Work Text:
Chris is pretty good at dating.
Well, okay, it depends on the definition of a “date” – he’s only had one at his house but he’s basically dated a ton of girls if you count lunch and recess and picking seats on the bus and stuff.
It also probably depends on who you ask. If you asked some of the girls he’s dated, they might disagree with him being good at it. He heard from Jayden who heard from Micah that Penny was crying in 4th period after Nevaeh told her that he was Facetiming with Jasmine after Penny came over. He feels pretty bad about that, even though he pretended like he didn’t know and tried to ask her out again. She didn’t respond to his text. He even tried to message her over the Chromebooks, which they’re only supposed to use for homework help, but she didn’t respond there either.
But his friends keep calling him the Rizzler, and Marisol says he has game, so it’s kinda confusing when Buck tells him he’s maybe being not-so-nice. He told Buck about Mom, but also it’s not like any of Buck's or Dad’s girlfriends have stuck around even when they’re being super nice. He just doesn’t feel like it matters much.
The overall point is, he’s pretty good at dating. He gets it.
Which is why his ears perk up when he hears his dad whisper, “they were on a date?” when he thinks Chris isn't listening.
First, let him explain:
He’s 13 now, so Dad has been letting him stay home alone for an hour or two as long as he texts a picture of himself every 15 minutes to prove he isn’t “burning the house down.” Which he thinks is dumb because basically every adult he knows is a firefighter so he knows how to not burn a house down. He said that and Dad told him it was “an expression.” He wanted to respond with “Yeah, a dumb one,” but Dad was already letting him stay home by himself so he didn’t want to push it.
Dad went out with Marisol tonight. Lately he’s been doing everything with his new friend Tommy, and he’s out forever, like all night, so Chris has had to stay with Marisol mostly. Last Wednesday he got to hang out with Buck, which would have been cool if Buck was being normal. He was acting super weird though. He barely wanted to play Street Fighter and asked a million questions about Tommy.
Tommy is really cool. He flies helicopters and punches stuff like Dad does and likes the same Star Wars movies Chris does. But Buck wanted to know about everything they’d talked about, and how many times Tommy came over and other stuff Chris didn’t really care about. And then Buck said it was bedtime at 9:15! When Dad has been letting him stay up until 9:45 on school nights! Ridiculous.
When Dad and Marisol go out, it’s only for a short time, so Chris is allowed to be alone. He doesn’t do anything crazy when he’s by himself because he doesn’t want to get his privileges revoked. The first time they left him by himself he did eat an entire spoonful of sugar from the jar, just to see what it was like (disappointingly grosser than he expected). But otherwise he just plays on his Switch and messages his friends.
He’s doing just that when Dad and Marisol come home from their date tonight. The first thing he always does is come check to see if Chris is okay, which he does again tonight. It’s different than it’s been before though, because this time Dad looks kind of concerned. Chris is going to ask what’s wrong but before he does Dad says, “mind if I shut this on the way out, Buddy?” and Dad usually wants every door to be open a little bit ever since he got really sad and smashed up his bedroom. It’s weird for his dad to want to shut the door. Chris nods, but now he’s alert.
He takes off his headphones and gets up as quietly as he can, using the desk, rather than his crutches, to maneuver himself to the door. That’s when he hears it: “They were on a date?”
“Obviously, Eddie.” Marisol sounds annoyed. “That’s a romantic restaurant and Tommy was paying. It’s a date.”
“But Buck and I have gone there before…are you sure it was a date?”
“Pretty sure, yeah,” says Marisol. “Although it is interesting....”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Dad says. “I didn’t even think Buck liked Tommy at all.”
Wait…Buck and Tommy were on a date?
Chris thinks about this for a moment. It makes sense. Buck is the best, and Tommy is really cool. It would be awesome to date someone who could fly a helicopter. Dad said Chris was “too young” to go up in a helicopter when he asked before but he bets if Buck was dating the pilot Chris might be able to convince Buck to convince Dad to let him get on the controls. Or at least in the passenger seat.
Tommy had said one time before that his ex-boyfriend had a sailboat, so Chris knew he dated boys, but he only ever saw Buck date that one lady Taylor. He met her a couple times. She was alright but he’s pretty sure Dad didn’t like her. Buck also sometimes talked about other people he dated but they were all girls, too. Also, though, Buck is old like Dad and they didn’t even know him until they came from Texas so he could have dated boys before that.
He likes the idea of Buck dating Tommy, because Buck is over all the time and Tommy has come over a lot this week so maybe they would both be here all the time.
But also…when Buck was living with Taylor he came over less than normal until Dad got really sad and he was over all the time again. So maybe he would be here less? That would suck.
“That’s not what I meant,” Marisol says, and Chris remembers to keep eavesdropping.
“Wait, I’m confused. What are you talking about?” Dad asks.
“Just that it’s interesting both your closest guy friends who you spend so much time with are. Y’know. Like that.”
“Like what, Marisol?” Dad sounds like he does when he catches Chris in a lie and asks him if he wants to ‘try that again.’ It’s not a good sound.
“You know what I mean, Eddie,” says Marisol.
“I’m not sure I do.”
“How long have you known Tommy was a homosexual? Did you even know Buck was?”
Chris snorts, then claps a hand over his mouth, hoping they didn’t hear. Homosexual is such a funny word to use. In 6th grade health they used that word like, one time, to define it. But Harry’s dads are gay and Denny’s moms are lesbians and Mx. Eli, the art teacher at school, says they’re queer. Chris doesn’t know anyone who uses that word.
“First,” and Chris really stops laughing now because Dad sounds mad, “we have no idea if that was a date. You’re assuming a lot here. If it was, though, so what? Are you saying my friends can’t be gay? I knew Tommy was gay before I even met him. And if Buck dates guys…it doesn’t change anything, Marisol. It doesn’t change anything with either of them.”
“Be real, Eddie. That sounds like a line. You’re saying if Buck has turned gay it doesn’t change anything? He takes your kid everywhere, alone. He stays here with him overnight. He -“
“Stop,” Dad says. It sounds like ice. Chris has never heard Dad like this before and it’s kind of scary. “You really, really don’t want to continue that sentence.”
Their voices get further away now, like they’re going more toward the dining room, so Chris has to strain to hear. He’s also straining to understand. What does Buck dating a guy have to do with him hanging out with Chris when Dad isn’t around?
“I’m just saying –“
Dad says something that Chris can’t hear, and Marisol says, “Eddie you can’t be serious,“ and then for a while all he can hear are angry-sounding whispers.
“You’re making a mistake, Eddie.” This is louder. Marisol sounds mad, and also like she’s crying, and Chris is starting to feel bad for spying on this conversation because it seems way more serious than he thought.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not. Goodnight, Marisol.”
The door slams and Chris jumps, grabbing the desk to keep him upright. As quickly and as quietly he’s able, he walks back to his bed, crawls on, and puts his headphones back on. He’s just turning on his Switch when Dad knocks on the door and pokes his head in.
He looks mad, and sad, and pale, kind of like how he looked during the bad period when he was really sad. It’s alarming.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” He strips his headphones off again and turns to face Dad. Chris knows that Dad’s gotten a lot better since then, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t nervous when he sees Dad looking so upset.
Dad comes into the room and sits heavily on Chris’ bed.
“Honestly, Buddy, I’m feeling a lot of different things right now. But I’m going to be okay. I just wanted to come talk to you about something.”
He takes a deep breath.
“Has Marisol ever said anything that made you uncomfortable?”
Chris thinks back to all the time he’s spent with Marisol recently while his dad has been gone. At first she tried to hang out with him, which was a little weird. She was doing the “your dad is my boyfriend so we have to be friends” thing (Maryam from his first period says that’s a thing all her mom’s boyfriends do) but she chilled out after Chris said he didn’t want to play board games with her and mostly let him do his homework or talk to his friends while she read or whatever.
She’s never said anything bad, though.
“No,” he says honestly. “She’s fine.”
“She never talked about other people we know? Tommy, or Hen maybe?”
He thinks again. “I don’t think we talked enough for her to talk about your friends to me.”
Dad snorts.
“Sorry,” says Chris, feeling a little guilty he never really made an effort to get to know her.
“No, that’s okay, Buddy. I’m not sure we did either.”
Chris isn’t really following. He wants to ask if this is about Buck and Tommy going on a date, but he doesn’t want to let Dad know he was spying, so he just says, “did you and Marisol break up?”
Dad huffs out a sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry, Dad.” Chris chooses his next words carefully, hoping he gets his questions answered without showing his hand (a phrase Buck taught him when he was trying to teach him to count cards). “Does that mean Buck gets to come over more?”
“Um,” Dad chews his lip. “I don’t know that, either. That’s up to him. He might be busy.”
“Like he was when he lived with Taylor?”
“Yeah, something like that. I’m sure Buck will still come over, though.”
“Will Tommy come over, too?” Chris asks, trying to read his Dad’s body language.
Dad doesn’t make eye contact, looking off at the edge of Chris’ desk. “I’m sure he will sometimes, yes.”
Chris pushes his luck. “Will they both be here at the same time?”
Dad turns then, eyes narrowing. “Why are you asking so many questions about Buck and Tommy?”
Think fast, Chris. “I just like them more than Marisol, is all.”
Well. He could have worded that better.
Miraculously, it works, and Dad huffs out a laugh, even if it is a little bitter. “Yeah, I think I do too.” He reaches over and ruffles Chris’ hair before he can duck away. He’s really too old for that. “Love you, Buddy.”
Chris rolls his eyes a bit, but dutifully responds, “love you too, Dad.”
After Dad leaves, Chris pulls out his phone and scrolls until he hits the person he wants to message.