Strangetown, HWC: Chapter Twenty-Nine - part three
Warnings: language, partial nudity, sexual situations, wedding chaos, seriously random plot twists
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Part Three
The wedding venue was breathtaking.
"Wow, wow, wow," Beau said. "I think I just creamed my jeans. My suit. Whatever. This place is just amazing."
"Should we go get you cleaned up, or do you think you'll be alright?"
"Just look at all this wonderful wedding bric-a-brac, Frances! It's all so over the top and extravagant. It's so MUCH! Weddings... yeah, weddings! The wedding business. Can you imagine how much money is in this racket?"
"Yes, it's probably very lucrative."
"It's GENIUS! So many women think their whole life and self-worth is dependant on how awesome their wedding is, and the men and parents... they have to spend enough money or they look cheap and people will think they don't love her."
"That's so touching."
"It's like a license to print money! Like, ka-ching! It's the ultimate keeping up with the Jonses act too. If Mary's best friend has an ice sculpture that's three feet tall, she has to have one that's four feet tall!"
"Ice sculptures are tacky," Frances said. "I think that was Mrs. Landgraab's idea. She's new money."
"Your snobbery will come in handy too. Yeah, this is perfect! It's totally how I'm going to get rich."
"How's that?"
"Planning weddings, Fran! I could totally be a wedding planner. I love weddings! It's all so overblown and romantic and fun. People need someone who can work on their toes, and I could do that. I can keep my head on a swivel."
"Well, you are a bit of a bobblehead."
Beau started bobbling his head around, knocking it into Frances. "Bobble, bobble."
"Yes, that's very amusing."
"Who's the wirey little street urchin that came with Frances?" Lillian scoffed. "Did he find him in a dumpster somewhere and ask him to come along?"
"Why would you think that, Lillian?" Edie said, "He's perfectly well dressed."
"In one of Frances J.'s suits. I think I can recognize the work of my own brother's personal tailor when I see it, Edie. Can't you? Also, the poor child looks like he was raised on nothing but plain white bread and Tang. He looks malnourished. And he's just flailing around like he's never seen a country club before. It's not hard to tell."
"So maybe he's not 'one of us.' What's the big deal? I'm sure Frances gave him the 411 on how to behave at one of these things."
"Well, if he could afford a comb, he might have thought to drag it through that bird's nest on his head." She refreshed the crimson stain of lipstick on her lips. "Besides, what's Frances playing at bringing a male friend to the wedding, anyway?"
"That's who he wanted to spend the evening with, I guess. It's his prerogative, Lil."
"It's his little secret, you mean..."
"But he's not fooling anyone, or not me anyway, and he's not even trying anymore, it seems."
"Well, if you're so sure about that, why don't you ask him about it? You could actually talk to him sometimes, you know."
"Well, I didn't have to ask you, did I?"
"No, but that was my choice. And it was different. We're sisters. And you're a lot older than Frances."
"Yes, and I'm not going to pry into my little brother's business. I'll leave it to Frances. I know he'll just think I'm on the attack, since I make no bones about my resentment towards the golden ticket he has. He doesn't even have enough of a backbone to defend himself. I keep hoping he'll eventually grow a spine, and stand up to me."
She hooked her earrings in. "You know, I used to wonder if I was to only straight child in this whole family, but Charlotte puts me to shame. She landed herself a rich, successful husband, and she's really going all out with this wedding."
"And how," said Edie. "This wedding is a big effin' deal."
"Did you see the ice sculpture?"
"Oh boy! Tack-eeee!"
"Can you imagine the look on Charlotte's face when she agreed to let her soon-to-be mother in law have her way with that? God, I'll bet it was classic!"
"I know. I can't believe I missed that." She stiffed a giggle, and straightened herself up again. "But everything else is impressively tasteful. Charlotte's putting off quite an event here."
"It's all part of the glorious show, Edie. The rich pageant that is the life of a Worthington. You should be used to it by now, don't you think? We've been doing this our entire lives. Now, let's pull off a good performance, shall we?"
"I'm a professional performer," Edie said. "Do you expect any less?"
Lillian smiled at her, and took her hand. "You're a Worthington, dear sister. We're all performers. Now, let's go out there and do this."
Edie planted a kiss on her sister's cheek.
"Bring it on. I'm ready."
The wedding started, right on time. The sky was clear and blue. Everything was just perfect.
All the guests were in place.
The Landgraabs and the Buckinghams...
... and the Worthingtons and the Bourgeoises.
There were many others as well, friends and honoured guests, business partners, and their dates. There was even a young man who had grown up in a trailer park, without as much as two pennies to rub together, but, of course, few people knew that.
Frances looked at them all. Being there, with his entire extended family all around him, he was reminded of how much he really did care about them, despite their flaws, and all the things that came between them.
Seeing his sister there, about to get married, made him really happy. He was happy for her, and he hoped it worked out well.
He was also painfully aware of what stood between himself and the same thing.
He would have to tell them, and have it done with, and then he could move on with his life, for better or worse. Maybe they would support him, and maybe not, but he was tired of living a secret life.
He glanced over at Beau, who was watching the ceremony very intently.
Once he noticed the eyes on him, he turned to looked at Frances, and smiled. There was a look on his face, and Frances thought he could maybe see their future in it. Beau was thinking about romance, the future, and them. Did he want all this? Did he want it for them?
A family sim.
"You okay?" he asked. "You look a little pale. Well, you know, comparitively you do. Not like I can say much."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Okay, that's good." Beau smiled, and made a quick swipe of Frances's hand. It was just enough to reassure him.
Frances returned the smile. "I'm really glad you came with me," he said. Beau's smile deepened, and he offered a sly little wink as a bonus.
Beau turned back to the ceremony, but Frances kept looking at him.
He was happy to have Beau there, because it was an important moment in his life, and he wanted him to be there to be a part of that. It was his family, and he wanted Beau to be a part of all that too. If it was a part of his life, he wanted Beau to be there, to share it with him.
He wanted to be with him. He wanted to be with him all the time. He wanted to be with him, always.
That was the moment he realized that he had really and truly fallen in love with Beau Broke.
The reception dinner went by in blur, as Frances sat under the weight of the dread he was experiencing, as his turn at the mic was approaching. He'd written it all down, what he wanted to say, so he really didn't need to worry.
But he worried anyway.
Then, the moment arrived.
Frances stepped up to the podium, cleared his throat, and adjusted the mic.
"Malcolm," he began, "I'm honoured to have been asked to welcome you into the family today."
"I haven't had the opportunity to get to know you very well yet, but it's not hard to see that you love my sister very much, and she loves you, and I wish you both all the happiness in the world."
"As you join us today, we gain a new brother in law, and our family changes and grows. We couldn't be happier. I am sure you will bring a new and unique perspective to the family, and we will be much richer for it." This line drew a couple of laughs from the crowd. "Yes, even richer than we already are."
Beau was beaming with pride as the crowd laughed along with Frances. He had known he had it in him to pull off a joke, and he was pleased to see him speaking so confidently. That was his man up there. His Frances.
"We welcome you with open arms," Frances continued, "just as we hope to one day do the same for my sisters, and as I also hope to one day introduce you all to the love of my life."
Frances's grandmother, already fairly liquored up, shouted, "About time you got yourself a woman! So when do we get to meet her, already? We're sick of waiting."
Frances recoiled, shocked into silence. His face fell. He felt the weight of the expectations, the disapproval, and the fact that he'd never be able to answer to that. It hurt.
It hurt, and he was tired of putting up with it.
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and pointed directly at Beau.
"He's right over there."
Beau smiled and raised his hand to wave hello.
The sound of jaws dropping was audible. All the air was sucked from the room.
Once it was out, it was too late to take it back in, as much as he may have wanted to.
Frances turned back to his task, well aware of the weight of the vast number of eyes on him, but was dedicated to making it through. He took another deep breath, turned to Malcolm, and spoke into the microphone.
"Welcome to the Worthington family."
"Isn't that a boy?" Grannie asked.
Charlotte looked like she was going to explode or maybe pass out.
Lillian was laughing.
Edie offered a kind smile, and just shook her head.
He grabbed Beau's arm. "I have to get out of here."
"But I'm not done eating this succulent lobster thermidor," he whined.
"Now! Please, I have to go now," Frances pleaded. He was starting to hyperventilate. "Are you with me, or not?"
"Oh, I'm with you."
Beau stood up and planted a grand slam of a smack on Frances's lips, dipping him back, to a cacophony of gasps. Frances, wide eyed and reeling from shock, took his hand, and together they walked out of the dining hall. They started slowly, confidently, but picked up the pace as they got further away. By the time they reached the outer doors, they were running, full tilt.
Once they were outside, they were laughing to kill themselves, and fell to the ground, choking on laughter.
"That was retarded, Frances."
"It wasn't my idea to give them a show like that, okay?"
"But you just told them all, right there in the middle of the wedding. You're a nut!"
"Well, she asked me, didn't she?" Frances said, "That saucy old broad deserved what she got."
"You have balls the size of watermelons. You just came out to an entire WEDDING. There had to be at least two hundred people there."
"Two hundred and fifty, but who's counting?"
"You are my HERO."
"You're my hero." Frances smiled.
"So you really think I'm the love of your life?"
"Maybe."
"I think I probably am. You'll see. I'm pretty awesome, you have to admit."
"We'll see, we'll see..."
"You're cute. Wanna make out?"
"Maybe..."
Above them, someone coughed.
"Ummm, Hi Frances."
"Oh... Guy."
"I thought I'd come over and say hi, since you seem to be on your way out."
"Oh, I think he's already all the way OUT," snickered Beau.
Guy didn't laugh. "Anyway, I just wanted to say well done. That took a lot of courage."
Frances looked at him, momentarily silent, then smiled. "Thanks, Guy."
"It was really, really tremendously stupid too, but brave. Very brave."
"That's me," Frances said, "Woefully dense."
"Well, yeah. When you stand to inherit bags of money, most people would tow the line and all that. But you're just throwing it all away for what you really want in life. It's pretty commendable, in a sense. You're turning away from that fortune."
"You seem to be grossly mistaken about the choice involved in towing or not towing the line, Guy. It's not quite as simple as choosing which tie you want to wear in the morning."
"So you say."
"So I know."
"Well, anyway... I'm trying to make amends here. I'm not doing well, am I?"
"No, you're not," he said, "but it's okay. I appreciate the thought."
"Yeah, well I was a pretty shitty friend to you in the past. I was jealous of you... I'm sorry."
"That was a long time ago."
"Yeah, well, good luck. If you ever need a loan..."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Back inside, Charlotte was having a fit in the bathroom.
"That little SHIT ruined my wedding!" she cried. "Now all anyone is ever going to remember about this day is how my little brother came out and kissed some guy in front of the entire guest list! He might as well just have put on a wedding dress and married him right there, since he already managed to overshadow the whole damn thing!"
"Calm down, Char. It'll be okay." Edie tried to comfort her.
"My name is CharLOTTE, Edie! Stop giving me some bullshit shortened name. It makes me sound like a type of fish."
"Charlotte, you're my sister and all and I love you, but I have to tell you that you're being an unbearable Bridezilla right now."
"Oh, just be quiet and hold this dress up while I pee."
"So, Fran," Beau began, as he pulled over next to the community garden, "what say we help ourselves to an apple or two for the trip home?"
Frances grinned. "Okay."
"Frances?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I probably love you."
Frances didn't say anything, but smiled.
"Like, for real. Call me crazy, but I'm totally smitten with you. Like you seriously wouldn't believe."
"Oh, I'd believe it."
"I know it."
"I feel it."
"And when I said love of my life, I meant it."
"Really, Frances?" There was a softness in Beau's voice. He suddenly felt very small in Frances's arms.
"Well, so far so good." Frances reached up and wove his fingers through Beau's hair, pushing it back from his face, revealing his forehead, showing his entire face. He kissed him there, a place that was usually covered. "And I'm ready to find out."
"Ah, Fran. That makes me so happy." He ran his fingertips across the smooth surface of Frances's cheek. "You make me so happy. You're just... you're my Franny Fran Fran."
"Beau," Frances said, really thinking about the word, what it meant, and who he was. "Beau-Beau... Bobo."
Beau was clearly delighted. "Well, look at you! You gave me a nickname."
"Yes, I suppose I did."
"You really must be planning to keep me around for a while, hmm?."
"As long as I can, yes." A smiled creased his face, more deeply than usual. "That's the plan, Bobo."
Beau started to unbutton his shirt with surprising haste. "I want you so bad right now, you have no idea. All the talk of lifelong commitments is getting me SO HOT. Take me now. I'm your's."
"Right now?"
Beau was already unbuttoning Frances's own shirt, and pulling it free from the waist of his pants. His belt also offered little in the way of resistence, as Beau yanked it free of the loops entirely. "No time like the present, Fran."
Frances agreed. As much as he would have likely hesitated and shied away from such a thing in the past, he had learned to take advantage of the moment when it came. Beau had brought that into his life.
And the garden was empty, and quiet, and dark. There was the smell of flowers and plants in the air. There was a warm spring breeze. It was perfectly romantic, so why lose that moment?
Their clothing fell away like the blossoms falling from the trees all around them. Soon skin touched skin, and nothing else mattered. They had each other, and they could lose themselves in the landscape of each other's body; touching, giving, coaxing, and striving for release. They were lovers, and making love to each other was their whole universe. They were the only things that truly existed.
What better way to make a happy memory of that day?
There was also the thrill of it, the chance of getting caught, which was it's own reward.
It was well worth the risk.
Back at LFT, Frances finally realized the magnitude of his actions.
"Oh God, What have I done?"
"You chose to live your life. You did good."
"But... now everything is so uncertain. Even if my father still wanted me to work for the family business, which is doubtful, I don't even have the right degree for it now. And I don't want to do that, and I never did. I'm not cut out for it at all. I wouldn't succeed. And my father will be angry enough to just find out that I switched majors. And if I'm not going to be carrying on the family name, I'm not inheriting anything. It all goes to the next in line, and that's not going to be me. Why would they let the family fortune just end with me? No, it's not mine anymore. I have nothing. I'm on my own, and I'll be lucky if they don't completely disown me."
"Maybe they'll come around, after the shock wears off."
"Maybe my mother, but I doubt my father with come around."
"What will they do, do you think? About an heir?"
"I have no idea."
"You could always let the aliens knock you up."
"Is this a joke to you?"
"No, I was just saying. Technically, that would be an heir, right? Maybe Frances IV could be green."
"Just stop it. Do you think they'd want that? Gay is bad enough without adding alien on top of it too. My father would just love it if I got pregnant. Because male pregnancy is such a wholesome, normal thing."
"Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not being very sensitive."
"It's so unfair. It's like my only value is in carrying on the family legacy."
"I know how you feel. I think all parents want that for their kids, and for themselves, you know? Everyone wants to see grandkids. I know my Mom was like that when I told her. She cried, you know. A little. Yeah, she's a family sim, so I think she had this vision of me going on to found a great legacy of descendants. Can you imagine? The Broke legacy..." He tried it on for size. "It has a certain ring to it, don't you think? You never know... there's always the surrogate thing too. Maybe I can borrow Lucy's womb. We always used to joke about how we'd do that if nothing else worked out for her. As if she has any worries..."
Frances hadn't been listening past "surrogate."
"Oh, Beau," he wailed, "what am I going to do? I'm going to be reduced to panhandling in the streets."
"You'll be fine, Frances J."
"Ugh. Don't start with me..." But he couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Frances JULES."
"No wonder I 'turned gay'. What did they expect with a name like that?"
"I think it's a fine name. A fine name for a fine pianist."
"A fine penis?"
"Yeah, that too." He grinned. "You can use your 'pianist' skills on me anytime you want, you know." He waggled his eyebrows.
"You're always making a mockery of my pain."
"Well, what else should you do? Roll over and die? Cry your eyes out? I don't see the point in that."
Frances stopped and looked at Beau, in utmost seriousness. "Where have you been all my life?"
"Just waiting for an opportunity to come into it."
He smiled, and rolled his eyes. "You're such a sap."
Beau grinned. "Yeah, maybe. But are you complaining?"
Frances took his hand. "Not really."
"Chin up, Francine. Chin up. You're going to be just fine."
"Yeah... maybe I will be."
"You know it."
Beau lifted his hand and spun him around with a flourish. Frances couldn't help but smile. "See? We don't need money to have fun."
"No... you're right. I could be happy..."
"You WILL be happy, Frances, if I have anything to do with it."
"I love you," Frances said, for the first time in so many words. He said it tentatively, like he was testing it out. It was still very new.
It didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable at all, and Beau's response was the same. It seemed right. It fit.
"I love you too, Franny."
It was like he'd said it a thousand times before.
Frances smiled. There wasn't much more he could do.
"Oh, Tank. You're home," Frances said, "I was wondering where you..."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Beau was the first to break the silence.
"So... you seem to have a robot?"
"It's a Servo."
"Does it talk?" Frances asked.
"It's a she," Tank said. "Can't you see the bloody bow? And the lipstick?"
Frances and Beau exchanged a nervous glance.
He switched her on. "As for talking, you can ask her yourself."
The Servo kicked in.
"So, umm, yeah," Beau said, to the robot, "can you talk?"
"Yes," the Servo said, "What would you like me to say?"
"How about hello?" Beau extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you... ummm, what's your name, Miss Servo?"
"Sugar Tits," Tank groaned. "Her name is Sugar Tits."
Frances choked on his own tongue.
"Great!" Beau exclaimed, "Well, it's nice to me you, Tits! I'm Beau."
"Hi, Beau. You're very cute."
"I LIKE your Servo!"
"So, why exactly do we have a robot now?" Frances asked.
"Heh. Interesting story."
"Comedy or tragedy?"
"Take a guess."
"Let's all go sit around the chair over there for story time," Beau suggested. "I'll pop some popcorn."
Tank looked at Frances. "How'd the wedding go?"
"Also a long story, I'm afraid."
"Comedy or tragedy?"
"Well, it ended in a wedding, so that would suggest comedy," he mused, "but it wasn't really all that funny."
"I laughed," said Beau, "and so did you."
"True enough. Maybe Tank can help us decide what it was."
"Heh." Tank wasn't known for his skill at literary analysis.
"Well, would you like to go first or shall I?" France asked.
"Makes no difference to me," Tank said. "It's not like I have anywhere I need to go."
"I'll get some pillows for us to sit on," Beau said, as he left the room. "I'm not joking here."
"Can I help?" asked Sugar Tits, as she followed Beau. "You like me, right? I'm a good Servo?"
"Yeah, you're just grand," said Beau.
Frances looked at Tank, who appeared to be in shock.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"Tank..."
"I'm FINE."
Frances stepped towards him, wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him into a hug.
"You looked like you needed one," he said.
"I did."
Notes: Sugar Tits. Bet you didn't see that one coming. :P
The session in the garden was completely Frances's idea, and it actually happened when I was "filming" part one. Good ol' ACR. I have no idea how people can play without it, now that I've discovered the vast benefits (less and more reasonable jealousy rules and no love needed for woohoo being my top two - that stuff bothered me from day one). I love the fact that it allowed Frances to drop trou in the middle of the garden, because he just had to have Beau RIGHT THERE. It's a bit more than I would have thought of myself, but I think it really works.
I was also considering The State That I Am In by Belle and Sebastian for the cut text, but the tone was all wrong (and I overuse them - they're one of my favourites). It was amusingly literal, though: "My brother had confessed that he was gay; it took the heat off me for a while. He stood up with a sailor friend, and made it known upon my sister's wedding day." Well, it's literal aside from the sailor part (Beau would make a very cute sailor, though, don't you think?). This song partly inspired the scene, for sure. It's an epic and ridiculous situation, and I'm glad I was able to use it.
The wedding location was a download from MTS2: Cedarwood Mansion by treena410. Don't expect it to look like it does here if you download it, though. I did quite a bit of work on it.
Thanks for reading! ^_^