Gym Buddies

pt. 16 - School Lunches

"We do not have to stay for the picnic if you would rather just leave," Lee squeezed my hand as we followed the crowd to an empty space outside, scattered with a few trees.

"Nope. Free food," I laughed after throwing the icepack away. He stared at me for a moment, specifically where my face was slightly more red from the cold. I looked down at Metal, he was nervously picking at his fingers, looking over all the other people. I crouched down at his side to see what he was seeing. "Unless you want to go, Metal. What do you think?"

"I- I wanna stay," he mumbled over to me. I kissed his cheek, and looked to Lee. He was giving a soft smile and nodding.

"Then we can stay. Let's all go get some lunch," I took Metal's hand, and Lee's in the other to walk to where lunch was being handed out. Lee took one look at what was being served, and cocked his head.

"Are you sure you want free food?" He huffed, thinking it wasn't good enough for me. It was just some cheap looking sandwiches that had nothing but meat and cheese. No toppings, nothing else around to put on it. "Is this what they feed you, Metal?" He asked, confused. Metal gave a nervous nod, taking  one of the containers that had a meal. 

"Yes, papa," he mumbled.

"Lee, this looks like an average school lunch. It's fine with me," I took one of the boxes, and a bag of chips.

"Oh.. ahaha.. I do not remember what my school lunches look like..." He chuckled and took a box, looking down at it. "I would rather treat you two to some real food?"

Metal and I looked at each other and shrugged. I laughed a bit before glancing at Lee. "What a gentleman," we put our boxes down on the table. "But I still think we should stay for a little while. I think there's supposed to be some entertainment soon."

"Alright! We should find somewhere to sit. How about..." Lee glanced around for a second, before pointing at a tree that had a view down to the small stage where apparently there would be some kind of performance. "There."

Soon enough we made it to the top of the hill, and under the tree. We all sat down next to each other, but Lee didn't seem to like that very much. I offered Metal to sit in my lap, seeing as the day only grew colder. Lee watched as Metal sat with his back to my belly. Lee grinned, and scooted behind me, putting my back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around not Metal and I, and placed his chin on my shoulder. He was the biggest of out Russian nesting doll set, keeping us all together.

He placed a quick kiss on my cheek, then looked back up. I could feel both of them breathing, the rise and fall of there breaths. I leaned back slightly on Lee, resting in his warmth.

A few people came onto the stage, and began blubbering about history, trying to teach the kids, but half of them fell asleep. I started giggling at the fact the teachers thought that a presentation like this would be interesting for a bunch of five and six year olds. Even Metal fell asleep. I ran my pinky finger down from his forehead to the tip of his nose, trying to keep him still just sorta awake.

Lee shifted his head slightly every now and then as we watched, getting more comfortable each time. When I put my hands back over his, he moved so instead he kept his over mine.

"Hey," he whispered into my ear, drawing my attention from the stage. "Do you want to head out now? We will need a little extra time to find something to eat on the way."

"Yeah, that's fine," I whispered back. He slowly unwrapped himself from me, and helped me up. I carried Metal, keeping an arm under him, the other one holding his back. We made no effort to walk over to Tenten to tell her we were leaving. We just waved, and left. Lee carried my bag, and Metal's backpack. "We still need to stop by the gift shop," I reminded him, pulling him back into the building.

Metal slowly began to wake up as we moved, and entered the shop. I set him on his feet, and we looked around. Metal was quick to find a stuffed green t-rex, and showed it to Lee.

"T-this?" He asked quietly. Lee ruffled Metals hair and smiled.

"Sure, buddy. You deserve it," Lee took the t-rex from Metal and turned to me. "Do you want anything?" I shook my head no, and Lee paid. He gave Metal the toy back, after pulling the tag off and throwing it away.

"Thank you, Papa," Metal held the toy to his chest, squeezing it as we walked out to Lee's car.

"You are welcome. Now come on, we have to go now," Lee lifted Metal into his seat and made sure he was buckled in before closing the door, and opening mine. He got in the driver's seat and turned to look at Metal, who was already leaning over on the door, sleeping.

We left the parking lot with the GPS on Lee's phone connected to the speakers. Once we were on the freeway, he placed his hand on my thigh. I put my hands on his, fiddling with his fingers as he drove.

"Is... Metal going to be okay?" I asked quietly, glancing back at him.

"Yeah, he will be alright. But, I think I might enroll him somewhere else. It is obvious he is struggling with the other students and the teacher. Even if it is a longer drive, he should not have to deal with that treatment. Actually, I wanted to thank you for earlier."

"Why? I just did what what I needed to to make sure Metal was okay. You seemed busy calming him down."

"I was. I appreciate you stepping in when I could not. And... I was wondering... What did Tenten say in the bathroom?"

"She rambled about how you were hers, and that you didn't love me, and Metal wouldn't ever think of me as his mother. Her only evidence was that she hadn't ever heard you tell me you love me. And, although the punch hurt, the whole situation was rather funny. And before you say anything, yes I am okay. It's just a bruise."

"If you are sure..." He looked at me as we stopped at an intersection with a red light.

"I am. I'm very sure, and hungry. We should find something to eat." I started playing with his fingers again, more specifically, his ring finger. His hands in general looked and felt strong, especially when he held my hand. I was entranced by them, their warmth, the way they instantly helped me calm down when I needed it.

"Okay, I will find somewhere to eat, then," he smiled. I continued to stroke his hands with my nails, until he found a place to stop for lunch.