[I know QPR means different things to different people but to me itâs a deep enough bond that Friends feels reductive. Spouse and I are in a queerplatonic relationship, aroace and aro respectively, and got married about it. So thereâs my qualifications.]
Both of their lineages stopped with them.
In Kyleâs case, that was a melodramatic way of putting it. His sister was pregnant for the second time, but her kids would be Patels, not Garricks. Their father had been an only child. If he stayed the course, his Y chromosome would be the last of its kind.
Simonâs line was a very real dead end. The last surviving Riley, and even then, only barely. Obviously, they never talked about it. Kyle wasnât even sure if he still had the parts to procreate with. (The internals, at least - the bastard pissed with the door open enough that heâd gotten an eyeful of the rest). None of his business. Neither of them were the childrearing sort.
Which made the current debate all the more ridiculous.
âMy pet. My name.â Mulishly, Simon pulled the box that held the rock closer to himself across the table.
Alright, pet rocks were for toddlers. They both knew. But neither of them were in the business of âmaking a house a homeâ and when the topic came up, so had pet ownership. It didnât matter a fig whether their rarely-occupied flat had blue curtains or green if it was cold and dead round the clock. Of course, âcold and deadâ was exactly what any normal pet would be after days, weeks, sometimes months without intervention. Thus, the rock. It - in its little carrying case and shite polyester cushion - had run them ÂŁ4 at the shop where Simon bought his silly birthday cards and gag gifts, which had been its own argument, but at least there were no immunizations to pay for.
Unless they developed one for whatever was the matter with Simon Riley. That would be one hell of a veterinary visit.
âOur pet,â Kyle corrected, painfully aware of how easy he was to rile up. What did he care what they named the fucking rock? Because you love no-stakes arguments and so does he. Irritably, he waved away the thought along with Simonâs words. âSo we name it together. We hyphenate.â
âThatâs shite.â There was a meanness to Simonâs enjoyment. Not pigtail-pulling - not nearly - but the act of pissing Kyle off just to do it. Just to prove he could. Itâs why they both did it, to be fair. How badly can I work you up before you take a swing? It hadnât not happened. âIâd take Riley-Garrick. Needs to make good initials, though.â
Like an old married couple, they were. They couldnât actually get married, with Simonâs persnickety status vis a vis reincarnation, but they were as good as. Every legality between them and their flat was under Kyleâs name. âŚwhich Simon could well leverage for rock naming rights, if it came to it, so Kyle pressed on before he thought of it.
âAlright - that leaves us with vowels.â Pretending to be counting on his fingers, Kyle used his other hand to subtly pull the box closer to his side. âARG, ERG, ORG - itâs all a bit pish, innit?â
Simonâs pale paw curled around the box and unsubtly, pulled it right back to himself. âNeeds to be S-A. Initials make Sarg - nickname the stupid thing Sarge.â Kyle had the mad impulse to cover the rockâs non-ears and scold Simon. For the hundredth time, he reminded himself that psychosis was not contagious. âSally-Ann.â
âLike the store?â Kyle crinkled his nose and, conceding defeat over Rock Proximity, doubled down on Rock Labelling. âAlso, we donât know the thingâs a girl. Should do something neutral.â
âBloke canât be named Sally now?â
He took a deep breath. Wondered if their new pet would make a good weapon. Stopped wondering. âWhat about Sam Alex? Not hyphenated. Nice and neutral.â
Simonâs face didnât move. âItâs shite.â
Kyleâs did, into an indignant scrunch. âYouâre shite.â
And all at once, heâd fucking lost. Ad hominems were an instant failure and they both knew it. Over a pet rock from the joke shop.
Something Ghost-adjacent rang in Simonâs smirk as he scooped up the rock in its box and looked down at Kyle near-pityingly. âSlagging off your superior over a fucking toy sound professional to you?â he goaded. âGrammar school behaviour. Fucking juvenile.â
âYouâre juvenile,â Kyle grumbled, having no lower to go.
âIn front of the damn baby.â
âRock that bears our names, Garrick. Congratulations, youâre a parent.â
Some fucking lineage, Kyle reflected wearily. But then, at least a rock wasnât traumatizable. There was quite enough of that going around.