#it's just lovely when you're talking and you're being interrupted for THE ENTIRE anecdote

[sherlock-is-ace]

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[scarlett-ice]

*gasp Could you please write a Brotzly fic for the prompt " if you want we could go together?" If you're taking requests I mean

“If you want, we could go together?”

Todd’s knee stops mid-bounce.  Slowly, he lowers his foot the ground, confusion evident on his face as he turns to look at Dirk.  The other man’s chewing his lip, trying and failing to appear nonchalant.  

“…You would come with me?”  Todd says incredulously and Dirk nods, albeit a bit too eagerly for the situation.  

“I believe ‘moral support’ is something friends provide each other with, is it not?  And this seems like a situation which requires it,” Dirk explains a little quickly.

“Yeah but…this is my own fault Dirk.  I should speak to them myself,” Todd replies, frowning.  He starts picking at his nails before realising there’s nothing left to pick, the skin around them worn away as well.  

“Preposterous,” Dirk dismisses.  “There’s no rule that says I can’t accompany you, is there?”

“Well, no but…it’s just something I should do, you know, something you shouldn’t be there for.”  Todd’s not entirely sure why he’s protesting since, secretly, he’d love nothing more than to have Dirk with him for ‘moral support’.

The thought of seeing his parents at all is terrifying, let alone on his own and to tell them the truth about everything.  

“Think of it this way,” Dirk says.  “You have to face both your parents correct? That’s two people versus your one.  Honestly, I’d just be there to even things out!  You know how the universe is about balance, if anything, me being there could only improve your chances of a successful visit.  That and American people adore my accent.”

Todd’s not sure why Dirk is so insistent about coming with him but a large part of him is glad and too selfish to protest anymore.  Ever since that first case and finding out Todd also had pararibulitis…his and Dirk’s relationship had become weird; slightly too close to be called friends but without a label to confirm anything.  Todd would be lying if he didn’t want something  to happen but he’d also be the first to admit he’s too chicken to actually do anything about it.  Which is why, with Dirk being so willing and nice, he wats to take advantage of it.  

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he ends up saying.  “But uh, I don’t know how long I’m gonna be there for so you might want to pack some stuff?”

Dirk beams, wrapping Todd in an unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome, hug.  “Um,” he says in Todd’s ear, “I might already have a backpack waiting.”

Of course he does.  

-

Home is not how Todd remembers it but that would be because his ‘medical bills’ had forced his parents out of their childhood house.  His parents now lived in a tiny 1 bedroom place that Todd hasn’t actually visited before, for fear the guilt would be overbearing.  His fear has been confirmed, looking at the weathered shack he’s forced his parents into causes a sick feeling to grow in his stomach, his throat dry and palms becoming sweaty.  Seemingly uncaring of this face, Dirk’s hand slips into his, squeezing tightly and though Todd knows he doesn’t deserve the support, it doesn’t stop him drawing strength from it.  Todd takes a deep breath and then leads Dirk to the front door, giving it a few sharp knocks.  He hasn’t warned his parents he was coming.  He’s not sure he wouldn’t have just hung up at the sound of their voices or blurted it all out on the phone and disappeared.  

It’s his mother who opens the door.  Since the last time Todd had seen her 5 years ago, she’s grown more grey hairs and more wrinkles line her face.  Though her eyes still hold a weariness from trying to provide for her sick children, she looks so happy to see him that he feels even worse.  Does he have to tell her?  Could he just say he had a relapse…?

“Todd, sweetie !  What a surprise!  Please, come in, come in.”

Todd feels frozen.  He then remembers Amanda’s conditions.  When Todd had finally tracked her down, she’d said she would only consider it once he’d told their parents everything.  She hadn’t given him a time restriction but Todd misses Amanda, he misses his baby sister more than anything.  She’s justified in how she feels but Todd will still do anything he can to get Amanda to forgive him as soon as possible.  

Dirk’s hand squeezes his again, drawing him out of his thoughts.  His mom looks at their clasped hands and Todd sees the moment the wrong idea enters her mind.  He quickly opens his mouth before she can say anything potentially mortifying.

“Hi mom.  Sorry I didn’t call.  This is Dirk, my best friend.”  He stresses the word ‘friend’ and though his mother doesn’t look convinced, she tunes down the smile a bit.  

“Dirk Gently, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Dirk greets, doing a strange little bow before taking his mom’s hand and kissing it.  His mom looks ecstatic.

“Ooh, is that an English accent?” She asks and Dirk nods, eyeing Todd as if to say ‘see, told you.”  Todd barely refrains from rolling his eyes.  What he does do, however, is let go of Dirk’s hand and try to ignore how much he misses it.  He steps inside the house and his mom calls out for his dad, who meets him in the kitchen.

“Todd!  What are you doing here son?  Not that I’m not happy of course.  And who’s this?” Todd’s mom bustles in behind them, making hot chocolate, his favourite.  Meanwhile, Todd introduces Dirk again who thankfully just gives his dad a handshake.  Todd wouldn’t put it past him to do a handstand in greeting.  Todd waits until he has the hot chocolate in his hands before saying anything.

 “So, uh, I have something to tell you guys.”

This time Todd’s dad eyes both him and Dirk curiously, his gaze drifting to their hands briefly and Todd can feel his cheeks flame.  

“Nothing like that,” Todd stresses, not explaining when Dirk mutters ‘that?’  “It’s just something to do with me.  Something I’ve…I’ve done.”

“You’ve not got a girl pregnant, have you?”  His dad asks suspiciously and his mom whacks him on shoulder.

“Todd wouldn’t do something like that,” she reprimands.  “At least, not without bringing the girl or my grandchild with him, would you?”

“No dad, I’ve not got anyone pregnant,” Todd stutters.

“But he does have a cat.  Or we do,” Dirk pipes up.  “Except, it’s not really a cat, more a kitten, a shark kitten, shitten we call it.  Arguably much better than a baby, much less mess and noise.” Neither of his parents know what to say and Todd just shrugs at them.  Dirk looks incredibly pleased with himself.  

“Listen, please just…sit down.  Sit down and I’ll explain everything.” Both his parents grow concerned, his mother coming up to him anxiously.

 “You’re not sick are you?”  She asks and Todd tenses.

“Please, let’s just go the living room.”

They all and since his parents take the two arm chairs, that leaves him and Dirk on the too small couch, so close that their sides are completely squished together.  It should feel uncomfortable but truthfully, Todd likes it.  He likes being close to Dirk.  It makes it easier to throw a hand over his mouth when he’s about to say anything inappropriate.  

Todd takes a long sip of his hot chocolate, savouring the taste before he begins.

 He tells them everything, starting with the lies, how he conned them, what he actually used the money for.  His parents don’t interrupt once, their pasty white faces almost frozen.  When they continue to say nothing, he goes onto talk about the band, its failure and how he ended up working in a hotel.  He tells them about how he met Dirk and their first case (doing his best to have it make sense while excluding the supernatural and time-travel bits).  He finishes on the attack on the bathroom, discovering he now truly does have pararibulitis and no, he doesn’t expect any money from them.  He just…needed to tell them.

Then they sit in silence.  Todd’s mom is now shaking while his dad still looks like a statue.  Dirk’s mouth opens and closes a few times.  

“Why now?”  His dad eventually says, voice gruff and hard.  “What made you tell us?”

“Amanda wouldn’t even think of forgiving me until I did,” Todd starts.  “But…that wasn’t the only reason why.  I was a shitty person and I know that.  I want…I want to start being a better person, to try and make up for the crap I put you through.”

“Todd.”  Oh God, they may not be streaming yet but Todd can hear the tears in his mom’s choked voice.   His dad stands and drags her into a one-armed hug, Dirk’s own arm wrapping around his waist.  “I think I’d like you to leave.  I need…time to process this.”

“Mom I…” Todd realises he has nothing more to say.  That in reality, this is the best scenario.  No one’s screaming, nothing’s been thrown.  He can only do what his mom asks of him.  “Okay.  Just know…I love you both and I’m sorry.”

With that, they leave.  Neither of his parents show him out, not that he expects them too.  Rather than head to the bus stop straight away, they end up going for a walk.  His parent’s new house is still in the same place he grew up in so Todd shows Dirk around, giving little anecdotes like the first place he busked, the first place his band performed, where he first got so drunk that he still can’t remember what happened to this day.  Dirk listens intently and asks all sorts of questions about Todd’s childhood, some of them so simple and obvious that it makes Todd wonder again what sort of life Dirk had growing up.  

Eventually, they get back to the bus stop and Todd’s not heard anything from his parents.  It’s only been a few hours so it’s not surprising and he doesn’t know what he’s expecting; only that he feels oddly disappointed.  Todd looks up to find Dirk looking at him with a strange expression on his face, though at being caught he instantly tries to play it off, looking up at the sky and whistling.

“What is it?”  Todd asks.  “Something on my face?”  

“No I…you’re very brave Todd Brotzman,” Dirk says, the expression coming back so that Todd can identify it as a mixture of tenderness and…admiration?

“Hardly,” Todd snorts.  “I’m a coward.  You know it’s been 5 years since I saw my parents?  They invite me for all sorts of things, birthdays, Christmas and every year I just said I was busy.  That’s it. I was busy.”

“You didn’t have to come here Todd,” Dirk says seriously.  “You can say it was for Amanda all you want but the fact is, you wouldn’t have come if you weren’t serious about wanting to change and that’s admirable Todd.  You are a good man.  Don’t make me tell you off again,” Dirk adds before Todd can deny it all again.  He sighs, leaning against the bus stop.  

“Thanks for coming with me Dirk,” he ends up saying.  “It…really helped having you here with me.”

Dirk graces him with one of his more real smiles, smaller and more hesitant that the ones he normally throws around.

“You’re very welcome Todd.”  He stands beside Todd and almost cautiously takes his hand. “Is this okay,” Dirk asks and Todd swallows, recognising that a moment has the potential to happen and though it terrifies him, for once he doesn’t feel like running.  

“Yeah, it is,” Todd swivels, standing on his tip toes so that he’s about Dirk’s height.  He glances at the other man’s lips.  “Is this?”  Todd whispers and though Dirk looks momentarily confused, his eyes widen in recognition.

“I, uh, I think so.  Yes.”

Before he can lose his courage, Todd practically crushes his lips against Dirk’s, realising perhaps a bit too late that this might well be Dirk’s first kiss and he should be gentler.  He softens it slightly, guiding Dirk’s inexperienced lips with his own until the kiss suddenly becomes a two way street and yeah okay, kissing Dirk is definitely something Todd could get used to.  When they part, Dirk looks shocked, his face bright red.  

“Got anymore relatives you need to have uncomfortable talks with?”  He asks breathlessly and despite everything, all Todd can do is laugh.  

[Hope this was okay anon!]