Heroic Acts

Three

"Darien!" a familiar voice called out. Darien looked up to see his best friend, Teagan, running  up to him with arms outstretched and a smile across his face. He stood up from the side of the fountain and held out his arms and let Tegan pull him into his chest.

"I missed you," Teagan said with a smile.

"I missed you too!" Darien replied, cuddling up in Teagan's arms. The two couldn't be separated for more than a day. He couldn't believe Teagan came to visit so soon. He was filled with joy.

"Do you like it here? Is it better without me?" Teagan asked sadly but obviously jokingly.

"Of course not! I mean, the campus is lovely, but it's nothing like having you with me!" Darien replied and hugged his best friend again.

"I plan on staying for a few hours. Do you mind?" Teagan asked.

"Of course not, silly! I love having you here," Darien replied.

"Great! Now what?" he asked.

Darien looked at his watch. It was 8:15. Seth said he had to stay out until 8:00, so he could probably go back now.

"We can go back to my room!" he said happily.

"Lead the way," Teagan said with a grin.

Darien took Teagan's arm and dragged him across the beautiful campus. Obviously interested in the sights, Teagan looked around in awe. Even the dorm building was lovely and tall.

They made it up to Darien's room and he unlocked the door, leading Teagan inside to the messy bedroom. Disgusted, Teagan frowned and made a funny face.

"Your roommate did this? This is.. Gross.." he said.

"Yeah, it's not fun. I sleep on the floor, over there," Darien said and pointed at his little section.

"He makes you sleep there?"

"Well, he did last night, at least."

"I'm sorry Darien. Let's try to have a good time, okay?"

"Okay."

The two crawled over to Darien's neat little spot on the floor. Teagan took a backpack off of his back and unzipped it, pulling out a big, fluffy, baby blue blanket. It was large enough for both of them.

"I brought the blanket you asked for!" Teagan said happily.

"Teagan! You're the best!" Darien said and reached for it. He took it in his hands and covered both himself and Teagan up, laying down on the floor with him. The two cuddled and played old Super Mario games on Nintendo game systems.

"If you become a famous actor, you'll let me meet all the celebrities, right?" Teagan asked.

"Of course, you're my best friend," Darien replied.

"I better be. I mean, I'm awesome," he said.

Darien laughed and turned his game off, cuddling closer to Teagan. He barely got any sleep the night before, and he wanted to get a little rest in. He felt Teagan press a kiss to the top of his head and he smiled.

He slept. He slept for what seemed like forever. Teagan's chest and the blankets around him felt like fluffy clouds of home. It was warm and comforting and welcoming. It was like stepping into your mother's kitchen and smelling whatever she was baking in the oven while she greeted you with a hug. It was open arms.

Teagan rubbed his back gently in soft strokes, being extremely protective of his best friend. He held him tight and kept him warm because he sensed that he had a rough night in this room. The floor wasn't uncomfortable, but Darien would probably develop back, neck and shoulder issues if he continued to sleep on it every day.

Two hours passed until Darien woke up again. He blinked his eyes open slowly and looked up at his best friend, who immediately smiled down at him. He smiled back, resting his head back on his chest again.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Teagan said.

"Be quiet," Darien said groggily. He yawned and took Teagan's hand, playing with his fingers. Finally, he sat up and stretched.

Teagan sat up along with him and shoved the blanket to the side. Darien finished stretching and let out a deep sigh before smiling again and hugging Teagan tightly. The door knob on the front door turned, and the door pushed open, revealing Seth.

"Oh, uh, hi?" Seth said.

"Welcome back, Seth," Darien said. "This is my friend Teagan. He's visiting for the day."

"Nice to meet you," Teagan said kindly.

Seth nodded to him and put his books down. He didn't really say anything else, and he climbed into his bed to play on his phone. He just sort of minded his own business.

Teagan and Darien continued to be their giggly selves, playing their games and hugging and giving little kisses on the cheek or forehead. They had a lovely time, and soon it was time for Teagan to go.

"Do you have to go?" Darien whined.

"I do. You have class tomorrow and I have work, silly," he said.

"But I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too."

Teagan stood up and pulled Darien up with him, giving him another tight hug.

"I left some things in that backpack for you, Darien," he said. "You can go through it later."

"Thanks for visiting me, Teagan," he said sweetly.

Darien walked Teagan outside and out to the bus that brought him there. With a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye, Teagan was gone.

Seth was waiting for Darien to come back, ignorant as ever.

"Could you at least have the decency to warn me about people coming over next time?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry Seth, he surprised me by showing up," Darien said quietly.

"Don't let it happen again."

Darien nodded and went to his little corner on the floor, letting the soft blanket's fabric go between his fingers. It was comforting and smelled like Teagan.

Darien quietly minded his own business, trying not to associate with Seth, until Seth started addressing him.

"So Darien, are you, like," he started.

"Like what?" Darien asked.

"You know.. Gay?" Seth asked.

"I am. Is there a problem?" Darien said. He didn't really care if anyone knew about his sexuality. He only cared if he was respected.

"Oh no, I was just wondering. You seemed really fond of that Thomas guy," he said.

"Teagan."

"Right, Teagan, not Thomas. Sorry," he apologized. "So like, are you dating him?"

"No, he's my ex, but we're best friends," Darien said.

"Oh okay. I'm sorry, I was just curious," he said.

"It's okay, it's not like who I am is a secret," Darien pointed out.

Seth nodded and watched Darien curl up on the floor. His face changed a little.

"I'll, um, clean off the other bed tomorrow if you'd like," Seth said.

"You don't have to. You seem to have a system going on here. I don't want to ruin it," Darien said quietly. Truth was, he didn't really like Seth. He was rude and disrespectful, and he hurt his feelings a lot.

Seth just watched him for a moment before crawling into his own bed and pulling his shirt off. He clicked off the lamp.

Much happier now that he had a blanket, he wrapped himself up in the comforts of Teagan's scent and went back to sleep.