c h a p t e r. 27

"There are few things we should keenly desire if we really knew what we wanted." -François de La Rochefoucauld

chapter 27

Jazz warned Castor, he did.

He warned him that his family might be late-- because when there's the Reds and D'Silvettas together, things were busy, loud, hectic and things usually lasted three times longer than they needed to be-- but he didn't think they'd be that late to the airport.

It must've been at least two hours past when he told his boyfriend when they'd be there.

He did text the god, there was no reply so the musician thinks he got lost in either reading or listening to music.

What he didn't expect, however, was to get to his family's airport and walk up to Castor-- who had a sketchbook and pens out, doodling away-- and find him singing.

He didn't even know the celestial could sing.

It was... it was beautiful. He was beautiful.

"Know that you and I, shouldn't feel like a crime." He watches as his god hums this out, deep voice smooth as he continues working on his drawing, filling the air with ethereal green and seafoam. "You know I'll do anything you ask me to but oh my god, I think I'm in love with you."

He moves his knee up, shifting his hold on his sketchbook, making it more stable as he bobs his head along with the words, "Standing here alone, think that we can drive around. I just wanna say how I love you..." The star hums, "I think we could do it if we tried, if only to say mine. S--"

Then, unfortunately, he cuts off when he notices Jazz in front of him, green going surprised and louder with slight panic. His drawing supplies fall right to the ground.

"Um," He rocks on his feet, blushing slightly as he waves at his boyfriend. "I was just...hi?"

His sisters, Viv, and the rest of the D'Silvettas besides Auntie Fen laugh at him while his mama waves at Castor too, his papa offering a pilote nod while Fen stares, not knowing what to make of Jazz's new partner.

Behind them, he could see the Riddles, Astorias, and Coppes in a group together, smiling and laughing as they shouted to grab the other families' attention.

"Hey," Castor, almost sheepishly, replied, his eyes looking away. "Did you... hear all that?"

Jazz hesitates.

Could he say yes?

What happened if he lied?

Was he not supposed to listen?

Did he not want him to hear the singing?

"Jasper," His boyfriend stood up, hugging him and placing a soft kiss onto his lips. "Nevermind the singing. Are you going to introduce me to everyone?"

"Uh..." Jazz looked at everyone around him. "I don't know, that's a lot of people."

"Little J!" His mama scowled and Castor playfully shoved his shoulder and he laughed.

"Okay, okay," He wrapped his arms around the god, dragging him to be in front of the musician as he placed his hands at his elbows gently. "Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Cas Rex. Get into family groups please-- Axel you are not a Coppe, get outta there!"

Laughing, the stupid D'Silvetta obliged, a little too amused by his usual antics.

"Alright, so we have my family, the Reds, who you all met," He gestured towards his parents and sisters, to which Castor nods again. He steps away from the celestial and picks up the sketchbook and pens for him, smiling as he hands it and his backpack back to him.

"These are the Riddles," Jazz introduces his Tio Law and his husband, Eli, and two of their three daughter, Lavender who was dating Dela and Cara, whose boyfriend Isaiah was also there. All three girls-- including Scarlette who was running late-- were eighteen.

Then he shows them the Astorias, his Tio Obsidian and Azriel and their daughter Catalina, sixteen, and their nine year old son Zephyr, who wanted to be carried around so the musician let him climb onto his shoulders and stay there. Both kids were biracial and adopted but they looked like they could be both of their kids, ignoring the fact that they were gay men and couldn't reproduce by themselves.

Next was the Coppes, his Tia Gwen and her husband Astraeus, with their three kids Sidra, ten, Amiro, five, and Anemoia who just turned two-- all of who also wanted to stay with him so he scooped up both the oldest and put them next to Zeph and held Moia against his chest with another hand. All three kids had crazy blonde hair and dark brown eyes with dimples.

He explained that they were all family, but the Astorias and Coppes were the only blood-related ones.

Then there was his Aunt Lilith, who was single but had a pair of three year old twins, Azalea and Karma who happily got picked up by his other arm and carried around, their dark hair and light blue eyes making their skin look a little pale.

Last, but certainly not least, was the family closest to his.

"And now for the other D'Silvettas you haven't met."

"Joy," Castor murmurs, making most people snicker at him-- including the said weirdos, minus Fen who just rolled her eyes.

"Okay so you met my Tio Gus, Viv, and Axel. Also Nyx's butterfly Damien." Jazz clarified, bouncing his shoulders and making the kids laugh from all around him. It looked like a rainbow was trying to suffocate him, if he was being honest. "But you haven't met my Auntie Fen, Atticus or Viv's twin, Payton."

His aunt was a tallish black woman with very dark freckles and an almost constant scowl on her face, and Atti was almost the exact opposite-- he never seemed to be grumpy and him and Nymphadora, his girlfriend, were quite cute together.

"Twin?" The celestial looked taken aback.

"Yep," Payton rocked on her heels. She looked exactly like Vivianna but she was a little shorter and had a bit more mischief in her eyes. "You could at least warn him I'm a littler wackier, daddy."

"Whatever," The musician did a quick 360 as soon as the introductions were done, making Zephyr cling to his hair and for Amiro to squeal loudly, the other ones giggling along and talking too fast for him to understand. "Okay, guys, Scar is gonna be here any second so you gotta get down."

"Aw, but JJ--"

"No arguing, Moia," Jazz's voice was soft but stern as he set the kids down, Anemoia pouting up at him adorably. "Later you can get all the hugs you want and even show me some of your drawing, your mom told me you made some really cool ones. But you can't right now, 'cause you know Scar likes to tackle me and Payton always joins in."

From the background, the aforementioned crazy lady shouted 'Because that asshole Riddle is trying to steal my daddy!' but they collectively decided to ignore that.

The girl smiled and nodded, being a quiet kid, and patted her cousin's head before following her siblings back to her parent's, ready to grab her things.

"So that's everyone," Jazz smiled up at Castor, who looked a little peeved, his song a deeper green but also a little overwhelmed-- which was understandable. "I think you'll like Scar whenever she gets here, she's a grump too."

"The fuck you saying about me?" A soft, but grouchy voice snapped out.

The musician whirled around just in time to catch the body that gets wrapped around him, Payton then coming around to stand closer as Scarlette clings to him in a hug, arms wrapped around his neck. "Woah! Scarlette, you're here!"

"Hey, Papi," She smirked back, dark eyes full of laughter as Pay complained loudly behind them. "Miss me?"

"Of course," Jazz laughed, then grunted as the crazy lady threw herself onto him too. He shifts, holding each of his friends under one arms, letting them climb onto his shoulders like they always do with ease. "What's been up with you, babe?"

"Nothing much," Scarlett shrugs, her cotton candy purple song blending well with Payton's vibrant blue one. "Got a boyfriend, he's a pest."

"Since you got a boyfriend, why are you calling my daddy Papi still?" Pay challenges, making the grouch narrow her eyes back.

"He's always going to be my Papi simply just to annoy you."

"I call him daddy for tradition, you do it 'cause you like to be a bother."

"A bother?" She scoffs. "I'm delightful."

"More like you're a b--"

Jazz drops them right onto their asses, and crosses his arms as they whine up at him. "You done?" They nodded and he sighed. "Get up, Scar, I want you to meet my butterfly."

This got her attention, "Where is he?"

"Right there," He gestured towards his now definitely bothered looking boyfriend, who Scar raised an eyebrow at.

"I know him," She stated, making the musician tilt his head in confusion. "What's up, Cassie? You heal okay?"

"That was months-- --ago," Castor scoffed out, coming up to Jazz and wrapping his arms around his waist, making him snuggle closer to the star even when he was confused as shit. "I didn't think you'd be here... where's Fly?"

Fly?

Flynn?

Flynn Jacus.

Oh god, I'm stupid, Jazz realized.

The guy Scar was dating was Castor's friend and he never realized it before, probably because he was so stupidly jealous all those other times.

And, as if that thought summoned him, the tinsel-songed football player came laughing by them, his finger raised towards them as he shouted, "Cassie!"

"Fly!" The celestial jerked his head up, then his eyes and green filled with something close but not quite excitement.

Welp.

It was definitely going to be a long ride and stay at the island, not only because Castor will have to adjust to meeting and seeing so many people when they're outside of their own cabin but because Jazz will have to reel in his jealousy.

But... at least the star will have someone besides his boyfriend that he's comfortable around now.

Ugh, stupid human emotions.