Be there in 15.
Rusty made it to Gem’s in ten, and Gem opened the door, wearing his sad hoodie—the ginormous one that swamped him, sleeves hanging past his wrists, the hem reaching his mid-thighs. Rusty only saw Gem wear it when he was upset and needed comfort, though how he wasn’t sweltering in it, given the summer heat, Rusty didn’t know.
“Hey,” Gem croaked, cradling Walter to his side, eyes puffy from crying.
“What did he do?” Rusty growled.
A tear slid down Gem’s cheek from one of his small eyes. “It was me too, I think. But mostly him. He has a temper, you know? He just gets all wrapped up in his anger and yells like an asshole.”
Stepping back, Gem motioned Rusty inside, and he entered, relieved that Gem had all his windows—plus the huge fire-escape aperture—open to let whatever breeze was blowing inside the stuffy flat.
“So, what happened?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know. One second, we were talking, and the next, we were yelling. And then he just left, like a coward.” Gem wiped angrily at the tears on his cheeks as he sank onto the couch and hugged Walter close. “I just didn’t want to be alone, I guess. Thanks for coming over.”
Cautiously, Rusty sat down beside him and laid a tentative hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t good at comfort or emotional support the way Gem was, but he was trying. Gem was tactile and touchy, and though Rusty avoided physical contact with most people as much as possible, he didn’t mind so much when it was Gem.
“Of course, Gem. You don’t have to thank me for that,” he said, patting Gem’s shoulder.
With a soft sob, Gem leaned over and curled himself as small as he could so he could tuck his head into the nape of Rusty’s neck, his bent knees propped against Rusty’s thigh. Walter ended up more in Rusty’s lap than Gem’s, and Rusty huffed in exasperation as he extended his arm around Gem’s back, subtly pushing Walter out of his face with the other so he could still breathe.
“Hey, come on.” Rusty rubbed Gem’s upper arm awkwardly. “It’s gonna be okay. Toni will pull his head out of his ass and come crawling back.”
“I’m gonna make him grovel so much!” Gem sniffled messily.
“Atta girl,” Rusty said and was rewarded with a wet chuckle. “And if he still tries to be a douchebag, Walter and I will take him down.”
Gem’s sobs morphed into fully formed laughter. “Walter won’t be much help. He’s a pacifist.” He angled his head on Rusty’s shoulder and smiled up at him through his tears.
Unable to not reciprocate, Rusty smirked down at the Araknis, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I guess I’m taking down the Elas alone then.”
“I’d pay to see that showdown,” Gem teased, a hand absently playing with the fur of Rusty’s chest peeking out from the neckline of his shirt. “Though, I don’t need you to defend my honor or anything. I can take care of myself.”
“I know,” Rusty said because he did. “Punching Toni in the face would be more for me than for you.”
That did not earn a laugh. In fact, Gem’s brows furrowed. “I wish you didn’t hate each other.”
“I don’thatehim,” Rusty said, and he was pretty sure that was true. Mouth thinning into a line, Gem arched a disbelieving brow, and Rusty shrugged. “Just because I think he’s a selfish douchebag doesn’t mean I hate him.”
With an unimpressed huff, Gem snuggled back into Rusty’s neck. “Well, I like you both.”
It was stupid and juvenile, yet it made Rusty’s chest warm all the same. He tightened his hold on Gem’s biceps and allowed his cheek to rest against Gem’s head. It shouldn’t have felt this good to be so close to someone, not when physical contact had always been transactional or used as a weapon against him, but Rusty didn’t feel scared.
Okay, that was a lie. Everything about Gem and their weird friendship scared him because having anything of value meant there was a possibility oflosingit. It was why he didn’t invest in relationships or ask for more out of life. The moment he had something worth keeping, something worth loving, it was ripped away, and he’d lost enough, hadn’t he?
Whoever said that it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all was full of shit.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Gem murmured, petting the side of his neck, and Rusty’s heart stuttered, then started to sprint.
Self-preservation kicked in, and Rusty pushed Gem—gently—off of him and stood. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“What?” Gem blinked discordantly. “Why? I don’t wanna go anywhere. I wanna sit and mope.”
Taking Walter from Gem’s grasp and setting him on the end of the couch, Rusty offered his hands. “Come on, Gem. Get up.”
“I don’t wanna,” Gem whined, even as he smacked his upper hands into Rusty’s palms.
“Let’s get you out of the house and moving. You’ll feel better.”
