Lights twinkle around the house, little paper snowflakes skatter around the walls but not in a cluttered way. They're arranged in a very aesthetic way. A few handcrafted trinkets and Christmas themed items furnish the home. The scrawny boy was keeping himself busy, measuring a piece of wood before sawing into it. He was trying to create something that could impress his father. He will continue to craft both day and night if there's a chance that it'll make his father happy.
Its not everyday that dad comes back. He's normally away on business trips for Christmas, so this is a great opportunity to make the best Christmas gift possible.
One of his cats hops up onto the workbench and the boy has to shoo them away. "Two fifteen, go hang out with 3 o'clock, it's dangerous up here-" He has so many cats that he refers to them based on when they normally show up at his house. The only cat he truly owns is a white cat he named Noon as a play on naming black cats Midnight. All the other cats are strays that he lets in and takes care of when his father isn't around. They come and go as they please.
The cat meows, ignoring his warning, trying to get the boys attention. His father is home. The cat heard a new human at the door.
He puts the saw down to look at the cat. "What? Do you need food or something? I already fed yo--" He hears the front door's lock being fiddled with. He immediately jumps into action. Time to lead all the stray cats to the back door. He runs over to the living room. "Alright guys, we practiced this! Time to evacuate." At the word 'evacuate,' all the cats except for his permanent cat spring into action as well, bolting down the hall to the kitty door in the back, running outside. Yes, he trained the cats. That's how much free time he has. This whole routine is pointless for a specific reason, but the boy does it anyways.
And they escaped just in time. The front door opens and the father saunters into the living room, tossing his keys down onto the coffee table before setting his briefcase down. "I see you've been busy at work, Ellie..." He does not seem pleased, sitting down on the couch and starting to take off his shoes so he can relax now that he's home.
"Dad! What a surprise~" Elliot reaches up to take his hairband out, since he knows his father doesn't like him keeping his hair up like that. His hair is pretty long, going a few inches past his shoulders. "How was work? How long do you think you'll be staying?"
The father sets his shoes aside and leans back against the couch, letting out a long sigh. "Probably not long, sorry bud. I can stay around for maybe two weeks if I'm lucky." He looks up at the ceiling, closing his eyes. "And you probably want to show me those things you made? You do know its pointless to make surprises right? I see everything you do." He gestures to one of the nearby cameras.
This is why the evacuation thing was pointless. This house has 24/7 surveillance. To an extreme. Every room in this house, even the bathroom and a few blocks down the street, is being recorded. Every second of Elliot's life is on a hard drive.
"But, it's different when you see it in real life~!" His fathers negativity is not enough to get him down.
But his positivity does not spread to his father. "Doubt it... But fine, show me your briefcase."
Elliot happily runs off to his room to fetch the present he made for his father. It only takes a few seconds, then he runs back to the living room, proudly holding it out to his father. The thing he was working on earlier is a separate present. He makes his father multiple presents.
It's a very useful briefcase. He had done some studying on how they work and made a bunch of blueprints to find ways to make them more efficient: ie. Lighter while still being able to carry the same amount, or utilizing more organization, or being able to store more for the same weight. Or all combined into one. He spent weeks drafting and redrafting designs for this. The final product is immaculate. Sleek and modern while bearing some personal touches, like his fathers name embossed in the well treated leather. And there are some fancy patterns engraved around the edges to add a more expensive look to it. It looks professional. And the inside of it is pretty similar to a normal briefcase, but it does have some differences to add more capabilities and functionality to it, based around the specific needs of his father. Not everyone uses them the same way, so they have to be more generic. But a specific person has a more specific style of use. So, Elliot can skew the functionality towards that.
"Elliot... I have a briefcase."
"I know, but... Just hold it, please?"
The father reluctantly sits up to take the gift from Elliot, opening it up and inspecting it. "... You're going to be an entrepreneur one day."
"That's the plan~!" Elliot smiles and hops onto the couch next to his father, just happy that he didn't totally reject the gift. Thats a win in his books. "One day I'm going to be just like you."
"Good luck with that, kid..." The father sets the briefcase down next to his old one before sitting back against the couch again, gently placing an arm around Elliot. "You might be able to craft, but you have no spine."
"I'll hire people to be my spine!"
His father snorts for a second. "Alright, you do that~"
Elliot smiles brightly and moves over to be closer to his father. Not exactly cuddling with him, they're not exactly the cuddling kind of family. That half hug his father gave him is very affectionate in terms of this family. "I should be able to have your other gift finished before you leave again."
"You don't need to worry about that. You should be focusing your efforts on getting into a good college. And finding a way to pay for it."
"I already have that covered~" Elliot shrugs. "Did you get anything for me?"
"No, sorry."
Elliot may put all this effort in to make his father happy, but it will never be reciprocated.