A Coalition Story

Meeting the Parents

Cal was far from surprised to wake up in Torin's arm that next morning with his phone going crazy on the nightstand. Groaning with frustration, he opened it to a string of texts from both parents ordering to come home instantly and alone.
"Tor?" he prompted, shaking his boyfriend's arm. "Get up. Time to go meet my parents." This shocked him awake.
"You ready for that?" Cal showed him his still vibrating phone.
"I don't think they're giving me a choice."

////

The motorcycle ride, which was usually relaxing and thrilling, did nothing to calm Cal's racing nerves.
"You sure you want to do this, Excalibur?" Torin asked, worried about his love. Cal wasn't the type to tense up or get nervous. He never cared enough for either of those things to happen. Now he was both.
"Yes. I promised you. Anyways, it's not like I have a choice now that they've seen the photo," he breathed out. Torin offered a reassuring (and grateful) smile. Hand in hand, they walked through the front door.
"Excalibur James Cole, what on Earth have you done?" Dalia shrieked, staring at her son in horror. He raised an eyebrow.
"Mom, meet Torin. Babe, this is my mom, Dalia Cole." The man nodded in greeting, and Dalia stared at the couple in abject horror.
"Excalibur! How dare you!" Aldric screamed, bursting into the foyer. In two long steps he reached the happy couple and slapped his son across the face. Cal had made no move to stop him, even though he easily could have. His face stung, but he was here to face the music, and that meant facing his father's full wrath.
"You are no son of mine," he spat out, spittle flying from his lips.
"Never was, Aldric. Your wife made sure of that." Another slap across the face, and Cal knew his body would regret speaking up later. But his heart never would. Aldric wasn't his birth father, and though Cal suspected the actual sperm donor had been offed, Cal knew he was making the right choice at last.
"And who exactly are you?" Aldric challenged, turning to face a stony faced Torin.
"I'm the man your son is in love with." His terse reply only angered the older man more. He moved to slap Torin, too, but unlike his boyfriend, the dark haired man wasn't about to allow that to happen. He caught Aldric's wrist immediately.
"I recommend you don't try that again," Torin warned. With his cold eyes, angry stare, and cruel tone, he would have terrified most people, even those in the Coalition. Torin did terrify most people in the Coalition. Aldric, it seemed, was the exception.
Growling, Cal's father ripped his wrist out of Torin's grasp.
"You're not allowed in this family any longer!" Aldric yelled to Cal. "And don't you dare think about talking to your siblings ever again! You are never going to be a Cole again! Now get out!"
By the end of his temper tantrum, Aldric's red face was inches from Cal's. The screaming had done a number on him, and while Cal was both furious and heartbroken inside, he cracked a smirk.
"I never was a Cole, Aldric, and I never was part of this family, thanks to you. And by the way? Your slap could use some work." Cal stepped backwards as Aldric tried to hit him for a third time, dodging the move with practiced ease.
Before the blonde could turn around, he saw a fist connecting with his "father"'s jaw. Torin, it seemed, had had enough.
"Let's go, Excalibur," Torin growled, taking his boyfriend's hand and pulling him out the door.
Cal stayed silent on the ride back to his apartment. He was officially out to the world. He had the love of his life at his side. He did not have a family by blood anymore (except Ravyn, but she wasn't going to leave him despite his occasional best wishes). Cal was basically alone, except he felt the most free after the showdown.
"You okay?" Torin asked gruffly once they got to Cal's dorm.
"I think I am," he answered, still a little bit in shock. His dad had hit him twice, something that Cal had expected (it'd happened too many times before). But Torin hit his dad back, and quite possibly broke his jaw by the noise it had made. Cal couldn't help it; he grinned.
"I thought you'd be more upset," his boyfriend mused, walking over to Cal.
"I thought so, too, but you punching my dad was the sexiest thing I've ever seen." This pulled a smile to Torin's face, too.
"That did feel pretty great. Aldric has had that one coming for nineteen years," he chuckled.
The pair fell into a comfortable silence as they started on school assignments. Cal looked over at his boyfriend, his curls a mess and focused on some detailed report, and smiled. He had Torin. He had Ravyn. He had the Blackbournes, although he'd never admit to even tolerating either of them. He had a family of his own. His biological family had never been great to him, so Cal wasn't as upset about losing them as he had predicted. Honestly, this was the best he had felt in years. Maybe this was what a taste of happiness felt like.
"Hey, Tor?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"I love you."
Torin looked up from his report, giving Cal a brilliant smile.
"I love you, too."