How About a Kiss?
Chapter Three: Being an Adult
Adrian sits at his desk in business class, mulling over Viktor. How does he become an 'adult' in the man's eye? He's got a 'mature' job, for god sakes he owns the place, he's got a car and home he owns, he's educated and mature. What more does he have to do?
"Adrian, you look upset." Antonio whispers, pulling Adrian out of his thoughts.
"Oh…yeah…it's just…Viktor said I'm too young…I don't know how to convince him I'm an adult…" Adrian mumbles and Antonio leans back in his seat, sighing.
"Compared to him you aren't. He's graduated and has a successful job; you are still in college and are just getting your job off the ground." Antonio points out. "Not to mention the staggering height difference."
"W-well he's just a tall guy anyways! I can't do anything about that stuff! You're not helping at all!" Adrian whines.
"ADRIAN!" The professor yells, making him pale. "If your height is getting to you, mourn over it AFTER my class!"
"Y-yes sir!" Adrian exclaims and Antonio grins.
"I just want you to know…getting yelled at by the professor isn't gonna help with maturity." He whispers and Adrian glares.
After all of his classes, Adrian heads home with Antonio, who has offered to help with the kids in the morning. They head straight to bed since their class ran to ten at night and when they wake up an annoyed face is looming over them.
"Adrian, someone is on the phone for you." Cecile says and Adrian groans. "He said his name is Viktor." She adds and he quickly sits up, snatching the phone away from her.
"Hello Viktor." Adrian answers and a loud voice comes over the other end.
"ADRIAANNN!" Viktor cries.
"H-huh? Is something wrong?"
"WE CAN'T FIND SOPHIE!" He exclaims and Adrian jumps out of bed.
"How did that happen?" Adrian gasps.
"I-I don't know! When I woke up she wasn't there!" Viktor whimpers as Adrian gets dressed.
"D-don't worry! I'll be right there!" He says before saying goodbye and looking to Antonio. "Cover here for me today please, Sophie is missing!"
Antonio nods. "Of course! Of course, just hurry and go help!" He says and Adrian smiles at him gratefully before running out the door.
"He doesn't want a relationship with Adrian…but he calls him crying when his niece disappears?" Cecile asks annoyed. "Isn't that the definition of mixed messages?"
Antonio laughs a little. "Yeah, it is. It also means that Viktor is beginning to lean on him, which can be seen as progress, right?" He asks and Cecile rolls his eyes.
"I'm not discussing love with an idiot like you." She groans, heading out. "Be ready to work in ten minutes."
Antonio twitches. "Yes ma'am…" He sighs. "God she's got such a bad brother complex, it borders the extremity of the ones in her girlfriend Sakura's mangas."
"I. HEARD. THAT." Cecil hisses from the hall.
"Ah! S-sorry!"
Adrian runs down the street, heading to the store Viktor said to meet him at. Once he gets there he comes to a quick stop, staring at the man in awe. He's standing outside crying. Not in a subtle way, either, he is teary eyed and sobbing and as soon as he sees Adrian he runs over.
"Adrian!" He cries, wrapping his arms around Adrian's neck and hugging the boy tightly.
"There, there. We'll find her." Adrian says, patting him on the back awkwardly.
"She ran away! She hates me!" Viktor sniffles, burying his face in Adrian's shoulder awkwardly.
"C-come on, let's go find her Viktor." Adrian says as he pats him on the head, trying hard to keep his balance with the tall man leaning on him.
"Y-you're right, we need to find her!" Viktor moves away and heads down the road. "Sophie!" He calls and Adrian quickly follows suit, looking on the opposite side of the street.
They search for an hour, than two, than three. Soon it's around two and Viktor is on the verge of madness.
"I've let my family down! I'm a horrible person!" Viktor cries, running away from a, yet again, stunned Adrian.
"Viktor! Stop running away! I don't want to search for two people!" Adrian exclaims, chasing him for the fifth time today. It makes him wonder just how much of an adult Viktor really is, while at the same time making Adrian think of just how cute the man can be. This way of thinking is most likely unhealthy, but he doesn't really care.
He quickly catches up to the man, like every other time, but this time he notices something. Nearby is a group of blooming lilac trees. He knows that area, it's where he used to hide out and play as a kid with Antonio. Inside the group of trees is a few fallen trunks that are great for climbing and under them is a bed of the flower pedals which are great for naps. Without a word, Adrian heads over to the trees and goes to the old entrance, peaking in and immediately seeing the small girl asleep in the flower pedals with another familiar girl from the daycare.
"Viktor! I found her!" Adrian yells and Viktor comes running over, peeking in and seeing the sleeping girls.
"Wh-who is that?" Viktor asks and Adrian smiles.
"That's her best friend from school, Mao Wang, she's from China." He answers before getting out his cell. "I'm going to call Antonio and have him call Mao's parents, you call Mikhail and Alexander so they can stop looking as well."
"Right…" Viktor mumbles, staring at Adrian for a moment before dialing the phone and walking a little ways away.
Soon both families have gathered and are now scolding the little girls, Adrian deciding to go into the lilac area to check out if the stuff he and Antonio left were still there. Marks, words carved into the wood, old toys, he finds them all. It's all very nostalgic, even the scolding of parents. As he sits there and reminisces he doesn't notice that the scolding has stopped, that no one but he and Viktor are left, or that Viktor has crawled into the area awkwardly and is now standing behind the tree trunk he's sitting on.
"Thank you so much, Adrian." Viktor says, wrapping his arms around the teen's waist from behind in a hug.
"A-ah…of course. I love Sophie, the idea of her going missing was terrifying even for me, I can only imagine how you and Mikhail were feeling…" Adrian says, blushing at the contact. "So…what exactly where they doing?"
"They wanted to play together without interruption." Viktor sighs. "I think my little Sophie has a school-girl crush…in daycare…"
Adrian laughs a little. "Well, that or she just has a very good friend." He smiles at Viktor. "Like you and I now, right?"
Viktor smiles back. "Yes, like you and I...I'm sorry I was acting so immature earlier. It must have been annoying."
Adrian shifts his position so he's facing Viktor. "You know…me and Antonio used to hide out here a lot when we were little too. The first few times we would watch our parents walk by in search for us, frantic to the point of sobbing…"
"And you didn't come out?" Viktor asks and Adrian laughs a little.
"We eventually would. We were seven and would do it when they made us angry!" Adrian explains. "But…that's not the point I'm getting at. The point is they loved us so much and were so worried that they were wrecks. If you had been composed the entire time I probably would think less of you, but seeing how upset you were…" He grins at the man and pats him on the head. "I think it's made me fall for you even more."
Viktor blushes a little and leans forward, placing a small kiss on Adrian's cheek. "And when you do things like running to my aid, searching with me for hours, and then saying things like that…it makes me resolve fade more and more. It makes me realize just how much of an adult you really are."
Adrian looks at him surprised. "Huh…?" He goes to ask more, but is silenced by a pair of lips lightly pressing against his own. Closing his eyes, Adrian quickly responds by kissing back and wrapping his arms around Viktor's neck, making sure he can't change his mind.
Viktor allows Adrian to do so; he even parts his lips so the boy can deepen the kiss. They continue this for a few minutes, only pulling away to breathe, until they hear something snap a little. "What was that…?" Viktor asks, looking down.
"Oh crap…" Adrian pales a little. "I forgot just how brittle these trunks are…" He mumbles before the tree trunk he is sitting on snaps underneath him, sending them both to the ground. "O-ow…flower pedals are not that good of a cushion when falling…"
Viktor smiles down at him amused before reaching his hand under Adrian's back, making the boy blush, and pulling out part of the tree trunk. "I'm sure this doesn't help either."
Adrian laughs a little. "No, it sure didn't…"
Viktor gets up and helps Adrian to his feet. "Are you okay? Can you walk fine?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. It's not the first time I've fallen from that." He says, grinning at Viktor. "It is the first time someone went down with me though."
Viktor smiles back and pats him on the head. "I would gladly fall with someone like you."
Adrian blushes and looks down, an embarrassed smile now on his face. "I-I see…"
A/N: CHEESINESS ALL OVER THE PLACE! Only a few chapters left.