The Treehouse [BxB]

two

The next morning, Mickey kissed his Mother and sister goodbye, and waited for River by the fence that separated their two houses.

Mickey was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a loose fitting jumper. He had transformed into a typical 'skater boy' ever since he first touched a board, almost exclusively wearing baggy hoodies and ripped jeans. His skateboard was tucked beneath his arm, and his curls - inherited from his African Mother - were flattened down by a navy beanie, with a few stubborn strands falling out by his ears.

River eventually emerged from his house, dragging his bike along with him as he distractedly tried neatening his scruffy blond locks. He was wearing a pair of dungarees over an old sweater that Mickey had leant him when they were thirteen, never to be given back again. River still wore it all the time, and it still fit perfectly, because unlike Mickey, he hadn't grown a lot in the last four years.

"Hey." River murmured, managing a flustered smile as he pinned his hair out of his face with a couple of hair clips he kept in his pocket, "Sorry, I was running late this morning."

"You say that as if it doesn't happen every morning." Mickey teased him, "Your shoelace is untied, by the way."

River sighed as he glanced down at his scuffed up converse, leaning down to fix his lace, before hopping onto his bike, "Okay, let's go."

"How was your 'family dinner' last night?" Mickey questioned as they took off down the street - he on his skateboard, and River on his bike.

"It was fine." River replied, the wind blowing through his hair, fingers wrapped around the bike's handlebars. "My Mum asked if I wanted to attend Pride with her this year." He scoffed, "They're trying so hard to prove that they're not homophobic, but all they're doing is making me feel like even more of an outsider."

Mickey glanced across at his friend, and then back down at the ground, carefully trying to steer his board correctly - he still wasn't as good as he would like to be, and if he had any hope of being a real skater, he needed to stop falling over so much. "At least they're trying, right?" He reasoned.

"I guess." River sighed, "But I told my Mum that if I ever went to Pride, it wouldn't be with her."

Mickey chuckled, "And who would it be with?"

"You."

Mickey grinned, "Hell yeah." He responded, "A bunch of guys flirting with me all day? Oh, that would do wonders for my ego."

"You're straight, Mickey. It's alarming how often I need to remind you of that."

He was right. Mickey was very straight. He fell in love with every girl he met, but never for more than a couple of weeks. Then the feelings faded before disappearing altogether.

Mickey's latest obsession was called Riley Barnett, a girl from the local skatepark who had a habit of wearing clothes from the men's section, and smoking too much weed. She was blunt and snarky, constantly teasing him for his poor skating skills. She was the best one there, always quick to show off a new trick and put Mickey and all his friends to shame. But she was unattainable.

For a while, Mickey thought she was a lesbian. But then he saw her making out with a boy, and he was was proven wrong. That was when his crush began. It would end soon, he was sure of it. But for now, her chocolate eyes and cropped auburn hair seemed to be all he could dream about.