muses_w_remotes
(avg_stereotype aka Scotty is an OC and mine.)
"I'm very flattered you should ask, so don't take this the wrong way, but . . . fuck off!"
| Queer As Folk
Larry continued his attempts to call Scotty as he drove into the city. He was still getting no answer. By the time he showed up at the apartment it was late. He walked up and knocked on the door. He knocked loudly and incessantly. Nothing happened.
"Open the door," he called. He pounded harder. "Damnit, Scotty - let me in the door before I break it down." After a moment or two the door opened and Larry looked into total darkness. A stale smell of cigarettes and sweat met his nose and he shook his head. He didn't even see Scotty. He walked in the front door and turned the light on. Looking around he slowly took the apartment in. There were clothes and takeout boxes everywhere. Scotty was sprawled across his futon.
"Turn off the goddamn light," Scotty said with no emotion. Larry shook his head and crossed his arms.
"Nice pig sty."
"Turn off the light."
"Get your ass out of bed." Larry suddenly felt like he was talking to the unruly teenager that his son hadn't quite become. He walked over to the futon and yanked at the blankets hanging on Scotty's legs. A couple empty bottles fell to the floor. "Get up." He leaned over and grabbed onto Scotty's armpit and pulled him to his feet. "Go take a shower. Now." Larry walked Scotty to the bathroom and pushed him in. Scotty went not too willingly.
"Gee, thanks Pop." Scotty stared at Larry blankly and Larry held a finger up to his face.
"If you'd picked up your phone you could have avoided this. Get a shower, then we'll talk." He gave Scotty one more shove into the bathroom and pulled the door shut. "Do yourself a favor and scrub at your pits - you smell horrible."
Larry sighed and turned back to look at the apartment. He did his best to go through and start picking things up. He was filling a bag full of trash when Scotty came out clean. "Better?" Scoty asked.
Larry looked him over with a slow nod. "Tell me what happened while we clean."
"What are you doing here?"
Larry dropped the trashbag and stared at his friend. "I was worried."
"Why?"
"Why was I worried?"
"Why do you care?" Scotty's voice got loud as he stepped forward. "Tell me why the hell you're here!"
"Because it's what friends do."
"Fuck that! It's-" Scotty stopped and shook his head. "You shouldn't have bothered."
"Why's that?" Larry crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly. Scotty watched him for a moment, then shook his head more and looked down. "Why?" Larry asked again, more gently.
"Why would you?" Scotty looked up again. "Can't you just...leave me the fuck alone like everyone else?"
"No, I can't."
"Why not?" Scotty's voice broke slightly, but he held his composure.
"Because I can't."
Scotty brought a shaky hand through his hair and watched the floor. He moved over to his couch and grabbed his cigarettes and lit one. He took a long drag and sat down. He refused to look at Larry as he spoke. "They're kickin' me out, man."
"Who? Kicked you out of what?"
"The family. They're...cutting me off...cutting me out..." He took several thick drags and tried to hold back the tears that wanted to break through.
Larry's jaw set and immediate anger towards Scotty's parents shot up in him. He took a seat on the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry."
"I don't..." Scotty's voice was horse and quiet. "I..always thought they'd...cut me off, but..now..they just..." he roughly brushed the back of his hand across his face. He shook his head. He wasn't going to cry like a punk in front of Larry. Larry let him be quiet for awhile before taking a breath.
"What do you mean that they cut you out?"
The younger man shrugged and stabbed out the end of his cigarette before lighting another. Larry didn't say anything about it, only waited. "They don't want me to come around. Go to family events...anything. They said I have to be something if I wanna be a part of their family."
A long silence followed. Larry didn't know what to say. He had no clue, he couldn't pretend to understand, how parents could just write their kids off. Sure, he'd been an ass enough to leave his kid...but he'd left Sam with Jamie. And he'd done it for Sam's benefit. This?...this wasn't cool. He looked at his friend. He didn't know what to do. He carefully, and slowly, moved a hand to Scotty's shoulder.
****
The apartment was marginally cleaner and Larry had made Scotty eat a meal. After cleaning up the kitchen, Larry looked around and sighed. "Okay, get some stuff. You're sleeping at my hotel."
"Why?" Scotty finished the last of his water and looked up.
"Because I'm not staying in this shithole. And I'm not leaving you alone. Come on." Scotty opened his mouth to object, but then realized he had no objection. In the last two hours of Larry's visit...he was feeling somewhat better.
"Yea," Scotty sighed deeply. "Let me pack a bag."
869
"I'm very flattered you should ask, so don't take this the wrong way, but . . . fuck off!"
| Queer As Folk
Larry continued his attempts to call Scotty as he drove into the city. He was still getting no answer. By the time he showed up at the apartment it was late. He walked up and knocked on the door. He knocked loudly and incessantly. Nothing happened.
"Open the door," he called. He pounded harder. "Damnit, Scotty - let me in the door before I break it down." After a moment or two the door opened and Larry looked into total darkness. A stale smell of cigarettes and sweat met his nose and he shook his head. He didn't even see Scotty. He walked in the front door and turned the light on. Looking around he slowly took the apartment in. There were clothes and takeout boxes everywhere. Scotty was sprawled across his futon.
"Turn off the goddamn light," Scotty said with no emotion. Larry shook his head and crossed his arms.
"Nice pig sty."
"Turn off the light."
"Get your ass out of bed." Larry suddenly felt like he was talking to the unruly teenager that his son hadn't quite become. He walked over to the futon and yanked at the blankets hanging on Scotty's legs. A couple empty bottles fell to the floor. "Get up." He leaned over and grabbed onto Scotty's armpit and pulled him to his feet. "Go take a shower. Now." Larry walked Scotty to the bathroom and pushed him in. Scotty went not too willingly.
"Gee, thanks Pop." Scotty stared at Larry blankly and Larry held a finger up to his face.
"If you'd picked up your phone you could have avoided this. Get a shower, then we'll talk." He gave Scotty one more shove into the bathroom and pulled the door shut. "Do yourself a favor and scrub at your pits - you smell horrible."
Larry sighed and turned back to look at the apartment. He did his best to go through and start picking things up. He was filling a bag full of trash when Scotty came out clean. "Better?" Scoty asked.
Larry looked him over with a slow nod. "Tell me what happened while we clean."
"What are you doing here?"
Larry dropped the trashbag and stared at his friend. "I was worried."
"Why?"
"Why was I worried?"
"Why do you care?" Scotty's voice got loud as he stepped forward. "Tell me why the hell you're here!"
"Because it's what friends do."
"Fuck that! It's-" Scotty stopped and shook his head. "You shouldn't have bothered."
"Why's that?" Larry crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly. Scotty watched him for a moment, then shook his head more and looked down. "Why?" Larry asked again, more gently.
"Why would you?" Scotty looked up again. "Can't you just...leave me the fuck alone like everyone else?"
"No, I can't."
"Why not?" Scotty's voice broke slightly, but he held his composure.
"Because I can't."
Scotty brought a shaky hand through his hair and watched the floor. He moved over to his couch and grabbed his cigarettes and lit one. He took a long drag and sat down. He refused to look at Larry as he spoke. "They're kickin' me out, man."
"Who? Kicked you out of what?"
"The family. They're...cutting me off...cutting me out..." He took several thick drags and tried to hold back the tears that wanted to break through.
Larry's jaw set and immediate anger towards Scotty's parents shot up in him. He took a seat on the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry."
"I don't..." Scotty's voice was horse and quiet. "I..always thought they'd...cut me off, but..now..they just..." he roughly brushed the back of his hand across his face. He shook his head. He wasn't going to cry like a punk in front of Larry. Larry let him be quiet for awhile before taking a breath.
"What do you mean that they cut you out?"
The younger man shrugged and stabbed out the end of his cigarette before lighting another. Larry didn't say anything about it, only waited. "They don't want me to come around. Go to family events...anything. They said I have to be something if I wanna be a part of their family."
A long silence followed. Larry didn't know what to say. He had no clue, he couldn't pretend to understand, how parents could just write their kids off. Sure, he'd been an ass enough to leave his kid...but he'd left Sam with Jamie. And he'd done it for Sam's benefit. This?...this wasn't cool. He looked at his friend. He didn't know what to do. He carefully, and slowly, moved a hand to Scotty's shoulder.
****
The apartment was marginally cleaner and Larry had made Scotty eat a meal. After cleaning up the kitchen, Larry looked around and sighed. "Okay, get some stuff. You're sleeping at my hotel."
"Why?" Scotty finished the last of his water and looked up.
"Because I'm not staying in this shithole. And I'm not leaving you alone. Come on." Scotty opened his mouth to object, but then realized he had no objection. In the last two hours of Larry's visit...he was feeling somewhat better.
"Yea," Scotty sighed deeply. "Let me pack a bag."
869