Queer as Muke

1.7.3 Smells Like Codependence

"Oooooh!" Corey calls out to Calum as he dances to the door of their apartment when he hears a knock, "That must be Prince Charming!"

Calum smiles as he tucks in his shirt that he's changing into for the evening ahead.

"Nope, make that the Wicked Witch," Corey says, changing his mind and his tone instantly as he opens the door to see Michael standing there, he must have come straight from work as he's still in his suit.

Calum narrows his eyes when he walks in, "What are you doing here?"

Michael shrugs, "I'm hungry, let's go get something to eat."

"I'm going to my Mum's remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. Din dins with Doc," Michael rolls his eyes as he sits down at the dining room table. "I forgot."

"He's going to be here any minute so you'd better go," suggests Calum, fiddling with his cuff buttons .

"What this?" asks Michael, flipping open a cardboard box on the table in front of him.

"Chocolate eclairs from the bakery, I brought them..."

Michael picks one up as Calum's talking and stuffs it straight into his mouth length-ways.

"Wow it takes years of practice to develop technique like that," Corey says approvingly, reluctantly but quietly impressed.

"...for after dinner as dessert!" Calum says, snatching the box away and shutting it quickly. "Look, I know you don't like him..."

"Who said I don't like him?" asks Michael, talking with his mouth full, spraying little bits of cream everywhere. "And why do you give a fuck what I think?"

"I've been saying that for years," Corey chirps up from the kitchen, looking from Michael to Calum.

"What matters is what you think," Michael swallows the rest of the eclair. "If you love him that's all that's important. Even if he is quite a bit older than you and lives in a world you know nothing about..."

"Shut. Up!" cries Corey. He might have know it would be too good to be true that Michael would actually encourage Calum to get a man of his own.

"Are you saying he's too good for me?" demands Calum.

"Nobody's too good for you Cal," Michael stands up, licking the cream off his fingers.

"Because he happens to think that I'm hot!" Calum riles. "Some people do!"

"Haven't I always told you that?" asks Michael in an annoyingly calm voice, holding either side of Calum's face before kissing him.

"I'll get it!" Corey puts his coffee mug down hastily when another knock is heard but not hastily enough as Michael lets go of Calum, springing towards the door and opening it with a flourish.

"Steve! Buddy! We were just talking about you!" he says in a falsely hearty voice, letting the Doctor in.

"Really." Stephen's tone indicates how totally unimpressed he is to see Michael there but he greets Corey politely and then gives Calum a quick kiss on his cheek, handing him a bouquet that he's holding.

"These are great, my Mum will love them," Calum tells him, smiling a little shyly as he looks down at the large display of flowers in his hands.

"Hers are in the car, these are for you," Stephen tells him, smiling back at his date.

Michael looks slightly sick.

"The second sign! Flowers!!" Corey whispers, taking the bouquet off a visibly stunned Calum. "I'll just put these in some water," he explains to Stephen, backing away into the kitchen.

"Everything alright?" asks Stephen sensing something has just shifted in the room but not able to put his finger on what.

Michael's condescention from where he's observing near the front door is palpable, "He's allergic to boyfriends bringing bouquets," he informs Stephen in a mocking tone.

"Well, we'd better go," decides Stephen out loud, ignoring Michael as he walks past him to open the door for Calum. "Don't want to be late."

"Don't forget this!" calls Michael, shoving the box of eclairs at Calum as he leaves. "Have fun you two."

~~~

"You said you wouldn't tell! You promised!" cries Luke, eyes wide and horrified, as he looks at his mother that evening.

"Luke, I had no choice, I had to tell your Dad," she says, feeling bad that she's let him down but knowing that she couldn't keep this to herself any longer.

"You lied to me. You said you wouldn't!" He shouts, he can't believe she's done this. It was bad enough her finding out before he was ready without this happening.

"It was for your own good! When I saw you with this, this Michael..."

Luke interupts her with a scornful look on his face and a tone to match, "You keep calling him 'this Michael' like that's his name. It's just Michael."

"When I saw you with...Michael...his arms around you at that Centre, kissing you, I couldn't believe it! Not for the reason you think!" She adds quickly, seeing Luke roll his eyes and huff. "It's not right for a man his age to be touching you. To be having sex with you. And, even though you think you may love him, I'm...I'm sure he doesn't love you."

Luke's stung, particularly after how Michael had made him feel last night, "That's not true!"

"He's an adult! It's illegal for an adult to have sex with a minor!" Andy exclaims behind Luke, unable to keep his thoughts to himself for a minute longer. He wants to shake some sense into Luke, how could his son fall for this sleeze of a human being?

"Honey, it's not your fault, we don't blame you, we understand this man enticed you..." Liz tells him.

"He didn't entice me!" Luke scoffs, looking between both his parents,"I wanted him."

"Luke! God! You're too young to know what you want!"

Luke turns back to his father who's now standing right behind him with a completely disgusted look on his face, not even trying to hide it. Luke hates how his father is looking at him, like he's a piece of shit on the floor but he hates how he's so disbelieving of Luke's sexuality even more and what has his age got to do with it? For fuck's sake everyone keeps going on about it.

"Andy, please! You promised you'd stay calm," pleads Liz.

He puts his hand up to stop her speaking, "I am calm. What about AIDS?" he demands, turning to Luke, hoping that maybe logic will make a difference.

"He wore a condom. I put it on him myself," Luke tells him, shrugging, nonchalant in the knowledge that he and Michael have had this conversation. Michael's careful to wear a condom each and every time, the man must have shares in them the amount he goes through...

Maybe that was a bit too much information for his father though, as Andy puts both hands up to stop Luke talking and takes a step back, visibly shuddering with disgust, shutting his eyes against the words he's hearing, "Oh God! I'm calling the Police."

"You're not calling anybody!" Liz calls across the kitchen table, this isn't how she wanted this to go.

"What? You want this monster, this child molester to go free?"

"He didn't molest me and I'm not a child!" Luke shouts, getting into his father's face before turning around to his mother, wanting to explain before anything bad happens, pleading with her to understand him. "I love him, more than anything else in my life. It's all I want. To be with him."

"I don't want you to ever say that again and you are not to see him," instructs his father, confident that his words carry weight, just like they did when Luke was three and he'd decided he wanted his own motorbike.

"I am going to see him," Luke explains to both of them, his voice deadly calm and quiet. "I don't care what you say."

"No, you're not!" Andy orders as Luke makes to leave the room, "Luke! Hey! LUKE!"

Liz shuts her eyes, breathing deeply as her husband follows their son out of the kitchen door shouting ultimatums and threats at him all the while.