Chapter Text
“Well have you ever heard of New Caledonia?”
Seeing the serious look on the boy’s face, Bill tried to stifle his laughter. “I-I can’t say I have, no.”
“Well,” Stanley grabbed tupperware from his backpack and neatly began unpacking everything. A fork and knife to his left, two napkins on his right. The bag of grapes went towards the middle of the table as he motioned for Bill to take any if he would care for some and the pasta (Garlic pesto sauce with a mozzarella tortellini. Stan considered himself quite the gourmand.) centered everything. “It’s a collectivity on the coast of France, where the Kagu is native. The species remains there because they literally never fly, which is a huge deal because they can’t escape their predators. They’re almost extinct with like, only a thousand of them left. There’s another species that’s almost like it’s cousin but not really to me because the Kagu is so pretty. It’s the palest shade of smoky blue and the legs are such a striking orange-” He caught himself before he began rambling about the way ornithologists considered them a sacred, honorable bird. “Sorry. But yeah, I prefer cold weather over hot, if that answers your question.”
“Well that and so much more. I feel like I learn something new everytime I’m with you!” The exclamation was more shock than judgement, but it still made Stanley turn red with embarrassment. He did that often, Bill had noticed. At the drop of a hat, the boy could turn bright as a red-crested cardinal. Another skill he had mastered was turning the conversation to birds, even when the original topic had been nothing of the sort. Bill had made an offhand comment about the heat they had been experiencing all of a sudden, and he now knew more about Rhynochetos Jubatus than he ever thought he would have. Which, since Stan had mentioned the different colors, the unusual shape of the bird, Bill was itching to get his hands on a set of colored pencils and maybe some watercolors. Just as he was reaching for the supplies, his watch beeped at him. Quarter to three.
The alarm quelled the need to draw and instead had him clearing away the trash from his lunch. Awkwardly he swept the crumbs off the table into his cupped hand, making his best attempt at not dropping them to the carpet where they were inevitably bound to be fodder for ants. Stanley made no comment about this, because he was entirely too used to this process by now. The beep of an alarm would direct Bill to a new activity, whether it meant that he would walk out of a room without warning or finally unpacking the new shipment of boxes. It took Stanley back a bit at first, but then he realized it was just Bill’s nature. He was never malicious with the abrupt ending of conversations and would often call out apologies from the next room, aware of the move he had just made.
lendmeyourbones : I’m bored.
lendmeyourbones : On break at work and my only friend has to go back to doing his lame job.
Bill, in respect to the fact that another human being would be inhabiting the space, had cleared out the office. Eyeing a canvas that had been flipped over, Stan curiously noticed it, never having seen Bill’s work outside of the Saturday classes. They were usually portraits of places, a flower in the woods, an open field that’s framed with trees, nothing that required creative thought and energy. Stan wanted to see what Bill could imagine.
heighhosilveraway : dont make fun of the working man
heighhosilveraway : some of us have to hussle
lendmeyourbones : Hussle?
lendmeyourbones : Do you mean… hustle?
heighhosilveraway : shtu the fuck up
lendmeyourbones : You’re impossible.
heighhosilveraway : impossibly good looking yes
lendmeyourbones : Your profile picture is a picture of Balloony from Phineas and Ferb.
heighhosilveraway : ALMOST as handsome as me
heighhosilveraway : i have less wrinkles
heighhosilveraway : YOUR PICTURE IS OF A BIRD
heighhosilveraway : so why am i getting picked on
lendmeyourbones : A Hyacinth Macaw is one of the most vibrant, beautiful birds on the planet.
lendmeyourbones : And I can guarantee that it looks better than I do.
heighhosilveraway : dont beat urself up andy
heighhosilveraway : as christina agulaira once said,,,,, u are beautiful
lendmeyourbones : The Aguilera disrespect.
lendmeyourbones : Please tell me you are out right now, enjoying nature or watching a good movie or doing something fun
lendmeyourbones : I need reminder that life outside of work exists.
The doorbell chimed in the arrival of a new customer, and Stan heard a heavy sigh from the counter. I should go and keep him company, his thoughts ate away at him until he began packing his lunch items up. Fork in the trash, knife in the trash. Breaks were basically a reprieve from half-heartedly restocking shelves when one worked at The Artist’s Attic. Napkins folded in two triangles. It wasn’t hard work, doing retail for a very hole-in-the-wall art shop, especially when Bill had the whole running a business thing down pat. Napkin one in the trash. Napkin two in the trash. There was the added enjoyment of Bill himself, a boy who he had assumed was just going to be pleasant and quiet, but proved himself to be rambunctious and always ready to entangle Stan in a new scheme. Wash the container in the sink. His eyes would glint with deviltry every time the store had been quiet for too long, and Stan would find himself in a challenge to draw a clown the fastest, or racing down the aisles with a cup of paint water, trying desperately not to spill. Tap the scrub brush against the side of the sink four times. Underneath the countertop was a paper that read all of their score totals. Dry the container out completely. Bill was currently winning.
Stan walked out to see Bill slip his phone into his pocket, ignoring the incoming notification buzz he felt come from the back of his jeans. “So if you could be any character from any animated movie, which one would it be?” The smile that lit up Bill’s face made ending his lunch early worth it, worth it a million times over.
missed notifications
heighhosilveraway : idk i’m at work but sometimes. it’s not that bad.