#lee!elliott

Earlier that week, Travis had managed to score tickets to Six Poles amusement park and begged Elliott to come with him. Elliott wasn’t a big fan of roller coasters—especially the tall ones that seemed to drop you from space at a ninety degree angle.

But Travis was persistent. “C’mon, El! It’s not like you have to go on every single roller coaster. There’s plenty of stuff to do there!” he told him two nights ago when they were both hanging out in Elliott’s bedroom.

“Yeah, but knowing you, I just know you’re going to make me go on the biggest coaster there!” Elliott protested.

Travis rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Oh, fine, you whiner. I’ll go on all the roller coasters, and then you can go on the merry-go-round or whatever. Either way, we’re still gonna have so much fun!” He beamed a pleading smile. “Pleeeeease? How many times do we ever get a chance to have a fun day together?”

Travis had a point there. He knew they were both so busy with their majors that they hardly had any time to hang out—especially Elliott, who was studying to become a pediatrician. And now that Travis had taken a part-time job working at an anomalous research facility on the other side of town (they referred to it as Area 51 as an inside joke), Elliott felt like he was seeing his friend less and less.

It was nearing the end of the semester, and Elliott realized how hard he had been working up to this point. He was pulling all-nighters for the last few weeks finishing assignments and cramming for exams. When was the last time he actually took a break? Now that he thought about it, a whole day out at the park sounded like just the thing he needed to decompress.

“All right then,” he finally said. “Count me in.”

“Yes!” Travis cheered. “We’re going to Six Poles!”

“But! If you try and make me go on the biggest roller coasters, I’m gonna rip your throat out,” Elliott glared, pointing a finger at his friend.

Travis laughed, not threatened by the comment. “I know you’re studying to be a pediatrician, but don’t you have to swear on the Bible or something that you can’t use your medical knowledge for revenge? Or for your own personal issues?”

“It’s actually a verbal oath that you swear by,” Elliott stated as-a-matter-of-factly. “But who’s going to know you’re my friend when you can’t speak anymore?” He poked Travis in the ribs to make him yelp, who in retaliation, tased Elliott’s sides to make him yelp.

“Don’t forget, you’re not the only one here getting their PhD,” Travis reminded. He gave Elliott’s sides another squeeze for emphasis.

“Okahay, okahahay!” Elliott giggled, batting at his friend’s hands. “Um, is…anyone else coming with us or..?”

Travis shook his head. “Nah, I was only able to get two tickets. And besides, anyone from class who would've wanted to come can’t because I overheard them all talking about going to Lover’s Point, if you catch my drift.”

“Oh…eesh,” Elliott shuddered knowingly.

“Yeah…but hey! That just means we get to spend the whole day together. It’ll be fun!”

Elliott swallowed thickly. “Mm-hmm.”

“Well, I’m heading out,” Travis stood up. “So I guess I’ll see you Friday, then. Good thing it’s a school holiday and we have the day off. I’ll swing by in the morning and pick you up at say…8:30?”

“Yeah, that works.” Elliott could feel his cheeks growing warm. He tried to remain as nonchalant as possible.

“Well, great. I’ll see you then.” Travis waved goodbye, and left Elliott’s house.

Elliott let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “Geez, that was embarrassing,” he muttered to himself. “I could feel my whole face turning red! I really hope Travis didn’t notice…”

He slumped in his desk chair. “Why am I feeling so hesitant now to go to the park? It’s not because of the roller coasters. Is it because Travis asked me?” He could feel his chest flutter replaying their conversation mere moments ago in his head. Then, his face fell and he stood up quickly.

“Oh! What am I saying? What am I thinking?! Travis just asked me to go to Six Poles like any normal friend would do!” He paced around his room, chewing on his lip. “Travis is just my friend. We’ve been friends since forever. So why am I suddenly feeling all weird the second he invites me to some outing? It’s not like he hasn’t done that before!”

Elliott replayed the wholesome little moment when Travis quickly tickled him for his sassy comment. He could feel his chest getting fluttery again. He stopped in his tracks. If he could break the fourth wall, the sound of a record scratching would have immediately been heard.

“Okay, now you’re just a weirdo,” he scolded himself. “How is Travis even still friends with me? He’s so sweet and smart…and tall…and—and I have officially lost it.” Elliott face-planted against his bed with a groan.

For as long as Elliott could remember, he always felt different and out of place among everyone. And when he came to the age where everyone started obsessing over the opposite gender, he felt even more alienated because he couldn’t relate. He never had any crushes on any girls, and he didn’t know why. He often got teased for it, but he figured he’d “snap out of it” once he got older.

Then, high school rolled around, and Elliott still couldn’t figure out why he didn’t find any romantic interest in any girls. He couldn’t lie, many of the girls from high school were very pretty. But he couldn’t bring himself to be anything more than just friends to them.

It wasn’t until one day that Travis jokingly told him, “maybe girls just aren’t your thing” when he had been ranting about how no girl has ever caught his eye, that he thought Travis may be onto something.

Ever since that day, Elliott discovered there were lots of other people who understood exactly how he felt and that there was actually a label for it. It was simple: he was just gay. But he knew he was “in the closet” as he couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone about it, including Travis.

He had to admit, he did feel like he was being hypocritical by not telling Travis his secret even when Travis confided in Elliott about his own secret being asexual. What would Travis even think? If that wasn’t more awkward, how was he supposed to admit to his best friend since elementary school that he’s found him attractive on several occasions growing up? He cherished his friendship he had with Travis, and Elliott didn’t want to ruin that just because of his own gay radar.

With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “It’s just a day at Six Poles. As friends. What could possibly go wrong?”

Fast forward two days later, and Elliott was already a nervous wreck before the day had even started. His heart was already racing as soon as he saw Travis’ car pulling up to his driveway, and him walking to his front door. Somehow, he looked more handsome than usual in his dark jeans and the green T-shirt that matched his eyes—well, one of them, anyway.

Travis had heterochromia; his right eye was sky blue and his left was emerald green. Elliott often found himself staring and fawning over his friend’s eyes. He couldn’t help it, they were just so unique. Although Travis just shrugged and said his eye colors weren’t all that special, Elliott insisted that they were as having heterochromia was a very rare trait. Something he always told Travis he should wear with pride as that’s what makes him special.

“So, ready to go?” Travis pulled the tickets out from the front pocket of his dark purple-tinted denim jacket. “I’ve got the tickets right here.”

Elliott nodded, smoothing out the folds of his teal-colored sweatshirt. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Upon arrival, Elliott was not too surprised when Travis said he wanted to go on the big roller coasters. “Travis, I’m not like you; I can’t just hop on a roller coaster immediately,” he argued, tugging nervously at his sleeves. “Can’t I at least work up to the bigger rides?”

“Okay, okay,” Travis agreed with a little sigh. He still wanted his best friend to have fun at Six Poles, but he knew better than to be pushy. “We’ll work our way up to the bigger rides. But we will ride at least one big roller coaster tonight.”

Elliott groaned.

“Dude, c’mon! We have to ride at least one big coaster! Maybe one that snaps your picture at the end. For keepsakes’ sake?”

“Well…maybe. But not right now. And only after I work my way up to it or ultimately decide to go on it. And you better not peer pressure me into it, either!”

“Sounds fair,” smiled Travis.

They passed the time going on the bumper cars, flying swings, the carousel, and the Roarin’ Rapids ride. Elliott liked that one the best. He loved getting splashed wet on any ride.

They came off the ride a second time, laughing as they were soaked wet.

“I’m telling you, El, they definitely installed extra water canons,” Travis said as he wiped the water droplets from his glasses. “I don’t remember getting this wet the last time I was here.”

“Maybe next time, you should keep your mouth closed when we’re plunging down the waterfall?” Elliott joked as he brushed his wet bangs out of his eyes.

“No, dur! I swear, I swallowed like, a gallon of water back there!” Travis pushed his glasses back on. “So…what do you wanna do next? Go on another ride or wait ‘til we dry off some?” He gestured to his wet clothes.

Elliott chuckled. “I think we should wait a little bit until we dry off. How about we grab something to eat first? What time is it?”

Travis checked his watch. “Uh—1:45.”

“Ooh, perfect. Let’s get some lunch.”

As the two friends sat down for lunch, Travis devoured his food as fast as he could. He wanted to make sure they had time for the roller coasters. As soon as he finished his last bite of food and last sip of soda, he quickly stood up. “Okay! You ready?”

“For what?”

“For the roller coasters!”

“Travis, we just ate!” Elliott protested. He was still daintily picking at the last few bites of his pizza, but Travis knew his friend was stalling.

“Fiiiine. What do you wanna do now?”

“How about we walk around for a little bit? Maybe play some games?” Elliott suggested.

They wandered around the game booths before Travis decided to try the knock down can game after he noticed Elliott showing interest in one of the prizes: a plush animal that looked like a cross between a duck and a beaver. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to be, but it looks really cute!” Elliott commented.

When it was Travis’ turn, he managed to win on his second try. His throw not only knocked down all the cans, but was also hard enough to ricochet off the wall and nearly missed the person standing next to him.

“Whoa! Dang, dude, you’ve got a good arm!” exclaimed Elliott.

Travis shrugged with a grin. “Eh, I played a lot of hockey when I was younger. I guess I’m just really good at hitting stuff with my arms.” He pointed to the teal-colored stuffed animal. “Here,” he handed it to Elliott, “for you. It matches your sweatshirt.”

“Wait—really?”

Travis nodded.

“A-Are you sure? I mean, you won it, so—”

“Dude, it’s yours,” Travis interrupted. “Seriously, keep it. I don’t mind.”

Elliott beamed, accepting the plushie. “Thanks!” He hugged the plushie, and was surprised to hear it emit a squeak. “Ooh, it squeaks! It’s got a squeaker inside!”

“That’s cute! Now c’mon, we’ve still got more rides to do!” Travis practically dragged his friend over to their next ride. He knew Elliott would need some encouragement to work his way up to a big coaster so he selected the most harmless coaster he could think of: the Wild West Express. It was a family ride where the seats were shaped like mine carts, and the track went through tunnels and turns.

“Elliott, literal children ride this coaster,” Travis stated as his friend eyed the ride hesitantly from their place in line. “You’ll be fine.”

“Mmm, that’s what you told me last time you talked me into riding the Gravitron with you at the carnival. And do you remember what happened after we got off the ride?”

“I…well, it was kind of a long time ago so I don’t—it’s kinda hazy?” Travis stuttered, even though he knew exactly what Elliott was referring to.

“I threw up my entire funnel cake right in front of you!” Elliott reminded him.

“Okay, okay! True, that did happen. But to be fair, we probably shouldn’t have gone on a centrifugal force ride right after we just ate. That was my fault.”

“Uh, yeah it was!”

“Oh, come on, Elliott! That was nine years ago!”

“I’m still not happy about it!”

“I said I was sorry like, a thousand times!”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to my emetophobia!”

“Dude—!”

Their squabbling was interrupted by the ride operator who was urging that they were next on the ride. The two climbed in their seats and lowered the safety bar in their laps.

“At least our squabbling made you forget about being scared of the ride?” Travis tried to sound optimistic.

Elliott just rolled his eyes, but he wasn’t mad. He could never stay mad at his friend—even over something that happened almost a decade ago. He just liked to tease Travis about it every now and then to make him squirm. “I swear, Trav, if the same thing happens again, I will surgically implant Xenomorph eggs in your chest!”

The ride ended up being very fun to Elliott. By the time they exited out the ride’s gates, Elliott was grinning from ear to ear. “That was a lot of fun! Which one are we going on next?”

Travis laughed as he was now being dragged to their next ride. He was happy to see his friend was finally having fun.

They went on two more coasters, each a little more thrilling than the last, and once more on the rapids before Travis declared they were ready for the big one.

“Look, I won’t make you go on a super insane one,” Travis assured. “But we gotta at least go on one big ride! You really liked all the other ones! This one won’t be any different.”

“Which one did you have in mind?” Elliott asked hesitantly.

Travis grinned. “The Apocalypse coaster!”

“What?!”

“This one’s not even that bad! It looks way worse than it is, I promise. And besides, it’s a sci-fi themed coaster! I know you’ll love it!”

Elliott glanced between his friend and the monster ride behind. The sun was already starting to set. The park would be closing in a couple hours. They would only have time for one more ride, at least. Elliott made it this far, he didn’t want to disappoint his friend.

“Oh, alright,” he reluctantly agreed with a sigh. “The best for last. Just hurry up before I change my mind.”

Travis cheered and grabbed his friend’s hand, dragging them to the ride’s line.

Maybe this was a mistake. But it’s too late. It’s already happening, and I already agreed.

Elliott could feel his pulse quickening in his throat. He nervously brushed his fingers through his hair as he kept shifting from one leg to another.

Okay, this totally was a mistake, he thought. The sounds of people screaming as the coaster plunged down did not help his terrified nerves. He stole a quick glance at Travis, who looked more eager than ever to finally ride the big roller coaster with his bestie. How could he opt out now?

Travis turned around and noticed the anxious look on Elliott’s face. He put an arm around his shoulder. “You can do it, man,” he coached his friend. “It’s just one drop at the very beginning, and it’s not even that bad. The rest of the ride is just swerving from left to right.” When Elliott didn’t respond, he decided to give a little more encouragement.

“Just pretend like we’re piloting the Nostromo. And we’re crash landing on LV-426. It’ll be just like in the movie! Except you won’t get facially assaulted by a facehugger in the end!”

Elliott’s lip curled upward. “Heh, you’re right. I can totally do this. This’ll be easy! I got this!”

I don’t got this! I can’t do it!

Elliott’s thoughts raced as quick as his heartbeat as soon as he climbed into the ride seat. He was instantly regretting agreeing to the ride as his seatbelt clicked, and the safety bar was lowered over his shoulders and into his lap.

I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I. Can’t. Do. This!

Elliott’s heart was beating faster than he’d ever felt. His hands were clenched so tightly against the bar that his knuckles turned white. His stomach sank into his shoes as the sense of foreboding grew.

While Travis laughed and whooped with glee as the ride began slowly climbing up the steep, Elliott felt like he was going to plunge down a rabbit hole of death. Every inch they climbed higher seemed to stray further and further away from Earth.

He wanted to shut his eyes, but the fear that he wouldn’t be able to see what was going to happen next scared him more.

“Hey, Elliott! Check out the view!” he heard Travis say.

Elliott glanced out at the horizon, and immediately regretted it. They were so high up, he felt they could touch the clouds. The thousands of park goers all looked like tiny ants from down below.

He felt his stomach sink again and his blood turn to ice as soon as he could see they were reaching the edge of the high peak. The dreaded drop of doom.

“Oh, my gosh! Here we go! WHOOOO!!” Travis excitedly cheered. He was vibrating with excitement. He loved thriller roller coaster rides!

Meanwhile, Elliott could feel his chest tightening as the car of their roller coaster reached the edge of the highest peak of the ride, tottering on the edge for a few painful seconds. He felt like his chest was going to explode by a chestburster. He had never felt so scared in his life before.

Without thinking, in the heat of the moment, his fear made him blurt out with no filter, “I’M ACTUALLY GAY!”

Travis’ excitement instantly vanished. He quickly panned to his friend. “What—?!”

“I’M GAY! I’M GAY! I’M SORRY I LIED TO YOU, TRAVIS! I’M ACTUALLY GAY!” Elliott continued his fear-fueled rant. He finally snapped out of it when he saw his friend’s expression: Travis’ jaw looked like it was going to plunge as far down as the ride was about to.

Elliott’s blood ran cold, but for a completely different reason. Now, he could feel his entire face turn as red as his hair.

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead screamed wildly as they plunged down to the ground. He barely had time to register the drop before they were whipped back into the air with a quick turn. His fear turned to glee as they swerved another sharp turn. He smiled the biggest smile ever and laughed out loud as the coaster spun through the maze of metal one last time before screeching to an abrupt stop at the bottom.

“WOW!” Elliott was starry-eyed, and feeling the after effects of the adrenaline. “That was intense!” he said as he stumbled down the ramp and towards the exit gates.

He squeezed his teal plushie before continuing to ramble, “Not gonna lie, I seriously thought I was going to die as soon as we reached the top! But you were right; the drop wasn’t too bad. It was actually really fun!”

Travis couldn’t even enjoy the ride after his best friend blurted out that confession. He was still in shock after hearing that. He couldn’t believe his friend was genuinely scared enough to confess that out loud.

“Uhh…Travis? You okay?”

“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine.” Travis found his voice, quickly regaining his composure. “I feel like I should be asking you that question, though.”

Elliott tilted his head innocently. “What do you mean?”

Travis crossed his arms, a serious expression suddenly on his face. “Uh, do you not remember what you just blurted out to me on the roller coaster back there?” He saw Elliott’s eyes widen with realization. “That’s what I thought. Now…is there anything you’d like to explain to me, mister?”

Elliott opened his mouth to speak, but instead turned around on his heel and walked away.

“Oh, we are not done with this conversation!” Travis stormed off after him like an arguing couple.

The ride back home was quiet, save for the radio playing 80s music. It was awkward. Too awkward. Elliott tried to lighten the mood by inviting Travis to spend the night.

“Um…if you’re too tired to drive home, you can spend the night at my place if you’d like.” He was glad it was dark in the car so Travis couldn’t see him blushing again. “My mom’s going to be staying in Vegas with her friend until Sunday so I’ve got the whole house to myself.”

Shit, that was a terrible choice of words! I sound like I’m trying to get laid! Dammit!

“Actually, that sounds great,” Travis answered with a smile. “I don’t mind staying over. I am pretty tired, anyway, and I don’t wanna fall asleep at the wheel and end up at an anomalous gas station…again.”

Elliott breathed a tiny sigh of relief. “Okay, um, great!”

As soon as they arrived back at Elliott’s house, Elliott dug his keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and flipped the light switch on. “Well, make yourself at home,” he said a bit awkwardly. He slipped off his sneakers and left them by the door, and Travis followed suit. He gestured to the hallway. “Um…I’m just going to go change real quick.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, go ahead,” waved Travis. He took off his own jacket, which was still a bit damp from the rapids ride.

A few minutes later, Elliott returned now changed in another teal-colored sleep shirt and light blue pajama pants with orcas on them. He handed Travis a pair of folded pajamas. “Here, so you don’t have to sleep all night in your clothes. I’m sure they might still be kinda wet from the rapids ride.”

“Oh, thanks,” Travis accepted the clothes.

“No prob. They’re my older brother’s so I think they’ll fit you better than my own clothes.”

“Oh—um, are you sure it’s okay if I wear these?”

“It’s fine,” Elliott quickly assured. “My brother lives out of state, and he never swings by the house anymore.”

Travis relaxed, then excused himself to change. When he returned, he plopped down on the couch next to Elliott. Elliott had to hold back a gulp seeing Travis in the black sleep shirt and camo sweatpants he gave him. He totally rocked that simple sleep outfit way better than his brother ever could have.

Elliott flipped on the TV for background noise. Then, he went to the kitchen to grab them each a soda.

“Thanks,” Travis accepted.

“Well, thank you for taking me to Six Poles,” Elliott timidly replied. “And for the stuffed animal,” he patted the plushie in his lap. “And for making me have such a great time. I never would’ve gotten the guts to go on that roller coaster if you hadn’t helped me.”

“I’m glad you had fun. I had a fun time with you, too, El,” Travis smiled before his expression turned serious. He set his soda can down on the coffee table in front of them. “But speaking of…care to explain yourself earlier? The whole ‘coaster confession’ thing?”

Elliott emitted a small groan. He was hoping Travis would have forgotten the subject as soon as they got home. But by the look on his face, he knew neither of them were going to sleep that night unless Elliott spilled the beans.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he innocently replied, taking another sip of soda.

Travis rolled his eyes. “Cut the charades, Elliott. I know you know what I’m talking about so spill it.”

Elliott averted his gaze. “There’s nothing to spill!”

“Y’know, I had a feeling you might’ve been…well…gay back in the day,” Travis noted like a detective, “but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions and immediately put labels on my friend, y’know?”

Elliott swallowed hard. “Y-Yeah, I know.”

“Sooo isn’t there anything you’d like to tell me now that we’re here? Maybe something I should know about?”

“Um…n-no..?”

Travis’ expression darkened. “All right, that’s it!” He plucked Elliott’s soda from his hands, set it on the coffee table, and tackled him down on the couch, the plushie tumbling down to the floor.

Elliott yelped as he was pinned on his back. “Dude—!?”

“You better start talking, El,” Travis ordered like a villain. “What was with that whole, ‘I’m gay, I’m gay! I’m sorry I lied to you, Travis!’ thing, huh?”

“I—I dunno! I was just scared!” Elliott lied. “You know how when they put you under laughing gas at the dentist, and you’re prone to saying a bunch of wacky stuff? Stuff that isn’t even true? That’s what it was! I swear!”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t I believe you?”

“You tell me!” Elliott squirmed, trying to push his friend off. “Get off of me, man!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Travis poked him in the chest. “Not until you fess up!”

“I’m not saying anything!”

“A-ha! So you do know something!”

“No, I don’t! And even if I did, I still wouldn’t tell you!”

Normally, any other friend would have been furious at that moment. But not Travis. He had to admit, he was a little hurt that his best friend of so many years didn’t trust him enough to tell him his secret even after Travis told him about being asexual himself. But he wouldn’t hold that against Elliott. He knew how hard it was admitting something as personal as one’s own sexual orientation. He remembered how difficult it was for himself figuring out that he was ace.

But he also didn’t want Elliott beating himself up for accidentally confessing his secret. He knew exactly how he was going to handle this.

“Ohhh, I see how it is,” Travis couldn’t help but smirk. “We’re keeping secrets from each other? Like seeds in oranges? You know how much I hate seeds in my orange juice!”

Elliott quirked a brow. “What are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, much like the freshly picked oranges I use for breakfast everyday, I guess I’ll have to squeeze it out of you!” Travis emphasized his point by squeezing his friend’s sides.

Elliott squealed and grasped his hands. “N-Noho, Travis! Dohon’t you dahahare!”

“You’ve got five seconds to save yourself, El,” Travis declared. “Or else I’ll have to tickle it out of ya~!”

Elliott shook his head while giggling, “Forgehet ihihihit! I’m nohot saying a wohohord!”

Travis shrugged. “Suit yourself. Five…”

“You can’t be serious…”

“Four…”

“C’mohohon! You’re being ridiculous! It’s not that big a deal!”

“Three…”

“Wahahahait! You’re not being fahahair!”

“Two…”

“Can’t I tell you a secret about someone else?!”

“No.”

“Uh—my mom steals butter from restaurants!”

“Don’t care. One!”

“Travis—!!”

Travis touched down on his sides again, squeezing rapidly. He was not going to play nice tonight.

“AAAAH! Noho, wahaHAhait! That’s nohohot fAHAhahair!”

“Too bad!” Travis said over his friend’s giggles. “Unless you tell me what I wanna know, you’re going to be stuck here like this all night.” He tased Elliott’s sides to make him arch with another high-pitched squeal. “And you’re in luck because I happened to memorize all the ticklish spots on the human body for my anatomy class last semester! Oh wait—that’s bad luck for you, isn’t it? Oh well!”

Elliott giggled harder at that comment. He hated how teasy Travis could be when tickling him. Elliott could never stand any form of verbal teasing.

Instinctively, he tried to twist onto his side to curl up.

“Oh, did I miss a spot?” Travis innocently pointed out as he quickly scribbled against his friend’s back.

Elliott squealed louder, and instantly flopped back onto his back. Travis, in return, force-rolled him to lay on his stomach so he could shove both hands under the teal shirt to continue scribbling his back.

Elliott buried his already red face against the couch cushions as more squeals poured out of him. He had forgotten how sensitive his back was. And Travis was not helping by spidering one hand up and down his spine while the other softly traced his shoulder blades.

“C’mon, El, tell me the truth, and I’ll spare you a loooong night of this tickle interrogation!” Elliott stubbornly shook his head against the cushions. “No?” Travis moved his hands lower to dig against his lower ribcage.

Elliott arched his back and began squirming more vigorously. His legs began kicking and his arms were flailing wildly. “NAAAAhahahahao!! Trahahahavis, noHOHOHOHO!! I’m nAHAhat telling you anythihihihihing!!”

Travis sighed playfully. “Oh, Elliott. You’re making this so much harder than it needs to be.”

“S-Shuhut uhuhuhup, you baguette ehehe—eating freheheak!”

Travis gasped dramatically, pretending to be offended. “Excusez-moi?! Oh, that’s it! Now, you’re just asking for it!”

He forced Elliott back onto his back, and wasted no time shoving his hands under his arms, wiggling his fingers rapidly.

Elliott shrieked, guffawing even louder. He slammed his arms to the side, effectively trapping his evil friend’s still moving fingers. “AAAAAAHEHEHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!! NAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHO, I-I’M SAHAHAHAHA—SORRY!!”

“Liar!”

Elliott thrashed from side to side. His red cheeks began highlighting his freckles. His smile was so wide it was revealing his adorable gap tooth. “TRAVIHIHIHIS, PLEAHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE!”

“Ohh, fine, I’ll give you a break.” Travis slowed his fingers down. As much fun as he knew they were both having, he didn’t want to tire his friend out too much. Not yet.

“I’ll give you one last chance to explain yourself,” he said, placing his hands on his hips. “If you want me to stop this interrogation completely, you better start talking.”

Elliott stubbornly clamped his mouth shut. He shook his head rapidly, giggling nervously. “N-Nohohoho!”

“Talk! I know you wanna tell me!”

“Go choke ohon a croissant, you jeheherk!” Elliott stuck his tongue out

“Qu’est-ce que tu viens de me dire?!” Travis asked in the coldest tone he could muster. Once he brought out the angry French accent, there was no more mercy. “That tears it!” He rapidly dug one hand against Elliott’s ribs while the other vibrated against his belly.

Elliott shrieked once more, erupting into screechy laughter. “EEEEEEHAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!! WAHAHAHAIT, I-I TAHAKE IT BAHAHAHAAAACK!! EEEEEEHEHEHAHAHA!! WAIT! NOHOHO!! NAHAHAHAHAT THEHEHERE!!”

“What, heeeeere~?” Travis traced teasing circles around Elliott’s tummy. He knew it was a weak spot for his friend.

“StOHAHAhap tAHAhahalking to me like thaHAhat!” Elliott giggly protested, hiding his blushing face behind his arms. He squealed like a girl when Travis dug under his arms again, just to make him bring his arms down.

“Don’t think I’m letting you hide from me. Or forget that you can’t stand when I talk like this~!” He drew random shapes across the twitching stomach.

“EHEEEEHEEheeheeheehee!! Nohohoho! StaHAHAhahap talking!”

“What, is it really that bad? Would you prefer it if I talked like…this?” Travis leaned close to whisper in Elliott’s ear, “Tickle, tickle, tickle! Tickletickletickletickletickle!”

Elliott felt like his face was on fire. He sputtered and shook his head, trying to push Travis away from him. “S-StAHAHahahaaaap! That makes ihihit so much wOHOhohorse!”

“Does it? Well, duh! That’s the point, silly! Chatouiller, chatouiller, chatouiller~!”

“T-Trahahahavis, nAHAHAhahahao!!” Even being tickle-teased in another language was maddening. Elliott’s legs rapidly drummed against the couch. Travis noticed, and reached behind to squeeze above his kneecaps.

Elliott squealed and thrash-kicked his legs. “NAAAAHEEEheeheeheek!!”

“Are you going to tell me the truth now?” asked Travis. He was both surprised and amused when Elliott still shook his head. As ticklish as he knew his friend was, he also knew how stubborn he could be.

Travis gave another warning squeeze to the knees, even trying to worm his fingers underneath to scribble behind.

“EEEEK! Trahahahavis! NAHAHA! NEEEEEK! QuiHIHIhit it! I’m not—EEEEEK—telling you anything!”

Elliott tried to wriggle free as a last resort. With most of his strength already sapped from all his flailing earlier, he tried to channel one last bit to free himself. He was almost successful—but nearly fell off the couch onto his head.

Travis was quick to catch him in time by grasping his hips. Unfortunately, even that action alone tickled badly.

“Duhuhuhude! Lehet gohohoho!!” Elliott giggled crazily as the hands squeezing his hips sent tickly shocks up his spine.

“If I let you go, you’re gonna fall and land on your neck,” Travis noted. “And I need you alive so you can tell me your big secret!”

“On second thought, just let me fall.”

“Wh—No!”

Elliott squirmed again, trying to break free. His constant movement while stuck in an awkward half-upside down position made his shirt ride up, much to his oblivion.

Travis, however, noticed how his teal shirt had ridden up a little, exposing a sliver of Elliott’s lower belly. It gave him a very devious idea.

“Okay, El, this is really your last chance to confess. Tell me the truth about your ‘coaster confession’, and I’ll let you go to bed still breathing.”

Elliott opened his mouth, but the words were stuck in his throat.

“No answer? Fine!” Travis leaned down to his stomach. Elliott’s eyes widened in horrifying realization. He stuttered and babbled incoherently, attempting to pull his shirt down with one hand.

Travis was quick to grab his hands and pin them next to his hips. With a swift nudge of his nose—and a little help from gravity—he flicked the shirt up to expose the freckled tummy underneath.

Taking a dramatic deep breath, Travis leaned down to plant a big raspberry against the soft surface. “PFFFFBBBBBBBBBBBTTT!!”

Elliott arched his back with a girlish scream. “AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! NAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAO!! DOHOHOHON’T DO THAAAAAHAHAHAHAT!!”

He managed to thrash free, and face plant into the carpet floor. With a wobbly smile, he frantically tried to pull his shirt down while trying to crawl away on his hands and knees.

Travis couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Where do you think you’re going? You get back here!” He slid off the couch, grabbed his friend’s ankle, and yanked him back.

Elliott clawed against the carpet as he was dragged backwards. “L-Leave me alohohohone, Travis!” As he was rolled onto his back again, he protectively hugged his stomach.

Travis calmly took off his glasses, and reached to set them aside on the coffee table. “So you don’t smudge my glasses,” he said before darting his hands upwards against Elliott’s neck. He gave a few quick tickles to both sides of his neck, long enough to distract Elliott and make him scrunch his shoulders out of instinct.

With his arms now raised and out of the way, Travis swiftly pinned his wrists down, grabbed the edge of the shirt with his teeth, and pulled it upwards again.

Elliott wriggled with mad anticipation. Now having his entire stomach exposed and vulnerable made his whole body fill with butterflies. “N-Nohohoho! No, no, no, no, no! Get ahaha—off of me, you weirdo!”

“You’re still going to call me names even in this position?” asked Travis. Elliott just stuck his tongue out in response. “Oh, real mature, dude!”

Travis wasted no time and dove down to blow endless raspberries. He made sure to leave no spot on Elliott’s torso without a raspberry; he got his sides, planted one on each of his ribs, right on his hips, his upper and lower stomach, and paid special attention to his belly button as he knew that was a bad spot on Elliott’s tummy.

And Elliott? He couldn’t stop screaming hysterics like if he was in a horror movie. He frantically thrashed every which way as he laughed his hardest. “AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! TRAHAHAHAHAVIS, NAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAO!! THAT TIHIHIHIHICKLES TOO MUHUHUHUCH!! AAAAAAAAHHH!! NONONONO WAHAHAIT, WA—AAAAAAAHEEHEEHEEHEAAAAAA!! NAHAHAHAO, NO! NO! PLEASE NOHOHOHOT THERE!! AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

He screeched when another raspberry was blown directly over his navel. He couldn’t stop the snort that escaped from his lips. Blush consumed his face once more when he realized he had snorted.

“Awww, I forgot you can snort when you’re laughing super hard,” Travis innocently pointed out. He blew another raspberry, shaking his head to increase the ticklish feeling. “PFFFFFBBBBBBBBBBBBBTTT!!”

Elliott arched with another screech, followed by another snort.

Travis paused his tickly assault one last time. “Okay…for all the marbles…spill the beans on your coaster confession, or else!”

“O-Or else what…?” Elliott dared to ask between pants.

Travis grinned like a villain. “Or else I’m just gonna raspberry-count every. Single. Little freckle that you have on your adorable tummy! From what I can tell, you must have, like, what, twenty-something? Maybe more?” He demonstrated by blowing a raspberry against one freckle that was just above Elliott’s left hip. “PFFFBBBBBBBTTT! Oneeee~!”

Elliott shrieked once more and thrashed from side to side. “NAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHAAAAA!! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP! OKAHAHAHAHAY!! OKAY, I’LL TAHAHAHALK!!”

Travis withdrew completely and climbed off his friend. He helped him sit up. “Are you okay?”

Elliott tiredly nodded, panting heavily. “Yeah…I’ll…I’ll be fine.”

“Good…now, spill it!”

“Okay!”

Elliott sighed heavily. He stared at his lap, fiddling with his hands. “The truth is…” He paused to quickly grab his forgotten stuffed animal off the floor, squeezing it for comfort. “I…I am gay…”

He waited for Travis to act disgusted, to finally reject him as a person and friend. But he didn’t say anything. He simply listened with surprised yet curious eyes, silently waiting for him to continue.

Elliott took a deep breath. “Back on the roller coaster, I really was legitimately scared. I…guess in the heat of the moment, I accidentally blurted out my secret. And the whole reason I made a big fuss up until now was because I was even more terrified to tell you. I-I didn’t know how you were going to react, or if you would even see me as a person anymore—!”

“Elliott, relax,” Travis interrupted his anxious rant, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly. “I would never see you differently just because you have a different interest than me. I may not understand it fully from your perspective, to be honest, but I’m not gonna clobber you for it. It’s your life, man, not mine.” He paused. “That one time when I said, ‘maybe girls just aren’t your thing’ as a joke, was that when…?”

Elliott nodded. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time until you said that. And then I realized you were right, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you after that. I…I’m really sorry I lied to you, Travis.”

Travis nodded understandingly. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“No, I do,” Elliott insisted. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell you this when I had so many chances. And it seems so hypocritical of me that I couldn’t tell you even though you were able to tell me that you were ace. What kind of friend does that make me?”

“Look, El, don’t be be so hard on yourself. Admitting these sorts of things about ourselves isn’t easy. It takes a lot of courage and guts, but you definitely have both to be brave enough to tell me. The same way you listened to me when I came out as ace, I’m gladly listening to you as you tell me you're gay.”

Elliott frowned. “But that’s different. You being ace doesn’t make you any abnormal; you’re still normal. And I’m…not.”

“Hey, c’mon, don’t say that about yourself,” Travis chided gently. “You’re still you, Elliott. You’re still the same incredible, kind, and intelligent person. Just because you like guys doesn’t make you a freak. And, no offense, El, but you’re not any more abnormal than you ever were before.” He playfully nudged his shoulder. “Neither of us are!”

Elliott tried to bite back a smile, but it was visible on his lips. “Okay, I guess you gotta point there. But, seriously, you’re not at all weirded out by this?”

“Like I said, I may not understand what it’s like, but trust me when I say I am not weirded out at all.”

“Not even a little bit? You don’t have to lie, I know a lot of people are…”

“Elliott, I work at an anomalous research facility. My first cryptid encounter happened when I was four. I’m studying to be a paranormal investigator. And I’m getting my PhD in paranormal science. Heck, my freakin’ job is to help research and contain all these anomalies we find. I've seen stranger things…and I’ve encountered a lot more stranger things growing up,” Travis sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “You think I’m going to find my best friend being gay weird? Get outta here!”

He surprised Elliott by pulling him in a crushing bear hug. “You’re my best friend, Elliott! My meilleur ami! I don’t care if you identify as a Pringles chip! Nothing is going to make me see you any less of a person.”

Elliott felt like tearing up—not because of his incredibly supportive friend, but because said friend was going to snap his spine in half any minute from the anaconda-crushing hug. “O-Okay..! I get it! I get it! Aaaah! You’re…killing me, Trav..!”

Travis giggled and let him go. “I gotta get you a ton of Skittles candy now.”

Elliott groaned and laughed. “Oh my—do not throw that cheap stereotype at me!”

“What? It’s true, right? Being gay means your signature colors are the rainbow. Ooh! That could be your catchphrase!”

“What?”

Travis cleared his throat dramatically. “Taste the rainbow, motherfucker!”

Elliott burst out laughing. “Oh my—HAHAhaha! No! That’s not—ahahaha! You dope! I am not saying that!”

“At least say it if you’re ever in danger! That’ll be the last thing a bad person hears before they’re history!”

Elliott giggled madly, hugging his stomach. Only Travis could come up with something silly involving his recent confession of being gay. “Duhuhuhude, you—you’re crahahazy!”

Travis grinned. “Not according to the Foundation’s most wanted list. Oh, wait—they do think I’m crazy. That’s why they hate me.”

“W-What?”

“Uhh…it’s just an inside joke at work.” Travis hugged his friend once more. “Feeling any better?”

Elliott hugged him back. “Mm-hmm. Thanks, Travis. You’re a great friend. I’m sorry for putting you through all this, again.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. At least now, I know how to make you confess if you ever have any more secrets!”

“Hey!” Elliott squeaked.

“As long as you don’t keep any more secrets from me. From now on, we all tell each other everything; no matter how major or minor it is. Deal?”

When Elliott didn’t respond, Travis narrowed his eyes. “Why, do you have another secret you’re not telling me?”

Elliott wriggled free from the hug. “I-It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing. C’mon, what is it?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

“Elliott…” Travis brought his hands up into claws, wiggling his fingers threateningly. “Do I need to tickle-interrogate you again?”

“NO!” Elliott exclaimed, using his plushie to shield his torso. “Okay, okay, fine! I…I don’t know if this counts as a secret because I don’t go around telling people about it, but…I…I drive a motorcycle.”

Travis was flabbergasted. “Excusez-moi…WHAT?!”

“I drive a motorcycle,” repeated Elliott. “I have been for the last three years.”

“You—but—huh?!?” Travis stuttered in disbelief. He never imagined his shy, softspoken, timid friend ever having the guts to get on a motorbike.

“Technically my brother bought the bike,” Elliott began to explain. “He bought it because I guess he wanted to fit in with this other biker gang from school at the time? But he can never commit to anything he spends money on; he just likes to buy things to show off. He only rode the bike for like, a year, before he moved on and bought himself a new car—a convertible.

“So he ditched the bike, and left it in the garage ever since. I thought he was going to come back for it or sell it when he said he was moving out of state, but he never did. Sooo I figured if he was just going to abandon his motorcycle like the deadbeat dad he already is, I could ride the bike as my own. And so I did. As a matter of fact,” he flashed a sheepish smile, “I’ve been riding my motorcycle to school ever since senior year of high school.”

“What?!” Travis exclaimed. Then, he gasped. “Wait a minute—you were the mysterious biker guy senior year that all the girls had a crush on! Nobody could figure out your identity! But it. Was. You?! This whole time?!”

“Uh…surprise?” Elliott said weakly.

“Dude…that’s insane! You’re like Batman! But gay!”

Elliott laughed. “I guess?”

“Okay, one: that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard! I have the coolest friend in the entire world! And two: you technically lied to me again!”

“W-Wait, hang on now!” Elliott scooted backwards, holding his hands up in defense.

Travis scooted closer. “Oh, no, no, no. First, you don’t tell me that you’re gay, and now you couldn’t tell me about your secret double life?”

“I-It’s not like that! I just never broadcasted it to the whole school! Besides, I’ve heard plenty of horror stories of people pretending to be a biker’s friend just because they drive a motorcycle. I just didn’t want to attract a crowd of fake friends!”

“Ohhh, you mean like me?” asked Travis, yet there was no real venom in his words.

“No! No, that’s not what I meant!”

“Too late!” Travis tackled him down to the floor again.

“Wahahait! Travis! I could show you the bike right now!” Elliott pleaded.

“You can show me later. Right now, I’ve got a ton of freckles I need to raspberry-count.”

“NOHOHOHO! Not agahahahain!”

“Well, then you shouldn’t have lied to me!”

“I’m sOHOhohohorry!”

“I accept your apology…but I’m still going to raspberry-count your tummy freckles!”

“WhAHAhat?!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it! They’re just so cute!”

“Nonononono, you better not—!”

“PFFFFBBBBBBBBBBBBBBTTTT!!”

“AAAAAAAAAHHH!! TRAHAHAHAHAHAVIS!!!”

Elliott vowed he would never hide anything from his best friend ever again.

THE END :3

Elliot was sitting at his writing desk, struggling with a storyline. He’s been dealing with some writer's block lately, and has been trying to push through by writing despite it. But this was proving to be a lot more difficult than he thought it would be. Trying to write a chapter without much ideas, was like trying to catch a fish without a piece of bait at the end. It wasn’t impossible, but it’s certainly a challenge. 

To try and get over some of his writer's block, Elliot closed his book and opened up his journal instead. He opened up his book to the most recent page, where he had talked about a little insecurity of his. It was something he never told anyone, let alone talked about out loud. He picked up his pen and continued to write on the partly pre-written page. 

He had moved onto the next page, when a far-away knock had filled his ears for a moment or two. He put down his pen, got up from his desk and walked over to the door. Unsure of who it was, Elliot gently opened it and widened his eyes. “Oh! Greetings, Alex!” He greeted. “Not the person I was expecting.” He admitted. “Oh yeah? Who were you expecting?” Alex asked with a smirk. 

“Uh…” Elliot scratched the back of his head. “Honestly…I was expecting Leah or the new farmer.” He admitted. “Nevertheless, how’s your day been treating you?” He asked. 

“It’s been alright. You?” Alex replied. 

“It’s been comforting.” He lied a little bit. “What brings you here?” 

Alex pointed to the dock with his thumb behind him. “Wanna sit on the dock for a bit?” He asked. 

“Uhhh…” Elliot looked behind himself towards the writing room, and bit his lip. “Well…” He looked back towards Alex. “I’m a little busy trying to write at the moment. Perhaps a little later?” He asked. 

“Oh! You’re writing?!” Alex asked. 

“Y-Yes, but-” 

“I wanna see!” 

Before Elliot could protest, Alex had sprinted through Elliot into his cabin. “WaitWAIT!” Elliot shouted as he ran after him. Alex had sprinted right into Elliot's writing room, eager to see how far he was into his book. He picked up the journal and started reading the first page. 

[Everyone knows one of my favorite birthday gifts is duck feathers. Though I find them very pretty, that is not why I love duck feathers as much as I do.] 

“Wait…” Alex looked at the front of the journal, and widened his eyes. “I didn’t know you journal!” He reacted. 

“Alex!” Elliot complained. 

“Let’s see…” He started reading the journal out loud. “Another reason I like duck feathers so much is because they are very useful to write with.” He read. “Well, that’s obvious…” Alex muttered with a chuckle. “A-Alex…” Elliot muttered, covering his mouth and cheeks with his right hand. 

“They are also quite soft to the touch. Just the delicate graze of my fingers across the feather is enough to make me…giggle…” Alex blinked. “Huh?” He tilted his head slightly as he read the phrase out loud again. “Delicate graze of my fingers…across the feather…” Alex looked up. “Makes you giggle? Why?” Alex asked next. 

Elliot’s face was bright red by this point. It didn’t take much effort to darken his ginger face. He couldn’t tell why exactly he was blushing…was it because Alex had read his secret out loud? Or was it because Alex didn’t understand what he secretly meant? He had no idea, and he didn’t really wanna take the time to find out which was worse. 

“Oh wait…” Alex muttered before continuing to read. “My fingers are a little sensitive…It doesn’t take many flutters to leave me sheepish and giggly.” Alex looked up, surprised to be reading such unusual information. “Wait, when you say sensitive…you mean ticklish, right?” Alex clarified. 

“U-Uh…U-Ummm-” Elliot sighed and covered his face. Though this helped cover up the true color of his face, it didn’t exactly stop Alex from reading more of the journal. 

“Though I do have a favorite…” Alex’s voice slowly trailed off as he kept reading the journal. Alex’s lips slowly formed into his signature smirk the more he read it. The truth was becoming clear to him, and he appeared to be absolutely loving it!

Elliot sat himself onto his piano bench. It was the closest seat he could find before he fell to the ground from pure humiliation. The truth was, Elliot wanted to crawl into a little ball and die. He could not be more mortified…Of all the people to find out the truth…Why did it have to be Alex?! Why couldn’t it have been Leah?! Or the new farmer?! He doesn’t even know Alex all that well. Yes, they somewhat grew up together…but they still didn’t really know each other. Not like Leah does, anyway. And knowing Alex, he may end up blabbing to everyone about his little secret! OH HEAVEN HELP ME! 

Elliot’s anxious thoughts were quickly cut short by a shocked squeal of his own. He had felt something delicately soft, and unbelievably familiar against his neck. Elliot didn’t even need to look at the perpetrator and their weapon of choice. He knew EXACTLY what was tickling his neck, and who was using it against him. 

But all of Elliot’s duck feathers were hidden in a narrow box in his room! So only one question remained: Where did Alex get THIS duck feather from?! 

“Well, will you look at that…” Alex muttered, smirking as he fluttered the feather against his back neck where the spine was. 

Elliot squeaked rather childishly as he brought his shoulders up to try and cover up his neck. “eeEEHEEHEEP!” Elliot shrieked. 

“So the journal WAS right! You ARE ticklish on your neck!” Alex reacted with a laugh. 

“ALEXWAhahait!” Elliot laughed and protested. 

Alex chuckled. “It’s a good thing I brought this duck feather with me, huh?” Alex teased. 

Realizing his neck-covering tactic clearly wasn’t working, Elliot reached his hand behind him to get the feather away from his neck. “P-Plehehease dohon’t!” He reacted. “Ihit’s ehembarassihihihing!” Elliot tried to tell him. 

“If it’s so embarrassing, then why would you write it down on paper for the world to read?!” Alex asked as he moved the feather to the left side of Elliot’s neck. “This whole thing was all on you.” 

“Beeheecause it’s aha secrehehet!” Elliot argued, trying to curl his neck and shoulders to cover it up. “Yohohou rehehead my stuhuhuhuff!” 

“Well, you should’ve put away the journal diary before answering the door!” Alex responded with a chuckle. “Besides…” He fluttered the feather on the now-exposed right side of his neck. “Why would you keep a cute little thing like this a secret?” Alex asked. 

Elliot squealed and struggled to cover up the ticklish spot. “Ihihihit’s nohohot cuhute!” Elliot argued. 

“What are you talking about?! This is cute as hell!” Alex replied rather excitedly. 

“Ihihit’s nohohot!” Elliot kept arguing. 

“If there’s someone in this town that wouldn’t think this is cute, then I’d like to meet them and make them get their eyes checked.” He told him. “Cause THIS…” He fluttered the feather against the left side of his lower neck. 

“DOHOHON’T!” Elliot squeaked and tried to push his hand away. 

“-is gonna get you all the ladies.” Alex finished his tease. 

“Nohohot thehere!” He reacted, laying himself down onto the closed piano. 

“Okay, okay. Then what about here?” Elliot snuck the dainty green feather right under Elliot’s chin. “How about-” 

“eeEEEK!” Elliot squeaked, followed by a big snort. Realizing what he had done, Elliot immediately covered his mouth. 

Alex had moved his feather away and widened his smile the moment he heard it. “Oh my god!” He bursted out laughing almost immediately. “What a reaction!” He placed the feather against his chin again, and twirled it instead. 

“eeEEEHEEHEEK! *snort* DOHON’TPLEHEHEASE!” Elliot shrieked and laughed. 

“Dude, this is hilarious!” Alex fluttered the feather against his lower neck again. “I have never seen you act like this before!” Alex reacted. 

“NONOHOHOHAHAHA!” Elliot started cackling. Even the slightest flutter was enough to drive him crazy! 

“Do it again! Do the snort!” Alex encouraged before fluttering the feather under his chin again. 

“GAHAHAHA! PLEHEhehease stohohohop! Ihihi- IHIHIT’S TOO MUHUHUCH!” Elliot pleaded. 

“Damn dude! I’m barely doing anything!” Alex was shocked. “Are you really this ticklish?!” 

Elliot was too busy squealing and giggling to properly give him a reply. 

After a couple more minutes, Alex finally decided to give the man a rest. He brought the feather away from the long-haired writer, and focused on twirling it. “That was surprisingly fun!” Alex told him. 

Elliot hunched himself over on the piano stool, and scratched his chin and neck vigorously to make the phantom tickles go away. “Yohou…” He pointed to Alex with his pointer finger. “You are an absolute menace.” Elliot muttered. 

Hearing Elliot’s claim, Alex decided to confirm it by fluttering the end of the feather very delicately against Elliot’s pointing finger. 

“a-Ack?!” Elliot jumped, retracting his finger in milliseconds. 

“Can’t keep pointing fingers at me if I’m tickling them, right?” Alex teased. 

Elliot widened his eyes slightly, before sighing and giving up. He hated to admit it, but…Alex was somewhat correct. He literally can’t point fingers at him, because that would mean exposing yet another one of his ticklish spots to Alex…And Elliot was already quite sheepish to start. 

“So…” Alex pointed the feather to him. “I originally came out to give this to you.” Alex admitted, holding it out for him. “But considering how things went, I’m glad I waited.” Alex added. 

Elliot blinked and smiled a bit, taking the feather. “Th-Thank you.” He said softly. “I appreciate the gesture.” 

Alex smiled a bit. “And…does anyone else know about…” Alex pointed to the journal, before pointing to the feather. 

Elliot shook his head. “No. Not even Leah knows the truth.” He admitted. 

“Hm…Well, I think you should tell her.” Alex told him. 

Elliot looked a little surprised. “Tell Leah?” He looked away. “But…Why?” He asked. 

“Cause she’s your closest friend. So I think it’s safe to assume you can trust her.” Alex explained. 

“Mm hmm…And you?” Elliot asked. 

Alex tilted his head. “Me?” 

Elliot bit his lip. “Can I trust you to keep it a secret?” He asked him. 

“If that’s what you want, then sure!” Alex replied. 

Elliot let out a small breath of relief. 

“But only if I get to subtly tease you about it in front of Leah.” Alex declared next. 

Elliot rolled his eyes with a sigh, but nodded his head. “Very well.”

“Yes!” Alex cheered. “Listen, you’re not a very sportsy guy…But honestly…” Alex shrugged his shoulders. “You’re still pretty cool.” He told him. 

Elliot smiled and looked down, taking the compliment as best he could. “And I suppose you’re pretty good-natured yourself.” Elliot replied. 

“‘Good-natured’? That’s the best you can come up with?!” Alex retorted with a laugh. 

Elliot sighed. “I don’t understand some of the ‘cool’ words you use.” Elliot explained. “Look: I’ll forgive your terrible response if you hang out with me at the dock. Deal?” Alex offered. 

Elliot chuckled a little bit and shook his head with a smile. “Very well.” He got up from the piano stool and started to walk towards the door. 

Alex was about to follow him…But seeing that Elliot had forgotten his duck feather, Alex had picked it up and fluttered it against the left side of his neck again. “Forgot something, nerd?” Alex teased. 

Elliot squeaked and slid a few steps away from the feather. “NahAHA! Alex!” Elliot reacted. 

“You gotta stop leaving your feathers out in the open. Someone – me – Just might use it against you.” Alex told him. 

Elliot poked his side a few times in retaliation. “Don’t act so innocent.” He warned before opening the door to exit his cabin.