Chapter Text
junior year | november
thanksgiving day — thursday, 11.26.2020
The first phone call, Quinn truly, honestly misses.
He’s performing when it happens— goodness, how could he pick up, when he’s performing? His phone is far from him, and he isn’t thinking of who might be calling him. Who might be seeing him, on TV.
Oh, sure, perhaps it crosses his mind for a moment or two. Perhaps it does occur to him that being on national television, in a famous holiday parade, is a very public and confident thing to do when you’re actively hiding things about yourself from certain people who know you. But this parade, this particular performance— this is far from the first time Quinn has done something and neglected to disclose it to his grandparents. He went on a tour with a professional production, for goodness’ sakes. When they invited him to perform this Thanksgiving, what was he to do? Say no?
Quinn bypassed the point of no return long ago, when it comes to his lies. He barely thinks of them as lies— instead, he regards them as self-preservation. The parade is a mere piece of the puzzle, and he thinks nothing of it. Until he checks his phone, after the performance, and feels his high interrupted by what sits in his lock screen, atop his wallpaper photo with Sebastián.
Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Thursday, 11:13 AM
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His first mistake— or, maybe, just another mistake in the pile of them— is ignoring the call. The thought of returning it, just after the performance, while he’s surrounded by castmates he calls friends and full of good feelings— that’s far too much for him. So he waits.
He misses the second call, organically, as well. It comes later that same afternoon, while he’s eating Thanksgiving dinner in the cramped but cozy booth of a city diner with Sebastián. He doesn’t notice it until after they leave the restaurant, and set out for a stroll on the city streets.
Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Thursday, 3:02 PM
The third call, though, he ignores on purpose. He’s back in their hotel room when it happens, relaxing on the bed while Sebastián takes a shower. His phone starts buzzing in the middle of a texting conversation with Maggie, to whom he’s relaying the details of his exciting day. She’s in Baltimore, at her grandma’s house with her dad and brothers for Thanksgiving dessert.
Oma & Opa — Home
Incoming call, Thursday, 5:32 PM
Quinn’s stomach turns over. He knows, full well, that three phone calls in one day can’t be good. He knows that Oma and Opa probably saw him on TV, and no doubt, they have a million questions. For all they know, he’s supposed to be spending Thanksgiving by himself, at Kiersey, alone in his dorm room, the way they think he spends the majority of his college free time.
Goodness, they don’t even know about the acting.
But Quinn can explain this. He knows he won’t get to find out what this call is about unless he picks up the phone— Oma and Opa don’t text, don’t even have phones; they place all their calls from the landline in their house. He’s sure they’re confused— and that must be why they’re calling. He certainly has some explaining to do, and he’s sure he’ll be able to create a story that adequately explains it all.
But— as his phone rings, Quinn looks out the hotel window, to the sea of buildings beyond it. For the next three days, he’s in New York City, with the most lovely boy. They have the entire weekend to themselves, just him and Sebastián, and it’s been a dream come true since the moment they arrived.
Something tells Quinn that picking up this call would bring his mood down significantly, and today has been one of the most fun days of his life.
He can explain this. He’ll talk to Oma and Opa. Just not right this instant. He’s already missed two of their calls anyway— they’ll be upset about that no matter what, so he may as well make up some story about his phone being broken. In the meantime, he’ll enjoy his weekend, and he’ll try to figure out how to piece together the least damning explanation for why they saw their grandson dressed up as a German schoolboy and singing in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Later on, Quinn will call himself naïve for believing he’ll be capable of explaining away his lies, of calming his grandparents down. But right now, he doesn’t see that. Right now, he wants to keep enjoying his Thanksgiving weekend. So right now, Quinn lets the call ring out, then goes back to texting Maggie.
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Thursday, 7:12 PM
*
Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Friday, 8:44 AM
*
friday, 11.27.2020
On Friday morning, he says something to Sebastián.
It’s a lazy morning, and they spend it in bed, while a mildly sized snowfall blankets the city outside their hotel window. Quinn is, for the most part, completely content. He’s warm, and resting under some very nice hotel room bedding, in the arms of the most lovely boy. It isn’t until he checks his phone for the first time all morning that his grandparents even cross his mind at all; he’s been doing a good job of keeping them out. He has a new missed call, and though he clears the notification from his lock screen, he sighs as he slips his hearing aids on, then rolls back over into Sebastián’s bare chest.
Unceremoniously, he announces, “My grandparents have been calling me.”
“What?” He knows Sebastián looks right at him as he says this, but he keeps his eyes on the ceiling for a moment. “Like— you mean this morning?”
“Yesterday and this morning,” he replies, and sighs again. He looks down to meet his eyes, and remarks, “They must have seen me on television.”
“Oh, baby,” Sebastián breathes, his concern apparent even in limited words. Quinn knows, somewhere deep in his subconscious, that he, too, should be concerned. But he so badly just wants this weekend, this one nice thing, before he has to talk to them. “Should you talk to them?” Sebastián asks.
Quinn takes a moment, before he responds. He huddles himself close into Sebastián’s embrace, and tries to sound as calm as possible when he tells him, “I don’t want to.”
“Well—” Sebastián hesitates, and Quinn knows he’s being difficult. “Well, okay, but if they’ve called you multiple times…” The concern in his voice deepens. This is part of the reason he’s taken almost a full twenty-four hours to tell Sebastián about the calls— because he knew he’d be worried. It probably would have eased Sebastián’s mind if Quinn left out telling him about the calls altogether, but Sebastián is the only person on this earth Quinn has never been able to bring himself to lie to. They share everything with each other, and always have. Where it’s easy, and necessary, to put his guard up around everybody else, Sebsatián is his safe haven. Quinn couldn’t keep this from him— it would never sit right with him. Even knowing it would concern Sebastián, there was never any option but to tell him.
“Honey,” Quinn murmurs, lifting his head to his eye level, “I know what you’re saying. I assure you, I do. I just…” He takes a second, and smooths the messy curls out of his boyfriend’s face. “I wanted to enjoy our weekend together.”
Sebastián is quiet, then; it seems he’s thinking. “Baby,” he murmurs, and for the moment, doesn’t elaborate. Quinn understands it’s a tough topic, because it always has been, with his grandparents. On the one hand, he knows he lies to them far too much. His entire existence , through their eyes, is only part of the truth. On the other hand… those lies are the only thing keeping him safe under their guardianship. They’re the only reason they pay for him to go to school, the only reason they house him. He has to be a quiet, unassuming, obedient young man, who doesn’t cause them any unnecessary trouble, and doesn’t do anything shameful. It’s the only way they’ve ever tolerated him.
Quinn can fix this. He knows he can fix it. “I have a plan,” he tells Sebastián. “Would you like to hear it?”
Sebastián nods, though there’s still worry in his eyes. “Sure thing, baby.”
Quinn tucks himself close to him, and wraps his arms around his waist. This room feels like a shelter, a space where they’re safe from whatever might befall them outside. Then again, anyplace with Sebastián feels safe. It’s not so much the space they’re in that makes the difference— it’s Sebastián himself. Sebastián feels like home, in a way where Quinn finds that feeling nowhere else in the world.
“I’m going to tell them my phone was broken,” he begins. “And if they have questions about the acting, well— so be it. But at this point, I’ve ignored four calls from them. They’ll already be upset over it, and it’s best if I wait.”
Sebastián looks a little dubious, but he nods. “You think they’ll believe you?” he says. “That your phone was broken.”
“My love, they don’t even have phones.” Quinn shifts a little. When Sebastián runs a big, steady hand at the small of his back, it’s easier to relax. “They have no idea how they work.”
This part, he knows, is true. He pays for his own cell phone— bought it with his own money, from his high school part-time job. Oma and Opa are staunchly anti-cell phone, and would believe him if he said his were broken. They’d have to believe him.
“You’re sure you want to wait?” Sebastián says finally. He brings a hand up to his face, and Quinn leans his cheek into his palm. “It won’t make you anxious?”
“No,” he says, like maybe telling Sebastián he isn’t worried about it will reduce his chances of actually being worried about it. “It won’t. And I’m sure I can explain myself to them.” He pauses, before adding, “Just not quite yet.”
“Okay, cariño ,” Sebastián says, and Quinn can see the resignation in his eyes— he’s most definitely still worried, and Quinn feels terrible for worrying him, but this is the best way to do things. Quinn knows it. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” Quinn assures him, and then leans close to him on the pillow. “The only thing I want right now,” he says, pressing up against his nose with his own, “is to continue enjoying this weekend with the man I love.”
Sebastián smiles a little. “I think he might be able to help you with that goal,” he mumbles.
“Well,” Quinn says, and kisses him gently, with a smile of his own. “That’s good news.”
He doesn’t regret choosing to enjoy that morning with him. Not even a little.
*
Google Search results for: quinn cooper
Quinn Cooper is an American actor, best known for his role as Moritz Stiefel in Deaf West Theatre’s 2020 touring revival of Spring Awakening . His performance as Moritz has garnered critical acclaim. Cooper is a student at Kiersey College in New Hampshire, where he is active in the school’s nationally ranked dramatic arts program. Cooper has also made news for his relationship with one of the captains of Kiersey College’s Division I men’s ice hockey team, Sebastián Hernandez.
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Quinn Cooper @cooperquinn • Instagram photos and videos
12.5k followers, 541 following, 313 posts - See Instagram photos and videos from quinn🌈🌷🧏♂️ (@cooperquinn)
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quinn cooper🌈🌷🧏♂️ @cooperquinn • Twitter
an absolute dream come true to perform at the #ThanksgivingDayParade with these lovely people. [1 photo attached] … More Tweets
Twitter • 1 day ago
broadwayworld.com > people > Quinn-Cooper
Quinn Cooper Bio, Photos, Theatre Credits, Stage History - Quinn Cooper made his professional debut in Deaf West’s Spring Awakening. He has performed with the Kiersey College drama department since 2018…
playbill.com > person > quinn-cooper
Quinn Cooper | Playbill
Roles (1) - Deaf West’s Spring Awakening…
Awards (2) …
espn.com > ncaa > news > archive
ESPN College Hockey — Big East Player Making Waves For Equality
08 Nov 2020
KIERSEY, NH— Kiersey College has long held a reputation for the successes of their Division I teams. This year, an alternate captain of the men’s hockey team is hoping to add inclusivity to that reputation. Sebastián Hernandez, 20, is an up-and-coming NCAA household name…
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Friday, 12:22 PM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Friday, 4:01 PM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Friday, 7:37 PM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Saturday, 10:29 AM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Saturday, 2:16 PM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Saturday, 6:42 PM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Sunday, 9:54 AM
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Opa & Oma — Home
Missed call, Sunday, 3:31 PM