Jeremy glanced over at Aaron, who'd fallen asleep at the computer. The younger boy's dark hair fell over his face so it was hidden, but Jeremy could still tell he was out because of the utter calm that had settled over the room. No place could be this calm with Aaron around unless he was unconscious.

He wasn't sure what to do with the boy. Aaron had come over to his apartment because he'd needed time away from his parents. They were a little overbearing sometimes, Jeremy had to admit. But where he saw good intentions, Aaron saw a need to control every part of his life. Jeremy could tell that Aaron's parents just wanted him to have the best life possible and that they cared about him. He'd even told Aaron to trust him on this: He knew crappy parents when he saw them. One look at his own family would make that apparent.

He shook his head and the thoughts disappeared like the doodles on an Etch-A-Sketch. He didn't want to think about those idiots. They probably never thought about him, so why should they plague his thoughts daily? Because they were still his parents, that's why. He knew that's why he thought about them so much, and that's why he wanted them back, but he still hated that he longed for them so.

Standing up, he started to clean up the living room a little. Aaron would probably end up in his bed and he'd be on the couch, like the gentleman he was. Despite Aaron's being a boy, Jeremy still couldn't let him sleep there. Maybe it was because Aaron was younger than him. Yeah, it was probably that. Jeremy picked up the pizza box and a couple of soda cans and moved into his tiny kitchenette. Setting the box on top of the trash can, he made a mental note that tomorrow was in fact trash day and hoped he wouldn't forget again. The small apartment already stunk to high heaven from last week's leftovers. He didn't need a bulky pizza box getting in his way, too. He put the cans in the sink, then looked across the counter and through the hole in the wall to the living room. Aaron was still slumped forward on the keyboard. He was probably drooling, too, which would mean Jeremy's keys would start to stick or something. Great. The high school graduate shook his head and sauntered back over to the younger boy. Jeremy saw the bright yellow cords that led from Aaron's ears to the computer and he wondered what he'd been listening to. Jiggling the mouse a little, the screensaver of swirling colors stopped and Youtube came up with a Silversun Pickups video playing.

Jeremy smirked. He'd mentioned the band not half an hour earlier and already he was listening to them? Maybe Aaron liked him a little more than he had realized. Jeremy removed the earbuds from Aaron's ears and pulled the computer chair back while supporting the boy's upper half. It was a little bit of a juggle, but this very same situation had occurred enough times that Jeremy had grown accustomed to it. Letting Aaron lean back in the chair now, Jeremy bent his knees and scooped the small teenager up into his arms. It was ridiculous how different in height they were sometimes. But, as Jeremy often thought, it was also lucky. If they were closer in height or weight, he wouldn't be able to carry a sleeping Aaron like this. And he would miss that.

Down the narrow hall he went, careful not to bump Aaron's head on the walls. He slipped into his similarly small bedroom and laid the boy out on the bed, pulling a blanket over him to keep him warm. Jeremy stood there a moment and just looked at the boy before him. Aaron was probably his best friend, though they'd just grown close recently, after Aaron had forced himself into Jeremy's life. He smirked again, remembering Aaron's forwardness.

"Hey, dude, you're freaking HUGE!" he'd told Jeremy one day in the hallway at school.

"Uh, maybe compared to you, short stuff," he'd retorted, glaring down at the short boy.

"Pft, no," Aaron had replied, shaking his head, "you're a giant compared to everyone, dude."

Jeremy laughed out loud then, so tickled was he by the memory of their first encounter. Despite that odd beginning, they were still close. Maybe it was because their first meeting was so odd that they were close.

"Nnnnnnn," Aaron groaned. "Looooove you, Germy..."

Jeremy froze for a moment, unsure if Aaron was awake or not. But the sixteen year old didn't say anything else nor did he move, so he had to be. Right? Jeremy waited a long moment more before moving. Then he crouched down beside the bed and looked at Aaron, his head propped up by his elbows that rested on the bed. He watched Aaron sleep.

"Love you, too, Aaron," he whispered.

He could have sworn Aaron smiled in his sleep at this. He smiled back. Maybe he did love him.