Thomas sits Raige and M.D. down to talk about his plan first. Technically, his family is his business, but he figures that they’re involved, and the more help he’s got, the better. Raige, he knows, will be supportive no matter what, and M.D… well, she might think he’s doing something stupid, but she never fails to step up in a disaster. So he gives them the heads-up.
“You’re going to tell your family?” Raige’s eyes are wide. “Wow…”
“Yup.”
“Jeez, Thomas, I mean, good luck, I can’t imagine telling mine…”
M.D. doesn’t say anything, but her crossed arms and curled upper lip communicate exactly how she feels.
“You know, there is such a thing as a decent family,” Thomas says to her, a little nettled. “Just because y’all’s families are freaking insane—”
“My dad isn’t—” Raige starts.
“Yes he is,” M.D. and Thomas say in unison, and Raige subsides with a wince and hunched shoulders.
“So what’s brought this on?” M.D. asks as she touches Raige’s arm.
“What do you mean, what’s brought it on?” Thomas asks. “It’s driving me nuts not flirting or touching either of y’all at home—I mean, I guess I could flirt with you, babe, but that’d just be—”
She shudders. “I’m really not the flirting type.”
“Yeah, plus I’m dating Raige more than you. Anyway, I’d planned to tell them from day one. Didn’t you?”
Raige only hunches his shoulders even more and gives an apologetic (and panicking) grin. “I… was kind of hoping to let it slide until maybe I’m out of the house…”
Thomas waves a hand. “Not you, man, your dad is crazy, I’d keep my mouth shut too. But kid, you?”
M.D. looks wry. “I don’t think Number One would approve, and as for my brother…”
“You know what I mean. Your real family. Bobby and… uh…” He can’t think of anyone else. “Come on, you gotta have somebody.”
“Biff?” Raige supplies helpfully.
“No, don’t tell Biff. I don’t know who he’d try to kill first, you or me.”
“Probably me,” Raige says. “I live the closest.”
M.D. rolls her eyes. “I’ll tell eventually, I just hadn’t thought about it. It doesn’t exactly come up in casual conversation, you know: ‘so how’s it going? Have I mentioned I’m dating two people today?’ Anyway, why are you asking our permission? They’re your family; you get the power to decide what to tell them.”
“My folks’re great, but…” Thomas shrugs. “Having a back-up never killed anyone, you know?”
Raige bites his lip and tugs at his forelock. “Hey, you know, if there’s any problem…”
“There won’t be, there won’t be,” Thomas says quickly. “They know y’all, they like y’all. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
They sit in stiff silence for a moment. Then Thomas grimaces and says, “Just in case it is a problem, kid, could I…?”
“Sure, you can stay with me,” M.D. assures him. “Scorch and Flame ask after you all the time, and they’re not the only ones. You should come back to Treehouse sometime anyway, tell people how you’re doing.”
Raige is fretting with his hair. “You sure it’ll be okay? Because, you know, you can stay with me too…”
“Dude, you’re freaked out enough about coming out to your dad. No offense, but I’d rather not be stuck with you and him under the same roof, even if y’all do have indoor plumbing. But don’t worry. Like I said, it won’t be a problem.”
Surely it’s true. Raige is just antsy because he’s antsy about coming out to his dad, and it’s splashing on everything else, and M.D.’s just cynical because… well, the only family she’s got besides him and Raige that isn’t crazy, evil, or gone is a talking cat.
Thomas’s family isn’t like that. His family is sane, unshakeable. They were okay with him when he turned his kindergarten teacher into a cobra by accident, they were okay with him when he came back after a year and a half missing in another dimension. Surely they’ll be okay with him having a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time. That’s nothing.
But still. There’s just that tiny twinge, that nagging worry, what if…
He shoves it back. See, this is why he needs to get it over with. The longer he waits, the more he’ll think about it, and the more he’ll agonize about it.
Coming out to the family Rodriguez (part 1)
“You’re going to tell your family?” Raige’s eyes are wide. “Wow…”
“Yup.”
“Jeez, Thomas, I mean, good luck, I can’t imagine telling mine…”
M.D. doesn’t say anything, but her crossed arms and curled upper lip communicate exactly how she feels.
“You know, there is such a thing as a decent family,” Thomas says to her, a little nettled. “Just because y’all’s families are freaking insane—”
“My dad isn’t—” Raige starts.
“Yes he is,” M.D. and Thomas say in unison, and Raige subsides with a wince and hunched shoulders.
“So what’s brought this on?” M.D. asks as she touches Raige’s arm.
“What do you mean, what’s brought it on?” Thomas asks. “It’s driving me nuts not flirting or touching either of y’all at home—I mean, I guess I could flirt with you, babe, but that’d just be—”
She shudders. “I’m really not the flirting type.”
“Yeah, plus I’m dating Raige more than you. Anyway, I’d planned to tell them from day one. Didn’t you?”
Raige only hunches his shoulders even more and gives an apologetic (and panicking) grin. “I… was kind of hoping to let it slide until maybe I’m out of the house…”
Thomas waves a hand. “Not you, man, your dad is crazy, I’d keep my mouth shut too. But kid, you?”
M.D. looks wry. “I don’t think Number One would approve, and as for my brother…”
“You know what I mean. Your real family. Bobby and… uh…” He can’t think of anyone else. “Come on, you gotta have somebody.”
“Biff?” Raige supplies helpfully.
“No, don’t tell Biff. I don’t know who he’d try to kill first, you or me.”
“Probably me,” Raige says. “I live the closest.”
M.D. rolls her eyes. “I’ll tell eventually, I just hadn’t thought about it. It doesn’t exactly come up in casual conversation, you know: ‘so how’s it going? Have I mentioned I’m dating two people today?’ Anyway, why are you asking our permission? They’re your family; you get the power to decide what to tell them.”
“My folks’re great, but…” Thomas shrugs. “Having a back-up never killed anyone, you know?”
Raige bites his lip and tugs at his forelock. “Hey, you know, if there’s any problem…”
“There won’t be, there won’t be,” Thomas says quickly. “They know y’all, they like y’all. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
They sit in stiff silence for a moment. Then Thomas grimaces and says, “Just in case it is a problem, kid, could I…?”
“Sure, you can stay with me,” M.D. assures him. “Scorch and Flame ask after you all the time, and they’re not the only ones. You should come back to Treehouse sometime anyway, tell people how you’re doing.”
Raige is fretting with his hair. “You sure it’ll be okay? Because, you know, you can stay with me too…”
“Dude, you’re freaked out enough about coming out to your dad. No offense, but I’d rather not be stuck with you and him under the same roof, even if y’all do have indoor plumbing. But don’t worry. Like I said, it won’t be a problem.”
Surely it’s true. Raige is just antsy because he’s antsy about coming out to his dad, and it’s splashing on everything else, and M.D.’s just cynical because… well, the only family she’s got besides him and Raige that isn’t crazy, evil, or gone is a talking cat.
Thomas’s family isn’t like that. His family is sane, unshakeable. They were okay with him when he turned his kindergarten teacher into a cobra by accident, they were okay with him when he came back after a year and a half missing in another dimension. Surely they’ll be okay with him having a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time. That’s nothing.
But still. There’s just that tiny twinge, that nagging worry, what if…
He shoves it back. See, this is why he needs to get it over with. The longer he waits, the more he’ll think about it, and the more he’ll agonize about it.