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Ellis leaned into his hand as Mrs. Soto continued to drone on, half asleep. Sometimes, he wished that Tony hadn’t convinced him to join this class but…
A small smile pulled at his lips as he glanced over at the boy beside him, a small blush rising in his cheeks. Tony still looked straight ahead, seemingly interested in what their teacher had to say. Ellis rolled his eyes affectionately to himself. He didn’t know how Tony wasn’t bored out of his mind.
The other boy must have noticed that he was staring, cobalt eyes sliding over to meet with green as they narrowed despite sparkling with curiosity. Tony tilted his head slightly in question, but suddenly turned back to the front.
“Ellis, can you answer this for me?”
What had she asked? Ellis jumped a bit as Ms. Soto asked, panic rising in his chest for a moment before he looked at the board, reading it over quickly. Elements of creative writing?
“Uhh…” embarrassment prodded at him as he tried to think, “Plot, character, setting, point of view, and…..”
He grit his teeth as he tried to think, “Conflict?”
Ms. Soto raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Good, but there’s more. I’m looking for nine. Tony, can you help him out please?”
The boy next to him sat up a bit, “Dialogue, structure, narration, and theme.”
Their teacher simply hummed, turning to write each element on the board as Ellis let out a small relieved sigh, sliding back down in his desk chair. Tony snorted a bit in response next to him, the boy covering it up quickly before Ms. Soto turned back around to continue her lecture.
When the bell finally rang, Ellis found himself suddenly far more awake, pushing himself from his desk quickly. He and Tony had planned to have a movie night, so he’d gotten everything ready. It was probably a bit excessive, but it was one of the first times they’d actually gotten to hang out one-on-one without their parents around since the incident two months ago.
Ellis shivered as he remembered that night — how Greg had looked at him, how Greg had described how he had attacked Tony. Anger boiled in him before he pushed it away. He couldn’t think about that when they were supposed to have fun.
Tony pushed himself up from his desk, his knees a bit unsteady as he wrapped his hand around the handle of forest green cane that he had gotten after he was able to start walking again. Ellis frowned as he watched him struggle slightly, but he knew better than to try to help unless it was really bad — Tony always hated when he tried to help. He understood why though, so he backed off, letting the other boy steady himself before Tony turned back to him, “You coming?”
Ellis followed him as they navigated the hallway, heading towards the main entrance to be picked up by his mother. Tony scowled as he tried to pick up his pace, turning to him with a frown, “I hate when they look at me like that. Do they really think looking at me with pity will help? I can’t wait to never use this thing again.”
Ellis’s voice caught in his throat as he nodded, the other boy turning back forward. His gut twisted as he walked by Tony’s side, silent. Tony would have to use that cane for the rest of his life, and they both knew it. The damage that Greg had done to his legs would never heal to the condition Tony had been in before the attack — he would be able to go through small spurts of being able to walk on his own, but once he became too exhausted or put too much wear on them, he’d need it for assistance.
Anger towards Greg burned in his gut once again as he tried to keep it down, offering a small consolation, “You know, you really should take up my idea of putting stickers on it.”
Tony sighed, his eyes still forward as his lips tightened in frustration, “I mean, maybe…”
Ellis lit up at that. Tony had never agreed with that before.
The other boy turned back, giving him a small, sad smile, “But I don’t want people to think I’m using it as an accessory, you know? I mean, you see the looks they already give me.”
Ellis sighed, taking his hand, “I know that you actually need it, so fuck them. If they say anything, I’ll knock them out.”
Tony snorted, pushing his hand away playfully, “Yeah, okay. Sure.”
The ride back to his house was a bit of a blur, the silence making way for him to watch out the window and daydream. He was glad that his mom had agreed to pick them up — he knew that it was hard with her shifts, but her lunch break had lined up tonight. The hospital needed her to work an afternoon shift, so he and Tony would be alone for most of their evening after they were dropped off.
Ellis let out a deep sigh as he flopped onto the couch, exhausted. School had really taken a lot out of him. Glancing over at Tony, he patted the seat beside him, snorting when the other boy gave him a playful glare and an eye roll before sitting beside him, cuddling into his side.
Ellis couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his throat as he wrapped an arm around Tony, pulling him close and pressing a kiss to his temple. They didn’t get a lot of moments alone like this, but he cherished the times they did. He respected how Tony felt about their relationship, keeping it a bit private. He knew that Greg had really messed him up, though he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him insecure from time to time. Though, it was the first time he’d ever felt this way for someone, so he kept it to himself for fear of messing things up.
He took a deep breath, cupping Tony’s cheek to pull his head up slightly so he could press his lips against the other’s before pulling back, “I’ll go make us a pizza, okay? Stay here.”
Tony grumbled a bit in response, letting out a sharp exhale through his nose, but ultimately stayed in place as Ellis stood to go to the kitchen, pulling a frozen pizza from the freezer.
As he unwrapped the pie and slid it onto the parchment, a rising sense of anxiety bubbled in his gut. Ellis gripped the oven door bar, trying to calm his breathing. He was getting into his head too much again. He glanced across the way to the living room, his boyfriend laid out against the right side of the couch, waiting for him.
He wished that other people could see him the way he did — that he could show him off the way others could. Ellis swallowed. Tony had been the only person he’d ever felt this way for, he didn’t care for these things usually. Maybe that’s why he felt so strongly, or maybe it was because of the risk of losing everything he’d ever known. The only thing he knew was that he’d already almost lost him, he couldn’t risk that again. Not over a silly frivolous feeling. Not because he felt jealous.
A small knock echoed on the door, sending a jolt through him. He glanced at the dark window, confused. His mother wouldn’t be home for a few hours, so it had to be someone else. He thought about ignoring it until another came, slightly louder this time. He scrambled to the door, hopeful Tony hadn’t heard it, opening it slightly to look outside.
“Hi, Ellis.”
Ellis’s heart dropped to his knees as he stared into amber irises, something about them slightly different than he last remembered, but still frightening nonetheless. The urge to slam the door in Greg’s face before he could say anything was strong, but the boy beat him to it, a bruised hand catching the door, “Please. I’ll explain everything, just don’t close the door.”
He glanced back. Tony was still on the couch, but his eyes were closed, a barely noticeable snoring coming from the living room that told him that he was asleep. Both relief and fear passed through him, but he pushed them both down, opening the door enough to try to step out.
“Tony’s here?”
Greg’s eyes lit up in a way that made his stomach clench, jealousy flooding him along with anger. He turned to glare at the boy, pushing Greg back slightly as he closed the door behind him, “You’re going to leave him alone.”
He surprised himself a bit with the way he’d snapped at his former friend, but he couldn’t say it wasn’t deserved.
Greg looked wounded at that, curling in on himself a bit. Ellis noticed the bandages littering his body for the first time, perplexed. Had he gotten into a fight? Served him right, he supposed.
The boy shuffled a bit in place awkwardly, biting at his chapped lips, “I wanted to apologize. I wanted to apologize to Tony too.”
Ellis snorted, grabbing the front of Greg’s shirt as he narrowed his eyes, “You want to apologize?! You tried to kill us both. You put Tony in a wheelchair for months.”
He hesitated for a moment as memories from the past two months played through his mind, pushing them away in a fit of justified rage, “Do you even understand what you’ve done? They were afraid he’d never fucking walk again because of the damage you did. He’s going to need a mobility aid for the rest of his life because of you.”
Greg’s lip quivered as he pulled at Ellis’s wrists, shaking his head, “I didn’t want to! I didn’t even actually do it, but you need to let me explain!”
Green eyes grew sharp as he scowled, shoving Greg back, “Get the fuck out of here or I swear I’ll call the cops, Greg.”
The other boy landed on his back, letting out a hiss of pain as he glared up at him defiantly, “Don’t fucking call me that.”
Ellis’s brows furrowed as the other pushed himself up from the gravel, wiping the rocks off of himself before he approached, grabbing the front of Ellis’s hoodie, “Don’t ever call me his name again or I swear I will put you in the ground.”
His former friend let out an angry exhale, relaxing his shoulders a bit despite their trembling, “You can’t even let me fucking explain without being violent yourself and yet you scold me for someone else’s violent actions. When you speak to or about me, you’re going to use my name, not that thing’s.”
His teeth grit as he spat the last syllable of his name, “Gregory, not Greg.”
Terror jolted through Ellis for a moment before he grabbed Gregory’s wrist, pulling it down with a surprising amount of ease, “Okay, Gregory. Let’s go with your story for just a moment. Explain quickly. I meant what I said.”
The urge to sock this boy was still itching in the back of his mind, but Gregory let out a sigh of relief, brushing through his bangs with his hands nervously. He opened his mouth to speak before angrily scoffing, his fists balled.
“I know you won’t believe me anyway,” he started, “But I don’t care. Both you and Tony deserve the truth and I’ll leave. Forever even if that’s what you want.”
Amber eyes glared up at him, something else behind them that Ellis couldn’t quite put his finger on, but it made him back up a bit, like he’d done something wrong, “It’s not that I didn’t know you guys — he did let me see you, even presently sometimes…”
Gregory bit at his cheeks, turning to Ellis, “Do you know how horrific it is to finally make friends just to watch them die? To watch yourself kill them?”
Ellis frowned, frustration blazing in him. What the fuck was he talking about?! He sounded even more insane now.
“I made a mistake many months ago — Hell, I’m not even really sure how long it’s actually been. All I know is that that is when he joined me up here,” Gregory continued, pointing his index finger at his temple.
When Ellis didn’t respond, he sighed, “He used to let me out, from time to time — let me make friends, be a normal kid. Just enough to get me attached to his victims. He used to pick them out and everything that way — people he knew I’d get along with. Then he’d find a way to get them vulnerable and alone and well… I think you remember that part as well as I do.”
Ellis shook his head, tension threatening to burst inside of him as he grit his teeth, “You’re fucking insane. Stop fucking lying.”
Gregory raised an eyebrow, giving him a dirty look, “Am I?”
He lifted a portion of his bangs, pointing to his temple, “Then look for yourself. The scar is still there.”
Part of Ellis wanted to brush him off, to slam the door in his face and call for help, but as his feet pushed one in front of the other, he found himself closer to the boy, his eyes locked on a reddened, raised scar.
“It’s the injection site. Don’t worry, the chip has been removed,” Gregory mumbled, his eyes glued to the floor, “Deactivated and then we cut it out. Was hard with the location, but necessary. Can’t risk him coming back.”
Ellis hissed in response, the mental visual of him digging the chip out of his skin unpleasant. If he was making this up, he’d really committed to the story. Part of him did believe it, though he knew that was illogical — but as he watched grief and guilt and anger flash across the boy’s face, he found himself more and more convinced despite it all.
Honey eyes locked on juniper, “Do you believe me yet?”
Ellis huffed, crossing his arms, “And let’s say you really did have some ‘evil chip’ in your head…”
He glared down at Gregory, his angry front threatening to crumble into what it really was — fear.
“Why did you come back here? If you really want to let us heal, why did you come to reopen the wound?”
Gregory seemed taken aback, the boy flinching a bit as he sputtered, seemingly unable to get anything out — like he hadn’t expected to be asked that question.
“Listen, Gregory.”
He put his hands on his shoulders, the shorter boy’s frame shaking as he trembled with what he could only assume was remorse, “If you really care about us…”
He swallowed, “If you really care about Tony…”
Honeyed eyes watered as they looked away, the boy’s fists clenched before they weakly relaxed.
“Then you won’t come here again.”
The minute the words came out, guilt flooded him — like he’d said the wrong thing. Hell, he wasn’t sure he hadn’t said the wrong thing. With the way that that boy looked at him, he swore they both shattered into pieces emotionally, the pair frozen as they both processed what Ellis had said.
Gregory stayed still for what felt like an eternity before he nodded, a sniffle coming from him before he lowered his voice, “You’re right. I shouldn’t have come here.”
He backed up, reaching into his pocket before pulling a small, orange sticky note from it, handing it to Ellis.
“If you change your mind, you know where to reach me then.”
Before Ellis could take back his words, the boy looked up at him, giving him an emotionally wrecked smile as tears ran down his blotchy cheeks, “I was so glad to see you again. If we don’t see each other again, I hope you know that I came to see you too, not just Tony. Just… take care of yourself, okay?”
He reached to stop him, but Gregory ran off, the only reminder of his visit sitting in Ellis’s hand. He glanced down at the crudely written note, tracing his finger over the sloppily drawn star at the end of it.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. How was he going to explain this to Tony?
Turning around to reenter the house, he slipped the note into his pocket, giving the outside one last sad glance before closing the door.
As soon as he’d entered, the smell of burnt bread filled his nose, panic temporarily relieving any thoughts of what had happened as he pulled the well-burnt pizza from the oven, cursing loudly as he dropped it on the stovetop.
“El?”
He turned back to see Tony standing beside the counter, groggily wiping at his eyes as he held the counter with one hand.
“Is everything okay? Why did you leave the house for so long?”
He scrambled for an excuse, sputtering before mumbling a nonsense excuse about getting fresh air — though he could tell from how his boyfriend looked at him that Tony didn’t believe him.
Without another word, Tony wrapped his arms around him, laying his head against his chest. Ellis smiled, finger combing through waves of umber hair before Tony muttered, “Since you already burned it, can we just go to bed? I’m fucking exhausted.”
He nodded, pressing a kiss to Tony’s forehead before tossing the burnt food and throwing the pan into the sink, helping him back through the kitchen back to the couch to grab his cane before heading to his bathroom.
Opening the door, he led Tony to the countertop to brush his teeth, doing the same as he pondered. Maybe he should tell him the truth about what happened with Gregory. He glanced over, cloudy cobalt eyes barely able to keep themselves open as Tony lazily brushed his teeth. The sight was endearing, but it worried him — Tony had definitely pushed himself too far today.
They finished up, changing for bed before heading to Ellis’s bedroom, the large bed far more comfortable than the couch had been. Despite the large space, they stayed close to each other, the shorter boy curled in a pseudo-fetal position as he started to drift off, but fighting it. Ellis was a bit perplexed at this, but he figured that maybe Tony just didn’t like falling asleep first. He usually did, so it’s not like he was ever awake to see this.
“El?”
Ellis hummed in question, the sound of their breathing loud in comparison to the silence of the room around them.
“Who was at the door?”
His throat tightened as Tony looked up at him, a physically defeated, yet intrigued expression on his face as he studied him, “You were talking to someone outside. You don’t need to lie to me.”
Ellis’s heart pounded as he debated whether or not to be honest. Part of him was afraid he’d lose Tony — he wouldn’t pretend he wasn’t, but as he watched the boy look up at him, pleading, he knew he was really afraid of him getting hurt again.
He took a deep breath, brushing through umber strands with his fingers as he tried to gather his courage.
“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to let me explain completely. We can deal with the repercussions of it tomorrow after we’ve both gotten some sleep.”