Once again, these characters belong to the Lord and Master…

No, not Foamy….. JHONEN!

I'm just terribly warping his amazingly fantabulous characters and such, so don't throw your happy knives at me, please.

Chapter 12: Spend Our Time Chasing Cars

"Todd…." Johnny sighed, outreaching a hand weakly as the teen turned away from it.

"You can't imagine…" Todd started, choking back his tears, "How it hurts me to talk to you right now."

Johnny stepped forward, "Todd please. It's just... old habits don't die easily… You probably don't understand." He sat down on the foot of Todd's bed, and watched the boy turn back to face him.

"No. You don't understand. Try living your life as a lie! Imagine if the kids in school found out about this! That's why I don't have any fucking friends! I try to keep distant so I don't get hurt! Then imagine having killed your father… and having an obsession for the man that killed your mother," Todd yelled, choking even more on the relentless sobs, "You try living like that for a day and tell me I don't understand. Damnit!"

Johnny was taken aback from the comments just spoken. He never really thought of it that way. Squee had it harder then he ever imagined. Johnny felt a pale blush hit his face, and something was suddenly warming up his frozen heart.

It's called love…

"Squee," Johnny sighed, realizing that nailbunny was right all along.

But, Todd cut him off, "Johnny, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm so stupid." He flung his arms around Johnny's lap and cried into his shirt, "It's just so hard… So hard…."

Johnny sighed, and looked down at Todd. "It's okay. It'll be okay…" Johnny smiled, a tear forming in his eye. A tear. This 17-year-old figure had unlocked those emotions he tried to rid himself of all these years. He stroked one of his hands over Todd's hair, placing his other arm around the boy, who shook uncontrollably due to the constant crying.

"It's alright, Squeegee. I'm here… I love you."

Todd picked up his head, "You're just saying that. You don't mean it." He shook his head, looking into the man's eyes.

Johnny smiled warmly, however, "I'm going to give it a try."

"What?" Todd squealed, sitting up, breaking free from Johnny's embrace, even though he didn't truly want to. It was just reflexes.

"I said," Johnny trailed, watching his neighbor, "If it means this much to you… I'll give it a chance."

Todd smiled, pouncing at his crush, wrapping his arms around the man's neck. He warmly whispered into his love's ear, "Thank you so much, Nny. This is everything to me!"

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An hour later, they lay down, looking at the ceiling. Johnny's arms were folded behind his head, propping it up a bit to look out the window at the bright stars. Todd was asleep, curled up beside him, an arm over Johnny's torso. His mop of hair covered his eyes, and fluttered a bit with each inhale and exhale. Johnny glanced at him and smiled.

'So this is what joy feels like, huh nailbunny?'

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If I lay here. If I just lay here,
Would you lie with me and just forget the world.
Forget what we're told before we get too old.
Show me a garden that's bursting into life.
All that I am. All that I ever was,
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see.
I don't know where, confused about how as well.
Just know that these things will never change for us at all. – Snow Patrol.