"Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking." -Wangari Maathai
Joey watched Elliot from his window. The teen was standing outside bundled up in a jacket at least two sizes too small given to him by one of the more remorseful nurses, desperately trying to light a cigarette despite the harsh breeze snuffing out the weak flame of his lighter. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, the sick boy rested his head onto his frail arms, waiting for his other half to admit defeat and come inside. He was bored without Elliot to keep him company, and his mom was only making him feel worse with her constant nagging. He knew why she didn't like him, but it still made the shorter teenager upset that she wasn't making any effort to change for her son. His mother and Elliot were like ice and fire, one frostbitten and controlling, while the other was wild and unpredictable.
Joey frowned, his head beginning to pulsate from stress as he twiddled his fingers interlocking between his frizzy curls. It had been about twenty minutes now and the rain had decided to visit, casting a shower of droplets hailing from the skies, like curtains of depression. Finally annoyed with the elements, Elliot muddled his way into the entrance as his boyfriend waved to him from above.
Sitting up organizing his wires, and tubes Elliot strode in still faintly reeking of smoke and… wet dog?
"Hey JoJo." The semi-drenched boy greeted as he plopped himself down on a wheeled stool.
"Hi." Joey said, a look of gloom clouding over his positive aura as he fiddled with his monitor's cords.
His red eyed counterpart noticed the other's sadden state and asked hesitantly, "You okay? You look kinda down, like someone pissed on you or something… did that hag- I mean your mom visit?"
Mustering up his courage, Joey whipped his fierce glare at the older boy, ignoring the other's questions.
"Why do you smoke?"
"Huh?" Elliot's face contorted in confusion.
"Why do you smoke?" Joey repeated less confidently, his bottom lip trembling.
Elliot contemplated deeply as his feet propelled his chair closer to the bed where the kid sat.
"I smoke because it keeps me I don't know calmer? Growing up on the streets is like living in the shitters, and a good light always helped me keep it together whenever things overflowed."
"Oh. I see. I guess that makes sense." Joey muttered softly.
He felt a bit guilty now, thinking that Elliot picked up the habit maybe to be tougher. But to be honest he really didn't know too much about the other's past, and his mind began to beat down on him. Was he being too judgmental, was he stereotyping people like his mother now? He did live a really sheltered life only ever being in the hospital, and the outside was so foreign to him. Joey chewed his lip as he tugged on the ringlets hanging over his ears.
His boyfriend must have noticed his discomfort because out of nowhere a warm palm rested on the smaller teen's thigh.
Meeting Elliot's steady gaze the other spoke up.
"If it bothers you that much, I'll try to stop. I might act kinda shitty, but I'll get over it."
"Really?" Joey gasped, his emerald irises tearing up.
"Really." Elliot promised, leaning closer to give a chaste kiss on the smaller boy's awaiting lips.
Joey had decided that he liked the way Elliot looked as he observed the slumping teen who was mindlessly tapping through the holes of his ripped jeans, with a stolen nurse's pen, while he curled up on a cushioned chair. It was halfway through the second week at the hospital and the two boys were lounging in the rec room. The smaller boy flopped gracelessly onto his stomach, nearly rolling off the makeshift bed of pillows and stools as he locked sight on the moody features of his boyfriend.
Elliot had a gaunt face, his skin almost gray with dark blue bags hanging under droopy eyes, his nose was slightly crooked with a bump midway to the tip, and he had thin chapped lips that he licked constantly, providing only temporary relief. The blond boy had decided he liked the way Elliot looked with his slightly pointed ears that kept poking out from the other's wild mane of black tangles. But his favorite part were those striking red irises, glimmering like rubies in a pirate's chest. Joey had never seen that color before, not on real people at least. His were emerald green like his mother's and he was told his father had the lightest baby blues, but red? Red was unheard of.
"You kinda look like a vampire." Joey said out of nowhere, ending the silence.
Eyeing the other suspiciously Elliot snarked, shaking his head, "Well, you look like that elf on the Rice Krispies Box, dumbass."
"Crackle right? The one who's always in the middle."
The taller teen raised both his brows incredulous."You fucking know their names?"
Stretching his spine as he pulled his arms taut, he huffed, "Damn, you really are a 'good boy.'"
"Not all the time. I can be bad!" Offended, Joey exclaimed, pouting.
"Puh-lease! You being bad is like Jesus getting drunk on Holy Water at some satanic rave. Ain't no way possible." Taunted Elliot, winking at the scrunched up face Joey was making.
"But it's true! Sometimes I don't finish all my food and that's really wasteful to the service industry!"
The older boy snorted, "Doesn't count. You're sick, you have a stomach the size of a peanut."
"I can swear!" Joey countered.
"Fine. Let's hear it then. Give me your best one."
"You look like uh… You are totally! Crap?" Joey said, fumbling with his fingers as he blushed all the way down his neck.
"Pfft! Wow, I feel so insulted. Don't say it again, my poor feelings!" Elliot snickered, exaggeratedly posing like he was shot dead in the chest. His fanged smile glimmering briefly from a flicker of sunlight passing by.
"Hey!"
His boyfriend laughed as Joey's lips pursed in dissatisfaction, "Listen Jo-Hoe, you ain't bad. If anything you're the purest shit here. So, don't try forcing yourself to be something you're not."
Tilting his sunshine-y head Joey asked, "You mean like what you do?"
"What?"
His boyfriend gave him a stunned look.
Ignoring the blatant confusion of the other Joey continued to play with the ends of his curls while retorting, "You have this 'tough guy' act up all the time, but I don't think that's really you. You're kind and sweet underneath all that 'bad to the bone' stuff. I feel like you just don't want anyone to know that you're sensitive because of messing up your reputation."
Elliot crossed his arms, "Yeah, well maybe you're wrong, and I'm just an dick."
"That's okay. I'll just wait for you to grow out of your phase."
"It's not a phase!"
"Right. Sure Elliot." Joey sarcastically said, stifling the bubbling laughter building inside his chest.
Slipping further into the chair his boyfriend puffed his cheeks.
"Why are we talking about this mushy stuff anyway? Can't you go back to being passed out, while I get my free complimentary snacks?"
"I mean we could, but I like talking to you." Winking Joey stuck his tongue out, "You sound hot."
"Wha- Oh fuck you." Elliot spat, flipping him off.
"Can't. Unless you join me."
The older boy choked as he gave a flustered reply, "Uhh I-I need to go get a drink. Yeah um be back soon. Bye!"
A wildfire of embarrassment spread across Elliot's cheeks as he rushed out of the room with his shoulders practically touching his ears. While he made his way out the door stumbling into the wall a couple of times, Joey burst out into childish laughter as he stuffed his fist into his giggling mouth to muffle the noise. He was happy that he had someone as dorky as his boyfriend to tease. His mood was as sunny as the perfect weather outside shining through the curtain-less windows.
The water fountain was crystal clear, each drop sparkling as it fell back into the metal bowl winding down into the drain. The shining silver gleam of the steel was in fact so smooth that Elliot could see his rugged reflection looking back at him perfectly. Damn, talk about luxury. Most bubblers he was used to seeing were so grime covered and graffiti stained that it was a safer bet to just open his mouth and drink the rain runoff. As he watched the endless stream swirl around the teen thought about the last couple days with a smile ghostly stretching the corners of his mouth.
Joey, that damn brat had wormed his way into his heart like a fucking parasite. And honestly Elliot wouldn't have it any other way. Leaning down and taking a few good slurps, the teen happily thought of his new boyfriend with his chubby cheeks flushing at every dirty joke, his little baby hands gripping onto his shirt whenever they shared a secret kiss, and those eyes. Those emerald bugged out eyeballs of his, always begging and pleading with his emotions. That twerp could probably stop a world war with just one of his pouty faces.
Wiping the spray drizzling down his chin Elliot made his way back to rec room, practically speed walking through the halls only to be stopped by acrylic nails digging into the flesh of his shoulder. Pushed into the wall he was soon staring straight up at the scowling face of Joey's mom as she loomed over him with the overwhelming stench of overpriced perfume.
(Fuck, that was Chanel No.5.)
"Hello." She hissed through bared teeth, "You're the boy who has been pretending to be with my beloved son, aren't you?"
"I'm not pretending." Elliot retorted his pierced brows scrunching together in confused defiance, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Holding in a yelp as the crazed woman shoved him harder into the wall, agony erupting down his back, she whispered threateningly into his ear, "Listen you brat! I don't want you near my kid. 'Things' like you are what's going to kill him faster, and as a mother I have a duty to keep my baby safe. So, why don't you collect your trash, and stay the fuck away from my family."
Elliot's soul, fueled with fire, tore her hand off of him as he shouted, "I ain't gotta listen to you, you bitch!"
Joey's mother exaggeratedly fell to the ground as she cried out in false pain cowering, "Please don't hurt me!"
"What?!"
"Excuse me, is everything alright?"
A male nurse appeared from around the corridor. His eyes grew wide as he saw the now weeping woman lying on the ground with a seething teen above her.
"I'm calling security!"
"Don't!" Elliot hastily shot back, his feet moving backwards squeaking across the floor.
"I'm leaving. I-I shouldn't be here anyway."
The boy sprinted as fast as he could, passing the man as he called for him to stop. Joey's mother was eerily grinning through her tears, as she waved partially watching her son's believed to be future killer finally vanish from her sight.
It had started to rain again, the clear skies fleeting away much like the pattering of Elliot's feet hitting the pavement as he left the hospital far behind him.