T H I R T E E N

Nika's hands were shoved in the pockets of his black jeans. Sketched onto his face was a soft smile, his teeth bleeding through, as his blue irises fell to Zeus's blush colored lips. Hanging loosely from Zeus's neck was a white towel and sweatpants sat on his hips. Zeus ran his hand through his damp locks. Water droplets rolled down his dark skin. "So, um, what's up?" Zeus drawled out, fresh mint staining his breath.

Hastily, Nika peels his gaze away from Zeus's lips, forcing himself to meet his eyes. "You wanna buy some ice cream with me?" He gave him a lazy grin. In his hand was a crinkled, five dollar bill.

A curious eyebrow he rose. "You're planning on sneaking out?" Zeus peered out the window, catching sight of the small, gas station located beside the school.

Nika toyed with the silver rings adorning his fingers, the sapphire gems flashing underneath the fairy lights decorating Zeus's side of the room. "If that's what you wanna call it."

Zeus attempted to glare menacingly at him, to no avail, however, for the idea seemed rather dangerous. Truthfully, Zeus craved the danger. He strived to live on the edge. "But what about the fence?"

A smirk washed over Nika's face. A glint of mischief flickered within his crystal irises. "Have you ever hopped over a fence before, Zeus?"

He blinked at Nika, confusion written across his face. "No?"

"Well, today's your lucky day then." With a wicked grin planted on his light pink lips, he threw his arm around his shoulders, causing the dark haired boy to roll his eyes in response.

Nika jumped the fence easily, his black converse landing on the grass beneath him. A minute passed before Zeus climbed over the fence, curse words falling past his lips when he's thrown onto his ass. Nika doubled over in laughter, the melodic echo irritating Zeus beyond belief.

"Go to hell," Zeus snarled, his dark brown eyes narrowed into slits.

"Where the fuck do you think I came from?" Nika laughed dryly. Pooling in his blue orbs was amusement. A grin formed on his face. "Anyway, let's go before anyone realizes we're gone."

Reluctantly, Zeus follows behind, firing several insults about the blonde.

A tub of triple brownie ice cream in his grasp, Nika expertly climbed up the large tree behind the fence, the dead grass crunching beneath the soles of his shoes. While waiting for Zeus to catch up, he sat against the fence, scooping out the ice cream with a plastic spoon stashed in his bag. He handed another spoon to Zeus, who sat beside him, his knees to his chest.

"My biggest fear was becoming my father," Nika says after a while, a look of sadness crossing his face, while a can of Budlight was in his hands. He fished the beer out of his bag, where he hid his guilty pleasures. On his lips a fake smile is plastered. From the gleam of the lamps hanging above, Zeus's dark eyes become warm golden and the rosy hue of his cheeks glisten underneath the moonlight above. For a while, silence embraces the pair.

Nika fiddles with his hoodie string, his blue orbs glancing at the grass under his scuffed up, black converse. Peeling his gaze away from the ground, irises of crystal blue come in contact with Zeus's dark skin. His teeth bite the inside of his cheek, forcing himself not to shed tears for the blonde. Zeus cares about Nika, more than he has cared about anyone, and the pained look written across his face broke his heart.

"I've never met your father," Zeus whispered. "But from the way you talk about that son of a bitch, you're the opposite of him. For fuck's sake, Nika, you don't have to appear so composed all the time. Just because you drink a beer doesn't mean you're a spitting image of your father. Your father wouldn't beat himself up over chugging a flask. Your father wouldn't show remorse after acting careless. Your father wouldn't show a ounce of humanity when anger clouds his gaze. God, Nika, you're human. Why can't you allow yourself to fucking fall?"

"Because I'm petrified!" He snaps, his eyes narrowed. "I'm petrified I'll fall and sink into a pit of my own self pity. Do you know how damn hard it is to come home to your father passed out on the fucking couch with a bottle of whiskey sitting beside him? Do you know what it feels like to hear your mom cry herself to sleep at night because her job as a receptionist can't pay the bills? Do you know what it feels like to hear your parents scream at each other all the time because your father blows the rent money on alcohol? Do you know what it feels like to see your father's cold, empty eyes every time you open a can of beer? I don't allow myself to fall because I don't believe I could catch myself."

Aggressively, Zeus pulls at his curls, forcing himself to focus on Nika's eyes instead of his lips. But his appearance was so vulnerable and Zeus couldn't fucking control himself when Nika showed vulnerability. His tearful gaze and puffy, blue eyes stabbed Zeus. The painful words spilled from his mouth like a damn waterfall, tumbling onto the smooth rocks beneath.

Get a fucking grip, Zeus, he mentally snapped. Let him show his emotions without imagining his lips against yours.

But of course, his mind failed him and he was picturing how warm those lips would feel on his own, the velvety, soft rose, the various reactions.

Well, fucking hell, he thought, raking his fingers through his tangled curls, dipping their toes into his dark irises.

"What's the matter?" Nika questions, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Desperately, he racked his brain for an answer, a crappy excuse to give him.

"Your dad's a fucking asshole," Zeus lied smoothly. It wasn't a lie, however, for Nika's bastard sperm donor was very much an asshole.