"All right." John shifts a little closer, nuzzling against Gladio's neck briefly as a comfort. The action comes instinctual. His Sentinel is unhappy and hurting, and that means offering support, guidance, a steady presence to latch onto. He just breathes in Gladio's scent for a few seconds before pulling back, but John places his free hand on the other man's waist. Sticky or not, he hopes it'll be some kind of comfort. They're both going to need a shower and a wash for their clothes after this, anyway.
"I was nine. My sister, Harry, she came out gay young. Younger than it was probably safe to given where we were living. It's not, like... bad or anything, but Chelmsford isn't..." He shrugs. It's not rural, but it's not a progressive bastion, either. "She's just a year ahead of me, but two grades with the way our birthdays lined up. There was a kid in her class, a boy named Robbie Grant. He figured out he was a Sentinel the same day I figured out I was a Guide. Harry was coming over to meet me so we could walk home, and he cornered her. Heard them scuffling and went to go check. He was trying to get her to kiss him, and there was just... I dunno. I could smell him. I wanted him to get off of her, I wanted to make him get off of her. He stopped and I noticed him sniffing around, looking confused. Really not sure how I just figured it out the first time, but I ended up zoning him out completely. Grabbed Harry, and we both took a swing at the bastard before hopping it.
"She thought it was great, kept hoping she'd turn out to be a Sentinel, too, but I made her promise no to tell anyone. Robbie stayed away from her after that, anyway, at least until they dragged him off to some special school for Sentinels." There's another small shrug. "I couldn't really be fussed to find out where it actually was, but that is what they usually do around here. If you're a Sentinel or a Guide, you get snapped up. Didn't really want that to happen to me." Harry still needed him, for all the good it had done her in the end when he went off to Afghanistan, anyway.
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"I was nine. My sister, Harry, she came out gay young. Younger than it was probably safe to given where we were living. It's not, like... bad or anything, but Chelmsford isn't..." He shrugs. It's not rural, but it's not a progressive bastion, either. "She's just a year ahead of me, but two grades with the way our birthdays lined up. There was a kid in her class, a boy named Robbie Grant. He figured out he was a Sentinel the same day I figured out I was a Guide. Harry was coming over to meet me so we could walk home, and he cornered her. Heard them scuffling and went to go check. He was trying to get her to kiss him, and there was just... I dunno. I could smell him. I wanted him to get off of her, I wanted to make him get off of her. He stopped and I noticed him sniffing around, looking confused. Really not sure how I just figured it out the first time, but I ended up zoning him out completely. Grabbed Harry, and we both took a swing at the bastard before hopping it.
"She thought it was great, kept hoping she'd turn out to be a Sentinel, too, but I made her promise no to tell anyone. Robbie stayed away from her after that, anyway, at least until they dragged him off to some special school for Sentinels." There's another small shrug. "I couldn't really be fussed to find out where it actually was, but that is what they usually do around here. If you're a Sentinel or a Guide, you get snapped up. Didn't really want that to happen to me." Harry still needed him, for all the good it had done her in the end when he went off to Afghanistan, anyway.