"Hey, uh...could you do me a favor and not mention this to the others?" Trent asked as they walked up to the front door.
"Are you sure?" Bea replied.
"Yeah. It's, you know, Molly's here and they're all happy and Ann's having her own difficulties now and just…"
"Please don't try to just ignore your problems for everyone else's sake," Bea said. "That's how this shit gets out of control, okay?"
"Okay. I hear you. I just want things to be nice right now," Trent replied.
"All right."
"Thank you."
They walked inside and as they were getting out of their shoes, Trent heard talking overhead. It sounded like Mae and she sounded unhappy. A second later a door banged open upstairs and he heard her running down the stairs.
"Trent!? What happened?! Are you okay!?" she cried.
"What the fu-how do you-nevermind," Trent replied. "Mae, I'm okay, I just need-oh my God!" he cried and immediately started laughing.
"Mae!" Bea cried, and joined him.
"What?!" Mae cried as she ran down the hallway and skidded to a halt.
She was naked except for the strap-on, which was flopping around every which way as she ran at them. She looked down at herself. "It's not funny!" she cried. Then suddenly giggled. "Okay, it's kind of funny-but what's wrong!? I can feel something's wrong!" she cried, then giggled again as Trent and Bea were unable to contain their own laughter.
"Mae! Oh my God! That-oh-that sight-" Trent cried, hit with laughter so intense that he fell to his knees. It was the kind of laughter that came from a thing that was completely, utterly, and totally unexpected, and that was, at the same time, funny in a way that was perfect for that moment. Absolutely perfect.
He fell onto the floor, laughing his ass off with Bea.
"What the hell's happening!?" Ann called downstairs.
Trent tried to respond but couldn't get a single word out. Nor could Bea. He lost himself to the laughter as Ann came downstairs, followed shortly by Molly, both of them also naked.
"Oh my God, Mae you've still got-" Molly started laughing as well.
"Holy shit, it's an epidemic," Ann said, then laughed too.
Mae tried to ask, to demand, what had happened, but couldn't keep from laughing as well. It had been awhile since Trent had been exposed to truly contagious laughter, but it was a welcome return. She laughed harder, which made her ridiculous strap-on flop around more, which only made him and Bea laugh even harder, which made her laugh more.
It was a vicious cycle.
At some point, Trent managed to stop, covering his hands with his face, just breathing.
"Oh…" he groaned, "my fucking stomach."
"Oh no," Bea said, sounding genuinely frightened.
"What, what's wrong?" Ann asked.
"I fucking pissed myself!"
"Holy shit are you serious?" Mae asked.
"Yes! A little! I pissed-oh my fucking God come on!" she moaned. Mae giggled. "It's not funny!"
"It's a little funny," Ann murmured.
"Ugh! I need a shower now," she moaned, getting to her feet.
"Ugh...my fucking sides...let me join you," Trent said. "I need one too."
"Tell me what happened!" Mae demanded now that she had herself under control.
"I...had a panic attack, it isn't a big deal," Trent replied, sobering. He wiped a few tears from his eyes and felt another bout of laughter lurking somewhere within him. It quickly died though when he saw the pained looked on Mae's, Ann's, and Molly's faces.
"Jeez...I'm sorry, man. That's awful," Molly murmured.
"It's...I'm okay."
"I'm going for the shower," Bea said, stalking off. "God, I can't fucking believe…" she muttered to herself.
For a moment, Trent lingered awkwardly, unsure if he should go after Bea or say something to the three naked women standing in the hallway with him. Finally, he began walking to the stairs. "I'm gonna take a shower with her," he said.
"Okay, but...are you really okay?" Mae asked.
"I'm really okay, babe," he replied. "Bea was there. She helped me. Gregg too."
"Oh...well, okay. But I wanna see you after your shower, okay?"
"Okay, I promise."
"How did you, like, know?" Molly asked as he headed upstairs. "Like, you just jumped up and ran down here, almost like you got a fucking alert sent to your brain or something. You just knew."
"Uh, well, Trent and I are, like, super in tune," Mae replied awkwardly.
"I guess so…"
Trent left her to talk her way out of that one as he got upstairs and heard the shower start up. He got into the bathroom and began shedding his clothes, then paused.
"So is it okay if I shower with you?" he asked.
"Yeah, if you want to. No idea why you'd want to shower with a girl who literally just fucking pissed herself," Bea replied.
"Moral support? Also because I love her and love seeing her naked?" he replied.
She laughed awkwardly. "Whatever. Shut up, goofball. Get in here."
He finished stripping and joined her, finding her having taken the showerhead down and running it over her crotch and inner thighs repeatedly. "Fuck's sake," she growled. "So. Fucking. Humiliating."
"It's all right, babe, no one's going to give you shit for it," he said.
"Yeah, I just...ugh! I knew I should've just stopped and taken the leak at the Snalcon, but I wanted to get you home…" She paused, a look of horror coming onto her face. "Shit, I'm not blaming you. Don't take it that way at all. I am absolutely not blaming you."
"It's okay, babe. I don't think that. Just...try to relax," he said. Then he sighed softly.
"What?" she asked.
"Just...feeling sorry for myself. Wondering how in the fuck you can take me seriously any time I try to pull a dom maneuver on you after you've seen me break down and cry over a fucking Lunchable," he muttered.
"I don't see how you can take me seriously after I just fucking wet my pants," Bea muttered, then she sighed and put the showerhead back up. She put her hands on his shoulders and stared hard into his eyes. "Trent...this changes nothing about how I see you, okay? I don't think any less of you. Okay...okay?" she asked.
"Okay," he mumbled.
"You don't believe me."
"It's...I'm feeling really shitty right now."
She hugged him suddenly. "Trent. I know that you and I have agreed that we don't really buy into the whole fucking 'alpha beta' thing, or the whole 'be a man, man up' thing, and we agree toxic masculinity fucking awful, but, like, it's important to me that you know that I don't view you as lesser because of what just happened. At all. I don't view you as any 'less of a man'. Or, more reasonably put, as someone I can trust, someone I can rely on, someone I can be proud of, someone I love. Someone I am super turned on by, especially when puts me in my place, which you are freaky good at."
He laughed softly. "You're trying to make me feel better."
"Yes. I am. But not by lying to you. By telling you the truth. Trent...believe me. I've been there, okay? I know it isn't the same thing, but believe me, I have felt like shit for not being more feminine, even when I know it's fucking bullshit, and I can be who I want to be, or feeling like shit for having hardly any real goddamned social life, or...pissing myself in front of other people. Or for being someone who never gets laid, or who never got to college. I just...this isn't your fault, Trent. This is your fucking family's fault. They are fucking pieces of shit and you didn't deserve that, babe. Okay? I mean it. And I fucking love you. And I want you to be okay."
Trent wasn't sure how to respond. He felt almost afraid, because he'd never quite seen her like this before. She seemed like she felt...helpless. And that made a lot of sense. What could she do, beyond offering whatever support she currently was?
Sometimes the hard truth of a situation was that there was nothing anyone could do.
It just was.
And you just had to endure it.
But...it did help, to have people there who cared about you, who were at least trying to help you. It made a world of difference, actually.
How much worse would he be feeling if he was alone?
"I love you too, Bea. And fully serious right now: you offering support like this is one of the most meaningful things in my entire life. I've got a lot of unhappy, confusing, and outright conflicting feelings right now, but you supporting me like this makes it all less miserable in a significant way."
"Good," she whispered, hugging him tightly against herself, squeezing him really. "Good. I just...I want you to be happy. You changed my fucking life. You saved my fucking life. And everything you've done for me, for Mae, for Ann, for Claire...everyone you fucking come in contact with...you're an amazing person. I know you feel weird about owning up to that, but you are."
"So are you," he said. He kissed her forehead. "And I'll help you with what you need."
"Oh yeah, like what?" she asked after a moment. "Like when I piss myself again?"
He laughed. "I mean...you know, if that's what you need help with."
"I can't wait until you piss yourself," she said, stepping back and staring at him, putting her hands on her hips.
"That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear from my girlfriend."
"I know what I said!" She lost her rediscovered good cheer and looked away. "It is humiliating, though."
"It just...happens sometimes, Bea. It's not a big deal. If you ever get sick, have any kind of accident, puke, whatever, I'll never give you shit for it. I'd help you."
"You'd clean me up?" she asked.
"Yes, of course. What boyfriend wouldn't?"
"Um, you'd be surprised. But thank you. I appreciate that. Although I intend to vomit on myself, and piss and shit myself as little as physically possible, so don't worry. Now, uh, we should probably give up the shower for the three ladies who just had sex," Bea replied.
"Oh. Yeah. Good point."
They finished washing themselves up and then killed the water. Getting out, they dried quickly and left the bathroom. Bea made a face as she held her balled up clothes.
"Gross," she muttered.
"Toss it in the hamper, I'll do a load of laundry right now," Trent said as they walked into the bedroom. He began pulling on a fresh set of clothes.
"...thanks," Bea murmured.
"You two are really cute together," Molly said, making them both jump and look over. She was crouched, mostly hidden behind the bed.
"Sorry, looking for my phone," she said, "didn't mean to scare you...is the shower free?"
"Yep," Bea replied, tossing her clothes in the hamper and finding new clothes for herself.
"Okay. Thanks." She stood up and began heading out of the room, but she paused. "Bea?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't feel bad. Like...I used to drink kinda heavily for awhile there, and the amount of times I pissed myself in my sleep, like...I've been there. I've also done it from laughing before," she said.
"That's quite the admission...and thanks," Bea replied awkwardly.
Molly nodded, then lingered, looking awkwardly at Trent.
"What?" he asked.
"I just...feel so weird now. I fucked both your girlfriends. Like...I don't know how to handle this. It's...weird."
"Just, you know, be chill," he replied.
"I...ugh, whatever."
He laughed. "Are you mad at me?"
"No! Just frustrated. I'm not used to this. I...whatever. I'm showering."
"Okay."
She began to leave, then paused, then groaned and hid her face behind her hands for a moment. "Jesus I'm such a fucking bitch. I'm sorry. You had a panic attack and I'm giving you shit-"
"It's cool," Trent said. "I'm better now. I understand why you feel awkward, and you...don't really seem to know what to do once you lose your poker face. Which is long gone with us. And you're adrift, and that scares you, which is very reasonable...go shower."
"Um...okay."
She left the room.
"You have such a way with people," Bea muttered as she finished getting dressed.
"Do I? That wasn't rude?" he replied.
"No, not really. More just interesting, and probably exactly what she needed to hear. It's a kind of awkward situation and you're doing well, especially considering what just happened."
He sighed and pulled a fresh t-shirt on, then looked around the room for a moment, feeling a little lost. "I don't know what to do now."
"We could chill here? Or downstairs? The backyard? Watch something?"
"I need to eat," he said suddenly. "I emptied my stomach and now that everything is settling I'm fucking starving."
"We'll get something to eat then," Bea said.
"Hey," Mae said as she came up the stairs, "everything okay up here?"
"Yeah," Trent replied.
She appeared in the doorway, now holding the strap-on, still completely naked. "I want to know what happened, but like, what specifically had you fucking dying from laughter? I've never seen either of you laugh that fucking hard."
Trent chuckled. Then laughed. Then cleared his throat. "I think it was mostly just...the perfect storm. It wasn't necessarily the event itself that was so funny, but that it happened when and how it did."
"Although it was pretty funny," Bea said.
"Yeah. So, seeing you run towards me with a fucking strap-on on, and the dildo just bouncing all over the place as you ran, was just...I will go to my grave remembering that. In seventy years when I've got fucking dementia or whatever, I'll still look back on that and laugh. It looked cartoonish in how fucking ridiculously over-the-top it was. Like, if you had been the one to see it, I think you'd probably still be laughing," he replied.
Mae laughed. "Oh man, now I'm jealous. I want to see it...but for real are you okay?" she asked, walking over to him.
He hugged her. "I'm okay. For real. And...I know you want to talk about it, but I don't want to. It was a recovered memory, is all. It'd just make you angry. And honestly, I want to just chill and eat right now. Can we do that?"
Mae looked up at him for a long moment, seemingly wrestling with the whole situation. Finally, she nodded. "Yeah. We can do that. I just want to help you feel better."
"You're doing good with this hug so far," he replied.
She snorted. "I hug you every day."
"That doesn't devalue them."
"Oh, so a Mae hug is still every bit as valuable as ever?" she asked.
"Yes."
"What's the conversion rate between a Mae hug and a Bea hug?" Bea asked.
"It's one to one," Trent growled, "quit trying to outdo each other."
"But it's so fun!" Mae said.
"I can't tell if you meant that genuinely or if you were being sarcastic," Trent replied.
Mae frowned, considering it. "I can't either. I also do not want to compete with Bea for anything because she would dominate me utterly."
"Mae, I have seen you walk on power lines, you're plenty tough," Bea replied.
"Wait...what?" Trent asked. "Power-power lines?"
"Yeah, it's just, you know, this thing I used to do."
Trent looked at her for a long moment. He would be wrestling with it if Mae told him, but the fact that Bea was the one to bring it up meant it had to be true. Finally, he shook his head and let go of her. "Just go shower."
"Okay."
"And don't walk on power lines."
"Ugh, you sound like my mom," she groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Mae."
"Yeah, I got it!"
She walked into the bathroom, where Molly had already started the shower back up. A moment later, Ann appeared.
"Hey, I caught most of that, you're good then?" she asked.
"Yeah. Just need food."
"Okay." She walked in and hugged him. "I love you," she murmured.
"I love you too, Ann. Thanks."
She let go of him, then went and sat on the bed.
"How was it?" he asked.
"Oh my fucking God Molly can eat pussy," she replied.
"That makes sense," Bea said.
"I'd say it'd be worth experimenting and feeling kinda weird to have her do it, Bea," Ann said. "No pressure, obviously, but...if you were ever curious about what it's like with a girl? Molly is your fucking girl. Good lord."
"I...huh," Bea muttered. "Maybe. I dunno. I don't want to think about it."
"Okay. Fair enough. I'm gonna wait for the shower to be free because I want it to myself," Ann said, falling back onto the bed.
"Let's do laundry, then get food," Trent said, picking up the hamper.