*oric pic cr: Lily on fire*

-a/n-
This is a gift for Mama Carola who said she wanted to read a sweet, fluffy Earn-Pete. 😒 Yeah, we both know that sweet and fluffy is not my usual style so this is what I wrote. Enjoy. 😉

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"I'm home!" Sitting on the small bench by the front door, Earn sets his bags to the side and removes his black dress shoes. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I had a few stops to make after classes."

There is no response to his apology and Earn becomes aware of the strange silence. Pete should have gotten back an hour ago but there isn't a single sound. Picking up the bags, he walks around the corner and into the main room to find Pete sitting at the small table looking down at his hands as he nervously twists the ring on his finger. Colorful balloons with hearts on them float around the room and the table is beautifully set with a small banner pasted to the wall behind that reads, "Happy Anniversary!"

Under normal circumstances, Earn would have been thrilled with the surprise and jumped on his boyfriend to give him a big, sloppy kiss. Normal circumstances do not include the neatly dressed older couple currently sitting on the navy loveseat near the bed. Generally, sweet romantic gestures with one's boyfriend are not in front of one's own parents.

Setting his things on the desk near the door, Earn takes a hesitant step towards his parents and swallows deeply. His father doesn't look up and keeps a blank expression with his arms crossed. This is slightly better than the angry scowl Earn's mother is giving him. This is not exactly the way he wanted his parents to find out that he's gay and he wonders how much was said between them and Pete before he arrived. Pete isn't saying anything or moving an inch, except for the incessant fidgeting with the ring.

"Pa... Ma..." Earn gives them a respectful wai which is not returned. "I didn't know you would stop by today."

"That much is obvious!" His mother scowls at the decorations, avoiding looking at Pete all together.

"What brings you here?" Without a clear way to continue, Earn asks the most obvious question even though he doubts it matters anymore.

"What is this?" Her voice is sharp as she points towards the banner with one pale pink polished fingernail. "You can't seriously have been in a relationship with him all this time!"

Earn steps closer to Pete and notices the tense strain on his face, the sadness deep in his eyes. Before this, his family adored Pete. They doted on Earn's intelligent and well-mannered best friend who was always willing to lend a helping hand around the house and showed such caring for everyone in the family. His mother often teased that she was going to adopt him one of these days. The last thing Earn ever wanted to do was have Pete hurt by his own family. He's spent most of his life standing up for the weak and for the equal rights of everyone and he'd be damned if he'd let his own parents trample all over his beloved because of outdated and debased ideology.

"Why can't I be serious? I love him." Walking next to Pete, Earn sets his own larger hand with it's ring that matches Pete's over Pete's slimmer ones. He gives him a warm smile of reassurance before facing his parents again. "I've been meaning to tell you for a while but could never find the words."

"How long have you been going behind our backs? How long have you lied to us?!" His mother stands up with a glare at their joined hands. "You do this... don't you feel ashamed?"

"No!" Earn's shout startles Pete and shuts his mother up before she can say more. Standing up tall with his shoulders back, he stares back at his mother, focusing all of his attention on the last word she said. "I'm not ashamed. I've never been ashamed and I will never be ashamed to say that I love Pete. He is amazing and makes me proud everyday that I get to call him mine."

"I did not raise you to be this way!"

"Yes, you did!" Earn argues back with a hard smile, not giving her the opportunity to continue. "You both did. You taught me to stand up for what I thought was right, to think for myself, to be who I am regardless of what others say. Everything you taught me was about kindness and understanding and to fight for what I believe in when I need to. Never, not once in all this time, did you say that it was only for certain people or for me to be a certain way. I am who I am because you gave me the courage to be so. I love Pete because he is Pete and it is natural for me to love him. I will never give him up. I'll fight for him until the end."

Shocked that he would lecture her, his mother's wide eyes switch from him to Pete and back again with open but no words coming out. In the silence, his father stands and adjusts his coat jacket. His impassive face doesn't give a clue to his thoughts as he studies the two young men before him, ignoring his wife for the moment. Earn tenses up, unsure of what to expect from the man who has always been his biggest supporter and the strength he could always lean on.

"This is what you choose no matter what? Even if you face the censure of the society? Even if you are ostracised in public? Even if you lose the support of your family?" His voice is deep and even and his look direct as he waits for Earn's response. "These are not small matters. Are you prepared to fight to be together?"

"This is my life. Loving Pete isn't a choice. Staying with him no matter what comes is my choice. As long as I have him, I can face anything." There isn't the slightest hesitation in Earn's answer as he looks his father in the eyes.

"What about you, Pete?" The father's intimidating gaze switches to the young man still sitting at the table. "I haven't heard a word from you in all of this. Where do you stand? Keeping your relationship with my son will put you before the censure of the world. Are you sure you're prepared for what's to come? Is it worth it if it tears his family or yours apart?"

"Pa!" Earn tries to interrupt but is stopped by his father raising a single hand for silence.

"I am asking Pete. You've had your say. I want to know where Pete stands in all of this."

There is a long pause where they can only hear the sound of their breaths. With a wildly beating heart, Pete scoots the chair back and gets to his feet. Earn watches him with worry knowing that the part about tearing him from his family is hitting Pete low. Slowly, Pete reaches out and takes Earn's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I stand with Earn." Never taking his eyes off of the love of his life, Pete's voice is filled with pride and confidence. "If the world throws us away, I'll help him to stand back up. If his family chooses to leave him, I'll stand as his family for him. Whatever comes, I'll stand beside him."

"You're sure you want to do this? You swear by your words?"

"I love Earn," Pete says simply as if that's answer enough.

"Very well." Earn's father gives them both a sharp nod before taking his wife's elbow to guide her towards the door. "It's time for us to leave. We have dinner reservations at seven."

"Please take care and I hope you have a nice dinner," Earn mumbles with his eyes staring at the wall. The painful thump of his heart making him unable to look at his parents as they leave his life. He never thought this would be the outcome when he finally told them the truth. He expected shock and some disbelief, never outright rejection. Being disowned had never crossed his mind. A large hand so similar to his own claps him on the shoulder, knocking him out of his dismal thoughts, and his startled eyes meet amused ones.

"Don't forget you both are to come by for Sunday supper. Your grandmother misses you." With a twinkle in his eye, he gives his boy a wink. "She's always had a soft spot for your boyfriend so she'll be thrilled to know you finally made it official."

"Huh? .... What? .... "

"Pete reminds her of her older brother," his father explains. "Uncle Gamon passed away in a plane crash with his husband when I was in high school. I remember they were crazy in love and traveled everywhere together. Your grandmother adored them."

"You never..." Earn's mother looks at her husband with wide eyes, clutching at her purse. So many revelations today and she can't process any of them through the thick fog of shock.

"We will discuss this over dinner and probably long into the night," her husband responds with a resigned sigh and heads with her out the door. He gives one last glance over his shoulder to the bemused couple. "Congratulations on your anniversary. See you on Sunday."

The door shuts behind Earn's parents and both boys continue to look at it. The first to start laughing is Earn, followed shortly after by Pete. They laugh until their sides hurt and they are gasping for breath. Falling onto the vacated loveseat, Earn pulls Pete down onto his lap with a relieved sigh. He hugs him close, surrounding himself with the musky scent of Pete's skin, until he feels a warm wetness seep into the shoulder of his shirt. A soft sob escapes from his boyfriend. Pulling back, Earn carefully wipes away the few tears sticking to the smooth skin of Pete's cheek.

"It's okay, Pete. Everything will be okay." He repeats these words like a litany and catches each tear before it can fall until Pete calms down enough.

"It's just... I was so..." Pete stops, unable to find the words to express how worried he had been. There is no way to describe the relief and the happiness he felt when Earn declared his love in front of his parents or the pride he felt in that moment. How can he explain that the tears are because of fear and heartache and love and relief and everything rolled together into one knotted ball of emotion so huge that it can't be contained?

"I understand," Covering Pete's mouth softly with his fingers, Earn gives him a loving look and he notices Earn's own tears glistening in his lashes waiting to be shed. He realizes that Earn does understand everything he wants to say and probably some that he doesn't.

"I love you.." Setting a hand on either side of Earn's face, Pete kisses him softly, tasting a hint of saltiness among the familiar sweet, minty flavor of his boyfriend's lips.

"I will never get tired of you saying that, baby." Earn kisses him back and nuzzles his face into Pete's warm neck to sneak a few more kisses before leaning back to look at him. "I love you, too. More and more with every minute we are together. Happy Anniversary, Pete."

"Happy Anniversary, Earn."

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