DIFFERENT

4 -- Unconditional

Oh, my Dearest Reader !!  What fate has befallen Prince Larry ?!  He has had such courage to tell his Prince of his condition !  Now what for their future ?  

Silence.

They were still holding hands, at least, Larry thought to himself.  

No recoil.  No repulsion.  No disbelief.  No hearing ?

"Laurent, did you hear what I said ?  I'm a hermaphrodite."  Larry looked into the warmest, sweetest, most vacant expression he had ever seen.

--  Oh, shit, he doesn't understand, it means I'm gonna have to explain it to him.  All I need, shit --

"It means I have ...."

"I know what it means, Larry" He say's gently, quietly.  He smiles a genuine smile.  Larry can't believe what Laurent is saying.  His brain obviously hasn't engaged with his mouth yet.  It hasn't registered, he thinks it means something different.  No one has ever reacted this way, not even his parents when they found out.  Melissa, well, her agenda was a whole other story.  She knew exactly what it meant, she was a hermaphrodite too, but she was a man who chose to be a woman.  Anyway, 

"No, you don't understand" he tried to continue, truly believing that Laurent didn't understand.  He was so sure rejection was just a thought, a word away.  Laurent was a smart cookie, though.  He understood well enough. 

"I do.  You have a dick and a vagina.  I understand perfectly"  He was holding Larry's face in his hands again.  "I don't need to think.  I don't need to consider, anything, especially whether to leave you.  I will not leave.  We deal with this together.  You are no longer alone in this, mon amour.  I love you, that will not change."   

Larry just about lost his shit altogether.  He wept, hard and openly, relief and gratitude emanating from every pore of his body.  Laurent held his shaking, sobbing frame until he calmed a little, until his sobs became sniffs, and his shaking had all but stopped.

"You OK ?  Better, a little ? " Laurent asked.  Larry nodded in affirmation.  He was incredulous at Laurent's reaction.  He was expecting the other shoe to drop, the next few days, weeks if he was lucky would tell, whether Laurent would back off, still keep in touch, whether he would still love him, unconditionally.  They settled down on the plush sofa, Larry's back to Laurent's chest.  Larry was wrapped in Laurent's arms, soft kisses raining down on the top of his soft fro, and it made him smile.

"So, " Laurent began "tell me what you need me to know.  Or I ask questions, is that easier ?"  Larry nodded.  No one had ever wanted to ask questions before, they had barely got past the revelation, they usually couldn't wait to get out the door. 

"OK, so if I am correct in my thinking, you have two lots of junk."  Laurent says, chuckling slightly, trying to make this heavy moment a little lighter.  It seems to work, as Larry smiles at his astute observation.  

"Yes, you could say that, and you would, wouldn't you ?"  he says, still smiling.  He strokes Laurent's arm in genuine affection and gratitude for what he is doing.  He continues  "There's quite a lot of us, I was surprised at how many, who were born with both sets of reproductive "aparatus", for want of a better word, so yeah, you're right, I have a vagina and a dick"  He's never had to explain it to anyone before, no ones ever wanted to know, even if he let them.  Only in his own head, over and over again.  "Most children born this way ..."  He realised what he said then, and both he and Laurent had the same reaction, and burst into a chorus of "Born this way", by Lady Gaga.  They were killing themselves laughing.  Larry couldn't believe it.  He had never been so happy as in this moment, with this man.