Prompt #68: Noah is getting ready for a school dance but is nervous about it
Bowties and First Dances
~oOo~
"Where is he?" Elliot gripped the small gift bag in his hand. He'd been a little emotional when Noah called him, asking him to come over. He'd been dating Olivia for a while now and had spent a lot of time with Noah. They'd talked about moving in together within the next six months. "Is he ready for his first school dance?
"He's nervous." Olivia looked nervously as well. "He's in his room."
"It's okay, mama. Your little bird's going to be just fine." Elliot drew Olivia into his arms. He brushed his lips against hers before releasing her. "Soon, you'll be calling me to show him how to shave."
"Maybe by then….he won't have to call. He can just go down the hall to find you." Olivia dropped that bombshell on him and then waved him away from her. "Go, rescue my son who refuses to let me help. It's apparently 'man stuff.'"
"Man stuff?"
"His words. He's nervous." Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. "I just….I want him to be confident and proud of who he is."
"He is, Liv. I promise. You're a damn good mom." Elliot drew her in for another hug, then made his way through the apartment to Noah's room. He knocked on the door, waiting for a response before stepping inside. "I brought you a bowtie."
Noah stopped trying to tie the one around his neck, flinging it onto his bed. He dropped onto the bed beside it. "Maybe I could just stay here."
"If you want, but you were so excited. Your mom said you're going with one of your best friends?" Elliot reached into the gift bag to pull out the bowtie that Lizzie had picked up for him. "What do you think?"
"It's the bi-flag." Noah touched the colors on the bowtie.
"After our talk last week, I thought maybe you might like this addition to your wardrobe." Elliot crouched down to help him tie it. He turned him around to show him in the mirror on the back of his closet door. "Here. I always found it helpful to be able to see myself."
"Did your….did your dad teach you?" Noah watched him intently. He tried to repeat what Elliot had done with limited success. "It's not working."
"Slow down." Elliot rested his hands on Noah's shoulders. "My dad didn't have the patience to teach me. But I had a teacher who showed me. Here. Let's try again."
It took several tries before Noah was able to get it right. He grinned proudly at Elliot, who gave him a high-five. He was more hesitant when he pulled on his jacket.
"What's wrong, bud? Talk to me."
"I…it's not really a date. Mom says I'm too young to worry about dating. But my friend. We're going together. He's a boy." Noah peered up at him before returning to staring at his chucks. "What if we get made fun of for dancing together?"
Then I'm going to be busting some heads.
No, can't.
I can't bust the heads of ten-year-olds.
Maybe their asshole parents.
"Elliot?"
"Sorry. Just thought of something." Elliot sat on the bed and patted it for Noah to join him. "Listen, bud, if you're uncomfortable at all, you call your mom or me. We'll come to pick you up. We can take you guys out for pizza and a movie. But don't let anyone make you feel bad for being yourself. That says more about them than it does about you."
"Sounds like something mom would say."
"Well, she's smarter than I am, so she's probably right." Elliot hated seeing Noah uneasy about his first dance. "How about your mom and I just hang out outside for a little while? That way, we're close by if you decide you're not having fun."
"Really?" Noah threw his arms around Elliot. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
"Now? You ready to go pick up your…friend?" Elliot helped Noah straighten up his tie again.
"Sometimes, in my head, I think it's like having a dad." Noah was once again staring at his sneakers. "Could….could I maybe call you that? I asked mom. She said that was something I had to ask you."
Elliot couldn't speak for a second. Words refused to push past the rush of tears. He dragged Noah into a crushing hug. "I'd be honored, son. Honored if you'd call me dad, but only when you're ready."
Note: The author of this SVU: Fall in Love story will be revealed in November