Secrets Kept
Yay for multi-chapter updates!
When I was planning out these chapters I had originally intended to get around to this chapter around an actual Halloween, but that of course didn't happen. I enjoyed writing the banter in this chapter, but it was written in chunks over many years, so apologies for clunky parts. I got tired of looking at it and just wanted to get past it to the parts I got inspiration for!
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Halloween had always been Gary's favorite holiday, even as a young child. Coming from a non-religious family, there were few holidays that his family even celebrated anymore but Halloween was one of them. With a natural penchant for the macabre and an appreciation for horror, Gary's love for the holiday was easy to see. However, with Pallet being such a small and rather conservative town, most Halloween celebrations either took place at the local school or the local church, neither of which Gary was particularly fond of visiting. Fortunately, his friends had other plans and he couldn't wait to be done in the lab so that he could hang out with them.
Already somewhat excited by the approaching holiday, Gary was only made happier by the fact that Tracey would be returning to Pallet only two days after Halloween. Each day closer to the holiday was a day closer to seeing his boyfriend again.
Happy as he was, he made sure to act as close to normal as possible, which wasn't exactly difficult with May being her usual annoyingly chipper self.
He awoke on Halloween morning to May's cheerful squeal of "Happy Halloween!" and the feeling of something landing on his face.
Startled, his eyes snapped open to find long, spindly legs across his face. A loud yelp escaped him as he bolted upright, the large fake spider tumbling into his lap. May burst into laughter as he flailed, swatting the decoration away.
Umbreon had jumped up from her curled position at his shriek and still sat at the foot of the bed, looking alarmed. May giggled and plopped down on the bed next to the canine, rubbing behind her long ears to soothe her. Breathing heavily, Gary dropped back against the pillows.
"Fuck," he groaned, attempting to calm his racing heart. "I hate you, May."
She laughed again and reached over to pluck the fake spider from the folds of the blanket. "You're going to love me when you see what I got for breakfast." She grinned and resisted the urge to laugh when Gary sat back up at the mention of food. "Double chocolate chip muffins from the bakery," she sang, playing with the spider's legs so that it danced along. "And Nutella to go with them," she added normally, throwing the spider back at Gary.
He swatted it away, ignoring it as it landed on the floor. "Awesome. Now go away."
May rolled her eyes. "You're such a brat," she said flatly.
"I have to get dressed!"
"You're already dressed."
Gary shot her an exasperated glare. "You know what I meant."
May only grinned and reached over to tousle his already-messy hair. "Hurry up then, the lab's waiting," she replied cheerfully as she left the room.
Groaning, Gary reached over to turn off the alarm clock before it went off. No longer alarmed, Umbreon hopped off the bed and stretched languidly before looking back and forth from the door to her trainer, wagging happily and clearly looking forward to breakfast. Gary smiled at her excitement as he climbed out of bed and quickly changed out of the pajama pants and t-shirt that he had slept in before heading downstairs.
It wasn't long before he was heading down the lab to start his work for the day. Umbreon trotted along after him, happy because her trainer was in such an exceptionally good mood. Upon reaching the lab, Gary held the door open for the canine to enter ahead of him. He couldn't help but laugh at her jaunty little trot as she bounded up to his grandfather, who stopped what he was doing to greet the happy pokemon.
"Morning, Gramps," Gary announced, rather cheerfully.
The professor smiled in return, genuinely pleased to see his grandson in such a good mood. "Good morning. Happy Halloween," he replied, picking up a clipboard from the counter next to him and starting across the lab towards Gary. "I have a Halloween present for you."
Gary paused in his glance-over of the day's responsibilities. "You do?"
It had once been a tradition in the family to exchange little gifts on Halloween – candy, small Halloween decorations, or costume accessories. But they hadn't done that since before he became a pokemon trainer and he couldn't recall either May or his grandfather mentioning returning to that tradition.
The professor couldn't resist the urge to give his grandson a smirk as he passed over the clipboard. "Bat physicals," he said simply. He chuckled as Gary rolled his eyes.
"So clever," Gary replied dryly, taking the clipboard from him. "And here I was hoping for chocolate."
"I'd rather you not put yourself in a diabetic coma first thing in the morning. Bring that bucket over there with you - it's mashed pumpkin for the bats."
"Oh, so the bats get a present, but I don't. I see how it is, Gramps."
"Blame your sister," Professor Oak replied as he returned to his prior task with a smile. "She's the one who made treats for all the pokemon but none for her brother."
"Actually, she did get me something, so I'm still going to blame you," Gary replied, grinning.
"Ah, the Nutella. Did you have anything with it, or did you just dig in with a spoon?"
Laughing a bit, Gary picked up the bucket that his grandfather had referred to. Their banter was all in good nature, and truly, not entirely unusual. "Double chocolate chip muffin."
The humored look on his grandfather's face dropped as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "For heaven's sake, Gary," he muttered, running a hand over his face. "Go take care of the bats before your sugar crash makes you useless."
Gary laughed and headed outside as May appeared in the lab with two cups of coffee. Passing one to her grandfather, she leaned against the lab bench near him.
"I sugared him up so he would be sweet today," she said, taking a sip from her mug.
"I don't know how he can eat so much junk food and stay so thin," the professor mused.
"Probably has something to do with him being so active all the time," May pointed out. "Or the fact that he's been growing non-stop."
"He hasn't gotten that much taller," the professor replied off-handedly, opening a notebook that was sitting next to his work area.
May rolled her eyes. "He's taller than Tracey now!"
"No, he's not."
"He's got a solid inch on Tracey, Grampy!"
Professor Oak smiled as he began recording observations in the notebook. "It's the hair."
May shook her head and started towards her desk. "It's not," she argued in a sing-song voice.
"May, why don't you bring the pumpkin treats to the fairy-types?" He asked kindly, yet pointedly.
She rolled her eyes but quickly headed to the food storage room to retrieve the fruit-filled snacks she had made the day before. The grant she wanted to finish working on would just have to wait a bit longer.
… … ...
Gary couldn't complain about doing the zubat, golbat, and crobat physicals or giving the pokemon the treats that May had made. The bats weren't remotely close to his favorites on the ranch – the horses, canines, and water pokemon beat them to it – but he still liked them. They were such quirky creatures and all seemed to have their own personality. May didn't care for the flapping swarm of wings that they became at feeding time and their constant ultrasonic cries gave Tracey migraines, so it was usually either Gary or the professor caring for them.
The bats seemed to like Gary - probably because he interacted with them the most - so starting the day with them really was a bit like a Halloween treat. He couldn't help but smile as he approached the trees where the bats tended to spend their day time hours - their high pitched cries were already becoming louder just at the sight of him.
They quickly noticed their treats and surrounded him in an excited flurry of shrieks and flapping wings. May would normally run screaming at this point but Gary simply laughed, even as they made the feeding process difficult by being their usual excitable selves. He poured some of the smashed pumpkin out on the ground for them, spread some on the trunk of their favorite tree, and held out two more handfuls for the bats – laughing even more when they still chose to swarm him rather than the other food sources.
They eventually settled down enough for him to go about the process of checking over each individual pokemon, making notes on the clipboard as he went. Fortunately everyone was happy, healthy, and accounted for.
Unfortunately, a glance at his phone indicated that taking his time and enjoying himself had set him back considerably and, even worse, the sugar crash his grandfather had predicted was starting to kick in. Gary groaned as he gathered up the clipboard and now-empty food bucket and started back towards the lab.
He hadn't gone far before a dark canine with long, curved horns slinked out of the shadows to join him. Gary couldn't help but smile as he greeted the pokemon - the canines were his favorite regardless of type, but he had a soft spot for dark and fire types - especially for this dual type. Houndoom leaned in close enough to butt his arm with her snout, giving a soft growl in greeting and drawing another smile from her trainer.
They headed closer to the lab, pausing near the barn when Gary's phone went off.
A picture greeted him when he opened the text from Tracey - unsurprising, as they had long since fallen into a habit of texting photos whenever one of them was in another region. In place of the tropical and oceanic scenes that Gary was used to seeing from the Orange Islands was a plate of bat shaped cookies, each decorated with colored frosting. Several of them were painted like normal zubats but some creative liberties had been taken with others… Like the black one with red eyes and a yellow ring on the forehead - that one had to have been Tracey's doing.
'How'd the bat physicals go?' was typed below.
Gary snorted in amusement - of course Tracey would know about that. He set the empty bucket down beneath a tree near the barn and sat next to it, Houndoom joining him swiftly.
Houndoom licked at the remaining pumpkin in the bucket, but he let it go, pretending not to see as he typed.
'You guys planned that, didn't you?'
Tracey's reply came through barely a moment later. 'It was my idea :)'
A smile spread across his face. He really should have known, he figured. It really was such a Tracey thing to do - he seemed to genuinely enjoy giving chances for someone to enjoy a pokemon that they were fond of.
'I'd say something about betrayal, but I actually like the bats'
'I know'
This time Gary rolled his eyes, but his smile only grew fonder. He already missed his boyfriend. Still, he couldn't help but be just a little bit of a brat - a good-natured one, but a brat nonetheless.
'even though I'm covered in pumpkin guts'
Tracey's next text came quickly once again, this time drawing a furious blush across Gary's cheeks.
'bet you're still cute'
The blush only intensified at the next message.
'show me?'
Gary peered around, ensuring that absolutely no one other than Houndoom and the pidgeys chirping up a storm in the branches above him was nearby as he opened the camera on his phone and held it up to take a quick photo. He would be self-conscious about the smudges of pumpkin on his face - which Houndoom was stubbornly trying to lick off - and his absolutely wrecked hair, but Tracey had seen worse so he wasn't… at least, not too much.
Still, he felt his confidence waver when Tracey didn't immediately reply. 'Still think so?' he couldn't help but ask.
The blunt reply of 'yes' came through barely a breath later.
Gary could feel the heat rise in his cheeks once more. He bit his lip in an attempt to stop the silly grin that was threatening to spread across his face.
Reluctantly, though still blushing furiously, Gary stood and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He beckoned for Houndoom to follow as he picked the pumpkin bucket once more and headed over to the stables. He used the spigot beside the door to wash his hands, though he had already wiped them off on his jeans - Houndoom would likely be trying to clean that next. He splashed the cool water in his face to wash away the remaining pumpkin and Houndoom slobber, and to hopefully tame the blush he knew was still on his face. Running his damp fingers through his hair in an attempt to get it somewhat back under control, he stepped into the stable to check on the horses and take care of their chores for the day.
Try as he might, he couldn't keep Tracey out of his thoughts as he went about the chores. He tried to focus on the chores, but no matter what, his thoughts kept drifting and he felt that silly smile and blush creep across his face over and over.
It didn't help that he kept remembering the evening before his grandfather returned every time he passed the stack of hay bales. He and Tracey had found a chance to sneak off that night, ending up in the stable, sitting on a bale of hay that had been next to the stack at the time, kissing every bit as intensely as they had in Tracey's room the night of the party.
He finished up the chores quickly and headed back to the lab. The pumpkin-flecked hoodie and clipboard of data were tossed next to his desk for him to deal with later. He could feel his grandfather's gaze on him as he darted back into the house for a quick snack and something to drink but ignored it the best he could, acting as normal as possible the whole way. It was probably nothing - his grandfather was most likely going to ask him to do one of Tracey's chores next. Nothing to worry about. Still, his stomach fluttered with nerves.
He wandered back into the lab a few minutes later, drink in hand and too focused on the latest text exchange with Tracey to realize that the smile and blush were back.
"You're in a good mood again," the professor observed mildly as he stopped at his desk.
Gary nearly knocked over his drink and cursed quietly, quickly moving it further from the computer as he forced back that smile. He was going to have to be more careful.
"You've been in such a good mood lately… What's gotten into you?" The professor sounded genuinely curious and not at all accusatory, yet Gary felt that nervous flutter in his stomach return.
Gary shrugged his shoulders and attempted to laugh it off as he turned back to face his grandfather. "Nothing…" He forced his face back to neutral and headed over to the clipboard next to the door to pick the next chore to work on.
"I'm serious," the professor pressed. "Is it just being away from school that's making you this happy?"
Eagerly jumping at the excuse, Gary nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." He tried to focus on the clipboard but fumbled with the pen attached to it as he checked off the stable work for the day. There really wasn't a reason to fret - he knew that - but the mere thought of his grandfather knowing what he and Tracey were up to was enough to spike his heart rate far higher than normal.
"That's it? Just being out of school and being in the lab more?"
Gary nodded again, eyes glued to the clipboard. He should probably check the water parameters in the ponds, but it was chilly out and he really didn't feel like getting wet. Once more, he felt his grandfather's inquiring gaze on him and he had to fight the urge to squirm. The persistence wasn't entirely unexpected but it was already getting under his skin. It was almost relieving, in an odd sort of way - a reminder of just who it is that he was talking to.
He glanced up to briefly meet his grandfather's eyes and was struck rather suddenly by the concern and care that he saw in that gaze. Turning back to the clipboard, he briefly considered just being honest. As much as the thought of telling the professor churned his stomach, the thought of lying and not telling him made him feel even worse.
"I just... got more comfortable with some things," he finally said, fidgeting a bit, "and, yeah, being out of school and helping in the lab, being able to do what I actually want to do..." He shrugged as he trailed off. It wasn't a lie, he had to remind himself. It was entirely true, even if it wasn't the entire truth.
Finally, the professor relented with a gentle smile. "It's just a big change from only a few months ago."
Gary ignored the guilt that suddenly churned in his stomach and forced himself to return the smile. "I'm gonna go check the ponds," he decided, suddenly eager to be away from the lab, whether he wanted to deal with the water or not.
"The equipment, Gary!" The amusement was clear in the professor's voice as Gary doubled back to grab the bin he had entirely forgotten in his haste to leave the lab.
He immediately regretted his decision to leave his sweatshirt at his desk but, having already made a fool of himself, he opted to tough it out. He had dealt with colder, he could deal with it… just as he was going to have to deal with the anxiety welling up within him at the thought of having to constantly evade the questions from his friends and family.
He could do this, he reminded himself. He had been through far worse in the last year or so and he was in a much better place than he had been then. Taking a deep breath of the chilly air, he headed towards the first pond and tried to put the fear out of his mind.
…. ... …
The rest of the day went without a hitch with the day's chores being done in between text exchanges with Tracey, who seemed to be having a good time at home. Even with the day going as smooth as it was, Gary was eager to spend some time with his friends. His grandfather had already given him permission to take the next morning off from the lab so that he could stay out as late as he wanted with them. Though he knew there would certainly be alcohol involved, he was surprised to enter the kitchen that evening to find May, already done up in a rather small dress and a lot of makeup, with a selection of bottles spread before her, drink shaker in hand.
"Um… I'm pretty sure Gramps isn't going to like this," he spoke up, pausing in the doorway.
"Oh, calm down," she sighed, rolling her eyes as she measured a shot's worth of liquor and poured it into the shaker. "I'm old enough to have alcohol."
"Yeah, but Gramps -"
"It's fine, don't worry," she cut him off impatiently as she popped the lid on the shaker and began shaking it. "I'm just trying out a few recipes before Bryan picks me up."
"Mmhmm," Gary hummed disinterestedly, pulling a can of soda from the fridge. "And how long is this boyfriend going to last?"
May laughed as she poured the shaker into her glass. "Want to try?" she asked, holding her glass out towards him, electing to ignore the question.
"May, how old is Gary?"
Both siblings jumped at the sudden appearance of their grandfather in the doorway before Gary could reach for the glass. Though startled as well, Gary couldn't help but laugh at the alarmed look on his sister's face. She shot him a brief glare before turning to give the professor her usual cheery smile.
"Seventeen and a half, Grampy!" she chirped, raising her glass to her lips and taking a small sip. "I only meant a sip," she continued. "He has been working extra hard in the lab lately with you being gone, and then Tracey being gone, and then you being gone again, and now Tracey being gone again. He deserves a reward," she added in a playfully patronizing coo. She quickly reached out and ruffled Gary's hair, only to step back with a giggle as he swatted her away.
The professor shook his head and disappeared into the hallway without another word. The two siblings were quiet for a moment until they were sure he was out of earshot before laughing. May held the glass out to Gary once more.
"Gramps used teleport," he remarked, taking the glass from May and taking a sip.
"It was super effective," May muttered in response. "That scared the hell out of me."
"That was funny, and this is delicious," Gary replied, handing the drink back to May. It was sweet, with some sort of pumpkin flavor to it that mellowed the harsh taste of alcohol. He was tempted to finish it off, partially because it was good, but mostly because it would annoy her.
"That was close," May corrected, leaning against the counter and taking a drink of the cocktail. "Want one?"
Gary hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether it was worth trying to make a drink when his grandfather could come back at any time. He shook his head. "Too risky."
"How about a shot?" May grinned mischievously and held up the bottle of flavored vodka.
Gary laughed and headed towards the doorway, checking to make sure the professor wasn't nearby. "Better make it quick."
May squealed excitedly, eliciting another laugh from her brother as she opened the bottle and filled the shot glass she had been using to measure the amounts. She swatted his hand away when he reached for it and quickly poured her own shot in another glass. They each picked up their glasses, sharing a grin as they tapped their glasses together before simultaneously tossing them back.
"That's not made for shots," Gary groaned, pulling a face as he set the shot glass down on the counter.
"No, not really," May agreed. She giggled again as Gary finished off his soda in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth. "It does make an excellent mixer though." She laughed even harder when Gary pulled a bag of potato chips out of the pantry and quickly shoved a handful in his mouth. "That bad, huh?"
He only nodded as he pulled another soda from the fridge and leaned against the counter next to her.
May took a sip of her drink. "So, are you going to be good or bad tonight?" she asked teasingly after a moment.
Gary shrugged his shoulders as he helped himself to more potato chips. "Maybe try to find a balance between the two."
"Hmm, I guess you don't have Tracey here to cover for you if you're hung over in the lab tomorrow, huh?"
Gary paused at the mention of his boyfriend and, not for the first time, was tempted to tell his sister about their relationship. It wasn't something that had been at the forefront of his mind, but the thought had come up a few times over the last few days.
"Earth to Gary," May sang, giving a small wave to get his attention. He snapped his gaze back to her, hoping that his response to the mere mention of Tracey hadn't been that obvious. May simply gave an airy little laugh. "Zoned out there for a minute, squirt? Is the alcohol hitting you that fast?"
He gave a small laugh in return and shook his head, trying to be as unconcerned as possible. "Actually, it is," he replied. It was barely noticeable, but everything was a touch warmer and seemed to run just slightly slower than usual. He wasn't lying, and he could likely play it up a bit to make sure she didn't question his response to Tracey's name. "I didn't eat much today," he explained as she frowned in mild concern. That part wasn't exactly true, but with a bit of alcohol in her system, Gary doubted May would think too deeply into it.
She rolled her eyes in response. "You're working too hard again, it's not good for you to forget to eat."
"But getting me drunk is fine?"
"Oh, for Heaven's sake! I just get you a little buzzed! It's you that decides to get hammered with your friends. Go take a shower and I'll make you something to eat."
"Aw, c'mon," complained a voice from just outside the kitchen. "Don't poison him!" Darren appeared in the doorway with a grin. The scent of pumpkin and spices drifted from the armful of boxes he held.
May rolled her eyes again and glared at her brother. "Just because you and Tracey got food poisoning twice – "
"It was only twice that we both got it! You gave me food poisoning at least two other times!"
"Yet you keep eating her food," Darren cut in, placing the containers on the table and swatting Gary's hand away when he reached for the top box.
"I'm starting to think she does it on purpose when I piss her off too much," Gary replied, trying for the box again, only to be shooed away by May.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," May retorted huffily, pushing her brother towards the doorway. "Now go upstairs before I decide to poison you tonight!"
Gary lightly pushed her back but left the room anyway. "Keep an eye on her, Darren!" he called over his shoulder before heading down the hall and up the stairs to take a quick shower.
As soon as he was gone May grinned widely and opened the container Gary had been trying to get to. "I know your mom's pumpkin swirl brownies when I smell them," she said excitedly.
"You just wanted to get to them before he did," Darren laughed.
"Hey now, careful! I can poison you too!" May's response was muffled by a mouthful of fudgy brownie. She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed her mouthful as she began rummaging through the pantry. She knew Gary was going to drink with his friends tonight and was worried that he would end up sick if she didn't make him eat some real food.
She wondered exactly how little her brother had eaten throughout the day… He hadn't put up any argument over leaving the room, which was unusual considering how stubborn he could be, especially given the sizable stack of sweets now on the table. That usually meant that he either didn't feel well or didn't care, which, granted, Gary probably had been planning on taking a long shower after working in the lab and on the ranch today. Though if he wasn't feeling well after one shot, or was simply just that affected by one shot, then she definitely had to get some food in him because that meant he hadn't eaten enough during the day.
But as she thought back on it, she realized that definitely had not been the case. She had gone out and picked up burgers for lunch as a surprise treat for her grandfather and brother. Since Gary had been working so hard in the lab lately and was in such a better mood than he had been this time last year, she had even picked up a chocolate milkshake for him as a treat. As a thank you, he had promised not to steal any of her fries, instead deciding to finish off the remaining cinnamon roll from her trip to the bakery downtown.
Maybe the alcohol wasn't really affecting him. Maybe he was just in a good mood and didn't feel like arguing. Gary had been in a much better mood ever since coming back home from his work in the Orange Islands, and especially so over the last few weeks.
She glanced over at Darren as she set about fixing a box of macaroni and cheese from the pantry. "Hey, Dare? Is it just me, or is he in a really good mood lately?"
Darren, who had helped himself to a box of chocolate chip cookies he had brought over, frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah," he agreed after a moment. "He's been nicer lately, you know, compared to last year. He even let me win a round of Mario Kart over the weekend."
May smirked as she turned away from the stove. "Was there alcohol involved?" Darren nodded. "He didn't let you win, sweetie, he was drunk."
Darren shrugged, too busy eating another cookie to disagree with her. "He's still been in a pretty good mood. Probably has to do with him getting out of school."
Both fell into a comfortable silence, Darren playing around with his phone while May continued cooking. She wondered whether Gary's improved mood was just because of the lack of school or if there was more to it. It seemed a little odd that one change would have such an impact on him, but then again, being out of school wasn't exactly a small change. Still, she felt there must be more to it.
As she worked on cooking, she thought over all of the things that had happened since her brother had moved back home, trying to make some sort of sense out of the changes in his mood over the months. Nothing really stood out, save for one conversation with her brother's closest friend.
She glanced over at the teen sitting at the kitchen table and wondered if he still thought there might be something else going on with Gary. "Do you remember our conversation around this time last year?" She asked suddenly. "About Gary?"
Darren paused thoughtfully and nodded after a moment. "Yeah," he confirmed warily.
"Well? What do you think?"
"What do you mean, what do I think?"
May rolled her eyes. "Do you still think he's... you know?"
Darren groaned and dropped his cell phone onto the table, abandoning whatever game he had been playing. He was quiet for a moment and May noticed his eyes dart towards the hallway several times as he thought.
"Nothing's happened to change my mind on that," he finally said slowly. "The whole time I've known him, he's never really cared about girls like the rest of the guys do. He's never talked about being into any girls and he gets super quiet when the other guys start talking about girls and sex and that sorta stuff."
"He's never talked to me about any of that either," May interjected thoughtfully.
"Yeah, and he's actually pretty open with you... You know, all of that could be a ton of things. He's pretty private with stuff in general, maybe it's just him keeping these things to himself. Maybe he's too busy with everything in the lab to even think about it. Maybe he's just not into anyone, period."
"But you think he might be?"
Darren sighed and fiddled with his phone absently. A moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again. "It's the way he's quiet during those conversations... It's different, it's not like him. It's like he's tense and just wants it to be over. Anything else and he would change the subject himself or make some smartass comment. Then there's times when it seems like there's something he really wants to say but then completely drops it. Have you noticed that?"
May nodded silently. She had seen it several times and Gary always seemed a bit... off afterwards, sometimes for days.
"And then he gets defensive about really random things," Darren added as an afterthought.
May was quiet for a moment, thinking of something that she had noticed many times. "He and Tracey are really close..." she began, her voice almost suggestive.
"Seriously, May?" Darren asked, his voice climbing in volume and pitch. "That's insane to even suggest," he hissed, calming down from his surprise at her suggestion.
"Is it though?"
"Is what?"
May sighed again and pulled a handful of plates out of the cabinet, making more noise than necessary. "Is it really so crazy to think that there might be something going on with Tracey? They spend a lot of time together and think about it: they both disappeared at the last party, and then all of a sudden Gary's all cheerful? Oh, and last time he disappeared I found him in Tracey's room -"
"God, May!" Darren cut her off. "They're friends! Enough with the conspiracy theories!" He lowered his voice again, glancing warily at the doorway. "Look, if he is gay then he's probably going to be close to Tracey, that doesn't mean they're going to date each other."
"But - "
"No," Darren cut her off again, firmly this time. "Leave it, May. I don't care who Gary's into and it's really none of our business anyway. We shouldn't even be talking about this."
"Talking about what?"
May and Darren both jumped at the sound of Gary's voice coming from just outside the kitchen. Darren turned in time to see him enter the kitchen again. "How likely you are to get shit-faced at Wyatt's house tonight," he replied, without missing a beat.
Gary resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course hanging out with his friends meant there would be alcohol involved. "So, there is a party," he commented dryly, reaching for the pan of brownies on the table.
"Yes, and I won't be there to make sure you don't do anything stupid -"
"That hasn't stopped him before," Darren interrupted with a grin. His grin only widened at Gary's glare.
"And Tracey's not here to cover for you," May finished as though the interruption hadn't happened. She dumped the pasta into the pot of water and set a timer before turning back to give her brother a stern look. "Seriously, Gary."
Gary rolled his eyes at her - he had already heard it once, he didn't need to hear it again. "I'll be fine," he grumbled, pulling his phone out as his text alert went off.
May thankfully dropped the subject, though Gary felt her gaze return to him several times as he went back to chatting with Tracey for what must have been the twentieth time that day. Darren, meanwhile, filled in the quiet by chattering on about whatever song he was trying to learn on guitar that week while Gary only half-listened, responding when appropriate but was far more interested in what was going on with Tracey. It seemed that Halloween was something of a big deal to his family - his younger siblings were allowed to skip school, they made all sorts of sweets together, there was a bonfire in the backyard…
Gary was honestly a bit jealous. At least, he thought it was jealousy he felt, but he really didn't want to delve deeper into his feelings on family and traditions and such. As much as he loved May and his grandfather, something about seeing Tracey's connection with his family and seeing the pile of sweets from Darren's mother, hearing the mention of Wyatt's parents, remembering Halloween's past when it was Ash's mother delivering piles of sweets… It all left a sort of hollow feeling inside, one that he was especially reluctant to explore. It seemed to be the sort of thing that would bring up emotions he really didn't want to deal with, especially not when he was finally feeling happy for once.
He was saved from his train of thought by May noisily putting a plate in front of him. "Eat, brat," she commanded, ruffling his hair affectionately before placing another plate in front of Darren. "We don't need you being hungover tomorrow."
Reluctantly setting down his phone, Gary returned his attention to his friend across the table. Darren was still going on about music, though he had fortunately moved on to talking about a new album from a band that was one of Gary's favorites, so he could actually chime in. It was an effective distraction and with that hollow feeling pushed out of mind, it seemed that time was suddenly moving much faster.
It seemed as though no time had passed before May was heading out and Gary's other friends were beginning to text him and Darren about that night's party. There was still some time to spare before they could head over to Wyatt's house, so they retreated up to Gary's bedroom, snacks in tow. With the stereo loudly playing the album they had just been talking about and a large bag of chips open between them, they found themselves relaxing on the bed, talking and laughing and just hanging out in a way Gary doubted they had done since shortly after him coming home.
It felt like it had been so long since they had done just this. There was no stress or anxiety to be felt and the worry over his sexuality was far from Gary's mind for once - which is why it was somewhat disappointing when it came time to head to Wyatt's.
"Wait!" Darren suddenly cried as they were preparing to leave the room. "Aren't you dressing up?"
Gary stared at him, bewildered for a moment. "Why would I?"
"Because it's Halloween!" The other boy cried loudly. "You have to dress up!"
Gary rolled his eyes. "And what are you dressed as, a guitarist?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yeah!"
"Well then, I'm a scientist," Gary replied, peering around the room for his cell phone.
"But that's so lame!" Darren complained.
Gary barely glanced up from his phone, which he had just found beneath the now-empty potato chip bag. He was too busy reading a new text message from Tracey to pay attention to his friend.
After a moment, Darren grew tired of the silence between them. "Come on!" He complained loudly again. "You have to at least-"
Gary finally looked up from the response he was typing to his boyfriend. "Finish that sentence and I'm going to sic Arcanine on you," he retorted calmly.
This seemed to throw Darren off and he stared at Gary blankly for a moment, as if trying to figure something out. He sighed after a moment. "Fine. Don't dress up. Ruin Halloween tradition for all I care," he huffed, crossing his arms petulantly.
Gary couldn't help but smile at his friend's childish response. "You're taking this way too seriously," he muttered. His phone chirped as Tracey replied to his text and he had to fight to keep his smile from turning into a full grin.
"What on that phone is making you so damn happy?"
"Nothing."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you smiling like an idiot?"
"I am not!" Gary closed out the messages from Tracey and tossed his phone onto his desk.
"Yeah, you are - and you're blushing. What, do you have a secret girlfriend that you're not telling us about?"
The anxiety that had been out of his mind for the better part of the evening came flooding back to Gary. Part of him wanted to laugh it off and another part had to force down the defensive retort that came to mind… More than anything though, he wanted to be open with his friend and just tell him the truth for once. But before he could act on that, there was a knock on his door and his grandfather opened it a second later.
"Gary, Professor Birch is on the phone. He has news about the tagging trip."
It took a second for the announcement to make sense but Gary nodded as soon as it clicked. "I'll be right there," he assured his grandfather. He'd been eagerly awaiting news on this trip but couldn't quite tell if he was relieved or disappointed by the interruption. He moved to follow the professor but hesitated in the doorway, looking back to Darren.
But his friend only grinned and waved his hands to shoo Gary out of the room. "Go. You haven't shut up about this trip for weeks, do what you need to do."
Gary shot him a grateful smile and quickly headed down the hall and the stairs towards the lab. Almost as soon as he left the room, the text alert on his cell phone went off. The vibration against the surface of the desk caught Darren's attention enough for him to spare a glance at the device. Even though Gary had closed everything, the screen lit up, displaying the name of whoever was texting him.
Even from his position halfway across the room, Darren could still make out the name on the screen.
Tracey.
The conversation with May echoed in his head and Darren stared until the screen went black once more.
Somehow he wasn't even that surprised.
… … …