A Balance of Harmonies: Picnic
Sep. 5th, 2011 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frogs_of_warI went to my grandmother’s 90th birthday party last weekend. All the adults have gotten shorter. My cousins are grown with kids of their own. My youngest aunt and several uncles couldn’t attend, but we had a good showing. The town I lived in has gotten smaller too. When I google mapped it the distance between 11th street and the riverfront was the same as the town I think of as home, but it felt smaller. And quaint.
Title: Picnic
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter thirty-six of many
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: waking up warm and nice, a hard question to answer, none of the right clothes, looking well loved, nervousness, teenagers, obstinacy, a park, twirls, a little chat, an unpleasant thought, history, comfort, a huff
Length: about 3,200 words
Summary: Peregrine worries. Kurt plays. And Emil isn’t quite so sure.
Master list
Emil stretched out and his fingers brushed Kurt’s wrist. Kurt’s other hand clinched at Emil’s hip. Kurt wasn’t fully awake yet, but certain parts of his body were already raring for action. Emil grinned and shifted his hips. Peregrine walked in the door, bringing the smell of coffee and pancakes. “Sex or food?”
Kurt groaned. “What kind of question is that?”
“I’d say both at once,” Peregrine had a gleam in his eye that sent shivers down Emil’s spine, “except we are supposed to meet Keith for lunch in two hours and it would take that long just to clean up afterwards.”
“What about,” one of Kurt’s hands slid down Emil’s belly as his other beaconed Peregrine to the bed, “we have a light snack of each? We wouldn’t want to ruin our appetites for Keith’s picnic.”
“So,” Peregrine leaned his knees onto the bed, “Which snack do you want first? That one?” he pointed his thumb back towards the kitchen. “Or this one?”
He ran his hand up Emil’s thigh.
Kurt’s cock had made its decision and Emil made his, by shifting just enough to beacon it inside. Breakfast could wait.
--
Kurt looked through his closet. All his clothes were here. Except for the ones that he usually wore. They were all at Peregrine and Emil’s. He wanted to look nice, but not work nice. It was Labor Day, a day to relax. He should have bought something for the occasion. Or maybe got started earlier so they could drop by their old place.
He looked back in the living room where his men were getting dressed. Both showed signs of having been loved.
Nope. He was glad they’d slept in.
Emil flashed him a bright smile. Maybe Kurt looked as loved as he felt.
--
Peregrine fussed about room. Kurt watched him, like an artist. Maybe someday this bland room would be full of colored glass sculptures made by Kurt’s loving hands. Peregrine could see it now. But he shouldn’t take the time. He had to get his boys and take them to meet Keith, who might someday be their father. He was feeling unsettled.
Emil’s arms wrapped around him. “What else do you need? I’d almost think you were nervous.”
Peregrine laughed and relaxed. “I love you. I can’t think of anything else.”
Emil pointed at the bag by Kurt’s feet. “I’ve got your sketch books and colored pencils and water bottles.”
“Thanks.” Peregrine kissed Emil and then Kurt. “Let’s go.”
But he sounded more confident than he felt. The youth shelter was only a dozen blocks away and they arrived much too soon. Hunter was waiting on the front steps. Peregrine leapt out of the car and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’re in the back with me.”
JJ stuck his head out of an upstairs window. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Kurt and Emil, these are my boys. JJ and Hunter, these are my men. Get in or we’re leaving without you.”
Hunter made a dash for the car. JJ scowled. “Maybe I’ll just stay here.”
Peregrine shrugged like he didn’t care. “Maybe you will. I’m sure Hunter will tell you all about it when he gets back.”
He glanced into the car. Emil had turned around in his seat and was talking to Hunter animatedly about something. Upstairs, JJ hadn’t moved.
“If you don’t want lots of steak and ice cream, well that’s none of my business. See you later.”
“Wait!”
Peregrine did. JJ arrived out of breath but perfectly ready for a day out. He’d always planned to go. That was a weight off Peregrine’s mind.
--
Kurt glanced into the review mirror. Peregrine sat between the boys. One was sulking, while the other tried to please. Hunter was like Emil in miniature. They looked nothing alike, but they felt the same. Two lost children, only Emil had met first Keith and then Peregrine and his little kayak was no longer adrift at sea. Maybe Keith could help Hunter too.
No wonder Peregrine loved his boys.
Hunter leaned against Peregrine and answered any question put to him. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his kernel of hope so near the surface of the rocky soil that it probably bloomed and died with regularity. Kurt hoped it never died again.
JJ, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. He was as close to the door as his seatbelt would allow and the only answer he’d given so far was a grunt. But he was there, which was the first step.
Kurt pulled into a parking spot that wasn’t in the shade, but would be in a few hours. He’d expected the parking lot to be fuller. As he got out of the car, JJ scowled at him, so Kurt walked around and opened Emil’s door instead. Emil’s arms were full of bags that he hadn’t wanted to put in the trunk.
Kurt opened Hunter’s door. Hunter looked up at him with wide eyes. Kurt looked down at himself. “Sorry, I’m a giant.”
Hunter giggled and slid out of the car. Kurt offered his hand to Peregrine, who took it with a grin. Kurt kissed him as he stood up. Peregrine let his eyes do the smiling as he turned to JJ. “Come on.”
JJ got out on the other side. Kurt made sure the car was locked then turned to the shouting. Olivia and Willow were waving and hollering. Kurt waved back that he’d seen them. A moment later Olivia tore across the grass. She headed for Peregrine, but veered off, maybe because JJ had stepped in front of him. Kurt met her before she could falter and scooped her up into a spin. She giggled and clung to him.
When he stopped his spin, Willow held out her hands. “When’s my turn?”
And then she laughed.
“Willow,” Olivia wiggled like she wanted down. “You can go next.”
When her feet hit the ground, she looked up at Kurt and then at Willow. “Kurt is the best Merry-go-round ever.”
Willow shook her head, but Kurt could tell that she really wanted to. He stepped away from the others and held out his arms. “Come on.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
Willow weighed more than Olivia, but she was still light. She laughed louder and was more trusting. Kurt let the spin slow on its own. He sat Willow down and she continued to lean against him. “I love you. Do you know that?”
Kurt petted her hair. “I do.”
He met Liam’s gaze. If Liam wasn’t worried about Willow being in Kurt’s arms, neither would Kurt. He gave her a squeeze and brushed her hair back from her face. “You ok?”
Her eyes were bright and she blinked a few times, but she nodded. Then she took a deep breath and turned to Liam. “The shirts!”
Liam held out the pile of tie dyed fabric in his hands.
Willow laughed.
Olivia took the top shirt off the stack and held it out to Peregrine. “I made this for you.”
Peregrine smiled. “Thank you.”
Olivia bounced. “You have to wear it.”
Willow laughed again. “What my sister is trying to say is that we made shirts for everyone to wear at the picnic. Autumn and Zan came over on Friday and showed us how.”
Peregrine opened the shirt and held it up to his chest.
“This one’s yours.” Willow held up a huge t-shirt to Kurt. He looked it over than pulled it over his other shirt. Olivia laughed. Emil pulled off his tank top before putting his shirt on. Hunter stared. He had good taste.
The girls had shirts for both Hunter and JJ. Hunter held his to his chest like he was scared it would be taken away, but JJ wouldn’t touch his. Peregrine took it from Olivia and asked her about making the shirts until the smile was back on her face. She took his hand and spun. “We wanted to write the Bonsa-faie Family Picnic or something, but we decided not to because fewer people are Bonsa-faie than aren’t.”
“Really?” asked Hunter.
“Yep.” Olivia hopped over to his side of Peregrine. “Daddy’s Bonsa-faie and now Emil, Liam, and I are, but Casey’s Pynes and Willow’s Fessbender and Peregrine’s Jones and Kurt’s… Skyles and you’re something else too. Would you like to be a Bonsa-faie, too? Peregrine says you don’t have a home. I didn’t have a home and now I live with Daddy and he’s such a great Daddy. I love living with him and Willow and Liam and Casey.” She turned towards Keith’s picnic table. “Daddy, I love you.”
Then she ran to her father.
Hunter licked his lips and looked at Peregrine. What a way to have the possibility of family dropped on him.
Peregrine held his and JJ’s shirts up. “The bathroom’s over there.” He pointed. “Let’s get changed.”
“What?” JJ scowled. “Why?”
“When in Rome…” He stopped. “They are feeding us. Putting on a shirt will not hurt you. But if you don’t want to wear it, wait here while Hunter and I change.”
Then he walked away, with his hand on Hunter’s back.
Kurt turned away. This was none of his business. Getting involved would only mess things up.
Willow had taken a bag from Emil and they were on their way to the picnic. Kurt followed. Liam fell into step beside him, his eyes on Willow. “You treat her like a girl.”
Kurt nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Not like a young woman trying to find herself or like a girl with extra bits or like an it or like… Well, she likes it. You make her, unequivocally, a girl.”
Kurt slowed down his steps. “Is that ok?”
Liam smiled. “She loves it. She was never a girl. Not the pig-tailed princess kind anyway. Keith tries, but… I’m sure she wouldn’t want everyone to treat her like they treat Olivia. She almost twenty, but to have someone who will always see her as twelve… She never got to be twelve.”
Liam blinked and wiped at his eye. Growing up is hard for everyone, but trans kids in foster care must have it even rougher. Liam might be the only one who knew what she lived through. Willow, like Emil, never complained.
“You’re special to her. Not special like I am, but…”
“I can keep being her big brother.”
Liam grinned. “Yes. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Treating Willow like a beloved little sister was as easy as breathing.
--
Emil leaned back against the picnic table. Dad was presiding over the grill and discussing renovations to the house that may or may not have had anything to do with Hunter and JJ. The first part of the conversation had happened at some other time, but like an old married couple, they took it up in the middle of speaking of something else. Emil enjoyed listening to them, but couldn’t add much to the conversation.
Kurt had taken the girls off to the playground. He was hanging under the jungle gym pretending his feet couldn’t touch the ground. Emil could hear the girls laugh from here. Emil hadn’t known Kurt was the goofy type, but then there were still a lot of things he didn’t know about him. As much as he loved him, Kurt was still practically a stranger.
Now that wasn’t a pleasant thought to have on such a beautiful day.
Kurt was like a surprise present that Emil continually got to open.
Much better.
Liam and Hunter sat in the grass, putting a kite together, near Peregrine who was trying to get a hold of Zan. They would be by later with more tie dye stuff and Peregrine wanted them to bring long sleeve shirts for Hunter. Right now Hunter wore Peregrine’s long sleeved black t-shirt under his colorful tie dye and Peregrine showed off his arm tattoos in the daylight for the first time since Emil met him.
JJ sat at the other side of the picnic table, either glaring at Peregrine or scowling at Hunter, determined not to have a good time.
Emil turned on the bench. “Dad, Peregrine bought me a house.”
Dad and Casey turned to Emil, their eyebrows high.
“Well, not really a house. A condo, near Mike’s Gallery and Kurt’s job.”
“Is it nice?” Dad flipped a steak.
“It’s wonderful. The best view in the city.”
“How much did it cost?” Casey pulled out the picnic plates. The food must be nearly done.
“I don’t know, but it’s in the Pearl.”
Casey clapped Dad on the back. “Did you think we’d ever know anyone who lived in the Pearl District?”
Dad laughed. “I never thought I’d be related to anyone who could afford that. Two prosperous son-in-laws. And by the same son.”
He grinned at Emil.
So they must not think buying a house without telling you live-in lover was a weird thing to do. Maybe Emil was over thinking it. Of course, he hadn’t told them that the house buying had been a surprise. He’d accepted that the condo was theirs and that they’d live in it, but accepting wasn’t the same as liking.
“Hey!” said JJ. “Peregrine said you chose your dad.”
“That’s true,” said Dad. “When I met Emil he about so high.” He held his hand just over his waist. “I was his foster dad for almost a year back when I was married.” He smiled at Casey. “Years later I met him at the library. He was about fourteen. Your age?”
JJ nodded.
“And we talked for a while.”
“He told me to start writing books.” Emil remembered that day vividly, seeing his long lost father for the first time in forever and being equal parts angry that it had been so long, happy to see him, and scared that they would never meet again. “So I’d have a way to provide for myself once I turned eighteen and the foster care system shut their doors to me.”
“But he’s you dad now?”
“I kept in touch.” Dad took the veggies off a grill. “And when he turned eighteen I asked him to be my son.”
“Why ask?” JJ scowl turned to Emil. “And why say yes.”
“On my eighteenth birthday I packed everything I owned into one bag and left the closest thing I had to a home. If not for Keith I might have spent that night under a bridge.”
JJ scoffed. “And had all your stuff stolen.”
“Probably.”
Casey whistled everyone for dinner.
“I moved in with Keith and Casey.” Emil tried to stay unemotional. He had a reason not to think about this time in his life. “But I didn’t agree to be his son until long after I moved out on my own.”
“Why?”
“So I’d have someone to go home to. I wanted,” Emil leaned against Kurt’s solid warmth, “I wanted something in this huge wide world that was mine. When Keith adopted me, he stopped being a nice man who cared about me, and became my father. Mine. The first thing that was ever mine since I was eight.”
“I was eight,” said Hunter’s little voice, “the last time I had a home and family.”
Emil wiggled his fingers in welcome. But should he have? He wasn’t sure how he should treat these boys. But Hunter slammed into Emil’s side and they would have fallen on the bench if not for Kurt’s solid strength. Emil hugged the small boy like he wished someone would have hugged him all those years ago.
Peregrine put his hand on the boy’s back and smiled at Emil.
“You can be my brother,” said Olivia. “When’s you birthday? You’re twelve too, right?”
Keith sat a big plate with a steak on it in front of Hunter, so he didn’t have to answer. Emil didn’t think he could have anyway. Hunter stared at the food and leaned against Peregrine. Casey handed Hunter a knife and fork. “You do eat meat?”
Hunter nodded. He looked like it was Christmas. Then he buried his face in Peregrine’s side. Peregrine wrapped his arm around Hunter. “Your food will get cold.”
JJ got up and stalked off.
Dad sighed. “Eat up everyone.”
Dad really wanted these boys. Emil would do his part. He rubbed his arm against Hunter’s shoulder and started talking up life in Dad’s family. Olivia, Liam, and Willow joined in. Peregrine flashed him a smile and followed JJ, while Emil kept Hunter distracted and eating.
--
Peregrine sat down beside JJ and watched the crows peck at the ground. “You aren’t hungry?”
JJ crossed his arms. Peregrine leaned back on his hands. He wasn’t going to get anything out of JJ while he sat like that. But the sky was light blue at the horizon, turning to almost purple between the tall trees above Peregrine, and the gentle wind brought the sounds of happy children and the scent of fresh cut grass.
And because he’s had that late breakfast with his men, his stomach wasn’t rumbling loudly like JJ’s was. He could sit here for hours.
JJ scuffed the tree needles with his feet and huffed. “You like him best.”
“I like a lot of people.”
JJ ground his teeth. “I don’t care about them.”
“Why, do you think?”
“You touch him.”
“I do.” Peregrine did touch Hunter, mostly because Hunter seemed to need it so much. And he’d never hit on Peregrine. Well, he once tried to “reward” Peregrine for being nice to him, but when Peregrine explained that he wasn’t that kind of man, Hunter sighed in relief and never brought it up again.
“He likes it.”
“Good.”
“No. He likes it likes it. So if he likes it likes it then why can’t I?”
“JJ, I’m not sleeping with you.”
JJ grunted.
Peregrine watched a car drive by. “What I can’t figure out…”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you wait until after you ate to go off in a huff?”
“It isn’t a huff.”
“It looks like a huff. Free food and all you could eat. Steak. When was the last time you had steak?”
“Some guy bought me steak once.”
Peregrine doubted it was a good steak. JJ’s clients hadn’t been high class. He’d been a step up from up-against-the-alley-wall, but probably only because he worked an area without alleys. He leaned more for the drive-by crowd.
Only Peregrine hoped there wasn’t a crowd of men who broke the law in that way. Anyway, Andre tried to wean the boys off the money petty crime brought by giving the boys what they needed. But they still fell back to selling themselves or drugs or petty theft when they wanted spare change.
“This steak would be free. All you have to do is sit there and it’s yours. How is that too painful to live through?”
JJ got up and wiped the dust off his clothes.
The conversation wasn’t over, but at least JJ’s stomach would be full. Maybe he’d perk up later.
This was why Peregrine would never make a good parent.
Title: Picnic
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter thirty-six of many
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: waking up warm and nice, a hard question to answer, none of the right clothes, looking well loved, nervousness, teenagers, obstinacy, a park, twirls, a little chat, an unpleasant thought, history, comfort, a huff
Length: about 3,200 words
Summary: Peregrine worries. Kurt plays. And Emil isn’t quite so sure.
Master list
Emil stretched out and his fingers brushed Kurt’s wrist. Kurt’s other hand clinched at Emil’s hip. Kurt wasn’t fully awake yet, but certain parts of his body were already raring for action. Emil grinned and shifted his hips. Peregrine walked in the door, bringing the smell of coffee and pancakes. “Sex or food?”
Kurt groaned. “What kind of question is that?”
“I’d say both at once,” Peregrine had a gleam in his eye that sent shivers down Emil’s spine, “except we are supposed to meet Keith for lunch in two hours and it would take that long just to clean up afterwards.”
“What about,” one of Kurt’s hands slid down Emil’s belly as his other beaconed Peregrine to the bed, “we have a light snack of each? We wouldn’t want to ruin our appetites for Keith’s picnic.”
“So,” Peregrine leaned his knees onto the bed, “Which snack do you want first? That one?” he pointed his thumb back towards the kitchen. “Or this one?”
He ran his hand up Emil’s thigh.
Kurt’s cock had made its decision and Emil made his, by shifting just enough to beacon it inside. Breakfast could wait.
--
Kurt looked through his closet. All his clothes were here. Except for the ones that he usually wore. They were all at Peregrine and Emil’s. He wanted to look nice, but not work nice. It was Labor Day, a day to relax. He should have bought something for the occasion. Or maybe got started earlier so they could drop by their old place.
He looked back in the living room where his men were getting dressed. Both showed signs of having been loved.
Nope. He was glad they’d slept in.
Emil flashed him a bright smile. Maybe Kurt looked as loved as he felt.
--
Peregrine fussed about room. Kurt watched him, like an artist. Maybe someday this bland room would be full of colored glass sculptures made by Kurt’s loving hands. Peregrine could see it now. But he shouldn’t take the time. He had to get his boys and take them to meet Keith, who might someday be their father. He was feeling unsettled.
Emil’s arms wrapped around him. “What else do you need? I’d almost think you were nervous.”
Peregrine laughed and relaxed. “I love you. I can’t think of anything else.”
Emil pointed at the bag by Kurt’s feet. “I’ve got your sketch books and colored pencils and water bottles.”
“Thanks.” Peregrine kissed Emil and then Kurt. “Let’s go.”
But he sounded more confident than he felt. The youth shelter was only a dozen blocks away and they arrived much too soon. Hunter was waiting on the front steps. Peregrine leapt out of the car and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’re in the back with me.”
JJ stuck his head out of an upstairs window. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Kurt and Emil, these are my boys. JJ and Hunter, these are my men. Get in or we’re leaving without you.”
Hunter made a dash for the car. JJ scowled. “Maybe I’ll just stay here.”
Peregrine shrugged like he didn’t care. “Maybe you will. I’m sure Hunter will tell you all about it when he gets back.”
He glanced into the car. Emil had turned around in his seat and was talking to Hunter animatedly about something. Upstairs, JJ hadn’t moved.
“If you don’t want lots of steak and ice cream, well that’s none of my business. See you later.”
“Wait!”
Peregrine did. JJ arrived out of breath but perfectly ready for a day out. He’d always planned to go. That was a weight off Peregrine’s mind.
--
Kurt glanced into the review mirror. Peregrine sat between the boys. One was sulking, while the other tried to please. Hunter was like Emil in miniature. They looked nothing alike, but they felt the same. Two lost children, only Emil had met first Keith and then Peregrine and his little kayak was no longer adrift at sea. Maybe Keith could help Hunter too.
No wonder Peregrine loved his boys.
Hunter leaned against Peregrine and answered any question put to him. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his kernel of hope so near the surface of the rocky soil that it probably bloomed and died with regularity. Kurt hoped it never died again.
JJ, on the other hand, was a tough nut to crack. He was as close to the door as his seatbelt would allow and the only answer he’d given so far was a grunt. But he was there, which was the first step.
Kurt pulled into a parking spot that wasn’t in the shade, but would be in a few hours. He’d expected the parking lot to be fuller. As he got out of the car, JJ scowled at him, so Kurt walked around and opened Emil’s door instead. Emil’s arms were full of bags that he hadn’t wanted to put in the trunk.
Kurt opened Hunter’s door. Hunter looked up at him with wide eyes. Kurt looked down at himself. “Sorry, I’m a giant.”
Hunter giggled and slid out of the car. Kurt offered his hand to Peregrine, who took it with a grin. Kurt kissed him as he stood up. Peregrine let his eyes do the smiling as he turned to JJ. “Come on.”
JJ got out on the other side. Kurt made sure the car was locked then turned to the shouting. Olivia and Willow were waving and hollering. Kurt waved back that he’d seen them. A moment later Olivia tore across the grass. She headed for Peregrine, but veered off, maybe because JJ had stepped in front of him. Kurt met her before she could falter and scooped her up into a spin. She giggled and clung to him.
When he stopped his spin, Willow held out her hands. “When’s my turn?”
And then she laughed.
“Willow,” Olivia wiggled like she wanted down. “You can go next.”
When her feet hit the ground, she looked up at Kurt and then at Willow. “Kurt is the best Merry-go-round ever.”
Willow shook her head, but Kurt could tell that she really wanted to. He stepped away from the others and held out his arms. “Come on.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
Willow weighed more than Olivia, but she was still light. She laughed louder and was more trusting. Kurt let the spin slow on its own. He sat Willow down and she continued to lean against him. “I love you. Do you know that?”
Kurt petted her hair. “I do.”
He met Liam’s gaze. If Liam wasn’t worried about Willow being in Kurt’s arms, neither would Kurt. He gave her a squeeze and brushed her hair back from her face. “You ok?”
Her eyes were bright and she blinked a few times, but she nodded. Then she took a deep breath and turned to Liam. “The shirts!”
Liam held out the pile of tie dyed fabric in his hands.
Willow laughed.
Olivia took the top shirt off the stack and held it out to Peregrine. “I made this for you.”
Peregrine smiled. “Thank you.”
Olivia bounced. “You have to wear it.”
Willow laughed again. “What my sister is trying to say is that we made shirts for everyone to wear at the picnic. Autumn and Zan came over on Friday and showed us how.”
Peregrine opened the shirt and held it up to his chest.
“This one’s yours.” Willow held up a huge t-shirt to Kurt. He looked it over than pulled it over his other shirt. Olivia laughed. Emil pulled off his tank top before putting his shirt on. Hunter stared. He had good taste.
The girls had shirts for both Hunter and JJ. Hunter held his to his chest like he was scared it would be taken away, but JJ wouldn’t touch his. Peregrine took it from Olivia and asked her about making the shirts until the smile was back on her face. She took his hand and spun. “We wanted to write the Bonsa-faie Family Picnic or something, but we decided not to because fewer people are Bonsa-faie than aren’t.”
“Really?” asked Hunter.
“Yep.” Olivia hopped over to his side of Peregrine. “Daddy’s Bonsa-faie and now Emil, Liam, and I are, but Casey’s Pynes and Willow’s Fessbender and Peregrine’s Jones and Kurt’s… Skyles and you’re something else too. Would you like to be a Bonsa-faie, too? Peregrine says you don’t have a home. I didn’t have a home and now I live with Daddy and he’s such a great Daddy. I love living with him and Willow and Liam and Casey.” She turned towards Keith’s picnic table. “Daddy, I love you.”
Then she ran to her father.
Hunter licked his lips and looked at Peregrine. What a way to have the possibility of family dropped on him.
Peregrine held his and JJ’s shirts up. “The bathroom’s over there.” He pointed. “Let’s get changed.”
“What?” JJ scowled. “Why?”
“When in Rome…” He stopped. “They are feeding us. Putting on a shirt will not hurt you. But if you don’t want to wear it, wait here while Hunter and I change.”
Then he walked away, with his hand on Hunter’s back.
Kurt turned away. This was none of his business. Getting involved would only mess things up.
Willow had taken a bag from Emil and they were on their way to the picnic. Kurt followed. Liam fell into step beside him, his eyes on Willow. “You treat her like a girl.”
Kurt nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Not like a young woman trying to find herself or like a girl with extra bits or like an it or like… Well, she likes it. You make her, unequivocally, a girl.”
Kurt slowed down his steps. “Is that ok?”
Liam smiled. “She loves it. She was never a girl. Not the pig-tailed princess kind anyway. Keith tries, but… I’m sure she wouldn’t want everyone to treat her like they treat Olivia. She almost twenty, but to have someone who will always see her as twelve… She never got to be twelve.”
Liam blinked and wiped at his eye. Growing up is hard for everyone, but trans kids in foster care must have it even rougher. Liam might be the only one who knew what she lived through. Willow, like Emil, never complained.
“You’re special to her. Not special like I am, but…”
“I can keep being her big brother.”
Liam grinned. “Yes. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Treating Willow like a beloved little sister was as easy as breathing.
--
Emil leaned back against the picnic table. Dad was presiding over the grill and discussing renovations to the house that may or may not have had anything to do with Hunter and JJ. The first part of the conversation had happened at some other time, but like an old married couple, they took it up in the middle of speaking of something else. Emil enjoyed listening to them, but couldn’t add much to the conversation.
Kurt had taken the girls off to the playground. He was hanging under the jungle gym pretending his feet couldn’t touch the ground. Emil could hear the girls laugh from here. Emil hadn’t known Kurt was the goofy type, but then there were still a lot of things he didn’t know about him. As much as he loved him, Kurt was still practically a stranger.
Now that wasn’t a pleasant thought to have on such a beautiful day.
Kurt was like a surprise present that Emil continually got to open.
Much better.
Liam and Hunter sat in the grass, putting a kite together, near Peregrine who was trying to get a hold of Zan. They would be by later with more tie dye stuff and Peregrine wanted them to bring long sleeve shirts for Hunter. Right now Hunter wore Peregrine’s long sleeved black t-shirt under his colorful tie dye and Peregrine showed off his arm tattoos in the daylight for the first time since Emil met him.
JJ sat at the other side of the picnic table, either glaring at Peregrine or scowling at Hunter, determined not to have a good time.
Emil turned on the bench. “Dad, Peregrine bought me a house.”
Dad and Casey turned to Emil, their eyebrows high.
“Well, not really a house. A condo, near Mike’s Gallery and Kurt’s job.”
“Is it nice?” Dad flipped a steak.
“It’s wonderful. The best view in the city.”
“How much did it cost?” Casey pulled out the picnic plates. The food must be nearly done.
“I don’t know, but it’s in the Pearl.”
Casey clapped Dad on the back. “Did you think we’d ever know anyone who lived in the Pearl District?”
Dad laughed. “I never thought I’d be related to anyone who could afford that. Two prosperous son-in-laws. And by the same son.”
He grinned at Emil.
So they must not think buying a house without telling you live-in lover was a weird thing to do. Maybe Emil was over thinking it. Of course, he hadn’t told them that the house buying had been a surprise. He’d accepted that the condo was theirs and that they’d live in it, but accepting wasn’t the same as liking.
“Hey!” said JJ. “Peregrine said you chose your dad.”
“That’s true,” said Dad. “When I met Emil he about so high.” He held his hand just over his waist. “I was his foster dad for almost a year back when I was married.” He smiled at Casey. “Years later I met him at the library. He was about fourteen. Your age?”
JJ nodded.
“And we talked for a while.”
“He told me to start writing books.” Emil remembered that day vividly, seeing his long lost father for the first time in forever and being equal parts angry that it had been so long, happy to see him, and scared that they would never meet again. “So I’d have a way to provide for myself once I turned eighteen and the foster care system shut their doors to me.”
“But he’s you dad now?”
“I kept in touch.” Dad took the veggies off a grill. “And when he turned eighteen I asked him to be my son.”
“Why ask?” JJ scowl turned to Emil. “And why say yes.”
“On my eighteenth birthday I packed everything I owned into one bag and left the closest thing I had to a home. If not for Keith I might have spent that night under a bridge.”
JJ scoffed. “And had all your stuff stolen.”
“Probably.”
Casey whistled everyone for dinner.
“I moved in with Keith and Casey.” Emil tried to stay unemotional. He had a reason not to think about this time in his life. “But I didn’t agree to be his son until long after I moved out on my own.”
“Why?”
“So I’d have someone to go home to. I wanted,” Emil leaned against Kurt’s solid warmth, “I wanted something in this huge wide world that was mine. When Keith adopted me, he stopped being a nice man who cared about me, and became my father. Mine. The first thing that was ever mine since I was eight.”
“I was eight,” said Hunter’s little voice, “the last time I had a home and family.”
Emil wiggled his fingers in welcome. But should he have? He wasn’t sure how he should treat these boys. But Hunter slammed into Emil’s side and they would have fallen on the bench if not for Kurt’s solid strength. Emil hugged the small boy like he wished someone would have hugged him all those years ago.
Peregrine put his hand on the boy’s back and smiled at Emil.
“You can be my brother,” said Olivia. “When’s you birthday? You’re twelve too, right?”
Keith sat a big plate with a steak on it in front of Hunter, so he didn’t have to answer. Emil didn’t think he could have anyway. Hunter stared at the food and leaned against Peregrine. Casey handed Hunter a knife and fork. “You do eat meat?”
Hunter nodded. He looked like it was Christmas. Then he buried his face in Peregrine’s side. Peregrine wrapped his arm around Hunter. “Your food will get cold.”
JJ got up and stalked off.
Dad sighed. “Eat up everyone.”
Dad really wanted these boys. Emil would do his part. He rubbed his arm against Hunter’s shoulder and started talking up life in Dad’s family. Olivia, Liam, and Willow joined in. Peregrine flashed him a smile and followed JJ, while Emil kept Hunter distracted and eating.
--
Peregrine sat down beside JJ and watched the crows peck at the ground. “You aren’t hungry?”
JJ crossed his arms. Peregrine leaned back on his hands. He wasn’t going to get anything out of JJ while he sat like that. But the sky was light blue at the horizon, turning to almost purple between the tall trees above Peregrine, and the gentle wind brought the sounds of happy children and the scent of fresh cut grass.
And because he’s had that late breakfast with his men, his stomach wasn’t rumbling loudly like JJ’s was. He could sit here for hours.
JJ scuffed the tree needles with his feet and huffed. “You like him best.”
“I like a lot of people.”
JJ ground his teeth. “I don’t care about them.”
“Why, do you think?”
“You touch him.”
“I do.” Peregrine did touch Hunter, mostly because Hunter seemed to need it so much. And he’d never hit on Peregrine. Well, he once tried to “reward” Peregrine for being nice to him, but when Peregrine explained that he wasn’t that kind of man, Hunter sighed in relief and never brought it up again.
“He likes it.”
“Good.”
“No. He likes it likes it. So if he likes it likes it then why can’t I?”
“JJ, I’m not sleeping with you.”
JJ grunted.
Peregrine watched a car drive by. “What I can’t figure out…”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you wait until after you ate to go off in a huff?”
“It isn’t a huff.”
“It looks like a huff. Free food and all you could eat. Steak. When was the last time you had steak?”
“Some guy bought me steak once.”
Peregrine doubted it was a good steak. JJ’s clients hadn’t been high class. He’d been a step up from up-against-the-alley-wall, but probably only because he worked an area without alleys. He leaned more for the drive-by crowd.
Only Peregrine hoped there wasn’t a crowd of men who broke the law in that way. Anyway, Andre tried to wean the boys off the money petty crime brought by giving the boys what they needed. But they still fell back to selling themselves or drugs or petty theft when they wanted spare change.
“This steak would be free. All you have to do is sit there and it’s yours. How is that too painful to live through?”
JJ got up and wiped the dust off his clothes.
The conversation wasn’t over, but at least JJ’s stomach would be full. Maybe he’d perk up later.
This was why Peregrine would never make a good parent.
