When I was young, the world it was smaller
The cities were vast the buildings were taller
I felt really strong my parents seemed stronger
But life has a way it showers with greatness
Then takes it away those pieces that made us
Then teaches you things you'd never imagine
We all get the same the memories the burdens
The pictures we made they still form a pattern
They cautiously say does it all matter

-Jack's Point of View-

“Lex? Alex… Alex.. ALEX!” I said, shaking Alex gently.
“Huh? What?” he said, his voice sounding sleepy, just as it had earlier.
“Somehow you ended up over here.. Erm well.. Up there” I said with a small smirk.
“Oh My Gosh I’m so so so sorry! I can’t believe I did that, I just get cuddly when I’m tired and move to the nearest object! I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, I swear to God it didn’t mean anything” he said quickly.
My earlier smile quickly faded and I could feel the frown that made it’s way onto my face.
I forced a smile, probably more of a grimace, and sat up.
“Well, anyways, since you're letting me stay as long as I need to and such, I thought I could at least be helpful. Can I make breakfast or something?” I said, nervous that I’d outstay my welcome very fast if I didn’t help out. Besides, I wanted to help.. I’d do anything for Alex.
He grinned, “Sure! I’ll come down too, we can do it together”.
I snickered, considering he just said ‘do it together’.
He blushed, chuckling as well, “You know what I mean fucktard”
I continued to smile, offering him a hand to help him get out of the bed. That thing was like a black hole, it just sucked you in with the comfortable plushness. It was a deathtrap in the making, I swear.
He smiled, back taking my hand and leading me back to the kitchen… He didn't drop my hand.
By the time he turned around I was blushing. How was he so comfortable with me? He knew what I thought of him! He knew what I did with those thoughts of him!
“Okay, I’ll set the table, do you wanna make the grits?” he asked, and I nodded.
He flung open the cabinet full of the ingredients I would need before he grabbed the dishes from a stack by the sink and started to set the table.
I grabbed the jar labeled “Hominy”, glad that Alex had already made this instead of me having to boil the corn myself.
I stirred the ground hominy into the pot of boiling water and added some salt and milk from his icebox.
“Jay, you done?” he asked, and I nodded.
He motioned for me to come sit next to him on the couch, “Well that’ll be cooking for a little while, tell me about yourself. I want to know the little things”
I blushed again, biting my lip. What the hell am I gonna say to him?
“L-Like what?” I said slowly
“What’s your favorite color?” he said, softly smiling.
Oh.. those kind of questions.. That’s not what I was expecting..
“Green”
We continued on for a long time with the questions and I was starting to feel more comfortable around him. He was getting me to open up a little, and I wasn't doing anything to stop him, yet.
“If you could do anything in the whole world what would you want to do?”
I opened my mouth then paused. There were so many answers to this question, but none of them were right.
To make everyone understand that gay is okay.
To have my dad love me.
To have anyone love me.
To spend the rest of my life with you.
To finally be able to stop running.
“To.. To.. Uh.. To be able to” I stopped again when a burning smell filled my nose “to make grits without burning them!” I shrieked, jumping up and running to the kitchen.
I grabbed the pan trying to get it away from anymore heat, successfully burning myself on the hot metal. Of fucking course.
“Ow ow ow shit ow” I said, still holding the pan, not knowing where to put it.
“Jay! Just put it back on the stove!” Alex yelled, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh.
I dropped it back onto the oven top and stepped away to let Lex come forward. He turned the small dial and the flame switched off.
“You don’t cook much do you?” he said, taking my injured hand in his.
I could hear the slight teasing in his voice, but his eyes showed only concern for me.
“I’m just not used to living in a home.. I cook over fires and I’m always.. Yeah” I said, cutting myself off.
Alex ran my hand under water that he was bringing up with the hand pump. He pressed a cold cloth onto the burn.
“That should be good for now. I’ll wrap it in a little bit”
I nodded, embarrassed this had happened in the first place. So fucking stupid. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.
“I’ll take over now, you can go sit at the table”
He placed a loaf of bread in the oven to warm it to a more tasteful temperature and checked the damaged wreck that were supposed to be grits.
“Don’t worry Jack, it’s not to bad. It’s just the bottom that burned, we’ve still got plenty” he said, turning around to smile at me in reassurance.
It wasn’t my fault that I didn’t know what to do with this newfangled technology! I’ve been out on the run for the past 10 years! Things had changed too... All these people had started using gas stoves and such. I had heard about them, but I only knew how to use wood stoves and an open flame. At lease I knew what the thing in the corner was; it was an icebox on the inside of the house. It was also something I had never had the luxury of using.
He pulled the bread out of the oven and put it on a cutting board, slicing it thinly and then placing it on the table. He snatched our bowls from said table and scooped the non-burnt grits into them. He grabbed a slab of butter from the icebox and finally sat down across from me.
I picked up a small knife and spread the butter onto my bread. Butter.. I hadn’t tasted this in ages..
I lifted the piece to my mouth when he spoke again.
“My brother, was killed by a man named Jack. I’m going to find him and make him die. I’m going to cause him as much pain as he’s caused me and my family. I’m going to make him suffer.”
It was safe to say I never got to taste that piece of buttered bread.

Notes

Title Cred: When I was Young by Blink-182
Hey.
Bye.