I have the right to this 8

Chapter 8: Reactions 1

Summary:

    "We raised you honestly, Brig. We were who we were. But those kids... growing up with so many lies. I don't want that for Pete! You saw how fragile he is."
    "Iceman's in Hawaii most of the time," Brig argues, skipping the fact of his presence almost every night at dinner via video conference. "Besides, I don't think Mav would let him..."
    "Mitchell? You expect him to defend you from Iceman? He's his puppet, always has been. He looks at him, and the rest of the world disappears. I can imagine it: he'll say Pete is too young and doesn't know what he wants, that it's temporary, and we shouldn't encourage him. He'll say a thousand things before accepting a trans child into his traditional home, into his—he almost spits out the word—respectable family."

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Part 6 of: The Lies We Told Each Other

Fandoms: Top Gun (Movies), Thunderheart (1992), Suits (US TV 2011)

Relationships: Brigham "Harvard" Lennox/Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Sarah Kazansky/Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Rick "Hollywood" Neven/Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe

Characters: Brigham "Harvard" Lennox, Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Sarah Kazansky, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe, Rick "Hollywood" Neven, Ray Levoi, Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, Original Adult Character(s), Original Child Character(s) 

Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Trans Male Character, Asexual Character, Transphobia, Polyamory, Phone Sex, Adoption 

INDEX: https://palabraspulsares.blogspot.com/p/i-have-right-to-this-lies-we-told-each.html

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Friday, April 3, 2020

 

Moapa Valley

 

He clutches the blue beetle pendant in his left hand. His thighs pressed up to his chest, and his right arm wrapped around his legs. He doesn't look at them while he speaks, eyes fixed on the floor in front of the armchair.

"My name is Pete. My family, who doesn't love me anymore, calls me Dunia, and I hate it. My teacher also calls me Dunia at school, and I hate it. I couldn't tell Zack my real name, but I told him to call me Dun Dun, and he said it was cool. No one else wanted to play with me at school. They said I was crazy for asking to be called Dun Dun instead of Dunia, which is a really lovely name."

"Dunia is the name of someone who doesn't exist. Maybe…" he sighs. "Maybe I had a twin sister who was going to be Dunia, and she died? I don't know. But I'm not Dunia. I know that. I know that my dad, who doesn't love me anymore, and my mom, who doesn't love me anymore, they know I'm not Dunia. They knew, and they kept calling me Dunia anyway, and they were upset because I couldn't be Dunia. I didn't know that they would stop loving me because I wasn't Dunia. I had no idea…"

He lets out a sob and blinks several times to hold back the tears.

"I learned my name was Pete because of my dad, who no longer loves me. We pray before meals, always. We mention the people in the family who are with us and who aren't anymore, as well as people who are important. One of those people is someone named Pete. It's always been that way. My brother Abraham said it's always been that way."

He briefly raises his eyes from the ground and looks questioningly at Brig.

"Yes, of course. My mother, your grandmother Mary, instructed us to always pray for Pete Mitchell's well-being, because he saved your grandfather Leonard's life a long time ago."

Now the boy looks at Wolf, amazed.

"That's how it was," he confirms.

"Oh! At home," he stops, bites his lip, corrects himself. "In the house where they don't love me anymore, my brothers and I didn't know that. Only that we should pray for Pete, for the Lord to protect him. But Dad doesn't like to do it. Every time he gets to that part of the prayer, he scowls, as if I'd bitten into a piece of lemon peel by mistake. He'd scowl and look at me. One day, I asked Abraham why, and he said he didn't know, that before, he was... I don't know... normal? The serious face you're supposed to have when you pray. But when I was about three and a half, Dad suddenly started scowling at that point in the prayer."

Brig and his father exchange glances of mutual understanding: "Top Gun" premiered in the spring of 2016, when the boy was just over three years old. It's possible that many people in the Mormon community didn't connect Leonard with the character Louis "Coyote" White. Others might have noticed—the press repeatedly mentioned that the film was based on his novel—but had the courtesy to keep quiet. But Christian probably found it a fact impossible to ignore. Even worse, he must have realized that he had spent his entire life, since 1987, praying for the Lord to protect a homosexual who, at least according to the film, had convinced his uncle to accept his unnatural feelings for his pilot and choose a life of sin.

"That had nothing to do with you, sweetheart," Leonard tries to explain.

"Yes, it has to do with me," Pete replies fervently. "My dad, who doesn't love me anymore, and my mom, who doesn't love me anymore, they were going to name me Pete, but at the hospital they told them I was a girl, and they named me Dunia. But when I was little, very little, before going to school, I realized I wasn't Dunia, and although I didn't tell anyone, I'm sure that my dad, who doesn't love me anymore..."

"Don't call him that anymore!" Brig interrupts.

He can't stand hearing his child repeat over and over that the two people in the world who should have supported him through everything don't love him.

Pete looks at him, afraid and confused.

"What should I call them?"

He should call them "my shitty parents," because that's what they are, but Brig bites his tongue and takes a deep breath before answering.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lennox, okay? They're not your parents anymore, they're Mr. and Mrs. Lennox."

The boy nods and resumes his story.

"I'm sure Mr. Lennox realized I wasn't Dunia before I realized. And he got upset, because if I wasn't Dunia, then I was Pete, but I was deformed, and the Lord is known to send deformed children as punishment." Again, Brig bites his tongue at the cruel ableism; the boy doesn't know, he just repeats. "That's why he started getting upset at that part of the sentence. I know. I tried to be Dunia, really, but I'm Pete. Why doesn't he love me if I'm his son?"

Brig approaches and gently places a hand on Pete's shoulder. He's pleased when Pete doesn't flinch or scrunch up his face. Instead, he looks at him anxiously, as if Brig could fix everything. Poor thing.

"I don't know, honey. I don't know why Mr. and Mrs. Lennox don't love you. But I'll tell you this: I do love you. Your Grandpa Leonard loves you. The family waiting for you in San Diego loves you."

"But..." -Pete bites his lip, doubtful. "Do they love me even though I'm... you know... abnormal?"

"Abnormal?"

"Yes, I'm missing parts. I saw that Zack had a strange thing for peeing, like a little hose. And then I noticed that the other boys in the class have that too. I'm the one without a hose. That's why the doctors thought I was a girl. Right? Is my hose going to grow later?"

His eyes dart from Leonard to Brig, bright and fearful.

Fortunately, the young father knows how to answer this question: his father-in-law is the answer.

"Being a boy or a girl isn't defined by the way you pee, Pete. You know that right here," he touches his temple, "and that's enough."

He must say it with enough poise, because Pete thinks about it for a few seconds, and finally nods, clearly relieved.

"Yes, mmm… dad?"

Amidst the satisfaction of hearing the term, Brig realizes they'll have to devise some convention to discern between Jake and him.

"Okay, enough with the ugly talk," Leonard interrupts, giving his grandson a jovial smile. "Go up to your room, okay? You have to pack your new clothes. You're going on a plane tomorrow, and then," he throws up his arms in an exaggerated astonishment, "you'll see the ocean."

The mention of the sea generates such excitement in Pete that his face actually lights up, and he seems to forget all his previous existential angst. He jumps out of the chair and runs upstairs.

"Well," The newly minted grandpa comments when he's sure the kid can't hear them, "if Ice doesn't have a heart attack from this, he'll live to be 150. A trans kid. We sure did it!"

Brig looks at his father, then at the stairs where his brand new son disappeared.

"I don't know why you're so worried about his reaction. Ice is bisexual, and his daughter is too. He probably knew Bradley and Jake were gay before they knew, and he never said a word against it."

Leonard gives him a commiserating look.

"Yes, a truly progressive man," he replies sarcastically, "who doesn't plan to come out of the closet until after he becomes Secretary of the Navy."

He walks towards the kitchen with long strides, and Brig follows him.

"Why do you say that? That Kazansky…"

But Leonard cuts him.

"DADT was repealed over eight years ago—eight years!—but he maintained his traditional family comedy even after his kids went off to college and that sham marriage no longer made sense. You know why? Pure political ambition. Ice always wanted to rise and knew that he wouldn't make it if he didn't have the perfect manly image. He has kept Pete as a dirty little secret all his life so he could satisfy his ambitions. Now he's going to bring it out into the open, and it will also help his ambitions. President McCord's Secretary of the Navy is gay, so much diversity!"

"I thought Kazansky was your friend."

"He's my friend, and he's a certified hypocrite. I didn't care until now, because he didn't endanger anyone in my family."

It's not like that, Brig wants to tell him, you don't know everything. But he just stares at him, hurt.

"Oh," Leonard lets out a bitter laugh, "so he bewitched you too with his words about the honor of serving the country, caution, and political realism? Changing the Navy and the system from within? Bullshit!" He takes a bottle of whiskey from one of the upper shelves, two glasses from another. "I should have put it all in the novel, how they ogled each other in the hallways, how Ice played with the pen and Maverick smacked his lips, how every argument was an innuendo." He pours generous doses into each glass. Brig notices his hand shaking with rage. "You'd have to be blind not to see it. You think Layton is the Pentagon's worst-kept secret? Ha! Half the Department of Defense knows about them and works double shifts to cover them up," he takes his whiskey. "Rick convinced me it wasn't worth it, that we were just going to destroy other lives. And it was true." he looks at his son, a question in his eyes, when Brig shakes his head, Leonard shrugs, and downs the second glass. "We raised you honestly, Brig. We were who we were. But those kids... growing up with so many lies. I don't want that for Pete! You saw how fragile he is."

"Iceman's in Hawaii most of the time," Brig argues, skipping the fact of his presence almost every night at dinner via video conference. "Besides, I don't think Mav would let him..."

"Mitchell? You expect him to defend you from Iceman? He's his puppet, always has been. He looks at him, and the rest of the world disappears. I can imagine it: he'll say Pete is too young and doesn't know what he wants, that it's temporary, and you shouldn't encourage him. He'll say a thousand things before accepting a trans child into his traditional home, into his," he almost spits out the word, "respectable family."

He attempts to pour another drink, but Brig snatches the bottle away.

"Dad, stop! I know you're scared, okay? But trust me and Jake. No one's going to deny Pete's identity. Did you forget that my boyfriend stood up to Iceman when he was barely eighteen? He seems soft but tough when he needs to be."

Leonard shakes his head, considering the argument.

"That kid's tough, truth. As tough as Kazansky." He snorts, staring at his hands so he doesn't see his son's guilty expression. "Okay. You're taking Pete to San Diego, but if I have the slightest suspicion Iceman wants to force him to be something he doesn't want to be..."

"Why don't you come for the Fourth of July?"

"Huh?"

"I say you and Rick should plan a visit to San Diego for Independence Day, and you can check on the kid."

Leonard thinks about it for a moment.

"Okay. But don't think you're getting rid of me! I'm going to call my grandson every day!"

"I expected nothing less from you."

 

Saturday, April 4, 2020

 

San Diego International Airport

 

Jake makes no effort to hide his unease. Around him, people pass by, ignoring him. There's nothing more common than an impatient person at an airport. It's been almost twenty minutes since the flight from Las Vegas landed, so he doesn't know why Brig and Dunia haven't come out yet.

His phone vibrates. It's a message from Iná in the family chat announcing her plane is taking off. They agreed it would be best to clear the house a bit so Dunia could acclimate calmly. Iná is flying to Hawaii to stay with Icepop and will return on Tuesday—her students are super happy about the asynchronous classes. Sam is banned from the family's house for at least two weeks; that's half the plan to introduce the family slowly and half a punishment for yesterday afternoon's disaster. Bradley and Sean, though eager to meet their new niece, won't be able to return to San Diego until the summer. So this weekend, it'll just be Jake, Brig, and Mavdad introducing Dunia to her new surroundings. His father is at home now, making lunch.

Ah, here they come! His boyfriend's uniform stands out from the crowd. He's carrying a backpack, pulling a suitcase with his left hand, and with his right, leading... He blinks a few times. He wasn't expecting a mid-calf, long-sleeved dress, but certainly that blue T-shirt with a sun in the center and shorts with outer pockets are an unexpected wardrobe choice for a girl who, until three days ago, lived with a conservative Mormon family. Also, that haircut... Brig told him she'd cut her braids with the meat shears and had to take her to Cutting Edge so Sarah could style the mess. The solution is pretty, yes, but decidedly unladylike. Why didn't Brig warn them? Iná has spent who knows how much on hair products.

He doesn't have time for anything else. Brig sees him and quickens his pace. The easy smile he gave Dunia is replaced by a more formal one. He doesn't understand why, but it hurts. He tries to ignore it anyway and opens his arms to him.

"Finally," he gives him a light kiss on the cheek before pulling away.

"Yes, there was a technical problem with the door and the tunnel. Nothing serious."

Jake looks at him with unease. Brig's eyes are filled with something like shame, as if he's about to do something he doesn't like. Dunia looks at him with ill-disguised fear. Doesn't she know who Jake is? Is that it?

"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Yes, yes, of course." He puts his hand on his shoulder and looks down. "This is Jake Mitchell-Seresein, my partner."

Dunia raises her eyebrows.

"Are you two like Grandpa Leonard and Grandpa Rick?"

"Yeah."

Dunia looks him up and down, some of her apprehension disappearing.

"Nice to meet you."

Jake crouches down to her eye level.

"Nice to meet you, I'm delighted at the prospect of you being my…"

"Jake," Brig cuts him off, "meet our son: Pete Mitchell-Lennox."

Oh! Jake tries to fit this information into what he's seen so far: clothes, hair, and stance. He noticed something definitely unusual about his gait, a carefulness in his steps that he attributed to the newfound freedom of swapping skirts for shorts. It was that, yes, but also something more profound.

No wonder the boy was so anxious when he met him. He must not be used to being introduced by his true identity.

It's not hard for him to smile.

"Good morning, Pete. Did you have a good flight?"

The boy stares at him with gray eyes, trying to determine if Jake is sincere. He finally exhales slowly.

"Yes, thank you. Are you…?" he runs his tongue over his upper lip. "Are you going to be my dad too?"

Jake nods, not in his usual short, slight style, but in a marked, deliberately broad way for the kid's sake.

"Yes, although we'll have to decide what you're going to call each of us, or it'll be confusing."

Pete frowns at the thought, surprised. It's adorable!

"But there's no need to worry about that now, okay? Let's go get the car."

As Brig tightens the straps on Pete's car seat, Jake texts and prays his father has his phone nearby.

 

Me: ASAP! Get all the GIRL STUFF out of the new room.

Luckily, the answer comes less than a minute later.

Mavdad: :O Sure. What ETA do I have?

 

Jake glances toward the backseat, where Brig reacts with amusement to Pete's excited chatter about seeing the Pacific Ocean from the air. The trip from the airport to University City usually takes about 25 minutes, but he already knows the perfect detour to give his father more time.

 

Me: 1 hour.

 

His fingers move uncertainly over the keyboard. He hesitates over whether to alert his father about Pete's true identity. Why didn't Brig tell them when they finalized the details last night? In the end, he decides to trust him. Let it be a surprise for Mavdad, like it was for himself. So he puts the phone in the space between the two seats and starts the engine.

Leaving the airport, he skips the center lanes of I-5 N and stays to the right. As he merges onto I-8 W and turns left toward the ocean, his boyfriend raises a questioning eyebrow. Jake ignores him and looks at his son in the rear-view mirror.

"Brig told me you've never seen the ocean, Pete," he says aloud.

"Well, I saw it a little while ago, from the plane."

He gives him a mischievous smile.

"Oh! But that's no good. So let's go see the ocean before we get to the house, what do you think?"

"Really?" There's a heart-wrenching disbelief in his voice.

Jake turns right again, merging onto Mission Bay Drive.

"Really, look," and points to the left.

The grandeur of the Pacific opens up, like a blue wink from Dog Beach.

"Wooooow"

Pete stretches as far as he can toward the window and claps his hands excitedly.

Jake feels Brig's warm hand on his thigh. Although he's still annoyed by the airport ambush, he decides he shouldn't be petty. He is sure his partner had a good reason. He just needs to wait until they're alone. So he smiles at Brig, smug.

They reach Mission Beach and continue north along Mission Boulevard, never losing sight of the ocean for almost thirty minutes. When they turn right at the corner of La Jolla Boulevard and Pearl, heading East, Pete tries to turn around in his seat to see the ocean through the rear window. He lets out a startled squeal as the blue reappears in La Jolla Bay. He sighed, exhausted, when, at Mount Soledad Memorial Park, he realized there would definitely be no more visions of endless water.

Jake shares a knowing smile with his boyfriend.

"Don't worry, we'll be back," Brig promises.

"We'll have to enroll you in swimming lessons," Jake muses aloud. "Though that'll be after you get used to school, of course."

But the suggestion doesn't seem to please the boy. He frowns, the airport caution returning.

"Isn't it too expensive?"

Expensive? Why would a seven-year-old from an upper-class family ask such a thing? Even with all his childhood traumas, he never considered that there wasn't enough money for something. What he feared was that the Kazanskys wouldn't want to spend their money on him, which was a different thing—and a totally mistaken idea, of course. Jake glances at Brig, wondering what strategy to follow, but his partner's lips are pursed and his eyes cloudy. A memory emerges: "Six mouths to feed is easy to say, but..." "You don't know what it's like to compete for attention in a family like that." During his childhood, the house was always filled with the noise of four kids... and at least three adults, plus the help of Viper and his wife, Iná's and Mom's friends, the 86th squadron... Very different childhoods, indeed.

He decides to take control because it's clear that his boyfriend has lost himself in some bitter memory.

"Listen, Pete, Brig and I are your parents now. If we offer you something, we've already figured out how much it costs and we can afford it. Do you understand?"

He nods, very seriously.

"Yes, sir."

Then he remembers how he didn't ask for things so as not to be a burden, because he believed that people would like him more if he were discreet and helpful.

"One more rule: if you want something, you tell Brig, or me, or another family adult. If it's reasonable, we'll give it to you; if not, we'll try to explain to you the reason. It's a grown-up's job to worry about money, not yours."

They stop at the red light at Governor and Radcliffe. Jake turns on the indicator and looks back into the gray eyes through the rearview mirror.

"Did you understand?" he insists.

Pete bites his lower lip, clearly torn between his previous upbringing and this new order of things. Luckily, Brig reacts. He turns toward the back seat to face his son and places a hand on his knee.

"You need to tell us what you want, Pete. Always," he confirms.

Although the anguish doesn't leave his features, the boy nods just as the light changes, and they move again.

"Yes sir."

The two men exchange slightly awkward glances, but Brig manages to make an optimistic comment.

"Small victories, darling."

 

University City

 

Pete feels his phone vibrate in his back pocket just as he finishes hiding the last pack of Wonder Woman-scented napkins in his room.

 

BB3: We're here.

Me: Thumbs up emoji.

 

He returns to his granddaughter's room to make sure there's no evidence of the accelerated purge. The room looks kind of empty without all the pink, lilac, flower, or heart-themed accessories and toys, or images of female DC characters. But Dunia won't notice because she didn't see the previous version. Besides, the two dollhouses, Wayne Manor and the Palace of Justice, take up a lot of space—he left those because he doesn't think Batman's lair and the Justice League's headquarters are inherently feminine. Thank goodness they can return everything, or most of it. What they can't, they can use as gifts in the near future. Dunia will have birthday parties, sleepovers, and stuff.

One of the pillows makes him hesitate. Unicorns are unisex, right? Yes, there's an old movie where the boy can touch the unicorns, and things get messed up when the girl touches them. It's a solid argument that unicorns are for boys, too. [note]

There's nothing else to do. So he goes down the stairs, smiling, although a little nervous.

He hears Jake and Brig's speaking to another childish voice in the back of the ground floor. They're probably making a snack for the girl. Thank goodness there were Blue Beetle-themed plates, or Sarah would have bought Wonder Woman ones, who is actually the only female DC character they knew until four days ago.

"Hello there," he says as he turns the corner and enters the kitchen.

Jake pokes his head out from behind the refrigerator door. Brig is sitting on the counter. But Pete ignores them completely: He focuses only on his granddaughter, who looks adorable with that shaggy haircut, a blue T-shirt with a sun on it, and a few drops of strawberry jelly giving it temporary eyes. She has the biggest gray eyes! She looks so much like Tom.

But Dunia drops the little spoon she was using to devour something that looks like yogurt and jelly (served in one of the Blue Beetle's children's cups) and looks at him with a strange expression, a mixture of surprise and apprehension.

"Mavdad!"

His son rushes across the kitchen to his side.

"Did you finish fixing the leak in the bathroom?"

For a moment, when his back is to the girl, Jake's face is pleading, but when he turns away, he ones again has a kind, relaxed expression.

"Yes, of course, son," he confirms, satisfied with his efficiency. "The leak was completely repaired. No, eeeerrr, unwanted contents left. Your room is ready..."

But Jake puts one arm around his shoulders and starts talking over him, cutting him off.

"This is my father, Pete Mitchell, you can call him grandpa, or Mavdad."

Dunia opens her mouth and eyes wide. Her apprehension disappears, and now she seems very, very surprised. Why?

"Mavdad, meet our son," Pete turns to look at him, confused. Jake continues, "Pete Mitchell-Lennox."

Maverick stares at Jake, puzzled. His son's green eyes are calm, but he can sense the apprehension lurking beneath. He understands this is a test, and it pains him. What made Jake and Brig think he wouldn't want a trans grandchild? He realizes he's been still and silent for too long, so he sits on one of the stools, right in front of the boy.

"Is this a joke?"

He sees him shrink, poor thing. At the same time, Brig stands up, hands clenched, face dark as a storm.

"Look, Mitchell..." Oh, good, he's got the dad circuit activated. But he doesn't let him finish.

"I asked him, Brig," he points at the boy with his index finger. "Your son is seven, right? He can talk by himself."

Immediately, his grandson straightens up in his seat and puffs out his chest. Just as he knew he would. Maverick crosses his arms over his chest and repeats the question, looking directly at him.

"Is this a joke?"

His grey eyes show fear, but (and that's the important thing) he manages to answer without his voice trembling.

"No, sir. I'm a boy and my name is Pete."

He deliberately raises an eyebrow.

"Like me?"

"Yes, sir."

Although the "sir" makes him want to grind his teeth, he keeps his face friendly and a little incredulous. He makes a show of staring at the boy for a few more seconds. To his surprise, his grandson doesn't look away. That's definitely Leonard and Brig's blood: fucking guard dogs who don't even turn their heads when you pass by on the sidewalk, but won't budge an inch on their turf. Plus Thomas Kazansky's eyes. Ah! He can already imagine the conspiracy theories.

He reaches across the table.

"So it was your destiny to be part of the family."

Pete shakes his hand—well, more like lets Maverick wrap his little hand between his large, calloused fingers. He smiles, touched.

"But," he warns, "don't call me sir, I'm Grandpa Pete or Mavad. Okay?"

 

That night, Pete falls asleep between his Blue Beetle-themed sheets, dressed in Blue Beetle pajamas, cuddling a blue beetle-shaped stuffed animal—not from DC, but from a store that does stuffed animals of all kinds. Before, he chatted at length with Zack over video about his "absolutely cool" Palace of Justice with DC action figures, his "absolutely cool" bathtub with Aquaman, Aquaduck, Mera, and Blue Beetle dolls, and his "absolutely cool" DC character plates, cups, and cutlery set. San Diego, his new house, and his new family are "the best ever," and Zack has to come over so they can play Justice League vs. Evil Desert Polluters together, with Jaime Reyes, who's from Texas, commanding the Justice League.

His enthusiasm greatly relaxed Malik and Kate McKinnon. They even gave in to their son's pleas and said they would try to visit San Diego for a few days this summer.

Brig sees him smile from the doorway in his sleep and smiles too.

He doesn't move when he hears the footsteps at his back. When the arm goes around his waist, he leans back slightly and rests his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"We need to talk," Jake finally says, quietly.

Brig nods, but doesn't say anything. He just turns around in the embrace, and they walk down the stairs like that, very close to each other.

His father-in-law is waiting for them in the office, with three glasses and a bottle of tequila in the center of the table. Even after the three of them are seated with their drinks -Pete in the armchair, the couple on the sofa-, Brig doesn't say anything. He prefers to wait for questions to get a sense of the mood.

After a long, hard look, Mitchell puts his glass on the table, massages the base of his nose, and speaks.

"Are you going to explain the ambush, Harvard? Because all the reasons I can think of are pretty offensive, considering the trust we've shown you."

He means the trust Iceman and Jake had in him. For the first time, he wonders what Maverick thought about letting him in on Kazansky's secret.

"It wasn't about you, it was about Pete. I did it for him."

His boyfriend pulls away and looks at him in disbelief.

"Yesterday afternoon, he finally told us he's a boy. I thought everything was fine, and I was planning to talk to you guys during our evening call, but…" He can't stop the irritation he's been suppressing all day from coming out now. "Before going to sleep, he asked me if it wouldn't be better for him to stay in Moapa Valley with my father, where he wouldn't be a problem. I told him no, of course, that I lived in San Diego and that the family was waiting for him. "But they're waiting for Dunia," he said. "They're not going to want me." When I told him you'd still want him, he didn't believe me. "They'll tell you they love me, but they won't really love me. Grandpa Leonard loves me like this, so it's better if I stay here with him." His defeated tone broke my heart, I swear. He's so used to rejection that he preferred to stay with the first person who showed him some respect. I realized nothing would convince him except watching your reactions in real time. I told him I wouldn't tell you. "We'll tell them when they see you for the first time," I tell him, "and then you'll see that they're fine with you being a boy." I never doubted you, but I didn't see any other way to make him trust you and, by extension, the rest of the family." He reaches for Jake's hand on the couch and breathes a little easier when his boyfriend lets him intertwine their fingers. He looks at Maverick with a contrite expression. "Please, you have to believe me."

His father-in-law isn't looking at him. His eyes are fixed on the wall behind the sofa.

"And what did Wolf thought of the idea?" he asks through gritted teeth.

Ah! He feels the weight returning to his shoulders.

"He's... worried," he admits. "Specifically, he's afraid that Iceman..."

Jake's look of horror hurts her soul, but Mitchell's face, distorted by ill-contained rage, truly frightens him.

"Please! You have to understand. He doesn't know, okay? Many gay people aren't supportive of trans people. He's his grandson, even if I hadn't adopted him, he's one of his sister's grandchildren. He knows what Pete's going through and wants to protect him. But Leonard Wolfe isn't one to hide, and he doesn't understand what you've been through. He knows Iceman is the center of this family, not the reason. He sees it from the outside. He sees a relationship hidden for thirty years. He sees a lavender marriage. He sees political ambitions. He has no reason to trust the calculating Admiral Kazansky to accept a kid who's a PR bombshell."

Maverick jerks up and goes to one of the windows. He rests his hands on the frame and lowers his head, his chin against his sternum. His labored breathing fills the office. Jake goes to his side, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder. When his father doesn't push him away, he leans over to put his arm around his shoulders and rest his head in the crook of his neck.

"Mavdad," he says very softly, almost pleadingly.

"We'll never…"

"I know, I know," his son answers reassuringly, like someone calming a frightened animal.

Brig realizes that Maverick isn't mad at him, or even at the Lennox family, but at the whole fucking universe. So he goes to the window and stands on the other side of his father-in-law. He doesn't hug him, but he speaks clearly.

"I know, Maverick, and I know it's not enough, but I know."

Finally, the man exhales slowly and nods. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket, unlocks it, and calls the first number on speed dial.

"Hey, love," Kazansky's voice greets.

"Hi Pete," Sarah says immediately.

They laugh together, relaxed, and that's enough to make Michell's face loosen.

"Are you alone?" The admiral's clearly lustful tone sends Brig into another spiral of panic.

He doesn't want to know what those three do in private! He looks at Jake, frightened. Luckily, his boyfriend shares his revulsion at the prospect and cuts the matter short.

"Hi Dad, we're in the office."

"Oh!" Sarah blurts, clearly surprised.

There are some noises, and then Kazansky's voice returns, calm and serious.

"Hey son, hey Pete. Is Brig with you?"

"Yes, I'm here. Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Kazansky."

Sarah lets out an awkward chuckle.

"Good afternoon, Brig. Are you calling to tell us how Dunia settled in? Did she like the room?"

"About that," Pete chimes in. "I have bad news and good news."

"Bad news?"

"Yes, Sarah, dear, I'm afraid we'll have to return some of clothes and toys that didn't hit the mark."

"Oh!" But the woman doesn't sound upset, just a little surprised. "Okay."

"Is that the good news or the bad news?" Kazansky asks, always observant.

Jake opens his mouth to reply, but his father stops him with a gesture and speaks again.

"Well, it depends. Tom, love, do you remember how old you were when you knew?" he says the final verb with a special intonation.

Brig and Jake exchange skeptical glances, but the code works. Instead of asking about the sudden change of subject, there's first silence on the other end of the line, then a gasp of surprise.

"Eleven, I was eleven," the admiral finally says, his voice trembling.

"Well, this one's seven, and he already," he uses the special intonation again, "knows. Plus, he has gray eyes."

There's another silence. It's not really silence; Brig thinks he hears something like sobbing, but he doesn't say anything. When he speaks again, Kazansky sounds yearning, a little shy.

"What's his name then?"

Now Maverick can't contain his amusement and pride.

"I swear I had nothing to do with it, but his name is Pete."

Sarah bursts out laughing.

"Is this a joke?"

"No, Dad," Jake finally says, "his name really is Pete, so he will be Pete Mitchell."

"And he likes to fly, Mr. Kazansky," Brig adds, "he has aviator blood."

Sarah lets out an excited squeal and screams.

"I'm going to change the tickets! I'm coming back on Monday!"

----------------------------------

Note:

Legend is a 1985 fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry. Although it wasn't a huge success upon its release, it's now considered a cult classic. It was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Makeup).

Plot: The young and beautiful princess Lili (Mia Sara) meets young Jack (Tom Cruise) in the forest, who, as a surprise, takes her to see the unicorns. Lili sings a melodic song that draws them to her. The evil goblin Blix uses the distraction of Lili's touch to throw a poisoned dart at the unicorn.

INDEX: https://palabraspulsares.blogspot.com/p/i-have-right-to-this-lies-we-told-each.html