twenty eight | what is love

[strike_you_out]

[Rather than read the assigned acts of Romiette and Juleo, or whatever it was called, Slugger is finding every imaginable reason to procrastinate. He discovers that knocking icicles off the roof and shoveling the driveway are good excuses for wasting time, though he finishes both a bit too quickly. After the last of the snow has been shoveled from the driveway, he turns to empty the mailbox and idly flips through its contents piece by piece.

There's nothing remarkable in the mail today, only a few envelopes, a post card, and a magazine. The magazine, at least, he could mutilate later for fun. On the back cover is an ad featuring the title "Young Love" in which a little girl is pictured kissing the cheek of a little boy. Slugger pauses. Young love? Dropping the snow shovel, he looks up, wide-eyed and silent as if stricken with a sudden realization.]


Phone

[Slugger gives the telephone a long and apprehensive stare before he dares to pick it up. Holding it to his ear, he opens his mouth to speak... then quickly hangs up. Several deep breaths later he tries again, this time with more success.]


Hi.


What do you do when--

[He briefly freezes up, near horrified at what he's about to admit.]


...when you think you love a girl?

Comments

[strike_you_out]

[Uncle Johan, help!]

How?

[theboytwin]

Well you could be straight forward and ask her. Or ask a friend of hers, someone else close to her.

Is this about the Japanese girl with long hair I see you with sometimes?

[strike_you_out]

Yeah.

[Swallowing, he sounds slightly panicked.] What if she doesn't?

[theboytwin]

Then it's better to know now.

[strike_you_out]

But Mr. Liebert, I'm... I'm a...

[Is okay for monsters to feel this way? Is it wrong?]

[theboytwin]

Monster?

If she's friends with you, I don't think that will bother her.

[strike_you_out]

But are monsters supposed to... Isn't it... wrong?

[theboytwin]

Wrong?

No. I don't see why it would be.

[strike_you_out]

[Coming from one monster to another, this is encouraging. Slugger begins to relax a little, his grip loosening on the receiver.]

Have you ever had to tell someone?

[theboytwin]

[There's a pause.]

......it's....a little more complicated in my case I'm afraid.

[strike_you_out]

[Judging by the gap of silence, he senses this is a delicate subject for Johan.]

Is she here?

[theboytwin]

Yes.

She's my other half. And she knows that.

Things are so much more complicated when the only person in the world you love happens to be your sister.

[strike_you_out]

[The taboo of twin sibling incest is beyond him. All Slugger knows is that Johan needs help, too.]

I could tell her for you.

[theboytwin]

She knows.

But I'm happy with what we have now at least.

She's my sister. That's all that matters.

[strike_you_out]

Good. [As long as Johan is happy with it.]

...Thanks.

[theboytwin]

Try flowers by the way. Lots of girls like flowers.

[strike_you_out]

[Flowers? Ingenious.]

I will, Mr. Liebert.

[theboytwin]

Good luck Slugger.

[strike_you_out]

You, too.

[Talking to Johan has actually made him feel quite a bit better about all of this.]