not as strong as you think i am (i'm no superman) [dalkenzie]

Chapter 6

Mack didn't mention to anyone about the nightmare. He was way past the age of running to Mom and Dad's room in the middle of the night when the boogeymen of his subconscious threatened to swallow him whole, some things he had to deal with by himself, and- what exactly could he say? "I think Dalton's going to come out of the hospital as a robot"? Jesus, he'd be the next one carted away.

On Sunday evening while he was finishing up his homework, there was a soft knocking on his door frame. "MacKenzie?"

Huh, they were probably going out. "Yeah?" He pushed his binder to the side when Mom came into his room- tentatively?

"Your schoolwork going all right?"

MacKenzie nodded. He and his parents both knew he had to keep his grades steady to stay on the basketball team. Long as they didn't dip from however long he had to wait through this-

"And you?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment. The last time he'd been asked that was after his grandfather had died- then again, that was probably the last time he'd been this quiet as well. Not that this was the same case.
Dalton's not going to die. I made sure of that. No matter what else happens.

"Could be better," he finally admitted.

There were two small chairs in front of MacKenzie's work desk, the other one occupied when a friend was over for a study session or just to hang (whereas Dalton would end up on his bed looking so cuddly and sweet). Right now Mom perched on it, hands folded in her lap like she probably sat during meetings.

"Honey..." There was an endearment he hadn't heard from her in- well, quite a while. MacKenzie's eyebrows went up in caught attention as she continued, "I know you're worried about Dalton. We are, too." Her rote was careful in choosing its words, but at this moment it didn't seem performative.

"Huh." He looked to his hands, realizing just how much they looked like Mom's.

"Did you think we weren't?"

"Well, no..." He rubbed the back of his neck. Small talk with family besides Nonna didn't look to be his greatest strength either. "It's just like...the first few times I had Dalton over, I figured you might've thought he was an alien or something." Who is this strangely-dressed boy who's always laughing and plays loud music and why could he possibly like hanging onto our son so much?

Mom smiled softly. "Well, he was so different from the friends you had back at your old school. You were so unhappy the first months after we moved here but after Dalton started coming over and then you told us you were dating, it dawned on us. You can be yourself around him and he makes you happy, right?"

"Yeah..." He didn't have to worry about putting on a mask to impress Dalton, just being who he was was enough- and the boy's silly, sweet, and carefree nature had impressed him immediately. "An' I want him to be happy, too."

"We know you do, MacKenzie, and he is happy. He just needs help with it sometimes."

"And you don't mind?" MacKenzie had an inkling of what her answer could be, but he desperately needed to hear it for real.

For a moment Mom's expression was washed over like she'd been hurt, and Mack was about to apologize until she scooted the chair closer to reach and pull her son into a sudden hug.

"Oh-" Not that Mom and Dad were so aloof they didn't even hug him, but he honestly didn't see this one coming. He perched his chin by her forehead and continued to let her squeeze. The intensity said so much.

Eventually she spoke, "Never, honey. We know Dalton isn't a bad person, and you can't choose who you fall in love with, right?"

The same thing she'd told him when he came out. "Right," he sighed in soft relief.