forum •Hollow Tune• [one/one]

Started June 30, 2022 by @Dayzed business

tune

(i am so so sorry for making you wait for an eternity)

Beck nodded faintly. "Okay." he said. "Do you want my number to contact me about it later?" he asked, already tearing out a small piece of paper. He wrote his name down, then his phone number, and slid it over to Kohen. "Here. If, uhm, if you want." he said, giving a faint, slightly sleepy smile. "And I don't need to take a nap, I'm fine. Thanks, though." despite his words, he yanwed quietly, shaking his head afterwards. "Mm, sorry, uhm." he looked down at his sheet of paper, writing down the things they needed to do. "Do you have a preference for Powerpoint or Posterboard?" he was leaning towards Powerpoint, really. It was easier. If this was an art project, he would probably care a little bit more, but…to be honest, he didn't. He could put together a powerpoint easier than a posterboard.

He stretched a little, a soft hum leaving his mouth as he considered what to do. "And, uh, you can choose the equations." his voice was still quiet, still shy. "I don't really…I'm not good at math." he had already said that earlier. Why was he repeating himself again? Stupid stupid stupid.

(it's no worries! take your time, i'm not in any rush! also, sorry for my mega super long response here, i hope it's not too exhausting to read, i tried to keep it short and did cut a lot of the other stuff i was gonna say out just so you don't feel too pressured to match my length. if you want me to make shorter replies in the future i can definitely try to do that!)

---

Kohen's face turned slightly red at the mention of exchanging numbers- or well, Beck giving him his number. This was purely for homework purposes, though, he couldn't get too excited. It didn't matter anyways, it wouldn't happen, Kohen could dream all he wanted but that didn't change the fact that there was a slight discomfort when thinking about being with a guy again. Maybe it was internalized hate for all the things he felt that he wasn't supposed to feel, it was a mix of feelings that left him confused, but at the same time, it was exhausting. Couldn't he just pick a side? If only it were that easy.
It was hard when you tried your best to hold certain beliefs, knowing that it would lead you to a better place, but also the pain of wanting something- someone you couldn't have.

When Beck gave Kohen his phone number, Kohen dumbly stared down at the piece of paper. After realizing that he was staring at it for too long Kohen snatched it up and gently put it in between his notebook for the class.
"Either is fine" Kohen replied smoothly, not too worried about it. He could work with either one, though, he also preferred the PowerPoint. It was on a computer and much easier to take around with him. Posterboard was too flimsy and could tear if you handled it too roughly. Not ideal for Kohen's household.
Kohen looked at Beck curiously when he said he wasn't too good at math. He wondered if there was a reason to that, but maybe it was the fact that Beck liked to draw. Kohen didn't mind it much though, this was perfect.
"Okay! I shall do that" Kohen said sitting up a bit straighter and giving Beck a small grin. "But don't worry if math isn't your thing, I can explain a few things if you need me to" He went back to typing on the computer.
A few minutes passed and soon the bell rang for the students to go to their other classes. Kohen quickly typed up what he had left and then shut his computer.

"Would you like to work on this at lunch? Or would you rather me call you after school? Or! We could meet up somewhere?" Kohen was way too excited to be making plans with Beck, what he didn't realize was that his friends were approaching.
Tamryn took one look at Beck and rolled his eyes. He had no interest in talking to someone like him.
"This the new one?" He questioned, a mischievous smile appearing on Tamryn's face, giving Kohen a knowing look. Kohen looked from Beck to Tamryn and his playful nature soon came to a stop, his body stiffened. He looked to Tamryn, then the girl behind him.
"No, he's just my partner for a class project" Kohen shrugged and avoided looking at Beck.
"I'll see you around then," Kohen said, not wanting his friends to be around Beck too much for fear that they would catch onto the way Kohen was acting.
Tamryn wrapped his arm around Kohen playfully and talked with a huge smile on his face, though it seemed less than sincere. Kohen didn't say anything as he was led away by Tamryn, looking slightly back at Beck and wishing things hadn't ended so soon before he had gotten an answer.

(it's fine lol. Longer responses from you encourage me to write more myself, which tbh isn't a bad thing lmao. Just respond however you want and I'll do my best to give you something decent in return!)

Beck packed up his things as the bell rang, letting Kohen talk without interruption. As he was opening his mouth to respond, though, Kohen's friends came over, and the other boy's whole demeanor changed. His brows drew together faintly, but he didn't say anything as he watched Koehn walk away with the other people. "Oh…kay." he said faintly, mostly to himself. Then he shrugged, popped an earbud in, and headed to his locker to put his books away and grab his stuff for his next class. He didn't quite understand what had just happened with Kohen, but it was fine.

His next class, at least, was art. His favorite. The teacher in that class was amazing, and she was his favorite teacher at the school. Art had always been the only subject easy to keep up with and easy to do while living with his father, though he had learned very quickly that any pieces he wanted to keep had to be kept hidden, away from his father's rages and drunken fury. Not many had survived. But that was alright. He had gotten so much better at art since then, and the Altairs didn't mind that he was always needing new sketchbooks. They encouraged him to draw as much as he wanted.

So did his therapist. She said it was a good outlet for him to have, or whatever. She said it was a coping skill and that his pieces were how he expressed his pain. He was sure she was right about all that, but it was also just simply something that he enjoyed, no matter the other reasons behind his enjoyment of it.

In any case, he did art nearly all the time. The walls of his room were covered in various drawings and paintings he had done, and the Altairs had some framed in different portions of the house. One of his favorites was a pencil drawing he had done of their whole family, based off of a photograph. That one had been hung above the mantle of the fireplace, because the Altairs were proud of him.

He still couldn't believe how lucky he was, sometimes, that he had been placed into the Altair family. He knew a lot of kids in the foster system ended up in families that weren't as nice, but the Altairs were perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, but they were pretty close, especially to a boy whose upbringing had been as bad as his. They had loved and accepted him for who he was, and had been supportive in everything. Rowan and Lilly had, too. Even the younger Altairs.

(Thanksss, also, i couldn't sleep tonight so i wrote something up)

Tamryn was nearly burning holes into Kohen's face with the way he was staring at him.
"Your eyes were sparkling back there you know" Tamryn elbowed Kohen as they walked and Kohen shot him a dirty look. It was embarrassing. The fact that he was attracted to the same sex. Tamryn and Aster knew about this secret and since they were Kohen's friends, they kept it between themselves. Aster herself was into girls but had agreed to date Kohen as a cover-up since his reputation followed him from previous years. Tamryn was straight however and didn't mind Kohen or Aster being who they were.
Who did mind the whole ordeal was Kohen's father, who had teachers, his Christian friends, watching him and reporting back to him like they were some sort of cult. Which at this point Kohen wasn't sure if they weren't.

Anyways, he'd play the part, even if that meant he had to hurt others to prove to himself and others that he wasn't gay. And so his friends were his partners in crime and did Kohen's bidding. Deep down Tamryn knew that Kohen was struggling and this was his way of desperately trying to convince himself that he was quote-on-quote "normal", so he pushed. He pushed for Kohen to take his anger and frustration out on others. It was Tamryn who had first introduced the idea to him and ever since then, it had stuck. It wasn't Tamryn's intention to do this all the time, to hurt others to the point of hospitalization but sometimes Kohen took it too far. Though, Tamryn was still at fault. He never told Kohen to stop. He never told him that maybe there was a healthier way of dealing with his emotions.
Tamryn acted the part as well, to be even spiker than Kohen because if he wasn't, he'd get caught up in Kohen's bullying, and the tables would turn on him. He was partially afraid that Kohen would find a new friend group and start attacking him.
Kohen was so convinced that this would help him, that he needed his friends to help him with it. Aster only did it because she knew Kohen would crumble without it and it broke her heart. Tamryn did it because he liked being feared by others, because just like Kohen, Tamryn had been a target for others since he was a kid. It was nice not being on the receiving end for once.

"He's just new." Kohen muttered.
"New? Hasn't he always been here? He's not like a transfer student, I would have noticed" Tamryn said, a touch of softness to his voice. He knew not to press Kohen for information, he was touchy when it came to things like this. Tamryn, although seeming like a bad kid at first, always tried to warn others before Kohen locked eyes on them. He tried to give them a fighting chance.
Tamryn always knew before Kohen when he had a crush on someone because he'd act differently. Kohen was a little more toned down when they were alone as a group, away from prying eyes, but when he acted friendly around others who weren't in the group, it was an indicator that Kohen would most likely go after that person next when he developed feelings that were too hard for him to handle.
"No, he's just….quiet." Kohen said, his eyes trained on the floor, a slight blush to him.
"He seems nice, I just hadn't noticed him before is all. Like i said, we have a project." And I'm going to call him. Kohen thought to himself. It made his heart flutter, not something that happened often, but when it did, it was confusing for Kohen. Was this just the side effect of being friends with someone or was it something else? This had happened with Tamryn too when they had first met but had turned out it was only because he really liked his company as a friend, that he could be himself. Maybe this was the case with Beck too. Either way, he was eager to see if he could bring him into the friend group as well. If he didn't like what Kohen did then….
Kohen frowned at the thought. He'd just have to be okay with it. He had to. Or he'd make him wish he had been.

(i'm not sure if you had anything else to put here so that's why i waited for a few days, just in case yanno? i hope you don't mind me posting again! if you wanted to add anything else i can delete my reply and repost)

The end of the day had come and Kohen was honestly so exhausted. The thought of going to work later made him want to drop dead, but the number tucked away in his folder made him feel a little excited despite having been drained from the day's classes.

He had it all mapped out. He would call Beck, they would meet up, maybe go to a place to work on their project- where? That he didn't know yet, but he was sure he'd figure it out when the time came. After that, he'd spend a few hours with Beck and go to work. After work was sleep, finally. He melted at the thought of sinking into his bed, the transgressions with his father from prior completely slipping his mind.

Tamryn looked Kohen up and down suspiciously, to which Kohen gave him the meanest glare.
"Are we going to hang out at our usual spot?" Tamryn asked. The spot in question was an arcade that doubled as a hotel. The bottom portion had an old worn down arcade, it was fairly small but it had Kohen's favorite games- and! A plus, it was cheap. The back of the arcade had one of the bigger rooms that the hotel rented. It was always quiet nowadays.
Kohen remembered the days when he would hear tussling in that apartment since he always played the games that were in the back. The fights never seemed mean-spirited from what he remembered, but one day it had just gone quiet and he never got to know why. Sometimes, he would hear crying. A man weeping, but it only had happened a few times.
"No, I'm going to do some school work, then go to my actual work" Kohen said, stuffing his hands into his pockets uncomfortably.
A devilish smile appeared on Tamryn's face.
"Don't tell me you're scared. You think the apartment behind the arcade is haunted don't you?" He teased. To which, Kohen scrunched his nose up.
"Wrong, I just have work. Simple." Kohen moved his hands from his pockets to his backpack's straps, holding them tightly, wanting to get out of there already.
"If you say so scaredy cat," Tamryn said and gestured for Aster to follow him, which she did. Aster never really said anything but she knew what had happened in that apartment. It had involved her brother Jake, but it was a sensitive topic so no one spoke of it.
After they were gone, Kohen quickly made his way down the streets and dropped his backpack on the floor, digging through the loose papers and wrappers of food he hadn't bothered to clean up. There were broken pencils and two old books he carried around to read in his free time.
Once he found the number, he smiled to himself, eyes bright as he quickly dialed the number. He let it ring until someone picked up.

(i've just been pretty busy recently, that's why I wasn't responding lmao. I didn't want to give you a rushed, short response. But it's fine! I don't mind haha)
(also sorry that so much of this is just. short paragraphs of conversation lmao)

Beck had gone through the rest of the school day relatively quietly, interacting with the few friends he had. Once school was over, he met up with Lilly in order to go home. Rowan stayed later for basketball practice, so Beck often didn't see him until the older boy came home, around dinner time. They got into Lilly's car, and she paused for a moment to turn on some music through her phone, the music filtering through the car's speakers. Her car was a regular old beater, and some of the speakers would crackle and pop whenever the car went over a bump, but Lilly liked to say it gave her car character and personality. It was a quirk, not a flaw, she would say, whenever someone offered to take a look about fixing it, or whenever anyone complained about it. She had named it Bertie, because of course she had.

"Ready to go home?" she asked Beck as she adjusted her mirrors, careful little touches to make sure they were still accurate for her to drive with.

He nodded a little bit, buckling up. "Mhm." he replied.

"Perfect. I'm going out with some friends later, we're going to go to the mall. Do you want to come?" she asked as she drove out of the school, eyes on the road, though she occasionally glanced over at her younger brother.

Beck squinted at her, tugging on his sleeves in that same absent, nervous gesture he always did. "Ah…no thanks." he replied, shrugging a shoulder. Lilly always invited him out with her friends. He almost never accepted. It wasn't anything against her friends, he liked most of them, he just didn't enjoy going out with groups. Her friends were loud and energetic and, yes, a lot of fun, but they were a bit overwhelming for him to interact with, especially in public where he couldn't retreat into his room if he needed to.

"Alright, no problem." she shrugged a shoulder, eyes flicking to Beck again. "You should get out more, though. Talk to people. It would be good for you."

He sighed, leaning the side of his head on the window and looking over at her. "I'm fine, Lilly. I have friends."

"Do you ever hang out with them outside of school or online?" she asked. "Beck, you can't isolate like this forever, you know." her voice was gentle, but he still felt like she was judging him. Like he had been found lacking, for not having a group of friends like she did.

He grimaced. "Lilly, I'm fine. I'm in therapy, remember?" he knew she was just worried about him, he knew that, but he didn't like being pressured like this. Didn't like the way she kept telling him to do things. He loved her, and he knew she loved him, but it still got annoying sometimes, even though this was just one of the ways she expressed her love.

The rest of the drive was relatively quiet, save for the music and the slight crackle of the speakers. Lilly parked in the driveway, and they headed inside.

"Beck, Lilly, how was school?" Mrs Altair greeted them as they came in, wrapping her older daughter in a hug and giving Beck's arm a gentle touch. The Altairs all knew how he struggled with physical touch sometimes, and always gave him space by keeping touch to something small. Something easy for him to decide if he was alright with.

"Great. The meeting for the paper went really well. Still ironing things out with William. He's being such a dick." Lilly replied. "I'm going out with some friends later, by the way. So, I'm going to go get ready." she gave Mrs Altair a smile, then headed upstairs.

"What about your school day?" Mrs Altair asked Beckham, shaking her head a little at Lilly's flight up the stairs, then her gaze returned to the redheaded boy standing before her. "Everything go alright?"

He nodded a little, sliding his shoes off and setting them aside. "Mhm. Everything was fine." he replied. "I have a project to work on for my math class."

"Alright, well, just let your dad and I know if you need any help." she said. "Anything else happen?"

"No." he headed upstairs, going into his room and closing the door. His kitten, Smoke, was curled up on the bed asleep, and the little grey kitten opened one eye when the door closed, letting out a sleepy "meow" in greeting. He came over to the bed, scratching gently behind the cat's ears. Then his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered, bringing it up to his ear. "Hello? Who is this?"

(oh shoot! i hope i didn't rush you or anything! take all the time you need to reply, i'm usually okay with long response times so you're all good! as for your answer, i am in love :> i really love seeing your characters interact amongst themselves, it gives me joy haha)

Kohen patiently waited for the other end of the line to connect. As it rang, he kept thinking about all the ways he could invite his new friend out. It was very out of character for Kohen but he craved a more innocent friendship, maybe something a little more than a friendship but he wouldn't admit to that. Kohen had been surrounded by rough individuals ever since he hit middle school and years of not having anyone and dealing with his father made one spiky in a sense. He didn't want to be spiky though, he wanted softness and kind words, he was tired of getting yelled at for the smallest things and being pressured to do certain things. He was tired of being shoved here and there.
Someone looking at Kohen from the outside might think that he had everything under control and he did what he wanted, but they couldn't be more wrong.
Soon the phone picked up from the other side and Kohen froze. He hadn't rehearsed what he was going to say. He could simply ask him out, but what if he didn't want to that day? They had a few days to complete it so it wasn't like they needed to be in a hurry, but Kohen desperately wanted to talk to someone else besides his other friends.
"H-hi!!" Came Kohen's voice which was a little too high-pitched for his first words. He immediately slapped his hand onto his mouth. Too much.
He uncovered his mouth and stayed quiet for a minute before speaking up again.
"It's uhm, Kohen, your project partner from Mrs. Bruen's class?" He managed to squeak out at the end. "I don't know if it's too soon, but would you like to work on our project with me..?" He asked, then quickly followed it up with "We could do it at your house or we could go somewhere else to do it!" When Kohen spoke through the phone you could basically tell what his facial expression was by the way his tone shifted. Right now he had the biggest smile on his face as he zipped up his backpack and threw it over his shoulder.
"If you want to eat somewhere I can pay! Or maybe just go out for drinks? Or well, whatever you want to do, if you want to, there's no pressure! We could also do this another day, I'm up for anything really" He rambled on. Kohen wondered if he was annoying like most students had told him in the past. He wasn't usually this chatty, in fact, it was quite the opposite, but with his new friend, he felt the need to let loose. Beck was like a secret. Kohen knew that Tamryn knew something was up, but he would deny everything to the bitter end. For right now he could be himself until it came time for him to not be himself again.

(hello it has been two months, i'm so sorryyyyy)

Beck blinked as Kohen rambled, sitting down on his bed and still petting Smoke. The kitten was perfectly happy to press into Beck's hand, enjoying the petting that his owner was giving him. He listened, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. Kohen sounded so…smiley, which seemed different to how the other boy had been when in person just earlier that day. Not that Kohen had been unpleasant to be around, but he just seemed different. Maybe it was because he was home, rather than at school. That was probably it. He didn't know why else there would be that change in vocal tone.

"Today?" he asked, brows gathering for a moment as he considered the question. "I mean, uhm…I guess we can. I would have to see if my sister will let me borrow her car, though." he didn't have one of his own yet, even though he had his license. The deal that the Altairs had with the kids was that they would pay half of the price for a vehicle, and Beck was still saving to get one. There were a few other stipulations to that price that the Altairs were willing to pay (car had to be affordable to begin with, and had to be a practical vehicle, not just a flashy thing), but the fact that they were willing to pay anything was something that Beck knew was extremely lucky to have to begin with.

"I can pick you up, if she lets me borrow it, and then we could either go somewhere or come back here." calling this house home still stuck in his throat sometimes. Yeah, the Altairs had adopted him, and this was home, it was, but sometimes he still couldn't call it home. Some small part of him was still afraid that something would happen and that familiar comfort of home would get ripped out from under him. He knew, logically, that that wouldn't happen, but another tiny little part was just waiting for the other shoe to drop on him and ruin everything. "My, uhm, parents wouldn't mind if you were here for dinner." Mrs Altair never minded if any of the kids brought a friend over for dinner, Beck knew that Kohen being there likely wouldn't pose a problem for her. She would probably be glad to see him making more friends. She didn't think he had enough.

(haha you're all good fam! i've been lacking a bit of motivation these past few weeks so i might be a bit slower at responding, though, don't stress about not being able to answer right away, no need to apologizzeee, i completely understand :)

At the mention of borrowing a car, Kohen's mind immediately went to hijacking one- not that he knew how to do that, but it was a fun idea in his mind. It took him a second to understand what Beck was saying. The other knew how to drive. Kohen felt his cheeks grow hot.
If it weren't for his father he'd also know how to drive, but he had only been given lessons at school, after that, it was his job to get his permit and get his own car. Unfortunately for Kohen, that would not be happening any time soon. Maybe somewhere in the near future, but for now he walked places, sometimes with the aid of his skateboard.
Kohen was quiet for a long time before he piped up again.

"Cool, uh" He seemed unsure of what to say after that. It was the first time in a long time that he had been vulnerable with someone else. Vulnerable in the sense that he was being himself. It felt like…a fresh start. If you could even call it that. It was like being given a second chance to not mess things up with someone new. Though he was sure it was only a matter of time.
"To your place…?" Kohen asked, thinking about being in someone else's home. He wasn't against the idea, but it made him nervous being around other adults. Every single adult that had been in his life so far had proven to be untrustworthy- except his mom. How did he know that Beck's parents wouldn't be the same? The other seemed to have turned out alright, so maybe that counted for something. Shy and soft spoke, but alright.

"Is that okay-" He was cut off by the mention of dinner. Kohen grumbled suspiciously at that. "As in like, food, or just to work on our project together?" He asked, wondering if he'd get to have a homemade meal cooked for him. He didn't want to be selfish and ask that of them, but if they were offering…
Kohen's mouth watered at the thought. That meant he didn't have to eat fast food for dinner this time. It had been a long while since someone had cooked a meal for him. He stopped. He was getting ahead of himself. Maybe it was just to work on the project and then go straight home. No. Not home. Just…somewhere else. Anywhere else but home.
Kohen thought for a minute.
"I could also walk to your place," He said in an effort to give his part, also so Beck wouldn't just pick him off the streets somewhere. He didn't want the kid to think he was homeless, though it was partially the truth. Being a place in public comforted Kohen, it didn't bring that much stress as he was free to do what he wanted as long as the cops weren't involved but at someone's house…it was different.
"Well uhm, that is if you want to do this at your house, I'm pretty much down for anything," He said casually. Though that was a lie. He was down for anything except doing it at his house.

(again, I'm so so sorry for the wait :') )

Beck continued to pet Smoke, listening as Kohen stammered and hesitated, cocking his head faintly. "Yeah. I mean, dinner isn't for a few more hours, so you don't have to stay for dinner if you don't want, I'm…just saying my parents wouldn't mind." he always referred to the Altairs as his parents, because they were. They were his parents, in every way that mattered to him. "And, uh, I would have to talk to Lilly about borrowing her car to pick you up, but she's, uhm, going to the mall? So she might not let me. So I don't know if you have a ride of your own?" it was easier to be confident and talk more over the phone, because he didn't have to worry about making eye contact or about if he was fidgeting, he didn't have to worry about anything but the way he sounded, and that was so much easier than talking in person was. Talking in person was fraught with so many little things, but here, he was in his own bedroom, and all he had to do was talk.

He glanced over to his bedroom door, knowing Lilly was still in the house, and he could still talk to her about the car. Maybe she would let him have it for just a bit, to pick up Kohen and then come home? Or maybe she would be willing to drive Kohen herself? But that was an unnecessary trip, for her, and he knew she wouldn't necessarily want to use gas for that. Gas was expensive, after all. So he would have to ask her about using the car, if Kohen didn't have a ride of his own.

"Or, uhm, we could meet up after dinner, if you don't wanna eat here. Or if you have allergies?" he hadn't considered that idea. If Kohen had allergies, then of course he wouldn't want to eat here. Some of the other Altair kids did have allergies, and Mrs Altair made food for them, but… Beck shrugged his shoulders, looking down at Smoke. The little kitten was half-asleep, purring softly as the teen boy continued absently running his fingers through that soft grey fur.

(ahaha don't sweat it! the wait was worth it :>)

"I'll go!" Kohen sort of snapped, though his voice sounded more desperate than anything else. He didn't mean to snap, he just blurted it out, hoping that Beck wouldn't change his mind too quickly.
At the mention of one of Beck's family members picking him up he looked around. He was in the middle of the street….somewhere, he'd figure it out. He also didn't want Beck to feel bad if he wasn't able to provide a ride for him.
"Actually…" Kohen said, thinking about his skateboard that he left back at that shitty old house. "I do have a ride. Just text me the address and I'll be there" He said confidently. Not that he was in the slightest, but he'd make it. One way or another. He'd swing by his house and pick it up. In and out. No problem. Simple.
…
So why was his heart starting to race at the mere thought of even getting close to that place? Kohen sort of grumbled at how his body involuntarily seemed to vibrate on its own, shaking slightly.
"No! I-" He paused, frantically crossing the street when there were no cars, he looked paranoid as he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. "I don't have any allergies. Unless you count me being allergic to cats." He said at last. Though, Kohen didn't mind it. He loved animals, he'd happily suffer to be in the presence of one. "But that's beside the point, that doesn't really matter-" He protested as he walked down the usual route he took to his house.
"Listen, I'm leaving this up to you, if you want me there, I'll be there, but if you prefer I don't, then I don't mind meeting up afterward," He said at last, his voice sounding a little out of breath as he stared across the street to his father's house. It wasn't a long walk to and from school, which was absolutely terrible but also a blessing in Kohen's mind.

(hnnnn sorry againnn)

Beck frowned faintly, glancing down at Smoke. "I, ah, have a cat? But mom keeps the house pretty clean, so? I hope that'll be fine. And I'll text you the address once we get off the phone." he replied, still gently running his fingers through Smoke's soft grey fur. The little kitten was purring softly, seeming perfectly content to just remain there, being loved and petted by his owner. "You can just, uhm, show up whenever, I guess? Just knock when you get here. Someone will answer the door. Might, uhm, might not be me, but…somebody will." he stretched a little bit, blinking tiredly and looking over at his alarm clock. "So, uhm, I'll see you later? Bye." he waited a moment, then hung up. He opened up his messaging system, and texted his address to Kohen. Once he was done with that, he set his phone down, picking Smoke up and cooing softly to the little kitten. Smoke just let out a soft, faint little mew, before settling into Beck's arms with a happy purr.

(i return after three long years :>)

Kohen had swung by his house that afternoon, climbing the draining pipe that went from the roof of the house to the ground- it was a lot harder to do with a broken wrist but nothing held Kohen back when he really wanted something. Because his room's window was close to it, it was pretty easy to get a footing on the ledge and open it since he always left it open. It was a precaution, in case he needed to get away, fast.
Kohen looked around his room, finding one of his skateboards. A little while ago Kohen had invested in buying two skateboards since the very first one he had bought had snapped in half in a street fight he had last year.
He grabbed it and went back over to the window, the old floor creaking under him, he froze when he heard his father's step from downstairs.
"Kohen!? Is that you?!" His gruff voice came from below. There were other obscenities thrown at Kohen but Kohen quickly slipped out of the window before he heard any more words come from his father's mouth.

Soon he was on the street, a proud smile on his face as he had managed to grab his skateboard without even having to see the old man.
Kohen rode down the street, dangerously in the middle where the double yellow lines were. He'd be fine if any cars came, he'd see them from a mile away, right now, the street was his.

It wasn't long before he found himself in a different neighborhood, his eyes skimming the house numbers before he found the right one that Beck had sent to his phone. He flipped his skateboard up with his foot, catching it with his good hand.
Kohen looked through the windows, trying to see if he could make anything out, but there wasn't much to see. He gave up and stood in front of the door, eyeing the doorbell.
A long minute passed before he gathered the courage to press it. Then, he waited, quite anxiously.

(skdfbj I have been waiting like "when will my husband return from the war")
(this RP is now over a year old and doesn't even had a full four pages yet :') )

The doorbell was just a standard one, and the sound of it rang through the house. A young girl was the first to answer it, and she stared at Kohen for a long minute. She seemed about thirteen, perhaps, with dark brown hair and braces. "Moooooom, there's someone at the door!" she called, looking back into the house and not really greeting Kohen at all.

From deeper in the house came a returning call of "coming!". A few seconds later, quick footsteps approached the door, and an older woman came to the door. She seemed to be middle-aged, perhaps, and of Latin heritage. She studied Kohen for a moment. "You're Beck's friend, right? He mentioned someone was coming over to work on some school assignment with him." she offered her hand to Kohen. "I'm Maria Altair. You can call me Mrs. Altair, or Maria, whichever you would prefer. Beck, your friend is here!" she called back into the house, an easy smile on her face. "We're about to eat dinner, if you'd like to sit and eat with us?" she already seemed ready to welcome him in, already stepping back to usher Kohen into the house.

The Altairs lived in a rather normal suburban home; it was a little on the larger side, due to there being seven people living in it, but it wasn't enormous. Inside, it was well-lit and lived-in, with all the signs of five children that one would normally find. A few toys scattered on the floor, a mess of shoes by the front door. Backpacks sitting on the floor, half-zipped with papers poking out. Beck came downstairs only a minute after Mrs. Altair called, greeting Kohen with a nervous smile. "Hi." he said, fidgeting for just a moment with the hem of his sleeves, still in that green sweater from earlier. "I, uhm, wasn't sure when you'd get here."

(LMFAOO and yeaahhh :(( we've both been a bit out of it lol)

Kohen stared down at the young teen. When he had been about fifteen years old they had told him he had an older sister out somewhere in the world and they could try to get in contact with her if he wanted them to. Maybe reconnect. He had turned down the offer. He wasn't sure why, maybe things could have been good if he had met her, could have maybe helped him out, but the thought of anyone seeing him in the state he was in made him hate the idea of meeting someone new. Someone who was of the same blood and maybe put well together- better than him.
He stood there, standing awkwardly as he looked past the girl and into the house. It looked clean. And…nice. It just seemed to put him on edge more. How was he supposed to act around these people? Polite and proper was his guess, but he was afraid his temper would get the better of him if they asked the wrong questions or pried too much into his life.

Once someone else took the girl's place and looked him over, he seemed to shrink into himself.
"Yeah, that's me," He said, hiding his now bandaged wrist out of view. "Oh, uhm, er- Mrs." He added finally. He listened to her finish speaking before he said anything else. "It's nice to meet you," He said, taking her hand with his good hand, his eyes darting into their house again when the woman called out for Beck.
When she addressed him again, he quickly looked back at her, feeling that it was rude to look inside someone's home when he hadn't been invited in yet.

"Dinner would be nice…" He said softly yet uncertainly, stepping through and letting Maria usher him in. Once he was inside Kohen stood there for a second taking everything in. It reminded him of his home when he had been younger, except for the toys and indication of children living there. Kohen's adopted mother had been a clean woman, bordering on obsessive and she kept the house spotless from top to bottom. It seemed like those were most of his memories from her, she was always seen cleaning- always busying herself with stuff to do around the house.
He watched as Beck came into view, his eyes lighting up slightly, it was subtle, but just enough was there that you could tell Kohen was happy to see him.
"Heya," He said casually, though seemed a bit on the tense side. "Oh- sorry, I- I forgot to text you when I'd be here," He said patting down his pants to see where he had stuffed his phone this time.

Although Kohen was a pretty relaxed individual most of the time, he seemed to be on edge at the moment, or well, a little more nervous than he had been with Beck back at school.

"'s okay." Beck replied, waving off the apology. "I figured you would, uhm, show up eventually." he seemed a little bit more comfortable, a little less shy, here in his own home. At school, he was almost always nervous and hesitant and reserved, but here, he was…less so. Not perfectly at ease, but a little less reserved.

Maria glanced between the two for a moment, then gave Kohen a soft, pleasant smile. "I'll set an extra place at the table." she said, already starting to walk away back towards the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready in another fifteen minutes!" she called, louder than her previous speech so that the other people in the house could hear what she was saying. Then she turned a corner and was gone, leaving Beck and Kohen standing alone in the front hall.

Beck cleared his throat faintly, running a hand through his hair. "Well, uhm, you can take your shoes off and leave them by the door," he said softly, "and then come upstairs? I guess? We can at least start getting ready to work on the project before dinner is ready." he waited a moment, then led Kohen towards the stairs, and up them. Beck's bedroom was a bit down the hall, past a few doors and then down to his own door, which he opened up. Smoke was laying on the bed, and he looked up when the door opened, letting out a soft "mrrow?".

Beck smiled faintly at the sight of his kitten, leading Kohen into his room. "This is, uhm, my room. I guess. Uhm, we can work on the project in here?" he still seemed a little nervous, hands linking together as he fidgeted, gaze moving around the room. Smoke sat up a little, watching the two boys with sleepy, half-open eyes.