~~~~~~~~~Third Person POV~~~~~~~~~

Justin paced around the hallway as panic rose inside his chest. His normally slightly tanned skin had grown a shade paler, a hand going through his dirty blonde hair, dark blue eyes darting around the room.

They eventually landed on the door at the end of the hall, a white door with sparkly golden star stickers around it. As innocent as it seemed, that door was the cause of his current anxiety.

Well, not the door itself, obviously. It was what was inside the door; more specifically, who.

Earlier that day, his good friend North had the group earlier, a depressing aura around him, and he hadn't been seen after that. Worried about him, Justin decided to go to his room and see what was wrong, but he was also terrified of making things worse.

Still, he wanted to make sure.

He couldn't knock on the door, for North had no sense of hearing. Instead, there was a light switch right beside the door, which when flicked twice would signal the young boy that someone waited outside. It worked as a visual knock.

A few seconds went by, and the door swung open, revealing who he expected to see. North was sixteen at the moment, at 5'9. Justin himself was 5'10, so they had no problems when it came to heights. His hair was a platinum blonde, almost white, eyes wide and a periwinkle blue. His skin was pale, like porcelain, with light freckles covering his face and shoulders.

Instantly growing more nervous, Justin held his breath, but forced on a small and gave a small wave.

North tilted his head, raising his hands to ask. "What's wrong?"

Justin had learned the basics of ASL years ago, but he had learned a lot more with North around, to the point it became a second language because of how much he used it. He always spoke as he moved his hands, so his friend could also read his lips. "Nothing, just wanted to check on you.. You left in a hurry earlier.."

The pale boy didn't reply, instead shrink a bit in place. The sight alone only made Justin worry even more; North was normally a very bubbly person, always smiling and spreading is joy around, so if something was able to make him this sad, it was something worth learning.

Instead of responding, North simply stepped aside as he held the door open, signaling the other boy to walk inside.

The room itself had a color scheme of white and pastel colors, preferably pastel blue, along with some pinks and yellows, which only emphasized his love for bright things. Surprisingly though, all the windows had been covered with the curtains, and the lights were off, giving the room a much duller feel.

A pain began to thump inside Justin's chest as he turned to his friend. "North, what's going on..? You're acting so different than usual.."

It was obvious something seriously bothered him, his shoulders tense and his head lowered down. He closed the door, locking it, and before Justin had a chance to react, North began to take off his top.

His face growing all shades of red, Justin quickly brought his hands in front of him. "AH- Wha- w-what are you-?!"

That's when realization struck.

He noticed that North's dragon tail was visible since he had no reason to hide it at the moment, and yet, his wings weren't there. He couldn't hide one or the other, he could only hide both or none.

And when his friend turned to have his back face Justin, his eyes grew wide.

There were two large scars on his upper back. They didn't seem old, quite recent, actually, which only made it worse.

Justin raised his hands once more to speak. "What happened..?"

"I noticed when we got home after we escaped Alexa.." North began to explain. "I couldn't feel anything on my back, so I checked and-"

He stopped as the tears began to fall down his face, hands trembling as he kept them raised in front of his chest. The other boy didn't hesitate to wrap him in a warm embrace as North continued to cry into his shoulders.

His sobs were quiet, he was so used to not using his voice that it affected most of the sounds he made on accident, but it was still heard. His pain was still heard.

Justin then led him to the bed, where they both sat on the edge for a long while. All that was heard was the boy's faint sobs, and the occasional noises from the outside.

After a while, North finally pulled away, wiping away a few tears before placing a hand over his chest. "I'm sorry.."

"No, it's okay.." He replied, the pain inside only increasing. "I'm sorry you had to go through that.."

"It wasn't your fault.."

For another moment, it was silence, both of them unsure of what to say or do. Eventually though, North grabbed a small container and sat back down.

Justin tilted his head in curiously. "What's that..?"

"A healing mix, for my scars.."

"Must be difficult to place it on your back.."

"I manage.."

A thought then came to mind, though it made his cheeks grow a little pink. "M-mind if I help..?"

At the question, North stared at him for a little while before handing him the container and turning around so his back was facing him.

Surprised he agreed, Justin opened it, and although his hands trembled a bit, began to spread the healing mix over the other boy's back.

A small hiss escaped the pale boy, signaling him that it still hurt, and badly. Spreading the mix, he remembered how painful it was when he tried to heal his own scars. He knew the feeling, he had lived as a prisoner for years.

And it was thanks to North that he was set free..

He owed him so much, all of his friends so much.. They gave him a new home, a new life, a new purpose..

It was the best thing that's ever happened to him...

He hasn't noticed that his mind had wondered off until North's eyes met his own. His had was facing back, cheeks a visible red, and Justin didn't understand why until he looked down. He had apparently passed his hand down the boy's side, and now gently held his waist.

Face flushing bright red, Justin pulled away. "S-sorry, I'm sorry! I zoned out, I didn't mean to- I was going-"

To his surprise, he then felt North gently take his hands in his, cheeks growing darker as the other boy gave a kind smile.

Their faces were now only inches apart, and the dark blue eyed boy could now feel his heart thumping a thousand miles per hour, his gaze shifting down to the boy in front's lips.

For a moment, North followed his gaze, and understood what he wanted but was afraid to ask. So to give a sign, he closed his eyes and waited.

Justin grew darker at the action, but even with the heavy pit of fear that only grew bigger and bigger, he leaned in, and pressed a ginger kiss against the other boy's lips.

He was about to pull away, not wanting to go overboard, only for North to gently cup his cheek and signaling him that all was okay.

The two continued like that for a while, the kiss getting more and more heated with time, until they ended up with the pale boy lying on the bed, the other hovering on top, and both pulled away to get back the air they had lost.

North then pulled both hands away, and with a small smile, spoke with his hands. "I like you, and.. I want to continue.."

Growing even darker, Justin passed for a moment. He then nibbled on his lip, and raised his hands as well. "Then.. why don't we..?"

Smiling at his answer, North cupped his new lover's face as they shared another kiss, among the many more they shared in that star filled night.

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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