no homo // larry stylinson ⚣

Act I: Scene One

ACT I
— Scene 1 —
P O V : L O U I S

"How are those chicken periods turning out?" Grace asked without lifting her eyes from the pot of baked beans.

"You mean the eggs? Quite well, thanks. Now shut the hell up, you vegan nerd." I replied with an eye roll. Grace had only been my roommate for three years, but ever since she moved in, it's felt like I've known her forever.

"You shut up," she mumbled.

We continued like this, moments passing, as we wandered around the kitchen in comfortable silence. It was a lovely morning, the Newcastle sun pouring through the window. I smiled to myself, knowing that even though the sun was bright, it was probably chilly outside.

Over the past few weeks, I'd been thinking about where I wanted to take my life. Most prominently, the thought of moving popped into my head. I'd been pretty set on this idea, but the only problem was that I didn't know how to tell Grace.

Grace broke my thoughts when she looked up, her eyes widening when she saw the TV. "Louis, Shadowhunters is on!" She ran out the kitchen to flop on the couch, and I took her beans off the stove.

You'd think living with Grace for so long would make me appreciative of this weird show. Honestly, I never understood the appeal of it. She woke me up early every Tuesday to watch it with her, even though I tried telling her countless times that she didn't need me to. She always insisted, and I went along with it, because I knew how much our early morning breakfasts meant to her.

"Grace, this a rerun, there's no need to get this excited," I remarked. She turned to me and argued that this is her favourite episode. Every time it came on, it was practically law that she had to watch it.

"Okay, but I still don't get what you love about this show," I said, taking the salt and pepper out of the cupboard. "I mean, blah blah, you have the sight, blah blah I love her, but oh shit, she's my sister, blah blah."

Grace laughed. "To be honest, you remind me of Alec," she pointed to the tall dark-haired guy on the screen.

"Let me guess, because he's gay?" I asked. I had come out to Grace shortly after we became dormmates, afraid that she would push me away. Luckily, she was nothing but supportive, and revealed to me that she was trans.

When you think of trans women, you tend to recall the loud, sassy, hyper-feminine ones, but Grace is the complete opposite. Yes, she could be noisy, but she's the most down-to-earth, humble person I've ever met.

She chuckled, "He is gay, but what I was thinking of is that you're both grumpy all the damn time."

I looked over to glare at her. "I am not," I said, sticking my tongue out. She rolled her eyes and turned to the screen again as I finished preparing breakfast.

As the morning went on, I became more and more nervous. I knew that today, I had to bring up the idea of moving.

Suddenly, Grace started screaming.

"Look Louis! It's your boyfriend," She yelled at me, pointing at the screen to a man with glittery eyeliner. "Isn't he gorgeous?" she moaned.

"Well, considering he's gay, he's off limits to you," I said.

Grace was quick to reply, "He's bi, actually."

"Oh, nice, he'd have a chance with both of us then," I said, stepping out of the kitchen with our plates. I sat down next to her and took a bite of my sausage.

"Oh my god, are you actually admitting one of my character crushes is attractive?" she remarked, cutting up her grilled tomato.

I rolled my eyes, "There's more than one? I think you've been watching too much Netflix." I pointed out. She scoffed.

"Louis, there is no such thing as too much Netflix, thank you very much," She said. I was about to reply when she screamed again, making me drop my sausage.

"Grace, you made me drop my sausage," I whined. Her attention was still focused on the screen, where Alec and glitter boy were kissing.

"Just you wait, Louis," she announced, grabbing my sausage from the floor and swinging it around inappropriately. "One day you'll be banging a hot, glittery, bisexual guy like him."

"Dream on, Grace," I said, snatching my sausage back from her hands, "I don't expect to be getting with anyone quite yet, especially not around here."

She pouted. "What does that even mean? And by the way, I just held a blend of the flesh of multiple species just to make a point. You're welcome." She smirked, grabbing her glass of orange juice and bringing it to her lips. I would've laughed, but worried thoughts filled my mind.

Since I had dragged this out for so long, I figured it was best to rip off the bandage right away. I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts.

"Uh," I started, my voice going higher than usual, "I know this is out of the blue, but I've been thinking about moving."

How smooth, Louis.

Grace's eyes widened and she spit her orange juice all over the carpet. That had to leave a stain.

I cringed, watching her jaw drop. "What the fuck," she exclaimed. "I thought you loved it here."

I sighed. "I know Grace, but... I don't know. I love it here, I really do..." I paused, trying to get my point across.

"You were doing everything you could to get into Newcastle University a few years ago..." She sulked.

I sighed and continued, "I don't know, I just... I think I need a change. I'm sorry for bringing this up so suddenly."

After a moment of silence, Grace sighed, "I mean, if it's what you think is best for you, I'd say to go for it. I just don't want you to leave me here!" she said as she laughed, but there was some sadness in her eyes.

"Alright, we'll talk later about this, then," I replied. Grace smiled, "For now, a toast to wherever the hell you'll be ending up."

We clinked our OJ glasses together. While we knew little about the future, we were content as ever.

AN: Welcome to our ridiculous story. We have been working on the storyline for almost a year now (with a long break), and it's honestly one of the craziest, most wild plots ever. We hope you enjoy the ride.

P.S. This story is a slow burn, so please know what to expect!

— Ava and Melina