His mother's breath hissed through her teeth and she raised her hand to strike him. Deftly Reed moved in front of Emerson, protecting him from the hand that then slapped across him. He grit his teeth and glared at her. "Are you done now, mother?" he asked, his voice very low.
She looked horrified and took a step backwards, and Lyddia firmly gripped her arm. "I think it's time you left, Evelyn," Lyddia said in an icy voice. Reed's father and uncle had both stopped when the slap had occured, and Jim moved to stand behind Lyddia, supporting her.
"But.. Reed," she said weakly, looking at her son. Reed had put an arm around Emerson but was holding him slightly behind his body, almost shielding him from the hostile environment. He hadn't had time to even think about what Emerson had said, it was just another thing that would be brought out and examined later. "I think it's time you left," he agreed, looking at her. His father looked like he was about to say something, but Reed continued. "Before you do though, I want to introduce you to someone." He moved to reveal his slight boyfriend's frame.
"This is Emerson. We've been dating for a while, now. He's a wizard, and half the time he can't even remember what the name for basketball is. But do you know what he gave me for Christmas?" he looked steadily at his parents. "A basketball hoop that was used in a NBA grandfinal." He looked down at Emerson tenderly, then back up at his parents. "He's pretty great, and I'm hopelessly in love with him. That was why I invited him to come stay with my real family for Christmas; because the only thing they care about is that I'm happy. You two didn't care enough to even get his name."
Reed shrugged and turned, leading Emerson towards the staircase up to their room. He heard his mother start crying but he kept walking, he had to get out of there before the tears started with him too.