Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Alex left school on Thursday a lot more giddy than he had arrived. His joy rooted from the fact that the school day was over, obviously, but something else had sparked it, too. Or, rather, someone. He could not wait for Saturday, the prospect of going on an actual date with Jack was monumental. It was the next step in their relationship, it validated all else, and Alex was just glad that Jack was pushing the two of them toward that.

There was a small roadblock, though. He would have to ask his mother, because he was still only fifteen, and Isobel preferred to look over everything he did. He knew she trusted him, the problem was that she 'did not trust everybody else.' Alex's mother would have no problem with him going out with Jack, and he knew that for a fact, but he also knew that she would be constantly worrying about his food situation. They had countless arguments about it, Alex reminding his mother that he was always safe about it, and Isobel reminding her son that mistakes could slip by him so easily.

Alex decided to bring the subject up with his mother right away. He knew his mother would pass through the topic as if she were hearing old news, but she would end up pestering him about where he and Jack would be going. He found her in the laundry room after school, hanging up clothes.

"Mom?" Alex poked his head around the corner, unsure of the mood his mother was in. Maybe he would have to ask later.

"Hi, Alex. How was your day?" Isobel greeted her son, pausing to turn toward the door.

"Good," Alex answered, stepping into the room. "I have a question."

"What do you want now?" Alex's mother sighed with a laugh, turning back to what she was doing.

"Um, you know Jack, right?"

"The boy you mentioned last week?"

Alex nodded. "He asked me to hang out on Saturday."

"That's nice, sweetie."

"So, am I allowed to go?"

His mother made somewhat of a grumbling noise, and Alex immediately knew what he was in for. She finished up with the laundry, and walked over to her son.

"Do you know where you'll be going?"

Alex shook his head.

"And does he know?"

Alex shook his head again.

"Then how am I supposed to answer your question, Alexander? What you need to do is tell the boy, and let him know that you won't be going to any-"

"But, mum, I-"

"No 'buts.' You know the rules, no eating out unless I'm there." Isobel shook her head, brushing past Alex into the hallway.

"Not even if I talk to the people?" Alex whined. He crossed his arms, feeling even more uncomfortable than he did before. He resisted from stomping his feet, already feeling like enough of a baby, and followed his mother into the kitchen.

"No."

"This is so stupid! Why can't it just be normal?"

"Alex, honey," Alex's mother breathed, "I know it's not fair, but you have to deal with it safely. At least it's not worse than it is. Just talk to him about it, and you'll be surprised by how much of a problem it really won't be. Just make sure he takes it seriously."

"Fine."

"Good. Now what do you want for dinner?"

Saturday came quickly, and Alex still had not told Jack about his unfortunate situation. He felt terrible, waiting on his front steps for Jack, who had texted him minutes prior. What if Jack had planned to go to a restaurant? He would be ruining everything, and Jack would think he was the biggest nuisance ever. Eventually, Alex could see Jack down the block, walking toward his house. He was dressed nicely, and it was a pleasant change. Alex admired his from a far, deciding to stop staring once Jack had gotten close enough to make eye contact. Alex stood up, meeting Jack on the sidewalk.

"This would be a lot better if I could drive." Jack laughed, greeting Alex by taking his hand and kissing his cheek.

"This is fine," Alex commented, falling in step beside Jack as they began to stroll down the sidewalk. Deciding it would be absurd to wait any longer, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Well, there's this Thai place only a couple blocks away, and it's not that expensive, but it's pretty popular."

"Food?"

Jack nodded his head slowly, unsure of why Alex was confirming what he had just said.

"Oh," Alex lowered his voice, "Um, I can't."

"How come?" Jack questioned, stopping on the pavement and turning to Alex. He looked mostly confused, but Alex could tell he also seemed a bit perturbed.

"I can't." Alex repeated, realizing he was not offering enough information. "My mom won't let me." ...Like that was any better. He felt like a baby again, just like when he had talked to his mother the day before.

"Is she the one that won't let you kiss me, either?" Jack scoffed. Alex felt his stomach drop at that, sad Jack had noticed, and even more pained he seemed to be annoyed by it. The shocked expression that took over Jack's face seemed to lessen the blow, though, and what he said next let Alex know he was just frustrated.

"Oh my gosh, I'm such a jerk. I really didn't mean that, oh, jeez."

"Don't worry about it," Alex mumbled, sitting down on the curb and inviting Jack to sit with him. "I think I owe you an explanation."

"Go ahead."

"Well, the thing is, I'm allergic to dairy, and it sort of rules my life."

"I don't get it, though." Jack puzzled. "How does that connect to any of this?"

"I'm getting there," Alex giggled at Jack's impatience, glad he was finally able to crack a smile himself in such a stressful situation. "It's deathly. I'm anaphalactic. Even if I touch it, I'm in big trouble. That's why I can't eat out anywhere. I can at some places, but you're right, my mum doesn't trust me to do it alone. That's also why I haven't kissed you. I don't know what you've eaten."

"Woah, that sounds terrible. What was that word you used?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows, the information sounding quite new to him.

"Here," Alex responded, pulling out his phone and googling the term. He handed his phone to Jack, with the Wikipedia page open. Jack scrolled through the site at they sat in silence, handing back Alex's phone several minutes later.

"Damn. I'm sorry I've been such an ass about this. I don't think I've ever heard of this before."

"It's fine, you were just confused. Most people haven't, and it sucks when they don't take it seriously."

"I'm scared to touch you now."

Alex chuckled in response, standing up and reaching for Jack's hand. "See, now I can't eat until I wash my hands. I have to be that watchful."

"Well, you should have told me earlier. I'll be careful with you, you don't have to worry."

"Thanks. What are we going to do now, though?"

"We could just walk around, and see where that takes us?"

Around an hour later, Jack and Alex found themselves sat at a table outside a cafe, Jack with a sandwich in front of him. He had stated he was hungry, and Alex insisted they stop for him to eat. Jack had tried to refuse, but Alex threatened to go home if Jack did not get something to eat. He had eaten prior, as he usually would before going out, but he knew Jack had not. He was planning on eating out, and Alex was aware of the fact. He was not going to let Jack starve just to not make Alex uncomfortable.

"Have you ever had a reaction before?" Jack asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. They were playing question and answer, although Alex hated talking about it, because he knew he needed to inform Jack.

"Yes, a couple of times," Alex nodded, "I was too young to remember, though. Apparently it was very scary."

"How do they fight it?"

"Epinephrine. They come in these things that look like pens. I can show you how to use them, if you want. Not that you'll ever need to use one."

"No, that's a good idea. You never know, and if I end up spending as much time with you as I want to, I think I should know how."

"Thank you," Alex smiled, "I'm glad you're taking this much interest in it."

"Of course," Jack shrugged. "Oh a side note, if I wake up tomorrow, brush my teeth, and only eat things I'm positive you could, can I kiss you?"

"Are we even seeing each other tomorrow?" Alex laughed, raising his eyebrows. Jack had only mentioned that day, as well as Monday evening, but nothing about Sunday.

"I'd like to, if that's alright with you"

"Well, I think that'd be fine, then."

Notes

hi i've been trying to update this on like fridays or saturdays but it's already tuesday and ggaaahhhh i'm sorry i hope you enjoy this please leave me comments i love you