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 Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 7:30 pm
“Just embarrassed that I didn’t feel very much like myself after I had my hair cut. I liked it longer,” he admitted as he smiled over at Elliot, before making sure to take a couple more bites of his food. He didn’t want it to go to waste or get cold. But he was also very much enjoying his time with Elliot. Hopefully his dads wouldn’t be too upset about him staying out later than they wanted him to.
“They still teased me, of course. But that was okay. I was happy that you were there to stand up for me. I kind of tried to stay a little closer to you and your friends when I could, because the others seemed to keep their distance then. But I was always too nervous to say anything to you.”
He wished he had the courage to talk to him, but he was just happy to watch Elliot have fun. Besides, Chad spent a lot of time drawing in his notebooks, so it wasn’t as though he looked like he was doing nothing! Even if Elliot had wanted to talk to him, it probably looked like he was busy.
“I don’t think it’s silly. I think it’s really sweet. It’s obvious how much your dads love you. It makes me happy knowing there are some really kind parents out there.”
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 7:45 pm
His wing had been picked to the bone, and when it looked like Chad was getting close to being done, he passed over the green beans so he could try those, too. “Things can be silly and sweet, I think. Maybe other people think it’s tacky but it’s important to me, so I’m not embarrassed. I wish I’d known back then that they were still picking on you. I’ll look out for you more at school. If anyone gives you a hard time, tell me. I’ve got your back. I won’t let them mess with you.”
And, he meant that. He was protective of his friends, and Chad had rapidly become dear to him.
“You can stand as close to me as you want, whenever you want to. And you don’t ever have to be nervous about saying anything to me. Do you still like your hair longer? I think you look nice now, but I’d like to see you with long hair sometime. I have old yearbooks though, maybe I could go find your little pictures? Oh, but. Well, when you don’t have to worry about what other people think, I hope you grow your hair as long as you want to. I ate my vegetables, you eat the rest and you can have the cupcake. Dessert’s always last. We have blueberry buttercream cupcakes. I kinda think they taste more like breakfast muffins, but the icing on top is enough sugar to tip it over the edge.”
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 7:55 pm
Chad perked up a bit when he was offered the green beans, and moved over what was left of his macaroni and chicken so he could try the rest of the food Elliot’s dad so thoughtfully packed for them.
He also couldn’t help but smile shyly at Elliot’s promise to not let anyone pick on him. His cheeks were warm again, especially thinking about standing as close to Elliot as he wanted. Maybe he could hug him again, too?
“Thank you,” he said as he pushed himself back and forth a little on the swing. “I did like my hair longer. I liked to braid it and put ribbons in it. Girls get all the pretty things,” Chad sighed, but then laughed softly about it as well. Sometimes he wished things that were designed for boys were brighter colored and had fun things like stars and butterflies.
“Your dad is very talented at making so many different flavors. Did you pick out the flavor this time, or was it his idea?” he hummed thoughtfully, curious if Elliot was already trying to find out what foods Chad liked best.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 8:03 pm
“I maybe suggested it,” Elliot laughed, feeling not the least bit guilty about it. “But he’s trying all sorts of things. And it’s good for him. Not all of his batches are successful. Honestly, a lot of them are bad.” His smile faded a bit and he looked genuinely apologetic. “Not that we tell him, we just eat them. But I won’t feed you anything bad. He’s really not always good with numbers. And you know, sometimes a five looks like a three, or you’ve got two cups instead of half a cup. Last month was bad, we think he might have accidentally put the flour in twice, and left out the sugar. But we ate all of them, anyway. That’s what you do when you love someone. The icing was good, at least. It tastes more like…lemon biscuits? Lime?”
He shook his head but laughed again. “He was happy, that’s all that matters. You should get to be happy, too. Braids and ribbons don’t have to be girly things. My parents say that kids don’t know who they want to be and all sorts of new things confuse them. And when kids don’t understand something, sometimes they’re mean. So I’m sorry that people have been mean to you. Hair with braids and ribbons sounds really pretty. You should be able to wear your hair like that, too.”
Maybe he could, when his father wasn’t there to yell at him. Or when he didn’t have to worry about someone making fun of him for it.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 8:24 pm
Chad smiled and laughed as well, flattered that Elliot would suggest something for him. But he shook his head when he said he wouldn’t feed him anything bad.
“I don’t mind. It’s what you do when you love someone, right? Um… not that I know your dads very well, but. I can already tell how kind they are, and I know how kind you are, so I would be happy to eat anything your dad made, even if they don’t taste perfect. I’ve had to eat a lot of strange things, so I’m sure your dad’s lemon-lime biscuits are wonderful.”
His face was red again, but he was grateful for the darkness. He wanted to show Elliot that he cared about him as much as Elliot seemed to. If that meant eating not perfect cupcakes then that was okay with Chad.
“Thank you for not making fun of me,” he said after a moment. “I know I’m… I mean, I know I’m not the cleanest. My clothes almost never get washed, so I know I don’t smell very good. I get teased a lot for that as well. Every time I try to wash them myself, I’m punished for doing things without permission, but… they never give me permission. Sometimes I can collect enough change to go to the laundromat a couple blocks over, but it’s not often. They don’t give me any money, so I have to find change on the ground. I think that’s part of their… I mean… I’m not trying to assume I know everything, but. They think they can fix me if I’m embarrassed all the time, I guess. Maybe I’m wrong. I’m just talking, sorry.”
Although, Elliot did say he could say anything to him.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 8:42 pm
The smile on his face was short lived; he’d have liked to assure Chad that the lemon-lime biscuits were not wonderful, but the sentiment was sweet anyway.
He just didn’t get the chance to, because he felt a strange, prickling, itchy sensation when Chad talked about his home life again. He knew everyone had their own parenting style. He’d been to his friends' houses before. None of their parents were like that.
“That doesn’t seem really fair.” His voice stayed quiet, but he’d have shouted it if it would have changed anything. “Your dad seems kind of mean, honestly. Those aren’t things you’re supposed to be dealing with. He’s the adult, it’s his job to take care of you. But if he won’t, I will. Bring me some of your clothes tomorrow, I’ll take them home and get them washed up. And I’ll just bring some more for you to borrow. Or I can bring you some quarters if that’s easier. There’s nothing about you to fix, they seem like they’re the ones that need to get fixed up.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 8:56 pm
“I thought it was weird,” Chad admitted, keeping his eyes on the food in front of him out of shame. “But I didn’t know if it’s just because I’m, well… weird.”
It wasn’t like him to say mean things about others, even his dad. But it made him feel a little better to know that Elliot didn’t think it was fair. That couldn’t stop the blush from -- no, he was just going to be in a constant state of flustered forever now, probably. His cheeks burned, but he was getting used to that when he was around Elliot.
“I would feel bad if you did all of that for me. Um… I could pay you back? Or… if there’s something you’d like a painting or drawing of, I can maybe sell you some art? Or… well, it’s probably not good enough to sell, but I could try and you can let me know how much you’d pay for it. Even if it’s just a few dollars, that would help a lot.”
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 9:03 pm
“Oh, that’s a really good idea! I bet your art is good enough to sell. I liked the one that’s up in the hallway even before I’d talked to you. Don’t feel bad about me helping you. You won’t be able to do art if you aren’t healthy, so that’s mutually beneficial for both of us. It’s like, ah–oh, an investment! And then when you’re feeling better we can work out specifics. I can show you my room, maybe you can help me figure out what would look good in there? Or–you said beads, earlier. Maybe you could make me some keychains? To help my boring bag?”
He could run with that; if Chad wanted to do art for him, of course he’d be happy trading for it.
“We can set up goals and barter, and all those things. It’ll be fun, I’ll have to dig out my piggy bank. I think your art is definitely worth something!”
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 9:09 pm
Chad couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips. Elliot was so sweet and accommodating. He didn’t have to agree to let him try to sell his art, just like he didn’t have to offer to help him at all. But Chad was grateful for the opportunity to try and make it worth Elliot’s time. At least a little.
“Yes, I like making beads. I can look at the art supplies you already have and see if I can use any of it. But I can also get some more supplies. Oh, eventually. I don’t want to do too much all at once,” he admitted, because he would run out of money fast.
“You’re really sweet, Elliot. Thank you for being my friend.” He knew he’d said similar things already, but Chad thought it was important to say it often, just in case Elliot might think he didn’t appreciate everything Elliot was doing for him.
He ate the last two mouthfuls of green beans with a contented sigh, and then glanced over at Elliot to eye the cupcakes. “May I have one now, please? I finished everything else. It was really, really good. Your dads are really good at both cooking and baking.”
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 9:26 pm
Elliot smiled, maybe more than he needed to, because Chad asked for the cupcake. Because he was comfortable enough to know that it was his. He wasn’t going to just stay quiet and polite and want something but not say anything. Elliot was all too eager to carefully pass over the cupcake.
“I’ll tell them you liked it. I hope we’ll get to have more dinners together, too. I’m glad we get to be friends, you’re a lot of fun.” He smiled, partly because he wanted Chad to see how happy he was, and partly because he couldn’t help it, anyway. “You can come over and take stock of all the art supplies I’ve got, and we’ll figure out what you can do with those. And then we can get whatever else you need. I’m excited to learn about all of it. And to see you work. I’ve got some space in my room, we can keep whatever you need there, if that’s easier? You don’t have to worry about your dad finding it and throwing it away. And you can come over and hang out with me while you work,” he shrugged.
And have snacks, and do laundry, and not worry about anyone or anything else.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 5:35 am
”Thank you,” he smiled as he took the cupcake. What started out as a rough couple days ended up being one of the best evenings of his life. If not the best. Talking to Elliot and knowing how much he cared was… a little overwhelming, but Chad was quickly warming up to the idea, because he’d wanted to be friends with Elliot for so long.
“I’ll teach you everything I know. Maybe we can learn together. Oh! The frosting is really good. The whole cupcake is,” he gasped in surprise when he took a small bite. It was difficult to not just put the whole thing in his mouth. It probably wouldn’t fit.
He didn’t want to go home. He wanted to sit there with Elliot all night. But he also knew they should try to sleep. They had school and he was looking forward to seeing him again. And if he didn’t go home… Well, he didn’t think his dad would worry so much as he would want to make sure Chad was home because… maybe to prove that he took care of him or something, Chad wasn’t sure.
“I wish I didn’t have to go home,” he admitted. It was miserable there.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 5:48 am
“I’m sorry that you have to. Wish you could come home with me. There’s no stairs.” He nibbled on the cupcake, twisting it carefully to make sure he didn’t spill any of it. “Maybe sometime you can spend the night? I won’t ask you to sneak out, sounds like your dad would just make it more trouble. But I hope you get to go home and rest. I can get you caught up with what you’ve missed in school tomorrow morning, if you want. While we eat French Toast.”
Because, he was committed to it. He’d even go to sleep early if that’s what it took.
He already knew he wasn’t really going to be artistic, and it was probably better for Chad to have the artistic supplies. They’d be wasted on Elliot, but he was willing to at least try. Especially if that’s what Chad wanted. He sounded excited about it, Elliot couldn’t imagine discouraging him.
“If you can come over after school tomorrow, I’d be really happy. But no pressure. We can reschedule to whatever’s more convenient, I’m just excited. My dad can even drive us home so you don’t have to walk.”
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 5:58 am
It wasn’t the first time that Elliot had mentioned there not being any stairs at his place, and Chad smiled at how thoughtful he was. How kind and considerate and compassionate he was to someone he’d only recently met.
Chad had been crushing on Elliot for years, even though he hadn’t spoken to him, and he was right in thinking how wonderful he was even at a distance. He didn’t think he was as fun as Elliot said he was, but he appreciated the compliment all the same.
“I would like that. If I could come over,” he said, especially if it made Elliot really happy! And he was excited?? And he was going to see if his dad could drive them home? It all seemed too good to be true, as every moment with Elliot did. But Chad was excited. Even if going home would be horrible, they always had tomorrow.
“Thank you, Elliot.”
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