Chapter 11: 10: Moonshine (1/2)

pre-written chapter, not pushing myself

TEN

Moonshine (1/2)

He should have expected this when he said Mars wasn't allowed to stay home alone while he went to the store.

She was lifting herself into the cart, sitting with her legs crossed. "Aren't you getting a little too old for that?" he asked her, watching as she made herself comfortable.

"Nope," she chirped. "If I'm small enough, which I am, then it doesn't matter."

He hated when she used decent logic.

Elias sighed, starting to push with very slight struggle. He tried not to let it show. "Whatever you say. Be careful with everything. I don't want you crushing anything — especially eggs and bread, remember?"

"Yep, yep." She turned her phone horizontally and started playing a game. He snatched the list from her lap and held it out in front of him. This was one of those big grocery days. He wasn't looking forward to it.

He had always hated any type of shopping with a burning passion. His feet started to hurt far too easily — it was embarrassing. Mars was lucky he was letting her sit there. Little did she know, she was making his whole "feet ache easily" problem worse.

"Hey," Mars said, tilting her head back. Elias gave her a questioning look as he grabbed a box of cereal from a shelf. He dropped it into her lap, and she gasped when she saw it was her favorite. "Oh, sweet. And I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Um, so... Like, Lily got a boyfriend, right? And I'm kinda mad about it."

Elias blinked. "Why? Is he mean?"

Mars blew out a breath. "He's annoying. He's always trying to kiss her and hug her and stuff and it's gross."

"Well, that's what couples tend to do, Mars. And is that the only reason you're mad?"

"He's also really ugly."

Elias held back a laugh. He shouldn't find that funny — she was insulting another kid, for fuck's sake, but the delivery was hilarious. He cleared his throat to hide the need to chuckle. "Well, Lily doesn't find him ugly. You should support this if he isn't a bad guy."

"But now she isn't hanging out with me!" Mars complained, frowning deeply. "She asked me to spend the night this weekend, but now she's inviting him to hang out with us. Not to sleep over, because no, but he's still gonna be there. I don't want him to be there."

Elias hummed as something clicked inside his head. "Mars," he said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Are you jealous of him?" He looked at her, watching as her expression became a confused one.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you jealous she's spending more time with him?"

"Well, yeah!" Mars explained in bewilderment. She looked at him like he had said the most ridiculous thing ever. "She's my friend."

"I meant — actually, never mind. I just want you to know something." He leaned down so they were at eye level. She gave him a curious look.

"I love you, Mars. No matter what. Okay?"

She furrowed her brows. "Okay...? I love you, too. Can I sleep over this weekend at her house?"

He exhaled through his nose, nodding. "Yeah, but this time I need to meet her parent or parents first," he said, then pointed at her phone. "Can you get her parent's number for me?"

Mars nodded rapidly, grinning. "Yeah, I can. Thank you!"

"Mhm." He started making his way into another aisle, and as soon as he did, he heard an all too familiar laugh. That booming, obnoxious laugh that could only come from one person.

You're kidding me, Elias thought in disbelief, eyes landing on Marco and Felix. The latter noticed him first, eyebrows raising.

"Oh, Elias. Hey!"

Marco whipped his head around. "Oh, sh — " He stopped himself when he noticed the thirteen year old sitting in the basket. "Uh — hey. Been a while."

Elias cracked a small smile. "Yeah. I heard you had an apology to give me?"

Marco looked at Felix, who shrugged. He turned back to face Elias. "From the very bottom of my heart — I'm sorry. I have a tendency to act like a dumba — a very ridiculous person. I didn't realize you were actually bothered by what I said."

"It's fine," Elias mused.

"I forget that not everyone has the same mentality of this guy," Marco said, pressing his finger against Felix's cheek. "His brain becomes smoother and smoother each year he wastes on me."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Anyway. Is that your daughter you're always talking about? Mars?"

Mars looked up at the mention of her name. She peeked around Elias and ran her gaze over the two men, paused, then awkwardly shifted away again without a word. "Yes, that's her," Elias answered. "She's not the best with strangers, so please don't think she's rude."

"Ah, like a mini Rome," Marco said, nodding solemnly. "I didn't think she was rude. Anyway — did'ya miss me?"

Elias tilted his head. "It was a little boring without you guys bothering me for two weeks, I won't lie about that. Are things getting better, a little easier?"

"Yeah. I have a question to ask, by the way — a question you're probably tired of, but I will not give up."

Elias exhaled. "Yes, Marco, I'm free this weekend."

His eyes widened. "Really? Wait, is that you saying yes or — "

"Can we not talk about this right now?" He subtly gestured toward Mars. He didn't want her hearing about alcohol and annoying adults. "You can get my number from Roman. I'll talk to you guys again soon, but I have to get going. Alright?"

"Yeah, that's cool," Felix said, sending him a friendly smile. "Bye, Eli."

"Bye."

He grabbed one last thing from that aisle and moved on to the next. He looked at Mars, who was already looking at him. "What?" he asked with a frown.

"Who were they?"

"Some guys I know from work," he replied. "Did you get Lily's parent's number?"

"Yeah, I sent it to you. Both. She has two moms."

"Oh, does she?" Elias looked down at her. She was nodding rapidly. He felt a little nervous by that — what if this was when she asked why she didn't even have one mom? But the question never came. Instead —

Mars reached out and tapped his hand multiple times. "Are they nice?"

"Who? Those guys?"

"Yeah."

"They are," Elias decided, shrugging. "One can be a little much, but he has good intentions. I've gotten to know them over the past two months or so."

"Do you do sleepovers?"

Elias laughed before he could stop himself. Mars narrowed her eyes. "Mars, I'm way too old for sleepovers."

"No, you're not!" she countered, sitting up. "It's a friend thing. You should do it."

He smiled at her, amused. "I'll think about it."

"Ugh, you're making fun of me."

"I'm not!"

"You are! Jerk."

___

Elias also didn't expect for Lily's parents to invite him inside when he dropped Mars off on Friday. He couldn't tell if they were being friendly or good parents.

Both?

He caught Mars by the back of her shirt before she could dart off and head upstairs to Lily. "Introduce yourself," he told her. This was the first time she was going over and meeting her parents.

"Um, hello," Mars awkwardly uttered. Her face was turning red. "I-I'm Mars. Lily's friend."

The two women were Japanese, if their welcome mat was anything to go by. The taller of the two leaned over to smile at Mars and hold her hand out. Mars hesitantly took it. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I feel like I already know you because of how much Lily talks about you."

Mars visibly brightened. "She does?"

She nodded. The other, shorter, woman waved to Mars. "You can go on upstairs, if you want to. She's in her room. Take your shoes off first though."

"Okay!" Mars did so, set them on the front porch with the others, hugged Elias quickly, then hurried up the stairs like she originally planned. He watched her go, then turned to face Lily's moms.

"Hi, I'm Elias," he greeted, and they both shook his hand.

They introduced themselves as Riko (the taller of the two) and Hina (the shortest). He did the formalities, but when he went to leave, they stopped him.

"Do you want to come inside?" Hina asked, opening the door wider. Elias blinked, surprised. "It's completely okay if you already have somewhere to be."

"Oh, no, I don't," he assured. "I'd love to. Thank you."

He slipped his shoes off and stepped inside, glancing around. He already noticed from the outside, but they were more than well-off. The ceilings were tall and everything was bright, real hardwood floors and white walls. They led him to the living room, and when he sat down, he was convinced he could've fallen asleep on the spot.

"Make yourself comfortable!" Hina encouraged with a radiant beam. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Oh, uh, water is fine."

She nodded and slipped into the kitchen. He glanced at Riko, who was somehow elegant while sitting down. It was ridiculous. Women were beautiful. Effortlessly so.

"I haven't heard Lily so excited about anyone in a while," Riko said suddenly. Elias sat up straighter in response. "I'm relieved. I know it's bad to dislike a child, but her past friends have been vile."

Elias hummed. "I'm glad Mars is good to her, then."

"If Lily didn't have that boyfriend of hers, I'd assume they were dating," Riko whispered. "Lily talks about her like she's a deity or something."

Elias' eyes widened. "You thought so too?"

"Oh my God, yes," Riko said, leaning forward. "Hina thinks so, too. Now, I won't assume things, but as a lesbian, I can smell it from a mile away. My nose is very rarely wrong." She tapped her nose for emphasis.

Elias grinned. "What about me?" He wasn't closeted — he just never talked about his sexuality unless a situation came up where he had to or wanted to.

"Oh, you're giving me strong bisexual energy," she said seriously. "The only reason we invited you in. No offense."

"None taken." Elias leaned into the sofa, much more comfortable now than before. "I don't blame you. I respect that, actually."

He talked with her and Hina for a full hour and a half, and by the end of it, the sun was starting to set. The only reason he decided to leave was because he got a text from Marco, who had loved messaging him since Roman gave the guy Elias' number.

Pain in the ass -

hey you're still in, right?

Elias -

Yes

Pain in the ass -

god you really need to stop texting like Roman and Felix it's gross

Elias -

No

Elias -

What time should I be there by??

Pain in the ass -

whenever you want :D

Elias -

Okay I'm not coming then

Pain in the ass -

bitch

Elias -

Kidding. I'll let you know when I'm leaving

When he got home, he took a shower, then spent far too long staring at his closet and the clothes inside of it. He didn't know what to wear. And then, he found himself thinking: Why do I care what I look like?

He chose something casual and threw on a jacket over it. He placed his hands on his cheeks and sighed, pacing around his room. He felt weirdly nervous. It had been a long time since he actually hung out with people. No one had stuck around long enough, and it didn't help that Elias was boring.

He couldn't fathom why any of them — Roman, Marco, The Anthonys, Felix — would actively want to try and get him to spend time with them. Hell, Riko and Hina, too.

It was weird. He wasn't nearly as interesting as they were.

It was eight by the time he got into his car. He texted Marco he was on his way and put his address into the GPS, that nervous feeling becoming worse as he got closer and closer. It was an apartment complex Marco lived in, and he seemed to be on the first floor, which was more than a relief.

He hated walking up the stairs. Especially apartment stairs. Last time he lived in a complex, his apartment was all the way at the top, and the amount of times he had to run away from active wasp nests was horrifying.

Never again, he thought grimly.

He found his apartment and knocked twice, the door opening before he could fully pull his hand away. "It's the man of the hour!" Marco cheered, opening the door wider to let him in. Elias stepped inside, finding the main group, except this time with a plus one.

A dog. A big, fluffy black dog that ran up to him and sniffed him in the worst possible places.

"Come on, Dave," Marco said, grabbing the dog by the collar to free Elias from that invasive snout.

Elias furrowed his brows. "Dave?"

"He always gives our pets the ugliest names," Felix said, sighing heavily. "I've stopped trying to suggest normal names."

"He had a pet fish named Polo," Thing #1 chimed in. "Easily the worst one, by far."

As Marco started to argue with Anthony, Elias spotted a free seat next to Roman on the couch. He smiled at him and pointed. "Can I sit there?"

Roman nodded rapidly, shifting to the side as if he was taking up space. He wasn't. Elias sat down beside him after taking his shoes off at the door, crossing his legs. "How did the date go?" he asked him quietly, tilting his head. "You never told me."

He shrugged, staring down at the beer can in his hand. He offered it to Elias, who shook his head. "I'm not a beer guy, but thanks. So? Was it bad? You don't have to talk about it if it was."

"Um..." Roman tapped his thumbs against the side of the can. "It was better than I thought it would be. I told her, and she, uh, she was understanding."

"That's good!"

"Yeah."

Elias gently nudged his shoulder with his. "Then why do you look so sad?"

"Stop flirting," Thing #2 demanded loudly. Elias gave him a dull look.

"We're not flirting."

"Coulda fooled me."

"They're the ones flirting," Roman retorted, jerking his chin. Elias followed his gesture to find Marco draping himself over Felix's shoulders, pressing kisses all over his cheek and neck. Felix seemed used to it, because he just continued doing whatever it was he was doing as if he didn't have a grown man in his personal space.

Elias furrowed his brows and glanced up at Roman. "Are they dating?"

"Married," Roman corrected. Elias' eyes widened. "I know. They have a weird dynamic."

"I wouldn't have guessed," Elias stated thoughtfully. "I can see it now though."

Elias discovered two queer couples in one day. That had to be a record of sorts. He smiled to himself. He hadn't realized there were quite a few people like him so close by. It felt nice. Immediately comforting, in all honesty. He knew, with hardly any doubts, that these were decent people in that regard.

Was it ridiculous to be so happy about something like that at his age? He wasn't sure, but he liked the feeling regardless.

"You're cool with it?" Roman asked quietly from beside him.

Elias nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know."

"I'm bisexual, I'd be weirder than if I was straight and minded."

"I — uh, so am I."

Elias turned to face him. "You are?" When Roman nodded, Elias' grin brightened. "That explains why I like you so much."

Roman cleared his throat and averted his gaze, pressing the back of his hand against his cheek as he took a sip from the can clutched in his grasp. Was he uncomfortable by what he said? Maybe it did sound a little weird.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," Roman mumbled. "I'm never, um, uncomfortable... around you. Awkward, sometimes. But that's all."

"Okay..." Elias tried to catch his gaze, but Roman was adamant on looking anywhere else. Elias left him alone and leaned back, checking his phone to see if Mars had contacted him at all. She did, but just to complain.

best daughter ever :DD -

her bf is annoying. if he makes me mad am i allowed to punch him

dad (-: -

Absolutely not. If he disrespects you or her or anyone, sure. But you can't hurt someone just because you dislike them

best daughter ever :DD -

ugh

He huffed out a quiet laugh and put his phone away. He returned his attention to everyone else, only to find Marco and both Anthonys looking for something on a cluttered shelf. Elias frowned.

"What's going on?" he asked, lightly tapping his knuckles against Roman's knee.

The man's leg jumped. Elias decided to ignore it for his sake. "Uh, they're looking for a board game. Or a card game. I don't know."

"Hm."

"Um..." Roman trailed off. He stuttered a lot, Elias was noticing. "Are you — do you want anything to drink?"

"Anything other than beer is fine with me," Elias replied. "What do you all have?"

Roman set his beer down. "Come with me," he said, but he phrased it more as a question. Elias refrained from laughing. He didn't want to embarrass him, so he got up and followed him into their small kitchen. Seriously — small. He wondered if Felix and Marco were able to be in the kitchen at the same time, ever.

"They have wine," Roman said, opening up a cupboard filled with different wine bottles. "And there's whiskey, vodka, rum. But you don't have to drink alcohol. Soda, and uh, water... they have that, too."

"Do you always stutter or is it just around me?"

Roman blinked. "Huh?"

"I don't have a problem with it. I'm just curious, is all."

"I don't — I haven't noticed if I do. Now I'm gonna notice it more."

"Sorry," Elias said, reaching out to touch his arm. "I didn't mean it in a rude way. Stuttering is okay. And normal. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Roman said, cracking a tiny smile. He hesitated, then placed his hand over Elias'. "I have a feeling you're not intentionally rude anyway."

He then quickly pulled his hand back, like Elias burned him, and reached to tug open the fridge. "Um, you can just... take anything you want. They don't mind."

"Alright."

"I'm just — " He gestured toward the living room. " — gonna go back. Unless, uh, you need help with anything."

"I don't."

Roman nodded once, lingered for a moment, then left. Elias watched him go until he disappeared. It was hard to believe he wasn't uncomfortable around Elias. His behavior just screamed 'you make me feel uneasy.'

He jumped every time I touched him, Elias thought as he just grabbed a bottle of water. He wasn't in the mood for alcohol. Maybe that's why. Am I too touchy?

Elias pressed the cold bottle against the back of his neck. He tended to touch more when he got comfortable with someone. It seemed like Roman wasn't the type to like that. I'll tone it down, he thought, heading back and sitting down, except this time he put a little more space between him and Roman.

The last thing he wanted was to lose the chance at having a friend, no matter how childish it sounded.