2 : Obscured
Constant and unavoidable noise. The mall was almost unbearable. Scilius began to run away, an instinct that had been starting to develop. But, while in his sprint, the normal glass doors that had usually bordered his escape didn't budge in his grasps. He bashed his claws against the glass, hoping for it to fall away, the noise behind him blaring in his ears. The windows didn't break, but just projected a blurred image of the freedom outside. Then, a grey figure, blurry and adorned with golden orbs, slid in front of the glass, on the other side. She's here. With the blurry figures pull, the glass doors opened and turned away the distorted glass. Scilius stood outside, with perfect peaceful silence, outside with a clear image of Elliot, with all of his masculine qualities standing ostentatiously in his shirtless figure.
Scilius wriggled around under a few sheets, barely lucid from a vivid dream. He slept under thick sheets, and often would shift position while he dreamed, tying himself in the cloth, but for some reason he felt unusually encumbered by his blanket this morning. When he tried to move, he felt something tighten around his waist, holding him still. He finally opened his eyes upon another scale wrapped around him whose head was nuzzled into his chest.
Oh that's right. Elliot had been adamant about sleeping over. More or less, he had been adamant about spending time with Scilius. Every appendage he had was wrapped around Scilius, even his tail, which fondled around Scilius' legs. On Scilius' neck there was a tangible puddle forming on his fresh green scales. Uck, he's drooling on me.
Scilius was about to use his arm that had defaulted around Elliot's back during the night to wake him up, but he didn't, and just remained limp under Elliot's weight. Elliot was warm, warmer than the heater within the bed, so much that even memories of Arizona were sparked by it.I'll let him have a few more minutes.
Arizona, he thought, wouldn't it be great if I could teleport back there. Replace the bitter cold and wet weather that haunted his new one story house with weeks of sunny days. Return to a few of his old friends who had been forgotten with the move. Perhaps that girl he used to live next to - what was her name - would still be single, still be willing to spend an afternoon or two with him. And most importantly, it'd get him out of this very situation.
It was weird. Weird in the way that holding a porcelain statue full of coins is weird: knowing that eventually, and unavoidably, the statue is going to have to be smashed into inanimate little shards. Scilius wasn't sure how the money would play within his internal metaphor, but he ignored it.I'm going to have to tell Elliot eventually.
I'm not gay, he held firm to himself, but Elliot sure is. He saw the rich curve in Elliot's muzzle has he dozed within his shoulders. He could just imagine the look in Elliot's snout shift from the constant elation that lived within it to the horrible look of feeling rejected. Scilius, unwillingly, would admit to knowing how it felt to wear that look.
Two ethereal and both unfavorable options floated in his mind. Would he be willing to sit and pretend to have feelings for this scale, for no other reason than to guarantee that Elliot would be spared his feelings. Or, would he serve himself and be honest, ensuring that he would be able to find himself unencumbered at the expense of Elliot's feelings. Each one, he thought, was absolutely dreadful.
If only Elliot could turn himself into a girl again, that would make things so much simpler. He had been so fond of the female scale that he wished to spend every waking, and sleeping, moment with.I could pretend? Although, that might not work without another season of shedding on Scilius' part, and he would still be wise of the truth about Elliot's gender.
Everything had melted away with his enlightenment. He had watched the magical blurred figure turn into a wide chinned flat chested bony lizard with a bulge in his pants. The only merit that remained was Elliot's voice, which even his newly found critical eyes couldn't discern from the female Elliot. It was a crappy situation to have gotten himself caught in. He could only imagine the happy-go-lucky Elliot depressed.
A few jerks and twitches, moving independently of Scilius' conscience, alerted him. Elliot was stretching his limbs while entering into the lucid world, noticing first the light green breast that he was pressed against. He turned his muzzle up towards Scilius and gave him a peck that almost incited a jump.
"Good morning. You've been awake?"
"Yeah."
"You could've woken me up, I wouldn't have - " Elliot noticed the wet spot he left of Scilius' neck, "shit, my bad." He laughed, in a slightly euphoric stupor.
"It - it's fine." He used a sheet to wipe most of it but a slight wet film was left on his scales.Why didn't I do that earlier?
"Cool." Elliot dropped his head back onto Scilius.
Damnit, no, wake up, get up, be on me not anymore. Morning, awakedness, out of my house, back to yours, end of weekend. Scilius didn't, however, touch Elliot, beside the claw still calmly hovering around his back,and let him keep resting. He threw his head back against his pillow, one of his cranial horns sinking in, and wiped his forehead. Elliot's really warm.
"Are y'all awake, Scealy?" his mom hollered, and then added, "and Elliot."
"Yeah," he barked back instinctively, not realizing it was directed at Elliot's ear. "Sorry," Scilius told Elliot after hearing him hiss.
A silver claw jumped into his vision and flicked his snout. "It's fine, Scilly." Elliot sat up, finally releasing Scilius, and threw the blankets away from them both.
"I'm cooking food!" She hollered again. "I'll eat it all by myself if you're not in here."
Elliot surged up from the bed, in nothing but underwear, and gave an elated hiss. "She cooks too? Awesome."
Scilius stumbled onto his feet, but kept an eye on his companion. Elliot had a slender form that allowed him to prance around like the hyper teen he was. while the scales that were on Scilius usually spread tightly apart on his slightly expanded form, Elliot's fit snugly around his body, courting every small muscle. Scilius darted his eyes back to buttoning his own pants once he caught himself staring at his friend.Stop that.
Elliot was opening the door to the bedroom while Scilius still had his jeans around his ankles.
"Coming?"
"In a second," he told him.
He had took another minute or two after dressing, thinking to himself. For some reason seeing Elliot in the doorway rang a bell to him, and with it, the image of his early fascination with Elliot.She's not a girl. I shouldn't be staring like that. Even if she was, I probably shouldn't have been. Scilius sat back onto his bed for a few more seconds. The bed got cold. He checked: the heater was still on.
Scilius met his mother and Elliot at couch, after taking a plate that had been left for him on the kitchen counter. Elliot was watching more crime drama with Sheila, idly talking over most of the show.Mom always liked to talk through all the movies. When he took a seat he got roped into a conversation.
"You didn't tell me you were joining the Math club." His mother started.
"Mu Alpha Theta. Scilius, my brother, and I are all doing it."
"Brother?"
"His name's Cecil, he's usually hanging out with us by the staircase." Elliot answered.
Scilius couldn't even speak up once they started talking again, but listened very well to all that was said. Specifically, the mention of the staircase, like it was a well established fact. His mother kept talking, like she already knew about it.
"Ah, you might be the only other scales in the neighborhood."
Elliot stopped, and shook his head.
"My parents are foxes. So's Cecil"
Sheila gave a look in his direction, confused, and then a bell rang inside her scaled head, and her tail dashed between her legs. She still didn't say anything. Scilius' mother was accustomed to awkward situations.
"No, miss Sheila, it's fine." Elliot laughed. "I love my parents."
Sheila's tail returned to it's swaying position.
Scilius stood by and watched his mother and Elliot drone on forever. Mocking the silly situations of a poorly written prime time show and then jumping to topics about their morning, or the imaginary girls they spent their time with. The movie came up once, and again, Elliot repeated himself:
"It wasn't very good, but we liked it a lot." With again, another wink to Scilius.I wish he'd stop doing that. My mom's too perceptive for that.
When ten O'clock was approaching, Elliot got up. "I have to head out."
"Why?" Sheila asked too sincerely.
"My parents still want me to go to church today."
Church? Scilius saw his mother raise and eyebrow too. That's right, normal families do that.
"Aw, well I'm glad to have had you over."
"I'm glad too." Elliot said after a pause and with genuine seriousness, with a glance at Scilius.
"Are you two walking home?"
"Yeah," Scilius finally spoke. He walked nearer to the front of the house. His mother remained in the living room.
"Be safe," she called.
While they strolled down the few streets that separated their two houses, Elliot went significantly close to Scilius, rubbing shoulders. A lot like he would rub shoulders with Cecil. Scilius didn't like having something in common with Elliot's brother. We have Elliot in common now, don't we.
"Scilius?" He called to him.No nickname?
"Yes?"
"I had a lot of fun." He swallowed. "With you."
Scilius just stood, standing only a few steps away from the two story house of foxes that were getting ready for a Sunday prayer service, with Elliot giving him expectant looks.Damnit no don't say that.
Scilius thought of how hard it might be to cut down a tree. If it were small, one swing could simply do it. If it grows wider in width, then it'd be necessary for multiple swings, or worse, necessary to just give in and accept the tree's existence.Stop growing Elliot.
Elliot had been growing closer to him since the first Monday they met, Scilius figured that without a doubt. And every day, Scilius had only poured fertilizer on his roots, fighting to get closer and closer to him, kissing him, letting him stay over for the whole night. I can't date him.
For almost a full second, Scilius was about to sever the tree where it stood, knocking down Elliot's hopes. But, he stopped. Elliot had been looking into his eyes, the golden halos beaming into him. The words he had meant to say warped into new shapes and meanings, and he only realized it once they left his mouth.
"I had a lot of fun too."No, shit, what'd I say that for?
Elliot grinned wider, and stepped closer to him, grabbing his claw and linking each of the phalanges. Scilius stood as still as stone while Elliot inched toward his muzzle only to stop.
Elliot jumped away and let go of his claw. Scilius didn't see what had startled him, until behind Elliot he saw the front door of his house open to reveal Cecil in a button up shirt.
"It's just Cecil," Elliot sighed.
"We're going soon." He called out.
"I'm coming," he turned back around, "goodbye Scilius." With a check behind his shoulder, Elliot pecked him on the cheek and ran into his house with a wave.
Cecil saw but said nothing, turning around with what Scilius assumed was probably a scoff.
Scilius came home to his mother cleaning a few dishes. She looked a little bored, but when she saw Scilius her tail started dancing.
"So you found a friend."
"Yeah," he told her lazily. He was still thinking about Elliot. To him it was getting more difficult to accept that he'd have to break up with him.Why am I such a pushover. I don't even want to date him.
"So, where exactly did you meet Elliot?" She started giggling. "The land of fairies?" That word rang in Scilius' head. Fairy? Did she mean gay? He wanted to say 'How'd you know,' but he stopped himself in time. "What do you mean?"
"I mean he talks like a girl." She laughed boldly. "And acts like it," she started in between breaths. She noticed too. "Oh, and she's adopted, by Christians, I bet her parents love that. 'We got a defective one'" She imitated.
"They don't know."
"They're too dim to notice, maybe? They do go to church." She stopped, "So, really, where now?"
"We just started hanging out. He seems to be fond enough of you, for some reason." He told her with a smile and a tongue.
"Whatever." She walked over and hugged Scilius. "I'm glad you're making friends though."
Scilius had realized it himself. Yeah, I have a few - two - friends now. "All right." He pushed her off. I've had enough hugging for a day.
His mom walked off back to the sink laughing, "and try not to let him make a pass. That'd be awkward."
Scilius walked away without a reply but with her words burning inside him. Yeah, it is.
What am I going to do? He layed in his bed with the heating pad on. It wasn't as warm as it felt having Elliot next to him. I can't keep doing this. It's weird. The thought formed in his head. He really didn't like the idea of dating a boy. I can't.
His phone buzzed beside him, light illuminating his dark room. When he clawed his phone, Elliot's name flashed back at him, without the last name.
"[I had a lot of fun.]"
"[Yeah]" How autistic of me.
"[We should do it again some time.]"
Every second of the last night and morning flashed in his eyes. Again? Without thinking, his claws tapped "Definitely" into his pad before he became aware. No. He remembered how he felt being rejected. He wouldn't wish it on any scale, but, he couldn't keep going on like this with Elliot.
"[I don't think we should.]" He finally replied.
That... could have been more graceful. But his text had already been sent. Then read. His feelings are going to be hurt, for sure. He didn't like the idea, images of Elliot's sad snout filling his head, touching something in his chest. His phone flashed again.
"[Not that in to it?]"
"[No. I'm Sorry.]" Scilius added an apology. Reading Elliot's text he was surprised. It didn't seem like he was hurt, or even shocked, by Scilius' rejection. He'd expect anger, sadness, or reaction of any form. But, that was really calm, simple and understanding.
"[It's fine. Was it going to fast?]"
"[No. It's because]" Scilius stopped to think, finally deciding to be straight forward "[I'm not gay.]" I sure kissed him enough, though. The excuse seems logical. To Elliot, he thought, I was just performing an experiment.
Well, that certainly sounds shitty of me.
"[Figures lol]"
A laugh? Scilius had a light hearted conversation with Elliot. They agreed to be friends, to move on, and to not hold any grudges. Standard end of relationship promises, he thought. When they had wished each other goodnight, Scilius kept thinking within his covers.
I did it. I broke up with him. Everything was going to be fine. He'd have a new Math club buddy, with whom he could have fun. No romance, drama or anything like that, just friendship.
For some reason, that thought made his stomach churn.