Chocolate Chip Mint 3, Fudge Ripple 16: What I Need
Title: What I Need
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Chocolate chip mint 3 (flamboyant), fudge ripple 16 (suspicion), whipped cream (Ivy is fifteen), malt (summer challenge 119 personal prompt: Ivy coming out), pocky chain.
Word Count: 700.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Ivy comes out to her family. Sort of a companion to All I Need.
Notes: This was a bitch to write; I hope it works and is neither cliched nor ridiculous. Summer Challenge part 1. Also, last CCM/FR!
Ivy didn't realize until she was fifteen that she was supposed to like boys.
It didn't make sense to her, liking boys. Boys were all hard angles and rough stubble; she preferred soft, round and smooth. Boys were belligerant, full of anger, always acting like they had something to prove (okay, except Aaron, but Aaron was always different). Girls were gentler, kinder, and if some could be sharp and mean, well, Ivy didn't like those girls.
The fact remained, however, that she liked girls.
It took her even longer to realize there was supposed to be something wrong with that.
--
Of course, her family had never been big on "supposed to."
Ivy made a list of people she was going to come out to. Her mother, obviously; her father too, but after Mom just in case. Aaron, although he probably wouldn't be surprised (he never was). Summer, although she probably wouldn't understand (she was only four).
She considered teachers, her aunt and uncle, her grandparents, Kiki and Elizabeth and her other friends, then decided against it. Better to keep it in the family, just in case. They had to love her, after all.
Anyway, she had the perfect guinea pig.
--
Summer looked at her, head atilt, and asked, "What's 'gay'?"
"It means I like girls," Ivy said, and bounced the ball to her sister.
Summer caught it. "I like nice girls," she said, after a minute, and bounced the ball back. "Am I gay?"
"Not like that," Ivy said, biting back a grin. "I like girls like Mom likes Dad."
"Oh," Summer said, and then, "But girls can't marry girls." She sounded confused, and a little upset.
"Sure we can," Ivy said, reassuringly. "Just watch me."
She thought about that for a moment. "Okay," she said, and that was that.
--
Mom was hard, but better to get it over with. So she volunteered to do the dishes, and when her mother asked if she was feeling all right, explained.
The ensuing long silence was not reassuring.
"Are you sure?" Gail asked, finally. "You're a bit... young."
"I'm fifteen, Mom," Ivy said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure." She faltered. "I... are you mad?"
"What?" Gail's honest confusion eased that a little. "No, sweetheart. Just... I could wish an easier life for you."
Ivy snorted. "Like they could take me."
Gail smiled. "True. All right. I love you. Finish the dishes."
--
Her father was easier with her mother behind her. Not that she needed to worry. He was her father, and he'd told her he would always love her, no matter what. She believed that like she believed in gravity.
Which didn't make it any easier to face her father's stunned face.
"Oh," he said, and sat down.
Ivy played with the hem of her shirt; the defendant, rising for the verdict.
Her father underwent a remarkable series of expressions before settling on affectionate and vaguely freaked out. "So much for grandchildren."
If Ivy laughed a little hysterically, neither mentioned it.
--
"Can I talk to you?"
Aaron, nose in a book, did not even look up when he said, "No. I'm busy."
"It's important." Ivy pushed his book in towards his chest. He gave her an annoyed look.
"Go away, pipsqueak. I'm busy."
"You're not," Ivy said. "And that book sucks."
"It doesn't." He turned a page.
"Aaron!" She stamped her foot. "I am trying to tell you I'm gay!"
"Ivy!" He mimicked her tone. "Words cannot express how little I care about your sex life. Go away!"
She won the ensuing wrestling match. And felt a lot better, afterwards.
--
She got called a lot of names in high school and college. Bitch, dyke, lezzie, whore-- the last was always interesting, because it invariably came from a boy she wouldn't sleep with. And the girls! If they weren't grossed out, they thought she couldn't control herself. As if she'd want in those chicks' pants. Some people's children. But she didn't need them.
She hung out with her friends, and listened to the stories of those who'd been rejected, beaten, thrown out. They were family for each other, of course, but it didn't always help.
Thank God she'd never needed that.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Chocolate chip mint 3 (flamboyant), fudge ripple 16 (suspicion), whipped cream (Ivy is fifteen), malt (summer challenge 119 personal prompt: Ivy coming out), pocky chain.
Word Count: 700.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Ivy comes out to her family. Sort of a companion to All I Need.
Notes: This was a bitch to write; I hope it works and is neither cliched nor ridiculous. Summer Challenge part 1. Also, last CCM/FR!
Ivy didn't realize until she was fifteen that she was supposed to like boys.
It didn't make sense to her, liking boys. Boys were all hard angles and rough stubble; she preferred soft, round and smooth. Boys were belligerant, full of anger, always acting like they had something to prove (okay, except Aaron, but Aaron was always different). Girls were gentler, kinder, and if some could be sharp and mean, well, Ivy didn't like those girls.
The fact remained, however, that she liked girls.
It took her even longer to realize there was supposed to be something wrong with that.
--
Of course, her family had never been big on "supposed to."
Ivy made a list of people she was going to come out to. Her mother, obviously; her father too, but after Mom just in case. Aaron, although he probably wouldn't be surprised (he never was). Summer, although she probably wouldn't understand (she was only four).
She considered teachers, her aunt and uncle, her grandparents, Kiki and Elizabeth and her other friends, then decided against it. Better to keep it in the family, just in case. They had to love her, after all.
Anyway, she had the perfect guinea pig.
--
Summer looked at her, head atilt, and asked, "What's 'gay'?"
"It means I like girls," Ivy said, and bounced the ball to her sister.
Summer caught it. "I like nice girls," she said, after a minute, and bounced the ball back. "Am I gay?"
"Not like that," Ivy said, biting back a grin. "I like girls like Mom likes Dad."
"Oh," Summer said, and then, "But girls can't marry girls." She sounded confused, and a little upset.
"Sure we can," Ivy said, reassuringly. "Just watch me."
She thought about that for a moment. "Okay," she said, and that was that.
--
Mom was hard, but better to get it over with. So she volunteered to do the dishes, and when her mother asked if she was feeling all right, explained.
The ensuing long silence was not reassuring.
"Are you sure?" Gail asked, finally. "You're a bit... young."
"I'm fifteen, Mom," Ivy said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure." She faltered. "I... are you mad?"
"What?" Gail's honest confusion eased that a little. "No, sweetheart. Just... I could wish an easier life for you."
Ivy snorted. "Like they could take me."
Gail smiled. "True. All right. I love you. Finish the dishes."
--
Her father was easier with her mother behind her. Not that she needed to worry. He was her father, and he'd told her he would always love her, no matter what. She believed that like she believed in gravity.
Which didn't make it any easier to face her father's stunned face.
"Oh," he said, and sat down.
Ivy played with the hem of her shirt; the defendant, rising for the verdict.
Her father underwent a remarkable series of expressions before settling on affectionate and vaguely freaked out. "So much for grandchildren."
If Ivy laughed a little hysterically, neither mentioned it.
--
"Can I talk to you?"
Aaron, nose in a book, did not even look up when he said, "No. I'm busy."
"It's important." Ivy pushed his book in towards his chest. He gave her an annoyed look.
"Go away, pipsqueak. I'm busy."
"You're not," Ivy said. "And that book sucks."
"It doesn't." He turned a page.
"Aaron!" She stamped her foot. "I am trying to tell you I'm gay!"
"Ivy!" He mimicked her tone. "Words cannot express how little I care about your sex life. Go away!"
She won the ensuing wrestling match. And felt a lot better, afterwards.
--
She got called a lot of names in high school and college. Bitch, dyke, lezzie, whore-- the last was always interesting, because it invariably came from a boy she wouldn't sleep with. And the girls! If they weren't grossed out, they thought she couldn't control herself. As if she'd want in those chicks' pants. Some people's children. But she didn't need them.
She hung out with her friends, and listened to the stories of those who'd been rejected, beaten, thrown out. They were family for each other, of course, but it didn't always help.
Thank God she'd never needed that.
