Chapter Text
Cole was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting his tie before running through his hair with a comb. He was caked in cologne, and he was dressed in the fanciest clothes he could afford, which was just a button down shirt and some nice dress pants, along with a tie of course. It was probably the most important night of their entire high school careers. Tonight was their senior prom, and he had asked his boyfriend to go with him. He had to make sure that he looked absolutely perfect for Kai tonight.
Although, he was nervous as all hell. He was never a good dancer, and he never even liked school dances. But he didn't want to seem like a bad boyfriend for not asking Kai to prom. Every couple ever asks their date to prom, it's just what you do. Cole would much rather make Kai happy than satisfy his own selfish wants. Kai seemed like the type to enjoy dances. He was popular, well liked, he would have a blast. Cole didn’t want to take that away from him. Besides, prom might be fun!
"Oh don't you look handsome?"
Cole turned around and saw his mom standing in the bathroom doorway, leaning against it for support as she held a cane in her right hand. She was looking at Cole with warmth in her eyes, a soft smile on her face as she observed her now almost-grown son getting ready for prom. "Mom! What are you doing up?" He asked, immediately going over to her side to attempt to help her back to her room. "The doctor said you're not supposed to be out of bed!"
"Oh please," Lilly rolled her eyes. "I'm not skipping out on my son's biggest dance because of what some silly doctor told me," She laid her cane against the other side of the door, and lifted her hands to Cole's tie, adjusting it and smoothing it out so he looked fresh, and put together. "The trick you see, is to align your knot with your shirt buttons. That way the tie goes straight down the middle," She gave it one final tug, securing it in place. "There we go! Oh, you look so dapper in that suit! My little boy's all grown up!"
"Mom!" Cole laughed as his face turned bright red, averting his eyes to the left as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm not a little boy!"
"Oh hush. You'll always be my little boy, and don't you forget it," she mock-scolded. "Do you boys need a ride?"
"Mother you are not driving," Cole said firmly, yet playfully. "Besides, Kai's already driving us."
Lilly looked up at him in surprise. “He actually passed his driver’s test?”
Cole nodded. “Yeah, after like the fourth try.”
”You do know that’s not helping your case at all right?”
Cole laughed. “Mom relax. Kai’s actually a really good driver. He drives Nya to school and you know how protective he is over her,” he explained, putting a gentle hand to his Mom’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”
Lilly sighed. "Well, alright then. Please be safe, and have fun,” She smoothed our Cole’s outfit, making sure that no wrinkles or other imperfections were present. “I'll be just fine, so don't you spend a second worrying about me while you're there, alright?"
Cole nodded. "Fine Mom, fine. Hey, where's Dad?" Cole asked once he noticed the absence of his Father. "I thought he would come to say 'have fun' or something. It's the least he could do."
"He's been asked to take the double shift tonight, so your Aunt Casey is coming over to help me with things," Lilly explained. "He didn't exactly have a choice in the matter so please don't be angry with him."
Still, Cole could feel anger start to bubble in his chest. “If that’s the case, I’m staying. I’m not going to leave you alo-“
”Cole,” Lilly cut him off. “This is your senior prom. You’re not going to get another one. I can’t ask you to skip it for my sake,” She brushed a strand of hair out of Cole’s face. “Besides, your aunt doesn’t live that far away. She’s going to be with me the entire time.”
”I know Mom,” Cole responded, eyes downcast to the floor. “I just worry about you. A lot. I don’t want to just leave you here by yourself just so I can go to a silly dance. It doesn’t feel right.”
”But I’m not going to be by myself Cole. Don’t you have ears?” Lilly laughed. “Your aunt will be here any minute, and she will be with me the entire time. Also, are you calling me weak young man?” She have Cole a playful, although weak punch to the arm. “I may be sick but I’m not made of glass.”
“Mom I know that!” Cole took her hand in his. “But I’m your son, It’s my responsibility to take care of you when Dad isn’t around. You shouldn’t have to rely on relatives who live out of town just so I can go screw off at a dumb dance-“
”I’m gonna stop you right there,” Lilly cut him off. “Cole, my health is absolutely not your responsibility. In fact it’s my responsibility as a mother, your mother, to make sure that you have a healthy and happy childhood,” She cupped his face in her hands, “You’re a senior in highschool now. You’re not going to be a teenager for much longer, and the last thing I want for you is to waste away your teenage years by staying in this stuffy house, taking care of me, and don’t you dare start talking about adulthood, because you’re not an adult yet,”
Cole felt his heart melt. His Mom always knew how to get through to him. He was one of the most stubborn people on the planet, and yet she could talk him out of basically anything. It was like her superpower. “Mom, I know that, I just care about you, a lot, and I don’t want you to doubt that for even a second.”
”Cole you have proven that time and time again, you don’t have to worry about that at all,” she pinched his cheek affectionately, making Cole smile sheepishly. “If you really want to help me out, go to that dance, have fun with your boyfriend, and make some memories,” she stood back, hands on his shoulders. “Okay?”
Cole sighed, and gave his mom smile. “Okay Mom, I’ll go,” although his smile faded once his mind went back to his father. “Still, least Dad could do is see his son off to his biggest dance,”
Lilly sighed, giving Cole a look of sympathy. “I know sweetie. I know how your father can be,” she caressed Cole’s cheek gently, stroking it with her thumb affectionately. “He loves you Cole, he just needs time to adjust.”
”He’s had an entire year Mom,”
”And sometimes that’s how much time people need. Sometimes they need multiple years. It depends on how close-minded they are. Your Father…well…” she sighed, hanging her head in shame. “He’s a very traditional man, although I never knew how close-minded he could be until recently. I promise you that if I knew-“
”Hey, don’t blame yourself for his bigotry,” Cole comforted, now lifting her chin up with his hand. “He’s still a good man mom, he’s got flaws like everyone and I can see why you love him. Don’t blame yourself for this, okay?”
Lilly smiled warmly. “You are such a good kid Cole, how did I get so blessed with you?”
”Mom! Don’t make me cry my foundation is gonna run.”
”Okay, okay,” She gave him a quick kiss in the forehead, before taking her cane and stepping aside to let him pass. “Go have fun honey, okay?”
Cole nodded. “Bye mom, love you!” He called as he rushed downstairs, knowing he was probably already late to pick up Kai. Luckily, he lived right next door. He threw on his coat as he rushed out the door, and down the sidewalk to Kai’s house. He could feel the butterflies going crazy as he ran.
Meanwhile, over at the Smith’s residence, Kai was fussing over his own appearance in front of his bathroom vanity. “I don’t know Nya, are you sure I look okay?”
”Kai, I am positive you look fine,” she comforted, leaning against the door frame as she watched her brother fuss over his hair, making sure to spike it up perfectly with hair gel. “You know how Cole is, he thinks you look perfect either way.”
”But Nya, this is prom we’re talking about,” he explained as he grabbed some cologne and spritzed some on himself. “This is my senior prom, it’s his senior prom. It has to be perfect.”
Nya only rolled her eyes. “I thought you didn’t even want to go to prom.”
”Yeah but Cole asked me out, and I didn’t want to disappoint him,” Kai took some eyeliner and started to draw a faint line around his eyes, keeping the look masculine, but still having a bit of flare. “He deserves to go to his senior prom, I’m not gonna take it away from him.”
”Kai you know how he is about self sacrifice. If he found out that you were only going to please him, you know he’d call it off immediately. Just be upfront with him and do something you both enjoy.”
”Yeah, but that’s because he’s so used to sacrificing his own happiness for others,”Kai screwed the cap back into the eyeliner, and reached for the light blush Nya recommended. “He does it all the damn time, and it drives me up the fucking wall. I’m not letting him get away with it this time.”
Nya sighed. “Doesn’t mean that you should do it in return.”
“Yeah but-“ The sound of the doorbell made Kai almost jump out of his skin. “Shit! He’s here already?!”
”According to the time you two set, he’s actually five minutes late,” Nya said as she tapped her watch.
”Fuck. Oooh my god okay, do I look alright? Is my eyeliner or whatever you guys call it good? Is my hai-“
”Kai you’re fine,” Nya grabbed his shoulders, shaking him gently. “Chill.”
”Right, okay. Chill. I can do chill,” Kai sucked in a deep breath, before exhaling a sigh. “Alright, okay. Here goes nothing.”
”You’ll be fine, quit freaking out and go make out with your boyfriend already,”
“Shut up Nya!” Kai spat, only earning a laugh from Nya. He stuck his tongue out at her, rolling his eyes as he made his way out of his bathroom, and down the stairs to the foyer. With each step, his knees shook with nervousness. He really wanted this night to be perfect, for Cole’s sake. Him personally? He couldn’t care less. He was just excited to spend the night with his favorite person. Finally, he was at the bottom step, which made him queasy with nerves. He looked back at his sister, who was flashing him a supportive smile from the top of the stairs, along with two thumbs up. That little gesture made him feel ten times more confident. Maybe…he could actually do this!
Kai turned back around with a confident smile, and opened the door. He was blown away with who he saw standing there. Cole was standing in front of him, dressed in the nicest clothes he had ever seen Cole in. He was used to Cole’s typical grunge appearal. Seeing him dressed in a nice dress shirt, tie and dress pants made his heart skip a beat. His hair was neatly combed and slicked back, which tied together the entire professional look. But the best thing about the entire outfit was probably the slight crooked grin he had on his face, accompanied by a slight blush adorning his cheeks and nose bridge. His warm brown eyes were sparkling with both excitement and nervousness. Kai didn’t know how to respond to it. He was simply too taken aback by Cole’s sheer handsomeness.
“Wo-o-oh…” Kai stammered, fiddling with his tie. “Cole you look amazing.”
Cole brought a nervous hand to the back of his neck. “So do you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in something formal before.”
Kai laughed. “I could say the same to you. I’m used to seeing you in worn out band tees and ripped jeans.”
”And I’m used to seeing you in skinny jeans and baseball jackets,” Cole pointed out, making Kai blush. He held his hand out for Kai to take it. “Shall we go, my king?”
Kai snorted. “Cole I love you but that was so cheesy I can actually taste it,” he laughed as he took Cole’s hand, leading him over to his red pick-up that his dad had handed down to him. Although, before he could get in, he saw Maya rushing out of the house with her phone, calling to the boys frantically.
”Boys wait!” She called, catching up to them. “We have to take a couple pictures before you leave! I almost forgot until Lilly asked me to send her some!”
Kai laughed as he put his hand on his forehead. “Really Mom? It’s just a dance.”
”Kai it is certainly not a dance! It’s your senior prom! This is a big deal! Now, look up at me and smile!”
Kai and Cole decided to humor her, so Kai allowed Cole to wrap his arm around him, and they both looked up at Nya with big, bright smiles. There was a couple of camera flashes, before Maya finally put her phone down. Kai and Cole blinked away the spots as Maya showed the the picture.
There they were, Kai and Cold standing together in dress clothes in front of Kai’s red pickup truck. There was something about the way they stood that reminded them of the pictures of their younger selves. Kai still had his braces which he’s had since middle school, and although Cole didn’t have his glasses, eventually exchanging them for contacts, he still had that same crooked smile that he’s always had. Cole and Kai were in awe, staring at it as if they were two outsiders looking in, like they were reading their entire life story together as if it was all written out on that simple photo. They had changed so much. They had gone from two little boys playing together in a treehouse, to two lovers taking each other to prom. It was astounding.
“Oh you two look so cute!” Maya gushed, taking Kai’s cheek and pinching it in between her fingers. “You two will be the prom kings! I just know it!”
Kai blushed as a sheepish grin appeared on his face. “Nah, I’m well known but I’m not nearly popular enough to win prom king, neither is Cole,” he relaxed once his mom let go of his cheek. “It’s most likely gonna go to Brody McHailivich and Mariah Sangster. They’re the talk of the school.”
"Isn't Brody the kid you beat up in sixth grade?" Maya asked, pointing at Cole.
"Mother!" Kai hissed.
"I'm just asking! My memory isn't what it used to be!"
Cole chuckled. "Yeah, he is. We don't exactly have the best relationship."
Kai rolled his eyes. "He hates Brody because he’s been picking on me since grade school. He loves to play this whole tough guy act when he knows damn well that I can take care of myself."
"I don't hate Brody because he picks on you specifically, I hate him because he's a selfish prick who picks on everyone."
Kai leaned into Cole with a smirk. "Stiiiilll you did smash his face in when he shoved me into the lockers in middle school."
Cole shrugged. "His face looked very punchable that day."
”You sent him to the nurse with a black eye and a busted lip, plus a bloody nose.”
“Like I said, his face just looks very punchable, and on that day it was looking extra punchable.”
Maya giggled slightly at their banter. “Well, you’re still prom kings to me,” she pressed a kiss to Kai’s cheek, "Have fun boys! Be safe!" She called as she sent them on their way. Kai waved back to her and excitedly led Cole to his hand-me-down red pickup truck. The two climbed in, Kai put the key in the ignition, and off they went. The both of them were nervous as all hell, but they were also as giddy as a pair of school girls.