Gaige has woken up next to quite a few boys in his life. Sleepovers as a little boy with friends he thought would be there forever. He's woken next to his brother at relative houses where they had to share beds. But what related most to this particular moment was when he would wake up next to whatever boy he had unfortunately used to occupy himself. Or to burn any unnecessary calories.
Rolling over to face Adonis -the other boy's eyes fluttering, face graceful still captured in sleep- Gaige had flashbacks of some wild nights in Florida. Out of habit, he was about to scold himself for not waking up earlier to sneak out before Adonis woke when he realized it was his bed they were sleeping in. In clothes. Via invitation. With acknowledgment from the parents of the household.
Gaige, strangely, didn't want to wake up Adonis right away. Why would he? Adonis wasn't one of the annoying hookups how were merely parasites in his bed, Adonis wasn't an ugly sleeper or a snorer. The boy's blonde hair was splayed over his eyes and the pillow, his pale pink lips open to let a little stream of air in and out. Gaige didn't care about getting out of bed and going to school -he never did- he didn't mind laying in bed and sleeping next to Adonis all day if it were necessary.
But then Gaige's alarm went off. He snapped his head towards his phone, ignoring the soft groans of Adonis waking up next to him. He could hear Krista and Milton moving around on the other side of the wall, getting ready for school. Adonis had convinced Gaige to set the alarm a little earlier, so he could get ready and set up his cameras to film Gaige getting ready for school.
Gaige reached for his phone, sliding off the alarm, turning himself in the sheets to face Adonis, who was rubbing his eyes, a crease of frustration between his eyebrows. Gaige hated himself for not making fun of the face, for appreciating it.
"Come on, get up," Gaige pushed his own hair out of his face with the hand with no phone in it, "We don't have a lot of time before Milton and Krista will threaten to leave. Especially if you want...breakfast."
Gaige watched as Adonis grunted again, running a hand down his face, before sighing and opening his eyes, showing Gaige the tiredness Adonis had looking forward towards the day. Adonis' tongue darted out, wetting his lips, before he sighed one more time, rolled on his back, and threw back his covers.
Gaige laid in the bed, covers pulled high to keep his goosebumps unvisible to Adonis. He watches through heavy, tired lids as Adonis shuffles around the room, digging in one of the many bags he brought, pulling out a pile of clothes.
"Alright, I'm going to get dressed first then we'll film from there," Adonis straightened, and then stilled, "Where should I change?" Adonis knew the bathroom was most likely occupied with Gaige's step-siblings also getting ready for school.
Gaige blinked, and closed his eyes, "Right here. Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes shut," And then stayed still, imagining how his day would be filled with weird looks because he'd have someone following him with a camera all day.
Adonis' eyes had widened, hands gripping his bundle of clothes. He was not like Gaige. He was the type of kid that didn't stay out later than nine. Who didn't know what it was like stirring up some other's sheets. Getting dressed in front of someone -particularly an attractive boy- was not in his skill set. But he knew he was on a time crunch. His motivation to film some good shots of Gaige pulling on a sweatshirt and sectioning off three inches of a banana gave him motivation and confidence to slowly peel of his pajama shirt and put on his clothes for the day.
"O-okay..." Adonis sucked up a big breath to fill his lungs as Gaige's eyes fluttered open after their rest. He stayed in bed, watching from under his warm blankets as Adonis fidgeted with his camera, putting on a lens and testing out the focus. He cleared his throat and looked over at Gaige, "I'm going to open the blinds for more natural light, alright?" Gaige shrugged, so Adonis set the camera close the blinds in a skillful way, before pulling the cord and letting light flash into the room and blind a still wakening Gaige.
Careful to keep steady, Adonis panned the camera to the bed, where Gaige's blinking eyes. Gaige, assumingly seizing the moment, rubbed his tired eyes and stretched a single hand in the air. Adonis didn't say anything, but the corner of his lip lifted in mindlessness at the idea that Gaige looked like an unhappy toddler being forced out of bed.
Gaige sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs to seemingly last him the entire day, before pushing his covers off himself and sitting up with his feet on the ground. Standing, Adonis got a peak of Gaige's thin stomach when the boy stretched and his shirt rose.
"What am I doing?" Gaige lazily rose a brow at Adonis -and the camera.
Adonis shook his head, "Just act like normal, do your routine as if I weren't here," Gaige stared at the camera before sighing and going to the dresser.
After picking out clothes from his dresser, Gaige hesitated, hands holding the hem of his t-shirt. Adonis kept quiet, chewing lightly on his lower lip, waiting for Gaige to make a move. What was happening Gaige was an internal battle of insecurities about showing his body to a camera, so Adonis who was going to be relatively able to comment on his body? Gaige could hesitate when he stripped his shirt for a hookup, but it wasn't as big of a deal. This, this would be on a memory card -a documentary for who knows how many to watch.
Gaige shook his head the tiniest, before sucking in his lip, and lifting the thin t-shirt up and over his head.
Adonis took in a breath through his nose. Ribs, spine, shoulder blades, a concaving stomach. It looked like Gaige's body was trying to show the muscle he should have from working out, but just couldn't hold up from the devastating lack of nutrients to keep the body...whole. Adonis could swear he could see every bone that made up Gaige's upper body. Could practically see the tall boy's heart beating through the thin, pale skin. Why hadn't Adonis ever imagined it'd be like this? Why had his brain protected him from the idea of the truth of what happens when you starve yourself?
Adonis' eyes flicked over Gaige's body as much as possible, before Gaige quickly whipped on another t-shirt and his extra layers of the sweatshirt and his trusty windbreaker. Cover the bones, and pink scar lines on his sides. Adonis swallows thickly when Gaige strips off his sweatpants for a pair of ripped jeans. To finish his outfit, Gaige slips on socks and ties the laces of his dirty tennis shoes tight on his feet.
"Get your shoes on and grab whatever you need for the bathroom," Gaige barely gave Adonis notice before grabbing a plastic zipper bag off the top of his closet, shutting his closet doors and stalking out of the room.
Adonis' eyes widened, he snaps into action, jamming his feet into his shoes and digging in his backpack with one hand to grab his toothbrush, deodorant, and comb -all while holding his camera to his chest. Adonis scrambled to the bathroom, an arm-full of things as Gaige stood in front of the sink, watching Adonis through the mirror.
Gaige offered Adonis the toothpaste, allowing the scrambled boy to put the paste on his toothbrush and pick up his camera with the other hand, before beginning his bathroom routine. All of this was happening so fast, and to get ready while filming was throwing Adonis through a loop.
Quickly -and rather efficiently Adonis had to suppose- they ran through the bathroom routine. Spitting toothpaste, wiping faces, Gaige didn't bother combing his and only brushed it around to make it look presentable. All the while, Adonis tried to keep up, and film, and not show too much of himself in the mirror so it'd be easy to cut himself out later.
Then, they grabbed their things for school from Gaige's room, and began their descent down the stairs -Adonis even went as far as to squat and waddle down the hallway to get an interesting and aesthetically pleasing shot of Gaige's legs whisking in long, thin strides. The smell of toast made Adonis lick his lips and Gaige close his eyes in momentary annoyance. Adonis kept watching through the camera screen as Gaige took in a deep breath before marching into the kitchen and therefore announcing their presence to the parents of the household.
"Good morning boys-oh," Brad stopped, peering over his newspaper at the two boys at the edge of the island, Gaige already filling up a travel cup of coffee, and Adonis filming it all, "Filming again?"
Adonis almost missed the question was for him. But when he did realize, he glanced over his shoulder at Gaige's father, "Hmm? Oh, uh, I just like to film when I can. They make nice little videos."
Erin and Brad watched with mild disgust masked by their curiosity, as Gaige filled a cup of black coffee, and another for Adonis, but allowed the filming boy to put creme in his.
"Well, would you like some toast, Adonis? I'm sorry we don't have any better for breakfast," Erin offered a piece of toast and an apologetic smile.
"Oh, uh, yes please," Adonis took the toast, with butter spread on top, taking a bite before setting it on the counter to balance his camera better for the iconic shot that was happening next.
Gaige reached into the rust-colored fruit bowl, wiggling a banana off the bunch. Carefully, he opened it -strip by strip- and carefully pinched the banana, going down approximately three inches before carefully breaking the soft fruit. Then, Adonis panned the camera up with the piece of banana as it rose to Gaige's mouth, as the tall, skinny boy hesitantly shoved a bite in his mouth.
Adonis lifted his toast absentmindedly and took a bite, his eye never leaving the little screen that portrayed what the camera saw. What the audience would see one day.
"Alright, is everyone ready to leave?" It was Milton practically falling into the kitchen, taking a cup of coffee -that his mother had already poured for him- and a piece of toast, "Krista, come one!"
"Milton, quiet! Your brother is still sleeping," Although the camera was still on Gaige, Adonis watched the family in front of him. How much they didn't seem to...include the tall, starving boy.
Soon he had a shot of Gaige throwing the rest of the banana in the garbage, shoving his tall frame into the back of his step-brother's car, and looking out the window at the dreadful weather.
Adonis never realized the way the boy's eyes shut down the moment he realized he had to get out of bed. But the camera did.