idyll ✓

day twenty-two (mlm) (coming out)

06/22/21: write an entry where a character decides to come out

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Apprehension filled me as I opened the car door and stepped out into the chilly night air. Carson shifted awkwardly as I closed the door and walked around the front of the car to stand next to him.

"Well," I said matter-of-factly. "Ready for the apocalypse?"

Carson snorted, swatting at me. "It won't be that bad," he said. "Relax for once in your goddamned life."

I reached out and ruffled his hair, much to his dismay. "All I know is that my parents didn't take it very well."

Carson put an arm around me, leaning his head against my shoulder. "Mine will," he assured me. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried for me," I said. The meaning implied was obvious.

Carson rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

The house was neat and small, painted white with a blue front door. Carson knocked, and a few moments later, a woman stood in the doorframe. She had Carson's brown hair and a pleasant smile. "Carson," she greeted. "And... a friend!" There was a false, cheery brightness to her tone that suggested that Carson hadn't told her about his guest. "Come in, both of you."

Carson stepped inside, and I followed. We discarded our coats on a bench and walked into a dining room, where Carson's mother was busy arranging a third place setting. "What's your name?" Carson's mother asked me.

"Oh, I'm Aiden," I said.

"Make yourself at home, Aiden, dear," Carson's mother said. "Carson, could you come help me in the kitchen?"

Carson's eyes widened a little. "Um. Would it be alright if I stayed here?"

Carson's mother gritted her teeth. "I need a little help in the kitchen," she said. Obviously she wanted to talk to Carson alone.

Go, I mouthed to him. Carson sighed, but followed his mom into the kitchen. That left me standing awkwardly in the living room. I looked around, my eyes catching on a few framed photos of Carson and his family.

The faint sounds of heated conversation reached my ears from the kitchen. I cringed a little. Clearly Carson's talk with his mother was not going well. They came back into the room a few moments later. I raised my eyebrows at Carson, who merely shrugged. "Have a seat, Aiden," Carson's mother said, indicating the newest of the place settings. I sat, silent. Carson's father (an eerie replica of my boyfriend) walked into the room.

DILF, I mouthed to Carson. Just kidding, I would never. Carson would definitely kill me. I stood, held out a hand to shake, and introduced myself instead. Carson's father gave a big smile, shook my hand, and sat down. They wasted no time with things like saying grace in Carson's household, I realized. Was that a good sign that pointed towards acceptance?

Carson cleared his throat a little halfway through the mindless small talk. His parents looked up at him. Let it be known that Carson has never been one to beat around the bush. He's rather blunt with his statements, announcements, and, in turn, his coming-outs. "I'm dating Aiden."

Carson's mother choked on her chicken. Carson's father blinked at him, as though expecting a joke. I sunk lower into my seat. "This Aiden? That's very nice, dear," Carson's mother said mildly.

Carson stared at his father expectantly. "Well?"

Carson's father cleared his throat. "Oh. Ahem. That's a bit of a shock." He scratched his head, then grinned. "I thought you two worked together, not were together."

I hid my laughter behind a very nice looking napkin. Carson snorted. "Are together," he corrected for no apparent reason.

"I was making a joke," Carson's father grumbled. "Jesus Christ, can't I win at something today?"

"You won as a father by having me for a son," Carson said, always modest.

Carson's mother smiled in such a motherly way that I almost turned green with envy. If only my own family was like this. "Yes, we certainly did."

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um i'm very late but that's ok :D