But We're Not Normal

Honest

"What's up?" George asked the moment the bedroom door was pushed closed. They were both freshly showered and changed, Clay already half way into bed. Clay turned to George confused, hands frozen before his face, fingers clutched around the arms of his glasses. "Don't give me that, you clearly have something on your mind. What's wrong?" George asked, coming to sit next to Clay as he slipped the glasses on. "Is it Damien?"

Clay shook his head softly, sitting up against the headboard. "No, for once it's not him." He sighed, running a hand through his hair and making a mental note to get it cut soon.

"Then what is it?" George asked, shuffling to sit up against the headboard beside Clay, pressing their shoulders together. Something in Clay told him to press down the problem and tell George that nothing was wrong.

He ignored it.

"We're going to a water park either tomorrow or the day after." Clay stated and George nodded, not quite understanding what he was getting at. Was he insecure? Could he not swim? Was he afraid of water parks?

Clay held his arms out in front of them, splaying his fingers. It took a long moment for George to register what he was trying to convey.

"Your freckles and scars..." He finally murmured and Clay nodded, roughly rubbing a thumb over the fresh, over-picked scabs turned scars on the knuckles of his other hand.

George reached forward to pull Clay's hands closer softly, examining them with sad eyes. Clay watched breathlessly as George lifted them just enough to press firm, warm kisses over each knuckle individually. A dark guilt had begun to seep into George, filling him from his toe-tip up to the crown of his head.

Clay was quick to dispel the guilt, however, by dropping his own kisses to George's shoulder and jaw. "I want people to know. After seeing that people were still fine with me after I came out, I want to continue being honest. I'm just... nervous. I don't want the way they find out be from anyone but me." He spoke into George's shoulder and George nodded, folding and splaying Clay's fingers with his own.

"You don't have to rush into it if you aren't ready. We can go somewhere else while the others do the water park, if you want." George reassured as he rubbed the kisses into Clay's knuckles, as if it would heal them. In Clay's eyes, it did.

"I don't want you to miss out because I'm scared." He countered softly, shifting to rest his cheek against George's shoulder.

"There's always the future, Clay. We can always come back." George reasoned and Clay shot it down with a minute shake of his head.

"I want- no, I need to do this." He whispered firmly and George squeezed his hands reassuringly. "Just... promise me you'll be here?" He asked, verging on nervously, and lifted his head to look at George. George turned to hold his gaze.

"When have I ever not been?" He replied, not unkindly, and Clay smiled. He leant forward to rest his forehead to George's, closing his eyes basking in the warmth and love surrounding them.

George, feeling uncharacteristically sappy for once, let go of Clay's hands in favour of framing his face with his own. He pulled back and tilted just enough to press the barest angel kiss to Clay's eyelid. Clay held his breath throughout the gesture, all the way until George's forehead was back against his, for fear of breaking the moment and scaring George away.