Schoolhouse Rock [Mötley Crüe]

Fifteen

They broke apart with a start, a little gasp escaping Tommy. He quickly smoothed down their clothes, fixing Nikki's hair before biting his lip as he trotted over to the door. Nikki gave his hand a little squeeze as he turned the knob.

Nikki stayed behind Tommy as he greeted his parents, breathing labored as he tried to calm himself down.

"H-hey, Mom! Dad, it's so great to see you.. Please, come in."

Tommy's parents entered, his mother in what looked like an evening gown and his father in dress pants and a button-down. Nikki immediately felt underdressed, but the fact that Tommy was wearing worn jeans and a Led Zeppelin shirt made it a little easier. He slipped back behind Tommy before they could notice him.

"Hi, sweetie.. we're very excited to meet your new girlfriend! Where is she?" Tommy's mother asked, smiling brightly. Tommy could feel his heart beating a million miles an hour.

"I.. A-actually..she's.. she's not.." Tommy trailed off, voice trembling. His parents stared at him, confused.

"He's trying to say that I'm not a she," Nikki spoke up, forcing his voice to stay stable. He stepped beside Tommy, lacing their hands together at the waist. "I'm Nikki, and I'm in love with your son."

Nikki stretched out a hand to shake, offered to either of them.

They stared incredulously at him, neither moving to shake.

After a few seconds, the silence was too much for Tommy.

"M-mom, Dad.. please.. just accept me for who I am! I love Nikki, I really do-"

"How old were you when you told us you were gay, Tom?" His father finally spoke, eyeing Nikki up and down.

"Fourteen, Dad. I'm twenty-one now. Nothing has changed. Being gay isn't a phase, and my love for Nikki definitely isn't one either."

Nikki felt his heart swelling with these words. Tommy must've felt it, too. He turned to gaze at Nikki lovingly, finding his boyfriend staring right back. They dared to exchange a soft kiss, not even holding it for a second before their eyes snapped back onto Tommy's parents.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" His mother asked, voice soft but still heard in the impending silence.

"It's not just what I want, Mom; it's what I need." Tommy smiled softly, giving Nikki's hand a comforting squeeze.

She blew out a careful sigh, glancing at her husband as if looking for a second opinion.

"Although I don't particularly agree with it, I suppose you two at least look nice together." She finally said with a smile that only seemed half-forced, reaching out to shake Nikki's hand. He, too, reached out once more to complete the gesture with a shy smile. Nikki shook hands with Tommy's father before his boyfriend decided now was a good enough time as ever to eat. His bright smile lit up the room as he led them into the kitchen where he had set up the best table in his house with utensils. A pot of spaghetti was sat on the small stovetop, heat on low to keep it warm.

"I made plenty! You can serve yourself, sauce is right here, nice and fresh from the store.. everything should be set up! Oh, yes, the wine! Of course I haven't forgotten that wine is your favorite. Red, right?" Tommy smiled awkwardly, holding up a bottle of red after his tizzy around the kitchen. He hadn't drank wine in years, personally thought it sucked. Nikki agreed, more or less. Beer kicked wine's ass.

Tonight would sure be fun.

"That was very sweet of you to remember, Tom." His father smiled, grabbing a plate and going ahead and grabbing some food. While his mother did the same thing, Nikki and Tommy exchanged a quick kiss.

"I can't believe you're pulling this off." Nikki whispered in his ear, giggling softly.

'Me neither,' Tommy mouthed in reply, turning back to his parents. He and Nikki grabbed their plates and got food as well. They all sat down together, exchanging friendly smiles. Nikki was doing all he could to not make it any more awkward than it already was.

"So, how was the trip here?" Tommy began, nervously spinning his spaghetti. When he picked up his fork, it unwound and fell back on the plate.

His mother sighed softly.

"You know how it is, dearie. Rush hour traffic, town traffic. Always traffic. But I'm glad we got here in one piece. But enough about us.. tell us about you two. How did you meet?"

Tommy felt panic on the rise once more. Nikki covered for this one, thankfully.

"I was visiting a friend at his college, and we bumped into one another. Who can say, maybe love at first sight?" He chuckled smoothly, caressing Tommy's hand on the table. Tommy let out a shaky laugh, rubbing his thumb over Nikki's own.

"The rest is kinda history. His friend at the college helped us get together." Tommy added on to the lie, knee jiggling under the table.

"How sweet!" Tommy's mother gushed as his father watched silently, eating his spaghetti. He almost made Nikki nervous.

Nikki laughed softly, feeling as if the room was closing in on them. He took another mouthful of pasta so he had an excuse to stop keep talking.

Tommy's father finally spoke up.

"Anyway, Nikki, how old are you?"

Oh great. He had to talk again.

Nikki quickly swallowed before replying.

"I'm nineteen, turned it a few months ago." He smiled without teeth, fearing that he could have something stuck in them.

"That's nice. You're younger than I thought - you put off an older air. That's good. Did you have a party?"

Nikki shook his head, beaming at Tommy's father's praise.

"Just hung out with Tommy all day at my place; we had cake, too. It was really special." Nikki grinned. Tommy smiled, too.

Tommy and his parents spoke about his job and how he'd been getting along alone for most of the rest of dinner. It was overall a pleasant time, and not nearly as bad as Tommy was afraid of it being.

"Anyway, let me get those plates.. you're staying overnight, yes?" Tommy asked, scooping up their dishes and placing them into the sink.

"Yes, it's a bit too late to drive home so far in the dark," His mother glanced out the window. "Hope that's not any trouble?"

"Of course not," Tommy grinned nervously. "You two can take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch. Nikki, are you going to go home?"

Nikki frowned, suddenly realizing there was no room for him. The best way out was to just go, so not to bother them, especially in the morning.

"Yeah, I'll head out now. Thank you for dinner, baby." He stood next to Tommy, exchanging a soft kiss before letting go.

"No problem, hon." Tommy smiled, giving Nikki one last hug, tucking him into his chest. He hoped his parents noticed how perfectly they fit together.

Both Tommy's parents had stood, and both eagerly gave Nikki a hug, much to his surprise. He shook hands with Tommy's father, kissed his mother on the cheek and exited the kitchen, grabbing his jacket and leaving Tommy's apartment. He hoped that the night wouldn't be too unbearable for Tommy. He knew how bad the sofa was, and it fucking sucked to sleep there.

Nikki closed the apartment door behind him, zipping up his jacket as he trotted down the stairs and outside into the chilly spring night.

His boots padded softly against the ground as he started the slow trek home.