"Okay, you can say it." Brian got out once they got into his room and shut the door.

"Say what?" Brock inquired as he made his way over to Brian's bed. He sat down on it, taking in the sight of his boyfriend's old bedroom. They had left their suitcases by the door, and he was shocked to say the least that the room was actually clean. He knew better though, he knew that his mom had probably cleaned it before they arrived. It was a pretty typical bedroom though; light colors, photos and mementos on the walls. A desk was shoved in the corner, old computer on top of it, among other papers and other miscellaneous things. This room wasn't Brian, Brock could tell. His personality had left it when he'd first moved out into the tiny apartment. It was plain, no sense of anyone being here for awhile... But that was to be expected, nobody had been here for a few years at least.

"That I am a complete mama's boy." He joked as he plopped down on the bed beside his boyfriend. It felt nice to sit down after being bugged by his mom downstairs. Albeit, he did enjoy seeing her after all this time... She was overbearing. And he knew she was just trying to be a good host, but still. He could tell Brock had been overwhelmed. "Are you sure you're okay with staying here?" He asked as the thought came to his mind. "We can still go to a hotel... Have some alone time..." His hand went to Brock's thigh as if to prove a point.

Brock sighed, moving the Irishman's hand away. "I just want to make your parents happy."

"And you will." Brian replied. "My mom already loves you."

The older man chuckled, "You think?" He let out a sigh and let his eyes drift once more. "She is pretty cool..." He trailed off. A picture on the wall caught his eye, "Is that you?" He inquired as he stood up to look at it. It was his parents, obviously, and it looked like a much younger Brian standing between them. His ears were still huge, his smile still brighter than ever. Brock picked up the picture frame to get a better look. "You were cute." He grinned, looking over at the younger man.

"What are you saying?" Brian scoffed. "I'm not cute anymore?" He joked.

"You want the truth?" Brock asked.

Brian pushed him playfully, "You know you love me."

"I do." Brock replied. "And if I can recall correctly, it's been a long time since you've last kissed me."

Their lips were dangerously close as Brian wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's body. "You know, all you have to do is ask." He grinned, before allowing their lips to meet in a sweet kiss. It was light and chaste and that was all Brock needed from the younger man at the moment. He couldn't ever resist or get over the feeling of his lips, or his stubble, or his nose that brushed against his own. "You ready to head out then?" He asked once they separated. "Dublin is waiting." He continued. Brock merely agreed and they gathered their things and headed back downstairs. He let his mother know he was leaving and that they would meet for dinner later. It was his father whom he was worried about. After all, his mom had always been the one on his side supporting him. His dad was going to be the difficult one and Brian knew it. "Are you okay with walking?" Brian asked.

"Of course." Brock answered. Lunch was first, that was a given. Both men were starving from their ever long flight, and the place that Brian wanted to take his boyfriend wasn't that far away. And so they walked, hand in hand, down the busy sidewalk while Brock continued to take in all the people, places, and things. There was just so much to look at, and Brian couldn't help but to watch the older man as he marveled at Dublin's beauty. Fortunately for them, the weather was actually fair, and Brian was glad. Hell, it fluctuated so much in Ireland, he was sure that it would rain at least a few times while they were here. But the sun was high in the sky, late morning breeze running through the air as they made it to the small café that Brian would always come to when he was a kid.

He and Brock made their way inside, got a table for two, and looked over the menus to order their food. "So," Brian was the first to speak between the both of them as they sat there, deciding what they wanted to eat. "What did you think of my mom?" He inquired. "A little much, yeah?" He grinned fondly while speaking of her, Brock noticed that right away.

"She acts like you." The older man answered.

"You think?" Brian raised an eyebrow. "I have heard that before... My father... Well, he's not as chipper as she is." He explained, and Brock looked at him quizzically, wondering just what he meant by that. Surely, he couldn't be that bad, could he? But Brock had never met him so he couldn't pass judgment. He just hoped it wouldn't be as bad as his head was making it out to be. He attempted to keep the positive thoughts flowing as they ordered their lunch and ate in small conversation as well as witty banter. And lunch was good! Brock didn't know what he was expecting of the food, but he enjoyed it, and his stomach was more than full by the time they finished.

After eating, they still had a lot of time to kill before dinner with Brian's parents, so the couple wandered around Dublin, stopping wherever their hearts desired. They went into small shops, parks, and other miscellaneous things... Brian had a story for nearly every place because this was his home, this was where he grew up. Brock listened to his boyfriend talk and talk and talk, and he couldn't help but to study his face, study every feature and fall in love with him all over again. He found himself thinking... How could he be so lucky? But was it luck? He wasn't able to tell? All he did know was that he was so glad to have Brian in his life, so glad to have the privilege to call him his. "God... I love you." He hadn't meant to say it out loud in that moment right there, and it definitely caught the Irishman off guard.

He stopped midsentence, eyebrows threading together in confusion as a smile gave to his beautiful lips. "I love you too, Brocky... Are you okay?" He questioned, placing a hand on his forehead to act as though he was checking for a fever. "You don't feel warm..." He trailed off as they walked, streets of Dublin still busier than ever.

Brock laughed, "What? I just can't tell you I love you? There has to be a reason?"

"I'm just fucking with you." Brian replied in an instant, taking the older man's hand in his once more, squeezing it tight. God, never wanted to let go. He never wanted to let Brock go. He wanted to hold onto him forever, feel his hand in his own forever. This, well this was simply just not enough, and both of them knew that and felt that way. And maybe they knew something big was coming with Brian's parents, and that's why their lovingness was so strong towards each other right now. This little adventure in Dublin meant so much more, had so much more truth behind it. Both of them knew that, both of them knew that this was their future, this was forever... And one wrong move could take it all away. They were aware.

"It's getting late," Brock pointed out. "Shouldn't we head back?" He asked.

Brian nodded, "Good point, let's go." He began his walk in the opposite direction, pulling Brock right along with him. He felt like he was a teenager, dragging Brock all around the city he grew up in, showing him around... He felt like nothing in the world would bother them, even though that was nothing like the case, nothing like the situation they were in at all. Dinner would happen, Brock would meet his old fashioned, stubborn dad, and reality would come crashing back down on them, harder than ever. And he wasn't sure if they were ready for that. Of course, he said they were... But saying something and meaning something were two totally different things, and that's what Brian was scared of.

The house came into view, and Brock spoke again, "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." Brian answered. "We'll be okay." He continued with a nod as they approached the house. His mom and now his dad were probably both inside, waiting for them, waiting for dinner. Brian knew this was probably going to be the most awkward dinner of his life, but he didn't care. He loved Brock, he wanted them to know, and he wanted to be happy. He was so tired of hiding behind lies, hiding behind falseness of his identity. His parents needed to know, and he wasn't going to hide Brock or anything else any longer because he knew that it got you nowhere in the long run.

Brock pulled him in for another quick kiss, "Let's do this."