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It was one of those rare afternoons when 007n7 actually had to step out and leave Eliot at home with C00lkidd.
Nothing major, just errands that couldn’t be pushed off but it left Eliot in charge of keeping the kid occupied.
The two of them were sitting on the couch, half-watching some animated show blaring from the TV.
Eliot had a bowl of popcorn in his lap, C00lkidd sprawled out beside him with his feet kicking idly at the cushions.
“You know,” C00lkid started suddenly, “you’re kinda different than Noli.”
Eliot blinked, caught off guard. “Noli?”
“Yeah. Dad’s old boyfriend,” C00lkid said, turning to look at Elliot directly. “I didn’t like him very much.”
Eliot tilted his head, trying to piece together what C00lkid meant. “Why’s that?”
C00lkid shrugged, fiddling with a kernel of popcorn. “He didn’t really… pay attention. Like, if I talked, he’d just look at his phone. And if Dad was busy, Noli would just get annoyed with me. He never wanted to play games or watch cartoons. He just wanted Papa all to himself.”
Eliot leaned back against the couch. “Sounds like he wasn’t very good at sharing time.”
“Yeah,” C00lkid agreed quickly. “But you’re not like that. You listen when I talk. You watch shows with me, even if you think they’re boring.” His grin widened mischievously at that. “And you make better food.”
Eliot chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, that’s good to hear. I was worried I was gonna be rated against some impossible gold standard.”
“Nope,” C00lkid said firmly, taking a big handful of popcorn. “Noli was the worst. You’re way better. Dad looks happier with you too.”
That last part hit Eliot deeper than he expected.
He glanced toward the door, imagining 007n7 out running errands, unaware of the quiet little truths his kid was spilling on the couch.
Eliot smiled softly, ruffling C00lkid’s hair.
“Thanks, kid. That means a lot.”
“Don’t worry,” C00lkid said with exaggerated seriousness. “If you ever start acting like Noli, I’ll let you know.”
Eliot laughed at that, the sound warm and easy. “Deal.”