"Braydin, answer my calls, damn it!" Titus shouted, slamming his phone against the desk. He shook his head angrily, throwing himself out of his chair.
Ever since the incident in P.E, Braydin hasn't openly spoken a word. He even left without saying anything to Titus, which was extremely unusual and worrying. Not to mention that Braydin left Titus on delivered since he texted him at lunch. It's 7:45pm.
His heart started racing as he panicked. Did something happen? Is he upset by anything? He looked back at everything he's done ever since they first became friends. Is Braydin upset with... him?
Rain was pouring outside and he only had a single lamp on in his room. He could run to Braydin's house, but it was January. It's raining, dark, and twelve degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, Titus was an athlete but running a couple blocks in a thin white t-shirt and black shorts? With this weather? He could definitely get sick, and he'd lose more time with Braydin by staying home from school. He was stumped.
Titus decided he would try calling one more time. He picked up his phone, a large diagonal crack in the screen protecter now becoming ever-so obvious, and pressed it to his ear, sighing.
Immediately no answer. "Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice message system. The mailbox is full and cannot accept any messages at this time. Goodbye."
Listening to every word of that godforsaken automated voice message made tears pinprick in his eyes and immediately, he slipped on a mismatched pair of ankle socks and shot out of his room. He ran to his front door, frantically throwing on a random pair of shoes.
Brian stood just a few feet away from him. "Titus, what do you think you're doing?"
"I've- I've got to go."
"Son, what?"
"Dad, I have to go." Titus snapped at Brian, opening the door and running as fast as he can, tumbling down the front steps and scraping his knees on the wet gravel.
The entire evening from then on felt like a blur, racing out of his driveway almost as fast as his heart was beating as gigantic raindrops relentlessly pelted him. Soon, after all the overthinking and fear of something happening to the person who meant the most to him, he was staggering in front of the Repp household, dripping wet like a stray dog in the winter searching for its owner.
One knock. No response.
Two knocks. No response.
Three knocks. No response.
Titus reaches for the doorknob. It's unlocked.

"Who is it?!" Braydin yelled, reaching for the doorknob. Suddenly, the door opened right in front of him.
Titus looked at Braydin. The darkened circles around his eyes. The tear stains ever-so present down his cheeks. The fatigue shining through his posture. The permed, cacao locks now messily sticking up.
Braydin looked at Titus. His short blonde hair soaked and sticking to his forehead. His white t-shirt almost transparent. His mismatched socks. His face donning a worried look.

Titus immediately jumped forward and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"What..?" Braydin queried, reveling in the warmth of Titus's arms. He couldn't care less that Titus looked like he just went swimming fully-dressed. That didn't mean he wasn't confused, though.
Titus just started speaking, and he couldn't bring himself to stop. "You... wouldn't pick up your phone. I've been calling you since before practice started, and then even more when I got home. I even filled up your voicemail box. Delete all of those, by the way. Have you been crying? You have been crying. I can see it. What happened? Why didn't you pick up? Were you asleep? Were you ignoring me? What's going on? Did I do something? Please tell me if I did something, I don't want you to keep things like that from me—"
"Titus." Braydin sighed, cutting him off. "It's okay, you didn't do anything."
The taller let out a long sigh. "That's good. What happened??"
Braydin didn't know what he was doing, and Titus didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. Braydin lurched forward, tangling his arms around Titus's neck. Their faces crashed together unexpectedly and the two just stood there, kissing at Braydin's front door. This is not how Titus envisioned his night to go, but he wasn't complaining.
The shorter pulled away, sighing yet again. "Go upstairs."
"Alright." Titus, still soaking wet, shut the door behind him and the blonde scampered up the stairs, Braydin practically meandering behind him.

"Dude," the smaller snickered, "you are not
sitting on my bed. You are soaked."
"Don't I have like, I don't know, a shirt or two here somewhere?" Titus queried. Braydin shrugged at that. "What's the big deal about me being soaked anyway?"
"Maybe I don't want wet sheets?"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Braydin huffed.
Titus stared down at his partner, a sly smile creeping up onto his face. Braydin matched it with an exhausted, coy smile, and then Titus threw himself on top of the other.
"Wait- Titus, stop!" he shrieked.
"Oh, so you don't want me to be on your bed because I'm wet?" Titus teased, "What if you're wet too??"
Titus slowly pushed the two over toward his companion's bed and then toppled over onto it, still pressed up against him. Braydin shrilled, trying to him push off while laughing uncontrollably.
"This is so- oh my fucking god, gross." Braydin whined from underneath Titus, bending backward at the hips while getting absolutely soaked.

The blonde caged Braydin in with his legs before tearing off his shirt and twisting it over the brunette's head, absolutely soaking him.
Braydin shrieked again, hitting Titus in the chest. "TITUS. I'M GOING TO KICK YOU OUT. OH MY GOD."
"Okay, I'm sorry." Titus mewled, throwing the shirt to the ground with a squelch.
"NOW IT'S ON THE CARPET." Braydin whined again.
Titus sighed. "You'll never be happy, will you. Just get on the bed, it's already wet anyway."
Braydin tried to speak, letting out shouts of protest, but Titus effortlessly tossed him up onto his mattress. "I can change your sheets later."
    Now also drenched, Braydin scowled as Titus, shirtless yet still wet, scooted next to him. He slowly calmed down while Titus pulled him into his arms. Titus pressed a kiss to Braydin's forehead before speaking. "Now you can actually tell me. What happened? Why are you upset?"
    "See, I would tell you, but I honestly don't exactly know."
    "Try to describe it to me."
    "Do you have the time for that?"
    Titus smiled. "I always have time for you."
    "Oh." Braydin flushed. "Okay."
    "Go on."
    "Well, I know it's not Brooklynn. At least, I think. She did really get on my nerves though, to be completely honest. Like at lunch, when she took your seat and kept touching me? It was so gross. I hated it so much. Dude, she even called me 'Bray-Bray.' What the fuck? Like, who does she think she is? She's so annoying. I hate her. I hated when she tried to kiss me. Did you see that? Actually, you probably did. You definitely did. I hate Brooklynn. She makes me dread going to school. I hate going to school anyway. I mean, who doesn't, but it's so much worse with her. I wish she could just disappear, but at the same time, she makes me wish I could just disappear. I don't know if you get it. Do you get that, Titus? I want to disappear. I wish that I didn't exist so she didn't have anyone to hit on. It's so annoying and I don't know if I'm being clear enough. Being around her makes me feel so nauseous and it's killing me, I don't know how much longer I can deal with any of this. Titus, I'm tired. I'm so fucking tired."
The two boys sat in silence for a while. Did Braydin say something wrong? A tear welled up in his eye and he curled up against Titus's bare skin, sighing. He couldn't say anything more.
Titus, sighing, pulled Braydin closer to him. He constricted his arms around him and kissed his forehead, laying his head on top of his partner's. They sat in silence, Titus trying to formulate words as Braydin wept.
"Braydin," Titus shakily began, "I love you so much."
Braydin remained quiet. "I'm so proud of you for making it through. I haven't experienced this but I can and have understand... understood? understanded it to the best of my ability."
Titus beamed at the small giggle Braydin let out at his sad English skills. Then, he continued. "I can't say she'll stop soon but I can do everything in my power to help you. You're upset and I understand that, and I can't express how happy I am that you've made it through despite that."
"How would you be able to help me, though?"
"Well, I could stay by your side no matter what."
"That's so equivocal, " Braydin chuckled through tears. "Has anyone ever called your speech equivocal?"
Titus flushed. "Yeah, my mom talked about it... on a Facebook post."
"Oh. Ha."
    The two boys sat in silence until Braydin broke into tears, completely shutting down. He sobbed loudly, burying his face in his wrists and balling up. Titus rocked him back and forth, whispering I've got you's and I know, baby's and let it all out's until he was just hiccuping harshly.
    Titus unwrapped an arm out from around Braydin, moving it to cup his cheek. The blonde stared deeply into Braydin's wounded, cloudy eyes. Not the tear stains making themselves very apparently visible on his face, the dried snot from all the waterworks, or the hard red marks from how tight Braydin had been gripping his own skin, just his eyes.
    And without saying a word, Titus tilted Braydin's head up, leaning in and kissing him passionately. Braydin's lips were gentle, like the first press into a couple inches of soft, untouched snow. Titus didn't deepen nor give the kiss superficiality and Braydin was okay with that, moving his lips against his lovers' own. The brunette, through his anguish and marcid attitude, beamed with a cheiloproclitic attitude.
Titus pulled away from the smaller, pressing their foreheads together in selcouth. Their hearts and heads throbbed, holding each other close and savoring each other's warmth. The only sound in the room was the air vents until—
    Electronic percussion rang out from Braydin's bedside table drawer. The Pornhub intro, Braydin's ringtone, was blasting. Titus leaned over and rummaged through the drawer, pulling out his phone. It was his dad.
    Click! He picked up. "Repp, hi! Have you seen Titus? He hasn't been answering at all and I don't know where he went. He looked like he was leaving in a hurry, too. Is there something going on?–"
    "Hey, dad." Titus rasped. The boys heard a sigh  come from the other end.
    "Titus, hey kid," Brian breathed, "you s- scared the shit out of me. Where's your phone??"
    The blonde responded, "At home."
    "Okay. I'll come drop it off. I'm sure Re- Braydin has an extra charger. I'll come bring clothes too, you're probably soaked. Be careful, okay?"

"Love, this isn't going to fit me." Titus grunted, yanking a black t-shirt over his head.
    "I think it will. See?" Braydin snickered, turning Titus to the large mirror, two large shut closet doors, and they stared at the tight fitting clothes.
    Titus winced as the doorbell rang. "I'm getting out of this soon."
    They raced down the stairs, greeting Brian at the door. Brian hugged both the boys, handing Titus a clothes-filled bag, his backpack, his phone, a charger, and his pair of Nike's. He told the boys to go home to Braydin's house and he'd come get Titus. Then, he said the farewells before racing back out into his car in the pouring rain.
    "I love you, Braydin." Titus sighed.
    "I love you too, Titus," Braydin responded adoringly. "Now bring all of that upstairs and get in bed with me. It's 9:30."