“Yes, and I liked hearing it again. You talking brings me joy.”
Eden snorted as Hadrian hummed in agreement. “He’s right. Your voice is kind of soothing. It’s really weird, but I like it.”
Archer thought Hadrian gave off surfer-guy vibes and himbo energy, if he was going to use a word he used to hear some of his coworkers say. Eden, on the other hand, was much more of a brat. He was mischievous. Archer didn’t need Romilly to explain his siblings’ personalities to pick up on it. And his parents, while seemingly impassive about it all, were watchful. He knew they were cataloguing all of the day’s events.
The rest of the meal turned into the family sharing bits about themselves. Mira shared her love of pottery, which Archerasked to see once he was well enough to walk around. She was delighted that he showed interest, since none of her children wanted any part of it. She corrected herself from saying “boys” with a meaningful pause.
When Archer looked to Romilly, the man explained, “My other sibling, Soren, who isn’t here right now, goes by they/them pronouns. You will meet them when they return from their business trip.”
Archer understood right away. He was no stranger to pronoun use, and he was glad he’d been told ahead of time.
Silas, despite being more reserved than the other members of the family, eagerly told Archer about his love of gardening. Archer wasn’t a big fan of gardening, but he accepted the offer to be shown the various plants Silas had collected from all across the world. It would be interesting to see, given how exuberant the other man was about them.
Hadrian talked about his love of food and his desire to learn how to cook it all. “Chef won’t let me take lessons because she says I’ll put her out of the job,” Hadrian said, rolling his eyes. “As if we’d ever let her leave. She’s amazing. I just want to know how I can make myself some snacks, you know? A guy’s got to eat.” He patted his stomach.
Archer giggled. “Hey, I’m in full support of you learning. You’ve got my vote.”
Hadrian beamed at him, happy in a way Archer didn’t expect.
Eden, the most chaotic of the group, shared his joy of everything. There wasn’t a single thing he seemed to dislike, whether it was food or exercise or movies or TV. He bounced from topic to topic, and Archer recognized it for what it was. Someone whose attention was hard to hold.
He didn’t want to be judgmental. Instead, he followed each change of subject and answered questions as he could. Thefamily seemed impressed by this, Romilly even going so far as to reach over and squeeze Archer’s knee in a show of support.
That made Archer’s body heat. He had to fight back the feeling that tore through him. A few people in the room sniffed the air and Romilly growled, as if telling them something without words.
Has someone farted? Was it me? Do I stink?Archer thought to himself.
He needed a shower, yes, but he didn’t think it was that bad. Surely Romilly wouldn’t have brought him down to dinner if he was off-putting.
When no one said anything about body odor or the like, Archer turned to Romilly, who was scowling at his family. “I’m quite full and kind of tired now. Is it okay if you take me back to my room?”
Romilly’s expression cleared as he turned to face Archer. “Absolutely, little one.” He looked around the table. “Good night, everyone. I will see you all tomorrow, yes?”
His family nodded in return. “It was lovely to meet you,” Silas said. “And when you’re well, I will take you to meet all of the plants. They love to be spoken to.”
Archer agreed easily.
Hadrian waved to him as he stacked up his empty plates. It warmed Archer to see that even though they had help, the young brother was pitching in. He didn’t just expect to be taken care of.
Eden bounced in his seat and said, “Night night, sleep tight. Don’t let anyone bite.”
That made Hadrian snort and Mira scold him. “Hush now, boy. You’re not too old for a time out.”
Eden frowned, going still for a moment before turning to his father. “Dad, mom is being mean again.”
Silas chuckled, understanding his son was being dramatic for the sake of the bit.
Mira, unlike the others, stood up and came around to hug Archer goodnight. She patted his cheek gently and pressed a kiss to his forehead. The connection was felt through every part of his body.
It was comforting.
It was relaxing.
It made him feel even more welcome than their words and actions had so far.
He marveled once again as Romilly picked him up at how he had wound up in this place, how he had become so lucky to be around these people who didn’t see him as a problem or something to be gotten rid of.
He had never been so happy in his life. He felt like he truly fit. And he couldn’t wait to see where it would go.
