I'm Crossing The Ocean || Mullette

Chapter Six: Study Buddies

|Third Person|

"Herc!" Eleanor Laurens cheers from the archway leading to the Laurens' dining room. Hercules and Lafayette sit next to each other at the long table in the room, looking up at the girl as she walks in toward them. She's clad in sweats and a tank top, having just gotten back from playing basketball at the gym with her friends. "You haven't been over in forever." She comes up between the two boys, looking down at their textbooks and notes. "What're you doing?"

"Hercules is helping me with my English," Lafayette informs the girl, smiling at her as she plucks Hercules' beanie from his head and sits it atop her own. He reaches around, trapping Eleanor in his arms. 

"What are you doing, El?" Hercules manages to get his hat back from the girl's tight grip as she giggles and hides behind Lafayette. 

"John's supposed to take me to the store to get a birthday present for my friend." Hercules reaches around his friend and pokes the girl, making Lafayette and Eleanor both laugh. 

"He's probably in his room with Alex," Lafayette says, Hercules shooting him a look of worry. Who knows what they're doing all alone in a room with a bed. 

"Don't forget to knock, El." Hercules pats her on the shoulder before she nods and slips around the corner and up the stairs. 

"I really hope they still have pants on," Lafayette comments. Hercules laughs loudly, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little. Lafayette smiles at him, feeling proud of himself for getting the boy to laugh so genuinely. 

"That's wishful thinking." Hercules chuckles, looking back to the book set before them. "So, Mrs. Blossom's test tomorrow is probably going to be relatively easy. Just look out for hyphenated words, she's a stickler for that kind of stuff." He taps the tip of his pen to something scribbled in his notebook, saying something else along the lines of properly separating your words when there is no hyphen. Lafayette is hardly listening though, only nodding occasionally. He's off in his own dream world, studying Hercules' face as he leans over their work station. 

He can't help it when his eyes wander to his lips. It's been about a week since he had been living in America. It's only a matter of time when you move to a new place before you start to form connections- Lafayette is just putting this one up to a friendship. Whether or not that was what this truly was- that's something he didn't really want to think about. 

Hercules Mulligan was quite the sight, Lafayette would be the first to admit it. His smile was his favorite by far- especially when he was laughing. His lips would stretch wide, revealing those smile lines that Lafayette admired so. Then his eyes would squint and brighten, shining as they looked down at him. Lafayette's heart would flutter then, his stomach twisting with excitement at making him laugh. It really was one of his favorite feelings. 

It was one of his favorite feelings in the world to have Hercules around him ever. Anytime spent with the boy was time well spent in Lafayette's eyes. Like the other day when-

"Laf? Are you even listening?" Hercules waves his hand before the French boy's face. 

Lafayette blinks rapidly, feeling his face warm considerably as he brings himself back into the present, a twinge of embarrassment at having been caught...doing what exactly? Lafayette was simply admiring Hercules...and- and what? Daydreaming about him? His thoughts were innocent, he has no reason for shame. Still, he feels like he was caught in the act of something scandalous as Hercules raises his eyebrow in question.

"Oui. I'm listening." Lafayette plasters on a smile, hoping to look like he was really paying attention.

"Does this make sense?" Hercules asks, seeming to lean closer to Lafayette- though he's sure it's all in his head. He still holds his breath until he's sure he can speak without choking on his words.

"Yeah, uh, you can go. I think I'll be alright tomorrow." He says it telling himself he means it. Secretly Lafayette wanted nothing less than Hercules to leave. Of course, he wouldn't want to come off as clingy towards the other boy, so he tells himself he'll be fine on his own for at least a little while.  

"I probably should head home anyway." Hercules shrugs, "my parents will probably grill me about being out for so long."

Lafayette nods reluctantly, standing from the table and stacking his supplies while Hercules shoves his into his backpack. He walks with him to the door, pausing in the opening with the cool air brushing over his face. Hercules stops on the front porch, turning back to look at the other boy. He chews on his lip, considering something for a moment. The action makes that fluttering feeling return to Lafayette's stomach as he clenches his hands into fists and forces his lips into a straight line.

After what seems like an eternity of both boys avoiding direct eye contact, Hercules opens his mouth, breaking the silence.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Rendez-vous demain." Lafayette seemingly purrs as he leans into the doorway, sinking in on  the thing as he tries not to let himself go completely head over heels for Hercules and his dumb smile.

He grins anyway, shaking his head.

So much for trying.

"Isn't French such a pretty language?" Hercules asks rhetorically, smiling softly with a dreamy look in his eyes. And with that final sentence, he turns down the steps of the porch and heads out to his truck. Lafayette watches him climb inside and pull out of the driveway before going back inside the house, feeling oddly dizzy as he goes.

===

Later that night, Lafayette is back at his desk, looking down at his stationary he'd been writing on. His grandmother had finally gotten around to writing to him. Most of that was thanks to her coming down with the flu, making her stay in bed and write to her grandson between naps. 

Presently, the French boy was filling in his grandmother about his experience with America so far. He tells her that the food is a step down, but his school is ok and he's managed to make a few friends. He writes about Eliza who's sort of the mother in the group, and her little sister who texts him nearly every day about anything and everything. He tells her about the boy who lives down the hall from him and calls him Laffy Taffy, and his boyfriend that can't seem to keep his hands off of him.

Of course it gets to the point where he should mention his tutor, the older boy named after a Greek god and built just the same. Sure he's a friend, but the word doesn't seem to fit  when he writes it down. He's not much more than that though, so he can't very well write anything but.

I have also made friends with a boy named Hercules. He helps me with my English on occasion. He's really rather attractive, Grande-mere. I couldn't ever bring myself to tell him that though. It will probably remain that way, I find it best not to get my hopes up about these kinds of things anyway.

With love,
Lafayette

We back.

I took a little break from my writing on here and it made it a lot easier to come back to start working on this story again. It's still a little daunting because I wrote this so long ago and had a storyline that I decided I didn't like, but I'm hoping to pick this back up and finish it off.
<3