“Nope, you’re not going to let this distract you from your prep. Leave it to me. I promise it’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry, DeeDee,” Alex said. “Me and Daniel will sort it out. Trust us.”
Dee smiled ruefully. “Okay. I don’t have a choice. Oh this is going to be wonderful! I wish you were coming along, Daniel.”
“Me too, Dee, but there’ll be other chances. Oh, by the way, Alex, Spen’s coming with us today. Is that okay?”
“Sure! That’ll be great.”
“And me stuck revising.” Dee’s mouth twisted miserably. “I like Spen too.”
“Well, he’s going to stay over tonight and help me cook one of his mum’s recipes, so you can take the night off and relax. You need that too.”
Her expression changed in a flash. “Yay! I love his mum’s food. But hang on....”
Oh, so she had noticed. “What?”
“He’s staying over? Why?”
“Because I want him to.”
“Daniel, are you going out with Spencer?”
“I just told you, DeeDee, he’s going out with Alex and me this morning.” Daniel ate his toast and tried to keep an innocent expression on his face. Lili looked at Kani, and the two kems chirped knowingly.
Dee punched his arm. “You know what I mean. Is he your boyfriend?”
“We’re...working on it. Do you mind?”
“Are you kidding? I love Spen.”
Alex nodded. “He’s really cool. And tall. I like tall people.”
Daniel grinned. “He’s definitely tall. So, you’re okay with it? Good, because I really like him. Please don’t tease him.”
“We won’t,” Dee said, pouring herself tea and sipping it demurely. “We’ll tease you instead.” She ducked his mock-smack and danced away from the table. “Got study to do. See ya!”
Daniel shook his head, though secretly he was delighted at how well his brother and sister had taken his news. If they’d objected—not that he’d expected them to—there would be no future with Spen. No way would he put anyone before Dee and Alex, no matter what he felt about them.
But he didn’t have to worry now. Alex leapt on Spen as he came through the door. “Hello, Daniel’s new boyfriend!”
Daniel hid his face in his hands. “Shoot me now.”
“It’s okay, Danny,” Spen’s voice was full of amusement, not irritation, fortunately. “Alex, you’re embarrassing the life out of your brother.”
“Yeah, isn’t it great? Are you going to kiss?”
Daniel put his hand on his brother’s head and forced him to face the wall. “Yes, and you’re not looking.”
Spen, grinning so wide his face looked about to split, bent and dropped a kiss on Daniel’s cheek. Daniel, still making Alex look away, raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“No.” Spen took him into a hug, and kissed him on the mouth, long and deep. Daniel rose up on his toes to meet the embrace, and didn’t mind that releasing his grip on his annoying brat of a brother meant Alex could turn around, fold his arms and watch them, grinning in satisfaction.
“Enjoy the show?” Spen asked over Daniel’s head, still holding him in a hug.
“Dee is going to be so jealous.”
“Keep this up and it’s a Saturday morning in front of the cartoons for you,” Daniel threatened.
“You promised!”
“That was before you started being a royal nuisance. Scoot. Skateboard, helmet and guards, or we’re not going.”
Alex thundered off up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving Daniel blissfully alone with Spen. “Sorry about that. They were pleased when I told them, but you know what kids are like.”
“Don’t worry. If I can survive Luke and the others, Alex is no challenge.” He stroked the hair off Daniel’s face. “How are you? Sleep well?”
“I did, and in my bed too. Thank you. Did you?” Spen didn’t look as tired as he had done lately. Daniel realised rather guiltily that he’d been so absorbed in his own misery that he’d been oblivious to Spen’s feelings.
“Better. Wish I’d been with you. Are they okay with me staying over tonight?”
“Are you kidding? Dee practically sent up fireworks. Um, you might have to play up to expectations. She deserves a nice night off.”
“No problem. I like her, and I want to help. I might be slightly fonder of her brother, though.”
Daniel hugged him again and claimed another kiss. God, holding him, being with him, was sweet. “Good. Is that your pack? Just dump it in the living room. I promised Dee we’d cook that pork and apple thing your mum makes. We can pick up the makings on the way home.”
“Fine by me. I’m just happy to be with you.” Spen looked into Daniel’s eyes. “I’m glad you sent that text. I was bloody miserable before that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, Danny. It all came right in the end. Where’s that brother of yours?”
“Alex! Hurry up or we’ll go without you!”
Alex’s answer came floating down the stairs. “You’re a mean sod, Daniel!”
“Mind your language, or I’ll hide your skateboard!”
A few seconds later, Daniel’s phone told him he had a text. From Alex. “(_*_) <--Daniel”
“Well, that’s a new one on me,” Spen said, struggling not to grin.
“I should make him stay home for that. Where does he pick up this kind of thing?”
“Relax, Danny. The longer he takes, the more kissing time I get with you.”
“Well, now you mention it....”
~~~~~~~~
The weather was as dry and bright as anyone could want, after weeks of on and off rain and showers. The skate park was full of kids, and Alex quickly hooked up with his friends. Spen spotted a seat under a tree where he and Daniel could keep an eye on Alex, without hovering too close and making Alex look ‘uncool’ to his crowd. The shade was important because Daniel was the whitest white person Spen had ever seen, and less than ten minutes in full sun turned him bright pink. Their kems took off to play with the leaf litter, apparently deciding their humans could be trusted not to mess things up again.
“What would you be doing if you weren’t here?” Daniel asked. He’d cuddled right up to Spen’s side and taken his hand as soon as they sat down. He was a lovely weight against Spen, fitting perfectly. He and Rob had been great together in bed, but Rob hadn’t been much for public cuddling. Shame, really.
“You mean apart from worrying about you?” Daniel poked him in the side. “Stop that, brat. Not much. I try to stay offline on the weekends, give my brain and eyes a break. If Mum and Dad are going somewhere, sometimes I head out with them. Or I find a coffee shop and read the papers. Go for walks. Visit friends. You know, ordinary stuff.”
“What about when you were with Rob?”
“You really want to talk about that, Danny?”
Danny looked up into his eyes. “Um...maybe not. I, uh...haven’t been with anyone before. This is all new.”
“Hard to believe when you’re such a cutie. Ow.”
“I am not a ‘cutie’.”
“You definitely are. All that lovely hair, and those big green eyes, and that pretty way you walk. Ow! Stop it.” He rubbed his side. “Can’t a guy compliment his boyfriend?”
“‘Pretty walking’ isn’t a compliment, you prick.”
“Maybe not. You didn’t hook up with anyone at school? What about Uni?”
“No. I was always busy. There were other gay guys around, and some of them were friends, but...they were nerds, which was great, but other than that, and the fact we were all gay, I didn’t have a lot in common with them. None of them....”
When he realised Daniel wasn’t going to finish, Spen poked him. “What? None of them...?”
“Made me feel like you do,” Daniel said in a rush, then turned pink.
Spen grinned, then decided the only response to that was to kiss him. Daniel’s arms went around Spen as he threw himself in
to the kiss. For someone who claimed he hadn’t done it before, he was a fast learner.
“Guys, can you knock it off? You’re embarrassing.”
Daniel didn’t even turn around to look at his brother. “An hour ago you couldn’t get enough of this and now you’re complaining?”
“Yeah, cos it’s outside now. People can see. It’s so not cool.”
“Spen, shall we stop?” His lips tickled Spen’s neck as he spoke.
“Hmmm, I don’t think so. Go play with your friends, Alex. We’re busy.”
“I hate you,” Alex said. “You’re horrible.” He stomped off.
Daniel chuckled. “And before it was all, ‘ooh, Spen’s so great, he’s sooo tall and we love him sooo much’.”
“I’ll try to struggle on with my disappointment. Now where were we?”
They kissed a little longer, but mindful that Alex wasn’t the only person who might find a couple pashing on a park bench a little much on a Saturday morning, Spen eased back to just holding Daniel. Daniel didn’t seem to mind, and when Kani and Myko came back for cuddles and petting, he held them on his lap while Spen kept his arm around him. “I wasn’t really expecting you to be so comfortable with me,” Spen said, smiling at Myko splayed out on his back along Daniel’s thighs, inviting a tummy rub while Kani groomed his tail. “Not after what Fuckface did in the office.”
“You don’t remind me of him in anyway. You look different, sound different—smell different. If I never had to smell that stinky cologne of his again, I’d be grateful.”
Spen froze. That was what that smell had been that night. The smell on Daniel.
“Is something wrong, Spen?” Even Myko had sat up to look at him.
He made himself relax, and nuzzle against Daniel’s hair. “No, nothing. But I can promise you I’ll never wear anything like it—I’ve never even liked aftershave.”
“Good. I think I’d be sick if I smelled it again. Shoo, you two. Go find Veen and pester him.” He put the two kems on the ground and they ran off in search of Alex’s kem. Alex himself had apparently recovered from the shame of his brother’s public display, and was attempting a jump which made Spen wince a little in concern. Daniel didn’t seem too bothered though.
“Um, Spen?”
“Yes, Danny.”
“Does it bother you that I, uh, haven’t...you know...been with someone before?”
“No, why should it? I’m more worried that you might think we have to do stuff before you’re ready. Which you really don’t. Now what’s wrong?” Daniel’s smile had disappeared and he was now staring off into the distance. Spen stroked his hair. “Danny?”
“I don’t know how I’ll feel. This is lovely, being with you. I could do this all day. But I don’t know what’ll happen if we...I mean, when we sleep together.”
“We already did and it was fine.” Spen kissed him again, and held him closer. “Nothing will happen until you want it, and nothing will happen that you don’t agree to. We have plenty of time, and I’m in no hurry. It’s not like I don’t know what it’s like.”
Daniel flushed. “What if I suck? Compared to Rob?”
“He sucked quite often, actually.” Spen watched Daniel’s face until he got it, and grinned when the poke arrived on cue. “You don’t have to be the world’s greatest lover to make me happy. Or the other way around, I hope. I just want to be with you, hold you, let things happen when they’re ready to. Neither of us know how much what happened to you will affect things, so we need to take it slow and easy. I’m all for easy.”
Daniel smiled, a little tremulously for sure, but he looked less miserable. “I don’t want to be the poor pathetic—”
“Yeah, yeah, orphan victim blah blah. I don’t want you to be either because I’m not really into sleeping with pathetic people. Be yourself, Danny, even if that means being neurotic or uncertain or scared or whatever. I like you. All of you, even the sad, bad parts. Okay?”
“Okay. Wow, you’re really good at this, aren’t you? Being a boyfriend, I mean.”
“I took a class and everything.”
Daniel grinned, and Spen stole another kiss. There would probably be rocky times ahead, but Julian was adamant that talking about things was much, much better than not talking about them in a relationship with an inexperienced partner. The clincher came when Zachary agreed with him. Even Leo had sat up and given his nephew a startled look for that admission. Spen would bet half his savings that Zachary had started out a lot more fucked up than Daniel would ever be, and now he was comfortable and happy in a stable, loving marriage. There was plenty of reason to hope Daniel would cope with this new change in his life, even with the crap life kept throwing at him. Spen planned to do his best to keep the crap levels down. Daniel could do with the break.
Just as Spen was thinking a nice cup of tea would be nice, Alex came over, flopped onto the bench and declared he was “starving”.
“You had breakfast two hours ago,” Daniel said.
“Three,” Alex corrected, his bottom lip drooping. “And I’m thirsty.”
“Water fountain over there. Off you go.”
“You’re mean.”
“Yes. Go get some water, and then we’ll find somewhere cheap for lunch. Which means back on the High street, not here because they charge a fortune in the park.”
Alex heaved a sigh but did as Daniel said.
“I’d be happy to pay for—”
Daniel held up his hand. “Thanks, but no, Spen. Alex knows I don’t have a job and we have to adjust our budget until I find another one.”
“But I—”
“Besides the food here is all fried rubbish. We’ll have a better, cheaper choice outside.”
“Oh. See, that’s why you’re the parent, not me.”
Daniel sagged. “I don’t know how Mum and Dad did it. Thinking about all this—what they should eat, where they should go, are their friends safe, and so on and so on—wears me out. And that’s before I wonder if that weirdo over there who’s been watching the kids for the last half hour is a spy for Tony or not.”
Spen hadn’t even noticed. The guy wasn’t a tramp but he was wearing the kind of eccentric clothes that indicated either a mental disorder or other incapacity. “I think he’s harmless.”
“Yeah, so do I. But I don’t know.”
“Did you warn them?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t explain about all the charges, but I said I would be a witness and Tony has a screw or two loose. Dee got it without needing any more explanation. Alex was happy enough when I said all I wanted him to do was make sure he was always with his friends, and not to go off with anyone unless they were a police officer with proper ID, or you, me or your parents. He’s pretty sensible, though it doesn’t always look that way.”
“He’s sensible compared to most adults I know. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“I’d be happier if I knew Tony wasn’t being set free some time today. Why can’t they keep him in jail?”
“Because he doesn’t have a criminal record, he’s not a flight risk and he hasn’t threatened anyone. I asked Zachary. He said intimidation is pretty rare, and it’s more common in violent offences. Anyway, sending them away for a while will be good for all of you.”
“For them, for sure.” He climbed to his feet. “Come on, Alex. I thought you wanted lunch.”
Alex hopped on his skateboard and propelled himself over to them on the pavement, the three kems giving chase. “Edward asked me if I could come back this afternoon. Please, Daniel?”
“When?”
“After one? Just for two hours. Please?”
“Do you mind, Spen?”
“Me? No. I’m all yours.”
Daniel kissed him. “I told you to stop that,” Alex said, folding his arms and glaring. “It’s girly.”
“Hmmm, Spen, do you want to tell Dee he said that, or shall I? Alex, if I were you, I’d start running now.”
“Girly girly girly!” he shouted as he
made his escape through the trees.
Daniel did nothing whatsoever to chase after him, though he did begin to walk at normal speed in the same direction. “I have no idea what my parents would say to him right now.”
“Something like what you did,” Spen said. “The more fuss you make, the more he’ll play up to it. He’ll get tired of it eventually, and I have no intention of not kissing you in public because your little brother might be slightly bothered.”
Daniel put his arm around Spen’s waist. “Good because I have absolutely no intention of letting you stop.”
~~~~~~~~
By three o’clock, Alex’s friends had grown tired of skateboarding, and wandered off to other pastimes. Alex clearly wanted to go with them, but to Daniel’s relief, he didn’t put up a fight when Daniel told him they needed to go home instead. He had got over his snit about Spen’s remarks in the morning, and he and Spen walked together a little ahead of Daniel, talking about skateboarding—about which Spen knew a lot more than Daniel—and about powering up some of his mechanical models, about which Daniel knew a lot more than Spen. Daniel didn’t interrupt. He wanted his brother and Spen to get on, so Alex could see Spen as a trusted friend in case anything happened to Daniel himself. He also, selfishly, wanted Spen to get on with his brother and sister because that would bind him to them, and to Daniel.
Spen didn’t resist the process at all. He listened to Alex as seriously as he would to any adult, while happily teasing him like the kid he was when Alex left him an opening. He could say things that would lead to sulks and badly hurt feelings if Daniel said them, simply because Daniel shared so much history with Alex. Spen didn’t have that, so Alex looked afresh on what he said, assessing them without prejudice. Alex had eagerly seized on Spen’s father as a wise, objective adult he could bounce ideas off. Spen offered someone else, someone closer to his age, Alex could use as a sounding board.
They gathered up the ingredients for the cheap but delicious pork and apple bake, Spen insisting on buying the cider which wasn’t strictly necessary but which would add an extra fillip to the meal. Some reduced price custard and half price bananas would make a tasty dessert for after. Daniel grabbed some other bargains, and refused to allow Spen to pay for any of it. “After all the meals your mother’s made for Dee and Alex, you must be joking.”
A Fluffy Tale 2: Warm & Fuzzy Page 16
