"And that means," he says, bouncing, "I can be gay AND be a dad someday AND not traumatize my kids and I don't have to try to be straight after all."

Was he always this cute.

He was always this cute. 

"Good." 

"--And Raine has left camp so we don't have to go back to camp and I don't have to see or talk to my parents EVER again."

"You don't!" 

"And I won't. Unless they decide they're okay with gay people."

Marlo laces their fingers together and smiles at Lev. 

"I should email my parents and tell them I'm gay."

"...I should email Natalie and tell her she has a fake sister and not a fake brother." 

"I should really talk to Alana but maybe not today." 

"I'm going to cry on you afterward," he says to Marlo.

He wraps an arm around Lev's shoulders and pulls him against his side. "That's why maybe not today," and he kisses the side of Lev's head. 

"I love you."

"I love you," and he kisses his Lev again, and again, and again. 

He works on the email for two and a half hours and winds up sending one that's four sentences long:

I'm gay. I'm in love with a guy. I'm not going to change. I love you. 

The email he gets back makes him rock back and forth staring at his laptop.

"Do you want me to delete it for you?" 

"That's-- probably a good idea--"

He does, and then pulls Lev into his lap and hugs him. 

"They're never going to be proud of me now."

"If they aren't proud of you they don't deserve you." 

"It still hurts."

"I know." 

"I'm... glad that I have you and you're proud of me."

"I'm glad I have you. And I'm sorry about your family." 

"I hope yours is better."

He's sniffling a bit into Marlo's shoulder.