Jared didn't know Evan had braces for the longest time, because Evan never smiled, never spoke up, he only ever mumbled things. Jared figured it out when he saw Evan at lunch not eating, instead putting his hands to his upper jaw and Jared just slides down next to him and is like "just had your braces tightened huh?" and Evan nods miserably then Jared looks around before handing Evan a bottle of ibuprofen. "Maybe this will help dude, okay see you around" and then Evan is like "friend... :0"
Meet-cute Au where Evan and Jared meet for the first time in their freshman year of high school.Made a few changes, but this ask had me smiling ear to ear, so cute!
Lunch was, by far, the worst time of the day for Evan Hansen. He hated standing in line, tray in hand as he tried to make himself take up as little space as possible. He hated talking to the lunch ladies, usually too nervous to correct them if they mishear his order and give him pizza instead of pasta on any particular day. Even worse, his turn at the register always left him feeling short of breath and panicky. He hated the way heâd stumble over his words as he tried to remember his student ID number, and hated how the register lady seemed to always announce as loud as possible that his lunch was free since he was from a low income household.
Worse than all of this, though, was finding somewhere to sit. Every day, he found himself missing the assigned lunch seats theyâd had in elementary school. In middle school, he had to wander the room awkwardly searching for an empty table. He thought that maybe now, in his freshman year of high school, things would be different.
This was going to be a bad day.
As he wandered from table to table, he tried desperately to ignore the pain in his gums. Heâd had his braces tightened the day before, and it was another small inconvenience to add to the long list of woes making his day more and more unbearable. After about 5 whole minutes of searching, Evan decided to settle for a mostly open table by the window. The fall air was starting to get colder as the seasons changed, so fewer students preferred the window seats. He sat down on an uncomfortable plastic seat at a rounded table, one other boy sitting at the opposite end. Evan wasnât sure if he should greet the other boy or not. Was it rude to just sit here without saying anything? Shit, he shouldâve asked if he minded or not, this was so rude.
âHey.â The otherâs slightly nasally voice broke Evan out of his thoughts. With tense shoulders, Evan tried to settle down, eyes glued to his lunch.âUh, hey?â God, why did he say it like that? Why did he feel the need to phrase everything like a question when he was nervous? Why was he still doing it, literally right now? Fuck?
âDonât shit yourself, I really donât feel like finding another table.â The other boy snorted, adjusting his glasses as he focused back on his own lunch.Evan calmed down a bit as the other kid seemed to ignore him. He stared down at his pizza hesitantly, fingers twitching as the urge to rub his pained jaw became harder to ignore. He wasnât even sure if he should be eating pizza or not.
âJust got your braces tightened, huh?â Evanâs head snapped up, only now getting a good look at the other boy. He had warm brown hair and a large nose, his lips in a seemingly permanent lopsided grin, a gap between his front teeth, and braces gleaming in the low watt cafeteria lighting.
His smile was dazzling, even with the braces.
Could Evanâs smile ever look like that?
Heâd gotten into the habit of talking very little, always anxious about being made fun of for the strips of metal guiding his crooked teeth. He gave a quick nod, averting his gaze back to his lunch before the other could think he was staring too much.
âHere, this might help.â Evan saw movement out of the corner of his eye. The other boy was pushing a small tube towards him. Evan stared, his racing thoughts interrupted by an amused laugh. âI know, I donât even know your name and Iâm already offering you oral.â
Evan sputtered, face flushing a deep red. âHey itâs Orajel, not Oral-jel. Th-that joke doesnât even work!â
âSo you can say more than two words at a time.â The boy laughed, gesturing back to the tube. âSeriously though, use it. Itâll help. Iâm Jared, by the way.â
For the first time in a long time, Evan found himself smiling with no inhibitions, sky blue braces welcoming the light of day. âThanks. Iâm Evan.â
Evan had a feeling that this was going to be a good day.
