Rattlebones (bxbxb)

Coming Out

Eugene and I go inside, and I close the front door behind us.

I felt as if my organs were being removed one by one with a rusty scalpel. The anxiety, the sheer dread of being rejected for my sexual preference was almost too much to bear. I wondered how other people did this without completely dissolving into a void of nothingness.

Oh, God. How would I explain to my moms that I had cast myself into the blissful fires of passion? Impaled myself on the metaphorical sword and enjoyed every second of it?

"I can't do this," I announce, and then I turn to leave.

"Whoa. Wait a minute." Eugene stops me by grabbing my wrist, and he yanks me to a stop. "Why are you chickening out? Your parents are gay, babe. You already have a leg up on everyone else."

Babe?

"Eugene," I say his name as if it's a permanent metal fixture in my mouth. "I'm in a relationship with two guys, one of who is formerly deceased. Even if my mothers are gay, how do you think they'll handle knowing that I took a one-way trip to Pound Town with you and Iggy? That I completely and totally feel whole when I'm with you both? That's not something that you just bring up during family dinner!"

Eugene rolls his eyes and then he grabs me by the back of my jacket and he starts dragging me down the hallway. "Come on, I'll hold your hand while you tell them."

"Eugene, wait!" I protest, and I grab onto his hand, trying to pry myself free from his insanely strong grip. "Jackass!" I hiss at him, "Why are you and Iggy so goddamn strong!?"

"Dude. It's probably because you weigh, like, ten pounds soaking wet." He replies and he pulls me towards the living room, my shoes squeaking on the tile as I kick my legs futilely.

I can already picture the disaster forming in my mind. Eugene would show his face to both my parents, they would realize that he was dead and then flip the fuck out. The cops would be called, the government would get involved and I would end up dissected on a metal table like the frogs that Mr. Smith had passed out on that fateful day Eugene died.

Eugene reaches the living room and I can hear both my mother's talking, absorbed in some kind of conversation. This wasn't unusual, my parents often discussed paint colors and murder documentaries in great detail. This is why I tried to avoid their talks like the plague. I mean, I already talked enough as it was, why listen to someone else do the same thing?

But there was something different this time around.

There was a man's voice joining the discussion.

Eugene stops in the doorway and I peer into the living room, my hands frozen around his fingers.

"He filed a report with the station, but he's not pressing charges." A police officer is telling my parents. "Apparently, your son was seen with another boy at the Wilder cabin, three hours from here." He says, "I wanted to bring this to your attention myself, cause I don't think it's right worrying Mr. Wilder or his wife about a break-in when they just lost their kid."

Panic shoots through me and I turn, shoving Eugene towards the stairs.

"Hey! What the fuck, yo?!" He hisses, stumbling over his feet as we crash across the hallway.

"Wait for me upstairs, okay?" I whisper breathlessly. "I can't risk them seeing you, Eugene. I don't want to lose you."

Eugene stares down at me for a moment, and then he leans down and he kisses me. His mouth moves against mine gently, and then he's gone in an instant, vanishing up the steps. Leaving me yearning to taste his full lips again and again.

"Darcy?" I hear my mother call from the living room. "Is that you? Come here for a second."

I straighten my clothes, and then I head into the living room to meet my fate.

A portly officer is sitting across from my mothers, one of which is wearing a button-down shirt, and the other who is in a sunflower dress. They look startingly ordinary compared to me, who's in an Evoken hoodie, chipped nail polish, and ripped jeans. "What's going on?" I ask them innocently as I can.

Mom A turns to me as I come over, looking concerned and maybe a little angry. "Darcy? Honey, where have you been?!" She demands, her voice rising. "We've been worried sick!"

"The police called us to let us know that Mr. Wilder saw you at his cabin." Mom B speaks up. "You broke in with another boy and ransacked the place. Is this true?"

I feel all breath leave my lungs, her words socking me right in my gut.

Eugene's uncle knew who I was.

He had seen my face back at the lake house.

"Son, this is serious business." The cop speaks up, and he eyes me and my dark clothes suspiciously. "Breaking and entering is normally a recipe for jail time. Do you mind telling us just what the hell you were doing in that cabin?"

I glance from him, and then back to my parents. I knew what I had to do, even though it made me absolutely sick inside. I had never imagined that coming out would look like this, or be so abrupt.

"I didn't break into the cabin," I explain, my voice as steady as I can keep it. "I went with Igor because we both miss Eugene Wilder and we wanted to feel closer to him." And by closer, I completely omitted the fact that Iggy and I had ridden the midnight train with Eugene while he watched.

Both my mother's eyes widen.

"While we were there, we bonded, and Iggy's intolerable level of normalcy stole my gothic heart," I say. "And we discovered that we're both undoubtedly gay for one another. In fact, we were in the throes of passion when Eugene's uncle showed up. I didn't even have time to pull up my pants."

The officer's face turns beet red, but he says nothing, unsure of how to respond.

"Is this why you've been so secretive? Because you're in love with a boy?" Mom A asks me, and she stands up to hug me. "Oh, Darcy! You should have told us sooner! This is a huge milestone in your life. You know that we're going to support you no matter what."

I hug her back, a part of me wishing that this moment could have been different. That I didn't have to hide Eugene Wilder, and that I could come out fully about loving two people.

"I think that's enough for tonight." The officer says, and he stands up, looking uncomfortable. "I'll talk to Mr. Wilder again, but as I said, he's not pressing charges. He's a good man."

I fight down the urge to argue. Eugene's uncle was far from being a good man, and I would prove that to the world, even if it killed me.

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Here we are again! Eugene is so supportive, isn't he? Also, I hate his uncle. XD

Hope you enjoyed! Expect another update asap!