𓈊 A Poppy By Any Other Name

Act XIX

"I... win..." Scott huffed, his breathing uneven and heavy as he stopped on the porch of the Shadowlady-Solidarity house.

Jimmy caught up to him not longer after, breathing heavily as well. "Dammit," he huffed. "That's... not fair..."

Scott scoffed. "Oh? How come?"

"You play football," Jimmy said as he reached into his pocket to fish out his house keys. "You're like a running machine."

Scott let out a tired, breathy laugh as Jimmy unlocked the door. "That's only a small advantage," he joked. He gasped when Jimmy pushed the door open, basking in the warmth that escaped from inside the house despite his sweating from running the whole way there.

Jimmy snickered when he heard Scott whisper a soft, "Wow," as they walked inside. "What?"

Scott didn't look up at Jimmy. "Jeez, I almost forgot what houses looked like," he mumbled, and Jimmy was positive he wasn't supposed to hear that. "This place is nice," he said, a bit louder this time.

Jimmy chuckled. "It's not much," he admitted, "but Lizzie's good at making anything look nice, so..."

Scott nodded.

"Jim, is that you?" Daniel said from presumably the kitchen.

"Yeah," Jimmy called back. "I have a friend over, is that okay?"

Daniel poked his head down the hall. "Oh, hello," he greeted Scott before going back into the kitchen. "One second, please!"

As rustling sounds came from the other room, Grian opened the door to his room off the front hallway, yawning and stretching as he walked out. He looked over to Jimmy and waved, turning away for just a moment before whipping his head back around. "Uh-"

Jimmy put a finger to his lips as a warning for Grian to not say anything, though Grian ignored it.

"What is he doing here?" Grian asked incredulously. He looked Scott up and down, and Scott shifted awkwardly.

"Hi," Scott said quietly, smiling slightly and waving.

Grian scoffed and rolled his eyes, shutting the door to his room and walking away into the kitchen.

Jimmy groaned. "I swear to God, I'm going to-" He cut himself off to sigh, and he heard Scott giggle next to him.

"It's fine," Scott said. "I don't mind."

Jimmy opened his mouth to speak but Daniel came around the corner, pulling his apron over his head and hanging it on the wall.

"Hello," Daniel said, holding his hand out for Scott to shake. "Daniel Solidarity, Jimmy's father."

Scott smiled. "Scott Smajor," he introduced himself. "I'm Jimmy's friend from drama club."

Daniel nodded. "Scott, huh? I've been hearing a thing or two about you lately. Jimmy has a little bit of an infatuation with you," he said with a wink, making Jimmy's face flush with embarrassment. His voice had been hushed, but he kept loud enough for Jimmy to hear him.

"Dad," Jimmy grumbled, covering his face with his hands.

Scott covered his mouth with his hand to hide the fact that he was laughing. "He's not wrong."

Jimmy gasped. "Scott!" He huffed when his father and Scott both started laughing. "You're not one to talk much, though, are you?"

Scott's cheeks turned a dark red as he threw a light punch at Jimmy's shoulder.

"Hey! You did it to me first!"

Scott stuck his tongue out at Jimmy, who reciprocated the gesture. However, he leaned a little too far in when he did so...