The Talk
Title: The Talk
Author: snuffybaby
Disclaimer: RM and Co. own the Glee Universe
Rating: PG-13 (mentions of sex; swearing)
Pairing: Puckleberry
Word Count: 1,077
Spoilers: up to 206 “Never Been Kissed” for one important tidbit.
Summary: FF; Based on prompt from puckrachel drabblememe:
smartalli:
Puck and Rachel's teenage son comes out to his dad.
Author’s Note: a little hesitant about posting this… found the prompt interesting… just hope no one takes offense by the fluff…
--
Puck was seated across the dinner table from his seventeen year old son. He waited patiently for Eli to speak. "Kid, you can tell me anything, you know that, right?"
Eli tapped his fingers nervously on the table. "I don't know how to say this... I mean I spoke with Pops and Zeidy..."
Puck leaned back in his seat as he processed this information.
Rachel's dads were extremely close with their grandkids, but there could be only one topic that Eli would find more comfortable speaking with his granddads about than with his father.
Taking a slow breath, Puck leaned forward again, resting his clasped hands on the tabletop. "Eli, are you trying to tell me you're gay?"
The teen tensed before nodding. "Yeah."
Silence settled between them.
Puck leaned back in his seat again. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "This isn't your idea of a joke, is it?"
He smirked self-deprecatingly. "Definitely not."
"You're sure? I mean, you spoke with Pops and Zeidy..."
"Definitely sure."
Puck nodded. "Does your mom know?"
"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first. Make sure that we're okay."
"Eli Anderson Puckerman, we will always be okay. You're my son. Nothing you say or do will make things not okay. If you're gay, straight, bisexual, transvestite, we'll be okay."
"You're sure?" he asked softly. Eli had always considered his father to be the epitome of a guy's guy - womanizer in his youth, crazy sports fanatic, beer drinking gambler; by the fact that he had five siblings and a very good set of noise canceling headphones, sex fiend.
"Give me time to wrap my head around this." He shrugged, "I didn't exactly expect this."
Eli was the star quarterback and source of many a teenage girls' fantasies. There was nothing about him that would have made Puck even suspect that his eldest son was gay, leaving him completely unprepared to handle this new reality.
"Sure, sure." Eli nodded, a little confused about his own reaction to his father's reaction.
Standing, Puck walked around the table and placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm gonna work in the study for an hour. We can talk again after."
"Dad, are you sure that's enough time-"
"One hour. I'm not gonna have all the answers, but I need some time to process and then we'll talk."
"One hour."
--
As promised, Puck was sitting back at the kitchen table with his son. "So, you're gay."
"Yeah," Eli said, awkwardly.
"Do you have any questions about it? I'm not an expert, but you know, I've spoken to your granddads before... And I known your uncle Kurt since before he came out... Then again, it wasn't a big surprise that he was lady fabulous. No big shock about Blaine either. Wasn't even shocked when Karofsky finally came out of the closet. Guess I always prided myself on my gaydar..." Puck stopped mid-ramble and glanced at his son. "Look, you know I'm not the most tactful person, so just let me know if I say anything to offend you. Your granddads were cool enough not to make a big deal when I made an ass of myself. Guess it's something they picked up from experience... But you're still new at this, so feel free to let me know... And your siblings too when we get around to sharing this with them. You know your mom's not going to be an issue. She could write a book on proper etiquette and political correctness."
Eli's eyes teared up. "You're really okay with this?"
"Kid, I don't lie. You know that. I'm proud of you, Eli. Not only have you been brave enough to accept that you're gay, but you've been brave enough to share this with me... Especially considering you've probably been shaking with fear over how I'd accept this news. I'm so proud of you, Eli," he reiterated.
A huge weight was suddenly lifted off his chest and Eli could breath easy again. "Zeidy said that you'd be okay, that you never felt awkward around him and Pops... but I still worried."
"There's nothing wrong with being gay. It won't be easy for some of your friends to accept it, but we live in NYC, not small town Ohio. People are more open here than they are in Lima."
"I know it's not wrong... But I'm sure when you imagined your children, you never imagined one being gay."
Puck smirked, "I actually hold out hope that your sisters will tell me they're lesbians. Then I won't need to beat the shit out of every male in a ten mile radius."
Eli frowned, "Won't you still need to scare off the women?"
"That's your mom's job."
"You're completely ridiculous."
"I wouldn't have to worry about teenage pregnancy..." He shrugged, "But seriously, when I imagined my children, all I ever wished for was that they were all happy and healthy, and had happy and healthy children of their own. Your granddads are the best proof that you can have all that.”
“I love you, Dad.”
Puck stood and pulled his son into a hug. “I love you too, kid. I always will.”
Eli stepped back first. “So are we done with the awkward conversations for awhile?”
“For now. But give me time. Gotta do some research for the gay version of the birds and bees talk-”
“Dad, I really don’t need ‘the talk’ again.”
“Kid, if we’re going to do this, we’re gonna do this right. And we’ll have to tell your mom and your brothers and sisters. You know your mom’s gonna prepare some kind of information package for them.” Puck smirked, “And the house rules will have to be revisited.” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Kid, this is the first of many awkward conversations.”
Nodding his understand, Eli groaned.
Puck was headed back to his study to do some research when he paused. Pivoting to turn back, he asked, “You don’t have a boyfriend or anything now, do you?”
Eli shook his head.
“Any potential love interests, boy crushes, future son-in-laws for me?” His eyebrows suggestively rose up and down.
“Dad,” he groaned, rolling his eyes even as his cheeks blushed.
“Ass man? Arms? Legs? Abs?” Puck’s hand waved at his own covered six-pack.
“Dad!”
He laughed. “Get dinner started. We can tell your mom together when she gets back from her show… if you’re ready?”
Nodding, he said seriously, “Thanks, Dad.”
“We’re gonna be alright, Eli.”
--
The End
Author: snuffybaby
Disclaimer: RM and Co. own the Glee Universe
Rating: PG-13 (mentions of sex; swearing)
Pairing: Puckleberry
Word Count: 1,077
Spoilers: up to 206 “Never Been Kissed” for one important tidbit.
Summary: FF; Based on prompt from puckrachel drabblememe:
smartalli:
Puck and Rachel's teenage son comes out to his dad.
Author’s Note: a little hesitant about posting this… found the prompt interesting… just hope no one takes offense by the fluff…
--
Puck was seated across the dinner table from his seventeen year old son. He waited patiently for Eli to speak. "Kid, you can tell me anything, you know that, right?"
Eli tapped his fingers nervously on the table. "I don't know how to say this... I mean I spoke with Pops and Zeidy..."
Puck leaned back in his seat as he processed this information.
Rachel's dads were extremely close with their grandkids, but there could be only one topic that Eli would find more comfortable speaking with his granddads about than with his father.
Taking a slow breath, Puck leaned forward again, resting his clasped hands on the tabletop. "Eli, are you trying to tell me you're gay?"
The teen tensed before nodding. "Yeah."
Silence settled between them.
Puck leaned back in his seat again. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "This isn't your idea of a joke, is it?"
He smirked self-deprecatingly. "Definitely not."
"You're sure? I mean, you spoke with Pops and Zeidy..."
"Definitely sure."
Puck nodded. "Does your mom know?"
"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first. Make sure that we're okay."
"Eli Anderson Puckerman, we will always be okay. You're my son. Nothing you say or do will make things not okay. If you're gay, straight, bisexual, transvestite, we'll be okay."
"You're sure?" he asked softly. Eli had always considered his father to be the epitome of a guy's guy - womanizer in his youth, crazy sports fanatic, beer drinking gambler; by the fact that he had five siblings and a very good set of noise canceling headphones, sex fiend.
"Give me time to wrap my head around this." He shrugged, "I didn't exactly expect this."
Eli was the star quarterback and source of many a teenage girls' fantasies. There was nothing about him that would have made Puck even suspect that his eldest son was gay, leaving him completely unprepared to handle this new reality.
"Sure, sure." Eli nodded, a little confused about his own reaction to his father's reaction.
Standing, Puck walked around the table and placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm gonna work in the study for an hour. We can talk again after."
"Dad, are you sure that's enough time-"
"One hour. I'm not gonna have all the answers, but I need some time to process and then we'll talk."
"One hour."
--
As promised, Puck was sitting back at the kitchen table with his son. "So, you're gay."
"Yeah," Eli said, awkwardly.
"Do you have any questions about it? I'm not an expert, but you know, I've spoken to your granddads before... And I known your uncle Kurt since before he came out... Then again, it wasn't a big surprise that he was lady fabulous. No big shock about Blaine either. Wasn't even shocked when Karofsky finally came out of the closet. Guess I always prided myself on my gaydar..." Puck stopped mid-ramble and glanced at his son. "Look, you know I'm not the most tactful person, so just let me know if I say anything to offend you. Your granddads were cool enough not to make a big deal when I made an ass of myself. Guess it's something they picked up from experience... But you're still new at this, so feel free to let me know... And your siblings too when we get around to sharing this with them. You know your mom's not going to be an issue. She could write a book on proper etiquette and political correctness."
Eli's eyes teared up. "You're really okay with this?"
"Kid, I don't lie. You know that. I'm proud of you, Eli. Not only have you been brave enough to accept that you're gay, but you've been brave enough to share this with me... Especially considering you've probably been shaking with fear over how I'd accept this news. I'm so proud of you, Eli," he reiterated.
A huge weight was suddenly lifted off his chest and Eli could breath easy again. "Zeidy said that you'd be okay, that you never felt awkward around him and Pops... but I still worried."
"There's nothing wrong with being gay. It won't be easy for some of your friends to accept it, but we live in NYC, not small town Ohio. People are more open here than they are in Lima."
"I know it's not wrong... But I'm sure when you imagined your children, you never imagined one being gay."
Puck smirked, "I actually hold out hope that your sisters will tell me they're lesbians. Then I won't need to beat the shit out of every male in a ten mile radius."
Eli frowned, "Won't you still need to scare off the women?"
"That's your mom's job."
"You're completely ridiculous."
"I wouldn't have to worry about teenage pregnancy..." He shrugged, "But seriously, when I imagined my children, all I ever wished for was that they were all happy and healthy, and had happy and healthy children of their own. Your granddads are the best proof that you can have all that.”
“I love you, Dad.”
Puck stood and pulled his son into a hug. “I love you too, kid. I always will.”
Eli stepped back first. “So are we done with the awkward conversations for awhile?”
“For now. But give me time. Gotta do some research for the gay version of the birds and bees talk-”
“Dad, I really don’t need ‘the talk’ again.”
“Kid, if we’re going to do this, we’re gonna do this right. And we’ll have to tell your mom and your brothers and sisters. You know your mom’s gonna prepare some kind of information package for them.” Puck smirked, “And the house rules will have to be revisited.” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Kid, this is the first of many awkward conversations.”
Nodding his understand, Eli groaned.
Puck was headed back to his study to do some research when he paused. Pivoting to turn back, he asked, “You don’t have a boyfriend or anything now, do you?”
Eli shook his head.
“Any potential love interests, boy crushes, future son-in-laws for me?” His eyebrows suggestively rose up and down.
“Dad,” he groaned, rolling his eyes even as his cheeks blushed.
“Ass man? Arms? Legs? Abs?” Puck’s hand waved at his own covered six-pack.
“Dad!”
He laughed. “Get dinner started. We can tell your mom together when she gets back from her show… if you’re ready?”
Nodding, he said seriously, “Thanks, Dad.”
“We’re gonna be alright, Eli.”
--
The End