“So now you’re ninety-eight in negative,”
Casper repeats mostly to himself, digging his fingertips into his noticeably regrew wheat colored hair. “And after a hundred you’re to be arrested.”
Joey nods, rather optionally. He simply smiles at the warm yet still gentle April sun, hanging his legs from a rocky cliff, dangling them childishly.
“Joey,” he turns around, squinting cheerfully, and sticks out his tongue. “Stop acting like that, will you?”
“Don’t be a killjoy, will you?” Joey wants to kick him easily in the shoulder, but Casper stops his fist, squeezing their palms. “It’s you who really did just say that I’m to be arrested soon, good boy.”
They sit quietly for a while, watching some kids fooling around at the seashore under the cliff. They’re all laugh and jokes, and Casper can see all the green neon numbers on their foreheads from here. Joey, though, doesn’t seem to care about them at all, murmuring some melody with his satin gray eyes shut.
“Tell me about the last week,” Casper tighten his grip on other’s hand, assuring him to answer earnestly. “What happened after I’ve seen you last time, after twenty-six in negative?”
“A quarrel with a fam…”
“Minus five,” Casper counts to himself.
“…A couple of fights I can’t remember at all…”
“Two for each one.”
“…A lot of swearing, truly a lot.”
“Half a point for each word.”
“…And, finally, a confession to myself about having a crush on my best friend since, like, fifteen years old.”
“Fifty,” Casper’s heart seems to skip a beat.
They fall silent again. Joey’s still dangling his legs in the air, feeling the fresh spring wind caressing his feet. Casper gazes at his relaxed accurate features, smooth toned skin and graceful collarbones, thinking about what he just said. His best friend is going to be arrested, and, what scares him the most, rebooted. He doesn’t even notice when Joey suddenly starts peering intently down into the depths of the sea, looking quite worried.
“Casp,” he’s rapidly getting up and pulling his shirt off. “The kid right there, call the ambulance.”
“W-what?” Casper almost chokes with air when the next moment Joey jumps out the cliff, the dark water closing above his head.
With trembling fingers, he dials their city hospital on the second attempt, and on unsteady legs goes down to the beach, noticing how far one of the kids had floated away just now. The rest of them are sitting in the sand, almost scared to death. Casper unsuccessfully tries to keep an eye on the brunette top, barely visible among the dark waves. It is obvious the kid struggles to hold onto the surface, and Joey may not be in time. Casper feels a dull stomachache when the boy disappears from sight, but then he can’t see Joey no more.
He forgets how to breathe for an insufferably long moment. One, two, three seconds. Six seconds. Seventeen. On the twentieth second, he takes a short breath. On the twenty-seventh, two tops finally appear above the water, noticeable only due to the neon red and green numbers. Slowly but surely, Joey drags the exhausted and cold boy to the shore. Casper feels the hot tears pouring down his cheeks, without even thinking about every half a point immediately disappearing from his account with every next second. “Men don’t cry,” dash it all.
Casper steps in the sea to meet them, remaining in a place where he can still feel the bottom, and, when they get there, takes a boy’s body from Joey’s hands. They get out, and Casper wraps his thin denim jacket around the unfortunate kid’s thin frame. Joey falls on the ground behind them, with legs still in the water. The boy, trembling and banging his teeth, and probably already caught with a cold, is alive.
Restoring his breath, Casper picks up Joey, moving him to dry, warm sand.
“You ‘kay?” Joey hums neutrally, and he lays next to him, hugging tightly across his chest. Casper himself seems to be completely shattered, with his chin pressed to Joey’s wet, cold shoulder, resting peacefully.
“Casp,” he sluggishly looks up at Joey, who’s now looking almost scared with something. “I’m sure you was forty in positive, like, minutes ago, right? How’s that possible you’re ten in negative now? ”
Casper, indeed, isn’t surprised. With a weak smile glued to his lips, he gently touches other’s new neon number with his fingertips, and Joey silences himself.
“And you’re two in positive.”
His eyes, wide open and a bit reddish from salty water, are watching him confusedly, as his fingers are reaching for the mark on his own forehead.
“Are you kidding me?” he leans in closer to look at his reflection in Casper’s eyes and, as did so, hugs him keenly, holding a bit too tightly.
“Hey, you’ll crash me ribs,” they’re chuckling ridiculously until the ambulance siren is heard, making them both look at the boy, both absolutely embarrassed. “A-are you okay?”
The boy nods and wraps the thin jeans material closer around his shoulders. When the doctors are finally there, they immediately take him to the car, covering him with a few large towels. They asked them about what happened and, after Joey was also given a towel, went to the hospital. Casper, however, doesn’t feel entirely pleased.
“They were freaking ignoring me, weren’t they?” he snorted, making Joey giggle. “I’m just ten in negative, what’s wrong with them?”
“The keywords are ‘in negative’,” something in voice gives Casper goosebumps. “I’m really sorry you have to deal with it.”
Casper wanted to say he shouldn’t at first, but the next moment he’s just grabbing Joey’s shirt and pulling him towards, and when their lips meet, it’s nothing but a feathery, innocent peck. Joey doesn’t freeze in surprise, laugh against his lips, or pulls away. He smiles softly, and gives the kiss back, holding Casper’s face with his palms. His skin smells like the sea, the sunbeams are playing with his still wet dark hair, and yet Casper thinks he’s so gorgeous.
“And now you’re twelve in negative,” Joey cares singly touches his number again.
“And you’re nil.”
“And you’re a jerk, I haven’t even spent five minutes with it!” he laughs playfully, taking Casper’s hand. “C’mon, let’s find you a kitty to rescue, good boy, or your parents will definitely kill me.”
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