Disclaimer: I do not own Dungeons and Dragons or anything related I am not making a profit either.
Warnings: Triggers for bigotry and homophobia.
A/N: Hi! This kinda takes place a bit after "Because it's you."
I wrote this with the song "Rude" by MAGIC! in my mind. So you can read this and listen to that song. It kinda is a prologue to the next story in this little series I ended up making for some odd reason. I will have a bunch of other little shots that will be D&D fueled. This cartoon was wonderful and it needs more fan fics for it. I'm will to lead the charge haha.
So with that, I hope you enjoy this!
Hank stood in front of his mirror of his room. He had to make sure he looked presentable. He had put on one of his best suits. A dark navy suit with a dark blue tie. He made sure his blond locks were more tame and brushed down. His blue eyes looked closely at each part of himself in the mirror. There couldn't be any mistakes. This was important and he couldn't afford to mess this up.
Hank looked at his watch.
9:16 am
He was a little early but that was fine. He was happy today was a Saturday without a football game. He looked back at himself in the mirror before grabbing his wallet and keys. He rushed down the stairs.
"Bye mom! I'm heading out!" he shouted as he walked briskly to the front door.
"Bye honey have a good day!" she shouted from the kitchen.
Hank's hand rested on the door for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips. He closed his eyes and let out a breath.
"Thanks mom, love you!" he shouted back, eyes opening with more determination then before.
Hank and Eric had been 'unofficially' seeing each other for the last month since they returned from the Realm. Eric was holding back. He didn't want anyone to really know, other then their friends. The blond was starting to get sick of not being able to hold the lanky teen's hand whenever he wanted. Which, oddly enough, was all of the time.
They didn't kiss too many times either. Hank was able to sneak a couple here and there but the fear in those brown eyes would be like a knife being pressed to his heart.
The only way to make Eric feel more relaxed would be to talk to his parents. Hank knew that Eric's dad was strict. But he still loved his son and cared deeply for him.
So Hank decided he needed to talk to Eric's dad and ask to date his son. Sure, that was cliché and stuff, but that was the only thing that made sense to the blond. The only way that their relationship could become 'official'. In Hank's mind, they were already official. But Eric needed this.
Hank walked 20 minutes until he reached the huge house. It wasn't a mansion but it was still huge and fancy.
Mr. Thomson was well known in the community as a great doctor. He was their number one surgeon. He was so good that he had helped out at other hospitals all over the state. The only bad thing about Eric's dad being so famous, was the man's image. He needed a clean image. It was already hard with his wife having an alcohol problem. But that was a very well kept secret that only those close to the family would know. The man made sure of that.
Hank straightened his tie as he looked at the huge white door in front of him. He cleared his throat before ringing the doorbell. He could feel his hands begin to get sweaty and his throat slowly close up.
There was a noise behind the door before it was opened wide.
There stood Eric with blinking brown eyes.
"H-Hank?! What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Hi Eric. I'm here to talk to your dad. Is he home?" Hank asked, feeling a bit more energized at seeing the one he loved.
Eric was the reason he was here. He had to swallow his nerves. He needed to be strong. He needed to make their relationship official.
"Whu? Why?" Eric asked with a raised eye brow.
He was starting to become suspicious.
"Just tell me if he is here." Hank said with a sigh, looking a away from those questioning brown eyes.
Eric hesitated for a moment before waving Hank into the house. Hank nodded with a smile before following behind his 'unofficial' boyfriend. He closed the door behind him.
"He should be in his study." Eric said, guiding the blond further into the house.
Hank followed close to Eric as they walked from the front door down a long entrance hallway. Once they exited the hallway, they entered a huge room that had two spiraling staircases going up to the second floor of the building. There were two other doors, one on each side of the room, while there was a huge sliding door between the spiraling staircase.
Hank had only been to the rich kid's house a few times and still found it impressive every time.
Eric pointed at the door to the left of the spiral stair case.
"His study is there." Eric said, looking at Hank with worry filled eyes.
"Thanks Eric." Hank said before walking over to the closed door.
"Wait Hank!" Eric said, catching the blond's hand and holding it tight.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked, intrigue mixed with a hint of fear in his voice and eyes.
"Something I should have done the minute we got home." Hank said with determined eyes.
His blue eyes stared confidently into those soft brown eyes of the one he loved.
They widen before fear filled them.
"Wait Hank, think about this..." he started, as he felt Hank pull away from his grip and continued towards the door.
"I have. I want us to be official, even though I think we already are. I want you. And I want your family to approve of us." Hank said, giving Eric a soft smile before knocking on the door.
There was silence.
"Who's there?" came a deep voice from behind the closed door.
"It's Hank. Hank Lakewood sir. May I speak with you?"
There was a bit of more silence. Hank could feel the sweat coming back to the palms of his hands. His heart began to quicken in his chest. He felt it would beat right out of his throat. He thought it was beating so hard that Eric could even hear it.
"Enter."
Hank let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He turned a comforting smile to Eric, who looked at him with wide eyes.
"Hank wait..." Eric whispered before finding Hank giving the rich teen a quick peck on his lips.
"Wait for me." Hank whispered before entering the room; leaving a blushing Eric behind him as he closed it behind himself.
Once the door was closed, Hank found himself in a study. It was pretty big but only had a little bit of furniture in the room. There was even a fireplace at the other end. It was too warm out to have it burning but the room seemed to feel cold despite the warm weather outside. Sitting at a desk was a man. He was an older looking Eric. There was greying hair along the temples and a few wrinkles under the eyes that were behind thin rimmed glasses. The man seemed to have been doing research or something work related. There were some books and notebooks across in an organized chaos on the desk.
The man sat back in his oversized chair with a raised eyebrow. He had met the blond teen several times over the years. He had been best friends with his son since kindergarten, it would have been sad if he didn't know the boy even a little. However, the boy seemed to be more of a man as he walked into the room. This made the man a bit intrigued.
"How can I help you." Mr. Thomson asked, sitting up and seeming to give the boy his full attention.
Hank felt his confidence falter just a bit at those brown eyes. They were stern and had a coldness in them that made him shiver. The blond took in a deep breath and made himself stand up tall. This movement made an eyebrow arch.
"I'm here about your son sir." Hank said, not sure how to start.
"What has he done now." Mr. Thomson said with a sigh, looking ready to nurse a headache.
"Nothing sir." Hank said shaking his head quickly.
"I'm here to ask you if...well..." Hank started, feeling even more nervous as he tried to find the best way to ask permission.
"Well, you see, your son and I have been well, best friends since we were kids. I think the world of him and well...to be frank sir, I love him." Hank said.
He stood tall as he said those three simple words. He didn't turn his eyes away from the shocked brown eyes.
"I've loved him for a while and I was wondering if you could give your blessing." Hank added before bowing his head.
He didn't know why he bowed but it felt right for some reason.
The room was silent for a bit. Hank could hear let alone feel his heart beating quicker in his chest as he waited for an answer.
"No."
Hank's eyes widened as he raised his head and felt his heart stop.
"I don't approve." Mr. Thomson said with a frown.
"What don't you approve about us?" Hank couldn't help but ask.
"You're both boys for starters. Do you understand what you are even asking? Do you understand how hard it will be for you two being boys?"
The man's face turned to a grimace as if imagining the issues the two boys would have to deal with being together.
"What does that even matter? I love him and he loves me." Hank said, his voice growing a bit louder.
"Absolutely not." Mr. Thomason said before standing up from his seat and walking over to the blond.
Hank stiffened as the man stood in front of him. The man was extremely tall, at least six. Hank was only a mere 5'9" Perfectly average for a 15 year old. He was still growing. So what Eric, although, he was already at 5'11" and would probably be taller then his father, given time.
"If you really loved my son, you would give up on wanting to date him."
Hank stared up into those eyes that looked as if they were final. They dared not to be argued against. But Hank couldn't help the growl to come out of his throat.
"That doesn't make any sense. It's because I love him that I want to date him. I want to be with him forever, if you want the truth. I feel like I can't live without him to be honest." Hank said, his eyes filling with determination.
He wanted to prove to Eric's dad that he was serious and wouldn't give up. He would keep asking until the man gave his permission. If he didn't, well, screw his permission! Hank would have to convince Eric to just give in and forget about his father.
"We love each other. He's already told me that he loves me. That's the reason I'm even here, asking for permission. I love him so much. I need him so much. So please. I want to date your son."
"The answer is still no."
Hank looked up at the man. How could this man deny his son happiness? That's how Hank was seeing this.
"Do you even care about Eric's feelings? Are you seriously that worried about your rep that you would sacrifice your son's happiness to protect your image?" Hank growled.
His hands turned to fists at his sides. He began to tremble slightly, more so from anger then anything else.
Mr. Thomson sighed before walking over to a cabinet. He took out what looked to be a bottle of whiskey. He opened it up, back towards Hank.
"You are both too young to understand. You don't know how hard it will be to be accepted. Most people don't understand. They won't and it will hurt both of you in the long run." Mr. Thomson said, pouring himself a glass of the liquor before putting the bottle back.
He turned back to Hank, glass in his hand.
"Tough love my friend, but no still means no." Mr. Thomson said before taking a sip from his drink.
His eyes held understanding. As if he understood the heartbreak of love. But why, Hank couldn't understand. He growled before rubbing his hands together, massaging them. He wished he had his bow. He could have shot an arrow out in anger or something. But he didn't have his bow anymore. He was back home. Back where he wanted to be. However, the blond was starting to think they should have stayed behind. They should have took Dungeon Master up on his offer to stay and help with other evils in the Realm. They could love each other without judgement.
Hank shook his head.
"I was only coming here to give Eric some peace of mind. I wasn't really here to ask for your permission. I hoped that you would give it. That you would love your son enough to show it by accepting his feelings. But it sounds like you will never accept us." Hank said before turning around.
"So what do you plan on doing?" Mr. Thomson asked, as Hank went to leave the room.
"You were the one who came here to ask permission. Just because you don't like my answer doesn't mean you can do what you want. I can forbid you from ever seeing my son ever again."
Hank felt his blood go cold. His hand, which had reached out to the door stopped as did the rest of his body. Fear began to sink into his chest. He pulled back his hand and turned back around. He looked at the man who looked serious.
"What?" Hank was able to gasp out.
"I can forbid my son from ever seeing you again. He will have to do what I said. Don't make me do this. I know how happy my son is with you. Just leave it at that." Mr. Thomson said before taking another swig of his glass.
His brown eyes were filled with so much sorrow, as if thinking back on an old memory.
"Why...why do you have to be so rude." came from the door.
Both men turned to the now open door.
Eric stood in the door way, tears threating to fall from his brown eyes.
"Why can't you understand?"
"Eric..." Mr. Thomson began.
"You never think about my feelings. You don't care enough about my feelings." Eric said, walking more into the room.
He stands next to Hank, his head high.
"I don't care about your feelings he says." Scoffs Mr. Thomson.
"Boy, you do realize I could have sent you to a boarding school right? I had the papers signed and ready. But do you know why I didn't send them in? Because you wanted to go to the same school as your friends. You wanted to go to a public school." the man growled.
Eric and Hank couldn't help but shrink back at the tone.
"Yet I'm rude and cruel. I don't think about my son's feelings. I don't respect him. Yeah, that's who I am." Mr. Thomson said before throwing the glass across the room, shattering it against the wall.
The action made both teens jump. Hank instinctly wrapped a protective arm around Eric's waist and pulled him close to his side. This seemed to make the man even more angry.
"Where the fuck do you get off saying I don't love my son! I'm saying no because I love Eric!" Mr. Thomson growled.
"No one will understand your love. Eric already has issues with bullies, or have your forgotten?"
Hank could feel Eric shiver against his side, the memory of a really bad bullying incident running through his mind. The smell of his vomit mixed with the pee of the bathroom floor came back for a split second but only for a second.
"I will protect him."
"You can't always be there." Mr. Thomson growled, storming up to the two teens.
Hank held Eric's hand as he stood in front of him, ready to protect him from his father's wrath.
"I will sure as hell try." Hank said with determined blue eyes.
The two stared down each other, neither seeming to back off.
"I-" Eric started, gaining the attention of both men.
He shrunk back a bit, looking away.
"I know I'm weak and I know you think of me as a failure. But..." Eric said before turning back to look at his father, "I love Hank. I love him with all of my heart. I want to be with him forever...even if you don't approve. I want to be with him. Just..."
Eric stopped to clear his throat as it felt a bit clogged up. Probably because of the tears he was holding back.
"I want to be with him forever and I will whether you approve or not." Eric said, his eyes firm as he looked into his father's eyes.
Hank gave Eric's hand a comforting squeeze, reminding the rich kid that he wasn't alone. That Hank was there with him and would always be there for him.
"So be it." Mr. Thomson said with a sigh.
The two teens stood there in shock.
"I still don't approve and I never will. But if you are going to do what you please anyway, then go ahead. Just know..." Mr. Thomson said, looking dead into his son's eyes.
"I won't support you anymore."
Eric felt his heart drop. This was his greatest fear. Being tossed aside by his father. Being disowned. That's what had just happened. What would happen now? Where would he go? How would he survive?
"That's not fair!" Hank shouted, eyes wide.
"That's life." Mr. Thomson said before going back to his desk, "I'll be here when you come back to your senses. Otherwise, don't expect anything from me until then. And with that, please leave my study. I have work to do."
The two teens watched as the man went back to work. As if disowning his own son had no affect on him. They didn't see the tears that wanted to form behind the book he had brought up to his face. He couldn't accept their love. He didn't want to accept their love or the trails that would come with it. So if they wanted to act like 'brats' then he would let them. They would learn soon enough the struggles of being a gay man in this town. Just like he had learned so long ago.
Tough love. That's what it was. That's what Mr. Thomson thought it was. His dad did the same thing with him and he turned out successfully because of his lesson. He learned well and now it was his son's turn it seemed. He hoped his youngest wouldn't have to suffer this same trail. Hopefully, he would see his brother's mistake and learn it before doing it himself.
"Father-"
"Leave." came a growl that wasn't one to argue against.
The two teens stood there for a moment. Hank huffed before gently grabbing Eric's hand and pulling him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
"H-Hank..." Eric whispered, causing the blond to stop and pull Eric to his chest.
"It will be ok Eric. I love you, we will prove him wrong. We will be ok. I will not let anything happen to you." Hank said, pulling back a bit, making Eric look into his blue eyes.
"I promise you that I will love you for ever and will always take care of you." he said before reaching up and wiping away a tear from Eric's face.
Eric began to cry before clinging to Hank's nice suit. Hank held the one he loved with so much love, he hoped his feelings would seep into the other teen's body.
"Why not come and stay with me?" Hank asked.
Against Eric's wishes, the blond had already told his parent's about their relationship. They were a bit shocked but seemed very supportive. His dad was a little weary at first but seemed to approve of their relationship. His mother was more then thrilled.
"A-are you sure?" Eric said, sniffling against Hank's chest.
"Yeah. Come on, lets get some of your clothes. You can stay as long as you want, ok? I'm sure my parents will be fine with it." Hank said, cupping his lover's cheek.
Eric looked up into those blue eyes. They were full of love and concern. He felt that everything would work out. Hank would make sure it will work out. Eric nodded before surprising the blond as he leaned in and gave a soft kiss.
Hank blinked as Eric kissed the blond softly but quickly.
"Wait right here, I'll be right back." Eric said before going up stairs.
It didn't take him too long before he had backed a week's worth of clothing. He was hoping his dad would calm down by then. Maybe he will forget the request or just ignore it. Hank went over and took the bag away from the lanky teen. Eric protested at first but ended up letting the blond hold his suit case. Hank took a firm hold of Eric's hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Everything will be ok." he said giving Eric a warm smile.
Eric nodded before squeezing back.
"Thanks Hank."
"Always." Hank said before guiding the two of them out of the house.
They would prove that bigot man that their love was true and would last.
End.