Chapter Text
“Well this is awkward,” Zephyr commented, looking back and forth between the two adults that sit there staring at each other. The only difference between the two were Nate’s nervous, shifting eyes versus Zephyr’s Mom’s protective glare, almost as though she’s daring him to say something.
“I’m uh.. I’m gonna go upstairs…” Zephyr said, beginning to get up before his Mom grabbed his wrist.
“Sit your ass down,” She didn’t even have to look at him for Zephyr to get the message. The awkward silence once again filled the room.
Finally, Allison sighed, placing her head in her hands, “Let me get this straight, you took the test,” She gestured to her son, “And got classified as a Little?”
Zephyr nodded, “So you had a panic attack and ran out of the room?” Again Zephyr nodded, a bit embarrassed.
She looked up at Nate, “And you found him to calm him down?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nate responded, his southern accent starting to reign its head due to his nervousness.
“And after all of that, they forced you to pick a teacher as your Caregiver, so you choose him?” Allison gestured to Nate as she turned her eyes to Zephyr.
“Yeah,” Zephyr said in a quiet voice, feeling some fear as his mother remained silent.
Allison contemplated everything for a moment, before she started to tear up, standing from her seat and rounding the table so she could pull her baby into her arms. “Oh, Zephyr,” She cried quietly, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Zephyr was still. He had a thousand scenarios of this scene playing in his head but not a single one ended like this. After grasping his thoughts, he wrapped his arms around his mom and started to cry too.
Nate sat and watched it all go down, relieved that Zephyr’s mom had seemed to have taken the news well. Just as he was getting up, about to announce his departure, Zephyr’s mom released her son and wrapped her arms around him, whispering to him, “Thank you.”
Shocked, he stood there but ultimately reciprocated the hug. She pulled back, wiped her eyes, and gave him a smile, “Thank you for taking care of my boy. I also apologize for any kind of stress this has caused you as well.”
“It’s no problem, Ma’am,” Nate said, looking at Zephyr who was standing just behind her, “You’ve got a great kid.”
Zephyr blushed and wrung his hands, “I’m kind of tired Mom, so I’m gonna go put on some pajamas.” He walked away, almost running up the stairs before slumping against the door of his room. Everything had moved so fast today and all he wanted was to cuddle up in bed while watching some Imbrandonfarris videos to rewind.
He walked over to his dresser, opened the drawer and pulled out some sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. Slipping it on, he almost climbed into bed but realized he still wanted something from downstairs.
As quietly as he could, he tip-toed downstairs, avoiding the floor boards he knew squeaked the most. He had just about made it to his bag when, “Zephyr? Mr. Winzell is about to head out, you should come say goodbye.”
“Damnit,” He mumbled, hanging his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Mr. Winzell, it’s just.. Alright, yeah, he was hoping to avoid him as much as possible until tomorrow.
“Hey, kid,” Nate smiled as Zephyr walked around the corner, into the kitchen. He seemed tired and Nate couldn’t help but walk over to him, pulling the boy into one last hug. Zephyr stiffened but relaxed into it, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
When Nate finally pulled away, Zephyr felt some odd disappointment but let him go. Nate walked over and grabbed his abandoned bag, took out his keys, and gave one final goodbye to Allison.
As he walked out, Zephyr stood at the door, waving goodbye as he backed out of their driveway. Once Nate’s car could no longer be seen, Zephyr shut the door, walking back to his bag so he could grab the fluffy yellow blanket he had left in it earlier.
Turning around, he jumped in shock, “Jesus christ, Mom! You almost gave me a heart attack!” He yelled in mild annoyance, gripping his shirt tightly.
Instead of apologizing, she simply crossed her arms, leaning back with a look of both amuse and disappointment. Zephyr felt a chill go down his spine.
“I think we need to have a chat, Zephyr,” She said calmly, walking up to him and pulling him to the couch. Zephyr sat down next to her, the blanket still tightly held in his grip. Allison gave it a brief glance before turning her eyes back to him.
“Did you think I wouldn’t accept you?” She asked.
“Wh- what?” Zephyr stuttered, feeling nervous about the whole situation. He thought they had already talked earlier and all of this was done with.
“I told you this morning that no matter the outcome, you will always be my son, remember?” She said to him, reaching up to cup his face.
“Yeah…” He said slowly, not understanding what she was getting at.
Softly, she sighed, “Then why did you freak out, Zephyr? You knew I wouldn’t care what you got, so why?”
“Because I shouldn’t need to be some sniveling little kid! I’m 16, that’s almost an adult! There’s no reason I should still be afraid of the dark or unable to wear clothes because the tag just feels wrong!” He got louder and louder with each sentence, his annoyance bubbling over. He hadn’t wanted to say these things in front of Mr. Winzel, afraid of upsetting the man, but his mom, he could tell anything to her, even if it’s not what she wanted to hear.
Inside of Allison’s head, sympathy blanketed her son’s anger. What he didn’t acknowledge was that A: What he had listed had little to do with the fact that he was, well, a little. And B: He couldn’t seem to drop that fear of being seen as lesser due to his classification.
As Zephyr continued to rant, Allison finally noticed the blanket he had seemed to have dropped when he started yelling. Seeing no positive outcome and a meltdown looming on the horizon, she picked up the yellow fabric, wrapping it around her son tightly. The feeling was enough of a shock for him to stop speaking, if only momentarily, and reach up to grab the garment.
Rubbing the material between his fingers, Zephyr felt his mind go fuzzy, tears bubbling up in his eyes. Fingers ran through his hair, gently scraping his scalp as arms pulled him in.
Allison shushed her son softly, rocking him back and forth. This had always calmed him down as a toddler and seemed to be working so far. Zephyr’s tears eventually slowed and he laid limp in her arms, too exhausted to move. She smiled down at him, pressing a kiss into the crown of his head.
”Alright baby, let's get you to bed,” She said to him, patting his back. Zephyr made a soft noise of protest, comfy where he was, “Shhh, I know baby boy. C’mon, up up.”
As much as she wished she could just carry him to bed, Zephyr may mentally be young but he’s still a grown boy, far too heavy for her bones. Slowly, the pair made their way upstairs. Allison made sure to get Zephyr into bed, tucking him in and turning on his lamp. As she turned to leave, she heard something, “Love you, Mama…”
With a warm smile, she turned back to him, “I love you too, pumpkin.”
Allison walked back to her room starting her own nightly routine. As she was getting her clothes out, she saw a picture on her dresser and picked it up to look at tenderly. It was her and Zephyr when he was a little boy. He looked so happy then. The figure in the background caught her eye and she felt her mood immediately sour. She sighed and put the photo down. She knew he would want to see Zephyr’s results, no doubt the only time he’ll ever give a shit for his son.
Avoiding the inevitable, she put it out of mind for now. Now was the time to focus on her son. With that thought, she laid down, slipping off into a dreamless-slumber.