Baz shook silently, tears running down his face. Why couldn't he just keep his bloody mouth shut? What did he think would happen? Baz had come out to his family the previous night. He'd just walked in during dinner, from the library where he had been reading, gathering his courage, and blurted out, "I'm gay."
There were very mixed reactions:
A triumphant, "I KNEW IT." From Mordelia,
The twins and the baby sat silently, unsure as to what was going on,
and finally his father.
"Basilton, what is this? Why would you say that?" Baz cleared his throat.
"Because it's true."
"I refuse to accept that. It must be some phase, or some way of spiting me. It's unnatural." Daphne started.
"Malcolm-"
Baz chimed in.
"Homosexuality is found in over 450 species, homophobia is only found in one." Baz had found that cool statistic on the internet.
"Oh, and is vampires one of those species?" Malcolm hissed. There was a shocked silence from Mordelia and Daphne, the only ones other than Baz and his father that knew what was going on. Malcolm had never acknowledged what Baz was before.
"Don't say that!" Mordelia sounded pained. "Why is being gay bad?" Malcolm glared at her, not saying anything. Daphne put her hand on Mordelia's shoulder.
"Hush now. I think you and the other children should go to bed. " Mordelia started to protest, but was silenced by her mother's glare. She stomped over to the baby, picked him up, and gestured for the twins to follow her, grumbling under her breath.
"Father..." Baz started again.
"No." Malcolm roared. "No son of mine is gay. Get out."
Baz didn't know what he'd expected. In a conservative family that never acknowledged anything, did he really think coming out with an uncomfortable truth would be a good idea? He had stormed up to his room in a daze, packing his things. On his way down the hall, Mordelia had stopped him, peering out of her room.
"Basil. Don't listen to Father. I mean, I don't know when you'll be able to come back, but he's the only one who cares. None of the rest of us care. Anyway, I already knew." Baz was surprised.
"You did?" And he had thought he was being so subtle.
"Yes, Aunt Fiona told me." Mordelia said solemnly. Baz would have to have a talk with Fiona about telling information to eight year olds. However, Mordelia seemed to be trustworthy.
"Okay, well, thanks for telling me. Bye, Mordy." Mordelia darted forward and hugged him.
"Bye, Baz." She said sadly.
And now here he was in the bathroom of a hotel in London, crying his eyes out. He looked at the time. Merlin! He was supposed to be at work in three hours! He washed his face, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the door.