Issue 1 Downtime

The drive from Vancouver had already taken up the entire day, from before dawn to dusk. They had crossed hundreds of miles over rugged mountains and seemingly endless plains. So it seemed like a good idea when Noah suggested that they get a hotel room and a good night's rest before Rick confronted his father, lest they all be cranky. Noah was already asleep in the room, while Rick and Marcus were in a small 24-hour restaurant nearby.

"So...over four years together, and you've still never met my family."

"A little strange right? I'm not quite sure how we managed that one." He smiled at Rick, wondering if he had an answer for it. "I guess I could say we've just been really busy..but..sort of seems wrong."

"More like they've never bothered to come see us, I doubted that you would really be welcome in our house. It doesn't help that our family's lived out in bumfuck nowhere for years now."

"That's kind of what I expected." He smirked. "I don't see this going all too hot."

"I doubt we'll all be holding hands and singing 'kumbayah' either. I just want to learn the truth." He took a bit of scrambled eggs. "So if there's anything you wanna know about them first, ask away."

He thought hard for a moment. He realized that they hardly talk about Rick's family except for his uncle and sister. "Now that I think about it, I don't know a ton really. I guess we just considered they'd never really accept us and sort of just ignored them."

"In other words, all I've done is bitch about them?" Rick smirked. "Well, this place isn't my hometown. Where I'm from is a lot closer to the mountains. My dad got a job in the oil industry years ago, though, and ever since then he's been dragging the family from one tiny dot on the map to another across the Oil Sands up here. We were pretty much middle class the whole time I was growing up and living with them, but he makes more money now. A lot more."

"Yep." Marcus said with a grin. "That's good to hear then. At least you know they're well taken care of. So, it's safe to say that your dad's as much of a pain as mine is?"

"Worse. He doesn't like the gay thing or the mutant thing. Maggie says he's become more religious over the last few years, and he always attends the most...intolerant church he can find. Maggie refused to go with him, and even Mom can't stomach it, apparently."

"Oh. Fun." He sighed. "Is it bad I'm really dreading going now?"

"No. I sort of am, too."

"Okay. Good. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one." He shrugged. "We'll get through it. Like everything else."

"What's the worst he can really do?," he asked, sweeping any dread aside. "My sister's still keeping her mutancy a secret, of course, so don't bring that up."

"Nothing really. We've kinda had good luck with no one really caring about us, being gay at least. Minus my dad and some kids back in high school." She chuckled. "Fathers."

"Yeah. You can be sure I won't."

"Good." He grinned. "I think you'll like her."

"You've always spoke pretty highly of her. I don't think I'd be able not to."

"For a while there, she was basically the only person I knew who accepted me. That meant a lot. Even before she had manifest her powers, I never held the fact that she was baseline against her."