“Tommy I don’t want to do this,” I whispered, staring at his parent's front door.
“It’ll be fine,” he squeezed my hand tightly.
We had driven from Berkeley to Idaho two days ago, wanting to leave Thomas’ car and most of our things with my parents. Shiloh and Kai had met us at the airport and Kai agreed to take Thomas’ car before we boarded a plane to Indianapolis this morning, using a ride service to get to his parent's house in a tiny town called Eden that I didn’t know existed. My parents had spent the half an hour we were in the airport trying to figure out if I was pregnant or not but respected our need to tell them the truth when we were done in Eden.
“They don’t know me,” I whispered again.
“Well duh that’s why we’re here,” Thomas rolled his eyes before knocking on the door.
The door swung open and I looked up, finally meeting the gaze of what I realized was his father Theodore. Theodore was incredibly tall, his hair a beautiful light brown that waved, eyes as bright green as my father Kai, and his right arm was entirely covered in tattoos.
“Tommy? Holy crap you didn’t call before you got here,” Theodore smiled, wrapping Thomas in a crushing hug.
“Hey dad,” Thomas laughed, hugging Theodore back, “oh this is Sparrow,” he tilted his head back to gesture at me.
“H… Hi,” I stuttered.
“H… hello,” Theodore nodded, clearly flustered, “Ian?” he called into the house.
“What?” Killian’s thick Irish accent spilled from somewhere inside.
“Did you have another son without consulting me?”
“Huh? No,” a man I assumed was Killian popped up next to Theodore and I looked at Thomas before turning back to his parents.
Thomas and Killian were nearly identical outside of their height, Killian was taller, and the fact that Killian had a prosthetic arm. Another visible difference was their eyes, Thomas’ were seafoam green, and Killian’s were a light gray. They were clearly father and son, however, no different than Shiloh and me.
“Oh, what the fuck?” Killian snorted, “No he isn’t mine but he could be. Except for the eyes,” he gestured to me.
“I have the same eyes as my Pa,” I whispered, “he looks a lot like you.”
“Pa? Are you southern?” Theodore tilted his head, letting us into the house.
“Oh. No. Um, my Pa Shiloh explained to me that when he was little he couldn’t say dad or daddy for my Papa Thatcher. But he would make popping sounds when he gestured to him. So he became Pa to Shiloh. He liked it and had me and my siblings call him that as well. Kai is dad.”
“Ah. That’s sweet,” Theodore nodded, leading us through the house as Killian studied me.
“Did… is there something on my face?” I swallowed.
“No. You’re attractive that’s all,” Killian shrugged.
“Thank you?” I looked at Thomas who rolled his eyes.
“Uncle Gabe rubbed off on you… may he rest in peace.”
“I’m not dead, Thomas Adrian,” an odd voice called from the back deck and I poked my head out to find another red-headed man with round glasses in the lap of a massive man with deep brown hair, “just old.”
“Whatever. Aero?” Thomas smiled at me, “that’s my Uncle Gabriel and my Uncle Jace.”
“Oh, he’s cute!” Gabriel jumped up, looking me over, “you did good, Tommy.”
“We’re together against my will,” I laughed, “it… it’s nice to meet you all.”
“You as well,” Jace nodded, “Adrian should be here soon. Lucas… can’t go out today. So make sure to go over there soon.”
“We will,” Thomas nodded.
“Thomas Williams,” a beautiful flute-filled voice called from the side of the deck, and Thomas turned slowly, his eyes wide, “what is this I hear about you dropping out of college?”
“K… Kenzie? Kennedy!” He let out a cry and ran over, hugging his sister tightly, “what the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s been a while since I came back. I thought I should,” she laughed, rocking him from side to side.
Kennedy Williams was absolutely gorgeous with shoulder-length strawberry-blonde waves and the same eyes as Theodore. She was taller than both Thomas and me, her left arm covered in scars on the outside as well as the back of her hand.
“Oh… this is my boyfriend, Sparrow. Sparrow, this is my sister Kennedy,” Thomas smiled at me, clearly proud to call me his boyfriend.
“Hi,” I waved nervously, “Tommy talks about you a lot.”
“You too,” Kennedy laughed, coming over to ruffle my hair, “he never shuts up about you. Didn't know you were dating though. He did tell me about your older sister as well. Violet right?”
“Mhm. She’s an interpreter. My brother Cal is going to be an OBGYN.”
“And you?” Gabriel called.
“I’m taking over my parent's bookshop and cafe,” smiling, I laughed when Thomas pulled me onto one of the outdoor couches, “with Tommy. But not for a few years. My parents don’t feel ready to retire. They’re only in their 40s.”
“Oh so young,” Killian laughed, “younger than us,” he gestured to Theodore and himself.
“I know. Tommy told me.”
“Theo?” a soft voice called from inside and Theodore jumped up from his chair, running into the house.
“Who is that?” I whispered to Thomas.
“My Papa Addi. Lucas sounds like a steam engine. His voice is deeper than Killian’s. It’s… oh,” he stuttered, “oh Papa…”
Turning my gaze back to the door, I found Theodore with his arm around an absolutely tiny older man with graying hair and an eyepatch over one of his eyes, the other a beautiful sapphire blue. His face was red, clearly upset and Thomas jumped up, running over to him.
“Papa?” Thomas whispered.
“Hi baby,” Adrian did his best to smile, “I’m happy you’re here.”
“Me too. What’s wrong?”
“I had to… they uh… Lucas is in a home now. I can’t take care of him and I… I’m going to be in the house alone now. I just… I miss my husband and I… don’t know what to do.”
“You were told you can move in there too,” Theodore kissed the top of Adrian’s head, “Pops needs you, Dad. You’re the only person he remembers regularly.”
“I just… I love our house and I don’t want to see it fall to someone I don’t know.”
“I’ll take it,” Kennedy called softly, “let me have your house, Papa.”
“You live in Japan my love,” Adrian wiped his nose.
“Tomiko left me,” she whispered, “Ichika is going back to Japan. I’m home to stay and I don’t want to live with my dads at my age. So… let me buy your house. Or I’ll stay and take care of you. Either way.”
“She… huh?” Thomas whipped his head to look at Kennedy, “you’ve been together for years!”
“Yeah well. She thought it was for the best and I didn’t want to argue. Besides, I want to be home. So here I am. Now, you'll only be one thousand miles away instead of an entire ocean.”
“I’m glad you’re staying,” Killian smiled.
“Me too. So? Papa? Sell me your house and go stay with Papa Luca. He needs you.”
“Okay,” Adrian smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek, “thank you, Princess. Oh,” his gaze finally fell on me, “oh I am so sorry for having such a personal conversation in front of you. I hope we didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all,” shaking my head, I got to my feet, “I’m Sparrow Hartley. Just… call me Aero.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. Killian…” he narrowed his eye and Killian held his hands up.
“Stop that. I just happen to look like Sparrow’s Pa. That’s not my fault,” Killian laughed.
“Fair.”
“So… why are you two here? We wanted to meet Sparrow don’t get me wrong but… it’s a surprise,” Gabriel looked at us confused.
“Ah,” Thomas rubbed the nape of his neck, “where is everyone else? Are they coming to family dinner?”
“Cece and Elliot should be here soon. Aunt Joelle is in Florida so she won’t be here and Dexter is taking a trip through Europe,” Theodore shrugged.
“Oh my parents are going to do that when I move back to take over the shops,” I smiled, sitting back down, nausea starting to hit but I fought it down, “for their 25th anniversary.”
“We went to Ireland,” Killian smiled, gesturing to Theodore, “just after Tommy went to college. But our next trip is to South America. In a few years.”
“How nice.”
“Are you okay?” Theodore looked at me confused, “you’ve gone very pale.”
“Nervous,” I lied, “that’s all. I think I have my tape on a bit tight too. I ripped a hole in my binder so I had to tape again and…”
“Oh,” Jace looked at me surprised, “are you…”
“Trans? Yes.”
“I’m sorry for asking. I had no idea.”
“I’m not ashamed of it and it’s nice to know that I passed. It makes me feel good,” I smiled before gagging and jumping up, running into the yard to vomit, “fuck,” I hissed.
“Aero!” Thomas came running over, “oh baby…”
“I’m fine,” I panted, my stomach in knots, “just haven’t eaten enough today. It’s only 9 in the morning after all.”
“What can I get you?”
“Dry bread and ginger ale if they have it. If not, water is fine.”
“Got it.”
Thomas ran off to the house and I stood where I was, doing my best not to vomit again. A smaller hand fell on my back and I turned my head to the left, gasping when I saw the stranger next to me. Her hair was a vibrant burgundy but it was her eyes that shocked me. One was gold and the other the same sapphire as Adrian.
“Who are you?” I snapped, “Sorry. I don’t like people touching me it wasn’t you.”
“It’s okay. I understand. My name is Cecilia. I’m Tommy’s aunt and Theo's sister. You must be Sparrow.”
“Mhm,” nodding, I gagged again, “Sorry.”
“Morning sickness?” she whispered quietly in my ear and I stared at her wide-eyed.
“Did Tommy tell you?” I whispered back.
“No. I heard what you said about being trans and I carried both Tommy and Dexter. I remember the feeling. It sucks. Does anyone know?”
“Theo and Killian were told I might be but we didn’t actually confirm.”
“How far along?”
“10 weeks.”
“Here,” Thomas came running over and I took the bread from him, eating it quickly before taking the ginger ale and drinking it as fast as I could.
“Thank you,” smiling, I closed my eyes, my stomach finally settled, “can you get me the hose so I can clean this up?”
“I’ll do it,” he kissed my cheek softly, “go with Aunt Cece and sit. Also, hi auntie.”
“Hi Tommy,” she smiled, patting his cheek roughly, “I might kill you.”
“Yeah, I’m prepared for that.”
Cecilia led me back to the porch and stopped everyone from fussing over me, telling them it was simply leftover motion sickness from the flight Thomas and I had been on this morning.
Oh, I love her.
She’s so protective.
Reminds me of Aunt Juniper.
“Sparrow?” Adrian called softly and I turned to look at him, “are you feeling okay kiddo?”
“I’m fine. Just…” looking over my shoulder, I made eye contact with Thomas and he nodded, a small smile on his face as he mouthed that it was okay, “Cecilia lied. It’s not motion sickness. Theo and Killian were already told this might have been something we had to face but… I’m pregnant.”
“You’re a guy? So… how?”
“Oh… I mean I am but I haven’t had any of the surgeries yet. I just started using hormones in the middle of last year. I still got my period and all that when Tommy and I… we uh… well protection broke and… yeah… I went to the doctor and… blood test confirmed that I… we’ll be having a baby in September.”
“Oh Thomas,” Gabriel called, “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
“Why? I had Kennedy at 18,” Theodore shrugged, “as panicked as I was when they called to tell me this happened, I came to realize that I raised her fine on my own even as a child myself. Tommy and Sparrow are old enough to make this choice. To keep the baby. They’ll be great fathers. I’m sure as soon as the baby is born, Sparrow will finish transitioning and all that. They already planned. Tommy told me. Kai and Shiloh, those are Sparrow’s dads, they’re going to help them buy a nice RV to travel around in until they’re 23. Then they’ll move back to Idaho, take over the shops and Shiloh told Killian that they’re going to give Sparrow and Thomas their house. This was already planned for Sparrow, Tommy is just included now. Including a little red-headed baby. It’s not our job to be upset about it.”
“Besides,” Adrian continued, staring at Jace, “how old were you when Elliot came home?”
“20,” Jace swallowed nervously, “same age as Tommy.”
“Yeah, but we were married!” Gabriel grumbled, “we’d been together for 2 years at that point.”
“And Tommy and I will be together for over a year when the baby is born. Things may have only been made official between us a week ago, but we were going on dates, against my will I might add, for months before we were even physical. Then it took me almost three months to agree to be together. I… care deeply for him,” I smiled.
“I love him!” Thomas called from the yard.
“Shut the fuck up, Chip,” I shouted at him.
“Never Eeyore.”
“I am so tired of you,” grumbling, I rubbed my stomach softly, a gentle smile on my face, “I understand being upset. Trust me, I do. We were at first. Or… I was. Tommy was annoyingly okay. Well no… he got mad at me for yelling at him and threw snow at my parent's barn for a while. But… I promise that he’s safe with me. That I care about him truly. He helped me realize just how bad my ex was for me… Casey. He misgendered me, called me his girlfriend. Things like that. Tommy showed me he was cheating and stayed at my side for months after it happened. He grew on me. Worked his way into my heart when I… I swore that would never happen. I hate physical contact. I was… sexually assaulted at 14 and I can’t handle being touched by people. That’s why I snapped at you, Cecilia,” I turned to her as I wiped a tear away and she smiled gently.
“I understand now. It’s okay. We’re a very affectionate family but we can honor your space. We just enjoy hugs.”
“If I’m told it’s going to happen, I don’t mind. But I have to know. The only person allowed to touch me without asking first is Tommy. Because I can trust him. He doesn’t scare me. He annoys the shit out of me though.”
“Hey!” Thomas came stomping up the deck, “shut up. You love me.”
“I do not.”
“Aero.”
“Fine.”
Killian burst out laughing and we both looked at him, “god I’m sorry. I just… Sparrow is exactly like Theodore when I first met him.”
“Oh fuck that’s who he reminds me of!” Cecilia started laughing, “so grumpy. Yep. You’re just like Theo.”
“I don’t know about all that. He’s huge,” I whispered.
“Maybe but he doesn’t seem as terrifying as your grandpa,” Thomas laughed, sitting next to me.
“Oh yeah,” I snorted, “I never told you about that, did I? My dad was terrified when he met Papa Thatcher. He reminds me of… hm…” looking around, I settled on Jace, “you, actually,” I gestured to him.
“Me? Why? I’m nice,” Jace huffed.
“Probably. But you look terrifying. It was also a massive shock to Kai when he found out that my Papa was also trans.”
“Wait… your grandpa is trans?” Thomas looked at me confused.
“I thought I told you all this. So is Uncle Connor. Titi River is non-binary.”
“That one I did know because we had a talk about it.”
“So… rolling things back,” Kennedy groaned from her spot against the railing, “my baby brother is going to be a dad?”
“Surprise?” Thomas chewed his lip.
“Fucking huge surprise. You’re like 12.”
“Kennedy you know full well I’m 20.”
“And Sparrow is what… 18?” Gabriel laughed.
“I am two days older than Tommy. Ass,” I grumbled.
“Well… I need a drink,” Kennedy headed inside, clearly angry.
“I’m gonna talk to her,” I whispered to Thomas.
“Really?”
“Yes. She’s mad. It’s my fault.”
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