Iiiiiii'm back. I'll hopefully write more and finish this thing in a week. Maybe. Who knows? Heh. Here's the sixth story.
Disc 6:
Venting
It was finally here; Carlos and Cecil's six-month anniversary. It wasn't a terribly long time, but it was proof - proof that there was possibility for them. It was evidence that they could really last, and they were going strong. No sign of faltering yet.
They hadn't planned anything extravagant. Just a nice dinner at home, dim lights, a candle here and there, movies - a romantic musical, Cecil had wanted. He'd settled on West Side Story. Nothing amazing was really supposed to happen that night, besides, maybe, a bit of fluffy love to fall asleep to.
It was seven-thirty, and Carlos was arriving at their home just on time. It was a rare feat, him making it out of the lab when he aimed to. The scientist was pretty proud of himself. He walked through the door and was surprised when he bumped into Cecil.
"Hey," Carlos smiled. "I'm ho - "
"Go back out," Cecil nudged Carlos backwards, locking and slamming the door behind the both of them. "We're going out."
"We are?" Carlos asked, wrinkling his eyebrows. The broadcaster made his way to the scientist's beat up truck. "But I thought we had - "
"Come on!" Cecil whined, hopping into Carlos' car. Carlos stared, and Cecil stared back. The broadcaster's lack of emotion - save for a tint of some, what was it, anxiety? - intrigued Carlos, and not in the good, research-y scientist way. Confused, he got in the car, turned the key in the ignition, and followed Cecil's blunt directions.
After about twenty minutes, Carlos was ordered to stop.
He'd been driving down a long, deserted road for a while, until Cecil had directed him to turn off into the barren, dusty-grounded desert. Not long after, they stopped.
The sight before Carlos was amazing. The sand shone reddish-tan and stretched out as far as he could see. Where the land ended, the purple sky began. It was a clear, warm night, and space was like a canvas - shimmery white stars splattered on a dark violet background, with a big, pristine full moon brushed on in the corner. It was still and silent, and Carlos loved every bit of it.
The silence lasted for a few minutes. It wasn't awkward; Carlos was waiting for Cecil to talk, and he knew that the generally good-with-words radio personality needed time to sort out his thoughts. That wasn't to say that Carlos was not worried about the resulting conversation; could it be a carefully thought-out break-up? He didn't think there'd been any problems between the two of them, but he couldn't help fearing the worst.
Finally, Cecil spoke.
"Do you love me?" He asked.
"Yes. Yes, of course I do," Carlos responded quickly. Oh, my God, he's breaking up with me. Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God...
"Why did it take you so long, then?"
Those were the words the scientist was expecting. Turning in his seat to face Cecil, he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Cecil didn't look at Carlos. Rather, he stared through the windshield, up at the stars. He opened his door and motioned for his boyfriend to follow him. Outside, he jumped up on the hood of the gray-blue truck. Carlos took his seat next to him.
The broadcaster sighed. "You knew me for a year, Carlos. It took you over a year to ask me to go on a date with you."
"Yeah...?"
"Well, why?" Cecil finally looked at Carlos. In his fiery, purple eyes, Carlos found an emotion he could easily relate to - a mixture of sadness, disappointment, and hurt.
"I was new," Carlos shrugged after some consideration. "I guess I wasn't comfortable here yet. I mean, Night Vale's not the most pleasant place - "
"I could have helped you."
"Yeah, but..," Carlos was at a loss. He certainly hadn't been expecting any of this, and Cecil's behavior truly was worrying him. He sighed, his mind not giving him any words to use.
"But what?" Cecil prodded. "Was there a problem with me? Is there a problem with me? I really liked you."
Carlos knew that. He knew that very well, and was very happy for that. "Cecil, you..," The scientist paused. How to say it? How could he -
"Wait," Cecil held up his hand, stopping Carlos. His eyes glistened in the moonlight. "Let me talk a bit. It's been a long time; I need to vent."
Carlos relaxed and nodded. Venting is good, right? He didn't have to wait long for Cecil to start.
"Well, I know I'm, like, forward, right? So you had to know I liked you. You listened to me on the radio all the time. You told me you did. So I just couldn't understand, couldn't process what you found so wrong in me. I mean, you didn't even acknowledge me! I tried, I made references to you so much that station management nearly left their office, and you didn't even care.
Then there was that one night, like this, and you were like, 'After everything that happened, I just wanted to see you,' or something. And I was happy at the time, because I was finally getting what I wanted. But was that all I was, Carlos? Just a distraction from everything? Is that what I still am? Because that's not what I want to be.
And I know it's been six months, and maybe that's a bit too long for me to be your distraction, but I'm still worried. Because you're my first adult relationship, and I haven't even dated anyone since early high school. I don't even remember high school. Did I go to high school? I had to, where else would I have learned Modified Sumerian? But my point is, I've liked you for so long and you hardly ever make an effort to get home on time, and - "
"I was home on time today," Carlos interjected.
"Did you just interrupt me?" Cecil spat.
"Sorry."
"Is science more important than me?"
"What? Cecil, I'm a scientist, so it's - "
"So you like your micro-photo-spec-scope better than me." Cecil crossed his arms and stared out the windshield.
"Th-that's not even a thing! Cecil, would you let me - "
"Is it one of your lab assistants? I'll admit that red-haired one is pretty attractive, but - "
"Cecil! Really?! Listen - "
"I bet you two put those beakers and test tubes to good use."
"God damn it to hell, Cecil, shut your goddamned mouth!"
A period of silence followed. Carlos was normally the calm and collected one, despite Night Vale's effect on him. Cecil sank into the worn passenger seat, shrinking into himself. Carlos took a deep breath.
"You are so wrong, Cecil."
"Am not - "
"It's my turn to talk now," The scientist shot a look at Cecil, who immediately went back to staring forward and listening intently.
"I know you don't understand that life pretty much anywhere else but here is almost totally different. And when I came from my research lab at that university up in Washington, it was like extreme culture shock. Clouds don't glow in Washington, Cecil! So, yes, I thought you were off-putting at first. I was focused on my work.
But then you kept popping up. I'd be documenting the radioactivity of the soil around the Dog Park or the air pressure in the bowling alley and you'd just wander into my mind. Very inconveniently. And I'm not good with people, Cecil. You're a people person. I'm a dark room, quiet assistant person. So, yeah, it took me a while.
But, Cecil, you're not a distraction! Sure, you did distract me, but in a good way. I look forward to coming home to you everyday, even after listening to you talk for hours on end. My heart still jumps a bit whenever you mention me when you're on the air. I like you a lot, Cecil. More than I've liked anyone, which might not be saying a lot, but it's true. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise. I love you. Okay? Can we go home now? I love you. Are you crying?"
"... you look so cute when you're distressed." Cecil sniffled.
"Stop crying," Carlos groaned.
"I love you," The broadcaster said, wiping his eyes.
"I love you, too. You're very dramatic sometimes, like a teenage girl, but I love you, too. Stop crying. Let's go home," Carlos reached over and squeezed Cecil's hand, then turned the key in the ignition.
"'Kay. I wanna try that beaker stuff - "
"Mm, no. No, you don't."
Review? Follow? Thanks :)
