(no subject)
Dec. 29th, 2004 01:30 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
gruff-ioan.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rpg_palaceOOC: if this doesn't post correctly, email me and let me know. Am at my aunt and uncle's house and I don't dare visit the actual page.
Ioan decides to reveal his secret to Richard…
Ioan is in the apartment, sipping at a glass of scotch. Richard is due to arrive in a matter of minutes for them to work out a schedule for the upcoming month. The boy knows the other man knows there's something going on, but so far, Ioan has managed to keep his mouth shut.
Bottle of wine in hand, Richard arrives at Ioan's quarters, ready to discuss the upcoming schedule--and also what had obviously been on the younger man's mind. Thus far, he hadn't done much prying into the matter--a few times he'd asked what was wrong, and had met with evasiveness. Knocking on the door, Richard waits to be let in.
"Come in," Ioan calls, pretty damned sure it's Richard. Sighing softly, he finishes off the tumbler of scotch and sets the empty glass down, rising to go meet the elder man.
Opening the door, Richard enters--smiling at the boy as he offers the bottle of wine. "Hey there, how's your day been?" Noting the bottle of scotch on the counter, he raises an eyebrow. "A little early for the hard stuff isn't it?"
"Nah, it's past lunch time," Ioan says, giving Richard a small grin.
"Tsk tsk, and what would Mads think?" Richard counters, taking a seat on the couch as he regards the young man. "Something's on your mind, has been for a while. We don't know one another that well yet, so tell me to piss off if you like...but do you want to talk about it?"
"He's not my keeper," Ioan says, giving Richard a sharp look when asked what Mads would think, though his expression changes quickly when Richard asks if he wants to talk. Sighing, he sits down and pours himself another glass of the scotch, offering to get a glass for Richard if the man so desires.
Noting that sharp look, Richard raises an eyebrow. "Nothing wrong with having a keeper if it suits you..." He watches as Ioan prepares another drink, accepting one for himself. "What's going on, Ioan?"
"Have you ever wondered about your family? Wondered if you know everything about them? Everything important, that is?" Ioan asks, not really looking at Richard. Looking anywhere but Richard right now.
Now there was a heavy question--Richard knew from experience nothing could drive you crazy and plague your mind more than family. "Oh I know there's probably a lot about my family I don't know, probably don't care to know honestly." He knows that Ioan grew up in an orphanage, but not much more about the boy's history...so, he has to assume he's found out something that's bothering him.
"What about siblings? You say you're an only child...have you ever wondered if maybe one of those things you don't know is another child?" Ioan is surprised at how steady he's keeping his voice, considering how nervous he is, how much he's still torn about sharing this information with Richard.
Richard doesn't say anything for a few moments, regarding Ioan and trying to figure out where this is going. He shrugs after a moment. "No, not really..." He knew his father hadn't been faithful to his mother--hell, the bastard hadn't even tried to hide it sometimes, but honestly he'd never thought about siblings. "Have you found out something? Have you been contacted by someone claiming to be your brother or sister?"
Richard's question elicits a harsh quick laugh from Ioan that's almost bitter sounding. "Oh no, not at all. I never told you my story, did I? How I came to be an orphan."
"No, you haven't told me how you came to be an orphan," Richard says slowly, shifting on the couch to get more comfortable. "Now's as good a time as any, if you want to share." Maybe then this would make sense.
"I was the bastard son of a rich nobleman in this city. Never knew the man's name, never cared to. My mother...one of the maids, sold me to the family when I was five so she could be rid of her ancestral debt. Of course, I couldn't be kept around, being incriminating evidence of the man's dalliances, so I was promptly shipped off to an orphanage, where I grew up."
Richard mutters softly, shaking his head. "Damned nobles," he comments--despite the fact he is technically one himself, given who his father is. "That's terrible...I'm sorry, Ioan. That's despicable..."
"Don't be. It's something I got over years ago. That's beside the point though." Ioan finally looks up and meets Richard's eyes for a moment. "Mads decided to do some research into my history without my knowledge or consent...he dragged this up...." Ioan tosses the envelope across the table to Richard, and sits back a little, sipping at his scotch, not having any idea what the elder man's reaction is going to be.
Richard's brow creases when Ioan tosses the envelop at him, still not understanding. Taking it, he pulls out the contents, leafing through them. He reads through some of the documents--but its a few moments before he comes across names that actually mean something to him. Blinking, he reads it again, and then looks up at Ioan. Okay...last thing he expected, and his mind is still refusing to compute it totally. But that would mean... "I don't..." he begins, then brings his glass to his lips, knocking back all of the scotch. "That's my family name, my family house..."
"Yes, it is," Ioan says softly, looking at his hands, at the woefully empty glass in them.
Standing up, Richard goes to retrieve the bottle of scotch, filling both of their glasses. His mind won't even let him consider what this means yet. Once both glasses are filled and he's nearly drained his again, he finally speaks. "If I'm reading this correctly...you're claiming we're...brothers? You're the sibling I've never wondered about?" He's still not sure he can believe it, though what would Ioan have to gain by fabricating this? Maybe he was just mistaken. Its one thing to know his father was a cheating bastard; it's a totally different thing to find out he actually has another child whom he cast off like some unwanted possession.
"I'm not claiming anything," Ioan says quietly, nodding thanks when his glass is refilled. "I've never cared to know who my parents were, but Mads felt differently. He thought we looked too much alike for it to be coincidence," Ioan continues, then tosses back the entire tumbler of scotch, eyes closed tightly for a moment.
"He went digging into your past because we look similar to him?" Richard inquires, still trying to get his head around that. Though, he could understand both sides--not wanting to know, and feeling like you had to know. He still isn't sure this is something he wanted or needed to know though. How were they meant to proceed from here? "How long have you known?"
"A few weeks." Ioan shrugs a little. "I haven't known what to do with it."
"And what are you going to do with it?" Richard asks after a moment. Brothers. He had a brother--assuming what was contained in that envelop was the truth.
"I don't know. Certainly not show up on your father's doorstep, begging him to take me in," Ioan says, words coming out a bit harsher than perhaps necessary.
"Well that's good because he'd probably slam the door in your face," Richard counters, responding to the sharp note in Ioan's voice before he can stop himself. The man sighs, running his hands through his hair and tugging gently.
Ioan has to bite back a response to that, fairly certain that bickering is going to solve nothing right now. "I don't know what to do with this, I don't know what you want to do...but....Mads was right...you....you have the right to know...."
"I'm sorry, that was harsh," Richard says after a moment, regretting his words. "If it helps, he'd probably slam the door in my face too..." Sighing, he rises and starts pacing a bit, glancing at Ioan every now and again. "And Mads is certain this information is accurate?"
"He said it's from the file the orphanage had on me. its records of my....sale..." the word comes out with about as much distaste as one can put into a word, "to them."
"That arrogant..." Richard growls. His father's name on the papers, bold as day...he had to wonder if the man simply didn't care if anyone found out, or he assume no one would put two and two together. "How do you know that the household you were sold to was your father's?"
"Would you like a dna test?" Ioan asks, starting to get irritated by the constant questions. "Would that make it easier for you? Than having to take the word of an illegitimate bastard?"
Richard bites back the smart remark that nearly comes naturally, glaring at Ioan for a moment before sighing. "It has nothing to do with your word, Ioan--you were five years old...I'm just...I'm trying to deal with this too."
"What? You think that's not something a child is going to remember? Because I assure you, I remember every fucking detail of that particular day, Richard. It's not something that's easily forgettable, even if you want to."
"I'm sorry, Ioan--I'm not trying to insult you..." Richard says as he sits down on the couch, running his hands over his face. "I'm just not sure what to do."
"Neither am I, but I never asked you to know what to do."
"I know...but you've told me and I'm trying to get my head around the fact I'm not an only child any longer...you've had several weeks to dwell on it and you still aren't sure how to react. I just...need a moment."
Ioan just nods, absently turning the glass in his hands, watching it.
"Where do you want to go from here? I'm not even talking about my--our--father... I mean with us..."
Running a hand through his hair, Ioan looks over at Richard. "I don't know. Honestly, I have no idea."
"I know you said you'd put it all behind you, but...are you glad you know?" Richard asks quietly.
Ioan is still quite honestly unsure about how he feels. "I don't know...I guess...it's....it's good to know that there's someone I'm related to...someone that's not a horrible bastard or an uncaring bitch...but...if it ruins the friendship I've formed with you....then no, I'm not glad I know."
"It hasn't... I don't think it will ruin our friendship. At least not on my part..." Richard says slowly. "Are things okay with you and Mads?"
"Things are fine with us....I was...unhappy to say the least when I first found out...he went behind my back deliberately...but things are good now..." Ioan says slowly, then adds with a small smile, "can't stay mad at him,"
"I guess that comes with being in love," Richard comments, offering Ioan a crooked smile. "I'm glad this hasn't come between you--it's fucked up enough already."
Snorting a little, Ioan nods. "Yeah, it definitely is."
"So, Ioan...where do you want to go from here, Ioan? You don't want it to ruin our friendship, agreed. But...after that?" Richard inquires at length.
"I don't know," Ioan says, giving Richard a rather miserable look. "Where do you want it to go?"
"No idea--I grew up an only child...and I think trying to identify with any other siblings won't do us any good...we haven't had years of bonding." The man shrugs. "So...I don't know."
Ioan shrugs a little. "I've no idea."
"Well, for now--let's just go over this schedule--and take care of things that need to be taken care of...how does that sound?" Richard suggests. He has a feeling they both need time to digest this further—he sure as hell knows he does, and Ioan still seems very uncomfortable, understandably so.
"That sounds good," Ioan says, giving the man a small smile.
"Alright then..." Pulling out his com, Richard pulls up the scheduling. "I think I've got something here that will work for us both..."
Ioan decides to reveal his secret to Richard…
Ioan is in the apartment, sipping at a glass of scotch. Richard is due to arrive in a matter of minutes for them to work out a schedule for the upcoming month. The boy knows the other man knows there's something going on, but so far, Ioan has managed to keep his mouth shut.
Bottle of wine in hand, Richard arrives at Ioan's quarters, ready to discuss the upcoming schedule--and also what had obviously been on the younger man's mind. Thus far, he hadn't done much prying into the matter--a few times he'd asked what was wrong, and had met with evasiveness. Knocking on the door, Richard waits to be let in.
"Come in," Ioan calls, pretty damned sure it's Richard. Sighing softly, he finishes off the tumbler of scotch and sets the empty glass down, rising to go meet the elder man.
Opening the door, Richard enters--smiling at the boy as he offers the bottle of wine. "Hey there, how's your day been?" Noting the bottle of scotch on the counter, he raises an eyebrow. "A little early for the hard stuff isn't it?"
"Nah, it's past lunch time," Ioan says, giving Richard a small grin.
"Tsk tsk, and what would Mads think?" Richard counters, taking a seat on the couch as he regards the young man. "Something's on your mind, has been for a while. We don't know one another that well yet, so tell me to piss off if you like...but do you want to talk about it?"
"He's not my keeper," Ioan says, giving Richard a sharp look when asked what Mads would think, though his expression changes quickly when Richard asks if he wants to talk. Sighing, he sits down and pours himself another glass of the scotch, offering to get a glass for Richard if the man so desires.
Noting that sharp look, Richard raises an eyebrow. "Nothing wrong with having a keeper if it suits you..." He watches as Ioan prepares another drink, accepting one for himself. "What's going on, Ioan?"
"Have you ever wondered about your family? Wondered if you know everything about them? Everything important, that is?" Ioan asks, not really looking at Richard. Looking anywhere but Richard right now.
Now there was a heavy question--Richard knew from experience nothing could drive you crazy and plague your mind more than family. "Oh I know there's probably a lot about my family I don't know, probably don't care to know honestly." He knows that Ioan grew up in an orphanage, but not much more about the boy's history...so, he has to assume he's found out something that's bothering him.
"What about siblings? You say you're an only child...have you ever wondered if maybe one of those things you don't know is another child?" Ioan is surprised at how steady he's keeping his voice, considering how nervous he is, how much he's still torn about sharing this information with Richard.
Richard doesn't say anything for a few moments, regarding Ioan and trying to figure out where this is going. He shrugs after a moment. "No, not really..." He knew his father hadn't been faithful to his mother--hell, the bastard hadn't even tried to hide it sometimes, but honestly he'd never thought about siblings. "Have you found out something? Have you been contacted by someone claiming to be your brother or sister?"
Richard's question elicits a harsh quick laugh from Ioan that's almost bitter sounding. "Oh no, not at all. I never told you my story, did I? How I came to be an orphan."
"No, you haven't told me how you came to be an orphan," Richard says slowly, shifting on the couch to get more comfortable. "Now's as good a time as any, if you want to share." Maybe then this would make sense.
"I was the bastard son of a rich nobleman in this city. Never knew the man's name, never cared to. My mother...one of the maids, sold me to the family when I was five so she could be rid of her ancestral debt. Of course, I couldn't be kept around, being incriminating evidence of the man's dalliances, so I was promptly shipped off to an orphanage, where I grew up."
Richard mutters softly, shaking his head. "Damned nobles," he comments--despite the fact he is technically one himself, given who his father is. "That's terrible...I'm sorry, Ioan. That's despicable..."
"Don't be. It's something I got over years ago. That's beside the point though." Ioan finally looks up and meets Richard's eyes for a moment. "Mads decided to do some research into my history without my knowledge or consent...he dragged this up...." Ioan tosses the envelope across the table to Richard, and sits back a little, sipping at his scotch, not having any idea what the elder man's reaction is going to be.
Richard's brow creases when Ioan tosses the envelop at him, still not understanding. Taking it, he pulls out the contents, leafing through them. He reads through some of the documents--but its a few moments before he comes across names that actually mean something to him. Blinking, he reads it again, and then looks up at Ioan. Okay...last thing he expected, and his mind is still refusing to compute it totally. But that would mean... "I don't..." he begins, then brings his glass to his lips, knocking back all of the scotch. "That's my family name, my family house..."
"Yes, it is," Ioan says softly, looking at his hands, at the woefully empty glass in them.
Standing up, Richard goes to retrieve the bottle of scotch, filling both of their glasses. His mind won't even let him consider what this means yet. Once both glasses are filled and he's nearly drained his again, he finally speaks. "If I'm reading this correctly...you're claiming we're...brothers? You're the sibling I've never wondered about?" He's still not sure he can believe it, though what would Ioan have to gain by fabricating this? Maybe he was just mistaken. Its one thing to know his father was a cheating bastard; it's a totally different thing to find out he actually has another child whom he cast off like some unwanted possession.
"I'm not claiming anything," Ioan says quietly, nodding thanks when his glass is refilled. "I've never cared to know who my parents were, but Mads felt differently. He thought we looked too much alike for it to be coincidence," Ioan continues, then tosses back the entire tumbler of scotch, eyes closed tightly for a moment.
"He went digging into your past because we look similar to him?" Richard inquires, still trying to get his head around that. Though, he could understand both sides--not wanting to know, and feeling like you had to know. He still isn't sure this is something he wanted or needed to know though. How were they meant to proceed from here? "How long have you known?"
"A few weeks." Ioan shrugs a little. "I haven't known what to do with it."
"And what are you going to do with it?" Richard asks after a moment. Brothers. He had a brother--assuming what was contained in that envelop was the truth.
"I don't know. Certainly not show up on your father's doorstep, begging him to take me in," Ioan says, words coming out a bit harsher than perhaps necessary.
"Well that's good because he'd probably slam the door in your face," Richard counters, responding to the sharp note in Ioan's voice before he can stop himself. The man sighs, running his hands through his hair and tugging gently.
Ioan has to bite back a response to that, fairly certain that bickering is going to solve nothing right now. "I don't know what to do with this, I don't know what you want to do...but....Mads was right...you....you have the right to know...."
"I'm sorry, that was harsh," Richard says after a moment, regretting his words. "If it helps, he'd probably slam the door in my face too..." Sighing, he rises and starts pacing a bit, glancing at Ioan every now and again. "And Mads is certain this information is accurate?"
"He said it's from the file the orphanage had on me. its records of my....sale..." the word comes out with about as much distaste as one can put into a word, "to them."
"That arrogant..." Richard growls. His father's name on the papers, bold as day...he had to wonder if the man simply didn't care if anyone found out, or he assume no one would put two and two together. "How do you know that the household you were sold to was your father's?"
"Would you like a dna test?" Ioan asks, starting to get irritated by the constant questions. "Would that make it easier for you? Than having to take the word of an illegitimate bastard?"
Richard bites back the smart remark that nearly comes naturally, glaring at Ioan for a moment before sighing. "It has nothing to do with your word, Ioan--you were five years old...I'm just...I'm trying to deal with this too."
"What? You think that's not something a child is going to remember? Because I assure you, I remember every fucking detail of that particular day, Richard. It's not something that's easily forgettable, even if you want to."
"I'm sorry, Ioan--I'm not trying to insult you..." Richard says as he sits down on the couch, running his hands over his face. "I'm just not sure what to do."
"Neither am I, but I never asked you to know what to do."
"I know...but you've told me and I'm trying to get my head around the fact I'm not an only child any longer...you've had several weeks to dwell on it and you still aren't sure how to react. I just...need a moment."
Ioan just nods, absently turning the glass in his hands, watching it.
"Where do you want to go from here? I'm not even talking about my--our--father... I mean with us..."
Running a hand through his hair, Ioan looks over at Richard. "I don't know. Honestly, I have no idea."
"I know you said you'd put it all behind you, but...are you glad you know?" Richard asks quietly.
Ioan is still quite honestly unsure about how he feels. "I don't know...I guess...it's....it's good to know that there's someone I'm related to...someone that's not a horrible bastard or an uncaring bitch...but...if it ruins the friendship I've formed with you....then no, I'm not glad I know."
"It hasn't... I don't think it will ruin our friendship. At least not on my part..." Richard says slowly. "Are things okay with you and Mads?"
"Things are fine with us....I was...unhappy to say the least when I first found out...he went behind my back deliberately...but things are good now..." Ioan says slowly, then adds with a small smile, "can't stay mad at him,"
"I guess that comes with being in love," Richard comments, offering Ioan a crooked smile. "I'm glad this hasn't come between you--it's fucked up enough already."
Snorting a little, Ioan nods. "Yeah, it definitely is."
"So, Ioan...where do you want to go from here, Ioan? You don't want it to ruin our friendship, agreed. But...after that?" Richard inquires at length.
"I don't know," Ioan says, giving Richard a rather miserable look. "Where do you want it to go?"
"No idea--I grew up an only child...and I think trying to identify with any other siblings won't do us any good...we haven't had years of bonding." The man shrugs. "So...I don't know."
Ioan shrugs a little. "I've no idea."
"Well, for now--let's just go over this schedule--and take care of things that need to be taken care of...how does that sound?" Richard suggests. He has a feeling they both need time to digest this further—he sure as hell knows he does, and Ioan still seems very uncomfortable, understandably so.
"That sounds good," Ioan says, giving the man a small smile.
"Alright then..." Pulling out his com, Richard pulls up the scheduling. "I think I've got something here that will work for us both..."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Comment
Date: 2004-12-28 11:11 pm (UTC)Angie, curious to see what comes next