Who: Yes and Ronald Where: Bruce's room. Now Ronald's room too What: Yes goes to see Ronald to give him drawings When: Evening.
From what Paige had said, Yes really needed to check on Ronald. It wasn't like the boy to be completely isolated. The more Yes thought about it, the more he thought that it was strange that Ronald hadn't come down to see him. He knew that Ronald had at least an idea of where Yes lived, because they had met in the hallway when Ronald had given him the bear picture. Instead of waiting any longer, Yes gently cradled the half dozen pictures he'd drawn that were good enough to give Ronald and headed down to Bruce's room.
Even when he tried to make his footsteps light, Yes still heard them hit the floor and it worried him. Trying to distract himself, Yes began to hum the theme to Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends - a show that he had been watching ever since Ronald had been taken. If there was anything new, he wanted to be able to fill Ronald in. Stopping short of the door, Yes found himself choking up. It had been such emotional time! Pulling all that back, burying it inside him, Yes focused on the joy of seeing his young friend again. A quick knock and then he spoke. "Bruce? Ronald? It's Yes. I'd like to talk to Ronald. I have those pictures for him."
Ronald's life simply consisted of homework, and following Bruce around. Classes made him uneasy becuase it meant that he couldn't be around the older blond boy and usually Ronald would wait until Bruce came to pick up after his classes before going anywhere. He still hadn't opened up to anyone and only talked to Bruce. Using Bruce as some sort of weird transmitter if he wanted to talk to anyone else. It was a bothersome, he knew the older boy was probably getting tired of it but while Ronlad was sorry he couldn't bring himself to talk just yet.
Of course this caused problems. Like now, for instance. He was alone in the room and they had someone knocking on the door and Ronald didn't want to be impolite by ignoring it. Especially when the visitor was Yes and Yes wanted to see him. Making the decision, Ronald opened the door. Just a crack so he could peek out and then he opened the door wider, enough for Yes to step through. He didn't say anything but it was clear enough that Bruce wasn't in.
The door opened and Yes felt his eyes begin to tear up. There was the ten - eleven now, right? - year old boy. The good friend that had always come to him and told him when he was scared. And still, he had been kidnapped and Yes hadn't been able to help, to do anything. He hadn't been there for Ronald and a part of that still tore at his heart. "Hey guy," he said softly, looking down into those blue eyes. Before he could squat down to look Ronald on the same level, the door opened and Yes slipped through.
Why wasn't Ronald coming up to hug him. Why wasn't Coco waving at him? Did Ronald think Yes was responsible for the kidnapping - mad that someone as big and strong as Yes couldn't save him? Yes walked to the middle of the room and slipped down to his knees. The pictures were set on the floor off to the side, palms on his legs. "Ronald?" His voice was tentative, concerned. "I'm....I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could muster. Eyes closed and Yes turned his head to the side, pretending to cough to wipe the tears off his cheeks. "I brought you those drawings I told you about." He took a deep breath, chest puffing out, trying to steady himself. "Do you or Coco want a hug? I think I could use one right now."
He closed the door gingerly behind Yes. Ronald couldn't really decide if he liked open doors or closed ones. He didn't like being in enclosed spaces with strangers anymore. Not that Yes was a stranger but still...And he didn't like to leave a door open because just about anybody could come in. He hoped that Bruce would come back. It would be alright with Bruce around...really. He stayed quiet for a long time, watching as Yes slipped to his knees on the floor and sat the drawings next to him. Ronald's blue eyes darted over to the papers, he was scared and uncomfortable but he was also curious about the drawings. The little boy liked art and there was some things that trauma couldn't change.
His lips parted a little and Ronald gave a little sigh as he stepped closer. The hug was swift and tenative and then he was stepping back and going to Bruce's desk to get a pen and some paper. Don't be sorry. He wrote and showed to Yes. Thank you for bringing those drawings here. Bruce hadn't seen the point in stopping by and Ronald hadn't wanted to make much of a fuss so that explained his lack of visit.
The hug was too short - even Ronald when he'd given him the drawing of the bear had been more affectionate, even when a hug wasn't involved. Yes's worry grew, but he gave the boy a hug, though brief. No one would think someone as big as Yes could give a light, gentle hug, but he could. He remained on his knees, turning his head over the right shoulder to watch Ronald move over to the desk. That was...odd. Another notch on the worry belt. Yes didn't dare move, afraid that standing up too quickly would scared Ronald. The boy had been through enough - too much - and Yes didn't want tfrighten him, it was the last thing he wanted. Why did it feel like Ronald was afraid of him? Like the hug was almost a chore?
"I'm...Ronald," Yes said, catching himself and instantly feeling bad about his tone. "You can talk to me, with your voice. I'm sorry you were taken, if I had known, I'd've tried to stop them, with everything I could. Don't...don't not talk to me because I made a mistake." God, this was hard on Yes. It was like Ronald was purposefully not speaking, like Yes deserved some sort of punishment for not being able to protect him. "Here, look at them," he offered, his voice a little shaky. his large hand fanned the pictures out. "I drew my bear's cousin. I call him Davy, but you can name him whatever you want, he doesn't mind." Yes's finger was pointing at the first picture on Ronald's left. "Then there's Sheridan the Sheep. She's on a hill in Ireland, I think. She likes it there." It took him a moment to make his voice steady again. "The other three....the dog, eagle and walrus? They want you to name them." Something was wrong, and it was all Yes's fault.
He wanted to write some more. To ask how Yes was because it was polite. And because he wanted to know. Ronald knew he hadn't seen the older boy a while, hadn't seen almost all of his friends in a while too. But it couldn't be helped. The little boy did not like to go where Bruce wasn't. He didn't say or write anything when Yes told him that he could speak to him. Truth was, Ronald didn't feel safe talking to anyone. He just afraid to make the words come out. So he just looked at the drawings. Drawings were nice and safe and they even made him smile a little.
He wrote. Davy is a good name. I think I'll stick to that. I don't want him to be confused and...you only get to name something once. That's what grandfather always says. Tentatively he showed the note to Yes and then looked at all the other images. Sheridan is very cute. And I think she's happy becuase there's a lot of grass to eat. Ronald continued to look at the pictures, his hand coming out to touch them. I'll give them good names. He smiled a little at Yes.
What was wrong? Yes felt the anger brew up in his belly, his cheeks flushing slightly. The people who had kidnapped Ronald and the others, they had done something. Taken away Ronald's voice. Yes remembered how his exclamations sounded like chirps when Ronald was really excited or happy. Honestly, he felt like an intruder into the space. An alien in a way that almost mde his entire bulky, imposing frame want to recoil.
The boy in front of him wasn't the Ronald he knew. He still managed a smile, not sure if the boy had been programmed or simply struck mute by something horrific. "I know you will," Yes said quietly, shifting away. "But I'm sorry I came here so late, you're probably getting ready for bed. When you find out the names, will you tell me them? So if I come back like I'd like to....you could introduce me?" All Yes wanted to do was go and shove his fist through Ms. Carter's door to get her attention. Something was wrong with Ronald and it could be dangerous to everyone, but especially to Ronald. "I'm glad you're back. This place wasn't the same without you. My bear you drew me wants to meet them all too, even though he knows Davy and Sheridan." The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. "It's late. You should probably go to bed, if you're tired. Will I see you soon?"
Ronald nodded and smiled. He wanted to make things alright. He wished that Bruce would come back so that he can have the other boy talk to Yes for him. Ronald was only eleven but he knew that his notes were somehow making Yes upset. Ok. He wrote. I have some good names in mind already. And I can ask Bruce for suggestions. He moved to gather the papers up. Do you have some suggestions though Yes? He would be happy to hear them. He continued to gather the drawings up, putting the one with the Eagle at the top becuase he liked that one the best. Later he would apologize to all the other drawings for playing favourites.
Bruce said I shouldn't sleep. He's getting dinner. Ronald wrote. You didn't see Ronald much in the caferteria nowadays either. You will...we'll stop by. When are you free?" He passed the scrap of paper to Yes and looked at the desk again, knowing that he'd be running out of paper soon. Scraps didn't stand a chance against his big, childish scrawling.
Hopefully without being noticed, Yes slid the pieces of paper handed to him into his back pocket. He played it off by yawning or scratching at his back. Maybe they held the answer to Ronald not talking. He would go to Renaud if he had to. Bad things happened, but Yes didn't want them to happen to Ronald. His mind was spinning, moving sideways and tumbling down into a blackhole of implications. Why did people stop communicating with their voice? That thought alone gave him the chills. "Nope. I really don't Ronald," Yes said after reading the note. "I really think that when I drew them, they wanted to get named by you. I'm sure whatever you name them, they'll love." Where the hell was Coco? Yes actually idly looked around the room for the monkey. Why wasn't Ronald emulating the monkey?
"Oh, dinner," Yes said, glancing at the clock. Maybe it was a little early. Maybe Yes just wanted Ronald to sleep and get out of the funk that seemed to snuggle against him. The passiveness worried Yes. "You and...youcan stop by," Yes said, his voice firm. He wanted to add that Coco was welcome as well, but it might be a sore spot. Yes had to get out of there. "I have classes, but any time in the afternoon." He looked at Ronald, trying to catch his gaze. "I always can make time for my friends, Ronald." If he didn't leave, Yes knew he was going either to break down or get angry, and Ronald didn't deserve either of those. "You can message me on the journals too. I look at them a lot." Yes opened the door but stayed in the room. The light from the hallway spilling around his frame. "We'll hang out again soon, Ronald. Have a good dinner."
He didn't actually notice that Yes had taken the scraps of paper. There were too many things in Ronald's head at the moment. He was worried about where Bruce was and feeling a little hungry because the boy was late. And then there was the excitment over the pictures. And then the undercurrent of unease that would always be there. So yeah...Ronald did not notice. And as to where Coco was? Coco was under the bed. Ronald was silent so the monkey was too, it stood to reason. He smiled a little again and wrote. I'll hope I won't disappoint them. And then he was pointing to a space on one of the walls. They'll live there. Do you think they'll like it? It was the only available space anyway.
We will. Ronald wrote, not understanding the firmness in Yes's tone. He met Yes's gaze for just a second before looking down again and stood up. Yes, he would show the boy to the door, that too was polite. He had a feeling that he had done something to upset Yes. We'll keep that in mind. Ronald stumbled a little as he wrote, now holding the scrap of paper up for Yes to read. It was hard to write goodbyes, maybe harder then just saying them. We will hang out. I'm sure Bruce will like that. And then he was peeking the around Yes, or trying to peek around Yes to see into the hallway.
It looks safe out there. Pause. Scribble scribble. You have a goodnight Yes.