Daddy's Dirty Secret
Title: Daddy's Dirty Secret
Media: Finding Nemo
Pairing: Bruce/Marlin
Smut Level: Innocent
Reason: Kink Meme
Summery: Bruce wasn't the kind of guy someone would bring home to mom. He built motorbikes and raced them through the streets of Sydney. He was a giant, fearsome man. But that didn't stop him from loving a neurotic single father. The only problem is he wasn't the kind of person Marlin would bring home to his son, even if Bruce wanted to be that person.
Bruce had been inside his boyfriend’s house twice. Five years they’d been together and he’d been in Marlin’s house twice. Once was checking in on Marlin when he had the flu, inadvertently presenting himself as a complete creep because he had to get the address off the internet and had tried crawling through Marlin’s window so he wouldn’t wake the man if he was sleeping. Somehow he managed to talk his way out of being dumped and managed to talk Marlin into letting Bruce make him soup and talk to him until he fell asleep. The second time was when Marlin locked himself out of the house and, like any awesome boyfriend, Bruce had stepped away from work to do a repeat performance of his earlier breaking and entering. The borderline illegal act had earned him a fierce kiss and his second chance to peek around his boyfriend’s house.
That had been a year ago.
All his mates thought it was strange that Marlin never invited him over to the house. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of their relationship, at least as far as Bruce could tell. Whenever he dropped something off at the bike shop he let Bruce give him a kiss for his trouble. At their dates he would hold hands with Bruce, even initiate the touch. And he even introduced Bruce as his boyfriend the few times Bruce had met with his friends. So it certainly wasn’t shame.
It couldn’t have been because of some secret double life, which was Chum’s favorite theory. Within months Chum was convinced Marlin had a wife, or another boyfriend, or was a woman, or was a cannibal. And the worst bit was Chum never shut up about his dumb theories. It was always “did you check for a ring?” or “how sure are you that it’s his real penis?” or “he says it’s hamburger but you’re a vegetarian and can’t readily identify cow meat from human meat.”
It was a nightmare with Chum.
And even if he had only been in the house twice, those two times were enough for him to confirm there wasn’t a wife or other boyfriend or human remains. And he trusted Marlin not to keep something like that secret. Mostly because Marlin was a terrible liar.
Bruce knew the real reason he wasn’t allowed in the house. Because no matter how long they were together Marlin couldn’t find the strength to tell his son that he was dating.
Even if Bruce was a secret that Nemo couldn’t know about Bruce knew all about the boy. He knew about the mangled leg he’d been born with and how it had turned Marlin into an over protective father. He knew about how Nemo was making friends with older kids who may or may not be part of a gang and how worried it made Marlin. At least once during their dates, held when Nemo was at swimming lessons or being watched by their scatterbrained neighbor Dory, there would be a story about Nemo’s latest adventures, successes or even failures.
Sometimes Bruce felt like it was his own son for all he knew about the boy, even if they had never met. He’d seen the kid before, sometimes if he lingered after dropping Marlin off he’d catch a glimpse of the kid running to hug his father from the neighbor’s porch. Alright, he’d have to watch from around the corner, since Marlin wouldn’t let him stop in front of the house. He had talked with Nemo once, when the boy had answered the house phone and politely asked if he was a telemarketer because he certainly didn’t sound like a telemarketer. They had a lovely conversation about the proper way for a telemarketer to sound before Marlin had snatched the phone away.
And though he would have been happy meeting the boy, explaining to him how much he cared for Marlin and how he wouldn’t ever steal Marlin’s attention, he understood why Marlin wanted that distance. A boy with a bad leg, whose mother had died giving birth to him. That boy was Marlin’s world and Bruce wouldn’t dare intrude on that world.
“That’s cause you’re a great sap.”
“I am not.” Bruce growled, clenching tightly at the handle of his pint. The bar next to his motorbike shop was usually his favorite place to either drown his sorrows or celebrate his successes. No need for his so called friends to interrupt him in his deep thoughts, even if it was their favorite bar as well.
“You are though, ain’tcha?” Anchor, so named for his bike which was meant to look like a hammerhead shark and failed at the attempt, had pushed into the seat next to Bruce about five minutes before and like a good friend had listened to Bruce’s bellyaching. But he was done listening, and done with his own pint of beer which made him more honest than normal. “You meet this guy who, and I’m just being honest, has no business dating someone like you, and he makes you think all these things about a house with a yard and a dog and now you’re all put out cause this guy who makes you want the fairy tale ending won’t give it to you. That makes you a sap.”
Something jeered his arm, causing him to slosh his beer onto his lap. Of course Anchor’s unneeded wisdom would be the cue for Chum to slide away from his latest pick up and slide up next to him. The living pin cushion was a complete ball of energy and, unlike Anchor, rarely thought before he spoke. “You gotta tell him, Bruce. Tell him you want to be part of his kid’s life. Like a super cool biker step dad. Man, if I had a biker step dad I would be so much cooler than I am now.”
“You’re cool now?” Anchor asked with a cheeky grin.
“It’s his kid and I’m not going to overstep my bounds.” Bruce said with a forced smile. It was the same old conversation that always seemed to happen when Bruce got moody about his position in Marlin’s life. “Besides, I’d be an awful step dad. Never even knew my father.”
His friends just rolled their eyes on either side of him.
“You’re the one who’s always telling us to be upfront in our relationships.” Anchor waved his mug for emphasis, sloshing more onto Bruce who just took the abuse with a sigh. “Like that time I was dating that butcher and you told me to be honest about being a vegetarian.”
Bruce lifted a heavy brow at him. “Didn’t she break up with you?”
“Unrelated.”
Chum nodded thoughtfully. Like he ever thought about anything besides what on his face needed piercing next. “Tell you what, have another pint, on us, and pour your sorrows out and all that nonsense. It’ll be good for you.”
“Therapeutic.” Anchor said.
“We’re your mates and we’re here for you.”
He never should have trusted the little rat bastards.
If he hadn’t trusted them he wouldn’t be that special kind of drunk where he would trust them to get him home because he couldn’t possibly drive his baby home drunk. No, his bike was an angel and he wouldn’t let anyone impound her because he was driving drunk. Besides, while Chum was a complete lightweight Anchor could drink both of them under the table and still drive himself home. So yes, he trusted Anchor to get him home.
Bad idea.
Because somehow they had talked Marlin’s address out of him. And somehow they managed to get him to the front door of the two story house without him realizing where he was. And somehow they managed to ring the doorbell and run off before he figured out there was something very wrong with the way the night was progressing.
Before he could do anything brilliant like jump off the porch and hide behind a bush the door opened revealing a curious ten year old with bright orange hair and too large sleepwear. He clenched his crutch closer and peered at the drunk man before him. “Hello?”
“Oh, um, hi. Er, yes well, is your dad about?”
“No, Dory got lost so he went to pick her up from the police.” The boy made this announcement like it was normal for his neighbor to be gathered from police stations. Though based on what Marlin had told Bruce about the woman it was probably very normal. At least if the police picked her up she was likely to get home safely. “He left about an hour ago but she made it all the way to Newcastle so it’ll be a while.”
“Better than Melbourne.” Bruce tried to mutter to himself, though in his mostly drunk state it was less muttering and more of a soft roar. The one time Dory had made it all the way to Melbourne Bruce had been the one sent to get her since he had the weekend off and Marlin couldn’t find anyone to watch Nemo. It hadn’t been the first time Bruce had met Marlin’s strange neighbor but as far as she knew he was a complete stranger. Probably the reason Marlin had sent Bruce in the first place. Even after nine hours in a car together she wouldn’t be able to remember him long enough to tell Nemo.
He had gotten so caught up in his own thoughts he didn’t realize Nemo was staring at him. Almost like he was waiting for something. “Did you just ask me something?”
“Yes. I asked how you know my father.”
“Oh.” Bruce thought over his possible answers and decided he was drunk enough for the truth. “I’m your dad’s boyfriend. Name’s Bruce.”
“Hello, Bruce.”
“Now, as a concerned adult I must know why you’re at home alone while your father goes chasing after Dory.” Even drunk he sounded like a voice of reason. Or at least in his head he did.
Nemo just shrugged. “He’s only going to be gone for a little bit and I’m supposed to be in bed anyways.”
“But you aren’t.” Bruce pointed out.
Nemo’s face turned red. “I was reading.”
Bruce lifted his heavy eyebrow, the one that was scared from a knife fight he’d gotten into as a teenager. It always managed to make him look stern. Or at least threatening.
“I was talking to some friends online.” Nemo admitted, his face doing an imitation of a tomato.
“Not those delinquents. Your dad would be pissed if he found out.”
“Gil’s not a delinquent.” Nemo argued with a stubborn pout. “And besides, won’t he be more upset about his so called boyfriend coming here in the middle of the night completely drunk?”
Bruce opened his mouth, thought about it for a moment, and shut his mouth. With a move that could only be performed when drunk enough to not worried about getting hurt Bruce collapsed onto the porch, cradling his head with one massive hand. He was single. In a few hours he would be a single man because Marlin was certainly going to break up with him over this. Hell, he may even been a dead man.
“Dad won’t kill you.”
Oh fuck, he had said that out loud.
“Well, he might if he finds out you were cussing around me.”
Double fuck.
“I’m sorry kid. And I’m not nearly as drunk as I smell so I don’t even have an excuse.” He sighed, rubbing his face with both hands like it would help him think. It didn’t. “I just…damnit, I just want your dad to stop being ashamed of me. What other reason is there for him not wanting me to meet you?”
Nemo lowered himself onto the ground beside Bruce awkwardly, hiding his leg as best he could during the movement. “He’s probably not ashamed of you.”
“Kid, we’ve been dating for five years. Did you even has a suspicion your dad was dating anyone?”
He was decent enough to not lie. “If it’s been five years and I didn’t know you exist, I think dad has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Nah, he’s right to raise you how he sees fit. And if I’m not part of that it’s his call.”
“No, it’s not.”
Bruce stopped trying to rub his face off long enough to stare at the red head next to him. “Come again?”
“If you’re part of his life you’re part of mine. He can’t just go hiding this stuff. Is my dad important to you?”
“Yeah, I…” Bruce hesitated before realizing there was no point in holding back. When Marlin got back he’d have to put it all on the line anyway. “I love him. Fuck, I love your stupid father. He’s the most neurotic, ridiculous, stubborn, amazing person I’ve ever met and I’m completely in love with him. I want to settle down and buy a dog, a big one not one of those stupid toy dogs, and plant a garden in the backyard and have arguments about why we can’t plant corn in our garden. And he…he must not want that with me.”
For a few seconds Nemo let Bruce wallow in his own self pity. Then he punched the older man in the arm. “That’s dumb. You’re dumb. He’s dumb. Just talk to him, okay? Besides, you seem pretty cool. Bet you’d make a great step dad.”
“Ha, don’t let him hear you say that. He’d think I’m planting ideas about marriage into his head.”
“Five years, dude. He married my mom after six months. He owes you at least a drawer in his dresser, or some space in his closet.”
Bruce wrinkled his nose. “Is that a some kind of gay joke?”
“No. At least I don’t think it is.”
“Oh. Okay, cool. Can I pass out on your couch? My mates dropped me off here and I’ll probably be needing to talk to your father sooner or later.”
Nemo agreed, if Bruce promised not to tell Marlin about his late night chats with Gil and in exchange for the hospitality Bruce waited an hour before pulling himself off the couch to force Nemo off the computer and into bed. Afterwards he promptly fell asleep, too tired to poke around the house he’d only been in twice, and that he may never be in again.
It was the sound of the morning news that woke him, along with an angry pain in his neck that felt like it’d be with him the rest of the day. He could barely make out the smell of bacon cooking, the sound of the sizzling meat covered by two voices. He made his way off to couch and to the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to find thanks to the mostly open floor plan of the house. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could remember Marlin telling him about how much he loved his house’s design since he could watch Nemo doing his homework in the living room from the kitchen.
Right now all he could see from the living room was Marlin, talking in an aggravated tone to Nemo who was pouting like it was a sport. The sun light filled the room, lighting their hair like it was on fire. Bruce realized Marlin was starting to grey around the temples and to his complete shame he found the sign of aging to be a total turn on.
“Morning Bruce!” Nemo yelled, obviously happy for the distraction. “Are you joining us for breakfast?”
Marlin didn’t look up from the stove, though Bruce could tell he was frowning. “I can never remember if you’re one of those vegetarians that eats eggs or not, but we have toast and fruit.”
“Sounds, um, sounds great. Just gotta hit the head and I’ll be right back.”
As he retreated to the safety of the bathroom he could hear Nemo hissing at his father in the same tone that he had just been enduring. It was kind of cute. After taking care of the incredible urge to pee that came with drinking he spared a moment to wash his face and mess with the spikes of his hair. If he was going down in flames he was going to do it looking nice. Or at least decent.
Back in the kitchen Marlin has set out three plates, two with an egg over a bed of spinach leaves and the last with just the leaves and an egg on a tiny plate to the side. Nemo had taken most of the bacon leaving Marlin with a toasted piece of spam. Bruce sat down next to Nemo, ignoring the way the boy was openly staring at him.
After Marlin settled down with a cup of coffee they began eating in silence, the only sound being provided by the too perky news caster on the tiny television Bruce remembered had been a Christmas gift for Marlin three years before. It had been so Marlin could watch cooking shows and the news while he puttered around the kitchen. When he presented the gift to Marlin almost a week after Christmas, because it was the first time he could get away from the house considering how hectic the holidays were, it had been meant to be a quick thing. Something small and slightly stupid. But Marlin had recognized it as Bruce encouraging him to cook more for his son, something he’d been upset about in the weeks leading up to the holiday. And Bruce had realized it as the first time he’d wanted to be a part of that family life.
And now, sitting awkwardly next to his boyfriend’s son and barely tasting the home cooked breakfast, Bruce was getting his chance at the life he’d been wanting.
“So, did you manage to get Dory home alright?” He ventured when a commercial for some new car came on.
Marlin glanced up from his coffee and nodded. “She had been looking for whales.”
“Wales?” Nemo said. “Like in England?”
“Wales is part of the United Kingdom, bordering England.” Marlin said, sounding like he was reciting out of a text book. “And no, whales like the sea animal.”
“Oh. That’s weird.”
Bruce shrugged. “She thinks she can speak whale. It’s kind of cute.”
Both the red heads turned to stare at him, causing his face to flush to the same shade as their hair.
“It came up once.”
“You let Dory meet your boyfriend and not me?” Nemo hissed, waving his fork for emphasis. “That’s low, Dad. Real low. Just cause she can’t remember you let her meet him!”
“No, I let her meet him because I trusted him to get her back home safely.” Marlin argued.
“So why didn’t I get to meet him?”
Bruce dared to glance up at Marlin even as he wanted to continue staring at his food. His food couldn’t turn big doe eyes on him and make him want to melt. His food couldn’t say that he shouldn’t be near Nemo. Shouldn’t be a part of his family.
“Because I was afraid he wouldn’t want to meet you.”
Bruce and Nemo made identical noises of confusion. It would have been cute if Bruce wasn’t so busy having a mental break down.
“How could you possibly think that?” Bruce asked, hand shaking so hard he had to hide it under the table.
“Because I’m an old man with a kid and you’re this cool biker. I though you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with my boring family life. I mean I already bored you with every little thing my son was up to and I just didn’t want to you to leave me for something more exciting.”
The mindless chatter on the television couldn’t cover the sound of Marlin’s heavy breathing. The bright sun couldn’t hide the shine of tears in his eyes. And all Bruce could do was roll his eyes.
“You can be really dumb sometimes, Marlin.”
He could see the man recoiling but managed to grab his hand before he could run off. Under his hand he could feel Marlin shaking and he wouldn’t deny how it made his heart clench.
“I love your boring family life. I love your stories about Nemo. I love you. I wouldn’t spend five years being your dirty secret if I wasn’t completely in love with you.” He could sense Nemo shifting beside him, probably wanting to flee from the sight of someone confessing love to his father. It would have been nice if he just let the kid run off, but he never claimed to be nice. “Nemo, I love your father and I want to be part of his life, but that means I’d be part of your life. I won’t ever try and steal his attention from you and I know you’ll always come first. Okay?”
Nemo nodded, a wide grin covering his face. “Feel free to take his attention anytime. Like now. I’m going to check in on Dory.”
Automatically Marlin turned with an order to stay at Dory’s until he was called back to the house and to not even think about running off to play with that delinquent Gil. Even as he yelled after his son he clenched tightly onto Bruce’s hand.
Together they finished breakfast, watching the morning news without hearing any of the stories. When they finished eating they washed the dishes together, or at least tried to until Marlin shooed Bruce because he tried to use half a bottle of liquid soap. As he watched Marlin he realized they’d need to talk soon. They would need to talk about their desires for the future, about Bruce possibly moving in with Marlin and Nemo, about if they would be raising Nemo together and how much power Bruce would have over his upbringing. They would need to talk about a lot of things.
But that could wait because right now Marlin was telling a dumb story about Nemo’s newest after school program and Bruce was loving every word.
Media: Finding Nemo
Pairing: Bruce/Marlin
Smut Level: Innocent
Reason: Kink Meme
Summery: Bruce wasn't the kind of guy someone would bring home to mom. He built motorbikes and raced them through the streets of Sydney. He was a giant, fearsome man. But that didn't stop him from loving a neurotic single father. The only problem is he wasn't the kind of person Marlin would bring home to his son, even if Bruce wanted to be that person.
Bruce had been inside his boyfriend’s house twice. Five years they’d been together and he’d been in Marlin’s house twice. Once was checking in on Marlin when he had the flu, inadvertently presenting himself as a complete creep because he had to get the address off the internet and had tried crawling through Marlin’s window so he wouldn’t wake the man if he was sleeping. Somehow he managed to talk his way out of being dumped and managed to talk Marlin into letting Bruce make him soup and talk to him until he fell asleep. The second time was when Marlin locked himself out of the house and, like any awesome boyfriend, Bruce had stepped away from work to do a repeat performance of his earlier breaking and entering. The borderline illegal act had earned him a fierce kiss and his second chance to peek around his boyfriend’s house.
That had been a year ago.
All his mates thought it was strange that Marlin never invited him over to the house. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of their relationship, at least as far as Bruce could tell. Whenever he dropped something off at the bike shop he let Bruce give him a kiss for his trouble. At their dates he would hold hands with Bruce, even initiate the touch. And he even introduced Bruce as his boyfriend the few times Bruce had met with his friends. So it certainly wasn’t shame.
It couldn’t have been because of some secret double life, which was Chum’s favorite theory. Within months Chum was convinced Marlin had a wife, or another boyfriend, or was a woman, or was a cannibal. And the worst bit was Chum never shut up about his dumb theories. It was always “did you check for a ring?” or “how sure are you that it’s his real penis?” or “he says it’s hamburger but you’re a vegetarian and can’t readily identify cow meat from human meat.”
It was a nightmare with Chum.
And even if he had only been in the house twice, those two times were enough for him to confirm there wasn’t a wife or other boyfriend or human remains. And he trusted Marlin not to keep something like that secret. Mostly because Marlin was a terrible liar.
Bruce knew the real reason he wasn’t allowed in the house. Because no matter how long they were together Marlin couldn’t find the strength to tell his son that he was dating.
Even if Bruce was a secret that Nemo couldn’t know about Bruce knew all about the boy. He knew about the mangled leg he’d been born with and how it had turned Marlin into an over protective father. He knew about how Nemo was making friends with older kids who may or may not be part of a gang and how worried it made Marlin. At least once during their dates, held when Nemo was at swimming lessons or being watched by their scatterbrained neighbor Dory, there would be a story about Nemo’s latest adventures, successes or even failures.
Sometimes Bruce felt like it was his own son for all he knew about the boy, even if they had never met. He’d seen the kid before, sometimes if he lingered after dropping Marlin off he’d catch a glimpse of the kid running to hug his father from the neighbor’s porch. Alright, he’d have to watch from around the corner, since Marlin wouldn’t let him stop in front of the house. He had talked with Nemo once, when the boy had answered the house phone and politely asked if he was a telemarketer because he certainly didn’t sound like a telemarketer. They had a lovely conversation about the proper way for a telemarketer to sound before Marlin had snatched the phone away.
And though he would have been happy meeting the boy, explaining to him how much he cared for Marlin and how he wouldn’t ever steal Marlin’s attention, he understood why Marlin wanted that distance. A boy with a bad leg, whose mother had died giving birth to him. That boy was Marlin’s world and Bruce wouldn’t dare intrude on that world.
“That’s cause you’re a great sap.”
“I am not.” Bruce growled, clenching tightly at the handle of his pint. The bar next to his motorbike shop was usually his favorite place to either drown his sorrows or celebrate his successes. No need for his so called friends to interrupt him in his deep thoughts, even if it was their favorite bar as well.
“You are though, ain’tcha?” Anchor, so named for his bike which was meant to look like a hammerhead shark and failed at the attempt, had pushed into the seat next to Bruce about five minutes before and like a good friend had listened to Bruce’s bellyaching. But he was done listening, and done with his own pint of beer which made him more honest than normal. “You meet this guy who, and I’m just being honest, has no business dating someone like you, and he makes you think all these things about a house with a yard and a dog and now you’re all put out cause this guy who makes you want the fairy tale ending won’t give it to you. That makes you a sap.”
Something jeered his arm, causing him to slosh his beer onto his lap. Of course Anchor’s unneeded wisdom would be the cue for Chum to slide away from his latest pick up and slide up next to him. The living pin cushion was a complete ball of energy and, unlike Anchor, rarely thought before he spoke. “You gotta tell him, Bruce. Tell him you want to be part of his kid’s life. Like a super cool biker step dad. Man, if I had a biker step dad I would be so much cooler than I am now.”
“You’re cool now?” Anchor asked with a cheeky grin.
“It’s his kid and I’m not going to overstep my bounds.” Bruce said with a forced smile. It was the same old conversation that always seemed to happen when Bruce got moody about his position in Marlin’s life. “Besides, I’d be an awful step dad. Never even knew my father.”
His friends just rolled their eyes on either side of him.
“You’re the one who’s always telling us to be upfront in our relationships.” Anchor waved his mug for emphasis, sloshing more onto Bruce who just took the abuse with a sigh. “Like that time I was dating that butcher and you told me to be honest about being a vegetarian.”
Bruce lifted a heavy brow at him. “Didn’t she break up with you?”
“Unrelated.”
Chum nodded thoughtfully. Like he ever thought about anything besides what on his face needed piercing next. “Tell you what, have another pint, on us, and pour your sorrows out and all that nonsense. It’ll be good for you.”
“Therapeutic.” Anchor said.
“We’re your mates and we’re here for you.”
He never should have trusted the little rat bastards.
If he hadn’t trusted them he wouldn’t be that special kind of drunk where he would trust them to get him home because he couldn’t possibly drive his baby home drunk. No, his bike was an angel and he wouldn’t let anyone impound her because he was driving drunk. Besides, while Chum was a complete lightweight Anchor could drink both of them under the table and still drive himself home. So yes, he trusted Anchor to get him home.
Bad idea.
Because somehow they had talked Marlin’s address out of him. And somehow they managed to get him to the front door of the two story house without him realizing where he was. And somehow they managed to ring the doorbell and run off before he figured out there was something very wrong with the way the night was progressing.
Before he could do anything brilliant like jump off the porch and hide behind a bush the door opened revealing a curious ten year old with bright orange hair and too large sleepwear. He clenched his crutch closer and peered at the drunk man before him. “Hello?”
“Oh, um, hi. Er, yes well, is your dad about?”
“No, Dory got lost so he went to pick her up from the police.” The boy made this announcement like it was normal for his neighbor to be gathered from police stations. Though based on what Marlin had told Bruce about the woman it was probably very normal. At least if the police picked her up she was likely to get home safely. “He left about an hour ago but she made it all the way to Newcastle so it’ll be a while.”
“Better than Melbourne.” Bruce tried to mutter to himself, though in his mostly drunk state it was less muttering and more of a soft roar. The one time Dory had made it all the way to Melbourne Bruce had been the one sent to get her since he had the weekend off and Marlin couldn’t find anyone to watch Nemo. It hadn’t been the first time Bruce had met Marlin’s strange neighbor but as far as she knew he was a complete stranger. Probably the reason Marlin had sent Bruce in the first place. Even after nine hours in a car together she wouldn’t be able to remember him long enough to tell Nemo.
He had gotten so caught up in his own thoughts he didn’t realize Nemo was staring at him. Almost like he was waiting for something. “Did you just ask me something?”
“Yes. I asked how you know my father.”
“Oh.” Bruce thought over his possible answers and decided he was drunk enough for the truth. “I’m your dad’s boyfriend. Name’s Bruce.”
“Hello, Bruce.”
“Now, as a concerned adult I must know why you’re at home alone while your father goes chasing after Dory.” Even drunk he sounded like a voice of reason. Or at least in his head he did.
Nemo just shrugged. “He’s only going to be gone for a little bit and I’m supposed to be in bed anyways.”
“But you aren’t.” Bruce pointed out.
Nemo’s face turned red. “I was reading.”
Bruce lifted his heavy eyebrow, the one that was scared from a knife fight he’d gotten into as a teenager. It always managed to make him look stern. Or at least threatening.
“I was talking to some friends online.” Nemo admitted, his face doing an imitation of a tomato.
“Not those delinquents. Your dad would be pissed if he found out.”
“Gil’s not a delinquent.” Nemo argued with a stubborn pout. “And besides, won’t he be more upset about his so called boyfriend coming here in the middle of the night completely drunk?”
Bruce opened his mouth, thought about it for a moment, and shut his mouth. With a move that could only be performed when drunk enough to not worried about getting hurt Bruce collapsed onto the porch, cradling his head with one massive hand. He was single. In a few hours he would be a single man because Marlin was certainly going to break up with him over this. Hell, he may even been a dead man.
“Dad won’t kill you.”
Oh fuck, he had said that out loud.
“Well, he might if he finds out you were cussing around me.”
Double fuck.
“I’m sorry kid. And I’m not nearly as drunk as I smell so I don’t even have an excuse.” He sighed, rubbing his face with both hands like it would help him think. It didn’t. “I just…damnit, I just want your dad to stop being ashamed of me. What other reason is there for him not wanting me to meet you?”
Nemo lowered himself onto the ground beside Bruce awkwardly, hiding his leg as best he could during the movement. “He’s probably not ashamed of you.”
“Kid, we’ve been dating for five years. Did you even has a suspicion your dad was dating anyone?”
He was decent enough to not lie. “If it’s been five years and I didn’t know you exist, I think dad has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Nah, he’s right to raise you how he sees fit. And if I’m not part of that it’s his call.”
“No, it’s not.”
Bruce stopped trying to rub his face off long enough to stare at the red head next to him. “Come again?”
“If you’re part of his life you’re part of mine. He can’t just go hiding this stuff. Is my dad important to you?”
“Yeah, I…” Bruce hesitated before realizing there was no point in holding back. When Marlin got back he’d have to put it all on the line anyway. “I love him. Fuck, I love your stupid father. He’s the most neurotic, ridiculous, stubborn, amazing person I’ve ever met and I’m completely in love with him. I want to settle down and buy a dog, a big one not one of those stupid toy dogs, and plant a garden in the backyard and have arguments about why we can’t plant corn in our garden. And he…he must not want that with me.”
For a few seconds Nemo let Bruce wallow in his own self pity. Then he punched the older man in the arm. “That’s dumb. You’re dumb. He’s dumb. Just talk to him, okay? Besides, you seem pretty cool. Bet you’d make a great step dad.”
“Ha, don’t let him hear you say that. He’d think I’m planting ideas about marriage into his head.”
“Five years, dude. He married my mom after six months. He owes you at least a drawer in his dresser, or some space in his closet.”
Bruce wrinkled his nose. “Is that a some kind of gay joke?”
“No. At least I don’t think it is.”
“Oh. Okay, cool. Can I pass out on your couch? My mates dropped me off here and I’ll probably be needing to talk to your father sooner or later.”
Nemo agreed, if Bruce promised not to tell Marlin about his late night chats with Gil and in exchange for the hospitality Bruce waited an hour before pulling himself off the couch to force Nemo off the computer and into bed. Afterwards he promptly fell asleep, too tired to poke around the house he’d only been in twice, and that he may never be in again.
It was the sound of the morning news that woke him, along with an angry pain in his neck that felt like it’d be with him the rest of the day. He could barely make out the smell of bacon cooking, the sound of the sizzling meat covered by two voices. He made his way off to couch and to the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to find thanks to the mostly open floor plan of the house. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could remember Marlin telling him about how much he loved his house’s design since he could watch Nemo doing his homework in the living room from the kitchen.
Right now all he could see from the living room was Marlin, talking in an aggravated tone to Nemo who was pouting like it was a sport. The sun light filled the room, lighting their hair like it was on fire. Bruce realized Marlin was starting to grey around the temples and to his complete shame he found the sign of aging to be a total turn on.
“Morning Bruce!” Nemo yelled, obviously happy for the distraction. “Are you joining us for breakfast?”
Marlin didn’t look up from the stove, though Bruce could tell he was frowning. “I can never remember if you’re one of those vegetarians that eats eggs or not, but we have toast and fruit.”
“Sounds, um, sounds great. Just gotta hit the head and I’ll be right back.”
As he retreated to the safety of the bathroom he could hear Nemo hissing at his father in the same tone that he had just been enduring. It was kind of cute. After taking care of the incredible urge to pee that came with drinking he spared a moment to wash his face and mess with the spikes of his hair. If he was going down in flames he was going to do it looking nice. Or at least decent.
Back in the kitchen Marlin has set out three plates, two with an egg over a bed of spinach leaves and the last with just the leaves and an egg on a tiny plate to the side. Nemo had taken most of the bacon leaving Marlin with a toasted piece of spam. Bruce sat down next to Nemo, ignoring the way the boy was openly staring at him.
After Marlin settled down with a cup of coffee they began eating in silence, the only sound being provided by the too perky news caster on the tiny television Bruce remembered had been a Christmas gift for Marlin three years before. It had been so Marlin could watch cooking shows and the news while he puttered around the kitchen. When he presented the gift to Marlin almost a week after Christmas, because it was the first time he could get away from the house considering how hectic the holidays were, it had been meant to be a quick thing. Something small and slightly stupid. But Marlin had recognized it as Bruce encouraging him to cook more for his son, something he’d been upset about in the weeks leading up to the holiday. And Bruce had realized it as the first time he’d wanted to be a part of that family life.
And now, sitting awkwardly next to his boyfriend’s son and barely tasting the home cooked breakfast, Bruce was getting his chance at the life he’d been wanting.
“So, did you manage to get Dory home alright?” He ventured when a commercial for some new car came on.
Marlin glanced up from his coffee and nodded. “She had been looking for whales.”
“Wales?” Nemo said. “Like in England?”
“Wales is part of the United Kingdom, bordering England.” Marlin said, sounding like he was reciting out of a text book. “And no, whales like the sea animal.”
“Oh. That’s weird.”
Bruce shrugged. “She thinks she can speak whale. It’s kind of cute.”
Both the red heads turned to stare at him, causing his face to flush to the same shade as their hair.
“It came up once.”
“You let Dory meet your boyfriend and not me?” Nemo hissed, waving his fork for emphasis. “That’s low, Dad. Real low. Just cause she can’t remember you let her meet him!”
“No, I let her meet him because I trusted him to get her back home safely.” Marlin argued.
“So why didn’t I get to meet him?”
Bruce dared to glance up at Marlin even as he wanted to continue staring at his food. His food couldn’t turn big doe eyes on him and make him want to melt. His food couldn’t say that he shouldn’t be near Nemo. Shouldn’t be a part of his family.
“Because I was afraid he wouldn’t want to meet you.”
Bruce and Nemo made identical noises of confusion. It would have been cute if Bruce wasn’t so busy having a mental break down.
“How could you possibly think that?” Bruce asked, hand shaking so hard he had to hide it under the table.
“Because I’m an old man with a kid and you’re this cool biker. I though you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with my boring family life. I mean I already bored you with every little thing my son was up to and I just didn’t want to you to leave me for something more exciting.”
The mindless chatter on the television couldn’t cover the sound of Marlin’s heavy breathing. The bright sun couldn’t hide the shine of tears in his eyes. And all Bruce could do was roll his eyes.
“You can be really dumb sometimes, Marlin.”
He could see the man recoiling but managed to grab his hand before he could run off. Under his hand he could feel Marlin shaking and he wouldn’t deny how it made his heart clench.
“I love your boring family life. I love your stories about Nemo. I love you. I wouldn’t spend five years being your dirty secret if I wasn’t completely in love with you.” He could sense Nemo shifting beside him, probably wanting to flee from the sight of someone confessing love to his father. It would have been nice if he just let the kid run off, but he never claimed to be nice. “Nemo, I love your father and I want to be part of his life, but that means I’d be part of your life. I won’t ever try and steal his attention from you and I know you’ll always come first. Okay?”
Nemo nodded, a wide grin covering his face. “Feel free to take his attention anytime. Like now. I’m going to check in on Dory.”
Automatically Marlin turned with an order to stay at Dory’s until he was called back to the house and to not even think about running off to play with that delinquent Gil. Even as he yelled after his son he clenched tightly onto Bruce’s hand.
Together they finished breakfast, watching the morning news without hearing any of the stories. When they finished eating they washed the dishes together, or at least tried to until Marlin shooed Bruce because he tried to use half a bottle of liquid soap. As he watched Marlin he realized they’d need to talk soon. They would need to talk about their desires for the future, about Bruce possibly moving in with Marlin and Nemo, about if they would be raising Nemo together and how much power Bruce would have over his upbringing. They would need to talk about a lot of things.
But that could wait because right now Marlin was telling a dumb story about Nemo’s newest after school program and Bruce was loving every word.