Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 22:52:40 EST
From: WatchitcrumbIe@aol.com
Subject: Linkin Park Love - 8 - The Promise

You know the drill. I don't personally know any of the members of Linkin
Park, and what occurs in this story is to have no bearing on the actual
sexuality of them.

And, you should be 18 to read this. How many of you actually are, I can
only wonder.

Enjoy,
-Nick.
______________________________

Hey, it's alright my life has never been a bed of roses
This way's better for me
Hey, it's alright my life has never been a bed of roses
This way's better for me. I don't care to live the life I've chosen

Hey, it's alright my life has always been a sad emotion
Don't feel sorry for me.
Hey, it's alright my life has always been a sad emotion
Don't feel sorry for me. Feeling sorry's been my life's devotion
______________________________

It'd been exactly two weeks to the day since Chester and I had met, and
inevitably found each other after such tragic events. More so on Chester's
behalf than anything else. From where we'd started out, and where we'd met,
fourteen days later we found ourselves in the state of California. I wasn't
particularly fond of the sun and warmth, as I'd spent most of my life
further up north, where there was only a period of three moths or fewer
where it was actually warm. I dressed no differently than I would have if
it were twenty degrees outside -- Baggy pants (Denim, today), a black wife
beater, and of course, the combat boots that I'd grown so accustomed to
wearing. The time we'd been together had passed so quickly; in all honesty,
I'd never been happier. I made sure Chester was aware of that,
too. Because.. He was still a bit distraught from the incident with
Samantha. She had yet to contact him for any reason, and even though he
tried to pretend that it didn't bother him, I'd heard him crying on certain
nights. He came to me with it only one time after the night we'd met. I
wasn't.. Jealous, by any means. It would have been wrong for me to be so. I
knew that Chester loved Sam, and I knew that he wasn't just going to forget
about her because I was around. In all honesty, I didn't want him
to. Because there had been a lot of happiness in their relationship,
and.. He deserved to at least have that to look back on. He knew I'd be
there for him. I hoped so, at least.

As far as my relationship with the other guys was concerned -- Well, there
really wasn't much of one at all. I spoke to Mike on occasion, but that was
pretty much it. My interest in social interaction hadn't been helped at all
by this experience, and to be honest, I liked it that way. Chester was the
only one who really mattered to me. And besides, I didn't want to change my
entire way of living just because I was with these people. The biggest
change I'd made was for Chester, and that was when I told him how I felt
for him.  I'd never take it any further than that -- I don't think I could
have if I wanted to.

So right now, it was about four in the morning. I was wide awake, for some
unknown reason, while all the other inhabitants of the bus were
asleep. Save for the driver, I assumed. I sat alone towards the front,
knees drawn to my chest. It was a classic position for me, it seemed. Once
again, there was that wonderful confidence to be taken in my own
isolation. Either way, since all of this had happened two weeks ago, I
hadn't had a single moment to.. Think things over. I would never reconsider
my decision to go with Chester, but being the contemplative type that I am,
I felt like I needed to just.. Think. Every time Chester's name arose in my
mind, I'd feel a faint smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I
suppressed it to the best of my ability, though -- God knows how creepy I'd
look to anyone who might see me, sitting there in the dark at four in the
morning, grinning at nothing and staring off into space.

Sure, I was strange. But I was no lunatic.

Somewhere along the line, I'd lost track of time. But after what seemed
like an hour or so, I heard shuffled footsteps coming towards me. Someone
had to use the bathroom, I figured. But I figured wrongly.

"What're you doin' up?" Chester asked quietly -- his voice sounded
sleepy. I smiled and looked up to him.

"..Thinkin'," was all I felt the need to say. I had to admit that I was
rather impressed at how perceptive Chester was at times. He knew from the
start that I didn't like to be interrogated, and that what I said
was.. Exactly what I was doing. He never seemed to read to deeply into my
words, but at the same time, didn't take them too lightly. At first I
didn't know whether to be unnerved by this, or thrilled. I inevitably chose
the latter, of course. Chester was on of those special few people who
just.. Knew me, without having to ask. We hadn't had a whole lot of time to
spend to ourselves since the night at the hotel, and surprisingly, I hadn't
so much as seen him shirtless. Not yet, at least. I was in no actual rush;
Good things come to those who wait, right? I saw Chester's form shuffle
sleepily in my direction, a sight at which I couldn't help but smile. There
was room next to me for him to sit, so I didn't bother to move more than I
needed to so that I could drag Chester closer to me when he sat down. He
stopped in front of the seat to stretch out, arms going out to either side
of him with a little yawn. I smirked up at him, finding it rather cute. I
held my tongue, though.  Chester didn't strike me as the type who liked to
be thought of as "Cute". Soon afterwards, he sat down beside me --
Carefully, it seemed. As I had figured, there was a bit too much distance
between him and me for my own comfort. So I casually leaned towards him and
unfolded my arms from the position they'd grown used to -- Folded across my
stomach -- And snaked them around his midsection, playfully dragging him
closer and hugging onto him. He didn't protest; if I thought he would have,
I wouldn't have done it to begin with. He was still a bit.. Uncertain of
what to do around me. I discovered not soon after I'd agree to come along
with him that I would be the first guy that he'd ever had any sort of an
attraction towards, let alone dated. I knew that my decision was a bit
premature even when I made it, but it wasn't like I had all the time in the
world to sit around and contemplate. I loved Chester, and..  He wanted me
to come with him. It was a pretty simple answer, really.

"What're -you- doin' up?" I returned the question, placing a little kiss
onto the top of his head. He simply nuzzled up into it, causing me to
grin. Chester didn't really answer; rather he shrugged. He obviously wasn't
much for words when it was four AM, and he'd just rolled out of bed for
some unknown reason. Not that I was complaining -- By no means. I was more
than happy to have Chester up with me. I heard a little sigh come from him,
causing me to tug him close and nuzzle my cheek into the back of his neck.

"You okay?" I asked with genuine concern. Once again he remained silent,
but instead shook his head slowly. I frowned lightly, perching my chin on
his shoulder and peering over to him curiously. "S'wrong?" was the natural
question to follow a response such as the one Chester'd just given. I had a
feeling I knew anyways, but it was better to get it from Chester rather
than me just assuming. Assumption never led to anything good.

"You know.." He replied miserably. As it turned out, I was right. Sam. I
was developing a genuine hatred for that woman, the more pain she caused
Chester. MY Chester. I let out a little sigh of my own, probably in
annoyance of the things Sam'd been doing. Since she'd left, I think she
called every day just to antagonize Chester. She was.. Quite the angsty
woman, I had to admit. Everything she did was done with malice.

"..The baby's not mine, Scott," He continued, weakly. I sighed heavily and
tightened my hold on him a little bit, not quite knowing what to say.

Taking the more interrogative course of action, I asked "...Whose, then?" I
was hoping, at the very least, it wasn't anybody he knew.  It would
probably hurt him all the more deeply.

"I don't.. I don't know," His voice wavered just slightly at what I thought
were the onset of a few tears. "I don't know much anymore...  Do I?" I felt
my own eyes sting with a tears welling up as well, though I did my best to
blink them back. With success, fortunately. I hadn't the slightest idea
what to say to him; I couldn't bring myself to say the cliché 'I'm so
sorry' to him, simply because it just wasn't.. Me. I was sorry, though. It
hurt me to see these things happen to him; things he by no means
deserved. I felt that somehow it was partly my fault, though there was no
way that my presence could have done anything about Samantha fucking some
other guy. I felt a stab of anger in my stomach as well -- I wanted to
cause inexplicable plain for Samantha. Make her feel all the things Chester
was going through, ten-fold. Better still, I wanted to wring her whoreish
neck. But maybe that was just me..?

"..Scott?" Chester tilted his head back, those gorgeous brown eyes of his
looking up at me questioningly. I looked down into them, and I could
visibly see the dullness that they had taken on with the sadness and pain
he felt.

"Hm?" I asked questioned in response, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss
to the bride of his nose.

"..I need you to do me a favor," he asked slowly, thinking over his words
even as he spoke then.

"What is it?"

"..Promise me that you'll never hurt me like she is," he asked shakily. I
could tell he'd begun to cry, and I cradled him closer into me.  I was a
bit surprised by the question; almost taken aback. I wanted to jump and
tell him I never would, that I'd love him forever, and I'd never do
anything to hurt him. But... Would it be true? I knew that at one point,
something would happen, and I would hurt him.  And I didn't want to... Tell
him that, and not have it be true. So there were a few moments of silence
that passed slowly between us, before I finally allowed myself to speak.

"..Never, Chester," I said softly, "..I promise."
__________________________________

It was kind of dull, but... I'm working on some overly dramatic crap to
throw into the smoothness of things right now. ^_^ You may like it -- And I
promise, It will involve sex at one point or another.

Alright, well, Comments are welcome, as always.

Watchitcrumbie@aol.com