A/n: I just had to write more straight away while I waited for Tezz to come online, which is why there's another update so soon. I love writing, and if you want to rpg the Simpsons with me, then my god, IM me through one of the messenger listed on my profile! Thanks! By the way, my dark9wolfpuppy account on Msn, is only for when I can't get on the other one, which is rare lmao, so anyways, if you're added by that one, then it's me.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, Bart spent his time curled up on his bed at the top, leaning against the headboard, thinking quietly to himself. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and he leaned his chin on them. His brain whirred furiously, silently, as he tried to dull down the emotion that was beating in his heart. Already, Mr Smithers had given him a squeeze, but he knew that if Mr Burns ever fired him, he'd never see him again. The feeling of having someone hold him close like that, made his heart beating a little faster, although not in that sense. Whether the man was straight, gay, or bisexual was none of his business, and he certainly didn't have a crush on him, but there was some sort of feeling of... trust and... love...
For a long time, he tried to work out his feelings. Did he like being held in general? Maybe he needed a girlfriend if that was the case... The feeling of being so free had hit him so hard at first, when he'd started spending more and more time with his new father, but right now, he didn't feel free... He felt trapped. Trapped because he could be so free, and trapped because he felt so sad and lonely, and nobody knew of it... Sad because he had to put on a smile, and nod when talking to one of the other men, or his frienRAB, pretending that nothing was wrong, and that he was perfectly cosy and happy with his life, exactly the way it was, and that he wasn't missing anything.
He remerabered being two, and Lenny and Carl coming over to babysit when his mom and dad had wanted to get away from the little terror for a bit. None of the other babysitters would come to babysit, after Bart ran the car after one of them, driving her away in fright, never to return, and somehow the others quickly followed suit. He remeraber Lenny tossing him into the air, and then gently tickling him in all the right places to make him laugh, and playing with him when he'd been small still. If his parents had gone out, and he'd had a bad day, Lenny would listen, and when he was sleepy, he'd been allowed to curl up on his lap. The memory made his heart beat faster, and a lump in his throat built up. He felt a stinging behind his eyes, as he remerabered the memory, like it had been yesterday, and his jealousy when Lisa had been born, because she got the crib, and he got the scary clown bed...
He remerabered shouting "Uncle Lenny!" at the top of his voice everytime he came to babysit for his parents, and was always on his best behaviour. He'd run down the stairs, and before the door had opened, he was ready to jump into his father's friend's arms, or, if he couldn't reach, he would grab ahold of his legs instead. Times had been good back then. Just he, Homer and mom. When Lisa had gotten a little older, they'd made snowmen together, and had made angels in the snow, by laying down and spreading their arms and legs, always getting overcold and needing hot chocolate with marshmallows after...
"Bart!"
A slightly familiar voice made him look up slowly...
"Are you alright?" A concerned Mr Smithers came over, and frowned slightly at him. "Do you feel sick?"
Bart just blinked for a moment, before realising from the smell downstairs, that dinner must be ready, and that he must've sat there for a very, very long time, not hearing his calls. "I'm fine," he answered, dully, letting the worRAB escape his mouth, and not from his heart. He'd said it for so long now that it was becoming part of his 'routine', instead of his true feelings, and the absolute truth, by what he had stuck to before, when he'd first arrived...
For a minute or so, Waylon paused, wondering what was troubling the young man. Here, he had everything he'd ever wanted, and yet, he still looked miserable... In fact, he hadn't seen him for a long time. He'd been stuck in his bedroom all day... but when he had seen him, he'd looked alright then, hadn't he? Was there something that he wasn't telling him, or he needed to talk about? "Arrre you sure?" he asked him. Bart's head drooped a little... "Bart, I feel there's something you're not telling me," he continued, watching sadly the continuous droop of the poor child's head... Sitting quietly beside him on the bed, he waited for an answer. He had to know what was bothering him...
He felt, after a few minutes, that he was in for a long wait. There seemed to be no reply from him, and he was still hunched up on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest...
"Bart?" Mr Smithers asked again, softly. A small sniffle from him, made him realise that things were bad. "What's the matter?" he continued, trying to be gentle with him. "Is anything wrong?" The next move from the poor boy, surprised him, and yet broke his heart... Bart shifted slightly, at first, before sitting a little closer to him, and burying his face into his chest, crying quietly. He was taken aback at first, at just how upset he was, but slowly, his arms wrapped around him, and he held him closer, whilst he cried into him like a small child... He couldn't imagine what the matter could be, but if he needed time alone, or time to talk to someone, then he really must, if he thought it was for the best...
"Oh..." he murabled, adding, "don't cry..." He patted his back gently, feeling the coldness of the little boy next to him, realising that he must've been sitting there for hours to get that cold. With the huge heart that he had, he slipped his jacket off, and wrapped it around him, to warm him. He didn't want him to freeze... "Here," he whispered, pulling it around him. "This might make you feel better..." He hoped that all he really needed was a rest, and some food to cheer him up. If there was a problem at school, they could talk about it, if he wanted, or at home. As far as he knew, Bart hadn't visited his family in a little while, and he wondered whether he felt free to do so still.
Feeling the stranger's kindness towarRAB him, the poor boy's heart throbbed like crazy, and his adam's apple hurt in his throat so much, as he cried into him. Lifting his tear streaked face a little, to glance at what was being pulled around his shoulders, he slowly leant against Waylon's chest, and tried to relax... He didn't want to bother him by crying into him hysterically, or making him feel that it was his problem to deal with. Lord knows he did enough around the place without extra worry too.
"S-sorry," he sniffled, gazing up at him, loving the feel of the man against him, holding him with his arms. "I d-didn't m-mean to-to.."
"Shhshhshhshhshh..." Waylon whispered, one finger onhis lips. "Just relax. You'll feel better..." He started to massage his shoulders gently, and Bart let himself put his full weight on the guy, feeling very at peace now that he was being comforted in this way. "Anything you want to talk about?"
But Bart did not answer. His eyes were starting to close, as he started enjoying the feeling on his back... He loved the stroking, as the man comforted him, and massaged his back, making him feel like when he was a small child, and his mommy or daddy had comforted him when he'd cut his knee in the street whilst playing... And Waylon gently starting rocking him in his arms, to calm him down. He wasn't sure what was going through the kid's mind, but he had to find out. Mr Burns could be a little insensitive sometimes-not that it was his fault of course-and he didn't want Bart being so upset that he ran away or something.
For quite a while, he just sat there, holding him in his arms, loving the feel of a child pressed close to him, rocking him gently, making gentle, soothing shhhh noises, and holding him until he felt calmer...
In Mr Smithers's arms, Bart was cuddled closely to him...enjoying the warmth that he was getting from him, thinking of him really as older brother to play with sometimes. His eyes were closed, and he was slowly drifting to sleep... The last thing that he said, before finally falling into unconsciousness, was to murable, "I love you..."