bands and stuff. It's fun. It's a big nationwide party."
Ben blinked a few times. "You celebrate a guy being executed?"
"Well... or that he tried to end the monarchy. It's hard to say."
Ben chuckled and shook his head. "I've heard England is a strange country."
"All this," Jamie waved a hand, "is to celebrate a paper being signed."
"There was a war, too."
"And something about tea, too, as I recall." He grinned, and Ben grinned back.
"A tea tax, yeah. But I don't remember the whole thing--I didn't pay much attention in history class."
"Pity, that," Jamie said. "Then you can't explain it to confused foreigners."
"You'll manage," said Ben, laying his hand on the back of Jamie's neck. Jamie leaned his head against Ben's shoulder.
When the first of the fireworks boomed into the sky there was a chorus of "Oooos!" from the observers. Ben looked around again, watching people watch the show, and it pleased him for reasons he couldn't fathom to see how rapt Jamie's face was.
They couldn't speak as fireworks exploded overhead, and Jamie tipped back his head to watch the showers of light, food forgotten. "I read once," he said in a dreamy tone when it was quiet again, "that fireworks affect our pleasure centers. The--cerebellum? Maybe? I don't remember now. But that watching them makes us feel good."
"I don't know anybody who doesn't like them."
Jamie nodded, watching the sky. "Thank you."
"What for?"
"Looking after me." He looked at Ben. "Even though I've not been very nice to you."
Ben didn't know what to say for a moment, then chuckled. "We all look after each other here. A lot of these folks lived in, like, communes and stuff thirty, forty years ago."
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to west coast friendliness. I'm trying, though."
"I've never lived anywhere but here. Is it a lot different from England?"
"No, not really. I mean, the weather is pretty similar to Manchester--where I'm from--but it gets a lot colder there in the winter. And we don't get as much fog. But all the rain, that's like home."
"But, like you said, the people, the--the friendliness."
"Well, that, yeah," he admitted with a nod. "Like, you grow up hearing jokes and stereotypes and whatnot, and then you move to a different place and realize how true they are in comparison. This sort of thing," he waved at the party, "would never happen where I grew up. Or if it did, my parents didn't approve and so never let me know about it."
"Strict, huh?"
"Well, not strict, exactly--more like set in their ways. Definite ideas of proper behavior, particularly for their only son."
"But it must be hard on them, now, you living so far away."
Jamie shook his head. "I don't think they mind."
Ben looked at him, puzzled--and then it clicked. "Christ," he said. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I've had plenty of time to deal with it. And it's easier for them to lie to their friends about what I'm doing when I'm five thousand miles away."
"I can't even imagine it, man," Ben said. "I'd go nuts without my family. Of course, I often go nuts with them..."
"Hm," Jamie said.
"But I'm one of the luckier ones. Not everybody's like my mom--I mean, she cried when I first came out, but I think it was mostly because she was afraid of all the troubles we have to face, just living in the world."
"Yeah. That is lucky. And your dad?"
"Well... he had the worst time of it, I think. He couldn't quite look me in the eye for a few weeks after I told them, and since we work together that made things pretty awkward. But--well, I'm his son, you know? That'll never change."
Jamie nodded and looked down at his plate a moment--looking up again abruptly when another barrage of fireworks exploded overhead. "It's so pretty here."
"Yeah. We're really fortunate here." He watched Jamie for a moment longer, and then turned his eyes back to the sky. "Do you like it better than Mansion Land?"
Jamie chuckled. "I miss my house a little, but I like the flat. It's starting to feel like
Ben blinked a few times. "You celebrate a guy being executed?"
"Well... or that he tried to end the monarchy. It's hard to say."
Ben chuckled and shook his head. "I've heard England is a strange country."
"All this," Jamie waved a hand, "is to celebrate a paper being signed."
"There was a war, too."
"And something about tea, too, as I recall." He grinned, and Ben grinned back.
"A tea tax, yeah. But I don't remember the whole thing--I didn't pay much attention in history class."
"Pity, that," Jamie said. "Then you can't explain it to confused foreigners."
"You'll manage," said Ben, laying his hand on the back of Jamie's neck. Jamie leaned his head against Ben's shoulder.
When the first of the fireworks boomed into the sky there was a chorus of "Oooos!" from the observers. Ben looked around again, watching people watch the show, and it pleased him for reasons he couldn't fathom to see how rapt Jamie's face was.
They couldn't speak as fireworks exploded overhead, and Jamie tipped back his head to watch the showers of light, food forgotten. "I read once," he said in a dreamy tone when it was quiet again, "that fireworks affect our pleasure centers. The--cerebellum? Maybe? I don't remember now. But that watching them makes us feel good."
"I don't know anybody who doesn't like them."
Jamie nodded, watching the sky. "Thank you."
"What for?"
"Looking after me." He looked at Ben. "Even though I've not been very nice to you."
Ben didn't know what to say for a moment, then chuckled. "We all look after each other here. A lot of these folks lived in, like, communes and stuff thirty, forty years ago."
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to west coast friendliness. I'm trying, though."
"I've never lived anywhere but here. Is it a lot different from England?"
"No, not really. I mean, the weather is pretty similar to Manchester--where I'm from--but it gets a lot colder there in the winter. And we don't get as much fog. But all the rain, that's like home."
"But, like you said, the people, the--the friendliness."
"Well, that, yeah," he admitted with a nod. "Like, you grow up hearing jokes and stereotypes and whatnot, and then you move to a different place and realize how true they are in comparison. This sort of thing," he waved at the party, "would never happen where I grew up. Or if it did, my parents didn't approve and so never let me know about it."
"Strict, huh?"
"Well, not strict, exactly--more like set in their ways. Definite ideas of proper behavior, particularly for their only son."
"But it must be hard on them, now, you living so far away."
Jamie shook his head. "I don't think they mind."
Ben looked at him, puzzled--and then it clicked. "Christ," he said. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I've had plenty of time to deal with it. And it's easier for them to lie to their friends about what I'm doing when I'm five thousand miles away."
"I can't even imagine it, man," Ben said. "I'd go nuts without my family. Of course, I often go nuts with them..."
"Hm," Jamie said.
"But I'm one of the luckier ones. Not everybody's like my mom--I mean, she cried when I first came out, but I think it was mostly because she was afraid of all the troubles we have to face, just living in the world."
"Yeah. That is lucky. And your dad?"
"Well... he had the worst time of it, I think. He couldn't quite look me in the eye for a few weeks after I told them, and since we work together that made things pretty awkward. But--well, I'm his son, you know? That'll never change."
Jamie nodded and looked down at his plate a moment--looking up again abruptly when another barrage of fireworks exploded overhead. "It's so pretty here."
"Yeah. We're really fortunate here." He watched Jamie for a moment longer, and then turned his eyes back to the sky. "Do you like it better than Mansion Land?"
Jamie chuckled. "I miss my house a little, but I like the flat. It's starting to feel like
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