Key was still sitting on the stage's edge, getting more anxious by the second. He didn't like waiting for Lorn to show up because all he could do was think. When the other man finally made it there, Key stood up to walk to his side. He wrapped his arms around Lorn in a loose hug and dropped his head onto the other's shoulder. "I had a bad day," Key said with a long sigh. "And I think it's only going to get worse." He sat back on the stage and pulled Lorn down with him. He was procrastinating on talking because he just wanted to enjoy Lorn's presence for a little while.

He brought his arms up around and hugged the other man tight, close to his heart. Lorn lifted a hand to run his fingers gently through the other man's strawberry blond hair. He moved to sit with Key, and then pulled him up against him once more. "Oh Key ... I'm sorry to hear that, sweetheart." Lorn didn't ask what had brought the other man down so.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to.

Key snuggled up against Lorn, happy for the comfort that was being given to him. After another few long seconds, he was feeling better and like he could talk. "Is it okay if I rant to you? I feel so bad doing things like that, but I really need to talk to someone and especially you," he said. He pulled back enough that he could look up at Lorn properly. "Today the lead actress broke her ankle. Oh...and my sister called." He tossed the comment about his sister in like it wasn't important even though it obviously was. "I may have to go home for a while."

"Of course it's alright." Though he said that, he dreaded in a way what the other man had to say. What could have Key so worried? The answer became apparent soon enough, and Lorn felt almost relieved, but not quite yet. His heart plummeted and wrung itself full with worry and dread. "Why do you need to go?" They were just beginning to truly feel comfortable with each other.

It had to be something very pressing... But what did he know? Key had never spoken all that much about his family. Now, Lorn had to wonder why.

Key hesitated to speak, but now that he had started, the words were coming out easier. It felt good to talk to Lorn and he wanted the other man to know about him and really, he just wanted to talk. "Ah really, it's all a big mess!" Key exclaimed with a shake of his head and a wry smile.

"My mum is sick. I don't really know the details of it, but it must be bad if my sister thinks I should go home. Things there...haven't been good for a long time, with my parents anyway. I don't know what to do! I want to be there if the worst happens, but otherwise....is it wrong to say I don't want to see my family unless absolutely necessary?" He chuckled at himself, but it was without any humor. He felt like a bad person saying he didn't want to go home, but it was for all of his family's own good, including himself.

Lorn was overwhelmed by the rush of words flooding from Key's lips. For a few minutes, all he could do was sit, blink, and think. What could he really say? He knew so little of Key's life as it was. "Would you like me to go with you?" said Lorn before he could truly think it through. "I know things have just started to even out between us and that it's probably a lot to ask, or propose, but I would like to go with you."

It was a crazy enough suggestion, but then again .. Key tended to make Lorn react in the most unexpected of ways.

"What?" Key said. He shook his head, yet he was already considering Lorn's proposition. "I don't really think that would help things and home is no where near here. Would you really want to come with me?" Key's voice was hesitant. He really did thing that having Lorn around would complicate thing, though he wasn't sure in just what way. It would be nice to have the other man around though. "I'd like that, but I really don't want to drag you into my mess!"

He was disappointed, but nodded all the same. "Alright I understand. Promise you'll call me though?" Lorn would have gone in a heart beat, if the other man had wanted him there enough. As it was, it seemed like his presence might just cause more trouble then it was worth. He didn't want to bring about any more pain to the strawberry haired man then he was already going through.

"I'll miss you." Lorn lifted a hand to brush it through the other man's hair gently. He smiled, just a little.

Key felt bad saying no, but he wouldn't take it back. He hugged Lorn and sighed long and deep. "I'll miss you too. And I'll definitely call when I can. Hopefully I won't be gone long." He half smiled again, but it quickly fell off of his face. "Ugh, I really don't want to leave now. Things were going so well!" He didn't bother pulling away and stayed snuggled up again Lorn. If he was going to have to leave the other man for a while, he wanted to gather as much of his warmth as he could before he went.

He squeezed the other man hard for a few moments. Lowering his head, he nuzzled Key's neck and pressed his lips against the soft skin briefly. "They were ... Don't worry, we'll pick up where we left off. Won't we?" It was so hard, imagining a day without Key, without the chance of seeing him even briefly. Maybe when Key got back, he could go through with what they had begun the night before. It would be fitting, he supposed. Distance made the heart grow fonder. Lorn could only hope the saying was true.

"Yeah. I'm sure things will be just fine with us." He could only hope anyway. After another minute of snuggling, Key finally pulled away. He checked his phone for the time and sighed. "I should probably get going in a minute. I promised my sister that I would call her back after practice was done with. You probably had something you were doing before you rushed here too," he said. He knew that he needed to go, but he moved slowly, standing up a languid stretch.

The loss of Key's warmth sent a shard of loneliness spearing straight to Lorn's heart. He hadn't expected himself to react that way, so intensely. It was because he knew it would be a while before they saw each other again. Days, weeks, maybe even more then that would pass. The blond shifted, stood, in one fluid movement.

A few steps, and he was standing before Key and reaching out to cradle the other man's feminine face between his hands. "You can't leave just yet.." Lorn leaned down to press his lips firmly against Key's. They would be separated, and the thought was like a dose of cold water, shattering a dream. How would the distance truly affect them?

Key pouted at Lorn with his eyes smiling just a little. The kiss felt like an oasis. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't know what else to do. Lingering was making it harder and harder to to keep himself from staying. He wanted so badly to just stay with Lorn, but he knew that was the wrong thing to do. His family may have let him down, but he had no intention of returning the favor.

"But if I don't go now, I'm afraid I won't go at all," Key whispered without pulling away from the other man. He wanted Lorn to understand that this wasn't what he wanted either. It was just what he needed.

Lorn brushed his fingers gently over the other man's cheek. So close .... they had been so close to taking those last steps to make their relationship everything it could be. Now, he was terrified it would crumble. Even so, he forced a smile. "I just wanted a last few moments ...." It felt like he was saying goodbye to what they had. Lorn couldn't help but tear up. To hide it, he lowered his head and reached out to crush the other man against him with a tight hug. It didn't just feel like goodbye, it was... At least for a little while.

"Oh Lorn! I'm so sorry about this!!" Key exclaimed as he squeezed the other man back in the tightest hug he could manage. After a few long seconds, he jumped back and took a few backwards steps toward the door. "I'm sorry. Good bye. I'll call you tomorrow when I know when I'll be leaving." After another long second's hesitation, he turned and rushed out of the theater. If he stayed another second longer, he would take back his decision and tell his family to just deal with everything without him. He knew he was hurting Lorn; he'd seen it on the other man's face. Key just didn't know what else to do.

Lorn left the theater in a daze. He was glad that he'd already finished all his work that day, that he had no more to do when he walked through the door of his apartment then slamming it shut, and locking himself in. The manager busied himself with pots and pans in his kitchen, pulling ingredients from the fridge, from the cupboard, from everywhere. The counter was filled with things, and yet he couldn't decide what to make.

The letters upon the pages of the cookbook made no sense. Lorn breathed out slowly, and slammed it shut. Nothing made any sense. Not him, not his relationship with Key. He loved him! And yet, he had felt relieved, hurt, when Key had said that visiting with him was a bad idea. More then that, he had felt relief, and panic, when their interlude the night before had ended before going all too far.

Key went home and called his sister again like he promised. They only talked for a few minutes, arranging when he would travel home. Sooner seemed better than later, so he would fly out the following evening. It all felt too soon and yet too far. Like it long enough for suspense to hurt but not lose it's strength. He only managed to sleep because his emotions became so tangled that he couldn't tell his left hand from his right. How was he going to do this?

After waking mid morning, Key sat in his bed, still dazed. Eventually, he decided that he needed to do something. First he would pack, then when all the work had been done, he would call Lorn and inform him of the plan before Key finally left to catch his flight.

The rest of that evening, Lorn spent in quiet contemplation as he went about doing his chores. As he cleaned the dishes, he thought of that morning, and then how things had played out during the rest of the day. He dried his soapy hands, and walked through his small apartment like a caged animal. He didn't know what to do. Too many thoughts were crowding into his mind, all clamoring for his notice at the same time. Lorn tried to sort through them, and finally settled down at his desk to start writing in a plain little blue notebook that he pulled from a drawer at random.

I'm afraid, terrified. These feelings for another man are terrifying me, making everything seem like it's on its head. The world as a whole ... is strange now. I just ... don't know ... I thought things were going better, but now he's leaving. Everything will change again .. I don't know if I can deal with that.

The words lay open to accuse him the next morning when he awoke from his sleep and haunted him as he settled down at work. He put his cellphone to vibrate and began typing at the computer with quiet determination. Forget .. At least for a little while. Then, Lorn frowned a little, then it would be time to think. The separation would be good for that, in a way.

Key stared down at his luggage all neatly in a pile by the door. In reality it was just a duffel bag and his purse, but he'd taken his sweet time packing it. He didn't know how long he would be there and what was the best sort of things to pack. It made clothes hard to pick out so he eventually just picked a little bit of everything.

Now that was over with, he finally plopped down on a rug and propped his feet up on top of his bag. He still had a little time to pass before he needed to leave so he eyed his phone. "Oh fine, I'll call!" he snapped at himself as he dialed Lorn's number, feeling more nervous now than he'd ever before when calling the other man.