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Elliot sets their backpack down as soon as they get through the door, rolling their shoulders and listening to the bones crack. It doesn’t do much to relieve the tension. All week they’ve felt this mounting anxious energy bouncing around inside themself. Like they’re being slowly stone pressed, only the weight is never heavy enough; they have just enough space to breathe.
Elliot sets their phone face down on the counter and lets their eyes slide aimlessly over their dim apartment, for lack of anything better to do. Leon responded immediately, for once, and it wouldn’t be long before he was at their door.
Leon rapped on the door with his knuckles twice, accepting Elliots responding grunt as permission to open the door. Leon never drops by unexpectedly, but as soon as he knows he's welcome he enters Elliot's apartment as naturally as light through window panes. He knows when Elliots like this trying to force words out of them is like pulling healthy teeth, and just as beneficial to their wellbeing, so he does all the talking for both of them. Leon, with his gangly limbs and long locs, blows through Elliots kitchen, chatting endlessly about the contrived plot of an 80s horror he watched the other day, which is so stupid Elliot just has to see it, and starts pulling apart the cabinets looking for something edible. Leon finds a cutting board sitting in the sink and a bag of bell peppers in the fridge and sets it carefully on the counter. Elliot cringes as the plastic crinkles. “Will you eat these if I put them in front of you cuz?” Leon asks, holding one up so Elliot knows what he’s talking about. They nod, stare fixated on the bright orange pepper. They’ve missed Leon terribly, but right now even eye contact feels too intense. Maybe inviting him over tonight was a bad idea. They’re so wound up they want to cry but they’re so emotionally exhausted that they can’t.
“You okay? You’re shivering Ellie.” Elliot is shivering. They drag their hands along the exposed skin on their arms, feeling the goosebumps that have probably been there all day. “You should put something more comfortable on, I think we’ll just chill here, maybe I can show you that movie I was talking about.” Elliot stands, “Sounds good,” and rivels through their drawers for a sweatshirt and sweatpants. They change right there, suddenly too exhausted to make the journey to the bathroom, and they sink back into the couch cushions with all the grace of a deflated bouncy house.
A bowl of perfectly cut peppers is placed into Elliots hands, and Leon drapes himself over the couch and presses against Elliot’s side like an overgrown cat, or a sentient willow tree. Leon brought his laptop with him, and his fingers danced across his keyboard, searching for the movie on all the staple illegal streaming sites. Elliot forces themself to start eating the peppers, surprised they’re still perfectly crunchy given how long they’ve been sitting in the fridge.
“Don’t know why you keep buying those when you never eat them,” Leon’s big eyes barely leave his laptop screen, “Can’t eat them unless they’re cut up. Don’t like the seeds.”
Leon gasps in excitement when he finds a site that has the movie, then suddenly the laptop is perched on the table in front of them, and Leon leans back, looping an arm around Elliot’s bony shoulders. Leon’s hand squeezes at the ball of muscle on Elliot’s shoulder, and they reach up and squeeze his hand back. “I’m sorry Ellie, about the bad day.” His voice seems deeper when they’re close like this, his voice slower now that there’s no space between them. Elliot slumps further into the couch, further into Leon’s arms. They hope that their body language is enough to convey what they aren’t able to say.