Modern Men
Ship: Gently/Bacchus
Age: Unrestricted
Wordage: 967
Comments: Just playing around with the characters, trying to explore their emotions...
The door slammed against the wall and George forced his way into the office, his Sergeant following close behind.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”, he barked.
“I didn’t think it was important”, the younger man pleaded.
“You knew our prime suspect was sexually deviant and you didn’t think that was important?”
George was stood behind his desk, leaning with his palms flat on its top, his face angered, his voice raised, and that little vein on the side of his temple throbbing. John liked it when it did that.
“He isn’t a sexual deviant”
“Is he or is he not a homosexual?”
“Yes, but that makes him no different from you or I”
“Well I didn’t know you were so open minded John”
George sat down in his chair, exasperated.
“I’m just saying, Sir, homosexual or no, he’s not our killer”
“And you know that for a fact do you?”
“Well…no”
“Thank you. We are detectives and we deal in facts”
John moved away from the doorway in which he stood, gently shut the door and walked to sit behind his desk. Tired of arguing. George too sat down, a little more relaxed.
“Now, is there anything else you’d like to tell me?” Anymore secrets you’re hiding? Anything else you don’t think is important?”
John’s mind reeled for a moment, there was so much he wanted to tell him. So many secrets he wanted to reveal. So many pent up frustrations, suppressed feelings and guilty fantasies. He wanted to tell him everything, to wipe the slate clean, leave himself naked and defenceless in front of him, nothing left to hide.
And then it dawned on him, why didn’t he just tell him? What’s the worst that could happen? He could lose his job, his wife, his reputation, his freedom. His friends and family might disown him. But his heart would no longer be heavy, and maybe, just maybe, George’s reaction wouldn’t be entirely negative.
“Actually George, there is something…”
George looked up from the papers he was rearranging. He had his reading glasses on and he pushed them to the end of his nose and looked over the frames to await John’s revelation.
“…the thing is…well, the reason why I didn’t tell you…what I’m trying to say is that…well…and I know its probably not what you want to hear, and I know once I’ve said it there’s no going back, and I know it’ll change things forever, but the truth is…”
He paused. Breathless. Nervous. And unsure.
“…I’m gay.”
He looked over towards George, looked for a sign of acceptance, or perhaps a sign of defiance. But he saw nothing. George sat motionless. Expressionless. An empty shell. John wondered if he’d actually heard his words.
“Did you hear what I said, Sir?”
“I heard you”, George snapped back.
The hurt John felt was visible on his face, but George wasn’t looking.
A strained silence covered every inch of the room, it was suffocating and John felt like he was drowning in it.
“Why did you marry?”
George refused to direct his eyeline towards John, but John felt inexplicably reassured. As least he hadn’t ordered him out of the office and demanded his immediate resignation.
“It was expected of me”
“And do you always do what people tell you?”
His voice was short and monotone but at least the silence was lifted.
“No one told me, I just knew it was the next logical step”
“And what about Fawn?”
The words went through John like an arrow through his heart. Her very name sent a shiver down his spine.
“She understood me”
“You slept with her”
It wasn’t a question but John answered anyway.
“No I didn’t”
George finally looked up and over at John.
“You didn’t?”
“It was a cover”
George averted his gaze before John could catch his eye. Silence befell the pair again. John sighed, defeated.
After what seemed like eternity, John rose from his seat and headed to the door.
“Where are you going?”
John was tired. It had been a long day and the last thing he wanted was a fight.
“Home. I suggest you do the same”
“Stay”
“Why? So you can force your opinions of the sins of homosexuality upon me? So you can judge me? Ridicule me? Quiz me about my private life and make me feel small?”
“Please don’t be defensive”
“I have to be George”
He pulled his coat from the back of the door and reached to put his hand on the door handle.
“John…”
He turned to see what final comment his superior would make.
“…I’m glad you told me”
John smiled.
“Really?”
“Yes”
George smiled too. John took his hand from the door and leaned against it.
“Because I know this changes everything doesn’t it? I mean, our working relationship will never be the same again will it? And at some point I guess my wife will find out because I can’t expect you to keep my secrets…”
Whilst John rambled, justifying to himself why he had left himself so vulnerable, George moved from where he was sitting and crossed the office to where John stood.
John fell silent when he realised George was stood mere inches from him, unsure whether he was going to hit him or forcibly remove him from the room. He did neither, instead he opened his arms wide and beckoned John to hug him. They said nothing. A tender moment neither of them wanted to interrupt.
They broke apart from each other after a few moments and George returned to his desk. John put his coat on and turned back to leave.
“John…”
As he made to step through the open door he turned back to answer George’s call.
“…I’m very open minded”
The corner of George’s mouth twitched flirtatiously
Age: Unrestricted
Wordage: 967
Comments: Just playing around with the characters, trying to explore their emotions...
The door slammed against the wall and George forced his way into the office, his Sergeant following close behind.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”, he barked.
“I didn’t think it was important”, the younger man pleaded.
“You knew our prime suspect was sexually deviant and you didn’t think that was important?”
George was stood behind his desk, leaning with his palms flat on its top, his face angered, his voice raised, and that little vein on the side of his temple throbbing. John liked it when it did that.
“He isn’t a sexual deviant”
“Is he or is he not a homosexual?”
“Yes, but that makes him no different from you or I”
“Well I didn’t know you were so open minded John”
George sat down in his chair, exasperated.
“I’m just saying, Sir, homosexual or no, he’s not our killer”
“And you know that for a fact do you?”
“Well…no”
“Thank you. We are detectives and we deal in facts”
John moved away from the doorway in which he stood, gently shut the door and walked to sit behind his desk. Tired of arguing. George too sat down, a little more relaxed.
“Now, is there anything else you’d like to tell me?” Anymore secrets you’re hiding? Anything else you don’t think is important?”
John’s mind reeled for a moment, there was so much he wanted to tell him. So many secrets he wanted to reveal. So many pent up frustrations, suppressed feelings and guilty fantasies. He wanted to tell him everything, to wipe the slate clean, leave himself naked and defenceless in front of him, nothing left to hide.
And then it dawned on him, why didn’t he just tell him? What’s the worst that could happen? He could lose his job, his wife, his reputation, his freedom. His friends and family might disown him. But his heart would no longer be heavy, and maybe, just maybe, George’s reaction wouldn’t be entirely negative.
“Actually George, there is something…”
George looked up from the papers he was rearranging. He had his reading glasses on and he pushed them to the end of his nose and looked over the frames to await John’s revelation.
“…the thing is…well, the reason why I didn’t tell you…what I’m trying to say is that…well…and I know its probably not what you want to hear, and I know once I’ve said it there’s no going back, and I know it’ll change things forever, but the truth is…”
He paused. Breathless. Nervous. And unsure.
“…I’m gay.”
He looked over towards George, looked for a sign of acceptance, or perhaps a sign of defiance. But he saw nothing. George sat motionless. Expressionless. An empty shell. John wondered if he’d actually heard his words.
“Did you hear what I said, Sir?”
“I heard you”, George snapped back.
The hurt John felt was visible on his face, but George wasn’t looking.
A strained silence covered every inch of the room, it was suffocating and John felt like he was drowning in it.
“Why did you marry?”
George refused to direct his eyeline towards John, but John felt inexplicably reassured. As least he hadn’t ordered him out of the office and demanded his immediate resignation.
“It was expected of me”
“And do you always do what people tell you?”
His voice was short and monotone but at least the silence was lifted.
“No one told me, I just knew it was the next logical step”
“And what about Fawn?”
The words went through John like an arrow through his heart. Her very name sent a shiver down his spine.
“She understood me”
“You slept with her”
It wasn’t a question but John answered anyway.
“No I didn’t”
George finally looked up and over at John.
“You didn’t?”
“It was a cover”
George averted his gaze before John could catch his eye. Silence befell the pair again. John sighed, defeated.
After what seemed like eternity, John rose from his seat and headed to the door.
“Where are you going?”
John was tired. It had been a long day and the last thing he wanted was a fight.
“Home. I suggest you do the same”
“Stay”
“Why? So you can force your opinions of the sins of homosexuality upon me? So you can judge me? Ridicule me? Quiz me about my private life and make me feel small?”
“Please don’t be defensive”
“I have to be George”
He pulled his coat from the back of the door and reached to put his hand on the door handle.
“John…”
He turned to see what final comment his superior would make.
“…I’m glad you told me”
John smiled.
“Really?”
“Yes”
George smiled too. John took his hand from the door and leaned against it.
“Because I know this changes everything doesn’t it? I mean, our working relationship will never be the same again will it? And at some point I guess my wife will find out because I can’t expect you to keep my secrets…”
Whilst John rambled, justifying to himself why he had left himself so vulnerable, George moved from where he was sitting and crossed the office to where John stood.
John fell silent when he realised George was stood mere inches from him, unsure whether he was going to hit him or forcibly remove him from the room. He did neither, instead he opened his arms wide and beckoned John to hug him. They said nothing. A tender moment neither of them wanted to interrupt.
They broke apart from each other after a few moments and George returned to his desk. John put his coat on and turned back to leave.
“John…”
As he made to step through the open door he turned back to answer George’s call.
“…I’m very open minded”
The corner of George’s mouth twitched flirtatiously