simon saw Kyle walking towards him, and for possibly the first time ever, Simon was grateful to see him.
"But if you would just show up, just for even a few minutes, everyone would really appreciate it." Simon turned to leave, but Sean caught his shoulder. "Simon," he said, not using the nickname the team had bestowed. "Please think about it. I know parties aren't your thing, and I understand that. As much as our moms tried to make us best friends, we're different and that can't be changed. But you might be surprised and you might like it."
Simon highly doubted he would like it, but somewhere in his mind the leftover dregs of twelve years of playdates made Simon want to help Sean out. He was still pissed at Drew, and he still didn't plan on going, but he paused to tell Sean he would think about it.
"Forget it, Fish," Brian said as he approached, walking beside Kyle. "Everyone knows Sigh won't show up. He's too young for your grade, scrawny, and shy. Plus, faggots like him don't come to parties."
In a flash, Brian was on the ground, Kyle standing over him. "You do not call him a faggot," he spit down at Brian. "If he wants to go to a party he will go to a party. If he doesn't, he won't. But Simon is my cousin. He isn't a faggot, and I will not stand here while you talk about him that way. Come on Simon, let's go."
Everyone was shocked into paralysis, but Kyle stormed away from Brian and roughly grabbed Simon's shoulder, marching him to the car. He shook Kyle's hand off of his shoulder, but climbed into the care nonetheless, silence suffocating the two after the echo of Kyle's slammed door dissipated.
Kyle threw the car into reverse and tore out of the parking lot, glaring at the road in front of him as though it had done something to offend him. After a few minutes of driving Kyle broke the angry silence and started muttering. "I can't believe he said that. He's so fucking ridiculous. His nerve."
Simon let him mutter, more angry at Kyle than Brian. He was used to guys like that making fun of him; he ignored it. What he couldn't stand was Kyle's bipolar attitude towards him. When they pulled into the driveway his parents weren't home. Why did they keep leaving when they were supposed to be home? Now Simon would have to deal with Kyle alone for the afternoon.
"What's your problem?" Kyle shot accusingly at Simon's back when they were inside and in the room they were sharing. Simon had been silent the whole way home and still hadn't spoken a word since Kyle exploded at Brain. What was his problem? What was Kyle's problem?! Simon exhaled heavily through his nose, but tried to ignore him. He was done with Kyle's crazy moods and if he just ignored him for a couple of hours he would calm down and maybe even be pleasant soon. "You know, you're welcome for that earlier," Kyle continued, glaring at Simon, who refused to turn around. "You could at least say thank you, or something."
"I didn't need you to stand up for me!" Simon replied, not being able to hold in his frustration. "I get stuff like that, and I deal with it, okay?! I don't need you to come to the rescue!" Simon whirled around to face Kyle, who was standing stock still with a shocked look on his face. "You throw someone to the ground for calling me a faggot and want me to thank you?" Simon paused for a moment, scoffing like he couldn't believe Kyle. "Yeah right. Just two weeks ago you were the one calling me a faggot! I just don't get you! You yell at me for touching your stuff, then you cook breakfast for me. You want me to leave you alone and then threaten someone for calling me a faggot and want me to thank you! What do you want from me?"
The cousins stared at each other, Simon breathing hard and Kyle barely even breathing. The silence stretched on until Simon's glare softened and Kyle sighed, hanging his head, whispering something that sounded like 'too much'.
"What did you say?" Simon asked, quieter and relaxed now. Kyle shook his head and slowly walked towards Simon, talking as he crossed the room.
"I'm sorry Simon, for everything. I just - nothing is working. Nothing has worked. No, that's not it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be treating you like I have. I just haven't known what to do and being here is so different for me and I haven't seen you in so long and you're older now. You're not the little kid I remember from when we were younger and things are just different now.." Kyle trailed off, standing right in front of Simon.
"What's different -" Simon tried to ask, but was cut off by the abrupt presence of Kyle's lips on his. Time stopped as Simon tried to process the fact he was having his first kiss right now, in his room, with his cousin, who was also a boy. There were so many things about this that his mind screamed were wrong, but all of it felt right. Too soon after their lips met, Kyle moved back and pulled them apart.
Simon looked at him and saw someone who starkly contrasted the person he usually saw. The normally tanned, tough, and confident Kyle was nowhere to be found. All blood had drained from the face of the boy in front of him and he looked vulnerable, and scared. When he spoke, his voice shook. "I - I'm sorry. Please don't - I just had to know, it was driving me crazy."
Without thinking twice, Simon leaned forward, pressing his lips against Kyle's again, letting his arms find their place around his neck. Kyle's lips came to life against his and Kyle was in control, his hands finding their place on his younger cousin's hips to pull him closer as the boys' lips melded together.
Simon silently fumed as he sat in the front seat of his father's car, staring out at the baseball diamond before him. Kyle had driven the two of them to practice, something Simon definitely didn't seem the point in. Sure, his mom had volunteered him to be team's batboy so he had to go to the games, but what was the point in coming to practice?
It was a Thursday, the fourth week since Kyle came to North Carolina. After the cousin's disagreement two weeks ago things had been tense. While they were both home the second week of Kyle's stay, so were Simon's parents, so things were civil. The third week Kyle had another camp and was rarely home, and this week he had a three day camp. That camp ended yesterday though, so the boys found themselves at a practice for the team Kyle was playing on.
Simon hated being the batboy. He absolutely hated it. The guys on the team other than his cousin mostly ignored him, but when they wanted something everyone knew his name and who he was. He wasn't just the batboy. Simon was the team manager, the waterboy, the batboy, the person responsible for picking up the dugout after games, and, of course, the guy who had to carry everything.
He had only been to two games, but he was already about to throw in the towel and quit. That was why, while Kyle ran out to meet the other guys and warm up, Simon stayed firmly seated in the passenger side of the car.
Kyle had been acting strange the last two weeks. Sometimes he was mean and domineering like he had been to Simon since the day he arrived, sometimes he chided Simon and poked fun at him, but the oddest times were when Kyle was flat out nice to Simon. It was then when he became the most suspicious, and then when Simon couldn't figure out Kyle's intentions.
One morning when Kyle didn't have camp Simon woke up to the smell of breakfast being cooked. It was a Friday, which meant his parents were going to garage sales, and Simon was extremely confused. When he went to the kitchen he found his cousin cooking bacon, hash browns in the oven cooking, and a plate of pancakes ready and sitting on the kitchen counter. Kyle had smiled joyfully and told Simon to sit. After the bacon and hash browns were finished Kyle fixed him a plate and sat with him while the two ate. Simon was so taken aback he could barely eat, much less maintain a conversation. The next day, however, Simon was being treated like shit by Kyle again.
With a sigh, Simon climbed out of the car and made his way to the dugout. It was hot outside and he could already feel himself beginning to sweat. When they left for practice Simon's mother told him it would be okay outside. "It's only 89 degrees out there," she had said. What she forgot to take into account was the 80% humidity that had Simon wanting to die. He could should be at home reading his books or working on his summer assignments; instead he was the handmaid of sweaty teenage boys.
By the time Simon arrived at the dugout all the guys were already warming up which was fine by him because that meant he didn't have to speak to any of them yet. The field they were practicing at was nothing great. Chain link fence composed everything, the back stop, the dugouts, and the barrier around outfield. The bags, bordering the slightly too dusty in field, were worn, but not yet torn. The diamond was by no means nice, but it wasn't in as bad of shape as the dilapidated field Simon played Tball on when he was younger. After the torturous year of t-ball ended Simon thought he would never be around the sport again.
"Hey, Sigh!" Kyle called, jogging over to the dugout where Simon stood. He hated the nickname the team gave him, almost as much as he hated being here for the team. They called him Sigh. Si, as someone had pointed out, was short for Simon and a lot easier to say. The only problem was instead of calling him Si and leaving it at that, the team decided that since Simon was was the batboy reluctantly, made evident by the multiple audible sighs Simon let out when he was frustrated and ready to leave, they would call him Sigh. Now when almost anybody needed him, they would sigh his new nickname and everyone would laugh. Simon couldn't stand it.
"Simon," Kyle said again, flashing a perfect white-toothed smile. "Could you go grab the water? Adam forgot to get the container out of the back of his truck. It's full of ice already and on wheels so all you have to do is take it to the water hose to fill it up and wheel it over here."
Simon glared at his smiling cousin, but started to turn around nonetheless, sighing as he turned. "Thanks, Sigh!" several members of the team called when they heard his sigh. This was wonderful.
As he walked to get the cooler, Simon was thinking of the summer reading assignment he had started. Watership Down was actually a very good book, something Simon really enjoyed. In fact, Simon believed he liked bunnies more than people. So far this summer the only people he had been around had been rude and annoying. Simon would much prefer to be with Hazel, Bigwig, and the gang than with Kyle and the team.
By the time Simon was able to make it back with the full cooler, all the guys were done warming up, some sitting on the dirt floor of the dugout, some lounging on the aluminum bench, and a few others sitting outside the dugout in the shade of the only tree at the field, Simon deposited the cooler under the tree and sat on the ground out of the way. They were all talking about some party going on the following weekend.
"You coming Kyle?" an incoming junior named Brian asked.
"Yeah," added Brian's older brother Josh. "You always flake on parties."
"Guys, I -" Kyle started, but Adam cut him off.
"We know, we know," he said as he spoke over Kyle. "You have to be at mass Sunday morning and you can't show up hung over. We know."
"That's why," piped in Drew who would also be a junior next year and was holding the party at his house, "We're having the party on Friday! That way you can come, have fun, and if you drink too much its okay because our game isn't until 7:00 the next evening!" Kyle looked slightly uncomfortable, but the look on his face showed he was thinking about it.
"What about us?" Sean asked from the ground where he sat with the other underclassmen. "Are we invited to this party too, or is it another one of your 'only upperclassmen' get togethers? You hang out with us for team stuff, why can't we come to your parties?"
The older boys exchanged looks, some slightly exasperated, some amused, and some thoughtful. "Okay," Drew allowed. "You underclassmen can come on three conditions. Two specific for the freshmen to be allowed to come, one for the sophomores, okay?"
"What do we have to do?" asked Michael, a sophomore.
"You? All you sophomores have to do is get that girl in your grade, what's her name?" Drew answered.
"Alyssa!" Someone volunteered.
"Yeah," Drew agreed, "Alyssa. All you have to do is get Alyssa to show up, because she might only be fifteen, but she is fine. Get her to come and you're all invited. As for the fish, you must: One, bring with you at least one sizeable bottle of hard liquor, and one case of beer. Not each, just as a group. The second thing you must do is get Sigh to come."
At the sound of his unfortunate nickname Simon looked around, unsure he heard correctly. They had to what?
"We have to what?" asked Ryan, another boy in Simon's grade. "Get Sigh to come? You know that will never happen, he wouldn't go to a party if his life depended on it!"
Simon was on his feet, mad and not sure who to be mad at. Everyone was talking at once, the sophomores laughing that the freshmen wouldn't be allowed to come, the upperclassmen shocked at Drew's request, and the freshmen complaining. The whole scene was loud and confusing, so many things happening at once.
"OKAY," Kyle yelled over everyone. We only have a little over thirty minutes now until the next team comes to practice and we have to leave the field. Lets get some hitting in, okay?" The team quieted down, grumbling, and moved towards the field. The team listened to Kyle; although there was no coach for summer league, Kyle was one of the only seniors on the team, and definitely the most sought after by college scouts. It was no secret the reason he was staying with Simon's family this summer was because he had been given a personal invitation to attend camp at UNC. Kyle was good, and the team respected that.
Before he ran out to the field with the team Kyle looked over at Simon but Simon refused to look at him. He was pissed.
The team practiced but Simon stayed under the tree where he sat fuming, refusing to get their bats or anything else. He knew he wasn't popular - that was no secret. Simon didn't mind that not a lot of other people asked him to do things with them or go out or anything. He was an introvert, so for the most part he actually enjoyed that. What he did mind, however, was people pointing out his lack of a social life with malice. What Drew had just done was more than just poking fun at Simon. Everyone knew he didn't and wouldn't go to a party, but now all the boys in his grade that were on the team would be begging him to come, and when he didn't show up and Drew let none of them in, they would all hate him for yet another reason. Perfect.
The guys hit, worked on pitching, fielding, and before Simon realized it, practice was over. As the sweaty boys filed off the field some chatted in the dugout, stopping to get a drink from the cooler Simon had moved closer while they were practicing. Simon tried to stay out of sight until Kyle walked by to go home, but Sean knew where he was and approached him when he broke away from a string of guys leaving for home.
"Hey," Sean said as he approached. Simon and Sean knew each other, mainly due to the structured playdates their moms had set up that became more and more painful the older the two became, until they ended, just two years before, much to the relief of both boys. Although the two weren't exactly friends, Sean was nice to Simon and they had a slight understanding of each other, more so than the majority of other people in his grade. "I'm sorry Drew did that earlier. It's not fair to you to for him to put that kind of stipulation on it."
"But?" asked Simon. He wasn't being rude, he just knew what was going to come next. Sean would ask him to come because even if the boys had an understanding of each other it didn't change the fact Sean wanted to be in good with the upperclassmen. Out of the corner of his eye Simon saw Kyle walking towards him, and for possibly the first time ever, Simon was grateful to see him.
"But if you would just show up, just for even a few minutes, everyone would really appreciate it." Simon turned to leave, but Sean caught his shoulder. "Simon," he said, not using the nickname the team had bestowed. "Please think about it. I know parties aren't your thing, and I understand that. As much as our moms tried to make us best friends, we're different and that can't be changed. But you might be surprised and you might like it."
Simon highly doubted he would like it, but somewhere in his mind the leftover dregs of twelve years of playdates made Simon want to help Sean out. He was still pissed at Drew, and he still didn't plan on going, but he paused to tell Sean he would think about it.
"Forget it, Fish," Brian said as he approached, walking beside Kyle. "Everyone knows Sigh won't show up. He's too young for your grade, scrawny, and shy. Plus, faggots like him don't come to parties."
In a flash, Brian was on the ground, Kyle standing over him. "You do not call him a faggot," he spit down at Brian. "If he wants to go to a party he will go to a party. If he doesn't, he won't. But Simon is my cousin. He isn't a faggot, and I will not stand here while you talk about him that way. Come on Simon, let's go."
Everyone was shocked into paralysis, but Kyle stormed away from Brian and roughly grabbed Simon's shoulder, marching him to the car. He shook Kyle's hand off of his shoulder, but climbed into the care nonetheless, silence suffocating the two after the echo of Kyle's slammed door dissipated.
Kyle threw the car into reverse and tore out of the parking lot, glaring at the road in front of him as though it had done something to offend him. After a few minutes of driving Kyle broke the angry silence and started muttering. "I can't believe he said that. He's so fucking ridiculous. His nerve."
Simon let him mutter, more angry at Kyle than Brian. He was used to guys like that making fun of him; he ignored it. What he couldn't stand was Kyle's bipolar attitude towards him. When they pulled into the driveway his parents weren't home. Why did they keep leaving when they were supposed to be home? Now Simon would have to deal with Kyle alone for the afternoon.
"What's your problem?" Kyle shot accusingly at Simon's back when they were inside and in the room they were sharing. Simon had been silent the whole way home and still hadn't spoken a word since Kyle exploded at Brain. What was his problem? What was Kyle's problem?! Simon exhaled heavily through his nose, but tried to ignore him. He was done with Kyle's crazy moods and if he just ignored him for a couple of hours he would calm down and maybe even be pleasant soon. "You know, you're welcome for that earlier," Kyle continued, glaring at Simon, who refused to turn around. "You could at least say thank you, or something."
"I didn't need you to stand up for me!" Simon replied, not being able to hold in his frustration. "I get stuff like that, and I deal with it, okay?! I don't need you to come to the rescue!" Simon whirled around to face Kyle, who was standing stock still with a shocked look on his face. "You throw someone to the ground for calling me a faggot and want me to thank you?" Simon paused for a moment, scoffing like he couldn't believe Kyle. "Yeah right. Just two weeks ago you were the one calling me a faggot! I just don't get you! You yell at me for touching your stuff, then you cook breakfast for me. You want me to leave you alone and then threaten someone for calling me a faggot and want me to thank you! What do you want from me?"
The cousins stared at each other, Simon breathing hard and Kyle barely even breathing. The silence stretched on until Simon's glare softened and Kyle sighed, hanging his head, whispering something that sounded like 'too much'.
"What did you say?" Simon asked, quieter and relaxed now. Kyle shook his head and slowly walked towards Simon, talking as he crossed the room.
"I'm sorry Simon, for everything. I just - nothing is working. Nothing has worked. No, that's not it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be treating you like I have. I just haven't known what to do and being here is so different for me and I haven't seen you in so long and you're older now. You're not the little kid I remember from when we were younger and things are just different now.." Kyle trailed off, standing right in front of Simon.
"What's different -" Simon tried to ask, but was cut off by the abrupt presence of Kyle's lips on his. Time stopped as Simon tried to process the fact he was having his first kiss right now, in his room, with his cousin, who was also a boy. There were so many things about this that his mind screamed were wrong, but all of it felt right. Too soon after their lips met, Kyle moved back and pulled them apart.
Simon looked at him and saw someone who starkly contrasted the person he usually saw. The normally tanned, tough, and confident Kyle was nowhere to be found. All blood had drained from the face of the boy in front of him and he looked vulnerable, and scared. When he spoke, his voice shook. "I - I'm sorry. Please don't - I just had to know, it was driving me crazy."
Without thinking twice, Simon leaned forward, pressing his lips against Kyle's again, letting his arms find their place around his neck. Kyle's lips came to life against his and Kyle was in control, his hands finding their place on his younger cousin's hips to pull him closer as the boys' lips melded together.