𓈊 A Poppy By Any Other Name

Act VII

Fwhip sighed. "Why not have Grian choose?"

Lizzie blinked. "Oh. That's..." She sat down. "That's a good point."

It was a bit before Joel had convinced Grian to finally get off of the carousel.

"Sorry for making you go on with me," Grian apologized shyly as he and Joel slowly approached the table the other three sat at.

Joel wrapped an arm around Grian, his other hand stuffed into his leather jacket pocket. "Don't worry about it," the brunette said. "I'm happy to go on it with you, but it's well after noon now, and I'm sort of starving over here."

Grian hummed. "Right, sorry."

Sighing, Joel let go of the blonde and nudged him with his elbow. "Quit apologizing," Joel scolded gently. "You've no reason to say sorry, so don't."

Grian nodded. "Thank you," he mumbled quietly. He sniffled and hid his watery eyes with his forearm. "Thank you."

"Hey, hey." Joel stopped walking, turning Grian to face him. "Look at me."

Grian let out a protesting whine.

"Grian, look at me, bud."

Grian lowered his arm.

Joel's eyes softened as a gentle smile spread over the brunette's lips. "Listen, I care about you," he started, "more than you will ever know. Okay? And I will go to the ends of the earth for you if I have to." Grian's eyes drifted away and Joel put a hand to the other boy's cheek to get his attention. "Riding a carousel is the least I could do for you right now with how much you've been through overnight."

"Really?" Grian asked, his voice cracking.

"Really," Joel echoed back, smiling fondly at Grian. He pulled the younger into a hug. "I don't say this enough, but I love you, Grian. Trust me when I say you deserve so much more than the cards the universe has dealt you."

Grian let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "I don't know about that," he said. "I've been given some pretty great friends, so..." He trailed off, hugging Joel tighter as the latter chuckled. "I'd say I'm pretty lucky despite my... situation."

"Look at you being all sentimental, you goof," Joel teased, earning a kick to the shin. "Ow-"

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this, got it?" Grian said with half-hearted venom in his voice. "I'll skin you."

Joel snorted. "Sure thing."

Joel waited for Grian to calm down a bit more before going over to the table where the others sat, though the blonde's face was still quite red.

"Oh, there they-" Lizzie gasped when she saw Grian's face. "Are you alright?"

Grian opened his mouth to answer, but Joel threw an arm around the younger and spoke first. "He's alright," the brunette said. "Just got a little too excited on the carousel."

Lizzie smiled. "Where do you want to go for food?" she asked, nodding her head toward the several food chains in the court.

Looking around for a moment, Grian finally came to a decision. "Taco Bell," he said confidently, and it seemed like it took everything for Lizzie to not grumble about it.

"Alright," she said, standing up from her seat. She smiled and took his hand. "Come on, I'll get you whatever you want."

Jimmy and Fwhip didn't join Lizzie and Joel as they took Grian to get everyone's food.

"It's like watching a couple with their kid," Fwhip joked, nudging Jimmy with his elbow.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. If they could, they'd adopt Grian, go buy a house on the water in Brighton, and live happily ever after," he said. "Not before they got married, though. Though, they'd get married right now if Dad didn't absolutely despise him."