Elven Love (SAA Book 1) ✔

Part Twenty-Seven

Oren let out a trembling breath and took a few steps forward. "Heath..." he muttered, eyes blown wide and hands itching to reach out to him. The boy snapped his head up at the voice and his eyes matched Oren's. They gawked at one another, causing a deathly pause. Heath quickly shot up from his seat and raced down the stairs, rushing towards Oren.

They enveloped one another in a spinning hug, Oren's arms wrapped around his neck as the taller boy gently grasped his shoulders. When they came to a stop, Heath pulled his younger brother away from him and sighed with awe-filled eyes. "Look at you, Oakley.. So mature and tall!" he ogled even more, to which Oren laughed.

"Likewise! You're... I don't know! You're -- just, you look so --" Oren was at a loss for words. He looked dazzling with all the gems adorning his outfit, that's for sure. But the outfit wasn't him. His silver hair was the same and so were his green eyes. Heath laughed and pulled his brother close again, nearly squeezing the life out of the elf as they reunited.

Clayton watched in suspicion, eye twitching with a jealousy that he was unable to control at this point. Ethan was leaning against the wall with his earbuds plugged into his iPhone. Heath pressed his lips to Oren's forehead, and in return Oren chuckled and swatted his protective brother away.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Clayton asked sternly, which made Oren jump. Heath didn't seem fazed by his brave act, though. He turned to the human and smiled politely as his younger brother clung to his side. "Oren, who is this?" he demanded more than asked. Heath looked down to him.

"No, don't take it the wrong way, Clayton. This is my older brother, Heath." Oren stepped towards Clayton and reached his hand out to grasp the human's. He turned to Heath and smiled innocently. "Heath, this is my boyfriend, Clayton. He's been by my side through everything, and as you said; "never lose hope" right?"

Upon looking at Clayton, Heath smirked and peered over to the shorter boy. "Είσαι ομοφυλόφιλος?" he asked, to which Oren shyly looked away, but nodded. Heath hummed in understanding and took a firm hold of Oren's ear. The boy yelped and playfully tapped the hand, only to make Heath's fingers squeeze tighter. A bit lost, Clayton stood quietly.

"Ήξερα ήδη από την ημέρα που γεννηθήκατε." Heath teased with a beastly grin. He let his little brother go, resulting in a jab to the gut by the little elf. Oren quickly returned to Clayton and laughed softly, rubbing his ear. He grabbed Clayton's arm and lurched forward.

"Πιθανότατα είστε πάρα πολύ!" Oren teased back with a lopsided grin pulling at his lips. He hid behind Clayton as Heath chased after him, swearing flurries of Greek as they playfully brawled.

Poor Clayton didn't know what they were saying.

Translations:

Heath: You're / Are you gay?

Heath: I knew from the day you were born.

Oren: You probably are too!

»»--------««

Oren was more than elated when they left Ethan's place. With an obviously reluctant nod, Ethan allowed the elf's brother stay at his place, just until he makes enough money to live on his own. Oren was excited to talk Clayton's ear off, about the times when they were little and how they played tag with all the other forgotten children of Agnostos.

The human loved hearing the elf talk. His voice was soothing and smooth, like marble. While Clayton drove them home, Oren ran on an adrenaline rush from nostalgia. Clayton felt his anxiety kick in when Oren jumped in his seat. At least now they were both feeling their hearts race.

"Oren you're gonna end up falling off if you keep doing that." he brooded, reaching over with his right hand to steady the ecstatic elf.

"Oh, sorry. I just-- the memories we had together were so precious... I can't believe I forgot them." Oren looked out of the window to calm himself when they drove past a group of teenagers around the age of them. One was riding the other's back and two were on their phones. Then, Oren perked up and turned back to Clayton.

"Can I get a phone? You know, to call Heath and your friend Ethan. You have a laptop, TV, phone and a gaming console. It's not fair." he pouted, now resting his hands in his lap as they arrived at the house. Clayton parked the car and leaned back in his seat, head tilting.

"Are you my nine year old son? You don't have to ask me, you know." He chuckled and exited the car, the elf following closely. "But sure," he added, "I'll get you a free phone." He threw a wink to Oren and rushed ahead, leaving the elf in his own confusion.

"Free..?" he muttered to himself, eventually speeding up to catch up with Clayton. "What do you mean by that? Clayton?" he trudged up the stairs in a hurry to chase after the human. He followed the blond into his bedroom, only to realize he meant he'd draw the phone. "Oh." was all he could process as he sat down on the bed next to Clayton.

"That's what I meant. It's technically free." he spoke as he sketched. His hand moved elegantly as he drew, brow lowered as his tongue instinctively poked out from his lips. Oren had to fight off a grin as he watched, for it was undeniably funny to him. Once the human finished doodling, he fished out the bag of sand from under his bed and opened it.

"Just a heads up, the online world isn't as entertaining as it sounds. It's still filled with negativity--"

"Okay." Oren interrupted with an understanding look dawning on his face. "I'm gonna act like you're not so pessimistic and try to enjoy the good side of the online world." At this, Oren received a light slap to the shoulder.

"I'm not pessimistic." Clayton persisted. Oren smiled and leaned over, resting his head on the other's shoulder as his ear twitched appreciatively. With a soft huff, Clayton instinctively rested his head over Oren's.

"Clayton, I've been thinking.." Oren started, "Before my arrival, you said your family was messed up and you felt lonely. So, what about now? Do you feel any different?" Clayton relaxed, the elf's words seeming to quell his tension.

"I feel great, actually. You're here and keeping me company. If you were to leave, I wouldn't know what to do. I would probably break down into tears." Clayton bit his lip as he paused, "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if you left because of me."

"My family's never been the best. It's always been a wreck. My mom began to drink when her and dad divorced. She used to bring home guys all the time until her habits died down. Dad handled it worse by ordering drugs. But, he was caught during a deal and sent to jail.. After that, he was assigned to a counselor and ended his addiction." Clayton explained softly. Oren looked up to him, ears drooping slightly as he saw the expression on the blond's face.

"I'm sorry." Oren apologized. The blond raised a hand and gently stroked Oren's hair.

"It's okay. They stopped a few years back. They actually started paying attention to me last year." The human exhaled and he turned to kiss the top of Oren's head.

"Nonetheless, I feel blessed to have you here with me."

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Thanks for reading Part Twenty-Seven!