Externalizing [mxm]

Chapter 21 (End)

Brendan set his gift exchange present in with the others, the piece large and rectangular compared to everything else. Making the print itself had been easy enough, but then he'd had to get it framed—that cost more than the printing process itself. Brendan wasn't very happy about having to just give it away. "I should be able to charge them at least a few hundred dollars," he grumbled sourly as they had to walk away. "My print alone is worth some money. Then the frame cost—"

"That's not the point of a present," Marc interjected, taking Brendan's hand as they went to check out the concessions table. They picked through the options of pretzels, marshmallows, and some fruits to all go in the chocolate fountain that was on display. Brendan quickly became more interested in playing with the flow of the chocolate, using pretzel sticks to part it like curtains.

"Stop that," Marc hissed, slapping his wrist.

Brendan rolled his eyes and took them off to socialize. Brendan walked Marc around and introduced him to a few of the other teachers, and gave the Dean an official introduction as the two of them dating. For once she wasn't wearing a resting bitch-face, which was hard for Marc to process. Instead she smiled excitedly, maybe a little on the drunk side, and clapped her hands. "My oldest son just told me he was gay last year," she informed proudly. "Not many other kids like him at his high school... he doesn't go here though, he doesn't want to be known for being my kid."

Marc was more shocked that she was old enough to have a son that could be in high school already. She gave Brendan an engulfing hug then, eventually leaning into him more for support than for an actual hug. Brendan gave Marc a pleading look for help, but Marc could only laugh. She was definitely drunk.

That was probably the highlight of Marc's time at the Christmas party for Brendan's school. The gift exchange took forever to get through, complete with Brendan grumbling unhappily when the first pick went to the biggest present, which was his. "Three hundred dollars, at least, for me to break even on that thing," he whispered angrily.

Marc elbowed him in the side. Everyone made a show about the print, and were so proud of themselves for being able to guess that it was Brendan's, out of all of two art teachers at the school. Brendan got to pick his present then, which ended up being a deluxe edition of a poetry book. Brendan flipped aimlessly through the pages as they waited for an appropriate time to leave and go to Marc's work.

Marc wasn't surprised that it was already in full swing when they got there, with more than a number of people beyond drunk. He nodded familiarly to some of his employees that worked under him, all while keeping Brendan close at his side and fielding stares. They didn't have a gift exchange, but the CEO had little gift bags with trinkets inside for everyone who had given him an RSVP.

It only took a few minutes for one of Marc's underlings to come up and introduce her boyfriend, all while giving Marc and Brendan an expectant look. Marc took a quick sip of alcoholic punch. "This is my boyfriend, Brendan," he finally introduced.

"Oh, didn't we go drinking?" she remembered. "You never said anything then!" she pretended to be offended for a few seconds.

Marc shrugged it off. "We weren't dating, then."

"Well, lucky you," she sighed dramatically, earning a playfully hurt glare from her boyfriend then. "Hey, when you get some cool tattoos, then I won't have to say that."

Brendan's face turned a little red and Marc couldn't help but laugh. A few other people came up and talked to Marc throughout the rest of the night, and he eventually got to introducing Brendan to all of them. Most of them had admitted to already figuring out, since they had shown up together and had been sticking to the same wall all night.