Prompt: Beckett's reaction to finding out Leon has a crush on him
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"Grab your tests on the way out," the teacher called as students started gathering their things.
Beckett snatched his test away from the teacher and left the room. He was relieved the school day was finally over. He just had to wait for his dad to finish up so they could go home.
"Beckett!"
Beckett looked over as Leon Constance ran up to him, test in his hands. Leon stopped in front of him.
"How did you do on the test?" Leon asked.
Beckett flashed his paper. "Highest grade I could get."
Leon frowned and showed his own paper. "You beat me again. I lost one point on the extra credit section."
"I didn't ask," Beckett said, shoving his paper into his bag and taking his yo-yo out. "Go away, Leon."
"We have exams starting soon," Leon said. He held his hand out to Beckett. "Good luck."
"I don't need luck. I'm smart enough to pass everything just fine," Beckett said, hitting Leon's hand with his yo-yo.
Leon winced and got a patiently exasperated expression. "You could just play along and say 'thanks Leon, you too'."
"Fuck off, Leon," Beckett said.
Leon gave Beckett that moody look of his. Beckett met his eyes and held his hand out.
Leon looked surprised, but took Beckett's hand in his. Beckett gripped Leon's hand, pulling him closer. He nearly dropped it in surprise as Leon's face heated up.
"Good luck coming in second. Again," Beckett said, releasing Leon's hand and stepping back.
"You're always so rude," Leon said, but his voice sounded flustered and his hand had disappeared into his pocket to fidget. "I'll, um, I'll see you later, Beck."
Leon hurried off and Beckett went down to his dad's classroom. Ken Townsend was gathering papers on his desk, but he looked over as his son entered.
"How did you do on that test?" he asked.
"Highest grade," Beckett said. "Hurry up. I want to go home."
"Good job. We'll take you out for ice cream after dinner. Don't forget to study a little every night. Your exams are coming up," Ken said, shutting his bag. "Let's go home."
The two left the school and got in the car together. When they reached the house, they went inside and Ken frowned as Beckett started heading down the hallway.
"Beck, don't you want to tell your mom about your grade?" he said.
"You have a mouth. Tell her yourself," Beckett said in annoyance, heading into his bedroom and shutting the door.
He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Kaz's number. He really hoped that Kaz wasn't still in class.
"You always call at the worst times, Beck. I was just about to go get lunch," Kaz said, but he didn't sound annoyed at all. "This better be more important than tater tot day in the dining hall."
"I think Leon Constance has a crush on me," Beckett said, sitting on his bed.
"Constance's youngest kid? Why do you think that?" Kaz asked.
"I suspected it before, but I thought I was just reading into it too much. But today I shook his hand and he blushed like, you know, that way you do when someone brings up how much you like Killian," Beckett said. "And he got all flustered and hurried away from me."
"Seduce that guy and terrorize the Academy," Kaz said.
"Kaz! Leon has a crush on a boy!" Beckett said, his voice cracking. At 13, his voice was finally starting to change and deepen, and it cracked and squeaked whenever he got too loud or too distressed. "His dad is homophobic and abusive. If Constance finds out Leon likes boys, he'll..." Beckett trailed off. He didn't know what Constance would do.
To anyone who knew the family, it was no secret that Leon was the favorite son. But would Constance keep loving Leon so much if he knew his son was gay? Would he start to mentally abuse Leon at home to "fix" him?
Beckett thought about Killian. Killian had been torn up by his parents' reaction to his sexuality. Beckett didn't want to see that happen to anyone. Leon might be annoying, but he wasn't a bad person, and he didn't deserve to be shunned for his sexuality.
"Beck, calm down," Kaz said. "Leon is 13. If he is gay, he's a smart guy and he'll know to hide it. I doubt his parents will even expect him to date in high school. He can get away with hiding his sexuality for a few more years. And as he gets older, he'll figure out for himself who it's safe to tell and when it's safe to tell them. In that situation, you need a support network. Be that for him. Don't out him, but make sure he knows that you know and you're never going to use it against him."
"What if he says something to me about it?" Beckett asked. No one had ever had a crush on Beckett before. Hell, Beckett had never even thought about dating. He'd thought some of the girls in his grade were cute, but that was the extent of it.
"Tell him you don't feel the same," Kaz said. "It's not a big deal. You seem pretty worried about this kid."
"He's not..." Beckett glared at the wall. "He's not his dad. He's just a kid."
"Just support him and keep his secret. Remember when we all figured Malley was gay? We didn't say anything because it wasn't our business. But we also let him know in little ways that we were an accepting group," Kaz said. "Just...I know you wouldn't, Beck. But don't ever blackmail him with it. I was lucky to have an accepting family, but Leon's not that lucky. It's something he can't help."
"I wouldn't use it against him," Beckett said impatiently.
"How cute, Beckett could have a boyfriend," Kaz teased.
"I like girls," Beckett snapped.
"You're too awkward to date. You freak out just because a guy has a crush on you," Kaz said, laughing.
"You can't even look at your boyfriend without your ears turning red!" Beckett said.
"This isn't about me," Kaz said.
Beckett leaned back. "Go get your stupid tater tots, asshole."
"I will, you prick," Kaz said. "And Beck? Good luck with everything. You know my number if you need to bother me for more advice."
Kaz hung up and Beckett tossed his phone down onto his bed. He would have to find a way to keep interacting with Leon without making things awkward between them.
Beckett groaned. "Of course it had to be me."
