"Hold my hand," Alfie said softly, exposing his palm, waiting for the warm touch of Koda's skin.

Koda could barely move his mouth to speak let alone his body. His back rested uncomfortably against a tree and the sound of leaves in the wind reminded the boys that the weather was due to make a turn for the worst soon. Alfie had guided him to a park near his home when Koda started to close in on himself. Alfie thought the open space would help Koda breathe, and the autumn colours were nice on the eyes; red, orange, yellow. He even enjoyed the heavy scent of pine.

Koda's bones felt like they were grinding together when he held Alfie's hand. The longer the soul remained within him, the more he convinced himself that it didn't belong and it was rotting his insides.

"Alright, I'm going to take the soul for you. All you need to do is close your eyes and stay calm, okay?"

Koda nodded to Alfie's words and waited until Alfie closed his own, then stared at him. The medium was so peaceful and patient. Koda didn't want to think about his mental state if Alfie wasn't around to help him. "I need to pull myself together," he mumbled, watching Alfie frown.

"No, you need to concentrate. You're coping with this like anyone else would." Alfie intertwined their fingers, hoping to squeeze some confidence into him.

Koda then shut his eyes, letting Alfie take care of him and the dove he had cherished for so many years.

After silence stilled between them, Alfie finally detected the soul. Animal souls usually felt rather scatty and fluttered around him with bounds of energy. He smiled when something sharp dug into his shoulder. If Alfie opened his eyes, he would see the dove sitting on him.

"Do you feel it?" Alfie asked, slowly moving his hand and finding Koda's chest. His heart beat faster than Alfie expected. "Do you feel it here?"

"Yes." Koda wanted to be sick. The feeling was too strange like there was another personality within him. If he really focused, he was sure the softness of feathers brushed his lungs.

"I'm taking it now." Alfie imagined his hand reaching into Koda's chest, gripping a ball of jelly and dragging it through his ribs, causing no pain, and only discomfort. When Koda jolted his breath and tensed, Alfie pushed harder against him when the soul transferred from the sidekick to the medium. Alfie loved the feeling of holding animal souls. They were innocent, sweet, but confused. Somehow he made them relax despite not being able to speak to them. Sometimes they guided him to their families if they lived near Alfie. "I have the soul. I guess you completed your first assignment."

The wind stopped blowing and for a brief moment, Koda felt weightless as if his body hovered or fell through a bottomless pit. Alfie's touch grounded him, but the weight of carrying only his own soul lightened to make his sunken mood float.

"Thank you," Koda said with a rasp of breathlessness. He filled his nostrils, throat and lungs with sweet autumn air. Damp leaves and conkers reminded him that Halloween was only a week away.

"We're a team now. This will be the first of many soul transfers."

"Weird."

"Yeah." Alfie smiled at him, feeling the warmth pushing through his muscles and leaking from his eyes. Koda was a beautiful teenager. His strong body, big sparkling eyes, a smile that could suck all the badness out of anyone who saw it, a kindness that restored his faith in humanity, a soul that Alfie wanted to be around for the rest of his life. Koda's hazel eyes were complimented by the autumn colours, making them develop into rich golden circles. "I'll take good care of the dove. All you have to do is get used to this because as much as you're struggling, I don't think the Grim Reaper is one to give up on sidekicks."

"Unfortunately." Koda's back started to feel numb where the bark dug into his spine. "Sorry, I'm not very positive. I can't deal with stress very well because-"

"You're never usually stressed," Alfie finished his sentence, starting to wonder if he knew Koda better than he knew himself.

Koda often forgot that Alfie had been crushing on him for years. To develop a crush on someone, you must get to know the qualities you like and make judgements of their personality. Koda found it rather heartwarming to know that Alfie had liked him for so long and never changed his mind. Even through this disastrous time in Koda's life, Alfie had his heart set on staying by his side through it all.

"You know, my dad's taking the Grim Reaper stuff really well," Koda said. "You'd think he'd find it as strange as me, but he doesn't."

"Maybe he does. Your dad is great at concealing emotions. Maybe he's trying to hide it to make you feel better."

"You think he'd do that?"

Alfie shrugged, pulling apart a crunchy copper coloured leaf. "I don't know him very well but yes, I do. Your dad's a very... interesting person. The energy he brings when he walks in the room is horrible. He's always angry and pretending not to care about you because he thinks that he shouldn't." Alfie then smiled, and Koda's face subconsciously softened at the sight. "When you're with him its like he relaxes because when he looks at you and sees that you're just a normal teenager like everyone else, he remembers that you're his son and he loves you as he should."

Koda's eyebrows raised high. "You're quite the deep thinker."

"It happens."

"But, you've really analysed all of that about my dad?"

"It's my job, and your dad definitely cares about you whether he wants you to believe it or not."

Koda inhaled and exhaled slowly. A big cold breath reset his train of thought. "I guess that's one positive thing to come out of all of this. My dad and I are starting to act like father and son again."

"Death can bring people closer together."

"Which death?"

"Both."

The boys chuckled and the wind whistled loud through the trees. If it was nighttime, the noise would have an eerie effect. "What about your dad," Koda asked. Talking to Alfie was as natural as blinking. "I get the impression that he's not really sure of me."

Alfie would like to say that he was surprised, but he had noticed too. "I hate to say it, but ever since my dad moved out, he's getting more and more distant. I asked if I could stay at his new place and he practically ran out of my bedroom. We haven't spent much time together for weeks, so we haven't had the chance to talk about you."

"That must be hard." Even though one of Koda's parents died, he didn't compare his troubles with Alfie's. He could say 'at least your parents are still alive' or 'at least your dad still visits'. Pain was not a competition of who suffered it the most. Alfie hurt from his parent's separation, and Koda hurt from losing a parent. Both should be respected and treated with care.

"I really miss how it used to be." Alfie looked away and across the field. He watched the wind scoop up lots of leaves and carry them through the air. "Anyway, do you want to-"

"Don't do that," Koda interrupted. Alfie turned back to him, and Koda was staring deeply into his eyes. "Don't change the subject."

"But it's not a big deal. My parents have split up. It's petty of me to be sad about that when you've lost your mother."

Koda sat forwards and twisted the string from Alfie's hoodie around his fingers. "I know there are people out there who would agree with you, but we're both different people with different lives. We're both dealing with stuff that's dampening our mood and if we can't talk about it, out of fear of seeming like we're craving attention, then you're doing something even worse."

"Bottling it up until the bottle is full," Alfie mumbled, watching Koda's hands.

Koda nodded, wanting to pull Alfie close to him. "Tell me about your dad. I want to know."

Alfie's eyes dropped to their crossed legs and his knees that overlapped Koda's. Alfie had rips in his jeans and wished Koda did too so he could feel his skin. He laughed at their endearing conversation and shook his head. "This is why I fell in love with you," he sighed and the words spilt out so casually, he barely registered what he said until Koda's hands stopped fiddling with his hoodie strings, freezing into place. Alfie could feel himself turning beetroot. "Well, you know, I mean- it's just..." Alfie looked up, choking on his words when there was no excuse. Koda's facial expression hadn't changed and Alfie didn't want to lie about how he really felt. "Actually, I meant what I said. I've liked you for ages, so I guess it's okay. I don't expect you to feel the same because it takes time and, you know, you might never love me and that's okay too-"

Alfie's blabbering was quelled by his preferred way; a kiss. Koda smiled against his freezing lips, always enjoying the rush of excitement from connecting his face with someone he liked. "I can't say it back just yet," he whispered and Alfie felt his heated breath against his skin, "but I will one day."

Alfie wrapped an arm around his neck and Koda found the opportunity to pull him closer, seating Alfie on his lap and squishing their bodies together.

"I'm so embarrassing," Alfie mumbled with his face pressed against Koda's shoulder.

"Just the way I like you," Koda grinned, taking one of Alfie's hands and playing with his rings. As time kept ticking and the world kept spinning, Koda stopped zoning in on his own issues and focused on the boy in his arms. "So, we were talking about your dad?" he asked and rested the back of his head against the tree, ready to help with someone else's problems for a change.