It had been a week since the fateful day that Alex ran away from home and began living with Jake. Despite the unhappy circumstances which brought them together, their relationship was progressing well. But relationships borne from necessity are often tested, and theirs would be no exception.

It was a typical morning for the two of them at this point. Alex divested himself of his soaked nighttime pull-up and made his way to the bathroom to clean up. Passing by on his way to make coffee was Jake, who couldn't help but notice that the boy was still choosing to use one of his oversized shirts to sleep in rather than the actual pajamas Jake had bought for him a week prior. The man found it endearing.

Alex drew the bath water and disrobed completely, laying the oversized shirt and his socks near the sink. Over the span of the past week he began to relax more and more, and his caregiver's patience and calmness made it easy for him. Stepping into the bathtub and setting down onto the warm water, he reflected on the choices which led him to this moment.

His life was filled with struggles. His father died when he was five years old, and thereafter his mother was never the same. She made his life miserable in the throes of her drunken grief. Comparatively, Alex's life now was akin to a sweet dream. What if Jake had never chanced upon him? He wondered as much as he thoroughly scrubbed his privates in silence.

The scent of brewing coffee filled the house just like every other morning before, and Alex's thoughts were grounded in the present once again. Dragging himself out of the warmth of the bath, he toweled off then made his way to his room.

His room. It still felt strange since he never really had personal space before, being forced to share a room with his mother, with just a mattress in the corner to call his own. He caught himself again dwelling in the past. He had to keep moving forward if he wanted to be happy. For Jake's own good too, he resolved.

After putting on a comfy outfit, he finally padded downstairs to greet Jake properly that morning. He could hear the man humming softly as he made breakfast, and soon enough, the smell of eggs and bacon wafted through the house, coalescing with the coffee aroma.

"Good morning, kiddo!" Jake smiled like a warm sunbeam at him. "How does a movie marathon sound for today?"

"Good." He responded smiling softly in return.

Not long after he arrived in the kitchen, breakfast was ready. Alex ate his meal with gusto and sipped on his daily glass of chocolate milk; after which he and Jake sat together for a moment while the man finished his own meal.

"So, I'm thinking Pokemon movies. What do you think?" Jake asked Alex, who nodded quickly at him. Jake could sense the remaining tension in the child even after a whole week under his care. Despite his desire to speak up at the boy's reserved nature, he knew deep down that it would take time for Alex to be comfortable enough to let himself really just be a kid again.

The pair cleaned up from breakfast together, playfully bumping into one another on purpose and chuckling at the other's reactions. It was little moments like these, Jake thought, that made this all worth it in the end. He was happy to just spend time with the child for now.

Once the dishes were done, the pair made their way to the living room and turned on the TV to begin their marathon. However, they couldn't have predicted what they were in store for that morning.

The television was tuned to a local news station, and the lead story was about a missing child.

"This is Jennifer Johnson from channel eight news," the young reporter said as she stood on the side of the road. "I'm here in the town of Weston, where ten year old Alex Johansson has been missing for the past week. Police are looking for any leads regarding the boy's whereabouts. Anyone with information should contact the authorities immediately."

The camera focused on a still image of Alex presumably taken from his school ID as Jake froze in place. His breathing was shallow and his muscles refused to move. All he could do was keep watching to see if they had made any progress tracking him down.

The story continued, however, without a mention of a single lead that would connect him to the crime. As the anchor wrapped up the segment, Jake slowly panned his attention to Alex, whose eyes gleamed at him with great concern. 

"Do you think they'll find us?" He asked.

Find... Us? 

Us.

Jake internalized the choice of words. Did Alex really think of them as a singular unit? His mind raced to find an answer. He didn't want to answer.

"Maybe... Maybe not." He replied, trying to hold back the flood of emotions which threatened to overcome him.

"Oh."

The mood of the morning prior had been soured. Each wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock and close off the rest of the world. Alex was young, and he couldn't possibly understand the black and white nature of how Jake's actions would be perceived if they were found. All he knew is that, no matter what, he had no plans to return to his former home.

 Eventually, the two settled in the couch together in silence. Their thoughts were myriad and anxious, but the comfort of the other's presence dampened the seemingly hopeless situation they had found themselves in.

Later that day, once they had reconciled with their worries sufficiently, they began their movie marathon.  They would not ruminate on 'what ifs'. They would continue to live their lives together.

However, it was soon past dinner time and the pair had skipped out on lunch. They decided to order pizza and relax for the rest of the night. Once it had arrived, they each ate a large portion and settled deeper into the couch. Alex was once again cuddled into Jake's side and everything felt right again in that moment.

The next morning, Alex awoke early to find himself and Jake still snuggled up on the couch under a blanket taken from his bedroom. Not wanting to wake the man, he contented himself with enjoying the warmth and peace of the morning.

Warmth...

Oh.

Alex was mortified. The couch was soaked beneath him and the wetness had dripped all the way down into his socks and the carpet below.

The boy's sudden realization and startle caused Jake to stir from his own slumber, initially unaware of the puddle that he was sitting in. However, after he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked down at his charge, the smell entered his nostrils and a wave of realization struck him.

"Little buddy..." Jake gently nudged him, unaware that he was already awake... And blushing hotly.

Through Alex's profuse apologies, the man had to take extra care to reassure him that it was no big deal; although he understood just how embarrassed the boy must have felt. Once there had been sufficient consoling, Alex bathed himself while Jake took it upon himself to wet vacuum the furniture and carpet. It really, truly was no big deal in the man's eyes.

One load of laundry and a lunch of leftover pizza later, their day resumed its usual flow.  That night was much the same as the previous nights of the week. They each retired to their bedrooms and slept soundly, awaiting the next day and the next opportunity to spend time with one another.

The next week went by without incident. Then the next, and the next after that. Before they knew it, a whole month had passed. They had grown closer in that time, and despite the looming anxiety that they would be found and separated, they made the best of their situation.
***
Alex played on his new Nintendo Switch, sitting cross-legged on the living room floor in front of the couch; nearly on top of Jake's feet, and using the man's shins as a backrest. He had grown to express his more childish side over the course of the past month. The timid and quiet boy that Jake had brought into his life was beginning to blossom into a genuinely happy kid.

"Ahh!" The boy exclaimed as his game character careened into a bottomless pit. "Man, I can't get this jump right."

"Maybe I should show you how it's done." Jake playfully offered.

"No way! I'm gonna beat this level by myself!"

"Alright, alright." Jake laughed.

Fall after fall, he struggled to overcome the challenge before him. But after several more attempts, Alex managed to beat the level he was stuck on and move on to the next one. Jake was impressed with his skill, and the boy seemed to glow with happiness.

The man leaned down and patted his head, returning his smile. His big round glasses were smudged but nonetheless accentuated his gleaming green eyes, which Jake found to be very cute. Alex hopped up off the floor and onto Jake's lap in a tight hug while they laughed together.

Their bond was concrete and healthy. This much was true. But in the coming days, a new challenge awaited them. 

A challenge by the name of puberty.