Different Interests, Different Lives

Alright, I was going to wait until I got at least one review on this story but then I thought...you guys need some more to go on. so here you go. I hope you like it. Please review this! I need to know what mroe than one person's opinion! lol thank you.





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Not much later, Chris stumbled down a street on the way to Sam’s, holding his side with one arm while wincing and dragging his duffle bag behind him with the other. Pain shot through his side and legs every time he took a step and his vision blurred badly. He coughed a few times and blood flew from his lip onto the concrete. Chris felt the strength in his legs fad in and out like his consciousness and fought to keep them bother, but his legs gave out first and his collapsed onto the ground panting shallow breaths and watching his spit and blood drip to the ground in a mixture.



“Shit,” he grimaced as his side throbbed. What street am I on? He thought to himself groggily as he looked up. Down at the end of the block, he could barely make out ‘Sunset Avenue’ on the street sign. Almost there. He began to try standing up, when he felt someone touch his shoulder lightly and kneel beside him.



“Chris? Chris, what happened to you?” At once he recognized the voice to be Matt’s.



I almost forgot he lived on this street, Chris thought as he tried pushing him away. “I’m fine, now leave me alone…”



Matt began to help him up as he said, “You don’t look fine, Chris, now come inside. You’re bleeding badly.”



With what strength he had left, Chris pushed and hit Matt helplessly as he was picked up and a second later, he lost all consciousness. Matt continued carrying him into the house and set him on the couch so he could get the first aid kit and some ice. He came back and began to wipe the blood from his mouth and clean him up. I’ll bet your dad’s doing this, he thought as he moved Chris’ hair to reveal a slight cut on his temple and another on his cheek. Once he was finished with his face, he laid a cold compress over his eye and looked at his arm with the still fresh bruise on it. Near it, he saw a rip in his green button-up shirt stained with blood and he began to unbutton the shirt to reveal a white one underneath.



Feeling his shirt being tugged at brought back Chris’ consciousness and his eyes slowly opened. He yelped when he saw Matt unbuttoning his shirt and started to get off the couch, but stopped when a surge of pain flew threw his body.



“Hey, hey, calm down. I’m not going to do anything.” Matt told him, pushing his chest gently to move him back. “I just want to see how bad this cut is and dress it. Can I?”



Chris eyed him suspiciously, but sat up and Matt moved next to him on the couch. He pulled the green shirt off and Chris raised the white one so Matt could see it. Matt immediately grabbed a piece of gauze and applied pressure to the cut.



“Chris, take that cold compress and put it by your eye.” Matt said, adding another piece of gauze. “It’ll take down the swelling, but you’re going to have a bad black eye.” Chris did as he was told while Matt continued wiping the blood from around the cut. “Look, I know it’s none of my business, but what happened?”



Chris clenched his fist and looked at Matt. “You really want to know” He nodded to Chris and he turned back around again. “He beat me because I skipped a lot of classes. He found out and when I got home, he started hitting me real bad, even got me a few times with a knife. I don’t know how long it went for but I was finally able to get time to pack almost everything I own and slip out my back window.”



For a moment, Matt stayed quiet, absorbing what Chris said carefully before asking, “Where is your mother in all this?”



“She, she walked out on us a long time ago. Found herself another man and left her six year old son and her husband behind without a second thought.”



“Oh. I-I’m sorry.”



“Don’t be.” Chris said, looking down. “I’m okay about it now. But it’s funny, y’know? I was mad at her at first; I felt like she just didn’t love either of us. Then, my dad turned to drinking for comfort and started to hit me regularly and I just found more hate for her. All I could do was think ‘dad is like this because of her. It’s all her fault’, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that that’s not true. I realized that if he did it then, he would’ve done it eventually even if she was there, but she might’ve been the target instead of me. She was able to get away from it and she didn’t know at all. If she did, she probably would’ve taken me with her; I don’t know. The, the day she left, I remember some of it. Only bits here and there, but there is one thing I remember the most of that day. The way she looked at me. Her eyes and smile gave off this sadness that I didn’t understand until later. To this day, I believe she really wanted to take me with her.”



Matt stayed silent a bit. I think she probably did Chris. He reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a bottle of peroxide. “This is going to sting.”



Chris nodded and turned to his right a bit more and braced himself against the couch with his left arm. Matt applied it to a cotton swab and lifted the shirt a bit more before dabbing it on the cut. Chris immediately flinched and gripped the couch while biting his lip to keep quiet. Matt saw this and felt his face get hot but kept applying more peroxide. Control yourself. Don’t let it happen a second time. Yet, the more peroxide he put on, the harder Chris bit his lip and gripped the couch and the more he wanted to kiss him, to hold him and just take everything from him. His pain, happiness, his hope and love. He wanted to do this, but he had to wait until it was given to him unless he wanted to waste it before it even began.



Matt finished putting the peroxide on and as he wrapped it in a bandage, Chris began to relax as the burning sensation dimmed to nothing in his side. He was about to say thank you as he pulled his green shirt onto his thin shoulders, when it was yanked right back off and he was turned around. A split second later and Chris found Matt’s mouth pressed to his. Instinct took over at first and he began to try pushing Matt away, but then he felt his tongue slide in his mouth and felt himself melt. He gripped Matt’s shirt, feeling him explore his mouth with his tongue. They broke apart and looked at each other a moment, breathing heavily. Chris’ hands moved from Matt’s shirt to his face and neck, unsure of anything at the moment. He wanted more, wanted Matt to keep kissing him



(but guys don’t kiss)



but what he wanted wasn’t right, it was supposed to be different. This makes them



(that makes them queer, that makes them disgusting)



different, not right. Matt unknowingly sensed that part of him that wanted it and pounced lightly at him, pushing Chris onto his back, while sliding his tongue down his throat again. He moved to Chris’ neck. Dammit, this could be bad. The bad thing being that right now, I’m not even trying to get away. Chris’ hands started to reach for the buttons on Matt’s shirt. Oh my God! I can’t, I can’t stop!



Suddenly, Matt pulled back and moved to the other end of the couch, covering his face with his hands to regain control of himself. Chris sat up and looked at Matt a moment, then turned his face in another direction as he pulled his green shirt back over his shoulders.



“I’m sorry, Chris. I-I lost control again.” He was silent a moment before he stood up, head still directed downward. “I don’t know if you have a place to stay or not, but if you don’t, you can stay here as long as you like, if you want to. I-I understand if you don’t.”



He walked into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water, draining it in only a minute. He set it in the sink and turned around, looking at Chris through the counter window as he buttoned his shirt before sighing and turning back around. Chris heard this as he did the last button on the shirt. Running his hand through his hair, through the long piece to the short back, he thought about what to do. I had originally planned to stay at Sam’s, but I don’t want to. I don’t want him to know just yet. And I don’t want to stay anywhere but here. For some reason, I feel like this is where I belong. I feel like, like this is where my home is. He got up to go into the kitchen and tell Matt his decision, when a though crossed his mind. What if he pounces on me again? Chris put it in the back of his mind in an attempt to forget it and continued to the kitchen. He silently walked in and stood at the counter window before saying anything.



“Matt,” Chris murmured. It felt strange calling his teacher by his first name, but he figured he would have to start some time. Matt turned around and looked at Chris with a slight sadness in his eyes. “I think I’ll stay here for a while.”



The sadness in his eyes went away and his expression showed a sort of smile. “You’re sure?” Chris nodded. “Alright, well, there are two guest bedrooms upstairs. One is down the hallway to the left and the other is to the right next to my room. I’ll get some dinner started while you unpack.”



Chris nodded again and turned away for a second then turned back saying, “Do you want any help?”



“No, you go unpack and rest, “He reached up and stroked the cut on Chris’ cheek gently “God knows you need it. Chris left for the bedroom he made it to the top of the stairs with his bag of things and stood there a moment before turning right, curious of what Matt’s room looked like. Chris peered into the big bedroom and saw just an ordinary room; the only thing special being a queen-sized bed and an oak wood dresser. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected to find, but with his curiosity satisfied, he wandered to the guest bedroom where Matt said it would be and dropped his things next to the bed. Another queen bed sat against the wall with a nightstand holding a gooseneck lamp and with a vanity dresser across from it. Spread out on the olive green walls, hung three paintings of three different house scenes. He flopped onto the soft mattress and took it all in before unpacking his things. Once he was done, he lay back down and breathed deeply. I feel so safe here. Safe and calm. Soon, his eyes closed and he began to sleep.



A few hours passed and Matt was setting the finished meal onto the table. It felt nice to have someone to share a meal with along with the big house. He couldn’t remember the last time someone stayed in one of the guest rooms but was glad that someone finally was. He headed upstairs to find Chris and tried the room on the left but it was empty. He went to other direction to the second guest room and looked in to find Chris fast asleep on the bed. Matt sat down next to him and brushed his hair away from his face. I guess it took a lot out of him. He stroked his cheek, then leaned in and kissed him, holding himself there.



At that moment, Chris’ eyes opened and saw Matt’s face in his. He stayed still and quiet. Oh my God! I can’t believe this. Then this thought left his mind and he closed his eyes again. Oh well, maybe just this once. After a bit Matt pulled back and gently shook him awake.



“Chris, its time to eat,” he whispered. Chris pretended to groan and push him away like he was tired. “C’mon Chris. Let’s not let it get cold.”



He opened his eyes and sat up. He smiled at Matt and yawned. “What’d you make?”



Matt chuckled and motioned him to follow down to the kitchen. They started down and Chris thought about what happened only moments ago. The kiss, still lingering in his mind and on his lip, didn’t bother him this time. Matt had kissed him only two other times and those bothered him, but this one, he welcomed. Chris dropped it as they entered the kitchen and the delicious smell woke his hunger and made him forget about the kiss. Spread out on the table was potatoes and some stir fry in a glass bowl.



“Sit down and dig in,” Matt said, taking a place at the table. Chris took the other chair and they both served themselves and began to eat. After a bit of silence Matt noticed Chris beginning to serve himself some more. “You like it?”



He stopped in the middle of serving himself a third scoop and sat back in his chair. “Uh, yeah, I really do. For as long as I can remember, I’ve never really had a home cooked meal before. I’d just grab a quick something to eat before retreating back to my room for the night. It feels nice to finally have one.”



Matt rested his chin in his palm and said, “I’m glad to hear that.”



Chris looked down at his plate and played with the food a moment before eating it. The way he looks at me now, that way, makes me feel happy. It’s like I’m seeing him in a totally different light. Chris had never been kissed or touched by a man before that study night with Matt. That was the only time he really rejected him and he started to the second time earlier that afternoon, but stopped when Matt began seriously kissing him and using his tongue. When he did that, Chris felt something there. Something more than what he felt when he kissed the girls he had dated.



Chris finished and excused himself. He went over to the sink and began washing his dishes when Matt came up behind him.



“You wash, I’ll rinse and dry, okay?” Mat said setting his dishes in the sink and rolling his sleeves up. Chris nodded and kept on working. It wasn’t long before they were done, and Chris turned to the leftover food on the table. Matt stopped him. “I’ll get them, you still look really tired.



He stood there a moment, not sure if he should press it further, but he decided to give in. “Thanks.”



Turning away, he felt somewhat like there was more to that than a ‘you look really tired’. He felt Matt grabbed his arm and turned back around. He planted a kiss on Chris’ temple.



“Good night.” He smiled at him, then went back to work on the food. Chris left and went up to his room, now feeling better. In his mind, it was knowing that he was no longer in a place where he had the constant possibility of being beaten, it was someplace he was finally able to go to bed at a decent hour and not be wrapped around someone’s finger so to speak. Yet there was something deeper down that he couldn’t quite tap into yet. That something had a different idea on things. In his room, Chris changed and climbed into bed, falling asleep in no time.



That Saturday morning, Chris was awakened by the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. He looked at the clock next to his bed that he had brought with him and saw it read 10:39. I can’t remember the last time I slept in this late. I’m usually out of the house by now. He stretched. Ah, but it does feel good. He slid out of bed and performed his habit of making his bed and headed downstairs and when he looked in the kitchen saw Matt cooking. He walked in yawning and leaned against the counter. “Good-morning.” He said.



“Morning, Chris,” He replied. “Did you sleep well?”



He said yes then asked, “What time did you get up?”





“Not too long ago. Probably about ten.” He flipped the bacon and potatoes around a bit before turning to face Chris, I have an errand to run after breakfast. Do you mind staying here a while?”



“No, that’s okay. What’s the errand?”



“I’ll tell you later. In the meantime, you can watch TV, I have some movies next to the DVD player, and if you don’t want to do that I have books you can read, too. And if you want you can go see your friends. Just leave a note so I know who and where. After what happened last night, I just want you to be careful.”



Chris nodded in agreement, and asked, “You want help?”



“Well, I’ve pretty much got it, but I need to know how you like your eggs.”



“I like them scrambled.” Chris said. He walked to the cupboard and started getting plates and cups. “I’ll set the table.”



Matt watched him. “That’s fine.” As soon as he was done, Chris then took the finished potatoes and bacon to the table while Mat finished the eggs. Those were soon soon done as well and they both started eating and talking. Well, Matt did more of the talking than Chris, but he still enjoyed it anyways. I like this, he thought as he listened to Matt, This is nice. Just talking about nothing and having a good breakfast.



At about noon, they finished talking and eating (mostly talking) and cleared the table. Chris took over kitchen duty while Matt changed and showered. He came downstairs as Chris was heading up to change.



“Chris, I’ll be back in a few hours, so just make yourself at home. Okay?”



He nodded and watched him put his shoes on, “I’ll see you later.



Matt looked up when he was done and waved as he left. Chris went upstairs to shower and change into his usual attire of tight fitting pants and shirt with a loose sweater over it. He came back down and sat on the couch to channel surf until he cam upon a channel that interested him. Chris settled there and waited for Matt to finish and get back. After a few hours of watching MTV he got bored and decided to go on a walk. He left a note on the counter like Matt had asked and left. He walked down to the intersection of Sunset Avenue and Standers Street and stood there, wondering if he should go to Sam’s. It would be something to do, but I want to wait until Monday to even see him. So he turned right and headed to the bike path leading through some trees. Chris and Sam had traveled that path every day from the time they were little, to when Sam moved to California. They used to ride bikes, walk it, and play pretend on it until the fourth grade. Now they only use it for a nice walk or as a short cut from Sam’s place to another friend’s house or the store. Chris walked on the path, letting his mind wander. Chris could never stay at home all day and spent most of his time either with friends, or by himself, thinking about things that kept his mind at peace and away from his problems. It was a bit like having time to himself, which he got a lot of.



After a while, he got to the end of the path that opened up into another neighborhood and saw it was getting late in the afternoon. He turned and went back the way he had come and walked back to the house. It was near dark by the time he got back and Matt’s car was in the driveway. Chris walked inside, and was hit with a delicious smell coming from the kitchen.



“Matt! Are you cooking dinner?” Chris said, taking his shoes off.



“Yeah, come on into the kitchen.” Chris did and Matt looked at him as he put the food on the table. “Where’d you go?”



He shrugged, “Just around.”



They both sat down and ate. When they were done and everything cleared, Chris sat on the couch. Matt went over to the movies asking, “Do you want to watch something?”



“Sure, sounds like fun.”



“Do you have anything in particular you want to watch?” Matt turned to look at him.



“No, not really. You choose.” He curled up on the couch and watched him look for one. When he finally did, he popped it in and sat back on the couch next to Chris. In Chris’ opinion, the movie was pretty good. It was a nice little comedy with good jokes to make you laugh in all the right places, but somewhere near the end he nodded off. It was strange that he could fall asleep so quickly considering how he slept each night when living with his dad. He just felt so relaxed now. As he nodded off, he fell over onto Matt’s shoulder, surprising him a bit. Matt stared at him a minute, then looked away. It would be rude of me to ravish him like that…Especially after what he’s been through. Matt began to move him gently so he could get up but as careful as he was, Chris almost woke up and he stopped. Damn. How am I going to get up without waking him? After a while of trying he gave up, realizing that he wasn’t. Then a thought struck him. He turned the TV off and tossed the remote on the floor, and then slowly maneuvering his body, he held Chris up gently while he slid his body behind Chris. He laid Chris in front of himself and put his arm around him so he wouldn’t fall off.



“Good night, Chris,” Matt whispered. He kissed him and as he slipped to sleep, he couldn’t help but whisper, “I love you.”





Early the next morning, Chris’ eyelids were hit with the mornings’ bright light. He sat up rubbing his eyes and looking about himself he became aware of something laying across his stomach and looked down. Matt was laying behind him. In his surprise he almost fell off the couch and screamed. Keeping control of himself, he sat there, trying to remember what happened while they were watching the movie. I guess I just fell asleep…Chris played with his lip ring while he looked down at Matt. Why had he stayed here on the couch? He reached down and moved Matt’s blonde hair out of his handsome face and stared at him. His eyes wandered to his neck and to his collarbone before he realized what he was doing. Why the fuck am I staring at him? Shit…He sat there, keeping his eyes straight ahead to control himself. For a bit he was able to, but he couldn’t control himself for long and looked back at him. Chris pulled his knees to his chest and rested his head on them. A little bit couldn’t hurt could it? Matt grumbled a bit and yawned and Chris looked towards the window and felt himself flush a bit from embarrassment. Matt sat up and rubbed his eyes.



“Good morning,” He yawned. He waited for Chris to answer, but when he didn’t he ran his hand over Chris’ head and asked, “You alright, Chris?”



“What? Oh, yeah,” He sat up straighter and flashed a quick smile at him. “Just having a little trouble waking up. I think a shower might help.”



He went to get up, when he turned around and kissed Matt on his lips. He flushed again and went upstairs to shower. Matt smiled slightly as he left but it disappeared when he sat up and ran his hand through his loose blonde hair. Things are about to get very complicated for him soon…and maybe for me too. He went upstairs to shower too and when he came back down, Chris was watching TV.



“Chris,” He sat down on the couch and Chris turned the sound off to completely hear him. “I have a question to ask you.”



“Go ahead,” Chris replied.



“Well, it’s about your dad,” Chris’s eyes got wide and his body stiffened for a second and he looked away, “Do you want to move out permanently?”



“That was the plan when I left the other night,” Chris mumbled, keeping his eyes down.



“That may be, but he would most likely report you as a runaway and have you sent back. What I’m talking bout is moving out permanently and legally.” Chris didn’t say or do anything. He kept his head diverted from Matt’s direction, not wanting to talk about it, but he knew Matt would press it. He nodded and Matt continued, “I went to the court house yesterday; that was my errand. I talked with some people and they said that because you may not feel comfortable about going home, they’re going to send a DHS worker to talk to you and me, then they’ll go to your father and the neighbors to talk to them to see if you need to be removed. When you are removed, a trial takes place to see if he needs to be sent to jail. You may have enough evidence for that to happen”



Chris shifted his gaze in his direction and asked, “When are they going to be here?”



“In a few days, at four. I wanted you to be prepared to talk about it.”



“And when this is all over, I’m out of there?” His tone hinted at a bit of expectancy.



“You will be sent to a relatives’,” Matt said.



“What if, what if you don’t really have any relatives to be sent to?”



This question struck Matt with a bit of surprise, “You don’t have any relatives? At all?”



Chris shook his head, “I’ve never met any of them. They’re all either dead or just…not there. The only one that I can ever remember meeting or hearing anything about is a rich great uncle I had. He died when I was twelve. I’m not sure exactly how much money he had, but I know it was up in the millions region.”



“Surely he didn’t give your dad all his money?” Matt asked. “He must have suspected something was wrong with him at some point.”



“Believe me, when he started noticing dad drinking a whole bottle of wine with or without his help, and the usual bruise that I always had an excuse for, he knew something was wrong. No, he gave all of it to me. He did it secretly so dad wouldn’t know and coughed up this story that he gave it to some charity. No one else to give it to anyways.”



Matt absorbed what Chris said as he got up in silence before replying, “Well since you have no living or know relatives, you’ll be put in foster care, or the guardianship of someone you know.”



“I won’t be coming back here?” Chris asked, getting up. Matt looked at him with a bit or surprise again and Chris realized how it sounded. He looked down in embarrassment.



“Matt smiled and stroked his cheek, “Only if you don’t want to Chris.”



He slipped his hand under Chris’ chin and lifted it up to his mouth and began kissing him. Chris closed his eyes and let himself be wrapped in the scent of Matt’s cologne and shampoo, the taste of his salted skin. He felt Matt’s hand slide up the side of his face to the back of his head and placed his hand on the bare skin of that arm. Matt pulled Chris’ body closer to his own and began pulling his shirt up. Chris felt his stomach flip and his heart started beating faster as he used his free hand to stop Matt’s hand and pulled away.



“Matt, no,” he whispered, staring at him with serious eyes. Matt smiled a little at him and continued on his neck and slid his finger between Chris’ beltline and bare skin. Flinching, Chris felt his heart quicken more and he let out a hitched sound in his throat. This thing he was feeling, was the way he felt with a girl for the first time, “Matt, I said no.”



He giggled and moved from the crook of Chris’ neck while pulling his hand away from his beltline. “I know, I just couldn’t help it.”



Matt gave him one last kiss, catching his lip ring and pulling out his bottom lip slightly. It was all Chris could do to keep from suppressing a light moan as how this felt. “I’ll go make us something to eat.”



He left and Chris watched him as he did. Remaining composure, he left and went to the guest bedroom, putting himself in the comfort of closed doors. He saw it all again in his head and could still feel the weight of his lips, his hands. Chris covered his mouth with his hand to make the feeling go away. What is happening to me? His legs gave out on him and he sat down, arms shaking. I can’t even stand, and I can’t keep my thoughts straight. All he did was kiss me and my head spun…





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Like it? Like it? lol I hope so. Let me know what you think! lol and if you want to talk to me use myspace. my URL is http://www.myspace.com/gothandpunk_junkie. Look me up and we'll talk. :D I want to hear what you think and read some of your things too so how can I know who you are to find your stories if you dont review hmmm? :D Ciao!