Jack. You're literally the first person he's felt that he could share everything with and not be judged. Forgive him if he takes advantage of that.
"God, he was," Steven says. "He really, really was in the end. And before it fell apart, I liked him more than any other guy I'd been with. Because he wasn't all terrible? I mean, we were together for two years and three months and I actually almost brought him home to meet my parents, which I would never do normally..."
Would he bring Jack home to his parents if that were at all feasible? Fuck. He doesn't know. It's not like Jack is obviously the the way they both are. On first meeting, he comes off as basically just another Silicon Valley Asshole, like more or less half of everyone Steven's father has ever worked for. And they'd probably be happy he had someone at all to want to bring home.
Except. Except Jack was fifty-four. Jack was closer to Steven's parents' age than he was Steven's own. So no. Maybe not.
Charley, though. He'd want Charley to meet Jack. Would hope to god she'd like him. She probably would, though. She wasn't like him or Jack but she wouldn't be bothered by it.
God, she'd probably tease Steven about dating a man almost twenty years older than him--not to mention how quickly he'd fallen for him--but she'd also probably just be happy he was dating again. That the entire mess with Liam hadn't broken his heart for good.
Steven sighs and shakes his head again. "He was.... God. He was funny, in like a really mean way? But I liked it, because that meant I could make little cutting comments of my own and he'd laugh at them. And he was musical and intellectual... he was incredibly well-read, but at the same time, he didn't turn his nose up at genre fiction, either? And we had a lot of the same interests--I first met him as part of a one-shot my friend who was a dungeon master was running and then a couple nights later I run into him at a gay bar and instead of hooking up right away, he gets me to go out for a late night coffee with him and we talked all night about, God, Dungeon magazine of all things. And he did a decent job of keeping up with me in bed--although not nearly as well as you, Jack--and he passed my Are You An Asshole Social Issue Litmus Test--which again, you did too with flying colors. But he wasn't like us. And I knew, God, I knew he'd be so disgusted if he knew what I was really like inside. So. I hid it. Like I always did. Until you."
He lays his head on Jack's shoulder. "God, I really should have been born in your future. I can't even imagine what it would be like to just-- Openly want the things I want. Enjoy the things I enjoy without worrying someone's going to notice why."
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"God, he was," Steven says. "He really, really was in the end. And before it fell apart, I liked him more than any other guy I'd been with. Because he wasn't all terrible? I mean, we were together for two years and three months and I actually almost brought him home to meet my parents, which I would never do normally..."
Would he bring Jack home to his parents if that were at all feasible? Fuck. He doesn't know. It's not like Jack is obviously the the way they both are. On first meeting, he comes off as basically just another Silicon Valley Asshole, like more or less half of everyone Steven's father has ever worked for. And they'd probably be happy he had someone at all to want to bring home.
Except. Except Jack was fifty-four. Jack was closer to Steven's parents' age than he was Steven's own. So no. Maybe not.
Charley, though. He'd want Charley to meet Jack. Would hope to god she'd like him. She probably would, though. She wasn't like him or Jack but she wouldn't be bothered by it.
God, she'd probably tease Steven about dating a man almost twenty years older than him--not to mention how quickly he'd fallen for him--but she'd also probably just be happy he was dating again. That the entire mess with Liam hadn't broken his heart for good.
Steven sighs and shakes his head again. "He was.... God. He was funny, in like a really mean way? But I liked it, because that meant I could make little cutting comments of my own and he'd laugh at them. And he was musical and intellectual... he was incredibly well-read, but at the same time, he didn't turn his nose up at genre fiction, either? And we had a lot of the same interests--I first met him as part of a one-shot my friend who was a dungeon master was running and then a couple nights later I run into him at a gay bar and instead of hooking up right away, he gets me to go out for a late night coffee with him and we talked all night about, God, Dungeon magazine of all things. And he did a decent job of keeping up with me in bed--although not nearly as well as you, Jack--and he passed my Are You An Asshole Social Issue Litmus Test--which again, you did too with flying colors. But he wasn't like us. And I knew, God, I knew he'd be so disgusted if he knew what I was really like inside. So. I hid it. Like I always did. Until you."
He lays his head on Jack's shoulder. "God, I really should have been born in your future. I can't even imagine what it would be like to just-- Openly want the things I want. Enjoy the things I enjoy without worrying someone's going to notice why."