the bitter and the sweet

The party was underwhelming. None of Vyvyan's friends could make it, they were all out blowing things up, so Vyvyan found himself sat on a bench with Neil, who was forlornly sipping from a brightly colored straw.

"Why are you wearing that disgusting sheet?" Vyvyan shouted. Neil winced from the sudden sound. If Vyv were being honest with himself, the silence and closeness was making him uncomfortable.

"It's Halloween, Vyv. That's what you do."

"Why are you covering up your pretty face, though?" He intended his tone to drip with sarcasm, but Neil seemed to interpret it differently.

"You think I'm pretty?"

"What do you think I am, a poof?"

"Are you not?"

Vyv sat there in stunned silence. How had Neil pinpointed him like this? Were they secretly a genius? How did they know? Did they know?

"Sorry. I guess I just hoped I wasn't the only one in the house." Neil kicked their feet.

"What do you mean, the only one???" Vyv shouted, standing up. The axe stuck in his head teetered dangerously.

"The only gay one, I mean. Well, I'm not gay, actually, or even a man. I don't think I'm a girl, either, though. It changes." Neil shrugged. "I could have sworn I told you this before."

Vyv had his mouth open in shock, and had his head in his hands. "You're a poof. Oh god."

Neil started to look scared. "Please don't, like, be mad, or anything, Vyv, I promise I'm not weird about it or anything, I'm just, like-"

"Me too." Vyv whispered. Not so much a whisper as it was a 'Vyvyan Whisper', as he used when scheming just loud enough for Rick to hear.

"Oh, far out!"

"I'm not actually a boy either."

"Oh, you're a girl?"

"NO! I'm a boy."

"I don't get it, Vyv."

"I was born as a girl. A girly. A chick. I'm not a real man, Neil."

"Yeah you are."

"Did you hear me? I was born as a girl."

"You're still a dude, though. I was born a girl and I'm not a chick."

"I- you were?"

"Yeah, man."

"Huh. That's nice."

Vyv sat back down next to Neil, and put his arm around them. The cloth was just slightly damp, but Vyv didn't mind.

"I don't think I like anybody, actually." Neil frowned. Vyv could tell without seeing it.

"What do you mean?" Vyv's voice cracked. "You don't like boys or girls?"

"Yeah, just not a huge fan, you know? I'd rather eat lentils. Or garden." Neil had recently gotten into gardening, and had begun to track mud all over the house.

"Oh, god. Again with the gardening."

"It's amazing! You see, first, we sow the seed. And then, nature GROWS the seed. And finally, right? We eat the seed." Their eyes widened through the holes in the sheet.

Vyvyan wrenched the axe from his head and whacked Neil over the head with the handle. He smiled.

"Want to, you know. Go out?" Vyv was shocked.

"I thought you said you didn't like people like that, girly!"

"Well not go out like that. Just, you know. Go out."

"Whatever. Sure. I still hate you though."

"I know." The gloom was back, but Vyv could see through it. He smiled and got up.

"I'm gonna go get us some drinks. Don't move. Watch my axe." He clomped out of the room, and Neil smiled.