LAUGHTER FANS OUT SOFTLY , & he wipes at the corner of his mouth with a sleeve as if to smear down the scent of alcohol scent off .
❝ you wouldn’t want her living under the same roof as you . although . . i do think your mom has a bit of a favoritism . ❞ catching parrish’s arm , he rises up to stand in front of him , brushing down a thumb over the side of parrish’s face in fond gesture . a pause , & he presses a light kiss against parrish’s cheek , fingers lightly tapping against the nape of his neck .
❝to each their own , right ? i’m your favorite , so that’s fair . ❞ whispering quietly , he leans back to give another soft peck against parrish’s lips before moving away , a hand pressed against the mirror as he turns his gaze away .
through the thick & thin , this boy had been by his side all along . forget the years of his sudden absence —, the rage he had formerly held against parrish had dissipated to nothing but a sigh of relief when he caught side of his familiar face by the driveway . there was nothing to blame , because he knew that he too , would have ran . & the thought of parrish’s step - brother had always lingered by the back of his mind , the urge to crush his fist through the bastard’s mouth growing only bolder with each thought . ( & he had , the bastard had a gun on him as well , but elliot had made out of it just alright . )
once , while he was going through the storm of his withdrawal , parrish had stood by his side then as well . watched him drain the bottle empty from its pills , & made sure that elliot had flushed everything down the toilet before he could leave again . he could still remember the shaky hands , cold sweat drenching by his back - side , & the terrible nausea that ate through his stomach inside out . —–-& now , he had been clean for nearly a whole year .
❝but really , i promise that i’m trying to behave more . ❞ turning his gaze back , he yanks parrish in closer to him , drawing him in for a momentarily hug . his heart - beat seemed to slow down to its regular rhythm , his face pressed against the slope of parrish’s shoulder as he closed his eyes in the silenced comfort .
❝know what they’ve been saying about me ? — said that i’m finally mellowing out . old johnson thinks he wants to write my recommendation letter . ❞ oh yeah , & haven’t gone back to juvie . the day of his release , the guard — , hater harrington , they all called him from his bastardish attitude & violent tempter against elliot & the others , he had promised elliot that he would be back for good in a few months again . but he hadn’t , so it was a triumph fuck you against harrington . ❝& come on , let’s go before your mom decides to ram the door down .❞
Parrish lets a sigh escape his lips, slow and with sweet intentions as he feels a familiar sense of bliss wash over him. He leans into Elliot’s caresses with a fluttering heart, only to be calmed when Elliot presses his lips to his, and buries his face in his shoulder.
“You’re lucky you’re cute, or else I’d have kicked you to the curb a long time ago.” He laughs, shakes his head, immediately denies that as a complete farce and nothing more than a playful jab. They’d been through too much, far too much, for either one to abandon the other. It wasn’t a relationship built on unhealthy co-dependency, but rather, the simple knowledge that they were two separate people who could lean on the other whenever it was needed.
There were worse months than others, that was true; but on the whole, Elliot was right with what he was saying, as was everyone in their community. Elliot was doing better, and it finally seemed as though all the long nights filled with gentle crying and the cleaning of wounds old and new (he’ll never forget the murderous look in his eyes after he’d come over, telling him just how badly he’d roughed up his half-brother), and the withdrawal symptoms that shook Elliot to the core just as it did Parrish to watch him suffering, vomiting over the toilet and trembling so hard Parrish though he limbs might just pop right off - it seemed like, for the first time, all the hardships were paying off.
He visibly perks up when he hears that exciting news, and squeezes Elliot tight, hugs him around the waist as he smiles. “Wow, he really said that? Look at you, my little scholar!” He reaches up to rake fingers through the mop that Elliot calls his hair, ruffling it and looking upon his face with nothing but beaming pride. “Finally starting to care about his classes! Aw, I hope you’ll still make time for my tutoring sessions though. Even if they start to include more goofing off than actually, you know, studying. I don’t mind either way, you know me!”
He’s hushed for a moment as he listens to Elliot further, and he just shakes his head again and holds him closer, as close as they could possibly be as he murmurs, “I appreciate that. Just, don’t think you have to change who you are entirely, as if that would make me happier or something. I love you like you are, you’ve made so much progress and change already… I’m really proud of you, I hope you know that.”
After that moment of privacy, when they’ve both collected themselves, they finally decide to exit the bathroom, and June is on them in an instant. It seems as though she’s been lurking in the hallway, just waiting to hear the click of the lock signaling her son and his boyfriend’s return. The first thing she does is come up to them and deliver each of them a suffocating hug, and unusually, she doesn’t comment on the gauze covering Elliot’s hands. She simply nods as though she understands, and she’s leading the boys into the kitchen, where she’s thrusting her aforementioned four cheese mac & cheese into Parrish’s hands, along with a pair of forks.
“Here! Thought you both might be a little hungry, you’ve barely been home all day, Parrish! You and Elliot take that to your room and relax for a while. I’ll be down here if you need me at all.”
Parrish expresses his thanks and goes to hug his mom, where she whispers into his ear, large grin puffing her cheeks, “Just make sure you keep that door open, okay, P?” She laughs as she says it, clearly intending it to be a joke, but Parrish’s face and the tips of his ears aren’t any less red as he nudges her away and rolls his eyes.
They find themselves in Parrish’s room, a sanctuary for the two of them. Whenever they’re having great, fantastic days, or days in which they simply need to be quiet and hold each other, they more often than not find themselves in this room, sitting on the floor, watching cheesy movies or stupid videos online, anything to brighten their day just a little, or a lot more, depending on the occasion.
“So,” Parrish starts as he plops down onto the edge of his bed, hands clasped together on his lap over the container of food he’s carrying as he looks up at Elliot. “I figure you’ve got a little bit of time left here, wanna spend it chowing down with me? My mom’s cooking will make it worth your while…!”