Dan and Tommy's Story Volume 3 Coming Out

Coming Out: Dan

He thumbed out "I can't believe we are doing this tonight..." before Dan pushed the send button.

Within a minute his phone chirped, advertising Tommy's reply. "No matter what happens, I'll be there next 2 u n we'll figure it out together" Tommy's support was more important to Dan than he could usually quantify into words, however tonight it would empirical.

"Thank you so much baby!" Is what Dan replied to the prior text messages. He wondered what good he had done in his short life to deserve someone like Tommy.

His phone chirped one more time. "C ya soon. I luv you!" Dan felt his cheeks flush a little as he read Tommy's words.

—-Tommy—-

"Alright, mom! I'll be careful." He yelled out trying to hide his aggravation as he neared the front door.

It wasn't often that his mom would let him use her car. Her baby was the slick black Cadillac the song should have been written about, only it was forty years too soon. Her 2018 CTS was her baby, it lived in the garage, was detailed every week by the little car wash downtown and still had that new car smell two years later.

"Yes mom, I'll text you when I get there!" Tommy huffed his response, still excited to drive the Caddy. "I know mom, home by eleven."

It was like driving a spaceship, with the dash, and center console wrapped around you, there were lights and gauges everywhere and a touchscreen in the center to control everything. And fuck was that car fast! The handful of times she had let Tommy drive it, he tested all of the CTS's abilities.

He arrived at Dan's house a little after seven. The plan was for them to 'have the talk' with his parents after dinner. Dan was emphatic that he didn't want to ruin their dinner with 'the talk'. Unlike Tommy's house and Dan being like family and just walking in, Tommy rang the doorbell and waited for permission to enter.

The door opened and revealed Daniel a.k.a Big Dan to his close friends and family. His nickname was fitting. He stood at least a head taller than Tommy which was emphasized even more by the step up from the porch into the house. The guy looked like a Buick, Tommy guessed he weighed three hundred pounds, and his short cropped hair rounded off one of the most imposing figures he knew personally.

"Come in Tommy, Dan's in the kitchen cleaning up dinner." Big Dan stepped to the side, his normally deep voice sounding more stern than normal. Tommy assumed it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Thank you!" Tommy offered trying to not shrink as he slid around the big guy to find his man.

Tommy found Dan in the kitchen as his dad had said, he was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when Tommy caught his attention. Putting the dish tab in its slot, closing and starting the wash cycle before closing the distance between the two boys, Dan nearly knocked Tommy over when they collided in a hug.

Tommy could feel Dan's body trembling with nerves over coming out to his parents. He made a point to squeeze back and rubbed small circles between Dan's tense shoulders.

"It's ok. I'm here. Calm down." Tommy encouraged him. "We got this, no matter what."

Dan nodded his agreement with a soft sigh before he broke away from their embrace and finished cleaning the counters and table. That allowed Tommy the opportunity to send the text his mom required of him. After finishing up in the kitchen, the boys gave each other a nod of confidence.
"You ready?" Tommy asked, more than ready to get this conversation behind them.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Dan replied, his words shaky and deflated. He took a couple deep centering breaths before leading Tommy towards the living room.