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"This is gonna suck."
"Come on Rhajat... He's better now."
Forrest did understand her perspective. She wasn't the most forgiving person, especially to people who hurt her loved ones. The way Leo talked to him before he was abducted was... uncomfortable. One could even argue it was Leo's fault that he was taken away to begin with. Forrest didn't believe that, but as for Rhajat, he wasn't too sure. He wouldn't be shocked if she blamed him for it. He'd always been a bit too scared to ask. Not of her, he loved her to death. More scared of her answer.
She folded her arms. "I know..."
Ignatius tapped his fingers together. "Worst case scenario, maybe Mr. Niles can help us. I can't see him being closed minded."
Rhajat looked away. "I'll never understand how you can be a man married to a man, yet you draw the line at your son wearing a damn blouse..."
Forrest couldn't help but giggle. "I never quite got that either."
At this point, Forrest moved on from their past. He just wanted to start over with his Dad, and he hadn't been that cruel since. He seemed to have genuinely learned his lesson. Forrest didn't see the point of holding it over his head. He was pretty sure Leo struggled to forgive himself for it. There was no reason to add to that as far as he was concerned.
"So... how are we gonna tell him?" Ignatius said with a big frown. "Do we need to break it to him easily? Be blunt? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to start with the hardest one. We should've worked our way up!"
Rhajat sighed. "Calm down Ignatius. If anything it's good we got the worst out of the way first. My parents aren't going to care, and neither are yours. Forrest is the only one we need to be concerned about. It'll be smooth sailing from there." Rhajat stood on her tip toes and gave Ignatius a kiss on his cheek.
Ignatius blushed deeply. "Right... right. You're right Rhajat."
Forrest gently grabbed Ignatius' hand and squeezed it, as if he was transferring some of his strength to his boyfriend. He rose both of their hands to his lips before giving it a kiss of his own. He looked up and grinned at his partner's blushing face. If there was one thing Forrest loved about his partners, it was how easy they were to fluster. It was simpler than sewing a child's outfit. Depending on their mood all he had to do was call his boyfriend handsome and his girlfriend beautiful. It was incredible how just being honest was enough to get people embarrassed sometimes.
"On the other hand... what'll we do if it goes wrong?" Rhajat asked as she narrowed her eyes. "I've got a few plans but-"
"No." Forrest replied.
"I haven't even told you what it was..." She said as she rolled her eyes.
Forrest sighed. "I know you. I know you won't kill him or anything, but I know you want to make sure he suffers. That's the last thing I want."
Rhajat paused before she started giggling. "You know me well."
Ignatius shook his head. "I guess we'll play it by ear."
Forrest nodded. "I think that's all we can do. I don't think there's really any way we can plan this out. We don't know exactly how he's gonna react. I don't think he'll be upset, maybe confused, but not upset."
"I hope you're right." Rhajat mumbled.
"I do too... now come on, let's go see him." Forrest said as his chest tightened.
A maelstrom of emotions were in Forrest's heart to be honest. While he wasn't lying about not expecting his fathers to react badly, it didn't mean he wasn't nervous. He was heartbroken when his Father insulted him so viciously in front of his aunt. He didn't want to relive that. He knew that it wasn't impossible that that's where he was leading his partners to. He knew Ignatius would be able to control himself, even if he'd be angry. Rhajat on the other hand... he really wasn't sure.
He wanted to have faith in his Father. That even if he didn't like it, he wouldn't react like that again. He didn't want to ever see that side of him again. He'd heard about his grandfather taking multiple wives, and how it didn't go well. How they'd try to make his aunts and uncles kill each other. That he had other aunts and uncles who didn't live to see adulthood. He'd have to break this to him gently. Otherwise, he'd risk reminding him of his past trauma. Or make him think he was becoming his grandfather, which is the last thing he wanted.
The fact that Forrest had a boyfriend and a girlfriend could cause strife, but at least the fact that he was attracted to both men and women wasn't going to cause any problems. Given that he already had two Dads. He doesn't see why that'd upset him. He never got around to telling him that when he realized it. He didn't think he'd need to, he had a girlfriend anyway in Rhajat. He soon fell for Ignatius, which opened his heart to the idea of dating men.
He used to think he wasn't attracted to men at all, but in hindsight he figured that may have been suppression. He didn't want to fall under another stereotype, liking men while looking the way he did. However, thanks to his partners, he realized it was fine. He just had to be true to himself, what everyone else thought be damned. That did lead to the question of, should he really care whether his Father approved or not? He supposed there was a difference between a random person and his flesh and blood. Rejection from someone so important to him would be crushing. He figured the same was true of just about anyone. He took a deep breath, and let it back out. He had to believe this was going to go well.
In spite of that, every step he took felt like another step deeper into hell. The flames burning his soles, getting closer and closer to his bare feet as he came closer to Leo's quarters. His legs were getting more and more difficult to move, as if they were becoming ash. His legs buckled as he started sweating, the heat getting to him. He didn't want to lose his family. He didn't want to lose his Dad again. Perhaps it was a poor idea. It's not like Forrest knew everything about Leo. Leo never had to know. That way, they could still be a family forever.
"Forrest!"
"Wh- Huh?" He jerked his head towards the sound of the voice, Ignatius.
"...We don't have to do this today." Ignatius told him. He grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
Forrest always found Ignatius so grounding. His hand was keeping him stable both physically and emotionally. He took a deep breath to try and calm down. Ignatius after a few seconds, let go of his hand. Forrest leaned over and hugged Ignatius' arm. He rested his head on it while Ignatius put a hand on Forrest's head.
Warmth emanated from his muscular arm. Instead of being overpowered by it, he felt more alive. He was still trying to pull himself together, but he no longer felt like he was trapped in the underworld. He was back in a beautiful field, surrounded by flowers. The warmth of the sun felt as if it was kissing his skin. It became more literal as Ignatius' lips came in contact with Forrest's forehead.
Rhajat took his other hand. "He's right. It's okay if you want to do this some other day. There's no rush."
She brought his hand to her cheek. She was somewhat colder than Ignatius, but it wasn't in a bad way. It felt less like an unforgiving blizzard, and more like a cool glass of water, one that he needed desperately. Surrounded by both fire and ice, his temperament began to stabilize. He took a few more breaths before he managed to stand back up.
"Sorry..." Forrest said sheepishly.
"Don't apologize." Rhajat reassured. "It's understandable. In your shoes, I may have reacted similarly."
"Exactly." Ignatius agreed. "Don't feel bad. Do you want to come back later? We could spend the day just relaxing and enjoying each other's company."
Forrest paused. He knew his partners had a point. As Rhajat said, there wasn't a time limit on when he could come out to his father. Despite that, he wanted to do it. He wanted to keep going. The flames of hell meant nothing while he had these two by his side.
"No... I'll be fine."
Rhajat narrowed her eyes. "Are you just saying that? You don't need to push yourself or try and look strong for us."
Forrest shook his head and smiled. "I'm not trying to 'look' anything. I just... feel stronger when you're here. When I can feel your presence. The two of you give me strength. Not to mention, this could happen any day. I could freak out the next time we try this too. I think we really should do this now, while I feel like I'm unstoppable. Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone."
Rhajat and Ignatius both felt blood rush to their faces as their eyes widened. Forrest couldn't help but giggle. Once more, his honesty led to them being flustered. He never had to flatter them, he never had to lie. He'd always be truthful if it led to their adorable reactions.
"Anytime Forrest." Ignatius said with a smile.
Rhajat smiled softly as well. "You'll never be alone as long as we're here." She said with a giggle that many would see as creepy. Yet to Forrest, it was music to his ears.
Forrest nodded, blushing a bit himself, before he continued walking. Now, with his head up, the storm was beginning to clear. His chest still hurt, but at the very least he felt he could tolerate it. No matter what, he'd still have Rhajat and Ignatius by his side.
Soon enough, they finally made it to his father's room. He slowly lifted his arm, but it froze in place. His legs started to buckle again, but he refused to let his fear control him. He forced his way past it, and knocked on the door. He looked to Rhajat, who was smiling at him. He then looked at Ignatius, who was also smiling. He then looked towards the door, which began to open.
Leo smiled at his son and his partners. "Forrest, Rhajat, Ignatius. Is something the matter?"
Forrest slowly nodded. "Yeah... I needed to talk to you."
Leo's smile faded away. He held the door open and looked at the trio. "Sure. I'm here for you. Come in."
Forrest walked into his room with Rhajat and Ignatius close behind. Leo gestured to a nearby chair in front of his desk which Forrest walked over to and sat in. Leo walked over to the wall opposite of it. He then gestured to his bed for Ignatius and Rhajat to sit down. The former smiled at him while the latter glanced at him before following her boyfriend. With the three seated, Leo looked towards his son.
"Okay. What's the problem?"
Forrest put his hands in his lap. He looked towards his partners, who both smiled at him. He looked back towards his Father and took a deep breath. "Okay. Please... let me finish before you make your judgments. I'm... in a relationship. With... Rhajat and Ignatius. Yes, both of them. I know it's weird but... I love them both, so much that it hurts. Just on our way here they kept me from breaking down. They're always there for me. Everyone's consenting, everyone knows. No one's forcing any of us into doing this. They're dating each other too, and they're happy together. All three of us are. I... I hope you're okay with that."
Leo didn't initially say anything, he just folded his arms. He looked towards his partners, Rhajat leaning on Ignatius' shoulder. Despite that, she was giving him a death glare. Leo took a deep breath. "...I'm... I'm so sorry..."
"...Father...?"
"I... I made you think I wouldn't accept you. Because of how I acted. I can't blame you for being scared. You're my beloved son. There's not much you could do that I wouldn't accept. You're not hurting anyone. If you're all happy, who am I to judge? Please... please forgive me..."
"Wait, no!" Forrest said as he leapt up. "No, it's fine. It's in the past! I've already forgiven you."
"But the trauma and anxiety is still there..." Leo muttered. "I can't blame you. Well... allow me to make it up to you. I won't give up until you feel you can fully trust me. Until you realize you can tell me anything. I love you Forrest, nothing is going to change that. Nothing is going to get in between us. Not now, not ever."
"Father..." Forrest practically leapt into his Dad's arms.
"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." Leo said softly.
Rhajat and Ignatius looked at each other with a smile, then looked back towards the Father Son duo.
"Guess you don't have to hex him Rhajat." Ignatius said half jokingly.
Rhajat folded her legs and smiled. "Never thought I'd be happy to hear that. At least it's over. We just need to tell our parents, and we'll be fine." Rhajat leaned in and kissed him on his cheek. "I can't wait to see how they react. Especially mine, Father will be so confused." She said as she giggled.
Forrest didn't know what he did to deserve being surrounded by so many loving understanding people. Not everyone understood initially. Not everyone was kind initially. Yet, the ones that really and truly mattered would always come around. He was so happy he was right. He was so happy that even if he was wrong, Rhajat and Ignatius still had his back. If he felt as if he was in hell earlier, he was now in heaven. Surrounded by people who really and truly cared about him. People who loved him to death.
He supposed he still had to tell his other Father, but that was always the easy part. Niles wasn't a particularly judgemental person, and never has been. At least when it came to Forrest. There was also Nina, but given how she was, she'd never abandon him over this. In fact, it may even give her more ideas for her... interests. If he told his past self that this'd happen, he'd never believe him. And that meant so much to him. Him, Rhajat, Ignatius, and even his Father Leo were in a better place now. A place that he'd never leave. A place that was now his reality, the life he'd always dreamed of. It wasn't perfect, but it was his.