Steam Punk Goggles and Ink Stained Hands

DREW'S POV

~

My eyes widened briefly before anger coursed through my body. It was her, all along it was her! The instinct inside me to protect Barrone took over and I stormed into the kitchen, staring levelly at the woman who dared to call herself his mum.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I yell, automatically stepping in front of Barrone to create a barrier between him and her. I was quite a lot shorter than him, but it felt instinctive to guard him from further harm.

“Excuse me, Drake or whatever the fuck your name is, this is my house and my son, so I’ll do what I want!” She slurred, eyes menacing.

“It’s Drew, and he may be your son, but he’s my boyfriend, and I won’t let you treat him like this! As for it being your house, then we’ll just have to leave if that’s a problem, won’t we?” I snarled before realising just what I’d said. I’d come here under the pretence of being Barrone’s friend and only his friend, not his boyfriend. Now I’d just told his mum the one thing he asked me to hide from her.

Fuck.

“What did you just say?!” she roared, taking a step towards us, making Barrone whimper and step back even though I was in front of him. “You little faggots! Get the hell of out my house, boy! And as for you Shane, leave! I don’t want to see your disgraceful, boy-kissing face!” With that, she picked up one of the two glasses on the side - the one that was less full - and threw it at us. It exploded against the wall in a shower of glass and tap water less than a metre to the right of us, leaving sharp shards coating the floor and making both Barrone and I flinch and jump. His arms darted out to pull me back from the mess just as I stretched mine back to pull him closer to me.

His chest just centimetres from my back, I spun around and grabbed his hand, practically dragging him out of the kitchen and towards his room. I apologised profusely as we ran up the stairs, guilt replacing the anger as I realised Barrone had just been kicked out of his house because of my slip up. Still, in a way, it was a good thing. Barrone’s mother was hurting him, his own house wasn’t safe. No, it was much better if he came with me - which was the plan that sprung to mind and the one I told him as we darted into his room.

“Don’t worry, you can live with me, you’ll be safe there” I said as he slammed the door shut behind us once we were in his room.

“Are you sure that’ll be okay with your parents? I mean, one night they suddenly just gain a child? Are they gonna be okay with that?” he asked worriedly, wringing his hands together in front of him.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine” I re-assure, looking around for a bag to pack some of his stuff in. I spotted a black gym back under his bed and pulled it out, unzipping the top and laying it open on top his bed. “Now, time to get packing so we can leave this place”.

*****
The journey to mine was reasonably quiet - not uncomfortably quiet, but the type of silence that settles over when something happens that makes everyone delve deep into their thoughts.

We walked, our hands entwined and swinging between our bodies. As we walked, I text my mum with my free hand, explaining the situation to her and grinning in relief when she replied with a 'yes' almost immediately.

I could see the edge of my living room curtains being pulled back and my mother peering out the gap as we walked up the driveway; when we neared the door it swung open and my mum rushed out to hug Barrone, cradling him like a small child.

"My poor dear! Come inside, I made hot chocolate for you both".

We walked in behind her and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, sending Barrone a smile.

"She'll wrap you in blankets, fill you up with hot drinks and Molly coddle you to death if you're not careful" I whisper to him, earning a small smile.

"Yeah, don't take her over protectiveness for granted, though; I would have killed for that when I was growing up" he whispered back, grinning when my mum came out of the kitchen holding two blue mugs filled with hot chocolate.

"Here you are, I even put some cream on the top".

We said our good nights, waving to my dad as we passed by the living room where he was relaxing on the couch with a book.

We didn't even bother with the awkward 'who's sleeping where?' conversation; I just changed into my pjs in the bathroom while he used my room before clambering into my double bed and patting the space next to me. Snuggling into my side, we sat upright against my headboard, clutching our mugs in our hands. As soon as he took his first sip - and made an appreciative noise that made me smile - I started laughing. In response to his questioning look, I wiped my finger across his upper lip, collecting all the cream that had formed a moustache there on my finger. Popping my finger into his mouth, I giggled as his tongue ran over my finger, cleaning the cream from it.

Not long after, our drinks were finished and it was time to turn out the lights. Curled up against Barrone's side, I felt on top of the world; knowing he was safe by my side made me feel so content.

"Goodnight, Drew" he whispered beside me, he hands gently clutching at my pj top and his head resting against my chest.

"Goodnight, Barrone, sleep tight".