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“You really don’t mind?”
“Mm, no auntie Valtersen, I don’t mind. It’s on my way to work, anyways.”
“Remind me to thank your mother for raising such a polite child. ”
Lucas almost snorts into the phone. Polite, right. It had nothing to do with politeness. It had everything to do with his cousin’s puppy dog eyes and the way he pushed out his lower lip and had it trembling as he begged,
“Please, just one more night? You can drive me to school in the morning right?”
And Isak knew just how to widen those green, green eyes of his, nice and big and watery, to get what he wanted. Lucas, for all his hard edges and curmudgeonly ways— he could not say no to his favorite cousin. Thankfully, his only cousin otherwise he’d be forever held to the whims of children.
No, that is not what he wants in life (thank you) otherwise he would have already gone out and conceived his own or adopted. He hasn’t. Thank God (bachelor for life).
Which, when he thinks about it, does get a little lonely. Especially seeing how he’s always working two jobs to pay for his studio apartment in the crappiest part of town. But it was worth it. Having his own place to do as he pleased. When he was free he’d hang with the boys, go to the bars and try to catch the eye of some handsome man.
Of course the first weekend he had free in almost two months, Lucas offers to take Isak for a Saturday, thinking he would get Sunday to sleep the whole day away. This was not the case.
Because after having ice cream for breakfast, pancakes for lunch, going on a long stroll in the park, sitting on a park bench and people watching, Lucas listening to Isak name off all the humans he thought would make good boyfriends for his favorite uncle (he's done correcting the kid), having chicken nuggets for dinner and watching Lego Batman for the 3rd time— Lucas thought he’d done a decent job at tiring the little 7 year old out, he was wrong.
By 10 pm on that Saturday, Isak was in his pajamas, curled up on the couch with his side pushed up right next to Lucas’s (crowding him, honest to god). Isak was already making a list of things that they would do together for Sunday, counting off on his tiny fingers excitedly.
“Babe, love— I’m dropping you back off at eight in the morning, like I promised your mother.” So Lucas could go straight back to his place and sleep away the hours on the couch and pretend he wasn’t absolutely exhausted.
If he was to pinpoint the moment he got suckered into babysitting for two days in a row. It was then, at 10pm at night, with Isak practically in his lap.
“But uncle Lu, please? I don’t ever get to see you and we have so much fun .”
Despite the fact that he’s saying something positive about their time together, those eyes look wet and watery and his little voice breaks like the world is ending.
Lucas’ resolve starts to form those tiny little cracks that he knows will be his undoing.
“But… you have school on Monday.” A weak argument. Even he knew this. Because the moment the words are out of his mouth, Isak jumps up from his slump and his hands are clawing at Lucas’ chest, fingers clenched in his shirt (knee hitting Lucas hard in the groin until his breath leaves him through a harsh grasp and a throaty whine, it hurt for fucks sakes), eyes crazed like his little brain came up with the best idea when he should have been thinking of personal space.
“ You can drive me in and, and, uncle Lucas—” He exclaims all breathlessly the way kids do when they think faster than their mouths can work. “I can show you my bestest friends and they could see how amazing you are and then they’ll believe me that you aren’t just in my head, you're real and not imaginary."
Okay, that's too sad. How was he supposed to say no to that?
"Well… let's call your mum and see what she has to say about it."
And that's how he found himself lying in bed with Isak jumping on his back confirming with his aunt that it was more than okay for him to drive his cousin into school.
"Alrighty Lucas dear, give Isak a kiss for me, from mommy."
There's a smacking kiss on the other line before it goes dead and Lucas sighs, sinking into his mattress. The phone tumbles from his loose grip and on to the floor. The jumping stops and he feels a body lay down on top of his, a voice tickling his ear and morning breath attacking his face.
"Hey, uncle Lucas."
"Hm?" He hums with his eyes closed.
"We're going to have the best time today."
He sighs and kisses his Sunday of sleeping goodbye.
Bloodshot eyes and face pale, Lucas grips the steering wheel while Isak hums along to the song on the radio in the back seat, legs kicking back and forth merrily. Lucas wonders what kind of monster Isak is. How does he have so much energy . He’s not too sure but Lucas honestly recalls knocking out at midnight while Isak stayed up and finished up the movie Monster’s Inc., while gnawing away at a red twizzler on the couch.
Not cousin uncle of the year in his aunt’s eyes if she ever found out he had nothing but sugar for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but he’s still the best uncle in Isak’s eyes.
He pulls up to the curb putting his car in park. Outside the sky was still dark because it’s only 7 in the morning and they still had 10 minutes to kill before the doors opened.
He turns down the radio and looks at Isak from the rearview mirror.
“Just 10 more minutes bud.”
Isak nods.
“Even doesn’t get here until five minutes after the doors open, I always wait for him near those benches. You can come with me and meet him. He brings me a bagel every morning. I can ask him to give you mines today if you want uncle Lu—”
Lucas grunts, drowning out his cousin. For a moment he closes his eyes, surprised he was even able to get up so early this morning. Just a short nap, his mind supplies. A quick one, just to rest his eyes. It would feel so good to sleep undisturbed.
It would have been fool proof, he’d feel Isak shake him the moment that friend of his showed up because he hasn’t stopped talking about him from the back seat. Lucas would feel refreshed after the 5 minutes of downtime.
But no. The incessant beeping and honking of the bus parked opposite of them has Lucas in a cold grip. He turns to glare at the big yellow box on wheels when he catches the gaze of the driver.
An unruly mop of hair and a smile that shouldn’t be shining so bright this early on a Monday morning.
One of his arms is hanging out of the window and he makes a gesture for Lucas to roll down the window.
“I think he wants you to talk to him, uncle Lucas.”
“No sh—uh right, yeah.” Lucas clears his throat and coughs. He thinks there might just be a red mark on his forehead where the wheel bit into his skin as he rested the weight of his head on it.
The outside noise is an immediate buzz when he brings his window down. Lucas looks across the street at the bus driver and awkwardly waves.
“Uh, hey.”
“Hey!” He was cheerful. Voice awake and loud, carrying over the distance and waking something inside Lucas.
"...hey." He repeats, eyes flicking off to the side, unsure of why the gaze of a stranger felt so intense. Intimate. Like he's looking at Lucas respectfully.
That doesn't happen often. No sir.
“I’m Eliott!”
Weird. Lucas didn’t ask for a name. Guess that's what polite people do. Introduce themselves. He can do this. His aunt’s voice is ringing in his ear about polite kids, and it doesn’t matter if he only had like 3 hours of sleep this weekend. Lucas knows how to be polite.
“That’s my uncle! His name is Lucas.” Isak said.
“Cousin—Jesus fucking Christ kid”
“Uncle Lucas you said a bad word.”
Fuck. Lucas twists in his seat and sees Isak hanging out of the backseat window, head turned towards Lucas with shock on his face. Lucas bites his lips, a practiced apology already on his tongue when he's saved from degrading himself to a seven year old.
"Lucas? That's a pretty name." Eliott responds.
"Yeah, it's the best name— except Even is better."
Fuck Even, Lucas thinks. Luckily he has some control and doesn't voice that. He's not jealous of his cousin's best friend. Probably some snot nosed kid. He coughs.
Those eyes are back on him.
“Are you waiting for, uh, something.” Eliott asked, eyes looking hopeful.
Lucas is thrown off. What? He feels his lips tick up. “No?” He’s unsure now.
“I mean like me, wait no. I mean, the bus. Are you waiting for the bus?”
They are not too far away, but far away enough that Lucas isn’t sure if the other man is blushing. Lucas thinks he is. A very pretty blush splashed across the bridge of his nose.
“I..I don’t— no, I don’t think so.”
Eliott nods, hair moving with his head. “R-right. Yeah. Of course not. I mean, why would you be?” He gestures to Lucas’s car, voice still loud enough in the empty street. The neighborhood is still asleep.
Lucas feels flustered, heart a rabbit against his ribs trying to escape. He wasn’t tired anymore.
“Uncle Lucas are you guys flirting.”
Lucas feels his face heat up instantly, because Isak is 7. And seven year olds still don’t know how to whisper, despite the heartwarming attempt at cupping his hand around his little pursed lips. Lucas watches as Eliott facepalms and barks out a laugh from the other side of the street.
He looks at Isak and is saved from answering because in a matter of seconds, Isak’s attention is elsewhere. He points at the door beyond the bus and practically shouts. “Look, the doors are open and Even is waiting. Can we go please, can we?”
Lucas looks from Eliott to the open door, back to Isak. His bottom lip pulled up between his teeth. He nods. He had duties to focus on. He sends a wave at Eliott and turns off the car.
Isak is a scramble of limbs, still practicing safety when he crosses the street, hands pulling Lucas towards a group of young boys.
Lucas looks over his shoulders. Looks longingly at the bus that is still on but parked in front of the school. He almost, almost, whines in the back of his throat when Isak stops his pulling.
Even is a tall kid, standing almost a head taller than Isak. He’s got soft eyes and full lips. His fingers clench at the straps of his bag and in one hand, he holds a bag that holds that infamous bagel Isak droned on and on about.
“Even, meet my uncle Lucas. I told you he was real.”
Lucas locks eyes with the kid, cocking a brow. Even looks him up and down seriously, before he steps up and declares solemnly,
“I want to marry Isak one day.”
He’s about 30 years too early for Lucas’ liking.
“...right.” Lucas tilts his head.
“Even! You can’t say that to uncle Lucas.” Isak’s face is red. Like those twizzlers he refused to stop eating the night before. It’s cute, making Lucas smile at him. He wants to pinch his cheeks. But he’s the cool uncle (the only uncle) he wouldn’t embarrass Isak like that.
“I just wanted him to know.” Even defends, smiling shyly at Isak.
“Even, was it? Aren’t you a little young to be thinking about marriage?” Lucas asks him, looking between Isak and this boy who is all legs and arms. Still at that awkward stage of growing.
Even nods, “Life is short uncle Lucas, if I know now, why wait?”
He almost corrects him. But. Uncle Lucas. Shit. That’s cute.
The bell rings.
Alright, just drop that wisdom and go. That’s perfectly fine. Isak waves good-bye and Lucas is about to turn around when he catches Even dropping a kiss on Isak’s cheeks as they walk into the building holding hands. He has half the mind to protect his Isak’s innocence but Lucas lets it slide this time.
When he turns around the bus is still there. Waiting and idle, like it’s fate.
Now or never.
He walks up to the nasty yellow box and waits outside the closed doors like an idiot, knuckles tapping on the glass soft at first then with a conviction that probably came from his lack of sleep and burst of energy when he thinks about what Even said.
Life is short, why wait?
The pexi-glass doors slide open and Eliott is there in all of his glory. Up close Lucas has the perfect view of Eliott’s gray freckled eyes. His smile is a little breathtaking. Lucas wants to slap himself. This was not a romance movie. He was standing on the steps of a yellow school bus at 7 in the morning looking like a hot mess in sweats from the weekend, stained with grubby sticky fingerprints of a seven year old.
“So uh,”
Shit he didn’t think this one through.
“Can I get your number?”
The shock is visceral. Surprised and yet not at the same time. Because Lucas said it out loud and he wasn’t expecting those words to come out of his own mouth. So bold and sure. He is anything but.
It’s clear Eliott wasn’t expecting it either, if his wide eyes are anything to go by. Or that dropped mouth. He really was handsome. Sweet almost, with the way he softly spoke to Isak instead of getting annoyed with a kid who interrupted his wooing of a stranger.
That earned him brownie points in Lucas’ books.
Lucas holds his hands out towards Eliott. “Phone?”
Like the word ‘phone’ is a catalyst, Eliott jumpstarts and starts digging into his pockets, pulling out the requested device.
Their fingers brush when he reaches to take it from Eliott, working quickly to program his number into Eliott’s phone.
“I… my shift ends at 8 tonight if you want to do something.”
“Really?” Eliott sounds breathless, like he can’t believe this is happening. Yeah. That makes two of them.
But.
Why wait?
“Yeah, I’ll get in around 8:30.”
He looks questioningly at Eliott.
“Yeah, uh, I mean yes. Of course I want to, if that wasn’t obvious.”
Lucas bites his lips. It was obvious.
“If you text me I’ll send you the details.”
Eliott nods, smiling. He braces his elbow on the steering wheel and leans his chin on it, staring at Lucas like some love struck fool. It’s a nice feeling.
“Can’t wait.” Lucas leaves Eliott with a smile. Gets into his car and leaves first. He doesn’t realize that by the time he’s done with his shift, already texted Eliott his address with his fingers crossed that he wasn’t a serial killer, he’s beyond exhausted.
Luckily for him, Eliott shows up with a bag of take out and a willingness to sit and eat greasy food watching a movie by himself because Lucas had already passed out on the couch 5 minutes into their date.
When he wakes there’s a note waiting for him. A small sleepy raccoon on a sticky note and the message, “ had fun, let me know when you’re available.”
A cursory look around his studio tells him everything is in the right place, nothing was taken. He was even tucked in and the leftovers are out away in his fridge.
Life is short, why feel guilty. He sends Eliott a messy selfie of his sleepy face.
The message. “You’re the best.”
He flops back onto the couch, phone resting on his chest. He has a seven year old to thank.
Yeah, life was simple and it wasn’t all bad. Lucas smiles. Why wait, indeed.