Paparino's Piccolo Gattino

Just as he’d predicted, the second he stepped out of his dad’s car, Andy was tackled to the ground by none other than his cousin Joe. With a whoop of laughter, he rolled them over so that he had his cousin pinned in a manner that he couldn’t extricate himself from, his dad giving them a countdown to see who won just as they’d done when he was a child. Despite his tall, lanky frame, the band director was stronger than he looked and, even though his cousin was pretty strong himself, he managed to keep him pinned long enough to win.

By the time he let him up, the trio were laughing so hard their ribs were hurting, but that didn’t stop Joe from wrapping his arms around his baby cousin in a massive bear-hug. Of course, he retaliated by picking him up and spinning him around until he was too dizzy to stand, laughing even harder when he fell on his ass from the dizziness.

Thankfully, Amy kept herself between Ash and their antics, ready to take any blows he might’ve accidentally taken herself. Besides, the teen seemed downright terrified of their antics, considering that he’d never really rough-housed with anyone and had such an abusive past on top of it. It was only when she warned him to cover his ears, stuck her fingers in her mouth, and let out an ear-piercing whistle that they cut it out. Andy took one look at his somewhat terrified expression and immediately hefted himself up and came over to him, being gentle about how he wrapped his arms around him.

“So who’s that?” Joe asked curiously. “She looks cute.”

“Back off, Joe,” the older man said with a slight growl. “He’s mine.”

“He? Are you sure about that, cuz?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Andy answered a bit testily. “This is my boyfriend, Ashley. Ash, this is my obnoxious cousin, Joe.”

“Still don’t think they’re a guy, cuz,” he said skeptically. “Looks like a girl, has a girl’s name. Can’t really blame me for being skeptical.”

Ash could feel his own temper getting riled up a bit, which was extremely rare because of his own past, but that didn’t stop him from getting in the guy’s face. “Call me a girl one more time, and you won’t like me.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sheesh,” Joe said, holding up his hands in surrender as he backed off.

“Damn, sweetheart,” his lover said, taking in the expression now on his face. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Just because of what I went through growing up doesn’t mean I don’t have a temper,” he grumped, crossing his arms. “I just don’t tend to show violent tendencies since I know where they can lead.”

“All right, guys. Chill out and let’s go inside,” Amy spoke up. “And Joseph, behave yourself. You know what Andy’s capable of when he puts his mind to something. He’ll stop at nothing to protect this young man, and you also know what happens when he gets into ‘guard dog mode’.”

Joe shuddered, apparently from a memory from their youth, but did as the middle-aged woman said.

“I’m guessing you’ve kicked his ass before?” Ash chuckled.

“Mmm hmm. I was protecting an ex-girlfriend, one I had before I figured out for sure that I was gay. Let’s just say that the broken arm he got from me should’ve taught him a lesson,” he laughed.

“Slammed it in a door or something?” the teen asked.

“Nope. I broke it over my knee like a stick,” Andy laughed, grinning.

Wincing as he allowed him to wrap his arm around his shoulders, the teen followed him into the house, Chris being a good host and grabbing their bags. Amy disappeared into the kitchen to check on the delicacies already making his mouth water while they, along with Joe, settled into the living room. The middle-aged man started up the stairs with their bags, calling over his shoulder that he was putting them in Andy’s old bedroom, which was where they’d be sleeping.

It turned out that Joe’s parents and younger siblings would be joining them for Thanksgiving dinner and were on their way, so things were bound to be a bit crowded. Ash snuggled closer to his lover’s side, still feeling shy after meeting his parents and the lone cousin. He was still a bit uncomfortable around them, especially knowing about Joe’s tendency for glomping people, and felt it would worsen with more people around.

Andy did his best to reassure the teen, knowing that he didn’t do well with big crowds because of his shy, submissive nature. He promised him that he wouldn’t be very far from him the entire time they were here, the worst being a few feet away but still within eyesight. That did little to reassure him, though, but it was understandable, especially the way bullies picked on and beat him, on top of the abuse he’d suffered at Adelaide’s hands. All he could do was whatever was physically and humanly possible to protect the boy he loved, and his folks knew that he’d stop at nothing in a situation like that. They’d seen him turn pretty violent while protecting a loved one in the past and knew it could happen again.

Shortly thereafter, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of more guests. Chris rose from the spot he’d taken next to his nephew on the couch to answer it while the younger men continued to converse since his wife was busy in the kitchen. They heard joyful greetings as he welcomed whoever’d rang the doorbell into his home, and within moments, he returned with a quartet in tow. Joe jumped up from the couch to greet them and pass out hugs, then turned to introduce them to the newcomer while Andy greeted them just as warmly. It turned out they were Joe’s parents and siblings, Jack, Crystal, Melissa, and Sheila, respectively.

“Hey, guys,” Jack said, hugging each of them before his wife and daughters could. “How’ve ya been?”

“Been great, Dad. What about you guys?” Joe countered.

“Pretty good. The girls finally got accepted into Carolina and Duke,” he answered.

“Wow. They’re gonna be in my neck of the woods,” Andy piped up, having reclaimed his seat next to his sweetheart.

“Oh, really?” his uncle asked curiously.

“Yeah. I moved down to North Carolina to take a job as a band director at a small-town high school,” he answered, nodding. “I live about ten miles from both Durham and Chapel Hill. Duke’s in Durham, Carolina’s in Chapel Hill.”

“Oh, wow. Guess you better be on your best behavior, girls, unless you want cousin Andy calling me down there,” he said, a half-serious, half-joking tone to his voice.

The pair grumbled under their breath about their freedom being taken away, despite moving so far from home for college.

“Anyway, who’s that you’ve got your arm wrapped around?” Jack asked. “She looks pretty cute.”

“This is my boyfriend, Ashley,” he answered. “Ash, these are my aunt, uncle, and cousins, Crystal, Jack, Melissa, and Sheila.”

Still feeling shy, the teen merely waved at them before burying his face in his lover’s neck.

“Boyfriend?” His uncle sounded shocked.

“Yes, boyfriend,” the older man answered, giving him a nasty look. Great, I didn’t realize my own uncle was homophobic.

“Dad, be nice,” Joe snapped, glaring at him. “We all knew that Andy marched to his own drum.”

“Marching to one’s own drum is one thing, but falling for someone of the same gender?”

“Jack! That’s enough!” his wife admonished him.

“Seriously. Not only is this my son, whom I’m very proud of, you’re insulting, but you’re doing so in my home,” Chris agreed, giving him a dirty look as well.

“Such behavior isn’t tolerated in our house, little brother, and you damn well know it,” Amy said, glaring daggers at him worse than his son was.

“Then I’ll be back to collect my wife and daughters later.” Jack rose from his seat and headed to the front door, which he slammed hard enough to shake the house behind him.

“I’m sorry about that, guys,” Crystal sighed, shaking her head. “Had I realized my own husband was homophobic, and that you’d be here, I wouldn’t have agreed to come.”

“It’s fine, Auntie Crys,” Andy said, waving it off. “We live in a fairly homophobic town in the heart of the Bible Belt; we’re used to it, even if we don’t like it.”

“Still, that kind of behavior isn’t acceptable, and he knows it,” his mother said.

“Besides, whether he’s homophobic or not, he knows not to do or say anything insulting under my roof,” Chris growled.

“Well, it’s embarrassing that he did that. I’m pretty sure Mama and my sisters agree,” Joe piped up.

Crystal, Melissa, and Sheila all nodded their heads, their cheeks pink with an embarrassed blush.

“He’d just be glad that he excused himself,” Andy told them, gently lifting his sweetheart’s head. “Things would’ve gotten ugly with a quickness, between myself and Dad kicking his ass. You okay, sweetheart?”

“His comments hurt, considering my past, but I’m fine,” Ash answered quietly, nodding.

“That’s what I was worried about,” the older man sighed, kissing his temple gently. “I was hoping we could have a nice family gathering without you being reminded of that.”

“You seem to really love him. How long have you been dating?” Crystal asked curiously.

“Two months,” he answered, looking up at his aunt. “I’ve known him for about three, though, since we met on the first day of school.”

This sparked questions from his aunt as to how they met, considering that Ash wasn’t and didn’t look much younger than his lover. Andy answered truthfully, telling her that, as far as the school was concerned, he was merely one of his students. She frowned upon him dating a student until he told her that he was legally emancipated, due to unfortunate circumstances they didn’t wish to discuss.

Crystal nodded her head and didn’t ask about those circumstances, but warned them to keep their relationship on the down-low until after graduation, just in case. Just because the teen was emancipated and it was perfectly legal didn’t mean that the school wouldn’t have something nasty to say about it, especially since they were gay and lived in the heart of the Bible Belt. Her nephew assured her that they didn’t act like anything more than friends at best while on campus, considering that everybody knew some teachers and students became friends during the year.

Shortly thereafter, Amy called an end to any conversations taking place in her living room by announcing that the food was ready. Andy and Chris got up to help her set the table while the rest of them got themselves seated, Ash making sure there was an open chair next to him for his lover. Once the food was on the table a few minutes later, the man of the house set about carving the turkey, allowing his son and his sweetheart to break the wishbone, then everybody started filling their plates.

By the end of the meal, everybody was slightly more comfortable with one another, though the teen still barely spoke due to his selective mutism. They all did their best to make him feel welcome and at home, an effort that he greatly appreciated, alongside the delicious food. Considering that the matron of the house had put such hard work into the meal, Andy, Ash, and Joe all teamed up to clear the table, put away the leftovers, and get the dishwasher loaded, insisting that she go relax with everyone else. She tried to protest, saying that it should be up to the women to clean up, but that was when Ash showed a spark of personality and insisted she go rest for a bit. Seeing that she wasn’t going to win this “fight”, Amy finally agreed and curled up with her husband on one of the two loveseats, Crystal and her daughters taking the couch.

As they cleaned up the mess left by the meal, Joe apologized once again for his father’s earlier behavior, telling them that he hadn’t a clue what’d gotten into him. His cousin told him to can it, that it was over and done with, and that he likely wouldn’t be invited to Christmas dinner next month. He still sighed heavily, feeling bad for his father’s behavior, especially knowing that his cousin’s boyfriend was sensitive to such outright prejudice. That was when even Ash assured him that, while it was by no means polite and he shouldn’t be, he was used to it since he got that kind of treatment from everyone but Andy, his parents, and a small group of friends he’d made back in North Carolina.

“We’re gonna go wait outside,” Crystal said just as the trio settled down. “Jack just texted me and said he’s on his way to get us.”

“You don’t have to do that, Crystal,” Amy told her.

“We want to, though. It won’t give him a chance to say anything else hurtful to Andy and Ashley,” she insisted. “I dunno about you, but I’d really rather not see my husband get his ass kicked by yours on a day that’s supposed to be filled with happiness and being thankful.”

“I guess that’s true enough,” her sister-in-law agreed. “I’d rather not have to see my husband kick the ass of yours.”

Chris and Joe insisted on waiting outside with them after they said their goodbyes, not wanting anything to happen to them while they were waiting. Andy and Ash stayed curled up on the loveseat the former’s parents hadn’t been sitting on while Amy stayed where she was. Even though it was only about six o’ clock, they were all starting to get a bit sleepy from the tryptophan in the turkey.

“How’d you like Mom’s cooking?” Andy asked his sweetheart, pulling away enough to look down at him.

“It was awesome,” he sighed, resting a hand on his bloated belly. “Thanks again, Miss Amy.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Ashley,” she told him, waving off his thanks. “If you’re dating my son, you’re family, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Agreed,” Chris said, coming back in with his nephew on his heels.

Their words brought a bit of a blush to the teen’s face.

“Aww. You look so cute when you blush,” his lover gushed, gently kissing the tip of his nose.

“Ugh! Take your hanky-panky elsewhere, guys!” Joe laughed.

This made Ash blush even more furiously than before, considering that he was still a virgin in every sense of the word.

“For your information, bird-brain, there’s never any more than kissing or other affectionate gestures,” Andy told him, sticking his tongue out. “He’s had a rough past, and I’m not about to force himself into something he’s not ready for.”

“More than I needed—or wanted—to know, cuz,” he laughed, causing Andy’s parents to join in.

It wasn’t long before everybody decided that they were going to call it an early night, considering that tryptophan comas were starting to set in for all of them. Chris and Amy headed to the master bedroom, which was on the first story, while the younger couple headed to Andy’s childhood bedroom. Joe was a couple doors down in the guest room, the only full bath besides the master bathroom separating them.

After getting changed into their sleepwear of choice, the pair crawled into the queen-size bed the older man had slept in during his childhood and adolescence. Ash lay on his right side facing the wall, his lover cuddled up to his back side with his arm draped over his waist, just like they did in their bed back home. Andy turned off the lamp on the nightstand and gently kissed his temple before settling down for the night, grateful that, other than his uncle’s unkind words, his sweetheart had been accepted and made to feel like part of the family. It wasn’t long afterward that they both fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Notes