[DISCONTINUED] My Whole Family Thinks I'm Straight (Lams)

4

It really shouldn't affect John when his father is ranting about his strong disliking towards homosexuals, since he's had to deal with it for the majority of his life, yet he still feels the urge to argue back against his father's views.

For about two months now, John has either spent his free time on the phone with Alex, texting Alex or hanging out with him in various places, their favourite of which being a small coffee shop that's tucked away in a backstreet near to Alex's apartment.

But this wasn't one of those times. At this moment, John was sitting in the kitchen with his father, trying his best to mask his annoyance as his father perpetually rants about the gay community. He didn't have his mom or any of his siblings there to change the conversation, except for the second oldest Laurens child, Martha, who was in her room studying for her history exam. Due to the pouring rain outside, he thought it best to not leave the house for the time being.

John tuned in for a moment to what his father was saying, looking up from his steaming cup of herbal tea.

"-and seeing those gays in the street, holding hands, displaying all sorts of PDA, it honestly makes me feel sick to my stomach." John heard Henry say, turning his previously neutral expression into an aggravated scowl as he decided this was it. John had finally had enough of just letting Henry's homophobic comments slide.

Much to his father's surprise, all of a sudden John slammed his mug down on the table, causing splashes of tea to cover it, and pushed his chair out, standing up to his father's height and locking their eyes together, Henry's confused ones looking back into John's, which were filled with a fiery fury.

"Alright, listen up you fucking asshole. For years now, you have been attacking the gay community for something that they have no control over! Why do you think that you, a puny person in such a vast and diverse world has any right to disrespect an entire group of people based on their sexual preference? Because honestly, your shitty opinion changes nothing! I am so, completely done with assholes like you so seemingly have nothing better to do with your life than attack an innocent group of amazing people. So congratu-fucking-lations!" John screamed at Henry, who looked shell-shocked that his usually quiet son had that much fire and courage in him. Instead of focusing on whatever his father was thinking, John proceeded to sweep up his phone from the counter, shoving it in his pocket, and grab his jacket in an attempt to keep his hair dry, along with his keys from the hook he kept them on and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

John slumped against the front door after he closed it, collapsing into a disorganised mess onto the floor and sobbing into his hands. His phone pinged quietly and he pulled it out to see a chain of texts from his sister quickly appearing on his lock screen.

'YO JOHN WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED'

'THAT WAS AWESOME'

'HE DESERVED THAT SO MUCH'

'ARE YOU OKAY?'

With shaky hands, he typed back a quick message.

'I'm fine Martha, I might be back tonight, but maybe not.'

He swiped past his lock screen and pulled up Alex's contact, wiping away his tears before calling him. It only rang once before he picked up.

"Alex?"

"Hey John, are you okay?"

"Uh, not really... would now be an alright time to-"

"Of course, you don't even need to ask, John, you're welcome anytime." Alex replied, able to hear John's quivering voice.

"Thank you so much, Alex, thank you." John replied, roughly wiping away his dripping tears.

He pushed himself up from his doorstep and set off on the route to Alex's apartment. John tossed his hood over his hair, which he'd neglected to tie up on this occasion, and was now hoping that there were no visible waves in it.

Tears perpetually fell from his eyes like the rain that fell from the sky as he walked the short distance. It was daytime so most people were at work, but those who weren't and were walking past him on the way gave him strange looks or avoided his gaze completely, much to John's appreciation.

Eventually the turn onto the street of Alex's apartment complex came, causing John's knees to almost give in to the desire they'd been having to collapse ever since he'd stood up from his doorstep. He'd barely lifted his hand to press the buzzer for Alex's floor when the door swung open, revealing a concerned looking Alex. John looked down to his feet awkwardly and opened his mouth to say something but managed only to produce a small croak in place of everything he wanted to vent to Alex. With the monochrome grey sky and incessant rainfall, the pathetic fallacy of the situation was truly ironic in this moment.

He looked back up to Alex's disconcerted expression and found himself able to form a few words. "I'm so fucking weak." He said, barely above a whisper. Alex's eyes widened and he shook his head, pulling John from the doorstep and into his arms. John tightened his hold around Alex, gripping onto his back in desperation.

"John, listen to me. You are anything but weak. Over these past few months you have become my closest friend and you're one of the strongest people I know. Now come inside, if you need to stay here for a bit, feel free honestly." Alex said soothingly to John. He nodded into Alex's shoulder in response, pulling away from their hug and wiping his puffy eyes. They ascended the several flights of steep, metal stairs to Alex's apartment, with John holding onto Alex's arm for comfort the whole way up.

Through his tears, John found himself struggling to restrain from simply crumbling into Alex's arms, which were so comforting in his time of need. 

"I s-should probably explain w-what happened to make me... like this." John whispered into his friend's ear. Alex looked down at him, an expression of sympathy painted across his soft features.

Alex pulled back from the short-lived hug and wiped away John's unceasing tears."John, if you don't want to right now, you really shouldn't feel like you have to."

John shook his head in argument, determined to let Alex know, after all, he deserved to know.

"My father, no. He doesn't deserve to even have that title. Henry, he was such a dick to the LGBT community, but what's new there?" John said, letting out a cold laugh. "I'd finally had enough of him being so fucking disrespectful to such great people. I shouted at him and then left, and... here I am now." He finished, squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he could, trying to keep in the hot tears that were rolling down his cheeks.

Alex scowled at the thought that a man as horrible as John's father thought it alright to make John so upset. Every atom in his 5'8 stature was filled with anger, hate and disgust towards Henry Laurens. He guided John to the kitchen and offered to take his coat, since it was dripping rain water everywhere, and made him a hot chocolate in an attempt to warm him up.

"You really don't deserve all of the shit that he gives you, John. You're too good for that." Alex said calmly, sipping from the tea that he had made for himself. He sat on the cold granite counter and swung his legs back and forth as John sat opposite him on a wooden bar stool, blowing on his beverage.

"I have a lot of secrets Alexander. Some that nobody knows, and some that I'd only ever trust with someone special. Despite the fact that I've been friends with Laf and Herc since before I can even remember, I feel like that special person is you."

Alex blushed a little, barely noticeable to anyone else but to him it felt like his cheeks were on fire. "Well, thank you John. I hope that when the time comes for you to tell me, you still feel the same way."

"Of course. So, are you 100% sure that you're okay with me staying here for a bit?"

"Honestly, it would be nicer than my apartment is now. It gets so lonely here, it'll be nice to have someone to live with for a while." Alex reassured John. "And who would be a better roommate than someone that I already know and trust so well?"

John laughed at that and held out his mug, clinking it in cheers with Alex's before taking one last big gulp and finishing the cup.