Who: Sebastian and Mak When: Friday, October 13th, lunch Where: School Status: Complete
It was Friday. Thank God it was Friday. Sebastian wasn’t sure he could handle another day of school. He wanted the weekend and relaxing and an escape from all the rumors. Yes, they’d died down, but his conversation with Jules had put him on edge, even though things with her were fine. Victoria was talking and that was never a good thing. If she got it in her head that she was right, then the whole school would know in a matter of hours.
But Greg was okay with him, and so was Jules, which would’ve maybe been enough if it weren’t for his parents. That was the risk he just couldn’t take. It put him in a mood if he thought too much about it, feeling like this was never going to end, so he tried to ignore it. Sebastian stopped by his locker to switch out his books, instead trying to decide what he wanted to do for lunch. If he could track down Greg in time, maybe they could go offsite and pick something up.
Mak had been sleeping much better with the salt rings and the hex bag under her pillow ... there were still nightmares, but they seemed more dull and distant, and she didn’t wake up with any injuries now. It was the small blessings, right? In any case, she was actually getting some rest and it was greatly improving her mood. She felt more determined instead of defeated. They were going to figure this out and fix it, whether through magic or going to a priest or something. Somebody had to know how to deal with this.
It was also helping her focus better in school, which was a relief. Mak really didn’t need her graduation derailed because of some stupid demon ghost asshole. She was walking down the hall when the lunch bell rang, pleased with her grade on a pop quiz in physics, when she spotted Sebastian McCarthy. Hunter hadn’t followed up with her yet about their date the day before, but it made her smile to see Sebastian anyway. She diverted her course to get closer to his locker, feeling like she could really say hi to him now. He was secret-dating her bestie, after all. “Hey,” she greeted, tucking her thumbs into her backpack straps. “Happy Friday, you ready to kick some Hawk ass?”
“Hell yeah,” Sebastian smiled back. “They won’t even know what hit ‘em. We’re gonna run ‘em into the ground.” He was a little bit surprised that she’d approached him, but not at all put off. He’d always liked Mak. They weren’t close friends, but she was cool. Then he remembered that she was Hunter’s best friend and that she knew. Maybe not everything, but more than most. Plus, there was that whole demon thing. “How’s it going?” He asked, knowing how generic that was, but not really sure how to touch on any of that. “Got any plans for the weekend?”
If Sebastian and Hunter weren’t becoming a Thing, or if he hadn’t helped Sabrina get the hex bags, Mak probably wouldn’t have approached him. She wasn’t exactly in the popular crowd. But she knew more about him now, maybe things she wasn’t supposed to know, but his secrets were safe with her. “Nah, not really, just ... maybe doing something to try and help our situation,” Mak answered. She tossed a quick glance around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them. “Thanks for the stuff you helped Sabrina with, by the way,” she added, quieter, offering Sebastian a little smile. “We’re sleeping way better.”
“Good,” Sebastian said, eyes widening just a little. He hadn’t heard much of anything since helping Sabrina get the hex bags and he didn’t really like asking. It seemed to depress Hunter and Sebastian didn’t blame him. But it did make him worry, especially since Reagan had said the hex bags were more of a bandaid than a solution. “Welcome. I mean, any time. I just… I wish I could’ve helped more,” he said, keeping his voice lower as well. This wasn’t exactly a great school conversation. “Yeah, I hear you can’t really go without sleep,” he smiled, then paused for a second, head tilting to the side. “I was gonna run out and get lunch. You wanna come with?” It would give them a few minutes alone, something they weren’t going to get in the hall.
Mak knew things weren’t fixed, the demon-ghost-asshole was still showing up in her dreams, but she at least felt a bit less under attack, and that could only help them fight. She raised her eyebrows at the invitation to lunch, but she wasn’t about to look that gift horse in the mouth. There were things she wanted to ask Sebastian about that couldn’t be asked out in the open in the hallway. Mak smiled and nodded, then moved to start walking with him. She didn’t say much of anything more until they were climbing into Sebastian’s car. Mak stuffed her bag down between her feet and looked over at him -- she never thought she would end up having lunch with Sebastian McCarthy in the first place, and certainly not in this kind of context. “So sorry in advance if this is weird for you, but I just wanna say first that you can trust me. I’m not gonna like, out you about anything, or anything.”
Sebastian led the way to the car, saying hi to people along the way, but not stopping to chat. They had a limited amount of time and he wasn’t going to waste it. Unlocking the car, he slid into the driver’s seat and started the car, looking over at her when she spoke. It took him a second to find words and he was sure she could read the worry in his eyes. The number of people that knew was growing each day. Even if he trusted each and every one of them, someone was bound to slip up eventually. “Everything’s weird right now,” he said, giving her a little smile. “I mean, I trust you, but… you’ll tell someone, won’t you?” And they’d tell someone, and they’d tell someone, and eventually someone would tell the wrong someone. “I’m just not ready. I wish I was, but…” He gave a weak little shrug.
Her expression was immediately full of sympathy, and even though it didn’t make sense, Mak felt a bit guilty for knowing his secret. Or a couple of them, really -- he was gay and knew about magic stuff. Mak shook her head decisively though. “I won’t tell a soul,” she said. “I promise. Not even Sabrina. We’re all queer kids, so it’s like, pretty sacred ... which I know probably sounds stupid since Hunter told me, but he was kind of bursting at the seams about it and we’re besties, so ... I’m sorry.” Mak gave him an apologetic look; it hadn’t been her fault she’d been told something, but she still felt bad. “I wasn’t ready for a while either, I understand.”
He held her eyes for a moment, then sighed, relaxing slightly as he pulled out of the parking spot and started to drive. “He told me he told you, and I really can’t fault him. I mean, I had to tell Greg,” he said, lips turning up a little. “It sucks not being able to talk to anyone.” But now four people knew. Four. Almost half a dozen. He couldn’t think on that or he’d freak out. He almost said that she could tell Sabrina, but something held him back, perhaps the fear of giving someone too many secrets at once. “I just know that the more people that know, the more likely it is to get back to my parents and…” He bit his lip and shook his head. She might understand, but he was having a hard time relaying how bad he thought that could be without making them sound like awful people. And they really weren’t. Except… when it came to this.
Mak had heard enough terrible stories about parents to know where Sebastian was probably coming from. Her own parents had been pretty amazing about her coming out, but she knew it wasn’t like that for everybody, and it kind of made her want to hug him. “And that would be a bad thing,” she finished Sebastian’s sentence and gave a nod. “Well like, as far as I’m concerned? Even if you’re not out about it, you’re one of us. And if you’re into Hunter then you’re my friend too, so I got your back. Mum’s the word.” Mak mimed zipping her lips. Which didn’t last long, because she sort of knew Greg, and she was super curious now. “Did telling Greg go okay? He just seems like he’d be cool with like, anything.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, shooting her a little glance. He didn’t know her situation, but figured that since she was gay that she’d heard the kinds of horror stories that kept him worried. It was the kind of thing that stood out to him once he’d realized it for himself. “Thanks,” he smiled, then felt a blush climb up his cheeks. Yes, he was very into Hunter. Thinking of him made Sebastian a little bit giddy, even now. He took a breath and nodded. “Yeah. I probably should’ve told him years ago. He was mostly just upset that I’d been keeping it from him, but… I just wasn’t sure? I mean, I feel a little stupid about it, but I’m not sure I could’ve handled it if it hadn’t gone well, if that makes sense.”
“He’s your best friend, of course it makes sense,” Mak said with absolute understanding. If Hunter had been straight and Mak had to confess her gayness to him and he hadn’t taken it well ... she knew how devastated she would’ve been. She spotted the blush -- it was hard to miss -- but she wasn’t going to call him out on it, Mak just counted that as a good sign, and that Hunter had been all fretty for nothing. “I’m glad though. It always helps to have support, even if it’s like ... quiet support.” Out of all of them, Mak probably would’ve worried the most about Greg’s big mouth, but she didn’t know him really well, so maybe he could keep quiet about serious things, at least for Sebastian’s sake.
“I hope he can be quiet about it,” Sebastian said. That was definitely a concern. He knew Greg wouldn’t out him on purpose, but it could so easily happen on accident. “I’m honestly more worried about Jules,” he said, cringing as he shot Mak a glance. He’d have held off on telling her if he could have, but he couldn’t just ignore a text outright asking him. Not answering would have been assumed a ‘yes’ and he couldn’t bring himself to lie to her, not when things actually felt good between them. “What sounds good to you, by the way? Burgers? Tacos? Chicken?” He needed to decide where to drive.
“Oh, uh ... tacos,” Mak decided, since they needed a quick answer. It sounded distracted though, because she was more thrown that he’d told Jules Cooper of all people. Though Mak supposed they were probably closer than she knew, having dated and all. Who was she to decide who he told what, anyway? “You told Jules?” she asked with a bit of careful hesitation. “Are you guys like, close friends, or ...?” Mak hoped that wasn’t a weird question; she didn’t really keep up with the comings and goings of the popular crowd. She knew they’d dated because everybody knew that, and they were Homecoming King and Queen, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were close.
“Well… She asked. Last night. Via text. Like, point blank. I couldn’t really ignore her. You don’t ignore Jules, and she’d assume the answer was yes if I did. I could’ve lied to her, but…” Sebastian shrugged. Mak probably didn’t know him well enough to know what a shit liar he was if he wasn’t all in. And he’d had a hard time being all in on pretending to be straight since he met Hunter. “We were close for a while, while we were dating. Then we weren’t because we broke up and she was decidedly unhappy with me. And then more recently things were really good? Like, better than when we were dating. Probably because we aren’t dating.” His fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel. “I don’t know. She can keep a secret when she wants to.”
Mak wasn’t sure how trustworthy Jules Cooper was, but it sounded like Sebastian knew her better than Mak did. Which of course made sense. He seemed kind of nervous about it, but he had plenty to be nervous about in general. “What’d she say? How did she know to ask?” she asked, because that was kind of suspicious. Though Hunter had told her all about how flirty they’d been in the kitchen at the after party at Jules’s, maybe somebody had noticed. Mak just hoped for Sebastian’s sake that it hadn’t been multiple somebodies noticing, because the rumor mill at school could be insane. “And, y’know ... tell me to shut up if this is all too personal.”
“She wanted to know if I knew before we dated, and if I knew, why did I date her,” Sebastian said. He felt like shit thinking about it, knowing how insecure it had made her, wondering if there was something wrong with her. It had been selfish of him, wanting to fit in, wanting to be close to someone, even while he knew he was leading them on, that he couldn’t be what they wanted. And if she felt like that, how many of the other girls he dated would feel the same? The more he thought about it, the more he realized they really didn’t need to know when he knew for himself. It would be better if they thought it was sometime after them. “Victoria said something to her. Which, you know, feels like a death sentence.” He doubted Mak would have to know Victoria very well to know that. Glancing over at Mak, he gave her a little smile. “It’s okay. I haven’t even talked to Greg about Jules knowing yet, so it’s nice to talk to someone, so long as I’m not, like, boring you with my drama.”
“Victoria?” Mak echoed with a nose wrinkle and a surge of worry for him. Jules was one thing, Victoria was way worse, from everything that Mak had heard. A true mean girl, definitely not someone you wanted knowing your sensitive secrets. “Ugh, god, I’m sorry. That’s only super terrifying.” There was that impulse to hug Sebastian again. If he wanted to stay safely in the closet, Victoria Chapman knowing anything was going to be a challenge. She knew that Hunter and Sabrina and herself and all the other SAFE kids would have rallied around him if he needed it, they got fiercely protective of each other, but that would require even more people knowing. “But dude, totally. I’m always here to listen, and this normal-people drama? Is way better than anything else going on right now, so don’t worry about that. Not boring. You know Greg’s got your back no matter what, though. And probably Jules too, if you guys are friends. And I can be so mean,” she added lightly, then let out a ‘mean’ little growl.
The little growl made him laugh, breaking down the stress that seemed to insist on clinging to him lately. He’d get past this eventually, somehow; it was just the unknown that made things so challenging. “I can’t imagine you as mean,” he smiled over at her. “I try to picture it and it’s more like an angry puppy. Not at all scary.” Of course, he didn’t know her well enough to know for sure, and he was crazy thankful to have her in his court. “Besides, I wouldn’t want people to be mean on my behalf. Even Jules, and she can be terrifying.” Unlike Mak, Sebastian knew Jules well enough to say that with confidence. It was weird to think that he could maybe handle coming out at school now, that he had enough support that it wouldn’t be that bad. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really come out halfway. “I’ve just gotta figure out what to do about my parents ‘cause… I can’t do this for four more years. I’ll go crazy.”
Mak looked mock-offended that Sebastian couldn’t imagine her being mean. She gasped and lightly batted at his arm, then giggled a bit. She was probably like an angry puppy when she was mad. It wasn’t a state she got into much, honestly, especially in the past couple of years. She’d had a pretty easy go of things when it came to coming out and being herself, not many people gave her shit for it, so she hadn’t had much reason to get angry. But she would yell a motherfucker down in the hallway for messing with one of her friends. She liked to think she would, anyway. “Yeah, parents are sometimes the hardest,” she replied with real sympathy. “Are they uh ... pretty vocal about being against homosexuality?”
“Hey, I’m probably in the same boat,” Sebastian laughed. He didn’t get angry often, and when he did people tended to roll their eyes at him. He was a football player, and probably could have done some real damage if pushed hard enough, but it had never come to that. So far he was all bark and no bite. “It’s not like we have political discussions about it,” he said as he pulled into the drive through. “More like… gay slurs. Like when my dad’s pissed off at someone, that’s a choice insult. Or if something’s on tv, there’s this look of disgust before he changes the channel. Some choice words dropped. My mom’s less likely to say something, but more likely to give this look of extreme disappointment. Nothing’s ever good enough for her. She’ll be more worried about how it might affect her social standing.”
She winced a bit at hearing that. Using slurs and being grossed out by gay people on TV were not good signs. Mak thought again about how lucky she was to have the unconditionally-loving parents she did. She’d often wondered to herself if that had anything to do with the fact that she was adopted, but it seemed like an unfair conclusion to make, so she tried not to dwell on it. “I’m sorry,” she said to Sebastian first, wishing she had better advice for that kind of thing. Hunter’s dad had been really accepting of him too, so she hadn’t even witnessed a bad parental reaction first-hand yet. “That’s gotta be tough to live with. But y’know ... you can’t live your life for them. You gotta live it for you and be true to yourself.” The car in front of them moved forward and Mak put the serious conversation on hold to give Sebastian her order. She hated that they had to go back to school soon, this seemed like stuff he needed to talk about.
“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not, but… Thanks,” Sebastian said before taking a moment to order, his mind still turning over what she’d said. He didn’t really know what it would look like to live for himself. It had always been a far off goal, something that he might get once he got to college, but never sooner. So much might be different if he wasn’t working so hard to please them. He’d probably still play football because he loved the sport, but maybe he’d have taken drama or choir. He probably wouldn’t have been Homecoming King, but maybe he’d have been in a position to take Hunter to the dance. And maybe life at home would be hell. It was so hard to say. There was a balance he maintained by appeasing them. Things were good because he kept his mouth shut. “How do I do that when it feels like-- like my life’s going to implode if I do?” he asked as they pulled forward.
Mak dug her wallet out of her bag to pull some dollar bills out to shove at Sebastian so he wasn’t buying her lunch in addition to driving and all. “Here ...” Once he took it, she settled back again and gave thought to his question. “Well I mean ... that’s a concern, for sure. Life is gonna change. But it’s almost always worse in your head than it will be in real life, you know? That goes for pretty much anything. So you’ve got to figure out what’s more important to you, I guess. Living how you want to live right now, out in the open, or waiting until you’ve got some distance to tell them. Like once you graduate and move out? ... unless you’re not moving out. Did you say another four years, earlier? Do you think they wouldn’t pay for your college if you came out?”
Sebastian would’ve normally offered to buy her lunch, but was short on cash at the moment, having gone costume shopping the night before, so he took the offered cash with a little smile and a thanks. “I dunno. Like, that’s probably my biggest concern? The plan has always been to get away, and they really won’t know what I’m up to if I’m at college, but it’s their money. And, like, what if I decide on a major they don’t support? I can’t meet their expectations and be happy. I know that. I’ve known that a while. But I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t actually get out,” he sighed. “Worse possible scenario is they take my car, kick me out, and take away my college fund. I can’t really imagine them going to the point of shipping me off somewhere. We’re not religious, so I don’t think I have to worry about one of those Christian conversion camps. Plus, I’ll be eighteen in March, so…” He stopped, fingers drumming on the wheel. “I’m rambling. Sorry. I just… go in circles, you know?”
Mak could definitely understand all of that being worrisome, so she shook her head. “No way dude, don’t apologize. It’s a lot to think about. And there’s nothing wrong with you being scared right now, okay? So don’t beat yourself up about any of it.” Doing that could just make any situation worse, Mak knew that first-hand. She was getting better at not tripping herself up in life so much, but she still had a knack for overthinking. She reached over to give Sebastian’s arm a little squeeze, unable to completely contain her urge to physically comfort him. “Whatever happens, you’ll be okay, though, okay? You’re eighteen soon, I’m sure you’ve got places to stay if they do kick you out. At like, Greg’s or with Hunter or something. His dad is really cool. And maybe you can look into football scholarships or academic ones, even if you end up having to take a year off to regroup, you know? There’s ways around everything.”
Sebastian didn’t like to admit to being scared. Guys weren’t supposed to be scared, just like they weren’t supposed to cry. It often felt like there were a lot of restrictions put upon how he was supposed to behave all because he was a guy. And that somehow being gay lifted those restrictions, even if it came with it’s own special set. He gave a little nod though, appreciating that she wouldn’t judge him for it. “I know Greg would take me in. Maybe Hunter. I’m not sure how Hunter’s dad would feel about it if we’re dating,” he said with a little smile he couldn’t contain. Were they dating? They’d been on a date, and were going to go on another, so technically he supposed they were. Did that mean he had a boyfriend? It suddenly mattered so much more than it had with girls. He took a deep breath, trying not to run down the rabbit-hole of where he was with Hunter. “Scholarships would be good. I hadn’t thought of that. If I felt better about not losing my future, it’d be easier, I think. Maybe.” He stopped talking for a second as he pulled up to the window and paid for their lunch, passing Mak the bag as he pulled away. “I figured we could eat when we get back to school, just to make sure we’re not late.”
Mak helpfully took the food bag and held onto it, ignoring the way her stomach gave a little rumble of hunger. She wasn’t going to try to predict how Sheriff Barrett might react to a boyfriend of Hunter’s needing a place to live, so she didn’t comment on that. Parents freaking out about their teens having sex was strange enough, but it always tripped her out a little when parents of queer kids had the same problems. Like, at least nobody was going to get pregnant! And they were all almost eighteen! But whatever, parents were universally weird. “Well yeah, that makes sense. The future’s scary enough without taking big risks. But free money could be something to look into. I can help you, if you want. It’s a good time to start sending out applications, I’ve been doing it already. Not for like, football scholarships, obviously, but more nerdy ones to help my parents out. But I know good places to look for them.”
With the scent of the food in the car, Sebastian began to doubt his idea of waiting till they got back to the school parking lot. Sure, it was only a few minutes away, but he was hungry. “Yeah?” Sebastian asked, looking over at Mak in surprise. “That’d be great. Like, I don’t even know where to start. I’m not sure about the football scholarships anyways, if they require me to play football. I love it and all, but…” Being the gay guy on the team was hard enough when he was in the closet. He couldn’t imagine it being out, especially at the college level. Plus, he wasn’t sure he wanted to play then. He was decent, but it definitely wasn’t something to make a career of. “I’d like to know what my options are. Maybe see if I can get to a place where they can’t pull the rug completely out from under me. If that happens.” He felt like he should give his parents the benefit of the doubt, but he also needed to be realistic. It was a possibility.
Sebastian sounded so surprised that she wanted to help, it was like he didn’t even know that Mak had already adopted him. Unless he turned out to be a huge jerk and he and Hunter broke up horribly, he was part of her circle now, and she liked to be helpful. “Okay! We can find other ones to apply for, definitely,” she assured him. Mak gave a vigorous nod. “My dad always says ‘hope for the best but plan for the worst’, so ... we’ll help take care of you.” She knew it wasn’t quite that simple, that losing the support of one’s family would probably be devastating, and it could really fuck up Sebastian’s life ... but she also believed in being one’s authentic self, and she had hope that his parents would realize that they loved him no matter what. Mak reached over to pat his arm again. “They’ll come around, no matter what happens,” she said. “They love you.”
Sebastian gave her a bright smile, one that would have come with a hug if he wasn’t behind the wheel. Despite all his doubts, he was feeling a lot of love at the moment. Everyone he’d told had been super accepting, even Jules, and here was Mak, who barely knew him, offering to help him with scholarships. It would still be hard if his parents rejected him, but at least he wouldn’t be completely alone. “Thanks,” he said. “You’re really awesome, you know that?” He liked to think his parents would love him no matter what, but he wasn’t so sure. And even if they did, he had the feeling it was going to be a long, hard road to get there. Or maybe they’d surprise him. Maybe he’d be one of those that they’d known all along. But somehow he doubted it. “I hope so. I wish I could be confident about it,” he said. “When did you tell your parents?”
She beamed at the compliment. She was pretty awesome. Mak thought it was a little sad that Sebastian wasn’t confident about it, even though she knew that wasn’t too uncommon. If Mak ever ended up having kids somehow, she resolved again to make sure they knew they were loved, no matter what. “About two years ago,” she said with a nod. “I’d known for a while before then, of course, but it took me a while to like, not think I was defective or something. The internet helped, Hunter helped, I was lucky. But I worried they would be real disappointed, like they picked out a broken kid or something. ... oh, I’m adopted, I dunno if you know that.” Mak gave a little chuckle; anybody who had seen her white Jewish parents knew that, but she doubted Sebastian had. “But they were great about it.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Sebastian said, nodding in agreement. “For a while I thought maybe it just wasn’t the right girl, but…” He just wasn’t interested. Not in his first girlfriend all the way to his tenth. Then, when he’d really started to wonder about himself, access to porn made things pretty damn clear. The internet was good for that. “That’s great,” he said, flashing her a little smile. He hadn’t known that she was adopted, but knew that had to have created its own insecurities. “How long have you known Hunter?” Obviously before she came out, but he wondered how far back it went, since he’d been there for her when she came out.
“Uhhhh, like three or four years?” Mak said, not sounding sure. It had seemed like forever in some ways, but she knew it hadn’t been that long. “Pretty much ever since his dad moved here, he would come for summers and holidays and stuff and we got really close. He was pretty much the first person I told. Besides like, some anonymous talking on message boards and stuff.” That had been a surreal time for her, coming to grips with who she really had always suspected she was. Mak was glad she hadn’t tried to have a bunch of boyfriend-shaped mistakes before then. They were getting close to the school again and Mak looked over at Sebastian. “He’s really into you, by the way, so don’t be fooled by that playing it cool stuff he’ll try to do,” she said with a fond grin. “He’ll be a great first boyfriend, he’s a prince.”
“He’s the first person I told, too,” Sebastian said with a little laugh. Six days ago. It had only been six fucking days ago. And in those six days, five people found out. That was practically one a day. It was terrifying. It made him feel a little like he was being ripped in half, trying to maintain the person he was, while trying to figure out who he was becoming. Sometimes it was exciting though, like when he was with Hunter. “He is,” Sebastian smiled shyly, glancing over at her. “I really, really like him,” he admitted. “I just hope he doesn’t get bored with me. I don’t know what I’m doing and…” He sighed. “It doesn’t feel fair to him, but he said it’s his choice.”
As someone who had experienced the same concern about being boring, Mak could relate to that, even though she thought people were probably way more interested in a guy like Sebastian than a dork like her. But maybe that was just the way high school felt. “Yup, and it is,” she said with a faint chuckle. “And he doesn’t know what he’s doing either, so you guys can figure it out together.” Mak felt like she could say that, as Hunter’s best friend. It wasn’t like he’d ever even had a boyfriend yet. “And you’re totally not boring, so don’t fret about that either.” Sebastian was cute and nice, and that was a really good start. If both of them felt that spark, then it was more than enough to give it a shot.
“He doesn’t?” Sebastian asked, needing a moment to let that sink in. Hunter had never said anything about ex-boyfriends, but it was hard for Sebastian to imagine he hadn’t had any. It was a little intimidating, or it had been, but he realized he was basing it off assumptions. Maybe Hunter really was playing it cool. Every guy he knew acted like they were fantastic in the sack, so it made sense. He certainly wasn’t jumping to tell everyone how little experience he had himself. “That’s… thanks,” he said, giving Mak a little smile. “It makes me feel better.” He’d much rather them fumble around together than him look like an idiot alone.
Mak’s brows lifted at the first question, until she realized that probably meant that Sebastian didn’t know Hunter hadn’t ever been with anyone. Oops. She gave a little wince and a laugh. Hunter might kill her for that later, but honestly? Maybe she did them a favor. Boys were so dense, even gay ones, about talking to each other. “I mean, he’s not like dumb or anything, he’s not hopeless ... ugh, god, don’t tell him I told you that?” she asked with a nose-wrinkle and a giggle. “But seriously, just relax. It’ll go much smoother if you guys don’t try to impress each other and just be yourselves and have fun ... and I really sound like some guidance counselor or something, huh?” Mak giggled and shook her head, telling herself to shut up now. “Sorry. I’m just kinda excited too, this is super cute so far.”
“I don’t think he’s dumb. Or hopeless. I just assumed--” Sebastian cut himself off with a little laugh, shaking his head. He felt stupidly relieved, but he also understood why Hunter wouldn’t have told him. He knew how embarrassed he’d been to admit that he hadn’t actually done anything with any of his girlfriends, something that should’ve been fine, considering he was gay. “I won’t tell him. I promise.” It seemed like a weird thing to mention anyways-- like, hey, Mak said you don’t know what you’re doing, so we’re equal! Yeah, not going to happen. “You do a little bit, but in the best way,” he smiled over at her as he pulled back into the parking lot. They still had plenty of time to eat, which was perfect. “Don’t be sorry though. It’s sweet. I’m kinda excited myself,” he said, though she could probably tell from his smile that ‘kinda’ was a serious understatement.
She could, and it made her grin. Mak was going to have to be mindful of her meddling and let the boys pave their own way -- she just had to be supportive of whatever coming-out decisions Sebastian made, regardless of how much she wanted to see them skipping through the hallway holding hands already. So cute. “Good, you should be,” she declared, because her bestie was the best and anybody should be excited to be with him in any capacity. Mak started to gather the food bag up, then paused and arched a brow at Sebastian. “You wanna go back in to eat? Or stuff face out here?”
“I’m good with whatever,” Sebastian shrugged. He was enjoying hanging out with Mak, especially when the conversation wasn’t uber serious. If they went back in, he wasn’t sure if she’d run off or not, which would be fine, but really wasn’t his intention. He just knew how easy it was to fall back into what they were comfortable with, him at his table and her...wherever she normally went for lunch. He was tempted to follow her back to wherever that was, but if it was with Hunter, Sabrina, and some of the other SAFE kids… He wasn’t sure he was ready for that. “I’m cool with just staying here, but whatever you want to do. I didn’t mean to hijack your whole lunch.”
Mak had a spot in the cafeteria she tended to go, or she ended up eating in the hallway with her friends when that felt like too much. She rarely had to sit by herself, but they could all live without her for an hour. She was enjoying talking to Sebastian too, getting to know Hunter’s newfound squeeze. He was a sweet guy and she’d always sort of known that, but there was none of that snobbiness that she more or less expected with the popular kids. “We can eat here, it’s nice out,” she answered with a smile. Mak re-settled in and opened up the food bag, doling out what they’d ordered and half-turning in the seat so she could look at Sebastian. “And you didn’t, I pounced on you, remember?” Mak gave him a lopsided little grin. “You gotta be Bestie Approved, you know. And ... yeah, I just wanted to check in, I guess.”
“Awesome,” Sebastian smiled, pushing his seat back and unbuckling so he could face her a little better. “It’s a very important stamp of approval,” he grinned. He knew how much he wanted Greg to like Hunter because he really couldn’t imagine dating someone that Greg didn’t like. He didn't think it would be an issue, but he also wasn’t sure how to make it happen. “But yeah, thanks, I mean… I feel better about you knowing, if that makes sense. Like, I trusted you before, but...better now.” Wow, not helpful, he thought. Super not clear. “How’s the other stuff going?” He asked as he unwrapped his soft taco.
“Totally makes sense,” Mak assured him with a warm smile. She knew he was probably super scared, with people suddenly knowing a secret he’d kept for a long time, especially people he barely knew, so she didn’t take offense at all. For all Sebastian knew, she could’ve been a huge blabbermouth. Mak took the first bite of her burrito and gave a little grunt, tilting her head back and forth. “Nightmares are better,” she said once her mouth was clear. “I mean, still there, but they don’t ... leave injuries anymore. Me and Sabrina are maybe gonna go talk to a priest? I’m not sure. But we need to do something, this is getting ridiculous.”
Sebastian nodded along, trying to be polite and not completely stuff his face. He and Hunter hadn’t talked a ton about the haunting, mostly because it was such a downer of a topic, but it was something Sebastian continued to worry about in the back of his mind. “I think that might work. Maybe. I know there’s something to holy water, so it’s worth a shot,” he said, pausing to take a sip of his soda. “I wish I knew more and could be of more help.” He didn’t really know the range of potential abilities available to him, but if he’d known that it could help him and his friends, he might have sought them out sooner. Now it felt like it was too late to be useful, but he could only plan to have them if something else happened in the future.
“Oh, is there? That’s good, I’ve never been sure that like, any of that religion stuff is legit.” She paused and glanced up from her food with a little wince. “Sorry if you’re religious. But it’s okay, you already helped out a lot, from what Sabrina told me. We all appreciate it.” Mak meant it too -- Sebastian didn’t have to help them at all, but he’d gone out of his way and found them a witch and everything. She ate some more of her burrito and slurped down some soda. Mak knew they had to take action on the board-demon problem as soon as possible, but things at least seemed a little calmer now, so she felt a bit more calm herself about it today. They would figure it out. “But y’know, if you suddenly come across some ancient knowledge on Ouija board demons, feel free to let us know,” she added in a light tone, flashing him a grin.
“No, I’m not religious,” Sebastian shook his head, pausing a second to finish another bite. “I think there’s something out there, like, a supernatural force or something. Maybe god, but… I don’t know.” It had always been a little weird in his family, being witches. He felt like most religions would have shunned him, or burnt him at the stake, which made it a little harder to buy in. Being gay didn’t help. “I’ll definitely let you know. I really want to ask Reagan, but I feel like that’s way above my head right now.” He’d be happy to make them hex bags as a start. And probably some for himself as well.
Mak didn’t really catch on to the ‘above my head’ part of what Sebastian said. Neither Hunter nor Sabrina had outright told her that Sebastian was a witch or came from a witch family or whatever, just that he knew one. So she interpreted it to mean he just wouldn’t have understood if Reagan told him something. “So like, how well do you know her?” she asked, her voice dropping like somebody might overhear them there in the car. “Does she tell you a lot of stuff? Have you seen her do a bunch of magic?” Looking fascinated already, Mak took another big bite of food.
“That was actually the first time I met her,” Sebastian said, licking his fingers as he finished his first taco and began opening the second. He wasn’t quite as worried about someone overhearing them where they were, though this wasn’t a conversation he’d have had inside the school either. “I knew about her from when she helped my brother. So far I haven’t seen much of anything, but I’m sure I will once she starts teaching me.” He didn’t imagine that Reagan would share a bunch about herself, but she had to share something in order to teach him. He was really looking forward to it, actually. It was a little bit exciting, even if he knew his parents would kill him for it.
Mak blinked a couple of times and raised her eyebrows again. “What now? She’s going to teach you? Like ... magic?” she asked, sounding more surprised than incredulous. She definitely hadn’t expected to hear that. Granted, Mak didn’t know how it all worked -- maybe anybody could learn to do magic. Sebastian McCarthy just didn’t seem like the type of person who would do that. Somebody more like Sabrina maybe, a dark sort of goth-type girl. But maybe that was just a dumb stereotype she had in her head.
Sebastian froze mid bite, the realization that Mak didn’t know suddenly hitting him. She shouldn’t, not if both Sabrina and Hunter had kept their promises, but he’d also been sure that one of them would tell her despite that. A warm feeling of trust spread throughout his chest and he gave Mak a sheepish little smile. “Yeah, that was the idea. I’d like to be able to make hex bags at the very least.” Sure, there were probably some cool things that he could learn, but he was trying to be practical.
“Oh wow,” Mak murmured, still staring at him for a beat. Had he decided he wanted to do magic just to help them? That made him kind of heroic if it was true, didn’t it? “Can like, anybody learn? I wanna do witchy stuff.” She grinned, but that part was kind of serious. How handy would that be? It was probably super complicated, but Mak was smart and she learned fast. If Sebastian could do it, why couldn’t she? She finished up her burrito and washed it down, then started gathering up the trash to stuff in the bag.
Sebastian grinned and shook his head. “No, it’s kind of an inherited thing. Like, you’re either born a witch or you’re not.” He knew sometimes it wasn’t passed down, especially if both parents weren’t witches, but he’d never learned the specifics. Just another thing his parents had never clarified. It occurred to him that he’d normally have to tell his own kids something one day, if he were to have them, and wondered what the hell they were thinking in leaving so much unsaid. “I kinda thought you already knew,” he said once he finished his taco. “Can you maybe keep it to yourself? Since we’re keeping secrets? Sabrina knows ‘cause Reagan kinda outed me as a witch, and I then told Hunter, but I haven’t even told Greg.”
Mak’s mouth had dropped open and she felt downright flabbergasted. “Wait, what?” she asked with exaggerated disbelief, laughing already. “You’ve got to be shitting me, you’re for real a witch? Like magic runs in your family?” It wasn’t a completely foreign concept to her, of course, she had grown up on teen supernatural shows and movies, but it had always seemed like a fantasy thing, the sort of stuff that she sat around and daydreamed about being real. Or if it was real, it only happened Somewhere Else and she certainly didn’t know anybody like that. “And I mean yeah, of course, I don’t tell anyone, but ... ohmygod Sebastian you are just full of surprises, holy shit.” She laughed some more, pretty delighted with the whole thing.
“Yeah, something like that,” Sebastian laughed, tickled with Mak’s response. “My parents don’t let us practice, which is why I’m kinda lame, but Reagan’s going to teach me. I know it’s a little late, but I want to be able to help.” He was sure that none of them would touch a Ouija board ever again, but there were other things out there. Hopefully they’d never have to deal with them, but if they did, he wanted to be prepared. “Thanks,” he grinned. “It’s one of those things that can’t ever really be public knowledge. Like, there’s a group of people that kind of freak out at the idea of real witches. I don’t need someone weighing me against a duck.”
“That’s amazing.” His parents were witches too? Well he had said it was genetic or whatever, but it was still kind of mindblowing. Mak wanted to ask just how many other witches there were in town, but if Sebastian had never met Reagan before, maybe he wouldn’t even know. Or wasn’t supposed to tell her anyway. She gave a little laugh and shook her head. “You’re lucky I’m dorky enough to get that reference,” she said, rolling her eyes and giggling. She knew for a fact that not many of their peers had watched Monty Python. Another little surprise. “I like you, McCarthy, you’re all right,” she told him with a bright grin. “You ready to go back in, now that I know all your darkest and deepest?”
“It’ll be a lot more amazing when I have something I can show you,” Sebastian smiled. He was hopeful, even if he didn’t know what it really meant to practice. Watching Reagan, even for that one moment, he could tell that there was so much more to it than he didn’t understand. “Hey, I’m dorky enough to drop it,” he laughed. It was kind of a classic, especially the witch scene. “Well, thank you, Mak, you’re not so bad yourself,” he grinned, then nodded. “Yep. We’ll have to save yours for next time. I kinda hogged this one.” It was funny, she really did know all his major secrets, but she had a way of making him feel good about them.