The next day Peyton sat in a well lit cafe, in a booth nearer the back. He stares outside and admires the black crows chirping away to their friends, playing tag in the white sky.

The sun was no where to be seen, then again it is around autumn time when the bright beams of the fire ball is hidden away. Safely behind fluffy clouds to keep its warmth. The trees were naked and exposed, with their dying orange leaves abandoned on the wet cold ground.

The sofa he and Cole (who was opposite him) sat on was a bright red colour, almost hurting his eyes from how much it popped out. It wasn't that comfortable, but he's never found anything 100% comfortable. Always too much or too little, he sits up right so his back doesn't touch the back of the booth.

His eyes squint a bit, trying to block out some of the brightly lit lights. One in the corner of his eye kept flickering, which was pissing him off. So he tapped away on the marble table that layed in front of him.

His finger nails hit the stone in a rhythmic pace, never out of beat nor too loud or too quiet. Again just right, like he liked it. How he thought everything should be.

Just right.

His brother used to joke about that with him when they were younger, how he is like goldilocks. Everything has to be perfect or at least balanced.

The chatter in the room wasn't loud- in honesty there were barely many people in the run down cake shop. But he felt like the appliances in the kitchen through the plasterboard door, the obnoxious light buzzing, as well as the chattering and the quiet music in the background all amplified.

So he shook his leg, up and down, to the beat of his fingers.

He blocked out all the noise and light that would have given him a headache- if he wasn't looking at Cole. At his bright eyes that sparkled and his warm smile, his olive coloured skin glowing under the small chandiler of their table. And the sound of his voice- smooth and calm. Enough to lul a baby to sleep.

Peyton totally misjudged this boy in front of him, the one who looked scary and tough turned out to be sweet and kind. And the first person to befriend the weird small boy in this all to new town, he smiled at that.

"So yeah, my family are never home. They're always away for work trips, leaving me alone in a house too big for only the three of us and- are you smiling?" Peyton snaps his head up from Cole's red lips to meet his grey eyes- two very different colours yet two colours Peyton has grown to like.

He wipes the smile from his face as his cheeks blush ever so slightly, "sorry, I wasn't smiling at you being alone, just that you asked me to come out."

This makes Cole laugh and wafts a veiny hand (which Peyton's eyes may or may not stare at for longer than normal) which makes the curly haired boy just scrunch his eyebrows in clear confusion. His thoughts on how hypocritical that just was- with Cole questioning why he smiled but laughed himself, though he let it slide.

Cole picks up his cup of coffee and Peyton follows his actions, though inside his own mug lays milky tea. Basically just looking like pure milk filled to the brim with sugar. "Your still smiling about me asking you to hang out about an hour ago?" He chuckles deeply and shakes his head when the boy shrugs.

"So you're happy i asked you out? As friends I mean- well like just hanging out, you know. A couple of friends just chilling, in a coffee shop. Just talking, what I mean is-" he cuts himself off by downing the rest of his steaming hot drink. And maybe wafting his mouth out with his hand afterwards but no one needs to know that...

Peyton just stares at him weirdly, fiddling with a muffin Cole brought him, of course as friends. It's the weekend and Peyton had nothing to do- as well as Cole so the older decided to ask to hang out. They rode his motorbike for a while until they spotted a small cafe in the middle of no where, they were hungry so they decided to go in.

"Um anyway, why wouldn't I ask you out, we're friends right?" Cole questions and studies Peyton, how he taps away at the table, biting his already red cracked lips, his brown eyes darting everywhere but his own. He watches the way his curls poke at his face, how his pale skin glistens under the lights.

Peyton shrugs again, seems like he does that allot. "No, I mean yeah! We're friends, duh. But I just meant maybe you had something better to do, you know instead of spending your time with me." He keeps his eyes trained to the marble table and tries not to let them wonder. He sounded insecure, like he wasn't good enough for someone to be friends with.

He feels a finger on his chin, lifting it up slightly. He spots eyes staring into his own, they seem warm and kind as the owner speaks his next words.

"Stop doubting yourself, you're my friend and I'm glad you are. We've known each other for about a month now and I've liked getting to know you, stop putting yourself down" he scolds and forges a fake angry face making Peyton laugh.

His dimples popping out and his shiny teeth on display, Cole smiles because his mission succeeded; to make Peyton smile.

He realises his finger still lay under Peyton's chin so he quickly removed it and sat back, clearing his throat. "Um, so... are you sad your parents are never home?" Peyton tries to continue their previous conversation, to dim the awkward tension that had just risen.

"Yeah I guess, its not that I need my parents to hold my hand or anything I just, I wish they were there for me sometimes. They seem so far away even if they are in the same house, we're not very close." He starts fiddling with his jacket sleeve, "it's probably why I try to rebel so much you know, like the whole fighting thing at school-"

"Is that why you do it? To get attention from your parents?" Peyton questions, he wants to get to know the other boy's brain a bit more. Why he does the things he does, why he's the way he is. Hard exterior but softer insides (don't), he wants to question everything.

Cole looks slightly taken back, "well I guess, I mean if I fight someone in college, the head of the school would know straight away. They would contact my parents and then they would finally come home. Albeit to punish me, but atleast I won't feel so alone in an empty house." His face morphs into a sad expression.

He looks down and his eyes seem distant, he fiddles with anything he can, to Peyton this is text book sadness. But he's not very good with cheering people up, it gets kind of awkward and he never knows what to say.

He feels bad for the boy, not only because he acts a different person to seek out his parents, but because he doesn't have a clue on how to console Cole. Even if Cole's comforted him many times before.

"Um, do you need like a hug?" He asks awkwardly, to his suprise Cole just snorts and looks up with a small smile. He rolls his eyes, "you Peyton saint, are a dork" he leans across the table and ruffles the boy's curls. Making him smack the hand away, the gesture is familiar, with his brother always doing it to piss him off.

But for some reason he likes it when Cole does it.

Cole's mouth opens in a fake gasping noise and Peyton chuckles, "shut up, that did not hurt!" He pushes the boy by his chest making him lean back on his side of the booth. They both have wide smiles on, just enjoying each others company in the small abandoned cafe.

"Oh Peyton Saint, what am I gonno do with you?" He dramatically sighs shaking his head, Peyton swears this is the most he's smiled all year. His cheeks ache with how wide his smile is, his belly hurts from how much its shaking with laughter. Everything about Cole makes his life brighter, he's glad he met the boy.

"But anyway, enough about my depressing family. What about yours, why do you live with just your brother? I've never seen your parents" Cole finally asks the question that has been at the tip of his tounge. He's been round the boy's house a few times so far, but never seen the ones who gave him life.

Just his scary brother.

Though Cole doesn't think Kai intimidates, what? As if he's scared of Kai, ha no. No. No.

Peyton stares up at the ceiling in concentration, like there's lots to say and he's wondering where to start. "Well, my parents have never been good, they were never reliable people. Always out in pubs or wherever they could find alcohol, they were alcoholics and basically druggies." He starts, though he doesn't want to give alcoholics bad names, considering his brother is basically one, too many drinks in a day. He might be considered an alcoholic and more or less a druggie, he likes the occasional weed (more than a healthy amount).

Cole's eyebrows raise slightly but he tries to control his facial expressions, let the boy finish first. "They always had a problem taking care of us, which i didn't understand. Why have children if you didn't want to actually be there for them? Anyway, we didn't have much money- like now. We've never had good income."

This makes Cole pity the boy and slightly feel embarrassed, with the amount of money he and his parents had. He could probably buy the whole neighbourhood.

Granted this whole neighbourhood had shitty small houses, but you get the point.

"Mum and dad didn't take good care of us, couldn't take care of me more. They found it hard so I think they gave up along the way." Cole's forehead creases. "Why couldn't they take care of you more than taking care of Kai?" All their beverages have seemed to be drank and their muffins and cakes eaten up.

Peyton runs his finger along the top of his mug, all away around the circle and avoids eye contact with Cole "I don't know" he shrugs, "I guess they just found me more difficult." Though he hates lying, he didn't want to tell the truth- the full truth anyway.

How his parents didn't like the idea of having a 'disabled' child who had to be more taken care of than other children, they didn't like their son's atypical behaviour. His tantrums even when he grew out of the terrible two's, him throwing fits whenever something inconvenient happened for him.

Whether it be a too loud noise, like a surprise bang making him shield his ears in his hands. Or his socks feeling too weird for his feet and walking around the streets without any shoes because it just felt too uncomfortable.

"Wow, I'm sorry. They sound like shitty parents" Peyton nods at that, they definitely were.

"Anyway, Kai worked hard- he got two jobs and saved up money. Then he packed his bags and mine, and one night he came in my room and told me we were leaving. I was happy because I thought we were going on a holiday, the holiday turned out to be four years. We moved all about in England, in small crappy cities until we finally moved here."

He looks outside, the sky seeming to be getting slightly darker by time.

"I'm not mad about that though, I wanted to leave as much as him. I just wished he told me we were going so I could say bye."

"Bye? Bye to your friends?" Peyton looks down at his hands fiddling under the table, he sighs. "No, to my sister."

Cole's bushy brows shoot up at that, he hadn't known of another sibling. He's quite jealous actually, maybe then if he had a sibling of his own he wouldn't feel so alone. "Oh, you have a sister?" Peyton forces a smile and shakes his head.

"Had."

*****

"I'm back!" His voice booms throughout his small shitty run down house, he sighs when he hears no reply.

Shutting the door behind him he peeks out the peep hole to spot Cole driving away. He left the cafe and wondered into the woods with Cole calling out his name behind him. He didn't want to talk anymore; and Cole didn't make him.

So they spent a couple hours in the woods, in silence. Nothing but the howl of the wind and a chirp from the birds were to be heard. Then Cole dropped him off back home.

"Kai! Where are you?" He questions in a loud voice, going from the front room to the kitchen.

Finally he hears a ruffle down the corridor, near the small dingy toilet room. He walks there but stops suddenly when he spots a girl staring right back at him, his eyebrows scrunch and his face contours into a look of anger.

"Who are you!?" He questions, crossing his arms. He's not mad at the girl- he knows she's just one of Kai's many meaningless hookups. But he wanted Kai, he only wanted his brother. He wanted to snuggle up to him on the couch watching a movie (preferably an animal one) to get his mind off of things.

The girl puts her hands up in surrender and her dark brown eyes seem to widen, "woah chill, I'm just your brother's- um" she scratches at her scalp as she tries to think of something to fill the missing word in her sentence.

Peyton rolls his eyes, "fuck buddy?" The girl snorts at that and starts to walk away, into the direction of the living room. Peyton just follows angrily behind.

"Sure, fuck buddy, if thats what you prefer" she continues walking into the living room, acting like she knows the place which disturbs Peyton. He doesn't do well with strangers in his home, "I don't prefer that, I'd prefer it if you leave."

The girl stops in front of the sofa and when she goes to sit her small ass down Peyton snaps at her. "You can't sit there! That's my seat" he points to himself as he looks outraged at the thought of some girl sitting down in his seat. How dare she.

How dare she.

She slowly starts to stand up straight instead of going to sit down and once again puts her hands in surrender, she moves slightly to the left and points to it with raised eyebrows.

Peyton looks sceptical but nods, so she sits down and stretches her arms up making a pleased noise.

He just stares at her like she's some crazy intruder, which to be fair, she is.

She doesn't look like Kai's typical hookups, his normal types are tall fake skinny blondes with manicured nails. Long blonde curly hair, injected lips, huge asses and tits.

This girl is totally not that.

She has short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes coated in long black lashes. She seems quite petite and medium sized, wearing a black hoodie and ripped jeans. She actually looks kinder than all the other girls Kai brought home.

Definitely kinder than the last girl, Peyton cringes at the thought.

He tilts his head at the girl, why such a change?

He goes to sit down on his side of the sofa until the mysterious girl pipes up, she side eyes him with a small smirk. "I wouldn't sit there if I was you."

It takes him a second to get the hidden meaning behind the sentence but when he does he shoots up with alarmed eyes and wipes his clothes off.

"Ew ew ew ew ew!" He shakes and cringes, he stops when he hears the girl's loud laugh thunder around the room. He glares at her before Kai walks in.

His eyes go from the girl to Peyton, Peyton who is still dusting off his clothes but his head snaps up to his brother when he spots him. He points an accusing finger at him, "why did you two fuck on the couch, let alone my side!" Now its Kai's turn to put his hands up in surrender.

The girl wipes her imaginary tears out of her soulless eyes, "oh sweetie, we didn't just do it in that one place" she snickers. Peyton rolls his eyes and storms out the room nudging his brother, he's not actually really mad but he wants his brother to think so.

When running up the stairs he hears Kai's voice, "why annoy him when you've only just met Lizzy?" His voice is humorous showing that he's not really annoyed at the girl.

Which just pisses Peyton off more so he slams his door shut, jumping on the bed stuffing his head phones in.

Lizzy.

So that's this mysterious girl's name.

A while later he hears a ding on his phone and turns it on, seeing the name 'Cole' on his homescreen. Unlocking the phone by tapping in his password he sees a cat for his wallpaper (which may or may not be Cole's kitten, who has grown on him) he searches for the messaging app.

Clicking on the boy's name and reading away.

Cole: hey, sorry about today. I shouldn't have asked such personal questions.

Cole: please don't be mad with me

He takes a second before replying, his fingers work magic, saying what he can't out loud.

Peyton: it wasn't you, I couldn't be mad with you I don't think. I just haven't talked about my sister in a while and I guess it just brought on these emotions I learnt to hide.

Peyton: don't blame yourself, I'm glad we're getting to know one another...

He smiles slightly, glad that he could make a proper conversation instead of a one word response. He hears a ding and his eyes whip back to the screen. He curls up in a ball on his bed, reading away the message with a painted smile whilst hearing his brother and Lizzy downstairs in the background.

Cole: okay, I'm glad ur not mad with me. Wouldn't know what to do if you were ahah

Cole: if you want to talk about anything with me you can, if u haven't talked about her in a while. I've heard its good to talk about what's making u sad.

Peyton's fingers freeze over his keyboard, not knowing what to say next, he doesn't want to dismiss him. He wants to be open with the older boy, he doesn't want to be closed of from him. Like he's said many times before, he wants to know Cole more, and the way about that is opening up himself too.

Peyton: I will tell you everything a different time, I think I'm going to get some sleep now though.

Even though its still early, he's quite tired. Probably because of all the emotions, but he pats himself on the back for not crying which is a first.

Cole: of course, only when you're comfortable. Night Peyton.

His smile widens but then he suddenly yawns, his eyes going droopy.

Peyton: night Cole

Soon his phone falls out of his hand as his body becomes lazy, his eyes slowly shut but he can hear his door open slightly. The light turns off, which means his brother came in to check on him. He feels himself slip into dream land and his heart warms when he sees them familiar grey eyes he adores so much.

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