Sanders Sides Parenting/Kids One-Shots

(171) One In The Same - Logan & Teen Roman

Summary: Roman is absolutely petrified of coming out to his father as gay, but luckily his father seems willing to listen and learn and actually figures out something about himself on the way.

TW - Fear of coming out, but both parents are accepting. Also repressed bisexuality and divorce (but not due to sexuality).

Words: 1582

Roman wasn't usually nervous when he went to visit his father. He had been a child of split custody ever since he could remember, and when he started middle school his mom trusted him to take a different bus after school on Fridays that lead him to his father's apartment uptown. There was never a bad bone between Roman's parents - they were just high school sweethearts that somehow fell out of love. But they still appreciated the enthusiastic life they created together fifteen years ago.

Well, at least Roman's mom still loved her son. Last Wednesday Roman came out to her as gay, over dinner, and he got plenty of hugs and congratulations for finding himself. The only annoying thing was his mom asked if there was a boy in the picture - but it was an improvement from the constant 'when will you get a girlfriend?' she used to do.

Roman's father might be a different story though. He was always talking about success, meeting the demands of today's capitalistic society without sacrificing mental health. He lived a fast-paced life as an accountant and didn't have time to even think about romance. He didn't even have time to 'think about those issues' when Roman had inquired his father's view of LGBTQ+ rights before.

"I'm sure Logan will be fine kiddo." Roman's mom chirped when the teen was panicking that Friday morning about what he was about to do. She was helping him brush his hair like she used to do when Roman was a young child, it always calmed him. "Don't come out if you don't feel comfortable, but honestly... I think your father might understand more than you think he does."

Before Roman could ask what his mother meant by that, the school bus arrived to get Roman to school. He hugged his mother goodbye and ran off, knowing he'd see her again after school on Monday and he'd definitely be safe then.

Roman rang the bell for his father's apartment just to check whether or not his father was home. He was, a muffled 'hello' came through the speaker. Roman was very close to losing his voice out of nerves so he just went: "Hey Dad, it's me."

The beep indicated permission had been granted for Roman to enter, he took the lift to the second to top floor, the set of hugely expensive apartments that his father usually lived alone in. Roman welcomed himself in with the spare key, placing his backpack down and looking around. His father wasn't in the living room. "You haven't got a girl round have you?"

A laugh came from the kitchen, the second place Roman would expect his father to be. "I thought you'd know the answer to that by now." The businessman laughed. Roman laughed too when he saw his father - with his face stuffed with Crofters' jam and a few jars falling out of a shopping bag. "Have one, how's school been this week?" Roman was thrown a strawberry jam jar, which he almost didn't catch, and sat at a nearby barstool. Now was discovering how to make small talk without revealing anything major.

"Alright... I got a B+ on that science quiz I did last week." Roman tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, and Logan seemed to be falling for it as he was just nodding and inhaling jam. "I've gotta work on math homework this weekend, do you understand algebra?" Logan nodded again with a smirk... But then his eyebrows furrowed curiously.

"What about socially? How's school been socially this week?" Roman often talked to his dad about arguments with his friends if they ever disturbed him, since he was a lot calmer and easier to vent to. That was probably what Logan thought was wrong - he was going to have a big surprise.