Father and Son Episode Thirty-Eight: Bringing Home the Catch
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A young golden Alaskan huskie stood at the doorway to a giant gymnasium in the center of a community center. All around him were kids he didn't know doing lots of different sports. "Ulp..." The puppy continued in after building up his nerves, and saw older kids wrestling off in the distance. "Woooow...Cool! That's what I want to do!" The young dog broke into a sprint to get to the mats, but was quickly stopped by a young polar bear.
"Hey! You can't just jump in with the big kids!" The cub appeared to be only a year older than the puppy, and was incredibly confident. "You new here?"
"Uh, yeah...It's my first day..." The puppy smiled widely, his tail wagging. "I'm Darius!"
"Well I'm Omar." Omar posed proudly. "I've been here for a whole year!"
"Woooow...." Darius stared in awe.
"I'm the best of our group, and my dad tells me that makes me the alpha male." Omar smirked. "That means I'm the leader and you follow my lead."
"Well...Okay." Darius could tell the bear cub knew what he was doing, and agreed to his terms.
"Alright!" Omar put a hand on Darius' shoulder and walked with him. "Just stick close to me, and I'll show you all the secret moves that I know!"
"Oooh!" Darius got really excited. "Let's be best buddies!"
"Alright, best buddies it is!" Omar smiled at the puppy brightly.
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Darius and Omar dragged their bags out to Darius' truck and threw them into the back.
"Alright you two, we'll try to keep it under a week..." Omar fumbled with his key ring, unhooking a set of keys. "Keep an eye on the place and good luck with the gym."
"We won't let you down Omar." James took the keys from Omar and gave him a warm smirk. "Go take your husband home to your parents with pride. You two are both fine men, and you should have a fuckton of pride in that."
"And hurry back!" Lars hugged Omar. "We'll be right here waiting for you two..."
"Thanks you guys..." Darius got into the driver’s seat of his truck, smiling warmly at the two. "We won't be long..."
"Yeah, don't go worrying about us...." Omar was about to get into the passenger's seat when he stopped for a second. "Oh wait...." Omar reached into his pockets and fumbled with his keys again. "Lars."
"Huh?" Lars nodded to Omar.
"Here!" Omar tossed Lars a set of car keys. "You want to keep my truck running?"
"YES!" Lars jumped up into the air with the keys. "YES YES YES!"
"No." James grabbed Lars' arms mid-jump, leaving him hanging in the air.
"Come on, ease up James." Omar nodded. "Let Lars have some fun. I trust him."
"Hmph...." James grumbled. "....Just...Be careful Larson." James let Lars go.
"ALRIGHT! I HAVE A TRUCK OF MY OWN!" Lars bounced around. "No more bus fare for me!"
"Be sure to keep the tank full!" Omar laughed as he got into Darius' truck. ".....You ready Darius?"
"Yeah...I'm ready..." Darius let out a heavy sigh.
"Hey...." Omar held onto Darius' hand. "I.....I love you Darius....And I want them to know..."
"Right...." Darius started the truck. "Then let's GO!"
"See ya later!" Lars waved.
"Good luck you two!" James gave them a thumbs-up.
Darius slowly backed out of the driveway. "You two take care of the gym!" Darius smirked. "We're counting on you!" Shifting the truck into Drive, Darius started down the road.
Time passed by as they left the city. Every once in a while, their eyes would meet and they couldn't help but smile. Omar looked out at the empty, rural road and as the wind blew through his hair and he smiled. "...Yeah....This is it..." Omar looked at Darius as he lazily held the wheel just firm enough to keep going straight. "This is what I want....I'm happy...With him..."
Darius smiled over at Omar. "What are you thinking about, big guy?"
Omar popped out of his thoughts abruptly. "Oh! Nothing important..." Omar smiled, returning his eyes to the road and watching as a city appeared on the horizon. "Darius....Mr. and Mrs. Smith....Are they really cool....with us?" Omar blushed a bit.
"Of course they are!" Darius nodded happily. "Hell, they were the ones cheering me on when I tried to lay down the moves on you back when we were teens..." Darius chuckled. "I didn't even have to really come out to them because, as my dad said, 'Detriam, If you turned out straight after snuggling' up with that Omar all the time, I'd think there was something wrong with you."
Omar chuckled nervously. "Hehe, really? I don't think mom would have been like that....or dad...." Omar spoke silently as his smile faded away. "...They always wanted me to have a hot wife and carry on our family name...The last thing they wanted was for me to be gay..."
"Omar...Keep it together..." Darius held onto Omar's hand.
"I....I really don't know what dad's going to do when he sees me......He's not going to be happy..."
"Omar..." Darius gripped Omar's hand tighter.
"He's going to yell...And curse...He always did hate gays...."
"Omar, calm down..." Darius shook Omar.
"S-sorry Darius....I'm just..." Omar let out a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid of dad....What he'll think..."
"You shouldn't be...." Darius rubbed Omar's hand. "It's not like he can take you over his knee...And besides...if he tries, I'll dropkick him! Haha!" Darius smirked.
"Darius, come off it...." Omar rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious Omar!" Darius growled. "You're MINE and I'm going to make sure nobody hurts you anymore!" Darius' face was angry. "And if it comes to it, I'm willing to go toe to toe with Old Man Hollander if that's what it takes to keep him off your back!"
"Darius..." Omar was at a loss for words.
"We've been together FAR too long, and I love you FAR too much to just let some old fart beat you up!" Darius growled, his eyes growing unnervingly demonic. "So don't worry about a single thing your dad has to say. I'm here to protect you."
"O-okay Darius...Just...C-calm down." Omar chuckled nervously. "You always freak me out when you do that thing with your face. It looks like you're about to bite out somebody's windpipe."
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Darius chuckled. "You never know what the Dangerous Darius is going to pull out when he puts his game face on!"
"Haha, do I gotta keep you on a leash Darius?" Omar's confidence returned and he patted Darius on the head. "I can't let you go out and kill again."
"Heh, putting this dog on a leash only makes him harder, baby!" Darius laughed as the city in the horizon grew bigger.
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It was late afternoon in the heart of the city. Darius pulled up in front of an apartment complex on a busy street.
"Here we are. Home sweet home." Darius stepped out the truck and took a deep breath in. "Aaah...smells just like it did when we left..."
"Yeah..." Omar stepped out. "Like exhaust and ass...."
"I think that's just the neighbors' cooking..." Darius chuckled as he grabbed his bag and the two headed inside, up a few floors and down the hall, stopping in front of a doorway.
"Here we are..." Darius let out a deep sigh. "You ready Omar?"
"As...Ready as I'll ever be..." Omar started to blush a bit. "We're already here anyway..."
"That's the spirit babe." Darius knocked on the door.
"Don't you have a key?" Omar cocked an eyebrow.
"...Oh yeah, I do..." Darius began fumbling for his keys, but just as he found the correct one, the door swung open.
"DETRIAM!" A middle aged Alaskan huskie stood at the door. He was roughly the same height as Darius and his greyed black fur was in the same pattern as Darius. He had pronounced muscle in his arms and chest, but the rest of his body had given way to the ravages of time and flab. "Don't tell me you forgot your keys again! You're twenty-five Detriam, you gotta be more responsible."
"Err...Hi dad." Darius chuckled sheepishly as he put his keys away.
"It's nice to see you again Mr. Smith." Omar held out his hand.
"And YOU! Hollander Kid!" The huskie turned his attention to Omar.
"ERK! Yes sir!" Omar stiffened up obediently.
"Who do you think you are, addressing me with a handshake!?" The old dog's expression softened and he smiled brightly. "You're family, son." The huskie grabbed Omar's hand and dragged him in for a hug. "You don't need to be so formal...Nice to see my two boys back again..."
"It's nice to be back Mr. Smith..." Omar smiled, returning the hug.
"Hey baby, guess who decided to come home after two years?" The old huskie dragged the two younger men inside.
"Darius, Omar! I haven't seen you in so long!" A female golden retriever walked in from the kitchen and greeted the two with a warm hug. She had a bright and happy smile that mirrored Darius' and she had golden fur of the exact same color as Darius'.
"Hey mom! You look great!" Darius hugged his mom back.
"Hello Ms. Smith!" Omar smiled and hugged her. "You're still as energetic as ever!"
"Come on boys, It's only been four years since you two went out on your own." The golden retriever giggled. "Detriam over there may be going grey but we're not old people yet."
"Delilah..." Detriam Sr. blushed and scratched behind his head sheepishly, his voice getting quiet. "Come on baby, don't say it like that...I'm just changing coats for the winter, I'm not going grey..."
"Mom, dad..." Darius gathered up his parents and sat them down in the living room with Omar joining Darius, knowing what was coming. “While we did want to come and visit, there’s a reason me and Omar came out here…”
“Leme guess.” Detriam Senior sarcastically spoke. “You finally broke that bear down and now you’re comin’ here to celebrate you two goin’ steady, right?”
“Err….Well….” Darius blushed brightly at his father taking the wind out of his sails. “A-actually dad….” Darius sheepishly held up his hand and showed off the ring. “We’re…getting married.”
"Well hot damn!" Detriam Senior spoke loudly. "Ya hear that Delilah, Detriam brought us home a son-in-law!
“So Darius wasn’t joking about them?” Omar thought to himself in surprise, blushing brightly. "Y-you're....okay with this? You don't have any....questions....or complaints?" Omar asked.
"Oh Omar, didn't Darius tell you?" Delilah giggled. "We knew you two would be together before he did." Delilah patted Omar on the shoulder. "You two were always so close to each other and you're both such a perfect pair. When we figured out how Darius was, we knew he'd be with you."
"I....See..." Omar blushed even brighter. "Well...I'm glad you're okay with it....You sound more okay with it than I do..."
"What?" Detriam Senior cocked an eyebrow. "What you getting at, boy?" Detriam Senior's eyes went demonic as he turned his gaze to Darius. "Don't tell me you tricked Omar into doing this, Detriam. We raised you better than that..."
"N-no no no! Not like that!" Darius quickly shook his head. "You see...this is relatively new to him..." Darius slowly explained. "Omar's been....he's had a rough time of things when it comes to love...."
"Darius..." Omar's blush faded away as Darius spoke.
"It's been a rough road for both of us....It really put our friendship to the test, but I was able to help Omar through his troubles..." Omar cut Darius off, smiling warmly.
"Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith...You've raised one hell of a son. He's loyal, he's caring, he's the sweetest man I've ever known...He never gave up on me....Even when I had given up on myself....So once I was able to overcome the issues that kept me and Darius apart, I wanted to make up for lost time..." Omar held onto Darius' hand. "I proposed to him because....I think that we were always meant to be together...and I don't want to waste any more time...So....If you're okay with it..." Omar held onto Darius' hands tighter. "I want to marry your son....And be the best husband I can possibly be to him....I promise I'll protect him, and I'll love him dearly..."
"Hmph....I see..." Detriam gained a serious look. "You've thought this through..."
"Yes sir." Omar nodded obediently with a matching serious expression.
"You won't have any regrets about getting hitched with my boy?"
"No sir. The only regret I have is not being with him sooner..."
"Well then..." Detriam thought it over. "I only have one question for you...." Detriam gave Omar an intense stare. "And tell me the truth...."
"Yes sir!" Omar nodded.
"Tell me Omar Hollander....." Detriam's intense stare got stronger as he continued. "Is Detriam good in bed?"
"Huh?" Omar's serious expression broke into shock and embarrassment.
"Come on boy, I gotta know if my boy's man enough to please you!" Detriam's serious expression and mood shattered instantly as he went back to guffawing.
"Jesus Christ dad!" Darius facepalmed in embarrassment. "Did you really have to ask something like that?"
"Hey, you can be all shy and coy on your own time." Detriam continued to laugh. "But I gotta know that I passed on my world class lovin' to the next generation!"
Omar facepalmed. "Ugh......Yes Mr. Smith....Darius is......Good.....In bed........I'm happy with him..."
"Pleased, even?" Detriam prodded further.
"...............................yes..." Omar spoke barely above a whisper. "Darius...pleases me...."
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Detriam pretended to be hard of hearing.
"Darius...pleases me..." Omar spoke a bit louder.
"I'm sorry, I must got wax in my ears, could you shout that?" Detriam gave Omar a smirk. "Why is it that you're marrying my boy?"
Omar's blush came back. "I.....Darius....He....."
"I didn't hear that boy!" Detriam barked. "I want to hear why you're takin' my boy from me!" Gaining an intensity and commanding attitude that can only be found in the military, Detriam challenged Omar. "SPEAK WHEN I TALK TO YOU SOLDIER! TELL ME WHY YOU WANT MY BOY SO BADLY!
Omar knew what Detriam was doing and swallowed his embarrassment. With a deep breath in, Omar gathered up his courage and shouted out. "DARIUS PLEASES ME! HE'S AN INCREDIBLE LOVER AND A MAGNIFICENT MAN! I WANT DARIUS TO BE IN MY LIFE! I WANT HIM TO BE MY HUSBAND! I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE IN THIS WORLD AND I DON'T WANT TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY WITHOUT HIM! THAT IS WHY I'M MARRYING YOUR SON, SIR!"
"...Wow..." Darius was shocked. His father always knew how to milk people for their emotions, but that was the first time he ever heard Omar shout out about his love in that manner. "Omar, that was great!"
Omar was breathing heavily, more from the emotions than from the shouting. "It's true Darius. I love you. I'm not taking no for an answer. We're going to be together....If it's okay with you..." Omar blushed a bit.
"Omar...." Darius stood up, smirking sarcastically at Omar. "I already said yes, meathead." Darius hugged Omar tightly.
"Aww, would ya look at that?" Detriam smirked. "I just knew those two would be good for each other."
"Yes yes Detriam..." Delilah rolled her eyes. "That's why you were getting ready to chase Omar out of the house with an axe when you found out they were sharing jock straps as kids."
"Hey, they were just kids." Detriam sheepishly smiled. "I was just protectin' my boy from his crafty wiles..."
"Sure, sure..." Delilah slapped Detriam on the shoulder. "At least you came around quick enough...."
A bit later in the day, Darius and Omar helped set the table for dinner.
"So you've been running a gym this whole time?" Detriam Senior had a proud look on his face and sat at the table. "Atta boy you two! You found somethin' ya both love and ya ran with it!"
Darius chuckled as he set down plates. "Well Omar is the one doing most of the work. I teach during the week."
"Great! That degree 'aint goin' to waste!" Detriam nodded happily. "Sure as hell beats being a drill sergeant all your working life."
"Aww come on sir. Being a part of the military is pretty lofty." Omar patted Detriam Senior on the shoulder as he set down plates. "If it weren't for my love of muscles, I wouldn't mind a job there."
"Eeh, I guess it wasn't too bad..." Detriam smiled. "But with a woman like Delilah on your side, it gets kinda dull."
"Haha, good thing I'm working where I am now then." Omar laughed. "The last thing I'd want to be is bored. Especially with Darius around." Omar jabbed Darius on the arm.
"Haha, as if I'd let you get that far." Darius jabbed Omar back.
"Just being with you drives me crazy!" Omar puffed up his chest and smirked at Darius.
"Same here, big man, same here!" Darius puffed up his chest as well and stood chest to chest with Omar.
"Hey baby, get in here, they're gettin' ready to fuck!" Detriam shouted to his wife, causing Darius and Omar's puffed up bravado crumble into childish embarrassment.
"Daaaad! Why would you say something like that!?" Darius hid his blushing face in his hand. "So embarrassing..."
"Yeah Mr. Smith, you always say the most fucked up things..." Omar scratched his head in confusion.
"It's a dad thing." Detriam chuckled for a moment. "Oh wait...." Detriam turned to Omar. "Now that I think about it, how'd that old fart of yours handle the news?"
Omar's heart stopped. He had been so happy and felt so accepted that he had completely forgot his father. "I...........I haven't.....told him yet...." Omar shifted from happy and playful to quiet and melancholy.
"Yeesh, what happened to you, boy?" Detriam looked on curiously as Omar's mood shifted.
"Uh....He's afraid of telling his father about us..." Darius sat Omar down and pulled up a chair with him. "You see.....his dad thinks he's married already.....To a woman."
"Eeeh?" Detriam scratched his head in confusion. "The fuck have you been doin' while you were away kid?"
"It's.......It's a long story..." Omar Let out a depressed sigh and hung his head in shame. "But in a nutshell...I got married to some woman I had only just met in order to force myself to be straight...The relationship failed because I couldn't please her....we divorced....I lost my house....But..." Omar let a small smile grow on his face and he grabbed Darius' hand. "I did finally come around to Darius thanks to it. Darius pretty much took the reins on my life for me and helped keep me from falling off the deep end...."
"Hmm...I see...." Detriam Sr. nodded. "You boys...you two have had a rough time on your own....I don't know if I'd want to deal with what you two have myself..." Detriam scratched his head. "But....I'm happy...that you two went through that."
"What?" Darius couldn't help but be hurt by his dad's words. "W-why would you say that dad?"
"Don't go getting any ideas, I don't mean it like that." Detriam assured his son quickly. "I mean....its good you two went through those issues together and came out better for it." Detriam smiled warmly. "You two kids are tough as nails, you know. And you've always got each other's backs. You two are good cadets." Detriam shrugged. "Besides, who'd want to bother with love if it weren't difficult to get?"
"Excuse me Detriam." Delilah called out from the kitchen. "What was that about difficult love?"
"Come on baby, don't try to pretend." Detriam rolled his eyes chuckling. "Me an iron willed jarhead and you a hardheaded flower child. Hell, I'm surprised we didn't end up killin' each other by the time we had our first date." Detriam shook his head. "I'm gettin' off point." Detriam stood up and patted Darius and Omar on the heads. "If you two want to get married, then people will just have to deal with it."
"Thanks dad." Darius smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Good to know we're doing the right thing..."
"Still doesn't make this any easier..." Omar scratched behind his neck, still nervous. "You know how my dad is. He's not going to like this...."
"That guy's always been really old fashioned...Which mean a lot comin' from a military pup like me...." Detriam shrugged. "If he gives you any guff, then just toss him off. You two earned your right to be together, and he can't take that from you." Detriam gave Omar a thumbs-up. "And hey, once you two do get hitched, I'll be your dad clean and clear, so you won't have to worry about not havin' one."
"Sir, you don't have to do that." Omar waved off Detriam. "I can handle this by myself."
"Like hell you can." Detriam gave Omar a sarcastic look. "A man needs to know his limits. A man needs to know when to ask for help. And son." Detriam gave Omar a serious, sincere look. "You. Need help."
"Uh...." Omar felt insecure under the big dog's eyes. "I....Uh.......Am I really....that helpless?
"We all have our moments kid. Don't go beating yourself up." Detriam jabbed Omar on the chest. "So you can't handle things relating to your love life without some help? The point is that you've got someone with you who can help you with that. That's the whole point of findin' love. To find that guy or girl who just...fills in those spots where you need some coverage." Detriam smiled warmly. "'Aint ya ever seen a couple who are just perfect together? They just....work so well together that when you see them separated, it just feels kinda off?"
Darius smirked. "Don't worry dad, we know a certain pair of guys just like that....don't we Omar?"
"Yeah...." Omar smile a bit. "Those two really are something too." Omar looked up at Darius. "Do you.....think we can really....get like that?"
Darius rolled his eyes. "Omar, you insult me. I'm your right hand man. Always have been, always will be. No old man is going to change that and with me, you can do anything."
Omar finally smiled. ".....I can do this.....I can do it." Omar stood up and reached his hand out to Darius. "Darius, my man, we can do this together."
Darius smiled a thankful smile. "Glad you came around Omar."
"Get over here!" Omar dragged Darius in for a tight hug.
"Hehe, you two gonna get to fuckin' again?" Detriam chuckled, poking fun at the two.
"DAD! WOULD YOU CUT THAT-" Darius was cut off mid-rant by Omar.
"We're gonna come hella-close!" Omar smirked deviously and led Darius into a deep kiss.
"Mph!" Darius was taken off guard by Omar's confidence and couldn't help but lean into Omar, letting him take control of the kiss.
Detriam looked on, a bit shocked and a bit confused. "You know...its one thing to joke about some man puttin' his hands all over your boy..." Detriam stood up, his protective fatherly instincts kicking in. "But it's another to actually put your hands on my boy!"
"Detriam, no." Delilah smacked Detriam on the nose with a folded up newspaper.
"Woman, don't get on with that, he's all up on my boy like-" Detriam got another bop to the nose.
"Detriam, sit down. Your son is fine." Delilah smirked at Detriam. "He doesn't need his dad to protect him anymore."
"Girl, I swear. Sometimes you just-" Detriam got another bop to the nose. "Now would you STOP-" Another bop. "Don't treat me like a fucking puppy, woman!" Another bop.
"Detriam, just be happy for them." Delilah smacked the paper in her hands. "Or I can keep smacking you."
"Grrrrrrrr...." Detriam growled, but sat back down. "I hate you."
"Haha, sure you do." Delilah sat on Detriam's lap. "You just don't like when I'm right."
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