Entry Six-2001, A Space Odyssey
Title: Childhood Memories
Author: Quetzal quetzals_nest
Fandom: 2001, A Space Odyssey
Pairing: Dave Bowman/Frank Poole
Genre: Romance, is slash a genre?
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1169
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Beta Reader: hexeengel
Author's Note: Done for the 30_forbidden challenge. Yes, it’s another 2001 fic, so sue me :P
Frank’s mother is loosely based on my own. This is also an alternative timeline from To The Moon and Back, this is closer to Entry 5’s timeline.
You can read all my 30_forbidden fics here.
Prompt: #10-Memory
I used to wonder what my parents would think if I told them I was sleeping with Dave. My father had always been fairly open-minded, but my mother was one of those women who made you feel like every “abnormal” choice you made was suddenly wrong and vile. My mother claimed to be open minded, and then in the next sentence she would say something completely opposite.
It had begun when I was young. My memories of my childhood are fuzzy at best. I had my first crush, I think. The first one on someone I actually knew at least.
Her name was Susie. We were five. Susie was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She wore pretty dresses every day, and always had a bright, glossy ribbon in her hair.
Looking back, telling my mother that I wanted to have a bright, glossy ribbon in my short hair was probably a really bad idea. She did try to keep a straight face and just let me down lightly by saying, “I don’t think so dear.”
As soon as my father got home, she was hysterical: “Paul! Our son wants to wear hair ribbons! Hair. Ribbons.”
At least, that’s what I remember.
I didn’t talk to my parents about crushes after that.
When I was nine, I had to move to a new school. The districts had been changed and a new school was going up closer to our house.
I was excited, I wouldn’t have to take a bus anymore. I would miss my friends, but I would make new ones, I was sure.
Damn, I was wrong.
Instantly, I became this low-ranking nobody. I did my best to fit in, but when all you think about is space and the moon, I guess you don’t really fit in right away.
I was bullied intensely, but I never wanted to switch schools. I would stay, tough it out.
Besides, Taylor was there.
Taylor was this tall, blond, basketball player. He was in my class, and I did everything to try to get him to be my friend. I even tried to play basketball, despite the fact that I lacked the skill required to get the ball into the hoop. I would dream of the day where I would finally do something amazing in gym class, impressing Taylor. We would become best friends, and we would get married. I was nine, and it’s clear I was delusional.
High school was a flurry of emotions and hormones. Was I gay? Was I straight? Did it matter? At fifteen I got my first kiss. I don’t even remember his name. It was at a pep-rally. My friends and I had staked out this little space, wedged between the bleachers so we wouldn’t be seen or called out on bitching about the sports teams and cheer squad. I had seen the guy around before. He had a new boy-toy almost every week. And, he had a major victim complex.
My mother found me masturbating a week later. I was mortified. She tried to play the “hip-and-cool” mom card, but she failed miserably. I had no idea why her students thought she was an awesome teacher. Then again, my mother taught first grade, and if I recall correctly, six and seven year olds are not hard to keep amused.
My parents were devastated when I told them I was going out of state for college. They didn’t want me leaving the nest so soon. But, I managed to get an apartment with three room-mates, and a job, and I started college with a fresh outlook.
By this time I knew I was probably gay. I liked men. Women inevitably reminded me of my mother. I met my first actual boyfriend sometime around October, and started dating in December.
We were very similar. Date Nights consisted of watching Star Trek reruns.
I invited him to come to meet my family on Easter. I was ready to come out to my parents. I was so scared, telling my mother this sort of thing. I had no idea how she was going to react.
“Mom, Dad, this is Leo.”
“Hi,” he said shyly, waving to my family.
“Frank! I didn’t know you were gay,” my father said. "It’s nice to meet you, Leo.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Hello dear,” my mother said. "I should have figured this out years ago when you wanted to put ribbons in your hair.”
I just stared. Thanks, mom...
Leo and I broke up sometime in our second year. That’s when I started running every day. I was so depressed I just felt the need to run far away and hard. But, I was pulled back to the university. So, I joined the track team. I never competed, I would just run.
I graduated top of my classes, with honours. I had my PhD. I still continued to live out of state. I still visited home on holidays, but I had a job now (a shitty job, but a job nonetheless).
A year later, I was accepted to the Jupiter program.
I told my family that year for Christmas. My family had this tradition where before we dug into the feast my mother and aunt’s prepared, we’d share something about the year.
“Well,” I began slowly, “I was accepted to the Jupiter program. In 2001, I’m going to Jupiter.”
My family was shocked and thrilled. My father was so pleased with me, his oldest son, that he looked on the verge of tears.
“Congratulations Frank,” my mother squeezed my hand from across the table. “Do they know?”
“Know what?”
“Know that you’re a gay?”
“Why would that matter?”
“You’re going to be going up in space dear.”
I didn’t even eat dinner. Instead, I went out and ran again, all over my old neighbourhood. It’s a bit cold, but there is no snow.
She never knows when to shut her mouth.
My mother and I did make up before I left for Jupiter, though I still did feel a bit angry.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for your last letter, I can’t believe my little sister is going to have her first baby so soon! By the time you get this, your first grandbaby will probably be here. As an Uncle, tell Maria she is free to spoil the baby in my name. With your next transmission, I’d like to see the baby, okay? Make sure you get Maria there!
Everything is going smoothly here. Dave and I are finding it rather tedious some days. We watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books. Mom, you can finally be proud of me, I just finished War and Peace a few days ago.
There is something I do want you to know though. Dave and I have become sort of like a couple.
I paused my recording. I would have given anything to see the look on her face when she heard that.
Author: Quetzal quetzals_nest
Fandom: 2001, A Space Odyssey
Pairing: Dave Bowman/Frank Poole
Genre: Romance, is slash a genre?
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1169
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Beta Reader: hexeengel
Author's Note: Done for the 30_forbidden challenge. Yes, it’s another 2001 fic, so sue me :P
Frank’s mother is loosely based on my own. This is also an alternative timeline from To The Moon and Back, this is closer to Entry 5’s timeline.
You can read all my 30_forbidden fics here.
Prompt: #10-Memory
I used to wonder what my parents would think if I told them I was sleeping with Dave. My father had always been fairly open-minded, but my mother was one of those women who made you feel like every “abnormal” choice you made was suddenly wrong and vile. My mother claimed to be open minded, and then in the next sentence she would say something completely opposite.
It had begun when I was young. My memories of my childhood are fuzzy at best. I had my first crush, I think. The first one on someone I actually knew at least.
Her name was Susie. We were five. Susie was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She wore pretty dresses every day, and always had a bright, glossy ribbon in her hair.
Looking back, telling my mother that I wanted to have a bright, glossy ribbon in my short hair was probably a really bad idea. She did try to keep a straight face and just let me down lightly by saying, “I don’t think so dear.”
As soon as my father got home, she was hysterical: “Paul! Our son wants to wear hair ribbons! Hair. Ribbons.”
At least, that’s what I remember.
I didn’t talk to my parents about crushes after that.
When I was nine, I had to move to a new school. The districts had been changed and a new school was going up closer to our house.
I was excited, I wouldn’t have to take a bus anymore. I would miss my friends, but I would make new ones, I was sure.
Damn, I was wrong.
Instantly, I became this low-ranking nobody. I did my best to fit in, but when all you think about is space and the moon, I guess you don’t really fit in right away.
I was bullied intensely, but I never wanted to switch schools. I would stay, tough it out.
Besides, Taylor was there.
Taylor was this tall, blond, basketball player. He was in my class, and I did everything to try to get him to be my friend. I even tried to play basketball, despite the fact that I lacked the skill required to get the ball into the hoop. I would dream of the day where I would finally do something amazing in gym class, impressing Taylor. We would become best friends, and we would get married. I was nine, and it’s clear I was delusional.
High school was a flurry of emotions and hormones. Was I gay? Was I straight? Did it matter? At fifteen I got my first kiss. I don’t even remember his name. It was at a pep-rally. My friends and I had staked out this little space, wedged between the bleachers so we wouldn’t be seen or called out on bitching about the sports teams and cheer squad. I had seen the guy around before. He had a new boy-toy almost every week. And, he had a major victim complex.
My mother found me masturbating a week later. I was mortified. She tried to play the “hip-and-cool” mom card, but she failed miserably. I had no idea why her students thought she was an awesome teacher. Then again, my mother taught first grade, and if I recall correctly, six and seven year olds are not hard to keep amused.
My parents were devastated when I told them I was going out of state for college. They didn’t want me leaving the nest so soon. But, I managed to get an apartment with three room-mates, and a job, and I started college with a fresh outlook.
By this time I knew I was probably gay. I liked men. Women inevitably reminded me of my mother. I met my first actual boyfriend sometime around October, and started dating in December.
We were very similar. Date Nights consisted of watching Star Trek reruns.
I invited him to come to meet my family on Easter. I was ready to come out to my parents. I was so scared, telling my mother this sort of thing. I had no idea how she was going to react.
“Mom, Dad, this is Leo.”
“Hi,” he said shyly, waving to my family.
“Frank! I didn’t know you were gay,” my father said. "It’s nice to meet you, Leo.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Hello dear,” my mother said. "I should have figured this out years ago when you wanted to put ribbons in your hair.”
I just stared. Thanks, mom...
Leo and I broke up sometime in our second year. That’s when I started running every day. I was so depressed I just felt the need to run far away and hard. But, I was pulled back to the university. So, I joined the track team. I never competed, I would just run.
I graduated top of my classes, with honours. I had my PhD. I still continued to live out of state. I still visited home on holidays, but I had a job now (a shitty job, but a job nonetheless).
A year later, I was accepted to the Jupiter program.
I told my family that year for Christmas. My family had this tradition where before we dug into the feast my mother and aunt’s prepared, we’d share something about the year.
“Well,” I began slowly, “I was accepted to the Jupiter program. In 2001, I’m going to Jupiter.”
My family was shocked and thrilled. My father was so pleased with me, his oldest son, that he looked on the verge of tears.
“Congratulations Frank,” my mother squeezed my hand from across the table. “Do they know?”
“Know what?”
“Know that you’re a gay?”
“Why would that matter?”
“You’re going to be going up in space dear.”
I didn’t even eat dinner. Instead, I went out and ran again, all over my old neighbourhood. It’s a bit cold, but there is no snow.
She never knows when to shut her mouth.
My mother and I did make up before I left for Jupiter, though I still did feel a bit angry.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for your last letter, I can’t believe my little sister is going to have her first baby so soon! By the time you get this, your first grandbaby will probably be here. As an Uncle, tell Maria she is free to spoil the baby in my name. With your next transmission, I’d like to see the baby, okay? Make sure you get Maria there!
Everything is going smoothly here. Dave and I are finding it rather tedious some days. We watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books. Mom, you can finally be proud of me, I just finished War and Peace a few days ago.
There is something I do want you to know though. Dave and I have become sort of like a couple.
I paused my recording. I would have given anything to see the look on her face when she heard that.