"It's a tomato."
He knew that. The existence of the bright red fruit had been marked in his mind through his mom's liberal use of them in her egg soup.
The boy standing in front of him thought otherwise. The bright, dopey smile that sat on his face spelled it out while his hand worked as a stand for the berry fruit.
"I know that."
His brother had warned him about the childish indignation that filled his voice when he felt annoyed. He usually tried to deny its existence but even he could sense it in those three words. Though, he reasoned, it was a natural reaction! The tomato was simple and the way it was presented to him by the boy made him feel simple. Of course, it was a tomato. He knew it was a tomato. He didn't need to be told it was a tomato.
"Take it."
Once again, the fruit was thrust into his face. And, once again, he had to stop himself from smacking it from its tan platform. Keeping the instinct at bay, he took a step away from his berry-loving acquaintance and grunted.
"I don't want the tomato."
"You should have it. You look skinny."
It was a sentiment that his mom parroted to him on a daily basis. He had always been a picky eater, making his plates at dinner time pretty lacking. He could brush it off when it was coming from the woman. Hearing the words come out the boy's mouth, however, rubbed him a whole different way.
"Are you insulting me?"
He was met with a shake of a head and despite himself, he snorted. If the boy wasn't insulting then he was horrible at talking to people.
"You look like a skeleton. I thought you needed some food."
An insult clawed its way up the viscous walls of his throat. It was prepared to leap out of his throat but something stopped. Something brilliant and shining that hadn't left his form since the start of this interaction.
They were the opposite of everything he wanted, bright blue and full of affection. His eyes held him in place, gluing his mouth shut and leaving his insult unheard. Leaving him trapped under its burden, the boy's earnest stare settled upon him like the weight of the world. Talking became a titanic effort; one his mind could not surmount. A surge of emotion, and heat invaded his face as he attempted to force open his locked jaw. Despite his efforts, his mouth remained shut, leaving his emotions nowhere to go but to the surface of his pale cheeks.
With his mouth adhered shut, he did the only thing he could do at that moment: he grabbed the tomato and ran. Looking back never occurred to him as his feet pounded against the dirt road, carrying him further and further away from his tomato-gifting companion. If he had looked behind him he would've seen the still smiling boy wave at his departing form before running off.
"You bought a tomato? I thought you didn't like them much."
His mom was right. He didn't like them; he was starting to hate them. But, he was caught red-handed in the doorway. There was no hiding the fruit now and the embarrassment of running away from the blond started to settle upon him.
"I like them now."
He put the fruit to his mouth and took a wide bite of it. The rush of sour juice that assaulted his mouth forced his mouth to pucker. In this face of his mom, he remained strong. He did his best impersonation of his brother as he could pull off while the surprisingly bitter juice punched away at his taste buds.
"Great. I'll start adding more of them to your meals. You need to start eating more anyway. My baby needs more muscles on his bones."
The latter half of his statement would be forever lost on him. After his mom's declaration of more tomatoes, he had run from the room. The sound of his feet pounded through the house while he ran to his room, a single thought playing at his mind as he ascended the stairs to his room.
"Why did he have to give me a tomato?"
AN: This was written on a whim. Its a one-shot so don't expect anything more out of it. Just wanted to get it out of my system. Hope that someone was able to enjoy it.