A Chance Encounter (Chris Hemsworth X OMC)

Nerves

"You've got nothing to be nervous about," Miley stressed to Wyatt the following morning as he stared at all of the clothes he'd packed.

"That's easy for you to say! You've already gone through this!" Wyatt sighed in exasperation.

Miley grabbed him by the arms and looked directly into his eyes. "Listen to me- they're the most laid back people you'll ever meet. And they've been waiting for Chris to meet someone special for a very long time. Trust me. The fact that you're making their son happy is a huge check in your favor. So you've already got that going for you. Besides, you're an American sweetheart."

Wyatt rolled his eyes at Miley's reference to a recent description someone had given Wyatt during an interview. "If you say so."

"Listen, I was nervous too. It's always scary when you meet the family. Just chill out. Go and do your interview and I'll be around to pick you up from the studio when it's over. Then, we'll head over to their place. They're going to make a big lunch for all of us."

Wyatt nodded, appreciative of the structure of the plan as well as the distraction the interview would offer.  "Okay. I'm chill."

Miley began to laugh. "Wyatt- people who are chill don't usually have to say it."

Chris woke early that morning for breakfast with family before they all gathered before the TV. Wyatt was to be a guest on The Morning Show. As they waited for Wyatt to appear, Chris's family observed the excitement on his face and felt a collective sense of relief for him. For so long there has been this piece of his life that was uncharted. On some level, they had all felt he was keeping a part of himself hidden, it was just a matter of knowing what it was. Being gay was something each of them may have wondered about but assumed couldn't be the case. The fact that they simply assumed he couldn't be because he was so masculine gave them all a reason to reevaluate that notion of what it means to be a gay man.

"There he is!" Luke said. Ever since the conversation he and Chris had, he'd been showing extra efforts to be accepting and open with his brother.

Wyatt walked out to the applause of the audience and joined the hosts. As always, his humble charm and adorable presence were captivating for Chris.

"He is very handsome," their mom remarked.

"So, you're in Australia working on a film called Cruel Summer. Have you ever been down under before?" One of the hosts asked.

The audience gave a rowdy little cheer and Wyatt blushed.

"Apologies!" The host chuckled. "That's wasn't meant to sound so risqué!"

"This is a morning show!" The cohost  chided playfully.

"Well," Wyatt said as he continued to playfully smile. "It's my first time."

The audience kept laughing and one of the hosts shook his head and waved a hand at them. "Alright, you bunch of perverts!"

"So, we've heard you like surfing."

Wyatt nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, my dad taught all of us boys. I've been swimming and surfing since I was tiny. I learned to swim before I could walk."

"Well, there's a lot of great surfing in Australia so hopefully you'll get plenty of chances to enjoy it."

"We hear there's a nickname your family and friends have for you."

Wyatt grinned. "Yeah, they all call me Guppy."

"That's adorable," one of the hosts gushed. "So you have a pretty close family, then?"