34B. |raylijah

10

"Y'know, it kinda sounds like that Elmo theme song when you sing it." Jacob inhaled, prepared to demonstrate.

Just like Elijah thought, Jacob took a liking to the childhood nickname.

"Jacob, please don't sing it." Elijah begged, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"You sure? It sounds pretty cool." Jacob reasoned. Elijah simply shook his head—he'd gotten off of work not too long ago and decided to join Jacob as the teen did his usual rounds of Good Afternoon's and Good Evening's. The man sat with his back pressed against the door, people watching with him. Elijah still couldn't figure out why the boy was always so lively and kind, even to people who didn't exactly deserve to be treated with such thoughtfulness. "How's your day been?" He said, instead of singing the Elmo theme song. Elijah glanced over at him, letting out a sigh.

"Pretty sucky," He said truthfully, glancing down at his hands. "Work was tiring." Elijah grimaced at the thought of finishing college and still being forced to work such a horrible job—he'd recently discovered that his colleagues referred to him as Latern. He overheard a few of them explaining to a new hire that 'he's bright, but you have to carry him.'—figuring that they were simply bitter after he'd been dubbed Employee Of The Month, he attempted to brush the insult off. "What about you, Jake?" He forced a smile, mirroring the excited expression Jacob gave him. He quite enjoyed the nickname.

Jacob joined him, scooting near the man and leaning against the wall, he began to sigh. "It's been great," He smiled. "Chres is not a fan of Muffin though—she's been scratching up things." He frowned after saying this. "He's talking about giving her up." Sadness was evident in his tone.

"That doesn't have to be a bad thing," Elijah explained, attempting to send him a reassuring nudge. "Chresanto wants the best for her, I'm sure. And maybe, a stinky apartment building isn't exactly a great place for her to grow up." Jacob nodded at this.

"I'll just miss her lots, that's all." Footsteps interrupted the conversation—Elijah glanced towards the stairs to see Chresanto.

He trudged towards the two with hanging eyelids and prominent dark circles—he looked exhausted. The corners of his mouth were drooping into a frown until he acknowledged Jacob, sending him a half hearted smile. "Jacob." He called, carrying a greasy cardboard box—a toolbox was held tightly in his other hand. The man sported a pair of dirty, tan Coveralls and an equally dirty pair of boots—Elijah figured he was a mechanic.

"Yes?" Jacob looked up, smiling. Chresanto's expression lightened up—the boy seemed to instantly brighten his mood.

"I bought us pizza." He held up the box and motioned towards their apartment door.

"Cheese?"

"Cheese."

"Bye, Li." Jacob turned to the man before standing up and scurrying inside.

"Thanks for helping me out." Chres simpered once Jacob was inside, referring him and Jacob's discussion about Muffin. Elijah nodded in response before he disappeared into their apartment and left the boy to sit outside his door.

After sitting down for a while, he decided to go inside. "What were you doing out here?" He turned around to see Rayan, peeking his head from his door—he caught the man just in time. Elijah was moments away from shutting the door behind him. "Talking with Jacob, I assume." He watched as Rayan's lips formed into a teasing grin.

"Yes actually," Elijah returned the smile. "He's good company when you aren't too caught up in being an asshole to him." He shrugged—Rayan reeled back at the humorous jab.

"Would you like to come inside? Or would you rather spend this time missing your beloved friend?"

"Sure."

The two were now listening to Mac Demarco's 'Chamber Of Reflections'—Rayan swayed to the beat, careful to not spill his glass of wine. His hair was pulled into a high bun, revealing a hearing aid that Elijah hadn't noticed before. Instead of asking about it, he attempted to mimic the dance. Rayan laughed at the failed attempt. "You don't know how to dance?" He asked, grabbing the man's hip with his free hand—he swayed with Elijah, trying to teach him the simple action.

Elijah tried his best to not trip over his own feet, now suddenly nervous as he tried to keep up with Rayan. "I have two left feet so," He joked, staring down at their sock covered feet.

"I've noticed." Rayan said once they'd stopped. The two settled for sitting down on the sofa—both sipping their glasses of Cote des Roses Rosé. The song switched to 'Jungle' by Drake; Rayan exhaled, taking in the slow, romantic song. He glanced over at Elijah who'd been doing the same and couldn't contain his smirk.

"The things I can't change are the reason you love me,"Elijah sang, taking another swallow. His eyes were closed as his head was tilted back.

"I met your sister." Ray said carelessly, cutting through the silence—Elijah opened his eyes at this, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?" He asked, wondering how that interaction went.

"She offered to braid my hair." Ray chuckled. "She was pretty cool though. Jon tried to hit on her but she-"

"Cursed him out?" Elijah already knew how she could get.

"Badly." Rayan laughed.

"That's Tes for you." He shook his head.

"I'm glad you came over, Elijah." Ray smiled, looking over at the man—he began to take him in, giving the boy a full once over. He couldn't deny his attraction towards Elijah—the man mesmerized him.

(A/N)
Who wants me to shed some light on Jacob and Chresanto?

Any opinions on Elijah and Ray?