After their immensely successful date, Alfie asked if they could go back to Koda's house. He said that the connection there might be stronger and more comfortable for him to hold.

Koda agreed, surprised by how he forgot about his mother, even if it was only for an hour.

They were sitting on a bus a few stops away from Koda's house, and Alfie was trying not to feel too giddy. Koda sat right next to him, and their arms and legs were touching. Every bump in the road seemed to push them closer together, not that Alfie minded. All he thought about was when he turned his head, and Koda kissed him on the cheek instead.

He wondered how those lips would feel if they were pressed firmly against his mouth, and the thought was enough to send a shiver down his spine. At least now he knew that Koda did like him, and unlocking that information was worth the sacrifice of a kiss. The kiss on the cheek was good enough, for now.

"Is your dad in?" Alfie asked after they stepped off the bus and it trudged down the street, old and tired. It looked like it was about to fall apart and felt that way throughout the whole journey.

"His car's here," Koda replied, staring at the black vehicle parked wonky on their drive.

Alfie looked at the house in front of him. It was a cute little bungalow with a row of dying flowers in plant pots along the path. Alfie wondered if Enya used to do the gardening before passing away. He often cogitated whether Koda had noticed, or would notice small changes in the house where only his mother would touch up, or fret over specific things.

At his house, Tom, his father, was a very neat and tidy person, but Molly would follow him, neatening things up her way like folding the blankets with the patterned side up or arranging the couch cushions in a particular order, or moving stuff around even though they had their own space.

Alfie frowned to himself when he remembered that his dad no longer lived with them, but at least he could still visit whenever he wanted. Koda would never see his mother again, and the realisation washed over him. His parents might have split, but at least they were still in his life.

"Dad?" Koda yelled into the hallway after unlocking the door.

"Do you have an attic?" Alfie asked after hearing nothing but the birds chirping in the tree outside the front window.

"Yes."

"Does it have stairs or a ladder because if it has stairs, doesn't that defeat the point of your house being a bungalow?"

Koda paused, midway through pulling off a shoe. He stared quizzically at Alfie. "Um-"

"Actually, don't answer that," Alfie sighed, slipping off his own shoes with a simple wobble of each leg. He swallowed hard and pursed his lips into a thin line.

"Are you okay?" Koda asked, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Alfie stood very still as if he was focusing on his touch. "I know you've already met my dad. Was he really that bad?"

"It's not that." Alfie looked around. Even though it was daytime, everything around him seemed dull and meaningless and dark. The moment he stepped through the door, a weight pressed on his head like he was holding something heavier than himself. All the sorrow, despair, sadness, every distraught emotion poured over him like a waterfall that threatened to knock him off his feet. "Your house has never felt like home to you, has it?" The way Koda's eyes latched onto his gave a clear answer.

"How did you know?" Koda was shocked.

"It was never home to your mother either." Alfie felt the weight of Koda's hand slip away as he lowered his arm, replaced by a cold feeling in his throat like he had swallowed a large ice cube. "Your house. It just feels so... cold." He didn't mean temperature wise. It held little to no character despite photos on the wall, a purple rug to match the frame around the mirror hanging above a row of three hooks for door keys, each with a name underneath: Enya, Koda, Morlen.

The house looked lived in and cared for, but the air was very unwelcoming. Alfie's heart throbbed at the thought of Koda having to return here at the end of the day. He might not feel energy like Alfie does, but Koda would still feel the dense atmosphere, even if it was just a little bit.

"She was unhappy here?" Koda asked, and the medium nodded, now looking a little pale.

Before they could say more, the door opened behind them, and Koda's father entered with keys in his mouth and milk and bread in each hand.

Koda couldn't help but think about how uncharacteristic it was to see a big beefy man- with a face so sharp it would cut through anyone's soul- carrying milk.

"Oh, have you just got in? I didn't even know you'd left," Morlen said to his son before glancing at Alfie and giving him a quick nod. "Medium."

Alfie could only stare, observing how Koda tensed and started to avoid his father's gaze. "Are you busy?" he asked Morlen. Koda quickly turned his attention to him, not expecting Alfie to take the lead. "I think it's time you both sit down together and connect with Enya."

"I thought you said you would book an appointment at a later date."

"This is a later date." Alfie stared back with confidence. He could tell by how his son was acting that Morlen was a dominant figure in their family. Opinions didn't float around him easily.

"Right," Morlen said no more and stormed into the kitchen. Alfie had only ever seen him stomp around. His actions were aggressive while Koda was gentle and took his time with things. He had the patience of an artist and Morlen seemed to have no patience at all.

"Do you regret coming here?" Koda asked while crossing his arms.

"Only if I leave without seeing your bedroom and finding at least one thing that's embarrassing enough to make fun of you with." Alfie looked around, missing the small smile on Koda's face as he wandered towards the nearest door. It opened into what looked like a living room. It was a medium-sized space with two leather couches in the middle, surrounding a fluffy cream rug. On the far end was a TV mounted on the wall above an electric fireplace. Bookshelves covered the entire left wall, and Alfie noticed how not a single piece of art was hanging anywhere.

With a son as talented as Koda, it surprised him that his art wasn't on any of the walls, cherished by proud parents.

He spotted a door on the right and aimed for it with Koda following closely behind. It opened up into a long corridor with windows along the right side. Alfie could see into a garden so overcrowded with flowers and large plants; it looked like a city for fairies. At the other end of the corridor was another door and as Alfie took a step, Koda said his name so quietly, he thought he imagined it.

He turned and looked up, catching Koda's hazel eyes against the sunlight. He was yet to see a sight more beautiful.

"I haven't tidied my room or... anything-" Koda couldn't finish because Alfie had already turned and sprinted down the corridor, grinning like a child running towards a toy shop. He watched how Alfie yanked open the door and looked around with big eyes.

The room wasn't messy at all. A few items of clothes were dumped in a pile near Koda's drawers, but those were the only out of place items on the floor. His bed wasn't made, but it wasn't like Alfie's which was usually sprawled everywhere, spilling onto the floor. Only one corner was pulled back, and the cushions were dotted around the mattress.

"If this is what you think is messy, wait until you see my room," the medium said, plopping himself down on the bed. "Even if it was messy, it's not like I'd care."

"I know, I know." Koda plonked himself next to him, smiling at their noticeable size difference. Alfie's head only just reached his shoulders, and that was when they were sitting down. "It's just- I've never brought home a guy that I liked before."

Alfie's head was blown into space. He shifted on the bed, purposely grazing Koda's side. "Are you sure you want to like me, though?"

Koda tilted his head which had always been a weakness for Alfie. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not exactly an easy person to like." Alfie was rewarded with a raised eyebrow, another action that he secretly enjoyed. "I'll talk to people who are not there, especially in public. I devote a lot of time to everyone but myself, I have a lot of nightmares from ghosts, and I'll definitely kick you in the face if you ever slept over. I can be energised one day and completely drained the next. What I'm saying is, I'm stupidly unpredictable, and most people don't like that."

Koda took a moment to nod and stare through him. Alfie thought he agreed until he shrugged and said, "I'm not most people. And did it occur to you that maybe I like you because you're so different and weird?"

"Obviously it didn't otherwise I wouldn't have given you that speech about things you might not like."

Koda shook his head with a soft chuckle. "I know you're odd; you don't have to point that out." When Alfie scoffed, he added, "Everyone has issues, and everyone has pet peeves. I want to find out what annoys me about you on my own, thanks."

"Well, that shouldn't take too long." Alfie fiddled with his rings until warm fingers were placed under his chin and pulled his head up to face Koda. His eyes were shining.

"I might not have really known you for long, and I don't want you to think that I'm latching onto you because you're the only person who has cared or because I'm going through a tough time, I needed a change among the people I hang out with. You know how toxic my group of friends are, and today was the first time I had openly admitted to them that I'm gay. You gave me that confidence."

Alfie could feel his thumb rubbing gently against his chin. "You deserve to be happy," he said quietly, tingling all over from his touch. "And if I can help with that, then I'll be here for as long as you want me."

"See," Koda grinned dropping his hand when he heard footsteps from down the corridor. He leaned close enough for their noses to touch and whispered, "you are cute." Then he quickly pulled back and stood up, just as his father appeared in the doorway.

Alfie was fighting down not only his blush but the goofiest grin he had ever wanted to show.

"Right," Morlen said while rubbing his hands together, oblivious to their teenage crush. He looked just as tired as his son. "Let's get this over and done with."