There's a silence extending over Kenny and Craig as they stare at the surreal figure of Damien. As if unsure if what they were seeing was a dream or not. And some part of them would almost believe it to be so, if it weren't for the slow smile that spreads across his lips. A very familiar one. And the low deep sound of the voice that comes from them.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes."

"Damien?" Craig asks, still unsure if what he was seeing was real or not.

"Yes?"

"Are you really—when did you get back?"

"When?" he repeats, "Well, I guess you could say recently."

"How recent is recent ?" Kenny asks, seeming uneasy.

"Hmmm, let's say yesterday, yes?" he replies, then walks towards them, "You two seem… good," he smiles, stopping in front of them, "we should catch up."

Craig and Kenny exchange looks with one another before looking back at Damien.

"Oh, uh…" Craig trails off.

"Don't tell me that you two don't want to catch up with an old friend. That would make me rather sad if that were the case," Damien says, "besides," he adds and passes them, "I'm sure that you both have questions that you're dying to know the answers to."

There's another shared look between Kenny and Craig at that.

"Well, I wouldn't mind, but uh…" Craig says and glances at Kenny unsure.

"Hmmm?" Damien hums and stops to look back at them when reaching the bottom step to the old house. His gaze travels to Kenny then. "Is there something on your mind, Kenneth?"

Kenny's jaw seems to tighten at the mention of his name from him and he looks elsewhere.

"Not really," he replies.

"Are you sure?" Damien asks. But Kenny doesn't respond. "Well, regardless, you two are free to come inside if you wish to ask any questions," Damien adds as he continues up the steps to the door.

As he enters the house, Craig hesitantly takes a step and follows after him, glancing back at Kenny once more.

"Don't you want to know?" he asks, but Kenny remains silent.

As Craig nears the top of the steps, Kenny turns.

"I'm leaving," he says.

"What? But—" Craig starts.

"I just can't do this," Kenny adds and leaves before Craig can utter another word.

Craig watches Kenny head down the street for a few seconds, before heading inside the building, needing to know answers for himself.

When entering the house, it's like a wave of nostalgia washing over him. Everything looked the same from what he had remembered the place looking like all those years ago. The old Victorian-style architecture of the building's interior and design. The fine details of the small carvings in the ceiling and door frames, to the wooden flooring and big dark wooden staircase in the center of the main space.

"Oh, is Kenneth not going to be joining us?" Damien asks, when only Craig comes in. Craig shakes his head in response as Damien hangs his coat up, "Well no matter, I had thought that might be the case. I'm sure he'll come around," he adds and starts to head off, "anyways, come this way and let us talk for a bit."

Craig hangs his bag and jacket up, before removing his boots and following Damien into a big living room space. Just like the rest of the house, everything is exactly like how he remembers it.

"This place looks exactly like how I remember it," Craig says, taking a seat across from Damien on the couch, "even though it's been years…"

"That's good," Damien smiles, "then it means that in a way, nothing has changed for you. Or hopefully, for us."

There's something about those words that creates a bizarre sensation in Craig, but he ignores it in favor of the questions he wants to ask.

"So, where have you been?" Craig asks.

"Been?"

"Yes, been . You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do," Craig says and crosses his arms with minor annoyance, "where have you been for the past 6 years? Or did you forget that you just suddenly disappeared without saying anything back then?"

"Oh yes, that," Damien says, as if suddenly aware of it, "well, it was just time for me to go," he adds, matter of fact.

"What do you mean, 'time for me to go'?" Craig repeats, somewhat frustrated, "Is that really all you have to say? After leaving without so much as a goodbye, this is all you have to say?"

"There is nothing more to say for it," Damien simply replies.

" Really ?" Craig scoffs, "I guess all the stuff we did back then, really did mean nothing to you after all…"

There's a pause from Damien at that and his gaze seems to drift ever so slightly before it goes back to Craig.

"I wouldn't say that I left without saying anything to you, remember?"

"You mean that vague thing you said to me before you just disappeared?" Craig asks, "I don't know how the hell I was supposed to know whatever it was that you were trying to tell me with that. I still don't have a goddamn clue what it means!"

Craig looks away, annoyed, his feelings mixed and unsure of how or what he should even be feeling right now. He starts to think that maybe he should have left like Kenny did, and save himself the headache of all this if he wasn't going to get any answers.

"I am sorry," Damien says, drawing his attention back to him, "that if my leaving you, at that time, when… if it hurt you when I left, I am sorry about it. I never wanted to cause you any pain, or think that I didn't care about you, or Kenneth. You both were—and still are—important to me, despite how much time has gone by. I never stopped thinking of you both. You two were much too dear to me."

Craig is caught off guard by this. He wasn't expecting Damien to say something so straightforward and sincere sounding. From the times when they were young, he would sometimes apologize for things, but it didn't always seem like he may have meant them. It was always as if he was hiding something behind them. However, this didn't feel like it was the same case. This seemed like he actually meant what he said, and Craig isn't too sure on how to react to it.

"Well, you sure had a funny way of showing it…" Craig murmurs.

"I know I may have done… some things that may have not seemed like it much back then. But being friends with the both of you, truly did make me happy. And I wouldn't have let anything bad happen to either of you because of it."

Craig falls silent. He didn't know how to respond to all this, and certainly wasn't expecting it. He'd thought that maybe he could just get the one answer and leave, but now… Now he didn't know what he wanted to do.

"I would really like to try and reconnect with you. If that's alright," Damien says.

He seemed serious to Craig now, with the way he was looking at him. Craig debates it over in his head. Everything. All of which Damien had just told him, including the events from long ago. Then finally, he gives a slow nod.

"Okay," he agrees.

Even though he still was a bit unsure about it. He was willing to hear Damien out and at least give him a chance.

"I'm glad to hear that," Damien smiles then stands up. Craig gives a curious look as he makes his way over to him and motions for him to stand as well. He does and the moment he stands, Damien wraps his arms around him into an embrace. "I'm so glad," he repeats, his breath brushing lightly across Craig's neck, creating small goosebumps. A bit unsure, Craig slowly returns the hug. At it, Damien's arms around him seem to tighten more and he brings his face closer to the crook of his neck, "You don't know how happy this makes me."

Craig ignores the low rumble of his voice next to his ear and lets Damien hug him for a while longer. It wasn't too awkward to the point of making him uncomfortable or anything, no, in fact… To a degree, it almost felt comforting in some way. When trying to think of why that is, he realizes that this was the first time he'd actually ever hugged Damien in his life. It surprises him a bit. Along with the actions that Damien was displaying and saying. They weren't ever ones he did as a child, and Craig wonders just how much Damien could've changed since he was gone. There's a gentle movement along Craig's back, as Damien's hand moves down to the small of it and rests there. It's warm, Craig finds. Damien was really warm. And he wonders if maybe he just never noticed how warm it is to hug someone like this. Damien pulls away a few seconds later with another smile on his face.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he offers.

"Oh uh, no thanks. I'm good," Craig replies.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Actually, I should probably start heading home. I have some things I need to do. "

"Oh, that's a shame. I feel like we were just scratching the surface of catching up again. Perhaps next time I suppose."

Damien walks with Craig to the front door and stands by as the other puts their coat and boots back on.

"Guess I'll see you later then," Craig says, slinging his bag on.

"Yes, later," Damien says with a small smirk.

Craig doesn't think much of it and gives a quick goodbye and small wave as he exits the house. He feels Damien's gaze linger on him from the doorway for a while, until he rounds a corner down another street and heads home.

…

When Craig had departed from Damien's place the previous day and told him that he'd see him later, he did not expect later to be at his high school. Or for that matter, to specifically be his very first class of the day. Yet there he was, standing at the front of the class and conversing with the teacher about something.

The teacher stands once they finish talking and tells the class to quiet down.

"Class, this is Damien, a new student that will be joining us from today onwards," he informs everyone," go ahead and take a seat wherever you'd like, or that's free," he adds with a short hand gesture, before sitting back down.

Exchange of whispers are heard as Damien makes his way down the row of seats. But Craig can't hear them, his mind is too busy being confused on what Damien was doing here, and why.

A small smile plays across Damien's lips as he nears Craig and it only grows when he takes a seat across from him; a seat in which would usually be preoccupied by someone else.

"Hello," he greets.

"Damien, wha—why are you here?" Craig asks, hushed.

"Why indeed," he responds, leaning onto a palm.

Craig is about to say something more, but the class is told to quiet down as the teacher starts with that day's lesson.

"What are you doing here?" Craig manages to ask again, once class ends.

"Doing here? What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be here? I also must attend school too, shouldn't I?" Damien replies.

"Well, yeah but—"

"What class do you have next?" Damien interrupts.

"Math," Craig replies, albeit confused.

"Oh, what a coincidence. So do I," Damien smiles, "why don't we walk there together?"

Still a bit confused, Craig gives a slow nod and makes his way with Damien to the next class. Some curious looks are given as they do, all of which seemed directed at Damien. Looks wondering who this new student was and where he came from.

Craig tries to get another answer out of him, but to no avail. Damien would either dance around the question with another one, or Craig would be told to pay attention in class by the teacher. Eventually, he gives up and just tries his best to focus on the class lesson.

Lunch rolls around and Damien all but tells Craig that they should spend it together. Craig is a bit unsure at first, after how he acted in their morning classes, but agrees to it in the end.

They walk in silence for a while, until taking a seat on one of the big windowsills of the school's halls.

"We're not supposed to hangout in the halls during lunch," Craig says. It's the only thing he can think of to say in order to break the lingering silence.

"Well then, it's a good thing no one is around, is it ?" Damien replies.

"I guess…"

Another silence falls.

"Tell me Craig, how have you been?" Damien asks, breaking the silence this time.

"You mean today? Or since I last saw you?"

"Whichever one you want to answer."

There's a short pause.

"I've been… fine I guess," Craig replies. "You didn't really miss anything interesting since you were gone, if that's what you're trying to get at."

"I see," Damien hums, "What about you and Kenneth? Have you two…?"

"No, not till recently," Craig replies, knowing what he means.

"Is that so? Well that's rather… unfortunate then. I had hoped things would have worked out between you two."

There's a slight twinge that plays in Craig's chest when recollecting an old memory, but he pushes it back down and tries not to dwell on it.

"What's done is done," he says and glances out the window.

"I suppose so," Damien murmurs.

Craig's gaze scans the white sea of snow and finds it drawn to the bright color of orange amongst it.

"You seeing anyone?" Damien asks.

"Huh?" Craig replies, not quite paying attention.

"I asked if you're seeing anyone currently," Damien repeats.

"Oh, uh no. Not anymore…" Craig replies, looking back at him.

"Anymore?"

"Yeah it was… I'd rather not talk about it actually…"

"Well I'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out for you. Was it your first relationship?"

"No, I've had others before it. But it was the longest one out of them all."

"I see. Well like I said, sorry to hear that for you."

"It's fine. Maybe it was for the best in the long run that things ended…"

Craig's gaze wanders back outside and falls onto the familiar orange figure again.

"Already have your sights set on someone else?"

Craig's gaze is pulled back to Damien's, catching him looking in the same direction as him.

"What—no, there isn't…"

"Interesting," Damien smirks.

"What is?" Craig asks, hesitantly.

"Oh nothing," Damien replies and glances away.

There's a moment's pause from Craig.

"It's not like that…" he mumbles.

"I didn't say anything," Damien says and glances back at him, causing him to look away. There's a light burn that dances across Craig's face, accompanied by a small frown and furrowed brows. "But it seems that… some things never change."

…

When the later half of the school day comes, Craig half expects Damien to be in all his afternoon classes as well. But he's not. Except for one of them. English. The one that he shared with Kenny. He had wondered how Kenny was going to react to seeing Damien, but he didn't. If anything, it seemed more like he was acting as if Damien didn't exist at all.

The class passes by pretty normally. Damien doesn't bother either of them in it and just keeps to himself, quietly. And before long, the school day comes to an end.

Strangely, Damien seems to almost disappear as fast as he had appeared that morning. Because Craig finds no trace of him once everyone gathers their things and heads off. Figuring that he most likely wasn't going to be seeing him again that day, he decides to head home.

There were still many questions that dwelled in his mind with Damien being back now, and even more now that he was at his school. He hoped that they would eventually all be answered. But for now, all he could do was wait for Damien to reveal them in time.

With a sigh, Craig goes about the rest of his day.