(Yeah!)
Hunter bit his lip. He saw a few cheerleaders, and some guys from the JV football team… hopefully they wouldn’t recognize him. “Sounds good,” Hunter said despite his worries. He subconsciously held Milo a little closer as they walked over to the benches, Hunter making sure he kept his head down.
They made their way to the benches and sat down at an empty one. Milo scooted close to Hunter and he leaned his head on his shoulder a little. He took this time thinking about what the future was going to bring. Was this just a one-night thing? Or were they going to continue to get closer? What is everyone else going to do? He was staring out into the distance, a little spacey.
Hunter fidgeted with his fingers. He glanced at his glowing chest. He wondered if Milo would truly forgive him. Sure, he was nice to him now… but would he ever want to be closer to Hunter, even after all of what Hunter did? He felt somewhat like a monster. He too was lost in his thoughts, but was quickly pulled out when he heard his name, “Hey isn’t that the guy on the varsity football team?” Hunter straightened his back a saw out of the corner of his eyes that two of the JV players and a cheerleader talking together. Hunter tensed
“Isn’t that the one nerd… the one he always beat up?”
Hunter nudged Milo, “Maybe it’d be better if we left,” He said quietly, biting his lip.
Milo blinked a few times, coming back to reality and lifting up his head from Hunter's shoulder. He felt Hunter tense as he noticed the JV players and the cheerleader. Sighing he stood up. "Yeah… good idea." He held out his hands to help Hunter up. "Let's go…"
Hunter took Milo’s hand and stood, relieved the further they got away from the tables. He prayed that wouldn’t come back to bite him. It’s not like they have any proof, most people would probably assume they’re trying to stir up drama if they told anyone… “My pickup truck is parked pretty close to the entrance, I got here just as the fair opened,” Hunter told Milo as they walked towards the parking lot.
Milo nodded while still holding Hunter's hand. He also stayed close to Hunter. "Thanks… it's not fun to walk home at this time of day." He was ever so slightly uneasy about getting a ride from Hunter though. Milo couldn't shake the thought that Hunter was just acting like that to then immediately betray him and go back to how things used to be, except Milo would be even more vulnerable than ever before.
Hunter pulled out his keys and his car lit up pretty close by. “Here it is,” Hunter had to let go of Milo so he could open the door for him, then walked around to get in on the driver’s side before he asked, “What’s your address?”
Milo sighed before getting in Hunter's car. He closed the door and buckled himself in. "To be completely honest, I don't know… but I live in that big blue apartment complex south of here." He leaned back into the seat and looked out the window. "Sorry if that doesn't help… I can walk if you don't know where it is."
“No, I think I can find it,” Hunter told him, buckling himself in to as he started the car. Being honest, he wasn’t entirely sure but he still wanted to drive Milo home. He put the car into drive, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road. “You want me to turn on the radio?” Hunter asked softly.
(So maybe they could get lost or they could have a romantic doorstep moment type thing? Or both could happen too)
(I like both. So they get lost for a bit then cue romantic doorstep moment)
Milo nodded, he hated silence in the car so music was always a must for him. He was looking out the window to try to help Hunter find the way to his house. "I think you turn left here…" He said, unsure. Sighing he took out his phone about to use the gps, but his phone died. He normally would easily find his way home, but that's only because he walks on pathways that are not by the road, he is almost never near the road.
(Yas!)
Hunter turned on the radio, following Milo’s instructions. Slowly, the road became less well-kept and surrounded by unfamiliar trees. “Uh… do you think we’re still going in the right direction?” Hunter asked, beginning to get a little bit worried. He slid his phone out of his pocket, but it was drained of its battery too.
"Er…" Milo sat up straighter and looked around the windows. "I don't think so… sorry… I don't really know how to get to my house from the roads… I only walk on the parkway paths… sorry." He looked down at his hands.
“It’s okay,” Hunter pulled over at the side of the road, looking back and forth. “Nothing looks familiar,” He mumbled, a memory popping up at the familiarity of the situation. “I…” Hunter trailed off, panic showing on his face.
Milo looked up as they pulled over, noticing Hunter's panic. "Hunter? Is everything okay?" He looked around, worried. He knew if Hunter was worried, then he should definitely be as well.
“I- Yeah, everything is fine,” Hunter bit out, but he couldn’t bring himself to start the car and begin driving again. He just kept being brought back to that horrid memory. For a second, he even forgot Milo was in the car with him.
"Hunter?" Milo hesitantly put his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Are you sure everything's okay?" Milo was worried, but not for himself or the car, but for Hunter. Everything was obviously not fine, but he didn't want to push anything.
Hunter jumped a little at the touch -it was so soft and gentle. He brought his eyes to look back up at Milo. Real. Milo was real, they both were okay. And before Hunter knew it he was unclicking his seat belt and shifting over to wrap his arms tightly around Milo, breathing him in.
Milo's breath stopped for a moment as Hunter tightly hugged him. He wrapped his arm around Hunter as well letting out a relieved breath. Letting his head rest on Hunter's shoulder, he smiled a little and closed his eyes in comfort.
Hunter let out a shaky breath, “I’m sorry, I just… I thought I was back there.” Hunter paced his breathing, holding onto Milo. He was so soft and warm, even by the time he regained his composure he didn’t want to let go. “I’m sorry,” He whispered again, waiting for Milo to push him away.
Milo let go of Hunter to unbuckle himself shifting onto his knees, only to wrap his arms around Hunter again, this time more secure and tight. "It's okay… it's okay… we are safe… no need to be sorry…" He nuzzled his head under Hunter's chin and breathed deeply. He had taken a liking to Hunter's arms, they felt so comfortable and safe.
Hunter breathed in Milo’s scent, memorizing it. Safe. This wasn’t back then. Slowly, Hunter relaxed into Milo with each heartbeat they shared. He hadn’t felt a bad memory so vividly like that in a while, for the most part Hunter thought he suppressed those memories and locked them away in the back of his mind.
Heartbeats in sync, Milo closed his eyes a small smile inching across his face. He shifted again after a few minutes. Moving his face to look into Hunter's eyes, Milo held his forehead against Hunter's. His eyes closed again, a smile still on his face.
Hunter closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Milo a bit more. A small, tiny smile appeared on Hunter’s lips. Milo was safe. His father wasn’t here. They were okay. “I’m sorry. Everything is fine, I was just overreacting.” Though it was far more than overreacting, it was a good enough excuse for his panic attack.
"I'm glad…" Milo said softly, barely above a whisper. He took in a deep breath, smelling the remnants of Hunter's cologne. "Thank you… for all this…" He wasn't completely sure why he said that, but he felt like it was a good thing to say.
“You aren’t the one who should be saying thank you,” Hunter told him with a small laugh. “Thank you.” Hunter’s chest glowing brightly as he said the words, a fluttering feeling in his chest. His eyes flicked down to Milo’s lips, but quickly after the thought Hunter made himself pull away and buckle himself again. “We… We should get going. I’ll backtrack where we drove.”