Despite no longer being a part of the Mormon Church, officially anyway, many decided to stick to the old bedtime rule. Routine could be hard to break after all. Elders scurried about changing and lining up for the bathroom- how unfortunate that a hut meant to house at least ten full grown Mormon Missionaries only had a single bathroom, and in a place like Uganda.
Idle chatter, soft laughter, the shuffling of feet and books filled the air. The soft murmur was a backdrop to the end of another day. Elder Mckinley sat in his small office of sorts, setting up schedules, planning events and, of course, looking for funds. There was something heartwarming about listening to the quieting hustle and bustle that he loved, a sign of a job well done. The other Elders were happy, the Ugandans were better off now and that one little issue of his wasn't an issue anymore.
It wasn't as long as he stayed here in Uganda. That particular uneasy feeling that weighed on his mind had come back with a vengeance. There was a new uncertainty that threatened him and the future of the Mission. It had been there before, but now it was just a new set of obstacles, ones that were deviating heavily from anything he'd been trained in as a designated district leader. Instead of protocol, Elder McKinley found himself having to rely on gut feeling, blind instincts and leaps of faith to get them through these always trying times.
If he stayed in Uganda, he'd have to hide his feelings for … men.
It felt somewhere between strange and liberating to be thinking it out loud in his head. Of course, he'd have to maintain that old 'Turn it off' attitude when he went out to the markets and the city. It would still be a welcome breeze to the stuffiness of the past decade or so that he'd been living at home.
The other Elders would still need someone to maintain order, keep the place running while members returned home. After all, he was still the leader and they needed him. There was a feeling of accomplishment and pride whenever he thought of how much they needed him, how much value his presence had. He was making a real difference here. Even as the original members of District Nine shrank over time, the remaining boys would still need his guidance, he owed it to them to stay behind.
Elroy and Leopold, Arnold and Kevin- especially Kevin. Elder McKinley's heart fluttered at the thought of being alone with Kevin. Those warm brown eyes, so hopeful and sparkling with trust, more expressive than he'd ever thought eyes could be. He chuckled to himself, it wasn't unlike one of his beloved Disney movies, was it?
The silent question, pressing in the back of mind bubbled to life. Unable to swat it away, ruining his warm dreamy train of thought, the man sighed as he leaned back.
Kevin.
The district leader was aware that he hadn't been the nicest to him at first, when he first arrived with Elder Cunningham, despite his perhaps not so subtle crush on the new addition. All the events leading up to their simultaneous salvation and damnation had been a terror on both himself, the villagers and the other Elders. It was almost comical, with a side of cringe and second hand embarrassment, now that enough time had passed. Elder McKinley felt like a blind idiot , now that he could see his mistakes clearly. He should have tried harder, been nicer and listen more, not only to Kevin and Arnold, but to the residents of Kitguli. Problem after problem had arisen between his arrival, promotion to power and Kevin and Arnold's arrival, but perhaps if he'd tried harder, he'd been more clear headed.
Even after everything that had happened to the poor boy, the things he'd seen - Kevin's mysterious limp- and things he'd probably missed- Elder McKinley still had the gall to fawn over that boy. He'd been more tender, unsurprisingly towards Kevin of all people after that well intentioned little play Nabulungi and the others had put up had gotten them into serious trouble. His hell dreams had been replaced by the Mission President's reaction, his last words before storming off after that.
He groaned, running his fingers through his mussed up hair.
There was a light rapping at his office door. Hurriedly rustling his hair back into place, Elder McKinley sat up, in an attempt to look more professional.
"Come in." He called, shuffling some papers around, pretending to look more productive before the day was officially out.
He'd expected Poptarts, or maybe Schrader to pop in. One to check up on his companion and the other to alert him to some strange problem that needed fixing in the morning. The red head often wondered if Schrader had been behind at least half of these little instances, seeing how the others rarely came to him with such news.
"I hope I'm not distracting you from your work, Elder McKinley." Answered Kevin as he stepped in through the door, closing it behind him.
Despite himself, or rather because of himself, Elder McKinley could feel his face heat up, watching that sheepish, charming grin of Kevin's.
"Oh, not at all- not at all, Elder Price." He greeted, clearing his desk. Standing up, he gestured to a chair on the other side of his desk.
"Would you like to take a seat?" He offered, more than ready to pull it out.
"Oh, um, I don't think it'll be necessary. I just wanted to drop in for a little bit. You know, before I head off to bed."
"So, Elder Price, what would you like to discuss? Is it something regarding Elder Cunningham's endeavors?" It wasn't uncommon to see Kevin running errands and messages for his mission companion. Especially since Arnold dealt with most of the work directly relating to the villagers.
"Not exactly. You see, one of the villagers, I think Sister Kimbay, made some suggestions to fix up an irrigation pipe." Kevin explained.
"I see, is that old thing giving her trouble again?" The former District Leader asked, folding his arms. He frowned, there had to be a better solution to that pipe problem of hers. It wasn't the first time they'd fixed it.
"I'm afraid so, Elder McKinley."
"You know what, how about tomorrow the two of us go out there and inspect it ourselves? See what's wrong with it this time." Elder McKinley asked, praying that he didn't start blushing at the thought of the two of them going outside together-on an inspection visit, but going 'out' together.
"Great, so, first thing in the morning?" Kevin asks, gazing into Elder McKinley's eyes.
"That sounds wonderful, Kev-I mean, Elder Price." Elder McKinley almost has a heart attack over calling Elder Price by his first name outloud. Some rules and routines were hard to break.
The sounds of the outside filled the stunned silence. Most people had shuffled off to their rooms, but a few Elders who were unfortunate enough to use the shower last still hung around, bickering about who got to use it first and blaming their fellow missionaries for 'using up all the good water' or something like that .
The District Leader let the squabble go on. Normally, he would have stepped in to remind the other Elders to be 'kind' to the others, but he didn't.
It was Kevin who broke the silence first, an uncertain smile appeared on his face. He seemed deep in thought.
"You know, Elder McKinley, it's alright. I don't mind you calling me by my first name."
"But-but the rules-" It was a weak defense, even he knew it. He, the king of playing off the obvious, could see through his own pathetic lie.
The rules didn't matter anymore. They made their own rules now, lived by their own decisions. No longer were they under the rule of the Church's thumb for what they could and couldn't do. The book, maybe, but aside from Heavenly Father, they didn't have to worry about answering to higher ups anymore.
"It can just be between the two of us." Kevin suggested, nudging the other man closer to the inevitable.
"..."
"Alright, if you insist...Kevin." A giddy grin graced the ginger's face, as he got to test out his crushes' first name. He liked how it rolled off his tongue, how to it felt in his mouth.
"Since we're going to be on a first name basis now, what's your name, Elder McKinley?" Kevin inquired curiously.
Elder McKinley's heart dropped. There was a reason why he tried to avoid telling people the truth, to go behind a fake name.
"Well, if you must know, I call myself Connor." His voice wavered , anxiety and dread filled his voice.
"Call yourself?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Elder- I mean, Connor?"
"Please, Kevin...it's not important, alright?" Connor stressed, loosening his tie. It was starting to feel too tight, now.
"Do you not like your real name?"
Connor scuffed the floor of his office with his shoe, feeling the seconds crawl by, Kevin waiting paitently for an answer.
Oh, how he wished he could simply answer it. He cursed his parents for thinking it was a good name to call their only son.
"No, I hate it. Well, hate is a strong word, but I can't say I can find any other word to describe it."
"No one likes their name, really." Kevin supplied. "Well most of us anyway."
"Kevin, do you hate your name?" Connor asked, sitting on the edge of his desk.
"Sometimes. It's a little dull." Kevin admitted, finally sitting down in the chair Connor had offered before.
"Well I think it's fantastic. Just like you." Connor chuckled, being careful not to be too loud, lest the other Elders overhear them. These two were never going to live it down.
Connor had never flirted before, but he liked it. He liked this, this heart to heart conversation. It felt real and whole, like he was connecting with someone he'd known long ago.
"Thanks, you're pretty great too, Connor."
Working up the courage, Connor made up his mind. He was going to tell Kevin what he was really named.
"Kevin, can you keep this a secret from the other Elders? This...this meeting? And-and not only that, but also...I want to keep my real name a secret." Connor announced seriously. He gazed down at the younger Elder, gone was the easy laid back atmosphere. Connor's very sanity rested on this.
"You can trust me." Kevin answered solemnly, hands folded in his lap.
"My real name…" Connor began, a look of regret dominated his face.
Kevin leaned forward in anticipation.
"Is Unyon Rings Raymann Origins McKinley. My parents were..into new age names at the time." Connor lamented.
Kevin was wide eyed, in fear, in awe, in shock. The moment of truth, of whether Kevin could accept him, truly had come upon them.
"I won't tell a soul, Connor. I promise."
Connor let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.
"Thank you." He breathed, closing his eyes.