Chapter Text
Exer chewed on his pencil, the paper in front of him filled with numerous unsolved math problems. He had never been the best at math, but he definitely was not the worst. But today, no matter how hard he tried to focus, the numbers seemed to dance all around the page. If only he could think about anything other than his problems. His magic, the relationships he had ruined, David. Exer shook his head. He had to focus. The ticking of the clock was irritating. A student behind him coughed. A bird outside sang a repetitive tune.
Exer scrunched his brows together in frustration, the beginnings of a headache creeping in.
Great. Just what I need.
The room was chilly, and Exer shivered. Of course he had forgotten his jacket; he couldn’t remember anything now a days. The December breeze snuck into the classroom from an open window. Why would his teacher leave the window open on such a cold day? Exer remembered his bike. Dammit, he would have to fight back the cold on the way home from school today.
“Okay, class,” a voice pulled Exer out of his thoughts.
“That’s going to be all for today. If you did not finish the worksheet, you have all break to get it done. Have a nice holiday, kids.”
The teacher waved her hand in dismissal and the classroom erupted into sound. Students were frantically shoving their binders into their backpacks and loudly zipping them up. The scrape of chairs across the floor made Exer wince. Noises had never bothered Exer until lately. Then again, a lot had changed. Was Exer even the same Exer? He didn’t know.
A hand on his shoulder jolted him back to reality.
“Woah there, man! It’s just me,”It was David.
Exer immediately relaxed.
“Hey, Day.”
“You looked so out of it, dude. Is everything okay?”
Exer gave him a weak smile, “Yeah, sorry. I just hate math,” he lied, hoping David wouldn’t push him further.
Luckily, he didn’t. David returned the weak smile, but it was kind and it made Exer’s chest swell. He hoped to whatever higher power above that his face had not given anything away. If it did, David didn’t react.
“Math sucks. But let’s not think about that; it’s Christmas break, man!” David drummed on Exer’s desk to emphasize the excitement, “We’ve got like.. almost a whole month off! And it starts right…”
The bell rang.
“Now!” David sprang up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Exer followed suit. He hadn’t thought much about what he would do to occupy his mind during this time off. Of course he had his job at the café, but he could only spend so much time there. He would hang out with David too, of course, but the thought of it made him nervous. It was hard, hanging out with him. Because Exer’s stupid heart would pound loudly in his hears. And his stupid face would get all hot and flustered. What did he used to do, to prevent Brenda from seeing his obvious attraction to her? He tried to think, but he couldn’t. He had never felt this affected by her. Sure, he would get a little nervous, but he could still function. He could still focus around her. It was different with David. With David, it was like nothing else mattered. And it scared him.
Just as Exer had suspected, the air was bitter outside. Exer wrapped his arms around himself to try to keep in what little warmth his body provided.
“Are you biking home today?” David questioned him, probably remembering how Exer’s dad was currently using his car.
“Yeah.”
“What? Man, are you crazy?”
“It’s no biggie. It’s not too far.” He shivered as he spoke.
“No way, Exer. I’m not letting you bike home in this weather. My mom is picking me up today; I’m sure she would love to drive you home.”
David moved so that he was standing in front of him. Exer sighed, and forced his eyes to meet his friend’s. David looked serious, and as much as Exer would love to deny the help, he would much rather be driven home in a warm car.
“Okay,” He let out in defeat.
“Good,” David relaxed, “And here.”
Exer felt something drape over his shoulders and noticed that David didn’t have his jacket on anymore.
“Oh,” His throat tightened. He slipped his arms in one by one, not knowing if maybe he should refuse this offer, “Thank you.”
David didn’t respond. Instead he gave a lop-sided smile and reached for the zipper. Exer froze. David slowly zipped up the jacket, his eyes not leaving the zipper. Exer held his breath, praying that David wouldn’t notice his nervousness. It seemed to last forever, David’s hand slowly making its way up to Exer’s chest. But then it was gone.
A honk sounded from behind the boys, and they sprang apart. Exer knew he was blushing furiously, but thankfully he could easily blame it on the cold. He was going to die. All David did was zip up his jacket, why did that have such an affect on him? He was doomed.
“David, honey! Get in, it’s freezing!” Mrs. Miller called from her silver cadillac.
“Coming, mom!” David yelled back and rolled his eyes. Exer let out a chuckle and followed his taller friend to the car.
“Oh Exer, honey! Long time no see!” She smiled, warmly.
“Hey Ma, can Exer get a ride home? He only has his bike,” David asked as he flung open the door to the backseats.
“Of course, darling! Get in you two, quickly,” Mrs. Miller motioned for the boys to hurry and they did.
Exer shut the door behind him, glad to feel the chill already start to melt from his body. David’s mother had always been incredibly kind to Exer, and he felt bad that David didn’t get to spend more time staying with her. David’s father was.. something, alright. He was rude and didn’t seem too fond of Exer himself. The sound of David chatting away to his mother, telling her about his day and his plans for the break, brought a slight tug to the corner of Exer’s lips. He couldn’t help but smile at his best friend’s enthusiasm. David’s arms flailed around as he described some story that Exer wasn’t present for.
He let himself tune out the meaning, and just look at the blonde boy sitting next to him. He smiled as he spoke, laughing at intervals. Exer longed to reach out and touch him. He longed for the feeling to be reciprocated. It shocked him. These thoughts were so new. He had never thought of another boy this way before. Not that he had anything against it, but he just never thought it would happen to him. It was scary. He didn’t know how to approach it. Could he confide in anyone about his secret crush? Usually it would be David who he would talk to. Well, not when it was Brenda. But everyone else. But even if he could talk to David, these feelings were so much more. He wouldn’t know how to talk about them. Calling it a “crush” felt wrong. This was more than that, but Exer didn’t want to think about what that could mean. So he just let himself watch David for the remainder of the ride.
•••
David sighed fondly as he watched Exer disappear into his house. The drive home was quiet. After Exer had gotten out of the car, David hopped into the passengers seat next to his mom.
“You miss him already?” His mom’s voice startled him.
Why would she ask that? What did she mean? David fumbled for the right words, “Uh- um, I guess. I mean, I just feel like hanging out with him, you know?”
He heard his mom let out a sound of amusement, but she said nothing more. Embarrassed, David looked out the window, hoping the moment would pass. He was ashamed of his feelings, no matter how hard he tried not to be. Ron was so kind to him, he really didn’t deserve it. Ron told him that nothing was wrong with him liking another boy. And as much as David wanted to believe him, he just couldn’t be so sure. If it was okay, why was it terrifying to admit?
Thankfully, David was staying with his mom and Brenda for the next week. His dad had a business trip and had taken his girlfriend with him. This week would be a breath of fresh air. No more walking on egg shells around his own home. No more worrying about what his dad would think when he went to go hang out with Exer. No more of any of that. Maybe this week David could have time to think things through. Maybe he could figure out his feelings. Get them all sorted. Decide what to do next.
•••
Exer’s phone rang. It was pretty late. He didn’t have a shift today, so he helped his father out with the yard until it had gotten dark. It helped to take his mind off of things more than he had expected. Sometimes, while watering his dad’s patch of tulips, he had the urge to pick one. He could put it in a vase, maybe attach a ribbon to it. But his made-up scenario would end there, because how could he possibly give it to David without making things awkward? He could imagine David grimacing at the gift, handing it back. No, he wouldn’t think about that right now. After the yard work, he had taken a shower and gotten himself a bowl of ice cream to relax with. He set the bowl aside and picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hey..” David. Exer held his breath.
“Oh, hey. what’s up?” Exer did his best to sound nonchalant. He wondered why David was calling so late.
“I hope I didn’t wake you up..”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Okay,” The line went silent for a while. Exer didn’t know what to say. Instead, he waited in the silence, allowing David to speak when he was ready.
“Sorry, this is weird,” David’s voice came again, “I just-“ he paused. Exer could hear him swallow.
“It’s not weird, Day,” Exer could feel his heart speed up.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous all of the sudden?” David laughed on the other side, “Maybe I’m used to my dad listening in on phone conversations..” he trailed off, sounding more amused than tense.
“It’s okay, I get it,” Exer gave a small laugh back, glad David’s tension wasn’t due to him. He knew how strict David’s dad could be. Exer wouldn’t want him listening in on every conversation either. “I’m glad you called.” Exer said and then paused. He didn’t mean to say that. Oh God, that probably sounded weird. There was silence once again. Fuck. He had to save himself, “Was there something you wanted to tell me?”
David sputtered, “Oh, y-yeah actually. My mom and I were talking about how my dad is out of town for the week. And Brenda wanted to have a sleepover with Pam tonight, but is kind of mad I’m here, because where would Pam sleep? And I thought, why don’t I just sleep at home? My dad gave me a key. And my mom said.. Well, she suggested.. that I- uh. That you. Um.”
Exer was confused. Did David need a ride to his house? Why did he sound so nervous to ask? He knew Exer would do anything he needed for him.
“She said that I should invite you to.. ya know, sleepover.. with me?”
Oh. Well, that was definitely more fun than a car ride. Exer smiled to himself, glad no one could see, “That sounds great! I’m sure my old man won’t mind. Wait, so is it at your mom’s house or..” He had to make sure he heard right.
“My dad’s.”
“Okay,” Something about having a house to themselves excited Exer. They had never had a sleep over by themselves. Since most of them were at Exer’s, his dad was usually there as well. He had to calm himself, this wasn’t some sneaky date. David just wanted company from his best friend.
“Brenda is letting me borrow her car. I’ll come pick you up then?”
“Yeah, just honk when ya get here,” Exer’s insides where doing gymnastics. Even if it was just as friends, Exer missed the sleepovers he and David used to have. After the whole Brenda thing, they hadn’t had one. The tension was just always there. But David invited him. He wanted him to be there. Ron would also probably be there, he tended to be a mediator in their relationship. But that was okay, Exer decided, because anything was better than nothing.
“See you,” David said softly.
“Yeah, see you soon,” Exer smiled as he hung up the phone. He quickly got out of bed and downed the rest of his ice cream then turned to the mirror to check his reflection. Oh no. He looked terrible. His hair was a complete mess and his rumpled t-shirt and boxers were questionable. Usually, Exer would throw on whatever was clean on the way to David’s house, but this felt different. Exer wanted to look good tonight. He rummaged through his closet, tossing clothes into a discard pile and placing contenders on his bed. Eventually, he settled on something casual, but nice: a grey long sleeve with two buttons at the top (undone) and his favorite pair of jeans. He packed his best pajamas and everything else that was needed and headed downstairs to find his dad, who was in the kitchen cleaning dishes.
“Hey Dad,” Exer jogged up to his dad’s side and helped him move a stack of plates into the cabinet.
“You sound peppy for someone up this late,” Harry laughed, ruffling his son’s hair in amusement, “What’s going on, and why do you have your backpack on?”
Exer huffed as he tried to fix his hair in the reflection of a clean pan, “David is coming to pick me up to stay the night at his house, if that’s okay?” Exer knew he should have asked his dad before agreeing to spend the night, but he knew his dad wouldn’t mind. Harry seemed to like David.
“That sounds fun,” Harry smiled, “Don’t stay up too late,” he nudged Exer away to continue the dishes on his own.
“Thanks, Dad,” Exer felt giddy with excitement and nervousness. Hopefully his Dad didn’t notice. Now all he had to do was wait, David would be there soon.