Being Different Isn't Normal
Chapter 7: Bringing up the past
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Walter almost choked on his cupcake "W-What?"
Josh looked at him in awe, his mouth open in shock
"I told you it'd be unexpected" Drake laughed hastily, trying to break the ice
"Unexpected, Unexpected?" Walter choked out "That's a bit of an understatement don't you think"
"Well I um" Drake barely managed, suddenly the new lease of confidence he had, had gone
"I'll leave you for a while to mull it over" Drake smiled at Megan and walked out of the room
"I didn't see that one coming" Josh joked
"Joshua Nichols this is no time for jokes, your brother is, is one of them weirdo's"
"He's not weird, how dare you call him that" Jane argued
"What, calling him what he is?" Walter threw his napkin on the table
"Look, he didn't even want to tell you tonight, I told him, you all had a right to know"
"You knew?" Walter pointed an accusing finger
"Yes, who else was he supposed to tell" Jane shouted
"Me, maybe? I have provided for him more than his real father has"
"What?" Jane paused "How dare you bring my past up at this table" she was close to tears
"What, that he got you knocked up and you never told him?"
"Walter how dare you?" Megan threw her napkin down and flew over to her mother who was now in floods of tears
Megan brought her mother up to her room while Josh stared at his father in absolute anger
"What?" Walter snapped
"You had no right," Josh snarled
"So now you're against me as well"
"What, so I'm just supposed to go 'well done dad you hurt mom and Drake'"
"No, but I thought of all people you would be on my side"
"On your side? On your side? After you called Drake a weirdo and practically killed mom?"
"Well he is son, he's not normal"
"Dad, so he's gay, it's not uncommon and it's not a lifestyle choice"
"What on earth do you mean?" Walter was getting annoyed, even his own son wasn't taking this the way he was taking it, he was supposed to be on his side, a united force and all that
"Do you honestly think that he just one day woke up and decided that he was going to be gay?"
"Well, I, um, you know"
"No, I'm afraid I don't" Josh snarled
He looked at him, he didn't seem like a father anymore, he was just this man to him now, a man that he didn't know or have anything to do with
"I don't know what to say" Walter quietened his tone of voice
"Sorry is a good place to start" Josh said sarcastically
"What?" Walter asked
"Yeah you heard me, apologise"
"I'm sorry" Walter shrugged his shoulders
"Not to me you buffoon to mom, and on your way pay a visit to Drake, see what he has to say about you being a homophobe and all, I'm sure he'll only slit his wrists again and take it out on mom" Josh sighed picking up uneaten desserts from the table
"Josh, I'm not saying I'm a homophobic, I'm just saying that I'm not that keen on gay people, it's just the way I was brought up"
"Yeah back in the 1960's when gay people were considered as mutants" Josh shouted as he stacked the plates angrily into the dishwasher
"What are you trying to say Josh, change my ways or something?" Walter shrugged sitting himself down on the couch
"Sort of, gay people aren't mutants dad, their people too you know, they didn't choose to be gay, it's just what their heart tells them" Josh shrugged
"Look, son I can't change my views overnight, you know that, nobody can do that, not even me" he joked
"Dad, if you think this is funny you should just tell them, I'm sure that the only mom I've had my whole life would be happy to hear it" he snarled pressing the small green button on the dishwasher and coming back inside the sitting room to talk face to face with his dad again
"Don't bring her into this" he warned
"Why shouldn't I you brought Drake's father into it didn't you?"
"That's different" Walter was running out of reasons now
"How is it different?, Yeah she left and you paid for her to have me-when you were together of all things"
"I told you not to bring her into it" Walter raised his voice
"Well then, now you know how much it hurts, don't you?"
"Sort of, but that still won't change my beliefs"
"What?. Can't you even apologise to MY mother?" Josh questioned, raising his voice an octave on my
"I suppose so" he sighed lowering his head
"There's no supposing about it old man get up and do it now" Josh pointed to the stairs
His father laughed for the first time that night. He turned his back to his son and rushed up the stairs where his wife was, hopefully she would forgive them.
Josh looked around the now clean house, quietness had been restored after all the drama, deciding that he didn't want to laze about downstairs he decided to go upstairs and get ready for bed, after all it was eleven-thirty and game-ball competition night with Drake, although he somehow doubted that he would be in the mood tonight.
Josh climbed the stairs, slowly reaching the attic; feint humming could be heard from the room. Drake was probably writing a song he thought to himself as he quietly pushed open the door.
"Hey" he smiled walking quietly over to his bed
The slimmer boy lay down his guitar on his bed, giving it pride of place, while Josh got himself ready for bed "You still up for game night!" Drake asked with a smile
"So you're ok then?" Josh sighed; relieved
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"I just thought that y'know" Josh shrugged neatly placing his pants on the side of his desk
"Yeah, thanks though" Drake hopped down off the bed
"For what" Josh gave him the quizzical eyes
"For, standing up for me"
"What"
"I heard you two talking, Megan has the room filled with microphones"
"Oh" he paused "No problem"
Josh smiled as Drake went over to set up the game sphere
"So you're really ok with it then?" Drake asked confused
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Josh shrugged
"I dunno, cuz I'm different to you"
"Dude, you always have been, always will be!" he joked
"I suppose" Drake laughed as Josh took a seat next to him
"So, are you ready for me to beat you at ultimate yu gi oh!"
"Seriously man, when are you gonna realise that yu gi oh is for eight year olds who have nothing else to spend their allowance on" Drake laughed
"Hey I like it- and it's not for eight year olds," Josh argued as he got it onto two-player mode
He was glad his brother didn't treat him any differently, ultimately he was the only one who accepted him for who he was, apart from Megan of course, he was eternally grateful he didn't treat him different to what he normally did, he was still one of the guys.
Nothing more. Nothing less.