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 Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:39 pm
Chad was tired, yes. But he was also eager to see Elliot. He still felt guilty of course. He knew Elliot was probably sleeping, and that he would have to wake him up for just a little while before going home. He didn’t want to go home, but he knew he had to. It would be worse if he didn’t.
Michael and Devyn didn’t live too far from the Reids, it seemed. Or maybe Chad dozed off in the car, because it seemed like it was only a couple blocks before Asher was stopping the car again in front of their house.
He waited for Asher to direct him, not wanting to cause a scene or wake up Oliver if he was asleep, too. Chad paused to give the sharp toothed garden gnome a little wave, before quickly following Asher.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:36 pm
The living room light was on in the house; Asher had locked the front door but it opened easily enough. The house was quiet; the television was on in the living room but the volume was low. There was a cup of tea and a few stacks of papers, so Asher had obviously been working on some things when he’d gotten the text.
He’d smiled when Chad waved to the gnome and gently guided him into the house. “Do you want me to wake Elliot up for you? I’ll hang up your shirt so it can dry while you’re visiting him, too.”
He’d mentioned on the way over that he didn’t mind if Chad wanted to stay or rest for a while, he just wanted to make sure that he got home before anyone noticed that he was gone or called the police or tried to get Chad in any trouble.
He stepped out of the way so Chad could enter first, and quietly closed the door behind himself when they were inside.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:42 pm
Chad graciously entered the house, but as for waking up Elliot… “Please?” he asked, because while he would have been happy to run into Elliot’s room, he didn’t want to startle him. Or embarrass him somehow. Not that Chad thought Elliot could do anything that would be worth embarrassment, but he wanted to give him at least some opportunity to prepare for his visit.
He handed over the shirt so it could be hung up, and then went over to wait on the couch. He kicked his feet nervously as he did so, and to try and keep himself from being too weird, he tugged at the sleeves of his borrowed, overlarge shirt.
He knew he had to go home, but he was grateful for the chance to see Elliot. He’d missed him that whole weekend, so being able to see him now would at least give him some relief.
Hopefully he wouldn’t be seen as clingy… oh… oh that would be bad…
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:56 pm
Asher smiled reassuringly as he took the shirt. “I won’t be long. If you’re cold, you can use that blanket behind you. I’ll be back soon.”
He crept through the house, light on his feet for many reasons, but also to give Chad a few extra seconds to let him know if there was anything he needed.
It took less than a minute from when he disappeared for Elliot to reappear, and though he was quiet he didn’t waste any time. He was sleeping in a slightly oversized black shirt with a very faded logo. In stylized script, the words ‘Dyschord’ were legible, along with a few moths fluttering away.
His hair was already a mess and fluffed in every direction. He’d scrubbed at his eyes and seemed like he’d awakened suddenly.
“Chad!” he whispered, and hurried over to the couch. “I missed you! I was going to make us waffles tomorrow, do you want some now?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 9:05 pm
He didn’t have to wait long, and while he was obviously anxious about seeing him, there was such a huge wave of relief that came crashing down that he couldn’t help but burst into quiet sobs.
Chad practically threw his arms around Elliot’s shoulders as he hugged him and -- oh, maybe he should think about giving him some space? It was his fault Elliot was woken up, after all. But he was also exhausted and missed his friend and even now Elliot was thinking of him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he blubbered against his own arm so he wasn’t being all gross on Elliot more than he was. “I missed you, I’m sorry. I wanted to see you, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry about waking you.”
He was trying to be quiet so he didn’t wake up Oliver, too. But all he wanted to do right then was curl up against Elliot and hug him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 9:19 pm
“I should have brought the whale,” Elliot said, even as he shifted on the couch to wrap his arms around Chad’s shoulders. He hugged him close, maybe a little disappointed that he couldn’t easily get comfortable. But, it didn’t matter, he could handle the awkward stooping position he was doing now.
“I missed you too, don’t worry! You don’t have to apologize for anything, I know things come up. But I did miss you. I’m glad I got woken up, I would have been even more sad if I knew you visited and I didn’t get to say hi!”
He couldn’t easily rub his back or give him a good squeeze, but he draped himself over Chad and held himself up so he could just rest against him.
“It’s okay. I’ll have other games, and we can still go to the craft store, we’ll just reschedule. If plans get canceled, it’s okay. You don’t have to feel bad. I’ll always be ready to reschedule, Chad, don’t worry.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 6:43 am
Oh, he should probably have let Elliot get comfortable before throwing himself on him. That would have probably been nicer. So after Chad took a moment to stop himself from being so clingy, he gently pulled back so Elliot could sit next to him instead.
But he did reach for his hands, because even if he had to sit sideways on the couch to make sure Elliot could still rest, that was fine with him.
Chad wished he could have explained that it was more than just being at Elliot’s games. Being with him made him feel good. He didn’t get to feel that way about himself very often, so now that Elliot gave him that, well… he just hoped he wasn’t being too much.
“I heard you won,” he sniffled quietly, and then figured he should probably explain. “I wanted to see you earlier. You said I could stop by whenever, so I tried coming as soon as I could but…”
Was it spilling Devyn’s secret if he told Elliot about the creatures? No, he would just leave the part about Devyn being magical out.
“There was something that chased after me. It cut my shoulder. Oh, I’m okay,” he promised, quickly shaking his head before Elliot could be worried. “Devyn found me when I was hiding, and then he and Michael gave me some food after putting some butterfly stitches on. And Devyn let me borrow his shirt,” he added, looking down at the now tear covered fabric. Oops.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 6:56 am
Elliot squeezed Chad’s hand immediately. “That sounds really scary, I’m glad you’re okay. I can’t believe you ran into Michael and Devyn. Michael brought him to my game, he said he’s an art major. I was hoping you’d get to meet him.”
He settled on the couch, scooting closer so he could still press against him.
“I don’t know what a butterfly stitch is but I hope it didn't hurt. I did win my game, I’ll win the next one for you. It’s okay that it’s late, I’m glad you could make it. I’m sorry that you got chased, but I’m really happy that you’re here now. I missed you a lot. I was worried a lot, but I’m glad that you’re here now. I was going to make a big breakfast for us for tomorrow, just in case you didn’t get enough to eat this weekend. Are you spending the night? You can sleep in my bed, there’s enough room. Or I can take the couch. I can still make waffles tomorrow.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:50 am
“He’s an art major? I didn’t know that,” Chad gasped quietly in surprise. He stayed maybe a little too close to Elliot, but he was more comfortable next to him. He felt safe with Elliot, like he didn’t have to hide things.
Although he knew there were some things he should keep hidden to protect him.
“They didn’t hurt. Not like real stitches,” Chad quickly reassured him, not wanting Elliot to think that Devyn or Michael hurt him.
“I missed you a lot,” he repeated, because he couldn’t quite get over how relieved it was to see Elliot now. “I want to stay, but… I don’t want to get in trouble. They probably won’t notice that I’m gone right now, or… they probably don’t care. But if I’m not there in the morning…”
Chad would have loved to stay with Elliot. His heart skipped a little thinking about sleeping in his bed with him. Not because of anything weird! He just thought he would sleep better knowing someone as nice as Elliot was next to him.
“That’s really nice for you to think of me like that,” he said, blinking back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes again. “I didn’t get a lot this weekend, no… other than what Michael made me, I mean. That’s really thoughtful of you, though. Thank you. You’re a good friend.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 8:01 am
“You’re a good friend too,” he reassured. “Do you want some snacks to take home with you? If you’ll be at school tomorrow, I’ll have plenty for us. And you can come over for dinner again. You’re always invited, we’ll always have enough.” Even if he had to split half his dinner with him, he’d be happy with that.
“Sorry, I know I’m talking a lot.” He leaned closer and rested his head against Chad’s. “I’m just glad you’re here.” Even if he was trying to stifle a yawn as sleepiness came over him again.
“Maybe sometime you can spend the night for real. We could stay up late telling ghost stories.” Except, probably not ghost stories, he didn’t want to scare Chad. Especially since he’d already had a scary enough weekend. “Or stay up late watching movies. Or go to bed early and get a good night’s rest. We could do anything and I’d be happy to spend the time with you.”
Or nothing, even. He squeezed Chad’s hand.
“I know you don’t always get to do what you want to do because of your dad. But I’m never going to be mad at you for anything like that, okay? I know parents don’t always say yes. And sometimes you get grounded and have to break plans. I promise, if our plans get broken, we’ll make new ones.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:13 am
Chad shook his head, but not enough to make Elliot move his away. “I shouldn’t take anything back. I don’t want them to know people are nice to me,” he explained, or hoped it was good enough for an explanation. He wouldn’t be able to wear the shirt he borrowed from Devyn, or bring any extra things back with him, otherwise they would get suspicious. Maybe even make sure he couldn’t see Elliot again.
He felt guilty for waking Elliot up. He caught the yawn and tried covering his mouth with his hand. Chad would have liked to just stay with Elliot, but he knew better.
Chad squeezed Elliot’s hand in return, and nodded at his promises. It was nice knowing that Elliot wouldn’t be mad at him, and that he would make new plans with him. It was a relief. Even as Chad squeezed his eyes shut over the thought of having to go home, he was at least happy knowing that Elliot was such a good friend.
“You can talk as much as you want. I like hearing you talk. You have a very nice voice. I would be happy to spend any time with you. I’m glad I got to see you, even though it’s late.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:28 am
Elliot’s face settled into something of an unhappy frown, though it was fleeting and short lived. It had nothing to do with anything Chad had done and everything to do with him being worried that his father would be upset that people were nice to him.
Like it wasn’t enough that his father couldn’t be nice, he had to make sure other people weren’t?
“I don’t want you to get in trouble. Or for anyone to get in the way of me being nice to you. I mean, it’s just–it’s not even nice, it’s just decent, Chad. And you deserve better than just decent.”
He wished there was more that he could do. Wished that Chad could spend the night, or just stay with them forever.
“Is there anything I can do? Dad said he’ll take you home whenever you need to. I wish you could stay. I understand,” he insisted, “It’s just that I like you being around. And I like knowing you’re okay. I just wish you didn’t have to go.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:57 am
He could hear the unhappiness in Elliot’s voice, and Chad couldn’t help the sad little smile that pulled at his lips. Elliot really was such a kind person. He was happy to have met him, and even more happy to be his friend.
And for that, Chad lifted his arm so he could wrap it across Elliot’s waist as they sat beside each other, and pulled his legs up so he could curl closer against him.
“Just be you,” he requested, because that was all that mattered. There wasn’t much either of them could do about his father. Not when they were both only just about to start high school. “Thank you, Elliot. I wish I could stay too. I like being around you. I don’t have to worry when I’m with you.”
There was so much to worry about otherwise, that he didn’t even have time to get into all of it. If he could just lean against Elliot and fall asleep there, he would have been happy, but he knew how dangerous that would have been.
“Can we sit like this a little longer, please? You’re warm.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:21 am
When Chad moved, Elliot did too. He removed his hand from Chad’s but not for long; he wrapped one arm around Chad’s shoulder and then, even though it wasn’t the most comfortable, took Chad’s hand in his other hand.
“We can stay like this for as long as you want. You want me to get a blanket? We can wrap up in it.”
Oh, that was dangerous, though. He could fall asleep like this. And if he fell asleep again, he wouldn’t want to move at all. His father would have to wake them up and then drive Chad home, and–
It wasn’t fair, he didn’t want him to have to go. He was afraid to hug him too tightly, so he just gave him a little squeeze.
“I don’t want you to ever have to worry about anything when you’re with me. So I’ll do everything I can do to make sure you’re okay. Well, good. I want you better than okay. You’re my friend. And I’d do anything for my friends, so don’t ever forget that.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:28 am
Chad very much wanted to wrap up in the blanket with Elliot. But he also seemed to realize how dangerous that would be.
And while he didn’t want to go -- he’d just asked Elliot if they could sit a little longer like that, after all! -- he knew that he was already staying well past the time it would be fair to any of them.
“I won’t forget,” he promised, instead of answering Elliot about the blanket. He just leaned a little heavier against him and --
“I should go…”
He felt like crying. He didn’t want to leave this safe space. He didn’t want to go back to a place where it didn’t matter how he felt.
Chad rubbed his eyes, hoping to pass it off as being tired and not teary, and slowly pulled himself away from Elliot. “I’ll see you in school tomorrow, though. I promise.”
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