The Mandela Catalogue

Confession

I wake up to the seabirds outside, squawking like their lives depended on it.
I could feel Fox's back against mine, he felt very warm.
I look over by the window, underneath it was Twig laying down. I could see his chest move up and down while he breathed, Bee was huddled up in his arms. I smile.
I could hear sound behind me, I look over to see Michael on his phone.
"morning." I say.
"morning." he says.
I look at Fox sleeping.
Michael catches me doing so.
"you gonna tell that you like him today?" he asks.
"I-if I get the chance." I say.
Fox opens his eyes.
"who you guys talking about." he asks.
"uhm, no one." I say quickly.
"you like someone?" he asks.
"how much did you hear?" I ask.
"up from what Michael said." he says.
I sigh.

___________________________

We're downstairs eating breakfast.
I watch the TV from the kitchen.
"oh my god I can take you out on like a little day, you know, to get to know eachother more." I say to Fox.
"sure!" he says.
"you guys be careful. " Mum says.
"I'll buy Twig an ice cream and come back with it so he can try it. Michael can you take care of Bean." I say.
"Yup! You can count on me." he smiles.
Twig walks down the stairs, with Bee behind him.
"hello." he says.
"did you sleep well?" Mum asks.
"surprisingly, yes. I feel full of energy." he says.
"that's a good thing!" she smiles.
"I like the cat." he says.
Bee rubs her side on his leg.
"she seems to like you too." says Fox.
"I'll give both of yous a bath later." mum says.
"I don't need a bath" Twig says.
"you would feel way better if you did." she says.
Twig sits on the sofa, bee jumps up and lays down next to him.
"I'm gonna get dressed now." I say.
"I am too." Fox says.
We go upstairs.
Fox gets his clothes and goes into the bathroom. I get dressed and sit on our bed, waiting for him to come out.

(30 mins later.)

"you've been in there for twenty minutes, come out!!!" I say.
"I'm gay?" he says.
"oh my god not that but congratulations." I say laughing.
"yeah, hang on, I had to take a shower. Now my hairs all poofy" he says.
"I would love to see you with poofy hair, come on!" I say.
He opens the door, his hair was indeed very poofy.
"oh my god." I say.
"is it bad?" he asks.
"i love it!!!" I yell.
"oh good!" he sighs.
"can I touch it?" I ask.
"uh, sure." he says.
I feel his hair, it was very soft.
He blushes.
"uh, right we should go!" I say.
"yeah." he says.

____________________

We had just gone for ice cream.
We sit by the ocean, watching the waves.
I stand up and pull up my jeans.
"come on!" I say, walking to the water.
"I can't!" he says.
"why not?" I ask.
"i don't know, I don't really like the ocean and it kinda makes my echzma flair up." he says.
"OK then, I have an idea for that!" I say.
I go up to him and pick him up.
"what the-!" he says.
I walk in knee deep.
"don't drop me!" he says.
"I'm not gonna drop you!" I say.
"wanna go to an abandoned park?" I ask.
"pretty much all the parks are abandoned." he says.
"a park that was abandoned before the alternate pandemic." I say.
"sure" he says.
We come out of the ocean and I put him down.
"follow me." I say.
We walk along the ocean, we walk past mums house.
"did you bring a weapon incase of alternates." he asks.
"yup." I say.
"what?" he asks.
"smile man." I say.
"what?" he asks.
"he always comes if we're in danger but if he doesn't then I've got Michaels bat." I say.
We arrive at the park.
Some of the fences around it had fallen down, some of the slides didn't have ladders or the slide bits were on the verge of falling off. One of the swing parts that you sit on had broke and was two indevidual chains, next to it looked like a normal swing but the chains had rusted to a point that you can't sit on it without the chain breaking at the top or getting tetanus if you've touched the rust with an exposed cut.
The wood on the spring animals would most likely give you splinters while they were also growing mold from the times it rained and they've not been looked after.
The little wooden castle that's bound to break if you even touch it and the seesaw that's mostlikely infested with spiders and woodlice.

I sit on the swing.
"so why did you want to come here?" Fox asks.
"to pass time." I say.
"so what do you want to do." he asks.
"talk until the sun starts to set, then I'm gonna take you back home and buy an ice cream for Twig" I say.
"OK." he says.
The chain breaks on the swing and I fall onto the ground.
Fox starts laughing.
"are you OK?" he asks.
"yeah." I laugh too.
I get up and brush the dust off by bottom.

________________________

We start walking along the beach now and talking, the sun was setting now and we were walking to get Twig an ice cream.
"so who's this mystery crush?" he asks.
I feel myself blush.
"you can describe them to be if you want?" he asks.
"uh, sure." I say.
"he's a guy." I describe.
"he's slightly smaller than me."
"he's kind."
"funny."
I pause and look at him.
"who is it?" he asks.
"it's you." I say, looking at the sand.
I could feel him turn to look at me.
"you like me?" he asks.
"yeah." I say.
"I like you too!" he says.
I look over at him, he smiles.
We walk a bit longer.
"so, your not straight?" he asks.
"I guess, but I still don't know what I am" I say.
"it's OK, we don't need to put a label, if that makes you comfortable." he says.
I smile.
"ok!" I say.
"so, are we dating now?" he asks.
"yeah, I mean, if you want to?" I ask.
"yeah!" he says.
"yeah?" I ask.
"definitely!" he says.
He seems so happy.
I smile.

______________________

"were home!" I call out.
"oh good, your home in time for me to start making dinner!" mum says.
"Twig, I got you something!" I say.
Twig comes in.
"what?" he asks.
"we got you an ice cream." I say.
I hand it to him.
"you eat it, but you lick the ice cream part." I say.
"it's cold." he says.
"that's the point!" I smile.
"Michael did you feed Bean?" I ask.
"yup!" he asks.
"did you tell him?" he whispers.
"yeah, we're dating now." I say.
"good job and as your ultimate wingman I say, you welcome!" he says.
Fox looks over at us and smiles.