Once Upon A Time (BoyxBoy)

The Little Mermaid

The constant rhythmic sounds of a basketball bouncing on the asphalt had Artie Fisher looking up from his book and out the window of the public library for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. He should be used to it by now. After all, he came to the library practically every day, and those boys seemed to be outside playing basketball whenever Artie was reading.

It never angered him, though. In fact, he found it rather soothing. Dog-earing the page he was on, Artie closed the book and stood up, tucking it under his arm and nodding politely to the librarian as he left. As he shielded his eyes from the glaring sun, Artie glanced at the group of young men again, watching as one of them scored.

The man he was watching was tall and well-built, his lean leg muscles shown off by the basketball shorts he was wearing. Artie sighed and leaned against the wall of the library, holing his book against his chest as he watched the man dreamily. Every time these boys were here, this tall black-haired young man was the only one Artie would really watch, and Artie would silently cheer to himself every time he scored.

With all his daydreaming, Artie almost didn't notice as the basketball flew towards his head. Artie flinched, waiting for the ball to hit him, but looked up when he felt no impact. His crush was on the ground in front of him, holding his head as he groaned in pain. Artie gasped and ran forwards, dropping to his knees at the man's side and assessing the swelling at his head.

"Are you okay?" Artie asked, brushing his own red hair out of his face before touching the man's forehead, flinching when he did. The concussed man groaned again, making Artie take a step back.

He heard the other players calling out to them as they approached, causing him to take another step back and watched as they managed to help the man into a car.

From listening to the other players as he retreated to the front of the library, Artie was able to find out that the injured man's name was Erik. Pressing his lips together to stop himself from smiling like an idiot, Artie clutched his book to his chest, watching the cars drive past for any sign that his mother was approaching. He swallowed tightly and coughed, squeezing his eyes shut as the constriction in his chest grew tighter.

His family was over-protective, an exaggeration to say the least, though they had every right to be. Artie had been diagnosed with COPD, a lung disorder that seemed to be getting worse. His parents didn't like him going out alone, but accepted the fact that Artie felt relaxed in the quiet environment of the public library.

What Artie wouldn't give to be able to participate in sports and run around with normal kids. His doctor had advised against it, so his parents had taken the initiative to notify every person with power in his school about his issues. In his science classes, Artie was sent out of the room when they were doing experiments in case spores or chemicals made his condition worse, and he wasn't even allowed to think of participating in P.E.

A honking of a car horn had Artie looking up to meet with his mother's worried expression. Somehow, the redhead managed to pull himself up from his place on the steps and shuffle to the car, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Are your lungs okay?" his mother asked, staring at him as he drew in a shaky breath. Artie nodded slowly and stared out the window, watching as the scenery passed by as they made their way to the hospital for Artie's next appointment.

~~~*~~~

"Now, I don't want to pressure you, Artie," Dr S. White, as her name tag read, said, leaning on her desk as she watched the boy in front of her. "But it's beginning to look like surgery might be your best option."

"Absolutely not," his mother interjected quickly, wrapping her arm around her son protectively. "We've discussed this already. Artie is too young for such a procedure. He's already told you he doesn't want to go through with it."