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Sofiane sat in his room, absentmindedly running his fingertips over the raised scars on his two fingers. It had been three weeks since Victor had left for the hospital. He would never admit it outloud, but he missed him. Having Victor be so far away from him was emotionally and physically draining, and he never realized how strong their bond was until Victor was gone. At school, he tried to distract himself from the emptiness he felt inside from Victor’s absence, but that resulted in him regressing to his trouble-making ways. Previously, he believed that he acted out because Reda was gone. He realized now that maybe he just needed a friend. And his first real one was gone.
Just then, Reda popped his head in the doorway.
“Sofiane, get your fucking cat out of my room.” His face changed when he saw the dejected look on Sofiane’s. “Hey, what’s up?”
Sofiane shook his head in response. Since Reda had returned, he wasn’t sure how to act around him. Sofiane tried to replicate the brotherly banter that they used to have, but it seemed disingenuous. So much had changed since Reda went missing, and Sofiane had learned almost too much about his brother, voodoo, and himself. He felt guilty for wishing that he could go back to the time when his biggest problems were Rodrigue, Bastien, and Ousmane.
Reda sat next to Sofiane on his bed, gently clasping a hand on his brother’s shoulder. It surprised him, and he realized that aside from the brief displays of affection from his parents, Victor was the last person to give Sofiane such a comforting touch. The memory of the last time Sofiane had touched Victor made his heart ache. He couldn’t explain the sensations he felt after Victor’s departure; to his parents, and especially not Reda. And yet, Sofiane’s walls began to crumble. The tears began to stream down his face as he leaned into Reda’s chest, his brother’s arms holding him in the embrace. Reda didn’t prod further about the cause of the tears. He simply held Sofiane as he cried in his arms, whispering soft reassurances. Sofiane grabbed at Reda, trying to hold himself together so he didn’t completely fall apart. He had never felt like this in his life. It was a crushing weight coupled with the voidness that plagued his heart. He was glad Reda didn’t ask any questions, because he wasn’t sure he could effectively explain it. Sofiane appreciated that Reda was there, even if he most likely believed the sobs from his brother were at his expense.
After a while, Sofiane wiped his eyes and straightened on his bed. He chuckled an awkward laugh as the cat came strolling into the room, jumping soundlessly onto the space next to Sofiane. He turned to Reda, who was giving him a sad smile.
“If you ever need to talk,” Reda said softly. “Just know I’m here.”
Sofiane nodded, eyes red and puffy. Reda ruffled Sofiane’s hair on his way out the door. He smiled slightly to himself, feeling the smallest bit better for letting his emotions loose, even just for a moment.
Suddenly, he felt a familiar ache bloom at the front of his head. He grimaced, and a hand went instinctively up to his forehead. Once his palm made contact with his head, he felt his conscience become light, and then crash down into the dark expanse of his mind. Confused, he gathered himself up from the ground. A lump formed in his throat as he became frightened. What’s happening...is it Herve...Obé? Sofiane thought.
Just then, a pair of hands gasped his shoulders. He sharply inhaled, feeling his consciousness become heavier and lighter at the same time. Sofiane turned quickly, expecting the worst, and practically stumbled back at the sight in front of him.
Victor stood there, an unusually bright smile plastered on his face. Sofiane couldn’t believe it. Victor had found a way to connect their brains, even from miles apart. The initial shock faded, and Sofiane let out a relieved laugh, an echoing shout leaving his lips.
“Victor! How...what...how is this possible?” Sofiane stuttered out.
“I’ve been trying to contact you for three weeks,” Victor said, his voice almost like a dream, fading in and out, but somehow real enough for Sofiane to hold onto. “There’s not much to do at the hospital, so I thought I would test out my powers-”
Sofiane didn’t let him finish. He wrapped his arms around the shorter boy’s neck, soaking up the warmth radiating off Victor’s body. Victor returned the hug after a moment, squeezing tightly around Sofiane’s middle. Sofiane buried his face in the crook of Victor’s neck and inhaled, disappointed by the lack of scent. It seemed their brains could not translate all of their sensory qualities. Nonetheless, Sofiane didn’t loosen his grip on Victor, determined to never let him go again, even if it was just in his mind. They stayed that way for a while, almost as if they were recharging their brains to cope with each other’s absence once they would inevitably part. I wish we wouldn’t, Sofiane thought, hoping Victor could read his mind. Victor made no sign of acknowledgment of Sofiane’s thought, but soon after began to laugh.
Becoming a little self-conscious, Sofiane stepped back from the embrace, holding Victor at arms length.
“What?” Sofiane asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.
“Nothing,” Victor responded shyly, looking away from Sofiane’s eyes. “I just...didn’t realize how much I missed you.”
Sofiane’s heart swelled at Victor’s words. He knew that Victor was the only one who could understand him. He had never felt this connected to another person in his whole life, not even to Mélanie. Sofiane felt such an urge to be close to Victor, as close as possible, that he suddenly realized that he was lunging forward, towards Victor’s lips.
They crashed together awkwardly. The warmness of Victor’s closeness encapsulated him, a feeling more amplified than ever before. His consciousness began to float, his astral body melting into Victor. Regret and embarrassment washed over him as he felt the stiffness of the other boy. Those feelings were quickly replaced with the same weightlessness as before as Victor’s lips moved in response to Sofiane’s. Victor’s hand reached up to grasp and tug at Sofiane’s black curls, and Sofiane placed a hand on Victor’s waist, pulling him impossibly closer. His other hand gently cupped the side of Victor’s cheek, the feeling a mixture of warmth and exciting electricity. The connection of their minds made the contact of their lips even more otherworldly.
Sofiane finally broke the kiss, surprised that he could become out of breath in his head. Victor stared up at him, and smiled shyly.
“Shit,” Sofiane breathed, carding a hand through his curls. “That was like...man...fuck.”
“Is Sofiane Kada speechless for once?” Victor laughed.
Sofiane playfully hit Victor’s shoulder, smirking. “Fuck you.”
“I should probably go,” Victor said reluctantly. “I don’t know how long we’ve been in here, and we don’t know if this can fuck us up or something.”
“Okay,” Sofiane responded sadly. “Do you want to maybe...do this again...sometime?”
Victor smiled brightly and pressed a chaste kiss on Sofiane’s lips. “I can’t wait.”
Sofiane opened his eyes then, disappointed to be back in his room. He reached his fingertips to his lips, tracing the feeling from Victor’s. He missed Victor immediately, but he couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.