**Warning: This oneshot contains mild language and deserves a PG-13 rating
-This is a oneshot that I used to get over a bout of writers block.
-Don't expect it to be very good, but read it anyway
-It's acting as a background/character sketch for my original character, as well as my boyfriend's character
-Please leave comments -^^-
Nocturne #5 in F Sharp
It had taken far too long for them to get together. Everyone had seen what was inevitable except for the two boys, it seemed. They had been best friends practically since Autumn had moved into the apartment, across from Basil’s boarding house, with his mother and younger brother. They spent many nights hanging halfway out their windows, talking across the alley. Sometimes, when Autumn was too exhausted to hold his head up, he’d just lie on his couch, falling asleep to Basil’s beautiful piano playing. Both boys had feelings for the other and had held them back bashfully, selfishly. But everyone else saw it.
Basil had never gotten involved in Autumn’s business, in terms of the unsavory jobs he picked up in order to help sustain his family. But every time the poor boy came home in the middle of the night, or complained about being sore from work, or when he didn’t see him for a couple of days, all he wanted to do was gather Autumn in his arms and never let him go. He’d allow himself to die before he’d ever let anyone hurt such a beautiful being. The only reason he didn’t try to do this was because Autumn was such a strong person in Basil’s eyes, and, besides that, it was none of his business was Autumn did to keep his family above water. That’s how he had expected things to stay, quietly biting his tongue. When Autumn started coming home with physical signs of abuse, however, he couldn’t let it continue. He waited for Autumn outside his building, which was really the first time they had seen each other out, besides at school. Basil confronted him about his discontent over the positions Autumn was putting himself into. And more than that, his mouth kept running until he did everything but completely confess. The rest was history.
They started spending as much time together as they possibly could, since Autumn still hadn’t quit any of his jobs. They quickly became regulars at each other’s places. Summer, Autumn’s younger brother, grew fond of Basil, and he would often babysit when no one else was available. Autumn often attended Basil’s recitals, whenever he was off from work. It was after one of his bigger recitals – in which he played cello, violin, clarinet, and piano – that Basil formally asked Autumn on a date. Dinner and a movie, ever-cliché. But it was wonderful all the same. Autumn, unused to being treated, had offered to pay for both the meal and the movie, even though he had been the one who had been asked out. Basil ended up having to hide Autumn’s wallet in the car. Still, everything turned out all right that night. Basil really had no idea what happened in the movie; he was far too busy admiring Autumn, the way the silver screen dimly lit his face, just how he was used to the moon doing the same thing. Unfortunately, no hanky panky had followed that particular date; not even a goodnight kiss, but Basil was happy all the same. And he could tell Autumn was happier than he’d been in a long time.
Many more dates were to follow, most of them in the middle of the day when Autumn wasn’t working. Sometimes Basil would sneak out and climb up the fire escape of the apartment building to wait for Autumn outside his window when he got home from work. And although Autumn still refused to quit the jobs that were hurting him so much, Basil was always sure to express his disapproval and worry. While Basil constantly worried about Autumn, Autumn felt the same way about Basil, although the issues were much smaller in comparison. He’d tell him to stop sneaking out, or not to wait up all night for him to come home. Neither of them listened to the other.
One evening, Autumn’s mother had forced him to call in sick to work, convinced that he hadn’t been getting enough time to simply act his age. He didn’t like it, but he really had no choice if he wanted to please her. Basil had decided to take Autumn to the beach, not really for swimming, but just to get out and relax and enjoy each other’s company. Basil took his acoustic and the boys simply walked as the sun was falling from the sky. There was virtually no one there, seeing as it was a school/work evening. This suited them just fine since the general public didn’t seem to be ready to see two boys on a date. That didn’t really bother either of them; they were both confident in their sexuality and who they were as people, so strangers could stare all they wanted. “Let’s give’em a show,” Autumn would say.
Spreading the blue flannel blanket on the sand, Basil first set down his guitar and then sat next to it, gently tugging Autumn’s hand to get him to sit. The sun was becoming increasingly more orange as it sank in the sky, and it threw pink shadows on the bellies of the few clouds that lingered in the sky. The ocean water was completely glowing under the sun’s light, still vaguely blue, ebbing and flowing over the sand. For a moment, there was simply silence between them, only the sound of the water colliding against the shoreline.
Autumn started speaking without even looking at Basil, “As much as I didn’t want to miss the pay from a night’s work, this is definitely better than working.” Ever insecure about the exact status of their relationship, this made Basil smile, confidence returning. Rather than actually answering, however, he just picked up his guitar and strummed a chord. This got Autumn’s attention, as he was obviously not expecting it, and his eyes snapped to the guitarist. Smiling, Basil continued without a word, fingers sliding along the nylon strings that ran down the neck. Even though they were in such an open area, the music filled the silence between them and created a sense of space that was smaller than reality. In this way, Autumn and Basil were the only two people in the world.
The piece had a moderate tempo, not too slow, not too fast, and it was something that Basil had composed, Autumn’s ears being the first to hear it. Autumn wasn’t so much of a music junkie as Basil, but he was always awed at the way the boy was able to coax the melodies out of every instrument he laid hands on. He provided the perfect ambience to the sunset they shared, as it glittered off the softly crashing waves.
“We need to do this more often,” Basil commented as he hit the last few chords of his ballad. His emerald eyes blinked at Autumn, admiring the way his light brown hair stuck out from underneath that dorky fur hat of his.
“The beach?” Autumn confirmed, eyebrows lifting.
“Spend time together,” Basil answered.
Autumn’s smile was adorable, Basil noted as he set his guitar aside. It was a fairly warm out, a nice spring evening. Basil began taking off his shoes and socks, earning a well-deserved glance of confusion from Autumn.
“Let’s go swimming,” he finally suggested after he had tucked his socks into his into his shoes. He then went for Autumn’s hat, reaching for it in a teasing, snatchy way.
“Wha-?” Autumn leaned away, avoiding the attack to his head, putting a hand on his hat to keep it in place.
“Yeah, c’mon,” Basil laughed, reaching for the hat again, and yet again being evaded. “It’s warm enough, plus there’s hardly anyone here.”
Autumn was being unusually hesitant. “N-No… I don’t really want to – Look, it’s getting dark.”
“That makes it all the better,” Basil pressed. He finally got a hold of Autumn and pressed him into the sand, proceeding to throw a leg over the boy to straddle his hips. “C’mon, I’ll help you with the buttons,” he offered, fingers already working at the top buttons of Autumn’s shirt.
“No, Basil, stop,” Autumn continued to refuse, futilely trying to brush the taller boy away.
To his success, Basil got the first four buttons of his hostage’s shirt undone, opening it to reveal his chest. Only… Basil frowned. The boy’s beauty had been marred by a myriad of dark bruises decorating his collarbone and breastbone. Basil’s hands slowly slipped down away from the fabric, fingers lightly tracing the blemishes on his partner’s otherwise perfect skin.
Autumn was silent, brown eyes avoiding looking at any part of Basil; even his breath was nearly completely silent, only the shallow rise and fall of his chest hinted at his life. All the while, Basil was ghosting the marks with his lithe fingers.
“I’m not going to let you do this anymore,” Basil broke the silence in a low voice, barely audible above the ocean water. He never really pushed the subject very hard other than just voicing his opinion, but there was no way he’d allow Autumn to continue putting himself into such a terrible, dangerous situation.
“I have to,” Autumn answered weakly, shame lacing his words. “If I don’t I’ll only have two jobs, and we won’t make rent.”
“Autumn… I can help you find a better job,” Basil encouraged, delicately placing his hands on the boy’s damaged chest and staring down at him with large green eyes.
“Nothing that I can apply for pays nearly as much,” Autumn commented, eyes still avoiding that daunting gaze above him. “I’m doing this for Summer… and my mom.”
“And what about you, Autumn? You need to think about yourself sometimes, too. You’ll end up destroying your body,” he warned, clearly concerned.
Autumn was torn, and Basil could tell. The poor boy just wanted to please everyone, but now that his boyfriend wouldn’t be happy until he stopped doing the thing that sustained his family, he just didn’t know what to do. His chocolatey eyes finally searched Basil’s face for any hint of a way out. Lost for words, his eyes darted.
Becoming frustrated, Basil stood up and walked away from the boy in the sand. He pushed up his jeans so that he was bare from the calf down. Grabbing his guitar, he waded out into the saltwater until the water washed just under the hem of his pants. Throwing the strap over his head and across his shoulder, he positioned his hands and started playing again. He kept time with his right foot; lifting and replacing his heel in the soft, wet sand. This piece was quite a bit faster, upbeat and there were many points when his fingertips left the strings and then his hand covered them to mute the sound. Playing instruments always settled him down. He became calm and lucid, which he really needed right now.
Basil was facing the setting sun. It was now so far down that its orange light was intense, but being eaten by the darkness. This darkness was also engulfing the musician so that he had turned into a silhouette, a mere construction paper cutout of a teenage boy.
Before he knew what was happening, Autumn came from behind and snaked his arms around Basil’s waist, sliding between his guitar and body. His head leaned into the guitarist’s back. “I’m sorry…” He mumbled. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Basil turned in the boy’s arms, at the same time sliding his acoustic around to rest on his back. He held Autumn close to him. “I just want you to be safe,” he whispered.
Autumn was quiet, head just resting on Basil’s chest and listening to his sincere heartbeat. “I’ll quit tomorrow…”
Basil pulled back a little bit, eyes gleaming, and looking for the gleam in Autumn’s eyes; there wasn’t one there. He wanted to put one there. “I’ll help you find a far better job,” he offered. But Autumn’s eyes had dropped, fixated in the dark, cool water.
“Hey,” Basil said softly, using a finger to tilt the boy’s chin up. “I love you, Autumn Winter.”
Autumn’s eyes had been forced to stare into Basil’s. “Baz, I told you, I don’t like—"
He couldn’t express his qualms about his name for Basil had silenced him by catching his lips in a kiss, their first kiss. Autumn had tensed first, but he quickly melted into Basil and pressed back into the kiss. Basil’s arms tightened around his Autumn, his tongue almost instinctively running along the boy’s slightly parted lips. He didn’t want to push Autumn too far, since he knew that his delicate shield had been growing thinner and thinner with each passing night he worked.
Basil broke the kiss first, but when he pulled back to study Autumn’s reaction, Autumn jumped him, standing on his toes to press another kiss to his lips. The sun had completely left the sky now, and the two boys spent plenty of time kissing in the dark.
Months had past since their first kiss and the promise that Autumn would quit his job as an escort. Since then, they had shared many more kisses, and even a bed when Autumn’s mother had to take Summer out of town for a few days. Basil had also helped Autumn get a paid internship at a photography studio so that his family could continue making rent as well as pay for groceries. He was still terribly busy, but things were much better; Basil definitely thought so. After being given an old camera by one of the photographers at the studio he worked for – a junk camera, but still one much more expensive than what Autumn could afford – he had gotten into the hobby of taking candid shots of Basil. A wall in his younger brother’s room quickly became dedicated to Basil, a collage of his best shots, the appropriate ones, of course. There were others he kept to himself.
Unfortunately, while the boy’s lives were becoming better with each passing day and their relationship growing stronger, the already shady neighbourhood they lived in was getting more dangerous; crime rate had gone up and gang activity had increased. For this reason, Basil had acquired a curfew of “when the streetlamps come on”. Neither Basil nor Autumn were allowed to leave their windows open anymore. Still, this didn’t keep them apart. While they followed the rules most of the time, there were also many times that Basil would sneak out and climb up the fire escape of the apartment building and just hang out outside of Autumn’s window. It gave them a chance to talk like they used to, only now they had to be quieter since they had the tendency to increase in volume the longer they chatted. Also, they were close enough to touch each other if either felt the desire to; it was usually Basil who did. It seemed that neither of the boy’s parents had found out about their little rendezvous spot, and they hadn’t personally witnessed or experienced any crime, so they continued. However, with Basil’s curfew, actual dates were few and limited. That is, until they had convinced Basil’s mother that as long as they were together after dark they would be fine, like a buddy system. Dates increased after that.
On the way home from one of those dates, a movie, the boys took a shortcut through an alley and were cornered by three young men.
“What are you fxgs doing?” One was so bold to ask. While neither of the boys fit the flamboyantly gay stereotype in either the way they dressed or spoke, their sexuality was obvious since they were holding hands.
Basil was already very irritated with them, but he held his tongue, knowing that if he were to say something the situation would only get worse. Autumn – poor Autumn – looked suddenly very bashful; he was used to this kind of verbal abuse, and he just automatically slipped into his coy personality.
Tugging lightly on Autumn’s hand and turning around, “C’mon,” Basil mumbled, “Let’s go home.”
As if from some terrible gang movie, one of the men slid in front of them, blocking their path. Basil audibly growled out of annoyance. He glanced over his shoulder at the remaining two grunts behind them; his hand squeezed Autumn’s but he still was able to hold his tongue.
“Anxious to get home and fxck this pretty-boy?” The question was directed at Basil, but Autumn shifted and threw his eyes to the ground; it was his turn to squeeze Basil’s hand. Basil was on edge now; he would snap at one more comment like that, even though his better judgment was screaming at him to keep quiet and dial 911 in his pocket.
When the gang members didn’t quite receive the reaction they were looking form they all chimed in, making obscene gestures and hurtful, inappropriate comments. Basil, still staying strong, was ready to just make a run for it and risk the thugs chasing after him. He’d grown up in this neighbourhood, so he knew places to duck into and stores they could use as a safe house. However, as his mind was reeling over this his eyes caught something and the world slowed down. One of the men grabbed Autumn’s hat, and another yanked him back by his hood, slamming him into the bricks of one wall in the alley. Basil’s mind had left him as Autumn’s fingers slipped away from his, and his skull was filled instead with a white fury. His fist met a jawline before he could even cognitively recognize what had happened. “Get away from him!” Basil growled.
In the brief moment of shock, Basil knelt down and grabbed Autumn, pulling the boy into him and holding him tightly. They heard the low profanity, “Bxtch…” and then a click. The grunt that Basil had punched was standing behind Autumn, holding a revolver aimed executioner style. Basil squeezed the boy tighter, wide green eyes staring intensely at the attacker.
“Beg, fxggot.”
Basil sneered, “Go to hell.”
Just then, red and blue patrol lights started flashing on the street, causing the gang members to scramble. Both boys relaxed at this; Basil was especially relieved, for he had lost his head. After that last comment he was sure he was –
Autumn felt Basil’s body press into his before he was even able to register the blast as not car backfire, but rather a gunshot. He didn’t know what to think of it at first; it was so close. And then he felt Basil’s grip around him loosen. Realization hit him like a sack of doorknobs.
“Basil!” His arms found their way around his sides, and he could already feel the blood making his shirt sticky. “Oh God…” Autumn breathed out, awkwardly standing up and picking Basil up with him. “C’mon, Baz, let’s get out of here.” Autumn was trying his best to be calm, but his hands were shaking, even as he braced Basil’s waist to help him walk; the height difference wasn’t exactly helping, but at least Autumn was equipped with some muscle.
“I shouldn’t have run off my mouth,” Basil whispered.
“No,” Autumn responded quickly; he needed Basil to know that it wasn’t his fault. “Basil, just… shh.”
The boy was becoming heavier and heavier as the blood loss increased, and he was dragging his feet more and more. Autumn could feel his boyfriend’s blood running down his arm; it made him want to scream, punch something. But right now he had to find Basil some help. Not owning a cell phone, he didn’t think to reach into Basil’s pocket for his cell phone. Where were those police officers? Had they not heard the gunshot? Impossible. They were at the end of the alley now, and Basil collapsed on the sidewalk, bringing Autumn down with him.
“No, Basil,” his voice cracked as he looked upon the boy whose shining eyes were sliding into mere slivers. “Basil, stay with me, I’ll get you help.” He ran a shaking hand along the boy’s cheek, smearing a bit of his own blood across his alabaster skin. Tears came to Autumn’s eyes when Basil didn’t answer; the shallow, uneven rise and fall of his chest was slowing down.
A weak hand reached up at Basil wiped tears from Autumn’s cheeks. “Don’t cry,” he croaked. “Everything will be okay.”
After Basil said that, Autumn was sure he whited out. There were suddenly sirens, flashing lights, uniformed men. He vaguely remembered being asked unending questions, but he couldn’t even remember if he answered or not. He must have answered something, because he was suddenly in the bustling ambulance next to Basil’s gurney. EMTs were shoving needles and tubes into the poor boy until he was nearly unrecognizable. They wouldn’t let Autumn hold his hand, so instead his fingers grasped at Basil’s remaining clothing. His rational mind knew that these men were trying to help Basil, but there was a part of his brain that was nearly overriding that; in his panic he wanted to yell at them, tell them to get away and just hold Basil to himself. Fortunately, he was able to keep himself from breaking down.
Basil’s eyes were closed and Autumn could clearly read the pain written on his face; it made his heart ache. His eyes started flickering, revealing his dulling emerald eyes. They searched for Autumn’s face, and he smiled faintly when he found it. “I love you, Autumn Winter,” he murmured with a weak voice.
Basil was later pronounced dead at the hospital. After another brief questioning, Autumn was released and he had nothing to do but go home. He had to be physically taken away from Basil’s body, and he protested all the way, actually made quite a scene. His arms and hands still bore Basil’s blood, and he had some on his face as well. He was escorted home in a police car and, for once, he was met by his mother when he entered the apartment.
Falling asleep that night, he laid on his sofa, ears straining to hear a sonata or concerto flowing out of Basil’s room. He couldn’t sleep. It hit him that he’d never hear that piano again. He’d never hear another cello, viola, clarinet, bassoon, violin, or saxophone coming from that room again. He’d never hear an acoustic guitar played just for him, and he’d never see such sparkling jade eyes.
-This is a oneshot that I used to get over a bout of writers block.
-Don't expect it to be very good, but read it anyway
-It's acting as a background/character sketch for my original character, as well as my boyfriend's character
-Please leave comments -^^-
Nocturne #5 in F Sharp
It had taken far too long for them to get together. Everyone had seen what was inevitable except for the two boys, it seemed. They had been best friends practically since Autumn had moved into the apartment, across from Basil’s boarding house, with his mother and younger brother. They spent many nights hanging halfway out their windows, talking across the alley. Sometimes, when Autumn was too exhausted to hold his head up, he’d just lie on his couch, falling asleep to Basil’s beautiful piano playing. Both boys had feelings for the other and had held them back bashfully, selfishly. But everyone else saw it.
Basil had never gotten involved in Autumn’s business, in terms of the unsavory jobs he picked up in order to help sustain his family. But every time the poor boy came home in the middle of the night, or complained about being sore from work, or when he didn’t see him for a couple of days, all he wanted to do was gather Autumn in his arms and never let him go. He’d allow himself to die before he’d ever let anyone hurt such a beautiful being. The only reason he didn’t try to do this was because Autumn was such a strong person in Basil’s eyes, and, besides that, it was none of his business was Autumn did to keep his family above water. That’s how he had expected things to stay, quietly biting his tongue. When Autumn started coming home with physical signs of abuse, however, he couldn’t let it continue. He waited for Autumn outside his building, which was really the first time they had seen each other out, besides at school. Basil confronted him about his discontent over the positions Autumn was putting himself into. And more than that, his mouth kept running until he did everything but completely confess. The rest was history.
They started spending as much time together as they possibly could, since Autumn still hadn’t quit any of his jobs. They quickly became regulars at each other’s places. Summer, Autumn’s younger brother, grew fond of Basil, and he would often babysit when no one else was available. Autumn often attended Basil’s recitals, whenever he was off from work. It was after one of his bigger recitals – in which he played cello, violin, clarinet, and piano – that Basil formally asked Autumn on a date. Dinner and a movie, ever-cliché. But it was wonderful all the same. Autumn, unused to being treated, had offered to pay for both the meal and the movie, even though he had been the one who had been asked out. Basil ended up having to hide Autumn’s wallet in the car. Still, everything turned out all right that night. Basil really had no idea what happened in the movie; he was far too busy admiring Autumn, the way the silver screen dimly lit his face, just how he was used to the moon doing the same thing. Unfortunately, no hanky panky had followed that particular date; not even a goodnight kiss, but Basil was happy all the same. And he could tell Autumn was happier than he’d been in a long time.
Many more dates were to follow, most of them in the middle of the day when Autumn wasn’t working. Sometimes Basil would sneak out and climb up the fire escape of the apartment building to wait for Autumn outside his window when he got home from work. And although Autumn still refused to quit the jobs that were hurting him so much, Basil was always sure to express his disapproval and worry. While Basil constantly worried about Autumn, Autumn felt the same way about Basil, although the issues were much smaller in comparison. He’d tell him to stop sneaking out, or not to wait up all night for him to come home. Neither of them listened to the other.
One evening, Autumn’s mother had forced him to call in sick to work, convinced that he hadn’t been getting enough time to simply act his age. He didn’t like it, but he really had no choice if he wanted to please her. Basil had decided to take Autumn to the beach, not really for swimming, but just to get out and relax and enjoy each other’s company. Basil took his acoustic and the boys simply walked as the sun was falling from the sky. There was virtually no one there, seeing as it was a school/work evening. This suited them just fine since the general public didn’t seem to be ready to see two boys on a date. That didn’t really bother either of them; they were both confident in their sexuality and who they were as people, so strangers could stare all they wanted. “Let’s give’em a show,” Autumn would say.
Spreading the blue flannel blanket on the sand, Basil first set down his guitar and then sat next to it, gently tugging Autumn’s hand to get him to sit. The sun was becoming increasingly more orange as it sank in the sky, and it threw pink shadows on the bellies of the few clouds that lingered in the sky. The ocean water was completely glowing under the sun’s light, still vaguely blue, ebbing and flowing over the sand. For a moment, there was simply silence between them, only the sound of the water colliding against the shoreline.
Autumn started speaking without even looking at Basil, “As much as I didn’t want to miss the pay from a night’s work, this is definitely better than working.” Ever insecure about the exact status of their relationship, this made Basil smile, confidence returning. Rather than actually answering, however, he just picked up his guitar and strummed a chord. This got Autumn’s attention, as he was obviously not expecting it, and his eyes snapped to the guitarist. Smiling, Basil continued without a word, fingers sliding along the nylon strings that ran down the neck. Even though they were in such an open area, the music filled the silence between them and created a sense of space that was smaller than reality. In this way, Autumn and Basil were the only two people in the world.
The piece had a moderate tempo, not too slow, not too fast, and it was something that Basil had composed, Autumn’s ears being the first to hear it. Autumn wasn’t so much of a music junkie as Basil, but he was always awed at the way the boy was able to coax the melodies out of every instrument he laid hands on. He provided the perfect ambience to the sunset they shared, as it glittered off the softly crashing waves.
“We need to do this more often,” Basil commented as he hit the last few chords of his ballad. His emerald eyes blinked at Autumn, admiring the way his light brown hair stuck out from underneath that dorky fur hat of his.
“The beach?” Autumn confirmed, eyebrows lifting.
“Spend time together,” Basil answered.
Autumn’s smile was adorable, Basil noted as he set his guitar aside. It was a fairly warm out, a nice spring evening. Basil began taking off his shoes and socks, earning a well-deserved glance of confusion from Autumn.
“Let’s go swimming,” he finally suggested after he had tucked his socks into his into his shoes. He then went for Autumn’s hat, reaching for it in a teasing, snatchy way.
“Wha-?” Autumn leaned away, avoiding the attack to his head, putting a hand on his hat to keep it in place.
“Yeah, c’mon,” Basil laughed, reaching for the hat again, and yet again being evaded. “It’s warm enough, plus there’s hardly anyone here.”
Autumn was being unusually hesitant. “N-No… I don’t really want to – Look, it’s getting dark.”
“That makes it all the better,” Basil pressed. He finally got a hold of Autumn and pressed him into the sand, proceeding to throw a leg over the boy to straddle his hips. “C’mon, I’ll help you with the buttons,” he offered, fingers already working at the top buttons of Autumn’s shirt.
“No, Basil, stop,” Autumn continued to refuse, futilely trying to brush the taller boy away.
To his success, Basil got the first four buttons of his hostage’s shirt undone, opening it to reveal his chest. Only… Basil frowned. The boy’s beauty had been marred by a myriad of dark bruises decorating his collarbone and breastbone. Basil’s hands slowly slipped down away from the fabric, fingers lightly tracing the blemishes on his partner’s otherwise perfect skin.
Autumn was silent, brown eyes avoiding looking at any part of Basil; even his breath was nearly completely silent, only the shallow rise and fall of his chest hinted at his life. All the while, Basil was ghosting the marks with his lithe fingers.
“I’m not going to let you do this anymore,” Basil broke the silence in a low voice, barely audible above the ocean water. He never really pushed the subject very hard other than just voicing his opinion, but there was no way he’d allow Autumn to continue putting himself into such a terrible, dangerous situation.
“I have to,” Autumn answered weakly, shame lacing his words. “If I don’t I’ll only have two jobs, and we won’t make rent.”
“Autumn… I can help you find a better job,” Basil encouraged, delicately placing his hands on the boy’s damaged chest and staring down at him with large green eyes.
“Nothing that I can apply for pays nearly as much,” Autumn commented, eyes still avoiding that daunting gaze above him. “I’m doing this for Summer… and my mom.”
“And what about you, Autumn? You need to think about yourself sometimes, too. You’ll end up destroying your body,” he warned, clearly concerned.
Autumn was torn, and Basil could tell. The poor boy just wanted to please everyone, but now that his boyfriend wouldn’t be happy until he stopped doing the thing that sustained his family, he just didn’t know what to do. His chocolatey eyes finally searched Basil’s face for any hint of a way out. Lost for words, his eyes darted.
Becoming frustrated, Basil stood up and walked away from the boy in the sand. He pushed up his jeans so that he was bare from the calf down. Grabbing his guitar, he waded out into the saltwater until the water washed just under the hem of his pants. Throwing the strap over his head and across his shoulder, he positioned his hands and started playing again. He kept time with his right foot; lifting and replacing his heel in the soft, wet sand. This piece was quite a bit faster, upbeat and there were many points when his fingertips left the strings and then his hand covered them to mute the sound. Playing instruments always settled him down. He became calm and lucid, which he really needed right now.
Basil was facing the setting sun. It was now so far down that its orange light was intense, but being eaten by the darkness. This darkness was also engulfing the musician so that he had turned into a silhouette, a mere construction paper cutout of a teenage boy.
Before he knew what was happening, Autumn came from behind and snaked his arms around Basil’s waist, sliding between his guitar and body. His head leaned into the guitarist’s back. “I’m sorry…” He mumbled. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Basil turned in the boy’s arms, at the same time sliding his acoustic around to rest on his back. He held Autumn close to him. “I just want you to be safe,” he whispered.
Autumn was quiet, head just resting on Basil’s chest and listening to his sincere heartbeat. “I’ll quit tomorrow…”
Basil pulled back a little bit, eyes gleaming, and looking for the gleam in Autumn’s eyes; there wasn’t one there. He wanted to put one there. “I’ll help you find a far better job,” he offered. But Autumn’s eyes had dropped, fixated in the dark, cool water.
“Hey,” Basil said softly, using a finger to tilt the boy’s chin up. “I love you, Autumn Winter.”
Autumn’s eyes had been forced to stare into Basil’s. “Baz, I told you, I don’t like—"
He couldn’t express his qualms about his name for Basil had silenced him by catching his lips in a kiss, their first kiss. Autumn had tensed first, but he quickly melted into Basil and pressed back into the kiss. Basil’s arms tightened around his Autumn, his tongue almost instinctively running along the boy’s slightly parted lips. He didn’t want to push Autumn too far, since he knew that his delicate shield had been growing thinner and thinner with each passing night he worked.
Basil broke the kiss first, but when he pulled back to study Autumn’s reaction, Autumn jumped him, standing on his toes to press another kiss to his lips. The sun had completely left the sky now, and the two boys spent plenty of time kissing in the dark.
Months had past since their first kiss and the promise that Autumn would quit his job as an escort. Since then, they had shared many more kisses, and even a bed when Autumn’s mother had to take Summer out of town for a few days. Basil had also helped Autumn get a paid internship at a photography studio so that his family could continue making rent as well as pay for groceries. He was still terribly busy, but things were much better; Basil definitely thought so. After being given an old camera by one of the photographers at the studio he worked for – a junk camera, but still one much more expensive than what Autumn could afford – he had gotten into the hobby of taking candid shots of Basil. A wall in his younger brother’s room quickly became dedicated to Basil, a collage of his best shots, the appropriate ones, of course. There were others he kept to himself.
Unfortunately, while the boy’s lives were becoming better with each passing day and their relationship growing stronger, the already shady neighbourhood they lived in was getting more dangerous; crime rate had gone up and gang activity had increased. For this reason, Basil had acquired a curfew of “when the streetlamps come on”. Neither Basil nor Autumn were allowed to leave their windows open anymore. Still, this didn’t keep them apart. While they followed the rules most of the time, there were also many times that Basil would sneak out and climb up the fire escape of the apartment building and just hang out outside of Autumn’s window. It gave them a chance to talk like they used to, only now they had to be quieter since they had the tendency to increase in volume the longer they chatted. Also, they were close enough to touch each other if either felt the desire to; it was usually Basil who did. It seemed that neither of the boy’s parents had found out about their little rendezvous spot, and they hadn’t personally witnessed or experienced any crime, so they continued. However, with Basil’s curfew, actual dates were few and limited. That is, until they had convinced Basil’s mother that as long as they were together after dark they would be fine, like a buddy system. Dates increased after that.
On the way home from one of those dates, a movie, the boys took a shortcut through an alley and were cornered by three young men.
“What are you fxgs doing?” One was so bold to ask. While neither of the boys fit the flamboyantly gay stereotype in either the way they dressed or spoke, their sexuality was obvious since they were holding hands.
Basil was already very irritated with them, but he held his tongue, knowing that if he were to say something the situation would only get worse. Autumn – poor Autumn – looked suddenly very bashful; he was used to this kind of verbal abuse, and he just automatically slipped into his coy personality.
Tugging lightly on Autumn’s hand and turning around, “C’mon,” Basil mumbled, “Let’s go home.”
As if from some terrible gang movie, one of the men slid in front of them, blocking their path. Basil audibly growled out of annoyance. He glanced over his shoulder at the remaining two grunts behind them; his hand squeezed Autumn’s but he still was able to hold his tongue.
“Anxious to get home and fxck this pretty-boy?” The question was directed at Basil, but Autumn shifted and threw his eyes to the ground; it was his turn to squeeze Basil’s hand. Basil was on edge now; he would snap at one more comment like that, even though his better judgment was screaming at him to keep quiet and dial 911 in his pocket.
When the gang members didn’t quite receive the reaction they were looking form they all chimed in, making obscene gestures and hurtful, inappropriate comments. Basil, still staying strong, was ready to just make a run for it and risk the thugs chasing after him. He’d grown up in this neighbourhood, so he knew places to duck into and stores they could use as a safe house. However, as his mind was reeling over this his eyes caught something and the world slowed down. One of the men grabbed Autumn’s hat, and another yanked him back by his hood, slamming him into the bricks of one wall in the alley. Basil’s mind had left him as Autumn’s fingers slipped away from his, and his skull was filled instead with a white fury. His fist met a jawline before he could even cognitively recognize what had happened. “Get away from him!” Basil growled.
In the brief moment of shock, Basil knelt down and grabbed Autumn, pulling the boy into him and holding him tightly. They heard the low profanity, “Bxtch…” and then a click. The grunt that Basil had punched was standing behind Autumn, holding a revolver aimed executioner style. Basil squeezed the boy tighter, wide green eyes staring intensely at the attacker.
“Beg, fxggot.”
Basil sneered, “Go to hell.”
Just then, red and blue patrol lights started flashing on the street, causing the gang members to scramble. Both boys relaxed at this; Basil was especially relieved, for he had lost his head. After that last comment he was sure he was –
Autumn felt Basil’s body press into his before he was even able to register the blast as not car backfire, but rather a gunshot. He didn’t know what to think of it at first; it was so close. And then he felt Basil’s grip around him loosen. Realization hit him like a sack of doorknobs.
“Basil!” His arms found their way around his sides, and he could already feel the blood making his shirt sticky. “Oh God…” Autumn breathed out, awkwardly standing up and picking Basil up with him. “C’mon, Baz, let’s get out of here.” Autumn was trying his best to be calm, but his hands were shaking, even as he braced Basil’s waist to help him walk; the height difference wasn’t exactly helping, but at least Autumn was equipped with some muscle.
“I shouldn’t have run off my mouth,” Basil whispered.
“No,” Autumn responded quickly; he needed Basil to know that it wasn’t his fault. “Basil, just… shh.”
The boy was becoming heavier and heavier as the blood loss increased, and he was dragging his feet more and more. Autumn could feel his boyfriend’s blood running down his arm; it made him want to scream, punch something. But right now he had to find Basil some help. Not owning a cell phone, he didn’t think to reach into Basil’s pocket for his cell phone. Where were those police officers? Had they not heard the gunshot? Impossible. They were at the end of the alley now, and Basil collapsed on the sidewalk, bringing Autumn down with him.
“No, Basil,” his voice cracked as he looked upon the boy whose shining eyes were sliding into mere slivers. “Basil, stay with me, I’ll get you help.” He ran a shaking hand along the boy’s cheek, smearing a bit of his own blood across his alabaster skin. Tears came to Autumn’s eyes when Basil didn’t answer; the shallow, uneven rise and fall of his chest was slowing down.
A weak hand reached up at Basil wiped tears from Autumn’s cheeks. “Don’t cry,” he croaked. “Everything will be okay.”
After Basil said that, Autumn was sure he whited out. There were suddenly sirens, flashing lights, uniformed men. He vaguely remembered being asked unending questions, but he couldn’t even remember if he answered or not. He must have answered something, because he was suddenly in the bustling ambulance next to Basil’s gurney. EMTs were shoving needles and tubes into the poor boy until he was nearly unrecognizable. They wouldn’t let Autumn hold his hand, so instead his fingers grasped at Basil’s remaining clothing. His rational mind knew that these men were trying to help Basil, but there was a part of his brain that was nearly overriding that; in his panic he wanted to yell at them, tell them to get away and just hold Basil to himself. Fortunately, he was able to keep himself from breaking down.
Basil’s eyes were closed and Autumn could clearly read the pain written on his face; it made his heart ache. His eyes started flickering, revealing his dulling emerald eyes. They searched for Autumn’s face, and he smiled faintly when he found it. “I love you, Autumn Winter,” he murmured with a weak voice.
Basil was later pronounced dead at the hospital. After another brief questioning, Autumn was released and he had nothing to do but go home. He had to be physically taken away from Basil’s body, and he protested all the way, actually made quite a scene. His arms and hands still bore Basil’s blood, and he had some on his face as well. He was escorted home in a police car and, for once, he was met by his mother when he entered the apartment.
Falling asleep that night, he laid on his sofa, ears straining to hear a sonata or concerto flowing out of Basil’s room. He couldn’t sleep. It hit him that he’d never hear that piano again. He’d never hear another cello, viola, clarinet, bassoon, violin, or saxophone coming from that room again. He’d never hear an acoustic guitar played just for him, and he’d never see such sparkling jade eyes.
