[fic] the other talk
(( after this.))
Will had chosen his moment carefully. Too carefully. The moment he opened his mouth, Bran knew something was up.
They were in the dorm, Will curled up with a book on his bed, Bran hunting in his drawers for his missing tie, the rest of their dorm-mates still involved in teeth brushing. They'd been talking, not with any real urgency, and then Will had said, in tones of exagerated casualness that made Bran instantly suspicious, "Speaking of the Nexus ..."
"What?"
"I tell you my friend J's getting married?"
Bran tries to remember J. "He the one you helped with magic but weren't sure if you did the right thing?"
"Mm. If he's getting married, I think it's a good thing on the whole. And his fiance's a man he met in the Nexus."
"Well, that's all right then," Bran said, losing interest. He was more interested in finding his tie than Will's moral questionings. "Thought you said J was a guy."
"He is." Will had gone back to his book.
Bran frowned. "One of them -- what was the word Val used?"
"LOLed? No. Or at least, not to my knowledge."
Bran sat back on his heels to look at Will. "Well, they can't be getting married then, can they?"
"They can in the Nexus," Will said, turning a page. "I don't think they're the first either."
"But they can't. I mean -- what would be the point?"
Will did look at Bran then. "I suppose that they are very much in love and want to be together and all of that," he said. "Just like any married couple."
"But they're not," Bran said, wondering if Will was maybe pulling his leg. "I mean, with married couples there's sex."
Will just nodded.
"But men can't -- I mean, how would it work? A girl's got a -- Seriously, how would two men go about that?"
"Carefully, I imagine," Will said and the second after that the dorm door opened so that Hamish, the twins and their dorm leader, Robert could all troop in, noisy and boisterous and that was the end of the conversation -- Will couldn't have planned it neater, Bran thought as Robert ordered all of them ready for light's out and he got into his bed. Maybe he had planned it that way.
And Bran still hadn't found his tie.
--oOo--
Two mornings later, Bran was at breakfast still trying to work out what had been behind Will's odd revelation. His friend hadn't referred to it since, and had gone on being as exasperatingly ordinary as ever - Bran was sure Will was doing it on purpose to irritate him. But admitting that would be defeat, and Bran was determined to work it out himself.
Hamish helped him out by sitting down next to Bran and jabbing him in the ribs with an elbow. Since Hamish was big and played rugby, this wasn't appreciated. "Sitting on your own, Davies? What's the matter, you and Stanton broken up?"
"Shut up, Hamish," Bran said automatically. They were all used to the other's childish sense of humour -- then Bran stopped. What if it wasn't humour? What if he'd thought --
It was third period before Bran managed to catch Will alone. "Stanton!" he called, spotting the familiar brown haired head about to turn the corridor and Will obediently halted for Bran to catch up. They fell into step together heading towards the Latin classroom.
"What you said, the other night. When I call you 'sweetheart'-- you think people think ... ?"
"I think some people do," Will said placidly, as if this didn't matter at all. "But anyone who knows us wouldn't think twice about it. They're familiar with the primitive Welsh sense of humour by now."
"Oh very funny." But Bran was too intent to even fake anger. "But when Roland Lewis asked me if I was a queer--"
"He wasn't insinuating that the Welsh were daft, no."
"Fine, laugh it up. How was I supposed to know that was what he meant?"
Will shrugged. "I don't think you could have missed the point any more widely if you'd tried. If anything, that's a good thing -- anyone who did think you might have been queer before will now be soundly convinced you're just another daft Welshman."
"Oh," said Bran and he was that relieved it was a second before he realised he'd been insulted. By that time, however, Will had made it to class ahead of him and was out of kicking range.
Again, he'd probably planned that.
Will had chosen his moment carefully. Too carefully. The moment he opened his mouth, Bran knew something was up.
They were in the dorm, Will curled up with a book on his bed, Bran hunting in his drawers for his missing tie, the rest of their dorm-mates still involved in teeth brushing. They'd been talking, not with any real urgency, and then Will had said, in tones of exagerated casualness that made Bran instantly suspicious, "Speaking of the Nexus ..."
"What?"
"I tell you my friend J's getting married?"
Bran tries to remember J. "He the one you helped with magic but weren't sure if you did the right thing?"
"Mm. If he's getting married, I think it's a good thing on the whole. And his fiance's a man he met in the Nexus."
"Well, that's all right then," Bran said, losing interest. He was more interested in finding his tie than Will's moral questionings. "Thought you said J was a guy."
"He is." Will had gone back to his book.
Bran frowned. "One of them -- what was the word Val used?"
"LOLed? No. Or at least, not to my knowledge."
Bran sat back on his heels to look at Will. "Well, they can't be getting married then, can they?"
"They can in the Nexus," Will said, turning a page. "I don't think they're the first either."
"But they can't. I mean -- what would be the point?"
Will did look at Bran then. "I suppose that they are very much in love and want to be together and all of that," he said. "Just like any married couple."
"But they're not," Bran said, wondering if Will was maybe pulling his leg. "I mean, with married couples there's sex."
Will just nodded.
"But men can't -- I mean, how would it work? A girl's got a -- Seriously, how would two men go about that?"
"Carefully, I imagine," Will said and the second after that the dorm door opened so that Hamish, the twins and their dorm leader, Robert could all troop in, noisy and boisterous and that was the end of the conversation -- Will couldn't have planned it neater, Bran thought as Robert ordered all of them ready for light's out and he got into his bed. Maybe he had planned it that way.
And Bran still hadn't found his tie.
--oOo--
Two mornings later, Bran was at breakfast still trying to work out what had been behind Will's odd revelation. His friend hadn't referred to it since, and had gone on being as exasperatingly ordinary as ever - Bran was sure Will was doing it on purpose to irritate him. But admitting that would be defeat, and Bran was determined to work it out himself.
Hamish helped him out by sitting down next to Bran and jabbing him in the ribs with an elbow. Since Hamish was big and played rugby, this wasn't appreciated. "Sitting on your own, Davies? What's the matter, you and Stanton broken up?"
"Shut up, Hamish," Bran said automatically. They were all used to the other's childish sense of humour -- then Bran stopped. What if it wasn't humour? What if he'd thought --
It was third period before Bran managed to catch Will alone. "Stanton!" he called, spotting the familiar brown haired head about to turn the corridor and Will obediently halted for Bran to catch up. They fell into step together heading towards the Latin classroom.
"What you said, the other night. When I call you 'sweetheart'-- you think people think ... ?"
"I think some people do," Will said placidly, as if this didn't matter at all. "But anyone who knows us wouldn't think twice about it. They're familiar with the primitive Welsh sense of humour by now."
"Oh very funny." But Bran was too intent to even fake anger. "But when Roland Lewis asked me if I was a queer--"
"He wasn't insinuating that the Welsh were daft, no."
"Fine, laugh it up. How was I supposed to know that was what he meant?"
Will shrugged. "I don't think you could have missed the point any more widely if you'd tried. If anything, that's a good thing -- anyone who did think you might have been queer before will now be soundly convinced you're just another daft Welshman."
"Oh," said Bran and he was that relieved it was a second before he realised he'd been insulted. By that time, however, Will had made it to class ahead of him and was out of kicking range.
Again, he'd probably planned that.