(no subject)
Every Mask has its story
elise
part eight
ANGST
“I think I’m going to take a picture of pretty Papa, and send it to Daddy.” Lindy announced, crossing her arms.
“Do you want to live to double digits?” Ryan said, pointing a finger at Lindy, setting her and her two friends off giggling.
The first girl, Nukka, put her hands on her hips. She was the first of the Cambell-Miller beauty parlor, her hair done by Lindy. Ryan thought briefly of returning Nukka to her conservative mother, with her usually combed black hair, now spiky and sprayed pink. Nukka nudged Sarah, the other friend that was over. Sarah whispered, “What? Quit pokin me.”
“I think we need makeup.” Nukka said, “What do you think Lindy?”
Ryan stood up, “Absolutely not. I let you put me in pig tails, I will not be in makeup.”
Nukka’s bottom lip stuck out, “Come on, Mr. Cambell-Miller, please!”
Ryan laughed and walked towards the kitchen, “Not going to happen. You can’t out pout my Little Lindy, so I’m basically immune.”
Sarah said, “What if... we do your dishes?”
Ryan turned and said, laughing, “No.”
Lindy patted her friends on the back. “Amateurs. Let me try.”
Walking into the kitchen, Lindy bit her lip and looked up at her father. “Papa?”
Ryan promptly ignored her, beginning to make the kids lunches. He also knew that if he looked at his daughter right now, that he would immediately crumble, and Brian would find him with three pounds of makeup on. Ryan sighed, and said, “You want to go outside and play?”
“No,” Lindy said, “I want to put make up on you so you’re Pretty Papa.”
“I’m pretty already, Lin,” Ryan said, “I’m not having makeup put on me. And where did you find makeup?”
“Nukka took her mom’s.” Lindy said, leaning back into the chair and beginning to make paper airplanes out of the sheets of paper there.
Ryan rolled his eyes and said, “Nukka’s mom is going to hate me.”
“She already hates you, so whats the difference?” Lindy asked, “She thinks its weird that I have two fathers. I think its weird that she doesn’t.”
“It’s not weird,” Ryan said, face going serious, “For a man and a woman to be together. Or a man and a man, or a woman and another woman.”
“Yeah, I know, I get it.” Lindy said, “I can read newspapers and people tell me about like... when you lived in a closet.”
Ryan smiled sadly and said, “Not the best time period of my life. How much do you know about that?”
Lindy straightened up, “Well you pretended to like girls and were upset, so you lived in a closet like Harry Potter.”
Ryan paused, looking at his daughter, “Something like that. I’m now happy, with your Daddy, and we were lucky enough to have you. Best thing ever.”
Lindy blushed, then tucked her hair behind her ears, “Well duh.”
Scruffing her hair, Ryan said, “Go find the girls, lunch is ready.”
Lindy beamed and said, “I want you to stay home more often, Papa, you’re loads of fun!”
Lindy didn’t catch Ryan’s eyes darkening as she ran off to get her friends. It hurt to hear things like that. Ryan truly felt caught in between a rock and a hard place.
Ryan’s phone began to buzz and he picked up. “Hey Bri - hows Bear?”
“Fine-ish.” Brian said sadly, “As fine as can be expected. He’s exhausted and I’m going to take him home. You and I are going to have to talk when I get home.”
“What... about?” Ryan said, “What’s wrong with Bear?”
“Bear is just struggling with the chemo. He is really exhausted and he’s not keeping food down, so he’s losing weight.” Brian sighed, “I... really need to talk, could we find something for Lindy to do while we speak? Maybe have Lindy read Bear a story?”
Ryan nodded, “Yeah, yeah of course. I’m going to drive Lindy’s friends home, ok?”
“How’s your hair look?” Brian said, a smirk finally in his voice.
Ryan scowled, “That’s enough out of you.”
Steve slowly lowered himself onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh. “I’ll tell him, Bri.”
Brian nibbled at his bottom lip and nodded. Ryan noted to himself that both of them shared that habit, and wondered if they’d ever be rid of it. Squeezing his own knees in nervousness, Ryan said, “Ok. Ok, tell me.”
Steve moved so that he could see Ryan’s eyes. He took another deep breath and said quietly, “It’s spread. I do not have a good chance.”
Brian kept his eyes on Ryan, watching his husband freeze. The air seemed thicker. Ryan wasn’t even blinking. Steve ran a hand through his hair. “I... will continue on treatments, in hope that I can beat this thing.”
Brian reached over, taking Steve’s hand. “We’ll be here for you, ok? Steve, we’ll fight right along side you.”
Resting his head back, Steve nodded, “I don’t know what to think. It’s all happened so fast, these past couple of weeks. I didn’t know. I should have figured it out, but I didn’t.”
“There is no way that you could’ve guessed that you had cancer. That’s impossible, Steve.” Brian said.
Brian stole a look at Ryan, who still remained in the same position. Ryan blinked once and then leaned forward. “I’ll take care of you, Bear.” Ryan said softly, “Don’t worry.”
elise
part eight
ANGST
“I think I’m going to take a picture of pretty Papa, and send it to Daddy.” Lindy announced, crossing her arms.
“Do you want to live to double digits?” Ryan said, pointing a finger at Lindy, setting her and her two friends off giggling.
The first girl, Nukka, put her hands on her hips. She was the first of the Cambell-Miller beauty parlor, her hair done by Lindy. Ryan thought briefly of returning Nukka to her conservative mother, with her usually combed black hair, now spiky and sprayed pink. Nukka nudged Sarah, the other friend that was over. Sarah whispered, “What? Quit pokin me.”
“I think we need makeup.” Nukka said, “What do you think Lindy?”
Ryan stood up, “Absolutely not. I let you put me in pig tails, I will not be in makeup.”
Nukka’s bottom lip stuck out, “Come on, Mr. Cambell-Miller, please!”
Ryan laughed and walked towards the kitchen, “Not going to happen. You can’t out pout my Little Lindy, so I’m basically immune.”
Sarah said, “What if... we do your dishes?”
Ryan turned and said, laughing, “No.”
Lindy patted her friends on the back. “Amateurs. Let me try.”
Walking into the kitchen, Lindy bit her lip and looked up at her father. “Papa?”
Ryan promptly ignored her, beginning to make the kids lunches. He also knew that if he looked at his daughter right now, that he would immediately crumble, and Brian would find him with three pounds of makeup on. Ryan sighed, and said, “You want to go outside and play?”
“No,” Lindy said, “I want to put make up on you so you’re Pretty Papa.”
“I’m pretty already, Lin,” Ryan said, “I’m not having makeup put on me. And where did you find makeup?”
“Nukka took her mom’s.” Lindy said, leaning back into the chair and beginning to make paper airplanes out of the sheets of paper there.
Ryan rolled his eyes and said, “Nukka’s mom is going to hate me.”
“She already hates you, so whats the difference?” Lindy asked, “She thinks its weird that I have two fathers. I think its weird that she doesn’t.”
“It’s not weird,” Ryan said, face going serious, “For a man and a woman to be together. Or a man and a man, or a woman and another woman.”
“Yeah, I know, I get it.” Lindy said, “I can read newspapers and people tell me about like... when you lived in a closet.”
Ryan smiled sadly and said, “Not the best time period of my life. How much do you know about that?”
Lindy straightened up, “Well you pretended to like girls and were upset, so you lived in a closet like Harry Potter.”
Ryan paused, looking at his daughter, “Something like that. I’m now happy, with your Daddy, and we were lucky enough to have you. Best thing ever.”
Lindy blushed, then tucked her hair behind her ears, “Well duh.”
Scruffing her hair, Ryan said, “Go find the girls, lunch is ready.”
Lindy beamed and said, “I want you to stay home more often, Papa, you’re loads of fun!”
Lindy didn’t catch Ryan’s eyes darkening as she ran off to get her friends. It hurt to hear things like that. Ryan truly felt caught in between a rock and a hard place.
Ryan’s phone began to buzz and he picked up. “Hey Bri - hows Bear?”
“Fine-ish.” Brian said sadly, “As fine as can be expected. He’s exhausted and I’m going to take him home. You and I are going to have to talk when I get home.”
“What... about?” Ryan said, “What’s wrong with Bear?”
“Bear is just struggling with the chemo. He is really exhausted and he’s not keeping food down, so he’s losing weight.” Brian sighed, “I... really need to talk, could we find something for Lindy to do while we speak? Maybe have Lindy read Bear a story?”
Ryan nodded, “Yeah, yeah of course. I’m going to drive Lindy’s friends home, ok?”
“How’s your hair look?” Brian said, a smirk finally in his voice.
Ryan scowled, “That’s enough out of you.”
Steve slowly lowered himself onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh. “I’ll tell him, Bri.”
Brian nibbled at his bottom lip and nodded. Ryan noted to himself that both of them shared that habit, and wondered if they’d ever be rid of it. Squeezing his own knees in nervousness, Ryan said, “Ok. Ok, tell me.”
Steve moved so that he could see Ryan’s eyes. He took another deep breath and said quietly, “It’s spread. I do not have a good chance.”
Brian kept his eyes on Ryan, watching his husband freeze. The air seemed thicker. Ryan wasn’t even blinking. Steve ran a hand through his hair. “I... will continue on treatments, in hope that I can beat this thing.”
Brian reached over, taking Steve’s hand. “We’ll be here for you, ok? Steve, we’ll fight right along side you.”
Resting his head back, Steve nodded, “I don’t know what to think. It’s all happened so fast, these past couple of weeks. I didn’t know. I should have figured it out, but I didn’t.”
“There is no way that you could’ve guessed that you had cancer. That’s impossible, Steve.” Brian said.
Brian stole a look at Ryan, who still remained in the same position. Ryan blinked once and then leaned forward. “I’ll take care of you, Bear.” Ryan said softly, “Don’t worry.”