I'll be by your side (Julian, Joe, Aislinn)
Joe was headed to his office when he heard the familiar sounds of his son singing in his bedroom. Joe smiled softly to himself, and he crossed the hallway where he could see Julian through the doorway. Julian was dancing around above Aislinn's crib, singing a Cher song in a voice that was convincingly authentic, though Cher's voice wasn't hard to reproduce when you were male, oddly enough.
"This is a song for the lonely. Can you hear me tonight? For the broken hearted, battle scarred, I'll be by your side. And this is a song for the lonely. When your dreams won't come true. Can you hear this prayer? 'Coz someone's there for you!" Julian sang and then he grabbed a hairbrush and he leaned over Aislinn's crib where she was standing, gripping the edges of it with her tiny hands and looking up at her father in awe. "We'll love don't need a reason. She can pick you up or leave you bleeding. I've seen a strong man cry- AUGH!" Julian dropped the hairbrush and jumped a foot in the air when he caught sight of Joe out of the corner of his eyes. "Dad!!" Julian breathed a sigh of relief. "You should never sneak up on me when I'm Cher-ing!"
Joe snorted and he shook his head in amusement. "Ah, I'm afraid I didn't know the rules." Joe glanced at Aislinn, who was still bouncing up and down to the music which had stopped. But it was possible she was still hearing it in hr head. "I think Aislinn enjoyed your serenade."
"She's a big Cher fan!" Julian said proudly. "I cultivated that myself, thank you!" And he tucked a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. "Damon says her voice sounds like cats being killed slowly and painfully so he ran away to study."
"I think I'm with Damon on that one." Joe admitted.
"Traitor! Just because she doesn't sing lumberjack songs!" Julian grinned at his father though. Joe was Julian's favourite not-really-a-lumberjack.
"She could sing lumberjack songs..." Joe mused.
"Tch." Julian scoffed and then he bent down to scoop the tiny Aislinn into his arms. Aislinn immediately set about trying to grab as much of Julian's hair as she could to the purpose of shoving it in her mouth. "Honey, don't suck daddy's hair! Seriously, Dad, this is the last time I let Mum convince me to use her strawberry conditioner..."
Joe raised his eyebrows. "Your mother didn't convince you to do that, did she?"
Julian shuffled his feet. "No." He admitted quietly.
"You just liked the way it smelled, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Joe grinned. "Like a tiny flower?"
"A little fruity, actually." Julian said, grinning wickedly as he ran his unoccupied hand through his hair.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna go there!" Joe laughed. "Come on, Kiddo. Let's go rescue your poor boyfriend from his Cher-induced hiding and make some dinner."
"Ooooh, can I make mini-quiches!?" Julian bounced a little, causing Aislinn to squeal with glee.
Joe chuckled helplessly. "You can make your tiny egg-cakes if you want. Even if I don't understand them."
"Ah, that's the best thing about you." Julian flounced over and he kissed his father on the cheek before heading downstairs. Joe heard Julian yell, "Damon, I stopped singing Cher! You can come love me again!" Instead of feeling charmed like he usually was whenever he saw his son do pretty much anything, he felt guilty. His new job saw him working under a homophobic arsehole, and Joe had spent all of Friday listening to horror stories about the people that his new boss had managed to get fired simply because he didn't like something petty about them. If he didn't like the fact that Joe had a gay son, he might fire Joe. And Joe hadn't worked in over a year now. Not full time. He needed the money. He had a son and a daughter...his son had a daughter, and he had taken his son's boyfriend in as well...that was a lot of people to feed and house. Joe had to do anything to keep this new job. Which was why he had already taken the photo of Julian and Damon off of his desk at work.
And it made him feel like the worst father in the world. Never once had Joe ever made Julian feel ashamed for being gay. Joe didn't feel Julian should be. And now Joe was trying to hide it? He was lower than low. He was scum. And he was late for dinner. Quickly, Joe ran down the stairs to join his family again. Because he wasn't ashamed of them, dammit.
"This is a song for the lonely. Can you hear me tonight? For the broken hearted, battle scarred, I'll be by your side. And this is a song for the lonely. When your dreams won't come true. Can you hear this prayer? 'Coz someone's there for you!" Julian sang and then he grabbed a hairbrush and he leaned over Aislinn's crib where she was standing, gripping the edges of it with her tiny hands and looking up at her father in awe. "We'll love don't need a reason. She can pick you up or leave you bleeding. I've seen a strong man cry- AUGH!" Julian dropped the hairbrush and jumped a foot in the air when he caught sight of Joe out of the corner of his eyes. "Dad!!" Julian breathed a sigh of relief. "You should never sneak up on me when I'm Cher-ing!"
Joe snorted and he shook his head in amusement. "Ah, I'm afraid I didn't know the rules." Joe glanced at Aislinn, who was still bouncing up and down to the music which had stopped. But it was possible she was still hearing it in hr head. "I think Aislinn enjoyed your serenade."
"She's a big Cher fan!" Julian said proudly. "I cultivated that myself, thank you!" And he tucked a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. "Damon says her voice sounds like cats being killed slowly and painfully so he ran away to study."
"I think I'm with Damon on that one." Joe admitted.
"Traitor! Just because she doesn't sing lumberjack songs!" Julian grinned at his father though. Joe was Julian's favourite not-really-a-lumberjack.
"She could sing lumberjack songs..." Joe mused.
"Tch." Julian scoffed and then he bent down to scoop the tiny Aislinn into his arms. Aislinn immediately set about trying to grab as much of Julian's hair as she could to the purpose of shoving it in her mouth. "Honey, don't suck daddy's hair! Seriously, Dad, this is the last time I let Mum convince me to use her strawberry conditioner..."
Joe raised his eyebrows. "Your mother didn't convince you to do that, did she?"
Julian shuffled his feet. "No." He admitted quietly.
"You just liked the way it smelled, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Joe grinned. "Like a tiny flower?"
"A little fruity, actually." Julian said, grinning wickedly as he ran his unoccupied hand through his hair.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna go there!" Joe laughed. "Come on, Kiddo. Let's go rescue your poor boyfriend from his Cher-induced hiding and make some dinner."
"Ooooh, can I make mini-quiches!?" Julian bounced a little, causing Aislinn to squeal with glee.
Joe chuckled helplessly. "You can make your tiny egg-cakes if you want. Even if I don't understand them."
"Ah, that's the best thing about you." Julian flounced over and he kissed his father on the cheek before heading downstairs. Joe heard Julian yell, "Damon, I stopped singing Cher! You can come love me again!" Instead of feeling charmed like he usually was whenever he saw his son do pretty much anything, he felt guilty. His new job saw him working under a homophobic arsehole, and Joe had spent all of Friday listening to horror stories about the people that his new boss had managed to get fired simply because he didn't like something petty about them. If he didn't like the fact that Joe had a gay son, he might fire Joe. And Joe hadn't worked in over a year now. Not full time. He needed the money. He had a son and a daughter...his son had a daughter, and he had taken his son's boyfriend in as well...that was a lot of people to feed and house. Joe had to do anything to keep this new job. Which was why he had already taken the photo of Julian and Damon off of his desk at work.
And it made him feel like the worst father in the world. Never once had Joe ever made Julian feel ashamed for being gay. Joe didn't feel Julian should be. And now Joe was trying to hide it? He was lower than low. He was scum. And he was late for dinner. Quickly, Joe ran down the stairs to join his family again. Because he wasn't ashamed of them, dammit.