Broken Butterflies
One Shot Dumping Ground[Nu'Est]
JR stared at his cell phone, trying to decide if calling Aron would be a good idea right now. The last time they had spoken, it had ended in an argument and Aron icing over...again. That had happened several times over the past five months, and JR was tired of things going on in this pattern. Things needed to change...now. Sighing deeply, he picked up his phone and hit speed dial. If Aron picked up, it would be great. If not...
"Hello?" He heard Aron's tired voice on the other end of the line. He felt his heart skip a beat at the other man's voice, even though it was strained.
"Hi, Aron. How...I mean, are you going to be in town anytime soon? If so, we could meet or something, if you want." JR had stopped himself from asking how Aron was doing. He knew the answer. He also knew that his friend couldn't hide forever.
There was silence on the other end for a long moment before Aron answered him and JR was beginning to wonder if his friend had hung up on him. "I'm going to be in town at the first part of next month, but not for long," Aron finally replied. "We can get together then and do something. I...I can't hang around, though. School, you know?"
JR nodded, knowing the truth. He could come out once school was out in two weeks, but it was just an excuse for him to not stick around for very long. "Okay. Cool! I look forward to seeing you. You can stay with me," he grinned, knowing his friend would try to refuse him. "No objections, You Honor."
Aron laughed at the lame joke, the rare joyful sound music to JR's ears. "Okay. Fine, but I do have money for a hotel, stubborn !"
JR laughed, shaking his head as he smiled. That had definitely broken the ice between them, even though he knew it would be back as soon as they were together again. It was worth it. "It's stupid for you to stay in a hotel, when I have an apartment. End of story," he felt a pange of sadness stab his heart, the feeling popping in randomly and killing the butterflies in his stomach. "I can't wait to see you, Aron. It's been too long." JR was still feeling emotional, but tried to keep the conversation light, so it wouldn't get too deep. That was the last thing Aron needed.
Aron smiled to himself, swallowing hard. "Yeah. I miss you, JR. Truly. I'll see you soon, okay? Pick me up in a few days and we can catch up. I need to go, though. My dog is screaming at me with his eyes, and you know how dauchshunds can be."
JR laughed, picturing the small, black dog boring a hole in Aron and dying from the lack of attention. He missed Teddy, too. He was a great dog, and was good for Aron. "Alright. I'll see you soon. Have a good night, okay?"
Aron sounded far away, and it had nothing to do with the actual distance between them. "Bye, JR."
*******
JR lay back on his couch, thinking about the past and how things had been before. Now it was all different, and he needed to find a way to pull his friend back. That would be the most important part of seeing Aron. Recovering time. That would be a tough job in itself. It would be well worth it, though.
*******
Five days later, JR stood in the airport, waiting for Aron to arrive. It had been a hot day, and the young man had dressed in comfortable jean shorts, and plain white teeshirt and sneakers. He knew Aron wouldn't judge him for his lack of fashion sense. That had been Minki's job. Casting the thoughts of jealousy that threatened to flood his mind, JR smiled when he finally saw Aron walking toward him, carrying one duffle bag. The young man obviously wasn't planning on staying for very long, and that saddened JR. He would have loved for Aron to say longer.
Once he finally came closer, Aron smiled at JR, removing his sunglasses to reveal tired eyes with dark circles. That was a bad sign, but JR was determined to fix it. No one could be gloomy for long when they were around him. "Hi," Aron greeted him with a smile, but JR could see that it was forced, but not completely fake. He was trying his best to be happy. Or to pretend to
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