Broken- And Fixed Again- (A Jamilton Fanfic)

Chapter 31: Cat Food

//TW: suggestive content\\

Alexander

"We are two men. Two men on a mission. A life or death mission that means everything. If we screw this up, we might not walk out of here the way we came in. So we gotta get in, get out, as quickly as possible. Understand?"

Thomas nodded, his eyes coated over with steely determination.

"We cannot let anything distract us. This means everything, got it?"

Once more, Thomas nodded, but the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips was impossible to miss. I found myself transfixed, just as I always did, and it took every last one of my nerves of steel to pull myself away from the brightest thing that has ever burned. I forced myself instead to navigate the busy streets alive with the heat of the summer and the fleeting ideals and desires that came and went in the three month span where virtually anything was possible. It's one of the most beautiful things about New York.

"We go in. Get what we need. Get out. Are you ready?"

Thomas nodded for the final time, and the smile won over, and I couldn't help but indulge in a tiny satisfied grin of my own. It was impossible to withstand that gorgeous sight. Like the sun peeking through storm clouds, embracing the world with its golden warmth, so too did my Thomas's smile completely melt me.

We turned the corner, and there it stood in front of us, just as imposing as ever. Thomas stiffened next to me, and I could already see his eyes wandering as he took it all in.

"We can do this," I reassured him. "I promise."

"We just need to be strong," he agreed. "I'm ready, I think. As ready as I'll ever be."

I took a deep breath and slipped my hand into his. "Alright then. Let's go." We walked into the building, and I took a deep, uneasy breath as the sudden stream of the air conditioning drowned out the courage and the strength born in the heat. I squeezed Thomas's hand in gentle affirmation, encouraging him onwards as I stepped further into the building, just enough to acclimate to the rather cool temperatures. It was one siren's call after the next, but if we were strong enough, we could outlast them all.

Thomas let go of my hand as I moved ahead, walking as quickly as possible without breaking into a full sprint. I arrived at the aisle where we would find the object of our mission and quickly scanned the shelves, searching for the bag.

"Thomas?" I asked as I found what we were looking for. "Should we get Iams or Blue Buffalo? And should we get the grain-free one? Thomas?" I glanced behind me to see that the taller boy had gone missing. "Thomas?!"

"Alexander!" Thomas called out in response, a note of desperation tinging his tone. My heart skipped a beat as the echo of it mumbled through my ears again and again, and with a sigh of resignation, I withdrew from the aisle lined with the plastic bags containing the thing I had tried so hard to fight for, and stepped into the fluorescent light.

Aaaaand we failed.

"Thomas?"

"Alexander! Look!"

I mumbled a quick curse under my breath and left the cat food aisle to see Thomas standing in front of the cat cages.

Great. This was exactly what I was dreading.

"It's a lad!" he exclaimed, quite proud of himself as I stepped up next to him. He grabbed me by the arm, and his excitement lit up the world like a sky full of stars. He shone, my beacon, and carved a home out of the empty blackhole I had grown so accustomed to. And part of me wondered how I had ever lived without him, and part of me realized I'd never ever be able to express just how in love with him I was, for it was a feeling that transcended words, that raveled itself up in the threads of my very being until I was defined by it.