The Marshalls
by Kit
Chapter 7
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Will said as he gently shook his brother's shoulder early on the Monday morning following the start of David and Sarah's vacation. "Happy Birthday!"
Since his grandmother had died, Will had been the only person who ever acknowledged John's birthday. Even then, the brothers were careful not annoy their father by allowing him to overhear them mentioning it. He regarded it as the anniversary of his wife's death rather than the date of his son's birth. Therefore, in previous years, the only thing that made a birthday special for John was the prospect of spending time with Will.
"Here's your card," Will continued. "I'll bring your present to the party."
"Party?" his brother echoed, still a little groggy from sleep.
"Surely you've not forgotten that Paul's arranging a party for you. There'll be cake and everything. It'll start before I finish work, but I'll be there before you get to blow out the candles."
"Oh," the boy said, finally becoming fully awake, "I didn't think he was serious when he said that."
"Of course he was. It seems that a kid's birthday is a big deal at the foster home and with Paul's family."
"I know, but it feels really weird," John said, frowning. "I mean, people are making a big fuss about me just because it's my birthday."
"Yeah, I understand that you might be uncomfortable with being the centre of attention, but I'm sure you'll get used to it, especially when you're busy opening presents."
When John was dropped off at Paul's house, the door was opened by Stephane, who greeted him warmly and wished him a happy birthday.
"As you'll be staying here, you'll be counted as a member of the family," the man said as John stepped into the hallway, "so Paul got you some slippers to wear while you're pottering around in the house."
John changed his footwear and followed Stephane to the kitchen, where everyone was still having breakfast. However, they all took time from eating to wish him a happy birthday and give him cards.
"You have to wait until the party before you get your presents," Liam said with a grin.
John was too overwhelmed to say anything, and he couldn't believe that all these people, who'd known him for just a few weeks, were making such a fuss of his birthday.
"As the weather's fine," Paul said after the table had been cleared, "I thought that you, Mike, and I could go for a run before lunch."
"There's some great places in the countryside near here," Mike added enthusiastically.
"Okay, that sounds good," John said, "but what about the others?"
"Oh, we've got lots of stuff to do," Connor replied, smiling in a way that exuded an air of mystery.
"You could help me pick some plums before you go out," Liam suggested. Then in response to Connor rolling his eyes, he continued, "Or we could go and look at Paul's new car."
"New car?" John echoed in surprise.
"It's a Galaxy," Connor chipped in.
"It's not a new car," Paul said patiently. "I just rented a bigger car for a few days. The Merc can only seat five, but while you're here, there are six of us, and seven if Will joins us."
Paul drove John and Mike to the countryside just outside town, where the open moorland provided some dramatic scenery for their run. John very much enjoyed the whole experience, and Paul gave him a few running tips, but neither the man nor the redhead altered their natural pace to accommodate the birthday boy. John understood that and was content with it. In fact, he preferred it that way because then he didn't feel any competitive pressure to keep up.
When they returned from the run, Connor was in the bike shed at the rear of the house and didn't come out until lunchtime, when he emerged with dirty hands and a satisfied smile. After lunch, the sun broke through the clouds, and Mike suggested putting up the tents on the lawn.
"Ever since we went on that camping trip, I think you'd prefer living in a tent to a house," Paul joked.
"Probably," Mike replied seriously.
"What about when it rains?" John, who'd never spent more than a few minutes in a tent, asked dubiously.
"That's even better," the redhead enthused. "The sound of the rain's nice, and it's all cosy inside, especially if you're with a friend."
While helping to put up the smaller tent, John sniffed inside it, thinking that perhaps there might be some residual 'bleach-like' odour. However, all he could detect was a hint of air freshener overlying the slight musty smell of an old tent.
Connor and Mike didn't spend much time inside the tent but were mostly engaged in kicking a football around the far side of the large lawn. John remembered that previously the two boys had gone up to the upstairs bathroom together to mess around with the bidet. However, during breaks in their kick-about, they used the downstairs toilet individually.
John went to join Liam, who was sitting in the opening of the larger tent, watching his brother and Mike. The smaller boy greeted him with a grin and wriggled aside to give John more space to sit down.
"Didn't they ask you to play with them?" John asked, nodding in the direction of the footballers.
"Yeah, but I didn't feel like it. I think I've had too much fizzy pop," Liam replied, belching to emphasise his words.
Both of them were surprised that the sound was so loud, and John commented that it could probably be heard by Stephane and Paul, who were in the kitchen. That sent the little boy into a fit of giggles, which John felt made the day seem even brighter than the sunshine. Eventually, Liam calmed down and flashed his beautiful amber eyes at the older boy.
"I've got to go for a pee," he announced, getting up.
When the little boy returned, the two of them sat in companionable silence for a few minutes until John plucked up the courage to raise a topic that he'd been curious about for some time.
"Until I visited you before, I'd never seen a bidet."
Liam raised his head to look at John and frowned in thought, then said, "Yeah, I'd never seen one before, but Stephane says there's lots of them in France."
"Do you like using it?" John asked tentatively.
"It's nice, but it can tickle a bit," the little boy replied, and after a brief pause, he added, "I think that Connor and Mike like the tickles."
"I used to think that bidets were separate things, not just attached to an ordinary toilet."
"The one in Paul's and Stephane's bathroom is different, but the extra bit was put on the one in our bathroom cos Connor wanted it," Liam commented.
"Oh, so Paul and Stephane share their own bathroom," the bigger boy said.
"Yeah, it's on sweet…"
Liam cut off what he was about to say, looked at the other boy with squinted eyes, then looked away and remained silent.
"It's just that I've always wanted to try it, but I don't know how to work it," John said, hoping to diffuse the slight tension that had suddenly appeared.
"Oh, alright. There's instructions for the one in our bathroom," the little boy said, beginning to relax. "They're in the cupboard under the sink."
"Okay, thanks. I'll take a look next time I'm up there."
"Just make sure you check how hard it's squirting before you aim it at your bum," Liam cautioned.
He wasn't sure exactly what the smaller boy meant, but he decided it would be better to abandon the topic rather than ask more questions.
John was happy to discover that the birthday party was very informal. It didn't even have a distinct starting time, seemingly just continuing from having afternoon snacks on the lawn. As the party developed and transitioned from the lawn to the kitchen, John found that birthday decorations, including balloons, had been set up there while he'd been in the garden.
As usual at Paul's house, there was a lot of excellent food, and there was still plenty left when Will arrived just after five thirty. When Paul, closely followed by John, went to let him in, Will was carrying a box wrapped in special birthday paper. However, instead of giving it to his brother, he handed it to Paul, who put it in the dining room. The door was opened just wide enough and just long enough for Paul to pass through, so John couldn't see inside.
"Cake before presents," Paul said and smiled in response to John's questioning look. Then, turning to Will, he added, "Come through to the kitchen. There's still plenty of food."
Everyone knew that there was still a birthday cake to be served, so they'd ensured that they left enough room in their stomachs to squeeze in at least one slice. All this time, John had been wondering when he'd get to see his presents. The only thing that he knew for sure was that it would be after the cake, but he'd been too polite to ask for more detail. As the only gifts he'd received in the past ten years or so had been from Will, he also found it difficult to guess what these almost-strangers might be giving him.
When they all went into the dining room, John saw the large cake for the first time. He already knew that it would be a chocolate and cherry cake with a cream filling because the previous week Paul had asked what type of cake was his favourite. This was larger than expected, and it had 'Happy Birthday John' written in icing on top, with fifteen candles around the circumference.
"I made it with Paul," Connor said proudly.
"And I helped," Liam added, wishing to ensure that he got some credit.
Stephane lit the candles and invited John to blow them out and make a wish. Feeling embarrassed at being the centre of attention, he just about managed to extinguish all the candles before running out of breath.
"Now," Paul announced, "you can open your presents while we give everyone a slice."
There were several wrapped presents placed neatly at one end of the dining table, and the birthday boy stood frozen on the spot for a few seconds, wondering where to begin. Seeing John hesitating and understanding how he must feel, Will picked up one of the boxes and handed it to his brother.
"This is from me," he said.
Suddenly, the excitement of the moment overcame John's embarrassment and indecision, and he took the gift, opening it to find a pair of high quality running shoes.
"Paul and Mike gave me advice on what to get," Will said.
On unwrapping the other presents, John found that Sarah and David had given him two sets of running clothes, and Mike had provided him with a hat and sunglasses suitable for wearing on a run. The next package he unwrapped left him stunned; it was a new smartphone from Paul.
"David set up the parental controls," Paul said, "so if you don't like the settings, you'll have to see him about it."
The generosity of the gift wasn't the only reason that John was left speechless. He was also concerned that accepting this might hurt Mike's feelings.
"Mike already gave me his phone," John said eventually, trying not to seem ungrateful.
"But that's just a dumb phone," the redhead pointed out. "You can give it to David and Sarah so they can give it to a new kid who doesn't have one."
Trying to hide the emotions that were overwhelming him, John unwrapped another present. Liam's gift was a new high-tech cycling helmet, and the present from Connor was a small hand-decorated envelope with a card inside. At first, John thought it might be some sort of voucher, but then he read the card.
" You have to go to the bike shed to see your present from me and Stephane. "
Grinning broadly, Connor grabbed John's sleeve and pulled him out to the rear of the house and to the bike shed, with the others following closely behind. Connor went into the shed and wheeled out what John initially thought was a new bike, but he quickly realised that it was his own.
"It was in a bit of a state," Connor said, "and it had bits of rust everywhere. So I decided to give it a makeover. I got rid of the rust, did some oiling and repainting, and put on a new chain. Stephane bought the new wheels."
"Connor spent most of the weekend working on it," Liam said proudly. "He's good at stuff like that."
On hearing that, John's attempt at maintaining his composure completely broke down. A flood of tears followed the litany of 'Thanks' that he'd been uttering ever since he opened the first present. Will put a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezed gently.
"Why don't you two take a look at the conservatory?" Paul said quietly to Will. To the others, he added more loudly, "Let's go and eat some cake. John can join us when he's ready."
"All the times that Dad was nasty to you," Will teased when they were alone and surrounded by soothing greenery. "I never saw you cry, at least not since you were very little. But now you're crying because people are being nice to you."
"If Dad had seen me cry, he would've won, and I didn't want him to win."
With his brother's help, it didn't take John long to regain control of his emotions, and then he and Will rejoined the others. Even Liam understood the situation, and no one mentioned the fact that the birthday boy had burst into tears. After they'd all filled up on cake, there was still almost half of it left, and Paul insisted that Will take it with him when he took John back to the flat.
As they were getting into Will's car, Mike quietly approached John and gently put a hand on the other boy's shoulder.
"It's okay," the redhead said quietly into John's ear. "I know how you feel. But it's really real."
During the drive, Will could sense that John was too tired and emotionally drained to want to chat, so he remained silent. However, when they parked the car outside the flat and started unloading birthday presents, he noticed that his little brother seemed concerned about something.
"They certainly take birthdays seriously at Paul's house," Will said, hoping that would prompt his brother to say what was on his mind.
"Yeah," John agreed with a frown, "but all these people giving me stuff feels a bit, erm, uncomfortable. A few weeks ago, they never even knew I existed, so we're still almost strangers."
"Different people look at things in different ways, maybe because of how they grew up. I guess that birthdays are more important to some people," Will replied, carefully avoiding mentioning the fact that their mother had made a point of celebrating birthdays.
"But Paul's present is really expensive. Don't you think it's maybe a bit weird, maybe even creepy for a man to give something like that to a teenager he hardly knows?"
"If it was a real stranger, it might make me wonder, but we know what Paul's like. He's a nice guy, and he happens to be very generous," Will said reassuringly. "Anyway, what may be expensive to you and me is probably not a big deal for him. He probably thinks of buying a new smartphone in the same way I think of buying a new shirt."
"So he really is rich, then?"
"He has a big house, he employs gardeners and a cleaner, he can afford to pay for everything his brothers want, and he doesn't have a job. So what do you think?"
"Yeah, I guess that I'm just being too suspicious," John admitted. "Mike said Paul gave him lots of stuff and goes running with him and never expected anything. And Sarah and David wouldn't have let him take Mike camping if they weren't sure about him."
"There's nothing wrong with being a bit suspicious if you're not sure of something, but it's not good to become paranoid."
Later, when the two brothers were sitting together on the sofa, chatting, sipping hot chocolate, and watching TV, John suddenly started crying gently. Will put down his mug and put his arm over his little brother's shoulders.
"It's been a big day, and I guess you must be very tired," he said sympathetically. "Maybe it's time to get ready for bed."
"I was just thinking about all the presents and how nice everyone was to me," John said eventually as he began to regain his composure. "Like you said, it's not about how much things cost. Connor spent a lot of time and effort fixing up my bike, and I bet Mike used up all his spare money on my present."
"After growing up living with Dad," Will responded with more than a hint of bitterness, "I suppose it can be hard to believe that there are nice people in the world."
"You were there, so I always knew there were some nice people," the boy replied with conviction.
"And things are better now," Will said after a brief pause. He grinned and added, "And you even get to live with someone you have a crush on."
"What makes you think I have a crush?" John challenged.
"I've had crushes myself, and I know you well enough to recognise that you have one."
"Actually, sometimes I don't think he even wants to be friends, and even if he's gay, I don't think that he'll like me."
"Come to think of it, even if he does like you in that way, you need to be careful," Will said, frowning as he thought more about the situation. "If things go badly, you'd be stuck living in the same house, and life could become, erm, unpleasant."
Before his birthday, John had felt like a bit of an outsider and the only one who wasn't really a part of the extended foster family. However, his birthday experience showed that as far as they were concerned, he was already one of them. He didn't need to feel he was being consciously included in their activities because he was automatically part of those activities.
The next few days seemed to pass very quickly for John, who couldn't remember ever having so much fun. Apart from the cycling and running, he enjoyed just hanging out with the other boys. Of course, he especially relished time spent close to Mike, but he also found that he had an affinity with Liam, who was kind, clever, funny, and multi-talented. The little boy also had an ability to empathise with others, so it sometimes seemed as if he could read minds.
John hadn't expected that he, the oldest boy, would develop a closeness with the youngest, but he soon discovered that he liked spending time with Liam. In the past, John occasionally wondered how Will could put up with having a younger brother hanging around. However, after his experiences with Liam and Susie, he realised that being a big brother could be both rewarding and enjoyable.
Although Paul and Stephane carefully avoided any public display of affection, it became obvious to a gay boy such as John that they were a couple. The way they interacted so easily and comfortably made it obvious that they were a team. Also, Connor and Liam treated Stephane as if he were another big brother and not just Paul's friend.
Apart from activities in the house and local area, on the two sunniest days they went on long trips, one of which was a drive deep into the countryside, where they had a picnic. The other was a whole day spent at the seaside, including a few hours at the funfair. That adventure was made even more enjoyable by the fact that Will managed to take a day off work to join them.
While exploring rock pools with Liam, John discovered that he shared the little boy's interest in living things. However, he was embarrassed when he realised that Liam's knowledge was much greater than his own. After that experience on the beach, John began to think seriously about a career in biology and also about the possibility that he might study medicine.
On a couple of evenings when Will went to pick his brother up from Paul's house, he and John ate their evening meal there, and Will discovered for himself what a great cook Paul was. While Sarah and David had been on vacation, Will spent considerable time socialising with Paul and Stephane, especially during the trip to the beach. The three adults quickly became friends.
At the end of that first hectic week, the Marshall brothers spent a quiet and relaxing weekend together in Will's flat. Then John had another couple of days at Paul's house before Sarah and David came back from their vacation. The new school year began the following week, and the routine in the foster home returned to normal.
During the last few days of the long school break, Mike and John often went running together before lunch. Although the redhead didn't offer any specific invitations, there seemed to be a wordless agreement that John would be allowed to join him. Mike enjoyed running at his own pace, and he made it clear that he didn't care if the other boy went faster or slower. As it happened, a similar pace was comfortable for both of them, though John tired more quickly.
One particular incident stood out in John's memory. During a run on a particularly warm day, he developed a cramp in his calf muscle. He had to come to a sudden halt and sat down on the ground. Mike, who was a couple of metres ahead, heard the yelp of pain and stopped to see what had happened. The redhead crouched down by his companion and began to massage the cramped muscle and to flex the ankle gently.
As the pain faded and the distraction it caused subsided, the stricken boy began to notice Mike's caring attitude and firm but gentle touch. That wasn't the sort of behaviour that John had come to expect from the redhead. When Mike was satisfied that the muscle spasm had ended, he announced that he'd continue with his run. John, whose calf was still too sore to continue, sat on a nearby bench for a few minutes before limping home.
As he made his way back to the house, he was puzzled by the contrast between the caring Mike who helped to soothe his pain and the apparently uncaring Mike who then decided to carry on running. By the time that the redhead had returned to the house, the soreness in John's calf muscle had almost completely gone. When the older boy thanked him for his help, Mike just shrugged his shoulders and silently went to take a shower. That night in bed, John remembered feeling the touch of the other boy's hands, and became very aroused.
John still found it difficult to understand Mike's ambivalent attitude toward him. Sometimes the redhead behaved as if the older boy didn't exist, and at other times he'd invite him to play games or go on a bike ride. Sometimes when they were watching TV, he'd consult with John about what programme to check out next, and other times, especially if the foster carers weren't present, he'd unilaterally switch to a different channel.
One night, when David was in the office and Sarah was putting Susie to bed, John and Mike were in the living room watching TV. The weatherman announced that there was a Yellow rain warning in the southwest of the country and that several flood alerts were in effect.
"Yellow rain," Mike mused aloud, "I guess that means it'll be pissing down."
John groaned, but he also smiled. He remembered what Connor had said about Mike being funny and supposed this was an example of that.
Because of his life with his father, John was accustomed to being ignored or even to being treated with hostility. With his father, the behaviour had at least been relatively consistent, whereas John could never predict Mike's behaviour. However, at least the redhead was rarely actually hostile. Whenever John felt frustrated, he remembered Connor's advice about being nice even when Mike wasn't.
When the new term started, the two boys cycled to school together, but Mike went his own way as soon as they got to the school gates. Also, if he saw John during the school day, he barely acknowledged the older boy's existence. In previous years, John had noticed that Mike had always avoided social contact with his schoolmates. Katie had been the only exception, and after she left, the redhead didn't try to make any new friends. In fact, he glared in annoyance if anyone tried to approach him.
Before John had moved into the foster home, he, too, had been deterred from approaching Mike at school. However, after spending the summer living together and getting to know each other, he couldn't understand why the redhead appeared to be avoiding him at school. On the second day of term, he saw Mike sitting alone on a bench beneath the trees that separated the school buildings from the playing fields.
"Hey, Mike. What're you reading?"
The younger boy looked up from the book, surprised and startled, even though he recognised John's voice.
"It's just something Paul recommended."
Encouraged by the absence of an angry glare, John sat down next to Mike.
"It feels like you've been avoiding me when we're at school," he said.
"I didn't think you'd want to be seen with me," Mike replied after a long pause. "Most kids think I'm weird."
"Maybe that's because you make it clear that you don't want to make friends," the older boy suggested tentatively. "But we're already friends, and we even live in the same house."
"That's not something you should advertise. Some people look down on kids in foster care."
"Surely that's even more reason why we should stick together," John replied with an encouraging smile.
"If you say so," the redhead replied doubtfully, "but don't blame me if your friends drop you."
"If they do, then they were never my friends. Anyway, Katie spent a lot of time with you in school, and it didn't bother her."
"She's different and special. She accepts people as they are and doesn't judge them," Mike said. With a wistful smile, he added, "She sometimes said that people are like food…"
"She wants to eat people?' John interrupted with what he intended to be a joke.
"Don't be stupid," Mike retorted, frowning his irritation and returning his gaze to his book.
"Sorry. I was just joking because you looked sad, and I wanted to make you laugh. I like seeing you laugh, but you hardly ever do."
"You're weird," the redhead said, shaking his head. "She meant that some people you like and others you don't. If you like chocolate and not cabbage, it doesn't mean that chocolate is good and cabbage is bad. You just want to spend more time eating chocolate."
John considered that for a couple of seconds, and then he had a thought about Mike.
"Sometimes a chocolate can get wrapped in cabbage leaves," he said, hoping that the other boy would interpret it as a joke.
"You really are stupid," the redhead responded before standing up and walking away.
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