Work Text:
Kellar knew from the moment he saw Lemony walk through the door. He had an interesting way of walking, just like he had an interesting way of doing everything else. His hat was sitting on his head like someone had slapped it on without him knowing. His hair stuck out from under it, and Kellar thought it framed his face rather nicely. He was about average height, maybe a little on the short side.
It wasn’t just how he looked, of course. He talked a lot, and he was always so sarcastic. Kellar liked sarcastic, just because his mother didn’t. He always seemed to be noticing something, looking around and noting everything he saw. His eyes had found Kellar rather quickly, taking in his typewriter and hair and clothes and scowl. Kellar was very glad that he didn’t blush easily.
The woman who looked to be in charge of Lemony asked Kellar something or other. He answered her with the script his mother had fed him, and she seemed to be pleased with the answer. She walked away and left Lemony alone in front of Kellar’s desk.
“How much longer will we wait?” he asked. He tapped his fingers on the desk and looked Kellar up and down for a second time. Kellar looked down and answered him.
The two boys had a short conversation, nothing much but still Kellar hung onto Lemony’s every word. When Lemony asked his name, Kellar said it as quickly as he could so that he would know. He wanted Lemony to say his name, because if he said his name it meant he wanted to talk to him.
For the weeks after they had met, Kellar’s feelings for Lemony had only grown and started to take up more and more of Kellar’s mind, an annoying yet not fully unwelcome presence in the background of all his thoughts.
He knew his mother wouldn’t approve, of course, and maybe that was part of why he liked it so much. He’d never give up a chance to piss off his mother.
It was more than that, of course, it was the fact that Lemony was pretty and smart and sarcastic and a million other things that Kellar liked in a boy. He wasn’t perfect, but he was as close as someone could be, he thought.
But he didn’t try. He didn’t even try to tell Lemony his feelings, he knew it was pointless. He’d rather just look, just pine from a distance. It hurt but it was how it was. Lemony would leave town soon, and he wouldn’t see any of the kids from Stain’d ever again. It was just how things would go, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
That’s how all of life worked for Kellar. Just let things go, if you try to jump for them you’ll fall and get hurt. Let it all pass by, he told himself.
He wouldn’t get hurt if he didn’t try.