sunset. /dnf/

nine

this ones gonna be longer ;>

"mum! remember the boy i talked to you about?"
"that sweet kid, what was it- george?"
clay nodded.
"he wants to take me to see the sunset!" clay's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"aw, honey that's great." she smiled happily, cupping his cheeks and giving him a small hug.
"you like george don't you hun?" she said.
shyly, clay nodded.
"and that's okay."
on his face, clay drew a troubled frown.
his mom cocked her head.
"but daddy said that wasn't okay."
"don't listen to dad. he's gone now, we won't need to worry about that anymore. your dad was wrong."
she hugged him once again, comfort warming clay's body.
"it's okay to love boys, clay."
"you're sure?" he asked, relief beginning to cloud his eyes, but he still felt uncertainty with himself.
"i'm one hundred percent sure." she confirmed.
"don't be afraid to be yourself."
"okay mum." he smiled, feeling better at her comforting words.
"so you're going with him tonight, yes?"
clay nodded.
"if you're bringing your camera, make sure to show me them! we can print some of your photos soon if you'd like.
i know i promised to buy you a photo album for them." she said to him.
he smiled brightly.
"okay, i'll make sure to take tons!" clay enthusiastically smiled.
she laughed. "okay, when's he coming? i'd love to meet him."
"uh, i think in 20 minutes."
"oh. you should eat soon then honey!" she glanced at the clock, hanging greatly by the front door.
he nodded.
"i'm going upstairs for a little"
she smiled, departing to the living room, picking up a book and sitting down.
clay glanced at her and back up to the stairs, heading up them.
as he entered his room,
there was a neatly decorated sign with flowers and polaroids attached reading 'clay.'
his room was neat, a nice pastel green colour shown on most his furniture.
a board filled with photography and drawings.
plushies spread acrost his bed, and fairy lights spread across the roof.
he flicked a switch,
turning the fairy lights on.
he set his backpack down on his desk chair and grabbed a smaller, light blue one.
he unzipped it and snatched his camera and a few other things, including his favorite plushie, boots, shoving the things in his bag.
"hey siri, shuffle hamilton" he said aloud, hearing 'it's quiet uptown' fade in.

he smiled slightly before looking at himself in the mirror.
denim jeans and a black sweater.
he frowned in disgust, rummaging through his closet. his eyes settling on a piece of clothing, he picked it up.
his favorite fluffy green hoodie with a smile on it.
looking for pants, he found black jogging pants.
his favorite ones, very soft on the inside, like stroking a cats fur.
he then stretched a black choker, slipping it on.
smiling at his reflection, clay sat on his desk chair, spinning around in it for a moment.
'but would george like it?'
he thought for a moment, anxiety creeping his back.

"clay! your friend is here."
he panicked for a moment, wearing it off.
"okay!" he yelled back. grabbing his phone and pausing the music,
he grabbed his backpack, looking at himself one more time,
shutting the lights off and heading downstairs.
nervously, he opened the door.
there was the brunette, hands held behind his back. smiling, he lifted one to wave.
clays mom stood hovering behind him, a smile appearing on her face.
"hi!" clay said, attempting to silence the awkwardness.

"hi clay, clay's mum, i assume."
he giggled a bit, using the one hand to shake clay's mom's hand.
"what a gentleman" she whispered just enough for clay to hear. he rolled his eyes.
"nice to meet you!" she said.
"likewise" george grinned.
"come on in for a moment, what was it, george?"
he nodded, stepping in. still awkwardly holding his other hand behind his back.
knowing he couldn't keep his hand back any longer, the brunette held his hand out in clays direction, revealing pastel purple flowers in a bouquet.
"i seen these kinds on your journal and backpack at school, i thought maybe you'd like them."
clay's eyes lit up with admiration and confusion,
"for me?" he blurted as his mom rested her hand on his shoulder.
"yeah, here-" george handed them to him and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"aw, thank you so much george!!" a slight tear formed in his eye as he lunged to hug the boy tightly.
'nobody has really done this for me-'
george melted into the hug, but in a moment only to let go.
"hun, want me to grab something to put it in?" his mom asked, obviously wanting them to be alone.
he nodded, still staring at the purple flowers.
"they're really pretty" he said.
"i'm glad you like them." george sighed in relief.
"i didn't know if you would."
they both stood in silence a moment longer, as soon clay's mom came out with a dark, almost grey, vase. she handed it to him and he brought the flowers and vase upstairs,
which he learned was slightly filled with water so it wouldn't die.
he quickly set the vase down and slid the flowers out of the plastic cover and into the glass vase.
his mother and george's conversation faded in as he made his way downstairs.
"...well since he hasn't eaten, i can get him something on the way."

"aww, like a little picnic."
"haha sure,"
"anyways, thank you hun."
clay made his paces down the stairs slower, face slightly burning.
george was gonna buy him dinner.
he smiled in admiration, snapping from his thoughts and glancing at the two as he shoved himself next to george.
george was about to head for the door, signaling they were gonna leave so clay adjusted his backpack and put on his shoes.
"okay, i think we're gonna go mum."
"do you have your phone?"
"yeah."
"make sure to call if you need anything!"
he nodded.
"bye!" both clay and george said.
"bye boys, have fun!!" she smiled, waving as the front door creaked open.
-
clay took his backpack off out of discomfort and glanced around the car.
george took note of that. "just set it on the floor, it's okay."
he nodded.
"so, where do you want to eat?" the other asked.
clay shrugged nervously. "heh, uh i don't know."
sensing clay's discomfort, he jumped in. "well i'll just surprise you then." george said, keeping his eyes on the road but patting clay on the shoulder lightly.
-

"thank you!"
"you didn't have to pay george, i should've paid for my food." clay felt as if he was using george.
they quickly parked in the parking lot, george turning to him.
"i wanna do something special for you, because you deserve it." he explained. "if it makes you happy you could pay next time but i insist."
'next time?' he thought excitedly, but pushing the thought away.
"oh okay. but thank you"
george turned his head, smiled, and pulled out to continue driving.
"so uh, how far is the field?" clay said absentmindedly, staring out the window at the things moving around him.
"we're practically there." george said, glancing down a street before turning down it.
observing the area, clay noticed they were in a country-like area, cornfields, farms, a big open area.
he wished he could live in an area like that.
clay loved areas like this, but he lived in a big neighborhood, hardly any parks or open space for him to relax.
snapping him out of his thoughts, george's voice faded in.
"we're here!" he parked practically in the grass, except exactly where he parked was worn down from cars being here before.
"you come here often?" clay asked, curious.
george nodded, opening the car door and hopping out.
looking around him, clays eyes brightened with amazement.
now obviously it wasn't amazing but clay was excited by anything like this.
there were tons of tall sunflowers, complimenting the just-setting sun, pretty colors of blue, purple, pink and yellows lighting the sky.
the chirps and shrills of crickets and birds just made it 10 times better.
"woah. this is amazing george"
"i knew you'd like it." george said, grabbing their wendy's, and walking through a well-trodden path through the sunflowers.
clay snatched his backpack and ran, catching up to his friend.
"how'd you know of this place?" clay asked curiously, picking up a few fries before eating them.
"my dad used to bring me here. he stopped after he picked up a new job and now it's just become a regular hangout for me."
george explained, scooting closer to the blonde, staring out to the horizon.
"wait i have an idea, let's take photos together!" clay said enthusiastically, grabbing his camera from his backpack.
"okay," george smiled.
they sat up next to eachother, george slinging his arm around clay's and holding the other out in a peace sign as clay angled the camera.
he snapped it a few times, both the boys struggling to keep their eyes open at the light flashing.
george kept his arm where it was after clay turned the camera around to take photos of the sky.
as clay set his camera down, george began to slide his hand back down but clay locked eyes with him, signaling a pleading look.
without saying anything, george understood and happily put his arm back where it was.
"thanks for taking me here" clay said, crisscrossing his legs and taking a bite of his chicken burger.
"no problem, i should bring you more, it would be fun."
"it would."
-

it was getting dark. strangely, clay found himself with his arms clasped around george's waist, the both of them settled down in the grass.
george seemed to be dozing off and didn't realize their current situation, meanwhile clay was freaking out.
in a good way.
he smiled, looking at his friend and then back at the stars.
grabbing his camera once more, he took photos of the stars and then flipping it around to the two of them.
the brunette, nestled asleep didn't flinch as clay smiled and snapped a photo.
he took a sip of his almost-empty cup before setting it and the camera down and melting into george, dozing off into a happy dream filled sleep.