Dripping slowly, the drop of water down the car window. The clouds are angry and grey, the grey road slippery as he drives his car from work. The rain is heavy, but claiming as well. He watches his students all make their way home. He drives slowly as to not slip on the wet road. He watches as the students run for cover, taking shelter at the bus stop. All but one, the one that walks, hands in his pockets, hoody up, no umbrella and no rush to get to his destination.

Curious, Jason watches the student, he knows this student, it's the same student who sits in the back of his class, completely quiet, no interaction with other students or with the class conversations, but somehow seems to get perfect marks. Slowing his car, he follows this young man down the street, as he passes the bus stop. Jason frowns and speeds up to the side of the student.

"Mr Walter?" The boy asks, his piercing blue eyes glowing in the darkness of his hoodie.

"Why aren't you catching a bus home?" Jason asks the student, watching as his clothes start to drip.

"They are always overcrowded." He mutters. Jason frowns and opens his car door for the young man.

"Get in Kyle." Jason orders, Kyle complies and gets into the front seat.

"Jesus, you're soaking." Kyle rolls his eyes.

"No shit, I was just in the rain." Jason looks at Kyle shocked. This conversation is probably the longest conversation they have every had and the sassy comebacks have genuinely surprised him. Kyle finally takes down the hood off his head. His head is completely bald. No hair at all, not even spikes of short hair.

"Maybe look at the road instead of staring at my bald head." Kyle snaps, making Jason look ahead again and start the car.

There is silence among the two for a good five minutes before Jason speaks up again.

"You don't talk much do you?" Kyle, merely shakes his head.

Kyle finally looks away from the window, as he has been staring at the passing houses for the last five minutes.

"Turn right here." Kyle says as they come to the intersection down the road from the school.

"I'm going to miss this area." Kyle mutters under his breath. Jason is aware that he was not meant to hear it, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Why do you say that? Are you moving schools or something?" Kyle purses his leads.

"Or something." He confirms.

"What then?" Jason asks curious. Kyle stays silent for a few moments before his eyes light up momentarily.

"Do you mind if we stop here? I want to go into the arcade, I haven't been since I was 10, you can drop me off and ill walk the rest of the way." Jason frowns but pulls over anyway.

"I'll still drive you home. The rain seems to be getting worse." Jason lies, truthfully, he wants to spend time with Kyle.

They get out of the car, and walk toward the arcade. The arcade music and lights brings a smile to Kyle's features as he moves to the claw machine. Giant teddy bears lay inside, waiting to be taken home with whichever lucky kid is able to catch it. Kyle puts in two dollars and the machine starts up, he goes for a purple giant teddy bear that has a bow around its neck. the claw attaches and he wins the teddy.

"She will love this." Kyle grins.

"Who will love it?" Jason asks curiously.

"My little sister, she's five, she's too young to understand, but at least she will have this to remember me." Kyle says.

"Why do you keep saying things like that?" Jason asks.

"Like what?" Kyle asks back.

"Like you're dying." Jason says as they walk back to the car. Kyle just smiles and puts the teddy bear into the car, ignoring Jason's question again.

Jason doesn't want to overstep his boundaries so he doesn't ask again. The rest of the ride home was quiet and uneventful. As they park outside of Kyle's house, he turns to Jason and smiles.

"Thank you for the ride home. I appreciate it." Jason smiles.

"It's fine, I'll see you on Monday." Kyle just smiles. As he is about to get out of the car, he turns around and cups Jason's cheeks with his hands.

"I've wanted to do this since the day you started teaching my class." Kyle mutters before pressing his lips against Jason's.

Jason is taken by surprise but lets his eyes close and his lips move in sync with Kyle's. They deepen the kiss, fighting for dominance over the kiss as Jason takes hold of Kyle's hip. When they finally pull away, Jason smiles as he sees how red Kyle's lips are. Kyle bites his bottom lip with a smile and walks out of the car and to his front door. Jason couldn't wait for work on Monday.

~-~

Monday morning comes, and Jason sets off to work. Waiting impatiently for the day to move along until his class with Kyle. The bell goes, and Jason grins to himself as he heads toward his class. He sets his books down and watch as the students come in one by one, until no more students walk in. He scans the room to find Kyle's seat empty. Just as he was to take the role, the Principal walks in, asking for a moment of Jason's time. Jason follows the principal out of the classroom, his heart racing and a knot in his stomach.

"We're aware that a student by the name of Kyle Bourne, a student in your class, didn't show up to school, and also didn't call in sick, so we called his parents, who informed us that their son had leukaemia and passed away during his sleep Friday night." Jason could not help but gasp.

A shock had hit his body, like a virus flooding his bloodstream, making him hot and pale, his hands sweetie as everything that Kyle had said, missing the school, missing the arcade, his sister being too young to understand, but the bear to remember him by, him being bald, the kiss. Their first kiss, their only kiss, their last kiss.

"We were wondering if you could inform the students, I'm sure there are some students in your class who knew him. We are sending the senior's home for the afternoon." Jason couldn't form a sentence as his mouth ran dry. He nodded his head and gulped before walking back into his classroom, where he had to tell a class full of students, that the young man they had in their year level, had passed away, without letting them see how much he actually meant to him.