Chapter 21!
A/N: Here's part 2!
Crow tried desperately that night to get whatever these feelings were out of him. As he tried to sleep, he tried to think of a young, hot woman. 'Just think about a girl in a bikini,' Crow thought. As soon as the girl appeared in his mind, a young man suddenly appeared. His lower area became excited and Crow finally opened his eyes.
"No! I can't be gay!" Crow said in a panic. How could he be gay? He was the one always bugging Yusei about how attractive Akiza was. Of course, Crow didn't realize just how physically attracted Yusei had been to her and it was a lot longer than Crow knew. Still, Crow had even thought about ordering a subscription to a dirty magazine with girls in it, but now those dreams were history. He tossed and turned, trying and praying that the homosexuality would come out of him. Still, it was no use and he didn't get much, if any, sleep that night.
The next day was the start of the tournament. Crow headed over to his friends in the locker room and, just like the day before, they had very few things with them. "Crow! You're alive!" Chris said as Crow carried his bag up to them. Daniel noticed that it looked as packed as ever. "Wait," Daniel said quickly, "How come you brought your stuff over like yesterday? I thought that was only a one time thing." Crow quickly thought of an answer. "Well, with the sweltering heat, I just thought I'd suck it up again." He laughed to himself, but Daniel and Chris didn't find it so funny. Chris finally decided to tell Crow what was up.
"Crow, all the men that shower are...um...well..."
"Gay," Daniel finished for him. Crow looked stunned. "Gay?" Crow repeated, "Really? All those guys?" Daniel nodded. "Yes and the fact that you're going in there again is a little odd." Suddenly, Crow's new friend Chad walked by. He pointed to Crow and winked at him. Crow tried to pretend he wasn't there, but Chris and Daniel noticed.
"What was that about?" Chris asked as he turned to Crow. Crow tried to brush it off. "That? That was nothing," Crow replied quickly. Chris looked suspiciously at him. "Crow! Chad Winkle just winked at you! He's clearly gay!" Chris and Daniel looked at him. "Crow, is there something you want to tell us?" Crow shook his head. "Nope! There's nothing!" He quickly opened his locker and shoved his bag inside. "I've got to go to the bathroom! Bye!" Crow then headed off to the men's room. Chris and Daniel looked at one another. "What should we do?" Chris asked. Daniel gave him a puzzled look. "We'll just have to talk to him about it later," Daniel suggested, "Come on. Lets go outside."
As Crow waited in the bathroom, he knew that he couldn't tell Chris and Daniel. Besides, what if it was just a phase? Crow decided to wait it out and then see how he felt. He then got off of the toilet and went back to the locker room. He decided to let it all play itself out.
As for their dueling on the track, Crow's team made it to semifinals, which would be dueled the following day. As the day went along, Crow tried to avoid watching as other duelists unzipped their fire suits. He tried to avoid staring at their muscled abs and toned arms. He just tried to stay focused on the dueling, but it was becoming almost unbearable.
Later, at the locker room, Chris and Daniel tried to see if they could get Crow to admit to what they were starting to suspect. "You sure you don't wanna shower when you get to the hotel?" Chris asked, "You wouldn't have to stare at those guys." Crow just tried to find an excuse as to why he had to go back inside. "Well, I've already brought my things here," Crow said, "I wouldn't want all that packing to go to waste." Daniel looked suspiciously at him, but his voice gave off the tone of concern. "Crow? Do you need to say something?" Crow shook his head.
"Nope," Crow replied, "Besides, if you guys are so worried about being sweaty, shouldn't you be heading for the hotel?" Chris put a finger to his chin and looked up. "Well, I guess so..." Crow quickly pushed him towards the exit. "See! So you two better get going then." Chris and Daniel looked at Crow one last time. "All right," Daniel replied and the two of them left. Crow breathed a sigh of relief once they were gone. He quickly undressed and hoped to get out of the shower as quickly as possible.
As Crow walked in, the shower was just like yesterday. He went and found an empty shower, as he heard Chad lean over to him. "Pleasant seeing you here," Chad noted as he smiled at him. "Um...yeah," Crow said awkwardly. As Crow washed himself, he knew he would eventually have to turn around and look at the group of men. Finally, Crow managed to turn around and he examined the room.
'You know. Maybe, just for a little while, I should just embrace these feelings and see where it goes,' Crow thought. He looked around at all the wet men talking and laughing. Crow looked over every peck and chiseled chest along with every toned arm and tight butt. He didn't feel awkward at all as he finished up showering. He put his towel in it's proper spot and walked out.
As Crow got dressed, he evaluated the situation. 'That was...nice,' Crow thought, 'I got a good shower and I don't have to be sweaty all the way home. Plus seeing all those guys was...not uncomfortable.' After Crow got finished, he called his friends and told them he would be spending the night alone. They asked why and Crow said he was tired. He wanted to nip this problem in the butt.
After Crow went and ordered some takeout, Crow went out and got a couple of dirty magazines: one with attractive girls and one with guys. Which ever one he found more attractive, would reveal his gender preference. At first, Crow looked at the one with girls in it first. He found some of them attractive and some not. When he picked up the one with guys in it, he was a little afraid and nervous. He finally managed to turn the page and look inside.
Once he did, he found himself deeply attracted to guys inside. He found his mouth watering, much quicker than when he was looking at the girl's magazine. He loved looking at their toned body, which were probably airbrushed, but that didn't deny the guys looked good. Once Crow was done with the last page he knew it: he was gay. Now he had only one problem: how would he come out and tell his friends?
Crow decided to start with the person who, not only knew him the best, but would probably be the most understanding. That was obviously Martha. When Crow looked at the clock, he knew that it was too late to call her and he also wasn't quite sure how to tell her. He needed some time to think. Unfortunately, with the tournament ending tomorrow, Crow's mind was going to have to be on his dueling instead. Crow sighed as he got ready for bed. He was just going to have to put his gender preference aside and try to focus on his dueling.
As Crow dueled the following day, his mind was clearly not on dueling. He made a couple of errors that cost himself both duels he was in. Still, his teammates back him up and they were able to win both matches 2-1. Chris and Daniel were both ecstatic and Crow tried to be too. Still, his losses coupled with what he was going through made the victory hard to swallow. Afterward, they all headed out for drinks and a major celebration. Crow didn't feel in the mood as he sat down at the bar sipping his drink.
"Come on Crow! Lets have some fun!" Daniel yelled as Crow continued staring at his drink. "I don't feel like it," Crow replied in a depressed tone. Then again, when you're thinking about telling the person who raised you that you're coming out of the closet, what would you feel like doing? Crow still didn't know how to approach Martha with the topic. As Crow tried to think, Daniel sat next to him. "Crow. You wanted this win so badly. You talked about the history here and all that stuff. We got the win, so why are you so upset?" Crow took some time to think and answer his question.
"I just...I need to be alone. Okay?" Crow got up and headed for the door. Daniel watched and Chris came over. They both were unsure of what to do, as Crow had been acting very weird the past few days. Chris sat down and they talked about it. They both started to worry that Crow was upset about them bugging him that he was gay. They both agreed that they should apologize.
Later, Crow laid on his bed. He knew he would call Martha and all his friends the following morning, but he still didn't know how to tell them. Heck, he didn't even know how to tell himself. Crow knew that he just had to come out and say what felt natural for him. He kept trying to visualize how the situation would turn out. Each time he said something different. He just didn't know what the perfect words were to say. He decided that he would just have to figure that out when it happened.
The next morning, Crow didn't feel like eating. He just wanted to get the confessions done as soon as possible. He didn't mind paying the late fee, since the next event was in Texas and this was extremely important for him. Crow knew Martha got up around 8 o'clock. So, he waited a little while longer, to make sure she was all prepared. Once he was certain, he forced himself to dial each number on the video phone.
At Martha's, Martha slowly walked to the video phone. Crow, Jack, and Yusei all pitched in on getting her one for Mother's Day the year before. She had said how sad she was that she couldn't see her three young men, especially with two of them always on the road. With that in mind, it was an easy gift to get her and it was easy to install. Once Martha found the answering button, Crow's face appeared on screen.
"Why hello Crow," Martha said in surprise, "It's good to see you again." Crow smiled. "It's good to see you too Martha. Listen, I..."
"Oh! You probably want to tell me all about your victory yesterday. Well, first of all, I am very proud of you, even if you did lose twice." Crow blushed. "Yeah and..." Martha interrupted him again. "And tell Chris and Daniel that I send their congratulations as well." Crow just sweat dropped. "Oh yeah. I'll tell them." Finally, Martha stopped talking and Crow had an opportunity to speak.
"Um..actually Martha, I wanted to talk to you about...something else." Martha looked at Crow with curiosity. He seemed rather nervous and worried, something that Crow doesn't normally show. "Okay. What did you need to talk about?" Crow was looking away from the screen. He knew the next sentence was going to be hard, but he hoped that, if anyone could understand, it would be Martha. Crow turned towards the screen, but he looked down and closed his eyes. He talked slowly and paused every few words.
"Martha...I...I think...I think I might be gay...And I hope...that you will understand...and will still love me...for who I am." Crow finally managed to say what he felt and there was a long pause until Martha spoke up. "Crow," she said and he managed to open his eyes. "I think it's wonderful that you are coming out and telling me about your feelings. I want you to be happy Crow and if being gay makes you happy, then I support you." Crow looked up and smiled. "I still love you Crow and I fully embrace your choice." Crow was stunned.
"So...you're not mad?" Martha shook her head. "I've had gay and lesbian orphans before Crow. In fact, that's the reason some of them came to me, was that their parents did not accept them." Crow had never realized this growing up. Yusei, Jack, and himself were the only people at the orphanage that were their age. Everyone else had been older or younger than them, so the people Martha was talking about must have been before his time.
"I know how hard it must be to come out and tell me this, but I fully accept your feelings and I know your friends will too. Speaking of which, have you told anyone yet?" Crow shook his head. "Well, I'm sure they will all be more than supportive."
"You think?" Crow asked and Martha nodded. "In fact, why don't you talk to them right now and find out for yourself?" Crow felt a little scared leaving Martha and going off to tell his friends. He wanted her to be there to give him support and, to be honest, it made him feel like a little kid again. Still, Crow knew he would have to do this on his own and he was going to have to do it sooner or later. "Okay," he replied, "I will. Thank you Martha for everything." Martha gave him a cheerful smile. "Your welcome Crow. Good luck." Crow thanked her again and the screen soon shut off.
As Crow leaned back into his chair, he wondered how he should tell everyone. For some reason, he wanted to tell Yusei and Akiza first. Still, he wanted to tell them at the same time. After all, they were now a couple, so maybe they could give him some advice, for when he goes out dating for the first time. He sent Akiza a message. She replied back quickly that she was going to have a class for about an hour, but then she was free for the rest of the day. He then contacted Yusei and he said he was free at work, so Crow told him to contact him in about an hour.
When the hour was up, Yusei was the first to get online. He congratulated Crow on his victory the other day and Crow was grateful for it. Yusei asked him about the upcoming week and Crow started to tell him about what he had planned. As Crow was finishing up, Akiza got on screen and Yusei's face lit up. After saying hello, Akiza asked Crow what he need to tell them.
"Well...over the past few days, I've done some thinking and I've realized that...I'm gay." Akiza and Yusei were obviously surprised by Crow's words and they took a moment to let it sink in. "Well...I'm surprised," Akiza admitted, "But I know I speak for Yusei as well in the fact that we support your decision Crow." Crow became stunned. "Really?" he asked and Yusei nodded.
"We both want our friends to be happy and if being gay makes you happy, then we support you. If your preference is men, then we are not going to stop you in anyway. So, I know I speak for Akiza, when I say that we're proud that you told us Crow and we'll be willing to support you in any way we can." Crow was grateful for their words.
"Well, thank you you guys. It means a lot." Still, Akiza had a nagging question. "But...why did you need to tell both of us at the same time?" Crow smiled and knew the answer.
"Well...since I know you guys are completely straight, I was worried as to how you both would react to me...not being straight. I just worried that your sexual preferences would become a problem, since they don't agree with yours." Yusei chimed in once Crow was finished.
"Don't worry Crow. Just because we're straight doesn't mean that we're going to pick on you for not seeing things the way we do. We both want our friends to be happy and, like I said before, if that makes you happy, then that's part of who you are. As long as you're not breaking the law or anything, then we'll be more than willing to help." With that in mind, Crow decided to ask them for some advice.
"What can I do, when I got out to meet other guys?" Crow asked as his friends thought for a moment. "Just be yourself," Akiza suggested, "If you're in a relationship that restricts you, then get out of it." Yusei also had some advice. "Don't be afraid to be affectionate or show your feelings. I know that's a big one in our relationship." Akiza and Yusei, for a moment, forgot that Crow was there and stared at each other's faces on screen.
"Well, thanks for the advice," Crow admitted, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I have to contact the twins now, so thanks for everything and thanks for supporting my decision!" Yusei and Akiza told him it was all right and they all said goodbye. Crow then turned his attention to the twins. He didn't know how knowledgeable they were on the subject, so he decided that they might need some time to respond. He started up an e-mail and put their address into the box.
"Dear Leo and Luna,
You may or may not have heard, but I have realized some new feelings. Instead of being attracted to females, like many men are, I have realized that I am attracted to other men. If you know what that means, then yes, I am gay. I wasn't sure how knowledgeable you were on this topic, so I have decided to send you an e-mail, to give you time to respond. I hope this does not upset you and I am hopeful that you will support my decision.
Your friend,
Crow
It was easy for Crow to write the e-mail, it just was hard to send it. Crow kept re-reading it, hoping he wasn't coming off too insulting or too forceful in how both of them felt. He closed his eyes as he moved the cursor over the "send" button and he finally managed to click. Once he did, he quickly worried that they might respond immediately, so he quickly closed all of his browsers and shut down the computer. He breathed a sigh of relief and hoped they would take some time to get back to him.
It was time for a talk with Jack. Now Crow and Jack had fights over the years, so he worried that Jack might not agree with him. Still, all of his other friends had been accepting to him, so why stop now? As Crow called him over the phone again, Jack was sitting with Carly in his hotel bed. "Aww. I love you Jackie," Carly said as she nudged him. "Aww. I love you too Carly," Jack responded. They suddenly heard the phone ring and Jack used a clicker to answer it.
"Hey Jack!" Crow said and then realized where they were, "Whoa! Okay. Well, this might not be a good time." Jack was quick to answer. "It's a perfectly good time. Now, what did you want to tell me?" Crow took a deep breath. "Well, Jack and Carly, I have been doing some thinking and I have something to tell you. I'm...I'm gay and I hope that you will understand and..."
"Of course I understand," Jack replied, "You like penises and that's they way it is." Crow was surprised as to how quickly Jack accepted his feelings. "Um...well...thanks Jack. That's very nice of you." Despite the nice words, Jack still didn't smile. "Just don't turn into one of those fashion ones that are always telling people how they dress. Because I pick out my outfits and no one else has to the right to tell me it's wrong!"
"What about me?" Carly asked. "Okay," Jack admitted, "Maybe you. But that's it!" Crow took a deep breath. "Well thanks you guys. This means a lot to me. I've been talking to people about it and they seem okay with it." Carly got an idea. "What if I did a story on you Crow, that tells about you coming out and stuff." Crow smiled. "That sounds like a great idea Carly. You could interview some of my friends." Jack smiled. "And get more publicity for me." Carly nodded. "I'll ask my editor about it and see what happens." Crow nodded and thanked them for time.
After Crow finished up, he decided that he should talk to the last people he wanted to: his teammates. He hadn't talked to them all day and he decided that it was better to confess to them sooner than later. He left his room and headed for Chris' room. When no one answered, he went to Daniel's and he was greeted by both of them. Before Crow could say anything, Chris asked for Crow to take a seat. Crow felt a bit awkward, but he took a seat on the edge of the bed, as Daniel turned off the TV. They then sat, one on each side of Crow. Chris was the first to speak up.
"Crow...we're...really sorry for what we've said to you over the past few days. We shouldn't have made fun of you and made you feel like you are gay." Daniel nodded. "I'm really sorry Crow." Crow could tell that they were sorry for their actions, but at the same time, he wanted to laugh. "Well...I appreciate your apologies, but I wanted to say something as well." Daniel and Chris looked worried at one another, as they were expecting Crow to explode on them.
"You don't have to apologize, because...I figured out that I am gay." Chris and Daniel's eyes grew wide. "No. No," Daniel said quickly, "We were just kidding. You're not really gay and we apologize for it." Crow just smiled. "Yes I am." Chris shook his head. "No. This is just some kind of joke," Chris said quickly, "We were just kidding. We know you're not gay Crow. You don't have to lie to us." Crow just started to laugh.
"It's true," he replied, but Chris and Daniel still believed their talking was the cause of all of this. "Don't worry Crow. We get it. It's just a joke. Ha ha." Crow looked curiously at them. "You guys...do you hate gays?" Chris and Daniel quickly denounced the idea. "No way! We respect gays," Chris replied, "But we just thought that with all the homosexual things we saw, that you might be in fact gay." Crow put his arms out.
"Well you're right! I am!" Chris and Daniel still didn't believe him, so Crow thought of an idea on how he could prove it to them. "Wait right here," Crow replied and quickly ran out of the room. Chris and Daniel were confused, until Crow came back with a dirty magazine full of men in it. "I was looking at this last night!" Crow said, "Isn't it great!" He opened up a page and Chris and Daniel looked away in disgust.
"Aww! It looks like that guy has three legs!" Chris shouted. "Close it! Close it!" Daniel replied and Crow did as he was told. Now, Chris and Daniel were really confused. "So...you're not mad?" Chris asked and Crow nodded. "All I want is for you to accept me for who I am." Chris and Daniel looked at one another. "Sure we will," Daniel replied, "As long as we can keep dueling together." Crow nodded and stuck his hand out. "We're still a team?" he asked and Chris and Daniel put their hands in too. "Yes and we accept you for being gay," Daniel added. They all raised their hands and cheered.
Later, Crow checked his inbox, as they headed back across the border. It was from the twins and read:
Dear Crow,
We fully support your decision in being gay! We know some people who are in fact gay and we fully applaud that you came out to express your feelings. We congratulate you on victory last week and good luck in your dueling league.
Sincerely,
Leo and Luna
Crow smiled once he read the e-mail. All of his friends were accepting that he was gay and they fully supported his decision. As Crow arrived at the next stop, he then thought of something that he still had to do.
About a week later, a man was sitting in a mall. He was waiting for some customers to come and he was then met by a man with orange hair and a black hairband to keep his hair up. He had a big smile on his face as he laid down some dollar bills. "I want to get a piercing for my ears," he said confidently. The man checked how much he put down. "Okay. Come on inside."
The orange haired man stepped inside the small booth and then sat down on a chair. "Now, what earring do you want to put into your ear?" Crow looked at the display the man showed to him and he knew which one he wanted. He pointed to a long, slender, yellow colored earring.
"I want that one," Crow said and he finally had accepted his true feelings.
A/N: I hope you liked the ending.
I'll be out of town for the weekend, but I hope to be back writing as soon as I can. Take care!