tw brat

in the end, you’d been got — bamboozled — only you wanted to be here. you see, the thing about connie is that he’s always been a little too young, a little too wild. it seemed that there were always leagues between the two of you and he could never catch up; the odds were never in his favor. however those statistics never stopped him from pursuing his dreams, both in his relationship with you and in joining the military. all that persistence and here you are, straining your eyes for a glimpse of the boy you’ve spent the last three months missing.

“you don’t have to look so hard, you know? i’m right here.”

the voice is deeper than you remember and you’re almost too terrified to turn around. you do though — quick and giddy — only to be reminded that he’s changed. taller, broader, even his hair is longer. the man that stands before you is not the same boy that left you and for a minute, insecurity creeps in and leaves you wondering if his feelings have changed any as well.

“i—,” you pause abruptly, suddenly not knowing what to say.

“well gosh, don’t rush to hug me or anything! not like i’ve been gone for three months or nothing!”

the teasing smile on his face liquifies the cement that’s settled in your gut and you hurry to close the remaining distance so that you can wrap your arms around him. he squeezes you hard enough to expel the breath from your lungs, muscles you don’t recall him having digging into your skin. you get a nose full of cologne when you inhale, a spicy, musky scent that you’re not used to.

all these changes, this growth, makes tears brim your eyes. your hands frame his face when he loosens his grip, palms smoothing over stubble on what had once been a baby face. connie’s not a boy anymore, not a baby; the now angular cut of his jaw is only a small testament to that.

“hey, hey, hey, what’s that? i thought you’d be happy to see me!” he says, concern crinkling his eyes.

“i am,” you assure him, patting his cheeks. “i’m so happy and that’s why i’m crying.”

“yeah? you missed me?”

“missed you following me around like a lovesick puppy,” you quip, laughter in your voice. “chasing after me like some kind of mad man.”

connie nods, bumping his forehead against yours. “well, i’m not much of a puppy anymore,” he says, watching the smile waver on your lips, “but i’m still chasing you.”

there are hundreds of people around to witness your first kiss, the way you gasp in shock and rush in to peck his lips all because of the confirmation that you’re sure he didn’t even know you needed. that fact doesn’t stop you from clinging to him, molding your lips together so you can finally convey to him that you’re his if he’ll have you.

“i gotta go see my mom,” he tells you between kisses, breathless and giggly. “but after,” he pauses, getting caught up in your stare.

“yeah? what about after?” you prompt, fingers pushing through the short strands at his nape.

“will you let me take you out this time? as a man?”

you laugh, loud and boisterous because the last time connie springer asked you on a date he was sixteen with his knees knocking together. you’d been nineteen and severely uninterested, but he’s never given up. not once in the five years you’ve known each other. this time though, you have an entirely different answer for him.

“yes.”

“sweet!” he hollers, only to clear his throat afterwards in embarrassment. “i mean, great. awesome. very manly.”

“you’re an idiot, springer,” you say fondly, “c’mon, i’m sure your mama’s dying to see you.”

he doesn’t hesitate to pick up his bags, lugging them into his shoulders with a strength that you won’t admit makes you a little weak in the knees. he follows you like he has been the entire time, free hand laced in yours because he can’t stand not touching you. your idiot comment plays on loop in his head, making him feel like a boy on the inside. see, connie knows that he’s an idiot, but he’s hoping that after tonight, he might just officially be your idiot.