Work Text:
He would never forget the day they first met.
His mother had dropped him off at kindergarten, leaving him in the teacher's care before going off to attend some important business meeting.
“Everyone, we have a new student joining us today,” the teacher had announced as she brought him into the classroom, “Meet Alexander.”
Everyone turned to face him, and he'd shriveled up a little in shyness, before the teacher told him to take a seat. Glancing around the small classroom, he resorted to sitting on his own at an empty desk, choosing not to interfere with any of the already filled tables.
However, just as he was sitting down, thinking about what had happened yesterday at home, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he is faced with a boy with brown hair and pale yellow eyes.
“Hey, I… saw you sitting alone, so I thought I'd come talk to you; I hope you don't mind,” the boy murmured and took a seat beside him, “Alexander, right? I'm Luke.”
He stared for a moment, a bit uneasy at how suddenly this interaction had begun, “Uhm… you can call me Zander.” He said that last part in a whisper, and it was almost inaudible to the other boy, if not for his sharp listening skills.
“Zander, huh?” Luke had repeated the name, as if to test it out on his tongue. “Well, do you want to be friends?”
At the question, he hesitated for a moment; he'd never made a… friend before, but the thought of having one made his heart soar. “S-Sure.”
✧✧✧
The bell rang, signaling the arrival of break time, and the children rushed out of the classrooms like swarms of bees exiting their hives.
Luke shuffled in his backpack for his lunch box, and was about to head out of the classroom when he saw Zander, sitting at his desk, seemingly scribbling something on paper.
He walked towards him and peeked over the boy's shoulder, only for the other to almost instantaneously bring his arm over the paper. However, he did manage to catch a glimpse of purple before it's covered completely. “Oh, sorry. I… didn't mean to make you uncomfy or anything…”
“…No, it's alright.” Zander replied after a moment, his brows furrowed and a frown on his face, which made Luke frown too.
“…Are you not going to eat?” He asked after a moment of silence, and the other boy raised his brows at the question, before his expression returned to that of dejection once more.
“I… didn't bring food,” Zander leaned on his palm, his elbow resting on the table, “My parents were… busy yesterday.” And the day before, and the week before that, he thought.
“…Oh,” he seemed to contemplate for a moment, before his eyes lit up, as if a light bulb had just appeared beside his head. “Hey, why don't we share my lunch?”
At the boy's words, Zander paused, registering what he'd just said. “R-Really?” He stared at the other boy in disbelief, and Luke swore he could see a glimmer in those lavender eyes of his. “I… You'd… do that for me?”
“Of course!” He giggled, bringing his lunch box up for the other boy to see, a few stickers on the cover. “I brought two sandwiches today, so you can have one!”
Zander's gaze moved between the lunch box in Luke's hands and the boy's eyes that carried nothing more than the desire to help others, feeling a smile begin to tug at the corners of his lips; something that rarely happened.
“…Thank you.”
✧✧✧
“Don't be ridiculous, just let him go; it's his best friend's birthday party!”
“Shannon, it's a waste of time, and it's on a weekday, for goodness’ sake! Who's going to drive him there?”
“I will, if it means he'll be able to have fun for once.”
“Zander, come on!” He is snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice, and only then did he notice he had been spacing out. “It's time to blow out the birthday candles!”
Before he can react, he is tugged by the wrist. He let out a yelp at this, “H-Hey! I can walk on my own, y'know…”
They arrive at the room where some of Luke's friends were waiting, the lights having been dimmed and the candles lit, the flames atop the wick flickering as they stopped right before the birthday cake.
“Make a wish, Luke!” One of his friends encouraged, and surely enough, the boy closed his eyes before blowing the candles out.
Soon, the cake is cut and many photos are taken. Luke made his way over to Zander, who's sitting in a corner of the living room.
“Hi,” He sat beside the boy, who toyed with the plastic fork in his hand, only glancing up upon hearing his voice, and Luke noticed how he looked a bit… glum.
“…Hey,” Zander muttered, before directing his attention back to the piece of cake before him, using the plastic fork to lightly scrape at the paper plate.
Luke remained silent for a few moments, glancing over at his other friends, who were chatting and playing around, before redirecting his gaze towards the boy beside him. “Why do you look so… upset?” He rubbed the nape of his neck, brows furrowing in concern. “Did I… do something wrong?”
At his words, Zander's eyes widened as he raised his head. “Nono, it's… not that, I just…” He trailed off, waving his palms before him in an almost defensive manner, before letting out a sigh, that sad look returning to his features. “…I wish my birthday parties were like this, if you can even call them... parties.”
“What… do you mean?” He asked, raising a brow.
The other boy let out a sigh, “Last year, my parents yelled at each other on my birthday.”
Luke's brows raised in surprise, “Why would they do that…?”
“I don't know,” Zander's frown only deepened, and Luke's shoulders slump at the sight as he pursed his lips. “They're always fighting… it's so scary.”
At this, a sympathetic frown formed on Luke's face as he wrapped his arms around the other boy.
“W-What're you—” Zander tensed up, clearly not expecting to be embraced this way.
“Giving you a hug, silly.” Luke cut him off, staring at the other with determined eyes. “Y'know, to make you feel better.”
Zander opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again, choosing to relax in the other's embrace instead; it felt good, and he needed it.
✧✧✧
It wasn't long until Zander's birthday came round as well, and it was all going well. At least, until a tiny little disagreement arises and it turns into a heated argument… yet again.
At this point, Zander didn't know what to feel. It wasn't surprising, nor was he shocked, he wasn't used to it either; it still terrified him whenever his parents would do so much as raise their voice at each other, but at the same time, he was beginning to get sick of it, sick of the screaming, sick of having to hide in his room and sick of… everything.
But what could he do? His parents were adults, and he was but a child. If he did speak up, would they even listen to him? Or would they dismiss him and discard his thoughts and opinions instead?
Curled up in his room, he rocked himself back and forth as he tried to cover his ears in order to drown out the deafening yells coming from downstairs. One counterargument after another, it seemed as if this would never come to an end, and for a moment, Zander curses his birthday having to fall on a weekend; he would've rather spent this day at school, maybe then would he actually have had some peace and quiet, at the very least.
Then, as if to save him from continuing his spiral down the hole of emotional turmoil, the home telephone's ringtone sounded from just outside his bedroom.
He opened the door with a creak, peeking outside and catching sight of the telephone, grimacing slightly as another shout reached his ears. He is slightly hesitant to accept the call, in fear that it was someone who was trying to reach out to his parents. Then again, they rarely shared this number to anyone, and even if it were a call meant for them, they'd be too busy arguing to even hear the ringtone.
So, he rushed towards the phone, picking it up before darting straight back to his room and closing the door, so as to muffle the noises that came from outside.
Placing the phone beside his ear, he said, “Hello?”
“Zander!” A familiar voice sounded from the other end of the line, and he blinked twice. Ah, right; he'd given Luke this number when they were talking in class last week, with the other saying that he'd call from time to time to keep him company. “Happy birthday! Sorry I'm late, I had to help my mom out with stuff today.”
At the wish, Zander's eyes lit up, a grateful smile blooming upon his visage. “Nono, it's fine… I… appreciate you wishing me at all, really.”
“So, how did your day go?” Luke asked, brimming with curiosity. “Did you have fun?”
Zander paused at this, before letting out a sigh. “…Not exactly,” he said under his breath, “We were going to have dinner together but… they're fighting again…”
“…Oh,” Luke replied, a hint of disappointment in his tone, “Well, that's okay!” His tone turned positive again, “I got you something for your birthday, I can't wait to give it to you next Monday.”
“You… did?” Zander asked, surprise evident in his tone, a glint in his eyes.
“Of course I did!” Luke chuckled, “What's a birthday without presents?”
At this, Zander’s lips pursed; oh, he knew what that was like.
“Oh, time for bed.” Luke suddenly spoke again, and what he says makes Zander feel a tad bit disappointed, but it wasn't like he could keep the other boy awake. “Sorry I can't chat for longer, see you Monday!”
“See you.”
✧✧✧
Walking into class the following Monday, Zander is filled with excitement.
The moment he entered the classroom, Luke glanced his way, waving at the boy with a bright smile. “Zander, over here!”
With a smile, he made his way over to the brown-haired boy. Upon taking a seat and setting his backpack down, the other began to rummage through his own backpack, before pulling out a stuffed toy.
“Here, you told me you liked puppies, so…” He handed the stuffed toy to Zander, watching as the purple-haired boy's eyes lit up.
“Aww,” Zander's expression immediately brightened up, and it's almost as if there were sparkles in his eyes. “It's so cute, I'm gonna die!” He hugged the stuffed toy real tight, eliciting a chuckle from Luke.
“I'm glad you like it.” He scratched the back of his head, before seemingly remembering something. “Oh, right! I have something else to give you.”
Zander couldn't hide the curiosity that made its way onto his face as Luke began to search through his backpack again, before pulling out a pair of headphones that were purple in colour, a few grape stickers on the ear cups.
“They're noise cancelling headphones, I asked my mom to buy them last week.” Luke grinned, offering the other a close-eyed smile. “Maybe it'll help with the shouting, y'know…” He mumbled, but when he was met with no response, he glanced away. “B-But, if you don't want them, I could—”
Before he could finish his sentence, however, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, and he glanced back to see Zander.
“…Thank you,” he murmured, gratefulness evident in his tone.
“It's… no problem.”
✧✧✧
A knock sounds on his door, and he doesn't even get to respond when Hailey opens it.
“Hey dork,” she says in a joking manner, walking in before leaning on the doorframe, “Have you seen my charger?”
“Hailey, do you have any idea what ‘permission’ and ‘personal space’ is?” Zander asks, a tad bit annoyed as he fiddles with the ribbon in his hands.
“No, remind me again.” Hailey teases, crossing her arms before raising a brow. “Whatcha doin'?”
At this, Zander lets out a frustrated sigh, “Wrapping a present,” he furrows his brows, trying to position the ribbon properly, “How do people do this crap?”
“Ohh, I see.” Hailey places a thoughtful hand to her chin, a smirk on her face. “Wonder who that could be for.”
“S-Shut up,” Zander flushes a little, still not sparing the other a single glance. “Your charger's on the coffee table, you idiot. Now leave me alone.”
“Pffft, okay.” Hailey turns to walk out of the room, not before leaving one last remark. “Good luck wrapping that present for your boyfriend, dork.”
At her words, Zander rolls his eyes, not even bothering to respond. After a few moments of struggling and getting his fingers tangled, he finally manages to make the present… well, presentable. Leaning backward onto his palms with a grunt, he lets out a relieved sigh, before picking the ribbon roll up, as well as the pair of scissors.
Opening the upper drawer of his nightstand, he is met with a mess, and so he sighs before closing it and opening the lower compartment. He is about to set the things back in when he catches sight of something purple sticking out from below dozens of other things. He blinks, before pulling it out; it was the pair of headphones Luke had given him all those years ago. Ah, he supposes he must've chucked it into his drawer when he and his mom had moved here.
It was too small for him to wear now, anyway. But the sight of the worn out ear cups and grape stickers never fail to make him smile. After all, these were the headphones that had saved him from months and even years of yelling, until of course, it stopped. It almost felt nostalgic remembering those times, the times when Luke had been the only reason for him to smile, or to keep going at all; it was funny to think that he was still being that reason, except now Zander was surrounded by so many more people he could call family.
He sets the pair of headphones back into his drawer, before closing it shut. Kneeling down to pick the horribly wrapped gift up, that had one of Bethany's stickers on top, a peanut one, he sets it down on his nightstand.
“Dinner time, everyone!”
“Coming!” He and Hailey yell in unison as he switches the lights of his room off, the other laughing at how they synced.
“So, how'd the present wrapping go?” She asks as they begin to walk down the stairs.
“Oh, just wonderful.” Zander replies, sarcasm evident in his tone. “It definitely doesn't look like I'm about to give him a parcel I took out from the trash.”
“Pffft—” It takes all of Hailey's willpower not to burst out laughing, lest she gets a death stare. “Maybe you should leave the present wrapping to me next time.”
“Like you're any better at it,” Zander murmurs, shooting her an unamused glare as they reach the bottom of the stairway.
“Whatever you say,” Hailey shrugs, before making her way over to the dining table.
“Ah, Zander, Hailey, there you are.” Michael, their father, offers them a bright grin as he sets the table. “Your mother and I prepared y'all's favourite — pasta!”
“Indeed we did!” Shannon, their mother, walks out of the kitchen, a few plates of pasta in her hands, the scent of the freshly cooked food wafting in the air.
“Thanks mom, thanks dad.” Hailey smiles, taking a seat beside Bethany.
“Yay, pasta!” The purple-haired girl's eyes light up, earning a chuckle from those around her.
At the sight, Zander can't help but smile.
Oh, how wonderful it is to finally have a home he felt welcome in; he couldn't be more grateful.