Takes place in the WAY future of the Never Unwanted series, so spoilers for upcoming fics.
Age of the kids: Gideon (22), Dante (around 8)
-,-,-,-,-
Gideon Gold gripped the counter as he watched the sink fill up with dishwater.
Tonight was the night.
He was going to finally tell his parents about Neal.
More specifically, he was going to tell them about him and Neal…being together…dating…well not yet but soon if tonight went well.
God, he was going to die.
He could hear his parents and little sister preparing for Family Night—a tradition Belle had started a few months ago when the family had gotten so busy with their own schedules that dinner had become a fend-for-yourself affair.
"Enough!" Belle had proclaimed that night when her husband came in at eight o'clock, followed by Gideon, who was returning from play practice. Dante had been lounging on the couch with her music blasting, but she had heard her mother's roar over the electric guitar solo.
"Thursdays," his mother stated, "will be family night, and everyone's presence is required. No exceptions."
Though the youngest members of the Gold family had groaned at the idea of family night, they pushed through it as it was usually a simple affair, like a movie, or an hour of reading in the same room, or board games, like tonight.
What his family didn't know was that they were getting a lot more than an hour of Monopoly and small talk.
He blinked when he felt water gracing his fingertips and cursed when he saw that he had over-filled the sink. He had cleared the table to buy himself some time but flooding the kitchen would only raise his family's suspicions.
"Just leave the dishes to soak, honey!" Belle called from the living room. "Hurry and come pick your game piece."
Gideon squeezed the rag he mopped the counter up with and slowly made his way to the living room, peaking at his family from behind the wall.
His father was gleefully getting the board ready for the game. He liked Monopoly, mainly because he always won.
His mother—bless her—was placing out the after-dinner snacks for game night and rolling her eyes indulgently at her husband's enthusiasm. Over 20 years of marriage had given her a good sense of humor.
His little sister was "secretly" texting away on her phone. All and all, she was a pretty decent little sister. She was odd, like her brother, like his entire family really, but she wasn't too clingy or hungry for his attention like most siblings.
He wished now that he had confided in her about what he was going to do tonight. She would probably judge him the least, and maybe could have helped him come up with a plan. His mind was too cluttered to come up with one of his own.
It wasn't really the reveal of his sexual orientation he was concerned about. His parents were rather progressive-minded and had never really seemed to worry about his romantic affairs (or lack thereof as Dante would joke), nor were there religious affiliations for them to use against him.
Rather, it was the reveal that he was perusing a relationship with Neal. He had practically grown up in their home and was unofficially a Gold, which might make things just a bit strange.
Despite his own fears, he wanted to move things forward with Neal. Things had become more concrete between them lately, and he wanted to be able to tell his parents that he was taking Neal on dates rather than just an outing with Robyn as a plus one.
If by some odd chance they didn't like it, he and Neal could talk about what to do next. They were only a few months shy of getting their degrees and thus closer to not having to rely on their parents' financial assistance.
With an uneasy breath he entered the living room, taking in the sight of his easy-going family before he shattered their very existence.
"Guys, I need to tell you something." He announced, earning the instant stare from his mother while his father and sister lagged behind by a few seconds.
"Yes dear?" Belle inquired, the corner of her lips moving into what Gideon and Dante referred to as a "mom smile", a smile that made it easier for the siblings to come with her about anything.
His dad was incapable of making him feel fear or worry. His eyes were too brown, too soft and full of love. Even when he had to be the disciplinarian, his lectures felt more like gentle chastising.
Remembering this, he took a deep breath and released his insecurity to his family.
"Mom, Dad…I'm gay."
The cards Rumplestiltskin had been shuffling flew out of his hand. Dante stopped texting and turned a wide-eyed stare to her brother. Belle's mouth fell open, her eyes full of questions.
Gideon searched their expressions more deeply. There was no disgust or hard-set judgment, just confusion.
Gideon's father was the first to recover. He cleared his throat and stumbled around his words as he fumbled with the playing cars.
"A-are you certain son?" he coughed. "Are you sure…this is who you are?"
The question was strange but solid, and Gideon gave a quick but stable nod of his own, sealing his fate once and for all.
The room was quiet for a whole three seconds before Gideon's father jumped from the couch, his face screwed in rage.
"Damn IT!" he exclaimed.
Gideon froze, his entire body going into a quiet defensive mode. He hadn't expected yelling. Confusion and questions he was ready for, but disgust from his father—his loving dad—hadn't even crossed his mind.
It was a jarring laugh from his little sister that caused the blood in his veins to start moving again. When he turned to her, he saw that she wasn't laughing at him as he had feared—but at their father who had fished his wallet out of his coat pocket and snatched out a fifty dollar bill.
"Take your blood money." He growled as he tossed the bill to his daughter.
Dante gave her bitter father a plastic angel smile and pocketed the bill. "Not my fault I know my big brother so well."
Gideon tried to wrap around what he was witnessing. He glanced at his mother, the usual voice of reason within the Gold home, but found that she was watching her husband and daughter with mixed amusement.
"I told you to lower the stakes," she chastised her husband. "You taught her how to count cards; you know what she's capable of."
"…will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on before I pass out?"
The Golds turned towards their son, finally noticing his exasperated and paling expression.
"Oh honey." Belle gasped.
"Have a seat son." Rumplestiltskin offered, leading his son to the couch.
"How…did you guys know?" Gideon breathed, his heart and mind finally settling.
"Dude, you're in theatre." Dante scoffed.
"And, you do have the habit of staring a bit too…" his mother paused to find the right word in her extensive vocabulary, "intently at some of the men around town."
"Always have." Rumplestiltskin added as if it were the most normal observation in the world.
Gideon flushed deeply, remembering the family trip to the beach where he had discovered his interest for his fellow sex during a lifeguard training session. Seeing the tanned, chiseled men running back and forth on the surf had stirred a heat in his chest that he didn't feel when he looked at women. He'd even snuck some inappropriate magazines to try to stir is interest in the fairer sex, but it didn't work. However, seeing naked bodies at such a young age had turned him off to nudity for a while (as well as traumatized his friends a bit).
Later during his freshmen year of high school, Neal had debuted as Storybrooke's new quarterback and Gideon's fate was sealed. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off him during practices and games, and it had led to a surprising realization:
He didn't see Neal as just his best friend anymore.
He didn't see him as the dimpled-boy who helped him turn Robyn's wheelchair into a go-cart when they were ten, or the young teenager he and Robyn used to make smores with in the old clocktower during the muggy summer nights.
He had…feelings of some sort for him, and after a slew of awkwardness, he found out Neal could—and did—return his feelings.
They hadn't been sure about the next step. It wasn't as if they had to introduce each other to their parents. They had been in and out of each other's household since they were old enough to crawl. Everyone—even their own parents—looked at them as family. If they suddenly came out as a couple, they weren't sure how their parents would react.
Neal's more than Gideon's.
Snow White "Nolan" could be a bit intense at times. She still had the air of royalty in her blood even if she hadn't sat on a throne in years. This often led to her being a bit high-maintained. Honestly, Gideon didn't like stepping foot into her home unless her much more laid-back husband was around.
Gideon had taken it upon himself to tell his family first and relay the results to Neal later.
He was glad he could give him good news.
"So the…betting?" Gideon inquired to his parents. "Who bet what and how much?"
His parents exchanged guilty smiles.
"I bet that you would come out after graduation." Rumplestiltskin admitted, fiddling with his wedding ring. "Very late on my part."
"I just bet you would come out, period." Dante shrugged, admiring her winnings.
Gideon chuckled, amused at his family's actions. He turned to his dad, smirking.
"Sorry you lost."
"But I didn't!" Dante cackled.
"It wasn't nice," Belle chastised her daughter, turning a stern look to her husband who suddenly found an interest with his nails. "We shouldn't have gambled on your feelings."
"Indeed," Rumplestiltskin agreed, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. "In all seriousness, are you alright?"
"Yeah," Gideon sighed, the tightness in his chest slowly unraveling. "It's fine, really. I'm…just glad this doesn't change anything."
"Why would it?" Rumplestiltskin inquired, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion. "Did you really…"
Gideon shrugged. The idea seemed plausible before, but now he couldn't understand why the thought had ever entered his head.
"Oh honey." Belle gasped, hugging her son close.
Gideon flinched at his mother's over-nurturing nature but didn't push her away.
"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have made this into a game."
"You can tell us anything, son." Rumplestiltskin promised, patting his shoulder. "Never feel ashamed about that."
"It's fine guys," Gideon promised as he wiggled from her grasp. "Really."
Belle nodded, her eyes still searching his face for hesitance.
"Now," Rumplestiltskin said, bringing order back into the room. "Is there…anyone who's caught your fancy?"
Gideon smiled shyly. "Kind of, but we're not sure if his parents know yet."
"That's fine." Belle said brightly. "We can invite them over for dinner, help everything along. Who is it, honey?"
Glancing around at his family, he found the courage to admit the final piece of his confession.
"Neal."
"Son of a BITCH!"
Gideon flinched when his father snatched his wallet out again, handing a crisp $50 to his giddy mother.
"Oh honey that's wonderful!" Belle beamed as she quickly pocketed the money before taking her son's hands. "Now you have to invite him for dinner."
"You…don't think it's weird? To date Neal?"
"Why would it be?" Belle inquired. "Best friends date each other all the time." She glanced at her husband and smiled.
Gideon smiled gently, feeling more relieved than he had in a week. All his insecurities were on the table, and he didn't have to be nervous anymore.
"Why don't you go call him?" his mother suggested. "Find out what would be a good time for them to come to dinner."
Gideon nodded, standing and kissing his mother's cheek before he bounded upstairs.
"So…" Dante whistled when they heard Gideon's door close. "Does that mean game night is canceled?"
"Postponed until a later date." Rumplestiltskin corrected. "Which gives you plenty of time to finish your homework."
Dante rolled her eyes but rose dutifully to do as her father suggested.
With their children occupied, Rumple and Belle cleared up the games before heading tt the kitchen to use the dishes as a cover for a hushed conversation.
"So…" Belle sang as she took off her wedding ring and added soap to the water.
"So…" Rumple copied as he rolled up his sleeves. "Our son's gay."
Belle giggled as she turned of the water, setting to work on one of the dinner plates.
"I think we gave him the wrong sex talk when he was twelve."
Rumple shrugged as he took the plate from her to dry. "It took a few bananas but I think we at least thought him how to use a condom, so I think we did fine."
Belle laughed so hard that the sink nearly ran over. Rumple stopped it and shared the laugh with her, handing her the drying cloth to wipe her eyes.
They finished the dishes quietly, both smiling until the last spoon was dried and put away.
"I'm glad he finally told us." Belle mused.
"My wallet's not." Rumple deadpanned.
"You know what we have to do next." Belle mused with a wiggle of her eyebrow.
"Follow Gideon and Neal each time they go on an outing now? I have a crystal ball lying around somewhere…"
Belle giggled, playfully tossing the drying rag at her husband, "We have to come up with a menu for the Charmings visit. I want everything to be perfect when we tell them."
Rumple grimaced at the idea of having the Charming's in his home for more than ten minutes. Neal he could handle in large gulps, but his overly optimistic, quietly judgmental parents he could barely stand for extensive amounts of time. He and David got on well enough and even had similar hobbies, but there was no such chemistry between him and Snow White. She despised him without having to say so, and though she and Belle got along fine and even ran the monthly book club, she had this superior air to her that got under Rumple's skin. He was thankful young Neal had been balanced out.
"I suppose ordering pizza is out of the question?" Rumple teased
Belle gave him a look and Rumple reached behind him to grab the magnetic notepad off the refrigerator.
"How does steak sound?"