Chapter Text
The boy had tears on his cheeks, and he was stood desperately by the front gate with nothing but a rucksack and a plastic bag of paints in his hands; he was cold, without even a coat despite it being three days to Christmas, and he was so frightened. He knew that his mother hated him for his sexuality, hated the idea that he wanted to spend his life with another man, even when that man was Oliver Hutton- he just hadn’t expected to find a handful of his clothes on the doorstep and the locks changed.
Freddie yawned and walked down the path, clicking open the lock on the gate. He took one look at Giovanni and hugged him immediately, seeing how upset, how incredibly downtrodden he looked. “Darling, what’s the matter?” He asked.
“My mum-” He burst into tears again, clinging to Freddie; he reminded him so much of what he could remember of his own father, and all he wanted was that familiarity, that comfort, someone to look after him.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Freddie said gently, rubbing his back comfortingly. “Why don’t you come inside, sweetheart, it’s just freezing out here.”
Giovanni let himself be led inside, and Freddie seemed to immediately swing into action; soon, he was curled up on the sofa, surrounded by blankets, with a warm cup of tea in his hands. He finally felt himself calm down - Freddie was lovely, he’d come to know, and he hoped that he could at least not spend the next few hours trying to find cardboard to sleep on that night. It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Olly’s at work, I’m afraid.” Freddie came back into the room with his own mug and sat opposite Giovanni. “So he’ll be back around five. Until then, darling, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“I-” He looked down, dejected and shameful. “I was kicked out.”
Freddie’s eyes widened quickly. “Are those bags your things?”
“Yeah.” Giovanni whispered miserably. “She threw it out on the street.”
“You have to stay here.” Freddie said immediately. “I’m not having a member of my family sleeping out on the streets. I’ve been there, and I hope to God that no one else ever has to go through it.”
Giovanni looked up quickly. “Here?” He asked.
“Yes, here. I’m sure Olly won’t mind sharing his room with you.” Freddie smiled.
“But we’re- you know.” He murmured.
“You’re in love, I know. You’re adults, I’m not going to separate you. I think that sharing a bed is actually a wonderful thing. I practically moved in with Jim the second time I met him.” Freddie chuckled.
“Are there any rules?” He asked shyly. “I mean, I’m guessing we can’t..?”
“Keep it quiet.” Freddie smirked behind his mug and sipped his tea. “My youngest is fourteen, so just think about how you conduct yourselves. In general, though, just don’t be a lounger. Do something with your time.”
“How much should I pay you for rent? Do I need to get a new job?” He asked quickly.
“Oh, I don’t care about money. You don’t have to have a job, for me. Just do something with your time, go to class, get work experience, practice painting, send out letters for your dream job.” Freddie smiled. “Which reminds me, I got the names of a couple of people you should contact. Some of them are at the Royal, some of them are National Theatre, so you can take your pick.”
“Are you serious?” Giovanni’s eyes widened and he broke into the biggest smile. “Oh my God, Freddie!”
Freddie chuckled as the boy threw his arms around him and rubbed his back comfortingly. “I told you, you’re family. As long as Olly is in love with you, and as long as you treat him well, then you’re family.”
“Thank you.” Giovanni murmured, shyly letting go of him. “I’ve- I’ve had a lot of problems with my family. I’m not really used to all of this.”
“Then this is the perfect family for you. Olly was abandoned by his mother, Talulah and Reuben were both abused by their father, and Luna’s mother gave her up before she was born. I never had a relationship with my father until I was in my mid-twenties, my mother kicked me out on the street, and Jim’s relationship with his parents was a little strained because of his sexuality.” Freddie recounted. “And we’re all mostly past that now, because we formed our own little family.”
Giovanni wiped his eyes and he smiled. “I like that.”
“You just have to look after him.” Freddie smiled in return. “I won’t make this embarrassing and threaten to like- have you beaten up, or anything, because that’s not how I do it. I don’t even mind if you split up with him, so long as you do it like adults, and you don’t hurt him unnecessarily. But he really loves you, and you’d be a fool to pass up on that.”
“I really love him.” He whispered, his smile brightening a little. “I- I think I’d like to marry him one day. I know that most people say that you can’t meet your soulmate when you’re so young but he- he’s really special to me.”
“I think the whole age thing is bullshit.” Freddie shrugged. “I met Jim at eighteen. I think when you know, you’ll know.”
“Good evening, boys!” Freddie smiled as Jim and Oliver came through the door, hair dripping with rainwater. “What have you done with my daughter?”
“She’s on a date, don’t you know.” Jim winked at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “How was your day off?”
“Oh, it was wonderful!” Freddie broke away from the embrace and turned to his son. “Olly, darling, I’ve put a present for you upstairs. It might help you warm up a little.”
Freddie was forever buying him little things when he went to Bloch, a new pair of warm-up boots or tights, or a book, or a new blanket; he was used to little tidbit gifts designed to put a smile on his face. “Thank you.” He smiled, kissing Freddie’s cheek before he ran upstairs. He gasped when he saw Giovanni sprawled on his bed, deeply engrossed on the book he’d left out on his bedside table. “Gio!” He said excitedly.
“Giovanni was kicked out by his mother.” Freddie murmured in Jim’s ear. “He had nowhere else to go, poor lamb. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being out on the streets, and he had no money for a hotel.”
“Is he going to stay with us for a while?” Jim asked curiously.
“As long as he needs.” Freddie said certainly. “I imagine the boys will probably want to go and get their own place before long, but that makes me feel all strange. I don’t like the idea of Olly moving out.”
“The house is going to be even busier.” Jim chuckled. “It’s good to know that he’s safe. It would break Olly’s heart if we didn’t accept him here.”
“Exactly.” Freddie nodded. “Tea?”
“Hello, baby.” Giovanni smiled, looking up at his boyfriend and holding an arm out for him. “Oh, you’re soaked!” He laughed as Oliver landed in his arms.
“Why are you here?” He asked with a giggle. “Have you been talking to my dad? Has he said anything embarrassing?”
“I’ve been chatting to him.” Gio pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Olly, darling, I’m going to be staying for a little while.”
Oliver gasped excitedly. “Really? Dad says that’s okay?”
“He suggested it.” Giovanni grinned, meeting his lips in a soft, sweet, slow kiss. “My mum- I told her about you. She kicked me out.” He tried to look strong, though Oliver could see a little crack in his confidence. “Freddie insisted that I stay for as long as I need to.”
“Oh, darling-” Oliver cupped his cheek gently. “Are you doing okay?”
“I was quite upset.” He admitted. “But you were right, your dad is brilliant. He made me tea and cooked me lunch and everything.”
“Did he say anything embarrassing?” Oliver asked again, settling down against his chest, soft and comfortable.
“He basically looked me in the eye and told me he didn’t mind if we fucked.” Giovanni laughed and grabbed a blanket to cover them when he felt that Oliver was shivering. “But that we had to keep it quiet.”
Oliver groaned, cheeks flushing, and hid his face in Gio’s chest. “I’m sorry.” He squeaked.
“It’s alright, baby, he didn’t make it weird or anything. I asked if he wanted us separate, and he said he didn’t care what we did, so long as we were quiet.” He chuckled. “I really love your family.”
“I love them.” Oliver said quietly. “You know, he told me about my birth parents when I was- I must’ve been fourteen, there or thereabouts. They used to smack me a lot, he said, and I was covered in bruises. Then one day they just dumped me on the doorstep of an adoption agency in the middle of the night, and they told me to stay there and not move. They never came back for me. I spent months in a children’s home, and then Freddie came to visit me.” He smiled. “I was lucky that he took to me.”
“Wait, Freddie isn’t your real dad?” He asked.
“Yes, he’s my real dad.” He said, frowning a little. “But he’s not my biological dad. Did I never tell you that I’m adopted?”
“No.” Gio said quietly. “Sorry, baby, I didn’t think. Of course he’s your real dad.”
“People always use that term. I don’t like it.” He said honestly. “We’re all adopted. Dad and Pop don’t have any biological kids of their own.”
“I’m glad Freddie chose you. You deserve to have a good childhood.” Gio kissed his cheek.
“I had an amazing childhood. There was- there was nothing I couldn’t do, as a kid. I wanted to dance, he took me to tots classes. I wanted to play piano, Pop sat down and taught me, key by key. I wanted to go to White Lodge, Dad helped me find the right audition piece that had them fawning over me. Nothing stopped me, nothing held me back.” Oliver smiled. “I could do anything and everything.”
“I want you to be that happy with me.” Giovanni smiled. “I want to be with you while you conquer the world.”
Oliver smiled and traced a love heart on his side. “You know, if you are going to stay with us, you need to know about Dad. He- he’s got PTSD, he can have some awful panic attacks, it can be a little scary sometimes. He’s been really good for years now, it’s all under control, it doesn’t happen too often. I just don’t want you to be freaked out by it.”
“That doesn’t bother me.” Gio promised. “Thank you for letting me know, though.”
“It only happens if he’s stressed or upset, and he’s been fine recently. It probably hasn’t happened for a good few months now.” Oliver smiled. “When he was my age, he was in a relationship with a much older man, and the guy treated him pretty badly. He went to prison for it.” He explained. “It was like twenty years ago now, and the guy’s dead, but something can still sometimes trigger him.”
Giovanni just smiled a little. “Your family doesn’t need to be perfect, darling. It’s already a hell of a lot better than anything I’ve ever had before.”
The knock on the door was loud and resounding, and Freddie stood up from his seat at the dining table. “I’ll get it.” He kissed Jim’s cheek and went out into the hallway, unlocking the door quickly; he assumed it might be his mother, or maybe Jim’s, or Olga or Kash or any number of their friends.
“Do you know your son’s a faggot?” A woman spat, looking furious.
Freddie was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of words. “Excuse me?”
“Do you know that your son’s a faggot?” She asked again. “He’s been fucking my son.”
“You must be Giovanni’s mother.” Freddie said, injecting as much brightness into his voice as he could muster. “It’s lovely to meet you, truly.”
“Did you know?” She asked again, put out by the sunshine-sweet smile on his face.
“Jim, darling?” Freddie called, watching the mild annoyance on her face blossom to rage. “Could you come here a second?”
Jim appeared a moment later and Freddie kissed him, full and unashamed. “Thank you for interrupting your dinner, darling. This woman is asking me if I know that my son is, in her words, a faggot, and I’m quite unsure how to explain to her that it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
Jim saw the game he was playing immediately and grinned, cupping his cheek. “Remind me, sweetheart, is it because we don’t care? Or is it because we brought the children up in an environment where nothing was wrong, and they were allowed to be whoever they wanted to be?”
“Honestly, my love, I can’t remember.” Freddie held back his pleased smirk when he saw her, aghast. “I’m trying to think how to tell her that he’s been out since he was sixteen and how much he wasn’t worried about telling us.”
“Of course you’re faggots too.” She muttered in disgust.
“That’s right!” Freddie turned to her. “Because faggotry is actually passed on genetically. You should write a research paper on it.”
“Even though Oliver isn’t our biological son.” Jim pointed out.
“Shit, baby, that’s so true! Maybe it’s something to do with giving the children a space to have whatever identity they want to.” Freddie mused. “And loving them unconditionally, like all parents promise to do.”
“Listen here, I won’t have you corrupt-”
“Goodbye!” Jim called, closing the door, and then bursting out laughing. “God, you’re so aggravating.” He snorted, pinching Freddie’s cheek.
“You know, I haven’t been called a faggot since eighty-two.” Freddie leaned his hip against the sideboard in the hallway. “I thought we got past that shit when I did that interview where I said yes, I’ve got a husband, yes, I’ve got four kids, and yes, I like taking it up the ass, and then they realised I was actually really boring because I didn’t cheat on you and I didn’t go to sex clubs and whatever.”
“Freddie!” Jim burst out laughing again and covered his mouth. “The fucking kids can hear you!”
Freddie’s cheeks pinkened but he smiled resolutely. “We all learn things about our parents that we never needed to know.”
They were interrupted by a key in the lock; Talulah stepped in a moment later, looking simultaneously beautiful and confused. “There’s a woman on the garden path that just called me a dyke.”
“Yes, darling, that Giovanni’s mother. As you can tell, she’s a real sweetheart.” Freddie said sarcastically. “You look very pretty.”
She held out the skirts of her dress and curtsied playfully. “He bought me dinner.” She said proudly.
“You know, I’ll have to meet this mystery man before long, sweetheart.” Jim chuckled. “I need to see that he’s right for my princess.”
“He’s lovely, Pop.” She kissed his cheek. “You’ll just love him, I’m sure.” She promised, heading for the stairs.
“Oh, before you go.” Freddie said quickly, and then lowered his voice. “Gio’s going to be staying with us for a while. As you can tell, his mother’s a real homophobe, and she didn’t take well to having a gay son.”
“Okay.” She agreed. “Is he staying with Olly?”
“Yes, darling. Just so you’re not confused if you stumble into him at three in the morning.” Freddie chuckled.
“Okay!” She repeated, running up a few stairs before she paused. “Daddy, can we work on some fouettés later? Olga wants me to debut as Odette in Swan Lake in spring.” She smiled proudly. “But that means I have to do Odile, too, and that means thirty-two fouettés.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” He agreed. “We’re just going to finish dinner.”
“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve gotten undressed around you without us having sex.” Oliver chuckled, pulling his t-shirt over his head.
“I like being so close to you.” Giovanni wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed his forehead. “This is going to save me a fortune in cheap hotel rooms.”
“Maybe we can fuck on a bed that isn’t going to squeak with every thrust.” Oliver laughed, kissing his lips and flopping back on the bed. “Come here.”
Giovanni lay beside him and pulled him close. “Love you, baby.” He murmured.
Oliver closed his eyes contentedly as they kissed together. “I love you too.” He whispered. “I’m glad you’ve made such a good impression.”
“I’m glad your family is so lovely.” He sighed happily. “I almost feel like they’re my dad, and my pop. They just- they completely accepted me from the beginning. They didn’t seem worried about you having a boyfriend at all.”
“Oh, they’re scared shitless.” Oliver shrugged. “That’s probably why they like having you here. You can’t beat the shit out of me if they’re in earshot.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” He mused. “You know I’d never hurt you, baby, don’t you?”
“I know.” Oliver knelt beside him and smiled wickedly before he broke into a laugh. “Because I’d kick your ass first.”