A little longer than ten hours later, the flight was coming to an end. Both men were fully awake now after their long slumber, and were eager to get off the plane to stretch their legs. The pilot came over the intercom and announced that they'd be landing in Ireland soon, and it would be mid morning when they did finally land. Brock couldn't help but to look out the window and admire the ocean; he knew Dublin was going to be as beautiful as Brian told him it would be, and he couldn't wait to see it and spend time with his boyfriend. During him looking out the window, he felt Brian's hand on his knee, and he felt him give it a squeeze, pulling him out of his thoughts. Brock merely looked over, making eye contact with the younger man. "You okay?" Brian inquired, knowing that soon they'd be getting off this plan and taking a cab to his parent's house.
Brock nodded, placing his hand on top of Brian's, "I'm fine." He answered with a smile. "Just want to get off this plane."
Brian couldn't help but to grin back, "You know that's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant," Brock said. "And I'm fine." He emphasized. And as of right now, he was telling the truth, he was fine. The nap on the plane had made him feel better, and since Brian had been honest with him, he felt okay about facing his boyfriend's parents. He gave the younger man a small kiss, "You don't have to worry," He trailed off, still smiling.
Brian shrugged, "If you say so."
A few more minutes later, the plane was descending in the sky and preparing for landing. It was a hassle, getting off with their luggage and maneuvering their way through the crowd, but the two finally were able to exit, and they found themselves wandering through the Dublin airport. Brock found himself looking in every direction, there was just so much around. "This place is huge!" He exclaimed, and they hadn't even left the airport yet. Brian just let out a chuckle, watching his boyfriend in amazement. He looked so happy, smiling radiating on his pretty face. Despite his parents, despite the circumstances, he knew that they were going to have a good time here with each other.
"Slow your role, Moo Moo, we haven't even left the airport yet." He laughed, reaching down between them and grabbing his hand as they walked. They continued to make their way through the airport, weaving in and out of the crowds until finally the exit doors came into view. Getting outside and getting a cab was essential, so the couple did just that. The streets of Dublin were busy, the hustle and bustle of random people going about their day. Brian found it amusing to watch Brock as he watched the outside world. And Dublin? Well Dublin was just beautiful, especially now in the middle of summer. The flowers and trees were in bloom, the cobblestone paths were clear, and the sky was almost as blue as Brian's eyes. "Well..." The Irishman trailed off as the cab drove to their destination that was Brian's parent's house. "I take it you like it here so far?" He asked.
"Like it?" Brock scoffed. "Brian, it's beautiful here."
"We're going to have a lot of fun." He smiled, and went quiet. Brock could tell he had something else to say, so he waited for him to speak. It was clear, the hesitation that was written in his voice. "Uh, Brock? If it's okay with you, I'd rather not tell my parents right away. We should get settled first, and then tell them that we're together. I think it will be easier that way." He felt like he was rambling, and he knew he probably was, but this was something that he had to run by his boyfriend. He didn't want him to feel bad that he didn't introduce him as his partner right away. But they had to have some kind of plan, something that would make this go more smooth, more easy on them.
Brock shook his head, "No, I agree. It's not really something you can really just come out and say." He replied. "At dinner, or something like that." He suggested.
"Yeah." Brian agreed. "That sounds good."
"Don't work yourself up, everything is going to be okay." Brock said, taking the younger man's hand in his once more. It was a feeling he would never grow tired of, especially since they felt like they were made for each other. "Like you said before, we can do this, we can deal with it." He was trying to be encouraging, trying to be supportive just like Brian had been earlier, and he felt like he was doing a pretty good job of it. They were a team, they were good for each other, and if they could face what they had already dealt with before, this small little task should seem like a walk in the park. It should be difficult, it shouldn't be strained, and both of them were hoping that this would go smoothly.
The cab ride was relatively short, or at least it felt that way to Brock and Brian. Because soon they were pulling into the tiny driveway of Brian's parent's house, the house he grew up in when he was just a boy. And when he saw it, his heartbeat immediately picked up in his chest. This was it. And albeit they weren't telling his parents straight away, he was still a little nervous for when the time would come. Brock sensed his panic, and squeezed his hand gently. No words were needed, they only exchanged small smiles as they got out of the cab with their bags in tow, and headed into the small cottage like home.
Brian didn't knock, he didn't feel the need to. He walked into the old home with Brock following behind him, and they shut the door gently once they were inside. "Mom? Dad?" He called out, Irish lilt echoing through the small house. He sat he and Brock's bags down beside the door, and grabbed Brock's hand to pull him along as they walked through the tiny living room, maneuvering through couches and coffee tables. "Anybody home?" He called out once more. Brock had to admit, he did feel a bit awkward here, but that was only because he was in an unfamiliar place. He'd soon warm up to it, and besides, he had Brian with him to help him adjust.
After a few more moments passed by, an older woman came bounding out of the kitchen, hair like Brian's piled a top her head, messy apron tied around her waist and a mixing spoon in her hand. "Is that my baby Brian? Oh your father is going to flip when he comes back from the store." Her Irish accent was thicker than Brian's, Brock picked up on that almost immediately. She looked like a nice woman, there was no doubting that, and she had a huge smile on her face as she made her way towards her son. "I'm so glad you're finally here!" She exclaimed as she wrapped her small arms around the younger man. He practically towered over her as he hugged his mother. "How was your flight? Are you hungry? Oh! You're probably tired!" She continued to ask questions as she looked at Brian with the same eyes that he had, baby blue. All while Brock just stood uncomfortably behind his boyfriend watching the scene unfold.
"Alright ma, one question at a time," Brian laughed as he looked over the shorter woman. He then motioned for Brock to come forward. "There's someone I want you to meet, though." He spoke as Brock gave a shy smile. "This is Brock, the one I was telling you about who helped me get settled in LA." His voice was gentle when he spoke of Brock, something that was involuntary. He couldn't help but to smile as he introduced him to his mother, who was smiling as well.
"It is so nice to meet you, Brock!" She exclaimed. "My Brian sure does talk about you a lot." The woman gushed.
"It's nice to meet you too... Mrs-"
"Oh, you can just call me mom!" She got out, grinning. Brock noticed that she and Brian had a similar smile, and he also couldn't help but to notice that Brian had received most of his personality from his mother. She was kind hearted, funny, a gentle soul. And she didn't wait for Brock's reply before she started talking again. "Are you two hungry? I'm making lunch right now, should be done soon... You can sit down and get comfortable." She said before turning and beginning to walk back into the kitchen.
Brian grabbed her arm before she could escape, "Actually, we were going to go out for lunch, if that's okay with you... Brock's never been to Dublin and I was going to show him around for a bit. And we still need to get checked into our hotel... We were just going to meet up here later to take you and dad out to dinner tonight, so we could all have a good time and catch up then." He explained as he listed off all the things he and Brock still needed to do. He watched as his mother took in everything he just said, and he hoped that she would let them go without much trouble.
She nodded, "You can go out for lunch, but I'll be damned if I let you two stay in a hotel while you're here. You can stay with us, your father and I won't mind. Your room is exactly how you left it." She grinned. Brian didn't mind staying here with his parents, it was Brock he was worried about. He didn't want the older man to feel uncomfortable while he was in Ireland, especially not since they knew a storm was probably coming later on. So, he did the only sensible thing, and he asked him.
Brian turned to look at Brock, "That okay with you?"
He nodded, "Sure. I wouldn't mind staying here."
