|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 14:44:18 GMT -5
Markise swept his hand uncomfortably through his hair before catching that same strand to torture again. "I... don't want to push or anything, but... if I ask my mom for a two bedroom, she's gonna want to know who I'm rooming with. And if I let her get a one-bedroom..." Aside from all the things bound to happen that much faster, "My friends are gonna want to see it either way. I mean, I could tell them you were crashing on the couch, or I could tell my mom I just needed help with the rent..." But he didn't know how much they'd believe. He didn't know if they could keep it up all summer. He didn't know how well they could hide it with how much time they were going to be together.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 14:48:30 GMT -5
Ariel nodded and tried to think it through. "Honestly I could survive on the couch," he said. It wasn't like he was used to a huge bed anyway. And then it would be cheaper for them and they wouldn't have to worry about the awkwardness of sharing a bed. It wasn't a permanent solution to anything, anyway. "I..." he dropped his eyes to study his shoes. He was afraid to come out to people, especially people that weren't already submersed in the subculture.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 14:57:55 GMT -5
Markise wasn't at all surprised at Ariel's declaration about the couch, but he seriously doubted that even if they tried, it would end up that way. He didn't point out that the only time they'd been together in front of someone else were with Dare, who'd known, and at the clubs, where it hadn't mattered how they looked at each other or whether they shared even casual touches. He thought about it all, though. "Just think about it a couple days. I can put off writing my mom for that long." She had so many questions, and his answers would be entirely different if Ariel decided he couldn't do it than if he could.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 15:05:59 GMT -5
"Would it be easier?" Ariel asked. He had gotten so used to hiding it over the past few years, even with the past few months' excursions. It would be hard to just have it out in the open. But would his behavior change? He wasn't sure, he didn't feel like he acted any differently when he let that part of him show, unless...well, unless he was getting paid to act differently. "Do you have out friends there?" Would it be different being around a supportive group like that?
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 15:14:54 GMT -5
Markise grimaced slightly. "Not really," he said. Except for Valentino, who still insisted he still just wondered, even when Markise knew better. Valentino was the one biggest reason he had for wanting to tell Ariel to scrap the whole idea. "I... it's not like I talk about guys with them, or check guys out when they're looking or anything, but I've known most of them as long as I can remember, so they're not all paranoid I'm gonna rape them in their sleep or whatever. I guess you could say it's like, we don't talk about it, but everyone knows. It's hard to explain. I wouldn't be announcing it, but we wouldn't have to hide so much." He looked up at Ariel, wondering if that made sense at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 15:29:13 GMT -5
Ariel still didn't answer, but it was seeming more and more like it would just help, no matter that Markise had said it wouldn't make it much easier. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be announcing anything, right? "So...it's not like we're going to be telling everyone, we just wouldn't be hiding it," he said, just to make sure.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 15:46:45 GMT -5
"Right," Markise said, relieved that somehow, Ariel got it. "The guys could handle that." He wasn't sure about his parents, though. He knew how his dad was with him, but sometimes it seemed like it was to keep his mother happy. "I don't think it'd be that easy for my parents... I think it'd be better if I like, warned my mom or something." It sounded so bad put like that. "My dad's just weird about things like that. I don't know." He was sure any guy he brought home that his dad didn't already know would be assumed gay on principle. His brows drew together. "My dad might like you," he said, the thought bizarre, though it felt so likely. "Maybe I shouldn't tell my mom."
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 15:49:38 GMT -5
Ariel raised an eyebrow at the prospect of Markise's dad liking him, but didn't follow that train of thought. After a few moments, he sighed and found Markise's eyes again. "You just do whatever you think will make it easier," he said. If that required him being open around certain people, or having certain people know, then he could suck it up and deal with it. Besides, if the parents still accepted Markise, then it was much less likely he would get in trouble or something for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 16:01:44 GMT -5
Markise looked almost helplessly up at Ariel for a moment before turning his gaze firmly away. He didn't know. He didn't know if he could handle hiding even Ariel once he was home. He was incredibly relieved that Ariel had agreed to the same state of mostly-out that he was in, but it felt so strange thinking of telling his mom, Oh, and Ariel's gay, too. "Do you want your own bedroom?" he asked. Maybe knowing that much would help him decide.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 16:04:31 GMT -5
"It'd be nice," Ariel admitted, though he didn't even have enough things to fill a room. Everything he had in his room where his brother was wasn't even his, there wasn't anything in there that he would really want to get, anyway. "But if it's going to cost too much, don't worry about it." It was Markise's plan, it wasn't Ariel's, as far as Ariel was concerned, the big decisions were Markise's to make.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 16:11:56 GMT -5
Markise's fingers continued their torture on his hair as he thought about it. He'd tell his mom he'd rather have a two-bedroom if she could find one, and that he was bringing a friend. He'd let his parents figure it out. Or wait for Brindle to tell them. "Do you want to go by Logan?" It would be so strange trying to remember to call Ariel Logan, but he'd try, if it made him more comfortable.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 16:24:46 GMT -5
"It seems kind of useless now, doesn't it?" Ariel replied. He had gotten so much grief for being named Ariel before, though. It was hard to want to go by Ariel. "I still think of myself as Ariel," he said, thinking through it as he spoke. "But...it's like...so much happened to me because of being named Ariel, but Logan is who I'm trying to get rid of, right?" Logan was what he had been going by at school, where he still had only been able to make friends, using the term loosely, with Markise.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 16:39:39 GMT -5
Markise's lips rounded in a silent oh. He hadn't thought of it like that, but it made sense. He nodded. "If any of the guys gives you hell I'll kick their ass," he said absently. He didn't think any of the guys would, considering Ariel looked like he could take care of himself, and he'd be coming with Markise. In fact, he was thinking he'd go ahead and tell his mom that his friend's name was Ariel. Let his dad get a picture in his head of a stereotypical fa~. Maybe he'd be too surprised to say anything stupid for a few minutes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ariel Logan Callahan on May 25, 2009 16:49:48 GMT -5
One corner of Ariel's lips turned up slightly and he tried to imagine what it would be like to be part of a group, a group that would be accepting not just of his sexuality, but of him. The only time he had ever felt that was during the short visits to the beach with his brother to the convention at met up with the little group there.
|
|
|
|
Post by Markise Sterling on May 25, 2009 17:30:45 GMT -5
Markise looked up at Ariel to see that shadow of a smile, and his own lips curved. "What?" he asked curiously. He didn't know if it was something he'd said or something completely unrelated, but Ariel looking any kind of not-depressed-or-tense was enough to take a huge weight off Markise's shoulders. His eyes brightened with whatever Ariel was thinking, whether Ariel told him or not.
|
|
