[CLOSED] baby, tell me how..

[aerin "ace" camden emerson]

Ace sat down under the tree, pulling his knees close. He always waited for Scotty before school. He always had, and probably would until they graduated. The boy was his best friend. He had gotten Ace through a lot of things.

He turned over the box in his hand, hoping Scotty would have water on him. He could feel the gash on his cheek throbbing. He wanted to show Scotty what he had found, all the notes they had passed in class since they were little in his box. He would never get rid of them. Some of them were really cute, made Ace wonder if he always had these strange feelings for Scotty since he was little. He saw the boy walk up and smiled, no matter how bad it hurt his face. Ace had just started to notice the smooth way he moved, how perfect his smile was, the way his hair fell.. He was starting to get butterflies just thinking about the boy. It all felt so strange to him. And he was terrified to tell Scotty. He needed him there, even if it was just as a friend.

"Hey, Scott! Look what I found!" He said, holding the little box up for him to see. "It's all the notes we passed in class."

[scotty xavier mason]

Scotty leaned against a tree watching Ace situate himself. He smiled, his heart starting to flutter and sputter just by the looks of him. He had always loved Ace, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that he realized just how much he would die with out him. And of course how much he wanted to hold him..to protect him in every way from the people who hurt him. He wished that he could be the one with Ace every night instead of the filthy people who hurt him.

"Hey Ace." he said with a smile that instantly turned down when he saw the cut on Ace's face. He looked at the box and smiled. "Awesome! Let's go through em!" he said sitting down next to him. He pulled several bottles of water and sat them in front of Ace. "Here." he whispered unscrewing the lid of one of them for him. He always cared around 3-6 bottles of water with him, he never knew how hurt Ace would be when they got to see each other and he promised himself he would always take care of him.

[aerin "ace" camden emerson]

Ace grabbed the water bottle and it slowly slid out of the bottle, up his arm and to his cheek where it worked tediously on the gash on his face. Ace didn't seem to notice, taking a sip from the bottle. He was used to water moving about his body like it owned the place. He opened the little box, pulling out a few of them and handing them to Scotty. He pulled one out, opening it and reading it over. A smile played on his lips and his eyes brightened.

"This one's cute." He said with a smile, passing it over to Scotty.

'I don't know; I just want to think everything's gonna be okay in the end. Like I'm being hurt for a reason, maybe something good's gonna come.' Ace's little writing said. And just under it was Scotty's.

'Maybe. I just don't like seeing you hurt.'

"You always used to fuss at me about being hurt. You were goofy, you know that?" He said, looking over at him with a smile.

[scotty xavier mason]

Scotty watched Ace out of the corner of his eye. Even though he had seen it happened millions of times he still found it fascinating how the water crawled over Ace's skin. How it could make everything better. That was one reason he was thankful Ace's father was Poseidon. He never stayed hurt for long when it came to physical. But emotional was something completely different.

"I wasn't goofy!" he said laughing. "I just care about you." he said pulling one out and smiling.

'What do you think would happen to you if there was a flood?' said Scotty's neat hand writing, below it was Ace's messy scrawl.

'Absorb it like a sponge?'

Scotty read the note aloud, letting his British accent seep through, something that he only let happen around Ace. "I wish you still couldn't pronounce any words correctly, it felt like we were in our own world.."

'I dunnot

[aerin "ace" camden emerson]

Ace smiled over at him, picking up another one. "I could barely understand myself. I don't know how you did without your handy dandy decoder ring, detective Mason." He said with a smirk. They both knew they loved their cereal box rings when they were younger.

"Oh, read this one." He said, handing it over to him. Scotty's handwriting was on top. Followed by Ace's tiny writing.

'So you're like a fish?'

'No, I don't have gills.'

'You don't have girls, either.'

'Neither do you!

'We can't help it girls have terrible taste in guys.'

[scotty xavier mason]

Scotty smiled thinking about the long days they spent pretending to be someone they weren't. They would both get away from everything. Both get lost in a magical and mysterious world of make believe. A place where they could be cowboys one moment and space aliens the next.

As he thought back on it he couldn't help but wonder if he was sexually attracted to Ace when he was younger, or any other male for that matter. It made him curious.

He chuckled reading the note. "We still don't have any girls." he said with a forced laugh. Honestly he wasn't sure if Ace ever wanted to be with anyone. He couldn't help but wonder though if Ace would be willing to be with him. To finally let him protect him in every way.

"Where did you find theses?"

[aerin "ace" camden emerson]

Ace laughed. "I'm okay with not having any girls." He said, glancing over at Scotty. He couldn't help but think he would rather have him over a rotten girl any day.

"They were still in my booksack." He said, holding out the same booksack he had had for ten years now. "I decided to clean it out and they were in the hidden pocket where I kept my lunch money." He smiled over at him. He picked up another small note, this one more of a cry for help, probably the first time Ace was actually beaten. He didn't think he had ever told Scotty what happens to him, about the rape and the beatings.

"I never told you? What they do?" He asked, looking over at him again.

[scotty xavier mason]

Scotty smiled as he held up his backpack. He had meant to get him a new one, but he hadn't had time to go and buy one for him. Plus, he didn't know what would happen to him if he came home with a new bag. A bag that didn't belong to him.

"No." he whispered shaking his head. He looked over at him smiling weakly. "You don't need to tell me Ace unless you want to." he whispered scooting closer to him. "I just wish I could protect you."

[aerin "ace" camden emerson]

Ace watched him move closer and felt bad that he hadn't ever told him. "I guess I didn't want to hurt you.." He mumbled, folding his hands in his lap. He looked down, chewing on his lip. "I don't know how you're supposed to tell your best friend you've been being raped since you were four.. That that's why I've been beaten all my life.. I just.. It's bad enough you see me at my worst.. To have that mental image of me-.. I guess I didn't want you to have to imagine that. I just always wanted to be Ace, you know? Kinda broken, a little beaten, but not being physically, mentally and sexually abused.. And I guess while we're sharing secrets.." He leaned over, cupping Scotty's cheek in his hand gently as he kissed him softly.

[scotty xavier mason]

Scotty frowned as he listened to what Ace had to say. He had no idea that his life had been so hard. But when he thought back to the first time they ever met it made sense to him. How he said adults hurt him...how he told Scotty that he didn't want him to touch him. He closed his eyes looking away shaking his head. He was mad at himself. Mad that he hadn't realized it earlier.

He turned back to Ace, trying to figure out what to say. What do you say to your best friend, the person that you are in love with, after something like that? He didn't know how he could protect him now. The use of water was beyond this.

Scotty looked at him, not sure what other secret that he was keeping from him. He thought they had told each other everything, in the fact that he was keeping something else from him surprised him.

A kiss. He didn't expect to feel Ace's warm, soft lips against his own. He pulled away and looked at him. "Wanna know a secret of mine?" he whispered looking into his eyes.

He leaned forward again, holding the back of his neck, pressing his lips against Ace's again.