homecoming
Title: homecoming
Author: twilight_rush
Fandom: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Summary: Connor meets Katie's dad for the first time.
Pairing: Connor Stoll/Katie Gardner
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns PJ&O.
Note: Inspired by this RP where Connor spent Easter with Katie's family ~ mediate89
Connor wasn’t a total stranger when it came to meeting a girlfriend’s parents. He’s met so many types; he practically knew how to handle them all. From the pretentious parents who didn’t think anyone was good enough for their “little girl,” to the overenthusiastic parents who were already planning the wedding and future grandkids’ names.
When he figured spending Easter with Katie’s family meant he was going to meet her dad for the first time, he felt prepared. Katie still had some rules for Connor to follow: Call him ‘sir,’ don’t stand too close to me, kisses on the cheek only, no joking around too much, and no mentions of sex. Ever. All right, he could do those. He liked a good challenge.
Connor put on his best cologne, managed to tame his curls so his hair was decent, and wore his “I’m-perfect-for-your-daughter” outfit. Looking in the mirror, he thought he looked like the kind of guy to take home to dad.
“You ready?” Katie asked as she came into the bedroom. She stood beside him, braiding the last strand of her braid. The soft pink and orange of her sundress made her look dainty; Connor was tempted to tell her her legs looked great in it. Instead, he turned her head to face him and kissed her.
“You know you can’t do that in front of my dad,” she laughed.
“I know,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She placed her arms around his neck as they swayed. “I’m trying to get all my kisses in before I’m deprived.”
“You did all that this morning.” She arched a brow at the way he chuckled. He felt the heat rising to her face when one of his hands brushed the back of her thighs.
“I did a little more than that too.” His scalp was still sore from the way she had pulled at his hair.
Katie slapped his arm. “No talking of sex!”
“All right, I got it.”
She shook her head. “I’m 20-years-old and my dad still acts like I’m some virginal, teenage Disney princess who needs to be protected from ‘boys and their indecent intentions.’”
“So it’s best if I don’t mention how I’ve defiled you multiple times.”
“Connor!”
“I’m joking.”
“No joking around!”
xxxx
By the time they got in his truck to head to Albany, Connor was still cool about meeting Mr. Gardner. He had his shades on, the weather was fairly warm, and a Duran Duran song played on the radio. He was going to charm Mr. Gardner’s pants off.
30 minutes into the drive, a rush of anxiety crashed on him and he nearly turned the truck onto the nearest exit.
“Holy shit, I can’t do this,” he said, jolting Katie from her brief nap.
“Huh?”
“Your dad’s gonna eat me alive.” He couldn’t see but he could tell she was rolling her eyes.
“He is not. Maybe,” she said. Connor grumbled under his breath something about how his muscles were too bitter for anyone to consume.
“You’ll be fine,” she went on. “He won’t do anything to you in front of the family, so relax.”
Connor scoffed. “Yeah, or else he’ll have witnesses.”
xxxx
Mr. Gardner wasn’t the gruff, towering man Connor imagined. He was about Connor’s height, with dark gray and brown hair. Connor could see Katie got her looks from him. The nerves Connor had began to dwindle once he realized the man wasn’t so threatening.
Till Connor shook his hand and thought his hand would break from Mr. Gardner’s hard grip. Connor kept a straight face, but he was sure his smiled appeared a bit insane. Katie merely looked back and forth between them, smiling like Connor wasn’t about to lose a hand.
“So you’re Connor?” Mr. Gardner asked, letting his hand go. His voice was rough and Irish accent noticeable. “Nice to meet you.”
Connor wondered if it was truly “nice,” but didn’t dwell on it. “Nice meeting you too.”
Katie glanced at him, mumbled, “Ahem.”
“-Sir.”
Mr. Gardner raised a brow (so that’s where Katie got that from), and motioned for them to come in. “Most of the family’s in the back, so we’ll just head ‘round there.”
That was the last moment Connor had with Mr. Gardner. Connor mingled among other family members: helping the younger children find Easter eggs, and charming old ladies who would exclaim, “What a handsome boy Katie has.” Connor kept his word to Katie by not kissing her in front of everyone. (He had some self-control, thank you.) There were moments when he and she would be talking, and Connor would have an urge to hold her hand. But then he’d happen to look up and there was Mr. Gardner, on the other side of the backyard, staring-as if he dared Connor to touch Katie in any way.
(Why did dads have to be so scary?)
xxxx
Late into the evening, some family members began to leave. Connor and Katie were planned on leaving soon, so Connor wandered into the house first to use the bathroom. When he came out, he found Mr. Gardner in the livingroom. The man sat in a large, old armchair, looking at a framed photo Connor assumed was probably a baby photo of Katie or Miranda.
He would’ve avoided him if Mr. Gardner hadn’t already noticed him.
“Sit here for a moment, Tanner,” he said.
“Uh, it’s Connor…Sir.”
“Connor. Excuse me. I realized we haven’t gotten acquainted much since you’ve been here.” Connor interpreted that as, “Now that I got you alone I can torture you.”
As Connor went to sit on the couch across from Mr. Gardner, he caught a glimpse of the photo. It was of a toddler Katie and Miranda, dolled up in frilly dresses, sitting in a garden. Mr. Gardner placed it on the table and sighed.
They sat in silence for a moment before Mr. Gardner spoke. “Katie tells me you’re a demigod like her.”
“Yes, sir, I’m--.”
“Son of Hermes. She told me.” The way he stressed Hermes, like he wasn’t his biggest fan, made Connor sweat. He wondered if Mr. Gardner could smell fear, so Connor sat up straighter, shoulders leaned back, and said, “Sir, I’m---.”
“Let me speak first.”
Connor sank back into the couch. Mr. Gardner rubbed the gray stubble on his face as he stared down at the photo.
“Now,” he began, “I’m not about to tell you not to date my daughter; she’ll do what she want no matter what I say, unfortunately. Though in my opinion, a girl who’s going to school shouldn’t do any dating till she’s finished and established in her career, least some fool try to distract her. . .”
Did he call Connor a fool? He did not just call Connor a fool.
“I understand completely, sir-.”
“Do you plan on having kids some day?” Mr. Gardner asked.
“With Katie?” Mr. Gardner’s eyes narrowed; Connor wanted to smack himself. “I mean, yes, sir.”
Mr. Gardner folded his hands and nodded. “If you’re lucky, you’ll have a daughter. So try to see it from my view, as a father.”
Connor nodded, and tried to figure out where the Hades the conversation was going.
“I only have two girls, and I don’t want no boy, coming in thinking he can mess up stuff. Katie and Miranda have bright futures, and I don’t want anything or anyone in the way of that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I didn’t like any of Katie’s old boyfriends. If you ask me, they were no good fools. She’ll tell you differently if you ask her though. But . . . It’s not that I don’t want Katie to find anyone. My dream for her is to find someone who’ll support her, and who she could marry someday. I want her to have a good family, where there aren’t constant fights. A husband who won’t walk out on her. I want her to have something better than Demeter and I-.”
He stopped abruptly, mouth half-opened; something was said he hadn’t meant to expose. Connor tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, not sure what to say.
“I understand you two haven’t been dating long?” Mr. Gardner asked.
He sure knew how to change the subject without sounding awkward.
“Since January, sir,” Connor replied.
“Tell me about yourself.” Oh, Connor could talk about himself for days (which Katie resented), but he only told the basic stuff. He worked at a coffee shop. He was graduating from a community college come May, and he planned on transferring to a university to major in archaeology. Mr. Gardner kept his expression neutral the entire time, but he nodded every so often.
Then he asked, “Why are you dating my daughter?” He must have noticed the instant displeasure on Connor’s face, because his brow arched higher till Connor saw it disappear into his hairline.
Connor hated that question. He’s had so many people (including Katie) ask him that. They always sounded doubtful-like their relationship wouldn’t last-or suspicious, like Connor wasn’t dating her because he liked her. He had to have some other motive.
It was a bunch of crap.
Connor knew that yeah, people judged him harshly because he’s had more “lady friends” than actual “girlfriends.” He knew people called him a “manwhore.” He didn’t care too much if people thought those things; it wasn’t any of their business. But to imply he’d cheat on Katie, or that he was simply using her, made him angrier than Hera on a good day. He shouldn’t have to prove himself to anyone, or have his and Katie’s relationship questioned.
He wished people would accept the fact that he genuinely liked her. A lot. He loved being with her. He loved everything about her and how she made him feel-
Mr. Gardner cleared his voice loudly. “Well?”
Connor breathed in deeply and gave him his answer.
xxxx
It wasn’t till they had stopped at a traffic light, that Connor leaned over, said, “Hey, Katie Kat,” and kissed her. It probably went on too long, because the car behind them honked loudly, and Connor thought he heard someone yell, “Stop making out and go!”
Connor laughed and drove on, while Katie shook her head at him.
“So how did it go?” she asked. “My dad said he talked to you.”
“Well, since I’m still your boyfriend and I’m alive-I survived your dad’s interrogation. Let’s just say he owns my soul now.”
“It was that bad?”
He shrugged, taking one hand off the wheel and holding it palm up toward Katie. She entwined her fingers with his and smiled.
“All I know is,” Connor said, “I’m not looking forward to the day where I have to tell him I want to marry you.”
If Connor turned for a second he could see Katie’s face burn bright red as she muttered, “You’re impossible.”
Author: twilight_rush
Fandom: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Summary: Connor meets Katie's dad for the first time.
Pairing: Connor Stoll/Katie Gardner
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns PJ&O.
Note: Inspired by this RP where Connor spent Easter with Katie's family ~ mediate89
Connor wasn’t a total stranger when it came to meeting a girlfriend’s parents. He’s met so many types; he practically knew how to handle them all. From the pretentious parents who didn’t think anyone was good enough for their “little girl,” to the overenthusiastic parents who were already planning the wedding and future grandkids’ names.
When he figured spending Easter with Katie’s family meant he was going to meet her dad for the first time, he felt prepared. Katie still had some rules for Connor to follow: Call him ‘sir,’ don’t stand too close to me, kisses on the cheek only, no joking around too much, and no mentions of sex. Ever. All right, he could do those. He liked a good challenge.
Connor put on his best cologne, managed to tame his curls so his hair was decent, and wore his “I’m-perfect-for-your-daughter” outfit. Looking in the mirror, he thought he looked like the kind of guy to take home to dad.
“You ready?” Katie asked as she came into the bedroom. She stood beside him, braiding the last strand of her braid. The soft pink and orange of her sundress made her look dainty; Connor was tempted to tell her her legs looked great in it. Instead, he turned her head to face him and kissed her.
“You know you can’t do that in front of my dad,” she laughed.
“I know,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She placed her arms around his neck as they swayed. “I’m trying to get all my kisses in before I’m deprived.”
“You did all that this morning.” She arched a brow at the way he chuckled. He felt the heat rising to her face when one of his hands brushed the back of her thighs.
“I did a little more than that too.” His scalp was still sore from the way she had pulled at his hair.
Katie slapped his arm. “No talking of sex!”
“All right, I got it.”
She shook her head. “I’m 20-years-old and my dad still acts like I’m some virginal, teenage Disney princess who needs to be protected from ‘boys and their indecent intentions.’”
“So it’s best if I don’t mention how I’ve defiled you multiple times.”
“Connor!”
“I’m joking.”
“No joking around!”
xxxx
By the time they got in his truck to head to Albany, Connor was still cool about meeting Mr. Gardner. He had his shades on, the weather was fairly warm, and a Duran Duran song played on the radio. He was going to charm Mr. Gardner’s pants off.
30 minutes into the drive, a rush of anxiety crashed on him and he nearly turned the truck onto the nearest exit.
“Holy shit, I can’t do this,” he said, jolting Katie from her brief nap.
“Huh?”
“Your dad’s gonna eat me alive.” He couldn’t see but he could tell she was rolling her eyes.
“He is not. Maybe,” she said. Connor grumbled under his breath something about how his muscles were too bitter for anyone to consume.
“You’ll be fine,” she went on. “He won’t do anything to you in front of the family, so relax.”
Connor scoffed. “Yeah, or else he’ll have witnesses.”
xxxx
Mr. Gardner wasn’t the gruff, towering man Connor imagined. He was about Connor’s height, with dark gray and brown hair. Connor could see Katie got her looks from him. The nerves Connor had began to dwindle once he realized the man wasn’t so threatening.
Till Connor shook his hand and thought his hand would break from Mr. Gardner’s hard grip. Connor kept a straight face, but he was sure his smiled appeared a bit insane. Katie merely looked back and forth between them, smiling like Connor wasn’t about to lose a hand.
“So you’re Connor?” Mr. Gardner asked, letting his hand go. His voice was rough and Irish accent noticeable. “Nice to meet you.”
Connor wondered if it was truly “nice,” but didn’t dwell on it. “Nice meeting you too.”
Katie glanced at him, mumbled, “Ahem.”
“-Sir.”
Mr. Gardner raised a brow (so that’s where Katie got that from), and motioned for them to come in. “Most of the family’s in the back, so we’ll just head ‘round there.”
That was the last moment Connor had with Mr. Gardner. Connor mingled among other family members: helping the younger children find Easter eggs, and charming old ladies who would exclaim, “What a handsome boy Katie has.” Connor kept his word to Katie by not kissing her in front of everyone. (He had some self-control, thank you.) There were moments when he and she would be talking, and Connor would have an urge to hold her hand. But then he’d happen to look up and there was Mr. Gardner, on the other side of the backyard, staring-as if he dared Connor to touch Katie in any way.
(Why did dads have to be so scary?)
xxxx
Late into the evening, some family members began to leave. Connor and Katie were planned on leaving soon, so Connor wandered into the house first to use the bathroom. When he came out, he found Mr. Gardner in the livingroom. The man sat in a large, old armchair, looking at a framed photo Connor assumed was probably a baby photo of Katie or Miranda.
He would’ve avoided him if Mr. Gardner hadn’t already noticed him.
“Sit here for a moment, Tanner,” he said.
“Uh, it’s Connor…Sir.”
“Connor. Excuse me. I realized we haven’t gotten acquainted much since you’ve been here.” Connor interpreted that as, “Now that I got you alone I can torture you.”
As Connor went to sit on the couch across from Mr. Gardner, he caught a glimpse of the photo. It was of a toddler Katie and Miranda, dolled up in frilly dresses, sitting in a garden. Mr. Gardner placed it on the table and sighed.
They sat in silence for a moment before Mr. Gardner spoke. “Katie tells me you’re a demigod like her.”
“Yes, sir, I’m--.”
“Son of Hermes. She told me.” The way he stressed Hermes, like he wasn’t his biggest fan, made Connor sweat. He wondered if Mr. Gardner could smell fear, so Connor sat up straighter, shoulders leaned back, and said, “Sir, I’m---.”
“Let me speak first.”
Connor sank back into the couch. Mr. Gardner rubbed the gray stubble on his face as he stared down at the photo.
“Now,” he began, “I’m not about to tell you not to date my daughter; she’ll do what she want no matter what I say, unfortunately. Though in my opinion, a girl who’s going to school shouldn’t do any dating till she’s finished and established in her career, least some fool try to distract her. . .”
Did he call Connor a fool? He did not just call Connor a fool.
“I understand completely, sir-.”
“Do you plan on having kids some day?” Mr. Gardner asked.
“With Katie?” Mr. Gardner’s eyes narrowed; Connor wanted to smack himself. “I mean, yes, sir.”
Mr. Gardner folded his hands and nodded. “If you’re lucky, you’ll have a daughter. So try to see it from my view, as a father.”
Connor nodded, and tried to figure out where the Hades the conversation was going.
“I only have two girls, and I don’t want no boy, coming in thinking he can mess up stuff. Katie and Miranda have bright futures, and I don’t want anything or anyone in the way of that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I didn’t like any of Katie’s old boyfriends. If you ask me, they were no good fools. She’ll tell you differently if you ask her though. But . . . It’s not that I don’t want Katie to find anyone. My dream for her is to find someone who’ll support her, and who she could marry someday. I want her to have a good family, where there aren’t constant fights. A husband who won’t walk out on her. I want her to have something better than Demeter and I-.”
He stopped abruptly, mouth half-opened; something was said he hadn’t meant to expose. Connor tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, not sure what to say.
“I understand you two haven’t been dating long?” Mr. Gardner asked.
He sure knew how to change the subject without sounding awkward.
“Since January, sir,” Connor replied.
“Tell me about yourself.” Oh, Connor could talk about himself for days (which Katie resented), but he only told the basic stuff. He worked at a coffee shop. He was graduating from a community college come May, and he planned on transferring to a university to major in archaeology. Mr. Gardner kept his expression neutral the entire time, but he nodded every so often.
Then he asked, “Why are you dating my daughter?” He must have noticed the instant displeasure on Connor’s face, because his brow arched higher till Connor saw it disappear into his hairline.
Connor hated that question. He’s had so many people (including Katie) ask him that. They always sounded doubtful-like their relationship wouldn’t last-or suspicious, like Connor wasn’t dating her because he liked her. He had to have some other motive.
It was a bunch of crap.
Connor knew that yeah, people judged him harshly because he’s had more “lady friends” than actual “girlfriends.” He knew people called him a “manwhore.” He didn’t care too much if people thought those things; it wasn’t any of their business. But to imply he’d cheat on Katie, or that he was simply using her, made him angrier than Hera on a good day. He shouldn’t have to prove himself to anyone, or have his and Katie’s relationship questioned.
He wished people would accept the fact that he genuinely liked her. A lot. He loved being with her. He loved everything about her and how she made him feel-
Mr. Gardner cleared his voice loudly. “Well?”
Connor breathed in deeply and gave him his answer.
xxxx
It wasn’t till they had stopped at a traffic light, that Connor leaned over, said, “Hey, Katie Kat,” and kissed her. It probably went on too long, because the car behind them honked loudly, and Connor thought he heard someone yell, “Stop making out and go!”
Connor laughed and drove on, while Katie shook her head at him.
“So how did it go?” she asked. “My dad said he talked to you.”
“Well, since I’m still your boyfriend and I’m alive-I survived your dad’s interrogation. Let’s just say he owns my soul now.”
“It was that bad?”
He shrugged, taking one hand off the wheel and holding it palm up toward Katie. She entwined her fingers with his and smiled.
“All I know is,” Connor said, “I’m not looking forward to the day where I have to tell him I want to marry you.”
If Connor turned for a second he could see Katie’s face burn bright red as she muttered, “You’re impossible.”