Casting your gaze way out to no man's land

Mountain Goats Live at College Street Music Hall on 2016-04-02

Mountain Goats Live at Doug Fir Lounge on 2022-12-06

His unfaltering acceptance of all different marriages and lifestyles was something that he had to contribute in part to Phillip. Their upbringing had not really left much room to understand people who weren't like him and who didn't exhibit what was deemed masculine. Phil's coming out and the aftermath had been a moment that fully opened John's eyes to other lifestyles. Bringing lads as well as women back to the house, he learned that both of Phil's types annoyed him, no matter the gender.

But, John was cool with the gays, they liked him (or so he assumed). His girlfriend was bisexual. He knew plenty of people in the community.

"Well then, congratulations are in order. I'll admit I'm still attempting to get more caught up in what I've missed over the couple years I was away."

"I'm mostly excited to speak Vietnamese in the wild and drag him through Asia. He'd never left England until I took him to Korea last summer to meet my family." Mu-yeol said. "And unfortunately I have no desire to travel Europe, so it's trips to random places in Asia that I want to go to for him."

But Hatter had no complaints.

"Thank you, I'm just glad the wedding part is over. I don't recommend planning one in five months."

"Awww," Georgie cooed, looking up at the man across the table from her. She was absolutely delighted to see the slight tinge of pink that was touching the place on his cheeks where his facial hair didn't quite reach. It made her nose scrunch, getting that feeling she always got when she saw adorable animal videos online– because how cuuuutteee!

"Watch your step, ma'am," Hatter said, making her pause to look down and to see the change in elevation coming up on the porch.

"Oh gosh. Thank you," she told him, continuing to watch the ground as she stepped up and followed after him into the house. To Mu-yeol, since he was actually giving the information and seemed to be extremely accurate on the whole five word maximum about his husband, she said, "That is so sweet! How long were you together before...who asked who?"

“We’d been together two years before he asked me,” Mu-yeol said. “Sort of asked me. More like mid-excruciatingly detailed album review of my favorite band’s new album he was like ‘let’s get married.’ But for context. We had decided months beforehand that getting legally married wasn’t a priority— no need to get the government involved. But circumstances around my immigration status changed and a marriage-based visa was my best bet to stay. If we wanted to be together anyway, why not get married and leverage that?”

Mu-yeol smiled.

Nemo didn't try to stop them-- maybe he should; maybe it wasn't what adults should do. But he didn't really care. Whenever Appa hugged him, it was hard not to feel like he was six years old, still small enough to fit on his lap, still small enough that Appa would fly him place to place so he didn't stress his lucky wing.

He hoped that Appa was right.

He hoped that he was ready.

He pulled away, tears dribbling down his red cheeks. "I'm gonna make you proud," he said fiercely, even though his voice wobbled.

"You act like you even have to do anything to do that," Mu-yeol said, shaking his head.

Nam-min made him proud every day-- and frankly his success as a dancer was something Mu-yeol didn't place much value in. It was important to Nemo so he supported him in doing it, but Mu-yeol valued things like his kindness and his ability to speak Korean with his father.

He didn't need to dance in Denmark to make him proud.

He couldn't just come home with him, change his mind.

"Because you don't," he added. "I'm always bragging about you just because you're my son. I just wish--" I was always the appa you needed "--I'd better prepared you to be on your own. I honestly thought the job search would go on longer."

He chuckled.

Mountain Goats Live at The Black Sheep on 2021-08-18

Georgie nodded slowly to show that she was following along with everything that was being said, only to be startled out of the flow with the information that he was a widower. And with a son, no less! How awful. It settled her a little to hear that it had happened a long time ago but...she couldn't imagine someone got over that sort of loss, no matter how much time had gone by. The look on the man's face seemed to reflect as much.

It was a sharp contrast to the lighter tone the rest of the explanation took. The pieces didn't come together until she looked at the other man. Oh! He was talking about meeting him.

Then she blinked, realizing that the table was still sitting there, waiting to be moved.

"No, I mean, surface-level interactions when he was taking my money at the tea shoppe," Mu-yeol joked, picking up another to chairs to bring them inside. "But I was very laser focused on my son after my wife died, I barely had friends until I met other Koreans and other Asian immigrants in town and kinda latched onto them. And fairies and sorcerers don't really associate in Korea so I lived here forever before I unlearned that. He's also the introvert of all introverts and says like five words behind the counter--" he teased David gently "-- no, if I knew him earlier I would've been his problem a lot sooner."

Mu-yeol's seen pictures of him in this thirties ;) 28-year-old Mu-yeol would've ate that up if he wasn't deeply depressed at the time.