Due to lack of imagination, and fear of not getting the world right, I'm being vague where this thing is happening on purpose. I don't want to get anything wrong.
Also, I've been going over past chapters, and finding out that I have several small detailed plot holes. So forgive me for any um slight altercations in detail.
Chapter 10.
"Is Kyle there?" Jason asked as he paced in front of the TV. The boy was on TV again, and Kyle didn't want Jason to miss it.
"No, he said he had to go to the library. Can I have him call
you?" his mother asked. Again, Kyle missed him. He sure was unlucky.
"Sure," Jason replied. "Thanks." And he hung up. Kyle turned to the TV where he watched the current situation. It didn't sound good at all. News cameras had been fighting to get closer to the police task force, where the boy was in conference with the negotiators.
"Currently no word has been passed to us, and so we sit as we wait for updates. What do you think is going on?" the announcer asked, interviewing random people. Jason crossed his fingers for his new hero.
Jason watched as the announcer talked to several people; some who had no idea, one who thought it was some conspiracy theory, and another who just wanted to be on TV. Stupid nuts, he thought as he sat.
"I do hope everything turns out ok," his mother said, as she walked into the living room. Why wouldn't it turn out ok? He was a super hero. Of course it would turn out ok.
Kyle gripped the suitcase tightly as he walked in the building.
The directions were simple. Take the suitcase inside; meet one of the men there in the foyer. Once they verified the money was in the case, he'd be allowed to see the hostages. Kyle wanted these hostages to come out alive; not dead; not hurt. He was smart enough to know that he didn't have the experience to deal with these guys. And he wasn't some dumb movie cop that would go ballistic at the drop of a hat.
Kyle walked inside the foyer; the quiet an eerie contrast to the noise outside. As expected, there was a man standing there. He was very panic stricken. He looked as if he hadn't shaved in a day or two. His dark hair was frazzled and wild looking, and his eyes had the look of a cornered deer. In short, he looked like a movie psycho.
"You're real. You're really here. Praise to God Almighty, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." What was he going on about? Kyle didn't know what to think.
"Excuse me, but I'm here with the money, and I'd like to see the hostages," Kyle interrupted. He didn't want to make the dude angry; but it was starting to bother him. Why couldn't anybody ever stick to the plan?
"They said you'd come; but I didn't want to believe. Oh dear Lord, forgive me for my disbelief. You have delivered him into our hands," he went on. Ok; that sounded bad. Really, really bad.
"So, the hostages? I have the money you requested," Kyle offered, trying to cut to the chase.
"Money. The root of all evil," he cursed. He was sounding a little too much like a religious freak from TV. "Keep your money. The reward I go to is far greater than anything this fallen world can give me," he exclaimed.
"Yes; but what about the hostages? The video?" Kyle asked. Keep him talking. That was the first rule for dealing with bad guys. If they were talking, they weren't doing anything else.
"That was just prefilmed video, with the date altered." He laughed creepily. "And now... I send you to hell!!" he exclaimed, his eyes wild. He pulled out what looked like an electronic button from his coat. Kyle launched himself at the wild eyed psychopath, but it was too late. The man had already hit the trigger.
Jason watched in horror, as the large 4 story building came crumbing down. One moment it was standing just fine, and the next the base had collapsed, sending smoke and dust into the air. What had happened? How could things have gone wrong?
The reporter began talking. "We're here live on the scene where the news breaking story about hostages has taken a turn for the worse. Moments ago, the building that the hostages were in with their captors crumbled; burying them along with this so called super boy."
How could she be so cold? Just saying it that way. Jason wanted to punch her. How did it go that badly?
"Those poor people. Gone," his mother said, sniffing. Jason didn't know what to think. Then on the TV, light exploded from the pile of rubble. What? It was him? IT WAS HIM!! Kyle watched in glee as the boy exploded upward from the dirt, carrying one lone survivor. Then he landed behind Police lines, and that was all Kyle could see of him. Shit.
"Well, it appears that our hero is unharmed. But as for the rest of the hostages... only time will tell," the reporter began. Kyle continued watching, but got impatient when all she did was interview the onlookers again as she waited for developments. He flipped the TV off and went to his computer to see what the current fan sites had to say.
"For the fucking hundredth time, there were no hostages," Kyle said to the police again. "No one there but him. Something about killing me and sending me to hell." Fucking shit; that had been intense. Kyle wasn't used to being in a falling building like that. Yes, he'd stopped the space shuttle; yes, he'd swam through a nuclear reactor. But this was different; it was different having all that stuff falling down on you.
"You think to thwart the saints of God? God will allow you your time to justify His wrath against you, but in the end, you will be cast out like dross; fit only for the..." The man babbled. He was wearing hand cuffs, and he was sitting with his feet tied. Nobody had wanted to risk anything with him.
"So, you claim this man tried to kill you by blowing up the building?" the inspector said, taking notes on a piece of paper. Kyle scratched the back of his head nervously. He'd never been the target of insane religious mumbo jumbo before, and it kinda freaked him out. At least there were no hostages to worry about.
"Yes," Kyle finally said, deciding to keep it simple. It sounded weird, explaining to the detective that this religious nut case had blown up a building on him.
"Anything else to add... Mr.?" The detective asked. Damn. He still needed a name.
"Not really. And to tell you the truth... I haven't figured out a name yet." he said, trying not to blush. How was he ever going to find one? He guessed he could cruise around some more online. Maybe that would help. Wait... what was he thinking?
"Well thank you. But next time, perhaps it would be better if you let us handle the hostage situations." the man said. Kyle had to agree. He didn't want to get involved again.
"Yeah; I suppose it will," Kyle agreed, and took off, leaving a streak of blue behind him.
Now what? He'd said he was going to the library, but that hadn't been too long ago. He had time to kill. So now what? Maybe he would go to the library. There was a large park near it, with lots of trees, and bushes, and things he could land in with out being seen. He hoped. Oh wait. How would Kyle explain the costume? Damn it.
He really needed to start thinking about things more. Like his suit, and his stupid hero name. How was he going to pick a cool one? Maybe checking the sites with votes would help.
But all this was just a distraction. Kyle didn't' want to deal
with what had just happened. Someone had wanted to kill him. Had literally faked a hostage situation just to get to him. What if they did something worse?
Kyle didn't like the way things were going. And he still hadn't
gotten to the bottom of why he had these powers in the first place. Were things ever going to be normal again? He hoped they would get better soon.
"Hello?" Jason answered, hoping it was Kyle. Man, he had the worst timing; or really bad luck. Kyle was never around when that super kid showed up.
"You called?" the voice asked. It WAS Kyle, and Jason suddenly felt much happier. "Yeah. Did you hear about the hostage thing?" he asked excitedly. Kyle would probably have gotten it from his mother, but he had to make sure.
"My mom said some stuff about it. A fake scare and the whole building blowing up on that super kid."
"Yeah. Turns out some crazy religious guy was trying to kill him," Kyle explained. "The police gave interviews after the kid took off, and that wacko is getting a full psych evaluation," Jason said, flopping on the hallway floor. He liked to stretch when talking on the phone sometimes. Like now for instance.
"Stupid library. I needed to look some stuff up for a report, and I couldn't find it online," Kyle exclaimed.
"Well, can I come next time? I can help you look," Jason offered.
"Ok I guess. School work is pretty boring though..." Kyle said. Duh. Jason wouldn't have offered if it hadn't been Kyle. "Oh Kyle..." Jason sighed.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked, sounding really concerned.
"Huh?"
"You just said 'Oh Kyle', like something bad had happened," Kyle replied.
"Oh I was just thinking... nothing bad happened," Jason said, feeling his face go red. Why had he done that?
"Thinking about what?" Kyle asked, sounding very curious.
"Oh... it's nothing," Jason said, feeling nervous. Why had he said that out loud? Now Kyle would think he was a freak.
"Are you sure? You can tell me anything. I really, um... like you. I mean... I wanna help," Kyle said. Really? He felt that strong? Jason was suddenly very happy. But what if Kyle didn't like gay people? What if he got angry at Jason? Jason didn't want to lose his only friend here. Wait. Was he even gay? He'd never felt like this about anyone.
"Thanks. Maybe... I'll tell you some other time. I Just... can't. Not yet," Jason said, scratching his wrist. He needed to cut; needed to be able to think clearly; needed to focus. Too many thoughts all of a sudden, running through his head. Kyle wanting to help; Jason liking Kyle; Kyle hating him if he was gay.
"I gotta go," Jason said, and hung up the phone. Something to cut, something to cut. Had to find something. Anything. Jason tried not to be obvious but he needed something. He rushed into the kitchen. No knives? Where were they? He needed something... anything. The drawers!! Jason rustled through them, not caring if his aunt heard.
"Honey, what are you doing?" his aunt asked, as he was opening drawers urgently.
"Looking for..." he began.
"Your mother told me...," she said quietly as she wrapped her thin arm around his neck. "I had to hide the knives. I'm sorry," she apologized. And Jason collapsed into her arms, crying. He needed release; something to distract him. Too many thoughts all at once.
Then he felt arms wrapping around him. "Oh honey. I'm here anytime you need to talk," his aunt offered. What could she do? She didn't' know about it. Didn't know about anything. She didn't know how he felt... how IT felt... when...
Jason took a deep breath, and then began crying harder.
Kyle didn't like the way Jason sounded on the phone there at the end. The way he'd said that... Kyle was sure there was something going on. But what to do? Kyle wanted to help, but maybe just staying away would be better for Jason. Or maybe he couldn't explain what he wanted on the phone.
"Honey!! Are you going to Jason's? Dinner is going to be later ... your father called and said he'd be late getting home." Guess that decided it.
"Yeah mom. If he calls again, I'm on my way," Kyle said, heading out the door. This time he took his bike as it would look suspicious if he just showed up with out it. But that didn't' mean he couldn't put a little extra umph in his pedaling.
Kyle found himself making great time; his hair blowing in the wind, and his button up shirt flapping open in the air. The afternoon sun beat down on his fair skin as he rode; and he would have been in a good mood except for that strange good bye Jason had given him.
When Kyle got to Jason's house, he dropped his bike in the front yard, and then rushed up to the front door, knocking loudly.
"Hello? Oh, it's you Kyle. Jason is busy in his bedroom right now," Jason's aunt answered.
"Oh. Well I was talking to him on the phone...and he said something... and it kinda spooked me," Kyle explained, twisting his toe on the door step.
"Maybe you'd better come inside then," she invited. Kyle followed her inside, hoping his friend was ok.
"You might as well go knock on his door," she gestured, and Kyle immediately hurried upstairs to Jason's bedroom.
"Come in," Jason called after Kyle knocked. So Kyle walked i nside and found Jason stretched out on his bed, his face tear streaked, and chest bare. Wait? Naked chest? Kyle had to stare at the boy's perfectly shaped chest. Kyle wanted to run his hands up and down the soft skin right then and there.
The bare arms were perfect. Right up to the wrists... what the fuck had happened? All across Jason's wrists were what looked like random cuts and scars. They looked really bad too. No wonder Jason wore long sleeved shirts. Kyle would too if he got banged up like that.
"Jason. Are you ok?" Kyle asked, flopping down on the bed next to the boy. Jason was so shy about his chest and arms; this would probably be the only time Kyle got to see him like this. So he wanted to take advantage of it. And damn; he was hot.
"Kyle?" Jason opened his eyes, looking bewildered. "You came... to see me..." he trailed off, sounding confused.
"I was worried. You didn't sound good on the phone," Kyle explained as he lay on the bed next to his friend. Kyle rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, which had several pictures of... teen boys? What? And teen girls too. Wierd.
"Oh. Thanks... that... really..." Jason began, and then suddenly his eyes were tearing up.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked.
Jason couldn't explain why he was crying. Knowing that Kyle cared enough to come over just because he sounded bad on the phone really made him feel good inside.
"I just... had..." he sniffed, "a lot of stuff on my mind. It means a lot that you came," Jason explained, still not looking at his friend. He didn't want to see Kyle's concerned face; knowing that he'd probably be looking at his wrists. It was too late to hide them now.
"What's wrong? I want to help." And Jason suddenly felt a hand gently rubbing the back of his shoulder. Electricity coursed through his body, and he didn't' want it to end. Jason arched his body in reply.
"Oh sorry," Kyle said, pulling his hand back. "I just thought you might... never mind," he said. Kyle had no clue how Jason really felt. It felt so good.
"No. It was nice," Jason replied, rolling over to look at his friend. "Thanks." Jason closed his eyes as he settled on his back, hoping that Kyle might take it as a hint to continue. Jason felt Kyle scoot closer to him as they lay on the bed, their bodies now touching.
"Can I... can I...?" Kyle began to mumble.
"What is it?" Jason asked, turning over slightly.
"Can I... this will sound weird, but ... can I hold you? I want to help, but I don't know how..." Kyle said, his eyes wet with tears. "I want to help you so much." with that, Jason couldn't hold it in. He threw himself onto his friend, and began to cry; cry like he'd never cried before.
What was this? Kyle hadn't expected this kind of reaction. But his heart went out to his friend, and he closed his arms around the sobbing teen boy on top of him. Kyle pulled himself up, arranging their bodies so they'd fit more comfortably. Then he just let himself sink into his friend; the closeness, the touching. Kyle felt his heart opening wider as he fell more in love with this tender boy. Even though they had barely met, it seemed like forever ago.
"Oh Jason," he whispered, "it will be ok." Kyle breathed into Jason's hair as he cradled the still sobbing boy.
"I know. That's why I'm so happy," Jason said, sniffing away his tears. "I didn't think I'd ever find anybody as nice as you to be my friend. But here you are." Kyle was touched. He didn't think he would ever mean THAT much to anybody. Suddenly the realization that Jason felt so strongly about him hit him in the chest.
"I mean that much to you?" he asked, tears now welling up in his eyes. Kyle had never expected to find that either. "Oh Jason." He said, pulling his friend closer, if that were possible.
And then, as if it were meant to be, Kyle gently looked at Jason in the eyes, and before he knew what he was doing, their lips had met.
to be continued....
Well. Thanks for reading everyone!! Thanks again to Dr grant, and his editing.. paladin for his feedback, darryl for his inspiration.. my fan brax who keeps me going.. and um. everyone else who reads, but doesn't say anything.