darker_london | Fatherly Advice (Julian, Joe)

Joseph Littleton was not a fool. He'd been a seventeen-year-old boy once too, and he remembered what it was like, despite the fact that his younger siblings insisted on reminding him of how long ago it was. And while he'd had plenty to worry about when he was seventeen as he had taken on responsibility of a job in addition to his schooling in order to help feed his four younger siblings, he still remembered being quite distracted by pretty much any female who he wasn't related to or who wasn't old. And he hadn't lived with any of said females. He knew exactly what it was that Julian and Damon would likely get up to, but he wanted to speak to Julian about it first.

Upon noticing that Julian and Damon had disappeared into Julian's room for several hours before emerging, Joe decided now was probably better than later. He waited until after dinner when Julian was alone in his room, and he knocked on the door, giving Julian a wide smile so Julian would know things were okay. "Hey, Jules. Can I come in?"

"Sure, Dad!" Julian put his pencil down, and he pushed the blank sheet music he'd been writing tablature out on away from him a little so he didn't become engrossed in his musical creations again while his father was talking. "Is Mum coming home tomorrow?"

Joe nodded and he took a seat on Julian's bed, directly opposite his son. "She is. She's very pleased she'll get to see Damon again." Joe realised that Julian might not know his opinion on the fact that Julian's prettymuchboyfriend had shown up again after a long absence either since they hadn't spoken alone since Damon had returned. "I'm really glad he's here, Kiddo." He added. And he was. Because Damon had brought Julian to life when Julian was in rehab, very much in need of life. And now Damon was here to continue what they'd started and that thrilled Joe. Joe wanted Julian to be happy.

"I know you are." Julian said, giving his father the grin he absolutely deserved. "So am I. It's so wonderful, Dad. I thought he was done with me, you know? But he was just finishing up his own stuff. And I wish he'd told me, but I can't get mad that he didn't now. There's no point in it."

"You're a good man, Julian." Joe said, impressed by Julian's maturity in that instance, but he shouldn't have been. He knew Julian was remarkable. "Very wise. Why let that stand in the way of things now? You make me awful proud, Kiddo."

Julian ducked his head then, feeling shy because he'd hurt his father so deeply by running away, and Joe still said things like that. "I'm glad." Julian said with a pleased little smile on his face.

"So things between you two are good then, I take it?" Joe said, letting his hands hang down between his knees.

Julian nodded happily. "Yeah. They're really nice. I've forgotten how nice it is to...just be around him, you know? He's so quiet, which works out well because I'm loud. And he says wonderful things. He said I was beautiful, Dad. Beautiful and perfect."

"Well you are." Joe agreed. "But I'm grateful to hear someone else is telling you that. You deserve to hear it."

Julian leaned forward then too, loving that he could actually talk to his father about this. Joe was just the best person ever. "And he's gorgeous too. I love his eyes."

"Hah! You're an eye man! It must be genetic. I'm an eye man too. Your mother's eyes...woof. Not that you probably want to hear about that!" Joe winked.

"Oh come on, if walking in to find you two practically horizontal mamboing on the kitchen table isn't going to scar me for life, hearing you wax rhapsodic about Mum's eyes is not going to harm me."

"I liked her arse too. It's perfect. Like a ripe plum."

"OKAY!" Julian squeezed his eyes shut and he laughed then, because Joe was so Joe-like.

"I thought that might do it. Hey, Kiddo? I sort of wanted to talk to you about that horizontal mambo thing. I know it's not necessarily a comfortable subject, but as a father, it is my job to horrify you."

Julian shrugged. "It's okay, Dad. I don't mind talking about that stuff with you. I really don't."

"Good, that'll make this less painful." Joe leaned back then, resting against his hands so he looked a little more laid back. "I understand the repercussions of having both you and Damon living here. I wanted you to know that I, by no means, expect you to live like...well...monks. I just want you to be smart about things."

"We will be." Julian nodded. "We did kiss. There was some making out. But I'm not...I don't want to rush things. I mean...I do. Because...male. But I don't either because of the things I've been through..."

Joe nodded then, though he was smiling because it was nice to think of Julian being kissed. He had worried while Julian was growing up. Worried that Julian might not find anyone, simply for the fact that while people seemed more open to homosexuality these days, it still wasn't necessarily accepted everywhere. And any relationship Julian had might have involved a lot of hardship or hiding or any number of issues. He was relieved just to know that Julian could experience something like that and be happy. "I'm glad to hear that, Julian. About the kissing and the not rushing things. I just wanted you to know that I understand that you might sleep together. And I don't think that's wrong. I think you're old enough to make your own decisions about that."

Julian gave one rueful laugh. "Like the ones I already made? Not so brilliant..." Julian had lost his virginity to some guy he'd never known the name of, who had paid him twenty quid for the honour. And he hadn't been the last either, only the first of a long line of bad.

"No. No they certainly weren't..." Joe admitted. "But...look, that's one of the reasons why I'm not freaking out about this, Jules. You went off and you did The Stupid Thing. And you have no idea how much I wish your first sexual experiences could have been good experiences. Because I hate that they were...they must have been terrible..." Joe had to move on then, because this was territory where he could get stuck, and potentially become upset if he thought about it too much. "I know, however, that you learned from that. And as much as I wish you hadn't had to...I'm not worried anymore about you doing something potentially stupid. I know you'll be safe. And goddammit, you'd better be." He had to adds that last part because he was a father. It was true though. He might have worried about this before. But now he know what Julian had been through, and instead of making him worry more, he knew his son. He knew Julian was a brilliant kid, who learned from his mistakes.

Julian raised his hands in the air in surrender there. "Hey, I'm not going to argue with that! No more gonorrhea for Julian. Or anything else..." The HIV test he'd had to take had terrified him to the very core of his being. Oh there was no way he was going to fuck up like he had again. Ever.

"Exactly. You're not going to get someone pregnant and potentially fuck up your life. Not that you could with Damon anyway. You're not going to have unprotected sex because you know the consequences of that personally. And you're not going to rush things because you know that cheapens them. I know it sucks, Kid. Waiting for something you want. But that does make it so much sweeter when it happens. I am not worried about you fucking up. Anything you and Damon experience together is going to be wonderful. I'm not going to do bed checks or hand checks or anything else that is typically parental. It is not wrong for things to progress as they will if that's what you both want. I want you to know that. And to know I know that. They should. Feeling like you have to sneak around here will only drive you both crazy in the end. So please...don't feel like you need to hide...anything?"

Julian sat there, staring at his father for several seconds before jumping up from his chair and wrapping his arms around the larger man, in a completely adorable show of affection. "I love you, Dad." He said, not because he was pleased at being given permission to sex it up when the timing was right. He would have done that anyway, as most teenagers eventually did. But because his father had gone out of the way to tell him all this. Joe was a diamond in the rough.

Joe chuckled, wrapping his arms around his son, quite pleased to do so. He was careful because Julian was still hurt, but Julian didn't seem too worried about that at all. "I love you too."

"You make that blindingly obvious." Julian said, releasing his father from the embrace and taking a seat right beside him. "Which...thanks."

"My pleasure, Jules. So...this kiss, hmm? Okay, good, or amazing."

"Amazing." Julian said with a little grin. "Everything about him is amazing. Thank you for letting him stay here."

"Of course. I feel bad that he doesn't have anyone. Of course he's welcome here." Joe was slightly worried about money when the baby came with an extra body in the house, but they'd just have to be careful. There was no way things would get as bad as they had for Lavinia and her five children. Things would be okay, there would just have to be juggling involved. "I'm grateful for how happy he's making you. You have no idea how much I love to see that."

"No..." Julian smiled and he leaned his head against Joe's shoulder. "I think I have an idea, Dad. I really think I do."