ɪ'ᴍ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ

Sebastian McHale was born and raised in Santa Monica, California as the eldest of two children to a Polish mother and Irish father. His parents were extremely religious, raising both of their children Irish Catholic, so Sunday morning church was a tradition nearly every week of his life. He was the typical golden boy to his parents, getting involved in church programs from a young age and excelling in both school and sports, though his parents always noticed something off about him. It wasn't until he was a teenager that he was officially diagnosed with ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder and it became a defining factor in his life. He was unbelievably embarrassed by the diagnosis in the beginning; he thought something was wrong with him and hid it from everyone he could, but as he learned more about the conditions he began to accept it. They're mostly under control now, though there are definitely still those ocd quirks and tendencies, but unnecessary rituals no longer rule his life.

His career in medicine started early. His OCD gives him great attention to detail, and it wasn't uncommon to find him playing doctor, sitting in front the tv watching the Discovery channel, or sketching skeletons as a kid. Once he reached high school and was able to fill his schedule with all the science electives he could fit in, Sebastian quickly figured out he wanted to work somewhere in the medical field. He didn't have the patience for all the schooling required to be a doctor (blame the ADHD), but a nurse was the perfect fit. He later made the decision to become certified to be an emergency room nurse, and now he works at one of the busiest emergency rooms in Orange County. Sometimes the hours are tough, but he's content and considers himself to be working his dream job.

Just after he entered college and started experimenting with the same sex, the gay rumors started being passed around, and because Mr. and Mrs. McHale were such well-known members of the church, people came to them quickly with these rumors. Sebastian denied it immediately, but since then never had the same relationship with his parents. He lived in denial for years about his sexuality, exclusively dating women and casually sleeping with men, some part of him still feeling like a little boy in church with his parents and believed a certain part of him was wrong. He maintained this lie to himself and those around him until 2010 when he finally accepted who he truly was and parted ways with his last girlfriend. She stayed with him for months after she figured out he was gay, being his friend and his cover-up at family functions, even going as far as to help him come out to his parents officially, but they immediately shunned him, vowing that they knew it all along and as long as that was the life he chose he'd be no son of theirs. After their break-up they remained close friends, but he hasn't seen his parents very often since. His mother emails him once in a while with church bulletins, still holding out hope that her son will repent for his sins and be the man she wants him to be, but that's as far as the communication goes.

Two years into living as an out and proud gay man, Sebastian met the guy that for a very long time he believed to be the one. They dated for almost three years, bought a house, started a life together, but when it came crashing down in the spring of 2015 he lost himself. The guy moved back to the east coast for a job and to be closer to his family that still lived there. All Sebastian has left of that relationship is his cat, Sofia, who his then boyfriend gifted to him for their second Christmas together. He spent the better part of a year trying to put his life back together until he reconnected with a past fling, Andy, and things seemed to fall right into place.

likes working, 90's music, cooking, one-hit wonders, breakfast for all meals, panic at the disco, beards, freshly made beds, cats, dogs, bad reality tv including everything on tlc, chinese take-out, horror films, beer, space, documentaries, paranormal shows, zombies, pretending to eat healthy, his sister more than anything, spoiling friends and family, reptiles, blue, grey, kissing, cleaning, drive-in movies, people who smell good, napping, disney, the beach.

dislikes tim burton remakes, shaving, uncooperative patients, intolerant people, being too cold or too hot, confrontation, disorganization, messes, stains, doing the dishes, that greasy sunscreen feeling, the taste of coffee, incandescent lighting, public transporation, fuzz on clothes, romcoms.

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