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Seventeen. It was an odd age, not quite old enough yet but not quite young enough anymore. Lucas wasn’t even sure of anyone knew it was his birthday, aside from Yann. His parents did, obviously, but he knew not to expect anything from either of them. He didn’t blame his mother, he really didn’t, but it made him a bit sad at times, mostly when he was younger. At this point his birthday was just another day and he hoped Yann would let him ignore it in peace.
“Kitten?” He heard Mika’s voice a minute before he entered the room, plopping himself down on the bed. Lucas wondered briefly if Yann had told Emma who’d told Manon who’d told Mika that it was his birthday. Lucas poked his head up from where he’d been lying on a mountain of pillows warily. “Did you clean the bathroom yet?” Mika continued, “It’s your turn, you know.”
Great, just what he wanted to do that day. “No, I forgot, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, flopping his head back down.
“Well… can you do it now, then?” Mika prompted.
Yes, he could do it now, but no, he didn’t want to do it now. “Can it wait until tomorrow?” He may not have wanted anyone to do anything for his birthday, but he did miss some of the perks that came along with it, like not having to clean the bathroom.
“Lucas…”
“I have to buy more cleaning supplies,” Lucas said, pulling the excuse out of his ass. He honestly had no idea what kind of cleaning supplies they had, or what kind they might need for the bathroom. Whatever the case, Mika nodded like he understood.
“That’s right, that’s right. Do you want me to ask Lisa and Manon to split the cost?” As much as Lucas complained about Mika, he really was a great roommate. Lucas had broken down a bit earlier in the year after his fourth consecutive month of late rent and told Mika that his father always conveniently forgot to send him money, even for food, and that he was doing the best that he could even though his best wasn’t good enough. Mika had been surprisingly understanding, and had allowed Lucas to pay his rent later so long as he paid it eventually.
Lucas shook his head. “I can go out and buy whatever we need and then I’ll let you guys know how much it was when I get back.”
“Ok,” Mika said, patting his hair lightly, “I’ll make you some breakfast before you go!”
Oh, he was supposed to go the store now ? He didn’t want to, but it was a decent way of avoiding everyone until he could be alone again and wallow in self pity. Not that he wallowed in his self pity that often… definitely not. Fine, he would go to the store.
He didn’t worry about getting dressed all fancy, throwing on a pair of joggers and a red t shirt. It was hot as hell outside but he was in no mood for shorts and the store was just down the street anyway.
When he emerged from his room to eat breakfast before he left Mika was looking at him a bit funny. “What?” he snapped.
“Nothing, you just seem more melancholic than grumpy and I don’t know why.” Mika narrowed his eyes, inspecting Lucas from every angle.
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Where’s Manon?”
“With the girls.” Mika was still looking at him like he was a puzzle to solve, and it was really getting on his nerves. He shoveled down the rest of the eggs Mika had made him as quickly as possible, grabbing his phone and his wallet from his room and hurrying out the door without so much as a goodbye, hearing Mika screech with indignation as the door slammed.
It was a bit hotter than he’d anticipated, so he rolled up his pants to the ankle, not really caring if he looked like a mess or not. It was just the store, it wasn’t like he had anyone to impress there.
The air conditioning inside was quite the sweet relief, though. He had no idea where the cleaning supplies were located and somehow found himself standing in front of an aisle of birthday cards. He stared at them for a minute, trying to remember if he’d ever received one in his life. A voice behind him startled him out of his thoughts.
“Picking birthday cards should be an extreme sport, huh?”
Lucas turned to face the voice and woah . That was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life. He cursed himself for his stupid outfit, taking in the boy in front of him with his effortless gravity defying hair, blue gray eyes, smile brighter than the sun, and heavy bomber jacket. “Aren’t you hot?” he asked, reddening as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He raced to backtrack, “Like, temperature wise. It’s the middle of July.”
Beautiful boy shrugged. “I run cold, I guess.”
Lucas continued staring at him, unsure of what to say. Why were they even talking in the first place? The boy continued, eyes looking down to Lucas’ legs. “I could ask you the same, who wears sweatpants in July?”
“Me, I guess,” Lucas answered dumbly, not even registering the words as they came out of his mouth.
“And who are you?”
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
The boy laughed softly, eyes flicking from Lucas to the ground and back up again. “What’s your name?”
Oh. “Lucas. You?”
“Eliott.” Eliott. Lucas thought maybe that was his favorite name in the world.
Eliott nodded back to the birthday cards. “I can help you pick one, if you want. I’ve been told my card picking skills are unmatched.”
“Oh, no, I’m not—” Lucas struggled to articulate why he’d been frozen in front of the birthday cards when he never intended on buying one. “It’s my birthday,” he confessed.
“Happy birthday! How old are you?” Eliott asked excitedly. Lucas would probably have been a bit weirded out by the enthusiasm if it was anyone other than Eliott.
“Seventeen.”
“And you’re getting yourself a card?” Eliott asked, then nodded in appreciation. “Power move.”
“ No, I’m not getting myself a card. I was looking for the cleaning supplies,” he said defensively.
Eliott leaned a bit closer to him and whispered, “I don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for in the birthday card aisle.”
“Shut up!” Lucas was laughing, why was he laughing? Why was Eliott so easy to talk to? Why was he maybe fantasizing about being with Eliott in a completely non platonic way, just a little bit? “I don’t suppose you know where the cleaning supplies are?”
“Of course I do,” Eliott said in mock offense, putting a hand up to his chest. “Follow me, dancing queen.”
Eliott took off at a brisk pace and Lucas had to jog to catch up. “Dancing queen?” he asked, slightly out of breath once he reached Eliott.
“Yeah,” Eliott shrugged, “You know. Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen, ” he sang, paying no mind to people giving him weird looks.
“I am not the dancing queen,” Lucas replied adamantly. God only knew what his friends would do with that nickname.
Eliott shook his head and ruffled the front of Lucas’ hair. “You are.”
“I am most decidedly not .”
“Fine.”
Lucas looked at Eliott sharply. He’d mostly been teasing, he really didn’t care what Eliott called him as long as Eliott was still talking to him. So much for not running into anyone important at the store.
Eliott was smiling mischievously when he said, “Tiny dancer.”
“Go back to dancing queen please,” Lucas requested, widening his eyes in mock fear. Tiny dancer, huh. If it was anyone else, Lucas would have been mad, but Eliott was so endearing that it was impossible.
“No can do,” Eliott said with a sigh, “I’m attached to tiny dancer now. Because you’re tiny. And also the dancing queen.”
“Yeah I get it, doesn’t mean I like it,” Lucas grumbled, and Eliott giggled at his grumpiness. Lucas had to look away from him in order to maintain the illusion that he wasn’t enjoying this as much as Eliott. To his surprise, they were now in the cleaning aisle. He felt a surge of disappointment, he’d sort of been hoping Eliott would lead him everywhere but the cleaning aisle, just to hang out together longer. Then again, Eliott probably had other things to do that day.
Lucas cleared his throat. “Um, thanks, for guiding me.”
“No problem. Anytime,” Eliott answered with a grin. Anytime . Did anytime really mean anytime?
Lucas didn’t want to ask, so he just gathered up all the things he thought he might need, unsure of which supplies were for the bathroom and which ones weren’t. Well, if he got the wrong stuff, maybe he could come back and run into Eliott again.
Eliott started to walk away, and when Lucas looked up he held up a hand. “I’ll be back in a minute!”
He was back in five minutes, not one, but he came back. “Have everything you need?” he asked, looking at the various supplies in Lucas’ arms. Lucas nodded hesitantly.
“Perfect,” Eliott said, “I can guide you to the register.”
“You don’t work here, do you?” Lucas couldn’t believe it had just occurred to him. Maybe Eliott was just this friendly to all the customers.
Eliott frowned. “No, why do you ask?”
Maybe not, then. “No reason.”
Eliott stood with Lucas while he checked out, almost like they’d been shopping together. Lucas allowed his mind to wander briefly, imagining the two of them going shopping together regularly. It was such a domestic fantasy that it almost made Lucas blush a little bit, avoiding Eliott’s eyes. Eliott grabbed one of his bags for him and led him outside, handing it back once they were back in the sweltering heat.
“So this is where we say goodbye, then, tiny dancer?” Eliott asked. I don’t want it to be , Lucas tried to say, but nothing came out. Eliott smiled at him briefly before turning and walking away without so much as a backwards glance.
Lucas stood in that spot in front of the store much longer than he cared to admit, staring at Eliott’s retreating figure. They would probably never see each other again, Paris was a big city, but Lucas hoped and prayed they would. How could someone like that jaunt so casually into his life only to disappear without a trace?
It was only when he finally returned to his flat that he realized that Eliott had never actually bought anything. What had he been doing at the store? Lucas frowned, wondering if maybe he’d just imagined the whole interaction as he emptied the bags, hand brushing against something that felt like paper.
A card, he realized, as he pulled it out, with the words Tiny Dancer written on the envelope. His heart surged a bit as he opened it up and saw a birthday card illustrated with a hedgehog wearing a party hat. He opened the card and read the inside, looking around after he finished to make sure no one could see him blush.
Lucas (aka dancing queen aka tiny dancer),
I hope this isn’t weird, but you seemed like you could really use a birthday card. I wish I could celebrate the whole day with you and I don’t really know why, but alas I have work later and I wouldn’t be able to give you the birthday you deserved. I’m also a bit reluctant to admit that the only reason I came into the store was to meet you. I saw you through the window and before I knew it I was standing behind the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen talking about birthday cards. I really liked talking to you, maybe I can talk to you again sometime?
Happy birthday,
Eliott
p.s. The hedgehog looks like you
There was a phone number scribbled at the bottom and Lucas finally submitted to the grin that had been trying to force its way across his face. He entered in Eliott’s number immediately, not waiting even a minute to text him, against his better judgement.
Lucas: Hey, stalker, thanks for the card
Eliott: am i to assume that this is my tiny dancer?
Lucas: Only if you stop calling me that
Eliott: when you turn 18 i’ll think about it
Lucas: Fair enough
Eliott: speaking of your birthday… i can’t do anything today but would you want to celebrate your birthday with me tomorrow?
Lucas: That actually sounds really nice
Eliott: :)
Eliott: it’s a date
Lucas blinked at his phone, then laughed to himself slightly. Maybe his birthday wasn’t so bad after all.