RP LOG with thinbluegee & sonofacopper | Meet the Parents
In hindsight, Euan didn't know what the fuck was going on anymore. He really didn't. Everyone who was supposed to be here in Gretna Green was here now, and Gee's parents were the only ones poignantly absent as they waited. Tom and Stuart had arrived a little while before looking freshly fucked and Larson arrived looking awkward and uncomfortable, only to have Aoife giving him the curious look over. Ethan and Sophie were also there, and the Evans brothers for the changing of the groom guards once this wedding was over... if it ever happened. Gee's parents had to be the slowest drivers ever. Four other couples had stopped and tied the knot before them already. Euan felt like he was standing in the deli queue waiting for four pounds worth of salami.
He was sitting on a little ornate wooden bench in the visitors gardens, and now had Ciaran lying across the bench asleep with his head in Euan's lap. He had checked out around half an hour before and Euan really couldn't blame him. He had gone through a whole pack of smokes and a bag of M&M's just to prevent him lighting up a joint. He dropped his head back and stifled a groan of boredom as he ran his fingers softly through his sleeping son's hair. Freaking Gretna Green. Evans was going to pay for this bolt of genius when Euan got a chance to reef him a new one. It would have been less hassle to just do it in a registry in London. He looked over to where Larson was nursing a cup of coffee and staring down at his shoes, and then where Stuart and Tom were lip-locked by their car in the parking lot. Two complete opposite ends of the spectrum there. Why did today feel like it was about fifty hours long?
Gee had shot off the moment she'd gotten a text message from her mum. The Mancinis might have been late, but at least they were still here. Finally. Gee hadn't even told Euan where she was going. She also knew Stuart was more than occupied, and Ciaran was fast asleep. Her stomach hadn't eased with the waiting. If anything she was still sure she could throw up, but the moment she saw her dad get out of the car she cracked into a smile. Paul Mancini was hardly assuming. He also didn't look like he could father a daughter like Gee, but she had more of his personality than anyone realised. He worked hard, he was fiercely loyal to his family, and he loved with all his heart. The truth was Gee just thought of her dad as a big marshmallow. She just never told him that. A moment later and her mum was out of the car as well, giving her daughter a huge smile. She had the same beestung lips, and the same curly hair. Only where Gee had always kept hers short, her mother let it flow long and free down her back. Gee ran up to them, throwing her arms around her father in a hug. Gee grinned against his shoulder as she felt her mother's arms around her too, and for a moment she was happy to just to stand there with them. She had no idea why she'd thought she would ever do this without them.
"Alright, love?" came her father's voice against her ear. "Just as well you called us. If you'd have eloped I never would have heard the end of it from your mum, you know. I don't need that kind of a headache. Or a heart attack. I'm far too young still."
"You? What about me?! My baby girl's calling up telling us she's getting married, and there was a chance we weren't going to see it." There was a soft burst of Italian cursing before Camilla Mancini was kissing her daughter's hair. "And to think we still haven't met this man. Or his son. I still can't believe what's going on."
Gee pulled back with a sheepish look at both her parents before she hooked her arms through theirs to start to lead them to Euan and Ciaran. "I know, I know. I do. But look, you're going to meet them and then we're going to get married. So please, just play nice. You'll like him, I'm sure of it. And Ciaran is just... an angel. He's a sleeping angel right now, but he's beautiful."
Euan was currently in the process of trying to hook his hand under Ciaran's shoulder to urge him to move a bit in his sleep. If Euan's arse hurt this much from the bloody bench, the bony kid's shoulder had to be sore, too. Only, he wasn't sure how he could actually succeed in the moving without Ciaran shifting and choking himself on that sling. Then he spotted that one of Ciaran's shoelaces was undone on the foot hanging over the edge of the bench. Should he try and do that up? This was the predicament Euan was pondering when he suddenly became aware that the sun he had been sitting in was now concealed by a shadow and he looked up to find Gee standing there with two unfamiliar looking people.
Oh shit.
Suddenly the wait didn't feel very long at all, and this all seemed like some sort of nightmare. He had never met any chick's parents before, and although he had been indignant they should be here for this, he hadn't technically figured through the enormity of meet the parents. Who were now looking back at him as he gaped at them. "... hello," he eventually offered, even over-enunciating the syllabyls without realising it.
"Hello," Paul offered back in amusement. He watched his daughter's future husband squirm with some satisfaction before he stepped forward to hold out his hand. "It's alright, I'm not about to pull any kind of scary father act. I'm sure you're smart enough to know already that if you hurt Gabrielle we'll more than make your life hell, hm? And it's not me you have to worry about, it's the missus. She's not as sweet as she looks."
Gee's mum was looking between Euan and the boy sleeping on the bench, trying to see the resemblance. It was there a little in their features, but not their colouring. She gave him a smile before she winked. "Don't listen to him, Euan. He's winding you up. It really is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Camilla, this is Paul. And he's Ciaran, yes? Our daughter was right, he is beautiful. Congratulations."
Gee stayed behind her parents for a moment as she shot Euan an apologetic look before she just bit her lip and watched on for a moment. "Mum, you don't need to cry. Please don't cry."
Euan looked up at them wryly. "I'll take any threats you want to dish out, but please just don't do it in front of my kid. That's all I ask," he said helplessly, really not wanting Ciaran to think bad of him if Gee's Dad was dishing out standard threats to him. And hell, now the mother was going to cry. Why did everyone cry? He was about to continue, when the voices around him must have roused Ciaran and he shifted to sit up groggily, obviously not realising at first that he was surrounded. But the moment he did, his sleepy blue eyes took on that deer caught in the headlights look again, and he shrunk in against Euan trying to use him as a shield as he looked up at the two strangers warily.
Wrapping his arm around Ciaran's shoulders protectively, not really meaning to put off a whole overprotective father air. "It's okay, laddie. This is Gee's ma' and da'. They've come to meet you. Say hello."
"... hello," came the emphasised response, much like his dad's a moment before, though the Irish coming through thickly in the word.
Gee slipped between her parents to sit on the other side of Ciaran as she took his hand to give it a squeeze. She'd tried to warn her parents about how Ciaran might be a little shy given his track record with grandparents. Only now she was even more nervous. This was Ciaran giving her parents the seal of approval as much as it was them giving Euan the seal of approval. "They're here for the wedding. Both of them... But your dad and I figured it was better for my parents to meet you both before he and I got married."
Euan could feel that Ciaran was squished right in against him and his good hand had come to be gripped around the sleeve of Euan's leather jacket. Poor kid was crapping himself, and this was one of those times Euan knew he needed to step in and reassure him. It had to be the grandparent thing, surely? He didn't think the kid would have issues with Italian people, considering he had taken to Gee like a duck to water. Plus, the whole thing was huge. Even Euan was shitting himself internally about this, but he was managing to keep his cool on the outside. Marriage and new family members, it was just fucking massive. Gee's folks would need to give the kid a little here too, or Ciaran just wouldn't trust them. This was definitely going to be interesting. Also, Gee had often said she was just like her mother, and now Euan realised he was bracing himself for a crazy older Italian lady onslaught. He cleared his throat, so his voice didn't come out a few octaves higher than it really was when he spoke. "Why don't you tell them something about yourself, Ciaran. Anything you like. I'm sure they want to know, aye?" he looked up at Gee's parents expectantly.
"I hate peas!" was Ciaran's blurted out response before he clamped his mouth shut again. His grandparents back in Ireland always used to try and feed him peas when he hated them. He wasn't allowed to leave the table until he ate them, either. If they fed him peas, he didn't want stay with them at all. All Euan could do with this was shoot Gee a tiny 'What the fuck?' look, dumbfounded. He expected some tale about art or the French bloke Ciaran loved, or maybe Stonehenge or Harry Potter, but peas?
Camilla raised her dark eyebrows before she broke into a warm smile. She could be the Crazy Italian Lady when she wanted, but right now she wasn't. She was the doting grandmother-to-be looking at a teenage boy would soon be her daughter's son. She'd never expected it to happen like this, but she'd soon given up hope of anything with her daughter happening conventionally. "Well, you do not have to like peas. Want to know a secret? I don't like cauliflower."
Paul started to laugh before he rubbed his hand against his wife's back. "She does, you know. You have no idea how much trouble it caused the first time I tried to make dinner for her. Big mistake choosing cauliflower and cheese."
Gee gave her parents a relieved look before she just glanced back at Euan and shrugged. There was no way they'd know how this was going to turn out.
Euan felt some stiffness leave Ciaran's body, probably relief that no one was going to force-feed him peas. Fucking hell, if those fuckers force-fed his kid anything he didn't like... The anger surged up in him and he growled before he could stop himself, letting out a sharp breath. "There, see, buddy? Cauliflower cheese. Totally sucks. Peas are only good for flicking at people anyway." He fished a small bottle of water out of his pocket he had stuffed in there earlier and cracked it open to put in Ciaran's good hand once he pried it from his sleeve. He ruffled Ciaran's hair affectionately. At least focusing on Ciaran's anxiety seemed to push his own firmly out of the way, but now he was giving Mr and Mrs Mancini a slightly wary glance. "So... um... I would be honoured if I could have permission to marry your daughter?" he finally asked, albeit extremely belated.
Ciaran's big blue eyes shifted from Gee's mum and dad to his own father. "Da', you already asked her. You said so." Then he looked back up at those who were going to be his grandparents. "You can't say no. She's gonna be my mum."
Camilla straightened up to tuck herself up against her husband's side and she exchanged a look with Gee's father before she looked back at Ciaran. It was Paul who spoke though, keeping his tone quiet. "We're not going to say no, Ciaran. Of course we're not. We're not going to take Gee away from you. We just wanted to finally get to put a face to the name. To meet these Fitzpatrick boys who have stolen her heart. That's all, lad. Oh yeah, we got you something..." Paul slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a wrapped up parcel. Inside was a small art book, one of those pocket books that were easy to carry around. "Heard you were into art."
Gee watched with tears in her eyes as she smiled up at her parents and kissed the top of Ciaran's head. She was still in shock when she saw her mother hand over a smaller package to Euan. She frowned as she looked between her mother and father, but her mum just grinned. "Don't worry, stellina, it's nothing to be concerned about. Just a little something for you fiancé. It means something to us, and something we wanted to give him."
The last thing Euan expected was a gift, and he had been focused on watching Ciaran closely for his reaction when he was handed one himself. He nearly jumped in surprise as he automatically just took the package handed over to him. Now Ciaran was watching for his Dad's reaction, obviously ready to take cues off him. Any other kid would probably be tearing into the present by now. Hopefully the little package wasn't some sort of Italian initiation. Euan wasn't sure his heart had the stamina for that after nearly having a few minor strokes in recent weeks. Even if he was feeling slightly awkward, he gave Ciaran a nod of encouragement and started to open his own present. Hopefully it wasn't a chastity belt for Gee. That would really suck. There was a small box inside and Euan wasn't sure about opening it. Keep his cool, that's what he had to do. Maybe there were some more smokes inside. He snapped it open and was surprised to find a St Christopher's medal inside. It wasn't dissimilar to the one his own father used to wear and something tightened in Euan's stomach and throat, almost like he was about to cry, but he tried to swallow it back and save face.
Ciaran was halfway through tearing the paper off his own present and he pulled the book out before it was completely unwrapped, having shoved it in under his thigh for leverage in lieu of lacking his good hand. He was resourceful, to say the least, but when he realised he had no way of opening the book to see inside it right away, his attention was drawn to his Dad's present. "What's that? Is that like at the Olympics? Dad, you got gold!" he said with a grin.
Gee leaned over and tried not to squish Ciaran too much so she could catch a glimpse of Euan's gift. She knew what the medal was. Her family was Catholic, and Euan knew that. Just like she knew he was from Catholic stock as well. He might not be practicing, but at least her parents could be safe in the knowledge that she was sort of marrying within the faith. "Wow, a St Christopher's medal... Nice subtle hint, Mum. No, Ciaran, it's not quite like at the Olympics. It's a... Catholic thing."
Paul nodded. "St Christopher was the patron saint of travellers, but mostly it's worn by Catholics in general. Something a little different to the cross. Something that can also bring protection to the wearer."
"Just don't travel on subway trains..." Euan commented before he could stop himself and then gave himself an internal slap.
"Why not?" Ciaran asked. "I like trains."
"Nevermind, kiddo. It's nothing," Euan said dismissively, clearing his throat softly. It meant a lot, he just wasn't sure about his family's faith anymore, let alone the protective power of St Christopher. He smiled up at Gee's parents, though, even if it had pushed a lot of emotion to the forefront. "Thanks. It means a lot. We were just recently talking about the possibility of getting Ciaran christened. He's not been baptised. It would have been something my parents would have been proud of." He had no intentions of making the kid sit in a box and confess his 'sins', though. Dunking him in Holy Water was one thing, but confession wasn't something Euan wasn't going to get involved in. He took the book off Ciaran and held it so the boy could turn the pages in it, but he glanced up at Gee apologetically. He hadn't meant the whole defensive slip about trains. He was trying to make a good impression, he really was. And he hadn't sworn once.
"Why do I have to be christianed?" Ciaran asked, even if he was intently drawing in all the paintings in the book.
Camilla slipped past her husband to give Euan a soft hug and kiss to the forehead. Their daughter had explained everything about Euan's parents and how they'd died in the London Bombings. He didn't need to apologise for the slip. They more than understood. She gave him an understanding look and squeezed his shoulder before releasing him completely. "You're more than welcome. We're just glad it didn't seem inappropriate, or even insulting."
Paul murmured his agreement before his gaze slipped to Ciaran again as he watched the kid. "Christened, son. Christened. You don't have to be, but a lot of parents prefer it if their children are. Just means... Well, isn't this a can of worms we've opened?"
"And you're just going to leave it to us now, aren't you?" Gee asked her dad before she started to laugh. "Ci, it just means that you'll be... ah, welcomed into Heaven if anything happens. And that you get godparents."
Euan gave a small shake of his head. "Ain't no can of worms, I promise. My family were Catholic, this is what they would have wanted. Not that we're religion snobs or anything, but nothing wrong with keeping things on an even keel." He gave Ciaran a small squeeze. "You know how your granny and grandpa in Ireland went to church a lot? Catholic is like that, it's just a different religion, kiddo. Different set of beliefs. When I was a kid, I was christened, and so was Gee. Aunty Aoife was too, and our mum and dad. Gee's mum and dad here. We just want the same for you, so when you get older, you can choose for yourself what you want with it. You get a couple of godparents in the process, who are there to take care of you if Gee and me can't... which we will do everything we can to make sure doesn't happen. Godparents are a bit like more aunties and uncles. But you don't have to do it if you don't want to, aye? You just say the word. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Ciaran's attention had been drawn from the book to his dad as he listened closely. When he stopped talking, Ciaran looked to Gee, and then her parents, contemplating the situation with the tip of his tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth in concentration. Euan could see he was taking it all in and processing it, slotting the information in the right places to deal with it. Ciaran had experessive eyes, and Euan could see when he was absorbing everything. "Granny said I ain't goin' to Heaven. 'Cause my ma' and da' weren't married when I was born. If I get Catholic, does that mean I can go with everyone else? I don't wanna stay here on my own."
Euan pressed his lips together in a tight line and he turned slightly red as he tried to hold back the anger. If he opened his mouth to say something, he would explode and inevitably swear extensively, so he chose to just keep his mouth clamped shut as his grip on the book tightened. Those fucking evil wankers fucking with a kid's head like that.
Paul and Camilla exchanged looks before Gee was silently but pointedly told to move. Her mum sat on the bench next to Ciaran and after a look to Euan and then Gee, she slipped her arms around her soon-to-be grandson and hugged him. The anger on Euan's face was definitely hard to miss, and even Camilla was struggling not to let rip with an angry burst of Italian. She couldn't understand how any grandparents of the boy in her arms could ignore him, or tell him such hateful things.
Gee stood next to her dad now and slipped her arms around him in a comforting embrace as she watched Euan. "Ciaran, you won't need to stay here on your own. You'll be allowed into Heaven. Trust us, okay? You know your Dad, too. He would never let anyone deny you. But that's something that we hope you don't have to worry about for a long, long time."
Euan was so angry he was almost close to tears. Who got off telling a boy he was going to be left behind from Heaven? Fuck, this was why Euan despised religion sometimes. Sure, he had his faith deep down because it meant so much to his family, but it wasn't going to save anyone. It didn't fucking save him. It didn't save his fucking parents. Who should be here on his wedding day, just like Gee's should. "You know, I'm just going to go and make sure everything is happening how it should be. No more scaling any inanimate objects, kiddo," he warned with a strained voice, before he shifted and got up to hand Gee Ciaran's book.
Gee accepted the book with a nod, and then looked back at where Ciaran looked just a little awkward in his first Grandma Mancini embrace. She felt her dad hug her a little tighter and Gee bit down on her lip. This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined the first meet and greet would go, but at least it hadn't gone the way of her nightmares. She'd dreamed about her dad and Euan in screaming matches, or even Euan and her mum in the screaming matches. Those ones were scarier. She just knew there would be no way her parents would have hated Ciaran. "I'm sorry, he's just... Things just hit a nerve."
"It's fine, stellina," her mum murmured in answer as she gave her a soft smile. "We'll look after Ciaran for a wee bit if he'll let us."
Ciaran gave a nod and swallowed, looking up at Gee. "Dad's gonna cry, you have to go make sure he's okay," he told her quietly. He looked back at the two people who were going to be his grandparents and gave them a flicker of a smile before he let out a shaky breath. There was so much going on, and it was scary, but not as scary as it had been. He didn't understand a lot of it either, but at least he wasn't being told to be quiet and go to his room. And no one was making him eat peas.
Gee's own bottom lip wobbled briefly before she pulled away from her dad and crossed the gap to run her fingers through Ciaran's blond hair as she kissed his forehead. She pressed another quick kiss to his cheek before she dropped her voice to just a whisper that only he could hear. "I love you, kiddo. Just remember that, okay? And my parents won't bite. Promise. I'll take care of your dad, and you take care of them."
Word Count | 4,083
He was sitting on a little ornate wooden bench in the visitors gardens, and now had Ciaran lying across the bench asleep with his head in Euan's lap. He had checked out around half an hour before and Euan really couldn't blame him. He had gone through a whole pack of smokes and a bag of M&M's just to prevent him lighting up a joint. He dropped his head back and stifled a groan of boredom as he ran his fingers softly through his sleeping son's hair. Freaking Gretna Green. Evans was going to pay for this bolt of genius when Euan got a chance to reef him a new one. It would have been less hassle to just do it in a registry in London. He looked over to where Larson was nursing a cup of coffee and staring down at his shoes, and then where Stuart and Tom were lip-locked by their car in the parking lot. Two complete opposite ends of the spectrum there. Why did today feel like it was about fifty hours long?
Gee had shot off the moment she'd gotten a text message from her mum. The Mancinis might have been late, but at least they were still here. Finally. Gee hadn't even told Euan where she was going. She also knew Stuart was more than occupied, and Ciaran was fast asleep. Her stomach hadn't eased with the waiting. If anything she was still sure she could throw up, but the moment she saw her dad get out of the car she cracked into a smile. Paul Mancini was hardly assuming. He also didn't look like he could father a daughter like Gee, but she had more of his personality than anyone realised. He worked hard, he was fiercely loyal to his family, and he loved with all his heart. The truth was Gee just thought of her dad as a big marshmallow. She just never told him that. A moment later and her mum was out of the car as well, giving her daughter a huge smile. She had the same beestung lips, and the same curly hair. Only where Gee had always kept hers short, her mother let it flow long and free down her back. Gee ran up to them, throwing her arms around her father in a hug. Gee grinned against his shoulder as she felt her mother's arms around her too, and for a moment she was happy to just to stand there with them. She had no idea why she'd thought she would ever do this without them.
"Alright, love?" came her father's voice against her ear. "Just as well you called us. If you'd have eloped I never would have heard the end of it from your mum, you know. I don't need that kind of a headache. Or a heart attack. I'm far too young still."
"You? What about me?! My baby girl's calling up telling us she's getting married, and there was a chance we weren't going to see it." There was a soft burst of Italian cursing before Camilla Mancini was kissing her daughter's hair. "And to think we still haven't met this man. Or his son. I still can't believe what's going on."
Gee pulled back with a sheepish look at both her parents before she hooked her arms through theirs to start to lead them to Euan and Ciaran. "I know, I know. I do. But look, you're going to meet them and then we're going to get married. So please, just play nice. You'll like him, I'm sure of it. And Ciaran is just... an angel. He's a sleeping angel right now, but he's beautiful."
Euan was currently in the process of trying to hook his hand under Ciaran's shoulder to urge him to move a bit in his sleep. If Euan's arse hurt this much from the bloody bench, the bony kid's shoulder had to be sore, too. Only, he wasn't sure how he could actually succeed in the moving without Ciaran shifting and choking himself on that sling. Then he spotted that one of Ciaran's shoelaces was undone on the foot hanging over the edge of the bench. Should he try and do that up? This was the predicament Euan was pondering when he suddenly became aware that the sun he had been sitting in was now concealed by a shadow and he looked up to find Gee standing there with two unfamiliar looking people.
Oh shit.
Suddenly the wait didn't feel very long at all, and this all seemed like some sort of nightmare. He had never met any chick's parents before, and although he had been indignant they should be here for this, he hadn't technically figured through the enormity of meet the parents. Who were now looking back at him as he gaped at them. "... hello," he eventually offered, even over-enunciating the syllabyls without realising it.
"Hello," Paul offered back in amusement. He watched his daughter's future husband squirm with some satisfaction before he stepped forward to hold out his hand. "It's alright, I'm not about to pull any kind of scary father act. I'm sure you're smart enough to know already that if you hurt Gabrielle we'll more than make your life hell, hm? And it's not me you have to worry about, it's the missus. She's not as sweet as she looks."
Gee's mum was looking between Euan and the boy sleeping on the bench, trying to see the resemblance. It was there a little in their features, but not their colouring. She gave him a smile before she winked. "Don't listen to him, Euan. He's winding you up. It really is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Camilla, this is Paul. And he's Ciaran, yes? Our daughter was right, he is beautiful. Congratulations."
Gee stayed behind her parents for a moment as she shot Euan an apologetic look before she just bit her lip and watched on for a moment. "Mum, you don't need to cry. Please don't cry."
Euan looked up at them wryly. "I'll take any threats you want to dish out, but please just don't do it in front of my kid. That's all I ask," he said helplessly, really not wanting Ciaran to think bad of him if Gee's Dad was dishing out standard threats to him. And hell, now the mother was going to cry. Why did everyone cry? He was about to continue, when the voices around him must have roused Ciaran and he shifted to sit up groggily, obviously not realising at first that he was surrounded. But the moment he did, his sleepy blue eyes took on that deer caught in the headlights look again, and he shrunk in against Euan trying to use him as a shield as he looked up at the two strangers warily.
Wrapping his arm around Ciaran's shoulders protectively, not really meaning to put off a whole overprotective father air. "It's okay, laddie. This is Gee's ma' and da'. They've come to meet you. Say hello."
"... hello," came the emphasised response, much like his dad's a moment before, though the Irish coming through thickly in the word.
Gee slipped between her parents to sit on the other side of Ciaran as she took his hand to give it a squeeze. She'd tried to warn her parents about how Ciaran might be a little shy given his track record with grandparents. Only now she was even more nervous. This was Ciaran giving her parents the seal of approval as much as it was them giving Euan the seal of approval. "They're here for the wedding. Both of them... But your dad and I figured it was better for my parents to meet you both before he and I got married."
Euan could feel that Ciaran was squished right in against him and his good hand had come to be gripped around the sleeve of Euan's leather jacket. Poor kid was crapping himself, and this was one of those times Euan knew he needed to step in and reassure him. It had to be the grandparent thing, surely? He didn't think the kid would have issues with Italian people, considering he had taken to Gee like a duck to water. Plus, the whole thing was huge. Even Euan was shitting himself internally about this, but he was managing to keep his cool on the outside. Marriage and new family members, it was just fucking massive. Gee's folks would need to give the kid a little here too, or Ciaran just wouldn't trust them. This was definitely going to be interesting. Also, Gee had often said she was just like her mother, and now Euan realised he was bracing himself for a crazy older Italian lady onslaught. He cleared his throat, so his voice didn't come out a few octaves higher than it really was when he spoke. "Why don't you tell them something about yourself, Ciaran. Anything you like. I'm sure they want to know, aye?" he looked up at Gee's parents expectantly.
"I hate peas!" was Ciaran's blurted out response before he clamped his mouth shut again. His grandparents back in Ireland always used to try and feed him peas when he hated them. He wasn't allowed to leave the table until he ate them, either. If they fed him peas, he didn't want stay with them at all. All Euan could do with this was shoot Gee a tiny 'What the fuck?' look, dumbfounded. He expected some tale about art or the French bloke Ciaran loved, or maybe Stonehenge or Harry Potter, but peas?
Camilla raised her dark eyebrows before she broke into a warm smile. She could be the Crazy Italian Lady when she wanted, but right now she wasn't. She was the doting grandmother-to-be looking at a teenage boy would soon be her daughter's son. She'd never expected it to happen like this, but she'd soon given up hope of anything with her daughter happening conventionally. "Well, you do not have to like peas. Want to know a secret? I don't like cauliflower."
Paul started to laugh before he rubbed his hand against his wife's back. "She does, you know. You have no idea how much trouble it caused the first time I tried to make dinner for her. Big mistake choosing cauliflower and cheese."
Gee gave her parents a relieved look before she just glanced back at Euan and shrugged. There was no way they'd know how this was going to turn out.
Euan felt some stiffness leave Ciaran's body, probably relief that no one was going to force-feed him peas. Fucking hell, if those fuckers force-fed his kid anything he didn't like... The anger surged up in him and he growled before he could stop himself, letting out a sharp breath. "There, see, buddy? Cauliflower cheese. Totally sucks. Peas are only good for flicking at people anyway." He fished a small bottle of water out of his pocket he had stuffed in there earlier and cracked it open to put in Ciaran's good hand once he pried it from his sleeve. He ruffled Ciaran's hair affectionately. At least focusing on Ciaran's anxiety seemed to push his own firmly out of the way, but now he was giving Mr and Mrs Mancini a slightly wary glance. "So... um... I would be honoured if I could have permission to marry your daughter?" he finally asked, albeit extremely belated.
Ciaran's big blue eyes shifted from Gee's mum and dad to his own father. "Da', you already asked her. You said so." Then he looked back up at those who were going to be his grandparents. "You can't say no. She's gonna be my mum."
Camilla straightened up to tuck herself up against her husband's side and she exchanged a look with Gee's father before she looked back at Ciaran. It was Paul who spoke though, keeping his tone quiet. "We're not going to say no, Ciaran. Of course we're not. We're not going to take Gee away from you. We just wanted to finally get to put a face to the name. To meet these Fitzpatrick boys who have stolen her heart. That's all, lad. Oh yeah, we got you something..." Paul slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a wrapped up parcel. Inside was a small art book, one of those pocket books that were easy to carry around. "Heard you were into art."
Gee watched with tears in her eyes as she smiled up at her parents and kissed the top of Ciaran's head. She was still in shock when she saw her mother hand over a smaller package to Euan. She frowned as she looked between her mother and father, but her mum just grinned. "Don't worry, stellina, it's nothing to be concerned about. Just a little something for you fiancé. It means something to us, and something we wanted to give him."
The last thing Euan expected was a gift, and he had been focused on watching Ciaran closely for his reaction when he was handed one himself. He nearly jumped in surprise as he automatically just took the package handed over to him. Now Ciaran was watching for his Dad's reaction, obviously ready to take cues off him. Any other kid would probably be tearing into the present by now. Hopefully the little package wasn't some sort of Italian initiation. Euan wasn't sure his heart had the stamina for that after nearly having a few minor strokes in recent weeks. Even if he was feeling slightly awkward, he gave Ciaran a nod of encouragement and started to open his own present. Hopefully it wasn't a chastity belt for Gee. That would really suck. There was a small box inside and Euan wasn't sure about opening it. Keep his cool, that's what he had to do. Maybe there were some more smokes inside. He snapped it open and was surprised to find a St Christopher's medal inside. It wasn't dissimilar to the one his own father used to wear and something tightened in Euan's stomach and throat, almost like he was about to cry, but he tried to swallow it back and save face.
Ciaran was halfway through tearing the paper off his own present and he pulled the book out before it was completely unwrapped, having shoved it in under his thigh for leverage in lieu of lacking his good hand. He was resourceful, to say the least, but when he realised he had no way of opening the book to see inside it right away, his attention was drawn to his Dad's present. "What's that? Is that like at the Olympics? Dad, you got gold!" he said with a grin.
Gee leaned over and tried not to squish Ciaran too much so she could catch a glimpse of Euan's gift. She knew what the medal was. Her family was Catholic, and Euan knew that. Just like she knew he was from Catholic stock as well. He might not be practicing, but at least her parents could be safe in the knowledge that she was sort of marrying within the faith. "Wow, a St Christopher's medal... Nice subtle hint, Mum. No, Ciaran, it's not quite like at the Olympics. It's a... Catholic thing."
Paul nodded. "St Christopher was the patron saint of travellers, but mostly it's worn by Catholics in general. Something a little different to the cross. Something that can also bring protection to the wearer."
"Just don't travel on subway trains..." Euan commented before he could stop himself and then gave himself an internal slap.
"Why not?" Ciaran asked. "I like trains."
"Nevermind, kiddo. It's nothing," Euan said dismissively, clearing his throat softly. It meant a lot, he just wasn't sure about his family's faith anymore, let alone the protective power of St Christopher. He smiled up at Gee's parents, though, even if it had pushed a lot of emotion to the forefront. "Thanks. It means a lot. We were just recently talking about the possibility of getting Ciaran christened. He's not been baptised. It would have been something my parents would have been proud of." He had no intentions of making the kid sit in a box and confess his 'sins', though. Dunking him in Holy Water was one thing, but confession wasn't something Euan wasn't going to get involved in. He took the book off Ciaran and held it so the boy could turn the pages in it, but he glanced up at Gee apologetically. He hadn't meant the whole defensive slip about trains. He was trying to make a good impression, he really was. And he hadn't sworn once.
"Why do I have to be christianed?" Ciaran asked, even if he was intently drawing in all the paintings in the book.
Camilla slipped past her husband to give Euan a soft hug and kiss to the forehead. Their daughter had explained everything about Euan's parents and how they'd died in the London Bombings. He didn't need to apologise for the slip. They more than understood. She gave him an understanding look and squeezed his shoulder before releasing him completely. "You're more than welcome. We're just glad it didn't seem inappropriate, or even insulting."
Paul murmured his agreement before his gaze slipped to Ciaran again as he watched the kid. "Christened, son. Christened. You don't have to be, but a lot of parents prefer it if their children are. Just means... Well, isn't this a can of worms we've opened?"
"And you're just going to leave it to us now, aren't you?" Gee asked her dad before she started to laugh. "Ci, it just means that you'll be... ah, welcomed into Heaven if anything happens. And that you get godparents."
Euan gave a small shake of his head. "Ain't no can of worms, I promise. My family were Catholic, this is what they would have wanted. Not that we're religion snobs or anything, but nothing wrong with keeping things on an even keel." He gave Ciaran a small squeeze. "You know how your granny and grandpa in Ireland went to church a lot? Catholic is like that, it's just a different religion, kiddo. Different set of beliefs. When I was a kid, I was christened, and so was Gee. Aunty Aoife was too, and our mum and dad. Gee's mum and dad here. We just want the same for you, so when you get older, you can choose for yourself what you want with it. You get a couple of godparents in the process, who are there to take care of you if Gee and me can't... which we will do everything we can to make sure doesn't happen. Godparents are a bit like more aunties and uncles. But you don't have to do it if you don't want to, aye? You just say the word. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Ciaran's attention had been drawn from the book to his dad as he listened closely. When he stopped talking, Ciaran looked to Gee, and then her parents, contemplating the situation with the tip of his tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth in concentration. Euan could see he was taking it all in and processing it, slotting the information in the right places to deal with it. Ciaran had experessive eyes, and Euan could see when he was absorbing everything. "Granny said I ain't goin' to Heaven. 'Cause my ma' and da' weren't married when I was born. If I get Catholic, does that mean I can go with everyone else? I don't wanna stay here on my own."
Euan pressed his lips together in a tight line and he turned slightly red as he tried to hold back the anger. If he opened his mouth to say something, he would explode and inevitably swear extensively, so he chose to just keep his mouth clamped shut as his grip on the book tightened. Those fucking evil wankers fucking with a kid's head like that.
Paul and Camilla exchanged looks before Gee was silently but pointedly told to move. Her mum sat on the bench next to Ciaran and after a look to Euan and then Gee, she slipped her arms around her soon-to-be grandson and hugged him. The anger on Euan's face was definitely hard to miss, and even Camilla was struggling not to let rip with an angry burst of Italian. She couldn't understand how any grandparents of the boy in her arms could ignore him, or tell him such hateful things.
Gee stood next to her dad now and slipped her arms around him in a comforting embrace as she watched Euan. "Ciaran, you won't need to stay here on your own. You'll be allowed into Heaven. Trust us, okay? You know your Dad, too. He would never let anyone deny you. But that's something that we hope you don't have to worry about for a long, long time."
Euan was so angry he was almost close to tears. Who got off telling a boy he was going to be left behind from Heaven? Fuck, this was why Euan despised religion sometimes. Sure, he had his faith deep down because it meant so much to his family, but it wasn't going to save anyone. It didn't fucking save him. It didn't save his fucking parents. Who should be here on his wedding day, just like Gee's should. "You know, I'm just going to go and make sure everything is happening how it should be. No more scaling any inanimate objects, kiddo," he warned with a strained voice, before he shifted and got up to hand Gee Ciaran's book.
Gee accepted the book with a nod, and then looked back at where Ciaran looked just a little awkward in his first Grandma Mancini embrace. She felt her dad hug her a little tighter and Gee bit down on her lip. This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined the first meet and greet would go, but at least it hadn't gone the way of her nightmares. She'd dreamed about her dad and Euan in screaming matches, or even Euan and her mum in the screaming matches. Those ones were scarier. She just knew there would be no way her parents would have hated Ciaran. "I'm sorry, he's just... Things just hit a nerve."
"It's fine, stellina," her mum murmured in answer as she gave her a soft smile. "We'll look after Ciaran for a wee bit if he'll let us."
Ciaran gave a nod and swallowed, looking up at Gee. "Dad's gonna cry, you have to go make sure he's okay," he told her quietly. He looked back at the two people who were going to be his grandparents and gave them a flicker of a smile before he let out a shaky breath. There was so much going on, and it was scary, but not as scary as it had been. He didn't understand a lot of it either, but at least he wasn't being told to be quiet and go to his room. And no one was making him eat peas.
Gee's own bottom lip wobbled briefly before she pulled away from her dad and crossed the gap to run her fingers through Ciaran's blond hair as she kissed his forehead. She pressed another quick kiss to his cheek before she dropped her voice to just a whisper that only he could hear. "I love you, kiddo. Just remember that, okay? And my parents won't bite. Promise. I'll take care of your dad, and you take care of them."
Word Count | 4,083