The Marshalls
by Kit
Chapter 14
On the last Sunday in November, Will returned his brother to the foster home and stayed for lunch. While he was enjoying the roast beef and roast potatoes with green beans and delicious gravy, David told him about their family tradition of putting up Christmas decorations on the first weekend in December.
"We get the tree on the Saturday morning and spend the rest of the weekend decorating the house and the tree," he said. "It's something we all do together, so we'd like John to be here for that weekend."
"I've never put up Christmas decorations before. Dad didn't do Christmas." John said with a deliberate lack of emotion.
"Last year, when I got my own flat with Helen, was the first time since John was born that I put up Christmas decorations," Will said. "It was fun."
"Have you never had a proper family Christmas?" a shocked Sarah asked the brothers.
"Gran used to make us a real Christmas dinner," Will replied, "but after she died, it was just another day."
"But you and me got each other presents," John pointed out, "and we were always together for Christmas, even after you went to uni."
"As you enjoyed doing it last year, Will, you're welcome to join us," David said.
"Aren't you doing your own?" John asked his brother.
"I wasn't going to bother since Helen's gone and you'll be here."
"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" Sarah asked Will. "As you and John have always spent Christmas together, it would be great if you could spend at least the day itself with us."
"Yes," her husband agreed. "And we have traditions for Christmas Eve and Boxing Day that you can join us for."
"Boxing Day's a treasure hunt," Mike added with more enthusiasm than Will had heard from him before.
Will gladly accepted the invitations, and the following weekend, he and his brother helped with the decorations. Susie also took an active part and didn't hesitate to ask John to lift her up so that she could put items higher in the tree than she could reach. In a very serious tone, the little girl admonished him to be careful not to tickle her when he held her up.
With very few exceptions, John was the first person that Susie asked for help during the decorating process. Apparently, he had become her favourite non-parent person. At first, John had been concerned that Mike might feel a little jealous of that, but if the redhead thought about it at all, he didn't appear to care.
John visited Mike's room a couple of times per week after bedtime, and the redhead gradually became less reluctant to include hugs in their activities. However, he still frequently reminded John that they must avoid any sign of affection outside that room. After one session, while Mike was wiping up the mess, John plucked up the courage to make a request.
"Can we lie together just for a minute?" he asked. Nervousness made him hesitate before adding, "Maybe we can cuddle for a bit."
Mike frowned. His instinct told him to refuse, and he was tempted to make some negative or even sarcastic comment. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding.
"Okay. If you really want to, but we'd better not fall asleep."
He lay back down and pulled up the duvet to cover them both. However, the goosebumps he felt were not caused solely by the cool air. Feeling awkward, he turned his back to John, who then spooned behind him and began to cuddle. Mike tensed up as the other boy's arm was placed around his chest. This was a new experience for Mike, and at first it made him uncomfortable.
"This is really nice," John whispered, almost purring with pleasure.
As Mike began to relax, he decided that physically, it was indeed nice, but he was still concerned about its implications and what it might lead to. His subconscious was also ringing alarm bells, and his instinct was to run away.
"It's late, and it's school tomorrow," he said as he sat up. "I'll finish clearing up, so you can use the bathroom first."
The next time that they got together after bedtime, John again requested time for lying together and cuddling after the sexual activities. This time, Mike was a little less reluctant.
"It would be great if we didn't need to sneak around," John said as he cuddled up behind Mike. "It would be even better if we could spend a whole night together and not have to worry about accidentally falling asleep."
"You're never satisfied, are you?" Mike reproached him, though he secretly thought it might be nice. "No matter what you have, you want more, and the more you want, the more risky things will be. Remember, if we get caught, there'll be a shitstorm, and even if they just suspect, we'll lose what we have now."
"Sorry. I was just dreaming about what I'd want. Like fantasising about winning the lottery."
"I'd rather win the lottery than spend a night with you."
Mike felt John become tense and then slowly relax. It occurred to him that his flippant comment had hurt the older boy's feelings. He sighed, taking this as just a trivial example of his belief that getting too attached to another person just leads to being hurt.
"I mean that if I won the lottery, we could probably find a way to spend a night without sneaking around," he said, trying to placate John. "But the way things are, while we're both living here, you just need to be patient."
John didn't respond, but he snuggled up even closer. Then Mike had an idea.
"Maybe when the weather gets warmer," he muttered, thinking aloud. "Maybe I can ask Santa."
"What?" John asked, totally confused.
Paul was chatting with David on the phone, and part of the discussion involved co-ordinating presents and their other plans for Christmas.
"Although Liam and Connor aren't with us now, we still think of them as family," David said. "So we'd like to get them a little something, especially as you said you'd be giving presents to Mike, Susie, and John."
"Speaking of Mike, how would you and Sarah feel if he got a tent?"
"Did he ask you for a tent?"
"Well, it wasn't technically asking. It was more like hinting, but it wasn't exactly subtle," Paul replied, sounding very amused. "He enjoyed his camping trips with us, and before the weather got too cold, he often asked to put up a tent on the lawn. So I don't think it's just a temporary fad."
"He's certainly become a different boy in the last year or so. I think that a couple of times Sarah and I thought he seemed almost happy," David said. More seriously, he added, "Running has definitely helped him, and I think that an interest in camping can only be positive. Anyway, unless Sarah has any objections, I think that it would be fine for Mike to have a tent. I'll let you know for sure later tonight."
"Yes, his attitude seems to have been more positive recently, and he seems to have adapted to having John around."
"We were pleasantly surprised by how quickly he seems to have accepted John. Sarah noticed recently that Mike was letting John help him with his homework."
"Good grief!" Paul exclaimed in mock shock. In a more serious tone, he asked, "What's the situation with his access to his laptop?"
"We decided that the times he can use it should no longer be restricted, but we still limit his internet access. Parental controls are on, and I make random inspections of what's on the laptop and in the browser history."
"Speaking of laptops, does John have his own? If not, that gives me an idea for his Christmas present."
"Don't tell me you've found another spare laptop," David joked.
"Stephane recently upgraded."
Paul didn't mention that it had taken him a few weeks to persuade his boyfriend that starting the PGCE course merited getting a new laptop. The one that Stephane had used at university was now almost four years old, a fact that Paul felt to be rather shocking. Stephane had been reluctant to allow his boyfriend to buy him a new model until Paul pointed out that it could be considered to be an early Christmas present. Of course, Paul had every intention of also buying his lover a real Christmas present.
"As usual, that would be very generous of you," David said. "I'm sure that it would be greatly appreciated."
"I'll make sure that the presents get to you in plenty of time before we leave, but as you'll need to set up the laptop, it won't be wrapped."
Apparently, Sarah had just joined her husband because Paul heard her voice in the background but couldn't tell what she was saying.
"Do you have any plans for New Year's Day?" David asked.
"We won't arrive home until the twenty-ninth, and I expect the jet lag will take a few days to wear off completely, so I thought we'd just take things easy. Liam said he'd want to go to the memorial garden after we got back, so maybe that would be a good day."
"You're welcome to have lunch with us on New Year's Day. That will save you the effort of buying in food and cooking. Will is also invited, so you can tell us all about your holiday. And I'm sure that Liam will have lots of photos to show us."
"You're a glutton for punishment!" Paul replied and laughed. "Thanks for the invitation. That's very kind of you. Just a second."
Paul muted his phone and briefly mentioned the invitation to Stephane, who was sitting next to him on the sofa.
"Yes, we'd love to come for lunch on New Year's Day," he told David. "I'll bring a cake for dessert."
As December progressed, life in the Cooper household became more and more hectic. Paul insisted on buying new clothes for everyone and making sure that they all had appropriate suitcases. He also made lists of the things they should pack and started setting aside those items. When his brothers and Stephane complained that he was being far too organised, he pointed out that they would have to leave just a couple of days after the start of the boys' Christmas break.
When the weekend of their departure arrived, they were grateful that Paul had taken charge. It became obvious that without Paul's preplanning, there would have been total chaos. Even with his organisation and preparations, however, Paul sometimes felt like he was trying to herd a bunch of cats as they were setting off to go to the airport. By the time they boarded the plane, he was exhausted.
While they were in Barbados, Connor tried to find time on most days to send brief emails to Oliver and Mike. The others only sent emails on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to particular friends and family. Time seemed to fly by, and even when they were relaxing in the evenings. Only Connor usually had enough energy for writing emails.
Meanwhile, back in England, the week leading up to Christmas was hectically busy in the foster home. Mike pretended that he wasn't excited and that he wasn't enjoying himself. John found it hard to believe that real people, not just those in movies and on TV, would make such a big deal of Christmas. Susie was most affected by the build-up of excitement and anticipation, and every day she asked how long before Father Christmas would come.
In the afternoon on Christmas Eve, Will joined them for the family tradition of eating homemade mince pies while listening to carols. Sarah and David had invited him to stay overnight in the attic bedroom, so he was there for breakfast and the opening of presents on Christmas morning. The children were allowed to open one present each before breakfast and the rest after they'd eaten. Susie complained about that and ate as fast as she could.
John was stunned to find that Paul and Stephane had given him a laptop. Speechless, he looked at his brother as if seeking confirmation that this was really happening.
"Why don't you switch it on?" Will suggested in a gently teasing tone.
"It's set up to connect automatically by wifi to the house router," David said. "And parental controls have already been set up."
Having given strong hints to Paul and knowing how kind and generous the man was, Mike wasn't surprised that one of his presents was a tent. However, he was delighted to see that it was a two-man freestanding dome tent similar to Paul's, though perhaps a little smaller. His gift from Stephane was a camping rolling mat to sleep on.
"Now you can go camping even when the Cooper brothers aren't available," Sarah said.
"Maybe you and John can share the tent with you when you go on trips," David suggested.
"I don't think so!" Mike replied emphatically. In a gentler tone, he continued, "But I might let him borrow it sometimes."
John was shocked and hurt by Mike's words, but he realised that it wasn't the time or the place to challenge the redhead about it.
After all the presents had been opened and their contents tested, everyone gave a hand in preparing the traditional Christmas dinner. Given the wonderful Sunday lunches that they'd eaten at the foster home, neither of the Marshall brothers was surprised that it was the best meal that they'd ever had. Once everything was cleared away and the dishwasher filled, everyone slumped on sofas and chairs in the living room.
John sat next to his brother and explored the contents of his laptop, and once their food had settled a little, Mike asked if he could clear some space and try setting up the tent. David and Sarah weren't enthusiastic about the idea, but it was a special day, so they gave permission.
"Will you give me a hand?" Mike asked John.
"I suppose," the older boy replied with apparent indifference.
Mike, who clearly knew what he was doing, gave instructions, which John followed without comment. Susie watched with great interest until she became drowsy and fell asleep on her father's lap. Of course, there was no way to attach the tent to the floor, but the supporting poles enabled it to stay up. When the redhead climbed in, he moved to one side and patted the floor as a silent invitation for the other boy to join him. However, John ignored that and returned to his new laptop.
That night, after Will had departed and the boys were getting ready for bed, Mike went to John's room.
"What are you sulking about?" he asked.
"I'm not sulking," John said.
"Well, you're putting on a good imitation. What's the problem?"
"You said you didn't want me to share the tent with you."
"Of course I did. Are you crazy? What did you expect?" Mike said, clearly exasperated. "If I'd sounded happy with the idea, they might have got suspicious."
"So you were only pretending?"
"Obviously," the redhead replied, rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows that I wouldn't be keen on sharing a tent with someone unless I really like them. Connor was here for a year before we were good enough friends for that."
"Aren't you being a bit paranoid?"
"It's better than taking too many risks. Anyway, by the time the weather gets warm enough to go camping, it'll be okay for us to share a tent. That way, we can spend a whole night together. I thought that's what you wanted."
"I do, but you don't often go camping."
"We don't actually have to go on a camping trip. I'm sure that Paul will let us put the tent up on his lawn at weekends. I don't think that Liam or Connor will want to sleep in a tent on their own lawn, so we can be private."
"How do you know that?"
"I know Paul and his brothers."
On the overnight flight back from Barbados, the boys were the only members of the group that got much sleep, so they were the least jet lagged. The first thing that Liam did when they arrived home was to rush to the conservatory. Mrs T had come in twice while they were away to check on the plants and water those that needed it. However, by the time Liam arrived home, she'd not been there for five days. The little boy was relieved to find all was well.
The first thing that Connor did when he'd settled in at home and opened his presents was to call Oliver and ask if he'd received the 'happy birthday' email. They went on to discuss the presents they'd received.
"I got a new bike for Christmas," Oliver said. "Well, it's not actually brand-new, but it's refurb and bought from a shop. Dad bought a bike rack for his car so I can use the bike when I'm with Aunt Bridget. And I got some new footie boots for my birthday."
"I missed opening my real presents on Christmas Day. It was great being there, and I definitely want to go again, but next time, not at Christmas. I'd rather be home for that," Connor replied. "But the sailing was great. As well as the afternoon we booked before we went, I managed to get a morning trip as well."
"I'm jealous."
"Paul said that we might go camping and sailing in the Lake District at Easter, so maybe your mum and dad will let you come with us."
"Mmm. Maybe," Oliver replied doubtfully.
Just a few minutes after the end of that call, Connor phoned Mike.
"Did you like the tent?" he asked. "I helped Paul to pick it."
"Yeah, it's great. Thanks. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer so I can try it."
"And did John like his present from Paul and Stephane? It's really old, but it was working okay."
"He loves it. I don't think he even noticed how old it was. Anyway, he's spent lots of time exploring it."
"Exploring?"
"Yeah. Like what it can do and what sites the parental controls let him visit. I told him to make sure that the browser history is cleared if he visits any sites that might make David suspicious."
When Paul had recovered from jet lag, he phoned David to finalise details for New Year's Day. Liam, who was standing nearby, asked if he could talk to David when Paul had finished.
"Our jasmine tree got flowers while we were away," Liam announced to David. "There are lots of nice little yellow flowers."
The little boy said it with such pride that it seemed he felt it was his personal achievement.
"Our winter flowering jasmine blossomed, too. I noticed it on Christmas Eve."
"Maybe ours was earlier, but we weren't here to see it," Liam said, sounding a little crestfallen.
"Maybe it did, but I'm sure they're both beautiful, so it doesn't really matter if one blossomed a couple of days before the other," David said, knowing that gardening was almost the only thing that generated a competitive streak in the little boy.
As soon as they arrived at the foster home on New Year's Day, Paul was greeted at the door by Mike and John, who gave profuse thanks for their presents.
"The tent's great," Mike said, "and, erm, I was wondering if I could camp out for a night on your lawn as soon as the weather's not so cold. I don't care if it's raining."
"Yes, of course. No problem," Paul replied, pleased with the redhead's happiness and enthusiasm. After a couple of seconds, he had an idea. "Maybe you don't have to wait for warm weather. If you move the furniture in the conservatory, there's probably space to put up the tent. It's not like it's going to be windy there, so it won't need fixing to the floor. It would be like camping in the jungle."
Liam overheard that and frowned, clearly unhappy with the idea.
"They're not jungle plants," he said.
"I'm sure that Mike won't move any plants without your permission," Paul said, sensitive to his little brother's concerns. "But if that doesn't work out, we can probably make space in the basement for a pretend campsite."
During the meal, Sarah and David asked a lot of questions about the holiday in Barbados.
"How did it feel having Christmas in such a hot, sunny climate?" Sarah asked.
"Strange in some ways, but good in others," Paul replied. "It was hot in the afternoon sun, but it was often cloudy in the mornings. There were a couple of afternoons when it rained, but that was quite refreshing."
"Me and Connor played outside in the rain," Liam said, grinning broadly.
"Yeah, it was like taking a shower in cool water," Connor commented.
"We got woke up really early by cocks every morning," the little boy said with mild disapproval.
"It was the cocks crowing that woke us up," Connor clarified in response to Mike's snorted suppressed laugh.
"Yeah. That's what I said," Liam added with puzzled innocence.
After they'd eaten, Liam showed everyone some of the many photos that had been taken on their trip. He appeared to have found the monkeys particularly photogenic. During the presentation, Connor, who'd seen the pictures before, rolled his eyes in a good-natured way.
During and after the slide show, Connor and Liam spent considerable time enthusing in detail about their experiences. Of course, the first thing that the younger boy mentioned was all the flowers and plants that he'd seen.
"We had coconuts straight from the tree," he said. "They were nicer than the ones I've had before."
Connor, who'd never shown any interest in plants, surprised everyone by adding, "And some trees had red markers because they're so dangerous! Trevor said that the fruit is poisonous, the sap can damage the skin, and if you burn branches, the smoke can make you blind!"
"Who's Trevor?" Sarah asked.
"He's the young man who took care of the villa garden," Paul replied. "He and Liam got on well because they both love plants."
"Everyone got on with Liam," Stephane pointed out, smiling. "Grace and Angela, the cook and the maid, were very taken with him. Grace said he was a little angel, and I think she would have adopted him if she could."
"I've already been adopted," Liam said, clearly embarrassed.
"Did the maid and cook have to work over Christmas?" Sarah asked.
"They were off from Christmas Eve lunchtime to Boxing Day lunchtime," Paul replied.
"So what about your Christmas dinner?" David asked. "Did you have to make your own?"
"No, we went to a restaurant. In fact, most days we had either lunch or dinner in restaurants."
"Some of the food had funny names…" Liam began.
"Like Jug-Jug, and Cou-Cou, and conkies," Connor interposed.
"But it was nice," the younger boy continued. "And we had some really nice fish, like flying fish."
"And we had barracuda!" Connor added. "It looked scary but tasted good."
After several minutes of listening to descriptions of the vacation, Mike, prompted in part by envy, became impatient and announced that he was going to the loo. When the conversation in the kitchen began to die down and he'd not returned, Connor went to look for him and found him in his room, playing a game on his laptop.
"What're you doing up here on your own?" Connor asked.
"I got bored."
Connor was a little hurt by that comment, but he knew his friend well enough not to take it too personally.
"We had a really good time, and I'd like to go again sometime," he said. "Maybe I can ask Paul to take you with us next time."
Mike made a snorting sound and looked at Connor as if he were insane.
"My Christmas was interesting, too," the redhead said after a few seconds of silence. "But I can't tell you unless you promise to keep it secret. A foster-brother secret."
"Okay," Connor said, intrigued but also a little wary. "I promise that it will be a foster-brother secret."
"I've got a special friend," Mike said, clearly very proud of himself.
As soon as the words left his mouth, however, he wondered if he'd made a mistake. He regarded Connor as a close friend and possibly still his best friend, but he still felt that he was taking a risk. He knew that the younger boy could be trusted with secrets, but he suddenly became concerned about giving away such an important secret.
Hearing the words 'special friend' reminded Connor of the first time he'd seen Stephane during a video call with Paul. The way that the two young men had been interacting made him think that there was something special about their friendship. However, at the time, Connor hadn't considered that there might have been a sexual side to the relationship.
"Do you mean you have a friend that you play tent games with?" he asked.
"Yeah. But not in a tent. And I've started to like him."
"So he's like a boyfriend," Connor said, suddenly suspecting who the special friend might be.
"No," Mike said, frowning. "I don't do soppy boyfriend stuff. But I think he might want it."
"Special friends can turn into boyfriends," Connor said thoughtfully, thinking of Paul and Stephane.
"Maybe if they're not careful. But maybe they should be satisfied with how things are."
That evening in Will's flat, the Marshall brothers were sitting together on the sofa, winding down and sipping on mugs of hot chocolate. Will still had another day before returning to work, and John had a whole week before going back to school, so they were staying up late and enjoying each other's company.
"It seems everyone had a good Christmas," Will commented as John leaned against his shoulder.
"It was the best ever for me."
"For me, too."
"And I love having my own laptop," John said. A little wistfully, he added, "Paul's lucky to be rich."
"It's not just money that makes him lucky. He's got his family and a nice boyfriend."
"Still, I bet that you'd like to be rich."
"Well, yeah," Will said. "But having a brother is more important. I wouldn't want to be rich if it meant giving up my baby brother."
"I'm not a baby," John said, pretending to be upset.
They sat in comfortable silence until their mugs were empty.
"You and Mike seem to be getting on well," Will said a little tentatively.
"Yeah," his little brother said quietly. After pausing for thought, he added, "You know they say some people are like wolves in sheep's clothing? Well, I think Mike's really like a sheep in wolf's clothing. The problem is, I don't think he's really sure what he is or whether he wants to be a wolf or a sheep."
"It sounds like you care about him a lot."
"Yeah," John replied, blushing.
"And how does he feel about you?"
"He says I'm his special friend."
"Does that mean friends with benefits?" Will teased.
"I really like the benefits, and so does he," the boy replied, blushing even more. "But he says that he's not into doing lovey-dovey boyfriend stuff, and it's too risky."
"Not everyone is a romantic like you. And as we talked about before, romance in a foster home is pretty risky."
"Yeah, but…"
"I know," Will said, putting his arm over his brother's shoulder and gently pulling him closer. "You want more than a friend with benefits."
"I like being his friend, and the benefits are great," John said lightly. More seriously, he added, "He says I should enjoy what I have and not keep wanting more."
"He may have a point. Relationships grow at different rates for different people. Maybe he first needs to decide whether he wants to be a wolf or a sheep. You need to decide if you want to wait for things to change or if you can accept things as they are."
There was a long silence while John thought about that.
"I think I can wait," he said eventually.
After his conversation with his brother, John had decided to be patient and to wait and see how things developed with Mike. He was surprised by what happened the next time he went to the redhead's room after bedtime. As they were undressing, Mike paused and spoke very quietly.
"Do you want to try kissing?"
"Does that mean…" John began, remembering the reason the other boy had given for not kissing.
"It means, do you want us to kiss? Like, try a proper kiss?" the redhead said, showing a mixture of irritation and frustration.
"Yeah. Okay."
As neither of them had any experience, they were both very self-conscious, and their initial attempts were clumsy. Eventually, they managed to work out the angles of their heads, avoid the clashing of teeth or bumping of noses, and minimise any slobbering. Soon, any embarrassment was overtaken by arousal, and they sank onto the bed, quickly removing their remaining clothes. It wasn't long before John reached his climax as they kissed and humped together, but Mike wasn't far behind.
"Wow! That was great," John enthused as Mike reached for the box of tissues. "Kissing like that was really sexy."
"I didn't really like it at first, but it was okay when I got used to it."
"But you enjoyed it when you got used to it, didn't you?" John asked, a little concerned.
"Yeah. Like you said, it was sexy."
A couple of nights later, when John went to Mike's room after bedtime, neither of them suggested kissing. They just started doing it even before they began to undress. On subsequent nights, their activities often ended with a few minutes of cuddling. John hoped that if in the future they spent a few nights alone together in a tent, their relationship might become even closer.
There was no doubt that Mike had changed during the few months that they'd been living together. John was pleased to observe that Mike's initially rare bursts of happiness had become more frequent. However, he wondered if the redhead would ever be truly happy or could ever really trust another person. Perhaps eventually, Mike might even become less averse to romance, but if that ever happened at all, John realised it would probably be in the distant future.
Still, unless something catastrophic happened, the two of them would be sharing a house for at least a couple of years, and John intended to be there to support the boy he now knew he loved. He decided that he'd no longer question the sort of relationship they were having or what might happen in the future. He would enjoy what he had and go with the flow.
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