A Balance of Harmonies: Such Kids
Apr. 14th, 2012 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frogs_of_warI found a wrinkle. At first I wasn't sure. If you aren't sure than it can't really be, can it? But now I think it probably really might be one. I'm almost forty so I guess I'm due. I blame the sun. When my hermit uncle died recently at almost seventy, he didn't have any wrinkles and my grandmother says that she got most of hers in the last twenty years, now that she takes a walk everyday. She's ninety.
I don't like to think I'm vain, but I bought some sunscreen.
Title: Such Kids
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter sixty-five of
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: introductions, the perfect office, fear, a god father, advice, exhaustion, bad driving, welcome, food, cleaning up, safety, art, voicemail, pillow talk, impatience
Length: about 2,300 words
Summary: Kurt plays a big brother. Peregrine attempts a call. Emil causes bad driving.
Master list
Kurt stood up when the therapist called Hunter’s name. Hunter took Kurt’s hand as the therapist greeted him. Kurt gave it a gentle squeeze. The therapist held out his hand to Kurt. “Josh Bakken, call me either or neither. I’m comfortable if you are.”
He gestured down the hall.
Hunter squared his shoulder and followed Dr. Bakken into a room done up in Kurt’s favorite color. He wanted his office to be like this: dark green rug over a lighter green carpet, dark green matte walls with walnut bookshelves and desk. Even the chairs were upholstered in the same dark shade.
Dr. Bakken led them over to two couches, also dark green. One was velvet and the other was leather. Hunter chose the velvet one and tugged Kurt down beside him.
Dr. Bakken smiled. “Hunter, I’m glad to see you back. You’ve brought a friend today.”
Hunter looked at Kurt than at Dr. Bakken and back. In a loud whisper, he asked Kurt, “Am I supposed to introduce you?”
Dr. Bakken smiled. “That’s a start.”
Hunter did, but in order to do so he had to explain Peregrine and Emil and Keith. He talked about meeting Peregrine and spying on Emil and when Kurt came back into Peregrine’s life and how he felt when he saw Emil and Kurt together and how Peregrine had explained it to him and meeting Keith and seeing the three of them together and how nice Kurt was about his scars and how he really wanted a home of his own and parents, but how JJ laughed at him for it. But how much he wanted it anyway, but that he was scared to take what was offered because nothing in life came without a price and he didn’t know if he could pay it.
Dr. Bakken only spoke to prompt Hunter or asked that something be explained. Kurt didn’t talk at all. He was very happy that Dr. Bakken hadn’t asked Hunter what kind of horror would send an eight year old onto the streets. Kurt didn’t want to know.
As the time came to wrap up, Dr. Bakken asked Hunter to spend the week thinking of pros and cons for living with Keith. They would talk about that next week.
They stood up. Hunter took Kurt’s arm. “I’m bringing Kurt with me.”
Dr. Bakken smiled. “Then I will see you both.”
Keith was waiting for them in the lobby. “I have Hunter’s next appointment scheduled right after Olivia’s next week, but if a different day would be better for you…”
“Thursday is fine.”
Hunter frowned. “You didn’t have to stay.”
Keith brushed his hand over Hunter’s hair. “I’ll stay each time even if you are going out with Kurt and his friends afterwards because I want you to be my son, so I’m acting like your father.”
Hunter looked at the floor. “A father would stay?”
“A good father would. Now I’m going to tell you what I tell my other kids. Eat what they feed you and don’t make a mess so big that you can’t clean it up.”
Kurt grinned. “Those are good tips for life.”
Hunter looked up. “Are they?”
“Do you think you should make a mess too big to clean up?”
Hunter shook his head.
“Then he’s right.”
Keith walked them out to Kurt’s car. “Stay safe.”
“We will.”
--
Emil was exhausted. Too many people, too many questions, too much attention. Harrison appeared at his shoulder. Of course Harrison was here. “Peregrine says to pack you up and take you home with Éowen. He’ll deal with the stragglers.”
Emil sighed in relief and stuffed the last of his computer cords into his bag.
Harrison took Emil’s bag, “But you better hurry because school lets out in fifteen minutes.”
Emil let himself be maneuvered out of the building. Harrison didn’t stop for anyone. And he waited outside Emil’s door until Éowen pulled out of the parking spot.
She smiled at him. “So you’re famous. Ever done anything like that before.”
“I’ve been on panels, but never alone. Someone else can have fame.”
“Is Peregrine? Famous, I mean?”
“Can he walk down the street unnoticed? No, but that has more to do with his personality than his paintings. But he put more money than I’ll see in my life down on our condo.”
Éowen frowned. “But if you have a condo, why are you buying another one?”
“Kurt decided that one condo wasn’t big enough, so we are getting two, which started out as three. We will have a quarter of the fourth floor to ourselves. Our last place wasn’t a third that size, but then it was only the two of us.”
“So you two have a roommate? Kurt? Peregrine used to have a boyfriend with that name. He’s why Peregrine pretended we didn’t exist.” Éowen turned a corner a little too sharply.
Maybe Emil shouldn’t talk about Kurt while she was driving.
“Thank you for calling. I think Peregrine wanted to talk to you, but he wanted you to need him.”
Éowen humphed. “We did need him.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“I was nineteen.”
“He was twenty-two. How mature do you see Sam as?”
Éowen laughed. “We were such kids.”
She pulled into her driveway and got Dan out of the back. “What were you like at twenty-one?”
“I was head over heels in love with Peregrine.”
“Join the club. My husband was in love with Peregrine.” Éowen unlocked the front door. “I’m just lucky that he loves me too.”
“But Peregrine loves me back. That makes me the luckiest man alive.”
Éowen smiled. “You, lucky dog, you. Welcome to the family.”
And Emil did feel welcome.
--
Kurt leaned back in his chair. The pizza had been delicious, even the ones with vegetable on it. Hunter did indeed like salad if his plate could be used as evidence. Zan popped to her feet. “Wash up and then we get to have fun.”
Kurt carried the plates into the kitchen.
“Leave them here.” Autumn pointed at the counter. “I wash them later.”
Kurt set them down. “I can actually clean up after myself.”
Autumn smiled and leaned on his arm. “I never said you couldn’t. But as you all will probably want seconds, I thought I could wash everything at once.”
“But if you dishwasher is empty, I could do them.”
Autumn put her hand on the dishwasher door. “That’s the thing. It’s not. Zan and I were busy all afternoon so we just crammed stuff in there and called it good.”
“At least let me start it, so you can go back to doing what was keeping you busy.”
She stepped back. “Have at it.”
He moved stuff around and only had to remove one thing. Autumn put the soap in then started the dishwasher. Zan walked in the room. “Go find our little friend.”
Kurt looked around. Hunter should be long done by now. Kurt knocked on the bathroom door. “Nearly done?”
“Yeah,” was Hunter’s mumbled reply.
“If you have a problem…”
Hunter opened the door a crack. “Will I… will I have to pull up my sleeves? To keep them away from the heat?”
“Zan wears Kevlar sleeves most of the time. I’m sure Autumn has made some in your size. Let’s go ask.”
Hunter slid out of the bathroom and walked with Kurt into the kitchen. Kurt put a hand on his shoulder. “I think we want to talk about safety and protective equipment first.”
Zan nodded. “That’s what I planned on. Hunter, would you like to come out to my workshop and I’ll introduce you to my fire.”
Hunter smiled. Yes then.
Hunter kept his hands behind his back as Zan showed off her furnaces and anneal kiln. She explained what she used each for and why. Then she showed him the kevlar sleeves. “I wear these less often than I should. When I don’t, the fire singes off my hair and sometimes I get burned.”
She pulled up her sleeve. She had small burn scars up and down her forearms. “Most of these came when trying to bake in the kitchen. I’m such a klutz.”
Autumn brought over some small Kevlar sleeves. “I hope these fit. Just slip your thumb in the hole.”
She pulled them over the sleeves of Hunter’s shirt. “Now bend your elbows.”
Kurt rolled up his sleeves and slipped his two gauntlets on. One went from wrist to elbow and the other only coved his wrist. Then he slipped into his apron and glasses. He was going to make something today.
When Hunter was safely geared up, Zan turned toward him. “Hunter, do you have an idea of what you want to make?”
“What can I make?”
“Anything.” She showed off her art, including the huge vase full of exotic looking marbles. “I can teach you to do all of this. But maybe you’d rather watch Kurt work for a while?”
Hunter nodded.
Kurt set to work. He was still remembering how glass moved after all the time away, so he was glad Zan explained what he was doing and answer Hunter’s questions. The vase took shape quickly and the mixture of blue and purple glass sand colored the mouth just right. Kurt snapped the rod off and set the vase in the annealing kiln with a sigh. “I think this one is perfect.”
Hunter raised his brows. “This one.”
Zan grinned. “He’s made a few. Glass is cheap and reusable. If you don’t like what you make, you can break it and start again.”
“Break it?”
“Those bins I showed you with the broken glass in them. That’s all stuff I decided not to keep. Breaking it is therapeutic.”
“But what if I want to make something today? Will it be so bad that I’ll have to break it?”
Zan wrapped her arms around him. “No. I’ll help. What would you like? We can start with glass bubbles, but if you want to make something fancier…”
“Olivia… Olivia needs a pink vase for her flowers. Can we make that?”
Zan grinned. “Of course we can. Do you want to decide what it looks like before we start or just do what inspires you?”
Hunter bit his lip.
“Inspiration it is.”
Zan led Hunter through the process and let him add as much color and as many flutes to the top as he wanted. Kurt used that time to practice textures. He was a dragon with two hearts. He needed scales. He also needed to discover just how much dragon green he could add without obscuring the twin hearts that beat in his chest. He was going translucent for all his color, but he didn’t want the red heart to look brown, or the blue one a deeper green. Maybe the chest area should be clear and get more and more green nearer the extremities.
Zan had had the great idea for a segmented pole to hold the dragon up, so the whole thing would fit in her equipment. Kurt wasn’t going to risk the dragon breaking as the thin parts cooled faster than the thick ones. When the condo was remodeled, Kurt would make a place for this dragon, maybe in the entry room. But first he had to finish it.
--
Peregrine attempted to call Meri again. She didn’t answer again. Peregrine waited for the beep. “I’d almost think you didn’t want to talk to me. Next time you leave a message, why don’t you tell me when you’re going to call back? That way I can have my phone on. Your big brother is getting annoyed. But if you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine too. Does your phone take texts?”
Then he hung up. She’d either call him back or she wouldn’t.
Emil had an hour before he had to leave for the airport. Peregrine was going to make good use of it.
--
Emil lay back on the bed. He really should be getting up and dressed, but Peregrine felt so nice beside him. He stroked Peregrine’s short hair. “Don’t fall in love with anyone while I’m gone.”
Peregrine jerked up. “You don’t think I would, do you?”
Emil pulled him down. “I know you won’t. I’m just feeling insecure with all these men around in love with you. I should count my blessings.”
Peregrine sighed. “Maybe I should feel lucky you think I’m worth being jealous over. But I don’t. I want you here beside me more than I want anything… except for you to go make out other third feel loved.”
“Maybe Kurt can come down. Unless that would make you family crazy. Crazier. I casually mentioned him to Éowen and she forgot how to drive.”
Peregrine propped his chin on Emil’s chest. “I don’t care what they think. They get all of us or none of us. Tell Kurt that. I love him too.”
Emil grinned. He loved his men and was feeling more loved than ever.
--
Kurt paced through the condo. Everything was clean and tidy. The sheets were newly changed and a fresh jar of lube waited on the bedside table. Kurt wanted Emil in his bed until noon tomorrow.
He checked his phone. Emil’s plane didn’t land for another hour, but Kurt couldn’t sit still. He needed Emil’s warm body against his. He turned off the lights, except in the bedroom, and headed out. If he had to wait, he might as well wait where people were around to distract him.
I don't like to think I'm vain, but I bought some sunscreen.
Title: Such Kids
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter sixty-five of
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: introductions, the perfect office, fear, a god father, advice, exhaustion, bad driving, welcome, food, cleaning up, safety, art, voicemail, pillow talk, impatience
Length: about 2,300 words
Summary: Kurt plays a big brother. Peregrine attempts a call. Emil causes bad driving.
Master list
Kurt stood up when the therapist called Hunter’s name. Hunter took Kurt’s hand as the therapist greeted him. Kurt gave it a gentle squeeze. The therapist held out his hand to Kurt. “Josh Bakken, call me either or neither. I’m comfortable if you are.”
He gestured down the hall.
Hunter squared his shoulder and followed Dr. Bakken into a room done up in Kurt’s favorite color. He wanted his office to be like this: dark green rug over a lighter green carpet, dark green matte walls with walnut bookshelves and desk. Even the chairs were upholstered in the same dark shade.
Dr. Bakken led them over to two couches, also dark green. One was velvet and the other was leather. Hunter chose the velvet one and tugged Kurt down beside him.
Dr. Bakken smiled. “Hunter, I’m glad to see you back. You’ve brought a friend today.”
Hunter looked at Kurt than at Dr. Bakken and back. In a loud whisper, he asked Kurt, “Am I supposed to introduce you?”
Dr. Bakken smiled. “That’s a start.”
Hunter did, but in order to do so he had to explain Peregrine and Emil and Keith. He talked about meeting Peregrine and spying on Emil and when Kurt came back into Peregrine’s life and how he felt when he saw Emil and Kurt together and how Peregrine had explained it to him and meeting Keith and seeing the three of them together and how nice Kurt was about his scars and how he really wanted a home of his own and parents, but how JJ laughed at him for it. But how much he wanted it anyway, but that he was scared to take what was offered because nothing in life came without a price and he didn’t know if he could pay it.
Dr. Bakken only spoke to prompt Hunter or asked that something be explained. Kurt didn’t talk at all. He was very happy that Dr. Bakken hadn’t asked Hunter what kind of horror would send an eight year old onto the streets. Kurt didn’t want to know.
As the time came to wrap up, Dr. Bakken asked Hunter to spend the week thinking of pros and cons for living with Keith. They would talk about that next week.
They stood up. Hunter took Kurt’s arm. “I’m bringing Kurt with me.”
Dr. Bakken smiled. “Then I will see you both.”
Keith was waiting for them in the lobby. “I have Hunter’s next appointment scheduled right after Olivia’s next week, but if a different day would be better for you…”
“Thursday is fine.”
Hunter frowned. “You didn’t have to stay.”
Keith brushed his hand over Hunter’s hair. “I’ll stay each time even if you are going out with Kurt and his friends afterwards because I want you to be my son, so I’m acting like your father.”
Hunter looked at the floor. “A father would stay?”
“A good father would. Now I’m going to tell you what I tell my other kids. Eat what they feed you and don’t make a mess so big that you can’t clean it up.”
Kurt grinned. “Those are good tips for life.”
Hunter looked up. “Are they?”
“Do you think you should make a mess too big to clean up?”
Hunter shook his head.
“Then he’s right.”
Keith walked them out to Kurt’s car. “Stay safe.”
“We will.”
--
Emil was exhausted. Too many people, too many questions, too much attention. Harrison appeared at his shoulder. Of course Harrison was here. “Peregrine says to pack you up and take you home with Éowen. He’ll deal with the stragglers.”
Emil sighed in relief and stuffed the last of his computer cords into his bag.
Harrison took Emil’s bag, “But you better hurry because school lets out in fifteen minutes.”
Emil let himself be maneuvered out of the building. Harrison didn’t stop for anyone. And he waited outside Emil’s door until Éowen pulled out of the parking spot.
She smiled at him. “So you’re famous. Ever done anything like that before.”
“I’ve been on panels, but never alone. Someone else can have fame.”
“Is Peregrine? Famous, I mean?”
“Can he walk down the street unnoticed? No, but that has more to do with his personality than his paintings. But he put more money than I’ll see in my life down on our condo.”
Éowen frowned. “But if you have a condo, why are you buying another one?”
“Kurt decided that one condo wasn’t big enough, so we are getting two, which started out as three. We will have a quarter of the fourth floor to ourselves. Our last place wasn’t a third that size, but then it was only the two of us.”
“So you two have a roommate? Kurt? Peregrine used to have a boyfriend with that name. He’s why Peregrine pretended we didn’t exist.” Éowen turned a corner a little too sharply.
Maybe Emil shouldn’t talk about Kurt while she was driving.
“Thank you for calling. I think Peregrine wanted to talk to you, but he wanted you to need him.”
Éowen humphed. “We did need him.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“I was nineteen.”
“He was twenty-two. How mature do you see Sam as?”
Éowen laughed. “We were such kids.”
She pulled into her driveway and got Dan out of the back. “What were you like at twenty-one?”
“I was head over heels in love with Peregrine.”
“Join the club. My husband was in love with Peregrine.” Éowen unlocked the front door. “I’m just lucky that he loves me too.”
“But Peregrine loves me back. That makes me the luckiest man alive.”
Éowen smiled. “You, lucky dog, you. Welcome to the family.”
And Emil did feel welcome.
--
Kurt leaned back in his chair. The pizza had been delicious, even the ones with vegetable on it. Hunter did indeed like salad if his plate could be used as evidence. Zan popped to her feet. “Wash up and then we get to have fun.”
Kurt carried the plates into the kitchen.
“Leave them here.” Autumn pointed at the counter. “I wash them later.”
Kurt set them down. “I can actually clean up after myself.”
Autumn smiled and leaned on his arm. “I never said you couldn’t. But as you all will probably want seconds, I thought I could wash everything at once.”
“But if you dishwasher is empty, I could do them.”
Autumn put her hand on the dishwasher door. “That’s the thing. It’s not. Zan and I were busy all afternoon so we just crammed stuff in there and called it good.”
“At least let me start it, so you can go back to doing what was keeping you busy.”
She stepped back. “Have at it.”
He moved stuff around and only had to remove one thing. Autumn put the soap in then started the dishwasher. Zan walked in the room. “Go find our little friend.”
Kurt looked around. Hunter should be long done by now. Kurt knocked on the bathroom door. “Nearly done?”
“Yeah,” was Hunter’s mumbled reply.
“If you have a problem…”
Hunter opened the door a crack. “Will I… will I have to pull up my sleeves? To keep them away from the heat?”
“Zan wears Kevlar sleeves most of the time. I’m sure Autumn has made some in your size. Let’s go ask.”
Hunter slid out of the bathroom and walked with Kurt into the kitchen. Kurt put a hand on his shoulder. “I think we want to talk about safety and protective equipment first.”
Zan nodded. “That’s what I planned on. Hunter, would you like to come out to my workshop and I’ll introduce you to my fire.”
Hunter smiled. Yes then.
Hunter kept his hands behind his back as Zan showed off her furnaces and anneal kiln. She explained what she used each for and why. Then she showed him the kevlar sleeves. “I wear these less often than I should. When I don’t, the fire singes off my hair and sometimes I get burned.”
She pulled up her sleeve. She had small burn scars up and down her forearms. “Most of these came when trying to bake in the kitchen. I’m such a klutz.”
Autumn brought over some small Kevlar sleeves. “I hope these fit. Just slip your thumb in the hole.”
She pulled them over the sleeves of Hunter’s shirt. “Now bend your elbows.”
Kurt rolled up his sleeves and slipped his two gauntlets on. One went from wrist to elbow and the other only coved his wrist. Then he slipped into his apron and glasses. He was going to make something today.
When Hunter was safely geared up, Zan turned toward him. “Hunter, do you have an idea of what you want to make?”
“What can I make?”
“Anything.” She showed off her art, including the huge vase full of exotic looking marbles. “I can teach you to do all of this. But maybe you’d rather watch Kurt work for a while?”
Hunter nodded.
Kurt set to work. He was still remembering how glass moved after all the time away, so he was glad Zan explained what he was doing and answer Hunter’s questions. The vase took shape quickly and the mixture of blue and purple glass sand colored the mouth just right. Kurt snapped the rod off and set the vase in the annealing kiln with a sigh. “I think this one is perfect.”
Hunter raised his brows. “This one.”
Zan grinned. “He’s made a few. Glass is cheap and reusable. If you don’t like what you make, you can break it and start again.”
“Break it?”
“Those bins I showed you with the broken glass in them. That’s all stuff I decided not to keep. Breaking it is therapeutic.”
“But what if I want to make something today? Will it be so bad that I’ll have to break it?”
Zan wrapped her arms around him. “No. I’ll help. What would you like? We can start with glass bubbles, but if you want to make something fancier…”
“Olivia… Olivia needs a pink vase for her flowers. Can we make that?”
Zan grinned. “Of course we can. Do you want to decide what it looks like before we start or just do what inspires you?”
Hunter bit his lip.
“Inspiration it is.”
Zan led Hunter through the process and let him add as much color and as many flutes to the top as he wanted. Kurt used that time to practice textures. He was a dragon with two hearts. He needed scales. He also needed to discover just how much dragon green he could add without obscuring the twin hearts that beat in his chest. He was going translucent for all his color, but he didn’t want the red heart to look brown, or the blue one a deeper green. Maybe the chest area should be clear and get more and more green nearer the extremities.
Zan had had the great idea for a segmented pole to hold the dragon up, so the whole thing would fit in her equipment. Kurt wasn’t going to risk the dragon breaking as the thin parts cooled faster than the thick ones. When the condo was remodeled, Kurt would make a place for this dragon, maybe in the entry room. But first he had to finish it.
--
Peregrine attempted to call Meri again. She didn’t answer again. Peregrine waited for the beep. “I’d almost think you didn’t want to talk to me. Next time you leave a message, why don’t you tell me when you’re going to call back? That way I can have my phone on. Your big brother is getting annoyed. But if you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine too. Does your phone take texts?”
Then he hung up. She’d either call him back or she wouldn’t.
Emil had an hour before he had to leave for the airport. Peregrine was going to make good use of it.
--
Emil lay back on the bed. He really should be getting up and dressed, but Peregrine felt so nice beside him. He stroked Peregrine’s short hair. “Don’t fall in love with anyone while I’m gone.”
Peregrine jerked up. “You don’t think I would, do you?”
Emil pulled him down. “I know you won’t. I’m just feeling insecure with all these men around in love with you. I should count my blessings.”
Peregrine sighed. “Maybe I should feel lucky you think I’m worth being jealous over. But I don’t. I want you here beside me more than I want anything… except for you to go make out other third feel loved.”
“Maybe Kurt can come down. Unless that would make you family crazy. Crazier. I casually mentioned him to Éowen and she forgot how to drive.”
Peregrine propped his chin on Emil’s chest. “I don’t care what they think. They get all of us or none of us. Tell Kurt that. I love him too.”
Emil grinned. He loved his men and was feeling more loved than ever.
--
Kurt paced through the condo. Everything was clean and tidy. The sheets were newly changed and a fresh jar of lube waited on the bedside table. Kurt wanted Emil in his bed until noon tomorrow.
He checked his phone. Emil’s plane didn’t land for another hour, but Kurt couldn’t sit still. He needed Emil’s warm body against his. He turned off the lights, except in the bedroom, and headed out. If he had to wait, he might as well wait where people were around to distract him.
