Writer's Note - Readership has unexpectedly gone up. Thank you all for reading this little story and for the reads and votes. I didn't expect a lot of reads so seeing y'all reading is really nice.
Anyone who's read D&M knows I like to do demographic updates after 1k reads. Next chapter I'll give you guys an idea of who's reading and from where.
~Achilles~
I turned over on the bed watching Xander sleep. His mouth was open with his fangs extended as he breathed heavily. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Xander was. My beautiful and sometimes fragile mate, Xander.
I threaded my fingers through his hair and he sighed happily, turning into my touch. Fresh, hot tears welled in my eyes and I breathed harshly, pushing them away. Coming out would be ugly, and hard, but I wanted this beautiful, fragile, thing with Xander to work, so it would be worth it.
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"Do you think it was best to meet your family for lunch before the pack meeting?" Xander was driving, and his voice was soft as we made our way to a place Xander and I had eaten at for one of our date nights. One of Xander's friends owned the breakfast shop and had extended their opening by one hour and told us we'd have the back portion of the restaurant to ourselves.
Xander had explained we needed a spot to have a delicate conversation and one of his vampire friends had generously offered. It was date night from a few weeks when I'd met Laurel, a small, Indian vampire with a big, loud voice. Her breakfast store also sold a lot of general American breakfast dishes with Indian flavours.
By the time we got there, and were escorted to our table I was feeling faint. Xander was in the seat beside me, pouring me a tall glass of water water. "Just imagine when it's over. We can laugh all about it." Xander was smiling. But, I couldn't smile. He touched my cheek, rubbing a warm thumb down along the side. "I'll be here with you, every step of the way. Okay?"
I nodded. "Okay."
Xander's friend Laurel came up to our table then. She was dressed in a snug button down yellow shirt and a fitted black slacks. She had menus and a notepad out. "Hello Alexandre, and Achilles, yes? Your guests are here, the host has just let them in. I know today may be difficult so I'll be your waitress. You can trust me to be confidential."
"Thanks Laurel." Xander smiled at her just as my family started walking in. My mother lead the way with Jim by her side and Anders and Harrison behind them. Anders sat at one head of the table and Jim sat at the other. My mother gave me a kiss on both cheeks, absolutely gushing.
"Oh, Lee! It seems like it's been ages, and were you having lunch with your friend here? This is a lovely little spot." She lowered her voice, "It's all very exotic, hopefully things aren't too spicy."
"Mom," I groaned, "You can't just assume everything will be spicy."
She laughed, making her one dimple appear. "Oh, I know, dear, I just hope they refill water quickly here. In case things are spicy."
Harrison had his nose in his phone as per usual but he gave the obligatory nod whenever someone addressed him. He was the youngest among us and although closer in age to me, he always seemed off in his own little world.
After we'd all greeted each other, we started reviewing our menus. Jim browsed through his menu but kept shooting glances at Xander. "You don't have anywhere to be, son?"
Xander gave him a brilliant smile, clapping me on the shoulder. "Achilles here promised me a free meal today, and I couldn't pass that up." Somehow everyone found that hilarious and even Jim cracked a smile.
Once the ice was broken, everyone quizzed Xander. I don't think they could tell he was a vampire. He explained how he was a professor and that we'd met when we got trapped in an elevator at his university. A small lie but everyone bought it.
Harrison finally put his phone down. "Dude, that's sick, you play over ten instruments?"
Xander nodded while pouring syrup over his pancakes. "Well, I'm a teacher so I have to have a basic understanding of even more than that. But, I specialize in the trumpet and the piano."
"Wow, that's so much more interesting than sketching buildings, Lee." Anders teased me.
Breakfast went remarkably well, everyone laughed at Xander's jokes, Harrison talked about how his masters thesis was going, and Anders talked about how Justine's baby bump was just starting to show.
"I hope I'm a good dad." Anders admitted later after his third omelet. "I've been going to these classes with Justine and everyone seems so prepared. There were even these gay guys there who seemed way more prepared than me, go figure, huh. But, I'm thinking if it's a girl Justine will be more into it than me."
Xander chewed hard and fast before swallowing, pointing at Anders with his fork, "I thought parenting was a two person job, not that I would know of course."
"Well, yeah." Anders shifted. "I mean you're a guy, you get it, right? Women are just better at certain things."
Xander quirked his head, curls bouncing as he squinted his eyes. "Does your wife know you feel that way?"
The tension was mounting and everyone at the table was looking back and forth at the two of them.
Anders frowned. "I'm sure she gets it."
"Just another one of those things a woman knows right?" Xander turned to my mom. "Lily, you've raised such nice young men, could you have done it alone?"
My mom shook her head. "Not at all, I had a lot of help, Jim was a wonderful diaper changer. We got a great system going. It surprised all our neighbours when he would sit the babies while I went to work. At the time it just made more sense for us to split the maternity leave. I'm as much their parent as Jim is."
Jim's face reddened and he looked a bit emotional. "It's absolutely a two person job and I'm lucky we have such wonderful boys." He and my mom kissed briefly and held hands.
Anders frowned. "I guess I'll help her out."
Xander's voice was even. "You'll help your wife take care of your child?"
Anders voice tightened, "Obviously, I'll take care of my own kid. I wouldn't put everything on Justine."
Xander didn't dignify that with a response and the conversation moved to other things. Anders didn't seem so impressed by Xander anymore.
Eventually, everyone's plates were clean and I felt like if I didn't say it, I was never going to. Under the table I gripped Xander's knee and squeezed tight. He looked at me and nodded.
Everything stopped for a second as I looked around the table knowing that this would change everything in an unbelievable way. My heart was beating so hard against my chest, I felt like everyone was able to hear it.
"I wanted to tell you guys something." I said slowly, as everyone's conversations came to an end.
Laurel came by then, and that threw me off kilter. "Can I get you bunch anything else?"
I looked around the table. "No, uh can I get the bill? I'll be paying."
"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Lee." My mom said.
She opened her purse and started to reapply lipgloss. I was shocked she didn't need a mirror. "Actually, I'm going to step out to the little girls room. I'll meet you boys at the car?"
"Uh, noâ I wanted to say something." I said a bit louder than I intended.
My mom got up anyways. "After a woman has given birth to three kids, her bladder just doesn't operate like it used to. Give me a sec."
The bill came back and I settled it, feeling sick.
When Mom got back she smiled at me, running her fingers through my hair. "Your hair looks lovely like this, Lee. Are you keeping it longer now?"
I almost said Xander likes it longer, before I closed my mouth. God, that wasn't how I wanted it to be. And, then I thought about Sunny and how brave she was and how she came out to more people at sixteen than I could even now.
I looked at Xander and he smiled. Then, I licked my lips, "I've started seeing someone."
"That's wonderful!" Mom beamed.
"Is it serious?" Anders interrupted.
"Yeah, it's serious." I said. "But what I wanted to say..." My throat closed and all I could focus on was the foreign sound of my breathing.
"Dude, what is the problem?" Harrison said, "Spit it out."
"I'm bi." I said, as everyone stared at me, "like I'm into guys and girls. And the person I'm seeing is a man. And, it's serious, and I've always been this way. And I didn't know how to tell you guys, so I didn't. But, now I'm with someone and he's my mate andâ" I took a long shuddering breath looking at Xander for a quick beat, "I'm tired of hiding myself away."
Everyone looked shocked. My mother had her hands clasped over her mouth, Jim looked stunned, Harrison rubbed his eyes like he was dreaming and Anders... Anders looked angry.
My mom said, "We still love you." At the same time Anders said, "You're fucking joking."
I whipped my head towards Anders, "I'm not joking."
Harrison sighed, but it sounded like a strain at normalcy, "I don't see what the big deal is."
"What do you mean you don't see what the big deal is?" Anders said, lips flattening harshly. "What the fuck?"
"This is the part where you say this doesn't change anything." I said quietly, needing them to say that.
My mom got up and gave me a hug, encasing me in the smell of her perfume. "Of course it doesn't change anything, Lee. I'm so happy you feel comfortable telling us. Thank you." Something in me eased when I realized she meant it.
Anders was shooting daggers at me, "So, that time when you were seventeen, you meant it?"
"And you laughed, Anders." I said in a more emotional voice than I intended. "Just because you didn't want to hear me then, doesn't mean I'll be silent now. I was honest with you and you spat in my face and turned your back on me."
Anders was frowning, brows furrowed in discomfiture. "You don't want to do this today."
"Why did you laugh at me Anders?" My voice sounded so vulnerable and raw, but I couldn't help it. "Why did you react like that? I was seventeen years old and I fucking worshipped you"
Anders looked away, staring hard at nothing, "I don't remember saying anything."
My voice broke, "You don't remember calling me a fucking freak? You don't remember telling me that I'd better be joking?" All these years and I was finally getting it out. "Or telling me that you'd rather have no brother at all than one was aâ who was like me?"
He finally looked at me, "You were on the football team, track, and the swim team. You couldn't just come out as queer, what the hell, Achilles? I was looking out for you."
"You were disgusted by me. Just say it." I shot back.
Jim raised his voice, "You know boys maybe this isn't the time for this discussion."
Xander rubbed my back. "Your dad is right, Achilles. Let's just go home, okay?" His voice was low and calm but it only seemed to set everyone else on edge. I could feel the discomfort building. It didn't matter if I was bi if I was with a guy, I might as well be gay to them.
"So." Anders just had to say, "This is your special friend? You thought it was appropriate to bring him here when you tell us this stuff."
"Hey," Xander hissed in an inhuman voice, fangs shooting out, "Back off."
Anders face turned whiter than it already was and he looked at me with a bewildered expression. "Really? A vampire, Achilles?!"
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Writer's Note
I felt like I really struggled with this chapter, couldn't quite do it justice. Very difficult scene to write.
Overall thoughts?
I'm starting a new story! It'll be about an anxiety ridden baker who's looking for love. Check it out sometime soon.