Time Warp: Bros Before Shows [Oriel]

[Oth Gillis]

Spring, 2020.

It was a few weeks after his brother's birthday, but that was alright. It was hard to get their schedules synched up, and Oriel had had a great many celebrations with his various friends and family members. Oth didn't mind the wait, it gave them time to be together just the two of them. There was something... relaxing, about having a brother. Oriel had probably never been described as 'relaxing' before he'd become a big brother, but that's how Oth felt. Granted, Ori was always full of drama and waving hands and raised eyebrows, but Oth didn't have to be so on guard, so... sensible. If he wanted to order nothing but fries and ice cream for lunch, Oriel would not only not bat an eye, he'd probably order the same.

They were meeting at one of the little greasy spoons that served up typical American fare like burgers and fries and grilled cheese, plus a full dessert menu. Oth was in his final year of Hammel. He wore soft braces at his knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles to counter the aches of shifting, but had everything pretty much under control. He was going to go to college next year for technical illustration. It was important for him to stay near Oriel, so he was going to a Burlington college.

The pair of them had a booth, a bit away from the other patrons, and Oth grinned a lopsided grin at his big bro. "Happy belated, Hair Boy," he said. "What time to you work?"

And yes, Oth had been to see Oriel's shows. They were pretty fun.

[Deleted]

Oriel had spent most of his birthday with Phoenix and their new baby Devi. Really, just a quiet day at home with practically nothing going on was just the amount of happiness that Oriel needed. It was what came after, when he finally strutted into work, that had been the big "celebration" that Oth was probably imagining. Yes, they pulled him up to the stage and sang him Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe style. Yes, he was offered a fair number of drinks, all of which he turned down. Oriel let them have their fun, let them use his birthday as an excuse to get sloshed and fucked up. Oriel may have been a strict towards himself when it came to drinking, but he didn't care what his friends did.

Oriel had the same stance when it came to food. In fact, he encouraged a little unhealthy eating. It was better than not doing it at all. After all this time, Oriel still found a few extra pounds on a person to be more favorable and attractive than looking skinny and malnourished.

Devi had been left at home in his husband's care. Hopefully, his spouse would be able to handle himself, but even if he couldn't, help from one of their friends was only a phone call away. They should be fine.

Oriel nibbled on a fry, keeping it between his lips like a cigarette. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Uh…." He looked at his phone, though it was unnecessary. Oriel knew what time he had to work. "Got to be there by 6:30. First show starts at 7." Oriel performed a few times a night. Because the crowd at seven o'clock was completely different than the crowd at eleven o'clock. The rest of the time, he either spend in the dressing rooms or covering for the cocktail waitresses when they left on break. The tips for being served a long island iced tea by a mustachioed man in a garter belt and red heels were often quite generous.

Oriel looked up at his little brother. Half-brother, but whatever, semantics. "The fuck're you smiling at," he said with his own goofy grin. "Dork."

[Oth Gillis]

Given his brother's personality, Oth figured he'd end up in some sort of entertainment business. Or possibly in jail. He didn't know. But he was happy it was the first. Sure, he'd never really thought about the guy laying on the make-up and putting on heels, but it didn't seem unnatural or weird. Just... Oriel. And technically the term was 'half-brother', but Oth figured they were either brothers or not, so... who cared about how much.

At the 'dork' comment Oth chuckled. "I'm just happy for you," he said. "You got your own place, you got a husband, you got a job and a kid. That's pretty awesome. And not just because you were wild in school, but for anyone. I'm happy you're, like, finally having a good stretch."

Taking a bite of his burger, he asked, "How's the kid? And I mean Devi and not Phoenix."

[Deleted]

In a perfect world, Oriel would have gone back to New York and gotten a secure place in a troupe on Broadway or something. A place where he could sing, dance, and act out all his favorite shows. But…this was fine for him. Oriel was fine as long as he was in some sort of performance atmosphere. And honestly, if Oriel had gone to New York, he'd probably still be wearing skirts and garters, so whatever. But staying for his husband, and for his brother as well, and now for his daughter, was more important.

"Thanks…" he said, stuffing a fry in his mouth. "Though 'wild' is putting it nicely, 'least I think so." The boy had been a downright terror. Oth was lucky he missed Oriel's earlier years and got to Hammel only after Oriel had started calming down. And considering that what Oth knew was "calmed down" only attested to how much worse the man had been as a boy.

At least Oth was pretty chill about what he did know. "Devi's good. She's getting over a cold, actually, but doc says should clear up quick." Phoenix was taking care of her now, and hopefully not too flustered without Oriel around. "How's school? You set for graduation?" Of course this kid was smart enough to graduate on-time, unlike his big bro.

[Oth Gillis]

The younger of the pair snorted. "Whatever. You got yourself worked out, right? So it doesn't matter."

In a way, Oth envied Devi. Sure, she had a pair of extremely late bloomers as dads, with one who'd been addicted to himself and was now still sometimes prone to hysterics and one who'd been a street rat and worked at a burlesque club, but no kid could ask for more devoted parents. Oth's own father was loving and wonderful and he had no complaints whatsoever; it was just the passive jealousy of someone who had it better.

"Babies get colds all the time. It's what they do. They crap, sleep, cry, eat, and get sick," he said with a grin. "If they're not leaking somewhere they feel incomplete."

Another bite of burger was chewed and swallowed, and then he replied, "Yeah. I've been applying for schools, but I don't qualify for enough in scholarships to stay longer than two years, tops. So me 'n Dad've been talking about working a year or two to save up as much as I can. Maybe get some basics out of the way at a community college." He sighed, shaking his head, but still smiling. "Technical illustration's all digital now. If you wanted, you could go through school without picking up a pencil or paintbrush. Not my style. I'd rather do the hard copy." He shrugged. Oth wanted to get into either medical or natural science illustration. "But it's still drawing." He smiled. "Dad says I'm old fashioned."

More fries. Squinting at his brother, Oth had to ask. "How long'd it take you to learn to walk in heels? I was at Wal-Mart in Burlington a week ago and the shoe section was empty, so I tried on one of those sandals with... like, a banister under it." He meant a wedge, but didn't know the word. "How do girls do that? How could they want to? How do you?"

[Deleted]

“Yeah,” Oriel said with a smile. “I’m pretty surprised myself.” That he’d managed to get his shit together. It was all thanks to Phoenix, at least that’s what Oriel believed. Though they still had their problems. Phoenix was still inherently an addict, it was something he dealt with every day. Oriel still had his own emotional baggage to carry around. It was easier to put it aside when he had people he cared about to prioritize. It was especially that much easier when all he wanted was to give Phoenix and Devi everything he never had.

Oriel chuckled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much all it’s been since Devi came along. A crying, drooling, crapping nightmare.” Though he said so with all the affection in the world.

College. Oriel had never even considered that for himself. He still didn’t think he was smart enough and even if he was, he wasn’t interested nor did he have the patience for such a thing. And it seemed Oth was also experiencing another problem that Oriel had. Money was definitely an issue. He and Phoenix made enough to make ends meet for the moment, to have a small savings, but neither of them were likely to go. But Oriel was glad the Oth was able to pursue it, with his father’s help. “Whatever makes you happy,” he said. Oriel didn’t understand anything about art. Phoenix probably would get it though. “You know, if you need any help, like, paying for shit…you can ask.” They didn’t have much, but could probably afford to help out a little.

Oriel was eating slowly. Not like he used to where he could inhale a whole meal in a matter of seconds. Probably just him getting old or something. His metabolism changed. He picked up another cluster of fries and nibbled on them one by one. “Practice,” he said with a grin. “And a hella lot of balance.” Oriel shrugged. “Hurts to be beautiful sometimes.” Like those corsets, if Oth thought shoes were a pain, he should try on one of those things. “And…I don’t buy my heels at Wal-Mart. That shit’ll break after a few steps.” When he first started working this job, Oriel was both amused and astonished that there was an actual market for drag-queen footwear. "Anyway, it took a while to get the posture right." He couldn't put a number on the time frame though.

[Oth Gillis]

Oth laughed at Oriel's description of his kid. "Just wait. Someday you'll have a teenager."

Unlike his bro, Oth thought both Oriel and Phoenix could make a go at college. They could both apply themselves, but at this point, with a kid and steady work, it wouldn't make much sense. Would Oriel benefit from theatre classes? Sure. But what would come of it, especially if he never left Burlington? Like all good siblings, Oth just wanted his brother to have the best life possible. And if he wanted to be on Broadway, why shouldn't he be? Still, if he was happy, that was also all he could ask for.

Grinning at the offer, he shook his head. "Nah, thanks though. You got another college education to save up for, right? 'Sides, we aren't too bad off. If I took it slow and worked at least part time, it might take longer but Dad doesn't care if I live with him. That saves a ton of money right there." Oth laughed. "I think he'd miss my chili too."

Not much for cooking, but Oth could make killer chili. He had an awesome base recipe, but he often added extras like sausage or roasted corn or cabbage, or whatever else gripped his fancy. It was basically all he and his Dad ate in the winter.

Oth stuck his tongue out at Ori. Practice, whatevs. "Yeah, yeah. You get those Louie Goochi Vanilla Blanicks. I have good balance. But god, I was worried about falling every step." He shrugged. "'Least you can teach Devi."

Speaking of, "When're you gonna let me visit the li'l anklebiter again?"

[Deleted]

“God, that’s frightening.” The thought of Devi becoming a teenager…What if she turned out exactly like her dads when they were at their worst? Oriel might have a heart attack, seeing his little sweet-bun turn into such a sour-punk. “I’m so glad you were never that bad,” he said with a face on the verge of “tears”.

Oriel shrugged, giving his half-brother a nod. “Well, I guess that’s good. It’s nice that you have your dad there for you,” he said kind of pathetically. Oriel envied that about Othniel. The boy had undergone the same treatment that he had from their mother, but his father was willing to stick around and offer the his brother a chance at a real life. Oriel had done what he could with what he was given, but…he wondered how much better he could have done if things happened differently. Then again, if Oriel had been given the family he wanted back then, then would he still have the family he had now? He didn’t think he could stand to trade them for anything. “You know, I can teach you to make something better than just chili,” he offered with a blank face. Not that chili wasn’t good, just…there were so many better things out there.

Oriel bellowed out a laugh. Just the thought that their beautiful little girl was one day going to grow up and tell people that she learned everything she needed to know about make-up, walking in heels, and other girliness from her drag-queen dad. “Trust me, I will make it my life goal to embarrass her every day at school in full on stilettos.” She’s love him for it.

“Oth, you know you’re welcome anytime. Well, anytime that we’re home and the place don’t look like a tornado just hit it.” He shrugged and slurped up some soda. “Just give me or Phoenix a call, we’ll hook you up.”

[Oth Gillis]

Oth figured if Devi did anything her dads did, at least they'd have some idea of where she was coming from and what to do about it. Oth thought there might be a chance of it, if they spoiled her, which was a possibility. She was cute, and their first kid.

"I think you took all the wildly stupid genes," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, I do. But you have Phoenix, and Devi, and you have me and Dad." More burger and fries met their demise.

A dark eyebrow rose. "Chili is awesome, thank you very much." And then he reconsidered. "So what would you teach me then?"

Oth laughed with his brother. It was always great to hear Oriel belly laugh like that. Plus, the whole idea of him helping her pick out shoes for prom was pretty excellent. Still chuckling, he said, "I thought you didn't want her to act up."

Snorting as he started in on the other last of his burger, he said, "Devi isn't a drug, loser. And when you say 'anytime' and then say 'when we're home and the house is decent' you kind of mean 'come over never'."

Sighing happily, he said, "You up for dessert or are you watching the girlish figure?"

[Deleted]

That was the theory, wasn’t it? That Oriel and Phoenix would know what to do if Devi ever happened to turn to drugs and deviancy, but honestly her situation was so much different than what either of the boys’ were in their youth. Oriel couldn’t imagine what problem she could have that would make her want to act out. Oriel never understood how those in stable environments ended up being bad kids. It was like they weren’t satisfied with having the world. Oriel and Phoenix were no doubt going to spoil her into something like that and neither of them even knew it.

“Hey, I ain’t stupid,” he countered with a slight indignant scowl.

“Yeah…” It was true that Oriel wasn’t alone anymore. Sometimes he forgot that. But he still wished he had that when he was growing up.

“I’m not saying it isn’t,” Oriel said, rolling his eyes with a laugh. “Just that there’s more than that out there.” What would he teach him? “Mmm….stir fry? Curry? Oh! Maybe a rustica pasta!” Oriel’s repertoire since high school had expended from just the simple throw-things-into-a-pot-and-hope-it-turns-out-okay techniques.

Oriel shook his head, ebbing down his bellows. “How is buying shoes acting up?”

“Devi is my drug,” he said through a grin, taking in a few more fries. “What I mean is, tell us first so we can clean and prepare. Like…give me an hour notice or something.” It didn’t take Oriel very long to clean…though a little bit longer now that he had a kid to watch and clean up after.

Oriel rolled his head back. “I don’t know. All that sugar just goes straight to my hips lately.” He grinned. “When have I ever cared about eating too many sweets?”

[Oth Gillis]

Being at Hammel should've told Oriel that no matter how well raised a kid was, no matter how loved, or well behaved, there was always a chance that something, peer pressure, curiosity, the idea of being 'bad', that could take any kid down any road. But... well, if Devi got into anything bad, it would likely be something her dads were into, like weird makeup or reality tv.

Oth smirked. "No. I should've put the emphasis on 'wild'. Still, most of your wild crap was stupid. I mean. Attack hugging Dr. Neville?"

Stir fry? Curry? Pasta somethingorother? "Big fancy words, Hair Boy." The younger of the pair grinned and tapped his forehead with a fingertip. "I'm kind of a cooking caveman here. But if you can throw it in a crockpot, I'll have you over and you can show me. You can bring the rug monkey." He couldn't help it. Oth sniggered. "And Devi."

Othniel liked Phoenix, he really did, but sometimes the guy could get so panicky that it made observers rather exhausted.

"...Maybe when you do it at ten?" But he was teasing. Oriel would never buy Devi high heels at ten.

Probably.

Depending on how cute they were.

And how hard she begged.

Yeah, her dads were pretty whipped already.

"Sure, sure. An hour's easy. 'N if you play your cards right, I'll do some free sitting and you can... do whatever it is you do."

The mention of hips made Oth thoughtful for a second, and he ducked his head under the table. "Wow. Holy crap. You sort of do have hips. How'd you score that?"

He grinned to show he was kidding. Mostly. And he proceded to order the biggest dessert on the menu.

Birthdays only came once a year, after all.

[END]