"So, I have this weird second cousin that thinks tomatoes are poisonous, and at this family gathering I just ate one like an apple to freak him out. Let's just say it worked," Thomas laughed. The whole group laughed. Even John laughed.

Alex did not laugh.

John noticed the absence of Alex's cheerful laugh in the air, and turned to him. He looked unamused, to say the least. John gave him the eyebrows, and Alex sighed. The next story Jefferson told, Alex laughed. His laugh was not, however, cheerful. It was forced and tensed and John absolutely hated it.

The next time, John told a story. Everybody laughed. Thomas laughed. But this time, Alex laughed, and John felt relieved. He got up and went into the kitchen to get a water from the fridge. Thomas followed him in there, seeming inconspicuous to the others around him. Both men walked into the kitchen, but only one was caught off guard.

"Hey, John," Thomas started again. "About earlier this week," Thomas tried to be civil and composed, but John interrupted him.

"Drop the niceties and say what you actually want to say," John said, his voice sounding worn. Thomas sighed.

"You know what? Fine," He said. "It really pissed me off when you didn't accept my apology, because I've changed and you can't get that through your thick skull." John nodded.

"That's what I was looking for," John told him.

"You know, your skull isn't the only thing that's thick. I mean, look at-" Thomas stopped short, noticing a death glare from John.

"If you know what's good for you, you will not finish that sentence, and you never will," John said. Thomas put his hands up innocently.

"Are you still... you know..?" Thomas asked. John raised his eyebrows.

"Gay?" John asked, relatively confused. Thomas nodded. "Um, yeah, I am still gay. I probably will stay gay. It's not a choice." John talked slowly, as though communicating with a five year old. He basically was. Thomas just nodded.

"Do you have a... or.. are you in a relationship?" Thomas asks. John couldn't tell if Thomas was making an effort to be open-minded or not.

"Yeah, I have a boyfriend," John answered. He wasn't going to act weird about this. This is not something that should be treated as weird, or taboo. He was finally coming to terms with that, and he wasn't going to falter. "It's actually the person who you almost just called "thick" you fucking cunt," John smiled at him.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry," Thomas said, sounding surprisingly genuine. "I don't know, it's just kind of a habit now. I'm trying to get better at not talking shit."

"If you don't like doing it then why did you start doing it in the first place?" John asked. Thomas shrugged.

"It's unimportant," Thomas responded vaguely. John shrugged it off, very much not in the mood to push for information. Both turned their heads when Alex walked into the kitchen. He looked between the two, and glared at Thomas.

"What's going on in here?" Alex questioned.

"Don't worry, I'm not verbally abusing your boyfriend," Thomas said. "Talk with you guys later," he said, walking out of the kitchen and back into the living room with the rest of the group.

"Is everything alright?" Alex asked John.

"I think so," John said. "Should we go out there so that Angelica doesn't get nervous?" Alex nodded. He grabbed a bottle of water for himself, and they walked back into the living room, hand-in-hand with each other.

idk what to put in this author's note oof