On The Ropes

Round 17

Antwon's POV

"Z." I sighed as I watched Zavier struggle, again, to tie the bow tie for his suit. "Just let me do it—"

"I can do it!" He insisted once again, proceeding to loosen the tie before trying again with a focused frown on his face. He'd been trying for the past ten minutes, and I've been sitting here watching him the whole time. He refused to accept my help, as he was for some reason on a mission to prove that he could do things on his own.

When he once again failed to do it on his own, I watched as he threw his head back and let out a frustrated groan, immediately reaching for his hair. "No, Zavier." I told him as I made my way to him, immediately grabbing his wrists before he could start pulling his hair. "Why won't you let me help you?" I asked with a sigh.

"Because I can do it myself!" He groaned, pulling his arms from my hold before turning towards the mirror with a scowl on his face. "I ain't a kid, I'm not dumb. I can take care of myself, Bear."

His words made me frown slightly, and I immediately stepped in front of him and placed my hands on his cheeks, watching as he closed his eyes in content and leaned into the touch. "Who said any of that stuff to you, Zavier?" I asked. "Someone implied that you can't take care of yourself?"

"No..." Zavier muttered in response. "I just... I should be able to do these things on my own." He sighed. "There's so much shit I can't do on my own, and I should be able to. I'm eighteen, we're graduatin' soon. I should be able to tie my own bow tie or... Peel bananas without freakin' out because they feel weird. I'm an adult now, I can't keep actin' like a kid."

"You aren't acting like a kid, Zavier." I frowned. "You're acting like an autistic teenager... Which you are." I pointed out, causing him to roll his eyes. "You can't measure yourself at everyone else's pace, Z. You move at your own pace, just like everyone else in the world does." I continued, swatting his hands out of the way so I could tie the bow tie for him. "Also... You're incredibly uncoordinated." I reminded him. "Your hands and eyes don't coordinate at all. It would've taken you three more days to get this."

Zavier pouted slightly, then chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He shrugged. "I still wanna start doin' more shit on my own though, Bear. I can't keep relyin' on you or the Kingston's for help... What am I supposed to do when you guys move on wit' your own lives and shit?" He asked with a frown. "What about when you get married, or when Mr. And Mr. Kingston don't want me livin' here no more? Or what if Rodney doesn't want me stayin' with him, or Javier doesn't wanna be my friend anymore?" He continued. "Then I'll have no one and I'll just be stuck in meltdown purgatory because I never learned to take care of myself."

"You do know how to take care of yourself, Zavier." I argued. "You're great at taking care of yourself. You just also occasionally need a little extra help from your support system. It comes with the disorder." I reminded him as I finished the tie, patting his chest as smiling as I looked at him. "There's nothing wrong with needing help, Z. You help me all the time. Does that make me a kid?"

"When do I help you?" He asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Every single day." I responded, placing a kiss on his forehead that made his confused frown morph into a smile. "I don't even know who I'd be if I didn't have you, Z. You're such an important part of my life."

My words made his smile spread more and more until his eyes were squinted shut, and he immediately wrapped his arms around my waist in a tight embrace. "I love you, Bear." He spoke in a muffled tone due to his face pressing into my chest.

"I love you too, Zavier." I responded with a smile, then pulled him back from me. "Now take your pictures and take the suit back off so we can go." I told him as I stepped out of the bathroom.