The BL Nook

Chapter 26: Daddy, Chill…

Two whole days had passed since the incident, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about visiting Tyler in the hospital. I mean, the guy punched me in the face. But Josh insisted we make this right, so here I am.

Tyler and I had never exactly had a good relationship. To say we didn’t get along growing up would be an understatement. From day one, he hated me, and I couldn’t stand him either. I don’t even know what sparked the animosity, but it was pretty clear from the start: he made my childhood miserable. It wasn’t like I could do anything about it. And our dad? Always homophobic. Not that it bothered me too much growing up. I never saw myself as one of those “queers” he always ranted about. It was offensive, sure, but I let dad be dad. A mistake, in hindsight.

Now, here I am, with a massive black eye, trying to figure out how to downplay the situation to my coworkers. Yeah, I was definitely going to have to answer some questions. Tyler’s basically a clone of dad. Same mentality, same looks. If I had to guess, Tyler’s been in love with Josh for a long time, masking his feelings with this weird “brotherly” vibe. Who else would act the way he did, especially when it came to Josh? I’m just happy I snatched Josh away from him. He’s mine, all mine. I’ll die before Tyler gets his hands on him.

When we arrived at the hospital, the place felt all too familiar, bringing back memories of visiting Mom when she was sick. The sterile smell, the buzzing of nurses, the chaos, it set my anxiety on edge. But Josh? He did his best to calm me down. If you haven’t figured it out by now, he’s the best thing to ever happen to me. Looking back at my stupid decisions about “losing my family over Josh,” I can’t believe I even wasted time worrying about it. Josh is my family now.

He’s all I need.

I walked into Tyler’s room first. The nurse had said “one at a time.” Tyler looked like a mess. Bandages everywhere, hilarious. I couldn’t help but think he looked like Sloth from The Goonies, underneath. Josh fucked him up so good. What I could never find the courage to do, he did it for me. I decided to break the ice.

“Hey… how are you feeling?” I asked, not really caring.

“…” He didn’t respond, not even a glance my way.

“My black eye’s doing just fine, thanks for asking.”

Still nothing.

“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Josh and I have been dating for nine months now.”

That caught his attention. “What?”

“I’ll spare you the details, but the point is, I love him.”

He scoffed, “Pfft. You love him? What a joke. The Josh I knew would never even think about being with a guy, until you came along. I shouldn’t have ever introduced you to him. You’re a bad influence on him.”

“You can believe whatever you want, but it’s not going to change anything. I’m not going to waste my breath trying to explain it to you. I’m outta here.”

“If I’d known it was just a phase for him, I would’ve stepped in. He’ll toss you aside in no time. I know him better than you do.”

He was trying to get under my skin, and damn it, it was working. Before I knew it, I had grabbed him by the shirt.

“Josh would never waste his time with someone like you,” I snapped. “I hate to break it to you, but you lost your chance. His curiosity’s been satisfied, and then some. He loves fucking me every day so much that he moans my name when he enters me.”

Tyler shoved my hands off of him, his face twisting with anger.

“Get out,” he spat, turning his head.

“With pleasure,” I shot back, turning to leave. But I had one last thing to say.

“Oh, and feel free to tell Dad he has a gay son. If he wants to disown me, whatever. Josh is my family now.”

I walked out of the room, and Josh was standing there, waiting for me. He stood up from his chair with a concerned look.

“How’d it go?” he asked, but before he could finish his sentence, I pulled him into a kiss. Because honestly, he’s the only thing that matters now. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize that. I don’t care what anyone thinks, as long as I have Josh.

“I love you,” I said softly against his lips.

“Haha, I love you too,” he whispered back. “Now, your turn. Good luck in there.”

“Don’t worry,” Josh said with a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine.”

He walked into Tyler’s room. I stood there, waiting. Thirty minutes passed. Thirty minutes that felt like hours. I glanced through the small window in the door, but I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t help but think, I hope he didn’t kill him in there.

Finally, Josh emerged. He looked… normal. He grabbed my hand and smiled. “Ready to go, my love?”

I blinked a few times, still processing, but I followed him as he led the way.

“How’d it go?” I asked.

“Fine, I think,” he said casually.

“Are you still friends with him? I don’t know if I could be friends with the guy who beat me up.”

Josh chuckled, “Haha, I don’t know if we’re still friends either. I guess time will tell.”

“So, what did you guys talk about?”

“Mmm… about everything. He didn’t have much to say.”

I didn’t press him on it. Whatever happened in there, I was glad Josh got the closure I didn’t. We went home, ordered takeout, and spent the rest of the night lounging around.

---

Weeks went by, and we hadn’t heard from Tyler or Dad. I’d texted Tyler a couple of times to check on him. He was still my brother after all, but nothing. So today, I decided to talk to Dad face-to-face. I’m sure Tyler already told him, but I wanted him to hear it straight from me.

Arriving in Minnesota was… nerve-wracking. I felt like I was about to face a firing squad. Matt, always the good friend that he is, had agreed to pick me up.

“Well, hello there, my friend!” Matt greeted me.

“Hey, Matt. Thanks for picking me up, man.”

“You betcha!”

I smiled, even though I was shaking inside. “I haven’t heard that in a while. Glad to see a friendly face before everything goes downhill.”

“You’ll be fine, man. How long are you staying?”

“Just today. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Yeah? I’m not doing much tomorrow, I can drop you off. So it’s all good.”

As Matt dropped me off at my childhood home, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Everything looked the same. The places I used to walk past every day. It felt like nothing had changed.

I didn’t tell Dad I was coming. I didn’t want him refusing to see me. The door was unlocked, just like always. I walked in, placed my backpack on the couch, and wandered around the house. The pictures on the wall made me pause. Everything looked so… perfect. I spotted one of Mom and me when I was about nine. It was a small framed photo of her kissing my cheek. I quickly grabbed it and shoved it in my bag. Just in case I didn’t have the chance to snatch it later.

‘Did he go out?’ I wondered.

I walked outside to the backyard. There he was. Dad, tending to his herb garden. I froze for a second, trying to figure out what to say.

“Hey, Dad, I’m home,” I called out.

He turned around, and to my surprise, his face lit up. “Uff da! Sean, my boy! You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

He was… excited to see me?

“Sorry for the surprise visit, but… Umph!” Before I could finish, he came over and wrapped me in a bear hug. It caught me off guard, but I hugged him back. I needed to savor this moment because it could be our last one. My eyes watery. 

“You look good! Seattle’s treating you well, huh? How’s Tyler?”

“Not sure. Listen, Dad, I’m only here for today. I—I need to talk to you about something.”

He stopped, concern flashing across his face. “Geez, you’re scaring me. Alright, let’s go inside.”

I sat at the kitchen table, trying to calm my nerves. Dad made tea, and when he finished, he handed me a cup and sat down. He must’ve noticed how uneasy I was.

“So, you need to tell me something, huh? Getting married? Fall in love with a city girl?”

I took a deep breath. Here it goes.

“Well… I did fall in love, but it’s not with someone you’d expect.”

“Tyler introduced me to him,” I blurted. “If you’re mad at anyone, it should be him. We quickly became close, and after a lot of thinking, I realized I love him. We’ve been dating for ten months now. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I’m not changing my mind. I love him, and I’m planning to stay with him for a long time.”

He burst out laughing, and I nearly spilled my tea.

“Ha! So you came all the way here just to tell me you’re gay? What do you want me to say to that?”

“Dad, I just-”

“You’ve said your piece, I heard you. Now go live your life how you want, but don’t expect me to be part of it.”

I stood up, grabbing my bag. “I understand. I’ll go, but please, don’t shut me out. I love you. You’re the only family I have.”

I turned to leave, but then he sighed and spoke again, taking off his glasses.

“Ha… Wait.”

He massaged his temples. “What’s his name? Does he treat you well?”

That tiny glimpse of hope made me smile. “His name’s Josh. And yeah, he treats me very well. Like you wouldn’t believe.” I said as I closed the door behind me.

Yes, I did it.

The air felt lighter, easier to breathe. Relief washed over me like a warm breeze. It actually hadn’t gone that badly. In fact, it could’ve been so much worse.

I ordered an Uber and headed back to my hotel room. I texted Josh as soon as I walked in:

<It’s done.>

He called me immediately.

I told him everything. How it went, what was said, and how surprisingly at peace I felt with it all. When we finally hung up, I ordered fast food. With Josh not around, I could eat whatever I wanted. No comments, no nutritional lectures, no raised eyebrows. Just me and a greasy, glorious meal.

Afterwards, I flicked on the TV and let it play for hours, barely registering what was on.

My mind was too busy, stuck on my conversation with my dad. Replaying the entire thing over and over. Especially what he asked me at the end.

What did he mean by that?

I exhausted myself going in mental circles, until the spiral slowly shifted into thoughts of Josh.

God, I missed him.

I wanted to do something for him. Not just a date or a surprise dinner. Something bigger. Something bold. Something that would make him truly happy.

The more I thought about it, the clearer it became.

That’s it.

When I get back, I’m going to start looking for a new place.

A new place for us.

A home Josh and I can make together.

---

---