26By animeninjaNIPPON
OK, so the public has spoken...Distant Proximity needed a sequel. (I also need to finish the six or so fanfics I started last year, but let's not get into that...) Well, I have no clue how to top what I did - that's why I left it at 14 chapters. But...what if I added a 15th chapter? How would it go? I couldn't decide, so I've composed a bunch of possible 15th chapters for DP here, in one-shot story form. Every time I need to prove that I'm not dead, I'll update one of these. (You may want to read that first, if you haven't already.)
Well, since all of these mini-stories are Nny/Older! Squee, obviously I'm not Jhonen Vasquez. And not being him, not only do I not own JtHM, but also I cannot guarantee that the characters will be entirely IC every moment of the story. But alas, I do try.
Story 1 - Touch
They sat, side-by-side, neither one uttering a single word or making a single sound, save for perchance the sound of breathing. Todd - "Squee" to Johnny - was going to stay, at least for the night, maybe forever if the latter could take living with someone else...well, that might not be too difficult - he wasn't exactly accustomed to being completely "alone," and the small-framed teen was certainly an improvement over the others who had taken residence in the ironically-nicknamed "Heaven house," human or otherwise.
For once, Johnny was genuinely happy, just sitting there with his friend (or whatever his relationship to Squee would be considered). He glanced over at Squee, but that was all. They'd had a brief exchange of physical contact an hour or so before - Squee touched Johnny's hand, and in return Johnny touched Squee's shoulder.
That slight caress meant so much to the teen. He realized that it was hard for Nny to willingly do such a thing, but at the same time...he wanted it to happen again. Maybe the older man was right, about touch and the desire to feel more only leaving one empty unless the process was repeated...
He glanced over at Nny, who by now was looking away. Suddenly, in the true nature of his ever-childlike innocence, Squee became curious - How would Nny's hair feel if he ran his fingers through it? How would it feel to embrace him softly, just once? Tightly?
Johnny hadn't reacted adversely to the accidental hand-holding thingy, but there was no way in Hell Squee was going to push his luck further. He turned away just as Johnny turned to face him. "Let's watch TV," he suggested.
"OK." Squee pulled his blanket more securely around his torso as Johnny switched on the television.
"C'mon, Poker, let's go torch that bar!" piped a cartoon voice.
"Oh, good!" Johnny cheered. "It's finally back on!"
A flash of lightning outside instigated a fade-to-black on the TV set.
"Dammit!"
Nny's outburst caused Squee to bounce up in surprise, losing his grip on the now rain-satiated blanket. They preceeded to turn to each other simultaneously, locking onto each other's eyes.
"...Now what?" Johnny asked.
"Umm..." Squee tugged at his own sleeve cuff. "I don't know." He was about to turn to Shmee before remembering that the bear was no longer with him. If he was, he would never approve of Squee being in the former scary neighbor-man's house, let alone staying there overnight...or any of the things that were running through his adolescent mind...
Nny watched his companion fidget, taking careful note of how small and pale those hands were...and warm, despite having been out in the cold for God knows how long. He then looked at his own olive hand. Could that be the catalyst of something brand new for both of them?
He reached out and placed his hand on the damp blanket. He couldn't do it - couldn't find a suitable way to initiate touch. Maybe the kid could do such a thing, if temptation was that strong...
Nny smiled an actual, genuine smile; it was all he really had to give at that point. Squee picked up the opportunity and hesitantly brought his hand toward Johnny's.
"I already said I can't hurt you," the latter informed. You're the only good person left for me. And it's not like I can kill myself, since I can't exactly die... Interesting story, that is..." He left his last statement unfinished.
Without a second thought, Squee gingerly rested his hand over Nny's. He slowly curled his fingers around Johnny's palm, feeling its coolness seep into his skin. Such a moment with Nny was rare, he understood, and although inexperienced at such displays of affection the teen knew to savor the instant: to take in every detail. The shape of his hand, the very texture of his skin...
...Soft. So soft, Squee's little hand was, and still warm. Nny never liked the sensation of touch, hated it even, but an appropriately shy gesture from Squee was nothing like the selfish, empty touches of previous people. It was...different, in some God-known, unexplainable way. He placed his other hand over that of his friend, extracting a surprised gasp from the second male, followed by a smile.
They sat that way for a while, enjoying each other's company with minimal physical contact. In a slight show of bravery, Squee put his free hand on Johnny's arm, rubbing it gently, smiling and secretly hoping to make eye contact. When he finally did, the shocked look on Johnny's face made him pull away.
"Why did you stop?" Nny asked.
"I'm not making you uncomforable, am I?"
"No." He put one hand through Squee's uneven hair, which was still damp from the rain. "Are you uncomfortable?"
"Uh-uh." Squee shook his head, which made Johnny shift slightly until he resumed his position of looking upward at the older man.
"Good. Then we're both happy." Somehow, being with someone who was much less experienced gave Johnny the extra courage to do what he was doing. To Hell with trying to remain cold, with worrying about the emptiness of touch - he was happy.
But alas, old opinions die hard, and he let his hand slip gracefully down to Squee's cheek and away as he said, "That's enough for now."
Squee removed his hand from Johnny's. "OK."
They turned away and sat in silence again.
Fin