Chapter Text
“Guys… we need to do something.” Martini stopped his pacing right in front of the TV, front and center. “It’s, like.. come on. You guys have noticed it too. It’s unbearable.”
“We’ve noticed,” Gorgeous intoned from the couch. She leaned onto the armrest, resting her head on her fist. Her face remained neutrally uninterested, more captivated by the TV behind Martini’s back.
Gordon lowered his book to his lap, uncrossing his legs. “What are we supposed to do?” he quirked an eyebrow as he signed to indicate a questioning tone.
Cicero, from the recliner, looked pensively from Gordon to Martini. “Is that around Freemind’s closet?”
“Um—” Martini frowned.
“They’re asking if this is about Freemind being deeply closeted,” Gorgeous interpreted.
“Oh, uh, yes. It is.” Martini paused, still trying to get used to Gorgeous acting as an intermediary until they could all decipher what Cicero meant on their own. He cleared his throat. “So we’ve all noticed. It’s… bad guys. It’s really, really bad. And uncomfortable, and not funny.”
Gordon gave a solemn nod, but frowned. “I don’t think we should interfere.”
“Would Freemind enter outward on self-owned terms?” Cicero tilted his head. He tapped his chin. “Or, perhaps needs that gentle pushed…”
“We all know he’s not going to come out on his own. And if I have to suffer through one more repressed rant, or see any more longing gazes, I’m going to lose it. Honest. I can’t deal with his bullshit anymore. It’s annoying, but it’s…” Martini’s voice softened as he continued speaking, “... it’s also kinda sad, y’know?”
A quietness swept through the room. Even Gorgeous stopped watching TV to look at Martini.
“He’s stubborn,” Gorgeous put bluntly. “And annoying.”
Surprisingly, it was Gordon who had something to say. He must’ve been swayed by Martini’s short speech. He signed sharply, “Freemind should feel safe to be himself.”
A silent agreement settled over the room. Sure, Freemind was an annoying, stubborn asshole, with a big ego, but… he was a Freemen, and he’d been through so much, just like the rest of them. And it wasn’t fair that the rest of them got to relax while Freemind remained on guard.
“So… what do we do?” Martini raised his arms in a dramatic shrug, then let them fall limp to his sides. “I thought about telling Barmey, but that just seems like a dickish thing to do. I don’t want to out him, especially to the guy he’s crushing on.”
Cicero made a comically loud humming noise and pressed a finger into their cheek. After a moment, he blurted out: “Speaking!”
When the room turned to look at him, he squared his eyebrows. “Coax.”
“What, like… lure him out? Jebait him? Put a little, a little cheese on a mousetrap?” Martini frowned. “I don’t think he’d like that. You know how he is.”
“ Kindful,” Cicero clarified. He opened his arms, then pitched his voice in a way to indicate he was acting as if he was talking to Freemind. “Freemind, that is a safe house. We agree with you.”
While Gorgeous didn’t offer a more direct translation, the intent was clear: establish that this was a safe place for him, and that no judgement would come his way.
…Well, judgement would go his way, but it wouldn’t be about who he was attracted to or how he wanted to present himself.
“How do we make it any more clearer that it’s fine if he’s not straight? It’s not like the rest of us are. And Barmey’s pretty open about himself, too.” Martini’s expression pinched with frustration. “And he’s not oblivious to any of this. He’s obviously uncomfortable.”
“We could take turns,” Gordon suggested. As he finished his signing, both Martini and Cicero’s eyes widened.
“What, and just… see what sticks? Go about it our own way?” Martini asked, voice incredulous, but an undoubtable hint of hope was peaking through.
Gordon nodded, his face returning to its natural stoic blankness.
“Something has to work,” Gorgeous piped up. “Now, move.”
Martini looked around. He spun, then noticed he was standing in front of the TV. “Ah, sorry man.”
For the next week, each of them would approach Freemind with their own method. Surely this would end well. Surely.