lookinside (lookinside) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-03-16 00:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, greg, greg x sebastian, sebastian |
Who: Sebastian and Greg
Where: Greg’s House
When: Monday, October 9, after school
Status: Complete
Sebastian hadn’t been sure what to expect when he walked into school Monday morning. He had the feeling that anyone paying attention to him and Hunter at the party, really paying attention, would have something to say to him. As it turned out, nobody was sure enough of what they’d seen to give him more than a hard time. There were jabs about hanging out with the gay kid, a few even suggesting that Hunter was trying to pick him up, but they were easily dispelled. Sebastian laughed and told them to shut up and that was that. No one actually asked, so he wasn’t forced to either confirm or deny it, which he felt better about. He could take their ribbing, so long as that’s all it was. But it was also a hint of what might be to come. This was just from flirting with Hunter at a party. He could only imagine how it would ramp up if it came out that they were dating.
They weren’t dating, but they did have a date, something that Sebastian couldn’t stop thinking about. What should he wear? Would Hunter notice if it was different than what he wore to school that day? Should they get dinner afterwards? They hadn’t talked about it, but he found he wanted to stretch the time he spent with Hunter out as long as possible, even at the risk of other people seeing them. He’d never been so preoccupied with a date before. With a person, for that matter. If this was what a crush felt like, how was anyone making it through the day? Were they all as unfocused as he was? Just passing Hunter in the hall, Sebastian was sure everyone could tell. All he did was stop and say hi, have a little conversation that lasted a couple of minutes before he was forced to continue on in order to make it to class. And yet he thought anyone who saw him would see the giant hearts in his eyes.
He knew he had to tell Greg. He had to tell someone or he was going to burst, actually exploded into little fun-sized pieces of teenage boy. Sebastian could visualize it, the steam coming out of his ears, his body bouncing nervously before blowing up, scattering bits of him all over the yard like confetti. It was a little bit morbid, until the pieces started running around, a thousand tiny Sebastians instead of one big one. Sebastian shook his head, pulling himself back to reality as he knocked on Greg’s back door, then let himself in. “Greg! Where are you, man?” He called, already moving towards Greg’s room in the process.
Greg's room was more like a bachelor's pad, with its own little bathroom and living area set apart from his actual bedroom. He was spoiled and he knew it and appreciated it but he also knew his mom, while she loved his friends, needed them not to be in her space all the time.
He was sprawled on the couch with a controller in hand when he heard Sebastian shouting and shouted back, "In here!" Duh. He sat up a little and craned his neck to look at his friend as he entered, then gave him a little wave. "I am so sick of this game I can't stop fucking playing it," he groaned and maybe it was a good thing that Sebastian was there to distract him. "I swear I've died like fifty times in the last fucking hour." He dropped the controller on the coffee table and made an exaggerated groaning noise before relaxing again. "What's up with you?"
He honestly had no idea. The ribbing the other guys had been doing sounded pretty standard and all he'd had to say about it was "Can you blame him (Hunter) for wanting to pick up this fine piece o'ass (Sebastian)". It had been funny and it never got too ugly since nobody was outright homophobic about it so he hadn't had a problem with joining in. Sebastian was too cool to let shit like that get to him. He was, as Greg liked to call it, secure in his sexuality, just like Greg.
Sebastian took the stairs two at a time, barely even stopping to give a wave and a hello to Greg’s mother. He wasn’t sure he could handle a conversation with her, absolutely sure that anyone who spoke to him would know something was up. His nerves were fried and he hadn’t even started speaking. His eyes were drawn to the screen and he climbed over the back of the couch, pushing Greg’s legs out of the way to sit on the other end. “You probably need better gear. What level are you?” He asked, reaching for the controller to check out the character’s spec sheets. It was an easy distraction and he knew he was stalling, but he thought he might throw up and this was better than vomiting on his best friend. “I think you need to optimize your skills. You don’t have anything that’ll do AOE. You’ve really been at this an hour?”
"Hey," Greg grumbled slowly and snagged the controller back from him. "I'm a good player, this game just likes to kill me a lot. I'm not the only one either, people are bitching about it online." Was he a little defensive about it? Yeah, no doubt. Greg liked to be good at things. He started to turn the game off for now, there were more fun games to play in multiplayer mode and if Sebastian wasn't in the mood they could just put some music on. Anything was better than have his best friend pick up the game and do better or something. "I'm not dying at the same spot either, I get past that one annoying shit just to be hit with a new one. They need like ten times more savepoints." With that out of his system he looked over at Sebastian again. "So what's up, dude? You look frazzled."
“I didn’t say you were a bad player,” Sebastian said, hands up on the defensive as Greg snatched back the controller. “I was just trying to help.” Or stall. That was also highly possible, even when he’d come over with a purpose. Each little step took working up the nerve to complete, from leaving his house to knocking on the door, and now that he was there it was hard to even speak. So he gave a little nod. Frazzled was pretty accurate. “It’s been a day,” he said after a minute, kind of wishing that Greg had left the game on. With it quiet, it was obvious that the focus was now on him. “The guys… I know they’re just razzing me, but…” He shrugged, his whole frame tense, his jaw tight. Sebastian’s foot bounced nervously, but words didn’t come. Shit.
Greg thought he should know better than to try to help him with a game but he didn't keep pestering him about it, switching over to Pandora before settling back and giving Sebastian a curious look. "Are they giving you legit trouble over this shit?" That didn't sound like their team. Sure, there were a couple of bigmouths who didn't know when to stop and okay, maybe one or two real assholes, but as a team they tended to go easy on each other because team spirit and needing to have each others' backs and all. "Just tell'em... I don't know. Just ignore them? I don't know what the big deal is."
“No, not yet,” Sebastian answered softly. Right now they were joking because they didn’t really believe what they were saying. He had the feeling it would be different if they knew it was true, but he just didn’t know and it was the not knowing that made things so much worse. There were stories out there of how bad it could be. But then there was Greg, saying he didn’t know what all the fuss was about, and he thought maybe there was a chance things would be okay, at least with him. “Really? You sure about that?” he asked. “If I asked Hunter out, you’d be fine with it?”
Greg snorted softly and gave him something of a smile that said 'what duh'. "But I mean why would you-" he started and then stopped, furrowing his brows. "Would you?" he asked then after a pause that was a little too long as his brain tried to puzzle this shit together. Sebastian wasn't gay, they'd known each other forever and Greg would know. Wouldn't he? Oh fuck, wouldn't he? He kept waiting for the punchline but Sebastian just looked... anxious. "Fuck me, are you gay, Bash?"
It felt like the world started to spin a little as Greg started to figure it out, Sebastian’s stomach turning over and his face going pale. He knew he should say something, anything, but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. And then Greg finally worked it out and asked that, and a hysterical little laugh bubbled to the surface. “‘m not interested in you,” he said, biting his lip. He’d definitely cracked. “But yeah… yeah, I am.”
It was stupid but Greg felt a little upset by that. Not the fact that Sebastian was gay, he couldn't care less about that shit, but the fact he hadn't told him and even more so that he hadn't figured it out. "Fuck," he said, watching Sebastian intently to make sure this wasn't a joke. He looked way too frazzled to be joking though and that nervous laughter just sealed the deal. "How did I not know that? Did you know that? This whole time?"
Sebastian knew he wasn’t the best liar. In fact, he usually sucked at it. His expressions gave everything away, and if it wasn’t that, then it was usually that he didn’t have a good enough lie to properly cover the truth. Lying by omission was usually the only way he could manage it effectively. But in this case, it had always felt like a life or death situation. He knew that was overdramatic, that he wasn’t going to die, but it felt like his survival depended on it. At first it had been hard, but the longer he did it, the easier it got. At least until he was presented with a guy he really liked. “I didn’t want anyone to know,” he said with a little shrug. “I’ve known a while. Since… Tessa?” His first real girlfriend. The first one who’d wanted more than kissing, at least. He’d started to suspect before, but was around then that he’d become sure.
Was it obvious? Greg had to wonder if he was just incredibly dense or if Sebastian was incredibly stealthy. "Dude," he said despondedly. "You should have told me. I mean, did you think I'd be an ass about it or something? Am I that bad?" He did joke around, all the guys did, but he was pretty sure he'd made it clear he didn't give a shit who fucked who or loved who or whatever else was going on. He didn't understand all of it, like the whole transgender thing was still a bit of a mindfuck, but it didn't bother him.
“No, no it wasn’t like that,” Sebastian said, his heart sinking. When he finally found his voice, he started slow, picking up speed as he got more and more worked up. “I just… I wasn’t sure how you’d react. It’s not really something we talk about and-- and you see all the time, people are fine with something until it’s up close and personal, and you know my parents are gonna freak, and so I just kept putting it off and then it felt even bigger, like I’d suddenly be a different person to people when I’m still just me and I couldn’t stand the thought of you not wanting to be around me anymore, even when I know that’s not like you, I just ugh.” He flopped back on the couch and ran a hand through his hair, tugging on it. “I didn’t know what to say and there wasn’t really a reason to say it, not when I kept… dating girls.”
"Dude," Greg said softly then reached over to give his shoulder a little squeeze. "You're my brother from another mother, that's not gonna change depending on who you're banging." He gave him a little grin but then went deadly serious, almost angry looking though it was an obvious act. "But I swear to fucking god if you're keeping more secrets from me I'm gonna be so pissed." He didn't really mean that, things had a way of coming out on their own time - like Sebastian had now - but it still kinda sucked that something that big - and yet so insignificant - was something his best friend hadn't dared to tell him until now. "So what changed? ...Hunter?"
“I’m not banging anyone,” Sebastian snorted, but gave Greg a little smile in response. He knew Greg was upset with him, but it meant the world to him if he was speaking the truth, that nothing was going to change. The follow-up didn’t help though, considering he had another secret he’d been sitting on, one that had been silent for years, with no real good reason to tell. And at the same time, it felt like Greg might know, if he believed. He was one of the few people that knew Sebastian was a descendant of the Point Pleasant Six. It just hadn’t come up since elementary school. Bringing it up now felt wrong, completely out of place, and senseless. “Don’t say that,” he said, nudging Greg. “I don’t ever want you to be pissed at me. I don’t like keeping things from you.” But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Sebastian licked his lips, color beginning to rise back up to his cheeks. “Yeah,” he said with a little smile. “We… I really like him.”
"Yeah well, you could do worse," Greg said and while he was still a little pouty he was working on getting over it. "He's cute." He shrugged and looked at Sebastian again before thudding his head back against the back of the couch. "How did I fucking miss it? Does Jules know? Wait, didn't you guys have sex? That must have sucked for you." He was allowed to take his time to process he decided stubbornly. Sebastian had had years to come to terms but Greg had only just found out. It was messed up!
“He is,” Sebastian agreed, his smile growing. “And he’s fun. We hung out at Moxie’s yesterday, then drove around for a bit.” Interestingly enough, they really did drive around, not just go find some place to park, though Sebastian wouldn’t have been opposed to that. Sebastian shook his head. “No, she doesn’t know, and no, we didn’t have sex,” he laughed softly. “That-- I-- It’s a big part of why we broke up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s figured it out, but I never told her.” It really wasn’t fair to Jules, or any of the girls he’d dated, but he thought they did have a good time together, even if it never progressed beyond kissing.
"You sneaky lil minx," Greg said and shook his head again. So minx was for girls but he didn't care, it felt like the right word in that moment. "You had everyone fooled." He grimaced again and looked at Sebastian with a little groan. "I haven't like... totally hurt your feels or anything? With stupid jokes? You know I don't mean it, right? I honest to God don't give a shit if you're gay or straight or whatever else is out there."
“Sorry,” Sebastian said with a softly laugh, though he really did mean it. “I wasn’t ready. I’m still not sure I’m ready. But I really wanted to tell someone and I thought you were the least likely to disown me.” He knew this was going to be a problem, that those who didn’t care were going to wonder why he didn’t trust them, but it was hard to explain that it wasn’t all about them. He had to get there in his own time. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean, you say things sometimes and I’m not totally sure you know how it could sound, but I knew you didn’t mean it. At least, I thought you didn’t. I liked to hope you didn’t.”
"You gotta be able to laugh about it or they'll get to you," Greg told him with a little shrug. "Of course I don't mean it. If you start getting butthurt about jokes now I might just disown you." He quirked a little smile and nudged Sebastian's shoulder. "If you do get disowned you know my mom will be happy to adopt you, right?" It wasn't funny but it was kinda true. If the McCarthys found out about their son and went crazy about it, Jessica would step in without hesitation. At least Greg was sure she would. He would. "But dude I won't tell anyone if you're not ready. And I'll still hump you in the showers, I'm not gonna go easy on you just 'cause you're gay now."
“We’re fine,” Sebastian smiled. “I know you. I just worry. Now I don’t have to.” And Hunter’s comments had been reassuring as well. He should have known he had nothing to worry about with Greg, but even knowing it had been hard to put it out there. “Your mom’s great,” he said, but his smiled faded. He still hadn’t decided how to tell his parents. Or when. They were the hardest to face, the ones he was most worried about. Thinking about them could easily spin him into a downward spiral of anxiety, something he was trying not to start now. “And now you know why I avoid the showers,” he said with a snort, though it was true. Sebastian would rather wait till he got home, and if he had to shower at school, he was in and out as fast as he could manage.
"Aww man, this is such a mindfuck," Greg said and rubbed his temples as if it helped process it. Mostly he just felt stupid for not knowing. How could he not know? It was annoying him on levels he didn't understand. "I'm surprised your girlfriends never bitched about you not putting out, you know?" Maybe it was a girl thing, guys would have whined about it until the end of the world - or until they finally got laid. With Sebastian it just hadn't ever seemed like a big deal. They talked about sex sometimes, but now that all seemed a little hollow. "So wait, every time I go man, she's hot and you agree you're just like faking it?"
Sebastian didn’t mind the questions. Just the opposite. It kind of felt like they were bridging a gap that he’d gotten so used to that he’d forgotten about it, but now it was kind of cool to close it. He did feel bad about how it was effecting Greg, but at the same time it was kind of nice to know he wasn’t so obviously gay. “They did,” he said, trying not to laugh. “I mean, Jules was the most blatant about it. Usually they’d just be disappointed, and try again, until they got frustrated enough to break up with me. Which… I know is shitty on my part. I’m really not looking forward to facing any of them.” Except maybe Jules. He felt like they’d found their way to a better place. “I’m not faking it, dude. My eyes still work. I can tell when a girl’s hot without wanting to fool around with her. Just like you said Hunter’s cute. I’m going to assume you’re not interested, but still managed to pick up on that, right?”
That made sense and Greg hummed in agreement as he nodded along even while his brain was still spinning with questions, some of which it easily applied answers to on its own. "Yeah no, definitely not interested but he's a good looking guy, I mean, yeah, I have eyes and I know how to use them. I don't think I could ever actually fuck a guy though. So definitely straight. So you're that in reverse, gotcha." He shook his head again. "Wish you would've told me sooner, though I guess now's a good time. I've got your back on the field or off it, you know this." That didn't mean he didn't have some reconciling to do but that was his problem and not Sebastian's.
“You’re definitely straight,” Sebastian said, biting his lip through a smile. “Like, Kinsey Scale zero straight.” He’d never seen Greg as even possibly being anything else and imagining him with a guy was just weird. Though, to be fair, he suspected that was the problem Greg was currently having with him. “Now that I’ve done it, I wish I had too.” The support meant so much to him, he had an overwhelming desire to hug Greg, but he wasn’t sure what he’d think of that, so he gave him a warm smile instead. “You’re the only one who knows though. Other than Hunter, I mean. I kind of had to tell him. Or, well, he pretty much figured it out. Cause, you know.” Flirting with him would do that.
Greg had to agree that yes, he was definitely straight. He guessed he could understand some of the bromance stuff but anything sexual was just really not his thing. Really Not. "Guess his gaydar went ping ping ping," he said with little hand gestures for each ping. "Is he all smitten with you? I mean, if I was gay and you crowned me at a party I'm pretty sure I'd suck your dick."
“Maybe,” Sebastian laughed softly. “Though he did call me ninja gay, so I must not be super obvious.” He could be, though. If he was louder about some of the things he liked. If he went into musical theater, for example. Talk of dick sucking and Hunter at the same time was enough to turn him red and Sebastian licked his lips, smiling as his eyes turned to the ceiling. “Um… I hope so? I mean, if he is, then he’s cool about it. I think I’m the one who’s smitten.”
Greg groaned loudly. "I should have known!" he lamented and then jabbed a finger at Sebastian. "You never get this red when you talk about girls. How did I not fucking know!" Of course he knew pointing it out was only going to make Sebastian blush more and it probably wasn't fair, but it was funny. "Look at you all flustered and adorable, you dork."
“Shuttup,” Sebastian laughed, giving Greg a little shove with his foot, his face even redder than before. “Maybe I was just really cool and confident.” Not the case. More like, not invested, which made it so much easier with girls. Greg was right-- being really attracted to someone made a huge difference. “I’m a mess,” he said, shaking his head at himself. “I feel like I’m twelve. Like I have no clue what I’m doing suddenly, but he’s so fucking cute and sweet and it’s like my brain is mush around him.”
"You know what?" Greg said with a little smile. "That's great, dude. I don't think I've ever felt like that about a girl which kinda sucks when you think about it so... Just enjoy it. Have no clue, feel like an idiot, have some fun. We're still young enough not to know better, you know? So take advantage of it." He felt pretty smart saying that, like some wise man Yoda figure in Sebastian's life and boy did he need one. Their senior year was kind of like the last chance to try new things and allow themselves to be a little idiotic.
“Thanks,” Sebastian smiled, laying his head against the couch. “It feels really good. But at the same time, it’s horribly unfair to him. Like, he’s out, and then there’s me. I wanna get there, but… Would you date a girl if she was afraid people might find out you were together? I mean, he said no rush, but…” He couldn’t understand why being in between bothered him so much when he’d been living a lie for as long as he had. Maybe it was because he started something and Sebastian’s compulsion had always been to finish everything he’d started. This wasn’t a project though, or a book, or a video game. He couldn’t rush forward and attack it like a checklist.
"I hate to be a downer, dude," Greg said with a little whine. "Don't make me be a downer... But." He stopped abruptly and gave Sebastian a calculated look. "With your family? You might wanna wait until college. Or even after college. Maybe his family is cool with it, but he can't really expect everyone to be, you know? We're going to college, dude. Don't fuck that up for some guy." He could have been even more of a downer and reminded Sebastian that sometimes people got all heart-eyed for only a day or two before moving on. Feelings were a mess.
“No, I know. Trust me, I’ve thought about it,” Sebastian sighed. “He’s not pushing me. It’s mostly me wanting… I dunno. It gets hard. It’s like I’m on guard all the time. Last year I’d have told you I could definitely make it ‘til college. Then this year started and I thought, I’ve got to finish football season.” He sighed, fingers running through his hair, all traces of a smile gone. “They’re gonna flip. I know it. I just don’t know how bad. It kinda makes me crazy to think about.” There were so many ways it could go wrong, so many opportunities to make his life hell. He’d had nightmares about it, nights he woke up in a cold sweat on the verge of a panic attack, right up until he realized it wasn’t real.
"Dude, I'll cover for you anytime," Greg told him. "Get you a fake girlfriend if we have to. You can do this." He wasn't sure what else he could really say. Family was complicated and he didn't know if he would himself be able to keep a secret that big from his parents. His parents weren't like the McCarthys though, they were actually chill. His mom more so than his dad but still. His mom's reply to just about anything was 'Alright, we'll figure this out' and that's another thing he was spoiled to death with; unlimited support.
Sebastian gave a little nod, appreciating the support, but unable to get excited about the idea, even if he dreaded telling them. He knew he could fake it. He’d been doing it for years. But not while trying to date a guy as well. It sounded like a balancing act of epic proportions. “It’s gonna be a pain in the ass,” he sighed. “If it gets out at school, you know it’ll leak back home. Someone’ll tell their mom and it’ll get back to mine.” He swallowed hard. “Ruby Fox knows. At least, I’m pretty sure she does. She waited on us at Moxie’s. I don’t think anyone else does though. Just you, me, Hunter, and Ruby.” He’d not worried all that much about it when he was with Hunter, but now… he felt like he needed to contain it.
"If it gets out now we'll know who talked," Greg muttered though he couldn't really say. He didn't know Hunter at all, maybe the guy was a stupid little snitch. He supposed it depended on exactly what was being said. "Were you guys- no, I don't wanna know. Okay yeah I do. What did Ruby see exactly?" Couldn't have been much if they were in a diner but who knew, hormones made people do stupid shit all the time and Greg was all too aware of the fact.
“You worried I’m gonna tell you I went down on him at Moxie’s?” Sebastian asked with an amused little smirk, just to see how Greg might react. That was...no. Not even something he was going to fathom right now. It was a diner, for fuck’s sake! What could they have been up to? “All I did was hold his hand, and even that felt like a big deal.” It wasn’t much, grade school stuff, but it made the butterflies go crazy.
Greg pulled a face but it wasn't so much disgust as it was bemusement. "Should've held his hand under the table," he said, hindsight being twenty/twenty and all. "But aww, you guys were holding hands? You're like baby-gays. It's fucking endearing." He laughed and ducked to the side as if he was thinking Sebastian might smack him for that. "Just don't go imprinting on the gay cops or anything, like little gay ducklings." He wasn't even sure where that came from but it was funny in his head.
“Obviously,” Sebastian said with a little smile. “But he was sitting across from me and that would’ve been awkward and it just kinda happened. Don’t make fun,” he laughed, smacking at Greg half because he deserved it and half because he seemed to expect it and he couldn’t help but follow through. “Why would we do that? What does that even mean?” he grinned, then something occurred to him. “I think Hunter’s dad’s the sheriff.” It hadn’t come up, but he’d heard it somewhere. From someone. People talked, especially about the new kid.
"You didn't hear?" Greg asked as he settled back down and grinned at Sebastian. He didn't really take much stock in gossip but this was kind of relevant now that he knew Sebastian was gay. "Two of the cops are like... Gay and dating. Hot scoop from my mom's friend who's married to someone who works with them. So, pretty airtight. Cool, huh? Tell that to your parents if they find out."
“Seriously? No shit,” Sebastian smiled. There was something about that that made him feel good. Like, real adult gay men in Point Pleasant that had legit, respected jobs and could be out and dating. It gave him hope for the future, even if he had no desire to be a policeman. “I’d totally imprint on the gay cops then. Find me a parent who doesn’t think I’m a freak.” Maybe that was harsh, considering he hadn’t told them, but his dad… he said things. Things that hurt, and that was without him even knowing. Sebastian knew it wasn’t true, but rejection from someone he loved was always going to sting.
"No shit," Greg chuckled and at least he hoped it was true now even if he hadn't cared one way or another just an hour ago. If his best friend was gay he deserved some cool role models and representation and shit. "But hey, maybe you'll be the guy who opens your parents' eyes and makes them more tolerant or something... Just when the time is right." Which meant, to him, after college. When Sebastian had already gotten them to pay for school and was independent of them. That was a good time to do it - worst case scenario and all.
“That’s cool,” Sebastian said, his head bobbing a little nod. He knew he wasn’t alone, that there was Hunter and Mak and Sabrina and a few others, but he hadn’t known of anyone outside the little group in high school. “That’s so far away,” he said softly. “I mean… I guess they won’t know once I’m away at college. So that’s not as bad, but…” He sighed, but nodded. Greg was right, it wasn’t worth the risk. He could lose everything. “I’m still taking him out Thursday,” he said. “I think it’ll be okay, so long as we’re quiet about it, don’t you think?”
"Nobody says you can't hang out with friends," Greg said with a shrug. "Just don't go tongue-wrestling in public and you should be fine. I'll cover for you if you need it, say I was supposed to be there but I got caught up in something, you know, if anyone starts being weird about it." He hadn't suspected Sebastian was gay this whole time - which still peeved him - so he didn't think anyone else would suddenly start thinking that and they had even less reasons to think Greg was gay so him being there meant... Bro-time? It made sense in his head, kinda. It was really unfair though. Nobody cared about this shit anymore, nobody Greg knew anyway. It sucked that Bash had to keep it a secret.
“We’re… not quite there yet,” Sebastian said with a little laugh. “Maybe we could pass as friends. I wouldn’t have any issue being friends with him if I was straight, so… yeah.” He just couldn’t hold Hunter’s hand, which would be hard because he really liked holding his hand. But they were going costume shopping, which wasn’t really a hand holding thing anyways. Sebastian realized he was doing round and round, which was completely unhelpful and getting him nowhere. “If you can cover for me, that’d be great. We’re going to that costume shop, if anyone asks. I thought it’d be fun.”
"That does sound like fun," Greg replied with a little pout. "I might just crash your date, bro." He wouldn't do that of course but hanging out a costume shop and trying on ridiculous things sounded like a laugh. "Ugh you're gonna be one of those obnoxiously cute couples, aren't you. Just don't wear matching costumes, that's kind of a dead give away that you're more than friends. Unless it's like.. Three amigos, minus one... Or something. Okay it depends on the costume, but some of them would totally give you away."
“Hey, you know I’d go with you any other time,” Sebastian said, giving Greg a little nudge with his foot. They’d gotten costumes together so many times in the past that going with someone else one time wasn’t going to hurt. “I dunno. You’ll have to tell me,” he smiled. “But don’t worry, I know. Plus, it’s not like they make those for guys. Can you think of any couples costumes for gay guys? ‘Cause I can’t.” If he could, he’d totally go all out for Halloween. But the he’d no longer be ninja gay. Not if there was glitter.
"Hey," Greg said teasingly. "Costumes know no gender, dude. You'd totally rock a Disney princess outfit." It made more sense if Hunter wore the girl outfit, being smaller and all, but these days people liked to subvert expectations and it could be hilarious. "He'll be the beast, you be Bella." God, he was cracking himself up picturing it. "Or the Hunter and Snow White." He was laughing for real now, wrinkling his nose with amusement.
“I’d be Ariel,” Sebastian laughed. “I’ve got the hair for it. But you really don’t want to see me rock a bikini top.” That wasn’t even gay to him. It was just ridiculous. Still something his parents would frown upon, but more because it was so over the top. Even if he was straight, they wouldn’t approve of their son cross-dressing. “Peter Pan and Hook? Though tights are a lot like spandex and I already said no spandex.” Not to Greg, but to Hunter. “You know, everyone knows the princesses. The princes are kind of boring.”
"Right? How sexist is that?" Greg said, still chuckling. "No spandex though? Man, you suck at being gay. Or do gay guys even wear spandex? Maybe it's too much of a fashion disaster... Tights are cool though, if you're a pirate or something." He was rambling again, turning things over in his head and picturing various costumes that could be cool despite including tights. "Do pirates wear tights? No wait, they just wear like... high socks or something. Fuck, old fashion is weird."
“I’ll trade spandex for glitter, how’s that?” Sebastian grinned. “You’ve just gotta be super confident to wear spandex. And want to show off more than I want to show off.” And if there was any chance he was going to be around Hunter in that costume? No way in hell did he need to be wearing spandex. That was an embarrassment waiting to happen. He wondered if he should point that out to Greg, the pitfalls of wearing spandex around someone you were attracted to. “I think historically you’re right, they were probably just socks, but I think a lot of costume places just sell you tights. The socks they wore had garters, which is just kinda weird. I don’t want garters for my socks. Nor do I want to be a pirate wearing thigh highs.”
"Old fashion is fucking weird," Greg said again because the thought of wearing garters was so ridiculous but once upon a time people thought it was cool. Then again people thought a lot of things were really cool that today was decidedly uncool. "If you use glitter you'll never get rid of it so your parents will definitely think something's up unless you blame your sister. Mom used it for Christmas like years ago and I swear I found some just the other day."
“It is,” Sebastian agreed with a nod. He thought it was kind of cool how fashion had evolved, but there were definitely some things he was glad not to mess with. Sock garters was pretty high on the list. “I think the glitter you put on your face is different than the kind you use for Christmas decorations, but I’m not an expert, so good to know,” he smiled. Also good to know that his best friend didn’t think he was weird for wanting to use glitter. He just thought it was dangerous because of his parents. “I’m sure there are plenty of costumes that fill my desire to be fabulous without being super gay. I just have to figure out what.”
"David Bowie," Greg suggested. "Acceptably gay even for straight dudes, fabulous goes without saying, but, again... Tights. Tights everywhere!" Maybe Halloween was just a tights kind of celebration and they just had to suck it up. "You can paint yourself blue and go as the genie if your boyo wants to be Aladdin." Man he was just kicking ass with ideas tonight, even if none of them would ever see the light of day. "Why can't I think of a good one for myself? This is so not fair."
“Bowie and those fucking pants,” Sebastian muttered, laughing softly. It felt a little surreal to say that aloud, in front of Greg. Labyrinth had been one of those things his parents introduced him to. It was a wonder he hadn’t figured out he was gay sooner, watching Bowie dance around in his magic pants. “I wouldn’t look like the genie. I’d look like a giant smurf,” he snickered. “Dude, you can be anything! Be a Jedi. Or Jack Sparrow. Or Mario and find yourself a Peach. Or, like, Jon Snow, if you wanna wear a rug for a coat. Or even Deadpool. You are not short on options.”
"Smurf?" Greg laughed again at that mental image. "Unless you're planning on wearing a silly white hat and a little pompom on your butt I think you'll be fine. Pretty sure smurfs don't have dope ass goatees." Or did they? He didn't exactly know much about smurfs in general. His mom had a cup with a picture of one wearing glasses so maybe they could have goatees too. "But dude, I'd need a wig to be Jon Snow. And a rug."
“Is that what you’re calling this?” Sebastian laughed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m pretty sure I just need to shave.” Because he was pretty sure he’d look like an idiot with any more facial hair than he was currently sporting. That and his mother might hand him a razor as he was walking out the door. Always fun. “Okay, not Jon Snow. Kingslayer? Khaleesi?” he grinned. “I think you can totally pull off the queen of dragons. I mean, if you’ve got me going as a princess, then you totally should, too.”
"No, you dork, I mean the genie has a goatee," Greg scoffed. "Didn't he? Or was it a villain mustache?" He snagged his phone off the table to look it up because now he had to know if he was remembering the guy right. "I'd be an amazing Khaleesi by the way," he said as he turned to Google. "I'd get to wear skimpy clothes and a blond wig, I mean what could go wrong? And oh yes, cool goatee, look!" He held the phone out to Sebastian so he could see the Disney character. "Even if smurfs could grow goatees they wouldn't be this cool."
“OH,” Sebastian laughed. “Makes more sense. But if we’re drawing a goatee on me, then you can totally wear a wig.” As Greg looked something up on his phone, he stretched out, facing Greg from the opposite end of the couch. “I mean, if you’re open to Khaleesi, that opens up a whole new world of possibilities,” he grinned, singing the part from Aladdin, highly amused with himself. “Yes, the genie has a cool goatee. I would not look that cool. If you want me to be blue, you’re going to have to find a better reason.”
"I don't need you to be blue," Greg chuckled. "It just got stuck in my head. You'll find something cool with your new boyfriend." He sniffled a little as joke then smirked at Sebastian. "Now stop putting yourself down, dude, it's depressing. You could rock a goatee if you wanted to. Not sure about the blue, you'd probably just end up purple."
“I’m not sure he’s my boyfriend,” Sebastian smiled. He liked the sound of that though. Thinking about it made the butterflies perk up again. It was an impossibility, there was no way Hunter would want to date him in secret for long enough for them to be official, but it was a nice thought. “I’m not putting myself down. I’m being realistic. How many gingers do you know that can rock a decent goatee or beard? We look weird. The best I can do is scruff anyways.” His brows drew together. “Purple? Purple is so not my color, dude.”
"Yeah, I mean you're too red to go blue," Greg tittered. "So you'd end up purple." He decided to stop teasing him about Hunter and his relationship status as he probably would have hated it if the tables had been turned, but there was no way he was giving up jokes about Sebastian's hair. He had awesome hair so Greg was allowed to poke fun of it. "I think you were on to something with Ariel. Hard to walk with a fishtail on though."
“Oh god, it’d be so bad,” Sebastian snickered. “If I want to change my body color, I’d have to change my hair. There’s not much that goes good with red.” Pink maybe? He was not painting himself pink. “I could be Ariel when she has legs, so long as I don’t have to be silent all night, ‘cause that would suck. Who else has red hair?” he asked. “Not that I’m going for realism. Or that anything we’ve named is even up for consideration.”
"No body paint," Greg said decisively. "No more Halloween costumes either! It's too damn far away." He settled in more comfortably and glanced at his phone again. "No wonder you're so chill about Jules dating again. You're like bitch I don't caaaare." He chuckled and shook his head. "Even if it's a Lucas. Nobody's given you a hard time about that? It sure sounds like something Kyle would get stupid about."
“Okay, okay,” Sebastian grinned. They had plenty of time to figure out Halloween, costumes, parties, and all. “She was really patient with me, which is like sainthood for Jules. But yeah, it does make me pretty chill.” He’d been happy for her, even if he’d been surprised about Jasper. He knew what it was like to worry about what people might think and definitely wished her the best. “Kyle’s an ass, and he’s probably just jealous he didn’t have a chance,” he sighed, picking up the controller off the table and clicking to the next song. “You know they’d give me a hard time if they knew. Maybe not all of ‘em, but… not everyone’s as cool as you.”
"Damn straight," Greg said because no way was he passing up the chance to agree he was cooler than everyone else. "I don't think they'd really care," he speculated then. "I mean, it's so petty. Lots of cool people are gay, get over it." He shrugged even if he knew it wasn't that simple to a lot of people, but then a lot of people were just fucking weird. "You know I'd throw a punch for you, bro. Sometimes that's the only language they understand."
It was petty, but Sebastian knew some of them would care. He’d been listening to them talk for years, saying things they might never say if they knew he was gay, but that didn’t mean they didn’t mean them. And even people that might be okay with it in concept didn’t want it in their face, or even their vicinity. But it was nice that Greg was so optimistic, at least about their classmates. Not that it mattered if he was waiting till after college. “I know, but I wouldn’t want you to,” Sebastian said. “You’d get in trouble and it’d make me look like a pansy.”
"I wouldn't be fighting your fights for you," Greg said with a roll of his eyes. "Just saying, if it comes to it I totally would." He didn't fight much, but he knew he was good at it from the few times he'd actually done it. Most of them were just horsing around with his brother and friends but he'd thrown a punch or two when things got out of hand with some drunk assholes at a party or on another team. It had been kind of fun, maybe even too fun. He wasn't sure what that said about him but at least he had some self restraint for the most part.
“Appreciate it, man,” Sebastian said, knocking his foot against Greg’s knee. “It’s the thought that counts. And if I throw a punch, you bet I want you there to back me up.” He wasn’t a fighter, but he could stand up for himself and wasn’t afraid to push back. It was rare that someone got him that riled up though. And when he did fight, it was usually on someone else’s behalf. “So, you wanna load something up we can both play?” he asked, nodding towards the tv. “Or can I talk you into ordering a pizza?”
"Both!" Greg said enthusiastically. "Both is good. Find us something to play and I'll order something. Do you want the usual? Or feeling adventurous and gay?" He had the stray thought that Sebastian had been lying even about his pizza taste to keep his sexuality on the downlow and it was hilarious and also wrong as Sebastian did want the usual. "Thank God," Greg groaned. "I was beginning to feel like I didn't even know ya anymore." He smirked at Sebastian as he opened up an app on his phone to get the some food, ready to just chill and act like everything was still normal.