Yellow

One

Carter Matthews was rarely nervous, but as he knocked on the door of the shoddy-looking house so he could go and get his newest boy, he felt the emotion that was alien to him.

The boys mother opened the door, looking relieved when she saw him. "Mr Matthews! Come in, come in, he's in the living room." She bustled him into the house and let him set eyes on his boy for the first time.

He was gorgeous. From what he knew he was 5"7, a respectable height, but on the short side compared to a lot of his boys. He was seventeen and had big blue eyes, a sharp jaw and tousled brown hair. He looked Carter up and down when he saw him and made no move to be friendly when the man offered him his hand. He didn't take it.

"Hello Tyler." He smiled at him.

"Tye." The boy responded gruffly.

"Is that what you prefer to be called?" Carter asked, earning a nod. "Then that's what we'll call you."

"Do I need to sign anything else, or can you just take him now?" His mother asked, staring at her son with such a lack of love in her eyes that it made Carter angry.

"No, no we'll be off." Carter said. "Thank you for giving him to me."

"Well you're the only one who'll take him." She said bluntly before turning to the boy. "Go on, get out."

Without saying a word, Tye stood, grabbed both of his suitcases and his rucksack and followed Carter out to his car.

"Do you want to stop anywhere before we go home?" The man asked, Tye just shook his head. Carter didn't like his silent act, he knew this wasn't the real boy. "Alright." He put and arm on Tye's shoulder to guide him to the car, he flinched and shook him off. Won't speak and touch averse... this one would be a challenge.

They drove in silence, Carter had no idea how best to get Tye to open up to him, he hoped the boys would help him with that. "Are you excited to meet the others?" He tried again, glancing at the boy in the passenger seat, but Tye didn't even reply or give recognition that he had heard. Carter sighed. "Are you okay?"

He got a shrug in return. At least it was something.

It was dark when they pulled up to the house, and dinner would be ready not too long after they got there.

Tye still had not said another word, and Carter was finding it oddly upsetting. "Do you want help with your bags?" Again, no verbal answer, Tye just shook his head and grabbed his bags before Carter could. "Alright, come on."

He opened the front door, alerting all of the boys who were in the vicinity. "Carter you're back!" Noah was first to appear, 6"3 with jet black hair and grey eyes, but built like a lamp post. He was long and lanky, but surprisingly graceful. "Who's this?"

"This is Tye." Carter said. Noah smiled and offered his hand.

"Noah, pleased to meet you."

Tye ignored him and shot Carter a look, which he interpreted as 'where's my room' but it could have been 'I want to kill you.'

"I'll show Tye where his room is, and then he can settle it." Carter said, he was about to put his arm round the boys shoulder when he stopped himself. He didn't want Tye to be uncomfortable. "I imagine he's overwhelmed."

Tye followed him as he led him to the first floor and took a sharp left. Three doors down he opened a door and let Tye in. "On your left is Noah and on your right is Alexis. Opposite you is Kit. If you need anything during the night, they'll help you, or you can come to me. I'm upstairs, the first door by the stairs." Carter told him, Tye made no move to show he'd heard. "I'll send one of the boys to get you when dinner's ready okay?"

A nod, that was something. "Alright Tye, see you in a bit."

Noah met him at the bottom of the stairs. "Is he okay Car?"

Carter sighed, brushing a bit of Noah's hair from his eyes. "He will be, now he's got us."

Noah smiled. "Damn right he will be!"

"Awe you've met the new boy already!" A pouting figure from the doorway. Fairly short with wild blonde hair and green eyes.

"You can call him for dinner Riley." Carter promised. The boy brightened and barrelled himself into Carter's arms.

"Yes! So what's he like?" Riley looked up from where his chin was resting on Carter's chest, his arms firmly around hims waist.

"Distant. He doesn't talk and he doesn't like to be touched. At all." Carter said. "We're going to have to be gentle with him. His mother couldn't wait to get rid of him, she was awful."

"Our poor baby." Riley pouted. "Was he sad?"

"He didn't really show any emotions." Noah added, "I think he's scared."

"Well then we'll look after him, and we'll love him and then he'll know how to love!" Riley announced to them. Carter smiled.

"You're too sweet Riley." He kissed his boys head gently. "Go and get Tye, dinners nearly done."

Riley saluted and ran off up the stairs, coming down less than a minute and a half later, alone. Carter and Noah had entered the dining room, and the other boys were all there, excited to see the new boy as much as Riley had been.

"Um Carter... he won't answer and he's barricaded the door." He tugged on the mans sleeve nervously.

"I'll be right back." Carter told the other, slightly confused boys as he strode up the stairs, Riley scampering behind him. He knocked on Tye's door gently. "Tye, are you Alright in there?"

No answer.

He knocked again, no answer.

He tried to open the door, but something was stopping it. "Stand back Riley, I'm going to force the door."

Riley did as he was asked, watching Carter slam his weight into the door, the chair that Tye had pushed under the door knob clattering to the floor.

The room was empty.

"Tye!" Carter couldn't stop his voice rising. The room was empty.

But...

He could hear soft music playing.

Walking around the double bed that blocked the view of the desk from the door, Carter and Riley found Tye curled under the desk, the hood of his hoodie hiding his face, head phones on playing music unnecessarily loud. The boy himself was asleep.

"Oh he's so cute." Riley clapped his hands excitedly. "I want to cuddle with him."

Carter noticed a nose ring on his boys perfect face and grimaced. He didn't like it, maybe he'd asked Tye to take it out, but not now. "Remind me not to tell him how to get into the attic or the crawl space."

Riley laughed. "Will do."

Carter gently pulled Tye out from under his desk, frowning at how light he was.

"Are you going to wake him?" Riley asked, reaching out to stroke Tye's curly fringe as though he couldn't help himself.

"No, let's let him sleep." Riley pulled back the duvet so Carter could lay Tye into the bed. The two of them tucked him up gently, making sure not to remove his music, which obviously  calmed him. "Goodnight love."

"Night night Tye!"