* DOOMED JESTER !

But then he keeps talking.

Her eyebrows go up in surprise, but not much else about her expression changes. While Gary has no control over his own face, she has near full control. When she's sober. It's something Jenny's hated about her older sister since they were little- every fight ended with Jenny teary eyed and screaming, and Carol Anne looking flustered at most.

It takes a lot of work to be such a neglectful parent, so it's not like she doesn't know it. But her interest is piqued instantly. Like she said, Gary tends to be tight lipped about a lot. They've been dating for a few months and Gary's already clearly told him some things from his childhood. She's honestly a little impressed. Unless Jenny spilled all the beans when Gary wasn't around to hear it.

When he mentions his own mother she picks her cup back up, taking a sip to hide the fact that her lips want to smirk. Maybe I'm a nutcase- fair enough. She can't argue with that. She knows better than to say so, but she thinks that someone able to be compatible with Gary needs to have their head screwed on a little crooked. Her eyes flicker down to his shaking hands before looking back at his face. Oh, he knows a lot. For six months time? Shit, maybe the two of them do have something special.

"That was a really good answer," she says between sips, and sounds so genuine when she does. Just a little bit cheeky- like the neglect of her son is a private joke she's finding out Mapplethorpe is now in on. She nearly fucking winks at him, but resists. She doesn't want to get him worked up enough to make Gary upset. "'S fine by me. I can take it. 'Nd I rather that than bein' fake about it anyway."

yeah, maybe mapplethorpe was a little delusional. maybe they both were. maybe these feelings were just the honeymoon phase. ( maybe their drug binge made them believe it was magical. ) the fact of the matter was mapplethorpe didn't give a shit. the butterflies never died in his stomach. even a simple text message or even a donation on his twitch stream was enough to get his stomach to do backflips. ( he fucking loves him, you cunt. )

he hates how she seems to show no reaction to his words. ( he even caught the ghost of a smirk that she tried to hide behind the mug. ) he'll take a deep breath, trying to keep himself in line. ( he can't stand looking at her fucking face. ) he'll suck on his teeth, eyes narrowing. "good. i'm not much of a liar, anyways." he always preferred to be honest, no matter how brutal it was.

"i believe you. though, i think a deep, twisted part of you is jealous of him. he's a successful music producer. he's doing really well for himself. he actually found someone unlike you who drops everything just for a pinch of attention from a man. i wish you would just fuck off." he places his coffee mug down before he throws it on the ground like he wanted to. ( he doesn't want gary to feel like he had a mess to clean up. ) he'll close his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Gary frowns a little bit at how quickly Mapplethorpe comes up with this reply, but since he's also holding him so close he can feel Mapplethorpe's dick moving when he says it. Gary tuts, sucking on his teeth. "Nah, you know that ain't the same thing." He's getting increasingly bratty, but it just makes Gary smile a little more. When Gary's got him down into his underwear, that he's hard enough to be straining up against, and clinging onto him, it's a little hard to believe he's actually annoyed with Gary.

More like save himself from being asked for a few bucks, but thats besides the point.

"That's smart- usin' one business to promote another." As if she has any real experience to speak on, but she knows the same reason Jenny does; their father. Gary's namesake (since his mother had been seriously procrastinating brainstorming baby names- reluctant to admit the situation she'd gotten herself into- and Gary Sr. passed away during her third trimester) had come from an upper middle class family down in Georgia, and didn't want his girls to have to shop around for a man with a good job to live the kind of life they wanted for themselves.

Apparently only Jenny had taken the advice to heart.

"I bet he ain't let you try to get him on that skateboard, hasn't he?"

"Nope," Gary answers.

"Clumsy just like your momma." Her head falls to the side just a little bit while she looks at him, her smile shifting slightly. "That's why I was hopin' you'd help me carry some stuff down. So I don't go droppin' it all in the elevator and makin' a scene."

Oh, she knows him too well for someone who hasn't spent all that much time with him. Throwing in 'making a scene' at the end so very casually, despite knowing such a thing is anything but casual for him. Gary takes in and lets out a little sigh. "Yeah, 'course momma." He would have helped her anyway, desperate for her approval at any and all costs.

Gary decides to get the boxes out of the closet in the spare room turned extremely makeshift recording studio. He knows Mapplethorpe knows how his coffee machine works, since he's already spent more time at Gary's apartment than his mother, so he's left in charge after Gary presses his mouth against the top of his head and murmurs "be right back" before he starts down the hall. And leaves him alone with his mother.

"My baby's got a boyfriend, huh?" she says, mainly to herself while she watches him disappearing down the hall, before actually turning and giving Mapplethorpe her attention. "Y'all must be kinda serious for you to be flyin' out here to stay with him. I mean, how long is that plane ride? Don't think I could do that for a guy." She absolutely could. She'd drop everything and be heaed to the airport before she's bought her ticket. But no one's ever asked her, so she's never given it much thought before.

the only reason he tunes back in is because gary's lips are in his curls. he's snapped back to reality, giving gary a look that is a mixture of shock and confusion. ( your really leaving me alone with her? are you sure? ) now he doesn't have gary to stop him from ruining his first impression, which could be dangerous. tongue clicks on the roof of his mouth, his eyes rolling as gary walks down the hall to get whatever the fuck carol anne needed. ( god, please don't say a fucking word to me. ) of course, he isn't so lucky. he'll take a deep breath as he pours the coffee into three mugs, handing one over to gary's mother.

he'll blow on the top of his coffee, closing his eyes briefly before he takes a sip, flinching slightly from the heat. ( he's already winding up and his nerves make him feel like he's vibrating. ) his attention returns back to miss barkovich, head tilting to the side as he purses his lips together. "dunno how long. tried to sleep most of it," he does know, but he's feeling difficult. "what gary and i have is special. ain't my fault you never had that," eyes narrow, a mischievous smile on his face that can only be described as cat like replacing the look of boredom.

he'll take a few steps forward, taking a sip of his coffee once again. ( oh, the audacity of this woman! ) he can't help but feel a surge of anger shoot up his spine and directly to his chest. it even makes his face start to flush. ( if he were a cartoon, smoke would be shooting from his ears. ) he'll make sure to smile, but he keeps his voice low. "problems, huh? who doesn't have 'em? now, if we wanna talk problems? let's start with you. maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have such problems if you were actually an attentive mom," tongue clicks on the roof of his mouth. "hell, think my mom has been more of a mother to gary than you have and they've only talked briefly on video chat," another sip of his coffee, huffing from his nose.

"i ain't stuck with him. if anything he's stuck with me. maybe i'm a nutcase," if anything, his medical history would probably prove that case. "you don't know me. quite frankly, you don't know gary, either. which is so fuckin' sad because he'd bend over backwards for your approval. well, i'm not. don't give a flyin' fuck if you like me or not. i ain't gonna play happy family with you, either. actually, i don't fucking like you." his grasp tightens on his mug, holding back the urge to splash his fresh coffee on her stupid dress shirt.

Gary loves that though he is taller, stronger, and faster than Mapplethorpe, that none of it is by very much at all. He loves not just how easily he can manhandle him, but how Mapplethorpe can sometimes give him a taste of his own medicine. And oh how sweet it is coming from him.