Chapter Text
“She has a plan.”
Clay watched George as his eyes skimmed over his phone screen, brows furrowing as he read the texts.
He looked back at the computer sitting in his lap.
How long was George dealing with this problem? Clay remembered him mentioning that it’d been a week, but something told him the issue had been forming long before that. What worried him more was the fact his boyfriend didn’t tell him that he’d been struggling.
The brunet had a history of struggling with his inner feelings and properly communicating what he actually felt. Clay always assumed that the little hiccup would pass, but it seemed as though it’d only gotten worse. An ugly knot in his brain hissed that it was his fault George wasn’t comfortable enough with sharing his thoughts with him.
Shut up , he pushed against it.
“Hold on,” George said. “She’s calling.”
He turned back and looked at his boyfriend, glancing down at the phone as he answered the call. The sound of a fan came from the speakers before a voice whispered through the noise.
“Hello?”
“Polly, I’m with Clay.” George set his phone next to the computer. “He’s gonna help us.”
Clay cleared his throat, locking eyes with George who nodded in reassurance. “Hello, Polly.”
“Hi,” she replied.
An awkward silence introduced itself before George graciously took charge again, steering the conversation back to why it first started.
“What was your idea? You said you’d thought of something.”
The blonde opened a new tab in the browser, creating a new sheet in Google Docs as the fourteen-year-old spoke. In the title, he wrote Escape Plan.
“Yesterday, before going home from school, I paid a visit to the front office,” she started. “The signature that I need to transfer from here to America doesn’t have to belong to a parent, George. It could be any guardian listed in the database.”
George’s eyes widened, “Any guardian in the database—”
“Oh my god,” Clay whispered.
“—Mum and Dad haven’t taken George off on any documents since he left, I’m pretty sure they’ve forgotten,” she paused for a moment. A clatter echoed from a house as Polly quieted. The ruckus died down after a second, and she started whispering again. “Listen, I don’t know how much longer I have— I’ve emailed you a copy of the sheet. Sign it digitally and then send it back so I can submit it.”
Clay opened Gmail and handed the Macbook to George, taking the phone from him in exchange, “Alright, Polly. We’ll handle it from here.”
“Goodbye.”
Karl and Nick made a beeline for Nick’s parents right after finishing lunch. Barely done chewing their food after shoving it into the mouths, the pair jumped into the car and practically sped through traffic. At this point, they were battling against time and the brains of nosy fans.
Luckily, Nick’s parents weren’t the most tech-savvy duo.
They’d let in the couple oblivious to the absolute frenzy that social media had been thrown into. They’d served them a second helping of lunch that Karl managed to squeeze into his already full stomach, and then, the talk.
“Mom, Dad, before we go, I need to tell you something,” Nick looked at Karl, “ We need to tell you something.” Karl put his hand on Nick’s shoulder, rubbing small circles into it as the Texan spoke.
“I think you can remember this, but a few months ago I came out to you guys, and also told you I was dating someone.”
“Of course we remember, dear.” Nick’s mom said lovingly, planting a kiss on her son’s forehead.
She was a kind-looking woman, with short black hair that matched her kid’s. She had smile lines around her mouth, and her eyes showed an intelligence that she kept hidden from the world.
“We support you no matter the circumstance, son.” Nick’s father, on the other hand, was extremely intimidating.
Karl almost pissed his pants when meeting him, pouring all his strength into maintaining eye-contact with the burly man. His salt and pepper hair made him look like a businessman, the kind from movies that always hid secrets. He wore dark, blocky, glasses that clung smartly to his face and dressed like he was attending a job interview.
Despite his outward appearance though, the guy was amazingly sweet.
“I really appreciate that,” Nick continued talking. “So, knowing that, I’m excited— and a bit nervous— to tell you that Karl is my boyfriend.”
Karl held his breath, bracing himself for a bad reaction. Instead, he was pulled into a group hug, Nick’s mother wrapping her arms around him.
They pulled away from each other, and the woman wiped a stray tear that’d fallen down Karl’s cheek sometime during the whole interaction, “I’m so happy for you two!”
“I’m happy, too,” Karl replied, beaming up at Nick.
Maybe they’ve been ready after all.
They reached back to the apartment a few hours later. The sun started to set as the two of them cuddled on the couch, watching random videos that came up in the recommendation. Autoplay had taken over their plans early on, as the two seemed to find everything funnier when they were together.
“Should we do it, then?”
Karl’s head was in Nick’s lap, eyes closed as his boyfriend ran his fingers through his hair. “Come out?”
Nick hummed in confirmation.
It’d be stupid not to, wouldn’t it? Their main concern, which was their parents, was non-existent now. They have nothing to worry about anymore. The fans would obviously still support them, as would their friends.
All they’ve got to do is push the button labeled ‘post.’ Click ‘make public’ on the video. Press ‘go live’ on the stream.
And then it’s all over. No more secrets, no more sneaking around. Simply authenticity.
Only love.
Just themselves, a camera, and millions of fans. It seems easier knowing he has nothing to lose, now. All he needs is sitting with him on a loveseat in Texas.
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
He lifted himself up, cupping Nick’s face in his palm. He connected their lips, saying everything and nothing through the gesture. Even if the whole world decided to combust, Karl knew that they had each other. They were going to be alright.
They were ready.
George didn’t hear back from Polly for the next two days. For those entire forty-eight hours, he and Clay anxiously bit their nails, pacing the house back and forth as they waited for an update. Sometimes they would fake getting work done, but the other always knew it was just pretending.
In some twisted way, it warmed George’s heart how much Clay actually cared about Polly. His first interaction with her was the call that took place in their bedroom, and yet the man already submerged himself knee-deep in the situation. He took time out of his own life, day, career, just to stand by George’s side. He offered him his complete attention, no matter how busy he was.
On the other end of the stick, it also made the knot in his stomach tangle more. He knew that Clay felt hurt over the fact that George hid such an important piece of information from him. Despite everything, the Floridian still trusted him enough to give him everything. There were points over the two-day time period in which he wanted to say something, but every effort felt too forced.
His phone finally rang right after a late-night recording session with Alex. The energetic man was stock-piling pre-recorded videos, claiming he wanted content to put out while he visited all his friends in the United States. George couldn’t complain, he was well excited to finally meet Alex, too.
Clay scrambled to find the phone with George, upturning pillows and throwing things off the desks to try and find the noise. They found it wedged between the couch cushions in the room, picking it up and putting it on speaker.
“Hello? Polly?” George answered, hands clasped in Clay’s. Their knuckles were white from the grip, but neither one of them cared.
“It worked!”
Clay sprang up from his seat, screaming like he’d just won a football game. George also yelled in jubilation, shoulders drooping from lack of pressure in god-knows-how-long. Relief finally washed over him, waterfalls letting out the harboring tension that was building up inside him.
“You’re going to be with me, again,” he breathed into the phone, face red from the influx in emotion. “You’re going to be safe.”
“Thank the lord,” she said back. Her voice was wobbly from ease too, throat coated with unshed happy-tears.
Clay pulled George’s head against his chest, still standing in front of the sofa, “When do you think you’ll be getting here? And how?”
“Since it’s through school, all I need to do is pay for the plane ticket. I’ll catch a bus with the rest of the exchange-students to the airport, and then it’s smooth-sailing from there. My passport still holds from our last vacation,” she said. “I’ve just got to leave a note for our parents.”
“Christ—” George buried his face further into Clay’s chest, inhaling the lingering smell of cologne on his shirt. “You’re going to be attending school here. There’s no more to worry about.”
“You can’t fathom how good it feels to hear that,” Polly sighed. “I think I hear them coming back home.”
“Make sure they don’t find out before then,” the blond reminded them.
“Of course.” The line crackled a bit, the sound cutting out over the speakers.
“Be safe, Polly,” George felt like a broken record, only being able to think the words she’s safe in his head over-and-over.
The next time I call you, it’ll be on Friday, alright? I’ll text you airport details. Love you, goodbye.”
Clay’s arms held George wrapped close to him as they laid in bed.
They ordered pizza for dinner, finishing the entire box along with the twelve-piece chicken wings that came with, putting on a movie to accompany them. Karl and Nick FaceTimed them half-way through their dinner, gushing to them about how they’d just come out.
Everyone was happy, and it made him happy.
Except for the nagging feeling that he felt like he was doing something wrong. He’d been doing everything he thought was in his power to make George feel comfortable, but for some reason he’d hidden the entire Polly-fiasco away from him until last minute. If Clay hadn’t ever found out, what would George have done? How long would he not have heard about any of it?
His lover shifted, voice thick with sleep. They hadn’t had a proper night’s rest in over two days, and both of them were starting to get delusional, “What are you thinking about?”
Of course he read Clay’s mind.
“Do you trust me, George?”
The brunet sighed, confirming Clay’s suspicion that he’d been thinking about it too. “With my entire life.”
“Then why didn’t you—”
George cut him off, “—Because I felt like it would bother you. I didn’t want to feel like I was a burden, so I kept it to myself.”
Clay let it sink in.
Selfless George, always thinking about anyone other than himself, no matter how horrible it would make it for him in the long run. He should’ve seen it coming. This was the same guy who’d dropped everything to save Clay’s life, after all.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” He pressed his lips to George’s forehead, keeping his mouth pressed against his soft skin while he muttered. “Nothing you could ever do would make you a burden. That’s literally the whole reason I’m here, babe. You’re supposed to tell me these things so I can help you.”
“I’m sorry.” George inched closer, snuggling under the blankets.
“Don’t do it again, stupid.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Life isn’t full of only happy endings. That’s just the way the universe works. However, she always makes sure to grant everyone a way to make living easier. She might seem confusing at first, but you always need to make twists and turns to reach your final destination.
He’ll need to make wrong turns, but with George, Clay knows that he’d always find his way back.
They’ll be alright.