Kevin and Ellie, Tuesday morning

[om_wither]

Ellie lets her bestie in on a secret concerning Anders.



"You were not in class on Monday."

It was not a question, but a statement, as Ellie dropped her button-covered bag on the floor next to Kevin before sitting. Class was not as...entertaining...without him, she'd decided. In fact, Ellie had been downright bored. "It was because you were done fighting with Joshua, yes?"

"Yeah. We went out and had fun instead, so don't tell anyone," Kevin replied, and fought a grin about it. He'd had a good time with Josh, and he was actually in a pleasant mood today. He wasn't even mad that Ellie was being a nosy jerk about his love life. "Did class suck?"

"Class always 'sucks' I believe, so I would say so! It was not as much fun as I'm sure you had." An impish grin crossed her face. "Did you hold his hand?"

"No, I didn't," Kevin rolled his eyes. Not for a long period of time, anyways! "We don't do that stuff. I took him for breakfast, and to a movie, then we hung out for the rest of the day."

He took out his sketchbook. "Do you just watch movies about people on dates and then ask me if I do that same stuff with Josh?"

"Sometimes! I have to learn sometime about what to do on dates and I like to ask you because you are funny," Ellie informed him pointedly with the truth, and reached over to steal one of Kevin's markers. She wanted to draw on her hands. "And you are also learning as you go. You learned not to get mad when he helps you. That was nice. Yes, oh so nice."

Kevin huffed when she stole his markers. "Yeah, well it's not like he deserves me being a mega dick. I can be nice."

He took out one of his pencils, and began drawing a zombie-vampire with dreadlocks like Ellie. "When it comes to people I like, anyways. Otherwise, I don't really care."

"You care very much about people you like. It's so intense, Kevin," Ellie told him with wonder, blue eyes round and wide. "I like it."

"Whatever," Kevin muttered, but he knew it was true. He was a very emotional person, so when he cared for someone, it was such a strong feeling. "I can be a decent person when I'm not being a murderer, so there you go. Do I have any secrets from you whatsoever?"

"No. So perhaps you shall consider allowing me to speak with you in your mind, Kevin?" Ellie questioned hopefully. Oh she loved speaking that way so much more; it was secret and special. "Please?"

Kevin sighed. He didn't really like talking with Ellie in his head, but at least there their conversation was private. Kevin hated nosy people who eavesdropped! "Fine."

He didn't take his eyes off his picture, and began projecting to her. 'But you better not dry out my marker, or we'll never do this again.'

She smiled, trailing the tip of the marker over her middle knuckle in a soft swirl of circles. Kevin's mind was such a gloomy place and sometimes it reminded Ellie of her own--only far less demented. Perhaps the correct word for Kevin was "tortured".

'You must trust me a lot to allow me in here, yes?' And to share his secrets willingly, but Ellie already knew that.

'I guess. It's not like I have anything to lose, is it? You already know everything about my life,' Kevin pointed out as he drew, focusing on the monstrous qualities of the face. 'If you wanted to fuck me over, you would have done it already.'

Yes, she would have done it already. Not only that, but Ellie genuinely liked Kevin--his company, talking to him, his taste in clothes and music. The two of them did well together and Ellie very much adored a friend like him on good and on bad days. He did not know it well, but Kevin was special to her.

'I would never tell anyone your secrets, Kevin. If I did that, you would not draw me beautiful pictures anymore.'

'You're right about that, so don't ever do it,' he looked up at her. 'Since you're not being as annoying today, I decided this is you as a zombie. You can have it when I'm done.'

Okay, maybe he was in a good mood and it was showing, but like he could keep that a secret. Ellie was in his head, and she'd know that he was in a decent mood today. He'd had a good time yesterday, and he was determined to make this a good one, too. As long as nothing pissed him off to the extreme, he could fight his usual bitchiness.

'Thank you.' She peered over the side of his arm, always careful not to touch him, and smiled happily. Ellie truly believed that she looked much better as a dead corpse than she did while she was alive. If only the right half of her face was hanging on by only her torn flesh like it was in this picture.

'What if I told you a secret that I have been hiding?'

'I guess that depends on what the secret is,' Kevin decided, and didn't look up at her. 'What is it?'

There was a moment's pause before Ellie leaned back against the wall and stared down at her platforms. 'I know someone who likes you. Someone who isn't a pretty golden shiny colour.'

Kevin raised his head, and looked at Ellie, almost feeling horrified. What the fuck?! No! That didn't make any fucking sense. It was weird enough that Josh actually liked him, but no one else was fucking allowed to! Kevin was not an interesting person, or a good one. He was a murderer, he was an asshole and he just plain sucked at life. Whoever the fuck this person was, they needed to fuck off.

'Who the fuck else is dumb enough to like me?' he asked her, almost scared to know the answer.

Ellie looked very serious, eyes round and lips pulled together tight in a worried frown. Every time she thought back to her conversation with Anders she grew so angry; how could someone be so uncaring and selfish about the consequences of what they did to other people? How could someone force people beyond their control and blame them for it? It was so upsetting that Ellie didn't care if telling Kevin hurt Anders' feelings.

On the other hand, it seemed right that she inform her best friend that someone with such power and loose morals held an interest in him. Perhaps it was the best for Kevin's safety? 'The photographer.'

Kevin looked down at his picture again, not saying anything. That answer made him feel a lot more scared than he thought he'd be just a few seconds ago. Anders was fucked, and he'd hurt people. In fact, Kevin wouldn't be surprised if that guy did something really freaky to him because of this. That was fucked, and it really scared him.

'Did you read his mind, or did you dream it?' he asked, hating that she could sense his fear right now.

'I heard it in his brain,' Ellie answered, but it came with a frown. 'I would not let him hurt you, not ever! Don't be afraid...I don't want to scare you.'

'If you dream anything about him fucking me up, you have to tell me. I don't want him to do anything to me,' Kevin said, and leaned back against the wall, snapping the ends of his gloves nervously. 'Why the fuck does he like me?! That doesn't even make sense!'

'Perhaps it is because you are aesthetically pleasing?" Ellie suggested, and tapped her fingers against her chin. 'Perhaps your art skill impressed him. Perhaps he valued your company. I suppose you can ask Joshua what it is that draws him to you! I'd tell you all the things I hear him think about when he's in class, but he might get mad at me and so might you...'

As for that first part? Ellie didn't feel like she even had to vocalize the reassurance that she would tell Kevin any dreams she would have. That was just a no-brainer.

Kevin was in the middle of being freaked the fuck out, but he still felt kind of nice that Josh thought about him in class. At least one thing about today was fucking nice to know, unlike fucking Anders. 'I'm gonna tell him he has to stop liking me, because Josh is my boyfriend, and I don't want that to change.'

Apparently, Anders wasn't all that straight after all. Kevin had forgotten about that conversation, what with the whole drama that had happened with Jeanne-Marie. Hrgh, Josh was probably going to get all pissy and protective about this, just like he had over the pictures thing.

'Then I'll never talk to him again, and for whatever fucked reason he had for liking me--which by the way is NOT about me being aesthetically pleasing--he'll forget.'

'Yes, you should talk to him,' Ellie decided if only because she knew Anders would be a twat about it--stupid, silly boy that he was. She hoped it made him angry though! See how he liked it to have the control out of his hands, hmph! 'You are so appalled that more than one person likes you at a time. That is strange! Do most people not find that to be...flattering?'

'It's hard enough accepting that Josh actually likes me that way, Ellie. One person is enough, and I don't want another one,' Kevin tried to explain, sulking as he did so. 'So Anders can fuck off because it's not flattering. It's annoying, and I want him to stop it.'

He really could not wrap his mind around this. Despite the examples Ellie had given, Kevin could not find one quality in himself (in which he believed) that someone would like. Oh, there's that fucking kid who murdered his dad in cold blood! Oh, he also can't touch you without murdering you, too. He's a fucking dick, and he'll probably hurt your feelings. How were any of these likable qualities? Kevin was a grumpy murderer who couldn't even touch a goddamn tree, and he secretly liked Queen!

He was not a likable person. He barely had any friends for a reason!

'Then I suppose you will have to tell him to stop,' Ellie agreed with a much-too-innocent looking shrug. 'Be very blunt and mean, if you have to.'

'You want me to be mean?' he echoed, curious at her choice of words. 'Because he hurt people, right?'

'Because he hurt people and he doesn't care. He's so mean! He blames everyone he hurts and says that it's their own fault and they ruin their own lives! It's not fair,' she sulked.

'Then I'll be a fucking dick, Ellie, I promise. I'm at least good at that,' Kevin decided. He was still rather unnerved, and worried about how this would go, but if Ellie wanted him to be an asshole, then he'd do that. 'The second school's done, I'm going to find him and tell him to shove it.'

Just because she'd been such a good friend, Kevin decided she could play with all his markers today, and quietly slid the case over to her. This whole be nicer to people you care about felt okay to do, he decided.

The offer of markers did not go at all unnoticed, and Ellie smiled happily at Kevin. In almost an instant her anger and rage melted away with the promise of distraction, so now Ellie was intent on that. Though she would leave Kevin alone with some silence while he worked--she knew he liked that--she just needed to say one more thing. "Thank you."

For the markers. And for letting her get the nagging thoughts out of her head for awhile. Maybe she wasn't being the nicest person right now, but Ellie was struggling a lot with her sympathy toward Anders and maybe this would cool her off for a short time. She hoped so, anyway, because she didn't want to be that person.

"Just don't dry them up," Kevin commented, and offered her a very small smile before going back to his own drawing. However, he was still deep in thought as he did this. Hopefully, when he actually went to talk to Anders, nothing really shitty happened.

The last thing anyone would want was for a person like Ellie to be livid with you, after all.