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Previous parts of Trent's story are indexed here, and this follows on from Snap and Breath.
Ru belongs to the lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tsuki_no_bara, who co-wrote this section.. Holey Rites, like the rest of Eden, belongs to cicirossi Comments of any sort are most welcome.
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Ru wasn't sure how long the doorbell had been ringing when he finally heard it - he had his stereo up pretty loud. He hadn't been doing anything too involving - just drawing - but no one was home so he could play his music at ear-bleeding volume. At least he could until someone showed up at the house. He stuck his pen behind his ear and went to see who it was.
It was Trent.
Who should probably have been in class.
"Hey," Ru said. "What's up?"
"Hey." Trent didn't seem to know quite what to do with himself once he finally let go of the doorbell. He was gnawing at his lower lip, and had his arms crossed in front of him. "Ru? Can I come in?" His voice sounded tight. Uncertain. Upset.
"Yeah, sure. What's wrong?" Ru tugged gently on Trent's shoulder to pull him in the house, then shut the door and led him into the kitchen. "Did something happen?"
"Oh god." Trent shook his head and swallowed. "Man - I am so glad you're home." He rubbed roughly at his face. "God - ouch - I think I might have done something monumentally stupid." Once out of the cold wind Trent started to unbutton his padded shirt, his movements quick and jerky.
Ru thought maybe Trent had gotten a tattoo, because that seemed to be the most likely thing to do to yourself that you'd regret half an hour later.
"You didn't get 'Mom' tattooed on your chest or something, did you?" he asked, trying for a little levity. Whatever it was, Trent looked really wigged.
Trent caught his eye, and just started to crack up. "Dude. Oh god. Something. Yeah," he got out between chuckles. He got rid of the shirt, and tugged up his t-shirt, baring his chest.
Ru boggled. Trent had gotten his nipples pierced. Both of them.
Damn.
They looked good. Sore in that fresh-piercing kinda way, but really good.
"Wow," he said. "That looks... shit, that looks really good." Ru hoped he wasn't drooling. "Did you go to Holey Rites? They did a great job."
Trent stopped laughing. "You think?" He looked down at his own chest for a moment. "I mean - right now - they just fucking hurt."
"Well, yeah, piercings hurt. But they look fantastic. You wanna sit down? You look a little faint. What made you get them?"
Trent tugged his shirt back down cautiously, and found a chair gratefully. He dropped his head into his hands.
"Oh god. Ru? What am I going to tell my parents?"
"Tell them you got your nipples pierced."
Trent shook his head without looking up. "I quit school."
Ru sat down in a chair, stunned. "You what?" he asked. "You quit school? Why?" He thought Trent loved ballet. Why would he quit?
"Oh god." Trent didn't lift his head, and he sounded just sick to his stomach. "I - oh god, Ru? I just walked out on Mr. Matthews’ class." He started to gain momentum. "You know how he's been on my back ever since I started, and he was yelling me out again, and I have no clue what he wanted me to say. I mean - none, and oh god."
He took a gulping breath. "I mean - I actually stood there and screamed at the guy. I don't even remember what I said! I... I just couldn't... I can't... And the understudy role? I can't even get that right - I just - I can't..."
Ru blinked. He didn't know what to say. Except Trent sounded rattled and frustrated and totally at a loss, and that was just weird. Trent had always seemed so sure about his dancing - first in high school and then at the ballet school. And now he was yelling at teachers and quitting.
"Can you go back?" he asked, which seemed like maybe it was a stupid question, but it was important to know. "Do you want to?"
"God - I don't know. I don't know if I do - I don't think I do. I don't know what I do if I don't." Trent finally looked up, trying to catch Ru's eye like he was expecting to find the answer there. He bit his lip, and closed his eyes for a long moment.
"Shit - Ru? I'm sorry - I didn't even ask if I was interrupting or... I just didn't know where else to go. I... I can't be there. It's... I just - I can't, it's so wrong - totally the wrong place - the whole thing - the school, the company - it's just not me, and I have no fucking clue who I am if that's true."
Ru didn't think he'd ever seen Trent this hysterical. It was a little scary. He scooted his chair closer so he could put his hands on Trent's knees and look him in the face.
"It's ok," he said. "You'll figure it out. I'll help you. Ok? Take a deep breath first, you look like you're gonna pass out." He took a deep breath too. For Trent to decide he didn't know who he was or what he wanted to do sort of threw Ru's entire world view out of whack. Trent was always his friend with the sure path. "Ok, first thing first. You have to tell your parents." He winced in sympathy.
Trent leaned forward until he was resting his head on Ru's shoulder. "I don't know what I'm telling them," he admitted in a quiet, tired voice.
"Tell them what you told me. You can't do it any more." He wrapped his arms around Trent's shoulders. "I don't know if it would help if you fell apart - my parents just yelled at me. Maybe calm is better." He started slowly rubbing Trent's back. This was still wrong, but they could fix it.
"Ok, no academy, " he went on. "You'll have to... stand up to them. I think. Your mom, anyway. Tell her you'll get a job - that's what I had to say - and then we can think of something for you to do."
Trent started to shake under his hands. When he lifted his head, though, it was laughter rather than tears.
"Dude - tell me you remember what she said when we had that plan to go work the Ren Faire during the summer?" He sobered. "I have to tell them, don't I? That - that I don't want to go back to school, that... I still want to dance. I totally want to dance. But - not there. Not like that. The whole thing's just - god, just so tied up in the frills and the politics and the pretension, and I just don't want to deal with that shit for the next 10 years and then be chucked out with wrecked knees, you know?"
Ru chuckled. "Sounds like art school. You can still dance, though, can't you? Somewhere less formal? Can you go part-time at a dance school?"
What he really wanted to say but couldn't was Shit, Trent, you have to dance, that's who you are. That's who you are to me. But he couldn't say that because it wouldn't help.
"You don't wanna do ballet at all, or just not there? Like, someplace else that had a different program or whatever, would you transfer there? Because then you could still dance, just someplace you liked better. And then you wouldn't have to get a job like the rest of us working stiffs." He grinned.
"You're going to think I'm a total head case, but maybe I'd like to get a regular job?" Trent shrugged a little. "I don't know - I went over this like a thousand times sitting in Quoths. I don't think I want to dance with a traditional ballet company. I don't think. I don't know though. I mean - I know I want to dance. God - I don't know what I'd do if I didn't - does that make any sense?"
"Yeah. Like, I have to paint. That's who I am." Maybe he wouldn't have to say it to Trent after all. "You know what the traditional thing is like, so now you should probably try something... not traditional. Modern dance or something. You can't make a choice if you don't know what all the choices are, you know? Test your options. That kind of thing. And you know what, if I can get a job? You can get a job."
"You want to know something scary? I don’t even know, like, half the dance groups in this place. It's like there was this one route, and I never even looked at the options, and how come you always make sense and I'm making such a mess of things? You're only like a month older than me!" Trent sat back in his chair, looking a bit more like his normal self.
Ru shrugged. "'Cause it's not happening to me? One of us has to be calm, and obviously it's not gonna be you." He grinned to show he wasn't trying to be mean. "You gotta sit back and look at the thing from a different angle. You can look in the phone book or online or somewhere for other dance troupes, right? That's easy enough. You sort of know what to tell your parents. You can stay here tonight if you don't wanna go home."
Trent's expression froze for a second. "Ok," he breathed. "This isn't going to get any easier to do, is it? Calling my mom?"
"No." Ru looked apologetic. When he'd finally decided he wasn't going to college - any college - he put off telling his parents for almost two weeks and had ended up blurting it out at dinner when his brother made some offhand comment about writing his essays. In retrospect he should've told them right away. "Do you wanna call now? You should tell them before the school does. I'll go upstairs or something and give you some privacy."
Trent gave him a look he couldn't quite figure out, and then pulled him into a hug. He yelped, and pulled back. "Ow - sorry - nipples!" He caught Ru's hand instead, and squeezed. "Thanks, Ru." He drew a deep breath, blowing it out through his mouth. "Ok - I'm calling her. You want to clear the blast zone?"
"Duck and cover, dude. I'm gone." He gave Trent's hand a squeeze of his own and left the kitchen and went upstairs to his room.
Nipple rings. Quitting school. Jesus.
Ru belongs to the lovely
tsuki_no_bara, who co-wrote this section.. Holey Rites, like the rest of Eden, belongs to cicirossi Comments of any sort are most welcome. ***** ***** *****
Ru wasn't sure how long the doorbell had been ringing when he finally heard it - he had his stereo up pretty loud. He hadn't been doing anything too involving - just drawing - but no one was home so he could play his music at ear-bleeding volume. At least he could until someone showed up at the house. He stuck his pen behind his ear and went to see who it was.
It was Trent.
Who should probably have been in class.
"Hey," Ru said. "What's up?"
"Hey." Trent didn't seem to know quite what to do with himself once he finally let go of the doorbell. He was gnawing at his lower lip, and had his arms crossed in front of him. "Ru? Can I come in?" His voice sounded tight. Uncertain. Upset.
"Yeah, sure. What's wrong?" Ru tugged gently on Trent's shoulder to pull him in the house, then shut the door and led him into the kitchen. "Did something happen?"
"Oh god." Trent shook his head and swallowed. "Man - I am so glad you're home." He rubbed roughly at his face. "God - ouch - I think I might have done something monumentally stupid." Once out of the cold wind Trent started to unbutton his padded shirt, his movements quick and jerky.
Ru thought maybe Trent had gotten a tattoo, because that seemed to be the most likely thing to do to yourself that you'd regret half an hour later.
"You didn't get 'Mom' tattooed on your chest or something, did you?" he asked, trying for a little levity. Whatever it was, Trent looked really wigged.
Trent caught his eye, and just started to crack up. "Dude. Oh god. Something. Yeah," he got out between chuckles. He got rid of the shirt, and tugged up his t-shirt, baring his chest.
Ru boggled. Trent had gotten his nipples pierced. Both of them.
Damn.
They looked good. Sore in that fresh-piercing kinda way, but really good.
"Wow," he said. "That looks... shit, that looks really good." Ru hoped he wasn't drooling. "Did you go to Holey Rites? They did a great job."
Trent stopped laughing. "You think?" He looked down at his own chest for a moment. "I mean - right now - they just fucking hurt."
"Well, yeah, piercings hurt. But they look fantastic. You wanna sit down? You look a little faint. What made you get them?"
Trent tugged his shirt back down cautiously, and found a chair gratefully. He dropped his head into his hands.
"Oh god. Ru? What am I going to tell my parents?"
"Tell them you got your nipples pierced."
Trent shook his head without looking up. "I quit school."
Ru sat down in a chair, stunned. "You what?" he asked. "You quit school? Why?" He thought Trent loved ballet. Why would he quit?
"Oh god." Trent didn't lift his head, and he sounded just sick to his stomach. "I - oh god, Ru? I just walked out on Mr. Matthews’ class." He started to gain momentum. "You know how he's been on my back ever since I started, and he was yelling me out again, and I have no clue what he wanted me to say. I mean - none, and oh god."
He took a gulping breath. "I mean - I actually stood there and screamed at the guy. I don't even remember what I said! I... I just couldn't... I can't... And the understudy role? I can't even get that right - I just - I can't..."
Ru blinked. He didn't know what to say. Except Trent sounded rattled and frustrated and totally at a loss, and that was just weird. Trent had always seemed so sure about his dancing - first in high school and then at the ballet school. And now he was yelling at teachers and quitting.
"Can you go back?" he asked, which seemed like maybe it was a stupid question, but it was important to know. "Do you want to?"
"God - I don't know. I don't know if I do - I don't think I do. I don't know what I do if I don't." Trent finally looked up, trying to catch Ru's eye like he was expecting to find the answer there. He bit his lip, and closed his eyes for a long moment.
"Shit - Ru? I'm sorry - I didn't even ask if I was interrupting or... I just didn't know where else to go. I... I can't be there. It's... I just - I can't, it's so wrong - totally the wrong place - the whole thing - the school, the company - it's just not me, and I have no fucking clue who I am if that's true."
Ru didn't think he'd ever seen Trent this hysterical. It was a little scary. He scooted his chair closer so he could put his hands on Trent's knees and look him in the face.
"It's ok," he said. "You'll figure it out. I'll help you. Ok? Take a deep breath first, you look like you're gonna pass out." He took a deep breath too. For Trent to decide he didn't know who he was or what he wanted to do sort of threw Ru's entire world view out of whack. Trent was always his friend with the sure path. "Ok, first thing first. You have to tell your parents." He winced in sympathy.
Trent leaned forward until he was resting his head on Ru's shoulder. "I don't know what I'm telling them," he admitted in a quiet, tired voice.
"Tell them what you told me. You can't do it any more." He wrapped his arms around Trent's shoulders. "I don't know if it would help if you fell apart - my parents just yelled at me. Maybe calm is better." He started slowly rubbing Trent's back. This was still wrong, but they could fix it.
"Ok, no academy, " he went on. "You'll have to... stand up to them. I think. Your mom, anyway. Tell her you'll get a job - that's what I had to say - and then we can think of something for you to do."
Trent started to shake under his hands. When he lifted his head, though, it was laughter rather than tears.
"Dude - tell me you remember what she said when we had that plan to go work the Ren Faire during the summer?" He sobered. "I have to tell them, don't I? That - that I don't want to go back to school, that... I still want to dance. I totally want to dance. But - not there. Not like that. The whole thing's just - god, just so tied up in the frills and the politics and the pretension, and I just don't want to deal with that shit for the next 10 years and then be chucked out with wrecked knees, you know?"
Ru chuckled. "Sounds like art school. You can still dance, though, can't you? Somewhere less formal? Can you go part-time at a dance school?"
What he really wanted to say but couldn't was Shit, Trent, you have to dance, that's who you are. That's who you are to me. But he couldn't say that because it wouldn't help.
"You don't wanna do ballet at all, or just not there? Like, someplace else that had a different program or whatever, would you transfer there? Because then you could still dance, just someplace you liked better. And then you wouldn't have to get a job like the rest of us working stiffs." He grinned.
"You're going to think I'm a total head case, but maybe I'd like to get a regular job?" Trent shrugged a little. "I don't know - I went over this like a thousand times sitting in Quoths. I don't think I want to dance with a traditional ballet company. I don't think. I don't know though. I mean - I know I want to dance. God - I don't know what I'd do if I didn't - does that make any sense?"
"Yeah. Like, I have to paint. That's who I am." Maybe he wouldn't have to say it to Trent after all. "You know what the traditional thing is like, so now you should probably try something... not traditional. Modern dance or something. You can't make a choice if you don't know what all the choices are, you know? Test your options. That kind of thing. And you know what, if I can get a job? You can get a job."
"You want to know something scary? I don’t even know, like, half the dance groups in this place. It's like there was this one route, and I never even looked at the options, and how come you always make sense and I'm making such a mess of things? You're only like a month older than me!" Trent sat back in his chair, looking a bit more like his normal self.
Ru shrugged. "'Cause it's not happening to me? One of us has to be calm, and obviously it's not gonna be you." He grinned to show he wasn't trying to be mean. "You gotta sit back and look at the thing from a different angle. You can look in the phone book or online or somewhere for other dance troupes, right? That's easy enough. You sort of know what to tell your parents. You can stay here tonight if you don't wanna go home."
Trent's expression froze for a second. "Ok," he breathed. "This isn't going to get any easier to do, is it? Calling my mom?"
"No." Ru looked apologetic. When he'd finally decided he wasn't going to college - any college - he put off telling his parents for almost two weeks and had ended up blurting it out at dinner when his brother made some offhand comment about writing his essays. In retrospect he should've told them right away. "Do you wanna call now? You should tell them before the school does. I'll go upstairs or something and give you some privacy."
Trent gave him a look he couldn't quite figure out, and then pulled him into a hug. He yelped, and pulled back. "Ow - sorry - nipples!" He caught Ru's hand instead, and squeezed. "Thanks, Ru." He drew a deep breath, blowing it out through his mouth. "Ok - I'm calling her. You want to clear the blast zone?"
"Duck and cover, dude. I'm gone." He gave Trent's hand a squeeze of his own and left the kitchen and went upstairs to his room.
Nipple rings. Quitting school. Jesus.
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ignore him. such sweet boys....
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I, however, agree with Ru ;D
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One question though.. in Breath you'd said something about the shirt pressing the dressings against the piercings and when he pulled his shirt up to show Ru it sounded like there weren't any.. *ducks* it's not really a big deal, it's just a slow day at work and I'm actually paying attention to the little stuff today ;)
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Thank you for reading, for commenting, and for caring enough about the story to ask when things don't seem to add up - very much appreciated!
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