Ah yes. Patience, his old enemy. Why did it have to be so, so hard.

Vinnie had never thought of being gay as anything that abnormal. Growing up in a Garden with so many gay brothers seemed completely normal to him. It really hadn't been until now, when he really had to face the implication of having that perception of himself change, that he began to feel this uneasy twist in his gut.

True, there weren't a lot of people who put down Bulba for liking guys - not many he could remember off the top of his head, anyway. But that wasn't the only change in perception he was worried about.

"I don't even know what most've my team even thinks of me anymore. It's not like that can get much more nail in the coffin. And I can't even count how long I've known your team. After so long, I..."

His gaze fell away from Bulba's. "I don't want t'train with Jolt an' have him just see me as The Boyfriend. I don't want Char t'not see me as a rival either. I mean, I've only just started to understand him, but..."

He sighed. "They care about you. I just don't really belong."