Steady On My Knees //BOY MEETS WORLD//

Somethings changed

Snapshot: A photo of Shawn and Jon together. In the photo, the younger of the pair is grinning ear to ear, whilst the elder is laughing at something the other said. They're both unaware of the camera being pointed at them- simply enjoying the moment.

Below the image reads; "The moment Jon and Shawn became 'Jon and Shawn'" in Eli Williams' messy scrawl.

Eli didn't notice the change at first, but as soon as he did, he wondered how he hadn't seen it from the beginning.

Jon was a different man. He'd changed.

Well, not completely. His friend was still the same in humour, loyalty, and the all around sense of "goodness" that radiated from him- a quality he'd possessed even when they were kids. However, gone was the typical way he once held himself; the carefree bachelor, detached from responsibility. Something else had replaced it, something different.

And it was all down to one person in particular.

Shawn Hunter.

The boy now lived with Jon, and though he thought it might have bothered him at first: Eli found he didn't mind the kid intruding on the friendship he had with Jonathan. He liked the boy, and he could tell Jon did too. Which struck him as odd, considering Jon didn't usually develop such strong attachments to just anyone. Well, besides him of course- he was his best friend. But other than that, the teacher rarely grew significantly close to people, keeping many of his daily associates at a friendly arms length.

Eli had figured it was down to his upbringing; strict, detached parents, and even stricter and more detached grandparents. Then, when he'd reached a certain age, it was a series of forced relationships between himself and girls his mother and father deemed sensible enough. The only parties Jon had experienced growing up were gatherings between his father and his work colleagues. Everything had been orderly, formal, serious.

And then came Shawn Hunter, who Eli learned very quickly, was the complete opposite of serious.

Shawn was a spitfire. He said exactly what he thought, exactly when he wanted to, and didn't care much if you disagreed with him. He was honest when it mattered, headstrong when he needed to be, and kind always.

Shawn was everything for Jon that his family hadn't been; He was fun.

One thing Eli liked most about the boy, was that he picked great movies for them to watch on their- now officially labelled- "guys nights". Jon and Eli hadn't thought to call them anything before, but Shawn had said it one night, and now the name had stuck. Eli enjoyed said guys nights with Jon and Shawn, though he didn't talk often during them, leaving most of that to the other two (the younger of which gladly talking both men ears off, till Jon had to tell him to 'give his damn tongue a break') Eli didn't mind it though, he was happy to sit and watch the teacher and his student-turned-ward, always amused by their interactions.

But, on one particular Friday night, Eli observed something that would completely alter the view of his best friend forever.

Himself, Jon and Shawn were all piled on the couch, knee deep in a movie marathon and stuffing their faces with pepperoni pizza. The movie, Jurassic Park (Shawn's choice of course- having returned from the blockbuster with it clutched in his hands like it was the most precious thing in the world- which technically it was, since it was brand new on the shelf and he'd managed to grab it before anyone else) played on the tv, the light illuminating the room and casting a soft glow on their faces.