Work Text:
Owen was a sensible person. He liked soft cardigans and professional looking clothing and he wanted people to take him seriously.
He knew Bree didn’t like his art, he was fully aware that she only tolerated it because she thought he was cute.
Adam was the first person to take Owen’s art seriously, and he wanted to help because he liked it and he liked Owen, and Owen wasn’t prepared for the wave of feelings that hit him as they were building the sculpture together.
Adam cracked jokes and actually listened when Owen started talking about his art, which Bree didn’t even do.
(He really liked Bree, he did, but she didn’t care about his art the way that Adam did.)
He remembers the joy on Adam’s face when they show Bree, he knows what Adam’s feeling, proud of something he’s created and the joy of creating something new.
He’s crushed when the Perry sculpture is melted and betrayed when the weird voice in the wall tells him it was Bree, who did it out of malice and jealousy.
But then she rebuilt it with Adam out of popcorn, and while he didn’t understand exactly how they got that much popcorn and popped it in enough time, it was the effort that he appreciated.
He broke up with Bree the next day. He did appreciate the Perry statue remake, but the fact that she just didn’t understand what melting the statue would do showed her apathetic nature towards his art.
He likes Bree, he likes hanging out with her and her weird family (especially Adam, but that’s something he’s going to work through in his sketchbook later) and he doesn’t want to lose a friendship over this, but both of them can tell that they aren’t good together.
Adam was sweet and he was genuine and he liked Owen’s art and he wanted to hang out with Owen and just watch him paint.
A lot of the time, though, they would work together, blasting music and throwing paint at canvases and each other.
Adam talked about his family, about how he’s the oldest and he feels a pressure to keep his siblings safe, and he’s afraid that one day he’ll lose his purpose and just be in the way, and Owen responded with stories about his family, his older sister and how she left Mission Creek when she was sixteen to move to New York with her girlfriend and he always struggled with fitting in and feeling like he didn’t belong.
Adam understood what that was like and it was nice having someone to talk to, who understood what it was like to feel out of place and not understand the social norms of high school.
He was aware people thought he was a joke, they thought he was a bad artist and he was okay with that. He liked his art and that was all he really needed.
Adam loves his art. Adam thinks he’s the coolest person ever and Owen didn’t need the validation but it felt nice to have someone who sees his art and understands what message Owen is trying to convey without Owen having to explain it.
Adam got Owen in a way that Owen wasn’t prepared for. He would sit and listen to Owen explain his art, adding his own thoughts and listening intently.
Adam would throw a smock over his head and join Owen in paintball art and take the time to make sure he didn’t mess up.
There was something so… precious hanging out with Adam. He always seemed to act like this strong tough guy, but when he was with Owen, it was like he let his guard down and just let himself exist.
Adam waves his hands in a sort of jazz hands motion at the splatter art he’d been working on and Owen breaks himself out of his thoughts.
Paint is smeared on Adam’s face and dying his hair bright blues and yellows.
“I think I did something wrong.” He says, an apologetic smile on his face.
“There’s never a wrong way with art. Though I do think you might need a change of clothes.” Owen looks down at his own paint splattered smock. “I think we both do.” He says, laughing. Adam grins widely and sets his paintbrush down to pull off his smock and drop it on the tarp they’d laid on the ground.
Adam invited Owen over, saying he planned a surprise. When Owen got there, Adam was standing in between two blank canvases, a tarp covering the floor, couch and other expensive furniture that would cost more than Owen’s house.
Paint buckets surrounded the canvases and Adam explained that he saw people doing it when he passed by the art room and it looked fun.
Now, two hours later, Owen is extremely glad Adam put a tarp down, because there’s paint everywhere.
“I’ll go grab you some of my clothes and you can change into them!” Adam says and runs off down the hall. “Be right back!” He calls.
Owen smiles and pulls off his own smock. While the tarp worked great, the smocks were cheap, probably from Target, and the paint bleed through and stained his clothes.
“I’m back! I got you a sweater and some of Chase’s sweatpants, since you’re about the same size!” Adam hands Owen the clothes, before pulling off his own paint splattered shirt and throwing on a tank top.
Owen feels his face heat up and he turns away, walking towards the bathroom to change.
He pulls the sweater Adam gave him over his head and is enveloped in Adam’sOcean Wave deodorant (He and Adam took a late night trip to Target because Adam was out of snacks. They stole one of Mr. Davenport’s cars. It was the most stressful and most fun night Owen has had. Owen is also never letting Adam drive them anywhere ever again.)
He walks out of the bathroom, shoving his clothes in his backpack. Adam pushed the tarp off the couch and was sitting in the corner, his legs stretched out and his arm thrown over the edge.
“Sorry the sweater’s a little big, I didn’t have anything smaller.” Adam says, wincing.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” Owen says, sitting a reasonable distance away from him.
“Wanna watch a movie? Daven- I mean, Dad gets all the channels, so we have all the options!” Adam grins, sitting up and moving closer to Owen, who pretends he doesn’t notice, because why would Adam be doing it on purpose, that makes no sense at all.
Adam flicks through the channels before finally deciding on Jurassic Park, which is clearly one of Adam’s favorite movies, based on the excitement on his face whenever any dinosaur appears on screen.
Owen isn’t fully paying attention, spending most of the movie subtly watching Adam, at the way his face lights up and the way he quotes along to the movie and the glow on his face and the way his hands flap with excitement and Owen just wants to grab his sketchbook and draw him.
(He does, the moment he gets home. His mom picks him up, because he forgot his bike at school and he still hasn’t taken his driver’s test yet.)
She asks him how his day was, but he can’t think of anything to say except ‘good’, because there weren’t enough words to encapsulate his feelings, and he turned to art because words were hard for him.
He clutched his sketchbook to his chest and stared up at the night sky he painted on his ceiling when he was thirteen. The paint was chipping and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.
Owen had never felt so strongly about anything before, he’s never felt this way about anyone, not even Bree, which makes him feel bad, but it’s not something he has any control over.
It’s late, and there’s rocks hitting his window.
Owen drops his sketchbook on his bed and pulls his window open as a rock soars in and hits his cheek.
“Ow!” He cries, feeling blood drip down his cheek.
“Oh, shit, Owen, are you okay? This was what they always did in movies, and I just wanted to get your attention, I’m so sorry!” Rocks clatter on the ground and Owen looks down to see Adam in his backyard, pebbles surrounding him. The light from Owen’s room cast shadows on his worried face.
“I’m coming down, don’t move.” Owen says and shuts his window. He runs downstairs, passing by a mirror and fixing his hair, before standing in front of Adam.
He registers the fact that he’s still wearing Adam’s sweatshirt, but he changed from jeans into an old worn out pair of pj pants, a Howl’s Moving Castle pattern adorning them and he really wishes he was a little more presentable, but then he remembers that it’s midnight and he’s back to wondering why Adam is standing in his backyard.
“Is your cheek okay?” Adam asks, reaching a hand up lightly before pulling it away. “I don’t have any bandaids on me, but whenever I get injured, Chase always cleans open cuts with water and puts bandaids on them.”
“It’s fine, it doesn't hurt.” Owen says. He wants to reach out and grab Adam’s calloused knuckles and tell him that it’s okay, he doesn’t break everything he touches, because he knows that Adam thinks he does nothing but destroy, but that’s not true, Owen has watched Adam create the most beautiful things.
But he can’t.
“Are you okay?” Owen follows up.
Adam lets out a breathy laugh. “Yes? Kind of? Not really. It was my siblings' idea for me to come, and they’re right, of course, but I’m just scared, because if I do what they want me to do, and I lose you, I would never forgive myself.”
“Adam, you could never lose me.” Owen says, and this time he ignores every warning sign in his head and he takes Adam’s hands in his. “Promise.”
Adam looks down at their interlocked hands then up at Owen’s face and Owen traces every line, every beauty mark, everything that makes him Adam and he knows what Adam is going to ask.
“Do you wanna go see a movie together? As a date?” Adam rushes out and he squeezes his eyes shut as if expecting the worst.
“I would love too, Adam.” Owen replies, smiling softly up at him and Adam opens his eyes and smiles, wide and crooked and beautiful.
He pulls Owen into a tight hug and spins him around, laughing like a weight has been lifted and Owen buries his nose in Adam’s neck.
Adam sets him down and Owen leans up on his tiptoes and presses a light kiss to Adam’s cheek.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says and Adam’s face brightens.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Adam repeats, softer.
Owen moves to go inside, but Adam pulls him in for one more hug.
“I can’t wait.” He murmurs, before letting Owen go.
Owen makes it back to his room, flopping on the bed, and he can’t stop the smile spreading on his face.