Parental Guidence
- Locked due to inactivity on May 15, '18 3:54am
Thread Topic: Parental Guidence
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Oliver sat in the chair in the restaurant, he sat with his back as straight as he could manage, his ankles crossed and tucked under his chair and his hands placed in his lap. Travis sat on the other end of the table arguing into his phone, he and one elbow placed the table and his fingers rubbing either side of his nose. He argued with the person he was talking to over the phone, his voice wasn't quiet but not loud enough to draw attention. The waiter came around again and all Oliver could do was give him a soft smile and he earned a sympathetic one in return. The waiter walked away, once again waiting for Travis to be off the phone.
Oliver reached his hand up slowly and twirled a strand of his curly hair around his finger and he looked up trying to watch as it moved around. A hold hand made its way around his wrist as the man across the table gripped it tightly, he winced curling into it a bit. "Don't do that." He said a bit louder and threw Oli's hand back into his lap making him flinch slightly. He wanted to sigh but didn't want to get in trouble so he just looked down at his hands and played with his fingers.
After a few more minutes Travis hung up the phone and grabbed his hair with his hands, placing his elbows on the table. He started mumbling to himself signaling to Oliver that something bad was happening, he leaned forward a bit, "Travis, I'm sure everything will be fine." He whispers with a small encouraging smile. He looked up, Travis' annoyed pissed off eyes meeting Oliver's doe eyes.
"You're such a f---ing idiot." he spat making him jump back. "You don't get anything, do you? You stupid piece of s---!" He flinched instinctively as his words got more aggressive -
It wasn't that he was eavesdropping on them, but the younger couple to his left and two tables down had stolen his attention since he sat down. Bayless tried to pay more attention to his phone while he waited for the date, but the guy on the phone was loud and obnoxious and rude. It was hard not to overhear him.
The readhead was the one Bayless was really watching, though. His posture was so stiff. Not uncomfortable, per-say, but tense, like any move he made would be innapropriate. Once he reached up to touch his hair and his partner instantly slapped his hand down, Bayless felt unease growing in the pit of his stomach. It only multiplied when the guy hung up and almost instantly started yelling at the redhead. He must have spoken, and though Bayless had mussed his quiet voice, almost everyone around them was turning to look, curious.
Bayless tried to push down the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, flipping his phone over to find two texts: One from Percy telling him that he couldn't find his travel bag, and another from Charlie, a picture of March, grinning with tomato sauce on his chin and hands. Bayless tucked a smile and flipped it back over, training his eyes on the door instead of the couple a few feet away. -
Oliver forced a bit of a smile bit it wavered a bit, "I'm sure I won't get it but you can tell me what happened." he offered quietly and Travis snorted.
"You most definitely will not get it." he said shaking his head, "But fine let's cut out the complexities and see if you understand. I made a mistake so large that if one piece of this very complex operation moves a millimeter out of place I will have lost the company thousands of dollars." Oli went to say something but he continued, "Do you know that happens in the very high chance that happens? I loose my job." he said with an intense glare pointed directly at Oliver, "But instead of being at work trying to fix it I have to be here with you the man who has the intellectual ability of a f---ing second grader! Do you know what it means if I loose my job? Do you?" Oliver looked back down at his hands and played with his fingers trying to will the nerves away.
He felt Travis's cold hand near his head and then it quickly grabbed onto it and pulled him forward. Oliver heard a small 'Oh god it's those two again. ' he was pretty sure it can from the lady sitting at the table next to them but he wasn't sure. "Look at me when I talk to you." his grip became tighter and Oli could feel the tears starting to well up in his eyes, "It means that your stupid, pathetic, useless self will be out of a home, again. And no one will take you in this time because no one will be that stupid!" his grip tightened on Oliver's hair as he threw some more insults at him.
Oliver was brought in more before being tossed back like a ragdoll. "Great now your f---ing crying again." he could feel his eyes burning and some of the hot tears running down his face. Oli shook his head aggressively and wiped his face with he's sleeves, "No I'm not." he whispered and he rushed to wipe away the tears as they fell and his head was throbbing. -
(Hi! I just got off of work, sorry.)
The couple at the table were certainly attracting more than stares now, and when the more rugged-looking man snatched a handful of the younger boy's hair, Bayless felt himself stand up abruptly. He didn't manage to make it over to the table until the redhead was thrown roughly back into his seat, but the tears rolling down his face were enough to make his hands curl into fists.
"Hey," He was more than aware that this was none of his business, but it was apparent that the younger boy wasn't going to make any move to defend himself. Bayless had never been one for bullies. "Why don't you f--- off? You're being making an ass of yourself in front of all these people."
Bayless gestured widely to the tables around him, subtly positioning himself so that he could intercept if the guy went for the readhead again. "In fact, I think that girl over there with the phone? I'm pretty sure that she recorded your little fit. I wouldn't be surprised if your boss found that video and you were out of a job for being such a dick in public."
The girl with the phone sucks her cheeks in but continues recording, despite her friend nudging her arm. The resolve in her eyes only makes Bayless stand a little taller. "So, where do you work at, sir? I'm sure she'd like to know where exactly to send the video. Or, she could just post it online. You know how social media is these days, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who you are." -
Oliver flinched when he heard the other man start to talk to Travis. He wanted to jump in and apologize or something but couldn't get himself to move. As the man talked at Travis he couldn't help the panic that was building up in his body and the tears wouldn't stop flowing. His eyes shot over to the woman holding the phone when the man mentioned it. The look that Travis shot the stranger was one that he'd never seen directed at anyone but him and it scared him.
To Oliver it looked like Travis was about to explode in anger but instead he just shot up aggressively and walked out of the restaurant. Oli let out a shaky breath as tears kept streaming down his face. He ran a hand through his hair and gripped onto it for a few seconds before dropping his hands into his lap, he wiped his face trying to get the tears of his face. "I'm sorry." he spoke softly as he looked up at the man who had stopped the onesided argument, "I ruined your night... I'm sorry." he put an apologetic smile on his face his eyes thick with unshed tears. -
The man's exit surprised Bayless, but it didn't upset him. He might have gotten into a few fights in high school, but it had been a while and he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold his own, so he let the other go without moving to stop him. After all, the redhead was no longer being tormented, so he'd done what he had got up to do, right?
Wrong, Bayless realized as the younger continued to cry, now directing apologies towards him. After a moment of hesitation, he crouched so that they were almost eye level. "Ruined my night? You've got it backwards. I should be apologizing to you for ruining your night. I didn't mean to make a scene like that, I'm sure you don't appreciate the attention."
He kept his voice low and soft so that no one would overhear, although his focus was solely on the other man. "But don't worry about me either way. Are you all right? Is there.. Is there anything I can do?"
It was scary to overstep immediately with a complete stranger, but Bayless didn't feel right leaving him there without offering some sort of comfort and help. -
Oliver moved back a bit when the man knelt down in front of him, he looked at the man with his wide teary eyes. He took a shaky breath, "I-I um shouldn't have said anything... So I'm don't worry about it, I am really sorry that I ruined your night though..." he answered about the same leve as he was being spoken to.
When he was offered help he immediately started to blush, "I don't know how to get home." he spoke shyly and he felt really stupid saying it out loud. He started playing with his fingers, "That's not your problem though. " he said trailing off as his stomach growled reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the morning. -
"You didn't ruin my night," He stated firmly but gently, not wanting there to be any confusion. "In fact, my night was already pretty, uh, bad. I'm supposed to be on a date," Bayless admitted, looking back towards his empty table, "But she never showed up. If you want, you can come join me. I can tell you're hungry. And I.. I can give you a ride home after," It came out in a rush, and he tacked on a quick, "Or I could call you a cab. It isn't my problem but I don't want to leave you stranded here, since it's my fault your.. That guy left."
It was probably too assertive. The younger was clearly scared and a little uncomfortable, but Bayless didn't feel right just walking away. The least he could do was call him a cab, but the sound of a growling stomach didn't fall on deaf ears. He was actually pretty hungry himself, and wouldn't mind having some company while he ate, as it was apparent that his date wasn't going to show up. -
Oliver nodded slightly and mumbled a quiet 'play's, he sniffled twice and tilted his head, "You got stood up? But your pretty. " he spoke quietly but it hadn't quiet clicked in that he said the last part out loud. He clapped his hands together once, it being a little louder than he intended. "So I guess I'm your date tonight then." he said with a smile and a bit of a laugh.
He smiled at the man like the events that just happened, didn't. It had already disappeared into the corners of his mind like water off a ducks back. He was excited to have dinner with this man, he wanted a friend and he was going to make this man his friend, he hoped. He hadn't bonded with many people before so he wasn't sure what to ask or talk about.
He looked at the man and made an 'o' with his mouth, "You'll be my friend right? I don't have any and you seem nice." he said a smile breaking out on his face again. -
The younger man seemed to recover quickly from the earlier events, grinning brightly even though his cheeks were still streaked with tears. It reminded Bayless of March, who once took a tumble off of his bike so hard that he tore both of his palms red and bloody. He cleaned them for him, applied antiseptic cream and wrapped them up in soft bandages- And then, Bayless kissed both his palms and promised him that in a few days, they'd be good as new. March had dissolved into a fit of hiccup-like giggles, unaware that when his father had seen him running across the yard, sobbing wildly, his heart had dropped to his shoes. March wasn't often vocal. In fact, he hardly ever was, so the sound of his screaming had struck something terrifying in Bayless.
He pushed the thoughts of March back a bit (not too far, though, he's always thinking of his kids) and rose, extending a hand to Oliver. "It was a blind date. We hadn't seen each other yet. But it's alright, I'd rather spend the evening with you over some stuck-up girl," He admitted, nodding easily, "Of course I will. My name is Bayless Czerny. It's nice to meet you." -
Oliver tilted his head, "Still it's mean to not show up... But we're going to have fun." he said with a smile. "I'm Oliver Ke-um.. Oliver. " His smile faltered for a moment but came back just as quickly. He took the man's hand and stood up, he dropped his hand and did a small mock bow and he chuckled, "Nice to meet you. " he stood back up with a bright smile and a laugh, he hell his hands behind his back, "So dinner and conversation? "
Goofing around with someone felt nice, he hoped that Bayless wouldn't mind his child like behavior, he didn't seem to so far but he was aware that he could get annoying. He didn't know why the man decided to help him but he wasn't sure he really cared, he'd made a new friend because of it and even though he knew he'd get in trouble for this later it was going to be fun right now. He knew that Bayless was seated near by but he wasn't sure specifically so he rocked back and forth on his heels as he waiting for him to be shown. -
"Mean or not, I'm sort-of glad she didn't," Bayless admits, guiding the other back to his table with a slight touch of a hand to his shoulder. His phone laid screen up, several texts from Charlie displayed when he quickly pressed the home button to check the time. He unlocked his phone with his thumb print, eyes skimming over his friend's frantic apologies and excuses as to why the girl didn't show. Bayless shot back a simple, eating dinner with a friend, I'll be home in an hour or so, before turning the phone face-down, attention fully on Oliver.
"Oliver. Yeah, that totally suits you," He let out a small laugh as he settled into his seat, extending his menu to the younger. After all, he already knew what he wanted. "I'd take you to see a movie," He joked, "But I don't like the theaters around here. There's one a few hours out, closer to the beach, it's smaller. Locally owned. The prices are better, and they sometimes show older movies for discounted prices. It's worth the drive, especially if you make a trip to the shore while you're in the area. I went to school close by, used to go there a lot with my friends."
Bayless realizes he's been rambling right when he reaches the end of his speech, smiling guiltily. The words had just flowed so naturally, which was odd, because he hadn't spent time with a stranger in... Well, since Percy was born, he guesses. "Do you like movies?" -
Oliver chuckled as he was guided back to the table. He tilted his head as the other checked his phone, he didn't watch what he was doing on it he just watched the males face. He smiled when the man turned turned back to him. "Does it? My father use to hate it, too goofy." he said with a soft chuckle.
He took the menu when it was handed to him. He started looking at the menu when he started talking again, he chuckled at the man's reaction when he realized he'd talked a lot, "I love movies! There so fun and interesting! I have never been to theatre before though that sounds fun, watching them with so many other people around! I've never been to the beach either though... " he trails off and then shrugs after a few moments, "There's lots haven't done." he said and turned his hair around one of his fingers.
He opened the the menu and started reading it but couldn't really decide about what he wanted. He looked up shyly and said, "Can you chose? I'm not picky or anything just uh... Indecisive." he chuckled avoiding the fact that he'd never actually order food, his mother always did it for him and then Travis. -
Oh like also... How tired of me are you at this point???)
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(Not at all! I just had work yesterday afternoon and wasn't able to respond because I didn't get off until late.)
Bayless shakes his head, "It isn't silly. It's a nice name. A classic, but it usually makes me think of, like.. A puppy. I don't know, is that weird?" He laughs awkwardly as he takes the menu back, folding it open in front of him again.
"Really? Do you just not have time to go?" He suspects it isn't the reason. Bayless isn't ignorant, he knows an abusive relationship when he sees it- He'd been in one, with Percy's mother. And Charlie had once gotten involved with a man almost twenty years his senior. Bayless knows how manipulative people can be, how they can make you think you're not submitting to their every whim and want, but he also knows he can't just blindly accuse that of Oliver's boyfriend. "The beaches are best during very early fall, in the evening. A bit cold, but less crowded. You should go next time you get a chance."
He doesn't question the menu, simply finding a pasta dish with grilled chicken and crumbled bacon, pointing at it and asking if it's okay. Bayless isn't new to picky eaters, even if Oliver says he isn't one. Marina and Percy both have a very, very, very long list of foods they won't eat.
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