Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel) - Chapter 33
Title: Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel)
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Thirty Three
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 2966
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
The weekend was spent almost entirely inside of David’s house, Pierre and David struggling to keep their hands off of each other and wanting nothing more than to be completely absorbed in each other’s company. The only time they ventured out was to get Pierre’s car out of storage and bring it back to the house, though the trip had been short and they wasted no time getting lost in each other again when they got back. They did all of the things they’d been missing, from cuddling in bed and doing nothing at all, to watching movies cuddled under a blanket on the couch, to exploring every inch of each other’s bodies in David’s bed. David continued to find himself feeling that underlying feeling of sadness out of habit and he kept reminding himself that he didn’t need to feel it anymore. It was hard to get himself to fully believe that he truly wasn’t going to have to say goodbye to Pierre again, the idea feeling too good to be true after the nine months he’d just gone through.
By the time Monday came back around, the last thing David wanted to do was leave the house but he knew he had to and he let Pierre drive him to school, hesitating as he sat in the passenger seat. “Two more weeks,” he complained with a sigh, feeling like the end of the school year couldn’t come fast enough for him.
“That’s nothing, it’ll be over before you know it,” Pierre comforted him gently. “And you’re only gonna have to deal with Hunter for the very last week, and then it’s all over and you won’t have to worry about him again,” he added. David nodded but looked tired and Pierre reached over, brushing his hand against the other boy’s cheek and smiling at him gently. “Then it’s just you and me for the rest of our lives.”
David reached up and grasped Pierre’s hand, holding it against his cheek and staring lovingly into his eyes. “Two weeks feels like too long to wait,” he complained.
“You’ll survive,” Pierre told him gently before leaning over to him and meeting his lips in a soft kiss. He pulled back slightly, staying close enough that his nose still rested against David’s and their lips were barely an inch apart. “Now get to class,” he teased in a whisper.
David rolled his eyes and smiled but he couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward and brought their lips together again. When he pulled back again and Pierre moved to sit back in his seat, David gave a loud, dramatic sigh and got out of the car, looking around as he made his way through the parking lot.
He felt an odd sense of nerves and slowly he remembered Ezra and that he would be seeing him again, and just like that Pierre’s spell was broken and all the conflicted thoughts from the week prior came back to him in a flood of uncertainty. He wondered if he should have talked to Pierre about the doubts he’d been having, the situation reminding him too much of when he’d been doubting Hunter’s intentions but he shook his head at himself, telling himself that Ezra had never once made a move on him or tried to be anything more than friends and these fears were unwarranted. But then his persistent friendship and soft looks and hugs and gentle support came back to him and he felt confused all over again, wishing he hadn’t ever asked Ben and Noah for their opinion, or that he hadn’t talked to Jenny. He felt like they had gotten in his head and made him think things he’d never thought before and he just wanted it all to stop, not wanting to face the possibility of yet another friend feeling too much for him.
David glanced around the corner of the doorway into his first class of the morning, seeing Ezra slouched in his seat and looking out the window. David pulled back into the hall and pressed his back against the wall, swallowing hard as fear began to grip at him. What if it was true and it all came out into the open? What if it wasn’t true and Ezra was mad at him for doubting him? He knew how bad he was at hiding things, and for whatever reason Ezra had always seemed especially good at seeing what David was feeling and knowing what he was thinking without even having to try. He seemed to understand how David’s mind worked and the ways in which he was broken and how much he over thought absolutely everything there was to possibly over think. His desire to avoid the other boy coming to his desk and talking to him led him to standing in the hall for too long and he was surprised by the sound of the morning bell. He jumped a little and walked into the classroom a few seconds late, keeping his head down and not looking Ezra’s way.
“Cutting it close, David,” the teacher scolded him
David didn’t look up as he took his seat, muttering a quiet, “Sorry.” The moment the bell rang David was up and out of the classroom, walking as fast as his feet would carry him to his next class and not looking back, afraid he would turn around and see Ezra looking at him with curiosity or perhaps even hurt.
By the time the bell rang for lunch, David had worked himself up into an overwhelming state of confusion and he avoided the cafeteria, keeping his head down as he walked by, not wanting to see if Ezra was there. Instead he went to sit outside of his next classroom, reminding himself again of how he had avoided Hunter, though this time his fear was entirely different. With Hunter he had actually been afraid of him, of how he might lash out and do something stupid, of the way he had grabbed him and wouldn’t let go, of the way he had been about to kiss him in the middle of the hall against David’s wishes. With Ezra his fear was in the uncertainty of the other boy’s feelings, thinking that he didn’t know if he could handle it if Ezra did have feelings for him while also feeling terrified that the other boy would see the conflicted thoughts he was having if he looked at him. Just as much as he didn’t want to know if Ezra did actually have feelings for him, he also didn’t want Ezra to know that he was wondering about it. He pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in them, hugging his arms around his legs and just wanting to shut everything out.
“You’re hiding from me, aren’t you?” Ezra’s voice came from above and David looked up at him suddenly, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushing red. He noticed immediately the way Ezra’s face was still bruised and his black eye was still visible though the color had faded to a greenish yellow and there was no longer any swelling to be seen.
“What? No!” David responded frantically, the pitch of his voice high and sounding unconvincing. Ezra stared down at him dryly and David blushed harder but gave no further response.
“You know I don’t…” Ezra spoke, trailing off uncomfortably, and though he didn’t finish his sentence David knew exactly what he was getting at. David just stared up at him, his eyes wide and sad as panic tore through him. “You know that… right?”
“Of course,” David responded, and as he did he stood to face Ezra head on but his eyes showed uncertainty and his voice was weak as he spoke.
“David,” Ezra said sternly, taking a step toward him. David’s eyes flashed to the side and down and he took a step back without meaning to. “David, look in my eyes right now,” Ezra commanded, though his voice was still soft and gentle and there was nothing scary or intimidating in it. David swallowed hard and looked back at him, overwhelmed with all the thoughts rushing through his mind. “I’m not in love with you,” Ezra said strongly, not breaking eye contact, his gaze sure and steady. “I don’t have feelings for you. I’m not attracted to you.”
David searched Ezra’s eyes for even the smallest hint of uncertainty and when he saw none he exhaled heavily and leaned back against the wall, his hands moving to cover his face as relief flooded his body. “I’m so sorry,” he muttered, truly meaning it.
“I get it, you’ve been through a lot and a lot of this probably feels pretty similar to what you went through with Hunter,” Ezra responded, and the certainty in his voice comforted David further and told him how much he had let himself spin out of control. “But I’m not into guys and as much as I like you as a friend, that’s all it is. There’s nothing else there, I promise,” he continued firmly.
David nodded and dropped his hands, looking back up at the other boy with guilt ridden eyes. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just Pierre said… and Jenny… and Ben and Noah-”
“Ben and Noah?!” Ezra exclaimed, his jaw dropping in offense.
David nodded weakly, staring up at him apologetically. “Everyone else seemed to believe it and it made me question it and then I started panicking and freaking out and wondering if I’d just been ignoring it like I did with Hunter, but it just didn’t make sense and I thought there was no way, but then I started over analyzing every conversation we’ve ever had and-”
“Hey, just… breathe,” Ezra interrupted him, holding his hands up. David bit his lips together and shrunk back into himself, feeling awful that he had ever doubted his friend and his intentions. “I’m not Hunter. I’m not hanging out with you to try to get in your pants.” David nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and intentionally to calm his nerves. A look of incredulity took over Ezra’s features again and he said, “Ben and Noah?! Really?!”
David laughed weakly and nodded but he felt bad as he did. “I was trying to get reassurance from them that they didn’t believe anything was going on between us but… I didn’t get that. They seemed pretty unconvinced that you didn’t have feelings for me but… were totally sure that I didn’t feel anything for you,” he admitted hesitantly, not sure if he really should but feeling like he had gossiped about Ezra behind his back and wanting to come clean.
Ezra looked floored at the admission, shaking his head to himself and muttering, “Those mother fuckers.”
David looked down, shame tearing through his chest and making it hard to look at the other boy. “You really would have been better off if you’d never told me to come sit with you guys,” David told him, voicing the deep guilt he’d been feeling the last two months about how complicated he’d made the other boy’s life. He wrapped his arms around his middle as he added, “I bet you didn’t think it would end up like this.”
“Hey…” Ezra said, his voice soft and quiet. David looked up at him, his guilt picking at him and embarrassment overwhelming him. “I don’t regret being your friend, and I hope you don’t regret being mine.”
David shook his head quickly. “I just feel bad for all the drama I brought on you,” he admitted sadly.
Ezra shrugged and threw his hands up. “At least the end of the year wasn’t boring, right?”
David couldn’t believe it but he was laughing again, this time more genuinely, and he shook his head at the other boy in amazement. “You really aren’t bothered by anything, are you?” he asked with a smile.
“I mean, Hunter’s figured out how to get under my skin pretty easily,” he pointed out, rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing uncomfortably.
“Well… He was your best friend and he knows you really well so I guess that makes sense,” David replied, feeling a little lighter now.
Ezra nodded and looked off to the side for a moment before dropping his hand from the back of his neck and turning his attention back to David. “Are you gonna stop hiding and come sit with us, or what?” he asked bluntly.
“It’s so weird,” David breathed, covering his face with his hands again. “Even Ben and Noah think-”
“I’ll deal with them later,” Ezra cut him off firmly. “And they don’t think anything about you, they think it about me. So who cares?”
David dropped his hands and looked back at the other boy with a weak, crooked smile. “I wish I could just not care like you,” he admitted. “I used to think I didn’t care what other people thought about me but I’ve come to realize that I care way more than I should.”
“Well, it’ll be good practice for you then,” Ezra responded with a shrug. David nodded and pushed himself away from the wall, moving toward Ezra slowly. Together they began to head down the hall, David’s eyes down on the ground in embarrassment. “If it wasn’t for everything that already happened, and you having a boyfriend who definitely wouldn’t appreciate it, I’d say we should screw with them,” Ezra joked, surprising David and drawing his attention over to him. “But I think too much has happened and in this case I don’t think it’d be funny,” he decided, his eyes squinted as if he was thinking hard.
David snorted a little and shook his head, looking back down at the ground in front of him. “Very insightful of you,” he joked quietly.
“I think about stuff sometimes,” he said, turning to look at David and tapping on his forehead. David rolled his eyes at him and shook his head with a smile. “Plus, Hunter would lose his fucking mind if we pretended there was actually something going on,” he added, his eyes widening a little at the thought.
“Yeah… that… wouldn’t be pretty,” David responded, feeling nervous at the idea. “I’m not looking forward to him coming back next week,” he admitted, his voice even quieter.
“Your boyfriend’s here now, right?” Ezra asked, looking down at him again.
David nodded but the troubled look didn’t leave his face. “I’m worried they’re gonna run into each other and Pierre’s gonna try to kill him.”
“I can imagine,” Ezra responded seriously. “If I was dating someone and someone had done even a quarter of the shit Hunter’s done to you, I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself back.”
“It was easier to keep Pierre at bay because he was so far away the whole time, and the time he was here right after Hunter attacked me, I begged him not to confront him because I knew he would start hitting him and wouldn’t be able to stop. I didn’t want to lose our whole future together if he killed him.”
Silence followed these words and after a few seconds David glanced nervously at Ezra, worried he was going to see a look of disapproval at his words but instead he saw nothing but understanding and saw that Ezra was nodding with eyes that looked far away. They didn’t speak again until they were walking up to the table where Noah and Ben were both sitting and David hated the way they looked between the two of them, a little nervous and unsure. He told himself not to care just as Ezra had suggested and he sat down.
Ezra pushed an apple and a granola bar at him without a word and David looked over at him, eyeing him carefully for a moment before taking the food from him and giving a quiet, “Thanks.” He knew this wasn’t going to help the way their friends were looking at them or their belief that Ezra was in love with him but he pushed the thought away and began to munch on the granola bar. Ezra had looked into his eyes and said with full confidence that he wasn’t in love with him, didn’t have feelings for him, and wasn’t attracted to him. It was all that David had needed to believe him, not seeing even the tiniest flicker of pain or lying or longing as he’d stared back at him.
David was glad when Ezra struck up a conversation completely casually as if nothing had ever happened and even though it was a little awkward at first, soon Noah and Ben were both participating, and before long David was able to join the conversation as well, telling himself to just be normal and things would stop feeling weird soon enough. There were only two weeks left in the school year, after all, and until Hunter came back the following week there was no risk of anything else happening. David could afford to relax for the time being, and just enjoy the friends he had made like he used to so freely. With his confused thoughts wiped out of his mind for good, David found it trivially easy to fall back into joking and laughing with the boys around him, allowing their company to wipe away his anxiety and provide him comfort. That was what he had always loved most about hanging out with them, after all, and he wasn’t going to allow stupid, baseless thoughts to get in the way of that ever again. His time left with them was too short, and he wasn’t going to waste it.
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Thirty Three
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 2966
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
The weekend was spent almost entirely inside of David’s house, Pierre and David struggling to keep their hands off of each other and wanting nothing more than to be completely absorbed in each other’s company. The only time they ventured out was to get Pierre’s car out of storage and bring it back to the house, though the trip had been short and they wasted no time getting lost in each other again when they got back. They did all of the things they’d been missing, from cuddling in bed and doing nothing at all, to watching movies cuddled under a blanket on the couch, to exploring every inch of each other’s bodies in David’s bed. David continued to find himself feeling that underlying feeling of sadness out of habit and he kept reminding himself that he didn’t need to feel it anymore. It was hard to get himself to fully believe that he truly wasn’t going to have to say goodbye to Pierre again, the idea feeling too good to be true after the nine months he’d just gone through.
By the time Monday came back around, the last thing David wanted to do was leave the house but he knew he had to and he let Pierre drive him to school, hesitating as he sat in the passenger seat. “Two more weeks,” he complained with a sigh, feeling like the end of the school year couldn’t come fast enough for him.
“That’s nothing, it’ll be over before you know it,” Pierre comforted him gently. “And you’re only gonna have to deal with Hunter for the very last week, and then it’s all over and you won’t have to worry about him again,” he added. David nodded but looked tired and Pierre reached over, brushing his hand against the other boy’s cheek and smiling at him gently. “Then it’s just you and me for the rest of our lives.”
David reached up and grasped Pierre’s hand, holding it against his cheek and staring lovingly into his eyes. “Two weeks feels like too long to wait,” he complained.
“You’ll survive,” Pierre told him gently before leaning over to him and meeting his lips in a soft kiss. He pulled back slightly, staying close enough that his nose still rested against David’s and their lips were barely an inch apart. “Now get to class,” he teased in a whisper.
David rolled his eyes and smiled but he couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward and brought their lips together again. When he pulled back again and Pierre moved to sit back in his seat, David gave a loud, dramatic sigh and got out of the car, looking around as he made his way through the parking lot.
He felt an odd sense of nerves and slowly he remembered Ezra and that he would be seeing him again, and just like that Pierre’s spell was broken and all the conflicted thoughts from the week prior came back to him in a flood of uncertainty. He wondered if he should have talked to Pierre about the doubts he’d been having, the situation reminding him too much of when he’d been doubting Hunter’s intentions but he shook his head at himself, telling himself that Ezra had never once made a move on him or tried to be anything more than friends and these fears were unwarranted. But then his persistent friendship and soft looks and hugs and gentle support came back to him and he felt confused all over again, wishing he hadn’t ever asked Ben and Noah for their opinion, or that he hadn’t talked to Jenny. He felt like they had gotten in his head and made him think things he’d never thought before and he just wanted it all to stop, not wanting to face the possibility of yet another friend feeling too much for him.
David glanced around the corner of the doorway into his first class of the morning, seeing Ezra slouched in his seat and looking out the window. David pulled back into the hall and pressed his back against the wall, swallowing hard as fear began to grip at him. What if it was true and it all came out into the open? What if it wasn’t true and Ezra was mad at him for doubting him? He knew how bad he was at hiding things, and for whatever reason Ezra had always seemed especially good at seeing what David was feeling and knowing what he was thinking without even having to try. He seemed to understand how David’s mind worked and the ways in which he was broken and how much he over thought absolutely everything there was to possibly over think. His desire to avoid the other boy coming to his desk and talking to him led him to standing in the hall for too long and he was surprised by the sound of the morning bell. He jumped a little and walked into the classroom a few seconds late, keeping his head down and not looking Ezra’s way.
“Cutting it close, David,” the teacher scolded him
David didn’t look up as he took his seat, muttering a quiet, “Sorry.” The moment the bell rang David was up and out of the classroom, walking as fast as his feet would carry him to his next class and not looking back, afraid he would turn around and see Ezra looking at him with curiosity or perhaps even hurt.
By the time the bell rang for lunch, David had worked himself up into an overwhelming state of confusion and he avoided the cafeteria, keeping his head down as he walked by, not wanting to see if Ezra was there. Instead he went to sit outside of his next classroom, reminding himself again of how he had avoided Hunter, though this time his fear was entirely different. With Hunter he had actually been afraid of him, of how he might lash out and do something stupid, of the way he had grabbed him and wouldn’t let go, of the way he had been about to kiss him in the middle of the hall against David’s wishes. With Ezra his fear was in the uncertainty of the other boy’s feelings, thinking that he didn’t know if he could handle it if Ezra did have feelings for him while also feeling terrified that the other boy would see the conflicted thoughts he was having if he looked at him. Just as much as he didn’t want to know if Ezra did actually have feelings for him, he also didn’t want Ezra to know that he was wondering about it. He pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in them, hugging his arms around his legs and just wanting to shut everything out.
“You’re hiding from me, aren’t you?” Ezra’s voice came from above and David looked up at him suddenly, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushing red. He noticed immediately the way Ezra’s face was still bruised and his black eye was still visible though the color had faded to a greenish yellow and there was no longer any swelling to be seen.
“What? No!” David responded frantically, the pitch of his voice high and sounding unconvincing. Ezra stared down at him dryly and David blushed harder but gave no further response.
“You know I don’t…” Ezra spoke, trailing off uncomfortably, and though he didn’t finish his sentence David knew exactly what he was getting at. David just stared up at him, his eyes wide and sad as panic tore through him. “You know that… right?”
“Of course,” David responded, and as he did he stood to face Ezra head on but his eyes showed uncertainty and his voice was weak as he spoke.
“David,” Ezra said sternly, taking a step toward him. David’s eyes flashed to the side and down and he took a step back without meaning to. “David, look in my eyes right now,” Ezra commanded, though his voice was still soft and gentle and there was nothing scary or intimidating in it. David swallowed hard and looked back at him, overwhelmed with all the thoughts rushing through his mind. “I’m not in love with you,” Ezra said strongly, not breaking eye contact, his gaze sure and steady. “I don’t have feelings for you. I’m not attracted to you.”
David searched Ezra’s eyes for even the smallest hint of uncertainty and when he saw none he exhaled heavily and leaned back against the wall, his hands moving to cover his face as relief flooded his body. “I’m so sorry,” he muttered, truly meaning it.
“I get it, you’ve been through a lot and a lot of this probably feels pretty similar to what you went through with Hunter,” Ezra responded, and the certainty in his voice comforted David further and told him how much he had let himself spin out of control. “But I’m not into guys and as much as I like you as a friend, that’s all it is. There’s nothing else there, I promise,” he continued firmly.
David nodded and dropped his hands, looking back up at the other boy with guilt ridden eyes. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just Pierre said… and Jenny… and Ben and Noah-”
“Ben and Noah?!” Ezra exclaimed, his jaw dropping in offense.
David nodded weakly, staring up at him apologetically. “Everyone else seemed to believe it and it made me question it and then I started panicking and freaking out and wondering if I’d just been ignoring it like I did with Hunter, but it just didn’t make sense and I thought there was no way, but then I started over analyzing every conversation we’ve ever had and-”
“Hey, just… breathe,” Ezra interrupted him, holding his hands up. David bit his lips together and shrunk back into himself, feeling awful that he had ever doubted his friend and his intentions. “I’m not Hunter. I’m not hanging out with you to try to get in your pants.” David nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and intentionally to calm his nerves. A look of incredulity took over Ezra’s features again and he said, “Ben and Noah?! Really?!”
David laughed weakly and nodded but he felt bad as he did. “I was trying to get reassurance from them that they didn’t believe anything was going on between us but… I didn’t get that. They seemed pretty unconvinced that you didn’t have feelings for me but… were totally sure that I didn’t feel anything for you,” he admitted hesitantly, not sure if he really should but feeling like he had gossiped about Ezra behind his back and wanting to come clean.
Ezra looked floored at the admission, shaking his head to himself and muttering, “Those mother fuckers.”
David looked down, shame tearing through his chest and making it hard to look at the other boy. “You really would have been better off if you’d never told me to come sit with you guys,” David told him, voicing the deep guilt he’d been feeling the last two months about how complicated he’d made the other boy’s life. He wrapped his arms around his middle as he added, “I bet you didn’t think it would end up like this.”
“Hey…” Ezra said, his voice soft and quiet. David looked up at him, his guilt picking at him and embarrassment overwhelming him. “I don’t regret being your friend, and I hope you don’t regret being mine.”
David shook his head quickly. “I just feel bad for all the drama I brought on you,” he admitted sadly.
Ezra shrugged and threw his hands up. “At least the end of the year wasn’t boring, right?”
David couldn’t believe it but he was laughing again, this time more genuinely, and he shook his head at the other boy in amazement. “You really aren’t bothered by anything, are you?” he asked with a smile.
“I mean, Hunter’s figured out how to get under my skin pretty easily,” he pointed out, rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing uncomfortably.
“Well… He was your best friend and he knows you really well so I guess that makes sense,” David replied, feeling a little lighter now.
Ezra nodded and looked off to the side for a moment before dropping his hand from the back of his neck and turning his attention back to David. “Are you gonna stop hiding and come sit with us, or what?” he asked bluntly.
“It’s so weird,” David breathed, covering his face with his hands again. “Even Ben and Noah think-”
“I’ll deal with them later,” Ezra cut him off firmly. “And they don’t think anything about you, they think it about me. So who cares?”
David dropped his hands and looked back at the other boy with a weak, crooked smile. “I wish I could just not care like you,” he admitted. “I used to think I didn’t care what other people thought about me but I’ve come to realize that I care way more than I should.”
“Well, it’ll be good practice for you then,” Ezra responded with a shrug. David nodded and pushed himself away from the wall, moving toward Ezra slowly. Together they began to head down the hall, David’s eyes down on the ground in embarrassment. “If it wasn’t for everything that already happened, and you having a boyfriend who definitely wouldn’t appreciate it, I’d say we should screw with them,” Ezra joked, surprising David and drawing his attention over to him. “But I think too much has happened and in this case I don’t think it’d be funny,” he decided, his eyes squinted as if he was thinking hard.
David snorted a little and shook his head, looking back down at the ground in front of him. “Very insightful of you,” he joked quietly.
“I think about stuff sometimes,” he said, turning to look at David and tapping on his forehead. David rolled his eyes at him and shook his head with a smile. “Plus, Hunter would lose his fucking mind if we pretended there was actually something going on,” he added, his eyes widening a little at the thought.
“Yeah… that… wouldn’t be pretty,” David responded, feeling nervous at the idea. “I’m not looking forward to him coming back next week,” he admitted, his voice even quieter.
“Your boyfriend’s here now, right?” Ezra asked, looking down at him again.
David nodded but the troubled look didn’t leave his face. “I’m worried they’re gonna run into each other and Pierre’s gonna try to kill him.”
“I can imagine,” Ezra responded seriously. “If I was dating someone and someone had done even a quarter of the shit Hunter’s done to you, I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself back.”
“It was easier to keep Pierre at bay because he was so far away the whole time, and the time he was here right after Hunter attacked me, I begged him not to confront him because I knew he would start hitting him and wouldn’t be able to stop. I didn’t want to lose our whole future together if he killed him.”
Silence followed these words and after a few seconds David glanced nervously at Ezra, worried he was going to see a look of disapproval at his words but instead he saw nothing but understanding and saw that Ezra was nodding with eyes that looked far away. They didn’t speak again until they were walking up to the table where Noah and Ben were both sitting and David hated the way they looked between the two of them, a little nervous and unsure. He told himself not to care just as Ezra had suggested and he sat down.
Ezra pushed an apple and a granola bar at him without a word and David looked over at him, eyeing him carefully for a moment before taking the food from him and giving a quiet, “Thanks.” He knew this wasn’t going to help the way their friends were looking at them or their belief that Ezra was in love with him but he pushed the thought away and began to munch on the granola bar. Ezra had looked into his eyes and said with full confidence that he wasn’t in love with him, didn’t have feelings for him, and wasn’t attracted to him. It was all that David had needed to believe him, not seeing even the tiniest flicker of pain or lying or longing as he’d stared back at him.
David was glad when Ezra struck up a conversation completely casually as if nothing had ever happened and even though it was a little awkward at first, soon Noah and Ben were both participating, and before long David was able to join the conversation as well, telling himself to just be normal and things would stop feeling weird soon enough. There were only two weeks left in the school year, after all, and until Hunter came back the following week there was no risk of anything else happening. David could afford to relax for the time being, and just enjoy the friends he had made like he used to so freely. With his confused thoughts wiped out of his mind for good, David found it trivially easy to fall back into joking and laughing with the boys around him, allowing their company to wipe away his anxiety and provide him comfort. That was what he had always loved most about hanging out with them, after all, and he wasn’t going to allow stupid, baseless thoughts to get in the way of that ever again. His time left with them was too short, and he wasn’t going to waste it.