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Bonjour vous-autres! Can you believe we're getting close to the end of this fic? It's been a wild ride (and we still aren't done yet!). One of my friends pointed out to me that I started this fic in January 2020, so all of my author's notes literally chronicled the chaotic year that 2020 was... I don't know how to feel about that, lmao! I hope you're all still staying safe during this pandemic, and of course I also hope that you enjoy the chapter. :)

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"We are dominating them!" Claudia said cheerfully as the game cut to halftime. She stood from the couch to head into her kitchen. "Championship, here we come!" She placed a hand over her heart, pausing in the doorway. "And how lucky are we that the big game is only two cities over?" She sighed dreamily as she stepped out the room. "Home field advantage sure tastes sweet!"

Sonya rolled her eyes. "Isn't that all a tad presumptuous of you? The game is only halfway done."

Claudia snorted as she returned to the living room with refilled bowls of chips and salsa, as well as an apple that she handed to Sonya. "Please. GSU has a good offense, I'll give them that, but their defense is just about non-existent." She placed the bowls on the coffee table before sitting back down next to Sonya. "I just don't think they can come back from 35-14 at the half. Not with how well we've been playing."

Callum chuckled before taking a sip from his water bottle. "Don't jinx it, Claudia."

Currently, he, Sonya, and Dominic were all at Claudia's house watching KSU's playoff bowl game. And by that he meant Claudia was actually watching while the rest of them glanced up every now and then to make sure KSU was still winning. Or, in the cases of himself and Dominic, they looked up whenever the offense was on the field to see how their respective partners were doing.

He'd admit it - the game had been pretty intense… for all of about ten minutes, after which it had become clear that KSU completely and utterly outclassed their opponent on both sides of the ball. He also did not want to jinx their team, of course, but if KSU suddenly started playing poorly and ended up losing the game, then… if nothing else, it would seem highly suspicious to anyone who'd seen the first half.

Claudia paused with a chip halfway in the bowl of salsa. "Touché. I would never forgive myself if I jinxed our victory." She then proceeded to eat her chip with a loud crunch, earning another amused eye roll from Sonya.

"On that note," Dominic said as he turned his phone off and placed it on his lap, "what are y'all's plans for this semester? Have anything exciting in store?"

As much as his friend's reminder made Callum die a little inside, it was true - their second semester was now only two days away. Or one, if he just counted Sunday. He was excited for his new classes, yes, but he wasn't really sold on the amount of work he was sure to get.

"God. I can tell you that for the next two weeks I am going to be consumed by thoughts of the championship. It's going to be a hell of a struggle to get my brain to focus on anything else," Claudia said, snickering. "So honestly, I haven't thought too far beyond the end of January?"

Dominic laughed. "Fair enough. I can respect that. Especially since Felix has been the same way." He gestured to her and Sonya. "But know that I will be forwarding you two and Emilé an email I should be getting tomorrow about the spring musical. We're doing The Lightning Thief."

Claudia gasped. "Like Percy Jackson? I love the books so much!" Then she grimaced. "However, I must inform you that I cannot sing or dance to save my life. So I might have to sit this one out."

Callum didn't think Claudia was a bad singer. At least not compared to him.

Dominic waved his hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter. You should audition anyway. We always need dedicated ensemble members." He then gave her a sly sideways glance. "Of course, you could always work tech. You know. With Sonya."

Callum had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing as he watched both girls' faces flush brilliant shades of red. It was nice to not be the one getting teased about a relationship, for once. Although he did wonder if his friends would ever take the plunge and get together, or if they'd exist in the we like each other but aren't sure what to do about it limbo for the rest of their college lives. For their sake, he hoped it wouldn't be the latter.

"In all seriousness," Dominic continued, "you two really should be a part of the musical. You were both amazing in Macbeth and I'd really like to channel that energy into The Lightning Thief, especially because we're going to have a lot of newbies auditioning who just care about nostalgia and the popularity of the musical. And don't get me wrong, it's always great to expose more people to theatre, but it's also nice to know that there will be a few dedicated, trustworthy cast and crew members."

Sonya took a bite of the apple that she'd been tossing from hand to hand. "My only worry is that I have a chem lab this semester that might cut into rehearsals," she said. "I can't switch out, either, because it's the only honors science I was able to get into. Everything else was full."

"I think you'll be fine," Dominic reassured her. "Ms. Secrest is super flexible, and we all know you'd put in the work to stay on top of everything. So no worries!"

Sonya nodded, offering Dominic a small smile. "Awesome. I can't wait."

Their theatre talk oftentimes went over Callum's head. Not that he didn't understand any of it, but his overall lack of connection to the theatre program except for Claudia - and more recently, Sonya, Dominic, and Emilé - meant that he had… Well, certainly less investment than they did. He always promoted his friends' shows, of course. And he did enjoy hearing them talk about theatre, as they tended to get very invested in their discussions. Their excitement made him happy.

It wasn't too different from letting Rayla gush about Shakespeare.

"What about you, Callum?" Dominic asked, pulling Callum out of his thoughts. And not a moment too soon, as he undoubtedly would have started daydreaming about Rayla. "Any plans for this semester?"

Callum chuckled. "I actually have a pretty bad case of tunnel vision, too," he admitted. "My acceptance or rejection in the KSU-XU exchange program will be emailed out at the beginning of February, so it's pretty much the only thing on my mind right now." He tilted his head. "Well, the championship, too, but that's more about Rayla than me."

And of course meeting Runaan and Ethari in person before then, which he was… not exactly looking forward to. If he was honest. He had yet to speak to them again since their first - disastrous - meeting.

Dominic snickered. "Oh, I get that. I'm worried Felix might get so nervous that he'll make himself sick before the championship. I already know I'll have to keep an eye on him."

Sonya rolled her eyes. "Here we go again, talking as if KSU has already won the game. You're playing with your own karma here."

"Have a little faith, girl," Dominic said with a laugh. "Luck is on our side. The media is calling KSU 'the team of destiny,' after all. There's no stopping them now!"

"Your confidence is truly frightening," Sonya mumbled, but there was a smile flickering on her lips.

"Oh, Callum! Are you planning to submit something for the spring art showcase?" Claudia asked, scooping up salsa with another chip. "You'd make an ultra-powerful impression on our art program by getting accepted into both showcases when you're still a freshman."

Callum absentmindedly ran his hand along the edge of his sketchbook, which was currently resting closed atop his lap. "I haven't decided yet. See, submitting a piece requires having a completed piece to submit."

All he had right now were miscellaneous sketches, most of which were only halfway done. It was hard to focus on anything except the exchange program, the championship, Runaan and Ethari, and not to mention that Aunt Amaya was coming back into town, too. Callum - embarrassing as it was to admit - had forgotten all about his aunt's plans to return until Soren had reminded him.

Wow. The end of January was going to be… Ugh. So busy.

"Well, if you think you can manage it, then I think you should submit something," Claudia said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "We all know you'd get in, no problem. And you'd be like - like the third freshman in KSU's history to be accepted into both showcases!"

Her confidence in him was both astounding and slightly embarrassing. But still. A nice ego boost. "I personally think Sonya should submit something," he said pointedly, shifting the topic away from himself. "She's a fantastic visual artist, especially with oil pastels, but you'd never know it, because she's too humble and tries to keep her talent under wraps."

Sonya flushed at his words. "I am not that good, I promise. Art is… really nothing more than a hobby for me right now."

"'Not that good'?" Claudia repeated incredulously. "Sonya, everyone here saw your pyrotechnics for Macbeth. Those were gorgeous!" She gently nudged her with her elbow. "I'm with Callum. You should submit something, too."

"I third the motion!" Dominic added cheerfully.

Sonya's blush deepened. "Maybe," she finally said. "I'll think about it. But don't ask me again, or that 'maybe' will become a 'no.'"

Callum did not doubt her ultimatum in the slightest. "So, Dominic," he said, physically turning in his seat to face his friend. "Your turn. What are your plans for this semester?"

Dominic laughed. "Besides the musical and possibly the championship, since we've talked about those a hundred times tonight?" He shrugged. "Not much else, to be honest. I think Felix wants me to meet his parents at some point, which" - he grimaced - "could be good or bad. He says his parents aren't as conservative as they used to be before he came out, but…" He shrugged again. "Well. You never know until you're in the moment."

Callum wasn't sure how to respond to that. His thoughts had immediately travelled to his own relationship with Rayla, and his less-than-positive interactions with Runaan that had resulted from it.

"I wish you luck," Sonya said with an understanding nod. "I hope it goes well."

"Yep," Claudia affirmed. "And if it doesn't, you know you can always come talk to us."

Dominic smiled at them. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate that." His phone started ringing, and he picked it up to read the caller ID. He sighed. "You know, I really don't appreciate my dad calling me about every single issue he's having with hooking up our new TV." He answered his phone as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Dad. What do you need?"

A beat passed, and Callum heard Dominic groan. "No, I told you to wait for my help!"

After a pause, Claudia fell dramatically across the couch, earning a disapproving look from Sonya. "Guys! We are going to the championship! I have been waiting for this moment for years!"

Callum snickered as Sonya rolled her eyes. "Haven't I told you a million times that you're getting ahead of yourself?"

Claudia gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Let me have this. Please. Just for one minute."

Sonya sighed, rolling her eyes a second time. "Okay, okay. Get it out of your system."

Claudia beamed at her. "Thank you!" She sat up excitedly, and Callum couldn't help but smile at his friend's eagerness. "So. Because the city the championship is in is only like an hour and a half away max, the team will drive there instead of fly. And since Coach Zhou is the best, he's letting them explore the city before they need to report to the stadium, so they'll have like two hours just for fun!"

She pushed hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear before she continued. "The game itself is the next day. Our seats aren't super close to the field, but they're definitely not in the nosebleed section, since we're considered family of the team. Then, after we win, we won't be able to swarm the field like we do here, but Professor Harrow already said he's gonna make sure we have passes for the trophy ceremony afterwards. Soren will be MVP of the game and the whole night is going to be everything I've ever dreamed of!"

Well, Claudia had evidently put much more thought into her plans than Callum had. Although, considering that Callum's plan had always been to simply follow Claudia's lead, he had a feeling that he'd be fine.

"I can respect your excitement," Sonya mused, "but I still think you should save it for after they win their playoff game."

"Fine, fine. I'll wait," Claudia said, rolling her eyes. But she was smiling. "The next hour will truly be torturous, but since you asked me to, I shall wait."

It was moments like these that Callum was truly reminded of how Claudia definitely belonged in the theatre program. And with Sonya.

He then noticed that his bottle of water was empty - so it was just a bottle, really. He stood, heading into the kitchen to refill it and nearly crashing into Dominic as he stepped through the doorway. "Ah!" he yelped, jumping backwards and somehow not dropping his bottle. "Sorry!" he sputted. "I - er, I probably should have been looking in front of me. Instead of at the floor."

Dominic burst out laughing. "Yeah, that's generally a good idea. But hey- no harm done."

Callum nodded, still embarrassed, as he moved past his friend into the kitchen. While he refilled his bottle at the sink, he noticed that Dominic hadn't returned to the main room. Instead, he'd pulled up a stool next to the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"I noticed that when I talked about meeting Felix's parents you got kind of a… weird expression on your face," he explained after a pause. "Is it… well, I'm guessing you met Rayla's parents or she met yours and it… didn't go very well." He glanced up at Callum. "Is that right?"

Damn. Rayla had not been lying when she'd told him he was an open book. And to be fair, he hadn't decided if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

"Ah… yeah." Callum hesitated, then sat down across from his friend. "My dad - you know him, Professor Harrow - is great. He supported me pursuing a relationship with Rayla even before we actually got together." He chewed his bottom lip. "But there's been… less success with other relatives. For both of us. It took a while, but my aunt is starting to come around. So has Ethari, one of Rayla's guardians. But Runaan, Ethari's husband…"

He sighed, shaking his head. "He's been… stubborn. Rayla is still trying to talk to him, at least, so for now I know there's not really much I can do." He flushed, realizing how long his speech had gotten. "Sorry. Didn't mean to dump that on you."

Dominic laughed. "No, you're good. I don't mind. I wouldn't have asked if I did."

Callum hesitated. Dominic seemed to know a lot about dealing with uncompromising adults. "Can I - Can I ask you a question?"

"By all means."

Callum absentmindedly tapped the granite countertop of the island. "What do you do when people refuse to understand?" he finally managed to ask. "And - how do you know if someone could at least - at least eventually be willing to learn, even if they're stubborn at first?" He wanted Runaan to understand, he really did, just like he'd wanted Aunt Amaya to.

Dominic pondered the question. "Let me tell you a story." He snorted. "Wait. Sorry, that makes it sound like I'm your grandfather and it's your bedtime. Not my intention."

Callum laughed. "No, I don't mind. Whatever works."

There was a pause before Dominic continued. "Before I was with Felix," he began, "several years ago, I was dating a girl named Amanda. We were… in love with each other, plain and simple. All of our friends thought we were Katolis's dream couple and told us we'd get married right after high school." A gentle smile flickered onto Dominic's lips. "I remember we'd been together for about a year when I came out as trans, and she had… the perfect reaction, basically. She kissed me and said all she wanted was for me to be happy, and that nothing was more important to her than me feeling comfortable enough to live as myself with her."

A fond expression formed on his face, but there was a deep sadness to his eyes that made Callum fear what was to come. "I didn't think I'd ever love anyone as much as I loved her." Dominic let out a slow exhale. "After a while, of course, she wanted me to meet her parents. But when I went to her house…" He grimaced. "Amanda hadn't thought to tell them that I was Black. She'd given them my pronouns, but they… well, they chose not to use them." He shrugged. "Needless to say, it was a miserable dinner for me."

Callum's eyes widened, his heart aching for his friend even though he knew the instance had occurred years ago. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Dominic shrugged again. "It happened. Can't change the past." He turned his phone face-down when it started ringing to silence it. "And, as you already know, there's always going to be assholes like that in the world." One of his hands slowly closed atop the other. "I was more hurt that Amanda, the love of my life, hadn't thought about how her parents would react when they met me. And worse, when I asked her why she hadn't told them more about me and who I was… she said that their minds could never be changed. So it wasn't worth trying."

He sighed. "And you know what? Maybe she was right. Maybe they wouldn't change. But when she said there was no use trying? I knew that was the dealbreaker for me. Because how" - he shook his head in frustration - "how could I be with someone who wouldn't try to defend me?" He dropped his hands to his lap. "Splitting up with her was the hardest thing I've ever done. Because I loved her. I loved her so much. But I've always loved myself more."

He glanced at Callum, a heavy expression in his eyes. "I have to. Because the world won't, you know?"

Callum didn't know how to respond to the question. He suspected a response wasn't - wasn't needed, really, but he nodded nonetheless.

Still. He could never imagine being in a situation like that.

Dominic then chuckled. "Sorry. You're probably like 'where's he going with this' and 'what's this have to do with my question.' And that would be valid of you." He gave Callum a small smile. "The moral of the story is that if someone is willing to teach someone else, is willing to try to educate them, then you should believe that person is capable of learning. Rayla is trying to teach - Runaan, was it?" He continued after Callum nodded. "She clearly believes he can change. So that's how you know."

Callum nodded again, slowly, as his mind worked to process all of his friend's advice. It… made sense. Not that he'd ever doubted Dominic, of course. "Thank you," he said, returning Dominic's smile. "That was really helpful. And I'm glad you felt comfortable using a story so personal to help me understand."

Dominic's smile widened. "You're very welcome. And besides, you and Rayla are soulmates - the last thing I want to see is the two of you having to split up."

Callum took a sip of his water before asking, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… Do you know what happened to Amanda? After you broke up?"

"Oh, I still talk to her sometimes," Dominic admitted. "She went to a different college, though. I think she's dating someone else now. Someone who… ascribes more to her parents' preferences."

Callum winced. "Ah. I see."

Dominic shrugged. "As long as she's happy, I'm happy. Besides, it's not like I haven't moved on. Even if it took a while." He blushed, a warm smile flitting onto his lips. "I really like Felix. A lot. And he's told me a million times that he's willing to sit his parents down every night for a discussion on progressive politics and thought until they are, quote, 'the wokest people in Katolis.'"

Callum snorted, spinning the cap back on his water bottle. "Yeah, that sounds like Felix." He then smiled at Dominic. "I'm really glad you guys found each other. You deserve to be happy."

Dominic opened his mouth to respond, presumably to thank him, but he was cut off before he got even half a word out by Claudia shouting at them from the living room.

"Halftime is over! Get back in here!"

Dominic raised an eyebrow, amused. "Sounds like we're being summoned."

Callum laughed. "I don't really want to risk the wrath of Claudia, so…"

They returned to the main room just as the other team was kicking off, with KSU receiving. And as Callum sat back down in his chair, he found himself filled with a newfound confidence. Because all was not lost. Runaan could be persuaded - he was sure of it.

(Oh, and don't worry. KSU won.)

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I love Dominic so much T.T he deserves the world! Also, I would just like to say that my timing was accidentally perfect with this chapter, as the actual 2021 playoff bowl games literally happened YESTERDAY. Ohio State won in a way not dissimilar to KSU in this fic. A wacky coincidence, lmao. Anyways - I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next week!