"Ah..." The question had caught him off guard. Occupied with handing over a bowl to Nich's father, he was eager to retract his hand after it was accepted. And rather than returning to his food, they nestled nervously in his lap, immediately picking at one another, searching for a hangnail or something interesting to fixate on. His gaze followed them with the same driven anxiety. Are you a boy or a girl. It'd been a bit since he heard that question, but it wasn't abnormal either. Many older folk had asked him before upon first meeting him at his old jobs. He knew that his physique was abnormal for a man, his speech pattern more timid, too. He usually answered them without too much fuss over the question...--gender mistakes happened all the time, after all. ...but it was Nich's father. That in itself made him uncertain. It wasn't known that the two of them were dating. There were plenty not supportive of same-sex relationships. So was it a test for that? Was Nich about to get in trouble, depending on how he answered? Not only that, but he had heard Nich call him 'he' all night. So, Sullivan worried that it was more accusatory than curious. "I--um. I'm male." Came his answer, trying to be swift about it. He tried to seem normal in answering too, attempting a smile and reaching back up to his bowl a moment later. A laugh was tried afterwards. "I'm sorry. I-I know my manner of speech can make it a little confusing. I have a really feminine face too. But I am male."
// " Appa, you can't just ask things like that out loud. If you want you can do it privately or ask me instead! "
Nich hardly got upset, especially at anyone for that matter. There was only a handful of people who could see this side of him, much less being on the receiving end. When he was younger, he wouldn't dare raise his voice towards his parents, but now that he was a grown adult, his parents changed their viewpoints to be more progressive, allowing Nich to voice his concerns here and there, provided that they were sound in their mind.
" What? I just wanted to check if he was one of those people. It's important you said, that they were called the proper 'he' or 'she' right? " Nich's father huffed, unable to understand his son's outburst. His accent was thick and difficult to understand, clear that English was not his second language either.
Nich shut his eyes, eyelashes trembling as he tried to be patient. He felt embarrassed for Sullivan, even though it seemed like it didn't affect him all that much. He set down his chopsticks, the metal clanking against the bowl as he had completely lost his appetite. "Appa... he's not that either. Anyway, it's rude, so don't just ask it so forwardly like that. "
Nich's mother reached next to her and touched her son's elbow, frowning at the air. " It's okay, it's okay. Appa is just a little curious. He just wants to know how to treat your friends. "
@tximidity













