an lgbtfest Easter egg thing
This is a follow-up to What a Man's Gotta Do; it insisted on being written, but I didn't think it really fit with the overall story. But here it is now.
They meet for lunch over the weekend, and decide that maybe it’s time they saw more of each other again. Things had actually worked out okay when they were dating in college, after all, and they figured out various questions of packaging in the meantime; it shouldn’t be too much of a hardship.
He still thinks it’s a little bit weird that Chris is a guy all of a sudden - but at the same time, it isn’t. It’s not sudden, he knew about it before they graduated, and it fits, regardless of how bizarre it may feel.
What’s weird is having someone around who calls him Jack before anything else. It’s been a lot longer than he’d thought since he last really had a private life, and... he kind of likes it.
A couple weeks in, over dinner, he asks Chris what happened about the lawyer thing he’d been considering when they were still in college.
“I’m reading up on that by myself,” he says. “In California, it’s perfectly acceptable to teach yourself, and when I got to thinking about it, I figured I probably wasn’t the type to sit through a bunch of classes on the subject anyway. Besides, after we graduated, I had a pretty epic argument with my grandparents, so my priority then was getting the surgery and a job.”
“Your grandparents? I thought it was your parents giving you hell.”
“...Come over after dinner. This isn’t a story I want to tell in public.”
Jack agrees, since he’s got a feeling this is something he needs to hear. Even a couple weeks ago, he probably would have pushed for the whole story right away, but he’s re-learning the rules of having a private life, including the fact that sometimes the other party doesn’t want their private life spread out for everyone to see.
How things ended with Penny helped scrub that point in pretty thoroughly too, of course.
Chris has a damn tiny apartment, but just shrugs when Jack mentions the fact. “We can’t all live on the government’s payroll,” he points out. “I probably could afford to move by now, but I have my budget worked out - not going to upset that for no good reason. The neighborhood doesn’t suck that much.”
Jack can’t really argue that, so he just sits down on the couch and waits for Chris to join him. This takes a few minutes, but eventually, Chris settles down and lets out the kind of sigh that can only mean there’s a big story to follow.
“Once upon a time,” he finally says, “there was a girl growing up in Alabama. She fell hard for a boy from the wrong side of town, and her parents wouldn’t hear any of it because he didn’t have enough money for their delusions of antebellum aristocracy. She saw him anyway, and ended up in a spot of trouble in the middle of high school. Her parents took custody of her daughter as soon as delivery was over, and told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to see that boy again.”
“But she did, didn’t she?” There are only so many ways these stories can go. It’s like the ones about how people got their powers.
“She did. And they were planning to make a break for it, if only they could scrape up enough money - but then she got pregnant again, and went into labor way too early. Her parents, being the magnificent bastards that they probably still are today, wouldn’t take her to a hospital, since they thought she ought to reap what she’d sown. And they decided that her daughter, who was about three at the time, need never know about it.”
Jack winces. “Jesus, you grew up in a damn soap opera.”
“Southern Gothic novel, more like. Had to find it all out from the maid and everything. Just as well I was there to tell them I was moving on with my life anyway, since after that... well, they deserve to be saddled with my college bills.”
“So your theory worked out?”
Chris smiles, but it’s not a particularly nice expression. “You could say that. They very nearly threw me out of the house, but given their principles, they don’t want to admit they know who I am, anymore. Makes it hard for them to pass off the bills as someone else’s.”
“There a silver lining to all that? Aside from passing off the financial burden.”
“The maid... gave me my dad’s name. We’ve talked a few times. He’s a good guy - I don’t think he entirely understands my packaging decision, but he tries.”
“Well, that’s good.” Jack shrugs. “Granted, I don’t entirely understand your packaging decision, but... I’m trying.”
Chris smirks. “You’re doing a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Most guys would’ve freaked out as soon as they knew.”
“You mean I didn’t, when you first told me?”
He’s getting the ‘you are full of it’ face again, but Chris is smiling a little - more genuinely than earlier. “That was by far not the worst reaction I’ve ever had, even if you disqualify my relatives for being too obvious. Anyway, as I recall, you were more upset about me citing your personal preferences as part of why I was breaking things off.”
“Shut up. It was a touchy subject at the time.”
They end up talking late into the night, and Jack doesn’t bother trying to go home; he could take care of himself, but he’s comfortable here. It’s just another part of actually having a private life that he’s finding he actually enjoys.
They meet for lunch over the weekend, and decide that maybe it’s time they saw more of each other again. Things had actually worked out okay when they were dating in college, after all, and they figured out various questions of packaging in the meantime; it shouldn’t be too much of a hardship.
He still thinks it’s a little bit weird that Chris is a guy all of a sudden - but at the same time, it isn’t. It’s not sudden, he knew about it before they graduated, and it fits, regardless of how bizarre it may feel.
What’s weird is having someone around who calls him Jack before anything else. It’s been a lot longer than he’d thought since he last really had a private life, and... he kind of likes it.
A couple weeks in, over dinner, he asks Chris what happened about the lawyer thing he’d been considering when they were still in college.
“I’m reading up on that by myself,” he says. “In California, it’s perfectly acceptable to teach yourself, and when I got to thinking about it, I figured I probably wasn’t the type to sit through a bunch of classes on the subject anyway. Besides, after we graduated, I had a pretty epic argument with my grandparents, so my priority then was getting the surgery and a job.”
“Your grandparents? I thought it was your parents giving you hell.”
“...Come over after dinner. This isn’t a story I want to tell in public.”
Jack agrees, since he’s got a feeling this is something he needs to hear. Even a couple weeks ago, he probably would have pushed for the whole story right away, but he’s re-learning the rules of having a private life, including the fact that sometimes the other party doesn’t want their private life spread out for everyone to see.
How things ended with Penny helped scrub that point in pretty thoroughly too, of course.
Chris has a damn tiny apartment, but just shrugs when Jack mentions the fact. “We can’t all live on the government’s payroll,” he points out. “I probably could afford to move by now, but I have my budget worked out - not going to upset that for no good reason. The neighborhood doesn’t suck that much.”
Jack can’t really argue that, so he just sits down on the couch and waits for Chris to join him. This takes a few minutes, but eventually, Chris settles down and lets out the kind of sigh that can only mean there’s a big story to follow.
“Once upon a time,” he finally says, “there was a girl growing up in Alabama. She fell hard for a boy from the wrong side of town, and her parents wouldn’t hear any of it because he didn’t have enough money for their delusions of antebellum aristocracy. She saw him anyway, and ended up in a spot of trouble in the middle of high school. Her parents took custody of her daughter as soon as delivery was over, and told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to see that boy again.”
“But she did, didn’t she?” There are only so many ways these stories can go. It’s like the ones about how people got their powers.
“She did. And they were planning to make a break for it, if only they could scrape up enough money - but then she got pregnant again, and went into labor way too early. Her parents, being the magnificent bastards that they probably still are today, wouldn’t take her to a hospital, since they thought she ought to reap what she’d sown. And they decided that her daughter, who was about three at the time, need never know about it.”
Jack winces. “Jesus, you grew up in a damn soap opera.”
“Southern Gothic novel, more like. Had to find it all out from the maid and everything. Just as well I was there to tell them I was moving on with my life anyway, since after that... well, they deserve to be saddled with my college bills.”
“So your theory worked out?”
Chris smiles, but it’s not a particularly nice expression. “You could say that. They very nearly threw me out of the house, but given their principles, they don’t want to admit they know who I am, anymore. Makes it hard for them to pass off the bills as someone else’s.”
“There a silver lining to all that? Aside from passing off the financial burden.”
“The maid... gave me my dad’s name. We’ve talked a few times. He’s a good guy - I don’t think he entirely understands my packaging decision, but he tries.”
“Well, that’s good.” Jack shrugs. “Granted, I don’t entirely understand your packaging decision, but... I’m trying.”
Chris smirks. “You’re doing a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Most guys would’ve freaked out as soon as they knew.”
“You mean I didn’t, when you first told me?”
He’s getting the ‘you are full of it’ face again, but Chris is smiling a little - more genuinely than earlier. “That was by far not the worst reaction I’ve ever had, even if you disqualify my relatives for being too obvious. Anyway, as I recall, you were more upset about me citing your personal preferences as part of why I was breaking things off.”
“Shut up. It was a touchy subject at the time.”
They end up talking late into the night, and Jack doesn’t bother trying to go home; he could take care of himself, but he’s comfortable here. It’s just another part of actually having a private life that he’s finding he actually enjoys.