The Burning Barn [BxB]

Chapter 4

"Dad" Lukas called as he walked into the familiar wooden house with Beau close behind him. Lukas glanced around the empty hallway before rolling his eyes and half-heartedly tossing the small box of donuts onto the table. "Of course" he sighed.

Lukas's house was very different from Beau's. Instead of the warm and homely browns that decorated Beau's house, Lukas's was a cold and empty light blue and white. His house was much colder than Beau's, the air tasted stale the halls were empty. Lukas had never been a big fan of his house... He only ever liked his room.

Beau had always felt uneasy in Lukas's house despite it being a second home to him. It was empty and lifeless, but the walls still seemed to close in on him. As a kid, Beau had sworn that monsters hid in the shadows waiting to pull him away for good. Everything was just overwhelmingly negative and heavy.

"Let's go upstairs, he'll be back later" Beau shrugged. Lukas gave him a half-hearted smile before heading to the fridge. Beau watched as he grabbed a Tupperware of left-over lasagna and quickly heated it up before preparing two bowls.

"I promise me nor my dad made it so it's edible" Lukas chuckled after seeing Beau's uncertainty as he accepted the bowl.

"You'd think after two years of lessons from my mom, you'd be able to make actual food" Beau teased as he headed up the stairs and toward Lukas's room. There weren't any photos on the wall... There weren't any on the fridge or on any shelves. If you had seen the house you would assume only a lonely old man lived there.

"Your family is just gifted in the kitchen" Lukas scoffed. "When's the last time you've ever seen the stove on in my house?" Beau froze as he tried to think back. Usually, when he was at Lukas's the two just went into town for dinner or heated up leftovers. Half of the time Lukas didn't even eat dinner with his dad.

"When you almost burnt down the kitchen making cookies" Beau chuckled. Lukas pulled open his bedroom door and Beau sighed feeling somewhat relieved. This was the only room that looked lived in. There were jerseys pinned to the walls alongside a few photos, an empty duffel bag sticking out from under his bed, and a cluttered desk. His dresser was dysfunctional and disorganized yet he still managed to find the exact shirt he wanted in minutes. The entire room just screamed Lukas.

"Are you staying over?" Lukas asked as the two boys took their usual seats on his bed. Beau nodded and hesitantly took a bite of the lasagna. After realizing it wasn't terrible, he gladly took another bite.

"Yeah, I'll just head home early" Beau decided. It was Saturday meaning they had church in the morning. Usually, he'd gladly go to church with Lukas and his dad but his nice clothes were all back at his house. And if he was being honest, he didn't like the idea of being trapped in a car with Lukas's father if he wasn't in a good headspace.

"Alright," Lukas agreed. The two finished their dinner in silence before Lukas volunteered to take their bowls downstairs. The moment he was gone, Beau began to look over the photos on his wall. He already knew which ones he'd find, but he always enjoyed looking at them.

Lukas had always claimed that his favorite was one of Lukas and Beau after a football game. Their foreheads and hair were both glazed with sweat and black lines were under their eyes. The read jersey's hugged onto their pads and the two boys had their arms wrapped tightly around one another, still smiling from their win.

Beau smiled as he ran his fingers over the smooth photo when the door opened. Lukas locked the door behind him before walking across the room and pulling Beau in for another kiss. Beau's heart slammed in his chest and he quickly smiled into it. He ran his hands through the blonde's hair, lightly tugging on the ends.