Part 1 Part 3

Context: It's your first day at a new school, and the first words you heard after 'Welcome' were 'Don't talk to the boy with the scars!'. It was repeated by everyone, but no one will explain why. Perhaps it is time you learn by bringing the boy with the scars his lunch and... you made a friend?

Setting: The school - external/a forest path/Eli's home

Tags:[M4A][Strangers to Friends?][Mysterious Masked Boy Speaker][Friendly New Kid Listener][New Friend][But He's a Killer?][Kind of Flirting][Rumors/Stories][Mystery][Scars/Burns][Wholesome][Dancing][Protective][Sweet][Promises][TW: Mention of Abusive Parents/Death]

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Note: Even though there's no other Speaker besides Eli, I still labeled all of his dialogue because there was meant to be a scuffle between him and another boy :/

[Scene opens outside of the school]

[SFX: The final bell ringing and students eagerly pouring out of the building]

[The final school bell rings for the day. You head outside and see Eli waving you down. You hurry over to him after a quick check for your parents - they aren’t there]

[E] “Yo. You free to hang after school?”

[Pause???]

[He shrugs]

[E] “Enh, it’s been like… a month. You’ve passed all of my ‘Not a Shitlord’ tests, so… if you want to hang out, my house is open.”

[...Pause <3]

[E] “Cool. Let’s go.”

[SFX: The two of them heading away from the school/people whispering]

[You follow Eli into the nearby woods where he settles on to a well-worn dirt path]

[E] “I’ve walked down this empty dirt road so many times… I can tell you all the spots where the Forest Folk dump the rotting fish carcasses. Or where the Owl King watches for easy prey at night.”

[Pause~]

[He turns toward you. Naturally, the mask makes him unreadable]

[E] “Think I’m joking, huh? Tch… Your funeral.”

[Pause?]

[His voice shifts, as if he’s caught off guard]

[E] “I-I, um… Yeah, I guess you’d be safer if you held my hand. I guess. But it’s all sweaty and gross from Shop, so you probably won’t like it much.”

[You take his hand, pondering the mysteries of ‘Shop’]

[Pause?]

[E] “Yeah, I like Shop. You get to build stuff with your bare hands, the saws and stuff are too loud for people to talk shit. Maybe I’ll make you a rocking chair, if you survive this little field trip to my house.”

[Pause <3]

[E] “...Nothing deters you, huh?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Yeah, well… Just don’t let the Owl King eat you. He’ll barf most of you back up and I do not fancy cleaning that mess up, mmkay?”

[Pause <3]

[SFX/Extended [Pause]: Them walking the dirt path toward Eli’s home]

[You walk with Eli in a comfortable silence for a bit. Dead leaves whisk across the path and a cold, biting wind tickles your back as you arrive at a somewhat run-down house]

[E] “Ah, here we are. The old piece of shit I call home. Do you like the collapsing porch? I think it adds a nice touch.”

[Pause!]

[Eli sighs, seeming to squeeze your hand on instinct]

[E] “...Yeah, I painted it that blue… Thought it could at least look a little nicer, you know?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Your Mom really liked that shade, huh?”

[...Pause.]

[He pauses]

[E] “But your stepmother hates it? Oh, boy… Wicked, evil sort?”

[Pause.]

[He lets out a mock whistle]

[E] “Oof. Dad remarried less than a year after your Mom passed and of course the wicked stepmother is insecure and tried to toss out all photos of her. Of fucking course… Look, if you need somewhere safe to store them… Like, I know this place is a pile of shit, but-”.

[Pause <3]

[The wind seems to be knocked out of him as you give him a slight side-hug]

[E] “And we’re doing…side hugs now…? OK, you’re more affectionate than an air-headed tabby cat, you know that?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “I am not being a sweetheart to you, shut up… I threatened to sacrifice you to an Eldritch monster.”

[Pause…]

[E] “...Did your stepmom really threaten to frame you for destroying things to your Dad just to get you out of the house?... OK, let me go get my gutting knife.”

[Pause???]

[He moves forward, sort of dragging you]

[E] “I’m the monster in this town. I’m not going to have some middle-age Karen with insecurity issues take my title just because she thinks she can bully her stepkid. Not having it.”

[Pause…]

[SFX: Eli shuffling around his things]

[As you enter the house, you can see it is in a state, and not necessarily a good one. Still, it seems clean and there’s no smell]

[Pause?]

[E] “The decor? Oh, the flower wallpaper… Yeah, this was my grandparent’s house.”

[Pause <3]

[He pauses and lets out a deep sigh]

[E] “...They were good people… Took me and my brother in when our parents abandoned us. Just wish grandpappy Joe had had it in him to quit smoking but, what the Hell, he fought in so many wars and fights, let the old man kill himself with cigs, right?”

[Pause…]

[E] “He was a good guy… Bit gruff, but he always melted when it came to me, my brother or my grandma. ESPECIALLY my grandma, yeesh. You’d have thought she was cupid the way he melted for her… Heh. My favorite was when she’d slide into the room, already kind of dancing, and he’d glare at her over his book and grumble, ‘Margie, don’t you dare!’, and she’d giggle and put on dancing music… And he’d shake his head every time, get up and dance with her, even though it made him mad to be that clumsy.”

[SFX: Some old fifties music coming on]

[He fiddles idly with what looks like a jukebox before some soft crooning from the fifties peters into the room]

[Pause <3]

[E] “Yeah, I’m surprised this damned thing still works, too… I fixed it up but electronics aren’t my strong suit.”

[Pause <3]

[Again, his mask makes it impossible to read him, but the tips of his ears turn bright red]

[E] “I am not ‘so cool’, shut up… You want to dance or what?”

[Pause!]

[He turns to you and offers a sarcastic bow and his hand]

[E] “I saw you trying to stealth dance, hehe… At least you have good taste in music. Here, gimme your hand.”

[You do]

[E] “Good. Now… Um… I didn’t think this through but, uh, can I put my hand on your waist? It’s for the dance, I promise! I’m not a creep…”

[Pause <3]

[He exhales a bit of his nerves and rests a hand on your waist]

[E] “Right… There we go. You good, Tabby Cat?”

[Pause!]

[He smiles. Or, his voice does for him]

[E] “Cool.”

[SFX: Fill-in them dancing with the fifties music/the occasional step]

[Pause?]

[E] “Um… You can rest your head on my chest, sure…”

[Pause???]

[He laughs a little, though it’s bitter]

[E] “Look, Tabby… The only place my body is fucked up is around the facial area. You don’t need to worry about ‘hurting’ me or my fragile ego… If you see me without my mask, though… I want it to be on my terms, OK? Way too many girls have tried to cozy up to me just to sneak a picture of my stupid scars and burns… Please don’t do that. OK?”

[Pause!]

[E] “Pinkie promise?”

[You pinkie promise with him]

[Pause.]

[E] “Good… It’s getting late. Do you need to get home?”

[Pause…]

[E] “...You take my bed, alright? It’s clean.”

[Pause???]

[E] “I’m not sending you out to sleep on the streets because your stepmother is a raging c-word. That’s fucking wrong. It’s wronger than I am, and I won’t stand for it.”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Yeah, yeah… I’ll whip us up some canned ravioli, I better not hear you complimenting me for being sweet again. Got it?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Yeah, yeah, love you, too.”

[He vanishes into the kitchen, grumbling to himself. Despite his grouchiness… you still think he’s pretty cool]

[SFX: Fade out on Eli grumbling/the soothing fifties crooning]

[To be continued]

Note: Despite my best attempts, these two remain inconsolably adorable together.