39. Epilogue Volt #4
“I know,” Volt agreed. “I’m a very lucky Daddy.”
Wallace hid his face in Volt’s neck. “You guys are embarrassing me,” he whispered.
“Only because you’re still getting used to people telling you how wonderful you are,” Volt whispered back.
“Now tell us about how the audition went!” Quincy broke in.
Volt drew in a breath. For all of his talk with Wallace about accepting compliments, he wasn’t sure he wanted everyone’s attention on him like this. “Well, I got in,” he answered, trying to keep it cool.
Everyone rushed to congratulate him, begging for more information.
“I haven’t even had my first rehearsal. I don’t know how it’s going to go.
” He was both exhilarated and nervous about joining the community dance troupe.
It was the first thing he’d ever tried to do outside of working at Prism, and he’d always told himself that his dancing was just for his own entertainment.
But Wallace had been encouraging him, and there were auditions and, well, he supposed he was in the troupe now.
It wasn’t professional in any way—as far as he could tell, most of the audience at their performances was made up of friends and family, with maybe a few random folks who appreciated the cheap tickets—but that’s what he’d been looking for.
“What were the auditions like?” Evan asked.
“Um, actually, it was pretty cool just to attend.” He could hear himself getting more excited, now that he got to share.
“There was a low-key warm-up, which I know the humans need to get their bodies ready, but it was nice to get a feel for everyone first. They were very friendly, and the other people in the audition had a lot of talent. Then there was a technique part of the class which… I have to be honest, I looked up some of the techniques on video at thirty times the speed during the audition or just watched the others. I don’t have any sort of formal training, so I thought I might have bombed it.
But then they taught us a short combination and we all performed it together, and I think I did that pretty well.
They ended with a solo improvisation part and the dancers always clapped for each other, but I think they clapped more for me? ”
Was he blushing? He thought he might be blushing. There were so many human-like bodily responses that he’d never known he could do spontaneously until Wallace came into his life.
“They interviewed me at the end about why I wanted to join and made sure that I was available for rehearsals.” Delightfully, he was, since they were Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, when Prism was either at low capacity or closed. “I liked the people I met. The director seemed pretty nice.”
“When’s your first show?” Quincy asked.
“Not for a few months.” He knew the dates, but he didn’t want to jinx it.
“You know we’re all coming to see you, right?” Justice chimed in.
“Oh, you don’t have to,” Volt demurred.
“But we want to!” Quincy enthused. “I can’t wait to see you!”
Everyone seemed to agree, which Volt hadn’t quite expected.
He knew that Wallace would come, but he wasn’t expecting Angel to be there, since it would mean closing Prism for an evening, and Magnolia wasn’t strong enough to leave the house.
It hadn’t even occurred to him to think about the Monday-night crew.
He should have known better, though.
How had he never noticed before how much he was missing out on in life by not having a circle of friends?
“Oh, well, you’re welcome then,” he offered. “I’ll give you the details when it’s closer.”
Wallace squeezed his hand, then turned to kiss him on the cheek. Volt took the opportunity to capture his lips, though he kept it mostly dinner-table appropriate. All of this, everything good in his life, was because of Wallace.
“How are the makeup videos going?” he asked Quincy when he came up for air. It was more than time to shift the conversation off himself.
Fortunately, Quincy was happy to fill everyone in, and Volt was content to sit back and just enjoy everyone’s presence.
Quincy bubbled over with excitement, while Evan watched him lovingly, putting in a comment here or there.
Ben and Justice alternately snarked and flirted with each other under Rashid’s watchful eye, while Oliver delivered warnings about the punishments Ben was racking up.
While the humans finished their dinner, they listened to two pieces that Oliver had composed—both not-so-subtly about Ben, if you knew what to listen for. Oliver was a ridiculously talented musician, and now Volt was thinking about asking for some of it to dance to.
His life was ridiculously full. Happy. His business was taking off, his relationship with Wallace grew deeper every day, and he had a group of friends who he could turn to for advice or just an evening of relaxation and enjoying each others’ presence.
When every bite had been eaten, Justice and Quincy whisked Wallace away for makeovers, which made Volt’s chest feel warm in a whole different way. Wallace’s time with his nonbinary “sisters” gave him a type of support and connection that Volt never could.
The three of them came back an hour later, all glammed up and giggling. Justice had their arms draped over the other two, lightly swaying as they walked. “Who’s gonna tell ’em? Can I tell ’em?”
“No!” Quincy poked them in the side, making them laugh and squirm away while they used Wallace for balance. “Wallace gets to tell!”
“Wallace gets to tell what?” Volt asked.
“Guys!” Wallace wailed. “You’re making a big deal about it.”
“Come here, beautiful.” Volt beckoned him over. Watching Wallace blush was a treat, and he was glad that his creampuff could stand up to some gentle teasing, but he didn’t want him put on the spot.
Wallace flew to his lap, and Volt put a finger under his chin to admire his makeup. Quincy and Justice had both chosen dramatic looks with two-toned eyelashes and bright colors, but Wallace, as usual, went for an understated look.
He glowed with soft pinks and blues, like he’d been lit with an inner light. Someone had clearly convinced him to try a bit of glitter, because there was a faint sparkle across his cheeks.
“You’re the most gorgeous person in the room,” Volt told him honestly.
“Hey!” Justice shouted.
Rashid chuckled, patting his lap. “You’re gorgeous, too, babe. Now come here.”
Wallace ignored it all, staring into Volt’s eyes, like he was hoping to get a question answered.
“Did you want to tell us something?” Volt asked at a whisper. “Or maybe you want to tell me first?”
Wallace considered, then whispered back. “I think I can tell everyone. It’s about Quincy, too.”
Volt squeezed Wallace close. “Well, whatever it is, I support you.”
Wallace smiled, looking like something had finally settled in him. “I know, Daddy. That’s why I can do this.”
He turned to face the room, where Justice and Rashid were making out on the couch and Quincy was babbling to Ben, Evan, and Oliver about techniques for his next makeup video.
Wallace cleared his throat, but only Ben, who probably wasn’t listening to a word Quincy was saying, turned his way.
“Hey, guys!” Volt called out. “Wallace has something to say.”
That got everyone’s attention, and Wallace shrank back into Volt’s arms for a moment before sitting up straight. “Uh, it’s not that big of a deal. Just, uh, I decided that I want to start using they/them pronouns most of the time, and maybe she/her pronouns some of the time.”
Quincy stepped in. “And I’ll be going by they/them, too, other pronouns flexible.”
“They/them crew!” Justice shouted, pumping their fist in the air.
Volt squeezed Wallace back against his chest, speaking against his ear. “That’s perfect, creampuff. I’m so proud of you for figuring out what’s right for you and letting us know.”
Wallace beamed, turning so that Volt could give him… no, them… a soft kiss.
When Volt looked up, Quincy was making some crazy arm motion at Wallace that Volt couldn’t interpret.
Wallace apparently could, or at least knew that it meant something, because they addressed the room again. “Oh, and, uh, I think I want to try a gender neutral name, but I haven’t found one yet. So, um, I’m open to ideas.”
Ben squinted his eyes. “Parker? Or Harper? Maybe Harper because you love music.”
“I suggested Arbor or August,” Quincy put in, “but I think they want something that starts with a W.”
“I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure,” Wallace replied. “There are a lot of good names out there.”
Volt did a quick internet search. “Willow or Willa? Wynn with a Y? Wilder or Winter? No, those aren’t really you. But I could see you as a Willow or Willa.”
“I vote for Willow!” Justice called out.
“I’m not… Willow just sounds…” Wallace looked flustered.
“Willows are beautiful trees,” Volt suggested. “They’re calming, and they remind me of those photos you used to send me from your walks.”
Wallace tilted their head, considering. “Hmmm… That’s a good connection. I’ll put it on my list.” He pulled out his phone to jot it down.
It sounded like they didn’t love it, though. They should have a name that they loved.
“Maybe Avery?” Oliver suggested. “Or Emery? I really like Emery for you.”
“I like Emery,” Volt seconded.
“What about Juniper? That feels like you. Or Honor?” asked Rashid.
Ben looked up from his phone. “Lyric? For music? Or Adair?”
Wallace started giggling, covering their mouth to keep it in.
“What is it?” Volt asked.
Now Wallace laughed out loud. “The humans are on their phones and all of the sparks are running searches at the same time. It’s just funny watching everyone pause to run a query and then come back to the conversation.”
“Ah. That’s Wallace’s superpower,” Volt explained to the room. “I don’t know how he, er, they do it, but they can always tell when I’m looking something up or sending a text, even if it only takes milliseconds.”
“You can see that?” Ben asked, shocked.
“I can tell when Quincy looks something up,” Evan noted. “But not anybody else.”