Work Text:
You and Eli Brooks had been friends since the middle of last year, you had transferred to the school because you were struggling with the people there and their attitudes that seemed as though they should have belonged to a conservative middle aged white man. Going somewhere completely new was a little intimidating but you would rather that then your previous school, you still met twats here and there but generally the school had a different energy to it and you were much happier both socially and academically.
You and Eli met in a science class on your second day, Matt and Klitz were in maths and since he had no one else he strided towards you with an air of confidence announcing himself and asking if you had a partner, since everyone else was matched up you accepted and was grateful for the offer. Eli was pretty much hopeless in most lessons, it was his own fault though due to his lack of studying and insistence he would simply skip further education and start his own film production.
He was a cocky character unlike yourself and despite your differences you got on surprisingly well, he'd introduced you to his minions and shared all his filming ideas. You loved his tacky hawaiian shirts and battered trainers, the way he was unapologetically himself and would boast about the most odd things. You'd grown to adore him and all his minor quirks, his music taste that consisted of hyper pop and Eminem. Whenever Matt and Danielle would display affection he'd do the same to you swinging an arm around you or purse and smack his lips in mockery of the other couple. The way he'd have cuteness aggression when drunk and would say stupid stuff like "it's so cute I wanna bite it" and how he'd make grabby hands when he wanted something. He'd also call you babe or another ridiculous pet name that would make you flustered and cause a blotchy blush to appear all over your face, he was dreadful at flirting but you loved it all the same.
It was easy to interpret your friendship as more than that but you wouldn't dare take that step to put such a label on it. Besides Eli regularly expressed how he thought things were gay and often called people fags, that was what made you hesitant to tell him you were gay, as you worried it may change your dynamic and ruin things between you completely. You'd already confided in Klitz by dropping it casually in a conversation and unsurprisingly he was fine with it, commenting on how he was glad you felt you could trust him. You left out the part about Eli though, you were unsure yourself and saying aloud was confirming your feelings, something you were afraid to do. You made him swear secrecy, it wasn't that you were ashamed, just not a fan of others judgement.
"Hey, earth to y/n" Eli says slamming a book down beside you "Wow Eli Brooks reading a book, never thought I'd see this day." You reply, voice laced with sarcasm. He sits down beside you "Haha very funny, I honestly cannot do math for the life of me, will you help me? Please?" He pleads, pushing out him bottom lip and attempting puppy eyes. "I'm doing english right now, I'll help you after school." You say not lifting your eyes from the book "Yeah sure, my place?" He asks opening a bag of gummy worms and offering you one. Another thing you'd noticed about Eli is his sweet tooth, he practically has a sugar addiction and can't go more than a day or so without having some sort of candy. "Sure, it's a date." You say casually, rummaging around in the plastic bag for your favourite flavor. "Thank you y/n, appreciate it" he says going to stand up before ruffling your hair, something he knows irritates you "Dude really?" You question trying to neaten it "You love it really, I can tell." He remarks exiting the library.
The day passes slowly and you look forward to the end of it, you were aware you probably wouldn't end up studying but there was always an excuse for another study date that way. You gather your things and leave your lesson walking to the front of the school when you see Eli running towards you. His run was quite cute and camp which was amusing considering he claimed to be some sort of hyper masculine alpha male. He stopped and his baggy jacket was no longer draping over his hands so you could now see his bitten nails and black nail varnish. Considering his attitude towards men doing feminine things, he was quite guilty of being hypocritical. Perhaps he considered himself the exception to the rule. "Come on then." He says grabbing your wrist and pulling you along.
You get into your car and Eli puts on one of the cds he bought specifically for when you two had car rides together since you were always in one another's company, it wasn't what you'd usually what you'd listen to but you had to admit it was catchy. He nods his head to the music and sings loudly, not caring about students giving him looks, you smile over at him briefly before returning your eyes to the road, as much as you could watch him all day, you'd rather not get in a car crash. The journey isn't that long and Eli energetically hops out, his bag containing his homework slung over his shoulder.
You make your way to his room and he throws his bag on the floor and dramatically flops down on his bed. Eli's room isn't overly messy but there's empty cans lying around and a few discarded notebooks. "Come on, quicker we start quicker it's over." You say gathering your exercise books and a couple of pencils "I hate math" he winges mimicking a sobbing sound "you were the one who asked" you state "come over here, we'll start with an easy one" he sits on the floor cross legged opposite you. He looks like a kid waiting in anticipation for something, God he's cute, his styled hair resting on his forehead and mismatched socks only reinforce this. After half an hour has passed and a few questions have been answered Eli starts to get the hang of it "So x would be 8.32?" He asks gazing at you eyebrows furrowed. "There you are, didn't take long did it?" You say with a soft smile "Now let's do this one" you say pointing to the next page.
Eli groans "Can we stop already" you go to say something but are cut off by him grabbing the pencil from your hand and hiding both yours and his behind his back. You laugh in confusion "Oh dear, how an earth will we learn now?" he says smirking. "Eli-" you start leaping forward to try and grab his wrist but he dodges and scuttles away laughing louder. "Eli give that back right now" he leans back and you swipe at the arm supporting him causing him to fall with a soft thud. You swivel and place a leg over his waist so you're on top of him, the other stuck on the floor. You attempt to grab his wrists but continually fail. You're both laughing loudly and you're thankful that his parents aren't home. You try to snatch the pencil but you lose your balance and fall on top of him, managing to catch yourself before you end up headbutting him.
Your faces are inches apart and the laughter dies out, you stare into his eyes, his expressive burnt sienna eyes that you could look at for days and his rosy, plump lips that are begging to be kissed. The sight is tempting but you remind yourself of what you both have, how this action could destroy your friendship. Friendship, that's what it is and that's what it always will be. You take him off guard and seize the pencils. "Hey!" He shouts obviously not expecting your sudden movement.
"Can't we just play video games?" He pleads, you realize he isn't going to give up "You can but I'm gonna read." He scoffs at this "Reading really? You've got my company and you want to read? God you're such a nerd." He complains shaking his head. You try to explain "No it's a really good book" you can tell he's not convinced "Let me read you some, it's good, seriously" you say "Fine but only one chapter" he rolls his eyes as you rummage around in your backpack for it. He shuffles closer and places his head on your shoulder as you begin to read. You knew Eli wasn't the reading sort but you'd read to him once before and he said it was easier to focus because of your voice.
"So what do you think?" You ask folding the corner of the page and laying the book down. "It's not actually that bad" he says seemingly surprised. You can't help but say "Told you" in a matter of fact tone "You're so childish y/n" he says. You gasp dramatically and act offended "Am not! Have you seen how you behave?" You ask. "That's why you love me so much." He teases lifting his head from your shoulder to face you. You take his hand and run your finger over his knuckles "You know you look really nice with nail varnish, I know I've already said it before but I mean it. It's pretty" you say sincerely "Thank you y/n, not so bad yourself" he chuckles softly "I love you" you sigh softly, not caring so much how it comes off because you feel completely comfortable in the other boys presence. "I love you too" he returns and your heart skips a beat. Of course his love was the platonic sort and yours romantic but you appreciate the sentiment anyway. "That's kind of gay dude" you joke "Well yeah that's the whole point" Eli laughs "huh?" You ask but you're cut off by Eli's hand cupping your face softly and him placing a gentle kiss on your mouth.
Your face turns from shock into a soft smile "I'm so gay for you." He mutters "Honestly same" You remark, still in shock from the other boy's actions. This time you initiate the kiss, it's slow and full of care and emotion. He's not very experienced but that makes it all the more endearing, your lips seem to just slot together and it's perfect, he's perfect. You both giggle like children "What bought this on?" You ask staring into his eyes. "I thought it was time I made my move" He says grinning like a fool. "Can I tell you a secret?" You say, he nods attentively in response. "I've liked you for fucking ages" you chuckle, glad to get it off your chest and even more so to have it met with a positive reaction. "Want me to tell you one?" He asks earning a "go on" from you. He continues "You know, I used to imagine little scenarios and dates with us with full on making out and would just play them off as ideas for hanging out." He reveals "So far back in the closet you were in Narnia." You tease, planting a tender kiss on his lips once again, that'll never get old.