singillatim | #LoveWins

Who: Cornelius Hickey & OPEN
What: hey. hey guess who's married. guess. take a guess. bet you can't guess, OKAY it's Hickey
When: early October, post Forest Talker attack
Where: Milton

Content Warnings: as always, the possibility of canon-typical Terror warnings (mentions of gore, cannibalism, period-typical homophobia, murder, all of Hickey's crimes. etc.). Will mention in the thread if they occur.

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Hickey's basically married now!

Yeah, sure he's considered himself basically married ever since Billy arrived here. They're living together, after all, and as long as Hickey's got Billy, he hasn't really felt any lust or desires towards any other people (except Crozier) (that's different). And he does love Billy. At least, he's pretty sure he does. Love's a weird feeling and it's something that Hickey has never really been able to put a name to or identify in himself, so yeah, it might as well be love! And Billy's been wearing the ring that Hickey gave him. And they've both been upfront about it with each other, to the point where Billy said that he and Hickey were together during that awful town meeting.

So yeah, they've been basically married already. But Billy gave him a ring (looted off some corpse, not entirely romantic but something the ever-practical Hickey approves of), so now they're officially married! What do you mean most marriages involve a priest or signing a contract in front of the law, they don't have either of those here! This is as official as it's going to get!

So naturally, Hickey's going to gloat.

He goes about his day to day life in Milton. He'll check out the notice board, he'll rummage through what abandoned buildings he hasn't yet rummaged through, he'll go on a little walk. But every time he spots someone, he adjusts his hair, brushing it behind his ear. And then brushing it behind his ear again. And then he'll lightly scratch his neck. Or he'll wave them over. And hey, just ignore the fact that all of Hickey's obvious stupid little tells are with his left hand and just ignore the fact that all of his obvious stupid little tells are blatantly him just showing off that ring finger. With a ring on it.

Hey did he mention he's married???

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Making to fall into line with the other man, he leaves his cabin behind and stares down at his boots in the snow. Few talk openly of homosexuality even in Prior's time, and those that do are apt to looking back over their shoulders. Where Prior can have his choice – and what choices he's made – he's managed to stay somewhat undercover in the soft and sensitive munition-yellowed flesh of his fiancee. Sarah provides plausible deniability and Prior can't say that he doesn't love her or women, for that matter.

But men? Men are easier.

The moment drifts by exactly as expected and Prior finds that his can't help his sardonic smile at Hickey's proclamation. "The first ever?" he asks, his curiosity on display. Sporus or Hierocles be damned, just to name a few.

"As long as no one attributes it to adelphopoiesis," Prior adds with no small amount of cheek. "Why should it be marriage when the Catholics can call it 'brotherhood.'"

And never mind their sexual interests. Prior has always wondered if the Church was near fully to blame for most homosexuals, but no one had turned him gay. Then again what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Certainly, Father Mackenzie took great pride in his religious tutelage, and that's not bound to have ended with Prior.

Hickey's starting to not like this guy. Nobody uses words like 'adelphopoiesis' in casual conversation. You only use them if you want to sound smart, want to sound more capable, want to sound like you're fancy and pompous and know more than everybody else. This kid is probably out of his element. Probably still adjusting. So why not hide behind big words and philosophical nonsense to hide the fact that you're out of your depth?

Because Hickey barely knows Prior, but if he had to guess? That man will be relying on the goodwill of strangers more than contributing his own to the cause.

"First ever here," Hickey points out. "In our current state. You knew what I meant, no need to be a smartass about it." Just saying.

"And anyway, what's marriage to begin with? Something sanctified in the church? No clergy here. Something written in the codes of law? No laws here. So if all the fundamentals are null and void, why not rewrite it to our current situation? Why not shape it to something that fits us?"

Conversely, Hickey's responses only helps to endear him to Prior who has never been the kind of person to attach himself in any manner to what is considered true and proper. It brings a more genuine bend to his grin, which is accented with a tilt of his head in the barest form of agreement.

"Or," he rebuffs, gently, "why call it anything at all? Why, if none of the rules matter, does one still follow the ghostly path it's left behind?" Convention, for all its worth, is specifically relating to moral, dictated, collective behavior, after all. And Prior wonders, not for the first time, if they shouldn't avoid all that if they really want to prove they're something else altogether.

As they walk, Prior gestures to Hickey's left hand, the glinting band that he's been so proud to show off. Prior would like to look at it more closely, but knows better than to go grabbing at hand of a newly married man. "Nevertheless, congratulations are in order, Mr. Hickey. Considering the circumstances, your nuptials are an uncommon and welcome surprise."

"I know why I'm following said ghostly path." A smirk of a smile dances across Hickey's face as he muses, "Because the phrase 'Billy Gibson married to Cornelius Hickey' will piss off at least one or two people here. And occasionally, spite's motivation enough."

It's motivation enough for Hickey. Thinking about Edward Little, John Irving, all the rest of the Terrors thinking about their relationship, thinking 'well Billy could do better'...it's spiteful as hell, but sometimes it's worth it.

"Congratulations accepted, by the way. Considering the circumstances, I doubt we'll have many others joining us among the ranks of the married. After all, seems foolish to tie your life to one person in a place so unpredictable as this."

Spite. It garners a surprised chuckle; Prior could see himself doing something similar. Not a lot of people would say the same, he knows, but Prior also suspects that most people don't consider how extreme circumstances can alter behavior radically.

"Is your– husband in agreement?" There isn't a chance in Hell Prior's used that word in that manner ever before. It catches him by surprise not unlike the spite comment and he tries to swipe away the immediate intrusion of his past, of Rivers' writings of Melanesians and their personal, and emotional dynamics. A reminder, as it were, that it's only some societies that give a damn and if one could choose where and when to be born, it might never be a concern.

Some people have all the luck.

"In agreement with what? Spite? He's not as...focused about this sort of thing as I am."

Billy's wonderful. Billy's calm and practiced and thinks things through. Billy also isn't as much of a petty monster as Hickey is. "But there are a few people both of us know who wouldn't be happy with this arrangement and who both of us are perfectly fine aggravating by our very existence."

Tiny little subtweet for John Irving.

Prior's mental note to find the other Billy is filed away with these interesting facts, although he's beginning to wonder whether Hickey's a reliable enough narrator for any of these characters. Regardless, information is useful even if it's only meant to give context at a later date.

"A shared philosophy," he notes in agreement, amused by the picture being painted of their dynamic. Does husband Billy – notably, phrased without rebuke – merely tolerate such extents, or does that partnership draw deeper parallels? Prior doesn't imagine it will be all that difficult to find out.

Prior scratches his cheek. "And Gibson. Is there a chance I could offer on my regards in person? You would know where best to find him. And when."

"He's usually out and about around this time," Hickey shrugs. Truth be told, he doesn't exactly know Billy's schedule. More often than not, Hickey's out in the wilderness, checking on traps, getting any game, enjoying the solitude and lawlessness of nature. In town, what Billy does...that's a good question.

"General store's usually a pretty good place to look." He thinks. "Or try the community center."

#LoveWins

cw: religious insensitivity, homophobia, allusions to CSA

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