RP LOG with nychandcuffs | Food for thought
Virginia didn't go home straight away. How could she? Euan had a possible kid, and she was itching to find out if it was true or not. One of the benefits of working for Thomas Hunt was that there was always someone at the office. A security guard kept watch over the place at night, and apparently he was no stranger to employees returning when they should be in bed. The life of a lawyer. Only Vee wasn't a lawyer, she was a private investigator. She did what little searching she could using the databases she could get access to, but eventually she had to call it a night.
She at least had the boy's mother's name, and she had an address in Ireland of the grandparents. She also knew that there were no mentions of a father, or a man linked to Ciaran O'Sullivan. But the fact that Euan was his middle name rang warning bells in Vee's mind. By the time she did make it home it was getting close to five in the morning and she found Matt passed out on the sofa with the TV on. She picked up the remote to turn it off and reached out to take his hand as she gave it a gentle tug. "C'mon, Irish. Time for bed... You still get another day off."
Matt was disoriented and immediately, in his still half asleep brain, started to spew out mumbled facts of a case he had been working on the past week before he realised it wasn't Ronnie (Ronnie hugging him in his sleep would be just weird anyway), but it was Vee. He cracked his eyes open groggily, taking that he really wasn't in his bed. His bed had a lot more room than this and half his butt cheek was hanging off the edge. "You seriously gotta stop me doing that... falling asleep in front of the TV. I'm too young to be acting like a grandpa," he said huskily. It was becoming a habit lately, with his workload meaning he was facing weird and wonderful hours with not a lot of regular sleep patterns. He had come to really cherish his days off.
"You're still a very sexy grandpa," Vee teased quietly as she managed to get Matt to his feet. She brushed a kiss to his cheek and combed her fingers through his hair. He was always sexy when he was half asleep. Vee couldn't help it. She loved a groggy man. Her hand rubbed against his chest as she guided him to their bedroom slowly so he wouldn't stumble. "I'd stop you if I was here, but it took me longer at Euan's than I thought. I also had to grab him some supplies and then stop by the office. I still can't believe it..."
Matt just followed, shuffling along beside her with a wide yawn as he scratched slowly at his stomach through his t-shirt. He knew he had intended on waiting for her to get home after she buggered off and escaped out of their rather delicious round of hot sex. He couldn't deny it was a bit of a turn off to be told to hurry up and come quickly, but at least they got to finish at all. "Aye, what's going on with all that? You pissed off so quickly, I was wondering if he was dead. I know he's not in the slammer needing a bail out or I would have heard through the grapevine before now. Supplies?"
Vee shook her head. "No, no slammer. I'm sorry about leaving like that. If you'd have heard his message you would have got it. Even when his bloody appendix blew up on him he wasn't that panicked. I didn't get it until I was there. Until I saw his... guest. He doesn't want anyone knowing, but I can't not talk about this. I need your help, too. A little off the record digging when you get back to work. Please, Matt. Can we just keep this in the romantic partner bubble? And supplies as in groceries. He's got an extra mouth to feed, and it isn't Gee's."
Matt flopped down on the side of the bed and looked up at her, eyeing her warily. "How much am I going to have to kill him? Because seriously, if there has been some sort of wife showing up from the past, it's going to backlash on Gee and I will kill him. I said I would if he hurt her," he stated, and even though he still felt half asleep, he managed to hold her gaze seriously.
Vee ran her fingers down along his jaw and pressed her lips together. "Not a wife... a child. A boy. A fifteen-year-old boy. Euan would have only been a kid himself when the boy was conceived. He's just rocked up on his doorstep with nothing but an old photo. Euan doesn't even know who the mother is. Doesn't know anything. Only now I know. I have names, I have an address. I still can't prove the kid is Euan's yet."
Matt's first reaction was to laugh, and he did. He looked at her in disbelief. "What?" he asked, figuring she had to be joking. "Are you serious? You're yanking my chain, right? That's... a kid? A fifteen year old kid just rocked up saying Fitzpatrick was his father? That's fuck..." He shook his head, watching her as if he was still waiting for her to say it was a joke. "I love condoms right now," he added as an afterthought.
"Good, because if you pull any secret kids out of the closet, I'll kill you," Vee warned as she started to tug off his t-shirt and toed out of her shoes as she worked on getting them both ready for bed. She wasn't planning on going in early today. She needed to catch up on her sleep. It was one benefit of finding herself on salary. She could effectively make her own hours when she needed to. "I'm deadly fucking serious, Matt. Do you see me laughing?"
"That doesn't mean it's not a joke. I know how the bastard is. He can twist and mould facts keeping an entirely straight face whilst doing it. In saying that, this isn't exactly something he would waste his time joking about. So, alright, humour me. You were doing some digging on the kid. What did you find?" Matt asked her as he shifted back to lie down on his side of the bed. It had been a long time before Vee since he ever had a specific side of the bed.
Vee frowned. "He also wouldn't just pull a kid off the street and pay them to pretend to be his son for a mere joke. The kid was sleeping on the sofa, all blond and innocent looking. Well, tired and hungry and blond and innocent looking. He's an artist. You should have seen his drawings, but it's clear he's not been the result of a happy coupling. Euan was off his fucking tree on drugs back then. Bad ones." She peeled off her jeans and cardigan before her hands disappeared under her tank top to take off her bra and she slipped it through the sleeve before coming around to her side of the bed and climbing into it with a sigh. She still couldn't believe she had a side of the bed, or a boyfriend she'd had for months now. But she loved Matt, and didn't regret a single thing. "He doesn't even want to tell Gee."
Matt rubbed his head and whistled. At first, he had no words. It just sounded like one big mess, and he was really glad he wasn't in Fitzpatrick's shoes at that point. Maybe not for the same reasons, though. Matt suspected the biggest thing for him would be if he had a fifteen year old son show up on his doorstep would be battling the guilt at missing so much time with the boy. He just wasn't sure that was a mojo Fitzpatrick came built with. "It's still a long shot that the kid is even his, you know. If the mother showed up pointedly accusing him of having his cock in her, sure. But what if the kid isn't his? What happens then? The kid will still need to go back to his screwed up life. Talking to Gee is his call, but seriously, something like this could ruin any relationship."
"Ruin it how?" Vee asked quietly. "It's not as if the kid's five months old and a result of Euan cheating on her, or something. And he's already pissed her off with the tattoo. If it was even his idea. I still don't know about that. I mean, if he's going to ask her - he needs to just bloody ask her, but he's Euan and he always just does things his way. He's scared about being a dad. I've never seen him so vulnerable. He didn't even resist a hug or pay me out for looking all freshly shagged." Vee leaned over to kiss Matt's lips lightly before she rest her head on his chest and slipped her arm around him as she cuddled up against him. "That's why I need a little help. I can only find out so much. I don't even know if it's worth calling the grandparents. Maybe Euan should just call them. That kid's gone through hell just to get here. He hadn't even eaten since yesterday morning. Well, the day before yesterday now."
"Because like it or not, if that kid really does turn out to be Fitzpatrick's, I'll bet my life savings on the fact he'll protect the kid with his life and that lad will suddenly become the most important thing in his life... bar none. He'll be his own flesh and blood, it's a masculine instinct. That's something Gee will just have to accept, and if she doesn't, if it comes down to a choice... well, you know where the dominos will fall." Matt frowned in thought and then sighed. "Where's the mother? Is she even alive? If he's with the grandparents, she's out of the picture, evidently. Unless she's still so screwed on drugs she had the custody taken off her. If she even had custody in the first place," he added as an afterthought.
Vee frowned again as she started to bite her nail while listening to Matt. He was right. The kid would be Euan's flesh and blood and Gee would just need to either deal with that, or accept the choice that Euan made. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered automatically before hugging the covers and Matt tighter. "She's in jail. I found the smallest snippet in an online article mentioning her. It's not as if people getting done for possession is big news these days. I'm guessing custody went to the grandparents because the father wasn't around."
"Eesh..." Matt murmured, gazing up at the ceiling. "When's she due out? Although, in saying that, even if she gets out, unlikely she would ever get custody of her kid back. What's his health like? If she was fucked up on crack when he was conceived, he might have medical problems. This could be a huge freaking thing Fitzpatrick is about to step into." He turned his head to see her face. "How do you feel about it? You're his best mate, after all."
"Mmhmm," Vee replied before she lifted her gaze to met his. She pulled her fingernail from her mouth and cleared her throat. "He just looked asleep. Euan doesn't even know his medical history, nothing about him. Just that he freaked out when Euan tried to light a joint. I still can't believe Euan was going to smoke one in front of the kid, but there you go. I'm in shock. Euan's a father all of a sudden. I'm a pseudo-aunty. I just think he needs to tread carefully with the kid."
Matt nodded. "Can't say I blame the kid if his mum's banged up for drugs. He was either going to waltz right down the same road as her or hate the stuff with a passion. Statistics will tell you that much. It's something that it is the latter. Of course he does. The lad might have psychological issues. There is no way of knowing what's going on just on the face of him. In saying that, Fitzpatrick's going to need a lot of support. Especially in deciding what the hell to do. I can't even fathom it."
"Neither can I. And it just made me suddenly scared that you'd whip out a kid, and I know that's stupid. But then I thought about it on the drive home, and if you did then I'd want to make it work. I wouldn't let it end us. They'd be your blood, and I'd respect that. I actually think you'd be a cool dad. Euan's... Euan. He never thought he'd be cut out for the parent thing. He's ashamed of how the boy get conceived. It's not like he was responsible about it. He was high. I said I'd be there for him. Of course I will be. I still just think he needs to tell Gee sooner than later. She can help him, too."
Matt smirked and laughed a little. "I have no kids to whip out. I barely even have a decent romantic past from which a kid would have come. I've always been a workaholic. Right through school, through college, then joining the force. I was a good little Catholic boy. I didn't even lost my virginity until I was eighteen. Maybe he isn't cut out for the parent thing, but there are people out there who start out like they are and they turn out to be child killers or kiddie fiddlers. I think he's got his heart in the right place at least. Letting the kid stay says a lot. So, he was high when the kid was conceived. Now he's clean. Maybe this is the chance he needs to see the world through different coloured glasses. Maybe she can, but he probably doesn't even know how he's supposed to take it himself, let alone think about how anyone else should."
Vee rubbed her hand against Matt's chest as she kissed his shoulder. "Mm, so now that I've broken your workaholic ways just a little, and given you a relationship that might be unconventional in its kick off, but still, it's lasted. Do you want kids?" she found herself asking him. "I just know he won't let himself settle with it until he gets the proof."
"Well, sure. I've never really not wanted them, so I guess that's a start. I'd just rather them not arrive already with teeth and toilet trained," Matt replied in amusement. He knew it wasn't exactly anything to be amused about, but it was something you had to see the funny side off. Hopefully Euan would be able to as well one day. "I'd want proof too. Maybe it's a male ego thing, but I'd want to know the kid was mine. Just because the kid isn't still in nappies and can speak for himself doesn't mean there isn't a chance he's not Fitzpatrick's. Still, it's a strange situation. To come all this way alone at that age, something has him thinking it's true."
Vee smiled a little, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Would you have kids with me? Provided they're not with teeth, or toilet trained. The photo he has is pretty well worn. I think he's been carrying it for years. Maybe his mother gave it to him? The mom could have known, even if Euan didn't. His full name's Ciaran Euan O'Sullivan."
"Right now? I think I'm too tired, love," Matt joked but only with a hint of a smirk. "Is that a proposition, or a maybe in the future thing? Because I'm not ready for kids right now. I like where I am in my job and maybe it's selfish, but I'm not quite ready to make those sacrifices yet. Clearly, it's a luxury not many people actually get, so we should cherish that. Think about it, though. You'll get plenty of practice being Aunty Vee. If this is Fitzpatrick's kid, you'll be involved. You'll need to get to know the lad. Maybe the mother did tell him... sounds like she thinks the bloke is the baby daddy too. I can't see many women naming their kid after crack dealers just for the fun of it."
"Depends how good the crack was," Vee commented as she let out a rush of air and rolled onto her back to look up at the ceiling. "And it means I'd get practice with a teenage kid, not a baby. Still, it's something. Just so strange thinking that Euan's an instant dad. I did mean it as a maybe in the future thing, so chill, baby. I'm not asking you to knock me up right now. I've only just got a job, and I need to focus on my citizenship thing. Plus I've gotten used to our sexy free time."
"Then I would think she would name it after the crack and not the delivery boy," Matt reasoned with a shrug. "It's not like I can profess to know how the mind of a crack addict functions. Probably not a lot at all. Still, the mother knew Euan on some level. She had his photo and her kid has his name. Whether Euan wants to see that or not, he's obviously linked to the kid in some way, and if what you're telling me is true, maybe the lad really doesn't have anyone else to turn to. It technically doesn't make him an instant dad. It makes him a dad for fifteen years. Aye, and I really love my sleep right now... when I can get it."
Vee glanced up at him. "Is that a hint that you want me to shut up now so you can sleep?" Her lips quirked in a smile to show that she was teasing, and she kissed his chest. "I don't know either, but Euan does. He knows exactly how a mind like that functions. It used to be his. He's just not sure he can give the kid what he's looking for."
"Nope, you woke me now, you gotta deal with that," Matt told her with a smirk and brushed his hand down her back to give her arse a suggestive squeeze of exactly what he intended in having him awake. "Well... it's an odd situation. It's not something there are any rule books or precedents for, to say the least. But from what I've seen of Fitzpatrick, he's a survivor. He adapts to whatever situation - good or bad - he gets dumped into. You left New York, so he made the change to come. You tell me he's not a relationship person, yet he's dating Gee. His parents get killed in a bombing, but he still deals with London. I'm not sure I believe there is really any situation he could not adapt to. This is just going to be another one of those. Sure, it's a shock, and he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what he wants. But he'll just deal with it. He won't change, he'll just adjust. And the kid is still only a kid. Barely fifteen, he's probably hardly even hit puberty. He'll fit in to wherever he is wanted and wherever he's loved. Sounds like he's probably starved for it anyway."
Vee laughed softly at the squeeze to her ass, and slipped her hand under the cover to tease her fingers against his cock as her eyes sparkled. She wasn't exactly going to mind being kept awake for that reason. And she did owe him some make-up sex for running out on him before. "And it's not like he's alone. I'm here, Gee's with him. And I've got you to rope into helping, too. I think he's just going to want a test before he decides anything, but I can't see him turfing the kid out on his ass again. Not yet."
Matt nodded, pressing his lips together in thought. "Either way, looks like some big changes on the front. If his first reaction wasn't to boot the kid out on his arse, he's already touched him in some way. You never know, we might actually get proof Fitzpatrick has a heart," he added with a smirk.
Vee couldn't help but smile. "That really would be something. Might even be worth a Kodak moment."
Word Count | 3,464
She at least had the boy's mother's name, and she had an address in Ireland of the grandparents. She also knew that there were no mentions of a father, or a man linked to Ciaran O'Sullivan. But the fact that Euan was his middle name rang warning bells in Vee's mind. By the time she did make it home it was getting close to five in the morning and she found Matt passed out on the sofa with the TV on. She picked up the remote to turn it off and reached out to take his hand as she gave it a gentle tug. "C'mon, Irish. Time for bed... You still get another day off."
Matt was disoriented and immediately, in his still half asleep brain, started to spew out mumbled facts of a case he had been working on the past week before he realised it wasn't Ronnie (Ronnie hugging him in his sleep would be just weird anyway), but it was Vee. He cracked his eyes open groggily, taking that he really wasn't in his bed. His bed had a lot more room than this and half his butt cheek was hanging off the edge. "You seriously gotta stop me doing that... falling asleep in front of the TV. I'm too young to be acting like a grandpa," he said huskily. It was becoming a habit lately, with his workload meaning he was facing weird and wonderful hours with not a lot of regular sleep patterns. He had come to really cherish his days off.
"You're still a very sexy grandpa," Vee teased quietly as she managed to get Matt to his feet. She brushed a kiss to his cheek and combed her fingers through his hair. He was always sexy when he was half asleep. Vee couldn't help it. She loved a groggy man. Her hand rubbed against his chest as she guided him to their bedroom slowly so he wouldn't stumble. "I'd stop you if I was here, but it took me longer at Euan's than I thought. I also had to grab him some supplies and then stop by the office. I still can't believe it..."
Matt just followed, shuffling along beside her with a wide yawn as he scratched slowly at his stomach through his t-shirt. He knew he had intended on waiting for her to get home after she buggered off and escaped out of their rather delicious round of hot sex. He couldn't deny it was a bit of a turn off to be told to hurry up and come quickly, but at least they got to finish at all. "Aye, what's going on with all that? You pissed off so quickly, I was wondering if he was dead. I know he's not in the slammer needing a bail out or I would have heard through the grapevine before now. Supplies?"
Vee shook her head. "No, no slammer. I'm sorry about leaving like that. If you'd have heard his message you would have got it. Even when his bloody appendix blew up on him he wasn't that panicked. I didn't get it until I was there. Until I saw his... guest. He doesn't want anyone knowing, but I can't not talk about this. I need your help, too. A little off the record digging when you get back to work. Please, Matt. Can we just keep this in the romantic partner bubble? And supplies as in groceries. He's got an extra mouth to feed, and it isn't Gee's."
Matt flopped down on the side of the bed and looked up at her, eyeing her warily. "How much am I going to have to kill him? Because seriously, if there has been some sort of wife showing up from the past, it's going to backlash on Gee and I will kill him. I said I would if he hurt her," he stated, and even though he still felt half asleep, he managed to hold her gaze seriously.
Vee ran her fingers down along his jaw and pressed her lips together. "Not a wife... a child. A boy. A fifteen-year-old boy. Euan would have only been a kid himself when the boy was conceived. He's just rocked up on his doorstep with nothing but an old photo. Euan doesn't even know who the mother is. Doesn't know anything. Only now I know. I have names, I have an address. I still can't prove the kid is Euan's yet."
Matt's first reaction was to laugh, and he did. He looked at her in disbelief. "What?" he asked, figuring she had to be joking. "Are you serious? You're yanking my chain, right? That's... a kid? A fifteen year old kid just rocked up saying Fitzpatrick was his father? That's fuck..." He shook his head, watching her as if he was still waiting for her to say it was a joke. "I love condoms right now," he added as an afterthought.
"Good, because if you pull any secret kids out of the closet, I'll kill you," Vee warned as she started to tug off his t-shirt and toed out of her shoes as she worked on getting them both ready for bed. She wasn't planning on going in early today. She needed to catch up on her sleep. It was one benefit of finding herself on salary. She could effectively make her own hours when she needed to. "I'm deadly fucking serious, Matt. Do you see me laughing?"
"That doesn't mean it's not a joke. I know how the bastard is. He can twist and mould facts keeping an entirely straight face whilst doing it. In saying that, this isn't exactly something he would waste his time joking about. So, alright, humour me. You were doing some digging on the kid. What did you find?" Matt asked her as he shifted back to lie down on his side of the bed. It had been a long time before Vee since he ever had a specific side of the bed.
Vee frowned. "He also wouldn't just pull a kid off the street and pay them to pretend to be his son for a mere joke. The kid was sleeping on the sofa, all blond and innocent looking. Well, tired and hungry and blond and innocent looking. He's an artist. You should have seen his drawings, but it's clear he's not been the result of a happy coupling. Euan was off his fucking tree on drugs back then. Bad ones." She peeled off her jeans and cardigan before her hands disappeared under her tank top to take off her bra and she slipped it through the sleeve before coming around to her side of the bed and climbing into it with a sigh. She still couldn't believe she had a side of the bed, or a boyfriend she'd had for months now. But she loved Matt, and didn't regret a single thing. "He doesn't even want to tell Gee."
Matt rubbed his head and whistled. At first, he had no words. It just sounded like one big mess, and he was really glad he wasn't in Fitzpatrick's shoes at that point. Maybe not for the same reasons, though. Matt suspected the biggest thing for him would be if he had a fifteen year old son show up on his doorstep would be battling the guilt at missing so much time with the boy. He just wasn't sure that was a mojo Fitzpatrick came built with. "It's still a long shot that the kid is even his, you know. If the mother showed up pointedly accusing him of having his cock in her, sure. But what if the kid isn't his? What happens then? The kid will still need to go back to his screwed up life. Talking to Gee is his call, but seriously, something like this could ruin any relationship."
"Ruin it how?" Vee asked quietly. "It's not as if the kid's five months old and a result of Euan cheating on her, or something. And he's already pissed her off with the tattoo. If it was even his idea. I still don't know about that. I mean, if he's going to ask her - he needs to just bloody ask her, but he's Euan and he always just does things his way. He's scared about being a dad. I've never seen him so vulnerable. He didn't even resist a hug or pay me out for looking all freshly shagged." Vee leaned over to kiss Matt's lips lightly before she rest her head on his chest and slipped her arm around him as she cuddled up against him. "That's why I need a little help. I can only find out so much. I don't even know if it's worth calling the grandparents. Maybe Euan should just call them. That kid's gone through hell just to get here. He hadn't even eaten since yesterday morning. Well, the day before yesterday now."
"Because like it or not, if that kid really does turn out to be Fitzpatrick's, I'll bet my life savings on the fact he'll protect the kid with his life and that lad will suddenly become the most important thing in his life... bar none. He'll be his own flesh and blood, it's a masculine instinct. That's something Gee will just have to accept, and if she doesn't, if it comes down to a choice... well, you know where the dominos will fall." Matt frowned in thought and then sighed. "Where's the mother? Is she even alive? If he's with the grandparents, she's out of the picture, evidently. Unless she's still so screwed on drugs she had the custody taken off her. If she even had custody in the first place," he added as an afterthought.
Vee frowned again as she started to bite her nail while listening to Matt. He was right. The kid would be Euan's flesh and blood and Gee would just need to either deal with that, or accept the choice that Euan made. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered automatically before hugging the covers and Matt tighter. "She's in jail. I found the smallest snippet in an online article mentioning her. It's not as if people getting done for possession is big news these days. I'm guessing custody went to the grandparents because the father wasn't around."
"Eesh..." Matt murmured, gazing up at the ceiling. "When's she due out? Although, in saying that, even if she gets out, unlikely she would ever get custody of her kid back. What's his health like? If she was fucked up on crack when he was conceived, he might have medical problems. This could be a huge freaking thing Fitzpatrick is about to step into." He turned his head to see her face. "How do you feel about it? You're his best mate, after all."
"Mmhmm," Vee replied before she lifted her gaze to met his. She pulled her fingernail from her mouth and cleared her throat. "He just looked asleep. Euan doesn't even know his medical history, nothing about him. Just that he freaked out when Euan tried to light a joint. I still can't believe Euan was going to smoke one in front of the kid, but there you go. I'm in shock. Euan's a father all of a sudden. I'm a pseudo-aunty. I just think he needs to tread carefully with the kid."
Matt nodded. "Can't say I blame the kid if his mum's banged up for drugs. He was either going to waltz right down the same road as her or hate the stuff with a passion. Statistics will tell you that much. It's something that it is the latter. Of course he does. The lad might have psychological issues. There is no way of knowing what's going on just on the face of him. In saying that, Fitzpatrick's going to need a lot of support. Especially in deciding what the hell to do. I can't even fathom it."
"Neither can I. And it just made me suddenly scared that you'd whip out a kid, and I know that's stupid. But then I thought about it on the drive home, and if you did then I'd want to make it work. I wouldn't let it end us. They'd be your blood, and I'd respect that. I actually think you'd be a cool dad. Euan's... Euan. He never thought he'd be cut out for the parent thing. He's ashamed of how the boy get conceived. It's not like he was responsible about it. He was high. I said I'd be there for him. Of course I will be. I still just think he needs to tell Gee sooner than later. She can help him, too."
Matt smirked and laughed a little. "I have no kids to whip out. I barely even have a decent romantic past from which a kid would have come. I've always been a workaholic. Right through school, through college, then joining the force. I was a good little Catholic boy. I didn't even lost my virginity until I was eighteen. Maybe he isn't cut out for the parent thing, but there are people out there who start out like they are and they turn out to be child killers or kiddie fiddlers. I think he's got his heart in the right place at least. Letting the kid stay says a lot. So, he was high when the kid was conceived. Now he's clean. Maybe this is the chance he needs to see the world through different coloured glasses. Maybe she can, but he probably doesn't even know how he's supposed to take it himself, let alone think about how anyone else should."
Vee rubbed her hand against Matt's chest as she kissed his shoulder. "Mm, so now that I've broken your workaholic ways just a little, and given you a relationship that might be unconventional in its kick off, but still, it's lasted. Do you want kids?" she found herself asking him. "I just know he won't let himself settle with it until he gets the proof."
"Well, sure. I've never really not wanted them, so I guess that's a start. I'd just rather them not arrive already with teeth and toilet trained," Matt replied in amusement. He knew it wasn't exactly anything to be amused about, but it was something you had to see the funny side off. Hopefully Euan would be able to as well one day. "I'd want proof too. Maybe it's a male ego thing, but I'd want to know the kid was mine. Just because the kid isn't still in nappies and can speak for himself doesn't mean there isn't a chance he's not Fitzpatrick's. Still, it's a strange situation. To come all this way alone at that age, something has him thinking it's true."
Vee smiled a little, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Would you have kids with me? Provided they're not with teeth, or toilet trained. The photo he has is pretty well worn. I think he's been carrying it for years. Maybe his mother gave it to him? The mom could have known, even if Euan didn't. His full name's Ciaran Euan O'Sullivan."
"Right now? I think I'm too tired, love," Matt joked but only with a hint of a smirk. "Is that a proposition, or a maybe in the future thing? Because I'm not ready for kids right now. I like where I am in my job and maybe it's selfish, but I'm not quite ready to make those sacrifices yet. Clearly, it's a luxury not many people actually get, so we should cherish that. Think about it, though. You'll get plenty of practice being Aunty Vee. If this is Fitzpatrick's kid, you'll be involved. You'll need to get to know the lad. Maybe the mother did tell him... sounds like she thinks the bloke is the baby daddy too. I can't see many women naming their kid after crack dealers just for the fun of it."
"Depends how good the crack was," Vee commented as she let out a rush of air and rolled onto her back to look up at the ceiling. "And it means I'd get practice with a teenage kid, not a baby. Still, it's something. Just so strange thinking that Euan's an instant dad. I did mean it as a maybe in the future thing, so chill, baby. I'm not asking you to knock me up right now. I've only just got a job, and I need to focus on my citizenship thing. Plus I've gotten used to our sexy free time."
"Then I would think she would name it after the crack and not the delivery boy," Matt reasoned with a shrug. "It's not like I can profess to know how the mind of a crack addict functions. Probably not a lot at all. Still, the mother knew Euan on some level. She had his photo and her kid has his name. Whether Euan wants to see that or not, he's obviously linked to the kid in some way, and if what you're telling me is true, maybe the lad really doesn't have anyone else to turn to. It technically doesn't make him an instant dad. It makes him a dad for fifteen years. Aye, and I really love my sleep right now... when I can get it."
Vee glanced up at him. "Is that a hint that you want me to shut up now so you can sleep?" Her lips quirked in a smile to show that she was teasing, and she kissed his chest. "I don't know either, but Euan does. He knows exactly how a mind like that functions. It used to be his. He's just not sure he can give the kid what he's looking for."
"Nope, you woke me now, you gotta deal with that," Matt told her with a smirk and brushed his hand down her back to give her arse a suggestive squeeze of exactly what he intended in having him awake. "Well... it's an odd situation. It's not something there are any rule books or precedents for, to say the least. But from what I've seen of Fitzpatrick, he's a survivor. He adapts to whatever situation - good or bad - he gets dumped into. You left New York, so he made the change to come. You tell me he's not a relationship person, yet he's dating Gee. His parents get killed in a bombing, but he still deals with London. I'm not sure I believe there is really any situation he could not adapt to. This is just going to be another one of those. Sure, it's a shock, and he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what he wants. But he'll just deal with it. He won't change, he'll just adjust. And the kid is still only a kid. Barely fifteen, he's probably hardly even hit puberty. He'll fit in to wherever he is wanted and wherever he's loved. Sounds like he's probably starved for it anyway."
Vee laughed softly at the squeeze to her ass, and slipped her hand under the cover to tease her fingers against his cock as her eyes sparkled. She wasn't exactly going to mind being kept awake for that reason. And she did owe him some make-up sex for running out on him before. "And it's not like he's alone. I'm here, Gee's with him. And I've got you to rope into helping, too. I think he's just going to want a test before he decides anything, but I can't see him turfing the kid out on his ass again. Not yet."
Matt nodded, pressing his lips together in thought. "Either way, looks like some big changes on the front. If his first reaction wasn't to boot the kid out on his arse, he's already touched him in some way. You never know, we might actually get proof Fitzpatrick has a heart," he added with a smirk.
Vee couldn't help but smile. "That really would be something. Might even be worth a Kodak moment."
Word Count | 3,464