A/N: What I describe in this story (weather-wise anyway) is a true story. It happened in my humble(?) town of HB. It was pretty dang cool. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with this ficcie. My first publishable original slash story. I need to write more slash. If you don't know what that is, its homosexual (male/male in this case) love. If you can't handle that, hit the back button. So yeah, here it is. I hope you enjoy it! Please review!

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Ashes Falling

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I. Flickering Embers

“Oh, what a beautiful day!”

Adrian looked outside. Ashes were softly fluttering to the ground. The sky was an orangish-gray. [1] He stepped outside and the smell of smoke invaded his senses.

“Obviously, Chris, we have different definitions of what the word ‘beautiful’ means,” he replied wryly.

He heard a chuckle from the other line. “Well, I think there’s a certain charm to it.”

“Oh, so its charming that thousands of homes burned down.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, this weather… is so unique. How often does it rain ash? I’m not saying that it should, but - while its still raining - we should enjoy it.”

“And so by enjoying it we should go outside and walk around. And be caked in ash. Is that your definition of fun?”

“Yes.”

Silence.

“Man, Chris, you are *weird.*”

“I know. So, you up to it?”

“I suppose so. I mean, I don’t have anything better to do.”

“Alright. I’ll be over there in a bit.”

“Okay, bye.” He hung up the phone and sighed. What did he get himself into?

Chris was his best friend. They’ve known each other for eight years. But lately… there had been a falling out. And it was all his fault. But Adrian couldn’t help falling in love with him.

No, it wasn’t love, Adrian’s mind countered. It was just a phase. A stupid, painful phase.

Adrian turned his thoughts away from that touchy subject just as he heard the doorknob click and turn. Chris.

“C’mon grumpy, let’s get out of here,” Chris exclaimed, a playful grin of his lips.

Adrian felt his heart race. His eyes took in the slim figure and his blonde locks. His green eyes sparkled brilliantly with his smile. He was gorgeous.

He caught himself and silently chastised himself as he softly muttered, “My name’s not grumpy.”

“Really? Seems like it,” Chris chuckled in reply. Even though he had said it jokingly, he knew he meant it.

“I’m sorry.”

Chris blinked, startled. “For what? C’mon, the ash is waiting for us.”

So he understood. And he didn’t care.

Adrian could get used to that.

“I’m sure it’ll be ecstatic to see us,” he responded dryly, walking out of the door with Chris following, laughing heartily.

II. Burning Flames

A silence fell over them as they walked. Chris took this time to regard his friend.

It was odd, he thought. They had been inseparable before. Even last year they traveled as a pair. But this year… something happened. The once perfect friendship shattered to only good acquaintances. He had gotten a girlfriend, and suddenly Adrian had other friends to hang out with. He avoided their favorite hang out spots. This change in his best friend confused and hurt him.

And he was determined to find out the reason why. Today.

“Isn’t it nice?” he asked cheerfully.

“Is it nice to get ash in your eye? Well, sure,” Adrian replied, “if you like pain.”

One of the things Chris missed most was Adrian’s acerbic wit. “Let’s try not to be cynical here.”

“Not cynical? But Chris, you *know* that cynical’s my middle name,” Adrian said, “Well, if I *must* be optimistic, at least you’re -- “ he stopped himself, cleared his throat, and continued, “The sky has never been this shade of gray. Whether or not that’s a good thing I don’t know.”

He was what? Why couldn’t he continue his train of thought? “What were you about to say?”

“Nothing,” Adrian replied coldly, “It was nothing.”

Normally, Chris would’ve shrugged this off. However, he remembered how Adrian would do this often in the past. Usually he’d meant to say something mean, or more often the case was, say something nice. He didn’t want to put up with it today.

“I’m sick and tired of you doing that!” he blurted, “Why can’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”

The outburst stunned both of them into silence. Chris feared what he would say. Then Adrian said very quietly, “I’m sorry.”

Chris sighed. “No, I should be. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Another uncomfortable silence. Then, “Well, I was going to say, ‘at least you’re here with me,’ but it didn’t quite come out.” Adrian was staring at the ground. Was there a hint of a blush on his cheeks? Probably not.

Chris was shocked. He had no idea that he thought that way. Then he welled up with joy as he gave Adrian a big hug. Adrian, startled, gave out a big yelp.

“You silly goose! What’s so wrong with saying something nice?” he exclaimed, “Thank you. I’m very flattered. I’m happy to be here with you too, Adrian.”

Adrian, in his standard fashion, started to laugh nervously and back away. “Yeah, yeah, I know I was a fool. Thanks. But no more mushy stuff!”

Chris chuckled and let go of him. For awhile, they walked in contented silence. No words needed to be said. He could stay like this forever.

Forever was impossible, though. The silence was shattered when Adrian asked, “Where are we going?”

“Oh yeah! I was thinking that we could go to main street. We could get some ice cream, catch a movie, you know. The usual.”

“Ice cream? While its raining ash? Are you insane?”

“I’m in the mood for ice cream. We can cover it.”

“Fine. But if my ice cream starts to taste like ash, I’m blaming you.”

They strolled some more, chattering about some movies that they have seen, when they came across their favorite ice cream place. Cold Stone. They walked in.

“I’ll order,” Adrian said.

Chris was pleasantly surprised. “Thanks. Here’s some money. You are quite the gentleman!”

Adrian snorted. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Chris sat down at a booth while Adrian ordered. He stared around at the walls for awhile, before realizing that he had forgotten to tell Adrian what he wanted! Shit! He was about to get up to tell him, when he saw Adrian walking to him, holding two cones of ice cream.

“What did you get me?” he asked as Adrian handed him a cone.

“Cheesecake ice cream, with white chocolate chips, strawberries, and caramel.” [2]

Chris gasped. “I can’t believe it! You remembered my favorite!”

Adrian’s voice softened. “Of course I did.”

Chris suddenly found himself blushing. Trying to shake it off, he said, “C’mon, let’s go!”

They stepped outside to find that it had stopped raining ash. Adrian sighed in relief. “Thank God. Now I can eat in peace.” Chris giggled.

They walked slowly to their next destination: the movie theater. Chris savored every lick of his ice cream as he pondered about Adrian. He had sworn to himself he would find out why he dropped him so quickly. If he waited until after the movie, he may not have a chance to speak. Now was a good time to drop the bomb, Chris figured.

“Adrian… do you remember when you stopped hanging out with me?”

He visibly froze. Adrian said a very strained yes.

“If it’s alright to ask… can I know why you stopped? It’s been bothering me for awhile. It… hurt. A lot. Could you tell me?”

Adrian deeply sighed and closed his eyes. After a second, he opened them. “I suppose you have a right to know,” he began. Adrian paused to gather his thoughts. “It was because you got a girlfriend.”

“…were you jealous of me? Did you like Lisa?”

“What?! Well, not really. It wasn’t because of Lisa… I guess I was jealous. I think… I was upset with you for getting a girlfriend. You would be happy while I suffered alone. I’d become a third wheel, so… I backed away,” Adrian was having a difficult time saying this. The look on his face suggested that it pained him to say every word.

Chris touched his arm gently. “I think I can understand. That was a sucky position I put you in. It didn’t help that I gushed about her all the time. It’s okay.”

Adrian shook his head. “No. It was NOT okay. I was your friend. Friends don’t pull that crap with each other. I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Look… I can understand, but I’m not happy with you about it. To hurt me like that for a petty reason upsets me. But friends DO forgive each other.”

“Really?” Adrian said breathlessly, and Chris nodded. “Thank you.” Adrian looked around, and then he hesitantly hugged Chris.

Chris smiled brightly as he pressed himself against Adrian. He sighed happily. It felt great to have finally reconciled with him. He whispered into Adrian’s ear, “Can we be best friends again?”

Chris felt Adrian shudder. He whispered back, “I’d like that.” Chris grinned. He would’ve kissed him if he could. Wait… where did that come from? He shook it off.

They stayed like that for awhile before realizing that people were staring at them. They quickly pulled apart. They walked the rest of the way to the movie theater, where they were going to see one of those action-filled, testosterone-driven movies. Chris couldn’t remember the name.

After Adrian had bought the tickets, Chris was going to walk inside, when Adrian called out to him, “Wait!” Chris stopped and walked to him. Adrian was staring at the sky. It had stopped raining, but it still had the same hue, though slightly darker. The sun still shined a bright orange. “Though it is unusual…. The sky is beautiful.”

Chris nodded in response. Adrian continued to stare, as Chris started to study him. Adrian had jet black hair, icy blue eyes, and a pale complexion. [3] He was slender and had strong arms. He looked very relaxed and comfortable. He looked beautiful; otherworldly.

Not bothering to stop himself, his thoughts continued. Adrian was a fascinating person. He was funny, intelligent, and trustworthy. He knew that Adrian had many flaws. But instead of that fact taking away from his opinion of him, he found out that it added to it. His flaws added to his assets to a beautiful whole. He was so human. So perfect.

At this revelation, he began to grin. Adrian turned to him and said, “C’mon, we should go. Don’t want to get too lost in the clouds. The air’s bad for us.” His voice was deep and lovely. As Chris followed him, his grin widened further.

Instead of condemning it, he finally understood.

You know something? Chris thought to himself, I think I’m in love with him.

III. Raging Inferno

During the movie, Adrian could barely concentrate. Thoughts of Chris occupied his mind, as they always did. Especially when he was this close to him. This is ridiculous, he thought. Why was he acting like this? He wasn’t some girl, dammit! [4]

The movie shortly ended, and they shuffled outside. It was dark out, and the only sign of the earlier unusual weather was the ash on the ground. “So, where to now?” he asked Chris.

Chris looked startled, but he smiled. “Well… we could walk down the pier. It’s a nice night.”

Adrian glanced up and laughed. “Yeah, you can see even less stars than usual!” Stars were usually a rare occurrence, but the smoke didn’t help. “But yeah, that’d be cool.”

Their chuckles faded as they headed out. A companionable silence fell onto them. Adrian usually was a big fan of silences. However, tonight he had a strange impulse to talk. So, without warning, he said, “So how’s Lisa?”

Chris blinked. “Oh, we broke up awhile ago.”

Adrian mentally sighed in relief. Oh thank GOD! “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Maybe you would’ve known if you hadn’t ignored me,” Chris spat.

Adrian’s eyes widened in shock and pain. Chris had never said something like that in the past. “I told you, I’m sor--“

“I know, I know,” Chris interrupted, “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

They were silent. Then, Adrian asked quietly, “How did it happen? The break up? …If you don’t mind me asking.”

Chris smiled at him. “No, I don’t mind,” he sighed, “We had been going out for a month. She was really nice, but… I knew that she wasn’t what I was looking for. So I kinda freaked out, and broke up with her… over an email.”

Adrian whistled. “Ouch. That’s harsh.”

“Yeah, I know. But I couldn’t help it! I was too scared to break up with her face to face. I was a coward. That wasn’t the only time that happened.”

Adrian’s heart sank. “Oh really?”

“After Lisa, I dated a few other girls. All of them ended up the same way. None of them would be what I was looking for. And I was such a coward. It was frustrating. John said that I had a fear of commitment,” Chris laughed sardonically, “That’s probably true.”

“Seems like it. Look… this is going to sound really hypocritical, but…” Adrian paused, unsure how to continue. “Next time… you should be brave. Who knows what would happen?” He was looking into Chris’s eyes, challenging him. Not that he expected Chris to suddenly say, ‘I love you, Adrian!’ but it’d be nice. “And… I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Chris laughed, his eyes sparkling merrily. “That is hypocritical, Mr. I-Can’t-Say-Nice-Things-To-People. But thanks. I’ll… think about it.” Chris’s voice had lowered an octave when he said that. What did that mean? He wasn’t suggesting…?

Stop daydreaming, Adrian, he thought.

They reached the end of the pier. Instead of turning around, they leaned against the railing and talked about inane things. It was wondrous. He couldn’t remember why he could have ever wanted to give this up.

Because you were an idiot, his mind was quick to reply. Even so, he was here now, and he was loving it. He sighed in happiness. Then he checked the time. It was getting a bit late. He announced this to Chris.

“I guess we should be going, then,” Chris stated, dejectedly, “But before we go, could I ask you something?”

Adrian granted Chris a smile. “Anything.”

“I feel like you’re keeping something from me. I’ve been getting the vibe all day. And its something important. And I think it has to do with the past.”

Adrian blanched. Surely he couldn’t have been that obvious…? Anyway, he was not going to tell him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied in a clipped tone.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about! Please. If we’re to start over again, we should tell each other… everything.”

“Oh, right, like you told me everything about you,” Adrian replied dryly, “But I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, Adrian. Be brave, like you advised me. Don’t be afraid of telling me. And if you tell… I might tell you something in return.”

For a moment, Adrian’s curiosity was piqued. What did he want to say? But that was put aside. Chris’s persistence was annoying him. “Great, first you try to force something out of me, then try to bargain with me?! Don’t you think that maybe its too… painful… to talk about?”

Chris didn’t say anything, but he stared at him with big, round eyes, that were begging him to tell him.

Adrian knew from day one that he would never be able to resist that stare. So, here he was, about to confess his feelings for him just because of a look. It was quite pathetic. “You want to know? Fine. But if it screws up our friendship… its not my fault.

“You want to know the real reason why I ignored you? Though my other reason was a half-truth. I ignored you, because… Would you believe that I wasn’t jealous of you? Could you believe that I was jealous… of her?”

Silence. Chris stared, eyes wide with surprise. Adrian looked downcast and closed his eyes. A rejection was coming, he knew it. He prepared to face a punch, a slap, or even hear footsteps running away from him….

….What he didn’t expect, however, was Chris to grab his hand.

Adrian looked up and opened his eyes. Chris was standing right in front of him, just inches from him. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. He began silkily, “I can believe that. Actually…” Chris raised Adrian’s hand to his lips and kissed it, “…that was what I was hoping to hear.”

Adrian stared incredulously. He opened his mouth to speak, but Chris lifted a finger up to his mouth to silence him. He then replaced it with his own lips.

Kissing Chris was an amazing experience. It was loving and sweet, but at the same time it was wild, passionate, deep. It was more than he had dreamed of.

Eventually they parted, out of necessity. They stood panting softly in each other’s arms. Chris whispered, “I wanted to tell you that… I love you.”

Adrian grinned wider than he had all day. “I love you too.”

They stood in that position for awhile, thinking and enjoying the warmth. A thought suddenly came to Adrian’s mind, and he spoke it. “You won’t be dumping me in a month because you found out that I’m not what you’re looking for, right?”

Chris chuckled. “But you don’t understand…. You ARE what I was looking for.” And before Adrian could respond, he drew him into a kiss.

That night, they decided to ignore the bewildered and disgusted spectators. This was their night. Their time to be elevated, happy, and in bliss.

All the rest would come later. But for now, love was the only thing that mattered.

-FIN-

[1] If orangish isn’t a word, it is now.

[2] I came up with this flavor randomly. Don’t ask. Chris is a quirky eater. =)

[3] Isn’t this description drool-worthy? I use this look a lot. Because I find it very hot. ^_^

[4] Not that I mean to insult the female race, especially since I am one of them. However, you know how boys are. J