Hard to Explain

“Sometimes change comes in unexpected and sometimes uncomfortable ways. I know that better than anyone.”

He nodded. “It does, yeah,” he said very quietly.

Josh smiled. “Dodge is both an unexpected and uncomfortable way. He’s probably good for you, the same way that supposedly cherry-flavored muggle cold medicine is.” Josh decided that maybe his initial instincts were wrong, but there had to be something going on with Dodge and Aiden. After all, Aiden had said that he was taken, but if he was so uncomfortable with people who weren’t Dodge (or Josh himself, apparently), then there didn’t seem to be any other logical solution.

“He’s also not used to taking on baby gays in a non-sex way, so he might be a bit hard to handle, at first.” Josh paused. “Actually, not just at first. He’s pretty much always that way.”

“It’s not like that. I’ve already said.”

“Technically, all you’ve said is that you weren’t a one-night stand. You’ve also said you’re taken but bad with non-Dodger people. But that was probably a lot rude of me, and if it bothers you, I’ll leave it be,” Josh said apologetically. “I have a tendency to nose around in stuff that isn’t my business more than I should.”

“I’m not a baby gay or whatever you call it. I’m not anything.”

“We’ve mostly narrowed you down to human in origin. That’s something.”

“Fine. I’m human, but that’s all.”

Questions were streaming into Josh’s head, but he figured that, given Aiden’s apparently quickly souring mood, it was best not to press. “What about a Remington? You’re okay with being one of those, right?”

“Guess so.”

“You seem like a very Meriwether-y Remington,” Josh commented. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Must be genetics.”

“Genetics are weird with houses. Like, my boyfriend’s mom was a Remington when she was here, and of her four kids, not a single one ended up in her house. Two of her kids were Eberhardts, one was a Burkenshire, and the other was a Meriwether.”

“Both of my parents were Meriwether.”

“That might explain a bit of it,” Josh agreed. “I can see a lot of Remington, though, in you, too. Enough to make your sorting make sense. Maybe it’s just that we share that in common. For different reasons, obviously. I don’t know how many times I’ve been caught in the middle of a tunnel vision research binge and been told that I should be a Meriwether. When you’re happy, your Remington comes out, though.”

“When I’m happy?”

Josh nodded. “I just got a glimpse of it in there, but you light up when you’re happy. It’s pretty awesome, actually.”

“Oh...”

“Am I being weird again? I didn’t mean that in a weird way.” Josh was back to backpedaling again. “I just thought you should know.”

“No, I know you didn’t mean it weirdly. Don’t worry.”

“I’m very, very bad at casual conversations with strangers,” Josh said lightly. “I tend to get ridiculously personal ridiculously quickly. My very best friend here, Seth, basically knew my life’s story within knowing me two weeks.”

“That’s rather extreme,” Aiden said. “But some people are just like that. I’m sort of intensely private about my life and myself. There’s no one here who knows a thing about me, really. At least, nothing that matters.”

“Most people here don’t know the really, really important stuff, but I give pieces of myself away pretty easily,” Josh admitted. “The big stuff, though, I don’t share unless I’ve got a good reason. Seth was someone I immediately knew I could trust in a new, strange place. It just was one of those situations where things clicked right away. He was patient and trustworthy and he gives the absolute best advice. Plus, he never freaks out when I do something tremendously stupid or strange.”

“It’s been a bit over four years, and I still don’t feel that way about anyone at this school. I’m starting to think it’s me and not them.”