Chapter 3 – Leon
Chapter Three
LEON
As Leon walked into the bar, which sort of looked like Frosty the Snowman had thrown up on it, he remembered why he disliked the holidays so much.
They had been okay when he was a kid, and his dad would make a big deal of buying him a Hess truck from the local gas station.
After his dad died, though, he and his mam mostly pretended the holidays didn’t exist. That way, they wouldn’t have to get each other stupid gifts or spend money they didn’t have on festive treats.
He understood why they mattered to James, though, which was why he’d insisted James spend the holiday week with his mom.
One of the queer bars on the other side of town stayed open on holidays for queer folk who didn’t have anywhere to go.
That was why Leon was here on Christmas Eve, with every intention of drinking alone.
After spending the past several months trying to get James more engaged in their city’s queer community, Leon was surprised to find he’d become more engaged as well.
He passed by several familiar faces as he made his way to the snow-covered bar, and even the bartender lifted his chin at Leon in recognition.
There was a large candy cane leaning against the bar that looked like it probably belonged on someone’s lawn.
He would bet good money that James and his mom had a set in front of their house.
With that thought in mind, he moved the candy cane aside with more care than he usually would have and took a seat.
He was only there for a few minutes before a familiar-looking, androgynous person with hair dyed the color of Santa's suit slid into the seat next to him. If Leon remembered correctly, they’d met at a Rainbow Bean mixer earlier that fall, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall their name.
“Leon, right?” the person asked almost as soon as their butt touched the seat.
“That’s right,” he grunted, taking a sip of his eggnog ale.
He’d spent years denying he liked gimmicky holiday drinks, but James stubbornly refused to believe him. Slowly but surely, he was helping Leon not only allow himself to enjoy but actually seek out small moments of joy like this.
Leon had spent many years fending for himself, and there were a lot of things he’d gone without and pretended he didn’t want or need.
Befriending and now dating James was changing him.
His weekends were full, he was meeting and getting to know new folks, and he no longer hesitated to buy the overly spiced, overly sweet drinks.
Especially if it meant sharing them with James.
Tonight, though, he was drinking alone, which somehow dulled the beer's flavor.
“How’s your evening going?” the person asked, turning in their seat as if they were settling in for the long haul.
“It’s alright. You?” he asked, and he could almost hear the growl James and Hailey always made fun of him for.
It's not that he didn’t like socializing. He was just feeling restless and impatient. After the momentous night he and James had shared a week and a half ago, they’d only seen each other once for a brief lunch.
As they approached the end of the year, work was picking up in both of their departments.
Staff were trying to close contracts and finalize deals, which meant a significant workload for James and his finance team.
More work meant more time spent on computers, leading to more issues Leon and his tech nerds had to fix.
He hadn’t seen James in nearly a week now, and he was trying not to be too bummed out about it.
“Well, I’m much better now that I’m here,” the person said, smiling over the rim of their very fruity-looking cocktail, completely oblivious to Leon’s inner turmoil.
Leon glanced around at all the pairs and groups of people, many wearing festive sweaters and hats.
Some of them even had bells and Christmas lights on them.
Thankfully, the person sitting next to him was wearing a simple argyle sweater, no bells or whistles to get on Leon’s nerves. Just for that, he decided to engage.
“Sorry, I can’t place your name,” Leon said, turning ever so slightly in his seat to face them.
The person grinned and held out a hand. “I was wondering if you’d ask or just pretend you remembered. It’s Aspen, they/them pronouns. You met me and my… my Noah at a Rainbow Bean event a few months back. You were with your friend?”
Leon would much rather talk about what “my Noah” meant, but since they’d asked a direct question, he figured he ought to answer. “James, yeah. We’re boyfriends now.”
Aspen let out a happy squeal and clapped their hands together.
Leon considered rescinding his earlier judgment that they weren’t going to get on his nerves, but then Aspen gave him one of the widest, most genuine smiles.
“I’m so happy for you, dear!” they said, clasping their hands in front of their chest. “I love gay love.”
Leon quirked a brow, but that didn’t seem to deter them.
Aspen launched into a thirty-minute recounting of everyone in their life who had found partners that fall, and Leon actually didn’t mind the chatter.
It saved him from having to watch a game he didn’t really care about or, even worse, sit in silence.
He always had one thing or another playing in the background, and Aspen’s chatter was almost like a juicy podcast he could tune in and out of as he drank his beer.
He wasn’t sure if that was uncharitable or not, so when Aspen finished their drink, Leon offered to get the next round.
As Aspen took a sip of some sort of cheery red concoction, they tipped their head at Leon. “Is James with his family today?”
Leon nodded. “Yeah, and it’s a little too early for the whole holiday with the family thing.”
“I feel you. Noah’s visiting his family, and even though I offered, I’m pretty glad he didn’t take me up on it. I think this year is going to be chaotic, and that’s coming from someone with ADHD who could probably give the Energizer Bunny a run for its money.”
Leon once again wanted to ask about this Noah person, who he vaguely remembered as a tall, lanky man Aspen had been with at the event. However, he figured his therapist might appreciate it if he chose a different line of questioning.
“When did you get diagnosed?” he asked, only now realizing he was turned completely sideways on his stool.
Aspen put an elbow on the bar and cradled their chin in their hand. “Well, like a lot of AFAB folk, I wasn’t diagnosed as a kid. I’ve been pretty aware for a while that something wasn’t quite typical about my brain, but a friend helped me realize that it might be ADHD only a few months back.”
Their usual sass and attitude had vanished, and instead, Leon found Aspen to be very insightful. They answered all of Leon’s questions about their experience with ADHD, how it felt to get diagnosed, and what they were doing to “accommodate themselves in a neurotypical world,” as Aspen put it.
“If you don’t mind me getting a little more personal than I’ve already been,” Aspen said with a sarcastic smile. “Sex is one of the places where my ADHD comes out the most.”
At Leon’s curious look, Aspen gave him another one of those wide grins.
“I’ve never been much of a pillow princess.
I usually find myself switching, sometimes multiple times, who’s on the bottom, top, or on the side during a single session.
It helps keep my brain engaged, and the new positions are sort of like a puzzle to figure out.
I view it as a positive thing because it makes sex fun and interesting for me and my partners, but it was definitely something I had to come to terms with after my diagnosis.
I’m lucky that Noah and I have been friends for so long he’s seen me not only through my transition, but also through unmasking my ADHD.
It makes it easier for him to support me in bed when it’s just us, but also when we bring in other partners. ”
Well. That had not been what he was expecting them to say. “That’s…really good to know, actually,” he said, running his thumb over the ring on his middle finger.
Aspen watched him do this before tapping their thumb three times on their glass and drumming their fingers on the bar top. “Stimming is also something that happens during sex. I know some folks bring fidget toys into bed with them. Like, your rings, for example.”
Leon and Caden had talked more about ADHD at their session the previous week, and stimming had come up briefly. Leon had always liked playing with stress balls, and he’d worn and fidgeted with rings since he was a pre-teen.
“That’s also really good to know.”
He knew he sounded like a broken record, but it was true. He didn’t usually share information like this with strangers, but they’d met before, and after almost three hours of chatting, Aspen didn’t feel like a stranger anymore.
“I’ve sort of always preferred quick and dirty sex,” Leon said, spinning his beer bottle between his hands.
“I don’t often change positions, but that’s mostly because I like to finish and move on to the next part of our night.
Sometimes that’s more sex but in a new position, or it could be showering, or snuggling and going to sleep. ”
Aspen’s lips were curved in a smirk, but their eyes were wide like they were trying not to show it.
“What?” Leon asked. He knew he was drunk because his defenses were too inebriated to rise up. Or maybe that was because it didn’t feel like Aspen was making fun of him. It was more like they were laughing with him?
“Sorry, I just love that the guy with a barbed wire tattoo uses words like ‘snuggle.’ Genuinely makes my day.”