Meet The Parents
Title: Meet The Parents
Pairing: Timothy/Jonathon
Rating: PG
Warning: No warnings
Summary: How do Jonathon's parents take Jonathon coming out?
Disclaimer: Not my characters or world, just borrowing them for a little while.
Someone on the prompt post asked about this, so I answered.
“How do I look?”
“Handsome, in a completely scattered kind of way.”
“I should change.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Which shirt do you think would be better?”
“The one you’re wearing is fine. Though if you want to go without, I wouldn’t complain.”
“Jonathon...”
“Timothy, relax.” Jonathon put his hands on Timothy’s shoulders and gently massaged them, smiling at his extremely nervous boyfriend of two weeks - though with the help of the pansy, it felt like it had been at least two years - as he looked through his closet for something he deemed ‘presentable.’ Tonight was the big night. It was time for Timothy to meet his parents.
And Timothy was scared out of his wits.
Jonathon could understand his boyfriend’s concern. Jonathon’s parents had been out of town, on their second honeymoon, when the power of the pansy had struck Kingston. As a result, they hadn’t gotten the mind-opening dose of Shakespearian magic that the rest of the town had received. To Timothy, that implied that they weren’t going to be very receptive to their son having a boyfriend. Of course, Jonathon was hoping for the best.
“How can I relax? What if they don’t like me? Us?”
Jonathon gave Timothy a quick peck. That seemed to calm him somewhat, but the tension was still visible. “Timothy, they’re not your Dad.” Jonathon really couldn’t blame Timothy for his pessimism given that experience. Timothy barely acknowledged the existence of his father, and vice versa, and had ever since Timothy had stormed out of his father’s house after he’d announced that he was gay and his father called him a heathen and an abomination. Jonathon wasn’t going to try and get Timothy to try to make nice with his father, but he had better expectations of his parents.
“I know. I just... I want them to like me.”
“They will.”
“If they don’t? What if... If they want you to stop-”
“I won’t.” Jonathon wouldn’t - couldn’t - stop seeing Timothy, no matter what his parents said or how they reacted. If he had to, he’d follow Timothy’s example and walk out. He could probably stay with Timothy, or, if Donna couldn’t afford two teenage boys living under her roof, maybe Cooper or Cole’s families would let him stay there until college. They’d been hit with the power of the pansy, they were accepting of their sons being in love.
Timothy smiled at his boyfriend. “I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family.”
“Timothy... Whatever problems or issues... They’d come up anyway. I’m gay. With or without you, I’m gay. I’d have to come out to them eventually. I want to do it with you.”
Timothy smiled at his boyfriend, feeling more confident. “Okay. So... you really think that I look okay?” Jonathon rolled his eyes and grabbed the pillow off of Timothy’s bed and smacked him with it.
***
An hour later, Jonathon and Timothy walked up the steps to Jonathon’s house. Upon seeing the larger-than-his-house-yet-still-modest Cordin abode, Timothy seemed to get cold feet again. Jonathon grinned and leaned close to Timothy’s ear. “You can turn the town gay but you can’t face my parents?” he asked good-naturedly.
“It’s different,” Timothy said. Jonathon kissed him quickly.
“It’s not like I’m gonna introduce you as my gay boyfriend,” Jonathon said. “I have a little more sense than that.” They’d agreed to wait until after eating to announce that he was dating Timothy. Until then, he was going to be just another one of Jonathon’s friends, coming over to play a few video games and have dinner. “Timothy, just relax.”
“Relax. Right.” Timothy sounded anything but relaxed.
Jonathon smiled. “Come on,” he said, opening the front door, pulling Timothy inside. “My parents won’t be home for a while, let’s go play some video games. I’ll give you a free kill on Halo.” That seemed to push Timothy to at least come up to his room.
Jonathon hadn’t expected it, but Timothy managed to kick his ass soundly and repeatedly. He stared in surprise, nothing having expected the ruthlessly efficient way that Timothy had blown him apart often enough that Jonathon lost count, setting a new high score.
Timothy just shrugged. “Frankie loves Halo. You can’t stay at her house for more than a few hours before she ropes you into a game.”
Jonathon feigned anger at Timothy letting him have the impression of him not having played before, but it was hard to stay mad at him, especially for his own assumption. He leaned in for a kiss right as the front door opened and his mother’s voice echoed through the house. “Johnny! I’m home!” Jonathon placed a hand on Timothy’s and motioned for the door, giving him a supportive smile.
“You ready?”
“Not really.”
“Too bad,” Jonathon said, unable to keep a completely straight face. But he saw how Timothy was still unsure about this and took his hand. “It’s not going to be that bad. I promise. Remember, no matter what, I’m going to be with you. Nothing can change that. Not even my parents. I’ll move out if I have to.” He meant it. What mattered to him was Timothy.
This time, the words seemed to break through Timothy’s fears and concerns, and he visibly relaxed for the first time that evening. He was still clearly concerned about what would happen when they came out to Jonathon’s parents, but he seemed soothed that it wouldn’t be the end of them. Jonathon marveled at the fact that Timothy had been so confident with forcibly opening the minds of town yet he was so concerned about this. He loved both sides of Timothy, but was surprised at the difference of the two pieces. Of course it was easier to be confident when you knew that what you were doing was going to change peoples’ minds and you didn’t have to deal with the aftermath.
Moments later, Anna Cordin appeared in the doorway. “Oh, Johnny. Who’s your friend?”
“Mom, this is Timothy.”
Timothy hopped up and shook Anna’s hand. “Nice to meet you Mrs. Cordin.”
“Oh, please, call me Anna. Mrs. Cordin is my mother,” she said with a smile. She was a slim woman of average height with curly brown hair.
Jonathon joined them, flashing a supportive smile to Timothy. “Mom, is it alright if Timothy stays over for dinner?” He turned on his best attempt at a puppy dog pout, even though it had stopped working on his parents years ago.
Anna, seeing the pout, rolled her eyes. “If it’s okay with Timothy’s parents, I don’t see the harm.”
“It’s just my Mom, Mrs. - uh, Anna. And she’s got a dinner with her boss tonight. She won’t be home until late anyway.”
“Well, in that case, it’d be wrong to just send you home hungry. You’re welcome to stay, Timothy.” She smiled at him and then looked back to Jonathon. “Give me a few minutes to put something together, then we’ll wait for your father.”
Jonathon nodded at her. “Thanks, Mom.” Anna smiled again and headed back downstairs. Jonathon looked to his boyfriend. “See? I told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”
Timothy nodded, though inside, he wasn’t convinced - he’d passed as Jonathon’s friend. Would Anna Cordin feel the same about him when she found out that he was Jonathon’s boyfriend?
***
Anna had put together a small meal by her standards, but for Timothy, who had grown so used to most nights having a dinner of nothing more than take out, it seemed like a feast. She looked to the boys. “Johnny, your father left a message, said he’d be a little late, but that we should start without him.” She took her seat and the boys sat down next to each other.
There were a few half-hearted attempts at small talk, but nothing substantial exchanged - Anna spoke about her job as an office assistant (‘secretary,’ Jonathon translated for Timothy, earning a mockingly stern glare), and bugged Timothy about the usual parental questions when their child brings home a friend for the first time.
“Do you know what school you’re going to go to or what you’re going to major in, Timothy?” she asked as she scooped some mashed potatoes onto her plate.
Timothy shook his head slightly. “Not really. I’ve sent out a lot of letters, but haven’t heard back from any of them.”
“You’d make a great actor,” Jonathon suggested, his eyes twinkling. Timothy smiled back.
Anna didn’t catch the undercurrent and just looked to her son. “What makes you say that?”
“He brought down the house during the school play a couple weeks ago.”
Jonathon’s mother shot him a minor glare. “This would be the school play you neglected to tell us about, correct?” she asked, clearly still irritated that Jonathon had done his best to keep from telling his parents about the play. He shifted uncomfortably under his mother’s glare.
Fortunately, that was when Richard Cordin walked in. “I’m home!” he called as he entered the house, setting down his briefcase and entering the kitchen/dining room. He smiled at the three people at the dinner table, his eyes landing on Timothy. “You must be Timothy. Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand. Timothy shook it and the elder Cordin took his seat.
The conversation drifted over to him engaging in some well-earned bragging about his recent promotion and the fact that after this week, he would be able to stick around at home for longer than ten minutes at a time. The whole time, though, Timothy felt like he and Jonathon were tiptoeing around the pink elephant in the room.
And then the inevitable happened - the conversation turned to relationships. “Johnny, when are we going to meet that Becky girl you’ve been dating? It’s been two months now, I think that’s about the time you bring her home.”
Richard nodded. “Yeah, we should see if she’ll fit into the madhouse.”
Timothy had bristled at the mention of Jonathon’s ex, particularly given that she had remained a minor thorn in their side, seemingly determined that she could, with enough effort, sway Jonathon back to her. Jonathon, unnoticed by his parents, placed a hand on Timothy’s leg. Whenever he and Jonathon touched, Timothy found it hard to remain tense or angry, and this time was no exception. That was, he supposed, one of the reasons why they were meant to be, why Jonathon had remained himself when under the pansy’s spell and not as deeply affected as some of their friends had been.
Jonathon looked to both of his parents. “Uh, actually, Becky and I broke up.”
That seemed to bring the both of the Cordins down. “Oh, well, that’s a shame,” Anna said.
Richard nodded, but shot his son an encouraging smile. “You’ll find someone else soon, champ. Handsome stud like you, no question. When they hear you’re back on the market, I’m sure they’ll be beating down the door.”
Before Jonathon could comment that he was already back off the market, Anna looked to Timothy. “What about you, Timothy? Have you got a girlfriend?”
“No. No girlfriend,” he said cautiously, waiting for either of them to recognize his emphasis on ‘girl.’
Neither seemed to pick up the significance. “I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually. There’s someone out there for everyone,” Anna said, giving the both of them what she clearly intended to be an encouraging smile. It wasn’t really, but the boys both summoned up smiles of their own in response.
Richard smiled at his wife. “I don’t think they believe you, honey.” Oh, of course, Timothy thought, THAT he picks up on.
Timothy looked to Jonathon, asking him THE question with his eyes. Jonathon nodded and looked to his parents. “Uh... actually. I’m already dating someone else.” Still out of his parents’ line of sight, he laced his fingers with Timothy’s and placed their entwined hands on the table.
There was a silence in the room, a very heavy one. Timothy pictured a thousand different ways that Jonathon’s parents were going to react, all of them bad.
Jonathon himself was growing nervous as well, given the silence. He looked between his parents. “Mom? Dad? Say something, please.”
Anna suddenly got up, heading towards the stairs. There’s a good start, Timothy thought to himself.
Once she was gone, Richard looked between the two of them. “This... Jon, I’ll admit, this is something of a surprise.” He was calm, keeping his cool. Timothy almost wished he’d blow up and get the bad part of this whole thing over with.
Jonathon nodded. “It... was a surprise to me too. But, I feel better, more like... myself with Timothy than I have with anyone else.” He smiled at Timothy. “I love him.”
Richard took that in, taking a moment. “All right.” Then he looked to Timothy, in a full protective father mode. “And you, Timothy? How do you feel?”
Timothy swallowed and attempted to come up with something to say in response to that. “I... I fell for Jonathon the moment I came to Morgan Hill, and... during the play... something clicked for us.” He looked Richard right in the eye. “I love Jonathon, Mr. Cordin.” He considered breaking into a Shakespearian-soliloquy about how he loved Jonathon more than life itself, but that was probably a little over the top right now. Short and sweet seemed the best policy here. It still earned him a brilliant smile from Jonathon, who kissed his cheek.
Richard took them in and considered. Finally, though, he nodded. “I can see that you love each other. I’m not going to lie, I’m taken back a little, but... Jon, your happiness is important to me. I’ve spent so much time at work trying to make sure that you had the money you need for college, to start your life...” He chuckled. “Start a family, though I suppose that might be a different story now.”
Jonathon and Timothy shared a look - that was a few steps beyond where their conversations about the future had ever led. Wordlessly, they both decided that that particular conversation was going to be tabled for a handful of years.
Richard didn’t seem to pick up on their silent conversation. “If being with Timothy is what makes you happy, then I want you to be with him.”
Jonathon smiled at his father. “Thanks, Dad.” He looked to Timothy. “I told you it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought.”
Timothy nodded. “Yeah, you did.”
That was when Anna reappeared, tossing a bag down on the floor in front of the table. “I want you out of my house in twenty minutes. What you don’t take with you tonight will be on the lawn in the morning.”
There was once more a stunned silence in the room. Jonathon went pale. Richard stared at his wife in shock. Timothy, after a moment where her words sunk in, glared at her in anger.
“Mom...”
“Don’t. Don’t you call me that. No son of mine could...” Her words choked off, but she delivered a glare at the both of them. “I want you out of my house.”
“It’s not your house, Anna.” Richard’s voice was low. “It’s in both of our names. And we are not throwing out OUR son out.”
Anna looked to him in surprise. “Richard-”
“Anna, he’s our son, regardless. The fact that he and Timothy are... dating doesn’t change who he is, and until he told us about the two of them, you had absolutely no problem with him. So you can either accept him or you can walk out that door. But you are not throwing out our son.” Although he was cool and calm as he spoke, there was an undercurrent of anger, just bubbling under the surface.
Anna looked between the two of them, then stalked to the counter, grabbing her purse. “I’ll be back for my things tomorrow.”With that, she stormed out of the house.
There was another round of uncomfortable silence in the Cordin house. Timothy rose. “I... I should go. And...”
“Timothy...” Timothy looked back to his boyfriend, who looked... lost. “I... Please, could you...” The question hung in the air. Timothy couldn’t bear leaving him here like that, so he nodded. Jonathon looked to his father, who nodded.
“I... should go take care of a few things, Jon. Timothy... you’re welcome to stay the night.” Richard stood and walked to his office.
Jonathon looked to Timothy and the two headed to Jonathon’s bedroom. Once they were in there, Timothy pulled Jonathon into his arms, holding him close. Jonathon returned the embrace. Though there weren’t any tears, Timothy knew how bad this hurt. Even though he’d written off his father because of his reaction to Timothy coming out, there was a part of him that missed his father, that wanted to find him and invite him back into his life. So he just held his boyfriend close, promising that he’d still be there for him.
If there was one thing Jonathon would be able to rely on for the rest of his life, Timothy swore, it’d be him.
Pairing: Timothy/Jonathon
Rating: PG
Warning: No warnings
Summary: How do Jonathon's parents take Jonathon coming out?
Disclaimer: Not my characters or world, just borrowing them for a little while.
Someone on the prompt post asked about this, so I answered.
“How do I look?”
“Handsome, in a completely scattered kind of way.”
“I should change.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Which shirt do you think would be better?”
“The one you’re wearing is fine. Though if you want to go without, I wouldn’t complain.”
“Jonathon...”
“Timothy, relax.” Jonathon put his hands on Timothy’s shoulders and gently massaged them, smiling at his extremely nervous boyfriend of two weeks - though with the help of the pansy, it felt like it had been at least two years - as he looked through his closet for something he deemed ‘presentable.’ Tonight was the big night. It was time for Timothy to meet his parents.
And Timothy was scared out of his wits.
Jonathon could understand his boyfriend’s concern. Jonathon’s parents had been out of town, on their second honeymoon, when the power of the pansy had struck Kingston. As a result, they hadn’t gotten the mind-opening dose of Shakespearian magic that the rest of the town had received. To Timothy, that implied that they weren’t going to be very receptive to their son having a boyfriend. Of course, Jonathon was hoping for the best.
“How can I relax? What if they don’t like me? Us?”
Jonathon gave Timothy a quick peck. That seemed to calm him somewhat, but the tension was still visible. “Timothy, they’re not your Dad.” Jonathon really couldn’t blame Timothy for his pessimism given that experience. Timothy barely acknowledged the existence of his father, and vice versa, and had ever since Timothy had stormed out of his father’s house after he’d announced that he was gay and his father called him a heathen and an abomination. Jonathon wasn’t going to try and get Timothy to try to make nice with his father, but he had better expectations of his parents.
“I know. I just... I want them to like me.”
“They will.”
“If they don’t? What if... If they want you to stop-”
“I won’t.” Jonathon wouldn’t - couldn’t - stop seeing Timothy, no matter what his parents said or how they reacted. If he had to, he’d follow Timothy’s example and walk out. He could probably stay with Timothy, or, if Donna couldn’t afford two teenage boys living under her roof, maybe Cooper or Cole’s families would let him stay there until college. They’d been hit with the power of the pansy, they were accepting of their sons being in love.
Timothy smiled at his boyfriend. “I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family.”
“Timothy... Whatever problems or issues... They’d come up anyway. I’m gay. With or without you, I’m gay. I’d have to come out to them eventually. I want to do it with you.”
Timothy smiled at his boyfriend, feeling more confident. “Okay. So... you really think that I look okay?” Jonathon rolled his eyes and grabbed the pillow off of Timothy’s bed and smacked him with it.
***
An hour later, Jonathon and Timothy walked up the steps to Jonathon’s house. Upon seeing the larger-than-his-house-yet-still-modest Cordin abode, Timothy seemed to get cold feet again. Jonathon grinned and leaned close to Timothy’s ear. “You can turn the town gay but you can’t face my parents?” he asked good-naturedly.
“It’s different,” Timothy said. Jonathon kissed him quickly.
“It’s not like I’m gonna introduce you as my gay boyfriend,” Jonathon said. “I have a little more sense than that.” They’d agreed to wait until after eating to announce that he was dating Timothy. Until then, he was going to be just another one of Jonathon’s friends, coming over to play a few video games and have dinner. “Timothy, just relax.”
“Relax. Right.” Timothy sounded anything but relaxed.
Jonathon smiled. “Come on,” he said, opening the front door, pulling Timothy inside. “My parents won’t be home for a while, let’s go play some video games. I’ll give you a free kill on Halo.” That seemed to push Timothy to at least come up to his room.
Jonathon hadn’t expected it, but Timothy managed to kick his ass soundly and repeatedly. He stared in surprise, nothing having expected the ruthlessly efficient way that Timothy had blown him apart often enough that Jonathon lost count, setting a new high score.
Timothy just shrugged. “Frankie loves Halo. You can’t stay at her house for more than a few hours before she ropes you into a game.”
Jonathon feigned anger at Timothy letting him have the impression of him not having played before, but it was hard to stay mad at him, especially for his own assumption. He leaned in for a kiss right as the front door opened and his mother’s voice echoed through the house. “Johnny! I’m home!” Jonathon placed a hand on Timothy’s and motioned for the door, giving him a supportive smile.
“You ready?”
“Not really.”
“Too bad,” Jonathon said, unable to keep a completely straight face. But he saw how Timothy was still unsure about this and took his hand. “It’s not going to be that bad. I promise. Remember, no matter what, I’m going to be with you. Nothing can change that. Not even my parents. I’ll move out if I have to.” He meant it. What mattered to him was Timothy.
This time, the words seemed to break through Timothy’s fears and concerns, and he visibly relaxed for the first time that evening. He was still clearly concerned about what would happen when they came out to Jonathon’s parents, but he seemed soothed that it wouldn’t be the end of them. Jonathon marveled at the fact that Timothy had been so confident with forcibly opening the minds of town yet he was so concerned about this. He loved both sides of Timothy, but was surprised at the difference of the two pieces. Of course it was easier to be confident when you knew that what you were doing was going to change peoples’ minds and you didn’t have to deal with the aftermath.
Moments later, Anna Cordin appeared in the doorway. “Oh, Johnny. Who’s your friend?”
“Mom, this is Timothy.”
Timothy hopped up and shook Anna’s hand. “Nice to meet you Mrs. Cordin.”
“Oh, please, call me Anna. Mrs. Cordin is my mother,” she said with a smile. She was a slim woman of average height with curly brown hair.
Jonathon joined them, flashing a supportive smile to Timothy. “Mom, is it alright if Timothy stays over for dinner?” He turned on his best attempt at a puppy dog pout, even though it had stopped working on his parents years ago.
Anna, seeing the pout, rolled her eyes. “If it’s okay with Timothy’s parents, I don’t see the harm.”
“It’s just my Mom, Mrs. - uh, Anna. And she’s got a dinner with her boss tonight. She won’t be home until late anyway.”
“Well, in that case, it’d be wrong to just send you home hungry. You’re welcome to stay, Timothy.” She smiled at him and then looked back to Jonathon. “Give me a few minutes to put something together, then we’ll wait for your father.”
Jonathon nodded at her. “Thanks, Mom.” Anna smiled again and headed back downstairs. Jonathon looked to his boyfriend. “See? I told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”
Timothy nodded, though inside, he wasn’t convinced - he’d passed as Jonathon’s friend. Would Anna Cordin feel the same about him when she found out that he was Jonathon’s boyfriend?
***
Anna had put together a small meal by her standards, but for Timothy, who had grown so used to most nights having a dinner of nothing more than take out, it seemed like a feast. She looked to the boys. “Johnny, your father left a message, said he’d be a little late, but that we should start without him.” She took her seat and the boys sat down next to each other.
There were a few half-hearted attempts at small talk, but nothing substantial exchanged - Anna spoke about her job as an office assistant (‘secretary,’ Jonathon translated for Timothy, earning a mockingly stern glare), and bugged Timothy about the usual parental questions when their child brings home a friend for the first time.
“Do you know what school you’re going to go to or what you’re going to major in, Timothy?” she asked as she scooped some mashed potatoes onto her plate.
Timothy shook his head slightly. “Not really. I’ve sent out a lot of letters, but haven’t heard back from any of them.”
“You’d make a great actor,” Jonathon suggested, his eyes twinkling. Timothy smiled back.
Anna didn’t catch the undercurrent and just looked to her son. “What makes you say that?”
“He brought down the house during the school play a couple weeks ago.”
Jonathon’s mother shot him a minor glare. “This would be the school play you neglected to tell us about, correct?” she asked, clearly still irritated that Jonathon had done his best to keep from telling his parents about the play. He shifted uncomfortably under his mother’s glare.
Fortunately, that was when Richard Cordin walked in. “I’m home!” he called as he entered the house, setting down his briefcase and entering the kitchen/dining room. He smiled at the three people at the dinner table, his eyes landing on Timothy. “You must be Timothy. Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand. Timothy shook it and the elder Cordin took his seat.
The conversation drifted over to him engaging in some well-earned bragging about his recent promotion and the fact that after this week, he would be able to stick around at home for longer than ten minutes at a time. The whole time, though, Timothy felt like he and Jonathon were tiptoeing around the pink elephant in the room.
And then the inevitable happened - the conversation turned to relationships. “Johnny, when are we going to meet that Becky girl you’ve been dating? It’s been two months now, I think that’s about the time you bring her home.”
Richard nodded. “Yeah, we should see if she’ll fit into the madhouse.”
Timothy had bristled at the mention of Jonathon’s ex, particularly given that she had remained a minor thorn in their side, seemingly determined that she could, with enough effort, sway Jonathon back to her. Jonathon, unnoticed by his parents, placed a hand on Timothy’s leg. Whenever he and Jonathon touched, Timothy found it hard to remain tense or angry, and this time was no exception. That was, he supposed, one of the reasons why they were meant to be, why Jonathon had remained himself when under the pansy’s spell and not as deeply affected as some of their friends had been.
Jonathon looked to both of his parents. “Uh, actually, Becky and I broke up.”
That seemed to bring the both of the Cordins down. “Oh, well, that’s a shame,” Anna said.
Richard nodded, but shot his son an encouraging smile. “You’ll find someone else soon, champ. Handsome stud like you, no question. When they hear you’re back on the market, I’m sure they’ll be beating down the door.”
Before Jonathon could comment that he was already back off the market, Anna looked to Timothy. “What about you, Timothy? Have you got a girlfriend?”
“No. No girlfriend,” he said cautiously, waiting for either of them to recognize his emphasis on ‘girl.’
Neither seemed to pick up the significance. “I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually. There’s someone out there for everyone,” Anna said, giving the both of them what she clearly intended to be an encouraging smile. It wasn’t really, but the boys both summoned up smiles of their own in response.
Richard smiled at his wife. “I don’t think they believe you, honey.” Oh, of course, Timothy thought, THAT he picks up on.
Timothy looked to Jonathon, asking him THE question with his eyes. Jonathon nodded and looked to his parents. “Uh... actually. I’m already dating someone else.” Still out of his parents’ line of sight, he laced his fingers with Timothy’s and placed their entwined hands on the table.
There was a silence in the room, a very heavy one. Timothy pictured a thousand different ways that Jonathon’s parents were going to react, all of them bad.
Jonathon himself was growing nervous as well, given the silence. He looked between his parents. “Mom? Dad? Say something, please.”
Anna suddenly got up, heading towards the stairs. There’s a good start, Timothy thought to himself.
Once she was gone, Richard looked between the two of them. “This... Jon, I’ll admit, this is something of a surprise.” He was calm, keeping his cool. Timothy almost wished he’d blow up and get the bad part of this whole thing over with.
Jonathon nodded. “It... was a surprise to me too. But, I feel better, more like... myself with Timothy than I have with anyone else.” He smiled at Timothy. “I love him.”
Richard took that in, taking a moment. “All right.” Then he looked to Timothy, in a full protective father mode. “And you, Timothy? How do you feel?”
Timothy swallowed and attempted to come up with something to say in response to that. “I... I fell for Jonathon the moment I came to Morgan Hill, and... during the play... something clicked for us.” He looked Richard right in the eye. “I love Jonathon, Mr. Cordin.” He considered breaking into a Shakespearian-soliloquy about how he loved Jonathon more than life itself, but that was probably a little over the top right now. Short and sweet seemed the best policy here. It still earned him a brilliant smile from Jonathon, who kissed his cheek.
Richard took them in and considered. Finally, though, he nodded. “I can see that you love each other. I’m not going to lie, I’m taken back a little, but... Jon, your happiness is important to me. I’ve spent so much time at work trying to make sure that you had the money you need for college, to start your life...” He chuckled. “Start a family, though I suppose that might be a different story now.”
Jonathon and Timothy shared a look - that was a few steps beyond where their conversations about the future had ever led. Wordlessly, they both decided that that particular conversation was going to be tabled for a handful of years.
Richard didn’t seem to pick up on their silent conversation. “If being with Timothy is what makes you happy, then I want you to be with him.”
Jonathon smiled at his father. “Thanks, Dad.” He looked to Timothy. “I told you it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought.”
Timothy nodded. “Yeah, you did.”
That was when Anna reappeared, tossing a bag down on the floor in front of the table. “I want you out of my house in twenty minutes. What you don’t take with you tonight will be on the lawn in the morning.”
There was once more a stunned silence in the room. Jonathon went pale. Richard stared at his wife in shock. Timothy, after a moment where her words sunk in, glared at her in anger.
“Mom...”
“Don’t. Don’t you call me that. No son of mine could...” Her words choked off, but she delivered a glare at the both of them. “I want you out of my house.”
“It’s not your house, Anna.” Richard’s voice was low. “It’s in both of our names. And we are not throwing out OUR son out.”
Anna looked to him in surprise. “Richard-”
“Anna, he’s our son, regardless. The fact that he and Timothy are... dating doesn’t change who he is, and until he told us about the two of them, you had absolutely no problem with him. So you can either accept him or you can walk out that door. But you are not throwing out our son.” Although he was cool and calm as he spoke, there was an undercurrent of anger, just bubbling under the surface.
Anna looked between the two of them, then stalked to the counter, grabbing her purse. “I’ll be back for my things tomorrow.”With that, she stormed out of the house.
There was another round of uncomfortable silence in the Cordin house. Timothy rose. “I... I should go. And...”
“Timothy...” Timothy looked back to his boyfriend, who looked... lost. “I... Please, could you...” The question hung in the air. Timothy couldn’t bear leaving him here like that, so he nodded. Jonathon looked to his father, who nodded.
“I... should go take care of a few things, Jon. Timothy... you’re welcome to stay the night.” Richard stood and walked to his office.
Jonathon looked to Timothy and the two headed to Jonathon’s bedroom. Once they were in there, Timothy pulled Jonathon into his arms, holding him close. Jonathon returned the embrace. Though there weren’t any tears, Timothy knew how bad this hurt. Even though he’d written off his father because of his reaction to Timothy coming out, there was a part of him that missed his father, that wanted to find him and invite him back into his life. So he just held his boyfriend close, promising that he’d still be there for him.
If there was one thing Jonathon would be able to rely on for the rest of his life, Timothy swore, it’d be him.