when someone's extra special you just have to love them extra hard.
Troye couldn't help the sigh that over came him when he turned around to see that Connor was gone. Again.
" Con! Come back sweetheart," love permanently stained his voice but exhaustion was starting to spill into it as well.
"Come find me!" A giggle and a whoop came from above him and he looked up to see the boy straddling a tree branch, swinging his feet and laughing uncontrollably.
"I need you to come down, okay? Can you do that for me?" Troye spoke with control, knowing that yelling and frustration only created chaos. But on the inside he could feel the shading under his eyes get a little bit darker.
" No! Con Con wants to be up here! Like a bird, flappy wings and fly!" His sentence was cut off with his own shrieks and giggles, flopping his arms around in an imitation of a bird.
" We can be birds down here instead, hows that sound?" He tried his best to lighten his tone but the way Connor was starting to lean dangerously side to side was stiffening his relaxation.
" That's not how it works. Birds go high. I wanna be bird." His face scrunched up and his big green eyes narrowed.
" Connor. Down- now. You'll get hurt." His voice was now flagged with a warning. Connors jaw got stiff and rigid the way his body reacted when starting to get nervous or beginning to freak out.
oh no.
Troye knew this procedure all too well.
" T-troye, I want down! I want down!" a sob escaped his lips and he looked down at the ground from his position high above, anxiety lacing his voice and eyes.
" too high! too high!" his arm swung out in front of him, batting at the air, his breathing quickening and his shrieks of terror bringing attention from the other people at the park.
" hey, you're okay con, just come down slowly, alright?" Troye soothed him with soft sushes.
He had been so focused on Connor that he hadn't been aware of the small crowd of people watching the scene play out and making commentary.
"What's wrong with that boy in the tree? He's acting like a toddler." a hushed, but still quite audible voice pried to the kid next to him.
" You don't know him? He's retarded, man."
Rage seethed through Troyes body and he whipped around with a deathly glare.
" Connor's special, not retarded." his words were cold as ice.
The two teenage boys exchanged glances and the shorter one raised his hands in surrender.
" Sorry dude, didn't realize his protective older brother was on the lookout."
" We're not related." Troye scoffed, eyes still squinting angerily.
" Then what are you, its boyfriend?" he mocked as if the notion was insane.
Troye was about to snap back with a steamy growl to not call Connor an it, when he heard the faint whimpers from behind him and swung back around to the tree.
Connor was now very slowly inching down the bark, muffled trembly tears pressed to his cheeks.
" That's it, baby. You can do it." Troye lulled, encouraging him and verbally helping Connor shimmy his way down.
However, as he watched the small form progress down the trunk, his thoughts wandered back to the teenagers question.
what was troyes relation to connor?
The obvious label to use would be friend, but that didn't sound quite right. He had been protecting and loving Connor since he was fourteen. Connor was now almost eighteen and Troye nineteen.
Connors mom loved her son despite his disability but she was a single, full time working mother with four children. She hardly had enough time to tend to Connors extra needs.
So when Troye had moved in next door, the role had been taken on by him and quickly formed an undefinable bond between the two boys.
" No fall, no fall, no fall," Connor chanted the words quietly in a slurred voice, over halfway down the tree by now.
" You won't fall Connor. I'll catch you, okay?" Troye stepped in close to the tree and under the area he was climbing.
" Catch me?" Connor looked to Troye for reassurance, who nodded promisingly as Connor slid down until he was about 7ft off the ground. He jumped down into Troyes open arms successfully with a squeal, wrapping his arms around Troyes neck and his legs around his torso,
" Was scared. Love Tro Tro." he spoke in a slur into Troyes neck who exhaled in relief, hands reaching up to cradle the back of his head.
" Love you more, munchkin." he whispered and kissed his temple.
Connor giggled and kissed Troyes cheeks sloppily. Troye wrinkled up his nose when he caught a whiff of the boy holding onto him.
" Phew, you are most certainly getting a bath when we get to your house mister." Troye scolded lightly, getting kissed again in response.
~
"Come on Con, clothes off and into the tub." Troye stood with his jeans rolled up and his arms crossed as Connors eyes traveled slyly to the door where he was planning to dart out.
" Not dirty! Not wanting bath!" he pouted, his fingers curling and uncurling, jaw clenching as he dramatically shook his head.
" Connor, get in. Now." Troye snapped unintentionally, his patience wearing thin. He had spent the past twenty minutes trying to coax Connor into the warm soapy water and he still had to go home and shower, do homework, and eat dinner after finishing giving Connor his bath.
" If you catch me!" A mischievous grin lit up his face as he sprinted to the bathroom door, wanting to play his favorite game, but Troye got there first.
" Get in the fucking water." Troye groaned, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth as he stood with his hand holding the door shut while Connor twisted the knob in frustration.
" Bad word! Bad word! Troye said baad word!" Connor giggled spastically, clapping his hands.
Troyes shaky breath wavered as he breathed out his nostrils. Removing his hand from its reinforcement on the door, he grabbed Connor a little too roughly and pulled off his baby blue jumper.
" Troye! Don't want bath!" Connor squirmed as his jumper was thrown to the side and Troye just moved to pull down his jeans and underwear in one go, lifting Connor out of them.
" Do I need to put you in the bath or can you do it yourself?" Troye stood up and looked directly down at Connor with a glare.
Connors shrieking and giggling stopped and he blinked quickly and numerously, shrinking in on himself with a pout puffing up on his lips.
" I can do." he whispered in a quiet voice, head hung as he struggled to climb into the bubbly tub.
" You come in with me?" he looked up hopefully, head titled and eyes watery, a cloud of bubbles sticking to his cheek.
" Not today. You're being bad today." Troye muttered, pulling up a stool to sit next to the bath, one hand in his curls, the other in his face, pinching the bridge of his nose and slumping over.
Connor was silent for a long time, only the sound of the water sloshing occasionally before he squeaked in a small voice;
" I-I sorry for being retarded."
Troyes face came out of his hands, looking up in heartbreak and shock.
Connor looked so small and fragile, sitting in the suds and water, head bowed in guilt for something that wasn't his fault.
" Hey, what do I say about using that word?" Troyes voice was as soft as Connors smooth skin and he leaned in, tilting up Connors chin.
" N-not to say."
" That's right, for no one to say it, you included. You're extra extra special and when I lose my temper it's not your fault, okay?"
" Not my fault, okay." Connor repeated back, but sounding unconvinced.
" I shouldn't have gotten upset, God I'm the worst." he sighed. He felt like a complete failure. He was supposed to protect his innocent boy and all he was doing was screwing up instead.But this just made Connor gasp.
" No! Troye the best! Favorite person in whole world!" Connor announced vigorously, fidgety arms spreading wide.
Troye chuckled, the infectious adorableness pushing aside his stress of completing the rest of his duties and instead patting his knee.
" Come'ere munchkin." he smiled, watching Connors face light up as he scrambled onto his feet, still soaking wet and with a pile of slippery bubbles sliding down his bare back as he extended his arms. Troye boosted him up from under his arm pits and settled him into his lap, squeezing tight.
" You're my favorite person in the world too." Troye promised, hugging the small wet boy, placing kisses onto the top of his head, the denim of his jeans turning dark due to the water droplets pressing from Connors thighs to his own. Connor hummed happily, his restless fingers inching up to Troyes curls and scrunching up the ringlets, the same spot he had once snipped a lock of chocolate hair from.
" My little baby boy." Troye mumbled, bringing his fingers to comb at the damp hair. Connor giggled and nuzzled his head under Troyes chin, repeating back in his little broken voice;
" Your little baby boy."
Hellooo (-:
I re-watched "Whats Eating Gilbert Grape" yesterday and Leonardo DiCaprio does such an amazing job playing Arnie so that inspired me to write this.
i really hope you all have a bomb ass week & all of your fortune cookies have good fortunes & ur acne clears up & you pass all your tests etc,
Adios 💟