Electron + Proton = Attraction

Author: degrassi

Type: Slash. M/M.

Pairing: Marco Del Rossi/Craig Manning.

Rating: PG-13.

Genre: Angst/Romance/Drama.
Characters: Are in tenth grade. Emma & Co. a year behind.

Chapter: The past returns to a scarred teenage soul. Action is taken. After all, Craig is always taking action, isn't he?

II. Pain is just too real

He had met her once. Then twice. Then a third time, and was drawn to her like a stray child to a police officer, who was there to take you home. Craig usually wasn't concerned with the lot of his step-father's girlfriends, however, this one, as their relationship gradually became more serious -- Craig warmed up to. She reminded him a lot of his mother. The faint, memories which the teenager could detect, anyway. Her aura was peaceful, her manner, refined. Most of all, she never yelled. She always seemed to be smiling. Her and Joey had met when their carts bumped into each other at the market. Pretty romantic, no? As the summer went by, it became a ritual at the Jeremiah household, to have her over to stay every weekend.

Her name? Lily Downing.

Hair the color of auburn, and eyes a deep and dark hazel.

'Her Lily' as Angela referred to, would bake cookies for the children of the house, and tell stories about herself and Joey. Craig liked her, because she always gave thorough opinions of the photos he shot. He'd show her pictures of sunsets, landscapes, kids on bikes, and numerous pictures of Angela and Joey. Only to get a reaction on all of them. Lily also provided Craig with tips that would increase the detail of his picture.

It was like a dream come true. The happiness Craig had always longed for.

That's why, her voice, when it was raised like that, startled the teenager out of his wits that night. He had stopped moving completely, hands tightly gripping the off-white fabric of his bedspread. A cold dew blanketed his temples, and hazel-green eyes wildly focused on the dimness of his room. The only light, was the full moon piercing through the lone, wide window.

"Joey! Please be reasonable!" He heard Lily sigh from the stairwell, downstairs.

"I am being reasonable, Lil." Joey retorted, trying to keep his voice down.

It wasn't working too well, though. Since Craig's senses were instantly triggered by the slightest bit of yelling in the house. His house. His NEW life.

"Not at the moment! You've been complaining to me ever since we got home! That I have some sort of wandering eye. How could you think that about me?" Lily's natural softness was still apparent in her voice, even if it was raised. He gave a small shiver as he heard her heavy-set footsteps storm across the downstairs hallway.

"Lily! Look, I'm sorry, but we--"

"You're just being paranoid, Joey!" She retorted before he could continue, her tone louder, and sharper then previously.

"This is not going to turn sour!" She continued.

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't LET it!"

Craig blinked his eyes, wiping the sleep away from them with his hand. He carefully untangled himself out of his bed sheets and stood up. Tip-toeing towards his dresser, with an arm extended. He was acting as if the slightest sound would signal to the couple downstairs that he was awake. There was a fleeting stare directed towards his alarm clock, which blared: 12:12 AM. He bit his lip, and picked up his cell phone, which lay next to spare lens caps. Joey had told him never to use his mobile phone unless it was a real emergency. This was a state of emergency in his mind.

He had to get out of here. When people started to raise their voices, things could get out of hand. He didn't feel fifteen. He felt five again. He felt that those were his parents downstairs, arguing. The hair on the back of his neck begun to stand on end, and the phone nearly fell out of his hand. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply. Whose place could be stay at tonight? In the middle of the night? Who'd let him?

Spinner? No, Spinner was out of town for the remainder of the year with his family.

Sean? No, he had enough to figure out, and worry about.

There was always… Marco.

Marco.

The voice of reason behind them. The one that did everything by the book, never fell out of place, never let his style falter. One who walked, talked, and just screamed 'perfectionist'.

A brief raise of a voice from downstairs reminded him that he needed to stop thinking so hard and just act. He needed a place, and Marco, was the only one that seemed free in his mind right now. He could handle the teen. He really could. Sloppily, he dialed the number to the Del Rossi household, and slid down his dresser with his finger in his free ear.

- - - - - - - - -

The telephone gave a piercing ring that jolted Marco Del Rossi out of a dreamless slumber. He rolled over onto his left side, dark eyes half-hooded. Still cloudy with grogginess, he squinted at his clock, barely making out that it was some time after the midnight hour. He gave a faint moan of protest, praying it was a wrong number, before it sharply rung again. Grimly, a hand reluctantly reached out from the comfort of his bed sheets to pick up the phone. Happy that he had the cordless in his room, he pressed it to his ear, hearing a silence on the other line. He raised a brow.

"Hello?" He remarked sleepily.

"Marco?" Came the voice of Craig Manning on the other end. Marco sat up at hearing his voice, pressing his free hand to the side of his temple.

"Craig. Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, man, look I'm sorry, but--" He paused, and the boy listened just a little more closely, since Craig sounded unusually nervous.

Marco cleared his throat. "Are you all right? You're not in trouble again are you?"

"No, I'm not.. In any trouble that's going to get me thrown in jail, but I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor."

A favor? What type of favor did Craig have in mind? He still felt skeptical. After their last joy ride, that was. He knew how Craig wouldn't think sometimes. Marco stumbled out of bed, nearly snaring his ankle on his sheets. Adjusting his sweatpants, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Depends. What's up?" Marco's tone never slipped from calm.

"I.. I need a place to crash for the night. Could I stay over there?"


"Craig, why would you be 'crashing' at MY place?"


"Look. I'll explain when I come over. So can I come over?"

Marco looked over towards his closed bedroom door, before sighing into the phone. "Yes, come on over. The porch light will be on. I'll be outside, waiting for you--Craig, really are you--"

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Craig stated hastily, hanging up.

Quietly hanging up the phone after listening to the dial tone, he stretched his arms over his head -- and escaped into the vacant hallway of the second floor. He paused, happy to hear that either his little sister, nor parents had woken up when the phone rang. With the grace of a feline, stalking in shadows, he departed downstairs -- towards the front door to wait for his companion to show up.

He was always running, that Craig.

He never slowed down and allowed anyone to offer him advice.

Marco bit his bottom lip, wondering what exactly was up. He was going to find that out.

That was for sure. You just did not show up at a friend's house, after midnight.