strangetomato | Drabble+: Realization

Prompt: Realization
Characters: Frances Worthington, Beau Broke
Wordcount: 700
Imagecount: 14
Warnings: language, if you consider "ass" a naughty word

This ended up being as much about Beau as it was about Frances, if not more, but sometimes you just get inspired.

"So, yeah, I've been buying those dreamcatchers from this old man in the trailer park for years," Beau said.

"Makoto St. Julien. He makes them. He was always over visiting Mom, and he gave me one of them for my childhood transition, and another for my teen transition. It was around that time that we were in serious financial trouble, with the twins in school too, so I looked into selling them. It turns out that they're worth a lot of money if you sell them to the right people. A LOT of money. So now I sell them to rich people and tourists at an exorbitant price, and give a cut to Makoto, though he insists I keep most of it."

"I think we probably have a few of those in the guest room at home, actually," Frances nodded.

"I'll bet you do. Sims just eat that stuff up. Yeah, they love anything "authentic", folksy, and salt of the earth, especially if it has some connection to ancient cultures."

Frances marveled at Beau's ability to understand people and their desires, and then use that knowledge to manipulate them. And fair enough, he figured. Why not?

"So anyway...," Beau continued, "That's the deal with the dreamcatchers." They chatted some more about their childhoods, and how different they were from each other, and how difficult it was for them, of all people, to grow up in that situation. It was a typical college conversation. Feeling bolder than usual, Frances was the first to bring up "the gay thing."

"Do you ever get that question? You know the one... when did you realize you were gay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I hate that."

"Well, I'm sure they're just curious."

"Maybe, but nobody ever asks a straight person that. And I also don't even know. I didn't wake up one day and decide I was gay. I'm not sure of the exact moment I realized it. It was sort of always there... well, as far as anyone knows about their sexuality as a child."

"Yeah, exactly."

"My mother probably knew more than I did," he continued, "She always seemed so worried about me, that I was behaving in ways that weren't normal for a boy."

"Yeah, Mom probably felt that way at times too," Beau said, "but I think she probably just thought I was sensitive. She never said anything about it, anyway. I think she liked that I was interested in the things she did around the house. She liked the company. Dustin, my brother, was the one who picked up on it more than anyone, I think, and he tried to toughen me up. I suppose it worked too, to an extent. Yeah, It didn't make me any less gay, but at least I'm not a wuss, right?"

Frances started to laugh. It was one of those things that got funnier and funnier the more you laughed at it.

"Now I can kick your ass and stare at it too." Beau howled with laugher. "Well, hardly. Can you imagine me in a fight? Yeah, my bones would snap like toothpicks. But I'm tough enough. I'm no Dustin, but I can handle myself."

Once they caught their breath, Frances continued. "So did you have one of those moments of realization?"

"Yeah, actually, I did."

"Really? When did you figure it out?"

"In the air."

"What?"

"Yeah, I was being swung around through the air over Dirk Dreamer's head.

"One of Dustin's friends - very attractive guy. And I was fascinated with him. I thought it was just a sort of jealousy at first, like I wanted to BE him, but then that one day when he was carrying on and swinging me around...

"I was just soaring through the air, and it was so thrilling."

"I imagine that soaring through the air is always thrilling."

"Yeah, but it wasn't just that. It was the fact that he was paying attention to me. I had a crush on him. He was swinging me around and suddenly all I could think was, 'This is why I don't like girls.'"