Jem leaned in, lips parted, and hesitated.Tean moved to meet him, and the kiss was short, Tean’s lips dry.Jem’s breath tasted like mint.Someone else’s toothpaste.
“I’m waiting!”Daniel shouted from the back of the house.
“Oh my God,” Jem said under his breath.His volume rose as he headed for the back of the house.“Who raised you to be an ungrateful little queen?”
“My two gay uncles,” Daniel sang back in a falsetto.
Tean decided he and Scipio could leave them to it, but before he could get to the sofa, Daniel called, “I need help with my makeup!”
“He means you,” Jem clarified.“I’ve got my hands full.”
So, Scipio trailed after Tean as he made his way to the hall bathroom.Daniel was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, while Jem stood over him, the two of them bickering as Jem worked some sort of cream through Daniel’s hair.
“It’s over there,” Daniel said, pointing to a quilted bag on the counter before launching back into his argument with Jem—apparently, about whether his hair should be parted to the right or the left or down the center.
Tean stared into the bag.There were at least twenty different jars, tubes, and packets, all different brands, all with names and descriptions that made very little sense to him.Mascara and foundation seemed straightforward enough, but what did you do with color corrector?
“I’m not sure I’m the right person—” Tean began.
“Just hand me stuff when I tell you,” Daniel said.“I’ll do it.”
Jem’s mouth tightened like he was trying not to laugh.
“But it’s right here,” Tean said.“You can reach it yourself.”
“Mirror,” Daniel said and held out a hand.
Tean turned to Jem for help.
With a growl, Jem gave a mock yank on Daniel’s hair.“Manners.”
“Mirror, please,” Daniel said in the same tone he used when he told them they were beingextra.
Tean found a compact mirror in the bag and handed it over.Then Daniel wanted the foundation.It went on from there.
Jem, meanwhile, was muttering to himself as he finished Daniel’s hair.He moved a lock.He brushed down a flyaway.He scowled and crouched and inspected everything from another angle.
“If it helps,” Tean said, “we could lower the stakes by remembering that this is a small event for teenagers at an LGBTQ youth center and not, I don’t know, a film premiere or a presidential reception or…” He almost caught himself sayinga big deal, but he managed to trail off into silence instead.
Daniel looked at him.
Jem looked at him.
Then they looked at each other.
“I know,” Jem said.
“It’s like he doesn’t understand anything.”
“He understands.Different priorities.”
“I’m right here,” Tean said.
“I know, babe,” Jem said.
Daniel held out the mirror.“Put this away.”And then a grin flashed out as Jem opened his mouth.“Please.”
The boy made them both leave the bathroom so he could put on the finishing touches, whatever that meant, and Tean and Jem and Scipio ended up in the living room again.Jem’s smile was careful, and he wasn’t meeting Tean’s eyes, but his voice was light when he said, “We might have created a monster.”
