It does Joel a world of good, too, hearing his parents speak like that about Spencer. There have been moments when he's been certain they've worried about the two of them, thought maybe perhaps they were moving too quickly, although Joel has always felt that more from his mother than from his father. Brian has always been like that, always happy to go with the flow and do whatever everyone else is doing, so long as that makes people happy. He's been accused of laziness, but Joel knows now that there's just so little that truly ruffles his father and given how uptight his mother can get now and then, he thinks they make an extremely good pair. Ellie pushes Brian to care when he might otherwise just let something go and Brian reminds Ellie to relax when something really isn't as hard as she's making it out to be. He knows that his father talked to her that first day, the one when he'd admitted to them that he was in a relationship with a man, he knows it was his father who eased her down from the confusion she mistook for anger.
And now they're here. They're wrapped up in each other, sitting naked on the floor of the library, and just outside the door, his parents are both talking about how much they love Spencer, how much they approve of their relationship and Joel just draws in a deep breath as if he's about to say something, then lets it out instead, a big smile curving his lips. He doesn't know if he could speak right now. His chest feels tight with emotion and his eyes are watering a little and all he manages is to slip his arm around Spencer and tug him closer.
"I saw a box of baby clothes in their bedroom the other day," Brian says thoughtfully and Joel freezes, looking down at Spencer with a faintly guilty expression. He had just really wanted to get that bunny onesie out of the box before Spencer managed to get rid of it somehow and so he'd brought the entire box down to go through, just in case there had been any other gems hiding under the piles of clothes. But Raleigh had needed something and he'd left the box in the middle of their bedroom, the door wide open, probably for at least an hour. Long enough for his father to see, anyway, and it's not that they're keeping their plans a secret, really, Joel just doesn't see the point in mentioning it until there's actually a surrogate involved, someone they've decided to go forward with.
"Oh, Brian," Ellie says, her voice hushed. Joel can hear her clicking Huxley's leash onto his collar and he's grateful they'll be able to make a break for the bedroom in a few minutes. "Do you think..."
"I don't know," he says. "I hope so. They would make such good parents."
"They would," Ellie agrees. "They're both smart and they both have so much more love in them than I think they realize."
Their voices are getting distance, they're taking Huxley outside and Joel thinks they should move, but he's too busy blinking up at the ceiling, trying not to let his parents' words overwhelm him. It's not that his parents have ever been terribly uncommunicative with their feelings, he's always felt very loved and accepted, and he knows they've always believed the best of him, but there's something so different in hearing kind things said when someone thinks no one else is listening. It means more. It's special.
The front door opens and closes again, and Joel looks over at Spencer, his eyes shining. "I love you, too," he says, pressing a kiss against his mouth. "And so do my parents. And so will our baby."
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And now they're here. They're wrapped up in each other, sitting naked on the floor of the library, and just outside the door, his parents are both talking about how much they love Spencer, how much they approve of their relationship and Joel just draws in a deep breath as if he's about to say something, then lets it out instead, a big smile curving his lips. He doesn't know if he could speak right now. His chest feels tight with emotion and his eyes are watering a little and all he manages is to slip his arm around Spencer and tug him closer.
"I saw a box of baby clothes in their bedroom the other day," Brian says thoughtfully and Joel freezes, looking down at Spencer with a faintly guilty expression. He had just really wanted to get that bunny onesie out of the box before Spencer managed to get rid of it somehow and so he'd brought the entire box down to go through, just in case there had been any other gems hiding under the piles of clothes. But Raleigh had needed something and he'd left the box in the middle of their bedroom, the door wide open, probably for at least an hour. Long enough for his father to see, anyway, and it's not that they're keeping their plans a secret, really, Joel just doesn't see the point in mentioning it until there's actually a surrogate involved, someone they've decided to go forward with.
"Oh, Brian," Ellie says, her voice hushed. Joel can hear her clicking Huxley's leash onto his collar and he's grateful they'll be able to make a break for the bedroom in a few minutes. "Do you think..."
"I don't know," he says. "I hope so. They would make such good parents."
"They would," Ellie agrees. "They're both smart and they both have so much more love in them than I think they realize."
Their voices are getting distance, they're taking Huxley outside and Joel thinks they should move, but he's too busy blinking up at the ceiling, trying not to let his parents' words overwhelm him. It's not that his parents have ever been terribly uncommunicative with their feelings, he's always felt very loved and accepted, and he knows they've always believed the best of him, but there's something so different in hearing kind things said when someone thinks no one else is listening. It means more. It's special.
The front door opens and closes again, and Joel looks over at Spencer, his eyes shining. "I love you, too," he says, pressing a kiss against his mouth. "And so do my parents. And so will our baby."