Chapter Text
“You’re so stupid!”
“Why’s your dumb nose so big?”
“Why do you talk weird?”
Michael didn’t have to strain his ears to hear everything the other children were saying. The boy they were bullying sat alone at his own table, idly coloring something, not daring to look up at any of them. The bullies were standing behind him, towering over the boy. They laughed and taunted the other boy so openly, as if there was nothing wrong with it.
Michael turned to Lindsay, who was currently explaining how absolutely imperative (that was the word the teachers used) it was to go to the bathroom right after lunch when everyone else went, because nap time came right after bathroom time, and if you didn’t go you’d really have to go during nap time, but the teachers won’t let you out during nap time so you’d be suffering for half an hour while everyone else slept, or you’d wet the bed, and you really didn’t want–
“Lindsay, does that happen a lot?” Michael interrupted, pointing to the boy who was still being taunted by the other kids.
Lindsay looked over to where Michael was pointing and sighed. “Yeah. That’s Gavin. He came here in the middle of last year. The teacher said he was from England, and the boys always pick on him because of the way he talks and stuff!” She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “They’re really mean, and I don’t like ‘em.”
Michael nodded, assuring her that he’d heard what she said. He watched as the boys continued to tease and taunt Gavin mercilessly, almost to the point of tears. “Should we do something?” he asked Lindsay.
Lindsay nodded. “Yeah, I’ll tell the teacher. But I always tell the teacher, and theyalways get in trouble.” She sighed, turning to look for where the teacher was. “But they keep doing it! I don’t get why they–”
“Stop it! Don’t hurt him!”
Lindsay was about to walk away when Michael moved in to push the boys away from Gavin, just as they were about to start getting physically violent. Gavin’s chair had toppled over, and Gavin was on the floor. Michael stepped in front of Gavin, his arms outstretched, covering Gavin from the other boys. Michael turned to peek back at Gavin, whose eyes were comically wide, and his mouth hanging open.
“You okay?” Michael asked, pushing his feet wider apart.
Gavin’s mouth snapped shut as he nodded frantically. “Y-Yeah,” he stuttered.
Michael nodded at him before turning his attention back to the other boys. “Don’t come near Gavin anymore!” he shouted.
“Why not?” one of the boys asked, stepping forward. He crossed his arms. “You can’t tell us what to do!”
Michael responded by stretching his arms even wider, if possible. “Well, I’m telling you that you can’t! If you do, I’ll protect Gavin! So you’re gonna have to get through me first!”
“What makes you think you can protect him from all us?” another boy taunted, forcefully poking Michael’s chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Gavin flinched, holding his hands up in front of him, catching Michael, giving him the force he needed to bounce back up.
“Well good always beats bad! So I can win against all of you!” Michael looked back, grinned at Gavin, and turned to the boys once more.
One of the boys was about to say something more when the teacher called the troublemakers over to her. They left the two of them alone, grumbling about how they’d get Michael back.
As soon as the other boys had left, the sour look on Michael’s face had disappeared. He sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. He turned around to offer a hand to Gavin, who was still on the floor, dumbfounded. Gavin blinked a few times before finally taking Michael’s hand and standing up right.
Michael grinned at him again. “Make sure that if they ever bother you, you tell me, okay? I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
Gavin nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. “Thanks… But, how do you know my name? I never saw you before.”
“Oh, I’m Michael!” Michael held out his hand again for Gavin to take, and shook his hand excitedly. “I’m new, just got here today. Lindsay told me your name.” He turned around, scanning the room for Lindsay before pointing to her. “See her?”
Gavin’s eyes followed the direction Michael was pointing in as he nodded. “Yeah, I know her. She always helps me when those boys won’t leave me alone.” He smiled, his voice growing softer. “So, what you said… Do you mean it?”
“Huh? Whaddya mean, ‘did I mean it’? That I’m new here?” Michael asked, his eyebrows furrowing and head titling to the side. “If that’s what you wanna know, shouldn’t you already know it? I mean, since you woulda seen me before if I wasn’t–”
“No, not that!” Gavin laughed. He then lowered his gaze to the floor before meekly saying, “I mean, um… That you won’t let them hurt me anymore?”
It was Michael’s turn to laugh as his confused expression broke out into a full grin. “Of course I mean it! I promise, Gavin, I won’t let them hurt you anymore!”
“Thanks, Michael. You’re really nice,” Gavin said, a smile on his face.
“Nah, all I did was the right thing to do!” The confused expression was back as Michael asked, “Don’t your friends ever help you when they hurt you?”
The smile on Gavin’s face faded. He looked down at the floor again, wringing his hands as he explained, “No… I don’t have any friends here.”
Michael’s confused expression turned to one of anger as he quickly placed his hands on Gavin’s shoulders, causing Gavin to jump slightly. “Gavin.”
Frightened by Michael’s sudden anger, Gavin looked back up at him, eyes wide, and meekly replied, “Wh-what, Michael?”
“Don’t you lie to me, Gavin.”
Gavin’s frowned. “I’m not! I really don’t. Everyone’s all nice, but no one ever wants to really talk to me. I’m always alone here.” He gestured to the table behind them.
With a huff, Michael removed his hands from Gavin’s shoulders and threw them down to his sides. He turned away from Gavin, leaving him to stare in surprise, thinking that he had done something wrong to make Michael angry. That somehow it was his fault that Michael was mad, and that it was his fault he didn’t have any friends. That the bullies were right, and that he really was stupid, and worthless, and that nobody could ever like him–
Suddenly, Gavin was pulled out of his thoughts and into Michael’s arms, enveloped in a hug. Gavin gasped, the force almost bringing Gavin to his knees. “Mi-Michael?” he barely managed.
“From now on, we’re gonna be friends.”
Gavin’s eyes widened even more, if it was possible. “Mi–”
“I’m not lying, Gavin. I mean it. If no one else wants to be your friend, then I’ll be there, okay? And you’ll be there for me. If no one, no one, wants to be our friends, we’ll just laugh at ‘em, cuz you have me, and I have you! And we don’t need anyoneelse!” Michael pulled away from Gavin for a second, grinning at him once again. “Okay, Gavin?”
After hearing that from Michael, Gavin pulled him back in. His legs really did give out that time, as he fell to his knees, gripping Michael’s shirt even tighter. Not able to keep from crying any longer, he turned into a blubbering mess, crying into Michael’s shoulder.
Surprised by Gavin’s reaction, Michael dropped to his knees as well, before Gavin got too heavy for him to keep holding up. “Gavin? Why are you crying? You okay?”
Sniffling, Gavin nodded, pulling away from Michael. He laughed, seeing Michael’s concerned face. “Michael, I’m fine, I’m okay, it’s just… I never had a friend before.”
Michael’s face fell, as he started to cry as well. “B-But it’s okay now, Gavin, cuz you have me, right?” he asked, sounding more like he was trying to reassure himself than he was reassuring Gavin.
“Yes, Michael, it’s better than okay.” He pulled Michael back in, saying, “I’m really happy you’re my friend, Michael.”
Michael nodded, hugging him tighter. “I’m really happy we’re friends, too, Gavin!”
They spent the rest of the day alone together. No one had the heart to separate them, even their parents had a hard time getting them apart.
The next day, they ate lunch together.
The two were seated at Gavin’s table, isolated from all the other kids. The bullies hadn’t bothered them since yesterday, and were sitting far away from the two boys. Gavin was still sitting, looking at Michael standing over his lunchbox, unzipping it and looking inside.
As Michael was opening his own lunchbox, he noticed Gavin didn’t have his with him. “Gavin,” he asked, pulling his lunch out of the container, “where’s your lunch?”
Gavin frowned. “I forgot it at home.” He looked down at the empty space in front of him. “I do that a lot.”
Michael’s eyebrows furrowed. “And you don’t eat anything? Don’t you get really hungry?”
Gavin nodded. “Sometimes the teachers will give me something. But sometimes they won’t have anything, so I don’t eat those days. But I’m used to it, so–”
Michael cut him off by tearing off half of his sandwich and shoving it in Gavin’s face. “Take it. If you don’t eat it, I’m not eating, too.”
“Michael, it’s your lunch! And I said I was okay, so–”
Michael placed Gavin’s half in front of him and pushed the rest of his own away. “I won’t eat it.”
Gavin frowned. “Michael, you’re gonna get hungry.”
“So will you,” Michael retorted.
Gavin pouted, staring at Michael, silently telling him that he’d get too hungry to bear with it. Michael simply stared back, a smirk on his face, telling Gavin that he wouldn’t give up.
They continued staring until Michael’s stomach growled for the third time. Gavin sighed, reluctantly taking the half that was put in front of him. “But only cuz I don’t want you to be hungry!”
“Whatever you say, Gavin.” Michael took out the rest of his lunch and proceeded to break a chocolate chip cookie in half, handing Gavin his part. “But you’re eating this, too!”
Gavin took his half of the cookie without hesitation. “A cookie? Really? I can have it?”
Michael nodded, smiling. “Yeah! I love chocolate chip cookies. They’re my favorite. But I don’t mind sharing with you, since you don’t have any lunch. And we’re friends, too!”
Gavin smiled and continued to eat, no longer feeling bad about taking half of Michael’s lunch.
The day after that, Gavin made sure to remember to bring his own lunch, along with two chocolate chip cookies. And they promised to eat lunch together every day.
The next week, they went home together.
Michael and Gavin were usually the last kids to go home anyway, so it wasn’t much of a problem at first. Sometimes Michael’s parents would be late, and Gavin and his parents would wait with him. It was never much longer than an hour that they had to wait.
Today, though, both Michael’s parents were too busy to come get him, as the teacher had gotten a call from Michael’s father.
Michael and Gavin sat next to each other on their backpacks, watching the road in front of them as cars drove by. Gavin’s parents stood behind them, idly chatting and watching the cars go by as well.
“You could come home with me, Michael. Can’t he, Mr. Ramsey?” Gavin looked up at Geoff with a pleading smile. Michael gave him a strange look, but Gavin brushed it off as him being confused as why Gavin wanted Michael to come back with him.
Geoff nodded. “If he’s okay with coming home with us, and if his parents are okay with it, then it’s fine with us.” Geoff looked at Michael and asked, “Do you know your parents’ phone number?”
Michael shook his head.
“Alright, we’ll get your parents’ number from the teacher. Griffon and I will leave you guys out here for a few minutes.” He turned to Gavin. “Sure you can manage a few minutes out here alone?”
Gavin grinned. “I won’t do anything! We’ll be fine, I promise!”
Geoff smiled. “Okay, we’ll be back in two seconds!” He ruffled Gavin’s hair and went inside with Griffon after that.
As they went inside, Michael turned to Gavin. “Gavin, how come you call your dad ‘Mr. Ramsey’? Do you call your mom ‘Mrs. Ramsey’ too?”
Gavin frowned. “Michael, um… They’re not my parents.”
Michael looked at him, confused. “Then where are your parents?”
“In heaven.”
Michael’s mouth fell open. “Oh,” was his only reply, not knowing what else to say.
Gavin shook his head. “No, it’s okay, Michael. It was last year. It was a long time ago.”
Michael frowned. He knew a year wasn’t really that long, but he refrained from saying anything about it. “Um, but you’re from England, right? How come you’re here now?”
Gavin sighed, tracing circles in the dirt with his finger. “I have lots of family. But no one wanted me. They all said they couldn’t take me.” Tears were starting to well up in his eyes, his voice cracking as he continued speaking. “They didn’t want me. I’m a bad kid, aren’t I? That’s why they don’t want me. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey don’t even want me.”
Michael shook his head frantically, not wanting Gavin to cry again. “No, Gavin! No, I bet they wanted you! They, um, maybe they can’t take care of you? Like, um, my parents told me there’s lots of people who don’t have money so they can’t keep their kids. Maybe they don’t have money?”
Gavin was crying by then. “No, they just don’t want me. Maybe my parents didn’t want me either. That’s why they left me. That’s why they left me there alone.”
Michael’s eyes widened. “No way! No, your parents definitely wanted you! Why would they get you if they didn’t want you, right, Gavin?”
“No, Michael.” Gavin looked up at him through teary eyes. “Everything and everyone I love leaves me,” he said.
Michael’s face dropped as he pulled Gavin into a hug. “Gavin, no. I love you! And I’m never gonna leave you.”
Gavin hugged him tighter, and just barely whispered, “Michael, promise me you won’t leave me. Promise me you’ll never leave.”
Michael pulled away from Gavin, cupping Gavin’s face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together. “I promise, Gavin. I will never, ever, never leave you.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “You promise? Never ever?”
Michael’s face was more serious than ever, but his resolve was quickly cracking. “Never ever!”
”Never forever?” Gavin asked, in a teasing tone.
Michael’s face was breaking out into a smile. “Never for a million, gazillion years! We’re gonna be together forever, and we’re gonna grow up, and we’re gonna be really old together, and we’re gonna die together, and be together in heaven, and, and–”
Gavin laughed at Michael’s words, pulling away and wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. “Okay! Okay, Michael, I believe you!”
“Good! Because I mean it, okay? You better believe me! Have I ever lied to you?” Michael asked, ruffling Gavin’s hair up.
Gavin laughed, weakly pushing Michael’s hands away. “No! No, Michael! You never lied! Now stop, stop! You’re messing it up!”
Michael grinned, pulling his hands back to himself. “Sure, since it’s not already messed up.”
Gavin pouted. “Hey! Mrs. Ramsey always combs it in the morning, and I think it’s nice!”
“That’s right,” Griffon agreed, walking out of the building with Geoff. “And it’s not just ‘nice’, it’s great.” She smiled, looking down at the two boys.
“Well, Michael,” Geoff started, crouching down to be at eye level with the two boys, “it looks like you’re coming home with us today. Your parents will come get you after dinner, is that okay with you?”
Michael nodded. “Yeah! That’s great!”
Geoff smiled and stood back up. “Well, let’s get in the car and we’ll be off!”
Gavin took Michael’s hand and ran up to their car, pulled the door open, and crawled into the car. He patted the space next to him, signaling for Michael to sit there next to him. When Michael was seated next to him, Griffon buckled them up and slipped into her own seat in the front.
Geoff jumped into the driver’s seat and turned to face the boys. “Alright, boys, are we ready to go?”
Both of them nodded, and Geoff turned back to face forward. “Then let’s go!”
As the car set into motion, Gavin turned to Michael. “Michael, do you play video games?”
Michael’s face lit up. “Yeah! I play video games all the time!”
“Do you like Mario? I like to play that a lot,” Gavin explained, a grin on his face the whole time.
Michael nodded. “I like that game, too!” He sighed, looking down away from Gavin. “Oh, but it’s at home.”
Gavin laughed. “It’s okay! In my game we can both play at the same time!”
Michael’s grin was back just as quickly, but before he could respond, Griffon had cut in. “If you two want to play a fun game, why don’t you try Just Dance? Your dad and I play it all the time, and you’ve seen us dance. Why don’t you try it with Michael, Gavin?”
Geoff scoffed. “Yeah, and let Gavin hit himself in the face with the remote.”
“Oh, come on, Geoff!”
“I’m just saying! He’s done it before, he’ll do it again.” He looked in the rearview mirror at Gavin. “Oh, Gavin, I’m just kidding. I just don’t want you to get hurt, alright? And I certainly don’t want you to hurt our guest,” he said, looking at Michael.
Gavin pouted, crossing his arms. “I’m not gonna hit myself in the face!” He paused for a second before adding, although much quieter, “At least, not again.”
Geoff shrugged, turning his attention back to the road. “Look, he even admits it, come on.”
Griffon laughed, turning to look at the two of them. “He’s just saying that because last time you two played, you hit him in the face, too.”
“But I said I was sorry! I really won’t do it again, and I really won’t hurt anyone! I’ll try super hard not to hurt Michael, too!” Gavin turned to Michael, sticking his pinky out and holding his hand out to Michael, motioning for him to hold his hand out as well. “C’mon, Michael, pinky promise!”
Michael laughed, but entwined their pinkies anyway. “Pinky promise!” he repeated.
Gavin turned to look at the rearview mirror again, meeting Geoff’s gaze. “See? See? We pinky promised! I won’t hurt him! So we can play, right?”
As Geoff pulled into the driveway, he turned around to look at Gavin. He sighed, but smiled at Gavin anyway.
Needless to say, they were allowed to play. An entire hour of the two boys dancing, laughing, and the short interruption when Gavin had accidentally (he made sure to stress) hit Michael in the stomach, causing Michael to fall backwards on his bottom, laughing the whole time, yelling, “Gavin, you promised!” This, in turn, caused Gavin to overreact and drop to his knees, asking Michael if he was okay, and that it was an accident, and that he didn’t mean it, and that he was sorry, super sorry, so super sorry, and was only quieted when Michael cupped his face in his hands, telling him it was okay, he’s okay, and that he didn’t need to worry.
And, after totally exhausting themselves, they lay down next to each other on the floor, waiting for Michael’s parents to come get him. And when they did, Michael and Gavin promised to go to each other’s houses and spend time together like this more often.
The next month, they played house together.
A second playhouse was added to the play-area. Since the other girls were alwayshogging the first one, Lindsay (who, somewhere along the way, had befriended the two of them) wanted to use the second one, and had dragged Michael and Gavin along with her.
“I’m gonna be the daughter!” Lindsay declared, plopping down in the corner of the house. “When I play with the other girls, I have to be a mommy, or the dog, and I never get to be the daughter!” She huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s not fair, so I can be the daughter now, right? You’ll let me!”
It was more of a command than a question, but the boys agreed anyway.
“Sure,” Michael said, sitting down in front of her. “Does that mean we’re your daddies?”
Lindsay shrugged. “You don’t have to be. But if you want to, you can.”
Michael grinned, tugging Gavin’s arm and sitting him down next to him. Gavin let out a yelp, hitting the house floor with a thump. “Then we’ll be your daddies, won’t we, Gavin?” he pleaded.
Gavin nodded. “Yeah, okay! Oh, but should both of us work, or only one of us?”
Michael nodded. “Well, we’re gonna need someone to watch Lindsay, right? So, hmm, I’ll work! You can stay here and watch Lindsay. Oh, unless you wanna work.”
Gavin shook his head. “No, it’s okay, Tomorrow I’ll work though, and you can stay home.”
Michael grinned, standing and heading for the door. “And then we can switch every day!”
Lindsay laughed. “As long as I get to be the daughter! You two can do whatever.”
Gavin stood up, too, moving next to Michael. “Yeah, yeah, and you do whatever, too.”
Michael laughed, pushing the door open. “I’m gonna go work now!” He grabbed Gavin’s collar, bringing him close to kiss him goodbye on the cheek. “I’ll be back, um, soon!” His face colored as he ran out the door, leaving Gavin to stand, dumbfounded and holding his cheek.
Lindsay gagged, covering her eyes with her hands. “Ew, guys! Don’t do that in front of your daughter! I’m not ‘sposed to see that!”
Gavin, being too shocked, didn’t reply to her.
Gavin spent the next ten or so minutes idly sweeping with a toy broom as Lindsay was making yet another flower crown (as she was known to be a “professional” at). She was just about finished when she looked out the window to see Michael returning.
“Ga– I mean, um, Daddy? Mi– hm…” Lindsay paused for a moment to think of a different name for Michael. “Papa’s home!” She placed the flower crown down next to her and sat up straighter, waiting for Michael to open the door.
As the door swung open, Gavin turned around to greet Michael, but was cut off when Michael held out a handful of flowers to him.
“Got these for you. They’ll make the house pretty,” Michael explained, smiling.
Gavin, although confused, took the flowers anyway. “They are pretty. But I don’t know where to put ‘em.” He turned to the window. “Here?”
Lindsay reached for Gavin’s hands. “No, no! Give them to me. I’ll make something prettier!”
With a shrug, Gavin handed them to Lindsay. She snatched them from his hands and counted them. Sighing, she explained, “There’s not enough for a crown. Buuut,” she drawled out the word, already starting to craft something. Within a minute or so, she had finished. “Here! Rings.”
Lindsay had made two rings, giving one to both boys. “You’re my daddies, so you’re married, and so you gotta wear these rings.”
Gavin’s eyebrows furrowed, but he put the ring on anyway. He turned his hand, admiring it. “But we’re not really married.”
Michael had slipped his ring on as well. “Well, we’re married while we play house. So let’s wear them anyways.” He kissed Gavin’s cheek again, while Lindsay covered her eyes, too. “I love you, Gavin!”
Gavin’s face colored, but this time he didn’t touch his cheek. “Y–yeah, Michael. I love you, too,” he returned, a smile on his face.
Lindsay gagged again. “You guys are so mushy! Are you gonna do that every time you leave and come back?”
“Duh!” Michael exclaimed. “Mommies and daddies do that, don’t they? So daddies and daddies can do it too, right?”
Lindsay shrugged. “As long as it’s not in front of me! I don’t even like seeing my realmommy and daddy kiss, and just cuz you’re my friends doesn’t make it different!”
Michael laughed. “Fine, fine! We’ll tell you! Then you can, um, turn around or cover your eyes or whatever. Deal?”
Lindsay nodded, going back to her flower crown. “Sure, deal.”
Gavin hadn’t looked up from the ring on his finger when he interrupted the two of them. “Hey, Michael?”
Michael turned to him, and seeing Gavin play with his ring made him look down at his own, comparing it to Gavin’s. “Yeah, Gavin?”
“We should play house like this every day,” he more stated than asked, still looking down at his ring.
Michael nodded, looking up at him. “Sure, Gavin. It’s fun playing with you like this. And Lindsay, too–”
“Also,” he interrupted, his voice growing softer. “We should get married for real one day.”
When Michael didn’t respond, Gavin looked up from playing with his ring to see Michael’s reaction. When he did, he gasped. He’d never seen Michael’s face so red. “Um, Michael?” he asked, tentatively. “Did you hear me?”
Michael slowly nodded, reassuring him. “Um, yeah. Yeah, Gavin.” He looked down at his ring again, not meeting Gavin’s gaze. “That sounds really nice. We should.”
Gavin grinned, throwing his arms around Michael, catching him off guard. “Then it’s a promise! I love you, Michael!” he laughed, kissing Michael on the forehead.
Lindsay giggled, continuing to look down at her work, but knew exactly what was going on. “Geez, you guys are such dorks. Why do I have to have you as my daddies?”
And they promised to play house together (with Lindsay as their daughter) every day.