Page 245 of Untouchable

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Parker expects himself to cry—it’sthe perfect recipe, of course, walking out just in time to overhear his boyfriend’s brother doing a cruel impression of him. But instead, he’s just shell-shocked as he kicks his boots off and shrugs out of his winter coat.

Dazed, he pours himself another cup of coffee, barely even aware of what he’s doing. It’s not like he thinks Harp was mocking him as well—the thought is too heartbreaking to even consider—but still, it feels spectacularly shitty to have all his worst insecurities confirmed in one devastatingly accurate impression. And apparently Harp’s brother is already making plans for Harp’s post-Parker dating life.

Parker is just as stupid and superficial and boring as he’s always thought he was, no matter what Harp seems to think. Everyone else can see it, even if Harp, for whatever reason, can’t.

They’re a mismatched couple. Cole knew it. Gil knows it. Parker’s mom knows it. Anyone who’s seen them together knows it.

A vapid twink,Parker thinks miserably as he stirs cream into his coffee.

* * *

Furious,Harp turns towards Gil.

"Could you watch your goddamned mouth?" Harp snaps. "You may be my family but you're also my guest right now. Have some respect."

"Harp, I—"

"He heard you," Harp says, putting a hand up because he's not going to discuss this. "Could you please go in through the door on the side and give us a moment?"

Gil frowns. "Can I have another cigarette?"

Harp doesn't bother answering, turning again to storm up the stairs on damage control. He beats his boots as he walks up, finding Parker in the kitchen with a fake smile on his face.

"Whatever you heard, I'm sorry," Harp says quickly. "I already talked to Gil about it."

* * *

Harp’s expressionhelps a little bit—he looks like he’s caught between livid and concerned, and it makes it seem less likely that Harp was joining in on the “fun.”

Parker looks down at his mug. He feels naive and stupid, upset but simultaneously feeling as though he has no claim to being upset, for some reason, as though this is all somehow his fault—his fault for overhearing it, his fault for being so dumb, so easy to make fun of, in the first place.

“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he says in a small voice. “I was just coming out to make sure you didn’t need help and—”

"Baby, don't apologize to me," Harp says, reaching for Parker's waist gently. "You didn't do anything wrong. Gil was making obnoxious joke after joke. It would've been impossible not to overhear. It's not your fault."

Parker sets his mug aside and leans into Harp, loving the way Harp immediately wraps his arms around Parker, hugging him in close. Harp presses a kiss to Parker’s forehead and Parker sighs, resting his head on Harp’s shoulder.

“I just… want him to like me, y’know?” he says sadly. He knows he sounds like a little kid, a pouting first grader on the playground, but he can’t help it.

"Of course. And he will. But right now he's too far up his own ass. I'm sorry Christmas panned out like this." He squeezes Parker even tighter.

Parker feels shitty, and he knows he’s going to feel shitty for a while. Gil had honed in to his insecurities with surgical precision, and even though he’s only known Gil for a few hours, his voice in Parker’s head is amplified by Cole’s, and his mother’s, and his father’s, and the rest of his shitty family.

Still, though, it’s Christmas and he’s with Harp. Maybe it’s not quite what he expected, but what matters is that they’re together.

He looks up at Harp, forcing a small smile.

“No worries,” he says. “It—it really has been amazing.”

"I didn't even get to tell you why we had what we had for breakfast," Harp says.

“Cinnamon rolls? They were good,” Parker says.

Harp laughs into Parker's hair. "It was okay. It was passable. I'll make you real cinnamon rolls sometime soon."

“Wait, why did we have that if you didn’t even like them?” Parker says with a crooked grin.

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