Chapter 19: Duvet
Nathaniel sulked the whole way home, but stopped short when he saw his car. “You didn’t go and get it?” he asked, going pale as a feeling of dread overtook him.
His fears were confirmed as he opened the door. He froze in shock. No. No way.
Piffy: Yes way!
What was Trent doing here? And why… was he so dressed up? He looked like he’d just stepped out of every spy movie ever made.
Piffy: *giggles*
He looked… good.
George wanted to slap the look right off Nathaniel’s face
Penryn: Oh, violence in the narration! We’re starting out well, aren’t we?
Piffy: George, already fantasizing about intimate partner violence.
Penryn: With his boss whom he’s not even in that kind of relationship with.
Piffy: Yup!
at seeing Trent sitting so comfortably in their—Nathaniel’s home,
looking like he owned the place.
Penryn: Well, you sure as hell don’t, George.
He was frozen in shock,
Penryn: Him, too? Copycat.
but anger radiated out of every pore of his body.
Piffy: He’s frozen in fury?
Penryn: And shock.
Piffy: What does that look like?!
What did Trent want now?
Nathaniel blushed
and pulled his robe tighter around him to hide his traitorous body’s reaction. Now, it seemed, he was trapped in a room with two men who had forced themselves on him, and his body was reacting pleasurably to one of them.
Piffy: Awkward. And terrifying.
He had to run. He couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move? He was telling his body to move, but instead his feet were walking, and he was sitting down on the couch, on the opposite side from Trent. His heart was pounding.
Watching with disgust at Nathaniel’s reaction,
Piffy: Shut the fuck up, George! I know he didn’t say anything, but he still needs to shut up.
Penryn:
George went to stand near the kitchen table and kept a close eye on the two of them. He couldn’t help the daggers he shot Trent,
Piffy: Wow, he’s not even putting himself between them in an attempt to defend Nathaniel, whom he allegedly cares about?
seeing the way the man he was in love with responded to him.
Piffy: What part of Nathaniel HID his reaction did George not get? Because adjusting your robe to cover yourself more is a completely normal reaction to running into someone who did what Trent did.
Rena:
Piffy: Just admit you’re reading the narration, George.
“Hi, boys,” Trent greeted them from the couch. “We need to have a conversation.”
Trent didn’t miss a thing. He clocked George’s reaction right away. Honestly… Nathaniel genuinely believed ‘no one’ loved him? Showed how much he thought of George.
Piffy: Oh, has Trent not gone over the footage from earlier this morning?
Sigyn: He hasn’t had time to. He was running errands all morning.
Trent understood how George must be feeling, because he had felt that way too, about Josh, about Nathaniel, about others. But Trent had never told Nathaniel to go and fall in lust with him; he’d just wanted to intimidate Nathaniel a bit. So he sat, poised, cool as a cucumber, and let George be silently angry and jealous at him.
He pulled his briefcase into his lap and opened it, withdrawing a jewel case. “George, is it? Would you be so kind as to place this in the DVD player?”
Piffy: He remembered George’s name!
George blinked when he realized that Trent was speaking to him. What? Nodding, he took the case from Trent, turned on the TV, and placed the disc in the DVD player.
Piffy: What happened to radiating anger out of every pore? Trent tells you to do a thing and you’re just doing it?
Penryn: He’s happy Trent remembered his name! (Or guessed correctly.)
Piffy: *wheezes*
What was this? Why did they have to watch something from Trent? What did he want?
Penryn: He wants you to pop that in the DVD player and watch it. Pay attention.
George stepped back as he crossed his arms again and flashed Nathaniel a glare
Cygnet: …what the fuck?
before he focused back on the TV.
~
The video was time and date stamped. It started with Nathaniel in the bathroom taking 4x his prescribed anti-anxiety dosage, and even zoomed in on the dosage label and panned to the pills in Nathaniel’s hand to make a point. It then cut to the massage room.
Trent pulled three small bowls of pre-made popcorn out of his briefcase and handed one to Nathaniel and one to George. He munched his own popcorn nonchalantly, pretending not to notice Nathaniel’s mortification.
He had even considerately added subtitles to the whole thing.
Cygnet: And SOMEHOW he had enough free time for this.
Piffy: Without Rebecca noticing.
Cygnet: Subtitling that clip from a Sweeney Todd stage play took me THREE HOURS. It’s a FIVE-MINUTE CLIP.
Every time Nathaniel spoke, or even moved his lips, Trent had accurately transcribed it. Which meant there was no way George could miss the bit at the end where Nathaniel confessed that he was in love with Trent.
When the film ended, Trent politely waited for the other two’s reactions to die down before speaking again.
~
Watching the entire movie, George had frozen in place, his face a picture of damn near perfect rage and mortified humiliation. He was so damn mad, now that he knew what had happened and what had been said, thanks to Trent’s subtitles, that it took all of four minutes after the movie had finished before he could even think of how to respond.
Threnody: Where the hell does George get off being angry?
Piffy: I mean, I’d be mad at Trent and absolutely mortified at my own actions.
Cin: I would be mmmmprobably a little embarrassed.
Threnody: If I thought George was mad at Trent, I wouldn’t have said anything.
When he turned, it was slowly, like out of a horror flick
Désmoda, cheerfully: Luckily for you, Nathaniel likes those!
Piffy: I think he’d prefer not to be in one, but it’s a little late for that.
and his eyes locked, not with Trent’s, but with Nathaniel’s, in a look so angry
Threnody: Like I said.
that if looks could kill, then Nathaniel would be dead, buried and still digging!
Piffy: Wow.
Cin: So he’s mad at the guy he just realized he date raped… and not at the guy rubbing his nose in it, who also date raped the same guy. OKAY.
Penryn: That’s a decision, I guess.
“You…You FOOL!” he shouted at the half naked man sitting on the end of the couch. “So that’s why you were so—You let me believe—
Penryn: No, buddy, you believed what you wanted to believe. Nobody forced your hand there.
I can’t believe you!!” he raged, though his voice was soft
Piffy: He raged with two exclamation points, but his voice was soft.
with the barely contained anger he felt coursing through him.
He had never spoken to Nathaniel like this before.
Piffy: Yeah, cause he would’ve gotten fired.
“Four times more then you were supposed to take, Nathaniel? 100MGS! ARE YOU INSANE!! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?”
Désmoda: Is he still speaking “softly”? Asking for a friend.
Piffy: I cannot emphasize enough how he is decidedly not screaming very softly in all caps at Trent for this violation of Nathaniel’s privacy.
Cygnet: Privacy, what’s privacy? Is that something you eat?
Désmoda: No, that’s privates. Pay attention.
Cygnet: I’m desperately trying not to.
His whole body shook as he fought the feelings that ran through him like lighting.
Akuma: Stop trying to get us to pity you! You are the worst!
“And then you tell me that you took your meds with alcohol last night too? YOU ARE SO STUPID!!”
Cin: Someone GAVE him the alcohol! He didn’t just waltz up to a bar!
He paced to the DVD player and hit stop cause if it played again, George thought he might snap and kill Nathaniel for how he felt
Cin: So not only is he fantasizing about inflicting intimate partner violence on someone who’s not an intimate partner, he also has homicidal ideations towards that person. And NOT the person he was hired to protect Nathaniel from. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
Piffy: George thinks that he’s the real victim here, and I don’t understand.
Désmoda: Well, it’s very simple.
Troy: Oh, no.
Désmoda: You see, not returning someone’s romantic feelings is, in fact, a far worse sin than trifles like battery, rape, and attempted murder. I hope this helps!
Penryn: No, sorry, that’s bullshit. Nathaniel is not responsible for George’s feelings. It’s not okay to want to kill someone for simply not liking you back.
and then looked back at Nathaniel with a look that was more frightening then his anger. It was calm. Positively frighteningly so.
Piffy: Dictating Nathaniel’s emotional response!
Penryn: Major party foul.
“You really are a Moron!” He said, using the same word usage that had set him off that Rebecca had used on him, unknowingly.
Penryn: So …was Bex trying to get George attacked? What’s going on here? Is this some sort of non-negotiated brat-taming?
“So when you said you loved me, it wasn’t what you said at all…?”
Penryn: WHY IS THAT YOUR FOCUS?!
Désmoda: I just explained that!
Piffy: He didn’t even know who George was! Even if he had, this is not an acceptable response!
His eyes finally flicked to Trent’s and then back to Nathaniel. “Is. It. True?” He growled out, fists balled.
Cin: So now he’s gone from violent ideation to actually threatening violence, against the person who, I cannot emphasize enough, has been hired to keep him safe.
Piffy: Frankly, I would not fault Nathaniel for running at this point. Fuck this conversation. Fuck trying to reason with either of these assholes.
“And for ONCE in your life…don’t you LIE to me!”
Penryn: Firstly, when has he lied to you? Secondly, you don’t have the right to make these demands from him.
He was practically ignoring Trent now, oblivious to how he had gotten that footage.
Piffy: What do you mean, “oblivious”? How was that not at the forefront of your mind the entire time you were watching that?
All his attention was on Nathaniel and how he responded to this.
Threnody:
~
Nathaniel wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.
Piffy: I mean, relatable.
Well, that explained a lot. He had never told George about the sedative. Now… watching the expressions on George’s face as the body work escalated, something finally got through to him.
Penryn: Is it that George is a terrible person?
Piffy: I hope it’s that George is a terrible person.
Zay: Oh, my sweet summer children.
He looked from the tape, to George (who looked furious and heartbroken), to Trent (who was clearly enjoying the drama).
Maze: Same. Popcorn, anyone?
He also caught Trent appraising his body and leaning forward unconsciously when George started marking him up. So Trent is attracted to me after all. Why do I care? And George…
He sat there numbly as George exploded at him. George hadn’t taken advantage of him on purpose. He had thought he had Nathaniel’s enthusiastic, even demanding, consent. And he had been so willing, so eager, to please.
“Yeah,” he answered, without thinking. “I want to die. But 100 mgs of Atarax isn’t going to kill me. I just needed to take the edge off. I can’t stop thinking about what you” —he glared at Trent, who smiled back at him— “did to me, and I don’t want to think about it. I hate that I keep having flashbacks. I hate that I liked it—” Nathaniel covered his mouth. Fuck. What had he just said? He turned in horror to Trent, who was watching him serenely.
“Oh my God,” said Nathaniel. “I think I like you.”
“Well, no shit, Sherlock!” said Trent, amused. “What was your first clue? And, while you’ve been obsessing over me this whole time, you’ve been taking poor George for granted.” Trent’s expression turned solemn. “I feel for him, Nathaniel, I really do.
Piffy: Nathaniel, run. Run run run run run run run.
Désmoda: I’m disappointed that Trent isn’t more upset with George for mishandling his property.
You’re doing the same thing to him that Rebecca did to me. I tried to tell you last night, but you were so out of it.”
He faced Nathaniel full-on and took both his hands to ground him. Nathaniel jumped but didn’t pull away. He gazed into Trent’s eyes as though hypnotized, blue drawn to green.
“Nathaniel,” Trent said gently, choosing his words carefully to cause the least possible harm to the damaged man before him, “Rebecca will not allow me to be in a triad with you. She is going to be my wife, and you need to respect that.
Threnody: And you assaulting him was so respectful of your future marriage. Okay.
Meanwhile, you have someone in your life who is madly in love with you, and he is just trying to keep you from destroying yourself. He wants to take care of you, and he wants you to love him for it.
Maze: BLECCCCHHHHH
Piffy: He has a weird way of showing it.
So you can’t say that no one loves you, because George does.
Penryn: No! no that’s not love
Isn’t that right, George?”
Piffy: *whimpers in despair*
~
George had no idea what was happening…again!
Piffy: Oh, wow! It’s okay, take a moment to read the narration again.
Nathaniel had said he wanted to die? That broke his heart.
Piffy: Oh yes, Nathaniel’s feelings are all about George! Of course!
Akuma: George, Do You Mean?
He had tried everything he knew to make the man see him, love him and in the end, it had come to nothing.
Piffy: Wow, I didn’t realize you had sat Nathaniel down when you were both sober and Nathaniel wasn’t in crisis and told him how you felt in a calm, rational, not-yelling-at-him way! Because if you did, that wasn’t on-screen.
Cin: More importantly, Cue Music!
Nathaniel had raged at him, yelled at him, and threatened to fire him.
Penryn: As well he should!
Piffy: All relatively minor compared to what George had done!
All the while, George had remained steadfast in his unwavering devotion,
Sigyn: THAT IS NOT WHAT “UNWAVERING DEVOTION” LOOKS LIKE!
used to the man’s rages and bouts of superiority.
Piffy: Oh, boo fucking hoo.
Akuma:
He was kind of a snob, after all.
Penryn: Well, yeah. He’s Nathaniel Plimpton III, from a family of high-profile real estate lawyers. Who the hell are you?
Averna: Uhhh Jeremy?
Through it all, in the time period he had known Nathaniel, he had never once complained. Not once.
Akuma: And now, the other one!
But this…this was almost too much.
Hearing he liked Trent, something went out of George,
Désmoda: Is it your life? I would really enjoy it if it was your life.
Piffy: Let me play you the tiniest violin.
Akuma: Hey, give that back! I need it for practice!
and he took a stuttering step back till he found a chair and flopped over into it.
Piffy: Is a stuttering step like stumbling? Cause I’m imagining he starts to take a step back, then his heel catches the floor three different times before he goes through with it.
He rested his head in his hands as he tried to block everything else out.
Piffy: Because truly, George is the real victim here.
Penryn: He certainly thinks he is.
Désmoda: … I can make it worse. Let me make it worse. Please? I can really give him something to stumble and flop in despair and whine about. PRETTY PLEASE???
Piffy: Isn’t he already insufferable enough?
Désmoda: My basement is soundproof ^-^
Fighting the tears that wanted to come at hearing the confession pour out the man he loved’s mouth.
Piffy: ✨The man he loved✨
Everything had been a lie then, and he had tricked himself into believing that Nathaniel actually had admitted that he loved him.
He faded everything out, feeling so low and desolate that he didn’t know how he was going to get through this day,
until he heard his name being called. Looking up, he wiped his eyes a second before nodding.
Trent was…helping him? Now he knew the world had gone screwy.
Piffy: Seriously? What about Trent having footage inside the house?
Penryn: Yeah, especially since I don’t think George knows Trent is in tech. I don’t think anyone other than Rebecca and maybe Paula and Josh would know Trent’s in tech.
These two men hated each other,
Penryn: Clearly they don’t, so why don’t you stop deluding yourself and get with the times?
and now, they were holding hands and Trent was enforcing what he had been trying to tell Nat last night and even throwing in his name? This was ludicrous at its best! But he had to answer, Gods, he couldn’t miss this chance again!
Piffy: Oh. For. Fuck’s. Sake. Stop your pity party, George. You are not the injured party here. You should have known better than to do anything with Nathaniel at the time you did–
Penryn: WAIT A SECOND! George actually SHOULD have known Nathaniel was on seds because he was the one measuring out Nathaniel’s meds for him! He clearly knew Nathaniel had gone through a traumatic event requiring prescription sedatives, so he should have also realized Nathaniel’s ability to meaningfully consent to anything was dubious at BEST.
Piffy: Even if he had known for a fact that Nathaniel was completely sober, that’s the kind of erratic behavior that ought to give someone pause. George should have been like, “Um, are you sure about that?” when Nathaniel asked him to do those things–
Penryn: ACTUALLY! George was the one who initiated sexually molesting Nathaniel during the massage! He took off his clothes to avoid “abrading Nathaniel’s perfect skin” and was biting him and other inappropriate things, and he even said he was trying to be subtle “so Nathaniel wouldn’t fuss at him for it”.
Piffy: Yikes! That’s worse. That’s really worse.
Cin: Oh, speaking of pity parties, I may or may not have written a song!
“That’s right! It’s what I have been trying to tell you for the last two days, Nat—Nathaniel.” He said strongly but softly.
Rena: *giggles* “STRONG”ly.
“I do love you.
Why else would I do all…that…for you?”
Penryn: Imagine raping someone and then asking, “Why else would I do that if I didn’t love you?“
Désmoda: That’s called “Tuesday,” Penryn. You just described Tuesday.
Piffy: I think you just illustrated Penryn’s point perfectly.
Désmoda: *beaming* Thank you! 😇
Piffy: That wasn’t a compliment.
Désmoda: Thank 🙃 you 🙃
He wasn’t going to mention the sexual aspect of it,
Piffy: OH. *angry huffing noises*
Penryn: Yeah, because that’s the first thing that came to mind for us.
that side spoke for itself,
Cin: I don’t think you’re making the point that you think you’re making.
Piffy: *noises of disgust*
but everything else, from the time they had met, he had done for love. No questions asked.
Penryn: Or for the paycheck.
Rena: I hate it when they get those two things confused.
Piffy: I have been reading way too many Japanese fairy tales where a man of indeterminate age falls madly in love with a 16-yo girl he just met for me to accept George’s bullshit right now. Or ever. But especially not now. Fuck this whole “love at first sight” nonsense.
Sigyn: …the premise of the Trebecca pairing is love at first sight nonsense.
Piffy: *frustrated* Okay, you’ve got me there.
Sigyn: BUT, George demonstrably did NOT fall in love with Nathaniel at first sight. His first reaction to Nathaniel was, “Who’s the new guy? I don’t trust him!” He and the rest of the office did a literal song and dance about it!
“I just thought you were a particularly loyal employee,” said Nathaniel sheepishly.
Penryn: To be fair, he’s on drugs and deeply traumatized.
“So…this whole time? Even back when you were helping me with Rebecca, before Trent’s …accident? And then, when she was in jail, you…came to my camping spot. You helped me…” Nathaniel’s mind was racing as he tried to absorb everything. “This is what you’ve been so mad about. It wasn’t that you thought I didn’t appreciate your good work, it’s that you… Oh…”
He didn’t withdraw his hands from Trent’s, and Trent didn’t release them. He was holding him steady, holding him down to earth, making sure Nathaniel didn’t go for pills or booze or anything and just stayed right here, having this awkward conversation. And it worked, because now that Nathaniel had admitted it to himself, he couldn’t stop thinking about how nice Trent’s hands were, how warm they felt, how warm he was, just as a person.
Piffy: Oh yes, so warmly throwing someone across the room.
Serleina: IT’S A LOVE LANGUAGE, PIFFY, DON’T BE SO JUDGMENTAL!
Penryn: She’s literally here to be judgmental.
Piffy: Serleina, this is you.
His eyes drifted from Trent’s eyes to his lips, but Trent gave a little shake of his head, as if to say, ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Nathaniel looked balefully from Trent over to George. Average, generic, more-than-3%-body-fat George,
Penryn: Wow, Nathaniel has some body-image issues!
who had been devoted to him all this time.
Penryn:
But to accept George, when he had such lofty standards for his own body, would be like settling… although, from what he had seen, George was apparently really good in bed.
Threnody:
Piffy: No, Nathaniel, I’m going to have to ask you to redo that sentence from the start.
But even as that thought crossed his mind, he found himself thinking, he was more curious about how Trent was in bed.
Piffy: *groans*
Was he a sadist, too? He’d somehow managed to get Rebecca from despising him to being over the moon that they were together.
Sex had to be at least a part of that, right?
The situation was different than what Trent had described to him. It wasn’t at all like when Rebecca had pushed away Trent to be with Josh or himself. But George wasn’t the new Trent, because Trent was right here, and Trent wasn’t the new Josh, because there was no comparison.
“Hey,” he dimly heard Trent saying to him. “Hey, Nathaniel. It’s okay. You’ll figure this out.” He felt himself being pulled into a hug,
Piffy: *noises of disgust*
and he realized he had been crying.
Trent held Nathaniel gently, rocking him like he was a child, cradling his head with an apologetic look to George. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he mouthed.
Désmoda: Why, though? George is the one not taking care of your property, not the other way round!
Piffy: George is clearly in the wrong here, but not for the reasons Désmoda is implying.
Trent really did empathize with George, but he also had a tough time with rejecting anyone, knowing how he personally handled rejection.
Penryn: Remember that! Trent had a tough time with rejecting anyone, knowing how he personally handled rejection. It was stated as early as this.
His priority was to keep Nathaniel safe and sane right now. George could just be mad about it.
Penryn: Ooh!
Nathaniel clung to Trent and wept openly, letting every painful and miserable emotion wrack his body with sobs. He’d lost Rebecca and Mona, Trent didn’t want him, and he had royally fucked things up with Cat. And part of him admitted that if he did get together with George, he would just be pining after Trent…
Piffy: Yep, this is pretty far up there on the list of rough days.
Penryn: Rough weeks, even.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped out. “I’m a mess, you’re right, I’ve been a complete idiot. Trent should have killed me when he had the chance.”
“Whoa,” said Trent sternly. He pulled back from Nathaniel and thumbed the tears away from his face. “Listen to me. I didn’t like the way you were treating Rebecca, and I reacted rashly. But you do NOT get to sit here in front of someone we JUST confirmed is in love with you,
Tokiomi: Okay, I believe him! 😀
and tell me to kill you. That’s not going to happen.”
Nathaniel sniffled. “But I don’t—” He stopped short at the warning in Trent’s eyes. Trent was right. He needed to be more sensitive.
Nathaniel looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. For the altercation with Rebecca.”
“I’m not a messenger boy, tell her yourself,” said Trent firmly.
“And I’m sorry, George. I… I understand if you need to quit, or take some time off, but…
Penryn: No! You should be firing his ass! Are you kidding me?!
If I can’t have Trent, then I’m not ready to be with any man right now.”
Piffy: Why aren’t you just telling both of these guys to get out of your house or you’ll call the cops?
Sigyn: Because I don’t believe the cops are actually good for anything, so that never occurs to me as an option. Also, in California, it’s legal to unalive home intruders.
~
The whole of his world collapsed in that instant
Serleina:
Piffy: My sympathy for George is -2.
and for George, it was like a blow had been dealt that hurt so much that he didn’t think he could breathe.
But even harder was the effort of being strong
for the one you loved above all else
Piffy: You really haven’t been demonstrating that, George.
and not show just how you were dying inside.
Penryn: Instead, whinge about it in your narration in an effort to make your co-writer pity you!
George could honestly say that he loved Nathaniel that much.
Piffy: Oh, really?
He would be the strong one, this time, and vent his emotions later, out of ear shot and eyesight of the other man.
Piffy: He is virtue-signalling to the audience that he’s going to vent privately this time instead of yelling at Nathaniel and calling him an idiot again?
Akuma:
So, swallowing his tears, anger and the desolate longing of rejection,
Piffy: *makes noises that indicate she is rolling her eyes, And It Showed… audibly!*
George simply shook his head and met Nathaniel’s eyes with his own.
“I’m not quitting, Nathaniel. Why ever would I do that?” He managed to say in a calm, clear voice, devoid of any emotion except empathy and concern.
Piffy:
Penryn: Empathy’s not an emotion.
“I will accept what you have said and not cross any lines you set. I know now, what is going on, and that… I can handle.”
His voice almost broke at the last part, but he meant it.
Piffy: Um…
He had been Nathaniel’s confidant and friend long before he had fallen hard for him.
Penryn: Wait, didn’t he say he had fallen for him at first sight?
He didn’t want that to stop.
Turning his eyes back to Trent, George nodded, as if thanking the man for saying the things he had, and for trying to give him an ‘in’.
Penryn: Trent is a HORRIBLE judge of character.
That had been unexpected, but still, he could be big enough not to hold any hostility towards him if Trent could be civil in return.
Akuma: I cannot overstate how much you don’t get a cookie for that.
Piffy: omf nomf omf nomf
Seira: But Piffy and I get cookies! ^-^
Only as he turned to go get some water for both Nathaniel and himself, did it hit him. That footage? How did—!
Piffy: It’s about time.
“And, Nathaniel, as far as I’m concerned, we can put the past behind us and be friends,” Trent said,
Threnody: Nathaniel’s also a horrible judge of character if he actually goes for that.
when he was sure Nathaniel had processed that George wasn’t quitting. “As soon as you apologize to my fiancée.”
Nathaniel looked up sharply at that. “Congratulations,” he said automatically.
“Thank you. And you two can keep that DVD. I’ve no use for it.”
Rena: Because it’s on the cloud!
Piffy: I can imagine Rebecca wouldn’t be too happy to find that DVD in Trent’s possession, either.
George nodded and took the DVD out and promptly snapped it in half and went to throw the pieces away in separate places. He was nothing if not thorough.
Piffy: So George just destroyed evidence of a crime he committed.
Rena: Correct, but it’s also illegally-obtained footage, so it wouldn’t be admissible.
Piffy: C-C-C-C-COMBO!
When he returned, he nodded more to himself and went into the kitchen to begin fixing lunch. Nathaniel hadn’t had much since breakfast and all this was a shock to his system, so George knew that Nat had to eat something.
Penryn: 1) Stop calling him Nat, and 2) Stop dictating his reactions.
Piffy: FOUL! PENALTY! *throws crackers at George*
It was simple, a few sandwiches and some apple slices, and a few slices of pineapple set out on the table. “Nat…lunch is ready.
Penryn: He’s told you at least twice not to call him that. *also throws crackers*
Trent, will you be joining us?” He asked, just to be polite, still upholding his calm and collected demeanor.
Cin: so what you mean is that he’s a faking faker who fakes.
~
Trent looked amused as George set out the pineapple slices.
“I didn’t expect you to actually take that suggestion,” he remarked to Nathaniel with a wink and a gesture.
Piffy: omg this is so gross.
Désmoda: *cackling*
Piffy: Why isn’t Nathaniel throwing Trent out?
Penryn: Because Nathaniel just confessed his feelings for Trent, and Trent helped keep him grounded when he let Nathaniel know it’s not gonna happen.
Sigyn: SPOILER ALERT! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nathaniel flushed vermillion.
“Thank you, George, but I should go. I’m going to be late for a wedding preparation appointment as it is.”
He put his hands together and bowed slightly to Nathaniel. “Please, Nathaniel. Apologize to Rebecca and Cat. And get your health and your life back on track. If not for yourself or for George, then for me, okay?”
Piffy: This entire scene is so uncomfortable.
Just because Trent couldn’t date Nathaniel didn’t mean he was above using Nathaniel’s feelings for him to steer him where Trent wanted him to go.
Sigyn:
As he was turning to go, he remembered something else. “Oh! If a man named Sebastian Freedman stops by, let him in.
Penryn: Do NOT let him in.
He’ll be collecting the surveillance cameras I had installed when Rebecca started sleeping with you.” And with that, he headed out and took an Uber to the dress boutique.
Piffy: oh my gosh.
Nathaniel watched him go. Well, he watched his body. Damn! It was a shame Rebecca didn’t want to share. But maybe she would at least forgive him. He took out his phone and texted her.
[I’m sorry for being such a jealous dick; for insulting you, hitting you,
Penryn: Wait, he didn’t actually hit her! He just raised his hand to her!
and trying to get Trent in trouble.
Threnody: FOR A CRIME THAT TRENT COMMITTED!
Désbob Chicken: FoR a cRiMe ThaT tReNt cOmMiTtEd
You two make a great couple. You’re both very lucky.]
~
“Uhhhggggg, this feels so amazing…!” Rebecca groaned out loud
Piffy: That’s not a noise I usually make when something’s good.
as she laid on in a mud bath, eyes closed with wraps on her arms and a facial on her face.
Piffy: As opposed to a facial on her toes.
Désmoda: …that’s called something different. But yes.
Penryn: I hope she means a facial mask.
“You are telling me, girl. Remind me to thank Trent when we get home and to be nicer to him….” Paula giggled from where she sat beside her friend.
Cygnet: The way “nicer” is italicised is questionable to me.
Rebecca giggled softly
Piffy: It’s giggly-time!
Lucius: *agrees, probably*
and lifted a cucumber from her eye and smirked at her friend.
“You? Being nicer to Trent? Did hell just freeze over?” She teased.
Penryn: Paula was rarely mean to Trent’s face in canon.
Piffy: And in-fic, she’s been violently protective of him.
“Shut up!” Paula smirked back.
“So I might have been a little… harsh… but he makes you happy so…” She trailed off and just relaxed.
Penryn: When was she harsh, though?
Piffy: *recaps chapter 2*
Penryn: Towards Trent, Piffy.
Piffy: Exactly.
~
Rebecca was just getting into the shower when her phone beeped. She picked it up, thinking it might be from Trent, since he had said he might be messaging her later with some questions and was surprised to see it was from Nathaniel. She almost deleted it, but she read it anyway.
Her eyes furrowed at what she read,
and it made her pause. It seemed genuine, but was it?
Sigyn: Oh, my bad. I forgot to write in his narration that it was 100% genuine, And It Showed.
She texted back, [Yes, we are. Incredibly lucky. We can talk about it later, Nathaniel….but thank you for apologizing. I am still VERY mad at you, but if you can be civil, I might want to meet up to talk it over with you, just to put things behind us. Take care of yourself.]
Penryn: That’s a lot more direct than I expect from her characters, so you know what? A+.
And with that, she got into the shower to clean off the mud and head on to the next activity.
~
[Understandable], Nathaniel wrote back to Rebecca.
Then, to Cat:
[I am so, so sorry. From what I can remember of our date, I was an oafish lout. And from what I’ve been told of what I can’t remember, I was worse than that. Can we start over? I’ll be sober this time. PS: You really are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen!]
Penryn: *gags*
Piffy: d’awwwwww
~
Cat got a text and she sighed, rolling her eyes
seeing who it was from. She really didn’t want to hear from Nathaniel after what happened
Penryn: That would be valid if she’d actually bailed out when he’d given her the out.
but she decided to give it a shot and see what he said.
After reading it, she couldn’t help but smirk
and shook her head but replied, [Nathaniel, you weren’t exactly the worst date I have ever been on,
Cin: I would love to hear about the worst date she’s ever been on.
so…let’s put this behind us and start again. Only, no pills or alcohol while we are together, promise?
Penryn: “Don’t take your prescription when we’re together.”
Piffy: Also, it feels like every single Bex character is scolding Nathaniel for his substance issues.
Penryn: Let me reiterate— not for you, Piffy, because you know this, but– The pills Nathaniel took on the date were his prescription pills, he took the correct amount of them, and the drink he had was handed to him by someone else. He didn’t just take like a gram of drugs and go up to the bar like, “Hey fuck me up on whiskey.”
Piffy: 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Luci: Just @ me next time.
Rena: I know, right? photo.png
Thank you for apologizing though, that was mighty big of you and for the compliments. Let me know when next you want to get together.]
~
Nathaniel wrote, [That surprises me… And fair enough. The pain pills were legit; I was in the hospital last week after I lost a fight,
Cin: Yep, that’s one way of putting it!
but I shouldn’t have mixed them with alcohol. I’m going to take some time to let things settle, but we can chat & get to know each other in the meantime :)]
Nathaniel eyed the food George had set in front of him. “Thanks,” he said. Then, sheepishly, “You don’t have to feed me pineapple anymore.
Cin: He does if he’s planning to suck your dick, too!
I guess Trent was joking when he said… Anyway, are you sure you want to stay here after all that?”
Penryn: Why would you WANT him to?
Piffy: Right?
George smiled faintly at Nathaniel and nodded. “Yes, I am sure, Nat—Nathaniel. You have been my friend first before I developed feelings for you.
Penryn:
I don’t want that to stop.” He chuckled softly
and reached across the man’s plate and took his slices of pineapple and nibbled on it.
“So, you apologized to both Rebecca and that girl you went out with—Cat?
Penryn: I’m at least pleased he’s not calling her “that woman” anymore.
How did that go?” he asked, curious, though he wasn’t really sure why he was asking.
Penryn and Piffy: Because he was curious?
Piffy: Or for no particular reason?
Penryn: You have to pick one.
The answers, one at least, would only hurt, but he would try and be happy for Nat. He cared enough to try at least.
“Looks like we’re cautiously optimistic,” said Nathaniel. He screenshotted the conversations and sent them to Greg and Josh, and separately to Trent.
His phone pinged back with a text from Trent almost immediately. It said:
[Good boy. I’m proud of you, little bug :)]
Piffy: uhhmmmm
Nathaniel smiled and finished his lunch without complaint.
~
Greg looked down at his phone as it pinged and after reading the text, smiled, and texted back. ‘Good for you, man. I am glad you saw sense to apologize to them. That was awesome, man. Proud of you. Let me know when next we can hang out.’
*ACTION ITEM: Those quoties need to be bracketed instead.
Penryn: Greg said he’s proud of Nathaniel. REMEMBER THAT FOR LATER, KIDS!
Piffy: Why is Nathaniel even friends with Greg after what Greg said earlier?
Penryn: Probably the same reason he’s still friends with Trent and George: he’s a Terra-ble judge of character.
Piffy: *Akuma noise*
He was proud of Nathaniel, for admitting he was wrong, wasn’t something Nathaniel was known for. It took a lot, for him to admit he was wrong, and Greg respected him even more for it.
Penryn: …he doesn’t really seem to respect Nathaniel at all.
Piffy: Yeah, I’ve got some issues here.
~
“Hey, want to hit the gym after this?” Nathaniel asked George. Working out always made Nathaniel feel better.
George’s smile was warm, and he nodded at hearing Nathaniel’s question. “Sure. Sounds like fun. Though, maybe you can teach me what would work best for me.” He chuckled softly.
He finished his sandwich and chips and went to clean up, taking care of Nathaniel’s dishes as well. “But first, I really think you should shower and get dressed at least.” He chuckled and smirked back
Piffy: eugh
at the man who still sat half naked on the sofa.
Sigyn: *whining* I forgot he was half-naked.
“Unless you want everyone looking at you at the gym.”
Piffy: WOW UM. Wow.
Oh. Right. Nathaniel hadn’t gotten dressed yet. Well, that could wait.
Cin, weeping openly:
He was enjoying relaxing here with George for the time being.
Penryn: *screeches* WHY?!
Piffy: *splutters in disbelief*
Was George really considering working out again? The last time he had tried he had hurt himself from pulling a much-needed muscle in his back and had vowed: never again! But for Nathaniel, it might be fun, considering he worked out all the time. Couldn’t hurt.
Cin: Unless he pulls another back muscle! Which I’m hoping he does!
Nathaniel blinked. “You…don’t know the best workouts for your body type?” he asked. “Okay. I guess we’ll start with core and go from there. How do you feel about planks?”
Sigyn: *leans forward and yells into the mic* NOBODY LIKES PLANKS, NATHANIEL!
~
Sigyn: Okay, so, I don’t know how time works. Trent did a whole bunch of things before Nathaniel and George were about to go to the gym and we need to figure out a way to fix this.
Trent’s first errand went well. He knew all of Rebecca’s measurements and had a good idea of her tastes, so meeting with the dress boutique was no problem. He snapped pictures of dresses he thought she would like and texted them to her so she could decide. They could even do a full customization, with, for example, the sleeves of dress 1, the neckline of dress 2, and the skirt of dress 3.
Next was catering. He had briefly considered catering the wedding himself, but truth be told, he wanted to spend all his time doting on his bride on the day itself. So he met with multiple chefs, both professional and aspiring, and put them through cooking boot camp to prepare some of Rebecca’s favorite foods. He assigned each chef to their strongest dish and was satisfied with the menu by the end of the day. Unfortunately, it did take so long that he had to reschedule his third appointment, which would have been his own tuxedo fitting.
Lastly, he texted Rebecca to ask what theme she would like for their wedding and where she would like to honeymoon. They could discuss children later, he thought, once everything else was settled.
Piffy: No, you discuss children before you tie the knot!
Rena: Why? It’s not like knots aren’t untie-able.
~
Rebecca and Paula were enjoying the sauna and sipping on martinis when her phone blipped again.
Penryn: Whose phone? There are two women in that sentence!
“I thought we were on vacay?” Paula teased. “If it’s Nathaniel again, tell him hi for me.” She said it in such a way that made Rebecca giggle.
Cin: Rebecca’s always giggling. That means nothing.
“No, it’s Trent. Look…he sent images of dresses. Oh! They are so beautiful!”
Paula leaned over and smiled brightly at the images. The man had good taste.
*Action Item: Describe the dresses.
“They are, but should he see the dress before the day…or you for that matter?”
Piffy: A bride picks out her own wedding dress in person. You don’t just roll up like, “Hey, I have this woman’s measurements.” The actual process is, the bride goes to the shop, tries on the dresses that are off-the-shelf, and then the tailor measures how much they have to take in using her body as the dress form.
Sigyn: I’ll keep that in mind, but Trent’s just sending her ideas. She’d be there for the actual tailoring.
“You know Trent, Paula. Everything he does, he does because he loves me,
Piffy: Um… Paula actually does not know Trent that well.
and I don’t know if that applies anymore.” She looked over the dresses and choose the one that looked freer flowing but with a form fitting bodice. In the text she sent him, she wrote, [Love the choices, Babe.
Number 3 is perfect. Raise the sleeves a bit and make the skirt a bit longer and it’s perfect!] She sent that one first and then looked at Paula.
Sigyn: And then from here, Trent would write down the suggestions and take Rebecca in-person to have the dress actually tailored to her.
“He’s asking me about a theme and where I want to go on our honeymoon?!” She smirked and chuckled softly.
“I haven’t even thought of that yet.”
“What do you think you would like?” Paula asked. “Think about that and then type it out and send it to him.”
Piffy: That’s how most people answer texts, yes.
Trophy: NOT MEEEEEE! =D
The next text looked a little something like this:
[Trent, this is super exciting, and I can’t wait to marry you. Far as theme goes, I really love the idea of an outside wedding. Kind of Celtic in a way as that has always held romantic connotations for me.
Penryn: Please provide citations from canon. Plus, wouldn’t she want to avoid outdoor wedding since her first failed wedding was outdoors and almost ended up with her yeeting herself off a cliff?
Far as the honeymoon, Baby, no matter where we go is perfect as long as we are together, however, I have always wanted to see Vienna…maybe Austria?
Penryn: Please provide citations from canon. (This bothers me because it’s the same self-insert-y shit she does for ALL her characters, with very little variety between them.)
Piffy: I am very pro-“filling in gaps from canon with whatever you want,” but not pro-“it’s the same thing every time.”
lol I love you so much.
Having a great weekend and hope you are too. Miss and love you!
xoxo ❤ <3]
With that, she sent it and smiled back at Paula who raised her glass and they clinked it together.
~
Trent texted the notes about the dress to the boutique consultant and filed away the rest of the information. Vienna or Austria… beautiful countries he had also wanted to visit.
[Perfect], he texted her back. [I miss and love you too.
Btw update on N situation. I brought his car back & had convo with him & G. Made sure he understands where the line is.]
His last errand of the day was to stop by the Proctor’s with actual lunches and dinners for Paula’s husband and sons; Scott was pretty much hopeless.
Sigyn: That’s not a “teehee men” thing; Scott in canon was pretty much hopeless at food prep.
He texted Rebecca to say hi to Paula and let her know that’s what he was doing, and then set about preparing some simple meals.
~
Reading the text from her fiancé, Rebecca smiled and nodded. [Glad things went well Babe.]
and then turned to tell Paula what Trent was doing and showed her the text’s when she didn’t believe her.
“He is not!” Paula smirked in disbelief.
Piffy:
“Maybe he isn’t so bad after all.
Piffy: She was making bomb threats on his behalf earlier. How is she only now coming around?
Tell him thanks from me.”
Rebecca texted back, [Paula says hi, and thank you Love.
She even said that you ‘aren’t all that bad after all’ and that she will be nicer to you.
Penryn: Nicer than what, though?
I think she likes you. lol See you when I get home. Love you lots! xoxo]
This had been the most relaxing weekend she had ever had,
and they hadn’t even checked out the stores yet. Rebecca smirked to herself
thinking of the things that she could purchase, and wondered…what sort of things would Trent be into? Those thoughts made her giggle thinking of it
Penryn: Paging the Department of Redundancy Department.
Cygnet: You’ve reached the Directory of Calls Directory. How may we direct your call?
as she finished off her drink.
~
Nathaniel headed off to the shower and was about to start the water when his phone pinged. He fished it out of his bathrobe pocket and read the text.
[Can you help me with something?]
Nathaniel was puzzled but intrigued. “Hold that thought,” he called out from the bathroom to George. He grabbed his keys and drove…
Sigyn: Yeah, so, I definitely think they had time to shower and hit the gym in the time it took Trent to sort out dresses, catering, and the Proctors’ food.
~
It hadn’t been too hard for Trent to prep quick food for the appetite of a man and two growing boys, but he’d gotten a little messy in the process, and he didn’t want to go over to the Proctors looking like he’d bathed in grease. But Rebecca was the person who helped him with water stuff, and she was out for the weekend.
Threnody: So naturally he texted Nathaniel, who just six hours before, admitted to having a crush on him. Of course. That makes perfect sense.
A knock sounded at the door. Trent discarded his apron and clothes and went to the door.
“Hey, little bug,” he said. “Thanks for coming over…”
Piffy: He’s answering the door naked.
Sigyn: Bathing suit, but Nathaniel should still be triggered as hell. He isn’t because I SAID SO JUST GO WITH IT OK
Piffy: Wait! Why didn’t Trent just call Sebastian?
Sigyn: …because I didn’t think about it, why? but post-hoc, he could have done this deliberately just to fuck with Nathaniel.
~
George was halfway through the dishes when Nat suddenly ran out the door, shouting he would be back. That was… odd.
“Nathaniel! Where are you go—?” He tilted his head and his eyes furrow.
Did the man even get dressed?
Sigyn:
He had gone back to take a shower, but George had been in the kitchen and didn’t see him leave. So he didn’t know.
“This day gets any weirder and I will have a coronary, I just know it.” he muttered
Penryn: GOOD! I hope you die before the Weewoo Wagon arrives.
Serleina: Ooh!
as he went to take a shower instead. Leastways he could vent his pent-up frustrations and emotions now that Nat wasn’t home.
~
“…” Nathaniel stood in the doorway as he took in Trent’s appearance. He was grubby and grimy and… wearing that scanty bathing suit he had worn the day he’d attacked him.
Piffy: And then Nathaniel picked his jaw up off the floor, turned around, and left.
Sigyn:
As soon as Nathaniel was inside, Trent handed him a set of black and dark grey paisley swim trunks. Nathaniel put them on, with a questioning look.
“Are we going to shoot a music video or something?” he asked dumbly.
Trent laughed. “No, silly. I need your help with something.” He took Nathaniel’s hand and led him to the bathroom. “I just… I’m not used to showering alone, and Rebecca isn’t here, and my best friend disappeared off the face of the planet I GUESS.”
Nathaniel’s mouth went dry. Trent had made it very clear that they weren’t going to have a relationship, but he was asking Nathaniel to shower with him? “You want me to…”
“Oh, yeah, just sit outside the tub and make sure I don’t fall or hit my head.”
So nonchalant. Did Trent have any idea what he was doing…?
Piffy: He was about to take a shower with a severe phobia of water.
Penryn: Regarding leading Nathaniel on.
Piffy: Oh.
But on the other hand… He’d take it.
“Okay,” Nathaniel said weakly. “Just let me know if you need anything.”
Piffy: awkward so awkward… *squirming from how awkward this is*
Sigyn: *grinning joyfully*
Trent smiled his gratitude at the other man and turned on the water. He set the spray to lukewarm and …why wasn’t he pulling closed the shower curtain?! So he— he literally wanted Nathaniel to watch him bathe?!
Nathaniel obliged, his eyes roving greedily over Trent’s perfect body.
Piffy: *groans*
He wondered, not for the first time, “How are you more muscular than me?!”
“Oh, I drag boulders and trees for fitness,” Trent replied casually. “I haven’t in a while, though. I might be out of shape. But it’s a great way to step up your workout. You should come sometime.”
“I plan to,” Nathaniel replied, his tongue practically hanging out of his mouth as he watched Trent lather his body.
Piffy: He’s making an anime sex face.
Sigyn: Yes, he is! 😀
Trent smiled at him. “Good!” he enthused.
For such a devious man, Trent could be so innocent.
“Trent, um…” Nathaniel started to explain, but thought better of it.
“Yes?”
“…do you need me to wash your back?”
Trent paused. Nathaniel thought he looked tempted. But after a moment, he shook his head and said, “Can you pass me the long-handled loofah?”
Nathaniel was disappointed, but he did as he was asked. He didn’t know why he had expected Trent to take him up on that. Being allowed to touch that flawlessly muscular body… would have been far too much temptation. Hell, even watching him was a lot.
Trent finished cleaning his body and stepped out, but left the water running. “It’s your turn,” he said simply. “Would you prefer some privacy?”
Nathaniel was about to say no, but on the other hand, he really, desperately needed to take care of himself, and as much as he wanted Trent’s help, he knew it would be over the line.
Cin: OOH! CUE MUSIC!
“I’ll… be out soon,” he said.
Trent nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Then he got dressed, went to the kitchen, packed everything up, and drove it to the Proctors, trusting Nathaniel alone in his home. He figured Nathaniel might want some time away from George to process everything anyway, and, as innocent as he acted, he knew what Nathaniel wanted to do in that shower.
~
Nathaniel’s cuts still stung under the water, and it still heightened the pleasure he got thinking about Trent. Now he had fresh images in his mind to use. God, the man was such a tease! Was he doing this on purpose? Did he even know what he was doing? Fuck!
“Oh, Trent,” he moaned, letting his head tip back and his eyes slide closed. “I love what you do to me…”
~
When Trent was finished with his errand and came home, the shower was still running. He immediately ran to the bathroom and tore aside the curtain. Nathaniel was slumped onto the bathtub floor, eyes closed, smiling peacefully. Trent frowned and shut off the water, then grabbed a towel and set about patting Nathaniel dry. He checked him for signs of a fall, concussion, anything…but no, it seemed Nathaniel had literally just pleasured himself until he passed out.
Piffy: Seriously? Seriously?
Sigyn: Yes, you can masturbate until you pass out.
Piffy: But why in the shower?
Sigyn: He didn’t wanna get anything else dirty.
Piffy: That’s not even his water bill!
Penryn: It’s Rebecca’s. Wait, Rebecca’s going to notice something weird when she gets the water bill!
Piffy: Also, Nathaniel, that is terrible etiquette. Please do that at home.
Penryn: But George is in his home.
Piffy: Kick George out and then do that at home.
Sigyn: Trent specifically left Nathaniel alone so that Nathaniel could do that. These men have an understanding between them, you see. And that understanding is called a “hivemind”.
The swim trunks had been folded and put on the bathroom counter, practically unused.
Good thing Rebecca doesn’t come back for another night, Trent thought.
Threnody: I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the fact that you have to hide from your fiancée the fact that you invited a guy you molested over to masturbate in your shower is kind of a red flag.
He picked Nathaniel up and carried him to his room, setting him more or less gently on the bed Trent had rarely used since he had moved in with Rebecca. He would let Nathaniel rest here, then lend him some clothes and send him back home.
Piffy: Why not the couch?
Sigyn: Because beds are comfortable. *pause* Trent Logic.
He put a guest blanket over Nathaniel’s peacefully sleeping form and gave him a friendly peck on the forehead.
Piffy: *squick noises*
“Goodnight, sleeping beauty,” he whispered, and went to the kitchen to clean up the mess in there.
Sigyn and Piffy React 