How to kiss a boy
Title: How to kiss a boy
Author: zipline
Pairing/Characters: Anderson Cooper, Stan Stokowski
Rating: G
Warnings: none (unless you fear fluff)
Summary: Seven year old Anderson explains something to oldest brother Stan
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Author's Notes: First shot at this and hope format is correct
Stan was really more like an uncle than a brother.
Carter was a big brother- older and taller than Anderson, but still a kid. Stan was a grown-up, with his own car and apartment and everything. In fact, it was very difficult for Anderson to understand how his mom could also be Stan and Christopher's mother. She didn't seem old enough to be the mother of two grown men and he really couldn't imagine her kissing the old man in the photo he’d seen on Stan's dresser, that time when mommy and daddy were in Boca, and May the nanny got shingles, and he and Carter got to have a sleepover at Stan's place. But she must have kissed him, because the old man in the photo was Stan's father and mommy was his mother and, although he wasn't clear on the entire procedure, Anderson was pretty sure that you had to at least kiss someone before you could have a baby with him. When he brought this mystery to his mother, she had just laughed and kissed him and told him that he was full of the Cooper Southern Charm, which was nice but did nothing to clarify the situation.
So Stan already wore the mysterious authority adulthood even before the day that he and Ivy came over and announced that they were getting married. Then everybody kissed everybody and daddy opened the rchampagne with the fancy foil on top and Carter and Anderson got to drink ginger ale out of the good crystal. Later, while mommy was ordering dinner, and daddy was on the phone, and Carter was buried in his book, Anderson got to sit on the couch next with Ivy, who told him that he was even handsomer than his brothers and asked him if he had a girlfriend yet. Anderson blushed and stammered and shook his head. What grade did she think he was in, fourth? Carter had a girlfriend, but Anderson's second grade class still confined its romantic activities to kiss tag and he didn't really like girls very much anyway. When he told Ivy this, she ruffled his hair and told him not to worry about that; there was plenty of time for him to find the girl he would marry one day. Marry? Anderson hadn't realized that she was talking about marriage. It had never occurred to him that having a girlfriend had anything to do with getting married.
"I already know who I'm gonna marry", he informed her confidently.
"You do, do you? Is it someone in your class?"
"Sanjay", he replied, ducking his head and smiling shyly as he said the name.
"Andy, isn't Sanjay a boy's name?"
"uh huh"
"Anderson, you can't marry a boy". He hadn't realized that Stan was listening until he suddenly appeared on the couch beside him.
"I know that", Anderson replied to their evident relief, "we have to be grown up first".
Ivy seemed amused, in a bewildered sort of way, but Stan was clearly concerned.
"Anderson, you can't marry Sanjay when you're grown up either".
"Why not?"
"Because he's a boy."
"So am I. That's why we're friends, because we both like boy stuff".
"But Andy", Ivy was trying now, "marrying somebody isn't only about being friends, you do other things too and there are some things that boys only do with girls".
"Like playing Barbies?" Anderson had noticed that you really had to have a girl around to play Barbies, otherwise the grown-ups got nervous, even if you were only playing with Ken. Especially if you were only playing with Ken.
"Maybe, but I was talking about more grownup things than Barbies".
"Like what?"
"Well, um... like kissing".
"I can kiss Sanjay".
"No, Anderson, you can’t kiss Sanjay". Stan took Anderson's face between his hands and stared intently into his eyes, as if he was telling him something very very important, and when he spoke he said each word slowly and firmly- "Because you can not kiss a boy".
Anderson considered this quietly for a moment, starting to feel a little odd under Stan's unwavering stare. Why couldn't he kiss a boy? Boys played kiss tag too. What could possibly keep him from kissing Sanjay? He pictured his future husband running across the playground ahead of him- shiny black hair, the warm brown stripe of his neck meeting the bright red of his jacket, and the white flash of his Keds as his feet ate up the blacktop. Sanjay was the fastest runner in the second grade. And then it came to him- problem and solution in one blinding flash of brilliance. Anderson looked up at his very big brother, suddenly and thrillingly aware that for the first and only time in his life he knew something that Stan didn't, and revealed to him the secret of kissing a boy.
"When he stops running, you can."
Author: zipline
Pairing/Characters: Anderson Cooper, Stan Stokowski
Rating: G
Warnings: none (unless you fear fluff)
Summary: Seven year old Anderson explains something to oldest brother Stan
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Author's Notes: First shot at this and hope format is correct
Stan was really more like an uncle than a brother.
Carter was a big brother- older and taller than Anderson, but still a kid. Stan was a grown-up, with his own car and apartment and everything. In fact, it was very difficult for Anderson to understand how his mom could also be Stan and Christopher's mother. She didn't seem old enough to be the mother of two grown men and he really couldn't imagine her kissing the old man in the photo he’d seen on Stan's dresser, that time when mommy and daddy were in Boca, and May the nanny got shingles, and he and Carter got to have a sleepover at Stan's place. But she must have kissed him, because the old man in the photo was Stan's father and mommy was his mother and, although he wasn't clear on the entire procedure, Anderson was pretty sure that you had to at least kiss someone before you could have a baby with him. When he brought this mystery to his mother, she had just laughed and kissed him and told him that he was full of the Cooper Southern Charm, which was nice but did nothing to clarify the situation.
So Stan already wore the mysterious authority adulthood even before the day that he and Ivy came over and announced that they were getting married. Then everybody kissed everybody and daddy opened the rchampagne with the fancy foil on top and Carter and Anderson got to drink ginger ale out of the good crystal. Later, while mommy was ordering dinner, and daddy was on the phone, and Carter was buried in his book, Anderson got to sit on the couch next with Ivy, who told him that he was even handsomer than his brothers and asked him if he had a girlfriend yet. Anderson blushed and stammered and shook his head. What grade did she think he was in, fourth? Carter had a girlfriend, but Anderson's second grade class still confined its romantic activities to kiss tag and he didn't really like girls very much anyway. When he told Ivy this, she ruffled his hair and told him not to worry about that; there was plenty of time for him to find the girl he would marry one day. Marry? Anderson hadn't realized that she was talking about marriage. It had never occurred to him that having a girlfriend had anything to do with getting married.
"I already know who I'm gonna marry", he informed her confidently.
"You do, do you? Is it someone in your class?"
"Sanjay", he replied, ducking his head and smiling shyly as he said the name.
"Andy, isn't Sanjay a boy's name?"
"uh huh"
"Anderson, you can't marry a boy". He hadn't realized that Stan was listening until he suddenly appeared on the couch beside him.
"I know that", Anderson replied to their evident relief, "we have to be grown up first".
Ivy seemed amused, in a bewildered sort of way, but Stan was clearly concerned.
"Anderson, you can't marry Sanjay when you're grown up either".
"Why not?"
"Because he's a boy."
"So am I. That's why we're friends, because we both like boy stuff".
"But Andy", Ivy was trying now, "marrying somebody isn't only about being friends, you do other things too and there are some things that boys only do with girls".
"Like playing Barbies?" Anderson had noticed that you really had to have a girl around to play Barbies, otherwise the grown-ups got nervous, even if you were only playing with Ken. Especially if you were only playing with Ken.
"Maybe, but I was talking about more grownup things than Barbies".
"Like what?"
"Well, um... like kissing".
"I can kiss Sanjay".
"No, Anderson, you can’t kiss Sanjay". Stan took Anderson's face between his hands and stared intently into his eyes, as if he was telling him something very very important, and when he spoke he said each word slowly and firmly- "Because you can not kiss a boy".
Anderson considered this quietly for a moment, starting to feel a little odd under Stan's unwavering stare. Why couldn't he kiss a boy? Boys played kiss tag too. What could possibly keep him from kissing Sanjay? He pictured his future husband running across the playground ahead of him- shiny black hair, the warm brown stripe of his neck meeting the bright red of his jacket, and the white flash of his Keds as his feet ate up the blacktop. Sanjay was the fastest runner in the second grade. And then it came to him- problem and solution in one blinding flash of brilliance. Anderson looked up at his very big brother, suddenly and thrillingly aware that for the first and only time in his life he knew something that Stan didn't, and revealed to him the secret of kissing a boy.
"When he stops running, you can."