Title: Cleansing

Author: Joy

Pairing: B/J

Rating: 13+

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Ann M. Martin and related parties. I'm just playing with them.

Summary: Byron gets desperate the day before Jeff leaves.

Notes: Pretty sure that "I Want Your Sex" helped with this. And of course, everyone that encourages me. :) I also have to thank Spring Break, otherwise I wouldn't have written so much.

It was the last baseball game that Jeff was going to play until September. Of course, it's difficult to play baseball with only four people, so he supposed it was more of a practice. Then again, when he got back to California, he would be surfing and kicking a soccer ball around, and he wouldn't need the practice.

Still, he wanted to play. He enjoyed the competitive spirit and he liked the smell of the leather mitt. He also liked having Byron on his team; he could give high-fives and shoulder-wrapping hugs without anyone raise an eyebrow.

Walking home from the game, he heard slapping footsteps running up behind him. He slowed, took a peek over his shoulder, and grinned when he saw Byron. Byron was dripping with fresh sweat, and his dark hair was dusted with dirt. Jeff wasn't focused on any of that. He was completely and utterly glued to the way Byron's eyes were openly desperate.

"I left something at your house. Mind if I come home with you?"

Jeff shrugged. "Sure. But Richard might make us shower in the yard. You know, so we don't walk in the house like this." He didn't bother hiding the wide smile stretching across his face.

"Eh... it's hot anyway."

You're not kidding, Jeff thought.

Byron was quiet as he ran over his plan in his mind once more. True, he had told Adam and Jordan that he'd forgotten something at Jeff's, but it wasn't a book or a video game. He needed to touch his best friend like that one more time before Jeff flew out to California in the morning. And so, here he was, chasing Jeff down. The rest of the plan wasn't so clear, so that was why he was thinking. And not coming up with anything.

Richard's car wasn't in the driveway when they got to Jeff's house, and neither was Sharon's. Byron breathed a sigh of relief just as Jeff did, but possibly for other reasons. "Hey, no parents." Jeff winked.

Maybe not so different reasons.

They stampeded up the stairs, kicking off their shoes at the front door. Jeff slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, then came back into his room, where he found Byron looking around nervously.

"Byron?"

"I can't find anywhere to sit that won't get dirty," he half-laughed.

"I don't care."

"Oh." Byron chose the desk chair, perching carefully. "This is going to be a very long summer." He sighed.

"Summers in California always go by too fast. There's surfing and all my friends back home will insist on sleepovers for a week straight, and Dad takes me to Disneyland and... oh. Oh yeah. Byron..."

Byron was staring at the comforter on Jeff's bed very pointedly, as if he could burn a hole through it if he tried hard enough.

"Oh, Byron, you know I'm going to miss you, too. I'll call...if you want me to."

Byron nodded, his gaze shifting back up to Jeff's and holding steadily. "I worry. That you're not coming back." He would have added that he wished Jeff would never leave Stoneybrook, but Byron knew how much California meant.

Jeff was in the middle of peeling off his filthy shirt. Usually, the act would fascinate Byron, but now it was just another action that separated them. Byron was sitting there in dirty jeans and a torn t-shirt, and Jeff was getting rid of all that, heading to the shower and cleaning himself of Stoneybrook for another summer.

You're not going to get another chance! Byron's mind screamed at him as Jeff started walking into the bathroom.

"Hey, Jeff?" Byron called as he leaped up after him. Jeff stopped in the doorway, his fingers poised on the button of his jeans.

"Yeah?"

Byron flung himself forward, one hand wrapped firmly around the doorframe, the other sliding up through Jeff's hair, and kissed him.