TTMABchapter4

If love was red
then he was color-blind

"Who was that guy that you were with yesterday, Lance?" Justin asked in a quiet voice, almost whispering.

"My new therapist person," Lance said looking around him.

They were outside sitting on a bench, the sun shining, the sky clear, the day was perfect. Except for the fact that he and Justin were locked in a mental hospital, and that even though Justin was a thin as a rail because he wasn't eating.

"Did you eat today, Justin?" Lance asked.

"Yeah...I ate a piece of lettuce..and a piece of tomato..." Justin responded, picking at the hem of his shirt.

"You know that�s not enough, right?" Lance said, looking at Justin.

"Yeah, I know..." Justin said quietly.

"And you know if you don't eat, they're gonna stick that nasty tube into your stomach, right?" Lance said. Justin's eyes grew wide, his innocence shining through, almost child-like.

"I don't want them to do that," Justin said solemnly.

"Well then you have to eat, okay?" Lance responded softy. Justin nodded slowly.

"Okay." Justin agreed. "I'm getting a new one today..."

Lance looked up at Justin, surprised.

"What?"

"They said...they said that he was gonna come today, and that his name was Christopher...Kirkpatrick..." Justin trailed off.

Lance looked at Justin, a studied him closely. His curly hair was matted down, his eyes, once shining with happiness, were now two dull orbs. His face, once graced with a smile, was now turned in a frown.

"Did you want a new one?" Lance asked quietly. Justin shook his head and bit his lip.

"I-....I just want someone who understands me, Lance..." Justin said, even with the aura of innocence that surrounds him, his eyes tell a different story. One of a young man, still young on the outside. But in the inside, he was a mature man, knowing more than he should have at a young age.

"I understand you, Justin..." Lance sighed.

"Yeah, but...they aren't you." Justin straightened up and the look of
innocence once again settled into his eyes.

---------

"Lance?" Jc walked into Lance's room and looked around tentatively. He'd never been inside Lance's room, without the actual Lance in there with him.

"Momma never loved her much and Daddy keeps in touch...that�s why she shys away from human affection..." a voice sung out into the silence.

Jc backed away silently and watched as Lance came out of his bathroom.

" But somewhere in a private place......she packs her bags for outer space and no-" Lance stopped, mid-song and looked blankly at Jc. Jc smiled guiltily at Lance.

"Um...sorry. But that sounded very....nice. I couldn't help but hear..." Jc trailed off. The cold gaze slipped into Lances' look once more, without him even blinking.

"Fine..." Lance sat down on the bed, and watched Jc, looking for any kind of reaction from him. He had heard what Jc had said. And now he was there, watching, waiting for something. Anything.

"Um..yeah so...how was your day?" Jc asked sitting on a chair.

"Fine"

"Isn't the day nice out?"

"Yeah"

"How are you doing?"

"Great"

Jc sighed, he was fearing this, being back to square one. With nothing to work with.

"Lance, I really don't know what to do. So I guess it's back to square one. I'm just going to sit here, and wait for you to say something..." Jc said. He leaned back into his chair, and settled into the silence that enveloped them.

Their silence was interrupted by a knock on the door. Joey peeked in and smiled.

"Lance, it's time for your pills..." Joey gave Lance two pills and a glass of water. He watched as Lance gulped them down, the handed him the glass. He glanced at Jc before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.

"In case you're wondering, those are for my...hallucinations. Sometimes, I lapse into sleep...and when I wake up...I hallucinate things. Things from my past. Things that I never wanna see...again." Lance said, looking at Jc. Hoping that, that little bit of information was enough to make up for the rudeness, the cold shoulder he had given to Jc.

Jc smiled. He understood.

"That means a lot to me...Lance," Jc said, standing up. "I hope that...in the days to come. You'll learn to trust me..."

Those where the words he said, before walking out.

Lance sighed, and laid down on the bed. And closed his eyes, fell into a deep sleep. One that would be full of sweet dreams of blissful happiness, and bitter dreams of dark unhappiness.