Title: The Gay Gods
Author: Fuckyeahcheerioskirts ()/Sex-berry (tumblr)
Rating: K+/PG
Characters: Hiram Berry, Leroy Berry, Rachel Berry, Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, Santana Lopez
Pairings: Brittana, Faberry, Leroy/Hiram. Kurt/OC
Summary: Leroy and Hiram prided themselves for raising a good child, but along the way they help a few others.
A/N: The idea popped into my head after seeing the promo and took flight. I apologize if my characterization of the Berry men is off, but then again, we haven't really gotten to know them yet. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
xxx
The first kid they have this talk with it a friend of Rachel's. Kurt Hummel had become a staple at the Berry household the summer of junior year. They knew Kurt was out and proud but Hiram Berry could still see a small amount of struggle in the boy and Leroy agreed. It was a Wednesday and Rachel was running a bit late from her dance class. Kurt was in the Berry's kitchen nursing an ice tea while Leroy prepared some sandwiches and Hiram read a book on his kindle. Kurt released a sigh and Hiram glanced over at the boy and put his kindle down.
"Kurt, Honey. Is there anything you need help with?" he asked in a kind voice. He wanted to help the boy, not scare him off.
"We are all ears," Leroy added kindly as he placed food in front of the two men and sat down beside is husband.
Kurt said nothing at first and chose to take a bit of the sandwich and chewed carefully before swallowing. He took a small sip of his ice tea and wiped his mouth with a napkin embroidered with small flowers before nodding his head.
"I suppose I could use someone to talk to." Kurt said slowly as if trying to find the words. He stared over the Berry's head to a framed family portrait taken on one of the Berry's vacations to New York. The two men had their arms around their daughter in what Kurt assumed was central park. They all looked so happy and to Kurt it was a fairy tale that he wanted for himself.
"Did you ever feel as if you were never going to have it all?" He started and let his eyes slide down to meet Hiram's and then Leroy's.
"And I'm not talking about Broadway or college. That's not what I'm scared of." Kurt explained before trailing off and looking at his napkin.
He looked up again and saw nothing but kind eyes and his confidence grew.
"Was there ever a time when you thought you wouldn't get the guy, the family, the happy ever after?" Kurt asked and swallowed hard before looking at them with earnest eyes.
Hiram glanced over to Leroy and put his hand on his husband's. Leroy had more experience with this. Hiram and Rachel were the dreamers while Leroy was their rock. Leroy nodded his hand in understanding and cleared his throat.
"You feel like your hopeless. Like your something perfect will ever come your way. You see a future but it is hazy." Leroy said in a soft voice and smiled softly at Kurt's nodding.
"Kurt, you are a beautiful boy, you are your father's pride and joy and you have a gaggle of girls who all love you dearly," Leroy told him and laughed a bit.
"This is Lima, and it is hard to imagine a life where you can be carefree, but when you and Rachy are in New York, you are going to have your choice of men. You're a catch Kurt." Leroy told him.
Kurt nodded his head. He should know all this and perhaps he knew it in his head but hearing it from someone who understood his plight made it easier to believe.
"Thank you, it's silly but I just needed to hear it," Kurt told him and smiled fondly at the two older men.
"You're welcome, son." Hiram told him warmly.
The front door of the Berry home had opened and the three men could hear Rachel's greetings come from the foyer. The conversation was a short one, but to Kurt it made a world of difference.
Xxx
"Dads?" Rachel called softly as she entered the living room where her dads were curled up and watching the end of a Big Bang Theory episode.
"Yeah sweetie?" Hiram asked as he sat up from snuggling onto Leroy and stretched his arms over his head and patted the seat next to him. But Rachel pulled their ottoman in close and sat directly across from her dad's with a serious expression, one that they hadn't seen since last week when Rachel gave them a power point presentation of the benefits of switching all the light bulbs in their house to power saving ones. Let's just say the Berry house was now more energy efficient.
"What's up, buttercup?" Leroy joked as he sat up straighter, getting ready for whatever Rachel had to tell them.
"I have a serious issue to discuss with you, now considering our family situation I don't see what I am going to tell you as being a problem, but it could be news." Rachel explained in a hurried breath.
"You need to breath, baby girl." Leroy cooed at her and reached across to squeeze Rachel's hand softly.
"You can tell us anything, songbird." Hiram added and gave his daughter a warm grin before latching his hands onto Leroy's arm. Rachel gave them both a grateful smile and took a deep breath.
"It had come to my attention that perhaps I am what you would consider sexually fluid." Rachel began and looked at her dads. Their eyes held nothing but acceptance.
"Actually I am pretty sure of it," Rachel told them, for once losing her normally verbose manner.
"Is that it?" Hiram teased and leaned forward.
"What he means," Leroy began and rolled his eyes toward his husband before speaking again. "Is thank you for telling us, Rachy." He finished and gave his husband a faux glare.
"Yes, thank you, baby." Hiram agreed before leaning back on the couch.
"I always knew," Hiram whispered to Leroy and gave his daughter another smile as she rolled her eyes.
"You say that about everything daddy," Rachel told him before getting up and placing herself in between her two dads on the couch. Leroy leaned over and kissed the top of Rachel's head while Hiram held her hand for a moment.
"So, any girl's you are interested in?" Hiram asked which led Leroy to give out a hearty chuckle.
"Daddy," Rachel sighed but couldn't contain her smile and began to tell her dads about her possible crush on a certain blonde cheerleader at school.
Xxx
Hiram Berry angrily shut his television off as the "Sauces" political campaign commercial played yet again. He was so angry and so hurt for that teenaged girl, the girl that he saw sing at sectionals along side his own baby girl just a few months ago, the girl who looked hard and toughed but had blushed and beamed at the Berry's when they pulled her aside and commended her on an excellent job and assured her that they would wait in line to see her when she inevitably went on tour.
It had been a week since the commercial first aired. One week of Hiram and Leroy spewing about it whenever it showed. How could someone do that? To a young girl especially. It baffled and angered them.
Hiram walked out onto the porch after grabbing his coat and sat next to his husband who had his kindle out yet again and from what Hiram could see, Leroy was reading a biography of Audrey Hepburn.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Leroy asked as he put his reader down and wrapped an arm around his husband. It was a warmer day in Ohio, especially considering that it was winter, but the temperature was at a comfortable 45 degrees or so.
"That stupid commercial," Hiram told him and Leroy rubbed his husband's arm and gave him a sympathetic look.
"I know sweetie, but hopefully she is doing alright," Leroy soothed and looked up when he heard a door slam violently and saw just the person they were talking about.
Hiram stood up and walked down the steps, meeting Santana on the brick pathway.
"Santana," Hiram greeted and gave the girl a warm smile and relaxed a bit when he felt his husband put a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. and uh…Mr. Berry," Santana greeted awkwardly and stopped a few feet away from them before shifting awkwardly.
"Would you like to come in?" Leroy offered and Hiram nodded his head in agreement. Santana took a second before nodding and followed the two men along the path, up the stair, across the porch and into the foyer.
"We can talk in the living room," Hiram offered as he took his coat off and helped his husband out of his and hung them on the coat rack before taking Santana's cheerios jacket. Leroy put his hand on Santana's back and guided her into the living room and gestured toward the plush chair that sat across from the love seat. Santana sat and Leroy and Hiram sat across from her in silence, waiting for her to speak.
"I'm assuming you saw the commercial," Santana mumbled out and saw the two men nod their heads. "Of course you did, the whole god damn town saw it," She breathed out in a louder voice before stopping. "Sorry," she apologized for her cursing and let her hands release from the fist they were in.
"Uh, I told my parents," Santana began a bit nervously. "About the whole being a lesbian thing." She further explained, her eyes focused on yet another Berry family portrait, this one of them all pretending to sing in front of a white backdrop holding silly props.
"That's really good," Hiram approached carefully and gave her a smile while Leroy nodded his head in agreement.
"I guess," Santana said, her voice gaining some confidence.
"They actually reacted better than I though, I'm not kicked out or anything," She told them and they both smiled at her.
"But they just, they are okay with it but they don't understand it," Santana told them and both nodded sympathetically. "I just, I didn't know where else I should go…" she trailed off.
"You're always welcome here, sweetie." Leroy told her and Hiram said something in agreement.
"It may be tough for them. They always thought you were one way, the supposed default setting, and this is new to them." Leroy told her and Santana nodded her head in understanding.
"Yeah, I get that. But how do I get them to understand? To fully accept me?" Santana asked, finally letting them know the root to the whole problem.
"Talking to them is key," Hiram told her. "Tell them how you feel, what you have gone through, how girls make you feel." He suggested and Santana shook her head.
"But maybe start small." Leroy interjected and when Santana gave him a questioning look he continued.
"I have some pamphlets," he began before standing up and heading towards the small desk in the corner of the room. He ruffled through the top draw before finding what he needed. He walked over to Santana and sat on the armrest of the big plush chair.
"They are for parents with gay teenagers, it isn't all that fantastic but it has some websites and even a hotline so they can educate themselves a bit more," Leroy explained. Santana took them and looked over the covers. They were lame and cheesy, but they were a start. Hiram stood up from the couch and walked over to Leroy and Santana.
"And they could always talk to us if they need to," He offered and Santana nodded as she flipped through one of the pamphlets. "I would also recommend the Hummels." He told her and received another nod.
"I know it's hard Sweetie, but you have a lot of support. You have us, and Glee club and well you have your little friend Brittany," he told her and grinned at the small smile that overcame Santana's face at the name of her blonde companion.
"Thanks Berrys," she offered and Hiram gave her a pat on the arm. "How about you stay for dinner? Rachel should be home from tutoring in a few minutes." He told he and Santana gave him a smile and a nod before standing up. She took a deep breath and tucked the pamphlets in her cheerios hoodie.
"Need any help?" she asked and Hiram's face lit up as he ushered her into the kitchen.
Xxx
Hiram and Leroy were snuggled on the couch yet again watching Saturday Night Live when they heard their doorbell frantically ring. Leroy got up and told Hiram to stay there while he answered it. He wondered who it could possibly be. It was 12:30 am on a Saturday night, or well a Sunday morning and it was raining steadily.
Leroy flicked on the porch light and slowly opened the door. His eyes adjusted to the light and he was shocked to see a shivering and wet Quinn Fabray at his door. His shock turned into concern and her ushered Quinn in.
"Quinn? Sweetie what's wrong?" He asked in a concerned voice as he heard the footsteps of his husband come into the foyer.
"I'll get a towel and some of Rachel's clothes," Hiram mumbled out quickly and headed up the stairs just as Leroy brought Quinn into a fierce hug, not caring if she got his t-shirt wet.
"Quinn, sweetie, what's wrong?" he attempted to ask again but all her got was a sob and he felt Quinn's body begin to shake from her sobs.
"Shh, it'll all be okay," he soothed and rocked the girl in hopes to calm her down. He heard Hiram come back down the stairs and nodded gratefully at his husband who handed him a towel and he wrapped it around Quinn's body before pulling her into him once again. He stood with Quinn in his arms for what seemed like an hour but in actuality was only fifteen minutes before her sobs began to cease.
"We need to get you out of these wet clothes," he told her and felt her nod against his chest. He led her to the downstairs bathroom and gave her a fresh towel and the dry clothed which she mumbled a small thanks to and retreated into the bathroom to freshen up. "We'll be in the kitchen when you are done," he called softly to her and went into the kitchen to find Hiram making hot chocolate.
"What do you think happened?" Hiram asked when Leroy entered the room but Leroy just shoo his head.
"I really have no idea." Leroy told him and sat down before running his hand though his hair.
Hiram finished making the drinks and set one on the table in front of Leroy, left one for Quinn and took one for himself. The two Berry men sat there in silence, nursing their hot chocolate when they heard a voice clear her throat.
"Quinn," Hiram greeted and gestured to the seat in between him and Leroy. Quinn nodded thankfully and took the cup of hot chocolate and took a grateful sip. Quinn looked a bit odd in Rachel's clothes, the shorts were a bit too short and the t-shirt too tight, but somehow she looked at home in the Black shirt that read "Diva" in gold script and the matching shorts. Her face was red from her tears but was newly washed, but what got Leroy and Hiram was her sad eyes.
Quinn drank her hot chocolate in silence and put it down heavily when she finished. She felt Leroy and Hiram's eyes on her but didn't dare look up.
"Where is Rachel?" she asked in a low voice, it was rough from crying and held a hint of need.
"She is sleeping over Kurt's house tonight," Leroy told her and Quinn nodded and fiddled with her place mat.
"Quinn, what happened?" Hiram asked after a few moments, he kept his voice light but he immediately saw Quinn tense up and sighed.
He got up and grabbed the empty cups and placed them in the sink, he would wash them in the morning.
"You can sleep in Rachel's room tonight," Leroy told the girl and got up and placed his hand softly on Quinn's back. She nodded her head and got up as well. Leroy walked her upstairs and led her to Rachel's room. Her turned down the bed as Quinn let her eyes run over the room he heard Hiram walk up the step and soon saw him enter the room with a glass of water and some ibuprofen.
"I figured you might want this," he offered to Quinn and she nodded and grabbed the pills and took them with a swig of water.
"Thank you," Quinn told them in a soft voice and both men nodded, they were confused and wanted to know what happened to Quinn but they knew not to push. They both gave Quinn warm smiles as she lay down in Rachel's bed and snuggled into the girl's pillow, breathing in deep.
Leroy and Hiram walked the few feet to their bedroom and went through their nightly routines and went to bed, kissing each other goodnight before dreams over took them.
They thought of Kurt and the man he would eventually get, they thought of Santana and the life she would make of Brittany, they though of the sad girl in their daughter's bedroom, the one that maybe loved their daughter back. Leroy and Hiram Berry prided themselves on being good parents, ones that their daughter could rely on but they never knew so many other people did too.
Xxx
Kurt Hummel smiled as he opened the envelope from Lima, Ohio. He found a beautiful card inside. It was a back and white photo of him and Rachel from their glee club days, one that reminded him of the good times he had in high school despite the bad. He opened the card and read the message inside.
'Dear Mr. Kurt Hummel,
Congrats! A little birdy names Rachel told us that a certain someone who will not be named is opening a new boutique in soho! You go boy! We wish you all the best and expect an email update from you soon.
We are very proud of you, Kurt. You have done so well and you are an inspiration.
Love,
Leroy and Hiram'
Kurt smiled warmly at the card and closed it before smiling warmly at the front again.
"Babe, who's that from," A male voice asked as the man sat beside Kurt and wrapped his arm around him. "Two of the greatest men I have even known," Kurt answered before snuggling deep into his boyfriend's arms.
He had it all.
Xxx
Santana Lopez watched as her girlfriend finished up her last dance routine, her body rocking, swaying and gyrating to the beat of the music as she watched her own movements in the mirror of the dance studio. The music stop and all Santana heard was Brittany's hard breathing. She brought her hands together and began to clap, causing Brittany to turn around and drop her jaw open in shock.
"San!" Brittany squealed and ran to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her.
"You weren't supposed to be back from LA until Thursday." Brittany breathed out into Santana's neck, soaking up the girl's warmth.
"I postponed the last show," Santana told her, her eyes closed as she held Brittany close to her. "Somebody is making their debut in Chicago," Santana told her and she felt Brittany hug her even tighter.
"I'm just a dancer, San," The girl told her in a bashful voice.
"You're the best dancer," Santana told her and pulled back from their hug. "What kind of girlfriend would I be if I missed that?" she asked and Brittany launched herself at Santana again.
"You're the best, San," she said in a soft voice before pulling back and leaning in to kiss Santana.
"I love you," Santana countered against Brittany's lips before capturing them fully with her own.
Yeah, after Chicago would be the perfect time to propose Santana thought. It looks like Hiram had been right after all. Leroy would be pissed. He had been banking on Santana proposing on Brittany's Birthday.
Xxx
Quinn wasn't exactly pleased to be back in Lima. She couldn't help but drive past the Fabray house, the house she had been thrown out of twice. The first time was for being pregnant and the second time was for being gay.
But she was going to a happier place, she was going to the Berry's the only place she had ever really felt at home before the apartment she lived in now.
She remembers the day her dad saw the PFLAG pamphlet, she remembers the yelling, the glass vase on the side table being broken, her mom's screams, the harsh voice telling her to get out.
She remembers the rain as she ran, she shut her mind down as she ran and somehow she ended up at the Berry's.
Leroy and Hiram let her in with minimal questions asked, held her, dried her off, gave her clothes, hot chocolate and a bed.
She remembers the morning after, Rachel coming home to Quinn in her bed, the soft voice asking her what was wrong. She remembers breaking down in Rachel's arms, telling her everything. She told Rachel about her parents. How they drank and how her dad hit her. She told Rachel about being gay and how she was hopelessly in love with the girl that was holding her in her arms.
The Berry's were her family, they were the people she could rely on, the people who loved her unconditionally.
Quinn parked her car in front of the familiar house and smiled to see the familiar cars in the driveway. She quickly got out and made her way into the house only to be bombarded by a slightly smaller body right away.
"Baby," she heard Rachel whisper as they held each other and Quinn smiled at the term of endearment. They had only been apart for a day, but it felt like forever.
"Everyone is in the back," Rachel told her when they pulled apart and Quinn nodded before leaning in and pressing her lips to Rachel's.
"Time to tell them about the baby," Quinn whispered against Rachel's lips before sweeping her wife of three years up into another kiss.
Leroy and Hiram Berry looked on from the hallway and sighed in content. Everything was how it should be.