The Morning Storm (MxM)

3.

Well, this is awkward. Everett has never been in this type of situation before. Usually, people see Everett in public and outright ignore him. He has grown pretty accustomed to being left alone, or flat out nonexistent in the public eye. Just another struggling citizen trying to live their life. This was something completely new for Everett, as the only time someone had tried to comfort him in public is when he had dropped his ice cream on a subway, and even then people laughed at him. So Pete's sudden concern and politeness was something Everett was not used to. It must have been the difference in cities. Small town people are usually nicer, right?

"Oh...yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Everett said, his lies stinging his tongue.

Pete reached out a hand and softly grasped Everett's shoulder. His touch was warm, and as much as Everett wanted to pull away, his body wouldn't let him. "Hey," Pete said quietly, getting Everett's attention. "Is it the storm?"

Everett's eyes widened in response. "...How did you-"

"My ex-wife was a vet in the military," Pete started, letting his soft grip go on Everett's shoulder. to Everett's dismay. "She was scared of fireworks and loud noises. She would tense up and space off. It was like she would just shut down, and there was no power button. Anyways I saw you and thought it looked familiar."

Everett began to calm down and gave Pete a genuine grin. "...Well, thank you. It uh- means a lot." 

"It's no problem son. Do you need someone to talk to?" Pete said kindness filled his voice.

Almost as if it was on cue, the storm outside began to get more intense, causing Everett to tense up. The wind outside began to blow louder, and the sound of some things getting knocked over outside spilled through the hotel. In a desperate measure to get away from the sound, Everett almost yelled. "Yeah! I'd love some company. Can we go somewhere else first?" He said, panic filling his voice.

Pete immediately got up and nodded, and the two walked out of the cafe area. While the two were walking, Everett noticed the hotel employee sitting on her phone, staring at the front door, with an unamused expression on her face. The best way to describe it was that she straight up didn't care at all. The sight made Everett laugh a little. The two men continued through the hallway before reaching a quiet spot, outside a bunch of rooms. A few doors down were what sounded like a few people drinking and having a good time. There were also three girls walking around the hotel on their phones. One seemed about 19ish, and the other two seemed like they were 15 and maybe 12? They were probably sisters.

The two men sat down on the ground and relaxed a little, the trio of girls passing by the two men. They were both talking very quietly, and Everett heard one of them say the word "dilf"? Whatever that meant. Maybe it was a mean joke since they looked at Pete when they said it. The two sat in silence for a little, and Everett fiddled with his hands nervously. Pete looked over at Everett a couple of times and smiled at him, making Everett get a weird feeling in his chest. Why was this stranger being so nice to him?

"Are you feeling any better?" Pete asked, getting Everett's attention.

His voice was so calming. It was raspy and had that accent, but it was soft and sweet. He had such a bright vocal production, making everything he said almost sound happy. It was a voice Everett could listen to all day. It reminded him a lot of a warm blanket. It was odd how many little things about Pete Everett had noticed. It was like spotting the little details in an oil painting. "Yes. Thank you." Everett said quietly.

The two were close together, about a foot away from each other. It was peaceful having really anybody to talk to during the storm for Everett, even if it was this old guy he met like ten minutes ago. Really anybody helps. Throughout the years, Everett found that the best way for someone to calm him down during situations like this would to be either talk to him, cuddle him, or even both. In the past, he has had girlfriends and boyfriends who would do this. The thought made him somber. He hasn't been in a relationship for almost 3 years now. Nobody seemed to fit his criteria. It's a shame really, but that's life.

A loud thunderclap outside made Everett freeze, and look down at the ground. His body began to tremble, and his leg began to shake. Everett looked over at Pete, who was simply playing with his hands. It was an awkward situation, but it needed to be broken somehow. "Hey Pete, can you talk to me?"

Pete looked over at Everett and smiled at him. "What do you wanna hear?"

"Just anything, please." Everett began to fidget.

Pete scooted himself across the floor and came face to face with Everett, a very close distance. Pete was sitting cross-legged and had his hands intertwined with themselves. "Well, let's see. How about...My childhood? How does that sound?" 

Everett only nodded. Pete smiled and began to talk about his childhood. He grew up with 3 sisters, and a mom and dad. His dad died when Pete was very young, about 10 years old. It made a ripple in his family, but they persevered. His mom owned a small clothing store down in Nebraska, where he grew up.  He would help his mom out every day of the week and thought he was the richest kid in the world with the 15 dollar pay weekly. His sisters were a little mean to him, but that was no problem. It taught him to be tough. Pete had finished his little story in about 10 minutes, which clocked off some time from the storm, and kept him distracted.

"Well, that's all I've got about my childhood. The happy stuff anyways. How are you doing?" Pete said kindly, Everett staring into his eyes.

"I think I'm okay for now. Thank you." Everett started, continuing his glance. "I actually really need to thank you. This...helped a lot."

Pete gave him a smile, which made Everett's stomach do a flip. "No problem at all. Do you need anything?"

Everett really began to feel something, because the man he was looking at really was being the sweetest person ever. Telling him stories, getting him water, making sure he was okay. This was more effort this stranger had put into calming him down than anybody had done during his relationships, and that was kind of a good thing. "I'm okay. So uh- you need anything?" Everett replied.

"I need to know if there is anything else I can do for you."

Things are heating up!!! (kinda lol)