Julian pushed his dinner around with his fork, although his mother had already said three times that he shouldn't be playing with his food. But then, he figured that dinner ought to be more than lettuce, cucumbers, dressing, and crabsticks.
His mother clearly thought otherwise, since her plate was done, and she was leaning on the island in her dressing gown and wine in hand, still looking anxious. "...well...?" she asked.
"Thank you for dinner," Julian replied politely.
"Not that," Dolce responded, and he could see her wringing her hands mentally. "...the thing I said?"
It was sweet of her, he conceded, to pretend to 'make dinner' so she had an excuse or a setting to drop such a personal bomb on him, in spite of the fact that he's known for eight weeks or more. "That's not an issue."
She still wasn't convinced. She drummed her immaculately manicured nails on the marble. "Then...you don't have an opinion on it, anything? I've never even introduced anyone to you and I tell you I've been seeing someone now and..."
Julian took another bite before leaning back on the barstool, pushing away the food. "What's for me to have an opinion on? You like him, don't you?"
"...well...yes," Dolce replied doubtfully, looking at her son, who hasn't quite been the same since the last time she's ever seen him whole and healthy. Julian just shrugged in response, and she scooped up the plate with a sigh. "...could've sworn you still liked kani salad..."
"Look, mom..." Julian leaned on his elbows and sighed. "Don't worry about me. I'm glad that you're in love. Or that you at least think you are."
She passed by behind him and jabbed his cheek with a cucumber stick. "Don't be cheeky." She dumped the plates into the sink.
"Well aren't you?" Julian smirked a little.
"I don't know, sweetie, but I do like him very much. The whole in-love business seems so...serious." She laughed nervously, but then she paused and slowly turned to look at him fully. "...you know what that's like, don't you?"
Julian considered for a moment, not quite able to look at her. "...you could say that."
There were many things that had been said about the incident that took place in the school. There were many rumors and half-truths and no one really knew what was behind all of it. Except for the kids who were really there.
Something more had happened behind the fire and the stalker and the kids jumping out of the third floor. It made her realize that she didn't know her son as well as she thought she did.
"...should I be happy for you that you are?" she asked carefully.
There wasn't an answer at once. So she added, "Are you...happy that you are? Is it...okay to you that you are?"
Julian wasn't sure what to say to her. He stared out of the window, into the bright, blinding California sun that obscured everything. "...it's different with me."
She put down the dishcloth and walked up to him, trying to understand him, her little boy who hasn't yet lost that haunted expression in his eyes now and again. "Do you want to talk about it?"
What happened? Were the stories all true? Why won't you tell anyone what happened up there? Why have you never brought up what you want to do with school anymore, even though you keep your uniform and books neatly in the closet? Ever since you were given your own control over anything, you knew what you wanted to do, but why now do you duck your head and let me decide for you? Why do you eat the things you hate now and why do you hesitate when I bring you things you like?
Why does your phone keep ringing but you never look at it? Why do you still keep it at your side?
"To be honest..." Julian replied with a faint smile, "...I'd rather talk about something happier." He looked at her with a smile. "...so tell me about your new boyfriend."
Who are you trying to protect this time?
She smiled back at him. "...Will you tell me something in exchange?"
Anonymous asked for Julian coming out to his mother. Here you go.
Dolce Larson was an intimidating woman. Yes, she was kind and overall a great person, but she was still intimidating. Julian had heard things in this vein a lot, but personally he’d never seen it.
He did now.
Now that he was sitting opposite his mother, fiddling awkwardly with the ends of his sleeves as she waited for him to speak with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.
“Well...uh...you see…”
“Julian, don’t stammer. Just tell me.” Dolce said gently but firmly.
Julian paused for a moment as he thought how best to say everything, eventually settling on a simple. “You know Logan?”
“Your friend Logan?” Dolce asked before giving a small nod. “Yes. Why? That boy hasn’t gotten into anymore trouble has he?”
Julian bit his lip before saying quickly “He’s my boyfriend.”
He looked down at his hands for a few seconds before chancing a glance up at his mother, mentally preparing himself for the look of shock, possibly disappointment, though he tried not to think about the second.
What he was greeted with was a small nod and smile. “Alright. Well I’ll have to meet him again at some point then.”
Julian visibly relaxed as he breathed a sigh of relief before he tensed again. “Wait. What?”
“I need to meet your boyfriend, Julian. I’m your mother.” Dolce replied in a voice that made it clear she didn’t understand why Julian would ask that question.
“You’ve met Logan before.” Julian said hopefully.
“For about ten seconds when he was your friend, this is different.”
“It’s not really…”
“Don’t argue this, Julian.” Dolce said firmly.
Julian bit his lip to suppress the groan he wanted to give at the thought of having to bring Logan along to ‘properly’ meet his mother.
"I hope you realize that this is a small truce we are having."
"Yes. One we will maintain as long as your son and mine keep seeing one another."
"Marrying, Mr. Wright! There is a difference!"
"Nevermind. I'm sure this occasion will be short lived. I know it took me some time for me to accept my son's...sexuality, but to find companionship in that kind of person..."
"And what kind of person are you trying to call my son?"
"I'm just saying, my son could so so much better than him!"
"Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are?"
...
"Are they at it again?"
"Apparently so."
"Remind me again why we keep on inviting our parents to these ocasions?"
"Because we want to show them we can do crap they failed at."
"I take it that my mother's hatred towards your father has nothing to do with it?"
"You know I love to piss my father off..."
"Wonder how they'll react once we tell them about the surrogate mother..."
"Guess we'll have to tell them at the next family reunion."
I live a Dolce Larson and Michelle Wright appreciated life.
Can we all just agree that while all Wright's are BAMFs, the Larson's are BAMFD (BadAssMotherFuckingDivas) who are going to take over the world by storm?
Especially since Dolce and Michelle would be able to bond over being the only two women able to put Senator Wright in place among other things regarding future family wait whut? :3
"You heard right, Travis." She shook her head tiredly, not wanting to explain the situation all over again.
"...God..."
Dolce frowned, stopping dead in her tracks. That's all you're going to say? "Well? Can't you at least show up?!"
The director sounded strained. "I'm stuck in England! What do you expect me to do?"
"Oh, I don't know...fly here, perhaps?" She shot back angrily, her grip on the phone tightening.
"You think you're all that, Dolce-"
That was it. "This. Is not about us." She fumed. "This is about Julian, and he needs us. Now."
Her voice remained steady and laced with fury while she leaned against the hospital wall and blinked back tears that threatened to fall.
Her ex-husband was left speechless at her sudden outburst. "...I..."
She didn't want to give him another chance to explain, though. She'd had enough.
Before he could respond properly, she whispered fiercely, "...Fine. Continue being a lousy father."
"No, Dolce, wait-"
But no way was she going to wait.
The actress hung up and tossed her phone back into her handbag without hearing the rest of the sentence. Of all times to be in England...she pushed herself off the wall and straightened her back, sighing. Wasn't she glad that this was an empty corridor; the paparazzi'd give her hell for even looking like this.
But her son was in the hospital. Couldn't she just be a normal mother for once?
"Can't I...?" She murmured to herself, running a hand through her long hair, biting her trembling lip.
Fuck you, Travis. Our son needs us, but for now...
She took a deep breath.
...it's just me.
And she strode off, mask back in place, round the corner and back into the waiting room.
