Chapter Text
Babe could sort of hear Charlie talking on the phone with someone while he was in the shower, but the sound of the water and the fact that Charlie was downstairs in the living room meant that he couldn’t actually make out what the other Alpha was saying. It wasn’t a very long call, and Charlie seemed to just be speaking normally, so he was surprised to see Charlie grinning to himself while texting on his phone when he finally got out of the shower and came down.
He leaned from behind his mate and wrapped his arms around him, curious. Charlie had Alan’s messages open and was telling him he wouldn’t be able to go into the garage tomorrow, even if the track slot he’d asked for became available. Charlie had really been looking forward to his next chance to practice on track, so Babe was surprised he was sending that. “What’re you so happy about?”
Maybe Charlie was planning a date for the two of them. It was a rare break in the middle of the height of the racing season, and the two of them had planned to just hang out at home if Charlie didn’t have any practice scheduled.
His brief hope for a fun date followed by their usual sex in the car or at home was shattered as Charlie turned to look at him and cheerily told him, “P’Pete asked if we could look after Martin tomorrow!”
“Oh,” he replied, disappointed.
“P’Babe,” Charlie huffed. “You love Martin.”
“He’s a menace and my rival,” Babe protested, even though he did, in fact, love the pup to bits, and his disappointment quickly went away. Although he really loved the often-cheesy dates Charlie took him on, he also absolutely loved seeing how excited it made Charlie to spend time with his nephew. Martin hadn’t been to their house in weeks, and he realized he wasn’t happy about that at all. Pete was just as busy as ever, so why hadn’t they been asked to babysit until now? Sure, it was the middle of the racing season and they hadn’t actually had the time to look after a child, but Pete hadn’t even asked before now.
Even though he considered Martin to be his biggest off-track rival, it wasn’t fair at all.
Pete better have a good excuse, Babe thought, despite knowing it was probably because the Enigma knew exactly how busy all of them were at the garage and during race weekends from Alan.
Charlie looked exasperated, annoyance flaring up at the reminder of Babe’s rivalry with a kindergartner over his attention. Babe smirked. He loved seeing Charlie get worked up, seeing the cheerful puppy dog expression that was always on his face falter to that dark wolf Babe knew the other Alpha could turn into. “Baaabe. He’s four. He’s still learning to share, that’s all.”
Hearing the frustration Charlie was fighting to keep from his voice, Babe squeezed him a bit and teased, “I don’t have to share you with anyone, Papa.” There was a snuffling sound from across the room. He glanced over at where their dog was sleeping, sprawled out on the floor. Babe couldn’t understand how the golden retriever was comfortable with his limbs all stuck out in the air in various directions, one of his ears folded and squished under his head. “Except for with Bibi. Because I bought him for you.”
“Because he’s our son,” Charlie corrected.
Charlie had insisted from the first day Babe brought the dog home as a gift for him, a puppy for his Puppy, that Bibi was their child. Regardless of whether or not he also accepted the dog as their son, Babe didn’t need to worry about Bibi stealing his mate from him. Bibi was just a dog and easily shut out of their bedroom with some treats and toys or outside if they needed him not to interfere. The dog also didn’t care whether it was Charlie or Babe giving him belly rubs or food or taking him for walks, even if he always ran up to Charlie first rather than Babe.
Babe preferred Charlie as well, and would also greet him before anyone else. Bibi couldn’t be blamed for having good taste.
Obviously, the same tactics for alone time they used on their dog could not be done to Martin, a human child who wanted Charlie’s attention all to himself and would fuss over it just being him and Charlie.
This was, of course, ignoring the fact that Martin also adored Babe, and spent much of his visits in his lap or arms if neither of them were doing something where he had to be put down. And also ignoring the fact that Babe would get jealous if Charlie got to see Martin at the Beyond Group building or pick him up from kindergarten for Pete without bringing him along.
Babe just couldn’t help wanting Charlie all to himself, even from their little nephew who he enjoyed spending time with. He wondered if somehow he could manage getting one on one time with Martin somehow one day, just to make the kid like him more. Maybe it’d help the kid get over his clingy phase.
“You love Martin,” Charlie repeated.
“I thought you were going to take me on one of your silly dates again.” He tried not to sound like he would have been excited about that. He hoped Charlie would think he was just thinking about the tug of war he would be having with their nephew over him.
Charlie beamed, seeing right through him. He gave Babe a few quick pecks on the check. “We can do that after Martin goes home. He’s only staying for a few hours.”
-
They were both excited to have Martin over, though Babe made a few comments just to make sure Charlie knew they were still rivals, to see Charlie sigh or falter as he prepared some snacks. They’d brought out the toys and art supplies they’d slowly accumulated over the past few months for Martin’s visits, and Babe had brought out a DVD for them to watch if Martin felt like watching TV at all.
Charlie coughed to hide his laugh when he saw the copy of Pixar Cars sitting on the TV stand. Babe threw him a glare, daring him to protest the movie. Charlie didn’t say anything, but Babe still felt inclined to defend, “It’s a good movie, Charlie!”
“Yeah?”
“For kids!” he added hastily, embarrassed, hoping that Charlie hadn’t noticed the occasional smirking red car amongst his collection of little cars throughout the house, or the fact that he’d owned all three movies long before they’d ever even known Martin existed. “A good movie for kids. It’ll get Martin more interested in racing.”
“He did like watching you play F1 22.”
Martin had cheered when he won a race on his playstation game, a memory Babe secretly cherished.
Before they could continue the conversation and risk Charlie realizing that the movies were a garage favorite amongst all the X-Hunter drivers, Babe was saved by a knock on the door.
Both Charlie and Bibi lifted their heads and turned to the door, two equally excited puppies. And though Babe was technically the one closest to the front door, he was the last to it. Bibi launched up and ran towards it, barking, and Charlie got there second, kneeling down to hold onto the bouncing golden retriever. They’d trained the dog not to jump on people, but Bibi still loved shoving against guests and Martin was unfortunately too small to withstand the dog affectionately slamming into him without being knocked over. Pete really hadn’t appreciated the first time Bibi had wiped out the four-year-old with a sudden body slam greeting, even if Martin had shrieked happily and laughed as Bibi stood over him and drowned him in dog kisses.
That left Babe to actually open the door. He was ready for Martin to come flying in to give Charlie and Bibi a hug and loud greeting before he got his turn to scoop him up, so it was odd when he opened the door to silence. Martin and Pete were indeed at the door, but Martin was just quietly holding Pete’s hand, looking at a stuffed toy he was holding. Babe had no clue what it was supposed to be, some kind of chubby white animal with ears and a tail and a large head. The three grown-ups had all expected Martin to speak first, so there was an awkward beat before Charlie greeted the child. “Hey, Martin! It’s been so long since we got to see you!”
Martin startled, only just realizing they were there. “Oh. Hi, P’Charlie. Hi, P’Babe.” He didn’t step forward at all, focus returning to the toy in his hand, though he hardly seemed all that interested in it.
It was so unlike him that Babe was instantly worried that he was sick. But Pete wouldn’t have brought him over if he was. He would have been doting on him at home instead and would have sent Charlie a message to let him know. So something else was wrong.
Charlie pulled the dog back a bit to make a space in the doorway. “Come on in! I made some snacks for us, Martin.”
Pete gently tugged Martin’s arm to get him moving, and they stepped inside. Martin barely seemed to register that they were moving, deep in thought and back to total silence, not responding at all to Charlie. As the door clicked shut, Charlie let go of Bibi. The golden retriever didn’t surge forward like he usually would. Instead, the dog padded up to Martin and nudged his head against him. Even though the dog was gentle, Martin still stumbled slightly. That snapped him out of his mood, but only enough for him to let go of his father’s hand so he could absent-mindedly pet the dog.
Something had to be wrong. Martin never interacted with the dog with anything less than total enthusiasm. He adored Bibi just as much as he did Charlie, so seeing him unexcited to see either of them wasn’t right at all.
Babe looked at Charlie, and could see his mate looked just as puzzled as he was about Martin’s odd behavior.
“Is the kid alright?” Babe asked, unable to take it anymore. He had to know what was wrong.
Pete nodded, but it was hardly reassuring. “He’s just adjusting to a big change at home,” the Enigma explained.
“Is Banzai okay?” Babe couldn’t think of what else could happen at home other than something to do with Pete’s little Shih Tzu. Martin adored the dog and talked about him like he was a family member.
“Banzai is fine. He’s at the groomer’s now, actually. I’m sure he’s having a great time being pampered.” A relief. “If Martin wants to talk about it, he will.”
That got a reaction from Martin. The boy looked up at his father in surprise, eyes wide. He wrapped both arms around his toy. Bibi tried to force his head between Martin and the plushie. “Huh? I can tell them?” Martin asked, bewildered.
“Of course. It’s not a secret. Charlie and Babe are your uncles. They’re family.”
“Ohh… but… I also don’t have to?”
Pete patted the boy’s head. “It’s up to you if you want to talk about it or not, little one. Papa doesn’t mind either way.”
After letting Martin say goodbye to his father and watching Pete do his usual routine of hugs and scent-marking before letting his pup go off anywhere, Babe lifted up the boy and took him further into the house. Bibi followed them and after promising they’d have lots of fun with Martin, Charlie closed the door and hurried over too, making a quick detour to the kitchen to grab the tray of food he’d prepared.
Babe set Martin down on the couch. The dog hopped up to sit next to the child, laying down with his head on the boy’s lap. Martin returned to petting him, letting his toy fall aside as he let it go. Charlie set down the tray and adjusted the toy so that it was sitting up, leaned against Martin.
“Here’s all the snacks, noo. They’re all safe for Bibi so if you want to give him some you can.”
“Okay.” Martin grabbed a slice of mango and offered it to Bibi. The dog licked his fingers clean after inhaling the fruit and settled back down.
Definitely something wrong despite Pete’s assurances. Even the dog was worried. Babe knew Bibi could sense when someone was upset no matter how fine they might seem.
Plus, there was something else off. Babe grabbed Charlie before he could sit down and pulled him aside to hiss, “Charlie. Something is weird about Martin’s scent.”
“Does he smell sick?”
“No. It’s-” Martin always had his own soft pup scent, a faux-Alpha one that masked his actual Enigma designation, as well as the faint scent from whatever kid’s shampoo and lotion he used, and the scent-marking and general scent left behind by his father. Pete’s scent also smelled just like an Alpha’s, but as it was just his normal scent and the non-territorial marking of a family member, the scent was inoffensive. Babe didn’t mind it, though he wished Pete didn’t go so heavy with it so he could get the pup’s natural scent more. But now there was something else. “-I don’t know what it is. It’s faint and it’s not bad, but… I don’t like it.”
If Babe couldn’t figure out what it was, there was no way Charlie would be able to tell. Still, there was one thing Charlie could do. He stepped behind the couch so he could lean over and hug Martin from behind, nuzzling him to leave his own familial scent-marking onto the pup. Babe sat down next to the boy and sniffed, and the strange scent was gone, replaced by Charlie’s, which was his favorite.
With Martin clearly not in the mood to play with toys or talk too much, Charlie squeezed in beside him and Bibi and asked if he wanted to watch any TV or watch them play a video game.
“Racing game?” Martin perked up a bit.
Eager to cheer up the pup, Babe got his playstation going and started up F1 22. “Which car do you want me to use?”
“Ferrari.”
“Oh! You know the team name!” Charlie ruffled Martin’s hair, proud of him for remembering even after so long since he last watched them play the game.
“Papa lets me watch the real cars on his iPad.”
“Pete has been letting you watch Formula One without us?”
“And the other cars!”
“Which ones? F2? Indy? Nascar? GT? Porsche? Super Series?”
Overwhelmed by the different options, Martin just blinked up at Babe and said, “Um… the round ones.”
“Did he let you watch any that had X-Hunter? I keep telling Alan to give Pete tickets!”
“Papa says we’ll go to a race one day to see P’Charlie drive.”
Charlie held back a laugh at the comically offended expression that Babe made. “And me! I drive too!” Babe insisted. “I always win!”
“Cool. Does P’Charlie win too?”
Charlie reached over to Babe’s controller and hit start and skipped through the grid lineup so he wouldn’t get sidetracked by how the two of them had taken it upon themselves to spark and nurture Martin’s interest in motorsports and cars, only for Pete to apparently take the next big step. It’d been easy to get him into toy cars and then curious about their jobs as drivers, but they hadn’t shown him actual racing footage yet. Babe had been hoping to get Pete to bring along Martin to a race weekend to see X-Hunter in action, but every time Alan offered Pete tickets, the man was too busy to come.
“Ah- Charlie!”
“Bibi, Phi’s race is starting. Look,” Martin told the dog. Bibi just blinked at him. “How long is the race, P’Babe?”
“Five laps.”
“Oh… it’s short…” Martin replied, sounding disappointed. “It’s not like the real ones on Papa’s iPad.”
“Do you want to watch a long one? I can do Silverstone.” Martin nodded, scooting closer to Babe as he got the game ready.
“Are you sure?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah!”
“If you get bored during it we can do something else.”
“I wanna watch…”
Babe reached over to tug on Charlie’s ear and scold him. “Stop trying to talk him out of this. You suggested it.”
“Sorry, P’.”
Charlie ended up tugging Martin a little bit away as Babe got into the game, not wanting the older Alpha to bump into the pup as he got too into the virtual race. But Martin didn’t seem to mind Babe getting laser focused on the game, and didn’t mind the full length of it either. He was also focused on it, playing with Bibi’s ears as he paid close attention to the race.
It wasn’t until almost 18 laps in that Martin’s focus shifted from the game to his own thoughts, as Babe got stuck in a DRS train after contact with the car in third made him drop down the order and there really wasn’t anything to catch Martin’s interest. Worried about Martin slipping back into his quiet mood, Charlie got up to get Martin a drink. He pulled a Lactasoy carton out of the fridge and opened it up, putting a brightly colored straw in.
Charlie handed the little milk to Martin and took his seat. Martin stared at the drink for a moment, then lifted it to his mouth. But he didn’t drink it, instead lowering it and saying, abruptly, “Mama came back.”
“Your mama?” Charlie asked, surprised.
”Huh?!” Babe’s car veered off track and slammed into the wall as he turned to look at Martin, his expression totally shocked. On screen, the car rolled over against the barriers and the tires ripped off, launching into the air.
Unaware he’d just dropped a bombshell, Martin frowned at the TV screen. “Ah… P’Babe’s Ferrari died…”
“Formula One cars are built to protect drivers from crashes like that, noo. The driver didn’t die,” Charlie assured him. “I don’t think they can die in the game no matter what.”
“The car…”
“Cars can be rebuilt. They’ve got amazing mechanics.” Satisfied by the answer, Martin nodded. Charlie could see Babe looked ready to burst, so he gently prompted Martin to return to the topic he’d brought up, asking, “You said your mama isn’t gone anymore. Does she live with you?”
“Uh-huh,” Martin answered, nodding again. He didn’t sound upset or anything, but this was certainly the big change at home that Pete had referred to that had caused the child’s odd mood. “Mama lives with Papa and Martin and Banzai now.”
Charlie had no idea what to say to that. All he knew about Martin’s mother was that she had left when Martin was just born. Pete never brought her up, simply saying the pup’s mother had never been involved when they’d asked, and Martin had only mentioned his mother once after that. He and Babe figured they wouldn’t know who Martin’s mother was even if they were told. They’d only known Pete for just over a year, and Charlie was pretty sure Pete had spent a while abroad. For all they knew, Martin, who looked exactly like Pete with no hint at all as to what his mother could have looked like, could have been half Thai and half something else entirely, further making it less likely. Charlie had never left the country before, and Babe had only done so for racing events, which Pete had never been involved in before sponsoring X-Hunter.
Martin had certainly never made any mention that there was a chance of his mother returning. He’d seemed pretty sure of the opposite, in fact. That his mother was never coming back. Since he had Pete and Pete’s adoptive relatives and now all his new uncles, it’d never seemed to bother the pup.
“Oh,” was all Charlie managed.
Babe, on the other hand, had plenty to say. Voice rising, he started, “She just came back after ditching-”
Charlie hurriedly grabbed a slice of fruit and jammed it into Babe’s mouth to silence him before he could risk upsetting Martin with his anger towards the pup’s unknown mother.
Thankfully, Martin didn’t catch the upset tone in Babe’s voice. He offered a bit more, “Papa said he and Mama met again last year. But Mama got hurt and was in the hospital and only moved in and met Martin, um…” Martin thought for a moment. “After my school trip to the art museum.”
Babe had no clue when that was. He was already horrible at remembering dates for important things like his anniversary. There was no way he could be expected to understand Martin’s sense of time relating events in his life to their proximity to memorable experiences. He gave Charlie a confused look.
Charlie, much better at remembering and always an attentive listener to all of Martin’s stories, nodded. He recalled when Martin had excitedly told him about the field trip, and said, “Oh, just a few months ago.”
“Mama is nice,” Martin told them. “Papa likes Mama. Banzai likes him too and cuddles him a lot. Um, Mama got me new clothes. Like this.” He tugged on his shirt, which had some kind of luxury brand logo printed on it.
“Your shirt is really nice. Do you like it?”
“Yes.” Martin smiled a little.
Babe frowned. “Huh, ‘he?’ I thought your mom was a Beta chick.”
They’d both assumed that Martin’s mother was a normal Beta instead of an Alpha or Omega. The scent that Babe had picked up must have been from Martin’s mother. It wasn’t sweet, so it couldn’t have been from a male Omega either. Though there were still other options, Pete, of course, was an Enigma, so both Babe and Charlie jumped right to assuming that meant Martin’s mother had to be a normal Alpha whom Pete had subverted.
“Ohh… No. Mama’s not a Beta. Mama’s the same as Papa and Martin,” Martin replied.
Neither of them realized what he was actually saying, thinking he just meant that his mother was a boy like him.
Believing that Martin’s mother was a male Alpha opened up a lot more questions, but none of them were ones that a four-year-old could answer. Charlie doubted Martin even knew that an Enigma was all that different from an Alpha, much less that they were capable of subverting someone’s secondary sex in order to father a child. That was something Martin could learn from Pete once he was older.
It was good to know that Martin thought his mother was nice, at least. Charlie smiled at him and asked, “Do you like having your mama living with you?”
Martin’s answer lacked any sort of excitement. “Yeah.”
He didn’t sound upset at all, but it didn’t inspire any confidence, nor did it do anything to change Babe’s dismal opinion of Martin’s mother.
Before Babe could ask something that might let Martin know that the two of them hadn’t appreciated hearing a pup casually say that his mother had left him because he didn’t love him and his father, Charlie prompted, “What’s it like, living with your mama? What is he like?”
Martin hugged Bibi, thinking hard. ”Um… Mama works a lot like Papa does, but not on the weekends. And Mama is really really pretty, but he doesn’t look like me at all.”
“Yeah, you look exactly like your dad,” Babe agreed, reaching to pinch Martin’s cheek.
“And Mama is happy that I have my own special power instead of his.” Before either of them could process that statement, Martin continued, “Papa said Martin is a lot like Mama on the inside instead of the outside. Uh, but Mama told me that wasn’t true. So I dunno.” He looked sort of confused, unsure of which parent he was supposed to believe, and probably not understanding what that even meant in the first place.
Babe caught onto what Martin had casually mentioned first. “Your mom has a special power?”
“Yeah. Mama says I’m immune to it, ‘cuz I’m Enigma. I dunno what Mama’s power is.”
Another dead end in questioning. Charlie tried a happier question he was sure would get Martin to tell fun stories to cheer him up. “Do you have fun with Mama at home?”
It had the opposite effect. Martin’s gloomy mood returned in full force. He softly tugged on Bibi’s ears. “Sometimes, I guess…” He swung his legs. “I don’t think Mama likes playing very much.”
Babe wrapped an arm around Martin.
The contact kept him talking, and finally, what was the true source of his quiet mood was revealed. “Mama says he likes me. But he used to not like me. If he did, he wouldn’t have left Papa and Martin. And Mama didn’t say bye to me today when he went to work, but Papa always does… I don’t want Mama to not like me again…”
It was really too much to see their little nephew so worried about his own mother not liking him. Charlie wanted to scoop him up. He eyed Bibi, unable to move closer with the dog monopolizing Martin’s space on his side of the couch.
Babe covered Martin’s ears and hissed to Charlie, “I’m going to punch his mom. What kind of prick-”
Charlie gasped, ”Babe! No!”
“He made the kid sad!” Babe protested.
Charlie shooed him off. Martin looked between them, perplexed. “What did P’Babe say? Phi?”
He ruffled Martin’s hair to distract him. “Well, your mama is back, so he must like you again.” Charlie was certain that Pete wouldn’t let Martin’s mother near him again if he didn’t. And for Pete and his special ability, it’d be easy to tell. “Are there things that you know your mama likes doing with you besides playing?”
“Um… going shopping was really fun. Mama was happy and talked to me a lot.”
Babe mouthed, ‘Charlie, is the guy Pete’s sugar baby?’ and made a money gesture with his hand. Charlie was desperately grateful that Babe hadn’t asked that out loud and that Martin wasn’t looking. He really did not feel like trying to get out of explaining that to a kindergartner. Martin would be certain to repeat it to Pete, always so eager to tell Pete all about anything new he’d learned or to ask about things he didn’t understand. It would kill both of them to get babysitting privileges revoked over Babe running his mouth.
All the sharp looks and scoldings whenever Babe almost swore within Martin’s earshot or said something crazy had paid off.
“And when Mama doesn’t feel good he hugs me a lot!” Martin added, blissfully unaware of the less than stellar picture he was painting of his mother. Charlie and Babe assumed that tied in with the long hospital stay Martin had mentioned. “When Papa is home Mama talks to me more. And he’ll play with Papa and Martin.”
It occurred to Charlie that maybe there was a simple explanation for the disconnect between Martin and his mother. “Oh… your mama isn’t used to being around kids, huh?” Martin was a sweet pup, cheerful and polite, but… he was only four, and even a well-behaved four-year-old was a lot to handle. Charlie and Babe absolutely adored Martin and were eager to have him over whenever Pete needed a sitter, the both of them thinking of the other as a natural with the pup, but even he wore them out. Charlie could only imagine how exhausting parenting would be if you weren’t used to it and weren’t adjusting easily to the sudden change.
Martin’s eyes widened and he jumped, saying loudly, “Yeah! That’s what Mama said to Papa!” Bibi, startled by Martin forcing them both upwards, shot up and began licking Martin, drowning the boy in kisses. “Ack- Bibi!” Martin put his hands between his face and Bibi’s large tongue to keep his mouth clear. Charlie pulled the dog back, gently scolding him to settle down, and Babe pulled Martin onto his lap and used Martin’s expensive shirt to wipe the dog slobber off.
With the dog moved to the floor and Martin cleaned up, Charlie could snuggle his nephew as well. He ruffled the boy’s hair and assured him, “I’m sure your mama will realize just how lovable you are soon if he hasn’t already. You’re so nice and sweet.” He squeezed Martin’s cheeks to make him giggle. “You’re the best pup ever!”
“If your mom ever upsets you, we’ll beat him up,” Babe added seriously.
At least that was Babe’s earnest way of reassuring their nephew, Charlie thought, glad that Martin didn’t realize it was a promise as the boy laughed at Babe’s ‘joke.’ It was one Charlie would support if Martin’s mother ever did cause the pup harm, though.
Wrapping his arms around the both of them, Charlie told Martin, “You’ll definitely win over your mama, pup! You won over Babe, and P’Babe used to not like kids at all, but he loves you and now he loves them!”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Babe protested.
“So I’m P’Babe’s favorite kid?” Martin asked, always eager to be someone’s favorite.
“Well, that might actually be Bibi,” Charlie teased. The golden retriever perked up at the sound of his name and rested his head on the couch cushion.
It really was so much better to see their nephew giggling and smiling like he usually did as Martin cheerfully protested, “But Bibi is a dog!”
Bibi barked. Babe grinned and told Martin, “Then you’re my favorite kid that isn’t mine.”
After pausing for a moment to think about that, Martin asked, “P’Babe has kids?”
Before Babe could respond and say that he did, which would just confuse the pup, Charlie answered, “P’Babe calls all his cars his kids.”
That made the boy laugh even more, but Babe just frowned at him, very serious about his car collection. “They are,” he insisted. Seeing Charlie smirking at him, Babe rolled his eyes and ignored him, focusing back on their nephew. He poked Martin’s nose and said to him, “So that makes you my favorite human kid.”
Charlie held back a laugh. Martin looked over at him, and before the pup could ask for the hundredth time since they’d met, Charlie assured him, “You’re my favorite too.”
It seemed all the pup needed to bounce back to his usual self was just to get that off of his little chest to someone other than his father. Reassurance from his two favorite uncles that everything with his mother would be okay, as well as cuddles and being told he was their favorite, was just what he needed to be extra sure that things were fine and he didn’t need to worry. The two of them were both relieved to see him back to normal.
Since Babe had crashed his video game car, ending his race, Charlie looked around for something to do with Martin before the pup could get bored. He spotted the craft supplies they’d piled on the table and asked their nephew, “Noo, do you want to draw some pictures for your parents? I bet your papa and mama would really like that!”
Martin lit up, squirming to get free and reaching for the papers and markers. “Yeah! Papa loves my pictures!”
“Then your mama should too.”
“I’ll draw a really good picture for Mama!” Martin promised, getting free from their grasp and grabbing at the papers. “P’Charlie and P’Babe will draw too? Please? P’Babe draw a car?”
Babe breathed a sigh of relief. Cars were the only things he could draw decently at all.
After drawing a few pictures with them, the rest of the babysitting day went by normally, with the two of them struggling to keep up with the energetic four-year-old until finally his father came to pick him up. Martin immediately ran to jump at Pete when he saw him in the doorway, screaming, “Papa!”
Pete lifted him up so Martin could hug him. “I see you’re feeling better. Did you have fun with P’Babe and P’Charlie, little one?”
“Yeah! And with Bibi!”
“And with Bibi, of course.”
“I drew a picture for you, Papa!” Martin squirmed to be put down. He rooted through his little backpack for the papers, and handed one of them to Pete. “This one is yours!”
“Is this Papa, Martin, and Banzai?” Pete asked as soon as he saw the drawing, smiling wide at what Babe thought was a mess of colors. He’d been unable to tell what Martin drew, since Martin had decided to use practically every marker he could on the picture. There were at least two people he’d been able to make out, then some other thing with eyes. Babe squinted at it. It was vaguely dog shaped now that Pete had mentioned it. When Martin nodded, Pete patted his head and told him, “It looks wonderful. I love all the colors. I’ll put it in my office tomorrow, okay?” Martin beamed.
“Don’t forget your toy, Martin.” Charlie handed Martin his plushie, which Martin squeezed tightly and promised he wouldn’t forget.
With the pup and all his things gathered, and after Martin said goodbye to the couple and their dog, Pete thanked Charlie and Babe for looking after him and cheering him up.
“I figured he just needed to talk to someone he trusts other than me to get over his worry. He knows Papa is biased when it comes to Mama.”
“Yup. We did great,” Babe said, ushering the two out. “Drive safe. See you around, kid. Make sure your dad brings you to a race soon. Maybe next weekend. We’re driving at the Hallows on Sunday.”
“Papa and Martin are going to watch a race on Sunday?” Martin’s eyes were practically sparkling.
Having made sure now that Pete would have to take Martin to watch a race lest he risk upsetting his son, and eager to see what date for the evening Charlie had planned as promised, Babe smirked and closed the door behind the father-son duo.
-
In the car, Pete was initially relaxed. Martin’s happiness was radiating from him like warmth, one of Pete’s favorite things to pick up on with his ability. It was always good to see his son happy, especially when he’d been so moody before being dropped off. It’d been hard to leave him at Babe and Charlie’s knowing that Martin was stressed, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to help his son work through it in the way that the boy needed, even if he wished he could solve all of Martin’s problems on his own. Sure, he’d been able to see from Martin’s thoughts exactly what was wrong, but Martin needed to learn how to voice his thoughts just like any other child.
So it was great to pick him up and feel and see how cheerful he was, to see how Martin was successfully learning to communicate about his feelings.
It was nice, until the warmth suddenly drew back, a little spike of nerves touching at Pete’s ability. He glanced at the rear-view mirror and could see Martin had opened up his backpack and was partially pulling out another drawing. Pete couldn’t see the front of it, but Martin’s smile had gone away.
“What picture is that, little one?” Pete asked.
“Oh, um…” Martin tucked it back into his bag. He swung his legs, hesitating. “It’s for Mama… do you think Mama will like it, Papa?”
And though Martin was nervous, Pete smiled, because at least this would be easy to resolve and would have a cute outcome. “I think it will make Mama very happy when you give him the drawing you made.”
The pup brightened up. “Really?”
“Of course. Mama should be home when we get back, so you’ll be able to give it to him in just a few minutes.”
-
Martin pulled out the picture as Pete unlocked the front door so he’d be able to hand it over right away. Seeing the drawing, Pete knew Martin had absolutely nothing to be worried about. He gave the pup a reassuring pat on the head and pushed the door open.
After helping Martin get his little sneakers off, Pete stepped further inside and could see Way was sulking on the living room sofa, Banzai curled up beside him, the dog no doubt trying to comfort him. The younger Enigma always got into a mood when he was home before anyone else, and as he’d been home for over an hour after picking up Banzai from the groomer’s, he was fully in one. With how his power was so well-attuned to picking up Way’s feelings now that they had mated, Pete could sense how Way’s loneliness washed away as soon as he saw them, even from the doorway.
That was usually something that also made Pete rather happy to pick up on, but the sight of Way with a sling on his arm just made both he and Martin worried. Way hadn’t had to wear a sling in a while, his shoulder healing well after he was released from the hospital.
Martin went over to the couch and set down his paper so he could climb up next to Way. He frowned in concern, hands hovering over Way’s injured arm, asking, “Mama hurt his arm again?”
Way glanced at the sling like he’d forgotten it was there. “It’s just a little sore, that’s all. I did too much lifting today. There were a lot of old files to throw away at the showroom.”
“Do you need a painkiller?” Pete asked.
“I already took one.”
Pete went over as well and lifted up Banzai so he could sit next to his mate. He set the shih tzu down on his lap, and the dog settled down so that while he was still laying on his owner’s lap, his head was resting on Way. Pete made a mental note to once again send a donation to the service dog group that had trained Banzai for him, since the dog was always so diligent in his job of providing emotional comfort.
“I’m fine, really. You don’t need to be worried,” Way insisted.
Since Way would be begging for pampering if he didn’t feel well, Pete acquiesced. He put an arm around Way and gestured to the paper Martin had set down. “Martin has something that he made for you. Do you want to give Mama your gift now, little one?”
Martin grabbed the paper and held it out to Way, his cheeks pink. Shocked to be given a gift from Martin, Way hesitantly took it and turned the drawing so he could look at it.
“Oh… is this us? This is really for me?”
Nodding, Martin pointed to the two people he’d drawn in the picture. “That’s Mama and that’s Martin.”
“We’re holding hands…” Way murmured, sort of emotional about the gift and how Martin had drawn them together holding hands, both scribbly figures with big smiles on their faces. He gave the boy a hug, thanking him for the picture.
“Mama likes it?”
“I do.”
Martin beamed, but then looked a little shy. He hugged Way’s good arm, hiding his face against his sleeve and giggling quietly. His little ears went a bit pink.
Then he suddenly went quiet again, turning away and fidgeting with his hands, a little frown on his face.
“What’s wrong, Martin?” Way asked, worried he’d done something to upset the pup.
Having thought that Martin was feeling all better, Pete set Banzai on the floor and reached around Way to put a hand on Martin’s shoulder so he could see what was wrong with his ability.
Again, it was something easy to fix, and this time, something Pete could just solve himself. “Little one, if you want to ask Mama a question, you can go ahead and ask. You can always ask Mama and Papa whatever you want.”
Martin looked over at him, eyes wide and round. He pulled his knees up and hugged them, nervous. “I can?”
Pete ruffled his son’s hair. “Of course you can, cub,” he told him. “Mama will answer whatever question you ask him.”
The pup hesitated, then quietly asked, “How come Mama didn’t say bye to me this morning? Papa always says bye to me…”
Surprised, Way blinked. “Huh? You noticed? That’s why you’re… You were asleep when I left. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Ohh. That’s it?”
“Yes.”
Martin cheered right up, all his worries now solved. “Okay!” He slid off of the couch to go play with his toys. He pulled out a bunch of toy cars from his toy box, then grabbed a red one and went over to Banzai. He knelt next to the dog and started to roll the car around him, making car noises. Used to it, the shih tzu didn’t even respond, merely glancing at his owner’s son for just a moment and continuing to relax where he’d flopped down on the carpet.
Way leaned against Pete. “That actually bothered him?” He couldn’t believe it, that the pup had even noticed and then was sad to not have him say goodbye to him before he went to the showroom in the morning. Way still didn’t get that Martin saw him as family, that the boy cared about him and whether or not he did in return.
“Of course. He loves you.”
Before Way could respond to that, instinctively to protest, still believing that he wasn’t deserving of being loved, especially not by their pup, they were interrupted. Martin made his red car go around Banzai and shouted, “Ferrari overtakes Banzai! Ferrari wins!”
Way sat up straight. “Wait, he knows what an overtake is?” He leaned forward, asking, “Martin, do you want to watch a movie about race cars?”
Martin lit up, rushing over to climb onto Way’s lap. “Race cars! Yes, please!” Way grabbed the remote to turn the TV on and go onto the Disney app. “Papa’s gonna watch with Mama and Martin? Please?” the pup asked Pete.
He was so cute when he was excited. Pete couldn’t help but ruffle his hair again and then lean to kiss his forehead. “Papa will watch the movie with you both. I’ll go make us some popcorn while Mama gets it ready.”