A Home For Timmy (boyxboy)

Chapter 19: Sick Day

Chapter 19

I hadn't handled last night well.

I ran the towel through my hair a few times before dropping it at the end of the bed. He watched me as I pulled on a pair of loose fitting pants and the first shirt I touched, but he said nothing. I'd always prided myself in the fact that I was a damn good profiler, but as the silence grew thicker in the room, I couldn't hope to decipher what was going through his head or what would come next.

"I'd planned a whole speech in my head last night." I told him as I turned and leaned against the closet door.

"A speech for what?" he asked quietly and I smiled even though I certainly had no reason to.

"For you...For me...about how I'd seen the error of my ways." I told him. "My dad helped me realize how selfish I'd been acting." I continued.

I watched him sit up slowly in the bed, taking care to ensure the sheets were secure around his waist. "Not selfish...just stupid and reckless." He said seriously and this time I chuckled.

"Maybe a little bit of all three then." I said and he offered me a small smile. I gestured to him and the surrounding area. "I hadn't planned on this to be honest. It just...sort of happened".

"Because you can't control yourself?" he asked and I raised a brow.

"I wouldn't exactly say I can't control myself, it was-"

"If you could control yourself then you would have." He said simply. There was no malice, no amusement, just pure facts.

"Well..."I paused, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Maybe when you're involved I just lose my ability to."

He shook his head and his eyes narrowed. "I wish you would stop saying shit like that."

I frowned and pushed off the door. "Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that you actually mean something to me?"

"Cause you're just wasting your time and there aint no point."

When I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, he drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees.

"Why do you think it's a waste of time?"

He shook his head. "Cause it is."

"Then explain it to me. I'd like to understand."

It took him a while to say anything at all, but finally, he took a breath and his voice, when he spoke, was low and careful...but it was also firm.

"My old man used to tell me that you can't just get shit... you wanna be something worthwhile then you gotta bring something to the table. You don't just get to have stuff just because." He gritted out, eyes narrowed and glaring.

I watched him carefully, letting his words sink in. "So you're saying I haven't brought anything to the table." I surmised, but he shook his head and sighed.

"I'm saying I don't got nothing bringing to the table and that aint fair. You can't give a shit about somebody when they got nothing to offer you."

I shook my head. "You think you have nothing to offer?" I questioned incredulously. "Jason look at yourself. You're a man who's had to fight for everything he's wanted for years. You had to put up with a father who didn't deserve you. You've had to struggle living on the streets and through all of that, you managed to raise a beautiful little boy who looks at you like you hung the moon." I told him seriously, and though he listened, he said nothing.

"You're the most responsible, hardworking and selfless person I know. If anyone out there has anything to offer it's you." I told him, but he looked away. "You think I care if you don't have money or a house or any of all the other things that don't matter?" I questioned him. "You've made me a happy man by just being here." He looked at me then and I continued. "That's the best thing anyone can offer a person. Trust me."