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Robby had always made assumptions about the relationship between Dennis and his family. Mostly based on the way Dennis had imprinted on him when he first started at the Pitt, he assumed their relationship was strained. Especially the one with his dad.
But once they started dating Dennis talked more about his family and Robby realised he loved them a lot. He always talked about his mum’s cooking and how she’d filled their home with love. He talked about how his brothers were loud and rowdy but always fiercely protective of their youngest brother. And his dad? Robby quickly found out that Dennis adored his dad, the man was perfect in his eyes and did everything and anything for his baby son.
Despite Robby’s assumptions, it turned out that Dennis was the biggest Daddy’s boy ever.
His dad had always known that his Denny was different to the four boys that came before him. While his brothers were rolling around in the mud and kicking the football around, Dennis was making daisy chains for his daddy to wear as he worked on the farm. As they got older his brothers would help out on the farm while Dennis preferred to help out his mother with the chores. His Denny was softer than his other boys and needed a gentler hand when it came to raising him. He never shouted, never mocked Dennis’s special interests, always held him when he cried, always praised him.
Robby knew, and on some level he assumed Dennis knew, that would have been hard for a man of his generation and background to do so he fully understood why Dennis believed his father was the greatest man who ever lived.
Robby wasn’t going to lie, he was extremely nervous about meeting Dennis’s family, particularly his dad. He highly doubted the man would be thrilled when he saw Robby hovering around his son. But he’d promised Dennis and he just had to be brave.
Dennis was practically vibrating next to him in the airport, bouncing on his feet every time people walked through arrivals in case it was his parents. They’d never visited Dennis before because he’d never had a place for them to stay and, after sinking all their money into Dennis’s education, they could hardly afford the plane tickets or a hotel.
But now he had a boyfriend with a spare room and enough disposable income to pay for the tickets – although Dennis did say it was from his pay cheque to avoid his parent’s embarrassment.
“That’s them!” Dennis shouted, his excited scream echoing around the large airport. Before Robby could respond, Dennis was off. He ran at the couple, expertly avoiding other passengers, and was lifted into a big, bear hug by a huge, burly man. His mum barely got a look in as Dennis clung to his dad. But she didn’t seem to mind, instead watched the whole scene with a pleased smile.
“Daddy, come meet Robby!” Dennis said, dragging his dad by the hand towards his boyfriend.
Suddenly, that soft smile for Dennis had dropped and was replaced by a stony frown when he came to a stop in front of Robby. He didn’t hide his displeasure which caused Robby to swallow nervously. Least Dennis’s mum was smiling at him over her husband’s shoulder.
“Robby, this is John and Anna-Marie.” Dennis introduced them with a huge smile on his face. “This is Robby.”
“Hello sir.” Robby awkwardly greeted, despite being only a few years younger than him. He was slightly shorter than Robby but no less intimidating. Robby unexpectedly felt like he was 16 again and had to promise to bring his date home before curfew.
He stuck his hand out to shake but John just stared at it like it had personally offended him. Luckily, Anna-Marie stepped in to defuse the tension.
“Hi Robby!” She hugged him, as if they were old friends. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Denny has told us so much about you!”
“Hm.” John grunted, giving him the once over. Dennis might have told them a lot about him but Robby was willing to bet he left out his age.
“Be nice!” Dennis hissed at his dad.
“I am being nice, he’s lucky there’s not a shotgun between us.”
“Oh, stop it!” Anna-Marie said, gently slapping him on the shoulder. “Ignore him Robby, he’s a pussycat underneath it all.”
With no hesitation, she took Robby by the arm and led him out of the airport. As they walked, she asked him about his job, his friends, his family, his relationship with Dennis. And although he could hear Dennis prattling away behind him to his dad, he could feel his eyes glaring into the back of his head.
~~~
The drive back to Robby’s place had been strained, Dennis and his mum filling in the silence with constant chatter from the back seat while Robby and John sat up front. Robby attempted to make small talk but he got nothing in return beyond the occasional grunt of acknowledgement.
Somehow, Robby had found himself alone again with John once they were back at the house. Dennis had insisted the pair of them sit and have a drink while he and his mother cooked. Robby could tell Dennis was desperate for them to get on, his father’s approval was very important to him.
Robby had long given up on small talk so the pair of them sat in an awkward silence, staring at their drinks. The occasional clinking of ice against the glass the only sound.
“Michael.” John said, breaking the silence. Robby nearly choked on his drink, feeling like a kid again who was about to get into trouble because that was the only time he got called Michael, and in a way he supposed he was about to get a telling off. Growing up he was Mikey, then as a teenager it was shortened to Mike and then once he went to medical school he became Robby. Never Michael.
“Yeah?” He cleared his throat. Robby turned slightly to look at the other man but he continued to stare down at his drink.
“He’s vulnerable is my Denny, needs protecting in a way my other boys don’t. He sees the good in people but then they can take advantage of his kind nature.” John swirled the ice around his glass, Robby didn’t speak because he could tell them man had more to say. He was building to something important. “This isn’t the first time he’s fallen head over heels for a man that doesn’t feel the same, he gives his heart out easily but that means it gets broken just as quickly.”
“I do…” Robby started to defend himself but quickly got cut off.
“What are your intentions with my boy?” John asked, snapping his head up to look in Robby’s eyes. “He’s quite a piece younger, in a completely different life stage to you. If I remember correctly, you are his boss, so what do you want from him?”
Robby could finally see what Anna-Marie meant, underneath was a pussycat who just cared a lot about his son. He didn’t want him to be taken advantage of, give his heart to another man who wouldn’t look after it in the way it deserved.
“I know what our relationship looks like from the outside but I would do anything for your son. I adore him and I just want to love him for as long as he’ll let me. No further intentions than that.”
“Hmm.” He grunted, but it lacked some of the earlier anger.
“You’ve raised a good man and every single day I count my lucky stars that he loves me like I love him. I know you’re worried about him but he touched my heart the first day I met him so if anyone should be worried about their heart being broken it’s me. He’s very important to me, just like he is to you, and I promise to look after him and love him for the rest of my life.”
Robby could see the edges of John thawing slightly, there was still a hesitancy there but it was definitely smaller than before.
“Thank you.” He nodded, knocking his drink back and signalling the end of their heart to heart.
Robby attempted small talk again and finally got some responses, he could tell Dennis was thrilled when he walked back into the room and they were actually talking to each other. John frowned slightly when Dennis sat on the arm of the chair and draped himself across Robby’s shoulder but at least he didn’t go mute again. As they ate dinner, Robby could feel Dennis’s hand slip into his and give it a squeeze, a silent ‘thank you’ for winning over his dad. Dennis never doubted him, he knew Robby could charm anybody when he tried.
The rest of the visit still had its awkward moments but John could see Robby truly loved his boy and did slowly warm up to him. Even if he did send a picture of his beloved shotgun to Robby when he got home with the warning to never break his Denny’s heart.