The Sun, The Moon, And The Stars

EPISODE X: Confusion

"Hey, Bdubs."

Bdubs yelped and tossed his phone into the air, startled by the sudden voice. He whirled around to see Xelqua. "Wha-"

"So, I see you've met the catalyst," they said nonchalantly, picking up Bdubs' phone out of a bush for him. Bdubs reached for it, but they moved it away from him, their cheerful smile disappearing in a heartbeat. "Tell me what it said to you."

Bdubs scowled. "Why?"

"Because you two were talking about me," they answered, "and I want to know what it said."

"How do you know I even met it?" Bdubs asked, perturbed by Xelqua's amount of knowledge. "And how do you know we were talking about you?"

Xelqua smiled and their third eye opened, followed by millions of little eyes opening in their shadow. "I know a lot more than you think I know," they said. "I see things." They blinked and all of their... extra eyes disappeared.

Bdubs cringed, feeling uneasy after what he'd just seen. "That's... really gross," he said. "And creepy. You're really creepy."

"Well, duh!" Xelqua shouted, losing his temper. "How else am I supposed to instill fear in others?! Well." They chuckled. "Besides being as powerful as I am."

Bdubs rolled his eyes. "Look, we didn't say anything about you, okay?"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Xelqua screamed, growing three times their size for a brief moment, darkness surrounding the two of them. Purple eyes spawned around Bdubs, staring him down with a deep intensity that had him shaking.

Everything went away as soon as it appeared, though Bdubs would never forget what he saw.

Xelqua cleared their throat, now their normal height, and looked away, embarrassed. "I hate when people lie to me," they mumbled, wrapping their arms around themself in a self-soothing hug.

Bdubs bit back the urge to tell them that they lie, too, but sighed and started walking away. Hopefully they're too busy loathing to notice I'm gone.

Which seemed to be the case because Bdubs was able to get home perfectly fine.

"Hey, Mom?" he said to his mother, who was cleaning the kitchen. "Mom."

His mother stopped and turned around, setting down a dish she was drying, then pulled two earbuds out of her ears. "Hey, hun," she said sweetly, coming around the corner to kiss Bdubs' forehead. "What's up?"

Bdubs sighed. "I know you love me," he began, "and... I know you're supportive of me." Her eyes widened as she listened to him speak. "I just- I found something out today about myself that I just..." He ran a hand down his face. "I don't know, maybe this is dumb."

"Oh, gods, sweetheart!" she exclaimed, taking his hands in hers.

"Uh-"

"You should have told me sooner!"

Bdubs blinked and looked around in confusion. "I think we may be thinking two different things," he said before being hugged tightly by his mother.

"Of course I accept you," she said softly. "You know I'll always love you."

Bdubs paused. "...What do you think I'm trying to say?"

She pulled away to look at him. "You're coming out as gay," she said. "...Right?"

Bdubs snickered, then burst out in laughter. "Mom, I have a boyfriend," he said, holding his stomach from how hard he was laughing.

"Oh." She laughed. "How come you haven't told me? Who is he?" She leaned in a little closer. "Is he cute?"

"Pff- Mom," Bdubs said, covering his blushing face with his hands. "It hasn't been a long time since we got together and I just... forgot to tell you?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Yeah, yeah," she turned and went back to washing dishes. "So what were you really trying to tell me?"

Bdubs took a moment to form his words, sighing before he spoke. "You never told me I was immortal," he said finally, and she froze. "I thought it was a little weird that I have all these blessings and I was still mortal, but- But now I know I'm not. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't supposed to," she said honestly. "But... since you already know, I- I guess I don't have to." She laughed a bit, then looked over her shoulder. "Your father would be upset that someone told you."

"My father?" Bdubs asked, a brief memory coming to mind of him as a child asking her about his father. She had told him there were two many men in her life for her to know which it was. "You said you didn't know who he was." He stepped closed and held her hand. "Mom, who is my father?"

"Oh, some things are, uh..." She sighed, a gentle smile on her face. "Some things are better left unsaid, sweetie." She set her dish towel down and pulled her hand away from him. "Why don't you invite your boyfriend over for dinner tonight? I'd love to meet him."

Bdubs stared at his mother for a moment as she glided around the kitchen in search of ingredients for that night's supper. "Uh, yeah," he said, a little disappointedly. "Sure."

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This one's... a little messy. But it's okay, it'll all get explained!