(???)

Jace looked at him with concern as he watched Xander's hands start to shake. He looked at the words written and then up at the boy. "That's all you have to write. It doesn't and shouldn't matter either way. You're just as cute with or without a voice." he told him with a soft smile. He wanted badly to reach across the table to gently hold the boy's hands and try to comfort him a little, but he was afraid he would only frighten him.

(Some kids were picking on me for being emo while I was walking to the store earlier today :/)


Xander blushed again, only this time he didn't hide it. Jace didn't think he was ugly? His eyes questioned him, and he almost smiled. Almost. He stopped himself before he could, thinking about upsetting things to keep the foreign expression away. It had already creeped onto his face before, and he wasn't about to let it happen again. He looked down at the table, and traced the fake wood-grain with a finger. He sighed lightly, and looked up at Jace. His understanding was unbelievable. The smile tried to sneak onto his face again, but he quickly made it disappear. He looked up at Jace, before reaching over to take back his little notebook.


He looked down at his hands, and noticed that his hands had stopped shaking, and he sighed in relief. He didn't like it when his hands shook. He looked back up at Jace, and could see something in his eyes. He couldn't quite tell what it was, but it intrigued him. It was like...like the boy wanted something. He tilted his head a bit, but tried to do it inconspicuously. He ran Jace's sentence through his head over and over. He didn't care whether he could talk or not. Most people got annoyed by it. Even his parents. They kept trying to get him to talk, telling him that his voice would be fine if he used it more often. As if. He sighed heavily, and stared down at the table. he hunched over, and wrote again, sliding the book across the table once again. I'll tell you when I'm ready...You..think I'm cute?

(words of advise. Ignore them...or smile at them. Then it really freaks them out )

Jace waited patiently, content with just watching the boy. Once the notebook was slid back to him he read what Xander had wrote. His soft smile at the first few words grew as he read. He nodded. "You are without a doubt the cutest boy I've seen in this town. Cuter even than the girls in my opinion." he told him brightly.

(I usually do xD They were slightly more obnoxious cause they were pushing me, but, whatever. I got a good punch in :3)


Xander felt the heat spreading across his cheeks again. He noticing the smile beginning to form, and this time, he couldn;t stop it. He tried to hide it in time, but it was too late. He hands covered his face moments too late. His eyes brightened a bit, and so he blinked, trying to rid himself of the happy feeling. he hated it. It made him feel sick. He returned to his earlier thoughts of retreating to the bathroom to rid himself of the dinner his mother had practically shoved down his throat. He closed his eyes and sighed, pushing away the feeling again. He hated himself.


The smile disappeared, and he looked back at Jace. Why did this boy like him so much? Why didn't he ignore him or pick on him like everyone else? He suddenly realized he didn't like feeling unhappy. Jace had done something to him. He wanted to glare at him, but he also didn't want to make him anger. He grabbed his notebook, and began to write, scribbling quickly. You...you really think so? He wrote. He felt a tiny bud of hope begin to bloom in the pit of his stomach. He pushed the notebook back across the table, and pulled his hand back, though left hi resting on the table. He turned to he face the table completely, setting his feet on the floor. He felt odd, un curling and exposing himself. Her folded his arm, and rested his chin on the table, his arm hiding the lower half of his face, his bangs concealing the upper half.

( )

Jace's whole face brightened at the glimpse of the smile. He looked down when Xander passed him another note and grinned happily. "I absolutely do, and you know...you're even cuter when you don't hide your face." he told him with a smile. He suddenly looked slightly nervous. "If you're up to it I'd...uh...love to take you out on a, um...date." he mumbled, glancing down at his hands. He usually never got nervous, but he felt different around Xander.

(Re-read my post ....So many spelling mistakes Dx)


Xander almost gasped when he felt the happy feeling return. He wasn't sure how to react when Jace told him about 'not hiding his face'. He tensed slightly, not sure how to handle this. He already felt exposed enough, and now he was supposed to not hide his face? He nearly whimpered at the thought of being completely open to harm. He slowly pulled his arm away from his face, his nervousness clearly visible on his thin face. He laced his finger together as he lifted his head, peering at Jace through his bangs. One eye was visible, as his bangs on one side were tucked somehow behind his ear.



Xander nearly jumped from his seat when Jace spoke again. The nervous look on the boy's face made him melt. Almost. He gave a tiny, soft smile, the foreign movement almost surprising him. Again. He reached for his notebook, and wrote quickly. He marveled at how his handwriting could be so perfect, even when he wrote fast. He nearly threw the notebook across the table, his smile widened slightly. He frowned after a moment, however. He glanced down at Jace's hands, and reached slowly, carefully across the table. He grasped one of his hands, the teeny smile returning to his nervous face. He glanced happily at the little note. I think I'd like that. It read.

(Wasn;t sure where Jace's hands were..so...just ignore the part where Xander holds his if they're like, in his lap or something xD)

Jace smiled happily when Xander reached across the table to hold his hand. He gently squeezed his hands with his own at the sight of the small smile. He nearly shouted in joy at the reply written on the paper. He dipped his head down to softly kiss Xander's fingertips before grinning at the boy. "There's a party some of my friends are having in the next town over or we could just go to a movie or something. Which would you prefer? Or is there something else you'd like to do?" he asked him eagerly.

Xander flinched slightly when Jace squeezed his hand, but it was hidden behind his protective curtain of hair. He wasn't used to contact, and even though Jace was very nice, and he was gentle, but for some reason he was still a little afraid of him. He managed to keep his smile from wavering. He was, however, excited about spending more time with the boy. His smile widened, and his eyes, which were once lifeless and empty (save for when he was trying to communicate), now sprang to life, sparkling and dancing. Shivers raced down his spine as Jace's lips brushed his finger tips. His eyes widened slightly, and he blushed.



Xander's smile went down a couple notches as Jace mentioned a party. Party meant people. And people meant that he was going to get tortured. He tucked one side of his bangs back behind his ear, as it had fallen loose. Fear twinkled in the pitch colored eye, and he sucked in his lower lip and chewed it nervously. He looked at the table, and back at Jace. He used his free hand to pull back the little book and write, with only a little trouble. He pushed the notebook back, staring at Jace. It doesn't matter...

Jace watched as Xander's eyes brightened and even noticed the blush. His happy smile dimmed a little when Xander's did and he quickly caught on to the boy's fear. He grinned softly at him after reading the note. "How about we go watch a movie and then we can think about the party? Does that sound alright?" he asked.

Xander felt a little bad as Jace's smile dimmed. The regret was suddenly gone as he saw Jace grin. His smile brightened, and he thought about the boy's suggestion. He beamed, and nodded. He'd never been to the movies before. If fact, there were many places he'd never been to because his parents were too over-protective, and he was afraid of getting hurt by people. He grabbed his notebook, and clipped it back to his bracelet. He was pretty sure that Jace would be able to figure out his motions and expressions.


He rubbed the back of his hair with his free hand, wincing as he realized he would screw up the perfect spikes. He was sensitive about his hair, and made sure that it was perfect, even though it would be covered by his hood or a hat most of the time. He pulled his hand a way, and set it on the table gently. He glanced at the crowd, and noticed that the kids who regularly picked on him were staring oddly at their joined hands. He felt a twinge of fear, worried that they would give him trouble at school. He sighed. It didn't matter at the moment. Right now, he was too happy to be scared.

Jace smiled and let go of Xander's hand so that he could stand up and move around to the boy's side of the table. He offered his hand again. "Do you mind if I walk you home? Or at least as far as I can?" he asked.

Xander smiled, and stood. He took Jace's hand, and nodded as he smiled brightly. He stepped away from the seat, and and grabbed his fingerless gloves that had happened to slip from his pocket and fall onto the seat. He stuffed them back into their prison, and looked back up at Jace. What color there was in his face drained away, making his face even whiter. Fear filled his eyes again, and his hands tightened around Jace's. He swallowed, and pointed at what was behind the other boy. He made a small whimpering sounds, and he began to shake.


Behind Jace, a few boys had gathered, and stood with there with their arms crossed, and demented smiles plastered on their faces. Xander shrunk back, pulled his hood up with his free hand. These were the people who had beaten up earlier that day. The football team. J... He breathed. He tried to say Jace's name, but he couldn't quite get it out. He cowered, trying to hide so he wouldn't be harmed again.

Jace smiled when Xander took his hand again, but it quickly turned into a frown at the look of fear. He glanced over his shoulder when the boy pointed and his shoulders stiffened slightly at the sight of the other boys. He moved so that his body blocked Xander from their gaze and led the boy towards the exit.

Xander's throat began to close up with fear as the biggest of the guys took a threatening step toward them. He only laughed when Jace put himself between them and Xander. He made a rude remark about Jace being a tiny little weakling, and that protecting the smaller boy was pointless. Xander backed toward the exit as the kinder boy led him toward it. The small amount of hope he had of making it out alive were smushed as the team followed them to the door. They obviously weren't going to let a good beating get wasted. The 'leader' smirked, and held his sheep back as the two backed to the door.


Xander squeezed Jace's hand tightly, trying to loosen his death grip so he wouldn't hurt him. His shaking, however, was completely uncontrollable. He sniffed, and fisted his free hand in his sleeve. He stared at the football team with wide eyes, wishing they'd leave them alone.

Jace's eyes narrowed and the hand that wasn't holding Xander's clenched into a fist at the remark. He would have replied, but he wanted to get the boy out of there quickly. He opened the door and urged Xander ahead of him.

Xander scurried out the door, hugging himself with one arm as he stepped inti the chilly air. He almost gasped at the temperature change. It wasn't that bad, but the heat from all the people inside had built up quickly and made it really warm inside the club. He shivered from the cool, and turned to watch. Would Jace be okay? He heard the group of boys still shouting hateful things at them, and he balled his hand into as fist. Anger welled up, though was no match for the fear. He'd been contemplating on going in there, but let the idea pass. There were six of them, and he was half the size of one of them. Even with Jace, he was no match.



Xander pulled Jace's hand, urging him to hurry up. He didn't want them to get into any more trouble. He tugged again, and glanced fearfully inside the building. He sniffed again, his nose beginning to run for no reason. He sniffed again, and surreptitiously wiped his nose on his sleeve. He [eeped back into the club over Jace's shoulder, trying to see what the bigger guys were doing.

Jace's anger at the other boys continued to shout. He noticed that Xander was shivering and released his hand long enough to take off his jacket as he moved out of the door with a glare in the football players' direction. He draped the jacket over Xander's shoulders before grasping his hand again. Jace slammed the door shut behind them and started towards town.

Xander's heart dropped out of his chest when Jace let go of his hand. He relaxed, though, when the boy settled his jacket on his shoulders. He adjusted it quickly, wrapping it around himself, before closing his fingers around the hand that had grasped his. He smiled, and turned as the door to Love Handle was slammed in the faces of the football team. He heard muffled shouts of anger, and cruel taunts coming from behind the closed door. He huffed, and smiled. It was nice to know that someone cared enough to protect him from those who hated him.



Xander felt Jace tugging on his hand as he began walking away toward town. Xander hurried after him, pressing lightly into his side as they walked. He glanced up, and smiled at Jace. He felt strange, like there was something...missing. There was a feeling that wasn;t there, but he was used to feeling. For the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid.

Jace shook off the words that drifted through the door and led Xander towards town. When the boy smiled at him and moved closer, he couldn't help but return the smile. He gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Lead the way little raven." he told Xander.

Xander flushed a little as Jace called him 'little raven' once again. He smiled again, and pointed toward a road that branched of from the main one. He thought he remembered where to go after that. This was the first time he'd walked home this way, not including when Mark had brought him here earlier. He'd been too distracted by Marks' incessant babbling to pay attention to what roads they were taking. He hadn't expected his 'friend' to walk away. Then again, what friend would beat their friend to a pulp for accidentally nudging them?


He inhaled quickly, making a sound that sounded somewhat like a gasp. He'd completely forgotten to text Mark once he left the club. He patted his pockets with his free hand, and realized he'd left his cell phone at home. Yay. He looked up at Jace, and, since he couldn't write to him, tried to speak. A-re you sti-sti-stilll in sc-school? He asked hoarsly, barely making out the words because it caused him pain to talk loud and clearly. Plus, his stutter was atrocious. He sighed, and scowled, wishing he could talk better.

Jace nodded and led him down the road. When Xander tried to talk to him he leaned in close to hear him. "Please don't talk if it causes you to much pain. Believe me, I love to hear your voice, but I don't want you to be in pain." he told him softly, his eyes worried. "And the answer to your question is not exactly. I usually move around to much to stay at school so I'm more or less self taught, but I do have a friend that will be attending the school here." he told him.

Xander nodded, and frowned slightly. How was he...oh. He pulled back his sleeve using his teeth to reveal the notebook. He stopped walking, and used his knee as he wrote, scowling at the rather sloppy hand-writing. He stood on one leg as he struggled to write, not wanting to let go of Jace's hand. WHen he finally finished writing, he set his foot back on the ground, and handed the notebook to him. He more at the though of Jace not being at the school to protect him. He looked up, looking slightly dis-heartened. What did Jace mean by 'move around a lot?' Did it mean that he would be gone in the next month? Two months?


He sighed, confused. He didn't want Jace to leave him...but...What if that wasn't what he'd meant exactly. He felt conflicted, and huffed. Why did he have to take everything the wrong way? Why did he panic at the littlest things? He suddenly hated himself again, and wondered why Jace didn't. Why was he so nice? It was the one thing about the boy that Xander couldn't get through his head, no matter how many times it was explained. He glanced at the notebook, remembering his slight fear of Jace's 'friend'. He wasn't sure if he'd worded his note quite right...I'm sorry that you move so much. Why do you? And, who's your friend? What's he like? Is he nice? He wondered if he'd asked too many questions. Damn. Not be able to talk was so annoying. (Fail post T-T)

Jace stopped when Xander got out his notebook and wrote in it quickly. He took it and read what he'd written. Jace couldn't help but shrug at the first question. "I've never really had a reason to stick around, but I guess there might be a good enough reason for me to stay around a little longer in this town though." he told Xander with a smile. "Oh, his name is Julian. He's a big softie. He wouldn't or more likely couldn't hurt a fly. His old boyfriend and I used to be really good friends. He can't stand people who judge other people and he gets all riled up when someone picks on someone else for it. He's one of the nicest guys I know." he told him, laughing softly. "He'll be at the party tomorrow if you'd like to meet him, but remember we don't have to go if you don't want to." he added quickly.

Xander once again felt heat spreading across his cheeks. He smiled up at Jace, a happy, yet questioning gleam in his one visible eye. Might? He felt a little sad at that word. I made it sound like Jace wasn't sure if he was worth it. As he thought about this, though, his smile didn't waver. He looked down at the ground while he continued to think. What if Jace did stay in this town? Then Xander would actually have someone to look forward to seeing. Someone who actually cared about him. His smile widened as he continue to ponder over this.


His mind then wandered to Jace's friend. Maybe...Maybe they'd get along. It would be nice to have a friend. He suddenly wanted to meet Julian, and as soon as he could. Especially because they'd be going to the same school. He looked back up at Jace, and wiped at his nose quickly, before bending over to use his thigh as a table. When he finished writing, he handed the notebook back to Jace once again. Xander sniffed, and wiped at his nose again. He;d just noticed that his nose was beginning to run again. He hated the cold for this reason. He gave a nod, as if replying in the note wasn't good enough. I'd like to go...I really want to meet Julian. He wondered if they would be alcohol at the party. If there was, he'd have to warn Jace not to let him have any. Last time it had been given to him, it ended badly.

Jace's eyes brightened happily at Xander's smile. He took the note and read it before nodding. "Than I will pick you up tomorrow evening and introduce you to him." he said with a smile. He noticed him wiping his nose and frowned slightly. "Let's get you home and out of this cold before you get sick." he told him, concerned.