A Balance of Harmonies: Party, part 4
Jul. 7th, 2013 04:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frogs_of_warThe Coconut oil in my pantry is solid again. This might not seem like such a big deal, but last week we were without an air conditioner (and one day we were without windows) and the house got so hot that the oil which is normally wax hard was the same consistency as our olive oil. Coconut oil’s melting point is 76°F (24.4°C) and even at night, my house didn’t get much under this. But now the weather’s cooled a bit (under 80° (26.6°) during the day) and even though the house obstinately stays 2° hotter than outside, the coconut oil hasn’t melted again.
Title: Party, part four
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter one hundred twenty-seven of gobs
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: disconcertion, tears, introductions, awkwardness, apologies, goodbyes, a tour, questions, leaving.
Length: about 2,300 words
Summary: Peregrine points out rudeness. Kurt defends his men. And Emil can’t get away.
Master list
Emil flipped through the photo album. Being so clearly loved by someone that he couldn’t remember was disconcerting. Like not being able to remember a one-night-stand weeks later, except worse. He should be able to remember her or at least someone in the family.
He took refuge in her stories of the old pictures. “Whose house was this? It doesn’t look like the one with the Christmas tree.”
“It is. This is the living room and that was the family room. That’s where we set up the bed after your grandfather got sick. First because he couldn’t navigate the stairs and later so he was closer to everyone after the doctors gave up hope. On the days when the nurse came, I was so tired I just wanted to sleep, but I had kids at home. I did laundry and admired art and looked over assignments and filled out endless paperwork. I thought you’d still be there when the tough times were over, that I was saving you from seeing your grandfather die by inches.” Tears trickled down Ellen’s face.
The foreman patted her arm. “Ellen, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I lived a good life.”
“But you don’t even remember us.” Ellen pulled a tissue from her pocket.
“I remember you.” Emil nodded at the foreman. “Nothing particular, but you’ve been familiar since the day we met.”
“I found you familiar as well.”
“But you didn’t want Tom to talk to me.”
“Tom is chatty. I can’t show favoritism.”
“He’s a determined boy.” Ellen blinked and daubed the last of the liquid from her eyes. “If not for him, I might never have met you.”
“If not for my author’s picture online, he might never have recognized me. I only use my birth name for writing. Let me get Dad. He probably remembers me being ten better than I do.”
Dad came in from the balcony. “Walk out for a minute and the party starts without me.”
“Dad, let me get you something warm to drink. I could see your breath outside.” He poured coffee just like Dad liked it. “This is my maternal grandmother.”
She put out her hand. “Ellen Straus. I was a Rainwater for many years. I still have fond memories of that name.”
Dad introduced himself to Ellen and the foreman, whose name turned out to be Jamie. Emil would never have guessed it. James, sure, Jim, maybe, but not Jamie. They tried to introduce Tom, but he and Hunter were looking through one of Emil’s books.
Dad smiled. “Leave them to it. Anything that gets Hunter interested in reading is a good thing.”
Ellen waxed eloquent on what a nice boy Tom was and how well his got along with his younger cousins. Any conversation that wasn’t about Emil was a good one.
--
Peregrine added a few wispy hairs to Hunter’s bangs. Was the book that interesting or the boy reading it with him?
Emil’s grandmother and Keith came into the living room. He introduced her to Lavender. Ellen put a hand to her mouth. “You are right, she does look just like my Emilio.”
Willow and Liam made room on the couch for Ellen. Lavender traced a lock of her daughter’s hair as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Ellen settled into the cushion. “And you say you aren’t related? Are you sure? Where are you from? My brother—you and Emilio look just like my mother and brother. My brother was well known for his little flings.”
Lavender held her daughter tighter. “My mother was married.”
“My brother’s flings always were. He liked to make sure his kids were taken care of. How old are you? He would have been in Arizona, maybe Texas, twenty-five years ago.”
Lavender stood up. Her face was pale. Peregrine hopped to his feet. Lavender’s mother was a saint, at least in her eyes. “You can use the master bath if she needs changed.”
Lavender nodded and swept out of the room. Diego left the baby with Diemen and Pavel and followed her.
“Mrs. Straus, do you often asks strangers if their mothers slept around?”
Ellen looked toward the door Lavender went through. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Lavender is sensitive to criticism of her mother. Just as I would be.”
“Sorry. Maybe I should apologize.” Ellen rose.
That wasn’t a good idea. “What did your brother look like? Do you have pictures?”
“Let me get the album.”
Peregrine exchanged a look with the foreman while she was gone. Emil really did look like his uncle, but just because Lavender didn’t look like her father or brother didn’t mean her mother had strayed. And whether she was really related to Emil changed nothing about Peregrine feeling for her and her family. They were still cute and sweet and needed to be painted.
--
Emil jumped at the chance to carry the unhappy baby to his mother. He’d pick a fussy baby over a nosey grandmother any day. Why couldn’t she just go home?
Lavender sat by the fireplace, Piper in her lap and Diego’s arms around them. She was crying.
“He knows he’s missing the cuddles.”
The baby cries ceased when Diego held him. He just wanted his Daddy.
“I’m so very sorry.” Emil ran a hand through his hair. “I was hoping all the people would keep her from interrogating me. I didn’t mean for her to make you feel bad.”
“Not your fault.” Diego smiled. “We can’t pick our relatives.”
“Some of them.” Lavender grinned at her husband.
He squeezed her hand and kissed it.
They needed privacy, probably more than someone else’s bedroom would give them. “Do you need me to get anything? I’m not trying to force you out, but I don’t see why you should have to deal with anyone else’s relatives.”
Diego checked his phone. “We’ve stayed longer than we planned already. Thank you.”
“I’m just really sorry this happened. I can’t believe she asked you that.” She hadn’t made one mention of Emil’s mother even in passing. She has to understand not wanting to talk about people. “I can finally understand why Peregrine didn’t want to see his family. I guess I was lucky not to have one.”
Lavender patted his arm. “I wasn’t upset at the thought of being related.”
“I know. This having a family thing is going to take effort.”
Diego laughed. “You should meet my mother.”
Emil had at Diego and Lavender’s wedding. “Is she always that intense?”
“Sometimes she’s worse. I’m just lucky Lavender loves me enough to tolerate her.”
Lavender sighed. “She did get us two wonderful babies with almost no effort on our part.”
Diego kissed her hand again. “Diaper bag, car seat, what else?”
Diego was quick and effect at gathering things up, then they said their goodbyes while Peregrine kept Ellen busy. Couldn’t she figure out she’d overstayed her welcome? Emil carried their bag out to their car and stayed to chat until their kids were strapped it. Maybe he could pick up something at the grocery store. That would take a while, especially if he had to figure out something they didn’t already have. A while was how long he wanted to be gone.
Olivia’s voice echoed through the parking garage. Dad held her hand and she held Goldie’s
Pavel grinned. “Sorry to leave so soon. We have another place to be and the kids are spending the night with my mother.”
“I’m going to spend the night, next week.” Olivia declared. “And Goldie’s babushka is going to make us cookies.”
Goldie nodded. “And we are going to have a tea party and play with our babies and watch movies and everything.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It will be. Bye. I had a nice time. Can we come back later?”
“Goldie.” Diemen opened the car door. “What have I said about demanding invitations?”
Goldie climbed into the car and fluffed her shirts. According to her logic asking to return was like saying she’s had a nice time twice, better than, because she wanted a repeat. Diemen didn’t look convinced.
He shook Emil’s hand. “Thanks for the invitation. Meeting new people is good for Em and Goldie. We want them to know their choices before they try to conform to society’s ideals.”
“And to know they can choose their own paths.” Pavel put his hand on Diemen’s back.
They were nice guys, the little Emil knew of them. He certainly wouldn’t have taken in two kids, one of them a stranger, at a moment’s notice. Handshakes all around, then Emil reluctantly followed Dad and Olivia to the elevator. He really didn’t want to go back.
--
Kurt touched Emil shoulder. “Your turn to get the doorbell.”
Ellen frowned. Emil kissed Kurt’s cheek. “I need to do my fair share.”
He’d done more than his share with all the planning and cooking and decorating. And he’d been in a pretty good mood, humming along with the music, until Ellen had arrived.
“Have you seen the place?”
Ellen shrugged. “Jamie and Tom have told me about it.”
“Let me give you a tour.”
He started with Emil balcony which was as far as he could get from Emil getting drinks for Kit and Brody without passing him. “This is the reason we bought this condo.”
Ellen admired it. Jamie said nothing.
Kurt took his time in the conservatory, talking about the plants. He knocked on his office door before he opened it. No one was inside, but this was probably the perfect room for canoodling as it had only one door and didn’t need to be walked through to get anywhere else.
Then he took his time in Peregrine’s studio. The half done painting of Diego and his family sat on one easel while Emil tied to a rock took up the other. More painting in different stages of completion lined the walls.
Ellen stood in front of one. “You don’t wear a lot of clothes.”
How was he supposed to answer that? “Peregrine doesn’t need us to pose. And the rooms are pretty warm even in the winter.”
“But you model for him? And Emil does? Doesn’t that interfere with his writing for children?”
“Why would it?”
“It’s just… only… As a writer for children… I would think… doesn’t he need to be above board?”
Kurt crossed his arms. She obviously needed more time to get used to Emil. “Are you trying to say that something is inherently wrong with being painted?”
She gestured to Emil’s robe uncovering more than it covered. “That’s sexual.”
“And sexual is wrong?”
“But he also writes for children.”
“This isn’t his author picture.”
She laughed. “It’s certainly not.”
“So what’s the problem? You think other authors for children as are celibate?”
“But he shows up in theses.” Ellen gestured around the room.
“Peregrine’s an artist. Showing up in his work isn’t a burden we need to hide from our friends.” Kurt almost said family. Wouldn’t his mother freak if she saw these?
“If you say so.”
“I do.” He stepped through the sliding doors. “This is our bedroom. Here’s the closet and this is the bathroom.”
He led her back out past the laundry room. Emil laughed at something Ezra said. When had he and Zawadzki arrived? Kurt wanted to hang out with his friends.
The foreman cleared his throat. “It’s probably time we headed back.”
Ellen sighed. “I guess. Let me get Tom.”
Hallelujah!
Tom set down a pair of fours. “See ya.”
“No,” Ellen said. “You should come with us.”
“Why? I brought my truck.” He passed some cards to Hunter, who grinned.
“We’ve stayed here long enough.”
She had, definitely, but Tom hadn’t made anyone uncomfortable and his was having fun if the general cheeriness of the card table meant anything. Willow and Liam were going to lose this round.
“He can stay. We’ll send him home when we’ve had enough of him.”
“Thanks.” Tom grinned. Hunter’s grin was even brighter.
“If you really think so.” Ellen frowned.
“He does.” The foreman touched Ellen shoulder. “Tom, be home by ten.”
Tom rolled his eyes, but only after the foreman had turned away. Kurt followed them out. He needed to see them actually leave. He left the door open a crack as they headed for the elevator. Ellen asked whether leaving Tom here was all right. Wouldn’t it encourage an alternate lifestyle?
The foreman pressed the elevator button. “Tom is what he is. Hiding gay people from him isn’t going to make him straight.”
“Then you think he is gay?”
“I think he’s Tom. And if you notice everyone comes in pairs. Boyfriends, partners, fiancés… He’s fine.”
“But…”
“And he’s old enough to make his own mistakes.”
And then they were gone. At least.
Title: Party, part four
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter one hundred twenty-seven of gobs
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: disconcertion, tears, introductions, awkwardness, apologies, goodbyes, a tour, questions, leaving.
Length: about 2,300 words
Summary: Peregrine points out rudeness. Kurt defends his men. And Emil can’t get away.
Master list
Emil flipped through the photo album. Being so clearly loved by someone that he couldn’t remember was disconcerting. Like not being able to remember a one-night-stand weeks later, except worse. He should be able to remember her or at least someone in the family.
He took refuge in her stories of the old pictures. “Whose house was this? It doesn’t look like the one with the Christmas tree.”
“It is. This is the living room and that was the family room. That’s where we set up the bed after your grandfather got sick. First because he couldn’t navigate the stairs and later so he was closer to everyone after the doctors gave up hope. On the days when the nurse came, I was so tired I just wanted to sleep, but I had kids at home. I did laundry and admired art and looked over assignments and filled out endless paperwork. I thought you’d still be there when the tough times were over, that I was saving you from seeing your grandfather die by inches.” Tears trickled down Ellen’s face.
The foreman patted her arm. “Ellen, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I lived a good life.”
“But you don’t even remember us.” Ellen pulled a tissue from her pocket.
“I remember you.” Emil nodded at the foreman. “Nothing particular, but you’ve been familiar since the day we met.”
“I found you familiar as well.”
“But you didn’t want Tom to talk to me.”
“Tom is chatty. I can’t show favoritism.”
“He’s a determined boy.” Ellen blinked and daubed the last of the liquid from her eyes. “If not for him, I might never have met you.”
“If not for my author’s picture online, he might never have recognized me. I only use my birth name for writing. Let me get Dad. He probably remembers me being ten better than I do.”
Dad came in from the balcony. “Walk out for a minute and the party starts without me.”
“Dad, let me get you something warm to drink. I could see your breath outside.” He poured coffee just like Dad liked it. “This is my maternal grandmother.”
She put out her hand. “Ellen Straus. I was a Rainwater for many years. I still have fond memories of that name.”
Dad introduced himself to Ellen and the foreman, whose name turned out to be Jamie. Emil would never have guessed it. James, sure, Jim, maybe, but not Jamie. They tried to introduce Tom, but he and Hunter were looking through one of Emil’s books.
Dad smiled. “Leave them to it. Anything that gets Hunter interested in reading is a good thing.”
Ellen waxed eloquent on what a nice boy Tom was and how well his got along with his younger cousins. Any conversation that wasn’t about Emil was a good one.
--
Peregrine added a few wispy hairs to Hunter’s bangs. Was the book that interesting or the boy reading it with him?
Emil’s grandmother and Keith came into the living room. He introduced her to Lavender. Ellen put a hand to her mouth. “You are right, she does look just like my Emilio.”
Willow and Liam made room on the couch for Ellen. Lavender traced a lock of her daughter’s hair as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Ellen settled into the cushion. “And you say you aren’t related? Are you sure? Where are you from? My brother—you and Emilio look just like my mother and brother. My brother was well known for his little flings.”
Lavender held her daughter tighter. “My mother was married.”
“My brother’s flings always were. He liked to make sure his kids were taken care of. How old are you? He would have been in Arizona, maybe Texas, twenty-five years ago.”
Lavender stood up. Her face was pale. Peregrine hopped to his feet. Lavender’s mother was a saint, at least in her eyes. “You can use the master bath if she needs changed.”
Lavender nodded and swept out of the room. Diego left the baby with Diemen and Pavel and followed her.
“Mrs. Straus, do you often asks strangers if their mothers slept around?”
Ellen looked toward the door Lavender went through. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Lavender is sensitive to criticism of her mother. Just as I would be.”
“Sorry. Maybe I should apologize.” Ellen rose.
That wasn’t a good idea. “What did your brother look like? Do you have pictures?”
“Let me get the album.”
Peregrine exchanged a look with the foreman while she was gone. Emil really did look like his uncle, but just because Lavender didn’t look like her father or brother didn’t mean her mother had strayed. And whether she was really related to Emil changed nothing about Peregrine feeling for her and her family. They were still cute and sweet and needed to be painted.
--
Emil jumped at the chance to carry the unhappy baby to his mother. He’d pick a fussy baby over a nosey grandmother any day. Why couldn’t she just go home?
Lavender sat by the fireplace, Piper in her lap and Diego’s arms around them. She was crying.
“He knows he’s missing the cuddles.”
The baby cries ceased when Diego held him. He just wanted his Daddy.
“I’m so very sorry.” Emil ran a hand through his hair. “I was hoping all the people would keep her from interrogating me. I didn’t mean for her to make you feel bad.”
“Not your fault.” Diego smiled. “We can’t pick our relatives.”
“Some of them.” Lavender grinned at her husband.
He squeezed her hand and kissed it.
They needed privacy, probably more than someone else’s bedroom would give them. “Do you need me to get anything? I’m not trying to force you out, but I don’t see why you should have to deal with anyone else’s relatives.”
Diego checked his phone. “We’ve stayed longer than we planned already. Thank you.”
“I’m just really sorry this happened. I can’t believe she asked you that.” She hadn’t made one mention of Emil’s mother even in passing. She has to understand not wanting to talk about people. “I can finally understand why Peregrine didn’t want to see his family. I guess I was lucky not to have one.”
Lavender patted his arm. “I wasn’t upset at the thought of being related.”
“I know. This having a family thing is going to take effort.”
Diego laughed. “You should meet my mother.”
Emil had at Diego and Lavender’s wedding. “Is she always that intense?”
“Sometimes she’s worse. I’m just lucky Lavender loves me enough to tolerate her.”
Lavender sighed. “She did get us two wonderful babies with almost no effort on our part.”
Diego kissed her hand again. “Diaper bag, car seat, what else?”
Diego was quick and effect at gathering things up, then they said their goodbyes while Peregrine kept Ellen busy. Couldn’t she figure out she’d overstayed her welcome? Emil carried their bag out to their car and stayed to chat until their kids were strapped it. Maybe he could pick up something at the grocery store. That would take a while, especially if he had to figure out something they didn’t already have. A while was how long he wanted to be gone.
Olivia’s voice echoed through the parking garage. Dad held her hand and she held Goldie’s
Pavel grinned. “Sorry to leave so soon. We have another place to be and the kids are spending the night with my mother.”
“I’m going to spend the night, next week.” Olivia declared. “And Goldie’s babushka is going to make us cookies.”
Goldie nodded. “And we are going to have a tea party and play with our babies and watch movies and everything.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It will be. Bye. I had a nice time. Can we come back later?”
“Goldie.” Diemen opened the car door. “What have I said about demanding invitations?”
Goldie climbed into the car and fluffed her shirts. According to her logic asking to return was like saying she’s had a nice time twice, better than, because she wanted a repeat. Diemen didn’t look convinced.
He shook Emil’s hand. “Thanks for the invitation. Meeting new people is good for Em and Goldie. We want them to know their choices before they try to conform to society’s ideals.”
“And to know they can choose their own paths.” Pavel put his hand on Diemen’s back.
They were nice guys, the little Emil knew of them. He certainly wouldn’t have taken in two kids, one of them a stranger, at a moment’s notice. Handshakes all around, then Emil reluctantly followed Dad and Olivia to the elevator. He really didn’t want to go back.
--
Kurt touched Emil shoulder. “Your turn to get the doorbell.”
Ellen frowned. Emil kissed Kurt’s cheek. “I need to do my fair share.”
He’d done more than his share with all the planning and cooking and decorating. And he’d been in a pretty good mood, humming along with the music, until Ellen had arrived.
“Have you seen the place?”
Ellen shrugged. “Jamie and Tom have told me about it.”
“Let me give you a tour.”
He started with Emil balcony which was as far as he could get from Emil getting drinks for Kit and Brody without passing him. “This is the reason we bought this condo.”
Ellen admired it. Jamie said nothing.
Kurt took his time in the conservatory, talking about the plants. He knocked on his office door before he opened it. No one was inside, but this was probably the perfect room for canoodling as it had only one door and didn’t need to be walked through to get anywhere else.
Then he took his time in Peregrine’s studio. The half done painting of Diego and his family sat on one easel while Emil tied to a rock took up the other. More painting in different stages of completion lined the walls.
Ellen stood in front of one. “You don’t wear a lot of clothes.”
How was he supposed to answer that? “Peregrine doesn’t need us to pose. And the rooms are pretty warm even in the winter.”
“But you model for him? And Emil does? Doesn’t that interfere with his writing for children?”
“Why would it?”
“It’s just… only… As a writer for children… I would think… doesn’t he need to be above board?”
Kurt crossed his arms. She obviously needed more time to get used to Emil. “Are you trying to say that something is inherently wrong with being painted?”
She gestured to Emil’s robe uncovering more than it covered. “That’s sexual.”
“And sexual is wrong?”
“But he also writes for children.”
“This isn’t his author picture.”
She laughed. “It’s certainly not.”
“So what’s the problem? You think other authors for children as are celibate?”
“But he shows up in theses.” Ellen gestured around the room.
“Peregrine’s an artist. Showing up in his work isn’t a burden we need to hide from our friends.” Kurt almost said family. Wouldn’t his mother freak if she saw these?
“If you say so.”
“I do.” He stepped through the sliding doors. “This is our bedroom. Here’s the closet and this is the bathroom.”
He led her back out past the laundry room. Emil laughed at something Ezra said. When had he and Zawadzki arrived? Kurt wanted to hang out with his friends.
The foreman cleared his throat. “It’s probably time we headed back.”
Ellen sighed. “I guess. Let me get Tom.”
Hallelujah!
Tom set down a pair of fours. “See ya.”
“No,” Ellen said. “You should come with us.”
“Why? I brought my truck.” He passed some cards to Hunter, who grinned.
“We’ve stayed here long enough.”
She had, definitely, but Tom hadn’t made anyone uncomfortable and his was having fun if the general cheeriness of the card table meant anything. Willow and Liam were going to lose this round.
“He can stay. We’ll send him home when we’ve had enough of him.”
“Thanks.” Tom grinned. Hunter’s grin was even brighter.
“If you really think so.” Ellen frowned.
“He does.” The foreman touched Ellen shoulder. “Tom, be home by ten.”
Tom rolled his eyes, but only after the foreman had turned away. Kurt followed them out. He needed to see them actually leave. He left the door open a crack as they headed for the elevator. Ellen asked whether leaving Tom here was all right. Wouldn’t it encourage an alternate lifestyle?
The foreman pressed the elevator button. “Tom is what he is. Hiding gay people from him isn’t going to make him straight.”
“Then you think he is gay?”
“I think he’s Tom. And if you notice everyone comes in pairs. Boyfriends, partners, fiancés… He’s fine.”
“But…”
“And he’s old enough to make his own mistakes.”
And then they were gone. At least.
