100 Things 23/100: Heads in the Sand
Title: Heads in the Sand
Fandom: Original Fiction
Rating: Gen
Word Count: 797
Prompt: Dark Bingo Fill: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Notes: Thanks to
alainia , who gave me the prompt that sparked the idea for this when I was having trouble.
Parents, in Sean O’Brien’s opinion, preferred being ostriches when it came to aspects of their children’s lives that they preferred not to know about. This assumption was based on experience and observation.
His mother and father tended to ignore an issue until it either: went away, resolved itself or exploded in their faces. Sean was expected to handle his own problems from a very early age, if he wanted them taken care of at all. His father in particular expected him to handle the bullies on his own; he didn’t want to hear about it. Not being a big kid, Sean had to find less physical ways of staying one step ahead of the muscleheads.
Growing up on a series of army bases, Sean learned to adapt quickly to new situations. He also learned not to get too attached to people because inevitably, he had to leave. He learned how to read people and how to appear to be what they wanted or expected him to be. He learned to be an actor in order to survive. In high school, the actual acting bug bit him and he joined the drama club. Being slight of frame and not exceedingly handsome, he rarely got the lead roles. But he excelled at the parts he was given. He had found a niche and he was happy in it.
His parents hated his love of acting. His father, a career military man, refused to attend his plays. His mother came once, but after that, she always had an excuse as to why she could not attend. Sean suspected that she just didn’t want to deal with another argument with his dad.
Sean wanted to go to drama school, but there was no way he could afford it. College was a dream, unless he found some way to pay on his own. The military offered Sean two things; a way to pay for college and a way out of his parent’s house. He was an actor; he could play the part of a soldier for a while, as a means to an end. He enlisted before he was done with his senior year and was scheduled to start immediately after graduation. In a move that was met with a stony stare and the silent treatment for weeks, Sean joined the navy.
Boot camp was the hardest thing Sean had ever done in his life. He squeaked by without having to repeat the whole training program, but just barely. The navy gave him a chance to explore foreign ports that he might not have had an opportunity to see otherwise. The best part of his whole stint was that he met Pat. He let Pat in, allowed himself to get close to another person for the first time. Pat was the partner he had waited his whole life to meet, though he had not known he was waiting.
Pat’s tour was up about six months before Sean’s, so they were apart and forced to communicate via email and letters and occasional phone calls. Pat encouraged Sean’s dream of acting professionally, and they had plans for what they would do when Sean was out.
When the ship was scheduled to return home, Sean sent a letter home to let his parents know. He had not seen them in four years. He didn’t expect an answer, and so was not surprised when none came. Pat would be waiting for him and that was enough.
He charged down the gangplank with the rest of the crew into the crowd of families waiting for them. He had spotted Pat from the deck, so he had a direction to go in. Sean stopped short when his mother and father appeared in his path. They stared at each other for a few moments. His father nodded silently, the only greeting he would give; he had never been an emotionally demonstrative man. His mother pressed a light and hesitant kiss to his cheek and squeezed his arm. He opened his mouth to thank them for coming, but he couldn’t find the words.
Behind them, over his father’s shoulder, Sean spotted Pat coming towards them. Smiling excitedly, he waved and his parents turned to see the person that had caused the broad smile to appear on their son’s face. Sean dropped his duffel bag and took a few steps forward and was lifted off his feet into a huge bear hug. After a brisk kiss, he was set down on his feet again, Pat ruffling his hair affectionately.
Sean turned to his parents. “Mom, Dad, this is Patrick.”
His father turned and walked away. His mom appeared torn for a few moments, and then looked at both Sean and Pat apologetically before trailing off in her husband’s wake.
The End Originally posted at http://rinkafic.dreamwidth.org/