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 Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 4:31 pm
Chad relaxed a little. Asher was grateful for his offer to help. Called him a good student. And Elliot agreed they were a great team. Which Chad smiled brightly at. And Oliver was so sweet -- clearly where Elliot got it from.
He took another bite of his taco so he could hurry up and finish and share the chips and queso--
But immediately looked up when Oliver mentioned adopting him. Was that possible? Could anyone just adopt him?
“Could I change my name?” he asked, again with maybe more enthusiasm than he should have. But if Elliot’s parents were offering to adopt him, well. He definitely wouldn’t say no. Maybe his dad would be happy to get rid of him.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 4:48 pm
“Well, you’d have to change your name to Reid, anyway,” Oliver mused. “But it’s a good last name. Asher had it first and I liked it so much, I asked him if he’d share.”
“Was happy to. Besides, Oliver Reid sounds cute. Almost as cute as Elliot Reid.”
“Almost,” Oliver agreed. “What would you change your name to, if it wasn’t Chad?”
Something Elliot was interested in, too–even if they’d already talked about it earlier. He couldn't go on calling him Champ and Pal forever, and he’d be happy to find a nice, new name Chad could go by instead.
Chad’s enthusiasm made him a little sad. Not because he didn’t want him! –He’d have been much happier to have him here than worrying about him falling down the stairs, or not knowing where his next meal was coming from, or getting in trouble for things he hadn’t done wrong.
It made him sad because Elliot knew that he was having a hard time at home. A hard enough time that he seemed so enthusiastic to be adopted out. He’d been here for a few hours and seemed like he was ready to leave everything else behind.
…Which just made Elliot want him to stay even more.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 4:58 pm
“That’s okay. I like that name,” Chad agreed a bit breathlessly, his heart skipping a little because they were going to let him share their last name! Were they really going to adopt him? Oh, he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up, but the thought of going home after being with Elliot’s family was just miserable.
But Elliot’s dads didn’t seem like they were joking-- Oliver even asked what he would change Chad to!
Chad opened his mouth, but shut it and grimaced. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. He didn’t think he would be changing his name so soon. He would have to think about something that really suited him.
“Something better than Chad,” he heard himself say out loud, but immediately felt his face burn for it. He deflated a little in his chair. He didn’t want to complain about his name, but. It just wasn’t him.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 5:17 pm
Oliver saw the way he deflated. Saw the way he looked so hopeful. Saw how badly he seemed to want it.
Of course it wouldn’t be easy, you couldn’t just pluck a child from another family and take them for your own. But, he wanted to. Badly.
He didn’t let any disappointment or sadness creep onto his face. Instead, he smiled and held it. “Well, I don’t know if it’ll help at all, but when Asher and I were picking out Elly’s name, we went through all sorts of books. We tried baby name books, but I don’t know. I had a hard time with that, it was too many options at once. I remember, there was a book about fairy tales that I was reading. One of the stories had Prince Elliot, who was noble and clever and big hearted. And I thought it was such a charming name. Asher liked it, too. We had a few other names but we decided we had to meet him before we could pick one. But, the moment I held him in my arms, I knew he was Elliot. Oh–I hope you like your name, Elliot! If you don’t, it won’t break my heart if you change it.”
“No! I like my name, I’m not changing it,” Elliot said quickly, even around the nachos in his mouth. He raised a hand to cover it, but a mouth full of food didn’t stop him from assuring, “I’d like to keep it, thank you.”
“Oh, good. You haven’t hit your rebellious teenage years, though. You might change your mind. But the point is, sometimes you can find inspiration between the pages of a good book. Do you enjoy stories?” Oliver didn’t call him Chad; he thought he might avoid the name, especially now that he knew Chad didn’t like his name. “I’ve found a lot of names I like through reading. Or watching movies. Maybe we can find some inspiration there?”
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 5:40 pm
It was really sweet, how much thought and care went into naming Elliot. And after a prince! It really fit him, and Chad was glad that Elliot liked it.
But then… what if his name had been picked with care and was really liked? By his mother maybe? Or father? Was it a family name? He didn’t know.
Chad chewed anxiously on his lip, but he tried picking up a chip to chew instead. He just hoped he didn’t look like he was as worried as he felt about everything. Was it rude of him to want to be in another family? Was he proving that his father was right and that he really was horrible?
“I’m not really good with reading,” he admitted. It was hard for him to read. He got frustrated and ended up on the same line over and over again. “I don’t get to watch a lot of movies, either. I can’t use the television at home for myself.” He could watch whatever his dad was watching, but after that, the remote got locked up.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:23 pm
Asher was quiet as he ate, but he was unmistakably watching Oliver out of the corner of his eye. Oliver hadn’t taken his eyes off of Chad, and Elliot again just brushed their ankles together.
“Well, you’re more than welcome to the television here. I mean, we have some rules, chores and homework has to be done, but not always before a little relaxation. Sometimes you need a break after working at school. Reading is hard for me, too. But I’ve been working for half my life to figure out ways around all of that. I’ve picked up some very good tricks. I’m excited to work with you. I hope you won’t be disappointed to spend some time here studying with me. I hate to take you away from Elliot, but. It’s for a good cause.”
“Well, I’ll be there. I can just study, or something. Or be a cheer team.”
Oliver glanced at him and smiled, undeniably endeared to his son. “That will be very helpful, Elliot, thank you. Asher was my cheer team. Still is.”
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:31 pm
Chad felt Elliot’s ankle and appreciated the contact. He was feeling out of sorts, torn between not knowing what he wanted and what he thought he wanted, or if he was willing to maybe offend people who…
Okay, so his dad really wasn’t good at taking care of him. Not like how Elliot’s parents took care of him. But he was his dad, so that had to count for something? Maybe one day he would care about Chad and not think of him as a burden.
He swallowed back the emotion that was building up, and nodded his head which he’d lowered in shame for wanting to get adopted by Elliot’s family so quickly. He appreciated Oliver offering to help him. Looked forward to it! He didn’t mind if he couldn’t watch the television. He wasn’t used to it anyway, so it wasn’t like he was missing out.
Anxiously, Chad reached under the table as best he could without making it obvious, taking hold of the fabric of Elliot’s pants to curl under his fingertips.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, because he knew that when dinner was over, he would probably have to go home. He couldn’t stay out all night unless he wanted to get in trouble. He tried opening his mouth to say something-- anything else, but all he managed was a shaky breath.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:44 pm
Elliot hadn’t been expecting the touch, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he snuck his hand under the table and rested it atop of Chad’s hand–and then, when that wasn’t enough, he tried to hold his hand so he could relax a little more.
He didn’t look at Chad, didn’t have to, just brushed his thumb over the back of his hand to try and ease him.
“It’ll be okay,” Oliver said. He smiled again, and even if there was a sadness in his voice, it was brief and faded so he could reassure with a bit more enthusiasm, “Better than okay. Sometimes it just takes a little time. But we’ll be here for you. However we can. If you ever need anything, you come tell Asher and I, or Elliot. I’m going to pick out some good stories for us to read. And I’m going to pack you both some extra treats for tomorrow. A little extra boost to get us through to the weekend. It’s not sugar. Mostly not sugar,” he corrected, just before Asher could look a little exasperated.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:52 pm
Oliver’s reassurance helped him smile again, even if it was small and unsure. But Elliot holding his hand helped to calm him even more.
It would be okay. There was no other choice. It had to be okay and if it wasn’t, well… he had Elliot and Oliver and Asher to talk to. They would be there if he needed them.
So he smiled a little brighter, because he didn’t want to be remembered as the kid who nearly cried at dinner. He knew he would cry when it was time to leave, but they still had a little bit of time left before he had to do that.
“Okay. Thank you. I look forward to it!” he said as he squeezed Elliot’s hand under the table. He knew he might not be able to be adopted by Elliot’s family, but he looked forward to reading stories and eating treats and spending more time with Elliot.
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