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“No! P’Babe can’t play with Mama!” Martin whined, hurriedly climbing onto the couch so he could throw his arms around his stepfather’s neck and cling on to him. “Mama is Martin’s Mama!” he insisted, bouncing.
“Ack- Martin-!” Way gently tried to pry the pup’s arms from his throat before he could suffocate, but Martin just squeezed tighter. Babe wrapped his arms around Martin and lifted him up, making the pup shriek and Way rise up with them to avoid getting his head pulled off. “Babe, you’re choking me!”
“What? Me?!”
“Both of you!”
“Don’t choke Mama, P’Babe,” Martin scolded him, letting go of Way so he could turn to Babe.
“You-!” Babe sighed in frustration. He adjusted his hold so Martin would be comfortable in his arms. He’d had plenty of practice, as the pup always climbed into his lap or wanted to be lifted up by him. “Way is not my mama. Way is my friend. Let me spend time with my friend.”
“No! My mama.”
“Good kids share,” Babe told him. He turned and took a step away as Way tried to take the pup back, the Enigma looking worried about them bickering.
Martin shook his head. “Martin only has to share Mama with Papa.”
Not for the first time, Babe considered texting or even calling Pete to demand that he add him on to the list of people Way could be shared with. Martin always listened to his father. But that would be embarrassing, so as always, he ignored that idea. “That’s not fair! I’ve known Way longer than you’ve been alive!”
That just made the boy giggle. “P’Babe is old.”
Babe squeezed the pup’s round cheek and pulled on it. Martin just laughed more. “I’m not old! You’re just four!”
Way managed to get his hands under Martin’s arms and lifted him out of Babe’s hold. “That’s right. You’re four, so you’re getting big, hm?” he tried to distract him.
Martin beamed at the mention that he was a big boy now, looking very proud of himself. “How old is P’Babe?” Martin asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
Before Babe could demand that Way not answer, Way told the boy, “P’Babe is 29. He’s 25 years older than you.”
Babe thought it was entirely unnecessary for Way to specify exactly how much older he was than the kid. Martin probably couldn’t even comprehend that. It felt truly horrible hearing it out loud. He reminded himself that Martin couldn’t even buckle a seatbelt on his own in a car yet, still stuck being strapped into high back booster seats with harnesses. The pup was practically still a baby, no matter how much Way and Pete praised him for being big. Of course the difference between them was the majority of his age.
“That’s super old!” Martin gasped loudly, eyes going comically wide, shattering any chance of Babe’s attempt at self comfort being successful.
“I’m not old!”
-
Babe slung an arm around Way’s shoulders, handing over his shirt. “Found your fireproofs. Ready to head to the track?”
“Yes. Did you tell Alan we’re all set?”
Having just completed a big upgrade on the cars after a late night with the mechanics a few days before, and having done all the in-house testing they could, Alan wanted to see how the cars performed on track and in race conditions, and had told the two of them to race against each other so they could get more data. Babe was excited to have a one-on-one race with Way, since it felt like he hadn’t gotten to in forever. He’d already gotten focused with Charlie in the garage bathroom, and now with Way having his whole suit assembled and ready to put on when they got to the track, they could jump right to it.
It’d been a while since it was just the two of them training together. Babe was hoping Way would be up for going out to lunch together afterward.
“Yup. He’s getting the cars loaded up. We’ll meet him there.”
They grabbed their helmets and everything else they needed. But before they could head out, Babe heard a little gasp and then small but rapid footsteps. He turned and saw Martin rushing over, having escaped Pete’s hold from where the man had been talking with Jeff and Kenta about team finances all morning. Babe had tuned it all out, not wanting to risk falling asleep the way Martin had been in his father’s arms when Pete had arrived with him and Way, the pup too young for such an early morning on a weekend.
Martin crashed into Way’s legs, wrapping his arms around him. He looked up at him with big pleading puppy dog eyes. “Is Mama going somewhere?” he asked.
“I’m going to the track to practice with Babe. I’ll be back home in the afternoon.”
Martin looked over at Babe. The Alpha could practically see it click in the pup’s mind that that meant Way would be spending all day with Babe instead of with him.
Babe’s lunch plans slipped away right before his eyes as Martin started wailing.
“Ah- what’s wrong, Martin?” Way shoved his race suit and helmet at Babe so he could lift up the pup. Babe nearly dropped his own helmet, struggling to hold both full sets of gear.
Pete came over as well, worried. Martin didn’t let up, even with both of his parents fussing over him.
“Babe, Way! Let’s go!” Alan shouted from the doorway. “We’re wasting track time!”
“I’ll take him,” Pete told Way as the younger man looked conflicted. “Martin, Mama has to go to work now. You can stay with Papa and tell Papa what’s wrong, okay?”
Pete tried to take Martin, but the boy held onto Way with a vice-like grip, wailing even more. Babe winced at the volume. It was amazing how loud such a small child could be.
“I don’t get why he’s crying. I just told him I had to go and that I’d be back home later. He didn’t trip or anything.”
“Little one, Mama will only be gone for a few hours.”
“No!” Martin protested.
“Mama has to go to work. It’s so he can be a great racing driver. Martin and Papa both want Mama to do amazing in his races, don’t we?”
That didn’t help. Martin clung onto his stepfather like an octopus. Pete tried to pry him off, but Martin wouldn’t let go.
Alan came over to see what the hold-up and wailing was all about. “What’s going on? Is the kid alright?” he asked, concerned.
“He doesn’t want Way to go,” Babe answered, foisting off Way’s uniform and helmet on Alan as soon as the older Alpha was within reach.
“Ah. Well, why don’t you bring him to the track, Khun Pete? You two can watch Way and Babe race.”
“Doesn’t that sound fun, little one? We can watch Mama in his racecar.”
Martin lifted his head. “Watch the cars?” he sniffled.
“That’s right, noo. I’ll show you and your dad the best spot to watch from.” Alan poked Martin’s nose.
-
After grabbing a Lactasoy carton from the garage fridge and taking a moment to tousle Andy’s hair as the teen looked through the cabinets for a snack, Babe was ready to relax for a bit. He’d just come back from a tough gym session, and was extra exhausted after a bonus post-workout session of exercise with Charlie in the gym shower. He had a little time before he was due to go over strategy with Alan and Kim for the upcoming race weekend, and Charlie had immediately been dragged off by North and Sonic to help with their latest video, so he knew he would get a rare moment of peace. Even the mechanics were being relatively quiet, working on their laptops instead of using any loud tools.
He spotted Way sitting on the couch in the break area and grinned. Hanging out with his friend would be a nice way to spend his break. He clapped his hands down on Way’s shoulders from behind, laughing as the Enigma bit off a curse and jumped. Way dropped his phone onto his lap, and Babe could see Way had just sent a selfie to Pete and had been in the process of taking another one. The blurry photo of Way getting startled was now waiting to be deleted or sent.
“Babe! You scared me.”
“Of course I did. You have no awareness of your surroundings, Way. You send a million selfies a day to your boyfriend.”
“That’s not true,” Way denied. While Way huffed, Babe leaned over him and quickly pressed send on Way’s phone. “Wh- Babe! No, that’s a horrible photo.”
Pete sent a laughing emoji in response before Way could delete the message.
Babe circled around to the front of the couch and went to sit down. As he lowered down, though, Martin suddenly emerged from under the table and dive bombed between them, sprawling out over both Way and the couch.
“Martin!” Way yelped, his phone now falling to the floor instead. “Ah, my phone!”
“Holy shit!” Babe also yelped at the same time, having been completely unaware that the kid was even in the garage, much less that he was just a few feet away. “What the fuck?!”
Martin shrieked as he was sat upon. Babe got off of him and Martin was fine, wriggling so that he was sitting right next to Way. Babe stared at him in disbelief. To his complete shock, Martin stuck his tongue at him.
Andy snickered loudly from the kitchen. Babe looked over at the teenager, who was now holding a bag of chips and turned to watch the whole incident.
Way retrieved his phone from the floor and sighed in relief seeing that it was unharmed. Martin put on an innocent face as Way looked at him. Andy laughed.
“Martin, why don’t you go hang out with Andy?” Babe suggested.
“I wanna sit with Mama.”
”But Andy is your favorite cousin.”
“Andy is his only cousin,” Way said. Babe stared at him, trying to will Way into understanding that he was not helping. “What?”
“I’m sure Andy would love if you played with him. He’s right over-” To Babe’s dismay, Andy wandered away. Now that he had what he’d came for in the kitchen, he was obviously returning to wherever he was before that. “Hold on a second. Andy!”
Babe rushed after him. He skidded to a halt in front of the teenager. Andy stopped, taking a bite of a chip. He rose an eyebrow, waiting for Babe to say something.
“Andy. Would you do me a favor and convince Martin to play with you for a while?”
“I was going to go see what P’Alan was doing.”
“Please. I haven’t gotten to hang out with Way in so long.”
Andy considered it for a moment, then stepped around him. “Sorry, Phi. Maybe later.”
He couldn’t believe both of his nephews were actively working against him. “You would do it if I was Charlie!”
Andy made a sound that was neither an agreement nor a denial. He disappeared around a corner.
“He would definitely do it if I were Charlie,” Babe grumbled to himself.
-
“It just isn’t fair!” Babe told Charlie. He was whining, but if Charlie ever told him he was then he would vehemently deny it.
Thankfully, Charlie knew not to mention it. The younger Alpha rubbed his back soothingly and tried to comfort him, saying, “Aw, P’Babe. They’re just kids. Andy and Martin both love you as much as you love them.”
“I know they do. But I haven’t gotten to hang out with Way in forever!”
”You guys have been training a lot together though.”
“That’s work. And we’re usually with Alan or Kim. Whenever I try to just spend one-on-one time with Way to work on rebuilding our friendship, the kid always comes flying out of nowhere like some kind of tiny friendship cockblock!”
Charlie winced at the phrase Babe chose to use to describe their innocent, cute little nephew. “Don’t call him that, P’.”
Babe ignored that. “And every time, either Way leaves to go deal with the kid’s constant demands-”
“That’s just parenting, P’,” Charlie tried to reason. “Way has a pup now. He has to give Martin lots of attention.”
“-or I end up hanging out with the kid the entire time!”
“But you love Martin.”
Babe gave Charlie an exasperated look for stating the obvious. ”Of course. Don’t be dumb.” He sighed, flopping back on their bed. “But I miss Way, Charlie,” he pouted.
His mate laid next to him, lying on his side so he could put a hand on his chest. Charlie still didn’t really like Way, but he was very understanding. Being a race car driver and being in a relationship took up the majority of Babe’s time and didn’t leave much space for individual moments with his friends. Trying to match his free time with a friend who was also newly a stepparent was proving to be impossible.
“Hm… why don’t you invite Way out to a bar? If it’s late, Pete will be home to look after Martin.”
“That’s perfect, Charlie!” Babe turned so he could kiss his mate. “I’ll call him tomorrow.”
Way agreed to Babe’s invitation when he called the next afternoon, saying he’d meet him at the showroom that evening, since he wasn’t sure when exactly he’d finish up an appointment with a new client.
When evening rolled around, Babe pulled on a leather jacket, gave Charlie a kiss goodbye, and hopped onto his motorcycle. He figured Way would be fine with him leaving the bike in the showroom for the night, and they’d catch a cab to and from whatever bar they ended up choosing. Neither of them had cared much before about being careful driving home, but now they both had families to get back home to safely. Babe was sure Charlie and Pete would scold the both of them if they drove themselves home drunk. Pete looked like he could give a long lecture, and Charlie could turn on guilt-inducing puppy eyes that rivaled their golden retriever’s.
He pulled into the showroom, and could see Way over by one of the cars, already changed out of his work suit and into his usual clothes. Babe pulled off his helmet and called out to his friend, “Hey, Way!”
“Babe!” Way turned around, smiling, and began to make his way around the car.
“P’Babe!” another voice called out, much more excited and loud, and Martin darted out and ran up to him, latching onto his leg as he hopped off of his bike, almost knocking him over. The boy looked up at him, then around the room. “Where’s P’Charlie?”
Way caught up to them. “You brought your bike. Are you swapping for one of your cars or do you want to take mine? Are we picking up Charlie before we go to Auntie’s?”
Confused, Babe just stared at Way.
“Oh! I hope you don’t mind that I brought Martin. I told him I was going to Auntie’s with you and Charlie tonight and he really wanted to come. I haven’t taken him there yet.”
For a moment, Babe had no idea why his friend was so sure that they had agreed to go out to their favorite restaurant. Not that he was opposed to the idea, but he’d never said that they were going to hang out there. Then it occurred to him. When inviting Way out, Babe had told him he wanted the two of them to go out like they used to. Sure, they used to go out to bars and clubs together quite frequently the past ten years. But they’d also used to head to Auntie’s, just the two of them. It was their special spot for years.
Why Way thought Charlie was also going along was nearly as confusing, since he had specifically said the two of them, but Babe supposed it did sort of make sense. He and Charlie went everywhere together nowadays regardless of whether or not it was supposed to be just one or both of them. They were a package deal.
“If we take my car we don’t have to move Martin’s car seat,” Way continued. “But it’s easy enough to move. What do you think?”
As much as he wanted to correct Way and prevent his little rival from once again one-upping him, he also really wanted to see the kid’s reaction to trying the food. And it would be so cute to see Charlie’s reaction to that as well. It was adorable when his boyfriend got excited about their nephew.
“...Yes.” Way hesitated at his simple answer, unsure what exactly he was agreeing to. “Your car. Charlie is at my place,” Babe clarified.
“Let’s go to the car then, Martin. I’ll get you buckled in, alright?”
“We’re gonna go get P’Charlie?”
“That’s right.”
Martin cheered and grabbed Way’s hand, pulling him along to the car. They went and picked up Charlie, who gave Babe a questioning look but wisely did not mention how this was not at all how the evening was supposed to go. Martin was very happy to sit in the back with Charlie, and though he was literally sitting next to Way up front, Babe barely got to talk to his friend, as Way always ended up competing with Charlie to try to get Martin’s attention. Babe wished he could shake Way and make him understand that he absolutely didn’t need to worry about the pup possibly liking an uncle more than one of his parents, but it probably wouldn’t work even if he actually did that. Way was just too jealous.
Once they got to Auntie’s food stand, though, Babe almost immediately forgot about the layers of rivalry. Seeing Martin light up as he tried all the different foods they ordered was fun. The three of them all gave him bites to try, and only were forced to stop when the pup started dozing off, tired after eating so much good food.
It wasn’t until he and Charlie had gotten home that Babe realized yet again he hadn’t gotten to hang out one-on-one with Way. Though he had fully enjoyed the outing, he still sighed and went, “Fuck!”
“What’s wrong, Babe?” Charlie asked, wrapping his arms around his waist.
“We brought you and the kid along.”
“Aw, but you had fun. Martin was almost climbing onto the table to reach whenever you gave him food.”
“Charlie.”
“It’s not the same, huh. Maybe next time?”
-
Despite Charlie’s reassurances that he could just try again to hang out alone with Way, Babe knew he was going to have to take drastic measures. Charlie pleaded with him not to do something that would upset their nephew, and Babe couldn’t believe that his mate thought he would do anything like that. And him shooting back that even though they were rivals, he never pulled dirty tricks -plus Martin was only four, so of course he wouldn’t- didn’t have the desired effect. Charlie had just looked even more worried.
He would prove that Charlie was wrong to be concerned.
Immediately upon spotting Martin in the garage, Babe knew exactly what he needed to do. If he couldn’t compete with the kids for their parents’ attention, he would simply have to win them over so they would be willing to share. He marched right over and demanded of Way and Alan, “I’m taking the kids on a Phi-nephew bonding trip. Hand them over.” He grabbed Martin and put the kid over his shoulder, then looked around for Andy. Martin yelped as he was hauled up and started to flail his arms and legs. Babe tightened his hold to make sure the pup wouldn’t fall.
When he didn’t see Andy, Babe asked, “Where’s the other thing?”
Alan sighed loudly. “Andy isn’t a thing, Babe.”
Way tried to take Martin back, but Babe didn’t let him. Martin made a loud sound that was half shrieking and half laughter as he was pulled like tug-of-war. Babe winced at the volume so close to his ear. “You can’t just take Martin! Where are you even going?” Way asked.
Babe didn’t answer, saying instead, “You can go on a real date with Pete while we’re gone.”
Way immediately stopped pulling on the pup. “Alright. Take him on Saturday, then.”
“Deal.” Babe set the kid down. Martin laughed, reaching up and demanding to be lifted again.
“Babe-” Alan tried to intervene this time.
Before Alan could try to get Andy out of the surprise trip, Babe told him, “You too, Uncle.” He turned towards the cars in the garage, where Jeff was currently under the hood of his car, doing a check on the engine. He called out to the Omega, “Jeff! Uncle is taking you out on Saturday!”
“I want to go to the rink and have another picnic,” Jeff called back over his shoulder.
Babe gave Alan a smug smirk. The older Alpha sighed again, then smiled a little, giving in. Like Way, he couldn’t resist the opportunity of a child-free date with his mate.
Martin started to whine when he wasn’t lifted up again. Charlie came over and scooped him up, lifting him up high so he would be satisfied. As he tossed Martin up, he asked, “Where are we going to take the boys, P’Babe?”
Babe made a face as he considered how the whole plan was now at risk. “You are not coming, Charlie.” At his mate’s surprised and rejected expression, Babe realized that it’d sounded bad with him saying that and quickly explained, “It’s not that I don’t want you to! But if you come along then they’ll just ignore me! This is to make them like me the most.”
Thankfully, Charlie understood what his plan was and nodded. “Oh. I see.”
-
Saturday morning, Babe picked up Andy and Martin from their homes and herded them into his Mustang.
Martin was wide awake and alert when Babe arrived, all dressed and ready to go. Pete got his car seat transferred over and gave Babe a little backpack with Martin’s things, briefly explaining what was in it. He also handed him a card to use to pay for the outing. Babe had plenty of his own money, but Pete was rich, so he gladly took it. After receiving goodbye hugs and kisses from both of his parents and promising them that he would behave and stick close to P’Babe, Martin was released into Babe’s care, and Babe wrangled the overly excited kindergartner into his car. While both Pete and Way had texted asking for information about the outing so they would know where the pup was and what to pack in his bag, they’d thankfully not told the pup where he would be going, so Babe could get extra cool uncle points by surprising him.
It was a relief that Martin hadn’t inherited Pete’s mind-reading ability.
He couldn’t remember what exactly the boy’s power was, though he was sure it had been mentioned to him. Something about his vision or reflexes, maybe. It wasn’t a mental power like Pete or Way’s, despite the pup being an Enigma like them.
Babe left Martin strapped in the car and went straight into Alan’s house after pulling up in front of it. Alan had given everyone in the pack keys. They were meant for emergencies, but Babe didn’t see the point of knocking and not using his key when he was already expected.
Alan was in the kitchen when he arrived, making breakfast. He looked surprised to see him. “Oh! You’re here early.”
“I never said what time I was coming.”
“Andy’s still sleeping, so- wait, what are you doing?”
Babe headed for the stairs. “I’ve already got the little brat in my car, so I’m getting the bigger one before Martin gets impatient.”
Exasperated, Alan called after him, “They’re not brats! Do you really need to wake him? You can bring Martin in for a bit.”
That would risk Alan winning over Martin, which Babe could not allow. “You banned ‘creature,’ so I have to call them something!” Charlie and Alan hadn’t been impressed when he’d accidentally called his nephews little creatures one day out loud instead of in his head, and had insisted he refer to them as something else.
Andy and Martin were both so well-behaved, so Babe didn’t get why Alan got so in a huff about it. He didn’t mean it in a bad way, obviously.
His nephew was still asleep in bed, so Babe lifted up the teenager. Andy startled awake. “Phi!”
He set the boy down on his feet. “Martin and I are waiting. Get dressed.”
“Where are we even going?” Andy grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“We’ll be outside all day. Uncle’s making you breakfast. Let’s get moving.”
Andy made some kind of tired groaning sound that Babe took as agreement. As his nephew stumbled over to his dresser to find clothes, Babe went back downstairs to tell Alan to put Andy’s portion of breakfast in a container he could eat from in the car.
“You’re fine with him eating in your Mustang? You never let anyone eat in your cars.” Alan raised an eyebrow, but reached for a plastic container.
“Charlie put in seat covers.”
“Of course he did. And now my kid and my nephew are going to sit on them. Great.”
“They’re clean!”
-
The kids tried their hardest to guess where he was taking them, but Babe refused to give them any hints. He took mental notes of which guesses they seemed most excited about, for future outing ideas. Andy tried using his ability to look in Babe’s things for any hints, but all he had was some snacks and drinks Charlie had packed for him. Nothing helpful.
“P’Charlie puts those little post-it notes on your food? P’Alan likes putting those in my lunchbox too. His aren’t heart-shaped though.”
Babe tried to cover his bag with his hand, but the kids were already giggling. “You guys are as bad as North and Sonic, teasing your phi.”
“But why does he call you Mama? You don’t have kids.”
He was saved from trying to explain the pet name by Martin confidently saying, “It’s ‘cuz P’Babe is Bibi’s mama!”
That appeased Andy, who replied that Alan often called himself his dog’s dad as well. Babe sighed in relief as the two veered off into a discussion as to what that would make Jeff in relation to Bubu, and if that made them brothers to their fathers’ dogs as well.
Finally, they pulled into the parking lot for their destination and both kids lit up.
“Is this an amusement park? One of my classmates said she went to one last weekend. It’s so big!” Andy’s eyes were wide with surprise.
Martin started bouncing in his car seat. “I wanna go on rides please!”
Babe had felt pretty proud of himself for coming up with the idea to take the two boys to the amusement park, and felt fairly smug about it now as his nephews got excited. As well as being something the kids were sure to enjoy, it would also help him acclimate to the place. The first and only time Charlie had taken him to the same amusement park, he hadn’t handled it well, almost throwing up after riding one of the large rollercoasters.
Since Martin was tiny, they wouldn’t be able to go on anything too crazy. He could get used to the smaller, slower ones. Then he’d be able to surprise Charlie by being able to cope with the bigger ones that the younger Alpha really liked going on.
He also wouldn’t feel so out of place amongst the families and teenagers that crowded the place like he did when it was just him and his boyfriend, having Martin and Andy with him, as they were the targeted age.
Babe got Martin out of his car seat, wincing at how he was still a bit sticky with sunscreen, which smelled like some sort of expensive organic stuff rather than a normal quick-drying kind. Martin had pulled it out of his bag on the drive and put a little on himself, though he’d already had some on. Babe set him down, telling Andy to grab the boy’s hand as he worried that the overexcited pup might wander off. After grabbing their bags, Babe turned back to see it was Andy he needed to actually worry about, as the teenager pulled Martin along.
Martin looked back at him, eyes wide. It seemed he’d intended to keep his promise to his parents to stay close to his uncle. The pup reached out with his free hand, calling, “Phi!”
“Hey! Don’t forget about me!” Babe slammed the door shut, quickly locked the car, and jogged to catch up with the two. He gave Martin his little backpack and then grabbed Andy’s hand. “This is a Phi-Nephew outing. Not Cousins Only.”
Andy gave him a sheepish smile. “I got excited.”
“I’m trying to be a good boy, P’Babe! I promise!” Martin insisted.
Babe poked Andy’s nose. “Learn from him.” He pointed down at Martin. To the younger pup, he said, “Teach your cousin to be good like you.”
“I will!” Martin promised, beaming. He grabbed onto Andy’s hand with both of his sticky ones. “Kids have to stay with an adult when they go places! So we don’t get lost. Your dads will cry if you get lost.”
Babe smirked and nodded, saying to Martin, “That’s right. P’Alan and Jeff will kill me if Andy gets lost, so we can’t lose him today.” He started walking towards the entrance, tugging the two along.
“I won’t get lost. I have my phone. Don’t you want to hold P’Babe’s hand instead?”
“No! Don’t wanna lose P’Andy!”
Resigned to being the one stuck holding onto Martin while his extra sunscreen dried, Andy sighed.
As they reached the park entrance, though, Andy was back to being excited. Babe held out his phone with the screenshot of the tickets he’d bought online, and they were given little bracelets. For a moment Babe was worried that Andy would be nervous about putting on a bracelet, as he hadn’t seen Andy ever wear anything on his wrists, not even long sleeves, since he’d gotten his GPS tracker taken off with a bolt cutter, but Andy just picked at the material a bit. When it started to peel apart between his fingers, Andy left it alone, satisfied that it was easily removable.
Babe felt even more smug as they walked into the park, both of his nephews with big smiles on their faces as they looked around at everything.
“You ever been to one of these places, kid?” Babe asked Martin as they headed towards the smaller rides, Babe herding the kids in that direction.
Martin shook his head. “Papa said he wanted to take Martin to one near Dubai, once I’m not scared of planes!”
“The Ferrari place?” Babe had heard of it from North and Sonic. Though he was not a fan at all of amusement parks, that one did sound tempting. “Tell your dad to bring me.”
-
Their first stop was bumper cars. Because Martin was so small, the ride attendant told Babe that the pup could sit on his lap if they wanted. Martin was happy to climb onto Babe’s lap as soon as Babe had fit himself into the little car. Andy got into his own. The moment the cars started running, Babe turned so that they’d slam right into the back of Andy’s car.
As Andy looped around to try to get them as well, Martin shrieked with laughter and told Babe to get him again.
They headed further into the kiddie section after that. A few rides only the two pups could get on, which was fine to Babe. He did feel a little out of place standing among the other adult family members waiting for their kids to get off of rides. His grease-stained tank top and ripped jeans did not mix well with everyone else’s brightly colored summer clothes.
His nephews found a few rides they could all go on together. Andy led them to a line with some spinning ride you turned yourself that Babe just knew would make him sick if they spun as fast as the other people on it were doing. But he steeled himself and let the two pull him on board.
Thankfully, it only seated three. After making sure Martin was strapped in, Babe gave the big wheel a test turn. It was sort of difficult to turn, so as the ride started, he just let the two kids spin it themselves. Andy was doing the bulk of the strength required, but they didn’t go anywhere near as quickly as anyone else. Babe was able to escape getting sick, and counted that as part of his getting used to rides. It was a win.
Being able to take his boyfriend back there without worrying Charlie seemed slightly more feasible.
After working their way through, they went on the Ferris wheel. As they went up, Babe lamented internally how when he’d gone with Charlie, his boyfriend had refused to let him do anything dirtier than making out on the ride.
Babe sort of thought that after the Ferris wheel the pups might have had their fill of the amusement park and want to either get food at the park or head back to the car to go eat somewhere. He felt like the trip had been a success. His nephews were all smiles and were dragging him around and talking to him the way they always did to Charlie. He felt pretty secure in his spot as the new favorite uncle.
They stopped to get some food. Andy was a little shy to pick out whatever he wanted until Babe reminded him that it was fine because he was technically using Alan’s money to pay for it, as Alan was the one that signed his contracts and paychecks, and Alan wasn’t hurting for money. Alan also actively encouraged Andy to be as independent as possible.
“You can eat however much and whatever the hell you want. He lets Jeff eat all that ramen.”
Andy smiled. “P’Jeff does eat tons of ramen. P’Charlie always begs him to eat healthier now.”
“And does Uncle say anything?”
“P’Alan just asks if there’s any other kinds than the usual that P’Jeff wants before he goes to the store.”
Martin, a child spoiled by both of his parents, had no such qualms, though he was very polite about it. He patiently waited for Andy to choose something, then cheerfully placed his order himself after asking Babe if he would please lift him up.
They ate their overpriced amusement park food, and then Martin spotted the games section. He excitedly asked if they could go play some.
Babe thought it would be the perfect way to show off in front of his nephews. He and Charlie hadn’t played any of the games, as he’d been pretty much done with the date after suffering on the big rollercoaster, only able to handle the Ferris wheel after that before Charlie mercifully suggested they go home.
With his Sense, he was sure to be great at the games. He’d win a few prizes for the kids, further cementing his new position as favorite uncle. Kids loved toys.
“Listen, most of these games are rigged, so don’t be disappointed if they’re too hard. I’ll win stuff for you, alright?”
“Okay, Phi!” Martin said cheerily. Then, he asked, “What’s rigged?”
“It means the people in the things made the games really hard to do so people won’t win so much,” Andy explained. “They do it in card games too.”
“Ohh. But P’Babe is good at games?”
“How hard could they be for the Pit Babe, King of the Hallows, huh?” Martin looked suitably impressed, eyes wide and sparkling, but Andy just smiled and opened his mouth. Before the teenager could tease him for bragging and using his racing name in front of them, Babe brought them to the ticket counter.
After getting a handful of tickets that would let them play just a few games, Babe looked around for a suitable stand to try first. He didn’t want to do something too kiddie or something that would rely purely on chance. A shooting game caught his eye and he headed towards it, thinking that it was perfect. With his eyes, he’d be sure to get something good for his nephews.
“A gun game!” Martin absolutely lit up as Babe was handed the little air gun, climbing up on one of the stools at the stand so he could watch, and Babe remembered that Martin was oddly fond of making guns out of brightly colored play-doh. The vendor turned on the game, and all the little duck targets started to move around. Babe missed the first shot, and realized the sight on the gun was totally off. Aiming straight wouldn’t work.
With the ducks moving, it was hard to work out the actual angle of the compressed air. But he managed to clip two and then get one down in his remaining three shots. The kids looked impressed. Babe handed over more tickets, and got two more of the ducks down in his next four shots.
The vendor handed him his three shot prize, a dog plushie that was one of the ugliest toys that Babe had ever seen. He was too shocked by it to ask if there was another option, merely turning to the kids to offer it to them. Kids liked all sorts of weird and ugly toys, he figured.
Babe held it out to them. They both stared at it blankly, then exchanged a look between them. Martin looked down at his shoes, kicking at the ground to avoid looking at the toy. Andy rubbed the back of his neck and carefully suggested, “Um, maybe you should give that to P’Charlie.”
“Yeah!” Martin agreed, far too quickly, still not looking at it.
“As a… a gift to him. Yeah.”
He did not want to give it to Charlie.
“Can I try this game, please? Wanna play with the gun! I love guns!” Martin really said some concerning things sometimes. Babe wondered if Pete was letting him watch weird videos or play some shooting video game or something, for him to be so excited about guns. Still, he handed another batch of tickets to the guy at the stand.
Babe went to help Martin hold the air gun properly after it was handed to the pup, but Martin had no trouble adjusting it.
“How much are the different prizes?” Andy asked before the game started again. The vendor gave a quick run-down of the prizes. The most costly ones were electronics like headphones, but for younger kids they had big Disney plushies, the biggest of those being a Mickey Mouse plush that was easily over half the size of Martin.
“So ten for Mickey?”
“That’s right, kid! Think you can do it?”
If Martin wanted to try endlessly to win a big prize, Babe had no problem with it. Pete was paying for their tickets, and Martin was a good kid. He’d get bored long before he’d get frustrated, so Babe would let the pup waste as much time as he wanted on the game.
Like Babe, Martin missed the first shot. He adjusted the gun again and then clipped the second.
“Nice, kid!” Babe cheered for him, impressed he’d managed to touch one.
As Martin proceeded to hit and knock down the next ten in a row, Andy putting down tickets for the next two rounds of four and counting the hits out loud, Babe finally recalled that Martin’s special power was Accuracy.
He and the vendor were both speechless.
“Mickey!” Martin cheered after Andy told him he’d gotten the ten hits he needed to win. He was handed his prize. “P’Babe, look! Mickey!” Martin held the toy up towards Babe to show it to him.
Babe patted Martin’s head, still in shock. “Um. Good job.”
“That was awesome, Martin! We need to go get more tickets!”
-
With more tickets acquired for the kids, Babe soon wondered if maybe the amusement park hadn’t been such a great idea after all. Instead of getting to show off for his nephews, he’d been relegated to simply carting around the increasing pile of prizes the two had won.
Once they realized Martin was godlike at any game that required throwing or aiming, the kids had zeroed in on those. Then Martin had spotted a little kiddie pool with plastic ducks and wanted to see what that game was.
Andy’s ability was perfect for games of chance where you had to pick things. All he had to do was ask which number or color would give them the prize they wanted, and he’d pick it right out or point to it so Martin could grab it.
Babe was worried that he might be unable to carry everything and have to disappoint the kids by heading back to the car, but then they started only going for prizes that really interested them. Martin would give up after a certain number of shots or throws to get a small toy, or split the number to get two small things, and Andy would pick numbers for the lesser prizes.
They even started going after prizes as gifts for everyone in the pack, looking around for things that suited each of their uncles and parents.
Babe felt a little better about his chances at winning the top Uncle spot when they made him find a prize they could win for him, dragging him around until he found something actually good. One of the chance booths had a Lightning McQueen toy he could add to his model car collection, so they stopped there. Andy got it and they both presented it to him, big smiles on their faces.
He thought they’d just stick to what they were good at, but eventually they branched out as well. Martin handed over tickets to a dart game and was told he’d get six tries. But the little white and purple toy he wanted for Way only needed four. Andy asked if he could do the last two, and Martin nodded.
As Andy picked up a dart to try for the first time, Martin waved the toy up at Babe. “Look, P’Babe! Kuromi for Mama!”
Babe had no clue what it was. Some white animal with a purple hood and long ears. Some character, clearly, for Martin to know its name. He wasn’t sure how it suited Way.
“Cool.”
Andy missed the board completely with his first shot. Babe wanted to help him, but he couldn’t move his arms with all the prizes under them. Then Andy got the edge of the board.
He beamed. “I got it a little!”
“P’Andy got it!” Martin cheered.
“Nice one, kid!” Babe couldn’t ruffle his hair or anything like that, so he nudged him with his foot.
The booth vendor looked confused why they were cheering so much for Andy’s edge of the board throw after Martin’s four center hits got just a little praise. Andy was handed a small sticker for managing to get the board, which the boy looked very happy about, almost happier than he’d been for any other prize.
They wandered around looking for anything else. Babe was just about to tell them they should head back, his arms starting to hurt, when Andy lit up and nearly dragged Martin over to a basketball throwing booth.
“Martin, look at that yellow thing with the overalls!”
“It’s a minion!”
There was a truly enormous minion plush hanging from the booth. It was practically the size of a person, long. Babe knew he absolutely could not carry it.
But then Andy said, “It looks like a mechanic! I want to get it for P’Jeff!” He looked super excited. “Can you win it for him, Martin?”
Ah, fuck, Babe thought. That was adorable. He would just have to manage to carry it somehow.
They won the minion. Thankfully, Andy decided to carry it. Martin held the minion’s hand with Babe and Andy’s unavailable for holding.
“We finally got stuff for everybody! P’Babe, do you know if anyone’s at the garage today?”
“We can give everybody their gifts!”
Finally, they could go. They lugged everything back to the car. The kids helped shove almost everything into the trunk. Andy put the minion in the passenger seat and buckled it in at Martin’s insistence. The two of them laughed at it. Babe stretched his arms before lifting Martin to get him in his car seat.
He sent a text on his phone to the pack group chat saying for everyone to meet at the garage so the kids could give them gifts they’d gotten.
-
Everyone was very happy to get their presents from Andy and Martin. Way somehow knew exactly what the plush thing was that Martin handed him, and gave the pup a big hug. Andy sheepishly but proudly showed Alan the sticker he’d won.
“P’Andy got the board all by himself!” Martin said, hyping up his cousin. “Me and P’Babe didn’t have to help at all!”
Jeff and Charlie were the last to get their things. Andy went back out to the car to retrieve the minion, and Martin went with him, calling after him that Charlie hadn’t gotten his present.
Babe realized they meant the thing he’d won. He should have ditched it at the park, but he’d been too amazed by his nephews to think of it. He followed them out to try to stop them, but the toy was forced into his hands and Andy and Martin herded him back into the garage. He managed to hide it behind his back.
Before he could try to dump it on someone else or maybe attempt to throw it back outside, Martin loudly told Charlie, “P’Babe won you a prize, Phi!”
Charlie lit up. Babe felt like he was dying inside. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. He wished he didn’t have to hand it over, but Charlie looked so happy to be given a gift from him. He couldn’t disappoint his mate.
“Give it to P’Charlie, P’Babe!” Martin grabbed his arm and tugged on it.
So as Jeff was handed his giant minion, Andy telling him it was a mechanic just like him, Babe was forced to hand over the ugly stuffed dog.
North bypassed laughter and went straight to coughing. Sonic snickered and looked away, patting North’s back.
Charlie looked absolutely delighted by the gift. He beamed, voice going all cute and high and happy. “Thank you so much, P’Babe! I love it!”
“Yeah…” Charlie hugged him and kissed his cheek. Babe could hardly even enjoy it.
He looked over at Jeff. The Omega looked a little emotional to have received a big gift from Andy, that the boy had thought to get something specifically for him. Jeff buried his face against it as Alan lightheartedly teased him, squeezing the minion tight.
Andy and Martin started telling their parents how much fun they had, both jumping excitedly into stories from the day.
It made Babe feel a little less mortified about the gift for Charlie, seeing the two so animated as they told their parents about the outing. He’d never seen them so excited before after a trip or visit.
Martin started yawning after Way picked him up, the excitement and activity of the day finally catching up to him. Pete and Way took their leave first.
“I think it’s time for his nap,” Pete told Way.
“Not tired,” Martin insisted, before yawning again and then resting his head against Way’s shoulder. Way stroked his hair, and Babe could see Martin’s eyes starting to close already.
Pete gathered up Martin’s pile of prizes to take to their car. As Way passed Babe, following his mate, Martin lifted his head.
“Wait, Mama! I gotta say bye to P’Babe!”
The pup was set down. He hugged Babe’s legs. “Bye bye, P’Babe! I love you!”
“Bye, kid. You have fun today?”
“It was the best!”
The little pup waved to him the whole way to his parents’ car.
“Ah? Martin didn’t say bye to me…” Charlie realized. “I didn’t get a hug at all.”
Babe looped an arm around him and squeezed him. “Looks like I might be the kid’s new favorite.”
It was almost the same with Andy. The young Alpha ran up to him before going to head out with Alan, Jeff, and the minion. He gave him a hug as well. “Bye, Phi! Let’s go someplace else again soon!”
“You bet.”
Andy at least also said goodbye to Charlie and did a small wave to everyone else when Alan said they were leaving, reminding the rest of them to lock up later.
Babe had been successful. His nephews had chosen him as their favorite at last. Sonic and North took offense at his smug expression, while Charlie just looked a little lost.
-
Babe barely managed to keep himself from jumping out of his skin when he saw that Charlie had put his new plushie on their nightstand. He turned away from it during the night. Charlie had no idea why he was facing him, thinking he just wanted to cuddle, so Charlie was happy.
The next day, while Charlie was gone, Babe shoved the toy onto the floor, calling to their dog. The golden retriever puppy came running at the sound of his name. Seeing the toy and Babe giving him permission, Bibi lunged for the toy and started shaking it.
By the time Charlie got home that evening, the toy had been ripped to shreds. Charlie apologized profusely and Babe silenced him with a kiss and then promised to get him a different prize when they went on their next date to the amusement park. Charlie brightened right up.
“You really want to, Mama?”
“I don’t offer to do things I don’t want to do, Charlie.”
-
Meanwhile, at Alan’s house, the older Alpha was finally back from a late training session with Charlie. Alan checked in on Andy and found the boy already in bed. His bed now had a sort of mini nest formed on it, filled with a bunch of the prizes he’d won from his outing with Babe.
Jeff must have made it for him. Alan smiled and went to his room. Jeff had remade the nest on their bed, and based on the lump under the covers, his mate was already in there. Eager to cozy up with his Omega after a long day, Alan took a quick shower and got ready for bed.
He climbed in under the covers. “Hey, noo. You asleep?”
There was no answer. Alan closed his eyes and went to kiss Jeff’s neck, wrapping an arm around him.
His eyes flew open. A large pair of goggled eyes were staring at him.
“What the fuck?!” he screamed.
Alan threw off the covers. Instead of Jeff being in his arms, it was the giant minion toy Andy had given him.
Soon, both Jeff and Andy rushed in.
“P’Alan?”
“Lhung, what’s wrong?”
They took in the sight of him, just in boxers but perfectly fine, next to the minion. Both of them realized at the same time.
Andy snickered. Jeff smirked. “Did you think that was me?” he asked.