* DOOMED JESTER !

He's still chewing on the inside of his cheek, looking over at her, in his brief pause. "You promise?"

"I promise." And she means it. That is what happened, after all. A whitewashed version of their conversation, but still not untrue.

When they get outside and get her boxes in the car she hugs him. She plants a kiss against the side of his head while she squeezes him tight, and throws out a quick "love ya!" while getting in the car. It had taken him becoming an adult for her to let him be close to her in this way- in the past only ever throwing in a "you too" when he said it first and silently accepting his hugs- and yet it makes him feel so small and vulnerable. And terrified to let it show, lest she pull back again.

Gary briefly considers taking the stairs back up for the seconds faster it might be than to take the elevator. But that's only if he ran, which he feels too drained for.

oh, carol anne actually was telling the truth. mapplethorpe had been the one telling a little white lie. ( so long as carol doesn't say a fucking word, he won't crack under pressure. ) whilst he could spin a tale faster than most, he wasn't a very good liar. it was easy to tell when he was lying because he tends to stammer over his words and get flustered. ( then extremely defensive whenever you call him out on it. ) of course he didn't think about this at the time. ( he hopes that carol doesn't say anything when they are alone. )

he seems to fall into nerves as he's left alone in gary's apartment. he forgets about the coffee in his hands, staring unblinking at the floor as his jaw sets. he'll lazily kick his legs, heels hitting the cabinets as he sits on the counter, running his fingers through his hair. his head shoots up whenever he hears the door open and close, pursing his lips together.

He does sometimes look a little possessed just before Gary’s done with him, the way he likes to push Mapplethorpe’s overstimulation as much as possible. He loves it, but he gets why that might not be the best for content. Fine by him- it just makes it all the easier to get him there once they’re done.

Gary’s not really sure what Mapplethorpe’s subscribers think about the handful of times he’s let Gary’s name slip. Is it the same as knowing it’s him that’s filming, or when his hand is in the shot like it is right now, or if it shatters the illusion a bit too much? Not that it matters much, since Gary’s pretty sure even if it did Mapplethorpe wouldn’t stop. He might even start saying Gary's name more out of spite.

mapplethorpe can't help but snicker whenever gary gives his chest a gentle shove, wrinkling his nose. he does sound like him a bit but mapplethorpe would deny that he isn't that whiny. ( actually, i think you're worse, you little fuck. ) he'll shake his head, biting back a grin. "i'll never get lost. not with the tight leash you keep me on," it's a joke but it's pretty well known that gary was incredibly overprotective over mapplethorpe. which is hard to imagine if you didn't know them if you saw how small gary looked trying to curl up in mapplethorpe's lap. ( gary is resembling a bit like a great dane trying to be a lapdog. )

When Gary hears Mapplethorpe calling from the other room, his first instinct is to assume some kind of coffee mishap. He's going through the rest of the closet to make sure it's just the three boxes that are hers, but that last part makes his stomach plummet to his feet. He drops whatever he was holding, that falls with a loud clatter amongst the clutter, and sprints down the hall. "What?!" he's asking before he's even made it to the kitchen, his voice cracking, and bumps into his mom a little bit when she meets him in the doorway.

"He's just jokin', baby," she tells him, casting a warning glare over her shoulder at Mapplethorpe. He can and will talk all the shit about her he wants once she leaves, she knows that. But she also knows that the implication alone could send Gary spiraling into a nervous breakdown if he believes it at all. Since it's an entirely plausible one. His gaze desperately searching between the two of them, and she puts her hand up against his chest and tries to coax him back down the hall. "I was sayin' he's good for you, is all. Lemme come help you." She walks past him down the hall. "Still got the car outside waitin' to take me home."

Gary stands there for a moment watching her, before he looks back over at Mapplethorpe. Suddenly he's back in middle school, and the handful of friends he had made are all telling him how hot his mom is after meeting her for the first time. Or hearing some of the boys Jenny's dated talk about her hot older sister when she isn't around to hear, but he is. But Mapplethorpe wouldn't… but his mom would... but he wouldn't. Right?

he'll bite back his grin whenever gary comes rushing out of the bedroom, hiding behind his coffee mug. ( yeah, he does feel a little guilty for making gary panic, but he wasn't going to take it back. ) a part of him knows that it probably wouldn't be completely out of range that carol anne would try to make a move on him. ( a spiteful bastard like himself could see a spiteful bitch. )

he'll nod his head, a content hum leaving him. "i just wanted you to come back," he'll give mapplethorpe his best, innocent doe eyes can can muster before he moves to jump onto the kitchen counter. he'll swing his legs from side to side, looking a bit proud of himself. "plus, your mom is ready to go. i can only entertain her for so long," head tilts to the side as he sends a glare at the back of carol anne's head as she walks down the hallway. he certainly knows he proved his point when it came to his mother. ( keep your nose out of our lives or i'll do something even worse. ) there aren't many lines that mapplethorpe wouldn't cross.