Noah sat at the counter, working through a list of math problems. He chewed on the top of the pencil where the eraser should be. The eraser had vanished after fifth or sixth time working on the same math problem. Who used exponents anyway? His pencil snapped and he resisted the urge to throw it across the room. He hated math.
Just as he began digging through his backpack for his pencil sharpener he heard his mom's phone buzz…several times. He internally groaned. His mom's phone only blew up like that when she was needed at work.
She reached for her phone with a sigh, and Noah discreetly watched her. She unlocked her phone screen, and she smiled. That was weird. She didn't smile when she got called into work. She usually fell into captain mode, and immediately began making demands into the phone as she hurried out the door…but instead she smiled.
He watched as that smile melted a little, and she bit her lip. Her eyes unexpectedly flicked to where he sat, and he quickly dropped his gaze back to his homework.
"Noah," she asked hesitantly. She immediately got his attention with that. His mother was never hesitant…about anything.
"Yeah?" He couldn't keep the nerves out of his voice.
She glanced down at her phone again, and back to him. "Would it be okay with you if Elliot came over?"
Piff. That's what she was nervous about? Elliot coming over? "Sure." Maybe if Elliot came over he could get out of this math homework.
"You still need to finish that math." He groaned. It was like she could read his mind, and it was super annoying.
"Fine." He muttered as he tried erasing another wrong answer.
She clicked away at her phone, and her smile was back, and he was grateful he didn't make this a big deal. It seemed like she really wanted him to come over.
-000-
Noah worked through the next few word problems while his mom snuck back into her room. He didn't think much about it until she came out with a different shirt on and more make up. She had taken the clip out of her hair and it fell just below her shoulders. "You look really pretty, Mom."
Her cheeks flushed red, and he realized he had never seen his mother blush . She was acting weird. It had to be because Elliot was coming over.
He had only met Elliot a couple times, but his mom always referred to him as her partner even though captains didn't have partners. He knew Elliot had been her partner for a long time a long time ago, but that was all he really knew about the guy. His mom didn't talk about him really. Noah found a picture in a drawer once. He asked about it, but she sort of pushed his questions away. He would never forget how sad she looked, standing in the kitchen holding a picture of her former partner. He thought that Elliot was dead because of how devastated she seemed.
Back then he thought about asking Fin about it, but Fin always had his mom's back, and he wouldn't tell him anything without asking his mom first. After a while he kinda just stopped thinking about it, but then a few years ago he came back.
Noah's head snapped towards the door when the sound of a heavy knock filled the air. He watched his mom take a deep breath, brush her palms over her pants, and head for the door.
He kept his head down, and pretended to work on another problem while listening to the conversation at the door.
"Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to…" Elliot's low voice rumbled.
"It's okay El. He's working on homework, and you brought ice cream. He's going to be thrilled to see you."
There was a minute of silence before he heard his mom say, "I'm glad that you're home."
"I missed you," Elliot returned.
She sighed, and he heard the door finally shut. The rustling of grocery bags caught his attention as the pair moved towards the kitchen. Elliot held up a tub of ice cream. "I brought dessert," he said with a smile.
"Cool," Noah said, and slammed his book shut. He might be unsure of Elliot, but he was grateful for the distraction from his homework.
"Dinner's about ready," his mom moved towards the stove where something was simmering. She was trying out those meal kit subscription things. She said she wanted to ease up on their take out habit. It smelled good so it couldn't be too bad.
Noah stayed quiet, mostly because he wasn't sure what to say. He watched as Elliot flipped a kitchen towel over his shoulder, and immediately started working around his mom in the kitchen. Watching them was kinda like watching a choreographed dance. They moved around each other seamlessly. It was almost like they practiced the whole thing.
His mom seemed to have relaxed a little, and Noah was surprised how comfortable she seemed with Elliot in her space. Mom didn't usually like people standing too close to her or people touching her unexpectedly. Something bad happened to her a long time ago, but he never knew what. It was just another secret his mom kept.
It sort of fascinated him to watch them. She didn't flinch when Elliot stepped behind her to taste the sauce, and she didn't jump away when his hand casually touched her arm or back. It was weird…but the good sort of weird. It was nice to see his mom so relaxed with someone. She never really let her guard down, and the only people she seemed to trust were Aunt Amanda and Uncle Fin.
But she trusted Elliot. She sent him to pick him up from Connor's house. She was so scared at the time so he knew it meant something that she chose Elliot to drive him home. Noah still felt a little wary, but if his mom trusted this guy then he knew he could trust him too. He could make an effort because it was pretty clear that Elliot was someone special to his mom.
"Soooo," Noah started, "What toppings did you bring?"
-000-
Noah rubbed his eyes. He wasn't sure what had woken him up, but his mouth was dry and he needed a drink.
He flipped the comforter off of himself, and padded towards the kitchen. He paused at his mother's bedroom door, noticing the door was wide open, and the light was still on. Her bed was empty. Where'd she go? She always woke him up if she had to go anywhere, or if someone was coming over to stay with him. He quietly walked into the kitchen to look for a cup when he noticed the back of a man's head above the couch back.
Noah immediately glanced at the microwave clock. It was 1am. Curiosity got the best of him, and he crept out of the kitchen into the living room.
At first he didn't see his mom, just Elliot sitting on the couch with his eyes closed. His hand was moving and Noah realized his mom was asleep on Elliot's lap, using his legs as a pillow. Elliot's hand rhythmically brushed through her hair as she slept.
Noah backed away, not wanting to wake either of them, but Elliot's eyes blinked open in enough time to see Noah before he fully walked away.
Elliot shifted a little, careful not to move his mom around too much. One of his hands kept running through his mother's hair, but his other arm rested on the couch back. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, just thirsty." Noah felt a little awkward about the whole thing. He hadn't really seen his mom with a guy, let alone sleeping comfortably in his lap.
Elliot's eyes were so blue, kinda like Noah's. He wasn't used to that. For his entire life it had been a pair of warm brown eyes staring back at him. It added to the awkward feeling of the whole situation.
Elliot sensed Noah's reticence, and asked him again, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Noah glanced down to where his mom slept. She looked comfortable and warm. She looked happy, and if his mom was happy then everything was perfect.