In this chapter more family drama is happening and two dudes cuddle with a dog and kiss (not the dog! *rolls eyes*). Just so you know.
He had no idea what was going on.
When he saw Cedric turn on his chair, he nearly swallowed his tongue.
When Cedric behaved like he didn't know him, he got amused.
When Cedric grab at his hand like a man grabbing for a life line after nine hours on the open ocean at the mention of a family Christmas, Ian's heart toppled over with the urge to pull Cedric on his lap and cuddle him until it was all better.
The whole situation was completely fucked up, weird and just crazy.
He felt the urge to laugh just as strongly as the urge to strangle his father. He had always oriented himself on stronger leading figures. Cedric's mother seemed to be his latest choice.
This morning, Ian had woken up with someone who hadn't fled from his cuddles during the night. Someone who didn't roll his eyes at his - admittedly - sometimes a bit immature humor, but laughed and even giggled. God, Ian loved that sound. Someone who burrowed his ass against Ian's wood in the morning without grabbing for it, just making it a natural part of hugging it out until they both were ready to face the day.
It had crossed Ian's mind to turn the morning into a mutual blow job session, but spooning in a warm sense of companionship had felt so wonderful it would have been a sacrilege to disturbed the mood.
And now the man was white as a sheet and Ian's rational mind felt pervy for holding his stepbrothers hand.
Unfortunately (or rather very fortunately?), his not so rational mind, and heart, and dick, had already had deep bonding experiences with Cedric, so the rational part of his brain was simply to late to the party to get a slice of his Cedric.
No way was he going to move back on his interested in this man.
It wasn't even clear how long this out of the blue marriage would last. Both parties had kind of a bad track record right there.
Ian certainly wouldn't have floundered the fact of being married for the fifth time in front of new stepchild as Cedric's mother was doing just this moment.
"I'm to old for most hotels," Danielle, Cedrics mothers, was sighing, speaking right into Cedric's sputtering attempts at an answer to the question in which hotel he was staying. This question had been a rather abrupt change from her telling about husbands past.
Yes, her interruption did save Cedric from telling a lie, but seriously, was this woman even aware of the concept of waiting for an answer after asking a question?
"Sometimes these frames are creaking with every toss and turn. Makes it impossible to sleep."
"Did your bed have a creaky frame?" Ian asked Cedric in all innocence, nearly unable to hide the little curl of his mouth into a smile. His bed wasn't creaky in the least, but the headboard had made some noisy contact with the wall.
"No, it was very quiet and comfortable," Cedric muttered, his ears flaming at the word 'quiet'. Obviously he was thinking just the same thoughts as Ian.
"And then you never know what these beds have already seen," Ian said in his best shocked voice to Danielle, squeezing Cedric's hand lovingly under the table. "I mean... everything could have happened on them."
Cedric tried to politely hide the fact he had breathed out a little tea through his nose.
"Don't make me even thing about it," Cedric's mother said with a sigh. "That's the reason Brandon and I decided on a homey honeymoon in this house with the nice garden. It even has a lovely look in winter."
"Absolutely, dear," Ian's father said, making his son's blood pressure skyrocket.
After that, Cedric seemed to have just as strong an urge to flee the table as Ian did.
Ian told the parents he had to be at his shift soon and made his excuses, Cedric using it as his queue to leave too. Ian actually had a night shift, but that wasn't important in that moment. He wasn't going to leave Cedric alone in his obvious state of disquiet.
And Ian wasn't sure how much longer he could have stayed without wringing some necks.
Preferably his Dad's.
"Hello, Furball!"
Ian scooped up the little dog after opening the trunk. It wasn't a closed one but an open one behind the back seats.
Yipping and trying to lick Ian, the tail was definitely wagging the dog that was still warm form its snuggle session in the blanked-cradle-basket Ian had improvised for it.
"Yeah, Uncle Ced is here too. Look!" He held out the puppy in both hands so he could see Cedric.
Ian's heart squeezed a bit when he saw the hesitation before Cedric patted the dog's head, caressing the silky ears and letting the little fellow snap for his fingers. The shy smile was devastating.
"We can't call him 'Furball'," Cedric admonished softly. "He needs a real name."
"Yeah, and it will come when it's time. At the moment, Furball and Fuzzy and Fuzzster will do," Ian smiled back with a shrug. "Right, mate?"
The little dog gave one of his unbearably cute high pitched barks.
"See, he is agreeing with me," Ian cooed and then gave Cedric a peck on the cheek. "Meet you at my apartment?"
"Thank you," Cedric said in a soft, nearly inaudible voice. Then he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Ian's for a moment, the little dog wiggling between them, crazy in love with this arrangement.
Ian was pretty sure Ced was trying to say 'thank you' for a lot of things at the same time with the gesture.
It had been his pleasure, what ever specifically Cedric was referring too, so Ian couldn't resist a quick kiss.
Then they got into the cars they both had had to park in another streets because of the horrible parking space situation, driving towards something that felt for Ian like home since he had run into a burning house and found himself a man and a puppy.
Hello, my dear readers!
I wish you all a happy Dec 13th.
Hope you enjoy the both of them getting all cuddely with our little furry friend :-)
Any suggestions for names? This is your interactive participatory part if you want to ;-)
Till tomorrow :-D