bambi eyes || tradley

10. to belong

"That's okay." He pulled away from him and slightly scooted backwards, but Tristan could still smell the scent of strawberries on his breath. "Maybe later."

"But probably not," Tristan quickly added as he rolled over onto his side and fell fast asleep.

. . .

That morning, Tristan woke up to warmth pressed to his cheek, followed by a gentle pat, and then the sound of Bambi's laugh. He crinkled his nose at the sudden pull from his peaceful sleep before slowly fluttering his eyelids open to the curly-haired boy happily hovering over him with a juice box in hand and one of Tristan's tee shirts on his body. The blond furrowed his brows at the smaller boy's choice of clothing. He'd bought him more clothes than he had in his own wardrobe. Why was he wearing his?

"Did you put a pancake on my face?" the twenty-one-year-old questioned, peeling the thin cake of batter off his cheek.

"I was trying to keep you warm." He frowned at the man's reaction and took the pancake away from his hand, nonchalantly biting into it and happily humming at the taste.

Tristan could only blink.

"You're cute when you're sleepy," Bambi told him, chuckling at the adorable expression on the man's face before patting his cheek once again and swinging a leg over his body to casually crawl over him and snuggle back into the bed beside him.

"Cute?" Tristan slowly repeated. He carefully pulled himself into a sitting position and weirdly eyed the brown-eyed boy who had just simply nodded as a confirmation before happily biting into his pancake again and muttering an incomprehensible sentence to the blond. "No one has ever told me that before."

"Well, I'm honoured to be the first."

Tristan couldn't say anymore so he remained silent, staring into the space of his bedroom as a comfortable silence settled over the two. Every day the twenty-one-year-old man fluttered his heavy eyelids open to the ceiling of his parents' house, he wondered how in such a short period of time, so many things in his life had changed. It was strange to think fifteen days ago, he wasn't aware of Bambi's existence, and he hadn't come face-to-face with his alleged stalker more than once.

"I'm visiting the doctor in a bit," Tristan reminded the boy beside him.
The blond noticed the way his muscles tensed, and he wondered what was the reason why the mention of doctors brought discomfort "It's going to be okay. It's a check-up for me, Bambi. Not for you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

He nodded slowly. "I know."

"But you're going to have to come with me. You know that, right?"

"Can't I just stay in your large house?" he questioned, hopeful. "I feel safer here, Tris."

Tristan furrowed his brows. "I thought you didn't like being alone."

Bambi nodded. "But it is better than being with the doctor."

"It's going to be okay," Tristan reassured him. He rested a hand on his shoulder as he nibbled on the edge of the pancake. "I'll show you how okay it is. I'll let you sit in the room with me while I talk to her."

"No!" he objected. The small boy took in a long sip from his juice box, like it'd protect him from the thought.

"My dad will make more strawberry and cream trifle if you come."

Twenty minutes later, the two boys were standing in front of the mirror, Tristan wiping another layer of minty toothpaste off the curly-haired boy's mouth. Tristan was quickly losing his patience with him. He wondered what was so hard about learning to brush your teeth.