Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Context: It was 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 would explain why. You decided to learn for yourself by bringing him his lunch, and... you made a friend! His name is Eli, and he's apparently the Devil himself. You... aren't so sure about that, though.

Setting: Eli's home/the Community Center/City-External

Tags:[MM4A][Friends to More?][Mysterious Masked Boy Speaker][Judgmental Judge Speaker][Friendly New Kid Listener][Wholesome AF][A little spicy][Kissing][First Kiss][Domestic Bliss][Support][Comfort][Reverse Comfort][CW: Mention of Neglectful Parents]

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[E] = Eli

[MB] = Mr. Brown

[Scene opens in Eli’s home]

[SFX: Bacon frying/footsteps]

[You’re cooking breakfast in Eli’s kitchen, same as you’ve done the last few months, when you hear him sleepily plod in]

[Pause!]

[E] “Blurgh, morning to you.”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Guhhhh, yeah, yeah, happy three-month anniversary… Have your parents even tried to reach out to you?”

[...]

[He sighs but doesn’t push it]

[E] “...You’ll tell me if they do, right? From what you’ve told me, they might be the type to try something if they catch you alone…”

[SFX: Delicious, delicious scrambling of E G G]

[Pause]

[E, examining the newspaper] “Good, thank you. Bacon and eggs, huh? Someone’s in a good mood.”

[Pause!]

[He pauses before mask-palming himself]

[E] “Godamnit, RIGHT! Right, I’m demonstrating my printer tonight… I was almost too tired to remember and panic over it…”

[Pause?]

[SFX: A plate being set down]

[E] “Thanks… Look, I know you think I’m super amazing for some reason, but his whole town still thinks of me as the Devil… Mr. Brown is going to be judging every bit of tech submitted and Betsy is going in at a severe disadvantage.”

[Pause <3]

[SFX: Hair scritches]

[Eli grumbles as you scritch his scalp and ruffle his hair]

[E] “Quiiiit, no playing with my hair or scratching my scalp. C’mon, this is serious, I need a game plan. If my modified printer can even place, then I might have a chance at winning some real money… I could put that toward something really sick, you know?”

[Pause <3]

[SFX: The Listener sitting down with him to eat]

[E] “...You’ve been really supportive… and, while it weirds me out, I also appreciate it. I appreciate you helping with chores and shopping and are generally just… cool. Also, you’re the only person I’ve met who isn’t afraid of Wuther.”

[Pause <3]

[E] “I’m just saying, wolf spiders aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. They just sit on you and have existential crises - adorable!”

[Pause <3]

[Pause - Fill with the consumption of breakfast, if desired]

[E] “...I’m really sorry I couldn’t save up enough money to get you a ticket to the showing. The fact that they’re such cheapskates that they’d charge admission is so dumb…”

[Pause <3]

[E] “...One of these days, I’m gonna do something that pisses you off and you’re gonna be less nice to me. You know that, right?”

[Pause?]

[E] “Shurrup, you know what I mean… Look, I promise I’ll grab some good food tonight on the way home, OK? I want to thank you for how great you’ve been. Does that sound alright?”

[Pause <3]

[E] “Cool. Sorry, again, that you can’t come. I really… really wish you could come, I promise. Would be nice to have someone cheering me on, eh? Feh. Whatever. I’ll make it up to you, OK?”

[Pause?]

[E] “Uh, yeah. It’s at the Community Center at eight.”

[Pause!]

[E] “...Pfft, dork. C’mon, let’s finish eating. We have a monster movie marathon to finish.”

[Fade out on breakfast]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time Lapse - Twelve Hours

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Scene reopens inside the Community Center]

[SFX: Quiet crowd chatter/the Listener’s footsteps approaching the auditorium]

[You can faintly hear Eli speaking as you make your way through the Community Center, his voice growing a little louder as you approach]

[E] “-it’s a modification off of a 3D printer, but I’ve rebuilt it to be able to more immediately print out stickers or adhesive patches. With more time to invest in programming, I could..."

[He pauses as you hurriedly take a seat]

[MB] "...Mr. Eli? You said that you could do something interesting with a modified printer?"

[Pause!]

[His mask turns in your direction. You flash him a thumbs up and clap enthusiastically]

[SFX: … Eli continuing to demonstrate his device]

[E] “A-And that’s actually a good point, Mr. Brown. You asked ‘What good could a printer like this do?’, right? Well… How about a demonstration?”

[Mr. Brown eyes him warily but relents]

[MB] “...How do you intend to demonstrate this contraption of yours, Eli…?”

[E] “Well, if you’d allow me… I noticed that your daughter has been sad over her butterfly barrette all morning, hm? I might be able to fix it for you, for free, so you can go and play golf instead of having to take her home in time out. What do you say?”

[Pause…]

[MB, a bit suspicious] “...Very well. Demonstrate.”

[E] “Certainly. Judging by the tiara, I’m guessing I’m in the presence of royalty. Her Highness has a fine taste in a pastel pink with a white sparkle, so I shall do my best to match.”

[The little girl laughs in delight and Mr. Brown almost spares a smile. Almost. Eli runs a quick program and the printer zips and zooms along, spitting out something in under thirty seconds]

[SFX: The printer, if desired. It’d sound like a mostly standard 3D printer, if so]

[E] “There we are. One magic butterfly, for her majesty.”

[Mr. Brown takes the sticker hesitantly but you can hear him emit a few impressed noises. His daughter, on the other hand, shrieks in delight]

[MB] “Well! That, uh, is certainly impressive, Eli. Thank you for your demonstration. As I said with the others, you will receive a letter in the mail in a few months letting you know if your device placed or not.”

[Eli offers a polite bow]

[E] “Thank you. It… was a pleasure, oddly enough.”

[SFX: Him wheeling a tech cart off stage/the Listener going to meet him]

[Pause!]

[E] “...You’re here.”

[Pause!]

[E] “You saved up from your job? Just to…?”

[Pause…]

[E] “And you missed a bit of my demo because of the job and you’re apologizing to me… despite doing all of that...”

[Pause?]

[He stands still for a moment, unreadable as ever. Mr. Brown continues to comment on other tech from the front - rec. Improv, if desired]

[E] “...They have a place to lock up my printer safely overnight so I don’t have to carry it all the way back home. I’ve done that and, right now, I just want some fast food and fresh air."

[SFX: Eli and the Listener exiting the building/crickets chirping]

[He walks out and exits via a door tucked away in the back, right out into the cool night air. You follow and he wastes little time in turning and towering over you]

[...?]

[He towers over you silently]

[...?]

[SFX: The crickets chirping]

[E] “...I’m not mad at you… I’m…”

[He struggles for a moment until you reach out to take his hand]

[SFX: Eli reacting to the Listener’s touch]

[E] “...Wait, don’t… Don’t take my hand…”

[Pause??]

[E, sharp] “Because I don’t want to fucking hope, OK?!”

[...]

[E, remorseful] “....Sorry… I… I’m sorry I yelled at you… It’s really not the right reaction to what I’m feeling…”

[...Pause?]

[He sighs and takes your hand, leading you away from the community center]

[E] “C’mon, walk with me… We can grab something from Bucky’s on the way home.”

[...]

[E] “...You want to know how I feel? … Like I want to risk ruining everything just to kiss you… It’s bad enough that you’re living with me and my home is meant to be a safe space, but it’s worse still because… I would have to push the mask up. You would see… all of me that makes me the Devil.”

[His voice quiets. Tiny by the time he manages to whisper:]

[E] “...I don’t want to lose you, Tabby.”

[...Pause]

[E, defeated] “I know you just want me to feel safe and comfortable, too… You care about me and it’s terrifying because if you leave, then I’ll have to look at you, every day, and know that I fucked it all up…”

[...?]

[E] “...What if you kissed me? Did you seriously just ask that?”

[Pause!]

[He hesitates, walking for a bit in silence before he steers you off the sidewalk and into an alleyway, pinning you against the wall]

[SFX: Kabedon aka the Listener getting pinned]

[...]

[E] “...Yeah, I pinned you to the wall in an alleyway at night. I know. Living up to my stereotypes.”

[Pause <3]

[He snorts]

[E] “Yes, I did wear cologne for this show… Listen to me, OK? If we kiss, right here, right now… I’m going to need time before deciding if I can… be… that. If I can’t, then don’t wait on me, OK…? I don’t…”

[He’s fighting himself. Every inch of him is shaking]

[...Pause?]

[E] “...I’m scared… because hurt people… tend to hurt other people… and I don’t want to do that to you, I don’t….”

[Pause…?]

[E] “...I… guess it can just be a low-stakes friend kiss, yeah…”

[Pause?]

[E] “...Yeah, we can… just kiss as friends and then figure it out later… I hadn’t thought of that…”

[Pause <3]

[He thinks about it for a moment or two before he exhales]

[E] “...OK. Shut your eyes.”

[SFX: The background ambiance/noises growing sharper as the Listener closes their eyes]

[Pause]

[E] “...Got them closed, nice and tight?”

[Pause.]

[E, almost whispering] “...Do you trust me?”

[...Pause <3]

[E] “...Alright… Here. I’ll lift the mask up enough to where my lips are free. All you have to do is lean up when I give the signal. Please, just… Please don’t look, OK? You promised.”

[Pause!]

[E] “OK, OK! … Um… So, just so you know, this is my first kiss-mmh!”

[You assume ‘kiss’ is the signal and lean up, catching him slightly off guard. You don’t look, just as promised, and pull away after a moment]

[Pause <3]

[E, quiet] “...Are you OK? I… I’m missing some skin on the right corner of my lips, did it… feel gross?”

[Pause <3]

[SFX: Him adjusting his mask]

[E] “...You can open your eyes now. The mask is back on.”

[SFX: The audio adjusting for sensory changes, once more]

[You open your eyes and he’s still there, looming over you, mask blank]

[Pause?]

[E] “...It was a nice first kiss, yeah… Though I think I would have preferred it not next to three-day-old dumpster pizza.”

[Pause?]

[E] “...True. We could go home and try again on the couch while watching movies or something. It looks like it’s about to rain here, anyway, so c’mon. Let’s grab our heart attacks in bags and head home.”

[Pause <3]

[You go to walk away but he stops you with a gentle hand on your shoulder]

[E] “Before you go…”

[Pause?]

[E, quiet and earnest] “...Thank you for keeping your promise.”

[Pause!]

[SFX: Fade out on approaching rain and then heading off to grab food]

[To be continued]

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Note: Help they're so cute-