By The Pond - A Lams Story

Chapter 6

-Alex's Perspective-

Alex walks out of The Rev and takes his trek back to the firm. So he's gay. That's interesting. And probably why his father kicked him out. Hmm. Alex ignores the feeling of something welling up in his gut. But he's kind and cares about others obviously a great guy? So why would his father be such a bitch?
Alex shakes his head and sighs. "Because people are homophobic pieces of shit, that's why." He keeps walking. Freckles, I'm so sorry you have to deal with that. You don't deserve it.
He walks into the office building and heads to his desk, but he feels a hand on his shoulder and whips around. "Thomas? What do you want?"
The tall man shrugs. "Just wondering why you're so... different. Less like a gremlin in his cave and more like a normal person."
Alex rolls his eyes. "That's flattering, Thomas."
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't think I do." Alex is okay with arguing for argument's sake.
"Fine. I'll spell it out for you. You actually leave your office, you go outside every day... That's new. You sleep like a normal human and you don't inhale two whole jugs of coffee everyday anymore. More like, two to three cups." Thomas sighs. "You're acting normal, and it's weird. So I want to know why."
"We all do." Angelica adds.
Alex looks at each and every one of them. "Freckles." And he goes into his office.
"What the fuck...?" James mutters.
"Freckles." Thomas deadpans. "That's not an answer."
George walks into the office. "Freckles again?"
"Again?" Angelica asks. "What do you mean 'again'?"
George sighs. "Anytime I ask him something, it almost has an answer involving freckles. I don't know why or how, but it's been going on since I forced him to go outside."
"So you forcing him to get sunlight forced him into normalcy?" Aaron pipes up.
"No. It happened while he was there." George clarifies.
While they're trying to puzzle out what the heck happened to Alex, Alex chuckles to himself and starts working on his latest case and sipping his medium black coffee, no cream, no sugar. They'll figure it out eventually. They're lawyers for a reason. But until then, it'll be fun to watch them try.
Alex focuses on his case and loses himself in that for a while. But then his thoughts eventually return to John.
Freckles... He's gay, has curly hair he doesn't like people talking about or at least has some bad memory associated with, rambles when he's excited, very cute smile, green eyes, kicked out or disowned by his homophobic bitch if a father, is obsessed with turtles, works at The Rev and does art commissions, and likes spending time at the park. He absentmindedly chews on the edge of his pen as he thinks. So his sadness is definitely linked to his father... I know how that feels.
Alex sighs. Any thoughts that lead him to before college are not fun rabbit holes to explore. They just lead deeper and deeper until there is no escape. He shakes his head and goes back to work on his case. He can think about Freckles later.

~~ Time Skip (brought to you by making mischief) ~~

Alex walks over to their bench and sits down, smiling at the turtles he sees by the pond. They are adorable. And he opens his journal and starts writing. It's become a daily thing- finish up at work, walk to the park, and write for a while. He fingers his pen idly before starting to write furiously, mainly about his past and his worry for Freckles - Because for some reason I have grown inexplicably attached to him. - and everything else.
After a while, he closes the journal and sighs, just sitting there for a minute. He closes his eyes and leans back, listening to all the sounds around him. As he does this, he hears a pair of footprints walk up to him and sit next to him on the bench. I wonder...?
He opens his eyes and sees the increasingly-familiar head of curls next to him. "Evening, Freckles."
"Hey, Alexander." He smiles softly at him, and Alex notes how relaxed his stature looks compared to yesterday. He looks like he's feeling a little better. "How was your coffee?"
"Bitter and wonderful as always." Alex smiles back.
"Good." John nods. "Lafayette knows how to make a good brew."
"That he does." Alex agrees. Something about this feels less forced, more relaxed. "And I'm sure you make a mean coffee as well."
"Actually, I don't." Alex tilted his head in confusion. John laughs. "I love hot cocoa, but I absolutely despise the taste of coffee, and I have no idea how to work the machines. I always accidentally break them."
Distractedly, Alex replies. "You heathen. I don't know if we can be friends anymore." His laugh...
"Over something as simple as coffee?"
"You have turtles, I have coffee. I live and breathe on grounds of coffee beans and pray to their gods so that I may be blessed." Still distracted, Alex shakes his head. John's still laughing.
"I see. Then I suppose this friendship was never meant to last." John shrugs, biting his lip as he tries not to laugh. "I guess this is where we say goodbye?"
"Perhaps. But maybe I could make an exception...."
"I sense a 'but' coming."
"....But you owe me one favor."
"That's ambiguous as all get out."
"Well," Alex reasons, "Friends trust each other. You have to trust me."
John bites his lip again, a rather endearing habit if you ask Alex, and he finally nods. "Okay. I owe you one favor. I'll even pinky promise."
"Pinky promise? How old are you?" Alex laughs as John holds out his pinky.
"Don't underestimate the power of a pinky promise. My friend Peggy would murder you on the spot." John tilts his head. "So, pinky promise?"
"Okay, Freckles." Alex takes his pinky and interlocks it with John's. "Pinky promise. You owe me one favor."
John grins and takes his hand back. "I gotta go home, work on some commissions, but I'll see you around?"
"Yeah. See you around, Freckles." Alex waves as John stands up and leaves, this time feeling a lot better about it.