2,441 words of pure cringe. It's that bad. So find your bleach and get ready to gouge your eyes out with toothpicks, because...because.......I've got nothing.

Enjoy, I guess.

It's okay, Kidd reassured himself for what could only be the hundredth time that night, just thirty more minutes left and then I can go home.

The twenty year old man forced himself to make eye contact with the customer approaching the counter; a young boy with dark bags under his dull grey eyes and messy brown hair. He came in often, though only at night time, it would seem.

“Hello, welcome to Clary's Cafe. What would you like?” Kidd recited the same line as he did with every other customer.

“Strongest coffee you have,” the boy paused to yawn before finishing, “and a piece of cheesecake.” He rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his plain black hoodie, which was three sizes too big for his small, almost petite stature; the sleeves stopped at least two inches past the tips of his fingers, completely obscuring his hands.

Kidd gulped nervously and quickly put in the order with trembling hands. He'd forgotten to take his anxiety medication that morning, and it was really taking its toll on him.

“That’ll be €4.78.” It took everything in him not to stutter. The boy handed him the correct amount, and covered his mouth for a moment to yawn again.

“You seem nervous.” The boy pointed out, rather bluntly, after he'd recovered from his brief moment of haziness after the yawn.

“Um...I guess…?” Kidd said uncertainly. His skin was beginning to feel clammy and it seemed as though his lungs weren't receiving enough air.

It's okay, it's okay, Kidd thought, calm down.

“Here,” the boy reached into the pocket of his hoodie and revealed a black pen, “When I get anxiety attacks, I click the pen and count the clicks until I calm down. It helps to focus on only the clicks, nothing else. Maybe it'll work for you, too.” The boy offered Kidd a very small, tired smile, but it felt strangely reassuring, nonetheless.

“Th-thank you.” Kidd mumbled, slightly dumbfounded. The boy simply nodded his head and returned to the table in the corner where he'd left his bag at. Clicking the pen and counting each click, the blonde male felt a sense of ease wash over him. It was strange that something so simple could calm him so effectively.

“Kidd,” The only other employee working, Nora, said, stealing his attention from the pen, “Order of coffee and cheesecake.” The older woman held out the tray containing a mug, a pot of coffee, and a plate with cheesecake.

Kidd carefully took the tray from her and made his way over to where the boy was doing what appeared to be homework. He was always doing homework when he came in, Kidd recalled.

The boy noticed him approaching and faintly smiled, “Did it help?” He asked as he moved his countless textbooks and scattered papers out of the way to make room for his order.

Kidd nodded his head quickly, “Yes, thank you.” He placed the tray on the table and reached into the pocket of the black uniform pants, and retrieved the pen. “Here,” he mumbled awkwardly, holding the pen out.

The boy stared at it for a moment before releasing what sounded like a quiet, psychotically cute giggle, “Keep it—” he glanced down at the name tag pinned to Kidd's breast pocket, “—Kidd. I don't really need it.”

“But you said…” Kidd trailed off uncertainly, his arm dropping back to his side. Had the boy been laughing at him for being so awkward about it? Kidd pondered his reasoning, immediately assuming the worst case scenarios.

“What time do you get off?” The boy inquired, seeming to notice that Kidd needed a distraction from his irksome thoughts. The blonde man, slightly startled from his unexpected question, tossed his thoughts aside for the moment.

“T-twelve forty-five.” The boy checked the time on his phone.

“Less than ten minutes. How tired are you?”

“Not very,” replied Kidd, “Why?”

The boy grinned, “I normally go to the park two blocks away after I finish here. Care to join me tonight?”

***

“Um...you're not going to murder me or anything...right?” Kidd asked nervously as he followed the brunette into the old park.

The boy, in return, let out the same quiet, psychotically cute giggle as before, which oddly enough, made Kidd feel almost at ease, “And why would I do that?”

“Well...I mean, I don't really know you, so…” He muttered, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

“Fair enough. My name is Mitch Rafikov. I'm seventeen years old, I live with my mother who is currently dying from cancer, and I have a sleep disorder which is why I am here, and not at home sleeping. Oh, and I like cheesecake. A lot.” The boy, Mitch, revealed, turning around to face Kidd, who'd been following at a distance he deemed safe. “Does that give you a sense of tranquility? Or shall I go on to narrate every excruciatingly boring detail of my life?”

Kidd flinched and shifted his eyes to look down at his shoes. Mitch hadn't said it in an angry way, nor did he sound like he was trying to be mean, but the way he'd worded it...made Kidd feel as if he'd done something wrong or offended him. Mitch naturally had an intimidating look to him, as well as carried that threatening aura, so perhaps that was also to blame.

“Sorry,” mumbled Kidd.

“Eh?” Mitch cocked his head to the side, bewildered, “You didn't do anything…?” He covered his mouth to yawn once again.

“You said you have a sleeping disorder, yet you asked for the strongest coffee at the cafe. Wouldn't coffee make it even harder for you to sleep?” Kidd blurted out, without really thinking. He was curious, to say the least.

The brunette boy seemed taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting such a confident question to be posed by such a shy man. After he recovered from the brief moment of surprise, Mitch forced a smile. “I don't have insomnia, if that's what you were thinking. I have no problem falling or staying asleep. It's more like I...don't want to sleep; I'm—dare I say it—terrified of falling asleep. You see, I have something called Sleep Anxiety, or Nightmare Disorder, if you will. In other words, my sleep is plagued with horrid nightmares.”

Kidd's lips parted to form an ‘o’ shape and the two males fell into silence as the taller followed Mitch towards the swing set. He took the swing beside Mitch's claimed swing and awkwardly swung back and forth slowly.

“So,” Mitch murmured, “What's your story? Did something happen that gave you anxiety, or did you just have it?” He looked up from his shoes and connected eyes with Kidd. The blonde ducked in a breath, eyes flickering between Mitch's eyes. It was dark, and it may have been just a trick of the eye, but it appeared the boy’s left iris had a light blue section near the top. How had he not noticed it before?

Well, maybe he hadn't noticed because he'd been too nervous to really make eye contact for more than a second before, Kidd thought.

“I guess I kind of always had it, but it got worse in high school. I was bullied a bit for being a ‘freak’, and my grades weren't the best so I thought I was stupid and—”

Mitch reached over and flicked Kidd's nose lightly, “Don't ever think you're stupid or worth less than anyone else, okay? Bullies are assholes, so don't believe anything they say.” Kidd, dumbfounded, stared wide eyed at the boy, “And why would someone think you're a freak? You seem normal. Unless, you mean, like, a freak in sexual terms?” He smirked, wiggling his dark eyebrows.

A dark blush spread across Kidd's cheeks, “No! That's not it. It's just that, I was one of the tallest kids in my school, and it was abnormal.”

“Stand up.” Mitch said, hopping off the swing and standing in front of Kidd. He hesitantly stood up, towering over the brunette. “Now, you're how tall?”

“6’6.” Kidd mumbled nervously, unsure of where Mitch was going with this. The smaller boy gaped, but quickly recovered.

“Well I'm 5’4.” He straightened his posture, trying almost desperately to at least gain the extra three inches or so to reach Kidd's shoulder. He finally gave up and just slouched gloomily, “One day, I'll be as tall as you and we can be abnormally tall together! Just you wait!” He proclaimed childishly, smacking his fist to his chest for emphasis, and then groaning because he accidently hit too hard.

Kidd chuckled. He felt an urge to pick Mitch up and just hug the shit out of him, but refrained himself, considering how weird that'd probably be. “Thank you.” He smiled genuinely.

Mitch grinned, “Pozhaluysta.”

The weeks following that night flew by quickly, and Kidd had gotten much closer to Mitch over that time. Or rather, he felt as if he had. He still didn't know a lot about him, but he felt much more comfortable around him. After work, he'd accompany Mitch to the park and stay with him until he could hardly keep his eyes open.

It was one particularly cold night near the end of November when Kidd finally realized just how sleep deprived Mitch was. And it took the poor boy collapsing in the park for him to actually realize. Kidd lifted the boy into his arms and speedily walked to his flat two blocks over. He didn't know where Mitch lived and his home was close so it'd only take five minutes tops.

Once he'd reached his flat, Kidd wasted no time getting Mitch situated on the guest bed. He wrapped him up in blankets and brushed his hair off of his forehead with his fingers, before exiting the room to go make some tea. He placed a pot filled to the top with water on the stove and turned it on to medium heat. The water began to boil after a few minutes; Kidd removed the pot from the stove and poured the water into two cups. He dropped one tea bag in each and sauntered back up the stairs to check on Mitch.

As he neared the guest room, quiet whimpers met his ears. A nightmare…? Kidd quickened his pace and darted through the open door. Mitch was curled up on the bed, hair matted to his face with sweat, and a grimace on his pale, sleeping face. Kidd was conflicted; should he wake him or let him sleep? He needed sleep, but Kidd didn't want to see him suffer through a nightmare.

Mitch began to violently claw at his throat, drawing blood. He bit his lip as tears rolled down his cheeks. Kidd was beginning to understand why he was so scared of falling asleep. The blonde hastily leaped onto the bed beside Mitch and held his wrists away from his neck. As he struggled to maintain a grip on the thrashing boy, his whimpers transitioned into sobs and the occasional shriek.

This continued for a good ten minutes; Kidd had eventually moved Mitch so that he was cradling him, since it was easier to keep him still that way, and Mitch released another shriek before jolting forward. His breath came in short, uneven gasps, and he moved his now free hands to feel his throat.

“Are you okay?” Kidd asked, startling Mitch.

“Wh...where am I? What h-h-happened?” His voice trembled and broke.

Kidd reached into his pocket and retrieved the pen that Mitch had given him weeks prior, “You're at my house. You collapsed in the park so I brought you here.” He offered the panicking boy the pen and watched as he rapidly clicked it, gently rocking his body back and forth.

Gradually, Mitch began to calm down and breathe normally. “Thanks,” he murmured as he returned the pen to Kidd, “I'm sorry...that you had to witness that.”

“I want to make your nightmares go away.” Kidd blurted out, not even taking into consideration that that was more than likely impossible. How could he possibly prevent something from happening in someone else's head. He looked at Mitch, who appeared to be blushing.

I didn't really do anything for him to blush...perhaps it's just my imagination, he thought. A few moments later he was yanked out of his thoughts as the petite boy hesitantly laid his head against the other’s chest. Kidd froze for a moment, almost forgetting how to breathe.

Okay, okay, oh my god. I can't even remember the last time someone got this close to me willingly. Besides my mum, his thoughts quickly raced, and again he snapped out of it to realize he was gently petting the half-asleep boy's tangled hair. Mitch mumbled groggily and wrapped his arms around Kidd’s waist seemingly calmed by the man's gentle petting.

“Hey, Kidd…” Mitch breathed out softly, “I kinda like you.”

Kidd's heart pounded in his chest and his body began to slightly tremble. Had he meant it in a friendly way, or…? And more importantly, what would Kidd do if he'd meant it in a different way? He'd never really put much thought into his sexuality, but he had a few crushes on girls back in highschool, so he was quite certain he wasn't gay. Though, he wasn't entirely opposed to the possibility of being in a relationship with another guy either, especially if that guy was Mitch.

Mitch shifted a little to glance up at Kidd with a light pink hue dusting his cheeks.

Fuck it, thought Kidd as he placed his index finger under Mitch's chin and tilted his head up. He crashed his warm, soft lips onto Mitch's cold, slightly chapped ones, enjoying the rush of adrenaline he got from the contact. His hands shook as he gently cupped the boy’s face.

Mitch was frozen for a moment, shocked that Kidd had been the one to make the move, no doubt. His wide, grey eyes slowly slid shut and he returned the kiss. Kidd didn't even attempt to wrap his head around everything that was happening and just enjoyed the feel of Mitch's lips against his own.

Before, he hadn't really thought that he'd develop feelings for the boy, but the pounding in his chest, the rhinos throwing a damn Rave in his stomach, the craving to feel more of him and protect him from all the bad in the world, and finally, the intoxicating feeling he felt at that very moment; it was a definite sign that Kidd was developing feelings for Mitch Rafikov.