Hey Sunshine

How Did Belts Even Malfunction???

STRESS PACKING WAS NOT FUN, Wylan reflected as he watched the cities go by. Currently he was in a pair of jeans that was exactly two sizes two loose, and he was pretty sure the belt was malfunctioning (how did belts even malfunction??? And why the hell was is Wylan's luck to somehow wear the only malfunctioning belt in the world?) so he looked like double the idiot.

"Don't worry Jes, I'll be home soon," Wylan assured the older boy as he tucked the phone behind his ear. "Yeah, I'm almost there. I couldn't get a plane ticket on such a short notice, so I had to take a train ride instead." A rush of guilt ran through him and hastily he added, "Sorry I made you miss part of your vacation with your father."

A stream of expletives assaulted Wylan's ears and he attempted to make a stern face, though the both of them knew that he was grinning through it.

"Alright Jes!" Wylan said laughing slightly. "I'll stop apologizing! I'm sorry!"

He waited a beat before Jesper's response and he grinned at it. "Yeah Jes, bye. I think the train station is coming to a stop and I need some more food if I'm going to survive the next five hours alive. M'kay, love you, bye." Cutting the phone, he looked at the contact picture for Jesper (a picture of the boy grinning at his phone, wild-eyed and looking just the slightest bit on drugs) with affection before switching the phone off.

"Oh honey, were you just on the phone with your girlfriend?" he heard cooing, and startled Wylan looked up to see the face of a grinning old man. Looking around the compartment, he noticed that he and the other old man were the only people inside it.

"Um - well - actually," Wylan stammered for a while. "Um, my boyfriend actually." He waited for the old man's face to sour and bit his lip, preparing for it. To his surprise, the man didn't seem the least bit put off by the fact.

"Oh, well, that's adorable as well," he reassured Wylan. "Though, so young! Yet so in love!"
Wylan almost choked at the words and he gazed at the man with wide eyes. "What do you mean - 'so in love'?" he asked, staring at the old man.

"Well, you said it yourself," the old man shrugged nonchalantly. "You told your boyfriend 'm'kay, love you, bye'."

And then it hit Wylan. He had ended the phone call with those words - so nonchalantly, he had just added it onto the end of the phone call and fucking ended it and had Jesper noticed? Was he choking right now? Did Jesper think he meant it?

Did he mean it?

Did he love Jesper? Could you even love somebody after being with them after so short a time? But hadn't they been through a lot together? They had been snowed into a building together, a YMCA chant had been started, Jesper had discovered the truth behind his last name and refrained from freaking out, Wylan's apartment had been trashed, he had found out about Jesper's gambling and late-night habits, Jesper had kept him sane after he was dealing with the shock of hearing Kuweii's confession... fuck they had even moved in together! Did it count as moving in together if there were other people there?

They hadn't had sex yet, Wylan considered. Was that a factor in love? He supposed not, considering acesexual couples, but would Jesper consider it one? Christ - did Jesper want sex with him? He had never had sex with somebody in his life! He had always planned to give it away to somebody special - and after all, didn't Jesper count as 'someone special'? But he hadn't wanted to give it away in college. Jesus Christ, why hadn't they talked about this at all?

"I-I-I," Wylan stammered, looking at the man with wide eyes. "I - um, I think I... I love you Jesper?"

"Brava!" the man cheered, clapping at him. "Now you just have to tell him that!"

"Oh my god," Wylan muttered to himself. "Oh my god."

#

The train finally cranked to a stop and Wylan gave his seat a nervous look. The old man had left a long time ago - not before giving Wylan an uncomfortably tight hug and telling him to have a 'happy marriage' with Jesper (which had, naturally, made him choke up even more). Wylan was alone, and not for the first time, he wished he had accepted Jesper's offer to meet him at the train station.

You can do things yourself, Wylan scolded himself as he gathered his bags with him. Slow steps carried him to the exit door and he smiled at the attendant there before carefully stepping out.

Goddamn it was brighter than he thought.

Squinting at the light coming through the windows, Wylan hitched his bags higher on his shoulder and started walking to the train station exit. Maybe there was a taxi there.

"Wylan!"
Distantly he heard his name being called and Wylan twisted his head, searching for the person. His eyes focused on nobody in particular, and he righted himself-

-only to see them right in front of him.

"Hello Wylan," Jan Van Eck said smiling at him. Three men were by his side and before Wylan could protest, two had grabbed his bags from him, while another was suddenly at his back, a careful hand touching his spine and sending chills up his back. Wylan restrained the urge to shiver. "It's good to see you again."

"F-f-father?" Wylan stammered, looking around helplessly. Nobody was looking. "F-father?"

"I heard that you came back from Kuweii's house early," the man purred, a sickly sweet smile on his face. "I think it's time you came home for a while."

*

a/n: shit's go'n (gon'? going? gown? i can't slang for my life) down from here!

thanks for reading,

mercy