WILLIAM (bxb)

9

               "It's not that my family didn't accept me," William says through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. Jamie raises an eyebrow at his manners, but is more amused than anything. It's not like he himself is very proficient in the form of etiquette. "They just wish I wasn't so – " he twirls his fork in the air like it's helping him conjure a word. "They wish I wasn't so flamboyant."

Jamie blinks in surprise. But that's just who you are? "Should that matter?"

William shakes his head. "I don't think so. I mean, yeah, they get that I'm gay but it's like they want me to do it quietly. Like they don't shove their heterosexuality down my throat every time I go back home. Oh, your sister has a new boyfriend! Oh this aunt you haven't talked to for thirteen years is getting remarried to a man half her age! It's kind of cool that your brother is gay too. I mean, at least you have someone to talk to about boys."

Jamie rolls his eyes, "He's only interested in one boy, though. I'd say it's cute but it's kind of absurd that they've been each others' for so long." Jamie can remember watching Leeroy and Finnigan when they were younger, how if they weren't together there was something wrong, how Leeroy could sleep through the night if Finnigan was in his room. He was always sort of jealous of the way they fit together so naturally, so seamlessly.

"But it's nice, isn't it? To not feel alone?" William's tongue piercing flashes in the light and Jamie gets stuck on it for a moment. Is it nice? He supposes it is. At least he knows that Leeroy would never disown him for his sexuality.

"I guess." But he's still frowning. He should check in with his brother and see how Finnigan is doing. See how Leeroy is doing being publicly out. It's been a while – he's been so wrapped up in William.

William sighs, and takes a sip of his green tea. "Carson is my real family, I guess," he says quietly, and Jamie nods.

"He seems like a really good guy."

"He thinks he needs to protect me from everything."

"He's just scared he's going to lose you."

The smaller boy turns his head to Jamie, eyebrow raised, and Jamie thinks that maybe he's finally said something wrong. He's about to go back and make a bigger mess of himself in trying to explain what he meant but the way that William is looking at him isn't angry. It's just exasperated.

"He should know by now that I'm not going anywhere."

Jamie wants to say that having someone drives a wedge into friendships, he wants to say that he's seen it between Miles and Leeroy and Finnigan, but he doesn't. He nods and he puts his hand over William's on the table. "You guys will figure it out eventually."

William smiles, just a little, and turns his hand around to lace their fingers together. "I know," he says. He pulls away after a squeeze and dumps his plate in the sink. "But anyways, I was telling you about my family."

Jamie hums in response, excited to finally get something about William's home life. The subject has been nearly non-existent up until this point and Jamie wants to know about the people that made William William.

"My brother is the only one who's homophobic. He went through a very – um – religious phase when he was younger, I guess, and he never quite got out of it. Our preacher wasn't even against gays, I actually went to one of his services once and it came up and he was so good about LGBT rights I couldn't believe it!" He sits back down across from Jamie. "Do you want more eggs? Or some coffee?"