Sam Worthington (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sam_worthington) wrote2017-11-16 03:50 pm
sam_worthington) wrote2017-11-16 03:50 pm
Sam Worthington and ryan_kwanten: breaking the news to Sam's parents
players only. backdated. takes place after Sam comes out during this interview.
Settled against the other end of the couch, his legs entangled with Ryan's, Sam picks up his phone and rings his parents. He's not really sure what to expect. The last time he called them with news of this magnitude, his dad had been a real ass, but it's been enough years and enough time for Ron to get used to his being with a man, knowing he was going to come out at some point, that Sam's hoping for a better result this call. Luckily his mum answers. "Hey Mum, it's me."
Jeanne's smile comes right through the line as she says, "Hi hun, how are you? How's Ryan?"
Faint and thin as the voice is from several feet away, Ryan can tell Jeanne asked about him first thing, and it makes him smile. He snags a bottle of lotion from the coffee table and pulls one of Sam's bare feet into his lap to while away the call.
Sam gives her a brief rundown of their week, finding out about hers before he finally steels himself and asks if his dad's around. "I have something I want to tell you both."
Jeanne frets for a moment, but no, Sam sounds happy enough and she's sure he would have told them if he and Ryan were having problems. "Hold on. I'll get him." She covers the mouthpiece with her hand and yells, "Ron! Sam wants to talk to us."
Sam makes a silly face at Ryan, covering for his nervousness, his body warring with his brain as Ryan's foot rub makes at least half of him relax. "She's getting him."
"All right." Ryan nods with a smile for his lover. "It's going to be great," he assures him, stroking his thumb expertly over the arch of Sam's foot. He loves when he gets to use the skills he learned in a Citadel reflexology seminar.
"Easy for you to say, you with the totally accepting parents," Sam teases, rolling his eyes, but at least he's smiling.
"Hey, you've never even asked me what it was like when I came out to my family. My father was on the phone, saying, 'I can't hear you.' So like an idiot I told him again," Ryan explains quietly, not wanting their conversation to be overheard on the Worthington side of the call. "And he said, 'No, I can't hear you.' Then two months of him leaving the room whenever I'd ring home."
Fuck. Sam exhales softly. "I'm sorry. You and they come across like they just accepted it. It didn't even occur to me you'd had to go through them... adjusting." And maybe that's something they should talk about, because Sam should have known. Should have asked. Shouldn't have just assumed. But his mum's back on the phone and he holds up a finger, letting Ryan know. "Hey, Dad."
"Sam." Ron smiles even though he's on tenterhooks. News that needs them both is never small. "Your mum's put you on speakerphone. What's up?"
"I wanted to let you know, I did an interview the other day, it'll come out around the end of the month, and -- I wanted you guys to know first - before it hits all the papers and online and all that," Sam says, taking a deep breath before he rushes on, "I came out. I told the interviewer we're married."
Ryan's hands still, and he realizes he's holding his breath, watching Sam. Waiting.
There's silence on the other end as well and a sudden wave of nausea washes over Sam. He can't do this again. Deal with his dad's disapproval, his distaste.
Ron glances at Jeanne but she waves at him. You handle it. The message is clear. He knows how she feels about the whole thing - and so does Sam - so it's really his reaction his son's wanting. "Good for you," he says finally, sitting down at the table beside Jeanne and the phone. "Are you happy with the interview?"
It takes a minute for the words to sink in, especially the first part, and Sam tears up, his throat suddenly dry and tight. "Yeah, real happy," he says, the words strange in his mouth. "She was a really good interviewer. Didn't pry or anything. She would've backed off if I'd told her to but I was just so sick of pretending, of not just coming right out and saying we're together."
It takes a moment, but then Ryan ducks his head to hide the sudden moisture in his own eyes. A wide smile spreads across his face. He can no longer make out any of the words on the other end of the call, but it doesn't matter -- he can read his lover's expressions like a book after their years together. Not to mention he can feel tension easing from Sam's muscles.
It's not a long call after that. Ron asks a few more questions to make sure Sam knows he's accepting of his decision and he asks Sam to let them know exactly when the article will be out. "Are you planning on making it over here soon?" he asks finally. "We'd like to see you both again while you're down this way."
"We're going to be down this way for a bit," Sam says with a grin, "but yeah. Um. Let me ask Ryan. He keeps the calendar." And now it's his turn to cover the phone. "They want to know when we can pop over for a visit?"
"Hang on," Ryan says, and digs his phone out of his pocket so he can check Sam's calendar. "Next month... you have a few days off before you have to be back here. We could be there the sixth and seventh if they want," he says, his heart racing as he looks at his lover.
Those dates work for Ron and Jeanne so everyone slots the visit in and Sam says goodbye, still feeling a little off-kilter when he hangs up. "That went well," he says to Ryan.
Ryan grins at him, so happy for his lover he could burst. "You look a little shell-shocked," he points out, crawling over to straddle Sam's lap.
Sam wraps his arms around Ryan and pulls him in close, hugging him hard for a second. "I am. He's just -- I was all ready for him to be a jerk."
"That wouldn't be unprecedented," Ryan points out. "I mean, your dad loves you, but he's really got the hang of the 'tough love' bit, you know?" He brushes a kiss over Sam's lips. "I'm proud of you. That was really courageous. And... you're my favorite superhero."
Sam laughs. "With a really stupid superpower?"
"What are you talking about? You've got the most powerful superpowers ever," Ryan insists. He winks. "You beat me every time."
Sam groans then grins and kisses Ryan thoroughly. "I love you," he says, smiling up at his boy.
"I love you," Ryan murmurs, feeling as always like he's strung on a hot wire when Sam looks at him that way -- he could go any direction, but regardless he's falling. "Do you feel ready?"
"No," Sam answers honestly, deadpan, then laughs. Maybe he should stop at calling his parents. Leave Tom for another day, but no. "Yeah, I guess so. Ready as I'll ever be."
[feedback welcome. comments screened]
Settled against the other end of the couch, his legs entangled with Ryan's, Sam picks up his phone and rings his parents. He's not really sure what to expect. The last time he called them with news of this magnitude, his dad had been a real ass, but it's been enough years and enough time for Ron to get used to his being with a man, knowing he was going to come out at some point, that Sam's hoping for a better result this call. Luckily his mum answers. "Hey Mum, it's me."
Jeanne's smile comes right through the line as she says, "Hi hun, how are you? How's Ryan?"
Faint and thin as the voice is from several feet away, Ryan can tell Jeanne asked about him first thing, and it makes him smile. He snags a bottle of lotion from the coffee table and pulls one of Sam's bare feet into his lap to while away the call.
Sam gives her a brief rundown of their week, finding out about hers before he finally steels himself and asks if his dad's around. "I have something I want to tell you both."
Jeanne frets for a moment, but no, Sam sounds happy enough and she's sure he would have told them if he and Ryan were having problems. "Hold on. I'll get him." She covers the mouthpiece with her hand and yells, "Ron! Sam wants to talk to us."
Sam makes a silly face at Ryan, covering for his nervousness, his body warring with his brain as Ryan's foot rub makes at least half of him relax. "She's getting him."
"All right." Ryan nods with a smile for his lover. "It's going to be great," he assures him, stroking his thumb expertly over the arch of Sam's foot. He loves when he gets to use the skills he learned in a Citadel reflexology seminar.
"Easy for you to say, you with the totally accepting parents," Sam teases, rolling his eyes, but at least he's smiling.
"Hey, you've never even asked me what it was like when I came out to my family. My father was on the phone, saying, 'I can't hear you.' So like an idiot I told him again," Ryan explains quietly, not wanting their conversation to be overheard on the Worthington side of the call. "And he said, 'No, I can't hear you.' Then two months of him leaving the room whenever I'd ring home."
Fuck. Sam exhales softly. "I'm sorry. You and they come across like they just accepted it. It didn't even occur to me you'd had to go through them... adjusting." And maybe that's something they should talk about, because Sam should have known. Should have asked. Shouldn't have just assumed. But his mum's back on the phone and he holds up a finger, letting Ryan know. "Hey, Dad."
"Sam." Ron smiles even though he's on tenterhooks. News that needs them both is never small. "Your mum's put you on speakerphone. What's up?"
"I wanted to let you know, I did an interview the other day, it'll come out around the end of the month, and -- I wanted you guys to know first - before it hits all the papers and online and all that," Sam says, taking a deep breath before he rushes on, "I came out. I told the interviewer we're married."
Ryan's hands still, and he realizes he's holding his breath, watching Sam. Waiting.
There's silence on the other end as well and a sudden wave of nausea washes over Sam. He can't do this again. Deal with his dad's disapproval, his distaste.
Ron glances at Jeanne but she waves at him. You handle it. The message is clear. He knows how she feels about the whole thing - and so does Sam - so it's really his reaction his son's wanting. "Good for you," he says finally, sitting down at the table beside Jeanne and the phone. "Are you happy with the interview?"
It takes a minute for the words to sink in, especially the first part, and Sam tears up, his throat suddenly dry and tight. "Yeah, real happy," he says, the words strange in his mouth. "She was a really good interviewer. Didn't pry or anything. She would've backed off if I'd told her to but I was just so sick of pretending, of not just coming right out and saying we're together."
It takes a moment, but then Ryan ducks his head to hide the sudden moisture in his own eyes. A wide smile spreads across his face. He can no longer make out any of the words on the other end of the call, but it doesn't matter -- he can read his lover's expressions like a book after their years together. Not to mention he can feel tension easing from Sam's muscles.
It's not a long call after that. Ron asks a few more questions to make sure Sam knows he's accepting of his decision and he asks Sam to let them know exactly when the article will be out. "Are you planning on making it over here soon?" he asks finally. "We'd like to see you both again while you're down this way."
"We're going to be down this way for a bit," Sam says with a grin, "but yeah. Um. Let me ask Ryan. He keeps the calendar." And now it's his turn to cover the phone. "They want to know when we can pop over for a visit?"
"Hang on," Ryan says, and digs his phone out of his pocket so he can check Sam's calendar. "Next month... you have a few days off before you have to be back here. We could be there the sixth and seventh if they want," he says, his heart racing as he looks at his lover.
Those dates work for Ron and Jeanne so everyone slots the visit in and Sam says goodbye, still feeling a little off-kilter when he hangs up. "That went well," he says to Ryan.
Ryan grins at him, so happy for his lover he could burst. "You look a little shell-shocked," he points out, crawling over to straddle Sam's lap.
Sam wraps his arms around Ryan and pulls him in close, hugging him hard for a second. "I am. He's just -- I was all ready for him to be a jerk."
"That wouldn't be unprecedented," Ryan points out. "I mean, your dad loves you, but he's really got the hang of the 'tough love' bit, you know?" He brushes a kiss over Sam's lips. "I'm proud of you. That was really courageous. And... you're my favorite superhero."
Sam laughs. "With a really stupid superpower?"
"What are you talking about? You've got the most powerful superpowers ever," Ryan insists. He winks. "You beat me every time."
Sam groans then grins and kisses Ryan thoroughly. "I love you," he says, smiling up at his boy.
"I love you," Ryan murmurs, feeling as always like he's strung on a hot wire when Sam looks at him that way -- he could go any direction, but regardless he's falling. "Do you feel ready?"
"No," Sam answers honestly, deadpan, then laughs. Maybe he should stop at calling his parents. Leave Tom for another day, but no. "Yeah, I guess so. Ready as I'll ever be."
[feedback welcome. comments screened]