"I really wish you could have stayed," Heath told Conan, leaning against the frame of his door. Conan kissed him on the cheek when he saw his mom enter the kitchen and out of his eyes.
"I don't think your mom would be enthusiastic about it," Conan smiled.
"I mean it's not like we are gonna do anything," he said. Conan coughed loudly at that, wanting to cover up an awkward laugh.
"Would you mind if I dropped you off at the airport tomorrow?" he questioned as he settled into the co driver seat.
"My mom is gonna drop me off at eight," he said, turning on the ignition. "And you know how she gets when she sees us get affectionate."
"I don't mind her," Conan said truthfully. "You haven't seen my mom. Remember when she fed you so much?"
Heath laughed at the memory. "I did like it though."
"Hi!" Louis greeted, opening the door so wide open that Puppy ran outside and jumped on Conan. "Hello...Conan's boyfriend?"
Conan scratched Puppy's ears to calm him while the dog lolled his tongue in pleasure and occasionally licked him. Heath crouched beside him, caressing Puppy's fur. Louis laughed when he saw them blush when their hands touched.
"I needed you two right now," he said, a little annoyed that they ignored him entirely. "Alyssa has no idea how to play with a PS 3."
"She does now how to play with it; it belongs to her," Conan said as Louis towered over him. "She just doesn't want to play with you."
"Will you play with me, Conan's boyfriend?" he asked, his eyes glittering. "Any game, you pick. Though it would be nice if you picked The Walking Dead. Conan never plays with me. Can you believe that? I mean, I travelled with dad here only for him to not play with me."
"I don't play video games either," Heath said. He always looked really unsure about what to say to Louis.
"Good," he nodded, to Conan's surprise, "I can teach you now. I have PS 5 so my skills are a little ratty on the old one. I forgot your name, Conan's boyfriend."
Conan saw Heath frown a little for a second but then he spoke, "Heath."
So, you won't correct him?
"Nice name," he commented. "I think I will forget it again."
"Louis," Conan's mom said, standing on the threshold of their door, "Come inside. There are mosquitoes."
"Hello, boys," she said, smiling at Heath widely. "You both should come inside too."
Conan patted Puppy on the head and he followed him and Heath inside. Louis grabbed Heath's hand and dragged him to the old PS 3 at the corner of the room. Even after so many years, his mom had kept it safe and sleek. There was odd dent on it's top. It was from when him and Alyssa were fighting and she pushed him over the thing. He remembered keeping quiet about it, only if Alyssa agreed to give him all of his halloween candy. The same year he remembered getting three fillings in his teeth.
"I seriously can't play on the PS," Heath said but Louis wouldn't budge.
"How about this?" Alyssa suggested, entering the room. All the hospital smell had washed off her skin in just a few days. "I will play with you."
"I needed to teach him," Louis rolled his eyes as if it were something very obvious, "But okay. I don't feel like playing anymore, I will hang out with them." He turned his face to Heath and spoke again, "You have never seen Conan's room, have you?"
"Never," he said, unsure of why he was asking him that question.
"Good," he said and Heath looked at him doubtfully.
"You won't believe what Daphne said to me," Louis said, holding up his phone with the picture of a South Asian girl with a nose pin. They were sitting on Conan's bed and Louis was showing them random things on his phone.
"What did she say?" Heath asked. A part of Conan knew that he wasn't much invested in talking to Louis but he didn't want to make the kid sad either.
"She told me she won't go to the eight grade school dance with me because I am fat and childish," he said, rolling his eyes. If he liked Daphne before, he didn't seem to be fond of her now. Louis was a plump and kind of immature for eight grade but Conan understood the kid was only being himself. His dad had told him he tried not to make him feel bad about it or pity himself because he had heard it could lead to eating disorders and body negativity. Louis was soft hearted and easily affected by shit people said.
"That's a bad reason," Heath said, ruffling his blond hair. "Daphne is gonna regret it."
"That's what I told her," he said, rolling his eyes. "I told her that I am going with Michael then but she told me she is going with Michael and then she proceeded to laugh at me."
"Who is Michael?" Conan asked, smirking at his brother who blushed. How the tables turned.
"Michael is this guy," he said, swiping to a picture on his phone of a short dark-skinned boy with curly hair. "I think Daphne was lying. Do you think so? I mean Michael is too cool and cute to go with her."
"I think you should ask Michael," Heath told him seriously. "If he says he is going with Daphne, you ditch them both and take the best person in class."
"But that's Michael," he said judging Heath and his advice. "I am confused. What if I am the only one without a date?"
"Your brother is Conan Gray, you share his genes," Conan said, pointing at himself. "There is no way you are going alone."
"I am going alone because my brother is Conan Gray," he grinned, swiping to some other photo on his phone. "I think the dance is really stupid, anyways. Like I have to play ten dollars to feel awkward on the floor, eat average food that I also have to buy and then I don't even have a date? I would rather play on my PS 5."